The World a Garden Bursting Into Life

[Sivan]

Sivan didn't seem bothered by the serpentine spirit using his arm to slither up close and personal. When he was deep in trance, insects and other small animals get up closer with his body. Spirits, too.

Though he had the golden looks of a Hytori elf, his spiritwalking surpassed that of many pure-blooded Dratori.

"I thank you, Sviras," he murmured, "and will only call you with good intentions and in good faith."

Their communion was short as Hilana was organized and found what she was looking for rather quickly. Sivan didn't protest Sviras using his body as a means to return to Hilana either. In fact, he wouldn't allow himself to stay up very much longer. It was important for her to bond with this new creature; Sviras may not become her aidolon, but he was still her first and she would learn a great deal from him.

"I am mostly relieved for you," he admitted. "I have met a demon who dwells in the body of an elf. The elf who summoned him was already a mage as well as a lawyer, chosen by Avenna." He made a complicated face at that. While Hilana's Moritasi would brook no other deities to steal worship, his father's people didn't consider demigods to be worthy of worship, but merely respect. They would make change for avens, but those currency derived from the demigoddess were not considered so solid as the recently reborn Hytori currencies.

"Even that one, a master of contract law, was outsmarted by a demon. You will, I think, make me proud in the future because you will form working relationships with spirits that are mutually beneficial. There is so much hate in the world, I hope to fill my small corner of it with love. Not necessarily amorous love, although that is good too, but love that does not see every interaction as a zero-sum game to be won or lost utterly. I chose to help you in this because of the way you care for animals. Some spirits are like simple animals, some are beyond us in power and intellect. But you will see them as more than mere tools, so for you, they will be more than mere tools."

When she asked her question, he considered.

"Tired, yes. Falling asleep, no. I can remain a while if you have questions, but I would leave you and Sviras to become better acquainted, too. Your contract might be in black and white, but you will find more and more gray areas as you get to know him and the repercussions of your compact."

[Hilana Chenzira]

The serpentine spirit seemed satisfied with that - Sivan's reputation preceded him, and he was not found wanting. His Summoner would be in good hands with him - he would teach her the right way. He was a spirit walker, and the spirits here were a testament to who he was as a Summoner and a person. The spirits here did not find him wanting - Sviras could discern that quite quickly. And that was a good thing for both of them. It did of course mean that she was less likely to be tempted - had he met her some years back... he might well have had a new form to enjoy this world with. But he did not, and he was smart enough to know she would manage well. She didn't come in cocky like some did, and those who overestimated their abilities were the ones that would pay dearly for it.

There was a difference between boldness and arrogance, and Hilana was smart enough to understand it. Sivan had given her plenty of good advice and reading to start with since he had agreed to teach her, and she was a diligent student. She had had concerns about this initiation - this one was one of those in which 'going wrong' wasn't as simple as death. Becoming Craft-fallen in an initiation for Summoning meant being lost, for good. And whether you retained any sense of who you were when a spirit took control was doubtful in the best case scenario, and Hilana had had to trust in herself and what information she had taken in. But she knew full well that if she had taken the initiation as a teenager, she would have been lost to the spirits that ranged upon the sands.

But she was listening - this story was being told to her for a reason, and it was a very firm reminder of what could have happened. Of course, if something had... Sivan had said he would have come, and he might very well have been able to persuade the spirit to give her back, if that was even possible... Hilana didn't know, and she did not want to find out. But when he continued, she smiled at his words. She was glad that he held her in that esteem - his view was similar to hers, and that was why she had wanted to learn from him. He may have been Hytori - they carefully stayed away from that subject for plausible deniability - but she knew a kindred spirit when she saw one. For all of their differences, their love and respect of the spirit world and the natural world around them wasn't always quite so common that one could readily find those who were fascinated with the world the way they were. They had traded plants and knowledge and techniques since she had met him.

"I agree with you. That is the way it should be," she smiled down at Sviras, bringing her fingers up to touch him. He was materialized for now, and she did so love the feeling of snake under her fingers. He reminded her something of the rat snakes that one found in farmer's fields, though in time he may well grow to be that much bigger, the way he had been when she had first met him, but that would be a question for another day. She knew that as they got stronger, they tended to get bigger so that might well be the case here. She wouldn't kiss him like she might Tiaz, though, that would be disrespectful until or unless he wanted that. It would also be dropping her guard when she needed to keep in mind that he was no normal python. They were owed respect and consideration, and she had promised him that. The time might come when he might want to cuddle, and he may be content without it and just letting her carry him.

Spirits were not tools. She had seen that attitude enough, and while not all summoners that had it had started that way... they developed that way, and Hilana did not like it and she did not want it. Sivan's way was much better. It was the same as her animals - if you beat them and didn't treat them right, they wouldn't do their best for you. If you worked as a team, as a partnership... there were no limits to what could be accomplished.

