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Investiture for a Better Life Foundation


Lord Meeker

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1 hour ago, Ookla the Guacless said:

Her voice broke, her eyes still seeing Max, but not seeing him. She said she’d only loved one man, and it wasn’t him.

Steve. She’d called him Steve? Did she see Max as different? Perhaps someone was Lightweaving an illusion out of him.

But she still asked, when they’d hugged, and that made Max question whether all was lost after all.

“When you saw that spanreed,” he replied, his voice slightly shaky, stepping forward. “And you pretended to be calm, and I hugged you, and we cried and said we loved each other. Don’t tell me you don’t recognise me. Please.”

“When you saw that spanreed,” he replied, his voice slightly shaky, stepping forward. “And you pretended to be calm, and I hugged you, and we cried and said we loved each other. Don’t tell me you don’t recognise me. Please.”

Please. The word cut through her thoughts and she looked at him. He knew. Nobody else knew, what they had said to each other.
"You talk like him."
she looked at his face again, the face she felt like she should know, but it wasn't Max face.
"And yet you say, your name is Steve, and your hair is blonde and you wear a brown coat and dark pants, and a pair of awful red shoes, that don't go at all with your blue scarf. Your voice is lighter, than his, but your words, your words are like those Max would choose."

She took a deep breath, made a gesture towards Sephtis.
"He showed me how Rick rammed his blade through Max chest. I saw him die, saw how the light in his eyes vanished."
another breath, a gesture towards Rick.
"And he told me, I killed Max."
an third breath, a hand tentatively extended towards Steve in front of her.
"And you know things, he would know, and you beg me to recognize you, but I don't. And Brashen likes you, he never likes anybody."

Shaking she looked down.

"I don't know what the truth is anymore. I can't decide what is true and what isn't. Maybe I'm just crazy, and I can't accept his death and now I search for him, in every move you make, in every word you say. Or maybe I should recognize you, and I am not crazy, and maybe this,..."
she made a sweeping gesture including everything around.
"is just a ruse, a try to get some information out of me."
She extended her hand further, tried to find the courage to touch him, to see if she would touch cloth or armor, but then let it fall down again.
"I can't tell. I don't know."

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Max scratched his head. Blonde hair, brown coat, bad shoes and a ridiculous blue scarf that didn’t match? It sounded like the type of odd look one of Lusk’s underlings would have, maybe. And when she looked at Max, that’s what she saw.

He stared at Solace, with a hard gaze, trying not to break down, still talking to Althea.

“He told me you were dead too,” he said. “He took me to this room and said you were dead, and that I could have revenge.”

It felt painful, the blankness, the unfamiliarity. Someone he loved. Someone who’d said she’d loved him back. Someone he’d hugged. Who didn’t recognise him. Who was paranoid that this was all a ruse not because of any craziness, but simply because this was the the kind of threat they were dealing with. This was the extent of Solace’s powers.

And he couldn’t do anything. What was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to continue the mission, forget about this until later? But Althea. He loved her. And... and he didn’t know if he had the willpower to do more without her.

“We met in the DIDGERIDOO,” he whispered to her, “Or well, we met in the Great Game, but apart from the plan of how to save AlleyCity, we didn’t talk. DIDGERIDOO. That was when we talked, we... shared things. And I liked you from there, onwards.

“You saw the instability in my mind, and you still helped. You still tried to aid me. And that meant unimaginable things to me, Althea.

“And then, Oasis. You still tried to help me. Even after knowing, you still tried, and I betrayed you. I gave in to my emotions, and I betrayed everyone there, and I’ll never be the same. And its because of that, because I gave in, that Solace helped me and because of that why we’re in this mess. Because I was weak.

“But this, here, with you, I felt different. I felt warm. And I loved you. And I still do, and I always will. And no matter what illusion Solace makes, no matter how powerful he is, he can’t fake that love, that I feel for you.”

He leaned in, looking into her eyes.

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9 hours ago, Ookla the Guacless said:

“We met in the DIDGERIDOO,” he whispered to her, “Or well, we met in the Great Game, but apart from the plan of how to save AlleyCity, we didn’t talk. DIDGERIDOO. That was when we talked, we... shared things. And I liked you from there, onwards.

“You saw the instability in my mind, and you still helped. You still tried to aid me. And that meant unimaginable things to me, Althea.

“And then, Oasis. You still tried to help me. Even after knowing, you still tried, and I betrayed you. I gave in to my emotions, and I betrayed everyone there, and I’ll never be the same. And its because of that, because I gave in, that Solace helped me and because of that why we’re in this mess. Because I was weak.

“But this, here, with you, I felt different. I felt warm. And I loved you. And I still do, and I always will. And no matter what illusion Solace makes, no matter how powerful he is, he can’t fake that love, that I feel for you.”

