[ Curufin is leaning on the door of the shack he built over the ice hole in Hadriel's central lake, and behind him, the Northern Lights flash above the horizon. But there is something odd about this sky; it shimmers with more than the light of solar electrons flaring as they swirl and spiral down the well of the north pole. ]
Laura? I have to say goodbye. . .
[ Something about his stance says he's resisting a storm out of the Beyond, in order to remain here for just a few more minutes. ]
[ In this case, they are not. He's figured out a way to evade the Door, but still he is summoned elsewhere, by another means and route, and he may not evade what he has evoked. ]
Yes. I'm going into the Great Void, the Darkness between the worlds. I have a long and interesting journey to make.
I wish I might stay to help you figure out the mystery of that ring. When I touched it, I felt a very strange energy, dark and powerful, but somehow related to the powers that I understand, those of earth and fire. Metals and stones speak to craftsmen such as I, and it spoke of the dark spell of its origin. I don't now if I could have duplicated that spell without jeopardizing the balance I have struck in my life, between the substances of light and darkness. But I would have tried.
But I am glad that you have that ring, since it will protect you from the demoness, and you already know how to be the ringbearer.
[he's lucky, then. to escape what others have tried to for years]
... that sounds dangerous. Need any help?
[she sighs] I think my ring is gonna be beyond everybody here. No one can seem to figure out how it works or how to enchant things with the same magic. But--why would it be dark? It saved me. [not from death, but from possession by BOB, which she would have counted as worse than death]
Ringbearer? No, it's just a--a ring a one armed man was wearing. Then he gave it to me. Nothing special about that.
[ Hehe, he's an Elf of the First Age of Arda, and a son of Fëanor, who was the craftiest Elf ever to wield craftsmen's tools or to make manifest the concepts of Elvish science. Curufin can summon light and darkness, as could his father, and he can disembody and re-embody himself. (OOC: In this case, he may have done it with a little help from Leo Flynn, but we're still threading, so I'm not sure exactly. )
And he can set his foot on the threshold of the Other World. ]
It is a bit on the dangerous side. [ That's putting it mildly! ] I'm not sure. Is there some way you can help me?
A ring that wards off a demon as powerful as Caedra? If that one-armed man created the ring, then he must have unlocked an arcane secret or two! And even if he didn't make it, and was just the messenger, he certainly know what it was for and who needed to have it. The scent of magic is in the air. [ Smile. ]
[none of that means anything to her. all she knows is that she was in need of help and he was kind to her. she guards kindnesses like jewels, they've been so few and far between in her life. and life here]
Then, stay. [she doesn't know, but] I can try?
Can't you stay and try to figure out that magic? That would be a challenge. One that could take months and months. You don't have to go now.
[ He feels the same way about her. There is no jewel like kindness! It is more precious than all the rubies of the East, more precious than the three Silmarils for which he and all his brothers except Maglor died. ]
I don't know how to stay now. I would if I could. Laura, you're helping me right now, by showing me how much you care. It gives me strength. But I wish I could do the same for you.
It would have been fascinating to have worked on that ring and tried to duplicate its spell, or to have found someone who could. I'd have loved to do that.
[she used to think that kindness was a weakness. then she came here and learned how wrong she was. it took a while, though]
But--but aren't you really friggen' powerful? There's gotta be a way. [a pause] Oh, jeez. Don't say that. [she doesn't think she deserves it]
Then stick around and find out. You came closest to anyone to figuring it out.
Please? [she doesn't, either. she's lost people before. she lost Aren, who she'd become as close as sisters with. but Aren just vanished, she didn't stick around for a goodbye]
My powers are very great, that is true. But nobody is powerful enough to deal with every single situation that life or the universe could throw at him or her. I'm up against a limit here. But Laura. . . it's true -- I wish the best for you, and I wish I could give you a gift that is worthy of you. Anybody who knows you knows you are worthy of all gifts.
[ Sigh of emotion. ] By all the gods of Arda, I wish I could.
[ Her pleading face would have been too much for him if he had had any real choice about leaving.] I'd stay for you if I could.
