A Gift, Nothing More

Maylea steps quietly into view, the air bending with a swirl of prismatic colours.

You have emoted: Lief's expression brightens from where she hovers beneath a weeping willow tree. "My Lady," she greets Maylea with warmth.

Maylea breaks into a smile as a sweet fragrance follows Her presence. Her golden eyes gaze into your own as She stretches out both hands towards you. "My Eldin." As She moves, Her sari billows to Her steps, shimmering.

You have emoted: Lief wings forward to close the gap between her Goddess and herself, her own hands reaching forward to touch Maylea's own. Before she makes contact, though, she freezes, hesitating.

You think to yourself: The feather...

She is a radiant immortal and glows with effulgent life, a powerful sense of vibrancy emanating from Her presence. There is something thoughtful and introspective about Her expression and Her brilliant golden eyes, as though She gazes farther into the soul, brushing aside the impermanent layers of existence to seek the truth within. Streaks of deep blue wind through Her chestnut hair as it falls straight down Her back to the hips, several shorter locks dangling forward to frame Her heart-shaped face. A thin line crosses the skin of Her left forearm, the only remnant of the scar from a savage bite. An aura of power plays about Her slender frame and sets Her tawny skin aglow in faint, prismatic hues.

She is wearing:
a woven sari edged in prismatic embroidery
a trailing rainbow sash
an armband of twining vines
a sky-hued bluebell
a translucent crystal bindi
an anklet hung with crystal chimes.

Maylea pauses, sensing your hesitation. She clasps Her hands together with an appraising air, golden eyes seeking over your form. "My dear, what is it?" She asks.

You have emoted: Lief draws in a deep, slow breath, conflicted emotions racing across her small faeling face. When she finally looks up again, she pauses, finding Maylea's eyes and doing a double-take. "Your eyes!" she exclaims instead, earnest delight taking over all other emotions. "Your eye is healed!"

Laughter peals from Maylea's lips as She nods, Her golden eyes glowing with effulgence. There is still a thin, narrow line across Her eyelids, interrupting the curl of Her lashes, but the eye itself is bright and animated. "Yes, little one." She laughs again, clapping Her hands together. "It is."

You have emoted: In her excitement, Lief wings a circle around Maylea, beaming so broadly her face just might split in two. The movement jostles something tucked within the blue sash of her kimono robe, a thread of something lustrous and shimmering with color poking out. She draws up before Maylea again, bobbing in the air, her wings humming merrily behind her as they keep her afloat. "How do You feel?"

Maylea reaches out to touch your cheek, and in that touch, you sense a surge of vibrant life. "I am quite well, Eldin." She laughs again, flowers sprouting into colour at Her feet. "And I feel as if I could see again, as if Mother Dynara had touched Me with Her own hand, once more..." Her voice trails, Her gaze shifting to your robe. A gleam of colour is reflected in Her golden eyes.

You have emoted: Lief's face flushes with that sudden flux of life, and she breathes in deeply as she listens to Maylea, rapt. When Her voice fades, however, and the faeling follows Maylea's gaze down, her breath catches in her throat. Her smile fades, almost as though it had never existed, and her lips part. Hands finding her stomach, she holds her middle as she murmurs, "I don't want to ruin this happiness, my Lady."

Maylea's smile does not fade. Instead, gently, She reaches down to stroke a finger along your kimono. "What is it you have there, My dear?" Her voice is soft, inquisitive.

You have emoted: "A memory." Lief draws both her lips between her teeth, biting briefly on them before she slowly, slowly begins to draw it out. "I don't...know whether He has done anything with this...but He bade me give this to You. And so I don't...I don't know that I want to, but..."

You have emoted: As though the very action causes her pain, Lief fully pulls out a luminous peacock feather from where it has been hidden, spreading it across both her palms for her Goddess to see.

Maylea's eyes fall upon the luminous peacock feather, their gleam reflecting the green, gold, and indigo of the plume. The flowers about Her feet, which had been swaying and flourishing with Her every motion, calm, fading into the quiet blue of clusters of bluebells. "He, Eldin, is Nocht?" Her voice is equally soft, barely heard above Kavindra's song.

