InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Put your legs up"

Laura Moon (spitandviolets) wrote in mirage_rpg,
@ 2008-08-10 19:35:00

Entry tags:

anakin skywalker, arrival, complete, day 10, laura moon

Who: Laura and Anakin
When: Day 10, Late Afternoon, but does time really matter in a hurricane?
What: Arrival
Where: Forest
Rating: TBD
Status: Open

Death hurt Laura. She was not talking about the act of dying; that had actually been exceptionally easy. Really, one moment her head had been in Robbie's lap, it occurred to her that oh my God, I'm going to die, and the whole nasty ordeal was over. She didn't even remember going to the hospital, though she knew that she did not die at the scene of the crash. She had waited, for some strange reason, until Wednesday morning. So, a more accurate statement would be that undeath hurt Laura. There was a constant, parching thirst in every cell of her body; there was a complete absence of heat in her frame. She had been such a warm person in life that she would murder for even a fraction of it. In a way, she had murdered for it. Blood, hitting her icy flesh, imbued her with a bit of warmth until it went cold. And in death she had learned that people were so easy to kill once you weren't so prejudiced about the whole thing. It was like they were taunting her as she was able to feel the blood pumping through the veins of the living. There was also the matter of decomposing. While she was not exactly dead, she was certainly not alive, and her body was subject to the laws of nature that affected any body. The maggots in her lungs created a nasty cough, and she felt things moving deep inside her now and then. Really, the whole mess was quite disgusting, and it was almost painful - if she could feel pain.

Death was not as painful as drinking from Urd's Spring had been. The Norns had given her the water than nourished the tree of life, and she honestly thought that she was dying again. It had frozen her insides cold, and it felt like liquid ice, if one could imagine that as anything other than water. Though she had thought it impossible, she had blacked out. When she had awoken, though, the side effects were remarkable. While the water had not restored her life, it had restored her death. Months had been shaved off of her decomposition and decay. For the first few hours, she had possessed breath, blood, and warmth. She was not alive, but she was less dead, and there was a certain mental clarity that had come to her. She knew where she must go, what she must do, and she left Ash Farm (as well as her poor Puppy, her only love) to fulfill her destiny.

Destiny, however, seemed to be wanting to throw another wrench in the works. As of late, Laura had taken to traveling under cover of the forest. While she looked, most times, like a sickly living person, she haded passing for alive. What she really wanted was to be alive. Her second largest desire was warmth, and she wasn't sure what she would do to find it. She had learned what being unfaithful to her husband had caused once already; she wasn't going to tempt fate again to teach her a second time. Karma was a bitch. The forest got denser as she traveled through it, which seemed odd to her as she should have been approaching a highway. She needed to hitchhike in order to get where she was going. Faintly able to see the sky, Laura noted that it looked like it was getting darker. Eventually, rain began to fall. The wind was picking up. Had the storm caused by the warring gods reached all the way to Virginia? Her question was answered, however, when she emerged from the forest's edge into what seemed to be a full blown hurricane. The wind whipped her hair, and several branches flew past her. Thankfully, her superior speed allowed her to avoid them. There was no highway, there was no civilization. The terrain didn't even look remotely like anything that would be in Virginia. Really, it was a little too...tropical...for that. And instead of it feeling like March, it was positively balmy.

Though she could not ignore the storm, she could weather it slightly better than a living person. The whipping water falling into her eyes did not cause her to blink, nor did she notice that it felt like razor blades. Small pebbles picked up by the storm hit her, nicked her, but she did not bleed despite the small holes in her flesh. The wind was the main problem as she walked; her body, which was no longer filled with organs and blood, but instead formaldehyde, glycerin, and lanolin, was lighter than an average person, and the high speed and force of the wind kept knocking her down. Her hair became matted, the white knit top clinging to her body now completely transparent, and her skirt actually tore. When she fell, she stayed down, her eyes unblinkingly staring at the sky. "What rotten luck," she murmured, and she closed her eyes. She focused on the auras of the living, saw their multitude stretched out before her. Some blazed like the sun, while others flickered with barely the strength of a taper. The living, they were so fascinating. The thing that bothered her, though, was that they were not as numerous as they should have been. The United States usually blinded her in her mind's eye. And, most troubling, Shadow's beacon, unique and traceable from anywhere, was not visible to her. A pause and she remembered: Shadow was dead.

