Solo Protect the Inspiration

Rohka has visitors, and is requested for her services. [Job Thread]

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Center of scholarly knowledge and shipwrighting, Zeltiva is a port city unlike any other in Mizahar. [Lore]

Protect the Inspiration

Postby Rohka on May 18th, 2021, 2:08 pm

12th of Spring, 521 AV

Rohka walked up to her patient door and let herself inside.

In just a few steps, she was next to a window. Since arriving last Fall, she’d been moved around countless times with doctors telling her that her treatments required inspection and their effects served as lessons for the students and assistants. Today, all of her belongings were moved into a new area of the centre. She was told that there would be a new system of treatment for her here, and that it would be part of a study on her mental state.

It had been a while since she was given a room with a window. Even her room in Ravok, the one above the Malt House… she didn’t have the means. Here though, through the glass stained a shade of light marigold, set high above the ground, the buildings of Zeltiva seemed to sparkle in the light of Leth’s smile. It wasn’t quite high enough for her to see the shoreline, but it was enough to catch a glimpse of the sides of mountains in the distance. If this was a balcony, she knew she would’ve stepped outside immediately. Instead, it was a barred view, with the same familiar, musty scent of the Healing Centre lingering on her nose.

“Hello?”

A voice from behind the door sounded slightly nervous.

“It’s Reilmai. I brought a friend. She might be able to help you. You were denied citizenship, right?” asked the voice.

How did they find me? Rohka wondered. If the sybil hadn’t already suspected that something fishy was going on at the centre… this moment certainly solidified it.

She clicked her teeth, turned away from the window, and walked to the door, opening it.

“I don’t need hel—“

“Look, they moved her again, just like I said they would,” said Reilmai, in a smiling whisper that wasn’t at all like a whisper. The sybil furrowed her brows, hearing this. “Rohka, meet Tessa. She came into the shop the other day, telling me about a private performance being held at the Key Notes, and she needed a particular string modified and—“

“Hey,” said the woman standing next to her, moving a strand of tight red curls away from her line of sight, the sultry velvet tone of voice on the verge of apologizing. “May we come inside?”

Tessa’s tone put the sybil at ease, and she immediately felt her the tension in her muscles melt away. She gave them both a smile and took a step back.

“Sure. Sorry,” said Rohka, as they walked in and closed the door behind them.

“Is this about a reading?" Rohka paused and pulled at a few threads in her djed, to sense a bit of their auras, finding some light greens and a hint of yellow, along with an ocean breeze that she wasn't sure how to place, emanating from the woman she didn't recognize. What that a sign of her history, by any chance? Or was it more symbolic, having something to do with waves? Rohka began to remember her tattoo and instantly felt an ease come over her once again. The sybil released a breath and gestured to her fairly dull amenities. "I don’t have a place for you both to sit.”

“It’s fine,” said the Konti walking over and climbing onto the patient bed, smiling. “Plenty of space here.”

Rohka shook her head with a smirk and followed, climbing up to sit with her back to the headboard. Tessa stood by for a tick of hesitation before climbing into the patient bed as well.

“It’s weird that she has her own room, right?”

Tessa pursed her lips, crossing her legs underneath her. From her shoulders, the woman removed a small saddlebag and placed it beside her on top of the sheets. There were a few more ticks of silence before the Konti broke it.

“Gods, just tell her what you told me and get on with it!”
Last edited by Rohka on September 1st, 2021, 5:11 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Protect the Inspiration

Postby Rohka on September 1st, 2021, 3:09 am

A magonym. That’s all she needed.

Apparently one of her students shared this piece of insight when they’d both gotten heavy into a piece of music. A wizard with a questionable race that wanted no part in his own history decided to make a name for himself in the city, developing skill sets far beyond what he’d initially thought he was capable of growing within him. Tessa had unlocked what he felt was a kind of magic he never knew he could create for himself, through playing the Hang Drum and the Lute. He’d shared his story of a new life that he’d created just from a simple change in his name.

“He even said that women do it too, right Tessa?” asked Reilmai, her face beaming. “But instead of an “-us” or “-on” suffix, women went with “-ea” and “-ria” instead. So you could name yourself—”

“Rohkaria,” she declared, smiling.

Tessa offered a warm look of appreciation, covering the back of the sybil’s hand with both of her own.

