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Post by Tiana, eh? on Nov 26, 2004 0:04:15 GMT -5
((All right... I thought you might be wanting to come back in... so... regarding that. *folds hands and prepares for speech* Ariane is holding you into the Shadow Realm at the moment, and is using your body. She's a lot more... skilled in that form of art than Shadow was, so you can't just fight through it like you did last time on Dagobah. Though you could try. JP's best bet *yeah, resorting to the old tags* is to write in the Shadows... and... find a way to contact Tiana, if she wants. Now, if you want to get back into the full swing of the plot...
...Is it possible that a younger self... like, before she was Knighted-- the Jan who lost her Master-- could be in Lothlorien. Because she was the one on Middle-earth...
...and, Mirror-wise, we have Middle-earthian Mirrors too. You know. Heh.
...Oh yes... and Jethine was hanging around, so you could take her back too. And see what she can do.
Ah well, that's your best bets, my dear Master. Go LotG Jandalf, write in the Shadows, find some way to do in Ariane, or use Jethine again. Depends on how long you want to be in.))
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Post by Lady Maeggaladiel on Nov 29, 2004 10:52:31 GMT -5
//That would be great, Jandalf! We've missed you!//
//Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I spent Wednesday in the emergency room and the rest of the week at a relative's house running from evil one-year-old twins.//
//I really want to post more today, but I'm rather pressed for time. I'm sitting in the empty journalism classroom writing this between my Sociology and Psychology classes. I've got about five minutes to book it across campus.//
//This is off-topic, but I'm really excited because I'm going to audition for a play this evening! My acting teacher (See, I really HAVE taken acting classes) gave my name to a local director and he wants me to try out for his latest play! Yay! Wish me luck. Or, as they say in the theatre, hope I break a leg!//
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Post by Lady Maeggaladiel on Nov 30, 2004 11:03:26 GMT -5
//Wow. I wrote a lot last night. I didn’t think it would take up this much space. Eh well. Hey, I meant to ask you if you guys wanted Galadriel to be able to save Tiana or not.//
The Lady of the Wood contemplated the silent form of Tiana that lay before her. The human’s soul no longer resided in her body, yet her heart still beat and her lungs still drew breath. She was lost in the fragile border between death and sleep, trapped in a realm far from both Terra and Middle Earth. It was a difficult realm to enter.
In a single fluid motion Galadriel crossed her legs and sat at Tiana’s side. Tiana did not stir. The human was cold and hollow, little more than a glass shell.
Powerful forces were at work here, this Galadriel knew. A normal human would not have the knowledge or strength to do this kind of damage. This worried Galadriel. Her dreams had been unpleasant since the arrival of these strange visitors. Would Tiana’s presence in the Wood lead her captors to Galadriel’s doorstep? Would the forces of Lorien be strong enough to withstand them?
Galadriel folded her hands in her lap and closed her eyes. The only way to find Tiana was to enter the realm in which she was trapped, or at least get as close to it as possible. She let out a breath and let her senses roam. She could feel the movements of a thousand creatures around her, from elves to birds to insects. The familiar golden presence of Celeborn lit up a corner of her consciousness as he approached and sat beside her. Yes, she was Here. This realm, this warm land and its inhabitants, would be her anchor. Celeborn was her lifeline. With one foot in Middle Earth and the other Beyond, Galadriel pushed herself towards the realm that held Tiana captive.
Back in Lorien, Galadriel’s unconscious body fell to the ground like an autumn leaf. -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Caranduin moodily strung his bow.
“I have already told you, it matters little to me,” he replied hotly to the two elves behind him. The two exchanged a wry glance.
“Of course not,” agreed the first, a tall young elf with silver hair and green eyes. He shouldered his quiver of arrows and grabbed his own bow. “The past is past, right?” The second elf leaned against the trunk of a tree and held up a wineskin. He uncorked it with his teeth and took a drink, staring out into the trees.
“I cannot believe that they would both come back here. At the same time, no less!” He shook his head and took another drink. Something occurred to him. “Did you notice how Almarien reacted to seeing Sarien?”<br> The green-eyed elf nodded. “Aye,” he said. “Felled like a tree!” He gave a little chuckle. “Nice company your Maeggaladiel has gathered. Two humans and two exiled elves, only half of which being conscious enough to remember their names, and only one of those two able to speak the language!”
“Maeggaladiel is a meddling fool,” Caranduin said harshly. “Somehow her choice in companions does not surprise me. I do not see why the Lady caters to her so. Why was she even allowed within the borders of the forest? She’s a madwoman. Look what she did to Galenduin.”
The other two elves were silent. They exchanged worried glances before the green-eyed elf took a step towards him and placed a hand on Caran’s shoulder.
“I know it is hard,” he said softly, “but you must stop blaming her for your brother’s death. She did not cause the orc attack.” Caran’s eyes narrowed. He brushed the elf’s hand from his shoulder.
