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Post by Taya on Jun 4, 2013 21:07:47 GMT
Being a theater person I can't help but stage things in my head. So here is the Finale of Unfound of it was a stage musical. Enjoy. Also tissues. The song is from the TV show Smash and is used as the finale of their show Hit List.
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The Goodbye Song
(Bare stage. Lights for each special in amber come up with entrance of the first three characters. First vamp Kiara enters DSL and crosses to CS. Third vamp Ian enters USR holding a bundled baby and crosses to DSL. Fifth vamp Ariana enters USL with bundled baby and crosses to DSR. Seventh vamp same time Phoebe enters USR crosses to Ian, Merrick enters USL crosses to Ariana. All three groups are in their own pool of light the rest of the stage is dim with a slow fade up to half. Auron enters SL and crosses to Ariana as he sings.)
[Auron:] The time has come I'm flying away Mouth is numb Heart don't know what to say
(Merrick takes a step back and Auron places his hand on Ari shoulder. He sings to her and the baby.)
And although I'll be out of sight, dear Know I'll be right here Right here forever, ever, ever, ever
(Cassy enters SR and places hand on Ariana's other shoulder.)
[Cassy:] When you look to the night skies Don't think of goodbyes Think how I'm right here ever, ever, ever
(Stage lights to 70% cool wash. Specials stay up.)
[All:] (Ari looks at Auron) Come
[Auron:] No, you can't come with me
[All:] (Ari looks at Cassy) Stay
[Cassy:] I wish I could
[All:] Goodbye aye-aye-aye
(Cassy and Auron take back away from Ariana. Merrick replaces them. Cassy and Auron end up stage either center. Kiara windowed in front of them.)
[Auron:] I know it's hard to say
[All:] Come
[Cassy:] No, you can't come with me
[All:] Stay
[Auron with cast:] I wish I could
[all:] Goodbye aye-aye-aye
[Auron:] I know it's hard to say
[All:] Ow
(Jade enters SL, facing Ian's back. Spot on Jade. Stage wash to 50% light purple.)
[Ian:] I know it hurts to say
(Jade places a hand on his arm that is DS and holding the bundle.
[Jade:] I'd stay if I could
(Jade Steps around behind the pair and runs her hand down Phoebe's outside arm)
But the universe won't let me
(Jade crosses to Kiara and takes her hand. She leads Kiara over to Ian and Phoebe. Kiara's center special fades out.)
So please be good
(Auron moves USC. Jade backs away and to Auron's pervious mark.)
And don't you forget me
(Spot out. Full cool wash. Specials out. Auron pivots upstage and holds his hand out to Cassy. She pivots and takes his hand. He holds his hand out to Jade and she doe the same as Cassy. They slowly walk into a white back light to exit up stage together.
Ariana and Ian exit to nearest exit and hand off bundles. Merrick, Phoebe, and Kiara dance to center.)
[All but the dead, Ian and Ari:] And although I'll be out of sight, dear Know I'll be right here Right here forever, ever, ever, ever
(Ariana and Ian enter and dance to center with the others. Crazy fun lights.)
[all but dead:] When you look to the night skies Don't think of goodbyes
(Two little girls rush on stage, One dark brunette and one blonde. The Blonde rushes to Ariana's arms and the brunette to Ian's.)
[All but dead, Ian and Ari:] Think how I'm right here ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever
(All dance.) [All:] [Vocalizing]
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Post by Mr Spock on Jun 6, 2013 15:26:24 GMT
Dying Ain't Much of a Living pt. 3
James became an ever-present fixture in the Faery Palace in the months that followed, accompanying Emily on her morning rounds, playing chess in fixtures with her and Tylir of the evenings. He was more bearable to Emily than Tylir was; where Tylir actively doted James simply observed until he was needed, but both were beginning to rub the agonised Emily’s bristles up and she spent much of her time staring at the canopy of her bed, the only time she was able to get peace.
The pain had become constant. No longer was it ebbing or topical, but an all-consuming anguish that Emily could feel right in her bones. She could smell the magic on herself as if it were a drug, a filthy secret that she knew was causing others to talk. She walked with a stick now, an elegant one that James had carved for her, her only concession to her own illness.
Now the falling was regular, but Emily was never alone for long enough for it to be any more trouble than an infuriating shame. Every time one of the two men she loved most would pick her up and set her down, fix her with a worried look that she had seen far too much of, and then fetch her something. It was normally tea. Emily had drank enough tea to last her many more lifetimes than she had.
When it became too much, Emily would go to the gardens. She knew if she got a headstart she couldn’t be followed there. She knew them too well. And there she would sit, and she would summon her papers, and she would fill her mind with research though her hands shook and her eyes watered and her brain shrank to know what it was becoming.
So when it was coming to an end, she knew.
Wednesday, March 21, 2108
Emily sat at the breakfast table, opposite her husband, next to her father, as she had every morning. Though her glamour was not up and, wrapped in her robe, she looked like a skeleton, her whole aura was still tainted and overcome by magic, keeping her hands moving, keeping her able. Using that magic more than her own hands, she moved a spoonful of oatmeal from her bowl to her mouth, her eyes on the morning reports, scanning them.
It took her several seconds to notice James’s eyes on her. It took her a few more to notice why. Not letting fear light into her eyes, she looked back at him, and tried to swallow again. Nothing moved. The oatmeal sat on her tongue, cooling, going nowhere. She tried again, and her brow creased momentarily in furious frustration as James’s expression softened.