“You deserve a life outside of these walls,” said the bard, gently. “You deserve to belong. I know how it is to want consistency. Growing up on the streets, I—“ her voice broke off, and she looked down at their hands. “Life felt like it was out of my control. But now,” Tessa looked back up at the sybil with determination in her eyes.

“I know what to listen for.”

The sybil nodded. Tessa had explained that she had been blessed twice by Rhaus, the God of Music.

“I just can’t use what I know to predict the future. I need you to do that. Figured since you helped Reilmai progress with her work, I could give you this information to help you progress as well. Win-win. No?”

It felt fair. The sybil pursed her lips and shifted a bit in the patient bed, taking in a breath of air before exhaling slowly. She had a feeling that the type of fortune telling that this woman wanted was probably a bit more complicated than the Konti’s had been. Just from the way it was being spoken about… it all felt so secretive. Rohka wasn’t used to this. Being so far away from home and having no family to be herself around… it just felt odd to be dealing with people like this.

People she barely knew.

“Thank you,” said Rohka, with her best attempt at a grateful tone. “Sure, I can help. I have my cards. I can do a spread for you. Or I can read your hands. I haven’t done a ritual in a long time, I still have to complete my first one, technically.”

“Why isn’t it done?”

Tessa’s eyes seemed to light up, asking this. The sybil pondered revealing the truth. She took out her cards from the pocket of her patient clothes with a bit of a flourish and picked a random card out from the deck to help her understand how much info she should really be providing on the matter.

The Emperor. It was telling her to be firm, but to avoid being harsh. She openly showed the card to Tessa.

“I tend to trust the advise of my cards, and here, by telling you why it isn't done, I'd be taking control of what's been a chaotic situation, not unlike the firm role of Emperors of the past. You see, by my own luck and that of maybe the Gods, my very first ritual turned out to be one for a child that wanted to sacrifice an heirloom item of his to Rhysol. I’m keeping it safe now,” she said, while her hands went up to hold the stone around her neck. “I just haven’t found the correct means to destroy it yet. I know it’s not impossible, but,” she paused, looking off to the side before catching Reilmai’s curious gaze. The Konti was awfully quiet, hearing all of this, but offered a smile when they locked eyes.

“Go on,” she said softly, touching Rohka’s arm.
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Protect the Inspiration

Postby Rohka on September 1st, 2021, 3:10 am

They all knew that it was difficult to speak about matters involving a God like Rhysol in this city. The encouragement that Reilmai was providing, however, had more to do with Rohka’s sense of self than it did with her connection to the God she worshipped. The Konti’s gift allowed her to sense one’s djed trace, and Rohka’s particular trace, though it was nothing in comparison to the wizards that frequented her shop… it was present, dancing, and alive. Beautiful to feel.

The sybil felt comforted and smiled back, continuing a bit of her story. “Well, I’m having trouble finding the motivation, really. I need to get out of here permanently. I don’t think I’ll get citizenship until I have a place I can make into a home. I don’t feel comfortable destroying the item outside of a safe space.”

Both Reilmai and Tessa nodded silently.

“You take this seriously,” noted the Konti, in relief. Tessa beamed, reaching into her bag.

“Look,” she began, still rummaging through her things. “I think this would be a much easier item to sacrifice, and I trust you both. It’s not like I can just send a letter to Rhaus whenever I want, you know? So if you can just help me,” her voice trailed off, looking at Reilmai.

“I’ll shield the room.”

Rohka looked puzzled. Tessa pulled out a small object, cupping it in both hands. She then placed it on the bed between them as Reilmai stood up and began to take a closer look at the walls.

“Tessa,” began the sybil, starting to feel a fear creep up into her. The object looked like a little bird with holes in it. It looked glazed, like it might have been made from clay before being painted over in shades of blue. “What’s going on here?,” asked Rohka, seeing the Konti now flittering about, producing a gooey material out from her hands. “What is this?”

So Tessa explained.

~|~

It was an instrument. An ocarina, they called it. She didn’t explain where it came from, but instead, she described how it was played, how to hold it, and how she loved the pitch of it, and the particular brightness of the high notes.

She then described why she wanted it destroyed.

