ꙮ At the Obsidian Road. Overnight, the obsidian frame that you’ve stepped through to travel to Almachadta, to Samudra, and to the Beast, has milked over with a gentle white-gold light.
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#full cast session
#yazhn ravhi
#qarina
#dyu
#chapter 5: mu
is up early–having slept, perhaps, rather restlessly. His traveling gear is already packed and ready to go.
: “Well, that’s convenient,” she says. Her arms are full with bundles of white silk, stacked almost comically high in her arms.
is sitting against the ziggurat, waiting for the rest of Emberlight to wake. They’re trying to carve something, but mostly playing with Casid.
glances over at Salme. “Desert gear, eh?”
is trying to prevent Lucxja from doing anything productive at all by virtue of being tiny and full of energy, as kittens are apt to do.
grins at Wolf over the top of her piles of silk. “Yup! Xilai gave me some advice on the construction. I could make them better, but I didn’t have time to hand-weave everything. Bazaar-bought will have to do.” She somehow uses one of her hands to reach into the pile and toss a bundle at Wolf.
eagerly drinks of the fresh, flowing water from the spring that maneuvers around the ziggurat. The bottle with the contents of the Sweet Tea have been sequestered into its own flask which rests in his room at the ziggurat, and he now fills the empty bottle with some of that same water. The ale has long been drunk, and now in that bottle is also water. The third bottle? That’s pure voidpossibility. Don’t drink that.
catches the bundle, and busies himself unfolding it and wrapping it around his shoulders. “So…shouldn’t there be something we have to do or overcome to get through the portal?”
glances from the already linked gate and Wolf once or twice, then shrugs. “Seems like it’s already done to me.”
: “Despair not when life becomes easy.”
ꙮ I think you’ve done and overcame quite a lot already just to get here!
: “I’m not despairing,” Wolf grumbles. “…I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
: “I think I heard a morse code message through the portal after it became white, though.”
: “Really? What did it say?”
: “Decoded, it said…”
: “Huh? When?”
emerges from the ziggurat, bleary-eyed but excited. “Are we really ready to hit the road so soon? I wouldn’t object to another night or three in those beds.”
takes out a crumped piece of paper from his pocket, unfurls it, and reads from it:
: “‘Do… one hundred… pushups…’”
looks to Wolf.
shakes his head.
blinks in confusion–and then glowers at the Awoken. “You’re very funny.”
chuckles, leaning against the portal frame. “As if it would even be that hard for you, honestly.”
cackles as he crumples up the paper and discards it into the void.
watches as Wolf unfolds the silken cloak. It’s not in the style of an Almachadtan cloak—it’s closer to what might be described as a burnoose, with a deep hood and a draping front that covers the entire body. There are two layers of nearly transparent white silk, for maximum dramatic billowing—the bottom layer has been hemmed with stitches of pellucid-infused silk, for cooling; the top with radiant, for protection. Between the shoulder blades is shimmering embroidery in white thread—a thirteen-sided stone, wreathed in flame, with six rays of light radiating from it.
snorts as the Awoken tosses the paper–and then looks down at the desert cloak, smoothing it down admiringly. “Bazaar-bought as this might be, they’re beautiful. And functional, it seems.”
quickly chucks the cloaks at each person who appears. There are tiny little considerations for each of them—and extra layer in the front of Luĉja’s, to keep sand out of their gears, manifold pockets for Archie, extra earroom for Aurelius in the hood. “I can dye them later, if you don’t like the white.”
gives Wolf a grinning thumbs up. “I mean, I did the sewing and spun the thread for the gnosis-work.”
: “Man, we don’t have waste management here, don’t litter.” Aurelius points at the crumbled papers and ignites it.
ꙮ Well, the silk was bought at the bazaar, but the cloaks– yes. Archie’s has pockets!
ꙮ Oh, she mentioned that.
grins back. “I wondered if I detected a certain expert touch.”
: “Oh, it looks amazing- and gnosis weaved? Truly you spoil us.”
: “Thank you, Friend-Salme. These will be most helpful traveling a desert.”
smiles at both Salme and NIP. “A fact for which I’m very grateful, of course!”
frowns at Awa. “Yeah, you really shouldn’t litter.” Then takes a moment to preen a little from the praise for the cloaks.
considers and inspects the cloak for a few moments, before nodding to Salme and slipping it on over his gear.
ꙮ Almost -cold-, while you’re here in the Obsidian Road, where it touches your skin, but shortly? One imagines it will come in handy indeed.
slips on her own cloak. She’s still wearing her outfit from the Beast under it, but she’s taken time to braid her hair back into a complex, five-stranded braid, threaded with cooling, pellucid-infused crystals.
laughs. “I’ll have to be more specific in my discarding!” He dons the cloak, securing the hood over his head, his hair framing his face. He places thin, dark-tinted goggles over the hood, resting them up on his forehead for now, likely to be lowered after they are exposed to brilliant elements.
ꙮ Anyways, once all of your preparations are complete. The portal to the Beast didn’t require that much coaxing, either, did it?
looks over at the portal, suddenly–head cocked to one side in the mannerism you’re all now quite used to: the look he gets when he hears something no one else can. “We should depart.”
: “(Well maybe at least something will get progressively easier),” she murmurs.
: “I mean, there was some visible tuning, but. Yeah.” Aurelius rolls a shrug and then steps through the portal, rather than standing around talking about going through it even longer.
: “Open the path, and walk with bravery!”
: “I’m ready to go-OH!” Somehow while attempting to lean back against the frame of the portal again, he missed a corner and fell straight through with a squeaky - which is to say, dignified - yelp.
: “Fear not the light that burns, for we have been touched with far worse.”
: “Well then. We go to where none of our homes are.” Luĉja follows suit, and walks through.
blinks as Aurelius charges through, and then as Archie falls through. “Oh for all the little gods…” And he heads through on Luc’s heels.
waits until she’s the last one, and then says, maybe to nothing, “See you later, Ember,” then steps through.
dramatically billows his new cloak as he picks up the rear, head held high.
