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- #81
Aphrodite says, "It's in the lab. I pulled it out, but apart from that I didn't want to touch the damned thing."
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Ch.5 "Lost Souls" / Kell and Sigrlinn
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tbgg
Dark Lord
Ch.5 "Lost Souls" / Kell and Sigrlinn
Kell says, "I'll go look for it, then." Then she dashes to the lab to search for it.
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Kell says, "I'll go look for it, then." Then she dashes to the lab to search for it.
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- #83
The knife is on the table in plain sight.
One-armed Dimki examines it with one-legged Nikki at her side, the latter using a toothpick as a walking stick.
Penni says, "Don't go too close."
But Dimki insists it's safe to touch. "Just not sharp edges."
Nikki says there's some weird writing on the handle.
"Is that Barbaric?" Penni asks.
One-armed Dimki examines it with one-legged Nikki at her side, the latter using a toothpick as a walking stick.
Penni says, "Don't go too close."
But Dimki insists it's safe to touch. "Just not sharp edges."
Nikki says there's some weird writing on the handle.
"Is that Barbaric?" Penni asks.
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tbgg
Dark Lord
Ch.5 "Lost Souls" / Kell and Sigrlinn
Kell suggests to the iMaidens, "Let's take it to Sigrlinn. She might be able to read it, or at least know who might. We also think Heph's soul might be in there, so until we know otherwise, we need to keep that knife safe. If any of you want to come with me, you are welcome to ride on my shoulders."
If the iMaidens don't object, she carefully picks the knife up by the handle and assists any who are interested in accompanying her to situate themselves on her shoulders.
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Kell suggests to the iMaidens, "Let's take it to Sigrlinn. She might be able to read it, or at least know who might. We also think Heph's soul might be in there, so until we know otherwise, we need to keep that knife safe. If any of you want to come with me, you are welcome to ride on my shoulders."
If the iMaidens don't object, she carefully picks the knife up by the handle and assists any who are interested in accompanying her to situate themselves on her shoulders.
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- #85
The iMaidens may or may not know Barbieric, but Sigrlinn certainly knows her native language. The words on the knife translate to:
Better off dead.
Better off dead.
tbgg
Dark Lord
Somberly, Kell tells Sigrlinn, "This knife suggests that the Asgardian gods may have gotten involved in this conflict, however peripherally. Are there any tales of soul-sucking knives among the stories of your people?"
As to the words on the knife, Kell says nothing, but silently prays for Heph's soul to be granted the strength to endure.
She tells Aphrodite, "I think it's very possible we may need this knife to restore Heph's soul. If you do not wish to bother with it right now, I will hold onto it until you're ready."
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As to the words on the knife, Kell says nothing, but silently prays for Heph's soul to be granted the strength to endure.
She tells Aphrodite, "I think it's very possible we may need this knife to restore Heph's soul. If you do not wish to bother with it right now, I will hold onto it until you're ready."
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- #87
((@Ireth, see Sigrlinn's Memory in 5L thread.))
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- #88
Aphrodite says to Kell, "I will trust you completely with this. Oh… but you're hurt from fighting. I can take care of your wounds, if you'll let me."
tbgg
Dark Lord
Kell smiles tiredly and says, "That would be great, thank you." She's tempted to ask about the 'littlest sister' comment that Shelly overheard, but reminds herself that Aphrodite just lost her husband. Now is not the time.
To herself, she thinks, 'What difference does it make if you are going to die? It's irrelevant.'
While she's waiting for Sigrlinn to respond, she asks, "Can the metal maidens repair themselves without Heph's aid?"
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To herself, she thinks, 'What difference does it make if you are going to die? It's irrelevant.'
While she's waiting for Sigrlinn to respond, she asks, "Can the metal maidens repair themselves without Heph's aid?"
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- #90
Dimki says, "Don't worry about us."
Aphrodite tells Kell, "Come with me."
If Kell follows, Aphrodite leads her to the spa.
Aphrodite tells Kell, "Come with me."
If Kell follows, Aphrodite leads her to the spa.
tbgg
Dark Lord
Kell follows Aphrodite to the spa, asking her, "What now?"
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Ireth
Mythic Scribe
Sigrlinn examines the knife from a safe distance. As soon as she reads the words in her native tongue, a memory flashes back to her. She is very still while it lasts, trying to take in every detail. This is an important memory, and she can't afford to miss anything.
