Message-Id: <199906121610.LAA01717@casper.realtime.net>
Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 11:10:38 -0400
From: "Quinn@GhostWheel" <someone@ghostwheel.mud.org>
To: quinn@fazigu.org
Subject: GhostWheel Message(s) 1171 - 1189 from *storylines (#5236)
Status: RO
Content-Length: 30502
Lines: 584

Message 1171 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Tue Apr 13 14:09:11 1999 EDT
From:     Vertemis (#23360)
To:       *storylines (#5236)
Subject:  A note found in the R/T, Oceanus, Transport Hub, and other frequented areas.

Is your life a boring pea soup only to be seasoned with a few grains of kosher
salt? Fear not, you can learn the lovely trade of mechanics, and combat, along
with survival in the desolate wastelands. Drop a note to Vertemis if
interested. Clans need not apply.

--------------------------


Message 1172 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Wed Apr 14 16:33:14 1999 EDT
From:     Dante (#10660)
To:       *storylines (#5236)
Subject:  The Stables.

Dante rubbed his chin, glancing at his partner Skeeter. he shook his head as
they looked over the new addition to the Tinder Box. Free land, was something
Dante had wished to give to people of Ghostwheel. None could claim the land as
long as he watched over it at least. With the first of the horses in place,
the only matter was to wait for others who wished to have them. Leaving
Thunder where he lay, it was only a matter of time.

OOC : Ghostwheel now has an official stable, horses as well are being created.
The cost is 10k, and only can be controlled by one player. You can ride it
anywhere on ghostwheel, but the horses cannot leave on a shuttle sadly. If
your interested either contact Skeeter, myself, or Dragonbabe.

--------------------------


Message 1173 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Fri Apr 16 23:16:17 1999 EDT
From:     Badriyah (#16526)
To:       *storylines (#5236)
Subject:  Light as a Feather, Heavy as a Mountain.

Badriyah sat in the little rickety ship, looking out the window to see the
world flying by rapidly.  Soon the lush greenery of Drach'Nal became the sandy
lengths of the Wastelands.  She would be back at the R/T soon, and the safety
of the Wastes that she had known and wandered for so long.  Ammar's
conciousness rested at the back of her mind, eager to see her again.  He had
worried for her for so long, and she felt him slightly chastise her for her
absense.
Things had changed last night.  Her life of freedom, a feather flitting in the
wind from place to place, was threatened.  All from the trickery of a witch,
Coreen.  Her desire to play with Zorn had now involved Badriyah's own life and
welfare.
She thought idly about the night before, attempting to piece together the
lusty, drunken moments as they danced from her grip.  She had given herself to
Zorn, a man of resolute honor, and he had taken her like an unfaithful man
took a whore.  Her hands gripped her arms tightly and she had to stop to take
a breath, her teeth were grinding together.
This was not their fault, she had to remind herself.  It was that witch.  She
had to pay... somehow.

--------------------------


Message 1174 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Sat Apr 17 14:41:10 1999 EDT
From:     Zorn (#24462)
To:       *storylines (#5236)
Subject:  Lack of faith.

Zorn's resolve had been shattered, le lay on his head staring up at the wall
of his ceiling as he had never done before. Sometimes prayer, sometimes the
hunt Zorn would work out the emotions which he could not control, personal
will itself helped him to keep it under control. And now what would Zorn do?
He had broken all that was ever sacred to his belief. He had tainted a young
girl, possibly with a child no less. The possible implications alone were
staggering to Zorn. How could one who so fevertly preached right and good, be
able to continue? There was the reason behind their mingling. Coreen, the
witch. She has enspelled the two of them, knowing very well what she did, but
the thing that saddened his heart is the night before was not a lost memory of
drunkeness, Zorn was haunted by his words and actions both. He remembered
everything he said, and now the words lay in his heart, something that had not
beaten for a long time. Lonliness, Isollae... the world hung in his heart and
the only thing to be done was revenge.

--------------------------


Message 1175 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Sat Apr 17 16:20:47 1999 EDT
From:     Cirrus (#24781)
To:       *storylines (#5236)
Subject:  Heh.

