Mid-winter festival Day 1 [Aria]

[Trésor de Lys]

    Tres tidied up her main room upstairs. She wiped the counter-tops of her kitchen area, using a worn out cloth of sorts. She had prepared a few bowls of fragrant herbs that she found outside of the forest. They were seasonal herbs of an evergreen color, and smelt of a combination of pine, earth and mint. She burnt the tips of the herbs so they they would emit the scent into the room- just as a festive touch. 


    With the mid-winter festival upon Nova, Tres decided to really celebrate with those she cared about... Well the only person who she really cared about any longer. With her new found life, home, body and spirit, she figured what better time to celebrate than now? While she placed the ember burning bowl on the newly-cleaned counter, she watched as a light snow fell from outside her window.


    Turning around, she glanced across the open room. A similar style to Aria, she drew inspiration from her cabin having her bed in a loft, which she kept as her personal space. The main area of her living quarters however was an open space. She had only one couch against a wall, and then the dining area not too far from her designated kitchen space. On the couch she rested a white knit blanket that she had purchased in the market. Along with the bowl of burning herbs, she set on the table a bowl of seasonal berries, frosted slightly from cooling on her windowsill. The plates were set for two, with silver and white place-mats underneath. Overall, the atmosphere felt and looked festive to Tres. She hoped that she could follow the Novanian conventions that she was still learning.


tag @numaire    

[Deleted]

Aria was making rounds checking over the drakes and making sure their tack was up to par. They were all in good health, besides for the one Noku had slammed. But she had the beast healing up nicely, she couldn’t say the same for the rider though. As Aria worked she heard footsteps approach, only to stop a good ways away. She looked up to see a page boy nervously eyeing the drakes; taking pity on the boy she pulled herself from her work and walked over. The page boy bowed and held out not one but two letters addressed to her; she took it and thanked the boy. Tossing a small coin his way she turned to look at the two letters addressed to her. She immediately recognized Garrett’s handwriting, the other was unfamiliar to her. She went back to the drake and took a seat; nestling herself on the hay in-between its front legs. Taking Garrett’s letter first she couldn’t help but stop on the fact he had sent a letter….they could talk mind to mind now….and he sent a letter. She had been worried that she had done something to annoy him, after all it wasn’t like him to avoid her. Least not any more.

A lot of things crossed Aria’s mind as she read his letter; a growing anxiety trapping her in her own thoughts. She snapped herself out of it; perhaps some tea would help her frazzled nerves. Aria quickly stood up the other letter falling to her feet…she blinked. She had forgotten she had gotten another letter. She picked it up and quickly opened it, she blinked….why were there directions to a house? She flipped the paper over to see a letter from Tres. Her eyebrows rose when she was invited to a midwinter brunch. Well her work here was basically done, and it wouldn’t take her long to get down to the second district. Perhaps a lighter mood would help more than tea.

She finished up with the drakes and went to go clean up and get changed into cleaner clothes. She brushed her hair and tied it up into a braided bun, pulling each strand of hair out of her face. The large scar that blazed up her face ever more prominent on her angular features. She lined her eyes with kohl; allowing the blue green of her irises to pop. As an official duchess she was now required to dress like one to; she chose to put on a long winter silk embroidered jacket; it was a dark blue grey in color with silver stitching. The coat had a high collar, and it buttoned down to her waist before becoming loose. The hem of the jacket reached her ankles allowing it to appear more dress like. With the jacket she wore dark blue form fitting pants, which matched her knee high boots. She pulled on a darker grey blue overobe that hung loosely off her shoulders, for extra warmth when she walked outside.

After cleaning up from her mornings act ivies she made her way to the house that Tres had left directions to. As she got there she was surprised to find that it wasn’t all house, but part infirmary. She poked her head inside, not seeing anyone inside she stepped in carefully. Her ears alert for any movement; and fully prepared to draw one of her many hidden daggers if danger presented itself.

”Tres, you in here?”

[Trésor de Lys]

Tres' ears poked up when she heard the familiar cry of her friend. Making her way down the stairs, her white dress with gold embellishments flew behind her mimicking a cape. Finally reaching the base of the stairs, she opened a door that opened to her front foyer of the infirmary. She smiled at the very elegant Aria. "Why hello there your majesty!" she said in a teasing manner, then gestured to Aria to follow her up the stairs.
Tres would hold the door open for Aria, letting her go up the stairs, and Tres would close the door tightly behind them. Tres ran up the stairs behind Aria, making her way to the much more open space upstairs. Tres hurried over to the kitchen area to retrieve some mugs "How does tea sound to you? I know the cold nip a little, especially this time of year." Tres prepared some brightly coloured greens, as well as put a kettle on her stove-top. She finally calmed down over the excitement of having someone over to visit and sat down at the kitchen table. "So how have you been miss high-and-mighty? I see that the royals have you dressing like one of them now." she said playfully. Although Aria had not mentioned her new position directly to Tres, the kingdom did have ears, and so did she. She of course heard the news from her friendly neighbors. But her excitement for Aria was not contained, this was a big step to something even bigger- although who knew what that was. "Do update me on all of the recent events that lead to you being a lady of the castle!" this was most definitely the time to talk about the remedial gossip that life threw their way.

