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Post by §~Samwise~§ on Jul 29, 2022 11:05:34 GMT -5
Taliesin sighed heavily and stopped moving away for the moment. He let her words sink in as he decided whether or not to just dump. She wasn't a partner, so there wasn't any concern over pushing her away.
He took a deep breath and looked up to Mirrai speaking solely in Sylvan as a mark of privacy for her. "In order..." Another deep breath and he continued.
"I'm so invested, because I deliberately buried my own memories of childhood and have things that I desperately wish that I could remember, but are lost to time and unlikely to be recovered. I have frustratingly hazy memories of my parents. The only clear memories are the worst night of my childhood and I would give about anything to have more than that." There was a hint of a shake to his eyes and tears beginning to form. A deep breath and quick dab later and he was seemingly stable, but it was pretty easy to read an emotional wall coming up.
"I understand not trusting right away and being in a situation where you don't know where you are or how to get away. That is completely fair and I've been there. I don't have a map of Mobius as it is today, but there might be one squirreled away somewhere to look at to get your bearings ... but if you can't remember where you need to get, then seeing where you are doesn't do much."
"All my questions ... they might seem like they were to figure out what you knew as if you had some great secret to wield ... but save for the necklace question and attempts to determine a location they were all to place when you came from. Sages I trust speak of inter-planar travel having some drawbacks when moving through certain planes. Based on what they have said to me ... it sounds like you and your father were in the Feywild when you passed through the door to arrive at Telemon's castle."
He bit his tongue to stop, but then shook his head and continued. "Travel from the Feywild to our plane can result in loss of memory of the Feywild and other things. It isn't necessarily permanent loss, but in addition the travel can also cause someone who was gone for mere hours to return days, weeks, even years later. Though ... the stories shared tend to be on a shorter gap in time compared to yours." He searched her eyes for a reaction. Trying to see if the implication landed and was interpreted or not.
He more than half expected her to just leave at this point. That was his usual luck with conversations on sensitive subjects that he just was out of his depth approaching. But he was 100% open with her if that counted for anything.
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Post by Ancelas on Jul 29, 2022 13:05:43 GMT -5
Mirrai did not leave. She did not appear alienated, or frustrated, or disgusted. She seemed... wary. She considered his words seriously and weighed her options, but did not close up or turn away. Instead, she tore off another piece of meat pie and chewed thoughtfully.
"...Sit down, please," she said at last. "You sound quite dramatic, standing there like that. I'm not upset, I'm just... confused. I've been trying to keep my head down as much as possible, but... you don't seem inclined to let me. And... I appreciate that."
She sighed a little and sat back. She picked up her tea, drained it like a shot, and set it down.
"Alright."
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Post by §~Samwise~§ on Jul 29, 2022 13:41:42 GMT -5
Taliesin blinked, more than a little confused as to how that went down. This was somewhat foreign territory, but he sat back down as requested. "I probably sound dramatic sitting too." He said softly.
He was unsure where to go from there since he had laid cards out on the table that had been kept close to the chest.
"Don't think it's all altruistic." He said after a moment to carefully sculpt a few sentences. "I mean, it is altruistic, but the rush is not ... if that makes sense."
"Some abilities I can use all day, but others I only have the strength to do once and can prevent me from using similarly taxing abilities. Although, I am a bit like a dog with a bone, and seeing someone putting themselves perpetually second doesn't sit well. But my last foray into such a ... discussion didn't go so well."
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Post by Ancelas on Jul 31, 2022 19:20:43 GMT -5
Mirrai chuckled. "A dog with a bone is right. Sometimes you need to just... not hold on so tightly. Or talk so much. I've given my consent, so... we might as well see what we can find.
"How do we go about this?"
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Post by §~Samwise~§ on Jul 31, 2022 19:30:24 GMT -5
Taliesin blinked a few times. This was easier than it was with Sae. But to be fair to Sae she had the stress of leading the group among other things.
"Well ... I would take the powdered diamond and apply it in a pattern on your forehead. As I do that I use some words to trigger the spell effect."
"After that we see if the fog around your memories starts to lift. I don't know what to expect for memories returning. It could be a sudden rush of all the answers you were seeking. It could just be that the next time you look inward you actually find what you're looking for." He looked around the communal area for a moment.
"We can do this here, or if you've acquired a space to bunk at we could move to privacy there before going forward."
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Post by Ancelas on Jul 31, 2022 19:34:43 GMT -5
"The only thing I've had time to do since I arrived was get dinner," Mirrai pointed out. "Hence why I've been reluctant to move forward too quickly. What do you think would be best?"
