#the day scholar. amalthea replies

[merxxki]

location: a library for: any | @n1ghtsongs character: amalthea

she had found ladder that allows her to scale up the tall shelves and look at the books that are tucked far out of sight. the majesty of this library is not quite as good as the library in her beloved court, but the books here are interesting and she's already searching for a book that she can compare to the book of child stories that she has always carried with her. "who doesn't have the stories of pied ten and the wolves of ranramore?" she asks herself, leaning back on the ladder to see if she can get a better look at the shelves in front of her. she looks down and sees someone looking up at her. with a cheerful wave, she asks: "do you organize these by genre and author or is there another way that i should learn about? i'm looking for children's books. I want to compare my copy to a copy here -- if it exists, and if it doesn't, I'll have to transcribe one as a gift!"

[merxxki]

amalthea is not about to let this chance pass her by - she is unsure if she will be allowed to stay here, or what if she's there only briefly -- only until she falls asleep again? she refuses to fall asleep just in case. to ease the desire to curl up and nap on the twilight beach, she rushes around collecting seashells. she has left her shoes behind her, in the rocky start to the beach. her footsteps in the sand show how she's been running back and forth, darting close to the water and then back, trying to see if she can spot fish. "Farah!" she yells as she hears the other's voice. She's giddy, as she leaves the tide with a handful of seashells. "Look!" she says, running to her, her dress tied over her knees. "Give me your hands," she says, triumphant over her treasures. "I haven't seen these before! here, take them. Careful, i think there is something living in one."

closed starter for amalthea arcarya somewhere in the dusk court — @merxxki

The shock of being somewhere else had lasted very little as she began to recognize the signs she had read religiously for the first hundred years of her life. tests she had almost memorized word by word, she could recognize the dusk court in theory by heart because she had lived there with her imagination, and while the golden hue of its light was far more beautiful than her mind could've made up, she knew it. running into a fellow scribe was good to get her excitement out. "can you believe your eyes? the dusk court!" she screams bending down to pick up a rock to examine it. "never in my wildest dreams did i think i would ever see this, i had given up on it being real."

[merxxki]

for: kieran | @sparkledleaves character: amalthea location: the cemetery time: late night

there was no reason why the scholar for the day court should be out this late at night and neither should she be dressed in her rough clothes meant to protect her arms and legs from brambles, rough stones and tight passageways. At least this time, she remembered her shawl to cover her hair and keep it free from as many spiders as possible. she had been coming to the cemetery for over a week now, always late at night, always to go investigate a series of catacombs that she had found at the boundaries. there, below - the scattered sarcophagi are broken and ransacked, this place picked over by thieves across time -- but still, she thought - there had to be more here. so, night after night, she would sneak down with her bag of tools to investigate first-hand instead of trusting what she read in the books.

that night was like every other night, and she took her seat in front of the sarcophagus that she had been working on transcribing the plate for two days, struggling with deciphering the ancient language in a way that made sense into modern linguistics.

from behind her, she heard a scuffing sound, boots across old stones? perhaps a skeleton arisen to protect its domain? she didn't know. she rose to her feet with her torch in hand.

"i warn you - i have a fully armed set of guards with crossbows trained - come no further and -- and instead, leave! turn around and go back -- this is a place of disease and death!" she cried out her lies taken completely from her favorite stage play "The Shadows of Velaris" (she had seen it four times).

[merxxki]

for: @shvdwscng character: amalthea location: a tavern

in the tavern, amalthea sat at the bar with her chin in her hands as she listened with wide eyes to the bartender telling stories. she is all but kicking her feet, as she scribbles notes in her own invented shorthand, as she tries to commit to memory the way that he talks, stands, how he gestures. the story sounds like a tall tale mixed with a whale fishing story. raucous laughter on either side of her, as one member of the dusk court or another adds into the story - there is clear camaraderie between them and a joke that she's not able to understand. she doesn't mind, even if she's the butt of the joke - it doesn't matter, she's able to spend time among people that until recently were just part of tales and stories. a pint of spiced alcohol is set in front of her, and she picks it up happily, eager to partake in local delicacies. "do you think that i'll be able to replicate this at home?" she asks, giddy, as she pushes the drink over to a member of her court. "take a drink, try it -! it is spicy and warm."

