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 Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 12:05 am
 Oh how easy it was to drift into a deep and dark despair! He woke with the dire events heavy upon his heart, dragging him towards a state of numb and sullen depression. He bit his lip and stared up at the ceiling as if it alone could hold the answers... though clearly it never would.
But as he kept his agonized gaze upon the unhelpful surface above the bed, something completely random and unexpected happened. A brightly plumed head suddenly popped into his vision, peering at him upside down and chirruping questioningly. After a stunned moment of surprise, memories of the night before came flooding back. Tangent.
"Hello there," he murmured, softly enough that his throat did not protest. He gently rubbed the top of the bright green head, then beginning to rub his eyes and yawn in a more normal waking fashion. He reached to disentangle the small bird-like creature from his thick mop of hair before he sat up and cradled Tangent close. "How are you this morning?"
It was fairly obvious that he wasn't going to answer, but speaking to the little thing helped him feel more normal somehow, and less frighteningly alone. He had come to appreciate the constant companionship of his host, even when she was a quiet nub of being within him. She still had been there. Now she was not. Shoving aside the ache this thought caused, Arctang rose with Tangent in one hand. "C'mon, let's find something to eat, hmm?"
His rumpled and dirty clothing was uncomfortable, nevermind the holes made by the shards of stained glass. He adjusted where he could and grumbled over the lacey skirt edge. He needed to fix his physical gender soon, or he was likely to break his promise to Rairne. Feeling somewhat grouchy but molified by the sweet trilling of his new companion, Arc padded barefoot out into the hall and down to the kitchen. Who knew what time it was, or how long he'd slept. All he knew is that his very mortal stomach demanded sustenance.
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Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 5:51 am
 Jaster glanced over at Saljin as he shoved bright coppery hair from his face. "I want to check on him and see if he's alright. And Kishara or so she is called." Gaia. Mother of all. The bright bits of colored glass from the window were being swept up into a pile. Jaster pushed with the broom while the shifter leaned over scooping up with the dustpan. There was a lot of glass and someone needed to clean it up. The wall had come down but there was a great chasm left outside. Saljin could fly over it, but Jaster could not. The shifter had offereed his services  "We'll do that after we are finished here, Jaster." Saljin glanced up at Jaster's face. He was pale again and the shifter knew the youth was tired. Fusing the stone had pushed him beyond his limits in ways Jaster and Taj were refusing to acknowledge. Both seemed driven by something only they could see. Just as the need to be here had shoved them all into arriving during trouble. Taj had said little since fusing with Jaster. He'd spoken when needed, but displayed his emotions or an image now and again. It seemed easier for him somehow to convey what was needed in such a way. Glancing upwards at the sound of footsteps, Jaster and Saljin both straightened up. A smile of welcome appeared beneath green eyes. "I was planning to visit you later. To see how you were. Are you feeling better?"Taj pushed in amusement from behind the jade surface. A puzzle of numbers walks forth."Numbers?" His voice changed again, and it was Taj speaking this time but as much as he was. Together for a brief instant, yet neither. His eyes blinked for a moment, unfocused in sudden confusion but then returned to watch the other. "There is some hot tea made in the pot there on the counter. We are... I'm Jaster, host to Tajnevaki. This is Saljin."
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Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 7:46 am
The sound of tinkling glass made him look up as he descended the stairs. Two worked there with broom and dustpan. He recognized one from his entrance when Gianfar had spoken to them the day before. The other... the other he had no clue about. He nodded when greeted and continued down the stairs, not trusting his voice to successfully carry that far. But when addressed questioningly by his domain, he halted his trek towards the kitchen and looked more intently at the two. "Yes?" he replied softly.
The small feathered creature in his hand chirruped questioningly in the same tone, which made him smile inwardly. He gently reached to settle Tangent on his shoulder, making sure he could balance on three legs before letting go. The little thing scooted over to lean against his ear and groom his temples with his beak. Thus reassured, he approached the two.
