Mia's Awakening

Characters: Mia, various, including semi-NPCs; the Alabaster Raina, The Sphinx of Sanctuary, Tiyo, the Sanctuary Brownies, Shandak, Friendly Other, Overcast Outcast, Skyline, the Walklate Lost, Hanniah, Seafoam...

Location: Sanctuary

Date: 7 May 2021

On the Path Behind the Lights, an Awakening is being prepared.

The guests stand on shadows, the dimensions of the space invisible and endless. Lights embedded in the gloom bank the space, demarcating the stage and leading off to Sanctuary. It is warm, almost stuffy, a light breeze coming from the far-off demesne the only thing to freshen the air. Sound struggles to travel, whispers and shouts all equalised to a shapeless murmur. Curtains, gossamer thin as if woven by spiders, mute warm lights of red and orange that flitter in from nameless stages, their light finding no purchase on the hushed void. They trail off into the distance, a galaxy of unseen theatre orbiting around today’s production.

Mia is carefully setting up the ritual, her audience standing around the edge of the circle. Each of the reagents are gathered in the centre, where she will stand for the duration, and one by one she picks them up, walks across the darkness isolated by the lines of chalk, places the object in its position, then returns to ferry the next one. Plain to see are the tattoos that wrap her chest and cap her skull, marked with runes of fire, light and the Sun, scribed along the borders with guiding mantras in bold cursive. They light her skin from within, making her starkly visible against the darkness. The Path’s shadows coat her from the hips down, however, and give her a semblance of modesty as her silhouette ventures back and forth to set the stage.

The outer ring of the Awakening Diagram, each of its seven circles now occupied by their corresponding objects, has begun to burn with a golden light that shines like a spotlight into the endless dark of the path. It works like any other circle: Mia’s glow is plain to see, but its warmth- and to some guests, its dangers- are held within.

Shandak stands close to the front, with a small circle without any other beings around him, unless someone intentionally chooses to place themselves next to him.

A girl slips in near the back, out of the way. Her dark hair is cut short, and she looks to be faintly Japanese - its a bit hard to see around the *wrongness* which wraps her and her dog up. Her dog is, at first glance, a large golden retriever. People don't really want to give them a second glance.

Chaska arrives, with his signature apparel being donned; ugly hat, stone necklace, and worn down denim jacket; but now also having a chain of several glass vials around his neck. Pale watery fluid seeps out his injuries and flows upwards in tiny rivulets to the vials, slowly dripping into them every so often. His signature baby isn't with him.

A pale, ghostly figure approaches the circle, a young woman shrouded lightly in mist. Her long, wavy hair floats as if underwater, and she wears only a plain, sleeveless dress that goes down to her ankles. She skips and twirls with each step, her feet never quite touching the ground. She stops near the edge of the circle and hovers there patiently, her expression never shifting away from a serene smile.

Seafoam have planted themselves a bit off to the side, subtly away from most of the crowd. Crowds are not a strong point for any of them, and the temperature of the Path Behind the Lights is more uncomfortable than not. Levi, fronting once again, is *quite* glad she decided to wear lighter clothing today - a short-sleeved dress in dark blue, with yellow flowers across it and a triangular cutout in the upper back, and black leggings.

She has Mia's clothes held in her arms, rolled into a small bundle, and has a pair of earbuds in, trailing from her ears to her purse. She's gently swaying to the rhythm of the song she's listening to and quietly singing along, and occasionally adjusts her glasses to sit below the rim of her mask, so they don't fog up. Levi is also attempting to watch Mia preparing the ritual while not looking directly at her, and succeeding... mostly. Eventually, she turns to watching the crowd instead. Less chance of accidentally seeing something she oughtn't.

A tall, thin Fae lady wearing an exceptionally fancy dress made of leaves stands in the back of the crowd, watching with a faint smile.

Kayla stood to one side, grinning as she watched her new friend prepare for the ritual.

