"There are things you need to know and understand, Ardeth." Leigh sighed and bent down to pick up her guns from Hamid's grasp. "Come with me and we will talk in the privacy of your tent."
Ardeth frowned. Her voice had an air of resignation to it, like she was having to do something she had no desire to do. This troubled him as he followed her. The Priest behind them was of no concern any longer. He would either dive into the viper pit after the icon, thereby condemning himself to certain death... or he would give up and leave the temple ruins. Either way, he was of no more danger to either he or Leigh.
Leigh was fighting herself inside. She wanted to break down and tell Ardeth that she did mean it, calling him 'Lover', that she meant the meaning behind it. But before she did that, she had to make sure that even if she did mean it she might not have the choice to stay. Her heart was battling her mind and soul inside as she slowly and carefully walked to Ardeth's tent, her guns in hand.
Once inside, she didn't turn around. She just kept her back to Ardeth as he entered behind her. She heard him leaving instructions that under no circumstances were they to be disturbed. That being said, he closed the tent behind him and tied the flaps shut.
"What is it you are so burdened with Leigh that you must speak in private." He sat down on the bed and reached for her.
Leigh pulled back slightly, her face looking down as she did. One arm crossed over her stomach to grip her elbow. She had not put her guns down yet. "I may not have the choice to stay here with you" she whispered.
Ardeth wasn't sure if he had heard her correctly. Choice to stay? Didn't she say last night that she would? "I do not understand."
"I am not of this place, Ardeth. I do not belong here."
"If it is the mater of you being American, then it is easily remedied my Harami."
"No. It's not that. When I say that I do not belong here, I mean that I should not be here at all. By some freak accident of the universe I wound up here, in your time and reality."
As she spoke, the world began to shift around them both. Ardeth paid no attention to it, if he even noticed it. The little specks of light seeping in from the tent flaps disappeared. They were left in a void of nothingness as Leigh had experienced before.
"My time and reality? You speak in riddles Leigh."
"Yes. How do I explain the concept of sexual release to a virgin? It is like singing the most beautiful song to a man who is deaf. The only way I can possibly tell you is to just say it." She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Ardeth's expression had not changed one bit. He was still looking at her with deep concern.
"I was born March 15, 1972 in the United States of America. Before I woke up in that corridor, I was employed by the largest Internet Service Provider in the United States as a technician and web site guru. The day that all this happened, I had been having a horrid day and wishing I was someplace else. I went home in the middle of the day after receiving a voicemail from my boyfriend telling me that I was just not what he was looking for to spend the rest of his life with. Thunderstorms swept through the city I lived in, striking lightening all over the place. I was in the process of shutting down my computer when lightening struck my home. What makes this so odd is this - I had two programs running. One was a movie, the other was a game. The movie was set in Egypt, with a man who looked much like you. The game, was set in Egypt, with a woman who was like me. Her name is Lara Croft and she is a world famous TombRaider. Somehow, in the cosmic comedy, I was transported here to this version of reality. Everything is as real to you as my life was to me."
Ardeth's face had taken on a look of astonishment. So Hamid's fears were not unfounded. Perhaps she truly was mad. A soft rumbling purr drew his gaze down to Leigh's feet. There, twining in and out of her boots was the largest black cat he'd ever seen. The cat looked back at him with golden eyes, an elaborate golden and jeweled collar around it's neck - much like the decorations that the statues of Bast wore.
Nicodemus sat down, wrapping his tail around his paws as he regarded the man staring at him.
"When I said that I might not have the choice to stay, even if I wanted to - I meant it. The night after I woke up here, I had a dream. It was much like this, only I could see glimpses of other people's lives as I spoke with some voice. The voice told me I had to make a choice. That is when I first saw you. You and your people were raiding our camp that morning. Later that night I had another dream. This time I was told that I had to make a decision. The options were presented to me and I knew them already. But I would make the decision once my soul knew the choices. I found my cat, Nicodemus in that dream. The third dream I had confirmed my suspicion that no matter what I thought I wanted, my soul would make the decision that was right for me. That was shortly after you spanked me in front of my employees. I was meditating in my tent, trying to soothe my bruised derriere and ego. Nicodemus told me that he was sort of a guide, that in the end even if I consciously made a decision it might not matter at all."
Nicodemus looked up at Leigh and meowed. He then looked at Ardeth. "She's not insane, Med-jai. What she is telling you is the truth. What she isn't telling you is the decision she has come to. Leigh chose to stay with you, even before you and she danced the mattress mambo. However, it isn't what is right for her. She knows this on a deeper level and this is why she is in such pain."
