<-- So during the event where we were trying to prevent Li-varili's curse, Gurashi was influencing mothies in the Most Beloved Mysrai's realm! But they kept running out of moths to influence. Since Calio was with them, they decided hey! Let's show her the Vaults since they wrote about them and she mentioned being interested in them before!

LOOKIT SHE
She is a feathered storm trill demigoddess, a statuesque and imposing woman that stands well over six and a half feet tall. Her face is full of strong, rough edges, evoking imagery from a battlefield: her skin's hue is reminiscent of dusty, sun-bleached bones, long since stripped of their flesh and vitality; her lips are the tone of blackened earth, and her eyes the tint of a cloudless morning sky polluted by plumes of smoke. The feathers that adorn her head, the expansive wings upon her back, and much of the rest of her body are the color of a stream into which bodies were carelessly thrown, their blood staining the water. At the end of each of her well-muscled arms are hands hardened by callouses, and the nails that tip each of her fingers are curved and appear to have been sharpened, giving them a talon-like quality.
She is wearing:
an austere suit of full plate
a pair of disciplined roseate wings, protruding dutifully from her back through slots in her armor
a serviceable grey cloak with a dodecahedron clasp
a tactical leather baldric, clasped across her chest and back securely
a crystalline cloudberry brooch, pinned to the right side of her cloak
the Quintessential Mandala of Resplendent Harmony, partially obscured by her cloak
a utilitarian pouch, secured to the left side of her waist.

LOOKIT ME
A wild tangle of burnt-orange seaweed tumbles from the head of this being before you, spilling wildly down over their limbs and stopping just shy of their knees. Though initial glances might think one is looking at an off-colored kelpie, closer inspection reveals that they are a noble seasinger merian kindly demigod changeling. They stand at proud six-foot even, their limbs slender and their slim figure bordering on feminine in its minute curvature. Soft and shiny sunset-hued scales cover the remaining entirety of their body, visible through all the tangles of kelp. A single streak of bone-white scales sit dull and just barely visible along their left temple. Long and pointed fin-like ears poke out from among the ruddy fronds, pale gold in color and moving constantly. A moderately sized crescent-shaped scar mars their right cheek, a pale pink upon their otherwise brightly colored cheek. Wide eyes as dark as the deepest ocean gaze out inquisitively beyond the orange fronds, hardly blinking, while a mouth housing slightly pointed teeth offers a tentative smile back at the world around them. Two fresh tendril-like scars akin to burns wind their way up the merian's arms, marring their scaled knuckles, the backs of their hands, and ending just before the elbow. Great wings of ethereal metal emerge from their upper back, raining motes of copper-hued energy that dissipate with the hum of Mysrai, the Beckoner Beyond the Maze's truefavour.
They are wearing:
a starry wreath of celestial light set atop their head like a halo
a circlet of crystal thorns resting loosely atop their head
a vivid red-orange poppy tucked lovingly behind their left ear
a sunset cloak of the darkening sea which hangs majestically off-center from their right shoulder
the Mantle of Starlight which flows dreamily about their shoulders and back
a breezy blue cotton tunic which hangs flatteringly from their form
mercurial Mysraian prayer beads pulled taut against their right wrist
a Glomdoring friendship bracelet which jingles softly on their left wrist
minty citrus incense beads pulled taut against their right wrist
aromatic cedar and cinnamon incense beads pulled taut against their right wrist
a labyrinthine, shifting poppy worn delicately upon their left wrist
a driftwood ring of sea breezes fitted tightly to their left middle finger
Refined Boots of the Paladin, worn and weathered from use
rugged tan adventuring trousers which fit their form flatteringly.

With a watery, seraphic cadence, you say, "...th-this may be futile."

With a watery, seraphic cadence, you say, "I-I may have to wait a little longer."

Your eyes raise to the heavens as a look of hope flashes across your face.

With a watery, seraphic cadence, you ask, "Oh! Wanna see the Most Beloved's Vaults?"

With a watery, seraphic cadence, you say, "They have a fanciful statues!"

Calioliahali Skydrifter says to you, "I do not mind the wait." She pauses, then nods. "I would not be opposed."

You face lights up as you smile brightly at Calioliahali.

With a watery, seraphic cadence, you say, "Let's go, let's go! It is within the Beloved monastery, the Orange Monastery ...."

You have emoted: Gurashi again pulls Calioliahali close to them. "Come come, the thieves are naughty. And if you do not hold onto me might fall off the platforms. The monks do not know how to catch not-Beloved, even if you is a trill."

Calioliahali follows you in.
The Courtyard of Broken Citrus.
The entrance to the Monastery of Orange Thieves is filled with vibrant life in the form of manifold strange trees that grow here in a large orchard stretching forward a good fifty feet, their bark a bizarre shade of indigo and their leaves a faded saffron. Tiles of jade in hues of pale ivory and emerald spread across the ground surrounding this orchard, surfaces swept immaculately clear whilst figures of the Hermit Clad in Saffron line alcoves in the wall, each expressing a separate mudra. Dishes of incense float languidly in thea ir before them, cones disgorging orange-scented plumes of smoke: sand trickles upwards from the ground to catch snapping sparks. The archway leading into the orchard itself violently disagrees with its surroundings, blackest onyx and inky obsidian rising on the left and right in enormous wings to meet with a blossom of palest ivory in the shape of an owl's face, saffron eyes staring down at all those who enter. Steps lead north and easterly both, though neither rises near high enough to meet the platform hovering far in the distance to the northeast. A pair of broad, coppery doors rest here, panels emblazoned with devices of mantra-adorned oranges. Robed in ivory and orange, the Saint of Broken Citrus tends to the affairs of her grove.
You see exits leading north, east, and out.

You turn to the Saint of Broken Citrus, suddenly bending at the waist to offer a polite half-bow.
The Saint of Broken Citrus tilts her head curiously.

As they guide their guest along, you sing, "Please excuse us, Beloved Saints! Good evening! Good day!"
The Saint of Broken Citrus smiles softly.

Calioliahali's eyebrows lift a few fractions at your words, and she draws ever closer to you.

Calioliahali follows you east.
Atop the roof.
Throughout the location, small dancing flames flicker and spark. Ceramic tiling cascades along the top of the monastery's structure, colored in glazed tints of saffron and burnt umber. The glistening tiles of the roof are interlocked in descending tiers of horizontal rows, with a sporadic number showing abrasion and impact damage likely from many footfalls. Many tread marks denote what look to be common pathways used by many travellers as a means of traversing into and out of the monastery, with one particular well-used area being a makeshift perch nestled amongst a section of the roof that has lost its tiles to time. The wooden stoop sits upon the edge facing the horizon of the Shifting City, with a few boards overhead holding candle-filled globes upon many-colored strings. The opposite slope of the roof provides a view to the inner courtyard of a verdant grove of orange trees of varying heights with some being almost as tall as the monastery, their ripe branches boasting a bounty of citrus globes.
You see a single exit leading west.

You nod your head emphatically.

You have emoted: Gurashi inhales, looking about as they stand atop this roof, looking surprisingly unafeared despite being so near to the edge. "Ahh, this is the way ups," They sing, frilled ears bouncing as they look back at Calioliahali. "Are you ready?" They ask, tightening the arm on Calioliahali's waist, holding tighter to the trill's hand.

Calioliahali's smoky blue eyes naturally drift off of the edge as she follows you toward it, eventually lifting her gaze back toward your face, her hand upon your own squeezing in kind. "I will not pretend to be unafraid, but my fears are always lessened when I am in your presence, so long as you are not yourself in danger." She leans over to press her black lips to your forehead, then nods. "I am ready."

You have emoted: Gurashi's frilled ears bounce, and they give Calioliahali another squeeze. "No. The Most Beloved said, this parts of the Temple was O-K to show. To share the worlds Their wonders, Their vaults. For They are wonderful."

You give Calioliahali a peck on the cheek.

As you gaze up towards the sky, your vision swims over and clouds with darkness. A brilliant blaze of the Lord, Lady, and Neither's power blooms like a star high above the monastery, and you feel yourself instinctually call out to it. Stepping forward, you are suddenly rushed through the darkness until your vision clears and you find yourself hundreds of metres above the monastery, atop a floating platform.

Calioliahali follows you ether.
A floating platform above the orchard.
Throughout the location, small dancing flames flicker and spark. A void-black, metal disc with a diameter large enough to comfortably fit a crowd hovers silently in the sky, its surface containing an intricately carved network of tiny grooves that occasionally burst with waves of liquid-light when someone comes in contact. The platform provides a precarious perch that only has two distinct features: a spiral staircase of wrought metal or a gleaming slide curling downward to the monastery below. The twin passages dizzyingly spin around one another in a dance of curves, the height of which being many times taller than some of the oldest trees of the Basin of Life. Surrounding the platform, a roiling fog of dark grey with innumerable pinpricks of saffron stars peek forth emanating their light as the mists churn, obscuring the realm save for the monastery.
You see a single exit leading down.

You have emoted: As the merian and trill appear at the top of the platform in what feels like only seconds Gurashi looks about curiously, frond-like hair bouncing as they do. "Ah!" They smile. "We made it!"

Soft fur brushes against your ankles, leaving a strange warmth in your skin. When you glance down, you glimpse the fading remnants of feline footsteps in the dust.

Calioliahali quietly peeks down at the platform now beneath her feet as she remains close to you, and then she gazes back up to the rest of her surroundings.

With a watery, seraphic cadence, you whisper, "Be-hold, the tops of the Vaults...!"

Calioliahali follows you down.

The entrance to the Vaults.
Throughout the location, small dancing flames flicker and spark. Stone steps embedded into the soil plunge downward through the cramped tunnel, finally leveling out as the shaft transforms into an impossibly large cavern containing an equally impossibly huge wall underground. From the tunnel, a paved road across drought-stricken soil and hundreds of metres of sand leads to enormous sandstone gates, which are turreted by twin owl statues. The left owl is composed of gold with ruby eyes, and the other, crafted of onyx with emerald eyes, each raising one wing over the gate to touch the tip of the other as they stand sentinel peering down towards the entrance, which is thrown wide open. The colossal sandstone wall, hundreds of metres in height, extends in both directions until fading in the hazy mirage of the horizon. Along the wall's surface, hieroglyphs manifest at random in varying sizes and shifting in shades of saffron to scarlet to a burnt voidcopper. Over time, some glyphs will flicker rapidly and peel from the sandstone wall to glide towards the path leading to the gates only to stop and hover at the edges of the road before fading.
You see exits leading northeast and up.

You beam broadly at Calioliahali.

Speckles of cold stars open overhead, winking coldly in the silvery fog canopying the city.

Happily, you say, "Be-hold, be-hold!"

