Solo Grandmother Knows Best [Flashback]

[Ayatah]

|| 75th day of Fall, 500 || The Scattered Bones' home, Taloba || 1st Bell, nighttime ||

”You are a night child, Ayatah.”

The young girl jumped and spun around, coming face-to-face with the hunched figure of her Great-Grandmother. Instantly, her head dipped respectfully. ”I… could not sleep.”

Instead of scolding the child for leaving her bed in the midst of night, Quinneth of the Scattered Bones merely smiled. Her face was wrinkled already, but it became even more so when she grinned. It did not stop the old woman, however; Ayatah had only seen Quinneth truly angered twice in her young life, and the sight had been terrifying. The matriarch of their clan was old, patient and kind most of the time. But when infuriated, she became every the fearless Myrian solider she had once been in her youth.

”That is alright, Ayatah.” She winced a little as she sat down next to the remaining embers of that night’s bonfire. Old bones creaked and muscles ached, but Quinneth refused to be treated any differently just because she was old. ”Although I should send you back to bed - you have plenty to do tomorrow.”

The old woman was right; Ayatah would be learning the basics of fighting with her birth weapon - the double bladed dagger - the following morning. Not to mention there were the usual number of chores to be done, as well as Ayatah furthering her knowledge of the world outside of Taloba and learning the Common language.

The latter of these tasks were additional jobs that Ayatah had requested, though. Whilst her cousins and other young clanmates would be practicing their sparring, she would be reading and writing.

”Yes, Quinneth.” She bow her head once again, and stood up onto her feet.

”Ah-“ The older woman held up her hand and signaled for her Great Granddaughter to sit back down. Ayatah obliged, confused.

The two sat in silence for a moment, with the elderly woman watching the mixed-blooded youngster, and Ayatah shifting a little uncomfortably under the gaze of her Great-Grandmother.

”I said I should tell you to go back to bed, not that I would.” A knowing smile pulled at her lips, and she lent forward - grimacing again as she did - to poke the dying fire with a stick. ”You are coming along well with your Common, Aya.”

”Thank you.” Her quiet words were said in Common. It was Quinneth who had volunteered to give Ayatah her extra-curricular lessons, having lived outside the jungle for some time in her youth (albeit many, many years ago).

”Why is it that you are you unable to sleep?”

Ayatah shrugged her shoulders, and then frowned. ”I… do not know. I could see the moon from the window in our lodge.” Although the ‘window’ she had described was nothing more than a rectangular hole purposefully built into the side of her family’s hut. ”When the moon is full, it’s light wakes me up.”

The old woman nodded fervently , that mysterious smile on her face once again. ”You are a night child, Ayatah.” She repeated, then continued.

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Ayatah]

”It would seem that Leth was calling you, Aya.” The woman shuffled her weight left and right, trying to find a comfortable position on the wooden benches. The embers of the fire were struggling against the coolness of the jungle night, and Quinneth lent forward once more to poke at them. ”I take it that you know the story of Leth?”

Ayatah nodded. Like any good Myrian child, she knew about all of the Gods and Goddesses that their people worshipped. But Leth was perhaps one of the more mysterious deities, ”he is Dira’s brother, and he is in love with Syna. Is that right?”

Her Great-Grandmother nodded, ”before he was assigned as the God of the Moon, he was a dark and wild soul. But meeting Syna, as well as being given his night-time role by the Goddess Tanroa, he calmed and became reflective.” She reached a wrinkled hand up to the black sky, pointing to the luminous white circle that hovered above them. ”Some say that the night is the perfect time to reflect on one’s own life, because it pays homage to Leth’s new lifestyle.”

Perhaps that is why I couldn’t sleep. Ayatah thought. She was about to vocalise her thinking, but it seemed she did not need to:

”Where you deep in thought tonight so you could not sleep?”

”Maybe.” She said in a small voice. ”I... Very often think deeply. For my age, at least.”

