Session Start: Tue Oct 02 22:35:00 2007 ==Lude Start== * Niri 's bedroom is dark, or mostly so, anyway, though lit by soft blue light from somewhere. She lies still in her bed...possibly asleep! Who can say? Her room silent as well as dark. >> There's a very light knocking at the door. * Niri is silent for a moment, but then Trune can hear a muffled voice. "Mmph...who izzit?" It's uh...me. Can I come in? Uh huh...yeah. * Trune steps into the room quietly, closing the door halfway behind him, "I just wanted to say hey and see how you were holding up, all things considering." * Niri switches on her bedside lamp as Trune opens the door, illuminating a cozy room decorated primarily in blue and white. Niri is sitting up in bed, thick comforter pooled around her waist as she rubs her eyes sleepily. She is dressed in blue flannel cloud-print pajamas. ...you brought flannel pajamas? With clouds? I don't know whether to be scared or even more scared. * Niri shrugs, managing a weak smile. "Had 'em the whole way. They're comfy." I'm...okay. I guess. Tired though. Can't sleep much. Heh, I'm not surprised. I can't either, but you have a way better excuse than me. ...Yeah. I feel so drained though. *sighs* I think between the fight with Leah and the trip to Ien, I kinda overdid things. * Trune sits on the end of the bed, "Well, you have been going rather gungho on everything, and at times I think you kind of forget we're all in this together Niri. You don't have to take it all on yourself." Who's gonna take it on, then? This was my best friend, and my mother, who got involved, and because of me, too. How is that anyone's responsibility to deal with but my own? * Trune actually begins to look a little annoyed, "Look, we all know you want to save Leah. It's understandable, it's noble. But she's being used by Zophar, which, if you've forgotten, WE'VE all invested in taking down. Not just you, not just me, not just Mikel, but everyone here!" * Niri flinches slightly. "I...didn't mean that you..." * Niri takes a deep breath. "I...I know. I just feel kind of responsible somehow." [ You are not responsible for Leah acting the way she does. Right now, Leah isn't Leah. She's Ghaleon. That may change, and hopefully it will. Even so, Leah's being controlled by Zophar. If it's anyone's fault, it's his. Well. That's true. So...you can't blame yourself for what Leah does. It just sucks that you had someone turn on you like that. * Trune speaks as if he actually has...experience on the subject? * Niri flops over on her side, resting her head against her pillow. "I think there was something I could have done to save Mom, though. Or there was something I did wrong that caused her to get hurt." What your mom did was really...she loves you a lot, you know. It was her choice to do what she did. Besides...I'm sure we can help her. That's one way to repay the favor, right? Well, yes. And so far her vitals seem okay, if I'm reading the panels right. * Niri mumbles into her pillow. So we'll help her. Right. How, I don't know, but... Well. We know where we have to go next, anyway. * Trune looks a little nervous, nodding, "Yeah. Fun happy times ahead." And Tanan is one piece closer to being complete...meaning we're that much closer to being a match for Zophar. .... * Trune bites his lip, "You know, I came in hoping to kind of make you feel better, and I am completely not helping, am I?" * Niri smiles a little ruefully. "I'm not sure I'm very...easily cheered up right now. I'm sorry, Trune. I appreciate the thought though." I'm glad you're here, honest. Hey, I understand it's not gonna be sunshine and roses and puppies for a while. I just want to make sure it's not too much to handle, you know? That you aren't taking it all on your own. It's easy to just let yourself go and...well, kinda lose yourself for a while." * Niri sits up and tilts her head. "You speak from experience?" Yeah. Oh yeah. ...Was that what happened to you in Bree's prison? Yeah, though I didn't come into bitch about my life. Let's just say she jilted me and I got screwed pretty badly and I was a class act right after. "She"? Er, uh...yeah. * Niri is silent, just watching Trune and waiting for him to elaborate. [23:22] When I first started all of this, it wasn't just me that had these theories. I had two friends who were into it as well. ...Oh? Mikayla Ronake. You ever met her? She's pretty popular. Tall, has reddish hair? * Niri frowns, thinking. "...Did she ever sing in the choir?" Actually...yeah, I think she did. Alto, if I'm not mistaken. * Niri wrinkles her nose. "Yeah. I think I remember her. One of the (many) reasons that me singing in choir did NOT work out." Well, I didn't know her like that. We got along well, and she was the one who started this whole elemental study anyway. My friend Heath also helped but uh...to make a long story short... We thought Bree's staff could help with our research. We thought we could take it and then return it before she noticed. Don't tell me