She looks away, "Ummm....maybe I remember something like that." She sighs, "I know it's not just about me anymore...I just...I just can't help how I feel sometimes....that's all."
Once Sienna comes back with the towels she wraps herself in one after rubbing her head down vigorously to get the excess water out, and steps out of the tub.
"Everything just happened kinda fast I guess....and I'm feeling a little out of sorts. I'm just getting used to the idea of being pregnant...and married, after finding out I was essentially asleep for over five hundred years and that my family is who knows where...if they're even still alive....it's all just...a little much. Ya know what I mean?"
Feeling rather euphoric from the bath, she just blurted out, "I can certainly sympathize. After all, I got all sorts of cranky when I was pregnant with my son." Her eyes went wide and her cheeks flushed as she realized what she just said. "Oops." She squeaked.
She looks surprised as her mouth hangs open for a minute. She shakes her head a little as if to clear it and looks at Tarja, "What....what did you just say?"
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"Nothing." Traja said quickly and in a high pitched voice.
Sienna comes back with a pile of towels, stripped down to nothing. "Here you go."
She steps into the water, her tail grasping a bar of soap on her way in. "Mmm, warm."
"No, you definitely said something," Ylrhea says, pulling off her clothing. She looks down at her scarred, nude body and slips into the water. She bites her lip as she reclines in the tub.
"It's okay Tarja....you can talk to us. What were you saying about having a son?"
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Drago studies the book, though most of the spells and incantations make little sense. While magic was esoteric enough, the contents of the book seemed far more complex than anything the dhampir had been exposed to. It seems a mystery how Kara was able to understand it, having no connection to the Anizari or the Summoners.
The changeling emerges from the other room, slightly uncomfortable being nude among others. She keeps an arm over her petite, caramel-colored breasts as she enters the bath. The blue Zakharov rune stands out on her arm. Her blush fades as she sinks beneath the water, letting the warmth soothe her. Konstantyná's hair flows out from her and she reemerges, the water at her neck.
Arista wills herself to get up from where she sits with the towel wrapped around her. "Wait...hold that thought. Ill be right back." She takes her bag, after putting the now offensive smelling soap in it and heads for the room. She reappears a few minutes later in her winter sleep wear and sits on a bench. "Okay....so, Tarja....if you want to....tell us about your son." She sits attentivly, as if waiting to hear a story.
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Sliding out of the water, and curling her tail around so she could sit and started wringing out her hair. After a heavy sigh, she started, "It was centuries ago, long before the War against the Dragons. He was another Eidolon bound to Summoner married to another of Drago's line. We fell in love, and shared a...moment under the moons of my world. We were happy with our son, but then the Madness took hold of him here in this realm. My son's father now wanders the ruins of Blackcrown. I just wish...." Her voice trailed off at the memories.
She looks down, "I....I'm sorry Tarja... I didn't mean to make you remember something painful. Tell us....what were you going to say? What do you wish for?"
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A single silver tear ran down her cheek, "I just wish I'd have been able to save him from the Madness. So Ramius could have known his father." The Eidolon looked off in the distance as she rubbed her arms, loneliness in her gaze.
Missing her own love and not being able to fathom how much it would hurt, not having Alethiro be a part of their baby's life, she goes to Tarja and wraps an arm around her. "I'm so so sorry you went through that.....it must have been unbearable......I can't say that I completely understand what that was like for you.....but, I can understand how it feels to miss someone so much that it feels like your heart is being ripped from your chest....and how it feels when you realize that you can't save everyone all the time.....the way you think you should. We just do the very best that we can with what we've got and cherish the good moments that we have with the ones we love and care about." She stops, her voice cracking, she looks to the others.
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Tarja said nothing. She just put her head on Arista's shoulder and silently wept.
Understanding the need for comfort and not trusting herself to say anything else, Arista just wrapped her arms around Tarja and let her cry it out.
"Alright," Ylrhea says, grabbing a towel and climbing out of the bath. "Let's not get all down. We have our work cut out for us tomorrow."
She couldn't understand how Tarja and Arista felt, but it wasn't because she didn't want to. The gnome just didn't have that kind of attachment to anyone or a child of her own. Maybe Sienna understands...
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Sienna looks at Arista and Tarja, remembering saying good-bye to Gwen. She turns to Cyna. "Wash my back?"
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Naked bodies and naked emotions... The changeling had her own story, but now wasn't the time for her own personal business to come to light.
