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Now, Tsui felt that she was being very patient, all things considered. She didn't lose her temper when they were surrounded by tigers and her friend hung upside down like a pinata, nor when they were pushing and nudging along like a sheep. But now, now she was simply getting frustrated! It felt like she was digging forever, even with Kallichore's assistance, and she was about to snap when she felt her fingers brush against something solid, something wooden. A few more leaves were tossed to the side, all to reveal what looked like a door, and the way that the white tiger flopped onto his belly and gave a low, nonthreatening moan was an indication that this was what they had been looking for. And it was about time! Tsui was near breathless by the time the two of them revealed the door, and without warning or hesitation, she twisted the handle and pushed the door open. She didn't need to ask Kallichore if it was a wise thing to do- probably not, but by this time, Tsui was simply too exhausted and curious to care about the consequences.

"Here we go... maybe all of the answers lie behind this door," Tsui said, trying her best to conceal any of her hesitation and self doubt from her friend and to the tiger that loomed over their shoulders. She pushed the door open completely, allowing some stray leaves in and light into the room, and what she saw around her surprised her. The room was wide, spacious, but not too tall, though thankfully Tsui was rather short so this wouldn't have been too much of a problem for her, though Kallichore might have to watch her head upon entering. "Huh, well, look at that. Looks like a secret room..."

Or a storage room. There were various objects along the wall, mainly dusty and rusted weapons, some of which not even Tsui was brave enough to touch in fear of tetanus, along with boxes filled with lord knew what. Tsui ventured over to one of the piles, giving it a kick and immediately jumping back from the cloud of dust that threatened to choke them in its wake. Missing with stuff in this room without a mask? Bad idea.

"Well, I think we'll find some interesting things in those boxes, once we've dusted them off and assuming we don't get asbestos from this old place." Tsui couldn't help but make the comment, not even knowing what asbestos was but certain she heard it enough on television to know that it was a bad thing. The white tiger made its way inside, standing close to Kallichore but not touching her, though one could sense the longing to do so, as Tsui noticed something on the wall, right next to a well concealed door with a crimson red knob. "Hey, Kalli... over here."

Tsui moved towards the door, not opening it just yet but trying to get a good look at the door itself. Were her eyes deceiving her, or was that some kind of drawing on this wall? It looked like two figures, but Tsui could barely make it out. Where was a damn lamp or torch when you needed one?!

The white tiger had given Kallichore another friendly chuff and warmed her hand with a single snort, but his peculiar behavior towards her friend could do nothing to distract Tsui from the sight before her. It wasn't that she was intentionally ignoring Kallichore, but what she had pointed out simply warranted her full attention at the moment. Yes, the drawing was very familiar to Tsui, and though their forms were abstracted, there was no doubt who the two figures in the cave painting were.

The one to the left, a young woman clad in tiger skin and light leather armor, with familiar red feathers decorating her monochromatic hair and touching all the way down to her feet, extending a hand to the woman on the left. The gown, the long dark colored hair that trailed her, yes. It was Sybil. And the young warrior woman on the left was undoubted Tsui, or rather, her past self.

"Well, the writing's on the wall... erm, drawing, anyways. It looks as though my past self was seeking some kind of..." Tsui tried to think of the proper word, immediately wanting to go with friendship though having a feeling that it might have been something deeper. Eventually, she found the word, but even that one didn't seem to cover it like she had wanted it. "Partnership with Sybil from your homeworld... at least that's what it looks like with them extending hands."

It was a universal sign of peace, in the very least, something that even all fight little thought Tsui of today could understand. As the white tiger continued to sniff and chuff at Kallichore's hand but never touching, Tsui moved closer to the painting on the wall, and without thinking of even knowing why, she pressed her hand against it and the door it was painted over. Now, more than ever, she wanted to open the door and see what may have laid on the other side, and she looked to Kallichore for approval. "I'm about to open this door. You think you're ready for whatever's behind it?"