“Perhaps not,” he said. “But if it was not for her, Galen would not have been in that hunting party. That is guilt enough for me.” Bristling, he grabbed his quiver of arrows and walked away, not waiting for them to follow.
“She just wanted him to be happy.” Caran stopped short as he heard his friend. He did not turn, but clenched his fists at his sides.
“Yes,” he said bitterly. “And a lot of good that did for him.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Maeg felt unfathomably helpless. All she could do was sit and wait, robbed of her mental powers and unable to see if Galadriel had met with success. She hated feeling helpless. Her fists clenched.
But wasn’t that what she always was? Helpless? She had been unable to aid Galenduin in his time of need. She was too weak to save Tiana from the Shadows and whatever realm she resided in now. She couldn’t even manage to save herself from the penetrating darkness of the Mirror. It seemed she was constantly at the mercy of outside forces, whether it be orcs, shadows or her own people.
She absently removed her glasses and cleaned them on the hem of her sleeve. She cast a glance over at the fuzzy blurs that were her companions. Shadow looked lost and miserable. Lara’li looked pensive but equally lost. Why had she brought them here? This place gave them nothing but sadness and pain. What if Galadriel could not save Tiana? Everything they had done would have been for nothing.
“I’m sorry that I’ve put you through all of this,” she said to her friends. “I didn’t expect it to be like this.” She put on her glasses and pushed herself into a standing position. It was a useless gesture; there was nowhere to go. She stared down at the floor.
“I just wish there was something I could do,” she whispered. “But there isn’t, is there? There never is.”<br>
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Post by Jandalf on Toast on Dec 2, 2004 11:21:23 GMT -5
((Heh...I think I'll do a JP post now, but would it be good if I incorporated Padawan Jandalf into Lothlorien? She could sort of stumble in from the whole situation. Heh heh heh. And it looks like Maeg's playing Galadriel...how long is the Lady going to be out, O spectacled one? By the way, good luck with the acting! It's so much fun, isn't it?))
Despite the obvious darkness, despite the intangible borders and smell of death and fouled surroundings...Jandalf found the Shadow Realm fascinating.
I have been ensnared in limitless limitations. I have been captured in an illusion. And it would be a lot better if I was convinced Tiana's going to be okay...
Her consciousness tore at the barriers. She had to find Ariane. She had to take herself back.
You carve wounds upon my flesh and write there in salt!
Commitment. She was commited. She had to try, at least, to get out of here, or risk tormenting devastation from her own conscience.
A thread. There might be a thread of Tiana in Ariane...because Tiana is of Ariane, and therefore there would be a thread of Ariane in Tiana, and if that's mutual... Her mind darted around. It was worth a shot; she'd already lost connections, all ties with the physical world. What did she have to lose?
Nothing and everything. She gathered herself, and shot away.
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Post by Jandalf on Toast on Dec 2, 2004 11:25:33 GMT -5
((I just had a belated thought. I'm assuming, after a lengthy struggle, Jandalf will win her body back from Ariane...will A'karon be able to sense that right away, or could we have a fun little masquerade?))
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Post by Tiana, eh? on Dec 4, 2004 21:49:04 GMT -5
((*stares* Eek. *Rereads Jandalf's post* Eek again. I never thought... Of course I never thought. Sheesh. Oh well... I assume that when you get back, and after Christmas, we'll be able to take this off in full speed again. Okay... yes, you can win yourself back from Ariane after a nice long struggle... no, A'ka won't sense it right away... because he's not Force-sensitive. Remember? Oh... one more tie to work off of... Elachi. *grins* And, yes, Padawan Jandalf would be a good idea...
Hmm... *nods* Yup, that's the Master for you.
Ah... they're sharp. This... is a great story.
Mwhahaha... we'll leave it at that for now.
And... regarding saving Tiana... Galadriel won't be able to pull her out now. I'm not certain how she'll be saved, but it wont' be in the here and now... because Ariane's hold on her, being as she's her daughter, will be inpossible to break while Ariane lives. Jandalf might have a chance at getting Tiana out if she can break Ariane. Last time I did this, Tiana had to fight through herself, actually... but this time it's different.))
Lara'li wandered her hand across the flooring, moodily tracing the patterns there with her left hand, her right clenched to her heart, and the pendent there. Somehow...
She smiled almost slightly. "Always," she muttered.
The human stared up at Maeggaladiel, eyes searching. She ran her hand through unnaturally bleached hair-- it wasn't bleached, and it wasn't exactly a natural silver. It was caused by the Shadows. "It's not your fault," she said, calmly. Too calmly. Like usual, she was forcing herself to be calm to hide the fact that she was nearly at hystarics. "It's not your fault that we're here, and stuck in this," she repeated, forcing herself to stand up.
