2024-07-28: Birth and Death
- Log: Birth and Death
- Cast: Yuliana Kafim, Elisa Kafim
- Where: Palea Kameni, Santorini Caldera, Greece
- Date: 2024-07-28
- Summary: Elisa takes Yuliana to an abandoned volcanic island for her birthday -- where she gets to enjoy historical treasures, a defiant herd of goats, and a beautiful red hot spring. They both have a wonderful time... and they leave with some new pets!
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
It's Yuliana's birthday -- the anniversary of the Kafim's engagement -- and just as Elisa promised, they're going out on their date today. Palea Kameni is a Greek volcanic island in the Santorini Caldera; it's been abandoned for many, many years, so they're able to fly there using the Ghost without any fear of being spotted by residents.
(Except, of course, for the resident wild goat population. There have been wild goats on Palea Kameni for centuries -- the locals nearby visit to make sure they're well, after disasters. It's colloquially known as 'Goat Island'... not quite as catchy as the Cat Islands of Japan, but just as fondly regarded.)
It wasn't always abandoned, though. There's an ancient military listening station high up on the island, abandoned in the Pre-Universal Century; even more venerable is the church on the island, and in various states of antiquity, several shelters have been built across it. Elisa may well remember the delight Yuliana took in visiting old places, a passion which inspired the creation of the Silent Castle -- and it's just as clear here. She has a grand old time exploring the listening post and pointing out the devices lost to history and progress, and when they get to the church --
"Ahhh! El~yul~aaa, look at this! This must be the church of Agios Nikolaos... it would surely be a thousand years old by this point!" It looks that way; the volcanic material it's made from has turned it stark white over the centuries, and several parts are crumbling, inside, but the architecture remains stunning.
She lays a hand on the wall, looking up at the carvings on the ceiling. "Even after the island was abandoned, this church kept standing... oh, isn't it magnificent?"
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
Of course Elisa remembers Yuliana's delight.
The Ghost gets them there more than easily enough, and Elisa, as she walks, happens to marvel at the goats. "They are quite hardy creatures," Elisa notes on the way there. "Able to sustain themselves in harsh environments... And to climb so stubbornly!"
Elisa likes goats, apparently.
But the military listening station is also of interest--Elisa does a quick scrying to ensure it is abandoned as it should be--and then lets Yuliana guide her through all the interesting devices and business there.
"It certainly must be," Elisa says of the church. "What fascinating materials..." Yes, many things are crumbling, but inside it is beautiful. Elisa commits it to memory.
It gives her ideas.
"Magnificent," Elisa agrees. "Testament to construction... To creation!"
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
"Aren't they just darling?" Yuliana asks, of the goats. "Apparently, these goats have lived here for three hundred years!" They had a steward, once; he's long, long since dead.
She obligingly waits for Elisa's scrying to make sure the island is abandoned before she goes traipsing into the buildings, of course. But the outpost is delightful, and so is the church.
Yuliana turns to her wife with a sly smile, as she takes her by the hand. "Perhaps later," she says, weaving her fingers between Elisa's, "we can really make this a place of worship... it's a marvellous testament." She squeezes her hand, looking up to her wife, before she tugs her along out of the building.
"But before that -- I saw something interesting behind here!" She explains, brightly, as she goes.
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
Elisa will not meddle with the construction of this church today--but she may use its motifs. She may let it inspire a different creation. ...It has survived on its own so long; she will let it remain.
"Hmmm," Elisa replies, a small smile spreading on her face. "Yes," she agrees. "Perhaps later this would be quite a fine thing to do."
She smiles at Yuliana, and starts forward. "Interesting? Well, I do like interesting things..."
Yuliana may notice; Elisa has come alive on this trip, more than usual. It could be a mystery why, or perhaps not.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Yuliana's smile is positively sultry, hearing Elisa's agreement -- but it shifts to something brighter, as she tugs Elisa out of the church by their joined hands.
And really, why wouldn't Elisa come alive, on a date with her wife? Yuliana is certainly more vivacious, spending time with her one and only.
