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Chapter 14: The Radiant Memory

 
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Kalanna Rai
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 1:33 am    Post subject: Chapter 14: The Radiant Memory Reply with quote

Well I had this all done once, then my net crashed. So this is as close as it comes a second time around. Enjoy!
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Chapter Fourteen: The Radiant Memory

Ambrois and Jade shared a tense moment as the thought of confronting Angelo lay between them. Then Ambrois shook his head. "No. I'd like to get a look at these doors for myself before I go doing something as foolish as letting Angelo know we've gone places we really shouldn't have. Besides, the manuscript is written in an older usage of the common language, plenty of old Arcex mixed in. I could easily have misread something."

He extended a hand to her and she allowed him to help her too her feet. With a laugh he made an 'after you' gesture and began to escort her down the cliff. In his mind he tumbled over the options, already second guessing his decision not to confront his father. Was it his own fear? Or was it his fear for others, he thought with a glance at Jade. Her hand brushed against his and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Instead he slowly moved his hand closer to his body, resisting the urge to reach out and take hold of hers.

What was it with him? When had his feelings gone beyond that of friendship and surrogate sibling? Had it been when they left the orphanage or had it started even before that. For a moment he wondered what cold and unfeeling creature could have done this, what cosmic entity could so enjoy his emotional suffering. Their emotional suffering? Why couldn't well enough have been left alone? Then again, did he really want to go back to friendship now that he'd felt more?

"What if Angelo finds out Ambrois? What do you think he'll do?" Ambrois glanced at Jade, snapped out of his musings by her soft comment. For a long moment he was silent as he pondered on Cobalt and her punishment for delving into things she'd not been invited to learn. He was saved from answering by their arrival at the huge doors that led to the Library. "What if he comes back before you're back?"

"He won't." Ambrois said with some confidence. "He's working on the wiring for the weapons systems and said it was going to take him a little longer. I'll be back well before he's done." He watched as Jade mulled his answer over, noting the fear that she quickly veiled.

"I've got a better idea. I think I'll go have a talk with Angelo. Distract him until you get back." Ambrois looked at her thoughtfully and nodded. Jade, of them all, had a talent for delving beyond Angelo's tough shell and getting him to open up about things not even Ambrois could. In all of the spontaneous father-son talks that Ambrois had actually been surprised to find happening, Angelo had never wanted to talk about himself save in the most general of terms. He was far more interested in all the embarrassing little details of Ambrois's life, trying to absorb second-hand the seventeen years Angelo had missed. Which was annoying to Ambrois who'd much rather have learned more about what sort of people he came from, the family history growing up in an orphanage had denied him.

"You do have a knack with Dad I'll admit. But he's not just going to accept that you walked over there for a chat..." He watched Jade heft the basket. "Ah, how nice of you to take him lunch."

Jade glanced down at it and then up at him, smiling ruefully. "The best intentions..." She sighed.

Ambrois paused with a hand on the Library door and shot a roguish smile more suited to one of the riverboat gamblers of Tamirs than a bookish young man over his shoulder at her. "Wish me luck." Who knows whether it was the sense of impending doom that steeled her will or if it was just frustration with lost moments that drove Jade but suddenly she was right in front of him. Standing on tiptoe, she pressed her lips firmly against his own, his arms reaching out to pull her into a tight embrace before his rational brain resurfaced and he forced her away.

"Luck." She said softly before all but running down the passage away from him. He restrained himself from moving, every muscle in his body tensing. His wings were shivering so hard they were almost vibrating with tension and his teeth ground painfully. But he didn't go after her.