The white tiger had given a moan, a rather pathetic one given its size and majestic nature, and finally, it seemed to have sensed Kallichore's growing discomfort and annoyance, as it turned away and stalked away to return to the other brethren. Tsui couldn't help but notice its behavior- the way the head and tail were low and almost dragging and the moan itself, and she looked at Kallichore and wore a grimace for a second, as though to say 'you hurt its feelings!', but there was no time to chide her friend for it. No, she wanted to see what awaited them on the other side of the door, and she was certain that the tigers would remain here for when they returned.

Yes, when, because Tsui was determined to visit her home planet more often. Now more than ever since there were so many questions to be answered!

She grabbed onto Kallichore's hand and pushed the door open with the other, trying to prepare herself for what would lie on the other side and even considering summoning her aura in preparation for a possible attack, though what would attack them from the other side was a mystery to her. But it wasn't like Tsui to back down from any challenge, and now was no different. "Let's go..." She said to Kallichore, pushing the door open entirely and stepping through the darkness.

It was an all consuming darkness, the one that made you question if you were even alive, though the sounds of her own breathing verified that she was, in fact, alive and well, and still curious. She wished she had the ability of most cats where she could see in the dark, but at least the sensation didn't last long, as the light came quickly and suddenly after only a few steps forward. What greeted her was a familiar sight- not only did light return, but so did color and shape, and it took a moment for Tsui to take in her surroundings. Her eyes had to have been deceiving her, though the water at their feet was cold and very, very real.

From one temple to another, it seemed, and Tsui looked around her, all of the markings and paintings on the wall a clear sign of where they were. "Well... you said you wanted to go back and check on this Sybil character, right, Kalli? Wish granted!"

This day was full of surprises, and Tsui was so overwhelmed with them that she actually found herself starting to get annoyed with all the sudden twists and turns. All she wanted was a simple answer, with tangible proof, as to how their homeworlds and past lives were connected. Was that too much to ask? Though, in a sense, their homeworlds were connected, physically, in some manner of speaking, so in the long run, Tsui at least had one definitive answer for her insatiable curiosity... so things could have been a lot worse. Being eaten by the tigers or simply unable to enter the temple again could have been those worse scenarios, and Tsui was content to leave them at that, just scenarios.

She kicked at the water, just as she heard a familiar voice, and she turned to watch the vision of her past self and Sybil walk by- once again, it seemed that her past self was under a ridiculously amount of stress and Sybil was trying her best to sooth her, though she could see that they weren't alone. There, trudging along at Sybil's feet, was a white tiger cub, big, sparkling blue eyes pinned on Sybil and pawing at her clothing and hair every so often, swinging its tail from side to side with obvious glee. It gave a pathetic, attention-demanding mewl, which caused the vision of Sybil to reach down and lift it into her arms, soggy paws and all. Tsui was intrigued- was this white tiger cub the same that roamed her homeworld this very moment?

"I know it'll be waiting for me. There'll always be training, no matter what... guh, I just wish they wouldn't be so damn rough!" Said her past self, rubbing her bruised shoulder and trying to will away the pain that she must have been in. She wasn't terribly wounded, but Tsui could definitely tell that she was sore and stiff, and perhaps a little exhausted. Was life on her homeworld all that dangerous and required so much strenuous activity. "Thanks for watching over them. Especially that little scamp. Though I'm going to need to make a better lock for that portal... I can't risk all of my tigers sneaking away when they have other duties to be performing!"

"Maybe that's the connection, Kalli? Tsui overworked herself and came here for some relief?" Tsui said to Kallichore, looking to her friend as the vision seemed to be fading away. It seemed like a logical conclusion- after all, where else would one go to relax besides a spa?

Tsui watched the scene unfold before her with rapt attention, taking in everything and trying to absorb it and find the answer. She wanted to know what the connection was, and yet, the answer came to her around the same time as it did for Kallichore. Sybil, past Kallichore, and her past self were friends, and not just acquaintances but friends so close that they had connected their homes. Such a deep friendship that she had carved the tiger into stone, and gave her tigers free roam.

