That Is My Truth

You teleport along the aether strands to Gurashi.
The Stairs of the Last Nine. (road).
This location is flooded with shallow, crystal clear water. It is quite cool. Far above, the peak touching the sky seems to resonate with power and an unspoken message; if the earth can touch the heavens, then perhaps mortality can touch immortality. Wear and tear have worn the path smooth, revealing that many have attempted the pilgrimage to the top of the mountain, but not hinting at how many have successfully completed it. Shara-Mae Dven'tur, a clumsy assistant, is standing here nervously scribbling upon a notebook. Completely motionless, a slender leothin intently surveys its surroundings. Gurashi, the Heart's Friend is here. They wield a vibrant mandolin of songbirds and stars in their left hand and a wyrden shield emblazoned with the Drums of the Dead in their right hand.
You see exits leading up, down, and in.

Gurashi's gaze softens as they smile.

You have emoted: Lief is laughing merrily as she appears, and she offers Bizirik, the leothin her hand.

Gurashi is unable to help but gasp as you materializes, clasping their hands over their mouth. "Oh! Miss Lief!" They chime. "It has been ages!"

Bizirik, the leothin sniffs you, trying to decipher just what that smell emanating from you is.

With effusive warmth, you ask Bizirik, the leothin, "Who is a good but naughty leothin?"

Bizirik, the leothin suddenly tosses their head and chirps and chatters, letting out a sound like a maniacal laugh.

Bizirik, the leothin promptly snorts.

You have emoted: Lief flashes Gurashi a smile, and then breaks into another laugh as she wings closer to them. "It has been *far* too long," she agrees.

-l me
Flowering vines wreathe the antlers which crown this faeling's head, adorning her with perpetual springtime no matter the season. Though she is a nimble faeling blossoming demigoddess, she appears otherwise mundane at first glance. With a boyish, twiggy figure that's taller than average and a sprightly, ruddy pixie haircut, she might be androgynous were it not for her softer features. Large, inquisitive gray eyes sit beneath strong and expressive brows, while a small, upturned nose wears the same proud constellation of freckles which scatters across her healthy, rounded cheeks. Pert and peach-stained lips lift into a natural smile unless some greater emotion temporarily seizes them. The wings which sprout from her back are not a butterfly's, but a dragonfly's, their long, limpid shapes occasionally glimmering with opalescence in the ambient light. Scarlet hieroglyphs dance along her cheekbones and swirl towards her temples, filling the area about her head with the clear indication of Mysrai, the Scarlet Courtesan's truefavour. A lush fragrance dances about her as she stands awash in the wild, prismatic colours of a truefavour from Maylea, Bloom of Serenity.

She is wearing:
a frosted thistle blossom pendant hanging from a thin silvery chain
a translucent crystal bindi faintly illuminating her brow with prismatic colours
a diaphanous snoefaasia brooch of lambent diamond glittering in the ambient light
a dazzling diamond dragonfly earring through her left ear swaying with the movements of her head
a dazzling diamond dragonfly earring through her right ear swaying with the movements of her head
serene kimono robes bearing fruitful apple branches
an apple tree brooch affixed to her robe's neckline
a flower of silver arches tucked behind an ear
the Flame of dae'Seren dangling from her wrist, bound by an argent chain wrapping her forearm
an unbroken tattoo of apple blossoms upon the collar bones.

9800h, 6800m, 10800e, 10p Bexkb-
Bizirik, the leothin chirps happily at you.

You have emoted: Lief strokes Bizirik, the leothin's head, still beaming from ear to faeling ear.

Gurashi reaches up to scratch their chin, then at last opens their arms. "It is very goodly to see you. I have missed you, Miss Lief. We have both been busy as bees."

Gurashi begins to follow you.

You have emoted: Lief takes advantage of Gurashi's open arms to close the distance and steal a quick but fond hug. "As I've missed you," she says warmly, then draws back. Colors twinkle in her eyes. "Are you ready for this journey to my altar?"

Gurashi reaches out and gently grabs you, pulling you into a tight embrace.

Gurashi nods their head emphatically.

You giggle happily.

Standing up straighter, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "If you are absoLUTELY sure..."

You place both hands upon your chest, drawing upon the strength within you, that part of your Goddess that dwells ever within in prismatic hues. Considering your place in the Unbroken, it is as if the world were no longer an obstacle, but a veil for you to bend and draw aside. You brush the air and find yourself stepping through rippling darkness, unformed, uncoloured.

