Revisiting the Gardens [Astraea]

[Hilana Chenzira]

6 Glade, Year 124

[Closed - Astraea]

It had been some time since she had come back to the garden at the Temple of Midnight's Mother. The last time she had rendered a sacrifice some days ago to celebrate the new year, she had asked one of the priests if she might be allowed to harvest some of the fungus from the statues in the garden now that she knew what it was and she knew what she could use it for. Now that she was up close with it, crouching down along the base of the first statue, the Vastiana was happy to investigate it. She had her rucksack beside her, a waxed cloth carefully draped around the base of what was now an impromptu workstation. She wanted the tiny little kidney shaped fungi, but at the same time, she knew she was not to damage the statues, nor harvest it in such a way that it would be noticeable or off. She had to be respectful. Her featherlight satchel sat on her other side, and a wide-mouthed jar had its lid on it, though it was unsealed, ready for her bounty.

Her long black hair was bound up in a thick bun at the top of her head, and her long skirts were gathered around her where she was kneeling. Each of the tiers was brightly dyed green and gold, and in contrast, her very short blouse, if one could call it that considering it exposed her arms and most of her torso but for her chest, was very plain linen. One thing was for sure, her outfit made it quite clear to an observer that she wasn't one of those who might be associated with the Temple, either as a novitiate or a priestess. Something else that may have seemed odd was that her symphony and aura were muted from scrutiny - she was there, quite plainly, but she was warded from those who might look at her and be curious enough to listen in to try to understand her.

This next step required focus, and Hilana activated her Rune of Semblance first, turning her eyes from brown to a kaleidoscopic colour blend that represented the elements that she was so intrinsically attuned with. Even though the fungi was bioluminescent and cast its own green glow, this gave her more to work with so that she could carefully, oh-so-carefully, begin her surgical excision of the fungus. She could have utilized her Elementalism drew forth more light to work from, but for the time being... this was a good practice and way of using Semblance beyond what her eyes could show her. While she was observing it with her Sembling sight she was starting to read the details of the plant first, though she did want to explore that of the figure of the elf underneath it.

What sort of history lurked unknown? Perhaps one day she would find out.

But for now, she had beautiful micro panellus to collect, all of it older than herself and her living relatives - the root of the plant was ancient, it was strong, and it would be powerful when she put it into play with everything else. Healing and harming were a balance, but as the Founders had urged her towards harming... Well.

[Astraea]

Much to her disappointment, that day the priestess’s duties ended early. She was in charge of training a handful of novitiates, but a senior cleric interrupted the class earlier today to take them up to Mount Sorokyn - a rich merchant had suddenly decided he wanted to make a big and they needed the extra hands. They would be preoccupied for the rest of the day and Astraea was free to do whatever she wanted. Usually, such news would have given her joy, but not when the starborn did not have anything else planned.

As we walked through the great hall, Astraea looked up at the obsidian depiction of Mother Midnight that towered over her. It had been four years since she left her home and chose the temple as her shelter. Sometimes it felt like no time had passed, other times it felt like an eternity. Four years since her mother had beaten her until she could barely stand. Four years since she had last seen her brother. She couldn’t help but wonder what he would be doing now. Especially now that the news about the Conclave of Electors assembling had quickly spread.

Sighing to herself, Astraea let her gaze wander out to the gardens. While she did not expect it to be empty, a curious figure caught her attention. Instead of leaving the temple premises, she spent a few minutes just mindlessly watching the dark-haired Vastian clad in a bright skirt. She was young, probably around her age. It wasn’t an odd sight to see devouts lingering in the gardens, but what tickled her interest was that the human woman was kneeling in front of a statue, looking intently at… mushrooms?

With nothing better to do, the priestess decided to investigate. Contrary to the Vastian, Astraea was clothed in a plain black robe. Her braided starlight hair swayed gently against her back as she walked into the gardens. The young woman stopped just beside the stranger, peering down to see what the Vastian was working on.

“While I’m sure that the servi would be grateful for your help cleaning up the statue, I’m hoping you’re not planning to eat those.” Considering how meticulously the woman was treating the glowing plant, Astraea assumed that she was certainly planning to use it for something. “I’d rather not have a Vastian dying of poisonous mushroom under my watch.” Her tone was light and inquisitive, genuinely curious about what the human woman was doing.