Taking several deep breaths he spun and pushed open both Library doors. The bang they made caused his three co-conspirators to jump a foot in the air, thinking him Angelo. But the look of dark determination on his face did nothing to quell their nerves, nor did the way he stalked across the floor. Taking a torch from the pile of supplies the others had made, and ignoring the venomous glances that Jasper shot him, Ambrois checked to make sure the crystal was working. His voice so hard it sent shivers down the spines of the others and reminded them just who's son he was, Ambrois uttered three words. "Let's do this."
-----------------------------

While the boys made their way into the passages and tunnels deep in the complex, Jade climbed carefully down the face of the cliff and followed the path to the dock. Once there she stared at the Muse and was perplexed for a moment as she realized there was no gangplank connecting ship to dock. Undaunted, Jade shimmied across the mooring rope that kept the ship in place and landed on the deck with a thump and heaving sides.

She looked around and allowed herself a moment of amazement. Just looking at the exterior from the ship it wasn't apparent that she'd suffered any serious damage. In the eighteen months since they'd first landed here he'd patched the few external holes, which had caused some commotion among the orphans. It had been shocking to see Angelo casually pluck a feather from his wings and weld it into the hull steel, but the effect was as desired and the patches couldn't be seen save as a silver shimmer in just the right light. It had been just as dramatic to watch him repair the new solar sails, using his own long hair to stitch the canvas when needed.

He'd raised new masts and fitted new spars. He'd hung the sails and made sure the new rigging was up to par. Jade calmly checked her basket, a smile on her face as she remembered those hectic days. She wiped sweat from her brow and scowled up at the sun which had reached it's zenith on the thirty hour trek it made across the sky daily. The food in her basket seemed alright, even though Angelo would have eaten anything not outright rotten, and she slipped below.

Here it became apparent that the ship had suffered sever damage. Even though Angelo had removed the blackened panels and twisted metal, the beautiful inlays and engraving were gone. Instead, access hatches gaped like metal maws and wire spilled everywhere. Tools lay scattered about and there were still holes to be patched and walls to be raised again. In all the confusion it should have been hard to find Angelo, but all Jade had to do was follow the banging and swearing. The latter testifying that all was not going according to the pirate's wishes.

Going down some stairs with still broken steps, Jade reached the gun deck and lithely dodged around the recently repaired heavy guns. Ducking under some wires, she stuck her head into the aft area and saw Angelo was head and shoulders into one of the open panels, wings well out of the way. "Hello Angelo." Jade's bright voice was quickly followed by a flash of blue light and the smell of ozone and singed flesh.

Swearing like a...well sailor Angelo pulled out of the mass of wiring, sucking on a wounded digit. He wrinkled his nose at the taste of his greasy finger as he pulled it out of his mouth to inspect it. Then he turned his silver gaze on Jade with a devilish smile. "Hello love, to what do I owe this distraction? And speaking of distractions I really can't afford them right now since I'm up to my armpits in rather important work. And speaking of work why aren't you attending to your studies?"

Jade hefted the basket, which she was growing sick of doing, and smiled brightly. "Brought you lunch and I had a few questions to ask you concerning some of the history text you set out for me."

Angelo greedily eyed the food basket as he rose, motioning her to follow him. They moved through the chaos of the still progressing repairs and Jade whistled. "You've come a long way."

Angelo shrugged. "I've still got quite a bit left to do. It'll be another two, two and a half years before she's ready to sail again." He patted a stair-rail fondly. "But this old girl and I have seen too much to part company now."

"It's still a lot of work."

"A labor of love lass." Angelo said as he pushed open the door to the Captain's Cabin. He chuckled a bit, noticing the puzzled look on Jade's face as she surveyed the near immaculate quarters. "It pays to reinforce your quarters...and lock your door. Cobalt couldn't get a direct blast in here and none of the others did more than dent the shielding." He quickly settled down in his chair, slinging his feet up on his desk and indicating Jade should take a seat.

She did, quickly unpacking her food from the basket and sliding what remained across to Angelo. Waiting for the pirate to take a bite of a sandwich, Jade launched into her distracting question session. "Well I'll get down to business. I was reading through that text on the Integration and I've got to know, was that what led to the downfall of Aviarr?"

