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| Topic Started: Mar 17 2009, 07:16 AM (202 Views) | |
| Persephone Fallenheart | Mar 17 2009, 07:16 AM Post #1 |
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Persephone had been bred to dislike elves. Nymphic tales were all about how the elven "fair" people had screwed them over in every single possible way, and then ended up with kicking them out of their forests. It was the story, and so everyone accepted it as truth. In some ways, it was part of the flaw of their society; they did things traditionally, and if it strayed from that path, it was ignored in general. When she had arrived in the forest of the Southern Lands, she had been pleased. No elves, that she knew of, walked these paths. She would be on her own. Oh, how wrong we sometimes are. Today, she was happy just to stray along in the sunshine, grateful of her height (for once). She was just short enough that she still had a good view of the world, without knocking her head on tree branches that soared a good two feet above her head. "Some people take the short stature as a curse, but I rather enjoy it," she realized, her nerves thrumming with the happiness of the forest. It had been a good day. The Southern Lands were practically empty, leaving her with little to do but take care of animals, and watch over the parts that were populated by the trolls. It was a peaceful life. |
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| Keayhin | Mar 17 2009, 07:39 AM Post #2 |
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His wanderings had taken him to the southern lands, which wasn't a bad thing in any case, as he was able to find another forest to spend most of his time in, which he chose to do. Perhaps it defeated the purpose of trying to start his own life, staying in forests rather than among others from whom he could get work and experience, but he was drawn to the woods and had a difficult time staying out of one he came across. And he did have a bad habit of coming across them. It was a decent day with good weather, the only real responsibilities he had to himself so he was able to do as he pleased. Today he had the fortune of resting against a tree, staying still long enough that many of the animals had come to view him as a non-threatening presence and going about their business. As a result, he now found himself sitting perfectly still and observing the creatures go about their day. A few would give him a second, or even third glance, and when he adjusted himself slightly many would bolt so he had learned not to do that. It was an overall relaxing experience, even if his legs had begun aching to move. |
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| Persephone Fallenheart | Mar 17 2009, 10:50 AM Post #3 |
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Animals had long since become acclimated to her presence. She just sort of was a part of the surroundings, they had accepted that. It was part of her job to be non intrusive into their life, and she'd been raised as a perfect little nymphling. An elf-hating, arrogant, obnoxious, but unintrusive nymphling at that. So, as she strolled through the first, she did a double take when she walked past someone (the scent told her a man), sitting under a tree. And then a triple take. Finally, Persephone stopped her walking all together, hesitated, and then turned to face him, eyes wide with shock. "Why are the animals just strolling by? A presence like his would be enough to send them scattering, never to return. What is wrong with the world?" She thought, panicked, looking him up and down. Clearing her throat, she spotted his pointed ears, and her eyebrows snapped together. Oh, so he was an elf. Possibly a wood elf. Maybe he was hear to steal her territory, and she couldn't allow that to happen. "Pah. What do you want with my forest, elf?" She said, her tone reproachful, her eyes glistening with anger. "I don't recall inviting you here, and just because you haven't harmed anything yet doesn't mean you won't in the future." |
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| Keayhin | Mar 17 2009, 11:14 AM Post #4 |
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Keayhin's eyes swiveled to the newcomer as he tried to stay still. Before she spoke his mind started trying to remember if there was a way to politely indicate a desire not to move without coming off as ignoring someone. Luckily for him she quickly made it clear that any attempts to be polite may already have been abandoned. The elf turned his head to look at her, glanced at the creatures that had been nearby previously and stood up, turning to face her. He glanced at the woman for a moment, feeling a bit awkward to be so much taller than someone and quickly assuming that this would be a bad way to start a conversation. The elf scratched his neck for a moment, at a loss for words as he could come up with no reason why he'd warranted such a "welcome" from someone. "I... ah... I'm sorry. Did I do something to offend you? I meant no harm, I was not aware that this forest belonged to anyone, I apologize for trespassing," the elf said uncertainly, quite bewildered to have someone speaking to him like that when he didn't even know their name, "I cannot entirely promise it won't happen again, but I will try to avoid your woods in the future." |
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| Persephone Fallenheart | Mar 18 2009, 08:35 AM Post #5 |
