Private Shuura a la Madness

[Arcturus Dinn]

The suggestion that he drink was met with swift compliance. He took the glass of juice and chugged it down as though he'd never had a drink before in his life, and then loosed one last cough. By the time that he was done Rhiannon's hand was upon his back and she'd sent away the server who'd stopped.​

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"Yes... I'm okay." He shivered a little, and set down the fork he was still holding. "I'm sorry" he said, wiping his brow, "Thanks for saving me, Rhi..."​

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Her concern was palpable, and despite everything it made his heart flutter.​

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"Guess I owe you my life."​

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Now what a debt that was.​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“Don’t mention it,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief. Built up nervous energy expelled itself in a short little laugh. “Oh, I was the one who suggested you try it and got you into this mess in the first place, so my saving you is just making up for that.”

A mushroom allergy. She never would’ve guessed. Rhi wondered if either of the twins might have inherited it from him. Most days she couldn’t even get them to eat their veggies, let alone try something gross-looking like ‘shrooms… She stopped the train of thought before those memories could upset her.

With a final caress through his hair, she left Arc and returned to her seat. Crisis averted, but she’d lost the thread of conversation. It felt almost strange to continue to eat after her food had nearly killed Arc, but she did, if only because she was hungry and the food was delicious.

“How will we pay the bill?” she asked, the question just now occurring to her as they were finishing the meal. “Do they take money, or…?”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Well that was almost very awkward, wasn't it?​

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He stared warily at Rhiannon's plate, as though fearful she might also suffer a similar fate, then eventually set about eating his own meal. Arcturus was rather quiet throughout, though he kept a hand on the table open to her. Hopefully she knew he wasn't upset or anything, after all how could she have possibly known? No he was just... thoughtful. ​

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So close to death, having tasted just one small piece of mycelium. It was... too easy. Much too easy. What else lay out there, waiting to kill him with nary a touch?​

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Her query pulled him from his thoughts, and it took a moment for him to process.​

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"Oh, uh, not credits," he agreed, "Usually happy with a memory, or a strand of hair, or..." He trailed off, realizing how strange that probably sounded. Then again, this was the Nether. "Anyway, they accept my sand prototypes." ​

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As he said that he pulled a drawstring pouch from his pocket and set it down.​

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"Illusionary sand" he explained, "Not fully worked out the kinks, but it's pretty potent stuff."​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

Her hand just happened to find its way into his across the table.

“Well, you do have beautiful hair,” she said. But then she started rubbing the back of her neck, a gesture she only did when she was uncomfortable or embarrassed about something. “Did you ever get a message from me while you were in the Nether, delivered by a girl Shadow?”

If not, Rhi was going to need to hunt down a certain Shadow who had taken copies of her memories of Arcturus for distribution without fulfilling the other end of the deal.

“Illusionary sand?” She was instantly interested. “Does it create illusions? Can I have some?”

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

Her question caught him off guard.​

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"Huh?" A message..? "No, should I have? You sent me a message..?" Was he really so unreachable that she had to rely on a messenger to find him? "What, uh, what did it say?"​

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His hand took hers, and as she spoke on the sand he couldn't help but chuckle lightly.​

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"When it's ready, sure. And yes, whatever you want your opponent to see so long as you visualize it when you throw."​

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It wasn't quite the prophetic sand he'd been working on since being caught in the Whisperstorm but it was definitely something.​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

"No, should I have? You sent me a message..?"

"Yeah."

Wildfire the Shadow's days were numbered.

"What, uh, what did it say?"

“It was years ago, right after you left me on Coruscant. Kind of doesn’t matter anymore, but since it was never sent…” Rhi sighed and closed her eyes before reciting from memory, “‘We both knew that one more night wasn’t going to be enough, and while I appreciate the offer, no, I can’t ever forget you. So now I’m here, in Masque, looking for a way back to you. I’ve made my choice. Whether you want to try and stop me or not, you’ll have to talk to me first. No more running. I love you.’”

Opening her eyes again, she shrugged. “I paid for the Nether postage with my memories of you. Sounds like the Shadow I made the deal with cheated me. Probably should’ve known better—she thought the whole thing was funny, and from what I hear she made copies of my memories and handed them out to people so everyone could know what it was like to love Arcturus.”

Needless to say, it was a source of massive embarrassment for her. So embarrassing, in fact, that she couldn’t focus much on the sand. She just stared at the pouch in silence, avoiding Arc’s gaze.

Arcturus Dinn​

 

[Arcturus Dinn]

As Rhi recited the letter she'd sent, Arcturus' heart seemed to cease in its steady beating. With her eyes closed it was hard to fully read her expression, but enough came through to show her embarrassment as well as lingering sadness. He reached out a hand, and took one of hers in his. ​

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"No more running" he agreed softly. "I'm sorry Rhi. I wanted you to have better than I could give."​

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Their waiter returned, and Arcturus handed over the pouch of sand. Things felt a little strange, there was still so much stuck between them wasn't there?​

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"Come on, love" he said, as he rose from his seat and offered a hand to her. "Let's get out of here..."​

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Where exactly he wasn't sure. Maybe they'd head down to the Grand Mercantile in search of a hotel. Much better than sleeping on the floor. ​

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"I love you, you know?"​

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Ishani Dinn ​

 

[Ishani Dinn]

“I know,” she said, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. “It’s just had a much larger effect on things than I realized. All this stuff keeps coming up…”

Surely these pricking reminders would eventually exhaust themselves. But they had been in pain apart for longer than they had been in love together. One year at the Academy against four years in the Nether and two after his return. She hoped many more years lay ahead with them united.

After tipping the server with a vial of perfume (obviously not Chthonic), she followed Arc out of the restaurant. He seemed a little uncertain of their destination, probably reluctant to go back to his workshop. She was about to make a suggestion when he spoke.

"I love you, you know?"

“Yes,” she admitted, sliding an arm beneath his suit jacket and around his waist. “And I love you.”

She stopped to kiss him in the middle of the street. As she pulled away, she tapped a finger against her lips. “Oh, I hope kissing me after I ate those mushrooms won’t make you sick again! You’re fine, right?” She was half joking, half serious. “Let’s go get a room for the night. Come on, I know a place.”

Arcturus Dinn​