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Bloom sent out her animal messengers a week ago. The messengers scattering across the retroverse, and a few to places beyond. Carrying with them her warm words of hope and invitation to her friends.
She knew it would take time for the messengers to make it to their destinations, and a bit longer for any response or appearance of a friendly face. They couldn't just arrive by magic after all, Bloom had tried and failed to place a permanent magic circle in the temple years ago. But the leftover disruption from Oph- from Code and Corruptions clash left magic a bit wonky in places, the Code never quite fully healing. So they would just have to teleport to the town nearby and trek down the road as they saw fit.
But the week turned slowly to two and she grew worried for her companions. It had been a long few years since they had last been together. Tofu still stopped by occasionally between gaps of her schedule running around the wilds with Gloxinia. Nhil had found herself delving further into the stories of her past, bonding with her half sibling in Shadowfell and spending longer bits of time away from the Retroverse. Tigs had a kingdom to run, Henri took over the Notes Nest and nearly had the theater back up to fully running function. Glint had started hunting down what corrupted creatures still roamed the plains, Glimmer tagging alongside them for fun and adventure. Expression got over his concerns of being reintroduced back to society, and went off to Jade to build a new life of his own.
Leaving Bloom to run the temple, not that she minded. It was peaceful work that fared well on her aging bones. Time had become a rather meaningless thing to the old gnome. With no more school days to track, just the occasional visitor who would offhandedly mention the day of the week. She was alright with it though, spending her free time reading the books all of Codes lives had left behind, and tending to the grounds. She declared herself the resolute guardian of the temple till a new one arose.
She found herself this evening kneeling on the floor before the statue of Code. Hands folded in her lap, not in prayer, but in soft contemplation. Bloom never prayed to Code. She felt Ophelia would never want to be prayed to. But she would sit with her and think, holding a loud idle conversation like the woman she loved was still here.
She was there wondering aloud if their former students would ever show. Maybe she should send another message to their doorsteps, or take a journey out to visit them herself. It had been a while, she noted, since she last stepped beyond these woods into a city proper for more than a supply run or to grab some new tunes.
Not that Bloom minded, her work here was peaceful, it brought good meaning to herself and the nature around her acknowledged she was here for good reasons. But the work also kept her busy, chasing away the few followers of Corruption who would turn up from time to time. Claiming their God was wrongfully captured and needed to be set free. They never lasted long in their stance against her. Not because Bloom was all powerful, but because these lands were Codes, and became hers. Because those children had no idea how to stop an arch druid when she was full of softly boiling rage.
Her wandering thoughts were broken as the temple door opened. The breeze making the candles she still preferred to use flicker gently. She stood from her kneeled position, calling over her shoulder as she rose. "Welcome to the temple of Code dear traveler. Please come in so long as you leave your fight and malice at the door. This is a place of peace, and I request you treat it as such." She turned expecting to be greeted by a stranger. Instead the door hung open, letting only the inky darkness of the night beyond leak onto the temple floor.
Cautiously she approached the open door, glancing out into the darkness beyond for any sign of humanoid life. Slowly she closed the door, shaking her head to ward off her own unease. "I really have been out here alone too long. I must have left the door open and the breeze just caught it." Satisfied with her own self explanation, she headed to blow out the candles to retire to the tower for the night. Pausing only long enough to arm the alarm runes beside the door. Leaving them glowing softly in the darkness, a soft green warning sign to ward off danger.
As she climbed the stairs, she never glanced back over her shoulder. If she had she might have seen the glow of the wards quickly get snuffed out. The glow fading to let only darkness settle in the temple once more.
Maybe it was the height of the tower, it's sheer distance from the temple itself, maybe the tower was enchanted to muffle and mute the noise from the temple below, or maybe Bloom is just that deep of a sleeper.
But when she rose in the morning, humming her way down the steps to a jolly tune. She quickly became shocked at the sight of the temple before her. Streamers stood hanging between pillars, colorful tablecloths pulled over the handful of rows of pews. Confetti covered almost every inch of the floor. Vases were placed precariously on ledges that usually only held candles. Each filled with a bouquet, a mix of soft pinks or deep purples.