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Sniffling a bit, she wipes her own tears away and tries to give Tarja a smile, "She's right, and we need our rest. Maybe....maybe whenever we get Drago to Blackcrown...Drago can find your love and send him back to your world....I don't know exactly how all that works....but, maybe if he's sent home he'll get better?" She says, trying to relieve some of Tarja's anxiety.
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Remaining silent as her friends let their emotions out, Sadhana strips down and steps into the bath as well, the warm water soothing as it passes over her patterned skin, as calming for her body as the presence of the others is for her spirit.
As she looks around at the other women she is reminded of what everyone present has at stake, happiness, love, companionship, a sense of belonging. In them all she found purpose to continue the fight. Her thoughts turn to Clara, her reason for everything outside of the fight, and in many ways the person she fought the hardest to make safe.
Grabbing a bar of soap she begins to lather up, enjoying the heat and the feel of cleaning herself, washing away the stresses and tensions of the day.
Drago grew frustrated with the book. Why is this so difficult? How could a child understand this? He lifted it over his head and was about to throw it at the wall, when a thought occurred to him. Maybe that's the problem, I'm thinking too much. The Summoner sat down, put the closed book in his lap, closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and projected his thoughts to the book. "Guide me."
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As Drago thinks, the book flips open to a page, seemingly at random. On the left hand side is a striking illustration of what appears to be a Summoner and a draconic-looking eidolon standing on top of a mountain beset by a host of shadowy foes. On the opposite side, there is a passage.
"A Summoner brooks no tyranny
A Summoner is a slave to none
A Summoner breaks the shackles
Upon himself and upon others
In the darkest of nights,
A Summoner is a beacon of hope
A Summoner is the shepherd of the Lost
A Summoner is the virtue others lack
There is no obstacle a Summoner cannot face
There is no opponent who is stronger
There is no utterance of surrender
Or the hopelessness of despair
A Summoner takes his strength from others
He does not stand alone
Whether it is in the company of others
Or in the sole company of a Traveler
A Summoner's destiny is to build
To unearth that which has been buried
To create a world where the past lives with the present
To always acknowledge what came before but strive for more
A Summoner is the future
A Summoner is the past
A Summoner is the present
A Summoner is all things"
"And what is the Summoners past?" Drago thought. "If I am to be the future, then I must know the past."
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The book flips pages again. This time it is two pages of text. It recounts a tale of the First Summoner, a man named Styrkur.
After the fall of the Predecessors, Styrkur lived among the giants, the name he bore granted by them. While many clamored for the power left behind, Styrkur sought his own path, speaking to the stones of Zahvroma. To his surprise, they spoke back to him. They told him of countless worlds and countless realities, revealing to him that his path was not a static one or one confined to Zahvroma alone. Styrkur journeyed the length and breadth of the land, searching but not finding his answer. It was then he came to a land far to the north, where the voices of the stones seemed loudest. In the snow of the north, he found a blackened coronet of the savage tribes, which had been decimated by the Predecessors. He named the land Blackcrown and listened to the spirits of the stones and the spirits of the barbarians gone before him. Styrkur learned of a magic circle deep underground that led to other places and he searched beneath the earth for seven years before finding the circle. It shone like amber in firelight and called to him with many words. Styrkur spoke the strange tongue granted to him by his commune with the spirits and a door opened before him. What happened next, no record exists. But Styrkur emerged from the door two years later, a strange creature in tow. A winged serpent followed Styrkur back to Zahvroma, its name was Hyggindi. Styrkur built the realm of Blackcrown with Hyggindi's help, a haven for those who were lost and sought their own path. Many came to Styrkur and many grew in power equal to the First Summoner. Styrkur founded the Five Houses and ruled with those who showed the same strength and wisdom as he. Styrkur took up his second name then: Bok. As the ages passed, Styrkur and Hyggindi were forgotten, but the wisdom of House Bok always lived up to his legacy.
Sienna looks at Arista and Tarja, remembering saying good-bye to Gwen. She turns to Cyna. "Wash my back?"
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Cyna disrobes and eases her way into the bath, taking a seat next to Sienna.
"With pleasure." She replies.
Sienna smiles and hands the bar of soap to Cyna. "I hope Gwen is okay."
"And how do the Anizari and Green Circle fit into all of this?" The Summoner mentally questioned.
Cyna takes the soap and begins to gently scrub Sienna's back.
"Me too, I think the sun is going to be her biggest challenge."
Sienna nods. "She's still young, so she'll get used to it eventually."
