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Seas Of Erin > Cecilia > Welcome to my nightmare


Posted by: Maalech Sep 18 2008, 10:18 PM
There no longer were any trace of vomit left in the bedroom. In fact, the room that had earlier been cluttered with notes and designs was now clean, the floor bare and spotless. Little by little every trace that Maalech had ever lived there was being removed.

At the moment he was going through his books, deciding which ones to sell and which ones that were worth keeping.

He looked troubled.

More than troubled really, he looked like he had not slept. At all. Or perhaps he was coming down with something.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 18 2008, 10:27 PM
Morgan didn't like the feeling of the place.

The walls were clean. Books were in disarray.

Morgan frowned and opened the front door from the inside, knocking on it a couple times, "Mal?" He looked around slowly, "You in here?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 18 2008, 10:30 PM
"Mmm?" Maalech looked up for a moment, eyes distracted. "Yes, yes I am here... as should be quite obvious." But the snark was delivered without venom, just a reflexive act with little thought behind it.

"So, do you come bearing more ill tidings then?" He frowned at the book, placing it in the pile that had to go.

Useless. He knew it by heart already.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 18 2008, 10:33 PM
Morgan shrugged, closing the door behind himself. "Ill tidings are pretty relative. No one's coming to kill you right now and no one's exploding." He smirked a little before the expression faded.

"What are you doing?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 18 2008, 10:36 PM
"Good. There is still time then." Maalech frowned and pondered the book on ancient Ceclian history, most was likely retold lies, but it might provide a nice counterpoint to the treatise on political growth. He had not had time to read it yet, and now he wondered whether he would.

"I am simply attempting to decide what things are worth keeping and what is not. I will not remain in this house much longer."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 18 2008, 10:39 PM
"Getting out of town?" The man scowled some.

They worked fast. It was scary.

"I can keep some things for you. If you want. I've got some house space."

Somehow it seemed wrong for Maalech to lose books. Morgan had precious little use for them, but...

Posted by: Maalech Sep 18 2008, 10:43 PM
"Perhaps, I... am not certain." Maalech finally realized that he probably looked like he was unraveling and forced himself to put down the book, taking a deep breath. "Or rather, I am certain I will leave this house. It is overly expensive, and it does not agree with me. Far too large and empty." He made a gesture with one hand, looking around the room.

"I never cared for places like this. They do not agree with me." He fell silent for a moment, then added in a slightly warmer voice. "Thank you. I will remember that if it becomes necessary."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 18 2008, 10:49 PM
Thank you?

Wow.

"I can pass you some money if you want. Pride permitting." He smirked a little, leaning against the wall.

And then he shrugged and spoke again, "So what's up with you and Anne and your possible ascension?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 18 2008, 10:53 PM
That brought back a little of his old arrogant self, and he gave Morgan an annoyed look. "Did you truly believe I would choose to walk the mortal world flat broke? Yes, this house is expensive, but I could afford it. It would simply be a waste, and I loathe waste."

He truly did, but perhaps the answer was too short and snappish for that subject.

"No decisions are made. I am not certain whether it is the right path for me or not, and I am not certain when I will know. At the moment, other things concern me more."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 18 2008, 10:59 PM
"I didn't think you were broke. I just thought it's expensive being a man..." He shrugged a little, dismissing the idea with a wave of his hand.

Still, something had the man upset.

"oh? And what things are those?"

The attention of minor and major Powers, romantic or otherwise, concerned him no small amount.

Posted by: Maalech Sep 18 2008, 11:03 PM
"That I have overlooked something vital. That I have been a fool. Granted, I could make excuses for myself, because if one is used to power, it is a simple enough matter to see whether ones own path is being manipulated. I thought that I would be able to decipher most troubles by reason alone, but it seemed that I had a rather blind spot that my my subconsciousness saw fit to point out to me last night."

He sounded annoyed that it would have come to him in a dream of all things.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 18 2008, 11:16 PM
"A blind spot? You?" Morgan chuckled a little, smirking a little, "And logic only goes so far when you're only working with four senses. Or only five." He cracked his neck a little.

"And for whatever it's worth, dreams can give you insight. And insight... it's not really a logical thing in my experience."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 18 2008, 11:22 PM
"Yes." Maalech frowned, wrinkles deepening into crevasses as he pondered. "It is in the weave that I ensnared the Countess in. As you know, Alynealin saw fit to subvert that to her needs, crafting a new Magus for herself. One that is more pliable." He had started pacing now, then shook his head. "I suppose i should admit that it might have been my weave that forced the issue as well, in the end it is always hard to determine whether the wall warms the tree or the tree warps the wall. At the time, I overlooked something."

He stopped, abruptly, turning to face Morgan. "If the Queensman is taking up position as the Magus in the deck, that means that my position is shifting too. And, worse, the threads that binds the Countess and her are growing stronger. We do not have as much time as I had hoped."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 18 2008, 11:27 PM
"What's your role becoming?" The man tilted his head, watching Maalech before crouching and moving a pile of books into place. "And you just didn't think that anything would give a damn that you were messing around with people's lives."

"So what's your plan of action, Mal?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 18 2008, 11:36 PM
"Without my Art, how can I be certain? The signs points to the Ace of Cups, which would be ironic in more ways than one. But as you know, the cup also have other significances than my renewed interest in life, or 'rebirth' if you please. It flies on the banner of Cnoch na Niall." This made him frown. "And it is one of the items associated with Anne." He sighed, giving Morgan a patient look.

"I cannot believe I would resort to her language, but the cards are an adequate enough symbolic representation of reality. But what disturbs me at the moment is that the Countess and my wife's threads are becoming entwined. And that goes for me and the Queensman as well. I do intend to resolve this before midsummer. I do not think it is safe to wait longer, regardless of the consequences."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 18 2008, 11:44 PM
"Well, there's worse things in the world than you and Anne... power or not."

And at the rest, Morgan could only wonder quietly for a time, "Well, how are you going to resolve it? Or are you just going to hope that the weave can be broken up by whatever events go down?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 18 2008, 11:50 PM
"It is not breaking Morgan. I wove it too well, and with her additions it has turned even more insidious. It no longer is a simple echo, there is a loop there, providing feedback." Maalech actually sounded more than a little worried about that.

"At this point I feel the option left to me is to talk to her. Alynealin. But it is far from safe, for either of us. I cannot predict the outcome of that meeting."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 18 2008, 11:55 PM
"I'd offer to mediate... but I'm pretty sure I couldn't. She's not one to be mediated." He smirked some, "Maybe you should ask one of the Aspects to come down to keep her in check?"

The man picked up one of the books, flipping through it absently, "And for the weave... There's got to be something to do about it, right? If she doesn't end up losing this war, that'll get rid of it, right?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 19 2008, 12:00 AM
"Yes, it will. However, I think I underestimated what was needed to bring it to fruition. Perhaps a child was not needed, perhaps that is why Alynealin interfered. Perhaps a multitude of smaller threads can take the place of a larger one. Perhaps. Ah, gods above and below how I loathe that word. Perhaps." Maalech grimaced and folded his arms over his chest.

"This is private business, I have no need of mediators. I was told she had recovered parts of her sanity, she can be reasoned with and have a modicum of control over her Arts. It is only a matter of time before she finds me, in fact I am surprised that..." He pondered for a moment, then gave Morgan a look.

"Have you been concealing me?"

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 19 2008, 12:04 AM
"Welcome to humanity. Hell, welcome to every other mage who isn't you, Maalech. Not knowing what will happen tomorrow is a cross for most of them to bear."