[it takes all of her might to not correct him, to tell him that she's bad, corrupt to the core, but. she hasn't been Nighttime Laura in months. she's been good. it comes easier here somehow, cut off from Twin Peaks and all of its temptations]
I--thank you. That's really good of you to say.
[she, too, sighs] Because this place giveth and this place taketh away. And nobody can make sense of any of it.
[but sometimes there is no choice] Thank you. I--well, I'm gonna miss you.
[ Even if she had been Nightime Laure, he'd still understand. . . having been Nighttime Curufin in his own world and a couple of times in this one. But he'd agree it is easier away from their worlds of origin, with all their deadly temptations. ]
And I thank you, too. You have always been kind to me.
I think we give too much credit to Hadriel. It's as though we make it a God, when it is only a world. It gives and takes, but in the end, it is not the controller of our lives.
[ He understands the Darkness and its effects on people. He would not judge her. ]
And I would say the same of you!
Hadriel has a stake in making us feel as though we are powerless. And in particular, as though the Door was the absolute arbiter of whether we remain here or not. But actually. . . there are ways to leave, that don't involve the Door at all.
[ But Laura of all people might understand the rapport that reaches beyond space and time. His love and concern for her may still be present in some way, after he is gone. ]
Elves who have lost their bodies can re-embody themselves. I made arrangements to lose my body, and I am now in the in-between state. I phase in and out of the living world. The Door has no power over me in this state. I can leave without its permission or its intervention.
[ And it might be possible for Laura to do so. She is acquainted with the strange, and she knows that the world of the unseen is real. This is a prerequisite for spectral journeys through the universe. ]
[Laura has experienced many strange and unusual things in her seventeen years. she would believe it to be true]
That's--wow. I had no idea that something like that was even possible. It must be pretty cool to stick it to the gods that way, that they can't control what you do. They think they can control what everybody does.
[it's true, she's gone so far as to find herself in a painting in a dream she had and see the Black Lodge in the process]
[ He smiles. ] I do like the idea of sticking it to the gods. Arrogant fools, who compensate for their losses by trying to control the lives of beings they think are weaker than they are. As though by removing control from others, they can regain the feeling -- though not the fact! -- of being in control themselves.
[ Then not only has she been in a place outside normal time and space, but also she could see in a visionary manner while in that place. These are very good signs! ]
I've always thought they were assholes. Totally lacking in compassion or empathy. [ And that's saying a lot, coming from Curufin, who spent 600 years being his Nighttime self! ]
But what about you, Laura? How are you going to manage being in this place? I'm worried about you.
Not only do they expect us to take it, but they expect us to be grateful for it!
I'm glad you have friends. But what is your goal?
And as for me, I'll be journeying through the Dark between the worlds, hopefully to find a better world than this one. I now know what I am looking for, so I will not be deceived into a trap such as Hadriel. Not twice.
Sometimes I wonder about that. They'd certainly like us to believe that. But we'e gotten along for brief periods of time without them. Maybe it would be possible to pioneer one of these worlds without their "help." Ah well, I won't get the chance to find out!
You're going world-hopping? [ He smiles with delight. ] That's a nice idea. Going to your friend's world to help. And I know you have skills and abilities and perspective that not everyone has, so I think she is lucky to have you come along. What kind of world is Cecily's?
No disagreement from me on that one. You got a second chance, but you're not obligated to be eternally grateful for it. [ Hadriel has such terrible drawbacks that the gods are lucky they can keep anybody in it. Curufin has never believed that the only way to get out is via the Door. He suspects that people find other ways and simply leave for other shores. ]
Nope. 'Cause you're going. To somewhere that isn't here. [she doesn't sound bitter at all]
Hers is way behind mine, technologically speaking, but I've kind of gotten used to it. But her world needs help and I think I can do something about it, so. [shrugs] To Thedas, I go.
