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 Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:12 am
QUEST: Remember the Stars XIII - Calm Mind Reflected in the Pupil
Tian Yue woke with a smile on his face, uncurling from the blanket-nest feeling the best he had since... since becoming Tien Lung in the first place. Gone was the frantic sense of constantly drowning in the Dragon, of fighting for balance among foreign memory and emotion - and worse, of trying to force his way into a place not his own.
They were all his now, even as he rose and surveyed the ruins of the Gallery. There were still twinges of pain as he remembered what once was, but they were easy to shake off and quell. He held mastery now. I am Tien Lung, in more than name only.
This, he knew, was what Shaiming had wanted him to find in the Gallery of Celestia, cupped in this nest of stars - not only memory, gift for Lucius, but himself. The nature of Tien Lung, an allied whole.
Perhaps that was also what Destruction had meant to find. He was aware that the Twin Crown had been right to reject him as he had been before, and more confident than ever that his return would prove Tien Lung's full rebirth to his liege Lord.
Tian Yue didn't bother to get dressed, but instead began to pack everything away. He paused to have a meal and a long drink, and was tempted to abandon the remaining loathsome rations to the Gallery - but no, they would be a disgrace to the beautiful ruins. He wrapped the collar and orb gently in his blanket and spare clothing before packing them away with greatest care. A few moments of searching produced handsome crystal fragments for Zhijian, which also went into the duffel. And then everything was packed away, and ready.
He took a deep breath. "Goodbye. I hope to return someday and restore you to your former glory." The first words he had spoken aloud for days; they echoed oddly among the ruined arches, but he smiled as he turned away.
The dragon-form came easily, between one step and the next with little effort, and he ducked his head through the long strap of the duffel, moving it to hang securely against his chest. Tian Yue roared, drowning the echo of his first words in a torrent of sound, then launched himself up and away from the Gallery floor, heading for the distant glimmer of the Nova Bandit.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:13 am
QUEST: Remember the Stars XIV - Fly Away in the Violet Sky
"You're back!"
The airlock doors leading into the Nova Bandit unlocked before Tian Yue was ready, and Penny poked her head in just in time to see him quickly hiking his pants up, a nonplussed look on his face. "You could have knocked first!"
She turned beet red, and ducked back to let him finished getting dressed. "I, um, I forgot. I'm sorry!"
"It's okay, it's okay..." Tian Yue grinned, and finished getting dressed quickly, then shouldered the duffel. "You can come out now."
Penny peered slowly around, then smiled back at him. "That didn't take long. Only three days."
"No. I found what I was looking for. I hope the Captain's satisfied?"
"Of course..." She gave him a curious look. "If... uh, if you don't mind my asking... what were you looking for?"
"Many things. I found them, all of them, and more." He nodded to her.
Another hesitation, then - "You really could fly around in the vacuum without dying... what are you?" The same question she had asked before.
Tian Yue smiled, gently. "My title is Tien Lung, the Worldshield. I am one of the nine Dragon Kings that serve the Twin Crown, the most exalted god from whom all things sprang into being."
Penny's jaw dropped, and she took a step back. "So you're-"
"A god, yes. I'm sorry for not telling you before. I wasn't... entirely sure myself. See, even gods have problems." He gave her a sheepish look.
She trembled for a moment, then moved to kneel before him, tears spilling down her cheeks. Tian Yue was shocked for a moment, then bent to put one hand lightly under her chin and tilt it up to face him, with utmost care.
"You don't have to be afraid of me - you know that, right?"
"I..." She swallowed, then smiled through the tears. "Yes. But you're... you're a funny god, running around helping me with warp drives... why? Why even bother?"
"The high-and-aloof thing didn't seem to have worked before," Tian Yue replied, dryly. "I'm only newly reborn, Penny - the gods are coming back to influence the world once more. The shield I placed around the Bandit, the one that lessens the oppressive feeling... the more I ascend, the further I grow, the more powerful that will become. Someday I'll be able to shield all worlds if I need to, though I hope it won't come to that."
Penny nodded, then bowed her head and bit her lip. "And what are you shielding it from?"
He sighed. "The influence of Destruction - the Twin Crown is Creation and Destruction both. Now my Lord is in his Destructive aspect, and all worlds feel the effects. But there are those among the Pantheon seeking to restore balance and heal the world. And... there are those who would rather not. There are gods of Plague and War, as I told the Captain over dinner. Yet there are also gods of Light, Love, and Music. In the end, the balance is what matters."
"Then - is there anything I can do?" The look in her eyes was pleading.
Tian Yue's smile deepened, fondly. "Keep believing in what you think is right and true. Believe in the stars and the void between them, and a flame is kindled in Universe. Believe in the strength of romance and Love is made strong. The faith of mortals is the lifeblood of the gods."
"And - what do I believe in to strengthen you?" Now Penny's expression held pure awe and adoration; it was dizzying.
"Believe in... you know, I'm not sure. Perhaps in protection, and in loyalty. In dragons."
She sniffled, and wiped away the tears to reveal a radiant smile. "I will. I promise."
"Thank you." He offered her a hand up; she hesitated, but took it after a moment. "We'd better go see the Captain - he'll wonder what took so long."
Penny looked awkward. "Are you going to tell him too?"
"Hm... someday, perhaps. When he's ready. Perhaps he would enjoy being the pilot of Tien Lung's flagship, someday." Tian Yue winked.
She giggled. "Maybe. I'll see what I can do."
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:14 am
QUEST: Remember the Stars XV - Brilliant Road
"Yer back," was all that Jax said as Tian Yue and Penny entered the bridge. The ever-present toothpick remained, though the Captain was twirling it idly between two fingers instead of chewing on it. "And did ya get whatcha wanted?"
"I did. Thank you for waiting for me." Tian Yue smiled warmly at the man, and Jax looked taken aback for a moment.
"Ya took less time than ya thought. That's good management. So, what now? Homeward bound?" Jax shifted and sat back in his chair.
Tian Yue hesitated. He wanted to go home, get back to his Lord and Universe, and of course Morgan and Zhijian, but... he had promised Gianfar that he would at least try to seek the remains of Knowledge's former pantheon. "Actually... would you allow me some more time? There's another area I'd like to visit. A friend has asked me to search for something."
Jax made a face. "Where?"
"Around the area of the Eridanus constellation... unfortunately the charts I have don't reach that far." Tian Yue shook his head. "But I swear to you, it will be worth your while even if we find nothing."
"Find? What're you looking for now?" Penny looked curious.
"Something for a friend - Knowledge." He nodded at her and tilted his head to one side, slightly, and her eyes widened. She nodded back, slowly.
"Well - that's not too far," Jax mused, not noticing nor caring about Penny's reaction. "Could do a small subspace sideslip to get to the area without having to kick up the strellite again. Just vent what's already in the system. Worth my while, eh?"
"Absolutely. And you may even be rewarded further if we find something. May - I can't promise for someone else, but..."
Jax put the tip of the toothpick in his mouth and chewed, thoughtfully. "Well. You only took three days. Seems t'me that we got time and rations."
"Thank you, Captain." Tian Yue grinned, and moved to sit down in his own chair, securing his duffel next to it.
"Mio - subspace sideslip course to - let's say about the center of Eridanus' Great Curve. That should be far enough away from the stars to save us should there be trouble." Jax raised one eyebrow at Tian Yue, then turned back to the screen.
"Acknowledged." MI0's calm voice chimed, then paused. "Course plotted. Initiate sideslip manually."
"Alright, kids." Jax leaned forward. "Strap yerselves in - it's gonna be a bumpy ride."
A moment later, the entire world seemed to shudder away, and a huge vibration felt as though it was going to shake the Bandit to pieces - and then, just as suddenly, it stopped, leaving Tian Yue's stomach flip-flopping. He abruptly wished he hadn't eaten those rations.
"Sideslip completed," MI0 said.
"Blegh. I ********' hate doing that," Jax complained, spitting the toothpick out into the discard can with a small clang. "Everyone fine? Don't need to use the chuck bucket?"
"I'm okay," Penny confirmed, with a sigh.
"I'm also fine."
"Good, 'cause if you mess up my ship, you get a beating... now let's see." Jax hunched over the console as the scan data came up, and he frowned. "It doesn't look pretty out there. Well, it does, ay-sthet-i-call-y speaking, but not pretty in the way it's supposed to be."
"I figured," Tian Yue said, with a sigh. "How far around us can the scanners detect life?"
"Life?" Jax looked incredulously at Tian Yue, while Penny busied herself with her own console in the background. "What'n hell you looking for?"
"A friend of a friend. Please, just do it."
"Fine, fine." Jax rolled his eyes, then tapped a button. "Long-range lifeform scan, Mio. Shunt non-essential power to the transmitter and reciever for the duration."
"Acknowledged." Immediately after MI0 spoke, the hum that always surrounded them suddenly decreased, dropping by half, and the lights dimmed to emergency levels. "Scanning now, maximum power."
"There ya go. This better be worth it."
"It might not be, in terms of finding something - though of course it will be, in terms of payment," Tian Yue said, looking at the results of the scan as they began to trickle in.
Suddenly, there was a loud bleep, and the on-screen scan image flickered, then zoomed in. "Lifeform detected. Location on-screen," MI0 chimed.
Jax swore under his breath. "Th'hell is that?" The indicator was dancing in the center of a nebula of stardust, the corpse of a fallen star.
"There are other kinds of life than what you know - I'm going out." Tian Yue stood up, abruptly. "How far away is that?"
"Tian Yue! Are you sure?" Penny looked shocked. "We don't know what that even is!"
"Yes. I'll be fine, though I may need to use my shield for my own protection if need be. May I, Captain?"
Jax nodded once, curtly. "If ya must. It's only about ten miles..."
"Perfect. Wait for me here, please." Tian Yue strode to the corridor without waiting for a response, a slow, determined smile spreading over his face. He shucked off his clothes in the hall and entered the airlock, then waited as the doors began to close and lock. Maybe you were right, Gianfar. Maybe...
We'll see.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:15 am
In a Handful of DustXiaoRen Gabriel woke slowly, a newborn dragon in the center of a cloud of stardust. Unlike most new creatures, though, memories played like a flickering 35mm film in his mind. He was alone for a long time to ponder them, and the most puzzling of all was this one. He had died.
It took him a while to recognize his surroundings. Beyond the womb of chromatic swirls, the nebula in which he lay, he knew the pattern of the stars. Only because he had once known them so well, though, did he eventually recognize them now. More than half were missing. Indeed, for all he knew, all of them were already gone, and what he saw now was only a memory - light traveling far from a source that no longer existed.
Why, then, was he alive? It was a strange thing, to be young again. He was small. Instead of scales, he had silver fur, except on his flank where he had a birthmark and the fur was black and shorter - the constellation Draco as it once was. Most vexing, he had no wings. Was he really Gabriel?
It had been his wont to sleep long in thought, but without the ability to fly, even that grew wearisome. He was trapped, spinning in the void. At first he waited for Gianfar to come. Then a terrible fear came upon him. What if Gianfar had not been reborn? His lord might wait on the other shore of the black river. A soul half living and half dead would go mad.
He saw the ship coming a long way off, the first change in his surroundings. His gold eyes dilated, and his fur bristled. No comet moved like that. It was too small, too fast, and had something intentional in its movements. He hated to be spinning, because he could only see its progress half the time. Each time he was in position to see it again, it was closer. Sweet hope. Let it stop, let it see him... Sosiqui "Th'hell is that?"
