Closed A Sadly Remembered Day

[Allassanachassanya]

1st Fall, 516 AV
On board the trade ship, Luiana
Mid-afternoon, below deck

The boat rocked, sloshed, and creaked whilst overhead somewhere men stomped about, hard boots on a hard floor. The light of the day had long ago risen, and now was starting to fall again as the snake lay sprawled on the floor in her tiny 'living' space- hardly an adequate place to sleep, but the only one that she'd been able to find to take her to the City of Illusions: Alvadas. It was the cargo hold, full of crates, chests and barrels of trade to take to the city that was her destination. A while ago it seemed now, although it was only last season, she'd bought her travel from Kenash. The offer had seemed good at the time, cheap considering her luggage. Yet when she'd seen the size of the boat, and the place she'd be sleeping, her heart had sank. It was hardly a place for a dhani, even a small one.

Yet, she had already paid the merchant for her place, and she didn't think she'd be able to get the money back. So on the 69th Summer, she'd left the city of swamps and marshes and started the achingly long journey by one of the most uncomfortable modes of transport she'd ever had the opportunity of travelling on. On the floor between two crates lay her belongings, well, her chest. Inside it was everything she owned, her clothes and the one thing that she was thinking about most today. Allassana's bone.

The cargo hold creaked like an old whale, but today all Ssanya wanted to do was think of the past, of her family far away in the desert, and most especially of her mam. She pushed aside the nearest crate, straining to make a better space. When she'd finally achieved her goal, she stretched and quietly took the leather cord off from around her neck.

In her hand lay her mam's bone. It was stained now, having been resting against her skin every day ever since she'd died. Gazing down at it, she pressed it between her palms, feeling the warmth radiating from it. It was the warmth of her skin, but for a moment the snake-woman pretended it was the warmth of the nest, of her mam's gaze and teachings, her presence that she so sorely missed today.

.

[Allassanachassanya]

Where would she be and what would she be doing if her mother hadn't died five years ago. It was a question she'd asked herself every year since her death, but she still didn't know the answer, whether she'd still be in the Ekytol nest with her family, or if she'd have found a mate and started a family herself. Maybe she'd be in that grand city of Ephyarians, making money to buy pretty things for herself and her siblings. Maybe she'd still have chosen to go travelling.

Her reminiscences brought her again to her mother. So softly, the woman brought the knuckle bone to her lips and kissed it, letting it linger near her lips as she felt the loneliness sweep over her. On most days she felt entirely comfortable being the only Dhani she knew, but now her family seemed so far away. She only had her mother for comfort, in this gloomy, cramped space. Letting her hand fall, she crossed her legs and leant back against the crate. Her eyes closed, and she breathed a quiet sigh.

Her mind wandered, remembering rolling sands and fragments of conversation. A hunting party flashed across the black of her vision, the sharp spike of smile of her brother, the cynical laughter of her sisters sharing a haunch of meat, its skin red raw and ragged. What she would do for the luxurious warmth of a sand dune right now...

She uncrowded her legs and stretched them out in front of her, smiling with her eyes still closed and wriggling her toes. Yes, she could feel the sand grains. She could hear her mother's voice, soft but firm, teaching her of death and bones and the magic she called malediction. She'd always been so calm with her. Ssanya grinned, yes. Allassana had been an amazing Dhani.

What were the rest of her family doing today? Ssanya didn't know, but she hoped that somewhere, her father, brothers and sisters were sharing a meal, or a bottle of rich red wine, and thinking about the mother and wife who had left them all five years ago.

[Allassanachassanya]

Her silent meditation complete, she cleared her eyes and crossed her legs again. It was now time to remember Caiyha and Siku in her prayers. Her prayers were spoken out loud, and she always left an offering. This time, all she had to give was herself. Taking her dagger from her bag, she cleaned it by wiping it against her scarf, and cut her left index finger open just a little, to let a drop or two of blood flow. The slight pain cleared her mind, and in this clarity she spoke.

Although it was her human tongue, the woman found the words easy enough, having said them almost all her life. "Goddessses. I offer my blood asss an offer to you. My life isss in your handss. My ap..- my appreciation..- my love iss for you and I praisss you. Sspeak kindly with the goddesss of death of Allassana, my mother. Give me sstrength to be like ssshe. Make me sstrong for my raisss and let me grow assss you pleassse. Ssiku, my ssoul, Caiyha, my corpsse."

