Post by Kella on Aug 7, 2012 21:35:47 GMT -5
Character permission Mama Meira
Name: Athas Byrne
Race: Duine
Age: 18
Height: 4'6"
Weight: 77 lbs
Birth place: Lodahn, An Domham
Appearance: Athas is of average size for a Duine in both height and build. His fur is a bit longer than average and so usually appears rather scruffy, especially the hair that tufts out in every direction from his head. His fur is a dark brown, and he has a warm golden mask around his eyes and down his nose, as well as a ring of gold around his shoulders.
He's nearly always wearing his goggles, either on his eyes or pushed up on top of his head, as he's fitted the self-made goggles with a variety of lenses that might come in handy at nearly any time. In the same spirit, his many-pocketed pants are nearly always overflowing with a variety of gadgets, gizmos, and tidbits. His favorite is an old battered compass, that somehow still never fails to find magnetic North. He also particularly loves his analog watch and combination knife-screwdriver-awl-pliers-etc tool. If it didn't take him so long to dig through is pockets to find anything, his dedication to preparedness might see more practical use.
His primary love in life is tinkering. Sometimes that means repairing, other times inventing. Athas feels most at home in his workshop, and is eager to share his creations with anyone who seems genuine interested in listening. The Duinne is eager to please those he likes, and is quick to take personal responsibility for the moods of his friends.
Athas has an intrinsic desire to explore, to learn new things. He's a romantic at heart, his wanderlust as emotional as intellectual. Athas is always yearning to pay his perceived debt for the opportunities he's been given, striving to make his friends and family proud, stubbornly unaware that they already are.
To his best friend, Cuinn, Athas is inextricably devoted. Athas is a staunch believer that you don't need to be related to someone for them to be family. Cuinn is the brother to Athas that most people only dream of having.
[/ul]
Occupation: Mechanic
Rank: Oibri (Commoner)
Skills:
Mechanical Repair/Construction
Tinkering
Spatial problem-solving
Ships/Vehicles: Fenian's Flight
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 5
Intelligence: 7
Speed: 4
Leadership: 4
Unarmed: 1
Melee Weapons: 2
Ranged Weapons: 2
Bio:
Athas was born like all other Duine children, no larger than his mother's palm. He spent the first few months of his life in his mothers pouch, and not long after, began to venture out with increasing frequency.
The world he found himself in was that of the brood; simple people, simple ways, and profound love. However, one day, little Athas poked his head out of his mother's pouch to see a much different world. The shapes were more complex, colors crossed with other colors in pattern, the people wore strange things and spoke many strange words. Athas's mother was loyal aid to a *Mac Leinn* couple. She'd cook, clean, and look after Cuinn -- the couple's son, who was about the same age as Athas.
Though Athas was generally a shy infant, something about Cuinn put him at ease, and the two Duine would babble back and forth while Athas's mother went about her work. As soon as they could walk, the two boys were getting into trouble -- climbing on things, stealing cleaning supplies, and playing hide-and-seek. Though Athas was a brood child, and Cuinn came from an especially bright line, they got along as equals.
Cuinn's mother was the first to take real note of this, when the boys were a year and a half. It was uncanny, how bright the brood boy seemed to be. However, it wasn't until the Duine woman overheard a conversation between the boys, in which Athas spoke just as eloquently a Cuinn (a relative distinction for eighteen-month-old children) that she realized just how special Athas was.
It actually wasn't unheard of, though that wasn't much of a distinctions when the hearing had a legendary hush to it. Every so often, by random chance, a brood child would be born with normal intelligence. It was a rare occurrence, usually with stretches of three or four generations in between.
However, to classify Athas's intelligence as 'normal' wasn't quite accurate. He would soon begin to show something of a genius with mechanical problems, and even as a young child, began to manufacture his own little gadgets. Simple things, like wind chimes or rolling toys, but simple things were magic to the simple brood.
When Cuinn's mother approached Athas's about his gift, the brood woman seemed entirely unsurprised. She beamed with a pride that said she'd always known Athas was special. About the matter, the eager mother had only one thing to say; "Skoo? Skoo for Athas, yes?" It was settled, then. Cuinn's mother would stop at nothing until she'd secured a place for Athas at the local elementary school, alongside her son. And to the great rejoicing of Athas's family, she succeeded.
