The Tale of Fools.

[Albireo]

As ever. When Suria noticed the difference, her face fell a little. ‘As ever’ wasn’t right to her, it was more, higher, better than everything else the library housed. The divine represented her wish and her dream, a realm out of mortal reach. And what was more bittersweet than the wish that had been granted and then taken away? However, she understood that those who’d never known it wouldn’t be as passionate about its otherworldly taste. After all, it was addiction: unhealthy, unreasonable, unloved. Suddenly she longed for the Temple of the Moon, its pool of still water and silence. “Yes”, she said slowly, softly, observing the tall girl. Johanne fidgeted with her nails. With the ecstasy worn off, she concentrated on her companion once more. “Do the Gods make you uneasy?” Even as she said it, the words sounded incredulous in her mouth. Leth was the epitome of love and safety, had been for so long that she couldn’t remember any other feelings towards Him and His consorts. Suria knew that floor inside out and could linger another time. If Johanne followed, she’d descend the staircases, one after another, returning to the earth after traveling through the clouds. “I hope you enjoyed the tour.” Johanne hadn’t reacted the way she’d anticipated or even hoped for. Oh, the mystery of life. Maybe she’d weave a tale out of it… OOCSorry for the short post. Shall we come to an end?

[Johanne]

OOCYes, I think this is a good place to let off. Do you want to respond and then submit for grading?

Oh, and when she saw Suria’s face fall, she could not help but feel guilty. Perhaps she should have embellished her response, faked enthusiasm for her hopefully newfound friend’s sake, but that would have been a lie: and Johanne, however quiet, was nothing if not honest. But it did not stop the guilt that ran through her veins at that crestfallen expression. Suria had clearly been building up to this floor, and Johanne had let her down. A small apologetic smile graced her face, but that was all she could offer. If only she could explain everything she thought and felt as elegantly as the Ethaefal did! But she had a mortal tongue, and none of the grace that these otherworldly devoted had.

”Yes, Johanne admitted, quietly, as if sharing a terrible secret. ”Well, it is not so much that they make me uneasy. It is more that I cannot connect with them. I feel ... left out.” And this alone was enough to start the deluge. Her eyebrows drawn, she told Suria things she had not entrusted to anyone for a long, long time. ”I am nothing, Suria. Just a speck of mortal dust, soon to become nothing and nobody. You, you have touched the divine in a way I can never comprehend, and believe me, I do not begrudge your faith - in fact, I envy it of you.” Looking down at the floor, her eyes sad and lonely, she spoke entirely quietly. ”I just wish one of the Gods would take notice of me. I want to be worth something to somebody. But I’m not.” She sighed. ”I’m just Johanne.”

Quietly, whatever the response, Johanne would follow Suria down the stairs and into the main hall of the Bharani Library. Looking around one last time - for the time being - she turned to Suria and smiled, a little sadly. ”I did. Thank you very much for all that you did for me.” She extended a hand for Suria to grasp. ”It was very kind of you to notice me.”

Smiling sadly, Johanne turned and left the building.

[Albireo]

OOCI will. Thank you for this thread, I greatly enjoyed it! No connection with the Gods led to a feeling of being left out. It reminded Suria of that nagging isolation she felt whenever she yearned for that which she had been exiled from, so she assumed it was what Johanne meant. However, her earthbound form meant only emptiness, not the haze of fractured memories of her Ethaefal form. A little confused, she stood and observed her human companion. It attracted her attention like a pretty story, although she didn’t quite understand. A hint of bitterness appeared on the Vantha’s tanned features as Johanne spoke of her. “It is not the same. I’ve touched it, yes, but because I was that lucky, I was all the more isolated after the fall. Half-knowing and half-remembering is different than not knowing.” Oh, she wasn’t putting her suffering above Johanne’s. She merely pointed out it wasn’t how the girl pictured it in her words. Shaking her head, she turned towards the staircase. “You can work towards your goal. I hope you discover a way to do so.” Back at the entrance area, Suria nodded once more. There were no words left. Had she been a face in a mass of faces before, Johanne had become something more to her: unique personality. To the storyteller, it meant a potential story. Her gaze lingered at the girl’s tall back as Johanne walked away, shifting between pale yellows and green. If the Gods were kind, they’d meet again.

[Elysium]

Albireo

XP:
Storytelling +4
Rhetoric +3
Observation +2
Socialization +3

Lore:
Denval, Basic
Johanne the Dreamer
Human Angst and the Gods

★

Johanne

XP:
Philosophy +2
Rhetoric +3
Socialization +3
Observation +2

Lore:
The Tale of Kova Nivar Symkanta
Vantha and the Storytelling Tradition
Ethaefal, Advanced
Suria Skyglow, the Enigmatic Storyteller

Notes: I love love love that you guys finished this. Excellent job! I saw your note about the Denval thing Johanne, so no worries. If you two have any questions or concerns, feel free to shoot me a PM.

and so, the journey continues...