ꙮ Aurelius is the first through, followed closely by a startled, yelping Kushtaka, and then the rest. On the other side of the portal is sand, and heat, and if it were just the sand and the heat, it would be downright comfortable for at least one of you, and manageable for the others, not much worse than most of the Deepforge. Yet – ⁂
ꙮ You’re in the shade of a white marble ruin, buried in the sands. Half a wall rises up on one side, an edge that must have once been broken and shattered, weathered by deep time. The wall does not give you any shade. ⁂
ꙮ The sun burns, overhead; it burns down on you, its light is a thing it is doing to you, to your skin, to your bodies. Lucxja, for all that you don’t have skin - everywhere that’s not covered by the cloak that Salme made feels– you can feel an incredibly thin layer of rust immediately beginning to form as its light hits you. Not thick enough that it’d be visible, even after a day out in it, maybe not even after a week- but you can still feel it, profoundly viscerally. The rest of you… do not have that level of sensory detail over your own composition, so all you feel is the oppressive, angry heat. It is not nearly as bad as the Sun That Burns, in the Library - it is tolerable - but it is not pleasant. ⁂
ꙮ There is a natural path leading up out of the ruins, between two dunes. 🙧
: “I do not like this place. I will need to fashion gloves and some form of footwear.”
: “Yeah, it sucks. Looking for the exit gate coordinates ASAP.”
, who has braced for the Sun That Burns, finds–not pleasantly, but not unpleasantly–that it’s “merely” a physical burning. “Up the path, then? We need a better sense of where we are, and if any shade is near.”
adjusts his sunglasses and pulls the hood a little lower, waiting for the rest of the group to cross the portal and take a moment to adjust to the environment before setting down the pathway.
: “It seems the best way for us at present.”
rights himself and quickly shakes off any sand from his fur and cloak. “No objections here. I’m curious about the ruins, but I won’t be able to tell anything from them until I have more context, anyway.”
squints in the light. “For once, Aury’s sunglasses are justified.” She pulls her hood down even deeper, and immediately starts walking after Aurelius.
immediately shifts his goggles down. “Wheeeeeeeeeew~! This cloak helps, but…” He raises a hand above himself and snaps his fingers, attempting to create a tenebrous disc that shields him from the light above.
nods at Luc. “Follow Aury, then. I’ll bring up the rear.”
, out of mild curiosity, attempts to draw burning gnosis into herself like she did in the Cathedral, to become more like fire.
: “Whatever it burns with, is hostile. I can feel my shell degrading.”
ꙮ You crest the path, and you see– sand, in every direction. White, sere sand, a still ocean of it, dotted with occasional white ruins, sticking up out of the sand like bones. In the distance - the fairly far distance - there is a white-walled city, with an enormous steep white pyramid rising up out of it. For all the unpleasantness of the light, the sand itself, the desert, is hauntingly lovely.
- You hear — and your Star hears — a song, echoing from the stillness: The Holy Land
: “Well, at least the direction to go in seems obvious.”
ꙮ Salme - it helps with the heat, but not the light. Awoken - you’re onto something; the disc provides a little shade. (But you couldn’t share it with anyone.)
: “Aye. As fast as possible.” He glances at Salme as he tugs the burnoose’s hood closer around his face–until just his eyes are visible, and those still shaded. “I am quite glad of your forethought.”
: “As am I. Apparently there are very good reasons to be fully clothed.”
ꙮ We knew we’d find them eventually!
makes sure to lift his feet as he walks, he doesn’t want to get sand in his boots. “Extremely curious on how the locals deal with it!” He’s already pulling from one of the bottles of water.
: “And, shitty sun aside, the music’s at least nice.” He squint into the far distance, doing some mental calculations, before reaching into the nothing by his side, digging around a bit, then pulling out a white parasol with light blue lace around the edges and pops it open.
ꙮ Parasol’s a good shout! Mundane solutions can and will take the edge off.
ꙮ Also, it’s adorable!
finds that it’s the light that bothers her more anyway and drops the attempt. “Thank you.”
: “I don’t suppose you have another of those, Aurelius?” Archie’s fur gives him some amount of relief, but even that’s not enough in the oppressive light and heat.
it’s not hard to notice that Wolf’s steps have already fallen into rhythm with Mu’s Worldsong. He keeps his eyes locked on the city, driving towards it as hard as fast as he can without leaving the others behind.
reaches up above her and while it would be easier if she had some actual cloth, imagines weaving a reflective shroud of radiant gnosis above her.
: “Hmm…”
keeps walking though. She can multitask, even if her arm might be getting a little singed.
ꙮ Aurelius, in the brief moment while you’re digging around for a second parasol, you realise that something’s in front of you. Despite that it’s not a road, something– something it’s next to impossible to look directly at, for any of the six of you, is in front of you on the pathway to the city, like it was waiting for you. ⁂
ꙮ It looks– like Nothing. Like a hole in the world. ⁂
: “…Doesn’t look like it, though I imagine it wouldn’t be too hard to make more when we get to the city market. Until then…” Aurelius tabs at his chin with a finger, then attempts to create a temporary copy of it using gnosis - he does utilize a similar combat rite after all.
: “Also uh hold up.”
holds up a hand, then stops walking, so he can stare into at the nothing.
holds up.
is patient while Aurelius stares into the nothing AND nonjudgmental about it.
blinks at the Nothing, stopped in his tracks.
ꙮ You try to look at it and your vision skips straight off it – there are no defined boundaries – and you feel doubt creep in, to the back of your mind. Doubt, uncertainty, lies, a sudden sharp inability to trust your own senses, or anything else you thought you knew to be true – but Aurelius has survived worse than that, by far, hasn’t he? ⁂
slowly crosses his eyes.
, for his part, thinks of ice-cold darkness and shadow-selves, grits his teeth, and stares straight at it, forcing his eyes onto target. “I. Am still. Here.”
mutters to himself, “I knew I should have picked up more slate tablets.” Suddenly, though, looking up to see why the others have stopped, it’s the last thing on his mind. He flicks his gnosis-lenses on and tries flickering through them rapidly, hoping to get a glimpse of something.
ꙮ But then it reaches out, with an almost-human appendage that stretches like a spiderwebbing crack in the world itself and pierces Aurelius through with itself, in an act of unmistakeable violence that, nevertheless, did not invoke the Rite. [Aurelius is knocked unconscious, immediately, and has been dealt a severe wound. Moreover, you find that you are incapable of engaging with this entity in a Rite. I’d like one post of reactions to these events, and then a moment.]
immediately attempts to engage in a Rite, swing a heavy fist at the…nothing-thing. “Just like the frogs. My mission remains, no matter what lies you whisper.”
’s eyes go wide with shock–for a moment he’s frozen–and then his naginata is in his hand, with a whirl of fire, and he charges to stand, legs braced, between the Nothing and Aurelius, naginata up and flaming blade pointed at the Nothing in a defensive stance.
immediately kicks off from the sand, dashing forward with a twist, and thrusts a hand along with the twirl- immediately trying to gnosis-wrestle with the attempting crack, tenebrously surging forth and attempting to trap it there with us.
is no longer too hot, or hot at all—she suddenly feels very, very cold. She goes to her knees next to Aurelius, grabs the parasol to hold it above the most unprotected part of his body, and sends pellucid gnosis through him, trying to understand to the wound, to see if it’s something she can heal. To see if he’s stable. To see how severe the damage is.