Calioliahali lifts her gaze then to the owl statues, smoky blue eyes drifting from each to the other in turn, regarding them with barely hidden awe.

You have emoted: Gurashi smiles as they quietly lead Calioliahali along, giving the trill plenty of time to gawk as they approach the Vaults themselves. "Is amazing, yes? The Most Beloved Thiefs." They hum. "They likes apotheosises."

You tilt your head and listen intently to Calioliahali.

Calioliahali's lips curve into an easy, warm smile at your words, expression brightening at the mention of apotheosis. "You are much beloved indeed, I would assume, then." She pauses then to consider your question, her lips pursing for a few seconds. "I would be amenable to viewing it all, if time is permitting? If it is not, Their statue is intriguing. Your book had mentioned that it shows many of Their Shapes?"

You face lights up as you smile brightly at Calioliahali.

You have emoted: Gurashi flashes a sheepishly sharp-toothed smile, squeezing Calioliahali's hand. "We can take times to stops by all of them," They comment. "The statue, though. It is very shiny. Beloved Aschwar made it for Thems, but also because Beloved Shulamits loves to collect notes on Their wonderful shapes."

You throw back your head as you let loose a delighted laugh.

Calioliahali follows you southeast.
The sorting room.
Throughout the location, small dancing flames flicker and spark. An immense black metal cube etched in glowing runes rotates in the air of this facility as a line of oranges glide through the air in an orderly line from a hole in the ceiling above right into the top of the cube. As the cube spins, oranges fly out from holes on each of the four sides to different areas that initiate a complex series of mechanisms ranging from a clear tube of glass that turns and bends in a multitude of angles, to a rail cart with a track of loops and curves. Throughout the area, mechanisms and magic are sorting the oranges into piles with some piles having labels in an archaic language or in baskets of different colors. None of the oranges in any of the piles appear to be different visually from one another despite the complex magical factory categorizing them in specific piles. Regularly, an entire stash of oranges will float up and glide purposefully away in different vectors into the main vault, only to have the pile quickly replaced by newly sorted oranges.

The air around Calioliahali blurs as she chants under her breath. She shakes her head and blinks in confusion.

Singing, you say, "All circles round and the rind becomes whole once again~."

A faint scent of honey reaches your nose, as you briefly see a path through the oranges that you had not noticed before.

The Mantle of Starlight flows gently against your form, twinkling stars shifting across its surface as the starry infinity continues its eternal motion.

You tilt your head curiously.

Calioliahali's gaze drifts curiously to your face at your words, then looks back to regard the many oranges.

You have emoted: Gurashi hums as they tighten their grasp on Calioliahali's hand, attention seeming drawn through the piles of oranges. They begin to wander forth, stepping over the fruit, guiding the trill along curiously.

The sorting room.
Throughout the location, small dancing flames flicker and spark. An immense black metal cube etched in glowing runes rotates in the air of this facility as a line of oranges glide through the air in an orderly line from a hole in the ceiling above right into the top of the cube. As the cube spins, oranges fly out from holes on each of the four sides to different areas that initiate a complex series of mechanisms ranging from a clear tube of glass that turns and bends in a multitude of angles, to a rail cart with a track of loops and curves. Throughout the area, mechanisms and magic are sorting the oranges into piles with some piles having labels in an archaic language or in baskets of different colors. None of the oranges in any of the piles appear to be different visually from one another despite the complex magical factory categorizing them in specific piles. Regularly, an entire stash of oranges will float up and glide purposefully away in different vectors into the main vault, only to have the pile quickly replaced by newly sorted oranges. Calioliahali Skydrifter looms here, lingering with an unsettling aura of strict severity. She wields a severe steel arming sword in her left hand and a severe steel shortsword in her right hand.
You see exits leading northeast and northwest. <-- ?!

Calioliahali follows you northeast.
A darkened, solemn corner.
Throughout the location, small dancing flames flicker and spark. Decayed oranges crumble into a glowing gold dust, with clouds rising up in a swirl around the center of the chamber, their movement frozen as if time has paused. A pervading sense of stillness emanates from the sight, with little to no smell or airflow to indicate decomposition is still ongoing. Shafts of light peek through silken fabrics obscuring the entrance in a wall of translucent saffron cloth, with some folds thin enough to cause the light outside to cast the curtain's warm glow into the dust-filled dome chamber, but thick enough to hide the contents of the chamber. The sunset orange light illuminates an intricate tile mosaic of the Dreadform of Iklara, its serpentine form coiling with its maw fixed open in the center ready to clamp shut. The dome overhead is painted in thousands of hues as they bleed pigments into one another in a swirling mass that slowly fades to black as it reaches the floor. Barely visible in the maw of the Dreadform that threatens to consume Her, a stained glass statue of the Thousand-Hued struggles to rise skyward from the centre of the mosaic. With paw pressed against the statue, Aschwar is surrounded in a chaotic pulse of light and energy.
You see a single exit leading southwest.

LOOKIT BEST BEEEAARRRR
Radiant gold and inky black compete for prominence in the thick fur that covers this enormous tae'dae's body, the silky hair shifting like fields of wheat and clouds through the night sky with each movement. Though clean, there is obvious signs of clumping and strange knots that show a lack of recent grooming. Despite their thick limbs and eleven-and-a-half feet of height, an aura of muted serenity radiates off of their body in soft pulses of colour, though its weak beat is only further made prominent by the absence of what was once an everpresent smile upon their muzzle. Glittering mis-matched eyes, the right brown and the left green, stare with a gentle warmth at the world around them in spite of the dark and heavy, crescent-shaped bags beneath, only inches below a pair of fuzzy ears with several notches missing from them. They are nicely dressed in a comfortable pair of deep grey trousers, held up by a burgundy belt of leather, and a three-layered tunic of bright red-violet cloth that fits them nearly perfectly. Light tan, a pair of strap boots are a stark contrast to their fur and have been decorated with little, hand-drawn moths. In their left hand, they wield a ten foot long scabbard covered in vines of living, scarlet poppies.
Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart has an air of extreme strength.

<-- Cali was on a different plane than Aschwar and I somehow so I couldn't emote @ her!
I'm sorry, I do not see Cali here.
You see the following people here:
Calioliahali, Gurashi.

You have emoted: Gurashi's face lights up the moment they enter the room, jaw dropping and frilled ears bouncing up. "Beloved Aschwar!" They cry suddenly as they spot the tae'dae from across the room. They unwind their arm from Calioliahali's waist to begin to wave excitedly.

Your thoughts, actions, and even sounds struggle to escape as the silence in this place threatens to overwhelm, your words visible as motes of colour that hang in the air before stalling and slowing as they approach the tae'dae and the statue they stand near.

You have emoted: Gurashi's brow furrows as their surrounds become like that of molasses, stuck mid-gesture, their arm raised, watching Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart in muted silence.

Though the approach is slow, the words approach nevertheless, passing over the tae'dae before the clouds of colour are shredded into fine motes of essence that are hungrily pulled into a current that funnels directly into the statue. At this, the tae'dae's eyes open wide and they turn - withdrawing their paw with a look of stark horror in their mismatched gaze.

You stare at Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart, eyes wide.

In urgent, broken Common, pointing back towards the sorting room, Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart says, "Should not beings here."

LOOKIT STATUE
A seamless rise from the mosaic below, the hungering mouth of the Dreadform of Iklara rises like the jaw of some great beast breaching the ocean, bulging and warping the floor surrounding it to uncomfortable, distended extremes. Obvious is the object of its hunger, as lithe nacre gleams even in the darkness here; sculpted into a perfect reconstruction of the opalescent skin of Ashtariel, the Thousand-Hued, who desperately struggles to rise upward from the slavering maw of Her pursuer and the manifold tentacle-like tongues wrapped about Her waist. Stained glass is deftly woven into and through the mother-of-pearl She is formed of, spilling radiant motes of colour across Her flesh as She is observed. Her slim hands grasp for something, or perhaps Someone, in the distance - the golden dust throughout the room drawn to Her fingertips where the dying essence of what was stolen paints Her flesh in renewed stains of kaleidoscopic pigment that spill down Her countenance.

Pale gold in hue, the wreath about your brow shimmers in a steady pattern, like unto a heartbeat in its gentle pulsation, crowning you in a flickering halo before settling still once more.

Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart hurries past you towards the exit, waving the pair of you along to follow.

The world seems a little less pleasant as Aschwar departs to the southwest.

You have emoted: Gurashi slowly moves back towards the way they came, guiding the trill along with them, wide-eyed.

Calioliahali follows you southwest.
The sorting room.
You see exits leading northeast and northwest.

Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart raises a paw in a strict command of silence and patience, moving then to grab at the katana held at their side.

You have emoted: Gurashi seems dazed as they retreat from the room, swaying. "B-Beloved--" Suddenly they grab wildly for Calioliahali, as if making sure the trill is real. "Cali are you O-K?" To the tae'dae, they ask. "A-are you..."

You have emoted: Gurashi trails off as the paw is raised, trembling briefly in anxious confusion.

Calioliahali's smoky blue gaze remains at her feet, not moving further, as instructed by Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart.

Moving like a dance, Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart begins taking measured, careful steps towards the wall which has opened to reveal the room beyond - their eyes glowing brilliantly as the scent of honey tickles your nose. Then, in a flash of scarlet, they swing their oversized blade through the air once, and twice, and the Vaults shudder as the walls close quickly. They resheathe the weapon and turn, looking as guilty as a child with their hand caught in a cookie jar.

You have emoted: Gurashi takes a few measured steps back, pushing Calioliahali with them, giving the tae'dae ample space to work with their blade. Their frilled ears, previously raised with excitement and curiosity now sag, and they let out a little exhale, shoulders bunching. They watch the entrance vanish, opening and closing their mouth a few times, eventually casting Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart an apologetic, pleading look.

In broken Common, Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart says, "Can pretend saw nothing, yes?"

Calioliahali mutely allows you to pull her further away from Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart, the corners of her lips twitching.

You catch a flash of saffron out of the corner of your eye, and turn to see a thief darting away to leave naught but a glittering trail of fading colours in his wake.

You have emoted: Gurashi doesn't look like they are sure what to say, glancing back at the space where there was once an entrance, now nothing. They look back at Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart, sinking their sharp teeth into their lower lip, chewing it. "...y-yes, o-of course, can, but..." They step closer to the tae'dae, voice low. "...what, ah - what is? Why, so guarded, Beloved...?"

Shoulders bunching, you say to Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart, "A-are you O-K? I-I am sorry that went somewheres, was not allowed..." They again look at the space, furrowing their brow. "... that ..."