She was shorter than Maeggaladiel, and had to look up to meet the elf's eyes even just slightly. Lara'li sighed. It was always like that, to look at someone directly.
Glancing down at Shadow, who looked deep-- too deep-- she took a deep breath, counted three, and let it out again. "Maeg... Maeg... it's not your fault." She had to take another breath to hold the presence of calm, even though it was a too calm expression, rather than true peace.
Shadow looked miserable, in her opinion. Shadow... what happened? she thought, but knew that without the Force, the rogue elf wouldn't hear her.
She changed the topic quickly. "Maeg, are you Force-sensitive?"
Tiana opened her eyes. Something felt almost slightly different. Though the half-trained Jedi still couldn't feel any connections, the darkness wasn't so tight. There was almost a faint relief in that area, then. Just for a moment.
She raised a hand to her cheek, and wiped the tears off with her cloak. Even though the realm was an illusion, she and her garb was as real as the trees in Lorien.
It was strange, to almost have a real body in that illusion, though she was aware that she was somewhere else. Tiana could still sense that body outside this realm.
She wondered what she looked like to an outsider.
It was habit to reach up to her ear, where a braid normally sat. Normally. She narrowed her eyes, and amended the lack-- pulled her hair forwards for a moment-- it was almost black.
If I didn't know better...
She wished she had a mirror.
Something had lifted the complete Shadows. Something... or someone had pushed through. Something had breached the endless lack of light. Tiana took a breath. It was a sharp intake in the nothingness, and rebounded in there as something.
It was no longer nothing.
She closed her eyes, and fell into a second sight-- and looked around. And opened them a split second. "Oh, Force-- this was a real world," she whispered.
And it was a real voice that she had spoken in.
What she seen explained the smell of death that coursed around. Everything in that world was real-- it was no longer a Shadow. She slumped to her knees. "It's a fallen realm. Just like the Terran Mirror goes... the Shadow Mirror... once was."
But there was one other thing that she had seen in the moment of Shadow Sight.
"Master... where can you be?" she whispered, in horror. "If only I could warn you." She still wondered what her appearance was, but less now.
What was in the corner was the Mirror, destroyed.
The Shadow Realm was the Middle-earthian Mirror... fallen.
((mwhahaha! I hope that made sense, but it will more later...))
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Post by Lady Maeggaladiel on Dec 6, 2004 11:34:08 GMT -5
//Thanks. I figured as much, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions.//
Maeg gave a wavering smile and absently scratched behind one leaf-shaped ear.
"I know it isn't," she said. "At least, part of me knows it isn't. But the other part won't listen." She cast a glance over at Shadow. The elf looked miserable. Maeg clenched her jaw.
"Force sensitive?" she mused, pretending her consternation was part of her thought process. "I don't think I am. A few days ago I could have given you a firm 'no.' I didn't think elves could be Force-Sensitive. Now I just don't know. I'm really not sure of much of anything anymore. Rather annoying, actually."
She shoved her hands in her pockets, not sure what else to do with them. Her fingers hit something small and cold. Curious, she drew it out. It was the pendant that Lara'li had given her before entering the Mirror. She had almost forgotten about it.
Maeg ran her thumb over its surface. She hadn't really had a chance to look at it.
"Why did you give me this?" she asked suddenly. "Was it to help me through the Mirror?" She wasn't even quite certain of what it was. Was it a work of magic or science, or something in between?
She remembered the matching pendants that Jandalf had revealed way back when they were aboard the pirate ship. Was this something like those? And.... What happened to Jandalf, anyway?
"Do you suppose Jandalf and Ennariel are all right?" she asked. "Tiana told them to look for you, Lara'li. I wonder what they are doing right now?"
----------------------------------------------
Galadriel drifted through the Other Realm. All that was left to do was reach the fallen mortal and return her to her body.
There! Within the silent nothingness was the form-- if consciousness could be called a form-- of a human. She reached out to the figure...
And Tiana dissappeared. She had left this realm and was pulled into a physical form somewhere. But where? And into whom? That was something that even the Lady of the Wood did not know.
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Post by Tiana, eh? on Dec 8, 2004 2:10:46 GMT -5
Lara'li paused. She had hoped to escape the questions conserning the pendants. ((As the narrator had forgotten that they had been used earlier once already, which raises questions... and probably means this isn't canon.)) She smiled faintly, and pointed just slightly to Shadow, and the silver chain around the rogue elf's neck. Also at the matching pendant that was there.
She unclasped the chain she wore on her own neck, which also carried a matching pendant. "They're Keys," she said, softly, staring at the green-set pendent. "They were called the Trinity Keys, for they always worked by threes. They..." Lara'li froze, not certain she wanted to explain this, but forced herself to continue anyway.
