Attonement

Log Info

• Title: Attonement
• Emitter: Faranmidahn
• Characters: Faranmidahn, Cryosanthia, Lily, Serrendine
• Place: A10: Temple of Gilead
• Time: Wednesday, September 16, 2020, 5:51 PM
• Summary: Faranmidahn has returned from her Quest and is undergoing the Rites of Atonement. Her dame, Professor Serrendine Waywalker, got word to Cryosanthia who arrived to witness with Little Fang, 'Lily, in tow. The kobold foundling finds the incense and beating too familiar to the destruction of her family and home, and the sith'makar takes her outside while the ritual completes. After, there is a tearful and heartfelt reunion, with introductions. Cryo explains some of the recent goings-on, Faran describes why she had to Quest, while Serrendine entertains Lily. They visit the Horn of Gilead, and reminesce on an Adventure that ended well, and wonder about the town and ex-slaves they left behind. Despite trying to avoid it, the conversation turns heavy and towards Salina, and the elder lucht takes charge of the foundling with the scale-sisters delve into their still-lingering hurts. Cryo relays that everyone is estranged now, and she has not seen any of them recently. No new peace is found, only a few thoughts on coping and categorizing what happened. They make plans for a picnic, leaving Alexandria, and ways that Lily can be educated.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--<* A10: Temple of Gilead *>=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

For being a god of the natural world, Gilead's Temple is one of the most active within the City. Sacred Hounds mix with the mutts of the City and roam throughout the ancient stone temple. The temple itself resembles a kind of large dais or low pyramid, surrounded by stubborn trees and the vestiges of the wild that insist on growing even here, in the center of Alexandria.

The temple's exterior platform is reached by ancient stairs. It is upon this platform and beneath the open sky where most of the activity takes place. For more formal affairs and for offerings, a modestly-sized building rests within the platform's center. Ancient of look and of craft, a great tree grows within this building, reminiscent of the First Tree of the World, Ygdrassil.

If one enters the central building, one will be treated to a circular-cut out in the middle where sunlight (and wind, and rain) pours in, at the whim of the weather. A grove populates this building, with the one, great tree at its center. It towers over the other trees present--they appear almost dwarfed by its appearance, though are actually quite normal in size. Too, any number of wild creatures that should never be found within the City proper rest here, yet Gilead's presence here allows it. Many of them are under treatment by the Hunters, though some have become permanent residents.

While Hunters tend the grove, the Wardens serve as guards. If one ascends the central tree itself (for there is a door built into it), one shall find a palatial altar among the branches, waiting for supplicants to lay fresh-cut branches and fresh-killed game upon it.

The temple here is one of the busiest in the City, approaching the realm of Daeus and Althea, who stand as mother and father to the Son of Hounds. Gilead's hounds lie along the benches, near workers who sit to the side on the stone benches atop the platform, crafting arrows, discussing the recent hunt, and more. Druids openly walk the grounds, frequently accosted by farmers from out of town seeking veterinary advice and treatment for their livestock, or in some cases, solutions to vermin problems. The clerics themselves are actually more reclusive, frequently passing their time in the rooms beneath the stone temple, or hidden among the light, forest-like grounds that insists on growing around it.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-  Appearing, in Order  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Faranmidahn  3'3"     35 Lb      Halfling          Female    Albino Lucht woman in black leather armor with a BIG spider
Cryosanthia  6'9"     291 Lb     Sith-Makar        Female    A dashingly tall, elegant white-scaled lizard woman.
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=

-=--=--=--=--=--=--  Noteable NPCS    --=--=--=--=--=--=--=
 Serrendine      An older Lucht scholar, Faranmidahn's dame
 Lily            A carnation scaled kobold, Cryo's foundling
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--= Exits -=--=--=--=--=--=

Curiously for the Temple, the primary altar is occupied. The air is heavy with exotic incenses, and a ring of Hunters stand with their hands in prayer, chins raised as they face outward. Within, the eldest Hunter walks a counterclockwise circle about a smaller figure kneeling in supplication, her bare back and shoulders crisscrossed by the strokes of a switch, probably the one in his hand, opposite the aspergillium trailing the rich smoke, his chant increasingly appeasing in tone toward to the heavens. A pile of equipment is stacked nearby, with a white, fluffy coconut spider perched wardingly atop it.

Serrendine had managed to get word to Cryosanthia of her daughter's return from Quest, but was undergoing her final atonements at the Temple of Gilead.

The elder lucht then found a way to meet the Sith to accompany her to the final rituals, apparantly already underway. The Dame Waywalker seems somewhat unsold on the whole affair, but abides with some reticence.

A white-scaled sith'makar with a carnation-scaled youngling in a backpack accompanies Serrendine through the Temple of Gilead. It's not her god and she's not here often but she does come to view a certain artifact on occasion. The Horn of Gilead.