When Athas started school, his and Cuinn's adventures only grew in scale and ambition. They made a little fort in a crag behind Cuinn's house, and protected under a sign reading 'No gurls alowd', they crafted their plans.
Athas did exceptionally well in school, as much because of his intelligence as because of his intense desire to please. Though unable to verbalize it, Athas had a difficulty understanding why he was different. He decided that it was simply because he had been chosen to be, and so always strove to live up to that choice, always feeling the distant, vague fear of letting his parents down. This was amplified when, at about age five, some of the other children began to give him a very hard time after learning that he was from the brood. However, Cuinn stepped to his friend's defense and in a very heated conversation with the bullies -- the words of which Athas never new -- Cuinn settled the matter, and Athas was never bothered again.
Though Cuinn was generally very well liked, and Athas kept much to himself and his family, there was never any competition for the other's best friend. They were as close as brothers, and each set of parents saw the other boy as something of a son.
Athas's school years began to pass like a flash. His only and favorite hobby was tinkering with things. When holidays or birthdays would roll around, he'd gift his father with new tools, and his mother with chimes made of all the shiny things collected over the year.
In no time at all, Athas's tenth birthday rolled around, and not long after, his graduation. Cuinn went on to college, then, following his Mac Leinn parents. Athas, on the other hand, followed his passion for the mechanical, and began attending trade school. It quickly became clear that Athas's self-teaching had already accelerated him far beyond the introductory classes, and even with an advanced courseload, he still learned incredibly quickly. Athas was quickly on his way to earning in two years a degree that took most Duine three or four.
However, not long after his early graduation, Athas's excitement was overshadowed. Cuinn had had a falling out with his father, Conn; one that Athas did not -- and never would -- entirely understand. Athas would never forget rushing gleefully home, wanting nothing more than to tell Cuinn all about his new job, only to find not his friend, but a note, saying that Cuinn would be attending another college for a few years.
The aftermath found Athas living alone for the first time, venturing into the work force, and attempting to learn the rest of the ins-and-outs of common society; and Cuinn's father simultaneously very much missing a son. Athas was incredibly grateful for Conn's mentorship, for as dearly as he loved his own father, and as kind as the Duine man was, being a member of the Brood there were simply things he couldn't teach Athas. Conn ushered Athas through those tumultuous changes of puberty, leaving Athas wondering desperately how Cuinn was doing all on his own.
For, as comforting as his relationship with Conn was, Athas missed Cuinn terribly. There wasn't really anyone else Athas felt he could freely talk to. Conn was a wonderful mentor for social and cultural matters, but Athas always felt guilty whenever he started to ramble about flux couplings or gear systems. With Cuinn, there was no guilt, for as much as Athas rambled about the technical, Cuinn rambled about women.
And so, when Cuinn returned a year later, Athas could not find within him any ill will towards his best friend. Athas was simply overjoyed to see things return to the way that they'd been, and the way he hoped they'd always be.
Athas's employment was going wonderfully, though first indications had seemed otherwise. It had simply taken Athas's boss a little while to figure out that imposing rote regulation and procedure on the young Duine was ignoring a huge potential for profit, and as soon as he'd begin to let Athas do what Athas would do, the boy's performance soared.
So much so, in fact, that by the time Cuinn was graduating, Athas was making a down-payment on a workshop of his very own, for a business of his very own, and the chance to work on projects of his very own. At first, these were only odd little projects -- he was still making chimes for his mother, all these years later -- or gadgets to sell. However, it wasn't log before Athas had found his largest project yet.
He was in love the moment he saw her. Never before had his eyes beheld such shape, such form, such sheer *potential*. She would be his.
Well, his and Cuinn's, anyway. No single Duine could handle the sheer power put out by a quad set of D-1,000 rocket boosters. She was in such terrible shape when they rescued her from the scrap heap, which nearly broke Athas's heart. But he would nurse her back to heath, and one day, she would be the most beautiful starship ever to grace An Donham's skies -- and the universe beyond.
