The wind was blowing quite fiercely this evening. Sand kicked up everywhere and interrupted what the brave volunteers were doing. The howl as the wind passed through the outpost was enough to cut conversations short. The sky was beginning to bleed into orange and purple as the sun was kissing the tops of the rolling dunes in the distance. As the sun dropped so did the temperature but only slightly. The heat was still uncomfortable mixed with the agitating sand. It was bearable enough if properly clothed. Serci was in standard white and grey robes. His cape flew proudly behind him in the strong wind as he walked between the stables and huts. His hood was clenched tight around his face with bits of his blonde hair poking out. A tightly clenched hand held a bottle of precious wine from Angela's winery. This bottle's message of health was "Drink more water than wine… just barely."

He stood in front of a slightly more put together hut and walked through the door where Angela resided when she was not attending the healing huts. Serci undid his tight hood and shook out his blonde hair and gave a smile, holding up the bottle of wine and placing it on a nearby table where 3 glasses sat.

"I brought some of your wine. Thank you by the way, the wine has certainly helped me adjust to the desert more comfortably. I figured you could use some." He said, pouring a glass for the beautiful goddess and him. "It helps me sleep when all I hear are the wails of the city. Sometime I don't know if they are in my head, or audible to everyone." He confided, staring deeply into the wine, before taking a sip. He tasted the deep earthy notes of the wine and sighed slightly in pleasure. "How are you adjusting to the desert?"

Angela was busy. The radiating power that the Voice gave her covered the entire outpost as she worked. It wasn’t that this sapped her energy it was focusing it all on one area made her vulnerable at times. Though her doctor skills hardly took a hit as she worked when she could. Every stitch, every wound, and every beetle removal was done with expert care. Desert exhaustion was left to the clerics that had come with her. Healers like her daughter Belle were working hard on making sure many were comfortable here while they had their medical stay.

For now she was in her own tent. She had both twins bouncing on her lap happily. Poppy was a vibrant red-headed girl with wild curls like her mother. Lark was a dark-haired boy who just wanted to be near his mother. They were around a year old now as they bounced and babbled at their mother. This was the safest place for them. To be right there with her. “Good morning Serci. Look who came to visit from the temple. Their father is running around with his head cut off at the moment so I am just taking a breather to see my precious little babes.” She leaned in and gave each twin a little nose rub. “This is Poppy and this little boy is Larkspur.”

She looked at the wine and nodded as she watched the bottle. “Sounds very good for the heat right now.” She chuckled a bit. “The wails of the city will die down eventually. It is a shame that the ruby healed its crack but that tells you just how powerful gods of old were… We’re no where near where they were when they were around…” There was a troubled look on her face but she stopped it when the twins noticed and began to pull at her face. She chuckled a bit and kissed both of them before sitting them down on her lap with ease. They faced Serci and made cooing noises at him.

“What you might not know is that I wasn’t born too far from here. The desert city of Sularia is my homeland. So I’m actually more comfortable in the desert than I am anywhere else.” She smirked a bit and pulled the wine glass over. Drinking the wine in she leaned her head back. “Too many stupid people have come out to find the treasure deeply rooted in that pyramid. We’re getting bombarded with the sheer amount of idiots who didn’t come prepared. My older children are out in the desert getting survivors and fetching medical supplies.”

There was a musing look on her face as she looked down to the twins. “I want their legacy to read pure… What Drae and I do as gods will reflect on them. They will be known as the children of people who did something that mattered. When I was originally Death… like Dalanesca now, people misunderstand that Death will never be beautiful. It is a nesecary evil… and that is why Dalanesca and I work together the way we do. We are a coin… I am the beautiful lie and she is ugly truth. Eventually we all die Serci… It just matters when. Even gods die eventually. When we are no longer needed by the tree he will discard us like play toys. He is not evil but he does things that are needed even if it seems cruel.”

