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Tweak says, "It is known."

Legolas (princegreenleaf) wrote in mirage_rpg,
@ 2008-08-18 22:10:00

Entry tags:

complete, day 11, legolas greenleaf, michiru kaioh, sailor neptune

Day Eleven
Who: Legolas and Michiru
What: After meeting with Aragorn, Legolas goes to track down the girl he met at the party, Michiru.
When: Day 11 evening
Where: Ballroom
Rating: There's nothing really above a G in this one.
Status: Complete

After meeting with Aragorn, the elf still felt a little out of sorts. It wasn't anything he could point to, it was just like a shadow in the back of his mind, a sense of foreboding. He didn't know where it had come from, but it was unpleasant, and he found himself less carefree and light-hearted than usual.

There was one thing that would always make him feel better no matter what, and that was dancing. This thought inevitably led to thoughts of the party where he'd met the girl with the strange hair, Michiru. Well, why not? They had said they would meet again, after all, to show each other the dances from their own worlds. How to reach her, though, was a completely different question.

Finally, he shrugged and called over a golem. Quickly, he wrote out a note, formally inviting the girl to meet him in the ballroom. If she had plans, she wasn't to come, he made that clear. Only if she wasn't otherwise occupied, and if she had plans, they could arrange a different time. He watched the golem go off with his note, and wondered if the thing could find Michiru.

He had some time before the time he'd appointed, so he grabbed a quick bite to eat. The thought of dancing made him happy, and he really hoped the girl would come. Soon, the time came, and he made his way to the ballroom, arriving well before he needed to. Then, he settled down to wait, and amused himself with trying to figure out what all the stereo equipment, which he'd never seen before, did and how it worked.

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princegreenleaf
2008-08-19 01:13 pm UTC (link)

The elf watched curiously as the girl fiddled around. He had no idea what she was doing. There was nothing on Middle Earth remotely like this. When the noise flooded the room, he flinched back, his sensitive ears not liking it. But soon that was over, and he was just curious.

"What sort of magic is this...?"

He crossed to the speakers and laid a hand on them before turning to the girl once more.

"No, it is fine. I would very much like to learn this waltz, if you would be willing."

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seawinds
2008-08-19 06:32 pm UTC (link)

"No magic" Michiru said, shaking her head. "Just a rather nice sound system. You don't have them where you're from?"

She frowned slightly when he mentioned waltzing. She'd have to teach him to lead, which she'd never done before. Ah well, it shouldn't be to hard.

"Planet dear..." she said in her most overly polite tone of voice as she crossed to a small console cabinet next to the sound system. "I'd really like some CDs of waltz music please" Sure enough, when she opened the cabinet there was a nice stack of CDs. She looked them over carefully before selecting one and loading it into the sound system.

"Just listen for a moment to get the rhythm" she said, hitting play.

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princegreenleaf
2008-08-19 07:39 pm UTC (link)

The elf shook his head as the music came on over the system. No, they'd had nothing like this in Middle Earth. He couldn't remember ever hearing music exactly like this, not among the elves, dwarves, or humans.

"No, nothing like this exists where I come from, not anywhere on Middle Earth..."

He stopped and stood stock still in an attitude of intense listening, his eyes wide. Then, he looked around, having no real idea where the music was coming from. He'd seen no minstrels... he walked over to the speakers and again laid hands on them.

"Like the screen with the moving pictures... and this is not magic?"

He shrugged it off, though, and did as she said, getting the rhythm into his head quite easily. He nodded at her and moved his shoulders gracefully in time with the beautiful music.

"Yes, I can feel it. It is different than anything I have expereinced before, but quite lovely."

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seawinds
2008-08-19 08:04 pm UTC (link)

"No, it's technology." Michiru said with a small shrug. "Honestly, I'm not exactly sure how it works, I just know it does."

She watched him intently as he started moving in time with the beat.

"The waltz is deceptively simple" she said, moving over towards him. "A three-beat song, one-two-three, one-two-three" She gently placed his on hand on her shoulder, placed her hand on his hip, and took the other hand in hers. "You hold your hands like so" she said and began to move slowly, encouraging him to follow her movement. "Just move with the beat"

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princegreenleaf
2008-08-19 10:31 pm UTC (link)

"Tech-nol-ogy..." He sounded the word out and then smiled. It seemed like such a silly word to him, and he couldn't help but be amused by the whole thing.

"Humans create the strangest things... and moreso on this Planet even than at home. But this is a very useful strange thing, so I cannot complain overly much."

