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Stranger at the Oasis
#621148 - Tue Jun 12 2007 05:42 PM
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To say it was a warm sun was an understatement. This was the desert. The sun only comes in two degrees: hot and off. Right now, it was on the first one. It was early to mid-day. With the shade of a few lone palm trees, a dark skinned stranger dressed in resplendent white sheik's robes stood alone with a bamboo flute in his hands.
And with it, he did play. Not for himself, nor for the sky, but for the sound it would create, carried over the dunes and oppressive wind swept silence of the desert.
He was not from here, but rather, he was a guardian of a secluded sandy jungle nearby where he called it home. Isolated, there were few visitors to expect out here, but what ones there were needed his help the most. The desert was long and unforgiving. It would be easy to miss this mote of paradise on those dehydrating trackless plains.
This little oasis, pure and protected by the flute player, was vital refuge for those passing through or merely those lost. For his charge; the jungle, there was little need to watch over it every moment. Especially way out here in the middle of nowhere. But every so often, someone might be parched of thirst or needing a helpful hand to the shade, so for a few hours each day, Zim practiced amongst the dunes and watched the horizon for those less capable than himself in this terrain.
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"The only true color in this world is perception." -Zim
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Ixchel
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Member #3933
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Posts: 431
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Ixchel groaned softly as her bare feet moved through the scorching sands. She moved her hand toward her eyes as she looked up toward the climbing sun. Her eyes squinted before she looked around seeing the tiny grains all around her as far as the eye could see.
Letting out a cough, she sighed softly and started to move once more only to fall forward, face first into the sands around her. Though a part snake, the human side still needed hydration and unfortuantly her escape from her captors had left her with little supplies. Her head rested upon the desert ground as she tried to regain her strength as quickly as possible.
"Uhhhh...."
Her eyes closed as she tried to push herself up onto her knees. Dusting herself off, she stopped and looked up hearing an unexpected sound. Unbelieving her ears, she blinked and wobbily stood up once more making her way with the guidance of the notes feeling an odd pull from them. A pull of a promise of relief and rest.
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It had been the third month and sixth day since Zim had encountered anyone out here. This desert was largely uncivilized and what there was, had long since been abandoned by a culture since forgotten by sand and time.
But the flute player's mind hadn't been so covered, for as he looked into the horizon this day, he saw a form. Squinting, he took several steps to a higher dune for a better view.
And that's when the notes stopped. That face... he knew that face. Many years ago, on a colder mountain they met... almost a lifetime away now. They were close. The shaman's hands trembled as he gazed strongly. There was no mistaking it. On weary knees, there she walked. Ixchel.
Absently dropping his flute, he pulled back his the silken hood of his sheik's outfit and blinked.
Wordless, he began to approach. First with a walk, then a jog, and then a run that kicked gouts of sand in his wake.
"Ixchel! Ixchel!" he called, waving his arm anxiously in case she didn't see him or the oasis. "My gawd, woman... is that really you??"
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"What is truth? For me, it may be the closest thing to beauty. People ask, but what if the truth is horrible? How can that be beautiful?"
"And I say, how can it not?" -Zim
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Ixchel
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Member #3933
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Posts: 431
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Ixchel continued to walk aimlessly as she listened to the music. It seemed to enchtrance her and she moved with the calming music. However, the music stopped and the poor female was lost once more as she stumbled over the sand.
Her eyes burned from the dry wind and the heat. The vision before her was blurred though it seemed that someone was running towards her and speaking words that she just couldn't make out.
"W...what...is..."
She moved on before finally taking those last steps to meet the stranger dressed in white. Her eyes looked over him though her vision just couldn't make out that who was before her. A smile seemed to creep across her lips before her eyes started to roll back a bit and closed, and she fainted falling toward the ground below her.
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"..."
Regaining his composure as he neared Ixchel, he took a moment to watch over this familiar face. It had really been a long time since they last met. And what were the chances, in the middle of this place? He considered how small a world it was.
Nodding to himself, Zim bent over and picked up the poor girl. Ixchel in arms, he returned to the oasis and let her lay within the palm shade, propped against a small dune.
Fetching his stashed away leather bound canteen, he emptied the contents almost wastefully and refilled them freshly from the quiet pool. Returning to Ixchel, he knelt over and put a little water in one hand to dribble along her forehead, while the other proffered her lips the canteen.
"Come on, Ixchel... be a good girl," he whispered protectively. "Drink up now. Plenty of water for you. You're going to be just fine now."
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"The way of the world? It takes all kinds, as the saying goes. Of course, it doesn't accept all kinds either. Personally, those are the ones I like the most." -Zim
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Ixchel
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Member #3933
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Posts: 431
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Ixchel laid limp within his arms as he moved her back toward the oasis. Her body was dust covered and there seemed to be dried brown specks on various parts of her body. As he laid her agaisnt the dune, her head rolled to the side a bit before he moved her head and held the water to her lips. Water slowly started to seep into her mouth as well as rolling down the sides of her mouth and chin.
A soft groan could be heard as she started to come too. Her hand weakly lifted toward whatever was near her mouth and her hand gently rested upon Zim's. Her wrist would be seen easily down with a white cloth wrapped around it as well as around her other wrist if he should check it. The white colth was stained with dirt and what looked to be dried patches of blood.
Ixchel drank thirstily as she rested before pushing the canteen back a bit and opening her eyes slightly. Her eyes burned and her vision was still blurred as she looked around aimlessly.
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Deciding to allow her time to readjust, Zim noted the seeming injuries about her wrists. Manacle wounds, maybe? He knew she had a trouble past... was it catching up with her? Or another incident.
Patting her head, Zim stood up and leaned against the palm tree, his eyes gazing hawkishly to the horizon just in case. He was a peaceful man. To a point.
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Ixchel
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Member #3933
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Posts: 431
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Ixchel took a slow deep breath as her vision started to come to. Her hands moved toward her face as she rubbed her eyes with a soft whimper. Moving her hands, she blinked with her vision restorned and looked out over the sands.
"W...what? Where am I? How did I...?"
She blinked a bit more comming to her sences as she looked at the pool and instantly sat up moving toward it. Her hands shot into the water and brought water up to her face. It felt so cool and so fresh. Her hand brought water toward her arms to help remove the dust from her skin.
With her back toward Zim, she had no idea he was even close to her, nor that he would be able to see the small cuts upon her back with some nearly healed and others just starting too. The marks could easily be placed as wounds from some kind of whip or the like.
She started to calm as her body slightly cooled down and she was back to her normal self. Sitting back on her knees, she looked around a bit with a confused look about her as to how she could have possibly gotten to such a meraculous place.
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Side glancing towards Ixchel from her movement, Zim made a harsh expression. Whip marks. New and old. How could people treat each other this way? Must have been someone dangerous, he thought. He knew of Ix's rather potent transformation skill from way back.
Still, he tried to be friendly as at least she was talking and moving around again.
"An oasis. I don't know and you must've heard my flute playing," he said while still leaning against the tree trying to be quaint with his answer to her many befuddled questions.
A part of him wondered if she would remember the shaman from the mountain. Ix went through a lot of ordeals, so anything was possible...
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Ixchel
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Member #3933
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Posts: 431
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Ixchel quickly turned around and looked up at the source of the voice. Blinking she looked toward him and her eyes went wide. She quickly was off her feet and her body was pressed tightly into his own with her arms wrapped around him. Her body trembled ever so slightly as tears started to fall down her cheeks.
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For a moment, Zim was silent. Love. Care. Consideration. But on this level. It was a long time. Such instincts are good to feel.
Slowly, he raised his silk sleeved arms and brought them to a close around her. One hand pressed against her back (although gently, for sake of the wounds) as the other cradled the back of her head so that she might dry such tears on his sheik's tunic. He then gave a gentle kiss to her forehead as if to say 'hello, long time no see'.
