A/N: Thank you again for the reviews!
Language-Mangling Sues Week, and the beginning of the end. The Fëanor plot will play out soon.
But there's still a few more Sues to bash first.
Including this one. Thanks to the LJ Marysues community for helping me with the horrible fangirl Japanese.
The Game of the Gods, 26
"It's all right, Maglor," someone was saying soothingly. "I know that you need a lot of healing, but I'll be right here at your side. Remember that Morgoth cannot bruise the inner you."
Morgoth closed his eyes and groaned. He recognized the words all too well; he would have known them even without the voice. Nienna was coming, and by the sound of it, she was talking to Maglor. She had come and talked at Morgoth often enough when he was bound in Angainor, all the while exhorting him to "learn pity and give up his evil." Morgoth hadn't known what she meant then, and he still didn't.
He opened his eyes to find out that he was right. Nienna herded Maglor forward and hovered beside him as he sat in the other chair. Then she took his hand and pressed it affectionately. "Do you need anything, Maglor? Perhaps a draught of wine before we begin?"
Maglor shook his head. His eyes were clouded, and he looked haggard, but Morgoth didn't really think that was the result of their last round.
"How long has she been talking at you?" he asked Maglor, taking the moment when Nienna had turned aside to think up some new treatment for her patient to lean forward and talk to the Elf.
Maglor groaned. "I don't know, but it feels like a Valian Year." He looked helplessly at Morgoth. "I wouldn't mind some help, but she just never believes that I'm feeling better, no matter what I say. Is there any way to get her to stop?"
Nienna turned back before Morgoth could do more than shake his head. Maglor leaned back in his seat and groaned. Nienna looked at him, then glared at Morgoth. "Did he do something to hurt you, Mag?"
Maglor winced, hard, at the nickname. "No, Nienna," he said.
Nienna stared a moment longer at Morgoth, then sniffed. "Now," she said. "Glori-"
"Glori?" Morgoth couldn't help interrupting, wishing he'd known the Elf's nickname when he was playing with Glorfindel. On the other hand, it probably would have made him even more conceited if Morgoth had called him that.
"Yes," said Nienna firmly. "Glori. I know that I don't let my patients stand long on the outside sphere of their beings. They need to learn to relate to their inner children, and nicknames are a perfect way to do it."
Morgoth busied himself with sorting through the box of Sues, glad that Nienna hadn't been on that kick when he was a prisoner in Mandos.
"Glori said that this was helpful for him, because you tried to attack his weaknesses, and found that he has grown too strong for that," said Nienna sternly. "The same thing should be done for Maglor. He was alone for far too long, and he still has a tendency to be introverted. He should encounter other personalities. Give us the most exuberant Sue you have."
Maglor groaned.
Morgoth hesitated, looking at the Elf. No, he couldn't really feel pity anymore, but he could feel a facsimile of it. "That Sue is dangerous in many ways. Are you sure that you want her?"
"Yes," said Nienna, still with that firmness that no one would really dare contradict. Nienna was gentle and pitying most of the time. They wanted to keep her that way.
Morgoth sighed, dug out a blue-haired piece, and set her in the middle of the board.
"What is that?" Maglor asked, leaning close to the board.
"Don't-" Morgoth started to say.
Maglor winced and sat back as the Sue's voice exploded out of the board.
------
"SUGOI!!!!!!"
Kitsune spun around and around, happy to be where she was. She knew she was in Rivendell, although how she had gotten there she didn't know. One moment she was dreaming and fantasizing about Middle-earth, the next she was torn away from her bedroom and landed here.
She looked like she'd always wanted to, too, she noticed, catching sight of herself in the river that ran nearby. Blue hair, and bright purple eyes. She smiled and would have gone on admiring her reflection if she hadn't been distracted by a loud yowl.
Her cat, Nekonekoneko, had evidently been caught in whatever magic had pulled her along to Middle-earth, and now had blue fur. Kitsune squealed. "KAWAIIIII!!!!!1!"
Nekonekoneko howled in misery and tried to run away, but Kitsune scooped him up and ran merrily towards Rivendell. It was going to be such fun to meet all the Elves, and-
Legolas! Was that Legolas?
"Bishie!!!!"
Legolas winced and grabbed his ears. Kitsune had to admit he didn't look exactly like she'd imagined him- more muscular, less ethereal- but that didn't stop her from jumping on him and hugging him, cat and all. Nekonekoneko screamed something and tried to claw her stomach off. Kitsune grinned into Legolas and just held tighter. Nekonekoneko was so kawaii when he did something like that!
