Zephrun’s Imperium

"I know you do," Star said sweetly, though her expression was still slightly grave. She looked about her, eyes lingering on Pheo. Her lips upturned in a slight smile as if she was reassured just by the sight of him. "You're all wonderful." Ember looked at Heather, glass eyes wide as usual. Deciphering her words was a little tricky. "I am... good...?" She frowned, then nodded. "I am good."

Star pulled away and smiled warmly, blue eyes crinkling in her ruddy-cheeked mirth. "I slept very well; that rest was much needed. I'm glad to be back with all of you." A bit of graveness entered her expression. "Though," she said, "next time, I do hope you'll wake me if something happens." She glanced over at Heather. Her smile faded. "Heather has... been pained while I slept. It's awfully unfair..." She sighed, but kept her chin up, unwilling to be taken too far down the road of misery she so often found herself treading.

Ember, intimately connected to Heather mind to mind, shivered as the wave of emotion passed through her. She had the oddest sensation that she was watching things through Heather's eyes - spikes? - and experiencing the world through two lenses at once. It had a dizzying effect on the Destroyer and she stumbled a little bit, misteping just slightly, but catching herself before she fell. She shook herself, silently scolding her clumsiness.

We are so close to finishing up the CBST plot here!!!!! Sophie, Xinoehp, Trewee, and Granite will all poof away soon enough. Very soon...

TVG giggled, maybe a bit maniacally. ------- Rose was now nearly eighteen years of age. Like her brother, she remembered her relatively short time with her blood parents. But unlike Granite, she was rather uninterested in thinking about them, particularly her father. Granite had been too young to understand the changes in him after her mother had left. But it had left her deeply scarred. She didn't know why Star had left and she didn't care. The memories physically pained her. As a child, she had been plagued by awful nightmares. Those nightmares didn't happen very frequently anymore, but they did happen, every few months or so. Jasnah and Kelsier would be horrified if they knew she still was grieved over it. But she didn't like being coddled. She could take care of herself. Unfortunately, after Max's untimely death and Granite's disappearance, her aunt and uncle had become even more protective. It annoyed her. But she wouldn't say anything. She rarely did. Rose sighed, thinking to herself. It was so quiet. That wasn't a good thing. Thoughts filled silence. Miserable thoughts. She missed Max. He'd been the closest to her in age and though he hadn't spent much time at home toward what none of them could have guessed would be the end of his life, she'd always liked being with him. She was a bit jealous of his Godfather, Jay, at times. Max had been her friend, and he'd stolen him away from her so often. And then, in the end, he'd gotten him killed. Perhaps that was a bit cold. She was that way sometimes. A quiet, cold girl, with loud thoughts. So many thoughts... There was a word. It bothered her. Narrator. Jay had been a Narrator. Sophie, the woman who had claimed to be Star's sister, had been a Narrator. And supposedly, Star had been a Narrator too. As far as she could tell, they were members of some... secret organization. She hardly understood it and she didn't want to. It was all so confusing. A stab of pain shot through her head and she cried out softly, putting a hand to her forehead. Bursts of pain like that happened quite often to her, specifically when she thought about her mother. Sighing again, this time a little shakily, she focused on breathing, banishing the thoughts. Hopefully it would be some time before the silence brought them to her mind again...

Star, appearing to have almost forgotten her somber, emotional mood from before, brightened at Xino’s appearance. Her long sleep had made her time spent in Silence’s dungeons seem far away and anything that might have had even the smallest connotation of darkness and pain was now simply... ordinary. “Xino!” she exclaimed, rushing forward and reaching for a hug.

TVG smirked. If we can get Ark to do plot - one of the people who helped unwrite Star - then we can convert the entire thread.

For Granite, the fight to survive was a bitter one. He honestly didn't know how he'd lasted this long and he was certain that the odds of him living much longer were beyond low. The ribbons on his mistcloak fluttered around him as he spun in the downpour, half fighting back, half running away, just trying desperately to stay out of the withergeists' dark and deadly reach. Every one of his metals were running low, with his pewter nearly depleted. Once that ran out, he was done for. It was funny, he thought as his knife tore through the thin wing of one of the creatures, sending it tumbling, flightless, to the ground. For all his time spent trying to find out what the storms his mother really was, he would never really know the truth. He had, by this time, accepted that he would soon die. He only hoped that his sister, his aunt, his uncle, and his cousins would survive the withergeists. It was too late for him. He supposed that some might think of him as quite privileged, for an orphan. He had a family. They cared for him. More than his mother had, anyway. And yet, the pain had never really gone away. It had faded, yes, but the scars were still there. It had been enough to Snap him, obviously. And then he had just... left. All those things with Jaywalk and Aunt Sophie. Things of Narrators and Shards, Investiture. Every answer led to five more questions. And at the heart of it all was his mother. The woman who had abandoned him and then drove his father to commit suicide. He had hated her for a long time. But now, having seen a glimpse of the world she came from... His heart was simply confused. All of a sudden, his foot slipped on the wet pavement and just as he hit the ground, his pewter, the only thing giving him the strength to keep fighting, ran out. The sound of rain thundered in his ears, like a steady drum beat preceding an execution. His wounds - mostly from his own stupid mistakes made in haste than the withergeists - screamed at him, his head pounded. He let himself fall back onto the ground, defeated. Kill me, he thought absently as he awaited death. Just do it already. He closed his eyes tightly, letting himself just breathe before the withergeists tore him apart. He waited. And waited. Granite cracked an eye open. He immediately had to shield his gaze. Sunlight was streaming through the clouds and in its wake, the withergeists hissed, scrambling back and away from it. What? he thought to himself. More sunlight broke the cloud cover, shining over the entire clearing. Unable to move, he laid there, watching the light flood every surface, the darkness fleeing before its touch. He didn't see much more before he fainted, turning his Soul over to the Stormfather.

CATS. I love cats, but since my dad is allergic to them, we can't have one.

Sophie's eyes went wide as she watched the spectacle. That was the Xinoehp she knew. That was what a hero looked like. She sighed wistfully, heart racing with excitement. It was positively incredible. Below her excitement and adrenaline was a layer of shame at not having done much of anything to help, but she shoved it aside, consumed by the marvelous sight before her. Astral squeezed her eyes shut tightly. The light outside would have been lethal had it not been for the forcefield around her. For the first time since getting taken by Silence, the Queen of Shadows felt fear.

Sophie shielded her eyes against the light. She listened carefully, hearing Fate's Narration. "Yes," she muttered, wiping away her tears. "Oh yes, yes!" She found herself smiling. Astral was annoyed that she hadn't been Narrated in a while and demanded that TVG mention her. She was mentioned.

Sophie screamed, letting out a horrified, "NOOOOOOO!" She didn't care about the light, she was too focused on the horror of what she had just witnessed. Tears blurred her vision. "Please be okay," she cried. "Oh, Fate, please let him be okay..." She watched the light, a spark of hope burning within her. "Let him be okay..."

Oh, Jay, I'm so sorry. I would probably feel exactly the same way if that happened to me, so I get it. I would just say to remember that the fact that you held the 4.0 for so long means that you are far above average. And make sure you don't let a number define your worth. You gave it your best and you know what, that hard work is what matters in the end, not the grade itself.