"They open up the Time Stream," she finally admitted. "You use them in the Doors or Windows, and you can enter into the Realms without much thought. Everyone..." Again Lara'li had to stop, calm herself. She unconsciously braided her hair, fidgety. "Everyone connected to the Mirrors seems to find them. They'll bite down on them in a salad, or sit down on them, and they're compelled to keep them, unconsciously driven to find the others. It's a connector tool... I... used them as a way to store information." She motioned with her free hand-- her right hand was busy working small braids into silver hair. "The one you have is one of mine... it has a datachip in it."
Lara'li shrugged. "And who knows, maybe you'll find one yourself. Most do."
She closed her eyes. "And I don't even want to think about what could've happened to Ennariel or Jandalf. I have faith the Jedi Master can take care of herself, even if it means entering the Shadows... Varda knows, she's done it before."
She slapped herself for the slip into Middle-earthian terms. She was Terran, not of the Enedh. Lara'li sighed, and tucked her hair back, wishing she had some string to fidget with-- anything to keep her hands busy.
* *
Tiana struggled with herself not to panic, not to run screaming for her Master, for Anakin, for anyone! At the moment, she would've been glad to hide behind Vader.
She stood up.
She yanked on her hair thoughtfully, pulling it back in front of her eyes. It glistened almost blue. She glanced down at her feet-- they were bare, but it didn't bother her. Her clothing was also dark, from what she could see. And her hand was pale.
Tiana sighed, sat down again. It was pointless to stand when there was nothing to look for. She almost tipped over, and wondered if it were a trick of the gravity, but it seemed Terran in weight.
She assumed she had to be taller there, but wasn't certain.
I hate this, her thoughts muttered.
She wished she had a mirror.
((I'll get more into what happened to Tiana later... and who she is. You were right about her being pulled into another body though... must sleep...
Jandalf... when you read this, maybe it'll help you understand the pendants better yourself.))
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Post by BEHIND YOU!!! on Dec 10, 2004 22:14:25 GMT -5
Shadow hated this. She felt so lost, so helpless-- and she had no clue whether or not she would be killed now. She was aware of the other's glancing at her every now and again, but for the most part ignored it, thinking back.
Thinking within.
I was certain They had been killed. Have They returned?
The rogue elf shook her head, and began biting at her fingernails, as if that could distract her from the inevitable.
She was aware of how miserable she looked. "The sooner I'm out of here, and out of this... this..." Shadow closed her eyes. "I didn't think it would be this hard to return... but it reminds me far too much of the Shadow Realm," she murmured.
It came to her mind unbidden. "All that is gold does not glitter... not all those who wander are lost. The old that is strong does not wither... deep roots are not touched by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the Shadows shall spring..."
She paused, thinking over the unbidden words. And one other thought came with the old rhymes, and verses: "There is no death, there is the Force."
Don't let Jandalf be dead.
*******************************************
Sarian thoughtfully walked through the trees, not really seeing them. He himself had nearly wanted to faint when he had spotted the outsiders. Our two most outside elves return to Lothlorien, he thought in Basic, his mind turning back to a secondary language.
His feet led him through the trees, and up to the room where the outsiders were staying. Not as prisioners, but nearly being held in tight enough to be so. It was a mindless action, without much meaning.
Maybe it was that he wanted to see Almarien again.
She had been one he had missed, in a sense. Sarian paused outside of the door, undecided on what to do at that moment.
He took a breath; counted five, then knocked.
*****************************************
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Post by Lady Maeggaladiel on Dec 11, 2004 12:50:16 GMT -5
//Woo hoo! FOTR is on tonight on TBS! Just thought I'd say that. Yeah.//
Maeg turned the pendant over and over in her fingers, fiddling with it as she thought. She felt a strange disturbance pass through her as Lara’li spoke, a ripple in the magical fabric of Middle Earth. Galadriel had returned. Maeg clenched her fist around the medallion. She had returned alone.
She could not bring herself to share this knowledge with Lara’li and Shadow. They had come so far, faced so much… And all for naught.
Shadow might already know, she realized. If Maeg could sense it with her elven powers, then could Shadow feel it with hers? She risked a glance at the younger elf, but her thoughts were interrupted by the knock at the door.
Maeg glanced at the door briefly, debating whether to open it and turned to Shadow, offering her a hand to help her to her feet.
Maeg’s hand trembled slightly as it hovered in the air. Something else was disturbing her. Despite her now-limited powers, she could sense that something was wrong. It was a strange, fleeting feeling, like a snowflake that landed on her nose only to melt a second later. She did not know what it meant. And it frightened her.
Where was Tiana? Who had done this to her? What would happen to this world, her home, if the Mirror could not be destroyed? What was going to happen to Shadow? Nothing, she thought fiercely. Her depression was burned away by an ardent determination. Glass-framed eyes narrowed.
