Family Ties [Solo]
Posted: Fri May 31, 2024 11:04 pm
80 Frost, Year 123
[Closed - Solo]
Another year, it had been. Another year since she had seen and caught up with her maternal clan. And now she had someone else in tow: Lia. Lia was certainly apprehensive; but Hilana was far too excited. There had been a lot of packing of supplies for the two of them, and additional sacks that Vasilei wanted her to take out there with her so that she could do some selling for him to a market that was hard to reach and rarely approached.
She had been introducing people to Lia as if she came from the very tribe that they were going to visit. It worked out well, since there was no actual Yara Yusafiras Athalia except the one that stood with her now, even if her trueborn name had been Diya Chenzira Athalia. And the tribes in the desert were notoriously difficult to keep track of; but the Yusafiras clan was a big one. Getting Lia's new name on the census register had been done with the smooth assistance of Sentinels, as if she had always been there and simply not listed as counted previously. Which only mattered since she was residing in the capital with Hilana. In the deserts, those that cared about the nomads were few and far in between.
Arvaelyn had made promises at the last festival to enhance the desert for his newly-sworn subjects to the Umbrian Crown, as many nomads had chosen to offer vows of fealty to the young Dragonblooded Prince after thousands of years of being essentially ignored by everyone else that had settled down. And many of them had come to fruition. New outposts had been established, and those outposts meant vital opportunities for resupplying if one didn't have access to a Traversion rune. While a number of tribes did seek to keep one person with it... it didn't always work out that way. Some of the oldest and smaller clans simply made do without.
Or convince someone from outside the clan to marry in. That was always an option, and someone with that Rune was going to be in high demand in the sands.
Amina was rather pleased to see that Hilana had brought another back to the sands, even if she was quietly thinking that her colourful granddaughter was trying to pull a fast one. She did wonder why, and for what purpose, and if her relationships with the Crown of the Umbrium had something to do with it. She always had that tendency for trouble, and now she just had more avenues for even deeper trouble. Still, it was nice to see her claim her birthright Rune at long last, even though she had resisted it for so long. That, she understood - those relationships in the capital meant that her father's scheming was up against something that even he couldn't push against; and for that, she was glad for her. And if she had found another nomad there, and actually living together... even better. The draw of the cities could be a curse on their younger generations that were more keen and spellbound by the fancier settings than what their upbringing offered. It was not easy being a nomad in a land like Solunarium.
That was not something she worried about with Hilana. The girl was wild, nearly too much so, and the open sands were what called her. They would always be her home, no matter who tried to keep her tied to the cities.
They had gotten everyone situated, and the opening rituals and sacrifices had been performed. Dinner had been cooked over the fire, and that was something Hilana and Lia had definitely brought a lot of for their clan - foodstuffs of all kinds. That way they didn't need to butcher too many of their livestock that could feed them throughout the next season and later. Between her two jobs and Lia's own tailoring work, they were certainly flush with cash while they waited for an apartment in the same building to open up for Lia. There was no real rush; Lia had to tolerate the snakes that lived in Hilana's apartment, though Finn had assured her that they had been well and truly mesmerized, and she was in no danger from them.
It didn't erase Lia's worry, but it did help. It was probably healthier to be afraid of them rather than unafraid like her sister... but that was neither here nor there.
"It's been some time since we had a meal over the fire like this," Lia was reflective. "Thank you, grandmother," she bowed her head respectfully, still holding her plate. The sun had gone down by now, and fires lit the festival grounds - cooking fires and torches, and now they were preparing the bonfire.
"Welcome home," Amina smiled at her. "Fire child." Both Athalia and Hilana blinked and looked at their grandmother. The matriarch chuckled at their expressions. "Don't be so surprised. I recognize my blood, and I can sense how bright you burn." It had been quite a long time since Aelia had seen any of Hilana's sisters. She had gone to their weddings, because portals were arranged to and from the affairs in the city, and while this Lia in front of her was a bit older and dressed and styled different from the silk-wrapped bride that she remembered from a number of years back...
And yet, there was no way this was the actual Athalia. Not with how she and Hilana behaved with each other; she knew well the struggles the youngest of the four had with the older three and the way she grappled and fought the yoke of their father's expectations. This Lia was different - in the way that she interacted with Hilana, in the way that she was enjoying the festival... no. But if Hilana said cousin... Amina had to guess there was something afoot here, and she decided that it was best to accept it, claim the young woman with the brilliantly-made caftan, enjoy the shawl that she had been presented with, and not push. They had come this way to get away from the nonsense of the cities, to recharge themselves with family, and enjoy the festivities. If Hilana could have told her, or explained this story, she would have. But if she was not at liberty to, and that may well have been the case with the notorious members of Phaedryn's lineage, then she wasn't going to push her and potentially cause trouble for her granddaughter down the road.
