[Jaykobell]

Nobody had to tell him twice; as soon as the Temple Draculi walked up to them, Ratio did his best to hide from sight. He was about to grab onto Sethor's tails when the Lucain sat down, and admittedly, this gave Ratio a lot more space to hide. The Kamee took this opportunity and quickly hid behind the dark Lucain. Ratio stood out against Sethor's dark blue fur, but he was so small that he could probably be mistaken for some Lucain marking, if he was lucky enough. And then suddenly, what was that? Sethor was actually talking to the Temple pet! Had he gone mad? Was he trying to lose his soul? Ratio knew Sethor had come here to learn about the Temple pets, but still! Didn't he know they were dangerous? Very dangerous? Ratio had also heard the comment in his head, but he still refused to communicate with that pet...

If the Draculi knew about Ratio, it didn't show. Maybe Sethor was more intriguing, or maybe the Temple pet was already aware of the Kamee. Either way, it didn't make any move to attack, nor did it comment about another pet, besides Sethor, being nearby. Its stony head tilted to one side curiously as Sethor replied to the Draculi's comment. Coming here to learn about what? Maybe the architecture? The Draculi had no idea. Lucain... learn... what...? Far away... The last two words had a strange dream-like tone to them behind the stony emotionlessness the Temple pets were known for. It seemed to be intrigued about this idea of going out to explore the world. Being a Temple pet, it probably hadn't left this shrine at all in its lifetime. Just like Ratio, it probably knew nothing about the world.

The Draculi's tail started to wave slowly from side to side after Sethor told it their names. It seemed happy that the two pets — or at least one of them — was willing to interact with them. Sethor... Ratio... Sethor... Ratio... It repeated the names a few times in its head, tilting it from one side to the other as it did so. No name... Draculi... no name... It replied to Sethor's question about its name. Maybe it was because it lived in this shrine that it had no name. Most Temple pets probably had no pet breeders, so for this wild Draculi, the concept of name probably never really had much importance for it.

[Shieba]

Sethor was, obviously unlike Ratio, by now pretty sure that the Draculi really just wanted to talk, especially since the two seemed to have something in common. "Yes, I come from far away", he smiled. "I was just telling Ratio about it. Would you like to hear about the places far away as well?" Sethor hadn't missed that tone in the Temple pet's words and maybe he could not only get a decent conversation going here but also make Ratio realize that he maybe had something in common with this pet?

However, answering the other question of the Draculi was making him a bit nervous. He had no itention to lie, but still... "I...I have come here to learn more about your kind", the Lucain slowly said. "People know not much about you and others like you and when they have no knowledge about something, they tend to be afraid. I came here to learn if there is reason to fear you or not and to be able to tell others about you." He smiled reassuringly, but wondered if the Temple pet could even understand such a display of emotion. "I mean no harm and do not want to intrude. Talking to you is already an honor for me. I am glad that the fears of others prove to be not true." And it would hopefully stay this way.

Sethor listened if there would be a certain hint of sadness in the pet's voice in his head about not having a name, but he wasn't able to detect any. To him, not having a name seemed strange - like some part of individuality was missing. But since the Draculi had probably never known otherwise, it seemingly didn't miss what it did not know. "How shall I call you then?" he asked. "Just...'Draculi'?" That sounded wrong in his ears. No one should be referred to by their species. "Do you not want a name?"

[8]

[Jaykobell]

The Draculi tilted its head from one side to the other as it wondered about faraway places. Beyond the walls of this shrine and the knowledge it 'knew', without quite knowing how or why it knew this knowledge, the Draculi had seen nothing of the outside world. Tilting its head seemed to be a gesture of happiness, as well as wonder. It simply kept tilting back and forth, a little like an electronic toy; left, right, left, right, left... It was a mechanical movement, done without any hesitation. Far away... What is... far away...? it whispered for an answer, the answer softer than the usual neutral tone of the previous replies. It seemed curious and very interested in knowing about those 'far away places' it had never seen or heard of. Not... many pets... Lonely, the Draculi said in Sethor's and Ratio's heads. Obviously, living in a shrine with no one but the shrine meant that you had nobody to interact with, and thus, no travels to share with anyone. This probably explained why the Draculi seemed so reluctant to speak; it was most likely not used to using speech, in any form, with anyone.