The darkness presses on you from all sides, buffeting you like winds in a storm, but you walk unbowed, led by the assurance of the vivid hues within you, which reach out from you to paint the darkness, to give it form, brightness, and meaning where there was none. Before long, you are wreathed in prismatic light, and you find yourself drawing aside the veil of reality to find the altar of the Unbroken resting beneath an ancient apple tree in the Kiunid Vruna.
Gurashi follows you ether.
Gazing over orchard hill.
A solitary apple tree reaches towards the heavens here, its gnarled branches splayed out bearing brilliantly red fruit. The tree is the oldest in the orchard, with a hollowed-out base; it still produces an abundance of petals that glide down the hill. Looking out over the orchard, the shimmering petals swirl en mass, an ocean of colour that waves with the breeze. Peeking out from within the apple tree's hollowed out base, a stone altar rises, drooped over by fruit. A hornbeam sapling clings tenaciously to the ground here. Completely motionless, a slender leothin intently surveys its surroundings.
You see exits leading southwest and west.

With a gasp, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "Oh!"

Gurashi's eyes bug out as they boggles in amazement.

Gurashi looks left and right as they collect themselves and find their bearings. Bizirik seems much less surprised, great tail sweeping back and forth. "Oh...!"

Gurashi covers their mouth as the color leaves their face, unable to mask their uncertainty. "...Her realms..."

You have emoted: As the veil of color parts and both Gurashi and Lief appear, she rests her hand upon the altar of the Unbroken, her wings humming to keep her high enough to do so. "Yes," she says simply, though she smiles as well.

-p altar
The stone that makes up this altar is soft, weathered as if by years of wind and water. It is of all one piece, vaguely rectangular in shape, as if drawn from the ground itself, and its surface is curved, but unbroken. The altar is carven in abstract patterns of swirls and flower petals. One end of the altar rests in the hollow at the base of the ancient apple tree from which it grows, while the other end peeks out from between the wide-spread roots, with real apple petals and bits of colourful lichen lining the grooves of the engraved blossoms. Overhead, a few apple branches bend down towards the altar, the weight of their fruits drawing them close to the worn stone.
It weighs about 375 pounds.
It has the following aliases: altar.

-l gurashi
They are an ordinary human lost demigod changeling. They stand several inches shy of six feet tall with a slender build. Their arms and legs are lanky, soft hands nervously balled into fists at their side. Their most prominent three knuckles of the same hand are faintly scarred, star-shapes etched across their skin. Their sandy skin has been reddened from exposure to the sun, causing an array of tawny-colored freckles to appear upon their round cheeks and thin, upturned nose. A hint of discolored flesh can be seen near the center of their sternum, mostly obscured by their clothing. A moderately-sized, crescent-shaped scar mars their right cheek. Perhaps the most noteworthy thing about them is their untamed mop of fiery red hair, complete with a few strands at their part that fail to obey the natural laws of gravity. A shock of bone-white hair has grown in along their temple. A pair of vacant gray-blue eyes gaze out from below red bangs, their color striking against all the surrounding warm hues. Their skin shimmers faintly from a thin application of oil and smells faintly of vanilla, buttery and delicate. An ethereal bracelet of azure flame rests upon their wrist, marking the truefavour of Raezon, the Forbidden upon them.

They are wearing:
a Glomdoring friendship bracelet which jingles softly on their left wrist
minty citrus incense beads pulled taut against their right wrist
Refined Boots of the Paladin, worn and weathered from use
mercurial Mysraian prayer beads pulled taut against their right wrist
finely tailored black dress trousers fitted snugly to their legs and worn high on their waist
a vivid red-orange poppy tucked lovingly behind their left ear
a driftwood ring of sea breezes fitted tightly to their left middle finger
a grey, cowl-necked longsleeve shirt which clings loosely to their form
a circlet of crystal thorns pressed far too-tightly to their head
a pair of gardening gloves which have been worn from wear on the fingertips.

The smell of wildflowers wafts past your nose.

With their hands laced together, Gurashi finally collects themselves and takes a moment to take in their surroundings with slowly widening eyes. "...oh." They murmur, looking up towards the great apple tree growing nearby, then the altar of the Unbroken.

Gesturing towards the altar, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend asks you, "... this is ... yours?"

You have emoted: Lief suddenly laughs and wings closer to Gurashi, picking up a flower petal that lands in Gurashi's fiery shock of hair. "Yes," she says again, her eyes sparkling with floral pinks and gilded yellows and pride. "We stood here together, my Lady, the Mayflowers, and I, as a storm blew around us."

You say to Gurashi, "I named myself Unbroken, and the Mayflowers named me thus as well."

