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Post by Tiana, eh? on Dec 23, 2004 1:51:49 GMT -5
((Uhh... look back a few posts. If that wasn't a reaction... I don't know what was.
*pauses, rereading Jandalf's post* Master... you're bothering me now, I think... that post... short... but... *shivers* I don't like this one bit. Exploring yourself mentally... completely. It's like taking yourself apart, isn't it? Just like you did to Shadow.
*curses* Ah, don't mind me. Just that last sentence caught me-- belonging to Tiana. You two have became too close for your own well-being... I was speaking as myself there. Not that I don't mind having a Master... just... it's scary, at times. Heh.))
Ariane hated the feeling of being torn apart from within-- and she knew it well enough from before. She had taken herself apart in that manner, torn apart the half of herself that still loved, still cared, healed others. This was similar... all too similar.
She had built defenses around herself too-- but because of this... change... they were weakened.
She was weakened.
Too weak.
Fear was the one tearing apart her mind-- more than the obvious struggle the Jedi Master was putting up. Her own fears, her own worries...
Maybe you should just let her go... maybe you shuold just get out while you still can... maybe... maybe.
Maybe I should stop thinking like this.
Ariane felt cold. Too cold. Unnaturally cold, for what was given her. The clothing that her borrowed addenity wore were warm enough to keep her from chill. But it was an inner cold that tore her apart, tore through her defences.
But you know how to defend yourself...
...To do that, I'd have to turn inwards.
Facing yourself would be more than you could handle. Harder than facing Jandalf.
Harder than facing inevitable... death.
Lara'li glanced at Maeggaladiel for one moment, wondering about the mask's slip-- the change of face the elf showed. She paused in arguing, blinked hard, and ran her fingers through frost-colored hair.
Deep roots...
Touched by the frost...
((*coughcoughCOUGHGottheriddlenow,MastercoughCOUGH*))
"You're Force-sensitive," she said flatly, in Basic.
Now she turned their game back at them.
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Post by Jandalf on Toast on Dec 23, 2004 17:49:11 GMT -5
((No, Padawan, what I meant was, when is Ariane going to DO something about it? If she just sits there shivering, all I'll have to write about is hurtling along to nowhere in particular, and it'll be really boring. I need Ariane to react in a way that Jandalf can react to as well.))
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Post by Tiana, eh? on Dec 23, 2004 23:07:52 GMT -5
((well, be specific, why don't you?? Sheesh!! Make me write another post! Agh. I don't KNOW how to react in a way that JP can react too... I'm not in charactering mode here. You'd better be able to come up with a reply to this, otherwise I've really lost it. I suppose I'll just have to fanfic this one, more...))
The seas tossed the ship, and its lone inhabitant around gently, waves rocking its shell enought to move it through the seas-- not that Ariane noticed the motion of the ship. Not that she noticed anything-- the seagulls overhead that would've been a surefire clue in to any hardened sailor that land was nearby.
Not too far off over the horizon, a dark strip of land showed-- not particular on its name, or anything, but nevertheless it was land. And the winds were blowing the ship towards it, slowly, but surely towards the starboard port side. Blue patchs showed in an overcast sky-- just enough that any rain was kept within their puffs of vapor.
She didn't notice the threat of rain either. Her mind was inward-- whether into herself, or another, an onlooker couldn't really tell. To a non-Force-sensitive looking at her, she would've appeared asleep.
Ariane felt like she was asleep. Like she was dreaming everything that was happening. She felt oddly torn apart-- and yet not. Everything that was happening was beyond her control. Everything, even the gentle rocking of the ship. Nothing that she would've done could've changed the clouds overhead, or the birds that scattered at the threat of a storm.
And a voice not her own was in her mind-- she couldn't recognize the voice, though it was familiar... almost. Turn inwards... don't be afraid to face yourself. Would it be as hard as facing Jandalf? If you stay here, Mom, you know what will happen...
