Norani listened aptly, always fascinated to hear about these strange and foreign lands. Part of her wanted to visit these places, while another part of her knew that she was truly lucky and privileged to have been born and raised in Ecith. She glanced over at Yeva, who was on a pilgrimage from her home, to seek the ways of the Seer in Ecith, on a divine invitation. That was magical. That was beautiful. She wondered if Yeva would want to move on soon, travel to another land like the adventurous woman Norani knew her to be. The thought of Yeva leaving was a sad one, no matter how much Norani tried to convince herself that she'd be happy for her friend living life and being bold.
Maybe Yeva would let Norani come with, she still had her own rite of travel to take, after all.
A smile drifted lazily back upon her face, "Mamma once tried to explain to me that tradition can be a powerful and dangerous tool for a culture. Sometimes it is hard to tell what is good or not in a tradition, or if there even is good in any tradition. She told me how us Orkhan used to have the tradition of when we entered adulthood, we would need to rally a small horde of our peers and pillage another village. You weren't considered an adult in the village unless you killed another Orkhan in battle. That... tradition... lasted a long time in our culture according to the stories."
Norani was a little sad at the thought. She wondered how much of her people had been lost in the name of such a tradition. "Still, many traditions are nice too. On a birthday, the family-around-you will all get together, each cooking up a dish themselves, to present to you, and then placed around a fire. The food is for all those who come as friends, with the last portion of each saved for the birthday beholder." She smiled brightly, "Papa always made the best berry stuffed catfish."
But at Yeva's mention of existing being taboo, Norani's own vision darkened. There was one tenant that Norani had always struggled with, being too young to see the relevance. "When I was real small, the Galerian Imperium invaded Ecith. I don't remember much about it, being so young. The fighting never came to this village, but I remember several of my parents going to war, alongside Chieftain Boraba. Many Orkhan and Ecithians died in that war, and many still carry the scars from those battles. Many still carry revenge in their hearts for the desecration of Ailos and Kythera." A sad sigh, "But one of the tenants I agreed to, that all citizens agree to, is to kill Imperial citizens, no matter who they are, where they are in the world. Ecith is no better than Zaichaer in that way. Imperials' existence is taboo also."
Then in a quiet whisper, "I don't think I can kill someone..."
Smiling lightly over at Yeva, "It sounds like Franky is a good man. Part of the family-around-you, no?" Smiling, "Is that what led you to the tavern that we met in? A reminder of him?"
Norani had never experienced a revolution or any major upheaval. Politics barely existed in the life of the village Ecithians. "Do you worry about him? If you would like, you can write to him. Our fliers take mail to Drathera, where it boards ships and finds those anywhere in the world. I'm sure he would like to hear from you."
Norani cast her gaze back out over the lake, "I'm glad that you found Ecith. You're strong for surviving in those places, and still becoming the good person that you are." She smiled broadly, "I hope when I travel, I can be as strong and as good as you."