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There was a part of her actions that wasn't spawned by her hatred or dislike of elves: simply put, Persephone did not possess the necessary social skills to have a good conversation with someone. Most of her life had been spent in solitude (though not confinement) and she preferred it that way. Animals were a lot easier to get along with than sentient beings. For one, they didn't fuss about things like appearance, propriety, etiquette. At her voice, the animals that had been near scattered, and she wasn't surprised. In some ways, that had been her point; she didn't trust him yet, and thus, they shouldn't trust him either. "It's not that I know best," the nymph reasoned with herself. "It's that they don't know at all." Bristling at his words, she shook her head. "Forests, by nature, should be free; but that was what We believed before the Great War. Now, we have to claim ownership of land's beauty, lest it be stolen from us on a young races whim. Why don't you ask your people, and they will tell you all of the glorious tales. Then you can tell them that the nymphs have not forgotten what you have done to us, and reduced us to." She said, by means of explanation. "My problem is not with you, but your people." Rising up to the full height of her 4"6', she tried to look down at him and failed. "Damn. Foiled again!" |
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| Keayhin | Mar 19 2009, 01:28 AM Post #6 |
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"People glorify their own kind in every tale they tell, I'm sure yours has done the same. Why does that make what yours said any more right?" he asked gently, confused. He remembered some stories, but had always thought they were just that- stories. Tales made up to tuck little ones into bed, not something to be taken seriously. The elf couldn't remember ever hearing them and thinking how glorious the elves were for them, just recognizing the admirable quality of certain heroes. Then, he never was one to put much stock in tales that had been passed down so long. "I don't really remember the stories, I suppose some would talk of glory, but some would be just as confused about what happened to the nymphs. Maybe instead of getting mad at people for it- you should tell them what happened so maybe someone will try and fix it," he suggested with an uncertain half smile, slouching a bit as he notice the elf try to straighten up. Keayhin had been right not to mention the height difference, and now felt even more out of place for it. In comparison to most, he was never that tall a fellow, and having someone that he practically towered over made him feel very out of place. |
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| Persephone Fallenheart | Mar 19 2009, 10:17 AM Post #7 |
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Persephone bristled, taking offense at his words - despite the fact that they were obviously logical. It was a comical sight - her ears turned red, and her copper skintone tinged pink around her cheeks as well. She'd never really been known for her long temper and patience, though that was hardly telling of her race or class. "We like to think ourselves historians, recording things in an unbiased, detailed way," she informed him, finally, crossing her arms across her (scant) chest. "Despite the dishonor that we faced at your hands, we still managed to get things correct in the records and were just as accurate recording your dead as our own. It just so happened that our dead had faces, names, and families to go with them. There aren't many of us left, anymore." Though he wasn't one to put stock in tales, that was all that Persephone remembered of her childhood. Every nymph, since birth almost, was told tales to put them to sleep at night: but there was always one point stressed. All the stories are true and to prevent history from repeating itself, we have to try our best to educate ourselves. He had a valid point. "I suppose it's hard, when you don't know what your ... opponent knows about your race. There are a lot of misconceptions you know," she said, finally, swallowing back all the retorts that had bubbled at his words. He was trying hard to be fair and civil. Or at least, she thought he was. So she would have to do the same - never let it be said that a nymph was impolite to an elf first! "Why don't you tell me what you know, and I can-" correct you? "...help you understand my point of view." |
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| Keayhin | Mar 19 2009, 02:47 PM Post #8 |
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Keayhin bit his lip at her response. He didn't want to seem rude or end up getting kicked out of an entire forest, but he was never one for talks like this. He didn't have enough experience with it, with really thinking about elves and other races as an "us and them" sort of thing. Now he realized it was the case and found himself at a complete loss for what to do. Not only that, but this was all a bit over his head and rather boring. But making it known would hardly be the best way to continue this conversation, assuming there were any good ways. "I don't know anything about numbers, and I don't know everyone who died, assumed most of them had faces and families, though. People tend to have those," he said with a shrug. The elf wasn't sure if this was how you were supposed to be, and he couldn't tell you the number of elves of any type or collectively there were left. He assumed a decent amount but could easily be wrong. "I think most people would like to think their historians were unbiased, and I'm sure yours were as much as they could be, but everyone with an emotional attachment to an event will let a little bit of bias into it." At her next question, the boy had to pause again, scratching a finger behind the fleshy part of his ear while thinking. How much of the stories could he reliably repeat? Someone knew all of them, he was sure, one of his sisters was quite fond of studying them, but he hadn't paid much attention and tended to tune out when she started talking. People had told them to him as a child, but that felt like an eternity ago, now, and sometimes they'd have different versions of the same story, especially if it was a more inventive relative. Those were the ones that stuck, though, so he couldn't be surprised that they did it. "I think I'll have to dissapoint you on this one. I can't remember most of the stories, and I'm sure some of the versions told to me added more fantasy than kept fact. I'm sure it doesn't help your opinion of elves, I just never really thought about them as... I mean, they were just stories people told. When you grow up hearing them like that, I guess I never really gave it a second thought when I was old enough to know what they were. My sister knew everything she could about them, though. Studied them whenever she got a chance, but I'm afraid I never had her interest," he bowed his head slightly, not really sure what else to say beyond that, and feeling childish and ignorant for having to admit that he wouldn't even be able to say if they tried to stay unbiased or not. He knew the basics, the outline that couldn't be twisted no matter who told it, but suspected that wouldn't be much help in her attempts to "reeducate" him. |
