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Of course you’d know the story, for a priestess wouldn’t waste her energy chasing after insects if she didn’t at least understand the things that had transpired. Not one of this poise, in the very least. So carefully constructed, down to each measured breath and artfully crafted pulse. “Nor would I, with rare exception.” A half-smirk, though bittersweet, before it faded into nothing. She is captivating, isn’t she? Even for a priestess, known for their remarkable… talents. That familiar buzzing feeling resurfaced, sickly sweet, the poison deep in the pit of her stomach that made her skin tingle and chest ache. It was electrifying, being this close to him- she could almost feel his fingerprints around her throat still, the scratch marks down her back. And here she was, the golden idol, almost as if he was here in the flesh. And given, he could be, though even his greatest devotee would be impressed with the restraint required to turn a heedless man into a demure young maiden. A siren, perhaps, but patient nonetheless, and ever so sweet. She nodded politely, barely listening through the fog of memories seeking to wallpaper the reality surrounding.
The stranger fed a familiar tale, one that should be bittersweet by now but always addicting to dear Naoi. By now, the priestess’s fire and the rising sun was beginning to draw the girl from drowsiness and into a world of calculated new possibility. She yawned again after a feeble attempt to stifle it, attention gradually becoming more concentrated on the flash of blue eyes in a sea of gold and glitter. “Ahh, I don’t know that I’d say no fun- fond memories I have of starving and stumbling, you know.” A mock of indignation marked a slight shift from uneasiness. Sleep deprivation and a few choice stressors rendered her less capable to remain overtly suspicious for long. (and besides, you’d always said you would greet death with open arms.)
“Oh, it does catch up, I’ve seen it plenty.” Because you, priestess, never brought your blade here to begin with; you laid it so carefully on your kitchen table and waited for the girl to come home for supper. I understand. “An invitation, hmm? I’ll warn you that I’m not much for commitment- but a delightful place of rest might do some good.” A delightful place of sentinel trees, a place far from your eyes because it’s closer to your teeth. The chill returned to race icy fingers down her spine. She could nearly sense the night air around her, feel the crackle of electricity in the crisp autumn air and that same burning in her chest. The memory vanished, but the sentiment remained. So carefully did she stroll along the cliffsides in the evening, hating and loving every moment of fear, only to awaken in a soft meadow with no evidence to the contrary. Yet this was different, after all. This was his own hand outstretched, exuding golden rays even in mortality.
Such was her distraction that she started a little to see the approach of another, one that instantly captivated the little mare. Eyes widened slightly to take in the gleam of her markings in the morning sun, breathtaking in her radiance and exuding the poised air of great power. No disciple stood before her, but a foreign queen, perhaps a goddess in her own right. What a curious thing, she thought (with maybe just a smidgen of unwarranted pride) that fate continued to grace her with the presence of greatness, just the little spotted girl from the barren lands. Stranger still, she offers yet another residence to the girl, who at this point is quite humbled, try as she might to hide the creep of uncertainty at the back of her mind. It had been so plain before, and she’d done nothing but wade through murky swamps ever since. What was he planning? Clearly, the choice was some kind of test- his golden priestess or the sovereign goddess, prepared to take her to a land where he could watch her every moment. She shifted uncomfortably before realizing she was being rude, and opened her mouth to speak. “Camrynn, lovely… of course.” She attempted to return the smile warmly, though the result was a tad lukewarm when paired with eyelids fighting desperately to close.
Unsure, now, rusty in the world of manners and polite company she had apparently arrived in, she foggily struggled to match the manners of her companions. “I must say that I am truly flattered to receive such invitations, particularly from strangers of such great lands.” Suddenly, the tides changed drastically as the magic kissed her sweaty skin- she inhaled deeply as the tedious world faded momentarily, the blinding sun escaped her world, weary muscles regained some strength. Even he blinked for a moment and looked elsewhere, rather than haughtily perching over her shoulder. She lifted her sagging head with a touch of dignity now, though she could still feel the exhaustion deep in weary bones and overworked sinew. This change of heart was suspicious in and of itself, but the predicament at hand distracted her from speculation. What game was this? It was too obvious. He wanted her to pick the goddess because she appeared to be stronger, independent and untouched by his corruption, yet nobody was truly sovereign when it came to him. We all depend on him each and every day we live and breathe, all yield to his whims when he puts forth the effort to make it so. Take the moth into the sun, back where she never belonged, where he could burn her skin and claw at her eyes. The priestess, he reckons, is too obvious, for she is not a goddess, but at his service. For the first time since Camrynn’s arrival, her eyes shifted back to the golden priestess, then back to the gleaming goddess apologetically. She shifted, nervous again, unaccustomed to choosing her own path but well aware that there would be no rest in the unrelenting sunlight, however assured of their own protections.
“I… I think I should go in the shadows for a while.”
(and I never believed you when you told me I’d be more afraid of the light)
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naoi |
OOC: so sorry for the delay, shitty internet and work killing my hands. also apparently the need to crank out a big postah
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