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In The Eyes Of A Flower; {Lilian}
Topic Started: Feb 21 2009, 04:57 PM (186 Views)
Thyme Oregano
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There was something about the Liberationis Sanctuary that made Thyme uneasy. Perhaps it was the sneaking feeling of the pressures of impending battles that lingered like ghosts in the hallways, or the ever-watching suspicious eyes of both people and place. In a place such as this, it was all too easy to remember the conflict in the grip of which Thalia sat, and the danger that such conflict meant to anyone and everyone. Sometimes Thyme felt almost afraid, even though she was undoubtedly clever and powerful enough to save herself from any difficulties she might come across. She felt as if she had to be afraid, because something in this world told her that being afraid was right and that not being afraid was foolish. If there was anything that Thyme took objection to being, it was foolish.

It was this darned obligation to fear that had made her come here, to the Grand Hall, in this, the middle of the night. The night, Thyme believed firmly, was for sleeping. It was a time when nature intended that all things that thrived in the rays of the sun rested, so that come the dawn they would be ready for another day. But tonight, she did not rest. Instead, she sat upon a wooden table, utterly and inconsolably alone, with naught but a plant pot clasped within her hands. The lone flower within it, Thyme thought, was very much like her; unquestionably beautiful, gracefully serene and evidently lonely. Thyme had never minded being lonely before. But this flower made her realise how deep a burden her isolation from the world around her was.

Thyme didn't know as many spells as she would have liked to, but she still had so much time in which to learn more. For now, it was not an idea of practicing her earthly magic upon this plant that her mind entertained. Instead, daft as it might have sounded to some, Thyme was trying to talk to this flower. She wanted it to tell her what it was like to be a flower, for she could not extend her self-confessed brilliant imagination far enough to glean even a suggestion. How did it feel to search out the sun with petals more tender that the softest cotton? How did it feel to burrow roots into the ground and search out unseeable nourishment, without which life could not go on? Her curiosity had become fixated with this delicate specimen. How deeply she yearned to be capable of appreciating it and knowing it for all that it was.

In her odd choice of clothing, she did not look unlike the flower herself. She wore a dress of matching crimson to the shade of those dear petals, her long green hair draped down her back and would have more than passed for leaves, and her brown boots were not unlike the roots at the base of this plant, or likewise the clay pot in which it sat. None of this helped her to understand the flower. Talk to me, she though, reaching out her mind towards the flower. She was an elf - surely she must be able to find a way of becoming so attuned to nature that she could converse with it. Do say something, flower - let this cold and worrysome night be the birthing place of a new and incomparable friendship. The flower said nothing, but there was time to change that. Thyme would sit here all night, and gladly, if that was what it was necessary for her to do.
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Lilian Oaks
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Lilian Oaks
Lilian Oaks entered the once grand castle, that was currently the refuge of all members of the Liberationis Sanctuary. She had just returned from another of her nightly walks, after finding herself yet again unable to sleep. It seemed that she never slept nowadays and it was true, Lilian could not remember the last time she had actually got more than an hours sleep. She frowned at the thought and felt Fluff stir in her cloak pocket. Well, at least one of them was getting sleep. Fluff seemed to make up for Lilian's lack of sleep with the amount that she slept. Lilian felt a smile tug at the edges of her mouth. She sighed with relief as she felt the cold, night air leave her body as heat began to sink into her bones. Closing the entrance door behind her, she waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room.

Did you hear that?
She peered down as a small white head popped out of her pocket. She had not heard anything, all appeared to be silent and empty in the room she currently stood in, and no sounds echoed from within the castle. Fluff's white ears pricked up into the air, as if listening to something she was unable to hear hereself.

"Hear what Fluff?"
She watched the rabbit gaze around the entrance hall, recognising the expression of confusion that lay on the rabbit's face.

The talking. I think it came from the Grand Hall.

Lilian grey eyes looked towards the staircase that led to the dormitories. A conflict began in her head. Either she could go upstairs, to her room, flop down onto her bed and get lost in the literative works of the books that were stacked up on her desk. Or she could find out what Fluff was going on about. She pulled the rabbit out of her pocket.

Yet again, curiosity got the better of her and she found herself walking into the Grand Hall.

