Antimony made her way across the desert-savannah of Drybone in a daze. Her feet stumbled beneath her every so often, though she usually caught herself before her body could fall. Dust clung to her clothing and skin, and her features were drawn with exhaustion and no small amount of dehydration. At some point her steps slowed until she'd come to a stop and then, with a faint exhalation, dropped to her knees next to a nearby rock and leaned against it.
The sky flashed white, and not a second later thunder crackled above her. Antimony looked up wearily as water struck her face, at first only sporadically, but then, in a sudden gust of wind, rain streaked down from the sky in a downpour. Ears drooping, she bowed her head to one hand.
“I suggest the shelter of these trees, meager as they are. Thanalan rain can cause pneumonia as easily as la Noscea rain.â€
Antimony could not manage the strength or will to be surprised at the voice. She lifted her head slightly, eyes shifting vaguely in the direction it had come from, and didn’t respond for several, long moments. After a time, however, she lurched to her feet as though pulled by something outside her body and moved to the trees. There she collapsed again.
The Duskwight she recognized before she’d even seen him as Megiddo produced a Faerie apple from a pocket and extended it towards Antimony. "I've a friend in the Shroud who gathers these. They're a rather calming flavor, as apples go." Above him, thin branches swayed in a stormy wind.
Antimony looked to the apple, silent for a beat, and then something wrenched in her features and her shoulders and head bowed forward towards her lap with a single, choked sob. Once this was out, she fell silent again.
Megiddo hummed and withdrew the apple, "A good cry helps a lot of ills as well. Or so the women in my life often said."
“They... left me. My baby girls. They didn't...†Her voice was a hoarse whisper that cracked on the end. Her tail shivered and pulled close to her, fur soaked from the rain.
“Did you know that I was an Elder and religious counselor for my Clan for many years? I helped four generations of Duskwight contend with death, loss and anger. Never once did I see anyone face it straight-on. Always crooked, always terrified, never rational.â€
Antimony hugged herself, feeling the chill of the rain seeping through her clothes, and looked up uncertainly at Megiddo.
Megiddo let his gaze slide away from Antimony and said, "Oschon had deposited me in the Lichyard before your arrival, and bid me to comfort a woman who had suffered loss. I was nearby and admit to having overheard your difficulty. Duskwight oft overhear such things, a curse of our Clan."
Antimony's eyes looked past Megiddo, unfocused, as she sagged a bit into the ground as though about to become one with it. "Twice," she whispered under the pounding of rain on leaves and rock and grass. "They were... they died. And now..." She couldn't finish the thought.
“Is it not better that they live than that they are dead, even if they live away from you?â€
Antimony shuddered and then suddenly let out a wail, "I don't understand! My beautiful girls, why would they..."
“Your grief is familiar. I have felt such as well. My son turned against me and sowed much suffering in my clan, and I will never understand. There is no truth or answer that will satisfy you. Only our childrens' private thoughts, unbidden feelings.â€
Her ears pressed flat against the sides of her head, disappearing in wet, disheveled hair. She'd gone silent again not long after the burst of grief and remained silent still, until, "... I do not know what to do except... run."
The Duskwight had hardly moved to even breathe beneath the boughs of the tree. “There may be some comfort in running. But I might offer you something more tangible, though you would not find it ideal upon first taste.†To this Antimony did not verbally reply, though her ears shifted somewhat from her head, which remained bowed low. Megiddo waited a long moment before inquiring, "Did not one of your daughters implore the other to accept you? Did she not beg to the point of tears to have her mother back?"
Antimony shivered and curled her tail up by her waist. Her voice, when she spoke, was low and broken, "And still she turned from me."
Megiddo continued placidly, “The intervention of the other is the only explanation. As my son turned many of my children against me, so the less faithful of your daughters stands between you and the daughter who desires to return to you.â€
Shaking her head slightly, a low, pained sound worked its way from Antimony’s throat. "I don't understand," she breathed and shuddered. "I love her. I always..."
“There can be no understanding. Focus on this: one of your daughters loves and desires you. The other impedes. If not for the bitterness of the second, you and your daughter would already have reunited.â€
Antimony lifted her head, an action that took visible effort, and watched Megiddo through the rain that made it down between the leaves. Exhaustion overrode much of the grief in her features. "What... are you saying?"
