my mind remains my pain, I'm tied down to this chain (part XIII)

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part XII.)



They had a problem.

It wasn't a huge problem--yet--but the Duke's personality felt...unstable. And the axolotl tanks were definitely low--just trace organic matter in the processing tanks, and none at all in the living ones. She left the Duke sleeping in the garden, trusting Justine to take care of any problems that arose, and left to return to the fae.

They had another problem. Or she did. The problem, she thought, with exploring the fae lands was...there were few places that could be pointed to as solidly existing, in X place, in X time, forever. Everything was mutable. Everything shifted. Lands were hidden within lands hidden within other lands.



She'd been so long away, she was embarrassed when she got lost. She had to ask for directions from a faery dragon. After the requisite amount of sneering, he handed her a compass. Oh, gosh, thanks ever so.



Now, if that's north...basically...then the Fearī nebula would be....right. Okay. Reoriented. The next step was finding the village under the nebula.



Sit by the night-blooming orchid, the denizens told her. Wait until nightfall, they told her. Wait until the night turns green, they told her...



Two acquired. Off to the next points. And...wow. Those are...big.



But in the end, the jaunting served the purpose. She'd picked up at least one axolotl at every stop. Now, granted, while they were recognizeably axolotls, they also had finned tails, and...wings. Was that going to be a problem?

She honestly wasn't sure.

But what she was sure about was going to the panel next to the tank, and signifying readiness for clone use. She began preparing the repair tank so they could bring Hiro Secundus up to be...stabilized.

She really hoped this worked...

(Continued in part XIV.)

a symbol for my shame, the color of your name (part VIII)

"Three separate ER nurses have either rolled their eyes at me or called me 'lame' for dropping a hatchet on my own head. Everyone's a critic."
~~John Roderick

(Continued from part VII.)

The next link in the chain.

Sun, Jul 8, 2012, 10:11 PM

[given name],

Today has been spent, in between scorching bouts of heat adaptation, working on lessening the tendency to reach for you. I have felt, all day, as if I am continuously stretching out my arms, seeking reassurance, seeking presence, which is not there. And each time I have that moment of realization, followed by depression, followed by resolve.

I have ingrained so many processes in you. Surcease and desire, devotion and absolution, fear and balm, and I am again standing in my own way if I keep responding. It makes it difficult to think on you, to process--even to write.

I've written other poems but you're not here, so I'm uploading them to Tumblr and letting them stand.

It used to be just seeing your name lifted my heart, made my pulse flutter and charmed me, claimed me, changed me. Now? I think of you and I cry.

It's not a good change.

Still love you. Still here. Back to trying not to hate you.

[Em]

Still trying to track all the scattered poems down throughout the Tumblr archive. It's taking some time.

More to come if I find it.

(Coded to Black Veil Brides' Scarlet Cross on repeat.)

hurts me to tell you I don't feel the same (part XII)

(Continued from part XI.)

She caught up with them in the medbay. "There you are," she said, relieved. Justine just shook her head. "He isn't responding." She looked from Justine to the Duke. "...Hiro?" she asked. He just stood in place, staring at the med cell. No...staring at the stasis pod in the cell.

"Any luck with the glowy portal thingy?" She shrugged. "Well, it's...stable," she murmured. Justine frowned. "..Stable. That isn't as good as 'shut down'. Or 'banished'. Or 'made so it never happened'."

Unhappily, she nodded. "No, not as--"

A sensation as if all the air had been sucked from her lungs. While she fought to take a breath, sparkle surrounded her, and the next thing she knew, she was falling in midair, from the deep cobalt of upper atmosphere down into dawn. "ACK--" she managed, and then hit the roof of the Mystic in Carcosa. She heard several sharp cracks on impact, and just laid there a moment, breathing. Waiting for her bones to knit.

Hiro Secundus, damn and blast him, floated down as if he fell from a space station every day. That was one spell that would have been handy to know, she thought dourly. She stood, shakily, testing her balance. It hurt to inhale. Ribs always took longer.



"Ow," she finally said, looking at Hiro. "What--happened?"

"I fell," he said simply.

She nodded. That much was obvious. "Yes, but...why did I fall? And why did we fall into Carcosa?" She looked around. "That was...what was that??"