ꙮ It’s very severe, Salme, but you do know how to keep him stable. For a little while, at least. And you do.
rushes forward to Aurelius’s side opposite Salme, willing the abundant radiant gnosis to mix with flourishing, guided by pellucid, then into Aurelius - anything he can think of from his time spent studying basic self-healing for his expeditions, trying to get him to his feet.
pours everything she has into this work. Reaches out for Archie’s paw and weaves their gnoses together, almost unthinking.
ꙮ As the two of them weave a cocoon around Aurelius’ body - he will not die, at least not yet, not while the gnosis flows - there is a primal yell, from out of sight behind the entity.
: “DYU! OVER HERE! Found what we’re looking for and they’ve got company!” A slight, young girl is barrelling through the sands. Her hood has fallen back, the hostile sun shining on her platinum blonde hair and eyes full of as much anger as the sun overhead. She barrels into the …nothingness, and swings a giant, two handed hammer into it. It’s hard to follow, but you’re pretty sure there’s a really big part of nothingness that’s back to regular nothingness, and not the scary kind. “God’s armpit, you were hard to find. Where did you even come from?”**
ꙮ Her hammer slams into it, viciously, once again without the context of a Rite; when her hammer lifts there simply is no longer a hole in reality. And then, from behind -her-:
rushes in and hastily kneels by the side of the wounded traveler. “Please, allow me.” he says to the pair guarding him. He takes the a hand of the man and cups it within his own, closing his eyes, reaching deep into the well of the radiant gnosis with him. He speaks, words melodic, and full of light. As he does, you can see the shimmering glow of radiant gnosis surrounding them both. “Retrace…and spin…the thread of memory, even if a thousand men forget, the beauty you once were. Cast off your withered body, and be reborn. Bathed in the God’s eternal light, may your wounds be nevermore!” With those last words, the gnosis flares brilliantly. You can see the wound stitch itself back together, slowly, meticulously, leaving the barest of scars. The damage to the clothing, however, his magic cannot heal that.
makes a mental note to remind Qarina to not swear the God’s name.
turns his head slightly, whispering. “Withered body? You don’t think he means…?”
does move aside, but not far, and her eyes do not leave Yazhn Dyu’s face as he works whatever miracle he works. Nor does she stop touching Aurelius’ hand, even if she slows her own gnosis to a trickle so as to not interfere.
ꙮ Light spills out of Dyu’s gold-scaled hands, into Aurelius, and Salme and Archie can feel it do what they’ve never, in their lives, felt healing gnosis able to do- it’s like the damage to him never even happened. Aurelius, you come to– the last thing you recall is the entity crackling towards you. But you feel… great? 🙧
rises slowly from his defensive stance–naginata still very present, and still very afire, even if the point is lowered. “What in all the little–“ He catches himself, and just stares at where the Nothingness used to be, then turns to look at Aury, relaxing only once he sees the wound has been thoroughly healed. “Hrm. Your help is much appreciated, friends.”
: “Out of context problems don’t need to play by local rules, good to know.”
finally takes his paws off him and stands, giving him and Salme some room. “Out of context problems? I take it you know what that might have been?”
: “We will need to be far more careful here. How was there no Rite preceding that?”
frowns as his tenebrous grasp finds a disappointing nothing, and he waves an arm to dispel the gnosis. He turns to Qarina (not that he knows their name). “Hey! That was a solid set of hits there!”
: “I mean it was a hostile hole in reality.”
sits up.
looks to Salme and Archie, though he does not know their names yet. “You two were able to keep him stable long enough for me to come to his aid. I thank you both.”
hands Aurelius his parasol back. She’s staring at him, taking inventory of everything.
nods brusquely to Yazhn Dyu, and then reaches up to remove Aurelius’ sunglasses, to look into his eyes. “It’s you, right? Aurelius?”
: “That’s an Elemental. Nasty screaming monster things that attack people out doing The Work. Come on, follow us. I don’t know if they can see you or smell you or both, but there’ll be more of them soon.” She starts walking before stopping and turning back. “Sorry, forgot. I’m Qarina, and this is Dyu. We got sent out to look for something, and we found you!”
grimaces, closing his eyes and pulling back before lowering the glasses again. “Yes.”
turns to Dyu, “Teacher will know what to do for ‘em, right?”*”
stands and offers him her hand up.
: “I’m not sure if it was screaming- I mean, we sure didn’t see or smell or both them either, but I doubt there’s an enemy we ultimately cannot best!”
nods to Qarina. “Aye, that he will.*
: “And I thank you for doing that which I was uncertain we could alone. My name is Archie. I would be grateful to meet your Teacher!”
gets back up, dusting himself off.
maybe didn’t need to offer her hand and just. Shoves her arms back beneath her cloak. “I’m Salme. It’s Aurelius you just saved. Wolf, Luĉja, Archie, Awoken,” she says, nodding to each of them in turn.
nods, as their name is spoken.
looks deeply unsettled for a moment, then shunts it down behind the calm yeresh mask. “Aye. There will be more time for pleasantries when we’re out of the sun, I think.”
starts walking towards Qarina. She’s eager to get the fuck out of here.
frowns at the hole in his armor. “Ugh already need to do repairs.”
nods. “I’m glad you’re not dead, though!”
smiles at Archie. “I am called Yazhn Dyu, and it is my pleasure. I am a a healer, so it is my specialty. Pleased to make your acquaintance!*
ꙮ Two things.
: “Yeah, that’d making getting out of the sun a bit harder.”
nods to everyone in turn. “A pleasure”
ꙮ One, Dyu, you could probably summon enough hippalectria for everyone to get back to the city sooner rather than later, right? Two: as Qarina turns, you can see that her shadow does not stretch out behind her, as normal shadows might; it is upright, it walks closely by her side, it casts itself over her, protectively.
: “You have something following you, by the way,” he remarks to Qarina.
: “I mean, you probably know a lot more about Dyu and hippalectria than we do.”
reaches back into the well of gnosis within him, and traces a pattern into the air, you can faintly see the trail of light following his finger…
: “I’m pretty sure you’re all following me?”
: “Oh, yeah, but I mean, your shadow.”
: “It’s following you following you.”
: “Ohh yeah. That’s my Shade. He’s like my brother. Most people only have normal shadows, but they made me special.”
