Paired Opposites [Day 0]

[Kannon]

In the diffuse light and a quiet shimmer of a lily-covered pool, the bodyguard had his rest. Rarely was he given a reprieve from the hectic bustle of Xenion, but today, after the quaraa race had been adjourned, Xanthe had decided to visit her mother. The tranquillity of the place felt like sensory deprivation but once the initial unease was overcome, it happened to be restorative. The bodyguard did remember moments like this, not so long ago, a lifetime ago, among the reeds.

As God's will would have it, another of ilm and fiqh would find her steps through the secluded grove of lilies and reeds, somewhere in the indiscernible veins of Heliophagos, passing through on a menial assignment of disposing of a pot plant her mistress no longer liked for the star-shaped leaves had slightly reddened. Only perfect plants could be serving as the Archon's decor, and this one stopped being impressive or appealing enough and had to go. But there was a rhythm of dealing with any biomass in the Areteion, as the endless gardens had their demands.

And so she was, a Zensunni woman with a pot, meeting a Zensunni man by the pool.

[Emcas]

Emcas stood silent as stone amongst the vegetation. The abundance of vegetation felt familiar, an echo to what was but no more. An echo indeed for there was too many things missing here to be more then that. The controlled environnement could not allow for what the nobility would deem to be the less savory parts of the swamps but ultimately were needed for the biome to thrive.

Still he had a brief moment of calm to himself and that was all the familiarity he needed. His arms crossed he observed and listened in quietude.

[Nirilli]

Nirilli had her eyes cast down, looking at the plant in her hands. A beautiful healthy plant, but not good enough. Outcast. But that did not mean discarded. She had time to get to the pool and kneel and re-plant it here in the wilds, a place where a plant - or person - could yet thrive. Her once home lay beyond these reeds, deeper into the marsh.

There was a warning in it. All property - and that included slaves - were disposable. Her features and gestures and voice and song and step and posture. She could never slip. Perfect. Perfectly pleasing. Perfectly artful and decorative.

So the sudden realization that she was not alone caught her a little later than it ought to have. And her cheeks reddened at the slip. Always be alert, watching, waiting, attending. Ready. Aware.

Her step halted.

She gave an elegant, deferential bow. The quickest glance at features that looked Zensunni, like hers. Another native? Another slave? Always assume something more. Something more than you. That was never wrong.

"Forgive me for intruding, sir. Are you well? Subakh ul kuhar?," she repeated, in the Zensunni tongue.

[Emcas]

His gaze nor his posture wavered at the greeting: The stillness did not waver but it certainly changed in some nearly imperceptible way until he bowed back far more stiffly than her. It was polite but not much more.

''I am well.'' He replied before taking his time to send the question back ''And you?''

[Nirilli]

Her voice had a lovely melodious quality. High-pitched, delicate, and warm.

"Well enough. I am Nirilli, a slave to Archon Ptolemaios. I am removing this plant to new soil so it does not disturb her eye or peace. I thought it might enjoy a place at the bank of the pool, among the lilies."

[Emcas]

''It might...though it might prefer a place more in the shade.'' he commented, observing the plant's leaves "I serve at the will of lady Xanthe Ptolemaios.''

His voice was measured, not hostile...but detached to some degree. He seemed vary aware of where both of them were and found little reason to be at ease. With his imposing physique taken into account, one could make the safe bet that he was very much a guard or even bodyguard.

[Nirilli]

Hmmm... shade. Perhaps. She looked around for a better spot. "There is beauty in balance. Sun and shade both." Indoors and outdoors. Future and past.

"Have you served Lady Xanthe long?"

[Emcas]

''I do not count the days of service to my lady as the service itself is a blessing innumerable'' he replied, practiced.

Bodyguards should be tight lipped, after all.

[Nirilli]

"Of course. Sometimes the sun shines so brightly that you cannot see what was before any longer. The eyes adjust."

She paused. Glancing up and then back to the surface of the water.

And then added:

"It is no particular secret that I was presented to the Archon five years ago. When I was fourteen. There was a competition among hunters to catch exotic birds out in the marshes. I did not know that. I was just out by the deep fissure diving for moss pearls. And foolish enough to take a rest on the banks, and to sing my joy of the day. One of the lung-training songs that pushes the capacity, so the breath can be held longer in the under. The water would have covered and shielded me. The sky did not. But I am fortunate beyond measure she chose for reasons of her own, far beyond anything I could have earned of my own merit, to find the gift pleasing and the gesture clever."

[Emcas]

Emcas gave a nod and a glance from the corner of his eye. He was not sure any who served the Archon could truly be meek...they certainly could appear to be in order to act, however. It was much like the plants in this biome: he knew some where very dangerous but never quite sure of which ones.

