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Many of Duniya knew of the Divine Order. They all had varying thoughts of the religious body, but most held some measure of respect for them whether it was for their devotion to the Pantheon or for their willingness to cope with the unreliable Duniya gods. The Divine Order did not typically involve itself in the everyday affairs of its residents, but something about the uniqueness of the existence of the Tabula Rasa had intrigued the gods.

The Order contained the gods' messengers, and so, the Divine Order learned that they must interfere with these 'Tabula Rasa'--blank slates born out of Rasa. The particular reasons for the gods' interference was unknown, but no matter if Locke particularly agreed to it or not, the new manifests were to be brought to the Divine Order--specifically, Shakuni--immediately upon manifestation.

Shakuni herself was a deeply devout priestess of the Order. It was said that the gods had touched her themselves, and therefore she held a deep connection and affinity to the affairs of the gods. Shakuni was a leader in the Order and perhaps the most important messenger of them all. To be called to bring the Tabula Rasa to the gods meant that the Tabula Rasa held some deep significance. The certain significance was, as of currently, unknown, but one did not question the gods' wishes.

Locke recently told her of five new manifestations. As directed by Shakuni, and therefore the gods, they were brought to her temple as soon as possible. "Adara, Cheshire, Damaris, Ophelia, and Reginald," quietly whispered she, glancing over the names as soon as she had got the message. They could not be long; in matters of the gods, one did not delay.

Shakuni kneeled in front of the altar of the gods' and meditated to become one with the gods' wishes, all the while listening for any new entries to the sacred temple.

(( The gods have spoken through their faithful servant! They have decreed that all new manifestations are to be brought to the attention of the Divine Order and brought to Shakuni, their faithful messenger, as soon as possible.

This PRP thread is reserved for the manifestation Cheshire. ))

Seeing a priestess surprised was not a usual occurrance. Though she could usually pick up on any new presenses in her temple, Cheshire had entered in such a swift, stealthy way that his voice was unexpected. She suddenly came out of her state and lifted her shoulders slightly in shock, but within what seemed like milliseconds, Shakuni composed herself again and turned her attention to the catty Tabula.

This one had to be Cheshire. If she had learned anything, his ways were reminiscent of a cat, and cheshire was a name quite reminiscent of cats. She chuckled lightly. "Fair Lady? I have never heard that one before, Cheshire. Call me by that if you insist, but my name is Priestess Shakuni." The priestess stood, brushing herself off. Indeed, his voice did not enchant her. Instead, it simply furthered her assumption that this had to be Cheshire, and the gods agreed.

"It is a pleasure to see you have arrived." Locke was cooperating quite well with the gods' wishes. Perhaps the gods or the Divine Order would have words of praise for him at a later time, but such things were not necessarily important now. What was important was presenting this new manifestation to the gods.

Were all these new Tabula troublesome and insolent? Shakuni quirked a brow at his behavior, but dared not show a change of expression otherwise. "It is not what I need of you, but it is what the Pantheon requires of you. Come." She beckoned to him before heading in the direction of a large, empty stone fountain.

Perhaps mentioning the gods would have the same effect on Cheshire as it seemed to have on some of the others. "The gods have become very intrigued with you and the other manifestations. They wish to meet you and guide you into a path, and it is my responsibility to act on their desires." Shakuni stopped in front of the fountain and beckoned to him once more, seemingly in a hurry for an inexplicable reason. Perhaps it had a bit to do with the fickle impatience of the gods, but more of it drew on her personal wish to shut the devious cat down before he dared to argue with her.

"Come on now, Cheshire. Don't delay, we're busy, busy, busy and have much to do." The brief smirk that crossed her face was daring him to argue with her, but Shakuni's eyes demanded that he not dally with such a task ahead.

If asked what animal the Tabula in front of her was, Shakuni would not think twice before calling him a cat. The behaviors that could only belong to an elegant beast were the same mannerisms a regal cat showed. He also seemed to carry an air of royality or mystique about him, and a nonchalance towards anything that was particularly important. If he would go along with what she requested, though, that was all she could ask and all that particularly mattered.

"Cheshire," she pronounced, "today, you shall discover your path." She couldn't help adding, "I am sure a manifestation like you would like more motivation to cause trouble." These new Tabula seemed to be troublesome by nature. It was only Shakuni's hope that one of them would turn out relatively docile compared to the ones she had already come across.

