[AnimeTheia]

Kiei tilted her head and considered Aurora's view on 'ground-dwellers', "I suppose in a way you are right; most 'ground-dwellers' are the same with desires for power and such. What makes nobles worse is the fact that they have the money with which to gain the power they want in any way that they want... normal 'ground-dwellers' may wish for power but most can't really do anything about their situation without money or the ability to fight... does that make sense?" she really wasn't very good at explaining things and had most likely just confused Aurora more with her attempt.

"As for being a criminal... well I wouldn't say that i've necessarily done anything worthy of the title... it's complicated but the society I come from is full of complex rules and if you break too many of those rules you are considered a menace to society and the safest way to deal with you without killing you is to imprison you for life. So basically I broke a lot of rules when I left which is why I can say with certainty that I wouldn't be welcomed back with open arms if I were to return" It would take Kiei hours to explain the complex society she had come from and even longer to then list the rules she had broken and how; they would seem petty things to pretty much anyone who had never been to Risoukyou and certainly not worthy of life imprisonment. So she hoped this explanation would ease Aurora as she had noticed a slight change in her demeaner when Kiei mentioned she was technically a criminal.

"So there are two different polar lights? Of different colours? This is something I hope to see one day, it sounds fascinating! But I wonder at your not feeling emotions before, in some ways that could be viewed as a blessing and in others something to pity as love and happiness are wondrous things". Kiei wondered like Aurora whether she really would feel emotions differently to those who were born naturally with them, but then it was hard to tell if anyone felt emotions in the same way; just like looking at a color and knowing it's pink, another person would also call it pink but would you both be seeing the exact same colour in the exact same way?

[Shieba]

Aurora nodded slowly - she knew that money was the most important thing for ground-dwellers and that more power came with more money. "It does. I don't really understand how money works, though - these Keystones are small, black pebbles with blue signs. I don't understand how they can be worth so much that they give humans power." She stared down, to where the waterfall hit the ground. "I am sure, down there, at the end of the waterfall, lie hundreds of black pebbles and no one cares about them. So if I would take one and paint a sign onto it, it would gain value? This makes no sense. I understand that money gives influence and power, but I don't know how it can."

Kiei really didn't seem like someone who had done anything bad to Aurora, but still. "I have seen wars from above. Both sides were sure that they were right and the others were wrong. None of them thought of themselves as evil, yet they brought death and sorrow, fighting for lands, power, money. It seems like ground-dwellers are preventing each other from being themselves. If you are different from the others, you get punished." She sat down, eying Kiei. "If that is what you did - merely being different - then you are not what my understanding of a 'criminal' is. But..." She sighed. "The sky and the ground are both beautiful in their own way. If someone would taint the sky with blood and terror, this one would I call a criminal. It should not be different for the ground. Desires are what make true criminals, not being different."

Aurora nodded. "That's right. The light of Borealis and me is different, yet we are both the same. Just like you are a Lucain, but different from other Lucain still. Borealis and me, however, can not light up the sky at the same area at once - there are few areas where we both can do that, anyway. If you ever travel to Basantha, up in the cold mountains in the north, you might see me in the sky. This is where I roam the most.

Before I got this body, I never was aware of that I am missing emotions, for I never knew them. Now I do, but it makes no difference. I can feel them in this body, yes, but as soon as I abandon it to return into light, my ability to feel them ceases as well. So I still can not miss them, for I either have them or am not even able to feel loss." Aurora shrugged. "I am not sure if I will ever encounter love or happiness, especially not love, as I rarely descend, but I am uncertain if I really want to. Especially love...it is another of those desires which make ground-dwellers hurt each other." It was hard to her to speak about things she knew so little about - she had tried to talk to Borealis about emotions before, but it was difficult to put them into words. "Emotions mean much turmoil. I prefer what I have as light...it probably comes closest to what you would call 'contentment'."

