Summary:Zahara comes with Spring to meet the new spirit of the Cascade's river.
XP:S1, Z1
Tags:< Humanity is Overrated | Sol Invictus Logs | This is a Place of Life >
Spring ::Zahara? I thought I should advise you that the river beneath the Manse has...developed a new guardian.::
zahara There is a pause, and then a thoughtful reply. ::Does he eat people?::
Spring ::He has not yet eaten any people.::
zahara ::Ah, well, I suppose either there have not been any attempted break-ins, or he is not a very good guardian. In any case, I will meet you in the catacombs shortly.::
Spring ::Excellent.::
Spring Shortly thereafter, Spring enters the catacombs, glancing down at the water that runs across the floor.
The water, much as when Spring last entered this room, is unnaturally calm and placid.
zahara joins Spring a few moments later, looking about the room with somewhat trepidatious curiosity
Spring "He is around here somewhere."
Spring begins looking around.
After a moment, Spring notices it: tiny little flower petals, floating gently on the water, leading off around another bend of the Labyrinth....
zahara goes for a somewhat more direct approach, "Show yourself, spirit. I wish to speak to you."
Spring gestures towards the trail of petals, but pauses to see if it will come before them.
There is no movement for a long time, and Spring is almost ready to change his mind when finally there is the tiniest, slightest movement: a tiny bubbling on the water, along the path of petals.
Spring "Hello?"
zahara taps her foot.
The bubbles begin to grow more prominent, and then, to join together, slowly assembling a shape on top of the water until it unfolds into the form Spring remembers from his previous journey here: an elongated blue creature with a baby's proportions, swooped-back ears, large and incomprehensible eyes, and a faint labyrinth patterning upon its skin...
Spring smiles slightly. "Hello again."
zahara eyes the baby spirit. "Hello."
The creature blinks at the two Solars in its strange, incomprehensible way. Two of you, the water seems to vibrate.
Spring "Yes."
Spring ::He can count.::
It looks over Zahara again for a long moment. Why?
zahara "Why are there two of us, or why do we want to speak to you?"
The creature nods, and the water all seems to nod with him -- he seems to mean the second.
zahara "Because this is my home. And if it is to also be yours, we must come to some sort of understanding."
The creature looks at Zahara with an odd expression. Understanding.
zahara "Understanding. Rules. What you do here, what you need to survive, all that." Her fingers clench and unclench. Uppity thing.
Embody the water, it says. Pervade the water.
zahara ::Somehow I have a feeling this will make swimming kind of creepy. :: "I don't suppose you like to deter invaders?"
The water is sacred, it says. Its eyes are pulsating fantly, in blue and white.
Spring "Mm."
Spring "Some people might try to come into our home through the water."
Spring "It might defile it, if they had an evil purpose."
What about... you?
Spring "What do you think?"
You are not of the water, it says. You live above.
zahara crouches next to the water, staring into the spirit's eyes. She smiles sweetly. "I'm sure Spring wants to be friends. Me, I mainly want you to leave me alone most of the time, and not stare at me when I'm swimming."
The creature looks up at Zahara with curiosity. Watch all that goes on within the water, it says. ...Home. It looks over to Spring. You... made the water cold.
Spring "Yes."
Spring "I needed your help to save lives."
Spring "You did an excellent job."
The tiny god nods. Many brought here.
Spring "To the water, yes."
Spring "When you see something in the water, can you tell one of us? The people who live above?"
In response, the creature bends over and cups a small amount of water in its two tiny hands, and proffers it to Spring.
Spring kneels, and sips from his hands.
The tiny god nods.
< Humanity is Overrated | Sol Invictus Logs | This is a Place of Life >