milliways_bar | (no subject)

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The door to Milliways opens, and someone steps in, carefully shutting the door after. At first, all anyone could tell is that this...person is tall, wearing what looks like dark pants and a white shirt, and is covered with a thin rime of frost. Dark brown eyes blink, carefully taking in the surroundings.

One hand scrapes up and over face and hair, then joined by the other, slowly brushing off the ice.

Ambriel steps forward, winding through the tables and chairs to stand in front of the observation window, and places one hand against the glass. The angel stares out at the end of the universe with an indecipherable expression.

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"Quite," Ambriel says with a smile. Elrond clearly understands the value of both Names and Choices, which puts him pretty squarely in the angel's good books, for now.

"From where do you hail?"

"My world is Arda, or Arda Marred, and the part where my own home, Imladris, lies is called Middle-earth," Elrond replies.

"And yourself?" There's a lot of power there. He can feel it even though he cannot name it. Still, beings here tend to be amiable to questions and it would be a shame to miss an opportunity to learn.

"I have no specific home world. I came here from my assignment, where I was tending young stars."

'Space' and 'nebulas' may or may not mean anything to him. Judging someone by how they are dressed would probably not be wise, in a place like Milliways.

"Tending young stars?" he asks, a clear note of awe in his voice.

"Where I am from there are tree-herds who protect the trees and guide their growth. But I have never heard of those who tend to stars. Except Varda of course."

"I have been a long way from any world with sentient life for some time. What are Varda?"

Ambriel is lucky Elrond has children (and a lot of patience). It might be all questions all the time for a while.

He smiles. "Varda is a she. The Queen of the Stars. She made them when the Elves first came into being so that we might have light. And for that we still love and revere her."

He has endless stores of patience for questions. At least from those who wish to learn.

"Ah, of course." Understanding of the name comes slower to Ambriel, being as Varda is not a part of the angel's familiar universe. But it does come, after Elrond's explanation.

"It is fitting." Stars are worth reverence.

"It is," Elrond agrees gravely. "Many of us have names that show this respect. My own name means Vault of Stars, my king was named Radiant Star, and so on."

"What brings you to Milliways?" Finding out why everyone comes here will likely be almost as interesting as hearing about all the worlds.

"Or perhaps a better question is why you stay. I understand coming here is sometimes an accident."

Elrond thinks it over. Carefully.

At last, he answers, "I buy time I think. I will have to leave my home soon but coming here I stretch the time till the final goodbye."

"A worthy cause. Why must you leave?" Elrond seems...well, not distinctly or obviously sad. Perhaps a little melancholy. What is stopping him from staying?

"Our time is over. The Fourth Age is upon us and it will be the Age of Men. I shall travel West to our old lands and be reunited with my wife again and for that I am happy. But I built my home and it pains me to leave it."

There's a pause.

"My daughter will stay behind. My sons have yet to decide."

There's definitely pain in that.

"My sympathies. It is never easy to leave those you love behind. Will you and your daughter meet again?"

And it sympathy, or empathy, that Ambriel is showing, with an intense and direct gaze.

He shakes his head. "No. The paths of elves and men are separate, for when the die they move beyond the circles of the world into mystery whereas my kind is tied to Arda."

"I am sorry. It is little wonder that you spend what time you can, here. Have you learned anything new, here?"

Ambriel decides that continuing such a sensitive topic with a near stranger would probably be rude. The topic change is obvious, but sincerely curious.

He is more than willing to go along with a conversational seagueway and so he answers the question with a smile, "Not a visit passes without me learning several things. It is one of the things I enjoy about this place. For example, I do not believe that I have met such a one as you. Exactly."

"Then we are even," Ambriel says with a smile. "I am an angel. I don't know if your world has an equivalent, but I have been informed that there are others like myself here, that I have not met."

Elrond considers this. "What are your people like?" he asks. That will give him a better chance of answering.

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