"Mistake." Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart's voice is full of sincerity and resolve, a rare flash of anger in their brow as they grip tightly at their sword, but one that vanishes so quickly you cannot help but wonder if you had imagined it. "Secret mistake, but mistake. Not safe for friends, even best."

You have emoted: Gurashi's frilled ears droop even lower, as do their shoulders. "...am sorry," They say at last, voice low, studying the tae'dae's face, seeming taken aback by the brief outburst of emotion. "Uhm." They seem at a loss for more words, reeling a little as the City shifts around them. "I... will, keeps secrets," They say at last, voice rising half an octave, faint. "C-can, ah, Do, any other things for? To ... helps... ?" They ask the tae'dae, canting their head to the side.

Calioliahali Skydrifter thinks to herself: the trill's gaze remains upon the ground as she stands near her merian companion, a distinct sense in her mind that she will never speak of what she had seen.

You think to yourself: their heart sinks, a sense of embarrassment - they looked so -scared- what -was- that statue they will not speak of it but they cannot clear their -mind- of it either--.

You think to yourself: --the tae'dae's twisted expression, the outburst - are they O-K?.

Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart bites their bottom lip in a familiar fashion, rubbing awkwardly at their arm. For a moment, it appears they desperately wish to speak, but a heavy swallow that is audible even from your position causes them to weakly shake their head as they say, "S-should not. Is...going badness. Will be badness?"

You have emoted: Gurashi's frilled ears rise, and they step closer, bringing the trill with them, gently guiding her with them. They reach out, lovingly laying their free hand upon the tae'dae's arm, gazing up at Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart with a frown. "Will be something... bad?" They ask, glancing again to the once-doorway, back up at the tae'dae, giving them their full merian attention.

Frowning, their scarred hand lightly tightening, you ask Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart, "But if it is going to be badness then ... why...?"

Calioliahali follows you quickly, her smoky blue eyes hesitantly lifting from the ground at last, first to scan your face, and then to finally regard Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart, as if for the first time. Her free hand flexes at her side, nervously tapping her nails against her waist.

Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart's eyes are struck through with a pang of bitter sorrow and they quickly tear their gaze upward - unable to meet your as they reach their arm into a split in the aether nearby. Quickly withdrawing the arm, they pull out a glowing flower, and pass it over quickly answering, "Can not now. But...laters. Not safe. Not here."

Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart gives a glowing golden sunflower to you.

You look at Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart hopefully.

Suddenly, accepting the flower, you say to Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart, "I loves you - i-it will be O-K."

You tilt your head, gaze softening as you frown.

In broken Common, the hopefulness within wilted somewhat by the warbling of barely withheld tears, Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart says, "Loves you, too."

Aschwar, the Ebongold Heart quickly turns and rushes away, moving at a properly ursine pace as they sprint through the Vaults faster than you can hope to follow.

The world seems a little less pleasant as Aschwar departs to the northwest.

You have emoted: Gurashi gazes down at the sunflower, accepting it, studying it preciously, looking back up at the tae'dae, frowning. Briefly, they look at Calioliahali, their frown growing as they hear the quaver in the tae'dae's voice. "Oh--".

With a watery, seraphic cadence, you say, "Beloved--."

(OOC Clan): Calioliahali says, ":((."
(OOC Clan): You say, ":C :C :C."
(OOC Clan): You say, "BEST BEAR DO NOT BE CRYING."

Calioliahali returns her gaze to you after the tae'dae departs, the corners of her lips tugging downwards. Softly, she asks, "Gurashi, are you...?" She seems unable to finish the question, her frown deepening as she regards you with concern.

You have emoted: Gurashi swallows hard as they cradle the sunflower near to them, examining its bright and glowing petals. Their own eyes glaze as they set their jaw, finally nodding, looking up at Calioliahali slowly. "I-I am O-K," They say quickly. "I... I am the sorry one! Ah, I-I should have asked, before..." They trail off, then hiccup, reaching up to wipe at their eyes as tears begin to spill over their cheeks. "T-they were so -sad-. I-I have not seen them in so long, I-I have been wondering ..."

Embarrassed, you say to Calioliahali, "I-I did not even g-get to properly, introduce you twos... ah - I-I'm so sorry, uhm..."

Calioliahali shakes her head quickly, her arms both slipping around to fully encompass you tightly, her fear, nervousness, anxiety melting away as she gazes down at you. "No, Gurashi, do not be sorry. I do not believe that you did anything wrong. It is... It has been complicated, for everyone. For all of us." She pauses to tilt her chin, pressing her black lips to your forehead. "I am certain your friend will be well, in time, and then we will have, ah, a proper opportunity to meet."

You have emoted: Gurashi trembles again, the gills on their neck flaring open then settling again as they continue to cradle the glowing sunflower to their chest, as if it were the most precious thing in the world. They glance up upon feeling Calioliahali's lips on their forehead, furrowing their brow, puffing their cheeks. "I-I hopes so, ah," Their sharp teeth chatter. "...I-I thinks you are right, yes. I promise, ahm, w-will introduce you, propers soonly, I swears," They suddenly unhook one hand from the flower, wrapping it around the trill to give her a hug. "Thank you."

You tilt your head, gaze softening as you frown.

NEW FLOWER AAA
The huge and cheerful face of this sunflower is made all the more so by the radiant golden glow that surrounds it. The hatched centre is as broad as your outstretched hand and pleasant to the touch, each brush emitting the delightful scent of honey for a few seconds. The enormous petals appear to be made of golden leaf rather than the typical yellow flesh their kind should possess, yet feel as soft as if it were one of its more recognisable kin.
It has 5 months of usefulness left.
It weighs 2 ounce(s).
It does not retain any heat whatsoever.
It has the following aliases: sunflower, flower.

You let loose a long breath from your lungs, exhaling slowly.

One of her arms shifting, Calioliahali gently begins to rub her calloused hand against your back, still regarding you with concern, her lips trembling. "I look forward to such a time," she finally musters, and then dips her head a second time, brushing her black lips against your forehead once again. As she pulls back just an inch, she whispers, "I love you, my apotheosis. You will persevere, and I will be there to assist you in doing so. Always."

The tender, sweet moment is undercut briefly as a new rush of oranges enter the room and solidly catch the both of you in the temple before floating awkwardly up towards the cube above.

You have emoted: Gurashi quirks their mouth to the left, then right, finally smiling, again they hug the sunflower to them, exhaling. "Thank you, my Cali," They let out a bubbling sound, looking back towards the way they came. "...d-do you, want to see Their statues...?" Quickly they clarify, "T-t-t-the m-many S-Shapes ones! I-I mean!"

You have emoted: Gurashi lets out a watery squawk as they are smacked in the head by the oranges, stumbling. "Ack! Ouwah! We are not to be sorted!" They blurt out, scrambling to guide themselves and Calioliahali towards the exit.

Calioliahali releases a slow, unsteady breath as your smile returns, and then she nods once, sharply. "I would join you, if we are still allowed to do so." She then follows you quickly, wings flaring defensively as an orange hurtles toward you.

Calioliahali follows you northwest.
The Reliquary.
You see exits leading northeast, southeast, southwest, northwest, and up.

With a watery, seraphic cadence, you say, "I-I--."

You have emoted: Gurashi trips over an orange on their way out, laughing, shaking out their head and sending ripples through their fronds. "I-I think it is O-K! It is Their statues and They said p-peoples are allowed to sees! We should, ah, at least look at THAT! While waiting for more mothies..." They trail off, gazing at the path that brought them in, frowning. They again look down at the sunflower, sighing. "Ah, i-it is this way."

<-- and then we went off and did more tour things/Lorina joined/it was a busy day!

SIX IRL DAYS LATER

<-- Gurashi was doing Tosha monastery quest and showing Calio how to do it as well when suddenly...

LOOKIT ME
They are a feathered trill kindly demigod changeling. Downy plumes of vibrant orange cascade in a tumble around their head, the cluster of feathers stopping just short of their shoulders and moving at the slightest breeze. A cluster of snow-white feathers grow near their right temple. A natural mask of downy black feathers have sprouted around their eyes, covering the upper portion of their face and fading in with the colorful orange feathers at the hairline and temples. A moderately-sized, crescent-shaped scar mars their right cheek, pink where it would otherwise be black. A hint of discolored flesh can be seen at the center of their sternum, mostly obscured by their clothing. Two tufts of feathers gather where their ears would normally be, adorned by long, curling feathers that react to their mood. Their eyes are wide and inquisitive, a stunning gray that looks almost blue against the bright orange and striking black feathers. They stand just shy of six foot even, with a thin, willowy build, their skin sandy and smooth. Hanging half-limp behind them are a pair of great apricot-colored wings, the covert feathers nearest to their back the same ebony-violet as the feathers that cover their brow and cheekbones. Their wings are sleek and shiny, evidence of recent grooming efforts. Two still healing tendril-like scars akin to burns wind their way up the trill's arms, marring their knuckles, the backs of their hands, and ending just before the elbow. Great wings of ethereal metal emerge from their upper back, raining motes of copper-hued energy that dissipate with the hum of Mysrai, the Beckoner Beyond the Maze's truefavour. A steel-hued scar traces along their cheek, gifted by Terentia, the Even Bladed, for their mettle in the field of battle. Soothing mists of water and light weave about them in a sparkling white veil, marking the truefavour of Lantra, the Empyreal.
They are wearing:
a starry wreath of celestial light set atop their head like a halo
a sunset cloak of the darkening sea which hangs majestically off-center from their right shoulder
a luminescent firefly squid hair pin tucked charmingly behind their feathery ears
a circlet of crystal thorns resting loosely atop their head
a vivid red-orange poppy tucked lovingly behind their left ear
the Mantle of Starlight which flows dreamily about their shoulders and back
a breezy blue cotton tunic which hangs flatteringly from their form
mercurial Mysraian prayer beads pulled taut against their right wrist
a Glomdoring friendship bracelet which jingles softly on their left wrist
minty citrus incense beads pulled taut against their right wrist
aromatic cedar and cinnamon incense beads pulled taut against their right wrist
a shifting, living poppy of copper petals worn delicately upon their left wrist
a driftwood ring of sea breezes fitted tightly to their left middle finger
a pair of black trousers bearing silver stars which fit their shape nicely
Refined Boots of the Paladin, worn and weathered from use.

