Ciel arrived before the Sanctum of the Twelve and slid easily off of Mille Feuille's saddle. She knelt for a moment on front of the coeurl, long enough to scratch lovingly behind the creature's ears and place a kiss on his nose. She received, in return, a lick to her forehead which scattered her bangs and lifted her hat off the top of her head. She laughed. It had been something he often did since he was still a kitten. One last kiss to the great cat's brow and the songstress ushered him off into the nearby brush where he would be safely hidden until she was ready to leave.
Now alone, she slowly walked up the rest of the path to the grand cathedral and through the gates. No one else was around but the caretakers, which made this as good a time as any to conduct the business she came here for, and as she took in the entire view of the place she could see just how well it had been cleaned up and repaired since the last time she was here. She had Felix to thank for that, and moreso now that she got to see the results of his work. He had been meticulous and respectful with the grounds and the altars in a way she hadn't expected of anyone who might as well be outside the realm of any faith.
As she ventured further onto sacred soil, she passed the first set of altars on her left and went down to the shallow waters which peacefully flowed below. Piece by piece, she removed each article of her garb and placed it aside on a section of wall, herself shielded from immediate view of anyone who might pass by on the path above.
It was not uncommon for worshippers to and pilgrims alike to bathe and annoint themselves in the blessed waters of this place, and for her own devotion the act of cleansing was no different. This simple ritual would wash away the unseen blemishes of sin she had taken on over time, and it would only be right to be washed before presenting one's self to one's hosts. Kneeling, she cupped the cool water in her hands and poured it over herself, once for each of the Twelve, and once more for herself.
"I am worthy to walk in thy presence this day," she breathed, speaking for only the Twelve to hear.
She rose and stood with her arms held out from her sides and eyes closed, allowing the wind and sunlight to brush across her skin and dry away the water droplets which remained, and then she dressed herself again with all but her shoes. These she would carry as she moved through the grounds.
She walked up the steps to the north and past the set of altars by the west side of the path, and paused before the splendid double doors, which were warmly lit from within yet did not permit her entry.
"I am not yet worthy to set foot in thy realm."
From here, she moved on to the altars just to the east, but did not stop for the first one. Instead, she began at the middle of the three, The altar of Nymeia, the Spinner. She knelt for a moment and bowed her head to silently ask for the wisdom to accept the things she cannot change. She then placed a spool of simple hempen thread there with a water shard.
She moved next to the altar of Oschon, her own patron deity. Again, she knelt, but the offering she placed was an eagle feather and a wind shard. Here she lingered for a few moments longer to give her Lord his due respect and to thank him for her desire and ability to follow his endless path.
She stood slowly and moved off to the east and down a set of stairs. Shallow waters waited here, just as they had on the west side of the path. She did not stop to bathe again, but she measured her steps with care as if she wished to avoid disturbing the serenity of any souls resting here.
Up the southeast stairs she went, coming to pause before the altar of Llymlaen. Kneeling, she placed a chunk of unrefined rock salt and a wind shard, and asked for guidance upon obscure paths.
Next, she moved to the altar of Thaliak. She lingered on her knees and reflected back to the memory of one person who best embodied the Scholar's will, and whose own will yet remained to be carried out by his grandchildren. She prayed only to pursue the same understanding. The offering left upon the altar was a blank, sealed scroll of parchment, and a water shard.
Ciel moved on to the altar of Halone, and stared contemplatively at the three spears which made up Her glyph. Fury, she thought, but what could that teach someone who does not live by anger? The answer, she decided, was will and perseverance in the face of adversity, and it for was these things that she asked of Halone. She offered a small piece of polished bloodstone and an ice shard.
She rose from there and crossed the central path, again moving with measured care, until she came to the altar of Nophica, the matron of her home land. For the mother of life's bounty, she gave a pouch of lavender seeds and an earth shard, and she asked for the ability to remain selfless.
When next she came to the altar of Azeyma, she again knelt, this time seeking to be known as a reflection of justice in a bleak world. All she could find to offer this time was a small pocket mirror, but this was left along with a fire shard.
The last of these three altars was that Byregot, the builder, and an inspiration for so much creativity and progress. As she knelt, this was all she asked of him, the gift of creation, for her music, and she thanked him for what she had already been granted. She had only a small box of bronze nails to offer and a lightning shard.
After this, the songstress found herself again overlooking the western stairs and the cleansing pool. She decended the stairs as she had on the east side, and ascended the northwestern stairs where she came to the altar of Rhalgr. She asked his forgiveness before she ever took to her knees, for she could never see destruction as anything but an agent of change. From him, she asked to be a force for change where it is most needed, and placed two chunks of wood - one burned, and the other unburned - with a lightning shard.
Before the altar of Nald'thal, Ciel placed a twig covered in new leaves and a fragment of bone, an offering of life and death for the two who are one, and with it a fire shard. She found herself, at first, unsure of what to pray for. She had seen plenty life, death, and rebirth in her time and travels, the beginning and end of all things. Nothing lasts, she thought, and she decided that this was the wisdom Nald'thal wished to bestow. And where nothing lasts, so does change begin.
She rose to her feet again and paced aside to the altar of Althyk. Once more taking to her knees, she set down a broken pocket cronometer and an earth shard. She prayed for the wisdom to recognize when something's time has passed, and to be able to let it go.
With eleven altars visited and thusly adorned, this left only one, and Ciel knew this one would take more time than the others, for it was Menphina in particular that she had come seeking. She crossed the central path to get to the last altar and stood staring sheepishly at it for several moments, as if she had just encountered someone she had spent entirely too much time avoiding. Someone she still wasn't sure she wanted to spend much time with. She eventually inhaled and exhaled a deep breath and sat before the altar rather than kneeling.
Ciel placed down a perfectly cut and polished piece of rose quartz along with an ice shard, and then also placed down two tea cups, both of which she filled from a still-warm canteen on her belt. She hadn't simply come to pay respects and pray but to hold conversation, albeit one-sided, or so she figured, and she stared expectantly at the glyph in front of her.
Listen, Menphina, we need to talk. Just you and me, woman to woman...
The words were but thought, internalized and meant as silent as prayer, but in her own way. The occassion called for something more direct, maybe even demanding.
Far be it from me to question your wisdom, but what are you doing? What in the Hells are you thinking? I get blessings and all, and I appreciate that you want me to have some, but my plate is full. I only just finally laid Thierremont's ghost to rest, seven summers later, and now Jandelaine has disappeared on me, and I've heard nothing - not one word from him. I don't even know if he's dead in a ditch somewhere, and you send me not one but two before the bed is even cold!
Ciel picked up her cup of tea and lifted it toward the glyph in a gesture of salute before she took a sip. She was so wrapped up in her internal monologue that she tasted none of it.
Could you just... I don't know... make up your mind? Pick one? This is great and all, and I'm flattered, but I would just as soon finish dealing with one at a time, you know?
She closed her eyes for a moment.
I know, I know, you would have -me- make the decision. All you've done is present me with choices, but I must say your timing is horrible. I'm perfectly capable of making my own mistakes without someone offering me more options to do so, and so many at once. Look... all I ask is some kind of sign, anything. Just something to show me if Jandelaine is alright or not, and then I'll take the next step from there. Deal?
The songstress cracked an eye open to peer at the still silent glyph in front of her, and then at the other cup of tea. She let out a sigh, having receive the answer she expected. Nothing at all. She was, after all, staring at a rock with a glyph on it. But then another thought came to mind, causing her to frown.
Make that three... I know the last one is nothing serious, but Kale? Really? O Menphina, I may be lonely and frustrated, but must I be seen as desparate?
Ciel smirked and then slowly drained the rest of her tea from her own cup.
Please just give me some kind of direction. This isn't one Llymlaen can guide me on.
![[Image: ffxiv_09172014_181029_zpsa6651c2c.jpg]](http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c160/tenshihi/XIV%20ARR/ffxiv_09172014_181029_zpsa6651c2c.jpg)
Now alone, she slowly walked up the rest of the path to the grand cathedral and through the gates. No one else was around but the caretakers, which made this as good a time as any to conduct the business she came here for, and as she took in the entire view of the place she could see just how well it had been cleaned up and repaired since the last time she was here. She had Felix to thank for that, and moreso now that she got to see the results of his work. He had been meticulous and respectful with the grounds and the altars in a way she hadn't expected of anyone who might as well be outside the realm of any faith.
As she ventured further onto sacred soil, she passed the first set of altars on her left and went down to the shallow waters which peacefully flowed below. Piece by piece, she removed each article of her garb and placed it aside on a section of wall, herself shielded from immediate view of anyone who might pass by on the path above.
It was not uncommon for worshippers to and pilgrims alike to bathe and annoint themselves in the blessed waters of this place, and for her own devotion the act of cleansing was no different. This simple ritual would wash away the unseen blemishes of sin she had taken on over time, and it would only be right to be washed before presenting one's self to one's hosts. Kneeling, she cupped the cool water in her hands and poured it over herself, once for each of the Twelve, and once more for herself.
"I am worthy to walk in thy presence this day," she breathed, speaking for only the Twelve to hear.
She rose and stood with her arms held out from her sides and eyes closed, allowing the wind and sunlight to brush across her skin and dry away the water droplets which remained, and then she dressed herself again with all but her shoes. These she would carry as she moved through the grounds.
She walked up the steps to the north and past the set of altars by the west side of the path, and paused before the splendid double doors, which were warmly lit from within yet did not permit her entry.
"I am not yet worthy to set foot in thy realm."
From here, she moved on to the altars just to the east, but did not stop for the first one. Instead, she began at the middle of the three, The altar of Nymeia, the Spinner. She knelt for a moment and bowed her head to silently ask for the wisdom to accept the things she cannot change. She then placed a spool of simple hempen thread there with a water shard.
She moved next to the altar of Oschon, her own patron deity. Again, she knelt, but the offering she placed was an eagle feather and a wind shard. Here she lingered for a few moments longer to give her Lord his due respect and to thank him for her desire and ability to follow his endless path.