"Puppy!" Laura said into the storm, her eyes shooting open. She would have screamed, but her dead, emotionless voice really wouldn't allow it. She stayed on her back on the ground, not really motivated to get up. Shadow wasn't there, and she did not know how to get where she needed to go. What was the point in moving when she'd only fall down again? "What am I supposed to do now...?" Even though she was dead, she was comprehending that the whole situation was feeling pretty hopeless.

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angry_jedi
2008-08-15 11:28 am UTC (link)

Anakin had found his room the night before and was astounded to see that it transformed into the very room he was taken from, the lavish apartment that he and Padme owned on Coruscant…it had everything the original had, except the most important…Padme herself. He had taken a very long hot shower and collapsed in the bed he normally shared with his beloved.

The next day, he’d slept in late and taken another shower and just stared out into the raging storm, trying to get his thoughts together. He needed to find a way home.

Walking to the small cooling unit, he selected several fruits and diced them into a bowl for his breakfast. As he ate, he thought of all the situations he had been in…no matter how tough, he had always prevailed. He had to keep his cool and watch his temper. Even though he had argued with him, he wished Obi Wan were here…they made an unbeatable team and he truly brought out the very best in Anakin. Even though he’s jealous of me, Ani mused with a grin, as he popped a chunk of melon in his mouth.

After finishing breakfast and getting dressed, the young Jedi made his way back over to the long, large, balcony window, “I can’t just stay in here all day”, he told himself, “Perhaps there are ships of some kind out there”, he shrugged, “Besides, if I’m going to talk to this Planet, I guess I’ll need to be out there”.

Anakin hooked his lightsaber, grappling hook, small first aid kit and flashlight to his belt and then donned his heavy, hooded robe, this one was treated to be weather proof.

Stepping out into the storm, the young Jedi almost felt like the hurricane was a kindred spirit to the turmoil that existed inside him. With strong steps he made his way out through the battering winds and torrential rain, thinking to head for the forest, so as not to be out in the open where things were the worst.

As he neared the forest, Anakin almost passed by a woman lying flat on her back in the mud. If his sensitive hearing hadn’t picked out a very weak "What am I supposed to do now...?", he would have trudged right by her without even turning his head.

“You can start by taking my hand”, Anakin called out to her above the roaring storm. The woman looked sickly to the Jedi and, so, instead of offering his flesh hand, he presented his cybernetic right hand to assist the woman to her feet. “What are you doing out here?!”, he asked, removing his robe, “Here, this will protect you”, he handed it to the woman.

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spitandviolets
2008-08-15 10:32 pm UTC (link)

Though it had been minorly unpleasant at first, Laura was starting to get used to the mud and the rain. Sure, she was certain that she didn't look all too attractive, but she'd been worse places. She took a moment and thought. Then, with a bit of a chuckle, she gave a quick thank you to the gods that she knew, for certain, existed. It had not, after all, been raining when she'd clawed her way from the grave. That ground had been frozen, and it had been easier to climb out of because the pounds and pounds that were on top of her were still lose. She couldn't even remember how she'd gotten out of the coffin, found the coin, and dug her way into undeath. One moment she was dead, the next moment she was sitting on Shadow's bed in that hotel room.

Her momentary musings were interrupted by a hooded figure leaning over her. The storm made it a little difficult to see anything, and her eyes were constantly open, staring up at the sky. His invasion into her field of vision was something she had to adjust to. Thus, she stayed laying there, staring up at him, studying him. Well, hello there. Where on earth did you come from? And why didn't I sense your aura...? Instead of a hello, or a thank you, or even an affirmation that his suggestion had been a good and valid one, the first words out of her mouth were as follows:

"You're not human."