[Hilana Chenzira]

If she knew she was being watched, Hilana didn’t show it. Instead, she was quite focused on her task. Despite their age, the glowing green plants needed to be handled with care, as she didn’t want to cut poorly and she didn’t want to send spores airborne either. Utilizing wind was a two-pronged process now, since while the spores wouldn’t do much damage on their own, there was no need to spread them out all over her clothes and skin. The ornate, floral sun Rune that shone like molten gold on her right palm began to glow as she focused her aether, and asked the playful air around her to stabilize over the section of fungi that she was about to excise. With their assent, she began to guide a blade of wind between the feet of the plants and the marble surface of the statue underneath.

It wasn’t Kinetics, which would have been quite valuable at this, but with her relationship with the elements, this was not difficult. It was, however, time-consuming and intricate work. By the time Astraea joined her, overlooking her harvest, the Vastiana had neatly removed a strip of the bioluminescent mushrooms from the basement of the statue, still aloft with the air. She seemed to know what she was doing - she had a familiarity with them that suggested a knowledge of botany. The edges of the mushrooms that remained were whole, intact, and if one wasn’t paying close attention, it might be easy to miss that which was taken. Shadows tapped her shoulder, and Hilana turned from her work. Up close, the strangeness of her eyes suggested Semblance, or perhaps Masquerade, as she realized that a Starborn Priestess was speaking to her. Semblance made the most sense, but whoever knew what the Vastii did and why? “Salve, Domina,” Hilana let go of her focus on her Rune of Semblance, and bowed her head respectfully to her. A Starborn. She kept her head down an extra moment, knowing their importance.“Thank you for your concern, but I know better than to eat these,” her eyes danced and she had a small smile.

She figured she had best explain herself, lest she find disapproval from one of the holy Deiorei and one who wore the robes of Varvara. “Pater Vorenus gave me his permission to harvest a few jars for a project of mine, provided care was taken with the sampling,” Hilana offered. Up close like this, Astraea would doubtless be able to hear the harmony of the whispers of the wind elemental spirits that were helping her with her work. She lifted the lid off of the glass jar, and with her fingers, guided the mushrooms in carefully, not wanting to bruise the delicate caps. “I do hope I didn’t disturb you.”

[Astraea]

Upon a closer look, Astraea realized that the woman wasn’t carrying any tools in particular. Instead, the plant floated in the air, as if being held up by some invisible hand. The priestess’s eyes shone even brighter as she realized that the young woman was a mage. She could feel the winds answering her whims. Even her eyes were shifting with colors. “You’re an elementalist and a skilled one at that,” she pointed out as she held out the palm of her left hand in front of her. A small flame flickered to life, dancing and greeting her eagerly. “I don’t think I’ve been able to do anything that precise.”

When she mentioned Pater Vorenus, the priestess nodded her head. That would make sense. It would be foolish for the people to dare mess with the statues in the temple without any permission.

“No, not at all,” Astraea replied lightly at the young woman’s comment about disturbing her. She tilted her head slightly as she closed her fist, eyeing the glowing plant that was settling gently in the glass jar. “But I can’t help being curious about what sort of project would need mushrooms that definitely look poisonous.”

The starborn elf didn’t usually talk this much to strangers, but the involvement of the elements had certainly sent her excitement shooting up into the skies. Elementalism had always come easier for her, compared to the magic of the mind. Despite her mother’s efforts in finding the best Mesmer teachers, Astraea didn’t have the natural affinity to it that her brother had. Her father would always bring up how it was pathetic that a starborn elf like her couldn’t master such common magic. She knelt beside the Vastian to get an even closer look, “How are you doing it?” The priestess could not waste such an opportunity. It wasn’t every day that she stumbled on another elementalist.

Perhaps this could still be a productive day after all.

[Hilana Chenzira]

"You honour me, Domina," Hilana inclined her head at the praise. She almost started telling her that it was a common Rune down her maternal line, but knew that it was best not to vex one of the holy Starborn Re'hyaeans, especially not a priestess of Varvara. But when she manifested a small flame over her palm, the Vastiana brightened. "It's just practice, and lots of it. I've been fortunate to have good teachers to guide me. And while I'm not using a knife right now to harvest these panellus... I've done it enough to know the best angles to coax them up, and the air spirits are kind enough to oblige me."

