quiet houses, lit up by candlelight
Despite his claims to the contrary, Atlas's life had been far more exciting than he ever cared for. Still, his quip earns him a gentle laugh, and the room and their relations are all the warmer for it. His presence seems to slip away into the backdrop, a dirty, golden shadow tagging along under her wing. It is much to his preference-- his unassuming nature has snuck him under the grasp of trouble and danger more than once in his life.
You have such a lovely home. It is a simple phrase that catches him off guard and makes him pause in his perusing of their strange environs. For all their beauty, history, and charm, neither Dawn nor Dusk nor his expansive travels of the Day Court's fierce deserts or his dreams of Night Court's stars (for that land was his next destination) truly felt like home. His own home was a dusty old astrarium, the tower probably crumbled during the rebellion, trolling over star maps and laughing with Nashira. His home was under a canvas tent in the frozen midnight desert sharing a wineskin with Nathely as he and other grizzled veterans traded war stories of Zukai bloodfights. His home was a distant memory and bones buried in the sand.
Would Novus ever be his home?
Her questions jar him from his stupor. "I've visited the library, yes," he said, forcing a smile back into his tone, "I suppose this is much like it. Hmm." Now that he thought about it, the two places-- Delumine's grand library and this sprawling, tree-formed expanse-- seemed eerily familiar. "I'm not sure why I didn't see it before. Maybe it's because the library always seems... at least occupied, if not busy, and this place just feels... haunted." He catches the movement of another caretaker out of the corner of his eye. It is not a malicious feeling, no sense of doom or gloom... just the thought of an empty place that was somehow crowded. Somewhere liminal.
She mentions Denocte and its beautiful peaks and bright stars, and his eyes light up a little like an excited child. "Ah! Yes, so I've heard. That was to be my next destination. I hope the stories are true. About the vistas, at least." He had never put much stock in magic or stories, and the thought of an individual being able to sing or speak the stars from the sky was outlandish at best and downright terrifying at worst. "But I want to map the whole of Novus, not just the... the easy bits, as it were."
The helpers have begun to move about in earnest now, chittering and talking to each other in excited tones. The dark mare falls in step behind one of the leading primates, and Atlas dutifully follows step as he listened to her explanation of the marvel of the place. He was about to absent-mindedly agree, the kind of recognition one made when one was not truly convinced but did not want to be rude, but as they made their way further into the middle of the structure the world came alive with sounds and scents: the acrid sting of sterilized tools, the iron-heavy smell of blood, the rip and tear of gauze, the moans and grunts of the injured. Atlas froze for a moment in shock, having been completely unprepared for such a sight; he was amazed a place as busy as this could remain not just hidden but seem so utterly still from the outside.
He looks up at the mare beside him. "Incredible. Where did you learn of this place... uh.. I'm sorry, I don't know your name." He realized he had never offered his either. "I am Atlas."
You have such a lovely home. It is a simple phrase that catches him off guard and makes him pause in his perusing of their strange environs. For all their beauty, history, and charm, neither Dawn nor Dusk nor his expansive travels of the Day Court's fierce deserts or his dreams of Night Court's stars (for that land was his next destination) truly felt like home. His own home was a dusty old astrarium, the tower probably crumbled during the rebellion, trolling over star maps and laughing with Nashira. His home was under a canvas tent in the frozen midnight desert sharing a wineskin with Nathely as he and other grizzled veterans traded war stories of Zukai bloodfights. His home was a distant memory and bones buried in the sand.
Would Novus ever be his home?
Her questions jar him from his stupor. "I've visited the library, yes," he said, forcing a smile back into his tone, "I suppose this is much like it. Hmm." Now that he thought about it, the two places-- Delumine's grand library and this sprawling, tree-formed expanse-- seemed eerily familiar. "I'm not sure why I didn't see it before. Maybe it's because the library always seems... at least occupied, if not busy, and this place just feels... haunted." He catches the movement of another caretaker out of the corner of his eye. It is not a malicious feeling, no sense of doom or gloom... just the thought of an empty place that was somehow crowded. Somewhere liminal.
She mentions Denocte and its beautiful peaks and bright stars, and his eyes light up a little like an excited child. "Ah! Yes, so I've heard. That was to be my next destination. I hope the stories are true. About the vistas, at least." He had never put much stock in magic or stories, and the thought of an individual being able to sing or speak the stars from the sky was outlandish at best and downright terrifying at worst. "But I want to map the whole of Novus, not just the... the easy bits, as it were."
The helpers have begun to move about in earnest now, chittering and talking to each other in excited tones. The dark mare falls in step behind one of the leading primates, and Atlas dutifully follows step as he listened to her explanation of the marvel of the place. He was about to absent-mindedly agree, the kind of recognition one made when one was not truly convinced but did not want to be rude, but as they made their way further into the middle of the structure the world came alive with sounds and scents: the acrid sting of sterilized tools, the iron-heavy smell of blood, the rip and tear of gauze, the moans and grunts of the injured. Atlas froze for a moment in shock, having been completely unprepared for such a sight; he was amazed a place as busy as this could remain not just hidden but seem so utterly still from the outside.
He looks up at the mare beside him. "Incredible. Where did you learn of this place... uh.. I'm sorry, I don't know your name." He realized he had never offered his either. "I am Atlas."
@MEPHISTO | awkward introducshun
