Idina Doc
Wildgardian
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Posts: 258
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Post by Idina Doc on Nov 9, 2014 20:39:31 GMT -6
A sinister smile and glittering eyes were the last things Idina saw before her vision went red, then black, then dimly lit and spotty.
She knew she'd been right about the rings. She knew she'd been right about Faljere. And perhaps in the back of her mind, she'd known something about Cillian O'Donnel that made her right there as well. So much to have been right about, only to fall short and be wrong in thinking she could handle herself.
Her arms felt numb, her eyelids too heavy to lift. She couldn't feel anything at her neck or throat; odd, seeing as how she would've thought the left side would have at least been tingling, if not in searing pain. There was a cool pressure against her cheek and chest, and she assumed this was the same surface on which her limbs were splayed about, tangled up in her skirt and shirt. She tried to summon the strength to move even a little, to clench her fist or to lift her head, but nothing came to her.
Perhaps she ought to just lay here a bit longer.
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Post by Jennis Mul Moongem on Nov 10, 2014 21:59:11 GMT -6
The half-elf's spirit walked along the stone of the Insubstantial Plane--a place she'd never thought of visiting again had she that option. When she'd died, she remained here, faced with the souls of those she'd fought against and alongside, their wounds spilling brilliant light from their bodies. Hers, from her chest. It was a large gaping hole that she'd received after having her heart removed.
A hole, yes, but it felt like her heart still beat for someone.
But there was someone new here, someone who had yet to make it to the afterlife. This would be Jennis' mission here: bring this lost soul to where she belonged.
Adjusting her hair, she approached the newly-dead and smiled. "You seem lost, weary traveler."
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Idina Doc
Wildgardian
Could we start again, please?
Posts: 258
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Post by Idina Doc on Nov 10, 2014 22:12:57 GMT -6
A voice sounded from somewhere above her, and it sent a small amount of energy through the girl on the ground. She was now able to open her eyes, lift her head, and move her legs, the former two of which she did.
Above her stood a face she had never seen before, and yet it wasn't a malicious face. The newcomer was lightly armoured, mostly on her shoulders and arms, but the rest of her was dressed casually and she carried no weapon; her stance suggested a warrior even so. Dirty blonde hair that was decently kept, and a light dusting of freckles across what skin Idina could see. Most noticeable, however, was the brilliant orange light coming from her eyes and her chest. The latter was mostly covered by a Celtic-coloured sash, but wafts of orange light could be seen curling around the edges of the fabric.
After taking a moment to study this new person, the human girl seemed to remember what had been said to her. "I... I did just get here," she confirmed. She tried to sit up, but her arms wouldn't cooperate. "My arms, they... I cannot feel my arms or my neck..."
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Post by Jennis Mul Moongem on Nov 11, 2014 21:59:32 GMT -6
The warrior reached down and placed her arms gently behind the newcomer's back. Now that she was closer to the green spirit, she could see how beautiful she was. Short locks parted to the side revealing such a cute face, dotted with freckles against round features. Her eyes drained green energy to match her radiance, as did a small slit in her neck.
She worried at who would kill such a sweet-looking girl.
Still, she pulled up, assisting the girl and bringing her to her feet. "I assumed as much. My name is Jennis Mul Moongem, and I have come to escort you. Your name is...?"
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Idina Doc
Wildgardian
Could we start again, please?
Posts: 258
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Post by Idina Doc on Nov 11, 2014 23:00:54 GMT -6
The newcomer placed a hand on Idina's back to help her sit up, and helped her further by pulling her onto her feet. Although she had typically be opposed to physical contact, the stranger's touch was sobering. Normally in this realm, it was impossible to touch those you met here, for your hands would pass through them as though their whole being was composed of the same mist that came from their eyes and injuries. Evidently, such was not the case now. The contact was a very big confirmation to the blonde about her current state: she had to be dead.
She was so absorbed in this fact that she almost missed it when her new companion introduced herself. However, the voice caught at her attention and pulled her thinking back to the speaker, only for the words to hit her like a slap in the face. Her eyes grew wide, lips parting a little when her jaw unhinged subconsciously. Then, she realized how rude she was acting, and she cleared her throat, a little worriedly.
