Luna wasn't a woman of faith in the real world - she'd never found enlightenment in the various religions there was to be found and often struggled to come to terms with what faith meant. In a modern society with so many things to do, what was miracle; and what was hard work and effort? But just because she never found comfort in religion herself, didn't mean she wasn't fascinated by the sprawling expanse of knowledge offered by TerraSphere for its own deities. She'd marvelled over the temples and churches she'd come across, made small talk with eager preachers about their gods and gotten into arguments with others about them too. And now, clutching a thick tome to her chest and scurrying through the town to find a peaceful spot for her indulgent reading, Luna was going to consume as much written information about Terra's religion as she could. As she slipped into calmer streets, Luna decided to take a peek at the book. And once she'd taken a peek, well, she was drawn into the writing. Her eyes traced each letter, letting them sink into her mind's eye and fill her with words and knowledge. So distracted was she that, even if somebody had called out to warn her, there would've been no way for her to dodge around the incoming figure. Colliding into them, Luna lost grip of the leather-bound book and watched helplessly as it flew through the air. "Excuse you!" she hissed at the intruder, reaching out for her book with worried eyes. What if it had gotten dirty? Oh jeez.
Ash had not been having a good day. First she had woke up to another day of nagging from her parents, and then it was an awful day of work at the diner with a super-busy lunchtime, and that was all before the couple with a screaming toddler came in. She liked kids, she really did. It was just that her level of affection for young children was exactly inversely proportional to how many decibels they were emitting. All in all, it was a relief when she got back home and could log back in to Terrasphere. There wouldn't be any screaming babies in the game. Hopefully. She wasn't going to be responsible for what would happen if there were. "When I get my own restaurant property, I'm going to ban crying children," she muttered darkly to herself as she materialized in a deserted street. Eager to get going somewhere, to do anything at all to get her mind off that disaster of an afternoon, Ash wasn't quite watching where she was going. And that's how she ran into a cloaked woman, tripping over her own feet and knocking the book in her hands into the air. She scrambled up and immediately began stammering mortified apologies. What was it with her and literally running into people, especially in Stokbon? She didn't think she was that clumsy. "Sorry, I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going, I just- Oh, are you okay?" The woman picked up her book again, looking worriedly at it. "Is your book okay?"
She frowned, muttering darkly as she inspected her book. "I'm fine," she said, brushing off the dirt that sullied the pages. Some of them had been torn by the rough friction with the ground, but not badly enough to impede reading. If this were real life, the library would chew her ass out for daring to harm literature – but she highly doubted the rules were the same in here. "The book will live." Sighing, Luna tucked the battered tome away into her bag. This was her fault, getting too eager and trying to read while walking. Had she paid attention, this would never have happened. But she held her tongue, refusing to admit that aloud. Instead, as an almost apology, she looked over the other with her narrowed gaze. "Are you okay?" @Ashiore Evretto reminded her strongly of nature, like a princess of the wilds that surrounded this city. If she'd dared to scold a noble, no matter how little Luna cared herself, she knew there would be negative consequences from the city-dwellers. At least, from the richer ones. A closer look let the niggling thought in the back of her mind come through. The woman, for some odd reason or another, brought up recollection of the deity of prosperity. "... Iedi?"
Ash sighed in relief when @Luna confirmed that she was okay. And her book as well. She would have felt so bad if she'd done something like twisted the woman's ankle, or worse. "Great! That's good. I'm glad you weren't hurt. I'm okay," she added at the woman's question. She was going to ask something else, maybe make a little bit of small talk, but the somewhat intent stare she was receiving made her a bit anxious. Just as she was about to ask if there was something weird about her appearance, the woman said a name. Ash frowned. That name was a bit familiar, but where did she recognize it from? "Uh... no? That's not my name? I'm Ash. Maybe you confused me with someone else?" Of course, that was when her memory started working again. "Ah! You mean Iedi, the goddess? Oh, no, no, definitely not. I'm just me." Ash let out a small laugh. "So are you a worshipper of the Elysid Court, then? There's a cathedral not far from here, actually! It is dedicated to one of the Court, but I never figured out which one. It's a pretty interesting experience!" If this woman really was a worshipper, or a Stokbon native, then it was likely that she had already heard of the city's Cathedral of Light. But that thought didn't even cross Ash's mind as she continued with her chattering.
