Part 37b: Underflow

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Part 37b - Underflow by Dworkin (GM)
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Meanwhile, somewhere else...

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Berd
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...flare of light...a thousand, thousand suns, flashing by...heat...feathery touches on the face, the hands...song, whispered in the ears, a song of the spheres themselves...

Darkness, full of dancing lights, receeding above the falling foursome.

"Berd!  Where are we?"

Words from Cyan, her eyes full of dancing colours as she looks up, stares up at the vast, brilliant string of light above that the four fall away from.  A galaxy, stretched between two poles, thinning near those ends, growing dense and brilliant near the hub of the ellipse, hangs above them.  It is enormous, stretching nearly forever in the darkness, a thousand, thousand, thousand and more shining spheres, brilliantly dancing in their orbits around each other, between the poles.

And the four people continue to fall, at dizzying speed, away from the terrible, beautiful vision above them.

Well, three fall.  One flits between them, on shimmering wings.  Even in the Void, Berd seems most comfortable.

"Are those...the Myriad worlds?"

Berd, annoyance held at bay, lets out an agreeable chirp.  Then his voice echoes around the other three.

(Cyanfriend) correct/right.  (Brilliantspheres/Myriadworlds) between (Greatweb/orderskein) and (Writhepath/chaosway).

The little dragon begins to glow...no, his scales are shining on his belly as he hovers before the falling trio.  A light begins to grow, far below them.

Berd's voice changes, as it has before (though Devlin has never heard it).

You are Underneath it all, now, Underneath everything that is.

And below them stretches the river.  A vast, ribbon of light, flowing beneath them as they fall toward it, shining, shimmering, eddies and whorls within it.  It blankets the void, fills it like burning, living light.  Cyan can only gape in astonished awe.

Berd's voice actually holds a hint of amusement as he seems to take his bearings, staring above at the Myriad Worlds.  Third star to the left, and straight on until morning?

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dworkin (GM)
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The falling slows, and stops.  For a brief moment there is equilibrium, and then the fall starts again.

This time, though, it is not the four who fall.  This time it is the stars, drifting down like snowflakes, gently at first, then faster and faster.  They whirl and spin around the four companions, a blizzard of light motes, falling into nothingness below them.

One star takes position directly above their heads, a fixed point in the storm, growing brighter and larger with each second.  It flattens, becoming a disc of brilliance which rushes down on them with startling speed, expanding around them, so that they pass through it, like trained dogs in some circus leaping through a paper-covered hoop.

It stops moving when it reaches their feet, and they find themselves standing in a forest, bare trees beneath a cloud-heavy grey sky.  A scattering of fat, slow snow flakes fall from the heavens, a faint echo of the star-blizzard which they had just experienced, and the ground is thick with snow.

From behind them a female voice speaks, "'Ere now, don't ye be standin' aht there catchin' yer bloody deaths.  Get yer arses inside, the fire's going, an' I's got the kettle on fer tea."

There is a cabin, heavy log walls and a roof of turf, visible where the snow has melted near the chimney.  A woman stands in the shelter of the porch, a large woman, red faced and blue eyed, her sleeves rolled up to reveal arms that look as though she could have built the cabin.  From beneath the emerald scarf tied around her head, stray whisps of red hair peek out.

"Give it an 'our or so, fer the water in the copper ter heat, an' any as wants ter will be able ter take a bath.  Oh, an' welcome 'ome, Cyan.  I's missed yer songs, Lass."

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Devlin
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Devlin is even more confused as he watches his suroundings, it is as if they have fallen out of the universe and now watch it from afar. HIs eyes are wide at first trying to take it all in. He tries not to let the fear he is feeling show, and does not know if he is succesful at doing so.

The sensation of falling seems to stop and as the stars bring to fall toward them he closes his eyes. He's not sure how many more of these surprises he can take.

Then he is standing on firm ground again and there is a woman's voice behind him. He opens his eyes to see the snow in the air, and the snow on the ground. Then he turns to look at who is speeking. The woman knows Cyan. Devlin turns to look at her and waits. It is quite obvious that he is lost. The expression on his face is one of bewilderment. His head tiled to one side, eyes wide and staring, mouth slightly agape. He simply stares at Cyan waiting.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Cyan
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Stumbling, dazzled by the brief voyage along the underbelly of reality, Cyan stares around her in confusion.  This place looks vaguely familiar to her - almost like an amalagm of places she's seen, whipped into the cabin in the woods where she and Berd spend her growing-up years.