"Sorry," she said quickly. Plenty of sentences danced on the tip of her tongue now, but she knew she couldn't say them all at once. One thought at a time: first things first, introductions. "I... My name is Idina Doc. Healer from the Western Lands." A bit of rambling helped her get her thoughts in check, although she would have to get used to not calling herself a healer anymore.
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Post by Jennis Mul Moongem on Nov 12, 2014 20:01:26 GMT -6
Jennis felt a slight tingling against the girl, as if something or someone was pulling back. This, she recognized all too well from when she'd arrived in the Insubstantial Plane upon the occasion of her death. She'd been told it was emotions, Earth-bound, not wanting her to leave. There were so many people she had yet to apologize to, so many she wanted to see again. Have them laugh while sharing a drink. Have them advise her when she felt troubled. Have her place her soft lips against her own in complete ecstasy. Yes, those feelings had occurred when she died.
She knew this one. Idina was pulling back, and there was someone assisting her. Of course this healer from the western lands wouldn't want to go; after all, the first stage of death was always denial, and though it was often said that the stages were meant solely for the living who had a loved one pass, the dead often experienced them as well.
This was the work of both the living and the dead.
"I see what it is," Jennis muttered, her hand on her orange chin. "There are those back home who miss you...You see, when you die, your soul remains trapped in your body, but your conscience, if I may all it such, visits the Insubstantial Plane. Only once your soul is released, either by fire, magic, or nature itself, can it travel to the afterlife."
She turned away from the girl and waved her hand, opening a small hole in the dark fabric that made up the plane. She saw a funeral. A group of people, small but tight. Sad people with wet faces and puffy eyes. People holding regrets in their hearts. One man holding a bottle of alcohol in his hands. Another holding more than one. And there was the girl, who looked somewhat like a caribou who had mated with a human. Her face was dull, lifeless, and angry, but her heart was what Jennis could truly see, and it was this girl who hurt the most.
"Someone's letting your soul go from your corpse. Soon, we can travel together to the afterlife. To paradise. Still," she moved aside for the girl to see, "would you like to say one last goodbye? They won't hear you, but it will do you some good."
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Idina Doc
Wildgardian
Could we start again, please?
Posts: 258
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Post by Idina Doc on Nov 12, 2014 21:29:43 GMT -6
The view that Jennis allowed her stole her breath. Each and every face present in the group was one she recognized, and she cared immensely for the majority of them - the few that were present that she hadn't given much positive thought towards in life, if any thought was given at all, tugged at her heart. This was a quiet and close-knit funeral.
Subconsciously her hand reached out towards the scene before the human girl remembered that she was quite far from them. She listened to her companion's explanation intently, and her offer intrigued her. A final good-bye... Her gaze turned back to the funeral, her eyes whistful. "Yes," she murmured, "but..." She hummed a noise of thought. She knew that she could simply bid farewell to the small party from where she was; that would be simplest. But the possibility could exist that she could be in their midst for that occasion, and she could be among them one last time to give her words a little extra finality. Yet she had always believed that the dead and the living were to be kept separate - her current situation emphasized this, she told herself. Besides, no matter where she was, no one would hear her words anyway!
But she thought of the soul, that which had yet to be released fully from her earthly attire. It was glowing white above what had been her body now, taking in whatever energy and words the funeral guests were giving it. "Would it be easier for the soul to reach me if... If I were there?" she asked. Quickly afterwards, she added: "I know that must be a strange question, but do you have any idea?"
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Post by Jennis Mul Moongem on Nov 15, 2014 18:57:30 GMT -6
Jennis watched Idina's pained reaction to seeing the funeral happening. She'd always wondered what it would be like to have seen her own funeral, but when she first arrived, she was so lost, and her spirit and soul had not been truly connected. She had no guide, and no soul, and no way to see Sarea once more to give her a final farewell. It wasn't until her body began to decay that the soul left naturally, and Jennis was able to finally make her way to the afterlife. And yet she never got to see her own funeral, or how her death affected those she truly loved.
Idina was lucky to have this opportunity, and yet it was also a curse. To see those you once stood beside must be truly painful, knowing that the chances of joining them again are slim, if not non-existent.