They pass one of those wild goats as Yuliana takes them across the rocks; it bleats out a warning, flashing its horns, but Yuliana doesn't stop to do glorious goat battle. No -- she brings Elisa around the back of the church, to gesture out to --
-- it's a bay which sinks deep into the volcanic island, and the water, at its mouth, is as blue as one would expect it to be. That blue water laps at the the foundations of the church, rising sea levels creeping up to claim it. But as the water sinks into the lagoon, it turns red; an almost bloody colour, stained and oxidised by the minerals in the water, and steaming hot from recent volcanic activity.
(Geologically recent, anyway. Rocks measure time differently to men.)
"Look, Elya!" Yuliana says, bubbling with her own excitement. "Hot springs!"
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
Out of the church, past the goats. Elisa also does not stop to do goat battle, though perhaps she will take some of them with her when they leave. Instead, Yuliana gestures out to the bay, and the blue water that laps to the church... that turns red. Nearly bloody. Steaming hot.
Elisa would call it 'recent'.
"Hot springs," Elisa agrees. "They are beautiful. Almost as beautiful as you are, my darling." A pause. "Would you like to take a dip? I will ensure that it is safe."
Elisa looks back tot he goats, to the church, to the island. "...This is a special place," she decides.
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Gods measure time differently to men, too.
The goat bleats challenge after Elisa as she goes, unwitting as to her desires. His war-cry is replaced by the bubbling and steaming of water, bleeding from the heart of the volcanic island.
None of the usual aquatic life lives in these waters; like some sick echo of the South Pole, those oxidised red waters abjure fish and eels and even, tragically, crabs. That isn't to say there's no life in there, of course -- life-forms adapted to sulfuric and harsh conditions are surely thriving down there -- but those creatures aren't visible to the naked eye.
Except, of course, for Yuliana, who enthusiastically responds: "Of course! I love hot springs! They're so relaxing...!!"
That goat is still grumpy, when Elisa looks back to it. Yuliana smiles, looking back over the island, as well. "It is, isn't it?" She asks, warm as the water. (Elisa will at least find that it isn't scaldingly hot.) "These volcanic islands are always so lovely... it's life born from violence."
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
The goat will come to know, in time. Or he will not. It is all there is.
Elisa is fond of those invisible life forms, in their way, hardy as they are. They're not crabs, but they are interesting nevertheless.
But Yuliana is far more. "They are," Elisa agrees. "We shall see then." She looks to the goat, and smiles. Then she looks to the water, steps towards it, and puts her hand inside. It is not so hot that it would be a danger to her wife. And they are alone.
"Yes, these are safe," she says, and then smiles to Yuliana. "Yes. ..All life is born in violence, of course."
"The tearing of the cell walls to reproduce, or else the terror of birth. The shattering of the eggshell. But these islands are most honest about it. From the violence of the very Earth herself..."
"Yes," she says. "I enjoy that observation, my Yuliana. You are so perceptive."
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
"Good," Yuliana sighs, and sets about removing her black robes. (A lighter fare than the ones they wear back home -- Summer in Greece is much warmer.) They're alone, so she doesn't have to worry about modesty -- though the water takes care of that, for her, when she sinks in below the rust-blood of the hot springs. The water is cloudy enough with those minerals that it would be difficult to see much at all... not that there's anyone around to catch a peek.
"Haa... it's amazing! Elya, come here!" She calls, as she leans back against one of the rocks of the springs, letting that hot water sink in through her well-worked muscles. "Simply wonderful..."
Her eyes flicker half-closed, enjoying the feeling of the water as she reflects on her wife's wisdom. "Ah, and you're right, of course... birth and death have always kept close together. I'm so glad you enjoy it, zhenushka... it's so easy to be perceptive beside you." Her cheeks grow rosy with the heat of the water, but surely there's affection there, too.
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
Elisa does the same, unconcerned. She stands at first, looking after Yuliana, and smiles when she finds a comfortable place. She of course must attend to her wife's safety and comfort first. But as asked, she steps into the water, approaching her wife without her tall heels.
The hot water penetrates into Elisa's muscles, too, warms a body that has long been chill. Soon, she will be almost hot to the touch. Almost.
"Do I make the world clearer for you?" Elisa wonders at what Yuliana says. And then, "They do. It is... vital, that bond, and most humans do not wish to think of it."
"But you understand. And now..."
"Mm. Yes, the water is pleasant."