As one of its retrievers, she is allowed in its Holy Sanctuary whenever she wants. The warmth of home that it radiates is one of the few satisfying things her adventures have won. Far greater than any feelings of victory she might scrape together over her recent endeavours.

However, this time Cryo is here for Faranmidahn. Upon receipt of the notice from Serrendine, she met with the elder lucht and now they stand, watching the rituals. The white sith stares, and her foundling is disturbed by the scents and sounds. Smoke and the beating of a small body is too fresh a memory. Lily clutches at Cryo's neck and hides behind her horns and keratin plates.

As the elder Hunter steps before the prostrate figure, he allows the switch to fall to his side and lift that hand, palm up to the sky as he completes his supplications before taking a knee, holding the aspergillium before him and gently blowing a wash of incense down over the battered knight's body.

Serrendine, for her part, is more focused on the angry welts and weeping stripes across her child's back. The shifting above, does draw her eye as things seem to be getting intense, and the elder lucht reaches up to gently squeeze Cryosanthia's fingers, this is her little girl's idea and she abides, but she suspects the large dragonkin's take on the proceedings is slightly less... cavalier. She murmurs, "It will get loud for a moment, be ready."

As a subtle warmth touches the bones of those within the Hall, the ring of Hunters turn inward to regard Faran, drawing hunting horns from their belts and sounding a clarion call in unison.

"Professor," Cryosanthia whispers, having crouched down to all fours beside Serrendine. It's not a comfortable position for her, but she can manage though it makes her seem more feral and bestial. Her whispering continues, "This one would witness, but Lily cannot. I can smell her distress over the incense. We will be outside."

Turning without rising, she is a fleeting streak of white snaking out to the antechamber. Fleeing the horns. Some position where the sounds will not be heard, nor Little Fang's sudden desperate noises. No one enjoys a crying baby in church, whatever the denomination. Cryo is quick with her cantrips, Ghost Sounds, Dancing Lights, and the toy that pops when it is grabbed too hard. All are offered as distractions.

"Ssassa is here, it isss safe." Cryo hisses in draconic, even as her ear frills are tilted to hear what Faran is undergoing.

Faranmidahn's mother glances up toward the unsettled little one, trying a smile she presumes is reassuring, though her attention is turned back to Cryo for her words. A slight nod and another short, such smile, and she turns toward the ritual as the Sith absconds to soothe her foundling.

The Hunter then begins a sonorous sermon about the Chase and the ambiguities that sometimes come with the Hunt. That sometimes the Hunter must show mercy and compassion, as Gilead himself does. That the particulars of Faran's quarry forced her agaisnt her blood oaths, a folly she could not have fully be cognizant of at the time. In the mysterious way of such trancendant powers, the truth lay most deeply concealed, and that, in His compassion, the Great Rider sees fit to absolve his errant daughter of the sins burdening her soul.

Again, as one, the ring steps forward, their voices suspering over each other and lay hands upon the still form of Faranmidahn Waywalker, and take away the wounds of her recent flagellation.

The Eldest Hunter rises to his feet, then, and, "The wind has turned, young one, rejoin the Hunt, untarnished in his Favor."

Cryosanthia listens as best she can, her attention split. She shields Lily from the ritual even as she strains to hear the words for herself. Oaths and unknowns, and her cold iron blade that never fulfilled its purpose, draw her closer to her kin. Whose sins are now washed away, and a vicarious relief at that.

She continues to wave her hands, moving the flashing lights that hover around Little Fang and compete with her toy for brightness and distraction. "It's Ok, Lily. They're taking a shadow from her; they aren't hurting her."

Much. They aren't hurting her much. Cryo considers her tree which has suffered violence at her hands, until hitting it started to hurt. Strange how the solution to the Fae Queen is more personal pain, though there will never be enough in the whitescale's mind to balance the injustice.

The sith peers around the corner, looking to see how the ceremony progresses.

The senior priest emerges from the ring to approach the Knight's stack of equipment. He spares little Zephyr a curious look, a placating hand, then takes up the pile with care to reenter the ring. Another chant is made, one that ends the scent of blood from on high, as she, and her imeediate environs, are cleansed of her shed blood. The ring becomes a wall, then, standing shoulder to shoulder and again facing outward, though this time down the stairs to afford the supplicant modesty enough to rise and dress.

For the first time since the ritual began, Faran speaks a humble, "Thank you, Hunter."

At last, the Hunters disperse to their normal duties, leaving Faran wrapped again in arming silk, and trying to slip into her armor as Serrendine moves in to embrace her.

"Come Lily, time to meet my scale-sister." Cryo says, leading the little kobold into the chamber. She approaches, still on all fours, with Lily beside her and follows Serrendine.

