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I am sorry you've had to go through such pain, young lady. If it helps you are not alone in having to go through such hardships. And if you wish to speak of it to someone who might understand what going through such torture is like, I am willing to lend you an ear.

OH, I am not alone for certain. I wasn't alone when it happened, which doesn't really make it any better. But thank you.

That's good. The offer is still open should you wish to talk about it, though I know how hard it can be to do so.

I dunno whether this needs more context, more alcohol. Or both.

Both, depending on how much you are creeped out by crucifixion. And depending if you can't wrap your head around it, seeing as crucifixion has become a rather outdated practice.

Crucifixion? And here I thought the Romans had grown into a more forgiving lot.

Cato would be proud.

Any other time I would’ve gone, yeah, I’m out. But I think I can handle this one because crap has been out there weird, of late. So…If you want to over share? I’m good. If not? I dunno, we can talk about the weather.

I'm afraid not, at least not when I dealt with them. Who knows if they're any forgiving now. And unfortunately for me, this was Julius Caesar himself giving the order. Forgiveness was never on that man's plan.

I'm a bard, over sharing is part of my life.

[ She chuckles and lets the silence hold for a moment before she continues. ]

It was the Ides of March -- yes, I know -- when my soulmate, Xena, and I were crucified. We had been a bit of a pain in the butt to Julius Caesar for quite some time, so it was only a matter of when he would capture us and how. I was the first to be captured alongside my friends, seeing as I had chosen a pacifist way of life shortly before this incident, so I didn't fight back. It was exactly what they wanted, luring my soulmate right into the prison to try and save me from a destiny that she had already seen in a vision. Rather than recklessly throwing herself in, she snuck in to free all of us prisoners and fight the Roman guards on the way out. Everything was going according to plan, until... A little someone from the afterlife -- an spirit, if you will -- decided to throw Xena's chakram against her as revenge, severely hurting her spine and incapacitating her totally from escaping. Or even defending herself. That was the first time I have gone on a blood thirsty vengeance to kill as many people as I could. One by one the Romans who tried to attack Xena fell by my violent hands.

It wasn't until I came to my senses when I realized that I had strayed very far from my way of peace. Way too far to come back to it. I had little time to ponder it anyways as the remaining Roman guards proceeded with our capture and execution. Both Xena and I were crucified on top of the cold mountains. We died there, in that blizzard. Presumably, Caesar died around the same time we were crucified.

Well, he was a military man. They generally aren't forgiving of much.

You seem to have survived it remarkably well, though.

Generally. I've met a few exception. The man was... delusional, in a way.

If dying and then coming back to life after crucifixion is surviving it, then yes. I've made it in one piece.

I'm tempte to say anything not staying dead after it is some definition of surviving.

Very fair point. I guess I just survived but not linearly, so to speak.

[ Jasper listens as she tells him the events. As he hears her tell him what happened, he can’t help but get angry at the pain she had to go through and it shows on his face, but as he listens the anger lessens when he learns that she is more than capable of defending themselves and he’s really inward cheering as his lips kick up in a grin knowing people who deserved it got their asses kicked. Royally.

Still, he can’t help but be pissed off she had to go through it all.]

Damn. I know the name Caesar, but I’m a mostly uneducated civilised brute, so I kinda vaguely recall the history. He got stab? I think? But fucker deserved any kind of death.

Did something recently happened to bring this memory back to you?

[ Such sentiment is understandable and appreciated, especially considering she does regret having gone so violently off the rails at times. But honestly? To protect her soulmate, she would do anything. At the comment of being an uneducated and civilised brute, she had to chuckle and shake her head. ]

Oh, he got stabbed alright... by around sixty conspirators, if the stories I've heard are any true. One of the stabbers was the very Brutus, who I also knew personally. [ There's the reason for the chuckle. ] He deserved a little worse than that, frankly.

I suppose I like to reminisce, in truth these kind of memories are never truly forgotten. Now that I'm getting a little old, I suppose my body reminds me of my history.

I have a feeling there isn't enough mead in Valhalla to unpack that.

I'd say it gets better, but humans just develop more 'humane' ways to off themselves... [The small girl shakes her head offering the mead to the older woman.] You need this more than I. [Hey! She's over a few thousand years old, even though she only looks like twelve.]

