A Lotus and A Hummingbird (Yeva)

[Norani]

Searing 90, 122 following this

The sun was just beginning to rise over Ecith, as Ruvaf swooped down toward the hidden grass village of Ouno'uve. Norani had been insistent that they come here after the strange meeting they'd just had with Captain Kynne aboard the Duck. There was a desperation in her voice, a fear in her eyes, both of which had been present for much of the season.

And so, the pair were flying upon the back of Ruvaf, something they were both accustomed to doing in tandem now, banking over the lake and coming up on the village that couldn't be seen despite looking right where it should be. A small clearing was the only indication of anything out of the ordinary, the landing pad for those from Ounokt Nora. Ruvaf set down with a practiced ease and Norani and Yeva both slid off.

The pair had visited together once before, around the change of the season. Norani's aunt lived here, as did various cousins and extended family. But upon walking down the faint path into the village proper, her heart ached in her chest, a cold, icy grip squeezing on it and stealing her breath away. Juno was from here. Norani had many memories of her childhood from here. But they were tainted because Juno was no longer in them. Tainted because her family had kept them from Norani.

As they went, Norani was quiet, as the village slowly revealed itself in bits and pieces. It was a clever design, a single instant of not paying attention and one could miss an entire section of the village. It was one of the ways they stayed safe from predators. Hidden even in the open.

Entering the village center, she stormed past her aunt's house, where she and Yeva had had lunch on their last visit. Her aunt was a summoner, and had been warm and welcoming, but Norani was bristling as she moved on, pointedly not looking in the direction of her hut. Instead she made her way to a hut right next to the chieftain's own.

She did not announce her presence or knock, as neither were the Ecithian way of doing things. She pushed through the stringed beads, and a middle aged Ork woman looked up, nodding as though this was happening as she expected. Upon her chest, a pair of eyes, seemingly tattooed into her skin were watching them both, blinking and moving of their own accord. In their minds, they knew what she was.

One of Galetira's Seer's.

She gestured to a pair of cushions in the middle of her hut, offering a long smoking pipe to Yeva and Norani, who declined it. In Ecitharese, "I was wondering when you two would come visit me. I thought it might be sooner." She smiled lightly, "Alas, you're here now."

Despite Norani's obvious air of determination to come here, the Seer looked at Yeva, regarding her carefully, "I am Vuka Qoda Jinichi, Seer of Ouno'uve." She reached into the thin shawl she had draped about her shoulders, handing a pouch to Yeva, "Throw the bones."

She cast a stern look at Norani, silencing her as Norani was about to open her mouth, "We will. Patience." Looking back at Yeva, "Ask the bones the question on your mind."

[Yeva]

Searing 90, 122 E

They arrived at the hidden village by flight, but when their feet touched the ground and the grasses revealed their inhabitants, Norani's strides lengthened and Yeva had to keep a brisk pace in order not to fall behind. There was a tension here that her friend was eager to ignore, inspired by a mission of her own, and eventually, they found themselves in front of a hunt, its doorway covered by wooden and bone beading, colored with bits of hallowed pebbles, which caught the light when clinking pleasantly at their enterance, "Where are we?" Yeva whispered, peeking beyond Norani to spot an older orc who rose to greet them. She blinked in surprise, although she seemed to be the only one. Yeva flashed an apologetic smile for intruding and impulsively rapped her knuckles on the corner of a wooden trunk, as if the sound could make up for their sudden arrival. It might have been an acceptable practice in Ecith, but having spent most of her life where privacy was a sacred thing, Yeva still struggled to let go of old habits and etiquette, "Ah... hello."

The Orc was watching her, all eyes settling on Yeva at once with enough scrutiny that made her pause, brushing her fingers against Norani's forearm from habit more than a necessity for reassurance/ Her hand lingered, but fell away. To her surprise, there was no rising heat to her cheeks, or the paralyzing grip of fear. Just... curiosity. She met the woman's gaze, first top, then bottom, and stepped forward so that she stood side by side with her friend, not behind.

"Sooner?" she asked, softly. Yeva tilted her chin, considering her friend's rush to arrive. Clearly this woman was no stranger in the village - very few in the Orkan villages could be, but given her conversations with Norani, Yeva has simply assumed her experience with those in the divination trade to be limited. Less accessible.

With Galtiera's temple in the mountainous city of Drathera, she expected Seers to be available, but truth be told, Yeva had no idea just how many Seers existed in the world. In this culture, they were acknowledged and respected. In Zaichaer, any community like hers had been close to nonexistent and those that were around - herself, for instance. She had not met another while there - risked being grouped quite dangerously with coven witches or magic users. A Seer now stood before the and had been prepared for their arrival. The redhead wondered why they hadn't come sooner and what exactly they were doing now that required such urgency. Since the fall out with her family, Norani had been prone to hasty actions, as if the world would end if she did not act quick enough. Yeva knew it had to do with a loss, but had not pried too much, instead offering the support of companionship, when she feared her friend secluding herself too much. They had not known each other long, but such was not in Norani's nature.