The voice that came out of the woman was dead and cold. It lacked expression, and it would be nigh impossible for anybody to read further into that statement. It may have been sarcastic, it could have been joking, or maybe she was serious. Because of the emotionless nature of her voice, however, it came out as a simple, cold, lifeless statement.

Once she had tossed this little gem into the air, she realized that it would, perhaps, be best to move, lest he think her paralyzed. She looked at the cybernetic hand, vaguely intrigued. Never in all her life had she seen anything quite like that. Then again, if he wasn't human, there was a chance that he was a god, or something else entirely. Though it was interesting, she couldn't find herself getting jazzed up over it. Curiosity was no longer in her bones. Taking the offered hand, she pulled herself to her feet. Despite her height and figure, the dark haired, very damp woman was much, much lighter than she should have been. It took very little effort for him to get her to her feet with the slightest tug. She could have done it herself, but the living always seemed to have a sense of pride about helping people. She could relate; she took pride in helping Shadow.

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spitandviolets
2008-08-15 10:33 pm UTC (link)

"You don't need to worry about me," she stated in that equally cold voice. She took the robe in her hand and gave it the once-over. It was nice, seemed to be of a decent quality material. Totally not her style, though. She seemed to shift effortlessly, moving with incredible speed from one side of him to the other, redressing him. "You need the wet weather apparel far more than I do. This has no effect on me except for blowing me over now and then. I don't even feel this." Laura motioned with one hand at the storm, acting as if it were perhaps nothing more than an inconvenient breeze that kept blowing sand into the food at a beach picnic or something. She turned, showing the side of her face to him. Apparently she'd caught more debris than she'd realized. Something had taken a good chunk of her upper arm. Almost more disturbingly, she wasn't bleeding. The wound was just a hole with a jagged edge and a little flesh hanging from it. As she was looking over her hands, cleaning a little mud from her nails, she caught a glimpse of the 'wound.' "Shit," she cussed, rolling her eyes. "That's annoying."

Arms crossed over her chest, and she looked up at the sky. "I could sure use a cigarette, though. And a map? Though the map isn't really necessary. I mean, I could just keep walking. That's how I got to Florida. I just walked until I could only feel my own cold instead of the compounded cold of winter." She shrugged and turned to him. Really, this woman spoke like it was every day that one stood outside in the middle of a hurricane talking to some stranger. "You might not be human, but I'm willing to bet that you've got blood pumping through your veins. Could I interest you, perhaps, in taking some cover under those trees over there while we converse? You need more protection than just that coat, even if I don't. I doubt that you could weather one of these," she touched the hole lightly, "as well as I can."

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angry_jedi
2008-08-17 08:48 pm UTC (link)

The first words out of the woman's mouth were, "You're not human".. Anakin wondered what she meant by that. He may be from another planet, another galaxy even, but he was still human. "Maybe", he thought, "...it's the high level of midi-chlorians in my blood...could she possibly sense such a thing? Could it have anything to do wih his unknown father?"

It may have been a trick of the storm raging around them, but her voice sounded terrible...he didn't know how to describe it...she sounded like someone speaking from beyond the veil of death.

He noticed her staring at his cybernetic hand. Could she possibly know? Did this woman have some power. Perhaps she was telepathic? He immedately took measures to put mental blocks in place to guard his thoughts.

Lifting the woman onto her feet, Anakin knit his brows...she was much lighter than she appeared to be...everything was not as it appeared to be here. He didn't sense any tremors in the force, but he would keep his eyes open. He didn't have to keep his eyes open long for something else odd to happen. The woman looked his hooded robe over, rejected it and slipped it back onto him, moving from one side of him to the next, in the blink of an eye. If that wasn't enough to give him pause, this...'woman'...had just pointed out her damaged skin, which was not bleeding and only seemed to bother her aesthetically. "Great Pit of Carkoon! Whatare you?!", Anakin exclaimed excitedly, looking at Laura's damaged flesh.

When she suggested moving under cover of the trees, he automatically moved in that direction, reaching for his first aid kit, "I have a spray in here that seals wounds", he handed it to her, "It's a synthetic skin...it will match to the shade of the skin it touches". Looking at her, he very much wanted her to use the synthetic skin to repair her wounds. He finally caught on to something she had said, "Of course I have blood pumping through my veins...don't you?".

