aureliaxclarignoc

[aureliaxclarignoc]

open || local market in summer court || meet: aurelia, high priestess of day court

"uhm--excuse me?" aurelia spoke softly, perhaps too much so, for most people to notice her. in part, she felt as though in most situations she did not have much to say--she wasn't up to date on all that was happening in court, and she hardly understood what might be going on with king kabir. perhaps the only place she felt her voice carried weight was the temple itself. after all, most of her life had been in service of learning everything she could regarding using her voice most effectively there.

but as of late--and perhaps more so after her arrival to the summer court--she felt a deep desire for more. not that Mother wasn't enough, but something within her craved more. more connection, more depth. she feared that even if she could know all she could about Mother, she would never be satisfied with her life. and she had to ask herself--was it selfish to want more, or was it an innate desire her Creator placed with her?

so, lia found herself in a market, surrounded by people she did not know, taking a step into something wholly new and uncomfortable: searching for more. lia cleared her throat. "excuse me," she lightly tapped the individual next to her. "are you a local to this area? i'm hoping you could help me; i'm searching for..." what exactly are you searching for aurelia? "something quintessentially summer court. i'm interested to learn more about this place and perhaps there is a place that is perfect to start?"

[aureliaxclarignoc]

"oh certainly nothing more important than your set, ms. hawthorne." lia smiled softly, smoothing her simply grey frock with a touch of nervousness. talking to people had never been her forte--certainly not with as much charm as purnelle had shown. conversation was not nearly as useful a skill for up and coming high priestesses as one might expect, and as much as aurelia had devoted to her studies, that particular skillset had eluded her most of the time,

"I was simply admiring your talent--day court has some fine musicians, and I would think you all were deeply blessed by Mother and her love of the arts. you are particularly skilled at transporting your listeners to unqiue emotions with your music, ms. hawthorne. at least, that has been my experience." her eyes were kind, and she hopefully conveyed to purnelle her sincerity. aurelia had always loved music--she found it to be one of her favorite gifts Mother bestowed on Prythian. There was something so lovely on how a good musical moment could be in someones life. "please tell--if you have time, that is--how you discovered your gift?"\

"oh, hush! don't you see me chattin' here?" the musician laughs, drink sloshing in a pointed threat in their direction. "let me clear my pipes and i'll get back to the singing. queue up your requests."

it's just a short break in between her set, a moment to catch-up with the regulars and shop-vendors, make a new friend, meet an old friend who'd been vanished months ago. she liked arrival stories best - hearing how they landed, where they landed. she wanted to know everything, filtering out which bits would make a good story. because purnelle was a storyteller at heart.

with a wide, open gaze, she prompts - "you were saying?"

open for @ofcourtfablesarchive ; the midnight market, the summer court.

capping at five!

[aureliaxclarignoc]

aurelia often felt out of place in her life--the temple being the only place where she had built any sort of comfort. but a fae could not spend her whole life in a temple, even for a high priestess still learning her trade. along with the sudden shift in courts, aurelia was feeling more out of sorts than she usually did. her time on this earth, in Mother's creation, though brief, had afforded her ample opportunities to develop skills that kept her grounded in moments of chaos. some good, some bad--but all provided her something.

lia had not grown into a very large fae, which she supposed was a good thing considering the abilities it afforded her in this moment. moving lithely around the town, she found it easy to slip in to spaces unnnoticed and unimpeded. perhaps one might call this skill useful--perhaps, in another world and time, she'd be a spy. but instead, this skill reminded her less of what she could be capable of and more of what she actually was: easily forgotten. she was but a vessel of faith and ritual, provided her life to serve Mother and encourage others. never to be remembered for who Aurelia was but rather who she served.

the blonde shook her head lightly as her path led her to the cavernous, warm space. the sound of metal clanking startled her briefly--how had she found herself in a forge of all places? this was certainly not a place where a high priestess would need to be--a place centered around building tools of violence was not particularly enchanting to a fae of faith such as herself. but as she listened, she found herself somewhat...soothed by the monotonous clashing of metal on metal. predictable and almost melodic, lia found it almost...hymnal.

a slight gasp passed her lips as she heard someone speak; her golden eyes flew to the person in front of her. "o-oh, me? no, no--certainly not. i wouldn't even know what i might need from a forge." she paused, biting her lip as she replayed the words. dear Mother, she had not meant to sound so distasteful over this person's line of work. goodness, let's try again. "er, what i meant to say was that a high priestess would likely not be in need in items you so skillfully create. i did not mean to insinuate that you are not a credit to your profession..." she rambled, her cheeks flushing deeper than the molten metal bubbling in the back.

the sound of metal pounding iron reverberates across the square, and ZACARÍAS joins the chorus, shaping his work within the FORGE.

the blaze of the fires drench him in dripping sweat of pride. from the start, the metal shifts the way he wishes, molds itself into the vision he created when he woke that morning. and now that he's finally working with his hands, the sense of uselessness begins to fade.

it took time to convince the smiths of summer to allow him a space within their forge and allowance to use their tools and resources. but the mention of a cut of his own commissions sweetened their bitterness. still, zacarías made a point to remain out of their way, conducting business at the furthest corner.

it isn't until he dips the sword into the basin of water --- steam rising, the sizzling sound of heat cooling --- that he senses eyes on him. his gaze flicks up, meeting another's. straightening, he offers a half-smile.

"need something specially made?"