[Deleted]

Aria let out a puff of air and relaxed slightly as Tres made her appearance. At least it wasn’t some trap, after all she hadn’t seen Tres’s writing before, there was a large possibility it wasn’t her. Now that she knew it was she would memorize her script for future reference. She waved her off as she was greeted with ‘hello your majesty’ a small half hearted smile on her face. She walked into the building fully, fallowing the angel up the stairs. As she ascended the stairs she couldn’t help but note some similarities in the décor. As she looked around until Tres called from in the kitchen.

”Yes tea sounds lovely”

It really did; she had wanted to go retrieve some anyways. So two birds with one stone in this case. Aria turned and soon joined the excited girl at the table.

”I’ve been better; and yes these clothes chafe so much less on my lady parts.”

Aria had forgotten she hadn’t filled Tres in, last time she had a legit talk with the woman was before she had been chained and thrown into the dungeons.

”Well…long story short, I did some stuff, it was decided it was good stuff, I got given to Palico, Princess made me a duchess, brother agreed, trained some drakes, now I’m back with an awesome paper weight that people keep referring to as a crown.”

Super short; she could probably go into a lot more detail, but she was more interested in how Tres had been doing in the past couple of months.

”So what has been happing with you, you certainly have blossomed from when I first met you. Are you any happier?”

[Trésor de Lys]

Tres heard the sizzling of the kettle, and stood up to retrieve it from the stove. She poured the hot water into the mugs, the steam fogging up her eyes. She laughed as she listened to Aria's "get rich quick" scheme. "Paper weight, huh?" she laughed. It really had been a very long time since she last saw Aria. She seemed to have an almost more mature air about her... well, almost.

Walking over to the table, she placed a mug in front of Aria, with some honey in between the two of them. She went back to the counter to retrieve her mug, and suddenly didn't know how to reply to her question. A lot had happened since she last saw Aria. She supposed that she was happier in some sense of the word. She was definitely more settled. "I think I am happier." she finally noted. "Well, accomplished is the word I would use." with her tea in hand, she sat down next to Aria, letting the steam rise to her nostrils and fill her with warmth. "I finally have something that's my own... and I enjoy having it. After spending those few months trying to get out of that forest, I realized that I never needed anything to make myself happy. I wanted these things for comfort. And comfort is what I got." she said.

Although, comfort wasn't exactly that, she cures near-dead people just downstairs, she uses most of her energy just healing people day to day, and in her free time she teaches herself how to cook, and trains when she can. Her life was consumed by making herself better. The house just made it seem like she had a place where she belonged.

[Deleted]

”I’m not the crown wearing type; though I will admit, it is pretty. I just found a more practical use for it.”

Aria seeing honey probably put more honey then tea in her mug; one thing that wouldn’t ever change was Arias sweet tooth. She happily sipped her over sweetened tea and listened to Tres. It seemed like she was certainly taking steps to making herself better. It was showing to; really Helena ought to have taken better care of this one. She had potential; but her growth had been stifled. Her face blanked when she heard it had taken her months to get out of the forest…

”I hadn’t realized the trek from my home would be so….difficult. Though it is good to know that there is at least some difficulty getting to and from its location.”

Aria was happy to be around Tres; she was one of the few people that she let in on the secret of her parentage. Considering she was the only other one she knew who could understand the thin line that she walked.

”You seem to be doing so well, I really hate to bring this up but I may need your help poking your nose into the business you’re trying to leave behind or at least I think trying to leave behind.”

Aria placed her cup down and reached behind her neck; a black ink substance shot into her hand slowly from two weapons she pulled from her back. Two jeweled inlaid chakrams which may be familiar to the fallen angel were held. Aria placed them on the table in front of her.

”I need help finding her; she’s been cast from the pantheon.”

[Trésor de Lys]

    Tres felt at ease around Aria. Her sense of humor always made Tres feel sound, and it always seemed to put a smile on her face. "Oh yeah? And what other use of the crown would that be?" Although Tres understood the symbolism of the crown, she always found them stupid. It was something that weighed down a royal, and something to be concerned about losing, seeing as their value was always at least triple what she had paid for this house.

