Court of the Fallen
Silent Night - Printable Version

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Silent Night - Jiao - 10-20-2019

Longnight was so boring. No one wanted to do anything except wait the time out and all the humans were busy trying not to die or something. Whatever the reason, no one was buying Jiao's clothes.

She had to keep them nice, though. A couple of days into Longnight, she decided to leave her comfortable bed behind her shop and dust her wares, make sure they were not laid in a way that would leave them creased when the sun came up. This time of year was awful for moths, the bane of her existence.

Once all of the clothes were looked after and cleaned, she glanced outside her door. Absolute darkness, as to be expected. Truthfully, she found it depressing. She wasn't sure what compelled her to do it, but she found herself lighting a small lantern, one with green glass that reflected beautiful turquoise patterns across the wall.

After her meeting with Safrin, she had had somewhat of a return of faith. Bowing her head, Jiao mumbled a prayer, asking for protection from any Gods that were listening.


RE: Silent Night - Delphia - 10-20-2019

"She needs a friend, little one. A lantern in the darkness."

Delphia opened her steely gaze, seeing nothing and no one but her friend the darkness as it always is during LongNight. Ever since seeing - feeling - the echoes of trauma and death, centuries old, reverberating off the Hollowed Grounds and through her very soul, she had felt uneasy. Not herself. Such immense echoes of past pain she had never before experienced, and it scared her. Nothing ever scared her. She spoke with dead people and spirits and demons. Her mother had been a witch and a healer, her family embalmers and cleansers, her father was the God of Death himself. Fear was not something she ever felt. But that place scared her.

There was a clattering to her left and so she looked, sitting up slowly. There amongst the many, many things she kept in her little yurt was a Brownie, eating the little offering of dried dates and pumpkin bread from the sanctified dish. A ghost of a smile curved her lips, and she slid off her bed to crawl over to the little pixie creature. [say]"Who needs a friend?"[/say] Delphia asked, tilting her head slightly as she offer her hands to the small being that would otherwise be overlooked and unheard by any other than her.

"The fae with the pretty fabrics." the brownie said, toddling over to sit upon the hands of the daughter of death, producing a few glittery baubles the spirit had taken from the shop.

Delphia smiled a little as she stood, lifting the brownie to sit upon her shoulder. [say]"I see. How kind of you to tell me."[/say] she said, already heading out the door of her yurt to make her way to the Fae village, taking with her a small lantern by which to see.

"We like her pretty things. We find the shinies and put them back on her stool."

[say]"You are very thoughtful indeed. I am sure she appreciates it very much."[/say]

"She doesn't know."

[say]"Ah, well, most wouldn't."[/say] she said to the spirit, who disappeared shortly after Delphia arrived at the shop. The demigoddess knocked before entering, knowing it was unlikely she was expecting any visitors or customers. [say]"Peaceful LongNight to you. I hope you do not mind a visitor, the spirits said you might wish for company."[/say] Delphia said softly to the fae woman, perfectly spoken in the dressmaker's native tongue.


RE: Silent Night - Jiao - 10-21-2019

Jiao had just headed back into her shop, intending to go light a candle and maybe get a nap dream of Nephele and them meeting after Longnight, when there was a knock at the door. She jumped and turned to look, suddenly a little nervous. The humans had spoke of monsters and now the barrier was down...

They wouldn't come out here, right?

Well, if they did, she assumed monsters didn't knock. Taking a deep breath, Jiao opened the door just enough to stick her head out and see who was there. Seeing it was a woman and not a hideous beast, she gave a sigh of relief - though she didn't understand what was said.

[say]"Spirits...? What spirits?"[/say] Still, it was dark and she couldn't leave someone outside; Jiao opened her door and stepped back, leaving room for the woman to enter.


RE: Silent Night - Delphia - 10-21-2019

[say]”The brownies of course. Or perhaps you know them as pixies. They like finding the beads you lose and putting them on your stool. Though I might suggest leaving them a little offering for their hard work.”[/say] she said, still speaking in the native Fae tongue out of respect for the woman. Delphia stepped in quietly, dipping her head to do so. Fae dwellings were lovely but so small. She had to turn her head slightly to stand upright once inside even.

For a moment the young woman seemed to fade – not physically but mentally, zoning out as she looked about the shot, eyes darting around as if following something unseen. Eventually she pointed to a little corner near a rack with long, sparkly dresses. [say]”They like it there. Leave a little offering plate there for them. Pretty things, pretty things…”[/say] she hummed.