“Almarien,” she whispered in Elvish so not to alarm Lara’li. “Is it possible for you to bind to another being to save yourself, like you bound yourself to Tiana? I know that she is your mirror, but could you form some sort of loose tie with someone else? Someone similar to yourself?”<br>
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Post by BEHIND YOU!!! on Dec 12, 2004 1:02:19 GMT -5
Shadow looked very much like she might throw up, her palior increasing greatly. She pulled her arms closer around her, shivering in the early-evening air. It wasn't just the cold that spawned her shakiness, though... it was the almost innocent in nature comment that Maeggaladiel made... a simple question.
She closed her eyes tightly, willing it to go away, willing the question to no longer be there.
But there was no way to escape what had been done. Her heart didn't want to answer, but her body took over for her, nodding blindly. She dropped a hand to her heart, as if to protect herself. "Yes... but, Maeg... you don't know what I went through to get out of that state. Once it grabs you..." Her elvish was stilted, almost, as if she was a forginer to the speech, though it was merely the panic that swept through her.
She accepted the helping hand, and rose, though shakily, to her feet. She tightened her grasp on Maeggaladiel's hand. "Why are you asking this?" she whispered hoarsely, still keeping to Elvish. "I... know I can... Force knows, I've done it before." Shadow shivered.
The memory of holding Jandalf in that same, similar thrall was still too fresh in her memory, though so far away.
"It... wasn't that Tiana was my Mirror," she continued. "We didn't have that... bond... until the Middle-earthian Mirror was formed. Then lost. No... I... Shadow can take anyone, anything." The way she said lómea-- shadow-- it was not as a name, but as a thing. "I don't want to return there, Maeg... return to that evil. To tie yourself to another person, to be able to hold their mind, their spirit in thrall..." Shadow shivered-- she was speaking her mind as if Maeggaladiel were her Master, though that tie was to another. //OOC note: Shade's apprentice is Meleni, Almarien was Jethine's Padawan for a time.// "Why do you ask this?" she repeated.
The ripple passed through the area like a stone through a river bed. Galadriel had returned-- alone. Shadow didn't know what would happen to her then. Though she had suspected that Tiana couldn't be pulled free. Not without the aid of others yet.
She glanced towards the door for a bare moment, and down to Lara'li, pleading with her eyes: You get it... please.
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Post by Lady Maeggaladiel on Dec 12, 2004 23:18:10 GMT -5
Maeg swallowed, staring at the ground.
"Ah," she said. "Forgive me, but I thought that this bond between you and Tiana was what was keeping you alive. Apparently I was mistaken. I just thought that if..." her voice trailed off. Frowning, she forced herself to look Shadow in the eye.
Maeg knew at once that Shadow had felt Galadriel's return. There was no use in maintaining any facade, save to keep the news from Lara'li. It really wasn't fair to do that to the human but she could not bring herself to be the bearer of bad news. She bit her lip and leaned forward, lowering her voice.
"We both know that Galadriel has returned without Tiana," she murmured. "And you cannot survive without her. All I wanted to know was if there was any way to change things so that you would depend on someone else for your survival." She paused to think about what she had just said.
"All right, that made absolutely no sense," she admitted, shaking her head. "Sorry. But do you understand what I'm trying to say?"
Their visitor knocked once more. Maeg looked doubtfully at the door and gave an odd half-smile.
"I suppose we should open it," she said flatly in Basic. "We don't want them to think we've escaped from our prison and are out terrorizing the unsuspecting public."
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Post by BEHIND YOU!!! on Dec 13, 2004 0:54:27 GMT -5
Shadow nodded once, slowly, faintly, and grabbed for Maeggaladiel's hand, though the older (?) elf was trying to escape the topic. She forced herself to carry on speaking elvish hoarsely. "Maeggaladiel... I can depend on another for survival, and you know it from what I've said. It's not a... hard thing... to... make myself another person's shadow for a time. But... it's that I wouldn't force it upon anyone again... like I had done. Like I did to Tiana."
Her mind shivered-- she hated to return to those memories.
"If Tiana dies now, yes, I'm dead," she continued quickly. "But... even if I were Mirrored to another person's Shadow... if Tiana were to die, I would still die... though mayhaps not in a physical sense. I...."
Shadow shook her head, growing slightly paler as she thought about what she was going to ask. Finally, after a brief pause, she forced herself to continue in Elvish, a low voice so that whoever was outside the door-- obviously a patient person-- wouldn't hear. "Maeg... you can sense what goes on... Outside... if Tiana were to be completely cut off... would you be able to do that, though... support me if there was that need?"
*********************
They were cut off in the conversation as their not-quite-so patient any longer visitor decided to open the door and see exactly what was going on. He grinned at the coment he had caught not too long before.
