singlelogbridge | Inbox: Ximilia

[He hasn't yet spoken it aloud, but it does have a name, and he smiles fondly down at the flute as he nods in answer. The dizi is no Chenqing, but it has served him faithfully all the same.]

Lady Luthien then. And this is Baiyun. "White Clouds" named after the place of her birth. [Taken from a beautiful bamboo forest nestled among the clouds of a room in Taeum. It had felt appropriate, given his understanding of "heaven" and of that particular bamboo.]

Tinúviel, of Doriath, is that a title?

A beautiful name for a beautiful voice.

[ her smile is bright as sunlight. ]

Not at all! We are often given another name than the one we were born with, one that describes us somehow. Tinúviel was the name given to me by one whom I hold dear in my heart. In your tongue, it means nightingale.

[At her explanation, he brightens noticeably.]

Fitting as well for a voice even sweeter than birdsong. [He gives her a charming smile.]

I've been here for nearly a year and I've never met anyone else who was given a second name in that way. Where I'm from, men have their birth names but they are only meant to be used by our most intimate of connections. When we are old enough, we are given a designated courtesy name. [His smile softens.] Wei Wuxian is my courtesy name.

My birth name, though I don't use it here, is Wei Ying. It's a pleasure to meet you Luthien. [He has missed introducing himself as such, even if he doesn't expect its use. It has always feel like an incomplete introduction. He's simply never trusted most others here to understand the importance.]

Edited 2023-01-05 21:34 (UTC)

[ she flashes him a bright smile at the compliment, before focusing well on his explanation — and though it differs from the customs in her home, there is enough of similarity that it is easy for her to understand. and besides — ]

So it is close to how the Dwarves of my home have it: they bear sky-names, ones they give to most people... and then dark-names, ones to be spoken only to their closest.

[ she presses her hand on her heart, nods her head at him. ]

A star shines upon the hour of our meeting, Wei Ying, whose courtesy name is Wei Wuxian. I shall use the latter, and hope that one day I may know you well enough to use the former.

[His smile already warm at her sweetness softens further, charmed at the kindness in her words.]

I hope you don't mind my hoping for that as well, Lady Luthien. [He winks and it is all boyish charm before he continues on.]

I must admit I like the sound of Sky-names and dark-names. It's very poetic. [And he might have it backwards, but he can guess at an understanding of it. Sky-names must be open for everyone to see, while dark-names existed in secret, whispered only to those closest. It's the first he's heard of a culture with similar traditions to his own.]

[ her answering smile is bright — there is no objection to calling her lady, either, for that is how most would have, back home, and there's a nice familiarity to it. ]

So do I. [ she breathes a laugh. ] I confess I should not be aware of it, however, for dwarves are terribly secretive of their customs... but my father enlisted their help in building our home, and so we had much contact with them over the centuries.

[He is on the cusp of asking what a dwarf is, entirely unfamiliar with the people (because they can only be a people from what she's described though whether they are human or something else entirely remains to be seen) when the rest of her words click into place.] Ah, did you say centuries?

[Well then.] Have I been speaking so casually to a celestial immortal, Lady?

Hardly celestial, [ comes her answer, with a tinkling laugh. ]

But elves do not age, nor are we touched by illness. My years reach back thirty centuries, and yet it pales in comparison to many in Doriath.

[Thirty centuries. He looks dumbstruck for a moment, his jaw fallen open just a little before he realizes and slams it closed. His cheeks tint pink.]

I. Um. [Sorry Luthien, usually when he teases beautiful women about being celestial goddesses, they aren't actually. (She might not be a celestial goddess, but it's certainly the closest he's ever come to one.]

It's me the star shines upon then, Lady Luthien, for the honor of meeting you. [He gets himself together finally and offers her a boyish smile.]

Is everyone in your world so long lived?

[ in all truth, she is more celestial than the other elves — her mother is, after all, one of the maiar, a being of divine origin.

quickly, she reaches out, touches her fingertips on the back of his hand, as if to reassure. ]

Please, forgive me if I startled you. I forget not everyone is used to the elven ways.

[ however — ] Nay, it is only us elves, the firstborn of the One, who will not yield to time. The race of Men will pass beyond the borders of our world once their time comes.

[It's impossible not to smile back at such a sweet face and gesture and he quickly waves off her entirely unnecessary apology.]

In my world there are mortal men and women who may ascend to immortality, and there are the immortal gods who govern the realm, but there are no elves. [He pauses.] That I know of! It's a vast world with all sorts of unknown wonders, so who knows!

Men who may ascend to immortality?

[ her face does something complicated at that, shifting from surprise to hope to sorrow — if only those in her world could, too! if only they could have begged the valar to grant beren a life like hers, so they would always be reunited in the halls of mandos. but his spirit has now left middle-earth, and she may never follow it. ]

The differences are great indeed, then, [ she says eventually, with a small smile. ]

[There's a sadness in her face at what he's said that his heart aches to see. It isn't his place to ask after though, so he holds his tongue and reaches for a distraction instead, gesturing at his flute.]

I've been playing on my own for so long, Lady Luthien. If you're inclined and don't have anything else to do right now, I'd be honored if you'd join me for a few more songs. I can accompany on any song you sing if you give me just a few moments to listen.

[ she sees the distraction for what it is, but is glad to take it — a fool turns away from kindness offered, after all. ]

Yes, I would love to. [ and so she sings — songs of delight, made when the world was young and the trees still stood; songs of lament, for those lost, for the darkness covering parts of her homeland. songs of respect, for the stars, for the valar; songs of healing, ones that make the soul feel rested.

and through all of them, the sound of dizi, beautiful and haunting, sings with her. ]

Inbox: Ximilia

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puts a bow on this