[The Basilika] To Break the Silence (Dev'Ania)

by **Savis Maren** on December 26th, 2018, 5:27 am

16th of Winter, 518 AV

"Thirty, do I hear forty? Forty! Forty-five! Going once..."

The quick chatter of an auctioneer was the first thing that penetrated the veil that Savis Maren imposed about herself. The Nuit, a dark creature by the very nature of her existence preferred to remain away from the discourse of mortals. A tragedy, for within her heart of darkness existed a bright soul that very few might ever see. The Nuit dressed in her black silks, her long silk dress draped at the end over the floor. Her shoulders might've been bare were it not for the short cape she wore, which pulled up into a hood that she wore over her head. To passerby, she'd be so very close to a silhouette in the black of night, with silver eyes just visible beneath that dark hood, eyes which cast the intensity of a century's existence over the Basilika. The Nuit passed this place by in the Autumn, on her way to the Dawn Tower to handle a bit of business with the family there. The memory she held in this place, marred by rudeness, only served to further cement her lacking desire to conversate with the rabble that dwelled within. The auctioneer she heard earlier yelled out, "Sold!", in unison with another. It seemed that the arts occupied the space that philosophy and debate occupied in the day.

Savis Maren kept the silence about her, and instead allowed the anonymity that her hood brought with her to carry her throughout. The Nuit allowed her eyes to peer at one of the sold pieces, a landscape painting depicting what Savis could only imagine was the unity of the three peaks of Lhavit. The skyglass city itself was omitted from the scenery, with the entirety of emphasis placed on the aesthetic of the peaks. White paint swirled as fog, lowering into the trees that carried along the breadth of the mountain tops. Notably, there was no snow anywhere to be found, a faithful adaption as can be without the skyglass city interfering with the beauty of nature. The Nuit looked closer, eyeing the differences in tone and colors and curious to find their combination flawlessly wrought. It was spectacular, and Savis couldn't help but draw closer.

But, it wasn't meant to be. The painting was stripped off the easel and replaced with another, and the Nuit frowned beneath her hood as she listened to the auctioneer start anew. Offense threw itself throughout the thoughts of the undead, who hadn't quite finished her gawking and was sorely disappointed with the next piece that came into view. A portrait and a poor one at that. Savis Maren scoffed, distancing herself from the auction podium. A lovely stone sculpture was the next piece to catch her eye, for when she turned away she found herself within just a few feet of it. A fearsome steed carried an Eypharian, four arms all holding some sort of weapon in them. The Nuit didn't identify what they were, with spiked balls and jagged edges all around, but she did notice the worn edges on the stone and it led the undead to wonder just how old the piece was. Sturdy and beautifully rendered, the piece was accompanied by many others, with the end of a row of sculptures headed with a working sculptor buffing out the edges of a recent piece. The Basilika, though painted with the darkness of night, was alive with activity.

Everywhere in Lhavit is like that. The Basilika shouldn't be any different, she mused as she continued to watch the sculptor. The young woman was hard at work, with eyes only for the art she was making, but Savis wouldn't have it any other way. Certainly, she admired the craftsmanship, and moreover dedication to craft, and she didn't bother the sculptor as they continued on their piece. Curiously, she watched, making her way to an empty stool as she withdrew her notebook from the shifting automaton, Wheels that accompanied her. Savis caught eyes for the automaton, but since it didn't disturb anyone, and her piercing visage wasn't presented for all to see, she kept a relatively low profile. For the moment, at least. Savis Maren wasn't entirely sure what she meant to write, but she kept her mind active, tracing shapes into the parchment as she allowed her silver eyes to wander, one final time.

by **Dev'Ania** on January 14th, 2019, 4:38 am

16th of Winter 518 AV

In the middle of a crowd, Dev'Ania stood, observing an auction take place. A beautiful painting on display for all to see as people bid on it, one after the other, in an attempt to become its owner. The young woman was still relatively new to the lively city. On this calm night, she had taken it upon herself to experience the nightlife of the city and decided to go to the Basilika. The big building was beautifully lit up, like many of the other buildings of Lhavit, and pieces of art were scattered around the room for all to see.

Dev’Ania continued to gaze at the podium as another painting was brought up to be auctioned. All of the paintings looked amazing to her, but she knew none would become her own. She had no intentions of spending her kina on things not considered a necessity. All of her kina was strictly for the important needs.

After some time spent looking at the various paintings being sold, Dev decided to look at the other pieces of art showcased around the building. She made her way out the crowd, pushing through some people who rudely ignored her “excuse me’s” and “pardon me’s”. Her black cloak trailing behind her, she made her way to the first piece of art that she saw. A sculpture made of glass. The lights of candles in the building glistened off the glass of the sculpture. Like sunlight reflecting off windows on a bright, sunny day. Upon further investigation of the eye-catching marvel, it could be seen that it was a flower - the Seer’s Lily. Dev stared at the flower in awe, looking at its intricate design and coloring.