"There's...no way for that to happen. I am sorry, Idina, Healer of the Western Lands," Jennis apologised. "But when it arrives, I can take you to the afterlife." She paused, watching the girl's friends tearing and mourning. "They love you dearly, girl. That much is certain. And you will always be able to watch over them."
The white light of her soul began to lift up, breaking through the translucent stone ground as if it were a thin veil of mist. "Better go catch it."
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Idina Doc
Wildgardian
Could we start again, please?
Posts: 258
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Post by Idina Doc on Nov 15, 2014 23:36:15 GMT -6
She couldn't join them... She was right, then. The dead and the living weren't meant to exist on the same plane. Such was how Idina had been taught as a child, such was the belief she held onto all her life.
She couldn't take her eyes off of her funeral, trying to identify each person in the small crowd. Ashen, Ilea, and Lila were all easy to spot thanks to animal features. Thea, Drogo, Aria, and Jay were all present as well, and Stelio appeared to be coming and going. There were a few people she couldn't recognize right off the bat, and whether this was because they were strangers or because she had only spoken to them once or twice, she knew not. A figure stood in the forest, easier for her to spot from her point of view, and she would have been willing to bet money on who that person was; a sad smile played on her lips at the thought of Faljere not joining the crowd, but being present anyways.
The green spirit almost missed Jennis' remark of her soul's arrival, but when she turned away from her view, it seemed to be waiting for her. She stepped towards it, right hand outstretched as though to pluck it from the air. A pale wisp wrapped around her finger, and all of a sudden she felt as though her soul were being poured back into her. Her eyes turned from green to white briefly as soul and spirit were joined. A surge of thoughts and emotions came to her, as well as a chorus of voices, each belonging to someone she knew and cared about. She bid a kind thought to each voice, wishing each person who had spoken to her nothing but the best.
After a deep breath, she turned to her companion - her eyes had turned green again - and smiled. "I feel much better now," she announced.
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Post by Jennis Mul Moongem on Nov 16, 2014 0:25:17 GMT -6
Jennis smiled. It was so good to see Idina's glow get brighter when her soul and spirit merged. She knew herself how nice the sensation was, as well, almost like the greatest mixture of belonging where one needed to be, the tender feeling of the climax of lovemaking, and the warmth of a cozy blanket when all seemed cold. The spirit was the conscious given physical form, the soul was the heart given ethereal form. Together, they were the remains of one lost to death's grasp. "Feels good, does it not?"
She waved her hand once more, closing off the window that allowed Idina to see the goings-on of her friends and loved ones, knowing that it wouldn't be wise to dwell on people who were worlds apart. Of course, this is something that she herself was guilty of, but was also something she wanted to spare Idina of feeling, for to feel that way would be torment. As well, with the proper ceremony and the chance to say her own farewell, it was good enough closure.
"Shall we go, then? Now, to the afterlife? I'm sure you'll find it to your liking, and we can discuss anything you'd want to," she invited, reaching her armoured hand out to the healer.
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Idina Doc
Wildgardian
Could we start again, please?
Posts: 258
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Post by Idina Doc on Nov 16, 2014 0:53:47 GMT -6
Truth be told, Idina felt a little sad when Jennis closed the view to the funeral. Though she knew she wouldn't be able to be with all of them again, seeing the group of people she cared about one last time was still soothing to her. Serendipitous, perhaps, given the context of why they were all together. She mulled over the words her loved ones had offered to her soul before Ashen had released it - oh, she would have to thank her most graciously for that! - and considered who all had spoken. Perhaps most notable was the lack of Lila's voice... She let that go, thinking perhaps she was too grief-stricken to have been able to speak to her fiancée's soul.
Speaking of grief-stricken, one of her sisters hadn't said anything, either. In fact, she couldn't recall seeing Sarea present in the vision she had been granted. Though her absence hurt, she had to admit that she could understand the elf's probable reasoning. Which reminded her of why Jennis' name had been a wake-up call to her...
No, the girl decided, studying her companion's outstretched hand for a moment. That thought could wait a little while longer. "Alright," she said, green hand clasping orange, "I am ready now."