Cuinn provided the money necessary to restore the ship while Athas provided the labor and ingenuity -- which suited Athas quite perfectly. He could never bring himself to tell Cuinn, but the other Duine was *hopeless* with a hex wrench.
For the next two years, Athas's labors were divided between his job repairing and restoring anything mechanical, and the *Finian's Flight* as they'd named her. When Athas visited his parents for dinner -- something he still did at least three times a week -- it was all he could talk about. Though, he knew that for all their loving nods and all the proud gleam in their eye, his parents did not -- and could not -- understand what he was talking about. But that didn't matter, to them -- they knew simply that their son was on the path to greatness, and their unwavering faith never failed to humble Athas.
The dream of the *Finian's Flight* was not the only thing to reappear from Athas's past. Her name was Kassidy, and she'd raised the most persistent objection to the boys' "No gurls alowd" policy. She was school friends with Athas and Cuinn, which is perhaps why being left out of their grand adventures irked her so. In the shuffling around between levels of school, Kassidy disappeared, and Athas for his part never expected to see her again.
And he didn't, not until she waltzed right into his workshop. His *secret* workshop, the one where *Finian's Flight* lived. He and Cuinn had been... finding a new home for a few more things no one would miss. They'd returned to the workshop, enjoying their victory, when Athas turned around to see Kassidy standing in the doorway. Seeing her sent his heart racing and all four of his palms sweating, which Athas attributed to simple shock. Athas dove towards a pile of spare parts, emerging with a dusty but still legible 'No gurls alowd' -- but it was too late. This time, there was nothing Athas and Cuinn could do to stop Kassidy from inviting themselves along.
She threatened to tell everyone their secret, first in exchange for a detailed knowledge of their plans. Athas and Cuinn hesitated, but obliged -- what was the worst that could happen? It wasn't like she was going to want to come *with* them.
As a matter of fact that was *exactly* what she wanted to do. Athas and Cuinn grudgingly annexed Kassidy to their plans -- because it was let her come along, or not go at all. There were times at which Kassidy seemed perfectly sweet, every type of considerate. These were the times Athas saw a glimmer of hope, a golden opportunity to propose that Kassidy might not want to come along at all, but her responses to these efforts were always like a verbal pop on the nose. Athas could have bravely handled the sickly sweet begging and the eyelash-batting, and he could have handled the vicious threats and blackmail -- but it was the combination of the two that absolutely terrified him.
It was a strange moment, when Athas polished the last corner of *Finian's Flight*. He stood there, dumbly, staring at his reflection in the smooth chrome for some time, until Cuinn asked him what was the matter. Athas was quiet a moment as the reality of the coming adventure sunk all the way into his bones. His final response was "Nothing, nothing at all," as a wide, toothy grin lit up his face.
Finally, all preparations were secured, and but one thing remained -- goodbyes. The trip to his parents began as all the others had -- except Athas had no idea when he'd be making the trip again. As he ate, he explained this to his family. That he was going on a long trip, into the stars, and that he wouldn't be back for some time.
His parents seemed to be understanding, but what his mother said next made Athas's heart fall. 'Tell all, next week.' She said, nodding happily. Athas explained that it would be many, many weeks before he came back. 'But still dinner, yes?' No, Athas said, no dinner. His mother's wide smile wavered, her eyes darted in frantic thought as she struggled to comprehend what this could mean, and tears glistened in her eyes. But Athas watched as she pushed herself back to a bright smile, as she assured him, 'Yes, understand.' He could hear in her voice that she did not -- she was pretending. Pretending so that Athas could feel safe to do whatever it was that he was going to do. Understanding only in that things were going to happen that she did not understand, but that she would be ready.
Athas began to cry, then. He threw his arms around his mother and she comforted him like she always had, with that vast, unshakable faith in her son. Athas then realized that he must refuse to feel guilty about leaving, because to feel guilt would be to underestimate the depth of their love. He would make them proud -- but no, they were already as proud as they possibly could be. Something, then, suddenly settled into Athas's heart, bringing with it a great peace. Good stories, those would be his mission as he explored the galaxy. Finding good stories to bring back to his mother, to tell her at dinner.
