Forums » Sci-Fi Roleplay » Travellers (Semi-Open RP between Tara and Catrin)

“Hmmm. What does Terelain dating look like? And what exactly do you mean by 'not good around males'? You routinely deal with males from various species, no?” Catrin asked with a small smile.

“It doesn't seem like less time out in the field would help you, you'd probably get annoyed with the chore of dating and run back to the field soon, even more uncomfortable around males. Do you have any idea what you'd prefer a mate to be like? What would make you feel good? Perhaps becoming friends first?”

"Well, I'm not good around males of my own species, not when it comes to dating or socialising or anything." Tara said, "Professionally, I'm fine, it's just when it comes to dating I get... flustered. As for what Terelain dating is like, well it's pretty much the same as for any species, really. You go out, try and have a good time, have a meal, maybe see a holo-play or movie." She 'shrugged', "But to be honest I've got no idea about what I'd look for in a prospective mate anyway."

“Okay. Have you ever spoken about this with anyone who wasn't bent on getting you to take on a long-term mate, get settled and produce offspring?” Catrin asked, waving her tail in the equivalent of a raised eyebrow.

Tara shook her head, "No. Though there haven't been many of those. I mean, long-term relationships are encouraged, of course, but it's not like we're all hell-bent on getting married to the first person we fall in love with for the rest of eternity. Terelains aren't quite that crazy."

"Courtships often last for decades in Terelian. Take King Aelrend III and his first wife, for example, their courtship lasted a two and a half centuries before they finally got married. The entire Kingdom breathed a sigh of relief on that day. No one thought they'd ever get around to it." Thyr said, "He was the sole child of the last two monarchs, so if he'd somehow got himself killed before he got married then the House of Tynian would have been extinguished, we have our back-ups of course but it's still something we'd like to avoid."

Catrin chuckled. “Oh wow. Okay. We need to have a girls' night and talk about things. Are you busy now?” she asked Tara with a wink, “because the traditional way is to curl up somewhere comfortable, maybe watch a film and eat and drink delicious things.” She turned to Thyr. “Can the food processor make mixed drinks?”

Thyr nodded, "Of course it does, I'll select some of the best mixers we've got, and some food too. You two can brose the on-board library for a holo to watch."

Tara smiled, "Well, this sounds like fun. It'll help pass the time at least." She grinned, "We can curl up in the lounge, Thyr can make us a few big chairs or something."

The AI shook his head, "Why do I have the feeling that I'll end up being your servant for the rest of the day? Fetching drink and food, magicking up places to sit..." He smiled wryly, "Ah well, it's what I signed up for anyway."

“Fantastic!” Catrin exclaimed when Tara agreed, then she shot an entertained look on Thyr. “Well, we're having this in your bowels. Surely you wouldn't like anyone else magicking up places to sit?” she asked, curling up her tail in a semi-rhetorical question before she turned to Tara. “Maybe we could ask Thyr to get the place ready for us and then let him leave, and, in fact, not listen to us at all? We could have some privacy that way, and he'd be free of the pesky task of waiting on us for the rest of the day,” she asked her with a wink.

A shudder passed though Thyr's hologram, "Ugh, no, I wouldn't want either of you messing about with my systems. Senura only knows what'd happen to me if I let you two loose." He shook his head, "Anyway, if you don't want me listening in I shall deactivate my auditory sensors. Of course since you've got no way of actually checking to see if they're off, you'll have to just trust me not to eavesdrop."

Tara glared at him, "If you spy on us I'll-"

He held his hands up, "I won't, really!"

She nodded, "Good! And just for that, we'll let you do everything, with no help."

Thyr smiled, "Well, it's not like you could help me with it anyway. The holo-screen is already active, and I've begun configuration of your chairs. All you need now is food and drink."

Catrin chuckled and mumbled, “Senura probably doesn't know either.”

When Thyr mentioned everything was ready or in preparation, she smiled. “Well, just for that, we won't take advantage of your new capacity to carry things around and look sexy while you're doing it and we'll retrieve all the food and drinks from the food processor ourselves.”

Thyr took on an embarrassed expression, evidently the AI still wasn't used to being called 'sexy', "Yes, well, ahem...ah.... I'll be devoting this subroutine's resources to picking out the drinks." The hologram flickered and vanished.

Tara laughed, "That's the flimsiest excuse I've ever heard! It takes a fraction of a fraction of his total processing power to pick drinks for us!" She smirked, "Though I will admit, you did a good job when you helped him pick his holographic form."

Catrin laughed along with Tara. “Thank you! Although he did pick it mostly by himself, I was just asking him what he liked. How much time until he has the places to sit ready, do you think? And what would you like to watch?”

