Name later

9 ) 2021/08/15 00:20:07 - Azula: "Lady Lantra! Are You alright?"
10) 2021/08/15 00:36:01 - Lantra: "Well done, My Avowing. These past few days have not been kind."
11) 2021/08/15 00:36:28 - Azula: "They have not indeed, My Lady."
12) 2021/08/15 00:36:52 - Azula: "There has been so much betrayal all around."
13) 2021/08/15 00:37:00 - Lantra: "I imagine the crown has weighed heavy indeed amidst these trials,
and as Ascension approaches."
14) 2021/08/15 00:37:42 - Avaris: "Less so to You than us, my Lady. You comported Yourself as befits
a champion Divine of the Light. Thank You. It is good to have You back with us once more."
15) 2021/08/15 00:56:08 - Lantra: "And it is a pleasure to return once more, My Avaris."
16) 2021/08/15 00:57:28 - Avaris: "I am gladdened to hear such, my Lady. Is there aught I might do
for You? Beyond the usual, of course."
17) 2021/08/15 01:01:01 - Lantra: "We shall see what jugdment is fit for Li-varili. She not only
imprisoned the last of the Elder Gods, but manipulated a Seal to do so, and broke it when Her plans
ultimately failed."
18) 2021/08/15 01:01:09 - Lantra: "Putting all of the Basin of Life into reckless danger."
19) 2021/08/15 01:01:20 - Lantra: "It saddens Me to see mortals carry this burden She has left
behind."
20) 2021/08/15 01:04:27 - Avaris: "You and Your Cousins have carried enough already, my Lady. We are
able to do so in this, and so we shall. All shall be well."

The crimson lotus in your hands trembles slightly, as if unfurling with new light. This time, it is
not merely the pinpricks of exhaustion and pain that briefly flood you, but rather the remnants of
anger -- hot as a burning star.

You have emoted: Avaris's antennae snap down at the faint shivering of the crimson lotus, his
visored face lowering to regard the flower for the briefest of moments before he draws the side of
his fingers along the petals in a soothing caress.

You reach out and touch a bright crimson star lotus.
Your hand alights upon a bright crimson star lotus, scattering light from its sanguine petals.
You feel a burning flame of indignation flood through you, surging with white-hot fury, glaring as a
sharpened blade of starlight. Its anger remains unquenched.

You have emoted: The markings of Avaris's wings blaze with a brief flare of furious red, the flash
of crimson blinding in its intensity before it dims, like the fading of searing light upon the
retina.

You think to yourself: The echo of his Lady's anger remains, colouring the steadily burning cold
light of his own. "Late in doing what I insisted must be done, and at great cost - But at least She
is being judged at all."
12300h, 7700m, 8300e, 10p Bexb-
Amusement, at once incredibly faint and palpable, ripples around you in twinkling motes of starlight
as a calm, feminine voice whispers, "You would have Us judge the crime before it was committed,
then?"

You have emoted: Avaris's hand jerks away from the lotus upon his breast, the motion almost guilty
as he lifts his featureless face. Antennae curling backwards uncomfortably, the glowing eyes of his
wings avert their gaze as he lifts a single shoulder in a minute shrug. The resonating vibrations of
his voice are careful in their neutrality as he answers, "I believe that when a madman loudly and
repeatedly declares that he is going to kill people, and starts reaching for a knife, he should be
dealth with, Lady."

Soothing winds blow in with a calming sigh, drawing a veil of water and light that reveals a hazy
figure standing alone in the mist.

A subdued light graces a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as She approaches, the motes twinkling
around Her soft as Her voice echoes, "The source of the madness is a matter worth consideration, is
it not? Even so. I am gratified, as well, to find that judgment shall occur at last."

You have emoted: Lowering himself to one knee at a veiled figure shrouded in starlight's appearance,
Avaris bows his great, crested head low, placing all four of his hands on either side of the lotus
that adorns his armoured chest. "May the judgement be the correct one." Rubbing the curved edge of a
thumb across the petals of the red star lotus, lapses into silence for a brief span, before he
speaks in a soft, humming voice, "I am sorry that I could not keep You from Her torment, my Lady."

There is a peculiar stillness that lingers over a veiled figure shrouded in starlight as She
listens, as if uncertain how to interpret all the nuances inherent in this unexpected apology. "You
did your part in preparing the ritual. Had you not done so, We might have remained within the Lady
of the Lagoons' machinations designed for Us for many years. Thousands, if Her hunger was met." A
pause falls, as gentle in its silence as a brief respite from a torrent of rain, before She says,
"You may not have prevented what She began, but you saw to its ultimate end."