When it was finally time to leave, Athas embraced his father, leaving him the tools that he would not leave while away, and embraced his mother, leaving her one last windchime -- the most grand and beautiful of all, then gathered all the rest of his siblings in a massive hug and handed each a treasured trinket. When he left his childhood home, he did so without hesitation, having traded it for a deeper and more profound excitement for all the things to come.
Saying goodbye to Cuinn's parents was almost as difficult as saying goodbye to his own, though when he sensed a bit of tension between Cuinn and Conn, Athas realized that explaining the journey to comprehending parents came with its own challenges. There were more tears and more hugs, and Athas drifted on a surreal blur until reality suddenly became sharp once more, and Athas found himself in the cockpit. His heart soared, and not long after, so did *Finian's Flight*. Riding what struck Athas as the most beautiful sound in the world -- the healthy thrum of rocket engines -- the faithful ship whisked the three small Duine off into the great unknown.
Athas's mind was drawn into complete and total focus, tongue tucked forgotten out the side of his mouth, fur in its usual scruffy disarray. He didn't know how long he'd been working, but that was the point. It stilled the fear that got his heart pounding sometimes. He didn't want to be afraid, because that fear was nothing next to the reward of exploring.
Seeing to all the little details of the trip made everything seem so much more real, one piece at a time, one task at a time, he could climb this mountain.
He would need goggles, and that was the problem he had chosen to address next. Athas had only modest funds, and most of that money had gone into purchasing other supplies for the trip. He couldn't see spending any more money than necessary, and he was perfectly capable of making his own goggles. They were coming together quite nicely, and all the calculations for the curvature of the axillary lenses had come out perfectly. He twisted a tiny little screw back and forth, adjusting the tension.
There, that was just right. Athas slipped the goggles over his eyes and was extremely pleased to find just what a degree of magnification he could get out of them. He then swapped the lenses to a telescopic set, and hurried towards the window to try them out.
Sure enough, he saw crystal clear far into the distance, and in his excited sweep, caught a familiar figure. Cuinn! Athas grinned with excitement, Cuinn would love to see his new goggles!
[/ul]
Name: Athas Byrne
Race: Duine
Age: 18
Height: 4'6"
Weight: 77 lbs
Birth place: Lodahn, An Domham
Appearance: Athas is of average size for a Duine in both height and build. His fur is a bit longer than average and so usually appears rather scruffy, especially the hair that tufts out in every direction from his head. His fur is a dark brown, and he has a warm golden mask around his eyes and down his nose, as well as a ring of gold around his shoulders.
He's nearly always wearing his goggles, either on his eyes or pushed up on top of his head, as he's fitted the self-made goggles with a variety of lenses that might come in handy at nearly any time. In the same spirit, his many-pocketed pants are nearly always overflowing with a variety of gadgets, gizmos, and tidbits. His favorite is an old battered compass, that somehow still never fails to find magnetic North. He also particularly loves his analog watch and combination knife-screwdriver-awl-pliers-etc tool. If it didn't take him so long to dig through is pockets to find anything, his dedication to preparedness might see more practical use.
His primary love in life is tinkering. Sometimes that means repairing, other times inventing. Athas feels most at home in his workshop, and is eager to share his creations with anyone who seems genuine interested in listening. The Duinne is eager to please those he likes, and is quick to take personal responsibility for the moods of his friends.
Athas has an intrinsic desire to explore, to learn new things. He's a romantic at heart, his wanderlust as emotional as intellectual. Athas is always yearning to pay his perceived debt for the opportunities he's been given, striving to make his friends and family proud, stubbornly unaware that they already are.
To his best friend, Cuinn, Athas is inextricably devoted. Athas is a staunch believer that you don't need to be related to someone for them to be family. Cuinn is the brother to Athas that most people only dream of having.
[/ul]
Occupation: Mechanic
Rank: Oibri (Commoner)
Skills:
Mechanical Repair/Construction
Tinkering
Spatial problem-solving
Ships/Vehicles: Fenian's Flight
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 5
Intelligence: 7
Speed: 4
Leadership: 4
Unarmed: 1
Melee Weapons: 2
Ranged Weapons: 2
Bio:
Athas was born like all other Duine children, no larger than his mother's palm. He spent the first few months of his life in his mothers pouch, and not long after, began to venture out with increasing frequency.
