Per 
The Chiseled Imperfection
Avese Manoranda, Marble Goddess, The Unslabbed, Art in Motion
Conspectus
Who is responsible for the determination of worthiness? A god, perhaps? Many gods? Everything? Ourselves? When we delve into our own machinations and deeply consider what it is to be worthy, is it not a silly thing?
To begin, the being in question, known as Avese Manoranda of the Marble Deities, came down unto this world from the Infinite Slab, where Chiseled Perfections reside in a luxurious paradise unlike any Earthly delight we may be accustomed to. Her body, a work of art. One she claims to have created herself, comprised entirely of flawless, smooth white marble, gifted with free movement of body and limbs. Her face, however, bereft of emotion in even the slightest, as well as speechless, frozen in her neutral expression for eternity as her kind needs not speech or language itself to express themselves. They are of high art, their masterful craftsmanship made to speak volumes more than any number of words. Scent and taste, stricken from the repertoire of her facilities despite the longing to dine as those fortunate few who lead lives at the highest caliber of society.
A delicate perfectionist, this being is not without her singular blemish, a mere four centimeters of missing marble somewhere lost in the sea of ivory that is her back. This one flaw has thus sealed her fate, an imperfection to be forever cast out of paradise meant only for the purest.
Earth, then, would be her hell.
Illustration
Avese can be seen here posing as she naturally does with the same exquisite marble garments she graced this world in. Not a single unflattering image can be attained of this being, only elegance captured in each fleeting moment.
Knowledge
Traits: Having been amongst the Chiseled Perfections on a higher, more refined and opulent plane of existence, her repugnance for anything even resembling filth is at the forefront of her being. Her clothing, immaculately tailored with the same white marble, can be removed and even adorned upon another, though its deceptive weight may have one reconsider. It flows as if it was made of thick white cloth, retaining the smooth nature of the alabaster stone she is wholly composed of.
Nature: Avese Manoranda is peaceful to those who are peaceful towards her, still in the midst of grasping the concept of violence and the need to shield herself from any of those who may wish her harm, suggesting a serene, or even naïve perspective of our often-dangerous world. Too flawed for the paradise she carved herself out of, too pure for the dangers that lie below it. No purgatorial realms exist for these beings.
History & Associated Parties: The Marble Goddess hails from a civilization, or rather a utopia of Chiseled Perfections, each having meticulously carved themselves out of the Infinite Slab to live there in its paradise of perfection. This “paradise” has thus far been described as being simultaneously the object of admiration as well as existing in a constant state of reverence towards others. Who better to appreciate the finest art in all existence than the very art itself? Only the creation should be allowed the honor of the creator, as it were.
An imperfection, a minute detail deemed less than ideal, and all of this wonder, this luxury, this ecstasy, torn away in a moment, tossed from the edge of infinity to be cast down unto a world worthy of such a thing. No longer perfection, merely a pitiable object with which to discard. Word of other worlds, each more inspiring and breathtaking than the last, have paths intertwined with this Infinite Slab, should a Marble Deity choose to be admired by strangers of other perfections, but such was not the case for our dear Avese. Cold, hard hands grasped her tight, leading her down into a pit to be sacrificed in the name of perfection and beauty. Here, she is perfect no more. Here, she is greatness exiled.
Though it would be nigh impossible to glean any grief or suffering from her behavior, she insists that any single one of our unique experiences on Earth is akin to a living hell to her kind and the pure, ever-present bliss they have become accustomed to.
Approach: Avese is never to be dealt with in any form of rough, crass, or otherwise unsavory manners, as it is received as both disheartening and discomforting. She has come to have an understanding of modern French and English of the spoken variety, though she has yet to ascertain the meaning of written words, almost as if she is incapable of doing so. As such, she will only communicate via simplistic gestures or grandiose drawings that she is so easily able to conjure up at any moment's notice.
It is not only encouraged, but is of paramount concern to praise and admire Avese consistently and enthusiastically, as this is substantially important in preventing her from returning to complacency. Should she be ignored, it seems as though she is taken by an unceasing stillness.
Observations & Stories
When I first happened upon Avese on a diving expedition in Lake Eerie, she appeared as nothing more than a statue. Still, stiff, and lifeless. The crew I counted myself a part of at the time hauled her onto our vessel, but she was still just as motionless even then. The blessing of mobility only returned to her once sufficiently washed and restored. It may not have been even remotely adjacent to the beauty and luster she must have attained in her heaven of sorts, but it was enough for myself and my companions to find ourselves lost for words in our awe.
We had already gathered beforehand that she was of a nature unlike the mundane, but what we hadn't entertained was the notion of such intelligence and creativity shown to us through this near-perfect being. The more she was admired, the more lively she became, and the more lively she became, the more information she graciously divulged.
When the others among my company had moved on to proceed to their later ventures, I alone was to care for the being, a mere lone human tasked with the wellbeing of a goddess. It was far from a simple task to secure her trust, being of a foreign and much lesser quality than herself, but over the course of three seasons, she was readily responsive and willing to answer nearly any query I had planned for her. The only method she knew how was in the form of some of the most beautiful drawings I'd ever seen, casually sketched as if it was merely a child's task.
I took her along on my travels to the land of Vietnam in search of my next undertaking, a creature that cowered beneath the roads until it could prey upon the innocents who traversed them. I was to quickly incapacitate it before it was able to swallow me whole, but another event took place on that day, though nothing is ever truly unexpected in the matters I often deal with. The creature took aim not at me, but at Avese, surfacing from the path of cobble as if it had been liquid in property, its fangs gnashing at the marble structure to no avail. Not a single scratch or dent had been placed on the Marble Goddess on that day, and it was helpful in lending me more than enough of an opportunity to lay the beast to rest with a mere incantation and pull it away from the road to inspect it in further glorious detail.
Such an experience brought up entirely new puzzles to be solved in regards to the heavenly art, such as how anything could have possibly caused her to lose even a single, microscopic bit of herself to be deemed imperfect as such. My research into this has proven fruitless, however, as Miss Manoranda has kept that particular tale a secret unto herself. I fear it brings her great shame, perhaps even nightmarish sorrow, to recount the events that led to her tragic expulsion from whence she came.
- Rachelle
Doubt
I still can't be certain if this “Infinite Slab” is even real, but I am to take Avese's word for it regardless. She is the expert on such matters, after all.
The concept of perfection doesn’t seem to make any sense to me even in a realm where different rules are in play. How can something ever be considered perfect? And what do these “perfect worlds" entail? By the very nature of perfection, only one thing should ever be renowned as having the quality of perfection. Perhaps such a concept was never meant to be understood by a mind such as my own.
Avese claims to have no awareness of anything related to our ancient Earth or the white marble Greek statues that she so uncannily resembles. It brings me pause and makes me wonder if she was created in this very world, but was deemed unworthy by her artist and cast out from whatever place the artist had deemed to be a paradise.