Raina is much different than when she was last seen. Once appearing as a child, now formally 'The Alabaster of Sanctuary' walks forward, a young, dark-skinned woman. Her long, white gown flows three paces behind her, entirely made of lilies. A floral crown of indigo rests atop her brow. She looks upon the ritual with calm and respect, as if she were attending the celebration of an equal.

The *Guardian of the Path Behind the Lights*, the *Sphinx of Sanctuary*, the *dvarpala* or *'Door Attendant'*, rests atop Sanctuary itself, upon their balcony. Their presence is not seen so much as *felt* among the gathering. Dust and debris hide, or at least gather in an orderly line up. Angles seem to flow more symmetrically. Light sources are more distinct and a hair brighter while darkness collects more deeply.

Tiyo stands besides the Lady, the butler today wearing a prim, white suit with a black rose pinned to his chest. His green and gold eye glint in the darkness.

The Lady of House Lim wears a vibrant green dress with golden-embossed flowers. Her neck is wrapped by a thick, dark scarf. She beams proudly at Mia and the gathering around Sanctuary.

Last and perhaps least, a small troupe of brownies gather around the feet of the Lady and Tiyo. Their eyes are mostly closed and are but yellow pinpricks in the darkness. Their ears, unusual for their kind lay back on their sides instead of being pointed up, a sign of well-being and calm that matches their tiny and uncharacteristically plump forms.

Three figures, three Lost, subtly insinuate themselves in the crowd. It is easy for any of them to draw attention, but they avoid it for now; they are present, but only another part of the morass of gathering spirits and Others come to see the birth of a new Practitioner of the Paths. It is not difficult for them to blend into such a crowd, though there exists the faintest chance that someone scanning across the crowd may catch a glimpse of a man who looks remarkably like their father, back turned, speaking to a larger Lost creature. It's unusual, but not an especially unusual feature for a Lost being to have.

The three visitors from Walklate Square wait and watch, unremarkable among the mass. It comes naturally to them.

Last of the crowd is Vivian Versailes, the Matron Animus, and her charge, Valerie Siddiqi. It appears they've come to an armistice as to formal wear, as the latter is in a t-shirt and jeans while the Matron is adorned in a fine gown with an audacious hat, all canary yellow. Valerie seems jittery, looking between Mia, Levi and the larger Lost.

Chaska notices the slight delay, and begins pulling out his new notepad and calligraphy pen to communicate, before changing his mind and going with his usual form of whiteboard and marker.

Levi notices Valerie and waves at her cheerfully, then goes back to people-watchi-

A flash of black hair in the crowd.

*immediately, from everyone - **panic.**"fuck, wait, who was that just now? fuck, fuck, shit-"*

The terror begins to subside as it realizes it just saw the young woman in the braid shifting position slightly. Levi takes a deep, shaky breath, and takes out its phone with slightly jittery fingers, navigating to a song it knows better. The first few piano notes help set Seafoam at ease, despite their somber tone more befitting a funeral march, and Levi goes back to people-watching and singing quietly. Someone nearby might be able to hear it singing, now.

A girl crouches by her dog, watching the crowd warily. She digs her hands into the dog's ruff, keeping it still; her hands seem clawed.

The Fae slips through the crowd, casually greeting people with a nod before silently stopping and listening for a moment. Just over Levi's shoulder, Hanniah quietly hums a counter-point medly to the tune, buttressing's Levi's song in complement. Her hips move, sending ripples artfully down her dress in a sedate dance.

The largest and most powerful of Walklate Square's three attending Lost, the Groom, turns away from his conversation, and makes brief eye contact with Valerie. He's large and tall, arguably larger than a person, and there's something distinctly offputting about him, both physically and spiritually; he isn't a goblin, but identifying him as one would be an understandable mistake. Though he is quiet and is currently keeping to himself, his aura, once noticed, is clearly dreadful.

