I13DT - Image of the Future

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 9:06 am

Miranda nervously hugged her sketchbooks to her chest as she knocked on Nailah's office door, hoping she was in.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:07 pm

"Come in."

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:11 pm

Miranda opened the door just wide enough to slip in, closing it behind her. "Am I interrupting something?"

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:13 pm

"Not at all." she smiles, putting the assays she was grading aside.

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:16 pm

"I... um... had a vision..." She said, taking out her vision sketchbook and opening it to the recently done image of the hooded woman with the sword.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:20 pm

Nailah takes a sharp breath and frowns.

"This is what you saw?"

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:23 pm

Miranda nods vigorously enough to make her hood bounce around. She hugs her other sketchbook tighter.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:31 pm

"I hate to ask this, but... does this person seem at all familiar in any way?" she asks, remembering what Sam had told her about Miranda's nightmare.

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:34 pm

"It looks like... well, it looks like what I look like in the Astral... only I don't have a sword."

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:50 pm

She nods faintly. "And you're afraid this might become part of you?"

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 1:00 pm

"I'm afraid that it already is... like my earlier pictures." Her hands start to visibly shake.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 1:11 pm

"Hey hey hey." she says, getting up and swiftly moving over to Miranda, one wing unfolding to lay over her shoulders. "Right now, this isn't who you are, you hear me?"

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 1:18 pm

She wrapped her arms around Nailah and squeezed. "How do you know?"

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 1:24 pm

"Because something like that is inside all of us. It's what gives us strength when we need it. It's what keeps us alive when we're in a bad place and the rest of us wants to give up. But it's also what tempts us with it's strength because the more you let it out the harder it becomes to pull it back in."

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 1:30 pm

Miranda seemed to be mulling that over. "Why now though?"

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 1:35 pm

"You're still rediscovering yourself. Maybe it surfaced because we restored the balance in your mind or maybe you're angry at Black Air?"

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 1:40 pm

"It's just... scary," she said, glancing at the notebook still open on Nailah's desk.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 1:45 pm

"I know..."

"Here, let me show you something." she says, walking over to her desk and unlocking a drawer, pulling out her own well-worn journal.

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 1:53 pm

Miranda stays close to her as they move, reaching out to flip her own journal closed as she looks at Nailah's.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:04 pm

"I want to show you a prophecy I'd seen about myself." she says and flicks through the pages until she comes to one that is almost entirely black from the almost frantic-looking sketching on it. Only the middle remains somewhat clear, depicting a vague figure surrounded by the darkness, wings vaguely visible behind it. On the page next to it Nailah wrote down something that almost reads more like an actual diary-entry than her usual prophecies. It's dated at about a year ago.

"A thick, black cloud swirled before my eyes, and my mind told me that in this cloud, unseen as yet, but about to spring out upon my appalled senses, lurked all that was vaguely horrible, all that was monstrous and inconceivably wicked in the universe. Vague shapes swirled and swam amid the dark cloud-bank, each a menace and a warning of something coming, the advent of some unspeakable dweller upon the threshold, whose very shadow would blast my soul."

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:05 pm

"That's..." Miranda seems to not be able to find the words.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:15 pm

"Horrible. It's alright, you can say it. I'm not proud of who I've been at times but denying it doesn't make it go away. I don't have to like that this is a part of me..." she says, nodding towards the page, "...but I have to recognize it so it can lend me strength when I need it without letting those feelings take over."

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:18 pm

Miranda seems to be slightly calmer now. "How do you keep it from taking over?"

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:27 pm

"I suppose you could call it prayer, in a way. I remind myself of Sekhmet and that for all her bloodlust she's still the Arbiter of Ma'at and as her priestess I have to hold myself to that."

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:32 pm

Miranda nodded and bit her lip as she thought about that. "I suppose that makes sense. I'm still figuring out that prayer thing."

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:44 pm

"You have to find what works for you. I just don't want you to be scared of this." she says, glancing at Miranda's journal. "Just because it might be there doesn't mean it has to be who you are at all."

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:44 pm

"Even if it's the future?"

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:48 pm

"I will do whatever I can to make sure it isn't. I promise."

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:50 pm

"I trust you," she said, giving Nailah another hug.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:57 pm

She smiles and holds Miranda tight. "Do you think this was a vision of the future then?"

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 3:04 pm

"I don't know how I'd tell the difference. There wasn't a lot of detail other than the figure."

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 3:06 pm

"Well, for one I think it's fairly obvious that it isn't who you are now." she smiles.

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 4:30 pm

"Okay," she says, though it isn't clear that she buys that.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 4:35 pm

"It's certainly not how Sam or I see you."

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 4:53 pm

"That means a lot," she said, finally smiling.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 5:13 pm

"And remember, no one can decide who you are for you."

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 5:25 pm

"I will, Mom,"she says, "You probably need to get back to your grading." She glances at the pile of essays.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 5:56 pm

She sighs. "I do. But I'm glad you came to me with this."

by **Miranda Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 5:59 pm

"I should be done with my homework this afternoon if you want me to have dinner with you," she said, giving Nailah a kiss on the cheek.

by **Nailah Weaver** » Mon Jun 09, 2014 6:11 pm

"Absolutely. We'll see you then." she smiles.

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