[Audio / Commentlog]

[thequeensown]

[There is a muffled sound of surprise from behind the heavy wooden door. A moment passes and then anyone in the vicinity might hear the mournful cry that echoes from behind the door. There is a brief bit of crashing, several things being overturned. Her voice might be heard through the door by anyone passing.]No .. No no .. nononono. NO. Not again

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Commentlog

[thequeensown]

[Talia might have heard your voice, Kevas, but she neither saw the journal nor knows of its importance. She begins moving down the hallway o the Keep, heart racing at the sickening familiarity this place holds to Ancar's Keep .. particularly the dungeons. She stumbles to a halt after she clears the barracks, standing just outside the Great Hall. Her voice is heavy and thick with tears as she half turns in place. She knows not who she might be speaking to, but her voice gets louder as she goes on.]

I was not alone when I was rescued and .. [Her throat catches, voice cracking.] Be there any likelihood that others were brought from my world? Others from the Golden Shore? I .. I cannot start over again .. Not alone .. not after finding a degree of peace to my mind and soul..

If they are not here already .. [Again a break, her voice softening and strained.] Is there any hope they still might be? If not .. If not .. [She swallows and her voice hardens, not even knowing if anyone else is around. She yells at the walls and the doorways, trembling with a mixture of rage and hurt.] If not .. I will rend this place apart, brick by brick until the Lord of this it sends me back from where and when he has taken me. I'd rather a slow death with my beloved on that accursed Shore than to be saved without him.

[She trails off and hugs her arms about herself, trembling. She leans back against the brick wall and sinks to the stone floor, head pillowed on her knees. Why was she being tested in this manner? What had she done to anger whatever Gods remained of her world and earn this laughable rescue.

Her mind, screaming out as loud as it had a few moments before, pulls back and clamps down behind its shields. And though she could never block Kevas completely, a trace of him forever at the peripheral of her mind, she is distraught and disbelieving of what she might be picking up.]

Commentlog

[drinkuntilidie]

[Not in the barracks? Dammit! Kevas sprints back outside, searching for any signs of Talia. She's hear somewhere. He knows it. Unless of course the mental strain of being here has just become too much and Kevas has snapped. That's not something Kevas wants to think about.

Suddenly his ears twitch. That's a scream, a woman's scream. Kevas races in that direction.]

Talia! Talia where are joo!? Talk to me!

[She might not be answering him through the journal, but maybe she'll hear him. Kevas storms down the halls of the keep, trying to remember the direction he heard the scream. He's determined to find her and he's not resting until he does. He lost her once and he'll be damned to lose her again.]

Talia I be comin'! Just hold on!

[Commentlog]

[thequeensown]

[Talia shivers where she sits, flooded by any number of memories and none of them good. She could try to kill herself, but there was any number of things wrong with that. She would be giving up if she did so, admitting that she was weaker than whatever it was she faced; even without knowing yet what it was. There was also no kind of guarantee that suicide would end in the manner she hoped. On the Elegante and Shore death had been no sort of escape, its victim returning a short time later to continue living.

Her thoughts linger on this for a bit longer, but she stills as a yell echoes down the hallways. Her head lifts, eyes wide as she scans the open area around her.]

Kevas?

[Her voice is soft and no small amount doubtful. Was she really so lost that she was hearing him here when he was not? But no.. a second call sounds, this one closer than the last, and Talia pushes to her feet quickly. She begins moving, pace increasing as she runs down the hall in the direction his voice sounded.]

KEVAS!!

[She skids to a halt, straining her ears as her gaze jerks around. She turns nearly a full circle, heart in her throat as she hopes for even a flash of him, shields lowering again and opening to sweep the area for his mental 'signature'.]

[Commentlog]

[drinkuntilidie]

[That's definitely her. There's no doubt about it now. Kevas puts on an extra burst of speed down the hallway. He can feel his stomach doing flips. If this is some kind of elaborate prank, they'll see a fury from him that no one has ever seen before.

Finally Kevas reaches the Great Hall and...there she is. She looks haggard, but she's no less beautiful than the day they met. A smile spreads slowly across his lips. The smile then becomes a joy filled laugh and he rushes towards her. First Nel, and now his Talia. Maybe his luck is actually beginning to turn around.

