Sunny wiggled its leaves towards Aisling as it was greeted. Holly gave a warm smile as the sing song voice left it’s odd mouth. “That’s a good boy.” She reached over and scratched his sunny petals. “It might be hard to get one now that Rhea is gone.” It must have been odd hearing it without titles. She was Rhea’s cousin and that was the only reason she hadn’t given a title.

Taking the lute back she gave Aisling a smile and laughed. “The Isle of Seasons…” She took a moment to pause before realizing she had been asleep for the duration of her mother’s celebration. It made her sad as the smile left her face. “My mother made me one. She is very talented.”

She sprung into happiness and smiled. “Yes! I learned from the best bards that..” She trailed off for a moment and sighed. “If we are to travel together… There will be things you must know about me. Parvpora isn’t the best place to discuss it so perhaps we can all share a room?”

Looking to Ramla she felt bad that they went off on a tangent. “That sounds beautiful I would love to accompany.” Pushing up from the table she stared at them for a moment after Aisling agreed. “Let’s go up to the room so I can talk to you both.”

Once they got up to the room, she hugged Sunny to her who was bobbing happily. “I’m not just an ordinary thing. My mother is the one who created the Isle of Seasons. Angela is my mother but as far as I know I don’t know who my father is. There are rumors as to who it is, but like most of my siblings my father left when he didn’t get what he wanted from her. I love Parvpora but admitting who my mother is can be dangerous.” 

"My harp was made for me after I recovered from Eshari. I got stupid when I was young, Time Death aged me greatly but I'm stunted in my growth."

Aisling quickly shared her agreement and thoughts about the three of them traveling together. She thought the idea was splendid, and while the purported route they were suggested to travel wasn't the most direct path to her intended destination, there was no reason to believe she might not attain the answers she sought while they traveled across the land from place to place. It would give her, and Holly a wonderful chance to make their mark in the bardic community, and would present the learning opportunities for all three of them. There was all that, and the simple fact that it sounded a whole lot more enjoyable than traveling on her own. 

Holly suddenly seemed a little more reserved, speaking much more low than she had been previously, and when it came down to the telling, she asked if they would be willing to share a room so that she could explain things about herself to them. Aisling agreed quite readily, not opposed to the idea of splitting the cost on a single room. She had absolutely no problem with sleeping on the floor, if necessary. 

Up to the room they went and Aisling found a comfortable spot sitting on the ledge of the window that overlooked the lake and dropped her pack rather unceremoniously on the floor by her feet, and listened intently to Holly's story. She admitted to them that her mother was Angela, the woman who created the Isle of Seasons, aka Mother Earth, and that she didn't know who her father was. Aisling listened to the story and nodded when appropriate. 

"I don't have any problems with who your mother is. In fact, I think it interesting that you and I have near polar opposite parental influence. Me, I was raised by my dad because my mother and her kin branded me a mistake and didn't want to have anything to do with me," Aisling chuckled. "Even if your mother is a Goddess, I don't see how it should effect you. It isn't like she is here, forcing anyone to bend to her will, and it isn't like you are going around proselyting for her either," the blonde half-elf pointed out. "I know for me, it doesn't phase me one bit. I don't have a problem traveling with you. In fact, I rather look forward to it," she said brightly. "I've never been one to really care for stigmas…"

"If we are to travel together…There will be things you must know about me. Parvpora isn't the best place to discuss it so perhaps we can all share a room?" When Holly requested a room Ramla looked back and forth between the two girls. Aisling seemed eager to share a room, not having the coin to afford one at the moment. It didn't seem like Holly had a room either so she nodded to them and suggested her own. "We can take mine." With that Holly pushed herself off the table and asked that they go there so she could continue their conversation. Ramla finished her drink in one gulp before setting the mug back down. She got up and grabbed her satchel and the map off the table.