"There are other kinds of life than what you know - I'm going out."
"Tian Yue! Are you sure?"
"Yes."The dragon coiled out of the Nova Bandit's airlock with a roar that could not be heard through the vacuum of space. Any dragons or winged gods flying... That was what Gianfar had said, and now the starship's sensors had picked up life when there should be none. Perhaps...
The anomaly was in the center of a great cloud of stardust; Tian Yue squinted, keeping his eyes half-lidded so he would not be blinded. Dust everywhere, but he would not risk the Nova Bandit here. The Captain was leery of such things, and Tian Yue was himself leery of scaring away whatever this was.
Let's hope it's not hostile... The dragon drifted through the stardust, turning this way and that, searching. XiaoRen Not only did the ship stop, but something separated itself from it and was making its way towards him...another dragon! Perhaps it was of the same race as he, and could give him news of the others.
He found himself trembling with excitement, and opened his mouth to speak, but he hadn't practiced yet. A trilling roar came from his beak. He tried again, clacking it and then sighing. He reached out with his front claw in a gesture of friendship, but could not stop himself from spinning. He needed to make the other understand - he was intelligent, he was peaceful, and he wanted to get the hell out of here. Sosiqui Movement!
Tian Yue turned, eyes still half-lidded against the stardust cloud, and stared. There, spinning helplessly under inertia in the center of the cloud, was a dragon... grey and furred. And it seemed to be moving. Reaching towards him as it turned?
Cautiously, Tian Yue sidled up near the other dragon and bumped it lightly with his side, curling his tail up around it to try and stop the other's motion, even as he too began to drift. XiaoRen Gabriel had expected relief when he finally stopped spinning. Instaed his inner ear kept going, while his view stood still. Nausea swept over him, but there was nothing in his stomach to protest, so the only outward sign was that he left his beak open and panted.
He clutched Tian Yue's tail with his front talons for support, careful not to dig in. The sensation of touch was electric, pleasant. His fur bristled till he resembled a seeding dandelion.
"Th...kkk." He clicked his beak with frustration. "Whrr go ng?" He could remember how to speak, but the new shape of his mouth was a puzzle. Sosiqui Sound... But how?
Well, Tian Yue was not going to question it. His tail beyond the other's grip was moving rapidly, making constant corrections here and there to counteract all the inertia from the young dragon's long spin.
"I... I can't understand you, but I am a friend," Tian Yue replied, dipping his muzzle low to speak into the other dragon's ears. "Are you one of the Dracoginae? I've come to find..." He hesitated, then shook his head. "To find you." XiaoRen Confused at first, at the other's proximity to speak, Gabriel realized from his question that this dragon was not one of his race. Only the stars could speak across the void. Well, so could radio waves, but that wasn't magic. The fact that this dragon had come by ship also suggested he could not fly through space at a decent traveling speed. Well, neither could he anymore, so it was a good thing this dragon had come on a ship, or else he'd have had to drag him wherever they were going.
The ache of disappointment was instantly assuaged by the message given. He was looked for!
Gabriel nodded so energetically that his inner ear lost all sense of direction and he was paralyzed for a moment as the stars spun. Once they were on the ship he would recover quicker.
"Gabrrreya..a..alll" he remembered how to form the liquid "l" at the last moment. Sosiqui Tian Yue paused, sounding the dragon's odd, stilted sounds again in his mind. Gabriel? "Is that your name? Gabriel?" There was a rush of pride as the other confirmed his nature. So Gianfar's former pantheon did still have some remains left! Surely this would be a comfort to him, and it seemed Knowledge had been sorely in need of such.
He hesitated again. Gianfar had asked him only to look, but if this creature could accompany him - that would be even greater solace. If it could speak and answer, it would probably be fine... and it would fit on the Nova Bandit, if barely.
"Gabriel? Would you like to come with me? My name is Tian Yue, and I am a Dragon King under the Twin Crown. I would take you back to the Pantheon where the gods are being reborn. Gianfar sent me to find you." He wondered if the name would be familiar; he had no idea how large the Dracogenae pantheon had been. XiaoRen The Dragon Kings and the Twin Crown were heavy names, stones settled in the darkness at the bottom of Gabriel's past knowledge. The new dragon had only perused the quick and lively memories that flashed closer to the surface, and to hear those names uttered made him still. His inner ear settled, his whole body tingled with awe. He felt himself falling, pulled deep into his own conscious, his new mind panicked as it expanded with the old.
Time was skewed for him, and the seconds between one sentence and another were drawn out. To Tian Yue, Gabriel's reaction was so delayed, it looked as if the other dragon had fainted with eyes wide open.
Gianfar...the sound hit the stillness and echoed. Gianfar. Gabriel found his mouth had been unlocked and he said the name aloud, "Gianfar!" Joy caught him at last, and he began to wag his tail like a cub at the sight of its mother. "Take me to him, Tian Yue! He lives! We live!" He would have grasped Tian Yue's mouth in his own in excitement, but could not turn to face him. Sosiqui Tian Yue paused as the other dragon seemed to freeze. "Gabriel....?"
Then the young one began to wriggle like an overjoyed, oversized puppy, and Tian Yue smiled. He hadn't been expecting that enthusiastic of a reaction. "Yes, Gianfar... come with me. We will have to go in the starship that's waiting not too far from here... I will tow you, if you hold on to my tail." He moved around carefully and offered his long, fanned tail - and hoped that Captain Jax wouldn't kill him too badly for inviting Gabriel along. XiaoRen Gabriel clutched the proffered tail with both front feet. As they moved from the spot of his birth, silver dust trailed from his fur. Surrounded by celestial dust in the nebula, he had not noticed that he was the source of it. They left a serpentine wake, a tiny riverbed of faint light in the void.
The spaceship added to his general excitement. He had never been inside one. The Draconigenae didn't use them, and those who did rarely invited dragons on board. Gabriel had been the size of a decent ship himself, when he had died. At least he was much smaller now. Tian Yue being a dragon, his ship must have accommodations for at least one dragon to fit.
He wanted to ask Tian Yue more questions - when had he left Gianfar? Why didn't Gianfar come to him himself? Would they be going into the presence of the Twin Crown? Were the eight other Dragon Kings there? It would be pointless until they reached the air of the ship, though. Even when they did, he wasn't sure one could interrogate a Dragon King.
Gianfar already knows Tian Yue well enough to ask favors, so I shouldn't be afraid of him. A name from the old darkness, though? The ancient guardians, oldest of dragons... Sosiqui Tian Yue moved easily forward, undulating with care so as not to snap the young dragon off of his tail with the force of movement. So progress was slow, but pleasant, and the odd silver wake the young one left made the Dragon King smile.
As they drew near the Nova Bandit, Tian Yue changed course, moving to pass right in front of the bridge windows with Gabriel in tow. He could see Captain Jax and Penny staring out at him, and then at the dragon.
Tian Yue gestured with his head at Gabriel, and the Captain grimaced, then shook his head. He frowned, and passing by again held up two claws. Twice what I'd have paid you otherwise, old man.
The Captain made a face, but Penny grabbed his arm. Words were exchanged, and then a grudging nod. A moment later the airlock doors began to open.
Satisfied, Tian Yue moved over to the airlock, then pondered. There was no way he and Gabriel could both fit at the same time. Thinking, he doubled back on himself, bringing his tail and Gabriel close so he could speak to the young one. "Gabriel. We need to go in there, but we cannot both fit at once. Will you be brave and go first? It will not hurt you, but we can't expose the ship to space or the people inside will die. I'll follow you right away and we'll go back to Gianfar, okay?" XiaoRen The words were gently spoken. Tian Yue would be good at teaching the young. Hmph...I am the young. Strange. Gabriel didn't think it would be politic to tell Tian Yue he was more in awe of him than of the ship. For the ship he felt only curiosity at finally being aboard one. It would be strange to be the rider, instead of the mount, and watch the stars streak by without moving a muscle.
Gabriel nodded, still wagging his tail at the G-name. He tucked his back legs close, touching his front, and clutched the tail with those as well. Then, twisting to aim himself at the opening, he pushed off with his hind legs. Then he was free and moving in space on his own. The mouth of the hold was close, so his aim hadn't needed to be precise. He drifted in, and kept on drifting till he was at the back wall. He grabbed onto a metal beam before he bounced, then clung there, wondering if he and Tian Yue both could fit in here, or if the hold would close and pressurize, leaving him to meet the cranky human they'd seen in the window. Sosiqui Tian Yue waved at Gabriel, and then the doors slid closed with a thunk. Once the bolts had slid home, the airlock began slowly to pressurize. It took a few minutes, but once it was done, the inner door opened with a hiss - and there was a young woman standing there in ship's coveralls, with red hair and a scar across one side of her face. She smiled hugely when she saw Gabriel. "Aren't you adorable!" she practically squealed, then flushed. "Um. Do you speak? Can you follow me, please, uh, sir or madam? My name's Penny..." She beckoned for Gabriel to follow her into the narrow corridor. It was a close fit, but just enough for the small dragon. "Please? So Tian Yue can come in too?" XiaoRen "I can speak," Gabriel said carefully, noticing that he had less trouble now. Being called 'adorable' would have offended him, but he was too overwhelmed by curiosity to take note. The corridor was tiny. There was no way Tian Yue was going to fit through. Did the great Dragon King mean to ride back in the hold?
With the advent of gravity and air pressure, the silver stardust fell to the ground around his feet, and he left silver clawprints behind him. He lifted a foot and looked down at a print. He hoped this wouldn't keep up or he would have the inside of the ship looking like the set for a winter pageant before too long.
"Penny," he said a lively name, "I am Gabriel, a male dragon. You are human?" It was a safe guess, but some races looked similar and called themselves otherwise. He looked over his shoulder once the hallway door closed behind him. Would he see Tian Yue again, until they got there? Sosiqui "Yes, I'm human." Penny grinned, and fiddled with the end of her braid. "Gabriel? That's a nice name. Just a second while I bring your friend in." She sidled over and hit the airlock controls. The doors hissed closed and bolted shut, and there was an echoing sound of the outer doors opening. A moment later the starship moved a bit, and there was a grumbly noise from inside the airlock. "You okay in there?" Penny yelled. Another grumble answered, and Penny nodded. "A little longer," she told Gabriel, then pressed a few buttons. More clanging of doors and bolts then, as the outer doors closed once more, and then a great hiss of air as the airlock repressurized. A few minutes later Tian Yue stepped in, in human shape, wearing jeans and a simple sweater. "Stupid, stupid airlock. If I never have to do that again- oh, Penny." He smiled at her, then at Gabriel. "You've met Gabriel, I see. He's exactly what I was looking for... a friend of the God of Knowledge. Oh..."
Tian Yue sidled over to Gabriel. "Gabriel, the captain here is very angry at the gods - some hard things happened to him. So please, please don't mention to him about the gods, not that you're part of a pantheon, not that I'm one... okay?"XiaoRen Gabriel startled when Tian Yue walked in, turning abruptly in the small space so that his haunches bumped into Penny. The fur was chinchilla soft, and smeared her with silver. By tail and claw this man was most certainly Tian Yue! His voice was the same.