Kneeling, she watches her dress, then announces herself with quiet words, "Faran."

Lily is nervous at first, the lack of blood-scent encourages her, as does the sight of Faran's back, briefly before it is covered, no longer bloody with raised welts. She hisses to call attention to herself.

Faranmidahn returns the embrace from her Dame, resting her chin on her shoulder, again showing how much taller the daughter is than both her progenitors. She releases the hug in time for Cryo's hail, and she turns with a relieved, deligthful smile, "Cryo!"

Glomp!

Ignore the sound of her leather armour hitting the floor.

The albino nuzzles against her sisters scales, "Ohhhhh, I've missed you so, so much!" She draws back and looks up to Cryo's face and blinks, puppyheads, blinks again, "Ahh..." Zephyr scurries up her leg to her shoulder in time for, "Hello!" with a broad, close-lipped smile.

Cryosanthia embraces Faranmidahn, wrapping around her, even her tail. Her head rests protectively over the lucht's fuzzy hair, "I've missed you so." Then withdrawn back, so she can face her.

A dip of her nose to Zephyr, a smile, "This one has been distant, I'm so sorry. You've been through so much, and away. You are... restored, settled now?"

A glance towards the altar, back again, "Tell me, please. This one has someone for you to meet also."

A someone who is currently stalking around the halflings, looking for a good attack vector for a hug now that the larger lizard has caught all the attention.

Faranmidahn leaves a hand on Cryo's face for a time, "I... had blood oaths against... someone I'm no longer certain what to make of." she explains with a rueful shrug, "But, we can talk about that another time." She looks down to the stalking presence and takes a knee to more readily look the tiny pink kobold in the face, "Hello!" and spreads her arms to offer a hug, the spider on her shoulder crawling up to the top of her head.

"Peassse!" The litte kobold peeps, high pitched and happy, leaping into the hug. It's a solid impact for her size, followed by her arms wrapping around for a hug. She's very wriggly, her tail going wild and her short snout is close to the lucht's face. She licks enthusiastically, a long flicking tongue. "Sssaaa!"

Cryo closes her eyes, feeling Faran's touch, opening them when she moves to hug the youngling. She exhales, a cool breath, "Yes. Later. This one has thoughts still."

The sith inhales, sitting back on her tail, still on one knee, "All are restored. Kira, Verna, Mikilos, Serene, Merek have been brought back. Seldan and Malik have left Alexandria, Zeke is far distant. This one has taken to staying in Mictlan."

Faranmidahn giggles(it tickles) and sputters some as the occaisional lick ends up in her mouth, then nuzzles the little one before drawing back, "And what is your name?" she asks the Kobold. She smiles up to Cryo at her news, a little thoughtful, maybe some conflict lingering there, but she nods, "I'm glad...."

Zephyr scurries on down her Mistress's body, to start crawling up onto Cryosanthia, that voiceless rumble emmanating from the little fuzzy spider.

"Faan!" The younling peeps in trade, returning the nuzzle, then sinking and holding tightly around the lucht's waist. Faran is the right size, and she survived the beating. It gives the little lizard hope. She hisses in draconic, "I'm glad you lived!"

Cryosanthia smiles happily, "Her name is Little Fang, or Lily, or Fang." She stays still as Zephyr crawls up her, lightly stroking the small spider, allowing her to go where she will. A web between her horns, she might object to that.

"This one is clutch-mother to her now."

Faranmidahn smiles a little more and gently strokes the Kobold's scales, much like Serrendine does. She gives a gentle, "It's very nice to meet you, Lily. I'm glad, too, but that was not a threat to my life. It's.... complicated." She considers her hand as it lay against the scales and says, "You're very pretty, Lily."

Serrendine steps in to the group and reaches out to gently strokes the Kobold's head, "It seems you're being a good girl, Lili. That makes me very happy."

Faran looks up to Cryo as Zephyr purrs, "I think you're gonna be great with her, Cryo!"

"Thank you," Cryosanthia says, sitting on the floor of the temple. She's still taller than the rest, but no longer looming. She smiles happily, the air a comfortable temperature around her.

"Lily!" The carnation coloured kobold repeats, understanding her name in tradespeak at least. She holds on as Serrendine strokes her head, the little touches, the right-sized contact calming and encouraging her.

Cryo leans forward, carefully brushing Faran's hair, "You are too, as kin. A clutch-mother, or creche-mother, or Egg-Watcher. One of those, if you will. This one hopes you will."

Faran leans in to gently kiss Cryosanthia's cheek, 'I'd be honored, sister.' She and her mother look quizzically at each other, then, the daughter gives Lily a little squeeze, 'Lily? Would you like to meet my friend, sweetie?'