At the mention on its 'kind', the Draculi once again tilted its head to the side, its blank eyes glowing softly with what seemed to be confusion. About... my kind...? it echoed , curious. Most people were afraid and wanted to run away when they saw a Temple pet... but this Lucain wanted to know more about the Temple pets? It listened carefully to Sethor's words, and while it could detect nervousness, the Lucain sounded honest, and his motives weren't mean-spirited. He wanted to learn about them so others wouldn't be... afraid of them anymore? Its eyes glowed softly at the thought of something like that. Know more... it repeated, tilting its head to the other side. I am... happy, it replied to Sethor's intentions. No fear... no fear... It seemed thrilled about the idea of people finally knowing about them, so they would not be afraid of the Temple pets anymore. Maybe this would allow them to make friends with other pets. I will... say things to... to you... the Draculi offered, nodding its stony slowly. Strangely enough, the pet seemed capable of moving like any other pet to a certain extent, despite the rough, rocky edge of its movements.

It tilted its head at the mention of a name, and what to call it. It seemed to be an extremely common thing, for the Draculi to tilt its head. I do not... know, it answered, trying to answer a bit more fluently. The words were pronounced just fine, but the problem was mostly the 'putting together' phase of sentence-making. I have no... name. But I am... girl, it nodded and took a step forward. I do not know... why... have a name.

[Shieba]

((Late reply is...very, very late. D8))

For a moment, Sethor was a bit confused about the statement of the Draculi, not sure if it meant to indicate that it didn't even have an idea what the words 'far away' meant. But in the end, they were spoken with such a softness that he concluded that it was, instead, asking about the places indeed. "There is a place made of sand as far as the eye can see", he repeated what he had already told Ratio. "And a place of finer sand, where the sea meets the shore. From there on, there is water for a very long time, with fishes in it and plants. And there is an area where the water falls from a high cliff and thunders down, surrounded by many trees. A lot of people come there because it is beautiful." He hoped to give a bit of an overview of his world so that both the Draculi and Ratio could decide what they wanted to hear more about in detail.

Sethor was barely able to contain his happiness and excitement. The Temple Draculi was actually interested in telling him about its kind and seemed glad to do so. "I would like that very much", he agreed. "It is terrible that people are afraid of your kind, yet there is obviously no reason to. I will do my best to tell them what you tell me." He looked at Ratio, hoping his little friend was listening as well or maybe already losing his fear.

Sethor was wondering about the Draculi tilting its head so often, but he figured it was probably just a gesture of wonderment and confusion. He was quite surprised though when he heard that his new aquaintance was a female. "Very good, Miss." He hoped the Draculi knew what a 'Miss' was. But the next question was much more pressing - how could he explain why people had names? "You see, there are many girls and boys in the world. And while they are all different, they like to identify each other with names. It makes them unique. If you call someone by his or her name, the person you call immediately knows she or he is meant. It is a personal thing. A name identifies you as a unique personality; as something - someone - no one else is like. You would not give a stone a name, for stones are all dead and lifeless. But you are alive and you have your own opinions and wishes and hopes and so you should have a name, which shows that you are an individual person." Well, that had been quite long, but he had tried to explain the best that he could. He kind of wanted to have the Draculi to pick a name for herself - since she was obviously conscious enough to indentify herself with a gender, there was no reason why she shouldn't have a name.

[9]

[Jaykobell]

[ Let's see if we can make them posts still awesome, but not as endless. xD ]

The Draculi sat down slowly when Sethor started talking about far away places. She tilted her head in the same mechanical manner, trying to imagine pictures in her head. It was hard, however, as most of the words were unknown to the Draculi. Sand... sea... shore... water... fish... plants... The list went on, as Sethor continued to tell his tale. Interesting... Far away... the Draculi echoed in the Lucain's mind, her rocky tail wagging slowly back and forth. The Lucain knew so much...