Then the voice, and Cyan spins, even as Berd sends out a featherlight mental explanation.  She stares at the woman for a long moment, then at Berd, and a look of confusion crosses her face.

"Mother?" she finally asks, covering the surprise with the skill of a trained bard.

For an instant, the Link between the three Questors is re-established, for any who choose to accept the gift.  Berd's eyes flare as Cyan sends a short message.

Berd has...created this, somehow.  It is a world where I am this woman's daughter...Berd, how could you?  She has a daughter, just like me, only elsewhere?  What about my eyes?

Berd says she will not see them.  Cyan sounds crestfallen.  But she has seen me, and now I have to do something for the poor woman.  Berd, we will talk about this later.

Berd doesn't look particularly concerned by this fact, and flits off Cyan's shoulder to perch above the door.  Still appearing more than a little irritated, the drake begins to preen himself with sharp, violent motions.

"I've just stopped home for a short time, Mother," Cyan attempts, with a quick smile.  "These are two friends of mine - Dorian and Devlin," she says, indicating both men.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dorian
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Dorian's eyes twinkle, as if he still sees the wrolds before him, falling, bowing,  under his gaze. The dream that filled him then still lingered in those dark orbs; he could rule it all.

With a deft flapping of his cloak, the snow is shunned from his shoulders like peasants before a tyrant.

He appraises the woman before him, a smirk creasing half his face. "Your hospitality is legend, mother of Cyan. Your daughter has spoken of you so much I feel I know you already-- though somehow, I managed to miss ever learning your name. She calls you only mother, of course."

The Nephelium, they call the underflow life, Berd. It is to them somewhat as oxygen, food... even blood... is to humanoids. Yet, it cannot be used against them; they store it and suffer not in its absense. Over a long time, they would become dormant, but still aware. Their power to them is as natural as breathing or walking. It is what they are. Also, the Underflow has a source, a beginning of all things. They call it God, the creator or origin of all. I had little time to gain more detail....

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Berd
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Berd, sitting on the edge of the roof, preens himself with annoyance, snapping out a wing for an instant to look at Dorian appraisingly.  Something in his anger softens, slightly, and he shakes himself.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dorian
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Dorian nods at Berd, holds the gaze for a moment, and then looks back to their host. "I require a moment, before we go inside." He turns from the group for a moment and appears, after a pause, to be working with something in his hands. When he returns he hands Berd a small glass vial. Within its depths glistens a few drops of blood.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Cyan
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A sudden pain jabs Cyan, then, and she stares at the red-haired woman, seeing her in a new light.  She could be Cyan's mother.  Just looking at her....

I never had a mother.  I don't remember her.

Pushing forward, through the snow, she throws her arms around the woman.  "Mother," the bard whispers.  It isn't...it's not my mother.  But I'm so tired, and it would be so nice, just for a moment, to pretend.  "It's...it's so good to see you."

Berd looks down with an odd expression on his face, then glances back to Dorian, suddenly flitting through the air like a ghost to land on the man's shoulder.  The vial of blood is taken carefully by one, taloned forefoot, and disappears under Berd's wing.  Literally.

Cyan spares a grateful look to Dorian for his greeting, then waves the no-doubt confused Devlin forward.  "Devlin, please come meet my mother?" she asks, hopefully.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dworkin (GM)
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The woman, so far nameless save for Mother hugs Cyan close for a long moment, then pushes her back to arm's length and regards her critically, "Are ye eatin' proper, my girl?  Ye look ter've lost a bit since yer last visit.  Still'n'all, I reckons I can fix that."

"An' what's the idea, tellin' yer friends that I's yer mother?  I'n't Mum good enough fer ye, since ye went an' mixed with them city-folks?  Anyroad, it's good ter see yer again, an' nice ter meet yer friends too."

She looks at Dorian appraisingly, and smiles, "Yer might all just as well call me Mum, since it's been a long time since anybody called me aught else.  Even my old hubby, Cyan's dad, rest his soul, mostly called me that."

A glance at Devlin, then, and a chuckle, "If any of ye called me by another name, I'd like as not never even know ye meant me."

Her attention returns to Dorian, "Are ye married?"

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dorian
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Dorian smile and blinks at the question. Of all the questions in the infinite worlds, he'd would have expected that on the least.


He inhales deeply before speaking. "Mum then," and his voice sounds like a rusty grate forced open after years of slumber, as if he strains at so unnatural a word in his vocabulary. "I was married, once, very long ago. She is... no more." He puts some effort into swallowing.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Devlin
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Still watching Cyan the woman asks him to come meet her mother. The older woman tells everyone to call her Mum. He's never called anyone that, but...

