The Ascension

Relations

 As dramatic as their reunion was, and should have been, not much happened that day. More discussion was had of where they were going, or what had happened to Aster, but the same couple of attitudes and options persisted in the group. They went to bed in a shallow ravine on the edge of Aela, Senya and Wren snuggled close in their sleeping bag and Aster unable to fit even if they had wanted her there. She lay resentfully next to them instead.

Sometime in the early morning, Aster felt Wren shift beside her. He got up carefully, and Aster made a soft sort of 'eh' noise meant to question where he was going.

"Heard something."

Aster hadn't heard anything, but since she had yet to feel tired, got up as well. She walked quietly to him, nervous to wake Senya- but also embarrassed to admit to herself she didn't want Senya here. He was... unnecessary, that's all.

"What do you mean by heard?" She whispered to Wren as he gazed into the dark woods.

"Do you want a definition?" He seemed sort of confused. "It was like a crash. I heard a lot of snapping. And even now, there's something creaking."

Aster strained her hearing. There was creaking. And snapping. And wind. But they were all soothing and natural sorts of sounds.

"I don't hear a thing."

"...It's fading out." Wren sighed. "It bet it was related to one of the gods. At least thanks to them I always have an excuse if I ever begin to think I'm going crazy."

"I can't sleep anyways." Aster leaned against a tree and looked back at Senya, across the clearing and deeply asleep.

"Do you think you can't can't sleep?"

The dreadful thought hadn't occurred to Aster yet. "Oh. No. I hope not. I... quite like sleeping."

"The gods sure have quite a plan for you. Wish I could say the same."

"What do you mean?"

"We were banned from Haven, right? Well, Senya had this crazy idea- has- that he needs to die now that he's awakened that monster, so he trashed Laila's temple. I guess he expected she'd come over and kill him for it? Or smite him where he stood, I suppose. But she ignored him. I haven't seen either god for weeks now."

"Weeks? It's been two days for me."

"I kind of figured that from your explanation, but I didn't want to speak up. Oh, on the subject of things I haven't mentioned... we ran into your mom in Haven. Uh. It was sort of weird."

"My mom?" Aster had never really heard anything about her mother growing up for one simple reason: She was adopted. So the thought of her birth parents had never really plagued her. "In Haven?"

"Yeah. She was a priestess. Didn't look like you really, but she had part of your last name, and said she had had a daughter. It's not like Hirsha's very common of a name either."

"But she couldn't be... my mother. You do realize I was adopted? My last name isn't actually Hirsha-Loann. That's just from my dad. If anything, she's his ex-wife."

"I don't know. She lost a daughter some thirteen years ago. The timelines match up."

"I don't want to consider anything I don't have pressing need to understand." Aster said simply. Then she leaned forward and spoke slyly. "Unless I want to know it. What happened between you and Senya?"

"Us? Well. Uh. Not much. We've kissed a lot now. And we cuddle in bed. And sometimes he lets me hold his hand." Wren was smiling happily.

"So you're dating now?"