''It is the way of things'' he replied without commitment ''It seems the bird catchers caught quite the catch indeed if the Exalted Archon found it to her pleasing''

[Kannon]

The dangerous ones likely grew in plain sight. The one Nirilli was replanting looked native enough, however, something Emcas might have seen somewhere in the Sea of Marches but never had the botanical insight or indeed interest to focus on.

It was late into the day. Somewhere up above, at the Heliophagos' crystal mouth, the light had already changed its lengths and its refractions had been descending down the contrived highways of light spread throughout the vertical gardens. One could not help but feel removed from the world here, and the knowledge that anything spectacular was unfolding somewhere deeper beneath their feet just as they were speaking seemed hard to ingrain. It had however been the day of the quaraa race, the one had won by a Bacri, one of them, now no longer a slave, being now decorated by the Archon herself in the Dicasterion. They were high above, and yet slaves. Bacri was deep beneath, and now free. They had the quiet privilege, he had the demanding spotlight. Paradoxes.

[Nirilli]

She smiled. A slight blush. "You are very kind."

She chose a shady spot not too far from the water's edge, and spread out a woven mat, so she did not dirty her clothes. She knelt to begin digging. Hands touching the soil. She would have to clean her hands over and over. But if the plant lived, it made her happy to do.

She closed her eyes in prayer.

And then, as she dug, she asked: "Did you have the opportunity to watch the race earlier?"

[Emcas]

Emcas observed, curious. He'd expect someone in charge of plants to have some tools to perform the task...He knew Lady Xanthe would allow for him to have the tools needed for what she demanded of him. The Archon lacked that wisdom, perhaps.

''No, I haven't had the pleasure to watch it. Lady Xanthe is dedicated to her work and often cannot be disturbed for such events. Her ladyship is dutiful in all ways.''

He quirked an eyebrow

''Have you seen it?''

[Nirilli]

It required no tools to dispose of the plant. But she had chosen to try to save it. And thus she dug awkwardly. But it felt good. Hands touching the earth. Helping the plant find its new home. A choice that was entirely her own. (Probably. She had to now pause and wonder if the Archon had foreseen that she would want to save the plant, and come here, and that likewise that this man would be here. In which case, there was something yet needed from him. Impossible to know. Best to assume nothing happened by chance. Even her own choice.)

"Yes, I am often in attendance if the Archon is, or even if she is not, serving drinks and other refreshments to her honored guests."

"My focus was not on the sport. But I was present. The young man that won is much honored. Elevated above a slave."

[Emcas]

Aren't we all slaves, in the end? Our master are more powerful but are they any more free then us if they must toil away to maintain their station?

''The Qaraa does not allow for a fool of a rider, the boy must be skilled indeed. What will he do now I wonder?''

[Nirilli]

She thought about it, patting the soil around the now re-planted plant. There is always the possibility of life outside the walls. But would this plant remember how to live in the wild again?

"I hope he does well. I hope he finds contentment. Bacri. That's his name. I have not met him yet." She did not try to hide her curiosity. He might have news from the marshes. Her parents. Her siblings. Her old teachers. There was always the chance.

"It is life changing to win such a contest. But I also observe that the hunter who caught me is long gone. Long fallen from favor. One contest won does not secure a place as well as ..." Being property. Though that was no guarantee either. This plant was property hours ago.

"But perhaps he has gone somewhere wonderful." She glanced up. Imagining distant worlds beyond the skyline. People came and went. It happened.

[Emcas]

Where could one go when freed if not home? Could this young man be free if his kin were still bound? Either he stays rooted in the same soil knowing the farmer can harvest his siblings, parents or lover and finding solace that he alone cannot be uprooted anymore or he leaves that soil behind and assumes a finite freedom at the cost of his loneliness in a world he does not know.

''Unlikely'' he stated ''Freedom does not come with the wealth required to purchase transportation with the Guild.''

[Nirilli]

She looked up at him. Really focusing her attention on him.

"How do you know? Have you had wealth? Have you served someone who traveled with the Guild?" Her tone was keenly curious. For all she knew, he had!

[Emcas]

''Did Bacri receive money from the Exalted Archon?'' he simply asked back

[Nirilli]

"I don't know," she admitted.

She could not recall any specific mention of coin. Freedom, yes. Favor - at least for now.

"He is still with her. In the Dicasterion. Or was."

Another glance at the sky, but now thinking about time. How long had she been gone? Long enough to dispose of a plant. Probably she should be getting back. And what could she say? I ran into a man who made me think of my once home, from his features, and I know absolutely nothing about him but that he serves Lady Xanthe?

"You have not even told me your name."