Devlin moves a bit closer, "It is nice to meet you." He says to the older woman, skipping the title all together. "I have only recently met Cyan recently, but the offer of a warm place to rest is more welcom than you can know."

Devlin looks past the woman into the cabin. "Tea also sounds very inviting."

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Cyan
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"Sorry, Mum," Cyan continues, laughing, fitting into the role with the ease of a trained performer.  "I've not dropped a stone, Mum!  It's been a long road, that's all.  She blinks at the older woman's sudden, unexpected question to Dorian, and ducks her head at his answer.  "Mum," she whispers quietly.  "it's been a hard road for the three of us.  We're definitely in need of a bit of that rest and supper you mentioned."


Sitting on the Dark Man's shoulder, Berd grows silent as he speaks of his lost wife, head bowing slightly in consideration.  Then, with a glance at both Devlin and Dorian, he flits back to Cyan's shoulder, landing on the opposite side to her 'mother'.  Reaching down with both front claws, he takes the two, large cubes, straining to hold them.  Cyan assists him in clutching them to his breast, then the drake launches himself into the air.  Circling once, he shoots like an arrow into the drifting snowfall.

"Don't worry, Devlin," Cyan continues as if Berd had never done anything.  "We've got a few stories to tell, and I'll tell them tonight."  Amber eyes blink thoughtfully, as she considers the best way to go about this.  "Maybe we could head inside, Mum?"

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dworkin (GM)
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The cabin, for all its rustic appearance outside, is clean and comfortable inside.  There are shelves holding hundreds of books covering almost every available inch of wall space, and boxes of books stacked in odd corners.

Volumes of fact and fiction are everywhere, some of them so old that the titles are no-longer readable on the worn and faded covers.

The only place where there are no books is the kitchen, and it is to there that Cyan's Mum leads them first, bidding them to sit at the heavy wooden table.  That table has clearly seen a lot of use.  The surface has been polished to a silky smoothness by the passage of years, except in one corner, where somebody has carved the word "CyaИ" in tiny, neat letters.

Delicate porcelain cups and saucers, the best in the house, are placed on the table, while the woman keeps up a constant chatter about the affairs of people that this Cyan has never met, but with whom her Cyan is, presumably, well acquainted.

The tea arrives soon after the cups, and then the home-made bread appears on the table, along with butter, sliced ham, several types of pickle, and a large fruit cake.

"'Elp yerseln, my dears, no need fer yers ter be standin' on cer'mony 'ere.  So will yer be stayin' the night, Cyan, only I's needin' ter fix the beds if yers are."

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Devlin
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Devlin has a seat at the table and when the old woman tells them to help themselves he stats fixing himself a plate of food. Oddly he smells everything.

As he fixes his plate he looks at Cyan and asks, "Can I speak here?" with a quick look at Cyan's mother. "About those... people we just met?"

He looks at the food again and, as if making a decision, begins to eat. He didn't think the odd little dragon would bring them to someone that would want to harm them.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Cyan
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This place...it is so much like the place I could have had.  Perhaps my mother was just like this woman?  And then, where would she be?  Dead?

But the woman's eyes...they're normal.

Still, that does not mean my...HER father did not have strange eyes.  Or perhaps they come from my exposure to palanquet?  No.  Then another thought takes her.  Shadows.  Shadows, those of Amber call us.  Are we truly so?  Nothing more than reflections of each other, or shadows cast by something greater?  Look at this woman.  Her fingers trace the lines scored in the table.  Look at this place.  Am I exactly what they call me?  A Shadow?

No.  No!  I am REAL.  I exist.  I am my own person, not merely a simulacrum of life!  I have my thoughts, and make my decisions, and they are my OWN.

For an instant, her 'mother's' words take Cyan off guard, but then she laughs.  "Oh, Mum - we'll probably be staying the night, but we might have to leave a'sudden.  We've friends who're in a spot of trouble, and we'll likely have to run if one of them sends for us.  And I'll help with the beds, please - no arguing on that!  Just sit with us, if you would."

Sitting herself, Cyan sets to eating.  It HAS been a while since breakfast, and the food is good.  "Berd's missing this...."  He must be extraordinarily annoyed.  Looking outside, she sees the sun settle on the tops of the mountains.  Getting near dark.  "This is wonderful, Mum.  I've missed well-cooked meals for a long time, now."