And to that last, he could only shrug, "I don't want you dead. I can't hide you from the... the Powers, but if I can at least scramble your trail from Aly?" He smirked some, seeming a little proud of himself. "But it's not hard when she's so scrambled."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 19 2008, 12:08 AM
"Apparently she is recovering her sanity at an alarming rate. And if I have read the threads right, she will most likely be here later today, or tomorrow at the most. I am attempting to decide what to tell her."

It did explain some of the distracted air.

"What I fea..." Maalech broke off, picking a different word "... am most concerned over is if the weave is broken, and she has recovered memory and sanity both... I do not think I need to tell you that she might do something rash."

Something rash that might pull them all down with her.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 19 2008, 12:12 AM
"Then I'd say you should find a way to get her angrier at someone who's messy death will result in a positive turn. Maybe you can find a way to get her pissed at the Queen?" He smirked and ran a hand over his head.

"And as for what to tell her? Tell her the truth, whatever that is."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 19 2008, 12:20 AM
"There is always more than one truth. The full truth is not very palatable." Now that the restless energy had faded, Maalech looked both old and tired.

"I can handle her being furious with me. In part, I deserve that and while I do not subscribe to the ridiculous rules of your former order they do have one point. In the end you have to take responsibility, in front of yourself if nothing else. But the rage I fear the most, is the one directed at the ones that destroyed her life. Her people."

He corrected himself after a moment. "Our life I suppose. And I know now if not before how futile direct combat would be. She could doom us all."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 19 2008, 12:27 AM
"Her people? What did they do?" He watched Maalech sympathetically, remembering a few times he felt like the man looked. Old. Tired. Too much known.

Maybe that's why people died so much faster than a lot of the other creatures there were.

"Don't just give yourself up to her. I'll. I'll help how I can if she goes off the edge."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 19 2008, 12:32 AM
"They destroyed them. The entire city... or more perhaps. I have not dared to venture back to see what remained. At first it was impossible, then it was not safe. They destroyed them and used her grief and loss and loneliness to rope her into the role they wanted for her. She... swore revenge once she realized what had been done, and she swore me to her aid."

There was a faint look of distaste on his face. "But as always I fear that she did not see the full scope of what she was aiming for."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 19 2008, 12:36 AM
"So she's going to... what?" He looked at the man, "Draft you in and send you to war against the Tzarg?" He shuddered a little, remembering that world that wasn't, the mountain in the sky, the fire raining down.

"Or is she going to find someone to go to war with against you?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 19 2008, 12:40 AM
"Most likely one or the other. At this point I am no longer certain, and neither outcome is advantageous to us, or indeed to her though she would argue otherwise." He let out a breath he had not realized he had been holding, rubbing his chin.

"It is twice vexing that this would happen at this particular point in time. I am not exactly equipped to deal with it."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 19 2008, 12:45 AM
"Well, as I've learned," Morgan tapped his chest, "even--Hell, especially--when you think you're ready for it, you aren't. Might as well have it come after you when you don't see it coming."

Morgan cracked his neck, "And when it comes down to it, we'll do our best to put something shiny in front of her and hope for the best, eh?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 19 2008, 12:49 AM
"It is not the lack of power..." Maalech gave Morgan a very annoyed look.

"It is the fact that I fear I am developing scruples. It makes it annoyingly hard to plan."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 19 2008, 12:55 AM
Morgan burst out laughing, hearty, heavy laughs as he threw back his head.

After a moment he finally got himself to stop, smirking, "Yeah, scruples are like that. But you're smart. You'll find a way around them."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 19 2008, 01:00 AM
"This is not amusing." Maalech looked rather distressed at the thought. "I am aware that one of the reasons why I choose this path was to bridge the distance that separated me from the world. However it seems that had not anticipated what the loss of that distance would do. But, you understand..." He had taken to pacing again. frowning as he walked "You could leave a girl you distanced yourself from with no effort, but let a single one close and everything comes tumbling down." His frowned softened somewhat as he looked at Morgan. "Yes, it is that obvious that you miss her."

But that was not the subject at hand.

"But in this I wish I still remained at arm's reach. The simplest and safest solutions are all rather distasteful ones, but to do nothing is to invite disaster."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 19 2008, 01:07 AM
Morgan sobered at that.

"yeah. Well. I'm."

Morgan shrugged a little, looking down at the floor and pushing a few books into a pile.

"So what are you planning on doing? She's not to be reasoned with. Seems to me you should just figure a way to put her back apart or all together again. Then at least you can reason with her. Sort of."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 19 2008, 01:14 AM
"To bind her into madness once more is... I would rather not. And I do think it would be almost impossible, the original ritual had willing subject and the full command of my Art. A wrong move could cripple her permanently." Or take away her memories for good.

"I would rather return her to her own self, as she is she cannot progress, cannot even begin to heal her wounds. Then it would be her own choice whether to rebuild or crumble into ruins. However, I am almost certain that path would lead to her taking arms against them before she would have time to heal-" He froze for a moment, a look of intense focus on his face.

"Time. That is all we have need of here. She was never given time to heal, nor would she take herself that time willingly. She has a temper, and it flares badly. But perhaps..." Looking around, he located the notebook which was not almost filled with strange schematics, flipping through the pages.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 19 2008, 01:20 AM
Morgan stepped around behind the man, skimming his writings and schematics over his shoulder.

"I'd rather see her as herself, too, Mal. But if she's going to start killing people, I'd rather we neutralize her, but..." He shrugged some, "Needs must, I guess."

"What're you up to now?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 19 2008, 01:25 AM
"Trying to calculate the possible repercussions of simply binding her down as I have been bound. Only until she has reintegrated her memories, and hopefully regained a more rational look on things. It is a distasteful thing to do but..." he flipped a page, frowning, then he closed the book.

"It seems to be the best option. The least risk to the largest number of people. There is only one thing..." He looked as if he was trying to calculate what their chances were, then turned to face Morgan once more. "There is a slight chance that her missing connection with her divine self will be noted."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 19 2008, 01:27 AM
"Well, if it's Scarlet that you're talking about, she seems mostly concerned about the Countess..." He shrugged then, looking at the man, "But if it's the Tzarg? Hell, they can fight the Powers and..." He shrugged again.

And smiled.

"And I'm sure this all has nothing to do with maybe relating to her again?"

And Morgan used to be the heartbreaker.

Posted by: Maalech Sep 19 2008, 01:35 AM
"It is the Tzarg. This would break the weave around the Countess, so Scarlet should be pleased." It annoyed him to be pushed into this, but he could not deny that she had a point.

"And since I am not attempting to remove Alynealin from their grasp altogether, it will most likely slide past. Many other things have done so in the past, it is just a risk that we need to be aware of."

We, how strange. It still felt odd not to be in this alone.

But at Morgan's last comment he hesitated, then finally "I have no illusions. What I have done will break her away from me forever, no matter that the cause was a good one. There is no going back. I might be developing scruples, but not naivety."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 19 2008, 01:44 AM
"Shame. Naivety would be kind of funny on you." He blinked then before pausing, "But, then, I guess then Seth wouldn't have anything to do."

Morgan smirked a little, "And I guess if we can get our enemies to do our work for us, why not do it?" There was a chuckle then and he shook his head, stepping away from the man, "Well, a little time to herself will be good for Aly. Maybe she can spend some time with the kids."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 19 2008, 01:45 AM
"I believe you are overlooking one hurdle here. She will not agree to this on her own accord."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 19 2008, 04:28 AM
At that Morgan paused.

