InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "death doesn't sell tickets"

Adam Alexie (constantguard) wrote in nosuchplace,
@ 2008-12-18 21:33:00

Entry tags:

adam alexie, theora

Wednesday: October 31, 2007
Who: Adam and Theora
When: Nighttime.
Where: Theora's tree cottage.
What: An elemental/elf sleepover. This should be interesting!

Adam hadn't been in the mood to go to the festivities tonight. Even though he'd helped with the decorations and setting things up, he wasn't up for actual participation. Theora had offered to keep him company for All Hallow's Eve, and she requested his company at her home. He felt bad at first for keeping her from the festival, but Theora insisted to spend the night with him. Adam accepted the offer and found himself at her tree cottage before evening settled upon them.

They sat on the floor of her sitting room, which was littered with pillows, as a fireplace roared quietly nearby. Each of them were covered in blankets to keep warm, and Adam wore his holiday-themed pajamas with matching slippers. Theora, too, was dressed in pajamas fitting for the weather. With steaming cups of herbal tea, they were watching a movie together on a television Theora recently added to her home. If they were going to stay in for the night, there weren't many opportunities aside from talking, doing activities, working, or watching movies. Since everyone else was enjoying their night, Adam and Theora resolved they were going to enjoy their night as well.

Theora's herbal tea was the best Adam had ever tasted, and he closed his eyes as he took a sip from it. The warmth spread all throughout his body rather quickly, a small smile appearing on his lips. He opened his eyes, placing down his cup. On the television, The Corpse Bride was playing to suit the occasion of All Hallow's Eve. Adam was enjoying the movie, especially since he he had never seen it before. Adam never watched much television back home, but he liked this movie because it was made with clay figures and that was very neat.

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elunesgrace
2008-12-20 02:48 am UTC (link)

A night in was exactly what the priestess needed, and she couldn't think of anyone better to spend it with than Adam. He was childlike in many ways and it drew the elf and elemental closer together. Though Theora was over 700 years old, she too was childlike as well. The priestess didn't have any flannel pajamas as she found them restricting on her body. Instead, she wore a loose-fitting beige colored camisole and pant set. It was very comfortable, and it was made out of the same material that made up the robes she wore every day.

The fire that roared in the fireplace warmed up the entire room, but despite that she was cuddled up in a plush blanket. She had brought a television to her tree cottage for the purpose of the slumber party, along with a DVD player and a portable generator to make it all work. She was not exactly familiar with how it worked, but she managed to get it all connected before Adam arrived for the evening.

Theora was enjoying the movie that Adam had chosen. She was not very familiar with human movies as she had seen very few herself. The exact number could be counted on one hand, and every time she viewed one she found it fascinating in one way or another. An animated feature was no different in her eyes, and they were just as amazing as movies with live actors.

"Adam, the ring that was placed upon the bride's finger must have been enchanted by a necromancer! How else do you explain her sudden revival from death?" She exclaimed after she sipped on her tea. Theora turned to smile at Adam thinking that maybe he had more of an explanation for her since he had spent more time in the modern human world. "Or is that man, that Victor, a sorcerer of some sort?" Clearly, the Elven maiden was entranced by the movie with the clay figures that moved around on the screen.

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constantguard
2008-12-21 08:11 pm UTC (link)

Adam understood things much in the same way as Theora understood the world, making it easy for the two of them to grow close as friends. They were simple, though not unintelligent in the least, and there were no strange expectations between them as there might have been with other people. They did not expect anything but friendship and company from each other, as well as the support that came from two people who shared a friendship together, even while others might have searched for more. They also shared the same straightforward honesty present in both of their personalities, which bred trust better than anything else.

It was for this reason that Adam could spend the night at Theora's in the most innocent way possible, even if they were both grown adults of the opposite sex. Thoughts that might have been on other people's minds were not on theirs, and they were merely enjoying a movie together as if they were children once more.

"A necromancer," Adam echoed, pondering the possibility. "A necromancer could have enchanted the ring on the bride's finger, but it would have to have been a very old and very powerful one," he said. Maybe it was enchanted by a very powerful sorcerer, though? "I don't think Victor is a sorcerer, or we would know by now, wouldn't we? Although, it is possible that there is another sorcerer, someone else who may have enchanted the ring?" Adam wasn't entirely sure, though, and at this point it was all guesswork.

