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Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 4:10 pm Post subject:

Heidur's vision becomes a kaleidoscope for a moment, of images sent to her via the contact, the motion of the chase and her own course through the castle. An alarm is raised quietly and several royal guards follow her into the nearest courtyard.

Wind Dancer and the young woman come through the contact and into the courtyard, Heidur's hand sliding across her as she passes and slows down. The female rider is wearing a tunic and sandals. She also wears a circlet of gold with leaves on her head, and various golden bracelets on her arms. She looks freaked out by the experience, either being trumped or being chased -or perhaps both- takes out her dagger right away and hits Wind Dancer's flanks with her ankles, trying to get the mare to go again, while she looks around frantically, her dagger pointed at the closest person to both of them.

...

Wind Dancer neighs loudly as she turns them around back to Heidur.

The Royal Guards await for Heidur's orders, weapons out and ready to spring into action.
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Jssra · Joined: 20 Apr 2009 Posts: 64 Location: Tempe, AZ, USA

Heidur notices the royal guards out of the corner of her eye, as Wind Dancer is passing her to the left, trailing the smell of horse and sweat behind. Just grand. I'd forgotten that I can't hurry here without someone deciding it's an emergency. She turns fully, taking a step back so that she has everyone in view... including the girl and her dagger. Going to get herself hurt like that, if she isn't already. Hope she hasn't taken any knocks to the head.

"Okay everyone," Hiedur's Doctor Voice isn't raised, but pitched to carry through the noise and confusion of a busy ER, and demands absolute obedience. "I want you to take a deep breath, and put your weapons away." The look she gives to the guards assures them that they're part of 'everyone', even if her guest did happen to be pointing a dagger at her.

Regardless of whether the young woman heeds her, Heidur removes the knife from her belt and tosses it to the ground, away from the group. It impacts handle-first and comes to rest at the head of a packed earth path. Empty-handed, Heidur advances towards Wind Dancer and her companion. She makes eye-contact with the former to ask, "Either of you injured?" repeating aloud for everyone else's sake.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 5:57 am Post subject:

The young woman puts her dagger away and shakes her head no, keeping her hand on the hilt of her now sheathed dagger. At the same time, Wind Dancer answers no with a short flurry of images defining their chase from living shadows that arose from the thick woods near to the Black Road.

"What sorcery is this? Who are you?" the girl asks, out of breath.
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Jssra · Joined: 20 Apr 2009 Posts: 64 Location: Tempe, AZ, USA

Heidur nods, "Good," feeling the knot of tension in her chest loosen. She would not be called on to patch up friends or friends-of-friends tonight. "Let's walk while I explain," she suggests, indicating a broad path through the garden to her right. Without waiting for a response, she turns and starts along it. Wind Dancer would catch up, and get a chance to cool down after running like that. The girl might be more comfortable away from the watchful eyes of the royal guards, too. With any luck, they'd take the hint and refrain from following.

...

When Wind Dancer joins her, Heidur reaches up to scratch the horse's mane, using the contact to continue the greeting she'd had to cut short. "It's good to see you again! I should probably explain things to your friend, considering how we've uprooted her..." She quickly discards the idea of asking the girl to dismount; allowing her to feel taller than everyone else was probably helping her keep control of herself. "I'm Ragnheidur, an old friend of Wind Dancer's. Ordinarily we would have given you the chance to dismount before she accepted my offer of transport to Amber, rather than dragging you along. But under the circumstances I don't think you'd have wanted to stay behind. Now you know who I am, who are you and how do you know Dancer?"

By this time, they're perhaps a third of the way between the wing of the castle that Heidur had just exited, and the far gate which led to a series of smaller courtyards. They should get her closer to the stables while remaining away from the court proper and the people who were going to want a chunk of her evening soon.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 7:35 pm Post subject:

The blonde girl looks around, her brow sweaty and her eyes darting about. While Heidur waits for an answer, she speaks softly, perhaps not realizing she is saying anything, "So this is Amber..."

She turns to Heidur suddenly and says, "My name is Ashthuura. I've had her for several years now," she says, caressing Wind Dancer's neck. "I admit that it isn't completely unfortunate that you would summon her at such a dire time, but I'd like to know what you have in mind... Sorry, Ragnheidur, I'm not sure what just happened."
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Jssra · Joined: 20 Apr 2009 Posts: 64 Location: Tempe, AZ, USA

Perhaps unseen in moonlight, Heidur quirks an eyebrow at the way Ashthuura refers to Wind Dancer - as though the mare could belong to anyone but herself. But then, most people couldn't even recognize Dancer's species as more than ordinary horses. The fact that Dancer had stayed with her so long argued that the girl was doing something right nonetheless.