Putting that kind of powerlessness on someone used to power was an act of violence.

But if it gave her time to get her head together, Morgan had to wonder if it was worth it.

"Well, then, scruples or not, you have to ask yourself what's better for the largest number of people in the long run..."

He paused then, a disgusted look crossing his features.

"Fuck, is that what goes on in your head?" He shook his head then, "And people wonder why I was happier lower to the ground."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 19 2008, 09:01 AM
"Yes, that is exactly what goes through my head." Maalech went to put down the notebook on the pile of things to keep, sighing faintly as he did so. "And the reasoning still stands. In the long run, some pain and discomfort at present will likely result in the best outcome for everyone. However, it is not a decision I make as easily as before."

His carefully crafted distance was slowly eroding, that was the danger with letting the world inside. It was not so simple to take the step back again. Deciding to cut someone's throat to save ten others were simple if you did not know the throat being cut, but if you did?

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 19 2008, 09:07 AM
"She's Aly, yeah."

And, weird as it was, he knew the man loved her. Different, Morgan supposed, than he loved Anne, but.

He shrugged then, "I can't say. I'll do it if it comes down to it." He didn't like that. But. "She's irrational. And powerful And likely to destroy all this good work here. Shame we couldn't count on her crippling the Weave beforehand."

He paused a bit and looked away from the man, resting his head against one of the walls.

"Fuck. I'm all powerful, you're less so and I'm turning into a really stupid version of you."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 19 2008, 09:16 AM
That made Maalech scoff, shaking his head. "I hardly think that is a risk. Just because you have begun to acknowledge a larger responsibility does not mean that we are in any way alike."

In order to distract himself he walked over to the small table, pouring himself a glass of wine, giving Morgan a questioning glance whether he wanted any. The wine was of a surprisingly good quality, an indication that he had not bought it himself. It was just leftovers.

"If we do this to her, the weave will be crippled regardless. But yes, it is a shame... your Art is too imprecise to unravel it without risking the death of everyone involved, your son is yet too untrained for all his efforts, and she... would not do it. I've always cared for her, but she is royalty. She loves her subject, but everything has a place, and the place of most things is to serve her."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 19 2008, 09:22 AM
Well, his outburst hadn't been very polite, either.

The man chuckled, looking over at the wine and nodding, a part of him realizing he'd not seen that kind in the area; oh, well. Probably just higher scale than he was used to.

"Wow. That crazy, is it?" He chuckled and accepted a glass. "And this'll serve her well enough. I just hope she doesn't come and rip us apart when she gets her head together."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 19 2008, 09:32 AM
"We all are what we were raised to be, no matter how far we have walked away from it. Some things are deep enough to become ingrained reflexes." He knew that was the case with him, despite the fact that he no longer was the boy he had been. Being raised an outsider gave you one perspective. Being the apple of everyone's eye gave quite a different one.

"If she does, it will be her prerogative."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 19 2008, 09:34 AM
Morgan paused then before smirking, "Yeah. Guess it will be, at that."

He looked back down at the floor before shrugging, "Oh, well. Worse ways to go, I suppose." Morgan shrugged some before looking to the man, "Speaking of after; you have any plans?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 19 2008, 09:38 AM
This earned Morgan a very dry look. "That is a rather foolish question, is it not?"

But a moment later he sighed, grimacing faintly as he sipped the wine "Nothing will be resolved, but I am at that stage where I am starting to wonder if anything truly can be resolved, or whether we are trapped in a perpetual story with no beginning and no end. Perhaps all we can do in the end is to accept the past and focus on the future. No matter how much it galls me."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 19 2008, 09:42 AM
"Seems easier. Have something and you go towards it instead of choking on the past." He looked over at the man, smiling some, "I know the times that I've managed it, it's been good for me. My paths seem clearer."

Morgan sipped his wine, nodding appreciatively before speaking again, "Foolish? Maybe. But it seems like something to think of."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 19 2008, 09:47 AM
"I agree that it more healthy. I have done it in the past, though I then was not weighed down by obligations in the same way. I..." He broke off, shaking his head. "No, I will be honest with myself. The reason why I was doing this was not obligation alone. It was curiosity. It was a challenge. It... you have seen what they are, what they can do." There was a faint look of disgust on his face as always when the Tzarg were concerned. "The fact that some form of beings could sit in judgment over my actions is anathema to me. I wished to find out what they were, how they could be exposed and how they could be hurt. Curiosity." A wry smile then "Some would say arrogance."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 21 2008, 11:34 PM
"Some?" Morgan smirked, "You mean anyone paying attention." He stretched, his back popping noisily, "But I can't say I blame you. No one likes someone judging them. Especially not someone who's whole job is to do so."

He looked up for a moment, smirking vaguely, "But now you know. They're there, they've got personalities and an invite. Hell, if you were gonna, that'd be the time."

Careful, Morgan.

He shrugged some, "Though, speaking of judgement, they're hardly the only ones doing so where you're concerned."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 21 2008, 11:40 PM
"That is why it is so dangerous to get to know your enemy. Eventually you might find that you have more in common with them than you think." Maalech looked annoyed at that, but it was hardly the first time, was it?

The riders had not been the monsters he had painted them as.

Morgan had turned from enemy to friend to enemy to friend.

"I am however still not certain whether they are the Tzarg. I do not think she knows for certain either. They are neither omnipotent nor omniprescient." He spoke those words as if they were more valuable than gold.

They were. Knowledge.

"They can judge for all I care, I will accept no man's judgment but my own." Maalech crossed his arms over his chest as he spoke those words.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 21 2008, 11:46 PM
"S'the best way to lose your enemies, I guess. Find out that they aren't." He tossed the man a familiar smile.

"And if they are the Tzarg, they've changed their methods. Got either more subtle or less so; hard to tell with things like that." Morgan tilted his head to one side, rubbing at his neck. "And if they aren't omnipresent, that's good for everything. But it's hard to tell when they are present. Which is something of a bastard in itself."

At that last, though, Morgan laughed a little, "Calm down, Mal. I'm just saying that its... apparently you and Anne is getting around. And apparently it's having quite an effect on the way the Powers do their work."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 21 2008, 11:52 PM
"They cannot read your mind. I am fairly certain of that. They are however quite adept at picking out the surface thoughts you are focusing at the moment, so secrets are still possible for a disciplined mind. You should remember that." He fingered the scar underneath his eye, it tended to itch when the weather changed.

"Anne... yes..." He looked a bit deflated there, as if he was not certain where to go there. "I am aware that she is risking quite much over this. She has... plans. Some I have guessed, some I am not privy to, but there will be a upheaval. I only hope she will not be consumed by it."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 22 2008, 12:00 AM
"I've noticed. Thankfully, for better or worse, they seem pretty open with their abilities." Arrogance or simple confidence? Why bother hiding if things can't hurt you? "And half the time they don't seem to mind whatever's going on. And if they do?" he shrugged some and sighed.

"I hear its gonna work better for you and her if you step back a little." Morgan frowned some, "Might help mitigate the risks."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 22 2008, 12:01 AM
That made Maalech pause, giving Morgan a long hard look. Finally he spoke. "Which one of them got to you? What did they threaten with?

There was no doubt there, no doubt at all.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 22 2008, 12:06 AM
"Scarlet." Morgan looked back at the man, "Apparently we get our own dedicated Powers. Or at least ones more interested in us." He shrugged easily.