"It could be someone in his or her family!" Adam suddenly said, turning to look at Theora. He wondered what her opinion would have been on the matter.

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elunesgrace
2008-12-24 08:44 pm UTC (link)

Theora had learned long ago that expectations often left people disappointed. She had seen it in those around her, and had experienced it once or twice herself. It was easier to not have expectations at all, and it made everything much more comfortable for the people involved. The elf and the elemental sat close to one another though each of them had their own blanket. It was innocent in every sense, though others might have thought otherwise.

They watched the movie with rapt attention as to not miss any key moment in the film. Theora had a sudden urge to get something to snack upon - she had often spied humans eating what they called 'popcorn' while watching movies, and she wondered if it was tradition of some sort. But she didn't get up just yet, not wanting to miss the movie. "He would have to be very old," she said in agreement. "Possibly not human, unless he increased his life span in some way." She let out a small giggle and leaned forward, arms wrapping around the knees that were pulled toward her body.

She let out a sigh, chin resting on the tops of her knees. "I believe that I am hungry," she said quite formally. Theora let go of her knees and stood up. "I shall procure us some nourishment." She began to walk away slowly, eyes still on the tv. "Tell me what I have missed when I return!" And with that she vanished into the kitchen for what must have seemed like several minutes. The priestess was gathering some snacks, as she promised, and she returned to Adam's side with a tray of food.

"I am afraid I do not have normal human snacks," she said softly. "But I do have fruit, and some Elven food if you wish to partake in it." She sat back down and set the tray in front of them. There were apples, grapes, pears, and guava, along with the Elven food she mentioned. There were all types really, and most of them looked like finger foods. "I hope you enjoy it," she said as she picked up a small, crescent shaped bread that was filled with sweet cream. "This is Cììron ėiríenàdh," she said with a smile as she handed it to Adam. Afterward, she wrapped herself in her blanket and continued to watch the movie. It seemed as if she missed quite a bit, and she worried that she would not understand the film from that point on.

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constantguard
2008-12-27 01:57 am UTC (link)

Adam nodded his head raptly as he continued to watch the movie, only looking up for a moment to smile at Theora in order to show her he was listening to her. He would definitely tell her of anything she had missed while she was away once she returned. His eyes turned back to the screen as soon as he had the chance because he was really enjoying this movie. He had seen a few others over the years, but watching movies was not really a big pastime for the elemental. As a result, he hadn't seen very many. This was easily one of his favorites, though.

Once she returned, Adam glanced over his shoulder and welcomed her back with a smile on his face. "You haven't missed much," he said. He was about to explain what she had missed when he looked over at the tray of food Theora brought with her, grinning at the sight of snacks. "I love fruit," Adam said happily. "And Elven food." He had never been very big on junk food. Adam liked to eat healthy foods.

As the tray was sat down, Adam reached for a stem of grapes and plucked some of them off. He tossed a few into his mouth, watching the movie as he chewed on the fruit. He looked over again as Theora began to talk about one of the Elven foods on the platter. Cììron ėiríenàdh, she said, and Adam furrowed his brow as he gazed at it.

Theora held it out to him, and Adam had to swallow the grapes in his mouth before he could accept the Cììron ėiríenàdh. "Thank you," Adam said softly, smiling at Theora, and he took the food to try it. The taste was heavenly, as was all Elven food to Adam, and he couldn't quite place anything that it reminded him of. He closed his eyes briefly as he savored the unique flavor. "It's very good," Adam revealed a moment later. "I've never had that before." He didn't often get to eat a lot of Elvish food, but it always tasted delicious.

"Victor has just apologized to Emily," Adam began to relay for Theora. "He feels bad for what's happened, and it looks like they have feelings for each other. I thought Victor was going to end up with Victoria and marry her, but now I'm not so sure . . . "

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elunesgrace
2008-12-30 09:43 pm UTC (link)

A bright smile painted the priestess's features when Adam complimented the Elven snack. She had made it herself, and quite proud with the way they turned out. It was not a widely known fact, but Theora was quite the cook. Of course, her specialty was Elven dishes, but it was hard living for almost 800 years without picking up the skill along the way.