[9]

[AnimeTheia]

"Hmm, though personally I have not seen these keystones that you speak of, (and they do indeed sound like a strange currency - in my home land we use crystals and gems and have special bankers who work out the value of them for large transactions and such), I doubt you would get very far if you did make your own keystones, most likely a special process is involved in making them so that fakes are easily spotted. So the stone itself would only gain value if someone believed it was a real keystone, i'm guessing that only a certain few know how to make this lands currency but most everyone will be able to tell to varying degrees whether what they are holding is real or not", Kiei paused briefly and looked down at the waterfall as Aurora had done, reminding herself once more of the reason she had come here, although she was not quite ready to move on yet, having started a conversation with the most unlikely of creatures (if you could even describe Aurora as a creature in that sense) Kiei was enjoying herself. "The poorer people of my country do not have money, instead they barter with items and produce, that form of 'currency' would probably make more sense to you, it is a good process that works well, but unfortunately it does have it's drawbacks. Not everyone will value items the same, so you don't always get as much in exchange for them as you might hope or wish, and you are dependant on a steady income of whatever it is you barter. For example if you grow vegetables and use your surplus to barter the other things you need such as clothing, meat, drink etcetera... then you need to spend a good deal of your time constantly growing and caring for your crops as a bad crop means you will not be able to afford much in the way of other necessities that year. It is probably for this reason that currency and money was invented, it provides you with something whose value doesn't change (or if it does it changes for everyone and not just you) and is something that can be kept and saved for harder times as unlike vegetables it won't grow old and decay becoming worthless. Which in turn means that you can gain more free time." Kiei stopped talking then, realising she had waffled on quite a bit about such a boring subject, although to Aurora it might be much more interesting as she knew so little about it and hadn't lived with the concept her entire life.

"I suppose I myself desire power in my own way, I would not be content to just sit around with my mate and have pups; though it is certainly an intent of mine at some point. And I have been in a few fights, though these were usually started by others and I fought to maintain my honour and the honour of my loved ones - you may not think of that as a good enough reason to hurt others though..." Kiei looked thoughtful, she had no regrets about the fights she had been in, defending her mate and her Prince was in her mind the honourable thing to do, even if they had only been insulted by mere words. "But yes I suppose the reason that I am considered a criminal in my own country is because I did something different, I left the country without permission from my family or my King, and I refused to marry the man my father had chosen for me and committed many more small offences besides those.

"Basantha Shrine? I believe I recognise that name, it is in Lambastia is it not?, I am planning on exploring Lambastia thoroughly so I shall indeed be looking out you when I get to the Shrine.

"You are right, Love is a difficult emotion, it makes you do things both wonderful and terrible even to those who are the subject of your love, I know the reason I have hurt others before is mainly due to my love for my mate" the tall Lucain shifted slightly on the rock, and turned her head to look up at the sky briefly before looking back at Aurora and smiling "Ah, I believe you have hit the 'nail on the head' so to speak, we have uncovered the reason why many would love to have your existence, True contentment is very hard to come by and there are those who would give anything to feel nothing."

[Shieba]

Aurora listened attentively and nodded to herself. Now all made a lot more sense. "I think I understand now. From the way you describe it, money is actually not a bad thing but something that makes people more equal, for money is the same to everyone - and at the same time is something wars can be fought over." Aurora sighed. "I wonder if there is something which is only of good nature and can not cause harm at the same time." She offered a small smile. "I am grateful for the explanation. I apologize; this is probably not very interesting to you and certainly not what you came here for."

"So you left because of love?" Aurora went silent for a few seconds. "Love...is powerful." If she would ever fall in love, would that mean that she would even abandon the skies for someone? She hoped that would never happen. The mere thought scared her. "You left behind where you lived your whole life to be with someone you love..." She considered this. "Is it worth it? Is love important enough to make such a sacrifice? I admit, I am terrified by the thought."

"Yes, Basantha is in what you call Lambastia, high in the north, deep in the ice-covered mountains. It is a place where an angel had fallen; a place of power. There is a shrine dedicated to the gods...those who roam these halls are ground-dwellers, yes, but they are different...creatures born from the fallen angel, servants of the god of death...maybe you should take your mate with you, if you venture there. It is beyond a large desert, too..." Aurora paused. "Why do you wish to explore this land? Are you not in search of a new home?" Aurora knew no home, the whole sky was where she lived. But ground-dwellers liked to have a place to return to, as far as she knew.

Aurora searched for words to explain her 'feelings' further. "I am not sure if my existance would be desireable for ground-dwellers...now, in a body, I have learned what 'sleep' is and, more importantly, 'dreams'. My contentment as light is much like how to experience dreams...you see them, but you are strangely detatched, you don't truly feel or get frightened in most dreams, you experience what is happening in them, no matter how bizarre, but it does not strike you as odd...that is what it is like without emotions; what I had known as my only existance." She looked at Kiei. "Is that truly desireable for your kind? It means stagnation; never changing. Ground-dwellers live only a short time, I wonder if it is not a good thing for them to feel, so they can experience their short lives more fully."