"Something ejected us from the medical unit," he said softly. "The station, actually..."

"Say that again, slowly," she said. She watched him swallow. "I feel sick," he said, his voice plaintive. "Em...I need to lay down..."

She nodded decisively. "You do. Back at the main house, or...somewhere up here?" He turned to her, his eyes wide. Wounded. She hurt, seeing that look in his eyes. "Em," he whispered. "Let's go somewhere safe..."

She nodded. "I can do that," she murmured. "I'm confused," he said. She touched one of his epaulets, reached out and pinched a section of local space, folding it in quick sections, reappearing back on ground level, in the garden. She flipped the folds, splaying her hand open, pulling Hiro in next to her. She kissed him gently, leading him to the bed bedecked with stars.

"Widow's son," he murmured. She kissed him again, soft press of her lips to his. "Queen of Heaven," he murmured in response. She sighed and nodded.



"Security questions," she said, her voice low, comforting. She pulled him into her arms, laying them both down, wrapping one of her legs over his. He looked at her, that wounded look. She'd burn down cities to take that look from his eyes. But she wasn't sure how to help him now.

"Who is Hiro Prime?" he whispered." She cupped his face. "Shhh...It will all make sense later," she said. "I promise."

He laid back on the bed, eyes unfocusing. "Okay..."

(Continued in part XIII.)

keeping our distance lately (part XI)

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part X.)

"Maybe we need to figure this out." Justine started pacing. "I don't understand what's going on..."


She knelt by the chair, patting his knee. "It's all right," she said, hoping she sounded reassuring. Justine snorted. "Yeah. It's all right. It's just fine. This is fine." She looked at Justine.



"We have seventy-two hours, right? From the deployment of the..." She swallowed. She was not going to say clone. "From...the deployment?" she finished awkwardly. Justine shrugged. "I have no idea. There was no timeline given."

"I thought there was."

"Not that I heard."

"From when the repli..." Damn. "Um..."

"STAN," said Hiro. "Is there a time line, fo...uh..."

"STAN," said Justine. "How long until 'Tannhäuser Gate Closing' is activated? Has Phase 2 been completed? When does Phase 3 start?"

She stared at the dark screen, then looked at Justine. Justine looked at the screen. "STAN?"

Nothing. She cleared her throat, suddenly thick with worry. "So...any test results yet?" Justine stared at her. "Emilly...did you get my comm earlier?"

A sudden low mechanical voice. "STAN," it said. "You have 5171 minutes until completion of Phase 2."

"About, um...STAN," Justine added. Emilly nodded. "I did, and...wait. I should know this."

A click. The voice. "You have 5169 minutes until completion." She blinked. "So...three days? Give or take?"

"Em, could you--could you come over here a minute?" Justine walked towards the door. She shot a glance at Hiro, then walked out to meet her in the central hub.

"I don't think STAN can be trusted," Justine murmured. "That was the right answer to the security question. I'm not sure the orders it's carrying out are the ones Hiro installed." Her eyes widened, listening. "I think we've been compromised," Justine continued, and the problem is worse than...[f*ck]." She looked over her shoulder.

"I'm...not either. And the screen shut off, it's never done that befor--Hello!" she finished brightly, as Hiro walked in behind them.

"Yeah, the screen--the screen, it shouldn't have--" They both watched as Hiro ran past them and down the hall, away from the flight deck. "Oh, no!" she said. Justine just turned and ran after him.

"Hiro, wait! Stop!"

She ran after, risking a few near-falls as she tried to keep them in sight, slowing down only when she saw he'd stopped in one of the observation domes. The one with...

Oh, no. The mage's chair.



"Hiro, what the he--" Justine started, and she cut her off. "Hiro! What did you do?" Hiro turned and ran past her, out of the dome. She just watched the glowing sigil on the floor, spinning rapidly. Her lower lip trembled as she heard the whispers from the center.

Justine edged closer. "Emilly...what..what is it?" She waved her hands at the sigil. "I do tech. This is all you."

"Please, tell me he didn't open a hell portal," she breathed. She looked up at Justine. "Where did he go?"

Justine stared at her. "A...hell...portal...You've got to be kidding me." She just shook her head, looking back at it.

"I'm going after him," Justine stated, and stalked out of the dome.

