A ring of tall, golden-red grass swayed in the slight breeze; six feet tall, it looked like a field of wheat and was dense enough to further barricade the city from sand.
Meninx itself was surrounded by water. The red sand turned dark, probably artificially enriched in some way to retain moisture. The water was clear, but it was impossible to tell how deep it was. Lotus flowers and lilypads covered much of the surface of the visible water. The flowers ranged in colors, mostly purples and reds and white, and the lilypads had a reddish hue to them and ranged in size from a few inches to a few feet. The largest of them looked like they might have been strong enough to support a full grown adult, but they had not had time or reason to test them.
It was evening when they arrived, and a pleasant wind made it feel like a nice evening, despite the dryness in the air. The buildings were constructed with thick stone, clearly designed to be resilient. No one had been here for centuries, and yet it still looked like it had been perfectly preserved–although, the once-white walls were tinted red from years of dust.
It was impossible to describe the city with any one influence; at its core it mostly resembled ancient Greece, but outside influences reflected Phoenician and Roman architecture as well. And yet, there was more than that; while all buildings seemed to share common elements, some were clearly built with outside influence. Meninx was very much of Mars, but its people had not always been and it showed in the city itself. Differences were celebrated as much as whatever it had been that brought them together.
The lotus seemed to be a great inspiration to them, and it appeared often in mosaics, and carvings, and sculptures.
If one looked close enough, there were the traces of great destruction at one point in time–but the city had persevered. It had been rebuilt, stronger. It stood now, immortal and undefeated and proud.
The city itself was not large, but it had clearly been home to a number of people and had at one point thrived. And that was just what they could see above ground. Meninx himself had shared what he knew, but it wasn’t much. He hadn’t had any meaningful memories or found significant clues as to what this place was, but as he guided them through the city, they’d passed through the forum and he pointed out a few of the meaningful locations–an amphitheater, a bathhouse, a few temples and shrines, a library, a greenhouse, a winery. Everything still seemed in impeccable condition, and all were so well fortified that it was difficult to termine where his Code piece might be hidden. He could spend a day, a week here and still not have explored everything.
He’d tried.
He hadn’t even begun to explore what lurked underground.
And yet, when he let his feet guide him, he found his way to the Courthouse.
Meninx himself was not particularly chatty, and it was difficult to feel like he wasn’t wasting his companions’ time. Some of their trip was in silence, and Meninx didn’t mind, but he did his best to be accommodating along the way.
The Courthouse, like many other buildings, was a tall and imposing structure. It was built to withstand anything. Symbols and figures were carved into the stone, depicting ancient gods and idols. Inside, there were rows of multi-tiered seating; the back rows were elevated the highest. There were booths in the front of the room on either side, and a prominent seat above the court where a judge must have sat.
Meninx had let his feet guide him; he went with instinct, but it had taken them here–and now, once again, he felt like he was at a dead end. They stood in the center of the Courtroom as if they were on trial and he had nowhere to go.
This Wonder, like all others, was empty–and yet it felt like a room full of eyes were on him. Meninx felt his face and ears burning, not quite from shame but maybe frustration.
He felt no closer to finding his Code piece now than before he’d started, and now it felt like the path had gone cold. There was no light in the corner of his eye to guide him, no instinct to lead him.
It didn’t quite feel like failure, but it felt far from success. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked around. When he sighed, he felt like he could hear it echoing around the room.
He felt nothing here that he felt anywhere else. It smelled like dust and stone, in contrast to the somewhat floral air outside. There was no breeze in here and everything was still.
Frozen in time.
And now he was, too, and Antisana and Maya.
He didn’t want to admit that he didn’t know where to go from here. He wasn’t giving up, but he didn’t want to take them in circles.
“...I guess we can take a break for a minute. Sorry, I was hoping this would go quicker.”
Indigo_Plateau
Shanyume
