Leth

[Savis Maren]

23rd Autumn, 518. Just past the 3rd Bell.

Deep into the night, long after Konti and Nuit separated, the Animator found herself deep in thought as to the reason the people of Lhavit celebrated. The goings on of the evening were rife with excitement, with performance only one of the multitude of spectacle. Never before in the clutch of unlife had Savis Maren known such festivity. She found herself, multiple times throughout in conflict, with even the vestiges of laughter present upon her countenance. Could even the Nuit, disliked and openly distrusted as they were, let down their guard?

Could I? she mused again and again as the rhythm of time's passage moved Leth and the very stars across the skies of Mizahar. Savis Maren found her legs carrying her to the peak known as Shinyama. Her body did not tire, but her ascent was slow, her gait measured and posture straight as she passed the threshold of the aptly named Temple of the Moon. The undead was utterly thrilled by the sight of the place, large pillars suspending spectacular arches that caught her gaze straight away. The light that spilled through a single oculus was a shimmer of the divine, and while Savis didn't breathe she was nonetheless caught in admiration of the natural beauty that the Leth's light imbued upon the scene.

Next, her gaze followed that haunting, ethereal light to its visible end, the glimmer of water's reflection causing her to narrow her silver eyes before they adjusted of their own accord. The Nuit stepped closer still, not catching the eyes that followed her throughout. Several men dutifully tended to their post even in the late hour, and Savis Maren bore no ill intent as she continued her path until she sat several feet away from the pool.

The Nuit caught a sight she didn't expect to see: a flicker of the divine reflected in the pool of water. She stared, mesmerized until the fleeting facial structure dissipated, leaving Savis Maren staring at the pool with an unshakeable sensation of awe. So foreign these emotions were to her that she was utterly swept up in them. The Nuit did not speak aloud. Instead, she allowed her eyes to follow the haunting ray of moonlight. Her arms were limb at her sides, her knuckles set against the floor and hands flat against the surface of the ground.

Savis allowed her thoughts to dissipate, her lids falling over her eyes and cloaking the light from her sight but for a moment: perhaps a moment's respite from the pale light. When she faced it again, the silence of her thoughts replaced itself with a silent prayer, meant only for herself and the deity she found a burgeoning respect for.

O Leth, lord of night's sphere... would you hear me? I've come to your Temple to satisfy a healthy dose of curiosity, she began, quite disappointed in her flustered expression. Of course she'd done the most cliched thing imaginable and visited the Temple of the Moon after its festival. The Nuit's brow furrowed and she need physically compose herself before she continued her train of thought.

Tonight I've learned more of your nature. Often, I've thought of the Gods as irrefutable truths, but truths not relevant to my continued existence. Perhaps it was folly, or perhaps the foolishness is delving into a bit of faith, now, she continued. What a moment to be a prolific speaker. The Nuit, cleared of extraneous thoughts, found the notion of prayer only feeding her incessant need to speak. She shook her head, continuing on to the point she wanted to make.

I've found in you, Leth, a deity I can understand. Or, at the very least, try to. I'd ask you to watch over my pursuits and aid me in my efforts as they persevere through your passage in the sky.

The Nuit looked back to her treatment of Leth's fallen, of the Ethaefal under his visor and asked one final thing of the deity.

And grant me the patience to tolerate the infuriating beauty of your people.

WC: 683

[Lani Stranger]

60th of Fall, 518AV

When Lani reached the stables, irritation was burning through her. She could not comprehend why the Avora had hated her so much. She understood the distrust of foreigners, and the anger towards disrespect, but as far as Lani understood, she had only been disrespectful after the Avora had insulted her. In fact she had swallowed her pride for those insults, but it didn’t seem to be enough to stroke the woman’s ego. Frustrated, the Chiet stomped into the stables, alerting the horse that was in the stall closest to the entrance. It was then that Lani calmed, not meaning to spook the creature. Carefully she stepped over to the stall, resting on the closed gate. The horse seemed less concerned by her now, recognizing her as one of the bipedal creatures that walked through its domain, and turned away from her. It didn’t have any hay in his stall yet, and so she clicked her tongue to draw its attention. The beast seemed mildly irked by her, but was probably a working horse, made to carry heavy loads, and thus not very aggressive. Curiously the beast stepped forward, likely hoping for a treat or some other delicious form of apology.

Even though she gave none, the horse sniffed her hand, and she slipped it through the bars to allow him more access to her knowledge, as her thoughts grew more reflective. She had never really had a need to pray to the God of thoughts, and Syna was out so it was not his more well-known domain, but the recent eye-opening experience gave her much to reflect on. After assessing her scent, the horse allowed her to pet him just above the nose, and she gave him gentle caresses, keeping her hand where he could see it.

Even though she had now been here nearly two whole moons, assuming she was unwelcome the whole time, this was the first time she had truly been alienated. Her pride-swallowing tactic hadn’t worked, her respectful helpfulness hadn’t worked, Thistle seemed to have wanted her to grovel on the ground and flagellate herself for that Avora’s Pride. It had taken the nomad some time to get used to and understand the caste system, but she had not anticipated this level of complete degradation. She had been told she had some stance as a Chiet, that she was a commoner. Avora were meant to be skilled, but not regarded with the reverence of an Endal. Still, the Endal’s reaction to her abuse was satisfying.

“Is this what it is like walking among the Inarta? Will I face this forever?” She asked out loud, appearing to be speaking to the horse, but in reality she intended her words for Leth. “With the star falling, with Narth’s odd expectations of love, or lust, or whatever this is… With the absurd ego of that Avora… Am I to change completely during my time here? Will I be able to adapt? I have always done so before. Alvadas, Zeltiva, and Lhavit have always been so different, and required different versions of myself to survive. But I’ve never had to erase parts of myself. Is that what I face?”

She let the common words ring off. The horse seemed to respond positively to her words, although it obviously did not understand the meaning of them. Perhaps it sensed an emotion of worry radiating from her, and was attempting comfort. But this was no cat, perhaps the horse simply enjoyed a good head scratch, and as long as she was willing to provide it, he would remain. It seemed more likely.

“I can feel it coming, Leth. I know that change is important, I live by change. This is just the greatest change I’ve had to endure. I know it is not night, but I’m asking for your wisdom as I go through this. I’m going to need it if I am to fit in with this strange mountain of strange people.” She muttered the last of her prayer, giving the horse one last scratch. She needed to report to Hansi, she was already late because of the scene Thistle had caused at the Processing Center. Surely he would understand that she was on direction of an Endal to be here, but she didn’t need to be extra late, she knew she would already be eating into her market day time.

Word Count: 730