Up the stairs they went, with key in hand Ramla let the girls in her room. It was a bit cramped for 3 people as was expected when you choose the cheapest room but it was cozy enough. A queen sized bed that was shoved all the way in a corner with a nightstand next to it. A used candle sitting atop of it. A dresser that patrons could use to put their belongings in with a rounded mirror mounted on the wall. Another candle accompanying it. The floorboard creaked as did the door, and the window which could be opened to air out the room provided a view of the street and its many travelers that used it. And just behind the houses the lake shone brilliantly in the moonlight. You could easily spot the patrons getting in and out of the Inn.

"You girls can take the bed." She lifted her hand wanting no but's from them. "You two are muses who need their rest, especially a beauty sleep." She chuckled with a wink. Ramla set her satchel aside and pulled the chair that sat next to the dresser in the middle of the room, taking a seat as the other girls took theirs. Removing her red scarf freed her black mass of curls, hair that was long enough to reach her bum. She folded the fabric while listening to Holly's tale. 

Her purple gaze watched how the dark beauty hugged her floral friend, it seems to calm her nerves. However…Whereas Aisling readily believed and accepted Holly's story. Ramla did not. In fact she laughed at it. "I'm sorry but…You, a child of a Goddess?" There were…hushed whispers of old women in the restaurant she worked in that spoke of gods. Gods that died in Parvpora, and gods that still roam in Canelux. But she never believed in gods, they were figments of people's imaginations. A tool to use when you needed someone to blame for all the misery in the world or when the -yet- unexplained happen. 

"Gods…" She snorted with a shake of her head. She lit the dresser candle, "If you wanted to embellish your past then don't you think being a divine child is a bit out of reach for a dancer? Nobility would've been a better story." And something Ramla did not understand, why were gods taboo in Parvpora? Well, if she wanted to learn about Revaliir then why not start with the Creation Myths and Mythology. It's where everything begins, does it not?

She sat back down, listening to the girls and observing their reaction to her disbelief in deities. "Tell me more about the 'gods of Revaliir'. Where does one find their shrines or places of worship?"

Holly chewed on her lip a bit, “I’m a weapon to use against my mother. Most know that but over here, as long as I can hide who I am it’s fine. Parvpora still has people who want to bring down the gods even if they are from Canelux. I have to trend lightly. It is one of my favorite places to be after all. However, I needed to tell you because she has a habit of showing up whenever the hell she wants.” Goddesses, right?

Though she looked at Ramla and laughed at her. “I am not lying. I can actually call on her right now, though I imagine she will be pissed off.” It might be good to have her mother know she was with new people and not alone. “First I’ll answer your question.”

Holly took a seat and thought about it. “Different ways, some you have to find the gates to and others are like dreams. My mother’s temple has arches of roses around Revaliir that you can go through and end up in our realm. She has a fucked up sense of humor though, at least for the most part. Most cities in Canelux have shrines devoted to the current gods but they are not where one would find blessings. To make a deal with a god, no matter how good they appear, is not always the smart thing to do.”

Her mother was a good person but mortals had tried to get one over on her many times. “My mother is one of those people. Mortals have ruined her trust and so she goes through a great deal to outsmart those who visit her. They regard her as one of the beautiful woman to walk the planes. You can imagine the type of visits she gets. My father was one of them.”

Jumping up now, she grabbed something sharp. “You can say I was on house arrest for a while, but house arrest with my mother is everywhere the Earth touches. I can’t travel in the air and I can’t by sea or she freaks out. I made a mistake and now she worries a lot.” She took the sharp object and sliced her palm. “Watch this.”

It took a drop of her blood hitting the floor for shit to hit the fan. In a matter of moments the mighty red head was there looking around and grabbing her daughter’s hand. “Are you mad?” Angela’s voice was distraught but it took her a few moments to let the anger subside. Her pregnant belly was sticking out quite a bit now. The goddess fussed as she took the sharp object and quite literally broke the window with it. The window as if knowing fixed itself.

Even though the magic felt like a whirlpool in the room it was no where near as powerful as it would be on Canelux.

“Everyone my mother. Mother everyone.”

“I really wish you would have just written a letter.” The magic weaved in and out of the girl’s hand as the goddess healed it. “Yes, yes, hello.” She looked from Aisling to Ramla. “I thought you were in danger. I was having a nice spot of tea with a very interesting medicine woman…”

“Sorry Mother, I just wanted them to understand I wasn’t lying.”