Devlin's question gives her pause...but only for an instant.  Considering the question, not the answer.  Would Berd have taken us to a place where magic does not hold sway?  I think not.  "You can talk freely, Devlin.  You're in as safe a place as any."  She glances to her mother, amethyst eyes catching the light of the setting sun.  "Things have been a little wild, Mother.  You're likely to hear some fairly fantastic tales, now."

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Devlin
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Devlin looks at Cyan, and then Dorian, and then at Cyan's mother. His head tilts to the side as his eyes turn back to look at Cyan. "I could be very wrong, but I think those... people..." His head tilts the other way, he doesn't know a better word, people will have to do. "... I don't think there is any difference between them and the place we were in. I got the feeling that they were just different..."

He searches a moment for the correct word, "... aspects of the place. As if the world they inhabit is concious and they are but different parts of its conciousness."

Devlin shakes his head, "But I could be wrong. It is just the impression I got when I tried to study their abilities."

Taking another bite of the ham Devlin looks at Cyan's mother, "The food is wonderful, ma'am."

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dworkin (GM)
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"And ye're too kind with yer praises.  It's only a little bit I threw tergether.  Jus' what were in the larder."

"And don't mind me with yer tall tales, my girl.  Who was it used ter tell ye stories about far-away places when ye were little?  Who was it'd bring books fer ye from every visit ter town?  Ye knows I loves stories."

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Cyan
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"Can't be too kind when it's the truth, Mum," Cyan says cheerfully, setting down to eat.  "As for my 'tall tales', I've been on some pretty mad voyages recently...but we'll see what we see when the story is done.  You can let me know what you think," she says, with a wink of one, emerald eye.

Growing more serious, the bard looks back to Devlin.  "That," she notes, "is a very astute and interesting observation.  I had no idea...if you are correct, Devlin, then...well, I have no idea what it means."  Cyan frowns and wishes berd were here.  For a moment, there's a thought in her mind that there's something she's forgetting, but it's gone an instant later.

"We must get this information to Aaron.  You were able to study them?  How interesting."  Cyan chews thoughtfully on her food.

"I'm afraid we will receive little assistance from them...but wait, now.  Devlin, you do not know the whole story.  Perhaps I should start at the beginning?"  A glance to her 'mother', then, bustling at the stove, and Cyan frowns uncertainly.  Obviously everything she will tell her mother will seem outlandishly impossible.  But does it matter?

Yes.  Because her Cyan will return, someday...I hope.  And then what?

This is beginning to make her feel twisted up, inside.  On the one hand, Cyan feels a burning jealousy for the 'other'.  Conversely, she is beseiged by feelings of guilt over the deception, and the confusion that will result when the 'other' Cyan finally returns home.

I have to tell her the truth.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dorian
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"It matched nothing else I've encountered, but I'll say it is hard to tell where the underflow stopped and they began. I can't be certain of the nature of that place, but I daresay our friend may be correct. I could also venture a theory, that it was a not a place at all, in a physical sense... you might also say it was someone, or rather someone's mind...." He dares a quick glance at Mum to see how she reacts.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Devlin
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Devlin turns to look at Dorian, "That could be. I hadn't thought of it like that." He seems to think that over a minute.

Then back to Cyan, "It would be nice to have a little more information. I understood some of what was going on back there," Devlin slowly shakes his head, "But I'm afraid not all of it."

But suddenly he changes the subject, "First I should introduce myself properly. As you know the name is Devlin. As I have recently found out... I say recently as I see it. I've noticed that time does not seem to flow the same everywhere." The man seems to be off on a tangent, almost talking to himself and not even thinking about Cyan's mother. "I once left one shadow and returned after what I thought was a day to find that more than a month had passed."

Devlin looks around suddenly realizing that he was talking to himself, "Sorry, many things are new to me."

Then he gets back to the subject, "I have recently been told that I am a son of Amber, that this is where my father is from. I have never been there, nor do I know who the man is. I'm not too sure that I want to know. Serena seemed to think this was important, so I thought I should just get that out of the way."

He shakes his head again, "I was so interested in following you and your small friend I forgot about Serena." He says to Cyan and then looks down, still shaking his head.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Cyan
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Cyan frowns, perplexed.  This kind of discussion - this talk of a place being a thing, or a mind - it's a little outside of her experience, and her mindset.  She struggles to comprehend.

"You think that...world...was nothing more than a 'dream'?  A creation of some greater things whims and desires?"  She blinks sapphire eyes at the thought, shaking her head.  "We dance with the gods, to be sure," the bard murmurs, feeling quite small.