Yeah, there's gotta be an expiration date for that kind of thing. I've been here a year. Long enough, I think. [the Door can't be the be-all, end-all of everything]
Thedas is a world I've heard of before. The people I've met that were from it were nice people, or at least interesting people. [ Smile. ] Certainly they were intelligent and inventive. I think they'll welcome you, and I'm guessing you'll feel useful and be happy there.
[ He chuckles. ] An expiration date, eh? Like the last date you can safely drink a carton of milk. The last date you can even be remotely pleased to be here!
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timeasmymeasure
video (backdated to 12/14)
Date: 2018-12-16 03:35 am (UTC)Laura? I have to say goodbye. . .
[ Something about his stance says he's resisting a storm out of the Beyond, in order to remain here for just a few more minutes. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-12-16 03:45 am (UTC)[she thought that the stupid gods were responsible for who came and left]
no subject
Date: 2018-12-16 04:52 am (UTC)Yes. I'm going into the Great Void, the Darkness between the worlds. I have a long and interesting journey to make.
I wish I might stay to help you figure out the mystery of that ring. When I touched it, I felt a very strange energy, dark and powerful, but somehow related to the powers that I understand, those of earth and fire. Metals and stones speak to craftsmen such as I, and it spoke of the dark spell of its origin. I don't now if I could have duplicated that spell without jeopardizing the balance I have struck in my life, between the substances of light and darkness. But I would have tried.
But I am glad that you have that ring, since it will protect you from the demoness, and you already know how to be the ringbearer.
no subject
Date: 2018-12-16 04:58 am (UTC)... that sounds dangerous. Need any help?
[she sighs] I think my ring is gonna be beyond everybody here. No one can seem to figure out how it works or how to enchant things with the same magic. But--why would it be dark? It saved me. [not from death, but from possession by BOB, which she would have counted as worse than death]
Ringbearer? No, it's just a--a ring a one armed man was wearing. Then he gave it to me. Nothing special about that.
no subject
Date: 2018-12-16 05:15 am (UTC)And he can set his foot on the threshold of the Other World. ]
It is a bit on the dangerous side. [ That's putting it mildly! ] I'm not sure. Is there some way you can help me?
A ring that wards off a demon as powerful as Caedra? If that one-armed man created the ring, then he must have unlocked an arcane secret or two! And even if he didn't make it, and was just the messenger, he certainly know what it was for and who needed to have it. The scent of magic is in the air. [ Smile. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-12-16 05:21 am (UTC)Then, stay. [she doesn't know, but] I can try?
Can't you stay and try to figure out that magic? That would be a challenge. One that could take months and months. You don't have to go now.
no subject
Date: 2018-12-16 05:45 am (UTC)I don't know how to stay now. I would if I could. Laura, you're helping me right now, by showing me how much you care. It gives me strength. But I wish I could do the same for you.
It would have been fascinating to have worked on that ring and tried to duplicate its spell, or to have found someone who could. I'd have loved to do that.
Oh, Laura! [ He does not know what to say. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-12-16 05:57 am (UTC)But--but aren't you really friggen' powerful? There's gotta be a way. [a pause] Oh, jeez. Don't say that. [she doesn't think she deserves it]
Then stick around and find out. You came closest to anyone to figuring it out.
Please? [she doesn't, either. she's lost people before. she lost Aren, who she'd become as close as sisters with. but Aren just vanished, she didn't stick around for a goodbye]
no subject
Date: 2018-12-16 10:02 am (UTC)[ Sigh of emotion. ] By all the gods of Arda, I wish I could.
[ Her pleading face would have been too much for him if he had had any real choice about leaving.] I'd stay for you if I could.
no subject
Date: 2018-12-18 12:11 am (UTC)I--thank you. That's really good of you to say.
[she, too, sighs] Because this place giveth and this place taketh away. And nobody can make sense of any of it.
[but sometimes there is no choice] Thank you. I--well, I'm gonna miss you.
no subject
Date: 2018-12-19 07:57 am (UTC)And I thank you, too. You have always been kind to me.
I think we give too much credit to Hadriel. It's as though we make it a God, when it is only a world. It gives and takes, but in the end, it is not the controller of our lives.