Bizirik's head begins to droop. It opens its great maw and curls back its lips to allow its forked tongue to unfurl as it yawns before snapping its mouth shut.

Gurashi blinks as their hair is plucked free of the flower petal, eyes widening. "Ah." They smile faintly, looking up at the tree again. "A tree made you Unbroken...?"

You have emoted: Lief rests the apple blossom petal in her palm, then lifts it high, allowing an errant breeze to carry it down the hill and away. She hesitates on Gurashi's question, and then smiles and turns to the altar of the Unbroken.

Your voice rises, strong and clear as you sing of joy and sing of sorrow, the notes floating like motes of colour across the Kiunid Vruna. In the echoes, harmonies overlap and strengthen themselves, and flashes of colour blend in a masterpiece of inspiration that assure you, deep within, that though storms may bend you, you will never be broken.

Gurashi coughs softly.

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "A st--."

You have emoted: "I made me Unbroken," Lief says to Gurashi finally, turning as the harmonies swell within Serenity Itself. She smiles. "With my friends, and my family, and my love, and the strength within myself."

Gurashi's eyes widen as they look suddenly at you, jaw falling open at the sound of the faeling's voice.

Harmonies rise and blend together, calling up colours of joy and sorrow that echo in your heart, singing unbroken.

Gurashi's eyes widen as they stare at you.

Their eyes suddenly shiny, Gurashi reaches up, laying their hand over their heart. "...that is very...." A pause as they look for words. "... good..."

Gurashi's gaze softens as they smile at you.

You have emoted: "You are one of my dearest friends," Lief says to Gurashi, the words carrying more than small import by the weight that she gives them. Her gaze turns back to the altar of the Unbroken, and to the tree bowing above it, and she smiles. "I am so happy you could see this finally."

Gurashi reaches up to wipe at their eyes, looking back at the altar of the Unbroken with a nod. "It is a beautiful Altar. Is a beautiful significance." They step up to it, hesitantly laying a hand upon the stone. "I am very, very happy for you."

Gurashi carefully plucks an iridescent peacock cookie from their pack, laying it upon the corner of the altar. A second cookie is offered to you after, though they do not meet gazes.

Gurashi gives an iridescent peacock cookie to you.

Harmonies rise and blend together, calling up colours of joy and sorrow that echo in your heart, singing unbroken.

You have emoted: Lief is still smiling when Gurashi places their hand upon the altar. She does so, too, tracing some of the whorling flower patterns upon it, then accepts an iridescent peacock cookie. Her smile gains another quality, a wistful one, as she gazes down at it. "My Lady saw this cookie once, when you gave me one. She said it was his very likeness."

Gurashi blinks.

Surprised, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend asks, "She did?"

Gurashi blushes furiously.

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "I-I mean, he was a very beautiful birds. Hard to forget what looked like, even now."

Gurashi shakes their head.

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "I am happy for you, Miss Lief."

Earnestly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "You are re-awakening once more, and you get to be an Avatar of Your Lady, and, you found Mister Zitto, and, you have found so many many -friends-."

Harmonies rise and blend together, calling up colours of joy and sorrow that echo in your heart, singing unbroken.

With a warm smile, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "Makes me really happy to see you flourishing like flowers that Lady paints, yes yes."

You have emoted: Lief nods her antlered head, still smiling as she turns the cookie in her hand. She looks up at Gurashi, tucks the cookie into the sash of her serene kimono robes bearing fruitful apple branches, then touches their arm. "I am growing," she agrees quietly, searching Gurashi's eyes. "And you are growing, too. Not with me, but differently, and this is good."

Hesitating for only a moment, you ask Gurashi, "Have you found strength, Gurashi?"

Gurashi blinks.

Furrowing their brow, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "Strength?"

You have emoted: Lief nods her antlered head, studying Gurashi.

Gurashi looks down at their arms, then lifts them, flexing minutely. "Behold." They smile cheekily.

As their arms fall, Gurashi lets out a little laugh. "...sorry. Bad jokes."

You have emoted: A grin twitches at Lief's lips, but she shakes her antlered head. "That was a strength you already had," she laughs. "But you have grown into new strength as well, I think."

Wrinkling their nose, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "I mean."

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "... Do not know if am any -stronger-, but."

Fidgeting with their prayer beads, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "...I am happy I do not have to pretend like I do not love the Shofets as much as I really really do."

Frowning, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend asks you, "Does that count?"

Harmonies rise and blend together, calling up colours of joy and sorrow that echo in your heart, singing unbroken.

You have emoted: Lief watches Gurashi's human face, her own expression colored by both her inquisitive assessment, and her warmth for her friend. "Outside will always reflect what's within," she says, tucking her hands over her kimono's lap. "This is what my Lady teaches us, a lesson She learned from Her Kaenalye."

You say to Gurashi, "The strength that I see is born from this unity with your heart and your actions, I think. Outside as within."

Gurashi tilts their head and listens intently to you.

Gurashi blushes furiously.

Smiling, her words simple, you say, "So it counts."

Gurashi looks down at themselves, as if expecting to see something growing from their chest. "Oh."

Gurashi's gaze softens as they smile at you.

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "Will not lie, it is really ... uhm. Hard? Sometimes, yes it is." They clap. "All of the big changes, yes."

Bizirik's head begins to droop. It opens its great maw and curls back its lips to allow its forked tongue to unfurl as it yawns before snapping its mouth shut.

You have emoted: "I cannot even imagine how hard they must be," Lief confesses, her smile fading into empathy.

"Even now, so many peoples back home think that am lying. They do not believe that I did what I did, 'cause I love the Shofets, and I love all the peoples around me, and I wanna learn how to be a better persons, and the Beloved are all ABOUT that sorta thing." Gurashi plants their hands on their hips, tilting their head back to look at the branches immediately over their head. "So I will just have to show them with actions, and stuff."

Pursing their lips, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "I would be lying if said didn't miss home all day every day, though. Miss my family muchly too."

Gurashi sways anxiously in their spot.

Bizirik, the leothin suddenly slinks over towards Gurashi, encircling the human before wandering over to the altar to sniff at the cookie offering left on its edge.

Harmonies rise and blend together, calling up colours of joy and sorrow that echo in your heart, singing unbroken.

You have emoted: "Outside as within," Lief echoes herself softly. She wings to Gurashi's side, placing a hand - steadying, perhaps? certainly firm and not pushy - between their shoulders. "If they love you, they will see. If they are blinded, you have so many others that love you, too, which can never fill the pieces of you that are missing."

Softly, you say, "But you will grow in spite of it."

Black, starry mist coalesces into Dusan, the coruscant as he gives a plate of crumb-coated garlic shrimp to Gurashi before disappearing again.

Gurashi glances askance.

Bizirik, the leothin gives a short gasp of elation.

You hide a grin behind your hand.

Gurashi abruptly takes the shrimp and hands it to Bizirik, the leothin with little hesitation.

Gurashi gives a plate of crumb-coated garlic shrimp to Bizirik, the leothin.

Bizirik, the leothin chirps happily.

Gurashi crosses their arms over their chest and steps back, watching Bizirik take the platter and proceed to devour it noisily, sending bits of breading scattering into the grass. "... may also depend if Lady of Roses will let them see, too. She's awfully mad." They murmur, watching the leothin eat.

Harmonies rise and blend together, calling up colours of joy and sorrow that echo in your heart, singing unbroken.

You have emoted: Lief looks at Gurashi's profile, her brows knitting together. "She controls what they see?" she asks, withdrawing her hand to tuck it over her lap, joined with the other one. She bites her bottom lip in thought. "She is a Goddess, and I know that She *can*, but..."

Gurashi blinks.

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "...er, no, I mean."

Gurashi fidgets impatiently.

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "It is the Glomdoring. Her Glomdoring."

Gurashi suddenly pauses as they say the name of the forest, abruptly looking about, as if expecting some sort of Divine bolt of energy to smite them down where they stand.

You have emoted: Lief gazes into the branches of the apple tree. The furrow of her brow is still present, still knit about a translucent crystal bindi glowing faintly at her invisible third eye. "You are safe here," she murmurs. "This is Serenity Itself."

Harmonies rise and blend together, calling up colours of joy and sorrow that echo in your heart, singing unbroken.

Gurashi tilts their head, gaze softening as they frown.

Softly, you say, "Still..."

Hesitantly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "Say what I did was against Her and all of Her things."

Still gazing into the branches of the apple tree, you ask Gurashi, "Worshiping Another is aligning oneself against Her and Her forest?"

Clasping a hand over their cheek, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "I kept it a secret. Everyone says I lied to them."

Softly, you say, "Secrets are not a bad thing. Sometimes we are not ready to share what lies within our hearts. It is..."

Gurashi runs their thumb over the scar upon their cheek thoughtfully as they stare out over the surrounding orchard now, watching the ever-brightening light of the early dawn. "Secrets divide Glomdorings. Lying makes us weak."