At least Cheshire had manners, Shakuni supposed, even if he showed it in rather mischievous ways. Admittedly, it had been a while since anyone had addressed her as a fair lady instead of as the god-touched priestess. Nevertheless, it didn't matter now. Shakuni knelt down at a location near the fountain, going into a trance. The trance left her floating with her eyes rolled back as she chanted to herself and folded her arms over her chest. The room decended into pitch darkness.

At this time, the fountain seemed to light up. Ten dancing speckles of light taunted Cheshire, begging him to come snatch them up. "Which shall you choose?," asked Shakuni's echoing voice.



(( In-between the blue and green lights is a black light. ))

He could be as indecisive as he pleased, but that would not help him. This was his choice, not Shakuni's choice or the gods' choice. He lamented, but no one answered. The lights that drew his attention flared and burned brighter, beckoning him to come closer. No matter what he said, though, no one would tell him which one to choose.

"This is a choice all your own," stated Shakuni, her voice containing an odd echo that it did not in any other state. "You have to pick which paths you shall choose!" Hopefully, he would simply move towards the ones that drew him in the most before the gods grew impatient with him. Gods were, by nature, fickle creatures after all.

As his hand reached for the magenta, an avatar appeared behind Shakuni. It was an avatar of a god himself. Perhaps his most telling features were the traditional toga he wore and the wings on his ankles. If the Tabula knew anything about Greek mythology, the messenger god had been summoned. A bright energy surrounded Shakuni. The gods would not speak to Cheshire directly, but rather, they would speak to him through their vessel.

"No, you may not nap!" Shakuni laughed, taking on the voice of the god himself. "You'll miss everything that way, and there's certainly nothing of interest in that. Cheshire, you have selected the path of Hasya, the path of mirth. I personally think it was a very wise choice to make. Mirth and happiness seem to be geniunely... underrated."

The avatar eyed the manifestation closely. He seemed to be a devious one, but if being devious or tricky brought him such mirth and happiness, Hasya was probably a fitting path. His eyes wandered over Cheshire one last time before his gaze returned to the manifestation's face. This boy was certainly intriguing, to say the least.

Most of the mirth gods and goddesses were, admittedly, a bit talkative. Or perhaps it was just Hermes the trickster; it was hard to tell. "Magenta is a fitting color for you, at the least. It matches the coloring of your Rasa shard," the avatar keenly observed, speaking through Shakuni. "No doubt this is a fitting path."

This one liked twisting people's words. He himself had asked if he could nap, yet now it was totally denying it and agreeing with the avatar's words, insisting that they should not have suggested such a silly thing. Admittedly, he liked tricksters. The god was a bit of a trickster himself, after all. He gave a satisfied smile before once again speaking through the entranced Shakuni.

"You're a clever one, I admit. Clever people can bring much mirth, even if it is at the confusion or bewilderment of others." The avatar's eyes seemed to burn holes right through Cheshire, as if he was able to read him inside and out. "Now, Cheshire, tell me, what is it that you wish for? What would you like to do with your life? What direction does your heart pull you in, and any other ridiculous, cryptic question I may ask?" He chuckled in amusement, waiting for the cat's clever answer.

In the meantime, the magenta light had begun to flare brighter, making all of the other lights seem dim in comparison. It beckoned for Cheshire's attention, making sure that his eyes would settle on no other.

"Confusion? Ah, confusion is a way to bring much mirth! Mirth for you and mirth for those watching, that is. If bewildering others is what you long to do, that so be it. I shall assist in your need to confuse others." When Shakuni finished speaking, the magenta light flared brighter. Quickly, the light began to shape itself into a key. The key's top appeared to be a maze with no visible end, and several amtheyst vines trailed down the golden key until it came to its end.

Key of Bewilderment

You wish to leave others baffled for your own personal mirth.

Gain 1 XP: Whenever you frustrate someone by being cryptic or confusing.

Gain 3 XP: Whenever you lead someone in the wrong path.

Gain 4 XP: Whenever you leave someone utterly baffled.

Buyoff: Explain a task in a matter that is straight-forward and in no way confusing.

The magenta light formed again once he gathered the key. "I'm sure this will assist you in the task ahead. I'll enjoy watching how you confuse others, I must admit." The avatar's smirk was reflected on the entranced Shakuni's face.