He turned his full attention to the girl, nodding as she spoke. He wasn't really the sort to think about talking about dance. You just danced. He approved of her approach, and took her into the unfamiliar position with his hand on her hip. Much closer than he'd ever danced with anyone, but not bad. He could feel how her steps moved with the beat, and he nodded.

"Yes... I can do this..."

He fell into the dance, and as he went, he began leading without even consciously meaning to. She'd started off leading just a bit for teaching, but he took that role quite easily.

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seawinds
2008-08-20 06:03 am UTC (link)

As soon as he started to lead, Michiru was more than happy to let him. She looked up at him, her eyes holding a wealth of amusement.

"Maa, are you sure you've not done this before?" she asked, teasingly. He was quite a good dancer, and picked up on things quickly. She began to embellish the steps just the tiniest bit. There was something about dancing that could wash away almost any worry or concern.

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princegreenleaf
2008-08-20 10:06 am UTC (link)

As he got comfortable with the basic steps of the simple dance, he also began to add little things here and there, just turns and things like that. He smiled down at her as he steered them through the dance, his eyes sparkling with fun.

"This dance is like nothing I have seen or done before... I like it."

Of course, he liked any dance. Soon enough, the song came to an end, and he released her and bowed deeply.

"I thank you for teaching me that... it was much fun."

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seawinds
2008-08-21 06:14 am UTC (link)

Michiru pulled away slightly and gave him a nod. "Indeed. You are quite a good dance partner. It's rare I can find a man who's quite so graceful on his feet"

She crossed back over to the sound system and paused the music. As she turned back to Legolas, she favored him with a long, measuring look. He was so much more interesting than most men she knew. She gave a half smile, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "So your dance now?" she asked

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princegreenleaf
2008-08-21 10:25 am UTC (link)

He laughed at her comment, not taking offense in the slightest. After all, there were few humans that were as graceful as an elf, and he supposed most of them probably were females.

"It is also rare to find a human who is graceful enough to make an elf consider teaching them an elven dance... yet here we are."

With a slight smile on his face, the elf wandered over to the sound system, speaking out loud as he went. It didn't seem to be that difficult to control the device, Michiru had done it easily.

"Planet, if you please... the song of Beren and Luthien."

He opened the same small cabinet that Michiru had opened earlier, and in fact, there was a new CD there. He picked it up, and somewhat awkwardly fitted it into the CD player. He pressed the same button she had before, and a soft, sweet, but very sad song started.

"Elven dances are a little different... they can be done alone or with as many as will. Also, we have dances that are structered specifically for a certain song, as well as more freestyle ones where you just allow the music to move you. In this case, though, I shall show you one of our most beloved dances... the tale of Beren and Luthien. This one is best with two dancers, as we have here."

He took her hands and led to her to the centre of the room, turning towards her. "Beren was a human who loved an elf maid, an impossible love. This song is the story of that love, the emotions that eventually killed them both. Do as I do..."

As the lyrics started, the blonde elf began to move, slowly but in perfect time with the music. It was highly stylized, and harder than it looked to get the motions absolutely right. Every movement spoke of sorrow and longing as he looked intently at the aqua-haired woman.

"Remember... you are playing the part of a elf-maid who loves below her station... just channel that feeling into your movements."

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seawinds
2008-08-21 11:12 am UTC (link)

Michiru closed her eyes briefly as the song started playing, letting herself feel the flow of the music. It was very different from what she was used to. Still, music was music across cultures and worlds it seemed. She watching Legolas as he began moving with the music. It was far more complicated than she'd expected, but Michiru was never one to back down from a challenge.

"So humans are below elves in station?" she asked, a oft tone of mocking in her voice as she tried to copy his movements. She wasn't perfect, by any streatch of the imagination, but she made a good try

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princegreenleaf
2008-08-21 02:48 pm UTC (link)

He'd been right. He could tell she had an instinctive connection to the music, and though her movements were far from perfect, she was much better than he ever would have expected a human to be. He smiled at her, but then had to think about what she'd said. It was a hard, but fair question. A short time ago, he wouldn't have even had to think, he would have answered right away. Of course, humans are belown elves! It was silly to think otherwise. But now...

"Not exactly so, Michiru. Say rather that humans and elves are very different, and a relationship between them would be impossible. Different worlds make it too difficult, and an elf could not fully understand a human. Nor could a human understand an elf. They are too removed from each other."