She seemed satisfied by the girl's explanation, so she was perhaps a bit in the clear there now. "They do look poisonous, don't they?" Hilana returned her attention to the fungi, her fingers lightly, lightly caressing the caps. "But you are right, Domina, they are... if they are ingested. The spores and the fungi, in enough quantities, can irritate and constrict the throat and nasal passages. They can damage the tissues there, nullifying the sense of smell, and without treatment, the one who ingested them cannot breathe." The girl was rather matter-of-fact about it. "But that's all in knowing how to prepare them to bring that out. But topically, surprisingly, when they are treated properly, you can use them as a styptic to staunch bleeding."

The young woman was rather fond of plants that had multiple uses, and it was better that way, especially since she didn't know who all she was talking to. Hilana was not ashamed of her knowledge and interest in poisons; such things weren't particularly taboo in Solunarium. They might be looked at a bit askance, but when someone wanted them... well. Better to have someone with that particular knowledge in one's back pocket than not, now, wasn't it?

But when she knelt down beside her... Hilana was pleasantly surprised. She moved over a little bit so that Astraea had room to see and could pay attention. "This is a two-part operation," the girl explained. "First, I've asked air spirits to keep the spores contained, which done through Influence," she was certain that the priestess' knowledge of the abilities one gained through their shared Cardinal Rune was probably as sound as hers, perhaps even better than her own. "So they are suppressing the air directly over the fungi. That allows us to be close without worrying about the spores being released when we disturb the pannelus." Neither of them needed irritated throats or an inability to breathe; that wouldn't be helpful. But it did explain why the fungi was largely left alone to grow. If she hadn't gone that route, she would have used fabric over her mouth and nose to protect her from those spores.

"The next step is to Manifest air. You really can continue to Influence, or you can Manifest, it really depends on what you feel comfortable with and how the Elements respond to you. I elected for Manifesting, so that I can Sculpt the air I'm using into such a shape. It can act as my scalpel here, with all of the precision I need without the risk of scraping or damaging the statue underneath. It's more flexible, so it will contour," Hilana added. "And that allows me to separate a section, and surgically collect it all, from the, well, roots, that hold it in place," she decided to go with layman's terms, rather than trying to explain the intricacies of mushroom anatomy. "Some plants, you can just harvest the caps, but the whole body of this is helpful for what I want it for." She picked up another empty jar, opening the lid and positioning it where the first had been. The lid of the first was clamped shut, sealing the still-glowing fungi within.

"I was using Semblance earlier just to make sure my aim was true... just another way of seeing beyond the surface. But it isn't necessary to do so, just an extra step," Hilana wasn't sure if the priestess also possessed that Rune, but if she did, that was another option. "Now, with pannelus, because of the way its formed, you have to watch how you cut. If I cut straight across, it's going to go right through the caps, right?" she raised a finger, pointing out the waves of the ridges of the fungi. "So when we cut, the wind that we are guiding has to follow that line. That way it still looks decent, and we don't waste our harvest." That explained why she was able to get such a neat section removed from the first time, following the waves of the fungi, but she knew her plants. It may have been her first time harvesting these ones from here, but she had harvested similarly-shaped mushrooms, though they were bigger, from the greenhouses.

"Where I'm going to cut now is this strip from here to here," she indicated with her fingers along the base of the statue, just above where she had reaped the first jar. They were the hands of someone who clearly used them regularly for a living, though she took care of them. There were some scars and marks that suggested she'd gotten into enough scrapes, and not worried particularly about how flawless they were otherwise. "Then I'll shift around to the next side; no need to go that much higher on this side or it's going to be noticeable... and we don't want that." She had assured Pater Vorenus, after all, and she did not want any trouble.

