[Ameratasu]

Sekhet

A mere elegant roll of the shoulders was the response that graced such a hasty farewell as was received. "I would say it was my pleasure, but..." Once again the tones were as smooth and dragging as silk upon floorboards. "May you be at peace with your decision. It is you who will have to live with it." The eyes gleamed their maddened flash once more as she fairly hissed these words at little more than the memory of the two females.

Sekhet was peculiar, that much was certain. At once warm and demure, and the next as passionate and uncontrolled and malicious as flames. Such was the lot of those who aligned themselves in chaos, as she had. Her gaze fastened once more to Diddidu, a smirk of private amusement touching her lips.

"Mm, and what of you? Are you going to abandon me as well?"

[Terri]

(( Would've posted sooner, but life kinda got in the way. xP  Love Okami, by the way. O=  Ameterasu's awesome. <3 ))

Diddidu

The Kuhna blinked.  Once more.  Seemed that the femme had been calmed by this Draculi's words; for that he was grateful, as the Kuhna had already run thin on his patience.  He had held his tongue through their conversation, letting Sekhet handle matters before his temper drove the femme to be even less trusting.  He had to admit, though, that he was surprised it had been that easy; he had expected the others to meet the same resistence and disdain that he had recieved.  But, no matter: he had learned something out of that experience, as Sticks had hoped he would.

No, not yet, at least.  I imagine there's still plenty to gain from this place.

He rather liked this newcomer; her sense of wisdom reminded him of his friend, back at his own Pen, and the air of unpredictability and chaos that shrouded her was refreshing after that close-minded encounter.  He smiled, rising to his paws to greet her, even if he was a little late, and she a little brittle.

My name's Diddidu.

[Ameratasu]

Sekhet

[It's no problem. Life often gets in the way. And yes! Okami is wonderful. Always nice to find another fan. <3]


A rather pleased smile graced her features at this. Not her typical smirk, but a smile that was genuine in nature. She offered a rather demure nod of the head in returned greeting. "A pleasure to have your name then, Diddidu.  And equally a pleasure to meet you." Again, her tones her oddly sincere in their nature. She descended a final time from her lofty heights, to once again place herself on a common level with the Kuhna.

"To be certain," she purred, pacing a step or two closer to him, "There is much to get out of this place, if only you know where to look." Here at last, then, was the promise of adventure, of a challenge, that had so seduced her into these very ruins not moments before.

Stepping lightly back and away from him, she turned her head to one side, the better to regard him. "Shall we, then?"

[Terri]

(( Same excuse as last time. x3  First year of highschool is a killer.  A warning beforehand: this shall be horribly short.  Because like.  I've gotten no sleep the past couple of days, so my brain is fried. Dx  Next'll be better, providing my inactivity hasn't killed the thread off already. x: )) ))

Diddidu

Indeed we shall.

She was intriguing, that was for sure.  Was this the kind of person Sticks had sent him out to meet?  She seemed multi-dimensional, the kind of person with lots to offer in reards to creativity and perspective.

Where to?

All these run-down streets looked the same to him.  If he wanted to broaden his horizons, this didn't seem like the best place.  They'd dissipate in this monotony, surely.

[Ameratasu]

Sekhet

"Well, that remains to be seen, doesn't it?" Sekhet inquired, smile as mysterious and as coveting of secrets as ever. She regarded him with avid curisoty and a strange fascinated appreciation within the depths of her eyes. "You're not at all like the others. I daresay one could even call you...special." With a languid, satisfied stretch of her frame, the pale ivory of her claws shooting out like daggers in the murk for an instant, she spoke once more.

"We could either remain in the ruins, or venture elsewhere. I suppose it all depends on what sort of...adventure you're after." She smiled once more then, though this one was softer, far more inviting than her previous ones.

"Well, then. Choose the path if not the way." Riddles once more. But she was eager. And content.

[It's perfectly fine. Things have been slow on my end, so don't beat yourself up. School comes first.]

[Terri]

(( Yepp.  Gotta love education. ))

Diddidu

An eyebrow was raised in interest at the femme's comment.  Special?  He made a sound that could be likened to a chuckle, shaking his dome slightly.

Special's not the word I'd use.