The title placed a name to the voice-- mental voice, if there is such a thing-- it was Tiana. She didn't think twice about reaching through to her mind's shield's, and feeling for a weakness...
There was none.
How is that weakling Padawan reaching my mind?!
She knew the answer but was afraid to think it. Afraid that another might pick up on it.
Through her Master, of course. The thought escaped anyway.
She sighed, and dove inward, weaving through her mental shielding as only their creator could do... but they were different now. Like there was another fortifying them now. There probably was. She picked through the threads of other people that burnt in her mind's eye-- Jandalf being there, because of the controled body-- also bits of Tiana, Elachi, Jethine... A'karon as well...
Outside, she shivered. Inside, she continued digging deeper through memories, empty time and space occupied only by her mind-- shadows that weren't there anymore. Then through to the heart of who she was-- who everything she tried to be was...
Ariane wondered faintly how she could still access her own mind when she was in the mind of another, in a way. She reached out, searching for the second presence in her mind, placing a dimming hand overtop of it-- reaching through the Force to dim its bright light.
In this state, she was aware she could probably destroy Jandalf's presence without a second thought. And she may've too, had not the gathering storm suddenly broken to a head, and poured its contents out onto her physical form, throwing her concentration out, as surely as she went flying across the tilted ship.
The Mirror-portal went flying off, and back into the depths of the seas-- but she didn't notice as she fought to grab for a handhold on the suddenly slippery walls on the ship.
Any mental focus she may've had to keep Jandalf withstrained was now flown to coop.
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Post by BEHIND YOU!!! on Dec 24, 2004 1:04:49 GMT -5
"Indeed," Sarian said, calmly. "No quarel, you claim-- yet you argue as if I were something bitter indeed." The older male elf sighed, rubbing a hand across his forehead. "But I have no quarrel with you either, my short-sighted ally-- or so I presume."
He wasn't certain how to continue on-- because he was certain his reply would make him seem as stupid as an orc-spawned child. Sarian looked over the near-sighted elf-- she had let her shields slip, though mayhaps an accident, he felt oblonged to let go of his.
So he sat down, and looked up at her from a sitting position. "I merely came... because... I felt I had to." Sarian shrugged helplessly. "Almarien knows what I mean."
Shadow nodded faintly. "This gets us nowhere," she murmured, placing a hand on Sarian's shoulder. The Shadowed elf closed her eyes, turning to face Maeggaladiel for a moment. "I am sorry for my previous outburst," she said flatly. "It was a reaction that I should not have had as to my name."
Sarian caught her hand, and pulled himself up. Beside the rogue elf, he was slightly taller than her-- but still fairly short for an elf.
"I'm sorry," he murmured-- a comment that made no sense to the others.
"I know you were," she whispered softly. "But that doesn't change anything." Shadow glanced over at Maeggaladiel. "I'm sorry," she repeated.
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Post by Lady Maeggaladiel on Dec 24, 2004 1:24:47 GMT -5
Maeggaldiel wasn't certain what to do. She had grown used to not knowing what the others were talking about, but now it was happening within her own world. Her own familiar, painfully predictable world. It was odd, yet somehow refreshing to feel some winds of change within the timeless realm of Lorien. It may seem like the same place, but things were different this time.
"There's nothing to be sorry about," she said firmly. "Contrary to what people say, time does not heal all wounds. The past can stretch into the present and future, growing darker and more painful within us over time. It can shape us, make us callous and tender all at once. The past is a difficult thing to let go of. But we must try, at least for now." She let her gaze wander to some imaginary point on the floor, momentarily lost within herself. Then seh drew in a sharp breath and turned to Lara'li.
"You said someone here was Force-sensitive," she ventured. "Who were you referring to?" She hadn't been sure if the human had been speaking to her or not. Was she talking to Sarian or Maeg?
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Post by Tiana, eh? on Dec 24, 2004 2:29:04 GMT -5
"Huh?" Lara'li stood up, looking up at the three taller elves-- though Shadow wasn't too much taller than she was in Elven form-- probably around 5"6 in galatic measurements... which were nearly the same as Terran.
