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 Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 12:01 pm
❖☾Stage 4 Solo 1❖☾
Five years.
It had been five years since Mnyiri had left Jauhar and in all that time she hadn’t thought too much about the outside world. In all honesty, her life had revolved around family and her heart had never felt so full.
She’d meant to move out on her own years ago, but as it turned out, she just ended up crashing at Osika’s house for a few more years. The two weren’t ‘romantic’ in the least, but they had become rather close partners. It was nice just having someone close enough that understood it all without asking too much. Mnyiri watched Vivi and Ceres while Osika hunted and while Osika was home Mnyiri either continued her studies or visited with her shifter family. The situation at home kept the single mother from being overwhelmed and Mnyiri was never lonely. It was strange by all accounts, but it just worked.
She loved taking the girls for walks through the dense vegetation and pointing out hidden waterfalls and bathing pools. Her lessons always seemed so much more fun with them around, even when Ceres would inevitably have a meltdown. She was just over five now and while she was growing out of her fits they still came like a summer storm. Vivi, for the most part, wanted to learn, but she was so so so stubborn that when she decided lessons were over, they were over. It was enough to drive Mnyiri insane some days, but at the same time...she couldn’t live without it.
It hadn’t dawned on her how much she enjoyed having children around until Mnyiri got her own home.
The structure wasn’t far in the least, just a short walk from Osika’s, but since the girls were getting bigger they wanted their own rooms so instead of adding on Mnyiri had opted to bail. She’d explained that it would be better this way, had certainly rationalized it, what with all of her study materials leaking out into other areas of the house but now that she had a small place of her own it just seemed...too quiet.
So, every night around dinner, she still ended up back at Osika’s. The other alkidike had accepted the first night with a knowing smirk but more than a week later and she was telling her friend to just move back.
And then…
“Why not just have one of your own? It’s not as hard as you think.” Osika laughed. They’d branched away from home for a while so the girls could run out some steam after dinner, and run they did! Ceres was chasing Vivi like a radaku gone mad while the older girl was frantically looking for anywhere to hide.
“You think I haven’t thought of it before? I was going to, you know, after Vivi was born.”
“Then why didn’t you go through with it?”
“I just...I don’t know. I just didn’t think Aisha would approve.”
“Oh so you’re a Mystic now? You can talk to her and interpret her will?”
Mnyiri reached over to shove Osika who just laughed in return. “I’m being serious!”
“So am I! Mnyiri, I’ve seen a lot of sisters go to Aisha and ask for her blessing. A lot of sisters who, let’s face it, should have been thrown out, but here they are, daughters on each hip.” To illustrate her point Osika slapped a hand on each of her full hips, causing Mnyiri to snort. “I’ve seen the way you look at the girls. Just...think about it and if you don’t want to then don’t.”
Could I?
Would it be possible for someone like her to get her own lotus blossom? She’d worked so hard to be seen as worthy in the eyes of the elders for so long that Mnyiri had lost herself, but now...Now she was happier than ever simply because she’d embraced what had made her so miserable in the first place! Her grandfather was a lovely old man and surely Aisha had known that. She would have been able to see the love in her grandmother’s heart, the same love that had been passed down to her mother’s and now...now it could be in her heart as well.
“You know what they’ll say; that we should have just gone together and been done with it.”
“Why? These are my daughters and this will be yours; just because they’ll be raised together doesn’t mean anything. We can just get a really big house; you’ll have your half, I’ll have mine and we can share a dining space.”
“That...sounds like a mess.”
Osika laughed. “Doesn’t it, though?”
“I think...I’d like to. I really do.” What’s the worst that could happen? Being told no? Mnyiri had grown so used to the word that it was practically branded on her skin anyway. In a time of peace like this there just wasn’t any reason not to. She wanted to have a little one of her own while she was still young enough to enjoy being a mother, and time was starting to get away from her. She’d spent the majority of her youth chasing knowledge instead of girls and now Mnyiri was thinking it wasn’t such a bad thing.
