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Post by Alessandro Darko on Oct 7, 2007 2:25:26 GMT -5
Alessandro had swiftly made his way up the tower into the Ravenclaw common room from his extra curricular activities in the Dark Forest. He could not believe the fact that there was someone as beautiful as Vanessa living alone in the frightening forest where dementors had been gathering. He let out a sigh as he revelled in the memory of them meeting.
Absolutely enchanting... He thought as he slumped into a chair facing the fireplace. His eyes lost their focus and surrendered to the hypnotizing flicker of the fire's dance.
He couldn't get those green eyes out of his head, those captivating, beautiful, green eyes that held him hostage to beauty's being. "Vanessa..." He sighed as he continued to gaze into the fire. He remembered every word that she had told him about the Maleficus. "Do not try to destroy it...the last person to try met an ill-fitting fate against his own sword..." Her mellifluous voice rang through his ears.
It was the stirring of the entrance to the common room that broke his trance and stole his focus, sitting upright in his chair, perking his ears up to see who was entering through the doorway.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 7, 2007 16:52:43 GMT -5
D'rorah quietly entered the common room with her usual compliment of texts and other research accoutrements. Having decided to leave the library after finding nothing helpful on the shelves and after having been annoyed by a Gryffindor who seemed bent on wasting her time, she decided the common room was the only real sanctuary left inside Hogwart's. She made a beeline for her usual table, the one near the fireplace and was just setting out her materials when she noticed Alessandro in the chair facing the fire.
He seemed much more relaxed than he had last time she had seen him. And looked as though he had finally gotten some rest. "Mister Darko? Are you feeling better?" she asked in her usual somewhat quiet voice. "You look as though you might have had some sleep."
As she spoke, she continued setting out her texts, preparing to settle in for a long afternoon... evening, of research. Even with Dylan's help, there were more than enough texts to keep her time occupied. She looked back up at Alessandro as she finished setting out her quill and notebook.
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Post by Alessandro Darko on Oct 7, 2007 17:16:16 GMT -5
He watched as it was D'rorah coming through the common room entrance, her arms laden with ancient tomes, and texts as per usual. He smiled at her as she commented on his well being.
"Why thank you, Dee..." He started. "I am feeling much better now. All the worry of the Shadows has somehow....evaporated from my head." He said with a sort of odd smile that could be likened to a psychopath. "I guess we don't need that meditation session after all." He said standing up from his chair and crossing the room toward her.
"Still more research Dee....? Honestly I think you should let go for a moment...on my way back from the Three Broomsticks, I made a detour into the forest just to think...but then....I actually forgot about everything. I sort of fell asleep next to a brook, but when I woke up I felt so refreshed...." He said breathing in.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 7, 2007 17:24:07 GMT -5
"Evaporated?" D'rorah's eyebrow arched sharply. "I assure you, Mister Darko, the danger posed by the Shadow Realm remains, even if your brain does seem less moist than usual. And I would recommend the meditation anyway." She looked up as she heard him leave his chair and paused. His smile didn't seem right at all... in fact, given his earlier state of being, it seemed completely incorrect.
Forget about my research? she thought. Obviously his lack of sleep has caused a rather pronounced delirium. She continued to watch him warily as he spoke. "You fell asleep in the Forbidden Forest. Might I remind you, Mister Darko, that the Forbidden Forest is so named precisely because it is forbidden? Given the fact that one of our classmates was killed there not too long ago and that I was captured and taken to the Shadow Realm, one would think your common sense would deter you from doing such a thing." Her eyes narrowed as she considered him. "What are you leaving out?" she asked suspiciously.
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Post by Alessandro Darko on Oct 7, 2007 22:00:00 GMT -5
Alessandro swallowed as D'rorah began to question him again. He knew it was because she was genuinely concerned for his well being, however he just didn't understand why she didn't trust him. She was paranoid ever since she found that he had been harboring the Maleficus.
"Leaving out? I'm not leaving anything out. I walked back from the Three Broomsticks with a lot on my mind. Wysteria and I discussed ways to destroy the book, and then I...." He stopped abruptly before he told her that he showed Wysteria the piece of paper that had a prophecy he had scrawled down in a trance in class. Telling her this might push her suspicions of him further into a negative place. "I left...I was getting overwhelmed....I needed to go for a walk." He said looking out the window.