Serrendine steps around to gather the knight's belongings, "Faran" she intones. <halfling>

"Yes, Mother?" Faran inquires. <halfling>

"We should make way." Serrendine suggests. <halfling>

Faran gives a little nod and a submissive, "Yes, Mother." <halfling>

"Peassss!" Lily chirps, hopping in place, looking between the knight and her mother and clearly excited.

Cryosanthia spins upwards to her feet, now towering over the luchts and the kobold. She glances around, "This one wanted to see the horn again."

She waves, gesturing for her foundling to come and possibly climb up. Her ears flicker as she listens, and doesn't understand.

Faranmidahn nods, and holds her hand up, gently setting it on Cryo arm, "C'mere, Sweetie!" The little arachnid scurries down to her hand before being presented to Lily, "This is my very good friend, Zephyr. Zephyr? This is Lily!" Her free arm accepts some of Serrendine's burdens, before the albino agrees, "The horn sounds wonderful!"

"Lily, be gentle, very gentle, lighter than your ball." <draconic> Cryosanthia warns, watching very intently. Zephyr is dangerously close to the toy which explodes in wondrous ways. The sith is even hissing a quiet thrum in her throat, emphasizing easy, be easy.

The carnation kobold looks at her foster mother, then the scurrying arachnid. She holds out her hands, and then moves very slowly to pet watching Cryo and being watched.

"That's good, that's good." Cryo nods, watching. As soon as it seems safe she leads the way to the chamber where the horn is kept.

Lily meanwhile, puts Zephyr on her head and then skips along.

Faranmidahn smiles fondly and nods, "It's ok, Sweetie." she says to the little spider. She and Serrendine follow Cryo and Lily down the stairs, and the Knight starts to affix her apparantly quite ravaged armor. About halfway down comes her belt. Another quarter... her cloak. Her traveller's knife is strapped to her leg as they reach the bottom, and she watches how her new charge and less recent charge get along together.

Lily is carefree and curious, bounding everywhere with seeming endless energy. Cryosanthia is the wary and watchful tower of worry, holding herself back from intervening at every step, but still monitoring. It helps that she makes one step for every four of her kobold foundling, Lily would have to work to get away from her.

And as Faran remembers, the sith'makar can move when her mind is set to it, and likely still can even though she's more motherly now.

Cryo's stride is long and confident, with a whip-wire tension in her, and her tail swaying over the heads of the luchts. "This way Lily, this one has a thing to show you."

The Horn of Gilead, high on a wall, radiating warmth, success, home. The whitescale scoops up the carnationscale, setting her on her shoulder, "We rescued that, Faran and I. And Ezil, Shara and Zap."

Faranmidahn steps up alongside, setting a hand on Cryo's side, basking in the Horn. Serrendine looks curiously to her daughter, then steps into awkwardly lace one-arm hugs with her Daughter, "Cryosanthia was very brave. We saved the horn, and many lives." The glance that says 'not everyone' is turned to her mother, who nods silently and gives her a squeeze.

"Shin, Shin was there too, and his tiger." Cryosanthia says, melancholy in her voice, revisiting a memory that is almost a lifetime ago. She leans a little into Faran's touch, she is a tall and solid pillar of scales.

"It was one of my worst times, and my mind wasn't my own, but it's one of the best things I've done. Perhaps the best." Her gaze drifts towards Lily, "one of the best."

The sith is silent for a while, staring and absorbing the feeling that radiates from the horn. The kobold wiggles on her shoulder-perch, reaching up at the artifact as well as looking at her foster mother. "Ssassaa?" She asks.

"This one wondered how they fared, the ones we saved, and that town." Cryosanthia says, adjusting her hold on Lily, turning and nuzzling her. She brushes at Faran's head as well, "Thanks."

Faranmidahn smiles thoughtfully and nods, "Well, mine wasn't either for a while." Her cheeks darken, then, "We should look in on them... I think it'd be good for you. For us."

Now that Lily is relatively still, Zephyr seems content to settle in and purr.

Serrendine, herself considering another aspect of her daughter's life she hasn't known first hand, nods some and seems to become nostalgic.

Cryosanthia nods, "We might. This one is waiting to hear from the Silver Empress, but the message should come through soon. I hope... it worked out."

They left rather quickly, the fate is uncertain.

As much as for Serrendine as Lily, Cryo summarizes what happened. "An evil priest infiltrated the temple, then stole the artifact. He used blood rituals to summon demons and control people. We chased him down the coast in boats, he nearly destroyed a village. We landed in Charnath, followed him inland. He escaped to his patron, and we followed to her estate."

She hesitates, exhales, "He was sacrificing... a lot of people, the people. We destroyed him. I destroyed him. He is not coming back. We rescued the survivors and came back up the coast. They threatened war with Alexandria, but they were the thieves."

"Sssaa?" Lily understands nothing but the tone. She rubs at Cryo's cheek. The whitescale smiles at her, "It's ok. We won." She hisses in draconic, "Ssassa won, bad guy dead." <draconic>

Faranmidahn nods with a fond smile, tinged with concern and regret at the corners, as she gently strokes the whitescale's side, "Ssassa stopped big bad man." she affirms to Lily. Ssassa is a word she remembers, one that has significant meaning to Cryosanthia. She looks to Serrendine's questioning gaze and she bows her head, "It was shortly before we got tangle up with Sally's scheming."

It is, a word tied to many things unsaid, regarding the ones who didn't come back from Sally's scheming. Unspoken details that go with the things unsaid about Gilead's horn; the period where the sith'makar feared everyone and became a monster. A word anchored to the best of her. "Yesss," Cryo hissess, "Ssassa stopped the bad man."

The bad woman got away through unearned mercy, leaving scars everywhere. "This one wishes she hadn't, or that we had tried harder to change the past. Kira told me she stopped Kol joining Her, in time. It did not change what we experienced but preventing Zeke going with her, that might have been possible and not have destroyed me."

"She erased Merek's memory too. I remembered that a few weeks ago." Cryo says, "Also what it was like to be in an egg and hatch. That was amusing. It's faded some but perhaps I can still share it with magic if you like."

Faranmidahn Lutch turn their gazes slowly up toward cryo with different levels of overt concern. Faran steps in and wraps an arm around her, "Maybe, but we have that can be before us, Cryo..." she says softly, "But we can talk about this after she's gone to sleep, sister."

"Lily doesn't understand much tradespeak," Cryo explains, although Lily grabs at her face and shouts "Sssasaaa!"

Which is suitably distracting. The white sith laughs, nodding, "Yet she understands I'm upset. You're right Faran, we shall talk when she is asleep. Will you tell us, your mother and I have been worried, about all you've done."

The tall lizard also gives one longing glance at the horn, then down, "And perhaps, a place we can all sit. I'm feeling very tall."

Faranmidahn sighs a bit, letting her head hang some, "I'm sorry, Cryo... I didn't know how to tell you, before..." She gives two light pats, and whispers, "You -are- very tall!" and winks into a short fit of giggles.

Serrendine seems almost a little amused, but doesn't add to the mirth.

"Well, maybe a place we can sit and eat?" Faran suggests, "I know the Fernwood has a lot of memories, but I'm not sure what else is good for us right now."

"Noooo!" Cryo says, mock shock, her tail lifting in surprise, "I am? I thought I was moderate displacement!"

She skips, just a little, then sets Lily down, "Stay close to Faran and Serrenedine."

The kobold bounds betweent the pair, and holds out her hands for the luchts to take.

"The Fernwood is ok, there are small cafe's near the Temples, we can find something outside where we do not have to walk far." Thus said, Cryo leads the way to one. Finding a regular table, three tall chairs and one short stool.

The lucht do take the kobold's hands gently, walking along to keep pace with Cryo, "That sounds good." Serrendine replies.

Faran wonders, "Have you heard from Ezil, lately? I haven't heard anything in so long, or Zap or Shara?"

Lily surges forward, dragging the luchts, although her horsepower is tiny and rather ineffective. She also pulls up her legs, to make them swing her, in many ways the happy child. Her small, scaled hands are both familiar and unfamilliar to Serrendine and Faranmidahn in different ways, like a daughter's or a scale-sister's, with differences.

Cryo orders tea, and lemon-water, gesturing for the others to sit, then fussing over Lily and placing her toys in front of her before her attention turns to the other women. She dips her head, to Serrendine first, "thank you for helping me with her."

A long exhale, and Cryo looks at Faran, her nose lowering. "I have not seen Zap since we met the Wee Queen. She may have taken him. I've not seen Shara in longer, and Ezil..."

She looks away, "This one has not had much social luck with paladins."

Faranmidahn seems a little surprised as she glances at her mother, but, she nods. They have things to discuss, indeed. The Dame takes the glance without a batted eye.

Faran gives a little smile, then, to Lily as Zephyr finally makes her way back to her Mistress and starts to nuzzle into the side of her neck, prompting a little kiss, "There's my good girl." she croons. Back to Cryo, she nods and frowns a bit, "I see... I hope they're alright."

"He was. Then he spoke with Seldan and threw me out of his camp." Cryosanthia says, suddenly interested in arranging the teacups and saucers beneath them. Tea is poured, everyone gets a cup, even Lily who isn't sure what to do with it.

"He seemed fine otherwise, as much as paladins can be." Cryo's voice is controlled, but her tail is lashing behind her, back and forth. "This one is respecting his wishes."