When he reaches her, Kevas wraps his around her hugging with all his might, even lifting her into the air. He can't stop laughing blissfully. Feel that Talia? That's your troll feeling nothing short of elation from the sight of you.]

I found joo. I finally found joo.

[Despite his joy his words are almost a whisper. In this moment, nothing but her matters.]

[Commentlog]

[thequeensown]

[From the opposite end of the hall he appears and for a moment Talia fears that she was simply hoping for him too much; and then her mind brushes his and her doubts fall away, forgotten. There is an immense surge of joy and she shifts on one heel, rushing and meeting his crushing embrace halfway, arms wrapping securely around his neck.

She makes no complaint at the tightness of us grip, clutching at his tunic as he own arms encircle his much larger form. She feels the lack of floor beneath her feet, but has no concern over this detail. Her laugher echoes and blends with his, still tinged with a touch of desperation as she clings to him.

Kevas' thoughts have an unmistakable underlying of depression, but the elation and joy is certainly at the fore. She hears him clearly, no matter how softly he speaks, her mind intertwining with his as if to just assure herself that he is there. Her own voice is soft and husky with emotion, her face buried into the crook of his neck as she speaks.]

Haven help me, I was scared I'd lost you..

[She clutches at his neck all the more, the thought of what it would have been like without him making her shiver. She swallows back the bile that accompanies the thought, exhaling shakily as she finally looks up from his neck and searches us face as if memorizing him all over again.]

Kevas .. beloved .. what's happened? Where are we?

[Commentlog]

[drinkuntilidie]

[He can feel her shaking in his arms and he just holds her, gently running his hand down her hair. It's so good to feel her again. Making those graves has been the hardest thing he's done since getting her. Her's had been the hardest to make. He never wanted to accept that she was gone, and now he doesn't have to. Kevas can tear that maker from the ground and smash it to pieces.]

Joo won't have to. I promise dat I'll nevah leave joo behind. Nevah again.

[It's only been a little more than a week, but without her it's felt like an eternity. Kevas smiles contentedly at her and softly kisses her forehead.]

It be dat damn boat all ovah again. Just dis time it ain't be run by a bunch of madmons.

[At least that's how it looks so far.]

[Commentlog]

[thequeensown]

[Although she knows that he is upset, she hasn't seen those grave markers yet. If she stumbles across them, it will be a sobering and depressing time, although she'll be more than a little happy that she's not to be included in those that remain standing.

She closes her eyes as his hands move over her hair, holding tightly to the reality that they are together and she should breathe a bit easier. At his softly spoken promise she lets out a strained laugh, pulling back a bit to look at him, her own hand moving to cup his cheek.]

We seem to speak that oath all too often, my love .. I am glad that we have been so blessed in keeping it.

[For he a week, for she and unknown amount of time. To lose track of it in such a manner is daunting and overwhelming in no small degree. She closes her eyes as his lips press against her forehead, letting out a soft breath as he feet once again find the ground.

Looking up at him, she frowns, brows knitting. They had been removed from the Shore to this place ..]

Are we certain of that, Kevas? [She grimaces and flushes, looking down toward the ground.] I .. I do not mean to be a negative voice, but there has been little that pleasantly surprised me in the past year. I .. I cannot see another world die ..

[She looks up at him, tears stinging behind her lids.] You were a gem amongst the coal, Kevas .. I do not think we shall be so lucky again .. [Much jaded by the Golden Shore, Talia has become. She swallows tightly and searches his face.] Were any others brought here with us?

[Vanyel .. Remy .. Marco .. So many others left behind on that island..]

[Commentlog]

[drinkuntilidie]

[Kevas leans into her hand and just relishes in the moment.]

Da End couldn't tear me away from joo. Whatevah dis place be havin' won't eiddah.

[Slowly, almost reluctantly, Kevas lets her go. It's like he's afraid she might suddenly vanish if he's not holding her.

He wishes he could be certain of anything at the moment but there are too many unknowns in this place. The staff don't seem nearly as cruel. Hell they're outright helpful, friendly even. But that doesn't mean they aren't monsters in sheep's skin.]

