123rd Ashan 718
following every thread detailed in the first post here
following every thread detailed in the first post here
It had been one hundred and twenty three trials since it began and Faith had been here every one of them. There was not a single trial missed. For the first six, she had stayed here - not leaving the place and working tirelessly. Since then, since the last of the survivors had been pulled from the rubble - and the last of the victims, too - Faith had visited at least twice every trial. Dawn and dusk. Often, two or three times during the trial, too, in order to ensure that she was there and available. She'd also made sure that she visited the temporary housing the people who were now moving back in here had lived in.
It was important, she knew, that she was seen here and visible, that she was involved. Because it was too easy for things to get overlooked, not given the importance they should and, if she was entirely honest, Faith knew that she had too much of an emotional investment in this to have done anything else.
"You've done an astonishing job," she said, to the man she had met on the 5th Ashan, the man who had overseen the build and whose company had done it. "I can not tell you how impressed I am. Thank you, Rhisiart," he smiled at her and shook his head. "It's been a pleasure, Faith, really. We've done good work here." Faith nodded. Indeed they had and as they walked through the Garden of Remembrance, she took the time to look at each thing. "This is a lovely sculpture," she said, with a question in her voice and Rhisiart nodded, blushed and shrugged all at once. "It's a hobby. But I'm glad you like it. It's made from a large piece of the rubble, I thought it was apt."
Faith smiled and nodded, looking intently at her hand against the sculpture for a moment. This undertaking had been enormous and she knew that when she went to the Council meeting this afternoon, she'd be able to speak of it. So much had happened and she wished that Padraig was here with her, but he was not. He was on the expedition to go back to the barrier and their communication had broken again. It was a real difficulty for her, on one hand but on the other she gave thanks to Vri that the man she loved had not felt her die a few trials ago.
Still, that was over now and she couldn't take the time to think about that. "It's a shame," Rhisiart said, "that the plants and so on haven't been able to get more established, to grow more. That would have been good." Faith looked around and smiled. "I think I can help there, with Moseke's help." Rhisiart looked at her and raised an eyebrow. He'd gotten to know Faith pretty well over the past season and he had learned that she wasn't prone to exaggerating, and in fact was more inclined to simply put things down to other people. She was certainly, he believed, too hard on herself, but it wasn't his place to say. However, he said nothing and waited to see what she could do.
Of all things, what she did was move to the middle of the garden and breathe in, then start to sing. She sang a song about a place called "Hushabye Forest" and her voice lifted as she did. It was a lullabye that she sang and as she lost her initial sense of nerves and awareness that he was here, Faith's voice began to project more. She breathed deeply and sang from her diaphragm, the song itself slow and sweet. As her voice carried, the Moseke mark on her chest changed colour to a pale green. It's branches grew to cover her body before bubbling up into tiny droplets of light which floated away from the skin. Rhisiart looked on in amazement As the song progressed, the number of lights grew, swirling around the tree in the middle of the garden. As she sang the song which she hadn't sung for such a long time, the lights amassed around the tree and it began to grow. It was a lullabye written for Rose, her daughter who had been taken from them by Aelig, the emotions flowed through her. Mingling with all the emotions she had felt here, about this, and she closed her eyes as she directed her song as a prayer to the Mother.
"Damnit, girl." Rhisiart whistled as Faith's song finished and she opened her eyes again. A sapling no more, the tree stood tall and proudly and Faith smiled as she prayed her thanks to Moseke. Rhiasiart looked at her, the tiny human person who he had come to respect. "You're just a little bundle of surprising, you are." Faith smiled at him and said nothing, but she was pleased, there was no doubt.
824 words
Sevrath: Mother's Song: Helps plants and trees grow
Sevrath: Mother's Song: Is proportional to the amount of emotion in it
Singing: Projecting your voice in an open place
Singing: Putting emotion into your song
Singing: Using song to work with Moseke's mark
Singing: Overcoming nerves
It was important, she knew, that she was seen here and visible, that she was involved. Because it was too easy for things to get overlooked, not given the importance they should and, if she was entirely honest, Faith knew that she had too much of an emotional investment in this to have done anything else.
"You've done an astonishing job," she said, to the man she had met on the 5th Ashan, the man who had overseen the build and whose company had done it. "I can not tell you how impressed I am. Thank you, Rhisiart," he smiled at her and shook his head. "It's been a pleasure, Faith, really. We've done good work here." Faith nodded. Indeed they had and as they walked through the Garden of Remembrance, she took the time to look at each thing. "This is a lovely sculpture," she said, with a question in her voice and Rhisiart nodded, blushed and shrugged all at once. "It's a hobby. But I'm glad you like it. It's made from a large piece of the rubble, I thought it was apt."
Faith smiled and nodded, looking intently at her hand against the sculpture for a moment. This undertaking had been enormous and she knew that when she went to the Council meeting this afternoon, she'd be able to speak of it. So much had happened and she wished that Padraig was here with her, but he was not. He was on the expedition to go back to the barrier and their communication had broken again. It was a real difficulty for her, on one hand but on the other she gave thanks to Vri that the man she loved had not felt her die a few trials ago.
Still, that was over now and she couldn't take the time to think about that. "It's a shame," Rhisiart said, "that the plants and so on haven't been able to get more established, to grow more. That would have been good." Faith looked around and smiled. "I think I can help there, with Moseke's help." Rhisiart looked at her and raised an eyebrow. He'd gotten to know Faith pretty well over the past season and he had learned that she wasn't prone to exaggerating, and in fact was more inclined to simply put things down to other people. She was certainly, he believed, too hard on herself, but it wasn't his place to say. However, he said nothing and waited to see what she could do.
Of all things, what she did was move to the middle of the garden and breathe in, then start to sing. She sang a song about a place called "Hushabye Forest" and her voice lifted as she did. It was a lullabye that she sang and as she lost her initial sense of nerves and awareness that he was here, Faith's voice began to project more. She breathed deeply and sang from her diaphragm, the song itself slow and sweet. As her voice carried, the Moseke mark on her chest changed colour to a pale green. It's branches grew to cover her body before bubbling up into tiny droplets of light which floated away from the skin. Rhisiart looked on in amazement As the song progressed, the number of lights grew, swirling around the tree in the middle of the garden. As she sang the song which she hadn't sung for such a long time, the lights amassed around the tree and it began to grow. It was a lullabye written for Rose, her daughter who had been taken from them by Aelig, the emotions flowed through her. Mingling with all the emotions she had felt here, about this, and she closed her eyes as she directed her song as a prayer to the Mother.
"Damnit, girl." Rhisiart whistled as Faith's song finished and she opened her eyes again. A sapling no more, the tree stood tall and proudly and Faith smiled as she prayed her thanks to Moseke. Rhiasiart looked at her, the tiny human person who he had come to respect. "You're just a little bundle of surprising, you are." Faith smiled at him and said nothing, but she was pleased, there was no doubt.
824 words
Sevrath: Mother's Song: Helps plants and trees grow
Sevrath: Mother's Song: Is proportional to the amount of emotion in it
Singing: Projecting your voice in an open place
Singing: Putting emotion into your song
Singing: Using song to work with Moseke's mark
Singing: Overcoming nerves