She sighed. "I'm really, really not." Justine paused near the opening, whispering. "Can you...do something? While I get him back?"



She took a deep breath, calling on some simple stabilizing spells, muttering under her breath while the sigils on the floor began to form into letters. When she saw they were the same ones on the witch bomb, she ran to find Justine.

(Continued in part XII.)

can't imagine the pain that you feel when I kiss his face (part X)

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part IX.)

"Hold on," she heard Justine say as she walked into the fringe lab once more. She grinned. "Yeah, I was trying to find the cloning lab earlier."



Justine just stared at the replicant. "Gloves off, please."

Hiro Secundus rubbed his eyes, then removed his gloves, blinking. Justine took them and walked off. "Thank you."

She tilted her head, looking from Justine across the room, to Hiro Secundus, sitting in the chair again. "So, how do you feel?"

She heard Justine typing some sequence into the panel. "Who are you asking?" She looked over. "Hiro, of course."



Hiro shrugged. "I'm fine...just kind of...brain foggy." She nodded, she hoped reassuringly. "Of course."

Hiro looked up. "How are you?" She smiled, warmer now. "Doing a weirdly huge amount of socializing this week. Beyond that, fine." She watched him smile, trying to see if there were any noticeable differences. "I got friended by a demon!"



Hiro's eyebrows rose as he touched a panel in the floor and a large jar rose up, containing an oversized brain and eyes. She blinked at it, before turning her attention back to Hiro Secundus. "I don't know why I say it like that, it would hardly be the first time." Not even the second, even.
Hiro just nodded absently, leaning towards the jar. "Hello," he said in a distinct voice.

"Hello," came the machine-assisted voice from the jar. Her eyebrows rose.

"I guess I'm still trying to puzzle out what the hell I did that made him say, okay, yes, this person, today, I shall friend her."

There was a click. "I say it like that, would hardly be the first time. D." She grinned wryly. "I bet you do, Brain." Another click, then the mechanical voice. "Hello."

"Hi there!"

Another click. "I did that, would hardly be the hell I guess I'm still trying to puzzle out. What the first time D."



She blinked. "Damn, we got it to curse in under a minute."

A soft whir. "I don't know why, I guess, I'm still trying to puzzle out what the hell I did that. Yes, yes, I did, that made him say it like that, that made him say, this person, this person, this person, yes, yes. Brain."

She tilted her head. "Sure."

"Damn, we got it like that, this person, brain." She frowned, hearing the voice. "The brain is supposed to learn, yes? Assisted neural network?"

Hiro leaned in, whispering. "Why is Justine so stressed?" She stepped closer, carding her fingers through his hair. She loved the texture, she always had. "It's okay," she said softly. "She's...adjusting. She's never settled when you've been ill."

"Brain..." Hiro looked over to the jar. "Brain!" She looked over. There was a glug sound, but that was all. She sighed. "It's gone non-responsive."

"Justine?" Hiro stood. "Why did you want me to take my gloves off?" Justine laughed again, that edged sound. "Needed your DNA." Hiro laughed too, but more unsteadily. "...Why?"

The Duchess made flailing motions with her hands. "Oh, you know her, always working..."

"To get control of the Command Centre," Justine said. "Right now it's locked to you. And apparently, I have witch bombs and eldritch rockets to disable."

Hiro blinked. "Wait...Who told you that?" She looked up from the panel. "STAN, unless I misunderstood." Hiro blinked. "Oh...Did you get control of the station?"

Justine shook her head. "No." Emilly stepped closer, placing a hand on Hiro's arm. "No, you didn't misunderstand," she said to Justine. "We would rather Stormhold doesn't blow up."

Another click, an even softer whir, and the large reader screen began to dim. "Powering down," said the soft, feminine voice, and then the screen went dark.

"There are a lot of things I would rather not be blown up," Justine said, "Starting with the station we're standing on right now." Emilly nodded. "That too, yes. I mean, we can just go to ground level, but there's no guarantee there won't be fallou--"

Hiro stepped to the panel in front of the screen while she was still occupied watching what Justine was doing on the other side of the room. "Activate Security Override," she heard Hiro say behind her, and whirled. "Oh, no..."



Hiro quietly intoned "Ai-neko-orr..." She drew closer. "Are you--sure you should do that?" she asked quietly. Justine flicked her eyes over. "I'd also like to find out what 'Weaponized Magic Anti-Kidnapping Response' consists of, and if it's able to find Hiro Prime and get him back."

She looked at Justine behind Hiro's back, making chopping motions across her throat. Justine just narrowed her eyes.

"If I can get control of the station, I can find out. Because right now, STAN is being pretty damned stingy with information."

The screen lit again, pulling her attention back.

STAN: DNA CONFIRMED AUTHENTICATE WITH PASSCODES..
STAN: DNA CONFIRMED AUTHENTICATE WITH PASSCODES..

Hiro laughed, that sound now tinged with something else. His was definitely hysteria. "Hiro Prime?" he asked, looking at Justine. She crossed her arms. "Emilly, if you have any better suggestions, I'm listening." She followed his hand motions, worrying. "I'm...I'm not sure."

"Begin Passcode authentication," Hiro said. "Uh-oh," Justine said quietly.

She just buried her muzzle in her hands, breathing, before looking at the screen again.

STAN: Question 1: Who Killed the Widow's Son?

Justine whispered, but she felt if she could clearly hear it, so could Hiro. "Does he know the passcodes?" Hiro's eyes darted between them rapidly. She shrugged, confounded. "Uh..." Hiro said, looking at her, then at the screen. "Widow's son?"

"Really, it's all right. You can track this down later. You should probably rest now." She opened her mouth to say more and blinked at the line flashing on the screen.

STAN: You have failed. You have five more tries.

She looked over at Justine. Whispering back. "What happens if he fails four more times?" Justine's eyes widened. "[F*ck]," she said. "This is bad."

On the screen, the line changed.

STAN: Who is the Consort of the Queen of Heaven?

"Adonai," Justine said. Hiro staggered back to the chair. "Adonai," he murmured. Justine inhaled and froze, watching. And...nothing happened, except...



"The screen shut off again," she murmured, staring at the wide expanse of black glass. Justine stepped away from the panel. "Is that good or bad?" She looked at the other woman. "That was only two tries."

A masculine mechanical voice came from somewhere near the dark screen. "STAN," it said. "You have failed." Justine's mouth dropped open. "It was...god damn it!" Hiro looked between the two of them. Justine just shrugged. "What do we do now?" Hiro put his head in his hands.

(Continued in part XI.)

I know love is the loneliest place when you fall alone (part VII)

"To stray from built order is to confront the man with a gun."
~~Adam Gopnik

(Continued from part VI.)

The first of several short ones.

Jul 6, 2012, 4:52 AM

[given name],

I don't like not writing you. But today was the first fairly calm day I've had in over a month, and it's the first night I feel as if I'll be able to leave the keys, and go to sleep. I don't entirely know why I got so wrapped up in you, but I'm pulling away as much as I can stand, and trying to focus on making my life work again, over why your life separated from mine.

When I have to, I'll take other days off; in the meantime, trying to obey You in looser fashion, and see how it goes.

I'll be here when you get back, if you ever do, and I do love you.

[Em]

This was followed by

Jul 7, 2012, 12:45 AM

Master,

For most of the evening, I've been resting and fairly immobile; I'm keeping dinner down but I have a severe migraine, so I didn't even return to the keys until nearly midnight. I am currently buffered by more painkiller than I want, and carefully breathing until four, where--if I'm still having pain--I'll take my nightly meds, which include ibuprofen, and be off to bed.

I'm still worried about you. I still love you. I'm still here. What I don't know is where you are, but I'm starting to let go of needing to know. You'll tell me, or you won't, and life goes on either way. And though I'm not entirely sure what it means at this point, I still consider myself~

Yours.

[Em]

A slightly longer missive to finish this entry.

Sat, Jul 7, 2012, 9:49 PM

[given name],

Today did not go well. It was punishingly hot, and I didn't respond as quickly as I should have, or there were still lingering traces of last night's migraine. Either way, I quickly grew dizzy and disoriented, and by the time I really thought it through, I was only able to stagger to the reclining chair, where I stayed, half-conscious, until the girls arrived home from shopping. They've been feeding me cold water and sips of juice, and I'm starting to pull out of it. But it was kind of scary. I'm still not all the way back to stable, and my head feels like a drum skin that's been stretched too far.