She traced an imaginary line on the ground with the tip of her shoe, wishing she were as far away from here as possible. "Sarian's logically Force-sensitive, and so is Almarien," she said vaugely, lost in thoughts for a moment...
...lost...
...not all who wander are lost...
...just because you were without a home, doesn't mean that you're lost...
...it just means you were without a firm foundation...
...standing on sinking ground...
...uneasy ground... unrest in the Mirrors...
"Ai!" she suddenly exclaimed, falling over her own feet as if the ground had suddenly shifted, to drop her to her knees. The sudden pain shot through her without a thought, and Lara'li had to bite down on her lip to keep from crying out again.
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Post by Lady Maeggaladiel on Dec 24, 2004 22:45:42 GMT -5
//MERRY CHRISTMAS!// // When do you want Galadriel to break the bad news to everyone who doesn't already know?//
Maeg dropped beside her, alarmed.
"Are you all right?" she asked. "What is wrong?" She cast a questioning glance up at Shadow, silently asking for an explanation that probably wouldn't come.
It probably had something to do with Tiana, she thought grimly to herself. Tiana or the people who trapped her in... wherever she was trapped.
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Post by Jandalf on Toast on Dec 25, 2004 23:48:48 GMT -5
It was suddenly cold and wet from somewhere on the outside, and Jandalf found herself backed into a figurative corner. If she had been able to sweat, she might have...
Varda, that was close.
Ariane had had a better idea of how to conduct a proper defense than Jandalf had suspected, but the critical focus had been lost, dashed against a cliff wall.
I'd better take a different approach if I want to win this thing. If she regains her concentration, I'm done for.
...But would she destroy me?
Jandalf found she couldn't say for certain. She strongly suspected Ariane would have no qualms over completely eradicating her, scrubbing her existence from this former house...however, it would take a very heavy toll on this present body, as well as Tiana, even if the connection wasn't up and running at the time.
Surely Ariane knows that. She had a chance back there, didn't she? She hesitated over something. Something's holding her back from obliterating me...
Pity I don't know how much Tiana would mean to her at the moment. Ariane's motives for holding back would be so much clearer to figure out if only I could contact my Padawan...
There was hope, though. That was evident in the fact alone that she'd managed to feel the wet and cold at all, no matter how distant the sensation. She was getting closer.
Resolutely, Jandalf started forward again, quickly but with more caution this time.
After all, it wouldn't do for her to up and die.
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Post by Tiana, eh? on Dec 29, 2004 1:30:43 GMT -5
((You're not giving me very much to work off of, Master-- sheesh. I know I may have a skill for plotting that few others have, but you still need to give me something to grab onto. A reply to that is going to be very hard-- can't you others ever try to move the plot ahead? Do I have to do everything?
Maeg, break it whenever-- she's your charrie))
Lara'li grabbed Maeg's hand, holding her with an alarmingly tight grip. "She's gone..." The Terran wasn't talking to anyone that was there, though-- it was if her past had grabbed hold of her, and pulled her into another mind. "She's gone," the human repeated, more urgently. "What happened to her, Kylan? Where's Jethine?"
Her eyes were disfocused, and she looked cold. Frosted, almost-- like someone had dropped her in a freezer on Hoth. Her hair had been silver before... but now her skin was nearly as pale as her hair, and her eyes...
She was frozen to the past.
Ariane fought to regain her footing-- failing in that, and in holding on. No one else seemed to be aboard the ship-- it was tossing enough that the un-sea-hardened Jedi in her commandeered body couldn't even get to her feet to run for a rope, or some other form of binding. Anything to keep herself from falling offboard.
She crumpled to her knees, struggling to keep sea-sickness from overcoming her.
The ship tossed over to the starboard side, rocking all things not tied down to the mentioned half. She grabbed the pole in the middle of the ship, which the narrator cannot recall the correct name for at the moment, holding on for all she was worth. Ariane felt splinters from the wood drive themselves up into her-- no, Jandalf's arms.