She stood slowly and moved off to the east and down a set of stairs. Shallow waters waited here, just as they had on the west side of the path. She did not stop to bathe again, but she measured her steps with care as if she wished to avoid disturbing the serenity of any souls resting here.
Up the southeast stairs she went, coming to pause before the altar of Llymlaen. Kneeling, she placed a chunk of unrefined rock salt and a wind shard, and asked for guidance upon obscure paths.
Next, she moved to the altar of Thaliak. She lingered on her knees and reflected back to the memory of one person who best embodied the Scholar's will, and whose own will yet remained to be carried out by his grandchildren. She prayed only to pursue the same understanding. The offering left upon the altar was a blank, sealed scroll of parchment, and a water shard.
Ciel moved on to the altar of Halone, and stared contemplatively at the three spears which made up Her glyph. Fury, she thought, but what could that teach someone who does not live by anger? The answer, she decided, was will and perseverance in the face of adversity, and it for was these things that she asked of Halone. She offered a small piece of polished bloodstone and an ice shard.
She rose from there and crossed the central path, again moving with measured care, until she came to the altar of Nophica, the matron of her home land. For the mother of life's bounty, she gave a pouch of lavender seeds and an earth shard, and she asked for the ability to remain selfless.
When next she came to the altar of Azeyma, she again knelt, this time seeking to be known as a reflection of justice in a bleak world. All she could find to offer this time was a small pocket mirror, but this was left along with a fire shard.
The last of these three altars was that Byregot, the builder, and an inspiration for so much creativity and progress. As she knelt, this was all she asked of him, the gift of creation, for her music, and she thanked him for what she had already been granted. She had only a small box of bronze nails to offer and a lightning shard.
After this, the songstress found herself again overlooking the western stairs and the cleansing pool. She decended the stairs as she had on the east side, and ascended the northwestern stairs where she came to the altar of Rhalgr. She asked his forgiveness before she ever took to her knees, for she could never see destruction as anything but an agent of change. From him, she asked to be a force for change where it is most needed, and placed two chunks of wood - one burned, and the other unburned - with a lightning shard.
Before the altar of Nald'thal, Ciel placed a twig covered in new leaves and a fragment of bone, an offering of life and death for the two who are one, and with it a fire shard. She found herself, at first, unsure of what to pray for. She had seen plenty life, death, and rebirth in her time and travels, the beginning and end of all things. Nothing lasts, she thought, and she decided that this was the wisdom Nald'thal wished to bestow. And where nothing lasts, so does change begin.
She rose to her feet again and paced aside to the altar of Althyk. Once more taking to her knees, she set down a broken pocket cronometer and an earth shard. She prayed for the wisdom to recognize when something's time has passed, and to be able to let it go.
With eleven altars visited and thusly adorned, this left only one, and Ciel knew this one would take more time than the others, for it was Menphina in particular that she had come seeking. She crossed the central path to get to the last altar and stood staring sheepishly at it for several moments, as if she had just encountered someone she had spent entirely too much time avoiding. Someone she still wasn't sure she wanted to spend much time with. She eventually inhaled and exhaled a deep breath and sat before the altar rather than kneeling.
Ciel placed down a perfectly cut and polished piece of rose quartz along with an ice shard, and then also placed down two tea cups, both of which she filled from a still-warm canteen on her belt. She hadn't simply come to pay respects and pray but to hold conversation, albeit one-sided, or so she figured, and she stared expectantly at the glyph in front of her.
Listen, Menphina, we need to talk. Just you and me, woman to woman...
The words were but thought, internalized and meant as silent as prayer, but in her own way. The occassion called for something more direct, maybe even demanding.
Far be it from me to question your wisdom, but what are you doing? What in the Hells are you thinking? I get blessings and all, and I appreciate that you want me to have some, but my plate is full. I only just finally laid Thierremont's ghost to rest, seven summers later, and now Jandelaine has disappeared on me, and I've heard nothing - not one word from him. I don't even know if he's dead in a ditch somewhere, and you send me not one but two before the bed is even cold!
Ciel picked up her cup of tea and lifted it toward the glyph in a gesture of salute before she took a sip. She was so wrapped up in her internal monologue that she tasted none of it.
Could you just... I don't know... make up your mind? Pick one? This is great and all, and I'm flattered, but I would just as soon finish dealing with one at a time, you know?
She closed her eyes for a moment.
I know, I know, you would have -me- make the decision. All you've done is present me with choices, but I must say your timing is horrible. I'm perfectly capable of making my own mistakes without someone offering me more options to do so, and so many at once. Look... all I ask is some kind of sign, anything. Just something to show me if Jandelaine is alright or not, and then I'll take the next step from there. Deal?
The songstress cracked an eye open to peer at the still silent glyph in front of her, and then at the other cup of tea. She let out a sigh, having receive the answer she expected. Nothing at all. She was, after all, staring at a rock with a glyph on it. But then another thought came to mind, causing her to frown.
Make that three... I know the last one is nothing serious, but Kale? Really? O Menphina, I may be lonely and frustrated, but must I be seen as desparate?
Ciel smirked and then slowly drained the rest of her tea from her own cup.
Please just give me some kind of direction. This isn't one Llymlaen can guide me on.