She couldn't see anything at first, the Grand Hall was smothered in a blanket of darkness. She waited, feeling impatient, as her eyes began to slowly adjust to her surroundings. At first glance, the hall appeared to be empty and Lilian had just begun to turn to leave when she felt Fluff's teeth nip the flesh of her thumb. She hissed in pain.

"Why do you always do that?!"

Her voice was barely a whisper, yet it echoed in the large room.

Look, over there.
She followed Fluff's gaze and her grey eyes settled on a lone figure sitting on one of the wooden tables, intent on something, something Lilian couldn't see. Taking quiet steps, Lilian moved her position from the door towards the figure. When she was 10 feet away from the figure, Lilian realised what was going on. She smiled and then frowned, hoping she would not startle her company.

"You know, sometimes, it's not the flower that can't talk. Sometimes, it is the listener that is unable to hear."
Edited by Lilian Oaks, Feb 22 2009, 04:48 AM.
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Thyme Oregano
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Thyme's concentration on the flower shattered as she heard, from not too far away, the sound of a voice. It broke through the serenity of the darkness like a rock being thrown into water. Intrigued, Thyme tilted her head upwards and pricked up her pointed elfin ears. It was the voice of a girl or a woman, Thyme decided, and as she caught the word fluff being used as a name, she blinked. She had thought talking to flowers was ambitious, but fluff? That impressed her a great deal. Then the sound of footsteps, coming towards the Grand Hall. Thyme's eyes peered through the blackness and settled upon the door, where she thought she could make out a figure in the doorway. Then the voice again, and Thyme smiled. So there was to be company after all.

As the figure approached her, Thyme returned her gaze to the flower in the plant pot. She didn't want to appear interested in the new arrival: she wanted the new arrival to be interested in her. Whilst she gazed at the flower, however, she had turned her thoughts to her boots. If this girl can talk to fluff, I do not see why I cannot converse with leather. Come, dear boots: you may be made for walking, but I am sure there is more that you can do. There was no reply. Maybe she should practice on the flower first and let her boots be an advance on a talent she was yet to procure.

The girl was right, Thyme knew, and she was impressed again, this time by the girl's seeming of wisdom. "Ah, but this I knew already. I teach myself to hear, not the flower to talk, else I would fashion it a mouth with which to do so in grandeur," she replied, in a deliberately clever sort of voice. She looked up at the girl and smiled with a smile that, whilst boasting its own pride, was not unfriendly. "It is a late night for a walk of leisure, and later still for the wandering of a troubled mind. The moonlight is soothing to sorrows but the light of the sun will open them again like wounds that cannot heal." The word contest was purely to establish her greater wisdom, not even in this stranger's mind, just her own. Thyme was that sort of girl.

Then she held out her hand, with the imperial seeming of someone who believes they are the one whose presence will impact more upon their acquaintance than vice versa. "My name is Thyme Oregano," she said, because it was the most appropriate thing to say. "My reputation is yet to preceed me in this place, but in time, it will. I shall assume that we are allies, if we are both welcomed here." She didn't ask the stranger's name, because she suspected she would be given it anyway. Beneath the appearance of someone stalked by unhappiness, this girl looked rather friendly. Thyme did not admit it, and would not have done ever under pain of death, but she was pleased to have such a person as this for company on this cold night.
Edited by Thyme Oregano, Feb 22 2009, 07:11 PM.
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Lilian Oaks
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Lilian Oaks
Lilian Oaks had to smile at the girl that sat in front of her. Her words, although somewhat clever, were also quite true. She slowly took Thyme's hand in her own.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lilian Oaks." She smiled. "Yes, I'm sure that it will. Unless you are a spy and have sneaked into our premises, then I believe we may be on the same team."

She gazed round the dark hall and slowly moved to light the candle that was closest to them. She returned to where she had previously stood and caught her first glimpse of who Thyme Oregano was. Her eyes travelled towards the potted plant, then back to Thyme's clothing. "The colours suit you, although, I didn't go that far when I was learning how to hear plants." She smiled and felt Fluff hop out of her pocket and onto the wooden table. She picked her up into her arms, sighing. That was rude Fluff.
"May we sit?"