Sure, she didn't have a ‘partner’ partner at her side, but she would be far from alone raising this girl.
[WC 920]
[3]
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Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 12:08 pm
❖☾Stage 4 Solo 2❖☾
Mnyiri had taken a trip of her own to Oba just to clear her head. It wasn’t often that she visited the fire nation, but she’d needed a breather. The topic of approaching Aisha for a child of her own had consumed her thoughts as of late. Should she? Shouldn’t she? What kind of daughter would she have? Would her child resent her for being born a hybrid or would she pass for a full blooded sister?
For a few weeks Mnyiri had stayed away, but in the end she’d returned to Chibale. She left Mvua behind with Osika and made her journey to the Great Mother alone. It wasn’t how she’d planned this to go; when she was little she dreamed to this day and it had always involved a lover at her side. Someone bold and kind, smart and funny, but Mnyiri was older now. She could see her wants and needs for what they truly were which helped her to understand that seeking out the Great Mother’s blessing on her own was truly the right thing to do.
If the elder who led her to Aisha was judgemental she kept silent about it. Maybe she could see how nervous Mnyiri was or the way she kept fiddling with the straps around her waist? It’s alright; the worst she can do is say no. And that would be that, wouldn’t it? And yet...Mnyiri knew she would be devastated to be turned away like that. Now that she was growing used to the idea of being a mother it was all her heart could think about which led to many a sleepless night.
At long last the moment was upon her, and once the elder stepped aside Mnyiri made her plea. “Hey, um...I don’t really know what I’m supposed to say here.” She turned to look at the elder who just huffed.
“Speak from your heart. She’ll listen.” The older alkidike waved her on.
Mnyiri took a deep breath and tried again. “I know...I’ve not been the best daughter. I’ve gone against tradition time and time again. Some of my best friends are earthlings and I’ve spent as much time on the shores of Matori as I have here, with you.” Why was it suddenly so much harder just to speak her mind? Mnyiri had never had an issue with it before! And yet, now….now she was almost scared to speak. Was this how her mothers had felt?
Looking up into Aisha’s full branches, decorated in so many lovely blossoms, made Mnyiri envious. Could she really have one just like them one day?
“I’m not a perfect warrior, but I’ve never lost my way. I’ve always held a special place for you in my heart and I hope that maybe, just maybe, you’ve kept me in yours.” Mnyiri took a step closer and smiled. “I want a daughter. I’ve learned so much and I want to share it with a little one of my very own. Osika will help me; she’ll show me how to be a good mother and I’m sure that my sisters will be there by my side the whole way!”
She could see that, right? That even though this child would take after Mnyiri she would be a part of the next generation of Amazons and thus, a daughter of Aisha. That it would take a team effort to raise her even if she only called one her mother.
“Please, I hope you’ll consider my request. I know I’m not the most traditional of your daughters, but I’ve tried, I really have.” Mnyiri had always strived to be a good person even if she was pushed away. Some of the older alkidike still looked at her dreads with disgust, but she never let that stop her, and now the younger generation just saw her as part of the group. Times were changing and she hoped that would make her chances of being a mother even greater.
[WC 669]
[2]
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Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 1:48 pm
❖☾Stage 4 Solo 3❖☾
After making her plea, Mnyiri hadn’t traveled far. She stayed as close as was allowed, just in case she was needed and the whole process had her so fidgety! At first her nerves had manifested in an almost manic energy that allowed her to burn through several texts she’d been meaning to study. She’d made a little camp on Jauhar’s shore line, just out of sight for any other travelers but also close enough for the elders to see. Several times she’d seen couples reunited on the shore line with little bundles in their arms and time after time wondered if she would get her chance. Days passed with Mnyiri twisting her hands anxiously. She tried not to get too excited when she saw an approaching figure, but the disappointment was there all the same when she wasn’t called for.
Eventually Mnyiri packed up her camp and went home, but only for the night. Each sunrise brought a new day and a new waiting game. Osika tried to coax her into more productive activities to take her mind off it, but Mnyiri was a woman obsessed. What if...what if she hadn’t been picked? Wouldn’t that be the ultimate sign? That no matter how hard she tried she would never be viewed as a sister, even by the Great Mother herself?