You have emoted: Lief hesitates, then continues, "It is what you *do* with these secrets that may hurt others. I doubt everyone in the Glomdoring is wholly open and honest with all that lives in their minds and their hearts at all times."

Gurashi stares at you, gaze softening and face filling with concern as they frown at you.

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "...my secret got my friend Akuuko stolen."

Gurashi shakes their head.

Harmonies rise and blend together, calling up colours of joy and sorrow that echo in your heart, singing unbroken.

You have emoted: Lief cups her freckled cheek in her palm, leaning into it in thought. Still studying her altar, and the tree, and not Gurashi, she asks, "If you had told the Goddess of the Webs right away, would that have changed Akuuko's fate? Yours?"

Gurashi abruptly closes their eyes, rubbing their face with both hands. "I could have told the Shofets, or the Beloved, that the Lady took him. But." They hesitate. "Everybody told me to be patient and let the Lady of Roses do what She was going to do." They laugh almost bitterly. "In end, She gave him new leggies."

Gurashi tilts their head, gaze softening as they frown.

Softer, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "... the Shofets said I learned a whole lesson in... cause... my inactions were made worse, because I was so scared."

Harmonies rise and blend together, calling up colours of joy and sorrow that echo in your heart, singing unbroken.

You have emoted: Lief is quiet for a while, listening to Gurashi. "They abused your trust," is what she says when she speaks, and she says it softly, "yet accuse you of abusing theirs."

Gurashi's eyes widen as they stare at you.

Gurashi opens their mouth as if to say something, but pauses.

Gurashi gives you a confused look, then stares at the altar of the Unbroken as well, folding their hands before themselves in silence.

Harmonies rise and blend together, calling up colours of joy and sorrow that echo in your heart, singing unbroken.

Taemira arrives from the southwest.

You have emoted: The harmonies blend in beautiful melody around Lief and Gurashi, the wordless song tugging at the heart with sweetness and with sorrow. She hovers beside Gurashi, her eyes still studying the altar, and she does not speak, opting, instead, to listen.

Harmonies rise and blend together, calling up colours of joy and sorrow that echo in your heart, singing unbroken.

Taemira waves gently before slipping back out quietly.

Bizirik, the leothin tilts her head curiously at Taemira.

Taemira leaves to the west.

Gurashi does not seem to have noticed Taemira's entrance, curiously looking at the altar of the Unbroken with a strange expression on their face. "I only kept secret because I wanted time to prove to everyone that loving Shofets did not mean loving Glomdoring less." Their voice is quiet, nearly inaudible. "I joined ... before Ascension, even ... and I still did all that could to make sure we did goodly, and fought well."

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "...and I still did my offerings to the Lady, and, designed things, and, ran plays and ..."

Gurashi trails off, shoulders sagging.

Harmonies rise and blend together, calling up colours of joy and sorrow that echo in your heart, singing unbroken.

Gurashi shakes their head.

You have emoted: Lief's gaze shifts to Gurashi, her expression filled with empathy, with sorrow, with even a hint of pride. "You know how I feel about the southern Forest," she says to them quietly, bobbing gently in the air beside the human at least twice her height. "But my feelings about there do not matter just now. What matters is that you did not betray what you felt - maybe still feel - is important. You acted as truly as you knew how." She pauses, and lets a sad smile tug at the corners of her lips. "Maybe you would act differently in the same situation now, but that's because you have learned and grown."

Gently, you say to Gurashi, "They are not blameless. Carry what weight is yours to carry, but they are not blameless."

Harmonies rise and blend together, calling up colours of joy and sorrow that echo in your heart, singing unbroken.

Gurashi's eyes widen as they stare at you.

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "...but -I- hurt -them-?"

You have emoted: "And they hurt you first." Lief's smile fades. "Hurt is... complicated."

You have emoted: Lief pauses, then reaches out to pluck a divine apple from the tree above the altar of the Unbroken, cradling it in her faeling palm. "However..."

Harmonies rise and blend together, calling up colours of joy and sorrow that echo in your heart, singing unbroken.

Quietly, extending the apple forward, you say to Gurashi, "I think you are hurting yourself worst of all. Forgiveness is healing; consider granting yourself this gift."

Gurashi starts to open their mouth to speak, then abruptly shuts it again, listening to you with patient curiosity as she plucks the apple from the tree.

Harmonies rise and blend together, calling up colours of joy and sorrow that echo in your heart, singing unbroken.
The hymnic song of the Unbroken's choirs fades away.

Gurashi closes their eyes for a moment, before returning their focus on you.

With hesitance, Gurashi takes the proffered fruit from you, gray-blue eyes wide. They look down at the apple, turning it in their hands many times.