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spitandviolets
2008-08-18 08:26 pm UTC (link)

If Anakin had mentioned to Laura that he was wondering if she was telepathic, she probably would have laughed, and hard. There wasn't much that could make her laugh these days. She had a tendency to give half hearted, sad, broken smiles, but that was about it. Laughter was reserved only for irony, which seemed to be one of the only things that still made her almost feel something. The idea of her possessing psychic powers of any kind was outrageous to her. As far as Laura was concerned, that was silly, senseless, fantasy talk. Yes, she was the walking dead. Yes, she knew for certain that gods existed. Hell, she even knew for a fact that there was something greater out there in the beyond (though she couldn't remember what it was; she'd only gotten a glimpse). The idea of psychics, on the other hand, was one that was bot amusing and a bit absurd. She'd have been forced to check his temperature (not that she could really tell the difference between pleasantly warm and burning up anymore) and ask him if he was suffering from dementia. Luckily for Anakin, he hadn't mentioned it.

"What," she said, studying his face. He wasn't half bad looking. Part of her wished that Robbie had been half as dashing and young. In all honesty, he'd been a bit of a letdown in the end; Shadow was better, really, in every way, and her substitute for love had gotten her killed. There was something that was just too serious about him. He looked like a kid still, though she wasn't so old herself; she had only been twenty-seven when she died, and would now forever be twenty-seven. Though she wasn't sure she was twenty-seven. She vaguely remembered lying about her age so she'd seem older than she actually was. Huh. Regardless, a handsome kid like that should smile more.

Following him to the trees, Laura took a seat and looked down at her nails. They were a mess, and they weren't growing at all. Part of her had to wonder if there was a nail salon anywhere around. Acrylics would probably be her best bet at this point. While her nails would regrow when she drank from Urd's Well, they certainly weren't getting any longer or better while she sat around decomposing. She wanted to at least pass for living, as much as she hated it. It was becoming plain to her, especially when he exclaimed something about Catmandu or whatever, that she wasn't really passing for alive. Not with him, at least. Then again, he wasn't human and it seemed that he had some kind of computer glove.

Deciding to not beat around the bush, she smirked a little. A flash of lightning seemed to illuminate the pale girl, making her even whiter and paler than she usually was. She grabbed her hair, wringing it out as she took a seat at the base of a tree, and looked up to him with those dark blue eyes. "You don't need to worry about me. What am I? Well, that's a complicated question. I'm wet, first of all, though that's no fault of yours. I'm lost, and I hope that isn't your fault either. This doesn't look anything like Virginia, or the highway I was headed for. By the way, what the heck is a great pit of Cardamum or whatever you said? I'm also lonely, and I'm cold, though you seem to be taking the edge off of those."

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spitandviolets
2008-08-18 08:26 pm UTC (link)

Reaching out, Laura took the spray. She didn't expect him to do it for her, after all. This kid seemed a little too cold for that. Lifting her arm, a quick press of the top of the canister put the synthetic skin over the hole. She raised her eyebrows and gave a little smirk. "Nice. Not sure how it does the color bit, but what's it made of? Silicon? Rubber? That weird cyberskin stuff that they seem to be making playthings out of these days? And am I going to have to peel it off if and when my real skin comes back?" She hugged her knees, not shivering, not even breathing. In fact, if he'd been paying any attention at all, he would've probably noticed that she hadn't taken a single breath since they'd met. Nor had she really blinked, though she kept her lids low enough that it wasn't that noticeable.

"And to answer your question, well..." Here it was, she supposed. She'd only had to explain it to Shadow before. Reaching down, she touched a gold coin on a gold chain around her neck. Her fingers stroked it absently. Puppy, give me strength. "No, I don't have blood pumping through my veins. Not anymore. I used to. I think I remember how it feels. I can feel yours. It's like a distant echo, or a pulse that isn't mine, or the rhythm of a song long forgotten but always playing. Don't worry, though. I'm not going to do anything to you. I admire that strange feat that separates you from me. You don't appreciate it until it's gone. But, I guess the most appropriate answer to 'what are you?' is, well, I am dead."