“Write a letter next time. They can hate you until I get it.” Angela’s voice huffed and Holly chuckled a bit. “You are lucky I didn’t bring Iva with me. Would have her throw you in the mud. I am Angela, Goddess who Gifts Fertility and Holds the Cornucopia. You've met my daughter and I assure you she isn't lying. Parvpora can be a weird place even for children of the gods. People are still very vindictive over what happened and Mortals never learn to just let things go… Especially here."

Aisling withheld a scowl as Ramla scoffed at the notion that Holly was the child of a deity. The girl had a right to her own opinions and beliefs, but Aisling was bugged that she would outright laught at the claims. She was about to scold her for laughing at Holly when she was called to remembrance that this exotic and very foreign woman was exactly that; a foreigner. 

"Is it as far-fetched as coming from a different world?" Aisling asked simply, drawing attention to the fact that Holly was not the only one who came with a less than credible background. She was not intending to start a fight or to be mean in any way, but wanting to bring attention to this little fact. She offered up her hands in a slight shrug to show it was just something to think about, but by this time Holly was continuing with her explanation. Holly's mother sounded like a woman well scorned by mortals, and Aisling felt genuinely sorry that so many had tried to take advantage of her. When Holly went to slice her hand, Aisling lunged for the object. 

Her shout of "Are you mad?!" came in sync with the shout and appearance of Mother Earth. She felt the power of the woman radiating off of her, and it was clear she was a very motherly type. Aisling physically ducked as Angela threw the item that Holly had used to cut herself out the window, the shattered glass fusing itself back together almost immediately. The gale of magic that surged through the room threatened to leave Aisling dizzy. Up to a few days ago it might not have affected her so badly, but she felt so much more attuned to such things now. 

When Holly introduced Angela, albeit a bit informally, Aisling did what she figured had to be the appropriate thing and bowed to the Goddess reverently, though the woman seemed more intent on scolding Holly more than the company that was in the room. Aisling watched the exchange between mother and daughter with mild amusement. She wondered if this kind of interaction was common among all mother-daughter relationships. It was something that she had lacked all her life. 

Aisling couldn't help but scoff slight at Angela's comment about people being vindictive. 

"But in your defense, my lady, it was their own damn fault for bringing down the Parvpora World Tree. You can't take on the magical order of the world without severe consequences," Aisling piped up as she moved to grab the chair that was at the small writing desk in the corner and slid it into position so the pregnant Goddess could sit down. 

"You truly must care about your children if you are willing to travel in your condition to tend to a daughter's cut…"

"I am a weapon to use against my mother…" The more Holly spoke about her origins and her mother, the more Ramla tried to resist the urge to roll her eyes and groan in irritation. She began to question whether it was a good idea to invite these people to company her on her travels. "I'm not lying…." Ramla was about to say something when Aisling asked a question of her own, "Is it as far-fetched as coming from a different world?" She pointed to the fact that her own background seems extraordinary in itself. And perhaps she was right…She and Nihr were literally aliens in this world. Were aliens less credible than gods? Not that she would admit to the girls of course.

Ramla listened attentively to Holly's explanation about the Shrines of the Gods. The info wasn't as detailed as she would have hoped, but it was better than nothing. Ramla grew suspicious when Holly grabbed the sharp item. The girl didn't seem like a violent person but one must never learn a book by its cover. And as soon as Holly finished her sentence she sliced her palm, letting the blood drip on the floor.

Ramla never flinched when Aisling rushed to try and take the object away, nor when her mother suddenly appeared within the room. She observed the redhead for a long time, never saying a word. In truth Ramla was more or less 'assessing' the goddess. Teleportation is a hard thing to do but not uncommon, even Ramla could do it with the right circumstances. 

She smiled softly at Angela as she was fussing over her child, and chuckled briefly when she threw the sharp object out and through the window. But the small amount of affection quickly faded into envy and bitterness when Angela turned her body enough for her pregnant belly to show. Instinctively Ramla rubbed her hand over her own flat belly. The pregnant woman was a harsh reminder of how barren Ramla had truly become. She quickly pushed the memory from her mind when Holly introduced everyone to each other, and pulled herself more upright in her chair. Regally so, as if the wobbly wood were her throne. 

"I am Angela, Goddess who gifts Fertility and holds the Cornucopia…" Okay, it's official. Ramla hated the woman! Surely the deity would sense that she wasn't hiding her hostility towards her because Ramla's aura and own magical potency was swirling a vortex of her own. She watched how Aisling tended to the pregnant woman to make her more comfortable, and listened to the words that she spoke. "But in your defense, my lady, it was their own damn fault for bringing down the Parvpora World Tree. You can't take on the magical order of the world without severe consequences." Ramla recalled those whispering, gossips of old hags back in Tarishitar. There were Gods, they had Shrines, but there was also a sacred place that only gods could set foot. Ramla needed to know more about that tree, but that will be for another time.

"Teleportation and healing cuts are 'nifty' tricks. But that doesn't prove divinity." The dark haired woman spoke through clenched teeth. She slowly rose from her chair and sauntered over to the deity. Looking down at the belly and giving it a gentle rub, feeling the life inside… She took a deep breath and smiled at the redhead. At least trying to stay polite. "Just look at you, you're about to pop." She chuckled. But enough games, she wanted to get this nonsense over with. "Holly said that it's always a bad idea to make a deal with..a god. But how about this?" She said with a crooked grin, "If you can proof that you're really a Goddess, and doing a magic trick doesn't count. Anyone can heal or make things explode, or teleport." She said as she walked away to move towards the window, being careful with what kind of deal she could make. It had to be something that she could verify, something that wouldn't interfere with her future plans for this world.

Ramla pondered for a few seconds before turning around and facing the women again. "Where I come from people believed that gods could know your deepest desires. Your deepest secrets… Tell me, Angela Rose, what do I desire the most? Tell me something no one else knows about me?" She paused to gauge their reactions but before Angela could respond Ramla added one more thing. "IF you convince me, I'll keep Holly under my wing. Keep her safe from harm whenever she's on Parvporan soil. If you truly are a Goddess then you should be able to know what I mean. But if you fail to convince me then you owe me one favor." 

With that Ramla sat on the window sill and waited for Angela's answer. This should be interesting, she thought to herself. 

Angela smiled at Aisling and nodded. “I love each and everyone of my children. No matter their ages, I will continue to take care of them well into their aged well selves.” She winked at Aisling. “That is a mother’s duty.”

Turning to Ramla she nodded. “No, it’s not a proof of being a deity. I was teleporting place to place way before I found myself at the Tree’s Mercy. As for healing I attended the healing academy in Arri for several years. I should know how to heal a simple cut with magic.” 

The deal that Ramla wanted would be simple enough. It was one of the things she could do outside of her shrine. She nodded a bit. “Alright, I accept.” She moved closely to Ramla. She was stretching her finger tips and preparing herself. There was a rather cruel look on her face. “I’ll do more than tell you.”

She grabbed Ramla, not forcefully. “We’ll be back.” She gated them to her temple. They stood in her temple. The power here was immense. “I need all of my power for what I am going to do to you.” She giggled a bit as she warped the room into Ramla’s world of old. “Let us begin.”

She walked the grounds of Ramla’s old home. “This is a point in your history… Over seven thousand years my dear Ramla. You must remember it well. It is something you yourself want so bad.” People rushed by them as they went to a younger Ramla. She was being celebrated by her people. “You were their freedom. Their chain breaker. This time represents a place where you are most happy. You want to return to this point. You want a time before Nihr. The glory. The wealth, even the power that goes with your title of Slave-Queen. You miss your children and you weren’t damned.”

The vision faded as Angela waved her hand and made it vanish. “Now, we can go back.” She grabbed Ramla once more and appeared back in front of the others. “You will take care of what’s precious to me. You defy that deal and you will regret it. I don’t make deals to have them broken.”