"And me? If they feel you aren't making her look bad anymore, she gets an easier life. And I get some leeway when they inevitably start coming for me." That wasn't a promise any of them had made. But going after Mal was a good indication.

Or Morgan was far, far overestimating his place in things.

Morgan hung his head a little, realizing all of a sudden how much a traitor he had to look right then. Shame? Yeah.

"It sounds like they're happy to replace her or erase you, Mal. I don't want that to happen to either of you."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 22 2008, 12:12 AM
"I think the important point here would be whether it is her agenda or theirs. Scarlet is a jealous creature, and I have traipsed into her domain. I would not be surprised if she would present her own views as those of the others." Maalech did not look particularly pleased by this.

Not at all.

"But I do know they are displeased. She is not allowed to have her own story, just to have a part in others. Rules, phaugh!" He almost spat the last words, looking down at the notebook where it rested on the top of the pile.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 22 2008, 12:17 AM
Morgan smirked some.

Maalech was always Maalech.

What would be be if he was one of them? A rulemaker instead of a breaker?

"Better or worse, rules are what ARE, Mal. Magic has rules. Cause-effect, if nothing else. We can circumvent, sure, but..." He shook his head and paced a little, scowling. "And I couldn't tell you who's is what. It's just as likely to me that Anne is sugarcoating her situation."

He looked to the man then. "Maalech, I don't really care how they're feeling. I just don't want you dead. Or erased. Or written out. Or whatever it is they do."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 22 2008, 12:25 AM
"I would prefer not to have that happen either. I have spent years of trying to ensure that would not happen to either of us." Maalech sighed, pressing two fingers to the bridge of his nose.

"This is just a situation where, for once, I am not certain of the odds. I simply do not know enough yet, I hope to stay alive long enough to learn."

He gave Morgan a rather dry look "I will arrange for the countess to be freed from the weave, that would at least lessen Scarlet's ire."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 22 2008, 12:31 AM
"Hope so." Morgan looked skeptical. Hell, Morgan WAS skeptical. "She seems to want you to just drop off the map if you don't want to Ascend or whatever they want you to do." He shrugged.

"And now we're both on the chopping block. Fuck." He laughed a little at that, "And the odds seem obvious enough to me; they're ready to un-fucking-make us." He took a breath and shook his head, "Sorry. I'm just. Really out of my element."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 22 2008, 12:35 AM
"Since when has that ever stopped you?" Maalech remarked dryly. "I am aware that might be the case. Or they might settle for a more merciful approach of ravaging memories. I... had ways of attempting to protect against things like that, unfortunately I had miscalculated. I was not aware of how reality was really structured."

He seemed to be treating this more as an intellectual exercise than a threat.

"Time is the single most disruptive variable here."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 22 2008, 12:42 AM
"What? Being out of my element?" Morgan chuckled, "Honestly, if reality doesn't turn out to be some sort of giant brothel, I'm always out of my element. Brothels're about the only place I ever really clicked." He smirked some.

"They mess with time, too. Or have ways around it. I don't know. They're big. And there's whole layers they do that either of us'll ever touch. But, I guess, we're just human. They're more than by a lot. And they fix it so they never had to have been. Or something."

He shook his head some, "Fuck, I don't know."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 22 2008, 12:50 AM
"Our perception of time and causality is quite limited. I have only begun to scratch the surface, but it is safe to say it is not at all linear. In fact I have a theory that..." He broke off, shaking his head.

"No. Theories do not matter. The fact is that you are correct. There is no simple defense against creatures that traverses time as simple as we do a floor. There are more than one direction, and the future and the past are not dissimilar. Our minds are what are locked in a linear pattern.. most times. You are aware of how much your own timeline have been warped around mine, are you not? I speculate that it is an effect of the blade on both our lives."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 22 2008, 12:58 AM
"The blade, Aly, pride, sex..." He shrugged some, "There's a lot of things that fucked our worlds around. And from the look? There's a few more coming."

He sighed some, looking upward, "And if we're lucky this is all we'll have. Maybe we can retire, eh?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 22 2008, 01:10 AM
"Retire..." Maalech scoffed "I thought I did that several centuries ago. It never do seem to stick." But he had lost the hard edges now, perhaps Morgan's betrayal was just another small matter in this.

He could understand him after all.

"I want you to consider one thing. If, as you say, they can go back in time and simply undo us... which is rather likely considering that you managed to do a similar thing twice with tools I had made. But if we agree that the past is wide open for their ravages, so must the future be. We have nothing specific to make the present the present rather than our own insistence that it is. It is quite different for them I think."

He paused for a moment, looking down at the floor. "If that is true, the future is already known to them. But if the future is known to them, then they already know the outcome of my actions. Unless of course, that they wish to adjust my actions by applying pressure at specific points in time. Like now. Or perhaps like in my past. But this would mean that the future was not fixed, but fluid. And since the future was the past but a moment ago, it stands to reason that the past is fluid as well. We simply do not perceive it. We only perceive a momentary present." He had a focused look on his face, as if he was groping at the edges of something important. Something he needed to grasp.

"If there is no single future, there is no single past. Just a present and potentiality. Not a weave at all."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 22 2008, 01:15 AM
"So... what? The whole of causality is a single process getting tweaked along the way?" He looked over at the man, trying to imagine it.

Unsuccessfully.

"Like a stream and the rain and the clouds..." He shook his head, "It's all the same thing, I guess." He looked out the window for a time, "So we're even smaller than we thought we were, hm?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 22 2008, 01:23 AM
"Or quite larger. We are, in effect the center of our own universes. And truly, it matters little. We lack the perceptions of seeing anything but the moment and our memories, and I imagine that our memories are at least partly an instantaneous construction of what might have led up to this moment. They are quite fallible after all. But, if things were tweaked as you put it, we would never know. I have no memory of what occurred when you slew me, I would still think all this was unlikely had I not gleaned some facts from the people that did remember. And I assume that your remaining memories might become important in the future."

He mused for a moment, then chuckled "It is like the old riddle about fate and predetermination. Regardless whether you believe in free will or not, you cannot do anything but live your life. That is all that matters in the end, because you cannot see beyond your moment. Thus your will might be free, but your fate still predetermined. An interesting paradox."

He broke off, sighing. "I am doing it again, aren't I? Lecturing..."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 22 2008, 01:26 AM
"Yeah, but it's okay. You're a mage. It's what we do. Lecturing, paradoxes..."

He looked over at the man, smirking. "If we didn't do things like that, we'd probably go crazy. It's a way out. A way to puzzle through."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 22 2008, 01:27 AM
"True, and it is generally considered more sane than talking to oneself." Was that a smile?

Yes it was.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 22 2008, 01:34 AM
"A joke, even? You're having way too much fun being human."

He cracked his back a little then, "And if we go crazy, so much the better. At least we don't have to worry about the stress of sanity." He flexed his hand a little, scratching at his scarred palm.

"Gotta say, though, going crazy every now and again is good for the soul."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 08:32 PM
"I would rather avoid that fate. For me, it would be preferable to die. Without reason... what would be left?" Maalech actually looked slightly disturbed at that, but then again he had a lot more experience with insanity.

"It is not the insanity that you miss I would say, but the sanity that you regained afterwards you appreciate. Most of us do not need to go through such drastic means to gain insights."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 08:40 PM
"Some of us, no. Some of us just have the brainpower or the presence of self to change their perspective when it requires changing." Morgan smirked at the man, "Not to mention, it's nice to have a reason not to hold yourself accountable because you're just babbling to yourself."

