In which the moon hides

One of those days... hot, humid and for the most part, still. The dark grey clouds promise rain, but so far all they have done is tease. Even the Temple district feels muted, as if there were a weight pressing down from on high. But a scant portion of cheer is to be had, in the form of a wee Gobbo. In a bright blue dress, that twirls about as she moves, the Goblin dances throughout the temple district's main square. Too, she plays the violin, the music welling up.. a dirge, though perhaps a bit too uplifting to be entirely a dirge. From somewhere, a steady drumbeat sounds and seems to follow the wee lass.

On one of the benches in the temple district is a blue-scaled sith-makar in dark robes. His tail betrays the color of his scales as the cloak covers everything else. Still even at a distance there is no mistaking him. There just aren't that many blue-scaled sith who walk about covered from head to toe. He watches quietly as the people go passing by and perks up a little at the sound of music. He turns his head to see where it comes from and noticing the little goblin he lifts his right claw in greeting and the hopes that she will notice him.

Acedia grins broadly upon seeing Zeke and his greeting, and is soon spinning about before him, dancing and playing til the last note. It is barely done before the Gobbo is hopping onto the bench beside him. She is polite enough to give him enough room, in her estimation, and sits there, swinging her bare feet back and forth. "Zeke!", she says, excitedly. "How have you been?"

Zeke swishes his tail once, seemingly amused with Acedia's pleasure at seeing him. Even if her closeness makes him scoot away just a little bit. "Peasssce on your nessst. Thisss one hassss been contemplating the complicationssss of life. How have you been Ascedia?" He peers down at her with interest, and seems... oddly more at ease and yet somehow more nervous than he usually does. It's an odd combination.

She regards him curiously, setting her violin and bow between the two, as if to delineate their spaces a bit more precisely. "Complications of life?", she wonders. "The plague? The future?" She leans back a bit, and grins once more. "I am alive.", she says. "And for the moment, that is more than enough for me." She smoothes out her dress a little, her feet still swinging carefree. "At some point, we're going to push back against the vampire and his mistress... I hope to be able to give him a good one in the behind. At least the leader of the Black Masks is going to pay for his part in it all."

"Not that." Zeke offers softly. "Thossse thingssss thisss one thinksss on every day. Today however, thisss one thinksss on other things. On the one that gave thisss one life, and on cassste. Sssuch thingss are more complicated for thisss one than they are for most othersss of the People." Indeed, very much so, they are.

The Gobbo cants her head and nods, grinning toothily. "Your mum? And da?" She giggles then, peering at Zeke. "You must have been adorable when you were just hatched! That blue is quite fetching, you know." Acedia rubs her cheek and hmms. "Complicated, how? I mean, I know the caste system is uh... rather involved."

"It isss not complicated. It isss casste. Cassste is here." He lifts his right claw and touches his chest delicately. "Yet for thisss one, it isss complicated. Because thisss one was not... an adorable hatchling. Thisss one wass." Zeke stops here then looks at her very steadily. "Thisss one was named Maskurwarayuslih by the one that gave thiss one life. It means... Broken beyond repair." He flinches subtly, his eyes nictating as he admits this information to her.

Acedia listens, her attention fully on Zeke, and it is hard to miss her reaction to this revelation. First one, and then another, and another... tears roll down her cheeks. "That is.. awful. You are not broken."

Zeke blinks, uncertain what to do about the tears rolling down Acedia's face. He has such before, many times in fact, but the answer between softskins always seems to be... touching. "Thissss one did not mean to upssset you Ascedia."

His tail rides low now. "Thisss one... perhapsss sshould not have told you at all. Thisss one thought you might underssstand because we are friendsss but... Thisss one you know isss broken Ascedia. More than mossst. You have ssseen my limbssss. You know thisss one iss cassstelesss." The more Zeke talks the lower his tail falls.

The Gobbo snuffles and shakes her head. "You've nothing to apologize for.", she say between sniffles. "I find it awful that a mother would name her child such. The circumstances of your birth are far beyond your control. It is how you, yourself, choose to deal with your handicaps that displays your character." She pauses to rub her eyes and wipe away some of her tears. "Your limbs are magnificent.. but they are only so because you make them so. They do not make you... you make them." Acedia huffs. "Caste may be important among the Sith. I understand that. But you can make your own caste. You can define it yourself, bring others to your side, train others to do as you do." She looks away a moment before looking back. "And in time, the Sith will bring you into their embrace once more."

Zeke's tail gives a soft wag and hangs lower than it ever has before, though he sits on a bench it trys to curl around him. "That isss the sssecond time thisss day that sssomeone hass complimented thisss oness limbsss. And thisss one hass not hear sssuch in many years before. Thisss one thankss you for your kind words. You are wrong though Ascedia. Casste can not be made. Cassste isss what one isss. They have not rejected thisss one, or failed to embrasce thisss one. Not yet. Thisss one though, hasss worried for yearss that they will not accept sssomeone ssso flawed. Sssso old." Because he is very old to go seeking caste.

Acedia sniffs and shakes her head. "They are kind words, yes, but they are also the truth. There are those who would have given up, being in your situation. Sat at home content to let others care for them, do all thing things they cannot for themselves. But you have not chose that path. You are incredibly brave, and more so, incredibly strong, to walk the path you have chosen. You have taken the hand of cards dealt to you by life itself, chucked all five back, snatched away the deck.. and are dealing yourself your own hand." She slaps her leg. "And bah.. old. You're what, a hundred? Two hundred? Your kind live for ages... befitting those descended from dragons, yes? I'm twenty! If I live to sixty, it'll be a miracle. You ain't old."

