If you're 'alf of my soul, 'ow come you're such a dweeb?

[Vega]

123rd Vhalar, 717

Standing on the rocks as the winds whipped around her, Vega looked out at the docks on Scalvoris and she frowned. The ship was sailing away, having attacked the bay and the pirates had been defeated whilst the residents of the island had vanquished every baddie and everyone was alright. It had been a dream of a child, she thought, that she had woken up in. Probably quite young considering how stereotyped and non-threatening the pirates had been, but still, it was good that they were beaten and so she stood, on the beach next to the rocky cliffs and she watched as the boat, and the dream, sailed into the distance.

"Eva"

Vega turned around at the voice, a frown on her face. She was sure that she'd heard it. The young dreamwalker hadn't walked in Emea for a while; since Nella Creede had died, in fact. It wasn't something she wanted to or would do without Arlo or whilst he wasn't able to. So it might be that, a lack of practice which led to hearing voices, but Vega didn't think so. She'd woken up in the girl's dream and yet, though it all she'd had a sense of anticipation, of.. something.

"Eva"

"A'right, this is bloody stupid. Wot?" Vega had no need, wish, inclination or desire to beat about the bush. It was pointless, silly and frankly she wasn't good at anything except direct anyhow. Looking around, though, she couldn't see anything and yet she knew what she'd heard - she had heard someone, a distinctly female someone, calling her name. Her real name, she supposed.

"Look. Look for me"

"Oh, Aelig's 'airy nuts, yer my bloody familiar, aren't you?" Vega let out a sigh of frustration, irritation and downright annoyance at the thing. "Look, I understand that yer used to dealin' with Sev'ryn, an' all, an' I know wot they're like, but I'm not like that." Never, she thought with a smile, was a truer word spoke. The Sev'ryn had been calm, accepting, quietly spoken individuals who seemed to have serene down to a fine art. "Mostly, I'm a bad tempered cantankerous pain in the ass, an' I couldn't hey nonny nonny if you paid me." Vega still wasn't entirely sure what 'hey-nonny-nonny' meant exactly, but she was clear that it summed up the Sev'ryn. And then some. Equally, what she knew with absolute and hundred percent conviction was that it did not sum up her.

"I know what you are like, Eva"

There was a tinge of amusement in the voice and Vega sighed. "No, no you don't. Evidently. If you did," Vega was quite clear about that, more than a little bit sure when she spoke, "then you wouldn't be doin' this mystical voice of wisdom from the depths of my subconscious or whatever crud this is." She shrugged and picked up a stone, then flung it out to sea, as she had flung a pebble into a stream some trials before. "I bloody 'ate that sort of showy rubbish an' frankly, if you're 'alf of my soul, 'ow come you're such a dweeb?"

"....."

The silence was telling and Vega chuckled. "Yeah, that's about wot I thought, you know."

[Vega]

123rd Vhalar, 717

It was all well and good, this familiar thinking that it was the one that was in charge, that she had to run around after it, but that wasn't really how Vega saw it. "Look, I get that for all these centuries, you guys 'ave maintained yer existence by keepin' the status quo. I understand, I respect it." There was no arrogance to what Vega was saying, it was just clear and honest. "But you need me as much as I need you. More, really, cos 'onestly, I'm perfectly 'appy."

"We are bonded together, Eva. You know this. I am half of you"

"Yeah, kinda. But I'm only 'alf Sev'ryn an' so really yer a quarter of me." Vega was quite proud of the maths she'd done there and she grinned to herself. "So, yeah, I'd like to meet you, but enough of the mystic flunny crud, love, I'm not playin'."

"Eva"

"An' that's another thing. That isn't my name, not to anyone except my Papa." Sometimes, when they were trying to be nice to her or trying to irritate her (much more common as an occurrence), her cousins called her it, but really it was her father's name. "So don't call me that."

"It's what your mother would call you"

The voice sounded offended, or at least vaguely put out Vega thought.
She then dismissed the thought as unimportant.

"An' if she ever calls me it to my face, you can too. But she won't cos she's dead, so that's not important, is it?" There was no denying the frustration and irritation Vega felt but, equally, she could feel that the familiar was feeling the same. Yet both of them were amused, anticipatory. "It's like it is with him." She didn't need to speak Arlo's name, she knew. The familiar knew who she was talking about. "We're gonna 'ave to work out the rules. For us both, I don't doubt, but we'll work it out. An' one of em is no mystic flyin' bunny of wisdom spiel, I'm not in to it " That was clear, it was honest and the chuckle she heard told her that it was, in a strange way, appreciated.