She ignored the pain.
I have to focus... she can't... I can't do it.
She closed her eyes against the beating rain, which was steadily picking up.
If I killed Jandalf's mind, I could very well kill Tiana-- you know perfectly well how deep a training bond can run. And... they're more than that.
Ariane felt flickery, as if she were passing between two bodies at once for a mere moment. She sank against the mast (??), still holding on for all she was worth. "Leave me alone," she choked out, in an effort to keep from failure. From falling again.
It's too much for you, her thoughts tormented her.
"Go away," she murmured weakly, closing her eyes against the flashing over. "Go away..."
But she knew she'd lost any chance now-- she had been her own downfall.
Tiana shivered. In all rightness, she would say she had felt a tremor through the Force-- through the brief connection with her mother.
She closed her eyes, digging deeper into herself for a moment, and reached out.
I have to try again...
...Through another bond that shouldn't've been there...
[Master... Master... can you hear me?] she pleaded, attempting once more to form a connection. [Master, please be there...]
There was a faint flicker-- she didn't know what it was, but she dove for it. [Please hear me, Master! I can't take this alone.]
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Post by Jandalf on Toast on Dec 29, 2004 16:21:22 GMT -5
((
Yeah...sorry about that, but I thought it felt too much like godmodding to just conquer Ariane in the blink of an eye, and there wasn't much I could think of saying to move it along any more. But we are making progress with this, you know. Anyway, since you seem to want me to, I'll just go right ahead and come to the battlefront now.
...Oh, and does Ariane have a body to go back into? I'm hoping so...because I'll have Jandalf assume so.))
The flicker of pain magnified. Jandalf recognised it, too.
Something's being driven under my skin. Little pieces of something. Splinters. Right underneath...
My skin. I hope that means I'm getting closer. She wondered what on Middle-earth Ariane was up to, anyway, to get wood splinters driven into her arms like that.
Hopefully she isn't going crazy. That would spell out my defeat, one way or another.
So Jandalf fought faster, harder. Physical exhaustion was not an issue for her, after all. Not at the moment. It was mental strength that she was worried about, to keep the focus...but Ariane was wearier than she, not to mention severely seasick. It was quite obvious.
Frustrated, Jandalf thought, Then why am I having so much trouble driving her out?!
She wanted to push beyond the obstacles, the frustration. She decided she would.
And she did.
The darkened clouds continued to blanket down the small cold drops of water, pitting against the tunic of a battleground. It was a sensation Jandalf knew. It was a sensation she now felt.
And thankfully, Jandalf didn't get seasick.
But she hadn't time to devote to that thought of gratefulness. Right now, there were two things she had to focus on, to press through: Ariane's presence, and the faint beginnings of a reconnection with her Padawan.
[Hang on, Tiana...I'm making it.]
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Post by Lady Maeggaladiel on Dec 30, 2004 0:35:12 GMT -5
//Okie-dokie.//
Maeg gave a startled cry as Lara'li clenched her fingers. It hadn't hurt her as much as it suprised her, although the Terran's grib was remarkably strong.
"Lara'li, what's wrong?" Maeg asked ferverently, although she could see by her face that she couldn't answer her. The problem was in her mind, in a realm Maeggaladiel could neither enter nor connect to. Once more, Maeg was helpless.
Her lips pulled back into a defiant snarl. I'm tired of being able to do nothing! her mind screamed. Her hand clenched tightly around Lara'li's as anger rose within her.
"Lara'li, she said, both with her mouth and her mind. "Lara'li, you must come back to the present. Come back to Lothlorien." There was no reply; Lara'li continued to look to people who were not in the room, who were mere shadows of some other time and place.
Maeg's eyes narrowed. She was always too late; two steps behind everyone else. She never knew what was going to happen next, she was always the one who ended up watching others suffer from her own lack of understanding. The Powers of the Ancients had been given to her, yet they had failed to save so many lives. She was elven; immortal, wisest, and fairest of all beings. But that meant nothing.
