Aurelia
maybe that's enlightenment enough: to know that there is no final resting place of the mind; no moment of smug clarity
perhaps wisdom is realizing how small I am, and unwise
perhaps wisdom is realizing how small I am, and unwise
Aurelia followed Melita a little slower now, creating a more comfortable distance, relieving the pressure of her searching face. She watched as Fangorn nestled along her shoulder, watched his vines as they coiled. She could read the tension along the muscles beneath him, even through Melita's clothes and as they turned, she could see the flex of her shoulders and her arms, travelling up to her rigid jawline.
The line was only broken by a sudden, surprised question. A subtle grimace worked across Aurelia's own jaw, though, at the memories of living in that world. Or, more specifically, beneath it. "Yes, I did. But it wasn't so much a series of complex tunnels. We had entire cities beneath the surface, just like Haulani, and huge tunnels were used for traveling between places. Walls were built to hold everything up, to keep from collapsing. You didn't have to surface to get anywhere, and it was safer that way. When I was born, things'd been that way for so long that no one remembered any other way of living."
She let her gaze slide over the rocky texture of the walls, letting her hand fall away, as she listened to Melita's words about a long night and cultists. She wasn't sure what LongNight was, exactly, but by the sounds of it, it was bad. She murmured her agreement, though, about taking what you could get. "Mm. Yeah, I'm trying to. I plan on sticking with the Ark for as long as I can, at this point. I don't have.. anything else." And for Aurelia, that wasn't some deep, emotional feeling of loneliness. Though perhaps that was also true, her words were an actual reality. She had nothing without the Ark. Of course, she could carve out a different life if she had to but, something about these people she'd met... she wanted to stay, wanted to prove herself to them. Melita included.
We'll see.
Aurelia let the silence waft around them, listening to the echoes behind them - distant now, until they faded away, as if they had finally gone. She suddenly felt really grateful that Melita was there, because she really didn't know what would've happened otherwise. But she didn't bother her with more of that, sensing that this was hard for her too, and Aurelia was truly sorry for that. For inadvertently inflicting that pain.
A curious part of her lips interrupted the quiet, "Do you worship Ludo? You seem to know a lot about this stuff."
The line was only broken by a sudden, surprised question. A subtle grimace worked across Aurelia's own jaw, though, at the memories of living in that world. Or, more specifically, beneath it. "Yes, I did. But it wasn't so much a series of complex tunnels. We had entire cities beneath the surface, just like Haulani, and huge tunnels were used for traveling between places. Walls were built to hold everything up, to keep from collapsing. You didn't have to surface to get anywhere, and it was safer that way. When I was born, things'd been that way for so long that no one remembered any other way of living."
She let her gaze slide over the rocky texture of the walls, letting her hand fall away, as she listened to Melita's words about a long night and cultists. She wasn't sure what LongNight was, exactly, but by the sounds of it, it was bad. She murmured her agreement, though, about taking what you could get. "Mm. Yeah, I'm trying to. I plan on sticking with the Ark for as long as I can, at this point. I don't have.. anything else." And for Aurelia, that wasn't some deep, emotional feeling of loneliness. Though perhaps that was also true, her words were an actual reality. She had nothing without the Ark. Of course, she could carve out a different life if she had to but, something about these people she'd met... she wanted to stay, wanted to prove herself to them. Melita included.
We'll see.
Aurelia let the silence waft around them, listening to the echoes behind them - distant now, until they faded away, as if they had finally gone. She suddenly felt really grateful that Melita was there, because she really didn't know what would've happened otherwise. But she didn't bother her with more of that, sensing that this was hard for her too, and Aurelia was truly sorry for that. For inadvertently inflicting that pain.
A curious part of her lips interrupted the quiet, "Do you worship Ludo? You seem to know a lot about this stuff."
and how far I have yet to go