Sekhet's next words sent a shiver down his spine.  What sort of adventure was he looking for?  He supposed he didn't really know; his only intent when coming to this place was to 'broaden his horizons.'  And how one would do that, he had no clue. An apologetic, sheepish smile, though he was confident beneath it.

Which path would one choose if they wanted to - and I quote - 'broaden their horizons?'

Suddenly, his auds perked, his dome snapping round to scan the area behind the two.  Squinting, he could vaguely make out the form of a Rattegan, perhaps wooden? rifling through a dumpster.  Putrid waste was being flung about as the sorry soul searched for something edible among the mess of rotting food and what else.

Seemed as good a chance as any to broaden his horizons.  He'd never tasted maggots before.  His curiosity was piqued, that was for certain.  He cast a wayward glance at his companion as he began approaching the repugnant little creature, his feline paws making no sound as he slowly padded closer to the Rattegan.

[Ameratasu]

Sekhet

A glance an askance at this denial was her sole response for a heartbeat. "Don't be so sure," she returned with a slight chuckle of her own. She paused to consider his next words, turning them over careful in her mind, as if attempting to fit a particularly intriguing puzzle piece into the appropriate spot. "I'm told the horizons are different everywhere," she said with a shrug. "I guess it would depend on which horizons you're looking at." Her words were cryptic, perhaps, but truthful.

She turned her attention to the muted sound as well, eyes flashing like fire seen from a distance. It would seem that they had quickly escalated from mere companions to co-conspirators in mischief. Catching his glance, she padded after him in a slight crouch, eyes never straying from the goal of the rummaging and oblivious form of the Rattegan.

[Terri]

Diddidu

His auds strained forward, keen to the efforts of the third creature, brow furrowed slightly, Diddidu continued to make his way towards it.  The Rattegan still hadn't noticed him, which was odd.  Living in place like this, a place reeking of darkness, wouldn't one have learned to always be on guard?

The words of the Draculi rather impressed him, though they were dismissed, stored in the back of his mind for a later conversation.  Right now, his full attention was centered onthis foul creature.  The nearer he got, the stronger the smell of decay became; whether it was the garbage or the Rattegan itself, one wasn't quite sure.

As if out of nowhere, an old damp newspaper came flying in the poor Kuhna's direction, plastering itself to his face.  He yelped and shook off the paper, which smelled suspiciously like a litterbox.  Startled at Diddidu's sudden cry, the Rattegan peered around, its own eyes squinting in fear as he became aware of the other two.  After a moment of remaining motionless, Diddidu let out a short growl.  If that thing hadn't been tossing around trash, he wouldn't have had a urinated-upon newspaper thrown at his face.  Instant bad mood.

The Rattegan's reaction to the Kuhna's hostility wasn't what was expected, no.  Not at all. The rodent opened its maw wide, eyes squinted shut, and the words it emitted were in the form of a scream.

"THE SKY IS FALLING!  THE SKY IS FALLING!"

It then rushed past the two, disappearing around the corner of an old decrepit building.

Diddidu blinked.

What an enlightening encounter.

[Ameratasu]

Sekhet

Sekhet compressed her ears flat to her skull in little more than a ghost of sympathy at the unfortunate circumstance that had befallen Diddidu. It was clear the mishap of such rank paper was rankled with the male, and she was well aware of why with merely a few cautious sniffs of the air herself, that caused her to grimace in disgust.

A low hiss of annoyance escaped her at the antics of Rattegan, as much at the fact that their presence had at last been belated revealed to the creature as to the sudden, startling shriek it had uttered that, truth be told, set her ears to ringing somewhat unpleasantly, due to the nature of acoustics.

She watched the loathsome creature scamper off with narrowed eyes. "Indeed," she agreed. "It's almost not worth pursuing the vile creature. It's clearly unstable." She sank to her haunches with a contemplative air. "Unless you wish to. Otherwise, we can attempt to find...something more 'enlightening', as you say, with hopefully better results."

[Terri]

Diddidu

Pursue it!?  Errr...no.

The last thing he wanted was to chase that repugnant creature. Let it shrivel up in corner and die.  He turned his attention to Sekhet's previous words, concerning horizons.  She seemed wise beyond anyone's age, with her odd, riddling speech.  He was curious to know if she actually knew what she was saying, or if she was just a flowery talker.  He promptly sat his bulk down on an old Pepsi box, tilting his head at his companion.  This might be interesting - and, yes, enlightnening.  His tone was inquisitive as he spoke.