By the time she comes back to the present, Kell and Aphrodite have left. Sigrlinn paces anxiously by the knife, waiting for them to come back before she'll reveal what she remembered.
By the time she comes back to the present, Kell and Aphrodite have left. Sigrlinn paces anxiously by the knife, waiting for them to come back before she'll reveal what she remembered.
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- #93
Kell with Aphrodite
Aphrodite slides her robe off and soaks in the tub. Steam rises to obscure her body as she does this. She apparently thinks her nude form will make Kell uncomfortable.
"Step into the water. Healing takes time, but it's safe. The water will heal you. I will sit right here. If you prefer, you may use that spell that covers your skin in plants. I don't recommend bathing with a robe on."
If Kell steps in, Aphrodite then says, "I can see your physical wounds. What I can't see are the wounds on the inside. I can only repair the damage that you allow me to see. Will you talk to me?"
Sigrlinn with tiny fem-bots and kid Icarus
Penni asks, "What's it say?"
Icarus says, "It looks… scary."
Aphrodite slides her robe off and soaks in the tub. Steam rises to obscure her body as she does this. She apparently thinks her nude form will make Kell uncomfortable.
"Step into the water. Healing takes time, but it's safe. The water will heal you. I will sit right here. If you prefer, you may use that spell that covers your skin in plants. I don't recommend bathing with a robe on."
If Kell steps in, Aphrodite then says, "I can see your physical wounds. What I can't see are the wounds on the inside. I can only repair the damage that you allow me to see. Will you talk to me?"
Sigrlinn with tiny fem-bots and kid Icarus
Penni asks, "What's it say?"
Icarus says, "It looks… scary."
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Ireth
Mythic Scribe
Sigrlinn turns to her companions and says, "It says, 'Better off dead'. I think it alludes to the knife's function. We should wait for the others to get back before I try and explain."
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- #95
Sigrlinn
Icarus says, "That's a weird thing for a knife to say."
Penni asks, "What do knives usually say?"
"I don't know. Nothing, I guess." He stares at the knife for a while, then asks, "Did my dad think he'd be better off dead?"
"Your dad speaks barbaric?"
Icarus shakes his head. "I guess somebody else put the words on the knife."
Icarus says, "That's a weird thing for a knife to say."
Penni asks, "What do knives usually say?"
"I don't know. Nothing, I guess." He stares at the knife for a while, then asks, "Did my dad think he'd be better off dead?"
"Your dad speaks barbaric?"
Icarus shakes his head. "I guess somebody else put the words on the knife."
tbgg
Dark Lord
Ch.5 "Lost Souls" / Kell and Sigrlinn
Kell also slides off her robe and steps into the water to soak. It feels good to her. She doesn't cast her plant spell. As long as no others are present who are affected by her nymph effect, she doesn't mind being naked while bathing.
She is silent at first, not because she doesn't want to speak, but because she doesn't know where to start.
Finally she says, "Aphrodite, from my perspective, communication has been a problem in your and my relationship since the first day I was accepted into your school. It's why I harp on the subject a lot. When I was in your school, I would request certain classes like all the nymphs do, only to find you requested I be dropped from a class that had room for me. If you remember that time when I came to your office to ask why you requested that I be removed from that literature class, you told me it was because the subject was dry and boring. Yet it's not dry and boring to me. Yet still I was removed with no word of explanation until I pushed for it."