Because I don't have an effective lead-in to this today, I'll just say it: I've been talking with some friends about our situation, and this was my last reply to one of them:

"Admittedly, that's one of the things I'm afraid of. Survived everything to this point; went into therapy for two years to deal with some of my issues, and get a handle on the others; and finally, the life seemed to be solid, improving...stable.

"Then...this. And it threw me so intensely, I was actually terrified by the depth of my reaction. Thankfully, I have tools now from my therapist and I got a handle on things within two or three weeks from the collapse, but I'm still not back to stable yet.

"It's interesting, too. Half of me is afraid I'll never hear from him again, which would be a great tragedy in my life. But the other half? The other half is fearful he'll slip back by as if nothing happened over these last four months. Four months (or longer) that I spent in severe emotional disarray, begging him to contact me somehow. Four months where it was proven by silence that it doesn't matter if I'm crying over his loss, begging him to talk to me again, or ignoring him completely--I'm not important enough to him to even send out a single line to reassure me.

"That's like razors on raw flesh. And the longer I'm left with only silence as answer means I'm going to assume things that could be wrong, I'm going to make mistakes in what I think and feel, but...I don't see another choice.

"And at this point, if I do give up, then I'm doing it on my terms, too. Until I hear from him, he's effectively made the choice to be out of my life. There's a lot of pain behind that knowledge, but it's where we are. I don't have to like it, but I do have to accept it if I'm going to go anywhere worth going."

This is what I know at this point: I'm not saying goodbye. I don't feel like I'm Yours, most of the time now; or put another way, I don't feel as if I'm protected and loved (at least, by You; I know the girls love me, and they are supporting me all that they can), but I'm not saying goodbye.

This is stubborn; I recognize that. And it will hurt me if you do intend on staying away longer, or even forever. I don't deny that. On the other hand, I've already been hurt by the past four months so, in a sense, I'm already there. I accept this pain.

But if you're too cowardly even to send me a simple text message, just one simple line saying you're *alive*...then you really don't have any room to complain. I'm still here--I haven't left--but today I stop obsessing, I stop fretting over things I can't change.

When I feel it's important, I'll write. I'll try to work on my writing and figure out if there's any ending for either story, or start a new one. And while I have no interest in dating, roleplay, or online relationships in general--I''m stepping away from those rules, too.

And if you disagree, you're welcome to talk to me. Ball's in your court.

[Em]

You know the refrain by now. No further word.

More to come.

this magic is tragic (part II)

(Partially roleplay, still partially just baffling. Continued from part one.)

All right. We're all here. What's up?

[14:51] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): ok. so.
[14:51] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): watch this.
[14:51] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): watching?
[14:52] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Yep.

And she walked to the far end of the deck, and fell through the floor. What?

[14:52] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): EVERY DECK.
[14:52] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): in that spot.
[14:52] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): That has never happened before.....
[14:52] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): WTF
[14:52] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): is NOT SOLID
[14:52] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): i know!
[14:52] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): i don't know what happened.
[14:53] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): but it's been like that since the Gray Area returned.
[14:53] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): from wherever it was.

So I walked to where she'd been when she disappeared...and fell through the floor, all decks, out the bottom side, and hit the sea floor below. WHAT?

All right, there had to be a reason for this. I swam up, and then hovered, slowly rising, and...figured it out.

[14:53] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I see the issue!
[14:53] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): you do?
[14:53] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): And...it's weird
[14:53] Captain Lackbeard (araseagas): Grey Area?
[14:53] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): so yeah. Rusty and Thomas,
[14:53] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): That's this airship
[14:53] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): The Gray Area
[14:53] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): this is the ship the duke was on
[14:53] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Our other big fleet ship, the one with heavier armament, is the Grown-Up Conversation
[14:53] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): when he went missing
[14:54] Captain Lackbeard (araseagas): Oh yes, I'm following
[14:54] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): the grown up conversation is more a space ship, rather than an air ship like this one, right E
milly?
[14:54] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): True
[14:54] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): It's future, not past
[14:54] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): So
[14:54] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): i think we need to get Rusty a pirate uniform.

I mean, don't get me wrong, he's dashing in the white suit, but he'd probably be quite dapper in a frock coat, too.

[14:54] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): here's what we're dealing with, and AMUSINGLY, only the Duke can fix it
[14:55] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): great.

[14:55] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): This we're on? This metal plating?
[14:55] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): yes.
[14:55] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): it's a texture. Bet me the entire thing is phantom
[14:55] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): And that's fine, because we're technically 'walking' on the metal prims underneath
[14:55] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): But that bit over there?
[14:55] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): The prims underneath are gone
[14:55] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): All the way down

[14:55] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): wow.
[14:55] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): HOW?

I HAVE NO IDEA.

[14:56] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): i'm wondering if this is a side effect of ... the accident.
[14:56] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): I'd virtually guarantee it
[14:56] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): the whatever-happened.
[14:56] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): right. ok.

[14:56] Justine (justinejohndory.amethyst): well. we need to sort this out, then don't we.
[14:59] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): That's tricky

[14:59] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): That one section, all the floors are just...gone
14:59] RoseDrop Rust: and thus the ceilings and bulkhead
[14:59] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Right

So, add that to the list of things that need doing.

• Finish terraforming the sim.
• Open the portal to Carcosa, and get the Mystic and the castle set up there.
• Finish planting things in the garden.
• Finish fixing up the Ocean Club.
• Pull the space station over from Oceanpoint to Gearhaven.
• Track down the flickering of eldritch energy I've been picking up in the house.
• Finish making the decorating changes we'd planned in Steam.

Oh, and:

• Find the Duke.

Suuuuuure.

hurts me to hurt you, baby (part IX)

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part VIII.)

The Duchess walked into the study, seeing the replicant sitting in one of the Duke's favorite chairs. She wasn't in Justine's position of resenting the clone, merely for existing, she just fretted over the potential reasons why. In the meantime, at least in some fashion, the Duke was here. Right?

He looked up. "Hi..."

Her smile warmed. "Hello, there."

He shifted in the chair. "How are you, lover?"

So familiar. She walked forward. "I'm good." She made to sit in the chair, and the chair's innate mechanics dropped her to kneel in front of it. She looked up at him. He looked back. She looked at the floor, then pointedly looked back at him. He just stared. Finally, sighing, she smiled up at him, the smile slowly cooling.

"So..." she started. If he didn't catch the hint, she was just going to stand and take a side chair. This was ridiculous.

"How have you been?" the Duke said. She grinned wryly. "You asked that. "I've been okay."

He suddenly seemed to notice she was on the floor, and tapped the arm of the chair, bringing her up to curl in his lap. "Sorry. I'm...forgetful for some reason..."



She simply smiled, resting her head on his shoulder. "Now I'm better. And remember, I mentioned on the station. You've been...ill. You'll get better. It will come back."

He smiled. "I feel like myself...but..." He continued, voice distracted. "...there are times when...I feel like...I should know something. But I don't. Stuff is familiar, but then it isn't..."

She sighed softly, cupping his face. Searching those so-familiar eyes. "Just let it go for now."

He wasn't swayed. "Like...I had a dream last night. All night."

"Oh?"

He nodded. "Of an ivory pomegranate...and melting candle wax on Mondrago...Not sure what that's about..."



She nodded. "I'm sure it will make sense in time."

"You think so?"

She just nodded, but privately...she began to worry. What if they couldn't find the Duke? What if this was all they had left? What happened then?

(Continued in part X.)

for all of us who've seen the light, salute the dead and lead the fight (part V)

(Continued from part IV.)


(Two posters from Crimson Skies.)

[15:07] Ceejay Writer: Very well done - you touched on many movies/books/etc I hadn't heard of and will check into
[15:07] Izabelle1 (izabelle66): thanks
[15:08] Izabelle1 (izabelle66): ❤ Thank Youuuu!! ❤
[15:08] Ceejay Writer: Though I think I will buy you a slide projector for your birthday. ;)
[15:08] Edward Pearse: The Mammoth one is short stories. Some hit and miss as you expect
[15:08] Nyx Malaspina: when is the next shindiggie at the club?
[15:08] Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Your Grace, you did brilliantly for short notice.

He really did. He was stellar.


(Cover art for Iron Harvest, plus a still from the game.)