The feeling of awe soon disappeared with the realization that she, once again, was not going buy the item. Of course, she could have bought the sculpture, but, again, if she was to purchase a bigger house, she would need to save her kina. She left the flower to be admired by someone else. She walked around the room gazing at the many different works of art and their makers. Maybe she would be one of these artists one day, selling some of her glass works. If she ever practiced more, that is.

Walking over to another sculpture, she spotted a dark figure sitting with a notebook in her hand. The figure wore a silky black dress that attracted Dev’s attention. She promptly approached the stranger, holding her cloak around her to cover the rugged clothing she wore. ”Hello. I really like your dress.” Dev’Ania looked at the strange object next to the stranger and held out her hand with a smile on her face.

by **Savis Maren** on January 22nd, 2019, 8:26 pm

The cold darkness of Winter's night was perfect for the sensibilities of Savis Maren. She relished in watching the droves return to their hovels, as less and less indivduals stayed out in the night. Or, at least, some of the fools returned to those hovels to find their coats and jackets. Mortals were always so unprepared for the change in the elements, their minds so wrapped up in whatever triviaul nonsense that blurred up their awareness of the changes around them. Savis Maren at last found a semblance of inspiration, and she stowed her notebook in favor of bringing out Tunes, a golem that looked very much the same as the pages she'd pulled out before. Savis Maren opened up the notebook to the next unmarked page, more than twenty pages into the whole.

Midnight's dream, Afternoon's hope
Morning's swell, Dusk's decline
The drum of mortals beats on this risen slope
Their art is grand, their achievement sublime
And yet... they are fleeting, dust in the sky
Someday, their achievement will crumble and fall
And from the lips of their sons, their names will die.

The poetry was centered on the empty page, taking up approximately a fifth of the page. The Nuit's effort in poetry brought frustration from her countenance, her meager inspiration risen out of jealousy for the prowess of mankind. Sure, Savis Maren was a practised mage, but being a mage was a different realm altogether. While the Nuit was in the purview of man, she sought out clout and understanding on the various levels of their understanding.

It's a long road ahead if I wish to understand mortals and their... art. But, perhaps it's a road worth taking, she mused as she watched the sculptor in work. Astonishment and affection for the arts was rising within the Nuit. More and more of her time was dedicated to the absorption of it all, and she relished in the exposure to it. So, when Savis Maren was approached by a young woman, she didn't notice. Too busy she was, inscribing her poem without looking at the page, drinking in the work required to produce marvels of art and those pioneers who achieved it.

When the Konti's voice rang out, a melodic tune that cut into the darkness, Savis, at last, looked up. Her finger brushed along the upper left corner of the page by mistake. Immediately, the programming within Tunes flared to life, and the golem spewed out Mauriel's voice, intuiting a melody that didn't quite belong with the grim text.

"Midnight's dream, Afternoon's hope
Morning's swell, Dusk's decline
The drum of mortals beats on this risen slope
Their art is grand, their achievement sublime
And yet... they are fleeting, dust in the sky
Someday, their achievement will crumble and fall
And from the lips of their sons their names will die."

If color could rise from Savis Maren's cheeks, it would have. However, in the absence of living flesh to color with embarrassment, her eyes went wide and she looked at Dev'Ania. A cough escaped the nuit's lips as she hurriedly closed the golem-notebook, placing her hands over it in a flurry of movement before she said,

"I... well... Thank you," she says, a horribly awkward answer for the contents of the poem she'd accidentally let loose were personal, unpolished. Little by little, she wanted to reveal this interest, but the Konti received it without any sort of preamble.

"Have you ever been to the Silk Palace? I ordered the dress from there," she added quickly, trying to steer the conversation in a distinct direction.

by **Dev'Ania** on February 18th, 2019, 11:30 pm

Admittedly, the woman had been quite mysterious to Dev’Ania. There was just something about her that she could not really figure out. She looked human, but there was a certain nature to her that said she wasn’t. Of course, this neither bothered Dev’Ania nor stopped her from trying to get to know the woman more. She was always ready to get to know a new person despite her constant paranoia. The woman sat with a notebook in her hand, writing away.

When she had the attention of the woman, Dev began to introduce herself but was interrupted by a voice projecting from the notebook. It was some sort of poem. It was obvious by the woman’s reaction that what she was writing was meant to be private. Her embarrassment could be seen in her wide eyes. The eyes of the woman were a bright silver and made Dev wonder more about her. “You are welcome, miss. Your poem sounded, uhm...interesting.” The Konti didn’t know what to say about the writing she heard, so she thought it would maybe be better to just change the subject of the conversation.

“Oh, yes, I have been to the Silk Palace. That explains why it looks so nice, they have the best materials there.” She remembered the time she had went with Martini to get a new wardrobe of clothing. Dev’s eyes drifted to the other woman’s eyes constantly. She hadn’t ever seen eyes like her’s. Her curiosity about the woman’s race continued to grow. “Are you human? You look kinda dead.” The words she thought were blurted out her mouth. She became embarrassed and shocked by the fact that she had unintentionally said what she was thinking. She sounded like a child talking to a stranger. “Oh my. I am so sorry. That was so rude to say. I didn’t mean to offend you or anything, the words just came out.” Dev’s faced flushed a deep red. Did she really just say that?