Twinkle, Twinkle

((Standing guard at Li-v's cocoon.))

Starlight glitters at the corners of your seven eyes, distant and curious. You can feel its presence
ultimately emanating from within the sanctified, Goddess-protected bounds of your city.

Avaris turns his head towards the direction of the glittering light, antennae
flicking up.

You think to yourself: "Ah, the young Lady."

Footbridge above a reflective pond.
The rippling sound of flowing celestial waters echoes distantly from a healing shrine of Lantra
nearby. This location is flooded with shallow, crystal clear water. A wide stone footbridge arches
over this large pond, providing a path from the central square to the structure behind the
southwestern wall, of which nothing is visible save for a few fleeting glimpses of scarlet fabric
caught in the wind. The pleasant banks of the pond are smooth with the exception of the far
southwestern corner, which is home to several medium-sized trees of varying species, including
cherry, maple, and walnut. These trees lord over the pond, providing a peaceful spot to relax and
meditate. The surface of the pond, being the only isolated one of its kind in the gardens, is as
motionless and flat as glass. Those resting on the far bank are provided a serene vista of the
willow tree, central square, and fountain, all which are reflected in the deep azure hues of the
water's surface.
You see exits leading northeast, east, southwest, and northwest.

The starlight teasing at the corners of your eyes shimmers in the pond. They pluck themselves up,
one by one, gathering themselves into the glittering form of Vaevaya, the Refulgent, who sheds
scattered, excited light as she sees you.

Striding in a restrained, purposeful manner, Avaris's massive talons part the grass
in an almost gentle manner as he makes his way towards the edge of the pond, settling into a posture
of relaxed attention upon the banks. At the apparition of the playful gleams of starlight, the broad
swathes of red that make up his antennae undulate upwards in a rippling motion, motes of light
forming within his seven blue eyes. His voice is warm and steady as he says, "Ah, young Lady. It
does my heart good to see you. How have you been?"

'How have you been?' elicits a peal of excited noise from the stars of Vaevaya - like giggles, or
like squeals. "You ~wished~ upon me!" she exclaims, her every star driven to a frenzied spin of
enthusiasm. "You made a wish, and look at what happened!"

((The wish in question:  "I have a wish to make upon young Lady Vaevaya, for her sake. I wish for her to have something that will bring her comfort in these trying times, something that will make her feel safe, protected, and loved, no matter how terrible it becomes. A fixed point to hold to when the world spins to chaos, when I cannot be there to shelter her." ))

The pouring rainclouds above you turn a deep grey, and the droplets grow larger and fall more
forcefully.

Vaevaya draws in on herself, sidereal light churning - you have the distinct impression she is
digging about, rummaging within her very self - before she draws a twinkling wish doll into
existence. Unfurling herself into her typical constellating patterns once more, undaunted by the
rain pouring down from above, she shows it off.

Vaevaya proudly shows off a twinkling wish doll:
Comprising far too many pinpricks of light to count - and spinning far too quickly within their
enchanted bounds to properly study - this little doll twinkles here with all its might. Many details
are difficult to discern through the concentrated glow of sidereal luminescence, but it certainly
seems modelled after mortals with its rounded head and four appendages. Instead of clothing, a veil
of galactic colour shifts and dances over its entirety, blue and pink and purple and many other hues
besides. A pale, iridescent halo enfolds the toy within its shimmering embrace, occasionally pierced
by a tiny, orbiting comet whose cosmic-dusted trail quickly vaporises into nothingness.

A helpless burst of rich, harmonic laughter is sparked into being by Vaevaya's
delighted sounds, as Avaris's eyes veritably flood with brightly shining motes of light, joy
radiating from him like heat from a sun-baked stone. He dips his head in an indulgent nod, content
to witness the sidereal being's happiness in quiet appreciation, the eyes within his wings shifting
about to track Vaevaya's whirling. Leaning forward with clear interest, the kephera's head dips down
to watch the unusual retrieval from a polite distance. Once the doll is shown off, he makes a quiet
sound of pure surprise, antennae snapping upright as he stares at the adorable, cosmic figure. In a
wondering tone, he says, "Why...That is ~splendid~, Little Star! That is the very finest doll that I
have ever seen!" So saying, he lifts all four of his hands up and brings them together in gentle,
but sincere applause. "However did it come into your possession? I know I wished upon you, but...Did
the Great Lady gift it to you?"