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Yuliana floats over to her wife, slipping her arm into hers as she lets the hot water seep over her, fingers curling around her wife's own muscles. "All the time," she murmurs, her frills fanning lazily behind her ears, as if they could absorb the heat just the same. (Her snakes drape over rocks, under the water, crests fanning out to better absorb the heat.) "My mind is so often confused, zhenushka. So many worries, so much second-guessing... haa, even here. I'd be scared to get in this water without you, since it's open to the sea, and not just a nice little rock bath... but I know I'm safe at your side. And everything is so much clearer here... it's really a relief."
And it is notable, really, that Yuliana was so completely enthusiastic about jumping into this hot spring -- without any of the anxiety she's expressed previously about the ocean. Her trust in Elisa is total and complete. Even the horrors of her youth can't touch her, when her wife is keeping her safe.
She sighs, sinking into the water, still holding Elisa's arm. "Humans often look away from the frightening or taboo," she muses, eyes flickering half-closed again as she absorbs that lovely heat. (She's colder, these days, even with the medicine she takes.) "Don't fault them for it, Elya... mortality is difficult for anyone to deal with. But since I'm with you... I can understand it, Elya. Since I'm with you..."
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
Elisa leans into Yuliana, placing a hand on her arm where her other is entangled with hers. The snakes will be comfortable here; Elisa is. "Yes... I understand," Elisa says. The dangers of the sea are not to be underestimated. "I will keep you safe. You must only do as you wish to do."
Elisa does notice that trust; she appreciates it, even. It is somethings she will recall... But--
She sinks, too. "Mm. Yes... It was Kaworu who helped me to understand that, also. That if I am to explore this world, to understand humanity... I must understand their weaknesses as well as their strengths. That if I am to find affection for this world, I must find it in both places."
"So I will not fault them this. To be mortal is indeed an uncertain thing."
"But I appreciate your clearer eyes. Even if you say it is because of me... You are still the one who shows me these things."
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
"Thank you," Yuliana murmurs, her smile widening at Elisa's protection and the feeling of her fingertips across her arm. "I will. Unfettered and complete..."
Why wouldn't she want to exist at full volume? If someone has a problem with it, they can bring it to her wife.
"Kaworu is a dear boy," she sighs, smiling still. "Just as you appreciate all of me... it is good to understand them."
Her endless eyes blink open, to gaze over to her wife, lovingly. "I have always Seen," she says, "and you have always made sense of my visions. In this world, as well... we are complete together, Elya. With my eyes, and your wisdom... we could not do it alone."
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
"Good."
They can bring it to Elisa. Where it will end.
"Yes," Elisa says. "It is that way. Of course, none are so enchanting as you... But they have their points of interest."
Elisa looks back to Yuliana, and the smile on her face does not fade. She feels the water; she feels the air. She is Present, in the moment, against the not-quite-warmth of her wife.
"Indeed. Together, we are stronger. Together, we are complete."
"Only together."
"I love you, my darling."
<Pose Tracker> Yuliana Kafim has posed.
Good...
"Ahh, Elyul~a, you're so nice to meee," Yuliana sing-songs, when Elisa praises her qualities again. She hugs her arm, and her cheeks definitely aren't just pink from the heat of the spring. "Haa, a Goddess herself came down to take my hand... so I must be special! No one is more fortunate than me, with such a stunning woman beside me!"
She positively beams, to her wife. "I'm so glad you're with me," she says, brightly. "I'm so glad we're together... oh, the day you proposed to me was the best birthday present I ever received!" Because of course Elisa proposed on her birthday; of course she made the day about her into a day about them. And of course that's wonderful!
"I love you, too," she sighs, all lovestruck. "And I love these little outings... I'm so happy you brought me here, zhenushka. It's wonderful..."
<Pose Tracker> Elisa Kafim has posed.
Nice! Elisa praises Yuliana, and leans on her wife. She remains almost warm. "You are the most special," Elisa assures Yuliana in a smooth, sinuous voice. "My precious darling..."
She is pleased at that brightness. "I am also glad," she says. She does not comment that it is about them now, because obviously that is a good thing.
"Then we shall have more. And I shall remember this place--Remember it, to be special too."
"We need not go anywhere, either. We shall stay for a while yet..."
-=-=-
When they do leave, it will be plus a number of green-haired goats, who will no longer bleat defiance at Elisa in this world.