That was her wisdom for the day as she finished the glass and took a heavy breather. “My other daughter is supposed to be bringing supplies to me soon. You will get to meet one of my eldest children. Very lucky you are. Most of them don’t come home anymore and I keep an eye on them from a distance. It isn’t that they are being cruel but they have forged their own path. Their own lives but most do come home to help me when I need it. Even I can be overwhelmed by the shifting tides of time. They are strong and they protect themselves from the indecencies of the world. I raised my children to know right from wrong. When to back down when needed… and most importantly how to survive without me.”

There without missing a beat she laughed. “Sometimes being motherhood itself… is a burden. My mother bear senses are so sharp and yet I know I can’t just swoop in and save them whenever they have problems. I can’t keep them to myself. I can’t keep holding their hands but it would hurt me greatly to see them hurt… so I keep a distance and should they fall prey to something… I do my little magic. A miracle. But I try not to let them know its me… It’s the last thing they need to know, that I babysit them the way I do.” She peaked down at the twins who were curled up into their mother now and she smiled. "I hope that the desert has been treating you fairly though… You have been a great help to the cause Serci."

Serci was delighted to meet the two youngest members of Angela's family. The young boy and cute red head watched him as he entered. He mad a funny face at the two children who giggled and laughed at Serci's stretched out tongue. "Nice to meet you, Poppy and Larkspur. You can call me Serci." He said, thinking of a more easy name for the children. "Or funny face man." He said with a slight chuckle.

He listened to Angela as she talked about Sularia. He had forgotten she was born here. He remembered reading something vaguely about in back in temple. He imagined what the place looked like thousand of years earlier. If the desert was as harsh then, or if it was viewed differently. Not a place of death, but place of life among death.

He took a sip of wine as he payed attention to Angela's heavy wisdom she was imparting on him. Years studying with monks among a sacred library wouldn't match up to one drinking session with Angela. He listened to her words and took them to heart. Her words were lost on him for the most part. He tried to understand but it was mostly god talk. When she was talking about life and death he thought of the Lich King. Something long dead that was brought back. The stories about his maggot infested face and rotting body were told around camp fires for those who thought them selves brave. He could understand the lesson though behind the words, and was grateful for the talk. When Angela began talking about family, it was something he was more familiar with. Her feelings were the same as Serci's about his sister. In the current situation he couldn't protect her but trusts she is doing well. And the pain from being separated from family is all too real, but natural for growth.

"I am slowly getting used to it. The food is rationed well, and I may have dozen of bottles of your delicious wine left. It has given me time to practice my healing and try out my blessed sword. It's not something I could imagine spending my life in, mind you. Though I'm sure the desert has changed largely over the years." He paused to refill Angela's wine, picking up a small toy on a nearby table, he handed it to the small children who eagerly grabbed for it. "I can somewhat understand your talk about beauty in death," He said, pausing to think about his words. "This desert must be surrounded by death. Everywhere. Many perish from the numerous hazards it contains. Not knowing the harsh rules of the land, and succumb to the dangers." He paused to look at a cactus flower she had decorating the table. "Yet, among all the death, there is life that flourishes if you look close enough." He smiled at the flower, then onto Angela. "I suppose you can take it one step further, with the city of the dead. What I'm once sure was one a prosperous, beautiful city full of people eventually faded to and lost to time. Now it sits as an ugly blemish among the sands, with its rotting denizens terrorizing the land." He took a deep breath and exhaled gently. "I suppose I just need more time, and experience, as the champion of the goddess of life and earth." He smiled, and thanked her for her encouragement.

He noticed the third glass of wine, at first, he thought was for her husband, but now thinking it was for her daughter who was coming soon. He made a mental note to help carry in the supplies once she entered and prepared for more introductions. He was getting used to meeting different people from Angela's order and struggled to remember names with a face, but he tried his best. After the Lich King was destroyed he would be meeting with some the clergy to discuss his sister whereabouts.

