55th Ashan 721
Following the consequenceSome people around Hopetoun have taken to thinking that Vega is a miracle worker. They begin making outlandish requests of her, and at one point a line/crowd of about a dozen or more begins to form, and they all have the most embarrassing and outlandish requests to make of her. given here!
Vega was sitting on the cliff side at Hope Point and she had her sewing in her lap. She was making things for her baby, even though her pregnancy was still in the very earliest stages. To-trial, she was making a small blanket which was embroidered with small spring flowers. There was a blanket just like it in the dark wooden chest aboard the Wanderlust - the chest in which she kept things of importance. The one in the Wanderlust had been made for her by her own mother, who had died giving birth to Vega, and it was Vega's intention to make a few like it, because then she'd be able to wrap the child in it and not know if it was the one she made, or her mother did. She liked that idea, very much. She focused on making sure that the edges of the flowers were clear, a technique she used to bring definition to the piece
The sound of the water crashing against the shore was beautiful - it was the sound of the song of water, to her. Water which had such a different sound from air, it sang in a different voice. Each element was different and Vega closed her eyes and just heard them - felt them. She'd been a defiance mage for well over an arc now, but still she resisted any progression in it. It would change her, and she was quite content with who she was, thank you very much. Giving up control, changing yourself, sharing your power - your very essence - with someone else was just too much for Vega to even consider. Once, the first time someone had tried to forcibly initiate her, Vega had died rather than give in. Then, the ability had literally just been there when she woke up from a dream. She had never asked for it, never would she.
But either way - she enjoyed the knowledge and understanding of the elements and their song. That was as far as it was going. The song, however, was disturbed by the sound of someone approaching. No, more than one person. There was a group of them and Vega recognised them. A hunting party from Hopetoun, she wondered why they'd come here to speak to her. It wasn't like Darius was still away, he was here and so she was very content in being bossy Vega who stomps around and was grouchy.
"Wotcha," she said. Looking at them, she realised it was two groups. One coming in, one going out. "What's goin' on here, then?" Gesturing to where she was sitting, on the ground, she grinned. "Pull up a chair then." They smiled and sat down, around her. Vega got a distinct feeling of very uncomfortable from all of this, but she first of all secured the needle in her work, making sure that it didn't pull , then she put down her sewing and looked around.
"So, what's goin' on?"
One of the younger ones spoke up. Vega didn't know him particularly well, they'd not been on a hunt together or anything like that. "We were talking and we heard that you can do stuff. Miracles and that."
Vega's eyes narrowed.
"And, we all talked about it, and we were all saying, 'I'd like to ask her to do this', and 'I want to ask her to do that', so we decided to come find you and all ask you together."
For a moment, there was silence. Then, Vega spoke. "Oh. I see. Well, that's helpful of you. So, like, I know what all of you want. But in what order do you want me to deal with these things you're askin' me to do?"
Oblivious to the storm that was building in the woman he spoke to, he shrugged. "Whatever you think, really."
Vega nodded. "Righteo. Well. why don't you tell me, each one of you, what it is that you want to ask me to do." She put her sewing down more securely, folded her hands in her lap, and listened.
During the time that he spoke, Vega didn't move. Her hands were carefully held together in her lap and she listened. The swirling maelstrom in her eyes told a different story of course, but that wasn't something that this young man had any idea of and so she sat and he talked.
And, after a while, he was done and he stopped talking. Vega looked at him and she, too, was quiet for a moment. "But none of those things are miracles," she said. She picked out a few, just to highlight her point. "I mean, I'm sorry that you're feelin' awkward around girls, an' that your wantin' to change career. I understand that you've all got things what need fixin', an' that's a different thing. But there's somethin' what I don't understand." Looking at them, each one, she asked a simple and - to her - obvious question. "Why aren't you makin' the change you want to see yourselves?" By far and away the majority of what they were asking could easily be done by them, after all. "I mean, I'm righ' happy to help you, but it sounds to me like you jus' came here with ideas of bein' helped, an' that isn't how it works. I can't work a miracle, never have."
"But that's not true!" The woman who spoke was early middle-age and Vega looked at her with a question on her lips. "You helped Mavis and Reggie get pregnant, and they've been trying for forever." There were nods at that, but Vega shook her head. "That were by Daia's grace, an' usin' an ability she gave me. But she gave me that ability after a lot of work, an' a lot of devotion. I'm not sayin' that miracles can't happen, they can. They do. But they're usually the result of a lot of sweat." It was as true as true could be, Vega knew. It was like her ability with a sword; it looked easy, but it really wasn't.
Not at all.
"So, what I suggest we do here, is we be each other's miracles," Vega said. People looked at her, some seeming confused but others smiling. "You've all heard what each other needs an' wants. Help someone. Use your skills to help someone, an' get some help back. I'll help wherever I can, too." That seemed to be something they liked and so Vega was able to chivvy them along and get some semblance of a system going . It was still, largely, controlled chaos, but that was fine as far as Vega was concerned. It was more organic, they were happier and chatting with each other and they were each of them able to feel empowered, knowing that they were working together in their community.
But there was one young lad and, as Vega watched, he offered help to people but when people asked him if they could help, he just shook his head. She'd seen him around, he was a relatively young man - late teens, probably. So, she walked over to him. "What was it that you were goin' to ask me?" He blushed and Vega smiled, putting one hand on his arm. "Don't worry, you can tell me. I'll help if I can," she said. Leaning forward he whispered in her ear.
"Wot? Where?" Vega asked him, her voice a surprised whisper. He whispered again and her eyes widened.
"How'd you get that there? No, no. Don't tell me, I'm happier not askin', an' I'm much happier with you not answerin' too." She considered it. "A'right. I can heal that, but I don't need to look at it, an' you need to make sure that it's not happenin' again."
Vega considered it and said "We'll deal with that once the others have gone. Stay behind, a'right?" He nodded and smiled at her. "Thank you," he said sincerely and Vega shook her head. "You don't need to thank me, jus' be more careful." Shamefaced, he moved off. Vega made her way around the group, checking that everyone had managed to solve their problems. Once day, she knew, she would leave Hopetoun and they would be much better served by having a "can do" rather than a "lets ask" attitude.
It seemed to her that, despite irritating the flibberty out of her, it had been a good thing that they'd come, in the end. Though, she had to admit, Vega did not enjoy the idea of being famous, especially not in moments like this.
Vega was sitting on the cliff side at Hope Point and she had her sewing in her lap. She was making things for her baby, even though her pregnancy was still in the very earliest stages. To-trial, she was making a small blanket which was embroidered with small spring flowers. There was a blanket just like it in the dark wooden chest aboard the Wanderlust - the chest in which she kept things of importance. The one in the Wanderlust had been made for her by her own mother, who had died giving birth to Vega, and it was Vega's intention to make a few like it, because then she'd be able to wrap the child in it and not know if it was the one she made, or her mother did. She liked that idea, very much. She focused on making sure that the edges of the flowers were clear, a technique she used to bring definition to the piece
The sound of the water crashing against the shore was beautiful - it was the sound of the song of water, to her. Water which had such a different sound from air, it sang in a different voice. Each element was different and Vega closed her eyes and just heard them - felt them. She'd been a defiance mage for well over an arc now, but still she resisted any progression in it. It would change her, and she was quite content with who she was, thank you very much. Giving up control, changing yourself, sharing your power - your very essence - with someone else was just too much for Vega to even consider. Once, the first time someone had tried to forcibly initiate her, Vega had died rather than give in. Then, the ability had literally just been there when she woke up from a dream. She had never asked for it, never would she.
But either way - she enjoyed the knowledge and understanding of the elements and their song. That was as far as it was going. The song, however, was disturbed by the sound of someone approaching. No, more than one person. There was a group of them and Vega recognised them. A hunting party from Hopetoun, she wondered why they'd come here to speak to her. It wasn't like Darius was still away, he was here and so she was very content in being bossy Vega who stomps around and was grouchy.
"Wotcha," she said. Looking at them, she realised it was two groups. One coming in, one going out. "What's goin' on here, then?" Gesturing to where she was sitting, on the ground, she grinned. "Pull up a chair then." They smiled and sat down, around her. Vega got a distinct feeling of very uncomfortable from all of this, but she first of all secured the needle in her work, making sure that it didn't pull , then she put down her sewing and looked around.
