Waves of Hope

[Nephti]

25th Winter 516

It seemed that Ionu had decided that it was about time to have Nephti reach the yellow-bricked house of Claudia, although several days late. The street had turned into a large avenue, with what seemed to be half of Mizahar pushing and shoving their way through it, cobbles that fell under their feet coated in a thin layer of mud. This part of Alvadas was its representation of Nyka, and most the people were hooded - although she couldn't tell whether that was an illusion or just the people going along with Ionu's whims. Her own hood slipped up, hiding her face a little, as she turned towards the house, knocking lightly on its door.

Claudia pushed it open lightly, a smile shooting to her face at the sight of Nephti. She beckoned her in, leading her to a small sitting room that consisted of little more than two armchairs and a small side table in front of a hearth. It led into a slightly more impressive kitchen, which the woman moved in to, putting a kettle to boil.

"I was just thinking of you!" she said through the open doorway, peering in as the girl pulled her cloak off and sat on the armchair on the side with the open window. The people could be seen move around through it, as could the crack, which she hadn't realised was that near. "It looks like Ionu saw it fit to bring us together - why else would you have come at such a convenient time?" A hiss came from the kettle and she moved towards it, "Do you take sugar with your tea?"

Nephti shrugged, "I will have what you have. Is it okay to talk?" Her eyes moved to the open window, wondering whether closing it would have much effect on the noise of their voices. Anyone could hear them talking.

Claudia moved in gripping two cups of tea and placed them on the side table, settling into the other armchair. She took a sip before replying, gesturing for Nephti to have some too. "Not now, not here. But Priskil has another job for you," she said simply, understanding what she had meant. Nephti's face brightened, eager to help serve her goddess as best as she could.

"What is the problem?" she asked, taking the tea herself and blowing on it lightly, not yet ready to drink fully against the heat of the drink.

"Recently, a young lady came to me, a Svefra called Marina. She's a true Svefra, with the ocean in her blood, but she's spent a lot of time in Alvadas recently, anchored by her new husband. She's sacrificed a lot for him - left her pod for a while until the two settled in. The waiting time, however, has fallen far too long. Her husband's ill. Dreadfully - he's bed bound, and has been for a season or so. It's curable, I'm certain of it, but it takes time and patience."

"He needs hope, so he can have the strength he needs to get better?" she guessed, wondering if she knew where this was going.

"Yes and no. He's strong and he should have the strength. But Marina's the one lacking hope. He hasn't shown any improvement since when he first got ill, and no healer she's asked has done anything significant. She's had almost every healer from the city visit him. And the poor man, he's put two and two together, and figured out that privately, each one has told her that they don't have a chance. Figured out wrongly, because no one has told her that, and no one needs to. He will get better, but now he's feeling like there is no point stretching it out and torturing his wife further."

"She has no hope, and so he gets none. I see," she replied softly, taking a long drink as she thought over it.

"Exactly. I've tried talking to him, but he loves and trusts his wife too much to think she's doing that. He doesn't want to believe me - he'll only believe Marina. I've tried talking to her too, but she just sees me as another healer who hasn't done anything. Do you think you can help her? So she can help him?"

"You can help him?" she checked, not wanting to instil false hope where it was impossible.

"Yes, I'm certain of it! I wouldn't be asking you if I wasn't. Only with all the healers, they're just cancelling each other out. I've been giving him one set of herbs, but I've found out another has been giving ones that neutralised my effect. Thankfully, the combinations don't seem to be harmful, but they aren't helping. He needs one doctor, and his wife needs the hope to be able to trust just one."

"I will help you. Where can I find Marina?"

"They have a small casinor at the docks, painted a primrose colour, although I'm sure you can ask around. Thank you," the woman smiled, placing her tea back down, "Do you want me to take you?"

"No," the girl smiled back, draining the rest of the cup as quickly as possible without burning her tongue, "But thank you anyway."

[Nephti]

The docks were never hard to find: laying outside the illusions of Alvadas, they never shifted, never moved from place to place and although they could be called boring with the lack of illusions, they were a nice place to go to seek refuge when you felt lost. The only problem with them was getting to them, and Nephti seemed to be finding herself twisting away from them whenever she turned towards them, and wondered whether what Claudia had claimed about Ionu on their side that day was actually true. None of the streets she entered seemed to head the right direction, and finally, she found herself at the end of an alleyway, the port just in sight beyond the wooden fence that blocked her.

It wasn’t the hardest to climb, the girl pushing her feet through the broken slats and kicking herself up, grabbing the top and pulling herself up comfortably. Her legs swung to the other side, and she dropped, feeling her skirt rise and pressing it down quickly. Finally, she was here.

Taking a deep breath, she took in the salt of the sea and listened to the steady clunking of the boats as the tide knocked them together. The ocean was never her friend, although she knew how much of a refuge it was to some. To her, it only was a way of passage, one she had travelled several times in chains, but several times without as well. There was the standard hustle and bustle of the sailors who moved across the port, ropes and cargo in their hands as they carried it on and off ships.

