powers & abilities. In the evidence of its brilliance
connections.
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shine brighter than the stars
insert short lyrics here or a quote
❧Status: Dating, Best Friends. ❧WhomWho Here
vSince: Episode Name (?) | Insert date here. ❧Nickname(s): Shipnames, here. ❧Intimacy Levels: Boyfriend and Girlfriend, Dating, Sexual, In Love; Best Friends. ❧Comments: Lorem ipsum DOLOR SIT AMET, consectetur adipisicing ELIT,sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut LABORE ET dolore MAGNA ALIQUA.Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.
enya smiled, and went so far as to give a soft chuckle at the vocal inflection from Isrieal’s comment about queens, and figured the newest addition to the Little Palace would learn soon enough. However, as she spoke, it was clear that the young woman’s innocence was preserved and it moved the redhead in ways she could not express. Her own innocence had been robbed from her at thirteen, for this woman to have reached what Genya could only assume, was her majority with that innocence intact, the tailor was both jealous and sorry at the same time. That sort of naïveté was dangerous, both in and out of the forest, and the beautiful glass menagerie that twinkled on that pedestal was frighteningly vulnerable.
She didn’t doubt that Isrieal could defend herself on the physical, she had to in order to survive the forests most of her life, but gossip and social warfare were brutal, Genya knew this from experience. Without the social skills and armaments to adorn herself with, to protect her from the vicious way words could cut, the gentle Moon Summoner would be cut to ribbons, leaving a beautifully tragic image in the redhead’s mind. No one had been kind enough to take her under their wing, no one had prepared her for the onslaught of persecution and being ostracized by her peers, no one had protected her from the letch of a king, and no one had protected her...period. The General, of course, did what he could, with what he knew, but Genya had kept her abuse silent if only to protect the Grisha that would fall, should the General lose his mind when he found out about the weekly rape that came in the way of a double eagle crest. But Genya decided not to allow Isrieal to go through that, not on her own, and in that way, the Moon Summoner became the tailor’s newest project.
“How to fit in. That’s going to be a tough one, my pretty friend. Physically...you are safe. You have the general’s protection, you are safe behind these walls, and should anyone try to hurt you, you have the security of back up here. But the social atmosphere is...less kind; there are times when a physical blow is easier to take than a proverbial one, but they are blows nonetheless. Here is my advice. Keep your head up. Pretend confidence even if you are terrified. Find yourself in your heart and never let go. People have a way of changing us…”
Genya trailed off a moment as she worked to find the exact shade of lip stain she wanted, before continuing.
“You have a novel sense of purity about you, Isrieal. People will want to shatter that for no reason other than their own insecurities. Protect it. Learn from watching. I will help where I can, but I cannot be in the same places you are. My...position does not allow it. I will introduce you to some of the Grisha that are your age, the kindest I can find. Trust no one, and it will serve you.”
Laughing softly she shook her head.
“That sounds disgustingly grim. It’s not so bad for a new Grisha, as it has been for me. And I’ll explain why another time. There isn’t enough of it to go into. I will say this. Trust the General. He will keep you safe, and he will do everything in his power to ensure what he can do to make certain you are welcome here. And you are welcome here, Isrieal.”
Nodding when the woman looked at her reflection and smiled stepping back. Allowing those amber hues to slide over her form, and nodding a second time, with a purely professional eye, Genya smiled.
“Oh, my intent is to do exactly that. The General wants you to shine, to dazzle by just being you. So, I have made certain that you slay them.”
There was a faint sense of humor in her voice, not unkind, but definitely warm.
“You’ll get a kefta…” she pointed at the pale one she was wearing, a colorless iridescent white, “though it will likely be blue, once you have met the king and displayed your power. That is what they will all want to see, to ensure you aren’t a fraud and to relish any chance to make General Kirigan look like a fool. Trust me, he is not, and nor will he make you out to be one either. There will be people there. Plenty, come to see the truth of the Moon Summoner legend. I can’t be there with you, I will be there, but I am not to be seen during the demonstration. Rest assured I will find you afterward. The crush to welcome you will be vast, and I anticipate you’re going to need a lifeline. I would.”
