Re: An Unlikely Prophet

SharpestLife19 Wed Oct 12, 2011 6:08 pm

Grace hopes sincerely that she won't be in any more rabbit holes, but she doubts that will be the case at all. "But Vincent, why did the Seer call this person a son? Who's son is he? And why should it matter to me unless he's mine?" She frowns, she doesn't like the implications here. "Is that it? And if it is, humans don't get gold eyes like that, I blame you. You had better explain this."

She wants to take her hand away and cross her arms, but she doesn't want to let go of the only certain thing here, so she continues to hold his hand. "And what about the test? What does that mean? What test?"

Sandkitten Wed Oct 12, 2011 10:50 pm

Vincent actually stops and laughs openly when she makes her accusation regarding what she can only hypothesis is somehow their offspring. "Grace, everyone is SOMEONE's son or daughter. Since you bring it up, I will explain something about reproduction outside the mortal coil. The privilege of reproduction is generally limited to whose who have played the game of the Human experience and won, so to speak. It is reserved for what you would call gods. Yes, there are many of them. There are millions, billions even, more beings than gods, most sons and daughters of said gods. Once in a while, there will be a rogue bonus born into a specific son or daughter, but celestial beings rarely involve themselves in the affairs of someone trapped in the Human experience. That... is the general lay of the land." He clears his throat. "The Golden-eyed Son is the son - ironically enough - the being you would refer to as the Earth's creator."

He doesn't give her time to ask questions about that, at least for a moment, while he continues. "The Test... well, I suppose I'll have to explain The Game before I can explain The Test. You see... well, how can I explain this without putting either of us in a bad position?" He sighs as they walk. "...you know, I don't think that I can."

SharpestLife19 Wed Oct 12, 2011 10:56 pm

Grace holds her head in her hands. "What? The son of the creator? Oh, this is so wrong!" She had never bothered to think about the fact that there might be more than one god out there and that they were procreating at all. She's horribly confused by it all and wishes she didn't have to know. "So why if there are so many gods are we led to believe there is only one? And why didn't the Bible mention anyone Golden-Eyed Son?" A bad position? How could this get any weirder than it already is? "Vincent, I really don't think this could be a worse position. Please explain the test."

Sandkitten Wed Oct 12, 2011 11:41 pm

"Weirder, stranger, not so much. But worse - believe me, our position could be much worse. You haven't any idea." The door to the Endless Hallway appears before them, and he opens the door for her, ushering her through. He sighs as he looks around, the hall empty again for the moment. "Grace, people under Mortal constraint are not supposed to have access to the kind of knowledge I'm about to give you. The Human experience is kind of like... well, it's a game. The only way to reach what you would consider Godhood is to play the game, and pass the test. The problem is that each world created and populated becomes corrupted in a matter of only a few generations, because of the Veil. The Veil is the reason that you cannot remember anything prior to your Mortal life."

He holds up his hand before she has the chance to say anything. "The Game is the Human experience... it's completely voluntary, an undertaking sought out by those who want to improve their lot in the celestial realm, and give a try at running a world game of their own. The Test, on the other hand, is given to all celestial beings while they are sons and daughters, whether they decide to take part in The Game or not. The Test is merely an experience with mortality, supposedly to give one a certain emphatic paradigm towards the strains that it puts anyone playing The Game under, so they're not judged too harshly." He puts a finger to his chest. "I have never undergone The Test, and I have never volunteered for The Game - I have no desire, and no need. One of the reasons I'm an effective Harbinger is because I lack the empathy that's been driven into all the others."

SharpestLife19 Wed Oct 12, 2011 11:53 pm

Grace looks as if she will cry. She lets go of Vincent's hand, raising her own. It's unclear whether she means to protect herself from him or strike him, but her hand doesn't move from that spot for a moment. After the moment passes, she shoves Vincent hard and shrieks at him, "Life is not a game! That's ridiculous! Keep your idiotic stories to yourself!" Grace hasn't appeared this angry toward Vincent since he didn't show up when her grandmother passed away. She had forgotten about that until now and that makes her even more angry. "You don't have tell me that you lack empathy, there is nothing in the world more clear to me than that! But since you don't have any for yourself, let me explain this bit to you. You cannot tell someone that there life means nothing and expect them to believe it. I don't know why you would say that at all, but you must have something to gain from it. Whatever it is, please don't bother trying. I can't help you."

Sandkitten Fri Oct 14, 2011 4:55 pm

Vincent takes her shove with dignity, and he says nothing while she screams at him. This is exactly why this information isn't shared with those under the Veil's influence. They can't possibly understand - it's bigger than anything they can imagine, or anything they want to imagine. One of the effects of the Veil seems to be to convince those under its influence that they are the most important race in existance, and nothing can possibly undermine their existance.

When she's finished, he holds the palms of his hands out to her in a gesture of helpless surrender. "Grace, the only thing I have to gain by telling you any of this is, possibly, the wrath of several people who'd like to see me exiled, just like the Golden-eyed Son. But you deserve to know. If you prefer ignorance, I can try to replace that, but I can't make any promises - that's not really my specialty. Or if you prefer to test the validity of what I've told you, you can run back in to the Collective and ask about it yourself. I don't know what else to tell you. I only told you so that you might have a better understanding of what we're doing next. I know you're upset... and I know you don't think I have any empathy at all, but that's not true. I do - maybe not for everyone, or for all conditions or circumstances... but I understand and sympathize for you. Your life isn't meaningless - no life is meaningless. I'm an affective Harbinger because I understand the whole cycle and I don't make exception to every one of the billions of lives that must end as more begin... but I'm not heartless."

SharpestLife19 Sat Oct 15, 2011 11:34 pm

Grace's mind is totally in overload. If what Vincent is saying is true, it means that her life doesn't mean anything at all. Then what is the point? It doesn't seem like a game to her. She's not sure she wants to be ignorant again, but she's also not sure she wants to know what she now knows. Feeling entirely overwhelmed, Grace wipes back some tears trying to escape from her eyes.

"Vincent, if life is a game then everyone's life is meaningless. I am no more special than anyone else." She knows the last bit to be a fact. She's recently discovered that not only is she no more special than anyone else, but she isn't any smarter than them either. Grace doesn't seem to have anything more to say about it, although her tumultuous mind has put her stomach in state of disorder as well. She subconsciously raises her hand to her belly.

Sandkitten Mon Oct 17, 2011 5:57 pm

Vincent stands, still and patient, as her mind races forwards and backwards and sideways, tumbling upside and back again, trying to wrap itself around everything that he's just dropped on her. If she really can't live with it, he'll hold up his offer to try and patch a veil over this whole ordeal once they're through... but he knows his work won't hold forever. If he's lucky, it will just peel off during dreaming sessions, but there's always the risk that it might not hold at all.

"Grace, I know it's hard for you to understand... and it may seem contridictory to you, after what I've just told you... but although there are millions, billions of lives playing out in your world... each one is different, and not one of them is meaningless. There is not one life that fails to touch another in some way, and each one of those instances affects the final outcome of your world. It's like when you play chess - there are more pawns than any other piece, but those pawns can be just as powerful as the queen if things line up the right way. But of all thirty-two pieces on the board playing a part, the disruption of only two pieces - the kings - can win or lose the game. No life is meaningless. It's merely that a handful of select individuals have chosen to undergo the Human experience for the sole purpose of "beating" the condition and rising to new heights once the game is done."

He gives her a few moments to try and process this information as well, though he can see that the distruption in her mind is affecting the rest of her body in a negative way, so he offers his hand to her again. "Come... I need to make preparations to find the Son. I can either take you home for now, or I can take you somewhere else, if you prefer - anywhere you'd like to go, at all."

SharpestLife19 Mon Oct 17, 2011 7:31 pm

Being compared to a chess piece doesn't make her feel much better either. She frowns, still trying to process everything and now feeling like she's probably just a little pawn in someone else's game and what she does hardly matters at all. Pawns can stand completely still for most of a game and not affect the outcome at all. And if everything is just a game, who exactly is the player? That bothers her quite a lot. She tries to shove it off momentarily so that she can respond to Vincent without tearing up again.

"No offense, but after news like that, I don't really want to go home. I hope you understand that." She figures if he doesn't understand, than he's not as smart as she thinks he is. "But I don't know where else I would go either."

Sandkitten Tue Oct 18, 2011 12:13 pm

He nods in understanding, and takes her arm, ushering her gently along again through what would appear to be an empty Endless Hallway, as they haven't been looking for anything hidden at all. "I would offer, but I don't have a home of my own to take you back to. I suppose the next best thing for you right now would be somewhere to collect your thoughts, while I figure out where we're going. Given the barriers I've broken, I wouldn't feel you were safe if I left you with one of my peers." He thinks for a moment, gold flecks spinning slowly in a brooding fashion, before he pulls her close again. "We're traveling. Close your eyes." He gives her a moment to comply, as he seems to light up again as he prepares to depart, then the scenery around them melts away.

When they come to rest on solid ground again, just seconds later, he takes hold of the charm at her throat and readjusts her vision once more, and the world spins quickly into focus. If she had to make an educated guess, she might think she had suddenly appeared in a rainforest. But upon closer inspection, none of the plants around them are familiar. The ground underfoot isn't especially hard, either - instead of grass or leaves, it seems to be covered with a long, ferny moss. The trees are as tall as buildings, and many are wider than cars. Things akin to vines and ferns are everywhere, and the whole atmosphere seems still and silent - no noise polution from cars or planes or radios... just the unadultrated sounds of nature at rest.

"You're free to wander here - there's nothing that will hurt you, and you can get as lost as you want - I'll only seem to be gone for a few minutes, and then I'll find you. Explore, or sit and think, or nap - whatever you feel like doing. When I come back, I'll explain a little more about the Golden-eyed Son, if you like."

SharpestLife19 Tue Oct 18, 2011 5:26 pm

Grace is pleased that Vincent understands her. She had never thought before that Vincent had no place to go. It makes some sense now that she is thinking about it since he doesn't sleep like she does and wouldn't need a house. Aside from that he seems to constantly be wandering, which would make it difficult to have a house to go to at night.

When he announces they're traveling, Grace holds onto her stomach and closes her eyes. She hates this. It always makes her feel sick. But when she can see the place and Vincent tells her the place is safe. She looks around, admiring the beauty and exotica of the forest. She's touched that Vincent would bring her to such a lovely place. She smiles and twirls through the space, her skirt rises and billowing around her as she spins. "It's beautiful. Thank you."

Sandkitten Wed Oct 19, 2011 11:48 am

He nods, and begins to glow again as he prepares to leave. She wouldn't have noticed before, when they were traveling together, but as he departs alone, there's a bright flash. Inside the flash, he seems to be silhouetted, and once again, a sight from her childhood resurfaces - he seems to have wings at the moment of his disappearance. But it happens so quickly that it could just be a trick of the forest.

When he departs, she's left on her own to do as she likes. There wouldn't seem to be anything here to hurt here - there doesn't seem to be much life here at all, except for the plants. What might be bird-song floats through the trees quietly, but there are no birds or other animals in sight. No insects at all. And none of the trees seem to have fallen branches. It's as if this place has never been touched by decay - everything seems perfect.

SharpestLife19 Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:42 pm

The sight of the wings in that flash stir up the old memory Grace has of him coming to her aid. The memory startles her, she had forgotten all about that and passed it off as a child's imagination. Maybe it was a trick of the light here. Then again, maybe she would just ask Vincent about it when she sees him next. Right now, she had time to herself and she needed it.

Grace crosses her arms and takes another look around. The place is really amazing. She only wishes she didn't have so much to think about. She's not sure how a person is supposed to react when they find out their life is not what they thought it was. It's certainly life-changing, but how will this affect everything when she goes home? How can she see other people as people and not just pawns in someone's game?

She sighs. Why had she tried so hard to save her mother if it was all just a big game? The answer to that is she didn't know any better then. But she didn't want to be ignorant again. She didn't think that would solve the problem. So there had to be some way to take this knowledge in but still live life like it mattered.

Though what did she know about that really? Grace had been going through the motions before. What would she do when she went back? It was all so much to think about at once, she was totally overwhelmed by the whole mess.

Perhaps she should enjoy the beautiful forest, help Vincent and find the Golden Son and then she could be troubled about what would happen when she returned to her home. That seemed like the smartest idea she could come up with. So she walked around the forest a bit and looked around, enjoying the lovely sights and sounds.

Sandkitten Thu Oct 20, 2011 11:19 am

She doesn't run across anything out of the ordinary - if anything, everything here seems to be exactly in the right place, perfectly measured, and just right. The light between the trees is a nice shade, and patches shine through that are nice, but not too bright. No two trees are in each others way, and the ferns and overgrowths never obstruct her pathway. Even the tempurture is nice - ever so slightly warm but with a breeze to keep it just right. And the air isn't bone dry, but it's not noticibly humid either.

She has plenty of time to wander, at least to her perception - she's only alone for what would seem to be thirty minutes or so, before there's a bright flash nearby, signaling Vincent's return. Sure enough, he strides through the trees directly to her, his clothing changed, and his hair loose and flowing down his back instead of caught in a braid. Instead of the nondescript black jacket and slacks, he's dressed in clothing that looks quite foreign to her. Not quite the robes that she'd seen him in some years earlier, but not quite anything she's aware of from her world, either. Layers of different fabrics flow around him in sort of a tunic fashion, and the off-white of the ensamble highlights the fact that his skin isn't quite the same hue as hers - it's of a slightly more olive complexion, but not enough to be noticable unless this contrast brings it out.

He holds a bundle out to her - it appears to be clothing similar to his, only a slightly darker hue of off-white resembling ivory, and with red embroidery around the edges and down the sides like blackwork. "I've found out where we're going - you'll want to change, so that we blend with the local color. He's impossible to pinpoint, but once we're there I'm told we'll be drawn to him within a short time." Once she takes the clothing, he turns and crosses his arms to give her a small measure of privacy. He still hasn't figured out the rest of the Seer's riddles, but he's certain they'll be able to puzzle it out along the way. "I hope I didn't leave you alone too long."

SharpestLife19 Thu Oct 20, 2011 11:59 am

She enjoys walking around the place, it's not often she gets to be in a perfect forest. When she sees the flash, she tries to watch for the wings but it happens to fast for her to see. Vincent is always surprising Grace with his odd clothing. She wonders where they're going that they will need this, though she likes the color of her...item.

She smiles at him. "Did you know red is my favorite color? I'm sure you did, you never seem to do anything by accident." She studies the garment on him so that she can figure out how to wear hers. "Where exactly are we going and what is this thing called anyway? Though I suppose it doesn't matter." She shakes her head at herself, "I'm sorry, I'm talking to much. Could I ask a question of you, though? When I was young, I seem to think that I saw you with wings once when you appeared. But you don't have wings, do you?"

Sandkitten Thu Oct 20, 2011 2:53 pm

"I didn't catch the name of the outfit arrangement, so call it whatever you like. And don't appoligize for talking - even if casual conversation is all you care to manage with me for now... it's more than I usually have, so I have no complaint." Her last question, however, seems to startle him, and he becomes still and quiet where he stands. Hearing that she's not moving or changing, he turns his head slightly. "I thought you'd given up wondering about that kind of thing years ago. ...yes, I have them." He faces directly away from her again. "...hurry up and change."

SharpestLife19 Thu Oct 20, 2011 3:01 pm

She frowns, unsure why that particular question would trouble him so. She wants to ask why he doesn't show them when he's around her, but she doesn't want to offend him any further. "I thought you wanted me to think like I used to." She shrugs and heads off into the trees to change. Once she has the thing on properly she rejoins him. "What do I do with my dress? And should I still wear these shoes?"

Sandkitten Thu Oct 20, 2011 3:05 pm

When she returns, he's standing where she left him, but he opens his eyes and turns around to look her over. "Give me your dress, and I'll put it away for you. As for the shoes... I couldn't guess your size, so we'll pick those up when we get where we're going. Everything else fits well." He nods his approval, and uncrosses his arms.

SharpestLife19 Thu Oct 20, 2011 3:18 pm

Grace nods. It does fit well for a...whatever it is. She wonders why this time they need to blend in and whether that is possible. It seems to her that otherworldly beings would be pretty likely to be able to tell if there was an imposter among them. She just hopes they aren't the kind that will kill someone for being an outsider. She would prefer not to die today. Even in light of what she knows about her life, it's still hers and it's all she's got. "I've got to confess, I never would have imagined I'd be shoe shopping with an angel."

Sandkitten Thu Oct 20, 2011 3:29 pm

Her quip makes him smile a little, as he takes her other clothes and seems to hold them up like he's shelving them - only they just seem to disappear. "I never really imagined I'd be shoe shopping with anyone either, but I suppose there's a first time for everything." He offers no explination about where the clothing went, just offers her his hand and begins to glow from within again as he prepares to travel with her once again.

SharpestLife19 Thu Oct 20, 2011 3:34 pm

Grace looks perplexed by her clothes suddenly disappearing. She can only think that Vincent must be a magician. She feels slightly less sick this time as they travel. She just makes a face this time. With mention of shoes, she looks down at Vincent's feet. She never noticed before if he wore shoes and if he did, what they were. It seems like something she would have noticed when she was young, since she was closer to shoe-level, but it's really something she didn't think about. After satisfying that curiosity, she looks around at the new place. "Where are we?"

Sandkitten Thu Oct 20, 2011 4:13 pm

His feet are currently clad in soft-soled boots, with some kind of wrapping going up halfway to his knees. Before, they could have been in anything - probably as nondescript as the rest of his clothing - this is probably nondescript as far as wherever they're headed now. The bright light engulfs them again, and then they're gone.

When they arrive on solid ground once more, the difference between here and the forest is as night and day. The suns above them - for there are two, if they care to look - beat down on them with no shade in sight save for the town in the near distance. The ground underfoot is hard, almost like it's solid rock, but there's sand blowing around their feet, and reddish and yellow grass grows in patches all over the place, so it's obviously not a completely inhospitable place. It does explain the need for layers, though. There are just a few dimensions here as she's used to, so he doesn't need to adjust her vision at all.

"I don't know what the locals call their world-" He has to speak over the wind that suddenly picks up, and his hair whips around his face. He frowns slightly to find that he has to squint his eyes against the harsh sunlight and sand. "-but the town just over there is... well, you'll call it "T'ctranc't" that's as close a pronunciation as I can give you. The jewel you're wearing will allow you to understand them here, as well as to be understood, but you'll obviously have an accent. Nothing to be done about that." He takes her hand and starts off towards the town, perhaps a half mile off from where they are now. He frowns a little more as he realizes that he's rather warm... bordering on being uncomfortably so.

SharpestLife19 Sat Oct 22, 2011 12:34 am

Immediately upon arrival, Grace's thoughts go to Arabian Nights. It's the only thing she can think of where she has seen a desert like this. She's used to things being green and lush. This is exactly the opposite of all that. She is slightly encouraged to see there is some growth here. She would've expected everything to be dead if she had imagined a desert herself.

She tries to repeat the name of the town that Vincent says it is, but it comes out more as a weird sound that doesn't sound right to her. "Will they be bothered by my accent? You said we want to fit in.." Grace has noticed the heat. She brushes a stray hair back from her face before she gets too sweaty and sticks there. She fans herself as she wonders if there is anything that the jewel can't do.

Sandkitten Mon Oct 24, 2011 10:41 am

"Well, the idea is that you probably don't talk much, so that they can't wonder too much about what kind of accent it is that you have. I'll try and pick up their language as we interact with them." The wind dies down as quickly as it had picked up, and the suns overhead become just a little more intollerable. It's a good ten minute march from where they started to the wide-open gates of the city, because of the waves of sand that have blown over the road, making it difficult to traverse. Vincent seems preterbed, and uncharactaristically, it projects on his face.

When they reach the city, he looks around with her. The buildings seem to be covered in alabaster, and the corners and roofs are all rounded - that would make sense, with the wind and sand - but the people are what concern him. They're tall - at an average of perhaps six to seven feet - and their features are long and narrow, with skin slightly darker than his own, and hair ranging from white to the yellows and reds of the grass outside the city. At his height, and with his complexion, he might pass for one of this world... his dark chestnut hair makes him stand out as an obvious foreigner to the area, but Grace's height and complexion make her appear altogether lost in this place.

They get a few offhand looks as they come through the gates, but no one stops to stare - an encouraging sign, that means that they're not such an odd sight as to draw immediate attention. "Alright... let's find someplace for you to trade in those shoes for something more appropriate, and I'll see if I can pick up some idea of where it is that we need to go."

SharpestLife19 Mon Oct 24, 2011 11:20 am

Grace is almost amused to find Vincent showing his annoyance. She isn't altogether pleased with the heat and flying sand either. It's nothing like anything she's used to and she's a bit worried that she'll stick out and the locals will kill her or something.

The style of the buildings again invokes 1,001 Arabian Nights in Grace's thoughts. This place is all so different from everything she's familiar with. She studies the people as they pass, they are totally different from her. She's not sure how they'll manage to pretend that she belongs here. She's much shorter than the natives and much paler.

"You don't know where we're going? That's not very encouraging." She shakes her head. "You do realize I don't fit in here at all, right? I'm too short."

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