winds_voice | 1 - [Action/Voice]

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[Eleytheria was very confused. Never mind that he had just woken up half-naked, his old clothes piled up neatly beside him, he was more worried about the fact that he was away from his world. He had helped to maintain Aether for thousands of years, and this was not his forest.

Then there was that... feeling, as though something were on his back. He felt behind him, then looked to see a pair if small white and gold wings resting there. He stretched them out, testing them, trying to learn to control them. They were every bit a part of him, but at the same time they felt alien. He had not put them there. He could not force them to go away. What was happening here? What strange force had torn a Spirit from his world and altered him like this?

After dressing himself to try to feel at least a little bit more normal, noticing the new holes in his clothing for the wings to slip through, Eleytheria looked down to find a book. Curious, he reached down to pick it up and flicked through it. He wasn't sure if he really understood what he was seeing...]

-Later-

[As Eleytheria wanders through the forest, trying to work out the journal he's carrying, he soon finds himself on the outskirts overlooking the village. So there are people here... Since he's unsure about just walking right into town with no idea of what kind of people he should expect, he decides to sit somewhere at the edge and observe from a distance for now.

It's then he notices that the book is also filled with people. Perhaps they all use the books to talk to one another. He could try to use his own to talk and learn more about this place.]

Voice

I am afraid that I am unfamiliar with these lands. I am lost. I am changed. These new wings of mine will not alter or fade away as I please. While I waste time trying to find answers here, my own world will be thrown into turmoil. The planet and its people will die without me. I must find a way back, no matter what the cost. As there must be people here, I look to you for help.

I... do not understand what has happened. What do I do next?

(OOC: The first part is just a description of Eley arriving! Any action will take place during the 'Later' part as he sits on the outskirts of the village. Feel free to go poke him~ Or just voice him if you want to chat. He'll come out more as he learns more.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I do carry a sword. It's a kami's badge of office, in a sense. And sometimes I have to fight. I'd rather it be here than not, it's comforting.

[And she shakes her head]

A shamisen is a musical instrument from my homeland, like...a guitar. In my homeland, mastering the shamisen and the sword are considered two aspects of the seven perfections. If I have an eternity, I feel I should master all seven.

I see... [Eley had his own thoughts on fighting, but... even in Agkelos the knights fought to defend themselves and their people. He couldn't really question it.]

I would like to hear your shamisen sometime. [He tells her. Music was prevalent in Agkelos and he was sure he'd miss it here.] But then what are the other perfections? I am curious.

I would be happy to oblige sometime then.

[At your question she smiles]

The sword, the shamisen, the brush, the bow, the go board, the tea cup, and the needle. Each is a metaphor for an aspect of one's life.

In the place I called home, there was often music. It would make me feel more at ease to listen to your own, I am sure.

Hm... I have never heard of such a thing. [He may not know what some of them even are, but the ones he does recognise were really just objects to him. Yet to her, they held important symbolism?] I hope that you manage to find what you seek.

Strength, Soul, Expression, Focus, Wit, Patience, and Humility.

[She lists them off with a shrug, the seven aspects of perfection towards which all scholars should strive. The town looms ahead, and in they go...]

We should visit the store, so you can gather some clothing.

[He thinks on that for a moment, pairing each with its respective object. He wasn't very good at deciphering symbolism but... it was something to think about. He always had time for more to think about.

He follows her into the town, perhaps feeling a bit better about wandering among the people there with someone so familiar by his side.]

Do you feel at ease among the people? Amongst humans?

Relatively. They aren't my kindred, but they aren't so dreadfully different than beings like us in their own way. They laugh, sing, and cry as we do.

[Saori shrugs. Humans weren't bad things. She'd been one once, long, long before her awakening. She still chose to wear a human form, respected human traditions and upheld human conventions because of this. And Yuuna, of course.]

I find that I can easily deal with them in this form, its why I choose to wear a human shape instead of something else. Humanity looks to the gods for things, guidance, order, rain, things of that nature. In turn we ask for succor in our own way. A human in my world is my dearest friend, and aided me in a time when I was alone and abandoned.

I ask you, why shouldn't I be at ease among humans? They've been naught but kind to me, here.

[He mulls over her words before speaking himself. It seemed she had no reason not to get along with the humans. He did not find it easy though, despite being amiable enough when speaking with them, as long as they offered him respect.]

In my world, Spirits were never meant to feel emotions. They were never meant to live like humans, to share any of their traits. In truth, they were not even made to be worshipped, but that is something that humans began to do themselves and we simply responded. It has not been long since I started to... feel, myself. So I do not share such knowledge of their ways. Their traditions. I am still... learning.

You are right not to feel uneasy among those who are kind, however. I too had few friends on Aether, despite being hurt and betrayed in the past. There are some exceptions.

[And he's just going to stop there... No need for a full explanation when they had barely met.]

Of course. Humans have sought to take advantage of me, as well. They were dealt with appropriately. Though I suppose this may be where we differ. Spirits are not gods, and as you've said that is what you are.

[Her tone is neutral, not offended, and not condescending. Flatly stating facts is how Saori deals with people. She neglects to say, however, that in her world belief is focusing away from the old gods like her to the new gods of Science.]

My kindred and I fundamentally are tied to humanity, we take our power and dominion from their belief, in return providing humanity with reality itself. Each Kami commands a portion of the natural world, anything from a single tree to time itself. We watch humans, and listen to them, so it is not difficult for me to know their ways.

We don't demand worship, it is just a symbiotic relationship. Without one another, things become dramatically worse.

You are right. We were only given the name of 'god' by humans. We should not really interfere with their lives at all, but simply do what we were created to do. The world itself is more important to us than the creatures living upon it, though of course they can all benefit the world in their own way. Humans too can helps us. That is why we allow some worship, though it is not necessary.

As your kind are part of a symbiotic relationship with them, it is not surprising that you have learned to live alongside them. I will watch, but for my own interest. Especially now these... emotions have started to show.

[Something that could be potentially dangerous to him and all of those around him, should he not learn to control them appropriately.]

[Saori merely raises an eyebrow as he speaks and continues walking. Were the spirits in his world like Valvalis? Artificially created? Or, borne of the world? It was very...strange]

We created humanity, in our distant past. They are made in our image according to some, or their belief makes us have their form. The true origins are lost even to the eldest of us, sealed away by the mists of time. But it is known that we are connected.

But, you have no emotion? Is that just you? Or...with your kind?

[He listens to her story intently. The differences between them were just as interesting as the similarities, to him.]

I know that there are far more powerful Spirits than I. In fact, one of those Spirits was my creator. However, their secrets are all lost to me. I simply do what I was made to do.

[He pauses.]

At least, I did. Yes, I was a being born with no knowledge of emotion, simply working to one purpose and ignoring anything else that came my way. The same can be said for all of my brothers and sisters. Yet after coming closer to the humans, things changed. I began to feel betrayal and anger first, the pain of rejection. Since then, I have started to feel other emotions and it has led me to become more curious about the world and the people within it.

Whether or not others of my kind have started to feel the same, I cannot say.

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