Hilana had been born in a storm, a rare torrential downpour that had been accompanied with booming thunder and more lightning than Amina ever recalled seeing in her days before. People had whispered, then, about what it meant for the child that screamed when finally pulled from the womb. And maybe, just maybe, she was seeing parts of it, and it struck her how ironic it was. Her father had insisted she stay in the cities to try to protect her, when she was likely getting into far more things there than she would have been if they'd let a chieftain's son court her. There were far more dangers in the games of Re'hyaeans than there were in the sands. Especially for one that possessed the Wildness.
But her words made the two younger women relax, and they could move on. "Are you hoping to return to the sands? Or will you stay in the city with Hilana?" Amina sipped her tea once Hilana poured it for her, nodding in thanks. She passed Lia a cup next, and then herself. Nothing but her best blends for her grandmother - that was one of the things she liked about the cities; the sheer vastness of the array of ingredients that she could get her fingers on. Rare spices and fruits and plants that one could not get from the sands. Some of what they used came from traders, some came from the greenhouses, more came from the gardens... But the Yusafiras clan traveled some of the desert, not the whole of it over the year.
"I think I will stay in the city," Lia admitted. "It's a learning curve, of course, but Hilana has been very helpful in getting me settled. We're waiting for another apartment to open up where she lives so that we have our own space, but close by in case either of us needs something."
"That is wise," the elder nodded, inhaling the fragrance from the hot liquid in the cup. "If you ever have a mind to return..."
"Hilana will help me find you," she smiled. "Thank you, grandmother. Besides, someone has to keep an eye on this one, or the next thing we know, she will be hunting for a 50' snake in the Commonwealth because someone told her the story about one." They all laughed, even Hilana. If it wasn't for her pure, unadulterated loathing of Orkhan, she might very well have done that by now... But the green-skinned pig-people would get theirs, and then she would be able to search for even fancier noodles.
[Closed - Solo]
Another year, it had been. Another year since she had seen and caught up with her maternal clan. And now she had someone else in tow: Lia. Lia was certainly apprehensive; but Hilana was far too excited. There had been a lot of packing of supplies for the two of them, and additional sacks that Vasilei wanted her to take out there with her so that she could do some selling for him to a market that was hard to reach and rarely approached.
She had been introducing people to Lia as if she came from the very tribe that they were going to visit. It worked out well, since there was no actual Yara Yusafiras Athalia except the one that stood with her now, even if her trueborn name had been Diya Chenzira Athalia. And the tribes in the desert were notoriously difficult to keep track of; but the Yusafiras clan was a big one. Getting Lia's new name on the census register had been done with the smooth assistance of Sentinels, as if she had always been there and simply not listed as counted previously. Which only mattered since she was residing in the capital with Hilana. In the deserts, those that cared about the nomads were few and far in between.
Arvaelyn had made promises at the last festival to enhance the desert for his newly-sworn subjects to the Umbrian Crown, as many nomads had chosen to offer vows of fealty to the young Dragonblooded Prince after thousands of years of being essentially ignored by everyone else that had settled down. And many of them had come to fruition. New outposts had been established, and those outposts meant vital opportunities for resupplying if one didn't have access to a Traversion rune. While a number of tribes did seek to keep one person with it... it didn't always work out that way. Some of the oldest and smaller clans simply made do without.
Or convince someone from outside the clan to marry in. That was always an option, and someone with that Rune was going to be in high demand in the sands.
Amina was rather pleased to see that Hilana had brought another back to the sands, even if she was quietly thinking that her colourful granddaughter was trying to pull a fast one. She did wonder why, and for what purpose, and if her relationships with the Crown of the Umbrium had something to do with it. She always had that tendency for trouble, and now she just had more avenues for even deeper trouble. Still, it was nice to see her claim her birthright Rune at long last, even though she had resisted it for so long. That, she understood - those relationships in the capital meant that her father's scheming was up against something that even he couldn't push against; and for that, she was glad for her. And if she had found another nomad there, and actually living together... even better. The draw of the cities could be a curse on their younger generations that were more keen and spellbound by the fancier settings than what their upbringing offered. It was not easy being a nomad in a land like Solunarium.