When Sethor went on to explain about the concept of a name, the Draculi was perplexed. Unique... she repeated, wondering what kind of word consisted a name. It was a very strange concept, too. The Temple pets were made of stone, and Sethor had said you didn't give names to stones, because they were not alive. But then, he assured that the Draculi was alive, and that she still deserved a name. She tilted her head, wondering if it was really necessary to have a name. She didn't know what kind of "name" she could have... Later... A name... later, she told Sethor, putting the naming aside. Despite the kind words about the Temple pets, it seemed like the Kamee was still unwilling to really communicate with the Draculi. Perhaps if she told them about her kind, the Kamee would feel more comfortable. What... does Sethor... want to know...? she asked, tilting her head slowly, her eyes glowing with an eerie light.

[Shieba]

((But I like mah big paragraphs o3o xD))

Sethor sensed that most of his words were probably unknown to the Draculi, as she continued to tilt her head. However, he had no idea how to make his tale any simpler than he already had. How could he explain better what sand was? It was so different from the highly difficult questions and matters he had faced during his education. "If you want to know more about something, go ahead and ask", he encouraged the Temple pet, not knowing what else he could do.

Sethor nodded when the Draculi decided that a name wasn't needed for her right now. It was, after all, her decision and at least it seemed like she wasn't completely dismissing the idea. "Later, then."
The next question stumped him more than he was willing to show. Yes, what did he want to know? Everything there was to know, of course, but it was clear to him that the Draculi needed specific questions; it seemed difficult enough for her to find words. "I would like to know...where you come from and what you are doing here", he finally phrased his question. He was considering asking for more details - about parents, if the Temple pets were guarding something here - but these words would probably just confuse the Draculi again and so he decided to keep the questions simpler.

[10]

[Jaykobell]

[ I thought big posts were a factor that scared you from replying to RPs? xD ]

The Draculi nodded when Sethor offered his knowledge. Those mysterious things were so interesting, but she couldn't picture anything, since she didn't know any of those things. It was the result of a very sheltered life...

When Sethor asked his question, the Draculi tilted her head to the side. For a moment, she said and did nothing at all. The only thing that assured Sethor that the Draculi was still with them was the glow of her eyes. As she thought about the question and what answer to give Sethor, her eyes glowed softly. Where... the Draculi echoed, telling the Lucain that she was thinking about this particular half of the question. Iiylumiel... Fallen Angel... Iiylumiel... she replied, tilting her head to the other side, her eyes glowing confusingly for a moment. We are... children... of... Fallen Angel Iiylumiel, she replied, nodding slowly. Do not know... how it is... possible, she replied as her tail waved a little. Even she couldn't explain what it meant, exactly... Priests... Old priests... said we... are evil... Evil children... of Iiylumiel, she clarified, sharing as much as she could say.

For the second half, she once again went quiet for a little bit. Her eyes flickered for a bit, and her tail wagged from one side to another. Not... sure, she finally replied, her eyes flowing softly to indicate disappointment. Priests said... Lost pets... living on... as Iiylumiel... Cursed... she said, the words scrambled as she tried to voice such information. Cursed... by Iiylumiel... she added, looking down this time, perhaps out of shame or sadness that she couldn't give Sethor a clearer answer. Cannot... really say... she finally admitted, her eyes glowing slowly and faintly.

[Shieba]

((Only when they are so full of philosophical stuff that I need two minutes to translate a single sentence, which isn't the case here. Don't worry~ xD))

It was hard for Sethor to remain patient and for a second, he was almost certain that he had offended the Draculi somehow when she remained silent for so long. He was all the more happy to recieve an answer then, even though it was one that basically just confirmed what was written in the scrolls about Temple pets - something about Iiylumiel. He nodded slowly. "That is what people know about you", he agreed. If even the Temple pets themselves didn't know more, it was no wonder so little was known. "But...evil? Do you see yourself as evil? You seem very nice", he then added. "I don't think you are evil." He glanced at Ratio, hoping that his little friend started to agree with him soon.

The answers didn't become more clear, really, but Sethor could see that the Draculi was disappointed and maybe even saddened by this herself. "It's alright if you don't know", he assured her. "Have you heard these things only through the priests?" If the priests saw the Temple pets only as evil and cursed, had the pets started to believe that themselves? Now that just seemed wrong. "If you don't know why you are here, what are you doing all day? How do you pass the time?" It seemed right to judge the Temple pets only by what they were doing and not by what an old priest said. Sethor rather believed in what he saw with his own eyes than in old myths.

[11]

[Jaykobell]

It was disappointing to learn that what she'd revealed was already known to humans. Repeating the same information obviously wouldn't help anyone. At the question of them being evil and if they considered themselves to be evil, the Draculi had no clue what to reply. ... No... she finally voiced in Sethor's mind, passing the message to Ratio as well, even though the Kamee remained hidden ever since the Draculi had appeared. A little... rough... she added, tilting her head. The word was a little inaccurate, but she couldn't find a synonym. Mean, she added after a pause. Many... very bitter. So many Temple pets had been secluded to the temples of Basantha that many had turned angry and bitter towards humans.

The Draculi nodded slowly at Sethor's other question concerning the priests. Since they were the only humans at Basantha for the longest time, the only information any of them ever got was from them. Of course, most disliked the Temple pets, while the others expressed some uncanny hatred towards their kind. When Sethor asked about passing the time, the Draculi's eyes suddenly flashed extremely brightly. She got on all four, and her stony tail wagged. I show... I show you... She took a few steps back, her eyes still glowing brightly. Follow, follow...

Ratio, who had been staying behind Sethor the whole time, still wasn't truly convinced. Every time Sethor had looked down at him, the Kamee had looked away. He almost felt ashamed for being so doubtful of the Temple pets, but their presence was so... frightening. They scared him so much. "S... Should we follow h-her...?" he asked Sethor, clinging to the Lucain's fur with his little paws, unwilling to expose himself to the Draculi. What if it were a trap? But Sethor had a good head on his shoulders, so Ratio trusted his better judgement...

[Shieba]

"I...see." That was a new information for Sethor. He had heard the tales, of course, but talking to the Temple Draculi had made him believe they had all been wrong so far. Now it seemed they did have an ounce of truth in there. "Why is your kind bitter? Have humans hurt you or treated you badly?" He couldn't help but think this was probably the case, especially when the Draculi nodded at his question about the priests. If this had been a problem started by a few old, angry men and was now affecting all Temple pets and the people outside alike, this would be terrible.

Sethor was surprised when the Draculi suddenly seemed very excited. "Follow you? Of course." He couldn't help but feel intrigued, not being able to imagine what he would see now. He looked down at his little friend who still seemed scared. "Yes, I want to follow her and look at what she wants to show me. Do you want to come with us? You can ride on my back if you want." That hopefully would assure Ratio that he would be in a safe position, with Sethor being fast enough to flee if they were attacked. Sethor didn't believe they would be, but maybe Ratio still was. "If you want to stay, that's fine, I'm sure I'll find you again later if you stay in this area. But this is why I came here and I don't want to pass up this opportunity. I want to learn."

[12]

[Jaykobell]

[ ... Wow. I haven't replied to this in two months. Wtf, it's been this long? ]

Ratio looked down and shuffled his paws when Sethor said that he was going to follow the Temple Draculi. The Kamee didn't want to go that far to "learn" about the species, but he felt bad for being such a burden. He was just holding Sethor back, and that wasn't really fair... And deep down, the Kamee was afraid more Temple pets could potentially show up in this area. And if they did... well, Ratio couldn't fight them. "O... Okay..." he mumbled quietly, latching onto Sethor and climbing onto his back and then settling in-between in his wingblades. "B-be careful, o-okay?"

The Temple Draculi would sometimes look behind her to make sure Sethor was following her. If he was too far away, she would stop and let him catch up to her. Her tail was wagging slowly from side to side, her eerie eyes glowing brightly, as if with excitement. She lead the Lucain deeper into the abandoned cathedral, passing in hallways Ratio had never seen before. Even for the Kamee, the road to wherever the Draculi was guiding them was a mystery to him...

Eventually, the Draculi stopped in front of a huge wooden door, holed and old, with its metal ornaments covered in age-old rust. Here, the Draculi echoed in their heads before opening the door. By standing on her hind legs, the Draculi could grip the long, thin handle and force the lock open. The door opened with a long drawn-out hiss, common to old doors with rusty joints. Without saying anything, the Draculi lead the Lucain and the Kamee down the flight of stairs, which lead, at first glance, into a pitch-black hole...