He replied very simply, “You desire two daughters, yet you have none. You could have one daughter, if the other were removed from your path.â€
Antimony's face went slack. "You... You mean..." Her ears shivered, flicking little drops of water. Then in a sudden motion, she curled in on herself and shouted, "No! I'll do no such thing! Not to my... not to my girls. Not even if they--"
“As I said, you would not like the taste of it at first,†Megiddo conceded. “How comforted would you be, though, with even just one child at your side? Would not everything be bearable, then? Your tribe, your work, this world.â€
Antimony murmured weakly, "Airos..." And then shook with a sob. "I will not kill my own children! I cannot. I would... I would sooner kill myself!"
“Let us not say 'kill', for such may not be necessary. Let us say 'correct'. Let us say 'discipline'. Let us say that we will seperate from the unfaithful daughter until she remembers the value of family, that she may then return on her own.â€
“... I don't... know what you mean.â€
“I mean to separate your daughters so that the one who wishes to be with you may make her decision separate from the bitter influence of the other. It's a bit much to assume I wanted to kill you child, isn't it?†It was impossible to tell if he was offended.
Antimony looked away, breath unsteady. "You... in Ul'dah... I only thought..."
Megiddo smiled. "You need not justify yourself to me. Now, think about what I've said. Your daughter wants to be with you. Should we not take action to give our children what they want?"
Antimony swayed somewhat, catching herself with one hand in muddy ground, and replied unevenly, "She does not think she is my daughter. How can I..."
“Children do not say what they think. You recall how she begged her sister to accept that you were her mother? She would accept you again were her sister not present.â€
Antimony lifted her eyes to Megiddo, looking faint. "You truly think..." There was fear in her voice. "If she rejects me, I couldn't..."
“Be generous, gentle, and patient. I have faith you will outlast the seeds of doubt that were planted in her mind.â€
Antimony stared at Megiddo for several seconds, tail writhing next to her, and then very suddenly her remaining strength fled and she dropped to the ground fully so that she lay then on her side. "I... will stay with her. For... her," she sighed.
Megiddo reached out and sat the apple next to Antimony. "I envy your opportunity, and that you have years left to reach for it. Even if one of my children were to arise from the dirt today, I would not have enough time to do anything for them."
Antimony moved her eyes sluggishly to the apple, feeling cool mud press against her cheek, and slowly processed Megiddo's words. "Does... Loughree not count?"
“The last of my family whom I loved was my grandson. Whom Loughree killed. Loss is one thing, but betrayal quite another. I hope you never have to feel the emotions which I do.â€
Antimony sighed and moved her hand enough to grip the apple. "I am sorry," she replied tiredly and then found her eyes had closed. It took a moment to open them again.
Megiddo reached up to place a hand on the tree limb next to him, "I have not hurt Loughree if that is your concern. Pitiable as she may be, though, she will hurt others. Perhaps discipline is in order, but I won't overdo it." He lifted himself to his feet with great effort, exhaling heavily. He stood hunched, tired, thin.
Antimony didn’t shift to follow Megiddo's movements; exhausted eyes only watched his feet sinking slightly into the mud. "I... am glad to hear of it." She blinked, and the action lasted longer than it should have. She sighed. "Thank you."
Megiddo lingered against the tree, looking down at Antimony. "You would be better off not resting overly long in the wilderness. Illness and predators are not rare here."
The woman’s tail curled against one leg. The fur was matted with mud but she paid it no mind. After a long moment of silence, she slowly pushed herself up. "I do not... know how far I've gone," she admitted quietly.
“So I had assumed. If you had not gotten lost, Oschon could not have put me before you. However, I believe I can direct you back to Drybone. Or you can just follow the stink of death, as though aging, chasing the scent of your own future tomb.â€
Antimony shivered and, after another moment, struggled to her feet where she swayed unsteadily. The apple dangled in one hand. "And if... Aijeen is there..."
Megiddo hummed, reaching up and pulling at his beard. "She did threaten to flee with your other daughter like a kidnapper if you returned, didn't she?"
