You Love Her Very Much

(Celest) Glacydra: Is anyone available whom I can speak to about Lady Lantra's Order?
(Celest) Avaris: You have three to choose from, as it happens, currently.
(Celest) Glacydra: Oh! How fortunate.
(Celest) Avaris: Myself, Immaculate Faragan, or Anointed Alarin.
(Celest) Avaris: There is also the Lady Aeldra, who is blessed enough to have formed a
Cult with Her, should you wish to pursue discussion with her at a later point.
(Celest) Glacydra: Thank you for the information! Might you be available now, Avaris?
(Celest) Avaris: Certainly. I am ever willing to speak of the Lady Empyreal. Where
would you like to speak?
(Celest) Glacydra: I can meet you where you are.
(Celest) Avaris: That would be fitting, indeed. I am at the Gardens of the Rhapsody, if
you know the way.

The Gardens of the Rhapsody.
The air is filled with motes of light emanating from a healing shrine of Terentia nearby. This
location is flooded with shallow, crystal clear water. Dark, rich wood forms two steps at the
entrance to the Gardens of the Rhapsody, bringing it up a couple feet above the lower walkways of
the gardens. Pale white stones spread off in all directions, each carefully smoothed by the push and
pull of the rivers that have grasped at them for decades or more. Little greenery grows from the
ground, instead it drapes over the walls and from the trellises above, the walls themselves at the
same height as everywhere else - that is, roughly around the waist in this particular garden.
Pristine white doves flutter back and forth from the trellis to trellis, from alabaster perch to
alabaster perch, warbling rhapsodic hymns to the stars, seas and the Light. Captured in pristine
alabaster, the Elder Goddess Rhapsody sits in delicate repose. Resting within alabaster hands, the
Rosewood Lute of Celestial Rhapsody emanates a soft light and vibrates with celestial music. There
are 25 seekers singing in joyous carol about the garden. Glacydra, of the Tide is here.

Glacydra arrives from the northwest.

Glacydra's mouth turns up as their face breaks into a smile.

Glacydra curtseys gracefully.

They are a noble imperial merian, a thin layer of iridescent slime covering their peach, apricot,
and coral-pink scales. Large, sleepy-looking eyes with ruby irises are highly reflective, framed
underneath with a slightly paler curve of gold-tinged scales. Slits at the side of their long neck
flutter slightly as they breathe. Free and unfettered, their long crest of fins cascades from the
crown of their head in darker sunset gradients, deepening in saturation towards the waist. Slender,
lithe, and limber, this androgynous sea-born creature moves with hesitation apparent in their
movements, strangely graceful in their uncertainty.

They are wearing:
a fine handloom sari of gold-brushed rubescence
a sunset-dappled cerulean octopus bandolier.


With a burbling in their throat, Glacydra, of the Tide says, "Hello. It's a pleasure to make your
acquaintance."

Avaris's antennae twitch at Glacydra's arrival, the immense, golden kephera bowing
courteously at the waist in a fluid, graceful motion. "It is a pleasure, indeed, to meet you as
well. How do you prefer to be addressed? I tend towards formality, but if you are comfortable with
simply your name, that is quite fine."

With a burbling in their throat, Glacydra, of the Tide says, "My name is perfectly suitable for this
exchange, I think."

Glacydra smiles, their laughter underscored by some bubbly throatiness.

Avaris inclines his head in acknowledgement, sliding both pairs of his hands
beneath the cloak of his six wings, settling them against the small of his back. "Very well. Did you
have specific questions?"

(Celest): Faragan says, "I also wrote and published a book in our great library that can speak of
the Empyreal pillars as an introduction glacydra."

(Celest): Glacydra says, "I thank you deeply! I will peruse it in the near future."

With a burbling in their throat, Glacydra, of the Tide says, "I would be much obliged to discuss the
Tenets of the Lady Lantra. And if there is time, what Her symbols mean. They are very beautiful, and
I am aesthetically drawn to them."

The pulsing glow emitted from Light's Glory surges brilliantly, a shining beacon of hope that
reaches across the entirety of the Basin of Life.

You think to yourself: "Aesthetics are well and good, but they were not chosen merely because they
appeal to the senses. Let us see." A sense of orderly files being retrieved, sorted and laid out in
preparation, the information crisp and precise.

Glacydra enfolds their hands in the draped swaths of their sari, only a slight twitch betraying
their fidgeting.

The gleaming point of Avaris's sharp chin lowers briefly into the frothing spray of
his white man as he nods. In a voice that is comprised of a harmonious array of layered, individual
tones and pitches, he says, "There is time, so long as you are willing. First, enlighten me as to
what you are aware of, so that I may tailor the information to suit."

Glacydra colours a roseate hue in their cheeks, saying mildly, "I am only aware of what is in Her
publicly available scroll of information, I'm afraid. That She is a healer, and immensely composed.
I can gather that at least four of Her Tenets are Purity, Wisdom, Fortitude, and Devotion."

Avaris breathes a quiet, "Ah," of understanding, the great, helm-like wedge of his
head turning a few degrees aside from regarding Glacydra directly. The four dense, deep red swathes
of aether that form his antennae flow upwards, swaying minutely as he gathers his thoughts. Faint
motes of light glimmer in the seven, solid blue spheres that stud his visored face, and the choir of
his voice warms considerably when he speaks. "She is that, and much more. She is quietly understated
magnificence, Glacydra, an unwavering light that shines true and clear. She is ineffably wonderful,
in every facet of Her being." A slow, almost wistful sigh escapes from between the indiscernible
seams of his plated mouth. "Purity. Tell me, Glacydra. What do you believe Purity is?"