You have emoted: The kneeling paladin absorbs the soothing words in silence, still as a golden
statue beneath the cool mist of a gentle rain. The answering motion of Avaris's helm-like head is so
small that it is neither a negation nor a gesture of agreement - Simply an acknowledgement. "Still.
You suffered, and that is unacceptable. I wish that I could have done more, but..." The quiet, sharp
edges of his own self-recrimination trail off as he stares down at the grass, antennae curving down
in a frown.

"And what would you have done, My Avaris?" a veiled figure shrouded in starlight asks softly,
assessing the visibility of your own disappointment in silence.

You have emoted: The angle of Avaris's bent antennae deepens yet further still as he considers the
question at length, a brooding silence enshrouding him, crackling with barely suppressed
frustration. He shifts subtly several times, moving as if to speak, only to remain wordless, as if
selecting and discarding many subsequent responses. Eventually, shoulders sagging as if beneath an
immense weight, he says, in the manner of one confessing a great failure, "I do not know. I cannot
stand against the Divine. I know this well enough, by now."

The mists shimmering around a veiled figure shrouded in starlight gather around you with a gentle
tenderness, engulfing you in their muted, white glow. "The taste of futility is bitter, is it not?"
the Goddess says, the star lotus in Her hands glowing, faintly, with new light. The colour at its
centre is an enigmatic blue, rather than the usual immaculate white -- strange and mesmerising in
its twilit shades. "I have spent many days and nights contemplating ends I cannot reach, for
somehow, the existence of limits does not prevent the want to defy them."

You have emoted: The heavy wings that lie flat against Avaris's broad back lift slightly at the
approach of the glimmering mists, their motions slow and careful as they drift up and down, the tips
of his golden feathers brushing against the shimmering white in gentle welcome. In contrast, the tip
of the kephera's sharp chin stabs down in a curt nod, the azure of his eyes dimming subtly, even as
the unusual hue of a veiled figure shrouded in starlight's radiant star lotus paints him in shades
of somber blue. "A taste I am too familiar with. It does not grow more tolerable, despite how often
I find it upon my tongue." His response is weary, heavy with a resignation that renders the music of
his choral voice a lament. "I am sorry that You have yet to find a way to surpass those limits,
Lady. I hope that You will, someday, and find true happiness in doing so."

"No. I find it does not," a veiled figure shrouded in starlight agrees, though at the second apology
-- this one somehow even less anticipated than the first -- the Goddess appears bemused behind Her
starlit veil. "It is strange. There is much I no longer mourn for, the older I become, or the more
familiar I become with the understanding of My own power. It is a significant way that Li-varili and
I differ, I think. For She seems unable to accept being told Her strength is not boundless."

In your mind's eye, you behold the awe-inspiring power of the Eye of Dynara as the Goddess manifests
it into your consciousness, the mocking voice of the Lady of the Lagoons taunting for Lantra to use
its power upon the Supernals. And as you witness this scene in memory, the lotus in your hands
briefly turns blue, if just for a moment, to reflect a curious array of emotions -- disbelief,
curiosity, amusement, and above all, the cool detachment of one who holds no desire for the
temptation being dangled before Her. Then the petals of the lotus recede, and resume their red-
stained hue.

You have emoted: At this, Avaris's head jerks up, as if prodded sharply in the ribs, his reply
indignant as he insists, "You are nothing like Her at all, Lady! You differ from Her in every way
that matters." The faintly reproachful manner of his demeanour shifts in tandem with the hue of his
star lotus, the kephera subsiding into silence as he absorbs the imparted memory. The brilliant blue
of his seven, natural eyes glitter with a scintillating wash of light as his voice grows softer,
fondness warming his timbre. "You are wonderful, Lady, and as above such selfish temptations as the
stars are above the muck." He pauses, then, "You were magnificent in Your Fortitude, when defying
Her, my Lady. You are an inspiration, as always." Lifting a hand free from his chest, he gestures
gently at a veiled figure shrouded in starlight, asking, "Will You indulge me, and rest a while? You
have had a very trying time of it, lately, and it would soothe my worry greatly, if You were to be
gentle with Yourself, for a time."


The sincerity of the plea echoes in the air as a veiled figure shrouded in starlight nods, once,
with slow and measured assent. "Your great favours all appear to stem from the same peculiar source
of concern for Me, I note, but I will grant you this one." The fervent nature of your words,
however, resonates in the air, a faint light flickering around Her like stardust as it is received
with a silent pulse of gratitude. "Be well, My Avaris. Do not force yourself to endure too much in
Fortitude." Then the mists gather around Her, and she vanishes in a soothing wind.