A breath of fresh air

Nai listened as she wrote. The letter was simple. Her writing slightly below par for how neat it was. Letters slightly wobbly due to fatigue but it was her writing. The woman's story made her heart soft and she smiled, but she felt pain for her. It sounded tragic. To have lost so many to a war that one no longer found to have a reason. That seemed painful. She was glad she hadn't lost anyone to this war. It wasn't her war! Or was it?

The hybrid wasn't too sure. "My apologizes my priestess," she said after a moment. "I never knew what this war was about honestly. Only the rumors, but I am sorry it has cost you so much. If it is any comfort, I am glad and honored to have you as head priestess in this temple. You are kind and not many are. Your kindness seems to be selfless and for that I am grateful."

Soon she finished the letter and then wrote a small note for her father. He would know what to do. She sealed the letter with magic and took the quill and signed it closed with blood magic. Only those of close kin could open it and that type of magic would help it find her father. "Please make sure First King Gilgamesh of the Dragons gets this. He will be worried about me," she stated as she passed her the letter. A yawn escaped her lips. "And... thank you again. Your help is invaluable to me. I'm glad fate brought us here... I've met the Light Angel Oracle before if that interest you. He was in demon lands..."

A pause. "You smell like me... I didn't notice it before, but you have a bit of a dragon smell to you. Maybe that's why I feel so safe with you here."

"My father is an eastern dragon, My Lady," said Aolani as she took the oracle's letter in her delicate hands. Her skin seemed even paler against her dark gown, so much so that it seemed to glow. "Perhaps that is why you feel a kinship with me." Her voice was soft.

"Perhaps while you're here you can help put an end to this fruitless war? Demons and Angels are both a prideful bunch, though. It will not be easy work. This war has gone on for too long, both sides are too invested; too prideful to surrender or draw up a truce." She spoke with a deep melancholy as she rose to her feet.

"I'll get this letter sent to your father. For now, please rest. Simply call if you need me, and I'll arrive."

"I- Thank you," she said settling back down into the bed. "Maybe I will be able to stop the war or maybe not but I will try for not only you but those like you."

She turned over to her side and closes her blue eyes. She felt so tired still but she prayed silently. She prayed her family was okay and they did not worry for her. Finally she fell asleep and as she was, she realized her head was silent. There was no one else there.

-x-

(23th of Ganthor ends. 24th of Ganthor begins here at early light. Weather is sslightly ainy outside with an overcast)

The Oracle woke up the next day and smiled. She felt a little better, but still ached a bit. Her eyes looked around taking in more of the room than she had the day before. It was very lavish to say the least.

A small smile touched her lips as she wondered if her father ever had a room like this. She'd have to make sure to ask him next time she saw him. "Aolani? Are you here?"

At first the oracle was met with only the silence of the morning air. Several moments passed by before the door opened and the rainbow-haired angel stepped through, carrying an ornate silver tray laden with fruits, pastries, breakfast meats, and an equally ornate silver pitcher and goblet. The priestess was dressed once again in dark garb, her face covered by a sheer lacy black veil.

"I'm here, My Lady," she replied softly. "I apologize for my delay. I thought you might be hungry upon awakening, so I took it upon myself to bring you breakfast." The angel set the tray on the nightstand, and deftly poured water into into the silver goblet.

"I must be honest with you, My Lady, I don't often spend my days in the Temple of Vaerath. My time is divided between the two temples, with Haliea's in the morning and Vaerath's in the afternoon..." Her voice trailed off. "Though I suppose not that you're here I should instruct the acolytes to tend to you while I cannot be here."

"I'm sorry I didn't realize you were so busy," she said with her blue eyes wide worried she had offend the woman. Even being royal, she never really had attendants, and mostly just had her father and a few caretakers at the castle look after her. Never really a maid or anything one would expect of a royal child, and oracle at that. She was in that moment honestly concerned she was expecting too much from this woman she had just met. "I should be fine in a few days. I do not want to put strain on you as you seem busy!"

