The Gift of (Mental) Speech|Malagard, Khelek
Dec 28, 2010 22:50:17 GMT -5
Post by Kender Bard on Dec 28, 2010 22:50:17 GMT -5
Locket hummed the refrain to one of the lullabies she had made up to her dozing children for one last time and then paused, breath held, until she was absolutely certain that they were all asleep. Then, smiling, she tiptoed out of the nursery and considered what she was to do next. What I’d like is a hot bath to relax in, she thought with a sigh. But that would involve hunting down a servant who was free to help her fetch the water and it felt like more work than it was worth. So did the thought of heading to the temple to give devotion to her lord. I’ve been remiss in my worship, she chastised herself. And she felt it was true. But that didn’t make her feel any less lazy. She retreated to her bedroom and fell back upon the bed with a heavy sigh. Lord Soahc, please forgive me for my lack of dedication.
“Nonsense,” said a rich male voice behind her. Locket squealed and jumped up from the bed in surprise. A tall man with black hair tapering off into different colored points so that the tips of his hair formed a rainbow stood in a magnificent and impressive Soahcian robe cut black and adorned with, like his hair, a rainbow of colors. “Well I was going to say that being slothful was a perfectly acceptable substitute but you had to go and ruin it by jumping up.”
Locket could only stare, speechless, because she knew in her heart who stood before her even if he hadn’t said a thing. After all, this was the image she always thought up when she imagined her lord.
“Very dashing,” Soahc chimed in. “And colorful. You really should have went with that impulse to paint the Anarlinan statue years back, my dear, it would have been a sight to see if your imagination is any indication.”
“My lord,” she breathed and went down on her knees out of both respect and awe so powerful that she could barely support her weight.
“I suggest you get up unless you plan on doing something in that position,” Soahc remarked casually. Locket swallowed hard and got back up with haste. “Aw. I should be hurt. Now, now, don’t stare at me like that. Admittedly the wide-eyed worship is something I never tire of, but in this case being tongue-tied won’t get us very far, now will it?”
“What have I done to earn your… attention?” she asked, hesitant because one never knew whether Soahc’s gaze could be good or bad.
Soahc cocked his head slightly and regarded her with one green eye that was more brilliant than the finest cut emerald. “Well. Nothing in particular I suppose. But there has been something you have been praying to me endlessly about and from a Generous, who generally do not ask anything, I am… moved to my own generosity. Besides, I am also getting tired of listening to your endless fretting of your spiritual duty. Not even all my priests can give themselves to me all the time at every moment of their day, my dear. And you have other duties now.”
Locket lowered her gaze. “I just fear that the part of me that is priestess is being pushed aside. You have… Done so much for me, my lord. I don’t want my additional duties to you to fall aside because it is merely convenient to put them at a lower priority.”
“I’ve done more for you than you realize,” Soahc murmured. “Well, no matter. Consider it as biding your time. Alas, I am not the seeress that my fair sister is, nor the calculating mastermind of probabilities that my brother is, but where change and fantastic new ideas are concerned, I am lord and master, and I can already tell that what you have planned for the future of your people will be more than enough to satisfy me. But we’ve gotten a little off topic.”
“We have?” Locket asked, a little stunned by this absolution from her guilt.
“We have,” Soahc agreed. “So why not continue to be so? Do you still have your namesake?”
Locket’s hand reached up and touched the silver chain around her neck, the locket itself nestled beneath her corset. “Always.”
“Let me see it.”
She hesitated, but only a moment, before unclasping the locket and removing it, holding it out to him.
He opened it up, grinned, and closed it again. “How cute. Now.” He turned it so that it faced Locket and began to swing it gently from the chain. She watched its movements, wondering what he was up to. When it continued unabated she felt herself watching its swaying movements with a kind of detached fascination. Then he swung it forward and hit her on the forehead rather hard.
“Ow!” She reached up and rubbed her forehead with an irritated look. “What was that for?”
“Fun,” Soahc answered. “And to surprise you. Surprises are always fun.” He opened up his hand again to offer her back the locket, though now it had a tiny amethyst embedded in the center of it.
“I… What…?” Locket held the necklace in her hands gently. “My lord…?”
“You’ll figure it out,” he replied easily. “Well, you’ve gotten two wishes. Your loud wish and your quiet wish.”
“My quiet…?”
“You’ve gotten to see me!” he spread his arms out. “Ta da! And I think this is the last time we will see each other too. Though who knows, really? I like to keep myself guessing.”
Locket blinked and looked at him, arms still slightly outstretched in a grandiose gesture. So she did what she always wanted to do; she threw her arms around him in an energetic hug, beaming broadly. He really was as tall as she imagined; her head only came up to his chest. “I love you, Soahc. You make life worth living.”
Soahc gave a small start and looked down at her with surprise before smiling again, perhaps a bit softer this time. He lay a hand on top of her head. “No. It’s the mortals that do, child. Put on your necklace.” He pointed to a mirror nearby.
Locket pulled away and spun her back towards him as she watched herself put the transmuted jewelry on, admiring the bright sparkle of the amethyst and how nicely it looked against the fine silver metal. She turned back around… And he was gone.
No, not gone, she thought, still feeling the memory of the warmth of him from her embrace. Or perhaps it was just joy that made her feel so. Always there, watching and listening.
