01-04-2017, 10:41 AM
The dank air and crashing sound of the falls in the distance was all but forgotten as he studied the map. There was nothing recognizable in any of it. And yet...here it was, the first thing a person would find in a chest that seemed purposely positioned to grab attention.
He felt a familiar prickle in his nose, the memory of the dust that would fill his nostrils as he carefully, reverently, opened long worn out and unused tomes, their lost and ancient knowledge seen for the first time in centuries, the loving caress, the feel of velum and parchment smooth against his palms and finger tips. And the flicker of excitement at the prospect of a something new to discover.
Another feeling washed over him, as if in reaction to that surge of excitement. Tiredness. Fatigue. For a moment, he was surprised. For that to break through the wall he had erected meant that he was nearing his limit. The chong rann gave him the ability to ignore his body's demands, but only to a point. At the end of the day, the animal that was his flesh would exact its toll. He had been up for over three days with only an hour of sleep. The interrogation of the sentient, the summoning of the Ijiraq, the attack on Apollyon, the fire and his injuries, the tortuous path down into the tunnels, the fight with the Oni, the Khylsty- finally, his body was demanding what it required. It was a side of himself he kept others from seeing. When the shut-down came, it was a switch that happened quickly.
He looked over at her tiredly, her green eyes glittering in the lamp light, as she studied the images. And then she spoke. "Tingyuan,"
the word slow and- hesitant? He did not recognized it. He scanned the writing, looking for but nothing jumped out at him. Finding one phonetic word in a sea of characters was never simple.
"Can you read it?" The phantom itch of dust returned, the feel of smooth velum. And the hint of excitement. Through his exhaustion, he felt a sense of peace and contentment seep in. He studied her face. She was interesting. These people were interesting. And he had a purpose here. He knew that.
"Call the others to take these things out of here." He paused, deciding how much to trust. How much weakness to reveal. It was the eyes that decided it. Familiar. Dangerous. But alive. And devoted. "I require rest."
Edited by Regus, Jan 4 2017, 11:31 PM.
He felt a familiar prickle in his nose, the memory of the dust that would fill his nostrils as he carefully, reverently, opened long worn out and unused tomes, their lost and ancient knowledge seen for the first time in centuries, the loving caress, the feel of velum and parchment smooth against his palms and finger tips. And the flicker of excitement at the prospect of a something new to discover.
Another feeling washed over him, as if in reaction to that surge of excitement. Tiredness. Fatigue. For a moment, he was surprised. For that to break through the wall he had erected meant that he was nearing his limit. The chong rann gave him the ability to ignore his body's demands, but only to a point. At the end of the day, the animal that was his flesh would exact its toll. He had been up for over three days with only an hour of sleep. The interrogation of the sentient, the summoning of the Ijiraq, the attack on Apollyon, the fire and his injuries, the tortuous path down into the tunnels, the fight with the Oni, the Khylsty- finally, his body was demanding what it required. It was a side of himself he kept others from seeing. When the shut-down came, it was a switch that happened quickly.
He looked over at her tiredly, her green eyes glittering in the lamp light, as she studied the images. And then she spoke. "Tingyuan,"
the word slow and- hesitant? He did not recognized it. He scanned the writing, looking for but nothing jumped out at him. Finding one phonetic word in a sea of characters was never simple.
"Can you read it?" The phantom itch of dust returned, the feel of smooth velum. And the hint of excitement. Through his exhaustion, he felt a sense of peace and contentment seep in. He studied her face. She was interesting. These people were interesting. And he had a purpose here. He knew that.
"Call the others to take these things out of here." He paused, deciding how much to trust. How much weakness to reveal. It was the eyes that decided it. Familiar. Dangerous. But alive. And devoted. "I require rest."
Edited by Regus, Jan 4 2017, 11:31 PM.