[Flashback] Closing the -age- gap [Aselia]

[Marishka Timandre]

Marishka smiled in delight at her sister's reaction. They all same the same thing at first, even she did. However as time passed and her tastebuds matured, she gradually learned to appreciate it, then to genuinely like it. Now in her middle years she has all but fallen in love with it, not as a form of addiction, but as a very gregarious companion and even a good listener when she wants of more sentient company. The rich red liquid in Aselia's glass tussled and heaved as she held it in her soft hands, and the way it collided around in waves fascinated the elder Timandre. It reminded her of the tasks ahead, of the life she is about to follow beyond the salty waves of Mura's edges, and in a subtle, trace-like moment the dark wine turned into light sea foam before her sight. She envisioned herself at the stern of a great wooden ship with a faraway look in her eyes, bidding those white sands and verdant forests goodbye, amidst the gliding sea gulls and fresh breeze of the season. Syna would be high above the cloudless sky, casting an even finer coloring upon the sands, parading an intense blaze of recall that would sunder their connection for what could be years, even decades. The pearl of her heritage, the land of the morning, the glistening star in her heart, Mura was all of these and more for her, yet she truly had to leave it, for the call of destiny awaited her somewhere else. In the final slide for her rampant imagination she saw herself with a single trickling tear rolling down her cheeks, bidding a silent farewell to her home and her family within a heart filled with resolve, promising to return like the day after twilight has passed. A pang of sadness overcame her face for a couple of ticks in silence, Aselia's words seemingly passing through her ears without making an immediate impact. When she finally snapped back to reality, she felt her chest beating stronger than ever. It had seemed all too real for her, which is strangely new to her for she naturally saw the past instead of the future. Nonetheless she felt a sort of quasi-gratitude for it, now she has an inkling of the greatest hurdle she would have to overcome. Shaking her head to clear it of the last vestiges of her approaching fate, a more pristine smile returned to her. It had all made her more determined to find the true meaning of sisterhood before she departed. "Oh, indeed little sister, let us see what our combined efforts have brought forth," she agreed, giggle through her smiling lips. Picking the silver spoon back up she gently scooped up a fair amount of the salad. Her first dip into the vibrant creation included a small sheaf of the lettuce, a portion of tomato and some bits of apple. Before taking the spoon into her mouth, she eyed it for a moment, after which she cast a sideways look at Aselia. "Here goes." Marishka chewed on the lush garden selections with a perusing attitude, letting her tongue get a feel of every item and trying to savor every taste. Violet eyes rolled upwards as the juices exploded in her mouth in delectable combinations, and at last she grinned approvingly. "Not bad, Aselia. Not bad at all. Chewed properly it spills all the flavor in." Through the grin she wasn't able to catch a feel of a piece of lettuce which stuck itself between her canine and incisor, exposing it in full view for Aselia to see.

[Aselia Timandre]

Aselia smiled, pleased with the fun her sister had. After setting the table with the large salad bowl and two smaller ones, she followed Marishka and seated herself opposite to her. The white wood under her fingers felt inviting, but also painfully cold and impersonal. She should be used to it by now … yet she couldn’t forget the golden cage her family symbolized. Shahal, the High Oracle, knew everything better. Everyone trusted her. Objection wasn’t accepted. Nobody realized it except for Aselia and … maybe Marishka. She knew that her sister stayed well away from the family. Once more Aselia thanked Avalis for blessing them with a day together.

She waited, leaving the first judgment of the meal to Marishka. What did her usual diet consist of? Did she eat meat? Some said it featured effects similar to those of wine. Aselia didn’t need them, for she was no warrior, but maybe Marishka was supposed to eat such ingredients? There was still so much she didn’t know about her.

And then she realized that she simply had to ask to receive an answer. The situation was still too awkward, too stiff because Aselia couldn’t muster up the wits to open her mouth and ask! She leaned forward and slightly tilted her head as Marishka chewed. Then another smile blossomed at her face. “Good. Raw ingredients always require chewing … that’s why I favor them over a cooked meal. There’s a more natural quality to them that gets lost in the cooking process.”

She caught sight of the lettuce piece stuck between her sister’s white teeth and chuckled. “Don’t move”, she said softly, reached forward and tried to remove the bit of green with the edge of her spoon. Once she had caught it, it disappeared between her own lips. “Konti with green teeth would be very original”, she teased. “Just what we need: another symbol for our connection to Caiyha, right?”

Then her spoon dove into the salad as well and she chewed with pleasure. After swallowing the first bite, she asked: “Marishka, what do you usually eat? Does your diet differ from the common Konti cuisine?” I just want to know more about you, she almost added, but then she bit her tongue and stayed silent. It was still too early, her senses told her, too early for … but she hoped that the right time would come during the day.