Which horizon do you look at?

[Ameratasu]

Sekhet

"Ah," she said then, tones suddenly becoming indulgent in their nature. "Which, indeed?" Her whiskers seemed to bristle forward in amusement, though she had not spoken beyond this repetition of the question. Her tail gathered closer to her, curling about her toes as she regarded him with a significant glance. "That one," she said after a moment, nodding off into the distance. "I believe it's called 'the present.' While it's never the same from day to day, it's the one that brings you the most in life--even if not all of it is good--or beneficial."

She fell silent once more, reflecting on her words. "Of course, sometimes I look to the 'past' horizon, too. You can't earn much more from it, but it's beautiful at times." To be sure, she most likely sounded as if she were talking in circles, or merely seeking to impress with her language. But that was not the case. She was, in truth, being sincerely honest.  

"But if you look at them together, without neglecting one in favor of the other...then life can be very fine indeed, if I do say so myself."

[Terri]

Diddidu

The Kuhna was in enthralled in Sekhet's speech.  He was amazed.  She had managed to justify her earlier words, and her answer actually made sense.  He longed to reply with a deep, meaningful comment of his own, but he was dumbstruck.  She was smarter than he, evidently.

But why would one want to look to the past horizon? I find it brings more pain than beauty.  Wouldn't the future be more promising?

Was that an open-minded question?  He certainly hoped so, for it was the best he could come up with.

[Ameratasu]

Sekhet

Sehket blinked in surprise. It was certainly an insightful question, and it had been unexpected. To hear such an astute observation pleased her greatly, and she rewarded him with a brief yet satisfied purr of approval. "I suppose the past can be painful to some," she conceded with a dip of the head. "But it can also be said that you learn something from that pain, and that it does, in some ways, help you to better shape yourself to be all that you can be in the future."

She gave a gentle shrug. "I would not say one is better than the other--I suppose it depends on ones view of things." Diddidu discredited himself far too much. He was far from unintelligent--it was simply that Sekhet could not be content unless she questioned the nature and order of things, always.

[Terri]

Diddidu

Diddidu remained silent for a moment, pondering the words.  They didn't really make much sense to him; at least, not the ones about the past aiding you in the future.

Back at my Pen is an Albie that seems to live life by that philosophy.  She's sure that she can never have a future until the past is avenged.  Seems she never takes her gaze from the horizons of yesterday.

He was quite puzzled, really he was.

And yet, I suppose the reason she's unsuccessful is because she cancels out the present and future completely.  An equal balance is needed, I suppose.  But whenever someone tries to show her the optimistic side, the future, she merely says that if we do not correct history, it will repeat itself.  In that sense, the past seems like a dangerous enemy.  It steals from the present, and the future, devouring any chance of a life in the now.

Here he tilted his dome to the side, peering at Sekhet curiously.

What I want to know is how you manage to balance the three.

[Ameratasu]

Sekhet

"It sometimes happens to less fortunate creatures," Sekhet responded with something akin to fleeting sympathy in her tones. "Either they have gotten stuck in the past because of something there they can't allow themselves to let go of, or because, perhaps, the past is easier to deal with than either the present or the future. Simply because in the case of the latter two, you don't know what to expect."

She unsheathed a single claw, and settled to a brief scratch of her ear, before setting her hind paw down on the ground once more. "At least  you can understand what has happened in the past, and it isn't likely to happen in the same way again. A different way, maybe. She's right, to some extent. The past is important. But not at the cost of living."

She feel silent then, pondering the question. It was hardly one that could ever really be resolved--at least, solely on the words and opinions of another, whose past was very much different from their own, and their present and future likely to be the same. "Perhaps you can't," she stated. "But I suppose that if you were interested in trying, you should concentrate in living somewhat in the past--by remembering. But not at the cost that you forget to look at what's in front of you in the present--because eventually, won't that also become your past?"

She tilted her head, considering. "And if you can do that, if you can respect your memories and your past, while not forgetting to add experiences to your life in the present, well, then--you're free to let your future influence you--and maybe, to some extent, control where it takes you."

She gave a somewhat wry grin. She wasn't quite this used to expounding on her beliefs--much less finding an audience willing to listen and to question, rather than write her off as simply strange at best, insane at worst.