Aurora had noticed how Kiei had looked at the waterfall just like her and remembered what the Lucain had told her earlier. "Do you wish to venture up there? I am aware I am probably taking up your time - we could go together?" Normally, she wouldn't make such an offer, but Kiei was patient with Aurora's questions and Aurora enjoyed learning so much. Maybe Borealis was right and she should talk with ground-dwellers more often.

[10]

((Are my posts getting too long? o3o Tell me if I'm rambling too much. I get carried away sometimes. XD;))

[AnimeTheia]

"From what I understand good cannot exist without bad and there is no such thing as a selfless act... I would imagine that it's highly unlikely that something exists that can only be used for good as it depends entirely on the one who is using it... Not that i'm an expert or anything, this is just how I understand the world to work" Kiei smiled back at Aurora, "It's not very interesting to me, but I don't mind, I imagine you talking about yourself and Borealis isn't very interesting to you either? But we are both gaining knowledge from this so I am happy" she explained.

"Yes in a way I both left my home for Love and a feeling of Duty, and whilst my home was a Paradise in it's own way I wasn't always happy there. Evelon may not be as abundant or quite as beautiful, but it has it's own kind of beauty and there are certainly places like here for example that rival some of the best sights in Risoukyou." Kiei considered Aurora's questions for a bit, staring deep into the rushing water of the waterfall as she did, "Yes!" she finally said with a note of determination in her voice "Yes, it's worth it, I believe that love always requires some sort of sacrifice. In my case my sacrifice was worth it and I wouldn't change a thing" she nodded to herself as if she had just made her mind up about something.

"I would dearly love to see this Basantha Shrine, and if I can persuade him I will take Kiba with me" Kiei smiled ruefully. "Er, well... I am looking for a place to set up home and would like to know the Land we have chosen to settle in well before I choose exactly where to live" she replied a little awkwardly due to not being able to explain that her Prince had sent her on the mission to explore Lambastia, and then she added "We have chosen to live in Lambastia you see, after months of travelling it seems like the best place available to us".

"Hmm, it is confusing, you see sometimes dreams can be very real. In fact I had one the other night that was truly frightening, in my dream I was trying so hard to scream out for help but couldn't; which made it all the more terrifying. However you are right, even though I was scared there was a part of me that felt detatched, that seemed to know it wasn't real...". She peered at Aurora in a calculating way, "There will always be beings who want to live forever, and at the time that they make that wish they believe they would give up anything in order to do so. But I believe you are right, if they could have your existence they would most likely rue their decision when they realise they can't live the life they used to have. Of course the lack of true emotions may counteract that, making them unaware of what they have lost?".

Kiei nodded, "Yes, I would like to experience the thrill of the waterfall before it gets too late, are you sure you want to come? I wouldn't want to drag you away from your spot if you didn't really want to go up there. But I admit the company would be nice, I have been alone for a week or so now, exploring these lands" Kiei looked at Aurora with a face full of emotions, both questioning and hopeful, happy and sad.


((No it's okay I've never done such long posts myself, it's great having such a lot to respond to, even if it does take me a bit of time to compose a reply XD ))

[Shieba]

Aurora tilted her head to one side as she contemplated this. "Yes, you are probably right. I am still new to the concept of good and bad and what it means...things like that are not of importance if all you do is existing." She watched the water cascading downward. "Does that mean my light may also be of harm to someone? So far, I've always thought that ground-dwellers only enjoyed seeing me in the sky. It makes sense, but...it is a scary concept that I might be harmful to someone I don't even know." She sighed. "All was so much easier when I had no body and no mind to overthink such things." Aurora laughed lightly. "I am glad if you are actually gaining knowledge from my ramblings. I am probably not the best person to talk to to learn about these lands, for I know so little about this world below the sky."

"A feeling of...duty?" Aurora pondered this. "Does this feeling come with love? Or is that not related? Forgive me for asking so many questions, but of all feelings, love is the one I am most scared about...ironic, isn't it? Especially when you say such things...a sacrifice...I have nothing more but the skies. The thought alone that there would be something or someone who would make me give up the skies...all what I am...that sounds so terrible. As if love makes you a completely different being." She smiled. "And yet, you seem happy when you talk about it. Were you never scared when you sacrificed so much?"

