--- Jeff Lude 1: Wandering --- «ooc: OK. Basically you've just been wanking around the Metal Bird for the day. In the morning Shane will be taking you both to the place Ney knows about where you can stow it, but for now they're resting up after the battle. You aren't sleeping because you don't need to. » >> The jungle is never really silent, even in the dead of night -- outside the Metal Bird, animals chirp, leaves rustle, and every so often, something growls or shrieks off in the distance. * Jeff walks around the rear of the bird, listening to the sounds of the jungle around him and enjoying a few moments of relative peace after all the madness of the last few weeks «ooc: ring off, I presume? » <> >> Despite the strain he placed on his body earlier in the day, Jeff has no aches, simply a dull pulsating sensation in the hardest-worked muscles. «ooc: ie, "time passes" » * Jeff stretches a little and leans agains the bird, waiting for dawn to come and the others to wake from their sleep >> Time passes slowly, as it's wont to do in periods of anticipation. Suddenly, a sound comes from outside, much closer -- something large shuffling against the Bird. * Jeff blinks, and carefully steps away from the bird. He slowly moves around it, trying to see what's there without making his presence known. >> In the darkness, a small, vague form is visible. It seems far too small to have made the sound, but there is nothing else there. The figure stretches upward, revealing itself to be of human height and shape. The lack of moonlight frustrates any attempts to see more clearly. «ooc: ack, brb » <> «ooc: back » <> <> «ooc: It's hard to tell. It's just a shape, you can't figure out any sort of body language. » <> * Jeff pauses for a moment, watching the figure >> The dark shape turns -- though whether away or towards him he can't tell -- and begins to drift slowly away, into the shadows. Somewhere in the distance, a bell rings, quickly lost in the ambient noise of the jungle. * Jeff makes a decision, stepping out away from the bird and towards the figure. >> The shape continues to glide through the grass and into the woods, where it vanishes. The bell rings again, from a different place this time. The clearing is as it was before. * Jeff watches where the figure was for a moment, then slowly turns to check the Bird where the figure was up against it >> Almost invisible by this light, a tiny symbol has been etched onto the surface of the bird, seemingly by the careful hand of an artisan. «ooc: you can't tell what it is yet. Too dark. » * Jeff crouches and squints for a better look, then shakes his head and turns to face the direction the figure went off in again. >> A slight breeze is blowing from the trees, carrying with it sand and the aromatic scent of cactus blooms. * Jeff straightens up and uses his heel to make a pair of gouges in the ground below where the symbol is etched. «ooc: again » <<...I assume calling Stare Roe would announce my presence to everything in like ten mile radius? ;)>> «ooc: assuming there's anything not an animal. It's pretty frivolous to summon a guardian for a little light, though. » <> * Jeff starts walking in the direction the bell was last heard in, watching around himself cautiously >> The surrounding brush seems dauntingly thick at night; Jeff is forced to clear great sheafs of plants as though he's walking through a field of corn. Finally, he pulls aside a leafy branch to reveal a windswept golden desert at the height of the day. * Jeff stares in disbelief for a few moments, murmuring "What on Filgaia...?" >> The shadowed figure is nowhere to be seen, although the horizon is miles off in every direction. * Jeff glances behind himself to see if it's still night back there >> Glancing behind him, he sees that the forest is simply gone. In its place is yet another stretch of desert. * Jeff sighs and looks around, then starts walking in the same direction he was. >> Time drags on slowly. The sands give way under his feet and flow back into his footprints, leaving no trail. The sun hovers directly overhead, never moving no matter how long he seems to walk. His body is warmed by the sun's heat alone, though it makes little difference in the end. * Jeff stops, looking again for any sort of landmark. "I'm not getting anywhere.. what is this place?" >> "It's simply a place." The voice comes from behind him, rasped from an old, dry throat. * Jeff stops dead, his eyes widening for a second, then turns to face the voice. >> All but the man's eyes are hidden, wrapped beneath ragged brown cloth that sways in the wind. His eyes are small and dark, but at their centres shine bright spots like flecks of metal catching the light. Ah.. hello. >> The man's head inclines very slightly. "Hello." ..Do you know about this place? I've never seen anything like it before.. Man: *shrug* It is no place in particular. Most places are thus. But most places aren't a sunny desert in the middle of the night. I'm afraid I don't understand. Man: It isn't night everywhere. It isn't night here, as you can see. *he sits, carefully crossing his legs* * Jeff look sup at the sky. "Yes... that's true. But I've never moved from one to the other so quickly before." Man: Are you concerned? Perhaps a little. I'm certainly curious. This sort of thing doesn't happen too often. * Jeff frowns. "At least that I know of." >> Another shrug. "It doesn't matter." * Jeff sits down in sieza, facing the man. "May I ask who you are? I'm Jeff." Man: I am simply a wanderer. I heard of