Gathered in the middle of the room were her friends. Sleeping peacefully on sprawled out bedrolls. Tofu had dislodged her blanket, reaching out to touch anyone she could like old times. Glint had taken hold of one of her hands in their sleep, Nhil sitting awake offered Bloom a silent wave with her free hand. Tofu's foot was firmly planted on Henri's back, the bard firmly protecting Tigs who was curled up in his arms. Expression a comfortable distance away, looking a bit odd curled up on a bedroll made for someone shorter than him.
Bloom fell silent, looking around in awe at what they had done. Finally noting the scorch marks on the wall by her runes, she gave Nhil a soft glare. Nhil mouthed sorry in return with a shrug.
Thinking for a second, Bloom motioned for Nhil to cover her ears (a hard task to do when Tofu had a life grip on one of her hands) before speaking loudly. "Welcome to the Temple of Code travelers. I apologize for my tardiness to your arrival. I hope you found your night here pleasant." As Bloom's voice rang through the otherwise empty room, amplified by a bit of magic, the sleepy faces quickly bolted awake in various states of confusion.
Nhil muffled her laugh in her hand as Bloom stood in the doorway looking proud of herself. Once aware of their surprise being ruined Tofu turned to Nhil, "Nhilly, you were supposed to wake us when she was coming down stairs."
"What's this all about then? I was starting to think my letters got lost and you all weren't coming." Bloom stepped into the room properly, getting a better angle to see the banner hanging on the close wall. Happy anniversary plastered across it in bold multicolored lettering and decorated with silver stars.
"We wanted to surprise you," Bloom's attention turned back to Tigs who was rubbing sleep from their eyes. Henri sat up with them, forehead on their shoulder as he wasn't quite happy of the sudden shocking wakeup. “We had this planned long before your letters came, it was just hard to find time when-” Their explanation was cut off with a yawn, which Tofu took as a cue to jump in.
“When you aren't around in the temple! Getting you to leave is hard as you worry about leaving her unprotected. Which we understand, but it makes surprising you more challenging. So Glint came up with the idea that we snuck in and set everything up while you were sleeping. But then we fell asleep too and it ruined us jumping up and yelling ‘surprise!’ when you saw it.”
"I'm sorry for ruining your surprise, Tofu. Can I ask what this surprise is that we are meant to be celebrating?" Bloom walked over and ruffled Nessa's hair. Sharing warm hugs and hand touches to her waking friends.
Tofu almost pouted a little, she would tell Gloxinia later about how proud Gloxinia should be that she didn't. "It's your anniversary, remember? Today is the day you and Ophie had proposed to each other. So of course we came to help you both celebrate it." Tofu bounced up proudly, smiling at the statue of the group's former mentor.
Bloom's brows furrowed for a moment, before softening to a sad smile. "I would never forget. I could never forget. I just wasn't expecting you all to be here."
"Well come on. Breakfast is ready." Tofu fully jumped up, tossing her blanket over Glint in the process before grabbing Bloom's hand to drag her over to the makeshift buffet.
Bloom was grateful to see the gummies had their own dedicated bowl, and hadn't spread across every dish. Bloom let Nessa shove a plate in her hand before wandering off to get the others properly moving. Bloom put the plate back down, making her way over to the statue of Code. She patted carefully at her robe. Speaking softly to herself in druidic, though Nhil probably picked up the sound.
Happy anniversary my love. Till the fates guide us back to the same plane, I'll hold your love here in my heart.
She then rejoined the crew for breakfast, all of them gathering on two pews that got spun to face each other. Plates loaded with fruits and breads. Casual conversation softly filling the temple. Chat of how they have been since those long years ago, chatter of how the temple has been fairing. Avoiding the topic at hand while still respecting it.
Eventually their party was broken up by a traveler coming in. Bloom stepped from among the crew to welcome the stranger to their place of peace. Inviting them to a meal and gentle conversation. Glint offered the traveler a warm mug, to bite away the early morning chill. Henri asked the traveler why they came to the temple, curiosity bubbling from the synthweaver.
