Welcome to Gaia! ::

As the conversation between her classmates heated up, Galadrae tensed in her seat. She gripped her quill tight in her fingers as she watched the interaction between Kallisto and Yambati in particular. Oh no. Fighting. Gala hated fighting. As far as she was concerned, there was never a good reason for people to get so upset at each other, but she never knew what to do about it. So she sat, frozen, as the pair of them sniped at each other.

And then the mood between them lightened, just a bit, and Gala smiled. They must be good friends, she thought. Or maybe something more. Either way, she was glad that this Kallisto seemed to worry about her friend. That's what friends were for, after all.

Crisis averted, Gala returned to her notes.

Yalitza remain quiet during the whole topic at hand. Each student had their own points, and the teacher brought up another topic that would bring out more conversation. Yalitza wrote everythign as fast as she could, trying not to miss one thing. Glancing up she shakes her head as her mind was spinning from all the thoughts running through it. So even if she tried hard, sometimes it wouldn't be her best?

Shaking her head she looks over her notes biting at her bottom lip. Why then tells everyone that sometimes even if we hope, it might not happen? It just made her more confused as ever, faith was suppose to be just that. But if you question it, it meant you would question yourself also. So why second guess everything? Why not just believe in faith as well as yourself?

Setting her thoughts aside for now she looks up at the other students seeing pain on some. Were they also trying to maul over what they had just learned? Looking away she rubs at her temples for a moment.

Kallisto turned about as Lior spoke her, eyes narrowing in thought. After a moment, she nodded, "Good idea." She turned back, squeezing Yambati's hand in a gesture of support, "Did you want to step outside for a little bit? No one will be in the hallways and it'll be quiet. We can come back in after you've cleared your head, hnn?" She shifted so that she could more readily stand and brace Yambati if he chose to take a breather.

---

Astaroth's expression turned thoughtful at Belwen's comment as he ignored the goings of a fairly loud group nearer the back. It was an interesting point. He turn to look at the professor. How did karma work?

She nodded and helped him up, slipping an arm about his shoulders as she squeezed his hand in return. Looking back, she made eye contact with Eleuthero, "Just need some fresh air, we'll be right back." Kallisto guided him out into the hallway and helped him to a nearby bench.

As she'd guessed, the hall was nice and quiet. Silent. Taking a seat next to Yambati, she rubbed his back, "Better?" The sanguine smiled encouragingly.

Eleuthero rustled his feathers as the inevitable question was finally asked. "Ah, Karma: the beginning and end to it all." He puffed on his pipe and a Koppa Ouroboros curled out, wrapped around itself and began devouring its tail, growing as it ate, getting nowhere.
"Almost everything in life follows the cyclic pattern. From archaic weather systems to the flow of energy through the chakras, to the cycle of oxygen and carbon dioxide that plants take in and out with every breath..." Eleuthero waved his hands in a slight motion, a flutter of his wingers as if to motion to the multitude of examples littered across the universe. "Karma too, follows that model. It is more than the idea that if you do something bad, bad things will happen to you. Karma is an involved web, it is how we - every Empyrean, monster, Outsider, tree, rock, cloud in the sky - how we are all connected. We cannot live on this planet, breathe and move, and not impact something. Each choice you make, each day you live making those choices you influence the things around you, and the path you forge will perhaps allow you to encounter this person, or not, experiece this moment, or that. The Philosophical mind attempts to be conscious of how and where we impact other matter and beings in each choice we make, large or small. To understand that connection will allow you to avoid a scenario down your life path that you'd rather avoid, or conversely, make the choices that need to be made in order to ensure that something does happen. Many types of Fortune Telling are merely high levels of understanding these pathways." Eleuthero puffed away and smiled a deep-etched, wise smile. "If the Outsiders refuse to give the reality of existance a name, such as Karma, so be it. Refusing to name Life does not remove you from it." He turned his gaze back to Belwen and his smile continued. "Certainly Karma affects them, as much as it affects you or I. But sometimes the ways in which it manifests itself seem small, insignificant and unrelated. The Outsiders use this argument often to 'disprove' Karma. When the reactions are large enough to call attention, brutal enough to shock, a non philosophic mind might say: 'It can't be because of that', or 'what a coincidence'. But you and I know better. There are no coincidences."

Belwen sat still while the professor spoke absorbing what he said her bright eyes only blinking once during the entire thing. She then jotted down some notes her face set to a thoughtful expression. She hadn't thought before this class that she would be interested in something like this; but she really was. "So everything has a reaction..." Belwen was murmering and if she had been paying attention would have chided herself for doing it in such an unladylike manner. Frowning very slightly she looked up some bit of the previous discussion coming back to her, "Professor you said that no Empyrean that had a patron deity ever became a monster...once they had died. How do we know what happens after someone dies?" This question sent a slight chill down her back.

Only after she had spoken did Belwen realize that someone else was also speaking. Smiling slightly she looked over at the blushing girl and tried to offer her a reassuring smile; it looked like she could use it. "It sounds wonderful, the oneness in the gardens." Belwen was speaking more to the girl then anyone else, "might be a feeling of the cycle..." Belwen looked toward the Professor it seemed he would be the one with the answers.

Nadyrr squirmed slightly listening to everything going on. Karma didn't sound like a very neat thing at all. Like some sort of weigh and measure thing keeping track of how naughty or nice you had been. Frowning slightly Nadyrr took a few notes, "does karma cancel itself out, I wonder? Say you do something negative toward others but also do good things...do they cancel each other out?"

When Galadrae spoke, Nadyrr looked over at her. Sounded like she liked the gardens as much as he did. Perhaps sometime he could speak to her when she went for a walk. Seeing that she also appeared to be a bit shy; which he also could sympathize with he tried to not add to her apprhension. He could catch up with her in a less in the middle of everything spot...

Galadrae managed to return Belwen's smile somewhat meekly. The other zero's encouragement worked wonders, at any rate. Gala felt a little more confident in having spoken up; at least, she thought, what she had to say hadn't been complete gibberish. "It really is wonderful," she responded quietly. "I reccomend a walk in the gardens to anyone who just needs some time to think or relax."

Then Gala saw Nadyrr looking at her and, getting bashful again, glanced away from him quickly and turned her attention back to her notes. To busy herself, she jotted down a few thoughts into her notes:

Karma connects all things. Each choice and action has impact. No coincidences.
What happens when we die?

The thought of such a thing sent a chill down Gala's spine.

When she heard the shuffling of a chair next to her, she was just distracted enough to glance up from her notes. Initially, Galadrae was startled to notice the sudden closeness of the choleric boy. Especially considering he didn't look too happy himself. Had she said something wrong? Was that why he had been looking at her before? Gala twiddled her quill nervously in her hands. But then he spoke to her, quietly, and he found his words a little more heartening than his nervous glances had been. Besides, Gala believed in giving everyone a fair chance. So she smiled her brightest smile at him and whispered, "Thank you. It's nice to see someone else who truly appreciates something beautiful." Inclining her head slightly in a manner of bow, she responded to his hasty introduction fluidly. "It is very nice to meet you, Nadyrr. My name is Galadrae, but you may call me Gala if you like."

He seemed nice. And he seemed as nervous as her. In fact, they seemed to have a few things in common. Being more comfortable in his presence, she smiled a little more easily now. And she found herself feeling rather flattered that someone had taken the trouble of introducing themself to her. In class, no less.