Antimony paled and brought her hands close to herself, unconsciously clutching the apple. "She... she hates me," she whispered, strained, and looked as though the admission brought her physical pain. "She would not hesitate."
Megiddo held up a calming hand, "Wait until you have your daughter to comfort you before entertaining your grief. For now, think carefully, so that we make sure you achieve such ends."
She took several moments to, if not compose herself, then at least ease her grip on the apple and somewhat steady her breath. Then, with a sigh, "Drybone. Could you...?"
Megiddo smiled and closed his eyes. "Yes. A moment of quiet, please." He lifted his head to the air and concentrated for a time, and then opened his eyes to look at the sky. "Can't tell north from south in all of this rain, but," he lifted one long arm between the branches and pointed, "There's a good direction to wander, I think."
Antimony turned her head to follow his gesture, blinking slowly through the rain, then turned back to Megiddo. She tried for a smile, but the expression mostly failed. Instead, she wearily bowed her head and repeated a quiet, "Thank you."
“What are you planning to do, Antimony?â€
Frowning slightly, Antimony seemed to struggle with something for a moment. A part of her still desperately wanted to run, and yet K'airos was only a breath away... She swallowed. "I... would simply see her again, first. Speak..." Her fingers shook around the apple. "I do not know, but I must see her again."
“Do you have a plan as to how you will isolate her?†He inquired.
Antimony winced, ears flattening. "Please don't say it so... But I... don't know. She has--" She looked strained at this, "--a life here. To uproot her..."
“I encourage you to start in the short term. Earn an hour, a moment with your daughter, and perhaps pry from her the information you need to construct a more sure plan. But be cautious to avoid a confrontation with the bitterness and despair that clouds your other child. You do not have the stomach for conflict that it would take to repair that rift. Not yet.â€
She seemed to shrink at that, her tail drooping from more than just the rain and mud. "My Aijeen... she will come around. She must..." Her ears shook and then she turned to look off in the direction Megiddo had suggested.
“I hope that you are correct, Antimony. Do let me know if you require assistance.â€
“... I will. Thank you, Megiddo.†The loss-worn, muddy woman then began to move in that general direction, steps weary and unsteady, but eventually she would make it back to Drybone.
The sky flashed white, and not a second later thunder crackled above her. Antimony looked up wearily as water struck her face, at first only sporadically, but then, in a sudden gust of wind, rain streaked down from the sky in a downpour. Ears drooping, she bowed her head to one hand.
“I suggest the shelter of these trees, meager as they are. Thanalan rain can cause pneumonia as easily as la Noscea rain.â€
Antimony could not manage the strength or will to be surprised at the voice. She lifted her head slightly, eyes shifting vaguely in the direction it had come from, and didn’t respond for several, long moments. After a time, however, she lurched to her feet as though pulled by something outside her body and moved to the trees. There she collapsed again.
The Duskwight she recognized before she’d even seen him as Megiddo produced a Faerie apple from a pocket and extended it towards Antimony. "I've a friend in the Shroud who gathers these. They're a rather calming flavor, as apples go." Above him, thin branches swayed in a stormy wind.
Antimony looked to the apple, silent for a beat, and then something wrenched in her features and her shoulders and head bowed forward towards her lap with a single, choked sob. Once this was out, she fell silent again.
Megiddo hummed and withdrew the apple, "A good cry helps a lot of ills as well. Or so the women in my life often said."
“They... left me. My baby girls. They didn't...†Her voice was a hoarse whisper that cracked on the end. Her tail shivered and pulled close to her, fur soaked from the rain.
“Did you know that I was an Elder and religious counselor for my Clan for many years? I helped four generations of Duskwight contend with death, loss and anger. Never once did I see anyone face it straight-on. Always crooked, always terrified, never rational.â€
Antimony hugged herself, feeling the chill of the rain seeping through her clothes, and looked up uncertainly at Megiddo.
Megiddo let his gaze slide away from Antimony and said, "Oschon had deposited me in the Lichyard before your arrival, and bid me to comfort a woman who had suffered loss. I was nearby and admit to having overheard your difficulty. Duskwight oft overhear such things, a curse of our Clan."
Antimony's eyes looked past Megiddo, unfocused, as she sagged a bit into the ground as though about to become one with it. "Twice," she whispered under the pounding of rain on leaves and rock and grass. "They were... they died. And now..." She couldn't finish the thought.