Or the things inside you.

That were actually there. The squirming, gnawing, nesting horde.

He shuddered absently.

"Still, sometimes I'm surprised you're not Order. You certainly have a lot of the same lack of compromise in you when you've a mind to it."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 08:46 PM
"I dislike boundaries." Maalech shrugged and decided to pour himself some more wine. "Nor am I particularly in need of the adoration of my peers, nor do I wish to impress others. I am not a very sociable man." That was quite an understatement.

"Such a thing is good to be a part of before you find your own path, but in the end you need to walk away or be stifled. Some do it permanently, some simply become eccentrics, like Jack." There was actually a faintly amused smile there.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 08:50 PM
"Eccentricities they loved to quote while they stole his methods and rolled their eyes."

Bitter? Some. At least Morgan kept to a lot of the spirit of his Mentor's later work.

Old Jack had been more his own man than an Order one, anyway. But he never got 'round to resigning. It was hard for Morgan not to wonder if that was something to do with him. "Well, fuck knows you had admiration enough on your own." He shrugged a little. "Old Jack said he met you once."

Morgan leaned back some, "Said he was real impressed. Wondered if he'd have to try and figure a way to cripple you in case you tried to Ascend." Morgan chuckled a little. "And here I am trying to help you along."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 08:55 PM
"He... was a subtle man for being of the Order. A very subtle man I would not have relished that battle. But we shared some views about divinity..." There was more than a bit of respect there too. "It is ironic indeed that I am even considering this."

Maalech sipped his wine, the wrinkles on his forehead deepening. "Though it is not quite the same." He hoped.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 09:00 PM
Wow. Melekain being humble? Scary.

"No, not really. You aren't being worshipped or adored. Hell, looks like you get to keep what people think of you, just translated into a broader sense." Morgan chuckled some and shrugged. "Oh, well." He sighed a little.

"On the upside, I don't think you really notice it. Talking to Scarlet, you'll already be there now once you make the choice."

Morgan shuddered some. It seemed unreasonably creepy to him for some reason.

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 09:04 PM
"Time. Yes, I suppose that would be manageable. When the current Grey retired, he choose to take his retirement in the past, so technically he both is and is not an aspect at the moment." Maalech sounded rather amused at that idea.

"Once you have accepted that reality, and your own role in it is completely different from what you once thought and goes in the face of all that we would call logic, it is not so strange. I find it rather illuminating, it offers an explanation for things I never thought could be explained."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 09:08 PM
"Yeah. Hear he ran back to get married or somesuch." Morgan shrugged again. "The whole thing's too fucking strange."

He stepped away, cracking his neck, digging around in the folds of his battered old, old, old coat and pulling out a small flask and taking a pull from it.

More alcohol. "More shit keeps complicating things. Layers and layers. And the deeper I dig, the deeper I find it goes."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 09:15 PM
"Or the closer to the surface you come. Don't be too sure of the direction you are digging in now." Maalech almost smiled then, he might be closer to his feelings but that did not mean he had lost the taste for teasing Morgan.


Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 09:17 PM
"Well, or that. I guess since they're so far above my perspective..." He shook his head, looking upward a bit.

Up or down.

Morgan smirked a little.

"Either way, it's kind of bracing being so continually out of my element."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 09:21 PM
"You need to challenge yourself more, do you wish to go back to petty wars and women? Anything that truly matters will be a challenge. Regardless of what you think, I am quite often out of my element as well. The trick is not to let yourself be overwhelmed by it."

He chuckled, shaking his head as he looked at the other man. "Letting oneself be overwhelmed by the situation have caused more deaths than old age."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 09:29 PM
"I'm not overwhelmed, exactly. Just... surprised at myself. Sedentary years and now? There's a war in fairyland, conflicts with supernal overbeings, my enemy-friend trusting me with keeping him alive while he finds himself."

Morgan shrugged some. "It's just. There's a lot to it all. I'm a simple man, Maalech. Barely even a mage. I pick things up, sure. But at the end of the day all I really want is a good woman to bed down with."

That was a lie. He wanted power and understanding, too, of course. But at least with a woman he could just let it stop.

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 09:31 PM
Maalech gave Morgan a dry look. "I see. Those must be the very traits that made Jack accept you as apprentice in the first place."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 09:35 PM
Morgan looked away from the man for a moment.

There was a moment where his body tensed up as if he was going to strike the man.

Before he exhaled slowly, seeming to deflate.

And he took a sip from his flask.

"I never pretend I'd be anything he's proud of, Mal." His voice was a small, frail thing then, like a baby bird fallen out of its nest. "Never once."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 09:41 PM
Maalech was silent for a little, looking rather thoughtfully at Morgan. Finally he spoke "Regardless of what you think, the man is dead. There is only one person you need to make proud right now, and that is yourself."

Perhaps not the most diplomatic of comments, but he felt that it was a true one.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 09:48 PM
"Yeah. Yeah, he is. Can't see what..."

Morgan cut off that line of thought, grimacing as if he tasted something horrible.

So he had another long pull from his flask.

"I don't care about proud. For me, anyway. Seth. Seth makes me proud. The twins probably will, too. I'll settle for contentment at this point."

He scowled a little before speaking again, "So how's Anne, anyway?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 09:53 PM
"Seth... yes, I can see why he would make you proud." Maalech nodded, looking around the room, anywhere but on Morgan.

He was proud of the young man too, but he was not unaware of the problems with that.

So, the offered change of subject was taken without argument "She is fine, so far. The worlds have not yet crumbled, though they do object when she embarks on a course that would take her too much into a story of her own. The limitations are annoying... I can understand why they are there, it just irks me what it means for us. That there most likely cannot be an us."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 10:03 PM
Morgan was very aware at that moment how little of Seth's achievements had anything at all to do with him.

He tucked his flask away then.

Weak. Useless. Fuck you, Morgan.

He shook his head before looking up some, "Well. I don't know. Maybe there's a loophole. If. I mean, you two are happy, right?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 10:11 PM
"Yes, we are." It was only after Maalech had said those words that he realized what he had just said. They had slipped out without thought, the natural reaction.

But it was true. He was happy when he was with her.

And more so, she made his life better even when she was not.

"We are working on it, and as long as no final decision have been reached, we have time." He frowned faintly, pondering "But from what I know, she should have been replaced already. Unless the most dangerous thing is if she uses her entanglement to shape events the way she favors them, instead of what would be best for the whole. She has warned me that in the future, she might well have to nudge events that would be dangerous for me."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 10:15 PM
"Well, be that as it may... I guess I'm just wondering what's a better story. As long as you two are, like... how did she put it? Star-crossed. As long as you two are star-crossed, it's an interesting story." How bizarre it was to talk about someone's life like that.

"So long as she's doing her job, it's all well and good... but I'm just thinking that if the two of you are happy then the story is boring. Over, maybe. Happily ever after and then you two go back to your projects."

It was a long shot. But something worth talking to Anne--Hell, maybe even Scarlet--about sometime.

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 10:34 PM
"It is a disturbing thought, is it not? I spent most of my life defying fate and now..." Maalech slumped a little, emptying the glass of wine. "This... this has humbled me in ways I had not conceived." And from the look on his face it was a painful experience, even if it was perhaps what was best in the end.

"The thing that eludes me is the fact that I cannot see how long we can walk on this knife's edge. And no matter how disturbing some things might be for me, I fear that hers is the worst lot. By far."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 10:38 PM
"Probably so. She's seeing the whole world of it as opposed to us just seeing... well, whatever we're seeing. At least we can hide in that."