This meeting would be a good one, she decided. For her friend and for her own pilgrimage, which she juggled with the many other lessons Ecith was teaching her. Whether she realized it or not, Yeva was growing up. In her dress, in how she stepped into a room, in how she showed affection. This would be no different, and it was a lesson she was excited for.

The hostess waved to a pair of dyed cushions that smelled of sweet hay. The duo moved to take their seat while Yeva smiled politely, "Apologies if we've kept you waiting." She was sure the woman had many other tasks to attend to, but it felt right to say.

The older Orc woman introduced herself as they settled, passing along a long, thin smoking pipe, each movement fluid and graceful. Her brows rose.

Norani shook her head. Yeva nodded and gingerly accepted the offering, running her thumb along the images carved in the surface and was reminded of Franky. The grizzled goblin had never failed to offer a smoke to her and out of courtesy, she always accepted. Not quite a partaker in usual circumstances, the activity had never failed to leave her coughing, sometimes drawing tears from her eyes, but the elf felt it rude to decline gifts. For a chance to sit and speak with a real Seer?

She had no intention to offend.

Yeva wrapped her lips around the mouth of the pipe, puffing experimentally. A tangy, rich spiced smoke slithered into her lungs as introductions continued.

"I am Vuka Qoda Jinichi, Seer of Ouno'uve."

"Yeva," she breathed, tendrils of grey, almost-blue smoke coiled in the space between them. She coughed once, but a lovely fuzzy feeling made her lightheaded in a way not wholly unpleasant. Relaxing and far more at ease in comparison to Norani, who could hardly contain her impatience, she smiled again. Yeva could feel her friend's energy building, as if it were a tangible thing, and touched the girl's shoulder while their host silenced her. Looking around at the decorations in the open hut, Yeva leaned back, almost lounging as she took another hit from the pipe in a newfound appreciation. This time, she did not cough, lungs burning in a slow acceptance.

Vuka Qoda held out a small bag, which she traded the pipe for, "What's this?" she asked, interest in her honey eyes. Once the weight pressed into her palm, she knew. Her mouth dropped slightly and she straightened, tucking a curl behind her ear, "You honor me."

Yeva had not had her fate perceived in years, let along by one of Galteira's faithful. Yeva held the bones in both hands, trying to decide what to ask. What did she want to know? What had been on her mind?

"What-" the redhead stopped, torn between a few questions as she took the bones, meditating on the questions first before speaking them, "Am I on the right path right now?" she glanced at Norani, then Vuka, "Am I supporting my friends in the best way?"

Nodding in satisfaction, she threw the bones and awaited her future.

[Norani]

Seer Vuka's smile broadened at Yeva's apology.

"You'll find that funny one day."

As Yeva touched Norani's shoulder, the young woman snapped out of buzzing anger. She looked over at her dear friend, relaxing after smoking the pipe, a picture of comfort and beauty. A pipe was thrust into her face, "I don't need the bones latching onto your temper, no matter how deserving it is." Norani was caught a bit off guard by this, but gently grabbed the pipe. Having never really enjoyed smoking, she was not well practiced at it, but she tried to hold it in the casual seeming manner that Yeva had done just a bit ago. An attempt was made, though awkwardly executed. After a decent length of coughing, she felt the relaxation taking hold, removing the edge from her quills.

Vuka now watched as Yeva held onto the bones. These were Seer Vuka's most powerful set, the ones she was most personally attuned with, but it was quite rare for her to use them. Not that any outside the realm of the Seers would know this. One was a polished knucklebone of one of her own fingers, the first she cut to build this set. Another was the nib of a rib from the man she first loved, taken from his corpse at the bottom of the Crystal Sea following the Imperial invasion. One was the tip tail bone of a dragon, given to her son after he'd bested the being in a contest of strength and grappling. And on it went, each and every bone collected along the way in her life, polished herself, and cherished.

As Yeva held the bones, she would be able to feel them thrumming with power. This was not a physical effect, not one that could be felt by Yeva's hand. Nor any part of her body, for that matter. She would feel them thrumming with an energy, each one with a separate feeling of its own. But with each thrum, growing as she pondered on the question to ask, they would sync up not just with one another, but with the aetherial vibration of Yeva's own soul.

And as they were tossed, Yeva would feel each bounce upon her soul.