Maeggaladiel had done many good things in her lifetime, yet Fate had ways of leveling the scales. Galenduin had slipped through her fingers. Tiana had drifted away from her like a snowflake on a breeze, lost among the stars. Shadow had been led into a land of poisonous hatred, and Maeg had been at the helm. She wasn't able to help any of them, and they were not the only ones who had met foul fortunes while in her company. Tiana had begged for Lara'li before she fell into the darkness, and now Lara'li was slipping into her own past. Would Maeg watch yet another person fall at her feet?
"No." Galadriel's hold on her mind shattered as an unfamiliar strength and clarity rose within her. Her eyes burned with determination and anger. She positioned herself in front of Lara'li's face.
"Lara'li." Mental and physical voices joined together in harmony as she spoke to the Terran. "Hear my voice, Lara'li. I call you through fire and earth, through water and air, across the planes of space and time. You must return to the present. You are needed in Lothlorien. Return to the Light."
She was interrupted by the creak of the opening door. Caranduin and his elven companions entered without knocking. Maeg swung her focus to the elf, still seething with rage and determination.
"Ai!" Caranduin clenched his skull as Maeg's eyes met his. "Wha..?" He stumbled backwards, stunned.
Maeg shook her head, as though coming out of a deep trance. What happened?
"S-sorry," Maeg said grogilly, her voice rough and dry. "Did I hurt you?"
Caranduin took a step backwards uncertainly. He had FELT something when Maeg looked at him, almost as though she had reached inside his head and pushed him. It wasn't painful, but it was strong.
"The Lady wishes to see you," he said stiffly. He looked at Lara'li on the ground. "Why is it that your party is never fully-conscious? Should I come back when it's YOUR turn to be out cold?"
"Ha ha." Maeg grumbled.
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Post by Tiana, eh? on Dec 30, 2004 2:43:25 GMT -5
((Nah, it's all right, Master. I was a tad snapish that day, as you can tell-- though I was serious. That wasn't much to work off of. Sorry for yelling at you. Yes, Ariane has a body. You should've picked that up from my duo-vision comment.))
Ariane wasn't certain how she managed to keep her mind from shattering under the pressure of both a phsical and mental battle to keep herself alive. She wasn't certain how she had managed to block a Jedi Master this long.
Darkened clouds continued to wage their battle against the sea-hardened vessel, splattering against her face.
She didn't even know whether it was her own face that was being splattered by heavy rain, or Jandalf's. Ariane's mental focus was gone, completely. Her only focus was on keeping herself alive.
"GO AWAY!" she yelled, through the salt water soaked wood of the ship, and the tasteless fabric of her cloak. She thought it was her cloak, anyway. It felt familiar, though drenched through to the skin.
She felt like she was going to vomit any second, if she kept trying to mentally block the Jedi Master. Ariane dropped any barriars she may've still had woven, and crumbled forward, suddenly feeling as old as her years put her.
Lara'li sat up groggily, in time to hear Caranduin's comment. She sighed, almost annoyed, attempting to clear fog from her mind.
She had felt something-- a strong presense in her mind for just a moment.
It had been enough to wake her up. Even though she hadn't been asleep.
"I'm fully conscious," she muttered in Basic. "It's whether I'll stay that way."
Tiana smiled faintly. There was just the faintest hint of a connection returned. Enough of a broken bond that she could manage a smile. [Hold on, Master... I can't lose you again.]
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Post by Lady Maeggaladiel on Dec 31, 2004 2:30:37 GMT -5
"Lara'li!" Maeg wasn't sure whether she was more suprised that Lara'li had returned or that her own powers seemed to have worked. "Lara'li, you're back! Are you okay? What happened to you? Did I hurt you?"
