Disclaimer: I am not 18 yet so technically I don't own anything. Therefore
there's no WAY I could own Escaflowne.
The Healing of the Angels Part 9
The Atlantis Machine was finished within a day using the power of the Atlantians' will to speed up the process. It was looking very ominous and perfectly capable of doing what it was supposed to do. Altasni looked on as they began to prepare it for travel out to the city square. Galne, Rena, and Jani had planned a big unveiling. They wanted to announce their plans to the Atlantians before they were carried out.
Altasni was still harboring the vain hope that something would go horribly wrong or at the very least Jani would back out of it so she could annihilate the conspirators with a safe conscience. She had now admitted to herself that she was in love with him and strangely thought it would be immoral to kill the first person you ever loved.
She didn't want to calculate the likelihood of either of those events coming to pass for fear of destroying the last shred of spirit she had left in her.Helplessness is another foreign feeling I don't much like.
She contented herself with just avoiding Jani and putting up emotional barriers. She also informed Folken of the progress the Atlantians were making with their plan. He was not happy to learn they had already finished the machine. It took Zaibach years! had been his plaintive thought.
Altasni was beginning to regret ever giving the Atlantians so much free will. She had underestimated their ability to become perverted with power. She should've learned after they destroyed themselves! I was born yesterday! she thought and laughed at the unintended pun, quickly sobering as she attracted some odd looks. Altasni blamed the fact that she was new then. She also had never had hands-on experience with humans and Riyujinbito. Now it was too late to change it. It was well established custom and she was trapped in this body as well! Obstacles is another thing I hate about life. Things were so much simpler before.
* * *
They've already finished the machine. At this point I think the only thing we can do is hope. The time when we could intervene has passed." Folken, Van, and Hitomi were sitting in one of the dust-clotted studies in the part of palace that had survived the fire and destruction. It was the only way to be sure they wouldn't be disturbed. If nobody knew where they were then no one could come to fetch them.
Van surveyed his surroundings as everybody thought about this statement. Folken had chosen the right study. Van hadn't even known it existed, and he had spent long hours wandering the palace when he was young. No green servant sent to seek them out would be able to find them until long after he had been sent. It might once have been a well-used place frequented by a lord or king many years ago, but often times when an important person died people closed up the studies and rooms they had considered their own. By the time anyone thought of using it again there was too much work to be done to make it livable again so they soon abandoned the idea.
"Perhaps there is some way we can help? Somewhere we can go...?" Van said raising his eyebrows and waiting for Folken to pick up the hint. He opened the channel between Hitomi and himself to allow them to share thoughts. I saw Atlantis when I went to the Mystic Valley. Maybe Folken can get his...ally to tell him how to get into Atlantis from there. I just can't stand doing nothing. The agonizing feeling that it was all his fault, gnawed at him, refused to leave him alone. The feeling was forcing him into action. He felt he had to do something, or he would be eaten alive by this feeling.
"Van!"
Hitomi grabbed his arm as she slumped back into a chair. She put a hand to her temple and looked up at him with sad, pained eyes. The beginnings of a headache were pulsing in her head. It promised to be a long and painful one. Her thoughts reeled with Van's suggestion and his unspoken blame of himself for setting off this catastrophic chain of events. Why do his thoughts always sting me?
"Hitomi? What's wrong?" Van bent over the chair and tried to look her in the eyes. Her hand was blocking his view of her face and she turned her head down so he couldn't see her.
She already knew the look that would be on his face. Concern would be written in every line.
He pulled her hand away from her temple gently and grabbed her chin, bringing her head up to look into her eyes. But instead of concern she saw in his face and heard in her mind the reverberations of guilt. His eyes begged for forgiveness.
Folken looked down at his feet, slightly embarrassed at witnessing an intimate moment between them and missing Naria and Eriya more than ever before. There's always suicide Folken thought bitterly. He fingered his teardrop tattoo and cleared his throat, snapping Van and Hitomi out of what he presumed to be a private conference.
"I assume you mean the Mystic Valley? How will we get there quickly enough to be of any service?" Folken thought he already had a pretty good idea how they would do it, but he didn't want to plant an idea that wasn't already there. The symbolic slumber of Escaflowne had pleased the people immensely. Tangible evidence of the rapidly progressing peace! they'd said. What would the awakening of that ancient war machine set into motion?
"There's no faster machine than Escaflowne anywhere nearby. It will travel even faster if I order it to. It won't be the most comfortable trip for three people, but this is a matter of necessity." Van paused for a moment. "I'm loathe to wake it but..." He let it drop there. Van was still trying to convince himself it wasn't just his eagerness for some action that caused him to immediately resort to Escaflowne. He didn't think he was up to convincing anyone else.
Folken nodded his thoughts confirmed. "We had better go soon. How long will it take Escaflowne? I hear the weather patterns surrounding the valley are very rough."
"We'll be traveling too fast to worry about the weather. If we left five minutes from now I'd say we could be there in... 40 minutes," Van finished proudly. He stood a little straighter and smiled.
