"Sowing Season" [Kala]

[Pharaoh]

"Founders forbid." Phocion agreed, with a firm nod.

At the mention of her potential for extended longevity, he pursed his lips.

"You might, at that... Perhaps there's a lightening of your load in that knowledge. If we were to marry, it may not be such a final thing for you. When death did us part, you would be free to pursue other connections as I faded from this world." There was nothing remotely melancholic in his delivery of this arguably grim eventuality. He sounded more curious, than anything. Intrigued at the notion more than fearful of its coming to pass.

"Oh!" Phocion blinked, catching Kala's drink without needing to think on it long. "No, it's... Not something that happens very often. It happened more frequently when She was trapped at Kaladon. Her physical presence was locked away, so Her only means of interacting with the world without was through those of us who share Her blood and worship Her wholeheartedly. Prince Vrædyn and I served as Their vessels as they prepared to breach the walls of Their prison." At the mention of Vrædyn he blushed slightly and his eyes, which were already facing the wall, turned down to grace the floor instead.

"Well, given the weight of your connection to your twin, I suppose I shall have to win his approval if I am to be taken seriously as a suitor." He furrowed his brow, looking more serious than perhaps he should when broaching a charm campaign as opposed to a military one.

"Does your brother enjoy the theatre? Sport? There are some splendid operas coming up next season, and the grand finals of the Golden Jackal gladiatorial league will take place early in Frost. Perhaps we and our brothers might convene in the royal box if we can find a night Prince Drævyn or Duke Vyxis hasn't booked it..."

[Kala Leukos]

[tr][/tr].

"I never had even an elf's lifetime to consider for myself before," she admitted. "I have no idea how my concept of time or relationship will alter as those years march ever on. Assuming I survive." Her smile might not seem correct for the thought, but the path of ascension had not proven easy or without pitfalls. Perhaps she had a bit of the fatalist to her hiding behind soft smiles and careful words.

At some point, though, she would cease to be human or Avialæ, and would be Mortasi entire. Whatever form she took, personality she wore, she was going to change. If she could give Phocion immortality as an elf, well, perhaps he would be like his long gone forebears or perhaps he would be something new, but eventually, she thought, the centuries would set him apart from his more mortal brethren.

It was a philosophical point to consider.

"Ah..." She wondered whether she had the power to reach out and live in the flesh of someone who held sufficient faith in her, and she wondered, "I would be curious to know what that was like for you and for your cousin, if it were not too private an experience."

As for Kaus, "My brother is already impressed with you. Thinking of you as a possible brother-in-law would take some adjustment in perspective, but I don't see any reason he would be dismayed. Even know with our differing stations, I have a difficult time hiding my feelings from him, though. He will be most concerned with how you make me feel. If you make me happy, he will be happy. But I am certain he would want to befriend you. There is an element of... hm... transitive feeling... with us? If I love you, he will love you. Not necessarily in the same way." She smiled. "But too much of our hearts are conjoined for there not to be... hm... echoes.

"Our brother Aquilios is the heir. He has already wed and had a child. The succession isn't threatened. His were always the greater responsibilities, but I think that Kaus and I were raised at least somewhat as you and yours... we had to find our niche, how we would serve our family, our people. He is a doughty warrior and a capable mage. As such, he had no trouble taking up sparring with Raithen. But he is also a poet. You might share similar intellectual passions. So, an opera, a fight... I think we will be more interested in the martial art than the blood sport.

"But we are both interested in your arts and culture, and it would behoove us to know them better."

.

[Pharaoh]

"I would be curious to know what it was like, as well..." Phocion offered with a grim chuckle. "I do not recall incidents. I would be in one place and find myself in another... as if I'd blinked and teleported through time and space, but part of me knew what had happened. It wasn't frightening to wake from those instances, but it was certainly jarring. Apparently, my body met Shæoth, the Princeps Vacuum, and yet I couldn't tell you what he looked like... It's odd, that. Sometimes I dream and think, perhaps, I am gleaning visions vestigial to Her moments in my form, but... I am no Dreamwalker and it's more likely they are merely an expression of my desire."

He watched Kala thoughtfully as she spoke of her brother, and pondered the scriptures.

"It is little wonder, then, that the Founders took an interest in you. Our Lady's love of our Lord is why they both ascended. She sacrificed Herself for Him, and He arose and She was rewarded for assuming that risk... Becoming Sacrifice itself." And, as Kala highlighted commonalities between her family and his own, he smiled faintly and nodded.

"Well, check your diaries and we'll see what is going on when our schedules align. There is always something or another going on. We Solunarians do like to be entertained, though my pleasures are simpler than some of my more decadent compatriots. Still, it is good to be out and about. One must be seen in society, after all. It's just an odd balance for me, since much of what I do in my work is averse to prying eyes. Dressing like this feels like I'm in a costume."

[Kala Leukos]

.

"I would not be surprised if She left echoes of Herself behind," she mused. "Even We are bound by the Forms and Laws laid down by the Great Gods. If She so chose, She could leave nothing of Herself behind, but I shouldn't be surprised if She wanted to make you more and more Her creature over time."

The word creature might have sounded strange coming from Kala. She still saw mortals as her equals in most things, if not immediately apparent potential.