Angelo chewed a moment more before answering. "Not by itself. The Arcex civilization could have survived it's home-world being multi-racial but sadly it seems we were well justified in our xenophobia. Interbreeding did us no good." His feet came off the desk and he leaned forward, food forgotten.

"Let's talk genetics for a moment. Arcex blood is the furthest in compatibility for Humans. It's just at the very fringe of being able to produce viable offspring with a 1/100 chance. Which meant one of every hundred births produced a live child. But from the Arcex point of view, Humans were the closest in compatibility. Arcex parings with either of the other races never produced a single offspring. It took humanity to bridge that gap. And at first nobody minded since Human/Arcex half-bloods didn't seem any different from the rest of them...until they started dying younger. Humanity was responsible for reducing the lifespan of an Arcex from two thousand years if one were extremely lucky...to five hundred years if one happens to have a very thick strand of Arcex blood in them...say 50% pure blooded which is impossible in this day and age.

Jade nodded, her interest well and truly sparked as her first question had been entirely honest. "But I'd have thought that Canin and Pluni blood would have done the Arcex good. Made them stronger and more flexible. You know what my next question will be, sorry if it's personal but..."

Angelo held up a hand to forestall her, his voice smooth when he spoke. "You want to know why we lost the ability to fly? Well you're right that Canin blood made us stronger, Pluni blood made us more flexible. But Canin blood made our muscles stronger than our bones could handle, the maximum force they could generate greater than that which our bones could sustain the strain of. And Pluni blood made our connective tissues softer and more pliant, so soft and pliant that they would rip and tear and snap when we tried to lift our heavier bodies into the air."

Now Jade understood. Understood why an Arcex could glide if they jumped from a great height, but not get themselves off the ground. Understood why they could still navigate and maneuver in the air, but not generate the lift that kept them there. "I'm sorry Angelo."

"Don't be. The past is in the past and it wasn't as if you were single responsible." He stood and spread his wings, the tips just brushing either wall. "Three generations and we're reduced to living a quarter as long with ornamental wings. I'm sure it won't take many more for wings to vanish altogether and the Arcex to pass into legend."

Jade looked at his wings, eyes narrowing as she noticed something. "Humm, that might explain the difference between you and Ambrois then." She stood up and walked around behind Angelo, cursed his coat for blocking what she needed to see, then walked to the front and stared at his torso again. "I thought those were your ribs." She pointed to what indeed looked like ribs standing out on the sides of the slim man, visible thanks to the fact that he wore his coat shirtless. "But they're muscle bands aren't they?"

Angelo flexed a wing and Jade watched the bands ripple. "It's just from exercise lass. My father instilled the need to be in shape into my brain at a young age, flight muscles included. You could probably get the same results on Ambrois if he were to exercise them." He craned his neck as Jade walked back behind him again.

She stared at the leather that covered where Angelo's left wing joined to his back, noting the way the muscles seemed tight under it. To test her theory she ran a finger lightly across the underside of the wing as near to the joint as she could get. She was rather surprised when Angelo spun and seized her wrist. "Sorry! I should have warned you!"

"Lass...never touch an Arcex's wings unless you plan on spending some serious time with him in very personal ways." Angelo said as he released her wrist, his wings moving in agitation as he tried to settle himself.

"Wait. Do you mean if I did that to Ambrois...I wonder what else..." She stopped with a startled squeak. She hadn't meant to say THAT out loud!

Angelo merely raised an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest and leaning back against his desk. "Are you asking me for advice on how to seduce my son? Well that's a bit surreal..."
---------------------------------

Meanwhile...

Ambrois stood on the edge of the pit, sharp eyes just able to make out Saul and Donovan where they stood in a pool of torchlight at the bottom of the shaft. He turned and looked back at Jasper who was sagging against a wall, obviously in dire need of the support. His face was ashen making his red hair stand out even more, one hand pressed against his temple. "Something, or if what you said is right someone, doesn't want me down there. Any further and I won't be able to block it from Jade...and we wouldn't want her sudden change in behaviour to tip off dear old Dad now would we?" His tone was harsh and hostile.