You had to be careful as to not skip a step, but other than that, the walk down the stairs was relatively safe. At times, bits of stone could be heard falling down and tumbling down the stairs, among the sound of soft pawsteps. Eventually, a glowing ball of light appeared in the darkness, coming from a torch leaning from the wall. The Draculi took a turn, and guided them forward for a little bit longer.

Eventually, they reached a huge room, both large and tall. Inside were tons of Temple pets of countless species, all huddled together and keeping to their own personal business. If some of them were talking together, it was unknown, as they needed to use telepathy. Some were lying down, obviously trying to mimic "sleeping," even though Temple pets couldn't sleep. It seems the room was their little refuge...
When the Draculi stepped in, many Temple pets turned their heads around to stare at the newcomers. There were no brusque movements, no gasps, no hushed whispering between groups; simply eerie, empty stares.

At the end of the crowded room was another pet, one that stuck out like a sore thumb in this sea of Temple pets.



The Dreamsnare Choopa made its way to the three newcomers casually. Its presence felt a little bit more "alive" than that of the Temple pets', although his eyes were just eerie as the other pets'. "Who are you?" From the edge of his voice, you could tell the Choopa was a male. His voice had emotion within it, and he didn't sound aggressive or threatening. It seemed he was simply curious to know who the Temple Draculi had bothered to bring back with her.

[Shieba]

[Two months? I needed nine! I...win? D8;;; I'm so sorry...]

Sethor nodded at Ratio, at least as good as he could since he couldn't turn his head far enough to truly look at the Kamee anymore. "You're in a good spot there. Just be careful not to hurt yourself, since wingblades can be pretty sharp. I'm sure we'll be fine."

Sethor followed the Temple Draculi, trying to keep up with her, but seeing the deeper parts of the shrine was so exciting for him that he sometimes stopped for a few seconds to admire pillars or doors until he remembered that he would have time for these studies later.

In fact, he still couldn't believe his luck. He wasn't sure what he could expect, but if the Draculi would show him how she passed the time, there was the chance he would see even more Temple pets. Since the Draculi was so friendly - in her own, special way - it seemed weird that everyone was so scared of her kind. Even if the priests were the ones who had started to spread those rumors about the Temple pets, they must have had a reason to do so in the first place and so Sethor couldn't help but wonder if the Draculi was just a very special Temple pet and the rest was really bitter or if the priests had been predjudiced from the start. Seeing more Temple pets would maybe solve that question.

Since the Draculi didn't say anything, Sethor kept quiet as well, especially when he went down the stairs and had to watch his steps. He just hoped that Ratio was alright and not too scared - he himself was feeling a bit nervous now, too, since the way was really dark. He was really glad when there was a torch again so he could see where he placed his paws.

As soon as they reached the huge room, Sethor stopped in surprise and awe. There were so many Temple pets! Being watched by so many others was a bit unsettling, but he didn't want to appear scared - he wasn't, really, he was mainly curious, especially since no pet seemed to be hostile. He feared that Ratio was probably shaking in panic, though.

Carefully, he followed the Draculi a bit deeper into the room, observing the behavior of the Temple pets. They seemed to be social creatures, just like most other pets were, or they would not sit together like that. That alone took the rest of the bit of fear away - clearly, Temple pets were different from others, but not that different. In fact, they seemed to try to be like more 'normal' pets, obviously trying to mimic sleep.

Sethor was so busy with watching everyone around him that he didn't see the Dreamsnare Choopa until he was pretty close to them. More than surprised, Sethor blinked dumbly at the unexpected sight. He had seen Dreamsnare pets before, but couldn't recall ever talking to any. He knew very little about them and even less why one of them would be here, but the first way of changing that was to talk and learn more. "My name is Sethor and I'm a scholar", he replied to the question. He didn't know if the Choopa had seen the well-hidden Ratio on his back, but imagined that Ratio might be happier if Sethor didn't mention him right away, so Sethor figured that Ratio would best introduce himself if he wished to do so. "I have come to Basantha to learn more about Temple pets and was lucky enough to meet this Lady here who was willing to bring me here so I could see the truth about her kind." He looked at the Draculi and then back at the Choopa. "Who are you, if I may ask?"