Sarian entered calmly-- looking the perfect picture of an elf guard for the moment. Then he spoke, soft and elven in tone-- but in Basic. "Hardly a prision," he said, a faint grin on his face. "Considering you have two Force-trained Enedhians, one Shadow-spawned Reflection, and one elf who couldn't see 3 feet in front of her face if I were to remove her glasses."He raised his hands, and his face softened. "No insult, of course... it's... a strange thing to see two outcasts return-- the one without a home returning-- though mayhaps not quite without a home yet."
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Post by Lady Maeggaladiel on Dec 14, 2004 18:53:49 GMT -5
Maeg put a hand to her hip and regarded their visitor with a cross between suprise and amusement. Once the elf had entered the room, Maeg donned a new persona. She found herself doing so quite often, sometimes without knowing it. Goofy Maeg had accompanied Jack Sparrow and the others towards the beginning of this adventure, Semi-Evil Maeg had tried to coax information out of Shadow when she trapped Tiana in the Shadow Realms, Guarded Maeg had become suddenly suspicious of everyone and everything when Ennariel popped up... And then her disguises were all torn away. She was just Maeggaladiel, a determined yet uncertain elf trapped in a situation that seemed far too large for her to handle. Now the mask was back.
"Three feet?" Tough But Funny Maeg echoed. "Oh, I'd say more about six." She laughed. "And it might take a bit more than you think to relieve me of my glasses." She instantly regretted saying that, since all it took last time was a strategically-placed orcish fist.
She swallowed and pushed the thought away. Already the mask was slipping. This was the elf whom Almarien had said was Force-sensitive. Maeg did not know Sarien very well, but she remembered speaking to him during her life in Lorien.
"You are Sarien, yes?" she asked. "And to what honor do we owe your visit to our little room of eternal sunshine?" She added, gesturing to herself and her two friends, looking melancholy.
She looked back to Almarien, pondering something. She needed to answer her question, but wasn't sure how to do so without seeming suspicious to either Lara'li or Sarien. She took a step towards Sarien, passing close to Almarien and whispering as she drew near.
"You can count on me."
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Post by Tiana, eh? on Dec 15, 2004 3:06:37 GMT -5
(( All right, now we tackle this reply-- Ariane needs to get a reply in to Jandalf, I suppose. As to the Elvish name used-- it shouldn't be TOO hard to guess what it means.))
She knew there would be a struggle. She knew the fight would come. As was so much else-- inevitable. Without any escape. Nevertheless, as Ariane sat back in her commandeered body, watching after A'karon, and the Mirror girl-- the Middle Daughter-- she found herself wondering exactly how deep the struggle would be.
Elachi trained that girl-- remember that, she reminded herself, finding herself slipping back into a rare moment of complete weakness. Completely lost at the memory of...
...Of Tiana's father, of Jandalf's Master, of my husband.
It slipped into her mind without a moment's thought, but Ariane regretted the thought as soon as it was there, and banished it. Or tried to.
She failed to completely remove that memory from her mind, though-- or was it Jandalf's mind that it came from.
It was the old Ariane-- the Shadow'd Ariane that thought through. Fighting is pointless, it is useless to resist. If you can hear me, Culuina'amrod, hear me out-- I am not a weak-minded fool like the Shadow girl you faced in this manner before.
Another Ariane in her mind smiled right back at her-- You're only thinking like this because you're afraid of what a Jedi Master can do, you know. You're afraid she can win a mental battle, if it comes to such...
Or worse-- that she'd find a way to enter the Shadows, become one, and take a physical body-- such as mine-- and face me on the same grounds.
Well... not quite.
Yeah. I'm shorter than she's used to being. Like that's any comfort.
I thought you were afraid.
I never denied it.
She closed her eyes, adding up the differences. Yes... they were all too equaly matched... but only because she had the Jedi Master in the Shadows. Only because she had the advantage of knowing how to use that magic.
Ariane pulled herself-- though it wasn't really herself-- into a tight ball, and picked a dagger up off of the ground. Began eching the tangible runic magic onto the boards that made up the ship.
It was too clear in her mind. I'm afraid.
That's what she wants. Fear is the mind-killer.
It's certainly working.
Especially since my fears are not grounded...
...I will let it pass through me. I will not be afraid.
And she wondered what she had to lose from fear-- from losing a possible battle.
If I go into this expecting to lose, I've got everything to lose. What reasons would a Jedi have to spair me, anyway?
Yeah. Exactly.
Girl, you are so dead.
I need to stop reminding myself before I end up doing her job for her. I will fight this-- I will not be afraid.
Nevertheless, her adopted hands were shaking-- and it certainly wasn't cold.
Something was wrong.
Lara'li didn't know what it was. Just that something was wrong.
It was the slightest bit of a hint in her mind, toying with her, making her think when she had no reason to think-- making her worry. A lot.
She didn't know why she was worried. Just that she was. Just that the two Elves were speaking Elvish, and not letting on. Shadow usually translates for me.
She wasn't.
