Ten Ways to Pray
Spoilers up to the end of the series. Un-betaed. Obscure references. And look, I've managed to write a happy Kaimu/Alti !
#18 Space (Floe and Alti) - The Sky Is An Ocean
‘Aaah, it feels so much better outside ! I couldn’t stand it anymore.’
‘The dormitory is really too small for us. And there’s plenty of empty rooms on this ship that we could use !’
‘Perhaps we’re too used to this ?’
‘To the comfort ? The Arcus Prima was a real ship, and -‘
‘No, I mean, to the sky. To be free, to have this infinite space for us only.’
‘Maybe.’
Floe and Alti looked at the limitless sky above their heads. They were both smiling, lost in their thoughts. They knew their place was there, high in the sky.
#14 Complications (General) - Quarrel of the Ancient and the Moderns
It was a war, after all, and it’s well known that no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. However it’s quite rare to watch the enemy suddenly become far more dangerous than you expected.
There were darker, and somewhat bigger than the Simulacrum’s Simouns, but they had the same powers. For the first time, they realized how a fighting Simoun looked from the outside - a cold, beautiful, sharpened weapon.
And above all the questions their apparition raised, there was a crucial one : how can you win against an enemy using the same weapons as you ?
#38 Vision (Dominura) - The Two Ends of Time Are Neatly Tied
At first she didn’t see anything. She could only discern general forms, but nothing precise. Then her eyes caught a spark, then something else... And suddenly she couldn’t move anymore.
All she could do was watching, watching what was both her past and her future.
She saw this distant past, when people didn’t knew anything about the Simouns. She saw how she made believe them that the Simouns were the universal answer. How they gradually became dependent of them. How their cult was born.
Then she saw the war, and she couldn’t bear it any longer.
#95 Found (Dominura/Rimone) - Answer
‘I've been thinking about your question. See, if the Simouns haven’t existed, I won’t have known you.’
As she felt Rimone’s small hand in her own, she finally understood why she was here. It was suddenly obvious.
It wasn’t selfish to begin the whole cycle all over again, because even if it meant war, it also meant love. The Chor Dextra had tried many times over the years to perform the Emerald Ri Maajon without success. Because it was her task. It was her duty.
She had to build the future, with Rimone beside her.
#20 Promise (Floef/Vyuraf) - The Lovers That Never Were
‘Goodbye.’
Floef watched Vyuraf disappear from his field of vision. He hoped it was the last time he would see him, because the very thought of meeting him on the battlefield was more than he could bear.
He’ve seen the way Vyuraf looked at him, that light blush, quickly hidden, when he had talked about finding a beautiful woman. Better to stop it before it hurts.
Minutes after, he was on the Arcus Prima, running his hand over Paraietta’s engraving. Closing his eyes, he silently prayed.
‘Promise me I won’t see you again before the war ends.’
#56 Dream (Neviril/Aaeru) - In the Deepest of Night
Again this nightmare, the one with Amuria. She woke up soaked with sweat, shivering, her breath caught in her throat. Then something moved at her side, and before she could do anything, she was put in warm arms.
‘Aaeru ?’ she asked. Her voice was wavering.
‘Shhh.’
Aaeru gently stroked her back, while making reassuring noises. Neviril indulged in the pleasure of her Pair’s body against her own, searching for the warmth and the comfort she could give her.
Then, too early, Aaeru pulled back and stood up. Just before she left by the open window, she whispered : ‘Dream of me.’
#26 Lessons (Rimone) - Think of it as a Simoun
She never realized how it was difficult to explain how to fly when you’re stuck on the ground. She had tried to draw the basic moves on the soil, but even the easiest Ri Maajon seemed difficult this way.
She sighed, looking at the expectant faces waiting for her. It would be so much easier if she could fly... No, don’t think about it, she reminded herself. Dominura wasn’t ready, and her Pair couldn’t be someone else.
She stood up, taking a rock in her hand.
‘The first move is a fast vertical climb, like that....’
#98 Tea (Kaimu/Alti) - Afternoons
The old house seemed almost alien to them, even though it was their home, the one in which they have lived all their life before becoming sybillae.
But the garden was still the same as in their memories, and they could always be found there. Their parents could see them together, Kaimu reading a book and Alti playing with the cat. They brought cups of tea, sweets and cakes, and then stayed the whole afternoon there, talking and laughing.
Many things have changed, but those lovely afternoons spent between sisters haven’t. Come rain or shine, they would stay together.
#4 Belief (Angulas) - Famous Last Word
Her gun was trembling and her vision was clouded, but she could still see the bombs waiting for her. She couldn’t hear the cries around her, because her ears were already saturated by her own anguished mental cries.
She remembered Yun’s words, how she had wished at this moment for the peace conference to be real, even if it was foolish.
That was her duty as a priestess, she repeated to herself, but the words didn’t ring true. She gathered her courage, focusing all her thoughts on her shaking hands.
One thought. One name. One last word.
#81 Sunshine (Kaimu+Paraietta+Neviril) - Blinded
‘Para-sama, you shouldn’t look at the suns directly ! You’re gonna burn your eyes !’
Paraietta didn’t move, but she answered softly : ‘It’s too late.’
Ignoring Kaimu’s interrogating look, she remembered a similar exchange with Neviril, when they were children, playing together in her house’s garden. She could still see her worried eyes, hear her voice.
‘Stop looking at the suns, Paraietta ! My father says if you do, then you won’t be able to see anything else after.’