"I should like to meet Shæoth." But she only mused for a moment, and then flashed him a smile. She was already realizing she had more control over her physical form than she had before, and she had thought it would be nice to be the mother of twins knowing what it was like to be a twin.

"I will, and I suppose at some point you will have to come back to Kalzasi and, eventually, Starfall. I will not ask you to come north during the colder seasons. I wouldn't want you to be miserable." She hummed thoughtfully to herself, running down some list of possible venues or events to share with him.

"Before I return, I can speak to one of your travelers and give them a key to open gates directly into the Cintamani Pavilion. That way, you could visit without having the Kalzasern court aware of your presence. Fewer diplomatic demands on your time." She paused. "Have you ever had a vacation?" She smiled, imagining him reading on a chaise longue by the pool, taking the sun and the air and the time to relax and do whatever he wanted to do, even if her presence was neither desired no required in that moment.

.

[Pharaoh]

“All my life has been in service to Her. I would welcome any vestige of Her glory that may be residual to her… visitation.” Phocion managed to sound more adoring than fanatical, as if it were heroine worship as opposed to zealotry.

“Shæoth is a mystery to me, but many of his ways are aligned with those of the Founders. Some suggest he was involved Their ascendancy— born, as it was, from a plea for Vengeance amongst other things.” He trailed off. He had thoughts and questions, but they were of a sort that felt different to dwell or remark upon now that They had returned. Idle philosophizing felt more idle than it had and, at times, even a bit blasphemous.

“Oh, do not concern yourself with the weather. Even if I were not an Elementalist of some prowess, Sentinel uniforms and princely regalia alike are treated to optimise the comfort of the wearer. I don’t believe I own an article of clothing that isn’t thus enchanted.” He paused as a notion occurred to him.

“Do let me know if I ought to adjust the climate in this chamber. It is cool for Solunarium, as is my preference, but perhaps warmer than you prefer.” He smiled at the offer.

“I would be glad of that. Not out of any desire to deceive our Kazase— excuse me, Kalzasern comrades, but because I am a private person and I believe this to be a private affair whilst yet in its nascency.”

[Kala Leukos]

.

"I would hazard to guess that you are one of Her favorites," she said with a smile. While she wouldn't think to criticize Varvara's manner with her Chosen, she enjoyed the personal closeness with her Silver Wings. It wasn't quite so profound as her bond with Kaus, but those bonds were newer, too. She didn't push, though; Phocion's relationship with his Goddess was his.

"I would not be surprised," she said of Shæoth. "The other demigods of Kalzasi are Drægir, while I am not. Perhaps that and the fact that I am a twin were why your twinned pantheon deigned to treat with me. Even I do not know why Mother Kaos chose me." She could only prove the Great Goddess correct. "Perhaps I should seek Him out. I know not my own limits, though. I am becoming a being of chaos, but does that mean I should fly into the eye of a miststorm to seek a handful of prismatorium?"

For a moment, she wondered whether her divine power might enable her to give Phocion wings, temporarily even, so she could teach him to fly. That would be something few potential wives could give him.

"Thank you, I am quite comfortable. I know how to dress for Solunarium now." Her wings made her largely immune to cold, and she had long ago learned to stoke or bank the Fire within her to keep herself content within her environment.

"We are in accordance there. To my mind, people should only see the tip of the iceberg where relationships are concerned. The vast majority ought to lie beneath the surface of the sea. I don't know that I have a fitting metaphor for a prince of the desert, but you are erudite and I suppose it still holds."

.

[Pharaoh]

"So it would seem." Phocion agreed with a faint smile as he absently rubbed his Emblem-bearing wrist. "To be of the Moritasi does not seem to necessitate a predilection for chaos. Perhaps it is a matter of perspective, as many godly affairs seem to be. One Mistlord might succumb to chaos, whiles the other seeks to master it. I do not know. My theological knowledge is narrow and biased. I do hope that, whatever our relationship ends up being, you help to broaden my horizons." He seemed relieved that Kala was comfortable. He'd wondered whether her concern for his comfort in Kalzasi had been born of her own discomfort in the here and now. Having reclaimed confidence in his hospitality, he sipped his drink.

He chuckled, a soft breathy lapse in his stoical edifice.

"I would venture that the sands might be even more obscuring than the seas. Atraxia certainly holds her share of mysteries which, even now, yield spoils enough to surprise its inhabitants..."

A serva stepped into the doorway, garnering Phocion's attention. She gave a wordless nod, and he returned his pale gaze to Kala.

"Ah. It would seem that the cocktail hour has given way to suppertime." He finished the contents of his flute and set it aside, rising and smoothing out the wrinkles in his silver-white finery. He stepped up to Kala and offered a slender arm from beneath the folds of his cape.

"Might I escort Your Ladyship to the dining room?" The diplomatic corps of the Vigilia had a record of Lady Kala's dietary preferences, which had been begged of her personal staff in advance of her first visit to Solunarium. The supper would reflect those preferences as informed by observations made by the Umbrian staff who'd served her on prior occasions.

[Finn]

Review

Experience: 15 xp for Kala; relevant moderator XP for Pharaoh

Injuries: n/a

Loot: +1 royal moonborn suitor

Notes: Well, that was a surprise! Figured the Avialae lords would want her most of all.