+- Court of the Fallen (https://cotf-rpg.com)
+-- Forum: Out of Character (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=26)
+--- Forum: Important (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=27)
+---- Forum: Archives (https://cotf-rpg.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=38)
+---- Thread: Answers In The Stars (/showthread.php?tid=1641)
Pages:
1
2
Answers In The Stars - Adam - 08-19-2019
Adam was out in the fields for a wander, but also secretly to look out for Pet. It wasn't uncommon to find the odd, shy man walking about between the crops, and he'd found himself wanting to partake in his company more and more in the recent weeks. He did not want to analyse why that might be, though. Not at all.
When he spotted Amalia's blonde hair in the distance he was almost relieved, even though she was not the one he was looking for; she was a friend he would not have to sort out weird feelings about for days afterwards, who likely wouldn't ask him difficult questions. Or...if she did ask him difficult questions, they would be weird things about Gods he didn't really care about.
"Hey!" He yelled as he got closer, taking in the light and display before him. Oh. Probably some kinda God thing, he was sure. Did she ever do anything else...? "Who's all this for, then? Not me, I'm guessing?" He asked as he got close, gesturing toward the shrine.
"Though, if it is for me, I'm touched."
RE: Answers In The Stars - Amalia - 08-21-2019
[say]"You would expect an altar made in your honor,"[/say] Amalia remarks with a sunny laugh, turning toward Adam's voice. It is not so unusual, to find her here - the shrine is of her making, after all, a tribute to her wounded goddess and the Life to which she has pledged her soul. Today the baker is reading a book, nestled in the grass around the shrine, her back to one of the great white pillars, the sound of starlight soothing her mind.
Amalia sets the tome upon her chest and looks up as Adam draws near, dark eyes curious as she looks at the man. He seems out of place here, among the gods and grass- but he seems a little out of place everywhere, long legs and too much leather and those ridiculous shoes. [say]"What's the matter, did you get lost?"[/say] Patting the grass beside her the baker invites her friend to sit, scooting over to allow him space as Jyoti coos from the top of the pillar.
[say]"We made this shrine for Safrin, after she got sick."[/say] Perhaps she is god oriented, but it is her purpose, her passion, to worship and adore. Besides, the girl feels guilt at the illness of the goddess, responsibility for the many misadventures which have befallen them all. [say]"I like to come here and talk to her. I don't know if it makes her feel better, but..."[/say] She trails off in a shrug.
RE: Answers In The Stars - Adam - 08-21-2019
"Yeah. To be honest, I'm surprised it didn't come sooner." Adam stuck his tongue out, flopping down on the grass ungainly and looking up at the shrine properly. It had clearly taken work, was well looked after; being a God had to be a pretty sweet gig, he thought...until he remembered they could get sick. What was even the point of being a God if you could get a cold?
He snorted though, at being asked if he was lost. "What, you think I can't leave the pub unless I'm lost? I'll have you know I meant to be out here." Though, truthfully the fields would hold no interest for him if it weren't for the possibility of running into Pet. Just a lot of grass and the odd stone wall, he thought.
"..You talk to her? What do you say? Can...I talk to her?" Adam asked, staring up at the shrine. After his less than successful chat with Ludo about The Voice, he was a little hesitant to get in contact with another God, but he was also curious to meet Safrin; a name Amalia had spoken of with reverance many times.
RE: Answers In The Stars - Amalia - 08-21-2019
Together they sit upon the grass, enjoying the final days of sunlight before winter takes them in its grasp, before darkness falls again. Amalia laughs lightly at Adam, raising a brow in wry response. [say]"Oh did you? Does that mean you wandered through the wilderness just to see me?"[/say] She bats her eyelashes playfully, nudging his shoulder with her own. [say]"Careful, Adam, people might talk, and what would Peter think?"[/say]
Ah, but gods are always a good way to distract her, and Amalia easily falls into the new topic, tilting her face up to look at the sky. [say]"Hmm... lots of things, I guess. I tell her about my day, or about things I learned. Sometimes I just sing to her."[/say] Her face flushes a little and she shrugs uncomfortably, suddenly aware how foolish it must seem, her fascination with and adoration for the Gods whose love must encompass the world.
But Adam's next question draws her back, her smile blooming as she sits up straight. [say]"Of course you can,"[/say] she answers gently, turning her head to look at Jyoti perched up on the shrine. [say]"You can always pray to her. She loves the attention."[/say] A cloud passes over her face, clouding her expression for a moment. [say]"She... she may not answer., though. Especially now, since she's sick. But she will hear."[/say]
RE: Answers In The Stars - Adam - 08-21-2019
"Yep. You." He nodded, smiling, though his smile faltered when she mentioned Pet in a teasing way that hit just a little too close to home. "I don't--I don't care what Pet th-- what Peter thinks." Adam insisted, his voice the most unconvincing it had ever been.