With her methodology explained, and her working area defined, Hilana began the next procedure. As she said, she Manifested air and Sculpted it into a short blade. But as she went, its shape would not stay completely static; she wanted it to move and conform with the marble under the fungus. "As we go, we kind of have to feel where our blade is, just to make sure we get it as close to the marble as possible. That way we leave a nice bare strip beneath." The section that she had indicated was definitely starting to move now that she had separated its roots from the statue it was locked onto, and now that she was up close, Astraea could see the faintest movement of the split as the weight of the pannelus pulled itself, albeit barely, from that which was still attached. "Now we can go over top, and separate this part from what we've left here. You could do it that way, too, admittedly, separate at the top and then carve the bottom, either way works." air responded to the Vastiana again, deftly splitting up the strip that she had cut from what was still attached.

The end result was a another strip that followed the natural lines of the fungus, with its curves and shapes, so that it didn't leave a jarring visual. "Would you like to try?" she offered next. "We can do another spot on this statue, on the side to your left, if you wish, Domina."

[Astraea]

Astræa eyed the mushroom closer and paid attention to the information the Vastian was giving her. She certainly sounded like she knew what she was talking about. The priestess took note of the plant’s properties. Tissue damage, airway constricting… It sounded quite dangerous, so it was good to know. Astræa was no healer, but knowing that one’s workplace had poison on standby might be useful in the future.

It had been a while since Astræa received any serious lessons about Elementalism. She used to have a teacher until last year. Unfortunately, the man had mistaken her sleeping with him for her being in love with him. He started talking about marrying her and when she said no, he went ballistic and refused to see her again. It was a shame, but she had gotten a hold of the basics so not much harm was done. Now that she had an unexpected teacher, anyone would be able to tell from her face that she was paying close attention.

“I can try, but air has always been the trickiest for me,” Astræa admitted once the woman was done explaining. The winds could be frustratingly free-spirited sometimes and seemed to disobey her the most.

Nonetheless, she wanted to try. Astræa first manifested a wind of her own - they were always easier to control when created out of her own aether - and imagined it forming into a blade. As it started to cut, it became obvious soon that she hadn’t aimed it close enough to the statue. That meant she still left some of the roots stubbornly clinging to the stone even as the wind pried the mushroom away. Realizing that she had messed up, the priestess tried to form a second wind blade to extract the rest of the root. Unfortunately, because she was distracted by that, Astræa barely noticed that the mushrooms she had partially cut were starting to fall over. In the next few seconds, it fell to the ground. She directed the wind just in time before the spores flew up to her face. The poisonous spores slowly settled on the ground instead.

The priestess huffed, annoyed at herself. “I should probably stop before I ruin the rest of it for you.” Astræa knew that all she needed was practice, but even after all these years, she could not help feeling a weight in her heart whenever she made the smallest mistake.

“You’ve taught me something valuable and I still don’t know your name,” the priestess said suddenly with a soft smile, realizing that she still didn’t know who the girl was. Considering her occupation, Astræa had more interaction with humans than someone of her status, so she was aware that she probably placed the girl in a less-than-comfortable position. The Vastian had shown that she knew her place. It was only right that the starborn introduced herself first. “I’m Astræa, and you are?”

[Hilana Chenzira]

“Air can be playful,” the Vastiana agreed when Astraea mentioned it was usually her most difficult element to work with. Hilana watched as the Starborn priestess attempted to emulate the delicate procedure that she had walked her through, jar and drop cloth at the ready, following the whispers of air as it cut. And truthfully, she did better than the botanist had expected her to. Elementalism was one of the more commonly held Cardinal Runes, but the skills varied greatly amongst practitioners, and what she had tasked the priestess with was a rather detailed operation.

“It was very good for a first attempt,” she sought to reassure her. “The first time I ever tried, my mentor asked me what I’d done to them because they were mangled,” she offered a rather sheepish smile, and gently guided the mushrooms and their spores into a fresh jar. They were still usable, and she surgically removed the remaining feet from the patch that Astraea had worked on. With a tiny bit of trimming, the patch was as tidy as hers were. “Practice makes perfect, Domina. Something I learned when I was starting was that when I was building relationships with the spirits, some of them responded well to playing games with me, and that way when I sought to ask something of them, they’ve been a bit more inclined to help. Are you Arche to fire?” Elementalism, after all, was all about the relationship and conversation between the mage and the elements, and Hilana knew well that someone who tried to command and enslave them would find it backfiring on them explosively when they least expected it.