He caught himself just before a semi-formal bow at the introduction, reminding himself of his friend's precarious perch on his shoulder. "Ah, the secretive one! Greetings, Jaster and Taj. I am Arctang, our Master's Pie Bird." The title elicited a twist of a wry smile. It was an odd title, to be sure, but their Master knew best. The reminder of his title made his wings ache suddenly. That was one area he hadn't managed to get tended to yet and would need help with. He knew he'd lost some feathers and that there were now some scabs along the short length of his wings, but he simply had no way to examine the damage himself.
"I think I'll take you up on the tea," he murmured, unconciously touching a hand to his throat. It was coming to be a gesture of habit, a movement of remembrance of what had been done that terrible day. "My throat is still quite raw." He moved away from them, but when he reached the kitchen, he removed two cups and held them up inquiringly towards the men. It was too far for him to speak softly, but his question was clear.
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Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 8:25 am
"Cardinal Conundrum, ever cryptic, ever concise." Taj greeted in amusement at the discussion of titles. Somehow he knew Arctang needed the slight distraction. A faint feeling of familiarity- deja vu slid over both he and Jaster. "Yes, thank you." Jaster nodded as he moved to place the broom back in the closet. Washing his hands in the nearby sink, he grabbed a towel to dry off as he leaned back against the counter. "I think it will be a time yet before we can leave here. So we thought some cleanup was in order."
"I've been to the other side, but I saw noone about early this morning. I've offered my services to those who have a need to have messages carried. With the wall down, I can fly across the chasm to wherever needed." Saljin nodded to the indication of tea. "If you have any messages you want to get to someone, give me directions and I'll be happy to track down the person for you."
Jaster smiled and then explained as he moved to the counter for his tea. "He's a shifter. A curse by someone we avoid. He was the panther."
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Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 9:19 am
The revelation that the wall was gone made him start, nearly spilling the tea he was pouring into three cups. His eyes darted to the windows, including the one he painfully remembered flying through backwards. Light was streaming in, but Jaster had said they couldn't leave. "Why can't we leave if the wall is gone?" he asked, forgetting to speak softly and wincing as his voice rasped harshly. He needed that tea. He finished pouring and handed the cups out before taking a sip of his own. It needed something. He began to peek into cabinets as Jaster's companion spoke about taking messages. His sister flitted through his mind, but he was still puzzling over why he would not be able to go himself.
He found what he was looking for and pulled out an oddly shaped, squishy container. It was shaped like a smiling bear, and had honey inside it. After a first futile attempt to get it out without taking off the cap, he finally managed to squeeze a goodly portion into his cup. After a good stir and another sip, he sighed in relief. The old remedy was still quite as effective as it had been ages ago.
It was then that he paused and tried to place Jaster's rather cryptic reference to Saljin. He'd said 'the panther' as if it should be obvious. He frowned faintly, a flicker of memory from the day before flashing behind his eyes. He shook his head, unwilling yet to dwell on what all had happened, and simply accepted that he must have seen the shapeshifter in another form the day before.
A chittering in his ear and a sharp n** to his lobe reminded him of the tiny hungry beast. He chuckled silently and went back to the cupboards to find something for the small creature to eat. "Little stomachs before godly throats," he murmured in good humor. Somehow he couldn't see himself ever being irritated with the neon critter.
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Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 9:47 am
Jaster watched him intently a moment. So much familiarity was there within Taj that he began to suspect that Taj and Arc had once been close. Friends even. It was amusement as much as a deep sense of warmth where the numbers god was concerned. He frowned slightly when he heard the question. "Your own wound left a bit of void that lasted for a time. No less the wall outside. There is a chasm of... nothingness there, surrounding this building. There is no bottom to it. Those with strong enough wings could fly over it, but others cannot cross. We are an island. For lack of a better word." A glance towards the window once more and then he sighed. "I'm unsure of a solution unless it is something that Gaia can repair once she is a bit more healed herself."Saljin moved to the cupboard nearby, filling a plate with cookies, crackers, and some sweet breads he had found earlier. They seemed to have supplies enough for everyone. He set the plate in the center of the counter indicating to Arc and Jaster that they should eat something.