Morgan chuckled half-heartedly. "Still, Maalech... I think it's better to at least try and live and love, even when you know it might not end well than to live in fear of it. Not that you are, just... saying."

He smiled some at the man, "And. And I had a thought that maybe you accept being Grey at some point and ran off to marry whoever Anne turned into." He shrugged a little at that, "Stupid thought, I know. But with all the talk of stories, I thought I'd write a happy ending."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 10:44 PM
"A happy ending." Maalech mused for a moment at that. "Regardless, it is still an ending, and I do not wish for one for quite some time. Especially not now, when there is so much to learn." There was passion in those words, because few things excited him more.

"And you need not worry. In this I am taking your advice and is living in the moment." The smile was almost soft. No, scratch that almost. "I would not wish her removed if i could help it. She loves what she is doing, she is good at it... even if she would have a perfectly quiet life it would not be what she truly wished for,"

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 10:47 PM
"No. No, protests aside, I guess we're not really the settling-down types, hm?" He chuckled at that.

"I know I keep asking it, but how can I help, Maalech? Seriously. There's a lot of things I hear on both sides and I'm really trying to find the happy medium for them."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 10:50 PM
"I... do not know." The admission was a accompanied by a heavy sigh. "I simply do not know enough of the boundaries and limitations of her existence. Or rather, I do know the limitations... but not whether they can be twisted. In this I have no plan Morgan." Maalech shook his head, looking tiredly at his empty glass. "With her there are no plans. Not anymore."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 10:54 PM
"Scary," said the man as he watched Maalech, half-smiling. "But playing it by ear isn't as bad as people make it out to be. And if you can ever build a good relationship with any of them... Well, I leave that to you."

Morgan shrugged some. "I'll do everything I can. I know that's probably not much, Mal. But I'll do it."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 10:57 PM
"Thank you. I might come to hold you to that one day." Maalech hesitated for a moment, then seemed to come to some sort of decision.

"There is one thing you can do. Remove what you wove to shield me from her sight."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 11:08 PM
The man watched Maalech quietly for a moment.

He wanted to protest. To ask him if he knew what he was doing.

But he was silent in that little gap before he nodded his head. "Alright."

And without another word, he gestured up into the air, then over the other man's face. "Done."

He looked over at the man, "Be careful."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 11:13 PM
"Unfortunately I am not prone to being careful lately, if I was I would not stand here. But I will not be stupid. This... is simply the easiest way to deal with one of the pressing issues at hand. The Countess and her weave... it needs to go, and the sooner the better."

What had happened to make him feel so disturbed about it? Certainly something, because there had not been this sense of urgency before.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 11:17 PM
"That seems to be the reigning consensus, yeah." Morgan smirked some before looking over at the man. "I'll be happy to see it gone. Then maybe we can all get a night's sleep."

Well, Morgan could. Maalech would probably sleep with one eye open until the thing with Aly was resolved.

He was quiet then before looking over at the man, "So, really, what's changed?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 11:24 PM
"I would say nothing, but that would be a lie." Maalech scoffed, pouring himself a third glass of wine. "It is irrational. It is illogical. But the conclusions makes sense, and I cannot disregard something just because the source itself might be suspect."

He put the bottle down, turning to face Morgan once more as he admitted "I had a dream."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 11:26 PM
Morgan was quiet for a moment.

And chuckled some, "Wow. You listening to a bizarre subconscious urge?" He smirked and looked at the man, "What was the dream about? The horrible forever stretching forward? Being a pawn?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 11:31 PM
"What the dream was about is not important." Maalech dismissed that with a wave of his hand. "It simply reminded me that at present I am as caught in the weave as anybody else, thanks to her dance, and it would not be safe to let it proceed further. I do not want my threads tangled in that feedback."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 11:34 PM
"Well, by hook or by crook you're roped in. Good for you." He smiled a bit. "And I don't blame you for wanting to disentangle. Or, really, cut the weave into tiny pieces and scatter them to the four winds."

He smiled over at the man. "So are we just gonna hope that Aly fixes that up for you?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 11:38 PM
"Hope has very little to do with it. From what you and Seth have told me, she has regained some reason and control, if not all her memories. Reason is all fine and well, but it opens one up to the possibility of being manipulated."

He paused for a moment, shaking his head. "Or perhaps that is a harsh description. But not altogether untrue. Still, the larger issues will be what to do next. What she will do next."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 11:42 PM
"Well, as soon as she knows what to look for, I'd hope like mad you catch her in a mood to tell you about all the things she's going to do to you--" a shiver ran down his back, remembering the hooks, the pain, the way he forced himself to slip away, the horror at knowing that it was the only way out. "--then maybe you can interrupt her and talk to her about everything?"

Morgan flexed his hands slowly at the thought, "You want some backup when it happens?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 23 2008, 11:53 PM
"She has a temper, that is true." Maalech hesitated for a moment, draining the rest of the glass. It was quite obvious he was not as much at peace with this as he might have liked.

"It all depends on what memories she has returned to her I would think. But it is not something I can ignore forever, no matter what I would wish."

He pondered the offer for a moment. "You would risk that?"

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 23 2008, 11:58 PM
"Mal, I said I'd be here to look after you," Morgan frowned some, looking at the man, "I'll have to back out if it gets too bad. Kids. But."

He sighed some, "Maalech, neither of us have done really good by her. She's crazy, carved up, lost and angry. You... and because I haven't fixed it, me have to try and fix it."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 24 2008, 12:08 AM
"I know that. I have been trying for the last decades to pattern a weave that would allow her the time to heal. That was one of the things the Tzarg took from her. When they cast her in her role, gave her a new people, a new position, more power... they also took away her chance to deal with her loss. She never has."

He had lowered his voice by now, because this was personal. Normally he did not discuss personal issues, but like it or not, he and Morgan had grown close.

"At first the battle was to return her memories. By trapping her in the cycle between ascension and rebirth, they kept her personality but each rebirth gave her new memories. But when alive, she always knew that something was missing, and found out enough to find me and beg me to return her memories. Fool that I was, I did just that. I added strands that would slip into her weave, and at a set point in each rebirth would expose her to an object that would allow her memories to filter back. However, once she remembered, she... could not handle the pain. Suddenly forgetfulness was bliss, and by then we had both begun to realize the trap in which we had been bound. She wished to forget. She wished for power. She sacrificed her sanity and had me bind away her memories. She could live that way."

He watched his reflection in the glass for a moment, then continued "My battle then turned to revenge, and to a way of removing her from the curse they had placed her under. The countess was to be the final piece of that weave. And now? Now we are back to where I started, except that her memories are returning. And she is no more equipped with dealing with what they hold."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 24 2008, 12:16 AM
Morgan listened quietly for a time, beginning to pace.

Well, he'd pieced together a lot of that. Still, it didn't give him a lot of options.

"I guess it'd be stupid to find someplace for her to recuperate and let her do it a long, long way away?" Morgan chuckled a little then, scratching the back of his head, fingernail picking at one of the thicker scars there. "Or let her sleep until it all sorts itself?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 24 2008, 12:22 AM
"Sleep would not help either. She needs to come to terms with what happened. She still has not. I still think the safest way for that to be done is to neuter her, regardless of the fact that it would be yet another violation." The sigh was annoyed and sharp. "But I see no other choice. She will use her powers, and the Tzarg might notice. They might still notice that the weave is disturbed, but I do think I wove the concealment tightly enough to hide her loss of powers as well."

