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“Do you know what a comet means?”
Elidibus didn’t put much faith into fortune telling. It was his duty to measure the world fairly. There was little room to be given to superstition and guessing. There was no meaning to be found in natural phenomena except their cause and effect.
Others were, of course, not held to the same standard. Emet Selch, always prone to sympathy and pessimism in equal measure, could see bad omens in anything that crossed his path. Unlucky names, a bird flying in a strange direction- nothing but convenient excuses to justify his own feelings as some kind of truth. Elidibus had learned a long time ago that “instincts” were inconsistent, so he’d set them aside completely when he accepted the mantle of Emissary.
His place was to see the world as it was. It fell to others to create, and to steward. To catalog and to remember. It was not the place of Elidibus to understand how the warp and weft of their creations became Etheirys.
Azem, though. Azem, the hero. Azem, the traveler. Azem, sitting across from Elidibus now and gesturing at the sky-
“They mark the passage of time. Like anything else in the stars.”
Azem laughed, “Is anyone counting but you?” The pity in their voice was put on, but came across with a bit too much honesty. “That one, mm.” The gentle streak of light barely registered as unique through the glowing lights of Amaurot, “It’s traveled further than we’ll ever know, imagine the places it’s seen.”
Azem could be so single minded, sometimes. Elidibus slipped off his mask, and tried to focus on the speck of light. “It’s rock, and ice. I can’t assume it’s seen much of anything.” He paused, giving Azem time to make their retort. It was something of a habit of theirs. Staring at nothing at all in the middle of a conversation—
“But they always bring back so many stories.” The tone had shifted. It was nearly imperceptible, but Elidibus noticed despite the quick smile.
“Well? What do they mean, then? Or are they just another traveler telling silly little stories?”
Azem laughed, always a loud and honest sound. Elidibus felt a content heat rise to his cheeks. He always counted them as a friend, and in moments like this he could hope Azem would call him the same.
“Always cruel, aren’t you?” They gestured for Elidibus’s hand, and he placed it flat on the table between them. Azem clapped their hand over the top, and gave a confident squeeze. “You’ll catch a falling star one day, though. You’ll learn a lot from that one.”
Elidibus pulled his hand back and fixed his mask back into place with a scoff. “Some of your famous foresight, Traveler?”
Azem shrugged, “Just a silly story, Emissary.”