“Spit, love,” he said gently, and though Emily’s eyelids flickered with anger and in an attempt to hold back tears, she opened her mouth and the oatmeal fell back into its bowl. She eyed it as a traitor before she glanced up at Tylir, whose eyes were alive with the fear she was restraining. She gave him a gentle smile, as much as it hurt, then turned back to James.
“I need you to go to Genny and tell her it is time for her to stay with us for a little while,” she said, voice hoarse from the effort. James’s look hardened momentarily before he nodded, and leaned to kiss her on the forehead.
“Tylir?” she said, and Tylir looked up hopefully, as if every time she spoke he expected her to give him news of a miracle. She gave him a sad smile. This was the opposite of that.
“Can you take my reports back to Eldann and then tell him I need arrangements made for a public announcement. Tomorrow.”
Tylir studied her gently, then nodded, and stood from his seat. James did the same and then pulled out Emily’s chair, and using her cane, stood herself. She glanced at them both and they both nodded, and then they were gone, the door shut gently behind them.
And then, in one click of her fingers, so was Emily.
It was here and now that Emily realised just how close she was to dying, as she hit the floor in the courtyard of Tamarask Castle and began to cry in earnest. She knew full well she wasn’t able to pick herself up anymore. It was lucky for her, then, that Link was so attuned to her presence in the silence of the castle that she was there almost instantly, pulling Emily into her arms, cradling her as she cried.
Without needing words, Link stood with ease and carried the woman who weighed no more than a child inside, into the sitting room. She sat down, placing Emily next to her on the sofa, not removing her arms from around her. Emily just cried openly like she was unable to at home, and Link cried silently, knowing exactly what this visit meant.
“It’s time, isn’t it?”
Emily nodded blindly, resting her head on Link. Link’s tears didn’t stop, but they were silent as they sat together for what she knew would be the last time. As Emily’s sobs subsided to a quiet tearfulness, she struggled to sit up and Link assisted, so she could look her in the face, one unaged, the pace of time slowed; the other ravaged by time far quicker than anyone had thought possible.
“Nonaka distal myopathy,” Emily said, thickly, her tongue not as obedient as she wished it was. Link frowned.
“It’s hereditary,” she said, again, her voice cracked, and Link suddenly understood the quiet desperation in the Faery Queen’s eyes. She nodded gently; they had agreed to never speak of the child that was hidden from Emily, from the whole Outer Realms, but in that small gesture Link had promised to make sure Emily’s heir had more control over her own destiny than Emily’s mother could’ve given her.
Content, Emily sat in Link’s arms in a much appreciated silence whilst they both considered the hand the Universe had dealt them and its cruelty.
The room had darkened by the time Emily looked to Link again with a look of apology and they both knew their moment was at an end. Without a word, Link set Emily on her feet and then stood herself, and the tears came again. She was powerless to stop them.
Emily raised a hand, still shaking, and brushed the tears from Link’s cheek.
“Don’t go,” Link whispered, and Emily flinched, though she gave her a gentle smile.
“Everyone has to go eventually, Link.”
“This isn’t the way it should’ve been.”
Emily paused, as if forming words was an effort, though the smile didn’t leave her face.
“I know. And no words can ever say how grateful I am that you would make that sacrifice for me.”
Link looked as if she were struggling with words as she walked Emily to the courtyard, watching her wince with every step, seeing her beauty corrode. They stopped, stood in the centre, and Link tried once more, her voice cracking as she spoke.
“I don’t want to live without you.”
“I know. I promise this is the last thing I will request of you. Live. Live for me, Link.”
With an alarming amount of dexterity, catching her off guard, Emily leaned forward and kissed the other woman suddenly, and in that moment they were both teenagers again and the spinning of history and the scent of flowers left them both dizzy. Link just stared at her as she smiled and said,
“Because hell, Gods know I can’t.”
And then there was a click and Emily was gone and all that stood in the once grand castle the two girls had played in as children was one woman, cursing her own immortality as she shook and wept.
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Post by Taya on Jun 6, 2013 20:38:56 GMT
Deadly Secrets
"Where have you been? That girl waits to the last minute for everything." Genny said bustling over to get her cloak the moment James walked inside.
"Not so fast." James said setting down his own cloak. "You knew."
"Of course, I knew. Did you really think your daughter is that foolish as to leave everything up to those hacks in the mortal realm?" Genny said as she fetched her bag.
"You knew and you didn't tell me." He said harshly.
"That was not my decision to make." Genny said simply. "It was not your concern at the time since there was nothing you could have done. Now that you know, it is your concern."
"Not my concern? Do you even hear what you're saying? She's my daughter! I have every right to know when she is terminally ill." He had snapped. Every ounce of anger he had in the world about how unjust it was and the things that had been kept from him exploded. "How long? How long have you two been conspiring secretly, thinking I was to fragile to handle this?"
"She is an adult. She is the queen. You don't have that right anymore. Your privilege is at the discretion of the afflicted. If Emily wanted to spare you, then who am I to betray that trust." Genny said sharply.
"My friend." James said darkly.
"And hers." He turned away as he gripped the back of a chair. His knuckles turned white with the effort to not give in to the pain.
"You didn't answer the question."
"Ten years. Emily came to me ten years ago. Though I suspect she ha been sick for much longer. If we had caught it early... Well it's best not to dwell on why ifs." James was floored by Genny's pronouncement. Ten years he had been living In the dark. Ten years his daughter had lied to him. A memory echoed in his mind.