Lara'li rubbed the side of her nose, and didn't move from her spot, merely keeping her eyes towards the door. She wasn't going to be the one to open it.
She remembered him-- the elf from the forest. Earlier. A lot earlier. Before everything had gone wrong-- it was already wrong-- and she had gotten lost in her mind's lack of abbility to follow.
Almost a familiar presence.
But not here. Not now. Not yet.
It was there though.
And what of the Keys? What of Tiana?
She was worried.
She was panicking. She always panicked. Even when her Master was there, beside her-- a calming presence. Tiana didn't even have that to fall back on.
It wasn't there.
And yet it was.
Her own words toyed with her thoughts. Mirrors of each other...
Tiana didn't know why she thought of that.
Not all who wander are lost.
How can a light spring from the Shadows-- it'll destroy the Shadows, won't it?
She wished she had a Mirror. In this Shadow'd, destroyed world, she wished she knew who she was, who she had become. "I'm no longer Tiana," she whispered. "Who am I?"
Tiana chewed on the make-shift Padawan braid she had braided in-- it bothered her to be without it. She didn't have a tie for it, though, and the end kept coming loose. She finally had to tie it off with some thread from the bottom of the black cloak she was wearing.
At least, she thought it was black. It might've been gray robes too-- or navy, or dark purple, or brown.
The world around her was too shadowy to make any sense out of anything.
It haunted her memory-- the sights she could see through a Shadow Sight. This is Middle-earth, fallen. This is just a vision this is only a dream this is just one of those too real imaginary sights you see when cut off this isn't reality this is all a dream I didn't die after Jandalf seen my death through the Shadows well actually I did but it wasn't a real death I only partly died I became a Shell is this what this world is A Shell world or is it a Splinter like Audreidi was I'm not prescient I never can foresee anything correctly none of this is real we're all gonna die Why am I thinking like this I didn't die we're going to live this can't be a vision it's too darn real to be false who the HECK am I I'm not Tiana anymore what color are my eyes who is this person I've became where's Jandalf Master I need you where are you I can't handle this anymore it's driving me insane I can't think I can't breathe it's coming over me...
She slumped to the ground, and a darkness greater than the Shadows took her.
((All right... Tiana's now unconscious in a Border Land-- a land Between the Shadows and Light. It turns you into an opposite-- basically Tiana looks pretty much like Jandalf normally would-- if Jandalf entered the same would happen to her-- she'd be warped into an opposite version of herself. Same with Shadow, Maeggaladiel, or anyone, really-- it's the Heart. *grins evilly* I plot too much. The Elvish meant orange wanderer, if you couldn't guess. I'm tired. This all means something, I think. Think... yeah right.))
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Post by BEHIND YOU!!! on Dec 15, 2004 3:20:52 GMT -5
Shadow had to turn away to avoid faint tears in her eyes showing. "Thank you," she mouthed, though Maeggaladiel couldn't see her reaction. She clenched her fists tightly, digging them into her palms to avoid any reaction that could give her away.
It hurt.
It worked.
She turned to face Sarian, but made no comment yet. She watched as he spoke, watched his face carefully as he replied to Maeggaladiel.
"I am Sarian," he acknowledged, bowing politely, keeping his face straight. "And... if I may, I could part you from your glasses without much effort, if the need were there." Again, a faint smile on his face. "It isn't.
"And you owe no 'honor' to my visit, as you put it-- I come of my own accord." He kept his face straight, staring the other elf down. "Is there a problem with that? I should think that Almarien may have mentioned me."
Shadow then spoke, almost tonelessly. "Shouldn't we be speaking Elvish-- as to not appear like we're trying to hide anything from the Elven folk?" Her expression was a bit too tight to look calm--
--it was almost afraid.
--Afraid of what?
//sory, tired I be. I'll write A'ka and Enn a bit later.//
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Post by Lady Maeggaladiel on Dec 17, 2004 1:55:24 GMT -5
Maeg held the other elf's gaze. She was not ready to discard the latest mask. It was a horrible habit, but one she could not break. Maeg did not let her guard down to anyone exept those whom she trusted most. Her hardest-learned lesson was one of self-preservation. If she showed no sign of weakness or pain, if she maintained her facade of nonchalance and let no one see through her armor, then no one could hurt her. If she let show the tiniest chink in her chainmail, they could pounce and tear her apart again. Yes, she was jaded. Yes, it was an unfair and stereotypical approach to looking at humanity. But it was how she survived. Shadow and Lara'li were the only ones who had truly seen the real Maeg in the most recent stages of their adventure. She was not yet ready to let down her guard to the rest of the world.
