Inyanga's Star and Other Constellations

Chiara, and the Soliari Empire, Transitions to Female - 295 S.E.

Name Meanings

Maestra Nyeon: Teacher, 년 nyeon means Year in Korean

Ura: Hour in Quechua and Nahuatl

Song: a short set of words set to music in English, or to give as a present in Chinese, 送 sòng

Mare: Sea in in Italian, pronounced MAR-eh

Stella: Star in Italian

Kailasa: a temple कैलास, from Sanskrit, also Mount Kailash

Chiara: Clear, or Luminosity, brightness in Italian

Kiran: Ray of light in Hindi किरण

Hasin: Iron in Akkadian and Sumerian, हसीन divine or beautiful in Urdu, from Arabic حُسَيْن

A/N: Some of these words mean different things in different languages, and I would love to learn all of them. Hasin means different things in Urdu and Arabic and other languages, so if you know other meanings in other languages, leave it in a comment!

Word Meanings

Nonna: Grandma in Italian

Nonno: Grandpa in Italian

camicia: blouse in Italian, pronounced CaMI-cha

cuore mio: my heart

tesoro mio: my treasure

Sette Minuti in Paradiso: Seven Minutes in Heaven

danzano: to dance

ardah: a folk dance in Arabic العرضة

Chiara's Star Part I

One bathroom served many in Chiara's family home. It was the worst. One inert secular mundane, non-magical bathroom.

All under one roof, Mamma, with the newborn, and Baba, and Nonna and Nonno, and Chiara, and Chiara's cousin Stella would danzano, tango, ardah, and spar for their time in the morning.

The back to school eye shadow pallet given to Chiara by Nonna became difficult to apply with so much traffic in the morning, and the light in Chiara's bedroom was all wrong, all shadows and glares alternating in her mirror.

When she applied makeup in there she came out with her eyes looking bruised instead of bronzed, so she tried tiptoeing in earliest of all, but Nonna woke up so long before dawn she could never beat him to it, and after his steaming hot shower Baba was up, and he got to call priority, and after two steaming showers it was too misty in there anyway, the mirror all fogged up.

And then Mamma could come in to change the bambina, and Stella would start to fight for hairstyling time, and at some point or other one of them would need to let Nonna in to tinkle, and everyone wanted to kick Chiara out like her eyeshadow application wasn't important.

The sparring got verbal but they tried to keep it quiet in the morning hush. "You already showered last night before bed. Let someone else have a turn," Baba hushed.

Chiara whisper whined, "But I bathed last night so I could have time in the bathroom to put on makeup."

"Stop being so vain." Baba would hold open the door that unleashed the water vapors and a wash of soap smells, and he would usher in nonna with a death glare for his daughter.

Nonno softened a similar take as he passed in the hall to go down to the kitchen for his morning caffe and biscotti. "You don't need any cosmetics, you're beautiful the way you are."