Invernis

[Dr. Daniel Carter]

Daniel Carter: -Invernis was always beautiful this time of year, he thought. The leaves just barely starting to turn, the breeze was cool but the sun was still warm. Early fall in Ulster's eastern rural areas was in his humble opinion, perfect. Perfect weather for a dig! People were buzzing all around, chisels were going, the clay around the site of what appeared to be an altar to Lugh that had been encased in the flaky clay and fairly well preserved as a result of it. The dirt layers were being removed carefully and methodically around the walls of the temple that apparently descended down several feet more beyond what they thought originally had been the floor of this sacred place. Daniel himself was in 'the pit' as it had so lovingly been nicknamed, studying (C)-
Daniel Carter: -something of some value, or so he thought. He would need a closer look, he thought to himself as he turned the amulet over in his hands, brow furrowed in a puzzled manner. Examining it as he came up the makeshift wooden stairs to where the collapsable table that held all artifacts of interest and his personal tools sat. He ran his fingers over the tools and picked up a magnifying spectacle which he attached to the right lens of his glasses (much like a jewler's monacle) in order to take a closer look. Grasping a metal pick in one hand he began to gently scrub the congealed dirt from the grooves in the amulet and inspect it further. Perched not too far up was Halar, the great silver wyrm who was taking much interest in the goings on, not something a dragon(C)-
Daniel Carter: -was wont to do, but then, whoever said Halar was your average dragon was clearly telling a lie. Craning a long neck down the dragon spoke, his own silver eye on the amulet with some interest. He did love Daniel very much, and loved watching him do his work. Quite an interesting boy, always coming up with new evidence of Ulster's history that Halar found quite fascinating. Find something of particular interest, Dr. Carter?" The dragon grinned, using Daniel's formal name in casual fun. Daniel nodded, picking a few more pieces of earth from the main rune on the amulet. "It's a priest's amulet, but I can't remember what this means. I knew it at one point... I'd have to look it up now, it's been a few years." He said, frowing slightly(C)-
Daniel Carter: -at his ever slipping and flaky memory. "Perhaps it was a signifier of rank within the clerical order, maybe it was a gift or something that was meant to ordain someone, I don't know. It doesn't match any of the other symbols in the temple that we've uncovered thus far..." Halar nodded and looked away, seemingly no longer interested. "Your mother says hello and wants to know when you'll be stopping by to see her." he said. "When I'm done here, I will." Halar closed his eyes for a moment, as if anticipating something, "I told her you would come for dinner tonight." He said, then turned his head and looked sternly at his charge when Daniel opened his mouth to protest. "It's been two weeks already, Daniel Carter."(C)-
Daniel Carter: -Unable to refute the fact Daniel sighed in submission. "Fine. But not until at least sunset when we can't work anymore. Then she can have me for the rest of the night." The dragon chuckled. Dedicated, that the good doctor was, but sometimes, perhaps too much. Raising his large head he surveyed the scene around him, eyes spying a few familiar faces, other archaeologists from the area, and the particularly polite red head Daniel had introduced to him before. How interesting... she did not seem like the type to be on a little adventure like this. He would have to see what unfolded from it.(F)-

Charlie Dudox :For the last week Charlie had spent a great deal of time in her room. She was not involved in the prep work for the dig. HEr job started when it was time to show up with a shovel in one hand an a dust brush in the other, and that was how she liked it. The time had been spent well on ther text translations. While she relied on Daniel greatly for the intricacies of the text, it was the code, the untranslatable words that had sparked her curiousity. The pile of papers on her desk has slowly grown as she copied the words, turned them into short hand, worked from color coding, mathmatical patterns, a hundred different varieties of possibilities of what these symbols could refer to. <C>
Charlie Dudox There was the possibility that she would arrive on the sight and simply find the words written on the wall, making all these scribblings a waste of time, but the Aons were rarely known for their simplicity. Plus, there was a far greater reason for bothering her mind with these cryptic words, it was a fine way to avoid Daniel. Every time she was around him she seemed to make a bigger fool of herself. Most likely he was now completely imtimidated and scared to death of her. She did note that even though he may have been busy, he had not stopped by once since they last spoke. Still, that was his right. She had thrown the ball firmly into his court and would have to just wait and see what became of it all. Over and over she had reminded herself to act friendly but not too friendly, to be professional but not distant. <C>
Charlie Dudox: Pretty much she was having a big headache and the only thing that kept her mind off of it was a particularly cramped corner of the temple where she was doing some fine chiseling. It hurt to crouch as she was and every twenty minutes or so she woudl get up and take a walk around the site to return the blood flow to her calves. Seeing Daniel hunched over the table with the amulet was simply too much for her curiosity to bare and she moved over to the table, leaning over him to examine the artifact. For a moment she didn't say a word, simply pursed her lips as always when she was recalling old facts. "Well look at that Daniel, that's almost straight out of the test book. Wonderful condition too, which grid did you find it in?" <C>
Charlie Dudox It was obvious that she knew exactly what they were looking at and assumed that he did too. After all, it had been his dissertation where she had learned about such amulets for luck and favor. It had stuck with her because so many of the desert cultures had suck similar charms she had wondered if there was a connection. Unfortunately, there had never been anything to prove this as more than just coincidence. After a moment she looked up to Halar and gave a small, polite smile. The two of the them really hadn't been formally introduced and she wasn't quite sure how to bridge that gap. After all, it ought ot be Daniel who introduces them, but it seemed rude to carry on a conversation in front of the Wyrm without an introduction. <C>
Charlie Dudox But the question was, do dragons, shake hands? Do they speak like you or I? Never in her life had she been so close to one and while fear was the last thing on her mind, proper decorum seemed to be a perplexing little puzzle. Still, might as well give it a try. "Hello, I don't believe we have met really. I'm Charlie Dudox, I'm visiting to help Daniel out with the dig." She offered her hand out, unsure whether her could really accept the offer but guessing at least that he would not bite it off. Then again, with her shallow knowledge of all that is dragon, who really knows?

[Dr. Daniel Carter]

Amariette: ~Emerging from her tent, Amariette looked very unlike her usual self, her attire rather fitting for her current situation within this foreign land. Having asked Daniel Carter for the suitable type of clothing she woudl need for the trip, she was surprised and delighted to know that he had already provided her with some of his own clothes, at least until she could some things for herself. A letter from her father had arrived at the Golden Apple not a day later and inside was enclosed sufficient funds, as well as an apology from the old man. Apparently, he understood why she needed to go and though he was greatly worried and frightened for his only child, he respected her decision and regarded her as a responsible adult for the first time in her life.~<c>
Amariette: ~The words had almost brought tears to the girl's eyes, but she only crushed the letter to her chest and then drew it up to place a soft kiss on the script, replacing it in its envelope and slipping it into the chest of her things that were to remain in the custody of the innkeeper and his children during her absence. Surprising also, was the fact that Bigham had also agreed to make the tools that the young doctor would need, requesting that he be provided with a list soon so that he may begin. As a token of surprising good faith, he also wrote that his labors would be free of charge if 'the boy promised to watch after his priceless jewel'. ~<c>
Amariette: ~Amariette was more than delighted to read this special information in her father's own jagged and broken hand, a permanent smile on the pretty young girl's face. Now, as she let her emerald gaze survey the land that surrounded her, she couldn't help but bask in the glory of the lovely day, her mission to seek out Daniel and tell him of the good tidings from Chartha. Her bold crimson locks were done up in a simple and tight ponytail, several rogue strands billowing out across her face in the gentle breeze and a few falling into the crease of her pouting lips. Her ensemble was a bit comical to see, but she did her best to play off the bigger size of Daniel's figure and succeeded rather easily, her own curves filling in most of the loose space. ~<c>
Amariette: ~Wearing a starched white dress shirt with the top most buttons left open so that her pale skin could cool in the air, she had tied the extra material in a knot against her stomach, the knot rather a bow, that seemed a play on her own decorative nature. Thankfully today, this was the only item she had borrowed from him and she was grateful for the clothes she was able to by on the kind innkeeper's credit before they set out. Her feet were encased in knee high brown leather traveling boots and they gleamed in the bright sun, the heels raised a bit so that she had no trouble traversing the many pathes of stone and rock.~<c>
Amariette: ~Lastly, she wore a tight fitting pair of work breeches that reached just above the tops of her boots, the brown material a bit itchy for her tastes, but comfortable enough just the same. Strolling toward the looming figure of Halar, she decided to engage the great beast in modest conversation, rather curious as to whether Daniel had told him of her gift and the purpose of her being here on this particular dig. Moving along at a gentle pace, she looked all the more radiant and bold, though inside, her heart was racing and the rising panic in her mind screamed at a frantic pitch a single question, 'Why are you here Amariette?'

Daniel Carter: -The dragon looked down on them from his rocky perch and grinned at her, extending a massive clawed foot forwards, lifting his long tail up in order to maintain balance, resting it ever so gently over her palm. "It is ever a pleasure, Miss Dudox, to be in the presence of another great mind. Daniel has said many things about you..." At the mention of his name Daniel looked up and realized what was going on. Deattaching the monacle he cleared his throat and readjusted his glasses. "Yes... I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Charlie, Halar, and so on." He said, putting his hands on his hips and looking from one to the other, introducing them. "Ah, so this is the one you told me so much about, the one who's research on the Happon(C)-
Daniel Carter: -tribes you found so fascinating." Daniel scratched the back of his head and looked at the ground with a small smile, "Er... yes... that would be her..." He said, looking up to Charlie, a little sheepishly, "I read your paper on the cross pollenization theory you had on the diffusion between the Happon and the Fasses tribes. It was very well done." Halar raised a silver scaly eyebrow at one and then the other human standing before him. "Daniel, am I in a state of confusion, or did you not before speak of Ms. Dudox as if she were a man?" Daniel cleared his throat, a little more red seeping into his cheeks. "Ah... well... about that. I didn't know until I met her a few days ago." He explained in his usual jumpy and gesticulating fashion. (C)-
Daniel Carter: -Halar raised an eyebrow again as if to say, 'how interesting' but held his reptilian tongue, for once. "Well, Miss Dudox, it is a pleasure. Daniel has spoken very highly of your work. Anyone he has that much respect for is surely owed mine as well." Ever politessant, Halar, Daniel thought to himself as he affored Charlie a small and friendly smile. If nothing else, she was a brilliant young woman, and he recognized that. "As for the amulet..." He said, quickly turning and changing the subject again, "I can't recall the marking, though I found it at the altar in the grid to the right, so I assume it was some kind of clerical aid or a marker of rank. I'll have to go look back through my notes, maybe it was an offering or a gift of some sort." (C)-
Daniel Carter: -He trailed off to a mumble starting to go over some things in his head. He could see the picture, his photographic mind clicking to the appropriate place, but even his memory had its blank spot and the script below the symbol in his own book eluded him. He shook his head in frustration and started searching through the other tagged artifacts on the table trying to find more clues to the delicate and beautifully created masterpiece he held in his hands. Halar was not as interested in the gem or in the excavation anymore, as he now found himself in the company of humans far less scattered and fixated than the one he liked to call 'his own.' His attentions were slightly diverted from Charlie as he drew back his 'hand'. Swinging his massive head(C)-
Daniel Carter: -towards the girl walking towards them he gave a toothy smile. "Good morning, Miss Willowbane, it is lovely to see you again. I'm so glad you could accompany us." his tone was slightly sly, though it would be hard to tell if one did not know him as well. He was, however, being mischevious. Somehow in the past two weeks Daniel had managed to acquire two female companions... how very interesting. He wondered if Daniel was even aware of the fact. Probably not. Though at the sound of her name being boomed by the not so subtle dragon Daniel raised his head. A small smile crossed his face to see Amariette dressed in his clothes. Ok, so it wasn't the most flattering thing on her, but it had its appeal. "You look... ah... good." He said, covering the smile with his hand.(F)-

[Dr. Daniel Carter]

Charlie Dudox :She shook his hand, smiling a little too brightly when Halar brought up that Daniel spoke well of her. She was a bit surprised to find that Daniel had read her Happon paper though. It had caused impressive ripples within its own little circle, but to her disapointment, she found that few people could care less about tribes that did not build pyramids or perform theatrical human sacrafice. Most of her research that thus turned out to be a bit dry for wide spread appeal, even in the archeological world. When Halar brought up her being a man, she gave an embarassed little laugh. "I suppose that's my fault for publishing under the name of Charlie. Perhaps I ought to start using my full name, Charlotte Lavender Dudox, but it just doesn't seem to fit me." <C>
Charlie Dudox She shrugged this off. It was true that her personality seemed just a little too strong for such a soft and feminin name. She would rather deal with the confusion over her sex. "It really is a pleasure to meet you Halar, Daniel always refers to you with such respect in his work." With this she turned back to Daniel, adding with a bit of a mischievious grin at being able to trump his knowledge in his own field. "That includes the work that you published four or five years ago on just such amulets. It is for Good Luck. They believed that it would call on the good favor of their gods. That one really is in amazing shape, beautiful workmanship." She could not help but admire the quality of the find. <C>
Charlie Dudox It must have taken a craftsman quite a while to reach such perfection, working hard to create something by way of chisel, just as they now worked to chip away at using the same tool. In her admiration she did not notice Amariette's approach until Halar and Daniel spoke to her. In fact, Charlie might not have bothered to look up at all if Daniel had not complimented her on how nice her looked. that was not usual talk among the diggers afterall. Without even meaning to, Charlie gave Amariette a once over, noting the carefully put together if not slightly ill fitting out fit. They were two women of different molds. Charlie had not bothered to spend time before the mirror that morning and had worn an old pair of jeans and a button down sleevless shirt. <C>
Charlie Dudox It was dusty, practical, not particularly made to impress, but far from shabby on a figure like hers. It had not been enough to garner Daniel's attention though. Was this the reason wh Daniel had been so stand off-ish around her? Was he simply interested in someone else and afraid to say it. Well hell, that would a disapointment to end all disapointments. Still, it was best not to show such a thing. "Hello there, I'm Charlie, are you working on this dig as well?" Perhaps a little doubt hung in her voice, no matter what the dress it looked as though she had n ever spent a day in a pit in her life. That did raise the question of what on earth she was doing here.

Amariette: ~"In a manner of speaking yes, yes I am. It's a pleasure to meet you Ms. Charlie, you must be another one of the noble archeological minds working in this area, I am eternally at your service. My name is Amariette and I look forward to working in your presence, likely we will discover some wonderful treasure of our own to offer for the greater good of such a fascinating excavation site. We shall make Dr. Carter and Halar rather proud yes?" Moving toward the woman, she laid her arm across her waist and bowed humbly, her movements gracefully calculated. Rising up once again, she passed by her easily enough, the faint scent of Vanilla rising from her freshly scrubbed skin and hair.~<c>
Amariette: ~Amariette had no doubt in her mind that she would be working hard today, and it was not quite a surprise considering her countless years on the farms of her village, Chartha a staple force in the production of wheat and milk for Her Majesty's castle. In fact, had it not been for the large shirt she wore, her strength of build, though slight due to her female shape, would have been easily discernible, but of course, not everyone could have such a skilled and universal trained eye yes? The girl was pleasantness incarnate as she moved toward Daniel and laid her hand on his to gain his attention, her sparkling eyes centering on him and the amulet he held protectively.~<c>
Amariette: ~"I just wanted to interrupt you to ask that we speak privately before the day is over, I have some new information that you will find promising. In the mean time, please, show me where I am needed so that I do not feel like such a fifth wheel on this cart of adventure and mythic discovery." Lifting her head, she looked over her shoulder to Halar and smiled boldly, her eyes mirroring her amusement at the entire situation. If there had been an agitated air about her, she did not notice, or better yet, felt herself above any strife that could have been sparked by feminine wrath and vindictive word use.~<c>
Amariette: ~Removing her hand from his skin, she passed Charlie once again and drew toward Halar, resting her body against his scaled figure, hands raised against him and her chest pressed against them. Letting her cheek press to the noble creature as well, she was obviously comforted by his presence and thought him the greatest ally she had in a world where lack of a certain type of knowlegde was frowned upon, or better yet, used to scorn and belittle. Sighing, her lovely green eyes remained on Daniel, awaiting his commands, and her heart returning to its normal rhythm as the long ringlet tresses of her red hair fell down her spine. ~<c>
Amariette: ~ "I hope you haven't forgotten my certain 'ability', I was hoping that it would be put to some use, lest I be forced to idle about on my own and get into god knows what type of trouble, or better yet, find a place where I can uphold decent physical labor. You know best what I am capable of Doctor." It was a loaded remark, and she knew it.~

[Dr. Daniel Carter]

Daniel Carter: -Halar looked on with a sudden renewed interest in the amulet as Charlie cited Daniel's own work to tell him what it was. Looking up to Charlie with an ebarassed flush in the face but a smile of admiration none the less, Daniel made a quip, "See, Halar, you're not the only one who reads my books." He said mockingly with another smile tossed at Charlie. It was not to say that he was not fond of her, nor that he did not hold her in the highest respect, however, as Halar always said to Maggie Carter on one of their long afternoon talks, 'with Daniel one must approach him as though they were approaching a new student to the field. Expecting him to know a bloody thing about women and their nature would be romantic suicide, unless of course (C)-
Daniel Carter: -someone has published a book on it lately.' And it was true. Charlie confused him, scared him, and left him completely in the dark as to how to handle the situation. So he treated her like he would any other mysterious artifact. Amariette, on the other hand, soft spoken and easy on his nerves, he was more able to relate to without fear of having his brain overload. However, in his case, he was often too dense to realize what was going on until after first strike had been initiated. Halar was not so easily duped. The icy chill in Charlie's voice, the once over, the look in her eyes. There was a competition going on and Daniel, caught in the middle of it, was completely unawares. How delightful! Though the dragon as he prepared to settle in and watch(C)-
Daniel Carter: - the fight unravel, smiling down at Amariette as she leaned against him. So bold, the girl was, but afraid at the same time perhaps? Not too scared to go after what she wanted, but in need of something to hold onto. Still, the dragon did not speak, only looked over at Daniel, who upon finding all eyes on him, furrowed his brow and wondered just why everyone had begun to act so strangely formal. "Ah... right... yes, I hadn't forgotten about it.." He lied, quirking a brow and setting the amulet down on the table. It was then that a cry from the pit gave him the distraction he needed. "Dr. Carter! Dr. Carter, you should come look at this!" He heard a voice cry from the lower side quadrent of the excavation site. "Excuse me a moment... Just see if you can start identifying(C)-
Daniel Carter: -the untagged pieces... that would be more than greatly appreciated." He said with a small smile that he gave Amariette, marveling at the change in her personality this morning. He glanced to Charlie. "Better see what's up, eh?" He turned and jogged to the edge of the pit then and crouched down, shielding his eyes from the sunlight to peer down at the discovery. "My god..." He muttered to himself, eyebrows knitting again as he studied what had seemed to be a very large hole in the ground. "Sir, it just caved in. We think we can see the bottom, or maybe it's the bottom. It's a good twenty feet down there, but the rocks are a little unstable under the first layers of sand. Orders, Sir?" Daniel said nothing for a few moments, but after some serious thinking(C)-
Daniel Carter: -stood up and gave a command. "Get the ropes and a lantern. I want to go down there." The man looked as if he was going to protest, but Daniel was already gone back to the table, assembling some tools to attach to the leather crafted belt. Looking up to Amariette. "See if I can't find you something really good. There's got to be something down there of great value." A small smile, and he was off towards the pit again. Soon enough with no regards for the dragon, women, or others in the area he was down the ladder. "C'mon Charlie, discoveries don't make themselves." He called, marching towards the hole. "We got something?" The leader nodded. "The ropes are fastened to the support beams Sir, the pillars ought to hold, you know? Just (C)-
Daniel Carter: -be careful... we can't afford more than a few minutes down there... we don't know how much longer til the rest of it caves in." Daniel nodded cortly and gave the rope a tug. Wrapping it around his waist like a balay line he put on a pair of leather work gloves. "I'll be out as soon as I make sure there's nothing valuable down there that might get crushed." He said. (F)-

Charlie Dudox :She gave a gracious smile while inside she was standing slack lawed and dumb faced. Charlie was known for being upbeat, rarely if every did she come off as stressed or grumpy or bitter. When she did let the world take cover though. This Amariette, though, she was like a completely different species. It was like cheeriness on too much coffee or something. The cart of adventure and mythic discovery, that certainly was a poetic way of putting the act of sitting in the dirt day in and day out. Sure Charlie was passionate about her work, but it was the problem solving and puzzles that constantly occured that sparked her imagination. A friendly dig sight in perfectly friendly territory was small fries though in her scale of adventures.<C>
Charlie Dudox Then there was that second remark, odd and cryptic about her ability. Had Daniel been another man charlie might have jumped right to conclusions that this was an inuendo, that Amariette had been brought along for "fun". But that did not seem to fit either of them so she allowed her eyebrows to drop to their normal position and her mind to climb out of the gutter. Whatever Ameriette was talking about, she obviously had not meant Charlie to understand it, and so why worry herself over the possibilities. Instead she thanked all the Gods that could possibly be in play when they were called away by the news of the cave in. Now this indeed was an adventure, something about the fast that the earth down there had not seen the light of day in so many ages made her heart beat a little faster.<
Charlie Dudox Hell if she was going to let Danny take all the fun for himself. She grabbed her own set of tools, not as extensive as Daniel's, and strepped them across her hips, pulling on the thick leather working gloves. Without much more then an excited girlish smile she had the rope around her and began to "walk" herself slowly down into the newly discovered area. The lantern she had clipped to her belt swung slowly, lighting hte way down as her arms tensed under her own body weight. It had been months since she was spalunking and always enjoyed the adrenaline rush of tight, dark spaces. It was like nothing else that you could experience. she stepped softly onto the bottom, unsure of that quality of the ground below her. Quickly she pocketed the gloves and raised up the lattern. <C>
Charlie Dudox Was the only word that slipped from between her lips. The walls were covered in glyphs that appeared to be even more ancient than the ones they had been reading before. This was a basement area but it was obvious that it was not simply a storage area. Was it possible that the temple they had been excavating was built directly on top of an older one. She bent down to examine t he pottery, looking for signs of what they had or even still held. Oh boy oh boy, they were on the cart of mythic discovery now, or whatever the hell that metaphore had been.

Amariette: ~Amariette was content to watch them hurry off, the pair living up to the archeological stereotype she had read in many books. It made her smile really; it was always marvelous to see someone's passion for their own particular art and lifestyle. Lifting her eyes to Halar, she giggled softly and drew away, a little embarassed at the obvious sign of affection she was showing him. However the look in his eyes was more than understanding, and even, a little amused? Walking toward the table filled with artifacts, some tagged, others not, she reached out to let her fingers glide over them gently, getting a feel for each specific aura. ~<c>
Amariette: ~The girl did not want to touch something dangerous and end up unconscious on the ground on the first day of digging, but even now her heart raced at the thought of Daniel going down into the cave. A brief flash of the late James Carter sparked in her mind and she winced, gripping her sides in pain for a moment before gaining her breath and rising up again. She knew that Halar was watching her, his gaze burning through to her very soul and making her feel naked and vulnerable, though she felt more than secure with him so near. Reaching out to a particular small stone, she took it into her hands and looked down to the small symbol carved into its center, the marking completely unknown to her, but calling out in her mind somehow.~<c>
Amariette: ~The small dig find was tagless and therefore open to be 'read', so she began her work, more so to keep her from fainting over worry for the man she had come to care for so deeply. Closing her eyes, she exhaled sharply and drew her mind into the trance, her hold tightening on the stone and her hands shaking visibly. Slowly, images flashed through her mind, sounds and voices that she had never heard before, but gave her a strange sense of comfort and peace. It was a child, a little girl to be exact, and she was running through what seemed to be a place of worship? Was this dig site a place where an ancient temple had once stood? Daniel had never been clear on what he was looking for, nor where they would be digging.~<c>

[Dr. Daniel Carter]

Amariette: ~Any information she learned, she would discover on her own, which really didn't bother her that much. A soft smile drew on her lips as she began to speak, her voice that of a child, of the very little girl she was channeling, a child named...Elisia. "He'll be so happy to see what I made for him. Charms bring good luck to the wise ones and he'll be in nothing but good favor among the Gods. I hope he likes it, I spent weeks carving his name on it. High Priest Raulion will certainly thank me!" Suddenly Amariette felt a shadow descend on her small 'child-like' body, arms wrapping about Elisia's waist and lifting her from the stone floor into a dark corridor. ~<c>
Amariette: ~A sharp, piercing scream filled her thoughts and the young woman jerked back in horror, her hands falling open and the stone clattering back onto the table where it rested once again. Turning her head away, several tears fell down her cheeks and she whispered, "That poor girl...she never knew...she wasn't paying attention..."~

Daniel Carter: -"Amazing..." He breathed as he shown the light on the walls around them, the gaelic glyphs spanning the length of the structure's width and heighth. "Charlie... this is too well preserved... the clay ... it's dry. It must have acted as some kind of protective shealth from the elements. My god, there could still be paint on these walls..." He said running a hand over the etchings in the stone. A few flecks of red and blue flaked off on his finger tips and he smiled, getting that oh so warm and cuddly feeling he got when he knew he was right. "If we can get some supports down here and a few more lights I could start deciphering the script... it doesn't all look Gaelic, but the light is so poor, it's really hard to tell." He mused, still gazing over the(C)-
Daniel Carter: -elegant and ancient scripts. "Dr. Carter..." Called down a muffled voice as Daniel took out a piece of paper and began taking a rubbing from the wall with a piece of charcoal. "Dr. Carter, you should come up now. We're feeling som tremors, Sir, and we don't think it's safe." At first he ignored the warnings, continuing to take some samples of the language printed so flawlessly in the stone before him. "Yeah... I'll be up in a minute or so." He called in that distracted way that meant he wasn't listening very attentively at all. "Dr. Carter, really, those stones aren't going to hold much longer. You need to come up now." Daniel continued his rubbing and then tucked it neatly into his satchel, inspecting the ground and a piece of pottery he subsequently found.(C)-
Daniel Carter: - It was not until there was a slight creak in the earth that he even so much as raised his head, and even then he paid it no heed at all. There were a few clicks and clacks as some stones settled from the previous cave in. There were a few crunches and tremors that finally made Daniel looked up after he heard shouts from above, muffled cries telling his team to clear the area. A few smaller rocks tumbled down and Daniel ducked as an egg sized one sailed past his head into the wall. Eyes got wide as the crunching got worse and all of a sudden he realized that he should have listened to the man on the surface telling him to get the hell out of there. Meanwhile, on the surface Halar watched Amariette in interest as she examined the artifacts on the table(C)-
Daniel Carter: -Ahh, a seer was it? And it did appear she had a stake in Daniel as well. It was not until she jerked back that he swung his tail around to support her weight if she needed it. "Miss Willowbane, are you..." He never got to finish. There was a great rumbling from the pit, and before anyone could cry out a warning the second section of the hollowed out section of the temple collapsed in on itself. Beneath the surface Daniel was staring in horror at the landslide that was coming right for them. No time to climb up the rope now! Grabbing Charlie around the waist he barrelled towards the alcove they had encountered when they had first descended into the cave and shoved her into the wall, blocking the rocks as best he could from her(C)-
Daniel Carter: -and wrapping an arm around her head for safety. The next few seconds were a blur to him, and he could not tell exactly what had happened. He cried in pain as he felt himself being knocked into the side wall and then felt something in his leg snap in half. Tears welled up and burst from his eyes as a large boulder rolled in front of the alcove, but was fortunately too wide to crush them completely. When all the dust and the rocks had settled they were left trapped within the small alcove. Holding his leg in immense pain Daniel sank to the ground, a bloody mess. There were coughs above and a voice called down, "Dr. Carter? Miss Dudox, can you hear me? Hello?" He looked up to Charlie. They were both pretty beat up, scratched and the like(C)-
Daniel Carter: -but it appeared that he had snapped his tibia clean in half. God did it hurt, and it was a bleeding mess. "Charlie..." He rasped. "It's broken... it's bad..." He choked, the pain was bad enough he thought he might throw up. "I need a medic NOW." he yelled in a strained voice hoping to death they could pull him through the gap between the rock and the ceiling of the alcove. Above ground Halar's eyes were searching the collapsed cave wildly. "Daniel!" He thundered, afraid for the first time that his best friend may be in grave danger, if not already dead. When the feeble yell in Daniel's voice came from the pit, he was relieved but not overly confident. A medical team was bad news. He spread his gigantic wings and thundered(C)-
Daniel Carter: -to the people on the sides of the pit. "Stand back. I will move the rocks." He glanced at Amariette as if to say, 'that means you, too' and took to the air, alighting on the boulder and gripping it with his talons. He would have to concentrate and use all the strength he had, but he might be able to pick the rocks up and move them so as not to cause a third cave in. "Get Dr. Carter and Miss Dudox out through the opening immediately!"(F)-

Amariette: ~Amariette was content to watch them hurry off, the pair living up to the archeological stereotype she had read in many books. It made her smile really; it was always marvelous to see someone's passion for their own particular art and lifestyle. Lifting her eyes to Halar, she giggled softly and drew away, a little embarassed at the obvious sign of affection she was showing him. However the look in his eyes was more than understanding, and even, a little amused? Walking toward the table filled with artifacts, some tagged, others not, she reached out to let her fingers glide over them gently, getting a feel for each specific aura.~<c>
Amariette: ~The girl did not want to touch something dangerous and end up unconscious on the ground on the first day of digging, but even now her heart raced at the thought of Daniel going down into the cave. A brief flash of the late James Carter sparked in her mind and she winced, gripping her sides in pain for a moment before gaining her breath and rising up again. She knew that Halar was watching her, his gaze burning through to her very soul and making her feel naked and vulnerable, though she felt more than secure with him so near. Reaching out to a particular small stone, she took it into her hands and looked down to the small symbol carved into its center, the marking completely unknown to her, but calling out in her mind somehow.~<c>
Amariette: ~The small dig find was tagless and therefore open to be 'read', so she began her work, more so to keep her from fainting over worry for the man she had come to care for so deeply. Closing her eyes, she exhaled sharply and drew her mind into the trance, her hold tightening on the stone and her hands shaking visibly. Slowly, images flashed through her mind, sounds and voices that she had never heard before, but gave her a strange sense of comfort and peace. It was a child, a little girl to be exact, and she was running through what seemed to be a place of worship? Was this dig site a place where an ancient temple had once stood? Daniel had never been clear on what he was looking for, nor where they would be digging.~<c>
Amariette: ~Any information she learned, she would discover on her own, which really didn't bother her that much. A soft smile drew on her lips as she began to speak, her voice that of a child, of the very little girl she was channeling, a child named...Elisia. "He'll be so happy to see what I made for him. Charms bring good luck to the wise ones and he'll be in nothing but good favor among the Gods. I hope he likes it, I spent weeks carving his name on it. High Priest Raulion will certainly thank me!" Suddenly Amariette felt a shadow descend on her small 'child-like' body, arms wrapping about Elisia's waist and lifting her from the stone floor into a dark corridor.~<c>
Amariette: ~A sharp, piercing scream filled her thoughts and the young woman jerked back in horror, her hands falling open and the stone clattering back onto the table where it rested once again. Turning her head away, several tears fell down her cheeks and she whispered, "That poor girl...she never knew...she wasn't paying attention..."~

[Dr. Daniel Carter]

charlie_dudox There was still grain in would of the jars, for goodness sakes you could probably plant it and grow thousand year old stalks. It was enough to send her mind reeling and she quickly began the process of trying to secure the jar so that she could take it up with her. After all, they had come down her on a recovery mission. They needed to grab what they could and get out of there.<C>
charlie_dudox That when she began to hear the nervous voices above her. She set her lips as she continued to secure to jar, her eyes looking greedily to the other jars, plates, broken tablets. There was simply too much but they could not dawdle down here. "Daniel, hurry, this isn't stable." He was ignoring her, deep in his translations. She moved \across the small place and gave him a strong tap on the shoulder <C>
charlie_dudox "It will still be here in a few hours but we have to start getting in the supports." That was when she heard the crack. It was too late. Before she knew it Daniel was hurdling her into the small alcove. She dropped the pot and it shattered on the grown, soon crushed beneath the falling debris. In fact, the only thing that she managed to save was the lantern, cradling the hot glass against her. It burned the skin of her arms but it was worth it. <C>
charlie_dudox She needed light to see what had happened to Daniel. She would need far more than that if she were to help him. There was little to nothing that she could do for the break. There was nothing to splint it and she was not sure if that would simply do more harm than good, instead it was the bleeding that worried her. Her voice was sharp and strained as she spoke only to Daniel, forgetting the people high above them and her own personal peril. <C>
charlie_dudox "Lie down as best you can Daniel, I got you, it's going to be ok." As long as you ignored the trembling in her voice she sounded confident, certain that this situation was at least partially under her control. Without a word she began to unbutton her top. She pulled it off quickly, wincing at the surprising pain in using her right arm. She had broken her clavicle but in the shock of the moment it did not even set in. <C>
charlie_dudox Having removed her outer layer she pulled off her undershirt as well, now stripped down simply to her bra. There was no time for modesty though, as she pressed the undershirt, the least dirty item of clothing that she could think of against the wound, knowing how much this would hut him. As she did she placed her other hand up on the inside of his thigh, pressing down on the vein to slow the bleeding. Oh boy, what people would think if they could see them now?<E>

Amariette: ~"DANIEL!!!!" Her scream was loud and terrified, the cloud of dust rising from the cave in filling her heart with dread and despair, her eyes widening and filling with moisture. Watching as Halar took action and tried desperately to clear the cave, she could only slump to the ground, her knees buckling and her body going limp. Green eyes locked on the scene unfolding before her, her hands fell dead in her lap and her breathing was shallow, barely discernible until she felt a sudden tremor stir in her body and she convulsed on her back. Heart racing, she peered up in obvious surprise and fear, but she had little time to process anything before another tremor exploded through her and her leg surged with pain, tears filling her eyes as she cried out in agony.~<c>
Amariette: ~ Attracting several stares from the workers that were not rushing to the cave in, she felt the air growing thin in her lungs and her eyes fluttered, opening and closing in quick spasms that made her look as though she were having seizures. That assumption wasn't far from the truth, but this was different, and she knew why. Daniel! It was Daniel! God she could feel him, smell him practically. But how? Then the realization dawned on her, and made all the color in her face drain away. The shirt...she was wearing his shirt! A piece of clothing belonging to him! Trying to collect herself from the ground, workers surrounded her to assess her own wellbeing and she shrieked at them, her voice suddenly powerful but shrill, "Don't touch me! Get a tent ready! He's broken his leg! Badly!"~<c>
Amariette: ~"He'll need everything you can get! Hurry damn you, or so help me God, I'll feed you to the dragon myself!" The workers, thoroughly scared, began to scramble about, collecting every piece of medical equipment they had, every single vial of medicine and painkiller, and every piece of guaze and wrapping. Gripping her chest, she curled the clothing in her fist and sat up, her leg still throbbing and her teeth gritting together through the pain, growling low, she fought for control of the episode and tried to channel through it. Hopefully try to ascertain more of the situation. Closing her eyes, she reached deep within, through the very dirt to the place where he rested, no doubt on the verge of unconsciousness.~<c>
Amariette: ~'Daniel....Daniel....take deep breaths...let me see....let me see through your eyes....Halar is coming..he's coming right now...we're all doing our best to reach you...but please...you must let me see...concentrate...and let me see....' She pushed through him, her eyes opening with his own and she looked about, the figure of Charlie still hunched in the alcove against him, but her injuries were just beyond Amariette's sight. Damn it all, why hadn't she asked the woman to leave something personal behind with her for this very reason?! Moving her presence further through the room, she saw the large boulder blocking the alcove and she made an quick guesstimate of how much it weighed. Amariette's eyes came open again and she cried out at the top of her lungs to Halar.~<c>
Amariette: ~ "Halar, you have to compensate your weight for about three tons to lift it! Use your tail for leverage or they'll be trapped forever!!"~

-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair Her attentions had been wrapped around some shards of pottery that had been extracted from the very first few meters of digging. They all held memories for her. Ah, but wasnt this another lifetime? Another Kahlan? Examining the pieces and maintaining a detatched demenor is proving to be hard, but she manages, that is until the earth cries out against the pressure. The sound of the earth's cry, something that any earth elemental would agree with, is something so heart rending that its impossible to ignore. This howl, though close, shakes her foundations and causes her to reel slightly. People from Daniel's crew were running around screaming 'Cave in! The Doctor and Lady are trapped inside!' Taking a deep breath she pushes away from the table, carefully taking steps to avoid <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair Dislodging any more stones inside. Her eyes immediately go to Halar whom is trying to dislodge the largest of stones. "Halar! Just a moment!" Her booted feet make a chorus of sounds as she finds her way across to him. "Do not choose rashly which stones you move, It will cause another cave in. Let me go." Her eyes say one thing while her voice seems to say another. He knew her secret if only to know that she could come and go as she pleases. "I will go inside and scout out where they are and assess which stones are safest to move. It will only take a moment." With that she calls aloud. "Everyone make ready to free the trapped!" Then, as if the wind is knocked out of her, or she has simply come to terms with what has happened, Kahlan seems to wilt like a spring flower <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair: : In the heat of Summer. Her body hits the ground and several people stop and stare. What the...? Why did she...? Ah but Kahlan was long gone from the conciousness of mortal thought, in fact only Halar would be able to see the beautiful shimmering essence of Angelic beauty leave Kahlan and pass through the earth. The going was rather easy, one only had to trace the currents of air and when blocked slip through the rock itself, momentarily taking on properties of the rock to pass through it. Finally she breaks through and spies the area, her body becomes visable as she eyes the area. Oh but wouldnt the two be surprised to see the thing before them? Would they fear it, question it, abhor it? Before Daniel and Charlie appeared a see through image. One of great <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair Import. Platinum blonde hair shone almost silver in an unearthly light and the movements are much like a ghosts as she drifts near enough to shed light on the two. Alive! Her heart beat faster at the prospect of them being alive. She drifts over to the rocks for a moment and then spies a rock that is sitting on Daniels leg and the pain in his eyes and his bodily movements. He was alive that was the good part, and he would be in need of the skills of a healer. That would be her forte. The appartion comes closer to Daniel and Charlie and it speaks, wings suddenly visable but folded and in partial darkness they are not all that important it would seem. Was this an Angel, come to take them away? Her voice is strangely musical hinting at something great <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair "You are being rescued. Do not worry, everyone above is working hard to free you." The language is something that perhaps only Daniel would understand. Long tendrils of silvery gold hair bask in the glow she gives off for a moment longer before something moves about her waist, at first only slightly before it uncurls and spreads wings that are of all things see through! Though not in the same way the Angel is, in fact the entire entity appears to be almost clear. Soon it becomes clear that this entity is a dragon and when it opens its small maw as if in supplication to the Angel, it eyes the humans nearby before slithering up further on its apparent mistress. The angel, bearing an uncanny resemblence to Kahlan if anyone were to think of it, simply pets the dragon <C>

[Dr. Daniel Carter]

-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair: Before dissipating. All of this takes less than two minutes to transpire, a lifetime perhaps to those waiting, namely Halar. Worming her way up through the rocks and back into the light of day, her essence finds its body still crumpled on the ground near Halar everyone almost fearing to go near her. Her essence slams back into her body and her eyes snap open. Coughing and playing it off, she quickly regains her feet, the confining feeling of her body feeling comfortable despite all of its limits. She speaks in an old Draconic dialect to Halar, "Pull the stone, they are alive but you must be careful, it is very unstable down there. Daniel's leg is injured pretty badly and they are both knocked around. I will start moving stones when you lift the big one." <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair It became a race and a dance, Kahlan starts moving stones which would seem otherwise far too heavy to lift. Making sure not to dislodge the wrong sort of stone and cause more damage to the pair below. Again she speaks to Halar, "When we get them out I will have to heal Daniel." She says this as she moves hair out of her eyes, pushing it aside and smudging her cheeks with dirt. It would cost her as shifting between essence and body has cost her. Would Daniel find out? It didnt matter anymore, if he found out in the process of healing, he would find out. The question was, would Kahlan retain conciousness and be able to entertain all of the questions he might have? All thoughts melt away as she fixates on her goal, taking Daniel and Charlie out and <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair Fix them up. Panting slightly she wipes sweat from her brow as the sun beats down on her and everyone helping. Finally a hole big enough to support a large man is opened. She waves to a man that is holding a stretcher made of a plank of wood and two more. "Im going in." Before anyone can stop her she is at the head of the rescue team of four, she calls back to Halar. "Keep it steady, we dont want to have to rescue six!" When they get as far as they can, they encounter some more rocks, these are only half way up the height of the tunnel. "We're going to have to climb, be careful where you step, follow me up." Picking the best route up and over, finding it to be pretty solid all in all, Kahlan descends the other side and into the hollow area with Daniel <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair And Charlie. She gives a grin to them both and a wink. "There must be an Angel looking over you two! Lets get you out of here." The team sets into motion, Kahlan frowns slightly at the rock near Daniel's leg, having thought it on him before, but his leg is roughly battered and possibly broken in several places. "Careful with Doctor Carter. Place them both on the stretchers." Walking over to Daniel she smiles warmly and not unlike the Angel. "Excuse my hands Doctor." Quickly his leg is secured without trying to add more pain, and then she stands over him and bends down and secures her hands under his armpits while one of the crew takes him by the secured legs, together they move him to the plank. Long tendrils of fiery gold hair fall down <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair To brush against her dirty shirt. She looks over to see what is happening with Charlie, hoping she is properly secured. "Alright, lets get them out of here before this thing caves on us." She could already feel and hear the earth groaning in protest. It would be slow going with the doctor, but she postions herself just behind his head. "Stay awake Doctor. I still need you around to translate my books." Rougishly smiling she nods to the man with her to start the journey back. <E>

Daniel Carter: -The pain was too much. "I'm trying..." He whispered to Amariette, though Charlie might think it was to her. His leg was badly broken clear through. Wincing in pain he looked up to Charlie, unable to keep his voice from trembling in fear and pain. "I'm sorry, Charlie, I should have left, I'm so sorry... promise me something...." He said, gripping her on the shoulders and dragging her over as she wound her shirt around the bleeding. "If we don't make it out alive... you have to tell her... tell Maggie that I'm sorry and I love her. Promise me you'll tell her..." He said, another surge of pain overtaking him and forcing him to lay back against the wall. Ok, so Charlie was scraped up, but at least he'd been able to save her from death. Breath came in short, shallow(C)-
Daniel Carter: -pants. "Charlie... promise me..." he was sweating profusely and his skin had gone cold. He was going into the first stages of shock, as was the norm for victims of trauma injuries. Outside Halar looked up to Amariette. "How do you..." He started, but then realized he knew the answer. She was a seer, whatever her connection to Daniel, he should not question her for it could save his best friend's life. "Very well. So it will be." He swung his massive tail around and began to prepare his counter balance for the stone when Kahlan called out to him. The lady of many secrets immediately revealed herself before his very eyes. "Impossible..." He spoke in Draconic, watching the essence fly into the cave where(C)-
Daniel Carter: -Daniel and Charlie were trapped. Daniel was getting worse, tears of pain staining his face, crying without shame as any mortal would in such a situation. Charlie was trying her best but the rock had crushed a good part of his lower leg. "Just keep yourself safe..." He murmured to Charlie inbetween spasms. Then all was quiet as Kahlan's spiritual form came before them. Half conscious now, he opened his eyes. "Am I dead?" He asked, and in response the form spoke in a most peculiar language. They were being rescued. He couldn't even muster the strength to nod and let his head roll to the side. And just like that, he was gone. Not gone from the earth but gone from consciousness. Outside, Halar awaited her return for what seemed like days(C)-
Daniel Carter: -When she arrived he nodded and steadied the largest rock, the one blocking the alcove. When the appropriate moment came he spread his massive wings and pushed them down, a great wind coming from him as he strained every muscle in his body to lift the rock from the ground. His claws dug hard into the stone and slowly, slowly it rose from the ground, ascending with the great dragon enough to allow Kahlan and her team to get Daniel and Charlie from harm's way. But it was too hard, even for him. "Kahlan!" He cried from above her. "I can't hold it for much longer!" Please let Daniel live, he prayed to the gods of Ulster, let him live! Below them Daniel could barely hear the shouts. 'Be careful with Dr. Carter!' a woman was crying. (C)-
Daniel Carter: -But he could not respond. He could only absorb now. He felt as though he was flying through the stars, beyond time and space to a place that could not be found by the living. Was he... dying? And in his final thoughts before unconsciousness he thought of her... the girl he couldn't get off his mind since the moment he met her, and sent a pray himself to Brigid for a chance to see her again... The stone landed with a sickening thud as Halar could no longer stand the strain and dropped it after Kahlan and the extraction team had moved out and up the rocks with Daniel on a stretcher. He was bleeding badly from what looked like a wrapped up leg, and Charlie had given her clothes to the man that had protected her in the cave in. Neither looked good.(C)-
Daniel Carter: -The crew carried their unconsicous leader up the side of the slope to the medical tent that Amariette had demanded be set up. What would they do without the two archaeologists? Never mind the site, the team leader said, the artifacts mean nothing when the lives of two living are at stake.(F)-

[Dr. Daniel Carter]

charlie_dudox: She moved herself beneath Danny's head, stroking his hair and murmuring soft hushes. She didn't want to hear about him dying, they were going to be fine, she was going to be fine. She continued the hard pressure on his inner thigh, knowing that it would do a hell of a lot more good than trying to apply pressure on top of shattered bone. Who was Maggie? This was no time to ask, all she could manage to do was nod her head, tears slowly beginning to role down her cheeks. <C>
charlie_dudox "Danny, don't you worry about that, you are going to tell her that you love her yourself. Alright, you just hang in tight, it's all going to be fine." That was when an angel of all things appeared before them. Charlie was a well rooted young woman and was careful to separate what she knew to be true and what she knew to be merely fairy tales, but the sight of the angel caused her to falter. She pulled herself closer to Daniel, holding his head protectively in her lap. <C>
charlie_dudox . "If you are here to take him with you then too bad, he's not dying, he's staying here with me." It was an honest mistake, to assume that the angel before them was to guide sweet Daniel off to heaven, but she simply wouldn't have it. Despite her obvious terror the girl seemed ready to take on the entire underworld if necessary. Thank god for everyone's sake that it wasn't.<C>
charlie_dudox The voices of people coming close did not seem real, even when they were there before her, prying her iron grasp away from Daniel so that they could load him on to the stretcher, trying to guide her to a stretcher as well. She backed away from the men when they tried to put her on the stretcher. There was nothing about being strapped to a board that would make her feel any better about getting out of this particular hell hole. "I'm fine, I'm fine, get your hands off!" <C>
charlie_dudox She was cradling her right arm carefully, as the throbbing slowly began to set in, but being injured had made her edgy. She was strong, healthy girl who was only used to being strong and healthy. This had been too much of a reminder of her own mortality and she wasn't about to let anyone remind her any more of how close she just was to death. Instead she climbed gingerly out through the whole on her own two trembling legs. <C>
charlie_dudox Two men stayed close to her, watching for her to fall. There had been plenty of times that she had found herself in a life or death situation but never before had she found herself so absorbed in someone else that she forgot to be frightened for herself. This was a terrifying thought. Only a few minutes ago she had been considering the possibility that she would lose him to another woman, now she realized how much she could not bare to lose him at all. <C>
charlie_dudox . It was enough to make her sick. It was enough to make her tremble and nauseous and forget the blood that slowly oozed from the cuts on her arms, legs and face. <C>
charlie_dudox Breaking into the sunlight was the first time she realized that they had made it out alright, she blinked hard at the harshness of the sunlight and quickly looked around to see where Daniel was being taken. Those workers who had had no part in the rescue looked with confusion at the topless woman being led from the hole. She trembling only increased as she finally allowed one of the men to take her arm and lead her over to the medic's tent. <C>
charlie_dudox "Daniel, is Daniel ok? Stop wasting that gauze on me, just make sure he's ok." They were trying to clean her wounds but still her thoughts lingered on him. After all, she hadn't been the one writing her own epitaph and why did they keep trying to drape a blanket over her? Apparently they were the only ones concerned with her modesty.

Amariette: ~Struggling to her feet as she watched them evacuate Daniel and Ms. Charlie from the rubble, she ran as fast as she could, ripping the tie from her hair so that it exploded in brilliant red color about her frightened face. Pushing past the gawkers, she forced her way to Daniel's side, gripping his hand tightly and trying to hold back the tears that filled her eyes, her heart sinking at the sight of his closed eyes. He had succumb, he had fallen under and she had let him face the darkness alone. At that thought, she shut her eyes and tears spilled down her cheeks, soft sobs catching in her throat and she quickly wiped her face, wanting to remain strong and hopeful.~<c>l
Amariette: ~Kissing his fingers, she whispered in his ear, her words barely audible, "I won't leave you, I promise. When you wake up, I'll be right here. I'll wait for you Daniel.." Releasing his hand, she yelled at the top of her lungs, her voice breaking some, but demanding attention, "This way! The tent is this way! Hurry! He's unconscious and unresponsive, we don't have much time! Move faster!" Running now along side the group that carried him, she flew toward the tent that had been built literally from the ground up in less than ten minutes. Smiling in her joy at the efficient men she had set to get everything ready, she pushed open the folds and ushered them in hurriedly, her breasts heaving for air at the pace she had run to them.~<c>
Amariette: ~Watching as they laid him down, she began to hand the appropriate things out to the healer in charge, having made herself the personal attendant to the man. He accepted her help willingly as he strained to keep Daniel stable and waved at everyone else to leave, to vacate so that he had more space to work. The others were reluctant to leave but did as they were told, choosing to huddle about the entrance to the tent and watch the two work as frantically as they could. She scrambled, fetching wood for splints, her hands and arms covered in his blood, but her eyes hard and determined, her strength of will a burning fire that refused to smolder and die.~<c>
Amariette: ~Once the healer was certain that he had done all he could, he reached for Amariette's arm and told her that it'd be best if she let the Doctor rest, an obvious frown on his lips. Lifting her eyes to him, he almost gasped in shock at the pain in her eyes and was content to release her and let her stay with him alone, his steps echoing out the tent and he closed it firmly, to give them both well deserved privacy. Moving across the ground, she fetched a bowl of water and a cloth, returning to his side to sit as she dipped the material in the water to soak it. Having wiped her eyes as she had cried more than once while attending to him, his blood had smeared on her cheeks and she paid it little mind.~<c>
Amariette: ~Squeezing the excess water from the kerchief, she began to wipe at the dust and grit and blood about his face and neck, her lower lip bit between her teeth and soft sniffles being fought. His blood was almost the color of her hair as it hung in knots and wisps about her face, the lovely finglets gone and sweated out completely. She appeared some ancient Celtic ghost made flesh, the color drained from her face and her mind only set on easing him as best as she could. "Oh Daniel, you've met the fate of your father. I didn't see it, I could have, but I didn't I failed you....I'm so sorry....oh my darling....forgive me...." Having fought a war within her, she settled the cloth against his brow and collapsed against his chest, weeping piteously into her folded arms.~

[Dr. Daniel Carter]

-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair When the rock hit, it hit just behind her because Charlie's team was out first. To say that she didnt flinch was only part of it. She didnt even make a move as to the idea of the rock hitting so close to her. The team rushed forward with their prize to the tents erected for medical treatment. Bless Amariette! When they get under the cover of the tent and set the two up she parts from her charges only for a moment to emerse her hands in water and scrub the dirt off of them. Her hair is quickly tied back so as not to get in her face when she is performing the task of healing. Barking out orders she makes sure they get to doing what they are told, before setting to working on Daniel. A wind seems to wash through the tent, as if trying to clense it of pain and physical <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair Trauma. Instead of touching his wounded leg to assess the damage Kahlan decides to take the long route, though more taxing it would not hurt him. No more pain for the Archaeologist. In any normal medical tent, the man would have to go through a series of traumatizing events and with a leg this smashed it would eventually have to come off. Ah but wasnt he lucky to have Kahlan there that day? By chance she had decided to venture out to the site to see how it was going and see how far they had come. Slender fingers slide across his skull, planting themselves delicately like the kiss of a butterfly against preordained points. Loosing the draconic conciousness within her she is immediately assailed with the details of his body down to the most minute of things such <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair As the hairs on his head. Forcing the dragon to concentrate she works her way through his body, through bumps and bruises, past his heart and through his insides. It appeared he was battered pretty good but as soon as she makes it to his leg she wrinkles her nose. It was smashed good, tendons and muscles ripped from the appropriate part of the bone and the bone shattered in places. This would take some time indeed, simply for the length of the leg damaged. The dragon inside her brings forth the detail with a vivid intensity and had Kahlan never seen such wounds and worse she could have easily been bowled over by the sickening cruelty of the wound. Slowly she draws the dragon back inside and opens her eyes, the eyes of a dragon which for a split second are <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair Slit vertically until she blinks. Moving down to his leg Kahlan apologizes silently to him while she puts her hands on the highest and lowest most points of the injury. Her hands become immersed in his blood as she once again closes her eyes. The way she looks is almost dreamy, and yet with the efficiency that she moves it is obvious that she has done it all before. Slowly she breaks into humming as she begins the process of drawing away the pain and mending the bones with meticulous care. Pulling together shards of bone and fitting them to their appropriate bone shard. Bone came first and without the bone nothing else could be mended. As the healing progresses so does the song. Like an Elegy to the wounded it rises and falls with a painful beauty expertly <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair Rendered by the fair skinned and fiery haired beauty hovering over Daniel with her eyes closed. The dragon within her was picking out the smashed bone and her healing powers were quickly welding them together until whole bones started to form and when the cracked areas start becoming more and more easily identified muscles and tendons come next. The dragon in a frenzy of detail helps her as it goes, always a step ahead of her as if judging her next move like a good nurse might do for a doctor. Hours go by, tedious ones with the Queen on her feet but ignoring her own body, in fact not even noticing it as she emerses herself in her work. When the bone was mended so the song she was singing changed. Her voice is softer now and soothing to those in the tent and <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair Beyond. Long strings of muscles bound together while placing the appropriate tendon where it might go after fusing it back together. Eyes flutter as if seeking the answer within his body as she mends it, her hands are warm, and the pain he would be feeling creeps through her and she expels it into nothingness. The air around her is dry and warm, no glow emits from her hands but it is evident that the process is bringing the pieces of his body together. Her brow furrows every now and again when she channels the pain, expending energy every moment. Her lips form the words of the song she sings, ever changing as his healing progresses. The song was one of healing, keeping its charge asleep while drawing the pain away and into the singer. <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair As she works her way up to the surface of his leg, hours have passed, upwards of four to six hours and still she is working. Her body stands rigidly above his as she finally starts to move her hands, his blood covering them. Anyone nearby would be able to see the upper muscles fuse together when the time comes for it. Her voice, once soft, becomes much more lively as if actively keeping him slumbering. Never once does it falter as she mends his broken body and soothes his mind. She is long past breaking into a sweat at this point, the heat of the day is only magnified by the dry heat around her now, yet instead of being drenched in sweat she is quite dry. Her periodic intake of breath however is marked by a long draught every once in a while and as <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair She goes along it becomes a little bit more ragged. Some of his blood seeps back into his leg before all of the veins and capillaries are closed but the blood on her hands, shirt, face and pants will stay as they are. At this point she doesnt even register that his blood is on her person. With the muscles intact the skin starts to fuse together seamlessly. Sealing up where once there was a great gash left asunder. Her body makes rigid movements before sealing them entirely on his leg. Finally her draconic awareness sweeps through all of the cuts and bruises on his body, attending to those she draws out of his body. Her bloody hands and stained clothing seem all new to her but she doesnt notice them as she pushes past those near the yelling Charlie. <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair Brushing the blood of the doctor off onto her pants and shirt she leaves him in a deep sleep that would allow him to recover his stability and strength. Now pale, but not taking any lip from anyone she assesses the damage on Charlie and eyes her. "Lay back." It wasnt a friendly tone but an order. An order like those given out to soldiers in time of war. Before she gives the woman time to comply she touches the womans collar bone, the one opposite of the broken one. She could tell it was broken simply because of the indentation left behind. Long fingers rest barely on the bone so as not to disturb it further. Once again she unleashes the dragon within her and it runs its course through Charlie's body, telling her every infintesimal detail about the damage done.<C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair Her eyes close once more and the song this time is geared more towards the feminine aspect. Though it isnt overtly feminine it is geared to strip the woman of pain without stripping critical things from her, things that a man can be stripped of but not a woman. That sort of thing. Her lashes flutter slightly and she rests a hand just above the broken collar bone, her song at once entrancing and eternal, ancient and universal, she sings to avert the pain and dealing with it much in the same fashion as she did Daniel. She starts mending the bone, meticulously tending to the fusion of bone to bone, muscle to muscle, and finally flesh to flesh. Even the hairs that were severed are placed back to their original place. Once her conciousness dances over the surface of the <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair Woman she assesses the damage there and starts to fuse the other minor cuts and abrasions before withdrawing again. When her conciousness returns to her and the dragon is sent to slumber within her once more, she feels her world tilt upward at a sickening angle. She flails slightly and grabs for Daniel's table but teeters a little far and stumbles out of the tent into the harsh light of day. Her eyes, used to the dimness of the internal body, send a sharp pain through her skull and cause her to cry out in pain. She drops to her knees and covers her face with her bloody hands. Her body simultaneously shutting down where the energy is failing. She had been on her feet for over six hours in total. Mending and tending, singing and lending her own power to those in <C>
-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair Pain. She gives a great shudder and looks up as her sight starts to fail. Her song was cut short upon the moment her cry escaped that elegant throat. Her face is pale, very pale as if most of her life blood had been drained from her, her last sight is Halar and she manages a smile before her body collapses on the earth. All of their struggles, pain, frustrations, everything that Charlie and Daniel had within them at the time of healing had churned through her and found an outlet. The pain was the most energy consuming, because if it wasnt quickly expelled from either her body or the body of her charge, it would accumulate within her charge and surge through Kahlan and stick. Something she learned from experience years ago. Her hair breaks free of its bun as she <C>

[Dr. Daniel Carter]

-High Queen- Kahlan Lothair Hits the warm earth. Her body would be surprisingly cold to the touch, but her breathing was apparant as the dust around her mouth and nose fluttered ever so slightly. Her body was greatly taxed from her efforts and she would be asleep for many days to come. Far more than her charges. Her last hope was that Halar would understand what to do with her body, and not let anyone act rashly upon it. Either thinking her dead or thinking to have someone heal her. A healer now would snap the threads left to her body and it would send her Angelic essence skyward. Essentially killing her for all intents and purposes. Any healing costs energy from the healer and from the healed. And energy Kahlan did not have to expend. <E>

Daniel Carter: -A world beyond worlds, a place beyond time, beyond the fabric of the known universe and far beyond into the great and unlimited unknown o fht ehuman consciousness he spiraled. It felt like leaving, like going home, but in reality he was simply combing the back of his mind, through his own memories. He settled in a forest, a chosen memory, a favorite of his. Sitting with his mother at age thirteen next to a small headstone in the midst of a clearing. Magdaline Carter held a small hankerchief, a few tears rolling down fair cheeks. 'Mother, why are you crying?' He watched his former self ask. She did not respond. She looked down to her son with his brilliant blue eyes and tossled brown hair and held him close. Daniel returned the hug with no hesitation(C)-
Daniel Carter: -'He is so proud of you, my little Danny.' was the only reply she gave him. And they faded, leaving Dr. Daniel Carter alone, alone in the blackness of his subconscious mind, on his knees with tears of anger raging within him. Didn't he learn a damn thing? Had Amariette awoken some kind of fated response in him by reopening the wounds of his father's death? Yet the words of his mother rang in his head. His father was proud. Proud of him then, proud of him now. Proud of what he had become. The gravestone infront of him reappeared, but to his surprise, it was not his fathers. Instead the incription read, "Daniel Phillip Carter". His eyes went wide in wonderment as a light shown upon that headstone and as if by magic the words began(C)-
Daniel Carter: -to melt away from the bottom up. And in that instant he felt like he was floating, and immediately he recognized the feeling. He was free. Free from the fear and the loss that had bound him for so long. Well, not free yet, but on his way there. A smile spread over his face, and as the realization dawned on him, he heard a voice, a familiar, male voice 'There's a lot of people waiting on you, Danny. Better get back there.' Daniel smiled and closed his eyes, nodding. 'Make me proud, son.'. And as soon as it had come upon him, he is spiraling back through all of the darkness and the light, the dichotomy that is the human mind, seeing many things, strange things as he passed through. These were memories, but not of his life, of Kahlan's. She had fought(C)-
Daniel Carter: -in the epic war that freed Ulster from its former government, she had been to this temple since its collapse, he could see a dragon, he saw the angel, and then it was black. Just black. Moments later it felt as though he had been slammed back into his body by some otherworldly presence and he sat up with a gasp in, filling his lungs with life giving air, his blue eyes going wide, yet seeing little for his glasses had been lost in the rockslide. Brown hair was matted and sweaty, his face was dirty, his hands and arms covered in his own blood, but he was alive. Moreover, he barely had feeling in his leg, but it was there, and growing by the second. He said nothing, only sat up straight and looked around the tent. Charlie was on a table being examined, (C)-
Daniel Carter: -Amariette was sitting by the table with her head in her hands crying, or so he thought from their hair colors, for he could barely make out anything else. He breathed in again hard, looking frantically for the angel he had seen previously, but alas, to his eyes, there was no one else in the tent. Just him, and Charlie, and Amariette. (F)-

Charlie Dudox: She was barely aware of Amariette, how she rushed and hovered around Daniel. As with in the alcove, he was all that mattered and the rest was background noise. She hugged her good arm around her, the trembling slowly sapping all the energy from her body. Finally she stopped fighting those who tried to help her, accepting the blanket and the cleaning of her cuts. <C>
Charlie Dudox She looked with dull eyes, the unexplainable pain within her completely eclipsing whatever sting the men might be creating. She lay back when she was told, her eyes still staring past the queen to where she knew Daniel to be. Something was wrong, this was not the Charlie that she knew herself to be. Always she was strong, relatively self reliant. No matter whom she might love or what she might want there was a pillar within her that allowed her to bounce back when things did not go her way. <C>
Charlie Dudox Now that felt like it had crumbled away. She felt like she could cry, just bawl herself to sleep, an act she probably had not committed since she was five years old. Half of her wanted to go over to Daniel, to push Amariette out of the way and hold him tight as she had done in the cave.<C>
Charlie Dudox The other part wanted to just turn and run, to find a place where no one would see this side of her that even she did not completely know how to deal with. Daniel would wake up and see Amariette, he would be eternally grateful to her for waiting by his bedside, and the time in the cave in? He would have been in too much pain to remember. It did not matter who he remembered, all that mattered was that he was safe. <C>
Charlie Dudox She knew that this was completely true. Why then did it break her heart? As Daniel awoke she stayed on the other side of the tent, her hand covering her mouth to hide the trembling of her lips, unable to speak because she was certain that all that would come out was tears and that frightened her. So instead she hovered just beyond the two of them, unable to express her love or relief, still contemplating just running from here and the emotions she did not understand.<E>

[Dr. Daniel Carter]

Amariette: ~She had been sitting by his side the entire time, watching the Queen, in her seemingly infinite power, as she went about healing the man she had grown so very fond of. It was breathtaking and she marveled, her tears almost captured before they could spill down her now flushed cheeks. Gripping his hand again, she held it against her breast and never let go of it, as though she would surely die if the connection was severed. Her heart ached, but the sound of the humming, the energy filling the tent gave her this strange sense of peace and oneness with all that she had ever been, was, and would ever be. It was in this solice that she let her eyes close and the image of her mother emerged, the radiant woman smiling to her and kissing the tears from her cheeks.~<c>
renae_willowbane : Amariette: ~'My child, you have done well. Now, you must trust only to fate, you can do no more than you have already done. In your heart, know that it is enough. Be strong enough to walk away, be strong enough to carry on, be strong enough, to make the right choice. I will always be with you and shall come to your aid if you call. Amariette, my beautiful, patient, kind daughter, I am more proud of you than you will ever know. There are obstacles yet to be faced, but I know that you will continue on until your last breath, and my child, you will greet the dawn with clear eyes. For now, watch, and learn, grow and prosper, be safe and be free. I love you...' ~<c>
Amariette: ~The image began to dissapate and was soon gone, allowing the young woman to open her eyes and look down to the now conscious Daniel, her heart skipping more than a beat at the sight of the familiar blue eyes. Trembling, she could only gasp and smile, fresh tears spilling from her cheeks, not tears of pain, or sorrow, but of joy and relief that he had returned to the land of the living. This was all she had wished for, all she had prayed for, and she felt that she would never find cause to pray again, for her entire world had awakened from those blue eyes, those magnificent blue eyes. Giving his hand a gentle squeeze as it was still pressed against her chest, she spoke softly, gently, knowing how paniced he must be, how confused and inebriated from his brush with death.~<c>
Amariette: ~"Daniel.....Daniel. It's going to be alright now, everything is going to be fine. The Queen, oh God Daniel the Queen saved you, she saved you and brought you back to us. Ms. Charlie is here, she's being looked after as well. Her Majesty saved her too, oh it was amazing. But you're here Daniel, you're here and your safe. You must relaxe, your body is still weak and needs to rest. Ms. Charlie will be over to see you shortly I can imagine, she came out a bit better than you, no doubt you are the cause for that. Very admirable, I shall give her my thanks just the same. If you need me, I'll be just outside, but I think it best I leave you two alone now to sleep." She released his hand, suddenly very distant, and rose to her feet, offering him only a gentle smile. ~<c>
Amariette: ~Turning, she let her eyes center on Charlie, her gaze now unreadable, she gave a modest bow nonetheless, "I am the attendant in the healer's absence. If you need me.." Her hands balling into loose fists, she slipped through the fold of the tent and was gone, leaving them alone.~

Daniel Carter: -"Maggie!" He cried, air filling his lungs again. But she wasn't here, not anymore. She was gone, or, according to Halar, waiting for him in Invernis to come to dinner. He was right... Magdeline deserved his presence tonight. Shaking and disoriented, it didn't take him long to realize that everything but his pants were missing and that the feeling was slowly seeping back into his leg. It also didn't take him long to realize that he had no glasses and could not see. His hands went to his face, fingers splaying over his blue eyes to confirm this. His glasses were indeed missing. He had an extra pair, if he could remember where they were, which at this point was unlikely. Hands moved to his head, compressing on his temples. 'Hang on Daniel...'(C)-
Daniel Carter: -said a familiar voice of a dark skinned, dark haired woman he was quite fond of. "DANIEL!" came the scream of a red haired girl that had taken his breath at first sight. It was like a war in his head. And slowly but surely the memories came back like the feeling in his leg. Charlie, holding him as he left the conscious world, scared and alone, Amariette, crying and soaked in blood trying to revive him... and just like that it hit him. He understood. He looked from one to the other and then back again and suddenly wished he was still unconscious. If only Maggie were here... she would know what to do. He looked over to Charlie, squinting his eyes to try to focus on her dark hair. A small smile. "Glad to see you're still kickin' Charlie. I knew you'd be ok."(C)-
Daniel Carter: -which was more than he could say for himself. Amariette came to him, grasped his hand, and though it startled him it was... a comfort. He closed his eyes, for they were of little use now, and smiled. She was babbling now, glad to see him alive. He knew who had saved him. Reaching out blindly he found her face, cupped it with his hand and laid his thumb over her lips to quiet her. He opened his eyes and could only see a blur of tan and red in front of him, but he knew she was there. "I need my glasses. They're in my pack in my personal tent. I hate to admit it in public, but I can't see a damn thing..." He held onto her a moment longer. "Not even your face." He was blind, legally speaking. As she left he sighed and leaned back against the cot. (C)-
Daniel Carter: -For a few moments he could do nothing, but as soon as he mustered the strength he looked over at Charlie. "I think I owe you a thanks... for my life." he said softly, the only thing he could see was a blur of black and suntan. "I'm sorry, but I can't see you at all at this distance... but Charlie... you... you were great." It was the best he could do. Though Kahlan had healed him, he had still lost a lot of blood and his leg still had a dull ache in it. "Thanks..." Was all he could muster, squinting at her to get a better picture in the dying light, for now the sun was already setting on the end of an emotional day.(F)-

Charlie Dudox :She stood back the whole time, not daring to move as she watched Amariette speak to Daniel. She really couldn't afford Amariette the same privacy that Amariette had decided to afford her. Had she attempted to leave the tent no doubt she would have been herded back inside, by those who considered her pig headed and those who simply assumed that she was still in shock. It was interesting to listen to the woman speak though, her words seemed both perplexing and illuminating in her hollowed out heart. <C>
Charlie Dudox: Daniel had saved her. Was that how it would go? Daniel saved her, the queen saved them both. How odd that it made her sound like a pawn in the whole day's events. She certainly was not one who was used to playing the damsel in distress. She pulled the blanket over her still bare chest and gave Amariette a little nod as she left. Words were still a little too much for her, and she was uncertain what she would say anyway.<C>
Charlie Dudox She moved closer so Daniel could get a better view of him, knowing that Amar would be back at any moment with his spare glasses. After a moment of quiet she swallowed her tears and forced a small smile across her lips. "You were pretty amazing in there too, you know. I think I'd be pancaked if it weren't for your quick thinking." These were dry words, polite conversation that allowed her to skim above the point where she would break down in near hysterics. <C>
Charlie Dudox Instead it almost felt as if she was just blowing empty air, enough to make her nearly lightheaded "Hey, I didn't forget the promise we made down there Danny. You said that next time I told you it was time to go, we would go, and I promised to tell Maggie that you loved her in case you died. I guess I don't need to keep up my half of the bargain quite yet." It was the promise of a friend, a vow of someone who could not make Daniel love her. <C>
Charlie Dudox She did not know who Maggie was but could only assume she was some other beautiful young woman, no doubt completely deserving of his affection. "I still think you should tell her so yourself." She sat down by his bed and looked away, concentrating hard on staying control. She wanted to be strong for Daniel, strong for herself. Why was that suddenly so damned difficult.<E>

[Dr. Daniel Carter]

Amariette: ~Moving out of the tent, she was suddenly assualted with workers hurling question after question at her on the condition of the Doctor and the Lady, and Amariette did her best to answer as many as she could. After all, these were the men that had saved the lives of the two most prominent archeologists on the dig, they at least deserved answer to their questions. Finally being allowed to pass, she walked into Daniel's tent and did her best to locate his pack, her fingers rummaging through its contents before finding the extra pair of glasses. Looking to them, she began to tremble terribly and felt her legs give out from beneath her, collapsing onto her knees and sobbing silently into the crook of her arm, fresh emtions spilling from her in torrents.~<c>
Amariette: ~Her mother had knew, her mother had warned her, but now, now she only wished she would have gone home. She didn't belong here at all, and today may have seemed different, but to Amariette, being on your own was the most terrifying experience she had ever known. There was no strong older figure here to take her in his arms and soothe her with gentle words and grounding wisdom, a hand to stroke through her hair and make her smile at some well timed joke. She was alone. Absolutely, utterly alone. In her heart she felt sick, but she had no idea why. At least, her conscious mind did not know. Just the same, she was able to get her feelings under control once again, Daniel was waiting for his glasses and she owed it to him to make haste as swiftly as she could.~<c>
Amariette: ~Getting to her feet again, she slipped out of the tent and grabbed a pitcher of cold water and two glasses on a modest tray for the both of them, her steps light, but the obvious fresh tears staining her face. The glasses were placed on the platter as she returned to the healer's tent, setting the tray on the small table beside Daniel's bed. She kept her eyes adverted from the two of them, content to distance herself from the atmosphere as best she could in mind, soul, but not body. Offering Daniel his glasses, she leaned in only once to set them on his face, turning swiftly away to pour the cool liquid into the two glasses. Handing one to Charlie, she bowed her head and her words were soft and lifeless, "Ms. Charlie, I do believe it would do you some good to drink this down."~<c>
Amariette: ~"There is plenty here if you have need of more, and I won't hesitate to refill it should you run out. Please, your strength demands that you get some type of fluids in you." Allowing the woman time to take the glass from her, she looked to Daniel and reached down to lift his hand, slipping the glass against his palm and closing the fingers about it easily enough. Nodding as she appraised his ability to hold it himself, she moved from the table and bowed again, her attitude that of humble supplication. "If you'll excuse me, I must tend to Her Majesty and Halar."~

Daniel Carter: -He laughed a little but it was stifled by a cough. "Yeah... she'll want to know I'm ok. Though I'm pretty sure I'll catch hell for having not listened to my forman... mom worries. Ever since dad died in a cave in she doesn't like to take chances. Even still, I think Maggie will want to thank you herself." He looked over, and at this distance, squinting he could make out her features. Lifting his arm he let it fall to her lap, and he took her hand. "Thank you, Charolette." He said with a voice still weak but full of sincerity. "But I'm just glad you are alright." In truth, that had been hi primary objective. He had shielded her, forced her into the wall and covered her head to keep the unthinkable from happening. And it hadn't. The gods must have been favoring him for once(C)-
Daniel Carter: -He took his hand back and laid it on top of his left, folding them both over his chest, stripped of his bloodstained shirt which now hung over one of the various chairs inside the medical tent. "Hey... Charlie..." he said, looking over at her with a small, still very weak smile. "Let's not do that ever again, ok?" He did not seem the intellectual giant, the great archaeologist that wrote such ground breaking research in long winded and expensive leather bound novels. He was just... Daniel. As Amariette came back in with the glasses and the water, he said nothing. He closed his eyes as she put them on his face and left them there, even as she put the water in his hands. For long moments all he did was sip and stare ahead, finally able to see (C)-
Daniel Carter: - but having nothing to look at. At long last he turned to Charlie. "It's my fault she's even here. She's alone, and she needs... someone." Anyone, really. He swung his legs over the cot with a wince and a some sufficient effort. How nice, they had left him a cane. Grasping his bloody but now dry shirt he put it on, forgoing the buttoning, and grasped the cane. He didn't say anything to Charlie until he was about to make the struggle of getting up. "I owe her that much." And with that, pressure on the wooden support, he made the attempt and stood wobbly. He stepped carefully trying to make it out of the tent alive. One look at him as he emerged into the night told the throngs of diggers not to talk to her. "Amariette." He said almost sternly. (C)-
Daniel Carter: - He looked up, locking his eyes on hers. "I need to talk to you. Private." He motioned his head towards his tent, knowing he wasn't supposed to be up and about, but disregarding that with nothing more than a second thought. He hobbled onwards and went into his personal tent only to half collapse in the chair next to his desk, letting the cane drop to the ground beside his bedroll and let his head fall down on his arms, folded across his books and his papers, the only constant in his life.(F)-

Charlie Dudox :Maggie was his mother? Why the hell didn't he just call her mom then? It was the wort of thing that she wasn't about to throw a fit about. Instead she just nodded her head smiling slightly in relief "I'm sorry about your father, and I understand a mother's right to worry." Her own parents she hadn't heard from in over six months. It always caused her stomach to twist when they went so long without contacting her. <C>
Charlie Dudox The problem was, if you went searching for a lost tribe and actually managed to find them, then you could officially be considered lost as well. Most likely she would not hear from them or be able to write them until this was some impressive story to trade across a dinner table, not this raw trauma she felt inside. Charlie was certain that when she had first been born and her mother had called her Charlotte, she had winced. <C>
Charlie Dudox But for the first time in her life it seemed normal, it seemed beautiful to hear that name come out of his mouth. For the third time she had the intense urge to kiss him, though this time she managed to hold back. She nodded her head "Yeah, next time we listen to the foreman like good archeologist. When Amariette returned, Charlie offered her a small smile, taking the glass with a murmured thank you. <C>
Charlie Dudox After a moment she added "Please you can just call me Charlie, no Miss necessary." She nodded her head silently as he tried to explain why he needed to go off and comfort Amariette instead of staying here and comforting her. If she had fainted when she felt dizzy, if she had cried for him all the tears that were welled up inside of her then he would have stayed with her. <C>
Charlie Dudox But that would have been a cop out, that would have been becoming the woman that Daniel obviously wanted to be with, and losing so much about what she loved in herself. So she let him go in what she was terrified would be a growing trend of letting him go. The ball was in his court but he was not going to bat it back. So there they were merely good friends because he would not have them as anything else. <C>
Charlie Dudox She finished her water and moved back to the cot that they had set up for her she pulled the blanket up above her head. There the sobs were muffled, they were her own and not some show for the rest of the camp. Perhaps in the growing stillness that overtook the camp after dark, only Halar's keen ears could catch those painful heaving sighs of one who dare not share her angst.<E>

[Dr. Daniel Carter]

Amariette: ~Following him quietly, she kept her head bowed and her eyes downcast, content to stare at her steps upon reaching his tent again. In her mind, she hoped he wasn't going to scold her for the tone in which she spoke to Ms. Charlie, she didn't want to be labeled impudent or a troublemaker. Lifting her soft eyes, the green taking on a fading luster, she watched him seat himself and then slipped into the chair opposite his desk. Clasping her hands in her lap demurely, she was a bit nervous seeing him out of bed so soon, but she stayed her tongue for now, wondering what he wanted to speak with her about. She looked in complete disarray, her hair knotted and snagged about her shoulders and tear stains cutting through the smudges of his blood still on her cheeks, only dried now.~<c>
Amariette: ~Her shirt, his shirt, was soaked as well, but she seemed not to register her appearance, in truth, she couldn't care less what she looked like. Rubbing the knees of her breeches, she tried to scrub the dirt, grime, and dried blood from her skin, though of course, she failed miserably. Allowing herself a deep sigh as she watched him drop his head, she shifted a bit uncomfortable in his chair and fidgeted with the knot of her shirt, her fingers trembling some as they squeezed and pulled absent-mindedly at the knot. A few more buttons of her clothing had fallen off in her scramble to give the healer aid in setting Daniel's leg, and now the top most of her breasts were apparent, his blood streaking across her skin there as well. ~<c>
Amariette: ~Amariette would not speak, would not utter a word, until he bid her do so. What could she had said that she had not already said before? The girl was at a loss, withered just as he was, and thoroughly exhausted in spirit, her peaked reached and pushed more than ever before. Swallowing, she was suddenly wishing she would have gotten herself a glass of water when she had served them, her throat dry and parched, but of course, at the time, her mind was set on serving those who had need of her. It was always like that, after all, hadn't she told the both of them that she was eternally at their service? She had; and she would carry through with her word until her last breath. Such was Amariette's way.~

Daniel Carter: -There are more things to life than that which has already passed. How many time had Halar told him that? He couldn't even count anymore. And how many times had he ignored the dragon, thinking that he had known better? Too many times. And now, faced with one such thing, he did not know what to do. So he raised his head, his eyes red from fatigue, but blue as they ever had been in the centers, yet so tired. So very tired. He finally understood... how they both felt. It wasn't a game, it wasn't some kind of prank. It was real. And now he had to choose... one of them or neither of them. Yet the vision in the cave was haunting, and so neither was no longer an option. "When I was in that cave, thinking I was dying..." He started out, his voice(C)-
Daniel Carter: -scratchy and as tired as his eyes. "I saw a picture of a girl... since I met her, I haven't stopped thinking about her. She's intellegent, bold, unique... god... she's beautiful..." he trailed off, unable to finish as he looked down and licked his lips, his own throat growing dry, his tongue feeling swollen, but damnit, she deserved to know his answer. "She was my last thought before I passed out. Not very heroic of me, but... I am just an archaeologist." He had a small laugh at his own expense. He looked up and raised a hand, motioning her around the table to him. He watched her stand, watched her move to him. "I thought you deserved to know..." He said, looking at her as she stood above him. She looked so uncomfortable and so distraught.(C)-
Daniel Carter: -That had never been his intent at all. Reaching out he took her hands, his own shaking just slightly, from what he could not say, the nervousness or the trauma he had endured. He tugged on her to bring her down to knee level. There he ran a hand behind her head through her knotted red hair, one along side her soft, tearstained cheek. He could never answer her question, not with words. He could never find words for things like this, this kind of feeling that he hadn't held in nigh near a decade. But... he could show her. Slowly he leaned into her, blue eyes closing hesitantly as his lips met hers. Arms slipped around her and held her for the longest he could bear to before he broke free and buried his face in her neck, tears of his own letting(C)-
Daniel Carter: -themselve run from his face to the crook of her shoulder. "I'm sorry... I should have said something sooner..." was all he could muster. Brianne was right about one thing- he would need her before the end. (F)-

Amariette: ~She was dreaming, hallucinating, losing her mind, and yet, there was no awakening from this moment, no sweat covered sheets and panting breaths to greet her in the middle of the night. Amariette was here, and she was drawn from reality just as easily as she had always been when immersed in her own books, the sad tales of tragedy and romance that left her crying in the end. But now? Now, there was only him, and as he gripped her in his arms and drew her close, her lips pressed intimately to his, she exhaled gently and surrendered to his will. Trembling, tears spilled from the corners of her eyes and ran down her cheeks slowly, slipping under her jaws and dying upon her neck.~<c>
Amariette: ~Tilting her head, her body felt light and weightless, all manner of fatigue and weariness vanishing in a single, poignant moment, where time all but stood still. As he released her from his grip and let his head fall against her shoulder, she wrapped her arms about him in a tight embrace, her fingers stroking through his hair gently. Her own eyes were lifted skyward, this look of absolute relief, freedom, and astonishment mirroring her present and overwhelming euphoria. Rocking him against her, she heard his words and they brought her back to the situation at hand, her eyes closing and her heart beating steadily in her breast. She had known. Somehow, deep within her very being, she had known all along.~<c>
Amariette: ~Her words, though faint and just above a whisper, flowed from her trembling lips, making it apparent that she herself was still crying, "Daniel….there is no need to apologize for being cautious. I would have expected nothing less from you. Even now, I find it hard to say anything. But I must, I must tell you, when I thought I'd lost you, I promised myself that I would never remain silent again. I loved you Daniel Carter, and I love you yet." Falling silent after that, she was content, God, overjoyed, to hold him in her small embrace, her body crushed against him so tenderly that she feared her very heart would burst. Soothing him as best she could, she began to sing.~<c>
Amariette: ~The sweet lullaby that was forever burned into her soul, the words flowing easily from her quivering lips, was the last gift she had ever received from her mother, from Brianne. And somewhere, she knew, knew to the very depths of her being, that her mother smiled.~

[Kahlan Lothair]

They rejoiced, everyone did, except the prone form of the queen on the ground. Face down in the dirt she is off in turmoil of another sort, fighting an inner darkness while keeping her energy conserved as much as possible. She was concious for a short time after her sight had left her and her energy failed in most of her body. No one knew what to do with the Queen, for the most part they just stared at her. She had the blood of Daniel and Charlie plastered to her and some was on her face, some still on her hands.

Tentatively the few brave enough to approach her form find that when they touch her she makes no response. Of course this incites rampant chaos throughout the campsite. Cries of help went up but Kahlan was no longer concious for them, for all the blood Daniel had lost she had given him energy to boost reproduction of blood cells. In a days time he would be as good as new, she however would stay comatose for several days. As if hybernating before the coming of winter.

The few that went down into the hole with her come to her, all very worried about her state of being. A touch finds them recoiling at the frigidity of her body, almost as if she were dead...a quick check shows that she isnt but her breath is shallow. More energy had been expended than anyone except perhaps Halar would know. Finally they get the idea to turn her over, so that she doesnt choke on the sand and dust on the ground, the group surrounding her all natives of the area and her subjects. All expressly concerned, their joyful moods shot down for the time being as they manage to lift her remarkably light body onto a plank.

It looks as if she has suffered some mortal wound, what with all of Daniel and Charlie's blood on her shirt and pants. The paleness of her face sets the mood as she is carted into the tent as well, shoving the remanents of things off of a table nearby. Her body is laid down there and as if it were taboo to touch her, they back away slowly, leaving a watch just outside the tent in hopes it isnt as bad as it might seem. No one would be allowed into the tent unless they had a ligitimate reason to be inside it. Her body and well being were their utmost concern, even if they were on a dig site. Kahlan had saved two very prominent individuals, and not just a few were feeling guilty at leaving her face down in the dirt some thirty yards away.

A wind picks up and plays with loose strands of her hair, landing the sparkling and in some instances blood spattered hair against alabaster skin. The subtle hint of her chest rising and falling is almost the only indication that she is even alive. Strangely her eyelashes appear to be the color of wheat, as if the stalks of wheat themselves were her eyelashes. A myriad of changes begin to happen to the quiet Queen alone in the medical tent. Her hair once the color and consistency of molten gold starts to dry out from the roots to the tip, leaving her hair much like her eyelashes. Something that anyone rarely knew about Kahlan was that the dragon within her linked her to many elements and beyond certain points, Kahlan would become for a short time like a living piece of it. In the instance of healing she became most like the earth. Whether anyone would see this remarkable change, as leaves and flowers sprout from her hair and her skin takes on the consistency of marble, she could not be certain for she was a lifetime away. This would prove that she is alive but as soon as it is begun it starts to end, leaving the rigid stone behind and the spectacular display of green leaves, and flowers, and grass behind. Her rich hair flows out around her and her skin becomes soft and pliable once more. Her coloring doesnt change and neither does her over all state of being, the display was one of hope, as if she were being almost reborn from the earth, or at least the dragon half of her was being reborn.

Lost in a deep dream Kahlan begins to remember a time when she wasnt a mixture of Angel and Dragon. Rather a time when the temple just outside had glorified her as being one of the most honorable persons alive. Wars were fought and won, she was the student and the teacher, so many ages it felt, and it all summed up to that day on the beach. The day that Telim was lost to her forever and yet ever a part of her soul and being.

[Kahlan Lothair]

-Commandant- Daos Nur had recieved word of Queen Kahlan's condition and rushed to her side like the wind. He stayed there at Invernis the previous knight, having remained kneeled by her bedside where she lay. He knew she would have to be returned to the castle as soon as possible. A messenger brought word of the Lomitorium having been prepared. Nur knew of that room. Such a room where no one could hide from the light of the sun. Nur gently slipped a hand under Kahlan's shoulders and under her legs. The 7 foot behemoth of an egyptian slowly lifted her from her resting place and held her against his body. He knew her strength was fleeting..he could feel it. As he exited, he closed the mouth like visor on his jackal helmet. The Jackal Knight was now on the move. As he carried her, soldiers from the Ulsterian Kingdom would knee on either side of the road. They were waiting for her to be brought out. As the Commandant and Queen passed, they fell to a single knee. Such a regal display of respect for the Queen of Ulster. Daos knew the trip from Invernis to the castle wasn't long, he could see it in the distance. Each step taken drew him closer and closer still. Hundres upon hundres of soldiers were there, carrying a look of concern and dismay..they were worried that the queen was...dead...But Daos En Sabah Nur knew better...she was too strong to die so easily...their journey continued...

Daniel Carter: -When morning finally came and the first warm orange rays of the sun came down through the canvas flaps of the tent he had assembled for himself, Daniel was already away, lying with his eyes open staring at what was to him a blur of brown and tan above him, now mottled by the sun's invigorating presence. It had finally sank in that he had almost lost his life, dharmically in the way his father had met such an early and unfortunate end. The previous evening while holding his crushed leg, blinded by dirt and tears of pain, he had not realized from the shock of it all what was happening. Yet here he was, alive, and thankful for it. Halar had been more distraught than a dragon had ever ought to be and sent Daniel away to his tent (C)-
Daniel Carter: -for the entire rest of the night, almost as if he had been unable to bear looking at him for some kind of scared anger had taken a hold of him. He had watched over Kahlan's tent from high atop the rocky cliffside, chosing not to intervene directly in the affairs of the humans, leaving Daniel to sleep and recover what little strength his mortal body could regain. It appeared to him now that recovery would be slow, though he positively marveled at how he had healed since last seeing his leg. He had not been told much, only that the queen had saved them, but he had been unconscious until long after she had left the medical tent. Sitting up now caused pain in his ribs, a few minor bruises still left over from the cave in, and when he tried to move his legs from the bedroll (C)-
Daniel Carter: -pain shot through his shin. It was still tender and he sighed, groping for his glasses that he normally set next to his headrest. Putting them on made seeing things a lot easier, and he reached to a chair, pulling a fresh shirt from the folded pile. He buttoned it sitting, having slept in the new pants he had been given after the accident, and reached for, with much chagrin, his cane. He did not want to have to use such an aid, finding it insulting, but even he was not so stubborn as to think that his leg could bear his full weight even with Kahlan's precious gift of life. It was a struggle getting to his feet, with more pain than he had expected, but then he was lucky to even be alive at this point, wasn't he? A severed artery, a crushed knee and leg, and unconsciousness(C)-
Daniel Carter: -was normally not so good for the human body. Hobbling barefoot from the tent he was just in time to see one of the Royal Guard carrying the limp body of the queen from her tent and back towards the city. His brow furrowed in a mix of consternation and worry as he drew closer, stopping behind the throng of bowing people, among which he was not, as there was no way he would be able to get up again if he even could kneel. He said nothing as they passed by, only watched. Surely if her condition was that bad Halar would have done something, taken her somewhere by now... he thought, though at this point there was not much that he could be so sure of.(F)-

Amariette: ~Surprisingly, very contrary to her nature, Amariette was still lost within the throes of a deep and dreamless sleep, her hair freshly washed and brushed free of the ugly knots and snags that adorned her head the previous night. Having left Daniel to his rest, she had bathed as quietly and efficiently as she could in the tender wee hours of the early morning, the darkness still palpable and the snores of the slumbering workers filling the air in a droning symphony. Fresh rays of dawn peeked through her tent flaps and fell across her peaceful face, all lines and traces of weariness gone with the healing that only youth could sustain.~<c>
Amariette: ~Stirring some, she turned onto her right side and clasped her hands beneath her head in gentle support, her long crimson locks falling along her face, shielding her gaze from the sun. Yester eve had been such a trying time for the girl and even after Daniel had retired to his bed, she had kept a silent vigil at the edge of his tent, her figure a shadowed silhouette against the night. If Halar was cautious, she was his human equal in the same aspect, her concern for the man as evident as the green of her haunting eyes. Finally choosing to retire when she could no longer keep herself awake, she had trudged her way back to her own place to draw a quick bath in secret, the water now free from anyone's use during such early hours.~<c>
Amariette: ~Carefully and meticulously, she had scrubbed Daniel's blood from her skin and relished in the soft pink color that washed over her own clean flesh, her body now smelling of fresh soap. Throwing on a modest cotton gown and brushing through her hair as best she could in her drowsed state, she had thrown herself willing into the comforts of her cot. Now the girl was curled up tightly, blanket drawn up against her with her slender fingers, taking advantage of the silence that surrounded her due to the Queen's surprising and sudden departure in the arms of one of her servants. It was going to be a long day, but for now, Amariette had surrendered to the fatigue of her body and spirit, both entities needing much restoration of their energies in order to function willingly again on their own.~<c>
Amariette: ~A soft moan rose from her throat to be lost on the air before the girl succumbed to exhaustion and did not stir again, her body curling tighter and the blanket falling limp about her shoulders.~