One month was nothing; just a little longer to wait.
Two months was worrisome.
And by the third...Mnyiri had given up hope.
Still, she prayed every day and made her pilgrimage to the shore.
One morning, when the sun was still small in the sky, a boat waited on the shore. Mnyiri looked around for the Amazon it waited on, but the elder inside simply motioned her closer. A spark of hope bloomed inside of her. Could it be…?!
“Congratulations, Mnyiri. I’ve been asked to bring you to Aisha so you can see your bloom.”
Mnyiri screamed. She didn’t think; she just ran to the elder and threw her arms around the older woman's shoulders, jostling both of them atop the little boat. The older woman complained and tried to free herself, but Mnyiri was having none of that. “A mother! I’m going to be a mommy! A mama? WHO CARES IT’S HAPPENING!” She was so happy that she kissed the older woman’s forehead. “I was starting to think that maybe she didn’t like me, that she was going to reject me and now-"
“Child, if you do not calm down you’ll drop us both into the water!”
“Ah, sorry, so sorry.” Mnyiri smiled sheepishly and back off, just a bit. She was still close enough to reach out to the elder, but the older woman seemed resigned to it. “I’m just...really happy. It’s my first time.”
“Couldn’t tell.” The elder’s expression was as dead pan as her delivery. “Would you like to see her?”
“YES, oh yes, please, yes, that would just be the best.” Mnyiri practically vibrated with energy. This was it, it was really happening!
The trip to Chibale was the longest journey of Mnyiri’s life. She just wanted to be there already! To see that precious little lotus blossom with her own eyes…My baby, my little sweet pea. She had so much to do in preparation, but all of that seemed to pale in comparison to this moment. I’ll visit every day that I can that way she’ll know she’s loved! And a name! A baby needed a name! But what?! There was just so much to do, but thankfully, Mnyiri had a little time to get it all in order.
Right now, though, she only wanted to spend some time with her lil flower.
[WC 631]
[2]
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Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2021 6:06 pm
❖☾Stage 4 Solo 4❖☾
Fifteen years.
It had been fifteen years since Zakia had bloomed and in all that time she hadn’t thought about a second blessing. In the moment one had been enough. She was a single mother after all, and one without a stable home of her own. Mnyiri traveled across Tendaji; rarely stopping for more than a few months in a single location except for Osika’s hut in Chibale. That had been her main ‘base’ for the entirety of Zakia’s life and in all honesty, she supposed Osika was her common law companion as far as earthlings were concerned. They were single mothers choosing to combine forces and raise their daughters together so they could provide a family. It was one without romantic love, but one that had certainly had enough affection for all their daughters.
It wasn’t until Zakia started grasping her independence that Mnyiri started to feel the ache of an empty nest. Those years that she chose to remain in Chibale instead of going with her mother to the sanctuary hurt more than Zakia would ever know. Of course, it had been some childish way to get back at the boys; Mnyiri wasn’t fool enough to believe anything else. And yet…
Goddess, traveling just wasn’t as fun without her little buddy! Until her rebellious streak Zakia had been attached to her hip! There wasn’t anything that Mnyiri could do to be rid of her. She absorbed information like a sponge and was eager to experience all that life had to offer. Mnyiri adored it. All that time leading up to this moment was building into something she’d never known she craved.
An actual blood related family.
Mnyiri’s mothers died when she was young and both in violent ways at the hands of Obans. To this day she didn’t entirely trust the country itself, but she was trying. She’d only recently contacted her grandfather’s family, thus building a network of shifters for her daughter to learn from and a connected family she’d never had. As Zakia grew Mnyiri became painfully aware that by choosing to have a daughter on her own she had deprived Zakia of the sort of family she herself craved as a child. Did she resent her for it? Or was it nothing more than fact for her at this point?
