Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Ahh, good. I'm glad you're making friends already. Here we are," she said, as they turned the corner into another hallway, "This is my room. I keep all the registration documents in my cabinet."

She opened a door identical to every other door and stepped inside, turning around to beckon him in. "Please, come in! Make yourself at home."

The High Priestess used to live in one of the small single bedrooms on the other side of the basement, but for a long time since then had been residing in the second-to-largest chamber of them all - second only to the Overseer, whose room adjoined hers. She had a double bed, just like any of the other staff members, but hers had curtains around it like in the dormitories above. (She just thought they looked pretty.) She had a large dresser and vanity table nearby. Next to the bed, there was a large, squashy chaise longue, on which a variety of cuddly toys were neatly arranged... but aside from all this, the rest of the room was pretty bare. Near to the door to the Overseer's room, she had a short, standard bookshelf crammed with what appeared to be mainly poetry and plays, and fiction in a few different languages. Next to that, there was a desk, plastered with paper and writing equipment, and a large, wooden filing cabinet, which was presumably where the Order's files and official documents were kept.

Sure enough, she headed straight over to it and pulled out several sheafs of paper and a small box, before turning back to him. She was sweetly smiling. "If you're sure you're ready to join us... I've got everything here."

'Tears? Crying? Whatever this is, it must have been bordering on a fight...why when these things happen do people insist 'Don't worry about it'? Honestly...if anything escalates to a 'situation' in a library, it can very well happen again...'

"Well, I'm glad to see that the situation is resolved...but the dampness on your face says that another one may be brewing, and if you need to talk, most of us here in the Order are willing to listen..." 'I wonder if I'm doing this 'conversation' thing right...'

"Anyway, as to not worrying about it, I'm afraid I can't do that. If a fight can nearly break out in the library once, it can very well happen again. None of the newcomers respect the place anyway.. I don't like seeing anything in here ruined, so if you know anything about who I should watch out for...well, it would be a big help." Hmm, this isn't actually that hard'

Feeling suddenly awkward at not knowing the other person's name, he moved closer and extended a hand, saying "I'm Xeiashi by the way. Cressa's apprentice, alchemist, and all-around bookworm."

[Early afternoon: 2-3 p.m]


Cressa was ready for Jessie when he opened the door to her office. Never does superhuman dexterity come in handier than when you have large, blunt objects flying at your head. The huge, hefty leather-bound tome Cressa had hurled at him made a sickening crack against the wall behind where his skull had been a moment earlier.

"I told you I didn't want to talk to you! Are you deaf as well as emotionally stunted?"

"Cressa-"

"No, I don't want to hear it!"

Jessie scowled from his safe position behind the door. Gradually through the day more and more acolytes had filtered their way out of bed and into the Temple. Perhaps he was paranoid, but he could feel the ears and eyes of everyone in the library and the music room and the rest of the general vicinity resting upon him. "" he started to plead in their native tongue, hand on the doorknob at the ready to open it again, ""

"I TOLD YOU - I don't - want - TO TALK!"

Lowering his voice even further, almost in compensation for Cressa's crescendoing yells, Jessie quietly said ""

She didn't respond. After a minute or more, Jessie cautiously pushed the door open. Cressa was sitting on top of her desk, legs clearly folded one over the other, arms folded tightly across her chest. Once again, she was staring resolutely out at the view through her enchanted window, doing her best to pretend he wasn't there. Gently closing the door behind him, he took a couple of steps towards her, but didn't draw too near.

After some time, her posture began to droop - from indignancy, into a sulk. When she finally spoke, she sounded pouty. ""

"" he said, genuinely sorrowful. Crossing the rest of the room, he slid up next to her on the desk and put his arm around her, gripping each of her shoulders reassuringly. ""

Again, Cressa didn't respond at first, but after a few moments she reached up and gripped one of the hands on her shoulder in return, gently twining her fingers over and around his wrist. "To tell you the truth, that... isn't really what I was upset about..."

Two holes in one for Gloria. "always listening to you, Cressa.>"

Cressa looked like she was thinking to argue with this, so he added with a smile: "How many other people do you know who can talk me into things the way you do?"

She gave a little, weary smile in return. "You're right. Very few."

"None."

