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Oct 12, 2004 22:19:43 GMT -5
Post by Dr. Daniel Carter on Oct 12, 2004 22:19:43 GMT -5
Amariette was right. She could not ignore a royal summonce from the Queen. Perhaps when he was well enough to walk freely again he would travel to Emain Macha to see her and Kahlan again, but it would take weeks for the gunshot wound to heal, and so he knew, much to his chagrin, that he would be missing the Samhain festival. He would still celebrate here with his family, as he had been planning on, but it would not be the same without her. He watched her go, slightly forlorn, and she would know he would be thinking about her the entirety of their time apart. It was only natural.
With a sigh and a slight shrug, a crispness crawling into the air as the afternoon set upon the little town of Invernis, he turned to go inside, walking slowly, the clapping sound of his cane on the hardwood more than enough to tell Maggie he was coming. She had set up everything she needed to for the incoming wounded and now pretended to busy herself at the wash basin. "She's a good girl, Danny. She loves you. Don't be so worried." Daniel smiled just slightly, as his mother hadn't even had to turn to look at his face to know what he was feeling. It had been like that since James had died. He was lucky to have her, and they both knew it. It was hard to feel bad, even with Amariette gone. He was home. Safe. Where he held a sense of belonging and nostalgia. It was a good feeling to have on a day like this.
"Thanks Mum... for everything. I just hope things work out... you know?" Maggie turned then and smiled lovingly at her only son. Crossing to him she took his stubbled face in old, leathery hands he knew so well and rearranged his mussed hair. "Danny... just be yourself. I think that's all she really wants from you. And if it doesn't work, then it wasn't meant to be, and you'll find someone else. Just as long as you learned from Evelyn, then I know you will be just fine." Daniel nodded with another slight smile and tried to veer away as she wiped a few smudges from his cheeks. "And for heaven's sake take a bath once in a great while, dear, it can't do anything but help your case."
He batted her away lovingly and sat down at the table, idly arranging the silverware in Cuneiformic patterns to spell random words before getting swatted and told not to touch anything, which caused him to move outside and sit down again in the garden. It was surreal, the past few days. Theoren's request had been odd. Why would someone be trying to reconstruct the fabled (and Daniel dare said fictional) Madripoor Set? It didn't make sense, but he thought he should tell Kahlan... as soon as he could. As soon as he was healed.
His thoughts were interupted, however, by the sound of shouts and gushing air from above, and the tired but ever steady silver lizard he called friend hovered for a moment before landing in the yard once more, loaded with five people- four wounded, and one person Daniel was very glad to see.
"Charlie!"
He stood up and gripped the top of his cane, stepping lightly and quickly as he could muster without pain over to the crew which was being unloaded by Halar and the one well person he had brought along. An arm reached around the aspiring archaeologist Daniel had come to respect more than ever and pulled her into as much of a bear hug as he could. "You have no idea how glad I am to see that you're alright." He said, the relief evident in his voice, his hand on his cane gripping tight enough to make the knuckles go white. But somehow he knew that she would be ok. She was tough, tougher than he was, and street smart. He had trusted she would take care of the camp until Halar had come to fetch her. Now it was her turn to rest.
"Come on, you must be hungry and tired. Everything's inside." He said, drawing back and thumbing over his shoulder at the small but beautiful little house, within which a true sense of home awaited any traveler whom desired it.
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Oct 13, 2004 11:43:32 GMT -5
Post by Charlie Dudox on Oct 13, 2004 11:43:32 GMT -5
A part of her had really wanted a chance to talk to Halar. The dragon seemed to have a good head on its shoulders and knew Daniel better than anyone else in the world. It was strange how the whole Amariette and Daniel thing had hit her. Perhaps she was still dealing with the stress of the cave in but suddenly it was beginning to strike how very alone she was in this world. There were her parents, both missing in action and really very little help even when they were around, there was Daniel who would be all she ever needed if he could get his eyes off of Amariette, then there were the other site workers, nice boys, she liked them all, but Charlie knew too well that being surrounded by people were often the loneliest times of all. But riding with the injured men was no time to start pouring ones heart out to anyone. She had found flying enough exhilaration as it was. There had been a moment of sheer panic when they first left the ground, though she would never admit to it. After that it was like dreaming, the beauty of the country side was more than she had ever imagined. Thus she rode in silence, watching Ulster unfold beneath her like an emerald map of farm lands and forests. It was almost a shame when they began to descend. One flight and she was certain that she could spend the rest of the day in the air and never regret it for a moment, as long as it was spent with the right people, that is.
