Quote:
In Tribute (12) : In the days leading up to the Star Festival, small stone shrines began to appear randomly throughout Destiny City–on rooftops, in alleyways, hidden down long forest paths. They’re small, altar-like platforms with a little bowl in the center and a single glowing stone inside. There’s something peaceful, refreshing, about the shrine, even if no one seems to know who is setting them. However, if the stone is removed, the glow vanishes–along with your sense of peace. This was not your offering to take. Immediately, you feel something breathing on the back of your neck but there’s nothing to be seen. Returning the stone returns the area to an uneasy stillness, but if you attempt to leave without returning the stone, a mounting pressure and anxiety will grow within you. You never make it far from the shrine before some unseen force overtakes you. It feels like a great force collides into your back, and unconsciousness is quick to follow. When you awaken, the shrine is gone. All that remains is pain and fear. If you are tempted to leave an offering of your own, however small, you will find yourself feeling as though you have received the protection of something greater than you can understand. This strange blanket of security will last for the remainder of the day. A shrine never stays in the same place for long but no one ever sees who is setting them up or taking them down.
—
Summer meant that school was out, and Ariccia was spending every minute she could outside of her family’s house. Don’t get her wrong, the Rivium household wasn’t abusive or bad or even particularly strict. She just was used to her relative freedom living at Crystal, and if she had to listen to bad soap operas and drama talk shows that her aunts watched almost religiously any longer than necessary, she was going to strangle both of them with her willow branch.
So Ariccia spent most of her time outdoors or ‘at Cressida’s’. She did spend time with Cressie, but most of the time she was powered up and wandering about. To be honest, she wasn’t quite sure what she was supposed to do, now that the giant space snake thing was dealt with. It hadn’t scared her out of powering up; if anything, fighting alongside her fellow Cybele knights and her princess had given her a kind of purpose and made her feel like she was useful and doing something for the good of the world.
Besides, she finally was noticing the weirdness that revolved around the annual Star Fest (and every other major holiday in Destiny City). This afternoon, she crouched in front of a little stone shrine tucked in the hollow of a tree. She was in one of the larger parks near downtown. It was odd and yet… peaceful. Calm. Like a bit of respite among the heat and chaos of the day.
A little glowing stone sat in the offering bowl. She didn’t touch it; shrines were sacred places even if they popped up randomly, but simply existed in the space. Ariccia glanced around, spotting a few wild flowers close. Hmmm, she could leave an offering perhaps…
Amasis
look what i finally moved over
