Old Wounds (night of Sam 20)

[Guest]

In her dream, A'irduine found that she stood alone, gazing out across a wide, empty grassland, gold-green waves stretching on for endless miles beneath a blank white sky. The blades did not stir, did not twitch in a breeze, and the color of the sky did not shift or change. A'irduine shuddered. She knew that if she screamed now, no one would hear her, and if she laughed, no one would care.

Suddenly a voice sounded from behind her. "...A'irduine?" The adhiel shrieked and turned about. She knew that voice. Yes... It was Lynore. Somewhere deep inside her, A'irduine knew that Lynore was dead. Her little sister, with her strawberry blond hair and round, innocent hazel eyes, had been dead for six years, cut down by disease when she was only ten years old. But the dream-A'irduine was strangely distant to the intense joy and sorrow she should have felt at seeing her sister again.
"Lynore. You scared me." Scared wasn't the right word, exactly, but she could find no other word to describe the knot of apprehension that was slowly tightening inside her stomach. Lynore smiled innocently.
“I did? I’m sorry.” Lynore reached out and took hold of A’irduine’s hand trustingly, and then suddenly bent over, clutching her stomach and gasping. A’irduine felt it too, that sickeningly familiar burning and squeezing, as though her body was imploding. She retched, and fell over on the ground. Her legs and arms were stiff, like logs. She couldn’t move, could hardly breathe… And then, somehow, A’irduine found the strength to get to her feet. Although it made no sense, although inside herself A’irduine struggled to turn back, she ran across the grassland, it crushing easily beneath her feet and leaving circular indentations where her feet hit the ground. Meanwhile, her inner battle still raged. She needed to turn back… Lynore was dying, and once again A’irduine could do nothing to stop it. With a snap, the part of her that wanted to turn around won the fight. She pivoted on one heel, skidding to a momentary standstill. She could just make out the shape of her sister in the grass, writhing in pain. And then the blades of grass were waving, they became fingers and gripping talons which pulled her down to the ground. A’irduine screamed with fury, scratched and tore at the hands which were suddenly so strong. Her limbs were not like logs now, but like water. She felt the energy draining out of her. She sobbed helplessly into the earth, and then she was falling again, through the blackness of nothing…

OOC: Yep, revisiting A'irduine's past/present, and sort of filling in the time while I'm supposed to be cramming for exams. I have only the vaguest idea where I'm going with this, and would be happy to introduce new characters into this semi-plot thing, so feel free to add on!

[Guest]

It was not often that Eira was blessed with such luxuries as dreams. The time she spent lingering within the domain of sleep was usually shrouded in a mantle of darkest black, with anything she did experience whilst slumbering being ripped mercilessly from the confines of her memory upon waking. This night, however…this night had proven to be different, allowing the achadhiel to open her eyes unto surroundings which were only familiar in part upon reaching the realm of dreams.

Grassy banks highlighted in subtle tones of blue and green, dappled here and there by a clump of peony red flowers. The trees here were surprisingly indistinct, whilst the sky was a canvas of soft scarlet and pink. Perhaps not the most natural of settings, but then this was a dream and, as far as dreams went, anything was possible, really. In this ethereal place, all was calm and serene, just like the life she remembered, the life she had left behind in favour of travel and exploration.

An arc of a smile etched itself upon the half elf’s tan features as she gazed about her new environment. It seemed like a lifetime now since she had left her beloved Pan’s Isle, even though she knew within her heart of hearts that it had been a lot less. Maedhros, the adhiel who had once been her tutor in the art of dagger fighting, had always chided her for being such an inquisitive one, and perhaps, in a sense, he was right. For it was her inherent curiosity that had driven her to leave home, and to seek out places both new and exciting. Moving towards the still waters of the pool before her, Eira had been looking forwards to a swim when something else disturbed her, drawing her attention.

A ripple, followed by a scream; distortions in the facade of subdued serenity and calm that her surroundings had provided for her. For a moment the achadhiel experienced fear, although that soon fast as she remembered that all this was just a dream, not real. Even with that knowledge in hand, however, she could not help but feeling rather perturbed. Turning on the spot, the woman brushed aside stray strands of flaxen hair as she glanced about her, wary of what the dream would throw at her next for, out of nowhere, she felt she had heard the sound of someone crying.

