Solo Family Portrait

[Naeya]

Family Portrait Timestamp: Season of Fall, 33rd Day, 512 AV All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. Tolstoy. Three days had passed since Naeya arrived in Mura, and much had happened. She'd set up a new job, helped save a man's life, and explored the Pearl Diver's Inn to her heart's content. Yet, in spite of all this, she had still not visited her family. The young konti tried to attribute the familial failure to being tired from an eventful arrival, but the truth did not escape her. She was, quite simply, scared. Terrified, really. It was not a fear she was particularly proud of, nor was it a fear that she liked having given into it during the past few days. But she could not deny that it existed. Fortunately, Naeya was intent on not letting this particular fear get the best of her. Not only did she have family obligations to fulfill, she also had a Divination gnosis to control. And who better to understand that than her own konti kin? Seer blood bonds should trump strife, she thought for the umpteenth time, biting her lower lip nervously. She clutched a torn piece of wadj in scaled hands and did her best to ignore the excited trembling of her fingers. This is it. This has to be it. Despite having taken her sweet time venturing over to the housing area of Mura, she could not dispute that she had finally arrived. One of the Inn's konti sisters had given her precise directions to the Ti'av family residence - such precise directions, in fact, that Naeya couldn't possibly return to her room spouting feeble excuses about getting lost. And now, she was here. The two-story home stood expectantly in front of her, its white stone dyed to rival the hue of blooming violets in the springtime. Colourful shells and glass decorated the exterior, particularly the windows, and pastel pink vines snaked up the walls in extraordinary twists and curls. At her feet, a neat, well-cultivated garden filled with native Konti Isle flora lined each side of the coral pathway leading up to the white front door. And, just in case she was still having doubts about arriving at the correct place, a small stone plague lay at the start of the path with the following words carved into it: Ti'av Residence Wind rustled her loose blonde hair, urging her forward. I can do this. It was time. Her white cloak swept around her ankles as she took her first few timid steps. Then, rallying her courage, she began to stride with more confidence until she soon found herself at the door. Crumpling the wadj slip tightly in her left hand, she raised her right to knock.

[Naeya]

"Hello." The simple greeting rang full of questions and uncertainties as Naeya smiled hesitantly at the konti who opened the front door. A'stera. Her grandmother. She immediately recognized the woman from images in her mother's chavi, as well as from the stories that had been shared over family meals and late-night whispers. A'stera looked, for the most part, exactly the way Naeya had expected - except perhaps for her height. Her grandmother was not nearly as tall and imposing as she'd been in the images that had danced around Naeya's head for days. A'stera was perhaps a few inches taller than Naeya and Luna, but nothing like the akalak-esque height that the young konti had imagined. The inaccuracies of my visions reveal themselves once more, she thought dryly. A long silence stretched between them as her grandmother made no effort to move or wave Naeya inside. The older konti's face was practically glacial in its reception of her granddaughter, an expression at odds with her sunset orange dress and gold jewelry. Her green eyes matched Naeya's own, but they deftly avoided the younger konti's gaze by resting disinterestedly on her forehead. Naeya shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry for showing up out of the blue. You probably weren't expecting me. I'm-" "Naeya. Yes, I know." Still, A'stera continued to block her entrance. "And you're... my grandmother." It couldn't hurt to confirm the konti's identity at this point, just to be sure. A'stera gave a nearly imperceptible nod. "I, uh... Do you mind if I come in?" At this, Naeya's grandmother stepped aside wordlessly, leaving a small path for Naeya to squeeze through. The bright colours of the entry room's decor made it feel far larger than it truly was. Potted plants decorated the floor, while paintings decorated the walls. Those paintings! Naeya's eyes widened in wonder as she took in the paintings, surprised at their abstract nature. From what she had learned in her short time on Konti Isle, most konti (herself included) usually preferred calm, structured art. These paintings, however, were wild, filled with beautiful colours and shapes and images that both were and weren't real. She would have spent an entire bell gaping at the pictures if she hadn't belatedly remembered her grandmother, who had swiftly turned into a room off the entry without waiting to see if Naeya was following. "Whose artwork is that?" Naeya called out as she began to trail after the older konti, half expecting to receive no answer. "Mine."

[Naeya]

"You painted them?" The words tumbled out of her mouth in a race against time, betraying her surprise as she followed her grandmother into the kitchen. "Yes." A'stera shot the younger konti a look of exasperation, seemingly disappointed in the utter fool her youngest daughter had birthed. It was the first time Naeya had seen her grandmother's expression change in the few chimes that had passed since she'd arrived. "I see." Naeya became aware of a bluebird's distinct chirrup outside the kitchen window as the two women fell silent once more. In an effort to defuse her discomfort, she took the opportunity to take in her new surroundings. The kitchen, like the entryway, was not large, but it was warm and welcoming - a contradiction to the konti that stood before her now. The far side of the room boasted a large window which directly overlooked Silver Lake, indicating to Naeya that there was very likely a flooded lower level. Potted plants also made their appearance in this space, with herbs gracing the windowsills and a lily sitting neatly on the small kitchen table in the room's center. On Naeya's left, a teakettle hung over the burning hearth. On her right, her grandmother stood at a makeshift easel with a set of paints already in her hands. Without offering Naeya a seat or even a cup of tea, A'stera quietly set to work on her painting and left the younger konti to fend for herself in the unfamiliar home. Naeya began to self-consciously pace around the room, locked in an internal debate about whether or not she should just give up and leave. As she ran her hands lightly over the smooth stone countertop, she was reminded of her grandmother's coldness towards her and began to feel that the entire visit had been futile. But when she moved to the lily on the kitchen table and smelled its beautiful scent, she thought of Avalis, of forgiveness, and of family. Maybe she had not come to Mura simply to receive training for her Divination gnosis. Maybe she had also been sent here by Avalis as a reconciler - as the woman who would heal the rifts in the Ti'av family once and for all. As if on cue, the front door slammed and a woman's silky voice carried into the kitchen. "Mum, I'm home!" A'stera stirred only briefly in response, and then continued to paint. Naeya, however, kept her eyes fixed on the kitchen entrance, curious to see the newcomer. Her aunt. Sola Ti'av entered the room, draped in a white cloak and a necklace of pearls. As she paused briefly in the doorway, her gaze flicked from A'stera to Naeya in a quick assessment of the situation. Then, with the grace of an experienced hostess, she snapped into action. "Naeya! I'm so happy to see you. We've been expecting you for some time." She pulled Naeya into a quick, welcoming embrace. "Luna didn't tell us you were such a jewel. Here, let me take your cloak. Would you like a cup of tea?" Sola smiled warmly at her niece as she bustled around, taking off her own cloak along with Naeya's and folding both neatly over a white wooden chair. Within moments, tea and teacups were pulled out of the cupboard, water was poured, and Naeya was led straight into the family's cozy sitting room.