LOOKIT SHE
She is a feathered storm trill demigoddess, a statuesque and imposing woman that stands well over six and a half feet tall. Her face is full of strong, rough edges, evoking imagery from a battlefield: her skin's hue is reminiscent of dusty, sun-bleached bones, long since stripped of their flesh and vitality; her lips are the tone of blackened earth, and her eyes the tint of a cloudless morning sky polluted by plumes of smoke. The feathers that adorn her head, the expansive wings upon her back, and much of the rest of her body are the color of a stream into which bodies were carelessly thrown, their blood staining the water. At the end of each of her well-muscled arms are hands hardened by callouses, and the nails that tip each of her fingers are curved and appear to have been sharpened, giving them a talon-like quality.
She is wearing:
an austere suit of full plate
a pair of disciplined roseate wings, protruding dutifully from her back through slots in her armor
a serviceable grey cloak with a dodecahedron clasp
a tactical leather baldric, clasped across her chest and back securely
a crystalline cloudberry brooch, pinned to the right side of her cloak
the Quintessential Mandala of Resplendent Harmony, partially obscured by her cloak
a utilitarian pouch, secured to the left side of her waist.

A monk disciple in grey robes exclaims, "Ah, Master Ulan must think I'm worthy to follow him!"
A monk disciple in grey robes places the token around her neck, and her robes shimmer and change to green.

You face lights up as you smile brightly at Calioliahali.

In an airy, melodic voice, you ask, "So I still need... six... more spiders, see?"

Calioliahali Skydrifter says, "I see."

In an airy, melodic voice, you say, "And then once have handed out all the tokens Mister Ulan will say 'good job, Gurashi!' and slap me on the head with his blessing."

Though the sunflower they were attached to has perished, what petals did not fall to the floor of your bedroom and surreptitiously clung to your clothing stirs. Whirring in a small coalescence, they surge together and fold, weave, and tuck themselves as expertly as vellum, what were once veins briefly visible as ink before a shimmering golden glow passes over the heart that forms and solidifies it into paper.

You nod your head sagely.

You blink.

In an airy, melodic voice, you say, "Ah, wh--."

Calioliahali's eyebrows knit together yet again as she regards you. "Ah... Is all well?"

You have emoted: Gurashi trails off in their explanation, finding a labyrinthine blossom with a vibrant golden heart upon their persons, their plumage ruffling up in surprise. "Oh, I ..." Their gray eyes widen, and they clutch the vellum close to themselves, trembling.

You have emoted: Gurashi glances up at Calioliahali, wide-eyed, before delicately opening a labyrinthine blossom with a vibrant golden heart.

A labyrinthine blossom with a vibrant golden heart unfolds and sings to you, "(the voice that escapes this kirigami is hushed and quiet, spoken as though within a sacred hall or a particularly strict librarian's earshot) Friend Gurashi, am sorry has taken so long to see. Am sorry that you saw the bad place. Am trying to fix things so the Shofets will not get hurt, and Beloved Tonatiuh does not agrees. Am having to work in secrets. Secrets secrets. Is hurting my heart, but is important, 'cos otherwise bad things will happen. Please do not tell. All of my loves, Aschwar."

A labyrinthine blossom with a vibrant golden heart flutters apart in wisps of vellum and disappears from your hands.

(OOC Clan): You say, "My heart."

You have emoted: Gurashi's feathery ears flatten atop their head as the vellum sings to them, and they reach out as if they might be able to collect the words and hold them close. But then the words are gone, and they are left looking stupefied, staring at Calioliahali, beyond Calioliahali.

Calioliahali quietly listens to the message, and then her cheeks flush, her gaze averting to the ground.

Voice high and distant, you whisper, "Secret secrets ..."

The winds from the Razines sweep through the monastery.

You have emoted: Gurashi looks down at last, furrowing their brow. Then, they look up at Calioliahali, finally seeing the taller trill, though their face is twisted with determination and concern. "Ah, am sorry, dearest - y-you are O-K? It is O-K," Quickly they reach out, reclaiming Calioliahali's hands within both of their own.

You think to yourself: their head is racing now - fixing things? the Shofets is going to get hurt? Beloved Tonatiuh is in disagreement? their heart feels like it might leap out of their throat for a second, then sinks into the pit of their stomach - a secret secrets - they were fixing it? Fixing it? -fixing what-?.

You think to yourself: and then their throat feels tight, remembering the tone of voice, the way they whispered, desperate, almost pleading: " Is hurting my heart, but is important".

Calioliahali's smoky blue eyes slowly lift up as her hands are collected by you, and the corners of her lips tug downwards as her gaze finally settles upon your face. "I ah... I do not wish to be a liability, in this situation. It is not, ah... my business. And I do not wish for you to receive punishment for my involvement."

Entirely unaware of the gravitas of the situation, Bizirik, the leothin lets out a particularly massive belch that smells of her briny breakfast, though perhaps a bit too strongly to indicate that is all she has eaten since. Smacking her chops and licking her lips with her forked tongue, she looks rather pleased with herself.

(OOC Clan): You say, "Oh my god bizirik."
(OOC Clan): You say, "That was not me."
(OOC Clan): Calioliahali says, "...how was it not y ou."

You have emoted: Gurashi shakes their head several times, reaching up to cup Calioliahali's face with one of their hands. "No, no. You are not a liability. You are my partners," They insist. The taller trill can feel their hand is trembling. "I will protects you, yes. I am not worried about you endangering me, no. You are, ah. Ahm..."

Bizirik, the leothin strikes a pose.

(OOC Clan): You say, "LOL."
(OOC Clan): You say, "That also was not me."

You have emoted: Gurashi's attention drifts to the belching leothin, and they furrow their brow slightly. "Ah, Bizi..." They let out the tiniest of warbling laughs, they bite their lower lip, shaking their head. "Ah, uhm."

You have emoted: Gurashi brings their hand away from Calioliahali's face to their own cheek now, looking deeply in thought. "They gave me that flower so many months ago... I am just trying to determines how muchly could have happened from then, to now..." They nervously squeeze Calioliahali's hand in their other one. "I am deciding if I writes them backs o-or see if they are home."

Bizirik, the leothin grins smugly.

Calioliahali's lips continue to twitch at the corners for a few seconds, but at your touch upon her face her expression softens, mouth helplessly curving into a tentative smile. She nods quietly as you withdraw your hand and continue to explain. "Ah... I see. I am uncertain of how to advise you in this, but... I believe in you, Gurashi. And I will be here to support you, in however I might."

You think to yourself: their heart continues to thunder in their chest - for Aschwar of all people to be doing something, to act AGAINST the Shofets... it must be serious - it must be bad - what could it be? what must it be? and for Tonatiuh to not agree - is that what has been bothering the Oracle for so long? a secret secrets??.

These faithful of the Divine Order of Mysrai, the Beckoner Beyond the Maze are online:
Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold
Herald Gurashi, The Heart's Friend
There are 2 mortals in your Circle (and below) on this Plane and 0 on other Planes.

Your melodic voice sings into Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold's mind, "Dearest Tonatiuh, are you ah - aaaawake?"

Tonatiuh hisses sibilantly into the corner of your mind, "Yes, something the matter?"

You have emoted: Gurashi sets their jaw, looking up slowly at Calioliahali. At last, they inhale through their nose, then exhale through their mouth. "You are wonderful, you are O-K," They warble softly, squeezing Calioliahali's hand. Their attention drifts slightly, distant, before it refocuses on Calioliahali. "I-I might need, to step away, to have some words with uhm. My fellow Beloved, yes." They look down at Calioliahali's hand, squeezing it tightly again. "This... secret-secrets."

Your melodic voice sings into Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold's mind, "Are you waking, for longly? I-I need to talk to you, about a thing."

Tonatiuh hisses sibilantly into the corner of your mind, "Can be, yes."

Calioliahali's eyebrows lift as she gazes down at you, her lips yet again tugging downwards into a frown, but she nods. "I understand, Gurashi. You possess obligations, and I know that you will fulfill them satisfactorily, as you do all things." She returns the squeeze upon her hand. "Ah, please be safe, and inform me should you require anything? Even if it is ah... Just for words. I may provide words."

Voice falling slightly, you say to Calioliahali, "I-I am afeared, a-admittedly, for you, be-cause, I do not know... I know you would not ruin any secret secrets for the Beloved, but also, I... do NOT want you to get in troubles. For you have done no wrongs other than being there for me, at my side, when learning these... things. My beautiful witnesses, yus. I do not want to makes you go but."

You have emoted: Gurashi squeezes Calioliahali's hand. "I loves you, so muchly, yes."

Your melodic voice sings into Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold's mind, "Could we meet at those shiny gardens in Mount Zoaka? The balmy orange ones."

Tonatiuh hisses sibilantly into the corner of your mind, "Happen to be there already."

Calioliahali's gaze lowers again to the ground between herself and you for a moment. "If I am found deserving of punishment, then I will receive it. As long as it does not fall upon your own head."

You reach out, pulling Calioliahali into a tight embrace.

Whispering, you say to Calioliahali, "You will be O-K. Just be safely. I would not want a single feather upon your head to get squished."

Leaning forward, you gently press a kiss to Calioliahali's brow.

Your melodic voice sings into Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold's mind, "I-I will be there, in a moment, yes."

You give Calioliahali a friendly squeeze.

Calioliahali's cheeks flush as she's pulled into an embrace and her forehead is kissed by you. Her gaze lifts again to fix upon you. "I love you, my apotheosis."

In an airy, melodic voice, you say to Calioliahali, "I loves you too, my wish. Please be safely. Will finds you soonly, yes."

You look at Calioliahali hopefully.

You give Calioliahali a friendly squeeze.

Calioliahali Skydrifter says to you, "And you. Please."

You move about quickly and lose Calioliahali Skydrifter.

You look at Calioliahali hopefully.

Reaching out with your mind, you grasp the harmonic song of the domothean energies as you seek Tonatiuh.
Your teleport fails as your target is no longer there.

Your melodic voice sings into Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold's mind, "Oh! Ah! T-that was me! Sorry!"

Beads of sweat break out on your face.

You clear your throat.

You give Calioliahali a peck on the cheek.

You squat down and narrow your eyes, finally finding a mystic pathway that twists and turns in the distance. Before it slips away, you dash forward and rush along its winding tracks.
You speedwalk ether to balmy gardens of palm and orange.
You have reached your destination.
Balmy gardens of palm and orange.
Throughout the location, small dancing flames flicker and spark. A few light wisps of cloud are spread high in the sky. Thriving with lush growth, this tucked-away garden is an exotic presence compared to the usual sand and stone of the mountain. While tiny, the garden flourishes with several blossoming trees, leaning and swaying to and fro beneath the generous weight of many bright, ripe oranges. Dappled amidst the fruits are clusters of pale, flowering blossoms, releasing their invigorating fragrance along the balmy breeze. Spiralling paths of light-hued rock trail amidst the gardens, sprouting intermittently with plants of green palm; caught beneath one smooth stone, a wrinkled sheet of parchment flutters helplessly in the wind. Hidden deep within the environment lies a mystic pathway. A slender leothin sits here motionless, brightening its surroundings with its natural golden bio-luminescence.
You see a single exit leading in (open door).

