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Re: Silence is Golden (Even if Shouting is Fun) [Æros]
Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2023 11:28 pm
by Hilana Chenzira
Hilana’s concerns and anxieties had been settled and smoothed over now that a course of action that made sense had been decided upon. There was sound reasoning and much to digest and think about, and while Hilana knew it was folly to mindlessly follow the herd, she was rarely the head wolf when it came to things like this. It was one thing for her trips beyond the walls by herself or with Finn or Dominus Æros, but this was something much, much larger. At the end of the day, it was something that she was going to have to decide on for herself.
And once she had an opportunity to really think about it, and hopefully hear what His Divine Radiance thought, she would likely feel better. But she was certainly less stressed about it now, and that was a marked improvement. Tiaz remained around her shoulders, lazy and relaxed and spoiled as ever. That, along with the fact that the Umbrium was decidedly cooler than the sunny half of the Sacred City, made him disinclined to move too much from Hilana’s shoulders right then. Fiya settled down between Æros’ four fingers, the rest of her body wrapped around his forearm like a steely, sturdy bracelet.
‘Quiet is good. I’m working on it, but it is slow progress,’ Hilana admitted. ‘Moving meditation is easier, but that’s hardly going to be conducive at the Elemental Planes,’ she licked her teeth behind her lips, thinking. ‘But that’s me getting ahead of myself. It makes for more efficient mages, as Dominus Palaemon said, and that is more important in the present time. You already excel as a master of multiple Runes, Dominus, but I can use all the practice I can get,’ she smiled up at him. This was true. Æros was already a Master of three Runes, and Hilana was making steady progress on her first, at least. But learning that restraint and calmness would be a boon for both of them.
As they entered the Temple, Hilana bowed to the robed sages before bowing even lower to the statue of Her Argent Luminescence. She had nothing worth sacrificing on her person, and as such, she lead Æros off to one of the benches that was well off to the side, where she usually went in order to sit in quiet reflection and embrace the stillness. ‘My book on meditation says that the important thing is just to sit comfortably. The where and the how doesn’t matter, but we just need to be comfortable,’ she offered helpfully. ‘Then check in with ourselves about how we are feeling. Body and mind. But accept that it is okay, we are fine as we are. Then we can count our breaths. Breathe in, one. Breathe out, two.’ The girl’s hands rested in her lap. ‘If your mind wanders...and it will... just go back to counting. When you get to ten... start again. The more we do it...the easier it comes.’
She just had to remember the peace that there was in silence, internal and external. Breathe deep, seek peace. There was little to catch the eye here for her, quiet as this little alcove was, and she had no ability to be drawn to auras or symphonies. It was just Dominus Æros, herself, and her two pythons. But for now... they just had to focus on themselves, and count the breath, and find the relaxation. Any way one did it was right. Just had to be comfortable. And all would be well.
Re: Silence is Golden (Even if Shouting is Fun) [Æros]
Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2023 3:24 pm
by Aeros
TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -
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Fiya's curious slithering was incredibly adorable to Æros, and for a moment, he found himself distracted simply staring at the little serpent in the brief interim it took Hilana to reply. Oh, how he did wish he'd brought Lydia along.
But when she did, the horned hybrid's expression shifted to something almost embarrassed– though this was slight. 'Ah, yes. Palæ tells me that all the time. Insists it's a skill I ought to learn and that my natural talent will only take me so far,' he almost laughed, though mostly at himself. Hearing that sentiment echoed to him from Hilana cemented the fact that his cousin was correct on the matter, and, perhaps, he should cease being so very stubborn about it.
As the two of them crossed the solemn yet grand temple threshold, Æros' gaze drifted around the room and onto the altar as they passed. This excursion was not planned, and so he did not arrive bearing any sort of prepared offering. However, that doesn't mean that the Midnight Mother would get nothing from him prior to his departure. Though he would not implore that they stop right at this moment, the starlit elf would offer his own blood on his way out– for that would be plenty, wouldn't it?
Once they found a sequestered section of the temple and sat down, Æros' attention was pulled to the thoughts of his companion again. He listened to her instructions, and though he was, to some degree, incredulous, she had never led him astray before, so he figured he ought to simply follow her words regardless of his own thoughts.
Unfortunately for him, however, his mind was, in fact, quite prone to wandering. Was there merit to doing this manually, though? He didn't quite think so. Following that train of thought, he quieted his emotions by way of his Craft, and extended the same courtesy to Hilana. In his mind, wiping the slate clean, so to speak, made it easier to maintain, even without continuous arcane assistance. And in the silence shared between them, there was solace.
