Closed [The Cribellum] A Light in The Dark (Aranta)

[Neologism]

31st of Fall 514AV

The Benshira woman had few places to hide in the cave-city. Seeing as she could not reach any building without the help of one of the dreaded Symenestra, it was only expected. She wasn't supposed to be hiding anyway, she was a surrogate. Despite her host family's efforts to keep her as comfortable as possible, the Benshira had few interests. Unfortunately the depression of a surrogate was common enough that the only thing the Symenestra worried about was suicide. The race had begun to stop paying attention to the emotions that the surrogates were dealing with. This left Habdi alone most days. Her host family had a young Symenestra child who was curious about the surrogates dark skin and clear finger nails. The child had no bad intentions, simple curiosity drove the toddler towards his family's surrogate, but the child was enough to put the Habdi on edge. Habdi who had once been called brave.

But today she was given a gift. Her host mother had seen the obvious discomfort around the family's child, and so she was allowed a small amount of freedom from the spidery-people's dwelling. The 'freedom' only lasted a few hundred feet down one of the thick red ropes that connected her host families stalactite to the cave's library, The Cribellum. But it was better than sitting in the precarious bed that they Symenestra had built for her, wondering if she would survive the leap to the bottom of the caverns, hoping she wouldn't.

"Hopti!" The accented Symenestra voice butchered the surrogate's name as she was helped out of her small carrying basket. Habdi cringed, not bothering to correct the vile woman who looked on her with such ... Habdi didn't know. She didn't dare read the pale woman's face as friendliness, becuase the Symenestra had been anything but friendly. She had been forced to bear the husband's child and now she would wait until death came to her. Habdi had been informed of what was happening to her, at least the spiders gave her that 'luxury'. "This is the library, this is where you go, correct?"

The benshira squinted at the woman, unable to understand her accented common when her own competency in the universal language was minimal at best. The Symenestra's elegant voice spoke more words in Common that Habdi didn't understand before pointing towards the library. Unsure of what the woman said, Habdi nodded gravely, turning to look at the mass amount of books that surrounded her. This was by far the largest library she has ever seen, in fact, it was the only library she had ever seen. Movement behind her turned Habdi on her heels again, just in time to see the pale woman's silken dress flowing behind her as she crawled away. Habdi shivered, the resemblance that the humanoid held to a spider was too real for the Benshira.

Habdi took a deep breath before taking another step into the library, her arms wrapping themselves around each other. Oh Yahal, take my faith and deliver me from this place. The Benshira prayed, wide green eyes flitting around the room. There were only two occupants that day, and only one scared her. The old Symenestra that was approaching her sent fear down her spine, forcing the Benshira's feet to move in the opposite direction. The man said something in Common that Habdi forgot to listen to before he placed a hand on her shoulder. It was soft, not meant for harm, but Habdi jerked herself away from him anyway, standing her ground to listen to the Symenestra's request.

"Hello, miss. I welcome you to ..." The benshira's understanding of his words drifted off. Wide green eyes avoided his, landing on the long black wings of another creature. A creature that should have scared her far more than the kind old man did. Instead she looked to the creature for releif. A thin finger rose to point towards the winged man a few paces from her.

"I came to see him. I have an urgent message for him." The fib flew out of her mouth. The years of practicing common with her father had finally come in handy as the Benshira spoke to the Symenestra. Immediately she started walking away from the librarian who followed closely behind.

"I don't believe your host family-

"I must speak to him about Yahal. You must understand. You have your Gods, but I must speak to him about mine." Oh please Yahal, please allow me this, please. Habdi waited for the Symenestra to allow her to leave, and he finally did, reluctantly.

"Please take care around ... him." Habdi didn't have enough understanding of the Symenos accent to completely read the disgust in his voice, but she heard enough of it to know she made the right choice. Who ever -- What ever this creature was, the Symenestra didn't like him. After all the enemy of your enemy is your friend.

"You must forgive me." The surrogate weaved around the Zith's wings, glad to feel solid ground beneath her feet again. "I don't want to- ..." Habdi squeezed her eyes shut. "Yahal is testing me." She whispered to herself before returning her attention to the Zith she had so easily used as her scapegoat. Normally the Benshira would have feared the winged man, but when she compared his looks with what the Symenestra have already put her through, she had little issue sitting down with the Zith. "Would you allow me to have a conversation with you? I don't want to look at the Symenstra. Please take pity on me." Even if Aranta did not understand the thick Shiber accent, he would understand the pleading look in her green eyes.

[Aranta]

Aranta had come to the Cribellum to practice his reading on what few scrolls and books the library contained in Common-- Snaeha was busy that day, and being a Zith, Aranta had few other companions. So he had been sitting alone, mouthing words to himself and trying to make sure he got the most accurate understanding of them that he could. Religion plays an important part in most cultures on Mizahar-- after the Valterrian, life became much harder for all races, and daily prayer and pleads to the gods and goddesses for help in their lives became even more commonplace, and perhaps, some would argue, even more essential to daily life. Without faith, without something to live for, after all, some people would wither away to nothing. Praying to the gods gives most races a feeling of satisfaction, a feeling that there is someone or something out there looking after them, that their lives are not meaningless. Aranta's reading was interrupted by the arrival of a human-- Aranta didn't know what race she was, but she certainly wasn't a Symenestra. Most likely a surrogate, then; the Zith remembered that a bunch of them had recently been brought to the city. Aranta watched the human woman flit about, murmuring to herself-- she mentioned that someone was testing her; that was odd-- before addressing Aranta directly. Her words were thick and distorted, but Aranta got the gist of what the woman was requesting. He tilted his head to one side before nodding. "Of course," he said in Common. "You seem upset. My name is Aranta-- yours?" Aranta was briefly distracted by the woman's eyes-- they were an absolutely stunning shade of blue. He'd never seen a shade that pure in another being's face before, nor had he seen skin that dark. That only served to increase his curiosity about the woman, and Aranta abandoned his book in favor of studying her intently. He remembered what she had said-- that someone was testing her. A person called Yay-hal, he believed. "Who is testing you? And why? I did not know that families tested the women who bear their children." The Zith, of course, was working off of the erroneous assumption that this Yay-hal person was a member of the family who had taken the woman for their surrogate; he had not reached the section of his selected book that described the different deities.

[Neologism]

oocI'm terribly sorry for how late this is. :/

Habdi's green eyes flitted between the Zith in front of her and the Symenestra on the other side of the library, unsure of which monster to fear more. But her confusion was put down by the Zith's interest. "My name is Habdi" She said hesitantly, unwilling to give the strange creature the rest of her name. She didn't know the power of knowledge in these caves, but she didn't dare put her family in danger by revealed the tents from which she originated. "And Yahal, is my God, the God of purity and faith."

A grin broke across the girl's face at the mention of her deity, but was cut off when her green eyes found their way back to the pale monster that stood mere meters from her. The surrogate left all politeness aside, pulling a chair out and seating herself. She struggled to keep her focus on the Zith, a monster that didn't seem so monstrous in her eyes, compared to the real savages. "No," Her voice grew quite and once hand rested on her stomach, below the table and out of the Zith's sight. "They've already ruined me." The jewel green eyes that had lost their luster so quickly returned as she let her pupils rest on the Zith's wings. "Yahal is testing me. He is the God of faith and purity, and unfortunately I have failed him in both domains. I failed to prove my faith when I lived under his generosity, and now I am no longer pure. Faith is not as genuine when it is awakened in self-interest."

Habdi found herself chattering on. She was happy to share her God with a stranger, however she wondered how interested this stranger may be in her deity. She placed her hands on the table, locking her fingers together, allowing herself to relax, at last. She knew nothing of the creature that sat before her, this Aranta, and yet she wanted to share her faith with him. One last comfort. "Do you have a faith?"