Upon exiting his undergound domain, one of the first things Cirrus noticed was
the fact that his eyes were beginning to become very used to darkness. So used
to darkness in fact, that only a few minutes of exposure to the fluorescent
lighting of the R/T Round Room, where he had to repost his ad on the bulletin
board, flashburned his retinas, causing temprorary, if not permanent
blindness.
Determined and stubborn to the end, Cirrus was hell-bound not to let this
bring him down..... But even five days after, his sight should be returning to
him, but the doctor said not to remove the bandage. "Okay," thought Cirrus, "I
can get along fine blind." But he found that without the ability to study the
final two chapters he needed to complete Chemistry 1, he was becoming restless
for something to do. A severe hunting accident landed him in the midrealm.
Goddamned Chimaera apparently is quite sneaky when it wants to be, and it made
no sound and had no smell.... at least not over the din of attacking cainids
and their horrible rotten stench.
For some odd reason he couldn't fathom, the Eagle didn't heal his eyes. A
badly ended conversation in the R/T Lounge heralded the next of his problems
due to blindness. A hasty, and badly planned escape of the room found him
sitting in the doorway, facing the Lounge and a potential attacker, with his
right shoulder broken in two places... Thinking to himself, "Dear gods, how
did I get such brittle bones?" and making his way home, Cirrus decided to hide
and not come out untill he could take off the bandages and see again.
And he planned on replicating a pair of those electric sunglasses that are
sensitive to light and can be set to how much they let in or keep out as well.

--------------------------


Message 1176 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Sun Apr 18 16:48:24 1999 EDT
From:     Lovinia (#10869)
To:       *storylines (#5236)
Subject:  Healed

Lovinia was restless. She had been becoming increasingly so over a long period
of time. Years, now. She felt she needed a distraction and another nature
lesson would be good for Antoine.  She dressed her son warmly, for the early
May mornings were still brisk in the Valley, and they left the Retreat to walk
through the thick forest.
Antoine was curious about everything as usual, full of questions, running
ahead at times and worrying his mother, for the bears had left their
hibernation and were roaming, hungry. She kept her staff ready, alert for an
danger as she called him back to her side and answered his questions.
They reached the Village and entered Gus and Thelma's pub, Lovinia relaxing in
the warm, friendly atmosphere of the Flaming Heifer.  She and her son sat down
by the window and ordered breakfast, chatting with Gus as his wife bustled to
and from the kitchen. Antoine, full of his usual energy, ate quickly and then
asked if he and is mother could go to the Great Tree. Smiling, Lovinia nodded
and so they left, taking transport to the They reached the Village and entered
Gus and Thelma's pub, Lovinia relaxing in the warm, friendly atmosphere of the
Flaming Heifer.  She and her son sat down by the window and ordered breakfast,
chatting with Gus as his wife bustled to and from the kitchen. Antoine, full
of his usual energy, ate quickly and then asked if he and is mother could go
to the Great Tree. Smiling, Lovinia nodded and so they left, taking transport
to the R/T, and on to the Tree.
Thoughts crowded Lovinia's mind as her feet took her of their own accord, long
used to the way, her son scampering at her side. Her mind whirled, and when
she reached out to touch the mind of her husband, she flinched in pain, then
anger as the alien prescense repelled her. She reached her destination, hand
clenching her staff till her knuckles turned white as her mind pushed
purposefully at the resistance she felt, seeking something left of her once
Beloved.
She stood beneath the sheltering limbs of the great tree and blinked at this
thought. 'Once beloved?'  She stood quietly as Antoine climbed over the giant
roots of the tree, climbing to the lowest branches like an aboreal born. 'Once
Beloved?' She let out a long sigh, her anger and pain leaving her with the
breath as the soothing essense of the Eldorath surrounded and filled her.
'Oui, once Beloeved. No more. My husband is dead. Something alien now inhabits
the body and spirit that once belonged to me, and as I once belonged to him.'
She sat down, surprised as relief flooded her being. 'When did this happen?'
She shook her head and laughed aloud, the sound melodic, free as it filled the
iar around her.
Smiling, she looks up at her son as he lay stretched out on his stomach along
a branch, his arms and legs dangling free. 'Free as my heart, now.'  She
looked down at the scar on the palm of her hand, rubbing at with her fingers
and frowned, the dusky crescent between her brows wrinkling, as a thought
filled her mind. 'Trapped. This is not as it should be! I will not remain
trapped, tied to a man that no longer exists!'she looked up to check on her
son, then satisfied he was safe, closed her eyes and leaned her cheek against
the Tree, her hands touching the rough bark as she let the power and essense
of the Eldorath fill her. 'Sweet Gaea, hear me, your humble Child.'  She
concentrated on the power and felt it grow as the Tree spoke to her, the Voice
of the Goddess answering. 'I hear, my Child.'
Lovinia felt the love of the Goddess and Her power enter her, then a as she
smiled in rapture, she was struck by a great tearing of her spirit, her soul.
Lovinia screamed out, falling in a heep among the roots of the Great Tree, the
palm of her left hand bleeding, a glow surrounding it as blood flowed from the
old scar made newly cut flesh, the blood soaking into Eldorath's roots to
disappear. The clow intensified shrouding the hand from sight, then slowly
faded, flesh healed, the scar...and the bond removed.
Lovinia gradually revived, her body week, a feeling of something familar now
gone. She was weak, barely able to lift her head to look for her son, worried
and shaken. Her eyes found him, napping in the crook of a great branch, close
overhead, undisturbed.
'He saw, heard nothing? Ah, thank the Goddess...I am so tired...'  She slumped
against the Tree, too exhausted and filled with the remnants of the pain to
move. She, and her son, slept.
Later Lovinia, with the help of her son, returned to their home. Lovinia sent
the sleepy boy off to bed, then faced her husband.
"I wish you to leave my house. We are no longer wedded. You have no claim
here."  She waited for him to pack his things, "Gaea's Blessings on you, who
ever you may be."  She closed the door quietly, but firmly at his retreating
back.

