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Why Am I Here? [Rhi!]

Started by Tally, May 13, 2012, 06:00:20 PM

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Tally

That gave Ruben pause.  "Wait.  They'll all do as I say?"  He made a sweeping gesture that indicated the entirety of temple servants.

"That's splendid!  Much better than waiting for you to comprehend what's going on."  The naga slithered onward to ring a bell.  Ah!  So those bells would summon the servants.  Good to know.

When the girl returned, Ruben took the parchment from her and set up the ink bottle on the floor.  "You only brought one sheet?  I'll need at least a half dozen, and some chalk or coal as well."

That sent her scurrying back off again, and Ruben went about scribbling in a messy hand on the parchment, glancing up at the carving every few seconds.

Rhindeer

Well, she certainly got the hang of that fast! It was so good to see her becoming more comfortable with her new home. Though...he still didn't fully understand what was going on here.

Eyebrows raised, Charik moved closer to Ruben and leaned over her shoulder to watch what she was doing. A bunch of silly scribbling, from the looks of it, but she seemed so excited and he wanted in on that!

Leaning closer still, he jabbed a finger at the parchment. "What is that? What are you doing?"
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Tally

This was a remarkable find, nearly enough to make Ruben believe in the intervention of gods.  If that naga hadn't grabbed him, he'd never have found these carvings!

His flow of thought veered off as the naga leaned over him and started poking at the parchment.  He suppressed a sigh and shifted over out of its reach.  This was going to be like having a gigantic child hovering over him.

"Don't touch it, you'll smear the ink.  I'm just taking notes for now.  Once I get my equipment I'll be able to take precise measurements of the angles.  Why don't you grab a piece of parchment and some coal and draw or something?"

Somewhere in all this, the servant had deposited the rest of the things he'd asked for, and like a good servant they made themselves disappear after they were no longer needed.

Rhindeer

Charik blinked and tilted his head. "But what would we draw?" Ruben shifted the parchment away, and Charik only leaned over him more to compensate--and when you were a naga and could extend your body and contort in inhuman ways, you really could hover over another person. Entirely.

Now he was bent completely over Ruben, casting shadow over his work.

"We have no need of it when others create art for us. What kinds of notes are you taking? What angles?"
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Tally

Subtlety, it seemed, would serve him little here.  He suppressed a sigh as the naga leaned over even further.  He shouldn't be exasperated—yet—with the behavior.  He hadn't exactly explained it all using suitably small words.

"Move.  You're blocking my light.  I don't care what you draw, just give me some space and don't lean over me anymore."

Rhindeer

"But we want to see what you're drawing," Charik said, head tilted. "We have no need to draw, ourselves! We don't even know how to. That's servant work, darling. That's what servants are for. Tell them what you need and they shall do it!"

Reaching down, he tugged lightly on her braid. Not hard, just a playful pull to get her attention. "Whatever your life was before here, it's different now, dear. You don't have to do the stuff of commoners anymore!"
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Tally

Ruben ground his words out through a clenched jaw.  "I can show you when I'm done and what about you are blocking my light do you not understand?"

Yes.  Now he felt justified in becoming exasperated.  "I know I don't have to do this, I am doing it because I want to."

Rhindeer

"Oh! Well perhaps you need a better light source!" Charik beamed happily, the solution clear in his mind.

He reached for Ruben and scooped her up under the arms.

"We know the perfect place for you, where you can do your drawing! It's much better than here. Here is just so dim! No, this has a massive skylight and lets in plenty of sunshine! You'll love it!"
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Tally

"You thick idiot!"

Ruben dropped everything and latched onto the curve of a relief carving in the wall with both hands.  He hauled on it with all his weight to try and stop the naga's progress and kicked at the thing's waist with his feet.  "Put me down now!"

Rhindeer

"Now?" Charik repeated, eyebrows raised in confusion. One of Ruben's kicks got him in the gut then, and Charik grunted and adjusted his grip on her. "Oh, silly, we're not there yet! Be patient, love. It's just right down the hall!"