"So, what's goin' on?"
One of the younger ones spoke up. Vega didn't know him particularly well, they'd not been on a hunt together or anything like that. "We were talking and we heard that you can do stuff. Miracles and that."
Vega's eyes narrowed.
"And, we all talked about it, and we were all saying, 'I'd like to ask her to do this', and 'I want to ask her to do that', so we decided to come find you and all ask you together."
For a moment, there was silence. Then, Vega spoke. "Oh. I see. Well, that's helpful of you. So, like, I know what all of you want. But in what order do you want me to deal with these things you're askin' me to do?"
Oblivious to the storm that was building in the woman he spoke to, he shrugged. "Whatever you think, really."
Vega nodded. "Righteo. Well. why don't you tell me, each one of you, what it is that you want to ask me to do." She put her sewing down more securely, folded her hands in her lap, and listened.
During the time that he spoke, Vega didn't move. Her hands were carefully held together in her lap and she listened. The swirling maelstrom in her eyes told a different story of course, but that wasn't something that this young man had any idea of and so she sat and he talked.
And, after a while, he was done and he stopped talking. Vega looked at him and she, too, was quiet for a moment. "But none of those things are miracles," she said. She picked out a few, just to highlight her point. "I mean, I'm sorry that you're feelin' awkward around girls, an' that your wantin' to change career. I understand that you've all got things what need fixin', an' that's a different thing. But there's somethin' what I don't understand." Looking at them, each one, she asked a simple and - to her - obvious question. "Why aren't you makin' the change you want to see yourselves?" By far and away the majority of what they were asking could easily be done by them, after all. "I mean, I'm righ' happy to help you, but it sounds to me like you jus' came here with ideas of bein' helped, an' that isn't how it works. I can't work a miracle, never have."
"But that's not true!" The woman who spoke was early middle-age and Vega looked at her with a question on her lips. "You helped Mavis and Reggie get pregnant, and they've been trying for forever." There were nods at that, but Vega shook her head. "That were by Daia's grace, an' usin' an ability she gave me. But she gave me that ability after a lot of work, an' a lot of devotion. I'm not sayin' that miracles can't happen, they can. They do. But they're usually the result of a lot of sweat." It was as true as true could be, Vega knew. It was like her ability with a sword; it looked easy, but it really wasn't.
Not at all.
"So, what I suggest we do here, is we be each other's miracles," Vega said. People looked at her, some seeming confused but others smiling. "You've all heard what each other needs an' wants. Help someone. Use your skills to help someone, an' get some help back. I'll help wherever I can, too." That seemed to be something they liked and so Vega was able to chivvy them along and get some semblance of a system going . It was still, largely, controlled chaos, but that was fine as far as Vega was concerned. It was more organic, they were happier and chatting with each other and they were each of them able to feel empowered, knowing that they were working together in their community.
But there was one young lad and, as Vega watched, he offered help to people but when people asked him if they could help, he just shook his head. She'd seen him around, he was a relatively young man - late teens, probably. So, she walked over to him. "What was it that you were goin' to ask me?" He blushed and Vega smiled, putting one hand on his arm. "Don't worry, you can tell me. I'll help if I can," she said. Leaning forward he whispered in her ear.
"Wot? Where?" Vega asked him, her voice a surprised whisper. He whispered again and her eyes widened.
"How'd you get that there? No, no. Don't tell me, I'm happier not askin', an' I'm much happier with you not answerin' too." She considered it. "A'right. I can heal that, but I don't need to look at it, an' you need to make sure that it's not happenin' again."
Vega considered it and said "We'll deal with that once the others have gone. Stay behind, a'right?" He nodded and smiled at her. "Thank you," he said sincerely and Vega shook her head. "You don't need to thank me, jus' be more careful." Shamefaced, he moved off. Vega made her way around the group, checking that everyone had managed to solve their problems. Once day, she knew, she would leave Hopetoun and they would be much better served by having a "can do" rather than a "lets ask" attitude.
It seemed to her that, despite irritating the flibberty out of her, it had been a good thing that they'd come, in the end. Though, she had to admit, Vega did not enjoy the idea of being famous, especially not in moments like this.