Ambrois glared back at him darkly. "It was her idea Jasper. I'd never have suggested something like that...I'd never have told her to make that risk."

"Will you two hurry up! I'm not getting any younger down here!" Saul's impatient voice floated up to break the tension of the standoff.

Jasper waved his hand at Ambrois. "Go, and hurry your ass up! I want to get back and get Jade safe as soon as I can."

"That makes two of us." Ambrois muttered as he launched himself into the darkness. The shaft was more than wide enough for him to glide down, almost hanging in place in the shaft of warm air that pushed up against him. Surprisingly, after about twelve feet the shaft opened into vaulted darkness even though he had to descend another thirty feet or so before hitting the bottom. And he did hit bottom, hard. It knocked the wind out of him as it drove him to his knees, but he shooed Saul and Donovan away as they came close to him. "I'm alright, just winded."

Standing he felt strange, lifting the torch as a sensation like fingers tugging at him intensified. He ignored it, this small flair-up of his weak Ability, and walked toward the doors. They were huge, probably running all the way from the floor to the invisible ebony ceiling. Their runes were much faded with time, blurred and warped almost beyond recognition. "Well?" Saul's excited voice hissed from Ambrois's shoulder. "What do they say?"

Ignoring the tugging sensation, which had become a painful pinching almost, he squinted at the doors. He shook his head. "They're the runes of the old Arcex language and I don't know many of those yet." Suddenly his eyes lit on one rune, clearer than the rest. He knew that rune, it burned into his brain as he stumbled back. "Oh no, hell no. Saul if you want these doors opened you're going to need Angelo. That's a Death rune which means there's either a tomb behind those doors or something dangerous behind those doors...or that it's deadly to open the doors. Doesn't matter which way you look at it, we aren't opening it."

"Well can we at least get a look around? All this way for nothing seems a shame." Donovan gazed at the other two with cocked ears and Ambrois knew how he felt. The sensation was now a painful burning, demanding his attention.

"I'd love to explore this place. Damn but I wish we had more light." As if on cue the doors began to radiate light and it spread out from them, veins of it coming from the crystal that seemed to make up the entire room. It brightened to the point where it was still deeply dusky, but easily visible and Ambrois's mouth wasn't the only one hanging open in wonder.

Everywhere they looked was perfectly smooth crystal, walls, vaulted ceiling, and floor. Massive holo screens, each as big as the runed doors themselves, were inset into the walls and waiting to be brought to life with the proper commands. It was so smooth, so perfect, that Ambrois's eyes noticed the flaws in front of the massive doors almost instantly. Walking over and ignoring the almost skin flaying sensation, he stared at them with Saul and Donovan not far behind.

"Hey, that one looks like a foot." Saul said pointing to a mark that did indeed look like a left boot print. Directly across from it was a small circular depression and two other lines, almost slices, angled back to flank them left and right...rather distantly. It wasn't until Ambrois lined his own left foot up with the boot print and went down on one knee that he realized what had made the marks.

He quickly stood realizing that they'd been made by an Arcex kneeling in the same spot repeatedly over a very long period of time. The sensation suddenly stopped, causing him to look around, and whispers took it's place. Voices urging him, indistinctly, to look around. The swelled when he glanced toward the farthest left corner of the room. He didn't realize he was walking that way until Saul shouted at him. But the shout seemed faint and unimportant as he reached the corner of the room and looked down.

There, distinguishable from the rest of the room only by it's glow, was a memory crystal. It was obviously old and had obviously been there for quite some time...yet it was warm as Ambrois picked it up. Though he could see no flaws in it's brilliant rainbow surface, he could feel the fine cracks and saw the small dent in the wall where this stone had impacted with some force once upon a time. He turned it over and over, wondering why he'd been guided to find and and who had guided him. He was suddenly snapped out of it by Saul shaking him. "Ambrois, come back to us man." The youth grinned wryly. "How was it out in space."