You think to yourself: A quiet, but fiercely intense flush of adoration, of reverent regard for She
of whom he speaks, as a rising tide of liquid, aureate light.

Glacydra tilts their head, humming lowly in response as they consider the answer, and the question.
"You love Her very much," they state, with an undercurrent of awe, and some pleased surprise. Then
they shake their head, as though to snap themselves out of their thoughts. "Purity, I believe, is
being free of Taint, objectively. Otherwise... It seems it may have a subjective answer as well."

With a burbling in their throat, Glacydra, of the Tide says, "I'm afraid that my answer to the
subjective possibility is merely a guess. It may be being clean of malicious thoughts, that bring no
good, justice, or positivity to the world."

The bladed, curving crests that adorn Avaris's brow tilt backwards as he lifts his
gaze to the retreating darkness that flees from the encroaching light, and he is silent for a time,
still as a gold-forged statue of a lost angel yearning for the stars above. In a voice that is
quiet, yet radiating with a deep and powerful sense of adulation, he affirms, "More than anything in
all the vast span of creation. It is the very least that She deserves." He remains thus for the span
of three long breaths, before he stirs, lowering his gaze to Glacydra once more. "It is more complex
than that, but you have touched upon the core qualities." Extracting a hand from beneath the
feathered, gently effulgent cloak of his folded wings, he gestures with a slight wave of his long,
chitin-plated hand, explaining, "Integrity is a vital component of Purity. The ability to be true to
oneself, to resist corruption, to avoid the gnawing doubt that might eat at your conviction." The
pointed fingers of his upraised hand curl slowly inwards, voice ringing with the sincerity of faith.
"That is Purity. Purity of the self, and from that inner wellspring, we may bring Purity to others,
and to the world at large."

Glacydra nods slowly in consideration, their crest shimmering in sunset gradients as they move.
"That is a powerful Tenet. Integrity can be a difficult quality to maintain in this world. But
incredibly worth it, for fulfilment of self, I think."

Avaris returns the nod with a very slight inclination of his head. "Indeed so. Many
of the most worthwhile qualities, or paths in life, are often the most difficult to pursue, and
maintain." Lowering his hand to the ampoule that hangs from a chain looped through the chitin of his
left hip, he rests the edge of his palm against the immaculate globe, the sidereal glow caressing
the gold chitin of his hand and shading it towards platinum. "You wish to know of Devotion, next, or
one of the other remaining three?"

With a burbling in their throat, Glacydra, of the Tide says, "Fortitude, please."

Removing his hand from the ampoule, Avaris lifts it to tap the flat of his thumb
against the dense plating of his naturally armoured torso. "Fortitude is perhaps the easiest to
comprehend, yet that does not make it any less difficult to exemplify. First, how do you interpret
it, presently?"

Glacydra says quietly, "To me, Fortitude and Devotion may go hand-in-hand. Dedication to something
or someone else requires fortitude, which is strength and persistence." They look up with wide,
reflective ruby eyes, inquisitive.

You think to yourself: The brief image of his own hand within the gentle grasp of Another, every
detail rendered with exacting clarity, the flash of memory brushing against a dizzying, tangled
array of immensely potent emotion, before it is stored carefully back within the protected vaults of
his mind.

The smaller, left-most antenna undulates towards Glacydra at Glacydra's words as
Avaris listens, considering them only briefly, before replying, "Indeed. The Tenets are all
interconnected. They should feed into one another and weave together to build a cohesive, unyielding
whole." Allowing his hand to descend once more, this time to rest atop the smooth, lacquered black
of the upper scabbard on his left hip, he elaborates, "There are many forms of adversity we must
face in life. The chaos and clamour of battle. When our beliefs and values are assailed, both from
within, and without. When our hearts have been gravely wounded, and we desire nothing more than to
lay down and yield - This is when Fortitude is most important. We must persist, no matter what we
are required to endure. We must remain strong and unwavering in our convictions, in the face of the
enemy's wickedness and aggression, or when we struggle against loss. There are as many expressions
of Fortitude as there are stars in the sky, Glacydra. Each one, individually, has little light - But
together, they form wondrous constellations to inspire all that witness them."

Glacydra slowly nods, "That is true, and I thank you for describing it in such a beautiful way."
They laugh a little, burbling a little in their throat. "I feel quite ineloquent, in comparison,
with my elementary explanations. But I am quite interested in learning more." They hesitate, and
then say, "For now I must depart. But I would like to continue our conversation in the future. I
would like to learn more of the Lady Lantra you so love." They smile, the slightest apparent curve
in their mouth. "It is a Devotion I am envious of."

You think to yourself: A flicker of surprise, mingled with puzzlement. "Eloquent? Ah. It must be the
Lady inspiring me. Of course."

Avaris inclines his head in a courteous nod. "Of course. I thank you for your
patience - I am not the best at explaining, I fear, but I appreciate your attentiveness. Do seek out
the Lady Aeldra, if you wish to learn more, and I or the others are not present." A smile enters his
voice as he remarks, "You may find them more succinct."

Glacydra's mouth turns up as their face breaks into a smile.

With a burbling in their throat, Glacydra, of the Tide says, "Succinct? I enjoy the descriptiveness,
as an artist. Or an artist-to-be."

Comprehension flashes across your face.

Glacydra winks knowingly.

Glacydra curtseys gracefully.

You bow respectfully to Glacydra.

Voice resonating with choral harmonics, you say to Glacydra, "Light's blessings go with you."

With a burbling in their throat, Glacydra, of the Tide says, "Take care, and may calm waters lie
before you, Avaris."

Glacydra's mouth turns up as their face breaks into a smile.

Glacydra leaves to the south.