He wouldn't have thought this before, but since meeting Aragorn, and seeing Boromir's brave sacrifice, his view of humans had changed. He continued on.

"Beren was a human, and Luthien was an elf, that much is true. But Luthien was also a princess, and so, as well as loving outside her species, she also loved below her station. She should have married an elvish prince, by elven custom. She chose Beren, and became mortal, instead."

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seawinds
2008-08-21 08:23 pm UTC (link)

"Ah, indeed" Michiru said, with a nod. She gave him a gracious smile before returning her focus to the dance. The story was different in it's trappings, but forbidden love was a story told through all time. After all, hadn't Serenity's and Endymion's relationship been forbidden in the Silver Millennium?

"You can not dictate matters of the heart" she said softly. As required by the music, she kept an expression of longing and loss on her face, trying to portray the elven princess. But there was a gleam in her eye as she looked up through her lashes that dared anyone to question her. "Some times, love is worth any sacrifice."

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princegreenleaf
2008-08-21 08:42 pm UTC (link)

Through her surpisingly adept rendition of the Elvish princess, he saw something that made him pause for a second. He felt as though he walked in the presence of something holy, and wasn't sure if he should address it. Of course, in the end, he wasn't able to resist.

"I would have once said that you could, in fact, do just that. There was an understanding, I was to marry.. but she fell in love with someone else, and the assured pairing, excellent by Elven tradition, was sundered."

The elf had a bit of a mischievious look in his own eyes, which were lightened from the sincere enjoyment he got from the dance. She was not as skilled as the elves he had done this dance with, but then, she was a novice.

"Is love worth that much? What if it is forbidden, not only by race but by... gender..."

He was just speaking his own experience, really. He had no idea about her circumstances, though something in her eyes told him that she loved, and she loved in a way that most would not appreciate.

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seawinds
2008-08-22 06:11 am UTC (link)

Despite the difficulty, Michiru was quite enjoying this strange dance. She envied Legolas's strange grace, and tried to replicate it. If she focused on flowing into the moves she did a little better, but still, she couldn't match him. She would just have to practice more.

At his question she looked up sharply, and stumbled in her steps a bit. She gave him a long, searching look. What did he know? She stopped dancing for a moment as she tried to figure out how to answer.

"Ah..." she said slowly, not quite looking at him. "I do not believe in destiny, but I also don't believe you can control love. We love who we love, regardless of anything... including gender" She looked at him, this time with a far more piercing gaze. "I have risked much for love, but I would not change what I did"

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princegreenleaf
2008-08-22 11:02 am UTC (link)

He immediately felt bad. He had a horrible habit of just speaking his mind, which had horrified his father beyond all belief. He never did it on purpose, and always tried to make amends once he learned he had.

"I apologize, Lady Michiru, if I have given offense. It is only that... I have reason to think on such things, these days, forbidden love. Forgive me, I did not mean to pry."

He stopped and suddenly took her into his arms, but it was as the conclusion of the dance. He looked into her eyes, smiling slightly, but his own eyes concerned that he had truly offended her. The music came to an end, and he released her gently, and then bowed.

"And that is the dance of Beren and Luthien."

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seawinds
2008-08-22 04:59 pm UTC (link)

Michiru was about to reply that he hadn't offended her when he pulled her into his arm, electing a small squeak of surprise from her. That was not what she had expected. When he released her she smoothed her skirt reflexivly and gave him a small, genuine smile.

"You have not offended" she said, returning his bow. "I did not mean to make you think that you had. Your question just... surprised me." She crossed back to the sound system and retrieved the CD. She put it carefully back in the case and offered it to the elf.

"That was quite interesting. I would love to try it again some time. It seems like it takes practice." Normally she would just excuse herself at this point, but something in what he said made her pause. "Forgive me if I am prying, but might I ask why you are thinking of forbidden love?"

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princegreenleaf
2008-08-22 05:13 pm UTC (link)

He nodded and accepted the CD, though he wasn't sure where he would ever use it again. He didn't have one of these machines in his room, that was for sure. It felt a little strange, too, having the music come out of the speakers, and not from the instruments of the bards. Long, slender fingers played with the plastic case as he looked at her.

"I suppose it has been much on my mind, and I enjoy speaking with you, so I thought I would speak of it. Also, I did think I saw something in your eyes, when the concept was brought up."

He walked to the cabinet and set the CD case down. Of course, it would be there if he needed it in the future, and there was no need for him to have it. Also, it gave him an excuse to look away from her for just a second.