    She raised her eyebrows sarcastically at Aria, following up on her comment about her house "You're telling me. Especially for someone who has only ever looked down upon the Nova forest, it's a lot harder to navigate when you're actually in it." She took a long sip from her dark tea. Tres did enjoy sweets, but tea was something to be savored on its own.

    Upon hearing Aria's acknowledgement of her progress she smiled. But that smile slowly faded into her battle stare. Tres was not prepared for what Aria had drawn out.

    The black ink formed into the two bejeweled chakrams that she could only peg to be Vanessa's. Tres felt her breath become more shallow- as if her lungs had collapsed. She stood up at attention, admiring the weapons she had so much longed for, and had feared. Her hand floated over top of the weapons, she traced the air, lining her fingers to where the weapons creased, indented, and were scratched. She could name every battle that each fracture was from- she had long paid attention to Vanessa, 

    Shattered, Tres mumbled... "Where did you find these?" Her stare was intense, unlike anything Aria would had ever seen before. This Tres she would see was one from long ago, the angel that Helena conjured to be as solid as a wall, and as unmoving as the earth from beneath their feet. Her intensity clouded the room. 

    Tres grew worried for Vanessa upon hearing that she had been cast from the pantheon. She had to ask to see what had happened. "Under what grounds was she cast?" she asked, finally looking Aria in the eyes with intensity unlike no other. "How long ago was she cast? Has her fate been decided as a member of the pantheon?" This was a serious matter, she wasn't sure how Vanessa must have taken it. 

    At this point, her frustration towards her past grew so overwhelming for her, that tears flowed down her face. Her sobs remained completely silent.

    Tres had grown used to hiding her wings from the public. In fact she still had the trinket that Aria had given to her early in their friendship, and she wore it as a necklace every day. She knew how to control it now, after having had so much practice with it... However, her emotions clouded her focus, and her wings slowly appeared to Aria. Her wings looked almost the same, except that the feathers that shaped the edges of her wings were tainted and brown, some of which began falling off. She knew she felt broken when her wings revealed themselves.

Looking back at the weapons, she whispered "I haven't thought about this in so long. It seems almost foreign to me." She didn't know what Aria expected of her, but she knew that she would only be an asset in the hunt for Vanessa.

[Deleted]

”Silas caught me using it as a fetch toy for Noky once; my drake I named after our oh so loveable King”

She chuckled at Tres’s issue with the forest; seeing how much she navigated the forest when she was younger, finding her way through it was fairly simple. That and she always had eyes everywhere, she could always ask when she became lost. She supposed Tres did not have that same luxury. The lighthearted mood however grew dark and heavy the instant she took out Vens weapons. After Tres had a chance to look at them she placed her hand over the weapons and once more they turned to ink and traveled up her palm and eventually to the place on her back. While their methods were different, the act of pulling weapons from ones skin wasn’t something just Helena could accomplish. There presence and meaning had the same effect on Tres as it had on Garrett those months ago.

”The Moon Temple; by her broken statue. When I was helping repair the damages I found these in the rubble. I took them before anyone noticed they were there. They have been in my possession since.”

Aria shrugged when she was asked what grounds was Ven cast from the pantheon.

”I’m unsure; however, if I wagered a guess it was for her part in last year’s blossom festival. It had a horrible set of chain reactions… Mylee does not take well to gods directly interfering with mortals. I’m sure Helena’s going to be getting her come upping’s to for her last escapade. This is where being a demi has its benefits; we’re a grey area when it comes to that rule….Also why we don’t make it past our teen years but still.”

Aria was unsure of her next question as well.

”Ven was cast out in my time as well…I forget what reasons but it was a group decision amongst the pantheon she didn’t like to talk about it much. I can’t say it’s the same this round; so I don’t know if it was a group decision or not. It’s something I mean to find out. As for how long I would say some time before the fated’s execution…and as for her fate…well that’s what I’d like you to find out. There is a chance if it’s like my time that she’s wondering around in a mortal form. Since I have her weapons…well you know what that means. I’d prefer that these went back to her though if we can find her.”

Arias face sadden slightly, Tres had been making progress. This may push her back some….depending how the girl felt about it.

”I will understand if you do not wish to stick your nose back into this god affair…. I know you wished to separate yourself from it”

[Trésor de Lys]

"I'll do it." After listening to Aria for sometime, Tres wiped away her tears, and came back to reality. "Whatever it is, I can do it. This may not be, as you called it, my business any longer, but if there is anyone from this timeline who can help, it would be myself." Tres' wings perked up, showing her eagerness to get back out there.