"Slow down, you're going to give the poor mortal a headache," Caranduin said flatly. "She's only just come back to her senses; give her a moment to gather herself, for Eru's sake." He flinched slighlty when Maeg cast him a withered glance, probably expecting to be mentally attacked again. The blow did not come, however, and he relaxed.
"You mind your business and I'll mind mine," Maeg said tartly. Caranduin gave a snort.
"That's a funny sentence coming from you," he said. Maeg dearly wished she could summon whatever power she had just used to give Caranduin a good mental thrashing. The strength did not come.
Caranduin looked away, almost shamefully.
"Forgive me, that was uncalled for," he said. "I have come to escort our human guest and Lady Almarien to the court of Galadriel." The apology threw Maeg off-guard, so it took her a moment to understand the second part of his speech.
"Just Lara'li and Almarien?" she asked slowly. Caranduin gave a curt nod. "Am I escorting myself then?"
"No. The Lady does not wish to speak with you at this time. You are to remain here until further notice. Someone will come for you."
"Ah." Maeg did not know whether to feel hurt, relieved, or suspicious. Maybe a mixture of all three. Did Galadriel know what Maeg had just done to Lara'li and (accidentaly) Caranduin? Was she to be punished for her apparent misuse of her powers? What was Galadriel going to do with Lara'li and Shadow? She wanted to ask Caranduin these questions, but knew she would not be answered. Instead she gave a curt nod of understanding and turned to her friends.
"I guess I'll see you later," she said lamely. She dug into her pocket and found Lara'li's pendant, which she dropped into the human's hand.
"Thanks," she said. "And sorry." Caranduin cleared his throat loudly.
"Are you ready, ladies?" he asked. He turned to Sarien. "You are welcome to walk with us, Master Sarien, but I cannot allow you to join them when they speak to the Lady."
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Post by Jandalf on Toast on Jan 1, 2005 21:30:32 GMT -5
((Oh, don't worry about it. Good, Ariane does have a body to fall back on...I guess I missed that part. Heh.))
Jandalf sent back. [But give me just a moment while I finish this up.]
Still hanging on to the renewed connection, she turned her focus on the last few meters she had to push Ariane.
How was she able to hold up this long? I've seen things like this before...it makes no sense. She must have some capability I wasn't aware of.
Dangerous, she chided herself. That'll teach you to study your enemies better next time, won't it?
She felt sick to her stomach.
...No, I don't. Ariane does.
The feeling persisted, intensifying to a most unpleasant level.
Ooookay, maybe I'm feeling a little nauseated, too. Unwilling for that to become another distraction, Jandalf pressed on, pushed on, and gained more ground.
It was as if she took Ariane's presence, carefully bundled it up into a manageable sphere, and spring-loaded that Ariane-sphere to be shot away, back to where it belonged.
Ready...aim...fire.
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Post by Tiana, eh? on Jan 3, 2005 0:54:44 GMT -5
((Maeggaladiel, plotwise, I need you to find a matching pendant to the one Lara'li lent you somewhere. Heh heh. *conspires* Jandalf, I already told you regarding Tiana over the phone.))
Ariane cried out suddenly, and she knew it was herself that was in pain. Me... I'm me again. She pulled herself into a ball, and held her head. It was throbbing, and not just from the seasickness. Sithspawn, that Jedi has more control of magic than I thought.
Know your enemies... you thought that removing one connection would weaken her enough to destroy her.
Thought.
Now you know what thought did, Ariane.
She felt sick, like she was going to vomit. Felt like her head was going to explode. Her head. If she died now, or something else of the like, it wouldn't effect anyone else. Ariane struggled to her feet, struggled to keep a hold on the ship that she was still on, but it tossed again, throwing her over.
Not that she had much balance left as it was, being more drained than she had been in years.
It feels like it's been years, almost..
She closed her eyes tightly, grabbing at a line leading across the ship. It dug into her hands, but was secure. "Why bother?" she murmured. "I'm dead anyway."