Looking at the apple still, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "The Shofets tells us to embrace our Truths."

Looking up at the tree again, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "The Truth of Ourselves."

You have emoted: "What is the Truth of Yourself?" Lief asks with a smile, canting her antlered head curiously, watching Gurashi watch the apple tree.

The musky scent of loam and leaves fills you with vibrancy.

Bizirik's head begins to droop. It opens its great maw and curls back its lips to allow its forked tongue to unfurl as it yawns before snapping its mouth shut.

You see a deer wander through a clearing in the distance.

Gurashi's eyes close again as they fold both hands over the apple and sigh deeply. "... I am pretty nice. And, I have many friends. And, I love many, many peoples. And would like very muchly to make as many people that I meet as happy as I can." Eyes still shut, they smile ruefully to themselves. "Even though I have done wrongly things in the past, and have hurt people, I do not want that to be what defines who am. I want to be -kind-."

Tears begin to gather in the corner of Gurashi's closed eyes. "Even the Glomdoring. Even the Lady of Roses. And Mister Lord Silence. They scare me very much, but I still would never want to do anything unkindly to Them. Or my home. Or my family. I still love Them all dearly."

Gurashi looks at the tree again at last, then down at the apple within their hands, then to the mercurial Mysraian prayer beads upon their wrist.

Looking at the faeling at last, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "That is me. That is my truth. I think. I am kind. And I want to stay that way forever."

Gurashi sniffles softly.

Awkwardly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "... if that is O-K."

You have emoted: As Lief listens, her gaze falls to the fruit held in Gurashi's hands. She smiles another quiet smile, one as unassuming as the delicate curve of a bluebell's stem. "Love is a scary thing," she says, and her musical voice rings strangely in the quiet of the realm, absent the choirs of before. She alights upon the edge of the altar of the Unbroken, perching there and gazing up at Gurashi's face. "...My Lady teaches that our innermost Truths are ever-changing as we touch the world, and as we are touched by it. Our Truths change because we grow. I don't think this Truth you've told me is the same as the Truth you told me when we first met in your manse."

Softly, you say to Gurashi, "That is a good thing, I think."

Eyes widening with concern, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "...what did I say the first time."

You have emoted: "I don't think you said that They were scary," Lief offers Gurashi with a faint smile. "Or that you have done wrong things. Our mistakes allow us to learn and to grow, though."

Gurashi tilts their head, gaze softening as they frown.

Gurashi glances askance.

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend whispers, "Oh golly do not tell Them I said that."

Gurashi covers their face with one hand, holding the apple to their chest.

Repeating herself, you say to Gurashi, "You are safe here in Kiunid Vruna. I will not tell."

Starry shadows herald Dusan, the coruscant as he deposits an egg custard tart into your hands before dissolving into mist again.

Gurashi fidgets impatiently.

Gurashi tilts their head, gaze softening as they frown.

Bizirik's head begins to droop. It opens its great maw and curls back its lips to allow its forked tongue to unfurl as it yawns before snapping its mouth shut.

Gurashi watches the coruscant slide in and out, almost apprehensive as they step closer to the altar of the Unbroken. "...the Shofets said I learned a lesson. And I know now I have seen what happens when I try to keep my secrets..."

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "I will not be inactive-y anymore. I will not let fear hold me still. Like thorny vines around my leggies."

Gurashi lifts a booted foot to examine it thoughtfully before standing up straight again.

You have emoted: Lief's ankles hook around one another as she studies Gurashi's face from her perch at the smooth altar's edge, and she nods. "It sounds to me as though you have learned a lesson," she says, and then smiles anew. "One that aligns your actions with your heart. Keep both things in sight, and take only what blame is yours to shoulder - no more."

Gurashi's gaze softens as they smile at you.

Suddenly and earnestly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "I really missed you, Miss Lief. You are always knowing the rightest thing to say." They puff their cheeks adorably. "How do I do that?"

You have emoted: Lief laughs and reaches out to gently, without malice or force or discomforting pressure, poke Gurashi's chest. "You hold your innermost Truth close to your heart, and you align it with your actions. It'll come to you naturally."

Gurashi looks down at their chest, blinking twice.

Gurashi's gaze softens as they smile at you.

You have emoted: Lief settles her hand back into her lap, and she smiles at Gurashi as well. "Thank you for joining me here," she says with warmth, "and for letting me show you my altar." She glances down the hill and remarks, "You may explore here now at your leisure, if you'd ever like to."

Surprised, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "Oh - I ... am not even sure how to FIND this place. But." They scratch their chin nervously. "Thank you - do - is there anywhere here that is your favorite? Besides -here- here, obviously..."

Gurashi tilts their head and listens intently to you.

You have emoted: Lief perks up, and she nods to Gurashi earnestly. Her wings fan out behind her, stretching before humming to lift her from her perch. "Let me show you," she smiles.

Gurashi perks up, nodding. "Yes - please."

[Movement]

Gurashi follows you west.
Tendrils of fading colour.
Superimposed over this location, an ethereal forest reaches up to the sky. Surrounded by nothing more than blackness, only a few tentative stripes of contrasting blue and red make up a narrow pathway into nothing. Like brushstrokes, the colours fade artfully into nothing at all, leaving on suspended over a panoramic view of aetherspace. A few motes of glimmering white drift through the air, leaving trails behind them. Bell-like flowers swaying in the breeze, a tall cananga tree stands here in defiance of the encroaching shadows. A slender leothin sits here motionless, brightening its surroundings with its natural golden bio-luminescence.
You see a single exit leading east.

Gurashi blinks.

With quiet awe, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "Oh..."

You have emoted: The path wandered through dizzying painted landscapes is one Lief flies down with certainty, following the way until it starts to fade, and narrow, and almost disappear before a tall, blooming cananga tree.

Gurashi is certain to keep close to you, clutching their mandolin to their chest as they follow along. "It is all so... colorful." They comment, eyes wide.

You have emoted: "Isn't it," Lief says with a dreamy smile, drawing up to a tall, blooming cananga tree. Here she hovers for several moments, gazing up into its bright yellow flowers, and she reaches out to touch its bark. She hesitates, then looks to Gurashi over her shoulder. "When I first dedicated myself to my Lady," she explains, "I spent so much of my time meditating right here."

Looking up at the tree curiously, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "It is ... very pretty ..."

You have emoted: Lief says simply, "It is a grave."

Gurashi whips around to look at you in surprise, then looks at their feet, lifting a leg as if realizing they are standing upon some long-buried corpse.

-p tree
A thin silvery trunk stretches up from the end of the pathway here, surging its verdant green canopy high into the darkness. Its evergreen leaves are smooth and glossy, edged with a waxy point, and have grown into a naturally round formation. From its dark branches, delicate yellow flowers dangle. They hang upside down like bells, but their six lemon-hued petals are slightly splayed to reveal the golden heart of the flower. A soft, floral fragrance fills the air around them, the uplifting scent driving away the shadows of the mind. At the base of the tree a small plaque has been placed, wreathed in prismatic light.
It weighs about 875 pounds.
It has the following aliases: tree.

You read what is written on a tall, blooming cananga tree:
For the shadows to win, they must consume all other things. Hope need only be a tiny spark, a blossoming gleam in the darkness, and it has triumphed.

You have emoted: Lief wings about a tall, blooming cananga tree, letting her feet touch the ground, and she gestures toward the plaque placed before its base.

Aloud, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend whispers, ".. a tiny spark ..."

Gurashi stares at the plaque with wide eyes.

You have emoted: Lief watches Gurashi, her gray eyes flickering with color - with warmth, but also with a smoldering intensity that all but pierces as she studies their face. "You carry such a spark within you."

Quietly but intently, you say to Gurashi, "Do not let it die out."

Gurashi looks up at a tall, blooming cananga tree slowly, then over at you. "...think we all do? Because Demi-Divines." They puff their cheeks.

You have emoted: Lief hesitates, as though uncertain how to react. Ultimately, she lifts her hand to her mouth and giggles softly into the palm.

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "...what."

Gurashi huffs, puffing their cheeks.

Gurashi squints up at you, narrowing their eyes as they rise to stand fully, no longer reading the plaque.

You have emoted: Lief's wings hum, lifting her from the painted earth beside a tall, blooming cananga tree to open her arms to Gurashi. Her eyes are sparkling merrily as she says, "You are right, of course. We are hope itself."

Gurashi's face lights up as they look at you, letting out a little gasp and quickly closing the distance between themselves and the faeling to pull you into an embrace, smiling.

You have emoted: Lief squeezes Gurashi tightly, warmly, her wings bobbing her a bit in the hug. When she draws back, she smiles at Gurashi and insists, "Any time you would like to visit here. The pond is in the Hifarae Hills - you only need to enter it. Just, ah." She glances off to one side. "Maybe do not explore here with members of the Glomdoring or Magnagora." She looks back to Gurashi and smiles, "But those of Gaudiguch are welcome, as long as everyone is nice and respectful, which I know they can be."