Which sounds rather final.

Lily throws her teacup off the tray that's attached to her high chair.

That brings a shrill, "WHAT!??" from Faran, half standing from her seat, then, blushing under the eyes she's drawn, makes a, "Sorry~" and flops back into it. She shakes her head, and says something soft, but kind of angry in halfling before shaking her head and smoothing her hair back from her face. What the hell has gotten into everyone?

The yeett of the teacup prompts Serrendine's firm, "Nnooo!" including the reproachful wag of a finger, in that way of hers before she rises and circles around to take care of it.

Cryo is also moving to take care of the teacup, but then she settles back. Perhaps the Professor should handle it, and perhaps she should calm down. She sees the frost spreading where she touches her own cup. Inhale, exhale, pack it inside. "Thanks."

She speaks again, sounding calm but also cold. "I'm not sure what went wrong. Other than perhaps their missing piece, that lack of fear. No fear means no doubt, never wondering if you've made a mistake. As long as you wake up and have your spells you're perfectly fine in your actions. Don't have to listen to anyone, don't have to reflect."

"The Mistake is missing a piece, but a different one. Merek too now, he drifts further and further off this plane. I am also, I think, the people find me uncomfortable sometimes. Perhaps it is the fate of all adventurers to become distant and disconnected."

The whitescale reaches out, strokes Lily's head, down her back, smiling at the youngling, "Ssassa will be here for you. Always."

"It's something I've wondered about." Faran confesses softly, looking to the kobold as Cryo muses further. A soft sigh, "All of them are human, you know..." she replies, something... sad in her voice before she takes up own tea, "I tried to tell him..." A shake of the head, then, "I don't think it's a missing piece, Cryo... I think it's a splinter of her... that's what... " she frowns, ashamed. She rises again and steps to her, gently clasping Cryo's hand, "You need someone.... to keep your heart alive... Sally never had that... for all her power, all her knowledge.... she could never grasp it."

Cryosanthia gazes down at Faranmidahn, holding her hand. She keeps hold, reaching and pulling the lucht into her lap where she embraces her. "I need you Faran. To hold me together the way you have. I've missed you so much. I need your help, and your mother's, with Lily. There's so much I don't know that I need to for her, and the people look at me as if I've gone crazy with instincts."

"And maybe I have. I don't know. I can save Lily, maybe I can save her." The sith stretches up, inhaling, looking skyward, a rumbling in her throat, "It was so much, so long, so bleak. The emptiness is a part of me. I'm full of nothing. She was... she was... she is, a Mistake."

Faranmidahn gives the hand a squeeze, "No... you're full of hurt, Cryosanthia." she says gently, "A hollow creature would never have resurrected Rocky after so, so long." She kisses the hand, then, and, "You sometimes shield yourself with that splinter... you duck behind that.... shadow of Salina to get away from your emotions, away from the hurt."

Cryo makes a noise, not agreement or disagreement, one of confusion and perhaps recognition of the truth in Faran's words, without knowing how to fix it. There are a lot of years on her coping mechanisms, even if the method is not good. The sith woman struggles with her feelings, to put them somewhere.

"I'll... I'll listen. I need you to tell me the things. I don't want to just take, Faran, I don't want to be the Endless Need. I want to know, we..." She looks over at Serrendine, "... are you whole, atoned now? You... this one thinks the world conspired against you and your oaths. There is no blame in having your memory changed, or when you are deliberately kept in the dark."

Faranmidahn smiles, seeming maybe a little unsure if she should have said that, but, she's relieved she took it so well. She hugs her sister tightly as she can and kisses her cheek, "I sword to... destroy Sally. But... that Sally... I don't know was real... was tangible, touchible. I also... promised to protect the innocent, and the helpless." Her eyes ower, the lingering guilt still there, but, "We can do it, together..."

Serrendine, finally getting the teacup situation handled, finally returns to her seat.

"Who did I know all those years? Was she a dream? She didn't react to me. How could she dream so much with me and not remember? Why? Everything that happened and no one is responsible? She melted away, like snow, but the bodies were still there." The frigid sith'makar says, exhaling hard, the temperature dropping around her. "I wasn't dreaming Faran, I wasn't dreaming."

And perhaps that is what drives her insane the most, being awake and lucid in another's dream and suffering the endless nonsense of it all.

Cryosanthia exhales forcefully again, trying to be calm, offer some solace. Except, what? "I said I forgave her, and I lied, because she was a child, because I thought it would change things, because she wasn't fully in control. Because the demon wanted her death, and so thwarting him was a good thing. Because her innocence was enough of a split hair that her death would have been wrong. I doubted this plan to kill an immortal and once I was talked into it, then the opposite was chosen."

"Did you know just about everyone had a demonic pact they were keeping secret?"