Holding out her hand for Isrieal to stand, Genya smiled and nodded.
“There we are. No one can actually see you until King Pytor does. Hence the ridiculous veil. It will be gone soon enough. Tap into your strength, Isrieal. You’re in for a wild ride. Welcome to the Little Palace.”
“What you’d rather, on its own, doesn’t matter to as much as it used to, it would seem. Living in safety, luxury, and education, has its cons I’m afraid.”
When the Moon Queen gave her name, Genya smiled in a knowing way to herself. Of course, the woman would have a beautiful name to go with her beautiful self. With a soft click of her tongue, she gestured for Isireal to hurry out and take a seat at the vanity. The vanity really was a desk that overlooked a lovely part of the little palace grounds, even in the early fall, it was lovely with the leaves of the surrounding flora shifting in colors more akin to the inferi than the tidemaker’s blue of the sky. With billowy white clouds, calling out for the squallers, it left the materialnik purple to the frame that surrounded the window pane. Genya knew all of it, she knew almost every inch of the Little Palace and more of the Grand Palace itself. Plenty of routes to take off the beaten path but the door to her room was not on one of those narrow hallways, and as such, it meant far less when nightfall came. Some children were afraid of the dark or monsters in their closet; Genya still feared nightfall, though the darkness itself had always been a savior for her.
“Left in the cabin you were raised in. Sounds...well it sounds.... Let me have a look at you.”
Turning the redhead scanned her amber-colored eyes over every centimeter of the woman that seemed to have captured the silvery illumination of the moon itself and made corporeal in form. The dress fit perfectly, and Genya nodded to herself, as she slowly began to walk around Isireal, appraising her, taking in everything that she was. Her physical looks yes, how could she not, but the Tailor continued her survey, stepping in close, not only to see Isireal’s fine skin but to see how well the other woman would handle proximity. Nodding to herself, she turned back to the vanity and smiled over her shoulder for a moment, there was a hint of sadness and a hint of irritation, but mostly there was pride.
“I am not a queen. I...am a Tailor.”
She said it as though that explained anything at all, and snapped her fingers only to point at the luxurious stuffed velvet chair.
“Sit. And I’ll show you. It won’t hurt.. Much.”
The faintest twitch at the corner of her mouth was the only real telltale sign that she was teasing...sort of.
“And when I am through, there will be no doubt of the power you wield, no one will question your legacy nor your position in this new world for you. You will not be weak...you will be an inspiration, and you will awe, but you will not be weak.”
The ferocity that snuck into her statement surprised the usually cool and aloof Genya, and she stepped back to looking over the silvery white of the long tresses behind her. Looking at Isireal in the mirror she smiled a little.
“Relax. General Kirigan is a man of his word. He would not have brought you here, nor told the king, if he didn’t have a means of keeping you safe. But you have to do your part. You will be taught how to hone your power, but also I will be here to teach you how to fit into the world around you, this new world. Grisha, we have different rules than the Otkazat'sya do. We all have the same basic manners but there are unspoken rules, expectations, and demands that are put upon all of us, that we learn here as children. You missed that particular section of the curriculum, so Remedial Grisha Sociology for you. Now...let me work, I promise you won’t be disappointed. And if you are, well…”
Smirking a little she gave a dainty shrug of one shoulder and turned to look in the kit itself. Honey-colored orbs swam over the glass containers, it wasn’t until she found one with a single large opal in it that she nodded and plucked it from its place.
“I think will be stunning. Let’s see, shall we?”
It was more a question for herself, and Genya was simply talking to try and put Isireal at ease as best she could, while still...being Genya. So, as the Tailor moved behind the platinum blonde, she lightly ran her hands down the long length of hair adding a hint of iridescence to the silvery strands and nodded.
“Have a look.”