"Something caught my eye as I walked onto the grounds and I went to see what it was...I kept going deeper until I found a really calming spot. I sat down and then started to think about everything Wyst and I talked about...I noticed my reflection in a brook. I looked so terrible...all of a sudden...sleep conquered me, I just passed out. I had a dream about a burning ball of fire." He explained and prepared to twist the truth a tiny bit. "When I woke up I felt loads better and just forgot about everything. Thats when I left the forest and I just felt somewhat happier." He said finishing with a big breath.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 7, 2007 22:08:25 GMT -5
D'rorah noticed his abrupt stop; however, her immediate concern was drawn to his thought of destroying the book. "Mister Darko, you cannot destroy that text," she replied calmly. "The last man who attempted to do so died by his own hand... driven insane by the power of the book. It has a powerful self-preservation instinct." She paused, thinking. "Do you remember what it was that caught your eye? Even during the daylight hours, darkness roams that forest... I am concerned. Your improvement is so marked..." she trailed off, feeling somewhat defeated. He obviously wasn't telling her everything and she didn't want to probe into his mind. She know that would only push him further away.
She took a deep breath and considered him for a moment. "Are you quite certain you are remembering everything? Is it possible that something more happened and your memory has been modified?" It just didn't seem complete... "What about your nightmares?" she asked. Dylan had mentioned difficulty sleeping during the time she suspected the book had been in his possession, she knew Alessandro's sleep difficulties would have been caused by nightmares which were even more intense, as the book considered itself bound to him. Could the book have perhaps eased its hold to lull him into a false sense of security? Somehow,that seemed rather a lot to suspect of a book...
"We must find some way of containing the book so that its power will not affect you. It is very powerful and can be very subtle. I do not wish to see you lost to darkness... for your own sake as much as for the sake of the rest of us."
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Post by Alessandro Darko on Oct 7, 2007 22:32:59 GMT -5
Alessandro's eyes widened as he remembered what Vanessa had told him about trying to destroy the book. "How did you know that?" He asked her quickly, his eyes narrowing. He took a couple steps back as his thoughts raced with an insanity that only a prisoner of azkaban could be capable of.
How does she know that? Vanessa said the same thing....If D'rorah knew so much about the book why didn't she find it in the first place....she must be jealous that the book chose ME...Its always about that book...she wants it for herself... He thought wildly while trying to maintain his outward appearance.
"Anyways...yes, that's all I remember...and if my memories were modified...how would I know they were?" He asked her tilting his head. "The nightmares...As far as I know..." He paused for a moment and thought how he hadn't a single dark thought while he was sleeping in Vanessa's cottage. "I didn't have any when I passed out in the forest...I do think I had a dream about my orb, however." He said, hoping to change the subject.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 7, 2007 22:53:45 GMT -5
D'rorah watched Alessandro's eyes widen. "I know that because I have studied extensively, Mister Darko. The same way I know that the current Shadow Mage is over four hundred years old. The same way I know the most effective way to construct a countercurse... I have studied." She watched as he stepped back. Obviously, this was a lost cause. For some reason he no longer trusted her. She wondered if he had heard something about her meeting with Professor Spade, if he had heard of her solitary venture to the Shadow Realm. That would explain rather a lot, though she was fairly certain they would not be having a conversation at all if that were the case.
She turned her attention to her books. She had quite enough to deal with with the thought of leaving town the next day to attend a funeral with Dylan. She listened to Alessandro's conversation and decided that she simply hadn't the patience to deal with any of it at the moment. She would have to trust, for now, that Alessandro had things under control. It appeared as though he was truly feeling better for the moment.
"Memory modification can sometimes be detected by the subject. One is likely to feel that memories were modified, even if he or she is not able to recall the original memory. I felt the same thing after my own memory was modified the night I was rescued from the Shadow Realm," she concluded. "If you have things well in hand, I should return to my research."
His last statement of dreaming about his orb caught her attention somewhat. She set her quill down and looked back at him. "What did you dream of, specifically?" she asked quietly.
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Post by Alessandro Darko on Oct 7, 2007 23:08:23 GMT -5
He was somewhat surprised that she backed off a bit. He felt a little bit relieved that he had either convinced her that he was okay, or she just got tired of interrogating him on his extracurricular activities.
He nodded to her as she had expressed desire to return to her studies. "Well...I am sorry to have bothered you. I just wanted you to know that I felt better." He said with a sigh. Things weren't going right at all. He turned toward the stairwell divided by the bust of Rowena Ravenclaw and her legendary Diadem.
D'rorah's voice called over to him before he reached the stairwell. She appeared to have been struck with intrigue upon his mention of dreaming about his orb. He looked up both stairwells before moving closer to where Dee had stationed herself.
"I just dreamed about a burning ball of fire...and there was this voice...." He was frustrated because yet again he couldn't remember the full details of what he heard within his dream but at least he remembered some of it.
"It said something about salvation being the hearts desire...the rest...I can't quite make out...but I can hear it in my head...like a residual echo of some sort..." He said tilting his head to the side as if to pour out the answer.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 7, 2007 23:17:47 GMT -5
D'rorah looked up at him. "Oh, that is simple enough," she replied. "I could assist with recalling the dream. All I would need to do is tap into your subconscious. The process is quite painless. I cannot guarantee a full recovery of the memory of the dream; however I can guarantee that I will be able to extract more detail than you currently have." She paused, thinking. "Yes, the information could very well prove to be the key you need to find your Elemental Orb. That would strengthen your powers quite a bit."
She set her quill aside and looked up at him. "Are you interested? If your Orb is truly calling out to you, that either means that it is in need of protection or it senses that you are in need of greater strength or protection." She pursed her lips slightly. "Either way, it would be best for you to locate it as quickly as possible."
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Post by Alessandro Darko on Oct 8, 2007 0:05:33 GMT -5
At the mention of her offer his eyes flickered with desire. He really did want to figure out where his orb was. He was coming closer to conquering his fear of fire more than ever; the other day he lit a candle. He knew that D'rorah would certainly be able to help him fill in the gaps he failed to remember, but however, he worried that she may take the liberty to fill herself in on some of the gaps he had left blank concerning his excursion in the forest.
He bit his lip as his eyes wandered around the room. He just had to trust her. He nodded his head and accepted her offer.
"Yes, I would like to know more about how I can obtain my orb...if you think you can zero in on my dreams....then by all means." He said emphasizing the dreams part.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 8, 2007 0:11:52 GMT -5
D'rorah took a deep breath as she watched his reaction. "You do not trust me," she stated simply. "That will make things a bit more difficult... if you are guarding your thoughts, it will make it more difficult to precisely pinpoint your dreams." She shook her head. "Alessandro, I respect your privacy... but I have the feeling there is something very important you are not telling me. If it something you would rather I not find out, perhaps it would be better to avoid this exercise altogether. We are supposed to be on the same side... all of us working together as a team. If you do not trust your teammates, it will make everything we do here much harder."
She shook her head apologetically. "Are you certain you wish for me to do this? I cannot guarantee that I will be strictly limited to the dream itself. The human mind does not work that way." She watched him for a response, wishing she did not feel so morally bound to respect his privacy, knowing that simply taking the opportunity to delve into his mind would simplify all of this so much. But she would not risk ruining what little trust of her remained in Alessandro.
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Post by Alessandro Darko on Oct 8, 2007 0:47:40 GMT -5
Alessandro was at a dilemma himself. He knew that if he allowed Dee access to his mind, the possibility of her finding out about Vanessa could be a factor. He didn't really like lying to her, he wished he could just tell her: "It was a magic lady in the woods that absolved my nightmare issues, Oh yeah, she knows a lot about the book, me, and you, and I for some reason told her everything..." His heart quickened as he thought that last bit. He turned away from Dee so she couldn't see his eyes widen.
I told her everything.....WHY? He couldn't figure out what had compelled him to be so frivolous with his information. She was a beautiful girl, but Alessandro wouldn't let something like that break him so easily. Then he remembered staring into those green eyes. He was stripped of his will power everytime he peered into them, perhaps it was some sort of witchcraft.
He whipped around and faced D'rorah yet again. "Dee..." He took a really big breath to prepare himself for what he was about to do. There were greater things that needed to be done, such as find his orb. He knew that if he let Dee in, and she saw something he didn't tell her, she would be furious with him. He finally succumbed to that voice inside of his head urging him to let her help.
"Dee...there IS more to the story that I didn't tell you." He said frowning. He closed his eyes and shook his head and took a breath. "Just...go inside my head and find the dream....and anything else you wished to know, it would be easier than telling you, you can see for yourself." He said as he slumped down in a chair feeling defeated.