And now that Zakia was apprenticing under a Zenan huntress Mnyiri found herself at a crossroads. The hope of her daughter one day regaining her zest for travel was gone. For the time being she was stuck in the frigid North and Mnyiri was left on her own. She could have stayed at the sanctuary and remained close to Zakia during her training. However, Mnyiri had never been someone to remain in one spot for long. She was constantly moving, constantly discovering and experiencing.
So, when the opportunity presented itself to go to Belrea, Mnyiri jumped on it.
Vivi and Ceres had been more worried over Mnyiri’s well being than her own daughter. Or at the very least, they were more apt to show it. The now grown girls outright begged her not to go. They had claimed the airships weren’t safe, that they had even seen one fall right out of the sky (which was impossible, given their location), among so many other things. In the end Mnyiri simply kissed each one of their cheeks and promised to write them when she got there. The same went for Zakia of course, but this one also came with a prolonged hug and a few tears. The trip to Belrea itself would take a while, and her research even longer. The thought of leaving her daughter’s side for a few years….Well, it burned so much more than she ever could have imagined.
But if Zakia was embarking on her own journey then it was time for Mnyiri to start her next chapter.
Honestly, even before arriving in Belrea, Mnyiri knew this was the land for her.
The crew of her airship were subject to a flurry of questions from the moment the hybrid boarded to the moment she departed. How did it fly? Was magic involved? How did you harness steam? What were the pipes made of? How could you measure how much was needed to propel the gears themselves? By the time she landed Mnyiri had filled two whole journals with a mess of notes! She’d even tried to stay aboard for another trip, but she had been asked (Or perhaps pushed) into disembarking.
Of course, it was for the best. Her real goal had been Chiume from the start and it was there that she traveled. There had been a lengthy vetting process, one where she’d remained on the fringes for a few weeks, but in the end Mnyiri had passed security checks. Once there she not only saw Azehra, but the Vandrea as well! And something in her mind just clicked.
What would it be like to have a daughter in this land of opportunity? She could grow up with all the influence of an Aishan culture, but with technological influences? For all the time Mnyiri spent at Azehra’s side, asking questions, and learning of the Vandrea’s origins, she also spent time in Belrea among the earthlings. Perhaps this is what Zakia needed; a bloom sister to share in life once Mnyiri was gone and Mnyiri could have a hand in building the large family she’d always wanted. What had started out as a short lived trip to a foreign land was looking more and more life changing move.
[925]
[3]
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Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2021 6:33 pm
❖☾Stage 4 Solo 5❖☾
The letter she had been writing to her daughter, Zakia, were nonstop. Every single week Mnyiri would send a lengthy package of notes to her daughter via a very exhausted courier detailing her stay. Whether they were all sent out individually or lumped in one giant crate at the end of the month Mnyiri would never know, but she wanted Zakia to be a part of this. An ocean may have separated them, but that didn’t make Mnyiri love her daughter any less! One days he hoped to be connected once again. Just..in different terms. After all, as connected as Mnyiri was to Aisha, she was started to understand that Chiume and Belrea itself was her true ‘hub’.
Maybe that was why she had never really been able to make a home in Chibale? She loved Aisha with all of her being, was eternally grateful for the life of her daughter, btu there had always been something missing. Something she hadn’t been able to truly grasp until coming to Chiume. Mnyiri herself had apprenticed herself under a Belrean physician and was learning so much about modern earthling medical practices that her notebooks were skyrocketing! The lightning race! My goodness weren’t they just the brightest earthlings she had ever seen?! And the Geians! So soft in their greens, like a fresh spring grass, with the loveliest markings!
For the umpteenth time that month Mnyiri made her way to Azehra’s side, passing by several elders with smiling faces and the oddest of looks. Of course, she knew why they were looking at her like that. They didn’t expect Azehra to hear her. Why should she? She was such a young goddess, full of potential but a fraction of her mother’s strength. Mnyiri knew it was a long shot to speak with her, but she didn’t care. She’d learned so many years ago that waiting around for someone else to find your courage for you only led to heart ache. The worst possible outcome was a solid ‘no’ and even then, she’d never been one for giving up.