'Fifteen years, James. She lied to me for fifteen years.'
'She had her reasons, Ian. You have to respect that and that it pained her everyday that she couldn't tell you.'
'Why? Why didn't you tell me at least?'
'It wasn't my secret to tell.'
James held on to that moment in time. He saw Ian's face in his mind as he squeezed his eyes tighter to keep out the world. This memory would help him forgive; something Ian had been unable to do. Without forgiveness, bitterness would find a place to root and he couldn't live Emily's last days like that. He wouldn't live the rest of his life like that. Emily would hate that idea. Then she would have been right and he refused to be wrong.
After James had stood in silence with splintered wood in his hand from the chair for about ten minutes., Genny cleared her throat. James took one more breath and opened his eyes.
"Can you face her? Because I will not let you upset her." Genny eyed the elvish prince warily for any sign that he would snap again.
"I'm ready."
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Post by Mr Spock on Jun 14, 2013 19:04:53 GMT
Not Ready
It was a gentle spring morning when a breathless and frantic Emily Prince landed on her backside in the garden of the Star-Anise family home. Though it was morning, it didn’t meet Emily’s standards at all: on the edge of the horizon, she could see the first peeks of sunshine. Scowling again, she made her way over to the house and threw the back door open with no issue. She stepped in and paused before shutting the door.
“Jeez, it really isn’t ever locked.”
“What would be the point?”
Despite the kindly tone of Jade’s voice from the kitchen table, Emily still jumped so violently she let out a squeak before turning to Jade, who, if amused by her ramshackle appearance, made no notice of it as she sat with a mug of tea, her eyes on the crossword she was doing.
“Tea, love?” she asked, without looking up. Emily raised an eyebrow, but at the pull in her skin from doing so she remembered why she was here and shook her head. Without casting a second thought to the woman up before the dawn willingly, Emily edged her way out of the kitchen and with very little forethought for those who were still asleep, thundered up the stairs and into Link’s room, where her best friend raised an eyebrow at her sleepily, one eye still closed.
“You look ridiculous,” she said tonelessly, and Emily scowled. Her hair was half scraped back into any number of delicate braids and sections, woven with beads and gems and ribbons, and the other half was down, long, unruly. Her eyebrows were narrow, her face partially prepared for make-up with creams and powders that made her look discoloured and ill. Her lower lip was dyed a dark red that was yet to be matched by her top and she wore jeans, stained and hastily thrown on, and a pyjama top. Her feet were bare.
“Do I look like I don’t know that?” she replied in a hiss, suddenly feeling as ridiculous as she looked.
“It’s four in the morning, Ems. I doubt you even know your birthday right now.”
To punctuate her point, Link yawned and buried herself further down in her own bedding and Emily twanged with jealousy.
“That’s it, I’m staying here forever.”
Link rolled her eyes.
“I think you might end up missing your own party if you do that.”
Emily sat on Link’s bed with a sigh, flopping back across it and looking at the ceiling.
“I don’t want a stupid party.”
Sensing her tone, Link sighed. She knew she wasn’t going to get back to sleep now. She propped herself up on her pillows and studied the frankly absurd image before her.
“Wound yourself up, then?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“More like come to my senses. This whole idea is crazy. I can’t be a queen. I can’t even tie my shoelaces normally.”
“Ems,” Link started, reaching out and grabbing her hand so Emily turned to face her, mashing her hair into the quilt as she did. “You are freaking out over nothing. You will make a fantastic queen, and you’ll look fantastic in the process.”
“I will look sleep deprived, Link,” Emily started, her voice raising a pitch, “As that is what I am! Want to swap?”
Link seemed to ignore Emily’s final remark and carried on. “Mom has a glamour that’ll make you look fresh as a daisy. She uses it every day.”
“I don’t want a glamour,” Emily said, voice close to a whine as she heard the door downstairs open again, “I want sleep! I want to wear jeans every day. I want it to not take 5 hours to get dressed.”
“Emily,” Link started again, and with a serious enough tone that Emily turned to face her, her frown softening. “You will do so much good as Queen. I know it’s big and scary, but it’s worth it.”
“Then you do it,” she said, still pouting, but with a less serious animosity. Link just rolled her eyes.
*
Unlike Emily, when James walked through the back door he wasn’t at all surprised to see Jade sat at the kitchen table, eating chips and still doing the same crossword. Where Emily was dishevelled upon arrival, James was as perfect as always, looking in every way as ready as Emily didn’t.
“She’s upstairs. Tell her Medusa called and she wants her hair back.” Jade paused thoughtfully for a moment, before adding, “And her expression.”
James paused. “Still not sleeping?” he asked, but the sharp look he got from the sleep-deprived Jade made him hold his hands up. “Never mind.” He gave her one more glance as she went back to her crossword before shaking his head and leaving the room, starting towards Link’s room.
*
At the sound of familiar footsteps on the stairs, Emily’s face blanched and within seconds there was a dark-haired wolf, now a little too big to be pretending to be a dog, scrambling under Link’s covers and burying herself in as Link protested and kicked at her. She settled herself, a huge lump in the sheets with a dark nose poking out, twitching as the door opened and she heard James pause. She could tell that at that moment he was raising his eyebrow, trying not to smile at how ridiculously child-like his daughter that should be an adult was.