Tonatiuh hisses sibilantly into the corner of your mind, "Had to dash off for a moment."

Your melodic voice sings into Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold's mind, "gentle assent."

You close your eyes and inhale deeply, absorbing the scent of your surroundings.

You have emoted: Gurashi glances towards Bizirik, the leothin, wringing their hands together, brows knitted.

<-- it is he, the boy and his shiny fiery entourage

LOOKIT THE SACROSANCTOMAN
He is a serpentine nagasith selcouth demigod and broods amid an aura of serpentine menace, poised upright atop muscular coils of keeled, bristle-like scales that give him an almost feathered appearance. Magnificent magenta ripples across his spine beneath a subtle pattern of indigo marks, complex yet vague shapes like the hieroglyphs of some long forgotten tongue. Graduating from this darkest shade through fuschia, there is crimson and orange right through to the saturated saffron yellow of his ventral scales. A short and rounded snout has two slits for a nose and a forked black tongue, slipping out constantly to taste hungrily at the air. Slitted cat-like pupils cast a brilliant viridian glow, the shimmering radiance of the irises mirrored by the multiples of mesmerising eyes displayed on each side of his broad flaring hood like some fantastical mirage. A chaos butterfly is resting on his shoulder. His skin shimmers faintly from a thin application of oil and smells faintly of dragon's blood, deep and exotic. Tattooed on his hands is an illustration of obscure indigo imagery upon the palms. Great wings of ethereal metal emerge from his upper back, raining motes of copper-hued energy that dissipate with the hum of Mysrai, the Beckoner Beyond the Maze's truefavour.
The evocative dance of fire is brought to reality in his eye-catching mane, each tendril of hair converging in a conflagrant profusion of red-gold that forms a feverish crown around his head. Yellow and black rule the wild terminus of each and every hair and tiny, ember-shaped rubies trickle from some of these completing the illusion.
He is wearing:
a sacrifical kris pendant pulsing with selcouth power
a kantharos pendant of dreams shimmering with captured visions
a resin-streaked mark of the Paragon of Paradigms glinting with voidcopper upon his forehead
flame-kissed beads of tarnished cognac gold wrapped loosely several times around his neck
mercurial Mysraian prayer beads wrapped around his left wrist
a gruesome trophy belt of a thousand sandojin teeth
a crystalline poppy with inlaid smoke nestling in the hollow of his throat
a tasselled kilt of golden desert silk.

Tonatiuh steps down off of a black phoenix.

You have emoted: Gurashi lifts their gaze to Tonatiuh as the nagasith arrives, wide-eyed.

In an airy, melodic voice, you say, "A-ah, Beloved Tonatiuh, dearest Oracle..."

Tonatiuh's eyes fade to black as he focuses his gaze upon you. A vast galaxy of light suddenly blooms in your vision, a rapturous moment of ecstasy accompanying it that fades as quickly as it came.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "What seems to trouble you?"

The pulsing beam from New Celest's lighthouse surges brilliantly, a shining beacon of hope that cuts through the night sky across the entirety of the Basin of Life.

You have emoted: Gurashi's lip quivers, and suddenly they reach out, throwing their arms around the nagasith, plumage ruffling up.

You have emoted: Gurashi pulls back, taking a few breaths as they collect their words. "There is..."

Though clearly puzzled, Tonatiuh wraps a loose coil around you and squeezes fondly.

You think to yourself: where do they begin? recalling the scent of honey, the worried look on the tae'dae's face as they realized they were caught--.

Blurting out at last, their voice low, wavering, you say, "A secret secrets."

You have emoted: Gurashi's gray eyes hone in on Tonatiuh's. "A secret statues, in a hidden place." Their rears flatten atop their head.

Tonatiuh exhales slowly, allowing a long fluid breath to creep from his lungs.

Softly, quietly, the words a mere whisper, Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "In the Vaults.."

In an airy, melodic voice, you whisper, "You saw it, yes. When the Lady was enacting Her curse. Their thoughts of it..."

In an airy, melodic voice, you say, "I-I was confused, at first. Only knew, of the statue of the Most Beloved but ..." Their voice cracks. "Then I s-saw it. An accident, yes."

You look at Tonatiuh and begin to perspire as you imagine all the things that might go wrong.

Tonatiuh's bristle-keeled scales shiver softly, a cascade of light ripples through them like lightning caught in aeon. "The Thousand-Hued, in the jaws of the Dreadform. I know it," the nagasith says softly. "What happened?"

You have emoted: Gurashi does their best to keep their feathers smooth, though it is clear they are distressed, their wings puffing up repeatedly, making them appear twice their size. "Was s-showing Miss Cali the Vaults, y-yes, be-cause she had interest and ... saw a new paths and... th-they were there, ah, dearest Beloved Aschwar." They frown. "They were before the statue, doing something ... but that room was so..."

Warbling, you ask, "Slow?"

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold thinks to himself: Aschwar.. Aschwar... -- the lingering sense of something torn in two --.

In an airy, melodic voice, you say, "A-and, they had us... leave so we -did- and ... they got upsets, and asked me to forgets about it, so I -did-, even though I did -not- but..."

In an airy, melodic voice, you say, "T-they gave me this beautiful flower, a beautiful sunflower ..."

You have emoted: Gurashi's gray eyes suddenly fill with tears. "A-and, t-today, ah, y-yesterday, it..."

In an airy, melodic voice, you say, "It stopped being a flower - it was a, a message, yes."

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold murmurs, "Beautiful Heart, beautiful soul.. what are you up-- a message?"

You have emoted: Gurashi frowns. "What is the statues for? Why is it there, a-and, why is the Most Beloved putting so muchly energy and e-essences into it...?"

You have emoted: Gurashi stares at Tonatiuh, their eyes wide and shiny with tears.

Fluttering as if caught by a breeze, the silvery threads of tinsel weave about in a haphazard pattern: conjuring new constellations and shapes as they glow from the sidereal light of the wreath's fine filaments.

You have emoted: Gurashi unfolds one arm from Tonatiuh to reach up and rub at the back of their neck, ruffling the downy black plumage growing their, dazed and concerned.

Tonatiuh's bright viridian eyes glow fiercer as he his muscular coils tense, the bristle-keeled scales lifting subtly to reveal a complex maze beneath. His words are remarkably quiet, as if an echo of Theirs. "She is not dead..."

You stare at Tonatiuh, eyes wide.

You have emoted: Gurashi's nostrils flare a little. "... She..." Their expression scrunches, then twists, their color seeming to drain as they realize. "You do not mean..."

Tonatiuh's coils tighten a fraction as the nagasith clearly hesitates over his words. "They work to bring Her back. They have been for a long long time."

You think to yourself: their mind is racing, buzzing with nerves - she is not dead, unless he means She, and if it is She then - the implication makes them reel.

You have emoted: Gurashi frowns more deeply at this, scanning Tonatiuh's face in disbelief. "...but..." They gape openly for a time, then ruffle up their plumage again, puffing their cheeks. "...how can that possibly be? I-I mean, She is..." They look over their shoulder, as if they might have something to gesture to, but there is only Bizirik sitting there looking bored. They look back at Tonatiuh, disbelief painting their expression.

Bizirik, the leothin snorts, tail slapping the garden behind it with a dull whumph.

You think to yourself: they remember standing on the bridge that time as the tae'dae hurled the book into the volcano below, for they did not need it - they would remember Their stories, all of them, including the one....

Tonatiuh's bright eyes glint a sharper hue, "But what if, Gurashi... what if it can be done? What do we know of the limits of Their power? It They believe it, should we not too?"

You think to yourself: ... a quavering feeling, remembering their immense sense of loss, determined to let it end without Her ... but then....

You have emoted: Gurashi's own brow knits again, and they gaze back at Tonatiuh with a tormented expression now. "...I... o-of course I be... believes in Thems but ..."

You think to yourself: a ripple of saffron hues in all the chaotic noisy color pinging in their mind: They found Aschwar.

You have emoted: Gurashi closes their eyes, taking a slow, deep breath before letting it out. "H-how ... do They intend... to makes it, work...? W..." They look down, then back up at the nagasith. "You. How."

You have emoted: Gurashi swallows hard, their eyes again filling with tears as they stare back at Tonatiuh, attempting to neutralize their expression.

You think to yourself: --the look of fear and then anger on the tae'dae's face, the sound of their voice whispering through the origami - they feel so -strongly- about this--.

A cascade of ruby and deep burgundy embers skitters through Tonatiuh's scales, sparks and cinders drifting like those of a prodded fire. "What is more important than how, is that Their Heart seems in opposition."

Pale gold in hue, the wreath about your brow shimmers in a steady pattern, like unto a heartbeat in its gentle pulsation, crowning you in a flickering halo before settling still once more.

You have emoted: Gurashi tears only continue to grow, and they watch Tonatiuh closely still. "They think something bad will happen," They whisper.

You have emoted: Gurashi trembles again, scanning Tonatiuh's face closely, awaiting further confirmation or denial. "I... I mean. She IS a-live, but," They tremble. "Not in a way, that can b-be here." They look off across the gardens nervously. "There are, possibly, MANY ... of She, o-out there, beyond the ... Veils... but They are there and we are..." They look back at Tonatiuh, trailing off.

You think to yourself: remembering the heat within their legs as they stood on that bridge, watching the Thousandfold tear through folds, searching, desperately clawing Their way to find Her, remembering how terrible it had felt to feel Them in Their desperate search - in seeing Her, however fleeting, however wrong, in seeing Themselves and the Other Architect - surely it can't be that, the Oracle can't mean like that - their head spins.

Tonatiuh's serpentine features twist subtly and he exhales a long breath. "Something bad might happen, with our help, without it.." he acknowledges, "But what if this interference is what causes Their work to fail? This has been planned far longer than both you and I have been alive."

(Squirrels): Esei says, "Idk if you can destroy a fulcrux room tho..."

Weakly, you say to Tonatiuh, "But..."

You look at Tonatiuh, expression filled with concern as you frown.

In an airy, melodic voice, you say, "...b-but I am almost a whole hundred years ...."

You have emoted: Gurashi trails off, looking down at themselves, then back up at Tonatiuh, fidgeting now in their anxious state.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "Centuries in planning. Not just one."

A golden firefly squid drags itself in.
It bears the distinctive mark of Wyrden Auspice Esei Shee-Slaugh of the Ascending Dusk.
A golden firefly squid flails about helplessly.
A golden firefly squid scuttles away.

Tonatiuh's tail tip flicks sharply, as if swatting a fly.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says to you, "What did the message say?"