--------------------------


Message 1177 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Mon Apr 19 19:45:35 1999 EDT
From:     Eponine (#3791)
To:       *changes (#7715) and *storylines (#5236)

There is a new Journal in the Lounge.

--------------------------


Message 1178 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Mon Apr 19 20:27:52 1999 EDT
From:     Baltisaar (#10734)
To:       *storylines (#5236)
Subject:  The Next Level...

The house was silent.

Then the door opened, then closed.  Footsteps were heard on the stairs.

Still, Baltisaar studied his tomes.  This time, his travels would carry him to
the very southern most body of water, he mused.  And then, a presence was felt
in the doorway.  He feared no one since his escape from the chaos realm, so he
continued to study.

"I wish you to leave my house. We are no longer wedded. You have no claim
here."

Baltisaar frowned.  Admittedly, this was not something he expected.  His eyes
turned deep obsidian as he looked up.  A simple statement was made, "I see."
He stood and did what he did best:  He worked the magic he had lived and died
for.

A vortex opened, his possesions went into it:  His books, his artifacts,
everything he had ever owned in this life disappeared into the vortex, outside
this realm and in a realm where his mentors existed.  A place always existed
for him there.

Lovinia waited for him to pack his things, "Gaea's Blessings on you, who ever
you may be."  He turned to her and stated his last words to her, "You were
Morrigan's wife, his collar your wear in your soul.  Pleasures of the evening
be with you."  He left the house through the front door.

Outside, he stood for a moment, then turned to the west and began to walk
around the house, widdershins.  A simple drawing in the air, an invoking
pentagram, was drawn with his Dirk.  He moved faster and faster around the
house, til his movements were blurred to the eye.  Light formed behind him,
his magic unbinding from his now former wife's magic, returning to him.
Strength returned to him, and the realization that she had been a burden to
him all this time dawn on him.  He smiled, something he had not done in many a
year.  His magic reeled in, he stopped where he started, and formed the
banishing pentagram in air with his Dirk, one last time in front of his former
domicile.

He stepped into the nearby forest, and has not been seen since.  A new star
can be seen in the night sky...

                       We twist and turn where angles burn
                       Like fallen soilders we will learn
                       That once forgotten, twice removed
                           Love will be the death...
                                The death of you.
                        (Savage Garden - Tears of Pearls)

--------------------------


Message 1179 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Tue Apr 20 21:06:01 1999 EDT
From:     Ulfwerner (#24865)
To:       *storylines (#5236)
Subject:  Returning

Slowly, the wolf climbed over the dune, his ragged clothes waving about in the
wind, nothing but gray strips of cloth sewn together to protect his body from
the stinging sand-filled winds of the wastelands...
This had brought him to some serious reflection... who would remember him?
Who would he remember?  As he marched down one mountain of sand just to hit
another, he continued to think about such...Remembering his past, the memories
of being practically torn to shreds, the isolation of it all, until he could
muster the strength to reach help...at the R/T Building.
Is that why he left for such a time?  To experience once more what his
introduction to the real world was?  The world outside of a tube?  The world
outside of a small cell with just an uncomfortable bed and a urinal?  Perhaps
he wasn't prepared for such a life...Perhaps that's why he left, indeed.  To
escape the pressures of the civilization where he was constantly attacked, and
always fighting.  Another one of those cliche trips to 'find one's self', he
said, muttering with a light grin.
As he crested the last dune, he saw it.  A tower of memories.  Wind sweeping
about, the large garage open and welcoming, one helicoptor emerging from it,
another landing on the roof.  He smiled, not aware of his unkempt appearance,
just waiting to see the old faces, not really remembering them too well, but
in need of friends after such isolation during his nomadic wanderings.
Little did he know of the recent boom of recomb hunters, as he entered the
garage.  Little did he know the trap was being laid, as he walked down the
metal corridor.  Little did he know he would indeed soon be caught...