"Lambastia is huge and seeing everything would take years for a ground-dweller", Aurora explained. "There is a giant desert barren of life and Basantha is so high up in the mountains that only few ground-dwellers ever venture there. Large parts of Lambastia are not made for ground-dwellers to live in - at least not from what I've seen so far. If you are already traveling for months, you might want to skip those parts in your travels." Aurora smiled and glanced at the sky. "Unless you are like me...and your home doesn't have to be a specific place."

"Dreams are frightening me", Aurora admitted after a small pause. "They are similiar to my true form yet so different, for you are right...my true form does not get assaulted by things not real. It's why I avoid staying in this body for too long...there are too many inconveniences it holds." Aurora contemplated Kiei's explanation. "I would imagine that if you have lived with emotions for all your life, giving them up would mean an eternity not like the one you wished for. It means existing, not living. I have until recently never known anything different, so it doesn't bother me and I only know so little of ground-dwellers, but from what I've understood, that should be more scary than death, should it not? Seeing those you once cared about passing away and not even being able to feel for them anymore...but then again, what do I know?"

Aurora smiled at Kiei. "I do not mind at all. I rarely descend and now it would be a waste to return already. I have all the time in the world to return to this place in the world while I can only talk to you now, so there is not much to think about." She jumped down from her stone. "However, I do not wish to travel the path where all the ground-dwellers go, for my fur always stands out to them."

[11]

((I need half an hour for a reply as well, so yeah. They only get longer though. Curse of being an author. XD;))

[AnimeTheia]

"I suppose it's possible" Kiei mused "I have heard of creatures that live in the deep dark places of the world so long that they can see in the dark and if they come up to where it is light the light blinds them... but it is probably quite rare for them to leave the dark, so I doubt you need to worry". Keie grinned at Aurora "It is true I may not be learning much about the lands of Evelon, but I am learning about the skies of Evelon. And making a new acquaintance in the process!".

"Well, duty is technically seperate from love. You can feel duty without feeling love, but I believe that it often accompanies love, for example if you love someone you feel it is your duty to keep them happy and safe... I never realised how confusing and conflicting emotions can be before. I suppose I have just taken them for granted as I have unlike you grown up with them ever present, and if a new emotion appeared I was able to deal with it on it's own rather than trying to deal with all emotions at once." still grinning at Aurora, Kiei paused briefly before going on "I can well understand your fear, but don't forget if you were to fall in love with someone and they fell in love with you too, then you would likely both sacrifice something to be together. Maybe your lover would come up with a way to spend some time with you in the skies? I have heard of a mad scientist hereabouts who would probably be able to come up with something? And you ideally could then spend half your time on the land and half your time in the skies". Kiei considered Aurora's question "It is scary, yes. Leaving behind all you have ever known and loved even hated is difficult. And you never know until you have done it whether it worked out to be the best choice or not. But my sacrifice was quite a big one, others have made much smaller sacrifices in the name of love."

"That sounds like some very good advice, thank you. Although I shall probably at least go and have a quick look at this desert, we don't have any barren lands like you have described in Risoukyou, so I should like to see exactly what it is like. Ideally home will be somewhere lush with greenery, shaded by trees, surrounded by fruits and plants and near a water source. Any places like that are the sorts of places that we will consider for our final stopping place and home"

"If like you say you no longer feel anything for those you once cared for even as they pass away before you, then I am not sure how it would be considered scary? or worse than death? Yes it would be scary to think about before you ascend to the skies, but once you are there you have no emotions? So you cannot truly care any more or feel the fear that once haunted your thoughts?. If I have this right then again this could be seen as a blessing; the pain of losing a loved one can be so intense that passing into oblivion be it death/madness or a realm where you feel no pain is a desired result" Kiei frowned slightly, "Although I worry that I will make you fear Love even more with this train of thought".

Kiei joined Aurora at the base of the rock, and nodded "Of course, I understand completely, for it was your shimmering fur which brought me here in the first place. I'm sure we can find an alternative route to the top, though it may involve some climbing" here she laughed lightly "Not that that should bother you, for you could just climb the sky. And my limbs are quite capable of pulling and pushing me up rocks".


((XD Well, I will let you know if I feel they are getting a bit too long ))

[Shieba]

"Creatures living without even knowing the sky..." Aurora shook her head. "It is hard for  me to imagine a life like that, but then, few could possibly find joy in roaming the skies as well, for they are endless, but empty and devoid of things ground-dwellers enjoy so much." Aurora smiled when Kiei grinned at her. "I am afraid there is not much to learn about the skies, though." She laughed lightly. "The ground is so full of different forms, different lifeforms and phenomenons. When it comes to diversity, the sky pales in comparision to the ground. It's one of the reasons I descend - to see more than what I usually do." Her smile grew a bit bashful. "I am...glad if I am worthy to be an aquaintance. I'm not what you would call the most social person."