When they came to a stop, scattered before the elf, Seer Vuka's eyes, those tattooed upon her chest, were already passing from the revealed runes to Yeva's eyes. As Vuka stared at the bone with her normal eyes, she spoke. "There is no right path for one such as yourself, Yeva Bleu. Rather yours is a destiny to always be moving forward and never looking back, to do so is to be dragged back down. I see friends numbered three. A tree struck by lightning, but a new sapling sprouted in the flames." Then a curious look upon her face, "A crimson lion wearing a scarred mask, leaping into an abyss with no end." Then a sad drop in the lines around her lips, "And the bee in spring, flitting from flower to flower, has died."

Now Seer Vuka's eyes upon her face slid over to Yeva, "Those friends of yours that have a presence of you in their life find their destinies moving forward just as your own. Those who walk free of you mark their own paths but many will be greatly scarred by the destinies of others." The sadness upon her face remained, but it grew soft, a kindness and comfort freely given, "The more you come to know, the more you grow, and the more you grow, the more they grow too."

With that, the eyes upon her chest closed, and looked to be resting. "Would you like to talk more about the lion or the bee?" She looked over at Norani whose attention seemed to be caught by a mobile of bones and beads and bits of glass that glinted in the sun, spinning and chiming slightly as a breeze rolled through, a slight glaze upon her eyes. "The tree will need a few more minutes it seems."

[Yeva]

Bones were not so unlike tarot. Many divination practices overlapped in some way or another, so when Vuka began, Yeva's first instinct was to apply her own understanding.

Three of Cups
Six of Swords
The Tower
Strength
and the Moon

Their imagery pulsed in her mind's eye like the flickering of a match until-

The bee dies?

No card came to mind and Yeva frowned. She bit her tongue to keep from speaking too rashly while Vuka's eyes slid towards Norani.

A decision was presented to her.

The bee or the lion? Both fates unsettled her, and she wasn't sure if there was only one opportunity, or the chance to request a preferred starting point. One jumped into an abyss and another died. Even the tree was forced into a renewal. Was there danger on the horizon?

Yeva reached out to rest a hand on Norani's arm, "Let's start with the lion," she said softly. In truth, she pictured a familiar goblin.

Lions were signs of strength, courage, and military might. Franky, who maintained connections to a former life in the Imperium and enough scars to prove it, fit the description. Yeva had made a promise to warn him if the fates revealed a danger to him or his own and she intended to keep it. Whatever he had been up to in her absence... she couldn't shake the feeling of a foreboding.

The contents of the smoking pipe left Yeva with a fuzzy feeling, but her heart would not be slowed so easily. It continued to pound as she worried over the revelations. The lion, the bee, and the tree.

[Norani]

As the relaxing buzz took hold over Norani, she heard a single, small chime. She looked up to see a mobile of glass and bones and beads hanging in the window. It was lightly swaying after the small breeze that had previously passed through. She wanted to hear it chime again. She sent out a tendril of aether, asking the nearby winds to play more of the music for her. But they stayed silent to her. It seemed they were too interested in the curving paths around the hut and curling through the grasses.

But Norani was undeterred. She pulled her aether back inward, and began to build it up inside of her chest. She then began to shape the aether in how the wind felt when it breezed through her hair, tickled at her neck. And then she pursed her and lightly blew air through her lips. The Manifested wind escaped from her chest, and continued onward. She guided it toward the mobile, pushing more air out than her lungs could physically hold. She slithered the wind through the beaded strings and they began to chime pleasantly. And Norani smiled lazily.

She heard Seer Vuka speaking, and wanted to focus on what she was saying but couldn't hold concentration on both things at the same time. She doubled down on her concentration on the winds and she urged them to stay with the mobile. She felt Yeva's hand on her arm, the warmth and comfort and love that physical touch upwelled within her. And she guided the winds into the mobile, through that same type of caress. She poured that love and comfort into the mobile and successfully Enmeshed the winds into the chimes. And then she severed the connection.

And the chimes kept ringing.

She focused her attention back to Seer Vuka and Yeva, her free hand resting atop Yeva's own now.

"Let's start with the lion."

She felt something in Yeva's touch, her friend was worried. Norani gave her a small squeeze, as Vuka took over. The Seer reached over and picked up all of the bones, save for four; those leading to the lion, the crimson, the mask, and the abyss, a small grouping whose rune exposed faces all appeared to be angling toward a shared point. "I will follow your connection with the crimson lion to glean more. Hold them in your heart, open it up, and put those memories, those emotions into the world. They will strengthen the bridge into the Astral Sea."

She gave Yeva enough time to do so, and then Vuka cast the bones in her hand. As they tumbled, Yeva would feel each bounce of the bones reverberate in her soul, each more powerful than the previous. As they fell, several of them found their rune faces joining the shared point of the first four. Vuka nodded, indicating to the joining runes as she interpreted them, "The Crimson Lion is joined by the Empty. He's alone. He's been joined by the Second Moon, facing away. A cataclysm entered his life yet he rose." Then Vuka's lips went thin, pressed together, her tusks jutting out brightly, "The inverted gibbon. The Crimson Lion is no longer the same as you knew him, by his own choice. Him being alone, was by choice, isolation. To prevent something perhaps. Or to protect." And then there was a small smile, "The Scroll. The words and gifts of a friend carry a memory, a hope, to bring back the Crimson Lion from his chosen abyss."

