sevenhorrors | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: A couple of Katsumoris and whoever
When: July 29th late night/July 30th early morning
Where: the school grounds
What: stargazing time!
Warnings: N/A

[wheremst is this school? Miskatonic Smith and Star are journeying out to confirm constellations! and may even stay out past curfew, oh my. surely, it's fine.]

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It is.

[she's been reticent and withdrawn since she arrived here, and that's not really changing now, but after a moment:]

I don't recognize these, but... It's been a while since I've seen any stars, too. So I believe I understand, at least in part.

[weirdly, it pulls a kind of sputtered laugh. like he didn't mean to.]

Ah, I think you might, also.

If you'd like... Orion and his belt is usually one of the easier ones to find.

[looks up again]

What does it mean?

[clears his throat, a little abandoning trying to wipe away evidence--it's dark anyway--as he points up.]

There's different names for the constellations. The most widely known are the Western ones, a number of them based on Greek Mythology. Orion was a mighty hunter who became so famous, the gods painted him in the sky, is the story. Three bright stars in a row are his belt.

If you follow the downward angle, you'll find the brightest star, Sirius.

[gazing up, for now forgetting to look back at him]

Do you have a favorite? Of the patterns, or the myths.

I didn't, before. The city lights made it difficult to see them, often, so I never really spent much time looking.

[lowering his arm to consider now.]

[waits while he considers, scanning them again]

[a bit of an embarrassed smile, after a moment.]

Please don't take it the wrong way, I just remembered a summertime story for the stars.

There's an ancient Chinese story of Zhinü and Niulang--forbidden lovers banished to be separated by the heavenly river. The river being the Milky Way and... I think... the stars were... Vega and Altair?

[if only he could go on the internet and double-check himself, alas.]

A similar story comes up in other cultures--Tanabata festival in Japan, for example. Because the story goes that on the 7th day of the 7th month, the lovers can reuinte.

[quiet for a moment]

Seems bittersweet enough for a myth.

Mmm... I wouldn't doubt there was a real tale of that nature at some point that moved people enough to immortalize it.

[humans do the thing all the time, after all.]

Edited 2025-07-31 02:37 (UTC)

Perhaps. But people like to weave stories out of smaller details, too... Like the pattern of the stars.

That's true. Pattern recognition is a strong suit.

There's stories about there being rabbits on the moon, also.

...Charming. It sounds like a fable for a child.

Considering they're said to either be making the elixir of life or rice cakes... that's not wrong.

Interesting range... But we have something similar, so I suppose I can't judge.

Do you?

I suppose there are commonalities not just across cultures of the same world.

Well - similar in that we have a constellation that bears the same name but holds different meanings between cultures, at least.

Do you mind me asking what the differing meanings are?

I don't mind. In particular... I'm thinking of a constellation I'm assuming you won't be familiar with. The Far-Flung Queen.

In Nioh, she's referred to as Far-Flung because her greed and treachery flung her people into war. But in Valleyda, she was called the same because she was raised abroad and then returned to her home upon coming of age to usher in an era of peace. I assume you won't recognize either of those countries, though.

Not at all. But I'm very good at remembering details.

Well - I take it neither of us are surprised we're from very different places at this point.

[a-amused.]

Not at all. I'd be more surprised if you were from either of the places I've been.

[...]

Which would you want to go back to?

[expression blanks out.

no smile.

no frown.

a bit uncanny, like his face is nothing more than a mask.]

... I don't know.

[quickly:]

That's alright. Ignore the question.