Gabriel chided himself in his amaze - why shouldn't Tian Yue be able to look like a man? He was a Dragon King after all. Who knew what the extent of his powers might be. Still, he would not have expected a man so, so...casual? The clothes were an afterthought, comfortable and utilitarian. Tian Yue had an unfeigned eagerness and uncertainty of self about him; it showed in his expression and his words. That he would be cautious of revealing himself to a mortal, for the mortal's own comfort no doubt, and that he would say please twice, as if Gabriel might not listen to him.
His manner reminded Gabriel of a youth, or a scholar. Yes, that would explain it. Tian Yue was friends with Gianfar, wasn't he? Now that he was in human form, he reminded Gabriel strongly of Gianfar - from his frumpy clothes to his earnest expression. Gabriel buried his head against Tian Yue's chest.
"If you ask it. I will not argue the irrationality of his hatred with him, though you have done him no wrong. It is generous of you to treat him so gently."
Happy he could not blush, he stopped pressing into Tian Yue and sat back. By crouching so, pressed into the curve of wall and sitting on his haunches with his front legs tucked, he was able to make space for Tian Yue to pass. Sosiqui Tian Yue couldn't help but smile at the affectionate gesture. This warm acceptance and interest - was it a hallmark of the Dracogenae pantheon, perhaps? Whatever it was, it was something that Gabriel and Gianfar shared. "Thank you. Perhaps in time..."Penny cleared her throat. "We should go see the captain... but it will be fine. Welcome aboard, Gabriel." She smiled, and led the way. XiaoRen The journey was a cramped one. Gabriel's curiosity about the workings of the ship was easily sated, since he got to see everything that happened from his crouch in a back corner of the bridge. His more pressing curiosity about Gianfar, Tian Yue, and the Twin Crown had to wait. He respected Tian Yue's wish, and neither mentioned nor asked anything about the gods while on the ship. This proved difficult in light of another insatiable curiosity - Penny's. She seemed enamored of him, and would keep him company in the moments when she wasn't rushing to follow Captain Jax's orders. Gabriel pretended to newborn ignorance, and merely said, "I was born from the star that perished."
The day that Jax said they would be docking, Gabriel earned many curses for the wagging of his tail. Not only did it make a metallic thumping against the wall, but it spread the endless silver dust that until now he had kept in his corner.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:16 am
QUEST: Remember the Stars XVI - Lively Step
Three days later, the Nova Bandit touched down in its hangar at the Cosmodrome. After packing his things and making sure Gabriel was okay with a slight wait, Tian Yue went to the ship's galley to settle with the Captain. When he entered, Captain Jax leaned back in his chair and stretched, the ever-present toothpick bobbing between his teeth. "Well, boy, we're back. Need a dustbuster for your friend there, but we're back. A bit later than I'd've liked, surface time, but..."
"Indeed we are. Thank you very much for your services, Captain - I have everything I need, and some very important discoveries besides. None of them would have been possible without you and Penny."
The girl blushed and grinned, but Jax merely raised one eyebrow at him. "And what about everything I need?"
"Of course." Tian Yue reached into his duffel and produced a large bag. "I took the liberty of adding some extra beyond what I owed you for Gabriel's transport. I hope you don't mind."
Jax caught the bag as Tian Yue tossed it to him; Penny fumbled in surprised as a smaller bag came her direction. Tian Yue had the satisfaction of seeing Jax's eyes bug out at the sight of the contents.
"Damn, boy! This the real stuff?"
"It certainly is - take it, with my thanks... and if it's alright with you, I'd like to keep in touch. I may need transport to the skies again in the future." Tian Yue nodded to him.
"Boy, if you pay this much even once more, you can have a lifetime pass on the Bandit." Jax shook his head, and grinned grudgingly. "Thanks. I owe you. You can call on us any time."
"Thank you, Tian Yue repeated, sincerely, then paused. "What do you mean, later surface time?"
"Rel-ah-tiv-ih-ty, boy," Jax said, sarcastically. "Theory of? Einstien was no slouch. When you mess with FTL travel, you mess with time. Surface we've been gone a month or so."
Tian Yue froze. "A month?!" Oh, gods, Morgan must be worried sick!
"Yep." Jax's look was empty of all sympathy.
The dragon king sighed, then he looked up and smiled at the Captain and Penny again. Well, it is what it is. I'll deal with the consequences when I get home. "I understand. It's okay - thanks for letting me know. I'll get Gabriel and be gone."
"Catch ya 'round, boy. Pleasure flyin' with you, strange though ya may be." Jax sat back in his chair and grinned. Tian Yue flashed the Captain a quick salute before leaving the galley.
Then there was a tweak on the end of his tail. He jerked it away reflexively, then turned to see Penny standing there, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. Um. G-good bye, Tian Yue."
"You'll see me again, Penny. Take care of yourself, and of the Captain, and the Bandit. Okay?"
She nodded. "I will. And I'll keep believing, just like you said."
"Thank you. That means more than you know."
And with that, he turned towards the bridge. Time to get Gabriel, and then time to go home.
Life began again. The journey was over. Now was the time for reunions - and restitution.
I'm home.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:16 am
Joyous ReunionSosiqui The same silver dust that had frustrated Captain Jax so much had left a trail of glitter all through the Cosmodrome, and a strange contrail across the sky as Tian Yue led Gabriel back to the Pantheon. As he landed and shifted back to human shape, he hoped the aspect of the building would not scare the smaller dragon.
He quickly dug out his clothing from the duffel he carried and got dressed, before opening the doors wide and beckoning Gabriel to follow. "Gianfar is, with any luck, within. Are you ready?"
And Morgan. A month... a whole month, she must be worried sick. His tail lashed once. XiaoRen The trip in the Nova Bandit had shielded Gabriel from any sight of the true nature of the Age. Now he felt he had been birthed from a womb of myriad colors and light into a web of pulsing red and darkness. He wanted to go back to his nebula. The dust that trailed behind him was stark against the ash that hung in the air. Nothing was clean or bright. There were people, but they looked ill or violent, or both. Few raised their heads to mark Tian Yue's passage.
The Pantheon had all the majesty of the white edifices of his old home, but none of the welcome. The collegium had been open, with atriums and gardens and huge doorless entryways, to signal to all newcomers that it was a safe, friendly place, with no need for barriers. This black crown atop a crumbling city was likewise unguarded. Why should hell shut it's maw?
Gabriel stopped, his ruff high. "Gianfar is in there?" He asked of Tian Yue. Sosiqui "He is - don't worry, while it looks grim, inside is where many of the gods make their homes. I myself have quarters there, as does Gianfar..." Tian Yue made a soothing gesture. "I promise you, he is either there or will soon return, and no harm will come to you. You are under the protection of the Worldshield." They probably wouldn't even see another god within, Tian Yue well knew, but the protection line was meant to give comfort. XiaoRen Gabriel hated to think of Gianfar living in such a place. He pressed himself close to Tian Yue's side, though he was of a height with Tian Yue in his human form.
No harm can come to me in the company of one of the Dragon Kings, unless it came from his own hand. Worldshield...Tien Lung. Titles as old as the stars. If Tian Yue is in this place, there must be some good in it.
"I trust you, my Lord." He smoothed his ruff with a force of will and matched his pace to the other dragon. True enough, once inside, there were signs of domesticity. A refrigerator, couches, the smell of people coming and going. At the far end of the room there was a throne on a dais. Gabriel knew who sat there...
This is the home of the oldest gods...how has it come to be in such ruins?
It was difficult to believe he was about to see Gianfar again, on the other side of time and doubt. His tail gave a very weak wag as they went up the staircase. Sosiqui Tian Yue tried to be as encouraging as possible, though he did give a longing glance at his own doorway. Morgan, Toki... Nebula... But first things first; it would hardly do to let Gabriel wallow in the halls and wait.
"Knowledge, ah... his door should be here, somewhere." Tian Yue realized abruptly that he wasn't entirely sure where in the temple Gianfar lived. "Can you scent him?" XiaoRen Gabriel opened his beak and panted near the ground, tasting the air. He did smell Gianfar! That scent drove all fear and uncertainty from him. With a great bound, he took off down the hallway. He paused at an open door that smelled strongly.
He could see inside the room. There were books and papers piled on and around a table in exactly the way Gianfar would leave them! He was such a wreck without help.
Gabriel only needed a glance to know Gianfar wasn't present. He tasted the air again as Tian Yue caught up, then bounded further down the hall. The freshest scent came from a door backed in mirror, or made of it. Here Gabriel was faced with an image of his new form for the first time. How like a great puppy he looked, with his tail going and his beak open. Gianfar would laugh at him.
"It is here," he called out to Tian Yue. "He is in here!" Sosiqui "Then, by all means...!" Tian Yue followed Gabriel quickly down the hall, then knocked on the door. "Gianfar? It is Tian Yue. I've returned, with someone you might wish to meet..." He grinned, hoping the young dragon's obvious excitement would prove a pleasure for Knowledge. XiaoRen Gianfar was lounging in Revei's beloved windowseat. Silver and dark down feathers drifted on the cushions, remnants of the night before. Gianfar breathed on the glass, misting it, so that a handprint became visible. He smiled to himself.
Today he felt giddy. He had given up on journaling, or study, or anything useful. He had spilled his ink, reread a paragraph 3 times without comprehending it, and while daydreaming, found he had been doodling dragons on the margins of a starchart.
Love would be a likely culprit, for turning the most powerful mind in the Universe into scattered down, like that on the windowseat. But he wasn't sure. His scattered thoughts drifted far, and not to Dream's shores, but those of Long Ago. Memories of a young dragon, serpent slender, writing a silver line across the sparse sky (funny to remember Gabriel as thin, he had been so portly most of his life). The first sound he had heard, in his second incarnation, "We are Gianfar."
There was a scratch at the door, too robust to be an Aoide. Who could it be...Zhijian?
Gianfar got up with a sigh and walked over, but he stopped short of turning the handle. Sosiqui Tian Yue's brow furrowed as no answer came to his knock. He thought he'd heard a noise inside, but... "Gianfar?" he tried again, then sneezed abruptly as some of Gabriel's prolific stardust shedding ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. "Bleh... uh. Are you sure he's in there?" He raised one eyebrow at the little silvery dragon. "Hey! Gianfar! You have a visitor!" He knocked once more, then brushed stardust off of his clothing. XiaoRen The knock made Gianfar jump back, hand leaving the handle as if it were hot metal. Good heaven's what was his problem? It was Tian Yue, and he was keeping him waiting. He ran a hand through his hair with an annoyed "Tch" at his own addlewittedness, and opened the door.
"Tian Yue, I'm sorry to keep you -" he was cut off as a silver coil, tightly wound, sprang from the ground in front of him and knocked him back into the room. Claws gripped his shoulders and a heavy tail battered his legs.
What he could see of the furry mass that had attacked him was unfamiliar. But he Knew the dragon. He gasped. "Gabriel?! How can it be?" Gabriel writhed with joy. He rubbed his face on Gianfar's robes. The dragon took Gianfar's head gently in his beak and made soft trills. Tian Yue had brought him home. It didn't matter how pestilent and hideous a world. Gianfar was here. His dragonlord, his star, his god.Gianfar looked up at Tian Yue from between Gabriel's bone colored jaws. He squinted one eye and grinned, not at all afraid that the House of Knowledge might be crushed.
"I don't know how to thank you." He said. "Did you meet any of the others?" He asked before he could stop himself. Maybe it was best. He could bear the answer, with Gabriel here. Sosiqui Tian Yue watched the reunion with a big smile on his face. They were really rather cute... and if the bond between dragon and god was anything like how he imagined from Gianfar's description, this was something rather momentous for Knowledge.