The smaller boats - the casinors, she assumed, as they didn’t sound like big ships from the name and the situation - were located at the other end of the port, and the girl walked carefully through the working sailors and skipped from plank to plank. Her eyes searched through the sails, trying to catch the colours before the waves swept them up and lifted them up with white foam. Reds, oranges, dark blue and purples. Browns - there were a lot of browns, not painted and left with just wood. They were the boring ships: it wasn’t hard to tell that those had owners who were only visiting Alvadas and considered another port their home.

There were not, however, any boats she would consider to be primrose coloured. Yellow, yes, a bright, blinding yellow, but that ship had a million little children running over it and a couple who were both healthy sitting on its decks. She doubted that Marina’s husband had such a quick recovery.

Deciding to stop there anyway, because she had no clue what else to do, she called over at them, before being waved on board.

“Need help with something?” they asked, and she nodded, thanking them before she let them know how they could help.

“I look for ship - casinor - that is primrose colour,” she asked politely, the couple laughing lightly at her question.

“No primorse coloured casinor that we know of, but there is a boat called the Primrose. Looking for Marina?” Nephti nodded quickly, wondering whether it had been an illusion or whether Claudia had just been confused when she had told her the ship was primrose coloured. “That’ll be over there.” The couple gestured at the casinor a few boats away, a ruby red colour with “Primrose” neatly painted on one side. “Have a good day!”

“You too, thank you!” Nephti smiled, running across the docks towards it. It was deserted, from an outside look, although she didn’t doubt the woman in question would be found inside the cabin, with her husband. She stood outside awkwardly, not sure what boat etiquette was. Could she step onto the ship and knock on the cabin door? Or was that like stepping into a house and knocking on the kitchen door?

She wasn’t certain, so instead of risking it, she called out, the Svefra inside thankfully hearing her. The door swung open, with a sharp, yet welcoming, “Who’s there?”

[Nephti]

“I am Nephti, marked by Priskil,” she closed her eyes, extending her gnosis towards the woman in a sign of good faith, “Are you Marina?”

As the woman replied, Nephti took a closer look. Her skin was sun kissed, crusted with a thin layer of salt, and her eyes were narrow and curious, as blue as Laviku’s waters. She moved like a seagull, carefully and cautiously shifting towards the Eypharian. “I am,” she replied, as if she was almost uncertain of it, “But why do you ask?”

Nephti smiled softly, taking it as an invitation to make the small leap onto the casinor. The boat trembled slightly as she landed, feeling it shift, but she caught herself with a hand against the railing. What had she been planning to say? “I know a healer who wants me to show you that your husband will get better”? For a woman who was going to such extremes by hiring every doctor in the city, she doubted that would work. Carefully was best.

“I heard - a lot of things,” she decided, still smiling brightly, “I thought you might want my help.”

“You’re a healer?” she asked quickly, taking a sharp intake of breath and eyes flashing with interest. The girl could tell instantly that she wanted another one, which was exactly what she needed to stop. Posing as a healer would do nothing; the woman wouldn’t listen and she couldn’t help anyone. There was some other way she could help, however.

“No,” she replied sharply, watching a distorted hope fall from her eyes and feeling instantly guilty. “No,” she repeated, softer and reaching out in apology, “I can show you the future.” Her hand flipped, cards staring out at the Svefra. “If you let me.” From the sea blue eyes, she could tell that the woman was considering it. She was held back by what it could say, but the anticipation was too much. Without saying anything, she gave a quick nod.

Nephti smiled back, trying to show her she didn’t have to worry. The cards knew the truth that Claudia had spoken of, and this was exactly what she was planning on showing her. “Your husband…” she said softly, eyes flickering to where the man must surely be resting, “He can see it too?” A small part of her hoped that the woman would agree. It was important for him to see the recovery waiting for him in the future. She knew Claudia had told her that the problem was the wife’s lack of hope, but there would be nothing wrong with letting him have some too.

“No,” the woman shook her head quickly, swallowing visibly. She was scared, it seemed. No hope led to fear in places it wasn’t necessary. “I don’t want him to…” she trailed off, not wanting to say anything, “It’s just, I don’t think…”

Nephti kept smiling, although made it softer and gestured for the two to sit together along a small back bench. “Do not think,” she said quietly, running the cards between her fingers and telling them silently to show her what this woman needed to see and nothing less. It would always be some version of the truth, but hopefully, it would be the right version. “This is Alvadas. What looks one way is another - that is a fact more than anything else.” Gently, she handed over the cards, feeling the wind brush through her fingers as she held them against Zulrav’s grip. Knowing what to do, the Svefra shuffled, eyes closed and focused on what she wanted to know.

“Tell me what will happen to Kraityn.”

[Nephti]

Her hands moved quickly to lay out the spread, making it up from something she half remembered. It didn't matter, not really. She wasn't here to tell her exactly what the cards wanted to say - she was here to give her hope, and would do everything she could to give it to her.

"The present," she flipped the first card around, "Four of swords. He is resting. That is all." Better not dwell on it, although it didn't speak of anything particularly bad. Just recovery, which he was doing. Nothing there she didn't know. Nothing there she didn't assume, either.