"Then there are those gifts you buy for all the nymphs every year around the time of the festival to honor you. There is no question that giving gifts to 60 nymphs is an act of generosity on your part, and you go to the trouble every year to ask us what we want, but you never once gave me what I actually wanted. If I asked for a blue cloak, my gift would be a very nice red one. One year I asked for a journal, and you got me one made out of special parchment, but ordinary ink smeared badly on it and I couldn't afford the ink that was meant to be used with it. My first year at the villa when that happened, I thought that maybe you just couldn't find what I asked for. The second year was when I asked for the blue cloak and I think was when you got me the fancy red one. That year, a bunch of us students got into a discussion about our gifts. Most of them got exactly what they asked for, with the exception of a few who asked for expensive fabrics and got something more common. But me, not only did I not get the color I wanted, I got it in a fancy silk, with no explanation for the 'upgrade'. Many of the other nymphs were jealous, too, and there for a few months, I was shoved, tripped, and otherwise made to feel like even more of an outsider. I went to Niobe's in tears, not understanding why I was the only one to not only not get what she'd asked for, but to also get something that caused me a lot of trouble with the others, too. Niobe counseled me to give you the benefit of the doubt, telling me that I should respect your generosity. But when the same basic thing happened the next three years - me receiving an "upgrade" that wasn't what I asked for - even Niobe wasn't sure what to make of it. Starting my 3rd year, she just started giving me what I asked for. I tried trading your gift away because I thought it would make the other nymphs less jealous and get them off my back if some of them got something nicer, too. Yet all I got from you was a lecture about how ungrateful I was. As far as I'm concerned, that whole gift thing symbolizes your and my relationship just perfectly. I ask you for something and get an "upgrade" that isn't what I wanted, and never do get the thing I did want. I no longer cry about it, I just know that's how it is with you - I feel more like a doll to be dressed up or a piece to be moved around on a board to you than I do a nymph to have a real relationship with."
"Plus you're always making plans for me without consulting me. I'll allow that not all of that has been bad - Helix has been nowhere near as obnoxious in protecting my virtue as I feared he would be. He is one I consider a valued friend, and I thank you for sending him to me."
"Some of the things you do wouldn't bother me half as much as they do if I could get the thing I actually want from you on a reasonably consistent basis. It can be fun to receive a nice gift to someone that isn't something I would have picked for myself - variety definitely keeps things interesting - but I find I can best receive a gift like that from someone who is good about taking my needs and preferences into account. I don't speak only of the kind of gifts you buy, either. With you, it would be unfair to say you ignore my needs completely, but when you meet them, you just don't take my preferences into account at all - and you seem to be too busy to take the time it would take to get to know my preferences, and when I tell you what I want, you don't give it to me. What's important to me - communication about things that affect me where my having the knowledge doesn't endanger someone else and the right to have a say in those things - just isn't important to you."
Now Kell pauses, gathering her strength for the hard part. "Under ordinary circumstances, this next part is less important, but when we're at war and I'm feeling off-balance or mad or hurt because you once again decided something that affects without consulting me, I can't act fully as part of a team in the way I'm needed. That's when people get hurt unnecessarily. When I was still in Kell-Pi's body and the maidens summoned me back, I asked what was going on, and but they only gave me an option to say yes or no and no explanation. I had just gotten over how mad I was about my body being swapped without my consent, and the situation felt very similar - they were asking me to make a decision about something that affected me without communicating the circumstances. That just made me mad all over again, and I said No. And now it's my fault that Patty...and Condi...and Heph..." Tears start streaming down her cheeks. "They're hurt or dead because I was mad and said No to defending the mansion!"
She curls in on herself, sobbing forlornly.
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Kell also slides off her robe and steps into the water to soak. It feels good to her. She doesn't cast her plant spell. As long as no others are present who are affected by her nymph effect, she doesn't mind being naked while bathing.
She is silent at first, not because she doesn't want to speak, but because she doesn't know where to start.
Finally she says, "Aphrodite, from my perspective, communication has been a problem in your and my relationship since the first day I was accepted into your school. It's why I harp on the subject a lot. When I was in your school, I would request certain classes like all the nymphs do, only to find you requested I be dropped from a class that had room for me. If you remember that time when I came to your office to ask why you requested that I be removed from that literature class, you told me it was because the subject was dry and boring. Yet it's not dry and boring to me. Yet still I was removed with no word of explanation until I pushed for it."
