|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2014 11:44 am
 It was sometime soon after her meeting with Earthmother at the newly-discovered Rochadhiel when the princess returned to the place she, her sister, and her niece were called to meet that night. The pond's water, while not as bright in the daylight, carried the same strength to it as it had then. Magical and powerful were the only ways to describe the feeling. Her hooves were soft on the grass to its edge as she looked to its surface, lost in thought as it were. When they had come, there had been something more than a simple reflection on this surface... It had been something...
...different...
But what could she have said of it? Perhaps it had all been in her head, as no other had made mention of it. It seemed far more real though, as if it had been trying to tell her something.
That was preposterous, of course, though. Right?
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2014 2:42 pm
 Portia's connection with the pond allows her to sense the visitor, even from inside her hut-on-stilts nearby. She tenses reflexively, since recently visitors to her pond had brought her nothing but trouble and anguish. She remains inside for a short time, hoping the visitor would leave.
She's not leaving...
She's torn between going out to greet the statuesque fauness, who'd been gazing thoughtfully at the pond, and remaining inside. Ordinarily at this time of the moon she'd have wandered out by now to say hello, but the last visitor to the pond had caused her such pain she's incredibly reluctant to leave her home. Portia curls up on her bed, holding her head in her hands, mentally willing the other away.
Go outside! The sun is shining! Your visitor is pretty and peaceful! She reminds you of Mother!
No! She wants to defile the pond and steal the oysters! Have you learned nothing from last time!
Maybe she wants a vision. This is your duty!
It's also my duty to protect the pond! If I wait long enough she'll get bored and go away, and the pond won't be hurt again!
After a few more minutes battling the warring voices in her head, Portia stands up abruptly and goes to dunk her head in a bucket of water. This silences everything. Finally.
She bursts from her hut-on-stilts in a flurry of faux confidence. She strides down to the pond where her visitor is and holds out her hand for a handshake, forgetting that the other wouldn't have known she'd been around for a while. "Hello I'm Portia this is Silme Pond it's a very nice pond anyway is there something I can help you with are you lost I can help you find your way home if you want." The words tumble from her mouth and her eyes are little too wide, staring at Celestia unnervingly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:46 pm
The princess was lost in thought when the sudden appearance of the other happened, completely startling her and leaving her momentarily speechless. What the...? Her eyes glanced to the moon, wondering just what the spirits were doing and why they would send such a strange pae to greet her. Or, well, thinking that would have been quite high and mighty of her, thinking they were personally speaking with her.
Rather, she wanted to know more along the lines of 'Wat?'
Reaching her own hand out and softly taking Portia's to shake, she returned. "I am Celestia, a faun of Laisidhiel. No, I am not lost; I have been here once more with some others." She glanced to the surface. "So, this place is called Slime Pond?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Mar 22, 2014 11:51 pm
You idiot, why would you tell her its name? Names have power and now she has your name *and* the pond's!
Portia forces a smile, trying to be casual and lighthearted but showing perhaps a few too many teeth. "Why, yes," she says, shaking the other femme's hand and then putting both her hands on her hips.
So she'd been here before. Portia certainly doesn't remember seeing her. Except...there had been a few fauns poking around Mother's tree the other night. The one that had tried to drain her pond. Cheeky tree. "A faun of Laisidhiel, hm?" she asks. "I seem to recall a small group of fauns under cover of darkness recently....you didn't come directly to the pond, though," Portia asks, though it's really phrased more as a statement. "Or else I'd remember your face."
Not leaving space for the other to answer, Portia glances toward the pond again before meeting Celestia's gaze. "If you aren't lost, then, what brings you to my corner of the woods?" She arches a slender but unkempt eyebrow at the fauness. Here's where she'd find whether this faun of Laisidhiel's intentions were pure. She can't be certain, but the mention of oysters or pearls at this point might send her into a rage. It's unnerving how many random passersby just knew about them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 10:50 am
There was definitely something off about this girl. Portia, was it? As her hand fell Celestia glanced to her side, trying to make sense of this situation. Had she been near the last time she was here, with Earthmother and her family? Surely they would have known. But... then again... They had been quite tired, and it had been quite a night.
Yes... Quite a night...
"Perhaps that was us, then. Three of us would have come from the sky to meet another from the land." A pause as she gauged her reaction. "If you are from here and saw us, I assume you know the reason for us being here at that time." As she was sworn to secrecy, she would not go into any more specifics about their purpose, but perhaps the other could verify if she knew or not. "As my reason for returning..."
Her voice faded as her eyes looked away, towards the reflective surface of the pond. Even now, it was so mysterious and full of magic.