Vuka looked up at Yeva now, "It seems your friend is having a difficult time right now." She gestured to two runes, away from those indicating the Crimson Lion, "The hammer and the stone. Zaichaer? These came up both times, facing north through you. Your friend seems to have survived the devastation in Zaichaer. Was made into something else by it. But it is consuming him."

Her frown grew, "No more runes came up in the second throw for the Dying Bee. Normally there would be one or two, remnants, connections. It seems another friend of yours did not survive the same devastation." There was condolence in her voice, and Norani, having aptly listened, and she squeezed Yeva's hand tightly. She needed to know that she wasn't alone.

[Yeva]

It was Franky.

She felt confident in assuming he was the lion, however remnants of the fortune still puzzled her. A second moon entered his life. Paired with the empty. A cataclysm, "I have to write to him," she whispered, staring at the bones with a determined expression. Her free hand flexed in desperation to hold a pen or quill, but she continued to listen aptly, chewing at the skin of her bottom lip until she tasted copper. Worry darkened her expression, "He shouldn't be alone," she explained, looking between Norani and Vuka, "There've always been people around him. Dalma, his wife... or Weston! Weston's always with him."

Weston was the hobgoblin's right hand, taking charge when Franky was absent. Yeva did not know the extent of their relationship, but knew kinship when she saw it. Trust was not something grizzled men gave easily, and Weston was about as grizzled as they came. With shadows under his eyes and a taste for strong drink, he had proven himself right for the job, and while Yeva did not know more than a few observations about the manager, he had always treated her with proper respect, despite Zaichaer's racial hierarchy.

It couldn't be a literal separation, could it? Plenty of people were capable of withdrawing, even if they were physically present. Norani, for instance, had pulled away from her family while she struggled to find forgiveness. Whatever was happening in Zaichaer, there was pain.

Suffering.

Loss.

The bee had died.

Yeva returned Norani's squeeze by pulling the orc's hand further into her lap, scooting closer so that they were touching, "I think I know who that is," Yeva's bottom lip was stinging now, bright red where she had chewed the skin raw. She took a deep breath, guilt wrapping around her heart like a fist. Asher. They were far from friends, at least in comparison to what she had with Norani, but their interactions with one another were always... interesting. Asher, a Hytori elf who had cropped his ears to appear human for his own means, and who she often shunned as a result to no avail, had vexed her for his own amusement. The mystic could rarely stand his arrogance and secrecy, but when she had been most vulnerable on her way to Zaichaer, he had put his own life at risk to protect hers. As a result, Yeva had escaped with barely more than a scratch to her face.

Her throat tightened but she did not cry, hanging her head for a moment while she composed herself, "I understand," She could only pray that his soul found peace, and his end had been swift and painless, "Thank you for... for telling me."

Had she not been here today, would she have ever known?

Yeva ran her thumb over Norani's hand, "I will tell you of Franky and Asher before we leave here," she promised, relying on the smoke from the pipe to keep her from appearing as troubled as she felt. After all, not all fortunes were what one wanted to hear, and if any seer or mystic only ever shared happy endings, they were liars or fiends. Vuka was clearly neither, "Thank you... I have much to think about."

And much to do.

But for now, it was Norani's turn.

"What were you saying earlier?"

[Norani]

Norani wasn’t sure how to respond to what she’d just heard with Yeva. She could see, could feel the changes in Yeva, just as Yeva had for her the days following the great storm over her village. Yeva had just learned that someone she knew from before, someone from Zaichaer had died, and another was alone, changed. Norani didn’t know much about that part of Yeva’s life, never having been the type to push for information, but rather allowed Yeva to open up and blossom as she was ready.

Part of Norani oft forgot that Yeva had a life before Ecith, with how well she was embracing the Orkhan lifestyle. Norani had noticed so many of the little changes in Yeva, changes that she was sure that Yeva felt good about. She was speaking the tongue more easily, she was becoming mor comfortable with herself and with others, she was physically stronger, the sun giving more colour to her skin.

As Yeva said she would tell Norani after, the Orkhan woman nodded, and found a whiff of some strange incense blown her way by the Seer. Norani’s pupils dilated wide for a brief moment and she found her heart race for just a singular moment, before normalising again. Seer Vuka, ”One plant to undo another. Now, would you like to share why you’ve come?”

Norani felt the effects of the first drug wear off suddenly, a vigor replacing it, albeit a steady and calm one. She took in a deep breath, looking over at Yeva and smiling softly before looking back to the Seer to speak.

“I.. We are leaving tomorrow. One has called for our aide, and we are going to give it. But I am not leaving for that.” Norani's eyes starting to burn with the threat of tears, “Every day I spend here now carves a hole in my heart. The family around me has been shattered. My world has been a lie for years now, one created by those I cared most about.”

She took a deep breath, having to stop for a moment, looking down at her hand in her lap, shame, fear, and uncertainty washing over her. She didn’t like sharing these words but she needed to let them out, for herself, for Yeva, and as her goodbye to her people. “I cannot heal while I am surrounded by this pain. I must leave.” Her hand holding Yeva’s now entwined their fingers. She needed her friend’ strength and comfort. “Yeva makes my heart float and flutter, she is the warmth of the rising sun and the comfort of the moons in the darkness. She found me when I was feeling alone, surrounded by strangers that were kin. She is the dearest friend and the one I find most special.”

A pause as Norani caught her breath, her fingers still clutching Yeva’s own. She reached into her small hip pack, pulling out a wooden box. Nothing ornate, a simple box by all descriptors. She opened it up, pulling out a beautiful lotus flower, of oranges and pinks, of yellows and reds. She set it before Seer Vuka and continued, “I do not wish to lose Yeva to the Unknown in the way that Juno was taken from me. I have a wound I didn’t know was there from Juno being stolen, a wound made much larger by the lies around it.’’ Norani was clutching her free hand over her heart as she spoke this, feeling that pain even now.

‘’I found this flower growing through the window of our shared hut this morning. It is not often I sleep past the rising of the sun, but this night I did. And when I woke, the sun was streaming through and around this flower, and there was Yeva, sleeping peacefully beneath it.’’ A soft loving smile on her face, squeezing Yeva’s hands, as she recounted the beauty of that moment. “I wish for you to use the powers given by Galetira to mark this flower over my heart, to write my meeting of Yeva, to carve every moment of happiness and sadness we’ve shared, to paint the love into my skin, so that I may never lose her, forget her.”

Then her face grew stern, looking up at Seer Vuka, “And should the Unknown come for her too, it will find me waiting for it. I am coming for it, to find Juno and all the others.” Her lip was curled up in a feral snarl, “Now that I know it is real, I will hunt it.”

Seer Vuka looked on sadly, nodding, “I will happily do this for you, Norani. That is my duty as Seer, just as it my duty to tell you this. None have ever found any information on the Unknown in over ten thousand years. Every Seer, myself and Galetira, have tried to peer into the Unknown and have found absolutely nothing. Nothing, not one single name, not one single voice.”

Norani shook her head, but Vuka held up a hand, “Maybe it was a demon tricking you as they do. Maybe it was a memory dredged up or perhaps your mind just making sense of the pain you were going through.” She paused, “Or maybe you have finally found something. And my heart is telling me to trust you on this, to believe you on this. If this is the path you are set on taking then know this, the powers you are looking to pursue, the means to your ends, will be incredibly dangerous for you,” then she looked to Yeva, “And for her.”

She conveyed caution on her face, “Be careful not to destroy that which you have in pursuit of what you do not. Us Orkhan are especially prone to that, the neverending Suffering gifted to us by Malgar.” Vuka nodded, casting her gaze to the elf, “But perhaps Yeva would like a chance to speak as well?”

Norani had just whooshed a sigh of relief, another voice wanting to believe her story. Aunt Hijuka, her family, her chieftain, had all said that she was wrong. That she had been tricked, that she misremembered, that she was simply hurting when she heard Juno. But she knew it, absolutely knew what she had heard, and what she felt. She squeezed Yeva’s hand once more and smiled.

Just as she knew, quite absolutely, that she was in love with Yeva.

[Yeva]

"Now would you like to share why you've come?"

Yeva smiled, curious as well. Tilting her head to the side, she watched Norani's focus sharpen, the subtle way her nostrils expanded as she took a took a deep breath. The story started as she expected for the most part, with Norani admitting to her pain and isolation, how she felt those closest to her had deceived her. Yeva patted the orc's hand, saddened that her friend struggled so, and knew that this new journey could be an opportunity of growth, for both of them. Just as Drathera had pushed her in ways she had never expected, Norani might find herself challenged as well. Yeva knew that while it would be uncomfortable, perhaps even painful at times, it would leave them changed. Images of conversations with Franky burst in her mind, talks of stagnation and comfort, and a brief attempt to try and understand how he might have been changed in her absence.

And then Norani continued.

Yeva glanced at their hands, at the difference between her delicate fingers and Norani's calloused ones, entwining. Yeva had not held hands with many people, but somehow the lacing felt... intimate?

"Yeva makes my heart float and flutter,"

The redhead's eyes snapped upwards, steady and unbreaking as Norani spoke, "-she is the warmth of the rising sun and the comfort of the moons in the darkness. She found me when I was feeling alone, surrounded by strangers that were kin."

