AURELIA
and my hands aren't clean
maybe they never will be
maybe they never will be
Aurelia tilted her head in consideration, shrugging one shoulder towards her chin. "Well, yes. Everyone had their ways of dealing with things. But, the cities forced us to turn in any bodies - if there were any. I still don't know what they'd do with them. They sent them up to the surface for the vultures to eat, for all I know. Usually, I kept momentos; to keep memories alive." She nodded towards the knife he was holding, her voice gentled, "That was a gift from my father to my mother. He made it not long before he died, when I was very young... there's an inscription on the blade."
If Gideon was curious and looked closer, in petite cursive along the center of the blade were the words 'So do not fear, my love, for I am with you'. Aurelia read those words every day, would run the tip of her finger along the minute ridges; would feel the fine, careful work of her father's hands. They'd always been a comforting message to her but, now when she looked at them and looked back on the timeline of how her history had been shaped, they felt more like a warning of what was to come. Did he know?
She nodded at Gideon's opinion on the religious practices of her world versus how he preferred to handle things like that here. Aurelia shrugged; it's not like she ever agreed with it. "Why not?" she chuckled to herself, taking back the small bottle of rum, "I'm glad the priests here aren't so uptight. I don't suppose you're above preaching, though, huh?"
She took another swig in respect of the cheers, capped it, and set it back into the sand. She hadn't brought it to get drunk, really; just a little something to help take the edge off. If Gideon wanted more, he'd have to speak up. She eyed his craft, noticing that he had started to get it into some sort of shape. She nodded at his question, which may have come as a surprise, but Aurelia had seen a few other Ludo dolls and she'd been given a brief description before by one of the crew.
As she answered him, she grabbed one of the small bread rolls and offered it to him. "I know what Ludo is supposed to look like but, I haven't seen it personally. I think I'm going to use this piece of wood," she lifted it up to reveal the face-like shape at the top, smirking as she turned it back towards herself, "it's kinda creepy looking. I was gonna use this rag to wrap around it, as well... but it's not as dark as it needs to be." She frowned thoughtfully towards the soft rag that was bunched up on the ground.
Picking at a few stray pieces along the wood's edge, she asked, "Do the people here do things like this for all of the Gods' heralds?"
If Gideon was curious and looked closer, in petite cursive along the center of the blade were the words 'So do not fear, my love, for I am with you'. Aurelia read those words every day, would run the tip of her finger along the minute ridges; would feel the fine, careful work of her father's hands. They'd always been a comforting message to her but, now when she looked at them and looked back on the timeline of how her history had been shaped, they felt more like a warning of what was to come. Did he know?
She nodded at Gideon's opinion on the religious practices of her world versus how he preferred to handle things like that here. Aurelia shrugged; it's not like she ever agreed with it. "Why not?" she chuckled to herself, taking back the small bottle of rum, "I'm glad the priests here aren't so uptight. I don't suppose you're above preaching, though, huh?"
She took another swig in respect of the cheers, capped it, and set it back into the sand. She hadn't brought it to get drunk, really; just a little something to help take the edge off. If Gideon wanted more, he'd have to speak up. She eyed his craft, noticing that he had started to get it into some sort of shape. She nodded at his question, which may have come as a surprise, but Aurelia had seen a few other Ludo dolls and she'd been given a brief description before by one of the crew.
As she answered him, she grabbed one of the small bread rolls and offered it to him. "I know what Ludo is supposed to look like but, I haven't seen it personally. I think I'm going to use this piece of wood," she lifted it up to reveal the face-like shape at the top, smirking as she turned it back towards herself, "it's kinda creepy looking. I was gonna use this rag to wrap around it, as well... but it's not as dark as it needs to be." She frowned thoughtfully towards the soft rag that was bunched up on the ground.
Picking at a few stray pieces along the wood's edge, she asked, "Do the people here do things like this for all of the Gods' heralds?"
but they can still carry you home
when you're ready to sleep
when you're ready to sleep