Ambrois held up the gem, watching as it sparkled in two pairs of wonder filled eyes. "Come on, we've got to get back up to the Library. I'll see if one of the readers there can't show us what's in here."

Donovan's head suddenly turned, an ear flicking to the side as he listened to something faint before turning to face them again. "Not a moment too soon either. Jasper says Jade sent him a message that we've got to hurry. Angelo's wondering about us."
-----------------------------------

It wasn't until that evening that Ambrois got to turn his attention back to the stone. The four of them had barely gotten back and stashed the gear in time to look like they were goofing off when Angelo and Jade returned. All through weapons practice, and extra weapons practice for not attending to their studies, that followed Ambrois kept thinking about it. It was damaged yet the message still seemed intact if the glow was any indication. Dinner was sheer torture for all of them as they tried to keep it a secret, even from Jade.

But now, as the night wind blew in off the sea and the sea dwelling beasts surfaced again, Ambrois took it out of it's hiding place and turned it over in his hands. The soft strains of a flute caught his ears and he walked out onto the balcony. Looking down he saw Angelo illuminated in the moonlight, black flute in hands, as he played a gently beautiful melody. Soon enough several of the smaller sea beasts, juveniles, had come in closer as their parents thrummed a counterpart to the song from a distance. Such was the bounty of this place, such was Angelo's connection.

Ambrois suddenly couldn't resist. Crystal in hand he launched himself from the balcony and glided into the night, landing well away down the beach from where he father played. The crystal shone even more brilliant here and for a moment Ambrois was worried it's light would bring his father. He gazed at it again, it's depths mesmerizing, his fingers dancing across it's slightly imperfect smooth surface. "If only you'd tell me your secrets." So intense was he he didn't notice the end of Angelo's playing or his approach.

"What's this?" The pirate asked casually. And as if that were the cue the record crystal flared into brilliant life. The life sized image of an Arcex with ash brown hair and black banded brown wings shimmered into being between them. His expression was sorrowful...his features so familiar that Ambrois felt he knew him instantly. Then he spoke...

Angelo. I know we haven't seen eye to eye in a long time, hell we haven't spoken since Father died...but I need you to hear me out now. That's why I've left this here, where you'll find it, instead of trying to find you. I know better than that, you won't be found until you want to be. No, you're sitting back somewhere with the next beautiful girl who's heart you're going to break laughing as I make a mess of things, you always enjoyed it when I landed in deep shit. But I know you'll come back here because you always did respect Father, always showed him deference. I know you'll visit him again.

But that's not what I'm trying to say. I'm trying to say I'm sorry and that you were right. I do need defending...I just didn't realize it until you weren't defending me anymore. I wish I could say this in person but I've run out of time, I've got to fix things the only way I know how. A life for the peace, Father would be proud. I know you'll understand, you always understood these things better. That's probably why the damned sword loves you in the first place.

I'm sorry Angelo. Maybe things would have been better if you'd wanted this more and I'd wanted this less. Maybe if I we'd never had that stupid fight....Do you know Father actually wept that day? When your eyes slivered I think that's when he decided it was time to go, he never was quite the same. And I think he accepted it in the end, he knew you'd go your own way and everyone else be damned. If anyone can beat your blood, it'd be you.


These next words seemed to be the most painful for the speaker as his wings shifted and figited and his throat worked so hard to get them out.

I love you Angelo, you'll always have that. I only wish things could have been different. I spent all my life wishing I could be you and now I realize it's not important. Don't try to stop me Angelo. Even that beast of a ship of yours can't make the journey in time. I've only got one thing to ask of you...on your honor Angelo...

The image on the tile suddenly seemed to be staring right at Angelo, it's ferocity astounding for such a sorrowing man.

Go make your destiny brother. And for all our sakes....make the right choice.

The ferocity faded and the tears that had stood in the images eyes for so long began to fall, recorded as though the person still were actually there. As the image faded three words hung in the air.

Old pirates never die...