“You’ve made quite a scene,” he commented blandly, and a paw came out to pull the quilts over her nose, dragging them off the far side of Link in the process. This was followed quite quickly with a yelp and the wolf falling out of the bed, having been kicked, turning to look at Link as if she were a traitor. James smirked.
“That is hardly a look befitting of a queen,” he said, raising his eyebrows at her. If wolves could pout, they would’ve looked like she did then, as she turned away from her father and then proceeded to try and scramble under the bed. Unfortunately, even the shapeshifting princess wasn’t dextrous enough to outsmart the elf, who reached out and grabbed her back leg, dragging her gently back out.
The suddenly human Emily was now sprawled on Link’s carpet, pouting, her ankle in James’s hand. Link giggled as Emily turned to scowl at her father.
“Aquielle is going to have a fit when she sees you,” James commented, glancing at his daughter’s now completely messed up hair. She huffed and crossed her arms across her chest.
“Then I best not go back.”
“Emily,” James started, and though she rolled her eyes Emily kept her mouth shut, waiting for him to finish. “I appreciate that this is scary, sweetheart. But you don’t have the time left to be hiding under people’s beds like you’re still a puppy.”
Emily sighed, but the fear shone in her eyes as she looked at James and his expression softened in response.
“We’ll come with you and stay with you,” he offered, giving Link a glance to stop her protesting. With a withering look, she began to get out of bed as Emily sighed and nodded, pushing herself into a sitting position.
“Will someone go and wake Tylir up?” she asked, and James laughed, shaking his head.
“You barely know the boy, do you? He’s been up since before you have. I found him picking flowers that he really doesn’t have the authority to pick.”
Emily smiled at this, for the first time that morning, as Link in the background threw clothes on.
“If you’re ready, your majesty?” he said, standing to his full height and extending his hand to her. Emily nodded and took his hand, pulling herself to her feet, and in a moment all three of them were through a portal.
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Post by Taya on Jun 14, 2013 23:41:35 GMT
A Haunted Childhood part 3
"Well how do I look?" The fifteen year old asked as she spun in a circle wearing a large hoop skirt style dress. It swished back and forth and made her feel like she was a handbell.
"Like a sheep on it's hind legs." The Faery Queen said. Fiona scowled and threw her pillow at the queen, which of course did nothing to her as it passed through her ghostly form. They both laughed and Fiona turned to her mirror to set her hair like they did in the 1860's.
"So what are you reading now? With Fitzgerald you were a flapper. Wilde was Victorian. Austen was the Regency period. So is this Mitchell or Alcott?" The queen asked as she watched Fiona finish her transformation into a classic southern belle.
"Neither." Fiona said with a mischievous grin. When Fiona said nothing more, the queen asked again.
"Are you going to share your latest find, little princess?"
"It's a surprise. Just for the Captain. I am no longer little or even a princess. Why do you insist on calling me such a childish name, majesty?"
Fiona's sudden bouncy nature was not missed by the spirit that watched over her as a daughter in place of the one she couldn't see. She had been noticing it more day by day. The teen focused more on her combat training rather than her other studies, except for the books she read at night when it was to dark to fight. She just hoped she was wrong.
"Where do you get these elaborate costumes, anyway?" The queen asked, ignoring Fiona's question.
"Well, some I find around in the trunks and cupboards. Like the dress I wore when I was reading The Other Boleyn Girl and Anne of a Thousand Days. Others are a bit more difficult, like this one. Can you fix the bow in the back?" Fiona spoke as she made final adjustments to the dress. "When that happens, I use magick. A combination of conjuring and transfiguring." As phantom hands perfected the sash at the back of the dress, the queen cautioned her.
"Just remember, no matter how thoughtful your surprise is he won't be able to thank you the way you want." Fiona turned around still smiling.
"Of course, he can't. I'm not that foolish." She laughed and held her skirt sideways to get out the door. The queen sighed as her fears were confirmed.
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"That's new. But you look very pretty as usual." The Captain said as he appeared in the great hall. Fiona blushed and couldn't hide her pleasure at the compliment. "So what are we acting out today?"
"Nothing." Fiona said smiling. "I've been reading poetry lately. Walt Whitman in particular. I came across one that made me think of you."
"Very well, then. Recite." He said smiling sweetly and the young girl.
"O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done; The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won; The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red, Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.
O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells; Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills; For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding; For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
O captain! dear father! This arm beneath your head; It is some dream that on the deck, You've fallen cold and dead. My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still; My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will; The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and done; From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won; Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells! But I, with mournful tread, Walk the deck my captain lies, Fallen cold and dead."
"I remind you of Abraham Lincoln?" The Captain asked a little surprised by her choice of poem.
"No, but a brave soldier that brought victory to a civil war with his life." Fiona said admiringly. She stepped closer to him, until she was just in front of his ever wavering form and brushed a stray curl away from her face. "Did you like it?" Her voice an anxious whisper. She stood on her toes and leaned closer.
Knowing that look on a girls face, the Captain took a step back. Startled by the Captain's movement, Fiona had leaned too far forward and lost her balance. She fell and everything under her bell like costume could be seen from behind. Looking up at him as he knelt next to her, her eyes held only confusion and hurt.
"You caught me by surprise." He told her quickly, so as not to hurt her feelings. Automatically, he offered her his hand and she raised her eyebrows in question. With some degree of difficulty, Fiona was able to get herself up once more.
"The poem was lovely. I feel honored that you think of me in such brave and noble fashion." He told her hoping she wasn't too upset that he had moved away from her kiss. Fiona nodded confused on how her lovely plan could have gone so awry.
"Yes, Mamar will be back soon. I should go change so she doesn't ask questions." He said distractedly before hurrying off.
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Captain Reynolds wished he could still storm into a room. Instead, he was just kind of there. Queen Emily was lounging in her father's chair with a book and she merely raised an eyebrow at his sudden appearance.
"We have a problem." He said pacing about the room. ""One, I'm dead. Two, she's fifteen. Three, she's like a daughter or little sister to me. And finally, I can't break her heart." Her expression was easy to read. It simply questioned why it had taken him this long to notice. Without her voicing it, he responded, "I never thought of her like that!"
"You aren't supposed to!" Emily said finally responding and closing her book. She went on a bit softer. "Children fall in love with characters from books. Untouchables. That's normal. The only difference is you're able to feed into her. That's not so normal. That's why it persists. Because she never gets out of this bloody castle."
Reynolds heaved a heavy sigh and sank down on to the prince's bed with his head in his hands.
"So what do we do?" Standing, Emily looked a little sad as she went over to one of the many men that had died for her. Their combined love for the dark haired sprit that haunted the deserted castle had brought them closer as equals, as friends. But death and unfinished business came with unfortunate realities and truths. Reasons only a lonely little girl could see them.
"Short of present ourselves to Link and make her take that girl out into the real world, I don't know." Reynolds snorted without looking up at her.
"Which translates to we hope she grows out of it."
"Wrong." Emily's passion in that one word made him look at her in disbelief.
"You can't seriously be considering revealing yourself to Link."
"No. But we can't just leave her and expect her to grow out of it. The heart doesn't work that way." She looked at him and he understood.
"So you're telling me I have to break her heart." His heart hurt almost as bad as it did when he saw Ki's last expression in front of him. He didn't want his little Fiona to ever be hurt or heartsick. And here he was about to be the cause.
"Better to break someone's heart than let them live with soul-crushing hope. That's the sort of thing you're meant to learn when you're alive." He stood with another sigh.
"Believe me, I know. I doubt she'll want to see me for a while. You'll have to be there for her."
"Of, course." Emily started to say., but the person standing in purple pajamas of the open doorway interrupted her.
"No one has to be there for me. I'm fine on my own. Thanks for nothing." Fiona snarled and threw the storybook in her arms on the floor. The next moment she was gone.
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Post by Mr Spock on Jun 15, 2013 19:23:37 GMT
Hearts in Wilderness
“Ki.”
The voice sounded again, perhaps the millionth time she had heard it in the past few weeks. She ignored it again.
“Kiara.”
She was so lonely. So very lonely, and yet at the sound of the voice again, with an edge of desperation in it, she knocked over the bowl of water that rested next to her and stood up. She shook every last drop from the bowl before she tucked it back into the satchel she wore at her side and glanced out of the cave she’d camped in.
Her time was growing short. She knew she could never stay in the same place for long, despite the nagging knots in her back, the ache in her swollen feet, the tingling in her fingers that had to be offset with custom built splints. She knew if she was encountered her ability to fight them off was severely compromised, but her distinct indifference to this was what led her out onto the craggy skyline and across the mountains.
She knew she shouldn’t be climbing now, of all times. Her shirt strained across her swollen stomach whilst the creature she could barely comprehend tossed and turned, kicked at her insides like her mind kicked at her skull, begging for deliverance. She ignored the kicking now as she climbed another steep front and looked out across the misty cliff fronts, the tall trees that she had spent countless hours wandering.
It was cold here, but the cold was kinder to her than the first place she had travelled to, out in the far outback, with the sun blistering on her skin as she had cried into the sand and begged for death. Now it was cold and the fog clung to her skin and dampened the cloak that was tucked under her skin, but now she knew she was short on water and had to move. She began further up, back towards the lake she had found several days previous.
She knew she could summon water, but there seemed no point now. Magic had no place in a spirit so damaged that it could not even generate a spark, and she collected everything by hand. She knew she should take more care, but there was no drive to, no wish to be better. No point, not anymore.
With sweat sticking her hair to her face, she found where the trees thinned around the lake and knelt at its side. Her slacks were worn now, and she’d had to cut the sides of her leather armour, still stained irremovably in blood, to accommodate the swell of her stomach and it swung away from her as she leant over the water.
She gazed at her reflection in the still water briefly. She was haggard, tired looking. Her eyes were bloodshot, the bags underneath strong enough to look like bruises. Her lips were cracked and her face was sunken, sallow. Sighing gently, she reached into her bag for her water skin when the water asked for her again.
“Lady Kiara.”
She had been ignoring their summons for weeks, this one gave her a sudden desperate desire for information that she couldn’t hold in anymore. Touching the water, she said without pretense.
“Did they bury him?”
She hadn’t heard her own voice aside from sobs in what felt like years, and it felt dismembered, disassociative – a separate person thinking her thoughts for her. Tylir’s face looked relieved for only a moment before he winced visibly at the appearance of his former mistress.
“Lady, people are desperately worried about you. We’ve been concerned you were dead,” he tried, a pleading in his voice.
“Did they bury him?” she asked again, voice more demanding now, a sad desperation in her eyes that made Tylir’s heart ache.
“No, Lady. He’s a war hero. There was a pyre ceremony.”
