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 Posted: Fri Aug 20, 2004 5:32 pm
All right, Kij....
*closes her eyes, and places her palms on the girl's temple, guiding Kij to place hers below the girl's heart. Both girls glow softly in the light of the glass*
Just let go.
Give what you have.
Show her the love that transcends gold, transcends flaming...
Come back to us, beloved.
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Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2004 2:29 pm
Songlian might as well be a bundle of rags and bird-bones in Katane's arms; mostly of the weight would be from the bag slung round her neck, apparently containing the current sum of her worldly possessions. It clinks faintly when she's put down. She stirs slightly, but doesn't wake.
Romuel's touch sends a faint shiver through her otherwise-still form; when Kiji lays her hands on the girl, it'd get the same reponse. After a moment, they'd both find that while they are touching her, they can hear a horrible, grating buzz - faint, as if it were shouting down a tunnel to them. GoldGoldGoldGoldGoldGoldGold. It's incessant, and the gutteral rhythm of it, the alien harmonics, inspire a sort of wrenching half-nausea. Songlian whimpers, faintly, and the voice would grow a little louder; her eyes open and they are pitch black - as if they were simply holes in her head. If one were to watch, they might see the occasional spark drift through them - golden glitters, little trophies of daemonic obsession.
She arches her head back; gasps, as if moments before she had been suffocating.
A faint, greasy-black haze would begin to form over her skin; gradually it billows up, oozing out of the air around her, forming a filthy cloud that pulses and fades in the light over the altar, twisting and turning in silent fury and mounting distress. Repeatedly it roils down towards the Saints, towards Songlian or towards the watching Modists, but each time some invisible barrier turns it back. Soon all its efforts to turn in on itself cannot sustain the darkness at its heart; Song's tortured eyes flicker closed and her tensed body relaxes as the creature shrinks, faster and faster. Once the collapse finally begins it can martial no more reserves against them. It shrinks in on itself, and the saints would hear that grating, greedy snarl dwindling to a desperate shriek. The cloud is the size of a football - of a clenched fist - of a coin...
It solidifies, glitters. With a soft, organic tearing sound, a gold coin drops from where the center of the cloud hung, bounces off Songlian - off the altar - and to the floor. It rolls in a circle with a faint metallic chitter, and falls on its side with a clunk a little too heavy, a little too final, for an ordinary coin. In the light of the sanctuary, the golden disc has an oily-black sheen to it, glistening like a grease-spot of corruption against the stone.
Songlian's eyes flicker open - unfocused and bloodshot, but silver-grey once more. Slowly, by tiny, hesitant increments, she turns her head, fighting to focus. Her voice is hoarse, uncertain and tremulous in the echoing hall:
... Rommy?
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Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2004 3:28 pm
Moryera stands frozen, overwhelmed by the scene before her. She had followed the saints expecting to see an inspiring miracle of healing, a demonstration of why she felt drawn to the Church in the first place---the power of the Mods to save the unwell. This is exactly what has happened, of course, but the threatening pitch-dark fog spreading just above the assembled party is a little too frightening for the faint-hearted young Modist to watch.
Mory only opens her eyes when she hears a heavy 'clink' at her feet. After making sure the darkness had lifted and Songlian had been cured, she looks down to see what caused the noise. ...what's this? It's...money. A little large to be the normal one-gold coin, and much too dark...perhaps it's a 50-gold piece, she thinks. She's never seen a real one before, so she guesses it would look a little strange...one of the others must have dropped it. It looks awfully dirty, but every little bit towards the next Saint helps, doesn't it? Moryera bends down to pick up the mysterious coin...
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Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2004 6:34 pm
Kiji turns sharply away from Song at the sound of the coin and her voice actually booms a little as she snaps, Mory! Don't touch it! In a rush, the younger saint hops down from the altar and puts her hand out over the coin, her expression intent and vicious. This isn't normal gold. There's no way... She pours all her concentration into sensing everything she can about the coin, trying to pinpoint the best way to deal with it so no one else has to live through the kind of agony that Song has endured up until now.
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Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2004 7:01 pm
Katane watched the entire thing without turning away, though what she saw disturbed her. As the malignant spirit emrged from Songlian, she could feel its malice. It seemed to push at the edges of her mind, fighting to latch on to something, to not die. With all her will, she pushed away at it, contained it, drove it away. When it was over, she realized she had been holding her breath the entire time in her anxiousness. She gives a little gasp of relief, and slouches over as though exhuasted.
Then, seeing that Song is conscious, she walks over to the alter, and gives the girl a weak smile.
Welcome back.
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Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2004 10:34 pm
Mory draws back her hand hesitantly, not noticing how she angered the saint she looks up to so much. She also appears blissfully unaware of the weak, nearly imperceptible malicious presence still hovering in the small area surrounding the coin. In fact, Mory seems a bit -too- interested in this evil talisman, but this can probably be chalked up to her youthful curiosity. Probably. She blinks a few times, snapping out of what almost appeared to be a trance, and joins Katane at the altar. It should be noted that Mory sneaks more than one glance back at St. Kiji and the coin as she makes her way there.