"You don't need to thank me - your charts helped me find what I desperately needed. I'm only glad I could return the favor for you." He paused then, and his smile took on a sad cast as he shook his head to the last question. "We found Gabriel here by using a lifeform scanner from the starship I booked passage on... he was the only one, at least around Eridanus." XiaoRen It was a good way to hear the news. He was so overwhelmed with rightness, Gabriel here, that pain was only a distant thunder. The dry, heavy anger, or the cathartic downpour would come later, and in good company.
Rather than any attempts at dignity, Gianfar reached a hand up to cup the curve of the beak that held him. Gabriel relaxed into a stupor of glee on top of him.
"Thankyou for looking. That was the news I expected but this...I never thought I would see Gabriel again." Though his mind had been filled with silver dragons, chasing their tails through old paths of memory, a New Years parade through a ghost town. "In retrospect, I knew, but I didn't suspect."
He squinted his eyes, like an old man. "You've made us so happy. I will remember this favor, Tian Yue. If there is anything you ever need to Know, you have but to ask." And with luck he could remember it.
"But what of your quest? You say you found what you needed..." Sosiqui Tian Yue smiled softly. "Thank you," he said, quietly. "I'm glad I could aid you - it made a few things seem better. It made me believe... that I could actually do what Shaiming wanted me to do when he passed his throne on to me."
He was silent for a moment, and though a few tears stung in his eyes briefly, they did not spill over; there was no crushing grief now. "I did find what I was looking for, and more. I have a gift to bring to Lucius, and I pray my Lord Destruction will not find me wanting now." XiaoRen Tian Yue’s success seemed to cause him pain. Finding things could be as bad as not finding them, he supposed, though he wished Tian Yue had had some news of the Draconigenae. Well, it was best to let it be. Tian Yue looked tired, and Lucius was so temperamental. He hoped he wasn’t planning on seeing him right away.
“You excel at the bringing of gifts.” Gianfar said from beneath his dragon. “And I would not worry about who you are before your Lord. Destruction is part of the nature of change. Both your halves were destroyed in the making of a new being. I expect he will approve.” Unless he thinks you have become weak with mortal sentiment. “Thank you, Tian Yue. I will say it till you tire of it. Thank you. And good luck…with Lucius.”
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:17 am
Wish to the Starry SkySosiqui Gianfar and Gabriel's joyous reunion had lifted Tian Yue's spirits, but as he left them and turned his steps toward his own chambers, an odd weariness nipped at his heels. It was good to be home, but he had Lucius to seek out now, not to mention his Lord, and... just as importantly... Morgan to reconcile with.
What you asked of her was not honorable, and you are late coming back. But there was none of the horrible dragging dread that had plagued him before his journey. Whatever her response was... he would take it gracefully. I missed her so much, and for me it seemed only a week and a half...
He reached one hand towards the doorknob leading into his chambers, then paused and thought better of it. Toki would probably be in there, and he wanted to see Morgan first, not be swarmed by his needy Aoidei. Instead, he turned and entered the Aoidei quarters, padding quietly down the inner hallway until he reached Morgan's room, where he quickly knocked. "Morgan? Love? I'm back..." mistalina13 After talking with Rio again Morgan had locked herself in her room, so she could avoid Ser long enough to think. At present she was laying face down in the pillows on her bed trying to recover from her last bout of tears. She was worried and angry because the Dragon hadn't returned yet.
Hearing the knock on her door she sat up and just about screamed for the person to go away, thinking it was Toki again trying to get her out of her room. When she realized it was Tian Yue's voice from the other side of the door and not the aoide's she got up and walked to the door.
It took her shaking hands a moment to negotiate with the lock and once it was undone the door would open quite suddenly and nearly hit the wall on the inside of the room.
"Damn you!" Tears were beginning to well up in her eyes again. She raised a hand and moved to slap him across the face. "Gone so long...I thought you'd gone and gotten yourself killed or something!" Sosiqui Startled, Tian Yue's first instinct was to dodge - but instead, he merely flinched and let the blow land. It stung and sent his glasses askew, and he fumbled for her hand afterwards. "Morgan - I'm so sorry... I was on a small starship with a faster-than-light drive, and the captain only informed me after we got back that the theory of relativity had... well, done what it does. Damn Einstein." He made a face.
Tian Yue took a moment to straighten out his glasses, then gave her a look of anxious longing, desperate for her to understand. "I missed you so much... and I'm sorry. For leaving you, with things as they were between us... I didn't understand. Anything. I was an idiot trying to cling wildly to anything that would make Crispin... me... more rightfully Tien Lung... I was a fool, trying too hard to be a human in dragon's clothing... and in doing so, I hurt you. I know I did." He looked down. "I don't ask you to say everything is okay, or even to forgive me. Just to hear that I am sorry, and that I love you dearly, and that I will work until the end of time to make right what I have wronged." mistalina13 "Yes, you hurt me. I'm still angry and jealous of someone I've never even laid eyes on!" Morgan bit her lip to keep back the tears but she wouldn't be able to do so for long. "I was worried about you when you left and it only got worse the longer you were gone."
Her hands shook and she tightened her grip on his hand slightly to steady herself. "I was afraid...very afraid for you." Then the tears came. "You put me through hell, but I still love you." She couldn't offer forgiveness yet, but she was pleased to see him back alive and well. Sosiqui "I'm sorry," Tian Yue whispered, pulling her closer, gently. "I can say all I want that there is so much I've never done before, never had to deal with - but that's not an excuse to act like a moron. No wonder my Lord Destruction treated me as he did..."
His voice trailed off, and he shook his head before offering Morgan a shy smile. "I have found Tien Lung after a stern lecture from, I think, Shaiming... or someone who sounded very much like him. I haven't spoken to Lord Harmodius yet, but I had to see you first." Zhijian probably wouldn't approve of it, but he was fairly sure his Lord could wait longer without worrying than Morgan could. If at all. mistalina13 Morgan let herself be pulled and leaned against him. "At least, you found what you needed." She buried her face against his shoulder and waited for her tears to slow. "Thank you." She let out a sigh and closed her eyes. Sosiqui "I did," he said, and left it at that for now. "Did Toki help you out, or Nebula? I'm sure they were both worried... or quite bored." Tian Yue sighed and encircled Morgan lightly in his arms. "I can't promise I won't be called away again - I live in the service of my Lord. But maybe I can find a nearby portal for you, or something... I don't want you to be bored, trapped, alone when I can't be here." His expression was filled with concern. mistalina13 "I kept to myself most of the time...Toki nearly went bonkers when he ran out of places to clean..." Of course it didn't help that Morgan had nothing for him to do. "....and Nebula...haven't seen her." Morgan tilted her head and nuzzled the nape of his neck.
"You have to do what you have to do. Just don't worry me like that ever again, or it'll be worse than a slap next time." She slipped her arms around him, giving him a gentle squeeze to reassure herself that he was actually there. Sosiqui "I'll do my very best not to - I don't want to earn more terrible vengeance, after all," he added, with a sly grin. "Poor Toki, though. Was he very annoying? He doesn't know I'm back yet." Tian Yue put one finger to his lips in a shushing motion. "First you, then the rampaging hordes waiting in my rooms..." mistalina13 "Just a bit...kept asking me for things to do." Morgan looked up and wrinkled her nose. "Didn't help when I locked myself in my room again." She smiled. "Oh, we do have a houseguest...who is probably currently keeping Toki occupied." A little nervous laugh. Sosiqui Tian Yue blinked. "A houseguest? Are you tormenting my Aoide?" he added, with a grin, but he gave her a curious look. mistalina13 "The letter I sent to my parents...when we went on our date got to them. Ser saw it and came looking for me...she found me when I snuck out for a walk one day. I guess she fell through the same portal I did."
Morgan slipped a hand up and brushed his bangs from his eyes. "She's really nice, just very curious." Rocking up onto her toes she pressed her lips against his lightly. "But, now that your home, she's probably going to try and stuff me into a dress and make me up like a doll." Sosiqui "Ser? Another person from Earth, then?" Tian Yue looked thoughtful, then paused as she pressed her lips to his. "Mmm... that, I missed," he said, quietly, drawing her over to sit with him on the edge of the bed. "You can tell your friend that I like you exactly as you are. Perhaps I'll issue some divine edict against 'dolling you up' against your will," he added, with a wink. mistalina13 "Mhm." Morgan settled next to him on the bed and leaned against him again. "To be honest, I doubt she'd listen. It took long enough to convince her that I had a boyfriend...let alone what you are. So, be prepared for a million questions when you do meet her." She smiled slightly. Sosiqui "I think I can handle it," Tian Yue said dryly, then smiled. "I'm more worried about presenting myself once more to my Lord... and speaking with Lucius," he added, slowly. "But on that score - Tien Lung once loved Universe, but time and the Fading destroyed those bonds. For my part, I approach it now only as seeking to help an old friend... as my Lord wished." mistalina13 At the mention of Lucius she stiffened, but did her best to keep her uneasiness from her expression. Instead as he spoke her expression shifted to one of slight confusion. Maybe the change had something to do with when he was away.
"I think you'll do fine, beloved." The confusion subsided for the moment and she nuzzled his cheek. Sosiqui "I hope so..." Tian Yue shook his head, and pulled her closer. He hadn't missed the tension that had arisen at the mention of Universe. "I've figured out who and what I am - now I just have to prove it to others, but the first was the most important, and the hardest... but what about you? Other than wanting to slap me, and your friend's arrival - how have you been?" mistalina13 "Well enough, though, I think I've managed to worry Toki." Disappearing from time to time, avoiding sleeping and eating every once and a while and locking herself in her room in fact. Hopefully the aoide wasn't too worried.
"Much better now though..." She sighed contently and closed her eyes. "...much much better. I missed you a lot." Sosiqui "Me too... I missed you, I mean." Tian Yue bent and kissed her lightly, on the cheek. "Someday maybe I can take you where I went. The Gallery of Celestia - it was beautiful, once. I want to restore it if I can, later. Make it as beautiful as Shaiming's memories, and take you there." mistalina13 "I hope you can, it sounds like an interesting place." Morgan smiled. "Out of curiosity, what's it like up there...between the stars, I mean?" Sosiqui "Vast... and empty. Too empty." Tian Yue sighed. "Destruction's reign and Universe's binding have brought down many stars... but it's still beautiful. As a dragon, I can move through my element as easily as I can through the air here - I'm not sure I can describe how that feels. It's wonderful, coming home..." He smiled. "Perhaps one day we can do that together, too, if I can find some type of protective suit or magics for you." mistalina13 Morgan ran her fingers though his hair. "Everything will right itself eventually, I imagine." The downslide of things had to end at some point, didn't it? She smiled, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "Maybe. It would be an honor." Sosiqui "If the balance does not return..." Tian Yue shook his head. "I'm sworn to be neutral - Harmodius is my Lord regardless of his form, but this imbalance is dangerous. How can we rebuild the Pantheon with no mortals to believe?" He sighed. "I'm not sure things will right themselves. Someone will have to help it along, but it can't be me." mistalina13 "You'd be suprised how many still have faith..." Morgan was determined to keep him from a sour mood, while he was in her company at least. Taking his hand she laced their fingers together and smiled up at him. "...even in this dangerous time." Sosiqui "Yes... some still do." Tian Yue grinned. "The ship's engineer on the starship I traveled on, Penny - she has a bright belief. You'd like her, I think."
