Worthy Core

Silence and quiet was a new experience for Deylia. Certainly, life in the 'leisure class' of a noble came with quite a bit more downtime than it did for the working classes, with time to read, walk through the gardens, or come up with schemes for seducing other well-off nobles who were probably not cousins. That leisure time only came however thanks to the behind-the-scenes efforts of at least a dozen various servants - maids, gardeners, house spymasters, and so on. Deylia may have held a particularly high rank among the maids of Sansie's household thanks to her close relationship with her mistress, but that didn't excuse her from the work her duties required. So all in all, being left to her own devices for a long period of time was a fairly new development for the woman.

The first day Deylia was 'grounded', supposedly for the purpose of getting to work on her meditation exercises, was not particularly productive. Although she attempted to display a calm surface appearance, knowing that Xenia could be watching her at literally any moment, inside her mind the trainee Priestess was wracked with grief. Grief that she had harmed House Perlin's goals rather than aided them. Shame that she had abused Xenia's trust, despite the opportunities the woman had granted her. Even fear, perhaps, that she could have inadvertently triggered events that would cause Kahlia to become wrathful with her, should she fail to uphold her efforts to become a high-ranking priestess of fertility.

She did at least manage to go through the motions of meditation, practicing the breathing exercises Xenia had taught her, but it was safe to say that she didn't come anywhere close to forming any sort of divine connection her first day.

The second day - or the first full day of her punishment - was at least a little more stabilizing. Her emotions had had time to calm somewhat, and Xenia came by to lay down the precise details of her grounding. She was allowed two one-hour breaks a day, which she would be able to use to leave her apartment and visit the forest on Floor Four or the new shrine on Floor Five, provided she didn't interact with any of the Challengers should they be in the area. Nor did she have many opportunities to interact with other members of the dungeon, aside from her two acolytes Fay and Lin. She was also provided with a bit of food and drink - not because she actually needed it, as a dungeon monster, but more because the act of eating was a hard habit for the reincarnated bosses to break after a lifetime of doing so several times a day. Having at least one meal a day had proved to be something of a relaxing experience for many of the dungeon's guardians, and Deylia was still more than a little high-strung following the events of the previous day.

Her meditation progress was still fairly limited her second day.

The third day was when things began to fully settle into their new routine. It was quiet indeed, with her only contact being an hour spent with her acolytes, who to be honest had little to talk about beyond a few bits of gossip that had been going around the inn. It was that afternoon that Deylia actually began to feel herself 'entering the zone' as Xenia had put it, the calm state of meditation taking her away from her worries, and causing her to briefly lose track of the flow of time around her. She perhaps only managed an hour or so of that state throughout the day, but the excitement of experiencing success did lift her mood quite a bit.

Day four was even more successful. Now that she knew what she was attempting to achieve, she found the meditative state easier to access, and was able to spend perhaps three hours or so during the day in a state of true calm. She still didn't feel any divine connection with Kahlia, exactly - but she did begin to get the glimmers of there being...something beyond her mundane senses, something close yet hard to reach. That success excited her even further, but now that she needed to waste less time on failed attempts to meditate, Deylia did start to realize she had a new problem.

Deylia...had no hobbies.

Oh, certainly, she had skills. She knew how to mend, wash, and even create articles of clothing. She knew every possible way of serving tea. She knew how to gather herbs that could be used for either cooking, medicine, or both. But now that she was truly on her own, it occurred to Deylia that her pastimes were Sansie's pastimes. Oh, her old mistress wasn't a selfish woman - she'd often ask for Deylia's input on what they ought to do on any given day when they had a bit of free time. But Deylia had almost always responded with whatever activity she thought Sansie would have enjoyed the most. Now that she was truly on her own - and confined to her room - she was starting to feel a bit at a loss when it came to figuring out what to do with the rest of her day.

It wasn't even her punishment that was the problem, or at least not entirely. Xenia wanted to punish the woman, not torture her, and had offered Deylia the means of practicing various creative hobbies if she wished it. She could have wood if she wished to carve like Trush, or paper and ink if she wished to write like Sincere. She could even have limited access to the dungeon's small library of books, if she asked for it. And she did ask for some of those items, if only to give them a try. She started on three different letters to Sansie or Raylin, before giving up on them halfway through. She did start on reading one of Sincere's memoirs, but felt more inclined to spend the time editing his writing choices rather than actually enjoying the work.

Despite her growing boredom, on day six Deylia did experience a breakthrough. While meditating, she felt for the first time Kahlia's divine presence in her mind. It felt much like her time in the Eternal Forest had - the warmth of the sun shining on her, the smell of flowers, the distant chirping of birds. She didn't feel anything along the lines of direct communication, or a lesson in giving blessings, but she was close now, she could almost taste it.

On day seven, she gave up on writing editorial suggestions for Sincere and attempted to spend her afternoon masturbating. She stopped at the second round, when a giant stone eye suddenly carved itself into the ceiling above her bed. Deylia wasn't sure if this was part of her punishment or if Xenia was simply pranking her, but the embarrassed Priestress quickly pulled her clothes back on and attempted to do another session of meditations instead, to mixed success. She did manage once again to feel Kahlia's divine presence by the late evening, but by that point she was too mentally tired out by the long process to stay in it for long.