ꙮ A sigil that looks like feathers, like wings, like speed itself - and it expands, widens, wide enough for something to run right through - and then something does, or rather, four things do, creatures made of light that are like if a horse were also a bird, or a bird were also a horse - shimmering outlines of feathers, bright eyes, sharp beaks. One of them kneels down by every two of you, and Qarina and Dyu hop on the back of the fourth.
hops onto one of the creatures. “Bird-swifts, perhaps?”
hops on the one nearest to her.
hops on behind Salme.
blinks–and just a bit of his usual good humor sparkles in his eyes. “Well. We’ll see if they run as well as swifts…” And he mounts one with a graceful swing up.
: “Yeah, they’re pretty fast. Hang on tight once you get on!”
gives one of the kneeling things a comforting pat, before hopping on towards the front! “Hey there, horsebird!”
delicately reaches a hand out, approaching the beak. “Hey little fella! Hi! Oh hello there!” Does he dare try to pet it? He does.
relaxes just a bit at feeling Aurelius settle behind her and reaches up to touch the … mane or feathers? Whatever crests the neck of theirs.
: “What do these…hippalec..tra? eat?”
ꙮ They’re definitely fiends, as you get close, but Archie’s does nuzzle him affectionately before he hops on, anyway.
: “Are we headed toward the city?” She looks like she’s about to dig her knees in and start going if they don’t all start moving soon.
: “They eat magic. And they are quite friendly!*
ꙮ You are, in fact - once all of you are successfully on hippalectria-back, the four of them take off towards the city! They’re… they are VERY fast. They are not as fast as swifts. Nothing, you think, in any world, could be as fast as swifts. But they are very fast.
nods to Salme, “Sure are. Not really any other options.”
ꙮ The City approaches in the distance. White walls with the main gate looking out onto the desert from which you’re approaching; you can see the faint hints of green on either side of the city, stretching out in a wide fan in its wake.
isn’t interested in racing at the moment, but you wouldn’t know it from the speed with which she urges their mount on.
ꙮ The hippalectria responds by speeding up with a proud, haughty ‘kweh’, and Salme and Aurelius get to the city gates first; the other three fiend-birds took that as a challenge, and sped up to match, so they’re not far behind.
tries to help cut the heat from the air as they blast through the dunes, deflecting the heat with shearing burning gnosis.
squints at the green. Vegetation? In this climate? He supposes that life finds a way.
does take the time to take in the view as they approach–pensive, quiet, but taking it all in nonetheless.
touches her hippalectria and … offers it a snack of the burning gnosis coiled inside her.
ꙮ It definitely seems to appreciate the offering! Once all of you are off them, though, Dyu gently touches a clawed hand to each of their beaks, and they’re dispersed in motes of light. The gates open: ⁂
ꙮ A wide avenue, leading directly from the main gate to the City to the enormous pyramid at its heart. White stone buildings, built against the sun and the heat; stubborn palm trees that grow despite the sun’s vicious light. Public fountains, at regular intervals, some designed for drinking from, some designed for walking directly under if the heat demands it, some designed, seemingly, for beauty and beauty alone as its own kind of refreshment.
ꙮ As soon as you pass through the gates, you know that you are Safe, Now; that those entities - the Elementals, Qarina called them - cannot follow you, here. 🙧
: “Hmm…”
steps through the gate into the wide avenue. It’s the safety she wanted, and she does breathe easier once inside. She looks to their hosts.
takes a deep breath, in and out, feeling his shoulders deflate.
tilts her head in Aurelius’ direction. “What’re you thinking?”
stops to take a look around, marveling at the stonework.
feels his shoulders unknot, a little, as they pass the city threshold. But his gaze drifts further into the city, and not all of the tension disappears.
pulls his hood back and dunks his head under one of the water fountains that shoots water up into the air.
sucks in air through his teeth, and then exhales sharply, loosing a “Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa–!” as though he were a kettle releasing steam. “An oasis for the soul, that people persist under the harsh world!”
smiles warmly to their guests. “Welcome to the City. Please do not worry, you are safe within these walls.”
ꙮ The stonework is marvelous. Something about it reminds you of Xilai’s work, in the caves - the meticulous attention to detail, the functional beauty of it all. Not particularly adorned but it doesn’t need to be.
: “Does the City have a name?”
looks a little perplexed. “Yeah. It’s The City.”
chuckles, softly.
: “How many The Citys are there?”
drops her head a little and shifts to one side, like she’s talking to a crazy person. “How…do you not know….nevermind. It’s The. City. It’s the only city.”
ꙮ There’s some people on the streets - in the middle of midday, with the Sun directly overhead, there’s not many of them, though. A group of older teenagers scurrying from one building to another, clearly trying to make good time, being watched over by a Kin, all of them in white cloaks quite a lot like yours, although the humans have a couple brightly-colored sashes decorating the outside of their robes.
rolls his head around his neck. “Wow, small world.”
: “Oh, did you guys not get the message that you were picking up visitors from another plane?”
looks up to the narrator. “So… a Kin?”
snorts softly. “Well, that’s one way to rip a bandage off, Aurelius.” He doesn’t sound annoyed or chastising, just amused.
: “It is the only city here, so we call it simply, The City. It is, as it has always been.”
leans over and whispers, ““Dyu, what’s a plane? Did they teach you that in Yazhn school?“*
: “Hmm.”
ꙮ Like Yazhn Dyu, like Xilai - gold-scaled, bright-eyed, not ‘a strange kind of metahuman’ at all, as it turns out.
shakes it off. “No, we didn’t know we were getting visitors. Which seems impossible, by the way. We should probably have you meet with Teacher. He might be able to answer that question?”
: “I really should have made that folio into a pamphlet …”
: “Yes, we should meet with your Teacher,” Wolf says firmly. “And get out of this sun.”
: “(I mean… we can go back and forth on ‘strange,’ but I getcha.)”
nods with agreement to Wolf’s statement, feeling like his skin is starting to sizzle under his fur.
: “…Okay, well, if you weren’t waiting in that specific location looking for something at the precise time we showed up on orders from uh… What was his name again?” Aurelius tilts his head towards Wolf.
finds one of the fountains meant for drinking from and does go ahead and get a hand-cupfull of water and has a drink. How’s it fare?
ꙮ It’s really crisp and refreshing!
whispers back to Qarina, “I am not familiar with the meaning of that word in this context. Also, it’s not “Yazhn School, it is The Golden Path. Please put the proper respect on it.”*
rolls her eyes.
just gives an unimpressed look at Aurelius, like…’now we’re going to dig our way out of this?’ “May I ask your Teacher’s name?” He’s got a suspicion.
in her direction, under his breath, “I saw that.”