But it had happened ; she had looked at Neviril, and now she couldn’t see anyone else.
#18 Space (Floe and Alti) - The Sky Is An Ocean
‘Aaah, it feels so much better outside ! I couldn’t stand it anymore.’
‘The dormitory is really too small for us. And there’s plenty of empty rooms on this ship that we could use !’
‘Perhaps we’re too used to this ?’
‘To the comfort ? The Arcus Prima was a real ship, and -‘
‘No, I mean, to the sky. To be free, to have this infinite space for us only.’
‘Maybe.’
Floe and Alti looked at the limitless sky above their heads. They were both smiling, lost in their thoughts. They knew their place was there, high in the sky.
#14 Complications (General) - Quarrel of the Ancient and the Moderns
It was a war, after all, and it’s well known that no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy. However it’s quite rare to watch the enemy suddenly become far more dangerous than you expected.
There were darker, and somewhat bigger than the Simulacrum’s Simouns, but they had the same powers. For the first time, they realized how a fighting Simoun looked from the outside - a cold, beautiful, sharpened weapon.
And above all the questions their apparition raised, there was a crucial one : how can you win against an enemy using the same weapons as you ?
#38 Vision (Dominura) - The Two Ends of Time Are Neatly Tied
At first she didn’t see anything. She could only discern general forms, but nothing precise. Then her eyes caught a spark, then something else... And suddenly she couldn’t move anymore.
All she could do was watching, watching what was both her past and her future.
She saw this distant past, when people didn’t knew anything about the Simouns. She saw how she made believe them that the Simouns were the universal answer. How they gradually became dependent of them. How their cult was born.
Then she saw the war, and she couldn’t bear it any longer.
#95 Found (Dominura/Rimone) - Answer
‘I've been thinking about your question. See, if the Simouns haven’t existed, I won’t have known you.’
As she felt Rimone’s small hand in her own, she finally understood why she was here. It was suddenly obvious.
It wasn’t selfish to begin the whole cycle all over again, because even if it meant war, it also meant love. The Chor Dextra had tried many times over the years to perform the Emerald Ri Maajon without success. Because it was her task. It was her duty.
She had to build the future, with Rimone beside her.
#20 Promise (Floef/Vyuraf) - The Lovers That Never Were
‘Goodbye.’
Floef watched Vyuraf disappear from his field of vision. He hoped it was the last time he would see him, because the very thought of meeting him on the battlefield was more than he could bear.
He’ve seen the way Vyuraf looked at him, that light blush, quickly hidden, when he had talked about finding a beautiful woman. Better to stop it before it hurts.
Minutes after, he was on the Arcus Prima, running his hand over Paraietta’s engraving. Closing his eyes, he silently prayed.
‘Promise me I won’t see you again before the war ends.’
#56 Dream (Neviril/Aaeru) - In the Deepest of Night
Again this nightmare, the one with Amuria. She woke up soaked with sweat, shivering, her breath caught in her throat. Then something moved at her side, and before she could do anything, she was put in warm arms.
‘Aaeru ?’ she asked. Her voice was wavering.
‘Shhh.’
Aaeru gently stroked her back, while making reassuring noises. Neviril indulged in the pleasure of her Pair’s body against her own, searching for the warmth and the comfort she could give her.
Then, too early, Aaeru pulled back and stood up. Just before she left by the open window, she whispered : ‘Dream of me.’
#26 Lessons (Rimone) - Think of it as a Simoun
She never realized how it was difficult to explain how to fly when you’re stuck on the ground. She had tried to draw the basic moves on the soil, but even the easiest Ri Maajon seemed difficult this way.
She sighed, looking at the expectant faces waiting for her. It would be so much easier if she could fly... No, don’t think about it, she reminded herself. Dominura wasn’t ready, and her Pair couldn’t be someone else.
She stood up, taking a rock in her hand.
‘The first move is a fast vertical climb, like that....’
#98 Tea (Kaimu/Alti) - Afternoons
The old house seemed almost alien to them, even though it was their home, the one in which they have lived all their life before becoming sybillae.
But the garden was still the same as in their memories, and they could always be found there. Their parents could see them together, Kaimu reading a book and Alti playing with the cat. They brought cups of tea, sweets and cakes, and then stayed the whole afternoon there, talking and laughing.
Many things have changed, but those lovely afternoons spent between sisters haven’t. Come rain or shine, they would stay together.
#4 Belief (Angulas) - Famous Last Word
Her gun was trembling and her vision was clouded, but she could still see the bombs waiting for her. She couldn’t hear the cries around her, because her ears were already saturated by her own anguished mental cries.
She remembered Yun’s words, how she had wished at this moment for the peace conference to be real, even if it was foolish.
That was her duty as a priestess, she repeated to herself, but the words didn’t ring true. She gathered her courage, focusing all her thoughts on her shaking hands.
One thought. One name. One last word.
#81 Sunshine (Kaimu+Paraietta+Neviril) - Blinded
‘Para-sama, you shouldn’t look at the suns directly ! You’re gonna burn your eyes !’
Paraietta didn’t move, but she answered softly : ‘It’s too late.’
Ignoring Kaimu’s interrogating look, she remembered a similar exchange with Neviril, when they were children, playing together in her house’s garden. She could still see her worried eyes, hear her voice.
‘Stop looking at the suns, Paraietta ! My father says if you do, then you won’t be able to see anything else after.’
But it had happened ; she had looked at Neviril, and now she couldn’t see anyone else.