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'Thoughts'
"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"
"Vastien Tongue/Speech"
"Valasren Tongue/Speech"
"Common Tongue/Speech"
Re: Silence is Golden (Even if Shouting is Fun) [Æros]
Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2023 5:45 pm
by Hilana Chenzira
Hilana knew full well that it sounded like a bunch of ridiculous rigmarole. But that was what the book that Sentinel Ævril had recommended said to do, and she did find that it seemed to work for her. Granted, it worked best in the evening or early morning, which was when she was attempting to make it a daily practice. To sit with her back against the wall, her hands on her knees, while Risdra either dozed in her basket, on her bed, or in her lap. It didn't always work if Hilana had company; in which case she might try later when she was in the greenhouse or Sweet Remedies surrounded by the scents of plants, spices, herbs, and earth. Grounded, quiet, and peace. Spring cleaning for the head, Vasilei had told her. It would help her in all aspects, she just had to get better at it. To find the silence and remember what peace there was to be had in it.
As Æros had mentioned, it could help with restraint, and he wasn't the only one that could use that. She knew she needed it, too. Hilana had gotten better at it - learning to control her tongue, lest she cut herself with it, as Vorenus had warned her many times over. She still did it from tie to time, things slipped out or when she was trying to help and overstepped her place with people... but it was just a matter of learning. She had an advantage in that she had neither Semblance nor Mesmer to have the distraction of auras and symphonies begging her to pay attention to them, or even the one beside her. The girl was quiet, and she made herself be still. As she had encouraged him to do so, she counted the breaths that she took. Inhale, one. Exhale, two. She just looked on, in the distance, though she drew her attention back to herself and looked instead down at her skirts. Focus.
A little bit of extra help came from Dominus Æros beside her, and he likely felt her smile of gratitude, and she began her counting again. It was natural for the mind to wander. But all they had to do was sit and try and do their best for a few minutes. Just had to focus for a few minutes to start, to build the basics of a foundation upon which this quiet practice could continue. With the help that he gave both of them, the girl's chest rose and fell, her hands resting on her cotton skirts. Inhale, three.... Exhale, four... The silence between them was probably a bit odd, considering the two of them got on like a house on fire, and both could talk the heads off the other... but in this setting, it was hardly unusual. One had to be quiet and respectful in the Domina's Temple, after all. Khyan may have insisted otherwise, but it turned out that Hilana was capable of being quiet. After a while, her thoughts were more gathered again. 'When you're sitting here and focusing... thoughts and feelings will come. Don't dismiss them or be annoyed about them. Just be kind to them and accept them as they are. We can't ever really clear our minds... but we can try to slow them down. Just stay with what arises, but remember... There is no real wrong way to meditate. We are here. We are present. We are meditating.'
Re: Silence is Golden (Even if Shouting is Fun) [Æros]
Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2023 9:34 am
by Aeros
TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -
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Æros was a man prone to constant rumination. Every waking moment, it felt like his infinite internal monologue would continue to run. It was hard to slow it down to any degree, much less to stop it. That's why he often fell into substance abuse; drugs and alcohol of varying kinds would slow this endless deluge of words and allow him a conscious existence without the unrelenting weight of his own thoughts.
His mind was prone to catching on things he wished he could let go, fixating on problems that were not his to fix, or nit-picking every little aspect of himself. This was also why he slept a lot; the only time his thoughts would truly flat-line was when he lacked consciousness at all. Because of this, meditation, in the traditional sense, was actually a concept he didn't even think was real for a while as a child. It was so incredibly difficult to do that he had become convinced, for a time, that those who claimed the ability to silence their thoughts were universally liars. That is, until some people let him check their Symphonies while they meditated; it was then that he realized, indeed, this was a skill those people appeared to possess. For himself, however? The task was monumental.
Throughout his life, he'd gone through stints where he'd attempted to learn to properly meditate but every time, he'd find himself growing quickly frustrated with his inability to maintain serenity of mind. Even with the help of his own Mesmer, he still struggled. Oddly enough, despite the fact that he and Hilana could talk for a seemingly endless amount of time, her presence and encouragement did help in terms of less irritability on his end when he failed.
The two of them existed like this for some time. Though his endeavors were not always successful, he achieved a lot more mental silence than he had when trying in the past. The exercise was, in some ways, enlightening.
True to his intent, on their way out, he did give pause to stop by the altar and let himself bleed. No implement was necessary, bloodletting was easy when one had claws. Æros wanted to be reasonably generous, so he didn't opt to staunch the flow until the early recognizable signs of fatigue due to blood loss were tangible. At least the timing for this was fairly ideal; he had nothing left to do for the day and, upon arrival at home, was free to rest.
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'Thoughts'
"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"
"Vastien Tongue/Speech"
"Valasren Tongue/Speech"
"Common Tongue/Speech"
Re: Silence is Golden (Even if Shouting is Fun) [Æros]
Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2023 9:36 am
by Hector
Review
Hilana
Lore: 12 lores hidden within spent candles
Points: 10, n/a magic
Injuries/Ailments: n/a
Loot: None
Æros
Lore: 12 lores elucidated by prayer
Points: 10, n/a magic
Injuries/Ailments: minor blood loss
Loot: None
Notes: wow astounding these two chatterboxes shut up for five minutes