"They sail the stars forever....Dammit Radiant...why couldn't you have held on." Angelo's voice was soft, a single tear of his own tracing down his cheek. Then his hand shot out, steely fingers wrapping into the soft flesh of Ambrois's neck as he hauled his son into the air. There were no tears in his eyes when he finally raised his face, his free hand catching the crystal as Ambrois dropped it.

Despite both hands wrapped around his Father's hand, fingers prying to break the hold, Ambrois made no headway. Instead he stared into those souless eyes, those silver pits of oblivion. "I suppose sorry isn't going to cut it is it?"

"I'm not going to bother asking where you got this. I know where I left it. I suppose the others know as well humm? No doubt the little wench spent all day in my cabin as a distraction, keeping me from nosing in on you. I should have guessed, I've been far too easy with you."

Ambrois could only shrink back as Angelo pulled them so close their noses touched. "Well do you know what I'm going to do now? I'm going to open those doors that had you so damn curious and I'm going to let you stare the past long and hard in the face." He threw Ambrois hard to the ground. As he slipped the memory crystal into his pocket, he withdrew a green stone.

Removing the medallion from around his neck and the third pendant from where it was tangled in his hair Angelo stared at it. Then he struck it hard with his nail, a ringing sound chiming from the tiny silver disk and whirling out into the air. A few minutes elapsed, then a few more. Not twenty minutes after striking the disk both Jasper and Jade appeared on the shore, Donovan and Saul not far behind. To the horror of all the orphans it was the pendants which were dragging the twins along, chains digging into their necks.

Casually Angelo reached out and caught hold of them, snapping the chains. He turned to Ambrois, cruel smile etching his features. "Opening those doors will cost you. It has cost you my trust...and it'll cost you even more dearly." He set the medallion flat on his palm and set the pendant from his hair on top of it, then he set Jasper and Jade's pendants ontop of that, with the green stone on top of them all. With a flash, they fuzed tight into a massive runed medallion. Jasper and Jade swayed on their feet and Angelo nodded to them. "It'll cost you one of their lives. The only question is...which one?"
--------------------------------------

One of the Twins will live and one will die. Which is which is up to you.
---------------------------------

Whew. I think this was the longest single Galleons chappy I've written to date. But a lot had to happen, I even threw in a history lesson for you all. Now I actually want you to think about your DP choice. I don't just want a name, give me a reason that person has to die. Hope you liked.
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Last edited by Kalanna Rai on Wed Feb 27, 2008 1:21 am; edited 4 times in total
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 4:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Kill Jade. For several reasons. One, it saves you from having to write romance. Two, Jade would be the greater sacrifice. Three, Jasper is a fighter, and where the crew is headed, a fighter would be a greater possession than a level headed woman. Four, it makes the party a Men only club. Five, perhaps, due to the fact that jade is the greater sacrifice, some old magic will spare her life.

Good work Rai. Especially the bit about making us the bad people for deciding the fate of the twins, rather than taking on that responsibility yourself Razz
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 8:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Curses. I'm glad got to catch on this. It's better and more then I ever dared to expect. Does one of them really have to die? *sighs and shakes head* Now how come I know that's a stupid question? Hmmmmm.

The creepy thing is that I have a feeling you going to need both the Twins. Kill Jasper, and you loose his passion, his fight, his enthusatic stupidity that will come in handy at just the right moment. Without Jasper, Jade will loose all her fight, all her back bone, becoming nothing more then a slim lass who lost too much too fast.

Kill Jade and strangely you loose more. Yes, you can use Jasper in a fight, and that's going to come in handy, but Jade's the pressure valve of her brother, kill her and you now have a emotional time bomb just waiting to explode and when it does explode, its not going to pretty. Part of Ambrois will also die, he loves her, and she loves him, although both of them can't admit it. It will be the Slim Man Part 2 only I don't think Ambrois will take it quiet as well, because he will head down the tubes faster, quicker, and without the training of that his father had to keep him in check and keep him living for something else.

