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 Posted: Sat May 26, 2007 5:09 pm
Her hand so gently placed against his face. There was a wonderful queasy dance in his stomach. And yet for some reason it made him want to smile, to laugh...to move closer...He wanted to say it now, he wanted to confess it. It was the only way he could think to respond.
I...I've always...
That knock.
His eyes opened, meeting hers as she backed away and slowly turned. Quite honestly it looked as if his cheeks were about to explode with blush. His heart was pounding in his throat trying to escape.
He'd never...even....but...there were just no coherent singular thoughts, just a rushing crowd of ideas and feelings. And a really goofy grin spread across his face.
Yes, sure, definitely!
His smile evened out into a wide grin, he had missed those too! Not nearly as much as her but...well, let us simply say that smile came from more than just the idea of coffee and cake. And the smile entirely refused to fade. He stood, gently lifting the box of gifts he had brought, he was ready to go.
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Posted: Sun May 27, 2007 8:51 am
"Let's go then..." Her eyes rested a wee bit longer on his than maybe necessary, an amused, yet soft grin playing on her lips. She led him out of her room, locking it from the outside and slipping the small key into her jeans' pocket. There were less than ten people in the library, not more than you'd expect to find on a Sunday afternoon. On the other side of the room two couches stood in the left corner, facing each other with a small table between them on which a large tray was placed, carrying a tall latte macchiato, a cappuccino, a sugar pot and a plate with several slices of cherry chocolate cake. Flopping down on one of the couches, Lucind sighed in pleasure. She directly reached out for the cup of cappuccino and shifted, pressing her back into the leather until she'd found a good position. "That's good...," she sighed, absent-mindedly brushing one side of her pullover's collar back in position, but it simply was too large and directly slipped back, revealing half her shoulder. A leather band showed that the woman was wearing a pendant of some sort, hidden though under the black garment. Her amber eyes peeked over the cup's rim at the box Maximos had brought with him. He said there were gifts in there. What could that be, she mused to herself...
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Posted: Sun May 27, 2007 6:30 pm
Maximos mouth practically watered. He hadnt even seen a good latte since his death, now he was inches away from trying one. And the cake! It called to him like a long lost lover. Well perhaps not that much...
But was really longing for a taste. He slid by the table and gently sat himself in the couch, placing the box on the table beside his tray. The latte was first, he reached his bandaged arm out, the limb twitching twice before he grabbed the cup and brought it in for a long sip. Something of a very satisfied "Mmmmmm...", slipping from between his lips. He placed the cup down with a satisfied, "Aaaah". At least half of contents lost to his thirst.
Yes...it most certainly is.
He said with the widest possible grin, and a few black sparks dancing from his eyes. Exquisite! Every bit as good as he remembered if not better! Before he attacked the cherry chocolate cake he caught her eyes peering at the cup, and let out a small laugh.
Curious...Lucind...?
He said, sliding the box in front of him placing his hand precariously on top of the soft bow which held the soft black cloth covering the box in place. As if teasing her with a reveal.
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 11:50 am
"Yeah, very much so," she grinned back.
"Feel a bit like on Christmas eve."
She told him that thanks to her father, her brother Larhien and her got to know what Christmas is when they were still kids, or looked like ones at least - of course, back then they didn't really care for the religious background and just indulged in the excitement of not knowing what gifts they'd get, trying everything to get a peek...
While talking, Lucind thought to herself how surreal this somehow was: yesterday she didn't even think about Maximos, not to mention the possibility of him coming back. And now they were both sitting in her store, chatting like back in the old days. It was just like back then... Almost.
"So, for how much longer are you going to tease me?"
She hold her cup in both hands, shoving her right foot under her left thigh.
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 1:17 pm
Just a bit...
He said with a smile. His hand sliding across the small tied ribbon. Gravity did its beautiful work letting the fabric fall to either side, revealing the box. It was a dark wooden box with golden trimming, and seemed to smell like the purest meadow. Just a whiff and one could imagine the peaceful deer prancing through tall grass while little birds chirp away a symphony.
The box had a very small latch, with no visible key at all. Maximos' right hand slid up opening upwards toward Lucind, hiding view of the boxes contents, and then he reached inside and pulled the first gift from its home.
It was a book! And as he lifted it, he slid the box shut behind it. The book's pages seemed to glow golden, and its back and front cover bound in a beautiful white silken fabric. Maximos offered it to Lucind. Golden letters spelled out a title in a long lost language. Though the more Lucind stared at it, the more the letters seemed to make sense until, the book's title seemed entirely legible.
It was written in her native Siren language and it was entitled "The Tale of Life".
