That is fascinating, I mean truly strange and awful to me, I must admit, but fascinating. I really had never had dreamed of life on... other ah - planets? But let what their differences must be.
Other kingdoms are certainly strange enough.
Well, I will bring you the meal tonight, are you in the boarding house?
If you ever decide to go on a tour of the universe, I suggest giving my whole galaxy a miss. Just to be on the safe side.
I'm splitting time between the boarding house and Ianthe's place, but let's make it the boarding house. That way I can dish the dirt on her without her listening in.
Man, do I have some juicy deets for you. See you tonight!
[Whenever Gilia arrives, Gideon will be ready to greet her. She's still dressed in her hunting attire, but it's clear that she's made an effort to clean herself up; no blood or dirt, hair freshly washed. Like she wants to make a good impression.]
[ Gilia is there at the door, food in hand, and under her arm in a basket, as she smiles in greeting. Tall as Gideon, to meet her in the eye evenly. In some ways, she is not so different to most Rubean women, dressing like them, but around her brow is a embroidered band that has two rings at her temples. ]
Master Gideon, it is an honour to meet you.
[ It's brief as an attempt, more so for all the food she is holding, but bobs her head in a curtsey-bow in respectful greeting. ]
The simplest is to say, something like - ah, 'my fellow', 'my country-man'.
[ The direct translation, anyway. ]
It is an informal, but polite way to refer to one of our land. All are born of the Sea, but we are the Children of it, so we call one another Son and Daughter-Sea. Or the commoner's like to shorten it to Sau-Sea or Dau-Sea.
Huh. Got it. And when you say born of the Sea, what does that mean?
[That she's ignorant of the ways of those from other worlds clearly doesn't embarrass her-- she's well aware that, to many here, her own place of origin is strange in the extreme.
They reach the door to the dining hall, and Gideon pulls it open with her free hand, stands aside to allow Gilia to enter ahead of her.]
Here we are. Although I guess you must have been here before.
That is a very old tale, but that when Land-Mother, one of the Great Spirits, tore herself apart in a great dance with Sea-Father, the shards of her fell into a thousand, thousand pieces. The Sea-Father took them all into the depths, and tended them there until they were strong enough to go out, and become all things of life. Some became the essence of a hundred other spirits, some became the trees and the hills and the valleys, and some became living beings, like you and I.
[ Which she has learned many times now, that when she talks of these things, there is a horrible habit of many other void-touched thinking she might mean allegorical, or something of faith, a story with no proof. ]
It is quite literal, before you ask. You can in fact meet - and talk, in a way - to the Great Spirits, that is Sea-Father, Sister-Fire and Air-Brother, though the easiest to speak with is the largest part of the Land-Mother that remains as three Dragons, known as the Shadow Dragons. As for myself, when I say I am Child of the Sea-Father, Daughter-Sea, I mean that inside of my soul, the sea resides, and I may take its form as gifted to from the ancient and holy bond my family shares.
[ With a polite nod, she set down the items on the table, laying them out more comfortably into the different dishes she had made for her. ]
[Gideon listens, and whilst it does kind of have the ring of a history lesson - she has always hated lessons of any sort unless they involve a sword - she pays attention regardless. She had asked after all.
She takes a seat at the table, not wanting to interfere with the laying out of dishes despite the urge to assist in some way-- this isn't really her forte, and she imagines Gilia has far more idea of what she's doing than she would herself.
She nods though, when the other woman finishes her description. There's nothing in Gideon's demeanour which suggests she took it as anything other than literal. There is - however - a note of understanding in her voice in response to the expectation that she might see it that way.]
Cool. I mean, the sea is kiiiiiinda terrifying if you ask me, but I do come from a place where there's no natural water supply. We used sonics to clean off, water was recycled and a highly rationed resource. So like, being made of the sea...or in the sea...sounds wild.
[Wild, but not impossible. She casts her gaze toward Gilia's face, offers her a knowing look.]
Not many people here have such a literal relationship with their origins, do they? But hey, I'm not about to question you. My dad is literally God, he resurrected all of the Nine Houses. He’s a real guy who walks about and talks and does dumb shit. You probably even met him? So I get it, is what I'm saying. I find it a whole lot crazier that some people worship gods or spirits they've got no evidence of.
[ She lays out all the plates of food she had made - truly, too much, because she could simply not help herself. Cuts of meat, breads and grains, vegetables roasted and seasoned. ]
... Spirits, I would go mad. No water? None at all?
[ Though, in the effort of keeping it all in good humour. Her opinions of John Gaius did not need to be brought up on a first meeting. ] We met, yes. But he has done you a great disservice in your learning. You are made of the Sea, too. All living things are.
Gideon eyes the array of delicious-looking food with unabashed desire, even as she nods in confirmation.]
Yeah, none at all. It's all just like...stone and bone and grit.
[She makes a face-- there's no love lost between her and the place she was raised.]
I dunno how I could be made from the sea though, you know? When there is no sea on the Ninth? I guess we weren't all resurrected on the Ninth, and it's been ages since the resurrection. Like, thousands of years. We're all just born now, mostly through incubation vats...but so far as I know, we came from the dust of dead worlds.
[ She could not think of anything so awful, but then Ianthe's stories always left her out of sorts - so it at least followed it would be just as unpleasant.
Her brows lift, then does not quite mean too, but she finds herself in baffled confusion and laughter. ]
Dust is one part of you - but do you not bleed, do you not sweat? Your spit, your tears. These are water that is with you. If you do not have water, do you not perish?
[ She gestures for Gideon to sit across from her, as she begins to serve out bits and pieces of food for her to try to figure out what she liked. ]
And these vats... are they like a woman's belly? For as I know it, it is water that cradles us born, it is the loss of that water that signals it is time for an infant to be born. Just like our ancestors, who as small creatures, left the ocean when it was safe and they were grown.
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no subject
Other kingdoms are certainly strange enough.
Well, I will bring you the meal tonight, are you in the boarding house?
no subject
I'm splitting time between the boarding house and Ianthe's place, but let's make it the boarding house. That way I can dish the dirt on her without her listening in.
[She's mostly joking]
action time??
[ such fancy things like 'electricity' and 'indoor plumbing'.]
Certainly, I want all the sordid details, of course. I will be by this evening then, if that suits?
action time!
[Whenever Gilia arrives, Gideon will be ready to greet her. She's still dressed in her hunting attire, but it's clear that she's made an effort to clean herself up; no blood or dirt, hair freshly washed. Like she wants to make a good impression.]
no subject
Master Gideon, it is an honour to meet you.
[ It's brief as an attempt, more so for all the food she is holding, but bobs her head in a curtsey-bow in respectful greeting. ]
no subject
Gideon is fine. I mean yeah, I'm totally badass and rightful heir to the Nine Houses but, you know...like, modest with it.
[She flashes a crooked grin, stands back from the doorway so that Gilia can enter.]
Want me to take anything? The dining hall thingy is pretty empty right now if you wanna go there, or my roommate is out if privacy is more your speed.
no subject
[ But with the offer of help, she lifts up one bag to offer, that would help keep her hands free. ]
Likewise, titles I may have, but Gilia or Daughter-Sea is fine.
no subject
She turns to begin leading them in the direction of the dining hall, casting her voice back over her shoulder as she goes.]
What's Daughter-Sea mean? Like, what's the meaning behind it? If you don't mind me asking.
no subject
The simplest is to say, something like - ah, 'my fellow', 'my country-man'.
[ The direct translation, anyway. ]
It is an informal, but polite way to refer to one of our land. All are born of the Sea, but we are the Children of it, so we call one another Son and Daughter-Sea. Or the commoner's like to shorten it to Sau-Sea or Dau-Sea.
no subject
[That she's ignorant of the ways of those from other worlds clearly doesn't embarrass her-- she's well aware that, to many here, her own place of origin is strange in the extreme.
They reach the door to the dining hall, and Gideon pulls it open with her free hand, stands aside to allow Gilia to enter ahead of her.]
Here we are. Although I guess you must have been here before.
no subject
[ Which she has learned many times now, that when she talks of these things, there is a horrible habit of many other void-touched thinking she might mean allegorical, or something of faith, a story with no proof. ]
It is quite literal, before you ask. You can in fact meet - and talk, in a way - to the Great Spirits, that is Sea-Father, Sister-Fire and Air-Brother, though the easiest to speak with is the largest part of the Land-Mother that remains as three Dragons, known as the Shadow Dragons. As for myself, when I say I am Child of the Sea-Father, Daughter-Sea, I mean that inside of my soul, the sea resides, and I may take its form as gifted to from the ancient and holy bond my family shares.
[ With a polite nod, she set down the items on the table, laying them out more comfortably into the different dishes she had made for her. ]
no subject
She takes a seat at the table, not wanting to interfere with the laying out of dishes despite the urge to assist in some way-- this isn't really her forte, and she imagines Gilia has far more idea of what she's doing than she would herself.
She nods though, when the other woman finishes her description. There's nothing in Gideon's demeanour which suggests she took it as anything other than literal. There is - however - a note of understanding in her voice in response to the expectation that she might see it that way.]
Cool. I mean, the sea is kiiiiiinda terrifying if you ask me, but I do come from a place where there's no natural water supply. We used sonics to clean off, water was recycled and a highly rationed resource. So like, being made of the sea...or in the sea...sounds wild.
[Wild, but not impossible. She casts her gaze toward Gilia's face, offers her a knowing look.]
Not many people here have such a literal relationship with their origins, do they? But hey, I'm not about to question you. My dad is literally God, he resurrected all of the Nine Houses. He’s a real guy who walks about and talks and does dumb shit. You probably even met him? So I get it, is what I'm saying. I find it a whole lot crazier that some people worship gods or spirits they've got no evidence of.
no subject
... Spirits, I would go mad. No water? None at all?
[ Though, in the effort of keeping it all in good humour. Her opinions of John Gaius did not need to be brought up on a first meeting. ] We met, yes. But he has done you a great disservice in your learning. You are made of the Sea, too. All living things are.
no subject
Gideon eyes the array of delicious-looking food with unabashed desire, even as she nods in confirmation.]
Yeah, none at all. It's all just like...stone and bone and grit.
[She makes a face-- there's no love lost between her and the place she was raised.]
I dunno how I could be made from the sea though, you know? When there is no sea on the Ninth? I guess we weren't all resurrected on the Ninth, and it's been ages since the resurrection. Like, thousands of years. We're all just born now, mostly through incubation vats...but so far as I know, we came from the dust of dead worlds.
no subject
Her brows lift, then does not quite mean too, but she finds herself in baffled confusion and laughter. ]
Dust is one part of you - but do you not bleed, do you not sweat? Your spit, your tears. These are water that is with you. If you do not have water, do you not perish?
[ She gestures for Gideon to sit across from her, as she begins to serve out bits and pieces of food for her to try to figure out what she liked. ]
And these vats... are they like a woman's belly? For as I know it, it is water that cradles us born, it is the loss of that water that signals it is time for an infant to be born. Just like our ancestors, who as small creatures, left the ocean when it was safe and they were grown.