JL | Arrain tr'Verelan, Princess Xue'Daio Nox, Pal'Maar Ilex - "Visions Are Seldom All They Seem"

Posted on 241504.06 @ 5:27am by Civilian Xue'Daio Nox & Arrain Maec tr'Verelan & Civilian Pal'Maar Ilex

Mission: Holy Cow

“Mnahe afwein qiuu rhe hweithnaef…” Xue’s parched lips wrapped around the foreign words as they flowed from a place far from comprehension. They were slow, steady, carefully spoken even as she began to wake from her fitful sleep, “… Mrht Heishe ehlein qiuu.” Rhiannsu had never been a language she’d been taught, but the phrase… The meanings… Everything… They branded her psyche with their hot iron meanings and coagulated deep in her cerebral cortex, demanding that she never forget them. And her tongue, though it felt like clay, proudly boasted each strange syllable in the pretty bell tones of her voice while she struggled against the sharp flashes of memories that pervaded her every thought. Hate has a reason for everything, but love is unreasonable. – it echoed on an on regardless of how many times she shook her head or blinked.

“Maec…” Xue breathed in a shiver of extreme sadness and compassion as consciousness gently rolled over her in slow, tepid waves. The knowledge that it was Maec tr’Verelan’s mother that died before her every single time she allowed her eyes to close served only to confuse her further and cloud her judgment with the raw, bitter exposure to his young emotions as they flooded through her very being. She was panting, sniffling as she struggled to right herself upon waking, bolstering and buttressing herself against the tears that ran freely down her cheeks in lament and woe of a death she wouldn’t have been able to bring herself to give a solid damn less about before it, whatever the verdant skinned bastard had done to her, had happened. Nevertheless, she could see the woman die, her eyes filled with shock, grief, and concern as she realized what was happening to her, that she was leaving her children, her lover – it was a selflessness that shouldn’t and simply couldn’t have belonged to anything produced by Romulan stock, and yet there it was written plain as day and there for the aching Princess to watch and dissect. Laying there, captured somewhere between waking and dreaming in the cold of the holding cell, she could feel her own heart hammering within the cage of her ribs as if it was trying its very damnedest to reach out and save her, the woman responsible for granting the dark eyed sorcerer life. It seemed like such a fruitless act to attempt, one that even in the memory she was powerless to try and was simply forced to watch those beautiful eyes drain of light and life, clouding over as she lay there in vain, wasted, spent… “Murdered.” She sputtered with a gut wrenching, sleep stifled sob that finally birthed her back into the bitter world of the conscious.

Sitting up in the robust shadow of her guardians and curling her legs beneath her, the Princess leveled her glassy pink eyes on her captors. “You have no right to keep me here.” She hissed, wiping away her tears while the soft porcelain of her skin flushed red with embarrassment, confusion, and raw anger. The swirling undercurrent of the emotions the Arrain had imparted upon her continued to savagely rip at her mind, begging her to understand some riddle, some hidden meaning that hadn’t yet been solved – the grief refused to subside or resolve, and she knew she’d need to tuck it away as best she could if she were going to continue on with her mission. It would get better. She’d make him make it better, or she’d kill him. “Diplomatic immunity.” The rawness of her own voice frightened her as she climbed to her feet and folded her arms across her chest as she approached the front of the cell.

Hearing his lady stir and speak, Pal'Maar turned his head to look into the holding cell. The words that had come from her lips at first concerned him, it sounded like the forked speak of the green blooded ones. When the words that followed were the name of the one who'd put her in the cell, followed by the word murdered, Pal'Maar couldn't help a disappointment that the two words couldn't be related. He'd seen the Romulan since Xue had been placed in the cell. When she finally spoke up against her imprisonment, telling them again what he'd directed at deaf ears upon his arrival earlier, he looked at the guards sternly again. The longer they let her languish in there, the worse this would be for them in the end, but he'd been here a few hours yet and would stand here as long as it took to get her out of that monster's clutches.

"You heard her grace, let her out of there," he rumbled, glowering at the security officers that stood before him.

The security officers turned their heads but instead of looking at the ill-tempered steward who hovered near his princess’ cell their gazes fell upon Maec's form as he entered the brig without his standard chain-mail garb. Instead he only wore a black shirt and slacks with a casual looking emerald colored Galae uniform jacket wrapped around his waist while a violet sash gently wavered from it's perch across his shoulder. “Diplomatic Immunity.” Akin to the hiss of a venomous serpent Maec’s words left his lips like poison. He gave Pal’Maar a disdainful glance before looking through the cell’s rectangular pocket at the brooding princess. “Your credentials need to be verified for us to release you princess and…” Maec held up a PADD, then he dropped it on floor, and began crushing the poor device under his boot “we seem to be having some technical difficulties. Do not fret- you will be treated prudently and released once everything checks out.” He smirked daggers at her.

It was a squeak. An undignified, dainty, high pitched squeak, and it came from somewhere within Xue's larynx as she watched the PADD spark as it was crushed and heard what it was the arrogant Romulan officer had to say. Part of her expected nothing less, he'd been bested by her and he was, after all, a Romulan. Her eyes widened, flashing with some indescribable emotion as she looked between his beaming, smug face and the surprised ones of his minions. Making the mistake of reaching to touch Pal'Marr's shoulder, she was instantly sent reeling by the bright blue flash of the force field with a startled yelp. "Pal'Marr, o si le ko se eyi. Gba awọn Captain." (he can't do this, get the Captain.) She glowered, approaching the field once again. "This doesn't bode well for you, Romulan. Too many witnesses and this..." She gestured around her, "Is considered false imprisonment, is it not? As a diplomat, I should be held in my quarters until everything 'checks out'" Her fingers formed quotation marks, curling and uncurling as she spoke before folding gracefully in front of her hips, "Knowledge of other cultures is of a grave importance." She smirked, revisiting their previous conversation before all Hell had broken loose.

“False imprisonment?” Maec held up a finger and twirled it in the air nonchalantly while looking at the other security guards “hmm…perhaps you are correct Princess. Unfortunately I am new to this post so my understanding of Federation law is rudimentary at best. I will look it up- though I suspect it may take some time” he increased the pressure of his boot on the destroyed PADD creating a loud grinding sound “technical difficulties as you see will not expedite the process.”

"Why you good for nothing, insolent, green blooded cur!" The Princess shrilled angrily, her fingers leaving their graceful position to ball into tight fists at her side. Tight enough that her perfectly groomed nails bit into the satin of her palms. "Of all the absolutely immature and ridiculous things you could do! You grabbed me, Romulan, not the other way around. I'll have your career for this!" She huffed, the pretty peach and coral of her sari dragging along behind her, hissing as she trod back and forth, pacing in and out of the imposing shadow of her guardian, "So brave when you can hide behind your ship's stupid witchery..." she spat before rescinding into her native tongue, ranting as she shook a single pointed finger at him as she went.

Maec huffed indifferently at her lamenting. She was a contemptuous and corrupt little demon. Dangerous and puerile. He gently rubbed his hand where the scorch marks from their recent encounter stilled scarred him. “You certainly think highly of yourself. However, even if I did touch you, do you think a noble from a cesspit back world would be able to affect the career of an S’Ahaefvthe?” Turning his back to the princess and her serf Maec started to casually head back the way he came. As he walked towards the exit he stopped and looked at the guards “keep her in there until…” he paused and looked over his shoulder at the enraged Princess “until a higher power comes to fetch her. I will be in my office researching this…diplomatic immunity.”

"S'Ahaefvthe..." Xue mulled the word over quickly, the taste of it bitter in her mouth as it dawned. Praetor. Arrenhe t'Ahaefvthe was a name she would always recognize. It was one that struck fear and anger into the hearts of Cardassia and had driven the Guls and Legates to raucous rants that had threatened her safety had an agreement not been brokered. "You'd be wise not to discount the Stenellian Ascendancy so quickly after the dishonor you've brought to your moth—" She snapped bitterly until the word mother began to tumble from her lips. No. The Praetor couldn't be his mother... His mother was dead, her image burned into the back of her eyelids the way her slender fingers had reddened the skin of his hand. "Wait!" She gasped, stopping just shy of the field, her anger suddenly dissipating in favor of the horrible images and memories that had been cursed upon her by him. "Mnahe afwein qiuu rhe hweithnaef mrht Heishe ehlein qiuu, what does it mean?" Xue's tongue sped over the words, likely butchering them without punctuation as her heart raced and begged for some form of clarity from the Romulan. "To you, what does it mean?"

