Patchwork Universe

Yarrow · Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2004 3:51 pm Post subject:

Unbuckling herself with alacrity, Yarrow went to regain possession of her small wheeled trolley. Retriving it from the luggage rack she rummaged through the black plastic sacks it contained in a proprietorial manner before satisfying herself that nothing had been touched.

"Lead on, then," she said, returning to Meirian's side.

Trubshawe · Good Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 297 Location: The Zoo

Moon cheerfully fell into step alongside Meirian and Yarrow, his previous unease over the old woman's words seeming to have completely vanished.

A nice young fellow, Moon, but hardly any attention span at all.

Avinneyya · Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2004 2:43 am Post subject:

Avinneyya had been thinking furiously throughout the trip in the Lift.
He had given up on staying with any one group for very long, and he was fairly certain that nobod he would encounter had ever even heard of his temple, which had attracted pilgrims from all over the world, nor would be interested in visiting it if they had.
There was, though, something about the elderly woman, though. Something in her eyes that he hadn't seen before, not since one of his childhoods in a distant mountain villiage, before the temple. Not since the ancient, travelling priest had come, and he had followed.
Yarrow-Sama Meirian had called her, although she added extentions to most names. Yarrow-Sama
"Yarrow-Sama." he said to her, extending his hand in an odd gesture "I...greet you. I know you are one of great knowlege and one of great wisdom. Much has happened to me, and to the worlds. I ask of you to tell me what you will."

Yarrow · Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2004 4:15 pm Post subject:

"I always like it here," the old woman said inconsequentially. "Evryone's so polite. Not like that surly barman and his sulky family."

"Well, seeing as you ask, young man... err... old feller... err... seing as it's you who's asking..." Yarrow had to think her way through all that and seemed to have lost the thread of her sentence. "Yes, well, what's going on is that a lot of places have been brought together so people who wouldn't normally meet are finding out all sorts of interesting things about other people and the places they come from. It's a sort of sociological project, that's what."

"I do like your temple," she added after a moment. "I'm a cat person myself but all those birds grow on you, after a while, don't they?"

Avinneyya · Posted: Fri Jul 09, 2004 11:09 pm Post subject:

"Yes..." He said, almost wistfully, somehow not surprised in the least by Yarrow-sama's knowledge of the temple, "Yes. One cannot avoid growing to like creatures that can hold so many secrets in such beautiful, never-ending song, I feel."
Avinneyya had not overestimated Yarrow-sama, not in the least. What she said had a certain kind of sense to it, although there were gaps-who, precisely, had brought them together?- but that didn't matter. He had found someone who, at the very least, knew what he was talking about, and someone possessed of a certain curious enlightenment, at that. And, of course, Meirian was still leading them on through her world.

Meirian · Good Joined: 29 Feb 2004 Posts: 57 Location: The Academy

"Temple? Ah, yes - what kind of temple of temple is it? You mentioned bird spirits. Can you do spirit wards and such? Do such things exist in your world?"

Mirian's brain suddenly latched on to a throwaway sentence of Yarrow-Sama's, and turned to her, puzzled.

"Yarrow-Sama... forgive me, but you claim to be cat-person, yet I see no tail, nor whiskers, or even pointed ears..." Meirian's sentence trailed off in confusion.

Meanwhile, they were making their way through labyrinthine passages with beautifully ornate yet somehow jumbled architecture and the occional signpost. Occasionally, a passage would open into a minature garden, whose light seemed to spring from the surface of the arching ceiling. They seem to be walking upwards most of the time; certainly the corridors were quite step in a lot of places, and the occasional spiral stairway loomed. Athene followed them a small way; she stopped upon reaching one particularly beautiful garden, in which grew roses of all kinds. Nodding respectfully at Yarow, and smiling briefly at Meirian, she removed from her pack the cutting which Meirian had given her, and began to plant it.

Avinneyya · Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 1:56 am Post subject:

"I do deal very much with spirits in some forms" Avinneyya replied, "although I confess uncertainty what you mean when you talk of spirit wards. The Temple is truly grand- as great and as beautiful as anything that is in this city. Pilgrims from half of the world would come and visit it at one point." Avinneyya was wearing a slightly sad expression, but it seemed, somehow, as though it was an entirely separate face from before. "But we haven't had pilgrims for years." The effect disappeared, replaced by an expression of hope. "It was to the southeast of here at one point, but i suspect It may have moved."

Yarrow · Posted: Sun Jul 11, 2004 10:26 am Post subject:

Yarrow had watched Athene plant the rose with approval, distracted from Meirian's comments. When she turned back to the blue-haired girl she smiled:
"Well, I keep my ears under my hat, my whiskers were singed off by poking my nose where I shouldn't and my tale's only just begun." She sniggered to herself at this and then shrugged almost apologetically and nodded her head at Avinneyya.
"Your temple's twelve miles west and a little south of here," she said helpfully. "But it's easy to lose places, I'd forget my own head if it weren't screwed on. If I were you I'd go and find Terminus, all sorts of transport to all sorts of places and the good folks there are putting together a travel guide. Damn' useful."

Avinneyya · Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 1:02 am Post subject:

"I see" replied Avinneyya. "So it has moved. And Terminus? Which direction would it be in? I think it might be... appropriate for me to find my way there once my time in this pleasant world has drawn to a conclusion."

Yarrow · Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 11:28 am Post subject:

"Terminus?" Yarrow thought for a moment and then shook her head. "You can't get there from here," she said. "At least not right now, but the best place to find things is the map room. If you follow the arrows you'll get there and then you can find anything you want."

Avinneyya · Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2004 7:24 pm Post subject:

"Then I beleive that I shall go to this Map Room instead. I think that I know the sign that you speak of. it points to the south?"

Meirian · Good Joined: 29 Feb 2004 Posts: 57 Location: The Academy

It soon became evident that the group were being led to a section marked 'Theoretical Physics'. Meirian had been making a note of the conversation going on, but hadn't got around to adding to it, as the closer they got to the theoretiocal physics institute, the more people they ran into who seemed to know Meirian. Some greeted her shyly as 'Proffessor Lien'; these were the ones who wore green collars, obviously the students. Others shared the white colour, and greted her as a friend. Meirian responded to all with her customary cheerful enthusiasm.

"There are people here from temples. Some are the guardians of their temples, as you are. There are... certain things that such people can do, involving spirits and such. Most involve writing spells on pieces of paper, and hanging them in doorways, either to keep out unwanted spirits spirits or invite others in" she added once she found the chance.

Trubshawe · Good Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 297 Location: The Zoo

Moon seemed to be having some trouble understanding what Meirian was getting at.

"Spelling on pieces of paper to keep out unwanted persons? You mean like bee ee doubleyou ay ar ee oh ef tee aitch ee tee eye gee ee ar? Oh yes, Moon vee vee good speller, does all the signs for Zoo, lickety-split Mister Trubshawe!"

Avinneyya · Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2004 3:32 am Post subject:

"It is understood. I suppose that I may be able to approximate that sort of thing." He said.

Avinneyya · Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2004 3:38 am Post subject:

[ooc- just to make it clear, it was Avinneyya speaking there. The Moon post occurred before I typed my response, and I inadvertently created a bit of ambiguousness there]