Subj: [ffml] [MW] Reflections Date: 98-11-01 15:43:57 EST From: jandoc@hawaii.edu (Schala) Reply-to: ffml@onelist.com To: ffml@onelist.com From: Schala Schala marveled at how far they'd all come. When she first entered the War, she never thought she'd be here. Then again, she never thought she'd be captured by the Moogles and...She sighed. Truly, though, her time here with Frog and Kaitlin had been the best time she'd ever spent. Here, she'd been free of the worries of the war, wondering when the next attack would come, hoping she would be able to help heal the men and not have to see them die. She had gotten so much closer to Kaitlin and Frog. Especially Frog, who had helped her through those first few rough times. He hadn't even told Kaitlin about what she was going through, at first. She was grateful that he had kept her secret, even from the Druidess. Frog was someone she could trust. As for Kaitlin, she had never been able to completely get rid of the feeling of shame after finally revealing her secrets. Kaitlin knew her mind intimately, and it was a frightening thing. *Would she always be analyzing me, wondering what was hidden beneath the exterior?* Schala knew she was perhaps overreacting, but she knew how powerful her friend's psychic abilities were. Still, they were on good terms, and she always talked to her if for some reason she didn't feel comfortable discussing something with Frog. She trusted Kaitlin as well, trusted her with keeping the inner reaches of her mind private, even from Frog. She had discovered so much about herself...got in touch with her inner self...discovered what made her tick. She laughed to herself. That all sounded so cliche-ish. And it was. But it was also the best way to describe how she was feeling. She'd never felt more peaceful in her life. But there were still some unanswered questions before she could truly have the peace she was seeking for... Frog glanced at the Mystic. She seemed to be deep in thought, but she was also happy. Her step was lighter than it had ever been, her face was relaxed, and she slept well at night. But now the insomnia had transferred to someone else... To himself... It was a strange feeling, to be haunted by images of a person whom you spent all your days with...To be with that person during the day, then to be awakened by her face at night... What did he feel about her? Why did he feel like this? How *could* he feel like this? Considering, after all, who she was... He was thinking too much, perhaps...Worrying about her always took a toll on himself. And there was still something she did not know...something he wasn't sure he would ever tell. If he did, would she be able to forgive him? But now he realized there was something else quite different that he hadn't the courage to reveal... Kaitlin hung back slightly, looking at her companions walking ahead of her. They were silent for once. Usually they would be talking, about anything and nothing, occasionally bringing her into the conversation, but mostly just talking to each other. She shook her head with a smile. It was so obvious how Frog felt, didn't Schala see that? Then her face clouded over momentarily as she thought why her friend probably wouldn't be interested in anyone for some time... Frog had never told her outright how he felt about Schala, and all she had was a rather certain suspicion, so she kept mum about it to the Mystic. She thought about Bacca and Lady's relationship. Certainly there had been a bit of a strain among the men once their relationship was a sure thing. Kaitlin wondered if there would be a smiliar feeling of tension between these two. Probably...if feelings weren't revealed in the right way. She sighed. She would just have to wait and see. Subj: [ffml] [MW] Qualms Date: 98-11-02 14:58:58 EST From: Schala "The poor thing," Schala said softly. She was gazing upon Kaitlin, who had fallen asleep almost as soon as her head hit the ground. The druidess had been pushing herself lately, stopping frequently to train her abilities. She wondered why Kaitlin was doing so. There was something in her look now, something that was strong and determined. Schala sensed that this was something her friend needed to do alone, and so she had left her to her rituals, instead remaining to talk with Frog. Frog. There was something different about him as well. As she transferred her gaze to him, he turned slightly away. She studied him for some moments, wondering what he was thinking. Schala sighed. Everyone seemed to be different now. Kaitlin and Frog...the people she thought she knew had suddenly changed overnight. No...that wasn't true. They had been changing slowly for some time. She had just been too caught up in her own misery that she hadn't really seen them for who they were. Perhaps they had always been this way, and their true natures were simply coming out? And suddenly, a fear flashed through her...the fear that she really *didn't* know anyone at all... What did she *really* know about them? Not much? She had revealed to them some of the inner reaches of her mind, but how much did *she* know *them*? Were they hiding something from her as well? Why were they acting like this now? And in a rush, all the same insecurities flowed over her, and she felt ill. She put a hand to her chest, almost gasping for air. "What is the matter?" Schala looked up. There was Frog, kneeling beside her. He was so kind to her, talking to her, listening. But lately he had been distant, almost aloof. What had happened to make him like this? She remembered her own experiences...how what she had gone through had brought out the very essense of her being, the darkest side of her that she had not known existed. Perhaps this was the real Frog?... He was waiting for an answer. But Schala felt a surge of desperation, a desire for assurance that, no, the Frog as of late was not the *true* one...that the *real* Frog was the same compassionate and kind person she had known for the past four weeks. She wanted to know...she wanted to KNOW... She stared at him, his face slowly turning into a dark, unrecognizable shape. She shook her head and looked up at him again, and her heart skipped a beat as she realized it was only her imagination, and the face was still kind and concerned. But it was a different face now...it was a face that she hadn't really seen before. It was a face that had strange but wonderful qualities to it. It were as though she had awakened from a dream and had seen the truth right before her eyes...the truth that had been there all the time, but that she had simply failed to recognize. Expressions of uncertainly, of wonder, of bewilderment, all passed over her own countenace as these thoughts ran through her mind. *What am I feeling now?...* Schala blurted out the first thing that came to her. "How did you become a frog?" Date: 98-11-02 18:56:07 EST From: His Dark Lordship Frog stepped back for a moment. He wasn't expecting this. Hell, he was hoping it wouldn't come up. He looked at her. He sighed. Her eyes were so innocent. She didn't know the old scar she was slowly picking open. "No use hiding it." he thought. He sat down. "Ye had best relax.." he began. She did such. "'tis begins in my childhood. I was but a farm child, with a lord living off the proceeds of our food. I had a friend I grew up with, 'tis name was Cyrus..." he stopped. "When I was in my eleventh year, we became blood brothers. We vowed to always be there for each other." "Now, we hath both enjoyed the weapons of war, though at the time I was less inclined to ever use them. Cyrus was, however, filled with the warrior's spirit. He enlisted in the infantry and managed to cut his way to knighthood, and then as the queen's personal bodyguard." "Then the time came when the Mystics erupted from their cages and caverns, under a new leader. They crushed much of our army, and the people became remembering the so called prophecy of the hero. Cyrus was regarded as a legend among the people, and rumours went wild claiming him to be the one." A tear streamed down his eye. "Cyrus... got worked up over it. 'twas not long before he himself believed himself to be the hero of legend, and in the end he didst abandon the queen on a quest, to defeat Magus. I accompanied him, out of our blood pact..." "We didst find the medal of heroes." Frog pointed to the golden talisman that sat on his breast. "And the legendary sword... and then, Cyrus challenged the mystic's leader... and I was forced... to watch him die.." Another tear streamed down his eye. "Defensless, I was. He uttered his last wish to protect the queen, and I was transformed into this warted body by the mystics..." he sighed. "I held out his wish.. and eventually slew the mystic's leader, and avenged my blood brother.." Schala looked up. "Who was this leader?" she asked finally. Frog sighed. "That... is for another day." -- The eternal lord of darkness... Homer: Good evening, my name is Mr. Burns. I believe you have a letter for me. Postman: Alright Mr. Burns, your first name? Homer: ... I don't know. - Simpsons -GM of FF2c -Ruler of #ffml System: Amiga 4000/040 Opalvision ---INTEL/MICROSOFT FREE---