CHAPTER 2 Rei and Tir. Because no one else cares...
Things try to get moving, but this is just the 'what happened to rei' part. Next up, when i get back, will be Serentity, Endymion and The Two trying to get her back. hehe with some unexpected aces!
~Cai
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rei woke up slowly, feeling something stroke her hair softly, and she regained full consciousness, sputtering a few times before laboriously pulling her eyes open and groaning. She rubbed her eyes with the underside of her right arm, trying to think back, but only remembering a lot of coughing and pain; steady music played in the background of her thoughts, the lights were soft and tinged with red. Slowly Rei sat up, her every muscles aching and another cough emerging, shaking her until the hand came down on her face again and the coughing stopped.
In alarm her hand shot up, and cradled the other hand on her cheek, slowly removing it and staring into deep golden brown eyes that seemed like one could drown in them.
"You'll be alright. I promise." He said, quietly, softly. The red of the lights intensified the red of his hair, which was spilling around his shoulders in several loose braids. Slowly and methodically she set down his hand and got up, wandering aimlessly around the undefined box-like room.
"What did you do to me? Stranger." She asked, turning around to face him, simultaneously smoothing her long raven hair.
"Oh, just a melodramatic little effect that wears off after an hour or two. I appologize if it hurt too much. Beautiful."
Rei searched for a way out, but found none. There were no doors, no windows...only a table and a sofa. There were candles set up as well and she wasnt sure where the red light was coming from.
"Now, now, dont panic my dear."
"I'm not panicking," she hissed at him.
"Right. To get to the point. I need a wife. It's expected of me these days. Since I'm not quite as stupid as other people, who dont pay attention to their adversaries and assume they're dead, I watched to see what they were up to. I felt like doing something dramatic just to spite them, so I took you and I intend to keep you...just for a little while. You following me?" He was acting casual and as if that were quite a normal thing, with a hint of annoyance.
"Sure I'm following you. Does that mean I'll do what you ask? Nooo," she said sarcastically, answering her own question.
"Oh, but my dear, you dont have a choice. Besides, its just for show. You can 'disappear' later."
"What? What do you mean -disappear-?"
"Getting back to that wretched planet of yours, Earth. Why you choose to be there is quite beyond me. The wedding starts in...lets see," he pondered, pulling a scroll out of his sleeve and examining it for a minute. "two hours. You're already dressed and ready to go, but I didnt want to drop a bomb on you." Grinning that grin that you grin when you're vastly amused, he sunk through the ground.
'Wonder if I could do that...' Rei thought absently, looking down at the white strapless dress, that was tailored immaculatly to her figure, and trimmed in an odd-looking pattern of red, and her long sleeves, which attatched by a band at chest-level. She sat on the couch and thought long and hard about the proposition, in the end deciding that it was acceptable. He didn't seem madly in love with her, or even asking much more than simply helping him out. Besides, he was offering for it to be temporary, -very- temporary preferably, but she wasnt even sure where she was, much less how to get back. 'Might as well.'
Her thoughts were interrupted by-(George! Rewind!!)
"What was your name again...?"
"Tir'Na Ky."
(Ahem: and now back to our regular program) Her thoughts were interrupted by Tir, who came in bearing 2 double bladed longswords. He pressed one in her hand and took the other, setting himself in a ready position. She gazed at the beautifully crafted and undoubtedly deadly piece of art, for it was no less than that.
"What -are- you doing?" He didn't answer but instead attacked her. Rei's reflexes easily blocked the maneuver and she had no choice but to fight back. This scene lasted for about 10 or so minutes, neither party gaining a particular advantage. He took the opportunity of a small pause to explain.
"Testing you. And you are more than worthy." Both laid down their swords and stood in silence for several minutes, regaining breath and composture. In Tir's hands there formed a small light, growing into a tiara besotted with rubies laid in a clear whitish silver that he laid onto her head. With that the room turned bright and turned to a balcony with a very low balustrade, the sun shining brightly onto a planet filled with vivid green foliage and a hazy pinkish sky that was orange at the edges of the sun. The words of the priest next to them were directed at Rei, Tir smiling down at her like a child with a christmas present.
"...And in this state you will Honor. You will fight. You will Love. Because you are of ours." She didnt know what to say and was thoroughly confused but Tir was mouthing out the words to her.
"I am thyne."
"When the blossom fades, and the sunlight wanes, the world shall die without her. In twilight hate shall vanish and in this state you will Honor, You will fight, You will Love. Because she is of yours and you are of us." The priest's speech changed slightly when addressing Tir. It sounded odd and foreign to Rei's ears, but she put on a good face, to go along with the smiling of the wedding guests who had no clue who she was or how they had met, but it didn't seem to be a primary concern for anyone.
"We are one." Tir answered, bending down to plant a soft inoffensive kiss on Rei's lips. He pulled away, and they stood, saying nothing, until a bell was rung somewhere in the distance, at which point he led her inside the palace. The outside may have been white but on the inside things looked quite different. The entire place seemed to be made of onyx, laced here and there with golden filigree. As was to be expected there was a huge, elaborate banquet awaiting them, and the cheering of the wedding guests rattled the tall window panes. The music she had heard before was now almost deafening but still as beautiful as ever.
Tir looked very satisfied with himself and seated her and himself at the table. "Go ahead and have some dinner. This is the way we do things here. The party starts a long time before the hosts arrive, and besides...you look famished."
Coming to think of it, Rei -was- quite hungry and went ahead to eat what was on the plate before her. She wasnt quite sure what it was...it looked colorful and juicy and upon inspection smelled rather good, and as a rule of thumb to Rei, if it smells good, it tastes good.
"Care to dance?" She looked back at her new husband and smiled like a total idiot, not without help of some excellent wine.
"Sure."
He took her and they danced, actually looking every bit the happy couple they should, pleasing Tir mightily. 'Well, we certainly are putting on a good show' he thought, picking her up and swinging her around in a full circle, relishing the approving looks from the other members of society. Almost 2 hours later Rei was starting to look pretty tired. She took his arm and semi pulled him out of the room, waving happily at the guests, who laughed and winked at Tir who was now wearing an expression that was a cross between panic and sheepishness.
"Letsh go..." Rei slurred, dragging him precariously up the steps to the next floor. He knew she didn't know where she was going but he pushed her in the according direction of her bedroom. Rei fell against the door, pushing it open and continued to drag him, over to the bed. Tir was now beginning to blush, a vastly unfamiliar feeling of embarrasment washing over him.
"Commmm and shleep wiss yau wifey-wifey." Tir barely understood what she meant, and didn't really have time to ponder it before she pulled him onto the bed on top of her and kissed him. Trying to disentangle her fingers from his shirt, he raised himself and pushed her onto the bed, removing her shoes, giving her another kiss and chuckling through his amazement. 'That was unexpected. You'd think she'd hate me. Ah well, the drunkeness. At least I married someone amusing.'
"Go to sleep." He commanded, smiling when Rei giggled like a 5 year old and kissed him again before her eyelids shut and she passed out.
He was actually pretty tired himself, so he rolled into the bedspread and fell asleep as well, being careful to face away from her and only kicking off his shoes, so that if she woke before he did she wouldnt go spastic.
The next morning, as the orangy pink light filtered through the windows, Rei rolled over, letting her arm flop over and onto...something warm...and squishy...
"Gah..." she said in a half-scream of surprise, not wanting to offend her hung-over ears. Muttering to herself, she gazed at the back of her brand-new 'husband' and wished that she knew where some really strong painkillers were. She would have thought more about the implications of them having slept in the same bed, if her head wasnt pounding so much.
"Wake up," she whispered in his ear, shaking him as much as her aching muscles would allow. Tir flopped onto his back and flexed his arm, the one that had been in the same position since he had fallen asleep the night before, which was now in a state of paralysis.
"Whaaat?"
"Nothing."
"Then why in the stars' name did you wake me up?"
"What are you doing in the same bed as me?"
"Well I -was- sleeping."