Ki’s eyelids flickered and for a moment it looked like she would cry. But then she was looking at him blankly. She nodded once, and then reached out and touched the water as Tylir opened his mouth to protest, and she was alone in the wilderness again. Still impassive and distant in her own head, she filled her skin and moved away, back into the trees, not really following any direction, until she saw him again, watching her with eyes from a tree branch.
“You aren’t helping yourself,” he said, the same playful smile on his face as she’d always seen.
“Get out of my head,” she said, simply, trying not to look at the image that was haunting her even now, knowing her brain was just torturing her.
“You need to go home, Ki,” his gentle voice came again, and she paused, leaning against a tree, closing her eyes. She was so tired.
“What’s the point without you?” she asked, her throat raw as she willed herself not to break down again.
“People love you and need you. Don’t let them lose you too.”
She gave into the hope of delusion as tears fell, streaking her cheeks.
“Come with me,” she begged, her eyes still closed, wrapping her arms around herself, wishing she could believe they were someone else’s.
“I can’t,” came his voice again in that affectionately simple tone, “I’m not real.”
Ki turned on her heel to look where she had previously seen him, eyes wide, but all that faced her now was the endless faceless forest and her heart broke again, despite how she had known all along he was not there, could not be there.
She sank to the forest floor easily, sobs wracking through her as she curled into a tighter and tighter ball. She prayed for death again in that moment, prayed for the release from this which was nothing but torment, prayed for an end to a deity which she had no faith in. She shook and wept, crying with an ache that she felt no other human could possibly know, deep in her soul, making her twinge with agony. She hated the kicking that echoed from her womb now, the cheerful being that seemed oblivious to her suffering, that was so active and so alive when Ki was certain that everything inside her was dead.
She fell onto her side, still crying, the sobs subsiding, laying with her face on the hard earth and staring out into the forest, wondering if there would ever be more to life than this, until she fell asleep, pretending it would be for the last time.
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Post by Mr Spock on Jun 15, 2013 21:14:49 GMT
Hearts in Wilderness pt. 2
When Ki awoke, she flinched to see James looking down on her, his expression hard. She studied him for a moment, then shook her head. He didn’t change his expression.
“You’re a mess,” he said blankly, as she began to sit up and sort through her satchel.
“I’ve had worse hallucinations than this,” she said tonelessly, not looking up. “I was wondering when the accusatory ones would start.”
If James acknowledged what she said he didn’t show it as he leaned on a tree and studied her, devoid of pity.
“The most fearsome warrior the Outer Realms has ever seen, and look at you now. Sleeping in the dirt.”
“I didn’t ask for your opinion, James.”
“I’d keep it to myself if I thought I had any choice.”
Ki finished packing her things up and glanced up at him. Even his gaze felt critical, and she burned under it, feeling her temper flare.
“What do you want? What will make you go away?”
James just continued to watch her, his arms folded across his chest.
“I appreciate that it’s your own choice to let grief consume and fuel you, but it isn’t fair on your mother or your child.”
Ki bristled, but reeled herself back and shook her head, looking back down.
“Life isn’t fair.”
James exhaled sharply through his nose and Ki struggled to push her heavy body into a standing position whilst he raised an eyebrow at her.
“Look at yourself, Kiara. You’re an accident waiting to happen.”
Ki growled, glaring at him, staring him down.
“And who would care if it did?”
“Jade.”
Ki flinched at the mention of Jade’s name, at the memory of the desperation in the voice that called her through all still water she approached. James kept his eyebrow raised.
“She cares about you, and she cares about her grandchild, despite the fact that you’re too selfish to care about either.”
Ki’s eyelid twitched as she approached him, close to him now, studying him, fury lighting her face up in a way nothing had since she had felt herself grey with grief.
“And how would you know? How would you know how this feels?” she hissed, narrowing her eyes at him, but James kept his composure resolute.
“I know better than you could ever imagine in your self-absorbed state. You killed the last woman I loved, if you remember. I have seen death, and pain. I have stared it in the face. Do not think your experiences are unique, cat.”
Ki shook with anger now, furious at James and at herself. It hurt, but it hurt mostly because she knew he was right and that burned her up inside.
“Why are you here?!” she snapped, her voice cracking as she did, stepping back. He just shook his head again.
“Because no-one else would tell you this. They’re willing to let you wallow in self-pity forever. I’m your welcome back to the real world.”
“Fuck you.”
Ki turned to walk away and James didn’t make to follow her.
“I don’t need this,” she said darkly.
“Yes you do,” James said, raising his voice, causing her to pause, hand on her satchel strap. “I bet he wouldn’t even look at you like this.”
The reaction was instant: Ki turned on her heel and swung at him, but he caught her hand and she stumbled back in shock, eyes wide.
“You’re real?” she asked in a whisper, all of the rage in her simmering under shock. James remained impassive, like a man who knew far too much as he gave her her fist back.
"You took him away from me," she said, her eyes suddenly lighting, now having an outpouring for her grief, however unjustified. "You took that final goodbye from me. You lit him and let him burn and I saw nothing! I burned on my own!"
James sighed, studying her. There was no animosity in his eyes, though the blankness of his stare cut into her.
"Last I saw you, you were soaked in blood, having to be talked down from killing everyone in your sight. Do you think that's appropriate company for the funeral of a hero?"
"He was MY hero!" Ki snapped in a surprisingly childish desperation, her face suddenly emotive, furious, fighting back tears as she shouted at James, who simply shook his head.
"No, Kiara. He wasn't. You did his memory dishonour in your grief."