"Devlin, I will do my best to tell you the story.  Mum...if you would come and sit, once you are finished, I would like to speak to you of this as well.  And there is something important I must tell you, before I begin."  Quietly, Cyan listens to the rest of what Devlin has to say.  She frowns, once, sudden anger flickering in her eyes for a moment, then nods, obviously struggling with her temper.

"So you, too, are a child of Amber.  Well, such powerful blood may be yet another strong link in the chain of our Quest...I fear I know little of Amber, Devlin, for I have never been there, nor am I related to any of that land.  I know only what my fellows have told me...and they would be better able to relate this information to you than I.  Aaron, for example, makes no mystery of his heritage, and would likely delight in explaining Amber in greater detail.  I am certain that Serena, who has lived there, could do so as well."

She frowns.  "And I think she will forgive you when you return...."  With a sigh, Cyan motions her 'Mum' over again.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dorian
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Dorian leans forward, arching his hands in front of him, as if about to engage in speculation or theory. Instead, he simply says, "I don't know."

He is quiet for a few moments, looking at Mum, then around the cabin.

"I think we'll never know what that place really is, not without much study. In that place, we are the fish plucked onto the dock. Or perhaps, we are the chick emerging from the egg, discovering that our infinite space is a lot smaller than we had imagined. Think how vulnerable a chick must feel in those first few moments. I cannot say for sure if it were a mind or a place or something between, no more than the fish could explain the dock to his friends when released back into the water."

Then he leans back in his chair and releases a long, slow breathe, seeming to deflate. He smiles softly, turning to Cyan, and shrugs.
After a few moments, he lets his gaze drop. Somewhat distantly, he muses, "I am given the impression that I, too, am of Amber blood. Though I am as yet uncertain about my parentage."

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dworkin (GM)
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The woman, Cyan's Mum, to all intents and purposes, finally finishes the chores she's been working on while listening to the tall tales with half an ear.  Realising that she has nothing further to do now, and that not joining her guests, now that she is without anything to do, would appear rude, she finally agrees to sit down.

Her gaze, though, keeps flitting about.  Does that plate need taking away?  Does anybody need, or want, more tea?  Is there anything else that could be added to the menu?

Nothing, it seems.

"What is it, Cyan, my love?"

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Cyan
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Cyan nods at Dorian's words.  It's obvious they're out of their depth, to take the metaphor of fish one step further.  Her amber eyes glaze over for a long moment, as she considers both the conversation within and without.



Smiling at Mum, Cyan calls on all of her training and puts happiness into her eyes, reaching over to hug her mother to her.  "I merely wished to say...thank you, Mum.  And I love you.  I really do."

I really do...and how I wish you were truly my mum.

A sniffle she can't hold back, then the bard smiles.  "I have a story for all of you.  You might recognize some of the names...my imagination has quite deserted me, coming here and seeing my Mum again.  So, I should begin at the beginning."

Fumbling with her backpack, Cyan removes her harpcase.  Opening it reveals the silvery instruement, strings like a rainbow shimmer in the air, candlelight catching on the shining curves and arcs.  For an instant, her fingers dance on the strings, letting out a ripple of notes.

"My story begins far away, in a city known as Cadiniagart..."

OOC - Please Refer to Game FAQS for a synopsis of Chapters 1-21, I think.  Cyan's story will be highly stylized, but the information will be there.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dorian
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Dorian stands. "Sorry, Cyan, I have things I must attend to-- preparation. I will hear what I can of your tale from outside."

He pauses by Mum and puts a hand on her shoulder, looking at her and smiling. "Thank you for you hospitality, Mum"

He nods at Cyan then steps out into the cold.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Devlin
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Devlin listens to Cyan's story with interest. He's not sure he understands it all yet, but he understands enough.

Dorian gets up to leave in the middle, but Devlin only barely notices it as he continues to eat an listen. Devlin gets the feeling from some of the things Cyan says that she does not appreciate the way people of Amber blood feel that those of other worlds are not real.

Devlin had also seen the anger flare in her eyes when he talking of moving through shadow and struggle to keep it under control. Those little things that most people miss, Devlin saw.

When Cyan finishes her playing and her story he waits a moment before speaking. "You tell a very interesting story."

Then he looks her in the eye and says, "I am sorry if I upset you with my talk of Shadow. That is only what I have been taught to call it. I do not believe that this," and here he knocks on the table, "is any less real than I am."

