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 Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 11:30 pm
Riley's eyebrows rose lazily at the thought. But I want you to be punishingly effective. I would rather you hurt Andeon, than the other way around. Still, it might be safer not to anger the irrational Illithid. Malodore, as usual, had a good point. To keep someone from getting in, you need to let your mind work at it's automatic speed, it's full potential. Perhaps that might take some practice.. far more than can be fulfilled in one day. The brain is a muscle, after all. It needs exercise just like the rest of us. But you already knew that, you deliciously brilliant doctor. She pressed her face against the tip of it's beak lightly. So, we can practice shielding if you like. Anytime.
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 4:32 pm
"Si." It nudged the tip of its beak gently back at her in its version of a light kiss. "I also do not wish to walk around feeling every little sorrow. Calder alone would probably..." It couldn't make a face, really, but its vague horror at the idea came through in the tone of its voice. It liked Calder a great deal, but there was no denying that the kelpie boil was very... ah... emotionally intense. And potentially volatile.
... Riley herself too, for that matter.
"Something so I can think and feel for myself, yes? The void is too strong. It's not in its nature to be weakened or changeable." It pondered, trying to think of something lighter and gentler it could visualize. Something that would work for it in a way that the wall-concept did not.
"... Perhaps a circle of moving air?" it offered, tentatively.
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:22 pm
Riley tried to visualize the idea of a circle of moving air working as shield, and quickly shook her head. If you walked around, all day, with your mind in constant movement like that, trying to block out thoughts with a neverending swirl, you would become tired very quickly. You need something that you don't always have to be aware of, keeping your mind safe. Something that, once you're used to it, you can forget about and it will still remain there, silent and unnoticeable.
But if a wall would not work for it, then what? It was not as if any mindflayer had ever had a problem with the idea of protecting themselves.. even the tadpoles did it.
If you are more comfortable with circular usage, then simply try to envision your mind encased by a bubble. You can build it up slowly, but simply keep it up, until it becomes second nature and you don't have to work to hold it there. Would you like to try that?
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:57 pm
"A bubble?" Malodore sounded skeptical. "But bubbles pop... hm. Or perhaps they flex and bend under the pressure rather than breaking? Good enough for something that's not trying to force its way in?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 10:07 pm
Riley nodded swiftly in response. That's perfect. Something flexible is a much easier visual representation of the kind of shielding you need from such things that people are not intentionally trying to force upon you. Such as their thoughts, and emotions - they would simply bounce back, without so much as a notice to you.
Something soft bashed into her stomach. Ombra had taken several minutes trying to climb the Riley mountain, but once he had managed to do so, he fell with a plop into the valley between their two bodies, and started to bash his head against her stomach for attention.
While he was still desperate for said attention, his own was startlingly easy to distract - and before she could even react, he had shuffled awkwardly right off the bed, tumbling the long distance and rolling into a run across the room.
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 11:00 pm
"Hmm. Can you, ah... can you let me feel things so I can practice?" Malodore began, then flinched as Ombra got close enough for it to pick up the pup's emotions. This time, though, it was ready, and managed to stop the canine impulses from getting intermingled with its own true feelings.
... Though, really, getting attention from Riley was something it liked, too.
Luce jumped up on the bed then, only to jump down almost at once as Ombra tumbled off. She followed him, barking at him and snapping playfully at his heels, easily catching up to him.
Then, naturally, she sideswiped him.
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Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 11:19 pm
Of course- Ohh, but all that running around was distracting. She flickered her eyes towards it, but quickly returned them to Malodore, intent on investing all of her attention only on it. She slid her fingers through it's claws, and her head tilted towards it, lidding her eyes slightly. Her voice was a teasing scruff. Any requests? Or should I surprise you?
Ombra was truly a newborn. Even as he ran one could tell he didn't have full function of his legs yet, and he barked happily as Luce chased him, but as soon as he was sideswiped his traction on the ground took a turn for the non-existant and he slid around, and around, finally landing on his stomach with his legs flailed outward.
He blinked in shock, trying to understand what just happened. Then he tried to stand up again, his paws sliding underneath him a few times before he finally scrambled up and shambled over to Luce.
His head bent down and butted her paw.
Repeatedly.
Each time was hard enough to knock him back onto his butt, before he pushed up and started again.
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Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 11:58 am
"I think... I think not now," Malodore said, reluctantly. It so wanted to figure it out, to put the pieces together and have everything click smoothly, like a properly-assembled machine or a well-excuted experiment. But its head was starting to hurt again, and this time the pain was more insistent. It had clearly overtaxed itself.