Her prayer ended, she let the blood fall onto the decking, and frowned slightly. She would have to do a repeat when she was back on dry land. She wasn't sure if Laviku's domain of the sea would receive offerings for her goddesses. And although she had sent a prayer to the god as she'd boarded the boat, she knew next to nothing about him, and didn't care to either.

With a quick, practiced motion, the woman put her talisman back on. The bone settled naturally into the crook of her neck, and she touched her finger to it reassuringly. Although her mother's parting saddened her, she had always felt so much better from having her bone. Something of her mother lived on in that bone, of that she was sure.

[Allassanachassanya]

A shout from above, and a sudden lurch of the boat jogged her from her solitude. Stomp, stomp, stomp was all these particular sailors seemed to do. Determined to ignore them as the ignored her, she curled up in her human form, not daring to shift in case the sailors decided to come into the hold. It was uncomfortable, painful even on the hard floor, but she was used to it by now. She slept on her cloak into the early evening, a fitful sleep with little rest, merely tosses and turns.

When she awoke, it was quiet. Quiet was usually good, it meant that most sailors would be sleeping or resting whilst one or two manned the ship. It was her favourite time to surface, and get fresh air.

With aching bones, Ssanya clambered onto her feet, steadying herself on the crate before making her way up the ladder onto the deck. Above her, silent stars twinkled in a beautiful array. The moon glistened large and white, and she raised her head to the sky, ignoring the hesitant hello of the deckhand to instead listen to the quietness of the night.

There was little to no air, bad for sailing but nice for the snake. Refusing small talk, she wandered as close to the edge as she could, and looked out over the vastness of the Suvan. It was on evenings like this that she didn't mind being on such ands large body of water- when the sea was as flat as sand. She smiled to herself, wondering about her Ivyess cousins, those strange rumoured creatures who could swim, or so she'd heard.

But tonight was an evening of reflection. Thoughts of her mother once again flashed across her conciousness, her bright, wise eyes. She missed those eyes. The woman crouched and sat on the floor, her knees cradled in her arms. A sudden spasm of sadness settled over her, tinged like smoke with a sheen of loneliness. Ssanya didn't cry often, and she didn't now. But the prickle of tears threatened to spill. She willed them away silently, and thought of something else on an effort to calm herself. Her mother's comical telling off of a misbehaving sibling.

Gods, she wanted to at least speak to another of her race. Especially tonight. A boat was all well and good as a method of transport, and she couldn't fault it for its speed. But the isolation... she had never been good with isolation. Being alone, that was a different matter. That was a choice. Whereas this. Well, this was forced.

But as the woman realised her spiral of thoughts, she tamped them down and forced an internal smile. She would not fall asleep on her mother's anniversary feeling sorry for herself. On other occasions in the past, she'd come to the same conclusion. In her life, her mam had always been happy. There wasn't much cause for fighting or feeling sad amongst the family, they were rattlers on a predominantly viper nest after all. Unity and strength was what they believed in. Unity even whilst they were separated.

Although Ssanya didn't know what happened to a soul after death, she glanced one more time up at the stars as she bent her head to go back down into the hold. Mam, sleep well." the stars twinkled back at her, and she climbed back down into the darkened hold. Her nest beckoned, and she hoped for dreams of Ekytol as she curled up and fell asleep, the memories of home burnt strong in her mind as Allassana's bone kissed her shoulderblade- goodnight.

[Sayana]

Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request. If there's anything I may have missed, please PM me and I'll be happy to look into it.

 

Ssanya

Skills

• Meditation: 1
• Weapon: Dagger: 1
• Endurance: 2
• Prayer: 1
• Observation: 1

Lores

• Ship Travel: One of the most uncomfortable modes of transport
• Mam's knucklebone: A long ago memory
• Memories of Eyktol and the dhani nest there
• Allassana: Mother and teacher of malediction
• Prayers to Siku and Caiyha
• Caiyha: Goddess of the wilderness
• Siku: Goddess of serpents
• Laviku: God of the sea
• The loss of one's mother

Comments: Beautiful thread, even with the sad theme. You conveyed much in regards to Ssanya's sorrows of the past and it was truly a thread of reflection. I could only give you one point in meditation, since it's a little more involved and purposeful than simple reflection on the past. Nevertheless, it was a great read and I'm curious to see what Ssanya will think of Alvadas.

PS: Sidewinders are sweet.

Your Grader,

Sayana

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