Luckily, Amalia was always willing to talk about her Gods, so he did not have to suffer the ordeal of being openly affectionate of someone long. "Huh. I only know uh...rude songs, mostly, so I prolly shouldn't do that." He had learned to sing in the bars he had grown up in with his mother, belting out tunes with workmen around a fire; as the nights went on and more drinks were had they tended to get bawdier, and definitely not appropriate for a God.
She loves the attention. He laughed, relating to this Goddess suddenly more than he realised. But there were prayers to do, a thing he was not great at, so he stiffened up to try and speak honestly.
"So...hey, uh, Safrin." He nodded towards the shrine. "I hear you're sick and all, that's really bad, so I'm..sorry about that. At least you've got Amalia, ey? She's about the most devoted God-person I've ever met...she's even got me praying now, and I gotta tell you that wouldn't have happened much before. So uh..yeah...I hope you get better soon. I dunno if you already know about me but.." He shrugged. "I don't know where I'm going with that. Anyway...I won't take up too much of your time." Looking to Amalia as if to ask was that okay? he watched the shrine for a moment wondering if anything would happen.
RE: Answers In The Stars - Safrin - 08-21-2019
The constellations drawn into the stones as well as the light from Jyoti's lantern flickered softly and warmly. If petrichor had a colour, a rich periwinkle perhaps, that would have been the colour of the cloak wrapped around Safrin's body as she appeared silently before them. With a face quite pale, galactic eyes sunken in her skull, the goddess' ephemeral beauty was painfully lacking. For as exquisite as she was, she did not wear her crown of death and decay well.
Pulling her shawl of starlight and midnight tighter around her shoulders, the goddess smiled warmly at Adam before casting a softly amused glance towards Amalia. [say]"I do have Amalia."[/say] Safrin agreed. [say]"But a handsome face is always welcome."[/say] She purred, stretching out a hand to softly stroke the side of Adam's cheek with a sultry wink. Dying as she was, Safrin was as vain as ever. It had been the reason she'd almost not come, not wanting her followers to see her in such a reduced state. But being seen was better than not, after all.
Wiping away a teardrop of pure black, Safrin's body glimmered slightly and the fields behind could easily be seen through her.
RE: Answers In The Stars - Amalia - 08-21-2019
Amalia resists the urge to laugh at Adam's prayer, color and amusement lighting her face as she glances sidelong at her friend. [say]"That was great,"[/say] she says reassuringly, pulling her legs beneath her and tilting her head. She cannot say she expects a reply, and so it is with pleasant surprise that the girl sees the stars begin to shimmer, Jyoti's lantern glittering softly beneath the autumn light.
The usual reverence is present in her face as Safrin appears before her, but it is marred with sadness and despair and guilt at the illness that clearly wracks her deity, the slender and see-through nature of her ethereal and galactic form. Amalia sucks in a breath and tries to keep the tears from her eyes, willing herself to keep from looking away, to face the consequences of their collective passion.
She does not ask how Safrin is. She does not question after her health, because it is obviously poor. What good is a shield that does not defend? What use is she as an acolyte, as armor, if she cannot serve and protect the cause she has sworn her soul in service of? [say]"Safrin,"[/say] the baker exhales softly, her alto voice heavy. [say]"This is my friend Adam. Adam, meet the Goddess of the Stars."[/say]
RE: Answers In The Stars - Adam - 08-21-2019
For Adam, who had never seen Safrin well and only knew Ludo as a reference point for the Gods, he did not find her appearance too shocking. In fact, his first thought was that she was beautiful, and when she reached forward to call him 'handsome', he grinned, clearly quite thrilled to be considered attractive by someone divine, and hot themselves to boot.
"Hey, uh, Safrin, Goddess of the stars. That's a mouthful." He laughed lightly. "I hope just Safrin is okay." Politely (he thought) he did not acknowledge the tear, knowing if he was crying the last thing he would want was for someone to point it out.
He realised that now he was actually there before a shrine with a Goddess before him, he didn't know what to do from here. Ludo had been easier to talk to, somehow. Perhaps because the lack of a face had made it feel less like a person he could be awkward with. He looked up to Safrin, her frail yet still powerful form before him, and felt he should probably make her the same offer he had Ludo: though this time what motiviated him was not the idea of a reward, but empathy.
"Is there anything this handsome face...or equally handsome body--" He winked, hoping to maybe cheer her up, gesturing down at himself. "-Could do for you?"