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The book in Drago's lap once again turns to another page, an illustration on the right page this time. The illustration depicts a man standing upon the ground with his arms outstretched. The sun sits on his left and the moon sits on his right with stars in between. The man's expression is one of solemn contemplation.
"The Summoners are children of earth and sky. A mortal and an eidolon bound by a just cause to protect both their homes. Yet earth and sky do not make a world. The glory of Aroden, gifted to the world in the form of the Anizari, add to the cycle of life. Yet this does not make a world. Where there is light, there must be darkness. Yet darkness is not evil but a counterpart to the light and a bringer of balance. The Green Circle is this balance. Where there is balance, there is naught but glory and good.
"The greatest of goods is the shedding of mortal desires and failings to bring mercy, kindness and hope to those who have none. To this end, there exists a stone of power, meant to strip away the selfish and supplant it with selflessness. Despite the noble purpose, it can be used for evil. The god, Norgorber, is proof of this. Realizing his mistake, our benefactor, Aroden, has granted the Summoners, the Anizari and the Green Circle three parts of a key to find the stone. If the three groups would cooperate, then the wisest and most balanced among them would assume their place among the divine."
Konstantyná slips out of the bath and dries herself off. Heading to the bedroom, she dresses in an unflattering shift and retrieves a small pouch from her belongings. The changeling pads across the room to the men's lodgings. She raps lightly on the door.
"Szef? Drago?" she calls softly.
In a calm, even voice, Drago responded, "Enter." The Midwife sees him sitting on the floor cross-legged, hands resting palms up on his knees, and the book floating in front of him.
Konstantyná walks in, her heterochromatic eyes appraising Drago. "Are you alright, Drago?"
Continuing in his even tone, "Yes. I've just been studying."
"Good," the changeling says, her tone light. "Would you like to put some of that study into practice?"
The book closed and floated down to his lap as he turned to face Konstantyná. "How?" The Zakharov Summoner asked in his normal tone.
The Midwife produces a bag and hands it to the dhampir. "Silver dust. I found some while we were in the mines. I thought we could call upon House Bok. Perhaps another Summoner would help ease your burden as Szef."
Drago stood, "A Summoner of the First House would most certainly be welcome." Holding the book in one hand, the Dhampir focused, "Show me the Calling Ritual." The Book then opened to the last page. As the Summoner looked at it, he said, "Hmmm, it seems we need a few more things. I'll need sage, some sort of focus, and it looks like something to leave behind." I wonder what that means?
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"Sage, I have. There is a bloodstain on the locator, my suspicion being that it is from the Summoner of House Bok. The locator also serves as a focus, unless something else speaks to you," Konstantyná says. "Your mind must be tranquil when performing the Calling, but I'll not push. Whenever you're ready, Szef."
She offers Drago a smile. "I believe in you."
Finishing washing her body and hair, Sādhanā rises out of the water and grabs herself a towel to dry off. "Gods I needed that."
She nods, "I know something else ya'll could probably use as well. Gimmie a sec, I'll be right back." She rubs Tarja's back again before heading back to their sleeping quarters to retrieve the bag. Reaching in she pulls out one of the meals packed by Jericho for them.
Looking towards the other room she says, "I hope Drago's alright...I didn't mean to sound so harsh back there. It was just a lot to deal with is all...I didn't mean to sound cranky. He needs to eat as well as Rivell, Konstantyna and the rest of you. He's dealing with a lot of stuff, and Konstantyna is in there with him....so we'll just give them a while before trying to get them to eat something."
The Dhampir's stomach growled in protest. Putting the items in his pack, he said, "Well, I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I think food is a little more important at this juncture."
"Quite right," the changeling agrees, heading toward the main room.
She lays out the well preserved meal and then heads to the sleeping chambers to make up her bed and get out her extra pillows, which have become quite comfy to her, and her winter blanket. She rubs the softness of the blanket against her cheek, before laying underneath the covers and snuggling down into them for a nice sleep.
Sienna returns from the girls' room, dressed in her sleepwear. "Oh, yay, food! I almost forgot I was hungry."
Before joining the others Cyna drys off and digs out her sleep set from Magdalene. "Whats for dinner?" she asks.
"Looks like boar ribs and mashed taters," the gnome says.
Making her way into the room wrapped in her towel, Sādhanā puts her armor next to her bed and changes into her sleep set as well. She smiles at the sight of Arista, already bundled up and sleeping.
"I'm practically starving," she says, walking into the main room where the meals had been laid out. "Let's get some food in us and some rest, I'm sure we'll need it tomorrow."
Drago and Konstantyná walk into the common area. "Enjoy your baths?"