Tara smiled, "Shouldn't take him long, he said he's got the screen active and he's doing the chairs now, they might already be done anyway, so all he's got left to do is food and drink, but it'll take... oh, nanoseconds for him to fix that up." She then gained a thoughtful look, "As for what to watch, I'm not sure. There're romances, action-adventures, myths, even some pretty dramatic histories on file somewhere. I've got a full-stocked library of movies and holo-plays, so we could watch any number of things."

Catrin looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hm. How about something short and sweet? A romance, or a myth. Or we can just chat and decide what to watch later on."

Tara grinned, "What about both? i'm sure I've got a holo or two about Tara-Menil's romances with mortals. The Little Sister, protector of the dead on their journey to Aeh Renmaia for their second and third judgements, patron of lovers too. There're all sorts of myths to do with her falling in love with shepherds, princes, dead souls, poets and the like."

Catrin grinned back. "That sounds wonderful! If the chairs are ready, do you think we could go there now? I'd love to try out one of those mixed drinks, too."

Tara nodded, "All right then, let's go!" The scholar stood up and led Catrin into the lounge, where two of the large divan-like chairs had been set up next to each other, facing in such a way so that their occupants would face the large holo-screen that had appeared on the wall. The food processor was located close to the chairs so they wouldn't have to move far if they wanted refreshments. Tara grinned, "Well, looks like Thyr's finished with the room." she sat down on her chair and reclined languidly on it, she raised her hand and a small holographic display appeared near her head, she tapped a few non-existent keys and a list of movies appeared, "Hmm..." She looked at each one thoughtfully.

Tara tapped a picture and an image of three full moons appeared on the screen. They were high in the sky, the one on the left was large, slightly bigger than Earth's own, the second moon was the same size as Earth's whilst the one on the right was much smaller. The three silver spheres were set against a background of deep black, speckled with hundreds of stars. Near the bottom of the image was a hill with the profile of a single Terelain male staring up at them. Tara smiled, "This one is entitled, 'In The Silver Halls I Wait'. The 'Silver Halls' are supposedly the place where Ilaris, Senura and Tara-Menil reside, the place the spirits of the dead rest between each triple full-moon, this is where Ilaris judges them and decides which of the Twilit Paths they will journey upon once the three moons are full and they begin their journeys to Aeh Renmaia."

Catrin followed Tara, took a look at the room and smiled. "Nice set-up." She walked over to the food processor and spent a while getting a mixed drink out of it, coming back to sit down just as Tara was finishing selecting a movie. She sprawled out on divan and the took a sip of the layered brownish and cream beverage with ice, smiling contentedly.

She watched the holo-screen with curiosity and smiled when Tara explained. "And that's supposed to be the start of a romantic holo-movie?"

Tara smiled, "Well it is when the female involved is a Terelain lunar deity and occasional psychopomp." She then tapped something on her little display and said, "I've set the movie to start. It's an old classic, set...oh... eighteen thousand years or so, during the late Second Era. The main male character in this is th brother of the man who maried the youngest daughter of the last Duke Amaar of the Second Kingdom, Arifel. So that's a romance story in itself; a commoner marrying a high-born lady."

On the screen, the image of the Terelain staring up at the moons faded away and changed to a view of a planet; five continents were visible under white clouds and there was a great deal of blue ocean, the voice over started, "In an age long passed into legend, there lived in the city of Amra a man called Sihran, a slave and son of slaves, but a man who would gain the love of one whose beauty knows no words, one who would rekindle a light long darkened and restore a fire into the hearts of all men..."

The planet faded into black and was replaced by a tall, muscular Terelain male of brown and grey fur, his clothing was much-patched and frayed ad it seemed of poor make. He was trudging his way through a thick blanket of snow; white was all around him and the branches of t few trees dotted around lay heavy with more of the white powder. It was early night; a few stars had appeared in the purple-black sky and the smaller two moons, Senura and Tara-Menil, were just rising into the sky.

Soon the male came upon a solitary hill with a tree standing at its top, another figure was leaning against the hill. The male continued up the steep slope until he got to the tree and made a sour noise, "I hope the news you bring is important, Liras. The snow is cold and wet and it is dangerous to be seen out here."

The short white-furred male who had been leaning on the tree straightened, "Important enough. Someone's been talking. Your brother's family is in danger, Sihran. Someone's told the Masters that a noble of the House Amaar still lives."

The other male's eyes widened, "What? But... who? Why?"

Liras 'shrugged', "Who knows? More food? A better position? Leniency for a family member? All I know is, is that the Gillorians have started asking questions, uncomfortable questions. We need your help. Arial has to get out of the city."

"Will she be willing to leave?" Sihran asked, "Amra is her home, it is her family's home. She's lived there for over three centuries, her most ancient Ancestors raised its very stones themselves."

"If she does not leave she will be found and she will die." Liras said, "The Amaar line will be extinguished, the Aunidiel leaderless."