That made him smile very thinly indeed "Unless the Tzarg is indeed the very beings that are now courting me."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 24 2008, 12:26 AM
"Well, we'll have to assume that since they haven't killed you, Aly or Seth recently that they aren't. Otherwise you're just gonna go nuts with paranoia."

Not that the pair of them weren't close.

And at the last? Morgan just sighed as well, looking over at the man. "Seems about the only option, doesn't it?"

He snorted absently, "Just make sure she doesn't have a rock nearby to kill you with."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 24 2008, 12:30 AM
"Or a knife. One of the traditional dances where she came from was done with knives. She was rather adept." Maalech looked almost wistful for a moment, but buried it with a frown.

"She will hate me regardless. I have done things she will not condone. I know that."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 24 2008, 12:36 AM
"Really? Fuck, that explains a whole lot about her, come down to it." Morgan laughed a little, smirking at the man before looking at him.

"At least you aren't counting on her for the whole happily-ever-after." He smiled weakly then before it fell away. "Sorry. That's..."

He sighed and looked at the other man.

"She'll rip us apart when she gets back to herself. We'll deserve it, too."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 24 2008, 12:39 AM
"She was always ruled by her emotions and not logic. And yes, it will not be pleasant. Perhaps, over time she will begin to understand why... but perhaps not. I admit that at times it seems that my logic is quite different from most other people's."

He admitted that with the faintest of frowns. "In this, she is in her right to be upset."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 24 2008, 12:46 AM
"Well, then we drink deep and tomorrow we die."

He shrugged some, looking out the man's window, touching the glass, "Maybe she'll be nice to me because I'm the other parent?" He almost laughed before sighing. "Well, Powers on the left, madwoman on the right. The world hates the monsters. Deservedly."


Posted by: Maalech Sep 24 2008, 12:51 AM
"I do predict she would still have a use for you. After all, she spent a lot of energy into crafting you into her sword when she was still insane, I would think that would still hold in the face of her sanity. I however... she is already grooming a replacement magus. I do not know if that notion will hold once the web that snares the countess will be gone."

He scoffed lightly, giving Morgan a look "The last refuge of doomed men, to be useful. Still, it would not be the first time."

He had lived before, only because he could provide his captor with something.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 24 2008, 12:57 AM
Morgan shrugged a little. "No way to tell. Weaves can be a little strange when they snap, fraying all over the place, flying this way and that. Her new Magus... well, that role could fall to anyone. A part of me wonders if maybe it won't just shake everything up. You're throwing off the course of the Countess' likely destiny. That's GOT to mess with things."

The man shrugged. "Either way, though. We'll find a way through. I'll do my best to keep you running."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 24 2008, 01:04 AM
"If I did not think I could manage this, I would not have proposed it." Maalech gave Morgan a dry look, confidence he did not lack.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 24 2008, 02:43 AM
"Be that as it may, Mal... Well, I guess it's superfluous to tell you to be careful or wish you good luck." He smirked some and cracked his back.

And then he took a seat, looking around and wondering if he should just start waiting for Aly now. In the meanwhile, he began sifting back to remember the marks Maalech had put onto himself.

Wondering, with a scowl, what it would take to get them onto Aly.

Posted by: Maalech Sep 28 2008, 11:50 PM
"Luck." Maalech sighed and gave Morgan a rather tired look. "It is simpler to make our own luck, you should know that by now."

He walked over to one of the piles yet unsorted and picked up a book, but he looked distracted. His heart was not in it anymore.

"Do you think me a fool then? For believing that she can still be manipulated?"

Posted by: Alynealin Sep 28 2008, 11:50 PM
"He should" was the simple answer that came from the woman that had appeared in the shadows, not dressed in white now but in deep, deep crimson.

"Because I am through being played with."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 28 2008, 11:54 PM
Well, that didn't take long.

Not, of course, that Morgan was fool enough to think it would.

He smiled sardonically and offered her a half-hearted wave, "Hi, Aly." He said with a vague smile, surprised it took her even this long. "Care for a seat? Pull up a pile."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 28 2008, 11:57 PM
It was quite obvious that the appearance was still quite disconcerting to Maalech. Once you lacked the senses for sensing an approach, you were helpless in quite a different way. Still, the slight stiffness as he turned was fleeting, and soon lost.

"This is not a game. I am not certain what you remember at the moment, but that you ought to know. This was not done on a whim. Nor by my plotting. This was our decision."

Posted by: Alynealin Sep 29 2008, 12:00 AM
"Oh really?" Her eyes were narrow and focused as she stepped out into the sunlight, giving Morgan a sweet little smile though her attention was focused on Maalech.

"Was it by my own hand then that my sanity was stripped away? That the leaves of my memory were torn apart and bound, leaving me little but a doll dancing to the whims of chaos? Was that my doing too? Is it perhaps my own throat I ought to cut?"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 29 2008, 12:00 AM
"It is not quite as si..." Maalech choked, both hands going to his throat.

Posted by: Alynealin Sep 29 2008, 12:01 AM
"Be silent." Her smile had grown sharper.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 29 2008, 12:04 AM
"Aly." Morgan slowly got to his feet, watching her carefully--dangerous ground to tread, she was--as he stepped closer to her.

"Aly, he doesn't lie. You know that."

It was a simple enough truth. Fuck, but he hoped she remembered it.

"Come on, Aly. You said yourself that you're not operating with a full deck just yet."

Posted by: Alynealin Sep 29 2008, 12:08 AM
She turned slowly, the elegant shift of her hand causing Maalech to drop to his knees, still struggling for breath. It was not that he was completely choked, rather it was the laborous struggle of a slow choking, where a little gasp now and then could be sucked in, prolonging the agony.

"What do I know? You said so yourself, what reason would there be for trust. I trust my own heart." She looked to the side again, watching the man's suffering. "He is not the man I knew. He has grown old and decripit, helpless. He is inconsequencial except for my wish to see him suffer."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 29 2008, 12:09 AM
Was that a choked laugh that he managed to get out as he struggled for breath?

Yes, it was.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 29 2008, 12:11 AM
He should just keep talking. Try to get her down. Try to calm her with words.

He took a deep breath.

And reached into the man's throat to push back the forces keeping his throat closed, "Aly, you are not well." He spoke slowly, firmly at that. It was stupid, maybe. But it might keep them alive for a little.

Or hasten the end.

"Fuck, don't you remember it, woman? The only thing that could drive you to do that to yourself? Don't you remember that fucking mountain in the sky?"

Posted by: Alynealin Sep 29 2008, 12:17 AM
"Do not laugh at me!" Her eyes flashed, both at Maalech's choked laugh, and Morgan working against her wishes. She took a small step forward, ankle curving gracefully as she ran her toes across the bare floor, releasing her hold on Maalech's throat. Instead she tapped her foot once, sending a sharp jolt of pain through his flesh, raising a hand against Morgan, all five fingers extended. "Stop interfering. This is not for you."

She held still though, allowing for Maalech to collect himself, inconsequential little man that he was.

"I do not rememer. He took them."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 29 2008, 12:20 AM
Maalech did not quite scream, but he did convulse for a moment, gasping for breath as control over his own body was his once more. Gingerly he drew himself up to his knees, should she blast him again it was not as far to fall from down there.

"The tower. Nine of swords. Those cards hold those memories. Eight of swords holds the answer to why this came to pass."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 29 2008, 12:24 AM
"And you'll go mad all over again when you're whole and you realize what you've done. Dammit, Aly, you love him. You're a horrible wife and you treat him like he doesn't exist as much as he's horrible to you, but fuck help the both of you, you're almost happy sometimes."

