"What do you mean we're leaving?" Lakshmi, for the first time in her young life, sounded genuinely distraught. She'd managed to convince Tyche to give her more lessons in mysticism and no sooner had she settled in to the role of student than her father had come to advise her that they would be returning home. Whatever nonsense had been going on within the Stormborn had now ceased and they were safe to return... Whatever had driven her aunt to demand they be removed was gone.
...At least this is what the young lioness understood from her father's words.
Thus she would return to a life in which she wasn't permitted to leave the borders, she was after all no Reaver, and in doing so she would never have the opportunity to continue with her education. The myticism she found herself so fascinated in would be lost to her and she would be forced to return to the mundane, but necessary training, as a standard Stormborn priestess.
It was tradition after all and with both her mother and aunt coming from the highest echelons of the priesthood it would be unbecoming to avoid the profession. Alas, she would always feel as though she had lost something, that a part o her personal training was incomplete. She hadn't realised it when she was younger, when she had idolised the priestesses in her family, but now that she had come out here she realised that there was more to life than poisons and vague blessings of valor.
Their warriors could not only be given blessings of valor, but be reassured that even if they should fall through precarious means, they would always be safe. Their families might have the capacity to observe ceremonies they might never be exposed to. Hell, there might very well be other things she could do as she explored Tyche's teachings but it was clear that this was about to be cut short.
"As I said before," Tethys was being remarkably patient, despite the fact that he had now been saddled with more children. It seemed that another lioness had been graced by his presence and had cubs. Lakshmi's family was growing, and with it, so was Tethys's responsibilities. "The plague within the Stormborn seems to have passed and your aunt has indicated that it is safe for you to return. You were never meant to remain out here forever," he pointed out with a shake of his head.
"The Stormborn is your home and to be pulled away from it and your friends -"
"But I have things to do out here!" she protested, glancing between Tethys and Tyche. Unsurprisingly the Soul Priest had settled into the statuesque pose she tended to hold in the midst of arguments. It was clear that on this occasion the lioness had no intention of intervening, her neutrality was shining like a beacon on stormy shores. Infuriating to be sure, did she not want Lakshmi to learn more?
"Such as what...?" Tethys was aware that Lakshmi had taken an interest in Tyche, and he had noted that Tyche had been willing to continue her education, but this was a level of freedom that few Stormborn (beyond Reavers) were permitted and her mother wouldn't allow her to remain out here on her own. Suffice it to say that while he appreciated her curiosity, she was needed at home.
"My lessons, they don't teach this at home," she pointed out, her voice rising as her distress worsened. It seemed that today was a day for first, after all, she'd never actually wanted anything quite so much as this. It felt more like a need than a want at this stage, something that would help fill a crack she hadn't even realised was there.
"Teach...How to be a priest," he was being deliberately obtuse and took note of the half smile that had flick on to the statuesque priest's lips. So she was listening even if she had elected to keep quiet. Credit where it was due, he had yet to observe a moment when Tyche had overstepped, she'd always been very careful in all that she said and done.
"No! Well yes, they do teach that but not this kind of priestess," she motioned to Tyche. "She can do things that we can't, she can see things! I don't want to just play with poisons and wave you off into another battle, I want to..." She paused, what did she want to do.
It was at this point that both Tethys and Tyche regarded her with interest, she'd backed herself in to a corner.
"I want to bring a depth to what we are, I want to show what we can be," she murmured, her ears lowering. "They only look at us for glory, never for solace, never for true healing," she sighed and stared at her paws. "I want to show them that we can be more than that, that we can bring them a strength beyond what they already have. A comfort, a reassurance than even if things go poorly, they'll still find their way home."
Tethys's eyebrow arched and he glanced towards Tyche, was this what she had been teaching his daughter? The Stormborn Priesthood hadn't really been one to exhibit quite so much compassion, they'd always been practical and well equipped to deal with the more questionable. That being said, perhaps his daughter was on to something... The Stormborn were lost, their identity long gone in the midst of desperate lionesses who sought to bed anything that moved in an attempt for cubs. The majority of the Stormborn had forgotten what it was to be Stormborn and it had come at great cost.
...If a little compassion and divination could help to soften that, to coax them back to a path where the lionesses were reminded that Stormborn Freeborn were superior to anything outside, then perhaps that would be one small step towards reminding the pride of its identity and what made it great.
Perhaps a little compassion would light a fire in the hearts of those Freeborn who felt lost and forgotten regardless of gender or creed.
And perhaps that fire would remind those who now rested on their laurels that they had duties to attend to. Those in the highest ranks of the Stormborn were as much at fault as any other for they hadn't taken steps to prevent the fall from glory.
His assumptions were big and he conceded they were more than just a little naive, but he could see his daughter's point. It was okay to dream sometimes, but even then, if he were to uphold the very traditions he wished others would then his daughter would have to come with him.
"I sympathise," Tethys murmured gently and raised his paw to nudge at her chin. "But in order to preserve the dignity of your home and begin to make those changes, you need to be there to show that such things must be respected. To be an exception to the rule would undermine the very thing you are attempting to promote," he pointed out.
Lakshmi remained downcast, while Tyche had adopted a thoughtful expression.
It was odd where life's great journey took her, but such intentions were hard to ignore and it would be remiss of her to dismiss them. Lakshmi wanted to be the change, she didn't just want it to happen, she wanted to be a driving force behind it and the only way she could do that was with help.
The only way she could achieve that, was to finish her 'education'.
"Then the way is clear," Tyche said at last, glancing towards Tethys as she met his gaze. "I will go with you; I will be your 'thrall' as it were," she nodded towards Lakshmi. "I will ensure her schooling is completed so that she might seek to achieve her dreams."
"Thralls function as -"
"And when we are done," Tethys didn't have the chance to interject as Tyche continued. "You will escort me out and ensure I have clear passage home," she finished. It was a condition that Tethys had never been faced with before, and yet Tyche had provided them with a compromise he really couldn't ignore.
If the younger generations sought change for the good then it shouldn't be stifled.
He was quiet for a moment as he considered his options before he slowly nodded. He didn't know how he would escort her out yet but he would have time to find away, based on the progress of these lessons it would be quite some time before Lakshmi was a strong enough 'mystic' to make it on her own. That would give him the opportunity to come up with some solutions, but for now...
"Done," He nodded once in confirmation. The agreement was set between both Captain and Soul Priest. Lakshmi would continue to delve into the depths of Al-Siq mysticism and in turn, Tethys would return with yet another 'thrall' to add to the collection within his family...He'd worry about the rest of it later.
...Right after his sister and Kluna were done lecturing him about bringing more cubs home.
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