[Pyris]

Ragnor, the Clockwork Hollowheart

Frowning as he entered the well-lit shrine doors, Ragnor skimmed the area, counting every creature and person he saw.  Twenty-five, in total.  It was weird for him to be in human form; generally he preferred to stay a Hollowheart, since his rather large size tended to allow the avoidance of other beings more easily.  Amber eyes darted here and there before he found a corner of the room that was empty.

Bags were visible under his eyes from his lack of sleep, but he didn't seem to notice them.  It was normal to be awoken in the middle of the night because of a vision.  Leaning against the cool wall seemed to clear his head a little, allowing him to focus on the area around him.  Most of the people around were monks.  They were lighting candles, humming in low, steady voices, and speaking quietly with people who were visiting.  It was nice, really, to just sit there, unnoticed.  It felt good to see the world moving around him when he so often saw it's destruction.

It pained Ragnor to think that he could one day destroy it all.  Evelon's beauty, it's culture, and it's life were too valuable.  How could he ever end it all?  That was why he was there.  After all, if he couldn't prevent the future himself, maybe he could find the answers here.

((Ragnor is in human form for the simple fact that, if a Hollowheart were to enter the shrine, I don't think there would be much left of the shrine to roleplay in.  XD  Echo can be in whatever form you want her to be in.))

[Silversky]

((In human form))

Sometimes I wish I could save you,
And there's so many things that I want you to know.

Echo slipped unnoticed through the quiet halls of Basantha Shrine. The Lucain had chosen her human form, sort of, since it attracted minimal attention. She could have been anyone, really, if it wasn't for her light purple hair and the faint 'heart' markings against her eyes. Well, that and the three fluffy tails that signified her true cain form.
The truth was, Echo certainly preferred it this way. The shrine was at peace, she was at peace, and she could walk unnoticed amongst the people of Evelon.
Thoughts and feelings pulsed through her head, in time with the music echoing faintly from the speakers in her ears.

If only I could find the answer,
To help me understand.

She could sense people's hurt, pain, and sorrow. Swirling amongst the darkness was also light-- happiness, love, serenity. But it was all jumbled into one mass in her head, and the Lucain had come to the Shrine to relieve some of the constant stress associated with being an empath.
She wished she could understand. The song reverberated in her mind with all the longing she had in her heart. She could hear people, she could feel their hurt, but she couldn't help them. She couldn't save them. And that was what hurt the most.

Take a breath, I pull myself together,
Just another step, until I reach the door.

Echo turned a corner and all of a sudden she was back in the main chamber, and she had almost run over someone standing in a secluded corner. "Sorry!" she managed to gasp out, quickly backpeddling to avoid falling over the stranger.

((bear with me here; I've never done a human form rp before XD))
((song-- Save You by Simple Plan))

[Pyris]

Ragnor shrank back as though the strange girl had burnt her, but otherwise nodded and muttered an apology.  He skimmed her over quickly to make sure he hadn't hurt her, then examined the floor with seemingly all his focus.  "Sorry," he wound up echoing, not really gathering that it wasn't his fault, just registering that he'd hit something.  She'd seemed alright enough, but the panic was still there, and he wasn't sure why.  He always became overly panicked when people got so near to him.  Double-checking the distance between them and ensuring it was at least three feet, he attempted a small smile.

Being a Hollowheart was hard enough, but being human was nearly crippling.  Judging from the tails, he was guessing she was a Lucain, it was difficult to tell when everyone had more than one form.
[2]

((It's okay.  I'm used to doing Quad RPs myself.  o.Ou  Sorry it's so short, too.))

[Silversky]

Echo blinked a few times, trying to slow her racing pulse. She didn't like being startled.
"It's okay," she got out. "It was my fault."
Well, this was off to a nice start. They seemed to be going in circles.
She opened her thoughts, trying to make sense of why he seemed so wary of her. What she recieved almost sent her stumbling backwards, but she held herself steady. Not many people she had met had that much hurt in them. It didn't show at the surface, and from Echo's experience that meant it was twice as bad inside.
What could have sent him that far?
She returned his attempt at a smile, and decided to introduce herself. It was a start, at least. Maybe this was one person she could help.
The Lucain girl dislodged the headphones from her ears, tucking them into a small bag she had brought with her.
"My name's Echo," she began. "Sorry, again. I guess I wasn't looking where I was going."
He could probably tell her true form, though she really had no clue of his. There weren't exactly any distinguishing features, and Echo thought it rude to ask outright. Well, if he actually answered her, maybe he'd say it himself.
Or not, since she could already tell she might not get him to talk very easily. He wasn't exactly keen to be near other people.