"I think it will be several days before that is fixed. That's why I offered the option of flying messages. Getting information could at least be continued, so that we know what happened to those outside as well as others knowing what we are doing here." Sitting down, he added, "A slim option is better than none."
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Posted: Fri Aug 08, 2008 10:59 pm
Arctang stopped his search and put a hand conciously to his neck, paling visibly. What had injured him had made a bottomless chasm outside? The full extent of the damage such could have done to his flesh suddenly dawned on him, and he flashed his astonished gaze to Jaster's. How in the world had he been spared such a fate? He couldn't supress a horrified shudder and the raising of goosebumps all along his arms. Talk about hair-raising.
Having been fruitless in finding food for his small companion, the young god was grateful to see that Saljin had knowledge of something there that the little wingless bird might like. he snagged some of each kind and set them on a plate. The plate and Tangent were then transferred to the counter, where the critter devoured every bit of what was presented. Musing, Arc snagged a bit of sweetbread for himself, sipping his tea between bites.
After eating enough to settle his stomach, he responded to the shapeshifter. "I do wish I could get ahold of my sister, but I don't know where she is, so that's hardly any help." He gave a wry smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. He knew Cosine was safe, or his link to her would have informed him differently. Even so, being apart from her in this time of crisis was terribly difficult on him. He still had the urge to keep her close and under careful watch, so that he could protect her. However, the sturdiness and practicality of the little troll woman had proved to him that though females were the fairer sex, they werne't necessarily the weaker. She had dealt better with the situation the day before than he had. He bit his lip as regret rose like bile in his throat. Resolutely, he shoved away thoughts of yesterday.
"Who is Gaia? The one who...," he trailed off as more images of the day before flashed in his mind and he squeezed his pale eyes shut, banishing once more the events he'd witnessed. "Nevermind." Carefully all this time he'd avoided looking towards the throne and the pod that had been his Master. Sometime he'd be able to deal with all this, but it was too new, too raw. He bit his lip again and buried one hand in his hair, practically gripping it as if to hold his head on. New topic, new topic, new topic...
"Tajnevaki is a name I remember," he suddenly commented, latching onto the last pleasant thing. "We were friends, I think," he continued, nibbling on a cookie this time, his voice growing less hoarse as he ate and drank. "I can't remember exact details of our time before, when all were alive and well." Reflectively he finished the cookie and hopped up to sit on the counter, grimacing faintly as his odd clothing pulled again in all the wrong places. He looked again at Jaster, thinking to himself that he could use a friend again about now. "Does he remember me?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 6:49 am
Before Jaster could answer Arctang's question, Taj pushed forwards more. "No lapse of time or distance of place can lessen the friendship of those who are truly persuaded of each other's worth." With a wide grin and a true warmth in his eyes, he winked at Arc before allowing Jaster to have control again. A true sensation of friendship and comraderie slipped over both Jaster and Taj. During the past day or so, Jaster had little time to think but it had not occurred to him until now that Taj may have had godly friends and acquaintances that he still wanted. Needed. But it had occurred to him about Saljin's presence afterwards. It took him only an instant to make the choice. Friendships would remain from either side as they would soon enough be one. Perhaps they should express that while both were there. "I would say he remembers you, Arc. He knew who you were upon seeing you today. His sister is here also. Jenga. Betha is her host I've discovered." Jaster watched the godling for a long moment, a ghost of a smile on his face. Not entirely his. There was something that he and Taj needed to tell not just Arc but Saljin too. There had been no discussion between the god and host, but simply knowing that it was what both wanted to happen. "Taj and I are slowly becoming one. It's what he and I both wanted in this. But friendship is important to both of us. Friends old or new will remain." Jaster sipped his tea before reaching for a cookie to munch upon. He could tell that Arc was bothered by what had happened during that time that Samyaza had been there. Saljin glanced over at both gods, smiling faintly. Godly friends who had found one another again already. But then he understood he was included in the meaning. His smile widened. He'd already suspected it would be so between he and Taj. Jaster fit the god for a reason and there were times, like now, when that sameness was very prevalent. He was quite certain the three of them would be friends still.
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