23rd of Winter, 513 AV
It was a cold, cloudless day with Syna at the apex of her daily climb. Chilly winds blew off the bay and cut through the city, coaxing people back inside to huddle around their hearths. Other rushed about their business, wanting to go back home. Some people didn't mind the weather. Liana was on the fence. Her cloak was thick enough to guard against some of winter's icy breath, but Zulrav and Morwen couldn't be bested by a few layers of clothing. She pulled the blue material tighter around her slim shoulders and rearranged it around her legs. They were drawn up to her chest as she sat perched on the stone edge that surrounded the fountain of Laviku and Tanroa. It was only her third day in the city; this being the first she had ventured out. Yesterday Liana had holed up in her room at the inn, nursing her homesickness and wondering if this had been the right decision.
Zeltiva had so many places she'd read about that were yet be visited. Laviku's Temple, for one. She glimpsed the massive building overlooking the bay as the ship that had brought her across the sea made port. Then there was the University; one of the main reasons for leaving home. The largest singular collection of knowledge in all the lands. It was a dream to even be in the same city as it was. Every time Liana had tried to muster the energy to leave her room, hesitant fingers hovered over her door's latch, and every time she retreated back to her bed or to the window.
She really needed to break free of this funk she was in. It was her that left. Her mother had tried to talk her out of it. Tried to tell her she wasn't ready. Liana frowned at the serene faces of the two Gods lounging under the clear cascading waters. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. She was supposed to be learning all manner of new things, meeting new people, and experiencing the world. Not fearfully watching every step and balking away from everything and everyone. The Konti had barely talked to a single soul. That wasn't her. Liana's forehead wrinkled as her frown deepened. Suddenly, she was angry with herself. Angry and disappointed for throwing away the first few days, and an entire ship voyage this past fall. So much lost opportunity. What could she have learned on the deck of that ship instead of hiding in her room like she had done yesterday?
Liana scrambled to her feet and stepped down from the fountain's edge. A cloud of heat billowed from her lips and nose, misting the air for a moment before swirling away into nothing. She patted herself to make sure everything was still in place. Money, check. Dagger, check. For a moment Liana felt courageous and willful again, like she had before stepping onto that ship back at Mura. This was where she'd wanted to be, and here she was. She'd made it. But she was alone now in this foreign land, with no guidance. And there it was again; the uncertainty that kept worming its way into her thoughts every day since the beginning of the Konti's voyage. What is something went terribly wrong? What if her mother was right, and Mura was the best place for her? On Mura, there was the comfort of familiarity and a routine. Here, there was the opposite.
Liana seemed to shrink a little as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself and shivered against the cold. Her nose was pink and runny and her toes hurt from the chill. Sighing heavily, she dropped back down to sit on the stone ledge of the fountain. Frustrated, she ran her fingers through her long hair then down her face, kneading her eyes roughly. "What are you afraid of?" Liana asked herself in angry, hushed Kontinese. "People do this sort of thing all the time. You are not the only one alone out here. You are not a child. If mother did it so can you." It was new, having to rely on herself and make her own decisions. Mother had always done that for her. She frowned again, reminding herself that was one of the reasons she had left.
It was a cold, cloudless day with Syna at the apex of her daily climb. Chilly winds blew off the bay and cut through the city, coaxing people back inside to huddle around their hearths. Other rushed about their business, wanting to go back home. Some people didn't mind the weather. Liana was on the fence. Her cloak was thick enough to guard against some of winter's icy breath, but Zulrav and Morwen couldn't be bested by a few layers of clothing. She pulled the blue material tighter around her slim shoulders and rearranged it around her legs. They were drawn up to her chest as she sat perched on the stone edge that surrounded the fountain of Laviku and Tanroa. It was only her third day in the city; this being the first she had ventured out. Yesterday Liana had holed up in her room at the inn, nursing her homesickness and wondering if this had been the right decision.
Zeltiva had so many places she'd read about that were yet be visited. Laviku's Temple, for one. She glimpsed the massive building overlooking the bay as the ship that had brought her across the sea made port. Then there was the University; one of the main reasons for leaving home. The largest singular collection of knowledge in all the lands. It was a dream to even be in the same city as it was. Every time Liana had tried to muster the energy to leave her room, hesitant fingers hovered over her door's latch, and every time she retreated back to her bed or to the window.
She really needed to break free of this funk she was in. It was her that left. Her mother had tried to talk her out of it. Tried to tell her she wasn't ready. Liana frowned at the serene faces of the two Gods lounging under the clear cascading waters. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. She was supposed to be learning all manner of new things, meeting new people, and experiencing the world. Not fearfully watching every step and balking away from everything and everyone. The Konti had barely talked to a single soul. That wasn't her. Liana's forehead wrinkled as her frown deepened. Suddenly, she was angry with herself. Angry and disappointed for throwing away the first few days, and an entire ship voyage this past fall. So much lost opportunity. What could she have learned on the deck of that ship instead of hiding in her room like she had done yesterday?
Liana scrambled to her feet and stepped down from the fountain's edge. A cloud of heat billowed from her lips and nose, misting the air for a moment before swirling away into nothing. She patted herself to make sure everything was still in place. Money, check. Dagger, check. For a moment Liana felt courageous and willful again, like she had before stepping onto that ship back at Mura. This was where she'd wanted to be, and here she was. She'd made it. But she was alone now in this foreign land, with no guidance. And there it was again; the uncertainty that kept worming its way into her thoughts every day since the beginning of the Konti's voyage. What is something went terribly wrong? What if her mother was right, and Mura was the best place for her? On Mura, there was the comfort of familiarity and a routine. Here, there was the opposite.
Liana seemed to shrink a little as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself and shivered against the cold. Her nose was pink and runny and her toes hurt from the chill. Sighing heavily, she dropped back down to sit on the stone ledge of the fountain. Frustrated, she ran her fingers through her long hair then down her face, kneading her eyes roughly. "What are you afraid of?" Liana asked herself in angry, hushed Kontinese. "People do this sort of thing all the time. You are not the only one alone out here. You are not a child. If mother did it so can you." It was new, having to rely on herself and make her own decisions. Mother had always done that for her. She frowned again, reminding herself that was one of the reasons she had left.