"However, there is the problem of tracking her down. I no longer have my divine magic, other than the healing abilities that I redeveloped recently. I won't be able to track her on my own..." she paused a moment, then realized that she would be working with Aria, the woman of many forms. "But maybe you can try, if you haven't already?" Tres felt a tad stupid asking the question, seeing as she knew that Aria probably already tried... which is probably why she asked for her help.

Then she thought back to the moon temple. She hadn't been there since she had been cast aside by Helena, it could be beneficial to go back to the site so she can do some exploring herself. "What is the state of the moon temple? Please tell me it's at least still standing there and that they haven't torn it down?" Tres really was out of the loop. "Perhaps if we go there, I can use some spell to track her, from the beginning to wherever she may be now." It was just an idea, but it might be worth a shot.

As she came back into focus, her wings started to melt back into their cloak, however, Tres felt comfortable enough around Aria that she quickly turned them back- out in the open where they belonged.

Tres wandered to her loft area to find the book she purchased on the pantheon. She began skimming the details, refreshing her memory on whatever those of Nova knew about her. Hunting down Vanessa was going to be tricky, but it will most likely be the easiest part of this entire process.

[Deleted]

”I would not be asking if I did not think you capable. Ven is family to me, I want to know that she’s safe”

Aria tapped her chin in thought; there was a way she could help. Course she had her own eyes out for Ven. But frankly her hands were so full with other things that finding Ven hadn’t been a priority.

”I have my eyes out, however I cannot actively search for her, I’m afraid I have my hands full in other matters. I can do a lot but even I need help at times. You know what she looks like, and the potential danger at the fact her seat remains un seated. That and considering the people I’m associated with…I may not be the best person to find her.”

Aria waved her off in regards to the moon temple that had long since been repaired.

”I oversaw the repairs myself; it was repaired before I left for Palico. Any traces of where she went is probably long gone by now. However I don’t think it would hurt to start there.”

Aria glanced at Tres’s wings….frowning. She didn’t remember any of the feathers being brown before.

”Tres…forgive me for being insensitive…but do angels loose there wings when they are casted?”

[Trésor de Lys]

    Tres nodded in understanding of Aria's words. She knew that much time had passed since she had been in the city last, but did not seem to realize how much time had passed since Vanessa has been cast.

    "Have you caught wind of anything since she has arrived in Teair? I'm sure someone has noticed something, or a trail of some sort has been laid..." Tres was most definitely not a tracker, but she knew that she could find Vanessa if she had the proper tip on where to start.

    Having heard that the temple was repaired, perhaps it would be best that they start there, where everything happened. Although the trail was probably cold by now, she had to believe that there would be some indication as to where she would have gone.

    Tres paced a little, trying to think. But she was caught off guard by Aria. "My.. Wings?" she looked behind her to see a few small feathers that had molted from her wings. "Oh... Well, based on our anatomy, the wings are directly a part of our bone structure. The only thing that I lost was the one wing-" Tres had a moment of flashback, the blood, in and out of consciousness. Tres could feel her cheeks becoming flushed.

    "I only had one wing ripped from my back. It reduces my capacity to fly, and my agility in the air. Making it overall harder to combat in the air like I used to. But I don't think I will lose my wings." Tres looked at the feathers on the ground. "My feathers only molt when I get stressed or when they're too old."

[Deleted]

Aria shook her head, she hadn’t heard a thing. The most she found was the weapons. She wasn’t even sure if Vennessa had been cast at the temple. That in itself was a problem. They didn’t have a clear starting point.

”I did not find any scents when I was there, however I hadn’t got much of a chance to look. Considering how closely I was being watched at the time. It was a shot of luck I managed to get the weapons unseen. Though that required tampering with Vennessa’s weapons; adding spells and magic’s to a gods weapon of choice is not something I advise for anyone….I’m sure it will come round and bite me in the butt later.”

She rubbed the bridge of her nose, she knew what she had done would have some sort of consequence but she hadn’t yet got wind of what that would be. But for now she would more worry about finding Vennessa and seeing if her beloved’s mother was still fit for her seat…

”I haven’t been in the position to safely and actively search for her with all of my resources; I’ve had my hands more than full since the moment I chose to be captured.”

Aria placed her tea on the table and stood up coming around to the back of Tres to examine her wings more closely. She gently picked up a wing, checking the feathers and examining their shape. Considering the molt that was going on, it would be difficult to take flight with the molt. However there were enough to still create lift. Flying without a rudder of sorts made agility in the air more difficult but not impossible.

”Have you worked at building your flight muscles since the accident?”

[Trésor de Lys]

    Tres nodded in understanding. She really shouldn't have expected Aria to just drop everything just to look for Vanessa. Although it was a pressing matter, life still goes on. Especially being someone in her position, it's not as though she has much spare time to offer for this daunting task.

    "Well, we could always go back to the moon temple. Even if that was where she started off, the trail would be cold now anyways." Tres thought long and hard about where Vanessa could be. She let out a large huff "But it's better than having no starting point at all."

    Tres watched as Aria went to examine her wings. As much as Tres trusted Aria, she felt embarrassed by her molting feathers. Her cheeks grew flushed, the red spreading all over her face as if she had just been smacked with a handful of strawberries. Tres quietly murmured "I, uh... I tried. Only to fall flat on my face." she turned and rested her arm on the back of the chair, "So no. My flight muscles are not quite what they used to be. But it's not as though I'm trying to condition them either." she tried to laugh her way out of her disappointment.

    Tres kind of shrugged it off her shoulders. She turned her back to Aria, and reached for her tea, taking in a few sips so that she would be too distracted to answer Aria if she commented. She then swallowed her tea, and shrugged her shoulders slightly, as if caving in. "I would love to relearn how to fly... it was one of my favourite things to do."

[Deleted]

”Yes we could, but a word of caution. That green eyed bastard that I believe is probably fate was last seen lurking in the moon temple. Specifically the night that we met….I have very little doubts he wanted to get you under his finger that night…”

For which he had received Arias boot to the face. Reason why Aria suspected it was Fate, was by the way he had addressed Tres the night she appeared in the moon temple.

”It is just a word of warning, you may likely run into him again if you go searching for Ven.”

Aria ran her fingers over the muscles, they were thin and underworked. Power take offs were likely off the table, but perhaps short glides could be possible.

”Well the coast offers nice winds to begin to glide on, nice easy place to build up muscles with a short glide. Nothing like the desert winds, but still they should provide an easier starting base, granted the weather is mild.”

Aria released the wings and went and sat back down. A small smile spread across her face when Tres mentioned flying was one of her favorite things to do. This was a sentiment that Aria shared with the angel, she loved flying. Frankly she had a blast when the rougher weather came, it was fun to ride the different air currents. However she had caught that Tres had tried and fell flat on her face…and judging by the weak muscles she hadn’t tried since. Aria could offer to help Tres, but without proper motivation…or at least something to overcome the mental block…An idea slipped into Arias head. However it wouldn’t be plausible until spring. For now Aria could at least help Tres strengthen her muscles.

”I’m going to start training sessions for the Drakes from Palico again, how about to join me for those and we can work on gaining your flight muscles back…..but moving on I would love to have a tour of your clinic. Do you plan on expanding it?”

[Trésor de Lys]

    Tres was taken aback. I knew I heard someone else the day I arrived in the moon temple, but it was so fuzzy to me, that it felt like a faint memory from some other time... she grew a bit concerned "I guess it was real. Do you really think fate would still be there looking for Vanessa or myself?" Tres had known fate to some degree, but she couldn't see what benefit she could be to this Deity.

    She listened to Aria as she offered her flight lessons. Listening to how passionate Aria was about flying really inspired Tres. It made her think of all the times she would go out in harsh conditions to teach herself how to maneuver in poor weather, it really came in handy when she went off to battle alongside Helena.

    Tres smiled at Aria, "I would like that a lot actually. It sounds like something I could really use right now." Flying really was a part of Tres' nature, but in this life she felt like she had to hide her wings. Even though they were molting, and were not exactly a pretty sight, she wanted to be able to show off her wings, because they were honestly her favorite asset.

    Her mood almost instantly changed when Aria mentioned her Infirmary. She was so excited that she almost bounded out of her seat. "Of course, I would love to show you!" Tres would grab Aria's hand and out of excitement almost be dragging her down the stairs into the main waiting room. "So this is the front desk and waiting area." she motioned with her hand to almost showcase the room. "Hopefully it will get busier sooner rather than later. But as of right now, I have no plans to expand it seeing as I am the only healer working here."

    She would then lead Aria past the curtain into a much more open space, filled with 5 already made beds on each side, cabinets scattered around the room, and a well inside the back of the room. "And this is where the magic happens." Tres almost snorted to herself. The joke was terrible, but it was funny to her at least. "And, well that's basically all of it, aside from the storage closets, which I really don't need to show you. " she looked around the room, proud of what she owned. "It's not much, but it's all mine." she smiled a little wider.