[Guest]

Ai'rduine screamed as she fell with a bang out of the blackness and through a rosy sky. She hurtled through the air, but slowed as she drew nearer to the ground, as though she was sinking through water. She lay face down in the deep tuffets of grass for a moment, still weak and shaking. A few more hot tears slid down her face before she found the strength to sit up and brush them away. She seemed impatient with herself and with her own emotions, and with some amount of difficulty, she stood up and brushed herself off. Pollen had left a gold dust all over her mossy green clothing. A'irduine shook out her blonde mane of hair and sighed. She stood with her back poker-straight and her chin tilted at almost a defiant angle. Only her violently trembling knees would have given her weakness away. Luckily, they were hidden beneath long skirts. Ai'rduine started wandering about slowly, looking at her surroundings with a small amount of amazement. Only then did she notice the half elf watching her. Her eyebrows raised quizically, and her cheeks were slightly flushed. She despised her own weakness, both physically and emotionally, and this woman had seen her crying. Still, she curtseyed politely.

[Guest]

One pale brow lifted in curiosity as the achadhiel noticed Ai’rduine lying there before her. It was true that her dreams were rare, but those that she did have were usually filled with more masculine characters, and not strange elf women who came crashing down out of the sky accompanied by harrowing screams and tears. Watching cautiously as Ai’rduine rose from her unflattering position on the floor in a bid to sit up, and then rise to her feet, Eira canted her head and managed a crooked smile in response to the other female’s curtsey, not quite sure how else she should respond. The adhiel reminded her of her own elven heritage, and the way of life she herself had grown up with. At the same time, this woman was obviously disturbed by something, but what or who that might be remained an enigma to Eira’s enquiring mind, at least for now.

“What’s wrong? Why were you crying?”

Her words were spoken with what Eira hoped were soft and soothing qualities, in the language of the adhiel. Whilst it was a dialect she was much more comfortable in speaking, she had also always found it to be much easier on the ear; more flowing and eloquent than the language that humans called their own. Gathering up her own skirts, the half elf moved a slow step towards the other female, the look of curiosity remaining apparent on her face all the while. Regardless of the fact that the achadhiel was certainly not devoid of the ability to care for others, her inherent inquisitiveness often tended to outweigh all other sentiments of rationality when it came to encounters such as this. Hopefully, with a bit of luck, such a thing would not work to put the other woman off in responding.

[Guest]

A'irduine shuddered slightly as the half-elf woman asked her an innocent question, but then she stopped, thinking about what she had been asked. What had frightened her so? As most dreams did for A'irduine when they had melted into the past, the vivid images that had been engraved in the elf's mind were blending together, fading and becoming only emotion. A'irduine could only remember her sister's face, that terrible sense of helplessness as the strength left her body... she shrugged.
"Just a dream," she said, smiling slightly and looking around once more. "As I assume this is. I've never seen a sky this color before." She sighed in growing happiness and relief and spun about, staring up at the heavens and forgetting the achadhiel's presence for a moment, before she stopped, once again becoming extremely courteous. "Even the sunsets in Kislovan were nothing like this."

[Guest]

Eira thought she had seen something in the way the other female reacted that wasn’t quite…right. Had she trembled? A shudder, a quivering in response to a question that had been asked innocently enough, and without even a hint of malice. She was almost completely certain that the other woman wasn’t telling the whole truth just for politeness’ sake, but did not want to pursue the matter too blatantly for fear of seeming rude. Smiling slightly at the fallen adhiel’s comment about the sky, Eira made to gaze upwards, too, speculating at the work her dream had managed to come up with for her and subsequently marvelling at its stunning strangeness.

“Neither have I, to be honest, but then I’ve never seen it rain adhiel before, either.”

Grinning at that, the woman glanced for a moment to the pool behind her, before looking to A’irduine once more. To be perfectly honest, she was still curious as to what it was that was preying, or had been preying, on the elf’s mind. Perhaps she would be willing to reveal all soon, then perhaps her inquisitive nature would finally be satiated for a change.

“I was about to go for a swim. Perhaps the water would do you some good, too, miss…ehm…”

A moment of embarrassment, and Eira almost found herself flushing with sheepishness. Thankfully her skin was dark enough so that the subtlety of the involuntary gesture was not so apparent.

“I’m sorry…I didn’t even introduce myself. My name is Eira. Who…who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?”

