At Long Last

Time moves much faster in retrospect. (Albireo)

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The Diamond of Kalea is located on Kalea's extreme west coast and called as such because its completely made of a crystalline substance called Skyglass. Home of the Alvina of the Stars, cultural mecca of knowledge seekers, and rife with Ethaefal, this remote city shimmers with its own unique light.

At Long Last

Postby Laszlo on December 5th, 2012, 7:00 am

The library seemed to grow larger while Laszlo searched for the sections Suria had indicated. The walls of literature loomed over him, many with shelves he couldn't reach—a novel concept. The Seekers must have used ladders, but he couldn't see any. Unfamiliar with the library's mode of organization, he made his best guesses and left it at that. The staff could clean up behind him if he made any mistakes, but for their sake he genuinely hoped that he hadn't.

After he arrived at the door to meet Suria once again, Laszlo turned his collar against the cold and fussed with his cloak. It was a dark garment to be worn by such a colorful creature, but that came in useful when he donned his evening shape. The hood, especially.

You know what to look for, yes? Suria's ambiguous question continued to simmer in his head. At the time he'd offered only a partial smile and a nod, but the truth was that he didn't know where to begin. Didn't even want to.

"Well, there is 'how have you been', for starters." Laszlo began to lead the both of them to some unknown destination, or perhaps no destination at all. Walking through Lhavit's loveliness, the shimmering buildings and the hanging gardens, could never be dull. Winter, however, was well underway in shrinking the gardens and stripping the trees, but some flowering plants remained hardy and green. "I appreciate you letting me explain myself. You're the first person I've spoken to about all of it." At least the first person who wasn't already involved. Not even Fia knew anything about it. "Were you working at the library when I met you, or did you acquire the job recently?"
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At Long Last

Postby Albireo on March 10th, 2013, 10:54 pm

Most people underestimated the significance of knowledge. Laszlo, too: He simply nodded and smiled. Suria, however, was aware of the difference. If he cast the matter aside, it would nag and claw and eventually wear him down until he looked into its face. Some liked their deceptions though and Suria wasn’t one to judge. Her role she performed in silence.

Once outside, she welcomed fresh air into her lungs and the breeze tugging at hair and hems. Her arms stretched and swayed for a moment, as if to begin a dance, but then she let them fall and followed Syna’s son wherever he led her. After his words, she chewed at her lip for a while. Why had he been drawn to the story, someone like him? Why was he talking to her like that? None of those questions saw the surface, not yet. “Talking to others soothes the mind. Sharing a story makes the emotion bearable. That seems to be what has brought us together.”

Rather than observing him, she was gazing at the street, toying with pebbles, drinking in that special mixture of organized and wild beauty under a cloudless sky. “I’ve been working with quill and ink for some time.” The dates blurred in her head, her memory was made for other things.

Her voice sounded as if blown away by the wind. The distance returned without her noticing. It was in everything she did and said. Only stories tied her to the mortal world; words. “What are you planning to fight the emptiness with?” Despite sounding cryptic at first, her question did have its purpose. Whenever Suria talked to others, she knew and expected words to mirror herself through addressing the other person. If one listened, one learned. Even Leth was reflected in a pond of still water at the temple.
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At Long Last

Postby Laszlo on April 1st, 2013, 4:05 am

That seems to be what has brought us together.

She was right. Laszlo glanced to his side and lifted an eyebrow in mild surprise. Their respective stories had been a common attractor between them; he hadn't even considered that. Perhaps it was a commonality between Ethaefal. Their lives were not like a mortal's, driven and purposeful, but a collection of stories acquired and lessons learned during their continuous existence.

The quiet afternoon ambience of the Tenten Peak was gradually left behind as the pair of them approached the bridge to the Zintia. The sunlight became muted and filtered through the skyglass of the pavilion's canopy, although Laszlo still seemed to catch the light well and maintained a luminous presence. Strong zephyrs passed through the pillars, scented sweet and cold with mountain mist. It was chilly, but refreshing.

"It is a good place to work," Laszlo remarked, a genuine note in his voice as he appeared to honestly consider her choice of employment. A lover of stories surrounded by the countless works of many different hands. "I'm a little embarrassed I never thought of finding a place there."

On second thought, Laszlo had often felt burdened by the lives of others. Perhaps it would have been more overwhelming than enriching.

Suria's question seemed to resonate in him deeply—likely just as she had intended. His features fell slightly as he looked down at his feet. Were she not Ethaefal, Laszlo might not have answered truthfully.

The answer took several moments of thought. He cycled through answers quietly, choosing the one that was least dishonest. "I don't know." Laszlo looked at Suria through the corner of his eye. "My previous methods have not worked well. Perhaps fighting it is not the answer."

Lifting his head, Laszlo stared up at the bridge's far end. From here, the structure and its cover looked more a tunnel. From this distance, the opening was so far ahead that it was impossible to make out what was waiting for them. But Laszlo had been across this bridge many times. He knew the scenery well.

Fia would see a beautiful metaphor in this.

"I think you've changed since we last met." Laszlo turned his head, considering his acquaintance fully. "You seem less… frightened." He rubbed his chin, staring ahead once more. "I knew another daughter of Leth, before I came to Lhavit. She couldn't… she never adjusted to living again. This existence broke her. After I met you, I worried the same would happen to you." Siofra had actually attempted to murder Laszlo in her madness. He had tried so hard to help her. In the end, he failed and felt responsible for he downfall. He could not have another Ethaefal's death on his conscience.

He swallowed.

"I think that's another reason why I was afraid to see you again."
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At Long Last

Postby Albireo on April 6th, 2013, 6:16 pm

She contemplated his words for a moment before answering. Walking made everything one thought and said and did fluid, as if life was flowing, not stumbling. “If it feels forced, nothing good will come of it. But if you come out of honest curiosity, you’ll enjoy yourself.” Another riddle born from a neverending search for words. It was the wrong language, she knew, but the rest stayed hidden in shadows.

“Doing something is still better than doing nothing. What is left if not the effort of our attempts?” Keep trying, that was what she really said. To an observer who didn’t know her, it’d sound hollow and empty. Wisdom learned from books. But it was more, it was a way of coping with the world and how it constantly assaulted her senses. Too loud, too close, too intense. Sometimes she just wanted to curl up and do nothing. Indeed, if that was what Laszlo meant, she knew that feeling all too well.

Then Laszlo hesitated in front of the bridge and Suria was one or two steps ahead. Turning around, she faced his little confession. A shadow of a smile flitted across tanned features as she nodded in acceptance. “Before I came to Lhavit, I had already wandered this earth for two years. I spent my time running from this and that, trying to survive in a hostile environment. Then I found Lhavit and, with it, peace. Leth has guided me here.” My Moon Lord. Perhaps he did care for her after all. Nevertheless, she thanked him every night.

As her gaze glided over the beautiful architecture of the bridge and lost itself in the distance, she’d seem more in tune with herself even to Laszlo. A little melancholic, a little nostalgic… but she had settled down and come to love the City of Stars.
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