you and thought it best to see for myself. You heard of me? Man: *nod* Your name is known well to some. * Jeff looks a little troubled, and a little curious. "May I ask.. who you heard of me from?" Man: I am afraid not. * Jeff smiles faintly. "You have me at quite a disadvantage. I don't know anything about you, or even where we are.. yet you seem to know me." Man: Not so much. Some things about you are clear, however, to those who know how to look. * Jeff just looks plain curious now. "And have you found out what you wanted to know?" Man: For the most part. I am curious, however: what are you doing here? You do not quite belong in the world any longer. I.. was sent back. Man: Why is that? There were things that had to be done.. and they thought I was supposed to do something. >> The man's head lifts slightly, though his voice shows no change in tone. "Oh? And that is what you are doing now?" I think it may be over.. Man: I see. So...why are you here? * Jeff gives the question a little throught, then shrugs. "Because I was given a second chance, and I'm going to make as much of it as I can." >> "I see," says the man again. "What are you going to do next, then?" * Jeff scratches his head. "I haven't totally figured that out yet.." >> The man rises effortlessly without the aid of his hands. "Perhaps you should consider it, then. You are a very special person. It does not do to act without care." * Jeff stands as well. "I.. thank you. I'll take that into consideration." * Jeff smiles again, slightly. "Still.. are you sure you can't tell me who you are? This has been quite an interesting meeting." Man: *turns about, walking down the large dune* For now, this is all I have to say. I shall follow your exploits with interest. Oh.. farewell, then. >> The man walks away in no great hurry, down the side of the dune and up another, and so on, into the distance. * Jeff watches for a little while, then turns and starts back in the direction he came. >> Once again, time stretches out into an eternity. Every place is much like every other, with the occasional animal skeleton or flowering cactus seeming to dominate the landscape for miles around. * Jeff chuckles slightly to himself at one point as he plods along, realizing this desert trek would have been all but impossible before. >> Gradually, he becomes aware of a faint rushing sound, like quickly moving water, breaking the silence of the dry desert air. As he walks, the sound gets slowly louder. * Jeff picks up his pace a little, encouraged by the sound. >> The noise becomes louder and louder, until it's a great thundering roar that a shout could barely carry across. In the distance, a dusty cloud hovers above the land. As Jeff draws closer, it becomes clear that the dunes end abruptly beneath the cloud. «ooc: Not close enough to see clearly yet, though. » * Jeff walks towards the cloud, wincing a little at the loud noise, and wondering what could possibly be making it. >> As he crests the last dune, he comes upon...nothing. The sand rushes down the dune's side, supplied endlessly from some subterranian source, pouring downward in cascades like a waterfall. The air is thick with dust and sand, obscuring any vision of what lies beyond or below. What..? «ooc: again » <> «ooc: Er, keep posing. Time passes. » <> * Jeff stares down at the falling sand on the other side of the dune, and at the cloud of dust. "This is incredible.." >> Now that he looks more carefully, he appears to be at the outermost point of a sort of penninsula of sand. To either side, the edge curves back the way he came. * Jeff shakes his head, turns and starts walking along the edge, being careful to stay out of the downflow >> The sand on the inner side of the dune is mostly stable. After so long walking in a straight line, the sandfall's edge seems to curve quite rapidly. Before long, he winds up back where he started, although he's simply been following the edge the entire time. <> «ooc: yeh. » * Jeff clenches his fists and starts concentrating. «ooc: Okay. That takes a while, but it's not like anything's gonna happen beforehand. » <<*nod*>> * Jeff slowly stretches out and limbers up, cracking various joints and preparing himself. >> Jeff reflex boosts. Hooray! * Jeff then carefully steps out into the downflow of sand. «ooc: Letting yourself fall? » <> >> Jeff slides off the edge, allowing himself to tumble downward with the flow. The sand is all around him now, and if he needed to breathe it would likely be painful. There's nothing left but the noise and sensation of the rushing sand. * Jeff narrows his eyes to slits to keep as much sand out as possible and he's carried down the duneside. >> Suddenly, things are clear and bright for a second as a distant voice whispers, "...and that's it." Then everything is dark. >> ... >> The jungle is never really silent, even in the dead of night -- outside the Metal Bird, animals chirp, leaves rustle, and every so often, something growls or shrieks off in the distance. * Jeff blinks. "..I'm back." >> It seems he never left. He's leaning against the side of the bird, as he was before, a cool breeze tempering the jungle heat. * Jeff looks at his shroud, checking for the sand that should be there if this all really happened. >> Nothing. * Jeff blinks, and circles the bird to near where he saw a mark made, looking for it or for the gouge he made in the ground. >> Once again, nothing. It's as if he'd been dreaming. * Jeff stares, then slowly leans against the bird again. "How strange.." --SESSION END--