She took a giant sigh as she rubbed her pregnant belly and sat down. "That took a lot of energy out of me. At least the gating did but the visions did not. I have proved you wrong Ramla." A soft song came from her womb and Angela smirked.

"Mom… What is that?"

"Your brother has a talent like you do… but it is very strong." She rubbed her belly gently. "Whenever he is really happy he does it."

Aisling wasn't sure which astounded her more; Ramla's blatant disrespect for Angela, or the moxie she showed by demanding that Angela show her proof that she was a goddess. What surprised her more was that Angela seemed to take it in stride and a few moments later she and Ramla were vanishing from the room completely. Aisling looked at Holly in incredulity. 

"Dare I ask if anyone has ever spoken to her that way, and lived to say anything about it?" she asked, gray eyes wide. "What do you think they are doing?"

She fiddled with her braid almost nervously as she sat against the window sill again and just waited. Several minutes, Angela and Ramla reappeared, Angela looking satisfied, but the look on Ramla's face was one Aisling couldn't quite describe. Aisling did however, refocus her attention on Angela when a strange song-like sound emanated from her belly as she rubbed it. Angela explained with was Holly's soon to be baby brother. 

"You mean you baby already has the capability of singing, even from within the womb?" Aisling asked as she moved closer to the beautiful, pregnant redhead. "May I ask how far along you are?"

Ramla arched her brow and in that moment as Angela cracked her knuckles she knew she had lost. She stood up from the window sill and let Angela guide her to wherever the deity was taking her. The temple was large but elegant, and the power that surged within this room was dense enough to cut it with a knife. Ramla took it all in, every thread of it. She observed the goddess as she warped the room into the past of another world. 

The emotions that Ramla felt were overwhelming. Joy, sadness, wonder, shame,…. It was all there. The palace, the people, her servants,… it was a feast in honor of their recent success in freeing a city from slavery. The goddess was right, Ramla wanted it all back. The power, the respect, the glory. Not hiding in Shadows anymore, she wanted her place in the world again, as a human. 

"Ironically, I owe it all to Nihr. This…glory, and power." She said with a small smile. If it weren't for him she would still be a small, scared slave. As the vision faded she nodded to herself and followed Angela. She had won. (This time) Ramla brushed the creases out her clothes and heard the Deity's warning. "Have no fear, Goddess. I never break my promises. Your child will be under my care for as long as she touches Parvporan soil." She looked from Angela to Holly, with a roll of her amethyst eyes and a sigh, "I hope you don't snore."

She sat back down on her wobbly chair. She chuckled when Angela appeared proud to have proven the Eldritch wrong. "Indeed you have. Gods in my world were impostors. Just mortals who were skilled in the arts of trickery." When the belly sang, she was hit with another wave of sadness. 

Holly tilted her head and smiled. “Lots have, mostly men and that’s how the majority of my siblings have happened. Women are different but my mother is an entirely different breed of woman. “ Thinking on the what Holly tilted her head and nodded. “Probably showing Ramla what she wants the most, something that has destroyed people in the past. Mother can conjure up exactly what it is you want most and then take it away. In lots of ways that’s worse than death.”

Angela seemed pleased with Ramla’s words. “I trust in you to do that. My Holly has been through much in her short life, despite what she will tell you she has only been on these grounds for sixteen years.” Timedeath had done something to her daughter and Angela did not like it.

Holly laughed at Ramla and nodded, “I don’t snore. I use to travel with a large trope so if I do I would know. They are very vocal about snoring.” She chuckled more and stared at her mother’s womb. Her belly was a little bit larger than it had been with Iva.

Angela thought on it for a bit and nodded. “Rohan has an exceptional skill already but he has yet to even move. He puts all of his energy into singing for us. Drae and I have laid awake many of night these past 5 months. We’re captivated by it all. It might be my energy feeding him.” The baby’s noise died down and Angela looked at Ramla. “I lost everything for the power I have. My daughter… my husband. Sometimes it takes rebuilding everything you once had. Do not be so sad Ramla, I am sure you will find the answers to the questions deep within your heart.”