And while she left the blonde to marvel at her coiffure, she began laying out slight cosmetic items for color and luminescence. Very little would be needed, but just enough would add more than her weight in gold to the presentation. Genya was many things; Grisha, Tailor, and Perfectionist. Her charges never left unhappy nor did they cease to be anything other than stunning; this would include the Moon Queen, who required infinitely less work than the Queen of Ravka, and her sagging tits.
The gentle arch of a tawny brow was all that was given when the woman addressed the Soverenyi with such disrespect, and all that Genya did was cant her head to the side to further examine the Moon Queen herself. The fact that she did it in open company meant that it would be taken right back to the queen, and consequently to the King himself. Sighing, she nodded and closed her eyes for a moment, clearly trying to keep her tone even, while purposely allowing the other maids to see her exasperation with her new charge. It wouldn’t do, to be seen agreeing with the practically feral woman, now would it?
“Let her bathe herself. Anya, Marya Go, to the materialniks and collect the silver gown General Kirigan had made and bring it here. You two, go with to collect the jewelry. Make sure to return with the Oprichnik that are waiting for you. Those kinds of baubles will be noticed if they go missing. Now go.”
Sharing a glance the last of the five women in their mop caps edged with pristine lace scurried out of the room, and Genya waited for the door to close before she made her way personally over to the platinum-haired woman. Grey-green orbs looked plainly up at the woman from her diminutive stature, but there was no fear there, Genya was in complete control, of herself anyway.
“I am Genya Safin.”
Turning the redhead went to take one of the light fluffy towels and the velvet robe that matched with its double eagle monogram embroidered upon it, and laid them both within reach of the tub, which had been carefully drawn. Turning back to the Moon Summoner, with a graceful extension of her hands she indicated that the bathing room was hers, and then went to loosen one of the sheers that kept the archway partially obscured.
“And the news of your arrival has already spread, and the King...and everyone else, knows you are here. But this is the most secure building in all of Ravka, and potentially the world. Safer even, than the grand palace with so many Grisha on-site, Grisha with the powers to summon wind or control blood and hearts, even those that wield power over fire. There is also the Oprichnik, the General’s personal guard, remaining on site. There isn’t any way one could get in here, without someone knowing.” Or out. was the intended implication.
At that, Genya stepped aside to give the woman a bit of privacy to bathe and set to pulling the chair out at the vanity, when the faint knock came. Rather than given permission to enter, the Tailor made her way easily across the space and opened it, taking her kit she nodded.
“That is all. Thank you.”
Without allowing the servant a chance to protest the door was closed in her face, and Deian knew better than to brook argument with the Queen’s Tailor, she may have been a servant, but she was still Grisha. The kit was taken over to the vanity, and while she allowed the Moon Summoner to bathe in relative privacy she kept up conversation to ensure the woman’s presence in said bath.
“Though we don’t know much, like your name for instance. Most are calling you Luna Koroleva, now. But an actual name might help to keep a more ...human, reputation. I can’t imagine being the Moon Queen, is an easy thing. What is your name? Or a name you’d like to be known as? Nom de Guerre’s are not unheard of, General Kirigan keeps his true name, but if we were all as powerful as he, then I suppose it wouldn’t matter what our name was.”
A series of small glass jars were placed on the vanity, a hairbrush, a handful of silver pins, and a handmirror, also engraved with roses in a vine, while bearing the King’s seal on the back. After that, Genya did what she could do, and simply sat in the chair and waited.
“The General mentioned you were...that you left a particularly wooded area in Ravka. He was discreet not to say where, but I anticipate it is the Haunted Forests near Ryevost, at the foot of the Petrazoi mountains. I can’t imagine you’d be too far north, as you’d freeze to death, or too far south, given how relentlessly the Shu guard their mountains. Not to worry, he didn’t tell everyone about the forest, it’s easier to keep you ethereal if you aren’t thought to be completely feral. But between you and I, I think a little feral would probably do you well in the coming days.”
Whether she meant the path that had been laid out for her by Kirigan or her personal relationship with herself remained to be seen. Regardless, Genya had run out of things to say, and as such, run out of patience, which meant that the Moon Summoner had just had her last bit of privacy ended.