Take it from someone who has the experience, linear and unbroken survival is vastly overrated.

Edited 2022-08-28 02:07 (UTC)

You speak of humans as if you were not one of us. [ Gabrielle said, half-joking, with an eyebrow cocked up before she takes the mead. ] I did make it out alive from that. Me and my soulmate both, so it did get better.

[ That said, Gabrielle takes an inquisitive look at the mead, head tilted. She's not sure if drinking this will truly be fine. ]

I am almost afraid to ask what your history of survival is. Almost is not enough to deter me, so if you'd like to share.

I was born in 4713 BC, by modern reckoning. And here I still am.

[ That makes him very, very old indeed. ]

I'm not one. [Skuld smiles] Though I'm no threat. To you at least. Your thread's still too short to cut. [She's curious to see if Gabrielle would get the clue as to what she is.]

It's not of Valhalla's stock. This batch is safe for humans. Honey, water and elder berries. You might get a little tipsy, but you won't be seeing gods.

[ The comment about her thread being cut made Gabrielle pause in her entirety, looking at this stranger with eyes teetering on the edge of confusion. This place was full of weird creatures, could this just be another one of those or... ]

Not a human, then. Not a monster, evidently. Not a threat, but I do wonder what you mean about my thread being too short to cut? [ With that, she took a sip of the mead. That tastes about how she remembered it, so at least that was comforting. ] I don't wish to see the Gods, really. I've kind of had enough of them.

[ She won't even bother doing the math, instead she just blinks rapidily a few seconds to process how much time that is. ]

Now, see, that explains a lot. Is it due to immortality or...?

Oh no, it's immortality. I haven't aged since I was nineteen, nor can I die. Not for more than about five minutes, at any rate.

[Skuld watches her.] I do think the Greeks called my kind Fates. Norse call me a Norn. I'm a weaver of time, and well, I'm seeing that you have much of that left in your life. That's the only spoiler I am allowed to give you.

Most Gods really are assholes aren't they? [She chuckles a little.]

[ Yup, that checks out, but Gabrielle hoped it wasn't exactly true. It's not that she hated the Fates, or their kind. She knew that they were just a part of this world of hers, ultimately not ill-meaning. It's just that... well. Gods and their hand over human affairs was never a topic that kept Gabrielle at ease. And her various encounters with the Fates across her history were always peculiar. She wasn't planning on taking another sip, but she does. A very generous one. ]

You are correct, we call your kind Fates. I didn't encounter your kind during my time in your land, however. And last I encountered the fates there was... some concerns. [ That's an understatement, Gabrielle. ] But yes, the gods can be a bit cruel to us humans.

[ She completely ignores the comment that there's plenty of time in her thread, for she knew better than to take what Fates -- er, Norns? -- said to heart or literally. ]

I am not entirely sure if I should give you condolences for that or not...

[Skuld may be one of them, but she also isn't. Thanks to powers beyond her control, she and her sisters have been separated far too long, and they've been away from the well so, her power is vastly limited. Not that she'd tell Gabrielle that.]

We, do not leave the garden around the base of the great tree often. Nor do we associate with Odin and his kind. [Might be a little because they took his eye when he drank from the well. Skuld still thinks they should have taken both, but it hadn't been her call.]

Though I am curious as to what ails you. I, may be able to assist in easing it. That is if you would trust me.

Yeah, Brutus sounds like my spirit animal to be honest. And, I guess remembering stuff is worth it even if it’s kinda messed up. Makes you remember you how you got where you got.

[He knows exactly what she means about feeling old. Although he's not as old as her in Immortal years.]

You can park your granny wheelchair next to mine. And join the I'm getting too old to deal with this bullshit club too. But I get it. Living long enough sucks. Sometimes.

Oh, no. No condolences necessary. I've lived to see things I couldn't have imagined when I was mortal.