Faranmidahn looks into her sister's eyes, a glittering in their corners as she remembers very well one of those bodies, in particular. "No... we weren't dreaming." She coaches her expression to something approaching normal, "We weren't dreaming."

Her expression becomes more openly empathetic as Cryo elaborates on her doubts and anguish over the madness, over resolutions the Knight herself had to resolve in Quest and Atonement.

The demonic pacts sandblast all of that with an indignant shock articulated in a flat, "What."

"Hearthguard Kira and Silverguard Serene, didn't, nor Mourner Verna. Everyone else, it seems yes." Cryosanthia says, startled at the change in Faranmidahn. Although she remembers her own feelings and the time she's had to work on them since.

And that poor tree.

"This one is sorry, I should not have said. Knowing does not improve things. It brought me bitterness, to be so mistrusted and excluded and find that out." Cryo tries to hide it, but it's there in her voice and she blames her cihuaa's distance on how she was forced away, because she was compromised but not the way so many others were. "It was a corrupted mess, Faran. The only one whose prayers were answered was the monster behind it all, the rest of us were scattered and discarded by indifferent gods who see us as pawns. Ceinara tells me to make the best of it, that's all I can expect."

Faranmidahn sags where she sits, leaning against the Sith, closing her eyes. She doesn't so much as sniffle, but, there is the familiar act of Zephyr franticly pawing at the side of the Knight's chin.

Serrendine, perhaps having learned that her daughter being quiet for any real stretch of time means she's distraught, turns her attention to trying to play with Lily, to keep her distracted from the heaviness weighing the sister's down.

"Be happy some damage was undone, be happy she was neutralized, be happy the demon duke is weakened or distracted. In that, we were successful. We stopped it. There was no justice, but there was an end. At great cost." Cryosanthia sums it up, exhaling, "We owe so much to Arch-Mage Mikilos, HearthGuard Kira, and Silverguard Serene. Their resistance was legendary."

The large, cold lizard does her best, stroking at Faran's head, holding her, being a barrier to the world even if she is the bearer of bad news. She should have kept silent, her inner selves stare at her admonishingly. What was served in sharing this. Freeze it and forget it, is her impulse, but even that may be misguided.

Lily is also distraught, catching it from her foster mother. Serrendine's efforts are successful. It's much easier to focus a child away from weighty topics. Lily holds up her ball-butterfly, and shows how squeezing it makes it explode into a shower of sparks. It then reforms. She chirps happily and, in a rare generous gesture, holds it out towards Serrenedine for her to pop.

After a time, Faran nods weakly against the Sith, trying to sort out the knot put before her. She doesn't have the sword for this one. Ultimately, there is a sigh, and Faran manages to dislodge enough of the baggage that she can at least tell herself she can think about it, later. Her chin lifts, and a gentle kiss is placed un the underside of Cryo's neck, "Thank you for telling me. Some things.... make more sense." She'll have to see to the others, soon.

Serrendine spares the women a mere glance, before Lily's offer brightens her expression and, with a soft, affirming, "Thank you, Lily!" she gives it a little squeeze-pop and she is suitably astounded by the result, "Wow!"

"Wooo! Sssaaaaa!" Lily hisses happily, throwing her hands wide. She grabs for the toy and shows Serrenedine how it pops again. Another shower of sparkling confettie. Once it reforms again, she pushes it towards the elder lucht, to share the joy. She's learning.

Cryo has warmed up a tad and no longer feels like she's bringing winter. She's still cool, and the touch on her neck is welcome and calming. she exhales, "Thank you Faran. It's... it's behind a lot of things. This one has hardly spoken to any of them since."

She attempts to make light, "I've been in Mictlan, relearning how to be one of the people. Learning to tan leathers, tracking the corruption of the Felwood now that Her influence has left. I freeze up the ice-boxes in the bars around Alexandria, am on good terms with the fishermen but have not seen Tanith in a long time."

The elder Waywalker, watches Lily's actions, taking in the lessons again with the same affected awe as the first time and makes it pop anew, 'Woooooow!' she even laughs a little, just a little, not to disturb the other guests.

The younger nods again and, 'I'm glad, Cryo. It's... good to be with your people, now and then.' A remark that brings a furtive glance from her mother. Maybe something guilty.

Carrying on, Faran smiles up and strokes her cheek, 'Those are all good things that you're doing, Cryo... an empty person wouldn't even think of it.' A bare hand gently touches the area over where she thinks her sister's heart is, "That you can still care about others... is another way you beat that bitch" <hafling>

Cryosanthia has a heart in there somewhere. Actually, she knows exactly where it is. She has also seen it, on more than one occasion. Another one of those memories kept tightly boxed up lest some screaming start. The whitescale leans her cheek into the touch, closing her eyes. "I wish I could have reached her. Made her understand. I thought I could, I really believed I could."

