#☽ ⋆ ⁎ * ﹒ ❝ 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧'𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭… ❞ — answered.

[selunight-archive]

@highaver said: ❝ there is mischief about. i feel it. ❞

there was laughter on the air, people milling about at a casual pace, so at odds with the darkness and despair they had just come from... and celeste was grateful for the levity of the circus troupe. the smiles on the faces of adults and children alike had managed to lift her spirits, which had been weighted and heavy since they had realized that an army marched on baldur's gate.

though, they hadn't seen a hint of the army since their arrival — something to worry about... eventually. for now, she was marveling at the wonders of the djinn with his hoard from trinkets and the artist currently working their magic on karlach's face.

but bal's words pulled celeste's focus, bringing her gaze to him and the euphoria of normalcy crashing to a halt. "what makes you say that?" she asked, then immediately realized her error. "other than the general... circus-y nature of things, that is?" she stepped closer to him, looking around at the various performers and on-lookers, trying to offer a more critical view of things.

"can't a circus just be a circus?" she asked quietly, glancing up at him with mild concern.

[selunight]

this is a quiet, endless place; so unlike the heat of battle celeste has just been so unceremoniously pulled from. if it is soothing, that is only by repetition. the air is calm and faintly cool, the architecture grand like a courthouse - efficient like a war room. her goddess stands between two pillars of white-gold marble. her mask faintly askew, her hair in disarray - on this rare occasion, vitorîya is unabashedly imperfect. " oh, celeste ... my would-be martyr. come here. sit with me. "

her chest still heaves, rising and falling with great exertion - the ghost of weight along her skin from armor and a shield and her mace... all gone from her form here, but still somehow so heavy. almost as heavy as the weight of what she was prepared to do...

or, rather... had been preparing to do.

it takes a moment for her mind to untangle the confusion, to break out of the cocoon of peace and safety that being in this place has always provided. the switch from her reality - all the blood and violence and certainty that the battle around her was to be her last stand - to standing before her goddess, unharmed and alive...

she approaches, the gentle shake in her hands hidden by the way they clench into fists. and, while a seat beside vic is open and available, celeste finds herself kneeling at her feet instead, looking up at her with equal parts reverence and stubborn will as she firmly speaks, "send me back."

[selunight-archive]

@highaver said: ❝ perils known and unknown will grow, but we must go on. ❞

"that's a pretty sentiment," she replied, voice drifting and soft, like she was barely there as she spoke. and truthfully, she hadn't fully been present in days. something within the underdark had become... oppressive. it was ironic, considering the way she had filled with hope as they descended, the temple ruins to her distant goddess reassuring her that she was not too far from where she truly belonged. several days into their trek through the unfamiliar terrain had changed that feeling into something entirely different, however.

"i'm not saying i'm giving up," she continued, an attempt to reassure; she couldn't be the one to ruin this for all of them. "it's just... there's no preparing for the things down here, is there?" the soreness remaining in her ribs and across her left thigh from the bulette were proof of that. her voice dropped even lower, desperate not to be overheard, as she added, "it's overwhelming..."

[selunight-archive]

@weaveshadows sent: ♝ : reading a book together.

the underground chamber had felt more like a treasure trove to celeste; from the moment astarion had gotten to lock undone and she had seen the massive shelves and piles of books lying around, she had been in a quiet frenzy, and more grateful than every that they had all aready agreed this was a good place to camp for the night. it had given her all the time she needed to wander between stacks, picking through various tomes, collecting anything that felt even mildly interesting enough... while most of the text was academic in nature, a few of the older histories had caught her attention. they were written like fables, old bedtime stories that just happened to be true, and some of them were even written by hand. she kept each and every one of those, the stack by her makeshift bed growing taller, until karlach had pointed out that there was only so much she could carry.

that was how she found herself tucked into her tent, the books scattered around in semi-organized piles, the one in her hands little more than a journal kept by a former follower of jergal. when the flap over the entrance opened, admitting cool air and the smell of someone cooking, she almost didn't bother to look up... until the sway of a familiar braid caught in her peripheral. "if you've come to remind me i can't take them all, don't worry... i'm narrowing down my choices." she looked up then, a small smile on offer as she took in the woman standing within her solitary space. "would you... like to help?"

[selunight]

@wyrdbones sent: [ jealous ] from zephyr.

the fire crackled and sputtered in front of her, lighting up the darkened area around them, keeping the shadows at bay. the curse may have been lifted on the land, but she still found herself jumping at any shift in the darkness. it was worse when she found herself alone. she would have been glad for zephyr's presence, if not for the attitude on display...

"don't you think you're being a bit harsh?" she keeps the bite from her tone, but only just. keeping her hands busy, feeding twigs and small branches into the flames, she doesn't look at him as she asks the question. "i'm not saying i relish the thought of following her through shar's gauntlet," in fact, it was the last thing celeste wanted to do, "but we do have other reasons to be down there and..." and they followed everyone else on their cursed, exhaustive paths. they had found oliver and delved into that dreaded hospital for halsin and no one had complained. why was letting shadowheart follow her own path different for him?

"did she do something specific to garner this distrust?" her gaze finally lifts to look at him, searching his face for the answers. "there must be a reason you're so suspicious suddenly..."

[selunight]

@wyrdbones sent: [ apology ] from iliad

she isn't sure what guided her to follow him. maybe some instinct fueled by concern, maybe selûne's guiding hand, or maybe it was pure luck. whatever the cause, she finds herself standing beside him, the quiet surrounding them just as much as the glowing purple of the darkness, and she isn't going to break it first. celeste is comfortable with silence; the silence of prayer, the silence of contentment, and even the silence fueled by... well, whatever it was that had kept iliad so quiet these last few days of travel.

and when he speaks, when his apology breaks the silence at last, she isn't quick to respond. her eyes roam the unfamiliar terrain, considering his words and what might fuel them. "i wasn't taking it personally," she reassures when she finds her voice, finally turning her face his way and offering the smallest of smiles.

"you don't owe anyone here anything. even me."

[selunight]

"you know i'd never forsake you."

@merdeva's words are a velvety whisper, spoken so close that their companions spread around the temple would never hear — this was just for celeste, just between the two of them. they are a soft reminder but a solid promise, steeling her shaking limbs and sealing the crack that ran through her heart. the two halves would never be fused again, but... celeste wasn't sure she wanted them to be.

to fully heal would be to take a step backward. moving back into selûne's embrace, returning to her former path, as if none of it had ever happened. but it had. selûne had abandoned her for her failure, left her hallow and broken. the scars she gained in the aftermath were proof of her survival.

turning her gaze from the statue of her former goddess, she looked into the eyes intently watching her now. "nor i, you." she had made her own promises, a new oath, and she intended to follow it as fervently as she had the former. maybe more so, in some ways, if the heat rushing through her was any indication of the emotion that the dark aasimar could draw from her.

"let us be done here," she requested, loud enough to be heard by everyone now. "we won't find what we need in these halls."

[selunight-archive]

@adlishar said: “do you think i'd give up?”

flashes of the fearful faces of the acolytes she had sworn to protect cross celeste's mind; the interior of the nautiloid, so alien and strange, the fires spreading around them, the look of desperation and hope peering out from every set of eyes... all lost one by one as she tried in vain to keep them alive despite the unknown surrounding her...

would she have ever given up on getting them home? would she have stopped trying to reach the city, had she been able to bring home even one of them? had she quit even once she was all alone? "of course not," she confessed, both to herself and to the woman standing in front of her. "but i don't know how we move forward toward your creche and the towers at the same time..." and asking lae'zel to choose... that was a sin she would need to pray for tonight.

[selunight-archive]

@palecharm said: "some part of me came alive."

there was irony that could only be attached to his particular kind. irony, in the taking of life to fuel another's. her own mixed feelings on the whole ordeal set aside, she now weighed what she already knew of him with what she had learned the night before, contemplating her emotions and her logic in equal measure and coming up... conflicted. but she couldn't very well judge him; he hadn't asked for this life. would selûne have found pride in her choice to share her blood? would she see it as selfless, even if celeste's reasons had not been entirely as such?

"should i expect more rude midnight awakenings from here on out, then?" she asked carefully, focusing on packing her back to add a casualty to her question.

[selunight-archive]

@ada1r said: ❝ you heard that strange voice too, right? ❞

there was a mixture of relief and horror at the question. at the very least, celeste was glad to know she wasn't losing her mind. but in the grander picture, it could not have been a good thing that something was in their heads. not in the slightest. as she looked toward helena, offering a small nod, celeste tried her best to ignore the uncomfortable awareness of the tadpole behind her eye.

"do we continue on, as it bade us to do?" she asked quietly, gaze flickering between her different companions, her concern mirrored in many of their faces.