The first is the meeker of the two. Its a history book. Actually thats a bit of an understatement, its the history book.
Maximos said with a smile.
It contains the detailed history of life, as we know it. Simply think of a plane of existence and its complete unedited history is laid bare before you.
He smiled, and took a small sip, giving her the chance to open the pages. Each page was written in native Sirenian, it wasnt truly written in such but for her it would appear to be. Just as to Maximos it appeared to be written in Arian.
You see, Heaven keeps excellent records of that transpires on every plane. Passing through its Eternal Library, I found this, and I could think of no better addition to your collection.
He paused for a moment, trying to read her reactions.
What do you think?
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 1:36 pm
"....gosh...this must be worth...no idea...but...damn..! - Err, I mean, I'm sorry!" She laughed. "Of course I'd never sell it."
"But...isn't it like...hubris....to have something like this on earth?"
Lucind raised a brow and looked up at him, while her fingers were still gliding over the pages.
"Eternal library, you say? Well, sounds like you can spend some hours in there, heh.."
You could tell the woman considered this book to be a special treasure that surely wouldn't be found standing in the public area of Feimurgan.
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2007 4:10 pm
Maximos laughed that was his first reaction too. The very idea that something like this existed was...well it blew his mind. And he had read quite a few chapters, both on Aria, Gaia, "Earth", and many other planes.
Hubris? Oh indeed.
He said with a sly smile on his face leaning in just a bit.
...but it'll be our little secret.
He tossed her a wink before leaning back into his seat. If information like that reached the public, it could be greatly abused. But if it didnt....it made for lovely reading! Hours she said, that was funny. He did spend hours, hundreds of hours.
...about three weeks, to be exact. Its an amazing place.
Time just had so much less meaning in Heaven. When ones afterlife is "eternal", they have all the time in the world for such simple things.
But...
Maximos said, clicking open the box yet again. A smile cast across his face from cheek to cheek. He lit up like a school boy. This ones the one gift, he thought she'd really love. The one gift that just screamed "Lucind." He pulled out a second book. It looked for more aged than the one before. Some of the bindings had come loose an some of the pages threatened to come loose.
Its cover was a simple black leather, with a golden emblem on it. The emblem depicted a set of eight angelic wings surrounding a single glowing point. Despite the dingy surface of the book, this emblem seemed utterly spotless.
...this is the coup de grace.
And as he peeled open the pages, one would see no words, but musical notes. On every single page, in some of the pages beautiful white pages were used as bookmarks. This book had been put through millenia of usage, and that considered it was in good condition.
There are creatures of legend, much like the Sirens...
Maximos said, with a smirk.
...their songs have begun and ceased wars. They have ignited the hearts of men to do deeds known through all of history, and they have crushed the hearts of others reducing them to useless husks. All with but a few notes...
He gently placed the black fabric inside the box and then closed it laying it beside them.
They are called the Seraphim. The highest choir of angels, a single member of the their rank is said to be the voice of god. Their songs are timeless, aged, and powerful beyond what my simple words can describe.
He gently folded his hands resting them on the table.
But during my time above, I was gifted with the honor of meeting one of these eldest of angels. He sung, and I tried my best to accompany him on my violin, and while my musical stylings were comparable to nails on a chalk board next to his voice. He seemed intrigued.
He reached his right hand out and gently tapped the spine of the book.
This was his songbook. It holds every song of the Seraphim choir. He said after the first 43,000 years he had all the songs memorized to begin with.
Maximos paused, and then offered it to Lucind.
I could think of no one who deserved it more than you, Lucind.
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 11:47 am
Were her eyes full of curiosity, joy and awe when she was given the first gift- Lucind was now sitting there looking more than dumbfounded.
No frown, no twitch of her mouth while she browsed the pages like in trance.
Only her eyes showed it: utter disbelieve..and hundreds of images and thoughts popping up all at once.
Her face turned white - even paler than usual, if that was even possible - then her cheeks flushed heavily and her fingers ran over the pages more greedily, her eyes rushing from one side to the other until...
...she stopped at some point, just staring into the book.
The woman opened her mouth, took breath and---shook her head ever so slightly, as if being displeased with herself.
"No good idea...." She smiled weakly, looking at the normal visitors standing at the windows or between the shelves.
"This is...I don't know what to say..." She blinked a few times, then faced Maximos, her expression rather grave, though some kind of excitement and restlessness pulsated somewhere in her eyes.
"You know, there're a very few myths about the Siren world - highly controversial and depreciated by most of us...simply because too less evidences could've been found so far...still, at very rare occasions, those stories are told..."