RE: Silent Night - Jiao - 10-22-2019

[say]"Brownies...pixies...??"[/say] Jiao repeated under her breath, not sure what Delphia was speaking about. As far as she knew the only person picking up her beads was her and she wasn't certain she liked the idea of invisible somethings doing it for her.

Jiao fit easily in the little shop that lead to her house, plenty of room between her head and the ceiling; she giggled to see Delphia stoop to fit through the door. Not that the woman seemed remotely bothered about it, instead continuing to speak about her 'pixies'. Following her gaze to the dresses, Jiao took in a breath.

Okay, well, if Delphia was crazy, Jiao supposed the best thing to do was to probably go along with it. [say]"What should I put on the um...offering plate?"[/say] She asked, pulling out a chair for her guest. [say]"Do you want some tea, Miss....?"[/say]


RE: Silent Night - Delphia - 10-22-2019

[say]”Like spriggans, though not quite the same. They never had a physical body and are more akin to the gods than us.”[/say] she said in an almost deadpan tone, wrapped up in her own little world. This particular shop was overrun with these little spirits. It was rather mystifying actually. There must be a fairy circle or other divine spring nearby to attract so many. [say]”Busy, busy, busy, always busy, such pretty, pretty shiny things…”[/say] she muttered under her breath, though perhaps still loud enough for Jiao to hear. The nail of her forefinger drew circles on her thumb, a thoughtless action that grounded her while she focused on the spiritual beings skipping around the shop.

[say]”Savory breads, shiny things, occasionally some milk and honey, they aren’t too picky. Thanking them for their help would go a long way, I bet you would find a great many things.”[/say] she said softly. But then she remembered she was with another person, who likely thought she was mad. With suddenness she seemed to come back to herself and she looked over at Jiao sheepishly. [say]”Ah, yes, sorry. Delphia Thanatos. I am part of the family of undertakers on the far side of the wood, and daughter of Mort.”[/say] she said, dipping her head by way of introduction and placing herself within the Fae’s world. [say]”Tea would be lovely if it isn’t too much trouble.”[/say]


RE: Silent Night - Jiao - 10-23-2019

[say]"...Oh."[/say] Jiao replied, looking about her shop. It seemed Delphia could see something in it, from the way she looked around, but Jiao could only see the same walls, racks and supplies as always, dimmed from the darkness outside. [say]"Um...well uh...as long as they're not gonna hurt anything, I guess..."[/say]

This lady was crazy, right?

At least she could leave out some bread after dinner one night and see if there was any truth to it. She suspected not. Jiao nodded at the introduction and began to pour tea, then suddenly realised what she'd just heard and the pouring stopped as her hand snapped up along with her eyes. [say]"Sorry, did you just say Mort? As in, theMort?"[/say]


RE: Silent Night - Delphia - 10-23-2019

[say]”Oh no, they are friendly little things. I would be quite pleased to have them in my shop if I had one.”[/say] Delphia said softly to assure her. It was also no surprise to her to not receive the name of the fae woman in return. They were private and wary of non-fae after all, and clearly she was not one of her kin, even though they were speaking in their native tongue.

But the suddenly realization on behalf of Jiao made her blink in surprise, which then melted into the hint of a smile. [say]”If the Mort is the god of death then yes, the Mort.”[/say] she said softly, not by way of bragging, just in confirmation. Delphia was used to this sort of a reaction, and though she felt blessed to have such a powerful and beloved father, to her it was not so amazing. He had needed assistance while Ludo had been in the barrier, and he had created her to fill that need. That he still loved her and treated her with such depth of care and kindness as if she were truly a creation of him, and not a child’s soul fished from his realm, was a testament to the compassion of Mort more than anything.


RE: Silent Night - Jiao - 10-24-2019

[say]"Mhm."[/say] Jiao said, still very doubtful about the existence of these spirits. Perhaps, she thought, she'd have to get a more spiritually knowledgeable Fae than herself to come and look at the shop and tell her if there was anything hanging out there.

Delphia confirmed that, yes, she was the child of the God of Death. Jiao couldn't help the clear scepticism in her eyes this time as she passed over a cup of tea, wondering if possible Delphia had drunk something much stronger earlier. [say]"Um..I've never heard of Mort having any children. There's Ludo, but...that's not really the same thing."[/say]

She thought. She didn't really know too much about it.

[say]"So do Rae and Vi and everyone else have children?"[/say] Jiao asked, now curious despite just what it was Delphia believed about this divine family tree.