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| Persephone Fallenheart | Mar 26 2009, 09:43 AM Post #9 |
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ooc;; Ugh, I don't know why this took me so long. D: I suck, sorry. He obviously looked uncomfortable, and had he been anything other than what he was, Persephone might have felt sorry for him. But he was an elf, and one who had dared to speak back to her when she was listing the grievances of her people. Other than his lack of common sense, he had a couple more things to explain to her. She had kept her temper thus far - he had only her temper to rely on, if he wanted to pass through this place again. "You don't have to know. It should have been remembered by your race," she spat, turning away and shrugging. "And besides, nymphs don't have families. We do, however, have friends. And our historians live longer than yours. We used to be friends once. We learned not to care from your kind." It didn't seem to really matter to her that this had happened a long time ago, and perhaps he was young enough to not remember. Pacing back and forth in an attempt to keep herself from screaming at him, her brown eyes studied him up and down for a moment, and then she continued with her endless walking back and forth, waiting for him to say something. "I think I'll have to disappoint you on this one. I can't remember most of the stories, and I'm sure some of the versions told to me added more fantasy than kept fact. I'm sure it doesn't help your opinion of elves, I just never really thought about them as... I mean, they were just stories people told." In some ways, that was worse than hearing that he was an elf. He was an ignorant elf! History had a large part in every nymphs life and she wasn't accustomed to meeting others where it was not just as pivotal. Gaping, she shook her head. "So, you don't know? Really?" A valid question, considering she'd been raised to remember dates and names, all the dead had a weight on her shoulders. "Are there others like you? Has everyone forgotten?" |
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| Keayhin | Mar 26 2009, 06:21 PM Post #10 |
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"You don't have families?" he asked, shocked. The first thought was "then where do nymphs come from", but this was a fairly tawdry line of thoughts and he quickly wiped it from his mind. After this he had to wonder what that would be like, growing up without family. "Nymph friendships must be extremely close to make up for that..." he murmured, mostly to himself, before realizing what he just said and glancing at the nymph apologetically. "I have to apologize for that comment, I realize that not everyone is as close to their family as I was to mine. It's foolish to assume that people without that experience aren't... I mean, I'm sorry about that," he said gently, knowing that he had already made a bad impression and assuming he'd just made it much worse. Keayhin blinked at her, unsure what to do with her reaction to his comment. "You just said I don't have to know- why would you say that if it's so shocking that I don't?" he asked, trying to figure out what he'd forgotten. "I'm sure there are others like me, but I just told you that there are those who make sure to know everything they possibly can." |
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| Persephone Fallenheart | Mar 28 2009, 11:50 AM Post #11 |
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Now it was her turn to look surprised. She'd heard that the elven model of society was very close to what she had grown up in, but it seemed that she'd been woefully misinformed. "Of course not, we're raised by special nymphs who are given the job of caregivers. We form friendships very slowly, over hundreds of years, with those living things around us- other nymphs and spirits," Persephone explained stiffly, studying him. Something about that had shocked him, and she couldn't image what. She had always thought that something like that was common knowledge among the people of the world. There was nothing really for him to apologize for, but she accepted all the same, with a nod. Apparently he thought that he'd committed some great social crime, but she was used to it. "Civilized, you mean? It's a different way of life from your own, I understand that can be hard to take," Persephone said hesitantly. Somehow this had turned from her being angry to an actual ... conversation. With an elf. "Well. I changed my mind. It's not your fault that you were terribly educated. I can't believe people have forgotten about us already. It's just as well - my brothers and sisters have left Avalon, fearing war and only death in the future. There was an omen that drove them away. I'm by no means the last, but I no longer have friends about, other than this forest." |
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| Keayhin | Mar 28 2009, 06:52 PM Post #12 |