"We don't know that for certain. Her sister is a Lost One." Sihran said.

"It matters not. Nariel Amaar is not here, Arial is. There are rumours, Sihran, an army gathers to the east. A banner has been raised, a banner bearing the Crown and Tree." Liras said, whispering urgently and looking around, as if afraid that someone might be spying on them, even here in this lonely spot, "If even half those rumours are true, then the time is coming quickly that the Aunidiel must take up arms; we need Arial, we need someone to rally behind."

Sihran nodded and sighed, "Very well, Liras. Help me to get into the city and I will ensure that Arial finds safe haven amongst those to whom I am loyal."

Liras bowed his head, "Thank you, Sihran. I know that they will be safe with you. Follow me, I know a way into the city."

The two males began walking down the hill. High above two of Aerin's moons rose higher into the sky, both seemed to grow brighter as they ascended, looking like two great silver eyes.

Catrin chuckled. “Eighteen thousand years? Yes, that sounds like an old classic indeed.” She took another sip of the drink and went on listening to Tara and watching the movie when it began playing again.

(That was my plan, I just did the first scene to give you some idea as to what it'd be like)

The rest of the movie had followed Sihran as he sneaked into the city of Amra and met with his brother and his wife Arial, the youngest daughter of the former ruler of the city before the Gillorian occupation. Sihran had tried to convince Arial to flee the city, for her own safety, but the woman refused to leave her people and flee from her own city. However, in the middle of their argument a second Terelain female had burst into the house carrying a small child, his hand missing. It transpired that Arial's son, Arin, her sole surviving child, who was only a kitten had been caught stealing a piece of bread from the kitchens of the city's governor, as the Gillorians had cut the slave's food rations. For this crime, the child's hand had been cut off. Distraught and angry, Arial had come close to starting a slave revolt in the city. In an effort to try and comfort her and prevent her from starting a terrible conflict, Arial's husband had taken her out of the house.

At that moment, light had filled the room and a woman had appeared next to the bed the child had been laid on, startling Sihran. After a short conversation, the woman revealed herself to be Tara-Menil, youngest of the three Terelain lunar goddesses, sent by her sisters to collect Arin's soul, for Senura, the usual guide of the dead, couldn't bring herself to take a child. After some arguing and terse words, Tara-Menil agreed to leave the child be, in exchange Sihran was to write for her a poem, of any kind, for Tara-Menil had a great love of the arts and she had not heard anything joyful in centuries.

The deity left the house, and Sihran began working on his poem, to gain inspiration for his task he went to a gathering of the slaves to listen to some stories from the Revered Elders, after listening to several songs and tales, Sihran went to work on composing his poem. However, Sihran wasn't the most artistic of people and he found the task difficult, it was then that he was visited by Senura, the middle sister and the Guide. Senura gave Sihran some advice about what to write about, but she warned him to finish his work quickly, because 'grave events are afoot, and soon there shall be a storm that will shake all the world to its foundations' with that cryptic message, the goddess left too. Eventually the male finished his poem, but then the movie shifted to a scene in a great, echoing hall made of silver and shimmering stone. Three thrones occupied the end of the hall and sat in the largest, central throne was a regal female, her fur black as night but streaked with silver, her eyes dark too but speckled with white, like the night-sky. Tara-Menil was on her knees before the woman on the throne, pleading with her eldest sister, Ilaris the Queen of Night. Ilaris disapproved of Tara-Menil making deals with mortals, she had seen this happen before and she was tired of it. She threatened to place Sihran on the darkest, most arduous path when he died, so that his soul would take an Age to reach the afterlife.

After some begging and pleading, Tara-Menil eventually managed to convince her sister to show leniency and went down to Aerin to hear Sihran's poem. The male recited it to her and the goddess was so pleased she embraced the mortal and kissed him, having fallen in love with his voice and his wonderful poem, unaware that Senura had helped him with it. The two became lovers for a short time, until word reached Sihran that Arial and his brother had begun a slave revolt in Amra and that an army had come from the east, an army said to be led by Terelain rebels. Sihran left Tara-Menil to help his people fight, promising to her to return.

The movie ended then, without revealing what had happened to the male.

Once the holo was finished Tara glanced over to Catrin, "Most tales with Tara-Menil in them are kind of bitter-sweet. She's the youngest, the most innocent of the Three Sisters, but at the same time she's still one of those responsible for looking after the dead, and most of her visits to Aerin are involved with her in that capacity. There are a few romances dealing with her in her role as the patron of lovers, but they're not quite as popular as these ones. Maybe it's because she seems so gentle in these plays and holo-movies, or because it shows that even those or guide and protect souls can have a soft side too, which is a comfort. Or maybe my people just like a good tragedy to offset romance, something to contrast it with."