--
Harami = Thief
****
Ardeth frowned. Her voice had an air of resignation to it, like she was having to do something she had no desire to do. This troubled him as he followed her. The Priest behind them was of no concern any longer. He would either dive into the viper pit after the icon, thereby condemning himself to certain death... or he would give up and leave the temple ruins. Either way, he was of no more danger to either he or Leigh.
Leigh was fighting herself inside. She wanted to break down and tell Ardeth that she did mean it, calling him 'Lover', that she meant the meaning behind it. But before she did that, she had to make sure that even if she did mean it she might not have the choice to stay. Her heart was battling her mind and soul inside as she slowly and carefully walked to Ardeth's tent, her guns in hand.
Once inside, she didn't turn around. She just kept her back to Ardeth as he entered behind her. She heard him leaving instructions that under no circumstances were they to be disturbed. That being said, he closed the tent behind him and tied the flaps shut.
"What is it you are so burdened with Leigh that you must speak in private." He sat down on the bed and reached for her.
Leigh pulled back slightly, her face looking down as she did. One arm crossed over her stomach to grip her elbow. She had not put her guns down yet. "I may not have the choice to stay here with you" she whispered.
Ardeth wasn't sure if he had heard her correctly. Choice to stay? Didn't she say last night that she would? "I do not understand."
"I am not of this place, Ardeth. I do not belong here."
"If it is the mater of you being American, then it is easily remedied my Harami."
"No. It's not that. When I say that I do not belong here, I mean that I should not be here at all. By some freak accident of the universe I wound up here, in your time and reality."
As she spoke, the world began to shift around them both. Ardeth paid no attention to it, if he even noticed it. The little specks of light seeping in from the tent flaps disappeared. They were left in a void of nothingness as Leigh had experienced before.
"My time and reality? You speak in riddles Leigh."
"Yes. How do I explain the concept of sexual release to a virgin? It is like singing the most beautiful song to a man who is deaf. The only way I can possibly tell you is to just say it." She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Ardeth's expression had not changed one bit. He was still looking at her with deep concern.
"I was born March 15, 1972 in the United States of America. Before I woke up in that corridor, I was employed by the largest Internet Service Provider in the United States as a technician and web site guru. The day that all this happened, I had been having a horrid day and wishing I was someplace else. I went home in the middle of the day after receiving a voicemail from my boyfriend telling me that I was just not what he was looking for to spend the rest of his life with. Thunderstorms swept through the city I lived in, striking lightening all over the place. I was in the process of shutting down my computer when lightening struck my home. What makes this so odd is this - I had two programs running. One was a movie, the other was a game. The movie was set in Egypt, with a man who looked much like you. The game, was set in Egypt, with a woman who was like me. Her name is Lara Croft and she is a world famous TombRaider. Somehow, in the cosmic comedy, I was transported here to this version of reality. Everything is as real to you as my life was to me."
Ardeth's face had taken on a look of astonishment. So Hamid's fears were not unfounded. Perhaps she truly was mad. A soft rumbling purr drew his gaze down to Leigh's feet. There, twining in and out of her boots was the largest black cat he'd ever seen. The cat looked back at him with golden eyes, an elaborate golden and jeweled collar around it's neck - much like the decorations that the statues of Bast wore.
Nicodemus sat down, wrapping his tail around his paws as he regarded the man staring at him.
"When I said that I might not have the choice to stay, even if I wanted to - I meant it. The night after I woke up here, I had a dream. It was much like this, only I could see glimpses of other people's lives as I spoke with some voice. The voice told me I had to make a choice. That is when I first saw you. You and your people were raiding our camp that morning. Later that night I had another dream. This time I was told that I had to make a decision. The options were presented to me and I knew them already. But I would make the decision once my soul knew the choices. I found my cat, Nicodemus in that dream. The third dream I had confirmed my suspicion that no matter what I thought I wanted, my soul would make the decision that was right for me. That was shortly after you spanked me in front of my employees. I was meditating in my tent, trying to soothe my bruised derriere and ego. Nicodemus told me that he was sort of a guide, that in the end even if I consciously made a decision it might not matter at all."
Nicodemus looked up at Leigh and meowed. He then looked at Ardeth. "She's not insane, Med-jai. What she is telling you is the truth. What she isn't telling you is the decision she has come to. Leigh chose to stay with you, even before you and she danced the mattress mambo. However, it isn't what is right for her. She knows this on a deeper level and this is why she is in such pain."
--
Harami = Thief
****