When Valerie turns away, the three Lost from Walklate Square - the Good Neighbor, the Father of the Bride, and the Groom - all slip into more obscure positions in the crowd, and avoid reappearing for the remaining duration of the pre-Awakening party.

As the song reaches its conclusion, Levi becomes aware of the quiet humming from behind her, and spins around just a *little* too fast, nerves still ragged after the earlier scare. Before she does so, however, Hanniah might notice a small wave of black fur appearing up the back of Levi's neck and bristling, only to fluidly disappear back into her skin just as quickly as it had appeared.

Levi finds standing behind her a woman who is both very pretty and very obviously Fae, and promptly schools the surprised expression on her face into a more neutral one, despite half her face being covered. She reaches up to the small volume controls on her earbuds and pauses the music, then removes the earbuds and tucks them into the front of her dress.

"Your voice is quite lovely. Might we ask how you came by such talent, miss...?"

"I am known as Hanniah," she replies smoothly, curtsying shallowly. "I've enjoyed music for as long as I remember." Hanniah smiles and gestures towards the yellow flowers on Levi's dress. "How you are dressed is lovely; it reminds me of home. We should talk once the Awakening is complete."

The middlemost, Conceptual ring of the diagram flares to life as the practitioner-to-be places the final object, her shoes, into the Identity circle. The moment she steps into the inner ring, where the gifts are arrayed, the fourteen outer circles shine, their light lifting the artifacts that define them up into the air. The objects become the keystones of gateways, great doors arcing down to either side of the circle. Arcane symbols flicker into existence, wrought from molten gold, marking each item by what they symbolise. A fruit knife is marked with an arrow, symbolic of War. Oil, sloshing around freely, is marked by a cut droplet, symbolic of Earth.

“Arrayed here is my life’s work, for all its brevity. I have spent this last month, to the day, travelling and learning. Of the world you all share, of its beauties and its disgraces. Of the people that live in it, those few that I know and cherish that are here and those many that I ought to fear that, hopefully, are not. This is the culmination of that, my brief life as Mia Dunaway.”

Her pacing stops. “I welcome you now to walk these gates, and partake of the gifts I have gathered.” She gestures around herself, milk, bread, honey and more circling her in the inner ring. They are humble things, simple sustenance, but I hope they will suffice. If you wish to be charitable, you may give me a gift in turn as I hand one to you. If you wish, you may imbue any of these items-” she gestures up at the lifted keystones held above the gates. “-With power, and make them as profound to the world as they are to me already. If you wish, you may do neither. None among you are obliged to give me anything at all. Regardless, I hope that my meager charity appeals, and I hope that you enjoy the show.”

She steps back into the centre of the diagram, and Mia Dunaway’s Awakening begins.

Vivian Versailes steps forward, letting go of her charge’s hand. The girl in question does not follow. She walks, elegant and statuesque, through the gate keystoned by a metal broach, marked by the symbol of Civilisation, then around to the doorway of Dreams, marked by a hanging yellow dreamcatcher. The Animus approaches Mia, and silently asks for a glass of milk, which the practitioner-to-be fills from a bowl that becomes no emptier and offers reverently. Vivian takes only a sip, before reaching out into the void. A teacup appears in her hand, which she hands to Mia pleasantly.

“For the next time we share tea together, young lady,” the elder Other intones, breaking the silence. Mia only nods, apparently keen to keep quiet. Without any further pomp, the Animus turns around and struts out the door of Time, then the gate of Civilisation again, brushing a gloved hand against its arch. The arch flares as power travels up it and into the keystone, the broach appearing no different for the infusion.

It is the moment that Vivian holds her charge’s hand again that the keen eyed will notice shadows collecting in the folds of her clothes and the wrinkles of her skin. Those in the know would infer that her shadow had walked unseen through the gates at the same time as its owner had, leaving gifts unknown.

The brownies are next to enter - they titter with nervousness, approaching the outer edges before finally settling into a cohesive 'march.'

