Welcome Home Part II [closed]

[Cassandra]

Cassandra nodded, the ghost of a smile on her lips. "I've fed, thank you," the screen read.

She motioned at the sanctuary, with its vaulted ceilings and stained-glass windows. "This is a holy place," the text scrolled. "A place set aside for Mater Nox, for our kind. It stands for our victory, for what we could be if we set aside Helios' decay and our own petty squabbles, and followed Her example. It stands for the potential of our nature. As such, humans avoid this place, it makes them uneasy." She reached out with her free hand to touch the sill of the waist-high reflecting pool nearby. "So...generally one of them comes in per day, dazed, half-conscious and uncomprehending, willing to provide its only real purpose left in this world. And by the gifts given me by our Mother, they never even remember leaving."

She turned her gaze back from the glistening pool to Keara. Her brown eyes were intelligent, piercing, but there was something of a veneer to them - a gloss of artificiality over something guarded deeper beneath. The shell was thin and brittle, nascent. Before it could crack, Cassandra's eyes dropped to the tablet. "It is excellent to see you again, Elder Vedarian. I was...concerned that I had done something unforgivable the last time we met. I am fortunate that it was one of our honored progenitors who found me, and not someone new to our Blessing. I deeply apologize for any distress our last meeting may have caused you, and I am exultant that you feel welcome in this place."

Again, the words didn't seem to quite match the look in the girl's eyes. She was not being deceptive, her truthfulness was as omnipresent as the book under her arm, but "honesty" seemed just outside the demesnes of what appeared on the tablet's screen.

"I do apologize that I haven't quite mastered the ability yet, it seems to be proving more difficult than others I have acquired. Hopefully, if you visit again, I will have become accustomed to its peculiarities."

[Keara Aithne]

The screen came to life once more and the information it imparted contained a little of what Keara already knew and a little of things she had yet to suspect. Unlike Cassandra she had not chosen one god over the over, as she believed that together they provided balance. This was what Keara had been taught and it even in this modern age, it still seemed relevant. The reason she'd even come to Cassandra's tree that night was because the woman was resting in a location she knew was tied to her own religion. The new information was what the location stood for outside of it simply being a place of worship. It was a testament to Nox's strength. At least this was what Keara took from what had been explained.

"My name Keara is. Require I do not any title. Even if accurate your words are as to who I am."

Keara took the words at face value and while she wouldn't have chosen such formal phrasing herself, she was not the sort to question the manner in which others articulated themselves. She had such trouble herself with connection between thoughts and speech that she simply wasn't in any position to judge another. So long as Cassandra was not rude, Keara was perfectly happy to remain in her company.

"Mind I do not this form of communication. If worked it did for me, for my thoughts so well to project, try it myself I would. My inner voice quite a different sound does have. Until connect I do my thoughts with another."

It had once been frustrating to her that her thoughts and her spoken words did not match one another. Even when writing or typing something, she could not get the words in the sentence to arrange themselves as they should. She could, with much editing, write out her knowledge for others to learn from but that was exhausting and somewhat boring for her, and so she soon stopped trying to force the issue and accepted herself for who or rather what she was; broken.

"Think I do that this great progress indeed is. Even if find your voice you do not. Trapped you shall not be within the confines of your mind. Believe I do that, that far more frustrating to us both would be."

[Cassandra]

Cassandra made a noise, a soft scoff of breath that she'd found left untouched by the distortion of her voice. Probably because the gesture didn't use it, just breath. It reassured her, because the truth was that she felt just the opposite. Before, she always felt liberated by the connection to the electron pathways criss-crossing the planet, but at this moment she just felt limited. Very, very limited...and alone.

She'd attempted going out several times, just to be around people. She knew she couldn't talk, she just wanted to be around a group. What she found was, she couldn't. Just going outside made her nervous, set her on edge. As she got close to the coffee shop, the mall, the office building...everything just swelled up within her. If it wasn't the terror that she'd be put in a situation belying her lack of a voice, it was something else. Fear that she looked odd, fear that her nature would be discovered, fear that she'd do something dishonoring Mater Nox. The closer she got, the worse it became, until she couldn't take another trembling step. So she returned to the sanctuary, and remained.