On her eighth day, Deylia learned her first blessing. It was perhaps the most minor blessing granted to servants of Kahlia, a Lesser Blessing of Fertility. Its effectiveness was perhaps equivalent to an enchanted item crafted by an Initiate-class Enchanter, an improvement so small that such an item would be hard to distinguish from a charlatan's good luck charm. Even so, it still marked a rather significant milestone for the Priestess, and when she announced her revelation to the walls Xenia did make an appearance to briefly congratulate her. Deylia even got a small cake that evening with a message written on top saying 'Blessings Be Upon You'.

Xenia also made a side comment that Deylia had earned back her masturbation privileges, although given the smirk she was wearing at the time, Deylia still wasn't sure if she was being pranked on that matter.

The next few days passed in a rather relaxing routine. No more blessings were immediately forthcoming, but it had become easier than ever to tap into Kahlia's divine connection, and hours began to blur away with the sensation of simply enjoying the comforts of being in a peaceful forest. The only downside Deylia discovered was that the longer she spent in that state, the more she began to feel as if she was herself pregnant. It wasn't uncomfortable, just strange, at least until one day when she would swear she felt a kick at her stomach, which was surprising enough that it managed to eject her from her meditative state immediately. The sensations did fade after an hour or so though, so it just became another part of her new routine for her to deal with.

It was the eleventh day of her grounding that Deylia finally got her first proper visitor. Sitting at a desk in her main living room, the Priestess is interrupted in her work of providing further edits to Sincere's written Rainlander when she's surprised by the sound of a woman's voice. "Hello? Priestess Niyen? I hope I'm not interrupting anything, I was told you were available?"

Standing up and walking over to her entryway - a simple alcove containing a portal - Deylia finds another Priestess standing there. "Ah, Priestess Fullblossom! I am available, yes, although I'm rather surprised to see you here. I, ah...was under the impression that I wasn't being allowed guests at the moment."

The elf gives an awkward smile as she nods. "Ah, yes, I've heard a little something about your current...ah, situation. Not the details, as the dungeon seems to wish to keep it private, but I won't pry if it's something you'd rather not talk about, yourself."

"I'll admit to my situation being entirely my own fault, but yes, if you're here to discuss something else, I'd be more interested in hearing about that! Come in, have a seat...I think I have the materials required for some tea here in my kitchen, Xenia has granted me that much, at least."

"Thank you." Lilly makes her own way to the apartment dining room and finds a seat at the table, being rather familiar by now with the standard dungeon apartment layout thanks to her visits with various other guardians. She does take a moment to compliment Deylia's handful of personal touches though, and once Deylia's passed around her available refreshments and taken a seat herself, the Verdant Priestess gets down to business.

"So, we have a few things to discuss today, I believe. First off, I've been informed that you've actually received knowledge of a blessing from Kahlia! Is that true?"

Deylia smiles, happy that the meeting has started off on a good note, at least. "I have! A minor one, but actually being able to connect to Kahlia's divinity during my meditations...I was never particularly religious before, but now I think I would be even were it not my role within the dungeon. I wonder, is that anything like how you learn yours?"

Lilly shakes her head. "In most churches, only the highest ranking clerics tend to gain such a personal connection to their patron deity. Then it generally filters down from there, generally through the process of special rituals or ceremonies. I have personally felt a connection with Palain perhaps a few times in my life...but it was always a very subtle, short-lived thing. I rather envy the connection you seem to have with Kahlia, I suppose."

The rabbit-woman's smile fades slightly as she responds. "I'm glad for it, but I can feel how much of a responsibility it is, as well. There's been many expectations laid upon me...and I fear I have much to do to prove myself worthy of them. Ah, did you wish to continue our lessons on how I ought to perform my clerical duties? Now that I can include the usage of a blessing in the mix? Not that I believe I'll be hosting services anytime soon...even aside from my current confinement, I'm not sure a single minor blessing is sufficient for opening the shrine to the general public."

The Priestess of Palain considers it, but shakes her head again. "We should do that at some point, yes...and if you're starved for company, I wouldn't mind doing that tomorrow, perhaps - I'll likely be staying the night in the dungeon in any case. There's a different topic I wanted to cover for today, though. You see, ah...the dungeon's latest applicant has finally arrived. In Grassbrook that is, and they'll be coming up to the mountain tomorrow. Xenia did make it clear that she wanted a bit more warning on these things, after all."

Deylia's eyes grow wide. "An applicant? You mean that one Xenia's been attempting to recruit for the purposes of Kahlia's divine quest? That's wonderful! Assuming they're a fitting candidate, that is. But what's my role in this? I don't know what I can offer to the...recruitment process, given my current situation..."

"Xenia wants you involved when he and his wife arrive, actually. For one, it will be required that he use one of your rabbit-folk bodies, at least temporarily, and I've been informed that she wants you and Trush to be present to answer any questions that may come up involving that. Secondly...well, this will be a pivotal moment in two people's lives, a significant change they make for the sake of their family. Bountiful Mother Hammerdown feels, and I agree, that this is an important moment for you to witness. Given the unusual features of this dungeon, it's entirely possible you might be overseeing future such events yourself."

The woman swallows, taking a moment to consider how serious the responsibility is. While Deylia did sacrifice her own life for another, it's an entirely different kind of sacrifice than the one the new stranger is making - hers was instinctual, unplanned, and messy in more ways than one. Guiding someone making such a sacrifice with full understanding and intent...Deylia has to agree, it's something she'll need to see for herself. Nodding, she gives her agreement. "I think you're right. Especially if this is at least partly in service to Kahlia...I ought to be there."

Lilly smiles as she leans in. "Excellent. So, in the meanwhile...let me tell you a little about your new colleague, Parker Reeves..."