Althea listened to him. She closed her eyes listened to his words. This was her story. Max and her story. And his emotions, the intensity in eyes, how he looked at her. Max. Only when he fell silent did she open her eyes again, answering his glance. He can't fake that love. She wasn't sure if Sephtis could fake that emotion, or if he couldn't. And yet, she chose to believe him. Reaching out for him she finally found the strength to touch him. Armor, hard plates of armor. Althea sagged in relief, ignored that her eyes still told her that he was someone else. She would take that risk.

"Max."

She whispered his name and reached out for him again.

"Max."

And then after a moment.

"I messed a part of our plan up. We need a new one, because I'd really like for him to undo whatever he did. I would love to see your face again."

Reaching out for him again, she showed him what Sephtis unvoluntarily had shown her, and what she had tried.

 

Edited by Sorana
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9 hours ago, Sorana said:

Althea listened to him. She closed her eyes listened to his words. This was her story. Max and her story. And his emotions, the intensity in eyes, how he looked at her. Max. Only when he fell silent did she open her eyes again, answering his glance. He can't fake that love. She wasn't sure if Sephtis could fake that emotion, or if he couldn't. And yet, she chose to believe him. Reaching out for him she finally found the strength to touch him. Armor, hard plates of armor. Althea sagged in relief, ignored that her eyes still told her that he was someone else. She would take that risk.

"Max."

She whispered his name and reached out for him again.

"Max."

And then after a moment.

"I messed a part of our plan up. We need a new one, because I'd really like for him to undo whatever he did. I would love to see your face again."

Reaching out for him again, she showed him what Sephtis unvoluntarily had shown her, and what she had tried.

In that moment the trigger ceased to work. Sephtis felt it go.

He sighed. "This puts a twist in my plans."

The floor began to crack showing the signs of instability that Galvris had caused. He had been holding this floor together by sheer will power of his telekinesis. Though that had broken when his weakness had been engaged. He clicked a few buttons on the console. The computer ejected a small chip. Sephtis put that chip in a small medallion around his neck.

His powers came back when he realized that Aurell was still on the bottom of the Foundation build and he could still feel her through their Mind Link. He could still protect someone he cared about.

"If you will excuss me. I have someone to save." 

With that he teleported out of the room.

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22 hours ago, Dr. Dapper said:

Rick bellowed, drawing in Investiture and Lashing the three of them so they floated as the room crumbled.

"Thanks."

Althea called at Rick and then transported all of them out of the building, so that they were standing next to the remains of the building.

Then she turned to Steve and froze. It was Max.

"It's you."

She smiled at him and for a moment everything was unrelevant, but the fact that he was alive, that she had him back. That he had fought for her, hadn't given her up. That she was so important for him, that he had helped her to look past Sephtis manipulation.

 

Then she turned back to Rick.

"You work for Solace, don't you?"

She asked Rick.

"Why are you here? And what is your role in all this?"

@Dr. Dapper

Edited by Sorana
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Max stepped back, and felt the information flow through him in the link. To before Solace’s arrival at the Alleyverse, to before he was an Epic.

When he quit out of the burst of sudden information, he found he was being lashed away from a collapsing room, and Althea was looking at him differently.

She recognised him!

And that felt amazing, to have her back.

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On 15.12.2018 at 11:43 PM, Ookla the Guacless said:

She recognised him!

And that felt amazing, to have her back.

Althea turned away from Rick, left the man to his thoughts. She looked at Max, studied his face. She knew she should do something, but for a moment, she only stood there, stared at him and smiled. He had a beautiful face, and now, without the pain, without the voices driving him crazy... She had only seen him once without his helmet, and that had ended with him on the floor, clutching at his head, his face distorted like a mask.

"We should follow Solace?"

She asked, forcefully concentrated on the task at hand.

"I know how to find him."

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1 minute ago, Ookla the Guacless said:

“Great,” Max said, thinking. “Where is he now?”

Althea shrugged.

"I have no idea. I can follow the link, not determine his location. It's a risk, but once we've switched realms I could at least try to guess where he is. Or if he's still in the Alleyverse."

Rick suddenly looked up.

"Solace? You think I'm allied with that creep? No way!"

Althea nodded.

"Alright. We're trying to stop him, hopefully in a way that he survives. I guess we could need any support we can get."

She looked at Max silently asked him for his opinion.

@Dr. Dapper

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Quote

Thanks!

Althea breathed in stormlight and reached out for Shadesmar. She brought them over and then removed her sunglasses, more out of habit than because she really decided to do so. She concentrated on the link again, and found another one, attached to Max. Of course. Solace had created a link with both of them.

"Follow me. And be careful"

She chose a way, that was as safe as possible and led them through the cognitive realm. Brashen kept close to her side, he didn't like it, when she had others with her. Althea realized after a while, how far away Solace had teleported. Shards, this would be easier, if she simply knew where he was. They walked and walked for hours until finally she felt like they had reached their goal. But something was different.

"He isn't alone."

She warned the others and then lifted her hand.

"Tell me when you're ready."

 

Quote

Unless you want to discuss something prior to stepping through you can consider us arrived and we move to the Metamorphosis thread.

@Dr. Dapper

@Ookla the Guacless

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