The world he found himself in was that of the brood; simple people, simple ways, and profound love. However, one day, little Athas poked his head out of his mother's pouch to see a much different world. The shapes were more complex, colors crossed with other colors in pattern, the people wore strange things and spoke many strange words. Athas's mother was loyal aid to a *Mac Leinn* couple. She'd cook, clean, and look after Cuinn -- the couple's son, who was about the same age as Athas.
Though Athas was generally a shy infant, something about Cuinn put him at ease, and the two Duine would babble back and forth while Athas's mother went about her work. As soon as they could walk, the two boys were getting into trouble -- climbing on things, stealing cleaning supplies, and playing hide-and-seek. Though Athas was a brood child, and Cuinn came from an especially bright line, they got along as equals.
Cuinn's mother was the first to take real note of this, when the boys were a year and a half. It was uncanny, how bright the brood boy seemed to be. However, it wasn't until the Duine woman overheard a conversation between the boys, in which Athas spoke just as eloquently a Cuinn (a relative distinction for eighteen-month-old children) that she realized just how special Athas was.
It actually wasn't unheard of, though that wasn't much of a distinctions when the hearing had a legendary hush to it. Every so often, by random chance, a brood child would be born with normal intelligence. It was a rare occurrence, usually with stretches of three or four generations in between.
However, to classify Athas's intelligence as 'normal' wasn't quite accurate. He would soon begin to show something of a genius with mechanical problems, and even as a young child, began to manufacture his own little gadgets. Simple things, like wind chimes or rolling toys, but simple things were magic to the simple brood.
When Cuinn's mother approached Athas's about his gift, the brood woman seemed entirely unsurprised. She beamed with a pride that said she'd always known Athas was special. About the matter, the eager mother had only one thing to say; "Skoo? Skoo for Athas, yes?" It was settled, then. Cuinn's mother would stop at nothing until she'd secured a place for Athas at the local elementary school, alongside her son. And to the great rejoicing of Athas's family, she succeeded.
When Athas started school, his and Cuinn's adventures only grew in scale and ambition. They made a little fort in a crag behind Cuinn's house, and protected under a sign reading 'No gurls alowd', they crafted their plans.
Athas did exceptionally well in school, as much because of his intelligence as because of his intense desire to please. Though unable to verbalize it, Athas had a difficulty understanding why he was different. He decided that it was simply because he had been chosen to be, and so always strove to live up to that choice, always feeling the distant, vague fear of letting his parents down. This was amplified when, at about age five, some of the other children began to give him a very hard time after learning that he was from the brood. However, Cuinn stepped to his friend's defense and in a very heated conversation with the bullies -- the words of which Athas never new -- Cuinn settled the matter, and Athas was never bothered again.
Though Cuinn was generally very well liked, and Athas kept much to himself and his family, there was never any competition for the other's best friend. They were as close as brothers, and each set of parents saw the other boy as something of a son.
Athas's school years began to pass like a flash. His only and favorite hobby was tinkering with things. When holidays or birthdays would roll around, he'd gift his father with new tools, and his mother with chimes made of all the shiny things collected over the year.
In no time at all, Athas's tenth birthday rolled around, and not long after, his graduation. Cuinn went on to college, then, following his Mac Leinn parents. Athas, on the other hand, followed his passion for the mechanical, and began attending trade school. It quickly became clear that Athas's self-teaching had already accelerated him far beyond the introductory classes, and even with an advanced courseload, he still learned incredibly quickly. Athas was quickly on his way to earning in two years a degree that took most Duine three or four.
However, not long after his early graduation, Athas's excitement was overshadowed. Cuinn had had a falling out with his father, Conn; one that Athas did not -- and never would -- entirely understand. Athas would never forget rushing gleefully home, wanting nothing more than to tell Cuinn all about his new job, only to find not his friend, but a note, saying that Cuinn would be attending another college for a few years.
