Welcome to Gaia! ::

RP

[PRP Chibale] You're Old Enough Now [Eshe x Aselia]

The room Aselia was sitting in was darker than the rooms she usually found herself sitting in. Perhaps it was the mood that the Elders carried with them today that made things harder. She had positioned herself in the room near the wall behind Eshe. It was the place she was supposed to sit. It was her spot, as a mystic in training it was part of her life to sit in on these kinds of things. Meetings with the elder. And of course Eshe being the current voice of Aisha, Aselia was required to remain absolutely silent. Though that had been very hard in some of the previous meetings. She had wanted to interject her own opinions. She had wanted to be heard.

Even though it wasn't her place, her job was to observe. Listen, and watch, but not to speak. Her sight cast downwards in a reverent manner as the Elders soon trickled into the room. This time, Aselia had noticed a change in the positions some of the women took around the table. Some that often sat beside each other were not sitting together. Aselia wanted to ask why but knew better than to speak up. She watched as each Elder in turn took a seat. Her eyes moving to Eshe as she started speaking first.

"It seems that everyone is ready now. As before I'll be moderating the meeting today," Eshe paused, "So I would like to start with those to my right. What are your feelings about the current affairs?"

"We never objected to the festival in the first place." Came the voice of one, she was slowly scratching the side of her chin with a twig sticking out of the side of her mouth.

Aselia's antenna twitched. Today's meeting was about a festival? She tried to rake her mind over what it could be before she settled on the reminder that spring was starting. Spring was an important time and there were many who liked to celebrate the time. She had heard talk of people wanting to create a sort of festival around the isle to help share the joy with those around them. Aselia had thought it was a good idea, something that could help pull her sisters together. After what she had heard the Elders talking about when it came to the war it seemed fitting to have something to bring light back to their lives.

But spring festivals had already one major one, a festival that required all the sisters to return to Aisha. Was this not the festival that they spoke of? Or where they seeking something minor. Like a pre-festival?

"Yeah, and festivals shouldn't be discarded." Came the voice of another who sat beside the first. Aselia was getting the distinct impression that she was glaring at an elder across the table from her.

The Alkidike across the table spoke up next. "It's not like we are going to neglect our mother Aisha in this. That festival will not be moved!" The woman looked to Eshe as if asking for confirmation only to see her nod her head.

"Yeah that's right." There seemed to be a wave of nods around the room as Aselia remained still and listened. She needed more information not to mention the way they spoke the tension in the room didn't seem like the source of the meeting was about an upcoming festival that others wanted to put together. There seemed to be a much more serious conflict that needed to be talked over among them. Were they trying to settle the tension beforehand? To many of them were fidgeting.

Her eyes snapped to another Elder as she stood up abruptly anger clearly flamed in her face. "You know that's not what this meeting is about. Lets stop dancing about the subject. I'm not in the mood to talk about festival preparations, you know we have a more pressing issue at hand. We can't have a proper festival with the Alkidikes all up in arms with one another. We just had a war for Aisha's sake! We can't afford for there to be an uprising of any kind. The festival can wait a little while there is still time before we need to worry about it's preparations."

There was a resounding grumble around the room. A murmuring that turned into a frightful noise in Aselia's mind. Like the sound of agitated bees. She shivered but remained as still as she could in the back. Waiting until Eshe raised her hand and the room fell silent. Aselia would never get enough awe at the way the Mystic could quell the fighting.

"I'm sure some of you know that there's an uprising starting. That there is a band of Alkidikes going about causing alot of problems." Aselia closed her eyes as she listened to the Elders words. She had a little knowledge of what was going on. There were some factions that were starting to rear their heads in the Alkidike groups around Chibale. She had run into a few of a sort of extremist group not long ago. The group themselves had been known for the death of several hybrids who had approached Aisha in the past. They had approached her because she had openly made a show of searching for Rishima.

From there word had spread that she was a sympathizer of the hybrids. One of the groups Sisters had come forward to ask her some questions when she was in the market the other day. The questions had made her uncomfortable. And she knew it wasn't her place to say anything, she had also forgotten to bring them up to Eshe later on during the training the following day. As it was, Aselia was still learning how to be a Mystic, still learning about herself and the large World.

"She's right, there's a growing number of Sisters who are now taking it upon themselves to purge our people of any earthling blood. Their numbers used to be few, but now they seem to be growing."

"You would think with the war over there would be less conflict. Not more!"

