resort_link | 03 - Public / Video

Entry tags:

03 - Public / Video

[Linda is sitting on a bench in the garden when she activates the feed. she's dressed casually in a coat and jeans, though her right hand visibly has a bandage around it. she looks tired, and she's obviously fallen in some mud at some point today as well]

Anybody else having trouble learning to ride their animals? [there's weariness in her tone. but a thought occurs to her then, and she adds:] Are many people going to be in the race? I know it's optional.

[while the mud is a result of her rocky attempts to learn to ride a "yoshi," her burned hand isn't. it's been a busy day, starting with testing forcefields with Agent K to try to find one like the dome followed by her riding session on the farm. needless to say, relaxing for a bit chatting with friends strikes her as a good way to end an exhausting day]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, I'm doing fine. Work keeps me busy.

[Linda stays put, figuring the static backdrop will make her easier to find] How have you been?

[Grainne smiles and glances off camera. It seems to be easier to do that lately.]

I spend most of my time hunting hostiles and gathering plant samples, and it can be boring work. I am fine otherwise. I would give anything for a good storyteller though.

[firmly, she says:] Boring but helpful. [she sighs] But I know what you mean. [because her own job can get monotonous as well, especially when she's just out keeping animals away from the fence]

Storyteller? [she frowns at Grainne's word choice] You mean...a good book?

[Linda's visible now in person, so Grainne puts away the tablet and approaches closer before answering.]

A bard, or a minstrel, or even a poet. I have been missing the excitement a good storyteller can incite in an audience. I have read books, but it is... a solo activity, no gestures or emotion to get caught up in the telling of it. Television is amazing, but... it does not have the same spark.

[Linda smiles, giving Grainne a wave with her bandaged hand from where she sits] Hey.

Oh. [she has to remind herself about what Grainne said about being so old. it didn't occur to her at first that she'd meant it literally] I guess I've never heard one to know what you mean, but that does sound like something you can't find just anywhere.

That is a sad thing, I think, if storytelling has been lost to time. Once there were bards and storytellers by the dozens all across Europe.

[Grainne returns the wave with one of her own, and she sits down nearby.]

My father-in-law was the god of love and poetry for our land. The stories told in his halls had a way of changing people.

[she frowns] I've...never really thought about it. [she's not sure what else to say. Grainne already made her point about television, after all, and Linda tends to keep herself busy enough that she doesn't do a lot of TV-watching or reading, so she doesn't see any reason to try to refute her]

[at Grainne's description, though, she blinks, wondering briefly if she could possibly meaning "god" literally--and then deciding that she must not. that seems too far-fetched ever for this place]

[but, her curiosity piqued, she asks:] Do you know any of them?

[She thinks for a moment, wondering if she did really remember anything from that time. It's still difficult to think about, and difficult to remember after months of trying to forget.]

A few, I think. It's been a long time. What's your favorite story, Linda?

[Linda thinks about that for a minute] I don't know... For that kind of story, maybe...Beauty and the Beast? [because thinking about stories she heard out loud makes her think of fairy tales from her childhood]

What about you?

Hm, I do not know anymore. I once liked the story of Deidre of the Sorrows, but I am not as naive as I used to be. Maybe it is the Little Mermaid now. It is a recent one, written by a Danish man, I think?

I don't know that one...

[but she looks amused at Grainne's comment about the "recent" story] Not exactly new anymore, but I'm not sure the version I know is the original one. Still, you're right--it's a good story.

You do not know Deidre's story? [Grainne smiles softly.] I do not know Beauty and the Beast yet. Would you mind telling it to me? I would tell you Deidre's.

[she looks a little surprised by the request, but she smiles] Sure, why not? But don't expect me to be like a storyteller, all right? [she looks amused at the thought]

So who goes first?

There's merit in any story told. [She gives a slight shrug.] I can go first, if you like.

[Linda nods, glad because that will at least give her an idea of how Grainne does this] Okay. [she shifts, relaxing against the back of the bench to listen] Let's hear it.

[Grainne clears her throat and stands up walking a ways away as if she were about to recite something, which wasn't too far off the mark really.

To add to the flavor, she shifts into her Caster dress, minus the cloak and veil.

It had been a long time since Grainne had even heard the story in her first life, so she isn't too sure how well she would do here at remembering the details.]

A long time ago, when our forefathers were barely a gleam in the eye of their fathers, there was a mighty king named Conchobar, of Ulster. Some said he ruled with a fair hand, others said a just hand, some said he was arrogant, or greedy, or many numbers of things. It depended on who you ask.

