"I am most grateful that your travels have brought you here." Themis meant her words, though the strength of the sentiment caught her off guard. What had started as her intention to welcome a new professor had become a reunion she never expected. It was funny to her that someone she barely knew as a child was firmly embedded in her good graces in adulthood. Now she was looking forward to seeing him at meals, eager to experience more of his craft and how he looked at the world. She was on solid terms with her coworkers, but this collaboration felt different somehow. Instead of worrying at that particular knot in her emotions, Themis turned her focus to the quiet of the night and the sounds of merrymaking inside.
Her attention at home in the stars, she felt instead of seeing the change in Samuel behind her. He had shared before his uneasy relationships with the heavens and its study. Perhaps, pointing him at an obscure constellation wasn't the best place to start. She felt the bubbling of guilt, a concern for his well-being, and a sense that she was to blame for his unease. Hoping to reassure, she warmed her voice, easing away from the academic to the personal. "What they tell me is a story. Lyra is the lyre of Orpheus. A mythical Greek hero that could bring tears to stones. When his wife died, he descended to the Underworld to save her. Upon his death, his lyre was carried to the heavens. As a child, it made me wonder if we Lyras were descended from Orpheus, that maybe my love of both music and the stars come from this. The truth is that the second century astronomers seemed to enjoy drawing shapes in the stars." She ended drily. "It also reminds me that humans have forced their constructs on the stars and decided they needed order to suit us. Whenever I feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of things, I remember that the stars have forced nothing on me. They exist; it is mortals that have decided that their order and names have meaning; it is other humans that may question my worth or accomplishments. The stars simply are."
Turning to face him, she placed her hand on his forearm. "The stars tell me to look to them for consistency and patterns; they do not tell me what I may or may not be. They never have. Their language would tell you to live as bright as they burn and take comfort in your own strength. Do not fear the stars, Samuel. They mean to light your way."
Her attention at home in the stars, she felt instead of seeing the change in Samuel behind her. He had shared before his uneasy relationships with the heavens and its study. Perhaps, pointing him at an obscure constellation wasn't the best place to start. She felt the bubbling of guilt, a concern for his well-being, and a sense that she was to blame for his unease. Hoping to reassure, she warmed her voice, easing away from the academic to the personal. "What they tell me is a story. Lyra is the lyre of Orpheus. A mythical Greek hero that could bring tears to stones. When his wife died, he descended to the Underworld to save her. Upon his death, his lyre was carried to the heavens. As a child, it made me wonder if we Lyras were descended from Orpheus, that maybe my love of both music and the stars come from this. The truth is that the second century astronomers seemed to enjoy drawing shapes in the stars." She ended drily. "It also reminds me that humans have forced their constructs on the stars and decided they needed order to suit us. Whenever I feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of things, I remember that the stars have forced nothing on me. They exist; it is mortals that have decided that their order and names have meaning; it is other humans that may question my worth or accomplishments. The stars simply are."
Turning to face him, she placed her hand on his forearm. "The stars tell me to look to them for consistency and patterns; they do not tell me what I may or may not be. They never have. Their language would tell you to live as bright as they burn and take comfort in your own strength. Do not fear the stars, Samuel. They mean to light your way."
![[Image: Bka0H0x.jpeg]](https://i.imgur.com/Bka0H0x.jpeg)