Aselia stared down at the markings on her body. Had it not been for the fact that the one person who had risked his life to save hers was a hybrid himself. Would she have joined this powerful band of sisters who clung so tightly to the ancient ways? She balled her hands into fists against her thighs. What were they thinking?

No, what was she thinking. Tradition, rules, training, standards, there was pride in what they did. How they conducted themselves. It's what allowed them to be considered the strongest race, the one that earthlings should fear. However with the expanse of the known world of Tendaji, earthlings didn't fear them as much anymore. And they were becoming a scattered people. As such, Alkidikes were abandoning traditions, many were finding love in the earthlings. Increasing the amount of hybrids Aisha gave life too.

Aselia ran a hand over her markings. Earthlings seemed to have gods of their own, though none gave them life or seemed as reachable as Aisha. The Suruhama for example, though she didn't understand much, from what she had tried to understand was that it had been considered as something sacred to some of the earthlings. Like Aisha was to the Alkidike. Were there reasons for that? Many had considered her unnatural because of the link she shared with something other than Aisha.

But she was still Alkidike at heart. What if even hybrids had that ability, Rishima was evidently devoted to Aisha. Even other hybrids she had met wanted to follow the Alkidike traditions. Could room not be made for them as readily as if they were pure sisters? They had great skills that could be of great use to them, right? What if the hybrids that yearned to be with Aisha were protected among the Alkidikes, could that not strengthen them as a whole? Bring back the fear into the earthlings and restore their pride as a people?

A voice cut through Aselias thinking causing her hands to ball up into fists in her lap again. "It's the lack of Pride our sisters carry."

"Something must be done."

"Eshe, what does Aisha have to say about this?" A voice that had been silent through the meeting was only now speaking up. It was a change from the growing tempers of the others in the room. She had a calmer spirit about her. It wasn't the first time Aselia had noticed the calmer demeanor.

Everyone including Eshe seemed to sit in silence. It was making Aselia feel uneasy, like the feeling of the calm before a great storm. She wanted to speak up to say something. Knowing it wasn't her place. Wanted to offer ideas and suggestions, but her own anger would only fuel on the ones already building. Her hands tightened, this wasn't like any of the meetings she had been allowed to sit on so far. The previous ones had been pleasant, often just sitting about the weather, or recapping events from the war as they were released.

"Leave Eshe to her thinking." Came one loud voice. Causing Aselia to jump, her eyes flicked up to see the elder before looking away.

"What if we did as proposed. Banning all hybrids. Don't even let the earthlings near enough to plead for a child." Aselia's eyes sharpened on the elder. Aisha created those hybrids, allowed them to be born just as she had all the other Alkidikes. Why would banning them from the island solve any problems. Her heart ached for the few hybrids she did know, for Rishima most. When she had met him he had looked so happy to be near Aisha, had been proud that he was able to serve Eshe and in such an important way. Aselia could only speculate, but to rip away the very thing that she assumed was important to him. Would be enough to cause so much pain and loss, they might forever lose a great warrior. But it wasn't just Rishima. There had been many hybrids who had proven themselves great and honorable Children of Aisha.

"I agree, banning them from Aisha will be a good thing. Strengthen our people the way we were in the past. We need to be stronger as we continue to explore." It was hard for Aselia not to speak out. Not to tell off the Elder, she wanted to tell them that Aisha knew the course of each of them. That to ban hybrids would only cause them all more pain as a whole. That hybrids had a strength they needed. They couldn't just turn them away because of wanting to stick to the past.

Aselia could feel her body shaking with the anger. There had to be another way, they were not as feared now would that not lead way for them to allow the earthlings to integrate? With the ever expanding world, they had no idea what lay beyond what they knew. What if there was something far more dangerous out there than anything they could imagine. What if uniting everyone as a whole was the better option? Was there any other way? It wasn't like she could plead Aisha for a part of her. To find another island for her to grow a second Aisha and allow that one to be only for the Hybrids. The idea left her as quickly as it had come. No that would be a travesty. A crime to even think of, a sin.

Gritting her teeth Aselia was thankful that Eshe was finally speaking up. "I will need to talk with Aisha on this matter. We will meet again for further discussion in a few weeks time."

There was tension that refused to leave the air as the elders stood to leave. Anger that raged within the Prentice mystic. Her eyes looking to Eshe for help, what was it that raged on within her mind?

((Word count 2010))

RP

[Chibale] (Aselia/V'demhe)

RP

[PRP Jahaur/Tale] So we meet again (Aselia / V'demhe)

Battle
http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=24722059