So there wasn't a goddess reincarnate wandering around? She supposed that made sense. "Maybe I did," she said with a curt nod. "I am Luna." It seemed there was little else to gain from 'Ash'. She contemplated her next plan of action, but was disrupted from her thoughts as the other continued to talk. Though her hips had twitched to turn around and walk away, she stilled, listening. Which ended up being a good choice, it would seem. "A Cathedral dedicated to one of the Court?" She hummed as @Ashiore Evretto continued to chatter away, her attention split between picking out what bits of knowledge she could from the rambling and her own assumptions about the information she'd gathered. It seemed the main religion focused on a series of deities; the Elysid Court. Entire cathedrals would be pledged to a single deity. And there was one nearby. Luna would not waste this opportunity. Faux coughing to interrupt the one-sided conversation, Luna stared Ash down. "Lead me to this Cathedral," she said, her words coming out more of a demand than a request.
Ash stopped mid-sentence as Luna coughed, and she shut her mouth in embarrassment as she realized just how much she had been talking. But it didn't seem like Luna was just interrupting to tell her off or just leave. In fact, the other woman was looking straight at Ash as she asked to be led to the cathedral. "Ah, um, okay! It's over this way, sort of near the outskirts of the city." The Cathedral of Light was a fair bit away, and Ash tried her best to keep the talking to a minimum. But simply walking in silence felt rather awkward. Well, Luna seemed highly interested in the cathedral, so Ash tried talking a bit about her experience there. Not, like, too much about it. After all, it wasn't like she knew that much about the Court or the Cathedral. Like she said, she didn't even know who the cathedral was dedicated to! Maybe she would actually be able to ask one of the monks this time around. "It's a really beautiful building," Ash began. "The windows are stained glass and they're enormous, so the sunlight seeps in and everything inside is so colorful. You can stay on the bottom levels to pray, or you can try to go up the stairs that go all the way to the top. But if you try climbing, there's a... thing." Oh boy, how to describe that you would be made to see visions of your dark secrets and everything you felt ashamed or afraid of? "Um, a ritual, maybe? Rite of passage?"
She tried to focus on everything @Ashiore Evretto said, wanting to soak in as much of the valuable information as she could, but the other had a habit of talking about… unhelpful things. Like how pretty the building was. Still, Luna nodded along as they walked, her fingers idly toying with the binding of the tome clutched to her chest. As the more personal description of what happened inside began, Luna's gaze shifted over to Ash. "You've been there before?" she asked softly, "Going through this… rite of passage?" If she'd stopped to really consider things, maybe she would notice the other woman's discomfort. But she didn't. "What was it like? What did you see?" And perhaps the most important question of all… "Did you meet the gods?" If magic existed in this universe, there was a chance that religion could be more than just hopes of a higher being. Maybe, just maybe, these higher beings actually existed. Her eyes darted from building to building, seeking out the Cathedral based on the descriptions she'd been given. Giant stained glass, several levels to climb, 'beautiful'… She was so curious. In an unusual act of respect, Luna waited for a break in the talking to slip her own words in. "Please, tell me everything."