I'll miss you too, Laura. I won't forget you.
no subject
Date: 2018-12-19 05:32 pm (UTC)You're kind. It's easy to be kind back.
It sure feels like it controls our lives, especially now.
Thank--thank you. I won't forget you, either.
no subject
Date: 2018-12-20 10:30 pm (UTC)And I would say the same of you!
Hadriel has a stake in making us feel as though we are powerless. And in particular, as though the Door was the absolute arbiter of whether we remain here or not. But actually. . . there are ways to leave, that don't involve the Door at all.
[ Smile. ] Mutual memory, then!
no subject
Date: 2018-12-20 10:57 pm (UTC)--really? Other ways? What're those?
[she's set on going to Thedas when she leaves, but she'd like to leave on her terms, not the Door's]
no subject
Date: 2018-12-21 08:01 am (UTC)Elves who have lost their bodies can re-embody themselves. I made arrangements to lose my body, and I am now in the in-between state. I phase in and out of the living world. The Door has no power over me in this state. I can leave without its permission or its intervention.
[ And it might be possible for Laura to do so. She is acquainted with the strange, and she knows that the world of the unseen is real. This is a prerequisite for spectral journeys through the universe. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-12-22 04:02 pm (UTC)That's--wow. I had no idea that something like that was even possible. It must be pretty cool to stick it to the gods that way, that they can't control what you do. They think they can control what everybody does.
[it's true, she's gone so far as to find herself in a painting in a dream she had and see the Black Lodge in the process]
Such lovely nighttime icons we have!
Date: 2018-12-23 04:42 am (UTC)[ Then not only has she been in a place outside normal time and space, but also she could see in a visionary manner while in that place. These are very good signs! ]
They're so pretty!
Date: 2018-12-23 05:58 am (UTC)Blue and violet are such delicious colors!
Date: 2018-12-23 10:26 pm (UTC)But what about you, Laura? How are you going to manage being in this place? I'm worried about you.
thank David Lynch ;)
Date: 2018-12-24 04:47 am (UTC)I'll--I'll manage. I have friends, I have a goal in mind. I'll be okay. What about you?
thank you, David Lynch!!
Date: 2018-12-25 09:07 am (UTC)I'm glad you have friends. But what is your goal?
And as for me, I'll be journeying through the Dark between the worlds, hopefully to find a better world than this one. I now know what I am looking for, so I will not be deceived into a trap such as Hadriel. Not twice.
no subject
Date: 2018-12-26 05:16 pm (UTC)I'm planning to world-hop. My friend, Cecily, her world's in trouble and I think I can help.
Yeah, I mean, don't get me wrong. I'm glad they brought me back to life. But this place really has its drawbacks.
no subject
Date: 2018-12-27 10:00 am (UTC)You're going world-hopping? [ He smiles with delight. ] That's a nice idea. Going to your friend's world to help. And I know you have skills and abilities and perspective that not everyone has, so I think she is lucky to have you come along. What kind of world is Cecily's?
No disagreement from me on that one. You got a second chance, but you're not obligated to be eternally grateful for it. [ Hadriel has such terrible drawbacks that the gods are lucky they can keep anybody in it. Curufin has never believed that the only way to get out is via the Door. He suspects that people find other ways and simply leave for other shores. ]
no subject
Date: 2018-12-28 01:57 am (UTC)Hers is way behind mine, technologically speaking, but I've kind of gotten used to it. But her world needs help and I think I can do something about it, so. [shrugs] To Thedas, I go.
Yeah, there's gotta be an expiration date for that kind of thing. I've been here a year. Long enough, I think. [the Door can't be the be-all, end-all of everything]
no subject
Date: 2018-12-28 08:29 am (UTC)Thedas is a world I've heard of before. The people I've met that were from it were nice people, or at least interesting people. [ Smile. ] Certainly they were intelligent and inventive. I think they'll welcome you, and I'm guessing you'll feel useful and be happy there.
[ He chuckles. ] An expiration date, eh? Like the last date you can safely drink a carton of milk. The last date you can even be remotely pleased to be here!
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