"Let's get going!" Hitomi said enthusiastically, as she clung to Van's arm, reminding him strongly of Merle.
The Healing of the Angels Part 9
The Atlantis Machine was finished within a day using the power of the Atlantians' will to speed up the process. It was looking very ominous and perfectly capable of doing what it was supposed to do. Altasni looked on as they began to prepare it for travel out to the city square. Galne, Rena, and Jani had planned a big unveiling. They wanted to announce their plans to the Atlantians before they were carried out.
Altasni was still harboring the vain hope that something would go horribly wrong or at the very least Jani would back out of it so she could annihilate the conspirators with a safe conscience. She had now admitted to herself that she was in love with him and strangely thought it would be immoral to kill the first person you ever loved.
She didn't want to calculate the likelihood of either of those events coming to pass for fear of destroying the last shred of spirit she had left in her.Helplessness is another foreign feeling I don't much like.
She contented herself with just avoiding Jani and putting up emotional barriers. She also informed Folken of the progress the Atlantians were making with their plan. He was not happy to learn they had already finished the machine. It took Zaibach years! had been his plaintive thought.
Altasni was beginning to regret ever giving the Atlantians so much free will. She had underestimated their ability to become perverted with power. She should've learned after they destroyed themselves! I was born yesterday! she thought and laughed at the unintended pun, quickly sobering as she attracted some odd looks. Altasni blamed the fact that she was new then. She also had never had hands-on experience with humans and Riyujinbito. Now it was too late to change it. It was well established custom and she was trapped in this body as well! Obstacles is another thing I hate about life. Things were so much simpler before.
* * *
They've already finished the machine. At this point I think the only thing we can do is hope. The time when we could intervene has passed." Folken, Van, and Hitomi were sitting in one of the dust-clotted studies in the part of palace that had survived the fire and destruction. It was the only way to be sure they wouldn't be disturbed. If nobody knew where they were then no one could come to fetch them.
Van surveyed his surroundings as everybody thought about this statement. Folken had chosen the right study. Van hadn't even known it existed, and he had spent long hours wandering the palace when he was young. No green servant sent to seek them out would be able to find them until long after he had been sent. It might once have been a well-used place frequented by a lord or king many years ago, but often times when an important person died people closed up the studies and rooms they had considered their own. By the time anyone thought of using it again there was too much work to be done to make it livable again so they soon abandoned the idea.
"Perhaps there is some way we can help? Somewhere we can go...?" Van said raising his eyebrows and waiting for Folken to pick up the hint. He opened the channel between Hitomi and himself to allow them to share thoughts. I saw Atlantis when I went to the Mystic Valley. Maybe Folken can get his...ally to tell him how to get into Atlantis from there. I just can't stand doing nothing. The agonizing feeling that it was all his fault, gnawed at him, refused to leave him alone. The feeling was forcing him into action. He felt he had to do something, or he would be eaten alive by this feeling.
"Van!"
Hitomi grabbed his arm as she slumped back into a chair. She put a hand to her temple and looked up at him with sad, pained eyes. The beginnings of a headache were pulsing in her head. It promised to be a long and painful one. Her thoughts reeled with Van's suggestion and his unspoken blame of himself for setting off this catastrophic chain of events. Why do his thoughts always sting me?
"Hitomi? What's wrong?" Van bent over the chair and tried to look her in the eyes. Her hand was blocking his view of her face and she turned her head down so he couldn't see her.
She already knew the look that would be on his face. Concern would be written in every line.
He pulled her hand away from her temple gently and grabbed her chin, bringing her head up to look into her eyes. But instead of concern she saw in his face and heard in her mind the reverberations of guilt. His eyes begged for forgiveness.
Folken looked down at his feet, slightly embarrassed at witnessing an intimate moment between them and missing Naria and Eriya more than ever before. There's always suicide Folken thought bitterly. He fingered his teardrop tattoo and cleared his throat, snapping Van and Hitomi out of what he presumed to be a private conference.
"I assume you mean the Mystic Valley? How will we get there quickly enough to be of any service?" Folken thought he already had a pretty good idea how they would do it, but he didn't want to plant an idea that wasn't already there. The symbolic slumber of Escaflowne had pleased the people immensely. Tangible evidence of the rapidly progressing peace! they'd said. What would the awakening of that ancient war machine set into motion?
"There's no faster machine than Escaflowne anywhere nearby. It will travel even faster if I order it to. It won't be the most comfortable trip for three people, but this is a matter of necessity." Van paused for a moment. "I'm loathe to wake it but..." He let it drop there. Van was still trying to convince himself it wasn't just his eagerness for some action that caused him to immediately resort to Escaflowne. He didn't think he was up to convincing anyone else.
Folken nodded his thoughts confirmed. "We had better go soon. How long will it take Escaflowne? I hear the weather patterns surrounding the valley are very rough."
"We'll be traveling too fast to worry about the weather. If we left five minutes from now I'd say we could be there in... 40 minutes," Van finished proudly. He stood a little straighter and smiled.
"Let's get going!" Hitomi said enthusiastically, as she clung to Van's arm, reminding him strongly of Merle.