He looked pensive then, though. "But others, I think, cannot concieve of a god that is not loving, and just, and kind - they see only proof of divine absence in what has happened. I can't blame them." mistalina13 Morgan nodded. She knew the 'darker' gods existed, but thankfully she had not come across one yet. "Regardless of what happens, I believe you and your strength, never forget that." Sosiqui "Thank you." Tian Yue beamed. "And I can feel it, you know - the spark of your belief... not just your love, but that too. It's... very precious." He leaned in again and kissed her on the lips this time, more deeply. mistalina13 Morgan's cheeks brightened as the blood rushed to them. She returned the kiss and laced her arms around his neck. "As you are to me..." Murmured words as they drew apart. Sosiqui "I'm so glad - I was so afraid that I'd earned worse than a slap, that you wouldn't..." Tian Yue's voice trailed off, and instead of continuing the sentence he held her more tightly. mistalina13 "Never, beloved, don't even think of it." Morgan rested her head against his shoulder again, enjoying being held close.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:19 am
Ding Dong, My Lord is Back!
Tian Yue left Morgan's room feeling light as a feather. She had been worried, even slapped him at first - but she still cared for him, as he'd desperately hoped. His quest had not cost him her love. The feeling anchored him, made him feel more capable of handling what was to come.
Chief on 'what was to come' at the moment was confronting his Aoidei. He shook his head at the door into his own chambers. What he really wanted now was a bath - bits of Gabriel's silvery stardust still clung to his scalp and clothes, and under his nails - and then a good sleep, but...
He pushed the door open, and heard a scrabbling noise, as if he'd just startled something to their feet, rather badly. A moment later, Toki appeared, his eyes wide.
It took the Aoide a second to parse what he saw - but then Toki let out a cry of joy, and ran to fall prostrate before his lord. "My lord Tian Yue! Ohhh... I've missed you so much! So much!"
Tian Yue did his best not to step backwards as Toki actually kissed his feet. "Rise, Toki..."
"So much!"
"Toki!" Tian Yue said, more sharply, and the Aoide flushed and scrambled to his feet, his face marked with tears of joy. "Calm down... yes, I'm back, I'm sorry I took so long without sending you word. There was difficulty."
"It's alright, alright, yes... Tien Lung has been gone much longer before, much longer. Much much longer." Toki trembled for a moment, then straightened with a wide grin. "Did you fare well on your journey?"
"I did, yes... though I left my bag in the corridor there."
"Oh! I'll get it!" And Toki leapt to his feet and fairly zoomed outside, leaving Tian Yue alone and bemused. He glanced around the room, realizing how sparkling and spotless it was... and remembering Morgan's comments. The Aoide must have cleaned his chambers over and over again...
It was sort of creepy, but also sort of endearing.
"Here it is, my Lord!" Toki practically sang as he zipped past again, bearing the duffel into Tian Yue's bedchamber. The Dragon King followed, bemused, and Toki saluted once he had put the duffel down. "What else do you require?"
If he had a tail, a real one, it'd be wagging as much as Gabriel's. "A bath... and something to eat. Whatever's in the fridge downstairs," he added, not wanting Toki to head off on a long quest.
"Of course, of course! And anything else?" Toki beamed.
"Sleep after, I think. I must visit Universe tomorrow - alone," he said, quickly, - and I need to be rested and present myself as well as I can."
"Of course, of course! Oh, it is so good to have you back, my Lord! I took good care of Lady Morgan!"
"I know, she told me." Tian Yue shook his head and smiled.
"You... saw her first?" Toki deflated a little, his wings drooping, but then perked up. "Yes, of course, of course... you must be very busy. Oh, there is so very much to tell you about-"
Tian Yue held up one hand to stall the Aoide's flood of words. "Later, Toki. After I've bathed, eaten, slept, and seen Lucius. I won't be able to think of much else until then. Where's Nebula?"
Toki made a face. "Nowhere to be found, my Lord. I have not seen her since before your ascension."
"I see. Well... be that as it may. Draw my bath, will you?"
"Of course!" And with that, Toki darted into the bathroom. A moment later Tian Yue heard the water begin to run. He sighed, and began to shuck off his travel-worn clothing in favor of a light robe.
Still, you could do worse than come home to a Toki-brand Enthusiastic Greeting. Much worse.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:19 am
QUEST: Remember the Stars XVII - Finishing the PromiseSosiqui It was time.
Tian Yue was back in his star-marked hanfu, and his tail twitched lightly against the fine fabric as he walked down the hall towards Universe's chambers. He was understandably nervous, but also a bit excited - he was going to get to see Lucius again, and hopefully be able to help the other god feel, if not much better, than at least a little bit... wanted. Hopefully.
The metal of the collar felt cool against his skin; he had it draped lightly around one arm, concealed under the broad sleeves of the hanfu. He'd thought about bringing the star orb, but decided against it finally. Best not to overwhelm.
The door loomed.
Tien Lung took a deep breath, then knocked. Ivynian  There was the usual sinking in his stomach when he heard the noise. Someone wanted something. It would be a too rich convenience to have some deal with a deity of Mind, or Thought, or something...maybe even Fate, to have the prescience needed to just know what others wanted and be able to open the door only long enough to throw it at them. He rousted from his lounging, letting the book open on his lap to fall to the floor. He'd monkey getting it back up with he feet later on. Some mortals could even write with theirs, though he wasn't planning on taking the new-trained omnidexterity so far. Using both fists pressed on either side of the knob, he opened the door, "Who goes?" Sosiqui "My name is Tian Yue - do you remember some time ago, a meeting on the rooftop?" Tian Yue smiled at Lucius, and did his best not to visibly flinch in sympathy with what he saw through the open door. What else had befallen the god, that he wore a patch over one eye? Wasn't the binding enough?! "A boy and a god who greeted you? We are one, now... and I wanted to see you again. To... talk to you again, as you wished."
The collar was so cold against his arm. Ivynian The resemblance was unmistakable: the glasses, the somewhat geekly features. The changes were also expected. He couldn't imagine anyone with the title 'Dragon King' willing to cope with a physique that tired after running up a single flight of stairs. The mode of dress though? Rather ridiculous! That boy was as white as bread, but the god wants to be asian? When comes the god who is a closet furry? "I remember the names given then differently, though the invitation is not rescinded. Please, " Universe stepped back, leaving off of the handle and recessed into the room. Sosiqui "Thank you," Tian Yue said gratefully, and stepped inside. "It is a different name, indeed. When Crispin and Shaiming became one, we - I - took a new name."
Well, I'm inside. Now what?
Tian Yue took another deep breath. "We were both distressed by what had been done to you - and Tien Lung holds some memories of the past that you, at the time, seemed not to know. I have... brought some tokens of that past, and some fragments of memory, if you would like to see them...?" Ivynian An extra breath before words, Universe twitched his ear once. What would make the other so nervous, or concerned even, to be presenting things of the sort? Considering he is aware of my betrayal, perhaps it is regarding harmodius. Or has he spoken with Gaia? Thoughts of the diminutive goddess gnawed tumult in the pits of his being. That meeting had been...difficult. He had come to no concrete decisions about it, and the memory was unpleasant because of it. He moved on. If it is regarding Aristogeiton I will kill him where he stands."What has been done to me is only what I have earned, from accounts that matter. That being Harmodius alone. I see no initial harm in learning of the past that eludes me. Perhaps it will be useful." Sosiqui "Perhaps, but... it is always hard to see friends, or once-friends, in pain, regardless of what brought them to that circumstance," Tian Yue said quietly. His mind was racing, trying to figure out what to say first... the collar? The Gallery? Spit it all out at once?
Calm down.
"There is a good deal that I do not remember, but there is some that I do - I swear to you on the stars that it is true." Tian Yue reached for the collar then, letting it slide down into the palm of his hand, the cleaned metal and scale of Qian Lung shining faintly. "I travelled to the Gallery of Celestia looking for answers, for you, and for myself - this is one of the relics I found there. A mark of the bond between Tien Lung and Universe, of old." He spoke more boldly, then, draconic posessiveness rearing up inside. Ivynian "A bond?" The tone was reined incredulity. He looked over the object curiously, marveling at the workmanship. The boy-man pronounced himself with rather sudden boldness, didn't he? Just what sort of bond is he implying? The proper noun was obviously a place. There was something in it, and sitting in his ears it shivered his spine until goosebumps textured the darkened stars of his skin. A more genuine curiousity forced into him, voicing itself in the less-then-polite demand, "Tell me about this place. " Sosiqui "Of course... the Gallery of Celestia was a marvel. Now it's in disrepair, damaged by time and the impact of imploding stars, but I remember..." Tian Yue's eyes unfocused, for a moment. "A sacred place resting among the stars. Bright platforms ranked one above the other, connected with arches, all made beautifully of the rarest materials, where mortals brought their worship and fealty to Universe. I found the collar there, abandoned - much of the other wealth was gone, but it remained, somehow, along with the memories." Ivynian "There are tapestries in my mind. Great hanging scrolls of thinnest silks and laces, half sheen and painted. There is a game, to hide behind them, as if they could obscure much. What is bare can be made more intimate by the pretense of modesty, by hiding only choice parts behind the opacity of paint or embroidery." Shivering, the good wing extended so that the longest primaries just brushed the surface of the black scale. There is only a shadow that plays the game. I can never see a face."Were there skrims, like such, in this Gallery?" Sosiqui "Yes... they were tattered, some missing, but they remained." Tian Yue smiled; he did remember, even if it was only a little. "Universe spent much time there." He hesitated.
Well, nothing for it. "In the company of Tien Lung, which is why that place is so large in my own memory." And why you are, as well. Ivynian "You speak boldy and yet still hidden behind your sleeve, such as it were. What was the company, " His eyes, lit comets, snapped to Tian Yue's face. " Tell me plainly what you imply, or do I read wrong the pauses and declarations, the meanings in 'company' or 'bond'?" His voice was breaking again, a border of hysteria from wounds never opened to the air except in half to Gaia. ...in the shadows of dreams, love walked by him... TELL ME, damn you.Laid bare, he could only beg, startled by tempest where there had been before cool disinterest. "If it is so, paint for me the picture of what I have lost, Tian Yue. Chase my ghosts into light, and drown them from my torment. I do not know the face.... I do not know it. " Sosiqui "I am sorry... of course. Universe and Tien Lung lived there, lovers." Tian Yue spoke plainly now, and once it was said there was a rush of relief. What am I afraid of? This worry, this tentativeness does not become Tien Lung. No. "And now, I think, both are very changed from what they were then - but I would seek you again, in friendship at least, at most..." He left that, at least, unsaid, worried about overwhelming the other god, and instead held up the collar once more.
"I remember the forging of this. Qian Lung gave the scale; dwarf-lords fashioned the metals. It was given as a promise - but I found it abandoned. I cannot remember how you or I faded and failed, but it concerns me, very much. You... concern me, very much," he added, softly. Ivynian "No, not now," He clenched his hands in his wires, trying to force calm back into himself, and turned away from the dragon into a short, paced circuit. "There isn't much in me of what was. The endings, the ending I cannot much remember anymore then the beginning. Then the middle." Had Universe heard the words about friendship? About more? There was no telling. "What was the face Tien Lung wore? It is not you, you said that....is it known to you?" Sosiqui "I do not know," Tian Yue replied, with regret. "There are many gaps for me, as well - there was remembered concern and emotion... but the specifics eluded me. Only after visiting the Gallery did I remember as much as I did."
He thought, hard. "There was a time, before the Fading... when Gaia had fallen. We sent a gift of support, of help... Tien Lung left. After that, I do not remember. But I remember the flicker of wings, stars on scales, the forging of starmetal. Small things, but they are yours to share. I wish I had more to offer you than vague impressions and a few scattered scenes and emotions. But that is what I have, that and the relic, and one other that I did not bring with me." Ivynian "You do not understand. I will love one only. If I cannot have Harmodius, if he will not take me...neither our thighs pressed against one another nor even in his arms to kiss, I will have none. It is not you, it is my own choice. " The words were hammers, returned to him from what felt like centuries before. He had not been bound then. Harmodius was the first he had seen with his own eyes. Worship, love, longing, there had been so many unexplained emotions. Young, he had searched for reason and explanation for what welled from the darkness of the past. A final slap in the face now: he had come to the wrong conclusion so long ago. Creation, Father of All, while he may be everything any being could desire once they met him, was not the match to the spectre of his dreams. It was Wednesday's child that played in him now, and grew to maturity with the rapidity of his steps. Surely he read the wisps of memory in my mind, he reads all else so ******** clearly. Was it too much to explain to me that He was not as I assumed? To tell me the lover whose arms I lost was not yet reborn? If he had had any reservations as to how ridiculous his situation could sink, they were removed. He laughed, crying, but laughed. I can't beleive I'm crying in front of this morph god. This stranger wearing a Dragon's skin. That he mentions courting me? WHY? He said plainly he is not the other....and what am I? A fallen sky. "Oh...I am sorry, Tian Yue....I was not expecting this. I was expecting Illumin or Eamnonn or Beryl or Kishara or Destruction knows whom else at my door, I was expecting other phantoms. Aristogeiton to crucify me again. But this- How I searched when I was the only one reborn for the answers to the missing pieces...How much I sacrificed, what I was prepared to do, oh...it does all seem utterly asinine now." Sosiqui "No - if you knew how often- as soon as I learned what had caused your binding, there was guilt... I was not here for you, changed as you were, changed as I am..." Tian Yue shook his head, feeling it well up in him again. "We are still Universe and Tien Lung, but we are both very changed from what once was... I know that. There's so much that has to be learned, re-learned, un-learned. So much the Fading took away." He spoke with a tinge of regret for everything they had lost, truly Tien Lung now, with no hesitation or timidity.
"If it would help, I can tell you where the Gallery of Celestia now lies. What I have learned is yours, for the asking." He paused. "I do not presume instant familiarity, but I would like to know you again, in time." Ivynian "I would know that much, at least, "Universe looked dully at the reflections of his wing light from the water dancing on the walls. "I would like to go there, maybe it would bring something back to me of who I was. Of what I should be. " "Time it may take. Don't brand yourself in the eyes of others by association, Tian Yue. Friends we may become, but as Sinned I can do no good by you." It didn't feel like what he was saying was out of compassion and worry for the other's merits and well being. It was selfish, steeped in shame. If this had been his lover, it hurt to think of the eyes behind the shadows looking on him now. He wanted to Fade again, blacked out and sloughed out of the stars so that they were free to their own lives again. He had not been so negative in taking in Water, had he not? Was it good then, that he could bow to shame? Gaia had seemed to think him bowed too far and close in to be worthy. "I am sorry, you are being candid. It is not that I would not desire to at least try at knowing one another, whatever may or may not follow." Sosiqui "I am not worried about what others think of me - I am a Dragon King, and all will - or should - know what that means. Unshakeable loyalty to my lord, but associating with you does not compromise that loyalty one bit, and anyone saying such a thing will find themselves corrected." Tian Yue's tail lashed briefly. "Lord Harmodius himself urged me to seek you out - I would have done so regardless," he added, firmly, as if seeing the possible objection and seeking to drive it away. "I would have come to you no matter what. I count it a blessing that my Lord allowed me the time to travel and find what I have, so that I would have more to offer you. Regardless of what his motives may have been, I am glad to have had that time." And that I would come to you truly Tien Lung, rather than a half-mortal thing hiding in dragon's skin. His eyes were bright behind his glasses.
Then he stepped back, and sighed. "I'm sorry. Forgive me if I overwhelm you. Gianfar helped me with the star charts; I'll send one of my Aoidei to bring them to you as soon as I return to my chambers." Ivynian "Did he now?" There was almost a sharpness, caught on the edges of the spat words. More manipulation, just the same. But what else was there? Whether or not this dragon would have come bidden or unbidden, or the serendipity of Gaia's visit, or anything else that had been masterminded....Harmodius...... Was. Leader, twice Father of them all, Eldest. And whatever the reasons, he'd ended up just as broken and bereft having acted brashly as he feared he might if he had not. It would have done them all better if he had not, and left whatever madness came to just influence his own person. "I will seek out Destruction. I would be glad for the starcharts, however they are sent. Let your servants know to just knock and open the door, it is difficult for me. " Sosiqui "Yes." Tian Yue caught the bitterness, and winced inwardly at it - but he couldn't blame Lucius for that. "I will tell Toki to do that, and also not to bother you with questions as he did on the rooftop, that time." He made a face.
Then he bowed. "I will go and send those, right now - thank you, Lucius." He offered the other god a smile. There were so many other things he wanted to ask - what happened to your eye? what have the others done to you, that you are worried I would be tainted? but he settled for just one.
"Would you like to keep this?" He held out the herringbone collar. "Not as a promise or binding - but as gift. Perhaps it will stir your memory as it did mine." Ivynian "If you offer, I would gladly accept, " It seemed bizarre to think someone so earnest, and a morph, wouldn't already ..Beryl and Eamnonn had begun in such a stage...so he ventured. "You do not already have someone to offer it to in this lifetime?" Sosiqui "This? I would never give it to anyone else, or Qian Lung who gave me this scale would rise from her gem and smite me for my blasphemy." Tian Yue grinned, then sobered.
"There is, though - a girl, a mortal that my host" so odd to call it/myself that, but it is true now, isn't it? I am not Crispin any more than I am Shaiming, now. "-loved. Now, she remains dear to me, but in a different way than you are... were." Tian Yue shook his head. "As usually is, between mortals and gods. Regardless, this is yours... I would not give it to her, nor to any other. You are different. You always have been," he added, softly. It was so hard to batter the remembered emotions down, remind them of how much time had passed, how much had changed!
Was what he had said a betrayal of Morgan? Tian Yue hoped not - the words he had said felt right. It was true that his feelings for both were very deep, and just as true that they were different in a way he found it impossible to put in words. Maybe only the gods of Love could truly understand the many flavors it came in. Ivynian He wondered, coming to a realization, what would be the proper method of taking the choker. Wearing it felt wrong, it was a symbol of an old life, but it was given to him as his own property again. As a gift...no symbol attached? But still he could not put it on or take it on himself. His hands twitched in the bindings. "I'm afraid either I must ask you to put it on me, or it must be set down somewhere. There are no jewelry boxes here, and I could not open them if there were. " Sosiqui "Of course... which would you prefer?" Ivynian He'd been hoping Yue would have his own preference and act on it. He cursed luck in his mind again, but nodded and shifted down to his knees so the other would be able to reach. "I'd rather not risk it getting lost again." Sosiqui "All right." Tian Yue smiled, and moved carefully to the other god. The proximity was someting Tien Lung remembered, and he had to stomp on the emotions even more firmly this time. Stop that, dragon.
Gently, careful to avoid jostling Lucius' bound arms and his wings, he unfolded the links of the choker and drew it around the other god's neck. He fumbled a bit with the clasp before finally fastening it. This has happened before... I remember it. The echoes of that old, old joy.
How things have changed.
"There - is it comfortable?" he asked, out loud. Ivynian Universe stilled, as only a god made of dubious physical flesh could, the moment the cool of the jewelry touched his skin. It was long moments until he gave a mute nod as reply. Sosiqui "Okay. Good." Tian Yue withdrew, then nodded to Lucius. "I will send my servants with the maps - and my doors are open to you, should you wish to use them," he added.
His hands were trembling a bit, but the fall of the hanfu disguised it. Mostly.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:20 am
QUEST: Remember the Stars - Epilogue
Tian Yue returned to his chambers lost in thought, waving aside Toki's greeting with one hand. "Leave me, for now," he said, absently, and left the surprised Aoide standing in the main room.
He drew the curtain over the opening between the rooms and moved to sit on the edge of his bed, then reached out for the bright orb that rested in a nest of velvet on one of the end tables. Toki had cleaned it until it was free of all blemish, polished away the scratches and removed all the stardust that clung to it. The little star in the heart of the orb pulsed lightly, like a heartbeat.
Tian Yue cradled its warmth between his palms, and thought.
He had changed; he knew this - both from what he had been when he left the Pantheon a month ago, and from what Tien Lung had been before the Fading. So strange, to become a god. More grand, stately... easier to encompass thoughts and ideals that would break a mortal mind. Harder... to understand ancient memories and urges, and to tell them no.
It had been hard to leave Lucius, lost in his memories; the urge to stay by his once-lover and wait for him had been very great. There had been such a powerful echo of the past in that movement, the placing of the Black Dragon's scale around Universe's neck.
He sighed, and slumped backwards into the bed, still holding the orb close. The sleeves of his outer robe slid over them, masking the soft glow for a moment.
But I know who and what I am. I know who I care for - both of them - and I have brought... something... to Lucius. Good or bad, I can't tell, but surely it has to be better than what he has now... and Gabriel, I brought Gabriel back. Tian Yue smiled at that happy memory; the sight of god and dragon reunited was one to treasure. I have done well?
It took him a moment to realize he was waiting, listening for an inner voice, and his smile turned bittersweet. Who are you waiting to hear, foolish dragon?
Myself. Only myself.
What the Pantheon needs is a Tien Lung that will lead them to the stars, protecting them with fresh strength... Shaiming said that... and I can be that Tien Lung.
Whatever happens from now on is up to me, and me alone.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:21 am
Welcome Back, Nebula...?mistalina13 Asherah headed down the aoide hallway just after her mistress went into the bathroom. It was best to leave her be for a time and present herself to her "lord" first if he was around. She did her best to keep from fidgeting and fiddled with her petticoats as she walked, tail lashing irritably because of the itchy fabric. What she wouldn't give for her blouse, bodice and breeches right now.
She rounded the corner and padded down the short passage that led to Tian Yue's chambers. And let the charade begin... Sosiqui Toki hummed to himself as he carried an armful of towels from Tian Yue's bathroom. His lord was back at last, and all was well with the world... he had things to do again, and more to take care of! He didn't know what he would have done if the Dragon King had been much longer on his business. The Aoide opened the door leading to the Aoidei chambers and nearly walked right into... "Nebula!" Toki nearly dropped the towels, but his look of surprise quickly turned stern. "Just where have you been, young lady? Vanishing nigh on the eve of our lord's revival... as the head of Tien Lung's household, I will not stand for such behavior!" He gave the feline Aoide a ferocious look. "Explain yourself. Now!" He was... surprisingly commanding, considering his usual behavior. mistalina13 Asherah stiffened slightly when she collided with someone else, her eyes going a little wide.
Another aoide....
Her mind raced as she tried to recall a name.