"For what its worth, Angela.. I think you make a wonderful mother. I can only imagine raising as many children as you. Although many have gone their own way, they owe the strength to travel on their own to you." Serci gave a reassuring smile, and raised his glass in a toast. He took a look outside the tent and took in the hard beauty of desert, a beauty that must be acquired after time. "I would love to taste a desert inspired wine one of these days." Serci laughed, while being honest.

"As for the Lich King, I plan to raid the pyramid. I do not yet know when, but I plan to take the fight inside and possibly to the dastard his self. If this is the power of the old gods, than I am certain that our efforts with our friends and allies will be successful in the end. We all fight with different desires and in different ways, but in the end the Lich King's evil wont conquer. Our efforts will put an end to this city and send back to the depths. This I am sure of." Serci said, pomp and confidently. He looked at the younglings and got down on his knee so they were eye to eye. "Even Poppy and Larkspur are helping!" He said warmly to the children who smiled and laughed.

"Worry not, Angela. This will be taken care of, and we will carry on until the desert returns to its serene peaceful beauty. Thank you for the talk. I now feel different about this place. Like a uneasy feeling has been replaced with a drive to protect it."

The twins babbled and squealed. Mostly they talked to Angela and called her Mama. “They are still getting past just talking about me and their father. They’ve had a very cooped up childhood thanks to Adraejen and mine’s effort to be solely responsible for them. We wanted to make it so that our clergy didn’t raise our children so we have to put a lot of effort into our schedules.” She chuckled a bit.

“I’ve lived… over a hundred times longer than you have… It doesn’t get any better of an explanation about life and death. When I was new to the conclave I watched Life and Death fall in love. They stopped everyone from dying… People just suffered. It was short lived but it reminded me how needed both are. Without death, there would be just endless suffering. Without death, the city of Aysut would still be torturing poor souls to appease their demonic god. Without death… The world would fall apart into madness. In a way… Death saves the world.”

“Aysut used to be the capital of these lands… when they were plains. Not always was this place a desert but… long before I was born and I do mean long… A god named Sardon got pissed that they forgot to do a sacrifice in his name. Gods used to be more powerful than they are now. Can you imagine that? One of us can wreck this whole continent but imagine… stronger than that.” Now that slightly terrified her and for a moment it registered on her face before she laughed. “Then they all tore themselves apart… Then the last batch of gods rose… and he made them weaker. And then… He killed all of them but us three. Terrifying to watch friends you’ve known for centuries being murdered like they had no immortality… Nothing you could do about it. The three of us were supposed to watch over the conclave but then Moliira and Mendean…” She scoffed a bit. “Now there’s just me left from those times.”

Angela chuckles a bit at the thought of her being a terrible mother. “Think the world would be quite screwed if I was a terrible mother since I’m the example for motherhood.” She gave a smirk. “We can have a rather nice time thinking about it but I’m not generally one for liking chaos that much. Xunatar is my daily dose.” She chuckled and tilted her head. “Oh… You need to try Arriese Rose wine then. I promise you it is some of my best. Made from the roses of Arri.”

The goddess seemed, please. “Oh it is his residue power but there is just his head priest running amuck. This is nowhere near as strong as Sardon originally was. You should do well inside of the pyramid. When you become my Divine Artificer I shall gift you a weapon that only you can wield. You will show people your faith in me by the power this weapon creates. It will not only be able to destroy but to create… As that is Life and Earth.” She smirked at him as she thought about it.

Poppy and Lark’s eyes met him and giggled lightly as he was on their level. “Mama… Mama.” Larkspur curled up into Angela and she chuckled while Poppy was insistent on reaching for Serci’s hair.

“No, pull Pops. Remember we have to be nice to people with hair.” Angela’s words were soft as Poppy squealed and leaned back into her mother. “It will never truly be a serene peaceful beauty but it will be less of a mess. I don’t think we could ever make it less bloody but we can at least help it.” The goddess nodded and smiled. “Anytime. I do like to have a good conversation everyone once in a while.”