Nervously, you say to Tonatiuh, "I-I still do not understand -how- - a-and, Beloved Aschwar seems convinced something badly will happen." They tremble. "I do not understand how it works! I loves Them, but, I do not want Them hurt, either. Or Aschwar, or, you or I. I do ..."

You think to yourself: their own title flickers briefly in their mind's eye - the Heart's Friend - they are, they are - they need more information.

A queer sounding cry announces the arrival of a jaunty clockwork mockingbird. Pausing mid flight, it flings an eerie opal mask in Tonatiuh's direction with a mocking, "Deliver! Deeeeeliver! Tureee! Tureee!".
<-- 8000 beep beeps and deliverables

Tonatiuh looks up into the air for divine inspiration.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "Tulahuar."

Tonatiuh exhales slowly, allowing a long fluid breath to creep from his lungs.

At last, their voice faint, you say to Tonatiuh, "That they are hurting," They whisper. They ignore the mockingbird's repeated arrival, gaze burning back into Tonatiuh's. "That their heart is hurting. That you do not agree with thems. That they want to make sure the Most Beloved is not hurt, be-cause bad things will happen otherwise. But I, do not know enoughly."

You have emoted: Gurashi sets their jaw. "Why would They keeps it secret?"

You look at Tonatiuh, expression filled with concern as you frown.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "They are doing what they think is best.. but is it really?"

You have emoted: Gurashi's plumage ripples, and suddenly they reach up to brush the back of their hand across their eyes.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "To work in secret to thwart Their plans? Offer advice, offer caution, yes, but to work against Them in secret? Is that really done in Love?"

You have emoted: Gurashi again wipes at their eyes. "I am worried, what could mean, that they would feel... strongly, so strongly, abouts it." They gaze at the nagasith, their voice high and warbling. "They are so goodly, yes? I am not knowing, like them. Or clever, like you. A-and so I am scared, that they would feel the needs ..." They hesitate. "To -thwarts-. They must feel so strongly. You, y-you already talked to them? The Beloved Heart? But you do not agree..." They trail off again, at a loss.

You think to yourself: a fleeting recollection of the Lady of Lagoons the last time they saw Her, raising that ... 'Thing', that mimicry of the Sea-Bringer - a shuddering feeling.

You stare at Tonatiuh, eyes wide.

Tonatiuh raises a scaled brow in response.

Quietly, you say, "What a terrible situations."

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "It's not easy is it?"

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "It tears the heart into a thousand pieces."

You think to yourself: the comparison makes their own heart leap into their throat again - "Is hurting my heart, but is important, 'cos otherwise bad things will happen".

You have emoted: Gurashi is silent and motionless at this, their plumage seeming deflated. They watch Tonatiuh, as if waiting for something else to be said.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold thinks to himself: -- hazy swirls of cinders, circling like a heavy cloud around a shining, bright glint of hope --.

You have emoted: Gurashi's gaze drifts down towards their booted feet, and they frown more deeply.

Quietly, you say, "...I do not get, ah, to speak muchly with... the Beloved, as muchly as I used to, I fear ..." They look up at Tonatiuh, frowning. "Have you talked to anybody else? The other Sacrosanct, the Devil or Beacons, Beloved Shulamits...."

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "Neither.. not truly.. tried once with both but there was no follow through from them. A long time ago it was, when the Vaults just opened."

You have emoted: Gurashi wrings together their hands. "P-perhaps it might, ah, be wise, to ask for their help? Surely you and me and Beloved Aschwar can't be the only ones who..." They trail off, eyes widening as they consider Tonatiuh. "...right?"

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "The visions we had, as they opened. The statue was there, within them."

A shifting, living poppy of teal-coloured petals displays a myriad of brilliant colours before its petals shift to the shade of vibrant azure.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "A well kept secret then, isn't it.."

You stare at Tonatiuh, eyes wide.

In an airy, melodic voice, you say to Tonatiuh, "Y-you saw the statues even back then...? Ah..."

You have emoted: Gurashi looks off again across the gardens, crossing their arms over their chest. "Did Beloved Aschwar tell you what would happen? Or did just say somethings bad would happen? I do not think they would feel so strongly unless believed it, for reasons..." They shiver. "I do not want to act against Them. But I want to understand what is g-going on and I am so sorry if I am being uselessly right now saying words without knowing where to go withs thems."

In an airy, melodic voice, you say, "They Love Each Other so -much-."

You think to yourself: their one and only ever dream, the Courtesan and tae'dae practicing with their swords - nothing but admiration, adoration - "Is hurting my heart".

You let loose a long breath from your lungs, exhaling slowly.

In an airy, melodic voice, you say to Tonatiuh, "I do not know why they would feel so strongly, that they would want to ... 'thwart' the Most Beloved, but. We have to ask." They frown, sniffling. "I know they love the Most Beloved and vices verses, it could not be any other way...there must ..."

The tension never leaves Tonatiuh but the nagasith sinks into his coils, as if their bristled circumference offered a buttress against the conflict of emotions, "We're all Beloved, linked to each other, but somehow still Fate has us at such crossroads."

Weakly, you whisper, "I just want to know more."

Lifting their gaze, you whisper, "It is terrible, t-to have a secret secrets that you think is the rightly thing - to know know, if it is, or not."

You think to yourself: their hands feel cold and stiff at their sides - a recollection of colorful scales, once green now lavender - he looks so differently now....

Tonatiuh serpentine head lies flat across the topmost coil but his sharp gaze flicks to look at you. "They eat away the soul, bit by bit. You're right, though. We need to know more."

Weakly, you say to Tonatiuh, "I would find it ... baffling that they would do anything out of unkindness ..." They inhale through their nose, exhale through their mouth, hold out a hand. "I do not know. I-If you. Want to reach out to them with me - B-Beloved Aschwar, I mean! They are still our friend, and Beloved." They chew their lip. "We are all connected - even at a crossroads, maybe, can find a way, so are not ... walking oppositely, opposingly-y ..."

You have emoted: Gurashi reaches up to cup their own face, staring down dazedly at their feet again.

You look at Tonatiuh hopefully.

Tonatiuh's composed facade cracks a fraction, a weariness within the sharp green eyes coming to the fore, "They both asked my promise.. how can I keep them both?"

Golden shades radiate from your chest and your heart beats faster with newly-appeared determination.

You think to yourself: their heart hurts too - the Beloved is a family, like a family - a thrum of pastel colors, determined to not see it break apart.

You have emoted: Gurashi's plumage ruffles and settles again, and they study Tonatiuh before creeping forward and again wrapping their arms around the nagasith, offering a tentative, trembling hug.

Quietly, you say to Tonatiuh, "Am sorry, Beloved."

Tightening their embrace, you ask Tonatiuh, "You have been carrying this secrets for longly time, too - haven't you." They puff their cheeks, voice lowering. "Is this what has been storming abouts in your minds, for so long...?"

Subdued sparks shift across the edges of Tonatiuh's scales, like the fading glow of a match just before burning out. "It seems forever."

You have emoted: Gurashi nods several times, tip-toing a little, sighing as their wings wrap their loopy feathers around the duo, attempting to cocoon the pair in orange plumage. "I am sorry."

Frowning still, you say to Tonatiuh, "What can I do? For you, mean." They look to the side, not loosening their embrace. "I... I want to ask Beloved Aschwar what will happen. I think, it is important. I know, you are in a toughly places. But you are not alone, no. I yam here with you yes!" They puff their cheeks. "I want, to helps."

You look at Tonatiuh hopefully.

Tonatiuh's coils squeeze briefly and relax, but despite the comfort a shiver still slices across the nagasith's spine to end with a rattle from the hollow scales right at the tip. The composure returns with a glint of bright viridian in the slit-pupils of his eyes. "What they do, they do in Love. What They do, They do in Love.." the nagasith's scales hand grips your. "What we do, we do in Love. And what we need to do, is find more answers."

You nod your head sagely.

You think to yourself: further blooming colors - a Choice....

Gently accepting the nagasith's hand, you say to Tonatiuh, "Yes, I agree."

You have emoted: Gurashi inhales again through their nose, out through their mouth. "Do you want to see if they are awake," They whisper, stepping full out of the embrace though their hand remains in Tonatiuh's. "Beloved Aschwar, I mean. Perhaps they would like these gardens. Or... do you thinks a letter would be wiser? I... do not want to get thems, in troubles. Or you."

You think to yourself: gentle acceptance - they will dive headlong into this if they must, do all they can, accept whatever happens.

You give Tonatiuh a friendly squeeze.

You have emoted: Gurashi looks down again at their boots, then around the garden, their wings unfolding behind them.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says to you, "Think this might be beyond being in trouble.. We should speak to Aschwar.. if there is something.. something so important that they know.. we should too."

You have emoted: Gurashi puffs their cheeks. "Do you wants to follow me? Do you wants me to follow you? Do you wanna see, if they are at their villas?"

You have emoted: Gurashi flits around anxiously, wide-eyed as they watch Tonatiuh, hand still linked with the nagasith's.

Tonatiuh's features twist slightly, "But if they continue.. and can't provide an answer?" the nagasith leaves the question hanging, but his fingertips brush against the poppy at this throat.

Tonatiuh begins to follow you.

You look at Tonatiuh hopefully.

Your wings flap excitedly behind you.

Quietly, you say, "I do not know. We will burn that bridges when we gets to it, I thinks."

<-- nyoom

A ball of magnetic crystal catches a wyvern egg in its gravity field and draws it up into Tonatiuh's hands. <-- remember this :')

You speedwalk west to a lush sandstone courtyard before a grand villa.
You have reached your destination.
A lush sandstone courtyard before a grand villa.
Throughout the location, small dancing flames flicker and spark. Aesthetically geometric sandstone tiles lead the way towards the grand, multi-tiered villa rising ahead. Lush, long-bladed sedge grasses envelop the sand-strewn path, tall clusters of woody bamboo parting nearer the abode where the avenue opens into a large courtyard. Nestled within the grasses are a number of abstract statues depicting noble hawks and cobras, clear water pouring from their beaks and fanged mouths into basins cradled below. Surrounded by an intricate arrangement of small pools and complex fountains, pale stone benches and narrow monoliths of dark marble circle the courtyard, offering opportunities for tranquil rest and reflection. Beyond the yard rise the golden-wood columns of the villa, each supporting wide mahogany eaves from which hang chimes of miniature golden bells interspersed with bright crimson metal poppies that lend their delicate tintinnabulation to the music elicited by even the smallest stirrings of air. The immense statue of a proud jackal rests upon its haunches at the top of the wide sandstone stairs rising before the towering archway that marks the threshold of the villa, the dark animal's triangular ears and snout held high as its scarlet eyes watch over all who pass. A black phoenix perches here, his fiery plumage illuminating the area with black fire. A selcouth sand djinn languidly levitates in mid air, liquid gold pouring from his eyes while incandescent sparks trace chaotic orbits around his floating form. Completely motionless, a slender leothin intently surveys its surroundings. Eyes aglow with a fierce, dreadful light, a slithering nagasith broods amid an aura of menace.
You see exits leading east and in.