“Good morning, Azehra!” An older Alkidike stopped what she was doing to glower at Mnyrii’s overly loud, chipper tone.
“This is a place of reverence and prayer-“
“Precisely why I’ve come.” She quipped and not so subtly waved the woman on. “Sorry, I’ll be quieter just go on about your business. This is private.”
Scrunching her face up, the other alkidike did as she was ‘bid’ and Mnyiri felt herself relax a little. This never got easier, no matter how many times she practiced it. “Good morning. I know that many others have come to you already and asked for your help, but I’m here again. I hope that you’ll at least here what I have to say.”
Shaking the jitters out of her arms, Mnyiri took a deep breath and exhaled quickly. “I feel greedy for asking since Aisha has already granted me with a bloom of my own, but I hope you would help me as well. I wanted my daughter to have a sister, a true bloom sister, so that she’ll have family should something ever happen to me. Until my daughter was born, I was alone. I had friends that are closer to me than kin, but it wasn’t the same. I know an ocean will separate them, but if I can cross then surely one day they can as well. One of Aisha, one of you; they’ll have the best of both worlds to make each other stronger.”
In her heart Mnyiri knew this was a good call. Azehra would hear her, despite what the others thought, and her family would grow. Right?
[613]
[2]
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Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2021 6:27 pm
❖☾Stage 4 Solo 6❖☾
Unlike the first time she’d asked for a bloom, Mnyiri was much more relaxed. While there were worries that she wouldn’t be accepted she had also come to terms with it. She hadn’t walked into this with grand expectations and a world of doubt on her shoulders. The hybrid knew her place in the world and firmly believed that if Aisha saw her as worthy to be a mother, then surely Azehra would too. The only thing that may hold her back was the shifter blood in her veins. Azehra herself might be too young to accommodate it and even though she had been told it would likely be pushed to the wayside anyway there was still thoughts of rejection there.
Still, Mnyiri tried not to dwell on it. There was so much more to experience in Chiume and plenty of stories to write back to Zakia. Of course, she told her about every time she visited Azehra, about looking up into the bows of her growing branches and the hope inside of her heart. It was hard not to be disappointed when others were called to meet their blooms, but Mnyiri knew that one day she would be called. The researcher may not have had a great deal of patience for most things in life, but in this she did.
So it came to be that when she was ready to write her next letter to Zakia, the news had changed.
Good morning dew drop,
How are you? Has Maud gotten over her cough? Your last message had me worried for her, but hopefully she’s been able to see an actual healer. Natural remedies are all well and good, but I don’t think drinking that much fermented roati blood is good for you. I hope you’ve taken proper precautions not to catch what she had! I don’t know if it passes from earthlings to alkidike, but you can’t be too careful.
No news of travels today, but I have something better! You’re a big sister!
Azehra blessed me with a bloom! Can you believe it?! I thought elder Grisha’s heart was going to stop! I can’t tell you how happy I am! I’m sending you some coin and a boarding pass for an airship. I understand if you can’t come right away, but I hope you’ll be here to meet her as soon as you can! I’ve been assured that she won’t bloom for a while now, though. I wish I could hold her NOW. How do they even KNOW it’s mine? How can they just tell? I couldn’t even tell when I was looking, but somehow, it’s always right. As soon as I saw you I knew you were mine.
My heart feels like it couldn’t possibly be any fuller. It just makes me remember when you were a baby. You had the tiniest toes I’ve ever seen and now look at you! I remember when you were learning how to walk. You had the funniest way of positioning your toes and we all thought there was something wrong with your foot. Do you think she’ll be the same way? I just know you’ll love her, and she’ll absolutely ADORE you, just like I do.
I’m sending a letter to Rhonann too, like always, so have her help you pack. It’s a lot warmer here than it is in Zena, so you’ll need something lighter when you meet her. Maybe you can ask Azreal to escort you? He’s an educated young man so I’m sure he would enjoy the challenges that Belrea can present him. Plus, it would be nice to know you aren’t on your own.
With love,
Mama
[612]
[2]
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