a single spark

ronin A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets If you had asked him even a short while ago, Ronin would have said he was not a praying man. But this was not a short while ago, and now he bore a pendant with the eye of Safrin upon it and (unbeknownst to him) a tattoo as well. Thus far she had appeared without request, as if sensing that he needed her counsel without his needing to say so. So it was strange to enter the shrine within the Temple now, with the intention of seeking her out. It was dark, the night having fallen long before, but rather than lighting a candle the guildmaster willed the conjuration ring on his finger to life, and he was suffused with a warm glow as he arrived. Sitting quietly and cross-legged before the shrine of offerings, Ronin slipped a few glowstones from his pack (they were mute now, of course, and without light) to settle them with the rest of the gifts offered to the gods. Upon each stone he had carved a delicate eye shape, as if the starlight of his goddess might light them from within anyway, wherever she was. "Safrin," he said softly. "Are you here?" He expected nothing, and hoped for everything.

In a brilliant instant the eye-carvings would blaze to life. In the darkness, they would now always softly glow with the light from the cosmos. "Always, sugar." She purred from some unseen slip of shadow. Hands would appear on his shoulders, rubbing and magically soothing away the tension that he carried in his muscles. With a sigh, his body would relax beneath her touch. "You'll find yourself in an early grave if you keep this up." Safrin mused delicately, striding out from behind him and allowing a finger to trail the length of his shoulders as she moved away. Looking down gently at the stones he had carved, now blazing with a soft light, the goddess smiled. "A welcome gift as LontNight approaches." She murmured with a small smile. Safrin The devil is not as black as he is painted

ronin A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets Ronin's breath wavered in his throat as the carvings blitzed to life, their starlight reflected in blue eyes clouded with awe. The touch of a goddess was like no other, and for a man so uninitiated into faith and fate and deities, Ronin was like clay for Safrin to mould beneath her fingers. He sighed into the feel of her hands, the stress and fatigue melting from him, eyes closing so he could better listen to her voice. "I should hope not," he replied with a wry smile. "There is much more I would do before I find my way into any sort of grave." Blinking his eyes back open, he flashed her a smile and a respectful bow of his head as she accepted his gifts. "That they shine for you away from the Glade is only fitting." he murmured, before glancing to the ring on his finger. "Light is actually why I petitioned to speak with you," he said, slipping the ring off and holding it up, the glow suffusing the air around them. "I was given this some time back, but it is not so bright as it used to be. I wondered if there might be anything I could do to make it work better..."

"Mmmm." Safrin hummed her agreement. There was much she would have Ronin do as well. Looking at the ring, Safrin regarded it with a distant sort of contempt. Not of this world. She thought unhappily, plucking the ring from the air and immediately snuffing the light from it. Still...Ronin had done well for her. And of the things she could provide, light was the easiest among them. "Of course darling." Safrin said after a moment, her smile resurfacing as the room brightened with starshine all around them. "Perhaps you could do something for me as well? Bring me one of the dream fish from the oasis...You will have to line its tank with the charred remains of wood burned by the Spark Bird, as well as stones from deep within the pool itself. Take care, it is a tad cold in there..." With a small smile, Safrin held the ring aloft, spinning it in a physics-defying dance in her palm. "Do you think you can do that for me?" Safrin The devil is not as black as he is painted

ronin A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets Ronin blinked to adjust his eyes as Safrin plucked the ring from his grasp and extinguished its glow, the shrine illuminated now only by the glow stones and the goddess's own cosmic presence. He found he very much didn't mind, though a smile touched to his lips at the starlight that blazed around them merely because she willed it. Distantly he thought he could probably lose himself in it for days, and a tiny part of him shouted caution, because there was every chance he might never find himself again. Snapping back to attention as Safrin began to spin the light ring in a dizzying dance, Ronin listened carefully to her request and turned over the details in his mind for a few minutes. Concentration drew his eyebrows together in a careful frown; he was not the type to blindly promise unless he was at least reasonably certain of the outcome. Eventually he nodded. "Yes," he said. "I can do that for you. Thank you - again - for answering me. I hope I didn't inconvenience you."

"You are never an inconvenience to me Ronin, nor do I think you ever could be." For a moment the goddess merely regarded the man for a moment, silently debating something inside of her vast and expansive mind. Concluding whatever discussion she was having, she raised a palm and a clear vial with an opalescent sort of liquid inside appeared. As the liquid swirled, it caught the light and starsheen echoed within it beautifully. "For Vanya. I shouldn't...but I cannot help myself. Have her drink it, to ensure the health of your child." She said with a sweet and knowing smile. Etched in the lines of her face were worldly secrets, and though she could not change everything, she could ensure certain outcomes at least. Safrin The devil is not as black as he is painted

ronin A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets Her sweet words brought a flush of warmth to the ex-captain's cheeks, and he averted his gaze respectfully. Already he was planning how to get the things he needed for the tank and its contents, hoping that he was able to assemble it all together before the LongNight. If not... well, it would still be worth it. But he'd better stock up on candles and lanterns just in case. Ronin thought that would be all, and he glanced up with a farewell on his lips for the goddess, only to see her offering out a vial of what looked like the night sky itself. He blinked, shocked and delighted all at once, and a smile spread across his face. Happily, he accepted the gift. "I will," he promised her. "Thank you, Safrin. I am sure Vanya will be grateful for this, too."