You whisper, "Should I greet Her? I never know how to speak to divine I have not met."
A tiny speck of mist winks into being before you, stirring the air with susurrant waves as it spills
forth into the diminutive form of the Welkin Goddess.
You bow respectfully to Czixi.
Nodding, Yarith Shevat says, "I am similar. I always address Them by Their title rather than-- Ah."
"Usually," Czixi remarks, flipping Her dagger in Her hands, "it is best to start with 'hello'."
Yarith kneels before Czixi, swearing his allegiance to Her.
You say, "Hello, Lady Welkin."
You blush furiously.
The gems of a nearby mosaic glitter in the light of the sun.
You say, "I usually do greet, but since I only recently moved here, I was unsure if it was proper
for me."
You shuffle your feet uneasily.
Czixi's narrow lips curl into a smirk. "Propriety should enable, not restrict," She replies, gaze
lingering thoughtfully upon you. "You are Yomoigu's. And yet you are here."
Tirah nods slowly. "I...was. He gave me His blessing to seek growth in new places,
however."
Mist swirls around Czixi as She shifts, drifting through the air to hover before you. "You are His,"
She repeats, shaking Her head gently. "And you are not. But you always shall be."
You have emoted: Tirah nods again and smiles softly. "Yes, I think that is the best way to describe it."
"Do not be ashamed of it, Junior Fellow," Czixi continues, Her stare momentarily piercing before She turns it away, glancing across the rest of the crowd. "It will bring you strength to the end of your days. Your devotion to My friend is a testament to your character."
You say, "I am not ashamed, and I will carry His words and wisdom with me forever, it is true. A
bond as close as there was will leave marks, even linger, no matter what, at least I would hope so."
You smile softly.
Czixi nods Her head.
"He and I have not spoken at length since My return, but we spent many mortal lifetimes working together." Czixi tilts Her head, the long side of Her hair disappearing into the wispy cowl of Her cloak. "I hope that He has been well."
Yarith pauses for a second, a slight frown upon his face.
You say, "He is keeping busy, as He always does. I am not sure how much I am allowed to speak of in such a public setting. Not revealing anything too involved was part of what He asked of me when I told Him of my desire to leave."
Czixi wriggles Her bare toes beneath her. "I would not expect you to reveal His secrets." Her face shifts to an expression of approval. "If He wishes Me to know of them, He would tell me. But I find My kin are not as capable of articulating their wellbeing as Their followers are."
Tirah nods slowly biting her lip. "I would say that overall things are looking up, regarding His projects, but He prefers to talk of His work, rather than Himself, as You probably know."
Czixi chuckles softly, almost fondly. "Indeed," says, "I do."
Your mouth turns up as your face breaks into a smile.
"You are welcome to Hallifax, one who has been tempered in fire," Czixi states, beginning to drift higher and higher. "I will watch your progress with interest."
The currents that envelop the Welkin stir to mist as She departs, Her form dissolving into nothing but wisps of smoke that fall to caress the ground as they fade from existence.
Yarith smiles softly.
You beam broadly.
Tirah bows deeply to the empty space where the Lady Welkin just stood. "Thank You."
Czixi, the Welkin has bestowed Her divine truefavour upon you. It will last for 7 months.
Comments
Prayer:
Thank You for Your kind words earlier, Lady Welkin. My heart is wary of how others see me, in my new home, based on my past. I was worried that Hallifax's pantheon would not be fond of me because of how close I was to one of Gaudiguch's divine.
"Just because My kin may not think much of Yomoigu, or of Gaudiguch," sounds the Welkin Goddess's voice from everywhere and nowhere all at once, "Does not mean that I do."
With a flourish of your arm, you bow deeply.
A faint chuckle washes past you on the last eddies of the gust of wind as you land once more in the fulcrux.
You say, "I was unsure what to expect, and I know that His teachings are not the most compatible with what Hallifax sees as proper and good, and I reckon that me holding on to these teachings will not make it easier for me to fit in, so it is good to know that You approve of Him, who so deeply affected me."
"You have devoted your life to studying emotion; a fundamental foundation of Hallifax is its
attitude towards such things. There are, certainly, ways in which these two perspectives are
contrary. But consider this: the Collective turns its back on the lower emotions because it deems
them to be unworthy. It does not do so because it believes them nonexistent."
Tirah nods, her wings folding very close against her back. "I know, but I still feel like tempering them is better than ignoring them. I shared the notion with two people since I joined, one of which would not even entertain the thought, but the other was intrigued." She pauses, looking a little uncertain. "They both asked me about the Lord Pyresmith first though, I have been keeping in mind not to talk of His teachings on my own, I have not come here as a missionary and would not want people to believe so."
"There are those that will. There are those who will expect the worst of you for it."
"I, however," states the Goddess, Her voice softening, "will not. Yomoigu was with Me through one of My greatest failures. I will not allow someone He held in high regard to go without an ally into an unknown future."
Tirah softly says: "I know, and I am ready to live with that. Though I am uncertain
if this makes me a new perspective or an impurity in the gem that is the Collective." At Your words, she perks up. "That is very kind of You and it will help me preserve my strength through the emotional times such a move as mine brings with it."
"It is My debt to Him. But you may call it kindness, if you wish. It exists regardless of its
definition."
The all-encompassing presence of the Goddess fades from your perspective, leaving behind only a parting echo. "Be brave, tempered one."
You smile softly.
You say, "Thank You."
You say, "I will give my best to be."
You bow respectfully to the master shrine of Czixi.