They enter through the gate keystoned by Oil - representing Earth, then around to the doorway of Deals, marked by a golden coin in a red envelope.

They indicate with small hands the bread and each take a small bite - a little larger than a crumb. They leave behind a neatly packed bento box filled with all of Mia's favorite treats. Taped to each outer side are small, silver coins.\* They chitter at Mia warmly before moving on, out the door with the sunflower and the gate with the plant. They do not empower any gates, but even though they may be more successful than some brownies, they were not powerful to begin with.

Six Silver Coins (4 for each side, one for the top and bottom of the bento box) - An enchanted item from Fall, these lucky coins are the kind that's found at the bottom of purses and inside of couches. If any/all of the silver coins are kept in a change purse and change is fished out at random, the amount of change will be extended significantly. Every once in a while a silver coin will come along with the handful of change and it is bad luck to not give it away once it's so fished out.

A Lost man emerges from the crowd, and starts to draw focus - the Good Neighbor. He's a large, tall man, vested and heavily armed. He looks to be something of a hunter. From a distance it can be hard to make out, but there's something terrifying about his skin - he's badly fused into the plastic or fiberglass of a mannequin, cracked segments covering him beneath his clothes. The expression on the mannequin-face is neutral and unfeeling, but it can be clearly seen that behind it he is in a perpetual snarling rage. Nonetheless, he is not here to make trouble. He makes eye contact with Mia, and it's hard to tell if he's angry at her or for her.

The Good Neighbor passes through the myrrh, and then through the knife; he draws energy from the knife, representing war. The knife becomes a weapon of power in its own minor way, seeking to replenish the energy it has lost. The Lost takes a piece of the bread for himself, and lays a keychain at Mia's feet, alongside a small rectangular plate with engraved instructions.

> ATTACH ONLY KEYS THAT ARE ONLY YOURS AND WILL ONLY EVER BE YOURS.

> REMEMBER - GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS.

"Make no trouble," he mumbles, very audible but barely coherent. He leaves through the skull and the oil, and vanishes from this Path.

Chaska with little social awareness to these events quickly goes after the recent individual, hastily scribbling on his whiteboard while doing so. Not quite limping, but having a slightly uneven gait to his stance.

With notice to his antlers he enters through the glowing gate of spice and Air, then to the dreamcatcher for lost Dreams, before coming to Mia. Half-melted colorless arms phase out of him with stringy meat within, taking small pinches of ash in each hand up to Chaska’s physical ones, rubbing it into his skin.

He pulls out a chain pocket watch in horrible condition, mostly covered in rust but with specks of gold peeking out. He lowers it by the chain onto Mia’s thigh and lets go, where it instantly begins to rust over with glass clouding with dirt and grime. His whiteboard merely says, *“I barely survived when my time came. May you fare well when yours does.”* He turns around, unable to recognize anything of Mia beyond her silhouette and passes through his offered Skull, and exits through the metal brooch of Civilization.

Tiyo walks into the Ritual with the gait of a gentleman - his walk patient but purposeful as he moves through diagram.

He enters through the gate keystoned by Oil - representing Earth, then around to the doorway of Death, marked by the skull.

He takes a handful of Ash, whispering, “That your transition from this world to the next comes later, rather than sooner.” He looks apologetic at not bringing a gift in hand, but as Lady had explaind to Mia earlier, it was either the Alabaster’s blessings or Christine’s (through Tiyo). As her new Familiar was meant to act as a counterbalance to the Lady’s ambition - having them both seen giving Mia their ‘blessing’ would have been politically impossible.

Tiyo leaves the same way he came in, through the doorway of Death, marked by the skull and the gate keystoned by Oil - representing Earth.

A girl presses her forehead to her dog’s head, then stands with a sigh. Both approach the Circle, but from different angles; the girl passes the Mirror, while the golden retriever comes by the broach.

The girl then stops by the shoes. She frowns, thinking, and then lays a clawed hand on them. A bit of darkness seems to go into them, and she sways momentarily, before continuing to move.