<OOC>  This is basically an explanation of this character's absence and
whatnot.  Also, this is somewhat of an invitation for any recomb hunters who
would like to take part in Ulf's capture and resale, please contact me.  Danke

--------------------------


Message 1180 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Tue Apr 20 21:08:00 1999 EDT
From:     Rathe (#14172)
To:       *storylines (#5236)

Rathe yawned, scratched his ass, and went back to sleep.

--------------------------


Message 1181 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Wed Apr 21 01:11:15 1999 EDT
From:     Fortitude (#24841)
To:       *storylines (#5236), *submariners (#8388), and *changes (#7715)

I added a new NPC to the IC world.  Nerine is a new-age Submariner so to speak
and we'll be changing the game notes soon to give you a bit more info on that.
Primarily, she is here to RP with other Submariners and she's basically
first-hand evidence of some of the things that are happening undersea...which
I'm sure all of you will agree is much better than me making anomalous posts
to *storylines about it.  She's restricted to the undersea zone (for obvious
reasons if you see her), but anybody with gills or a diving mask is welcome to
play.  Keep in mind that her stats are not set as you may be accustomed to
with NPC's and neither will she be here forever.  We will remove the character
in approximately one RL month.  So what are you waiting for?  Play nice.

--------------------------


Message 1182 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Thu Apr 22 22:20:16 1999 EDT
From:     Nerine (#24860)
To:       *storylines (#5236)

She moved quickly through the murky waters of the deep sea, downward from the
surface and away from the light.  She had almost forgotten about the way it
struck you once you swam too close to the surface, the way the light filtered
down, green and gold, into the water of the sea.  Her eyes had grown adjusted
to the dimness of the depths, and after she'd tasted the air above once, and
had a look around, she'd darted back under quickly, afraid of being seen.  She
now moved once more with grace and precision, hardly aware of her own careful
movements, her constant watch for predators or for other seafolk.  The
constant tension was failiar now, a part of life, easy as breathing or eating,
even though something tickled at the edges of her thoughts recently... that
very thing which had made her curious to see the surface once more, to touch
the open air and feel the light on her face.
Slipping easily back into her darkened cavern, Nerine opened the bundle she'd
tucked under her arm, unfolding the broad leaves in her lap to reveal a
clutter of coral, shells, and fine bits of seaweed.  She nibbled idly on the
leafy plants as she turned the coral pieces over in her hand, floating them
before her face breifly before choosing one and knotting it onto the piece of
string that held a narrow braid tight.  The rest of her hair was a wild,
uncontrollable tangle, but she was proud of the braids adorned with coral.
The little fish that also hid in this cavern for protection no longer darted
from the approach of her hand, and often swam quite close to her; this made
her happy, although it was foolish to imagine them as friends of any sort.
They were simply little fish, which she might have eaten if she needed to. The
fish nosed around the bits of shell and kelp she'd let go, and she curled into
the sandy, leafy bed she'd made to try to sleep off her disappoinment at the
things she'd been able to forage today.  If she hadn't gone off on that
useless trip upward, she'd probably have done better; but then again, her
forays were taking her closer and closer to civilization these days. Once or
twice she'd actually -seen- one of them, the people who had shunned her in the
past... mariners who simply lived and spoke with one another and seemed
contented.  She coveted what they had, but did not think she herself could
risk their company again.
Nerine dozed off, slipping into uneasy dreams, people by the folk she'd left -
the ones who'd cast her out - and unfamiliar faces with wide, surprised
eyes... she wanted to know their names, in the dream, but her questions never
garnered answers.

--------------------------


Message 1183 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Thu Apr 29 23:58:39 1999 EDT
From:     Conrad (#24865)
To:       *storylines (#5236)
Subject:  The lone miner.

The propellers slowly spun to a stop as a door slid open, unleashing a lone
figure.  Slowly, he walked down roads and bridges, eventually leaving the town
and hitting the valley paths.  Walking the long dirt roads, he continued.
Now, he hit the wilderness indeed.  Climbing up the hillside, the moon guiding
him, the miner was obviously seeking something.  Finally, he found it.  The
entrance structured by what seemed like a wooden gateway of planks, he crept
into the darkness, lighting a lantern to illuminate the darkness.
With nothing but a crowbar, he slowly examined the walls, chipping them
slighting and observing what he had harvested closely.  Perhaps this was the
right place, he thought.  His quest for the right ore might be over.
Indeed, he could begin to collect his ore, yet small chips wouldn't do, and
without proper equipment such as a pick, he would not be able to collect the
neccessary materials.  Slowly, he exited the mine shaft, walking down the
hillside thoughtfully, making a mental note of the normally closed mines in
Drach'nal being a site of possible gain.

--------------------------


Message 1184 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Sun May  2 12:35:38 1999 EDT
From:     Tirafal (#24173)
To:       *storylines (#5236)
Subject:  Parenting

Emarel cruised to Ynaoise's side, hanging on to furniture, not quite able to
walk yet without clinging to something. She crawled to him, pulling herself up
by hanging on to his pant leg. A little chubby hand patted his leg, demanding
attention. Ynaoise, absorbed in his research, looked up from the book on his
desk and then back down at his daughter.
"Yes, little one?
Emarel continued to pound on his thigh, "Dadadadadadada"
Ynaoise smiled and picked the baby up, sitting her on his lap. She began to
busily explore his pockets, pulling out a set of keys and jingling them. She
continued to grub in his pocket until she found what she was looking for; a
crystal, slightly fuzz covered. She stuck it in her mouth and sucked, the
sweetness of the "candy" drizzling down her mouth.
Ynaoise quitely chuckled and petted the little girl's silky, baby fine hair,
"Addicted already, I see."
Rose, seeing the crystal in her sister's fist, crawled to Ynaoise's side and
pulled herself up, demanding her share. Ynaoise smiled and pulled a second
crystal from his pocket and handed it to Rose, who promptly plopped to her
bottom and began to suck on her "candy".
Tira looked up from her own work, a mending project, and bit a thread. "Do you
think you should be giving them crystal, Yna? They're so little. Will it hurt
them?"
"Less then real candy. They'll at least keep their teeth.", Ynaoise answered.
Tira raised an impish eyebrow, "Maybe. But the rush they get from it is worse
then sugar blues. I'm glad it's your turn to watch them this afternoon. I want
to see you persuade them to nap."
Ynaoise smiled and put Emarel back down on the floor. "We'll see."

--------------------------


Message 1185 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Wed May  5 21:08:46 1999 EDT
From:     Dante (#10660)
To:       *storylines (#5236)
Subject:  When boys want dolls.

Dante's work had been finished. His magical abilities had been pushed to their
very limits, the painstaking process of creating his doll had left him
exhausted. But it was worth it, his subject lived and was almost ready. He
smiled as the sun rose, waiting for the screams to come from the dungeon
below. Saddened he went down to find the mewling doll left in pain and
suffering. Her strength spent, she only managed a rasp of quite agony. It was
enough to know she suffered, Dante thought. But she still needed to survive.
He would make sure to feed nutrients to her body somehow. He need only wait
till night fall, then he could share her with the world. His personal doll,
made in his own self image. The leather skinned creature fell unconcious, the
damage done he left to let her rest. Afterall when she awoke, the sun would
still be there, and the light would shine on her unlike any other in the
world.

--------------------------


Message 1186 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Thu May  6 20:15:05 1999 EDT
From:     Dante (#10660)
To:       *storylines (#5236)
Subject:  A present fit for a Duke.

Dante carried his victim slowly through the New Orleans Bayou, and over to the
transport. The process was complete and he wished to show his creation to the
world. The woman in his arms breathed slowly, desiring to survive this
punishment. Dante could have not finished this had she wished otherwise. He
arrived after a moment, and raised the makeshift cross into the round room,
using the human dolls leatherskin to attach around the bindings. With a soft
chuckle he left the room, leaving the living doll to it's own pursuits,
waiting for a knight in shining armor to rescue her.