Gurashi blinks.

Gurashi puffs their cheeks, bunching their shoulders as they hold you at arm's length. "I would not bring peoples here without permissions. A-and, I don't live in Gaudiguchs!" They insist. "I will be respectful. Give whole respects, I promise!"

Laughing, you say to Gurashi, "I know that you don't live there, but - if Shulamit wanted to join you ever, she is welcome. This is what I mean."

Gurashi's hands fly to their mouth as they give a short gasp of elation.

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "Oh! Beloved Shulamit can come? O-K!"

Bizirik, the leothin chirps happily.

You have emoted: Lief beams merrily at Gurashi, her antlered head nodding as she claps her hands together before her lap. "And you will be welcome at the wedding too, of course." She considers, then muses to herself. "I know that Zitto likes sweets. *Does* he have a preference?"

You ponder for a moment and say "Hrm..."

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "...oh! Oh oh, oh. O-K, next Vestian, said?" Their face lights up. "I need to know what you like, and I will make lots, O-K?"

Gurashi looks at you hopefully.

You nod your head enthusiastically at Gurashi.

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "I will make as many foodstuffs as I can. Ah..." Suddenly they trail off, eyes widening. "...need to talk to places with commodities to see if will let me buy some for baking...."

Gurashi stares blankly into space.

You have emoted: Lief cups her freckled cheek in her hand. "I can always see if Serenwilde has what you need for baking," she offers.

Fretfully, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "I do not know yet if will need things! But I will eventually?" They smile. "Depending on what want for the weddings. Yes. You are kindly to offer. I will not take for free, will not."

Gurashi pulls a coin from their pack and flips it, watching it land on heads. "Yep!"

You giggle happily.

You have emoted: Lief clasps her hands together before herself and gazes back at a tall, blooming cananga tree, smiling. "It was so good to see you, Gurashi. I have to meditate, but let me show you how to come in and out of here?"

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says, "... oh! Oh, O-K!"

Gurashi claps their hands together merrily.

You flash Gurashi a joyous smile.

Gurashi quickly falls in line behind the faeling again, beaming. "Thank you - many thank yous."

You nod your head enthusiastically at Gurashi.

[Movement]

Gurashi follows you northwest.
The Garden of Earthly Delights.
Superimposed over this location, an ethereal forest reaches up to the sky. Fed by a pure, underground spring, a small pond takes up the centre of the gardens. Delicate white fish swim in the crystal waters and around the base of lotus blossoms that float upon the pristine surface. Around the pond, silvery grasses and other white flowers create a space of intricate serenity and beauty. Some paces further on, the grasses become vibrant green and low rosebushes blossom in yellow and orange as colours come into vivid relief. Beyond this multihued boundary, nothing grows at all, leaving only black sand smoldering here and there, or glowing red with some unseen heat. This unsettling vision only serves to augment the protective calm provided by the garden itself. A blood-splattered stone, worn smooth by the flow of a river, lies here. Completely motionless, a slender leothin intently surveys its surroundings.
You see exits leading southeast, southwest, and through a small pond.

You laughingly say to Bizirik, the leothin, "It was wonderful to see you again too, of course."

Bizirik, the leothin chirps happily.

Gurashi tilts their head curiously.

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend asks, "...t-this is Her temple?"

Gurashi looks around with cautious interest, eyes wide.

You have emoted: Lief gestures to the small pond, smiling at the both of you. "You just ENTER the POND here - and you can enter it again in the Hills to come back, should you ever like to explore and visit."

A look of understanding crossing their features, Gurashi nods their head slowly.

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "...O-K... thank you so very kindly, Miss Lief." They offer a warm smile. "Think I will come visit again, yes I will."

Gurashi reaches out and gently grabs you, pulling you into a tight embrace.

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to you, "Many thank yous."

You give Gurashi a friendly squeeze.

You nod your head enthusiastically at Gurashi.

Gurashi gives the world a smart salute.

You say to Gurashi, "Please do!"

Quietly, Gurashi, the Heart's Friend says to Bizirik, the leothin, "Ready? Position!"

Gurashi strikes a pose.

Bizirik, the leothin strikes a pose.

You have emoted: Lief waves merrily to Gurashi, giggling.

Bizirik, the leothin chirps happily.

Gurashi waves goodbye at you.

You beam broadly.

Gurashi steps into the pond and then sinks slowly into the waters, their form surrounded by a halo of iridescent colours before dissipating into the mist.
With a great sweep of its tail, Bizirik breaks off to the ether.