[Marishka Timandre]

The elder sister's grin disappeared in an unusual display of surprise as soon as Aselia had scraped the dint of lettuce from her exposed teeth, leading her to tilt her head with her mouth hanging open a little bit. Her brows furrowed heavily at the notice of the lettuce, although it was accompanied by a very playful smile, giving her a rather silly and out of character look on her face. "Ha-ha-ha-ha,"she replied monotonously, rolling her eyes before reaching out to ruffle her sister's hair a little just to annoy her. A giggle escaped her lips before she settled back down and took another mouthful of the vegetarian meal, making sure to chew thoroughly this time. It was not often that Marishka felt so light-headed. It had been some seasons since the last time she had interacted so casually with anyone, let alone her regal and mysterious sisters. Other konti regarded her with respect, with so much of it in fact that she grew as uncomfortable with them as they are with her. It was just one of the many reasons why she felt so secure and so warmed by Aselia's presence and demeanor. She had never expected her to be like this, and she is more than sure that her younger sister is no less surprised and pleased to find that the famed fourth Timandre sister wasn't always so uptight and snide as most people think. Marishka raised her head to turn back to Aselia as she chewed on a piece of apple, forcing it down with a drink from her wine glass before answering. "I don't usually eat meat either, Aselia, only on some occasions, when the weather is cool for example. My diet is not too different from yours, save perhaps for your love of vision water as opposed to my preference for this," she took the glass beside her face and gave it another circular shake. "I suppose we can always try to eat something different for a change." Observing her little sister curiously, she recalled the things which Aselia loves the most, marking how much they differ from her own passions. As was the case for every single individual, none of the Timandre sisters share much in common with each other, barring the unearthly beauty they all share. She has never been much of an animal lover, though she would tolerate them as they would her in turn. Aselia's love of animals, particularly her familiar magpie--which she can often see fluttering about the manse's grounds in a rather comical way--was unique to her. Slender in form, fair of skin, grand as a visage. A proud twinkle could be found in Marishka's eye for a moment as she looked upon her sister's far softer features. Would she be able to witness how she would grow up? The answer to her own question was a bitter no. She won't be around to see them all grow. There was still so much more to know, so much to discover, yet there was so little time. She closed her eyes in momentary consolation; at least they live very long, very peaceful lives. Here in Mura, she hoped, Aselia and all their other sisters would find their contentment, their calling. So that when she returns, all of them would be there waiting. She narrowed her eyes in a mischievous way after taking a deep breath to banish her saddening thoughts, folding herself back up in a straight seat as she thought out loud, "I wonder how a magpie would taste like?" Secret : Apologies for the delay sister. I was in a very bad block the whole of last week.

[Aselia Timandre]

A high-pitched “thehehe” escaped Aselia’s lips when she felt her hair ruffled by her elder sister’s strong hand. Seemingly indignant she set down the fork to put the white locks back in order. She had already combed her hair with utmost dedication, after all! But seriously, she liked to look at herself in the mirror and dress in fancy and extraordinary ways to draw people’s attention at the street. In Mura the Timandre and beautiful were regarded as identical, and Aselia had adopted playing with those expectations as one of her dearest pastimes.

Then she concentrated on the meal, chewing thoughtfully and listening to Marishka’s answer. “Cool weather …?”, she interrupted once. Why would someone eat meat when the weather was cool? Maybe Muti from the harbor could tell her something about that? Either way, her sister proved to have interesting habits and penchants. She took the glass and sipped some wine. At least Marishka didn’t favor stronger alcoholic drinks – Aselia had no clue if she could hold her liquor. She silently admitted that after the first few sips the wine started tasting better, although of course nothing could beat vision water. With her fork she pointed at Marishka: “Vision water is healthy and helps us to stay connected with the All-Seeing Mother. Why aren’t you drinking more? That’s the big question, you know”, she mused, grinning. Despite that, she was serious. There had to be a reason why vision water only occurred around Silver Lake.

Then she heard the question. And froze.

Even if she was her elder sister and Aselia respected and admired her, how could Marishka dare to say something like that in her presence? How could she even consider it? A wicked sparkle filled her dark eyes when she looked up. Her lips curled into a smirk.

“Take that!”, she yelled, seemingly disgusted, and hurled a piece of drippy orange towards her sister. After observing its flight path, she went back to her meal and lowered her gaze. “This is not acceptable”, was everything she added. And she inwardly hoped that Marishka would avoid commenting on the frailty of Linel in the future. She knew all too well that for a real falconer magpies were little more than toys. No match for the big birds, but rather a sign of her greenness.

[Gossamer]

. Character: Marishka Experience: +1 XP Persuasion, +1 XP Observation, +4 Cooking Lore: Dealing with her Sister Aselia, Understanding The Timandre Mentality Character: Aselia Experience: +1 XP Leadership, +1 XP Observation, +4 Cooking Lore: Dealing with her Sister Marishka, Understanding The Timandre Mentality Additional Note: Interesting read. Hopefully someday Mari will be back. .