He stepped forward, frowning.

"I'm not going to sit back and let you kill him. I know what you're capable of, Alynealin. Listen to him. You know what he's capable of, too."

Posted by: Alynealin Sep 29 2008, 12:29 AM
That gave her a slight pause, and she remained still, as if the very act of movement would unleash something that she perhaps not quite could control.

"Do not tell me what I feel." Her eyes were focused on Morgan, her head slowly tilting as if he was a snake whose bite she was preparing for. "I crafted you. You would not be where you are today but for me, you broken shamble of a man. I forged and reforged you, and you would do well to remember that. And believe me, death is a mercy. I am not inclined to be merciful."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 29 2008, 12:32 AM
Maalech could not hold back a sigh then.

"Then, if not merciful, at least be prepared to think. You have access to someone that can, if he wishes to, grant you all your memories back. And yet you are here, and not there, turning yourself whole. Why is that?"

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 29 2008, 12:39 AM
He went stiff under that gaze.

She was a monster in there, underneath the flesh and warm hair.

She'd rip him apart. Cell from cell.

"I only tell you because you don't know, Alynealin. I'm only a tool. But a tool helps you do things. I'm cutting through your bullshit, woman."


Posted by: Alynealin Sep 29 2008, 12:43 AM
She still held her gaze firmly on Morgan, having deemed Maalech inconsequential when it came to threatening her. "You have not cut through many things lately, have you? She sleeps... so full. Singing lullabies of broken razors..." Her voice had once again caught that almost sing-song tone she got when the madness took her, but she recovered in an instant.

Maalech she answered with a simple "I will. I have just not been ready yet."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 29 2008, 12:46 AM
"You are lying to yourself." He had managed to get his hands to stop shaking by now, his muscles still felt weak from her earlier outburst. It was a singularly humbling experience to be helpless in the face of this.

Still, it was far more humbling to have been bit by a dog, in this at least he had answers.

"You are afraid. As always you pull the cards you want from the deck, they have given you back what you can accept. The things that makes you feel safe. Your past. Your family. Your power. And now you hesitate... what else is there for you in there but pain? You do know that, somewhere. You do know there was a reason you gave it up."

Posted by: Alynealin Sep 29 2008, 12:48 AM
"Shut up!" She closed her hand and watched Maalech collapse with a scream, looking pleased with herself. "I am not afraid. But he has been unwilling." She admitted the last with a frown, ignoring the man that had collapsed beside her.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 29 2008, 12:54 AM
"Unwilling?" He gestured to one side to ensure Maalech was okay yet.

Alive, if nothing else.

"Unwilling?" he repeated, growing a little louder, "You're Aly-fucking-nealin, the bloody Witch-Queen. What is unwilling to you?" He flexed his hand a little then, middle finger moving over the angry scar there. He heard them sometimes, those lullabies.

Made him remember that it was all real. That she was still there. As if that feeling of barbed wire waiting to spring didn't do it enough.

"Do you want to know why you gave it up?" he said, knowing that he had only a vague idea himself.

Posted by: Alynealin Sep 29 2008, 01:02 AM
"He..." She seemed on the verge of raising her voice once more when she collected herself once more and cleared her throat. "He asked for a favour first. I felt inclined to grant it." She threw back her hair, nostrils flared as if she was a horse expecting battle.

"It is not important why I have it up. I will learn it eventually." But she did look troubled.

Posted by: Maalech Sep 29 2008, 01:05 AM
Maalech coughed, pushing himself up on his knees once more, hands shaking now. "The why is always the most important. I will not run, nor will I lie. You have a right to hate me, should you wish to hurt me you can find me easily now." His voice was rough, but his eyes sharp. "Do you not wonder why you are bending to his will?"

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 29 2008, 01:13 AM
He looked from Maalech to her and scowled, "You felt inclined. But you don't have to do it. And like Mal says, it's damned important why."

He looked at her, lips drawn tight, "Why would you ever allow your power to be lessened? Your memory be imperfect? And what force on Earth, even with all Mal's knowledge, could take it from you?"

He softened some then, "Aly, you know there's answers. Horrible answers. And killing him is only postponing finding them."

Posted by: Alynealin Sep 29 2008, 01:18 AM
"Because I -trusted- him." The words came sharp as daggers, but they were just words though Maalech tensed in anticipation of pain that did not come. "Because I believed that he was -mine- that he worked -for- me. Trust." Her lips were a thin line now "That is why he could do this." But she was hesitating, and some of the thundercloud tenseness had left the air.

"And I am not bending to his will."

Posted by: Maalech Sep 29 2008, 01:22 AM
Maalech flinched slightly, but recovered himself as she spoke. There was a brief glance there at Morgan, as if he was surprised by the man's words.

"If you are not now, you will me. I wished for your sanity to be restored, but there was a risk involved with that. In order to transfer that risk to someone else I made a weave, ensnaring a suitable subject to take your place. You took it upon yourself to manipulate that weave... you crafted yourself a new Magus, pulling both him and me into it. You are already growing dependent on him, not because of your own wishes, but because of the weave that have been woven."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 29 2008, 01:27 AM
"You trusted him to do what was right, Aly. Ever think that maybe you weren't an idiot? That maybe you trusted right?"

He frowned some, "You're making yourself be less than yourself because you're afraid to know the truth. So stop being afraid. Forge yourself."

Posted by: Alynealin Sep 29 2008, 01:32 AM
"Silence!" She stomped her foot, but no sound came, and ner next words were unheard. With an annoyed look on her face she took a step, made half a turn, and then the sound came rushing back, all at once "Iamnotafraid."

She was standing so she could face them both now, slowly crossing her arms as if she was protecting herself.

"There is a weave..." She admitted this reluctantly. "I have felt it brush against me, like cobwebs untearing." She tasted that for a moment, then frowned and spat "I will not be bound again, by weave or otherwise!"

Posted by: Maalech Sep 29 2008, 01:34 AM
"If not..." Maalech spoke softly now, carefully. "Remove it. You have woven part of it, you can unweave it. Be free if you think that is best for you, I have no power to stop you."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 29 2008, 01:36 AM
"I'm not skilled enough to break it," said the man with a shrug. "And he's powerless."

Morgan watched her carefully.

Huh. Maybe it even worked.

Posted by: Alynealin Sep 29 2008, 11:17 PM
"Powerless." She scoffed, tossing back her hair. "He has turned old and gelded himself, what honor is there to hate someone like him?" She made a gesture with one hand, and Maalech collapsed once more into convulsions.

"Powerless. I could slay him now." But instead she released her grip, gliding back a few steps as she watched the man in curiosity.

He did not move.

She looked as if she was not sure how to feel about that.

"I will be free, and I will be back." She bared her teeth, then added "He is alive."

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 29 2008, 11:22 PM
Morgan bowed his head some, "Thank you, Alynealin." Full names were called for here. She was being gracious or whatever passed for it for her.

"I look forward to seeing you again," he lied, watching her cautiously.

Posted by: Alynealin Sep 29 2008, 11:24 PM
She had closed her eyes by now, hands reaching out in the first steps of the dance.

"You should." were the last words she directed at Morgan before stepping back and elsewhere.

Gone.

Posted by: Morgan deCiel Sep 29 2008, 11:27 PM
Morgan almost laughed at that but, instead, knelt down and slapped Maalech on the cheek a couple times, "Mal. Mal, wake up."

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