--------------------------


Message 1187 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Thu May  6 20:15:46 1999 EDT
From:     Dante (#10660)
To:       *storylines (#5236)
Subject:  OOC

Coreen is now strung up in the R/T, anyone wishing to cut her down form the
device please page me. And feel free to do whatever you want with her. ;)

--------------------------


Message 1188 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Mon May 10 07:00:23 1999 EDT
From:     Merri (#24667)
To:       *storylines (#5236)
Subject:  Living in the shadows

Merridwen leaned over the cradle and smiled as she moved her fingers and said
the words of the cantrip. Small, rainbowed crystals of light swirled over the
cradle in lazy circles and the baby laughed and batted at them. He smiled a
toothless grin up at his mother and grabbed a foot, sticking it in his mouth.
Then his attention went back to the rainbowed crystals and he crowed, putting
a hand up to them again. Merri went a bit breathless when she realized he was
concentrating on them as his hands moved. His voice cooed an almost loving
sound at the bits of brightness and the sparkles began to follow his hand as
he moved it up and down.
Her heart ached for Akane, wishing he could see his son. Only four months old
and already the magic was in him strong enough to influence her little
cantrip. Toraxyn had said that the baby had it in him to grow up a great mage.
Indeed, it was the reason she was here, semiimprisoned by necessity. It wasn't
her call that had saved them the day he was born. It was his, deep in the
danger of the twilight between birth and death, that had saved them both.
Toraxyn had felt the scent of the baby's panic as he cast out the call and
that was what had brought him to the crossroads that fateful day.
But with that kind of untrained potential came great danger. The dark mages
would give much to have him; never killing him but continually draining him
over and over as his power grew with his body.
Merri shivered at the thought of what could be done to her child just for the
untapped magic he carried in his little body. Toraxyn had given them refuge
but he confused her, frightened her a little. Words that Akane had said came
back to haunt her. *Why is Toraxyn doing this? I don't fully trust his
reasons. He does nothing without a motive for gain. Could he want the child
for himself?*
Merri wished she knew what to do, but at least for now they were safe. Toraxyn
had made no demands on her or her child. And underneath everything she felt an
immense sadness in the man she didn't think even he was fully aware of. It
tugged at her heart. But the truth was, he was a very skilled adept and the
sheer power of his presence was sometimes overwelming to her. She dared not
say anything of her feelings. Such a man would not take kindly to having that
deep of a nerve struck.
The baby laughed again, drawing her attention back to him. The crystals were
beginning to wink out and he was delighting in grabbing them to make them go
away. Merri smiled and kissed the baby's cheek, putting all out of her head
for the time. They were safe here. That was what mattered. She had to trust
Toraxyn's hospitality was sincere and until something happened to prove that
wrong she would trust him.

--------------------------


Message 1189 from *storylines (#5236):
Date:     Wed May 12 23:22:27 1999 EDT
From:     Coreen (#18717)
To:       *storylines (#5236)
Subject:  What dwells within.

	She didn't know how long she had been floating there, nebulously,
devoid of body, thought...consciousness. Once again she had found herself
in Dante's 'care' - he just didn't understand, but that was another
matter entirely. When the pain had proven too much for her body to bear,
she closed her eyes and drew within herself, as she had done many times
before. Now she was surrounded in a dark, featureless place...a warm womb
which pulsated softly like a child's heartbeat. She knew calm as countless
pains were brought upon her physical self...there was only the soft
tranquility of the womb, and the beat. Thud....thud....thud....
	So it had gone on for immeasurable time (she had lost all
perceptions of the world around her physical self) until, at some point
and time, she felt another presence in the womb. She panicked, and had
her mental projection had eyes, they would have been wide in fear,
anticipation. The darkness began to succumb to a bright light, her comfort
being swept away with the darkness, like fleeing smoke. Into her
perception came a brass-bound mirror, floor-length and quite ornate.
"Dante?" came a thought. Had he entered her mind? She frowned and was
quite surprised to find that she could frown in her mental state. A quick
look around told her she had a sort of body as well. It appeared her will
could manifest itself. "Of course," she thought, "this is my mind, after
all...my playground." If Dante wanted to play in her world, she would
have to quickly put him in his place. Imagining her legs walking, she
found herself moving closer to the mirror, yet there was no reflection
in it...merely featureless glass. She snickered to herself and brought
a fist towards the mirror in a low swing. The glass stopped the strike
cold, as if it were solid rock; Coreen raised a brow as a ripple spread
across the mirror's surface where she had struck it. The ripple danced
across the glass as if it were water, bouncing back from the brass frame,
the waves hitting other waves...soon the mirror was a dancing disk of
light which finally coalesced into a form of image.
"We meet again," it said simply...a young woman's voice.
"No..." was all Coreen could reply. Within herself, Coreen had found
an even greater demon than that which brouhgt pain upon her physical
self.

--------------------------