"Then there are those gifts you buy for all the nymphs every year around the time of the festival to honor you. There is no question that giving gifts to 60 nymphs is an act of generosity on your part, and you go to the trouble every year to ask us what we want, but you never once gave me what I actually wanted. If I asked for a blue cloak, my gift would be a very nice red one. One year I asked for a journal, and you got me one made out of special parchment, but ordinary ink smeared badly on it and I couldn't afford the ink that was meant to be used with it. My first year at the villa when that happened, I thought that maybe you just couldn't find what I asked for. The second year was when I asked for the blue cloak and I think was when you got me the fancy red one. That year, a bunch of us students got into a discussion about our gifts. Most of them got exactly what they asked for, with the exception of a few who asked for expensive fabrics and got something more common. But me, not only did I not get the color I wanted, I got it in a fancy silk, with no explanation for the 'upgrade'. Many of the other nymphs were jealous, too, and there for a few months, I was shoved, tripped, and otherwise made to feel like even more of an outsider. I went to Niobe's in tears, not understanding why I was the only one to not only not get what she'd asked for, but to also get something that caused me a lot of trouble with the others, too. Niobe counseled me to give you the benefit of the doubt, telling me that I should respect your generosity. But when the same basic thing happened the next three years - me receiving an "upgrade" that wasn't what I asked for - even Niobe wasn't sure what to make of it. Starting my 3rd year, she just started giving me what I asked for. I tried trading your gift away because I thought it would make the other nymphs less jealous and get them off my back if some of them got something nicer, too. Yet all I got from you was a lecture about how ungrateful I was. As far as I'm concerned, that whole gift thing symbolizes your and my relationship just perfectly. I ask you for something and get an "upgrade" that isn't what I wanted, and never do get the thing I did want. I no longer cry about it, I just know that's how it is with you - I feel more like a doll to be dressed up or a piece to be moved around on a board to you than I do a nymph to have a real relationship with."
"Plus you're always making plans for me without consulting me. I'll allow that not all of that has been bad - Helix has been nowhere near as obnoxious in protecting my virtue as I feared he would be. He is one I consider a valued friend, and I thank you for sending him to me."
"Some of the things you do wouldn't bother me half as much as they do if I could get the thing I actually want from you on a reasonably consistent basis. It can be fun to receive a nice gift to someone that isn't something I would have picked for myself - variety definitely keeps things interesting - but I find I can best receive a gift like that from someone who is good about taking my needs and preferences into account. I don't speak only of the kind of gifts you buy, either. With you, it would be unfair to say you ignore my needs completely, but when you meet them, you just don't take my preferences into account at all - and you seem to be too busy to take the time it would take to get to know my preferences, and when I tell you what I want, you don't give it to me. What's important to me - communication about things that affect me where my having the knowledge doesn't endanger someone else and the right to have a say in those things - just isn't important to you."
Now Kell pauses, gathering her strength for the hard part. "Under ordinary circumstances, this next part is less important, but when we're at war and I'm feeling off-balance or mad or hurt because you once again decided something that affects without consulting me, I can't act fully as part of a team in the way I'm needed. That's when people get hurt unnecessarily. When I was still in Kell-Pi's body and the maidens summoned me back, I asked what was going on, and but they only gave me an option to say yes or no and no explanation. I had just gotten over how mad I was about my body being swapped without my consent, and the situation felt very similar - they were asking me to make a decision about something that affected me without communicating the circumstances. That just made me mad all over again, and I said No. And now it's my fault that Patty...and Condi...and Heph..." Tears start streaming down her cheeks. "They're hurt or dead because I was mad and said No to defending the mansion!"
She curls in on herself, sobbing forlornly.
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- Thread starter
- #97
Kelleia
Aphrodite moves to Kell's side of the bath, though she watches of signs of discomfort from Kell, either keeping a respectable distance or rubbing Kell's back, depending what Kell's body language tells the goddess is too close for comfort.
"Of the past: sorry and you're welcome," she says. "It was kind of Niobe to advise you as she did, but I will admit giving me the benefit of the doubt may not have been easy.
"As for my husband… he was trying to tell you that you did have a choice in the matter. I told him he should not have mentioned Vin the way he did. Of course that frightened you. But if you want to speak of my husband and regrets here in the bath, we will be wrinkled as prunes by the end of that conversation. I have failed him in many ways, and many of those ways have a man's name. And that's only because he didn't mind me having affairs with women. I was as bad a wife as Zeus is a husband. Arguably, I was worse than Zeus from the spouse's perspective.
"It was the day of your hatching that brought us back together. So I tried. I really tried to give you nothing but the best. I tried to keep you from following my path, as so many nymphs have. The closer I tried to get to you, the more I drove you away. And I suppose my vanity didn't help. But having your house blown up and your husband murdered is rather humbling, so let me say this to you while I'm in the right state of mind.
"Apollo destroyed my home.
"Dædalus killed my husband.
"You avenged his murder.
"And… if you hadn't been in your own body, and didn't wake up when you did, those tiny metal maidens would have been in a million pieces. Dinky and Pinky, or Nickel and Dimey or whatever their names are. Heph adored his creations."