Aurora nodded, understanding. "Yes, emotions blend so much with each other, I'm having trouble to divide them up. It seems rare that there is only a single emotion to be felt at once." Aurora contemplated Kiei's suggestion. "Spending half my time on the ground...but what about my duty? If there is one duty I have, it's illuminating the sky. I can't just...disappear for some time. The sky calls me as soon as my light is needed." She sighed. "I doubt I would be able to act out love with a ground-dweller without being one." She looked at Kiei, who seemed happy with her sacrifice for love. "No one ever makes a choice when one deems it to be the wrong one", Aurora agreed, "but yet it is sometimes impossible to estimate what will happen. I am glad you don't regret your choice."

Aurora thought about what she knew about the desert. "It is a place devoid of life and too hot to travel through for most ground-dwellers. It's a hostile environment, but I don't know much beyond that there are phenomenons caused by light as well there...illusions which fool those daring to enter these lands. Be careful when you travel there. When it comes to beautiful places, though, Lambastia pales in comparision with these waterfalls. There are a few big cities and forests there, though."

It was hard to put into words what could possibly not really be described. "It is true, you do not feel emotions anymore in the sky, but...I...it is hard to name, but I still notice the absence of them when I change forms. It just doesn't mean anything to me, for it is what I truly am. A ground-dweller, however, who has known emotions for all his life...I am not sure if the complete lack of them would not cause insanity or worse." Aurora smiled. "It does not matter if I grow to fear love more or less - from what I've understood, there is little I can do against it anyway. And what you say is true - I could simply ascend and not take on this form anymore to escape from the feelings."

Aurora nodded, gratefully. "I will try to walk with you, though. My short flight earlier might already have attracted some attention and I don't want to risk flying up there, where probably all ground-dwellers are turning their gaze to anyway. Let us try to stay between the trees, then. My fur is really causing problems."

[12]

[AnimeTheia]

Kiei nodded along as Aurora spoke, she also could not imagine spending her entire life in the cold dank dark, even thinking about it made a shiver run down her spine. But when Aurora spoke about there not being much to learn about the skies Kiei stopped nodding, she cocked her head slightly before responding "Not much to learn about the sky? But there are so many unfathomable things up there" she flicked her head upwards indicating the wide expanse above them "For example, why is the sky blue? What exactly are stars? Not to mention light phenomenons like you! There are many questions which ground-dwellers have asked themselves for centuries, which puzzle the less well educated of us still. And while you may spend most of your time looking down, there are plenty of us who spend our lives looking up". Kiei gave Aurora a warm reassuring smile, "To me you are great company and you seem friendly enough. As I said before I have been on my own for a good week or so and I firmly believe that we Lucain are sociable creatures meant to spend our lives in company and pack"

"Well for my part I hope you do find some measure of love someday, it is an emotion worth experiencing despite all the potential drawbacks" Kiei replied simply, thinking of Kiba who would right now be back with her Prince in Lambastia, most likely wishing that she would be coming home soon.

She listened intently as Aurora described deserts in more detail to her, it sounded very interesting "There are more light phenomena other than yourself and Borealis? Are these also caused by entities like yourselves? Though if they are and they aim to deceive and hurt others then I do not think that I would want to meet them. I think I shall just skirt around the edge of these deserts, near enough to see and experience them for myself but to not waste too much time or risk endangering myself" Kiei mused aloud as she came up with plans for when she returned to her mission.

Kiei looked quite confused as she continued to try to fathom out how all these emotions and lack of emotions affected Aurora. "So if I were to ascend to the skies with you, I would feel empty, but in a noticable way? I would notice that something was missing and most likely yearn for it... is that right?"
Putting aside her confusion for the moment as she waited a reply Kiei said "I am glad i don't have to worry about scaring you off of love, not that I can think of much more on the subject, but you are right you could escape if you felt you needed to, and it's not like you exactly have a choice as to whether you fall in love or not" Kiei gave her a cheeky grin as she said the last part about having no choice.

"Of course, I don't want to have to deal with anymore unwanted attention" Kiei replied as she headed off towards the trees that surrounded the base of one side of the waterfalls cliff.


((Sorry i'm taking so long to reply, my muse is being taken up quite a bit at the moment by a game of World of Darkness: Vampires that me and several friends are playing   ))