There had been talk, whispers about the Moon Summoner for years, rumors and gossip, old wives tales, etc; and she was no different than the mythical creatures of Morozova. Tales of men seeing themselves in the forest, tales of a ghostly figure that haunted a specific forest in a specific place. Genya had never put much stock in fairytales, as her own innocence for such things had been robbed from her at thirteen, so when General Kirigan announced he was going to find her, well, Genya gave pause.
Kirigan didn’t go on wild goose chases, Kirigan didn’t waste valuable time or energy or manpower on anything that wasn’t going to benefit him, benefit the Grisha; as such Genya, being a part of the inner circle, gave her nod, and headed straight for the Little Palace’s library. Locating the book of Saints and one on the mythical creatures, another on religious theory, she sat down to study and find some truth in Kirigan’s logic. There were few references as to a Moon Summoner, but plenty about the Sun Summoner. But if there was a shadow summoner, and supposedly a Sun Summoner, it stood to reason that the Moon would not be left out. So instead, once she found the few passages relating to the Grisha of Lore, it was enough for her and she snapped her book shut and stood. Returning the books to their proper homes on the shelves, Genya set out to begin her own preparations for the coming surprise that awaited Os Alta, and the rest of the World.
It had taken a week for Kirigan and his selected Trackers to locate the woman. Lo and behold she had been brought to the Little Palace, and Genya, having been prepared marched her staff from the Grand Palace, and up the stairs to the Moon’s Suite. She didn’t knock, instead, the door was simply had the door opened by one of the materialki’s, and she and her staff invaded the suite. Looking around, not at the actual decor itself, but for the woman, she was to prepare, and when she laid eyes on her for the first time she blinked and stopped for the span of a single heartbeat. The woman was beautiful, even in her wild state.
“Up.”
Was all she gave in greeting and nodded her head in the direction of some of the staff.
“You two, draw a bath…” Pausing to look over the woman, “a hot one. We’re going to need some help. You, fetch my kit and be careful this time, I don’t want to have to tell the Queen about your accidentally clumsy fingers again, hmm?”
With a soft flush and a glower, the woman sped out the door to do the Tailor’s bidding.
“I said...up.”
And with that two of the other women flanked the bed and ripped the blankets back, all but hauling her out.
The beauty of the other woman, ethereal in nature, was not lost on the redhaired Grisha, rather it was a point of awe and contention. Genya had no rival for her beauty in all of Os Alta, being a tailor did have its advantages, but this woman, born of the moon itself and its illuminating glory was her match; and Genya did not like it one bit. And while the woman couldn’t help how she looked, Genya could, and the petty idea of deforming the woman, eased her envy some, not that she would go through with it, of course. However, that didn’t stop the redhead from catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror and giving an infinitesimal nod of approval, before turning to her new charge.
“General Kirigan has given me an hour to make you presentable for him, the court, and more importantly, the king.”
Genya gave the woman another critical once over, the jealousy was tamped down, and in its place was her fierce sense of perfectionism when it came to her job, and her gift. So the woman had a natural beauty, good that would make the Tailor’s job easier, in theory. Turning to one of the few assistants that remained, she spoke with a confidence that brooked no argument.
“Tell General Kirigan I’m going to need at least an extra half an hour. She needs more work than I thought.” Rolling her grey-green eyes and she gave a huff and snapped her fingers twice in front of the woman’s eyes as she stood gawking at the Moon Summoner. “Oh for Saint’s Sake. Focus, Deian! Go. Tell General Kirigan more time is needed, and if you get distracted or forget remember it is a team effort. Now. Off you go.”
An exasperated sigh was given as she snapped her fingers at the remaining two women coming from the bath and pointed at the Moon Summoner. She’d have to say her name eventually, and while the General had given it to her, she refused to use it in her head yet. Moon Summoner made it less personal, but it was going to get more personal than even she could imagine, very personal.