The dog passes by the skull; it pauses there, simultaneously with its master, and licks it, imparting something of the essence of a car crash. It then bounds forward, energetic.

Both meet at the centre, taking meat; the girl does so gingerly, with clawed hands, while the dog licks up Mia’s hands. They both eat it quickly and messily, sharp-toothed, before heading for the knife. They split there, the girl walking out by Air, the dog by Earth, before reuniting outside.

"You must pardon me for the moment," Hanniah whispers suggestively as she brushes past Levi, moving through the crowd with easy grace. Without hesitation, the Fae steps into the circle, artfully brushing her hand against the keystone with spice. Her steps are formal and precise, but her bearing is one of joy and celebration.

Hanniah moves deeper, passing meaningfully by the coin to stop before Mia. Her eyes flicks towards the bowl of honey, and Mia silently accedes to the request. Hanniah holds out a finger, catching the first drop before any else could leave the dipper. The Fae puts it into her mouth, making the motion look ceremonial and formal while vaguely seductive, the latter of which Mia appears to ignore.

The Fae holds her hand up above her, displaying the finger she cleaned a moment before for the Spirits to see, then ceremonially removes a ring from the same finger. A simple band of gold, faint patterns of leaves and stars gently engraved on the surface. "I give this to You, to use as you wish," Hanniah intones and delicately drops it into Mia's hand. "May you use it in a time of need."

She bows her head respectfully for a moment, smiling broadly, and steps away, turning to pass through the diagram again. She briefly pauses by the coin to gesture, glittering Spring Glamour shifting down from her hand to settle into the coin. Hanniah turns and steps, lithely leaving the circle by the mirror.

The foggy figure silently glides across the circle's threshold, her movements much more subdued than before. She enters through the gate of Air, then discorporates into a meandering mass of fog and circles around to the gate of Dreams. She re-materializes as she passes through the gate, nodding towards the vegetable ash as she approaches Mia. She giggles quietly as the ash is sprinkled into her cupped hands, vanishing into her form. The sound echoes oddly, as if coming from the other end of a tunnel.

The figure turns to leave, and, on impulse, she twirls as she passes through the gate of Identity, shedding wisps of fog that drift towards the shoes marking the gate, empowering them. She discorporates again as she circles around to the gate of Water, coalescing back into her humanoid form as she makes her final exit.

A man in the crowd stops diverting attention from himself, and enters the open. Anyone who sees this man somehow sees their own father - though as the man focuses on Mia, that focus dominates, and crowds out the base effect. Others looking at this man are at least as likely to see Mia's father as their own right now.

He stops for a bit on his way to the diagram, to let Mia take the sight in; perhaps he makes eye contact. Mia likely remembers what this Lost is; she read about it in a pamphlet about its home Path once. But it doesn't come to mind immediately.

As his form settles, the Father becomes a man in his sixties, with greying black hair and square spectacles. He wears a polo shirt, pink from its years in the wash, tacky khaki pants with a wealth of pockets, and sandals. He looks retired, and idly happy.

Holding eye contact with Mia the whole time, he enters via Water, then paces idly - in a manner eerily similar to Mia's own pacing- to the gate of Dreams. The practitioner-to-be looks... outright confused. Her stoic expression has broken, to reveal a complete lack of recognition. She offers him some meat when prompted, and it becomes barbecued the moment it reaches his hand.

He reaches behind his back to reveal a wrapped green cloth that hadn't been there before. "Here's your T, T-Bear," he says, voice rich with irony and wisdom. The nickname is well worn, natural. "The blood came off in the wash, you would not believe how long it took me to get the shredding fixed."

As he walks away, Mia unfurls the shirt. 'Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk,' it says. The Father leaves via Love, and back out through Water.

Raina, crowned-Alabaster of Sanctuary walks into the Ritual, her dress of carpeted lilies flowing behind her.

