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 Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 1:36 pm
A door? How strange for a door to open where there was none. It added to the dream like quality of her ordeal. She stepped through, as instructed to the warmth of the inside of a building, very different from the snowscape they had travelled from.
She stopped once through the doorway and took a moment to take it all in, it was like no building she had ever been in before. Her family had a large house, though it was mostly bare stone walls and floors, sparse furniture. This was how a palace must look, a vast hallway of doors, some ornate, some plain, the floors were polished wood and it was warm, that struck her most.
Sann raised an eyebrow as they entered the Pantheon, it had been a very very long time since she had been there, though not this incarnation of the hall of gods. She preferred to keep to the underworld, it was comfortable there, no ceremony to uphold, fewer people who might take offence at her nature.
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 1:46 pm
Ankou would come in last, and the runes on the door would simply fade away from the surface as he crossed into the pantheon proper. No mortal from that world would be able to follow them here.
Ankou would have once agreed with his valkyrie - really, Sanngrigor and he were not all that different when it came down to it, on a basic personality level - but right now the Underworld certainly did not feel like an home.
"Over here." He would guide host and valkyrie toward one of the doors, adorned with forgets-me-nots, a vulture and a crow, each holding a candle. He would have each touch it to attune the two beings to it so that they could come and go freely before stepping inside.
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 2:27 pm
Well, if you were on your last legs this certainly wasn't a bad place to spend your final months. Once Alva had stopped gaping at the building around her she took a moment to focus on the door that the god had led them to. It was certainly very interesting, something her brothers would have had off its hinges and for sale down the market before anyone could blink. As she reached out to touch it she noticed the door adjacent to it, much brighter in colour, a mosaic, that would fetch more.
"Is this your home?" She asked, the door seemed self explanatory really, a representation of him. Though how could a god live in one room? Surely he should have a palace.
Sanngrigor was slowly remembering more and more of the life she had lost, of the god they wandered with. Ankou, their commander, he could not remember him having rooms at the pantheon, though times changed, gods changed, as he said. None of them were what they had once been.
She stepped inside behind him and raised an eyebrow, the brightness, the colourful tiles, certainly not something she associated with the spirit guide.
"This is ... different."
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 2:39 pm
"Yes, it is where I live when I am here." It would prove not to be one room, but a network of rooms - certainly much bigger than the space outside would have made anyone think it could be.
"Though I am not the only one to live here." He would have to explain this to Cosine, but surely she would understand... ?
And someone was bound and determined to reveal that fact more fully before Ankou could. Sann would see her first - a little mischievous face peeking out from one door frame of one of the brighter-colored rooms. What was this ? New friends ?
But there was something much more important to do. The fact that her father was in mid-explanation would do nothing to stop Caelia from tackling him. "DAAAAAAAAADDY~"
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 2:55 pm
Sann did see the little face with mischevous eyes peering round the dorr frame. Still she ignored it, it was a child ... they were of no interest to her. An irritant at best. However as the little being charged towards Ankou it was the shouted name from her mouth that caught her attention. What the ... she looked Ankou over slightly bemused.
Alva was far too busy taking in the amazing palace they seemend to be in. It was richly decorated and seemed so much bigger than anything outside. The child's shout drew her attention down. Daddy? she was just as intrigued, though obviously did not have any pre concieved notions of this god and his character. In her world the gods fathered children, by mortals and each other, it was generally a big free for all when you were divine.
The goddess within her however was intrigued, having been quiet since her name was spoken. Now she was interested. Ankou ... and a child? It seemed she was just as bemused as the Valkyrie.
He would never have got near enough to another being to create one.
Not that a god needed another to pro-create, this godling did not look much like him though ...
Cosine had been sat in one of the comfortable seates areas, reading when she herad her daughter's cry. Smiling she placed her book down and stood. She stepped out into the main atrium and raised an eyebrow. there he stood with two young women, not entirely surprising, new people were becoming a more regular occurance.
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 3:14 pm
And quite suddenly, Ankou found himself with the issue of dealing with a happy, wriggling young lady while attempting to look dignified at the same time.
So far, the latter was not working so hot. Sann would earn herself a look as if to say 'Well, you have something to say about that ?'
Caelia was quite oblivious to the shock her existence had caused not only to the valkyrie, but to the goddess unseen. She clambered her way up and Ankou would have little choice but to move to support her, as she slid her little arms around his neck.
"Look, mom !" Caelia chirped when she saw her mother follow her. "Dad brought friends home again !"
Erm.
Well.
"...I should probably have warned you first." Why did those things always occur to him after the fact ? "But, yes. This is Sanngrigor, a valkyrie. And Alva. She is host to... my sister."
Maybe. Probably ? The look on his face would tell Cosine all she needed to know - he had no damn idea what was really going on right now.
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Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 1:41 pm
Sann returned the god's look with a smirke as the little creature began to use him like a climbing wall. He wasn't kidding when he said that times had changed, as well as gods.
Alva and the goddess within her also watched the little girl. Alva with as much curiosity as Val. She was quite cute in an obnoxious way, Alva thought. Val was merely amused. How could such an outgoing child be a product of the reclusive god.
When they addressed another, Alva looked across the vast, open room to the rather well endowed woman that appeared with a look of confusion on her face. Now he could see who the little girl favoured in looks.
Cosine smiled at the confusion on Ankou's face and walked over towards them. "A sister?" She was just as clueless as him. Neither he nor Nergal had ever expressed any knowledge of another close family member.
Something niggled at Val, but she was weak and tired, sister? no, that did not seem right somehow. One brother, yes but two?