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Post by Jennis Mul Moongem on Nov 16, 2014 1:12:37 GMT -6
As soon as she grabbed Idina's hand, the two began to be encircled in pure, white light, nearly blinding the warrior elf. Of course, this light was the bridge between the 'purgatory' Insubstantial Plane, so dreary and dark, and the afterlife, so beautiful and intimate.
When the light vanished, she had returned to her home in the afterlife, and she motioned for Idina to take a look at where she'd be resting in peace: the entrance was made of great stone pillars surrounded by lush, green vines, with golden bars acting as supports and decoration. The land itself shifted with each passing moment, but in a way like flowing water or a cloud in the sky. The hills morphed into mountains in a single moment, and then to plains in the next. A flowing river of crystalline, blue water ran through, falling up and down like magic. To those who were in the land of the living, its surrealism would be disconcerting. To the dead, it was pure beauty.
"The land does change, but only with your eyes. How you perceive it depends entirely on how you would like to. White shores crashing on shined stone, reflecting against the silver glass sky...rolling, green hills as vibrant and colourful as the eyes of a beautiful woman...a pure soul with a voice as rich as the wine in this land," she said, her voice almost drifting. "Of course, that is how I see it. Once we pass through, you will see it your way."
With that, she led Idina gently through the stone pillars and smiled. "What do you see now? Much more beautiful, isn't it?"
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Idina Doc
Wildgardian
Could we start again, please?
Posts: 258
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Post by Idina Doc on Nov 16, 2014 1:37:13 GMT -6
Opening her eyes after nearly being blinded and seeing the contrast between the Insubstantial Plane was like nothing the young human had ever experienced. As they passed through the gates, the view changed, just as Jennis had promised. What greeted Idina was a melding of many of the most beautiful places she'd known, seamlessly together, the plethora of plants absolutely stunning. "I see my home village..." she began, turning around on herself to take in everything. "And the forest I passed through years ago, with trees so tall I could not see the tops... The Lomash Plains in spring, in full bloom with clover flowers..." Her face absolutely lit up when she saw the final portion of her reverie. "And the outskirts of the magic village!! The lilac, the fern tunnel, the coloured vapour... It is all as I remember the place! I swear, I could walk through the tunnel now and run into Sarea all over again, about fifty paces away!"
The words had come tumbling out of her mouth in excitement, but as soon as she had made her final comment, some sort of realization flickered across her face. She turned to watch the Half-Elf, eager to see how she would react.
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Post by Jennis Mul Moongem on Nov 16, 2014 21:34:49 GMT -6
Sarea.
The name rung out like a crossbow bolt rushing past her ear, and yet it seemed to roll so easily off of the tongue of this girl. Who was this girl? How did she know Sarea?
Jennis felt the need to remain calm; after all, they were in the afterlife, the land of purity. She couldn't let her emotions get in the way. But she couldn't contain them after all, and with one swift motion, held Idina in her strong hands, looking at her with intense eyes. The wisps of orange light released from her eyes began to darken until they were blood orange in colour, and her chest wound grew larger, pulsating quickly as if it were a heart.
"Sarea!" she cried, tears almost like wax forming in her eyes and running down her cheeks. "You know Sarea?! My Sarea? Tell me! I must know...is she alright? I-is she okay? I left her, I left her! I want to know...need to know...is she okay? How do you know her?"
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Idina Doc
Wildgardian
Could we start again, please?
Posts: 258
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Post by Idina Doc on Nov 16, 2014 21:52:30 GMT -6
When Jennis grabbed her, Idina had originally tried to recoil, the sudden physical touch catching her off-guard. But her companion's hands were strong, and she wouldn't let her go. She focused on the words she was saying, the expression on her face. Keeping track of these, her own face lit up.
"I knew it!" she exclaimed, almost laughing aloud afterward. "I knew you had to be that same Jennis, I just knew it!! My goodness, I have heard so much about you... Why, the reason Sarea and I began speaking in the first place was because she commissioned me..." Her words slowed down, and she tried to take on a more serious and composed air, given the subject matter she was about to discuss was bittwersweet at best. "She commissioned me to make her a ring of flowers in... In honour and memorium of you."
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