When she introduced herself, the young woman bowed low to her, even despite her settled position on her knees. She was a Priestess of Varvara, not to mention Re’hyaean, and that was that was plenty worth the depth of the gesture before even considering the fact that she was one of the holy Deiori. “I am honoured to meet you, Domina Astraea. I am Hilana. Matsi Chenzira Hilana.” Beside the girl, her large rucksack began to move, seemingly of its own accord. From one of the flaps, a dark, serpentine head emerged, followed by a much lighter, rather thick body of white and grey with more black. “And this is Tiaz,” she added, reaching for the snake to help guide him out and let him rest on her lap so he could see the Priestess. Apparently, the strangely-coloured python wanted to join in the visit, the heavy-bodied snake clearly well taken care of and adored by his Vastiana.

[Astraea]

Astraea grinned at the Vastian’s comment regarding her failure. “You’re being generous.” It was understandable though, she doubted any human in their right mind would dare to criticize a Deiori priestess. She slipped a strand of pale hair behind her ear as she continued watching the other woman work. “I usually use the magic in a… flashier manner. Rarely anything this sophisticated or precise.”

“No arche yet, but I guess I am most comfortable with fire,” the priestess admitted. Fire was the first one who answered her eagerly. “I have been familiarizing myself with water a lot though.” Courtesy of her part-time job in Aqua Vitae, Astraea had been using the magic more consistently. It was unexpectedly fun to combine dancing with Elementalism. The elements seemed to enjoy it too. The priestess could even feel the waters humming with excitement every time she was about to perform. Between the music and her body movements, it felt easier to guide and influence the elements. “Do you have an arche?”

“Nice to meet you, Hilana,” Astraea replied. Matsi Chenzira Hilana. She had a feeling that she would remember that name. The human woman who was interestingly well-versed in poisons had certainly left quite an impression. It wasn’t often than a mere Vastian could keep Astraea’s attention long enough to hold a proper conversation.

As soon as she saw the snake’s head popping out of the bag, her eyes widened and she instinctively leaped back to her feet. Astraea didn’t have anything against the reptile, it was just she didn’t expect one to slither out someone’s bag. Tiaz seemed content just eye the priestess, so that was good at least. She let out a laugh, mostly at her own overreaction, as she straightened her black habit. “Do you usually bring snakes in your bag?”

[Hilana Chenzira]

The girl nodded at Astraea's words. "Any practice is good practice," she smiled at her. "The more we do it, the stronger our relationship with the elements around us becomes." She left the pannelus alone for the time being; it would be rude to continue that when Domina Astraea was interested in speaking to her. She could always collect more later. She could stand to fill her bags with the jars for both of her jobs. "What sorts of things do you do when you practice?" Perhaps that was a bit forward, but Hilana was interested, and if she thought that she was being too presumptuous, then she would take whatever correction came from the Starborn. She might be a bit safer as the Domina was a priestess of Varvara, and might be more tolerant, but the Vastiana did not want to push her luck.

"It's always good to experiment and learn to feel how each one is before choosing an Arche. Many Elementalists stay generalists for a long time," Hilana remembered the advice that Talon had given her back when she was learning. "I haven't picked one either. I love them all, and I decided I wanted to learn to attune to the remaining five before I figured out which one suited me best," the girl admitted. Hilana knew that it was an unusual decision, as many were perfectly happy with the primary four and the para-elements that could come from those. But the shadows had become an intrinsic part of her and her practice, and there was as much light around them up above in the Luxium where she usually lived that it sang to her, too. Between them, she Manifested a little spark of Light, letting it dance above the pair.

But with Tiaz making his apperance, the Vastiana wasn't surprised that she was a bit startled at first. Snakes and reptiles were revered in Solunarium, but if you weren't expecting one to just come out of nowhere, it could be a bit of a surprise. Especially if you didn't know which ones were venomous and which ones were safe. Hilana knew, but she knew, too, that there were many species that were venomous, and those were the ones that got the most attention. "Yes, Domina. Tiaz is usually always with me, unless he's in the middle of his shed or he's digesting. He was raised on me most of the time, and I have his little sister... well... she's not actually his sister by blood, but I call her his sister, Fiya, with me too today. But she's smaller and she is still learning how to relax in the rucksack, so she has her own pouch inside of it. Would you like to pet him?" she offered the larger python's side. The movement drew the rest of the snake's length from within her rucksack, and he was a heavily-bodied creature that was clearly well-fed and adored. Tiaz was relaxed, though his forked tongue was constantly scenting the air, like he was curious about her.

