Welcome to Gaia! ::

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.

After so soon being informed of five new manifestations, Locke sent word of a sixth. "Antoinette..." These manifestations seemed to be multiplying in the ways that bunnies only did, minus all of the intimacies. It had only been a few days ago when she had heard of five, and now a sixth was being sent to visit her, no way connected with the previous. No matter. She folded the sheet of parchment and set it on the altar, then kneeling in front of it.

As routine before she had to present someone with the gods, Shakuni entered a meditative state where she could speak with her gods. No matter what, she kept alert for the sounds around her, to make sure she would not find herself surprised and to make sure she knew exactly when the manifestation would enter.

If the gods wished to meet all the manifestations, Shakuni would be the vessel which would allow that.

(( 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 Antoinette.

This introductory post is similar to the ones of the other five because the Divine Order and Shakuni have not been known very long; it gives you a chance to get to know them as well. ))

By the time Antoinette reached her, Shakuni had already emerged out of her trance. Being an alert woman, she had been able to pick up that there was a new presense in the temple. This manifestation seemed rather docile compared to the recent ones she had dealt with. One that simply wished to lend a helping hand was a pleasant change, even if she was apologizing for no particular reason. She offered a smile to the manifestation, unable to resist giving the poor, hurt manifestation a pat on the shoulder and a word of reassurance. Then, she stood.

"That is alright, Antoinette. I have been waiting for you, anyway." She looked down to the young manifestation and smiled again. Something about this one was so warm compared to the others she had met. Hopefully, the gods would appreciate her compassion as well. "Locke has sent you to me, I assume?" Indeed, that Locke knew how to stay on top of things. She had to give him some amount of credit, especially since he was cooperating with the gods despite the change in plans.

Shakuni brushed herself off before offering her hand to the kneeling Antoinette. "Do you have any particular questions for me, or has Locke answered them all for you?" If someone was caring towards her, she would be caring and motherly in return.

Though it was vague, it was a good question. All of the manifestations were sent to her without much explanation, after all. A smile spread across Shakuni's face. "See, Locke has sent you to me, Shakuni, because the gods have taken a great interest in people like you. The gods find you intriguing, and unlike anything they have seen before. Therefore, they have asked to meet you." The priestess could not resist patting her shoulder lightly.

"That is why you have been sent to me. I am a messenger of the gods, and their will I carry out. It is my duty to present you to them. You shall also chose a path in life, and some gods and goddesses are associated with each path." The gods may also reward her with a key as Shakuni had observed, but she would leave that out for now. The priestess would have enjoyed seeing the sparkle in the childlike one's eyes as she was presented with a shining object she did not know she was going to receive.

After brushing a piece of hair behind her ear, Shakuni asked, "Do you have any further questions?" The priestess would answer everything and anything the manifestation asked of her. Antoinette had a charm, and the priestess found it nothing short of utterly adorable. Why weren't more of the manifestations like this?

When Antoinette clung to her, Shakuni cooed and brought the girl closer. She was nothing short of adorable. The priestess stroked her hair and hummed quietly to soothe her before answering her question. "I will not be beside you, but I shall not leave you. See that stone fountain yonder?" She gestured to it. "I shall be kneeling off to the side while you select which path best suits you. Therefore, I will always be nearby during the selection process. Alright?" Shakuni hoped that was enough to comfort.

This girl was full of questions. It was nice to see one that was so adorable and so curious about the task Shakuni had set in front of her. Deciding that it was best they start towards the fountain, Shakuni began to steer the clingy manifestation towards the fountain she had earlier gestured to. "They are not with you because they have already visited the gods and found their paths in life. You are the most recent manifestation, so therefore, you have not chosen your path yet. Now is your time, your special time that no one else can interfere with."

Once she steered the adorable, affectionate manifestation to the fountain, Shakuni attempted to distance herself from her. "Here is the fountain where you will have to choose."

"Of course not, darling! You'll be able to see any of them after you choose, because your path does not leave you alone. You'll see get to see others." Shakuni squeezed Antoinette's hand to show her support before she fully parted from the manifestation. "I'll stay right over here, alright?" Shakuni gestured to the exact spot before kneeling down where she pointed. "I'll be here in case you get too frightened. Now, the sky's going to get really dark, but lights will appear soon enough, okay?"

Hoping that was enough, Shakuni shut her eyes to the world and chanted quietly under her breath. The sky began to darken indeed, until no light filtered into the temple at all. Their surroundings were pitch black. Shakuni floated into the air and her eyes rolled back, entering a trance state, but still she paid close attention to the woman nearby. With luck, she would not become too frightened.

Luckily, they were not left in inky blackness too long. Lights flared up around the large stone fountain, each dancing and begging for the attention of the affectionate manifestation. "Choose your path and choose wisely, Antoinette," echoed Shakuni's voice. "I'll be right here, waiting while you decide which one you would rather."



(( There's a black light between the blue and green ones. ))

Shakuni was pleased to see that Antoinette had quickly calmed. "Take your time, dear, and choose the one that is best for you." With a brief smile, she closed her eyes and began to chant once again. She would not allow herself to go fully into the trance until she was certain that Antoinette had chosen and could speak with the avatar. For now, Shakuni, concerned as she was, kept watch over Antoinette so she could answer her any question. Otherwise, she kept quiet, opening her eyes for brief amounts of time to watch the adorable manifestation's progress on her decision.

"All of them contain their own beauty, but pick the one that draws you in the most." Shakuni watched her with a smile. There were several different colors she could see the adorable, sweet manifestation moving towards. The priestess could not help wondering if she would be right in her predictions. Nevertheless, she would wait patiently to find out which warmed Antoinette's heart the most.

"Good Antoinette! I'm proud of you. Now, the god shall communicate to you through me..." Shakuni dragged off, slipping into her fully tranced state. As she did, the avatar she had been trying to explain appeared behind her, looking to Antoinette who had selected the light pink path.

Shakuni's voice seemed to echo and surround Antoinette as she talked. "You have chosen the path of Shringara, the path of love. I am Hathor," hopefully, Antoinette knew to assume that this was the god speaking through Shakuni, and not Shakuni speaking herself, "god of love and music." The avatar seemed rather stately behind her. Coming near the avatar would have made anyone feel a certain peace. There also seemed to be subtle, faint music coming from him when someone neared.

"What do you wish for, Antoinette?" The light that had captured her eyes burned and danced to become brighter and more appealing to her than the others. This was Antoinette's choice, and so it behaved as if it wanted to make sure she only had eyes for it and it alone.