*shyly* Miss Songlian, are you alright? I was so worried, I had heard so much about you and it would have been horrible if anything had happened...
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Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2004 6:03 am
*looks down at song, her face wet, watter dripping onto song's. She can't stop crying. Well, it certainly ruins the myth of toys not having feelings. She caresses the poor bundle of rags, looking into the bloodshot eyes*
You made it, Song. Wherever you were, you're back. You made it home.
*she keps caressing the weak creature, not apologetic about the racking sobs that come through her, only distantly hearing Kiji's admonition to Moy*
You're weak, and tired song. We'll help. We'll get you clean and fed and rested...When you're ready, you can tell us of your journey. Oh, song...
*she holds the weak figure, cryong*
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Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2004 5:28 pm
Song stares up at Romuel, baffled, her eyes slowly focusing. When she does manage to get a clear image, to realise what she's looking at, her eyes widen a little.
Don't cry... Rommy, don't cry?
She leans against the saint a little, dazed and weary in every bone of her body, cuddling up to Romuel. When the Saint's sobs don't abate, she reaches up with one hand to wipe the tears away; stops short, realising her ragged fingernails would do more harm than good, and shakily tries to brush Romuel's tears from her cheeks with the side of her hand instead. She mouths the words 'don't cry' again, and turns a pleading look on the others - Katane and Mory - as she clings to the weeping Saint. Their words of welcome get a tremulous smile from her, but her attention quickly returns to the woman closest to her, and she reaches up again to stroke Romuel's hair.
When Kiji focuses on the coin, she'd be able to hear that horrible buzzing in the back of her mind again. It's no real coin, but that... thing, coalesced and attempting to hide itself in the guise of money. Its chittering has the smug tone of someone who believes themself unassailable; it has, after all, taken on the semblance of something it believes everyone loves. Even now, Kiji would be able to feel it probing at her, seeking a hint of weakness or of doubt to latch into, wearing away at her with surges of lust for that which sparkles, as systematic as waves crashing down on the beach.
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Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2004 5:43 pm
Kiji's lips peel back into a vicious, animal snarl as she pushes back against the probing force of the coin. She calls all the power she possesses, everything the Mods have granted her...everything she has left from helping to heal Songlian...
...everything she is...
...and SMASHES the coin with the heel of her hand.
SHUT UP! scream
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Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2004 6:40 pm
Moryera meets Songlian's pleading glance with a baffled one, considering it a bit overfamiliar of her to interrupt the old friends' reunion. She stands by and watches instead, a pleasant but somewhat blank look on her face, until---
UWAAGH! gonk
---she is startled by a loud cry and a crunching noise directly behind her. When she realizes just what Kiji has done, for a fraction of a second she is outraged. She nearly drops what she was doing and yells at the saint, but then she notices her anger fading...her thoughts clearing...was that...the...?! Mory understands now. But wait, if St. Kiji just smashed the monster coin, then...
Oh my Mod! IT'S DEAD! heart
Her elation stands in contrast to the solemn atmosphere. Even though she knows nothing about whatever evil was concentrated in that gold, or even if it's really been destroyed, she is determined to celebrate and brighten everybody's mood.
Stop crying, everyone, it's dead! You're free, Miss Song! *overjoyed, half-dancing* Look, it's broken, the pieces are right there and it CAN'T come back, where would it go, it's gone, it's gone! Wheee!
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Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:01 pm
Katane smiles inwardly at her friends enthusiasm, but her attention is mostly focused on the saint, whose racking sobs echo though the cathedral. She quietly walks around to the other side of the altar, and pats the saint ackwardly on the back.
Its okay now. She's okay. Everything's going to be just fine......
Katane pulls a tissue out her purse and hands it to the saint.
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Posted: Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:53 pm
Ruby casually walks in and stands beside the crowd of people.
Welcome back, my friend. May the chatterbox burn in Neopets.
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Posted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 10:11 am
In the back stands the man who first found the girl, watching silently. He hides his emotions behind his dark red glasses; the only thing betraying his stoicism being a blonde eyebrow being raised.
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Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2004 5:10 am
Romuel holds her missionary tight, shaking. She feels the touch upon her cheek, and it brings a new wall of tears. She manages to smile weakly down upon her frail, warm friend
I'm just so glad you're back, angel. The world is so small and dark without you.
She heaves a shuddering sigh, and wipes her eyes.
There's so much I want to know, but that's not going to help you. Let's get you washed, fed and rested. When you're ready, we can talk? Okay?
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Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2004 7:00 am
Does anyone mind if I join this as my homecoming in RP format? If they do, I'll just join the generalness of welcome home, song. And oh yeah! Welcome Home Song! *huggles*
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