If A’irduine was simply another creation of her dream, then she was not so sure why she was asking. Still, even in dreams, was it not right to exude something in the way of manners and common courtesy?

[Guest]

OOC: By the way: Ai'rduine is an adhiel, but in your last post you referred to her as being a half-elf. Just pointing that out, I mean no offense. n_n Oh, and a warning: At present time, I believe we are both in the same thread at the Drunken Duck. My character just missed you by a couple entries, but they can't meet each other until after the night of the 20th, otherwise time will be messed up! <p> IC: A'irduine smiled at Eira's comment about raining elves. The dream was quickly becoming less frightening, perhaps to the point where she could talk to this woman about it? She seemed friendly enough, and her curiosity was understandable: it wasn't every day that women fell screaming out of the sky, even in dreams. Ai'rduine listened with slight amusement as the other female stumbled through an introduction, noting the flush of her cheeks, and then said kindly, <p> "I am pleased to meet you, Eira. My name is A'irduine. And a swim does sound lovely." Ai'rduine eyed the water. How deep was it? She had not been swimming since she was a child, and was afraid she might be hopelessly out of practice.

[Guest]

OOC: I’m so sorry! *smacks self round head* I’ve edited my last post to change it al to adhiel. Also, the Drunken Duck thing shouldn’t be a problem- I’m assuming you arrived there on the 20th Samheen? I arrived there on the 19th, and on the 20th I’m off playing in the forest, so we shouldn’t really run into each other before this dream takes place.

IC:

“A’irduine…It is a pretty name. Come, the water will make you feel better.”

Still smiling, the achadhiel looked pleased that the other had taken up her offer of a swim. Perhaps after that the elven female would tell her more, tell her why she had been screaming, why she had fallen out of the sky like that. Turning back to the pool of water itself, Eira then began to approach it. A’irduine, when she eyed the water, would not be able to see the bottom of it, even though it seemed clear enough. A few fish milled about within the translucent swathes of the waters, small and eloquent little things with fins like long, sinuous wings and brightly coloured hues to them.

Turning away from the adhiel, Eira forewent the need to strip in favour of diving headlong into the pool itself. With a splash to accommodate the sudden arrival of her lithe form, the waters were both cool and refreshing, invigorating and strangely numb at the same time. Then, wasn’t that the way of dreams? To feel without feeling? To experience the memory of touch, rather than touch itself? Whether it was or not, the achadhiel was not about to dwell on such matters now; they were unimportant, and trivial in their intent.

She was surprised that the dream had been so calm so far, besides the screams and cries of the adhiel, of course, and wondered whether or not this was simply the proverbial calm before the storm. Even though a part of her expected this serenity to warp into some depraved nightmare soon enough, an even greater part of her hoped that it would not. Relaxing times such as these were becoming increasingly hard to steal, after all, even if they were not theoretically real. Swimming a short way towards the centre of the pool, the girl would then wait to see if A’irduine would really join her.

[Guest]

A'irduine waded slowly into the water after Eira, feeling the chill creep up her skirts and across he back. Treading water with surprising ease- apparently the dream A'irduine was a much better swimmer than she was in reality- she smiled as she felt fish dart about her ankles, their scales flashing like jewels in the sunlight hitting the water. The adhiel then moved into deeper water, floating on her back as she examined the sky once more, fingering the mourner's locket hung about her neck and examining her life distantly, as though she were someone else. She was still looking back, even as she tried to move forward with her life; the dream made that much obvious. So what was she to do next? A'irduine suddenly remembered where she was, and glanced over at Eira, hoping her silence had not made the achadhiel uncomfortable.

[Guest]

The waters held the two afloat with a surprising gentleness and ease; apparently, within the dream the pool was not nearly as malicious or spiteful as it could have been, and Eira, for one, had no trepidations about being pulled under. Not now, in any case. Studying the adhiel as she floated on her back, gazing up at the sky, Eira began to wonder once more at A’irduine’s story, of how she had come to be here, of what she had seen beyond the veil of the firmament. Whilst her own little pocket of the dream was calm enough, it seemed to her as though the elf had just dropped down out of a nightmare, and the curious side of her wanted to know all the associative details.