But the thought of going outside of this room, if it was going to be feeling bursts of emotion from everyone it passed, without it having any say in the matter... that was frightening. Riley knew how to guard herself, but she might be the only one. Even the minipets were smaller wells of emotion.
Its previous scientific fascination at the change in itself was rapidly eroding into anxiety, and the thought of Andeon - the reminder that he brought that its and Riley's relationship was not an accepted thing - only made things worse.
"I'm tired," it sighed, drooping.
Meanwhile, Luce nosed back at Ombra, then darted around him to sniff his butt.
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Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 5:26 pm
Riley's mischievous expression winked away in a heartbeat as she read it's body language, and her hand rose to brush against the side of it's mask delicately with the back of her fingers. After a moment, she whispered, Come here, and pulled it into her embrace, curling it's body against hers.
Then rest, my love. Her voice emitted, wrapped in soothing tones of affection.
One last headbutt in Luce's direction had Ombra landing on his face, because she was no longer there to butt. Instead, he felt the telltale greeting of butt sniffing behind him, and scrambled to try and comply - but he was small, and not quite limber, and only managed to scamper too far when he tried to reach up and sniff Luce's butt in return.
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Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 9:53 pm
"I'm... sono un po 'paura," it admitted, leaning against her. "This is not... not something in my experience. Not something in any plague doctor's experience, I..."
It was not going to think what have you done to me, because that was unfair. If, indeed, that sharing of memory had been the catalyst, then Malodore had done this to itself, at least in one sense. That little curl of unpleasantness was thoroughly shut down before Riley could even get a breath of its existence.
But it was still afraid. It had always thought that it was bad with emotions, and now here it was, faced with the concept of an onslaught of such, every moment of every day for the rest of its waking existence... no, no, it didn't like this. Not really, it didn't. "Come si fa a trattare con esso?" it whispered, closing its eyes.
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Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2011 4:34 pm
I don't. She answered quickly, looking a bit startled at the notion. My dear, I am not an empath. I don't feel other's emotions. There are times when I can hear their thoughts, and those thoughts are filled with emotion - usually that just gives me a headache. She winced her eyes closed at the thought. But I do not think that's the same thing. The racing of a frightened heartbeat cannot make my heart race. That is, I suppose a lifetime of cultivating the strength of the mind has made it so that the thoughts of others cannot trigger the physical responses within my own body. I am.. closed off, in that sense.
A whisper of a thought crept into her mind concerning the lack of exposure to emotion may have had something to do with her inadequacy as an empath. She quickly squashed it.
I believe it is our strengths that get amplified in this case. For you, who are not a mindflayer.. perhaps your strength lies in how much you want to help others. Her hand rested gently against it's chest.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 11:19 pm
"I have never been much good at emotions," it admitted. "Why such a power would choose me, then... I am not sure. But it is here, I suppose..."
It sighed and leaned heavily against her. It really was very tired. "At least nothing will make my heart race," it tried to joke. "That truly would be a startling sensation..."
Still, it did like the sound of her heartbeat.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 11:46 pm
Riley wrapped her arms tightly around her plague doctor, settling her hand at the base of its head and snuggling shamelessly against it. I am jealous. She whispered in a teasing tone. All of your new abilities aside, you still carry with you the ability to make my heart race with a word. And yet, I will never do the same. Such power.
Her eyes closed, and her mind mused on considering all of the repercussions of its new discovery. Finally, she settled on one final, but not quite sufficient conclusion. Whatever the case may be, you will not have to deal with this alone. Perhaps, for now, that is enough.
A soft touch of guilt curled around her heart, making it clench and skip a beat. She thoroughly ignored it.
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Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2011 11:52 pm
"It is a sufficiency," Malodore agreed, resting its head against her shoulder, listening to the sound of her heart. So strange, living things, all the rhythms that flowed through them and commanded their existences. Like music, in a way.
"Grazie mille."
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Posted: Sun Aug 07, 2011 12:21 am
Sempre. Her head just barely nuzzled against Malodore's forehead, before settling in to watch it fall asleep. She realized she hadn't heard the scuffling and barking of the two pups in quite some time, and chanced a glance down to the floor, where she found that they had caught on to the mood of the moment, and curled into one another. Ombra was barely seen, nothing but a wisp of tail sticking out of the curled up body of Luce. It was obscenely precious.
Satisfied that Ombra was in good paws, Riley settled her head back down to take from their example, and fell asleep curled around her beloved.
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