"There is no problem, Master Sarian," she said. She tried her best to ignore his remark about removing her glasses, but it was suprisingly difficult. She instead gave a tight-lipped smile and continued speaking, this time in Elvish in response to Shadow's recommendation. "Almarien has indeed spoken of you, to an extent. Please excuse my lack of manners; I meant you no offense. It is just... odd to be back in Lorien so soon. I fear my mind is only half-here today." Ha ha.
"If I may be so bold as to inquire," Oooh hoo, so now Polite Maeg was taking over. The Show of Masks was in full swing. "Is there something you wished to discuss with all of us, or did you perhaps wish to speak privately with Almarien? I am certain we could accommodate for either instance."
She half-turned to Lara'li and gave a sort of helpless shrug. This wasn't turning out to be a good day for Lara'li. It seemed the brief period of speaking in a language the human could understand was now ending. On one hand, speaking in Basic would be advantageous because all four of them could understand it. However, this would draw suspicion from any nearby elves and may raise questions about Sarian.
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Post by BEHIND YOU!!! on Dec 18, 2004 16:53:48 GMT -5
//I'm sorry about being so evil with Sarian. you might understand later. This is not godmodding-- Eowyn let me borrow Lara'li for this one post, but only because she's relatively under the weather. (aka, sleeping) I hope I kept her in character.//
"If I had come to speak merely with Almarien," Sarian replied in tight response to Maeggaladiel, "I would've done so and been gone before you, and thy short sighted eyes could have noted me." He held her gaze as surely as she held his-- a burning exchange between the two flying across the air.
It was a mental battle, more-- neither of them were about to let their true sides show-- both were masking themselves as surely as Vader did. Taking the shadows of their past, and wrapping them around themselves like a cloak, until only their flaming eyes would show underneath, and they could exchange flaming words. Words which sometimes stung more than an arrow's bite, sent from an orc's bow across a breached wall.
It was Shadow who broke the bitter silence, snapping in Sindarian as she had requested, "Darn it, stop calling me Almarien. Almarien is dead. I am Shadow."
"Shadow?" Lara'li snorted. "Almarien's as dead as you said I was." She spoke Basic, but her reply to Shadow proved she understood a bit more than she was letting on.
The two glared for just a moment-- the silver-haired human shaking her head.
"Almarien was killed," Shadow said softly. "If that's why you are here, Sarian, then I suggest you leave. There's nothing left of her anymore." Her expression was still tight, still too calm to be of use.
And Lara'li closed her eyes.
[/borrowing character]
***********
Enn woke up, and everything was dark. The Middle girl opened her mouth to scream, but was halted in the action by a hand over her mouth, and another tight hand over her wrists-- over ropes around her wrists, she mentally noted.
A'karon spoke lightly, as if nothing were going on. "Don't scream, and I won't have to choke you." He pulled his hand back, and tugged her into a sitting position. "I know you're awake now, girl."
She attempted to spit at him, but her mouth was dry. How long was I unconscious...? "Traitor," she hissed.
He shrugged helplessly. "You know what she's like."
"She's one of Them." Enn muttered. Thebonds on her wrists were fairly loose, but still snug enough that she couldn't get free.
A'karon shook his head. "No, Enn-- you know she isn't."
Enn sighed. "Go away, traitor." She ignored the hurt in A'karon's eyes, and attempted to find unconsciousness again.
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Post by Lady Maeggaladiel on Dec 19, 2004 20:29:47 GMT -5
//Feh, evilness isn't a problem.//
Maeg raised an eyebrow. She was used to this kind of exchange, especially between herself and elves of Lorien. This setting seemed so familiar that she wondered if she had ever left at all.
"Nice to see you too," she replied sarcastically. "I'm glad to see that some things never change."
Her eyes darted to Lara'li and Shadow as they argued over peices of their own history. All four of them were moving swiftly away from the present and into the past. This wasn't the time for Maeg to return to mindless bickering.
"Oh, what's the use?" she sighed haggardly, letting the facade slip ever so slightly. In that instant she looked worn and tired. The moment passed quickly as she regained her composure.
"If we keep this up, we'll never accomplish anything." She held up her hands. "I've no quarrel with you, Sarian. Whad did you wish to talk about?"
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Post by Jandalf on Toast on Dec 21, 2004 18:12:49 GMT -5
((
HEEHEEHEE...that's great. And I do understand the pendants a little better now. When should I introduce Padawan Jandalf? And when is Ariane going to react to JP fighting back?))
She was still hurtling along. That was the sensation, anyway. Or am I getting that illusion from moving surroundings, while I myself am still? At least, either way, I'm getting somewhere.
These defenses were thick. Jandalf had built them, once upon a time. Now they were being used against her.
Good thing I know their weaknesses. But that means I'll have to explore myself in a way I've never done before.
I don't think I like that very much.
But she knew she had to do it, regardless. She delved deeper, and she sped faster, and began to pick apart three different kinds of threads: one sort that belonged to Ariane, a sort to herself...and here and there, those that belonged to Tiana.
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