You have emoted: Gurashi pauses outside of the villa, quietly wiping their boots on the edge of the stairs to make sure they are thoroughly clean before stepping inside, tugging Tonatiuh after them.

Within a comforting, rosy solarium.
An enormous, rectangular space, this solarium is spacious while still managing to offer a comforting sense of home with a number of beige-cushioned mahogany divans in a variety of sizes arranged strategically throughout the airy room. Columns hewn from honey-coloured wood line the area on all sides, their surfaces painted with freehand brushstroke visuals loosely depicting sky-blue cranes, seafoam dragons, black jackals and other mystical creatures amongst orange bamboo and palm fronds. In the centre of the solarium is a wide, golden basin filled with red sand, a number of standing kyphi sticks filling the air with serene aromas as the incense smokes peacefully within its vessel. Above, the ceiling is formed of nothing but pieces of stained glass assembled in complex geometric patterns which combine and divide to form shapes reminiscent of the natural world - fragments of bright blue, soft yellows and pale oranges intersperse throughout a predominance of rosy pinks, their forms melding into patterns eliciting images of flowers, eddies of sand and suns. There is something about the designs which conjures sensations of peace, amicability, comfort and safety, delicately colouring the light passing through the segments of glass. A black phoenix perches here, his fiery plumage illuminating the area with black fire. A selcouth sand djinn languidly levitates in mid air, liquid gold pouring from his eyes while incandescent sparks trace chaotic orbits around his floating form.
You see exits leading north, northeast, northwest, and out.

You tilt your head, gaze softening as you frown.

You have emoted: Gurashi purses their lips as they enter, leaning forward to balance on the balls of their feet. Their feathery ears lift, listening.

In an airy, melodic voice, you whisper, "I do not know if they are home or not..."

Crossing a serene, stained-glass bridge.
Supported by hefty sandstone columns, this bridge arches gently from the aromatic solarium to the verdant atrium in a shallow curve. Below is nothing but an expanse of gold-and-coral-hued sand within a sunken square, revealing that the villa is in fact elevated upon sturdy blocks of stone. Above, the tiers of the abode rise on four sides to an open sky, a few balconies overlooking the bridge while otherwise smooth sandstone walls are broken only by wooden eaves the hue of burnt umber. The floor of the bridge itself is constructed of reinforced stained glass lain in pleasing geometric patterns, shades of bright blue, grassy green and vibrant orange entertaining the eye. Verdant ferns and trailing plants top the posts supporting the bridge's beige wooden railings, their foliage tumbling about them in a lively display. Twisting skeins of dreameater silk slowly about its tubular body, a lethargic, many-spined moth caterpillar spins here. A black phoenix perches here, his fiery plumage illuminating the area with black fire. A selcouth sand djinn languidly levitates in mid air, liquid gold pouring from his eyes while incandescent sparks trace chaotic orbits around his floating form.
You see exits leading north and south.

Whispering, you ask a lethargic, spindle-spined moth caterpillar, "Have you seen the dearliest Beloved Heart?"

Something gleaming falls from the glistening body of the dreameater caterpillar.

Tonatiuh caresses a skein of dreameater silk gently.

You tilt your head curiously at Tonatiuh.

Strange poppies within a verdant atrium.
Myriad stone planters, raised rock-wall gardens and hanging pots overflow with a variety of flora within this revivifying atrium, the vibrant petals of peonies, orchids, azaleas and chrysanthemums providing magnificent drops of colour amongst the greenery. Areca palms spread their narrow-leaved fronds from tall standing pots, shading the various benches and asymmetrical travertine paths that wind through the arrays of plantlife while glassless windows overlooking the villa's environs offer a view of the flower-bedecked trees, pools and towering statues relieving the desert sands that span as far as the eye can see. Before these windows splash fresh waters within an ornate limestone fountain, chaotic carvings decorating its surface while gold leaf spirals around them. Surrounding this fountain are raised tiers lined with a collection of wide-mouthed, soil-filled vases, each nestling its own assortment of curious poppies: among the traditional red, white, yellow and pink blooms are others shaded different hues of the rainbow, some even being composed of entirely different materials altogether. Iridescent chitin, cotton-like fibre, translucent crystal and even a few feathery species gather in clusters, their lofty position suggesting that they are undoubtedly the muse of the garden's caretaker. The centre of the atrium is dominated by a robust spiral staircase of gilded gold railings and cream-hued stone that circles up towards the higher floors of the villa, the structure well-supported upon reinforced pillars. A black phoenix perches here, his fiery plumage illuminating the area with black fire. A selcouth sand djinn languidly levitates in mid air, liquid gold pouring from his eyes while incandescent sparks trace chaotic orbits around his floating form.
You see exits leading southeast, south, southwest, and up.

You have emoted: Gurashi continues further in, again pausing, seeming hesitant. At last, they call out, a tentative: "B-Beloved Aschwar?" They peer up the stairwell, chewing their lower lip.

Softly, you say, "We may have to ask them to meets us..."

You have emoted: Gurashi looks back at Tonatiuh, frowning. "Perhaps, if they are not home... we can ah, arrange to have a talkies, somewheres. I thinks they would like that garden," They whisper, glancing about. "Somewhere nicely, beautiful - let them see more... outsides of the Shifting City, maybe, even."

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "Perhaps the new Promenade?"

You tilt your head and listen intently to Tonatiuh.

Warbling, you ask, "A new promenade?"

You have emoted: Gurashi scrunches their face. "Wait is that where the ... glasswing butterflies are? The newly new ones?"

The villa's cozy living hall.
Mahogany wood panels the walls of this living space, wide windows overlooking the surrounding grounds where distant flowering orchards, enormous monoliths and palm-bordered oases can be viewed. In one corner of the hall resides a simple kitchen furnished with a clay range and oven in addition to intricately-carved floor cabinets and ceramic-bearing hutches depicting various fruit-bearing trees. Another corner of the hall features an easel displaying a half-finished painting, a nearby bench sporting a myriad of brushes and open jars of paint that threaten to spill upon the already-stained mats underfoot. A work table surrounded by large stools occupies another corner, though this space seems to be dedicated to wood carving if one is to judge by the assortment of chisels, knives and wood chips scattered around it. The final corner of the hall is closed off, a glimpse of a latrine visible through the open entryway. A wide, wooden spiral staircase with golden railings occupies the centre of the hall, leading to the atrium below while continuing upwards to meet a vast hatch concealing a higher room from view. Resting on a nearby counter, a jar of honeyed chestnuts is nearly a quarter empty. A black phoenix perches here, his fiery plumage illuminating the area with black fire. A selcouth sand djinn languidly levitates in mid air, liquid gold pouring from his eyes while incandescent sparks trace chaotic orbits around his floating form.
You see exits leading north, up, and down.

Tonatiuh nods his head enthusiastically.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "That's the one."

A perfectly peaceful bedroom.
A far, meeker cry from the rest of the house, only the rich paneling of the walls and floors could hint at any opulence within this domed room. A simple reed mat covers the majority of the floor, cut awkwardly to accomodate the hatch leading to the stairs and the rest of the house, the woven plants lined with rabbit moss that cushions the foot and is pleasant to the touch. Enormous pillows and cushions have been piled along the rest of the floor in a large circle that rings the room, thrown this way and that in an effort to create the most cozy place to sleep. Very few personal belongings can be seen in the shelves on the walls; an enormous scarf and apron folded and wrapped around three carved birds and a seashell-adorned sunhat, sat next to two books whose titles proclaim them to be 'A Manual to Counting: Numbers One Through Ten' and 'How to Read'. The domed roof above lacks the stained glass prominent throughout the rest of the building, its simple stone make readily distributing the heat absorbed through the day and causing the painted stars upon its surface to shimmer and shine with a realistic glow. Its cover folded over itself, this lettering notebook bears the mark of studious use. Twisting skeins of dreameater silk slowly about its tubular body, a lethargic, many-spined moth caterpillar spins here. A black phoenix perches here, his fiery plumage illuminating the area with black fire. A selcouth sand djinn languidly levitates in mid air, liquid gold pouring from his eyes while incandescent sparks trace chaotic orbits around his floating form.
You see a single exit leading down.

In an airy, melodic voice, you ask Tonatiuh, "Will you be awake for many more days?"

Softly, you say, "I was there, at its revelation ..."

In an airy, melodic voice, you say, "It was quite beautiful, yes ..."

Tonatiuh's mouth turns up as his face breaks into a smile.

You deftly fold and cut a sheet of vellum into a singing cicada origami.
You smile knowingly as a seventh champagne blot curio piece of the Champagne Inkwell Curio Set flakes away from the vellum, palming it gently.

Your eyes raise to the heavens as a look of hope flashes across your face.

(OOC Clan): You say, "Lmfao CURIO PLEASE."

You clear your throat.

Tonatiuh ponders the situation.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "A little longer but.. hard to commit to days and days."

In an airy, melodic voice, you say to Tonatiuh, "Can leaves a notes asking thems to reach out to us when they are available! And we are both here." They watch the nagasith hopefully. "I understand. My nextly months will be bad for me but going forward will not. We will try. Uhm, let me...."

You have emoted: Gurashi scrunches their face in concentration as they hold a singing cicada origami preciously between their thumb and forefingers.

Tonatiuh taps a finger against an indigo oracle staff bearing hieroglyphic suns, sending copper fireflies into a frenzied dance. They coalesce to form a glowing glyph, a moon? a sun? The symbol dissipates as quickly as it forms. A frown crosses his features and gone in an instant.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "The months going forward look remarkably clear."

You have emoted: Gurashi nods as they focus on the tiny origami, beginning to imbue it with their message.

scribe origami origami305402 Beloved Aschwar! It is me, Gurashi! I gots your messages! I loves you so muchly - I talked a tiny bit with Beloved Tonatiuh, and, I know you are doing your best because you are full of Love and goodly intentions, and so myselfs and the Beloved Oracles want to know if could talk to you, if would be comfortables, because want to hear from you the storms that rages in your hearts and give you all of our Love and attentions and listenings, yes. Perhaps would be able or willing to reach out to us in coming days? Or even coming months! We can go to the pretty gardens of Zoaka, or the newly shiny Promenade to look at the butterflies! I hopes you will say yes! We love you! I love you! Love, Gurashi and Bizi and Tonatiuh
You carefully inscribe your message onto the inner folds of a singing cicada origami. The magic ink flashes slightly as its glow permeates the origami with its power.