RE: Silent Night - Delphia - 10-24-2019

Delphia was never bothered when people were skeptical of her and the things she said. It made sense really. Were she not who she was, she might not believe in the things she saw either. Instead, she thanked the Fae quietly a she took the cup of tea, holding it in both hands as the warmth suffused her skin. [say]”I have never had the honor of meeting Ludo, so I cannot say if we are so different.”[/say] Delphia said. Her father never said much about the spirit guide that preferred privacy, which she respected as well.

[say]”I’ve not heard of any current children of Vi, though there have been some in the past. However, there is a pair of twins that are the children of Rae. They’ve gone off exploring to serve them, but Oia’i’o and Kaimana are lovely.”[/say] she said sipping her tea. She did like the twins very much. Oia was so analytical and a calming presence with her stillness, and Kaimana was so vivacious and lively. She hoped they would be back soon honestly.

[say]”We are not their children in the sense you likely think though. For example, my soul was that of a deceased child that Mort placed in the womb of one his devout followers amongst the Thanatos family. Since Ludo was gone, he needed someone to help him find lost souls, since he is usually far too busy tending his realm to chase the dead around Caido and back.”[/say] she explained.


RE: Silent Night - Jiao - 10-24-2019

Jiao sat down with her own tea and lifted it up to blow on, frowning slightly as Delphia said she had never met Ludo. Wouldn't Ludo be a family member of hers? Perhaps the Gods were not a close family; Jiao had never considered divine drama before but now she wondered if there was any potential in a gossip magazine reporting these kinds of details.

That is, if Delphia was actually the child of Mort, which she rather doubted.

[say]"There's...more...?"[/say] Jiao asked, but that question was absolutely ripped out of her mind as Delphia went into the details of her birth. [say]"You...what? Ew!"[/say] She recoiled reflexively, leaning back with a wrinkled nose, then realised that even if this woman was insane, that was probably quite rude. [say]"...Sorry. But...I don't think I'd want a weird dead baby soul inside me. That'd be...uncomfortable."[/say]

She rubbed her tummy thinking about it, feeling rather queasy at the idea. She sipped her tea. [say]"So...you can...find souls, though? Where do you find them?"[/say]


RE: Silent Night - Delphia - 10-24-2019

Delphia actually laughed a bit as Jiao recoiled at the idea of origin of birth. She supposed it was perhaps odd to those who only thought there was one way to come into existence. She had the privilege of understanding more than that. [say]”A body is just a shell for the soul, which, in a way never truly dies. But Mort so loves Vi and all he creates that when children die he is very upset that they missed out on the ability to experience all Vi has created. And so, when he needed assistance, it is only natural that he would allow my soul to reenter the world in a new body, one blessed by himself. As far as I am aware, the only uncomfortable thing about it was that my mother didn’t sleep with anyone, and was simply miraculously with child.”[/say] she said with a shrug.

But of course, she didn’t expect the Fae to fully understand.

[say]”Everywhere.”[/say] she said with a light shrug. The dead were not confined to any one place after all. They could roam as they wished.


RE: Silent Night - Jiao - 10-25-2019

Delphia continued to explain her weird God fantasy and Jiao was morbidly curious. She'd never heard of this practice before; didn't even know the Gods could make someone pregnant. Defensively she laid an arm across her stomach as she took a sip of her tea, as if leaving it unguarded might suddenly burden her with a divine baby. [say]"Well...who is your mother? Was she a Fae, or one of the humans..? Probably a human right?"[/say]

Everywhere. Delphia just seemed determined to weird Jiao out. In the dark, cold room she could easily imagine ghosts in every corner, hanging out just in the darkest spots.

[say]"Are there spirits in Sidhe, then?"[/say] She asked, looking warily out the window. [say]"As in, dead people. Not the....pixie things."[/say]


RE: Silent Night - Delphia - 10-25-2019

[say]”Circe Thanatos. I’m from the family of undertakers and spiritual healers from the northern part of the Greatwood. And yes, human.”[/say] she said softly, a pleasant expression on her face, though not an outright smile. Delphia sipped the tea, enjoying the warmth of the beverage. Vi made such lovely things from which people could craft so many enjoyable things. Mort would like this tea very much.

The steel-eyed woman glanced out the window, though her gaze seemed far off and away. Absentmindedly her nail drew circles on the pad of her thumb, a meditative motion that allowed her to focus. [say]”Yes. Fae folk. Not many but they are attached to the place or others…the elderly woman is waiting…he’ll be gone soon and then they’ll go to Mort together as they always planned…the warrior is stuck in his death state, confused, why can’t they see me, why can’t they hear me, it hurts…”[/say] her voice falling to a whisper as she winced, pressing her palm to her sternum. Delphia took a steadying breath as she closed her eyes.