Just out of reach

Hadama carefully cleaned the old altar of the natural debris of the ocean before placing a large, black pearl upon it. The dark pearl was almost invisible in the gloom of the depths, but tiny sparks of silver still caught what little light there was in unexpected flashes. The mermanta had spent several nights in the quiet waters of the Miana Pool, leaning half out of the water on a large, flat rock while he applied tiny droplets of silver to the pearl's surface, picking out three of the brightest constellations in the sky.

He bowed his head, steely hair floating around his shoulders as he drifted into quiet contemplation of the starry goddess and his prayer to her before he finally formed the words.

Safrin, I pray for guidance. I would like to give my people access to the healing waters in your dryland Court. I have come to ask your permission, and I hope for your blessing in this.

SAFRIN It's a pity that starlight cannot permeate the depths of the ocean. Having travelled nearly billions of miles, unimpeded, only to be stopped by a bit of water, was, in Safrin's opinion, ridiculous. So it was that as she appeared far, far below the surface, so too did she bring with her the night's sky. Where normally the surface would look like a pale expanse of nothingness, for right now, it would breathe with celestial light as all of Safrin's carefully made constellations were brought down into view. Hello Hadama Lace and tangles of dark hair swirl around Safrin like simplified sun-rays. Smiling at the mermanta, the goddess reaches down for the pearl. Rolling it adoringly between her palms, Safrin nods as she allows her gaze to rise. You have more than just my permission. I will offer my assistance if you need it.

Stars, alight beneath the sea, and a wonder that Hadama turned slowly in place to drink in every spark of distant light from before he found himself suddenly facing the goddess herself. The mermanta inclined his head deeply in respect. His prayer had been answered far more definitively than he had hoped, and when he raised his head again his green eyes were bright with a quiet joy.

Thank you, Safrin. Words were insufficient for the gratitude that thrummed within the telepathic link, and Hadama took a moment to simply soak in the starlit presence for a moment before he pulled his thoughts together, struck with inspiration by her visit. I will speak with the Queen. We can construct a tunnel from the canals underneath the Court. But when it is done, I would ask for your blessing to bring light to the darkness of it. A place the stars will always shine beneath the water.

SAFRIN Ahhh but these were the moments that made all of Safrin's struggles worth it. To see her starlight reflected in Hadama's eyes, to hear the reverence in his voice, and to be made warm by the strength of his awe and appreciation. With her vanity well and truly stroked by the mermanta, Safrin inclines her head. Complete the tunnel and you shall have your stars. You will need help from both those who live beneath the ocean, as well as those who live on the sands. The goddess explains, though Hadama had likely gleaned this much already. Be mindful. Rae's fingers remain open only because of the cleverness of Torchline. Lava from Apopo has hardened and strengthened the various tunnels. I would not want to see your creation collapse. Hadama must complete a PQ with at least one other mer and one human torcher. If the PQ has 8 rounds, he will receive an extra gift from Safrin.

The promise of a blessing was all that the merman could have hoped for and more, and the project began to take on the tangibility of something not only possible, but likely. Hadama inclined his head in full agreement to the gathering of community to make his dream a reality, several names immediately coming to mind.

The warning gave him pause, however, and his whip-like tail switched through the water beneath him as he gave a much slower nod. I had not thought of that. It so rarely came up in the Underwater City. Perhaps the drylanders will know of a way. And if not, perhaps they could devise one together.

A current of worry slid through the bond as he looked up at her again, into the night beneath the waves and the sea of stars that surrounded them. The Queen said there will be a war. Will the gods fight, too?

SAFRIN Do not underestimate the wisdom of the merfolk. Safrin replies with a graceful smile. There are many structures beneath the waves that offer incredible strength that your air-breathing counterparts would never have considered. Tilting her head slightly as if to avoid the question, Safrin regards the stars that twinkle all around them. There is no air for her to breathe her, not that it matters, and yet it appears she sighs just the same. We will…in our own way. During the last war the might of the gods ravaged the world. None would see that happen again. It is why we have poured so much of our might into our demigods that there might be less destruction, but… Looking back to the Mer, Safrin offers him a sad smile. ..Yes. We will fight.

Hadama blinked and then bowed his head in acknowledgment of Safrin's advice, taking it to heart. He truly had been too long away from the City of late, and spending too much time exploring the cities of the shore.

But he listened with quiet trepidation as she answered his question, and there was fear in the merman's heart at the though of another war between gods. Was there such a thing as a 'small' god war? He met her sad smile with worried green eyes, and even his tail stilled as he floated in the starsea that surrounded them.

When it is over, will you come back to us? he asked wistfully into the stillness of the bond, the weight of three hundred years of silence weighing heavily on broad shoulders.

SAFRIN I will do everything in my power to see that I do. The goddess replies in earnest. But should I falter, know that just as the light from my stars travels millions of miles to reach you, so too will I traverse time and space to return. Extending a hand towards the mermanta's face, it's with fingers that are both warm and cool like a summer's rain, that she softly traces the line of his jaw. The smell of petrichor will reach his nostrils, as well as lavender; smells that one such as he will not have encountered terribly often in his lifetime, and they will energize both his mind and body. Now go, Hadama. Go and create yet another link between the merfolk and the airbreathers of Torchline that both might be the stronger for your efforts. So saying, with a warm pulse of starlight the goddess vanishes, leaving in her wake a trail of galactic light that will shimmer a bright periwinkle for the next few hours. ~FIN