“My voice. I want it to inspire more love in this city. My singing skills are subpar, and I’m trying to get better, but I really can’t tell if I’m improving, and I don’t know any singing teachers around here yet. The better I am at singing, the better that I can teach my students, especially when they want to sing the lyrics for the songs they play. I’m sacrificing this instrument I love so much because I believe Rhaus will support my desire to have a singing voice that is just as beautiful. Or at least, that’s what I’m praying for. It would help to have my fortune told on the matter.”

She spoke all of this partly with her hands, and partly picking up and putting down and moving around the ocarina on the bed, as if she were playing with a toy or a doll. It seemed almost trance-like, in the way she interacted with the instrument.

Tessa then told the sybil that all she wanted done for the sacrifice was for the instrument to be smashed by someone other than herself.

Rohka would be that someone.

“And in return, I can help you destroy your stone.”
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Protect the Inspiration

Postby Rohka on September 1st, 2021, 3:11 am

To tell a fortune on furthering one’s capabilities. That’s it?

There was a level of trust here, provided by means she had yet to understand. Rohka suddenly felt unqualified and lacking in the true level of adept finesse required to divine an accurate reading. With faith in Rhysol, the sybil released her deck onto the bed and began to shuffle with both hands.

“I’ll give you a cross spread, with time involved, and an outcome.” She was refraining from providing reflection cards due to her fears about her own level of health. Her Lheroa cards had the tendency to provide insights that applied to herself as well, and she knew that if she went too deep into reflection mode, there was the risk of getting lost in the translation of meaning.

Rohka continued to shuffle. “I’ll start by seeing who you are presenting yourself as, in this moment, and then I’ll pull out the issue, the obstacle, the foundation, the past influence, the present influence, the further influence, the inner fear, the outside influence, the best that can be expected, and last but not least, the outcome.” Rohka found herself rushing so she took in a breath and watched as the spirited young Konti was doing gestures and incantations by the wall, seemingly concentrating deeply on her own task.

Seeing this, Tessa interrupted. “Don’t worry about her. We discussed this part before coming in here to see you. Shielding is a magic used to weave djed into barriers that prevent certain forms of djed from passing through. I need sound to be shielded out so that I don’t get distracted and also so that no one can hear us. It’s also so that no one interrupts us. An ultimate form of privacy, if you will. I really need this in order to stay focused on Rhaus during the sacrifice, because I want him to hear me clearly.”

Rohka raised her brows, hearing this insight. It was amazing to hear that such an ability existed.

“It’s not difficult, you know,” chirped Reilmai, turning to face the pair. “I do this all the time when I’m experimenting for work. Shielding takes practice, but starting out is a piece of cake. If you want, Rohka, just use the same djed you use to sense the aura, and focus it into your hands or your breath. Pool it out of you and you’ll see something that is unique to you. Use that delicious djed you made to form the barrier on any object. It’s like putting icing on a cake, and then you task with a purpose, like blocking water or smell or something. Magic shields can absorb stuff too, but when you start, you can’t really do that, and pretty sure you can’t stack.”

The corners of Rohka’s lips turned downwards as she nodded in the attempt at understanding. A hand went up to her shoulder, and she began to massage the muscles there while her face scrunched up, watching the Konti’s liquid turquoise substance become invisible as it formed against the door.

“Can I shield my cards?”

“Probably,” answered Reilmai. “Shield it from what?”

“Can I make them invisible?”

“No, but you can block light, which makes them dark, so you can’t see the image on it. Plus, you can only start blocking the sense of sight and all the other senses like smell, taste, and hearing once you’re competent at shielding. You have to add your blood to do that, which is what I’m doing to block sound. When you start though, you can block materials, metals, dirt,” she chuckled, remembering when she shielded her floors from getting dirty.

“Makes sense, blocking my vision would make everything look dark,” pondered Rohka, reflecting on what the Konti said before coming up with another question. “Can I make my cards fireproof?”

“Yes, but you might want to practice on paper first,” the Konti grinning as she said it, loving how Rohka was beginning to see the possibilities of the magic.

“Hey, can we…” Tessa began, gesturing at the Konti to continue.

“Right, sorry, back to protecting the space.”