"Only if you promise no obnoxious fighter of defence. That's what you do.
You attack.
So that you don't show that your defence failed"

Vega snorted, "That ain't right at all. I thought you said you knew me? I attack cos people irritate me an' I'd rather they bogged off an' let me alone." She had never really been more sure of anything in her life than she was of that statement. With, of course, a few notable exceptions, but she wasn't telling him that. "But look, I want to find you an' you wanna be found. Seems logical to me we work together, don't it?" The whole idea of power games just bored her and Vega wasn't going to play. "So where are you?"

"That isn't how it works, Eva... Vega. That isn't how it works."

"No, that isn't 'ow it's worked up till now" Vega said with a grin. "Doesn't mean it don't work that way for us, does it?"

[Vega]

123rd Vhalar, 717

Vega could feel that the familiar was uncomfortable, uncertain. Not uncertain of herself, or of who she was, but unclear about the situation. That was fine, Vega felt the same way, frankly. She suspected that, as different as they were, that would be the case for a lot of situations. "Look, I'll look for you. If you need me to. Or we can be the partners you say we are, an' tell me. Cos I asked nicely an' said please, too." This was just frankly stupid, Vega was convinced. Nothing to do with the Sev'ryn, everything to do with being tied to traditions, to ways of doing things. "You're part of me. You think like I do, an' not at the same time. Wotcha say?"

"I say very little"

Vega looked down and saw her familiar there, for the first time. She knelt down, in her dream and there were tears of delight sparkling in her eyes. "But look, yer beautiful." There was a feeling, a moment of shared emotion and Vega grinned. "All elbows an' knees. But beautiful too. Yer like.. a flunny an' a bird?"

"Rainbow lorikeet. Flunny and lorikeet. This is how you perceive me, you understand?"

"Yeah, cos it's who you are. Come off it Fluffles. Come to that, what's yer name?" Vega suddenly thought that it would be entirely awesome if she got to name the familiar and could call her Fluffles. Although, she did have to admit that maybe the familiar herself wouldn't be entirely happy with that as a name. But then, she was half of Vega's own soul - she had to have a good sense of humour, surely?

"Iris"

"Like the plant?" Vega sounded a little surprised, but it was a pretty name, it had four letters and it suited the creature here with her. Somehow, and she couldn't tell how, it was right. "It's beautiful. You are, it is. I'm right pleased to meet you." The sense from Iris was of overwhelming pleasure, although Vega could feel that sensation of 'by the Immortals, what's this woman like!?' but she didn't mind. She knew herself well enough to know, she could be tricky to live with. Iris and Arlo were probably going to get on just fine.

"You miss him. More than you thought you would. Will you tell him? When he comes back?"

It had been three trials now and Vega was starting to get a niggling doubt about him coming back at all. She knew that it was just fear whispering to her, but still. "No, course I won't. What kind of a steaming numpty do you take me for? But he'll know" Vega was clear on both of those and the confusion in Iris' thoughts was obvious. "He knows me. 'e's my best friend. He knows what I'm like, an' 'e knows that by now I'm getting jumpy. But that don't matter, or it won't, the trill I see 'im."

There was a moment of silence from the strange and mismatched creature as she considered Vega's words.Then, she spoke and there was chuckling laughter in her voice.

"I'm in Sweetwine Woods. With the bees"

"Bees?" Vega said with a grimace. "Are you serious? I bloody 'ate bees. A'right. Soon as he gets back, we'll come find you. Good chat."

And then, because she had nothing more to say and, as a dream, this was limited and she had better things to do. Vega turned and left. Her familiar was left there, alone and she chuckled. It was, it seemed, going to be an interesting incarnation.

[Quio]

Overview

Comments: I have to say, I really loved the setting of this thread. Though it didn't play a major role in the writing itself I couldn't help but comment on it; it's just such a neat concept. There's something inherently simple but spectacular about a child's dream. Where better to meet your familiar?

I really liked the way Vega and Iris interacted. Iris, to me, felt so earnest and a little puzzled, perhaps, as if at once amused and perplexed and pleased to have met Vega. And Vega was just so direct. I know it's because that's how she deals with relationships in general, but it's still so cool to see someone interact with their familiar in such a no-nonsense, let's-get-this-done sort of way.

It was only as I started to write the review that I began to wonder if there was a relevance between the setting of the dream itself and Vega's Iris. Perhaps the feeling of innocence, of something new. Or celebration. Or just plain happiness. Maybe that's it.

P.S. The picture I have in my head of Iris is super cute. Also it's totally cute that Vega approved of Iris' four letter name. Four letter names FTW.

• VEGA

CS: CS is approved and up-to-date.

Skill Knowledge:
None.

Loot: None.
Injuries: None.
Fame: None.

Points: 10/10
Magic: You CANNOT use the XP awarded for magic.

Please edit your review request, here, to indicate that your thread has been reviewed.

Code: Select all

[center][img]/gallery/image.php?album_id=39&image_id=12065[/img][/center][/center]

Feel free to PM if you have any comments, questions, or concerns!