May the Light Embrace You [Open]

[dearest-nehaa.livejournal.com]

Nehaalista had enjoyed herself on the latest leave, but once back on the ship, she returned to reading documents and trying to figure out just what it was They-the-Council needed to focus on. But, eventually, even she was tired of statecraft (such as it could be called, anyway) and retreated to Hydroponics. She sat herself down heavily under a tree with brilliantly orange leaves and let the line of tension in her shoulders ease out.

With a little, noiseless sigh, Nehaalista reached out to the Light until it coiled around her like an old friend. At first tiny, then thickening lines of gold spread out along the ground around her, slowly pulsing and forming a ring of complex symbols. Her expression settled into a drowsy, peaceful one, and she did not mouth or sign her prayers.

She let the Light speak through her, until the very air around her was palpable with a feeling of rightness. Holding it for several minutes, she finally released her hold on the Light until it ebbed back into a gentle hum in the back of her mind. She took off her translating necklace and tugged idly at a long, blue curl in thought, one hoof bouncing in the air. Hiding out like this felt a little bit like playing truant from her training decades and centuries ago.

Comments

[alastirra.livejournal.com]

A quiet, peaceful sigh sounded from behind, as the shaman stepped around the tree that the paladin had seated herself under.

[Greetings, Vindicator,], she sighed, giving a little bow. [It has been a while, I trust you have been well? It is good to see you again.]

[dearest-nehaa.livejournal.com]

Nehaalista jumped, feeling a little guilty, but smiled at Alastirra. [Light be with you, Farseer. I have been...] she trailed off for a moment, thinking. [I've been well. Very busy, however. It is most irritating. I thought it best to do my prayers in a peaceful place. How are you?]

[alastirra.livejournal.com]

[Well enough. Trying to keep myself busy. This is a very good place for peace, usually, but I could not feel the Light so present and not come and greet it, and its bearer.] Alastirra gave the low, throaty chuckle usually common to their people.

[The garden grows well, and Snowspot is as lazy a lump as is usual. Sometimes I almost wish he would chase your elekk, even if he is well aware of how much trouble it would be!]

[dearest-nehaa.livejournal.com]

Nehaalista smiled widely, [Poor elekk. It just wants to graze and be fat.] She paused, [You know, you don't have to sign. I don't mind hearing people talk.] She knew it was a matter of respect with some people, though.

She patted the ground next to her, [I've finished my prayers, so please, sit with me a while if you're not so busy.]

[seesbosscrotch.livejournal.com]

From some distance away, where he had been gamely trying to swat down some sort of fruit from some sort of tree by standing on his tiptoes and waving Zin'rokh at it (just inches too short!), the paladin sensed a familiar energy nearby!

Curious, he slid the sword away, then wandered over to investigate.

[dearest-nehaa.livejournal.com]

Nehaalista looked up. Unarmed as she was, it didn't stop her bright gaze from shifting (so much as one could tell a draenei's eyes were moving, anyway) to the sword. She tilted her head in question at Maridian.

She'd been told once that the Blood Elves had followed the Light properly before kidnapping a Naaru. And while their abilities were functionally the same, she always held a certain trepidation for them. So, she waved.

[seesbosscrotch.livejournal.com]

Oh come on! This was old Zin'rokh, it couldn't give more than a love tap. It wasn't even enchanted properly for damage! It clearly screamed 'around-town set'.

"Hey there!" he said, with a cheery wave, but he was looking around curiously. "Uh, is something going on? I though I sensed... something."

Of course it was in his nature to associate calling on the Light so directly with combat. He was, after all, a Blood Knight.

[dearest-nehaa.livejournal.com]

Nehaalista signed at him quickly, but without the help of her necklace, it just looked as if she was wiggling her fingers at him. When the voice from her necklace didn't translate it, she reached over and put it on.

[Nothing is wrong, I was simply praying. Do you not do the same?]

[governorkang]

Kang waited until the golden lines disappeared before moving closer and lying down next to Nehaa on his stomach, resting his chin on his hands. He stayed silent, just enjoying the peaceful moment with a friend; he'd had far too much to think about lately, and he just wanted to forget about it for the time being.

[dearest-nehaa.livejournal.com]

Nehaalista opened one bright eye as that warm feeling ebbed from her, and smiled. [Tired, too?]

[governorkang]

"Taking a well-deserved break," Kang smiled back up at Nehaa.

[dearest-nehaa.livejournal.com]

Nehaalista sighed, and mouthed, I see.

[I needed a bit of a breather, myself.] She pushed her curls off her shoulders and and blew her short bangs from her eyes. [And to commune with the Light.]

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

For a moment, Zouichi thought it was Alastirra sitting there in Hyroponics, doing some kind of communing with the spirits. He was about to call out to her before he realized his mistake. The other Draenei on board, then. The one on the Council.

Well, it was a little too late to turn back now. "Taking some time off?" he asked.

[dearest-nehaa.livejournal.com]

Nehaalista opened her bright eyes and raised an eyebrow. This was not someone she knew, or at least... not someone she knew personally. The ship's population was big enough now for that sort of thing.