The sybil smiled, now much more comfortable with what was happening.
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Protect the Inspiration

Postby Rohka on September 1st, 2021, 3:14 am

This was now routine. Her particular card spread was laid out on the bed for Tessa to see in full. Rohka breathed in, holding for a count of ten, before breathing out again. She listened around her, but got distracted by the chanting that Reilmai was going through in order to build her shields. The sybil took in another breath and brought her hand up to her heart, feeling for her own heartbeat. Focusing on it, Rohka meditated on her inner world, feeling for the threads of djed that would allow her to see Tessa’s aura in tandem with the reading.

Once she felt ready, she began to speak:

“You’re a queen of swords here, ready to tell it as it is. The issue is exactly as you pointed it out to be, with the lovers being displayed here. Wanting to inspire more love will require the following obstacle to be faced, which can be generally called ‘defence’. Let’s take this in context with the rest of the card,” Rohka paused here, eyeing the rest of the spread.

“See the foundation here? I’ve been seeing this in you, the pure hope and belief in yourself, as seen by the happy child a top a horse, with the bright shining sun lighting your path forward. I can see that in your past, you tended to focus on the love that was about a union between two people in passionate love, whereas in the present, you’ve been seeing love in ways that are more indulgent, filled with fruit, yet in a way, artificially binding. See these chains? They’re handing loosely over the couple, they could take them off at any time,” the sybil paused again, noticing the pinks in Tessa’s aura beginning to form. She felt a blissful emotion in amongst the floating greens. Rohka continued.

“Further out though, the influence in play here is about a love that is waiting, recovering, and in deep contemplation. There are other outside of your space, dealing with whatever it is that they need to deal with, while you, in your goal to get better, are perhaps requiring a period of deep and restful reflection. Notice however, that you fear your own precision, The woman in this card is a falconer, able to command and completely secure in her bright and powerful capabilities. With so much yellow in this image, and,” she noticed the dim canary hues replacing the pinks in Tessa’s aura and wondered for a moment whether she imagined it before it disappeared, replacing itself with a grating in the greens.

“Well, I’ll tell you this,” said Rohka, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “There’s nothing to fear.”

The classic line. The one she always knew she needed to use. Rohka saw Tessa’s shoulders visibly relax as she kept staring intensely at the cards.

“You are being guided to see that there is in fact a family related influence on the outside that will help you, perhaps something to do with property or animals. And before you panic, I’ll skip the best-that-can-be-expected card and I will go to the outcome.”

She skipped it because although the outcome looked bad with the swords stuck in the back of a body laying on the ground, the best-that-can-be-expected card was Death.

“Remembering that you want to inspire love with your voice. The outcome here is saying that you will not be defeated in your pursuit. Notice the sword near the neck, see how it is the only one that is not stuck inside the body. You WILL be able to do exactly what you want to do. This is simply to help you see what it will take.” Rohka paused again, holding out her hand.

Tessa took hers.

“The best to be expected is a new beginning. A claim. A deeper awareness. All very good ways to see the growth of your ability to sing. It is a profound change. It could even be seen as a letting go of old patterns. Now,” Rohka whispered, tracing a line on her palm.

“This short line,” the sybil raised Tessa’s palm slightly higher. “Yes, it’s hard to say for sure, but I will warn you… this will not be a shallow love. The indentation here tells me that the depth that you seek to inspire is…” Rohka felt her train of thought disappear in that moment.

“Oh dear,” she chuckled, letting go of her hand. “It’s beyond me, I guess.” Tessa was grinning now. “Okay, let’s wrap up with the timing of all this, and I’ll see if there are any remaining links I can give you.

Your past influence was from about 2 days ago, the one about the love that deals with unions. Your present influence of the indulgent love is from around now and 15 days from now. The recovery? That’ll be over a season from now.

It’s fascinating, Tessa. This really will be a major change, seeing the type of cards that came out. A lot of djed is involved, with all this yellow that I’m seeing. Passion too, from all the pops of reds, and it’s all for your craft, I would think. Your hope is driving you forward here, and I’d stress to you that if you’re worrying about your skill level, which I can see from the obstacle here showing the territory being defended, you may want to focus your efforts instead on released the fears about your self-sufficiency and independence. You work at Key Notes, right? It might be time to let your colleagues know about how valuable you truly are, and seek support and references from those who know you best. The more you let go of your fears in your abilities, the better you will be able to inspire the type of rejuvenating love that I see on your path.”