Lara'li stiffened. She didn't like this one bit. Clutching the pendant to her chest, she nodded and smiled weakly to Maeggaladiel. "Thank you," she murmured. Her stance was stiff, and dark suddenly.
She didn't like what was going on one bit.
Tiana closed her eyes. Holding onto a scrap of a connection-- probably from a weakened shield that she could even reach it now-- she smiled weakly. Taking comfort from just a bit of a connetion, though nothing like she was used to. It was enough to refresh her focus.
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Post by Lady Maeggaladiel on Jan 3, 2005 18:35:22 GMT -5
(No problem.)
Maeg took a step backwards, easing towards a bench on the other side of the room. She stopped suddenly as something crunched beneath her foot.
"You're welcome, Lara'li," she said, somewhat distractedly. She already had a pretty good idea about what it was she had just stepped on. It had felt familiar, a sort of jolt that rusehd through her leg much as similar things had put a slight buzz through her fingertips. One had come to her. It was almost funny. Almost.
As Caranduin gestured for Lara'li and Shadow to follow him, Maeg risked a look under her boot. It was as she had expected. She let out a tiny, wry chuckle. There was a pendant lying on the ground beneath her feet, almost identical to the one she had returned to Lara'li. One had come to her. Well, this would be the end to her hitchiking. When no one was looking she picked it up between her finger and thumb and examined it.
"And to think Galadriel only got a ring," she chuckled.
------------------------------------
"Right this way, if you please," Caranduin directed his little group back to the room where Galadriel was waiting. One of his friends looked over his shoulder at them before elbowing Caranduin in the ribs. Caran gave him a dirty look, but his friend just nodded. He sighed.
"Very well," he said grudgingly. "Forgive me for prying, Ladies, but my friends here will not allow me to rest nor have a moment's peace until I... settle some things." His friend nodded approvingly, but Caranduin just frowned. He gathered his dignity and regained a facade of nonchalance and continued.
"I suppose Lady Maeggaladiel has told you something of my brother, Galenduin? Surely she has offered some explaination for our behavior towards one another?"
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Post by Jandalf on Toast on Jan 3, 2005 19:34:46 GMT -5
((Yeah, okay...so I see Ariane's in her own body now. And, if I'm correct, hanging off the side of a ship on a rope. Sounds like fun.))
The sensations of the physical world flooded back into Jandalf's mind. It was like waking up from one nightmare only to find herself falling into another.
She cursed at the pain in her arms, the weakness of her stomach (fading, but still there) and the strange taste in her mouth. It wasn't merely the unpleasantness of that taste. It was the fact alone that it wasn't hers. Wasn't recognisable.
Swallowing hard, she willed herself to stand, her legs rubbery from exhaustion and sickness.
Ariane. She's here somewhere. Jandalf tried to stretch out her senses, but failed that first attempt. She was so tired...
No. Have to find her. Once again, she pushed out and probed her immediate surroundings.
...And found something. The side of the ship. Starboard. She isn't going to last long. As quickly as she could, Jandalf worked her way over to the end of the rope where it came over onto the deck, and started hoisting it up.
[Okay, Padawan. Almost there. Got to pull your mom out of trouble first.]
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Post by Tiana, eh? on Jan 4, 2005 1:48:08 GMT -5
((You can't really use the Force on Terra-- remember? It... reacts. So I'll just assume that either you were using your Shadow powers *which you now have as of one conversation, Master*, or else you don't mind the effects that'll happen...
Good, Maeg. *nods* You've got the point of finding them, eh?))
Lara'li nodded dully-- she had understood enough to get a grasp of what he had said. 'Maeggaladiel told you...' possesive... 'my brother' name 'Galenduin' question... it's a questioning tone... 'Offered some... explanation? for our one another' Again, question-- probably behavior...
Settle things?
"Yes-- tancave--" Lara'li fought for the Sindarian words. "She told us from her..." She could only get a Basic word. "Perspective..." Back to Elvish. "...why you're so stiff to each other." Though I think he likes her and just won't admit it, she thought, almost evilly. "Is that why you have brought us here?"