""

"want to hear it. What are you afraid I'm going to say?>" he asked, dropping again from forceful persuasion to gentle concern, ""

He'd intended this statement as a little pinch of the ridiculous to help lighten her concern, but to his surprise, real fear flashed across her face. She turned her head away - too late to disguise it - and gripped his hand a little tighter. "...Yes."

"...You can't honestly think that I'd do that to you," Jessie said, shock evident in his voice. "I'll never, ever leave you, Cressa. Definitely not when you need me the most, like right now. There's nothing you could say that could drive me away."

Cressa hung her head. "...I know THIS probably wouldn't drive you away... but I mean... in general... I do worry."

Her shoulders shook. Frustrated, she released his hand and fiercely wiped away the tears in her eyes. "Ugh... Look at me. No, don't look. " she laughed. ""

The language of the dark elves (and indeed, elves in general) has a much wider range of subtleties than most human tongues, many of which can't be directly or easily translated. In a way, this can add to its mystique and glamour, as they acknowledge and give voice to the many different shades a single concept can comprise, even those most confusing or hard to acknowledge. In other ways, it facilitates much more precise communication. Thus, whereas in the translation, it sounds as though Cressa was either being sincere and genuinely meaning that Jessie ruined everything for her, or insincere, or ironic... in the native tongue, her meaning was clear. Complicated, but clear. In her fragile state, a number of different tones were escaping which she'd never have allowed herself to use normally - and the picture that they painted was not damning, resentful, or even bittersweet. Overall, it was warm; deeply warm. But sad.

Which is what led Jessie to what came next. "" he softly said.

There happen to be many, many different words for "love" in their language - not dissimilar to the human concepts of agape, filia, eros et al, except much, much expanded. There are words for the love one might feel for an elder sibling; a younger sibling; an old, beloved pet; a newer, but loved pet; a new child; an elder child, and many other such small distinctions. All of these concepts, so blurry in our languages, condensed into single concise words in theirs. Romantic or erotic love alone has no less than eleven different distinctions: Ssinss'ke, for love based purely on lust and/or physical attraction; Ayru'ntaa, which we humans might recognise as the least dysfunctional relationship - one based on trust and mutual support, deep and long-lasting; Sreenss'ke, for an unstable, on-off sort of relationship, often with violence or much arguing; Kellk'n'ke, for pragmatic love based on compromise and mutually helpful circumstances, which can be broken down again into Vikkhn'ke, for love based on a prior arrangement or a Bonding. All these and others are present, for each individual circumstance.

Jessie had used the word ussuulu'ke. Unrequited love.

Cressa was silent for what might as well have been an eternity. She moved so little, she didn't even seem to be breathing. (Out of sight of anyone, her vocal cords and throat were so tense and drowning in tears she wasn't sure she was breathing either.) Unlike Jessie, who often did a very good impression of an ebony-stone obelisk, Cressa was fluid like water and uncontainable like the wind. But she was like a carving now, as she gripped the edge of the table tightly beneath her palms.

She gave a single, stiff nod. "Mm," she murmured. Gradually, as she spoke, her body grew limp again. "Mm. "

She turned away from him, feeling so much like a stupid little girl she could hardly bear it. ""

"I understand now," he said. And, far from running away, as Cressa so deeply feared, he took his hands from her shoulders and wrapped them around her waist, pulling himself closer, into a hug. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Cressa. I'm sorry. If only Gloria hadn't come to bother us at that moment - I was about to tell you something..."

"You knew though, surely?" Cressa cut in, interrupting him once more. ""

His answer was hesitant. "can be pretty dense. But it's... been the elephant in the room for quite some time now, I suppose.>" L'veliarn velkressa wu'l'revi'n'sook. The assassin hiding in the market street; in plain sight of everyone, though everyone refuses to see it.

The only thing stopping Cressa from bursting into tears was her own resolution to not be so weak. She couldn't read him at that moment. To her, it sounded like he was about to reject her. Which she could deal with - couldn't she? As long as she still had him. It didn't matter if he didn't love her back. She'd known for years that he never would. Being told it would be an acute sting, but she could deal with it.