[Pyris]

She was speaking to him, he knew it.  He wasn't sure what to do about it, but he could hear her.  She hadn't really done anything to him, so there was no reason to be rude to make her go away, but really, he shouldn't get too close to anyone.  It was dangerous.  "Uh.. My name's Ragnor," he said quickly, his scrambling mind trying to piece together some sense of normality.  On the outside, sure, he looked fine, but his head was like an egg that had been dropped on the floor.

Scratching the back of his neck, a nervous habit he had yet to be aware of, he told himself to chill out.  Certainly he wasn't about to destroy the world in this state.  Taking a deep breath, he felt himself calm down before he spoke again.  "If I had been paying attention, it wouldn't have happened," he said after a moment, his smile a bit more relaxed as he held out his hand.  It was a very human thing to do, but he supposed she didn't exactly know he was anything else.  She couldn't very well see the glowing heart on his chest, considering he was wearing clothes.  One didn't just blurt out that they were a massive dragon, though, especially when there tended to be a bias about them when it came to alignment.

He tended to be a bit socially inept when it came to others, since he generally didn't speak.

[Silversky]

Surprised, Echo took his hand and shook it. She knew most people did this as a manner of greeting; as a Lucain it was a bit difficult having paws but when she was in her human form she learned many customs. Maybe he was human? Well, it didn't really matter. Everyone was equal in the shrine.
Though... there was something in his emotions that made her think he was only in human form. Inwardly shrugging, Echo simply pushed it to the back of her mind.
"So... any particular reason for being at the Shrine? As for me, I just like it here. It's very peaceful."
Echo almost surprised herself with the fact that she was actually trying to continue a conversation. Normally she tried to avoid most others-- not to the extent of Ragnor, at least, but... maybe she should be more social. At least in the Shrine, people were generally quieter like she was.

(Eh, sorry for the short post~)

[Pyris]

While the question Echo had asked in itself was harmless enough, it made Ragnor frown, contemplating a decent answer before he could properly respond.  She was right; the Shrine was very peaceful.  It almost felt like the place was trying to soothe his soul of it's unrest.  "I guess.." he began, muttering.  He paused, though, skimming the room, amber eyes falling onto a row of lit candles.  "I guess I'm just searching for some salvation," he said at last, hoping it didn't sound as strange to her as it did to him.  

Secretly, he wanted to add 'from myself' to the end of his sentence, but he let it slide away into the abyss of his mind.  Looking back at Echo, he idly wondered why it was that he still stood next to her, speaking to her in as close to naturally as he ever had anyone.  Something about her, he supposed, just felt calming.  Maybe she was just one of the few creatures with a passive aura that eased one's woes.  The feeling just...sank into his skin like warmth from a hot spring.  "..It is very peaceful," he murmured after a time, enjoying the quiet calm while he still could.

[4]

((Me, too.  >.> ))

[Silversky]

Searching for salvation.

It was fitting, then, that she had met him at the shrine.
"Salvation," she echoed. "A lot of us need to be saved. And most of us aren't."
Echo continued to let his emotions float through her mind. He seemed a little calmer now, which was good. But there was still an undercurrent of sadness in his head, like there was some dark secret that rested on his shoulders.
She tried to project a feeling of calmness. She had found that sometimes she could put out... feelings, as part of her empathic powers. Just hints of emotion, and in a kind of... unnoticed aura or something. Anyway, it helped her to calm people down or help them sometimes. It was really subtle, but sometimes it helped.
"You're not the only one looking for something, you know," she continued. "Most of us search for answers our whole lives, and yet we don't find what we are looking for. But if you never look, then there isn't any point to who you are."
Echo smiled and gestured to one of the large openings in the central room. "In here, you may find something you're looking for?"
Hesitantly, hoping Ragnor would follow, the girl walked toward the flickering candlelight from the Halls of Purity. Blinking, she turned back and added, "I won't ask why you're here. But I will try to help."

[Pyris]

"The only choice I have is to change my fate," he said with a frown, following her after a moment's consideration.  "I'll need all the help I can get," he added later, like he'd forgotten to say it before.  In all honesty, her words were like weights in the back of his mind.  What if he couldn't find something here?  What if he never found it, whatever it happened to be?  The statues above the hallways stared back at him in a way that taunted his resolve.

For Evelon.