She did not fail to notice the elf fingering the iron charm hung about her neck, although she did not really think much of it. She had a necklace of her own, all of pearls, and when she toyed with that it meant she was either bored, nervous, confused, or all three. As such, it did not sink in that the trinket might have meant something much greater to A’irduine’s mind.

“So…what was up there?”

On the contrary, A’irduine’s silence had not made her feel uncomfortable; if anything, it had made her more anxious to learn about what had been troubling the elf. Swimming a little closer to the adhiel, the half elf wore an open smile on her face as she spoke, slowly and calmly so as not to instil too many feelings of hesitance insecurity in the other female. She could only hope that A’irduine would not see her as being too nosy, although, then again, she was assuming the adhiel to be but another figment of her dream, albeit a figment with a story to tell.

[Guest]

A'irduine decided that she would answer Eira's question. The adhiel did not exactly enjoy being mysterious, and she felt at ease around the other woman. <p> "Old memories." She took a deep breath and began her story. "It was six years ago when this began. I lived on a farm in Kislovan with my mother, my father, and my younger sister, Lynore. There were no people for miles around, and Lynore was the only one I could really talk to. I was thirteen, she was ten. That winter, a disease was brought into our home by a merchant passing through, who asked to stay the night in our home for a few coins. My parents and I survived," A'irduine laughed hollowly, "Although I doubt very much I could tread water weighted down by my clothes in reality. I am very weak sometimes, although it comes and it goes. Lynore, though... She died." Grief shadowed A'irduine's face like a dark cloud for a split second, and then it passed. Her voice was numb as she continued. "You have to remember that we lived in the middle of nowhere. We could not fetch a healer, because there were none around us. It was so hard, to watch someone you love die... Knowing that something could be done about it, but it was beyond your reach. That's why I'm journeying to the Abbey now. To become a healer, to ease that helplessness I felt for the four years I could hardly get out of bed half the time. It's hard to explain... But that's about the best I can understand it myself." A'irduine shrugged. "Emotions are irrational sometimes, aren't they?"

[Guest]

“You have quite a history for one created by a dream.” The girl muttered, glancing away for a moment as she ran over the adhiel’s words once more, this time within the safe haven of her own mind. Having to watch someone you love die was not something that Eira could really say she had experienced before in her life. On the contrary, her existence had been a happy one for these past thirty-odd yahren, and she could only hope that that pleasantry would continue in future. Not able to understand the extent of what A’irduine was feeling, the achadhiel could hardly sympathise with the woman in any great way, although she nevertheless felt for her. Having a tragedy such as that one in your life couldn’t have been good or healthy, after all.

Lowering her voice to a whisper, the half elf’s next words were spoken quite softly, serene in the face of A’irduine’s sad tale.

“I am sorry for your loss…”

She did not know what else to say, was not overly skilled when it came to comforting others. To the other female’s words concerning emotions, Eira narrowed her eyes in thought, silently considering the question which may have may not warranted an answer from her in kind.

“I suppose…they may be irrational, but I think they are also what make us what we are. They can hurt sometimes, but they also make us stronger, and without them, we would be hollow.”

She doubted that that was really any comfort to the poor adhiel, but then they were her own opinions on the matter of emotions, simple as that. Then, did she even need comforting? Her voice had sounded pretty much devoid of feeling as she had spoken, expect for that one split-second where a wave of grief had dared to wash over her. Managing a smile as she spoke once again, her voice became much stronger in volume for a moment, maintaining a tone of pleasantry and kindness as the words were intoned.

“Learning how to heal is a noble goal, though, I think. Your sister would have been proud of you, I’m sure. You say that Abbey, though…you mean the Abbey in Dort?”

She probably did- this was a dream, after all, and it would only make sense for A’irduine to be headed somewhere she knew, or at least recognised, as being real. Then again, perhaps she meant a different Abbey, in some different place. She had not had the opportunity to travel much, after all, and such a thing was certainly a possibility. Falling silent then, the achadhiel would then wait on the elf’s response, and her answer to the question asked.