"I am glad you like it," she said with a bow of her head. "Please, have more." The priestess left the tray in front of Adam while she herself reached for the guava. She picked up the small knife she had brought from the kitchen, and began to cut off pieces of the fruit, careful to avoid the seedy core. This way, she and Adam could both enjoy the fruit without anyone having to bite into it.

She listened carefully to Adam's summation, nodding a bit as her eyes kept to the television. Like Adam, Theora had not watched much television in her life, and therefore she had not seen many films either. She was enjoying this one though, and she was glad that Adam had suggested it.

"So Victor is now falling in love with Emily?" She asked as she watched the figures on the screen move. "Oh my, I wonder what will happen!" Theora inched closer to Adam, her shoulder touching his in an innocent manner. She smiled over at him while idly reaching for a piece of the guava fruit she had cut.

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constantguard
2008-12-31 04:43 pm UTC (link)

"Victor is confused," Adam said, sounding sad about the matter. Adam didn't know who Victor should be with out of the two women. He loved Victoria in the beginning, so perhaps she was right for him, but then Emily showed up and Adam felt sad for her. Maybe Victor was meant to be with Emily in order to bring her back to life, or was he meant to be with Victoria and Emily should be lied back to rest? Adam felt as conflicted over the matter as Victor appeared to be in the movie.

Their shoulders bumped as they watched the movie together, and Adam thought nothing of it. Obviously, neither did Theora. He glanced over at the priestess and smiled at her as well, turning his attention once more back to the movie.

"He loved Victoria from the beginning, and they are so much alike," Adam continued on, taking a piece of cut apple from the tray. "I feel sorry for Emily, though. I'm not sure who he is supposed to be with." Adam let out an exasperated sigh. "It's all so confusing." Adam wouldn't know what to do with those emotions if he had them either, so he could not blame Victor. Adam identified with the young man in the film, seeing a similar personality between the two of them.

Adam gestured weakly at the screen with a slight frown on his face. "How do humans make sense of anything when they have to deal with things like this all of the time?"

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elunesgrace
2008-12-31 10:00 pm UTC (link)

"Victor should be more decisive," Theora said as she nibbled on some fruit. The priestess did not understand why the man in the movie was so confused about who to be with. Either you loved someone, or you did not - there was no in between... was there? As wise as Theora was, the Elven priestess had very little personal experience in the realm of love. In fact, she had never been in love in all of her 786 years on the earth. She had witnessed it in others, heard them speak of it as if it were the greatest thing in the world. But she had never known those feelings in her own heart. Theora loved everyone in a platonic manner, and she believed that was most important in her line of work.

She turned to glance at Adam as he spoke, shaking her head slowly. "I do not know how humans handle these situations," she said truthfully. "I have seen many people in love, and I have seen people fall out of it. Perhaps that is the essence of being human? To have feelings that waiver from one moment to the next? Perhaps, humans never really know what they want and so they create these situations where confusion abounds."

She let out a soft sigh. "I have never been in such a situation, but I have helped many people through the heartache of love. Even then I am afraid that I am no closer to understanding it than you are, Adam. Old as I am I still have much to learn and experience in my life." Her statement was not spoken with weariness, but hope and anticipation. Theora enjoyed living and all that came with it. There were no good or bad experiences; there were just ones where you learned. The priestess was not afraid to admit that she was not done with her life lesson, even after living for so many years. She did not claim to be better than anyone else, or even more learned. It was an endearing trait of the Elven woman, though she did not realize it.

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constantguard
2009-01-02 06:18 pm UTC (link)

Adam seemed a little unsure about what to say in response to Theora, but he knew that sometimes it was hard to be decision over certain things and not everyone knew what they wanted right away. "Some people don't know what they want, though," Adam said, wrapped his arms around his legs. "Sometimes I'm not sure what I want, though I've never had to deal with something like what Victor is going through. I think I understand his confusion, though. They are both wonderful people, and maybe he isn't sure which one he is supposed to be with. Maybe there isn't one he's supposed to be with and he just has to make a choice, and the choice is hard because both people are wonderful."