A small woman came into the tent with crates stacked high. Large white wings folded and a head of brown peeked around at them. “I brought them like you asked Mother,” silver eyes looked at Angela, the twins, then to Serci. “Bad timing?”

“You are carrying far too much… Serci can you help her? This is my daughter Rosemary-Raine.”

“The name is really long but you can just call me Rosemary I promise,” Rosemary was a short four feet ten inches. She was really petite but she had that aura about her. A light heartfelt one that had seen many a century. Her long brown hair went to just below the mid of her back in some loose wild curls.

"Careful Serci… She might not look it but she is just above three centuries old. She is one of my oldest but she is a good girl." Angela chuckled softly. "Glad you could finally make it here I was worried about you."

"Was in the angel city… on the other continent," Rosemary said softly as she was helped with the boxes.

“You are carrying far too much… Serci can you help her? This is my daughter Rosemary-Raine.”
Before the words could be said he was already up and the boxes had been handed to him. He couldn't get a good look at Rosemary because the boxes blocked his view. He walked towards the back and and turned around to ask if it was a good place to place the boxes.

"Is this a good place t-" His voice fell out of his mouth as he looked upon Rosemary for the first time. When Angela had said one of her oldest daughters was coming, he imagined someone much taller. But it wasn't her size that made him fall silent. It was her beauty. Glittering silver eyes complimented by bouncy brown curls. Her angelic face stared back at him, waiting for him to finish his sentence. Angela watched too, amused. He swallowed and put the boxes down and introduced his self.

"Uh… Hi. Good morning, Rosemary. My name is uh… Serci. I am your mothers champion. I am planning on becoming her Divine Artificer." Nervously, Serci exclaimed holding out his hand. He took a minute to retreat into his mind. He called upon his etiquette training when he was a child. "You said you came from the City of Angels, yeah? Thats up in the mountains, right?" Tripping over his sentences. He was normally a charismatic guy, but in front of this shining beauty, his words escaped him. "The desert must pale in comparison." He said, shaking his head from side to side looking for his glass of wine. His wine sat next Angela who was grinning ear to ear, amused by Serci's loss of composure. He walked over to his glass and tried to coolly swallow his glass. He opened up the wine, making a note to try Angela's desert wine she mentioned earlier. He poured 3 glasses of wine and handed one to Rosemary.  He swallowed a mouthful and took a deep breath, trying to regain his formal posture.

"I'll be the first to thank you for delivering supplies to our little outpost. People here tend to get along as long as water and food is distributed smoothly. No doubt there would be havoc inside the barrier if people were grouchy on empty stomachs." He rambled, feeling back in the grove after being knocked after looking at Rosemary. "It means a lot since you traveled over half the continent." Chuckled Serci. "Will you be staying long?" Realizing he wasn't going to recover from blundering, he looked to Angela to change the subject, or anything to take the attention off of him.

Rosemary had a light blush across her face as Serci started to stutter around her. It wasn’t the first time nor would it be the last that she had run into things like this. Being one of Angela’s children often meant being admired but it was always a shock when ti did happen. For someone like Rosemary, it sort of sent her heart into a spiral whenever it got brought up. Whenever someone saw her for the first time. It was true she was small but her big heart and her looks helped her out greatly with getting people to understand her.

“It’s been a long time since she had a champion.” After he helped her with the boxes she bowed gracefully. “Thank you for taking care of the world and my siblings and me. We are forever grateful for what you are offering to our mother.” It took a few minutes for her to get over the initial shock but she nodded. “Yeah, they are a half angel city in the mountains near Baltil on the other continent. It’s said they hold secrets to the angel realms. I like studying the history the city has. Also, the weather is sort of nice compared to the desert.”