Yeva's stomach flipped and she grew very still. Norani was prone to embarrassing and honest assessment of feelings, but this... this didn't sound like friendship. Yeva swallowed. Had she ever made anyone's heart flutter?

"She is the dearest friend and the one I find most special.”

Friend. There it was. Friend.

They were friends.

See?

She exhaled, smiled, and gave a soft, impulsive sound that was almost like a laugh mixed with a sigh. But what did she mean? The one I find most special?

Norani paused and reached into the pouch she kept on her hip. From it, she removed a wooden box.

Yeva felt her stomach drop again, perhaps all the way to her feet this time, and a tiny voice in her head began to panic. What is that? What is it?

Time seemed to slow as Norani opened it, and the strangest rush of adrenaline poured through her veins, nothing compared to the drug they had been given. Why was she so skittish all of a sudden? Yeva's eyes flickered to Vuka, who remained patient, maybe even impassive, as Norani gingerly lifted one of the prettiest flowers Yeva had ever seen, and placed it before the Seer.

"I do not wish to lose Yeva to the Unknown in the way that Juno was taken from me. I have a wound I didn’t know was there from Juno being stolen, a wound made much larger by the lies around it."

She knew of the Unknown; it was one of the first lessons she had been taught after arriving to Ecith. After 'clothing optional'. The story continued, of Norani sleeping in and the lotus that had been proudly in the sun. And how she had laid beneath it. A sign. The flower had many meanings in many cultures, but all were positive from what she recalled.

Emerging from murky water with clean petals, it symbolized purity, strength, resilience, rebirth. Transcendence of spirit over worldly matters.

Pink for feminine energy. Red for passion, love, and expression.

This one in particular, was a lovely blend of colors, unlike any she had ever seen. Ecithean, by all accounts. While she was sure Norani was not aware of this, Yeva knew what it meant. And it was a very powerful omen to be presented in this way.

Norani, "I wish for you to use the powers given by Galetira to mark this flower over my heart, to write my meeting of Yeva, to carve every moment of happiness and sadness we’ve shared, to paint the love into my skin, so that I may never lose her, forget her.”

Would the Unknown come for her too? Yeva had understood the very real threat of the mysterious danger, but had somehow never considered this as something that could happen to her. But Norani, who had already lost one dear friend(?), wished to protect their memories as much as possible. The idea of her suddenly being lost to time and everyone and anyone in her life forgetting she ever existed made her want to cry.

And there was Norani, swearing vengeance to an ancient evil. Vuka spoke words of warning, which sounded far away. Yeva could hear very little over the rushing of blood in her ears, of her heartbeat that pounded so furiously it felt like she might die, until both women were looking at her, and she stared back at the orc who looked at her with so much love in her eyes, she....

"I..." her throat felt dry and she tried to clear it. Her face felt warm, "I think the smoke has made me a bit light headed," she muttered, feeling guilty at the lack luster response after her friends impassioned speech of love and heroism. Moments like this were exactly why she felt the craven one of the two, "It usually does... I just need a little air," she explained lamely, chewing at her bottom lip while extracting her hand from Norani's. She needed to breathe, to think for a second. Having an audience when your best friend confessed such things was not something she had been prepared for.

Yeva looked back at the stunning flower in the center, and rose to her feet, displaying Elvish nimbleness as she moved towards the flap of the tent, and thrust herself into the open space. She began to pace, sucking air into her lungs so quickly, it drew attention from those walking past, "I'm fine," she said, mostly to convince herself while she waved way any looks of concern. Yeva was aware her time was limited, Norani would probably want to check on her. She cares for me so much, so thought, raking her hands through her hair, snagging at the ends, What if what I feel is not the same? What if-

What if I hurt her?

What do I do?

Yeva had never been placed in a situation like this, nor had she been taken to a Seer to have symbolic tattoos pressed upon skin. Norani was not excessively tattooed like others in Ecith. This felt sacred. It was no secret Yeva adored Norani, choosing her company over others, especially when it came to sleeping arrangements, but the way Norani had smiled had felt so earnest, her hand had felt so warm.

She slowed, resolving herself to go back inside and started to turn, as a hummingbird flew around her, hovered, and then darted away.

Yeva slipped back into the tent, shyly at first as she searched Norani's face, "Thank you for waiting," her voice was soft, and she glanced at Vuka, before slowly lowering herself back to where she had been seating. She was a tension she needed to dispel, "I... I want to say something now."

Her heart began its war-drum pounding, and she turned her body to face Norani more fully, "I have been alone for a long time... And I do not know how much time we will have together," she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Not just because of the Unknown, but, because... well, I have lost those I've cared for before. In that way, I think I understand what you may be feeling..."