"I thought I saw something strange in the pond that night."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 7:06 pm
Three of them, hm? Portia is reminded of a mysterious visitor she'd had not long before the night of which Celestia speaks. Perhaps they were connected. The mysterious visitor had spoken of fauns. Odd that they would have come from the sky, though. She'd thought that fauns were normally more....land-bound. Celestia was different, though, from other fauns she'd met. Though they're tucked against her back, she can see white feathery wings. Fascinating.
Realizing she'd been staring without saying anything, Portia smiles and continues. "Of course you saw something shimmer in the pond. It's magic, you know. If you come back after nightfall, you might even see a vision." She waits for a reaction. She's still suspicious of the newcomer, but she hadn't done anything egregious yet, and she already knew the pond was magic. She'd seen it for herself. If she were planning anything ill against Portia or the pond, she rationalizes, she would've done it already.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 9:16 pm
"A vision...?" The princess looked back to Portia, a slight curiosity on her face. "After nightfall, the pond shows visions?" She looked again, this time talking softly, perhaps to herself. "The moon was full that night... So it might have been a vision dancing with my reflection then. Strange..." Looking again to Portia, she smiled lightly. "Thank you. I do not understand what it is I saw, but I have a degree of closure now."
Of course she didn't know that the girl was able to interpret the visions; how would she without being told? At of that moment, she was planning on simply making her way back to the tree with just that small knowledge to herself.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 25, 2014 9:22 pm
"Only during the full moon," replies Portia with a nod. She's warming to the femme, especially now that she'd shown curiosity toward her life's purpose. "The moon is full again tonight," she says. "If you come back after dark and look upon the pond when the moon shines bright on its surface...you might see a more complete vision." Not that she could make any promises.
But the phrase "dancing with my reflection" intrigues her. "Out of curiosity," she begins again, drawing a little closer to Celestia, "What did you see that night? I can offer an interpretation if you describe what you saw." Her curiosity gets the better of her, and she smiles a gleeful, eager smile. Hard to tell if that's more or less reassuring than her creepy stare from earlier.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2014 3:53 am
The princess as she paused to try and remember what exactly she had seen on the pond's surface, but soon shook her head. "It was all quite strange... I cannot remember what exactly it was that I saw." A small smile and a shrug. "I am sorry to have disappointed you, Portia."
Though, at that, she decided to take the conversation in a different direction. "I was told that the nearby tree was cared for by the goddess Artemis, and you appear to have notable knowledge of the area. Have you a connection to her, by chance?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2014 10:53 am
Disappointed her? Nono, it was Portia who was disappointing! She has one job on this island and she can't even give this fauness a simple vision interpretation. Suddenly she feels the need to make this right. "Come back tonight," she implores Celestia, even touching her arm briefly. "You can see your vision properly and I'll even tell you what it might mean!" She nods emphatically.
At the mention of Artemis, Portia smiles a little sheepishly. Did she have a connection with her? She chuckles softly. "In fact I do," she replies. "The goddess Artemis is my mother." That isn't where her knowledge of the area comes from, though. Or perhaps it is, since she was given this domain because of her divine birthright, and had she not been Artemis' daughter she would not have received said birthright. She would have received some other birthright. Like a farm, or a shop, or something.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2014 8:17 am
"Tonight?" The fauny considered the notion, but... "As much as I appreciate the offer, I really should be returning to the tree..." There was so much that needed to be done and she'd already spent 3 days just coming; she was tired, but the 3 to return needed to happen soon. Besides, she hadn't a place to stay for the night if she did (not that she had a place on the way back either). "I would not wish to trouble you for something so small."
Oh, the goddess was her mother? What were the odds of that happening (pretty high apparently)? "Ah... You are very lucky then." Who was she to talk, though? It wasn't as if she'd met this Artemis at any point in her life. She just assumed the being was wonderful based on Earthmother's word.
Still, there were worse things to base one's opinions on.Menelie Sorry... School's had me busy
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 12:33 am
Portia responds with a shrug. "Of course. I'm sure you're very busy." The light femme seemed important, anyway. It's in how she carried herself. "If you ever want to return, though...I'll be here." She offers a smile, showing perhaps too many teeth, and gives a little goodbye nod.
The blasted faun had pique Portia's interest! The nerve! Obviously she's not going to invite the other in for rose tea and mint biscuits while they waited for it to get dark, but she certainly hopes the other would come back eventually to receive her vision. She'd caught a glimpse of it from so far away...what would the spirits show her up close? If she was involved somehow with Artemis she must be doing important things.