[merxxki]

she wanted to tell him so many things - what had happened to her wing, why she depended on a cane ... but she knew it would hurt him. she wanted to tell him about the people she had met. the places she had seen. she wanted him to know that she had gotten stronger and he didn't have to worry about her anymore... and instead, all she could do was hold onto him and cry. all of the feelings that she had pushed down and away over the years spilled out. she had always followed after kieran, depending on him for food, survival and mentorship. he had taken responsibility for her and instead of just working for himself, he worked for her as well.

she let him step back so she could look up at him. "I made your shirt all wet," she sniffled, trying to dry his shirt from her tears. "I wanted you to be proud of the person I am, and the first thing i do after seeing you all this time is start crying -- i didn't even ask you how you've been and if you're okay... you have to be because you're here and -- i've forgotten all of my manners, and everything i've planned to say is gone out of my head --" she rambled. all the thoughts in her mind spilling out of her mouth in a rush. "can we start over? can we pretend the first meeting with me crying didn't happen so i can be more professional and welcome you into the site properly? Oh, but we shouldn't ... because what has happened is what is meant to have happened and ..." she hugged him again, as tight as she could. "I missed you so much."

☆ﾟ*·ﾟHE STOOD THERE, staring at his sister in complete shock. for years, kieran missed her, wanting to visit her, but with so many obstacles, and not fully knowing where she was, it was difficult for him to process what happened in the last moment. "you do," kieran whispered softly. as she ran to him, he wrapped his arms around her, holding on tightly. his sister was actually here, wrapped up in his arms. he laughed lightly, lightly running his hands through her hair comfortingly. "it's okay, i'm proud of you for coming up with the threat. no, no, just your good ol' brother." he pulled way slightly, smiling down at her. "i'm not going anywhere, not again," kieran whispered, still in shock that she stood before him. "hey hey, look at me, right in the eyes. i'm completely real." he reached up and took hold of her face, squeezing her cheeks as a brother would. she was really here, really standing in front of him after all this time. his sister. she was here.

[merxxki]

she didn't recognize him at first. her mind was wheeling towards catastrophe, wondering how she was going to get herself out of this kind of trouble... internally, she bemoaned all the things that she hadn't been able to read, transcribe, translate or find. she knew she was about to find out what it was like to be the primary source foolish people like her find and --

"oh ... Oh ...." she clasped her hands to her mouth. "i know you..." she whispered and then stepped towards him, another step and another. "you ..." she breathed out. the passageway was large enough for her wings to extend, and they did -- though her damaged wing could no longer unfurl as proudly as it had once. then, she ran to him and threw her arms around him, burying her face against his shoulder. "it's not all disease and death here, i lied... i don't have any guards either, i just said that because i was scared, and i thought you were one of those creatures or something we don't have a name for yet - you can stay if you want, please stay - key... please. don't be a dream, don't be another dream."

☆ﾟ*·ﾟIF YOU ASKED kieran why he was in a cemetery, he couldn't tell you, because he honestly wasn't too sure. something led him here and he was curious as to what he might find. creeping through the area, he hoped that no one else would find him here. it wasn't exactly the safest place to be. with his hand on his sword name yet to be determined, just in case something happened. he was here for multiple reasons actually, one to find the name of someone that supposedly was buried in the cemetery and the other to find any left over ropes or equipment that might be useful for some kind of trap in the future. now because of this, he was crept in some really strange positions and places and really wasn't sure that he was alone anymore. there were other footsteps here. he wasn't alone. and now, went in full protective mode. spinning around, a random wrench sticking out of his pocket like a weirdo and his hand on his sword, ready to unsheath it. "a place of disease and death, really that's what you're going with?" he asked, before he moved closer. "you should leave because ghosts will haunt y--" kieran stopped. his eyes widened and for a moment, he just stared. it couldn't be. it'd been years since he'd seen her. there was no way. taking a step closer, he needed to be very sure. "ama? is that you?" kieran asked, his voice soft and gentle. "are you really.... am i losing it?"