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angry_jedi
2008-08-18 09:47 pm UTC (link)

Anakin stood above the woman, as she sat, to block the wind and the rain from her; he watched her as she seemed to take an inventory of the damage the storm had done to her. The young Jedi could not help but pity her...no matter what sort of creature she was.

When she spoke, she mentioned strange places, "I do not know of Florida and Virginia. Is one of them the planet you come from? The Great Pit of Carkoon is a very dangerous place on the planet Tatooine, where I grew up...", he forced a half smile, "...you wouldn't like it much. Not much of a tourist spot". He wondered why explaining 'what' she was was such a complicated thing, but shook off that line of thought to assure her, "I had nothing to do with bringing you here. I just arrived yesterday myself...and I understand it is the planet that is abducting us". He watched as she used the synthetic skin. "I am told that the planet is actually sentient".

"The can contains bio-organic synthetic skin which binds to your own and will disolve when your skin grows to replace it", Anakin was pleased that he could help the woman. The young Jedi was doing his best to keep calm and assist the woman and let her speak in her own good time. He had been to many worlds and seen many vastly different life forms.

She spoke...and he just noticed...she gave off no breath...he braced himself to hear her words. "She has no blood?!", the thought hit him hard. Anakin bit back a gasp. He wasn't worried about the woman doing anything to him...he was a fully trained Jedi Knight...he should have been declared a Jedi Master, if it were not for jealousy. When the poor woman declared herself dead, Anakin wasn't afraid...he was outraged! He fell to his knees and grabbed her arms, "Who killed you, lady, and forced your body to walk after death?!", he demanded of her, "I shall exact revenge on your behalf!". Anakin knew as a Jedi Knight that, even on this strange world, it was his place to see that justice would be carried out.

Standing up, he once again offered his hand,"There are buildings, food, beds, people...not far from here...take my hand and I'll see you get there. My name is Anakin Skywalker".

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spitandviolets
2008-08-20 07:45 pm UTC (link)

"A can of bio-organic synthetic skin. Who would have dreamed it? It's something straight out of science fiction." Still, it did the trick. She was surprised that it even stuck. "I guess it'll just sit there. My skin doesn't grow. Not anymore." There were a lot of things about which she could say 'not anymore': eating, sleeping, feeling temperatures, feeling pain, experiencing exhaustion, having children, needing to blink. All that she really felt that she needed was water, she was always thirsty, and warmth from human bodies to help edge away the icy cold of nothingness.

A smile actually twisted the dead woman's lips upwards, and though the icy chill of the afterlife was upon her, she was probably as remarkably attractive as she had been in life. The light of the storm, in all honesty, was flattering for her. It would be harsher light that would create a problem. Listening to him speak of Carkoon and Tatooine, she actually laughed a little. It was a deeply unsettling sound, if not slightly frightening. Breath that she did not take was being forced through her lungs to make the sound, and it was no laugh that a living person could have produced. What wonderful fantasy. And, for some reason, it wasn't hard for her to believe in another inhabited planet; she wouldn't have doubted if the whole universe had residents. She was dead but still walking. Laura knew that gods existed. Who could doubt anything after that?

"So that's why you're not human," she mused, head canting to the side. Her hands folded in her lap. She was sitting there the same way she would have if it were a perfectly lovely summer day. "I see. My powers, as vast and many as they may be, and as strange, do have limitations. I will have to keep that in mind. If this planet is, as you say, abducting people, I bet there are more people like you. That doesn't bode well for me. I can't say I'm one for crowds, being dead. People usually don't react as well as you have."

Indeed, his reaction had been fabulous until he dropped to his knees and called her lady. She'd never had anybody react like that. The people at the gas station, her last job, just kept telling her "lady, you look sick" over and over until they had fired her. Shadow was distant and cold, and though he didn't know that she noticed, he looked repulsed by her every time he saw her. All she wanted was to love him, properly and always, like a wife should. He didn't understand that it didn't have to be 'til death do us part.