"Remember," she adds, "you must come at night, during the full moon!" She wrinkles her nose in what she hopes is a friendly gesture, while remaining mysterious and aloof.o0_Daisuke_0o Sorry this took so long! I've been busy too, with a little bit of Portia Block thrown in. X_x She's not going to insist that Celestia stay, so she'll either need to come back later that night or the next time the moon is full. Celestia's decision. --Mene
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 26, 2014 10:39 am
Was she really that busy? Sure, there was that matter with the new tree and her family and that dreadful attack... But was that something that was really being actively attended to by her at the moment? No, not really. Nodding once, she decided that, despite all this, it was probably in her best interest to return to the tree soon. Spirits knew what could happen if she made a habit of being away for so long. "Yes... I shall keep that in mind."
The princess smiled before continuing, "Many thanks for your time, Portia, daughter of the Goddess Artemis." She hadn't meant to speak so formally, but it seemed fitting for their parting. "May we meet again soon." Pausing for a moment, she lifted her wings to take her up and away to home.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Or so she had planned to do. Soon after her leaving Celestia felt her curiosity taking over her rational and begging her to return, to see the vision and understand it fully. If the spirits had brought such things to happen, surely it was more than coincidence.
Right?
The moon overhead, lighting the landscape with its glow, a white hoof silently touched ground beside the pond. Turning, she looked again to it's mysterious reflection for a moment before seeking out her new acquaintance from earlier that day. Surely she was nearby.Menelie It's okay, I've been really busy too recently
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 01, 2014 8:39 pm
Portia's curiosity had been gnawing at her for the whole day. It's not like her to get so involved with a vision-seeker and his/her reasons for coming, but somehow this Celestia was different. Perhaps it was because Portia had been bored--after all, she hadn't gotten many vision-seekers as of late...somehow folk seemed more interested in the dumb pearls her oysters had been giving. Those things unsettled her. Pearls shouldn't get that big. Or all speckly like that. Eeugh. Perhaps it was that, or perhaps it was because Celestia had already seen a snippet of her vision, Portia was...inexplicably hooked.
So when she sensed a presence at the edge of her pond after dark, Portia practically bursts from her hut-on-stilts like a rush of bubbles at the bottom of a waterfall. "You came back!" she exclaims, delighted. She takes Celestia by the elbow and steers her toward the pond, grinning with definitely too many teeth. "I'm so glad you decided to return! You won't regret it! I mean, maybe you might if the pond shows you something awful, but maybe you won't regret it even if it does because there's power in knowing, and you can never have too much knowing, you know? Anyway, stand here and look onto the surface where the moon shines and you'll have your vision!"
Portia goes and sits a small distance away, near the edge of the pond. She squats down with her head between her knees, watching the water intently, but careful not to look too hard at the spot where the moon shone bright. She'd never tried before, but somehow the idea made her head hurt and filled her with this sense of dread, like she'd be betraying her beloved pond. Nope nope. Instead, she fixes her vision beneath the surface, though it's hard to see anything in the dark. She plucks a few blades of grass and braids them together without looking at them. She just stares into the pond and waits for Celestia to have her vision.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 01, 2014 10:50 pm
Not having known what to expect from her return, the princess noticeably jumped when Portia rushed over to her. So much energy for such a time of the day, though from what time she had known the girl, it didn't appear that she was ever lacking it. Even if it was expected, though, it still was enough to catch her off guard. Before she could even reply, she was being pulled (rather forcefully) back towards a specific area of the pond. "Yes... I have returned," she replied rather awkwardly, her eyes looking around and her mind concentrating on keeping her footing sound. It'd be rather embarrassing to trip in such a situation.
She was left wordless by the time they came to a stop, the inertia from the previous action almost continuing to pull her further up to the pond's surface. The silence grew as her mind mulled over the previous rushed statement, that her vision might be something horrid. Naturally, Celestia had never considered such a possibility. Now that it was brought to her attention, it made her remember the last vision, a dream, that the spirits had shown her. Yes, it'd been difficult to endure, it lasted in its horror far longer than it should have (if only by her own fault), but it had been something she needed.
Perhaps, this too was something she was in need of. Something to guide her in the next step of her life, to show her what was needed of her now that she was to help in ruling Rochadhiel.
If that was the case, she would have this vision no matter its contents.
Looking back to the demi-goddess, the princess nodded in return to the demands and stood still, her eyes looking ahead and to the pond's surface. It was like the last time she had been here with her family and Ema-- Earthmother. Placing her fingers together, only a few moments passed before the surface seemed to change and an indescribable view of colors and shapes danced on it's surface. Without taking her eyes off, the princess again spoke, "The pond is speaking with pictures, I do believe. Need I do more, or am I to simply continue watching for this moment?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
