Welcome to Gaia! ::

Celadon hadn't been to another Cybele knight's wonder before. Hierapolis was the first Cybele knight she had met, truly, and that alone was encouraging for her and for Cybele. Though, it could've also been stressful for Cybele if she felt any sort of obligation toward them. She made a mental note to ask her about it later.

She thought a tour sounded pretty exciting, and she was happy to take Hierapolis up on his offer to tour the wonder.

The storms were heavy that day but Celadon didn't want to duck out on this opportunity due to some bad weather. She had wandered most of the way to their chosen location as Kaðlín, bundled up and equipped with an umbrella sturdy enough to weather the downpour. Only when she was growing closer did the rain let up, but lightning still streaked the sky in foreboding reminder of what storms could truly do. Once she had gotten close, glimpsing some of the soft pinks and greens that comprised her own uniform, Kaðlín had ducked away to power up into Celadon.

And — there it was, an aura just like hers. She couldn't help but smile on approach.

"Thanks for waiting," she aid by way of greeting. She, too, pulled herself up onto the retaining wall while they waited for Cybele to arrive. "And for taking us. I've never been to another Cybele wonder before." It'd be nice to escape this atrocious weather, too.

The rain was indeed unpleasant - he could only hope that the weather was a bit drier at his wonder. Hierapolis had already pre-emptively explained a little about it before when they scheduled this meetup.

Mainly he'd emphasized how what lay on the surface was a mere fraction of what the place truly was. He didn't want either of them to get there and be like 'this is it?' But he also didn't reveal too much either - there was a part of him that wanted to show it off with a somewhat theatrical flair. An excitable and somewhat goofy side that had maybe shown through only a little during the times he had been around Cybele when Steins and himself were with her - powered or civilian. Otherwise he was typically quiet and composed, but not imposing or unfriendly.

He was completely unfamiliar with Celedon, but he tried not to let that box him in to his proper and professional shell. With more familiarity it would become easier, but conscious effort was being made! Even if they hadn't been of the same flavor of knight, they were still allies. Both hailing from Cybele merely, in his mind, meant that they should be able to have more comradery.

"I'm glad you both made it," Hierapolis said in his whispery voice with its sandy coarseness and faint hint of an accent. "If we're all ready, then I'll waste no more time."

He waited for their agreement before they were whisked away.



Where they appeared was a structure which had its foundation carved from the very stone of the world - white like the cliffs it looked out toward. The foundation was once been smooth and polished, but now it was weathered and cracked showing the wear and tear that so many wonders did over their hundreds of years of abandonment. The structure that had been built had suffered far more than the foundation - although some of the mosaic tiles that had displayed great hunting scenes remained, most lay on the ground before the walls they once adorned. It had been a much bigger mess when Hierapolis had first visited. Although a 'mess' still, things had clearly been swept and cleared as best they could have been.

The structure, as mentioned, looked out over white cliffs that held warm pools of water with a fine mist looming above invitingly. Some days the mists obscured the impressive height of the plateau upon which the wonder stood, others they were barely there at all. It just depended on the weather - air pressure, humidity, and whatnot.

Also visible on either side of the structure was an open field, mostly flat but with a few soft hills, and dotted with occasional trees, but the perimeter was fast swallowed by trees.

The full details were unknown to Hierapolis, but this place had once been a gathering ground for celebrations, host to many a hunting game or social faire. It was easy enough to see why though - on a world with few permanent structures, one such as this would have to be of some public significance - a place where everyone would be able to reliably find. There was no hint that it held any permanent residents. It was simply an open place of gathering.

On the surface.

And it was perhaps the best cover for frequent, or semi-frequent people-traffic. It wouldn't have raised suspicion for those coming and going from the world beneath.

"Well," Hierapolis spoke again, taking a step forward and gesturing to, well, everything, "I said I'd start from the top."

Cybele generally knew what to expect from her worlds. The forests were seemingly endless. The trees were lush, their leaves tinged more blue than yellow-green. The underbrush, nearly everywhere that she'd seen, was dotted with small purple wildflowers. The skies were a soft, striking lilac.

Much was the same here, but different, too. She could smell soft earth and those wildflowers, but there was more to it, too, something crisp and wet from the waters beneath. Petrichor, people called it sometimes, she thought.

The sky was still soft violet but Cybele thought she saw what looked like a storm, or something? Deep in space, in the distance sky. Strange, but not what they were there to look at. "Is that usually there?" she asked, nodding towards it. Strange, but not what they were there to look at.

In front of them was the building. The walls were true stone, with intricate mosaics. Crumbled, yes, but she could still see the artistry that had gone into them.

"It's beautiful," she breathed. "What can you tell us about it?"

She was finally starting to remember some of the past, but it was still coming to her in bits and pieces, not all at once the way it seemed to for other Princesses.

It still felt like home, here, though, and Cybele took a moment to embrace her true power, the wings stretching out behind her.

Celadon spotted the storm in the distance after she heard Cybele point it out. Whatever it was, Hierapolis didn't seem interested in talking about it. Absently, Celadon wrapped her arms about herself.

Her brows furrowed as she listened to him speak. Nitrous oxide? Wasn't that laughing gas? Celadon peered over her shoulder at the mist. She didn't expect to think about chemistry class on a foreign world. She felt foolish by not having done so earlier; how many brazen steps did she take without really considering the dangers?

It was heartening to hear that they weren't going to expire for just visiting. That wouldn't have been much of a benefit to their shared plan of bolstering Order. As far as she knew, there was no way of getting here without Hierapolis in attendance, so they shouldn't have much to fear from the mist if they ended up bringing bigger groups along.

If those were the least of the curiosities, then — "What's grabbed your attention the most?" She asked as she began following the other two. While he tried to keep looking about, her gaze continued to stray toward the burgeoning storm in the distance.

"Laughing Gas is certainly one use for it," Hierapolis replied as they began their hike, the grasses tall but uniform, and a light breeze made it look like rippling waves.

"It would probably only work once - I can't imagine the enemy would fall for it twice, but I imagine if one could collect and contain a decent amount of the gasses then lure a group of the enemy in to a room, they could probably knock them out and do as they would with them," Hierapolis posed the scenario casually.

This was a man who had no personal beef, yet, with anyone of the 'other' side of the war, and yet he so easily thought up such a plot. Cosmos have mercy if he ever did have a personal vendetta.

Little did he know such things were something the Iseirá would do. Something his past self was quite familiar with doing.


As for what caught his attention the most.... Well that was a tough one. There was so much beneath their feet. And soon they were at the threshold that would take them there.

A large fissure in the ground, framed by tall and jagged rocks, white like the stones that made the cliffs and foundations of the structure upon which they had stood when first arriving. From the fissure thick misty gasses drifted and swirled, but upon Hierapolis' approach, shrunk back and bowed low, daring not to reach above his ankles.

He gestured to the dark entrance.

"It's a downwards slope, then stairs. Then we take a small boat across an underground lake. After that, there is a door. Beyond that door is what I consider the real wonder. Are you ready to descend?"

Oh, internally he was having so much fun with the little theatrics. In this moment there wasn't a single bit of the almost 40 year old man that didn't enjoy living out what felt like one of the many fantasy novels he'd read. Outwardly he tried to maintain a cool and poised demeanor as he played the role as the confident guide and knowledgeable custodian to the wonder.