The next card was the challenge. As she flipped it over, she recognised it immediately. "The Star. Hope. But look - it is upside down." She smile, glad that the cards had fallen into their places so well. "There is no hope. That is the challenge." She pressed her fingers against it, before turning her hand and letting it glow lightly. "You must have hope."

The woman nodded, staring past the card. "But what will happen?" she asked, although her tone was less worried than before, "Will he survive? Will he be alright?"

Nephti shook her head slowly, not because of the answer, but because of the reaction. Her point was lost in the Svefra's agitation, and that wasn't what she was looking for. "Even now, challenge is there. You must have hope. Then all will be good, I promise." Nephti smiled lightly, pressing her hand above the Star again, trying to get her to see. Her eyes lingered on the next cards, not caring, trying to see through the patterns on the back to understand the future.

With a deep sigh, the girl moved on, muttering a quick prayer to Priskil to help her spread hope as she did. As she turned the card over, she could sense the tension that rose between them, both Nephti and Marina holding their breaths as they waited for the card to speak to them, although both were waiting for different things. Marina wanted answers, and as the card turned face up, her eyes flickered back up towards the Eypharian, watching the six-armed girl closely for anything she could learn. Nephti, however, wanted to help the woman, and she gave a deep sigh of relief as she saw it, not even registering what it was. As long as it seemed to be good.

"What? What does it say?" the Svefra asked quickly, rocked forward to rest on her palms as she tried to understand. Slowly, Nephti lifted it, admiring the detail in the card, and trying to figure out what it meant. More importantly, how to show this woman that whatever it meant, it was good.

"Four of Wands," she decided to stick with the basics, "The future." She stared back down at the card, trying to figure out its meaning. The two people - man and woman - resembled Marina and her husband so well. Both were well, in this image, and she held it out to show the woman that the card, at least, illustrated the image of two healthy, well people. Not only that, it seemed to be a celebration of sorts, which had to be a good sign. "All happy, all well. Like you will be. I promise."

So many promises given out today, but Marina, slowly, was buying them.

Until, unfortunately, she began to ask more questions, "So he will heal? When? How do I help him? These cards, are they right? Always right? Are you certain you read them properly? It's just that... oh, tell me they are right."

It took Nephti a while to sort through the questions, to decide she knew what she was answering. They were questions that didn't need answers, that came from the woman's desperate lack of hope. Closing her eyes, the Eypharian waited a moment, trying to think of the best way to phrase it to make herself understood. Then, maybe, she could show her what she needed.

[Nephti]

Finally, she spoke. "Marina, listen. The cards - they are always right. I promise. But this is not the problem. You. You are the problem. You did not listen. They tell you - they tell you that he will get well. They tell you the problem is no hope - and you have no hope! Marina, trust me. Tell me. Why is there no hope? If you have it, Priskil will help you. I promise. Tell me, and I will help you have hope!"

The woman squirmed at the way Nephti had burst out, and the girl hung her head, ashamed at how she had grown annoyed at the Svefra's actions. After a few moments of silence, the woman finally spoke, much softer and weaker than before. "I just... I don't want to lose him. He's the only thing I have at the moment. I want to have hope, but then I think about what if it was false hope, and... and..." She shuddered, Nephit reaching forward to hug her tight.

Slowly, she began to speak again, careful to hold her emotion back, "I will help. Priskil will help. I promise." As she spoke, she felt the mark on her hand begin to glow, spreading light across the woman. It traced across her skin, lighting her up brightly, and she could feel the strength rising in her.

The two parted, Nephti busying herself as she gathered her cards. "I will pray. I will pray and pray, and ask Priskil to help you. She will listen. She always listened to me." Marina nodded silently, turning her head slightly to hide her emotions. "Have hope. One doctor - there are many good. Claudia, is good. Others, too. And one doctor will make Kraityn well. I promise."

So many promises. But Marina seemed to trust her. Trust her and the glowing hope from her palm.

She reached forward, kissing the woman's forehead lightly before rising. "Have hope."

And that was all she could add. Without another look back, she moved away, finding her feet on dry land quickly and disappearing in the mess of the crowd. Only when she was certain Marina wouldn't see her did she turn and watch the boat, watch the woman disappear back under to her husband. Hopefully, she would have heard some of her words and felt the touch of Priskil. She was going to return, maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after.

But her work here, for now, was done. And it was time for her to go home. Wherever home was for her.

[Faradae]

Nephti
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E X P E R I E N C E

• Socialization +2
• Rhetoric +2
• Fortune Telling +2

L O R E S

• Alvadas Location: Alvadas-Nyka
• Alvadas Location: The Patchwork Port
• Marina and Kraityn: Svefra couple
• Fortune Telling: Spreading hope
• Rhetoric: Promises of hope

N O T E S

Entangling fortune telling with Nepti's mission of hope worked so well in this thread! It'd be interesting to see her deal with a less enthusiastic reaction, or a follow-up thread with Marina.

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