Her grey eyes gazed out of the window. "The light of the moon heals the wounds that the light of day leaves behind. Alas, my mind is troubled, but my wandering has also become a habit due to my lack of a sleep pattern. Besides, there's a whole new world outside when the sun sets that many people fail to notice. This period of the night, is my favourite."

She sighed, before returning her gaze back to her elf companion. "So.. How's it going then..?"
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Thyme Oregano
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For a minute, Thyme sat still and silent, studying Lilian attentively. She was not the sort of person you met every day, but there was something refreshingly different and notably endearing about her. Thyme had never really had friends, because no one had really been available to be friends with and Thyme prided herself on taking a likeness only to those people who had proved themselves worthy of her attention. But, had she ever had friends, she imagined they might have been a bit like Lilian: wise, clever, approachable and polite. With that in mind, she shook Lilian's hand and then let her hand fall back to her lap, where the plant pot sat.

"Lilian Oaks... Your name, like mine, brings to mind images of the beauty of the natural world." Another thing that might have made them friends. Thyme began to wonder if perhaps they could be. It was about time she found someone to appreciate her greatness constantly and not just when she was present. "If I were a spy, I would tell you that I was not. If I told you I am honest, it might be the claim of a liar. In such days as these caution is a weapon it is unwise ever to lay down. So I say only that I am here because it is willed that I be here and then I am telling the truth whether it be honesty or dishonesty that governs my tongue."

Thyme smiled at the compliment. Lilian was ticking a lot of boxes in very few words. "I find there is nothing that does not suit me, when I apply myself most dilligently to making it suit me." It was almost true: Thyme did have quite a knack for making herself look good, and it was just as well that she did, lest her vanity be unable to hide behind truth. Go that far? What did she mean? Thyme wanted to ask, but it might have made her look ignorant, or worse, stupid. Instead, she resolved not to reflect on it and said simply: "Yes, you may sit. In these halls a seat is no more mine than yours. It was considerate of you to ask, and I am glad that you did, but it was unnecessary." Still, Lilian's courtesy had been taken note of.

Lilian's wisdom was becoming increasingly evident. Somewhere in the back of Thyme's mind was a warning that she mustn't be 'out-wised', but at present she trusted her own words to make equal if not greater mark. "To some the moonlight soothes the soul, whilst to others it is sleep that does this best. We may be assured that we shall be granted one or another within the shadows of the night. But desirable as they seem when we lack them, they are oft not as wondrous as we recall them to be, and our minds remain haunted by the merest murmurs of worry." She smiled very lightly at Lilian's words. "For one so light of nature to find such ease in a world of darkness is most curious. For me, it is the early light of dawn and the freshness of the awakening world that mark the best time of day." Then she glanced at Lilian very curiously, tilting her head slightly to one side. "How is what going?" she asked. She was sure she had not missed anything that had been said, but to her mind the question made little sense.
Edited by Thyme Oregano, Mar 3 2009, 04:46 PM.
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Lilian Oaks
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Lilian Oaks
"Yes, I suppose it does..."
Lilian had always liked her name. It remined her of her favourite tree and that nature was a part of her. She liked the fact that most Elves she knew had names related to nature.

She smiled as Thyme shook her hand.

Although, she had never met an elf called Thyme before. Or anybody else who was quite like Thyme, either. Thyme was wise and she was greatly pleased with the way the elf spoke. It would be interesting to hold a conversation with her.

She peered at Thyme curiously. Well.. She certainly didn't look like a spy.. But, as she had been told only moments before, it was foolish to be careless. Lilian took a seat next to Thyme.

"Well.. I did not want to appear rude."

Also, she wasn't too sure if Thyme wanted her company. She had appeared extremely busy only moments before.

She smiled.

"That is correct, I see. I agree that you are able to find many things that suit you, if one puts the effort to it. What I meant before was that when I was learning how to talk to plants, I wasn't wearing crimson, green or brown. You kind of look like the plant that you are trying to communicate with."

Lilian gazed down at her own attire of clothing. Yet again, it was black and her appearance did not suggest that she was an elf, or half. She had become so used to hiding the real Lilian that she rarely thought about what she looked like. She was too afraid to reveal herself. The last time she had been the 'real' Lilian Oaks was over eleven years ago. She would not make that mistake again. She cringed as memories tried to force themselves to the surface. She pushed them away, but not before her eyes tried to betray her with their watery tears. She won the battle though, and they did not leave to make their trails across her pale cheek.

