lara's got numerous constellations sketched, she remembers them like the back of her hand, grateful for that one semester she dutifully studied precession and the movement of navigational stars in the sky. when she looks up again, she stands, holds up the journal to compare. she knows what she's looking at but she's askew, and dares a step east to watch the points of light meeting suddenly connect. ❝ ursa major .. big dipper. ❞ lara muses out loud, curious as she notes the step taken, takes it back, the constellation falters again. degrees ? what's the scale here ? she returns to where the broken ladle comes to focus and her eyes narrow as they linger on one point, shining bright at the extension of the handle. not part of the big dipper, never was. ❝ what are you doing here ? ❞
she circles to the next column east, her eyes don't leave her bright companion, like many years ago, a navigator's best friend. she arrives and the dipper's gone, but polaris shines ever bright. never part of the dipper, but part of ursa minor. she holds a deep breath inside her chest and walks back to the first column, her eyes take in the entire display of light once more and the dipper reappears. six columns. six constellations ? six coordinates ? a disquieted hum settles in the back of her throat as the effort stretches, taunts her, but she arrives at opposite column, establishes direction. and wills her eyes to unfocus from polaris. ever bright, the center of these puzzles somehow. a theory she needs to confirm. her hand fingers at the journal, she remembers exactly which constellation is hastily sketched into which page.
the lattice reshapes again. this time it’s sharper, more jagged. a zigzag crown etched in light. cassiopeia. the 'w' tilts depending on where she stands, but its curve always bends around the same fixed star. polaris again, the queen of stars, the constellations bow to it. lara keeps going, gathers more constellations as they wrap around polaris. cepheus challenges her, barely appearing if she's not standing at the right angle, immediately breaking when she so much as turns her head. not the constellation that matters then. onto the next one.
draco's chains wrap around polaris in warning, tread lightly, traveler. the intricacy deepens the frown on her features as she slows her note taking to absorb the sky shifting before her eyes. she almost loses heart when cygnus' cross bears down on her and conceals polaris in a divine guard, but when she crouches it splits. polaris again. six constellations ... not six puzzles, but six clues to on one very intricate puzzle. lara looks down at her journal and her eyes become distant, her mind works the math faster than her hands would ever catch up as she returns to main column and faces true north once more. when her vision goes out of focus, she remembers where dean is, only because he interrupts her. and at the perfect time too. her lips curl up in an awestruck, cocksure grin.
❝ the lights form constellations. six. most used for navigation, and in the center of each one is polaris. the north star. ❞ lara goes on as she takes one step east of north, ❝ it's not part of all of them. but it's there at every angle. because this ... ❞ and step east, ❝ is a compass. and the aqueduct is a calibration tool. ❞ one sharp step west. ❝ and i've just calibrated it. ❞
a beat, lara looks ahead, beyond the rocky walls. ❝ i know where the temple is. ❞