[15:08] Ceejay Writer: Short story collections is a good way to explore various authors
[15:08] OldeSoul Eldemar (oldesoul): wonderful
[15:08] Edward Pearse: Seraph Club will be Feb for me
[15:08] Jimmy Branagh: Great job.
[15:09] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): You did. Thank you so much.
[15:09] Nyx Malaspina: XD
[15:09] Edward Pearse: I'm still trying to get the new Mixxx software to work
[15:09] Cassie Eldemar (cashew.writer): thank you Baron and thank you everyone
[15:09] Cassie Eldemar (cashew.writer): ✿ faerie hugs ✿
[15:09] Rory Torrance (rory.torrance): Well, good evening to you all, friends and strangers.
[15:09] Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Anyone wishing to support the Salon itself, you can pay the airship overhead.
[15:09] Jimmy Branagh: Noight sir, and awl

(I believe another still from Iron Harvest.)

[15:09] OldeSoul Eldemar (oldesoul): Thank you Your Grace, thanks for hosting Herr Baron-everyone take care !
[15:09] Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (klauswulfenbach.outlander): Gute Nacht, those leaving.
[15:10] Edward Pearse: Glad you enjoyed it
[15:10] Polly (polly.ellsmere): thankees Duke - that was very interesting
[15:10] Polly (polly.ellsmere): goodbye Herr Baron and all
[15:10] Jimmy Branagh waves and poofs
[15:10] Nyx Malaspina: now considers buying this helmet....
[15:10] Tamlorn Carterhaugh Wood (tamlorn): Take care everyone. stay safe this week
[15:11] Emilly Shatner-Orr (emilly.orr): Indeed. And I'm glad I took notes, definitely looking into the books
[15:11] Wildstar Beaumont: fascinating discussion ... and made me nostalgic for seraph city
[15:11] Sophie Cloud stands and waves, "Thank you for a wonderful presentation. It's great to see a big crowd."
[15:11] Edward Pearse: Oh yes my outfit is from Set to Stun. Check them out on Marketplace
[15:11] Wildstar Beaumont: good night everyone
[15:11] Tamlorn Carterhaugh Wood (tamlorn): Goodbye
[15:11] Liz Wilner: Good night all...thank you, Baron and Edward!
[15:11] Nyx Malaspina: Great job as always. :)

And there, Constant Reader, our Editrix stops. Thus ended the talk. It was everything an Aether Salon should be.

then again, once again, you will come to know the simple man you've always been (part VIII)

(Roleplay entry. Continued from part VII.)

"So you saw fire in the sky and then thunder stuck the sea?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"A physical force of thunder?"

"Yes--an intense wind."

"And the Djinn?"

"We went to look, and it was floating in the water near the shore."

"You caught a Djinn and it is in the box?"

At this point, the canvas was removed. Hiro could see a larger room. A man on the center of a circle of people, seated, facing the center. Guards stood between the King and Hiro's captors. Hiro stared out of the cage.

"It is a leopard?"

"A man-shaped Leopard in strange clothing, who fell from the sky in a hail of fire, Your Highness."

"Well.. why is it alive? Guards..."

"Your Majesty..." A man off the the side spoke up. An older man, well dressed.

"Yes, Hiram?"

"This beast could be of value. We need offerings in the Holy of Holiness. We need something unique. I can think of no greater offering."

The woman sitting next to the King spoke up. "The stone cutter is correct, there is no greater offering to the Queen of Heaven than a large cat."

The king look bored. He stood. "Pay these people what they think is fair for this beast. Hiram Abriff, please accept this beast as a gift and token of my appreciation." Solomon walked toward the back of the room. Toward a door. Hiro could not see much after the canvas was put back in place.

Solomon, he mused. Interesting...

He felt the cage being lifted and moved again...

(Continued in part IX.)

what do you want from me? why don't you run from me?

And this is why I still don't have a mesh head.



This is OUT OF THE BOX. Granted, out of the box for the second time, but I did nothing with it but wear it and wear the shape it came with. That's all.



Even worse? THIS is the head I bought--with HELP, I might add!--because I thought it might be close to how I look now. Argh!



OH THERE'S A PARTY TO GO TO NO PROBLEM JUST LET ME GRAB MY COAT--



And this? This is what I got when I took off the mesh head. Which is big and square but still, recognizeably human!

WTF did I do to that head the last time I unpacked it? Because it needs to be FIXED, STAT!!!