Lilian's gaze travelled back to the window, watching the clouds gently sail past on the night breeze, temporarily blocking the light of the moon. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the candle light flicker around the hall.

"Alas, that is true. But to some, the comfort of the shadows is what heals the most, not the light of the moon or the brightness of the sun. To me, it is a mixture of the three. This time of the night is my favourite because I get to be me and not hide away. This is the time that I reflect on my memories and my emotions and thoughts and let myself be the person I really am. I can be Lilian Oaks and not worry about the judgement of others. it is the time I spend with myself that heals me. There are memories I'd rather not have in my mind, yet they return to haunt me often. My wandering soothes my tired and lonely mind."

She paused, pondering.

"Although, the beginning of a new day and the awakening as dawn approaches and settles across the land is also favourite of mine."

She gazed at Thyme, wondering for a split second what she meant. Then she remembered.
"Oh, I must apologise for being so vague. I mean, how is the plant communication going along? It can seem difficult at first. But I'm sure you will get it eventually. You seem to have the patience and the determination to succeed. I believe you will pass."

She grinned to herself. Thyme would be excellent company..
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Thyme Oregano
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Not wanting to appear rude was commendable. Denying herself a simple luxury in order to avoid appearing rude was overcautious. So, at least, thought Thyme, who watched Lilian as she sat in the same way that a hawk watches a fieldmouse. "I look like a plant?" Thyme asked. She was inclined to take that as a compliment: if she mirrored the image of nature, she must be truly beautiful. "That is very kind of you to say, as true as it may be. I thank you." She studied Lilian astutely. "You look somewhat like the shadows in which you hide yourself," she remarked. She was mildly aware of the possibility of causing offence, but thought nothing of it, for she spoke words of truth and the obligation of the honest person must outweight their conscience lest honesty be diminished from the world.

"The comfort of shadows is the comfort in hiding that which must later be faced," Thyme said. It wasn't necessarily true, but it sounded like a wise thing to say, so she said it. "Shadows are false and deceptive; they scatter at the first flicker of light and move as if they were possessed by ghouls." Or were ghouls, because ghouls were not terribly unlike shadows in some senses. It was probably more true to say, though, that ghouls were shadows whilst shadows were not by necessity ghouls. And so the point still stood, in spite of the association. Thyme smiled to herself. She was wiser than even she had credited herself to be. Can there possibly be any prospect of an end to my talents?

"Reflection is the duty of mirrors, not shadows," Thyme said pointedly. "To reflect demands sight, and sight demands light. Similarly, the reflection of the mind demands the shedding of some light, metaphorical or physical as it may be. So I feel I must ask; do shadows really hold the answer? To me they seem so obstructive to one's thought." She smiled sympathetically at Lilian. To someone as marvellous as herself, the attention of others was valued deeply. But to someone like Lilian, who by the law of nature could not be as brilliant as Thyme herself, perhaps the thought of being upon the minds of others was a cause of unease rather than jubilation. "Do not fear what it is that others think of you. Fame or infamy... both are better than being forgotten."

Difficult. Yes, there was that. But nothing should be difficult for Thyme Oregano: she was too talented to be burdened by this nonsensical business of difficulty. Although... perhaps this was a sort of training for her, whilst she honed her magical abilities, to confront the matter of difficulty and overcome it as the climber overcomes the mountain. Yes, that had to be it. So it would be perfectly acceptable for her to acknowledge that, at the present moment, she was struggling. "Patience and determination are just two of my multitude of virtues. Yes, it is clear that I shall achieve all that which I desire to achieve. Your faith in me is, whilst being a very obvious investment, is appreciated."
Edited by Thyme Oregano, Mar 17 2009, 06:23 AM.
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Lilian Oaks
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Lilian Oaks
Lilian nodded. "Yes, you look like a plant. A very nice one too! You're welcome, by the way."

She frowned slightly at Thyme's comment on her own appearance. "Yes, you're right.. I suppose.." She began to bite on her lower lip subconsciously. "There are reasons why my appearance is dark. Alas, I cannot tell you the reasons why. My heart is heavy with pain and there are many scars, emotional and physical, that have yet to heal.. I hide from the world to reduce the pain that I will suffer."