Continuing to walk at Wind Dancer's shoulder, Heidur is silent for a time. The garden is a painting in silver and ebony, manageably dampened from the riot of color it would show in the day, undisturbed by the slightest breeze. The air is thick with the scent of night jasmine, pale yellow flowers bleached to white by the moon. When she speaks, it is quietly, and largely without looking over her shoulder. "As you may be aware, there are a multitude of worlds, and some of the paths between them are sufficiently well-worn that an ordinary person can be taught to walk in their ways. Most worlds are distant enough that no such path exists. Sometimes it is convenient to be in touch with people who are quite distant." Heidur retrieves the card of Wind Dancer from the pocket she'd automatically returned it to, holding it so that Ashthura can see the portrait, "And so the Trumps were invented. What you felt shortly before I pulled you through to Amber was a Trump contact between myself and Dancer. Their main use is communication, but either party can be invited to step through and join the other." She stops and looks up this time, to make sure her meaning is taken clearly. "And it is an invitation, not a summoning. If Wind Dancer chooses not to accompany me, I'll leave her with you in Shacher'il."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 7:38 pm Post subject:

"Look, I'm grateful you helped us get out of a dangerous situation, but I don't want to part with her. I doubt she wants to part with me either... We've been through a lot together," she says, frowning a little.

Ashthuura takes a deep breath and says "I suppose we should talk about this... I-I'll be reasonable. Dancer can make her own decisions, after all."

After a moment of hesitation, Ashthuura dismounts and begins leading Dancer and Heidur along the path they were on, walking slowly. Ashthuura walks between Heidur and Wind Dancer, smiling awkwardly at Heidur. Ashthuura looks younger than Heidur originally thought, perhaps sixteen or seventeen, with wavy sun-bleached hair and familiarly bright blue eyes.
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Jssra · Joined: 20 Apr 2009 Posts: 64 Location: Tempe, AZ, USA

Heidur returns the smile, hopefully with less akwardness than she feels, as she notices that the girl looks oddly familiar. Might Julian..? If so, he didn't even tell me! Not that he's communicative when I'm at home, either... Perhaps better to keep an eye on Ashthura, instead? "I suppose there might be another option.. We'll pass through Sweetgrass-Summer anyway, and depending on whether I think you can hold your own in the places I'm going next, I might be persuaded to bring you along."

The three pass through the open gate on the opposite side of the garden, into a small courtyard decorated with potted ornamental trees. "But for now, you're just in time for dinner. We'll get Dancer a place in the stables and clean up a bit first." Heidur leads her companions through the castle's mazelike semi-outdoors, planning to emerge into the main courtyard not far from the stables. So long as new construction hadn't changed the route too much.

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 6:09 pm Post subject:

Regarding Heidur with a hidden hint of suspicion, Ashthuura says, "Certainly... Dinner is rather appropriate. Thank you, I'm very grateful." She pats Dancer gently and says. "Would you mind if I cared for Dancer myself before we dine?" She looks at the night sky, "Or will there still be time for dinner if I do?"
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Jssra · Joined: 20 Apr 2009 Posts: 64 Location: Tempe, AZ, USA

Heidur shrugs off the suggestion of gratitude, but says nothing about her own opinion of Court dinners, unwilling to bias Ashthura's first experience. It had taken Heidur a couple years of intermittent exposure to realize what a nest of snakes they really were...

Instead, she joins the girl in considering the sky, its stars barely muted by light from castle and city. "There's time. We're probably going to miss the formal start of dinner, but the people who want to make an impression on the court tend to be even later." She sighs inwardly as the thought strings a trail of social calculations behind it. "Do you want to be introduced as Ashthura of Shacher'il, or something else?"

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 12:11 am Post subject:

"Oh, wow... Uhm," Ashthuura hesitates. Heidur sees mixed feelings in her expression. "I hadn't realized you meant a formal dinner..." Ashthuura admits, looking down at her white tunic with gold trim. "I was hoping we could discuss this further in a more private setting, but I understand if you... have obligations elsewhere."

Ashthuura sighs, "I can't believe you have brought us here so easily... It is quite amazing, really."
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Jssra · Joined: 20 Apr 2009 Posts: 64 Location: Tempe, AZ, USA

Heidur smiles wryly, walking slowly now but not stopping, "Getting to Amber is easy. Getting out again takes a while because this place is such a strong anchor. But yes, I am obligated to attend dinner, and no, I wouldn't discuss anything there that I didn't want to become part of the gossip rounds." The dark-haired woman puts a hand to her eyes in a habitual glasses-straightening gesture, and looks fleetingly puzzled when her fingers close on thin air. Oh, right. Have to do something about that. Later.

"Court is a grand spectacle, and if you feel up to it I do recommend attending while you have the chance." Heidur looks Ashthura up and down, "I keep a stash of formal clothing that fits over sensible clothes so that I don't have to worry about preparation. Some of it might fit you. And if not, I'm sure the servants can scare up something appropriate." She shrugs, "On the other hand, if you'd rather take the evening to unwind before we set off tomorrow afternoon, I can have someone prepare a guest room for you, and dinner will be available whenever you're hungry."

Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2009 7:45 pm Post subject:

Ashthuura nods politely. "I think I might prefer the latter, if you think it's alright", she says, her head tilted to the side. "Although I wouldn't mind something warmer to wear if I could borrow it..."

She looks at Heidur more thoroughly, stealing glances from time to time, giving Dancer a chance to "speak" with Heidur, by sending images about the devastation and deterioration of places in her home Shadow. Dancer also reveals that Ashthuura had a foal, 'River Stones', who is now grown. Ashthuura was River Stones' rider, and apparently often traveled with both Wind Dancer and River Stones.
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Nihilistic Mind · Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 5:17 am Post subject: