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 Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 3:06 pm
"Nivalis."
The younger Elaria's answering inhale was slow, deep, and tucked into the woven, folded blanket mashed between her head and her sleeping mat. She did not need to see the Matron to know the old woman towered over her, looking down with some unpleasant combination of understanding, pity, and intolerance. Such was the look she generally wore when her gaze was directed at Niva over the past handful of weeks.
And Niva wasn't about to say she didn't deserve it. She tended to her most basic duties when prompted, but otherwise... Well, she wasn't feeling especially eager to interact with her sisters, of late, not since Zinnia had returned to the earth.
Then the Matron's hand was on her hair, giving her a gentle pat to coax her to attention. "This behavior is unacceptable," the Matron told her. Nivalis still didn't look up. "As the mystic, you must be attentive to your sisters and your home, particularly in times of struggle. Hiding in this hut will do you, nor anyone else, any good. You are neglecting your training over an event that you cannot change. The past cannot be rewritten, and the spirits of the dead will not be returned to us. You must look to the future and to those who still need your guidance. Nivalis. Look at me."
Niva puffed out a disgruntled huff of air, puckered her lips, pinched her lids, and slowly raised minty green eyes to glower in the Matron's direction.
"I've asked your sister, Pruu to take part in your training exercises today. If you don't get up and ready yourself, you'll keep her waiting." Usually, this would have perked Nivalis right up. She knew all of her sisters, of course, and Pruu was fairly close in age to her, being only two years her senior. They should be relatively evenly matched in terms of training. It ought to be a good time. But at this moment, it didn't seem like it.
"Go. Now."
She went, anyway.
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 5:42 pm
At the training grounds already, Pruu was sharpening a pair of daggers for later use. Not until later. She gave the wooden daggers on the wall a glance. Those would be her tools for a while. While she.. worked with... the mystic.
On the outside, Pruu was just calmly preparing. Inside, she was fluttering around like a bird of some sort. The matron had asked her to train a little with the mystic. She couldn't have been more honored for such a task! Of course, it left her quite nervous as well. While she didn't know too much about what being the mystic meant, she knew that it was important to their community. The other thing.. was knowing that a sister had been lost in front of her eyes. That was why the matron requested her. Just someone to bring Nivalis out from under the cloud she resided. She sincerely hoped that she could help.
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Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2017 7:16 am
Just a few short weeks prior, Nivalis would've taken great care to tend to her appearance before meeting with another one of her sisters. It was important to her that she show them she was well-put together, poised, tidy, and ready for whatever the future could throw at her. Or it had been important, anyway. On this day, she spared no special thought to her appearance. Her hair was unkempt, with her dreads quirked at odd angles and falling from their ties in loose, sloppy tresses. Her dress was dirty and hadn't been changed in likely upwards of a week. She slumped forward, and trudged into the training grounds with no sense of purpose.
Pruu was there already, sharpening her daggers for the day's activities. For a few quiet moments, Nivalis watched her blankly. She hadn't tended to her own weapon, her spear, in a handful of days. She rolled the pole of it between her fingers. By this point, it was likely too dull to harm even the squishiest of prey...
With a stealing breath, she stepped closer and dipped her head in Pruu's direction. "If I've kept you waiting, sister, then I apologize. Please, may I join you?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2017 9:31 pm
Looking up at the apparently reluctant voice, Pruu jumped to her feet. "Greetings, Niv-..alis." Considering how she was used to seeing the mystic, the disheveled creature before her was a shock. "Of course you may. I am here for you, after all."
Her eyes flitted over to the spear, and even without a close look she could see the less than sharp condition. "Perhaps the first thing on our agenda will be bringing our weapons up to order?" She gestured to the tools she had been using. "I believe that everything you require is already out and ready to use." She couldn't remember what weapon Nivalis used, so she had gotten out everything. She had planned to sharpen the weapons at the end, but the mood seemed to call for it being first.
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Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 7:58 am
Nivalis cast a quick glance up to catch Pruu's gaze at the initial greeting, then away again. The other girl sounded almost surprised, and Niva didn't have to guess as to why. She knew she didn't look her part as she ought to, and is was disrespectful to the other Elaria not to be at her best, always, but in this moment, Niva couldn't be bothered to care. She slunk toward her sister, and dipped to sit at her side. "Thank you for meeting with me," she murmured. "I hope it's not too much of a distraction."
Recent events had spurred many of the older Elaria girls to train harder and work to be stronger, better, so that past mistakes wouldn't be repeated. Niva couldn't say for sure if Pruu was among that group, but either way Niva wasn't sure if she was worthy of Pruu's time, at this point.
She sent the older girl a small, hesitant smile, then lifted her spear to eye-level. "Yes, that sounds like a good plan. I... have not been the most diligent lately, and I suppose it shows in my weapon." She set her spear before her and reached for a sharpening stone. "It's good that you came prepared. I appreciate the chance to train with you, sister."
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Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 6:39 pm
"It is my pleasure," she returned, sitting back down only once Nivalis did. "I am out here often, and having someone different to train with is a nice change."
She gave the blade a quick polish before sheathing it. Then she plucked up the second blade to work on. "And I appreciate the time you are sparing to be here." Chewing the inside of her cheek, Pruu sighed and shook her head. "I am told that diligence is a difficult thing to keep a grasp on after something so horrible has been witnessed," she ventured, keeping her voice gentle. "Like your weapon after a time of use, your mind must be tended to after such distress. After all, your weapon is a part of you, and you depend on each other. A sharp weapon needs a sharp mind to wield it effectively." She attempted a small smile. "I cannot claim such wisdom though. My mothers taught that to us. They get quite upset if my sisters or I go around with a dull weapon.
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 8:04 am
Under normal circumstances, Nivalis would've assured her sister that she was always available, if Pruu needed a change, or told her that she was 'sparing' nothing. All of her time would go to any Elaria who wanted it, such was her duty and her pleasure. She gingerly tucked her long, unkempt dreads behind her and raised her gaze to meet Pruu's. "I am happy to be of service to you in any way I can, and I am grateful for your patience while I am... not like myself."
It wasn't fair of her to act like this, even if her sister didn't seem expressly offended my it. Nivalis took up a sharpening stone, and set to work on her spear. Fortunately (or not), it hadn't seen much battle, and though it was noticeably dull, there was no reason to use anything dangerously sharp against her sister. The process didn't take long.
"Your mothers, they're Alkidike, aren't they?" Niva didn't spare as much thought to her older cousins, even though she'd been raised by one, herself. "Are they good to you? You seem to respect them."
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 9:17 pm
Pruu almost told Nivalis that it was she who was the one being a service to Nivalis, but knew they could end up going back and forth all day, and that would do no good. Instead, she gave a nod and focused on her blade.
When questioned, she gave a small half smile. "Yes, they are of our Alkidike cousins. I would say they've been good to me and my sisters." Her cheeks flushed a little at the question of respect though. "Mother Kou has earned my respect many times over." She bit her lip slightly as she pondered her next words. "Mother Fassala... deserves the respect she gets." This was just a sly way of saying that Pruu didn't respect Fassala that much. "I am grateful to them for asking Elzira to give me life."
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Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2017 7:57 am
Nivalis crinkled her nose in distaste for Pruu's circumstances. The Elaria were still young, compared to the age of their cousins, and even the oldest of her sisters were too young to have pleaded for their own children, so most, if not all, of those born of Elzira were still being raised by Alkidike. It wasn't unusual by any means, but Niva still felt more than slightly disenchanted by the idea. Even though she'd been raised by an Alkidike, herself.
She didn't miss the hesitance, or the shift of Pruu's expression, or the tone of her sister's words as she spoke of her second mother, and Nivalis eyed the other girl curiously. She looked back to her spearhead and slid the sharpening stone against its length.
"You should tell me, if she is unkind to you," she muttered quietly. "A lot of our cousins are here because they have plenty of passion and strong feelings, and their methods for raising children can sometimes be... vigorous." Or so she'd heard. Niva thought the Matron had always been fair to her, but it often sounded like some Elaria girls didn't have the best guardians. "I know they want us to be strong, but if she is too harsh, you could tell me. I don't know what I'd do, but I feel like I should do something."
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Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2017 12:03 pm
Pruu looked up with surprise. Fassala and unkind were not often used in the same sentence! Her cheeks heated though, focusing her gaze back on the blade. Could she really confide on such a topic with Nivalis? "It's.. quite the opposite, actually," she admitted hesitantly. "We are a clan of warriors. Fighters. Proud and strong! It is our very center! Yet, Fassala wants nothing to do with battle, and is trying to get others to see the same twisted way!" She paused her polishing of her blade, noticing she was doing so a little roughly. Her voice softened, ashamed to speak down of her mother, but now needing to get the thoughts off of her chest. "..Fassala belongs on that old island with the Alkidikes who are soft and weak, not here with us."
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Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 8:25 am
"The opposite...?" Nivalis blinked and tipped her head quizzically. She oughtn't have pried so much to make her sister uncomfortable, but even at Pruu's first hesitant statement, Niva couldn't help but feel at least mildly curious. So many of their older cousins walked that fine like between strength and cruelty when raising Elarian children that it wouldn't have struck Nivalis as particularly surprising if that was what seemed to be upsetting Pruu in regards to her mother. But...
It wasn't.
Her little lips parted into a thin 'o' of surprise at the admission. She couldn't remember ever hearing anyone say that any of the Alkidike on this island were weak, although she had heard that several of her cousins were not as dedicated to the Elarian cause as she might hope. But weak? Never. Until now.
Whenever the Matron spoke of the banished's journey to Yale, she made it sound very trying: leaving their home, their families, their goddess, never allowed to return. She spoke of the bravery and strength of all those who joined her, and as far as Nivalis could tell, most of her cousins certainly had passion, if not always for good things. It wasn't often that she tried to speak up for those who weren't her sisters, but the Alkidike that had come to this island were still many levels above those that had been left behind. "Why would she have come here, if not for her commitment to this cause? Why would she have pled for you, if she didn't believe our tribe could be strong? Elzira must have seen something good in her, to grant her your blossom."
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Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2017 4:33 pm
Pruu turned the blade side to side, making sure it was sharp and even. She watched the blade too critically, unconsciously using it as a diversion for herself. "I wondered that myself, until she told me herself. 'Love makes a woman do crazy things,' she told me. I do not doubt her love for Kou, but her devotion to the group and the cause is in no way connected to it."
Sheathing the blade, she started to close up the polishing bottles. Elzira... "I am in no place to question Elzira's ways," she said softly, "but I assume that I was brought to blossom more-so for Kou than for Fassala."
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2017 8:44 am
'Love makes a woman do crazy things.' It wasn't the first time Nivalis had heard that line, and she doubted it would be the last. Her Extremist cousins had their faults, yes, but one thing she could say for all of them was that they were passionate. They had to be, to come out this far, even the 'weak' ones, apparently. And that type of zeal sometimes led to doing, as Pruu said, 'crazy things.' Perhaps it was just as well. Everyone was a bit mad here.
"That's sort of respectable in itself, don't you think?" Niva asked as she gave her weapon one final inspection before rising to her feet. "To have that kind of devotion for someone else, and then follow through with it, even if it's not exactly what you want..."
Not that it seemed a very 'Alkidike' thing to do, to bend to someone else's needs, but everyone was different.
Nivalis shrugged. "If she is as weak as you say, she should be easy to ignore, and I doubt any other Alkidike would listen to her ways. If she becomes too bothersome, she'll probably be banished from the island. Until that time, you shouldn't worry much about her. You've been granted the most amazing gift of life by our Mother, so cherish it, and don't let someone else ruin it or take it from you."
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2017 7:05 pm
Pruu sighed softly. "In its own way, yes. ...That is one of the few things that earns respect for her." Fassala's devotion to Kou was unquestionable.. which meant Kou must have seen something in the other woman as well. Whatever it was, Pruu wasn't entirely sure...
A snort escaped her, sour voice huffing, "That is easy for you to say. You do not share her home." Oh! She was talking to Nivalis!! Cheeks warming, she gave a small bow of her head. "I do not mean to speak so sharply to you," she apologized, standing now as well. "You are correct, though. I cannot take for granted the gift I have, and I have no intention of letting Fassala spoil such a gift." She looked down at her sheathed weapons and patted them firmly. "I show my devotion through my continued efforts to bolster the strength of our sisters."
Looking back at Nivalis, she offered a smile. "That is what we are here for today anyway, correct? Some training to grow and learn." Time to move on from the irritating subject of Fassala... "Is there something you wish to practice in particular today?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 12:50 pm
Nivalis tipped her head and blinked inquisitively at the sudden bite to Pruu's words. She didn't live with Fassala, and it was unlikely that she could ever fully understand what her sister was going through, but perhaps it was worse than she'd initially feared. Maybe there was some sort of disconnect between Pruu and girls who had 'stronger' mothers. Maybe they disrespected her just for that. Nivalis couldn't say for sure. She did know that she wanted to understand, though, and she wanted to be a reliable counsel for her sisters...
But she likely shouldn't press. It could make Pruu uncomfortable or mistrusting of her, and that wasn't what she wanted. Instead, she inclined her head, "You may speak to me however it pleases you. I am here only for my sisters' benefit, after all..."
After that, it was easy to let the topic shift. Talking was nice, but if what the Matron said was true, then going through the routines of her physical training would help her move back toward her previous self. It was a start, if nothing else. Nivalis inhaled a slow breath, picked up her spear, and stood. "I am... out of practice," she admitted. "I think it would be best to practice basic drills before moving onto anything more complicated. I hope I am not holding you back, sister..."
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