I have also have this suspecion that even if one of them dies, you won't really loose them, that the twin that still lives will always carry a part of their twin with them, in much the same way that Ambrois's mother hangs about his kneck.

I'm not going to say who should die or who should live, I've been gone far too long for that.

But I will say, Suppeior work Dragoness, and I know you won't disappoint us no matter what is decided.....
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 3:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I f5 with Messy and Din in regards to some of their reasons, firstly: Loosing Jade would be the greater sacrifice, because she is the innocent one also because like Din said with her gone, Jasper will have no control. Not to mention his short temper will turn into a hatred towards to world. If Jade dies, well, part of Ambrois and Jasper would die, not to mention the obvious pain the other boys will have if she is gone.

But if Jasper dies, well, Jade's innocence, or rather, positive outlook on life would forever be crushed. But I think that if Jasper was no longer there, her anger and bitterness could lead her to become stronger willed and more self confident, because she would feel like she had do do what she must in Jasper's memory or whatever.

If Jade died I don't think Jasper would be able to conceive such a sentiment.

So I think Jasper should be the sacrifice.
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 5:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, from my point of view there are a couple of factors which make the twins the only ones who can be sacrificed...

1) The fact that they have a mental link.

or

2) They own a part of the pendant.

The latter is less likely, but not impossible. Unfortunatly we have no information on this, so I'll assume it's because of No. 1.

Both of them will likely argue with each other with the decision of being the sacrifice. You know, the "I should be!" "No, me!" kinda thing, with their friends yelling questions at Angelo and Ambrois feeling slightly confused. We get a emotional scene, and then we get the results...

1) Jasper pushes out of his friend's grips and offers to be the sacrifice. We get a lot of crying from Jade and protests from Ambrois and co. before Jasper gets the chop.

2) Same as above, except with Jade. Jasper makes a lot of noise along with basically everyone else. Chop, door opens, etc.

3) Both dies. 'nuff said.

I'd also like to ask a question... Do they really absolutely have to die? If it's not 100% have to, then we have another 2 options.

4) The twins decide to sacrifice something, but not their lives. Their mental link, their connection with one another, is to be the sacrifice.

5) Lots of arguing ensues. The pirate crew decides not to let either of them go and proves how strong their friendship (and love, for two particular members) is, bla bla bla.

Great chappter by the way, Rai. I hope they don't get killed off...
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Doors to the truth, an SG where a boy is propelled into worlds he is unfamiliar with. He crosses many worlds, and sees many things that force him to throw away his innocence, once, and for all. Fourth Chapter, out for viewing!
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 9:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

*pokes Din to be sure it's the real thing*Okay I think everyone has a bit of the wrong idea. Lemme clear it up.

This isn't a willing choice the Twins are making, this is being caused by the fuzing of the pendant. And now that that has happened there is no turning back. When Angelo said the only question is which twin is going to die he was no different from a man wondering which direction the next car at an intersection is going to come from.

Yes one of them has to die, I'm just asking people to justify their choice instead of just giving me a name. I just wanna know why people are choosing one character to die more than another.

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 3:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

the only confused person i see is TMOF. The rest of us seem to have replied appropriately.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 10:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jasper. Why? Well, Jade is less dangerous than him, (Time bomb, etc.) and I personally like her more than him, somehow her character seems more complex to me and I would like to see her develop further. It's a hard choice, but I'm always more of a brains than fighting guy when it comes to stories. Smile
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 1:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I F5 just about everyone else. Jasper should die. For a start, they have enough fighters. I think Jade is starting to live apart from her brother, but Jasper cannot live without her. Killing Jade might also make Ambrois kill himself, and we can't have that now can we?

If you want a reason that's nothing to do with the twin's personalities, a foremade decision, I'd say whichever's the older dies, for no other reason than that's how it should be. An heir and a spare, as it were.
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 12:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

*wanders in with a small, wicked smile*

Rai, if they start arguing too much, Angelo's going to get irritated........