Devlin pauses and tilts his head, "I am not like what I've been told of my family, but I do not know what else to call... this." He waves, indicating everything around him.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dworkin (GM)
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Mum sits in silence through Cyan's tale, save for occasional expressions of shock or horror. delight or joy.  When all is told, she sits still for a while, gazing into space as she considers what she has heard.

Finally she speaks, "Well... that were a good one an' no mistake, my Love.  It 'ad everythin'.  Love an' Hate, Friendship an' Anger, Ugliness an' Anger."

"Seems ter me that the only thing missin' is an End.  'ow does it end?  An' where did you learn it?  Dashullat?  I 'member ye sayin' that they 'as some great tales in Dashullat.  Or was it one o' them ye found in Berrenegoth?"

"An' 'ow does it end?"

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dorian
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Dorian slips through the door, quietly, as if he dreads disturbing the peace inside with his presense. He glances from face to face to see if there were any unexpected events during the story, but all seems well.

"Well, the end of the story is still being written, Mum. Let's just say it's an original. And I hope you don't mind if I leave a friend with you. He's a friendly wolfhound, and he can hunt and take care of himself so he won't be a bother, but he's an excellent guard-dog. He doesn't really have a name, yet, so you can call him whatever comes to mind."

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Cyan
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"Thank you, Mum...it has all of that, and more.  Terror, too. But Dorian has the right of it."  Glancing outside, Cyan notes the time.  It's getting dark...no, it is dark.  The 'story' is a very, very long one.  "It is a work in progress...I've heard some of it from others, but a lot of it came straight from me," she says, quietly.  "I'm hoping it will have a happy ending.  Hoping very much.  But sometimes these stories get away from you."

The bard tosses a grateful, ruby glance Dorian's way, nodding quietly.



Turning back to Devlin, she offers him a strained smile that slowly relaxes into truth.  "I am sorry, Devlin.  I am...notoriously touchy when it comes to that.  As to what this is...this is reality.  The Myriad Worlds."  She shrugs, unable and unwilling to step further into discussion of life and the universe with Mum listening in.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Devlin
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Devlin is still not sure what he's doing here. Curiosity brought him as it had lead him other places. But now he'd met people that knew things; things he wanted to know. They were trying to stop... what were they? Gods? from destroying all the worlds.. as Cyan called them 'the Myriad Worlds, reality'

He was used to being alone, and if he stayed with these people...

Then there was Serens. Devlin had felt some connection with the daughter of Fiona. Could he just walk away and continue his private quest. What did his own needs mean if there were beings trying to destroy it all?

Devlin studies Cyan for a moment. "I would like to continue to travel with you, with Serena, with the others. To help, if I can. I was told that, well Serena is nothing like what I was told to expect from my family."

There is a longer pause, "Perhaps, when we rejoin the others we can discuss where I might fit into your little band."

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Cyan
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Cyan laughs, quietly.  "I'm glad you have decided to accompany us, Devlin.  In this...trip...we can never, ever have too much assistance.  It has been a long road, thus far...."

And we have lost too many of our people along the way.  Jack...where are you now?

"And I am glad you have been pleasantly disappointed by at least one of your relatives.  May you continue to be so, if I may be so bold to say," the bard finishes, bowing slightly.  "Mum, I need to step outside for a moment - I shall be back in a very short time."  Giving the older woman a quick hug, Cyan stands from the table, bowing to both Dorian and Devlin.  "Bide a moment.  I shall return."

Hurrying from the room, the Bard hunts through a leather case at her belt.

Stepping out into the chill night air, Cyan looks up at the stars...only to find them occluded by thick clouds, with fat flakes of snow falling toward her.  For a long moment, she stares up, blinking, until a white puffball lands on one of her eyelids.  Shaking her head, she looks into the palanquet she unerringly drew, sharpening her concentration.

The card grows colder under her fingers.

....Aaron....

Far, far away, in another place, another world, a small, shining creature opens its claws, letting two, rainbow cubes fall into the center of the hideous heat below.  For a long moment, Berd stares into the heart of the sulphurous maw, the flames far below blinding even at this distance.

Then, his own heart equally molten, but with still-unsatisfied anger, the little dragon banks away from the blazing, ash-strewn plains, and rockets high into the sky, fading as he does.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Cyan
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Cyan, standing outside of the cabin, nods once, fractionally.  Her lips move as if whispering.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dworkin (GM)
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Cyan's mum glances out of the window.  "More snow!  An' it's late fer it too.  Don't think I'll be seein' much in the way o' flowers this spring.  Which is a pity, but can't be 'elped."

"Still, I likes the woods when they's all white an' silent with the snow, an' that almos' makes up fer missin' out on the flowers."

