Alec [M:118:6:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=412&page=1#1242]"I see," said the blind man to the deaf lady.[0:Wandering the stacks.][1:Present and accounted for.]
Glancing over the "Iconographer", Alec looks at Chaz. "This is....this is genius. Yes, I should be able to make all the bits and pieces. Though give me a day or two. I fear I shan't be doing much of anything but sleeping for a while."
Come in under the shadow of this red rock, and I will show you something different from either your shadow at morning, striding behind you, or your shadow at evening, rising to meet you. I shall show you fear in a handful of dust.
Grayell turned and headed back upstairs, found Kerag and grabbed his gear. He didn't get dressed he was a mess. Instead, he fetched some water and then dumped it over his head. He sighed happily as he cooled off and suggested Kerag do the same.
That's great! I'll be working on other things anyways. If you can, come to the workshop downtown and we'll see what we can do. He cheerfully shook Alec's hand.
Thanks again!
Then he scurried off to look for Kerag.
A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible.
Margrett smiled as the downstairs cleared out, then grew a little anxious. She still stood inside the cell, and sort of reluctantly, shut the door on herself, making sure it wouldn't properly lock, but still remain closed. She looked around at the bars and her anxiety grew a little more. She started to sweat and she found she couldn't breathe. Memories started to pound back through her head and she scrambled out of the cell, leaning against the wall and panting. She closed her eyes for a moment, resting, then shut the door to the cell again. As she walked upstairs she threw a look back.
Grayell stood, somewhat wet but smiling and waiting on the others who'd helped. He thanked Alec, Kerag and Chaz. When Margrett arrived he straightened up and took a serious look. Crap was that hard. She'd worked hard, she was every bit as tough as the rest of them and yet...
Captain?
Grayell approached. He waited a moment and then walked to her side and turned. He lifted his left arm a little toward her, offering his elbow.
If you'd do me the honor Miss Mikael, I have but one more thing planned for this evening. I would like to escort you.
Margrett slammed the door open. She stood at the threshold for a moment, taking in the weight of ownership. It should have made her feel better, but it didn't. Right now her furniture consisted of a mattress on the floor. She sat on it, crosslegged, then sighed, leaning against the wall.
She knew Gray had meant well. She knew he was trying to apologize. And she knew that he had feelings for her. Not romantic feelings, surely, but emotional ones. That bit about her reminding him of someone....now she wished she stayed.
But she couldn't. The little twinge of stress behind her eyes was getting stronger. She could fight monsters, snap sarcastically at people, do her job, uphold the order and law of her father, but she couldn't stand ten goddamn minutes with people who honestly were celebrating her. Last time that happened...no. No no no.
As long as people were either looking down in distaste or looking up in respect and maybe even fear, she could handle it. she could control it, either way. Training recruits was easy; they looked up to her, and she could maintain her distance. Walking the streets was easy; criminals were beginning to fear her. All her relationships, however brief or fleeting, revolved around that dynamic. She was always either being looked up to or down upon in one way or another. Even making love was that way. She had to be able to control it.
She hated that now. They had thrown her a party and she couldn't handle it, because she was their equal. And that scared her. Deeply and truly. Now, she wanted so much to just walk back in and have fun, but she knew she wouldn't be able to.
Gray was a strange case. He was very clearly her superior in raw strength, power, and force of personality, but she felt like she should be the one to look down on him. She couldn't figure him out. And she had a hunch he couldn't either.
She sighed, rubbing her eyes. Maybe she just needed to get laid. She chuckled, not knowing where that thought came from, and went to bed early.
It was still dark when Margrett woke up. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and got up, aching a little. She wobbled when she got to her feet. Suddenly, everything seemed wrong. This wasn't the jailhouse. The ground seemed so close, the walls so far away, the ceiling invisible. She clutched the wall, bewildered, walking along it for support. The hallway seemed infinitely long and stretched on forever. She forced her feet to move, forced her lungs to choke down air.
