Bunny With a Tablet

Liliana and Obsidian stood in front of each other in the green grass, surrounded by flowers and greenery. Earlier in the morning, she invited her homeland companions for daily training to keep them all busy. Thus now they were breathing a little bit faster after trading consecutive blows under the soft morning sun.

They were not really sparing yet. More so measuring each other's methods and strengths by going through some traditional military forms and drills. Both held a combination of sword and shield in hands. Obsidian's was flaming red like moldem stone. Liliana's were a replica of the divine instruments of Schutzaria and Ewigeliebe made out of ice. When they exchanged blows, the weapons would hiss and smoke against each other violently.

However, it took one well landed attack from Liliana to catch Obsidian by surprise and make him return with twice the force. The drill quickly escalated on a full out sparring, both of them rushing through the grass as forces of nature. Fire and ice raged as if Ewigeliebe and Leidenschaft were battling for Gedulh, sparks and snowflakes littering the air with each traded blow.

And like the God of Life himself, Liliana was destined to lose, if only for a short while. Obsidian's attacks were brutal and destructive and, even if all her own blows were to hit him true, it would barely dent his unending stamina. She surrendered while she could still stand with some resemblance of grace, even if flustered by the battle glow, and washed herself with the blessing of Flutrane.

Gods bless the years of carefully pinning her hair to her skull to the point of numbness. Not a single hair was out of place.

"Thank you for sparing with me, Sir Obsidian. May I offer you the blessings of the healing waters of Flutrane?" Her smile was measured and polite. A perfect noble.

Honestly, even far away from home, she didn't know how to be anything else.

As Rowan kept his hands busy with his work, whatever it was, Liliana's own hands travel through the book covers lined on the walls. Her eyes scanned the titles, many about the matters of life, death and the soul, coming from many different places. She turned around to look at her new acquaintance - her new master in the arts - and took in his appearance once more.

The knight could understand that some would find him frightening. Black was the color of the Grimm, but only because Chaocipher wished to have the God of Darkness for her own. Having no color of her own, she made them of the likeness of the object of her greed and made their eyes glow with the fire of summer, twisted into anger and hatred. Rowan was nothing like those. He was passive and steadfast as the Lord of darkness, spreading his cape over the skies in silent watch while waiting for his wife's return. However, Liliana had the impression he looked equally lonely. Something inside her whispered that it was wrong. Maybe it was his eyes. There was not even a moon to set light to those skies, permanently devoid of the grace of the supreme Goddess.

She tore her eyes away from him.

"You read about many cultures, you said? I am devoid of Mestianora's blessing when it comes to the words beside this one, but I am aware that my beliefs are not universal. Even so- I find likeness to them even here. In my land, we believe that our colors, our souls, are blessed by the gods, some more than others." She looked down at nothing in particular as she spoke. "To me, you seem deeply blessed by the supreme God of Darkness himself. He is the one that rules over the realm of life and death, welcoming the souls to the top of the towering staircase when the time comes. Though you seemed to lack the company of the Goddess of Light to aid in your own endeavors."

The knight said the last words due to his lack of light in his own person, not even the white of his pupils, nothing more. However, he seems to pause at her words and, for a second, Liliana felt that she might have overstepped her place and stretched her stay. Placing a hand on her chest, she bowed to him.

"For now, I shall return and settle down. I may return at a later date to seek your guidance. Until then, may the gods bless you, Master Rowan. Do be at peace."

And she calmly and elegantly makes her escape.

The Goddess of Light moved her gaze away from the Garden and her husband spread his cape of darkness over the land. Even so, the usually quiet state had an unusual buzz of activity with guests reading themselves up for the upcoming dinner in their guestrooms. Liliana herself was sitting on her vanity as Adelina finished unpinning her hair from her tight braided bun. It was always a relief when it finally tumbled down her shoulders, taking a bit of the tension from the day with it. Looking at herself in the mirror, she studied her own features. She felt tired, confused and apprehensive, but none showed up on her face. Good, this is how it was supposed to be.

"I drew the water for your bath, milady." Adelina spoke softly, dragging Liliana's attention away from her reflection in the mirror. "We have a bell before dinner. Would you like to relax in your bath for half a bell before we proceed with preparations?"

"Half a bell…" As expected, Adelina could see through her normal mask. Probably feeling the tension on her body as she unfasten the many little buttons from her clothing. "That might be for the best. Please, make it so."

"I will add a crystal to the water, so it may not run cold." Adelina helped her lady stand, step out of her clothes and into the water. "I shall return to aid you in your bath in half a bell then."

The tube stood elegantly in the dressing room, surrounded by luxurious partition screens. The water was clear and warm, with no soap or perfume added to it, as it usually would. Instead, white rose petals floated lazily on the surface, granting the lady some modesty even in the privacy of her own company. Sighing, Liliana allowed herself to sink and lie down at the bottom of the tube.

The Dame took another deep breath, however this time filling her lungs with water. The gills on her neck, always covered up, moved painfully with every breath taken. It was not much different from the aching of a sore throat from a cold, aside that she would never heal. As long as she kept wearing such constricting clothes and taking such long breaks between her soakings, it would be painful to breathe underwater. However, it could not be helped. If she soaks like this every day, her scales would heal and shine, and she could not risk having any of her traits showing whenever she could.

But on days like this, when she had so much weighting on her mind, she could allow herself the luxury. Flutrane's embrace granted her a blissful silence and gentle warmth that put her body and mind at ease. With this comfort, she could reflect on the events that followed her on this day: the visions, the Performer, the blessed individuals…

Her homeland in flames.

It didn't matter what angle she looked at it through, it was clear that the gods had seen fit to get involved in earthly matters. There was no doubt in her devout heart. She felt it in her soul. It was unclear what part she was to play in their divine plans, but their warning was very clear: if she failed her duty, not only those under her protection would pay the price.