[Guest]

A'irduine felt slightly mortified as the achadhiel cast her eyes downward, obviously uneasy. She had not been looking for anyone's sympathy or consolation, but knew that Eira's reaction- and response- were customary. She had grown used to it. <p> "You have no reason to be sorry for me, do not waste your thoughts on it," she said in what she hoped was a kindly tone; she somehow was very good at accidentally offending people and hoped that the same would not happen in this dream. "The Mother willing, some good will come out of this entire affair." The elf cast her eyes skyward for a moment when she mentioned the Goddess. <p> "Indeed, I am headed to the Abbey in Dort. A very fine place to learn the healing arts, I hear. I learned a little along the road, but-" she shrugged, "not enough to be truly competent." She was silent for a moment, and then asked, smiling slightly, "Well, now you've heard my life story, so what of yours?" She hoped she was not being intrusive, but she was as curious about the origins of the other woman as Eira seemed to be about hers.

[Guest]

“Mine?” The achadhiel looked quite perplexed for a moment there, wondering why in the world A’irduine would want to know about her life story when she was clearly the figment of a dream. Of course, Eira had no clue, or at the very least, had not even begun to consider the fact that she might be sharing the dream with another real person. Still, rudeness was not a trait she enjoyed showing, even in circumstances as strange and fickle as this. “Nothing very interesting, I’m afraid. Let’s see…I was born on Pan’s Isle, and raised by my mother. My father was human, but I never really knew him. It was a nice place, but…well, I suppose I get bored too easily. I left it behind a while ago, after deciding I wanted to see more of the world. I arrived in Dort a couple of days ago.”

And that, in essence, was the short of it. Unfortunately for A’irduine, Eira was not much of a storyteller, even when it came to something as intricately familiar as her own life. Not wanting to bore the other woman too much, the half elf then made another attempt, hoping to spice things up a little with the mention of the great beast she had seen.

“It’s a nice place. I was afraid it would be a little dull at first, but I’ve had some nice…surprises. I didn’t expect to see a dragon, for one- I think I’m lucky he didn’t see me as a light snack.”

She smiled then, feeling a little more comfortable. It was hard for her to make the gesture any more than slight, however; A’irduine’s tale had been a sad one, after all, and she could not help but feel remorseful in response. That the adhiel was in the same city as her had not come as much of a surprise- in her opinion, the contents of her dream would be based upon her current knowledge and experiences, and the abbey of Dort just happened to fall into one of that pair of categories. Looking to the adhiel more curiously then, the woman wondered whether A’irduine wanted to know anything in particular- not being much of a conversationalist herself, it was hard for Eira to tell.

[Guest]

A'irduine smiled as Eira briefly related her story to her. Her childhood had been a happy one, it seemed... Perhaps this place was somewhat like her home? A'irduine had never been to Pan's Isle, and the thought occured to her that the woman had been sitting in her dream even before she had fallen into it. Perhaps this was not her dream she had fallen into after, all, but someone else's... A'irduine brushed the revelations away. The thoughts were disconcerting and tied her brain in knots as she tried to think them through. Besides that, they were foolish. <p>
"You saw a dragon?!" A'irduine was amazed. She wasn't even aware that there was such a thing! ...Her father had told stories of them, now that she thought of it, but she was sure they had only been that: stories... "What was it like? How close were you?"

[Guest]

The achadhiel giggled for a time in response to A’irduine’s astounded reaction. Evidently, she had obtained the reaction she had been looking for, and some follow-up questions, besides. Allowing her laughter to subside, the half elven woman managed to suppress it down to a wide grin as she looked to the adhiel once again, joviality evident in her lightly tanned features.

“Yes, yes I did!”

Still unable to suppress her impish grin, the girl then pressed on in the answering of A’irduine’s queries,

“I wasn’t that close, to be honest. I was in the woodlands around Dort when I saw it…A big black thing, with huge wings and claws. It swam through the sky as easily as a fish would through water…like a shadow.”

Realising that she was not doing a very good job at describing the airborne beastie, the achadhiel then let slip a half-hearted sigh, before looking away to some indistinguishable blemish on the water’s surface.

“I would show you, but I’m not sure if I can.”

A thought suddenly provoked into being, and Eira was looking back at A’irduine once more, a warm smile now painted across her features.

“Hey, I don‘t suppose you know how to work these dreams, do you?”

Perhaps if she concentrated hard enough, then she could cause the scenery enshrouding them to change…perhaps. Perhaps such a thing would merely send the pair of them into some random otherworld inhabited by nightmarish fiends and beasts instead. Best to hear if A’irduine had any thoughts or suggestions on the matter first, if only for the sake of politeness.