: “Something like ravioli…?”
gives yet another flat look at Aury. “Ravioli? Really? He’s not a piece of pasta.“*
: “Be a lot yummier if he was…”
: “Yazhn Ravhi.”
: “That’s why I asked!”
: “Yeah, that.”
: “It’s in the traveler’s guide!”
: “Anyway if that’s not what ya’ll were doing there, what were you looking for?”
to Aurelius, glossing over the word he does not know, “Our Teacher, he is called Yazhn Ravhi. He is the highest of our order”
closes his eyes briefly, and takes a deep breath. “I see. Then please, take us to him. It is he that we are here to speak with.”
ꙮ As you speak, the buildings get older and – not fancier, exactly, although there’s some gold decorations on some of them. More formally-purposed, perhaps? Some more people, darting around, also, a few of whom nod politely to the eight of you (or, perhaps, to Yazhn Dyu, and the rest of you are just Also There.)
: “Honestly, we weren’t completely sure. Teacher told us something was wrong and which way to go. I just figured it was gonna be Elementals again.”
: “Aha.”
: “Well it sounds like it was Elementals again. Making things very wrong for us in particular.”
he nods and smiles at Wolf, as reassuringly as he can. “That is where we are headed now.” he also smiles and nods to the people in reply as they pass.
does take a moment to give Wolf an Encouraging Squeeze on the Shoulder.
nods politely, but also waves gregariously, and raises part of his goggles to wink salaciously.
: “Oh, good.” Strangely, his voice is perhaps not as enthusiastic as his words. He gives a wan smile to Salme, pats her hand.
observes the architecture with interest, surmising that they are moving to the oldest surviving part of the city, imagining what the ruins must have looked like in their heyday.
ꙮ A couple of people - several people, honestly - wink salaciously right back.
ꙮ There’s a massive temple facade built into one side of the pyramid that Dyu and Qarina are leading you towards. Huge white stone columns that look like they must have been carved out of spolia from the kinds of ruins you arrived within, a wide ramp leading into the temple, and a large public space open to the air, but in the shade of the temple, past that, with a couple of booths selling food and refreshments. ⁂
picks up the pace somewhat at the smell of new foods to try, nose twitching as he snoofles the air.
: “Food stalls inside the temple…”
ꙮ There is a gently pulsing knot of gnosis hanging in the air, though; that’s the first thing that you notice. And as you approach, it gently dissolves. [You may now open the Kinder, Gentler Path leaving Mu. You have the strangest feeling that, once you do so, you will not be able to return with any alacrity.] 🙧
raises her eyebrows. “(Easier and more difficult, hm?)”
: “…Wow, that was comically easy.”
: “Uh… huh!” He blinks a few times.
: “And also in another temple.”
stops dead still for a moment, not even a single clink of a gear.
finger guns in Salme’s direction with a nod.
blinks at that knowledge too–shivering, despite the heat, as a frisson crawls up his spine.
looks at Aurelius “That…can’t be right? Can it?”
: “No, it lines up? They’re usually in something Temple-esq.”
: “The temple thing seems significant. I don’t think it’s our sign to leave, necessarily, but it does suggest that this is a place of power. And if there’s anything we need to see or know while we’re here, the existence of unknown beings called Elementals that we can be hurt by without a Rite seems… not insignificant.”
: “Sometimes… the journey is easy!” he says, with a wild grin.
: “So easy Aurelius almost fucking died, yeah!” she agrees.
shakes his head, and turns back towards the temple. “Nevertheless, I, for one, am not ready to leave yet. I think we must reserve our speculation about this for later.”
: “He got better!” he looks to Aurelius for some sort of agreement.
: “I duno about you but I feel better than I have in, uh, ever? So. Yeah, pretty easy.”
: “We should investigate, I agree.”
smiles and nods, and gives a thumbs up!
ꙮ Dyu, Qarina - the two of you know just where to lead the six of them. In through the main gate, and then– at this time of day, Ravhi will have just finished with having led Songs, and most people might not know where to find him, but both of you do.
opens her mouth to argue several points, then clearly swallows them in favor of a bright smile that would be convincing if you didn’t know her well.
smiles to himself, hearing Aurelius’ words, glad to have been able to heal him.
glances at Salme, sees her expression, files that away for later in the ‘problems he can’t fix right now’ category, and follows Dyu and Qarina resolutely.
squints up at NIP.
: “(They’re doing it again.)”
does the same as Wolf, but not without a quick squeeze of her shoulder. He was right beside her, felt the gnosis find little purchase on Aurelius’s wound. He knows as well as anyone how bad things could have been.
ꙮ And so Emberlight is led to a chamber off the beaten path, somewhat - there’s a corridor with a floor worn down with age and time and countless feet, leading into a central area, and that’s not where you go - ⁂
ꙮ Ducking, instead, down a corridor and then another corridor, into a much smaller hallway, heavy with pleasant incense. (It smells distinctly reminiscent of the special blend Duskomira figured out for Xilai. She didn’t get it quite right, but she got it close.) The incense is coming from a burner set into a burning brazier, behind which is standing a Kin who - you can immediately draw a line between the specific ceremonial robes Dyu is wearing, and his, although his have distinct badges of ceremonial office. He’s staring into the fire, when Emberlight arrives, and breathing of the incense–
looks up, with a brief expression of relief, as if one of several things he’s worried about just got lifted from his shoulders, but he hides it almost immediately behind serenity as he steps out from behind the brazier, glancing over the six of you, one by one. Softly, immediately, to Emberlight, “Are you well?”
: “Right as rain.”
: “It’s a little hot out, and there’s invisible monsters, but other than that we’re peachy!”
: “With thanks to the well-timed intervention of these two, thankfully, yes.”
: “Confused, but well. Thank you.”
: “We’re here.”
stops basically dead in his tracks as he sees Ravhi in true flesh for the first time–leaving him at the back of the group, at the edge of the light cast by the brazier. He just…looks at the other, silently–as silent as he was in Sanctuary.
: “They were attacked by an Elemental, Teacher. Thankfully, we were able to intervene on their behalf.”
turns to Aurelius, “Did you send word in advance again? I was not expecting to be expected.”
: “No, I didn’t.”
lets his gaze linger on Wolf, hanging back at the edge of the light, for a second longer than the others, and his nictitating membranes blink, but - Dyu speaks, and he looks at his acolyte and to Qarina with immense, but shielded, pride. “Then you have both done very, very well in the Work.”
smiles, “Thank you, Teacher. We must all work together to build Him.”
can’t not meet Ravhi’s eyes directly with his wolf-green gaze, hanging there for a moment, breathing stuttering.