"Konnichiwa, Leggy-chan," she said happily, ignoring the fact that the struggling Elf was trying to get away from her. "Watashi wa Kitsune! Oh, you are so genki!" She hugged him again.
She didn't quite know how he managed, but at last he threw her off and stood panting and glaring at her. "Never have I heard such a loud voice in all my days among the trees of Mirkwood," he said.
Kitsune beamed. "Arigatou!" Legolas stared at her, and she said, "That means thank you. And genki means cute, which you are, Leggy-chan!" She tried to hug him again.
"My name," said Legolas, "is not Leggy-chan."
-----
"Oh, Eru, make her stop."
Morgoth glanced up smugly. He did feel sorry for Maglor, but not enough to call the Sue off when it appeared that he was winning for the very first time. The Elf had his head on the table, panting.
"Eru helps those who help themselves," said Nienna, leaning over him. "It's good for you to encounter an extrovert."
"Not one like this," Maglor said, and then winced as another wail from the table apparently nearly shattered his eardrums. Morgoth grinned.
------
"HAI!!!!!"
Kitsune punched the air and did a little dance, sending Nekonekoneko fleeing under the bed. Lord Elrond had given her a room in the Last Homely House and invited her to the Council, and all she'd had to do was promise to stay in her room for a little while!
Well, Kitsune admitted as she sat down on the bed, he didn't put it quite like that. "Make the screaming stop" was more along the general lines.
But it didn't mean he didn't like her- although he wasn't quite a bishie, either. And Kitsune had seen someone she was sure was Aragorn, and been a little surprised. Wasn't he supposed to be hulkier than he was, if he was Legolas's seme, as he was in so many fanfics?
------
"I promise, I promise!"
Morgoth looked up. Maglor had his hands over his ears and was looking pleadingly at Nienna.
"Anyone you want," Maglor said. "I'll listen to Curufin natter on about how he was wronged. I'll spend an hour with Glorfindel in front of a mirror. I'll even, the V- Eru forbid, listen to your precious Olórin talk again about how much he helped Middle-earth. Just not this, I beg of you."
Nienna hesitated, looking tempted. Morgoth frowned. He didn't want to win just because his opponent left. He wanted to deafen Maglor with Kitsune's screaming so much that he would forget to pay attention to what was happening in the game.
"Nienna," he said gently.
Nienna looked over at him alertly. She always thought he was about to make some confession of his wrongs when he used that voice. Morgoth didn't know why.
"I don't think you should allow this," said Morgoth. "Why should you? Maglor's only running from his problems again." He had a notion he could only conceive of as inspired, and added, "He's spent enough time doing that along the shores of Middle-earth. He needs to face them."
Nienna nodded. "Yes, yes, of course you're right. You need to encounter extroverts, Mag."
Maglor closed his eyes and muttered something about Maedhros in a fury being easier than this. Morgoth merrily deployed his Sue again.
------
Kitsune stared around the Council. It seemed as though they were all getting ready to leave her behind, and just take the Ring to Mordor without her.
"Ano..."
Everyone grabbed their ears and glanced at her. Kitsune was charmed. It was very kawaii as a custom, though it had never been mentioned in the books.
"I want to go with you, kudasai," she said, and sighed at their blank looks. Everyone knew Japanese, right? "Please, Elrond-sama."
"Why?" Elrond asked warily.
"I can cheer them up!" said Kitsune.
Gimli muttered something to Legolas. Kitsune frowned at him. She didn't like him because he wasn't genki, and she was sure she had just heard him say something about "screaming will make our enemies run in terror."
Legolas sighed and rose to his feet. "I ask that she come, Lord Elrond."
"Leggy-chan!" Kitsune squealed, and rushed at him, covering him with kisses. "Ai shiteru!"
"And dare I ask what that means?" Legolas asked, prying her away from him again.
"I love you!"
Legolas stared at her. "Really?" he asked after a moment.
"Yes."
"Then don't call me Leggy-chan."
-----
Morgoth glanced up, aware that Maglor was sitting with his hands over his own ears and his eyes closed.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Meditating," said Maglor firmly. "Nienna taught it to me as a way to ease pain."
"Or ignore problems," said Morgoth. He looked at Nienna again, who was watching everything with that stern frown that never seemed to ease. "How is he going to learn to be whole if he employs avoidance mechanisms whenever a problem presents itself?"
"You're right," said Nienna. "Come on, Mag." She tapped Maglor's shoulder.
