A Shifting Poppy

Shulamit

Shulamit goes to the city to meditate and hope that Beloved Friend Liar is okies, and also not upset, and stuff

- - -

You settle to the ground in a cross-legged position, inhaling deeply. As you bring your hands up to rest open-palmed at either side, you exhale, clearing your mind.

A glistening light begins to perk up from the Liar lyre held within your hands, a gentle juxtaposition to the black and gold of the instrument as your feel your inner smoke begin to shape and morph into hieroglyphs - a whispering voice beginning to murmur at the edge of your hearing.

You have emoted: Shulamit gently turns the Liar lyre over in her hands, petting it gently.

The whispering continues off in the distance, rising and falling in succinct tones before repeating itself, seeming to emanate from everywhere and nowhere at once.

You have emoted: Shulamit looks around, eyes unfocused as she tries to focus on the unfocusable.

You think to yourself: Words?

You have emoted: Shulamit stretches as she stands upwards from sitting.

You stand up straight.

A perfectly peaceful bedroom.

A painting of A Bear's Slide is proudly exhibited on a nearby wall.

You see a single exit leading down.

Glowing in tune with her words, you whisper, "Are you up there, friend?"

A perfectly peaceful bedroom.

A painting of A Bear's Slide is proudly exhibited on a nearby wall.

You see a single exit leading down.

You have emoted: Shulamit peers around quietly, trying to not disturb anyone by sneaking in.

Slowly, as if in response to the order you thought up, the words begin to make sense - though...you still cannot hear them. Instead, the words seem to come from within, understanding rising from your hieroglyphs despite your lack of understanding to their origin.

You have emoted: Shulamit closes her eyes briefly, meditating on the that within herself.

"My Shining Beacon...My Ivory Prism. You return to Me, yet you do not bear My gift. This...must be rectified. Though I am not Myself, the fury of the Abyss overtaken Me; hold tight My paradigms within your mind, and within your heart, that upon clarity I may return to be Me once more."

Mysrai graciously grants you entrance into the Divine Order of Mysrai, the Shofet of Abyssal Scales. Congratulations, and may you serve your God well.

In a flash of Divine power, a shifting, living poppy of ivory petals appears in your hands, marking you a member of the Divine Order of Mysrai, the Shofet of Abyssal Scales.

Glowing in tune with her words, you say, "Ah!"

Glowing in tune with her words, you say, "Ahhh."

You think to yourself: WORDS?

You think to yourself: Say something smart and elegant!

Glowing in tune with her words, you say, "Thank You, oh gracious one! I hope that the solvement of the thingies can be done, so we may speak with You without the fury! Er, that wrongs are righted!"

"Do not fret, My Shulamit, for even I am not Me. I am simply your own love for Me, as you see Me through the Maze. Hold fast, My Prism, and carry Me well."

Glowing in tune with her words, you say, "I will do my best to carry You, or be Your light, until You are strong once again!"

The voice fades away, but even as it does you catch the source of the susurrant whisper: the poppy now held within your hands.

You think to yourself: Oh! It's the poppy! I missed you poppy!

Glowing in tune with her words, you say, "I missed you, poppy!"

You slip into a shifting, living poppy of ivory petals.

As you twirl the stem of the blossom through your fingers, it curls abruptly around your wrist and settles. With a murmur, the petals stir, sending coppery wisps of resinous smoke in a swirling spiral about your wrist.

(Order): Aschwar says, "Do not fret, Shofet, I'll find it. I'm sure I left it here somewhere, I would't lose it!"

An echoing voice murmurs, "You are My Beloved - bear My token in pursuit of your True Will, that your dreams become real. Know that I am always with you, My Own."

(Order): You say, "Friend? Oh! I hear more again. Friend? Do you need help with a searching?"

(Order): Aschwar says, "M-missus Friend Shulamit?! You can hear me? I thought...I thought only me and the Shofet talked here..."

(Order): You say, "I...can hear once again. It's been a long time. It must have been lonely, friend!"

(Order): Aschwar says, "It was, ma'am, but I am...I am fine. I am just...looking for a book. A special book."

(Order): Aschwar says, "...now if I wanna be sneaky, I'll have to talk in the super secret place."

(Order): You say, "I think I must remember the super secret place, but that's been so long, it is a dream of a dream."

(Order): You say, "But, sometimes secrets are good and healthy! A book, though? I will keep my eyes peeled."

(Order): Aschwar says, "Well. I think if you're here, too, it must mean that you are supposed to be teaching like I am. Except...I am busy looking for things, so...I cannot teach very well."

(Order): You say, "Did you last see it within the Shifting City? Oh! I can...teach! Yes. You can search, since you know what it is to search for! Er, what you are searching for!"

(Order): Aschwar says, "Yes! It is a big book, with gold pages and a shiny black cover. The words are all written in blood, because that was the only way to put the stories down."

You think to yourself: *sweating mentally* I can teach!

(Order): Aschwar says, "It is somewhere in my big garden, behind my house. I don't think it's safe for anyone not me-sized to go looking there."

(Order): You say, "Oh, I see! I am much smaller, this is true! I could fall through many cracks, me shaped holes!"

(Order): Aschwar says, "Exactly! So...uh...I will go back to looking, and let you go back to being sincerely you."

(Order): You say, "This is a very good plan! You are very very smart, friend!"

You take a deep breath and allow your mind to calm, and your crystalline body begins to shift in colour.

You think to yourself: I will teach, and they will search, and maybe I will teach others how to be shinier, and maybe they will find more than just what they are looking for. In a good way! Like, maybe there's chocolates down there.

Slender lengths of brilliant, rubescent voidcopper enmesh themselves in a stem of flowing, calligraphic form supporting the nodding head of the blossom. A spray of curling, metallic leaflets support the delicate living petals of the poppy flower as the ivory segments nod and shiver together. Sparks of subtle rainbow light play off of this shifting artifice, little more than ripples of oil over water, and a curious murmuring of energies plays in the bowl of the blossom, setting the flower to a slow, shifting fluttering.

It is strangely weightless.

It does not retain any heat whatsoever.

It bears the distinctive mark of the Divine Order of Mysrai, the Shofet of Abyssal Scales.

It has the following aliases: poppy, pin.

In the light shining in from the stained glass, your poppy catches your eye, drawing your attention closer.

You think to yourself: Right. How did. This work. I...touch it? It's so delicate though!

You reach out and touch a shifting, living poppy of ivory petals.

Your vision blurs, and veils stroke your skin. Gazing through them, you cast your perceptions wide, seeking the attentions of the Thousandfold.

You think to yourself: Wait NO that draws Them and They need rest!

Glowing in tune with her words, you say, "Oh, uhm uhm!"

You have emoted: Shulamit fumbles around, trying to still the poppy and instead touching it more.

"Patience, My Beloved, for I am always with you."

Glowing in tune with her words, you say, "O...oh! That's true. The most true!"

You think to yourself: M..maybe it was listen.

You think to yourself: I think I heard of others hearing...oh! It was talking.

You think to yourself: Ah...it was...

You think to yourself: Slowness today, self. Getting better!

You tilt your head and listen intently to a shifting, living poppy of ivory petals.

A shifting, living poppy of ivory petals shimmers and shines as its petals crystallise in a brilliant display of light.

Resinous smoke crawls through this poppy in a variety of multicoloured hues, shifting in tune with the emotions of whomever chooses to draw closest to it, the smoke taking the form of hieroglyphs briefly before fading away. The crystal the poppy is carved from is that of an unkown source, its soft, muted blue colour only as deep as the delicate flesh of the flower itself. Golden veins run through the crystal, pulsing with bright, cheerful tones every so often.

It is strangely weightless.

It does not retain any heat whatsoever.

It bears the distinctive mark of the Divine Order of Mysrai, the Shofet of Abyssal Scales.

It has the following aliases: poppy, pin.

"Oooooooooh!" you say, eyes wide with wonder.

You think to yourself: Oh! It is very shifting!

Joy suddenly washes over you in waves, your entire body glowing a cheerful shade of citrine yellow.

You feel an overwhelming urge to look more closely at the poppy in your grasp as it looks...oddly familiar.

Resinous smoke crawls through this poppy in a variety of multicoloured hues, shifting in tune with the emotions of whomever chooses to draw closest to it, the smoke taking the form of hieroglyphs briefly before fading away. The crystal the poppy is carved from is that of an unkown source, its soft, muted blue colour only as deep as the delicate flesh of the flower itself. Golden veins run through the crystal, pulsing with bright, cheerful tones every so often.

It is strangely weightless.

It does not retain any heat whatsoever.

It bears the distinctive mark of the Divine Order of Mysrai, the Shofet of Abyssal Scales.

It has the following aliases: poppy, pin.

Out loud, you say, "Wait! Oh! It's me! Oh!"

Glowing in tune with her words, you say, "I'm a me poppy! No, wait."

You think to yourself: It's a poppy me?

You nod your head sagely.

The briefest sensation of warmth touches your forehead, hot skin against your flesh as the smell of cayenne fills your nostrils before it is gone altogether.

Glowing in tune with her words, you say, "I will continue to learn, and teach, because teaching is also good learning, and hug the poppy, and Beloved Friend, if they allow it, and thank you!"

You think to yourself: So many things!