LadyAnnaLee

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@Obscene Symphony

Okay. I don't want to clutter the thread so this will (most likely) be the last thing I say about it.

I'm surprised that I'm the first to mention it. It's just so rad.

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@Obscene Symphony

Thank you! I'm definitely interested to see how this play outs. I'll get you a character sheet some time Saturday for sure.

As an aside I love your avatar. Leather shoes are pretty rad.

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I'm interested. I haven't done a group role play in forever though (years actually) and I wouldn't be able to submit a character for consideration until Saturday. I also think I would like to play an ace character. Would any of those be a reason I shouldn't submit a character?

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

The Tree did laugh as It dropped Its hands from Ridahne’s face, “Your Ajoran is fine. Darin went looking for him but got distracted. I See him regularly, as I See all the Children of Astra. He is well. He waits to see you again. He yearns to see you again. He knows, perhaps better than you do, that the two of you will be reunited. It is inevitable that such a reunion will happen. Darin wants to meet him. She did find your brother while she was out wandering Astra. She thinks she likes him. She wants to meet him as well. She also wishes to meet the Solta-Sol though for very different reasons. I do not think that meeting will go the way the Solta-Sol expect it to.” The Tree grinned mischievously, “Though I bet you can guess how such a meeting will go. You should start preparing now which side you will take.” There was a voice of warning in The Tree’s voice, “I suggest you pick carefully; not for your sake, but for Darin’s.” The Tree then abruptly changed the subject, “Speaking of Darin what do you think of her? She certainly knows how to spit fire does she not. She truly upset her mother on more than one occasion. She speaks her mind and does not like social constructs get in the way of doing what’s right.”

The Tree, in Darin’s body moved a way from Ridahne to create some space. Slowly The Tree bent at the waist until both hands were on the ground. Slowly Darin’s feet came off the ground until The Tree was doing a perfect handstand. At the same pace The Tree lowered the legs in opposite direction that they came up in; causing the body They were in to do a slow flip. The Tree then turned to look back at Ridahne. The Tree was showing off on Darin’s behalf. That much was clearly obvious.e

The Tree continued, “She wants to impress you without showing off or bragging. That’s one of the reasons she agreed to the combat training even though she’s worried that it will go very, very badly. She is clumsier than you have had the chance to truly see yet and you found her dangling from a cliff. She’s convinced that she’s going to lose an arm or a leg or something.” A note of worry entered The Tree’s voice, “You’re not going to let that happen are you Ridahne? You will keep your promise to protect her, won’t you? Even from herself?”

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

The Tree sighed, “All you managed to do, Ridahne, was confirm to Darin that everyone she cares for will eventually leave. You yourself made assumptions so you cannot blame her for making this one. Her father left. While she did not leave physically her mother’s mind left. Darin thought that perhaps you wouldn’t. Then you did because you were afraid of the actions of a woman you barely knew. You must learn not to make rash judgements. And you must learn to not make choices for other people.” The Tree stepped towards the Elf and cupped her face in her hands, “Do you understand my wonderful Ridahne? Do you know what lesson you need to take from being Seed-Chained?”

Meanwhile Darin had traveled to the coasts of Astra and beyond, to the very tips of The Roots. She strained to see past them but the ‘sight’ she got from The Tree was different than her normal sight. She couldn’t see past the scope of The Tree’s domain. It was hard to believe that one day she would see beyond Astra with her own two eyes. It was hard to realize that there was truly no other path. She had told the truth to Ridahne and was not sure that the warrior had understood. Any farmer would had known in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, Darin couldn’t be any clearer than she already had been. This was not a truth that she could afford to let the population of Astra know just yet. Panicking would be inevitable, and war would surely follow. That will kill The Tree that much faster. Darin mentally shook her head before retreating back to the island of Astra. She wanted to end this night on a good note; not a melancholy one.

Darin ‘watched’ the Sirens as they prepared for their end of day. It wasn’t quite the same time of day on this side of Astra as it was on the other side. Astra was so large that as the sun traveled across the sky its light hit different parts of Astra at different times. Darin was getting a better sense of just how long this type of trip was going to take. When she had left home, she naively thought that she would be back home in maybe a year. Now it was looking like she was going to be walking and riding across Astra for maybe 3 years; if she did nothing but walk. That couldn’t be though. She had to stop and meet people. She had to stop and make friends. She wasn’t sure how easy that would be. It was exhausting just thinking about it.

Speaking of exhaustion Darin was tired. It had been a long day and she wanted to get an early start tomorrow. She couldn’t spend all her time at The Farm. Darin slowly made her way back though The Roots and towards The Tree. Once there she curled her spirit into The Trunk. She could rest her mind while she waited for The Tree and Ridahne to be done speaking. She had no desire to rush the two of them, but she was tired. She was going to rest her mind while she waited for them to be done. She hoped they were being nice to each other. They were two of the most important souls in her life. It was desperately important to Darin that they got along.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

The Tree laughed, “Ridahne. I know Darin told you the truth. I cannot directly cause good. I can only encourage others to do good.” It looked up at Its Leaves as they considered, “I know every soul in Astra. I know the paths they walk and why they walk them.” The Tree looked back down at Ridahne, “And so, I know you. I also know Jacob Teganson. He’s a good man, though not very bright. He got lost but did not deserve to die. I whispered to dozens of people; urging them to go look for them. Some listened but did not hear. Some didn’t hear me at all.” The Tree was errnest, “You did. You looked up right as I told you to, in just the right direction. The rest was all you.” The Tree laughed, “So no Ridahne. I did not make you rescue those people. I just gave you a push. You did the rest all on your own. It was your doing.” The Tree looked Ridahne dead in the eye, “Though that is the way for most good people. They need just one whisper to point them in the right direction. They do the rest themselves. Like you.” The Tree put a borrowed hand over a borrowed heart, “Like Darin. Like my glorious wonderful Darin.” The Tree smiled broadly, “My glorious clumsy directionally challenged Darin. Who else could I have protect her than my wonderful courageous finding warrior? Who else but the one woman that found everyone I sent her after? Who else but the one woman strong enough to murder a monster despite knowing the consequences? Tell me Seed-Chained; who else could I have protect my Seed-Bearer but my wonderful stunning Ridahne Torzinei? And yet I find you want to leave her because you think you are not good enough. Because you think I think you are not good enough. How could you think that I would be disappointed in you when I am the one that sent you after the false Sol? Who damaged your soul badly? Tell me so I may sic my Seed-Bearer on them. Tell me so that way my vindictive Darin, filled with misplaced righteous anger, may take her wrath out on them. You have seen her spit fire to defend those she loves. Do you not know that, despite you fighting, you are very dear to her heart? That though she does not know you she wants to understand you. Tell me Ridahne Torzinei, why did she had to Chain you to get you to stay? Explain it to me! I know that you have explained it to Ravi. Now explain it to me. You never once failed to listen to my whispers. Why do you not listen now?”

--

Darin left Ridahne’s brother and went ‘looking’ for a way to see if she could find Ajoran. She had liked the little she had ‘seen’ of the fisherman and then woman she assumed was his wife. They lived a much simpler life than Ridahne had lived. That much was clear. It looked like the type of life Darin would have liked if she had been born an Azurian. Then again, there was no point in wondering about what ifs or maybes. The life she had been given was the only life she had. It was up to her to make the best of it. Darin searched the country for places she thought Sols might live in. She knew that Ajoran was a Taja and that Tajas were warriors that served the Sols. She also knew that Sols were kind of like princesses. So, she was ‘looking’ for palaces or castles. She wasn’t sure what either looked like. She was really just ‘looking’ for really big buildings. That was kind of vague, but she couldn’t just ‘watch’ one person the entire time The Tree talked to Ridahne. That would be creepy. Darin wasn’t really ‘looking.’ She was really just wandering. Occasonially she would ‘hear’ bits and pieces of conversations that would distract her. She let herself be distracted. There was no harm in that. Then she found something even more interesting than a palace.

It was the Dust Sea. It had to be. This was where Ridahne’s adventure had started. The warrior had rescued so many people from the heat and sand. That had called the attention of many people much more powerful than a fisherman’s daughter. It was what started the whole chain of events that lead the Elf to the Seed-Bearer. This was where Ridahne first made the choices that crafted her into the woman she was now; the woman that Darin had a hard time connecting with. It was hard to believe that something so small had lead to something so big.

Without really thinking about it, and forgetting about her desire to find Ajoran, Darin moved across Astra to find someone. This someone was not a person. It was a dog; a dog named Max. The dog once belonged to a man in her little village. The man was a drunk and the poor creature was his victim. The elders did not care, but someone had to do something. It was surprisingly easy for Thomas to convince the other young adults his age, including Darin, to do something. They got the dog to a trader who came to Lively once a year. The merchant had promised the dog would find a good home. He had sworn on The Tree so they all believe him. When accused of the theft Thomas had been prepared to take the fall. Darin didn’t give him the chance. The punishment for theft in her village meant her hand had been run though with a hot poker. She didn’t regret it; not one little bit.

Finding Max was easy. He was in a town much bigger than even Greyrock. Darin knew him at once. His brown and brown coat and missing leg gave him away easily enough. He was walking next to a human child that couldn’t be older than ten. It was evening so it was clear then were heading home. Darin ‘watched’ and was not surprised when Max stopped at turned to ‘look’ at her. He barked happily at her. Darin stayed just long wave and hear the child ask Max what he was barking at be for traveling away again. This was her chance to see parts of Astra she never had before. It would be a shame to waste it.

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

The Tree let out a laugh that was the farthest thing from mocking as possible, “It seems I have confused you. My apologies Ridahne. I did not mean your current assignment. I meant your first.” The Tree continued to explain, “How was it, leading the lost souls in the Dune Sea to safety?”

Maybe that would shock the young Azurien, but just about everything good in Asrra was inspired by The Tree. Young Darin had been right. The Tree could not cause good directly. It couldn’t. The Tree could only inspire good in others. Sometimes Its influence was subtle. Other times it was like being hit with a huge brick. Leading Ridahne to recusing missions in the Dune Sea had been on of The Tree’s quieter moments. Leading the so-called traitor to betray her people had been less quiet, and The Tree had to practically shout to get Ridahne to Darin. It was tired. The Tree knew that it was dying. Hopefully It would live long enough to see the start of something glorious.

The Tree continued, “You’re so easy to Speak to Ridahne. Though you don’t always pay attention in the end you always listen.” The Tree sighed, “It’s always so hard to find people that are genuinely good.” It gestured at the body it was inhabiting, “People like you and people like Darin.” The Tree sighed, “You know, The Gardener wanted to bring her here, to be a Worker. She had the temperament for it. She would have been loved. Yet nothing would have brought her here. She values family too highly. So we didn’t try.” The Tree was looking at the horizon but now looked back at Ridahne, “And now she is here, with you, two of my favorite Astrians, destined to save the people.” The Tree shook their head, “But enough about that. Tell me; rescuing people from the Dune Sea. How did you feel about that?”

Though The Roots of The Tree Darin found her way home. She couldn’t see her little village the way she was used to, but she was sensing them the way that The Tree did. She was able to sense induvial people. The human knew that The Tree could put names to ever soul in Astra, but she could only name the people that she knew. She ‘looked’ from the ground to see Thomas talking to Milla as they finished their evening activities. It didn’t take Darin long to figure out that they were heading to her farm. They were most likely checking in on her mother. She ached a happy sort of ache to see them keeping their promise. Darin moved to ‘look’ in after her mother. The woman looked well. Darin couldn’t physically smile, but The Leaves on The Tree rustled in a manner that could only be described as happy. Her mother hadn’t fallen into the same type of illness she had when Martin left. Then again, a child leaving was not the same as a lover leaving.

With that thought Darin thought of another pair of separated lovers. It was easy enough to travel along The Roots to Azurei. Once there Darin reliezed that she had no idea how to find who she was looking for. She couldn’t find Ajoran. She had no idea what he looked like. Then again, didn’t Ridahne have a brother? Darin ‘looked’ for Azurians with tattoos similar to Ridahne’s. She didn’t know a lot about the ojih, but she might know enough to find Ridahne’s family. She knew they were fishers, so she kept to the coasts. As she looked Darin studied each face closely. She would not miss him by going too fast. Then she found him. She couldn’t remember his name, but there he was. He looked almost exactly like Ridahne, well not exactly, but Darin didn’t need the ojih to confirm the familial link. The tattoos just provided a nice confirmation.

She spoke, though the odds of him hearing her were practically nothing, “Like your sister, you are beautiful.”

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Darin’s smile got wider as she took Ridahne’s hand and tugged the Elf across the simple line of stones. Darin didn’t let go as she walked backwards. She smiled as she led the warrior closer and closer to The Tree. Surprisingly the naturally clumsy girl didn’t trip once. Instead she practically glided. Whether Darin knew it or not this was where The Seed Bearer belonged; on sacred ground that meant more to just about everyone in Astra than any other piece of ground. As they walked a cacophony of voices filled the air.

Darin!Darin!Darin!Darin!

Ridaahnee! Ridahne! Riiidaahnee! Ridahne!

Darin!Darin!Darin!Darin! DARIN! Darin!Darin!

Ridahne! Ridaahnee! Ridahne!Ridahne! Riiidaahnee!

Darin!Ridahne! Ridahne!Darin!

The voices were not loud. They were not quiet. They were almost deafening. They were whispers so silent they could not be heard. They were not male or female. They were only male. They were only female. Each one could be heard as an induvial. They all overlapped so they couldn’t be distinguished. They were designed to be confusing. They made perfect sense. This was The Tree; speaking to and for all of Astra. This was overwhelming. It was far from enough. The only emotions that could be detected were unfiltered pride and boundless joy. The Tree was so glad to have The Seed Bearer and The first Seed-Chained here at last. The number of “Darins” decreased as the number of “Ridahnes” increased. Darin place the hand in hers on the trunk of The Tree.

As that happened a single echoing voice rang out, “Ridahne Torzinei Seed-Chained. You come to see me at last. I am so proud of you Daughter of the Night Sky. You have done very well; very well indeed.”

The voice came from Darin, but it wasn’t Darin speaking. Her mouth was moving, but it wasn’t her voice. It almost sound like how the human would sound if she was truly male but not quite. It was The Tree. The Tree could not speak to others the same why it spoke to The Gardener or The Seed Bearer. The Tree needed to speak though someone to speak to someone not part of its family. Luckily The Seed Bearer didn’t seem to mind. Of course, despite all of their differences, the young human liked the Elven warrior very much. That made it easier. The smile on Darin’s face was still there. There was something odd about it. It was very clear that this was not Darin.

The Tree gave the Elf a warning, “Do not take your hand from My Trunk. I would hate to end this conversation far too early. We have much to discuss my young warrior.” The smile became slightly mischievous, “Let us start with you thoughts on the first task I assigned to you. You accepted the assignment. What did you think of it.”

Darin was not aware of the conversation The Tree and Ridahne were having. The Tree had told Darin that It would need to borrow her body to talk to Ridahne and that the conversation would need to be a private one. Darin was alright with that. It made perfect sense to her. So, as The Tree had taken Darin’s body Darin had taken The Tree’s body. It was more than overwhelming. Darin felt the world as she had never felt it before. She felt all of Astra as wind, and soil, and water. The wind blew though The Leaves creating a music Darin had also loved to hear and was now finally playing. The Roots plunged though soil and water to map out Astra in a way that would never be possible to copy. Darin saw mines, rivers, roads, and lakes from below. She tasted the sea and the salt as she never would again. It was magnificent. Yet in her core, in the core of The Tree, she felt the sickness that had set in. She felt Ravi’s lifeforce as it fought to hold off the sickness. As she felt incalculable joy, she felt the deepest sorrow. In that brief moment Darin knew what life was and how it should be. She knew what it was that she was trying to protect and she would protect it as best she could.

Transformers: Savior From The Heavens { Angel & Anna }

The girl stared in shock as the pigtail blocked her means of escape. With terror in her eyes she turned her attention back to the femme. It seemed like the Decepticon would be getting her way after. Though the human couldn’t believe what the Cybertronian was saying. Home? This was the only home that the human had ever known. Though if she was understanding Raiza correctly the Cybertronian was talking about Earth. That gave the human pause. Could she really go to Earth? That was all she had ever wanted, but everything came with a price. She had no clue what it could be. The question was simple? Would she be willing to pay it?

Slowly the human nodded as her hands tapped out a simple message, <Please.>

The girl moved to collect what few possessions she had. There was the thin blanket that was no good at keeping out the chill. She also had a grapple that she used to get around the lab. She didn’t use it much. She had built it out of spare parts, and while Shockwave knew that she had it she didn’t like to flaunt it in front of the scientist. There was no reason to make him mad unnecessarily. The girl liked to remain mostly unharmed. So, she had tucked the grapple away; as hidden as it was going to be. If she was going to Earth, she would need it.

She scurried to the end of the counter only to stop at the edge. All of the sudden she was unsure. Should she drop to the ground? Should she climb on to the Cybertronian? The human knew that once she made a choice she wouldn’t be going back. If Shockwave got a hold of her after this, it would be the end. So, she had a choice. She could let the torture continue, or she could go with Raiza, and one way or another, it would be over. Wasn’t that all she had wanted?

She asked, <When? Now? How?> She knew the femme couldn’t understand her much, if at all, but she still had to try, <Please take me now.>

The Tree of Astra (LadyAnnaLee and Blackfridayrule)

Ridahne had a different story about Ravi’s Star. That wasn’t surprising. It was similar; a good person trying to keep others from being lost they way they were. That lead Darrin to believe that most of the stories across Astra regrading the guiding Star were similar. She knew she had next to know proof that was the case, but it made sense. It also made Darin wonder if there was actually not a Ravi, not the Overseer, but a Ravi from a long time ago that had formed the basis for the myths and legends. It didn’t seem likely that she would ever know the truth. Darin shifted her head until she was looking in the direction of The Tree. It was not one of the stories The Tree had chosen to share with her though she didn’t doubt that The Tree knew.

She looked back up at the sky, “You’re not a dog Ridahne.” She sighed, “Don’t even joke about something like that.” She waved vaguely at Ravi, “Ignore him. He thinks he’s being wise. Maybe he is being wise. He’s mostly just being annoying.”

Which probably meant he was being wise. Darin didn’t really care. All she knew was that she was enjoying herself. Even the bruises had been received. At least she was learning new things on this adventure. That meant even if she failed the trip itself wouldn’t be a waste. Darin supposed that was the best that could be hoped for. No, that wasn’t true. The best that could be hoped for was that she would figure out where The Seed was supposed to be planted. Lost in thought Darin started back to her feet. Her gaze had moved back towards The Tree. She started walking towards it. She wanted Ridahne to see truth. Maybe not the whole truth but part of it; in way that Ravi, the Overseer, could approve of.

She told Ridahne, “Come on. I have something to show you.” She led the way towards The Tree only to stop at one of the signs in front of a field, “I know it’s dark, but I noticed it earlier. All of these signs have at least three different crops on it. Some have more. There aren’t three different crops in the field. Rather it’s this fields rotation. One of each of this is planted each year. See what happens is a plant will use all of a certain nutrient in the soil. So, if you plant wheat in the same field year after year eventually your wheat yield goes down. The same things for carrots and beans; basically any crop.” She started moving back towards The Tree, “They all take different nutrients. So, what you do, well what farmers do, what I did, was rotate the crops. One year I would plant wheat and then I would plant beans the next year. All the farms in the village and in Lively did it. It looks like The Farm does it too. It gives the ground a chance to rest and recover.”

They were almost at the line that marked the boundary of The Tree. Well, the part of The Tree that could be seen. Darin bent down to place her hand on the ground. The Roots of The Tree traveled under all of Astra. The Barrier that kept people from getting too far from the coast of Astra were The Roots. Darin wondered how many people knew that. Her guess was not many.

She slowly stood back up, “The same thing is happening in Astra.” She let out a long sigh, “You just can’t rotate trees.” She smiled at Ridahne, “Come on!” She held out a hand, “Come meet The Tree. It’s so proud of you for stopping that evil. You have nothing.” Darin’s voice rang with earnestness and truth, “Nothing to be afraid of.” She laughed and it sounded joyful, “So let’s go!”