She enters through the gate keystoned by Plants - representing Nature (which bloom further as she passes), then around to the doorway of Love, marked by the flower (the scent of which fills the air all around the diagram). She empowers both.

She approaches Mia, looks askance for permission and when it is given, touches the side of Mia’s cheek and meets the gaze of the girl. **“Sister, you bloom most beautifully.”** she says and then pauses, taking in the moment before she moves on.

As she leaves, she does so through the doorway of Fate, marked by the dreamcatcher and the gate keystoned by the Broach - representing Civilization. There is something both sad and resolute in her as she does this.

( When the Father steps into the circle, Seafoam's every thought halts for an interminable stretch of time. And then-

**\*PANIC** PANIC PANIC IT'S HIM IT'S HIM IT'S HIM RUN RUN RUN\*

They drop the bundle of Mia's clothes and *sprint* for Sanctuary, pushing through the crowd with little heed for others, though they take care not to interrupt Mia's Awakening diagram. About halfway through their form ripples fluidly, and a large, midnight-black bobcat bounds along the Path and into Sanctuary, where Seafoam continues all the way up to their room, returns to human form, and slams the door shut, locking the door behind them. )

A while after the Father - Walklate Square's Father of the Bride - trails away from this Path, a deeply distasteful giant of a man, well over six foot, approaches in ill-fitting formalwear. He wears a nasty grin as he approaches the diagram, bad teeth. He's generally repulsive, but in a way that is for Mia calculated. Other people don't see quite the same thing when they look at him, but they see something close enough; that's common for Lost. This is the creature at the heart of Walklate Square, the creature that *made* Walklate Square.

The Groom.

He stops at the broach of civilization, and he pours some power into it, some numb patience. He proceeds to stride through it, and through the pocket watch of time. He stares at Mia, sizes her up.

It's odd to say that someone's undressing you with their eyes when you're already naked. Maybe he's picturing taking the skin off.

He casually scoops up some of the meat - which *also* becomes barbecued - and chows down on it, still staring.

"Welcome to our world, little Finder. Don't let this blow up your ego, but you've got some *real* potential. I brought this for you."

The Groom drops an *extremely* expensive necklace, with many large and high-quality sapphire gems, at Mia's feet. It spiritually glows with power. The Groom soaks in Mia's reaction.

"Don't let it go to waste," says the Groom, speaking with his mouth full. "It could save you in a pinch, give you the strength you need. I hope you'll think of me when you use it." He grins.

"So, that's that, then. Do tread carefully. To many years following the Paths wherever they may lead." He theatrically bows, willfully seeming smarmy and insincere, and he leaves the same way he came in, pouring yet more power into the brooch on his way out. When he's gone, the entire Path Behind The Lights feels much more tolerable - much *safer*, even - for his absence.

A flickering moth made of glass, mist and light appears. As it flitters lazily through the crowd it enters the circle.

First, the brooch for civilization. Then, the dreamcatcher. It touches the ash briefly before its wings whisper in a way that only Mia could hear:

*Not all who wander are Lost child. May you find your way even in the darkest of nights.*

It touches the runners, making them more *sure* than before. A little more durable, a little brighter.

It leaves by mirror, and then it is gone.

Shandak had waited patiently for his turn. He entered by fire, anointing myrrh, a gift of kings, of the element of destruction and hardening. By the knife, tool of war and chaos, of victors and victims, by which heroes and legends are made.

He walks up to Mia, and takes a handful of ash. He holds it and allows to to filter through his hand, though it disappears before it touches the ground. "Time is fleeting, as are so many lives. I agree to train you as you have requested, should you desire, that your lifetime should be extended."

He leaves by the skull of death, which he has wrought time and again on grand scale. It has been, in the past, a frequent occurrence that that was what he would leave behind him. Finally, he leaves by the oil of the earth, the barren land fertile for new life.

Time slows to a crawl as the presence of the four-headed Sphinx encroaches, remaining unseen to all but *felt* nonetheless.