Noticing she wasn't exactly bringing out coherent sentences Lucind forced herself to fade out her racing mind for a moment.
"Those myths tell that, when the first five Sirens came into this world, with Mother Gaia approving of it, they were created as an incarnation of the sea and kissed by the eternal wind...
...and that voices of several heavenly creatures, those with the most powerful tongues, were taken, intermingled and bound to the earth...given to beings that represented nature, instinct, the subconscious, flesh and spirit...
Of course, in comparison to those creatures from heaven, the voices of the first five Siren rather sounded rural...filled with raw emotion. But it was just meant to fit them, being part of the earth - and of a spiritual plane..."
Carefully shutting the book, Lucind hugged it to her stomach.
"Only later on....ages later, the first one came up with the idea that it could've been Seraphim, those angels who were said to be the most powerful singers in...what is called heaven...that their voices might've been the origin of ours."
She looked nearly amused now.
"But, no matter how much of this old stuff is true, this is indeed a...special gift."
What would be, though, the Half-Siren thought to herself, if this legend was true...and if only partly. What actually, if all these songs opened up for her and unfolded their power...accepting her voice...?
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2007 3:25 pm
Accepting her voice is precisely what it did. Just being in her possession and being open allowed her voice to glide from within her like silk gently gliding in the wind. Lucind had a beautiful voice to being with, even in simply speaking it was ranks above any others.
But now, it seemed as if her voice, her mind, her soul, simply felt the tone and began one with it. Her voice was able to flow smoothly, and easily.
In leyman's terms simply having the book in her possession allowed her voice to flow easier, even in speaking. And even more so in singing. This meant she would be able to reach higher, lower, and otherwise more difficult notes with great ease. Which is to say, her voice was severely more powerful, simply by holding the book. And she would be able to tell the moment the first word escaped her lips.
It left one to wonder, what powers she could uncover after learning a few of the songs.
Maximos had a smile, as bright as day. He listened intently, his right hand placed on his chin, his eyes locked. He loved learning history, and mythos especially of races he had very little experience with. And needless to say Sirens were a very secretive race, Maximos knew almost nothing about them.
He was honestly dumbfounded, a look of surprise filling his face and widening his eyes. Could he really have just handed Lucind a piece of her own history? There was no way he could have known, it was an accident. But it was the sort of accident, he wished he made a bit more often.
I'm so glad you like it Lucind. I had no idea there was even a relation between you two races. I hope it serves you very well Lucind...
He was honestly ecstatic with the idea of what abilities he had just handed Lucind. He'd love to see her in action one of these days. But for this exact moment, he took a slice of cherry chocolate cake, grasped his fork and cut a small piece off, eating it with gusto. A very satisfied "Mmmmm.", escaping him. Lucind had given him a gift too, it was right here on his plate, and in his cup. And he planned to enjoy it.
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2007 1:14 pm
At the moment, Lucind didn't really notice the book was literally emanating a power that supported, enriched her voice - she attributed it to her exitement. Or maybe she did feel it...something in her, but for now she preferred to not think about it to intently.
First, the woman remained sitting upright, with the book on her knees, before she reached out for her cup once more, obviously deep in thoughts.
With some delay, she smiled, reacting to his joy about the cake.
"So...if you can tell me...what happened after you stepped through that gate of light?"
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2007 12:22 am
Thats difficult...
He paused for a moment, his hand slipping around his cup and making small circles with it on the table. There was alot he could tell, and then there was alot that he especially could never tell. Not with his job.
...You'll have to understand that part of what happened I cant reveal...
He smirked and leaned forward just a bit.
...it would ruin the surprise.
He leaned back, taking a quick sip of the Latte before placing the cup back down and placing both hands on the table, his fingers interlaced.
The man you saw at the door, was Death. He had come to inform me that my time had come, that my unfinished business was complete and that I could move on. And so I did.
He looked up for a moment, remembering the clouds, and then lowered his head with a bright smile.
The easiest way to say it, is to say I went to Heaven. I met angels, I met people from across many worlds, who had places in many histories, and countless people who simply lived a good life and died a good death.
He paused, looking down at his hands, his gloved right hand twitching twice.
I couldnt find my family. And in the end I learned that for a little shadow, few places are as lonely as Heaven...
The smile faded somewhat. His last days in Heaven were nothing to be proud of and involved things he must keep secret.
...I cant say what exactly transpired, only that I was sent back, more or less to do a job. A big job...And I was given a few pieces of...
His right hand rose and pointed at his right eye, with its weird white tint, as opposed to his left.