"Oh." Rei frowned and sat up, instantly regretting the motion and scrubbing her face with her palms. "Why did I...wait...what happened?"
"We married and you got drunk."
Rei blinked. "Married? Why? I don't know you...I don't think."
"Hmmm well technically, you don't. I took you here and erm, put you in a position where there wasn't a whole bunch of choice on the course of action."
"Good morning then..." Rei said, satisfied with his answer but still not quite recalling everything. Man, had she been drunk.
"What??"
"I said: Good morning. How are you feeling?"
"Uh...good...morning...why would you want to say 'good morning' to me? Oh, and ...I feel ok... I think." He looked like a cow that got stuck in a thunder storm, trying to figure out why suddenly someone would want to know strange things like that.
"Because, well, its a pretty morning. Sunny and all. And besides, I want you to have a good..rest of the morning, and day, of course. If you felt bad I'd have to feel sorry for you."
"Ok..I get it. People from Earth are so strange sometimes. No one else cares."
"What do you mean?"
"You dont go around wishing people happy mornings. Its just not done. Its not important in any way."
"Why wouldnt that be important?"
"Because other things are, of course!" He was speaking to her as if to a small child that didnt understand something and must be taught. Rei was now fully sitting up, and had pulled one knee up. Her hair was haphazard and floating all over the place. Even when she was hung over and in a wrinkley wedding gown she was still quite beautiful, which Tir appreciated at that particular moment, since he hadnt stayed completely sober himself last night. "Like war, technology, the economy, society...I suddenly have to -do- all of these things, just because I have a um...PERSONAL dispute with Lee!!"
"I care."
"How could you care? You dont even know me! You have no idea what I'm talking about."
"No, I don't, but you seem like an alright person. Are you?"
"I think I may care about something if I ever wanted it." He heaved a deep sight and fell back into the sheets. "I dont know...you tell me." Rei looked thoughtfully out the window, and got up, wrapping herself in the sheet out of habbit and walked towards it. The window was huge and one could see untouched countryside that resembled a jungle, flowing with water and canopied by a bright orange colored sun.
Things try to get moving, but this is just the 'what happened to rei' part. Next up, when i get back, will be Serentity, Endymion and The Two trying to get her back. hehe with some unexpected aces!
~Cai
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rei woke up slowly, feeling something stroke her hair softly, and she regained full consciousness, sputtering a few times before laboriously pulling her eyes open and groaning. She rubbed her eyes with the underside of her right arm, trying to think back, but only remembering a lot of coughing and pain; steady music played in the background of her thoughts, the lights were soft and tinged with red. Slowly Rei sat up, her every muscles aching and another cough emerging, shaking her until the hand came down on her face again and the coughing stopped.
In alarm her hand shot up, and cradled the other hand on her cheek, slowly removing it and staring into deep golden brown eyes that seemed like one could drown in them.
"You'll be alright. I promise." He said, quietly, softly. The red of the lights intensified the red of his hair, which was spilling around his shoulders in several loose braids. Slowly and methodically she set down his hand and got up, wandering aimlessly around the undefined box-like room.
"What did you do to me? Stranger." She asked, turning around to face him, simultaneously smoothing her long raven hair.
"Oh, just a melodramatic little effect that wears off after an hour or two. I appologize if it hurt too much. Beautiful."
Rei searched for a way out, but found none. There were no doors, no windows...only a table and a sofa. There were candles set up as well and she wasnt sure where the red light was coming from.
"Now, now, dont panic my dear."
"I'm not panicking," she hissed at him.
"Right. To get to the point. I need a wife. It's expected of me these days. Since I'm not quite as stupid as other people, who dont pay attention to their adversaries and assume they're dead, I watched to see what they were up to. I felt like doing something dramatic just to spite them, so I took you and I intend to keep you...just for a little while. You following me?" He was acting casual and as if that were quite a normal thing, with a hint of annoyance.
"Sure I'm following you. Does that mean I'll do what you ask? Nooo," she said sarcastically, answering her own question.
"Oh, but my dear, you dont have a choice. Besides, its just for show. You can 'disappear' later."