How about BOTH of the twins... emotional turmoil complete.. as Din said we turn Ambrois into the same as Angelo... Cere gets very upset as well... and we also lose our passionate fighter.. finally allowing Donovan and Saul the chance to, well, grow up shall we say, a bit.

*slides out chuckling*
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

*snaps at Rai's finger barely missing* No poking....I bite.

Okay, so if you want to be radomn, how about we do the opposite of White Blacksmiths suggestion, the Youngest dies, leaving the oldest or the heir alive.

Or....*smiles evily* Why kill them at all? Well, at least not in the traditional sense of 'killing', my suggestions suggest that one of the twins DOES NOT DIE but rather FUSES with the other twin the same way the pendants are now fused together also. So, while one of the twins will 'appear' to be dead, they will actually be very much alive, only fused inside the one that's still alive. (Sorta like in Wrath were NeverNever and Solus (before the splitting) are 'same' person, but each personality and apperance appears and dispears).

Personally, I would LOVE to see that, with the twins united body switching genders and personality all the time, things could get very, very, very interesting. Chaos would ensue, naturally, until the Twins got the hang of things, but that would be half the fun.

Not to mention the added fun that you could have by having Angelo's mind (hence establish a personal mindlink with the Twins [or Twin, whatever]!

*giggles hestarically* Oh, can we? Can we? Just think of the fun, plot devices, embarassing situations, and not mention the fact we won't actually have to kill one of the twins......
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

*bangs head on desk* Why can't I get this kind of creativity with my open ended DP's.

You all seem to be very unwilling to simply kill a person off, could it be you're attached to the characters? Shame on you...

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PostPosted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 12:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
*bangs head on desk* Why can't I get this kind of creativity with my open ended DP's.


Sometimes it takes a closed ended DP to make people look at all the possibilities on trying to obtain what they can't have. Wink



I think they should both go. I'm actually tired of both of them. I'm not into all this telepathic stuff and besides, Angelo can listen in on their conversations anyway. This leads me to wonder why Jade sent a message for them to hurry when she was standing right next to the old pirate. Confused

Donovan and Saul have been secondary characters up until now and I have felt for some time that the group should be smaller to make it easier to follow.

So...

If the death of one of them is so important to Angelo and this fusion of the pendant, then they should both go as one, and mess things up.

Whether this is voluntary or not doesn't matter. If it is a wild display of self sacrifice, fine. However, they are twins and since they are that close to one another that they can feel one another's experiences, it is quite reasonable to think that regardless of whichever one Ambrois might choose, the other will just die anyway. Either way, it'll be awful for all of them, particularly Ambrois, who will no doubt be turned against his father for this.

It looks to me that Angelo fused the pendants at this point as a result of an angry punishment for Ambrois, so the outcome of them both dying would be an ironic punishment for Angelo's anger... Ultimately Angelo would be the person who will suffer the most in the long run.

So my suggestion is - both.
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 26, 2008 11:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

All of your suggestions, and reasonings, have been filed away since some of them were truely twisted...and as for both of them dying...I just might do that too.

But one of them has to die. So vote.

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PostPosted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 4:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Before I vote, which one is the elder of the two?
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 9:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jasper is elder than Jade.
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It doesn't seem that many people like Jasper Wink.
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, I voted for Jasper, but that's because I don't see a "Both" choice. Sad

Why can't they both die? It'll be funny!
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey! Where's the 'both' option!!!??? This is cheating! I vote for both.
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

*laughs*
Well damn. I was expecting it to be a close vote so I was holding back the 'both' and 'fuze' options as a runoff incase of a tie.

I don't think I'm going to need them. *pouts*

But oh well...I may find future use for them...[insert evil laughter here]

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PostPosted: Thu Jan 31, 2008 9:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well...that's that. Looks like Jasper has come to his untimely end.

I really was anticipating a closer race between the two so this is actually a bit of a shock to me. It's going to take me a while to write this chapter as well because I'd like it to be funny...which is hard when somebody is dying.

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