WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

[deadgirlslikeme]

A door opens, and suddenly the sound of a baby wailing echoes across the nearby chunk of the Nexus. A bleary-eyed Victor Van Dort steps through, bouncing said wailing baby in his arms. "It's okay, it's okay. . .look, we're -- um." He blinks a few times as he registers where he is. "This isn't. . .oh, dear, how did I manage to choose the wrong door?" He goes to step back through --

Then stops, shakes his head, and proceeds to the nearest safe-looking bit of furniture, still cradling his son. "No. Perhaps someone can help here. At least, Alice and the others will get some decent sleep for a change. . ." He looks up, an exhausted man at the end of his rope. "Is there anyone around who's had at least one child and might know why they sometimes just start crying in the middle of the night and won't stop no matter what you do?"

Comments

[lastest_ringbearer]

Yesss, I imagine it wasss. *A six-toothed smile.* We never were bullied, not before the Precious came and Grandmother threw usss out. We'd remember if we were, the bad thingsss are easier that way. Probably the Ring'sss fault, oh yesss!

We isss 500 and 80 and 9, we think. Birth year wasss 2430 of the Third Age of the Years of the Sssun. *He seems proud that he remembered all that, which to be fair is hard even when you're not 589.* Life was not kind. Fate was not kind. All our long life in misery wasss for the greater bedamned good, but what help wasss that to usss? We ssshould have lived a little time in peace. Precious wouldn't let usss, and we loved it. We wish we hadn't. We wish we didn't, never!

[deadgirlslikeme]

Well, I'm glad to hear that. It's -- not fun, being bullied. And I wouldn't be surprised if an artifact of evil made remembering the bad things easier, but. . .well, the painful memories tend to be some of the clearest for me too. [he smiles at Chester, who is leaning against his chest now with droopy eyes] At least I have some beautiful memories to balance them out.

[his eyes widen as Smeagol gives his age] Goodness me. . . [he worries his lower lip] So long under that thing's spell? I'm so sorry. That -- even if it was for the greater good, you're right, it's not fair at all. You deserved better.

[lastest_ringbearer]

Pain giveses lesssons we need. Thusss we remember pain. But the Preciousss helped it along, we think.

At the very end we felt the breath of Eru. We knew the Enemy would eat the world if he got hisss Ring again, and his Eye had finally found it. The Precious we ssso loved cursed us to never touch it again lest we fall into the very Cracks of Doom. We were ssso tired. Smeagol's eyes be clearing now that Precious melted, we sssee how we were always where Fate needed usss to be. Where it needed me to be.

[deadgirlslikeme]

[he frowns] Depressing way to look at things. . .but I can't deny it's true. I learned to be more careful around the stove by burning myself on it. And I wouldn't expect anything else from something made by the great evil of your world.

So if you hadn't been there, hadn't made sure the Enemy didn't find his Ring. . .then your whole world would have. . . [Victor would offer a comforting pat if his hands weren't currently filled with baby] Sounds like you were very important to your world, in the end. But it's still a sad fate for you personally.

[lastest_ringbearer]

We--I--we are why our world will not belong to him. Smeagol isss why. We didn't mean to be heroeses, but we didn't mean to be bad either. We wisssh I'd never got it, or never had to let go.

[deadgirlslikeme]

[Victor worries his bottom lip for a moment] It does sound rather like you got dragged around by something bigger than yourself. . .I wouldn't like it either, in your place. [There was the whole business with his arranged marriage, back in Burtonsville, but the scale does not match up at all. He offers up a hesitant, positive smile] But you did end up saving the world, in the end. And instead of dying, you ended up here. That's -- better than it could have been. Maybe -- it's a reward, of a sort. A place where you can actually choose.

[lastest_ringbearer]

Praps, praps. We doubt the world be so kind, but we suppose one never knowses sure. *He shrugs.* Found a beach here, we did. I always liked to swim.

[deadgirlslikeme]

[he smiles a little] Maybe it wasn't your world that decided you needed a reward. The Nexus seems to have a mind of its own, sometimes. . . [he nods] I think I know that beach, at least by reputation. Alice and I will have to take Chester there one day, when he's old enough.

[lastest_ringbearer]

Water wasss the only other thing Smeagol had for thossse long yearses under ssstone. Water and fisssh and Ring.

[deadgirlslikeme]

I see why you cherish it, then. . .it must be nice to have a whole beach under open sky to swim in now.

[lastest_ringbearer]

There isss light, but no Yellow Face or White Face if Smeagol doesn't want them. Rarely do we want them.

[deadgirlslikeme]

Yellow. . .you mean the Sun? Well, the Nexus can be accommodating when it likes. . . [he glances skyward, frowning] To be honest, I've never thought much about where the light comes from, or how it works. I'm just content that it does.

[lastest_ringbearer]

Smeagol will get used to light in time, we suppose. Walked under the Yellow Face we did, yes, this is much less.

[deadgirlslikeme]

[nods] It just takes time, yes. [he smiles awkwardly] You should see me under a strong sun. If I don't take precautions, I turn bright red very quickly.

[lastest_ringbearer]

Good reassson to avoid the Yellow Face, that is.

[deadgirlslikeme]

Mmm. I've always been more of a forest person than a beach one. [he rocks Chester a little as he talks] Trees are just -- comforting, to me. Maybe because I spent so much time in the forest outside my village, growing up.

[lastest_ringbearer]

We . . . Smeagol forgot treeses, yes. For a long time we forgot. Good at climbing are we, mind. Very good. But that wasss meant for rocks. We learned treeses again later.

[deadgirlslikeme]

I'm good at climbing myself -- though in reverse of you. I'm best at trees, had to learn rocks and such later. Though I did get in some decent practice with the wall outside our village. . . [his expression goes thoughtful] I never tried looking to see if there's any forested places here. I imagine there is, if there's a beach. . .

[lastest_ringbearer]

Elfses live in the foressst of Arda. Oh ssso pretty and ssshining were they, it hurt our eyeses.

[deadgirlslikeme]

Did it? Perhaps I should avoid them then. It wouldn't do to get blinded, especially in the middle of a forest.

Finished rereading the Silmarilion, it has this effect LOL

[lastest_ringbearer]

*Were Smeagol a saner creature of Arda, the thought of fearing elves would be sad. Oh woe, that the world should be thus. But he is broken, and may Nienna never have to pity anyone more than he. So he merely nods agreement.* Nasssty lightses. Glad to be away from them is Smeagol, yesss.

*snork* I know that effect well from other books

[deadgirlslikeme]

[Victor nods back, completely unaware that it might be sad to fear elves -- though it's less fearing them and not wanting to strain his eyes against their brilliance] Mmmm. . .that's one of the nice things about the Nexus. It's always just as bright as it needs to be. Though some areas are different. I know one spot is in constant twilight.

[lastest_ringbearer]

That soundses nice, we is thinking. Would you ssshow usss?

[deadgirlslikeme]

[Victor glances down at Chester, to find him looking very heavy-lidded. Hmmm. Seems the trip to the Nexus is working. Maybe if they go somewhere darker. . .he drops his voice a little] I think I can. It's just this way. . . [off he goes, following the general route he and his take when they want to get to the glow-in-the-dark ice cream shop]

[lastest_ringbearer]

*Smeagol is happy enough to follow. As the darkness increases it becomes more obvious that his eyes shine of their own accord--not much, but enough to light his way in the endless night under the mountains.*