"You're right, though," he murmured, not certain she could hear him.  "If I don't look with all I've got, there's no point being who I am."  He took a deep breath then, scratching the back of his neck when he felt uncertainty bubble in his stomach.  Looking to Echo, he wasn't sure how to put what he wanted to say, so he paused a minute, thinking it over.  "You should know, that I can become dangerous," he started, his speech slow and cautious.  "If I do.. Stop me if you can, but if you can't..."  Looking up at the lantern in the closest statue's hand, he didn't want to see the expression on her face.  The wings spanned out behind it like they were about to lift it off it's feet.  The stone was like the world, he guessed, and the Hall of Purity would light the way.  That's what his mind wanted to think, anyway.  It was a good choice.

"Kill me," he said at last, offering a weak smile, eyes adamantly examining the stone guardian.

[5]

[Silversky]

So he had accepted her offer of help-- good.
There was something about him that called out to her, that looked for a way out despite the inner battle raging inside him. If he truly could face his darkness, he could make it out into the light.
And then there was the catch.
No.
Echo wouldn't, couldn't believe he would willingly do anything to hurt her or anyone else.
Unwillingly was the problem.
But no matter what happens, I am not going to kill him.
Echo's eyes widened. There was some deep, dark secret hidden here. Taking a deep breath, she tried to strengthen her resolve.
"I won't need to," she replied. "I know you probably think I'm crazy for saying this, but I do trust you. Even if it's out of your control, I believe you wouldn't intentionally hurt anyone."
A wave of feeling cascaded over her. His sggestion of possible self-sacrifice didn't affect him outwardly, but Echo knew better.
"Follow me," she said. "I said I would help you, and I still will. I'm not afraid."
Looking back at Ragnor, she tried to put on an encouraging smile as she stepped away, into the Halls of Purity.

Others were here. Not very many, but a few. Most were in human form, though Echo could see a few pets as well. The candals gave the room a warm glow; a feeling of safety resonated through the room. It was peaceful here. It was pure.
Please, she thought to herself. Please let this work.

[Pyris]

He blinked for a moment as Echo spoke, those amber eyes widening after all the words absorbed into his head.  "Thank you," he murmured, a soft, honest smile gracing his features for the first time in what he felt was a century.  The walls were small and cramped as he trailed somewhat quietly behind her, mind beginning to wrap around the fact that maybe he'd met someone he could really trust.

She gave him the impression that she really cared about him, even though she'd only just met him.  Others like that, with that kind of spirit, were rare in Ragnor's line of sight.  The halls finally gave way to a candlelit room, surprisingly larger in size than he would have anticipated.  Blanketed in the feeling of utter calm, he skimmed the room, much like he did every room he entered.  It was a habit.  He was here for a reason, and he knew what it was, and he had a vague idea what he was thinking when he'd landed on the steps of the Shrine, but what to do now was, well.. a mystery.

The candles flickered in their circular lines, bathing a symbol in a sea of flames.  It was beautiful, however, it triggered flashes of his visions, making him wince.  Why was the Hall of Purity offering his visions up instead of answers?

[6]

[Silversky]

Echo could feel gratitude.
Ragnor was thankful that she was willing to help, Echo realized. He seemed calm, which was a good thing. She wasn't really sure what was making her do this. Echo looked absently at the candals, looking into the flames and wondering why she felt so compelled to help a stranger. It just seemed like the right thing to do, and Echo was grateful for the chance to be able to really help somebody. She just... wanted to stop people from being hurt.
Echo looked closely at Rangor. Suddenly he seemed... afraid. He was shying away from whatever the room brought to him. Echo opened her thoughts, and as she 'listened,' she realized that Ragnor had something else echoing through his head.
The girl moved closer, concern on her face.
"What is it?" she asked him quietly.

((Eeek, really short and late post this time, sorry. I've had RL stuff going on.))

[Pyris]

Ragnor jerked in surprise when the voice of another disrupted the viciously cycling vision inside his head.  It was almost like he'd heard her voice inside his head, soft and melodious and calming, but he knew that was ridiculous.  He looked at her for what seemed like a long time before he could even think of what to say. Wasn't it strange to demonstrate such a concern for a stranger?

He couldn't think of the right words to say to make her understand what he was thinking and why, so he just stared at her some more.  Finally, after an eternity of silence, "How do you stop the world from ending?" he pondered aloud.

((Sorry it  took so long.  Busy season is here, so I'll be a bit flaky over summer, but I should only be this inactive for the next two weeks.  V.v))

_________

Ragnor left the shrine.