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Berd
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A flare of energy...a falling into, from star-filled not-night...and suddenly it is not only clouds and snow in the sky.  Far from the cabin, behind the mountains, the little dragon pulls out of his dive, cutting along over the treetops.

His eyes are moments taken from the heart of a sun.

The snow falling around him, Berd arcs over the landscape, slowly beginning to rise.  The air warps and shimmers, and then it is rain, snow everywhere but on him, rain falling on him, the snow melting for five, ten, twenty, one hundred feet all around him.  The drops sizzle as they touch his wings.  The air below him warps, twists, and a treetop ignites into smouldering flame before snuffing out under the snow.  The little dragon climbs higher, into the clouds; they burst apart in a perfect circle over a mile in diameter, leaving him rising into the dark sky.  The stars and moon cast their light upon him as he flies.

His dark shadow falls upon the clouds as he moves beyond the empty area, passing over frozen moisture again.  It is vast and monstrous, shifting with every bump and bruise upon the clouds far, far below.

Berd slows, then hangs motionless in the air, staring up at the sky with eyes that rival the moon for brightness.  He stares, and a familiar emotion stirs under the fury in his spirit.

Loathing.

Lightning flashes, leagues distant from the cabin and impossible in this winter weather, at that height.  Berd has covered nearly a hundred miles in only a few minutes, his own spiritual strength carrying him, multiplying his speed.  Again the shattering, crawling blasts, pealing thunder down to the peaks below.

Forgotten, broken memories stir, shards spinning before his mind's eye.  Clarity beckons, and for an instant, Berd sees a figure dancing within the lightings before him.  A four-legged shadow, wreathed in fire?  Or a dark figure with eyes of brilliance to rival his own, a bar of cyan light in its hands?

It should have been finished.  Long ago.  But no.  For all their might, they had not the strength.

And then here.  And then The Mistake.  The worst since...well, before.  But not the last.

The lightnings fall about the Drake, but cannot touch him.  Berd dives, and clouds scatter in terror from his wrath.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Cyan
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After a short time, Cyan re-enters the cabin.  "Apologies...it appears as though we will not be leaving, quite yet."  She turns sad, sapphire eyes on Mum.  "I'm sorry, Mum," she says helplessly.  "There will be a signal, soon, and we'll likely have to leave, then and there.  Nothing to do for it, I'm afraid."

Shaking her head, she walks over and sits down again, hugging the older woman.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dworkin (GM)
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"That's alright, my love." the woman replies, returning the hug, "I's certain ye've things that ye needs ter be doin'.  Still, it were good ter see ye, an' finally meet some of yer friends too.  Just ye be sure not ter leave it so long nex' time."

"I means ter say, the letters and everythin' are nice, an' I looks forward ter gettin' them, but I misses yer songs an' yer tales.  An' sometimes when yer sings an' tells those tales... well, ye'll think me daft, but sometimes I can almos' feel yer ol' dad sittin' there an' listenin' ter them with me."

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Cyan
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Feeling even more miserable, but curiously uplifted by the woman's love, Cyan wipes her topaz eyes.  "Sorry...I'm very glad, Mum, that I can give something back to you.  Something to make up for the years of love you have given me."

Cyan, wherever you are...I know you have your own life, but please, please share more with this woman....

"And well and good that I begin more of that, now.  Sit yourselves down," she states, knowing full well everyone is sitting; it is a good, 'official' beginning to any tale.  "I will sing you a song of bygone times, a story of love and betrayal, of war and peace, and of gods and men.  This is the story of Lord Kalkin, the Binder, and his war against heaven - how he strove against the gods themselves for the good of mankind.  His rise to power.  His battles with Death himself, and how death's consort lost her heart to his.  His fall, in the greatest battle the world had yet seen.  His ressurection, and alliances with old enemies, now fallen themselves, and then the final war."

She grins, then.  "After that, should we still have time, I will sing to you a song of two lovers, and their peaceful lives.  But should I start with that, I fear for my safety at Dorian's hands."  With a quick laugh, she brings out her harp.

Far away, but slowly picking up ground, now on 'their' side of the mountains, Berd glides through the still, night sky.  The clouds below are silent.  The moon above is silent.  No longer does the air about him warp and shimmer, nor do his eyes burn like stars.  Instead, the Drake is moodily silent, considering his future.  The possibilities.  The things it has learned, on this trek.