They make their way through the gates of the diagram, unseen. Their voice - no, *voices* - sing in a four part harmony that echoes throughout the entirety of the path.

**“Is it not dangerous for someone who lacks definition to seek definition from Others?”**

They go through the doors, still unseen. Their presence starts to surround Mia, and they are not gentle. It is as if she is surrounded in a jungle, where a predator could jump out from any bush.

**“For someone *arrogant* enough to ask for two gifts but give only one in return, do you find yourself *worthy* of the gifts that were given?”**

Finally, their presence - their *weight* - reaches Mia. Now, their voice is soft as they speak their final riddle:

**“Who is the woman whose hair shines bright when she is happy, dims when she is sad, and goes out when she is utterly exhausted...and what happens to her when she is no longer Lost but Found?”**

Time passes, a minute that feels like a small eternity.

Each of the bowls of offerings (milk, honey, bread, meat, molasses, ash, currency) lie empty.

No gift was given, no gate empowered.

The presence of the Sphinx recedes and time resumes passing at its normal rate.

For all her attempts at placidness, Mia had been an open book throughout the proceedings. Honoured by the Alabaster, by Chaska, by Shandak. Joyous at the Brownies and the dog. Confused by the Father and the Moth. Hurt by Levi’s leaving. Revolted by the Groom.

But it is the emptiness the Sphinx leaves behind that she is most evidently shaken by. Her halo has dimmed, her hands hang limply by her sides. Her eyes close as she breathes deeply, as she tries to find her centre. She hangs in space, a woman of sunlight dressed in shadow, dimmed, disheartened.

Mia begins to speak. It takes her a while to find the right words.

“I thank you all for your gifts, for your words and for your wisdom,” she manages. Her eyes open again, but she does not move from her place at the centre of the diagram, nor does she grow any brighter.

"I studied carefully the instructions, and fulfilled them to the best of my ability, even in my haste. But I feel I must explain that I have decided to speak plainly with you all, in the tongue that I know more deeply than I know myself. To reproduce Suleiman's words and to speak them to you as if they were my own, I think would be deceptive."

The diagram begins to move, the circles spinning like gears, the keystones lowering as the gates close. She ignores it.

"My name is Mia Dunaway, and I am unmoored from the world of man. Lost, in much the same way as some of you. I feel a startling absence, a void, where family and friendship ought to be." Mia clutches at her heart, at the hole where everyone she's ever loved isn’t. "And so too I am separated from tradition, the precedent that missing community might have provided. I refuse to pretend that I am not this way. I refuse to remain this way."

She had slumped, telling her audience that. Now she stands taller, and that brightness cowed by the Sphinx’s reprisal begins to rally. "I am Lost, but seeking. I shall ne’er break a promise, I shall suffer rightly the consequences of a lie, and with all the strength of my word, I swear to you, *I shall find these things I lack.”*

This is the part of the speech she had prepared, and the words come easy. She spreads her arms wide, encompassing the people, the Path and everything beyond it. The diagram speeds up, rising from the ground and orbiting over, around and about her. Her tattoos whir to match, floating off her skin, a crown and chestplate of woven sunlight burning the void.

"I shall find a place for me. Family, friends, a community. I feel an absence, but in it I see an opportunity. I do not know what story that void once told, but I shall tell a new one in its memory. And I will strive to make that story worth telling, that story where I am Found someday."

She gestures with a goofy grin at her shoes, bright yellow now shining golden, spinning like a planet on the middlemost ring. "Hence the shoes! It will be a long journey indeed, if I am to make something that matters."

She stood before them, the crowd of Lost and watching practitioners, tall, proud and radiant. "I awoke in this world with very little. Mysteries, confusion, instructions to follow. Now I Awaken to it, with hope, clarity, and promises to keep. Thank you."

Mia closes her eyes and bows, like an actor at curtain call. The diagram settles, returning to props placed about some circles on an unseen floor.

She then quickly rushes off to grab her clothes.