Maec twisted his head to her far cell and eyed her pale figure with an air of irritation “what does it mean?” He sneered “it is an excerpt from a poem written by my ancestors long before I came to be. In standard it renders as…” he paused for a moment to be certain of his translation before continuing “hate has a reason for everything but love is unreasonable. Being educated is quite wonderful.” He turned and then paused remembering his mother quoting that line to him and his brother at bed time. A flicker of warmth filled him for a brief moment before the coldness seeped back in.

"I know the literal translation." Xue couldn't quite bite back to indignant hiss that lilted into her voice. He was gloating, shamelessly, and she knew it was only because of the force field that protected him against further attack from her — how naive he was in not considering the seven foot tall warrior that stood guard on the other side. One word, one motion, and it would be lights out for the entire ship, let alone a single insolent Romulan whelp. "I wanted to kno— Oh..." Cut mid-sentence, the Princess fell silent and shrunk away from the front of the cell. Her eyes closed as color blossomed and flashed across her field of vision. Bright blush tones and purples, serene and comforting played and tickled at her senses and the memories, his memories, came again. This time they were of laughter and soft, gentle touches all toyed just at the edges of her consciousness with promises of something greater. The words came again, this time not in the tongue of garbled fathoms as before, but in the soft lilt of a woman. A hum, really, promised from lips that held a tender smile. A second later those same lips lay parted and cold in death, sending Xue's mind reeling. Nothing made sense. It hurt worse, threatened to rip the heart from her chest, and her head shook. "That is all." he Albino swallowed sharply and dismissed him as callously as she could, wiggling her fingers in his direction as if to sweep him away like a piece of lint from her clothing. Whatever sorcery he'd woven and left over her, she'd need to keep it from Pal'Marr. It frightened her with the power of emotions that tried so hard to bond with her own, and she refused it with a heavy shiver. She'd make him reverse it. One way or another, he was going to fix her... this... whatever.

Pal'Maar turned to look at his mistress, wondering of this weird dialog that she exchange with the vile green blooded monstrosity that stood between her and her freedom. He had long expected to already have been ordered to crush his pathetic little skull, yet the order had not come. Instead, there was confusion, pain, and sorrow, painted across her lovely milky face.

"What have you done to her?" he directed at the Romulan.

Maec looked at Pal’Maar with a dismissive glance. That bulky creature must be her toy? Stupid looking thing it was but it probably has that same wretched ability. Making a mental note to shoot the creature if it came within two footsteps Maec shrugged “done? I have arrested a criminal.”

"You have illegally confined the Crowned Princess of the Stenellian Ascendancy, Lady of Aleine, Regent of Apsha, Stenellian Ambassador to the Federation, and under the Federation laws she is awarded a number of protections and allowances. I demand, at least, to be told under what charges you detain her." Pal'Maar straighted up his stance, though his posture hadn't been anything resembling lazy to start with — his shifting was intended to do no more than draw attention to his towering seven feet of height.

Charges? Maec snorted derisively at the creature which was attempting to posture itself into an intimidating stance like some frightened weasel. Intimidated Maec was not. Annoyed? Most certainly. “Federation laws? I am not as familiar with them.” He smirked, but kept a cautious glance at the distance between him and the towering idiot “though I will certainly take your concerns into account. I will review them to ensure that I have not made a mistake. Give me a few days to…reference the appropriate literature.”

"You are unfamiliar with the laws you are tasked to enforce upon this ship?" Pal'Maar was simply amazed at the incompetence this man was demonstrating, or at least feigning in an attempt to justify his horrendous behavior. "Never mind I even said anything, we shall take this to your Captain, and he will hopefully find a competent replacement for you in due course." The tall spotted man rolled his eyes and turned his back on the pointed eared creature.

A shrug was Maec's only response to Pal'Maar before leaving the brig.

=/\= End Log =/\=

Arrain Maec i'Ahaefvthe tr'Verelan
Chief of Security & Tactical
Exchange Officer
USS Enterprise

Xue'Daio Nox
Crowned Princess of the Stenellian Ascendancy
Lady of Aleine
Regent of Apsha
Stenellian Ambassador to the Federation

Pal'Maar Ilex
Caste leader; Makta
Royal Guard