That was not something she worried about with Hilana. The girl was wild, nearly too much so, and the open sands were what called her. They would always be her home, no matter who tried to keep her tied to the cities.
They had gotten everyone situated, and the opening rituals and sacrifices had been performed. Dinner had been cooked over the fire, and that was something Hilana and Lia had definitely brought a lot of for their clan - foodstuffs of all kinds. That way they didn't need to butcher too many of their livestock that could feed them throughout the next season and later. Between her two jobs and Lia's own tailoring work, they were certainly flush with cash while they waited for an apartment in the same building to open up for Lia. There was no real rush; Lia had to tolerate the snakes that lived in Hilana's apartment, though Finn had assured her that they had been well and truly mesmerized, and she was in no danger from them.
It didn't erase Lia's worry, but it did help. It was probably healthier to be afraid of them rather than unafraid like her sister... but that was neither here nor there.
"It's been some time since we had a meal over the fire like this," Lia was reflective. "Thank you, grandmother," she bowed her head respectfully, still holding her plate. The sun had gone down by now, and fires lit the festival grounds - cooking fires and torches, and now they were preparing the bonfire.
"Welcome home," Amina smiled at her. "Fire child." Both Athalia and Hilana blinked and looked at their grandmother. The matriarch chuckled at their expressions. "Don't be so surprised. I recognize my blood, and I can sense how bright you burn." It had been quite a long time since Aelia had seen any of Hilana's sisters. She had gone to their weddings, because portals were arranged to and from the affairs in the city, and while this Lia in front of her was a bit older and dressed and styled different from the silk-wrapped bride that she remembered from a number of years back...
And yet, there was no way this was the actual Athalia. Not with how she and Hilana behaved with each other; she knew well the struggles the youngest of the four had with the older three and the way she grappled and fought the yoke of their father's expectations. This Lia was different - in the way that she interacted with Hilana, in the way that she was enjoying the festival... no. But if Hilana said cousin... Amina had to guess there was something afoot here, and she decided that it was best to accept it, claim the young woman with the brilliantly-made caftan, enjoy the shawl that she had been presented with, and not push. They had come this way to get away from the nonsense of the cities, to recharge themselves with family, and enjoy the festivities. If Hilana could have told her, or explained this story, she would have. But if she was not at liberty to, and that may well have been the case with the notorious members of Phaedryn's lineage, then she wasn't going to push her and potentially cause trouble for her granddaughter down the road.
Hilana had been born in a storm, a rare torrential downpour that had been accompanied with booming thunder and more lightning than Amina ever recalled seeing in her days before. People had whispered, then, about what it meant for the child that screamed when finally pulled from the womb. And maybe, just maybe, she was seeing parts of it, and it struck her how ironic it was. Her father had insisted she stay in the cities to try to protect her, when she was likely getting into far more things there than she would have been if they'd let a chieftain's son court her. There were far more dangers in the games of Re'hyaeans than there were in the sands. Especially for one that possessed the Wildness.
But her words made the two younger women relax, and they could move on. "Are you hoping to return to the sands? Or will you stay in the city with Hilana?" Amina sipped her tea once Hilana poured it for her, nodding in thanks. She passed Lia a cup next, and then herself. Nothing but her best blends for her grandmother - that was one of the things she liked about the cities; the sheer vastness of the array of ingredients that she could get her fingers on. Rare spices and fruits and plants that one could not get from the sands. Some of what they used came from traders, some came from the greenhouses, more came from the gardens... But the Yusafiras clan traveled some of the desert, not the whole of it over the year.
"I think I will stay in the city," Lia admitted. "It's a learning curve, of course, but Hilana has been very helpful in getting me settled. We're waiting for another apartment to open up where she lives so that we have our own space, but close by in case either of us needs something."
"That is wise," the elder nodded, inhaling the fragrance from the hot liquid in the cup. "If you ever have a mind to return..."
"Hilana will help me find you," she smiled. "Thank you, grandmother. Besides, someone has to keep an eye on this one, or the next thing we know, she will be hunting for a 50' snake in the Commonwealth because someone told her the story about one." They all laughed, even Hilana. If it wasn't for her pure, unadulterated loathing of Orkhan, she might very well have done that by now... But the green-skinned pig-people would get theirs, and then she would be able to search for even fancier noodles.
