25th/Autumn/517
Asterope was feeling nostalgic. Such an occurrence was not rare, of course; especially not at such a late hour. Normally she would sit quietly by the window, but a certain restlessness filled her. She sighed softly, pacing her room before finally giving up. She lifted her grey cloak from the chair where she had last left it, fastening it around her neck. In her mortal form, the ends of it just barely brushed the ground.
Navi slumbered peacefully save for the occasional twitch of her nose, laying just beside the bed. Aster opened her mouth to call the mutt, then changed her mind. She didn't feel like company; even that of a dog that couldn't speak. She certainly didn't feel like worrying about whether or not Navi would go running off.
Quietly, she slipped on her boots and hooked her dagger to her belt before leaving. The streets were quiet, and Aster walked slowly, taking her time. The clouds that had obscured the night for the most part suddenly parted, a silvery ray of moonlight falling across here, lighting up her path. She glanced up at Leth, a frown twisting her lips, her brow furrowing. She knew he was beloved by Syna and thus herself also, but she couldn't help the bitterness that filled her throat like poison at the sight of him.
More welcome was the sight of the stars, speckling the sky like shimmering diamonds someone had cast across a wide, endless swath of indigo velvet. Aster hadn't taken the time to simply sit and watch the stars in some time; most of them were unfamiliar, but she spotted the North Star after a few moments of squinting and searching, in a different spot than she was used to. Despite that, it was still the brightest star in the sky.
She had continued to walk while she gazed, a dangerous thing to do in a city such as Alvadas, but when she glanced back down she found that her feet had carried her into a small park with a slight hill in the center, perfect for stargazing. She was surprised for a moment; but then again, she should know better. She had come to learn that just as the city often toyed with one and even frightened or threatened them with its illusions, it also less frequently bestowed gifts.
There was nobody around that she could see; walking to the small hill, not even the height of the surrounding buildings, Aster climbed the shallow slope before sitting at the top and tucking her legs beneath her. The grass was damp beneath her, but she didn't mind. She tilted her head back, staring up at the sky.
Her eyes found the bright point of the Northern Star again; something ancient and distant in her recalled a memory of an afternoon sky still filled with shining lights. The vision flashed in front of her eyes, brief and confusing. How wonderful it would be, if the stars could be seen like that even with Syna high in the sky. Surely nothing more than wishful thinking on her part.
While the stars were so familiar to her in a way that she couldn't explain, more so than they could ever be to any mortal creature no matter how they studied them, Aster felt distant from them. She didn't know them from this angle; she could pinpoint a few of the most basic, but she had trouble tracking their motions and progression in relation to where she stood. She was used to being on the same plane of existence as them, not sitting below them, staring up wistfully.
So lost in contemplation was she, Aster paid no mind to the stiffness growing in her neck, nor her surroundings. If one were to stumble upon the park-like area, they would see a lone figure sitting perfectly still upon the top of the small hill, head tipped back and pale face bathed in moonlight. A strange sight, perhaps even for Alvadas. Deep in thought, it would be easy to approach the red-haired girl without her taking notice.
Word Count: 682
"Common" | "Nari" | "Pavi" | Thoughts
"Other People's Speech"
"Other People's Speech"