It remembers a story.  Not the one told by Cyan, now, but one it told her long ago.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dworkin (GM)
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Devlin and Dorian sit quietly as Cyan sings her tale, and the newly-installed dog lounges near the stove, basking in the warmth as tiny rivulets of meltwater drizzle from its pelt and meander across the floor, following the joins and crevices.

Cyan's mother listens quietly too, chores forgotten, her eyes filled with a pride which makes them glow almost as brightly as ever Berd's did.

By the end of the first tale, she is forced to pull a kerchief from some hidden recess of her sleeve and loudly blow her nose after wiping away a hint of moisture at the corner of each eye.  "Blasted cold!" she grumbles.

By the end of the second, she has given up all pretence, and openly weeps with joy at the beauty of the vistas painted before her.  Painted in all the colours of sound.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dorian
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Dorian listens quietly, subdued for once. He could be doing other things, exploring, understanding, but for once he does not. He finds himself reclined and listening, dreaming, wishing and longing.


When the tale is ended he sits in silence for a moment, increasingly uncomfortable. "We should probably check in," he suggests.

It irritated him that his powers were limited to the present world, though quite strong within that world, where others could reach beyond with ease.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Devlin
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Devlin sits quietly listening to Cyan. He gets the feeling theyare now just killing time, waiting for those that were left behind to finish their bussiness with the god like beings. He wonders if they join them here or if Cyan will return them the way they came.

He sees no point in saying anything further about himself now anyway, he knows he'll just have to do it all again later.

Dorian suggests checking in and Devlin looks to Cyan to see what her reply will be.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dworkin (GM)
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"An' I s'pose that checkin' in means ye'll all be goin' soon, eh?"

The woman claps a hand against her forehead, and all but leaps up from her seat, rushing out of the kitchen and into some other room.  The dog notes the sudden movement, and leaps up too, bounding after her, scattering water from its coat and furiously windmilling tail.

There is the sound of doors opening and closing, and occasional remarks such as "Move yerseln, ye great 'airy fool.  I needs ter get in there!"  and "Get down from there!", followed by chuckling and a loud, rhythmic thumping, and a few minutes later she returns, carrying a thick greatcoat.  Deep red it is, with heavy brass toggles down the front and ornately brocaded loops to fasten around them.

"Take this with ye, Cyan love, I were hopin' to give it ye fer yer next birthday, but the weather'll be warmin' up by then anyways, an' what yer wearin' now looks like it ain't so snug fer this time o' year."

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Cyan
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"I'm sorry, Mum.  Dorian's right - we have to get moving, soon."  Cyan hangs her head, and feels a sudden surge of guilt as the woman rushes about, obviously searching for something.

And comes up with it.  A coat.

Eyes misting over with tears, Cyan reaches out, taking the jacket from the woman and running her fingers over the seams.  "Thank you, Mum," she manages, suddenly fighting against awful misery and jealousy, and the bright feeling of being loved that wells up in her heart.  Jack...gone.  Berd...she wonders about Berd, now.  He's changing.  But this woman-!

Throwing her arms around the woman, she hugs her.  "I'll wear it...you made it a good colour, but it's not half as big as your heart."

Outside, a dark form dances through the snow, dropping to land upon the roof.  Immediately the falling flakes begin to gather upon furling wings and a scaled back, cold as ice itself.  Berd has returned.

He raises his head, sniffs, the air, and reaches out....

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Berd
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Berd, up until this point much calmer, suddenly digs his claws into the wood of the roof (causing no damage).  His eyes light with lambent flame, and the air around him suddenly wavers, as if in a heat haze.  Everything about him holds the impression of someone who, having just gotten their annoyance under control, is suddenly and unexpectedly slapped in the face by the object of that annoyance.

Inside, Cyan frowns for a moment, eyes flowing through several shades in as many seconds.

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Re: Part 37b - Underflow by Dorian
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Dorian stands and pulls his throws his cloak around him. He is glad to finally be moving again. The stay here, the rest, was pleasant, but incomplete. He could never rest while their task was unfinished, and there would always be unfinished tasks.

"Thank you for the hospitality, Mum. You've given us rest when we have little hope of it, it seems. I promise Cyan will visit again soon."

I've made sure of it.

Was it in his nature to take care of everything, the way he'd done. In truth, in the grander tapestry of events, the little things he'd done here meant little. However, it made him feel better to have helped-- the dog, the roof, the real Cyan.

Cyan. Perhaps it was their first conversation, back in Fiona's presence, or perhaps it was the Ancient One, Berd, but he always found himself treating Cyan differently than the others, gentler, perhaps. Strange, since he'd been so harsh to her in that first meeting....