that plan is retarded because I already know that now. * Niri just kind of...stares at Trune. Stop staring! Geez, I know it's stupid! * Niri shakes her head. "What kind of research was this?" We thought the elementals could be sentient, you know? Have thoughts and we could communicate with them. So we thought the staff could help us in that. Communication, I mean. ....And it turned out you were right, basically. Yeah, except we knew nothing about elemental weapons or any crazy shit like that. Anyway, Mikalya really, really pushed for us taking the staff and being an idiot I went along with it. And when everything went to hell, they left you to take the flak? Mostly, except Heath. He got screwed too. Mikayla screwed us both over, and for some reason Bree appointed her to guard just to really rub it in. Last I heard Heath was at some freakin' concentration camp or something. I dunno if he's alive or not. ...Wait, what? Bree did what now? And you...why didn't you tell us? We could have DONE something! * Trune shakes his head, "I dunno. Heath's not there anymore anyway, and I'm not sure where he is now. And I didn't tell anyone...because I was angry. Really angry." Well, I guess I can understand that. But if you'd told us sooner, we might have been able to track Heath down. And surely Mikayla couldn't be too hard to find. What she did has definitely earned her a place up there with your dad, on my list of "people who need a good beating". * Trune snrks, "But to go back to YOU for a moment." ...What about me? You see what I mean about keeping stuff in? I mean * Trune looks a little nervous on how he should say this, then just shrugs, "You really wanna keep everything in, attempt to go at stuff yourself like the lone ranger, and be /me/ of all people?" * Niri fidgets. "Who ever said I was going to do it all alone?" And I'm not keeping anything in. I'm frustrated about Leah, worried about my mom, and mad at myself. What's to hide? A lot, actually. It's human to hide things, even when we don't realize we are. ...You're saying I'm hiding stuff and don't know it? It's possible. Really possible. Like what? * Niri looks skeptical...and maybe a little defensive You really want to know? I can tell you the nice version or the Trune version. Knowing me it'll be the Trune version. Trune version is me telling you how it is, by the way. Eh. Don't candy-coat it for me. *Folds her arms* Awesome. Well, I am not you, so I could be talking out of my ass, but if I were you I'd be pissed. Extremely pissed, at everything, really. Some of it justifiable and some of it irrational but totally understandable. * Niri tilts her head, arms still crossed, and listens. Like, if I were you, I'd be pissed at Leah. Real pissed, even though you wanna help her but damn why did she do what she did? * Niri looks to one side. "...Well. Maybe." I'd also be rather pissed at Lucia because well, she didn't freakin' run away but you love her so it's kinda confusing there. But what I think I'd be more pissed at...is what a raw deal you're getting. Raw deal? * Niri can see this has possibly struck a nerve though, purely by the way she tenses up. Yeah, tell me, when you accepted the armor, you had no IDEA this would be happening to you, did it? Not like this. * Niri 's folded arms wrap around to hug herself, and she droops, her unbound hair falling over her shoulders. "...Well. No." * Niri shivers slightly and swallows hard. Yeah...I wanted the armor at first, but I had second thoughts when I didn't get it. Because of stuff like this. I wish this stuff didn't have to happen to you, but...the fact that all of this happened to you and your brain isn't ice-cream yet speaks volumes on how tough you really are, even though you might not feel like it right now. Don't feel very tough right now, yeah. * Niri 's voice is very small and shaky. Yup, definitely nearing tears now. Session Time: Wed Oct 03 00:00:00 2007 You ARE though. There was a compliment somewhere in there. * Niri seems to struggle for a moment with herself; it's clear there's a lot she would like to say but doesn't feel she can. Instead, she grabs her pillow shakingly and hugs onto it very, very tightly. ...Look, I'm probably not very helpful right now....I'll give you a moment. Just...think about what I said, okay? You are tough. ...and uh... * Trune reaches into his coat pocket, pulling out a small, sleeping kitten, "She'd much rather hang out with you tonight anyway." * Niri sniffles and smiles slightly, reaching out to grasp the adorable fuzzy thing. She blinks, teary-eyed, at Trune. Aww. Thanks, Trune. And...I know you tried. Thanks. It really does mean a lot. It's not a problem. You can talk to me anytime, really. * Niri just nods and snuggles the kitten. * Trune heads out the door quietly. Niri can almost swear he's muttering something at himself, but it's hard to tell. Either way it doesn't sound horribly happy. ==LUDE END! :D Can't you feel the love and joy?== Session Close: Wed Oct 03 00:09:00 2007