Taking a deep breath, she shifted the tablet in her hands. "Of course. Keara." the display read. "Something is better than nothing, by far. I find myself dealing with quite complicated subjects regularly, and it is quite fortuitous that I have a way to communicate them despite my...shortcomings elsewhere."

Suddenly, the screen flickered briefly. Cass swayed on her feet, blinking rapidly and resting one hand on the trunk of the tree to steady herself. After a moment, her hand dropped to her side again. "Deepest apologies," the words scrolled. "I am still learning to accommodate myself to this process, and I have been practicing for some time today already. Perhaps I've taxed my abilities a bit much."

[Keara Aithne]

"Oh. Then force you for longer to practice I shall not."

Keara smiled to the woman. She had come to see if she was improving and if she needed anything and as far as she could tell Cassandra was getting along just fine. Her form of communication was somewhat unique but perfectly acceptable. At least if she were communicating with vampires. If she wished to interact with people, she would likely have to pretend to type the words on the page, but that was Cassandra's issue and she was sure that the woman was smart enough to cover her tracks.

"If agreeable it is. Call on you again I shall. In a month or two perhaps. When communication easier for you perhaps shall be."

She was curious to see how quickly the woman would adapt. She herself still had her own quirks and she wasn't sure as to when they might become a thing of the past. As she thought this she reached out to lay her hand on the nearest wall and began to stroke the surface of it as she waited to see if she would in fact be welcomed back before taking her leave.

[Cassandra]

Cassandra saw the touch, and smiled tiredly. While she was turned to what some called the Mystic path, the abilities she valued most had been those of the kindred identifying themselves as Telepaths. Her ability to speak telepathically was only a small portion of it - accessing the internet without a computer, evaluating strengths and weaknesses, the transference of memories, these things gave the pacifist hope for more to come. She hadn't developed the ability to read thoughts, but in this moment she didn't need it. She'd spent enough time wondering whether she was welcome somewhere to see some glimpse of it in that gesture. She lifted the screen once more.

"If you're leaving, would you mind taking the opportunity to visit the crypt above?" the text asked. "I would appreciate your thoughts, as I spent a fair amount of thought on its design. As it is above this holy place, I wanted to make its construction meaningful, yet it would not do to create anything that would garner undue interest from ignorant humans. As such, I tried to make its statement simple and straightforward.

"There are twelve caskets above, arranged in six pairs. Each pair bears a simple embossment on its lid. One depicts a crowned ruler, one a wolven crest, three bear simple monograms of N, Q, and W." She paused reverently, lending weight to the next statement. "The last pair bears a spiral design that you may find familiar. You see, although our kind don't actually have any use for them, either in the pragmatic or the mythological sense, I wanted to show that there is a place here for each lineage. That all are welcome here." She paused again, nodding with emphasis at the elder. "That YOU are welcome here. Always, and without condition. Most don't avail themselves of that hospitality. I hope you will."

[Keara Aithne]

"Most no faith in our deities do possess."

Keara wasn't one for talking about religion generally and yet it seemed relevant to mention it at this juncture. While Noxism was of course open to all, it was up to the individual as to whether or not they should embrace it. Having never spoken to any of the other elders in regards to their religions, she couldn't actually say whether or not they were followers of Nox and/or Helios but she somehow she doubted it.

The symbol of which Cassandra spoke, could only be a triskele. She had been quick to realise that each set of coffins stood for each of the lineages, so the spiral design had to be that of her own clan. What stole her attention however and perplexed her more, was how Cassandra knew what her family symbol was. It wasn't something that was well advertised within her clan. Her home did not bear its mark, at least not on the outside, and they did not tend to wear any adornments with the emblem either. With most, their blood, and their blood alone was all that depicted them for what they were.

"Happy I would be for the crypt with you to visit." Keara's fingers continued to caress the wall. "Perhaps then tell me you could how you the design for my lineage did know?"