"I came seeking comfort in the unknown. I lost someone dear to me recently. I was hoping maybe to find some peace."
Bloom patted him on the arm, her words of comfort cut from Tigs interruption. "You have come to the right place then. Code is a goddess surrounded by peace from loss. Ophelia, our former mentor, was taken from us. And even though she is gone, we still find some peace knowing she is with Code and thus all around us."
"Code is all around us." He repeated softly, hands wrapped carefully around the mug.
Bloom shifted to sit next to the man, offering her hand for him if he wished to take it. "Code is a goddess of inclusion and forgiveness. She hears your worries and takes them as her own. Gentle hands embracing your grief, hearing your sorrows and reminding you it's okay. Grief is a part of life. But with the grief we grow."
The others had all fallen silent, listening to their mentors' caring words. "Loss feels like such a horrible thing. A hole is left in your life, a space the person who left leaves behind. A chapter in your story that will never feel the same with the characters changed. Over time the hole feels smaller, because your life gets so much bigger around it. But it never goes away. That's how they get remembered."
He looked up and was met with the tearful eyes of the party, each nodding along with Bloom's words. "The hole is how we remember the effect they had on our lives. They were here. They loved, they loved, they learned, they taught. That hole shows that they were here. That hole is Code reminding you that though they are gone, they will forever be remembered. And so long as they are remembered, they are never truly gone."
Bloom's voice wavered with unshed tears. The stranger took her hand. "You sound as if you speak from experience, dear cleric."
"I am no cleric." She chuckled at the thought. "A worshiper of Code, yes. But I am no cleric. The goddess has provided me with no magic blessings, and that is fine. There are so many more who need it, she blessed me with so much more. But never anything to make me a cleric."
"What kind of gift? If I may ask. I do not wish to pry."
Bloom paused for a moment in contemplation. "Do you know the story? Of Code taking humanoid form and wandering the planes."
"I had heard such a tale, but never knew if they were to be believed."
"They are to be believed. Those there," she points up to the various statues at the front of the room, "are some of the forms Code has taken in their time on our plane. There are more, so many more. These are but a few and in time the temple plans to have statues for each known form. To give respect to every time she has visited us." The temple being Bloom. This was her personal project, her sanctuary, her home.
"The most recent form our goddess has taken. Was that of an ethereal Rai named Ophelia. Like many Rai, her time blessed with the power of the goddess of our world, her form changed with the power in her. Power that laid dormant and unknown. Her skin changed to reflect the constellations of our sky. But she had no clue of the goddess residing within her.
"She had a personal goal of teaching and helping others. Ophelia spent a lot of the years of her long life with me. Most of those long years together we spent at a school as mentors. The last group of mentees we had were this lovely crew here." She gestures to the party present without breaking stride in her words. Her voice only slightly wavering. "I was given the gift from the goddess of the best partner I could have asked for. Our friends gained a great teacher and mentor they could never forget.
"But Code only came back because Corruption did. And he raised his head trying to bring chaos down upon our heads." Bloom stood, gesturing for the man to follow her. Leading him gently by the hand to the statue of Ophelia, and careful around the back of it. "Corruption is never far behind her. It's the balance of the world. Though this temple is built to the good Code brings to protect us, it's also in remembrance that there is a bit of chaos in us all. There is no real good or bad. Just the balance of our blessings and downfalls."
The front of the statue was Ophelia as the party remembered her, the mentor in the hooded robe, hiding star covered skin. One hand holding tight to her whip sword, a spell book on her hip. Her free hand held behind her. Clasped with the statue of her pair. Drift the paladin stood with his back to her, Corruptions red eyes shining from his face. One hand holding tight to his blade, pointed up and out to ward off a foe. Free hand holding Ophelia's. Two halves of one whole.
"They brought their combat to our lives. Took my lover and my best friends from me. I was left with other blessings. But even still Code holds enough of my memories that they would never have to make me a cleric to keep my devotion."