The aftermath found Athas living alone for the first time, venturing into the work force, and attempting to learn the rest of the ins-and-outs of common society; and Cuinn's father simultaneously very much missing a son. Athas was incredibly grateful for Conn's mentorship, for as dearly as he loved his own father, and as kind as the Duine man was, being a member of the Brood there were simply things he couldn't teach Athas. Conn ushered Athas through those tumultuous changes of puberty, leaving Athas wondering desperately how Cuinn was doing all on his own.
For, as comforting as his relationship with Conn was, Athas missed Cuinn terribly. There wasn't really anyone else Athas felt he could freely talk to. Conn was a wonderful mentor for social and cultural matters, but Athas always felt guilty whenever he started to ramble about flux couplings or gear systems. With Cuinn, there was no guilt, for as much as Athas rambled about the technical, Cuinn rambled about women.
And so, when Cuinn returned a year later, Athas could not find within him any ill will towards his best friend. Athas was simply overjoyed to see things return to the way that they'd been, and the way he hoped they'd always be.
Athas's employment was going wonderfully, though first indications had seemed otherwise. It had simply taken Athas's boss a little while to figure out that imposing rote regulation and procedure on the young Duine was ignoring a huge potential for profit, and as soon as he'd begin to let Athas do what Athas would do, the boy's performance soared.
So much so, in fact, that by the time Cuinn was graduating, Athas was making a down-payment on a workshop of his very own, for a business of his very own, and the chance to work on projects of his very own. At first, these were only odd little projects -- he was still making chimes for his mother, all these years later -- or gadgets to sell. However, it wasn't log before Athas had found his largest project yet.
He was in love the moment he saw her. Never before had his eyes beheld such shape, such form, such sheer *potential*. She would be his.
Well, his and Cuinn's, anyway. No single Duine could handle the sheer power put out by a quad set of D-1,000 rocket boosters. She was in such terrible shape when they rescued her from the scrap heap, which nearly broke Athas's heart. But he would nurse her back to heath, and one day, she would be the most beautiful starship ever to grace An Donham's skies -- and the universe beyond.
Cuinn provided the money necessary to restore the ship while Athas provided the labor and ingenuity -- which suited Athas quite perfectly. He could never bring himself to tell Cuinn, but the other Duine was *hopeless* with a hex wrench.
For the next two years, Athas's labors were divided between his job repairing and restoring anything mechanical, and the *Finian's Flight* as they'd named her. When Athas visited his parents for dinner -- something he still did at least three times a week -- it was all he could talk about. Though, he knew that for all their loving nods and all the proud gleam in their eye, his parents did not -- and could not -- understand what he was talking about. But that didn't matter, to them -- they knew simply that their son was on the path to greatness, and their unwavering faith never failed to humble Athas.
The dream of the *Finian's Flight* was not the only thing to reappear from Athas's past. Her name was Kassidy, and she'd raised the most persistent objection to the boys' "No gurls alowd" policy. She was school friends with Athas and Cuinn, which is perhaps why being left out of their grand adventures irked her so. In the shuffling around between levels of school, Kassidy disappeared, and Athas for his part never expected to see her again.
And he didn't, not until she waltzed right into his workshop. His *secret* workshop, the one where *Finian's Flight* lived. He and Cuinn had been... finding a new home for a few more things no one would miss. They'd returned to the workshop, enjoying their victory, when Athas turned around to see Kassidy standing in the doorway. Seeing her sent his heart racing and all four of his palms sweating, which Athas attributed to simple shock. Athas dove towards a pile of spare parts, emerging with a dusty but still legible 'No gurls alowd' -- but it was too late. This time, there was nothing Athas and Cuinn could do to stop Kassidy from inviting themselves along.
She threatened to tell everyone their secret, first in exchange for a detailed knowledge of their plans. Athas and Cuinn hesitated, but obliged -- what was the worst that could happen? It wasn't like she was going to want to come *with* them.
