Timely Intervention

by **Rohka** on August 31st, 2019, 6:29 am

60th day of Summer, 519AV

“She’ll come with me.”

The four of them sat at the round table in the back room of the Mystic Eye. The man who had spoken last looked straight into Lelia’s gaze, not asking permission but simply declaring it. Beside him sat Rohka, now surprised from the sudden turn of events. She hadn’t expected the Drykas to speak up so quickly. They’d only spoken about the possibility of leaving with him briefly when they’d met earlier that day. It seemed that he had bigger plans.

“I have no problem with that, less expenses for me. I worry about you though, child. You’re leaving your clients behind, you realize that?”

“Partners, not clients,” Rohka said, softly. The Divinist had used the term ‘clients’ on purpose, to irk her about the loss of a business that had been starting to build steadily. “Yes, but I’ve been telling anyone who comes to see me at the Malt House that they can reach me through Grayson.” The sybil kept the rest to herself, since there was no need for Lelia to know that Grayson had also promised to send letters from her partners should they need to reach her. The promise had been given after Rohka swore to keep him in the loop about her potential travels. Grayson had been her main source of emotional support since she’d begun this journey, and he’d been willing to continue to help her… for a price. Rohka promised to send him news and trinkets from her travels in return, and had also made cards for The Malt House as well, to tell others of his establishment and how much better it was than The Silver Sliver. Over the last two years, he had seen Rohka with her little sheets of parchment, giving them out to people as reminders with her name on it. There was now a good number of Ravokians and even travellers who had come to know about her means of service.

“Very well, then. I see the determination in your aura, but you’re wary of changes. It seems you hoped you’d have more to show by now. I’d count your blessings, child. You could have just told me you wanted to go. There was no need to bring him here,” said Lelia, eyeing the Drykas.

Markham flashed a grin. “Next you’ll say that there’s no need for her to go,” he retorted.

“Well is there?” She asked, smirking back.

“We both know that this is your best way out of your current predicament, Lelia.” The voice that had spoken up had been Sariven, or Ven, as Rohka liked to call him. He sat with Lelia to his right and Markham to his left, with Rohka sitting across from him. The three of them looked towards him as he spoke. “Give it to her. She’ll leave with him and then you’ll never have to be caught with it nor tied to it. Save yourself, my dear.”

It was at this point that Rohka was completely confused and also instantly impressed. What was he talking about? Did Markham know about this? She glanced over at the Drykas and he shot her a wink.

Of course he did.

Boxcode credit to Antipodes

by **Rohka** on August 31st, 2019, 6:32 am

When they’d met earlier that day, Rohka had been ecstatic to see the dark and handsome foreigner again after so long. They’d talked for a couple bells, catching up, exchanging stories over ale and cheese. She told him about Sariven, thinking it would just be a funny story to share. Sariven had been the one to connect her to Lelia, after testing Roh’s talent with fortune telling when they’d first met at the House. He was also one of Lelia’s closest connections to the Black Sun. His daily means of income consisted of training men and women in interrogation at the Institute, where the old man had been steadily building up a network of information channels to be used to his advantage. Lucky for Markham, as soon as Rohka had mentioned Ven’s name, the Drykas made a mental note to find the man who he remembered as the uncle of one of his more nefarious customers. Within only a few bells, Markham managed to set up a meeting with the Divinist and the interrogator at the Mystic Eye.

Lelia trusted Ven. It was this trust that would she would be counting upon during this very meeting.

The Divinist looked down to her cards with her smirk still plastered on her face. “It’ll get worse for her,” she said, ominously. “If she goes through with this, she won’t escape the trouble it causes.” Rohka couldn’t tell if Lelia had said that with care or with malice. Her face seemed to suggest the latter, but her tone held the concern of a mother wanting to protect her child.

“That won’t be your problem, don’t worry about her. I’m trying to help you, remember? The shyke you’ve pulled with that trick of yours has got my best pupils sniffing for your scent. Get them off your tail and put them on hers, if they ever get to her,” he remarked, his eyes now on the sybil as her iridescent limb seemed to flicker behind her, taunting playfully. Rohka took in a deep breath to control her growing sense of discomfort. She hated not knowing what was going on. It was like they were using her to play their own little game and it was beginning to spark something akin to anger within. Too similar to what her family had tried to do in the past, with their plans to have her learn the ways of their business.

It was this thought of family that made her speak up. “I haven’t decided to go yet.” They all looked at her now, with varying degrees of surprise in their reaction. “Look, frankly, I didn’t bring Markham here, okay Lelia? He set this whole thing up after I told him about Ven and after he told me that he’d met my father at the Lakeshore. I didn’t talk to my father yet.” Rohka paused here, making sure to look each of them in their eyes. Lelia quickly looked away. The Divinist was familiar with her constant familial gripes. Roh continued, her voice almost melancholy. “There’s a lot keeping me here in the city, alright? I’m sure whatever you’re talking about can be given to my father before he goes on his trip. You can talk to him about that. He’ll come find me soon enough. Besides, I don’t know what I’m getting myself into, and as much as I’m fond of Markham here,” she glanced at the Drykas who simply looked up at the ceiling, smiling. “I’d be losing so much if I leave.”

Lelia scoffed. “Typical. She’s scared, don’t you see? She wouldn’t be able to handle it,” dismissed the Divinist, picking up her cards and beginning to shuffle them. “You’re better off letting me figure out a way to change the—“

“Lelia, no. You’ve done enough of that. The reality is, I’m not leaving here until you hand it over. Let it go. You’ve suffered the consequences for a long time, and there’s no need to put yourself in further danger. You trust me, don’t you?” Sariven reached his hand out to hold onto the wrist of the Konti’s fidgeting hands. “Show her. You told me you used it with her. It’s the reason she’s even here, isn’t it? The piece you both made, I’ve seen it when it was displayed in the temple, I know the impact you’ve both created. If you give it to her, and if she decides to leave, which we all know she will because she’s young and restless for adventure, then you’ll at least have someone you know taking care of it for you.” His hand on her wrist made it so that her palm now lay flat on the table, with the candlelight flickering off the multiple rings on her fingers. Lelia sighed, flipping a card over with her other hand.

A queen of cups. The mother, the introspective and sensitive empath of a woman. The ultimate sign of listening to your heart.

Boxcode credit to Antipodes

by **Rohka** on August 31st, 2019, 6:33 am

Rohka saw the card as well, although she felt a bit nervous having seen it. She caught Lelia’s resigned demeanour and watched her pull a simple silver ring off her finger. The Konti stared at it for a bit, rolling it between her fingertips.

“Tanroa’s Fifth Chime Ring. It’s etched with a mark from Tanroa, Mistress of Time. It allowed me once per season to turn back time five chimes.” Lelia turned to the sybil and reached out her hand. Entranced, Roh held out her own and the Divinist placed the ring in her palm, her whole body shivering as soon as she let go. Closing her eyes, Lelia continued to speak. “All I had to do was whisper Tanroa’s name and then take a step back. As I stepped backwards with Tanroa’s name on my lips, time would simply rewind back fives chimes in that instant. That was what I did, the day you met me at the temple, Rohka. That was the day you showed me who you could become. You went from writing a simple and naive poem to making bold and clear statements filled with true meaning. You knew, then. There’s a part of you who knows better, now. But the current You needed the other You to exist in order for you to be here today, receiving this knowledge. You realize it now, don’t you child? That our saviour knows the truth better than anyone else? He cannot be the God of Lies without knowing exactly what he lies about.”

Rohka nodded, completely in awe. This was the depth she had always wanted to understand under Lelia’s tutelage. She had so many questions now, on the topic of time, and she couldn’t hold them in.

“What happened to the part of me that existed before you turned back time? Does Rhysol know that this ring exists? He does, doesn’t he? He must know!”

“I don’t know if he does,” admitted Lelia. “He should know. Most people don’t, many in the Black Sun do not know, save for the ones who needed a specific form of influence. That’s why Sariven has helped me all these years, and it’s probably why he introduced you to me,” she looked at the interrogator and he nodded. He’d always known the toll that the ring was taking on her. When he found Rohka, she was sure that the Divinist could use a hand like hers to ease the daily stresses. “And I don’t know what happened with the part of you I first found. I don’t know what happens to anyone who existed in the fives chimes before I rewind time. I wish I knew. Sometimes I’m not even sure if…” her voice trailed off.

Markham leaned forward. “I think you know what happened. There’s a part of you that wishes you never turned back time, and parts of you that wishes you could be a part of other points in time instead. You’ve split yourself into pieces, haven’t you?”

The Divinist glared back at him, shaken out of her slow descent into grief. “Watch your mouth, son.” Markham only grinned back at her. “Or what?” He asked, mockingly.

“Mar,” hissed Rohka, jabbing him with her elbow.

“You’re defending him?”

“No Lelia, I just—“

“He’s marked by Yahal, child! How did you ever get convinced by this outsider? Do you have any idea what you’re up against? Rhysol would be disappointed by your show of allegiance to this man, you know this, yes? If you knew it, you wouldn’t be entertaining his company. No matter,” she resolved, steeling herself against his deriding gaze. “Have the ring. Take it away. But before you do, know that I’ve cursed it to always make you think of Rhysol whenever you or anyone looks at it. In fact, you will be compelled to talk about Rhysol every time someone asks about it and every use of it will be cursed to serve Him and Him alone.”

It was Markham’s turn to close his eyes. His head drooped, his face suddenly exhausted, and he pushed his chair back.

“I think we’re done here. Thanks for your faith, Sariven. I’ll be sure to let our friends know that things have been taken care of.” The bare-chested Drykas got up from his seat. “I have other business to look after. Rohka,” he turned to her and nodded. “I’ll see you back at the Malt House later this evening.” With that, he picked up his pack and walked out the door.

___________

Several bells later…

When the sybil walked into her apartment that night, the wonder of the ring seemed to loom into her mind. Markham had explained when they met again earlier that evening about how his mark of Ennervism defended against the effects of Lelia’s curse on the ring as long as he was around. Rohka had finally been able to recognize the radiance around him as the golden aura of the mark itself, which was meant to protect the marked from magic and other marks that may corrupt or control in a way that would make the marked go against their beliefs and vows to Yahal, the God of purity and faithfulness.

Rohka spun the ring with her thumb as she lay on on her side, comfortably in her small bed. Her slick tail came to rest on her thigh, it’s shimmering scales reflecting off the silver band on her ring finger. Looking at it now, she noticed her mind filling with a love for Rhysol’s benevolence—a familiar feeling, one that she usually felt overwhelmingly whenever she went to the Temple. It was strange now, as if it was artificial in her mind, although it felt so incredibly real in heart.

Unwilling to ponder over it any longer, the sybil attempted her best at getting some sleep.

Boxcode credit to Antipodes

by **Rohka** on August 31st, 2019, 7:38 am

GRADES

rohka

Experience

Lores:

Additional Notes:

+ 1 Tanroa’s Fifth Chime Ring

If you have any concerns over this grade, don't hesitate to send me a message on either Discord or Miz.

-Rohka ❤

Solo Timely Intervention