You nod your head emphatically.

In an airy, melodic voice, you say, "Uhmmmm."

You hands fly to your mouth as you give a short gasp of elation.
You put a singing cicada origami into a singing cicada origami.

With a final fold, you close and seal a singing cicada origami, hiding its message deep within the folds.

You nod your head emphatically.

You have emoted: Gurashi daintily sets a singing cicada origami down upon one of the nearby pillows on the pillow pile that makes up the tae'dae's bed, nodding. "I hopes they will see it."
You drop a singing cicada origami.

You look at Tonatiuh hopefully.

You have emoted: Gurashi leans forward to whisper the message into Tonatiuh's ear, wings flapping to help them maintain their balance as they stand on their tip-toes.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "No doubt. Who could miss the pretty origami?"

You let loose a long breath from your lungs, exhaling slowly.

Tonatiuh smiles softly.

You have emoted: Gurashi's hand drifts to their chest, and they frown deeply, then look at Tonatiuh beside them, puffing their cheeks.

You have emoted: Gurashi's attention drifts to the ceiling now, the window, and suddenly they seem almost ill-at-ease, or embarrassed. "I feel rudely standing in someone else's bedroom," They confess, reaching out to collect Tonatiuh's hand in their own as they move for the stairwell.

Strange poppies within a verdant atrium.
You see exits leading southeast, south, southwest, and up.

You tilt your head, gaze softening as you frown.

Bizirik, the leothin looks exhausted and opens her mouth in an enormous yawn.

Tonatiuh nods his head at Bizirik, the leothin, showing his acceptance.
With utter indifference, Bizirik, the leothin cranes its head back, grooming and scratching at its ears with its smaller set of secondary paws before returning to its usual stillness.

Softly, you say, "I do not know what else to do for now..."

In an airy, melodic voice, you say to Bizirik, the leothin, "Do not be rude."

Bizirik, the leothin glances askance.

Bizirik, the leothin dramatically leans against Tonatiuh after the admonishment, snorting.

Tonatiuh's eyes sparkle with amusement.

<-- nyooms to entrance of realm

With a whisper of energies and a glimpse of changing paradigms, the veil parts, allowing you passage beyond.
A narrow, claustrophobic cave.
You see exits leading out and through a fluttering veil.

You sway anxiously in your spot.

In an airy, melodic voice, you say, "Bwah, ah, ahhhhhwah."

Your wings flap excitedly behind you.

Tonatiuh shifts his gaze from side to side.

Screeching loudly, a fearsome wyvern moves in from the out.

A gargantuan mother wyvern lunges forward and bites Tonatiuh brutally with her massive jaws. <-- remember the eggy XD

You stare blankly into space.

Tonatiuh looks up into the air for divine inspiration.

<-- NYOOM

You speedwalk out to balmy gardens of palm and orange.
You have reached your destination.
Balmy gardens of palm and orange.
You see a single exit leading in (open door).

Tonatiuh peers at a wyvern egg unscrupulously.

You stare at Tonatiuh, eyes wide.

You close the pine door to the in.

Tonatiuh peers at a ball of magnetic crystal unscrupulously.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "It's not my fault!"

Holding the door shut, you say, "Wyverns cannot open doors right."

You clear your throat.

In an airy, melodic voice, you say, "A-anyway! I."

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "I.. hope not."

In an airy, melodic voice, you say to Tonatiuh, "Are you O-K that wyvern wanted to eat you."

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "Ah yes, just a nibble."

Tonatiuh rests his chin on the tip of an indigo oracle staff bearing hieroglyphic suns in thoughtful contemplation.

You have emoted: Gurashi remains protectively blocking the doorway, furrowing their brow. "Right. We are in same positions that started in."

Quietly, you say, "I hopes they are O-K."

Blithely oblivious, Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "I'm sure she is, should keep better watch on her eggs, that's what. Leaving them all over the cavern."

In an airy, melodic voice, you whisper, "Right outside the Most Beloved's veil even."

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "The question though is... did she just lay them there? While walking past?"

In an airy, melodic voice, you whisper, "Did someone else do what you did."

Tonatiuh peers about himself unscrupulously.

In an airy, melodic voice, you whisper, "Did someone pick it up and panic and throw it."

With a twist to his lips, Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "It's possible."

Tonatiuh pats a wyvern egg in a friendly manner.

You have emoted: Gurashi begins to giggle lightly, plumage rippling as they watch the nagasith holding the egg. "Sh-she is a, ah, newly mama. Not the most experienced perhaps. I do not know. It is not the eggy's fault."

Your wings flap excitedly behind you.

You have emoted: Gurashi glances over their shoulder, still blocking the door, though they look much more relaxed.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "Not even a knock, out of sight is out of mind."

Tonatiuh ceases wielding an indigo oracle staff bearing hieroglyphic suns in his left hand.

Tonatiuh begins to wield a wyvern egg in his left hand.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "I have an idea."

Tonatiuh opens the pine door to the in.

Tonatiuh hurls a wyvern egg in.

Tonatiuh closes the pine door to the in.

Tonatiuh peers about himself unscrupulously.

You throw back your head as you let loose a delighted laugh.

In an airy, melodic voice, you say, "Oh my GOSH."

You have emoted: Gurashi covers their mouth, stifling their giggling, staring at Tonatiuh, bemused, some of their earlier tension gone.

Tonatiuh grins mischievously at you.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, ".. it looked... sturdy enough."

You have emoted: Gurashi smiles weakly. "It managed to make it all the way to that locations s-so..." They sniffle, attention returning to the nagasith. They frown, folding their arms against the door behind them.

You have emoted: Gurashi scrunches their face slightly, chewing on their cheek, mouth quirking to the left, and then the right. They seem intensely lost in their thought, feathery ears swiveling this way and that.

Tonatiuh presses his head against the door, listening, and plucks absently at one of your feathers. "Might be a while before Aschwar gets a chance to hear the ciacada."

You have emoted: Gurashi wrinkles their nose a little as they sniffle, nodding. Their wing unfurls as it is plucked at, then withdraws again, flapping idly. "Yeah," They whisper. "I hopes they hear it. I hopes they will want to talks about it." They glance aside towards Tonatiuh, frowning.

Tonatiuh's palm lingers against his fang-toothed satchel, touching as if to reassure himself it still contains the contents entrusted to it.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold murmurs, "Hope so too."

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says to you, "Going to have to rest though, for now."

A black phoenix bobs his head several times just before trotting off.

You give Tonatiuh a friendly squeeze.

Gently, you say to Tonatiuh, "I will let you know, if I hear anything from them."

You have emoted: Gurashi frowns. "Will you be back this weaves?"

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "The Trials are starting soon..."

Tonatiuh rests his chin on the tip of an indigo oracle staff bearing hieroglyphic suns in thoughtful contemplation.

You have emoted: Gurashi turns away from the door to face the nagasith fully now, their eyes wide. "Oh... Ascensions..."

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "Five days before the first one."

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "Perhaps.. perhaps..."

Gently, you ask Tonatiuh, "Are you trying for any Seals...?"

With an almost canine tilt to his serpentine head, Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "Yes, are you?"

Shyly, you say, "B-beauty... I think..." They glance down. "Last Ascensions I-I was talked out of trying so... I will do my best." They shyly shrug. "You? I bet you will be goodly at anything you try for."

Tonatiuh blinks.

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "Why would someone want to talk you out of even trying?"

You have emoted: Gurashi shrugs shyly.

Golden shades radiate from your chest and your heart beats faster with newly-appeared determination.

Gently, you say, "Not this time, though. I will try, this time."

Curiously, you say to Tonatiuh, "What will you be trying for? Am allowed to know? I will cheer for you, certainly."

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "I will attempt Beauty, perhaps Justice.. there's still time to practice some debating."

You nod your head emphatically.

Softly, you ask Tonatiuh, "For Harmony?"

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "Maybe Harmony too."

Softly, you say, "I thought about that one but I am not fast. That would be a nice one to wins. Not fast though."

Your shoulders bunch as you let out a short giggle.

In an airy, melodic voice, you say to Tonatiuh, "Goodly luck. I bet you will be great."

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "Harmony, Death, Life.. those ones are likely to be won by people with teams."

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "Spotters, defenders even."

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "But they are worth trying anyway."

You nod your head emphatically.

You have emoted: Gurashi watches Tonatiuh, scanning the nagasith's face. Though they talk about the Seals it is clear by their expression that they are still thinking hard about something.

Tonatiuh catches your eyes. "Not still worried about the wyvern outside are you?"

You shake your head.

Softly, you say, "Nah."

You have emoted: Gurashi looks down, plucking at the Mantle of Starlight as it swirls about their form. "I... am, hoping for the best," They lift their head, "and bracing, in case it is not that. Is all can do, for now, yus."

You think to yourself: But is it?

Quietly, Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold says, "Things could go wrong... but what if? What if they go right?"

You think to yourself: concern and negation at this - their gut is unsettled - this doesn't feel right.

Tonatiuh's forked tongue slips out, tasting the air. "What if.." he echoes his own words.

Tonatiuh grows still and his lips begin to move silently.

You have emoted: Gurashi doesn't answer, continuing to watch Tonatiuh, shoulders bunching slightly as they squeeze their hands together.

Quietly, you say, "Rest well, Beloved..."

In an airy, melodic voice, you say, "I loves you."

Sultan Tonatiuh al-Saaoud, Oracle Thousandfold has left the realm of Lusternia.
Tonatiuh is enveloped in translucent fire for a moment and is gone, his soul safe until he returns to Lusternia.

You tilt your head, gaze softening as you frown.

You look at a selcouth sand djinn, expression filled with concern as you frown.

You think to yourself: concerned negation, growing negation - Aschwar memorized the book - They accepted She was gone - they didn't get the story wrong, right? if the plan is so old as They say then....

You have emoted: Gurashi sets their jaw, shoulders bunching further as they lean against the door, staring at the plantlife near their feet.

You think to yourself: * ... They saved Aschwar, because They loved them and they loved Them .... *.

You think to yourself: again they see the Divine and tae'dae together, so happy, so happy that it fills their own heart - and then, they see the Empyreal's stern gaze, turning them away, distrusting Them - Tonatiuh standing there, all at once diminished, weary, the weight of this terrible secret visibly weighing on him.

Bizirik, the leothin leans on you seeking consolation.

You think to yourself: all of the potential implications - will Aschwar be upset they talked to Tonatiuh? they were intentionally vague - would they know to trust them? the trill's heart beats bird-like, terrified within their chest - what a powerful word: 'thwart'.

You think to yourself: the tae'dae's voice, whispering in their ear: "...fix...".

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Pub: 03 Oct 2021 02:15 UTC
Views: 98