"We have much to talk about," Sviras agreed with Sivan, lifting his head to look up at Hilana from where he had settled around her shoulders. Blood red eyes were quite keen indeed. They had started with the basics... and now the real details would come in. He had given her a chance, and while her terms were fair... he would see what she was made of.

"That would probably be a good idea," the Vastiana admitted. There was a lot of talking to do, a lot of learning, and a lot of getting to know the spirit that would be working with her for the next 30 days. "I thank you again, Sivan, for this. For all of this," she rested her hands in her lap. "I'll have breakfast waiting for you tomorrow morning," she promised him with a grin, her eyes bright.

[Sivan]

He nodded along with what Sviras and Hilana said, then he laughed lightly at her promise.

"Very well," he agreed, "though my breakfasts tend to be light, so you needn't go to too much trouble. You are welcome to use the kitchen, or search the larder if you have a need. You might even wake up needing a snack. Maintaining the connection with other planes while communing with spirits can be taxing, especially when one is new to it. So eat and rest as much as you need."

Exael offered him a hand up, a hand the color of aged ivory in this light, and gleaming with golden edges. He was a strange sort of creature, and could be terrible if one crossed him in a fit of righteous anger, but he had learned to be gentle and empathetic from his time bonded with Sivan as Sivan hoped he had learned some wisdom from the creature who had become his aidolon. With a smile that spoke of a strange sort of love, Sivan looked up at him, and accepted the help to his feet.

They were closer than brothers, closer than lovers; it was a strange sort of relationship, a bond of soul more than body or even mind. Sivan was no poet; he couldn't articulate it, but Hilana was insightful, and likely so was Sviras.

"Then I will seek my bed and the solace of Thiovan. Until the morrow, Hilana. Sviras."

He and Exael retreated, the celestial creature vanishing once Sivan walked through the door. It shut, but there was no click of a lock. Hilana had seen the larder below the main floor, and if she sought deeper and found the mineral hot springs, so be it. The spirits would warn her if she was in any sort of danger, and would likely 'tattle' on her if they felt she was meddling with the natural order Sivan had established within the bounds of his home—their home, their sanctuary.

And for now, it was home for Hilana and Sviras, too—their sanctuary.

[Hilana Chenzira]

"Until tomorrow," Hilana smiled up at Sivan, inclining her head respectfully to him and Exael, who was also included in that bright smile. "Sleep well, and we will see you in the morning." The newly-initiated student would make her way to her tent with Sviras, and settled upon the bedroll with him. They had a lot of talking to do, and for once, it wasn't Hilana that was going to talk at length - this was her time to listen and pay attention, to ask thoughtful questions and ruminate on the answers that were provided. There was much to learn about Sviras.

She knew he may or may not become her aidolon in the future; that just because he was the first spirit she had made a contract with it did not bind them the way an aidolon was, soul to soul. But for the next 30 days, he would be her companion and teacher, and she was his companion and student. They had agreed on terms in the strange desert area where they had seen each other, when when Hilana asked what he had meant when he had called her Calalith, but she recognized non-answers when she heard them, and so she left it alone for now. That would take time, but she would figure it out. Perhaps it was just a tactic like she had thought, but perhaps there was something more to it. She understood that he would tell her if and when he was ready, and she would just have to be patient.

She did at some point get hungry during all of this, and snacked on some of the fruits she had brought from home, mostly dates and figs, and she did find a naan in her backpack that got ripped up and eaten, and little pieces were offered when curious noses poked into the tent, only to be taken and hurried off with... but a few came back for more. That amused her more than anything, and it was decidedly hours late before she figured that a rest would be good. She'd be up early, as was her normal, to prepare breakfast. Sivan had said light, so that meant yogurt parfait with berry compote and a side of citrus salad. He might well like fresh naans, too, and Sviras would take the time to explore the kitchen and investigate the spirits within, though he would not go too far from his Summoner.

[Finn]

Review

Experience: 10 xp for use at your discretion

Injuries: n/a

Loot: +1 Summoning Rune for Hilana; +1 wild Sviras summon

Notes: The lore doesn't state how powerful a spirit a novice can summon safely, but since she prepared and had Sivan supporting her, I'm going to say that Sviras is a moderate wild spirit. Until she goes up a level to Apprentice, though, I'd say she has enough trouble summoning lesser spirits for the time being. So Sviras is a special case, but I trust your judgment.

Since she was initiated by Sivan and they intend to continue having a sort of mentor/mentee relationship as she goes along, I would approve her having his Spirit Savant quirk. You can use this as approval if you decide to do so.

If you have any questions, comments, complaints, you know where to find me!