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"I was raised by my... well, mostly by my eldest sisters, but with those who I was born to. I guess it's still strange that people grow up without that... Well, that's still the wrong wording," he sighed gently, looking apologetically at her. He was making a mess of this and didn't , "I'm sure many elves were raised the same way you were, I don't mean that it makes you uncivilized or that the way I was raised is the best way. I suppose I just have a lot to learn about the world." Keayhin listened to the rest of what the nymph said silently, not sure what to say. He just nodded, trying not to say anything to dig himself deeper, but it seemed terribly sad and lonely to him. Admittedly, she probably had a deeper connection with the forest and it's creatures than anyone else because of it, but not having any other friends seemed like it would be a difficult thing to bear. "I'm..." he closed his mouth again, thoughtful for a moment, "That seems like it would be difficult, I'm sorry that I don't know more about your... our history. What omen caused them to leave?" |
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| Persephone Fallenheart | Mar 29 2009, 05:03 AM Post #13 |
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He was raised by women? That was strange enough. She had been raised by her own sex, of course, but the males of her kind were raised by males. It was strange for the sexes to mix, especially when it had to do with raising. Naturally there had to be some sort of contact for there to be children, but that was selection, not because of actual passion. They had a duty to keep their race from going extinct, and a duty to the forest; that was what brought them to mate. "I guess we live two different lives," she thought to herself. "I'm not quite so sure you're right. I just ... assumed that everyone was raised the way I was. I never really wondered if people were different from us - I have too much work to do in the forest as it is, and queries about the world are better left unanswered," she answered, still not perturbed by his bad handling of the entire situation. "We don't think about the rest of Avalon, or even the earth we live on, because it makes us want to leave our forests. The gods trusted us with this duty, and anything short of that is blasphemy. To us, at least." Shrugging, she paced back and forth a few times, feeling strange for explaining any of this to him. There wasn't a lot that was necessarily taboo or secret about her culture, but there were many things that were a tad bit different than what he would be used to. "An elder druid had a foredream. A dream that hints at something to come. It's by no means exact, but enough to move us from this continent to a new world. It looked like all the forests were dying. If they die, we do too. So they all left," she didn't add that sometimes foredreams never did actually come to pass, because the future was always in flux. "I didn't want to leave. So I stayed behind." |
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| Keayhin | Mar 29 2009, 05:55 PM Post #14 |
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Keayhin nodded when she spoke, noticing that it seemed his upbringing seemed quite strange to her as well, which he supposed was expected. Now he was curious about her life, what was so differnet about it than his, but supposed that she wouldn't really want to take the time to tell him. She was being far more civilized, but he couldn't think she was at all fond of him after the greeting he'd received. "I guess if you've got something you need to do, everything else seems less important," he said thoughtfully. "It's probably better to have that, though. A sense of purpose to life. The rest isn't that important, and even if someone thinks it is- if you tried to be what everyone thinks is important, you'd end up too exhausted to be what you think is important." The elf watched her pace for a moment, not sure what to expect. She seemed dissettled by the situation, but he had no idea how to remedy that or if he was just making things worse. He was hoping it wasn't the latter, but he'd never dealt with someone who started out disliking him so much, and for reasons he knew nothing about. When she began to speak, he listened carefully, curious about this as he was always curious about omens. "Did it give any idea of when?" he asked uncertainly, "Most of the forests I've seen in my, admittedly limited, travels thusfar were healthy enough. |
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| Persephone Fallenheart | Mar 30 2009, 04:17 AM Post #15 |
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They had a lot to learn from each other- though that didn't mean that she was in any way close to being ready to listen to him. She was tolerating him at this point, partly because she had no weapons on her person, and partly because she felt sorry for him. Though, had he known what his race had put Persephone and her race through, she would have attempted to kill him on the spot, weapons or not. His woeful education was not her fault or her problem. That was a very good point, and she shrugged. "If you're a nymph, you grow up with a purpose. We all know what we have to do, at all times. There is no ... question for us, no growing up process. We were made to be what we are, nothing else. I don't think I have the capability to care about anything else but the forest, because I've never really had a moment to think about it," she admitted, finally. It was strange that the entire situation had gone from extreme anger to civility, and how fast the transition had been made. Normally, she was one to hold a grudge ... but it was hard being angry at someone who seemed to actually be thinking about what you were saying, instead of arguing back. That and it was even harder to be angry at someone who had no clue what you were even talking about. "Do we have to pay for the sins of our fathers? Our grandfathers?" It was a question that she didn't want to think about - Persephone was scared of the answer. Shaking her head, Persephone thought for a moment. "Omens to us ... are different. Sometimes, we know what is going to happen, but our concept of time is different from yours. All they knew was that it was going to happen soon - relatively. Soon could be 1000 years, or two. A million years, or a single lunar cycle. It really depends. That's part of the reason why I didn't leave with them." |
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