trans_9 | A brief intermission [Closed]

"Singing? I... have never been much of a singer, but I suppose I can make an attempt," Ildraniath replied with a bemused expression. She glanced at the crystal formation and then shrugged, "Well, it cannot be any different than the bone-singers..."

After a long moment of contemplation, she began to sing. The words (if they could be called words) flowed together - it was Eldar. And although it was not the height of the singing art, it was still worthy of being called good. Eldar never allowed themselves to be overshadowed by humans after all. At least, not if they could help it.

Zouichi listened. And though he didn't understand the words, he appreciated it all the same. Her song was beautiful to listen to, though it was a strange, alien beauty; he closed his eyes briefly to listen to the subtle changes in her pitch.

The crystal sang in return, in a sort of voice that was clearly not human or Eldar, harmonizing along with Ildraniath until the chamber seemed filled with liquid sound.

That, too, was entrancing -- and why not? Those that had spent enough time cutting Ballybran crystal might stroke a cut for hours, lost in appreciation for it.

Slowly, Ildraniath came to a stop and for a moment looked acutely embarrassed. "I haven't actually done any singing in... well, a long time."

She shrugged. "...that was interesting though. Beautiful, even. I wonder if it's natural..."

"I enjoyed it very much. Practice or no." Not that he was trying to embarrass her, of course. Beyond the clarity and beauty of her voice, being privy to her singing felt... well, as though he had discovered a sudden vista, or caught the sight of a rare flitting bird. A brief, unexpected privilege. Something he doubted she would have let anyone else on the ship hear.

"I believe it is. I've heard some rumblings about its possible use for communications or power sources, as well. Of course, I don't know what your jetbike uses for fuel, but..."

He shrugged a little in turn, but couldn't help smiling a little. "One more thing I'd never have encountered on Earth."

"Ah. Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it, then," Her words sounded a bit stilted, but genuine all the same. She still wasn't quite used to this - but they were both learning as they went along, weren't they?

"And something I doubt I've encountered on my Craftworld. This trip seems determined to make everyone discover something, either about themselves of the galaxy at large."

Strangely enough, yes. Perhaps he was even in a unique position to understand the reason behind that slightly hesitant tone of vuoice. In opening up further to each other, they were both made more vulnerable -- and Zouichi, for one, was not quite used to the feeling of being vulnerable. It was... different, learning to lower his guard as he was.

Perhaps even a little distressing. Because while Zouichi had long steeled himself for the deaths of almost everyone he knew, it was hard to deny that Ildraniath's loss was one for which he'd be markedly unprepared. It was impossible to both feel strongly for someone and remain wholly prepared for their death. At least, it was for him.

His smile turned a little wry. "I suppose I've the Ohm to thank for that. So. Do you mind if I ask what else you've discovered?"

"Not all mon'keigh are barbaric brutes. Although most are," she replied. That was probably some sort of backhanded compliment, Z. She thought for a moment longer, "And that I have infinitely more patience than I ever thought I did."

Which was probably a roundabout way of insulting a large portion of the crew. She let her hands drop and for a moment found them idle and that bothered her, so she folded them again. It seemed to be her default position with them. The idea of opening up to another wasn't alien to her, of course, but to a (near) human? She'd never thought it would have happened.

So they were both adjusting to something strange.

Zouichi looked... rueful? regretful? Hard to tell, really, and he himself would be hard-pressed to describe exactly how her felt hearing her speak. Glad, he supposed, that perhaps she found at least a few humans tolerable. Frustrated that the crew seemed so loathe to move. Understanding that it was probably fear of losing their loved ones, of losing what security they felt they had at the moment that kept the crew from acting. Regretful that he hadn't been able to meet Ildraniath under better circumstances. Grateful that they'd met at all. And other feelings, harder to describe.

"I suppose we're all fortunate for that patience," he said, still smiling in that odd, wry fashion. He reached over to where her hands lay folded in front of her, delicately brushing gloved fingertips over her own exposed fingers.

"I..." He what? Zouichi wasn't even sure what he'd been about to say.

"Very fortunate," Ildraniath murmured with an amused little sigh. Not that her patience lasted forever. Months (or so it seemed) of waiting around for something to happen. For the crew to organize. For the command crew to do something. For the Daligig to do something. For anything that might provide answers. Even the Tapestry seemed like a dead end at this point. But she'd found people - well, one person - who she could at least confide in.

Not that she was used to confiding in many people. She worked with other seers and warlocks, but here she was alone and had to take her own council. How did she deal with that? How did she keep herself steady and sane? She glanced up and her fingers slowly relaxed as Zouichi reached out to her. After a moment of hesitation (opening up had never been her strong suit), she returned the gesture and wrapped the fingers of one hand around Zouichi's in a little squeeze.

"I know," She said simply.

Zouichi understood the frustration, though his own was often tinged with some amount of bewilderment as well. Even his understanding had its limits -- even the crew with the most to lose from a misstep had to know that complete inaction would only hurt all of them in the end.

But he smiled as she reciprocated the gesture, genuinely this time. Though many societies placed a great deal of emphasis on overt, sweeping displays of emotion, somehow... well, somehow even the smallest of Ildraniath's gestures seemed to convey more meaning than even the most dramatic or heartfelt of those.