Toki.
The feline's hands went behind her back and her posture shifted. After emitting a small murr of a noise her expression relaxed into one of childish innocence. "I got lost." Sosiqui Toki snorted, not impressed. "Lost. For a month and more, indeed, you must have been lost in the very bowels of the earth!" He shook his head. "Well. You are fortunate our lord has been busy with many other matters, business of the Twin Crown - he has not been here to miss you until very recently. You should present yourself before him - you haven't even seen him in his reborn aspect, have you? Shameful." He put the towels down. "Come. You look well enough, we will do it now. Tian Yue is within, at his work." Toki grabbed 'Nebula's' wrist and pulled her along towards the door leading out into the god's chambers. mistalina13 Asherah's ears flattened slightly when Toki grabbed and pulled her along. Her reflexes were already demanding to react, so she could pull free and simply walk on her own. But she put up with it for the time being she had to keep up this charade for the time being to be able to stay. Sosiqui Tian Yue was sitting at the large desk in the main chamber, intently leafing through a collection of starcharts. He wore simple robes now, befitting a scholar's work. Toki cleared his throat. "My Lord - the prodigal has returned." He nudged the feline Aoide forward, sharply. Tian Yue turned around, blinked, then actually flinched away from 'Nebula' for an instant before smiling. "Welcome back, Nebula. I was starting to worry.""She said she was lost, my Lord," Toki added, loudly. "Perhaps... I'm not going to pry, Nebula," the Dragon King said, pleasantly. "But don't do that again." He frowned, slightly. "Now that I am Tien Lung once more, there is much to do, and I need my Aoidei to help me, not hinder by vanishing when I need them. Do you understand?"Toki prodded 'Nebula' in the back. "Offer him your obeisance," he hissed. "Toki," Tian Yue said, and the other Aoide flushed and shrank back. "My apologies, my Lord..." mistalina13 Asherah curtsied politely, spreading her skirts as best she could and screwed on a demur little smile. "I understand..." She bit her lip slightly and added. "...my lord. It will not happen again."
She righted herself and her tail flicked idly from side to side. The feline clasped her hands in front of herself, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "Is there some task you would have me do now, my lord?" Sosiqui "Not at the moment, no - but help Toki with his work. And Toki, don't go overboard," Tian Yue added, giving Toki a look. Toki nodded quickly, making his bunny ears bob wildly. "Good. I'm glad to see you well, Nebula - I'm impressed." Tian Yue sounded pleased, and Toki knew why. He was amazed the other Aoide hadn't tried to pounce their lord immediately, as she had in the past, and make a fool and a pest of herself again. Perhaps she had matured in her time away. mistalina13 "As you command." Asherah nodded, offering another little curtsy. The hard part was done and that easier than she had expected.
She glanced over at Toki, wondering if they were just to leave or wait to be dismissed. Sosiqui Tian Yue nodded to both Aoidei. "Toki, I'll need you in about ten minutes to take these charts - I'll give you instructions then. Thank you both." With that, he turned back to his work. Toki bowed, then beckoned for 'Nebula' to follow him back to the Aoide quarters. "I know what you can do - you can clean your room. I'm sure it's gotten very dusty, but I couldn't get in to clean it since you locked it." mistalina13 Asherah turned and padded after Toki as he disapeared down the passageway that lead to the Aoide quarters. "Very well, it shouldn't take long."
Locked door, hm, at least that'll be interesting.
She nodded, continuing down down the hall toward Nebula's room. Sosiqui "Truth be told, there's not a lot to do right now - I cleaned everything while our lord was absent," Toki said. Indeed, everything around them had been gleaming, spotless, perfect... obsessively, single-mindedly clean. "But with members of our lord's court reappearing, and his duties for the Twin Crown, I am sure there will be plenty to do before too long!" His words were jovial. Toki loved nothing better than to be very busy. "I will tend to our lord's needs this afternoon. You... clean your room, and make yourself fit for service however you require..." Toki waved one hand. "And do not bother Lady Morgan unduly," he added, with a hrmph. "I can only hope your jealousy vanished along with your desire to 'glomp' things." mistalina13 Morgan.
Asherah sniffed, then turned nodded. She certainly wouldn't bother her mistress, but she did need to present herself at some point, but the time had to be just right.
So, Nebula had been jealous of her....for what reason I wonder?
Something else to puzzle out.
"I hope I will do well, not longer shame our lord again as I have in the past." She nodded again absently. "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to get started on my task..." Sosiqui "Oh? Good... good, that's very good." Toki watched her go, tilted his head to one side, and shrugged. "Huh." No matter. She was back, she would most likely be carrying her weight now, and - he had a job to do for his lord! Life was, once again, good.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:22 am
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:23 am
Fallen Stars
Tian Yue was fussing in his treasury again. With draconic instinct and drive he shuffled his things around, brushing away hints of dust, nearly as fastidious as Toki. The relics from the Gallery of Celestia now took center stage, along with a handful of Gabriel's stardust and a few oddments Penny had given him from the Nova Bandit.
Strange, how the nature of dragon tried to override things. It was not civilized to lay on one's possessions, but the urge was there nevertheless.
As he worked, he heard a small noise, and turned to see Toki standing in the doorway. The Aoide looked nervous. "What is it, Toki?"
"Er..." Yes, definitely nervous; Toki was wringing his hands. "There is one to see you, but I'm not sure if you... remember...?"
Tian Yue put down the book he'd been holding. "Remember? Who is it?"
"Xiù Long," came a sudden rumbling voice from outside, and Toki cringed -but the name was like a bolt of brilliance in Tian Yue's memory. It summoned up a host of crackly images, like a damaged old film; scenes set here and there with little context, as in the Gallery.
Stars. The purest spirits of those creatures blessed enough to have their forms set in the sky by Universe - I called them forth... the stars, MY Stars of the Zodiac. My servants; my court! Yes, of course, of course...
"Xiù Long!" he called back, joyfully, and rushed out to the sitting room. All the furniture had been shoved to one side, a bit roughly, and in the open space crouched a dragon the size of a small horse. She was powerfully built, with sharp teeth and long horns, but her wings were short, stunted, tattered. Still, she was adorned with gold and a fine pelt, and she looked at him sharply, without bowing.
"You are Tien Lung?" she rumbled, clearly taking his measure with her glance.
"I am. I am called Tian Yue now, but I am Tien Lung, the Starscale and Worldshield."
She snorted, and turned away - and Tian Yue noticed that behind her, shoved nearly into the wall, was a pale young man wearing clothes as tattered as the dragon's wings. He looked nearly ready to faint, and Tian Yue made a small, sympathetic sound.
"Are you well?"
The boy looked startled at being spoken to, and looked back wide-eyed... but there was no time to hear his reply, if one was given. The dragon rumbled, low and dangerous, and swung her head between Tian Yue and the boy.
"Human, human thing, human aspect you bear," she growled, showing her fangs. "Humans are weak."
She lunged at him; Tian Yue dodged, and Toki let out a strangled squeak and ran impotently towards the dragon.
"Stay back!" Tian Yue barked, gesturing firmly at the Aoide, and Toki skidded to a halt. This was a matter between dragons.
With a snarl, Tian Yue transformed, the simple robes he'd been wearing tearing away with the sudden shift of the flesh beneath them. He reared up, hissing at the weaker dragon before him, bigger than she was, now - and he saw the uncertainty in her eyes before she roared and rose to meet him.
They met, claw to scale, but it was over in a moment. Tian Yue had her by the neck in an instant, and forced her to the ground as an alpha beast does to his subordinates, holding her with just barely enough force to taste a few drops of her blood on his tongue.
Then, when she was curled on the floor, showing him her belly, he released her and drew back, fangs bared.
"Human thing? I am not human, but neither am I dragon - I am of the gods, and you would do well to remember it. Time seems to have made you forget." He stared down at her imperiously until she broke, looking away.
"I had to make sure you were... what my heart said," she mumbled.
"Xiù Long." Tian Yue said, more gently. "I am. You are home."
"I..." She got up, her head dragging, the marks of Tian Yue's teeth clearly visible around her neck; they'd likely scar. "Thank you, my Lord." She moved into a bow then - a proper bow, not the cowering curl of the submissive animal. "I am glad to see you again. Glad beyond measure."
"As I am to see you, Xiù Long - you are the first to come home." Tian Yue twitched his tail around his flanks and rumbled, pleased.
But the dragon shook her head. "That name is old. The name I have been given in this life is Shartha..."
"Shartha, then. I too have a new name; I will not begrudge you yours. And who is this?" He lifted one claw to indicate the boy, who had hidden behind the couch during their brief fight and was now peering palely over the cushions.
Shartha snorted. "My chattel. It is a ritual of the people I was reborn into. They stole our wings, filthy creatures."
"What have you been doing to him? Toki," Tian Yue ordered, "go tend to him. Star's death, he looks skinny and pale as bone!"
"As long as he is alive, I fly. Else, I care not," Shartha grumbled.
"I will not permit any member of my court to treat those under their care so shamefully," Tian Yue hissed back, so vehemently that Shartha backed up a bit and the boy ducked back behind the couch, even as Toki tried to coax him out. "He will be tended to properly, as any human. What has happened to you?"
Shartha looked sulky. "You do not understand what they did to us."
"A people you were part of for how long, has done this much to you?"
"Two years." But Shartha's look was firm, and prideful. "And we were powerful."
"Be that as it may... boy, come. Go with Toki. He will tend to you."
The young man swallowed, and inched out from behind the couch; since his bonding with Shartha, he had learned swiftly to obey dragons. Toki took his hand and guided him towards the baths; he moved silently, shrunken in on himself.
Tian Yue shook his head, then gave Shartha a glare. "Never again."
She snorted, and for a moment he thought she would defy him - but the instant passed, and she bowed her head once more. "Lord."
"But I am glad to see you," he added, trying to calm her. "Shartha."
The dragon blinked, then smiled. "My Lord."
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:24 am
Bittersweet Realizationmistalina13 As she clung to the side of the bath working to rationalize what she'd just been through and get air in her lungs she felt something slither across her shoulder. Only one creature came to mind that slithered like that.
Snake....SNAKE! She was outright terrified of snakes.
The nerdling let out a typical feminine shriek and clamored out of the bath, wishing she had her knife. She grabbed a towel, wrapped it tightly around herself waiting to see if the offending creature would actually appear.
I didn't know you were such a coward.
"That wasn't a dream?"
Not entirely, though, my pet had to wake you or you would've died.
She stood there shivering and wondering if she had simply lost her mind. Sosiqui Out in the hall there was a clatter at the sound of Morgan's shriek, then rapidly moving footsteps. A few doors banged. There was a pause, and then two sets of footsteps faded back into hearing, approaching quickly. Then came the knock on the door. "Morgan? Are you okay?" Tian Yue asked, concern in his voice. "She just screamed suddenly," Toki replied, wringing his hands before bending to pick up the tray he had dropped when Morgan's cry startled him. mistalina13 "I think so...you can come in." It's not like you've never seen me naked before. Morgan didn't take her eyes off the bath as she spoke.
It was at that moment the offending creature chose to appear, it's orange head peaking over the side of the bath and it continued to slither along the side and onto the floor toward Morgan, ending up winding around her ankle.
She froze as the snake coiled around her leg. What am I going to do!