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Post by §~Samwise~§ on Jul 31, 2022 19:48:52 GMT -5
Taliesin pursed his lips crooked in thought for a short moment. Without much pomp he stood, stowed the sausage chain, and offered a hand to Mirrai.
"There is a space here. It's not as private as arranging a spot in a spare room of a friendly Traveller, but it will be comfortable enough."
He left his hand out to her, unsure if she would rise and take it, or simply rise.
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Post by Ancelas on Jul 31, 2022 19:55:43 GMT -5
Mirrai took his hand and rose with a fluidity that implied the motion was familiar to her.
"...Did you stick an entire chain of sausages in your bag...?"
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Post by §~Samwise~§ on Jul 31, 2022 20:02:02 GMT -5
Taliesin smiled and gave her hand a squeeze. "It was either that or wear it like a necklace." He said with a bit of a chuckle. "Plus, that pocket is where I stow food. The last food it had prior was a number of cherry tarts."
He gently tugged at first leading her away from the communal eating area and to where the bunks could be found. With dinner being still underway he was relatively certain that the bunk area would be fairly vacant if not completely devoid of others.
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Post by Ancelas on Jul 31, 2022 20:34:47 GMT -5
Mirrai made a point of bringing the remainder of her meat pie with her. "That is fair." She did not object to being led away, and was indeed somewhat occupied eating her meat pie.
Several rooms had open doors where some of the people Valor company had rescued were already finding places to rest and sleep. They past a handful of Travelers that were making cots and preparing for the end of dinner as well. It wasn't too difficult to find an empty room.
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Post by §~Samwise~§ on Jul 31, 2022 20:57:06 GMT -5
Taliesin found a suitable empty room and led her to the bed. He let go of her hand and stepped away. "If you could sit on the edge of the bed once you have finished your meat pie. And if you are able, please put your feet flat on the ground."
He took off his bag and situated it against the wall. He then dug into one of the pockets and retrieved the makeshift satchel of diamond dust. With dust in hand he moved back to the door and simply closed it for privacy. As he watched her something flashed in his mind. "Oh ... thinking back on a prior topic. The marking is done in a way that may feel varying levels of intimate."
Still staying at a distance he gave a reassuring smile. "If you need me to move or leave ... anything ... just let me know." He waited in a relaxed state out of the way for her to be able to exit if she changed her mind. Of all things he wanted her to feel, the main was to feel safe in the situation and to understand that in spite of his earlier tenacity her consent mattered.
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Post by Ancelas on Aug 1, 2022 8:00:10 GMT -5
Mirrai sat down and quickly finished her food as Taliesin prepared himself. She dusted her hands off on the rags she wore, none too perturbed about their condition, and watched Taliesin closely.
"You said it was a dusting on my forehead," she said slowly. "Anything more intimate than that, and we may have issue."
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Post by §~Samwise~§ on Aug 1, 2022 8:57:51 GMT -5
Taliesin nodded. "It is a dusting on your forehead, but your head will need to be leaning back and I have to shape it." He kept his body language relaxed as he approached. "It is easiest for me to make the design if I cradle the back of your head and gently tilt for some of the application."
He stopped several feet from the bed. "All of what I need to do is neck up. If you are not comfortable with me cradling your head, then the other option would be for you to lay down and I would instead move and steady your head as needed from the top."
He waited for her acknowledgment and possible position change. He honestly preferred the sitting method since it had her in a position where she could more readily push away should she panic rather than him looming over her while she laid flat.
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Post by Ancelas on Aug 1, 2022 9:43:02 GMT -5
"Very well. But if you try anything untoward, I will defend myself." It was just enough of a threat to be legitimate - and he had seen her fight against the hobgoblins - but it was delivered in a tone that suggested she did not expect him to.
Mirrai tilted her head back and waited, watching Taliesin approach.
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Post by §~Samwise~§ on Aug 1, 2022 10:00:33 GMT -5
Taliesin gave a nod. The warning, though not really needed, was heard. He set the makeshift satchel on the bed just to the left of her thigh and unfurled it. As he had described, his left moved toward her neck and gently lifted to cradle her head at the back of her neck, his left thumb just on her cheek and jaw in front of her ear.
He got some of the dust pressed into his right thumb and opened his mouth, but instead of words the sound of a stream came, the sound of wind through a tall grass field, and songbirds chirping and singing. He moved his thumb across her forehead, applying the diamond dust. As he needed he got more of the dust and shifted her head side to side. As he applied the last bit of diamond dust the spell completed, green light pouring from the outline which showed a large outlined and wide open eye.
He leaned back to give her space and watched for any reaction. His left hand had only just started to leave her the back of her had and neck.
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