Yes, this explained a lot, and while there were still some questions left unanswered, Tsui couldn't help but feel enlightened from this experience now. It was no longer a fluke that the two of them had met in the present, if they were such good friends in the past, and it made Tsui smile to see something so simple transcend through time, through a war that left both of their nations ravaged. It was inspiring, so much so that Tsui could almost feel tears swelling in her eyes, but she fought the urge and hid it when she turned away to look for the portal.

"Of course we can go back! Tigers hold grudges, you know, so it'd be best to get that stuff cleared up before he takes it to heart." Tsui had said it in jest, but there was some truth to that statement. Not that Tsui thought the white tiger would maul them both upon returning, but it was best to prepare, just in case. They were, after all, majestic and wild creatures, and they deserved equal amount respect and caution. "Come on... bestest friend forever and ever, apparently."

That last bit was spoken with a genuine smile, and she held her hand out to Kallichore, letting her know that they'd make the journey back together.

Tsui couldn't help but chuckle at that last statement. How little had changed from her past? Was she still working too hard? Perhaps that was the problem... one that Tsui was quick to shrug off had anyone else besides Kallichore told her. Maybe she did need to relax after all of this?

Yes, relaxing was good, and Tsui was quick to make a suggestion, as she pulled Kallichore towards the doorway that connected their homes. "When we get back to Earth, maybe we should go to the spa, or something. I'd usually settle for a nice bubblebath, but... after all we've been through, I think it'd be okay to splurge a bit."

It sounded like a good idea- Tsui wasn't even the type to indulge in such things, but she could make an exception just this once. The moment they appeared back at Tsui, the two were greeted to the tigers, each standing close to the entrance and staring intently at them, as though a dog would when its owner returned. Perhaps the last time Tsui went through that door, she hadn't come back?

Their relief, if tigers could feel any, was plain to see, as their moans had stopped and instead turned into chuffs, and with evidence that their master and her friend had returned, they began to disperse, all except the white tiger. He sat on his hind legs and looked straight at Kallichore, stretching his white, fuzzy head and making it clear that he wished to approach her but was refraining. Tsui smiled at his antics, but she felt the need to express some caution. "Maybe we weren't gone long enough for it to settle in. I don't think he's going to hurt you."

Tsui was certain of this... the tigers would neither hurt her, nor her friend. She was certain of it.

Tsui had chuffed at the tigers in the zoo many times before, so she had a lot of practice. Kallichore's attempts may not have been perfect, but the genuine sound of it was more than enough to have pleased Tsui, as well as the white tiger. Its ears perked up and without hesitation, he returned the sound, once, twice, and a third time, as if to express some kind of excitement that his efforts of displaying affection had not been in vain. Without thought or knowledge of Kallichore's hesitation to trust, the tiger brought its muzzle under her hand and remained still- it seemed that it was aware of its large size and strength and wanted to continue displaying its affection without harming her. He remained still, but his contentment was clear as day to see.

It made Tsui proud to see such a sight, and she hoped that Kallichore wouldn't have taken offense to her chuckle. It wasn't done out of malice, but more like a mixture of mirth and relief, and she braved the waters and approached them, moving to rest her hand on the white tiger's thick, fuzzy neck. "Apparently he's willing to let bygones be bygones. If he could purr, I'd bet he'd be doing it right now."

Tigers, as well as other big cats, could not purr, but at least a tiger could chuff. It gave another, before pulling away and moving to join the other tigers. That seemed to be Tsui's and Kallichore's calling that their stay would be coming to a close once more, but now, Tsui was ready to go home. "Well, we've learned a lot today, haven't we? Let's go home... and book that spa."

She didn't mean to sound so tired, but it had been a long day. And Tsui was ready to go home and sleep the rest of the week away, this time she felt safe to. Her home was safe, in a way, as well as her tigers, and the connection between her homeworld and Kallichore's could be classified as partially solved. There were still a lot of questions, but Tsui would seek those answers later.