Her hands came up and shook slightly to show it was all okay. "I need to return home soon anyways, so uhm I should only be here for a bit longer to get my strength back. I mean.... I don't want to cause you strain and all and my dad is worried about me I'm sure." She was rambling bad now and the more she rambled the redder her face got until she just shut up  realizing that she was making it worst and now feeling embarrassed.

 Nai smiled and looked down as her hands went into her lap. "Thank you though. I really do appreciate the food... I am hungry. How was your morning so far Lady Aolani?"

The tall angel gave the oracle a chance to get her thoughts, however disorganized they may be, into words. "My Lady," she began with a soft chuckle, "You're not causing me any additional stress." Her eyes were warm, her expression soft. "While it's true that I must divide my time between the two shrines, it's something I do with pride." She brought a hand to her chest in earnest.

She took a seat at the small table nearby and crossed her legs as though she were sitting in an elegant parlor about to have tea with a queen, and relaxed as she rested her chin upon her hand, propped up against the armrest of the elegant wooden armrest. "My Lady, it has only been a night since sending word to your father, and you have a duty here." Aolani's eyes gaze drifted out the window to take in the dreary volcanic landscape outside. How bleak. How depressing... so much like the war knocking at their borders... "Vaerath brought you back to us for a reason, My Lady. And did you not give me your word that you would attempt to stop this pointless war between our people?" She gave a lazy wave with her free hand in a hard to gague gesture; not quite dismissive, but not overly friendly, either.

"You need time to settle into this role, and," a pregnant pause, "You seem to have not realized the implications of your being a demon oracle..." She turned her head to fix her stare at Nai. "It means you are a demon royal, My Lady. You may have a family among our ruling Lords and Ladies."

She seemed really nervous suddenly. She wanted to help stop the war but she was scared. She had never been away from home for long periods of time and this... she may never go back. Her blue eyes filled with tears as fear knotted in her heart. Naiome didn't even know how to fight. She couldn't defend herself and what if...

"What if my family here doesn't want me? I know my mother was a death demon royal, but I know nothing of this side of me. I only ever knew my dragon," she said as a tear went down her cheek. "I am afraid for I do not know the culture here... what if I can't help and only make it worst? I need help..."

Her teary eyes looked at Aolani. "Can you please teach me? I need to know things if I'm going to help because right now I know the dragon laws but not demon. Are there things I should be aware of?"

She was trying, but she hhad never expected this. This was a lot and she was still a child. Her hertiage made it hard to tell, but mentally she had a lot of growth to do.

Aolani immediately felt a pang of guilt. Had she overstepped her bounds and pushed Naiome too far? She didn't know nearly as much about Lord Razor and the death demons as she should have. Or any of the demons, really. Her existence to them was secret. For all they knew the temple of Vaerath was run by a demon priestess from one of their houses. Oh, if only they knew...

The angel was on her feet in an instant, and she bent down to wrap her arms around Naiome. She just held her tightly for several silent moments before taking her seat next to the oracle, bringing a hand up to the demoness' face to gentle wipe tears away with her thumb.

"There's no need for tears, My Lady," she crooned softly as she pulled Naiome's head against her chest. "I'm sorry I spoke so thoughtlessly to you..." Aolani ran her hands over Naiome's dark, curly hair. "I shouldn't have done so... such cruelty is beneath me..." She sighed deeply, letting go of the guilt she felt. There was no point in holding on to those feelings. All she could do was move forward.

"I can train you to fight. At least to defend yourself," she began, slowly pulling away from the embrace she had with Naiome. "I feel as though that would be the best place to start. You'll build up for confidence, and of course you have the advantage of being half dragon." A wry smile played on her face. "That's one thing we have in common." She touched the rainbow colored pearl in her chest as confirmation.

As far as the demon culture went... well there was something different entirely.

"I must confess to you that I know little of demon culture. As far as the lords know I'm a demon, and they've never once seen me. I don't even want to think of what would happen if they found out I was an angel," Aolani said with a small, nervous chuckle. "But I can say with certainly that Lord Razor would be a fool to not want you in his family. The missing oracle returned would be a pride for any royal line. In fact, I know many of them were jealous that you weren't part of their family."