Trying her best to be polite, Laura thought for a moment of how to politely shake his hands off of her. The one that was flesh, though, had successfully given her the undead equivalent of chills. That was what she was missing. Instead of removing his hands completely, she simply reached up, placing frigid fingers against his hand, stroking absently at his flesh. She could feel his blood moving, could almost hear his heart beating. Her eyes half closed for a moment. She could have stayed like that forever. It was then that she remembered she was in the middle of a wet forest with this strange person and he probably didn't want her touching him for the rest of time until she decomposed.

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spitandviolets
2008-08-20 07:45 pm UTC (link)

"No one killed me, really. It was my own fault. I put myself into the situation. I think it was karma, really. My husband was in prison and, as a woman, I have certain needs. I couldn't stand to be alone. Then, Robbie came around. He was my best friend's husband. We started sleeping together eighteen months after Shadow went away. It went on for two years. We were in the front seat of his car, and it was a few days before Shadow was set to come home. I was supposed to be telling him it was over, but I was drunk and wanted him one last time. The last thing I remember was a truck going through the car and over my body, thinking that I was going to die, and waiting until I got to the hospital to actually pass away. It just seemed more polite, you know, dying in a hospital instead of bloodied on the side of the highway. There's no one to get revenge on. The fact that I'm here now is an accident..." Laura was incredibly dispassionate as she spoke. There was little attachment to the story, or remorse for her actions. It was painfully matter-of-fact. Inside, maybe, she felt some regret, but it definitely didn't show. Her hand lifted and she held a golden coin on a chain around her neck out for him to see. She gazed upon the coin like it was the sun. "This. This gives me life. And I wouldn't give it away for anything. No one can take this. My husband gave it to me after I died, after he knew what I did. For me, it's as good as his forgiveness."

Putting the coin inside her shirt, Laura took Anakin's hand. She held it tightly, almost trying to make his warmth become a part of her. Those dark blue eyes looked up into his face. Buildings. Food. Beds. People. All things that she didn't need. Still... "You're a good kid," she said, holding his hand passionately. There was a warmth in the gesture that even betrayed her icy flesh. He was a saint for not running away from her, or trying to kill her. That was always inconvenient. Took forever to repair the damage and get herself together. "My name is Laura. Laura Moon. Hello, Anakin." That smirk returned. It was a lopsided, hopeful smile, inherently sad.

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angry_jedi
2008-08-26 12:05 pm UTC (link)

Many of the woman’s words were strange to him, but not nearly as strange as the woman using them…still, he was able to get the jest of what she was saying. It was easier to let her continue speaking than to interrupt her to translate every single word…like ‘car’ or ‘truck’ or ‘highway’. His hand felt cold and clammy on her lifeless flesh, but he didn’t want to insult her by pulling it away too quickly, so he kept his mind off of it and listened to her.

A bright bolt of lightning flashed overhead and the young Jedi knight held tight to his charge, “Don’t be frightened, it didn’t strike near here”, he soothed. The light from the flash gave him a good look at the poor creature, What sort of planet allows it’s dead to walk about in the world?, he wondered, outraged by the thought and aching for the pitiful woman.

“I’m new here, myself, but there are quite a few people here… hundreds… maybe a thousand. I’m not sure yet…”, he explained. He looked at her quizzically, “Why is it that you don’t think I’m human?”, he asked, “Perhaps we have different definitions for the word”. He watched as the woman’s face betrayed a worry that her words then outlined, “I have reacted to you as I should have and others should do the same. Every sentient being deserves respect until they prove otherwise”.

Anakin listened silently as Laura explained her husbands imprisonment and her affair with her best friend’s husband…and her death a few days before her husbands release. He looked at the coin around her neck and knit his brows and then he smiled, “Your husband sounds like a very good man. I would like to meet him some day”, he looked into her eyes, “It seems that, if you have his forgiveness, you have all you need”.