"Yes, I was there to visit. And, uh, yeah, I went through it. I didn't really... meet the gods, exactly. But as I was climbing I sort of felt a connection to Qora, but the cathedral wasn't really built for him, I suppose? Because when I reached the top, there was this bright light and then I was back on the ground floor, and nothing else really happened. But I sort of felt a presence in my head? Just, um, it just felt warm, and I think it might have been one of the other gods?" You know, the more she actually talked about this, the crazier it sounded. Hell, even she was starting to think that she was making up at least parts of the story. But Luna looked so earnest when she was asking for details that Ash shook off the weird sensation and talked. It was a really long and rambling speech, and Ash wandered off topic a few times which probably annoyed Luna to no end. But Ash got through most of the details of the odd incense, the stations for pilgrims making the journey up to the top, and the assortment of small shrines to each of the Elysid Court and the Tora at the very top. She answered any questions Luna asked as best she could, though she wasn't paying that close attention to anything that was going on at the time. As such a lot of what she was saying was rather light on the details. But the discussion occupied a great deal of time, and Ash began to recognize the hilly area nearby. "Oh, we're close! It should be around there somewhere," she said, pointing over to where the though the Cathedral was. The hills around the outside of Stokbon looked quite similar, but she was fairly sure she had gotten the general area correct. Ooh, wouldn't she feel bad if she got them lost, especially with how interested in all this Luna seemed to be.
So, the gods really could influence the world! "Amazing! So the presence, one of the deities perhaps, spoke to you? Maybe they best communicate through temples or relics dedicated to them..." Luna did not even notice the growing smile on her face; she was too busy sorting through all the new information. She had paid apt attention to every word, barely realizing how long the other had been talking until they were already before the Cathedral, surrounded by hills. At least, they were at what Ash claimed was the Cathedral. Luna looked to the left. Then to the right. Up, then down, then all around. But she could not see this beautiful, awe-striking Cathedral they'd spoken of. Her gaze shifted over to @Ashiore Evretto, a frown slowly replacing her previous expression of subdued joy. "Are you sure?" she asked, speaking slowly as if the other were not quite as bright as Luna may have initially assumed. Sure, everybody gets lost sometimes, but Luna found that, in her disappointment, she was a little less forgiving. Squinting into the hilly area around them, Luna's eyes latched on to the shimmering silhouette in the distance. It looked fairly large and sparkled intensely in the setting sun, almost blinding her. "Huh." Maybe that was it? Perhaps she would still have time to offer prayers to the deities, or if there were any lingering priests, learn a bit about the Cathedral itself. Turning to Ash for a moment, Luna hesitated in walking away. The other had been kind enough to lead her this far, and perhaps they would like to join her in her prayers? She was uncertain how to phrase it. "Thank you for the information, and the guidance, Miss Ash. I think I can find the rest of the way myself." Luna paused. "Unless you plan to accompany me?" There. While she'd much rather be alone to sort through all the information without somebody chatting her ears off, she supposed it was the least she could do in thanks. Luna thumbed the heavy tome in her arms, using the leather bound covers as a grounding comfort.
She cringed at Luna's question. A fair one, given that there did not actually appear to be a cathedral in the immediate vicinity. "Um, uh... Yes...?" she tried, going for a nervous smile. "It's um, probably somewhere-" The light from the setting sun glanced off of something in the distance, and Ash turned to see a small silhouette a bit further away. Aha! That was probably it! "There!" she said, pointing in the direction that Luna was already looking at. "That's the Cathedral." Oh boy, but it was getting rather late, wasn't it? And well, it seemed as if Luna was in a hurry to get to the Cathedral. Ash felt pretty bad for not really taking them directly there, and she had a feeling that Luna wouldn't appreciate her seemingly unending fountain of babble. She smiled. "Ah, thanks for the offer. But I think I should get going myself. I hope you find what you're looking for!" With that, she gave a little bow to Luna and began walking off. There were a couple shops in the city that she wanted to look at, and hopefully if she hurried she would be able to get there before they closed. (Leaving the thread!)
She stayed and watched as Ash turned back to the city, holding position until even the silhouette was out of sight. And then she, too, turned, strolling off to the distant Cathedral. The sun was barely visible, but stepping through the grand church doors with a hum of appreciation, she found there were still many there. Some lingering, begging for a miracle the next morning; others wiping down the non-existent dust or providing guidance to a lost soul. Curled up in the corner, Luna split her attention between the praying and her book. By the time she checked her clock, the numbers blearily read 03:30AM to her. Sleep and then oversleep and miss work? Or stay awake and head to work early... Luna rubbed at her eye, and then flipped to the next page. [ FIN ]