You have emoted: "Yes." Lief's eyes draw along a luminous peacock feather, her thumbs protectively holding it in place, keeping it from fluttering off. "After I sang, my Lady. My sister and I returned to the Serenwilde, and Nocht followed. He gave me this. He was...He was there, in our Forest."

Maylea's eyes fall upon the luminous peacock feather, their gleam reflecting the green, gold, and indigo of the plume. The flowers about Her feet, which had been swaying and flourishing with Her every motion, calm, fading into the quiet blue of clusters of bluebells. "He, Eldin, is Nocht?" Her voice is equally soft, barely heard above Kavindra's song.

You have emoted: "Yes." Lief's eyes draw along a luminous peacock feather, her thumbs protectively holding it in place, keeping it from fluttering off. "After I sang, my Lady. My sister and I returned to the Serenwilde, and Nocht followed. He gave me this. He was...He was there, in our Forest."

Maylea approaches you, deliberately stepping, Her sari rustling among the bluebells. "May I, little one?" She reaches out for the feather, palm up.

You have emoted: Lief's gray eyes jerk up at Maylea's approach, and then they fall upon Maylea's hand. "You told me not to give Him what He wants, my Lady." Her voice is scarcely above a whisper. "Do You...do You think it okay for me to give it to You...?"

With tenderness, Maylea murmurs to you, Her golden eyes compassionate as they gaze upon you. "My Lief. My dear, dear Lief." She smiles, Her face radiant still with immanidivinus energy. "I thank you for wishing to protect Me. But if there is any harm in the feather, I will take it."

You have emoted: Lief blinks rapidly, gazing up once more to Maylea. Her own questions, her own doubts, slowly begin to melt away as she studies her Goddess's face. Quietly, wordlessly, she nods and offers forward the feather.

The faintest, almost imperceptible tremble in her touch, you give a luminous peacock feather to Maylea, Bloom of Serenity.

Maylea holds the luminous peacock feather with both hands, cupping it gently, as if it were a treasure beyond measure. It ripples with green and gold, power rising from the Goddess's own palms to curl and twirl about the plume. There are tears in the Her eyes, now. A drop falls onto the feather, splashing with energy, dissipating into the barbs themselves.

You have emoted: Unbidden, tears rise in Lief's own eyes, too. She raises her kimono's sleeve to her eyes, dabbing at one, then the other, and then back again as she watches Maylea in silence through the blur in her vision.

You think to yourself: Can it be - is there nothing twisting this feather? We are gifted it back?

You think to yourself: Why...?

For a brief moment, it seems as if Shashi himself rises again from the feather, wings raised, tail unfurled in its full, golden glory. He lifts his head, crest twitching, and lets out a joyful call, which teases at your ears, almost heard. And then, shadows swirl about him, and he falls, collapsing into darkness about the feather. A second. Two. The plume is dark. But colours burst forth once more from its surface, its form suddenly vivid with green, gold, indigo! And still, Maylea gazes at the feather, tears filling Her eyes and spilling along Her radiant cheek.

You have emoted: A sound rising in her throat, Lief covers her mouth as she almost - *almost* - hears Shashi's beautiful, musical voice. Tears collect and drip down her cheeks as well as she watches. Another sound - alarmed - as Shashi's fate is relived, and then quiet. Her dragonfly wings beat erratically, her body hovering up, and then down, and then level again before faltering again.

After a long moment, Maylea says, softly, "It was a gift." She smiles reassuringly at you, "Nothing more."

You have emoted: Aloud this time, Lief whispers as she dries her newly reddened eyes, "Why?"

Her voice barely a whisper as Her golden eyes turn to the blossomed willow, Maylea, Bloom of Serenity says to you, "I do not know."

You have emoted: Lief's breath is shaky as she breathes out again, and then in, steadying her breath. As the outburst of emotion eases and calms, and her features return to their normal colors, she watches the feather in Maylea's hands. "What will You do with it, my Lady?" she asks, her voice betrayed by a rougher edge of emotion not yet faded.

A thoughtful expression crosses Maylea's face as She continues to cup the feather in Her hands.

After another long moment, Maylea draws the sari about Herself, turning away. "I will plant it, Eldin." As She steps into the ether, She murmurs, "I will retrieve you when I have found the place."

Gracefully departing, Maylea dissolves into a swirl of prismatic colours.

You have emoted: Lief clasps her hands together, watching her Goddess depart, her lips touched with bittersweet sorrow. "Thank You," she whispers after Maylea's departing form.

A sudden thrumming fills the air as a vibrating Divine portal opens up directly before you, wavering madly before settling in the air, strange colours and pathways flowing beyond.

(Narathos): Maylea says, "Come, Eldin."

As you step into a vibrating Divine portal you are momentarily deafened by the thrumming of the portal, distracting you from the fact that you have just stepped out into nothingness, though this uneasy realisation has barely struck you before your legs are compelled to take another step, and you emerge through an identical portal.

Fruit trees and bumblebees.
A ripe fragrance rises gently across the garden, with haphazard collections of cherry, lemon, and orange trees bearing their heavy bounty of fruits. A simple stone path winds beneath the roots and branches of the trees, surrounding a lovely rock formation in the shape of an old man, whose brow, ears, and nose are riddled with clusters of wildflowers that burst forth with a rainbow of hues. Here and there, violet waves of lavender sway in time to the the breeze, hiding small collections of bumblebee nests that gleam with bulbous golden colour. Filling the air with a low-pitched thrum, a vibrating Divine portal floats here. Maylea, Bloom of Serenity stands here, prismatic light swirling around Her.
You see exits leading east and through a vibrating Divine portal.

You have emoted: Lief steps out of a vibrating Divine portal and hovers near to Maylea, gazing about the beautiful, familiar garden and fruiting trees.

Maylea gives you a smile before bending, Her tresses falling about Her face, to knee upon the ground. Gently, she places the peacock father, quill downwards, into the lush soils before the statue of the old man. The feather flickers, gleams, and shines vibrantly with its native colours, fluttering as if to a small breeze.

Maylea stands, drawing Her sari about Herself. Already, flowers begin to bloom once more about Her feet. Yellow daffodils, orange nasturtiums, blooms of every bright and warm colour dancing in welcome to the newly planted feather.

Fruit trees and bumblebees.
A luminous, green-and-gold peacock feather rises here from the ground, resting before the statue of the old man. With its colourful, frond-like appearance, the feather looks almost like one of the plants themselves. Maylea, Bloom of Serenity stands here, prismatic light swirling around Her.
You see a single exit leading east.

You have emoted: Lief's wings hum quietly, even as they lower her slowly to the earth. Her toes touch, and then the bare soles of her feet, and she settles her wings back as she watches Maylea plant the feather, curiosity turning to awe. "A marker for Shashi?" she quietly asks.

-p feather
Impossible to mistake as anything but the plume of a noble peacock, this feather is long enough that it can only be from the creature's tail. It ripples in luminous shades of green and gold, one colour bleeding into the next like the glossy ripple of water. In one or two places, shocks of indigo make eye-like markings across the barbs, illuminated with an almost divine glow.
It weighs 2 ounce(s).
It has the following aliases: feather.

Maylea reaches forward to cup your cheek, Her reflective golden eyes gazing in to yours. "Yes," She murmurs, as Her form break into a thousand prismatic hues, fading into nothingness.

You have emoted: Lief is left standing, gazing into the place where Maylea's eyes had been. She draws a slow breath, and as the colours fade, she turns to face a luminous peacock feather once more. Her legs give out, and she kneels before it and all the flowers springing up around it, bowing her antlered head.

[After some time, while I was prepping for an IC news post.]

You have emoted: Lief smooths out the skirt of her robes, stirring as a sudden thought occurs to her.

You think to yourself: Should I thank Him...?

You have emoted: Lief chews on her bottom lip as she considers this, brow furrowed quietly.