Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ratana cocked her little head at the image, and purred, "What a lovely little village. Is that where you used to live Darren?" her voice was kind, but still carried the tone of a young child. She felt the presence of a mortal entering the temple grounds and wandering around. They apparently weren't here to see her, so she decided to let them be for now.

It was a shame, though, she mused, looking at the boy across from her. She wondered what it was like to feel homesick. Or whatever it was he was feeling right now.
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Mirana's eyes drifted down to the gardens where she noticed a young man sitting under a tree. She cocked her head again. He was mortal, she could smell it. Lucky for him most of the spirits were resting right now, so he wasn't in much danger.

Still, she was curious, so she whisped away in the breeze from the balcony, and reapeared not far away from him. She made her skin as opaque as possible, so that you couldn't tell she wasn't really there unless you looked very closely. She then took dainty steps toward the tree, not making a sound. Upon reaching him, she politely cleared her throat to announce her presence. She mouth held a kind smile, while her eyes remained piercing and infinitly curious yet at the same time in a far away place you could never quite reach.

Ratana sighed softly, "I'm afraid I don't. I have always lived and I can never die," she explained, "This has been my home for as long as I can remember, and I can even leave any time I want. I just don't have the desire to," she shook her head slowly, "However, I will say that I have heard many of the spirits here say those same words. Regret...appears to be a common emotion among the dead."

She walked across the table as it turned back to a back surface, "Do your people know what happened to you?"

Jack sighed peacefully, but his trance was broken suddenly by a sound behind him. His head jerked up in surprise and he scrambled around to find the source of the disturbance. His face softened and he chuckled lightly at the sight of a woman.
“My apologies for the bad reaction, ma’am, but you scared me half to death.” Jack slowly stood up on his sore legs and gently brushed a leaf from his dark tunic. His eyes flicked up to her for a moment. The woman wasn’t much shorter then he was and she stood up straight and proud. She was wearing a light, wispy dress that reminded him very much of the thick mist around a lake. He realized then that she was very beautiful, but there was something unpleasant and otherworldly about her. There was an almost eerie aura about her, and when he looking into her eyes Jack found that he couldn’t quite focus. A frown pulled at the edges of his lips but quickly melted away as he shook his head and looked up at the moon as he had many times.
“Do you own this place?” Jack asked quietly with his eyes still on the sky. They looked almost glazed, like he had become immersed in thought suddenly. “I’m sorry if I’m trespassing. I didn’t know the temple ever closed.”

Jack finally looked away from the sky. He leaned wearily against the tree, but he was smiling to himself.
“Thank your mistress later for me, then. Its nice to know that I have a place to escape to every once in a while.” As the woman spoke he looked up, missing some of the other things she said as he gazed at her in surprise. “So there really are spirits here? That explains why I never feel alone, even when I’m by myself. I should have known, honestly.”
Jack looked away from the woman, pressing his back more firmly against the tree to relive some of the stress on his bare feet. “My name is Jack…Lycerith. You may or may not recognize the name. I’m not all that well known, I’m afraid.” He was quite for a little while as he gazed out past the gardens. Can spirits really be so dangerous? “ He was silent for a moment later, but looked over to her suddenly. “And your name? What is yours?” Jack took no notice to the fact that his side of the conversation was choppy and often random. He usually did not speak at all, and when he did it was often just the thoughts in his head coming out in an odd shuffle. “I come here sometimes, but I’m not sure why….perhaps it is to enjoy the scenery. Or just to relax. Or….to have company?” He scratched the light stubble on his chin thoughtfully, talking mostly to himself in the end.

“Mirana. Nice…I haven’t heard such a name before. Your parents must be old fashioned.” Jack didn’t notice the smiles he was receiving from the way he spoke., but he turned and smiled at the pale woman who was less frightening now that they had exchanged words. "I fear no spirits, though perhaps I should if what you tell me is true.”
He bit his lip in concentration. “Your mistress doesn’t sound so pleasant anymore. But I shouldn’t judge.” He shrugged his shoulders and smiled again, this time looking almost embarrassed. “No, never seen a ghost, and yet I come here at least once a week, sometimes more.” He chuckled quietly. “I’m afraid I don’t pay much attention to my surroundings, but perhaps I should. A ghost could have been at my side every night and I wouldn't have noticed a thing.” Jack stuck his hands in his pockets. He was feeling colder tonight then usual, and in his hurry to get to the temple he had forgotten to grab a cloak.
He was nodding slowly when he looked back at the woman. “Maybe your right, Mirana. Those ghost might just enjoy my company, too.” He smiled distantly. “Now I feel compelled to say hello to open air every time I visit.”

((No worries, me too.))

Jack looked up quizzically. "Oh," he said, nodding slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Its just cold.. and I'm sweaty so it just makes things worse..." He trailed off, looking over at the shining temple. He had never ventured much further within the first room or so, preferring the outside or otherwise being pressed for time.
At the thought of time, Jack gasped. How long had he been here? He glanced at the moon, the only thing that gave him any clue as to how much time had passed. His shoulders sagged at the answer. "I should have gone home long ago..."
Jack looked over at Mirana. To his great surprise he found that he was hesitant to leave. He was rather enjoying her company, however strange she might be. Or perhaps that was the reason why. He always been more fond of strange people; it made them interesting and actually able to hold his wandering attention.
And then the thought of wandering thoughts triggered yet another thought. Jack sighed again at the curious rambling of his mind. He had spaced out for a good half a minute at least, leaving the poor woman standing there.
Jack shrugged and smiled at Mirana. "Oh well, I'm late as it is and going home now wont do any good. Might as well enjoy my stay here for a little while longer." He gestured toward the temple. "Lead the way, Mirana." Jack wiggled his hands deeper into his pockets, hopeful that she was right about being more comfortable in there. "We can look for ghosts," he said, sounding almost hopeful.

Jack followed Miranan into the temple at a leisurely pace. He too noticed that the temperature inside the stone walls didn't change much, but the absence of any breeze made him much more comfortable. He slid his hands from their makeshift gloves and let them swing at his side. He coughed once from the sudden dank atmosphere, but as they neared a window the air became fresher.
He watched Mirana anxiously as she raised a whistle from around her neck to her lips. To his great surprise, Jack saw an elephant approach the window, and with greater astonishment watched as it raised its trunk to Mirana's hand in greeting.
"It is so quiet...and tame..." Jack whispered, staring at the huge animal in bewilderment. "How is it that I never saw it before?" He took a tentative step closer to Mirana and the elephant. "I'm beginning to think I've been blind to the world around me."