The young Jedi Knight held her hand and turned towards the building complex. He smiled when she told him that he was a good kid. Something about that reminded him of his mother, Shmi. He lightly squeezed her hand and replied, “I’m very pleased to meet you, Laura Moon. I hope you will consider me a friend in this place”, he pointed ahead and to the left, “I’m told the planet is called Mirage and there is a tablet over there that all new arrivals must read. The lobby entrance is that way too, so you can get a key to your room”. He pulled his hood up as they stepped out into the storm, “Do you eat, Laura? I could show you where the restaurant and café are located”.

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spitandviolets
2008-09-21 06:18 pm UTC (link)

Laura's head swam when Anakin pulled her close to shield her from the lightning. She didn't laugh, but there was irony in the fact that he thought she'd be afraid of lightning. In truth, she was very afraid of lightning. Laura hated storms. They only happened when something significant was on its way. As she stood there, oddly embraced, she closed her eyes half way. There was a quiet in her head, and it wasn't the calling of the void, but it was something much nicer. She wanted to embrace it, but his words broke the pleasant Zen of the moment.

"To be human," she responded, a dazed tone to her voice, "is to be from Earth. It is to have a soul that is visible and recognizable to me as a human being, one who was born on Earth, lives on Earth, and will die on Earth. You must be something else, god or otherwise, because I could not see your aura. You came upon me and took me wholly by surprise. Therefore, you do not fit the definition of human that I understand. I mean, I guess my version of human is something like the science fiction word 'Earthling.' A creature of the earth is a human being. Does that make sense to you, Anakin Skywalker?"

Traveling along with him, Laura felt rather calm. There was still overwhelming apathy in her, but there was also something akin to hope. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. Anakin was a good person, and pretty easy on the eyes. Then he mentioned her husband. Could it be that Shadow could, someday, end up here? But Shadow was dead. "I don't think it would be possible," she murmured, "you meeting Shadow. I believe that he has gone someplace that neither you nor I can go, both of us for unique reasons. You because you are alive and do not live with a deathwish, and I because I have already been there and returned; once you leave, you cannot go back. But, gods willing, Shadow will be here one day."

Catching sight of the resort, Laura wrinkled her brows. This didn't look like any hotel that she had ever been to before. "A friend," she murmured, surveying the landscape, "and perhaps more." A wry smile crossed her face. "If there is a tablet that I must read, and a key that I must receive, I will do what is required. I do not need to eat, but if you would like to go to the restaurant or café, I would gladly accompany you. If you have other matters to attend to, however, I understand. I do not wish to occupy your time."

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angry_jedi
2008-09-29 08:22 am UTC (link)

Anakin listened to Laura’s long explanation of what she understood a ‘human’ to be and he grinned. He didn’t quite know what ‘science fiction’ was, but he was sure it was important to her logic for assuming that only the beings from her home planet of Earth were humans. He chuckled, “Well, Laura, by your definition, I am not human, so your feelings were true”.

After what had seemed hours fighting through the hurricane winds and driving rain, they stood before the tablet that the Planet had carved it’s rules in, “This is the tablet, Laura. I was told that every new arrival must read it and obey it”. Anakin stood patiently with the poor living dead woman as she read the rules the Planet had given them all. He wondered privately why the Planet had selected her…he could understand why he would be selected…he was a Jedi Knight…he could keep the peace, protect the innocent, maintain order, but what purpose could a dead woman serve? It was a puzzle…and Anakin hated puzzles.

Opening the door to the lobby, the Jedi Knight offered, “Let’s get that room key. If I understand it correctly, yours should be blinking”, he looked around and spied one doing just that. “Here we go…C112. Since I’m not very hungry, Laura, I will walk you to your room and then retire to my own room to take a nice hot shower and put on some dry clothes”.

Handing Laura Moon the key, Anakin escorted her to her room. “I am in room E101, Laura. Should you need anything…or if you just want company, feel free to come get me”, he told her with a smile. Patting the door, he informed her, “The rooms are very special. They will form to your will…whatever you wish them to look like, they will appear that way”. Clapping his hands together, Anakin smiled and gave Laura a hug, “Farewell, Laura Moon, I’ll be watching out for you”…then he hurried back up the hall, his boots, squeaking slightly from all the rain.

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