Quiet conversation with her cousins had told Ayatah this; they seemed to be perfectly happy to spar and train, with little introspection into their lives. But Ayatah very often questioned things - not out of lack of respect for the Myrian lifestyle, but it was part of her nature.

The Eypharian part of her.

Ayatah wrinkled her nose at the very thought of her father’s race having some sort of influence on her behaviour and way of thinking. I am Myrian, not Eypharian. She told herself repeatedly.

Her Great-Grandmother was not convinced to easily.

”It is the Eypharian blood in you, Aya.” When the young girl shook her head aggressively, Quinneth frowned, ”you can’t deny it, my dear. Much like Leth himself, there is a dichotomy to you. You have the fierceness of a Myrian, but also the craving of excellence and knowledge of an Eypharian. Why do you think that you asked for more schooling?”

Ayatah tilted her head to one side as she listened to the old woman’s words. In the entirety of her thirteen years of life, Ayatah had done her upmost to ignore her dirtied blood. Her mother had bought her up in Taloba, and her family had accepted her - even if people outside of their clan still treated her with hostility and questioning.

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Ayatah]

”It would seem that Leth was calling you, Aya.” The woman shuffled her weight left and right, trying to find a comfortable position on the wooden benches. The embers of the fire were struggling against the coolness of the jungle night, and Quinneth lent forward once more to poke at them. ”I take it that you know the story of Leth?”

Ayatah nodded. Like any good Myrian child, she knew about all of the Gods and Goddesses that their people worshipped. But Leth was perhaps one of the more mysterious deities, ”he is Dira’s brother, and he is in love with Syna. Is that right?”

Her Great-Grandmother nodded, ”before he was assigned as the God of the Moon, he was a dark and wild soul. But meeting Syna, as well as being given his night-time role by the Goddess Tanroa, he calmed and became reflective.” She reached a wrinkled hand up to the black sky, pointing to the luminous white circle that hovered above them. ”Some say that the night is the perfect time to reflect on one’s own life, because it pays homage to Leth’s new lifestyle.”

Perhaps that is why I couldn’t sleep. Ayatah thought. She was about to vocalise her thinking, but it seemed she did not need to:

”Where you deep in thought tonight so you could not sleep?”

”Maybe.” She said in a small voice. ”I... Very often think deeply. For my age, at least.”

Quiet conversation with her cousins had told Ayatah this; they seemed to be perfectly happy to spar and train, with little introspection into their lives. But Ayatah very often questioned things - not out of lack of respect for the Myrian lifestyle, but it was part of her nature.

The Eypharian part of her.

Ayatah wrinkled her nose at the very thought of her father’s race having some sort of influence on her behaviour and way of thinking. I am Myrian, not Eypharian. She told herself repeatedly.

Her Great-Grandmother was not convinced to easily.

”It is the Eypharian blood in you, Aya.” When the young girl shook her head aggressively, Quinneth frowned, ”you can’t deny it, my dear. Much like Leth himself, there is a dichotomy to you. You have the fierceness of a Myrian, but also the craving of excellence and knowledge of an Eypharian. Why do you think that you asked for more schooling?”

Ayatah tilted her head to one side as she listened to the old woman’s words. In the entirety of her thirteen years of life, Ayatah had done her upmost to ignore her dirtied blood. Her mother had bought her up in Taloba, and her family had wholly accepted Ayatah - even if people outside of their clan still treated her with hostility.

Her mother had always been beautifully open regarding Ayatah’s father. Any questions her daughter had asked, Paira would answer happily. She was an incredibly proud Myrian woman, and although she had not particularly wanted a half-Eypharian child, when she found out that she was pregnant she took full responsibility for her actions, and her maternal instinct had finally kicked in. Paira did not perceive her mating with an Eypharian male as ‘weak’ or ‘questionable’ - as she knew that some others did. It was simply an event that had happened, with the consequence of a child.