The disappointment of landing was completely offset by the look of pleasure and relief on Daniel’s face. She slid off of Halar’s back and quickly helped off one of the more injured men before being enveloped in Daniels bear hug. She wrapped her armed around him and squeezed him tight. Until now she had feared the worse, no one saying that Daniel was alright was any replacement for seeing for herself. She let out a small laugh “Yes Daniel, I’m fine, I wasn’t at the site when it happened. I’m so sorry. I’m so glad to see you.” She pulled back a moment looking at his batter eye beneath the glasses, with a tender touch she ran her thumb against his swollen cheek. “Oh, look what that bastard did to you. I…” Once more the urge to kiss him swelled up inside of her. It was not the sort of thing that she was used to resisting. She could take him right now on the grass for scaring her like that. But Daniel was not hers for the taking. Instead she laid her lips softly against his cheek in a small kiss. “You had me scared crazy.”<br> Letting the moment pass, knowing she would gain nothing in return she nodded her head. “I am famished. Oh, look at that.” She seemed almost at awe of the little cottage. When she was mad at her parents, mad at being the little girl who wandered from tribe to tribe, living in tents, and shacks and lean-tos with mud as her floor she had dreamed of just such a home. She had threatened her parents with just such a home. Such perfection, such uneventful normality was the nightmare that kept them working long past an age they could start considering retirement. No wonder Daniel was so nice, the house almost exuded niceness.
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Oct 16, 2004 21:48:24 GMT -5
Post by Dr. Daniel Carter on Oct 16, 2004 21:48:24 GMT -5
Halar watched the interactions with some interest, silent as it was. He would spend some time mulling over the love triangle that was evidentally growing stronger by the day, and more intriguing with Daniel's seeming oblivious nature towards the situation. He let out a long dragon like sigh as the last of the wounded for this round were unloaded from his back. "There are more, Daniel, I shall return with them shortly."
Daniel turned his head, pushing his glasses back up on his nose and nodded to Halar and stepped back with Charlie to give the tired reptilian ample room to take off. Maggie was already in the doorway from the back porch ushering in the mildly wounded men from the dig site who were more than happy to sit down and feast upon the meal set before them courtesy of Mrs. Carter. Daniel on the other hand, being more than a little wounded, took his time trying to minimize the pain in his leg as he limped slowly along beside Charlie headed for the house.
"It's nothing, really." He said with a weak smile, but at least a genuine one. "Just a few cuts and bruises, nothing major at all." He lied, and obviously so since his eye was still swollen, though not nearly as bad as before, and the cuts, bruised ribs, healing gunshot wound to the shin, they were all obvious from the gate and manner of his walk which had changed dramatically since his return to Invernis. He was tired, broken, and spiritually drained, and this showed more than he cared for it to. "I'm just glad no one was seriously hurt... first the cave in, then this... I don't know what I would have done if you'd been hurt by them just after the accident." He said, laying a hand on her back and pushing her gently through the door before him.
The room was already buzzing, but it didn't take Maggie Carter more than a split second to be at her son's side. "Mum, this is Charlie Dudox... she's going for her doctorate in the field. She was running the camp in my absence. Charlie, this is Dr. Maggie Carter, my mum." His parents had done extensive work in the archaeological community in regards to Ulster and the coastline. Maggie had done much of her own work, but it had been James Carter that had won fame throughout the inner circles for his amazing discoveries, ones Daniel knew came from a certain gift both men had shared and that James had passed down to him.
Maggie took Charlie's hand with a broad smile. "You're always welcome here, and I'm sure we'll have time to talk later, but please excuse me for a few moments." She nodded to the young woman and then began attending to fresh bandages, aches, pains, burns, and other such needs of the young men present in her home.
Daniel pulled out a chair and motioned for Charlie to take it in the living room, handing her first a bowl of stew. He prefered to sit away from the rest of the group as notoriously archaeologists and laborers did not see eye to eye on most issues. That and it gave him the personal space he needed to breathe with. He had already eaten and so contentedly watched Charlie for a few moments in silence before an awkward clearing of the throat. "How are you feeling?"
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Oct 16, 2004 23:13:09 GMT -5
Post by Charlie Dudox on Oct 16, 2004 23:13:09 GMT -5
She shook her head, looking him over as they limped towards the cottage and giving a small laugh in disbelief “Ha! It’s nothing? Who do you think you are fooling?” She gave a small shake of her head and began to speak when Daniel dropped the line about how glad he was that she was not hurt in this entire hubbub. Suddenly her mouth shut tight had she blushed softly. Her skin was dark, making it a little less obvious, to her great relief. It took her a moment to regain her speech as she was approached by Maggie. A broad smile crossed her face as she offered her hand for a hardy shake. “Oh, Dr. Carter, it really is a pleasure to finally meet you. Daniel always speaks so well of you, and I myself admire your work. I was very impressed with, uh--” suddenly the name slipped her mind. She cringed slightly as she worked through the library of her mind. Most of her childhood education had come through her parent’s canon of anthropology texts. “The Primitive Ulster, a Cultural Analysis. I remember it to be beautifully, thought and written.” Maggie smiled graciously, “Thank you dear, I’m glad you enjoyed it, now if you’ll excuse me, I’m sure we will have a free moment later.” Charlie nodded “Yes of course, just let me know if you need any help.”
The compliment had not come off at all as smoothly as she had hoped. She was afraid that it sounded too much as though she were trying. It was no lie. The Primitive Ulster had been one of her favorite books at age nine. It was written simply, explained well without over-intellectualized diction. It was a text that she had long been meaning to reread. She had a feeling that its reputation as being ‘dated’ was a large miscalculation. Still, that would have to wait until another time. Life in Ulster seemed far too hectic so have time to go back and learn its history.
She smiled gratefully as he led her into the living room. Charlie was a people person, could barely stand to be alone for too long, but it exhausted her none the less. She took the bowl of stew with a small thank you. She had not realized how hungry she was until she caught a waft of that aroma. She ate a few bites before bothering to reply to his question, letting the warmth of the food takes its toll on her mood. “I’m doing ok Daniel. I’m a tough girl. I make it through.” It was a vague answer, not getting into all the hurt he was causing her without even trying and all the other pent up emotions it was beginning to dredge up. It was best not to dwell on the subject for long. Not saying exactly what she was thinking was not a strong suit of hers.
“I want to hear about you Daniel. What the hell do these people want from you?” She looked worries. She knew that people were not usually beaten up, kept for a few days and released. She also knew that normal hoodlums do not work to heal the wounds they cause. This was far, far more complicated.
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Oct 17, 2004 0:01:33 GMT -5
Post by Dr. Daniel Carter on Oct 17, 2004 0:01:33 GMT -5
He nodded a little and looked into his lap, fingers running over the handle of his cane in a worried fashion, as if too nervous to speak about the subject with her, but he knew he owed her that much at least... Still, he had nightmares, memories some of the time, but almost like flashes into the future... of Theoren grabbing the Demon's Heart, a bright flash all around and a wall of flames consuming everything in its path. He had woken up the night before and from his nap in a cold sweat both times fumbling in the dark for his glasses in a panic.
"They were members of a guild of assassins and thieves from the captial of the realm. A dangerous lot." He paused and traced the pattern in the head of the cane with his index finger. "He wanted me to translate a tablet out of Mapouche... or at least a more ancient dialect of Mapouche... He was looking for the temple of Seoul-Mun, you know, the demonic god that the Athrobos made blood sacrifices to for centuries. He was looking for the Demon's Heart..."
He trailed off, hoping he wouldn't have to go into the details, maybe Charlie would just know the legends, but maybe she wouldn't. Hell the thing wasn't even supposed to really exist. He looked up at her, his eyes scared, but no with a sense of immediate fear, but the eyes of a man who had seen some kind of horrible impending danger of an apocolyptic magnitude and was helpless to stop it. "I looked in that man's eyes, Charlie. He was insane. He was going to do whatever it took to get that stone and anything that stood in his way was going to get anihillated. And for whatever else he was, he wasn't human, either."
He looked away again, the subject not touchy, but definitely heavy. "My only hope is the the queen will delay him somehow, but he promised me that our correspondance was not over yet. I don't know what else he wants, but I can tell you that we're all in trouble if he gets a hold of that stone..."
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Oct 17, 2004 0:30:55 GMT -5
Post by Charlie Dudox on Oct 17, 2004 0:30:55 GMT -5
Her brow knitted as he brought up the Demon’s Heart. She did indeed know about the gem. The Zorans shared much of the same history as the Athrobos. The Zorans had renounced the a belief of the stones real power, or such gory blood sacrifices (though they had not lost their taste for cannibalism). The Demon’s Heart, DuKupo, was the sort of things that was used to scare children into behaving. “This is all over a gem heist?! For God’s sakes!” She shook her head. She had never had any doubt that the Athrobos had a gem, a ruby most likely, that they believed possessed magical powers, and really, of what Charlie knew of the tribe, she would not be too sorry to see them lain to waste. Their war like manner was one of the main reasons for instability in the jungle, let alone their deplorable treatment of their own women folk.
Still, the way that Daniel spoke of the DuKupo, the Demon’s Heart, it was as though he believed the myth behind the rock. “Not human? Then what? Daniel, I’m confused. Are you trying to tell me that the DuKupo is actually all that it has been made out to be?” It was amazing how easily she slipped from perfect English to Zorans and back. She had never made herself out to be much of a translator or language buff, but her pronunciation was near perfect, like marbles off the tongue. Even if he did not know Zorans, it was amazingly similar to Athrobos, another sign of the real closeness between the jungle tribes.
She sat back and pursed her lips, trying to fully comprehend what he was telling her. It was a scary legend, filled with power and supernatural forces and blood. If Theoren wanted the stone he would probably have to take down every last man and woman of the tribe to get it. And then what? It was too much for her to wrap her mind around. Instead, avoidance of the whole situation sounded like the best plan of action. “She’s a powerful Queen. You would think that she could do more than just delay these hoodlums. Shouldn’t she simply squash them with her big army for causing trouble in Ulster? I mean, really Daniel. We can get you out of this.” She didn’t know where she would come in in the big scheme of this “we”. She was a young woman with knowledge of where Theoren wanted to go and she was willing to shoot anyone who tried to take Daniel from her, but they were dealing with people far out of either of their leagues.
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Oct 18, 2004 1:44:06 GMT -5
Post by Charlie Dudox on Oct 18, 2004 1:44:06 GMT -5
Daniel Carter: -"The Demon's Heart... it's only a legend... or so I thought. I didn't know those texts existed, and I didn't know anyone still even believed in all the myths anymore... but apparently someone does. He's insane, Charlie, but he wasn't crazy. He was a madman but he knew exactly what he was doing. Right down to the last detail, he's researched this more than we have, and he has an army of cut throats helping him work. You tell me why any man, crazy or not, would go after something this vehemently if it didn't exist." He paused, taking a shaky breath inwards. The dreams didn't help... ever since he touched that tablet he'd gotten strange dreams night after night... he saw Theoren there, and the stone upon its altar... the flames engulfing(C)- Daniel Carter: -everything in their path... it was terrifying. "When I looked in that man's eyes I saw something that was not human. I saw a raw hunger for that gem and I saw a man so out of his goddamned mind that nothing in this world or the next has a chance in hell of stopping him. He promised he'd be back for me... and I believe him, Charlie. I believe every word he said. I don't know what's in that temple, but something is there. And I think that the Queen may be too scared of him to try and stop him." He sighed and looked down, running another hand over the back of his head and through his hair. Just when he thought he would have a vacation. "I won't lie, Charlie, I'm not too well off right now. He did a number on me, and there was nothing (C)- Daniel Carter: -that I could do to stop him. Me, a grown man... and he tossed me around that cell like I was a bag of feathers. It was easy for him, to do that to another human being. And when he comes back, he'll do the same again. I only hope the people I care about aren't around again to give that bastard any leverage." He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, letting his hand hang limp from the wrist over his knee. It was shaping up to be a pretty stressful Samhain, wasn't it?(F)-
Charlie Dudox :She frowned deeply as she sat back in her chair, setting the stew aside. Hearing about the kind of situation Daniel was really in was enough to make her lose her appetite. If Theoren was everything Daniel said he was, she had little doubt that he would kill Daniel as soon as he had what he wanted. It made her stomach twist tightly as she lowered her eyes in thought. "I should go with you Daniel. You shouldn't be going out there with them alone. I'm a tough girl. I can handle myself, and I know how to survive better in the wild than I think I ever will in Ulster." She looked up, catching his eyes. Her own held a sence of resolve that seemed as though it would be almost impossible to resist. Charlie was like her mother, she was used to getting what she wanted, <C> Charlie Dudox used to fighting took and nail when it simply wasn't given to her. Perhaps that is what kept her here in Ulster being 'friends' with Daniel. She wanted to be there with him when he was in trouble, because, then at least she was not left behind, unable to do anything. "I know that I'm not anywhere near you in my knowledge and expertise as an archeologist but I have spent a combined sixteen years in that jungle. I can speak the tongues, hunt and track through the thickest of growth. I know how to handle everything from snakes to spiders to leeches to jaguars to canibals. I'm useful Daniel and you shouldn't be alone with this man. You don't deserve it." There was almost a slight quake in her voice. Losing Daniel to Amariette was breaking her heart, <C> Charlie Dudox losing him forever would break her soul. "I'm not afraid of anyone Daniel. I'm just afraid of losing you." She looked back to her bowl of soup with a small sigh. To anyone else this would be an obvious confession of love but to Daniel he probably would not even notice. Perhaps his thick headedness was occasionally a good thing. It let her speak her mind.
Daniel Carter: -He sighed and shook his head, a little more vehemently than before. "No, Charlie, that's a very bad idea. He needs me as long as the rest of the stones are at large, I have some knowledge of what he's looking for... and he does have his weak spots in his resolve... I don't know what it is, it's like the man is completely unbalanced. But Amariette got the same notion in her head and she came after me, and she almost got killed. She would have been if he hadn't a last minute change of heart, don't think he won't do the same thing to you. We could both end up dead." He ran a hand over his face again, squinting at her without his glasses on and still barely able to make her out. "Then again, I know how well you know those jungles.."(C)- Daniel Carter: -He put a hand on his chin and sat back to think. "It would be handy, but I don't intend on going after that stone, not in my condition. I can't even make it to Emain Macha right now let alone through the Temple of Seoul-Mun... that place is boobytrapped like there's no tomorrow. He'll be killed unless he's god or nigh near close to it. If the legend serves correct the twelve trials aren't exactly a cake walk." He scratched his head. "If anyone can do it, he can, but if he does take me with him maybe it would be a good idea to have you trail us both... you'd be good at that. And then you can lay a trap for him when he comes out, take the stone... even if something happens to me you can keep him from having it, whatever he wants it for can't be good."(C)- Daniel Carter: -He looked over to her, putting his glasses on again to search her over. She was strong, capable, he had faith in her. "Just remember, he's not even close to us... he's not human, Charlie, we have no idea what he's capable of." Leaned forwards and put a hand on her knee. "I don't want you getting hurt... it's not worth it. Angering him could make things worse on all of us."(F)-
Charlie Dudox :She sat back and nodded her head. Despite what she had just told him, the idea of going back to the jungle was almost daunting. It had been four years since she left, and the hike out had been one of the most traumatic times of her life. She thought she would never go back. It was why she had focused on the Aons for her Doctorate and the Fases for her masters. They were desert tribes, safe, unrelated to the torments of her past. For a moment the hesitation showed on her face, as though that fire that had burned so brightly within her faded and was almost snuffed. Still, she would not let anyone or anything keep her from doing what she knew she had to. "Alright, I'll follow. Just... you're the one who can decode the writings.<C> Charlie Dudox You could send him right ahead into the booby traps and he'd never see it coming. Forget to tell him not to step on the cracks in the stones ya know?" A small smirk spread over her face. "Tell him that the Athrobos will only let him pass if they think he's a woman and then march him over to them on a new moon." She knew the stories about the tribe and their sacrafices. After all, they were far from secrets. It was one of the biggest myths about the jungle. "Daniel, I'll go but I'll be completely honest with you. If he's going in there for a rock because he's a theif and that thing would be worth god know what, then I don't give a damn if he gets it. In my eyes you are priority number one." How was she to know about his nightmares? <C> Charlie Dudox It had not even sunk in yet that the dream about being sick had been her first thought of life in the Jungle for almost a year. It seemed that both of their subconcious was one step ahead of them. "I want you out of this alive. And despite all my years of training, priceless artifact be damned." She broke into a mischievious little grin because this was of course the type of statement that her porfessors would have failed her over, but really, the living mattered far more than the dead.
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Oct 18, 2004 1:45:01 GMT -5
Post by Charlie Dudox on Oct 18, 2004 1:45:01 GMT -5
Daniel Carter: -Daniel nodded and gave her knee a little squeeze. "Somehow I don't think he'd pass for a woman very well, just wait, when you see him you'll know what I mean. And I'm hesitant to tell him the wrong things because on the off chance he does survive... I'm definitely toast. Actually the way he seems to work is killing everyone else I care about or try to outwait me." He stopped then and put out his arm, revealing the circular cuts and heavy bruising around his wrist, his shoulder still healing from the partial dislocation he had gotten from being thrown into a wall. "He caused me a lot of pain, Charile, and he was more than content to keep me as long as he could without food or water until he got what he wanted from me. He beat me up good and then(C)- Daniel Carter: -had his underling heal me to the point where I would continue to live but in serious pain, and then let me sit for a few hours and did it all over again. He doesn't play games... he knows how to do his job. I'm not sure if I want to let him have the chance again..." He trailed off and looked into the fire place for a moment, the flames relfecting off his sky blue eyes and glasses lens. "And there is... something else. You're going to think I'm crazy, I mean, this is the kind of thing I always ignore. It's stupid, I shouldn't even be saying it... but ever since I touched that tablet I've been having nightmares about it... I can see him take the stone and I see the entire altar engulfed in white hot flames that extend far over the land... killing everything(C)- Daniel Carter: -that gets in its way... everything, Charlie." He looked over to her, worry in his eyes, his brow knotted over them. "He killed everything." He shook his head as if to make the images fall from his mind. "And I just can't shake that feeling. Why the hell would he want this, my god, he must have so much money already, he's the head of the Phoenix Guild for god's sake. Why this little trinket, what is it to him? He kept on pontificating and rambling at me, something about a set of stones from the Isle of Madripoor, another legendary and totally mythical place with no more base in history than Atlantis... I mean what is this guy some kind of occult addict?" He sighed and sat back. He didn't know if he could take another kidnapping. He was (C)- Daniel Carter: -only mortal, and it was very obvious how much pain he was in. Unshaven, weary, the lines on his face showing his age more than he would like them to. For god's sake, he couldn't even stand up without the aid of a cane now. Hopefully that would heal. The village medicine woman had told him the nerve damage was not permenant, but there was still a chance. He was getting too old for this crap.(F)-
Charlie Dudox :She purse her lips, wishing there was something more that she could do to help him. If he was right, that this ruby was going to be some sort of weapon of mass destruction, that brought the whole world into a new light. Certainly the way he had treated Daniel was barbaric. More barbaric than almost anything she had seen from the "barbarians" she had grown up among. It changed everything. It made it so there was no way to win. "Daniel, if you don't do what he says, he'll get it out of you somehow and look what he's done to you already. But if you just go along and do as your told, do what he wants and just get the hell out of there. Disapear if need be... Is that so wrong? To cooperate even if you think you know what this Demon's Heart might do? <C> Charlie Dudox I mean, you don't really have a choice do you?" For a moment she seemed to be afraid to say what next came to her mind, but it was always hard for her to hold back so out it came. "Daniel, you are an amazing man, but I'm afraid you're just not strong enough. Even if you fight back, he'll have the upper hand. Allow the queen to deal with the consequences of pandering to this monster. Just... lets get out of this ok, alright?" It was not meant to be as unsupportive as perhaps it came out. It was her pleading with him, coming out with the truth directly as she saw it, be it disrespectful to the lovely queen who had healed her or the man she secretly loved.
Daniel Carter: -He took her hand and dropped his head with a sigh. "We'll be ok. Let's just hope his stray sense of compassion makes another appearance... or maybe we can nip this in the bud and kill him before he can even try anything again. Two on one, that sounds like good odds..." He said dully, as if he didn't really believe it, but he had to put up a facade to keep Charlie's optimism alive. "I know I'm not as strong or as brave as I could be. I'm not all that good at heroics. The minute Amariette was put in danger I caved and I gave the bastard what he wanted. And I showed him fear... lots of fear. I was afraid of him, and I still am. I'm just a scientist, Charlie, I can't do much in the way of fighting. But maybe we can find a way to end this on our(C)- Daniel Carter: -own terms instead of on his. Surely the Queen will do something... and as much as I hate to say it, if we know he's coming we could... wel could kill him before he does any more harm to us." He looked up and gave another small squeeze, trying to reassure her, and maybe more himself than her, he didn't know. She was much stronger than he was in his eyes, though Daniel had little idea of the inner strength he really did possess. "We'll find a way through this, but for now all we can do is plan. We gotta stay positive... after all... at heart he's just a man. There has to be some humanity left in him someplace... doesn't there?"(F)-
Charlie Dudox :She nods her head and reached into her back of her pants, beneath her shirt and pulled out the revolver, removing the clip so that she could show him while making it obvious that she had no intention of using it here in this room. "I wasn't there when you were taken Daniel. I'm sorry that I wasn't. But had I been there, I wasn't in the habit of being armed. Being at the University and in the safety that usually is Ulster, you can get lazy, ya know? I'm not gonna make that mistake again though. I got a good shot, Daniel, and I don't care what Theoren is or what this Lillith is. A bullet through the head has never been good for anyone. Just 'cause I've never shot a person doesn't mean I can't, or that I wont." She was dead serious on this one.<C> Charlie Dudox For a moment there were no more silly little grins or light comments. Charlie was willing to take another human being's life to protect Daniel. That was a serious commitment for a girl who had been successful mostly against cans and the occasional wild animal. As she finished her little speak, Maggie Carter came bustling in. She hesitated for a moment, seeing her son sitting with the woman, a gun clasped tightly in her hand. "Oh, I'm sorry, was I interrupting?" She asked sweetly, unable to help but wonder at this second young woman that her son had brought home. Charlie looked suddenly embarassed and slipped the clip quickly back into the weapon and hid it back where it belonged. "Oh... uh..." <C> Charlie Dudox She glanced over at Daniel, really unsure whether that had been and interruption or if they had said what was needed to be said. No matter, what was done was done, best change the conversation quickly. "Oh, Dr. Carter, I didn't get to tell you how thankful I am that you could host us all. I brought you a gift. She quickly dug into her bag and pulled out a tall gree bottle and held it out for Maggie. "It's a Blood Orange Wine, my father and I used to brew it up. It is a Zoran recipe. It's really a wonderful drink, a bit strong I'll warn you. Uh... it is made of blood oranges though, not blood and oranges. I don't drink that." <C> Charlie Dudox That all sort of spilled right out. A little voice inside her head screamed for her to stop while she was ahead, but like so often occurs, her mouth didn't seem to listen.
Daniel Carter: -Maggie raised an eyebrow at her son who tried very hard to ignore her stares. She knew him well enough to know he was in no way playing two women off of each other. He wasn't suave enough to do that let alone did he have the fortitude of heart to do that. She laid a hand on his head and stroked it through his hair. She had overheard the entire conversation. How brave her son had been. She wondered if Amariette knew what kind of strength it would have taken for someone as meek as Daniel was to keep his cool in that kind of a situation. That was the kind of strength she gave to him. Maggie was more than grateful for it. "Thank you, Charlie, it's a wonderful gift, and don't worry, blood isn't exactly a staple of Invernis, either."(C)- Daniel Carter: -She gave a good wink, the mischevious woman that she was. "I'm sure we can crack it open tonight after I get these boys to bed. Including you, young man. Clara told you that leg wouldn't heal unless you laid off it." She gave her son a gentle tap on the back of the head. He smiled just the same and leaned back on the chair. "And for heaven's sake, it wouldn't hurt for you to go get a bath and a razor, would it?" Daniel pretended to sleep at his mother's nagging. She just rolled her eyes and looked at Charlie. "Twenty years I put up with this outta him. Some things never change." She shurgged with a smile and moved back into the dining room to check on the dig site workers once more. Daniel rolled his tired head over to her with a weak smile(C)- Daniel Carter: -"She has a good point, but I just didn't want to hear it." He said with a little bit of a joking tone. "But Charlie... just protect yourself... before anything else. Don't get yourself in the middle of something you don't need to be. It's not worth your life." He said, leveling his gaze on her. "You've got an education ahead of you and a life of research. I'll be highly disappointed if you if you don't live up to my expectations." It was hard to tell if he was joking or not.(F)-
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Oct 18, 2004 1:45:40 GMT -5
Post by Charlie Dudox on Oct 18, 2004 1:45:40 GMT -5
Charlie Dudox :She seemed to relax some as Maggie hen pecked Daniel. The woman made her nervous, mostly because she felt thisheavy strain to always say the right thing and to make a good impression. Still, to watch how they teased each other was cute. She laughed slightly and shook her head "Daniel, you should listen to your mother, I'm sure she has a million things to do and she still takes this time to tell you what's best." While her tone might be slightly mocking, it was not the sort of thing that Charlie ever got from her mother. Elise was always immersed in her studies and most of the time, if Charlie could support and entertain herself, that was what she was expected to do. It took a village to raise a girl like her and so that was whom Elise preferred to do the work. <C> Charlie Dudox Charlie was unsure what she would have done with a mother like Maggie, either she would have thrived under that attention or be stifled and choked by it. It was a fifty-fifty situation. Still, despite her inability to form intelligent sentences with Maggie she was a bit disapointed to see her go and the conversation turn back to how really dire things were. "Daniel this is something that you shouldn't be in the middle of either. As for my education... well... most of my teachers seemed pretty happy to see me out of their class rooms to be honest." She shrugged. She had been a pain in the ass to teach. Most professors enjoyed working on blank slates, teaching their students new things and then watching them regurgitate it back at them. <C> Charlie Dudox Charlie had read too much, knew too much and had too much fun bringing up outside information to debate with them. She would not have been surprised if they threw a party when she finally began to move on into research. "Plus, we have to get through this. You owe me a visit to my Aon shrine, and I don't plan to let you use organized crime, gun shot wounds and ancient curses to let you get out of your promise."
Daniel Carter: -He laughed at her then. "That should be an interesting experience. That last part we talked about during my stay at the castle... it made me start thinking. See, in my late research on the topic I found that most Aonites held the belief that smashing pots over a site they found to be possessed by evil spirits. If this scroll you found really is trying to tell us something, like a key to a riddle, and I can get it deciphered, we just might find ourselves a little over our heads..." He smiled and then a thought came to him. "But speaking of danger, I think I might have a book my father wrote on his research on the indigenous legends of the Athrobos..." he said getting up with a big wince in pain at the throbbing in his leg. He grabbed his cane and ambled to(C)- Daniel Carter: -the bookshelf absolutely decked with novels and archaeological records of all kinds. There was a special shelf for the books the family had written, even some of Daniel's own. He carefully selected a book, bound in green leather, and then hobbled back to his seat and opened it, pushing his glasses up on his nose to begin reading it. "My father did extensive work on the religious background of the Athrobos, with my mother's help of course. According to what I remember of what he wrote Seoul-Mun was like their God's punsiher, the worst of the worst, and all of God's greatest treasures were stored and only accessible to those that God deemed worthy. There are twelve trials a man must pass in order to get to the center of the temple(C)- Daniel Carter: -and then there is a judgement before the demon and his companions to see if you cheated or got through based on your merits alone, then you are welcome to all the treasure God has made on earth. Of course, no one has ever made it through according to legend, but on the flip side of the coin a lot of this is embellished anyways. We might as well see what this guy is up against, right?" He said, flipping through the book. "There are a lot of riddles and a wrong answer to anything usually results in fiery death... a bad way to go, I would think." (F)-
Charlie Dudox :She nodded her head and moved over so that she could read over his shoulder which was a bit of an annoying habit of hers. She mused to herself as she listened to him speak of the trials. "Now lets say you are there, reading and explaining the clues, going all the way through the temple and making it to the DuKupo," she had slipped in to using the more traditional name for the stone. "all because that's what Theoren orders you to do. Of course you do everthing right because you are a genius. What happens if you are awarded the gem instead of Theoren. You could strike down anyone who stood in your way then, including him." She wasn't necessarily serious about this particularly hair brained plan but it was nice food for thought.<C> Charlie Dudox She loved the visual of Daniel winning DuKupo and vanquishing all who stood in his path. What would teach the Phoenix Guild for messing with mild mannered achaeologists. Still, that was mostly just a pipe dream. "Is there anything you can do to prepare. Does anyone know what any of the riddles are or is there any of the writings that you need to brush up on?" It seemed that Theoren returning was inevitable, stopping him was less than likely so it was best simply not to fail or die in his task.
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Oct 18, 2004 1:47:01 GMT -5
Post by Charlie Dudox on Oct 18, 2004 1:47:01 GMT -5
Daniel Carter: -Daniel laughed slightly, thinking that she was perhaps making a joke. "Right, then I could be king of the world." Making a crack at himself as well as her by even suggesting he would do such a thing with the stone. "If legend serves correctly you can't even get to it unless you're dead anyhow. Once you pass through the final trial you're in the underworld. Of course, that could just be something they say, you know?" He flipped through the pages. "My dad did a good job with his research but without the Book of the Gates I won't be able to predict the trials. It is a temple run by a demon protecting a stone with the powers to command the entire element of fire, I assume fire is an intergal part of all this since legend also says that the stone will(C)- Daniel Carter: -protect itself from those who are unworthy. I don't know how to deem whether or not we're worthy, though, so we might be screwed either way. Either it falls to him or me... neither of us are worthy of the praise of a god. Somehow I don't think anything good will come of this." He sighed and picked up the mug of cider he had set beside him a while back, now cooling off enough for him to drink. "I could translate the text if I had it, but something tells me I know where it is right now... that tablet... the one Theoren made me translate... it was probably on the rockface of the altar that held the book and he pried it off. Then again, if he does have it, at least I'll be able to look at it, right?" He forced a smile and closed his late father's book. "Not a very encouraging thought... I know."
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