Re: Revisiting Garnelia - 120 4A

by **Kara Winters** Sun Jun 11, 2017 12:02 am

"It might be days regardless, there's no promise Grandfather Daemon will be at the compound and not say... visiting Grandpa Long," Lin pointed out, "To keep a connection open that long if he's not there..."

"I'm about to ask if it's worth just waiting for Twig to calm down, but he may benefit from someone who also has his ability," Hikaru murmured, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'd help. I do have the magic to do us, but this is way outside my education. Fire and illusions are my specialty. Granted... if you just need someone to power whatever you're using to create a portal..."

Then they would have four.

by **Nara-pyon** Sun Jun 11, 2017 12:07 am

"The more people, the easier it will be," Cael smiled at Hikaru.

Earendil rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We could do it a bit simpler," he murmured, his words slow and deliberate. "What if we brought - or simply communicated with Uncle Gion and Aunt Nadya together? I mean ... if Uncle Gion can see and hear them, and he can communicate with Aunt Nadya by thought, and she can communicate with us ..."

Shoneah looked skeptical. "Via thought?" she repeated, one eyebrow arched.

"Yes." Earendil smiled at her. "It's an ability of elves of our world."

by **Kara Winters** Sun Jun 11, 2017 12:32 am

"I forgot about that...." Lin murmured, "That would work too..."

It wasn't an ability that came up in conversation that often.

by **Nara-pyon** Sun Jun 11, 2017 11:35 pm

"It would be the easier option, by far," Cael admitted.

"Though the first step would be to find out if Uncle Gion does have the ability to see the departed," Earendil reminded him. After a brief thought, he added, "That would be easy enough to find out with a mirror."

If they could catch someone awake, at least. By his reckoning - which was pretty accurate, considering the maps he had been given - they were about halfway around the world from where his uncle lived. Their days and nights would be completely opposite.

by **Kara Winters** Sun Jun 11, 2017 11:48 pm

Lin wasn't sure of the time at the moment so she had to ask.

"Do you think anyone would still be awake now?" she asked Earendil, as he probably knew.

by **Nara-pyon** Sun Jun 11, 2017 11:51 pm

Earendil looked at the window, taking a moment to gauge the time of day. When he did the math, he nodded slowly.

"Perhaps," he murmured. "It would be quite late there, but ... perhaps."

Queen Mari might not understand exactly what was going on, but she was intelligent enough to realize that whatever they were planning, they needed a mirror. Without hesitation, she gestured towards a large mirror that was positioned above the mantle of the fireplace at the end of the room.

"If this will suffice," she said by way of invitation.

by **Kara Winters** Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:50 pm

Miyuki glanced at it and nodded, "I think it will. Shall we try just in case?"

Otherwise it won't be until the end of the day until they could try again.

Because of the wide use of the mirrors (and the project to make compact portable talking mirrors), this was another skill that Miyuki knew how to do very well.

by **Nara-pyon** Tue Jun 13, 2017 10:05 pm

Earendil nodded. "Go ahead, Miyuki," he encouraged her. "You know their house as well as any of us."

"And knowing Nadya, she'll probably be ready and waiting, expecting to be contacted," Shiro chuckled.

by **Kara Winters** Tue Jun 13, 2017 10:13 pm

Miyuki blinked once, blinked twice and then nodded, "Actually... that's a good point."

And kind of creepy when she really thought about it. At any rate, if Auntie Nadya was waiting for them, then she might as well hurry and do this.

"I might need help getting the mirror down though,"

Because fireplaces were huge around here, she could (if she had still been a child) fit into the hearth of one easily.

by **Nara-pyon** Tue Jun 13, 2017 10:18 pm

At Miyuki's final comment, Mari looked slightly worried. "This mirror is not removable," she told Miyuki gently. "Do you require a smaller one? I can send for one if you need."

Considering the size of the mirror - the entire length of the fireplace mantle, a good eight or ten feet wide - that wasn't much of a surprise.

"What if you had something to stand on?" Kaito suggested. "I mean, you only have to touch it, right?"

by **Kara Winters** Tue Jun 13, 2017 10:30 pm

Miyuki nodded at this, "That is true...."

So if she just stood on something, then maybe she could activate the mirror. At least, since it wasn't going to be a permanent mode of communication, touching it should do.

by **Nara-pyon** Tue Jun 13, 2017 10:40 pm

Mari raised one hand slightly, and a servant hurried forward, bowing in front of her. She gave him instructions to bring a stool or a small ladder, and he headed off to do as he was bidden. He was back within a few short minutes, a four-step ladder in hand. He set it next to the fireplace so that the mirror would be within reach for Miyuki when she climbed it, and then he moved back to one side of the room, out of the way.

"I hope that's enough," Mari smiled at Miyuki.

by **Kara Winters** Thu Jun 15, 2017 9:12 pm

"I think it should be," Miyuki replied hiking up her skirt a bit so she could climb the ladder.

Carefully she balanced on top of the ladder and leaned forward to touch the mirror. She hoped she got this right as it had been a long time since she had visited Gion and Nadya at all. Letting her mind clear, she focused hard on the place she wanted to be in contact with before starting the spell that would allow the mirror to become a communication device.

The mirror's surface seemed to ripple as the image changed from reflecting the room to a different image all together.

by **Nara-pyon** Thu Jun 15, 2017 9:31 pm

It was dark in the room that appeared in the mirror, though it was illuminated enough that Nadya's silhouette was visible. She was sitting on the couch in the sitting room, sewing by the light of a candelabra holding several candles. There was a fire in the fireplace behind her, which was why she was more of a silhouette than anything, but even so, it was evident by the calm way that she smiled at the mirror that she had indeed been expecting to be contacted.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise," she said warmly, lowering her sewing. "I knew you would try to contact me, but I had no idea how many of you there would be. How are you all?"

by **Kara Winters** Thu Jun 15, 2017 9:40 pm

"We're doing well," Lin spoke up with a chuckle, "I'm glad you were expecting us, we weren't sure with the time difference and all. I don't suppose Gion is up as well?"

