Timestamp: Summer 20, 515 AV
It was still early within the day, but Talya would never know, as no light reached her here. For in this place there were no windows, as she had found herself a quiet corner between shelves. She kept herself propped up by letting her spine fall against the wooden cases; while her legs sprawled out in front of her; a leather bound book balancing in her lap, while another pile sat beside her on the floor alongside her bag. Her chin was tilted down; her gaze set upon the neatly scrawled, inky blank words upon the page. An excerpt from a novel she had picked up earlier, named simply, (and perhaps not so aptly), The Lady of Light. She had thought it to be a book on Priskil, but she found that it was largely based around Syna, with some more general information about the sun, so as to allow the reader to better understand her. For example, as her right pointer finger followed the lines upon each page, she had discovered that the sun was actually a rather large star, estimated to be over one million kilometers across in diameter, with an estimated mass of two billion kilograms, and an estimated surface temperature of five thousand degrees Celsius. Which was a very large and difficult number for her to fathom and wrap her head around. So much so, that she simply couldn't grasp the enormity of it in its entirety, leaving her simply to know that it was pretty darned hot, and if she ever touched it or even got to close, she would be burnt to a crisp. It would have to suffice.
Talya smiled weakly as she continued to scroll through the pages; moving her dark eyes along their length, as she followed along with her finger. The musty scent of aged books filling the air. The sound of occasional footsteps moving down the corridor now and again, before either dying off as they moved into the distance, or entered a profound silence as the owner of their feet came to a halt as they stopped to browse a shelf. Their eyes roaming; sometimes fingers gingerly touching a spine, before pulling one or two out. They'd flip through the pages, much as she, and if they deemed them less than useful, they'd fall back onto the shelf with a soft thump, if not, they'd be tucked into the crook of a protective arm, and the search would continue. Their feet shuffling as they moved across the floor, scarcely daring to move, lest they missed something. Their hearts beating a little faster in anticipation; breath coming and going evenly. A sigh; Talya would hear if only she strained to listen, but she tried not to as she did not want to be distracted as she read, lest she miss an important detail or perhaps, even two.
Talya turned the page. She listened to the yellowing paper crinkle as her eyes scanned it again. But there didn't seem to be much except for a story on the appointment of her, and Talya's own patron god, Leth. The story said that in the time before illumination, when the world was bathed eternally in darkness, Tanroa would often walk with Dira and Kihala. It is said that in some ways, they were friends, and one day, Tanroa asked them about what should be done so that man could know the passage of time, as they could not see it in the rivers in the same way that she could. Dira suggested the use of her brother, but Kihala feared he was to wild. To this, Dira protested, saying that he had been tempered by his love for a woman. Kihala argued that this may be true; but she was stealing the woman from her- her handmaiden, and darkening her own spirit in the process. To this, even death agreed, although she saw a lightness to her brother she didn't perceive if the man was not around the handmaiden. Over this Tanroa was said to muse for a time, before broaching the subject again on another of her walks with her companions. She said that Dira's brother and Kihala's handmaiden would do as markers for time. That each would rule during their own set of hours, which would vary from season to season, and that furthermore, they would revolve around one another, in an endless cycle that would keep them from getting to close, so that the man couldn't tarnish the woman, and the man could be kept alight all at once. But she warned, if they fled with one another, the world would be plunged again into darkness, and that would be that. And so it was said that Syna and Leth were appointed.
Talya smiled. As far as she could tell, Tanroa's arrangement had worked out, if the story were at all true. It also pleased her to no end to know where Syna and Leth had come into play- as Leth held a special place in her heart in a way that Rhysol never could. Just as it pleased her to think that the gods could appoint one another- as that answered one of her questions, about where a deity's realm came from. Although, it begged an answer still, in that, she realized, someone had to appoint the first of them. The ones that assigned ranks and tasks to the others. For, she doubt, that they simply drew straws; dealt with the luck of the draw, just as she doubt that they magically came into being. Something, she felt, had to have created the earliest risers amongst the gods and goddesses as well.
It was still early within the day, but Talya would never know, as no light reached her here. For in this place there were no windows, as she had found herself a quiet corner between shelves. She kept herself propped up by letting her spine fall against the wooden cases; while her legs sprawled out in front of her; a leather bound book balancing in her lap, while another pile sat beside her on the floor alongside her bag. Her chin was tilted down; her gaze set upon the neatly scrawled, inky blank words upon the page. An excerpt from a novel she had picked up earlier, named simply, (and perhaps not so aptly), The Lady of Light. She had thought it to be a book on Priskil, but she found that it was largely based around Syna, with some more general information about the sun, so as to allow the reader to better understand her. For example, as her right pointer finger followed the lines upon each page, she had discovered that the sun was actually a rather large star, estimated to be over one million kilometers across in diameter, with an estimated mass of two billion kilograms, and an estimated surface temperature of five thousand degrees Celsius. Which was a very large and difficult number for her to fathom and wrap her head around. So much so, that she simply couldn't grasp the enormity of it in its entirety, leaving her simply to know that it was pretty darned hot, and if she ever touched it or even got to close, she would be burnt to a crisp. It would have to suffice.
Talya smiled weakly as she continued to scroll through the pages; moving her dark eyes along their length, as she followed along with her finger. The musty scent of aged books filling the air. The sound of occasional footsteps moving down the corridor now and again, before either dying off as they moved into the distance, or entered a profound silence as the owner of their feet came to a halt as they stopped to browse a shelf. Their eyes roaming; sometimes fingers gingerly touching a spine, before pulling one or two out. They'd flip through the pages, much as she, and if they deemed them less than useful, they'd fall back onto the shelf with a soft thump, if not, they'd be tucked into the crook of a protective arm, and the search would continue. Their feet shuffling as they moved across the floor, scarcely daring to move, lest they missed something. Their hearts beating a little faster in anticipation; breath coming and going evenly. A sigh; Talya would hear if only she strained to listen, but she tried not to as she did not want to be distracted as she read, lest she miss an important detail or perhaps, even two.
Talya turned the page. She listened to the yellowing paper crinkle as her eyes scanned it again. But there didn't seem to be much except for a story on the appointment of her, and Talya's own patron god, Leth. The story said that in the time before illumination, when the world was bathed eternally in darkness, Tanroa would often walk with Dira and Kihala. It is said that in some ways, they were friends, and one day, Tanroa asked them about what should be done so that man could know the passage of time, as they could not see it in the rivers in the same way that she could. Dira suggested the use of her brother, but Kihala feared he was to wild. To this, Dira protested, saying that he had been tempered by his love for a woman. Kihala argued that this may be true; but she was stealing the woman from her- her handmaiden, and darkening her own spirit in the process. To this, even death agreed, although she saw a lightness to her brother she didn't perceive if the man was not around the handmaiden. Over this Tanroa was said to muse for a time, before broaching the subject again on another of her walks with her companions. She said that Dira's brother and Kihala's handmaiden would do as markers for time. That each would rule during their own set of hours, which would vary from season to season, and that furthermore, they would revolve around one another, in an endless cycle that would keep them from getting to close, so that the man couldn't tarnish the woman, and the man could be kept alight all at once. But she warned, if they fled with one another, the world would be plunged again into darkness, and that would be that. And so it was said that Syna and Leth were appointed.
Talya smiled. As far as she could tell, Tanroa's arrangement had worked out, if the story were at all true. It also pleased her to no end to know where Syna and Leth had come into play- as Leth held a special place in her heart in a way that Rhysol never could. Just as it pleased her to think that the gods could appoint one another- as that answered one of her questions, about where a deity's realm came from. Although, it begged an answer still, in that, she realized, someone had to appoint the first of them. The ones that assigned ranks and tasks to the others. For, she doubt, that they simply drew straws; dealt with the luck of the draw, just as she doubt that they magically came into being. Something, she felt, had to have created the earliest risers amongst the gods and goddesses as well.