"I suppose I am thinking on forbidden love, my Lady, becaue I am feeling it. Or... I believe I am. I have never felt love before, I know not how it feels."

It was as honest, though he probably could have said more. But he wasn't fully comfortable with the whole thing yet, himself. Even just saying those words made him shiver slightly.

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seawinds
2008-08-23 09:28 am UTC (link)

As he moved around the room, Michiru sat down on the floor, traditional style with her legs tucked under her. She didn't look at him, instead seemingly focused on smoothing her skirt.

"I know love" she said, very quietly. "And there may be some who would consider it forbidden." She looked up at Legolas and gestured for him to join her. "And... I have known of a forbidden love affair that ended up working out, though over another life time"

She was skirting dangerously close to things she should keep secret, but her intuition was saying to trust this strange elf. And this was, after all, not home. Maybe secrecy was not quite so necessary. "Perhaps talking about it might help?"

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princegreenleaf
2008-08-23 11:59 am UTC (link)

He glanced up, his sensitive elven ears easily picking up the soft tones of her voice, and hearing the emotion within. He was touched. He somehow thought that Michiru did not normally speak this way, not with everyone. When she gestured for him to join her, he did, sinking to the floor in a graceful movement and settling into a cross-legged position.

"Forbidden love does work out sometimes... but I think there are always consequences. It is a decision, I believe, about if those consequences are worth risking."

He looked at her now, not avoiding her gaze anymore. If anyone had told him that he would ever be sitting down with a human, and seriously considering trusting her enough to share his feelings about another human, he would have just laughed at them for hours. Yet, here he was. And, quite suddenly, impulsively, he decided to trust her.

"I'm afraid I do not understand this talk of another lifetime, Michiru. In my world, we only have one life, whether it be the immortal one of the elves, or the short one of the humans who know death. But what I do know is that perhaps you are right. Perhaps talking on it will help... and keep me from doing something very unwise."

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seawinds
2008-08-23 12:14 pm UTC (link)

With a deep breath, Michiru made the decision to trust Legolas. "In my world I, and many of my friends, are reincarnated... guardians from a time long ago. Though I will admit my memories of those times are not entirely trustworthy. Still, it was then that I saw the Princess I serve fall in love with a Prince of the Earth. She was from the Moon Kingdom, and should not have loved him. But they did love, and though they both died, their love carried on to this life."

She sighed, gently and continued. "But that is not what we are talking about. What is it that concerns you?"

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princegreenleaf
2008-08-23 12:24 pm UTC (link)

Many would have perhaps been skeptical about her words, but Legolas believed her. She didn't seem like the type to lie, and anyway, he was starting to realize just how many different worlds people came from. Things not possible in his world were quite possible in others. If he needed reminding of that, all he needed to do was look at the stereo behind him.

"I see... there should be a song written about that tale. It sounds worthy of documenting. And guardians... of this Princess? You are a surprising girl, Michiru..."

All in all, he took it very calmly, before allowing the subject to be turned back to him. He sighed softly, and glanced at the floor to collect himself before looking up at her.

"The one I love, I think, is unavailable to me for more than just station, or gender. You see, in my world, I am a Prince. An Elven Prince, and such a thing is rare. I should be married to an Elf-maid. The one my eye is drawn to is neither elven, nor a maiden. He is a man, the man who should be king over Middle Earth. Except now, he is here. He was taken, as well."

He sighed before continuing on.

"However, though he is here, there is more. For, you see, there was an informal engagement between me and the last Elven princess on Middle Earth, the Evenstar, Arwen. It was broken, with no ill-will on my part, when she fell in love with a human and became engaged to him. That man, the one who replaced me, is none other than the man I have strange feelings for."

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seawinds
2008-08-23 12:49 pm UTC (link)

Michiru listened to Legolas's explanation carefully, trying to hear both what was and wasn't said. His situation seemed far more complicated than she'd initially assumed.

"Ah" she said carefully. "Indeed this is a difficult situation." She thought for a long moment. "You have not been in love before? Not even the passing fancies of youth?" Not that she'd had much experience with that. She'd not recognized her childhood crushes as such, not until she looked back on them later. It had taken seeing Haruka for the first time for her to understand those feelings.

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princegreenleaf
2008-08-23 01:22 pm UTC (link)

He had to think about her question for awhile before he could answer, so there was a small moment of silence before the elf spoke again.

"I have never felt great love, no. Though, of course, I am nearly a thousand years old, so it is not as though I have never realized that another was attractive."

He frowned thoughtfully, his eyes dark and pensive as he thought over the flings of his past. Nothing serious, of course, but bright, quick passing fancies that soon left.

"Do you think that what I feel for him is as the dalliances of youth? That would be easier...."

But he frowned and shook his head slightly, as if in an instinctive effort to ward that off. It would be easier, but a large part of him rebelled against that.

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seawinds
2008-08-24 07:16 am UTC (link)

"I am no great expert at love" Michiru said, deep in thought. "But I think that passing fancies are easier to forget and put aside than this seems to be." Her gaze was far away as she remembered back to junior high, those long months while she'd been tracking Haruka while still trying to convince herself that her interest was entirely professional.

"You do not know how he feels" It wasn't a question. She could tell from what he hadn't said, that that question had never come up. "The question is, do you want to know?"

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princegreenleaf
2008-08-24 10:46 am UTC (link)

"Nor I, Lady Michiru... perhaps this would be much easier if I were."

He shook his head slightly and sighed, closing his eyes. They had lightened to the color of the sky while dancing, but now that they stopped and were talking of serious things, they were dark once more.

"The Evenstar is the most beautiful... well, her and perhaps the Lady of Light, Galadriel, it would be hard to tell which was more fair... how does one find out? Just ask? 'My pardon, Aragorn, but I love you and want to know if you feel the same'... I know not. Yes, I suppose I would like to know, but to compete with one like Arwen is nearly impossible to contemplate."

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seawinds
2008-08-24 01:48 pm UTC (link)

Michiru gave a soft laugh, but it wasn't a mocking laugh. Instead, it was sympathetic, and when she looked at him, it was with an expression of soft understanding in her dark blue eyes.

"I suppose there is no easy way to ask. I will admit to having waited forever before confessing my love." She shrugged and stared back down at her hands. "And even then, it was motivated by the fact that I'd thought I'd lost her."

She looked back at Legolas. "But do you want to know? Even if the answer is no?"

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princegreenleaf
2008-08-24 02:00 pm UTC (link)

As the girl spoke softly, he nodded in understanding. She had refered to her love as a woman. Her words about forbidden love rang true, now, since she obviously knew a thing or two about it. But he didn't comment on it.

"Yes, well, I believe it was losing him, and being sent away to Mirage, that motivated me to look on him as more than a friend. Who can say? Perhaps it would have happened, even at home, in time."

Although time was a relative concept. He had so much of it, and even a long-lived human like Aragorn would not endure even as long as some of the trees in Mirkwood.

"When I can answer that question honestly, my Lady, then I will be ready to tell him how I feel, do you not think it is so?"

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seawinds
2008-08-25 06:10 am UTC (link)

"Perhaps" Michiru said, with a slight bow of her head. "The question is, what will you do until then?" She gave him a measured look, and there was a firmness behind her question. If all he wanted to do was bemoan his situation, well, Michiru had little patience for people who wallowed in their own misery. But if he was willing to really look at his feelings, and work them out, that was different.

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princegreenleaf
2008-08-25 10:42 am UTC (link)

A sudden smile lit up his face, and he was suddenly the epitome of mischieviousness once again. He looked at her, eyes sparkling. Clearly, he wasn't one to sit around being depressed for too long.

"What will I do? Well... I will dance, and I will sing, and I will swim... and, late at night, while humans sleep, I will think. In the end, I will have my answer."

He rose to his feet, and offered her his hand to help her up, if she wished.

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seawinds
2008-08-25 10:58 am UTC (link)

With a half smile Michiru nodded. Good. He hadn't seemed like the type to let himself get brought down so easily. She accepted his hand and rose gracefully.

"Ah good!" she said, with a light toss of her hair. "That seems like a good attitude. This evening has been a pleasure." She gave him a polite bow. "We must dance again. And if you ever need to talk... well, I would be honored"

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princegreenleaf
2008-08-25 11:06 am UTC (link)

He didn't release her hand right away, but bowed over it first before allowing it to fall to her side.

"It has indeed, and there are many other elven dances to learn. I would be pleased to teach them to you." He smiled at her. "I shall remember that. You have helped immeasurably already. There is much I suspect I would have kept inside much longer had you not been a willing and receptive ear."

Once more, he bowed, and stepped back.

"Until we meet again, Lady Michiru. May the Valar permit that it not be too long."

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