"What? What do you mean -disappear-?"
"Getting back to that wretched planet of yours, Earth. Why you choose to be there is quite beyond me. The wedding starts in...lets see," he pondered, pulling a scroll out of his sleeve and examining it for a minute. "two hours. You're already dressed and ready to go, but I didnt want to drop a bomb on you." Grinning that grin that you grin when you're vastly amused, he sunk through the ground.
'Wonder if I could do that...' Rei thought absently, looking down at the white strapless dress, that was tailored immaculatly to her figure, and trimmed in an odd-looking pattern of red, and her long sleeves, which attatched by a band at chest-level. She sat on the couch and thought long and hard about the proposition, in the end deciding that it was acceptable. He didn't seem madly in love with her, or even asking much more than simply helping him out. Besides, he was offering for it to be temporary, -very- temporary preferably, but she wasnt even sure where she was, much less how to get back. 'Might as well.'
Her thoughts were interrupted by-(George! Rewind!!)
"What was your name again...?"
"Tir'Na Ky."
(Ahem: and now back to our regular program) Her thoughts were interrupted by Tir, who came in bearing 2 double bladed longswords. He pressed one in her hand and took the other, setting himself in a ready position. She gazed at the beautifully crafted and undoubtedly deadly piece of art, for it was no less than that.
"What -are- you doing?" He didn't answer but instead attacked her. Rei's reflexes easily blocked the maneuver and she had no choice but to fight back. This scene lasted for about 10 or so minutes, neither party gaining a particular advantage. He took the opportunity of a small pause to explain.
"Testing you. And you are more than worthy." Both laid down their swords and stood in silence for several minutes, regaining breath and composture. In Tir's hands there formed a small light, growing into a tiara besotted with rubies laid in a clear whitish silver that he laid onto her head. With that the room turned bright and turned to a balcony with a very low balustrade, the sun shining brightly onto a planet filled with vivid green foliage and a hazy pinkish sky that was orange at the edges of the sun. The words of the priest next to them were directed at Rei, Tir smiling down at her like a child with a christmas present.
"...And in this state you will Honor. You will fight. You will Love. Because you are of ours." She didnt know what to say and was thoroughly confused but Tir was mouthing out the words to her.
"I am thyne."
"When the blossom fades, and the sunlight wanes, the world shall die without her. In twilight hate shall vanish and in this state you will Honor, You will fight, You will Love. Because she is of yours and you are of us." The priest's speech changed slightly when addressing Tir. It sounded odd and foreign to Rei's ears, but she put on a good face, to go along with the smiling of the wedding guests who had no clue who she was or how they had met, but it didn't seem to be a primary concern for anyone.
"We are one." Tir answered, bending down to plant a soft inoffensive kiss on Rei's lips. He pulled away, and they stood, saying nothing, until a bell was rung somewhere in the distance, at which point he led her inside the palace. The outside may have been white but on the inside things looked quite different. The entire place seemed to be made of onyx, laced here and there with golden filigree. As was to be expected there was a huge, elaborate banquet awaiting them, and the cheering of the wedding guests rattled the tall window panes. The music she had heard before was now almost deafening but still as beautiful as ever.
Tir looked very satisfied with himself and seated her and himself at the table. "Go ahead and have some dinner. This is the way we do things here. The party starts a long time before the hosts arrive, and besides...you look famished."
Coming to think of it, Rei -was- quite hungry and went ahead to eat what was on the plate before her. She wasnt quite sure what it was...it looked colorful and juicy and upon inspection smelled rather good, and as a rule of thumb to Rei, if it smells good, it tastes good.
"Care to dance?" She looked back at her new husband and smiled like a total idiot, not without help of some excellent wine.
"Sure."
He took her and they danced, actually looking every bit the happy couple they should, pleasing Tir mightily. 'Well, we certainly are putting on a good show' he thought, picking her up and swinging her around in a full circle, relishing the approving looks from the other members of society. Almost 2 hours later Rei was starting to look pretty tired. She took his arm and semi pulled him out of the room, waving happily at the guests, who laughed and winked at Tir who was now wearing an expression that was a cross between panic and sheepishness.