When she had returned to the jungle, after spending three seasons in Riverfall, Paira was large with child. Her pregnant state had certainly raised eyebrows, but Quinneth - who was head of the Scattered Bones even then - had simply nodded and welcomed her Granddaughter back home. After that, nobody in the clan interrogated Paira about the father of her child. They all knew that he was Eypharian, and they knew that after they had mated, he and Paira had parted their ways with no care or love between them. It had been a casual act of sex - nothing more.

But the casual act had resulted in Ayatah - a girl who was subtler in her aggression than her Myrian relatives, fairer of skin and longer of limb. She stuck out like a sore thumb, and Ayatah was fully aware of this. But what could she do? She trained as hard of her peers when it came to weaponry, she could run just as fast and climb trees just as well. Sure, she was by no means as fundamentally strong as a Myrian child, but she was quick of wit as well as quick of form.

And she had a secret craving of knowledge and perfection. She not only wanted to be the best at sparring and fighting, but she wanted to be smart. She wanted to speak and read in different languages, to learn about the other races that inhabited the land.

”You are right,” she said eventually. ”I… am half Eypharian. But I am not proud of it. I don’t like how I am interested in different things than my friends and cousins. I hate how it makes everyone look at me different.” She was speaking in an exasperated tone now, imploringly. Ayatah was desperate for her Great-Grandmother to understand and empathise with her, to understand just how torn she was.

The old woman just chuckled softly, shaking her head. ”Aya, my dearest child… You cannot deny or hate yourself, just because your father is not Myrian. You have a bounty of skills and interests that you would not have if you were like the cousins and friends you envy so.” The dark eyes of the old woman looked up to the sky. The moon had shifted a little since she had first joined Ayatah. Time was passing. ”Leth changed himself for his love of Syna. He embraced a calmer side of his person. I cannot make you to embrace your Eypharian blood, but I can tell you that if you did - for your own love of Myri, your clan and our people - you would probably learn the same lessons that Leth had done.”

The words sunk into Ayatah slowly and uncomfortably. The matriarch of her clan was telling her to embrace the part of Ayatah had she had denied so hotly for as long as she could remember. She was being asked to completely change how Ayatah perceived herself…

…And out of my love for Myri and my family.

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Ayatah]

Ayatah was as dedicated to the Goddess-Queen as any Myrian child. Myri had united their people, bought them home to the Jungle, and made them a fiercely strong race. They owed everything to their Queen, and the thought of servicing Myri in a unique way that no true-blooded Myrian could sent excited shivers down Ayatah’s spine.

”Could I truly serve the Goddess-Queen if I… accepted my father’s people?”

Quinneth nodded, ”Yes. You can focus on the negatives of being half-Eypharian, and thus deny this part of you,” the elderly woman stood up, her bones creaking as they had done when she had first sat down. ”Or, you take a leaf out of Leth’s book, and embrace another part of you out of love for our Queen. When he did that, Leth became the God of the Moon. I cannot promise that you will reach divine status - but you will certainly find that you are far more capable than you give yourself credit for.” And hand was place on Ayatah’s shoulder, and the women nodded to her Great-Granddaughter, who half-bowed in response.

”Thank you, Quinneth. I will… consider what you said.”

And for the third time that night, Quinneth said, ”you are a night child, Aya, and I think this is because Leth was calling to you. He knows that you are in need with self reflection and thought.”

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Limey]

Ayatah Skill and Lore Rewards Skills Lore Storytelling 1 Quinneth: Cool Old Lady Observation 3 You Are A Night Child Socialization 2 Lore: Leth Ephyarian and Myrian in One Soul For Clan and For Myri Accepting and Changing Even Gods Sacrifice For Love The Wisdom of the Old, and of Leth Additional Notes : A very nice little thread, there, Aya. Couldn't award much in the way of XP, but that wasn't the point, was it? Very, very cool characterization of Quinneth, your imagery and subtlety in describing her was very smooth and textured. Any questions or queries, please PM me.