She seemed to calm down listening to Aolani. The lady was so nice, friendly, and even somewhat motherly even though Nai didn't know her well at all. "I'm just scared. This is all knew to me and I don't know what they want from me or expect. I've heard terrifying things about demons and my own mother tried to kidnap me as a child..."

A pause as she remembered her mother. She was beautiful from what the girl could remember. She looked alot like her mother for that matter. "I am not too sure Razor would... my mother was his older sister from what little I know. And I've heard scary things before from old books... Like that the war has been going on since demons came to existance and the ground at the line is cursed to never grow due to bloodshed. "

It sounded horrid even as she said it and she wondered how it could be true. "I'm not sure how I can fully stop the war but I'll try, but first...." her eyes looked to her friend. "I really need your help with training. I think you're about the only other person ive met thats half dragon and demon or angel. I need to know how to control both sides of me... that way I can be what I need to be for everyone."

A small smile. "And don't worry I won't tell the others. As far as I can tell you're a demon lord. And you spoke true... its just hard to hear."

"Rumors are just that, My Lady. Rumors," Aolani replied with a wave of her hand. "You know how things can get blown out of proportion with each retelling. It's up to you to determine fact from fiction." Aolani gave a gentle smile to Nai.

"I suppose a brief history lesson is in order." The half-angel rose to her feet and began to pace across the floor beside Naiome's bed. "But where to begin?" She brought a hand up to her lips to chew on her gloved finger in thought. As priestess, Aolani had access to all manner of historical records from both sides. It was only fair that each oracle knew as close to the truth as she could manage to piece together. Liz knew what she knew, and with Naiome's reappearance...

It was only fair, and Naiome needed to be as well armed in the mind as in the body.

Aolani waved the very hand she had been gnawing on, and an arc of electricity appeared at her fingertip. And then she began to draw. The first forms she drew were large and grand: the two gods of their races. Beneath them she drew the first angels, smaller in stature. "It began with Vaerath and Haliea creating the very first angels," Aolani said firmly. "Early in the time of our realm, and so few are still around to remember," she hastily added before she continued to draw. "Time passed, and it's said that Vaerath grew jealous of the attention lavished on his counterpart, and so he showed her darkness to the angels. This was when the demons first appeared, transforming from angels." She waved a hand and a portion of the angelic figures shifted and grew horns, morphing into demons and going to stand under Vaerath.

"It's uncertain how much time passed," she admitted, "Some say it was a long while, others say no time passed at all. There are records of talks being attempted, but they failed because demons outright rejected Haliea. It's said that in a rage the goddess possessed her oracle and demanded the extermination of the demons, and that's when the war began." Aolani waved her hand, and the figures drawn in lightning began to attack each other until they were wiped out, tearing each other apart until only sparks crackled through the air.

"Of course many angels would never wish to believe that their beloved Haliea was capable of ordering such an act. I've seen no mention of it in angel texts, save for one that only a select few have access to." She gestured to herself and gave a playful wink. "Your counterpart knows this as well. I believe that if we're to see an end to this war both oracles must know our shared history so we may put our pride aside, and you bear even more importance than you may think. You've seen how a world without war looks, and now you can see how this war has cost your people. Perhaps with that knowledge you can convince those stubborn lords to put aside their pride for the betterment of the people they're supposed to lead."

Aolani gave a shrug. "I'm getting ahead of myself, forgive me. For now, we're going to head outside so you can show me your dragon form." A wry smile played on the angel's face as she removed her lacy black veil, revealing her rainbow-hued hair. The veil was followed by her gloves, and then her long black gown, until Aolani was clad in little more than a skin-tight white slip, trimmed with gold around its plunging neckline.

"Let's go, shall we?" she asked; before even getting an answer the angel had turned her back, displaying her six feathered wings in all their glory, and walked out a side door to the rocky volcanic landscape outside.