It was the only way Adam knew how to explain it, even to himself, since he had never experienced it before himself. It seemed to make sense that way, though. Adam rested his chin upon his knees. He wasn't sure how humans handled these situations either. He had never really liked a person, except for the strange feelings he thought he felt whenever he was around Sanura. She was a wonderful person, and she brought a smile to his face each time he saw her.

He stayed quiet as Theora spoke on, but he wasn't sure what to say because sometimes he felt awfully confused himself. He wasn't human, though, and maybe it was just easier for elves to know what they wanted from life. A lot of them appeared to be very sure of things. Adam let out a little sigh. He wasn't very good with not being confused when it came to feelings. They were complicated and hard to understand at times. Logic couldn't explain an emotion, even though Adam tried to do it many times in the past. Emotions were abstract and didn't make much sense, and maybe they were always destined to be confusing. It was a depressing thought, Adam believed, and he frowned slightly.

"Emotions are hard to explain through logic," Adam piped up suddenly. "I've tried to use it before, but logic isn't very good for emotions. Things just get even more confusing when you try to make sense of them." Adam was quiet for a moment. "Maybe that's what people mean when they say follow you heart? To ignore your brain?"

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elunesgrace
2009-01-02 09:14 pm UTC (link)

Theora could not afford being indecisive. Her line of work as a High Priestess demanded swift action. She had been in wars in the past where indecision could cost someone their life, and that was not a risk the priestess was willing to take. Being decisive was now second nature to Theora, and it had been that way for several hundred years. Despite that, she could understand what Adam was explaining. She nodded at him and smiled. Human emotions, and human situations could be quite confusing. It was not limited to humans, though; there were events in Elven history that were similar. Elves were not strangers to feelings or emotions; on the contrary, an Elven man or maiden could fall in love so deeply that it cost them their lives. But Theora had never experienced that, and so logic was all that she had.

"Logic can solve many things," she said serenely. "But you are correct, Adam. It cannot solve the riddles of emotions. Try as it might, emotions are meant to be felt, not thought." She let out a sigh, her hand reaching up to smooth down her hair. "I have yet to experience many emotions," she said softly. "I wonder... does that make me less able to serve my people as High Priestess? Should I not have the knowledge of these feelings so that I may lead others toward clarity if they could not find their way out of those emotions?"

She reached out a hand toward the elemental, molding her fingers around his knuckles to hold him. "Our hearts will never steer us wrong," she said with a smile. "We must only listen to it." Maybe Adam was right; too much thought into emotions only made them harder to understand. Theora was sure that if Victor from the movie listened to his heart, he would see that he truly loved Victoria. The priestess turned her eyes to the television to watch the puppets move along while her hand remained holding onto Adam's.

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constantguard
2009-01-03 06:43 pm UTC (link)

They agreed upon the usefulness of logic when it came to everything but emotions. Thinking processes and feeling processes were both very different things, and Adam was not sure how the two could coincide to help the other very much. It always seemed as if the two clashed horribly, causing lots of trouble along the way. Adam didn't want to think about it too much, though, so he let out a little sigh and turned his head as Theora did the same. He wondered what was bothering the priestess and the only way he knew how to find out was to ask her or just listen. It was possible she would tell him, and she did a moment later.

Adam frowned at her inquiry and shook his head rather vigorously. "Why would that make you unable to serve your people? You're very kind and loving, and I can't think of any other ways you should be in order to help others." Her second question confused him a little, so Adam had to think about it before he could answer it. "Well, I think being in those emotions in the first place is what got them so confused, so if you felt those emotions, too, you'd be just as confused as them, and that wouldn't do anyone any good." It was a very long sentence, but Adam thought it made sense.

He smiled up at her as her hand gently grasped the top of his. "I think you're right about that. Hearts are very honest, and sometimes thoughts like to lie, so I would trust my heart before my brain." Besides, whenever he thought too much, it always seemed to make things harder. Too much thought wasn't always a good thing.

The two of them continued watching the movie until at last it was coming to an end and it revealed Victor was to be with Victoria, his original love. Adam smiled gently as Emily found her peace and moved on, and he thought it was a very good ending. "I really liked this movie," he said.