James's straightforward statement cut Ki to the bone and her whole face seemed to be an effort in keeping tears at bay as she heard the words that were a thousand times worse now it was James speaking them and not her own subconscious.
“Is it worse or better now you know that real people have opinions as bad as your own?”
Ki’s eyes were on the floor again, and she gripped the strap of her bag so tightly her knuckles went white.
“Leave me alone,” she said, her voice suddenly wavering as she turned on her heel and walked away. James studied her, watching the direction the heavily pregnant and heartbroken woman went in, before he too disappeared into the trees.
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Post by Taya on Jun 16, 2013 0:07:14 GMT
The Search
"Uncle James." Link called as he left the room that was being used to see over the treaties and other less pleasant decisions. She chased him down the hallway. He stopped and gave her a small smile. "You've got to do something. She spends all day searching the woods and all night sitting up with a basin. I don't think she's slept even once and she barely eats. I've never seen her like this. Please, Uncle James." There was a kind of desperation in her voice.
"Link, I don't know what I can do for someone who doesn't want to be found." He told her leaning down to her eye level.
"But you can find anybody." Link pressed on. "If you bring her home, Mom will get better."
"I can't force Ki to come home, if she doesn't want to." James told her again. "I'm sorry." He turned to go but stopped at the venom in the little girl's voice.
"No. You mean you won't try! Because you don't care what happens to Aunt Ki. She could be lying dead somewhere and you wouldn't shed a tear. Well, you should care. What would happen to Mom if Aunt Ki died? What about that unborn child?" Turning back around, he could suddenly see how much she had grown over the past months as he stared into her fierce storm gray eyes. "Forget I asked. I'll help Mom myself." Then she was gone and James knew what he had to do.
----------------------
"You should be sleeping." James said as he came into Jade's room. "Or at least at your own home."
"Logan won't let me keep water in the room. He thinks I won't sleep if I am staring at the bowl." The too thin dark eyes res head said from the floor where she stared into a bowl of water.
"I never thought I would say this, but he's right." James walked over and picked up the basin of water. "When was the last time you ate?"
"What if she calls?" Jade's exhausted voice cracked as he placed it to the side. "What if she needs me?"
"She won't and if she does, you won't like what you see." James told her.
"You've seen her!" Hope and desperation were laced with her words and James nodded. "Where? Where is she?" She begged grabbing his shirt.
"I'm not telling you anything until you eat something and sleep for at least an hour." James said taking her hands off of him and guiding her to the bed. She fought him the whole way.
"You tell me right now!" She screamed at him. "Tell me where my daughter is." But James didn't give in to Jade's tantrum. And he held her down to the bed until she fell asleep. When the dawn came, after a few short words, Jade was gone.
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Post by Taya on Jul 10, 2013 11:04:57 GMT
Goodbyes
"Come in" James called from the desk of his office in his Parisian villa t the sound of a knock on the door. Knowing his daughter never knocked, James naturally assumed it was his son-in-law who even after seventeen years of being legal related at times still tiptoed around him. "I thought you were taking my only child off on a romantic picnic or some sort of nonsense for an amateur, but that she'll inexplicably adore." He said as the door opened without looking up. A cough came from the doorway to draw the elven prince's notice. The man that had entered the room had unshaven stubble about his face and his normally managed brown curls were a bit disheveled.
"Ian, what a pleasant surprise." James said a smile spreading across his face. He came out from behind the desk and embraced his best friend's son. "Can you stay for supper? Ems, wouldn't have it any other way. " There was something wrong and James could tell quickly from Ian's stoic stiffness and dark expression. "So where is your darling, Kendra? Everything alright in paradise, I hope."
"Kendra is safe at home and I will be unable to stay for supper, James." Ian said coldly. James frowned at the lack of the term of endearment pointedly left out of the first words Ian had spoken.
"What's happened?" James asked since it was clear pleasantries were not on the table today.
"Kendra is pregnant." The elf didn't betray his confusion as he casually leaned against the front of the desk.. Two could play this unreadable expression game.
"Then we should be celebrating, but your attitude says different."
"I felt I owed you more than a letter."
"I appreciate the thought, but that doesn't explain why you look like you're on your way to an execution." At this Ian looked down, appearing uncertain and guilty. "Ian, you can tell me anything and you clearly came here for a purpose." James said a bit softer. Ian turned away, unwilling to face his last remaining family.
"She's mortal."
"And so are you. But if you don't think you have enough magick to handle any complications, Emily or I will be happy to come for the birth to help Kendra through it."
"No!" James' face stayed impassive as Ian snapped at him. "No magick." Ian said his tone less harsh.
"Then why are you really here?" James asked with a sigh. Ian looked at one of the photographs on the mantle of the fireplace, turning away again.
"I've given up magick." Ian picked up the picture of him and his sisters. "I've seen what it can do, especially to those without it. They become collateral damage. I can't take the chance of losing my family again. Not when I have one again. I don't want it anywhere near Kendra or the baby."
"You are asking the impossible. Magick is who you are. It's in your blood. It's all around you. You can't escape it." James said sadly, understanding the soon-to-be-father's concerns.
"Actually, it's not." Ian said facing James and the elf understood.
"Sacrificing one family for another? It won't work. It's too much of who you are."
"I have a plan for that. But first I have to ask you to never come near me or mine again. That goes for Emily and Tylir, too." Ian's eyes had turned cold once more. "No contact at all. It's the only way to keep them safe." James wouldn't betray his broken heart. He also knew it would be nigh impossible to change his mind.