RE: Answers In The Stars - Safrin - 08-23-2019
[say]"Safrin is fine, sugar."[/say] The goddess drawled, vivacity sparking for a fleeting moment like a comet trail through her eyes as she looked from Adam to Amalia and back again.  Adam's boldness was a welcome change to the looks that her frailty inspired—even Amalia, normally so bold in her piety seemed cowed by the goddess' current state.
[say]"Well now. Were I Frey you might have more than just a mouthful to worry about."[/say] Safrin said, her voice equal parts amusement equal parts disdain for her fellow god. Then, pouting softly, the goddess shook her head. [say]"It's that noticeable, mmm?"[/say] She murmured, eyes falling softly upon Amalia as if thinking she might be the only one to offer up real honesty.
RE: Answers In The Stars - Adam - 08-23-2019
"Cool. Safrin." Adam nodded, happy that he seemed able to make such easy accquaintances of the Gods here (even if his relationship with Ludo was potentially soured at the moment). It sounded good, felt good, to think of himself as 'Adam, the God Charmer'.
He raised an eyebrow at the mention of Frey, not having met that particular God, but remembering something Amalia had said about sex. "I'll take as many mouthfuls as you want to give, ma'am." Came the reply automatically, flirting second nature to him; a witty quip never far off his tongue. Leaning back, he looked to Amalia for a moment, wondering if she'd be horrified at his casual attitude.
Though the mood got a bit more serious as Safrin asked her question, looking towards Amalia. Adam held his tongue, unsure if this was something better handled by the more experienced disciple.
RE: Answers In The Stars - Amalia - 08-23-2019
Briefly Amalia considers disappearing into the ground, mildly mortified by Adam's glib nature, the way he flirts with her favored god. But Safrin seems pleased with the attention, and the leopardess knows the thief well enough to know there is no malicious intent: it is Adam's strange way of being friendly, flirting and flaunting and leaning toward the absurd. Settling back a little, she lets the two converse together, happy and proud to have brought the goddess some happiness, and to have shared with Adam something she dearly loves.
It is not until the starlit eyes turn back on her that Amalia blinks, the question feeling like lead upon her, a blade pulled tight across her neck. How do you answer a question like that? How do you tell the truth to a goddess brought low by naught but mortal mistakes?
Honestly, Amalia supposes, as hard as it may be.
[say]"You will always be beautiful, Safrin,"[/say] she murmurs, looking up at the deity with abject adoration in her eyes. [say]"Even diminished. Even ill."[/say] Yes, she does not say aloud, but knows that the goddess will read it in her thoughts, her voice. Yes, it is noticeable, and I am scared, and I will do all I can to fight for you, to be your shield.
RE: Answers In The Stars - Safrin - 08-26-2019
[say]"Ma'am?"[/say] The goddess chided gently. [say]"And here I thought we settled on Safrin?"[/say] With a light laugh that seemed to want to devolve into a cough, Safrin's starlit gaze flit to Amalia. The Shield's words were kind, her thoughts honest. It had perhaps more of a sobering effect on the deity than the attuned might have anticipated, and as Safrin turned her enigmatic gaze up towards the heavens for a moment, the world seemed to still with her racing thoughts.
[say]"I heard Vi spoke to you."[/say] The goddess said with a slight sniff. Her voice held a tremble of something. Jealousy? Fear? Heart ache? It was hard to say exactly.
RE: Answers In The Stars - Amalia - 08-28-2019
The world stills to nearly silence as Safrin's cosmic gaze raises to the heavens, making the Shield draw to attention, her expression expectant and reverent as her chin tilts up. There is a question in the statement she makes, and something dangerous as well, something that surprises Amalia and makes her bite her lip.
Still, she answers, hopeful and obedient, glancing at Adam for a moment before speaking. [say]"Yes... he told me about the Blight. That the Ascended have spread it at the Voice's request. That she Spire Demon had it, too. That Vi has... has a plan. To help you and everyone else. In Deepfrost."[/say] She assumes that Safrin already knows this, but it helps her thoughts to rephrase them, to say it again and again. Knowledge, faint as it may be; it gives her a little bit of confidence.
RE: Answers In The Stars - Adam - 09-01-2019
As many conversations seemed to in Caido, this one quickly went over Adam's head. He had not sought out any more information on the Gods after Amalia's crash course, and he had been rather drunk during that particular tale. The blight he only knew of vaguely, too, and had not been too worried. He very rarely got ill (which was fortunate for all those around him, because he was a huge baby when he was sick).
Amalia was so dedicated to her Gods it was almost fascinating to see, Adam struggling to feel such devotion for anything except his own fleeting pleasures. What did it feel like, he wondered, to hold something so dear? To care about something away from yourself selflessly?
Sitting back, he watched between the two and listened. For the moment, miracuolously, he felt that his input wasn't needed; perhaps a moment of growth for him.