[Astraea]

“I usually use the elements while dancing,” Astraea explained with a small smile, looking at the Vastiana closely to gauge her reaction. “I work at the Aqua Vitae on some nights. Lots of water involved as you can probably tell from the name. It’s a club in Noctus Æternæ.” Most people would be surprised, not expecting a priestess of Varvara to have such a flashy second job. Some would be a little bit [too excited with the idea of it and those were the ones she would avoid. “You should go there sometimes, it’s one of the better clubs in my humble opinion.”

When Hilana summoned light above them, Astraea clapped her hands together. “You have access to light? That is quite impressive! I don’t think I’ve met anyone who unlocked the element before.” Astraea listened to Hilana talking about learning every element before making a decision. She could understand that, but at the same time, deep inside her gut Astraea already what she wanted to choose.

Unexpectedly, the Vastiana offered her to pet the snake. After a few seconds of consideration, Astraea shrugged. “If he’s friendly, I don’t see why not,” the priestess replied as she bent down and started to reach out for the serpentine animal. Tiaz seemed calm enough and she doubted Hilana would let her pet attack a Deiori in public.

“Sister Astraea, I see you have nothing better to do than dally in the gardens.” Mother Petra’s severe voice suddenly cut through the air, instantly recognizable. Astraea immediately straightened and turned to face the older priestess. She was a sunborn elf with soft features that didn’t match the disdain in her golden eyes. Even back in her novitiate days, Astraea always felt like the mother harbored a special hatred for her deep in her cold heart.

“Mother Agacia wanted to take the novitiates to attend a sacrifice up the mountain, so my class was canceled,” Astraea explained simply, clasping both hands in front of her body.

Mother Petra clicked her tongue in disapproval. Astraea realized that she had something in her hands, a black velvety box that didn’t seem to have any visible opening. It was quite a curious thing. “Then you should make yourself useful. I was going to ask one of the novitiates to deliver a blessed artifact to the Temple of Blazing Sun, but seeing that you are available, I would feel more at ease if you’re the one responsible for it.”

Astraea blinked, back stiffening as her mind realized what it meant. “The Temple of Blazing Sun?”

“Yes, Templum Solis Radians. Surely you know what I’m talking about,” the older priestess said blandly. Her eyes narrowed at Astraea’s hesitation. “Is there a problem, Sister Astraea?”

For a moment, it almost seemed like the starborn would argue, but the moment passed in a blink of an eye. Her lips were curved into a polite smile as she lowered her head. “Of course not. It is always a delight for me to be able to serve the Midnight Mother.” She gracefully accepted the box and bowed one more time until Mother Petra turned to leave.

Looking down at the tightly sealed box, Astraea had to push down the urge to shake it and try to guess what it was. Definitely not something to do with a religious artifact. While they rarely made her do menial work like delivering packages, this wasn’t the first time Astraea had been sent to go to their brother-temple. So far, all of her excursions there had been uneventful. Nonetheless, Astraea couldn’t shake the paranoia that someone might figure out her identity - whether it be a priest or a noble. Not that she had much of a choice. Astraea had no real reason to refuse the errand.

“Seems like I have to cut our meeting sho-” The priestess paused as she turned to the Vastiana, her pale golden eyes twinkling slightly as an idea came to mind. Her smile turned into something more genuinely pleasing. “Actually, if you’re done gathering all the poison mushrooms you need and have nothing else to do, do you want to come with? I can use the company. It should be quick.”

While she certainly didn’t mind continuing her conversation with Hilana, having the human woman could also benefit her in another way. This day had no religious significance whatsoever, so there should be zero chance of encountering anyone of importance in the temple. But… in a worst-case scenario, Astraea could ask Hilana to help walk into the temple and deliver the box while she watched from outside. It shouldn’t be too odd of sight, hopefully.

Astraea hoped the Vastiana did not refuse - although all things considered, she doubted the other woman would be able to say no to the priestess easily.