Helix chimes in:
Hey! I'm gonna stay out of your head for a bit, but since I overheard some of your thoughts—first, thank you for saying I'm not too obnoxious. And also, I want you tell you that all of the human-size maidens turned into a huge super maiden. She—or they?—defeated Helios. I'm gonna hang out by Helios' busted torso for now. Call my name when you need a ride or anything else. Until then, I won't listen in now that I know you and Aphrodite are in the middle of…
Oh shit! In the middle! I'm interrupting! I mean, I'm done interrupting! I mean, I'm shutting up!
Starting…………………………………………
………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………now!
………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………and I can't hear you. Starting now.
After what Aphrodite thinks has been a quiet moment, she adds, "In case I'm failing to make myself clear, as I often do with you, I really don't hold any of this against you. Whether you can find a way to save him or not, I would appreciate it if you were to stop blaming yourself for circumstances beyond your control."
Aphrodite moves to Kell's side of the bath, though she watches of signs of discomfort from Kell, either keeping a respectable distance or rubbing Kell's back, depending what Kell's body language tells the goddess is too close for comfort.
"Of the past: sorry and you're welcome," she says. "It was kind of Niobe to advise you as she did, but I will admit giving me the benefit of the doubt may not have been easy.
"As for my husband… he was trying to tell you that you did have a choice in the matter. I told him he should not have mentioned Vin the way he did. Of course that frightened you. But if you want to speak of my husband and regrets here in the bath, we will be wrinkled as prunes by the end of that conversation. I have failed him in many ways, and many of those ways have a man's name. And that's only because he didn't mind me having affairs with women. I was as bad a wife as Zeus is a husband. Arguably, I was worse than Zeus from the spouse's perspective.
"It was the day of your hatching that brought us back together. So I tried. I really tried to give you nothing but the best. I tried to keep you from following my path, as so many nymphs have. The closer I tried to get to you, the more I drove you away. And I suppose my vanity didn't help. But having your house blown up and your husband murdered is rather humbling, so let me say this to you while I'm in the right state of mind.
"Apollo destroyed my home.
"Dædalus killed my husband.
"You avenged his murder.
"And… if you hadn't been in your own body, and didn't wake up when you did, those tiny metal maidens would have been in a million pieces. Dinky and Pinky, or Nickel and Dimey or whatever their names are. Heph adored his creations."
Helix chimes in:
Hey! I'm gonna stay out of your head for a bit, but since I overheard some of your thoughts—first, thank you for saying I'm not too obnoxious. And also, I want you tell you that all of the human-size maidens turned into a huge super maiden. She—or they?—defeated Helios. I'm gonna hang out by Helios' busted torso for now. Call my name when you need a ride or anything else. Until then, I won't listen in now that I know you and Aphrodite are in the middle of…
Oh shit! In the middle! I'm interrupting! I mean, I'm done interrupting! I mean, I'm shutting up!
Starting…………………………………………
………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………now!
………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………and I can't hear you. Starting now.
After what Aphrodite thinks has been a quiet moment, she adds, "In case I'm failing to make myself clear, as I often do with you, I really don't hold any of this against you. Whether you can find a way to save him or not, I would appreciate it if you were to stop blaming yourself for circumstances beyond your control."
Ireth
Mythic Scribe
Sigrlinn sighs and nods to Icarus. "I'm reasonably certain it was Loki who made this knife. How your father got his hands on it is another story."
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- #99
Sigrlinn
Icarus says, "My dad did a very bad thing, didn't he?"
Penni looks like she's about to speak, but Dimki places her one remaining hand on Penni's shoulder. This distracts Penni for a moment. When the moment passes, Penni doesn't say anything.
Icarus says, "My dad did a very bad thing, didn't he?"
Penni looks like she's about to speak, but Dimki places her one remaining hand on Penni's shoulder. This distracts Penni for a moment. When the moment passes, Penni doesn't say anything.
Last edited:
tbgg
Dark Lord
Kell sits up and snuggles next to Aphrodite, knowing she herself needs the touch right now and sensing the goddess needs it, too. Then she grabs Aphrodite's hand and squeezes it.
For the next few minutes, she doesn't say anything at all.
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For the next few minutes, she doesn't say anything at all.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk