Much to consider - Narrative

[regental]

The Regent of Paradise sat at his desk, silently fuming. His large black and white cat lounged in his lap, snoozing and purring as he absently rubbed her ears. He'd dimmed all the lights in his study, preferring the dimness to match his black mood.

This was bullshit. Ever since his last conversation with Heather, he'd been in a constant state

Comments

[b4thetime]

So she came, a small chime to her step as she followed the persistent boy that came and collected her. Heather held her hands together in a soft clasp before her, while the folds of her fabric spiraled particularly around her.

Once she entered in the Regent's room, she found her eyes adverting his for reason. She could feel the upsetting tension within the room, a place so upsetting that it brought her lips to frown. She knew the animosity toward them was blossoming more each days the further they grew apart.

"Sire.." barely a above a whisper, she prayed for a shelter between them now. Yes, she was very much afraid of him - more afraid of him then the monsters that seeped inside the city.

[regental]

He was still seated behind his large desk, but the feline had vacated her former lounge and was now comfortably ensconced in her soft bed near the windowsill. But the Regent tapped his chin thoughtfully as the guardsman escorted the pagan to him; after a moment's hesitation, he tipped his fingers towards a chair opposite.

"Sit."

A quiet command, but one not to be disobeyed. He and Heather had long gone around and around, ever since she'd arrived in the city, so very long ago. But it was time for some straight answers, and he'd get them from her one way or the other.

[b4thetime]

She did not want to sit, she did not want to come any closer. But she did so, for the command that it was, we are all his children.

Her lips pierced and she stepped lightly toward the chair, and found herself challenging herself to look into his heavy eyes. A solemn expression lingered on her face, something always hidden that she could not bring forth. No matter how many times he has asked, she could only offer what she was able.

[regental]

Smart of her.

The Regent kept his falsely relaxed posture, lowering his hand to close with the other across his lap as he stared at the Witch of Paradise. When he did finally speak, his voice was deceptively calm, bordering on dreadful.

"And so, here we are, Milady Heather." A glint lit dark blue eyes. "Come a long way, yes? A far cry from the place we began, little more than a squad of mud huts in the desert."

[b4thetime]

"Time cannot heal all things.." her reply to his choice words, no matter how much time spins between the both of them and Paradise. Her light eyes flickered from him to the cat resting in its place, then off her shoulder to the floor.

"Nor does it seem we have changed much from it.." blinking before she lift her gaze from the floor and over back toward him.

[regental]

Interesting answer. The Regent chuckled a bit in response, weighing her words carefully. But she was indeed correct; Time wasn't a healer, wasn't sympathetic to Man's plight whatsoever. It just plodded on and on, recycling itself, for it was a wheel, and all wheels could do was roll on.

"No, we haven't," he agreed with a solemn nod. "More's the pity."

But, back to the problem at hand. His expression hardened a bit once more, and he slipped back into "stern" mode. "This catastrophe. It's not the proverbial 'beginning of the end', so to speak, but just what in hell's going on, Heather?"

He hoped to whatever merciful deity was still listening she gave him a straight answer this time.

[b4thetime]

Her lips parted, just slightly, and she leaned forward ever gently, however, she reserved herself for a moment's time. It was so obvious, so very clear, the other chose to complicate it however more. To blur the simple truth of it "It is far from the end, they are merely returning.. like streams to the rivers and the rivers to the ocean.. they are coming back to which they have left.." her hands came to pull on fabric, slipping aside a fold to pull out a braid of hair.

Zack Fair.. he has returned, and this hair, she has collected from him, the once ebony rich dark color is now faded to gray and soon to be white. She fondles the braid before slipping it back into the fold of her dress.

"This world will see balance, even if we have lost our sense of equilibrium."

[regental]

"Yeah, when pigs fly and goats crap gold." The Regent snorted and rubbed a hand over his face, beyond exasperated with this crap.

"I stopped waiting for Nirvana about five centuries ago, Heather, as close as I can measure it. From the beginning, it was all about balance, of yin over yang, of that one slightest thing which would tip the scales. And so far, the White's been failing miserably."

[b4thetime]

Her fingers curled and stretched across her lap before drawing up again to clasp lightly on her thighs. Her eyes lowered from him and she found her sight to the small rounds of her knees, her cloth rippled to the position she sat in.

He neither drew anything from her, or offered any desire for her to speak. The meaning behind words with such arrogance brought a uncanny tension between them. She cared not to disturb it with her troublesome tongue. The Regent was becoming tired, and faithless. He simply could not hear the truths of this world, but it was by choice, for any with an ear to their Mother will surely never forget her voice.

[regental]

"Why is this happening now, Heather?" The Regent suddenly leaned forward in his chair, eyes intent. "I know you can hear them, you've always been able to pick up voices from the ether. And don't waste my time with nonsense either; I'm really not in the mood to decipher crypticisims."

[b4thetime]

Her eyes flickered from him to the desk to her hands then back up to him. Her breath drawing in slowly and she held it within her for a moment-

"I.. have .. told you, they have returned to us, as they always will.. it is just the vast that is now noticeable more than the times of yesterday.."

"They have to return.. as you have sent them, you must now receive them.."

[regental]

That wasn't helpful, either.

"But why like this? This shit is just...sacrilegious!" Not that he believed in God anymore, but some of the citizens did, and he wouldn't fault them for that.

"What's the purpose?"

[b4thetime]

Her head bowed and she swallowed "I have not this answer any more then you, my.." gentler "Sire."

Her fingers curled on her lap while eyes fell to the shine of the floor "you ask that which you already know, just as breath knows to fill your lungs and release." In which she was finding it hard to breath, the air between them, tainted.

"She will be in the light of the sun and the moon will not yet be far behind," rising her eyes to him once again "and the tears scattered across the sky will find the channel back to the eyes in which they fell from, the stars; they will be no more.. should you continue to deny her nature, your Mother."

[regental]

The Regent just stared at her for a minute, then heaved a sigh and sat back in his chair, exasperated beyond measure. Waving his hand, he just answered, "Yes, thanks. Go. I've got a screaming headache."

[b4thetime]

For a hesitated moment she lingered where she sat, standing finally with an expression that was easily read as her words were to understand "I await your direction, as always.." a polite bow, as the heart directs the blood, my breath waits yet to breath.. ".. Goodnight."