The blue-scaled sith looks up and his tail gives a hesitant little swish. Her words have clearly lifted up his spirit. "Thisss one only thinksss ssuch thoughtsss becuasssse the one that gave thisss one life comesss with the hunter-casste to Alexandria. It remindsss thisss one that ssshe kept thissss one from cassste and kin well passst the age of choosssing, and thissss one worriesss that not enough time hasss passsed to make her ssssee differently. Sssshe wantssss to sssee thisss one." Zeke looks down at Acedia with wide eyes that glimmer in the darkness of his hood. "What do you think Ascedia?"

The Gobbo bounces up to her feet, looking Zeke in the eye. "You tell her that it is time for her to choose a caste, that despite what hardships the world has offered you, you are not broken. You stand, strong, and with much experience. To keep you from a caste is not only a disservice to yourself, but to the Sith as well. To rob your people of your wisdom is to rob the Sith of a limb. Would she hobble her people so?"

Zeke swishes his tail again, this time a little higher up. Though the comparison slightly discomforting. "You think... that thisss one hasss wisssdom to ssshare?" The possibility has clearly never occured to him, and he tilts his head slightly to the side; considering it for the first time. "Thissss one wasss told... that perhapsss ssshe hasss changed. If ssshe hasss not, perhapsss your wordssss will sssway her."

Seldan stretches gingerly as he wanders into the main temple square from the road leading to the festival grounds. These steps are practiced, as of one who has made then many times before, but he looks up at the clouded sky with a frown before looking around him.

"Yes, you have wisdom to share. Anyone who lives as long as you have, with the strengths and weaknesses you have, has wisdom to share.", the Gobbo says to the Sith. she peers a moment at the many walking a path almost automatically. "Careful where you step.", she calls out, before looking to Zeke with a grin. "I hope that you can use my words, yes?"

If one is perhaps looking for a bench to sit on the only one currently vacant is the one that the blue-scaled sith is sitting on. Recently vacated by the goblin he is speaking to. "Ssstrengthsss and weaknessssessss. Yesss." Zeke sounds uncertain. "Thisss one will be thinking on it very much. You are very wissse for your age Ascedia."

Seldan looks up at the call from near the bench, and diverts his path from the road towards the temples to the pair sitting on the bench. "Yes, thank you. It looks as if it might rain, and I cannot see Her." The attire and crescent moon he wears will suggest that he refers to Eluna, the moon. "Good even to you both."

Acedia grins cheekily. "I'm right here!", she says, her grin broadening further. The Gobbo looks to Zeke and looks a little bit shy, "For you, you may have all the wisdom I possess."

Zeke blinks at Acedia and tilts his head. Shaking it once and then nodding he turns his attention on Seldan. "Peassse on your nessst ssshaman. Sssshe isss up there, but ass Ssshe isss wont to do; Sssshe isss hiding." Such was the nature of the fickle moon.

"And on yours." Seldan blinks at the greeting, but chuckles at the wisecrack, raking his hair out of his eyes. It doesn't seem to help much. "Such is her nature," he agrees. "And yet, there is no wrong in sharing wisdom. The world would be a greater place if more wisdom were shared openly."

The Gobbo peers at Zeke, and cants her head, then turns to Seldan and grins. "See, he gets it. My wisdom is worth a lot!"

"Thisss one agreesss." There is a warm low noise in the back of his throat as Zeke speaks. The sith-makar's tail swishes behind him now, and his words are tinted with good humor. "Thissss one knowsss your wisssdom Ascedia, and will learn to share what hasss been given. But what of you ssshaman, will you sshare wordsss with usss? Perhpasss sssome of your wissdom?"

"I am more a seeker of wisdom," Seldan admits, trying again unsuccessfully to push his hair from his eyes. "But if I can help you, you have but to ask. What would you have me share?"

"How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?", the Gobbo intones before breaking out into a fit of the giggles.

Zeke blinks at Acedia again, clearly confused as to what set her off on her fit of giggles. "Woodchucks do not chuck wood." He says this dryly and looks at Seldan with a little roll of his right shoulder as though to say 'do you understand'? Softskin humor. Zeke considers a moment. "Perhapsss thisss one can ssshare wisssdom then. Have you heard ssshaman, that the Handss come to Alexandria?"

Seldan chuckles again at Acedia's cheek, shaking his head slowly. "Enough to make you duck," he tells her with a laugh before turning to Zeke again. "The Hands of Ithildin, or another Hands of which I do not know? I had not heard this."

Acedia giggles all the more at Zeke's response, but her laugh stops when Zeke brings up the Hands. She looks to Seldan, and then to Zeke to see what his answer will be.

"The Handsss of Ithildin. Thissss one only heard earlier today that they will be arriving in Alexandria sssoon. They come to aid usss with the plague. Furthermore the Sssilver Empressss sssendsss the hunter-casste. To sseek out the source of the plague, and to offer aid with it." Zeke nods once, to both Acedia and Seldan. "Sssshe sssends much to Alexandia in itsss time of need, and thisss one isss glad."

Seldan nods at this information, his expression pensive. "Alexandria needs all the help she can get with this plague," he agrees. "I don't know much about it, but a great deal of evil is occurring in its name." Before he can say more, though, a series of light chimes rings out from the temple of Eluna, and he looks up. "Forgive me, that is the summons to evensong. I'm late. Peace to both of you, and we shall speak later." Without waiting for a response, he turns and runs for the temple doors.

"Thisss one thinksss that they heard of Chay's sssolution and came to give more of it. Thisss one doesss not know for sssure. Come though with me will you Ascedia?" Zeke rises slowly from his perch on the bench and resettles his robes about himself. "Thisss one wissshesss to ssspeak with Chay." He motions for the goblin to follow him off; out of the district.

She blinks at Zeke a moment, and collects her violin, moving to his side. Well, close enough. "Lead on!"

-End