But what did he do to her locket? She held it in her hand firmly and thought. Two wishes…? Surely not. But… It was worth a try. She wondered how one even spoke mentally. With nothing else to go on, she tried to project her thoughts as she always did but nothing really happened. Perhaps she needed a little more focus. She thought of Nagi, filled her mind with him until she felt her thoughts consumed and then, struggling to not lose thought of him, she also formed her speaking-thoughts and tried to project with focus on him. ~Nagi?~
“Nonsense,” said a rich male voice behind her. Locket squealed and jumped up from the bed in surprise. A tall man with black hair tapering off into different colored points so that the tips of his hair formed a rainbow stood in a magnificent and impressive Soahcian robe cut black and adorned with, like his hair, a rainbow of colors. “Well I was going to say that being slothful was a perfectly acceptable substitute but you had to go and ruin it by jumping up.”
Locket could only stare, speechless, because she knew in her heart who stood before her even if he hadn’t said a thing. After all, this was the image she always thought up when she imagined her lord.
“Very dashing,” Soahc chimed in. “And colorful. You really should have went with that impulse to paint the Anarlinan statue years back, my dear, it would have been a sight to see if your imagination is any indication.”
“My lord,” she breathed and went down on her knees out of both respect and awe so powerful that she could barely support her weight.
“I suggest you get up unless you plan on doing something in that position,” Soahc remarked casually. Locket swallowed hard and got back up with haste. “Aw. I should be hurt. Now, now, don’t stare at me like that. Admittedly the wide-eyed worship is something I never tire of, but in this case being tongue-tied won’t get us very far, now will it?”
“What have I done to earn your… attention?” she asked, hesitant because one never knew whether Soahc’s gaze could be good or bad.
Soahc cocked his head slightly and regarded her with one green eye that was more brilliant than the finest cut emerald. “Well. Nothing in particular I suppose. But there has been something you have been praying to me endlessly about and from a Generous, who generally do not ask anything, I am… moved to my own generosity. Besides, I am also getting tired of listening to your endless fretting of your spiritual duty. Not even all my priests can give themselves to me all the time at every moment of their day, my dear. And you have other duties now.”
Locket lowered her gaze. “I just fear that the part of me that is priestess is being pushed aside. You have… Done so much for me, my lord. I don’t want my additional duties to you to fall aside because it is merely convenient to put them at a lower priority.”
“I’ve done more for you than you realize,” Soahc murmured. “Well, no matter. Consider it as biding your time. Alas, I am not the seeress that my fair sister is, nor the calculating mastermind of probabilities that my brother is, but where change and fantastic new ideas are concerned, I am lord and master, and I can already tell that what you have planned for the future of your people will be more than enough to satisfy me. But we’ve gotten a little off topic.”
“We have?” Locket asked, a little stunned by this absolution from her guilt.
“We have,” Soahc agreed. “So why not continue to be so? Do you still have your namesake?”
Locket’s hand reached up and touched the silver chain around her neck, the locket itself nestled beneath her corset. “Always.”
“Let me see it.”
She hesitated, but only a moment, before unclasping the locket and removing it, holding it out to him.
He opened it up, grinned, and closed it again. “How cute. Now.” He turned it so that it faced Locket and began to swing it gently from the chain. She watched its movements, wondering what he was up to. When it continued unabated she felt herself watching its swaying movements with a kind of detached fascination. Then he swung it forward and hit her on the forehead rather hard.
“Ow!” She reached up and rubbed her forehead with an irritated look. “What was that for?”
“Fun,” Soahc answered. “And to surprise you. Surprises are always fun.” He opened up his hand again to offer her back the locket, though now it had a tiny amethyst embedded in the center of it.
“I… What…?” Locket held the necklace in her hands gently. “My lord…?”
“You’ll figure it out,” he replied easily. “Well, you’ve gotten two wishes. Your loud wish and your quiet wish.”
“My quiet…?”
“You’ve gotten to see me!” he spread his arms out. “Ta da! And I think this is the last time we will see each other too. Though who knows, really? I like to keep myself guessing.”
Locket blinked and looked at him, arms still slightly outstretched in a grandiose gesture. So she did what she always wanted to do; she threw her arms around him in an energetic hug, beaming broadly. He really was as tall as she imagined; her head only came up to his chest. “I love you, Soahc. You make life worth living.”
Soahc gave a small start and looked down at her with surprise before smiling again, perhaps a bit softer this time. He lay a hand on top of her head. “No. It’s the mortals that do, child. Put on your necklace.” He pointed to a mirror nearby.
Locket pulled away and spun her back towards him as she watched herself put the transmuted jewelry on, admiring the bright sparkle of the amethyst and how nicely it looked against the fine silver metal. She turned back around… And he was gone.
No, not gone, she thought, still feeling the memory of the warmth of him from her embrace. Or perhaps it was just joy that made her feel so. Always there, watching and listening.
But what did he do to her locket? She held it in her hand firmly and thought. Two wishes…? Surely not. But… It was worth a try. She wondered how one even spoke mentally. With nothing else to go on, she tried to project her thoughts as she always did but nothing really happened. Perhaps she needed a little more focus. She thought of Nagi, filled her mind with him until she felt her thoughts consumed and then, struggling to not lose thought of him, she also formed her speaking-thoughts and tried to project with focus on him. ~Nagi?~