She didn't mean to sound rude in her question and she was not at all angry. Her words carried with them no hostility at all in fact, just the faintest note of curiosity. Keara was not one for displaying emotion either on her face or in her words. To most she probably seemed quite standoffish due to this fact but then this was the mask she wore and it was a mask that she, as yet, had been unable to remove. She felt emotions of course, she just had trouble displaying them. In this day and age it was far safer to maintain an air of aloofness and what with her feeling somewhat detached from the world, the likelihood of that mask ever slipping was slim to none. She loved her family, cherished them even, and yet even that bond was not strong enough to provoke any real change in her personality.

[Cassandra]

"It matters little to Nox whether we have faith in Her," scrolled the text. "She exists, it is a fact of nature. If there is no-one to praise Her name, She will not cease existing - nature itself will stand testament to who She is and what She's done. What is worth meditating upon is that She has faith in us - in our Unity as a kind. If our kin stood as one against the obstacles that stand against us - and will come to stand against us - I would place whatever ridiculous object they desired in the lifeless structure above us."

She shrugged at the question. "I am unsure. It was a fair amount of time ago when I attempted to find a design to represent each bloodline for the project in question. I may have asked Jonah at some point. I will, of course, remove it if you wish. This demesnes is little-traveled by our kind, and I greatly doubt that many have had opportunity to see the design. It is far from my desire to encroach upon anything indiscreet. I only wished to express to you that you're welcome here."

[Keara Aithne]

"Little faith have I in those of our kind. The best of us, I do as yet hope to see. But disappointed I shall not be if that never happens does, for realistic I am."

Keara gave a very soft shrug. It was a pessimistic point of view but then from what she'd seen since returning to this plane it was also a realistic one. The elders had failed to come to any real consensus when their numbers were small and rules would have been more easily agreed upon and enforced. Of course Keara had her thoughts on this and blamed the fact that several of the elders believed themselves to be superior to their counterparts. It was difficult to forge a viable future for all as a coalition when one or two of the number hunger for power and status above all else. For Keara it was a matter of the past and she for saw only a repeat of what had previously happened should any such alliance once more be attempted once more, though she didn't voice this to Cassandra for obvious reasons.

"No need is there for the symbols to remove if accurate they are. See I shall if you me to this chamber to direct. Only curious I was for to know how you upon the image did come. Ancient the symbol is and undoubtedly used it has been by many throughout time. Existed as a symbol of my line it did not before my return, for no lineage had I then. New the name and symbol are. In terms of time that is. A few years nothing are in the grander scheme."

Keara swayed slightly where she stood, her movement only just noticeable. Her concentration was waning but she was endeavouring to stay engaged in the conversation. The fact that the woman had created a place for each lineage within her home was singularly unique in the city and she was intrigued to see how the crypt was set out. It sounded as if the room were some sort of state room for their kind and yet she'd never known of its purpose until now.

[Cassandra]

Cassandra set the tablet aside, dusting off her knees somewhat self-consciously. Smiling and gesturing with one hand, she led the elder out to the portal room, where five circles were etched into the stone. One of the circles was simply for show, the other four transported those entering them to different places - the Honeymead Library, the Abandoned Mansion, Cass's apartment one level down, and the Crypt one level above.

Silently, Cassandra gestured at the one leading to the Crypt, and smiled tiredly in farewell.

[Keara Aithne]

Last time Keara had been here, she'd seen Cassandra trying to work her powers to her advantage so that she could communicate without any issue and she'd visited a set of crypts that the woman had set aside for each of the city’s clans. She had to admire Cassandra for that as she didn't know of any other place where all the bloodlines were equally honoured in such a away.

Much had changed for Keara since she'd visited last too. She had a man in her life, something that she never even considered to be a possibility but Enver was quite unlike any man she'd ever met and they were spending a lot of time together. Neither had thought to formalise what they were doing, so she could not claim to be his or vice versa, she just knew that she enjoyed spending time with him and that he was one of very few people outside of her own lineage with whom she could truly be herself.

"Cassandra? Home you are?"

Keara called out for the woman as she walked around the back of the building. The tree seemed to be the female's favoured place and since many people, herself included, were creatures of habit, it was the logical place to start.