"You're a coward."
"Do you how difficult it was to come here!" Ian snapped infused with both of his parent's temper.
"Not only are you running away from who YOU are, but you expect me to tell Emily. That's why you waited until you knew she wouldn't be here." James stood with a fury and betrayal Ian hadn't be expected. "Well, too bad because I won't be the messenger that breaks my daughter's heart. You can do your own dirty work. And tell me what are you going to do about Keira? Leave her alone in the world?"
"She understands. She knows I would do anything for my family." Ian hissed. "She was a stronger person than you."
"No, you broke her, so she didn't fight you. But I will fight you for her and Emily. You're making a mistake."
"Than its mine to make. If you are not the selfish immortal you claim not to be, then you will respect my wishes." James laughed darkly.
"I always thought you were like your mother, full of compassion, love, strength and courage. Now I see you are more like your father, weak and controlling." That was the end. They both knew that James had taken it too far and nothing could be fixed again. Ian swung and punched James in the face and headed for the door.
"If you ever hurt them, I'll be the first one to take them away from you." Ian said nothing to James' words and slammed the door behind him.
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Post by Taya on Jul 13, 2013 15:56:53 GMT
Dirty Little Secrets
Water from the shower running served more than one purpose on mornings like these. It was a foolish hope that the sound would block out the sound of the hotel suite door closing. Sometimes it worked. Sobs of disgust and sorrow mixed with falling stream of harsh hot water. Wet dark red tendrils hung down on in curtain around her face as she gripped her stomach with one arm and used the other for balance, palm pressed against the tile with her sparkling green eyes focused on the swirling drain.
'Just leave already' her mind begged. As she heard him stirring in the next room. It was the same story whenever she got lonely or needed to take the edge off. She'd go out flirt her way into a few drinks, that were never enough to get her properly drunk. Then invite the best looking man back to her suite.
They all had names, but she couldn't afford to remember them. Not that one man ever forgot Phoebe Corwyn's name. She never saw them more than once and never when her family could find out. It was for their protection as much as hers.
The crying became more incessant and Phoebe slowly sank down to the tile wrapping her arms around her knees as she tried to block out the screams of the past. The fire had consumed him in a flash, but the screaming never stopped. It had been her fault and no one else's. She would never let an innocent suffer like that again.
The door slammed and Phoebe let out the breath she had been holding, relieved that she wouldn't have to ask him to leave like the last one. She reached up a shaky hand and turned off the shower just as her cell phone rang.
"Hi, Kaiya, baby" Phoebe said after hearing the little girl's voice on the other end. She tried to put a smile in her voice as she wiped the tears away. "Does Momma know you have the her phone?"
The super hero/executive wrapped herself in her towel robe and continued to listen to the child ramble on about things that made her happy. Phoebe forced herself to not react while Kaiya could hear as she stepped out into the disheveled bedroom. Dressing for the day, she ignored the forgotten underwear and the misplaced belt. Her staff would take care of it when she left. But it didn't change the stark opposites of the dirty desperate night and the bright wide innocence of the new day.
After hanging up with her best friend's daughter, phoebe strode out of the elevator and told the man about her room.
"And make sure to burn the sheets. I'll need a fresh set tonight. Charge it to my room."
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Post by Taya on Jul 13, 2013 15:57:06 GMT
Dirty Little Secrets
Water from the shower running served more than one purpose on mornings like these. It was a foolish hope that the sound would block out the sound of the hotel suite door closing. Sometimes it worked. Sobs of disgust and sorrow mixed with falling stream of harsh hot water. Wet dark red tendrils hung down on in curtain around her face as she gripped her stomach with one arm and used the other for balance, palm pressed against the tile with her sparkling green eyes focused on the swirling drain.
'Just leave already' her mind begged. As she heard him stirring in the next room. It was the same story whenever she got lonely or needed to take the edge off. She'd go out flirt her way into a few drinks, that were never enough to get her properly drunk. Then invite the best looking man back to her suite.
They all had names, but she couldn't afford to remember them. Not that one man ever forgot Phoebe Corwyn's name. She never saw them more than once and never when her family could find out. It was for their protection as much as hers.
The crying became more incessant and Phoebe slowly sank down to the tile wrapping her arms around her knees as she tried to block out the screams of the past. The fire had consumed him in a flash, but the screaming never stopped. It had been her fault and no one else's. She would never let an innocent suffer like that again.
The door slammed and Phoebe let out the breath she had been holding, relieved that she wouldn't have to ask him to leave like the last one. She reached up a shaky hand and turned off the shower just as her cell phone rang.
"Hi, Kaiya, baby" Phoebe said after hearing the little girl's voice on the other end. She tried to put a smile in her voice as she wiped the tears away. "Does Momma know you have the her phone?"
The super hero/executive wrapped herself in her towel robe and continued to listen to the child ramble on about things that made her happy. Phoebe forced herself to not react while Kaiya could hear as she stepped out into the disheveled bedroom. Dressing for the day, she ignored the forgotten underwear and the misplaced belt. Her staff would take care of it when she left. But it didn't change the stark opposites of the dirty desperate night and the bright wide innocence of the new day.
After hanging up with her best friend's daughter, phoebe strode out of the elevator and told the man about her room.
"And make sure to burn the sheets. I'll need a fresh set tonight. Charge it to my room."
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