: “Did you dream of our arrival, Yazhn Ravhi? Do you know who we are?” She does note the way his gaze keeps returning to Wolf, but she is speaking more broadly.
smiles and bows to Yazhn Ravhi. “It is our honor, Teacher, to aid in the Work, as we do, and have done.”
puts a hand on Dyu’s shoulder, and looks like he has something else he needs to say to Dyu, but not here and not now when there are strangers to welcome. “There was a disturbance within the desert which I sent Qarina and Dyu to investigate. There was also… a disturbance, predicted by our Zvahr. I am glad that, instead of a disturbance, I may welcome travelers to the City. Please. Be welcome. Our food, our water, our shade and our comfort are yours.” A pause, containing Many Questions, but there are formalities of welcome that take priority. Over everything. His voice is stable and steady.
ꙮ And, also - when he addresses you -
- You hear — and your Star hears — a song, echoing from the stillness: Precisely Two Minutes of Utter Silence
pauses, folds his arms over his chest, begins to count.
listens intently.
blinks into the silence, and ducks his head, seemingly rubbing a sore, sun-burnt face, but in reality–from the way his shoulders shake–he is probably attempting not to burst into hysterical laughter at the absurdity.
: “…And done.”
looks at Archie. If they had eyebrows, they would betray their confusion.
watches the exchange between Dyu and Ravhi. She also has a couple questions she’d like to ask Yazhn Dyu, but not here or now.
: “Anyway did you just reveal some really interesting secret or information or -?”
: “It is eerily resonant with everything that’s been happening.”
: “Is it?”
tilts his head at Aurelius, very slightly. “No? I welcomed you to the City, strange travelers. Our ways may be different from yours, but I hope that we can provide you shade and comfort nevertheless.”
: “Yeah. Not a toe-tapper but a head-thinker.”
looks back at Luĉja, clearly seeking answers himself. “Your hospitality is appreciated, Yazhn Ravhí,” he finally says, putting his eidesis - and manners - to work.
: “…Oh were you not talking during those Precise Two Minutes Of Silence…? Hm.”
: “It was Utter Silence, Aury, nothing was being communicated. Or, well. ‘Nothing.’ Which is an important distinction!”
does not look completely lost. He is far too dignified to ever look completely lost. But he does, very very VERY briefly, shoot Qarina and Dyu the quickest ‘did you bring me a group of sun-addled fools’ look out of the very corner of his eye.
: “Right, I thought the world was having a laugh, by Ravhi conveying some important message but not letting us hear it.”
: “Maybe the important message was ‘fuck you, you aren’t getting answers here.’”
standing behind the group, Qarina is making gestures indicating that, yes. That’s exactly what just happened.
: “Forgive my friends, honored host. I’m sure some rest and refreshment will make them more suitable and gracious conversationalists soon enough.”
: “Oh, yeah, my manners, whoops.”
: “We thank you for your hospitality, Yazhn Ravhi. If you would be willing to indulge our curiosity…I am sure that you have as many questions for us, as we have for you.”
: “No. It probably won’t. I think we’re incurable at this point.” Flicks her gaze to Wolf. “Well, some of us might make a recovery.”
: “Hi!” He smiles and waves, raising his goggles from his eyes, pushing back the hood. “I’m The Awoken Prince. Pleased to meet you!”*
finally, quietly, steps forward into the light and takes a deep breath. There might well be no one else in the room but him and Ravhi, for all the attention he’s paying to the others. “Yazhn Ravhi. I bear a message for you.” His voice carries weight, somehow, the weight of who and what he is.
Gives Ravhi the quickest, ‘I cannot speak for these people, forgive me’ look.
looks like he was about to address the Awoken with a curious expression, but then Wolf starts talking, and whatever he was about to say just– he keeps it off his face, and responds, very neutrally, “I am listening.”
immediately snaps her head over to Dyu, her face asking “Did Teacher just pause?”
looks over to Qarina, just as surprised as she is. “He did, aye. I’ve…never seen that happen before.”
looks up into Ravhi’s eyes, steadily. “I bear a message from Rohsu Xilai, whose road has taken him far from these walls. He asked me to tell you that, though you have never met, you are always in his thoughts, and that he hopes your duty rests lightly on your shoulders. He bids me tell you…that he has not put down the Work, even after many years, and long distance.” Wolf’s chin comes up. “I can attest to the truth of this statement, Yazhn Ravhi.”
has eyes like dinner plates, looking frantically between Dyu and Ravhi.
his face seems to convey surprise, and a bit of wonder, that the stories he had heard of a Rohsu are, in fact, more than just stories.
tilts his head to the side, again, and one of his hands very, very briefly forms a fist– almost certainly, only Dyu and Qarina notice it - before very deliberately unclenching. He was listening, intently, to every single word. Softly: “I am glad that he is well. I am glad that he yet carries the Work.” And then a pause, and a step closer, near-involuntary. “Who… are you, to have spoken with him? He vanished before I was awakened. You are– you are all clearly not from here–“ -he blinks his nictitating membranes, again. There’s another question, but he hasn’t asked it yet.
: “You want to sit down for this one?”
: “It could prove helpful. Salme, I believe you prepared something for this type of scenario?”
pulls out a new tomestone and tosses it and the Traveler’s Guide to Qarina, who seems least likely to blue screen from interacting with them.
: “I will stand.” And he continues to address Wolf, directly.
: “Let our good yeresh speak for us first,” she says, nodding at Wolf, placing special emphasis on his title.
replies, softly but perfectly clearly. “We are travelers from far away, whose paths crossed his.” He glances at Dyu and Qarina, before returning his gaze to Ravhi. So be it. “From other worlds, Yazhn Ravhi.”
nods, reclining back on his heels.
: “God’s fingernails, what is this?” Qarina is somehow, no. Her Shade is holding a copy of the Almanac, her mouth completely agape, eyes blinking rapidly.
slips over next to Qarina, and shows her with a couple taps how to navigate the tomestone. She sets her screen to the folio of {So, Your World Is In Peril} first. “(This is probably most informative),” she whispers.
: “Weird information pamphlet and a communications device.”
softly repeats, “From other worlds. So it’s true.” And a pause, and a curious look– and Qarina’s blasphemy doesn’t even REGISTER, he’s thinking really hard, and taking a guess: “Which were once one with ours?”
sighs softly, and looks to Qarina. “Must I remind you not to swear on the God’s name -again-?”
: “Why am I in your book. Why is Teacher in your book. Why is Dyu in your book. Dyu not now, this is. This is crazy.*
cannot help but lean over, eyeing the object in her hands.
blinks, briefly, then…smiles, just a little, at Ravhi. A kind of pride, maybe. “Perhaps. We are not sure. Are…you?”