At the same time, there was a babe born, a sweet little girl as fair as the sun rise. A prophecy came about that this babe would grow up to be the most... most beautiful girl in the kingdom.

[Grainne's voice cracks a little, but she clears her throat as if to cover it.]

Conchobar said, if she is to be the most beautiful, then it is only natural she would be my wife. And he sent her to live with a caretaker, so that none may see her beauty before it was time and want them for themselves, and she would live there until she came of age.

[She pauses to gauge Linda's reaction.]

[Linda's eyes widen when Grainne's outfit changes. she almost asks about it, but Grainne is clearly setting up a mood, so she thinks better of interrupting]

[and when Grainne pauses, she is frowning, listening in interest. though she hasn't heard this story before, she's heard one like it, and she wonders where it will go. from Grainne's comment about naivete, she hopes that means a happy ending]

[Oh, Linda.]

[Grainne takes the look of interest as a sign to continue.]

The girl's name was Deirdre. Leabharcham, the old woman Conchobar had given the child to to raise, one day foretold her young charge Deirdre would love a man strong of heart, with hair as dark as a raven's feather, skin whiter than the mountain's snow, and lips red as blood. Deirdre thought on this for many days, wondering what such a man would be like.

Now, Leabharcham, being a wise woman, knew that Conchobar would never be a fit mate for a girl so young and beautiful. Deirdre owned her own heart, and only those she deemed worthy should have it. Leabharcham loved her as a daughter and wanted her to be happy. And she knew of a young man that fit those words exactly.

He was Naoise, the nephew of the king, with the arm of a mighty hunter yet could sing sweeter than a bird.

Leabharcham sent for Naoise secretly, and, feigning an illness, sent Deirdre out in her place to fetch some water. Being a clever one, she had arranged for the two to meet.

[She trails off, trying to remember the rest of the story. It had been such a long time since she heard anyone tell it, her mind went in seach for the details and any little bits she could remember. Some of it didn't seem right so far, but without hearing it again, she couldn't be sure.]

[Linda is still listening intently, and she smiles at this turn of events. when she speaks, she keeps her comment quiet, not wanting to ruin the mood, but she can't help adding it] Sounds like Deirdre's lucky to have someone looking out for her.

I suppose so. The old woman meant well, at least.

Deirdre fell in love with Naoise at first sight, but he tried to dissuade her, knowing that she was destined for the king. Deirdre would not be, and she swore to him that she would not marry the king, nor love him, and her heart would be broken forever if Naoise did not leave with her. He finally gave in and took her away, taking her for his lover.

Now it had been time for Conchobar to check on Deirdre, so he sent for Leabharcham's message on how Deirdre was coming along, and if she were as beautiful as was foretold. She returned that Deirdre had suffered an illness and was not beautiful at all. The king distrusted this, and sent a friend of his to spy on Deirdre and tell him the truth. His friend returned and told him that she was as beautiful as ever, but had gone off with a warrior...

Conchobar was enraged with this news and summoned his men to go after them. They chased the two for months, always coming close, but Naoise kept the two safe.

Naoise... he fell in love with Deirdre deeply, and swore his life to protect her from the sad fate of being sacrificed to a old king's lust, and Deirdre cared for him more than anything in life.

[Her tone becomes wistful and sad, but yet somehow hopeful as well.]

Conchobar and his men were too strong for the two, for when Naoise had been out hunting, they caught him. Conchobar asked of his nephew to foreswear Deirdre and he would forgive him. Naoise returned that he would never abandoned Deirdre.

Conchobar's friend slew him right there, and left his body behind...

[Her shoulders slump and she sighs.]

Deirdre was heartbroken. She was captured and taken to the castle, where she was forced to wed Conchobar, but she was cold to him, and refused his advances. He tried to woo her day in and day out, until one day, a year later, he became angry with her rebuffing him.

He asked her, who of all in Eire did she hate more than him?

Deirdre spat at him, and replied that the only man she hated more than him was the man that killed Naoise.

Deciding then, he ordered his chariot readied, and took her out in it. He asked her if she wanted to know where he was taking her, and he laughed when she glared at him instead of answering. He told her that he was taking her to the man that had killed Naoise to offer her in marriage to him, and that she would find no peace for as long as she lived.

Deirdre cursed him and cursed his future, his children, and told him he was a monster in man's form. She tried to jump from the chariot, but he reached for her and set her off balance. When she landed, she dashed her head upon a rock...

But she rejoined her beloved in death, and had all of the happiness due her and Naoise at last.

[Grainne sighs then, and her dress dissolved into her regular clothes.]

[Linda's cheerful interest quickly turns to concern as the story progresses, and she frowns sadly] His own nephew...

[by the end, her expression is stricken. for a moment, she doesn't know what to say. finally, she manages:] That's...wow. What a story... [she wonders why Grainne said she liked it more when she was naive. after all, even if there's hope in death, it's not exactly a happy ending] That's so sad...

[shifting her focus to Grainne herself, though, she adds:] But I think you were wrong about storytelling. You're really good at it.

Is it though? [Grainne tilts her head, walking forward to sit down again.] She met her beloved again in death and was happy for the rest of time. They were free from hardships and from anyone who wished to keep them apart. Not every love story ends that way. Some never meet again, even in death.

[She shakes her head suddenly and smiles.]

I suppose I am not bad, but only after many years of practice. If you ever listened to the Bards at Newgrange when it was in its heyday, I am likely a poor storyteller compared. What is your Beauty and the Beast about? I take it there is a girl, and a beast of some sort.

Well, yeah, but...in most stories that's what happens after death, isn't it? And they didn't get to live together happily during their lives. [she rubs the engagement ring between the fingers of her uninjured left hand. the story made her think of Rusty--but she reminds herself that at least he's out there somewhere safe]

[she lets Grainne change the subject, though. after all, she did promise to tell her story, and she smiles at Grainne's opening guesses] That's a good start. I'm not a storyteller at all, and I don't know if I remember exactly, but... [she pauses, not quite sure how to start. she doesn't stand like Grainne did; she doesn't want to pretend to be a storyteller like the ones Grainne knows when she's never even seen one. instead, she straightens a little where she sits and decides to just dive in]

Like you said, there's a girl--a beautiful one, named Belle. She's quiet and loves books, but she dreams about having adventures away from the small village where she's grown up. Other people think she's weird, with ridiculous ideas. But her father, an inventor, always supports her--just like she supports him. For a while, Belle's only problem is a man named Gaston, who has decided he's going to make Belle his wife even though she keeps refusing him. But then her father tries to travel through the woods to a fair to show off an invention--and on the way, he gets chased off the path by ferocious wolves. His horse comes home to Belle alone.

[she pauses, wondering how Grainne will react to the opening and trying to remember more of the details of a movie she hasn't seen in quite a few years]

[Linda doesn't need to worry. From the moment she starts, Grainne sits listening, fascinated already.

A beautiful girl who dreamed of adventures... an obnoxious suitor... a father in trouble... it seems a little familiar to her, but of course all stories have elements of each other in them.

When she gets to the part where the horse returns home alone, Grainne gasps softly.]

Oh... poor Belle, she must have been devastated.

[Linda nods, relieved that Grainne is interested. she continues] But she got their horse to take her back to the spot where he lost her father. And she found out that he hadn't been killed--instead, he'd found a castle there when he was running from the wolves, and he'd hidden inside it. But it was owned by a terrible beast--a giant man, like a lion with fur over his body and a scraggly mane. So while the staff had helped her father find safety there, when the Beast had found him in his castle, he had locked him up.

Now that Belle knew where he was, she couldn't leave her father like that. So she did the only thing she could do--she offered to trade places with him. She would stay as the Beast's prisoner if he set her father free. Her father protested, but he couldn't change Belle's mind, and he was freed and sent away. He hurried home, hoping to find help in their village to come back and free his daughter.

Meanwhile, the Beast invited Belle to dinner, but she refused him. Angry, the Beast declared that she wouldn't get any food if she wouldn't eat with him. Luckily for Belle, the servants took pity on her and invited her to dinner anyway. Belle discovered that the servants in this castle were very strange--they were all household items, like a candlesticks, a clock, and a teapot with her teacup child. They came together to serve her an amazing feast and took her on a tour of the castle.

But Belle snuck away from the tour to explore the castle more on her own. And she went to the one place in the castle that was forbidden--the west wing. There, she found a room full of broken items and a shredded painting of a prince--as well as a rose in the middle of the room, glowing and floating in a glass case. Belle moved to touch it, but the Beast found her, snatched her hand away, and screamed at her to get out. Terrified, Belle ran not just from the west wing but from the entire castle. She ran out into the woods--and this time it's Belle who gets attacked by the wolves.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject