[ twas a long road and a large gambit that venat had planned out. as she had with her previous station, she paved the way and left the clues for her protégé. all souls on etheyris, regardless of reflection or not, are her children, and this includes those pieces of her protégé that remain separated and are already joined.
how she longed to walk with them in the world she created. how she wished to sit with them as she had in days long past. perhaps fate is kind in granting her wish after her warrior of light has silenced the song of oblivion. perhaps, in this small time afforded to her soul before she sinks to the bottom of the aetheric sea, she might see the sky and stars as her mortal children see it.
she sees her warrior, her friend, her protege, sitting on the rocks to the beach. quietly and with no sound to her footsteps does venat come to join her on the beach. she stands behind her for a moment to take in the words that the young rosa says, the pain and remorse behind them. her brilliant glowing blue eyes close before she strides forward to stand a few steps ahead of her. ]
And they surely will not forget you, My Champion. [ venat smiles a playful one, her gaze looking over her shoulder at rosa. ] Memories can be seared into our souls, repeating and driving us forward in the life yet to live. I have no doubt that what lives they take in the next will be shaped by those fond memories of you.
[ a hand raises to her breast then. ]
I certainly cannot forgo the memories of my protégé--the young Azem who has achieved so much more than I ever could. Surely, that should be of some comfort.
Rosa. [ the smile widens on her face as she is finally able to call her friend by name once more. ]
[ of all the people rosa expected to see or hear at this point, of all the ones who would have dared come to see her while she was off on her own, this particular voice and the shape of that silhouette are at the bottom of the list. not that she never wanted to see venat again — far from it! — but she had thought her mother figure had finally gone on to rest, returning to the star maybe to be reborn another day. yet here she is, standing before her, and for several long moments rosa can only stare. hope blossoms through her tears, painful and selfish, as she slowly gets to her feet. ]
Venat?
[ her voice is soft, almost like she fears venat will disappear on her if she breathes wrong or blinks. a few moments pass as she wobbles dangerously on her feet. they had spoken many times in elpis of rosa's adventures, the things she had experienced as a scion, but never had she expressed her true feelings about how much like a mother hydaelyn had become to her. how much of one venat was.
with that swimming painfully in her mind and heart, she sways one last time before finally closing the distance between them. as a tactile person by nature, but one who has ever needed to hide it for various reasons over the course of her life, rosa's mask cracks, desperately reaching for physical comfort from someone she had thought lost to her forever.
all she needs is a hug from her mother.
not for the first time does she regret not being the azem venat would have known, back in a time long forgotten, but she is who she is at this point and nothing will change that. and for whatever reason, venat seems perfectly happy with her, just as hydaelyn always was, and that means more to her than she can ever express. ]
I thought never to see you again, [ she admits, forehead resting against venat's shoulder as she wraps her arms around her friend's body. ] Forgive me. I did not mean to weep upon your shoulder. Your words are kind and I shall keep them in mind for the future.
[ for the times when she nearly loses herself to despair, when hopelessness tries to sneak its way into the cracks in her heart, when she has to lean on those outside sources for comfort and healing... that is when she remembers venat and hydaelyn, when she imagines there are people who love her just for being rosaire.
wiping at her eyes, she finally steps back, pieces of her usual mask falling into place out of sheer habit, even though venat is one who has ever seen her true face. ] What brought you here to Old Sharlayan of all places? [ a beat, as her mind turns over the implications there, and then— ] Would you like a tour?
[ venat's fond smile grows as rosa once more calls her by her true name. while hydaelyn is also her name--for they are one in the same--the small acknowledgement of the time before such things always brings a warmth to her heart. while rosa is not all that she once was before the final days? it is unmistakable that she is azem and that shines so very bright. beyond the pain and the torment that this particular life has given her.
her hand gently raises to rest on the shorter hair of the younger elezen. who else would she entrust the star to? venat had not picked azem on a whim, and therefore, picking any of the reflections of azem had not been on a whim. rosa's soul remains the same, while not whole, and thus it matters not how many lives she may live. she will always be azem. ]
You have ever been the one to leave impressions wherever you might go. I had thought that a trait for the Seat of Azem, and that opinion has not changed. After all, a champion of my own choosing would need to do the very same.
[ do not doubt yourself so.
her hand remains extended to the warrior of light if she is so inclined to hold it. ]
With the Final Days adverted by you and the hands of the Scions, I had wished to truly see our star. [ one last time, before she rests and is reborn. venat pauses to look at the city behind them. a part of her does wish to see it, but instead, she merely closes her eyes with the smile placed on her face. ] And a feeling so very distinct reached out to me. Who am I to leave my friend, protégé, and Champion to her hurts after all that I have asked of her?
I believe it best that we do as you would wish, whatever wish that form may take. After all, you have granted the wishes of so many others.
[ 'tis passing strange to hear a variation of any kind on do not doubt yourself so from anyone, though she recognizes she should not be surprised to hear it from venat. the woman before her has ever had faith in her. even at her lowest, she felt hydaelyn's pull, her comfort and belief and a trust so full and strong it filled the void left in rosa's heart.
would that she could offer the same in return.
having been raised by someone so thoroughly invested in the political dance of nobility as her birth mother, rosa had crafted an emotional mask at an early age, behind which she always hides her true thoughts and feelings. if she does not allow them to show on her face, no one can use them against her. with most people, even now, that mask remains in place. not so now, not in front of this kind woman who has ever supported her. rosa's lower lip trembles and though she manages to smile through it, tears prick the edges of her eyes once more, gratitude swimming within their ice blue depths. a verbal response to the support does not come, words failing her in this moment, so rosa simply allows her eyes to speak for her.
as for the rest... ]
I suppose I was mourning a few things, [ she admits softly, her gaze drifting out towards the city as venat's does, taking in the vibrancy of the land and its people. ] You, for one, as I was not able to offer you a proper farewell last we met. But if you have time now, perhaps...
[ venat is, after all, an ancient, immortal by rosa's understanding, and if she is not quite ready to return to the star and her final rest, then rosa will not deny her company. her eyes slide closed for a moment as she considers, her lungs slowly and deeply expanding to breathe in the smell of salt and calm in the air. all is as it should be. ]
The hour is still early, [ she muses, eyes opening as she returns her attention back to venat. deciding what she wants and asking for it is still something she struggles with, but in this moment she takes it for the direction and care that it is, giving the question due consideration before she answers. ] The only thing I've done so far is have a pastry and a cup of tea from the Last Stand. I should at least return the cup. Would you like to try something while there? If not, I could procure some ingredients from the market and make us something myself. [ the only thing her mother had bestowed upon her that rosa appreciates and still uses is her love of cooking. feeding people is one way she shows her affection for others, be it through her own cooking or buying it elsewhere. ] Or we could simply take a stroll. I had thought to be alone with my thoughts until I return to Mor Dhona, but having you here one last time is a blessing I will not lose.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
steamrolls into feels, apologies in advance
how she longed to walk with them in the world she created. how she wished to sit with them as she had in days long past. perhaps fate is kind in granting her wish after her warrior of light has silenced the song of oblivion. perhaps, in this small time afforded to her soul before she sinks to the bottom of the aetheric sea, she might see the sky and stars as her mortal children see it.
she sees her warrior, her friend, her protege, sitting on the rocks to the beach. quietly and with no sound to her footsteps does venat come to join her on the beach. she stands behind her for a moment to take in the words that the young rosa says, the pain and remorse behind them. her brilliant glowing blue eyes close before she strides forward to stand a few steps ahead of her. ]
And they surely will not forget you, My Champion. [ venat smiles a playful one, her gaze looking over her shoulder at rosa. ] Memories can be seared into our souls, repeating and driving us forward in the life yet to live. I have no doubt that what lives they take in the next will be shaped by those fond memories of you.
[ a hand raises to her breast then. ]
I certainly cannot forgo the memories of my protégé--the young Azem who has achieved so much more than I ever could. Surely, that should be of some comfort.
Rosa. [ the smile widens on her face as she is finally able to call her friend by name once more. ]
rolls in feels for always ♥
Venat?
[ her voice is soft, almost like she fears venat will disappear on her if she breathes wrong or blinks. a few moments pass as she wobbles dangerously on her feet. they had spoken many times in elpis of rosa's adventures, the things she had experienced as a scion, but never had she expressed her true feelings about how much like a mother hydaelyn had become to her. how much of one venat was.
with that swimming painfully in her mind and heart, she sways one last time before finally closing the distance between them. as a tactile person by nature, but one who has ever needed to hide it for various reasons over the course of her life, rosa's mask cracks, desperately reaching for physical comfort from someone she had thought lost to her forever.
all she needs is a hug from her mother.
not for the first time does she regret not being the azem venat would have known, back in a time long forgotten, but she is who she is at this point and nothing will change that. and for whatever reason, venat seems perfectly happy with her, just as hydaelyn always was, and that means more to her than she can ever express. ]
I thought never to see you again, [ she admits, forehead resting against venat's shoulder as she wraps her arms around her friend's body. ] Forgive me. I did not mean to weep upon your shoulder. Your words are kind and I shall keep them in mind for the future.
[ for the times when she nearly loses herself to despair, when hopelessness tries to sneak its way into the cracks in her heart, when she has to lean on those outside sources for comfort and healing... that is when she remembers venat and hydaelyn, when she imagines there are people who love her just for being rosaire.
wiping at her eyes, she finally steps back, pieces of her usual mask falling into place out of sheer habit, even though venat is one who has ever seen her true face. ] What brought you here to Old Sharlayan of all places? [ a beat, as her mind turns over the implications there, and then— ] Would you like a tour?
♥ its gonna get super feelsy
her hand gently raises to rest on the shorter hair of the younger elezen. who else would she entrust the star to? venat had not picked azem on a whim, and therefore, picking any of the reflections of azem had not been on a whim. rosa's soul remains the same, while not whole, and thus it matters not how many lives she may live. she will always be azem. ]
You have ever been the one to leave impressions wherever you might go. I had thought that a trait for the Seat of Azem, and that opinion has not changed. After all, a champion of my own choosing would need to do the very same.
[ do not doubt yourself so.
her hand remains extended to the warrior of light if she is so inclined to hold it. ]
With the Final Days adverted by you and the hands of the Scions, I had wished to truly see our star. [ one last time, before she rests and is reborn. venat pauses to look at the city behind them. a part of her does wish to see it, but instead, she merely closes her eyes with the smile placed on her face. ] And a feeling so very distinct reached out to me. Who am I to leave my friend, protégé, and Champion to her hurts after all that I have asked of her?
I believe it best that we do as you would wish, whatever wish that form may take. After all, you have granted the wishes of so many others.
soooo many feels ;o;
would that she could offer the same in return.
having been raised by someone so thoroughly invested in the political dance of nobility as her birth mother, rosa had crafted an emotional mask at an early age, behind which she always hides her true thoughts and feelings. if she does not allow them to show on her face, no one can use them against her. with most people, even now, that mask remains in place. not so now, not in front of this kind woman who has ever supported her. rosa's lower lip trembles and though she manages to smile through it, tears prick the edges of her eyes once more, gratitude swimming within their ice blue depths. a verbal response to the support does not come, words failing her in this moment, so rosa simply allows her eyes to speak for her.
as for the rest... ]
I suppose I was mourning a few things, [ she admits softly, her gaze drifting out towards the city as venat's does, taking in the vibrancy of the land and its people. ] You, for one, as I was not able to offer you a proper farewell last we met. But if you have time now, perhaps...
[ venat is, after all, an ancient, immortal by rosa's understanding, and if she is not quite ready to return to the star and her final rest, then rosa will not deny her company. her eyes slide closed for a moment as she considers, her lungs slowly and deeply expanding to breathe in the smell of salt and calm in the air. all is as it should be. ]
The hour is still early, [ she muses, eyes opening as she returns her attention back to venat. deciding what she wants and asking for it is still something she struggles with, but in this moment she takes it for the direction and care that it is, giving the question due consideration before she answers. ] The only thing I've done so far is have a pastry and a cup of tea from the Last Stand. I should at least return the cup. Would you like to try something while there? If not, I could procure some ingredients from the market and make us something myself. [ the only thing her mother had bestowed upon her that rosa appreciates and still uses is her love of cooking. feeding people is one way she shows her affection for others, be it through her own cooking or buying it elsewhere. ] Or we could simply take a stroll. I had thought to be alone with my thoughts until I return to Mor Dhona, but having you here one last time is a blessing I will not lose.