As a matter of fact that was *exactly* what she wanted to do. Athas and Cuinn grudgingly annexed Kassidy to their plans -- because it was let her come along, or not go at all. There were times at which Kassidy seemed perfectly sweet, every type of considerate. These were the times Athas saw a glimmer of hope, a golden opportunity to propose that Kassidy might not want to come along at all, but her responses to these efforts were always like a verbal pop on the nose. Athas could have bravely handled the sickly sweet begging and the eyelash-batting, and he could have handled the vicious threats and blackmail -- but it was the combination of the two that absolutely terrified him.
It was a strange moment, when Athas polished the last corner of *Finian's Flight*. He stood there, dumbly, staring at his reflection in the smooth chrome for some time, until Cuinn asked him what was the matter. Athas was quiet a moment as the reality of the coming adventure sunk all the way into his bones. His final response was "Nothing, nothing at all," as a wide, toothy grin lit up his face.
Finally, all preparations were secured, and but one thing remained -- goodbyes. The trip to his parents began as all the others had -- except Athas had no idea when he'd be making the trip again. As he ate, he explained this to his family. That he was going on a long trip, into the stars, and that he wouldn't be back for some time.
His parents seemed to be understanding, but what his mother said next made Athas's heart fall. 'Tell all, next week.' She said, nodding happily. Athas explained that it would be many, many weeks before he came back. 'But still dinner, yes?' No, Athas said, no dinner. His mother's wide smile wavered, her eyes darted in frantic thought as she struggled to comprehend what this could mean, and tears glistened in her eyes. But Athas watched as she pushed herself back to a bright smile, as she assured him, 'Yes, understand.' He could hear in her voice that she did not -- she was pretending. Pretending so that Athas could feel safe to do whatever it was that he was going to do. Understanding only in that things were going to happen that she did not understand, but that she would be ready.
Athas began to cry, then. He threw his arms around his mother and she comforted him like she always had, with that vast, unshakable faith in her son. Athas then realized that he must refuse to feel guilty about leaving, because to feel guilt would be to underestimate the depth of their love. He would make them proud -- but no, they were already as proud as they possibly could be. Something, then, suddenly settled into Athas's heart, bringing with it a great peace. Good stories, those would be his mission as he explored the galaxy. Finding good stories to bring back to his mother, to tell her at dinner.
When it was finally time to leave, Athas embraced his father, leaving him the tools that he would not leave while away, and embraced his mother, leaving her one last windchime -- the most grand and beautiful of all, then gathered all the rest of his siblings in a massive hug and handed each a treasured trinket. When he left his childhood home, he did so without hesitation, having traded it for a deeper and more profound excitement for all the things to come.
Saying goodbye to Cuinn's parents was almost as difficult as saying goodbye to his own, though when he sensed a bit of tension between Cuinn and Conn, Athas realized that explaining the journey to comprehending parents came with its own challenges. There were more tears and more hugs, and Athas drifted on a surreal blur until reality suddenly became sharp once more, and Athas found himself in the cockpit. His heart soared, and not long after, so did *Finian's Flight*. Riding what struck Athas as the most beautiful sound in the world -- the healthy thrum of rocket engines -- the faithful ship whisked the three small Duine off into the great unknown.
Athas's mind was drawn into complete and total focus, tongue tucked forgotten out the side of his mouth, fur in its usual scruffy disarray. He didn't know how long he'd been working, but that was the point. It stilled the fear that got his heart pounding sometimes. He didn't want to be afraid, because that fear was nothing next to the reward of exploring.
Seeing to all the little details of the trip made everything seem so much more real, one piece at a time, one task at a time, he could climb this mountain.
He would need goggles, and that was the problem he had chosen to address next. Athas had only modest funds, and most of that money had gone into purchasing other supplies for the trip. He couldn't see spending any more money than necessary, and he was perfectly capable of making his own goggles. They were coming together quite nicely, and all the calculations for the curvature of the axillary lenses had come out perfectly. He twisted a tiny little screw back and forth, adjusting the tension.
There, that was just right. Athas slipped the goggles over his eyes and was extremely pleased to find just what a degree of magnification he could get out of them. He then swapped the lenses to a telescopic set, and hurried towards the window to try them out.
Sure enough, he saw crystal clear far into the distance, and in his excited sweep, caught a familiar figure. Cuinn! Athas grinned with excitement, Cuinn would love to see his new goggles!
[/ul]