She started signing, her fingers moving in designated, purposeful patterns.

Then, she stopped, reached over and put a necklace back on. This thing, she thought, was becoming more and more like a crutch every day. [Not really, I've only come to pray.]

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

Zouichi could understand ASL and JSL as they existed in his timeline... but that was it. Not much call for sign languages where he came from.

"To the spirits, then?" He'd never actually seen Alastirra communing with them, so while she'd talked briefly about the Light, he had no real way of distinguishing one from the other.

[dearest-nehaa.livejournal.com]

[The spirits? No, no, no.] She shook her head, [That is a new belief for my people, those elementals. And not expressly popular. I pray to the Light.] She was a traditionalist, after all. It was why she had been doing so well in the Hand.

[rollwthechanges.livejournal.com]

You couldn't see the Prince coming so much as you could see evidence of his arrival. A ball of vegetation, for instance, bouncing and bumping along the ground, grass and seeds and small bugs and other bits clinging to it as it grew in size.

Finally, the ball took a turn and headed over towards the tree where Nehaa was resting.

"HELLO," said a small voice, echoing through the similar necklace the Prince wore. "WE DID NOT SEE YOU HERE."

[dearest-nehaa.livejournal.com]

Nehaalista looked down and smiled, reaching for her necklace. [Greetings to you as well, Prince.] She inclined her head an acceptable amount, considering she was already seated. [It seems I am not the only one taking the time to rest and gather my thoughts.]

[rollwthechanges.livejournal.com]

"WE LIKE TO ROLL TO GET OUR MIND OFF THINGS SOMETIMES." The Prince stepped over towards her, wiping the sweat off his tiny brow with a hand.

"IT IS ALL SO MUCH TO TAKE IN SOMETIMES. WE HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY."

[zombiewolf]

Hydroponics served as a source of relative interest for Kyladriss while on board. Her scribe's satchel had been in her belongings - nevermind that not a soul on board seemed to know anything about inscription - but her herb pouch was empty. When she could no longer bear the itchy, sticky heat of the ship's hallways, she escaped here.

The various plants of hydroponics had to have some kind of practical application or they wouldn't be on a ship of war, so Kyladriss spent her time testing the relative ink properties of the various species of fauna.

That was, until she caught a glimpse of brilliant gold through the trees. That it was a draenei was a source of small surprise - she expected the blood elf. Then again, she didn't suppose he would be praying. Kyladriss snorted to herself and reached up to pull down a branch of the tree. Orange was a rare pigment.

[dearest-nehaa.livejournal.com]

At first, the end of her second set of prayers had been all Joy and Righteousness. But then, slowly and surely, she could sense the taint of undead. Though without a weapon, it was hardly as if she was totally defenseless. Her tail beat the ground in anticipation and she looked for the source of taint.

So still as though she'd stopped breathing, Nehaalista's bright eyes settled on the worgen at first in surprise, and then with a bit of sadness. The worgen were not new to her, though their history with the disease quite sad. No, it was that she was also a Death Knight that gave Nehaalista pause. She blinked, and did not reach for her necklace, instead choosing to wave.

[zombiewolf]

The break in the draenei's meditation was easy to observe, the gold glow of the Light dissipating slowly. Kyladriss tensed, ready to draw the runeblade that rested across her back even as she pulled a handful of the bright orange leaves off their branches.

But the paladin did not attack her, merely waved. Kyladriss hesitated, unsure of the draenei's intent, but nevertheless nodded to her. "King's honor," she rumbled, although the greeting was remarkably out of place on the ship.

[nokosi.livejournal.com]

Nokosi had been nestled in a brightly colored tree, sleeping away the afternoon. It hadn't been until later--much later, that he'd stirred due to a strange feeling. It was familiar, somehow and though his body urged him to simply doze off again, he peered over to investigate instead.

Draenei woman. Okay, one of two. Curls. Yes. Blue hair. Yes. Purple headband? Yes!

Scrambling to his feet, Nokosi immediately hopped out of the tree and tucked into a tumble to break most of the fall. He ended up sprawled on soft grass not far from where she sat.

"Nehaalista!" the elf called, his hair now a mess of orange leaves, blades of grass and small sticks.

[dearest-nehaa.livejournal.com]

Nehaalista turned her head to keep from outright laughing at her friend. Poor Nokosi, that looked painful. Pulling at the ebbing Light, Nehaalista threw the healing spell at him.

Without the necklace, and the voice that was hers, but not hers at all, she greeted him. [Hello, Nokosi. Are you alright? That looked like it hurt.] She patted the ground beside her.

[nokosi.livejournal.com]

Nokosi pulled himself up and hurried to Nehaalista's side then planted himself where she motioned. He didn't bother to remove the brush from himself, only blew at a leave that had become stuck to his nose.

"Oh, that?" He looked back at the place where he'd jumped to and stared at the spot as if it were a someone instead of a something. "Not much, no." Not anymore, anyways. "Have you never fallen out of a tree while asleep? It hurts much more, let me assure you."