Ensign Lyra Voss: Stonespeaker
Sarah Terry
((Voss Manor grounds, Bellonphain, Betazed))
They looked over the offerings at a trevella stall as Lyra explained their purpose to Ryden and Sol. These were particularly abstract - delicate shapes and swirls meant to evoke rather than represent.
Sylvax: Symbolic offerings for the fire. ::He picked one up carefully, turning it between his fingers.:: I like that. Letting something go with intention. It feels… appropriate for a festival about renewal.
McLaren: Very enlightened.
Taybrim: It can also feel very… freeing. Sometimes what we carry imprisons us. It is good to let that go.
Sylvax: Do people usually know what they’re letting go of when they pick one of these? Or do they figure it out once they’re standing in front of the fire?
An interesting question. Lyra had to think about her answer.
McLaren: I imagine it depends on the person... some people probably know the moment they pick up one of these... :: she held up the trevella, spinning it between her forefinger and thumb so it rotated slowly. :: Others probably take their time figuring it out.
Taybrim: I find that it also changes as you change – and the more you participate. When I was younger I would try to ferret out what was holding me back and plan fastidiously what I would give up. That… actually didn’t work so well, no matter how good my intentions were.
Voss: For me, some years, I know exactly what I want to get rid of. Others… it’s like the trevella itself tells you. You’ll see that some stalls don’t have anything on display at all - they hand you the trevella they believe belongs to you.
Sylvax: I imagine there’s a story behind that tradition somewhere.
They walked together through the soft grass as they spoke. Bright streaks of pink and purple cut across the sky as the sun began to set and the first stars winked into view. Her long, gauzy black skirt trailed slightly on the ground, and she pulled her shawl a little tighter against the evening’s cool breeze.
Voss: I think it’s… Betazoids have a reputation for emotional understanding. Not to say it’s unearned, but… sometimes, I think it feels like we spend so much time in other people’s heads that we lose sight of our own thoughts. When someone hands you a trevella, they’re giving you an avenue for… for investigating yourself. For finding the pain you might have tucked away and ignored.
Taybrim: For a society that is so closely connected through telepathy, the ability – and expectation – that you should let wounds of the past go is a critical part of keeping society and bonds stable and healthy.
The corner of her lip turned up. All of a sudden, she could see him so clearly in a counselor’s office. The warmth and openness he must have brought to his patients.
Sylvax: I think I’m starting to understand why you insisted we come tonight.
McLaren: Its a lovely night. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.
Voss: ::with a soft laugh:: They’re easing into it, I think. You’ll see people starting to gather around fires more and more as the evening progresses. It can be a… a heavy experience at times, but sharing the grief, the frustration, the sadness, the resolve… it’s what makes it possible to let go.
Taybrim: Some houses float the fires on the water so you can see them reflected in the ripples as they burn. Some make the trevellas like little balloons which float up into the air when you light them and eventually burn away to ash. Some have a massive cathartic bonfire with music and dancing. ::he thought for a moment:: Well, usually there is music and dancing just because we like music and dancing.
She had to nod - music and dancing were staples at every kind of event on Betazed, from weddings to funerals to dinner parties.
McLaren: Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.
Voss: There are a few different things we could do before we settle in at a fire. We could go find the band, we could grab something to eat at one of the food stalls, make our own trevellas. There may… ::craning her neck to look around:: even be a stonespeaker in attendance, if you’d like to see what your next year has in store.
Sylvax: Response?
Taybrim: It wouldn’t be a festival without festivities!
McLaren: This is quite the festival already...
Sylvax: Response?
Voss: Stonespeakers are… they’re part of an ancient divination tradition on Betazed. I can’t say I personally put all that much stock in it, but there’s a belief that the goddess Karawati literally became Betazed, like the planet is made of her essence, and that the stones can whisper to you in shades of her voice if you learn how to listen properly. Regardless of whether or not you believe, ::she shrugged:: it can be fun to participate.
Taybrim: Well, I’ve never been to Vestus of the sixteenth house before. So I defer to Lyra’s guidance.
She laughed.
Voss: You really are just trying to get everyone else to make the decisions, huh?
Sylvax/McLaren: ?
Sal chuckled with high humor.
Taybrim: I will contact my brothers tomorrow. Tonight I wish to simply enjoy the time as it is, taking in the ceremonies and music and conversations right here, right now.
Voss: Well then why don’t we start winding our way toward the food stalls and we can stop by a stonespeaker if we pass one? Last year, we had a baker come who made these stuffed, steamed buns that I’m still dreaming about.
Sylvax/McLaren: ?
Taybrim: If that is your tradition, I say we check it out!
She was always slightly uncomfortable being the one who made decisions for a group, but as this was her home, it did seem only fair. And they all seemed sincerely open to trying anything, so that was reassuring.
Voss: Great, well… let’s head this way!
Sylvax/McLaren: ?
Lyra led the group as they wound their way through the festival grounds. As early evening approached, the size of the crowd began to swell, and soon, they were wading through a sea of thoughts and faces. There was a low, persistent murmur of anticipation - so many people gathered with the catalogue of their cuts and bruises, ready to cast them off for good. In all the fuss of getting off the station, Lyra had barely even considered what she had to let go of this year. She’d have to discover it over the course of the evening.
Suddenly, her eye caught a flutter of emerald green fabric - the color of a stonespeaker’s tent. She pointed it out to the group.
Voss: Ah, there we go. If anyone is interested, we can go in?
Sylvax/McLaren/Taybrim: ?
They walked into the tent, which was lit with several sparkling glass lamps that cast shadows all over the walls. The inside of the tent smelled like warm earth after the rain. A young woman stood behind a table with a bright smile on her face.
Stonespeaker: Welcome, friends! How can the goddess help you this evening?
Given the preceding conversation, Lyra felt compelled to speak for the group. Thankfully, she and Azenor had gone to a stonespeaker last year, so she was familiar with the general procedure.
Voss: We… we’d like to hear about the year to come.
The woman nodded, and reached under the table to bring out a velvet, drawstring bag. With a delicate hand, she let the contents tumble out onto the table in front of them - stones and gems in a multitude of sizes, shapes, colors, and textures. They clicked and clattered across the wooden surface, and she swept her hand over them.
Stonespeaker: Choose your voice.
Sylvax/McLaren/Taybrim: ?
((OOC: Anyone should feel free to write for the stonespeaker! I thought it might be fun if anyone wants to seed some little bit of cryptic prophecy (or general nonsense, haha) for their year to come!))