--- Neydisa/Jeff Lude 1: Buried Treasures --- Session Start: Tue May 28 16:15:22 2002 ~~ SESSION START ~~ It's been some time since Jeff & Shane returned from the Epitaph with their findings, and the sun is low on the horizon, giving the sea a reddish glow. Continuing her regime of rest as instructed by Shane, Neydisa has been resting and putting the lingering doubts about the book out of her mind for now. As the sunset approaches, she stirs from a nap and Jeff notices her heading outside the Metal Bird onto the pristine beach... * Jeff <> « ;_; » * Neydisa steps carefully along the sandy shore in her bare feet, holding a blanket around her loosely as the calm waves come and go, lapping at her steps a moment after she makes them. * Neydisa stops a good distance away from the craft, pausing to look out into the oceans beyond for a good while. She's obviously looking at something besides the sunset, though, as the sea breeze plays with a few strands of her blue hair. * Jeff watches Neydisa walk out of and away from the bird waits a minute or two, then stands up and brushes off his cloak before slowly walking after her. * Jeff slips his hands into the opposite sleevesof his cloak as he approaches, smiling. "I see you're finally up and about. Feeling better?" * Neydisa seems oblivious to Jeff's presence at first, but soon turns to the side, facing him as he makes his way over. There's a solemn, regretful look in her amber eyes. Yes, I'm actually... feeling a lot better. being here... * Neydisa turns back around. "This place has a lot of memories for me..." * Jeff looks out at the water as well for a moment, then back to Neydisa. "It sounds like you've been away too long." * Neydisa takes a couple of steps into the water's edge, so she can wet her feet a bit, then faces Jeff again. "I guess the more I've been away from it, the more I feel I never left." It's so hard to explain it... * Jeff smiles again. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I think I might understand, in a way." I think after everything... you would know the feeling. Like you've been torn away from something you held dear... and now you are.. incomplete... trying so hard to get it back and blaming yourself for losing it... * Jeff shakes his head. "Things happen. There's no need to blame yourself for the past.. just to make the most of the future." * Jeff looks out at the water, still smiling. "If that means correcting past mistakes, that's one thing.. but regrets aren't worth the time." * Neydisa looks to the side, seeing his smile. "I want to make things right, more than anything. But those regrets, that doubt... where do I start picking up the pieces?" Wherever you can, I suppose. Start with something you can handle, and move up from there. Take things one piece at a time. * Jeff looks at Neydisa for a moment or two, falling silent. * Neydisa sighs, then closes her eyes. "Jeff, do you think I'm weak...?" I keep hiding behind something, all this time, like a coward... running... I need to stop... * Neydisa puts a hand on her face. "Why can't I stop? Why can't I let go of them?" <> « it's no problem ^^ » * Jeff reaches a hand out towards Neydisa, then hesitates. Neydisa.. I know I can stand on my own, I can be a savior... but I keep doubting myself. All because of one little mistake I made. One mistake? * Neydisa drops her hand to her side, then looks Jeff in the eyes. "I don't know what will happen, but I can't bear this any longer... I'm hiding something from you, and myself. I just can't do it anymore." * Neydisa reaches into the side of the blanket, into the blouse she is wearing's pocket, extracting a vaguely familiar silver case. * Jeff watches quietly, letting Neydisa speak. Do you remember when we met? What was stolen from me all that time ago? * Jeff looks at the case, a small frown of concentration crossing his face. "Only vaguely.. I'm sorry." Everything that happened then, from the festival to... the temple of memory.. is sort of a blur. It all happened so fast.. It has been a blur, hasn't it. After what you did... what I've seen... But ever since I saw your bravery, your dedication, I felt so sorry you never knew why I was so frail and aimless in that time. What we did, Neydisa. You, me, all of us. * Neydisa extends her hand with the heirloom to him. "Please, open it." « btw, it's just one of those simple clasp affairs. :) » * Jeff takes the case carefully, still watching Neydisa. "Are you sure..?" * Neydisa nods. "I'm sure. I want you to know who I am." The one selfish sin that haunts me all this time. * Jeff looks down at the case, then back at Neydisa. I think I know who you are, Neydisa. And I don't think that whatever's in this case will change that. But if you insist.. * Jeff opens the case, looking inside. * Neydisa gets a look of guilt at those words. "I'm just not sure of anything anymore..." * Neydisa 's case contains what Jeff can identify as a sizeable stash of Trees, an addictive hallucinagenic drug sold on the streets in many big towns. There's enough for several cigareets to be made out of them. * Jeff closes the case, and nods slowly. I betrayed my beliefs and polluted my body... all because of GaiaCo's prejudice. I needed to survive... <> « okay :( » * Neydisa shakes her head. "...but, when I tried to start over in Adlehyde then they very thing I turned to for an escape became a weight that I dragged through this entire journey." « er the ^^ » <> « wb :) » * Jeff holds it back out to Neydisa. "And you still carry it with you..." * Neydisa nods sadly. "i could stand up to demons and sorcerors and monsters... because in the end, it was better than facing my mistakes..." You don't give yourself enough credit, Neydisa. * Jeff looks at the case, still holding it to her. "To do all that we did, while carrying this with you and not giving in to it.. in some ways, that makes you very strong." * Jeff smiles. "You're really very remarkable.. perhaps more so because of this. We've all made mistakes to one extent or another. It's just imporant not to repeat them, right?" * Neydisa holds it between her two hands, looking at it. "I don't ever want to repeat what I did. I want to make new, happy memories, not ones fileld with regret..." Everyone I met on this adventure saw all the good things I could do, made me dare to dream of better times... It wasn't until I came here, full circle, that i finally saw what they were all trying to say. * Neydisa half-smiles. "Jeff... so you really think I ams trong, like you?" You've done far more than so many people have, or ever will. You have your problems, sure, but who doesn't.. and you're trying to fix them... «ooc: meanwhile, Shane's alone with the gate... mwahahaha.... » ..if that doesn't count, then I don't think anything does. << "Besides, yo-.. what the hell was that noise?">> «ooc: "wrrrrr... vvvmmmm.... (insert elder god noises here)" » « lol. ^^ » « geez Shane, you conquer the world at the most unopprtune times :D » * Neydisa looks into his features for a moment, looking for an answer. "I just need to believe I can fix them. Just like I believed I'd see you again." Some things you have to do for yourself... but if there's anything I can do to help, just ask. *** Windstar (mikemccart@cs24243242-235.austin.rr.com) has joined #Warpg * Neydisa smiles warmly. "Jeff, just having you here is more help than you know. I'm just afraid what might happen if I go off on my own, or if you go with Shane..." I'm so silly... I worry about everything too much. I have to worry about myself, but still, I... «ooc: Hey, what's to worry about when you're in Shane's company? » «ooc: ... ^_^; » * Jeff half raises a hand again before letting it drop. "Neydisa.. if.." <> «ooc: you're already dead. » <> * Neydisa pauses her rambling, waiting for Jeff's words. "If?" * Jeff shakes his head. "Where will you go now? What are you going to do?" * Neydisa looks back at the ocean partially. "I was going home to Port Timney for awhile, I think. I need to find my strength, my roots again." It might sound immature, but I miss my parents too... That I understand. And you wouldn't really be on your own then, would you? * Neydisa laughs a bit. "I'd be quite the opposite... if my mother and father have been reading the papers, I'm sure they'll never elt me leave the house again." * Jeff grins. "Maybe not. And maybe being with family is what you need right now. It'd be good to know you're with people you care about." I'm with people I care about right now, though, it won't be easy. If you go, rest assured, when I'm ready I'll find you again. I'm.. flattered. I'll have to go, though.. of course. I've known since the start you and I have a bond... just, something I can't put into words... * Neydisa looks up. "Such a long list of things I don't understand, but I want to so badly." A bond.. * Jeff smiles again, a little sadly. "Maybe you're right about that.." * Neydisa takes a step closer to Jeff, looking like she wants to say something... * Neydisa sighs once, then shakes her head. "One conversation with me, and you have me aiming for the stars again... how do you do it?" You really are Zephyr's hand in the world... * Jeff shakes his head, then grins. "Maybe it's you, not me. Maybe talking to anyone could have done this. Maybe you're ready to face things now, and you just needed someone else to help you see it.." * Neydisa slowly follows his grin, like it's pulling her along in it's wake. "Maybe. I'm glad it was you, though." * Neydisa blinks, realizing something. "Oh! I just remembered what I came out here for..." * Jeff chuckles. "Sorry I distracted you." * Neydisa starts walking a few more paces down the beach, before she bends down and starts digging in the sand a little. I wanted to see if they were still here... * Neydisa keeps at it awhile longer, revealing a stash of cracked seashells that catch the fading light as it hits them. * Neydisa pulls a handful out, looking like a child again, playing in the sand. "When I was small, my father and I would come here to fish. But I always loved collecting these..." Seashells.. I couldn't bring them all home, so I hid some here everytime I came down the straight in the summer. This is what I meant before, about pieces of myself... this is one of those many scattered innocent dreams. * Jeff nods, and grins, looking at the many shells. "And yet they're still there.. right where you left them." Almost makes it seem like no time has passed at all, hasn't it? « er doesn't » Sometimes things seem like only yesterday, don't they? The more the world changes, the nicer it is to know some things never will. Because of what we did... There's still a little hope buried in Filgaia, even for people who almost gave up on it. * Neydisa makes a soft noise of thought, then takes out her silver case, relieving it of it's contents. "Just like back then, there are some things I can't take home with me on my trip..." You asked where to start picking up the pieces.. * Jeff smiles. "I think you just did." * Neydisa puts the Trees in the sandy pit, and puts several of the shells in the case in their place. She begins covering it back up with her hands. Yeah... I guess I am... * Neydisa finishes her burial, and clasps the antique closed and back into her blouse. "This time I won't cry because I leave something behind..." * Neydisa has a little tear in her eye, shaking a second when she realizes what she did. "Jeff, let's go back to the Bird, ok?" * Jeff nods. "Sure.. let's go." «ooc: Quitting is for quitters, Neydisa! » «ooc: *Shane shoots up to be a man. » * Neydisa doesn't move all to quickly, more waiting for Jeff to guide her on the return trip... * Jeff glances at the sand, and at the water, then smiles again, falling into step next to Neydisa. <> « well ball's in your court now mostly. my evil plan is done. so sweet ^_^ » * Neydisa keeps a steady pace away from the spot, as you can see she is trying hard not to look back, but keep her eyes ahead, as the last bits of the suns's disc slips below the horizon and night falls. « anything you wanna do? i think this is the best spot, unless we want an evil Shane appearance. ^^ » <> ~~ END ~~ :) Session Close: Tue May 28 20:41:21 2002