So hard she poured years into it, thought it was worth trying, even while consumed by despair and put through so many things.

"We survived Faran, and, today, that was the end of what you had to do, that kept you away? I've offered to help the Professor with her research, re-creating the findings. I can take good notes. She's going to help me with Lily."

And already seems to be doing a great job with the kobold foundling.

Faranmidahn knows how much that effort.... the burden of it weighs on Cryo, as her own failures, of her own doing, weighed upon hers. "I know, honey... i know.... there was a time..." A time she wished there was somethig that could be reached in the Fae Queen. She'd said so much, but, "It's... a hard biscuit to chew, sister... sometimes, some people, they just... they can't be reached."

"I just come back from the quest, yes. Once it was complete, I underwent the rites of Atonement." she says softly. The rest of it brings a curious glance back to her mother, who is still busying herself with Lily's amusement, "I think think that's a wonderful idea!" There is, for a moment, a brief pang of something in her eyes, maybe the young Lucht inside her, a spark of jealousy, of a childhood that could have been so very different. She looks away, tucking in and hugging her sister, but she tries to keep her voice pure, "She.... she needs something to love, too. Thank you, sister."

"She needs you Faran, she loves you." Cryo leans close, keeping her voice low, reassuring, "The first thing she warned me of for Lily, was being absent, too distant. She regrets a lot, trust me."

Which the sith can understand, from the feelings for her first foundling. A mother never stops caring, even if they're not very good at it. "They get along great. I think Lily will like you too. She's gotten a lot better at biting but still be careful. I'm teaching her Tradespeak, she speaks draconic really well. There's been so many new things she's... she's adjusting well."

Faranmidahn closes her eyes at the assurance and nods against the Sith, but it's still some moments before she draws back and takes a beat to dab at her eyes. A hand reaches up to gently stroke a thumb along Zephyr's shell, then, she finally looks over again, "It's been... hard. We... we're so... out of joint, sometimes we just... fall into old routines... or start fighting." She watches the play before them, asiding, "I think you're doing wonderfully with her, honey.... where did you find her?"

"Tae, a druid, brought her." Cryosanthia says, her voice whispering and quick, "She treats with kobolds, they trust her. She found Lily's nest destroyed. Lily, Little Fang, she found her upset, crying in draconic. She needed..."

Cryo's voice breaks unexpectedly, a pained noise, "... someone who could speak to her. We shared words, and... I knew. This one ... felt my ancestors watching. Their eyes on me. In my bones. This one had to take her."

"She has been so amazing since."

Faranmidahn nods and says, "I see. I'll have to meet this Tae one of these days." The rest of the tale brings her down, but, "Maybe we can do a picnic, again." she suggests, looking up to Cryo as she reaches up for her cheek, "Like old times?"

"Yes, very soon, and maybe that idea where we go far away is still a good one." Cryo rubs her cheek against the touch, eyes closed, feeling the warmth of a small hand. Her scale-sister's. Her sapphire eyes open and she glances at Serrendine and Lily, "after a little bit. This one wants her to play with others her age, socialize with the people and other races, give her a larger world than a small dirt cave."

"Tae is a wonderful half-orc, but if you stand too close she won't see you. She'll show up sooner or later. I'm glad you're back, that your quest was successful, to see you and Zephyr again. Oh you must take Lily riding on Torrent! She will squeal the walls down."

Faranmidahn thinks about that for a time, then, with a nod, "Agreed. She needs that." She manages to catch Serrendine's eyes for a moment, something passing between the two women. She looks to Cryo as the play continues, and, "Yeah, I get that a lot." she says wryly, then, "I'd like that, but, we have to make sure Lily is gonna listen." She becomes more serious, then, "She absolutely can -not- play near Torrent's face. The impulse to bite is very, very deep, I haven't been able to train him past it. He'll even get me if I'm not careful."

"So is hers, along with the territorial impulse of an ancient red dragon." Cryosanthia says, sounding serious and not joking at all. She nods, "We'll practice then, make sure she's safe. Teach her some words you'll say so she knows them. She learns fast, she's always pulling things apart. Some she puts back together too."

Faranmidahn nods and gently pats her sister's cheek, "It's a date, then, as they say." she returns, slipping back down to her feet, "We should probably order some dinner, soon." She considers her Dame and her sister's foundling, resolving to do what she can. Maybe fill the void in her own life.

"Yes, a date." Cryo watches as Faran returns to her chair, then looks over to see Lily and Serrendine. It's heartwarming to see the two play, and to know that the two luchts will teach her what the sith'makar can't, and that perhaps Lily will build a bridge between mother and daughter. A small thing, who might not change the world but will change their world.

"And some food, let me see..."