She finally gave up-- though her words were understandable, she had to think too far to get them to make any sense. She went back to Basic, then paused.
Galadriel probably could understand Basic, if some of her guesses were correct regarding the Lady's powers.
She spoke in Huttese instead. "Shadow, can you translate anything of interest?" she asked.
Well... maybe not dead yet...
Someone had grabbed the other end of the rope. Someone just strong enough to pull her up on... probably her own. Ariane winced as the rope cut deeper into her hands-- it was fairly taunt. And wet.
And I don't even know if I want to face the person on the other end... but at least I'm not going to drown.
Is that better than facing a Jedi Master?
At the moment, she didn't really know. Facing anyone would be hard enough, as it was.
She forced the pain to the back of her mind, focusing on the rope, and holding on. She was barely holding on as it was-- there was no way she could climb up when this tired.
Her mouth felt salty, dry. As if she hadn't used it for a while. Her legs felt like they could hardly move, as if her limbs had stiffened up. And she didn't even want to think about how long it would take to comb her hair now...
Why on earth am I worried about my HAIR of all things?!
Luckily, she was able to reach the top before either she or Jandalf gave out. ((Assuming you weren't going to let her die, that's not a godmod, really.))
Then Ariane collapsed, catching a glimpse of land, gray clouds, and the ship's wheel spinning about precariously, and managed to mumble, "Gotta lower the darned anchor," before blackness.
And she wondered if she'd even wake up.
Tiana nodded to herself, and sat down. It seemed like a long way down, and bugged her. She was used to being short. The slight connection was still there, but wary, edgy. If she hadn't been so cut off from the Force, she wouldn't atribuated it to Jandalf trying to avoid her. She hoped it wasn't that.
[Mom?]
She hadn't meant to send that thought, but nevertheless, it was a loud enough thought that Jandalf would've heard it. Tiana sighed. [What about my mom?]
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Post by BEHIND YOU!!! on Jan 4, 2005 1:52:51 GMT -5
Shadow was very wary about the whole business, and praying dearly that she wasn't going to die. "Yes, I can translate," she returned in Huttese, guessing Lara'li's reason for the other langauge.
She switched to Sindarien. "Yes, Maeggaladiel told us about you two, and your brother. I assumed it was he truth, unless you have anything else to add that may be of interest to a Jedi. Unless maybe you don't, and you're merely trying to hit on my friend here."
She started to snicker, then composed herself. The only reason she was acting so darn stuffy was from fear, and she knew it all too well. "Settle things, you say?" she inquired. "What sort of "things" might you be attempting to settle, that would regard you having to talk to a rogue and her Jedi friend?"
Something was on the elf's mind, and Shadow knew it. And she was going to find out what before she faced the Lady, so that she might know what was going on before she died, if that were the case.
She hoped not.
And wondered what was going on elsewhere.
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Post by Lady Maeggaladiel on Jan 4, 2005 12:06:18 GMT -5
(I like the picture in your new sig, Shadow! My computer at home won't download a lot of the pictures on this site for some reason, so today was the first time I got to see your avatar and sig.)
Caranduin bristled.
"I do not intend to... hit on... your friend. I merely wished to find out how Maeggaladiel was telling the story," he said stiffly. "Apparently she has left out a few details. I'm not sure if they would be of any interest to a Jedi, as you say, but I find it odd that she failed to mention that she and Galenduin were to be wed. And as for what we must settle--"
"They have to put this matter behind them before Caranduin becomes permanently grouchy," interrupted his friend. Caran cast him anothe dirty look. "I think 150 years is a long enough time for someone to sulk. It is time to forgive and forget. Besides, who wants to be stuck on a ship with you when you're in that mood? They'll throw you overboard before we're halfway to the Gray Havens." The others laughed, but Caranduin kept his sour expression.
"I am glad you are here to help me, my friends," he said dryly. "Anyone else would stop to have a few laughs at my expense."
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