"It's been too long, Ix. Far too long. And the years would hardly let me forget," he said with a kind chuckle. "Imagine what fate is thinking that we should meet out here of all places."
"..."
"I've missed you..." he said, stroking her hair.
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Ixchel
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Member #3933
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Posts: 431
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Ixchel clung tightly to him as she pressed into him feeling his warmth and strength. Her head pulled back with wet trails as she looked up toward him.
"Zim.."
A few fresh tears slipped from her eyes as she looked up toward him gripping his clothing in her hands even tighter.
"I can't believe it's you...."
She sniffled and looked up toward him with eyes filled with so many different emotions. Fear. Happiness. Love. The list went on and on.
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Zim smiled warmly. "There is a saying that goes, 'There is no sound more pleasing than the voice of the woman we love'. It's a bit corny... but I think it holds true."
"Heh... it's certainly me, Ix. Things haven't changed too much since the mountains. I tried to get back into society some time after that, but things didn't work out. Didn't relate to it at all. So I came back out into the wilds and returned to my home in the jungle past this desert. Can't say a lot has happened since, otherwise. Many sun rises, many moon falls, see some pretty birds flying overhead... blends together after a while."
"But look at you! Still that sweet girl with the sad eyes I fell in love with."
He gave a moment of pause.
"I can see since the time we were separated in the mountains, you've gone through a bit of trouble. When you're ready... and it doesn't have to be now, I'd like you to tell me about it."
"Because if someone hurt you? I want to know about it."
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The best is yet to come.
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Ixchel
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Member #3933
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Posts: 431
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Ixchel smiled as she looked up toward Zim and her hand lifted to gently rest against his cheek. Her heart welled inside her as she listened to his kind words. A soft sniffle came from the woman before him. Her head tilted to the side as she looked up toward him listening to his tale of the years passed.
When he came to talk about what had happened to her, the light from her eyes seemed to fade a bit and her body went back to pressing tightly into his own like that of a scared child. Something terrible must have happened by her raction and the wounds she bore upon her body. Her eyes looked off in the distance a bit before burring once more into the robes he wore.
"Zim...It was aweful...so aweful.."
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"It's okay, it's okay... they can't do anything to you here. And least of all, not around me. You're safe now."
Heaven help whoever did this to her...
"Like I said, you can tell me some other time. Some other day, even. It's not important now. I don't want to see anymore sadness on that cute face of yours, okay?"
"Would you like to sit down? Are you hungry? I can fetch some fresh dates from the trees here. Very sweet."
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A young monk and his old master are walking through a forest. Seeing a bird and seeking to impress his master with his wisdom, the young man states, "Master, I am better than that bird, for there is nothing it can do that I cannot do better by virtue of myself."
The old master quickly smacked the young man on the back of the head. "Fly."
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Ixchel
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Member #3933
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Posts: 431
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Ixchel shuddered and seemed to calm a bit while as he spoke about her being safe. She nuzzled her face into his chest and let out a soft sigh as she pulled her head back looking up into his eyes once more.
As he talked about food, her stomach started to growl deeply and she fliched slightly at the slight pain it caused. It had actually been several days since she last ate.
"Food...sounds good."
She nibbled on her bottom lip slightly looking toward the sands once more. After a quick glance, her head turned back toward Zim and a smile slipped across her face. She was home. She was safe.
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Zim smiled. "Alright then, let's go get you some!"
Seperating himself from her, Zim took off his rather unnoticeable boots (probably for walking the hot sands) and began to climb a nearby palm at least as well as a monkey could.
Moments later, Zim could be seen amongst the broad palm leaves. He figured a way to get the fruit to her that might seem a bit more fun and enjoyable than merely bringing them down.
"Get ready, Ix... I think it's about to rain..."
Chuckling in playful amusement, Zim began to strike clusters of the small sweet fruits... they split, and began to fall down from above for Ix to collect.
"Oh yes, I'd say there's 90% chance of it raining delicious pieces of fruit!"
It was a rather whimsical sight to behold.
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Ixchel
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Member #3933
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Posts: 431
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Ixchel looked up toward him with a bit of confusion as to what he was talking about. Tilting her head to the side, she soon let out a girlish squeek as dates started to plop down from the ground. She jumped back a bit and then chuckled before looking up toward Zim.
A great laugh could be heard from Ixchel as she started to scrounge up the dates that had fallen to the sands. For such a girl that had gone through so much in so short of time, she seemed happy and alive once more.
After the "rain" had calmed, she gathered up what she managed and moved to the water to start to clean them off. Her eyes moved back toward Zim as she worked smiling happily. She opened her mouth to say something but blushed and turned back toward the water.
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Content that enough figs and dates had rained down from the tree, Zim returned to the sandy oasis floor, albeit with a few large palm leaves in hand. Noting that Ix seemed happy, he sat down near the tree and retrieved the previously dropped flute. Rather than playing it, he bit palm sharply for some reason, and then seemed to be working on attaching the leaves to the instrument with a white gauze springing forth from his fingers.
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Ixchel
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Member #3933
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Posts: 431
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Ixchel cleaned the fruit and brought them back toward Zim. Sitting down, she picked up one of the fruits and bit into it as she looked toward the flute curiously. Swallowing what was in her mouth, she tilted her head to the side.
"What are you doing?"
She leaned forward a bit watching he gauze come from his figers. Sitting back, she picked up another and started to eat that before offering him a few. After all, it was he that got them down in the first place.
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Zim helps himself to the offering, smiling in thanks. He didn't seem particularly hungry otherwise.
"This? I got the idea that you might not mind a bit of a breeze out here while you enjoy lunch. I think it would be more complimenting than my flute playing, at any rate."
"Just working with what I've got, really. Out here, there's nothing civilized and modern for many miles. None that I'm aware of, anyway, and aren't buried a few leagues under the sand. So I tend to improvise."
"This flute? Carved. This outfit? Spun and cut. And so on. And now... a fan."
Winding the silky gauze tight, he shook his hand as if shaking off something, and then gave it a try. Ix could feel a small but gentle breeze flow towards her as he waved it.
"What do you think?"
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Ixchel
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Member #3933
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Posts: 431
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Ixchel listened to Zim as he spoke and watched him with great interest. She smiled slightly as she watched him work though the smile seemed to fade as he talked about Civilization and the "modern" world. A saddened look befell her beautiful face before she turned from him and rested her forehead upon her knees.
She did feel the breeze from the fan and she sniffled bit from where she sat.
"It is really nice...Thank You for it."
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Zim sighed to himself. He began to remember something about Ix. She was very sensitive, and that even back during the days lost in the mountains, he needed to watch what he said, lest he risk depressing her again. Often, this could be very difficult.
For all he knew, maybe civilization is what she wanted. Maybe something she was getting into during all the years.
The shaman breathed in slowly and out, quietly continuing to fan the girl. Some things were simply beyond the known influence of men to do anything about. Some things had to be settled alone. Possibly the sort of thing Ixchel often dealt with.
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Ixchel
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Member #3933
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Posts: 431
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She sniffled once more as she sat there and moved her hands up to wipe at her eyes.
"I don't want to go back to civilization. I don't want to be a monster anymore for their amuzment..."
She lifted her head looking upwards as tears slipped from her eyes.
"I don't want to be torchured anymore...."
Her hands worked furiously to wipe the tears away.
"I don't want to go back....I can't....I want to live in peace not fear..."
Hands soon hid her face as she once more fell into deep sobs. Her body shaken from the power of them.
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Zim stopped waving the fan and let Ix be for a while. After giving her some time, he looked at her plainly.
"So then don't go back. Really, out here? Who's going to make you? Me?"
"Hardly."
"I might not hate civilization, but I don't particularly care for it either."
"Ix, if you want, just find a place away from it all to call your own."
He rolled his neck.
"I have a home in the jungle just past here, but... it's probably not your thing. Kinda dark and wild in there."
"Surely, there's something around that would be your speed?"
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