: “Yazhn Ravhi…how old is your world?”
: “Good question. No clue. Someone out there that knows a lot more about the world than we do has been keeping an eye on a lot of things, though.”
: “The pamphlet updates on its own volition.”
: “Or … someone’s volition.”
: “Fascinating…” he says in response to Salme.
smiles, just a little, at Wolf, too, you think. “I suppose if anyone may speculate concerning theological matters, it is I. The second article of faith is that our world was not always as it is, and will not always be as it is. That it was once a garden, and then was shattered. And there have been signs and portents.” And there is something behind the smile, and the speculation, that you can’t quite read the body language of. Something very like yereshly dignity, as Wolf would put it, keeping a lid on several things, but then he does catch Lucxja’s question, and takes a moment to gather himself. ⁂
goes up to Luĉja, “The book says you have a Little Hunter?” She points to the entry. “Can I see him?”
: “…Oh that’s interesting, Mu has better record of any plane so far if they knew the world used to be more and broke apart.”
, too, looks like he wants to ask a dozen questions, and is carefully sitting on all of them.
: “Qarina, have at least a smidge of decorum, please?”
shifts from foot to foot, gnawing at his bottom lip.
: “The Zvahr’s records and the oldest fieldstones go back more than 250,000 years. I could ask the Zvahr for a more precise answer, if that would help you…?”
laughs, and opens their cloak, letting Ĉasid pop out of a pocket lined with pellucid thread.
: “More than 250,000 years is already a fascinating starting point, but I for one would love to meet the Zvahr regardless.”
: “I wouldn’t say no to a more precise answer, but that is very helpful, yes, thank you.”
blinks at that statement. “I see. That is…in and of itself, fascinating information.”
keeps peering at Wolf every time he opens his mouth.
: “That’s a pretty long time.”
: “So…”
: “Do you know how Mu is going to be destroyed?” He asks, innocently, wide-eyed, curious.
catches one of the looks, and ducks his head and looks away briefly–though he seems to be smiling faintly when he does.
nods enthusiastically at Archie’s words. “Most everything we’ve found terminates at 250,000 years ago, or suggests that as a rough beginning point.”
places their faceplate in their hand.
meanwhile seems appreciative that Awa threw that one out there.
tenses slightly but says nothing. He’s curious, too, after all.
can’t help but give Ravhi a rather apologetic look that seems to say ‘Sorry, they’re…a lot.’
looks carefully at the Awoken Prince, and confidently states, “Mu is not going to be destroyed, traveler. Mu will become a garden, once the Work is complete, and all who once lived will live again. And until that day, we continue our Work.”
keeps her face carefully neutral. “Have you had any particular setbacks regarding that goal, though? Say … 1,296 years ago?”
turns to Awa, “(Think we’re gunna want the Survivor for that one.)”
: “You mentioned a series of disturbances.”
glances towards Salme, and replies warmly, “I will ask the Zvahr to consult our records, of course. I have been the Yazhn of Yazhn for many years, but not so many as to be able to answer such a question.”
: “Thank you, Yazhn Ravhi. I know our questions must seem strange, but we are seeking answers to a…strange and intricate problem.”
towards Lucxja: “Elementals growing restless, as of late. And then an upswelling of gnosis in the middle of the desert. Which turned out to be strangers to welcome, rather than an enemy to face.”
: “I gotta ask, why do you call concentrated nothingness ‘elemental’s?”
: “I gotta learn how to fight those things.” He turns to Qarina nad Yazhn Dyu, winking at them. “I’m counting on your guidance!”
: “And why do they not adhere to the Rite?”
: “Fighting Elementals is what I was made to do. I don’t know if I can teach you, but we can try!”
: “We will assist in any way we can.”
looks at Yazhn Dyu. “The incantation you used to heal Aury … ‘Retrace…and spin…the thread of memory, even if a thousand men forget, the beauty you once were. Cast off your withered body, and be reborn. Bathed in the God’s eternal light, may your wounds be nevermore!’ I’d like to know what those words mean. I have a … professional interest in both thread and memory.”
: “Hm. ‘concentrated nothingness’ is a good way to describe it. They are…” -he nods to Lucxja. “-they are primal, elemental forces of Mu that resist our Work, that would see Mu an eternal desert. Remnants of the God’s enemy whom He gave himself to defeat. They are… lies incarnate, living blasphemies against our faith. And if there is anything we can do to help you combat them, it would be to our benefit as well, and our distinct joy.”
: “Hmm, ah different meaning of elemental, okay.”
quirks a brow at that explanation of elementals. “(Interesting echo).”
: “So your God destroyed lies? Or lies are the remnants of what was destroyed. And for some reason, because they are lies, they must not conform to the Rite.”
: “I see. It was startling to us, to say the least, to learn that they can attack without triggering a Rite. I did not know such a thing was possible.” He grimaces. “It might be better to say that it was ‘disturbing.’”
: “It was, up until today, unimaginable to me.”
to Salme, “It is just an incantation, a formula. It is what I say when I channel my gnosis in that manner. It is…the words that came to me when I first learned to draw from the well of my gnosis to heal the wounds of others.”
: “Elementals are not as things ought to be. There is a battle knack by which one can trap them and bind them to a Rite; it cannot usually be taught to humans, but perhaps – you may be exceptions. We live in hope and certainty.”
: “I will instruct the Rohsu to try and teach you their skills.”
: “Is that healing spell something a human might learn as well?”
looks to Aurelius, “Perhaps we may Hunt on this world yet.”
: “We would be deeply grateful. As we are deeply grateful to you and yours–without the help of your students, we would have suffered a terrible loss.”
looks at Salme, and then at Dyu. “Would you be willing to help our new friend try to learn our ways of healing? You will be a teacher one day.” A slight, and personal, smile – he knows he’s setting Dyu to a challenge.
glances, again, towards Wolf. (His eyes seem to keep landing there, at least every time he says something.) “Then I am glad the embers gave me the premonition of danger that they did, when the gnosis began to swell.”
smiles back at his Teacher, with a nod that says ‘Challenge Accepted“. “It would be my honor, Teacher.”*
startles, just a bit. “The embers?”
nods understandingly to both Yazhn. “We appreciate your willingness to share your techniques with us, to the extent possible. I hope you will each find us to be capable students.”
does hear … not the reprimand in Wolf’s voice, there’s no reprimand, but the reminder. She curtsies, low. “I would be immensely grateful. I—none of us would have weathered that loss with any grace, but I worst of all. And if I am being curt, it is perhaps because I am still feeling the reverberations of what might have happened.”
gives Dyu a little smile, shy and a bit shaky.
nods to Lucja, belatedly.
from behind Salme, Qarina pantomimes Dyu, to try and get a rise out of him.
turns his attention to Salme, gently resting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright, Salme. None of us have had much chance to absorb that shock, that near miss. Much less yourself.”
softly, gravely: “It is not how I would have welcomed you to our world. We face many hardships, but we know many joys, and we keep each other in shade, and I would share with you our joys and our knowledge, since you’ve already known our world’s fears.”