"I guess I knew deep down that I had messed up a great deal...I just wanted to hide it from you and try and fix it myself, but I fear I may have done something really bad..." He hung his head trying to avoid her gaze.
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Post by D'rorah Philosophy on Oct 8, 2007 4:52:36 GMT -5
D'rorah listened, her expression growing slightly grim as Alessandro gave her permission to enter his mind and fill in the holes in the story he had given her about his afternoon. She saw the defeat in his posture and began to worry of what he might have done.
"I guess I knew deep down that I had messed up a great deal...I just wanted to hide it from you and try and fix it myself, but I fear I may have done something really bad..."
"I will begin with the dream," she replied quietly, reserving judgment for after she had seen the events of the afternoon. "Afterwards, we shall see whether whatever you might have done will be so difficult to fix." She offered him a reassuring smile. The very fact that he was finally relenting and the fact that he at least seemed somewhat remorseful about whatever he may or may not have done gave her hope at least that he was still firmly on their side. She had been rather afraid that the book might have pulled him into darkness... remembering his actions and attitude over the past several days, she would not have been surprised in the least to have discovered that. She quickly muttered a few spells to ensure their privacy while they worked.
She then guided him to a seat on the floor near the fireplace and placed her hands on either side of his head, using the physical contact to make her own job easier, which would allow her greater control over the specificity of the memory she sought... and would make it more difficult for him to block her or for the book itself to block her. She offered him a reassuring smile before closing her eyes and carefully reaching into his mind, not wanting to cause discomfort.
She found the dream, entwined with memories of the afternoon, a girl with striking green eyes. Focusing on the dream for the moment, she sifted through the subconscious trappings of the mind until she found the words which had resonated through him.
"Elemental Master of Fire, Whose flame grows cold and dim, Salvation is the hearts desire, The Orb of Fire within."
Leaving him with those words to ponder, she continued through the memory of the afternoon, seeing what had occurred during his sojourn into the Forbidden Forest. When she pulled back, several minutes later, she was deep in thought. Surely there was not a random good samaritan dwelling in the forest who had simply decided to help Alessandro's sleep? No, in order to have dispelled the nightmares brought on by the book, she would have had to be quite well-versed in dark magic. Most disturbing, however, was the fact that the evil of the book still festered in his mind, though a barrier had been placed around it so that it would not affect his sleep for the time being... but even so sequestered, it continued to grow.
Pushing aside the thought of all the information he had revealed to Vanessa, she focused on the more urgent problem. "Mister Darko, the book's hold on you grows constantly stronger... it will soon overwhelm the barrier which this Vanessa person erected. We must find a way to counteract it quickly. We need the book here... there may be something helpful in it," she suggested, hoping he would not mistake her attempt to help him as an attempt to secure the book for herself, as he seemed to have been doing for quite some time now.
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Post by Alessandro Darko on Oct 8, 2007 11:06:42 GMT -5
Alessandro let D'rorah guide him to a place by the fire where the memory retrieval would take place. He was nervous. He really hoped that Dee would be able to find the Orb dream, and was sure she'd see everything else. He hoped she would find it in her heart to forgive him for his deceit. But was it really all his fault? Or was he being driven by some extraneous force? He was confusing himself the more he thought about Vanessa and the book.
Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and let Dee in. He felt that familiar tingling sensation at the front of his mind and quick flashes of the day flickered through his head.
[glow=red,2,300]"Elemental Master of Fire, Whose flame grows cold and dim, Salvation is the hearts desire, The Orb of Fire within."[/glow]
After retrieving this memory she pressed on for what he had left out. He couldn't help but rack his brain to try and decipher what the message was trying to say.
Vanessa flickered through his head, and memories of sleeping at her cottage and the succulent roast he had eaten dominated his thoughts. He began to smile and his whole body relaxed as he revisited that time, forgetting momentarily about the orb.
"Mister Darko, the book's hold on you grows constantly stronger... it will soon overwhelm the barrier which this Vanessa person erected. We must find a way to counteract it quickly. We need the book here... there may be something helpful in it."
Alessandro blinked. "What?" He asked looking at her quizzically. "Barrier? What barrier? All she did was take the nightmares and visions away..." Alessandro said with wide-eyed confusion. Why would she want to keep darkness in me? he thought. "The book..." He repeated as he bit his lip.
"Remember when I said it's in a safe place??" He asked her scrunching up his face.
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