Rohka folded her arms and took a moment to thank Rhysol in her mind for his influence while sending a short prayer: May this reading be blessed with conviction in the fulfilment of potential required in your honour, Rhysol.
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Protect the Inspiration

Postby Rohka on September 23rd, 2021, 7:49 pm

Tessa smiled, and the sybil noticed the beauty in her thick lashes as the bard wiped a tear away from the corner of her eye. Some part of her knew that she needed to hear this, and other parts of her knew that in order for her to move forward, she would need to prove her dedication.

“Thank you, Rohka,” she began, looking at the spread, picking up the Sun card. “I’ll never stop believing in myself. Rhaus gave me the courage to do so.” Saying this, she grinned, a replied spread across her face while she stretched out her arms. Rohka couldn’t help but notice that her pose matched that of the child in the card. Relaxing, the bard turned back to her ocarina… the little blue bird. She handed the instrument over to Rohka.

“Here. Do you need to set something else up for this?”

Rohka pondered, considering the bard's question, looking around the room, finding her belongings and remembering what may help. She carefully climbed out of bed and went over grab her silk and candles.

“The set up would be simple. Just one candle should suffice,” Rohka took out a plain one before furrowing her brows. “On second thought, let’s take out two more candles. I’ll make it three points of an equal triangle. I need you to choose a mantra, and then we can repeat it together until I am concentrated enough on your growth that I can smash this instrument with the care it deserves. Ready? Whatever comes to mind as your mantra, when you think of Rhaus and a voice that inspires love, just say it out loud.”

Tessa excitedly followed the sybil, sitting down across from her as they both laid out the silk sheet on the ground fo the patient floor. Reilmai joined them, having completed the shielding and in support of her friend.

“I’m sure if we hold hands, the djed of the ritual will flow better,” chirped the Konti.

Rohka gave her a shrug. “Okay, no problem. Tessa, you can say your mantra after the candles are lit, and all three of us will repeat it together.”

The silence in the room was comforting for the sybil. With everything in place and Leth’s light filtering through the windows, Rohka lit the first candle. There was a slight hiss, and then the flame danced. She lit the other two as well, and then waited. For Tessa.

The bard had her eyes closed. She held out her hands. Rohka was to her right, and Reilmai to her left. They joined together, and Tessa spoke.

“Love to inspire the city. Inspire the city to love. May the voice become wiser, prettier, and extraordinary. May the city listen and learn.”

The muscles in Rohka’s body froze, hearing Tessa say ‘the voice’. Surely the bard did not know about who The Voice was in Ravok, did she? Rohka’s eyes stayed fixated on the flame, knowing that her faith in Rhysol meant that there was no need for going back and explaining the possible implications that Tessa would be creating by saying this mantra out loud.

They each took a deep breath in, staying silent for a moment, letting the words float in the air.

Then, they chanted.

Love to inspire the city
Inspire the city to love
May the voice become
Wiser
Prettier
and extraordinary
May the city listen and learn


Line after line, in low smooth tones, like gentle ocean waves upon a shore, the three young women spoke the mantra. Rohka watched, pulling strings apart enough to see through the fabric and glimpse the way their aura shifted, melded, and undulated with the sound of their chanting. The candlelight infused the space with a glow that warmed the sybil’s heart, spreading out from her chest and into the tips of every limb. Tingling, buzzing, eyes rolling back as the lids fluttered, she let go of their hands.

She picked up the bird.

The instrument.

Held it in her hands, shifted position, bowed, prostrating herself before the sacrifice as they continued chanting.

Tessa and Reilmai held hands now, as the sybil began to stand. The chanting got louder.

With both Rhysol and Rhaus in mind and at heart…

Rohkaria spoke.

LOVE TO INSPIRE THE CITY
INSPIRE THE CITY TO LOVE
MAY THE VOICE BECOME
WISER
PRETTIER
AND EXTRAORDINARY
MAY THE CITY LISTEN AND LISTEN


Rohkaria jumped.

Stomped.

The instrument shattered to pieces.
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Protect the Inspiration

Postby Rohka on September 23rd, 2021, 7:50 pm

“It’s your turn,” whispered Reilmai, after a thick silence.

Tessa nodded, afraid to speak. The Konti understood the fear and squeezed her hands.