Otherwise they would have to contact them another time, rather than wake him up.

by **Nara-pyon** Thu Jun 15, 2017 9:45 pm

"Yes, he ... is ..." She closed her eyes briefly, and then nodded. "On his way inside. We had a wind storm come through earlier today, so he's just finished checking on things."

She shifted a bit, as if trying to peer past or between people. "Oh, dear ... that poor child seems to be quite distressed ... what's happening?"

by **Kara Winters** Sat Jun 17, 2017 12:58 am

"Well... it's like this..." Lin explained.

She explained how Twig was found, how his family had passed away and how he had Sight. How it had caused him distress because his family had been trying to tell Twig for a long while that they were gone. Also how they would like to understand better what had gone on, but the only people who really knew were his parents, and they needed someone who could communicate with them.

"So we hoped that Gion still has some of grandfather Daemon's abilities. It might also be a good way to have Twig to speak with someone who has the same ability, since it's really one of those things you need to experience to understand."

by **Nara-pyon** Sat Jun 17, 2017 10:25 pm

Nadya's expression - what little of it was visible in the darkness at least - grew more and more sad as Lin's tale went on. Just as Lin was finishing, the door of Nadya's house opened, and Gion entered, brushing sand out of his hair. Before he noticed the mirror or heard Lin speaking, he began to sign to his wife - but even before he had signed a single phrase, he saw the mirror and hurried to Nadya's side.

He was no stranger to communicating with people via unusual or magic methods, so he was not surprised by the image he saw; but when he did sign towards the mirror, he said, Wow ... your group has grown again ... and so has Andarien.

by **Kara Winters** Sat Jun 17, 2017 11:55 pm

Lin grinned at this, "And he's married! But I'll let them do that introduction."

She looked over at Andarien and Shoneah, since it was only fair.

by **Nara-pyon** Sun Jun 18, 2017 12:26 am

This time even Nadya was incredulous - clearly, it was something she hadn't Seen.

Andarien looked at his mother, not understanding what she was talking about or why she was looking at him and Shoneah. He didn't know sign language, and he had no idea what his great-uncle had said.

Earendil smiled at Andarien and told him, "They've noticed how much you've grown. Introduce Shoneah."

"Oh." Blushing slightly, Andarien turned back to the mirror. He remembered his aunt and uncle a bit, though he had mostly spent his time with their grandson when his family had visited - and that had been such a long time ago now! "This is my wife, Shoneah Adoeete Silverbirch Aldrich. She's from Gaia but we met here."

"A pleasure to meet you," Nadya said warmly; and Gion nodded his agreement. Turning to her husband, she added, "But Gion, that isn't why they contacted us. They need your help, if you're able to give it."

He looked at her questioningly, and without going into too much detail, she repeated the group's request that he speak with Twig's mother and grandfather, if he could, and relay what they told him.

Gion looked back towards the mirror, his eyes flickering about as he looked for the people that he was supposed to be able to see. After a moment, he lifted his hands and signed, Does one of them look a little like Donovan?

by **Kara Winters** Sat Jun 24, 2017 6:27 pm

Lin blinked, but when she thought about it, the description made sense. Assuming that Twig's grandfather was full (or mostly) Japanese, he would look a bit like her father. Most people couldn't completely tell different Asians apart, so that may have been the best description.

Besides, there was no one in the group that looked a bit like her father anyways.

"Possibly since there's no one in the group that we can see that looks like him," Lin replied slowly.

by **Nara-pyon** Wed Jun 28, 2017 11:26 pm

Gion nodded and kept looking steadfastly forward. After a moment, he signed, The boy looks remarkably like him. But I don't know how much I will be able to help you - I don't understand the words he's saying.

Earendil had been translating the signs for those who didn't understand them, and now Cael spoke up. "What if we were to open a portal to your home, would you be willing to come here for a short while? There is a friendly dragon here who has offered his blood to others to give the gift of languages."

On cue, Uruloki emerged from Kyrie's abdomen and sat up in her lap. "I would be happy to help," he agreed with a small flap of his leathery wings.

by **Kara Winters** Tue Jul 04, 2017 11:38 pm

"Would that be okay?" Miyuki asked with a smile.

She was sure they could use the nearest door frame to make a portal, and it wouldn't be as tiring as the first time she had done it. Mainly because there would be others who could help.

by **Nara-pyon** Tue Jul 04, 2017 11:46 pm

Gion raised his hands and signed, Is that all right with your host?

He remembered how Yue had needed to carve some runes - a rune? Something - in a door when he, Nadya and a few others had gone north to deal with the dwarf problem.

Earendil, after translating the question, turned to the queen and explained what his uncle meant.

"Well, we haven't any wooden door frames, Mari replied thoughtfully, "but do they need to be carved?"

"Written runes will work as well, I'm sure," Lancaeriel assured her. "They can be made part of the stone for as long as we need them, and then removed afterwards."

"In all fairness, there isn't much that magic can't do," Cael smiled.

The queen nodded. "Then that will be fine," she consented. "And if there is anything that you need, just say the word."

by **Kara Winters** Wed Jul 05, 2017 12:40 am

"Just ink, and well... quills would be hard to use on stone, an ink brush, a fine one would be better," Miyuki mused.

But she didn't know anyone who used an ink brush besides herself and maybe Hikaru. Did Hikaru even remember how to use one anymore?

by Sponsored content