He didn't say anything more, though. Quietly, after another few minutes had passed, he took her hand and, resting it upon her thigh, turned it over - palm upwards. Being surrounded by humans, holding hands had become a lot more casual to them than it was back home, where it was an intimate, often erotic gesture. There was no doubt, though, that as he began to run the tips of his fingers in a circle around her palm, absently sliding them up and down the length of her long fingers from time to time, that it was anything but exceedingly amatory. She watched it for a while, then, with a sigh, relaxed into his arms and rested there, eyes closed. He lifted her hand and kissed it, running his lips down to her dainty wrist, then turning it over and kissing the back.

Cressa wasn't quite sure how it happened, as comfortable and dreamlike as the world had suddenly started to feel to her, but within what felt like moments he was kissing her, and she could feel her fingers runing into the bottom of his earlobe as her hand found its way up the side of his neck. She broke away with a sudden jolt, her eyes wide and full of fear. "Are... are you just going to kiss me," she whispered, "Or are you going to tell me that you love me, too?"

"Well-"

"Because I can't do it again, I can't," she hurried on regardless. All at once, an ocean of boiling hot tears was pouring down her cheeks. "I w-wanted him to love me so badly, I let myself believe that he did..." she wept, "But he didn't... I can't do it again, Jessie, I swore I wouldn't be so stupid again, but here I am, wanting you to love me, and you don't..."

It was true - she could hear it ringing in her ears to that very moment. He'd told her it himself. "I treated you like dirt. You made yourself believe that I loved you. It was too easy, really. Your own delusions did all the work for me."

"Now, hold on a minute," Jessie said firmly. She looked up and met his gaze, her face smoothed and utterly softened by vulnerability. All traces of cruelty and coldness had faded away, leaving only hope, and longing, and loss. Jessie cupped her cheek in his hand, and, with a knowing smile, continued. "If you would let me finish what I've been trying to say for the past few hours..."

Nobody interjected this time. He carried on. "Cressa, you... are... beautiful. You're an amazing woman, and I've treated you badly. I haven't for one moment given you the credit and the respect you deserve. And... there's a reason for that."

"All the years I've known you, you've been lying to me. Not only to me, but to everyone. And this person I've seen you be - she... often has been the things I hate. She's been cold, and callous, brutal in her search for power and recognition. She was everything that our people prize, but I do not."

More tears trickled down Cressa's cheeks. He gently wiped them away. "And yet I defended her. When people accused you of being evil, or uncaring, I protected you. I told them that you're a good person at your core. It wasn't until recently that I was proved absolutely right."

"You've always prized your ability to see into others and read the essence of who they were," he said, brushing back the hair hanging down by her face, "But you've never allowed anyone to do the same thing to you. Only when it was taken out of your hands did I see what you are, Cressa. In your nightmare..." he whispered, "You looked at me then just like you're looking at me now, and I realised something. Your eyes are so cold, usually. I had taken it for an edge of cruelty, but no... you wear your face like a mask. You keep yourself closed off from everyone, including me. It's all part of your act."

Cressa's face crumpled. "No... I can't believe you'd love the pathetic person I once was..." she cried. "I won't go back to her! I don't care if- if that's who you'd prefer to see when you look at me... I won't..."

"Shh! Shh!" he hushed her, pulling her tightly into a hug. She sobbed openly into his chest. "Listen to me, Cressa. You are a lot of things, but not one of them is pathetic. And when I look at you, I don't see what I want to see - I see you. You're wild, and you're untameable, you're exceptional and you're beautiful, Cressa."

"And what's more, " Avariel'ke. Love without bounds - without an end, limit or condition. ""

She looked up at him, straight into his eye, searching to see if he was serious. He was. "<...You're not just saying that to make me h-happy?>"

He shook his head, smiling. "I love you, Cressa. Though... I'm not sure what kind of relationship I can offer you. We're bound by our obligations here for the moment..."

"Nothing has to change!" Cressa said, wiping her eyes. "I'm happy with you just as we are."

"As am I. But in the future... well. I suppose we can talk about that later. Now..." he said, releasing her momentarily to reach into his pocket, "I was going to give this to you earlier, to help my plea for forgiveness... but the conversation took a turn I hadn't expected. So... you might as well have it now instead..."