He started to slither along again, but stopped, because Ruben had a good grip on that relief. With a frown, Charik shifted Ruben's weight to one arm and reached out to lightly pry at Ruben's fingers with the other. "Let go, dear. We can't very well get there if you cling to everything like a cat, silly girl!"
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Tally

"I don't want to go there, I want to stay here!"

Was he speaking gibberish?  Or was this thing purposefully ignoring him?  Ruben struggled with every bit of strength available to him—insignificant next to the bloody naga's power—and grabbed onto every door frame and pillar and relief carving he could.

Not because he thought it would get the naga to release him but just to make as huge an annoyance of himself as possible in retaliation.

Rhindeer

"Of course you'll stay here!" Charik laughed and tugged at Ruben to pry her hands free, then tossed her over his shoulder so she couldn't so easily grab the reliefs as he began to slither down the hall, sticking to the dead center.

"The temple is your home now, dear. We wouldn't dream of tossing you out. Hush now, love, and don't struggle so much. We're strong, and we would never drop you, but you'll injure yourself. Just relax now. We're almost there."
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Tally

Ruben madee one last cursory grab at a column they passed, but his fury outstripped his stamina.  He'd struggled too hard and for too long to keep it up.  His temper spiked again when the naga had the gall to sling Ruben over his shoulder, but all that came of it was a clenching of teeth and swift resignation.  What was the point?  The naga said one thing that made sense--he was strong.  Ruben would just have to wait until the fool thing set him down.

In all the howling and fighting, he'd completely forgotten where they were going.  "Hurry up then.  Where are we going?"

Rhindeer

"Just down the hall, dear. There's a chamber just ahead with a pool, and a large skylight. It lets in lots of light! You'll be able to do your little drawings there much better than back in that dark hall. Really, that isn't good for your eyes."

Thankfully, Ruben had stopped all her struggling and flailing. Poor thing was going to wear herself out before they even got there! It was only a few moments more before they finally reached the place, a large, open chamber that was as Charik had described. It was brightly lit, with sunlight filtering down through the canopy above, and in the center was a large, clear pool with a stone bottom. Fresh river water entered from a hole in the temple wall, and exited through a shallow channel built into the room's floor, keeping the area cool but humid.

They were not alone, either, for there was something blue and humanoid-shaped and sized swimming beneath the surface of the pool.

Once inside, Charik deposited Ruben on the ground and beamed proudly down at him. "See? Much better!"
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Tally

"Finally, gods alive!"

Ruben sprang up, dusted himself off, and grabbed the naga by the shoulders and hauled him down so Ruben could talk directly at him.

"Listen to me," he said.  He narrowed his eyes at the naga.  "Are you listening?"

Rhindeer

Charik's eyes went wide as he stared at Ruben, startled and utterly perplexed by his behavior.

"We're listening," he said, blinking slowly. "We can hear you."
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Tally

Ruben highly doubted that.

"You can hear me," he said.  "But are you listening?"

Rhindeer

Charik's brow crinkled. Was there a difference?

"Yes?"
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa

Tally

The question at the end of that yes did not inspire confidence.  Ruben fought down a groan and soldiered on.

"I need," he said, speaking slowly for the simpleton's benefit, "rubbings of the pictographs down that hall."

He stabbed a finger at the hall in question.  "Do you understand that?"

Rhindeer

Charik's brow crinkled. "...Why do you need to rub on them?"
Adamaris // Aderyn // Aki // Alexander // Angel // Axieva // Beatrid // Briar // Cadmus // Corryn // Einin/Owl // Emery // Fang // Faolán // Faris // Frost // Hayate // Ife // Jayari // Jirou // Juniper // Katxiel // Khaiya // Kota // Kyran // Liam // Makani // Max // Maya // Mei // Nakato // Naovi // Nasrin // Niaaki // Niamh // Noor // Pepper // Qiana // Qismat // Quinn // Raxta // Riyarin // Rook // Sachi // Sahar // Siobhan // Simonea // Sita // Song // Summer // Valor // Yasmin // Yiroa