[ Gabrielle definitely didn't know this, but she also knew that in a way the Fates (and by extension the Norns) were not exactly dangerous either way. Frankly, the less she knew the better; she would still treat this entity with some distance, if you will. ]

That explains that. I only visited for a relatively short period of time and opted not to mess with beings more powerful than me. [ She omits that she spent a year sleeping in Norseland. However, at that last comment, Gabrielle tilts her head in silence for a second. ] Offering to ease my troubles? And I don't even know your name. [ She chuckles briefly, a little lighter in her mood. ] I don't think you even know my name... Wait, you probably do.

Exactly. It's good to remmeber the lessons we learned along the way, they may always come in handy in times of trouble.

[ She's going to nicely omit the bit where she confesses she was the one to kill Brutus ~~at least, in her universe~~, 'cause that is another story for another time. For now, she has a few questions, looking at him with a squint and a small smile. ]

Ahh, you're old, too? Not that you appear like you are, but you seem to know exactly the feeling.

I'll say. It still makes me wonder. Do you ever just get... bored?

Yeah.

[ He knows that look and grins. Hell he’d give that look too, but everything he’s been through of late he’s just yeah, too old for this shit. But he’s too stubborn or dumb to quit. He hasn’t decided yet. He’s also cagey about saying what he is to others. He knows she can likely deal with it, because they just had a whole conversation about surviving crucifixions. So talking vampires isn’t going to be wildly out there to another who isn’t entirely human.]

Kinda. Not as old as you, I’m just shy of 200 years. These days I’m maybe, mostly, human after being cured of vampirism. The cure in my body fucks me over most days so yeah, feeling old. It means I have to be careful about what fights I pick. So, there’s more over sharing than you need.

Oh, don't worry, I like a little oversharing myself.

[ And that smile on her is as geniune as it can be. Also, a very warm smile, charming, like it didn't come from a warrior that's withstood horrors in her journey. One wouldn't know what she had seen from looking at her alone. ]

200 years is still a long time in terms of lived experiences. But... Vampirism. [ She sounds it out loud first, squinting a little more before it clicks. ] Is that related to Vampires? I've heard of those in my time in -- [ Vaguely gestures towards the entire place. ] -- whatever this place is. Met a few in my era, as well. Does this mean that you will live the rest of your days as a mortal human? No way to turn back?

I just figure that the here? That’s like some kind of between space, a liminal area that like those stories where you hear people going under the hill into faery world and shit gets weird, like that, maybe? I don’t stress over it; cause fuck knows I got enough to stress about. And yeah, it is about vampires. I’m human, hybrid in a pinch, but human with human failings. And the only way I get to vamp again is if I’m turned.

I guess we should’ve just gone with let’s do normal introductions. But it all went south with the whole Hi, I was crucified bit.

Still…hi, my name is Jasper.

I wouldn't even be surprised if I turned into one here. I'm no stranger to being one either. [ She pauses for a second and clears her throat. ] Ah, yes. I was a Bacchae -- I mean, what you would call a vampire. Long time ago, don't worry about it.

[ At this point she's just a walking library of stories, really. ]

You know what they say about first impressions, they're tough to erase. What better way to introduce myself than to revealing that I both know the pain of crucifixion and that my age is getting to me? [ She laughs, shaking her head. ] I'm Gabrielle, it's a pleasure to meet you, Jasper.

Bonus introduction is when the other person is not looking at you like you be bat shit crazy when you’re oversharing with hey, my life gets fucking weird. Let me tell you how weird.

Gabrielle, nice to meet you.

[Skuld giggles] I do know your name, I just have chosen not to say it because I thought doing so would frighten you. But I have been rude, I do apologize for that.

[She bows politely and with a flourish] I am Skuld Norndottir.

I do appreciate that, I would have been very frightened. Equal parts confused, too. So, it was hardly rude. [ She would have been rude-er had that happened, in all honesty. ]

[ At the bow, she returns it slowly and subtly. ] Pleasure to meet you, Skuld.

That's when you know you've got a real character right in front of you. By that point, I think formalities can wait. A person's weird story can tell you far more than a name or age.

Nothing like a good conversation to get to know someone, even it is out there messed up. There's no bullshit, you know right from the start what you're getting into.

But I get, you gotta figure out who you can talk to like that. Kinda helps when someone starts off with their favourite crucifixion conversation starter.

Edited 2022-08-30 02:24 (UTC)

Of living? Oh, yes.