Perhaps some things could be left unsaid.

Whatever happened, as long as they were on this ship together, he'd do his best to listen, if she required it. To be there beside her, even if he didn't always fully understand the concerns that worried at her. After a moment, he leaned over, brushing his lips against her forehead.

Ildraniath looked surprised at the gesture - for a moment, anyway. Then she let her lips ease into a small smile and she turned to let her head rest against his shoulder. She could afford to relax from time to time.

Just for a moment.

And that was how he remained for a long moment: leaning his head slightly against her own, his hand clasped in hers, feeling the warmth of her fingers through the dark fabric.

After a little while, he spoke again, turning his face slightly toward hers. "Farseer?"

"Yes?" She shifted to try and get a better glimpse at him. There was comfort in this, but shehad to remind herself not to get too complacent, even if she'd found something she'd never expected.

"What did you love most about your Craftworld? Would you tell me?" Zouichi, too, had duty. Responsibility. However...

It could be that they had years together, or only days. The thought pained him, and yet he could to nothing to change it. Not really. Not with any certainty. So the present was the present, to be cherished all the more for its impermanence. If remembered everything he could about her -- every detail, every small habit -- perhaps when the time to part came, he could hold on to those memories and feel a little less regret.

Perhaps.

Edited 2012-02-16 20:59 (UTC)

Ildraniath stayed silent for a few moments as she mulled over the question. It was personal - but not too personal. And it was Zouichi, in any case. There were still parts of her that she wasn't sure she wanted to open up to him, but this? This question could be answered.

"The life," she finally replied, "The vibrancy. Even if it was as large as Stacy - larger, even - it was full of life. Not oppressive and lifeless and full of despair."

"I was never able to see my world while it was alive," he said thoughtfully. "Not really. By that time, almost everyone was gone... although I suppose that in its own way, this ship is alive." Uncomfortably so, however. Not as he imagined her own world must have been, though Hydroponics seemed lush enough.

Hard to imagine something like that created by sentient life forms. An world-ship even larger than Stacy, moving through the silence of space. "Do you mean the plants? The people?"

"The people. The atmosphere. The presence of the infinity circuit. Most of all, there was not the sense of being watched, as if you were surrounded by your peers, by your people... and not a malevolent artificial intelligence."

Ildraniath snorted. "But I can't bring back the past."

"I take it you're not a big believer in the story that our worlds can be destroyed," Zouichi said dryly. And who could blame her? Whose word did they really have on that promise? The Daligig's?

He frowned a little. "I'm not really sure what to think of it myself. It seems so impossible, so far-fetched... but then, if you'd asked me before I came here if magic could exist, or half the species represented here..." He shook his head.

"I'm not sure what to believe," Ildraniath frowned, "The very idea that a whole craftworld could be annihilated without the least bit of warning or even tripping over our sentry fleets is... well, it seems impossible."

Her hand tightend on his in a small squeeze, "But we're here for the moment; whether or not our worlds truly are destroyed matters little if we don't survive."

He nodded. "But I suppose there's little point in chasing ourselves around in circles now. Not when there are so few clues..." So few clues, even after months had passed. Of course, he didn't expect the mystery to be solved in a matter of days, but he did wonder how long this war would eventually take.

It was his turn to look surprised as she squeezed his hand. Then he smiled, and his expression relaxed again, a little rueful this time for being the one caught up in predictions of the future. "True. And I think I'd like to survive a little longer."

It was lighthearted, the way he'd said it, almost like a joke. But for someone who arrived on the ship with practically no plans for the future besides staying alive long enough to save his own version of Earth, well... it was something of a leap. He'd had no hopes or wishes for the future because he'd never allowed himself to form any. Even now, it felt strange to harbor hopes for himself. For anything but his mission.

He reached over with his other hand to brush a stray strand of hair from her face, though his fingers lingered for a moment over her cheek.

"Survival is all we can ask for, I think," Ildraniath replied with a hint of dark humor. Survival was all her people managed to eke out. And even that was tenuous. Helping them to navigate through a galaxy full of hazards was a part of her duty. But here, she couldn't even do that. At least not at the moment.

And there she went, getting lost in her own thoughts again. She glanced up at his touch and her free hand came up to cup his hand against his cheek in quiet contemplation. How long had it been since she had felt a touch like this? Before Zouichi.

Did it matter?

Ildraniath leaned up to press her lips against Zouichi's temple.

"And even then, it's a lofty goal at this point," he mused. Would the humans of his Earth be able to survive as they had been? Would they be able to recover?

If Zouichi had been privy to Ildraniath's thoughts, he would no doubt have concluded that it didn't matter at all. Could he bring himself to care how long it had been since she'd last cared for someone else? Or about their differences in age? Or even that she came from a world so far different from his own?

No. Probably not.

He closed his eyes briefly as she moved forward to kiss his temple, couldn't help smiling a little as her bangs tickled his face. Then he leaned upward to return the favor, first brushing his lips lightly against hers and then, on a whim, kissing the smooth upswept curve of her left ear.

A brief intermission [Closed]

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