Now came the hard part, "You have shown me a new way to live," she could feel her ears warming, her throat tightening, "Meeting you has been a blessing I could have never predicted. I know I have come to Ecith for my pilgrimage, so that I may be a Seer one day too, but hearing your words - and they were so beautiful, Norani - I am scared.... Because... I have been told many times that a Seer's path is one of loss. Even now, I am losing those around me. And you are so honest, and thoughtful, and kind, and I... I do not know if I am the beautiful picture of warmth and strength you paint me to be. I am just... Yeva."

She held her palm up, allowing Norani to take her hand again if she wished, "I do not want to hurt you, but nor do I want to forget you. I want," she spoke freely now, "I want you to stay with me. For as long as our paths are aligned."

"I do not know what that will look like," she added, a light blush rising darkening her cheeks, "I would like to have our memories on me, as well, um.... If you would like that too."

[Norani]

Norani’s eyes widened as Yeva spoke of becoming lightheaded around the smoke. It was something she had known about Yeva, having shared many a camp and cooking fire together now. But there was more to the tone in the elf’s voice, that familiar demon that did oft chase after Yeva. Panic. Norani had seen it in her friend before and could hear it again now.

Their touch separated and Yeva explained her need for air. Norani swallowed, nodding, knowing that Yeva was seeking space, distance. This was a defining trait of the elf, it was why Norani had offered her the use of her hut all this season in the first place. Some flowers grow best in clusters, others needing room to grow and bloom. Still, it led Norani to worry, a pit growing in her stomach. She knew that Yeva was more reserved, particularly in front of other people and yet still, she had thrust this upon her without so much as a warning.

Norani felt selfish, a bad friend.

To her, opening up in front of a Seer was no different than if the Seer hadn’t been there. Seers were sacred and holy, in all aspects of Ecithian culture. They were the confidants of all, they knew the problems that the people they helped went through, even when no others did. They were the secret holders, the mediators, and the guides of all.

And as quick as a wind through the grasses, the flap shut and Yeva was gone, the sudden brightness allowing for the following return of darkness to feel absolute. As Norani stared through the darkness, allowing her eyes to readjust, Seer Vuka hmm’d. The Seer cast her eyes on Norani, then back to the flap, eyes narrowing in scrutiny, in recognition of a sign granted by the world. She had to choose her words now carefully, recognising an intersection of many destinies, those beyond just Yeva and Norani’s own. An errant word now could send a cataclysm of change down their paths of destiny, and silence could do much the same.

“Norani, hear me now and carve this into your bones.”

Norani peeled her eyes from the tent flap, her heart thudding loudly in her ears, worried that she may have driven away Yeva, that her dear friend wasn’t ready or that she herself was too hubric in sharing. Her eyes were burning, on the verge of breaking loose into bawling, her throat so tight she could barely breathe, her stomach roiling. Looking through the blur at Seer Vuka, she was clenching her knees so tight with her hands that her knuckles were white.

“No one is ever gone absolutely. There is no path one can go that you cannot follow, not the Lost, not the Taken, not the Forgotten, and not the Dead.” A slow pause, “But the price to chase them is high.” Seer Vuka reached out and pulled one of Norani’s hands free, massaging it to relax it, before gripping it gently, “To lose yourself to find another is to spread more Suffering than any one should.” Norani paused, trying to make sense of these words, but nodded slowly. Of course she would remember them.

Vuka knew that Norani would attribute these words to Juno. And Seer Vuka had a suspicion on what came next for Yeva and Norani. But that sign, that darkness, that was something new. Something powerful was coming. She’d have to report to Galetira.

Then light washed back over the pair of Orkhan and Norani looked up, and there Yeva was, just as that flower that had hung in the sunlight. As she thanked them for waiting, Norani nodded shortly, not trying to hide the worry she’d been feeling. As Yeva sat down, Norani wanted to reach out, to touch her, to take her hand, but she restrained herself. Yeva was a flower needing the space to bloom in her own way.

Yeva turned to face Norani, and she turned to match, her watery eyes on her friend’s own. And she listened. And Yeva spoke her heart’s truth. The demon of panic was gone. Yeva shared her fear, her worry and self-consciousness, an act of truth and bravery that Vuka knew that Raxen would be proud. The teachings of him and the many others that helped shape Ecithian culture and helped culminate to this powerful moment between dear friends.

Yeva presented her hand to Norani, and the Ork reached out gently, she clasped it firmly, thankful to feel that Yeva was here and real and this was not another hallucination like so many thought Juno’s voice to be. Yeva was here and now, with her. And as Yeva expressed her desire to continue to be with her, her and now, Norani let loose a half gasp, half laugh, the tears flowing freely now down her cheeks. Norani nodded, that was all that she wanted too. To continue to live together, to grow and share and feel together.