Lilian winced when she realised that she had already revealed to much. She looked around, almost nervously, before her eyes settled on Fluff's dark blue gaze. She smiled slightly, running her fingers softly through white fur. She was not ready to open up the box of her past, nor would she have the strength for some time. It was just too painful and it would not heal her to try in her current state of mental weakness. She was usually so strong.. But tonight.. She felt so sad.. So weak.. She would continue to hide from the world. She could trust no one. Well, except Fluff. Fluff was used tp this 'appearance' of her. Alas, it was not her true form, very different infact, but Fluff didn't mind. Fluff would never judge her-

She sighed.

"Shadows are my comfort for the moment. There will be a time in my future where I will once again be a being of the light, but until then, I will remain in the shadows, unseen." A small, bitter smile played on her lips for several seconds, before it was gone. "I am never forgotten, wherever I go. It is always about the judgement of others, Miss Thyme. You do not understand just how cruel the world can be."

Lilian stopped, deciding that that was the end of that topic of conversation.

Fluff raised her eyebrow at the last of Thyme's comments and Lilian stiffled a giggle.

"As long as you believe in yourself and your abilities to achieve your desires, you will get everything you wish for and go far in life Thyme Oregano."

Lilian reached out a pale hand and with the softest of touches, stroked one of the crimson petals.

"Ah.. She wonders why she is awake at such a late hour. Alas, she is young and it is way past her bedtime. Although, she does quite enjoy your company."

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Thyme Oregano
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Lilian's compliment made Thyme swell a little with pride. The fact that she had already known herself to look both natural and beautiful didn't reduce the pride she felt at being told so. It was essential, after all, that Thyme receive adequate attention and respect from the lesser beings who coexisted with her in this world. She also liked being told she was right, which Lilian did next. This girl could become a most invaluable vassal if she were willing to answer such a divine calling. Thyme made a mental note to ask her when they were better acquainted. "It is a shame that the lives of some are burdened. Were I a part of these lives, it would not be the case, but alas, I cannot be on hand to protect everyone." She wished she had known Lilian sooner. She was convinced life would have been better for Lilian had she known someone as angelic as Thyme from the outset. But fate left tragedies in her wake in her attempt to design the most opportune way for the world to fit around Thyme.

"To hide is to delay the inevitability of being found," Thyme said. It wasn't, strictly speaking, always true, but it was certainly the case more often than not, especially in the war-stricken world they inhabited. "But if you are prepared for the eventuality of returning to a lighter world, I condone your hiding as a necessity to preserve your emotional state of being." It was a mark of truly perfect generosity, Thyme thought proudly, that she spoke such words and strove so hard to understand the mind of a less fortunate person than herself. The patience she had with people, despite the fact that they were all notably beneath her, gave her excellent grounds on which to claim being the loveliest person in existence.

"It is true - the world can be a place of great cruelty to those who do not enjoy the benefit of the blessings placed upon me. But you demonstrate great wisdom to me - it must have been the design of fate that you should suffer in order to become a stronger and wiser person through your trials." Thyme believed she had been born with unparalleled strength and wisdom, which was why life moved at a very smooth pace for her. But not everyone could be as wonderful as she was, and it was the destiny of many that they should endure pain to eventually gain the qualities that brought them slightly closer to Thyme's level. Never within reaching distance, but closer.

Was Lilian talking to the plant? Thyme watched her suspiciously. She made it seem very easy, but if Thyme Oregano found something to be difficult, it was required that everyone else found it even more difficult. After all, what was the point in being a superior being if other people got to have talents that almost matched the wonder that was her? "Do you practice speaking to plants often?" Thyme asked, alluding to the possibility probability that the only reason Lilian did better at it than Thyme was because she had spent far more time practicing. "I would have expected her to enjoy my company - I am, after all, nature's greatest wonder, and this plant is a small embodiment of the nature that makes the world that fate built for me." Yes... she really was that arrogant.
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Lilian Oaks
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Lilian Oaks
I shall reply to this thread tomorrow! :]
[note to self: edit this post tomorrow for reply.. ;p]
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