It was getting late in the day at the monastery not far away in a village close to Elbion.
The monastery is situated in the midst of a clearing in the woods surrounded by streams and rivers, the buildings made of stone and wood construction and decorated with pillars and statues of dragons and other beasts.
The monks were saying their prayers and preparing for their evening meditations as the sun began its decent towards the mountains, the cooks preparing the evening meals and the priestesses tending to the children and other orphans cared for by the monastery.
But Syn Ba'al couldn't see any of this.
She sat on the stone steps by the well in the middle of the courtyard with a small whittled carving in her hands and a smug faced boy about her age standing nearby to hear her verdict on his handiwork.
Syn sat facing straight ahead, her eyes covered by her metal visor, she wore a simple brown tunic which she didn't mind since she couldn't see to care how she looked anyways, her golden locks hung loose about her shoulders and down her back and her feet covered by fine leather boots with padding in the toes and shin to protect her from tripping or stubbing her toes.
She ran her fingers over the little carved bust of what she could at least discern as a female, her fingers able to make out the long hair the reached her shoulders and the unfinished but fine features of the face, what confused her is when her fingers traveled down the shoulders and chest area that were included in the bust, both the shoulders and chest being both broad and... buxom?
She could hear some of the other children were watching from a distance at the edge of the inner courtyard, evidently also waiting to hear her verdict of what she thought of this work of art.
After conducting her thorough investigation she handed it back to the boy, "It seems to me to be a rather Amazonian depiction of a woman, perhaps a fantasy of Sister Beatrix?"
The boy took back the carving quickly, judging by his quick intake of breath and abrupt movements he was probably blushing hard, and his tone of voice affirmed this when he cried out in dismay, "It's not a woman at all Syn! and certainly not a fancy of Sister Beatrix! It's meant to be a hero of old! and everybody knows all the heroes have huge muscles and long hair!"
She gave a mock cringe at his embarrassed outburst as the other children began laughing, she heard one call out, "Even Syn couldn't tell it was a man! Your carving needs to improve!"
The children ran off, going their own ways before the dinner bell rain.
The children always ate their meals first while the priests took the bell as a signal to begin closing up their meditations.
Syn grabbed her seeing stick and stood up to join the children in the mess hall, she was only a little slower than the others out of necessity but she knew the layout of the monastery as if it was second nature and rarely got disoriented or confused about where she was.
She went to the mess hall to receive her meal which she would usually end up eating either alone or with some of the other sisters who cared for the children.
The meal was simple, a vegetable and chicken stew with a large hunk of bread, simple but filling so she ate everything thoroughly.
Nobody really talked to her during the meal and she didn't really mind, sometimes she likes to be alone while other times she couldn't do without social interaction, but she definitely liked being left alone to her own thoughts.
Elise Darkwater
The monastery is situated in the midst of a clearing in the woods surrounded by streams and rivers, the buildings made of stone and wood construction and decorated with pillars and statues of dragons and other beasts.
The monks were saying their prayers and preparing for their evening meditations as the sun began its decent towards the mountains, the cooks preparing the evening meals and the priestesses tending to the children and other orphans cared for by the monastery.
But Syn Ba'al couldn't see any of this.
She sat on the stone steps by the well in the middle of the courtyard with a small whittled carving in her hands and a smug faced boy about her age standing nearby to hear her verdict on his handiwork.
Syn sat facing straight ahead, her eyes covered by her metal visor, she wore a simple brown tunic which she didn't mind since she couldn't see to care how she looked anyways, her golden locks hung loose about her shoulders and down her back and her feet covered by fine leather boots with padding in the toes and shin to protect her from tripping or stubbing her toes.
She ran her fingers over the little carved bust of what she could at least discern as a female, her fingers able to make out the long hair the reached her shoulders and the unfinished but fine features of the face, what confused her is when her fingers traveled down the shoulders and chest area that were included in the bust, both the shoulders and chest being both broad and... buxom?
She could hear some of the other children were watching from a distance at the edge of the inner courtyard, evidently also waiting to hear her verdict of what she thought of this work of art.
After conducting her thorough investigation she handed it back to the boy, "It seems to me to be a rather Amazonian depiction of a woman, perhaps a fantasy of Sister Beatrix?"
The boy took back the carving quickly, judging by his quick intake of breath and abrupt movements he was probably blushing hard, and his tone of voice affirmed this when he cried out in dismay, "It's not a woman at all Syn! and certainly not a fancy of Sister Beatrix! It's meant to be a hero of old! and everybody knows all the heroes have huge muscles and long hair!"
She gave a mock cringe at his embarrassed outburst as the other children began laughing, she heard one call out, "Even Syn couldn't tell it was a man! Your carving needs to improve!"
The children ran off, going their own ways before the dinner bell rain.
The children always ate their meals first while the priests took the bell as a signal to begin closing up their meditations.
Syn grabbed her seeing stick and stood up to join the children in the mess hall, she was only a little slower than the others out of necessity but she knew the layout of the monastery as if it was second nature and rarely got disoriented or confused about where she was.
She went to the mess hall to receive her meal which she would usually end up eating either alone or with some of the other sisters who cared for the children.
The meal was simple, a vegetable and chicken stew with a large hunk of bread, simple but filling so she ate everything thoroughly.
Nobody really talked to her during the meal and she didn't really mind, sometimes she likes to be alone while other times she couldn't do without social interaction, but she definitely liked being left alone to her own thoughts.
Elise Darkwater