"Well, then welcome, I am Cosine, goddess of Number. I will have Zeta and Zero make some beds up for you, it's a little crowded around here, but I'm sure you'll fit in."
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Posted: Mon Jul 15, 2013 2:03 pm
"It would seem so." As far as he knew, anyway. The only way to know for sure what was what would be to sit down and have a talk with the goddess - who, based on his own experience, might not be completely aware and would likely not remember much. Alva was also weary, so this was probably best left for later.
"Sann, the valkyrie quarters are down this hall. Eir and Hrist should be there, unless Skuld dragged them off to train." He would use the names she was used to for the time being, though he knew Salinath still favored the name given to him in this life... for obvious reasons.
Caelia was, of course, clueless as to the confusion going all around. "Does that mean I get another aunt ?" She didn't have that many of those, beside aunt Echo, whom she had only seen one or twice, and she had always seemed so.... sad. Nice, pretty and kind, but sad.
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Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 12:36 am
Aunt. Alva looked at the family and breathed in deeply, seems there was much to learn on both her part and that of the goddess. They both wondered how long Valyrmora had been lying dormant, what she had missed, what she remembered. The idea of a bed seemed good to the young woman, looking at the apartment they were in it would be a real bed. When was the last time she had been able to sleep in one of those.
"Thank you." She replied to the green clad goddess. Still feeling rather dazed.
Sann listened to the names of her sisters and felt a bit of excitement. How long had it been since she had seen them last? Hard to say, it certainly felt like an eternity.
"Thank you my lord." She replied, bowing her head respectfully. She wondered if they would be pleased to see her too.
"It seems that way." Cosine replied to Caelia, though both she and Ankou knew this would be far from straightforward. Cosine did not know what influence the goddess was, though a sister would likely be Underworld related somehow, the implications of that could be important.
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Posted: Tue Jul 16, 2013 4:01 pm
"Kara and Byrnhildr are here also, but I believe they are tending to other matters at the moment." And that was the whole of the valkyries who walked the worlds in awareness again. Not that many in the grand scheme of things, but it was still better than a whole order brought to it's knees, never to rise again.
Start small, expend. There was not much else that could be done.
"Would you like something to eat ?" He offered to both valkyrie and host. Or perhaps Alva would prefer sleep ? He really had no idea. Mortals were so... fragile.
"Anima and I made cookies earlier." Caelia would interject. Clearly this was the best deal either of them could ever hope for !
And by help, mostly the aoide had done most of the work, and she'd licked the batter bowl clean when she thought her mother wasn't looking.
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Posted: Wed Jul 17, 2013 11:26 am
“I would like to greet my sisters first.” Sanngrigor declared, as much as she was not much of a people person it felt strange to be without them, to have forgotten them. She could not remember what they looked like, not that they would still look like that. If she had changed they certainly would have.
Sleep or food, that was a good question, it felt like a long time since Alva had eaten something substantial. At the little girl’s offer she gave a small smile.
“What is a cookie?” She asked, she’d never heard the word before. By the girl’s excitement it was probably something sweet. Children tended to like sweet things like stewed apples and blackberry pie. “I’d like some food first, then I should sleep.” Perhaps things would be easier to process in the morning or at least she would be stronger to cope with having another person inside her head.
Cosine smirked at Caelia and reached out to ruffle her hair a little.
“Cookies are sweet cake like things. We will get you something hearty a stew, then you can try a cookie if you wish.”
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Posted: Wed Jul 17, 2013 11:48 am
"Very well." Sanngrigor could very well do as she wished for now, until she got used to this place. Hopefully she would be able to help with training. Hrist in perticular still had a bit to go, though she was the one of all of them who seemed to have the better grip on walking the soul paths and getting souls to follow her.
What was it with these people not knowing what cookies were ?!? Serious matters, indeed. Thankfully, Caelia was on the trail. Her aunt would know was cookies were soon enough. The hair ruffling would be put up with with child-like exasperation, and then Caelia would wriggle out of her father's hold and jump down as she tended to do.
"I'll show you where the kitchen is !"
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Posted: Wed Jul 17, 2013 12:24 pm
Alva looked from Sann to Ankou and then back down to the child.
“Okay.” She replied, giving her another small smile. She decided she did not wish to offend these people, when in the presence of those stronger than you it was best to scout things out before testing.
Feisty little thing.
The goddess sounded amused, fond already of the little goddess who showed so much confidence.
“What are you the goddess of?” Alva asked as she followed her to the kitchen. She wasn’t really used to having too much to do with children who actually acted like children. On the borders you were forced to grow up fast.
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Posted: Wed Jul 17, 2013 12:35 pm
Well, Caelia was already working her magic, which was to be expected, honestly. As much as she would never admit it, Ankou knew very well that he had broken though Kara's gruff exterior, which did amuse him deeply.
He would have to explain this to Cosine... or try to, anyway. Ultimately there was not much he was truly certain about.
Caelia would be quick to take off, trusting that Alva would follow her. "Augury !" She chirped, quite proud of what she was. "And you ?"
Ah, the line in between god and host was not quite clear for her.
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Posted: Wed Jul 17, 2013 12:54 pm
Good question.
"I'm not a goddess, well um." This was rather complicated, she was not entirely sure of the process herself, but others had gone through it ... but not all of them. So a god could be re-born and born as well. Her own head felt as though it was spinning.
"I am helping a goddess be reborn. She is the goddess of the Underworld. Your aunt?" That was what she had been able to learn in the short time that the goddess had been implanted in her. She wondered why the child had not come across one like her before?
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