...equipment...to help me with my work. And I was given flesh, and blood and a body of my own!
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Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 3:04 pm
She listened intently, taking in every word he said.
Lucind wasn't surprised to hear that Maximos couldn't pass on every detail of his story.
She also didn't comment when he told her it hadn't been possible to reunite with his family. Her eyes, though, showed her sympathy, let him know how sorry she was.
"Yeah...for some reason...I can comprehend...that Heaven doesn't necessarily has to be the better life after leaving this world..or plane.
- But what job is it you're talking about? And in what way does your new eye help you? What skill does it hide?" The woman leaned back once more, still looking a bit confused with what promises she held in her hands, embodied in the book of the Seraphim - yet she managed to relax after a while, concentrating on what Maximos was going to tell her.
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Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2007 4:04 pm
Now that was specifically the part he couldnt tell her. There are certain things that are meant to keep secret and this was one of them. But he wanted to tell her something, he felt he owed her at least that much for the all the work she had done to save him.
I work with the dead.
He couldnt say that his targets werent always dead yet. Some just needed to die. But the details of that had to be left clandestine.
...I make sure they go where they belong. And this...
He reached up to tap the soft flesh just beneath his eye again.
Helps me find those that need my attention. Heres an example.
He reached out picking up his own cup.
You see this cup? With this eye...
He shut his right eye, looking through his left.
I see a cup. Its marked with the Feimurgan logo and I can see the shade from a small amount of coffee still at the bottom of the cup. With this eye...
He closed his left and opened his right.
I see, a fient orange glow and a line straight to her.
He made a gesture toward one of the waitresses. The exact waitress that served the cup.
I can see my prints, here and here.
He pointed with his left.
Marks left from how very happy I was to taste the lovely latte again. And here...
He pointed to the opposite side of the cup.
I see a feint orange set of prints and a swirling combination of grey mixed with pink. Heartbreak, I believe she may have just lost someone close to her, possibly a mate or family member.
He squinted a bit.
I can see a slight green tint, here...I think she may be coming down with something, the weathers a bit nippy.
He pointed beside the cup, far to the right of it.
I can see a small glow from a free floating spirit, that hasnt yet realized where or why he's here. By the line leading from it, out of the room it appears its a living person, just experimenting with leaving his body...I see a red glow coming from the man behind the bookshelf. He spelled coffee on his enchanted pants. I...see alot of things.
He opened his left eye again.
And like this I see just about everything.
He smiled, brightly for ear to ear, and then took a sip of his coffee finishing it off and placing it on the table with a clearly audible empty echo.
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Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 1:32 pm
"Interesting. Very interesting..."
Parts of what he couldn't reveal she filtered out of his voice, not prodding further though.
"So it seems our 'jobs' are alike. A bit, at least," she smiled and listened to what else he reported.
"Yea, that's right. Kara's grandma died last week. Most people don't notice, but it hit her more than she's willing to admit.
And I told her to wear something more warming and less hot for her date on Tuesday - she's been coughing for a couple o'days now." Lucind chuckled.
"Well, many would kill to have such an instrument. Seeing everything and.." All of a sudden, she stopped when her mind stumbled over a thought that confused her...and made her blush ever so slightly even. Quickly taking another sip of her cappuccino, the woman blinked, then smiled at him.
"Hope you're doing fine then. Such a task can be...well, a burden, sometimes."
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Posted: Sun Jun 03, 2007 7:30 pm
*After leaving the stadium without running into any old friends or aquantances, Xenin the elf decided to head to the nearby town of Latent. Once he reached the town he had looked through the many shops and businesses and for some reson Feirmurgan's Café drew him in, something about it felt familiar. As he entered the first floor he was welcomed by the a young employee. The young employe eyed him for awhile before actually speaking. This young worker had a nametag with the name "Eugene" written. So Xenin tired of being stared at, removed his hood and giving the man a fake but convincing smile asked sarcasticly as he eyed the acne ridden teenager.
Can I help you with something.... Eugene?
*Eugene seemed to come back to consiusness. Eugene chuckled and said as he looked Xenin over*
Well that's kinda what I was wondering... what may I help you with sir?
*Eugene looked at the man err.... elf before him and continued to stare. This mysterious man in black had several interesting scars, one on his right cheek, another one across his left eye and the most interesting one was the one on his forehead. A D shaped mark that could have only been obtained by a hot coal...*
Not much really, I think, I rather borwse the library
*said Xenin hiding his annoyance as he pulled his hood over his face and over his flame red hair. The elf decided then that he would go upstairs find a book and relax for a bit. He walked across the first floor and waited for the elevator for the second floor...patiently....*
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