"It doesn't make any sense!" Maglor burst out, dropping his hands. "I can't understand those stupid words she uses, and the ones she does explain she could use some other word for, and she yells them so loudly-" Tears were running down his face.
"This is part of learning to be strong," said Nienna, patting his hand.
"I wandered on the shores of Middle-earth for thousands of years," said Maglor murderously. "I should think that's strong."
"No, that's running away," Nienna informed him primly, and glanced at Morgoth. "You may continue."
Morgoth did so, aware of a shadow on the edge of his vision and ignoring it. Probably just Maglor trying to distract him.
------
"YAMETE!!!!!"
The Fellowship flinched, but slowed down for her. Kitsune nodded. Good. She couldn't walk as fast as they could, given that she was bundled up in warm clothes Elrond-sama had found for her to survive the snows of Caradass or whatever the mountain was called, and she was carrying a heavy pack and Nekonekoneko. The cat had bitten her twice and clawed her once, but Kitsune knew that only meant he loved her.
Legolas dropped back beside her as they made their way past snow-covered rock walls. Kitsune wanted to call him Leggy-chan, but restrained herself.
"Ai shiteru," she told him.
Legolas winced. "Yes. Well. Do try to be careful, Kitsune."
"Why?"
"Because the mountain-"
Ahead of her, Merry and Pippin rolled down a snowbank. Kitsune had seen them do that before, but she still wasn't used to it yet, and the word burst out of her before she could stop it.
"KAWAIII!!!!!"
Legolas cried out something in his own language, which Kitsune thought was very discourteous of him, and began to run. The hobbits he swept up without stopping, and continued running. Kitsune blinked after him.
Nekonekoneko took the opportunity to bite her so hard that Kitsune cried out in pain and dropped him. "Dame!" she called, but he was already scooting back down the trail, ears flat to his head.
That was when Kitsune heard the rumble, and looked up to see the snows of Caradass, or whatever the mountain was called, falling towards her, loosened by the sound of her voice.
"Tasukete, Leggy-chan!" she called, certain he would save her.
Nothing happened. The snow went on racing towards her.
"Shimatta," Kitsune had time to say, before the snow settled on her and crushed her very thoroughly.
-----
Morgoth stared at the board for a moment, then lifted his eyes. "You were playing," he said, too in shock over Maglor's deception to say anything else.
Maglor winked at him, then abruptly opened his eyes wide, turned to Nienna, and said, "I think I understand now!"
"You do?" The Valië regarded him warily.
Maglor nodded eagerly. "You see, I was stewing too much in the murk of my own past. The thing to be done is to let go of the negative and embrace the positive."
"Yes," said Nienna, with one of the few smiles that Morgoth remembered seeing from her.
"Move forward into the future, and not look back," Maglor continued.
"Yes." Nienna rose to her feet.
"And have good relationships, and not bad ones."
"Oh, Maglor!" Nienna hugged him. "You don't need any more of my help."
"Good," said Maglor. "Then I'm free to go?"
"Oh, absolutely," said Nienna, who couldn't seem to stop beaming.
"Good," said Maglor. "Hello, Father."
Morgoth jumped back. Fëanor stood in front of him, holding a Silmaril cradled in a box of mithril. Morgoth leaned forward yearningly, then leaned back again as he realized that, Silmaril or not, this was still Fëanor.
"Good effort on the last few rounds, Morgoth," Fëanor complimented him. "Better than you did facing me. Or than you ever will do facing me," he added.
"Fëanor," said Nienna. "If anyone ever needed counseling, you do. Come with me back to Mandos, and we will attempt to cure you of your psychoses and neuroses."
"No, thank you," said Fëanor. "Not as a prisoner, at least. Come on, Maglor. We have people to get out of Mandos."
"And things to discuss," added another voice, and Nerdanel popped around the bottom of the stair that led- that had led to Eärendil and the Silmaril. "Your father and I have reconciled our differences, Maglor, at least a little. But we need to make sure we continue having the chance to reconcile them."
"What are you doing?" Morgoth screamed at Fëanor.
"Lots," said Fëanor happily, and began to run. Nerdanel and Maglor ran after him. Fëanor did pause long enough to toss over his shoulder, "And Father said your diary is fascinating reading, Morgoth. He made Námo laugh so hard with it that he walked right out of Mandos. I can't wait."
He rushed away, and Morgoth put his head on the table and began to sob. A moment later, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Nienna asked.
My god, fangirl Japanese is annoying.