All of her fears and worries and doubts were instantly vanquished by Yeva’s words. Norani was a mess of tears but her mouth was stretched into a bright smile and she squeezed Yeva’s hand and she nodded vigorously, trying to find words to escape her constricted throat. “I want that too. No more, no less,” she managed to sputter out, as wave after wave of relief and ecstasy washed over her.

Seer Vuka waited, watching Yeva carefully through this exchange. She had Galetira’s touch upon her, she carried the air of a Seer, one that was not wizened by years of sharing in the Suffering of others yet, but she wielded the true power of their duty, and did so confidently. Still, the signs couldn’t be ignored and there was something more for Yeva, Vuka was sure of it. More than simply becoming another of Galetira’s Seers. More than becoming Norani’s dearest friend.

Vuka glanced back down at the bones that had been cast earlier, idle and forgotten. A small ray of sunlight peeked through the flap that had not closed all the way, highlighting the rune face of the Eye, signifying Fate. It was facing the Obsidian and the Flame, both of which were facing directly upon Yeva’s face. Vuka read the other bones, seeing the Storm, the Claw, and Falling Tree all facing Norani.

Vuka knew this was the real reading all along, and she swallowed it down, for the runes facing her were the Sleeping Sloth and the Blade. To speak this truth now would be to bring calamity upon this partnership, and extend that to the world at large. But Vuka knew that keeping secrets from Norani would only further spiral her toward a destructive path, she decided upon another course of action.

Smiling over at Yeva, “I will happily place your shared story into your skin as well. Do you know what you might wish it to look like, and where?” It was a question calmly delivered but clearly, and pointedly, avoided the shared intensity of Yeva and Norani’s moment. Vuka was not casting any opinion of what they went through, that wasn’t her duty. “Have you seen any signs like Norani? The threads of destiny are certainly pulling them around you both.”

[Yeva]

An aspiring seer herself, she should have taken more interest in the runes. She should have noticed. But sitting next to Norani, a friend so close to tears, Yeva's attention was not concerned with signs of fate and future, but of present troubles. She had caused great distress for Norani, running away like that, but doing so and returning was its own lesson. One of rippling consequence from impulsive actions. Unfortunately, Yeva was a young Hytori, Norani younger still; and youth and impulse oft sat hand in hand.

"I scared you," she whispered, interpreting Norani's expression as a mix of love, fear, and shame. Yeva wondered if she would suddenly struggle with reading the intentions of others when it was time to depart Ecith, back to industrial cities where citizens smiled at your face one moment and stabbed you in the back the next. Perhaps that thought troubled her about the intentions of the Duck and its captain. That icy feeling on the back of her neck that something was on the horizon, "I am sorry."

Yeva scooted closer, leaning against the dark haired girl beside her in a half hug, awkward in execution and leaving the redhead to more or less drape herself against Norani, arms loosely placed around her neck and shoulders. The words echoed in her mind as she tilted her head up and smiled reassuringly at her friend, who had fat tears running down her face. No more, no less.

She resolved to do better, to alleviate Norani's pain than add to it just because of girlish fears.

When the tension in the room began to settle, Yeva noticed Vuka looking at the runes, but as she started to follow her gaze, the Seer's smile seemed to recharge the air around them, and Yeva was given a new reason to focus, “I will happily place your shared story into your skin as well. Do you know what you might wish it to look like, and where?" Have you seen any signs?

"Ah," she said, realizing this question would have come sooner rather than later, "Um..." her warm eyes flickered back to Norani's darker ones, her hand sliding down her back as she let go and sat a bit straighter, her weight not quite as heavy upon the orc, "I-I believe so," The lotus was such a strong symbol, and she wanted to make sure her choice did not insult.... Although she was not sure that was possible. The first time Yeva had ever seen Norani show anger, disdain, or disappointment was with her family. Liars, according to the brunette. As long as Yeva was remained honest, her default by all accounts, they would be fine. They would remain together.

"You have chosen a lotus for me," she started, speaking first to Norani, "For you, I have chosen the Hummingbird. Colorful and in motion, never slowing. They have many meanings, but the Hytori believe they are a symbol hope, which was given to me when we met. And just now, when I was outside, one fluttered towards me." Some could say the tiny bird may have just mistaken the color of the elf's hair for a possible bloom, but she knew there were far less coincidences in the world than many would believe. So many things were connected, "I would like it somewhere, but I do not know where."

She wanted it to be visible. To proudly display her first tattoo, which, like the stairs in Drathera, was a rite of passage in Ecithean culture. She also knew that middrift tops, loincloths and otherwise limited clothing would not be much of a hinderance in that regard. But what about when she went home? "Anywhere here," Yeva twisted, running her hand down her shoulder, arm, waist, hip, thigh leg, "So that Norani remains by side."

To Norani again, "You may choose... I want you to," She wanted to share the experience as much as possible, to entwine their choices like fingers holding hands, "Where do you like best?"