[selunight]

@ownward said: “how much can you change and get away with it, before you turn into someone else, before it’s some kind of murder? ... is that what you are thinking?”

it was an uncanny summary, the worries inside her being laid out in such a way, all too correct in his read of her emotional temperature. the writhing, glowing tadpole in his hand was only compounding that unease, it's call to her only further fueling her determination to be as far from it as possible. she understood the draw to power all too well... and had become somewhat of an expert on rejecting it.

"i don't intend to find out the answer," she stated with finality, breaking her stare from the creature to look up at him again. "i don't need this to be strong enough." a gamble of a statement when the risk of being wrong was just as likely as her success. she was made of determination and hubris, she knew. they were all far too aware of what they were facing now, what they had already failed to defeat before coming back here, to the shelter of the prism, so many more secrets unfolding around them...

"i don't trust it, and i won't touch it. if that disappoints you..." she trailed off, the implication of what was unsaid clear enough; too bad.

[selunight-archive]

What do they say when the Player Character asks them to stay in camp? How about when the Player Character asks them to come adventuring again?

what do they say when the player character asks them to stay in camp?

"stay safe, my friend. i'll be right here if you need my help."

how about when the player character asks them to come adventuring again?

"thank the gods. i'm out of novels to read."

[selunight-archive]

What’s a hobby they used to have that they miss? / What’s something unimportant or frivolous that they hate passionately? / What’s a phrase they say a lot?

what’s a hobby they used to have that they miss?

oh, reading. 1000% reading. her nights used to involve losing herself in whatever novel she could get her hands on; adventures or mysteries or romance. she would beg, borrow, or steal to get a good book some days. it's the one thing she misses most on nights she can't sleep.

what’s something unimportant or frivolous that they hate passionately?

i don't think if celeste hates anything too passionately, but if there was something she strongly holds distaste for, it's excessive drinking. she understands a couple drinks every so often, but when people drink all the time, every time... it definitely leaves celeste with a bad taste in her mouth.

what’s a phrase they say a lot?

other than the usual tav lines? it depends on scenario; in times of exasperation, if you listen closely, you'll hear quiet "mother bless," or "selûne guide me..." (and not in a religious way).

[selunight-archive]

@vchloras said: "it's better if we stick together."

her mismatched eyes roam his features, wishing that her ability to see the invisible extended to motivations. he was still such a stranger, an unknown element — like so many other things these days. she did still have her intuition, however, and it hadn't steered her wrong so far in life, even before the unexpected events of the last few days.

"that has been the consensus..." she finally broke her gaze from him, looking off toward where her fellow companions were lingering nearby. their interest ranged from openly eavesdropping to completely ignoring them, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. "you can join us at our camp. i don't see them harm in that." for now.

[selunight-archive]

Do the other companions have special comments or reactions upon recruiting your Tav? / Does your Tav have any comments or advice when you recruit other companions?

do the other companions have special comments or reactions upon recruiting your tav?

oh, i'm sure that shadowheart has plenty to say about you recruited such a devout, outspoken selûnite. celeste is not subtle about her faith in the least, which would definitely put them at slight odds, especially if the pc already knows shadowheart's secret. i could also see there being support from companions like wyll, who i think celeste would bond with easily since you meet them both at the grove.

does your tav have any comments or advice when you recruit other companions?

she's a big supporter of recruiting halsin; she would advise that trusting him seems like the "proper path to follow". i do think she's wary of gale at first, though he was most likely already part of the party before she arrived. she tends to stay on guard around those that follow mystra, seeing that kind of devotion to magic itself as potentially dangerous.

[selunight]

@malurged said: ❛ It's amazing how far you can get on denial. You know why so many people use denial to get by? Because it really fucking works ... for a while. ❜

"sounds like you speak from a wealth of experience," she muttered her response, boot toeing at the dirty on the ground directly in front of her to avoid looking up and meeting his gaze. the words aren't accusatory so much as simply being factual — she had gotten good at burying any amount of emotion in the last several days, as her rage and anger had made her the least fun member of camp since their face off with balthazar in shar's realm.

even thinking of it now, she feels that negative swell simmering just below the surface, and she actively reminds herself that seeking out shadowheart would be detrimental to their overall cause... no matter how good it might feel.

her oath may have been left shattered by the events that occurred, but her logic was still somewhat in tact.

"i'm not in denial," she states coolly, finally sparing a glance his way. "i'm all too clear on what's happened and what will happen next." and let him make of those words whatever he will. it hardly mattered to celeste now. ( not much did. )