“You must do the proper exchange right now. Don’t speak until you’ve done it,” Reilmai looked up at the sybil, staring at the sacrifice around her feet. Having been a guard of transactions by Marcel’s side for so long, the Konti knew the proper structure for such magic related endeavours.

“Take the necklace off and drop it, Rohkaria. I see the fear in your aura, but you just have to let go of it to finally complete what you needed to do. You don’t belong here, you know? You belong in health. You always have. Whatever put you here doesn’t have to control you anymore. You have so much potential in you to make your dreams come true, no matter what they are. You’ve trusted us this far, haven’t you? Let Tessa help you.”

The bard nodded, agreeing.

“I don’t understand,” Rohka touched her necklace gingerly. “How can she…”

The Konti interrupted. “Tessa has helped disintegrate materials for me when I’ve needed to experiment with different philters. Rhaus gave her an ability called Ultrasound, which allows her to cause effects just by having control over the vibrating waves of chemicals in anything physical.”

She didn’t need to hear anything else. Tranced, reckless, and willing, Rohkaria threw the necklace off and tossed it amongst the shards of the instrument, right in the middle of the triangle space created by the candles.

“There,” she began, the sybil’s tone now deeper, with a frustration she couldn’t name. “Can we stand over it instead?”

Both women wordlessly stood up and held hands once more.

“It can be quick,” piped the Konti, sensing the growing terror. “Do you have a mantra?”

Nodding, she spoke it:

“You are one. You are none. You are the soul of what you need to be free.”

Tessa and Reilmai looked at each other before looking back at Rohkaria, both smiling.

The three of them repeated it.

Over and over again.

Slowly but surely, in the light of the three candles, the bloodstone began to move. It seemed to buzz without a sound, its vibration casting a transforming shadow, one that began to get bigger… before…

You are one.
You are none.
You are the soul of what you need to be free.


The sybil thanks Rhysol in her mind for bringing her here to Zeltiva in safety. For allowing her to be able to complete all that she needed to do… for herself…

…for her family.

Rohkaria dropped to her knees.

There, in the middle of the candles, was a pile of powdered stone.
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Postby Rohka on September 23rd, 2021, 7:53 pm

The Konti and the bard stood at the door.

“Thank you both so much,” began the young Calico, finally beginning to sense a glimmer of hope for her future.

“Don’t mention it,” said Reilmai. She turned to her friend who seemed equally relieved and slightly anxious.

“It was my pleasure,” said Tessa.

All three women beamed, feeling the spark of her voice in the depths of their hearts.

____

Back in bed, the sybil pondered her next steps. She would need to leave. She would need to find Krishveth as soon as possible, and tell him about the sacrifice.

But what happens next?

The Vision she remembered… back in Mura…

Rohkaria brought her hands up to her chest, breathing deeply, calming herself as she recalled what that spirit decided he would do.

’I’ll marry her.

…by marrying her, I will bring her security.
By marrying her, I can save her from Rhysol’s influence.
By marrying her, I can protect her.’


This was the first time she allowed herself to think this through… and she still felt like it was useless to try to philosophize on the matter, alone. She needed to talk to him. That ghost.

Does he truly intend to marry me? she wondered. It didn’t seem possible for a ghost to marry in the same way that the living were marked by Cheva.

Asking herself if she loved Krishveth was an entirely different question on its own. She barely knew him. Wouldn’t she need time to love him?

Remembering the mesmerizing child’s eyes, the calmness in the boy’s presence… a forlorn desire to return to him began to enter her heart. She couldn’t explain it. That feeling. The depth in the truth of his gaze. The intensity.

The will to sacrifice goodness, strength, and…

…life.

Unresolved and furious, she turned around in bed to face the light of Leth.

’Dear Gods, how I wish to understand what it is to love in the way that is intended for a Goddess to deem worthy and true. I must fulfill my duties and move forward with love for myself and trust in myself. Belief in myself. Supporting myself in this world as a living, breathing, healthy woman with the choice to be free. How do I talk to Krishveth? How will he understand? Rhysol, I’ve only ever known your ways, in this life. I grew up with you in my heart. Will you guide me? Will you show me what choices I have? I’ve met no other deity who could possibly understand…’

She drifted into an unconscious sleep.
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Joined roleplay: May 24th, 2013, 5:28 pm
Location: Zeltiva
Race: Human
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