She looked at the small, black box in his hand, then back up at him, then back at the box. Her face split into a big, genuine smile, and she wiped her eyes once more before gently taking it from him. The light of the jewels inside, reflected from the windows, glittered dazzlingly before she'd even had a chance to look at it properly. "EEEE!"

"'Diamonds are a girl's best friend,'" Jessie quoted, moments before she threw her arms around his neck.

"It's BEAUTIFUL! Thank you!!"

"I thought to get you emeralds - I know you'd prefer them, for the long-term," he explained, as she fell back and carefully prised the piece of jewelry out of its case. "But you look so lovely today in white... I thought the purity of the diamonds would complete your outfit."

"Oh, Iessie," she cooed, examining the beautiful piece in her hand. It was a necklace - a choker, part delicate silver chain, part delicate, leaf-like patterns of diamonds set in silver. The tip of each leaf-like shape was set with a tear-shaped gem; the rest were circles. "You've never given me anything like this before..."

The sorceress shifted around, turning her back towards him whilst bringing her gift up to her throat. "Will you...?"

"Of course!"

He took each end of the chain in hand and clipped them together, then carefully placed the remaining length of the adjustable chain so that it draped down the bare nape of her neck. "There."

She turned back round, smiling all over her face, and moved her shoulders from side to side, showing it off. Jessie chuckled.

"Beautiful," he said - and, taking her hand, he moved in to kiss her again. "Perfect."

Evelyn stared at the bird, quizzically. "Does...does that mean you want me to continue?"

Evelyn blinked at the bird—once, twice, thrice—in rapid succession. She then shrugged and figured that if Adeline wanted her to stop, she’d peck her to death. Or just transform back and cover her mouth.

“Well…to be perfectly honest, I don’t remember when you came to the Temple but…you remember back when the First War started? As soon as I heard—I joined the Overseer. Strange, actually. Immediately after I made my choice, my college was COMPLETELY destroyed. The only reason most of us survived was because we were out on the Quad for an art festival. Sad, really,” Evelyn paused, but only momentarily.

“I wandered into a nearby town, as most of us did. I was particularly skilled in healing, only because of my grandmother, of course, and I worked in a medic tent. There was a…disagreement about a patient. I left and wandered for a while, trying to help. I think I might have been more of a hindrance than anything. That was when I heard one of Lorika’s speeches and…well, my life has never been the same.”



Andreas hummed softly, the melodic notes hitting his brothers’ ears with ease. When he began singing, the gruffness had completely gone from him.

Upon the hearth the fire is red,
Beneath the roof there is a bed;
But not yet weary are our feet,
Still round the corner we may meet
A sudden tree or standing stone
That none have seen but we alone.
Tree and flower, leaf and grass,
Let them pass! Let them pass!
Hill and water under sky,
Pass them by! Pass them by!

It was understood. Of course it was. This was Andreas’s way of apologizing. His way of asking for forgiveness. Judging by his brothers’ reactions—Aloisius’s eyes were drooping as he sat at the bow of the ship, Armin was swaying slightly as he steered the boat—he was. Andres smiled at this thought, and for once, he didn’t look threatening in the least.

Evelyn once again, blinked at the bird as she chewed at the ends of her manipulated hair. Evelyn shrugged and pulled the bird close, while up above, the brothers docked the boat. Evelyn looked at the bird seriously and moved her to her shoulders.

Armin was at the door a few moments later, knocking. “Miss Evelyn, we’re at the public dock.”

A wave of confusion passed over Evie, but only for a moment before she pushed it away. She stood and unlocked the door. It opened a few moments later, Armin standing outside of it, about to bow. However he stopped when he saw the bird.

“Is something wrong, Armin?” Evelyn asked, her hand absentmindedly petting the beautiful bird on the head. Her eyes held a light warning, just enough to let him know he didn’t have the right to ask.

He finished his bow, and smiled awkwardly. “Oh, no, miss. I was just hoping you wouldn’t mind we were at the public dock. The family’s is under construction. Miss Jocelyn said it was too dark and frightened her children.”

Both Armin and Evelyn snorted with laughter. “Oh, my Overseer, what does she expect? It’s UNDERGROUND!”

Armin laughed and offered his arm out to Evelyn to lead her up. “Oh, but you know Miss Jocelyn. Everything must be just so. She can’t have her babies affright.”

Evelyn continued laughing and pressed her face into Armin’s arm in an attempt to stop it. When they reached the top of the stair and were faced with the other Alton brothers, she had calmed down. Before he realized her presence, she was able to witness a small moment of Andreas completely at peace. He was smiling, completely unthreateningly. It was moments like these that Evelyn forgot how cruel he could be. She forgot the mean things he had done to her when she was a child. She even forgot the brutality he had shown to her hardly an hour ago.

As if sensing, her thoughts, Andreas turned and saw her. All the kindness flew from his face. His eyes centered in on the bird. “What’s that?”

Evelyn reached up and grabbed the end of one of her braids, specifically avoiding what he was refrencing. “It’s hair, Andreas. Just simply enchanted.”

Andreas looked like he might challenge it. But the thought left him as soon as it entered. “Al is bringing the car around.” Armin looked at his brother, with glaring expectance. Andreas nearly sighed. “Miss.”

Evelyn was shocked, and was almost certain her face betrayed it; however Andreas didn’t change the bored, begrudgingly condescending, but overall respecting look he was giving her. Andreas referring to her as “miss?” This only happened in front of her father or grandmother. She resisted the urge to look around for one of them. She might have, if it wasn’t for a honking.
Armin moved away from the pair (plus bird), and looked over the edge of the boat to see Aloisius waving out the car—a black Hummer (obviously Andreas’s). With a roll of his eyes, Andreas moved and leapt over the edge, landing softly on the deck. Armin went down the stairs, disappearing.

Evelyn moved to the edge and thought for a second to wait for Armin to come back to help her over the edge. Oh, what the hell am I thinking? Andreas is employed by my family. He has to help me. Right? He won’t let me fall in the water. Would he?

Before she could stop herself, Evelyn coughed. Andreas turned back and looked at her. He held in an annoyed sigh and rolled his eyes, but moved back to the boat anyway.

“Yes…miss?” he almost seemed to be grinding his teeth.

She nearly reconsidered, but she thought that would just make him angrier. “Would you help me over the side?”

Another annoyed sigh, but he offered a hand up, which Evelyn took and jumped over the side. She was almost surprised that he didn’t let her drop into the ocean, but then again, so was he. However, the bird reached out and nearly bit his hand. If it wasn’t for his lightning fast speed, he may have lost a few good fingers.

Sighing, the musician began to explain.

"Well, for starters, I have had issues with that girl since I was a teenager. It's a long story, and I don't want to delve into it right now," the girl said. "As for the recent incident...I happened to be meeting two individuals in the Main Hall who recently came back to the Temple from far away...Alexi and Sven are their names. Cressa and Jessie happened to be in the vicinity too when all of a sudden...she appeared."

Forte paused a moment to consider her next choice of words. She wanted to keep them as clean as possible.

"Her name is Glee Harmony," she continued. "But even that's not her real name. She is a self-centered, spoiled little rich girl who grew up getting everything she wanted whenever she wanted it. I firmly believe she hadn't heard the word 'no' until she entered school. Anyway, she came in and, it being in her nature, had to show off. She started mouthing off, so I simply stepped in to put her in her place. She lunged at me, so I made one of her shoes disappear, not just to make her fall for my and the others' amusement, but also to prevent her from running into the Captain, who had positioned himself between where the both of us stood shortly before." She paused again for a breath.

"Because she's so horribly materialistic and would potentially kill for her shoes, Glee was angry and attempted to go after me again, but I had a strategy in mind. The way to best resolve the situation without it resorting to any sort of violence was to quite literally play upon what is potentially her greatest fear. Unfortunately, to carry this out I needed to lure her to the music room, so to do this as well as to protect myself from her 'attack', I ran. She, along with Alexi and Sven, followed me here and after a brief conversation, I played the organ and she panicked, running away screaming."

The musician took a deep breath, finishing her story.

"That's the gist of it," Forte said. "My apologies for a rather lengthy description of a fast-paced event, as well as my manner of speech if it confused you...I'm oft-criticized for it being rather archaic and strange, but I suppose that's just how I am." She laughed slightly, feeling slightly better than she had before. It seemed all she needed was to get the day's events off her chest.