Shoots Qarina a brief look full of daggers, then offers Salme his hand, with a warm smile. “Then full glad am I to have been able to prevent said loss, that heartache.”
gives Dyu a quick, quiet, radiantly proud glance.
: “Forgive me, Yazhn Ravhi, but I must ask–you say that…you scry in embers?” There’s something in his tone which suggests he considers the embers to be the important part of that statement.
takes Dyu’s hand and smiles a bit more brightly. “I am a keen student,” she says, then turns at shoots a look over her shoulder at Qarina, sticking her tongue out at her. She could feel the air swishing around with pantomime behind her. “And an observant one.”
physically turns to look at Wolf, again. Quietly: “As the Yazhn ever have.” And then, on a limb: “Is it the same, where you call home?”
has to fight to keep a chuckle from escaping him at that.
folds her arms and makes a sour face at getting caught.
grins at Salme’s whirlwind of sass.
seeing that face from Qarina, fails to contain the chuckle now.
smiles
: “Not…quite? I more ask because…” He smiles a bit wryly. “On my world, I am something called a yeresh–but, ah…we are often known as ‘Ember-priests,’ or ‘Those Who Keep the Fire’…it was just a resonance that surprised me.”
lets out a soft puff of breath. “I see. Then, I think, we have much to discuss.”
: “Yes, yes we do.” He smiles, just a bit. “Perhaps after we are settled, and recovered from our journey.”
nods. “Of course. Be welcome in the City, far-travelers. Our shelter and shade, our food and drink, is yours as it would be any faithful citizen’s. Dyu, Qarina, I trust you’ll help direct them to the Vehru so that they can be provided with whatever shelter, sustenance, and companionship they might desire?”
: “What do you use for currency here, out of curiosity? I know at least some of us will need to change our clothing.”
nods and bows, “Of course, Teacher.”
rubs his hands together, excited to mingle with the locals.
: “Of course, Teacher.” is completely respectful with Ravhi. Just not with Dyu.
looks very slightly baffled. “The Vehru will provide you with anything that you need. You need not give anything in return.”
nods. “Okay. Customs differ plane-to-plane is all.”
: “Our food and drink is that which we can wrest from the desert, until the Work is complete, but I most devoutly hope that it will satisfy your needs.”
: “We are grateful for your generosity and hospitality,” Wolf says, and bows–hand over fist over heart.
ꙮ And he’s underselling it, really, but that’ll be another story for once you’ve had time to rest, as well, I think.
returns the bow, immediately and on trained instinct.
looks back and forth at the two of them, and then at her Shade.
tilts his head towards Qarina and her Shade.
glances at Dyu and Qarina, then gives Ravhi a look that seems to be a sympathetic ‘you have to deal with this kind of thing too, huh?’
gives Wolf the barest, but definitely discernible, solemn (but faintly amused) nod.
: “Any interesting observations to share with the class?” she asks Qarina, though sotto voce enough that only people near them can probably hear. Her eyes are bright, though. She looks like she has a Lot of questions which she is not sitting on with any dignity whatsoever.
: “I’m talking with my brother! You’re all talking to each other.”
hides his smile by rubbing his chin and looking away. But it’s definitely there–at least for Ravhi to see.
: “Your brother seems like he might have some interesting gossip, is all. And I enjoy interesting gossip.”
glances quickly towards Qarina, but then- the glance softens, almost immediately, if she’s– if she’s comfortable enough around these strangers to say things like that, that’s. Well. Another reason to appreciate their presence, as long as they’re present.
: “I mean…then yeah…we can go get some golab jamun, and we can talk about things? This thing says you know a lot cool stories too.” she waves the pamphlet.
: “Oh, there’s a lot of ‘em. What do you know about talking rocks?”
ꙮ Indeed, you can.
grins at her. “Oh. I know so many cool stories. Happy to trade as many as you like.”
: “Golab jamun…”
smiles brightly “The food vendors here make the most delectable treats, guaranteed!”
: “Yeah … a little bird also told me something about … iced creams? and shaved ices?”
: “We’d love to share the tastes of our worlds and get to try yours!” Archie is almost salivating at the thought, but manages to restrain his enthusiasm and his growling stomach in the face of polite company.
can’t help smiling, and he looks like– ANOTHER thing that’d been weighing on him has let up. One of many, many things, you get the impression- but he stands up straight, and looks content for the moment.
makes a mental note to eat a rock in front of their new colleagues later.
watches Ravhi’s shoulders straighten a little, and feels a little burst of warmth in his chest–though it doesn’t reach his face as more than a slight smile.
to Salme, “If a chilled confection is what you’re after, I know just the place to take you! They have a wide array of flavors to choose from!”
: “I wouldn’t actually know if that’s what I’m after, but I’d be curious to try.”
: “It is.”
: “Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”
: “Well I’m not huge on sweets, but it sounds interesting?”
: “I can think of few better places to start.”
: “Only because you’ve never had a cold one before.”
: “Oh they have some flavors there that tend toward the less sweet, and even a few that lean savory!”
: “Yeah, I’m sure I can help you find the best dessert.”She makes a face at Dyu, but smiles the whole way through it, so it’s not really convincing.
ꙮ And so Dyu and Qarina lead Emberlight off - there are, in fact, a dazzling variety of desserts and chilled confections, Mu is very very big on icy desserts and syrups and honey - and there’s an entire building that’s given over to you for the duration of your stay, fairly close to the heart of town and the pyramid. It’s not a huge building, or anything, but it’s got as many rooms as you’d need, a kitchen (not that you do need that, but it has a bunch of local ingredients to accustom yourself to!), and a common room that’s visibly geared towards cuddlepiles and comfort; the interiors are as colorful and richly-decorated as the facades are stark and white.
approaches Wolf as they leave the temple, solemnly placing one of his hand on his shoulder. “Remember, my friend. You miss all the shots you don’t take.” Pats his shoulder once more, then turns and departs to Acquire Icy Desserts.
just stops for a moment, under the burning sun, staring at Aury’s retreating back. Then he takes a deep breath, exhales, allows himself a roll of his eyes, and follows.