After a few moments thought Rosemary took a seat and thought about it. “But the desert is my home and nothing will ever compare to that… When you see Sularia someday you will understand. There’s no place in the world remotely as beautiful as Sularia. It may be my home but it is one of the most beautiful places in the world.”

Rosemary smiled as she took the wineglass from him. Angela was watching with an interest set of expressions as she watched the exchange between Rosemary and Serci. “Oh, it is no problem. We Rose siblings help out our mother whenever we can. Our mother being a goddess makes it very hard to be of use to her.”

“I don’t expect my children to be of use to me. I just expect you to be alive. Alive and well. That is all that I wish of all of you.” Angela smiled and stared at Serci wanting help. There was a smirk and this would be the first lesson for Serci to learn. Angela loved to watch people squirm. “ I have to go take the twins to see their father. BYE!” She put the wine glass down, grabbed the twins, and left the two there in awkward silence for what seemed like a long time.

“I hate it when she does that…” Rosemary blushed a bit at Serci and chuckled. “She is rather playful about these things but… I’ll be staying here and helping my mother out until she doesn’t need me anymore. It is quite busy here and she could use the assistance.”

She played with the edges of her dress and chuckled. “Mother sensed you getting anxious with me and ditched the two of us so we could be alone. I highly doubt that Adraejen is anywhere near the camp. She is just being… nosey.”

No, don't leave Angela. I pledge my life to you… And this is how you repay me. Serci thought. It's okay, Serci. It's just a normal conversation. You can do this. Trying to turn the situation around, he looked at Rosemary, taking in all her unique beauty. She looked kinda upset as she spoke about her mother's delight in seeing people struggle. But she instantly returned with a chuckle and a smile informing him she'll be in the outpost for awhile helping her mother. "Well, It's not much, but I'd love to give you a tour of the place sometime." She began playing with her dress. Oh god, I've made her uncomfortable.

“Mother sensed you getting anxious with me and ditched the two of us so we could be alone."

"Forgive me, Rosemary. I am not easily flustered. It's not that I'm anxious… It's just I find you very beautiful." Slowly spoke Serci. The sentence felt off. He had told people they looked beautiful before, simple pleasantries when meeting higher social class, but this was the first time he had actually meant it. "I suppose it's just overwhelming in a way." He said, walking over to the tent's entrance and parting the flaps that sealed the tent shut. "Your mother and I had a conversation about the desert shortly before you arrived. I find no shame in admitting that this place had set me on edge. It feels off and wrong somehow. No doubt it is the city of the dead of course, but your mother helped me find comfort in the desert that I couldn't see before. I just needed to be familiar with it. It's the same with your beauty. I'm sure once I get to understand you more, we'll be good friends." Serci said. Laughing a little as he finished. Normal human functions like talking and looking at someones face during a conversation were coming back slowly.  "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I'm sure you get this a lot." Her astonishing presence no longer intimidated him as it once did. Her small figure was welcomed even. A beautiful women to share a bottle of wine with.

"And to answer your question, her husband is no where to be found. Your mother is a liar and finds humor at your embarrassment. And mine of course." He laughed, this time feeling more comfortable. "We can get back at her of course. I don't know what we could do and if I should be playing a prank on a goddess, but It'd be worth it, I think." He wasn't sure, but he thinks things are back on track and Rosemary was starting to warm up around him. He cast a sideways look at her with a mischievous grin. "We could replace her wine with beetle blood." He laughed and closed the curtain and sat down in front of the silver eyed beauty. "She means no harm though. Her children are always on her mind, Rosemary. She loves you very much."

Her glass was starting to seem low, he offered to refill her glass and continued conversation. "In exchange for a tour around our outpost, I would love and tour around Sularia one day. I have no doubt I'll be spending time there as Angela's Divine Artificer." He got up and and offered a hand to help her up from her seat. "But I move to fast. You must be tired. I'm sure your mother will let you rest in her personal tent, but if you find the need to escape, I can show you the barracks or some nice solidarity places."