Suddenly she saw a room off to the right. There was a light shining from it, warm and inviting in the dark world around her. Straining, she headed for it, staggering along the wall until she fell on her knees in the doorway. She looked up, and gasped.
Inside the room, seemingly not seeing her, was a tall, well-built man with long hair and a thin beard. Decked from head to toe in blue armor, he imposing and imperious, but his eyes were friendly, if pained. She reached for him, trying to say the words.
"Fa..father..."
She could reach him. He didn't hear her. She had to warn him. She knew what was going to happen, and she had to stop it. She tried to stagger to her feet, but fell on her face. She reached up, starting to panic, her throat constricting and unable to make more than a few gasping noises.
He turned from the desk he was standing at. Margrett's heart leaped into her throat. He'd heard her! She could warn him, tell him to leave--
"What....what are you doing here?"
His tone was not accusatory, but bewildered and curious. Out of the shadows of the room slinked a thin, leather-clad shape. A thin black tail whipped behind it as it walked silently towards him, leaned forward...and pulled down its mask. It shot forward, grabbing his face and pulling him into a kiss. Margrett watched in horror as the woman pulled a dagger from her waist and pulled back, resting her forehead on his. She sobbed as his face turned from one of relief and happiness to horror and betrayal. She spoke, so low that Margrett could barely hear her.
"Will...William. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."
She slid the knife forward. Margrett felt it pierce her heart as her father fell to his knees, gasping. The woman dropped the knife and threw her arms around his neck, whispering frantically.
"William....you have to tell me where it is. That's why they made me do this...please, you have to tell me where it is..."
He gasped, unable to speak, and simply reached into the chest of his armor and pulled free a piece of paper, ancient and crinkled. She took it from him and looked down in horror as he mouthed three words. I forgive you. His fingers brushed her face as he fell forward, breathing his last.
Margrett felt a rush of anger. Her limbs exploded in rage, her vision blurring and turning burning red. She found herself freed, able to rise from the floor and shoot towards the murderer, knocking her over and pinning her to the floor. Blind with fury, her armored fist smashed into the person below her, bones snapping, blood covering her body, again and again and again and AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN--
"Margrett!"
She stopped, finally able to see through the blood, and saw the face of the woman below her. She screamed, looking at the blood on her hands, falling backwards, scrambling across the floor to the wall. She shivered, sobbing, curling into the fetal position, putting her bloodied hands to her face.
She got up again, shakily. She washed her face and then just stood there for a moment, trembling. It was sunrise. Gray had wanted her to meet him with the recruits at the council hall. She had to buck up, put on her game face.
Margrett got up reluctantly. Rubbing her eyes and looking outside, she saw it was about midday. She'd slept in late. She looked down and saw Serenity lying next to her, still asleep. Tallia was curled up between them, on top of the covers, with another blanket covering her. Margrett smiled. Serenity did indeed look like a doll; perfect in every human way, and several more beyond that. Tallia was adorable, sleeping soundly, curled up in a way that would break most normal people's backs. Margrett rubbed the cathian's head and then ran a finger down the length of Serenity's arm.
Serenity let out a little moan as Margrett lined her arm with her finger. She had been awake for a moment already but chose to just stay in bed with her eyes closed. It had been the first in a long long time that she felt this relaxed and quite pleased with herself.
She knew she would have to get up eventually though, to get dressed and see about getting a wagon some ways out of Wistvale to start on her sudden journey. In truth there was no hurry to go back to Highever. She could have decided to start next week and it probably wouldn't have made a difference. Serenity herself just wanted to leave town for a little while, but couldn't ignore the fact that James' family might also be in jail if not worse.
For now, she just lay there, comfortable under the sheets, "I rather not, I'm fine where I am." she said quietly before stifling a yawn.
"Hmph, Isn't there a farm you need to be? I'm sure they miss you." she said in playful retaliation.
She should get up sure, before the lady developed any ties to this place now that she and Marg have gotten more than acquainted. Tallia was situated comfortably on top of them too, and she didn't want to stir her from her cat nap. Perhaps the only thing that would get her up right now was breakfast.