Woman: Good morning dear Horizon Children. I hope you all slept peacefully last night.
The woman spreads her arms to welcome the children seated in front of her. The space they are gathered in seems to be an amphitheater of sorts with pillars and walls encased in clinging vines and water flowing both from a fountain behind the woman and under the bridges that lead to the space.
Woman: My, my… many new faces here today… Could you please raise your hand if you’ve recently arrived at the Aquifer?
All of the children in front of her, sitting on cushions and wearing white gowns, raise their hands. Outside of the amphitheater, other groups pass by along the bridges and pathways, led by other adults in the same formal black and blue robes as the woman. They all wear blue feathers in their hair.
Woman: Ah-- good to have all of you here. Well, not GOOD, I suppose. I know this whole experience is incredibly scary. To be seabitten is a terrible curse, but it need not mark the end of your happy days. You are here to be purified, and so you all shall be.
The children watch with rapt attention. The dark skinned boy clutches his white wrist and shows that his right foot has also been drained of pigment. Everyone seems to have streaks or patches of the discoloration- the scars of seabite.
Woman: These holy hot springs will make your injured souls whole again… And the kind blue flames of the Mother Goddess will fortify your blood for the rest of your lives. Lady Cheline has given you another chance to experience the glorious world she’s given us. To live well is to honor her gift… And to defy he who would take it away.
Her voice seems to echo, even after she is gone.
Woman: You are safe at last, my dear horizon children. May Cheline bless you and Cheth spare you all of your days.
Pavel sits at a communal breakfast table, a tall stack of pancakes sitting in front of him as well as a selection of juices and fruits. Besides him is someone with long brown hair spilling down one shoulder and long white hair on the other. Presumably Eddy is on his other side.
Eddy: So, I went to go get the Abbess, and we caught him, just as he got back… He looked so-- so…