“Is it not better that they live than that they are dead, even if they live away from you?â€
Antimony shuddered and then suddenly let out a wail, "I don't understand! My beautiful girls, why would they..."
“Your grief is familiar. I have felt such as well. My son turned against me and sowed much suffering in my clan, and I will never understand. There is no truth or answer that will satisfy you. Only our childrens' private thoughts, unbidden feelings.â€
Her ears pressed flat against the sides of her head, disappearing in wet, disheveled hair. She'd gone silent again not long after the burst of grief and remained silent still, until, "... I do not know what to do except... run."
The Duskwight had hardly moved to even breathe beneath the boughs of the tree. “There may be some comfort in running. But I might offer you something more tangible, though you would not find it ideal upon first taste.†To this Antimony did not verbally reply, though her ears shifted somewhat from her head, which remained bowed low. Megiddo waited a long moment before inquiring, "Did not one of your daughters implore the other to accept you? Did she not beg to the point of tears to have her mother back?"
Antimony shivered and curled her tail up by her waist. Her voice, when she spoke, was low and broken, "And still she turned from me."
Megiddo continued placidly, “The intervention of the other is the only explanation. As my son turned many of my children against me, so the less faithful of your daughters stands between you and the daughter who desires to return to you.â€
Shaking her head slightly, a low, pained sound worked its way from Antimony’s throat. "I don't understand," she breathed and shuddered. "I love her. I always..."
“There can be no understanding. Focus on this: one of your daughters loves and desires you. The other impedes. If not for the bitterness of the second, you and your daughter would already have reunited.â€
Antimony lifted her head, an action that took visible effort, and watched Megiddo through the rain that made it down between the leaves. Exhaustion overrode much of the grief in her features. "What... are you saying?"
He replied very simply, “You desire two daughters, yet you have none. You could have one daughter, if the other were removed from your path.â€
Antimony's face went slack. "You... You mean..." Her ears shivered, flicking little drops of water. Then in a sudden motion, she curled in on herself and shouted, "No! I'll do no such thing! Not to my... not to my girls. Not even if they--"
“As I said, you would not like the taste of it at first,†Megiddo conceded. “How comforted would you be, though, with even just one child at your side? Would not everything be bearable, then? Your tribe, your work, this world.â€
Antimony murmured weakly, "Airos..." And then shook with a sob. "I will not kill my own children! I cannot. I would... I would sooner kill myself!"
“Let us not say 'kill', for such may not be necessary. Let us say 'correct'. Let us say 'discipline'. Let us say that we will seperate from the unfaithful daughter until she remembers the value of family, that she may then return on her own.â€
“... I don't... know what you mean.â€
“I mean to separate your daughters so that the one who wishes to be with you may make her decision separate from the bitter influence of the other. It's a bit much to assume I wanted to kill you child, isn't it?†It was impossible to tell if he was offended.
Antimony looked away, breath unsteady. "You... in Ul'dah... I only thought..."
Megiddo smiled. "You need not justify yourself to me. Now, think about what I've said. Your daughter wants to be with you. Should we not take action to give our children what they want?"
Antimony swayed somewhat, catching herself with one hand in muddy ground, and replied unevenly, "She does not think she is my daughter. How can I..."
“Children do not say what they think. You recall how she begged her sister to accept that you were her mother? She would accept you again were her sister not present.â€
Antimony lifted her eyes to Megiddo, looking faint. "You truly think..." There was fear in her voice. "If she rejects me, I couldn't..."
“Be generous, gentle, and patient. I have faith you will outlast the seeds of doubt that were planted in her mind.â€
Antimony stared at Megiddo for several seconds, tail writhing next to her, and then very suddenly her remaining strength fled and she dropped to the ground fully so that she lay then on her side. "I... will stay with her. For... her," she sighed.
Megiddo reached out and sat the apple next to Antimony. "I envy your opportunity, and that you have years left to reach for it. Even if one of my children were to arise from the dirt today, I would not have enough time to do anything for them."
Antimony moved her eyes sluggishly to the apple, feeling cool mud press against her cheek, and slowly processed Megiddo's words. "Does... Loughree not count?"