"Letsh go..." Rei slurred, dragging him precariously up the steps to the next floor. He knew she didn't know where she was going but he pushed her in the according direction of her bedroom. Rei fell against the door, pushing it open and continued to drag him, over to the bed. Tir was now beginning to blush, a vastly unfamiliar feeling of embarrasment washing over him.
"Commmm and shleep wiss yau wifey-wifey." Tir barely understood what she meant, and didn't really have time to ponder it before she pulled him onto the bed on top of her and kissed him. Trying to disentangle her fingers from his shirt, he raised himself and pushed her onto the bed, removing her shoes, giving her another kiss and chuckling through his amazement. 'That was unexpected. You'd think she'd hate me. Ah well, the drunkeness. At least I married someone amusing.'
"Go to sleep." He commanded, smiling when Rei giggled like a 5 year old and kissed him again before her eyelids shut and she passed out.
He was actually pretty tired himself, so he rolled into the bedspread and fell asleep as well, being careful to face away from her and only kicking off his shoes, so that if she woke before he did she wouldnt go spastic.
The next morning, as the orangy pink light filtered through the windows, Rei rolled over, letting her arm flop over and onto...something warm...and squishy...
"Gah..." she said in a half-scream of surprise, not wanting to offend her hung-over ears. Muttering to herself, she gazed at the back of her brand-new 'husband' and wished that she knew where some really strong painkillers were. She would have thought more about the implications of them having slept in the same bed, if her head wasnt pounding so much.
"Wake up," she whispered in his ear, shaking him as much as her aching muscles would allow. Tir flopped onto his back and flexed his arm, the one that had been in the same position since he had fallen asleep the night before, which was now in a state of paralysis.
"Whaaat?"
"Nothing."
"Then why in the stars' name did you wake me up?"
"What are you doing in the same bed as me?"
"Well I -was- sleeping."
"Oh." Rei frowned and sat up, instantly regretting the motion and scrubbing her face with her palms. "Why did I...wait...what happened?"
"We married and you got drunk."
Rei blinked. "Married? Why? I don't know you...I don't think."
"Hmmm well technically, you don't. I took you here and erm, put you in a position where there wasn't a whole bunch of choice on the course of action."
"Good morning then..." Rei said, satisfied with his answer but still not quite recalling everything. Man, had she been drunk.
"What??"
"I said: Good morning. How are you feeling?"
"Uh...good...morning...why would you want to say 'good morning' to me? Oh, and ...I feel ok... I think." He looked like a cow that got stuck in a thunder storm, trying to figure out why suddenly someone would want to know strange things like that.
"Because, well, its a pretty morning. Sunny and all. And besides, I want you to have a good..rest of the morning, and day, of course. If you felt bad I'd have to feel sorry for you."
"Ok..I get it. People from Earth are so strange sometimes. No one else cares."
"What do you mean?"
"You dont go around wishing people happy mornings. Its just not done. Its not important in any way."
"Why wouldnt that be important?"
"Because other things are, of course!" He was speaking to her as if to a small child that didnt understand something and must be taught. Rei was now fully sitting up, and had pulled one knee up. Her hair was haphazard and floating all over the place. Even when she was hung over and in a wrinkley wedding gown she was still quite beautiful, which Tir appreciated at that particular moment, since he hadnt stayed completely sober himself last night. "Like war, technology, the economy, society...I suddenly have to -do- all of these things, just because I have a um...PERSONAL dispute with Lee!!"
"I care."
"How could you care? You dont even know me! You have no idea what I'm talking about."
"No, I don't, but you seem like an alright person. Are you?"
"I think I may care about something if I ever wanted it." He heaved a deep sight and fell back into the sheets. "I dont know...you tell me." Rei looked thoughtfully out the window, and got up, wrapping herself in the sheet out of habbit and walked towards it. The window was huge and one could see untouched countryside that resembled a jungle, flowing with water and canopied by a bright orange colored sun.