[aureliaxclarignoc]

‘ anya taylor-joy, cis-woman, she/her, 29/290 , high fae ’ ― cauldron save you. it seems AURELIA CLARIGNOC has been teleported to the summer court, the HIGH PRIESTESS from DAY COURT is said to be PATIENT and is said to describe themselves with THE WARMTH OF THE LATE AFTERNOON SUN ON YOUR SHOULDERS, THE SMELL OF BURNING WOOD AND INCENSE IN A SANCTUARY AND THE WHISPER OF INTUITION BEFORE A DECISION IS MADE and with all of this in mind their PERFECTIONIST nature always seems to get them into trouble. may the mother hold them as they navigate this unthinkable time.

GENERAL DETAILS.

FULL NAME:  Aurelia Clarignoc NICKNAME(S): Lia NAME MEANING: Aurelia means golden, she was a golden child, marked for service to Mother due to the circumstances of her birth AGE:  29 (physical), 290 (psychological) DATE OF BIRTH:  july seventeenth PLACE OF BIRTH: day court GENDER: cis-woman PRONOUNS: she/her SEXUAL ORIENTATION: heterosexual ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: heteroromantic RELIGION: the Mother OCCUPATION:  high priestess of the day EDUCATION LEVEL:  high EXTRACURRICULAR: ability to curse break, worm and bend light, so long as light is present. 

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, ETC.

FACECLAIM:  anya taylor joy HAIR COLOR AND STYLE: blonde; half up with a braid crown and the rest down. Her hair is slightly wavy but she does not color or augment it in anyway. EYE COLOR: golden HEIGHT: 5’4” TATTOOS & PIERCINGS:   none; to adore her body would be disrespectful to the gift of her life, her mother always told her CLOTHING STYLE:  humble robes and dresses, mainly of white and grey, with golden stitching–if ornamental for high holy days, the stitching depicts important moments in the story of Prythian and Mother DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: her eyes–they are a particular shade of gold that feels deeply piercing if stared at for too long. SIGNATURE SCENT:  Gardenia, a special flower that her mother was said to have offered Mother during her fervent prayers for Aurelia.

PERSONALITY.

LABEL(S):  high priestess of day. POSITIVE TRAITS:  magnanimous, reverential, thoughtful and compassionate. Curious and devoted NEGATIVE TRAITS: obsessive, beholden to expectations outside of her own, stubborn, perfectionistic LIKES:  wildflowers, the scent of old books, sunshowers, freshly baked bread and pastries, the sound of children’s laughter, her mother’s hugs (though rare), the joy of worship in unison, the rush of learning something new DISLIKES:  making mistakes, irreverence (especially in the house of Mother), inconclusive reasoning, shame and shaming, the night. FEARS:  disappointing Mother, disappointing her mother, shame of making mistakes, leading people astray BACKSTORY.

(TW: Infertility, miscarriages) Aurelia was a miracle baby. Her mother Helena had prayed deeply, fervently, to Mother for a child when it became obvious that she was having difficulty conceiving. When Aurelia was blessed to Helena, she chose the name Aurelia to honor the deep, golden glow that emanated from the babe. This glow represented the deal made with Helena–that she would devote the rest of her life to raising Aurelia with a deep reverence to Mother and the power of her court and heritage. 

Lia had been blessed with a deep desire to learn, but that desire was often at war with her curiosity. It’s all well and fine to be interested in the world around you, but when your existence in the world is a direct result of a promise made on your behalf, the pressure to devote your studies to one thing can be overbearing on a young girl. Aurelia understood the deep importance of the religious and reverential practices she was learning as a priestess in training, but she was also precocious and a young girl–she wanted to know about more than just the faith her people followed. She would often sneak books out of the library, reading late into the night and coming to her studies late and more tired than usual. She often became jealous of the other young fae of the court, who seemed to have more agency in their life–Lia desperately wished for some of her own. 

And yet she knew she owed her very life to Mother and Her graciousness. What a heavy weight for a child to hold. Helena thought the information would motivate Lia to remain dedicated and focused on her studies, but instead, the fear of disappointing those who wished and willed her existence into being rose greater than any other emotion. She often felt shame for her mind wandering during lessons and the embarrassment it caused her mother when she was informed of such daydreaming. While Helena never said it, Lia felt as though she….regretted Lia’s birth. This, of course, was not the case, but Helena wasn’t as outwardly maternal as you’d think, given her fervent desire to be a mother. Some might say that Helena forgot her desire to be a mother in her quest to please Mother herself. Either way, Lia knew that she was disappointing her mortal mother. She often couldn’t bear the thought of how Mother viewed her. How embarrassed She must have been when Lia misspoke in a lesson or forgot a key detail. 

On one particularly long session, Lia had counted 29 mistakes–noted by the pages and pages of rewrites and aching wrist she had. When she was sure all were asleep, she crept to her favorite passageway to the roof, where she cried for hours over her inadequacy. How could such a gift turn into such a burden? How could she be so bad at her life’s calling? Throughout the night, she wept, overcome by how hopeless she felt. Until she determined that she would get it right–everytime. There was no other option. She could not bear the mark of disapproval of her mother or Mother any longer. She was 12 (physical age)

From that day forward, Lia dove deep into her studies, often forgoing the opportunities to participate in typical fae youth experiences and build friendships. She wasn’t completely devoid of friendship, but often they were not as deep as her peers had created. Her hard work had paid off, she was found to be a spectacularly competent priestess, one who was chosen specially to serve her court. But she had thought the pressure would lessen as she accomplished her goals–instead the pressure to perform overtook them all. She is deeply devoted to her calling as a priestess, but now wonders whether she missed her chance to build a life that she could call her own the expense of pleasing others.