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elunesgrace
2009-01-07 01:59 am UTC (link)

The movie came to an end, and Theora agreed with Adam. She really liked it, too, and it left her with a happy feeling inside. Or perhaps her happy feeling was because she was able to spend time with Adam finally. It seemed as if they had not done so since their trip to Tol'hith, and now that they were able to she realized that just how much she missed his company. She smiled at the elemental, sighing contentedly as she stopped the movie and pulled the disc from the player. It seemed as if it ended just in time, too, for the small generator she had procured was running low on magical energy.

She rested her back against the couch, and looked over at Adam. "Happy endings are nice, are they not?" She was staring at the blank television screen but she was referring to the end of The Corpse Bride. "But, I have always been under the impression that couples in happy endings always have to share a kiss as an expression of their love." Theora knew the workings of a kiss, and she even knew why people kissed (most of the time), and she was quite surprised that Victor did not kiss Victoria at the end of the movie.

"You know," she began softly. "I have never kissed anyone in my entire life." There was a time when such a thought would not have bothered Theora, but for some reason it did on this night. Had she been cheated out of life's smaller pleasures because of her life as a High Priestess? Would she ever know what it would feel like to be in love or to have children? Sometimes, those thoughts were too much for the priestess and she did not often think of them.

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constantguard
2009-01-09 02:48 pm UTC (link)

Happy endings were nice, but Adam was under the impression that happy endings didn't happen very often. He recalled when Nikolai passed away, the only father figure that Adam had ever known. He hadn't known Constance's husband for very long; it had only be twelve years. The man was so kind to Adam, helping him learn along the way and understand the things around him. Even though Adam had been brought into being as a grown man, Nikolai treated him much like a child and said it was because Adam's heart was that of a child. Heart before body, Nikolai used to say, patting Adam's chest. You always think of the heart before the body. Nothing's more important. Just remembering the other man made Adam very sad.

It had only been twelve years, but Adam witnessed the love between Constance and Nikolai. To this day, Constance had never searched for another person to fill his place. Adam could only imagine the type of love they shared for one another, and he could see it between Victor and Victoria without needing to see them kiss. "The way they looked at each other was enough," Adam said happily with a smile, glancing over at Theora.

Now that Theora brought it up, Adam had never thought of kissing anyone before. "I haven't either," he said. "Well, I've been kissed on the cheek by my sisters and I've kissed them on the cheeks sometimes, but I'm not sure if that counts."

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elunesgrace
2009-01-09 06:12 pm UTC (link)

Theora immediately sensed the downward turn in Adam's mood. She looked at him curiously, wondering what it was in his mind that could have made him so sad. The priestess did not press it, though, and would only talk about it if Adam brought it up first. She did not want to make him uncomfortable, nor did she want to further his sad mood.

His remark about about the two main characters in the story brought a smile to her face. "Yes, their happiness and love was reflected in their eyes. A kiss was not needed." She sighed happily and then bumped her shoulder against Adam. "Sometimes," she said almost dreamily. "Love even transcends death. I have seen it many times over my years. I see Victor and Victoria being like that."

The topic about kisses did not make Theora uncomfortable in the least, and she smiled a bit at Adam's confession. "I am not sure if kisses on the cheek count as 'real' kisses," she said with a shrug. "At least that is what I have gathered from other humans that I have spoken with. I have kissed others on the cheek before, but never any one in my family and never in a romantic way."

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Fin.

constantguard
2009-01-09 10:39 pm UTC (link)

He simply nodded his head in agreement. Love could transcend death, and he had seen it himself. Even if it was only once, it was enough to ingrain it in his mind over the years. The topic of kisses did not bother Adam either, and he grinned like a child as she brought up that kisses on the cheek did not count as 'real' kisses. "I thought so," Adam said with amusement in his voice.

With that, the elemental and elf spent the rest of their night together talking and enjoying each other's company. When it came time for bed, the two of them shared Theora's bed together and thought nothing at all wrong with the act, especially since nothing was going on but sleep. It did not take Adam long to fall asleep once he was in bed. Theora's powers seeped out of the fingertips of her hands as she stroked his hair, and he ventured off into the land of dreams.

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