Gossiping (Afina)

[Ebiris]

"Very well, I believe that covers everything?" Afina looks to Moore and Drena in case they have any last minute suggestions.

[Nephrite]

Moore shakes his head. "I think we've got everything in order."

[Anastasia]

From here you are lead in. The sound of trumpets - no. Sea shells. Great horns of swirling seashell are sounded as you swim in. A vast hall is before you, yet it seems to shrink down at the same time. Ahead is a throne of beautiful coral, where a figure of blue sits. She is hard to look at, presence overwhelming. To the sides are many marids, dressed richly and kneeling before the Coral Throne.

"To the Great Padisha, Keeper of the Empire, Pearl of the Sea, Parent of the Waves, Maharaja of the Oceans, Emir of All Currents, Princess of Coral and Queen of all Marid, I offer you Afina Devilsbane of Aurora, Moore of Aurora and Drena of Aurora and Princess Chan's house."

[Ebiris]

Afina swims inwards and stops at a respectable distance from the throne - there's usually a carpet or something to provide an easy visual cue but she can eyeball it if she has to. Coming to a stop with her toes barely touching the floor she floats there and bows her squid-hatted head towards the Padisha.

[Nephrite]

Moore will follow after Drena and bow his head respectfully as the others do.

[Anastasia]

There is - patterned tiles that stop abruptly in favor of smooth pearled flooring. "We welcome you," The voice of the Padisha carries throughout the hall, a beautiful sound as her presence batters you like a physical force. "We have heard of Aurora's accomplishments and your own. We welcome you back to this court, Drena of Chan. We welcome you, Moore of Aurora."

[Ebiris]

Wait is she being snubbed? That's actually really worrying for what it might portend for this meeting. Still, Afina sticks to decorum and keeps her gaze low and her lips sealed!

[Nephrite]

To be clear Moore's waiting until Drena says something to preserve the order in which they were announced.

[Anastasia]

Drena replies, "Thank you, Great Padisha."

[Nephrite]

"Thank you, Great Padisha. Please accept the greetings of this humble follower of Erathaol and soldier of Aurora." Moore says.

[Anastasia]

"Then we have Afina," The Padisha continues slowly, a chuckle that is immediately echoed by the marid court, "The rainbow pixie. We are most curious about your transformation. Renbuu's works are known to us through Ben-Hadar and his reefs, we find them...amusing."

[Ebiris]

Ahhh, condescension. Well it's better than going off on a tear about fire. Afina raises her head to get a look at the Padisha although of course she avoids the marid's eyes. "Greetings to you, Princess of Coral. As we agreed with your Shahzada I have brought a quantity of my pixie dust for study and am happy to answer any questions."

[Anastasia]

"We accept your gift of pixie dust," The Padisha replies, her chuckle heard again even as her features are out of sight. "Tell us of your transformation. We wish to know about the parts of water and fire."

[Ebiris]

Afina extends out her hand with the vial of dust towards Flowaran, along with the box containing the necklace. "A further gift we add to show our esteem for the Great Padisha, the work of Renbuu's protege the prismatic dragon Baleruk. May it please you and complement your renowned beauty." She's not really flirting with the Padisha but that sort of flattery's just par for the course when you're talking to royalty.

"As for my nature, I will gladly tell of it. I understand the race of Janni have a similarly multi-elemental nature, although a more harmonious one than I have adapted. Because to know Fire and Water is to know hate, a primal opposition beyond that of law and chaos, or good and evil. It took several attempts to absorb Water into myself without quenching the Fire that I bear. Painful attempts that tested my physicality to the limit, but the true test came when my body adapted and I was made to understand the relationship between Fire and Water. The hatred of which I spoke - there was a sense of censure, of being upbraided for my arrogance in trying to contain within my frail fey body the stuff of two planes which never may meet.

"But as a fey I am a steward of the Prime, the place where all elements co-exist. Perhaps the elements on the Prime are lesser than those found out here. It would explain why Janni are considered weaker than their cousins such as the noble Marid. And frail though my body may be, my soul is as unyielding as the crushing depths of the ocean floor." A bit of elemental metaphor can't go wrong with this audience she thinks. "I accepted thate hatred inside of me... and overruled it."

Here she smiles, just a little. "And so for a time I existed as steam, what occurs when Fire and Water meet on the prime, if not reflected on the wheel of the elements. But the elements inside of me were only biding their time, like rebellious subjects. After I incorporated Earth and Air, all four of the elements found enough common cause to attack me. An elemental formed, one of Fire and Water, of Earth and Air. An... omni-elemental, lets call it? It desired nothing less than my destruction, to fling my constituent elements back across the elemental planes where they belonged. Its strength however was insufficient to its ambition."

[Anastasia]

The court listens to Afina's tale, barely audible murmurs at points of it amid the crowd. The Padisha is silent until the end, "We recognize your arrogance," she says, a hint of a leer in her voice, "We recognize your boldness. We recognize your gall." She laughs now, a rich and throaty sound, "Oh, how much is known and how much is not. The Janni!"  Nervous titters come from the other marids, as meanwhile the gifts are taken to the Padisha. She studies the dust intently for several moments, then it vanishes.

"Yet," she holds the necklace up above her, studying it, "You are not without your graces. Word has come how you quenched some of Emir of the Flametongue's slave pens. You have cooled the ardor of Baator with death. You bring the most marvelous gifts." She puts the necklace on, "The Shahzada spoke well of you."