"Oh, no," Vaevaya chimes with effusive energy as her lights dance. She is perpetually bright, her
light undimmed even as dawn begins to encroach upon the night, for the turbulent clouds roiling
overhead keep so much yet in darkness. "You made it, Avaris! You did, with your wish!" She bursts
with excitement, literally, an exuberant cloud of opalescent cosmic dust shimmering about her before
she draws herself close to a twinkling wish doll and says to the kephera, confidingly, "Watch this."

"I wish, I wish, I wish..." Vaevaya whispers to a twinkling wish doll, hope blazing in her gaze.
As Vaevaya whispers to a twinkling wish doll, its haloed glow brightens in response, shedding fierce
and pale illumination that bathes her with cosmic light.

One of a twinkling wish doll's stars pulsates as a sweetly mellifluous voice enchants the ears: "I
usually wish for the same thing: for my loved ones to be happy, and healthy, and for those who are
not to feel better soonly."

You think to yourself: A pure and simple pleasure at seeing the young being so delighted, a steady
and persistent warmth within his heart.

There is the tiniest moment of hesitation, in which a flicker of uncertainty enters
Avaris's layered voices, as he says, "I..Made it?" It passes swiftly, however, the notion set aside
in favour of savouring the innocent joy that shines before him, soft laughter shivering in the air
about him. "Then I am very happy to have made the wish, Little Star." The gentle detonation of
enthusiasm is reflected upon the burnished surface of his chitin, gleaming with a brilliant
luminescence as he leans in to watch as he is bid, head tilted curiously aside. At the sound of
someone else's voice emanating from the doll, the eyes adorning his plumage widen, and he exclaims,
"That is incredible, young Lady! Have people been wishing on you, as we hoped, then?"

At the onslaught of wind, Avaris extends his immense wings about Vaevaya in a
reflexive manner, curving them about her to form a huge cocoon of softly glowing feathers of gold,
which form a bubble of tranquility and peace.

"Yes, they have been!" Vaevaya says excitedly, her voice a melodic ringing of merry bells in
haphazard, uncontrolled chorus. Sheltered and unscattered in the kephera's watchful wingspread, she
sparkles brilliantly, even sparing a ray of light to shoot toward the sky with a fierce, "I am
brighter than you!" Then she coaxes a twinkling wish doll in the air from her orbit to hover within
grasp of your four hands. "Try it! Wish upon it!"

A low, pleased thrumming sounds from Avaris's throat at the confirmation, his azure
eyes nearly entirely saturated by silver points of gleaming light. Indifferent to the raging of the
elements, the kephera stands as unmoved by the clawing grasp of the wind as a fortress, the wall of
his wings steadfast in their denial of the seething storm. Nodding in a serious manner, he agrees,
"Yes, Lady. That you are. Your light is greater than any darkness, and brings hope and succor to
many." Gently, he extends a hand to intercept the doll's orbit, so that it bumps into his awaiting
palm. With the air of a man handling something infinitely precious, he draws it close, glancing at
Vaevaya for a moment, before studying the doll intently.

"I wish, I wish, I wish..." you whisper to a twinkling wish doll, hope blazing in your heart.
As you whisper to a twinkling wish doll, its haloed glow brightens in response, shedding fierce and
pale illumination that bathes you with cosmic light.

One of a twinkling wish doll's stars pulsates as a voice roughened and husky, low and honeyed with
emotion, sings: "Cracking fires and sweet catkin rushes, / sleep sweet and safe in the light of my
love. / Though the storm rages and roils and shouts, / stars still shine out from their places
above."

Swollen droplets of storm-grey rain fall like silver nails from the angry sky, the thrumming roar of
their descent drowning out all other sounds.

"It is filled with wishes," Vaevaya sings, her stars shimmering in delightful harmony, "and with
that which brings me comfort." Her joy undimmed, but her excitement calming into something stiller
and steadier, she adds with all sincerity, "Thank you, Avaris. It has steadied me greatly since it
first appeared to me, and even moreso now that it has fully manifested."

The clouds overhead rumble ominously and bolts of lightning strike the ground, followed closely by
peals of furious thunder.

Tenderly, Avaris strokes the smooth, golden chitin of the underside of his fingers
across the doll's brow, antennae bowing outwards as he breathes a soft, humming sound of
appreciation. "Ah. That is...That is very fine, Little Star. Very fine, indeed." Carefully, he holds
the doll out to Vaevaya, so that it rests upon the conjoined flat of his upper pair of palms,
pleasure forming a warm undercurrent in the chorus of his words. "You are most welcome, my shining
friend. I am so very glad that you have this. So very glad."

Sheets of rain pelt the rooftops of the city: an orchestra of noises that leaves every shingle,
window, and gutter slick or waterlogged.

Father Sun presses forward in his journey, lowering himself in the sky and allowing scattered
sunlight to peek through the clouds.

Vaevaya cradles a twinkling wish doll to her insubstantial form, and basks in its presence for
several moments longer before she envelops it completely. Where the rain streaks about the shelter
offered her by your wings, it pelts the earth and the pond with such fury as to make the glassy
surface seemingly rain up. "Oh, hello again!" she suddenly calls out in chiming tones to a quiet
presence in the centre of the meditation garden, seemingly noticing her presence upon righting her
constellations anew.

((Glancing))
The centre of a meditative garden.
This location is flooded with shallow, crystal clear water. Trickling water breaks the silence of
the gardens as they flow down a monolithic stone fountain that sits in the middle of the square.
Gracefully crowning these celestial waters, a single star lotus floats atop a celadon urn as it
overflows with a boundless spring of healing light. The epitome of calm and control, Master Setmos
stands here, quietly musing his own existence. Gracefully standing aside here, a soft-spoken woman
dressed in white looks about herself with a thoughtful air.
You see exits leading northeast, east, southeast, southwest, west, northwest, and down.

The rain flows across the adamant plating of Avaris's form in cascading streams of
crystalline, reflected light, lending him the appearance of being adorned with flowing veins of
diamond. The torrential downpour soaks the thick plumage of his wings, but fails to dampen their
inherent glow, nor that of the vigilant eyes that are turned without - Which flick towards the
center of the garden, thinning minutely. The kephera's head follows, his visored face expressionless
as he stares off into the deluge. After a brief moment, he asks, quietly, "Who is that, Little Star?
Are they a friend?"

You think to yourself: Faint, ever-present wariness, sharpening briefly at the presence of an
unknown element - But calming swiftly. "She speaks as if she knows this woman. We shall give her the
benefit of the doubt, for now."

The stars of Vaevaya fizz with effervescent exuberance as her rays of light streak toward the
central location. "Oh, she is very dear to me!" the ephemeral being declares with absolute
brightness. And then she hesitates, wavering within the shield of your wing-cape. Ultimately and
quite regretfully, she decides, "I have to return to the skies - how will others wish upon me if I
stay here too long? But will you go see her? And tell her I say hello, and that I very dearly hope
to hear her wishes, too?"

Antennae curving slightly downward, only to flick upright once more as Avaris's
attention shifts back to Vaevaya, the kephera dips his head in a polite nod of affirmation. "Of
course, Little Star. I will not keep you here, and I shall pass along your regards to this dear
friend of yours." A pause, and then, with undisguised warmth, "It has been good to see you. Stay
safe, sweet Lady." So saying, he parts his wings like the unfurling of a vast, aureate flower, the
sodden feathers carefully retracting until they are settled once more upon his back.

Vaevaya shimmers with warmth despite the coolness of her light, and as she begins to draw apart, she
cries a cheerful, "Thank you for the story and the song, too!"

Vaevaya's coalescence scatters, leaving nought but a pale dusting of starlight to glimmer and fade.

Avaris lifts a clawed hand in farewell, the glittering motes within his natural
eyes gradually fading, until the azure is all that remains. He turns towards the distant figure,
antennae shifting forward, and steps forward.