I wish I could tell jah I be havin' some good news, but I barely be knowin' what be goin' on. Sometin' happened. Some disastah, and now ouh homes be gone...again.

[He can't really be more specific than that. Kevas has no idea what an ontological disaster is. Hell he doesn't even know what ontological means.

Kevas reaches down and gingerly clears the tears from her eyes with a smile. She looks like she's about to break at any moment, just like him when he first arrived. Of course he won't let that happen. He'll be strong if just so she can have a constant pillar of support.]

Some, but not many...all my sisters be gone.

[With the exception of Vie but then, she's no longer his sister now is she?]

[Commentlog]

[thequeensown]

[Talia smiles at his words, knowing them for the truth if nothing else. They had faced The End, and yet here they were, still together and still alive.

She listens as he tells her what he knows, although there is little enough of it to be told. There was no telling what was planned for them, but in her mind her world was already gone. What more could be destroyed save for the family she'd taken at the Shore?]

Saved from one ill-begotten fate and brought to another .. [She sighs softly and finds his hand, giving it a squeeze.] With any luck, this place will prove better for us .. safer, mayhap..

[She would be happy enough with a warm bath in non-salted water and a meal that consisted of more than roots and minuscule fish. Hell, she couldn't really remember what being full felt like.

Her thoughts return to the moment at hand as Kevas touches her cheek, frowning slightly as he tells her that not many came, including his sisters.]

Oh, beloved .. I am so sorry .. [Her brows knit and she focuses her attentions on him now, kicking herself for worrying about herself and her stomach. She touches his cheek again, her voice gentle and reassuring as she echoes the words with a gentle caress of her mind.]

Perhaps there is still hope, my love .. If we have found our way, then there could still be others. Best to keep a hopeful approach, yes?

[Says Talia, the newly forged pessimist of pessimism.]

[Commentlog]

[drinkuntilidie]

[Kevas wraps his hand around Talia's and returns the gesture.]

If it ain't be, den 'll just haftah make it dat way. What be left to be afraid of?

[He says this with absolute seriousness. After all that's happened they deserves some peace, at the very least Talia does. For far too long, luck has been too big a factor in his life, which may explain why it's falling apart around him. It's time he takes charge and starts making the best of what he can.

Kevas closes his eyes and takes comfort in her touch. Why does he always survive where his family doesn't? If that's the cost of his survival, he's not sure if he even wants to continue surviving.]

Maybe, but I ain't be holdin' my breathe.

[After all, Kevas waited half a year for his daughter to appear with no such luck.]

[Commentlog]

[thequeensown]

[She keeps a hold of his hand, searching his face as he closes his eyes at her words. She threads comfort and love into her thoughts, free hand on his cheek.]

We have survived thus far, Kevas .. We will survive longer yet and we will see those we have lost again.

[Kevas, bb .. it'll be okay. Let Talia take care of you for a while. She gives his hand a squeeze once more to gain his full attention, ducking her head so he'll have to look at her.]

Would you show me our home, beloved? If we are to make it such for the time being, it would be best if I know my way around.

[She offers him a gentle smile.]

[Commentlog]

[drinkuntilidie]

I hope so. I really do.

[He's just so tired of starting over. This will be his third or fourth time doing so.

When he opens his eyes his gaze meets hers and he smiles.]

Sure...yeah I can do dat.

[Hopefully. The only two places he knows well in this place is the bar and the barracks. Looks like it will be an adventure for the two of them.]

[Commentlog]

[thequeensown]

[Oh, Kevas .. she more than understands. She's hanging on by the skin of her teeth as it is. If it were to happen again ..

He meets her gaze and she returns his smile in kind, looping her arm through his.]

Lead on, my fearless warrior.

[Well, that's two more places than she knows now, so it's certainly a starting point.]

[Commentlog]

[drinkuntilidie]

[At least he'll have her. He'll always have her.]

Gladly my lovely ladymon.

[Kevas gives her a most charming smile before leading her down the hall. Where to take her first? Then it hits him. It would be best to show her to the kitchens. If she just came from the Shore then she probably hasn't had a good meal in her for some time.]