“The last of my family whom I loved was my grandson. Whom Loughree killed. Loss is one thing, but betrayal quite another. I hope you never have to feel the emotions which I do.â€
Antimony sighed and moved her hand enough to grip the apple. "I am sorry," she replied tiredly and then found her eyes had closed. It took a moment to open them again.
Megiddo reached up to place a hand on the tree limb next to him, "I have not hurt Loughree if that is your concern. Pitiable as she may be, though, she will hurt others. Perhaps discipline is in order, but I won't overdo it." He lifted himself to his feet with great effort, exhaling heavily. He stood hunched, tired, thin.
Antimony didn’t shift to follow Megiddo's movements; exhausted eyes only watched his feet sinking slightly into the mud. "I... am glad to hear of it." She blinked, and the action lasted longer than it should have. She sighed. "Thank you."
Megiddo lingered against the tree, looking down at Antimony. "You would be better off not resting overly long in the wilderness. Illness and predators are not rare here."
The woman’s tail curled against one leg. The fur was matted with mud but she paid it no mind. After a long moment of silence, she slowly pushed herself up. "I do not... know how far I've gone," she admitted quietly.
“So I had assumed. If you had not gotten lost, Oschon could not have put me before you. However, I believe I can direct you back to Drybone. Or you can just follow the stink of death, as though aging, chasing the scent of your own future tomb.â€
Antimony shivered and, after another moment, struggled to her feet where she swayed unsteadily. The apple dangled in one hand. "And if... Aijeen is there..."
Megiddo hummed, reaching up and pulling at his beard. "She did threaten to flee with your other daughter like a kidnapper if you returned, didn't she?"
Antimony paled and brought her hands close to herself, unconsciously clutching the apple. "She... she hates me," she whispered, strained, and looked as though the admission brought her physical pain. "She would not hesitate."
Megiddo held up a calming hand, "Wait until you have your daughter to comfort you before entertaining your grief. For now, think carefully, so that we make sure you achieve such ends."
She took several moments to, if not compose herself, then at least ease her grip on the apple and somewhat steady her breath. Then, with a sigh, "Drybone. Could you...?"
Megiddo smiled and closed his eyes. "Yes. A moment of quiet, please." He lifted his head to the air and concentrated for a time, and then opened his eyes to look at the sky. "Can't tell north from south in all of this rain, but," he lifted one long arm between the branches and pointed, "There's a good direction to wander, I think."
Antimony turned her head to follow his gesture, blinking slowly through the rain, then turned back to Megiddo. She tried for a smile, but the expression mostly failed. Instead, she wearily bowed her head and repeated a quiet, "Thank you."
“What are you planning to do, Antimony?â€
Frowning slightly, Antimony seemed to struggle with something for a moment. A part of her still desperately wanted to run, and yet K'airos was only a breath away... She swallowed. "I... would simply see her again, first. Speak..." Her fingers shook around the apple. "I do not know, but I must see her again."
“Do you have a plan as to how you will isolate her?†He inquired.
Antimony winced, ears flattening. "Please don't say it so... But I... don't know. She has--" She looked strained at this, "--a life here. To uproot her..."
“I encourage you to start in the short term. Earn an hour, a moment with your daughter, and perhaps pry from her the information you need to construct a more sure plan. But be cautious to avoid a confrontation with the bitterness and despair that clouds your other child. You do not have the stomach for conflict that it would take to repair that rift. Not yet.â€
She seemed to shrink at that, her tail drooping from more than just the rain and mud. "My Aijeen... she will come around. She must..." Her ears shook and then she turned to look off in the direction Megiddo had suggested.
“I hope that you are correct, Antimony. Do let me know if you require assistance.â€
“... I will. Thank you, Megiddo.†The loss-worn, muddy woman then began to move in that general direction, steps weary and unsteady, but eventually she would make it back to Drybone.
![[Image: AntiThalSig.png]](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/179079766/AntiThalSig.png)
"Song dogs barking at the break of dawn, lightning pushes the edges of a thunderstorm; and these streets, quiet as a sleeping army, send their battered dreams to heaven."
Hipparion Tribe (Sagolii)Â - Â Antimony Jhanhi's Wiki
