Closed Watermark (Imass)

[Ianthe]

Watermark Timestamp: 83rd Day of Spring, 516 AV Location: Pavi Lake Ianthe’s jaw dropped. “Cleodora, have you ever seen anything so strange?” Alien structures rose from the surface of Pavi Lake, reminiscent of city ruins or broken mountains. Ianthe eyed their crooked masses with a mixed feeling of apprehension and wonderment. She stood at the shore, just beyond the water’s edge, and became aware of a hunger in her heart. It was a dual hunger for water - which she had dearly missed from within the Syliran walls - and for adventure. The lake’s striking landscape was calling to her, urging her to come closer and explore. Come find me… Ianthe blinked as the refrain was whispered in her mind. “Avalis…?” The noon sun rose high above the two konti and glinted off the water like diamonds. Its summer-like heat bore down, and a tiny bead of sweat trickled down Ianthe’s forehead. Come find me… Whether real or hallucinated, the words caught her attention and the lake held her in its hypnotic thrall. Come! Ianthe dropped her pack, slipped off her sandals, and tugged at the string tied around her neck. “I’m going for a swim,” she murmured to her daughter, and stepped out of her long cerulean dress as it pooled around her feet. “Would you like to join me?” Her newly exposed pastel scales glittered as they wound their way down her back and legs. Cleodora shook her head and pointed to a grassy clearing just steps from the Bronze Woods. “I’m going to make the world’s most beautiful flower crown,” she said. Her violet eyes were solemn, indicating just how serious she was about her new task. Cleo had always had a flair for the dramatic, a characteristic which only grew after she became exposed to the myriad of different people and cultures in Syliras. The older konti nodded, with a hint of amusement dancing on her upturned lips. She then turned to her own task and waded into the lake, gasping as the cold water hit her bare skin; it was both a shock and a relief. She paused, and took a deep breath of the curiously salty air as she waited for her body to acclimate to the new temperature. Another stride forward. Then two more. The soil and moss squished between her toes with every step. Ianthe looked back at the tree line, searching for her daughter as the rising water encircled her waist. Cleodora had wandered off to the clearing, near a row of leafy green trees, and was humming contentedly as she hunted down wildflowers. “Stay close, Ducky! Don’t stray too far,” Ianthe called to her daughter in Kontinese, and waited for consent before sinking deeper into the water. A bluebird’s song rose in the distance as she disappeared beneath the lake’s reflective surface with a quick kick of her feet, leaving behind only a ripple.