My pet...did you miss me? Sosiqui "Okay. ... No, Toki, you stay out here. I'm fairly sure I can handle it," Tian Yue said as the Aoide began to protest. He opened the door and stepped through quickly, then sighed as soon as the door was shut. "Honestly..."
Then he saw the snake, and froze, but not for the same reason as Morgan. Snake? Could it be... my Snake? Shartha had come, after all, and the Snake was one of Tien Lung's Stars. "Is that it-" he began, and froze again.
What was that on - on? in her arm? mistalina13 Kaulu...
Morgan jumped as the snake slithered a little further up her leg. "Stopstaringandgetitoffplease!" She was on the verge of freaking out again, seeing a snake was bad enough having it on her was even worse. It didn't even occur to her that he might have noticed the stone in her arm, flanked by scratches. Sosiqui There was... an odd sort of numbness. Detachment, dreamlike.
No, the snake couldn't be his Snake. Tian Yue stepped over and knelt next to Morgan so that he was eye level with the creature. "Can you get off of her, please? I'm sure in time she will come to know you, but right now she's afraid." The words were reasoned, but they sounded to Tian Yue if someone else far away was saying them.
Shaiming was right.
Bittersweet. mistalina13 Kaulu unwound herself from around Morgan's leg but stayed right nearby, head resting on her foot, as if she was waiting for something.
Pick her up.
The voice was fainter than it had been and it seemed to nearly blend in with her own normal thoughts, but she none the less obeyed and reached down, precariously picking up the serpent but didn't seem all too happy about it.
The snake coiled itself around her arm and shoulders, head resting lazily against the opposite shoulder, watching the Dragon. Sosiqui "Thank you," Tian Yue told the snake, then turned to Morgan. "Love... who is this?" he asked, gently, taking her arm and moving it just slightly so he could see the tigers-eye stone better. There is the touch of Destruction in those marks. mistalina13 "I don't know...I haven't exactly gotten a name yet." Morgan frowned slightly. "Feminine voice...and I think I almost died a bit ago." She wrinkled her nose, eying the gem. "I think the snake belongs to whoever that is." She shivered a little, feeling the snake shift and continue to slither around her. Sosiqui "A goddess, then..." Tian Yue smiled, then leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Shaiming suspected you'd been brought here for a purpose. It seems he was right. How do you feel?"
She was... going to be lost to him? Perhaps not. Perhaps the nameless goddess within the jewel would do as Shaiming had done - but by Gianfar's reaction, no other god had before. And he knew he was not Crispin any more, in any case.
But he could not be angry at the goddess. Not when he himself had done the exact same thing. mistalina13 "How would you feel...if you had to survive one of my dungeons as yourself?" Morgan sighed lightly and leaned against him a little, careful not to squash the serpent or the arm with the gem in it, as it was still tender.
"I would've preferred a name to nearly drowning." She muttered, not exactly angry, just a little irked at the lack of information. Sosiqui "As of now? Bring it on!" Tian Yue grinned, then sobered. "But before, mortal? Best left to miniatures and dice, I think."
"Nearly drowning?" He looked concerned again, for a moment. "She won't kill you... she needs you." mistalina13 "Electrified Floor, hail of Needles, pendulum blades and flame jets...and the flooding room traps." Morgan grumbled. "True, but she seems to have no qualms about inflicting pain."
You did that to yourself.
"Huh?" The shoe was on the other foot, now she was the one talking aloud to the voice in her head. Sosiqui "Have you asked her? She should be able to speak to you in your thoughts..." Tian Yue walked over to the hooks on the side of the room, retrieved a bathrobe, and offered it to her. "A goddess with traps and snakes... hm. Perhaps she is of Wisdom?" mistalina13 "I did bring clothes in..." Her gaze darted around. "Wherever they ended up." The last was muttered and finally she spotted the odd garments. Darn Ser and her need to hide things. On second thought, the robe did seem a better idea at the moment.
Morgan took it from him and undid the towel, tossing it aside. She didn't feel shy in front of him like this at the moment, with her thoughts half drifting elsewhere. She tugged on the robe, easing the snake off her went necessary and let it come to rest again atop the fabric instead of against her skin. Much better.
"Ha. Somehow I don't think so...and your lord is very...odd." There was no other polite way to put it. Sosiqui "My lord... ah. Lord Harmodius must have given you the jewel." Tian Yue couldn't see the scratches on her arm anymore now that she was wearing the robe, but... "He is Destruction now, as you know... and he is not pleasant. But as Creation he is radiant with life, and as Void all things are balanced. It's unfortunate that he has stayed as he is for so long." mistalina13 "He thinks I'm an idiot, I think." Morgan sighed and fiddled with her hair. "And getting the jewel shoved into my arm hurt like hell." She wrinkled her nose.
"Maybe we should get out of the bathroom, before Toki thinks we're doing something naughty." She teased, guessing that the aoide must be outside the door. Sosiqui "I'm sorry it was painful - it was for us as well. Er, well, for Crispin-me, not Tien Lung-me," he added, awkwardly, then laughed. "Psh. Toki can think all he likes." Tian Yue rolled his eyes, but opened the door. The Aoide was not immediately in evidence, but there was a small noise as if something had just flown away rather quickly.
"See? Nothing. He was never here." The dragon winked. "That reminds me... Nebula's back. She claims to have been lost. I'm not sure how true that is, but she came back and she seems to have... matured during her absence. So don't be surprised if you see her. She was much less clingy towards me and I hope she'll behave better towards you as well." mistalina13 "Alright." Morgan was still a little uncertain about Nebula, but she'd try to be friendly and if the feline proved approachable then she would be the same. She collected her clothes from the bathroom floor and held them in a bundle under her arm.
She giggled absently and shook her head, wondering where Toki had gone off to so quickly. "I'll hope for the best then." Sosiqui "Good... good." Tian Yue shook his head, then sighed.
"How do you feel?" he repeated. "I know I asked you, but... what about this?" He pointed one claw at where he knew the gem to be, under the softness of the bathrobe. "Is it... right? Is there glory in it?" mistalina13 "How would I know...I don't feel anything other than another presence, always looming about." Morgan eyed her arm for a moment before glancing back to her lover.
Oh...so you do have a lover.
"...and spying on private conversations." She huffed, guess it was just one of the things she'd have to get used to. Sosiqui Tian Yue made a rueful face. "Yes, we are very snoopy things... Shaiming was constantly rooting through Crispin's thoughts too." The memories there were strange, coming from two sides, disjointed because of it. "But the gem is a prison, and finding the host, release."
That he remembered clearly; only Tien Lung held memories of such a discovery. There was no human duplication to those thoughts. At that time, there had been... a dim but unspeakably joyous knowledge of a perfect vessel, and the feeble, reduced expression of such to Lord Harmodius' constantly listening ear. Regardless of his state - he listened. Always. mistalina13 "Well...since you are stuck with me I'd appreciate some answers." Morgan muttered, yet again speaking allowed and not really realizing it.
When you sleep, I will give you what I can.
She sighed, moved close to Tian Yue and put her arms around him. "I suppose. It can't be fun to be locked up like that for who knows how long." Sosiqui "It's not." Tian Yue's tail twitched a bit. "Answers?" mistalina13 "Oui. But, I wasn't talking to you." Morgan gave him a nervous smile. "Sorry." She rocked up on her toes and kissed his cheek in apology. Sosiqui "It's okay - I understand. I definitely understand... though Shaiming always told Crispin that he could just think words and he'd still hear. I never got the hang of it. Er, Crispin didn't. Argh!" Tian Yue made a mock look of horror, then grinned and kissed her back. "I'm not a very dignified Dragon King, am I?" mistalina13 She giggled and grabbed him by the front of his hanfu, gently him in for another kiss. "Doesn't particularly bother me...your always wonderful in my eyes." Sosiqui "But now we have the goddess you bear to consider, too - you'll have to let me know what you find out about her. It might be that Tien Lung knew her, before the Fading." Tian Yue returned the kiss lightly, but he seemed distracted. "I am curious to know who found you perfect. Besides me, that is." mistalina13 "She said she'd talk to me when I went to sleep...or try to anyway." Morgan sighed lightly. "Who knows. With my luck at times, it's a crazy one." She shook her head absently. "Well, hopefully it's a nice one." She smiled softly, wondering if that was simply what had him distracted or whether it was something else. Sosiqui "I hope so as well." Tian Yue looked disconcerted. "There are many divine domains that are not kind or pleasant in the least. They are vital, and I have known several such gods in my time. Destruction is only the greatest of them. But they are not good gods, in the moral sense. Still, they may be kind to those who give them life." mistalina13 Hopefully someone you won't find objectionable, especially once I'm...gone. "I guessed that much, love." The thought of disappearing or only pieces remaining seemed odd to her, but she chose not to dwell on it.
"Are you alright...or is that look for me, because of how ignorant I must seem?" And very likely am, about things like this.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:25 am
Portents and Signs
"My lord?" Toki peered tentatively into the bedroom. Tian Yue was curled up in his bed in dragonshape, a neatly twined pile of scales, his eyes half-lidded in thought. "Are you well?"
The dragon sighed, and brushed at his whiskers. "Confused, mostly," he admitted. "Come on in."
Toki pushed the curtain gently aside and came in, a cup of tea steaming on the tray he held. "If I had known you would take this form, I would have brought you a bowl," he said, with a sigh.
Tian Yue chuckled. "Are you scolding me?"
"N-no!" Toki looked horrified for a moment, but calmed down when Tian Yue smiled. "But you are teasing me," the Aoide said with a pout.
"Perhaps. It's fine... don't worry about it." The dragon sighed and uncoiled a bit, then shrank away into the covers as he changed back to his human shape. One hand reached down and grabbed his bathrobe from the floor where he'd discarded it. "Things seem clearer somehow when I think about them with scales on..."
"It is your natural form, lord," Toki said, putting the tea down on the table as soon as Tian Yue was clothed again. "It makes sense to me."
"At least something does." Tian Yue picked up the teacup and paused to inhale the fragrant steam. "Morgan has received the gem of a goddess."
"Why, that's..." Toki paused too, then, and a confused look came over his face. "I... I am not sure what to think of it. The rebirth of the Pantheon is devoutly to be wished, my Lord, but... I... rather like the young Lady."
"So I'm not alone, then." Tian Yue sighed, and took a sip of his tea. "I can't be really mad at the goddess who has chosen her... myself-Shaiming always thought that she was brought here for something like that... and it would be hypocritical to be angry... but I love her! And yet..." He put the teacup back down, and one hand went up to massage at one temple. "It will make things easier in the long run, with Lucius... that is what part of me says, and then the rest of me is disgusted that I could think that for even a second."
"We all think things that are wrong or cruel sometimes - Nebula would anger me so, before..." Toki looked guilty. "She has not since she returned, though," he added, a bit grudging. "Her service has been exemplary."
"I've noticed... well." Tian Yue shifted positions slightly, leaning against a pillow. "I will love her as long as I am allowed. I don't have to decide tonight."
"And Universe?"
Tian Yue looked away. "As I told him, it is... different between gods." And if Morgan becomes as I have become? Then what? Foolish dragon.
To his surprise, then, he felt a tentative pat on his shoulder, and turned to see Toki there, offering awkward comfort. "Be well, my Lord. Time and wisdom will heal all things, as you used to say in the old days. Yes?" The Aoide smiled.
"... Yes. You're right. I was right. Did I really say that?"
Toki looked wounded. "You've forgotten?"
"... shut up."
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