[Temple of All Gods] Midnight Meanderings (Open)

[Rhuryc]

37th Day of Summer, 510 AV

Somehow it felt like he was trespassing. Often Rhuryc found himself visiting the temple long after the sun had set and the masses were sound asleep, a time where he could sit in silence without the pleas for mercy and prayers for aid. The old, spacious building left a heightened mysticism when it was combined with a blanket of stars, the pale light of the moon striking pained glass to form a darker mirror of its daytime imagery. Haunting, yet beautiful, always there seemed some new facet of the religious compound. A detailed column, an ancient alter, even if it was just some peculiar wood-work or a flaw in a craftsman's design, simple observation only lead to further study. Or at least to a waste of time.

So it was that Rhuryc listened to his boots clack against the temple floor. Gently, he shut the door behind him and took several light steps inward while his head swept about in a curious gaze. Content with his solitude, the young man made his way toward the rows of pews where he found a seat far enough from the front to remain free of intimacy. The wooden seat creaked at his weight and unceremonious lowering of it, a soft thud accompanying the motion. Rhuryc cringed but he was quick to dismiss the slight. A deep breath and relaxed shoulders later he allowed himself to lean back, each arm folding over the edges of his bench-like seating as his hands gripped the hard, wooden back. For the longest moment he sat in silence. His eyes lost focus and his breathing became rhythmic, his chest heaving in a meditative-like state.

"I'm hungry." He mumbled.

[Jilitse]

Her movements were almost unnoticed, her footfalls inaudible. She moved like the shadow, her black flowy cloak hiding her presence. She was in the Temple to get a little bit of enlightenment towards the gods, a few of whom were now directly involved in her quest. She never really gotten used to praying, and during the past few centuries, there was never really a need to commune with any god. Nuits were outside the natural order of things, and often they were considered outcasts. She was in the Temple because she thought a holy place might bring her closer to understanding her role in the natural scheme of things, to comprehend the turbulence that her actions might impose on her long unlife. She stood on one side quietly, thinking her thoughts, her decisions, her tasks that she needed to carry out. It was not exactly a prayer, or an offering. She just needed to sort things out. She had been confused for a long while now, and it would certainly help if she could gain a sliver of mental clarity. Maybe she could figure out what she needed to do first, and how exactly to go about it.

Jilitse stood silently when another being came into the room, her meditative state temporarily interrupted. With careful steps she sneaked behind the other person, slinking into the pew behind him. There she slowly sat, her weight muffled by the cloak she was wearing. Nuits were fragile, almost weightless in their delicateness. Distressed as she was, Jilitse was a perfect portrait of calm. In the dark, her ghastly beauty was one with the evening. She was elegantly dressed, and she might have looked or posed like a noble woman. Jil lived for a long, long, long time now. For the past centuries she had carried the disposition of an empire long lost, and it was still evident now, with the way she carried herself. She looked like a woman who must have lived ages ago, and, despite her undeath, she did not look like she was ready to die.

Rhuryc, however, was not yet beholden to the other person inside the Temple, for Jil had been lurking around stealthily, quietly observing the newcomer, now that her rumination was disturbed. When he spoke, Jilitse fought to contain her urge to speak with this other soul. But, sitting behind him, not knowing who she was - or what she was - would he be bothered?

"What hunger," a hallowed monotonous voice resonated, "could it be?" A short pause. She stared at Rhuryc, wondering how he would respond to a stranger who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, and continued, "What kind of hunger would one declare in a place like this?"

[Rhuryc]

Rhuryc blinked. He felt his grip tighten on the pew and his back stiffen; his shoulders arching as some ethereal voice pawed at his ears from behind. A thousand eventualities played out in his mind at once. A ghost? Some insane priest with a desire to consume late-night temple visitors? Was this to be his last moment of life? So many things left undone! Too many places to see, to go! Only the breadth of a heartbeat passed before logic over-came the sudden jolt of surprise. He had hardly kept a close eye on the door and who was to say he was the only fool to visit the temple this late? The fear that gripped his mind was quick to release and his body relaxed, the exterior tightening of his muscles one of the few signs that denoted the lapse of judgement. Still, there remained a sharp crack where he had drawn too hard on the back of the pew. Oops.

Only seconds after the question Rhuryc made an effort to survey his new-found companion. He turned his body to the side and craned his neck, one hand swinging about to remove a blond bang from his eyes. He blinked again. How could he have missed her? This woman, whoever she was, remained one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen. Elegant, with dark, sharp eyes that glistened without light; even seated, she possessed an unearthly grace, something that lay far beyond the young man's own comprehension. It was understandable, then, when Rhuryc struggled with a response. While his features remained smooth and conditioned, inwardly he grasped at some witless lines, a compliment or two. Why would he compliment her? Silly.

"I," he started, his lips pursing to a side as he considered his sentence. "The food kind, I suppose." His own voice was nowhere near as mystic; a heavy baritone with a slight lyrical quality to it. "I thought I was alone. I didn't mean I was hungry for gods or. Something. You know. Stomach. Hunger."

Rhuryc did everything he could not to scream.

[Jilitse]

The human hunger was foreign to Jilitse, not that she was oblivious to the pulser's daily needs. It was a concept hard to remember or recognize, given that she had no need for food for centuries. Rhuryc reminded her that there were forms of hunger that go beyond the figurative sense, and she was slightly taken aback. Her face was still, her eyes unblinking. A slight frown creased her brows and she sat back. Her movements made no sound at all.

"Ah. I see. I hope I could say I understand." Her eyes narrowed softly, was it the dark, or was it really not obvious? "Then if you are hungry, what are you here for?" It was the nuit logic in her speaking, for a human was always a curious being. There was something about Rhuryc that she could not understand. If one were hungry, wouldn't one go find food instead of heading towards a place of worship? She found some pulsers unpredictable, or incorrigible. There was no definite explanation for one's actions or reasons. She met his eyes, staring at them expectantly. She threw him back a crooked smile and introduced herself, "I apologize for my rudeness. My name is Jilitse. And you are?" She cocked her head to the side, curiosity taking the best of her. Perhaps it was the Temple that made her feel comfortable conversing with another being. Perhaps it was the dark's embrace that calmed her down.

"Do you mind if I share your company at this bewitching hour?" Her voice would probably be unlike any that he has ever heard, unless he had encountered a nuit before. It had a certain timbre and cadence that was foreign, making it obvious that she was not from Syliras at all.

[Rhuryc]

Whoever she was this woman brought a slue of questions with her. Still confused, Rhuryc did his best to keep up with the unexpected social assault. He was too far beyond reproach to notice the Nuit's frown, or even her state of being - in earnest, he had no idea what she actually was. A pale human, apparently. The unblinking eyes remained a point of uncertainty, though, as they took him off guard. His own expressions seemed to mimic Jilitse as her brow narrowed and her lips curled into a smile. Her manner of voice and speech was peculiar, but who was he to judge? Certainty there were cultures and people he had never encountered before. After-all, his livelihood was in the Ironworks, where such a specimen was a rare sight.

"Rhuryc." He finally managed as she introduced herself. There was, at least, some wit to be had. "You weren't rude. So far as I'm concerned anyway, I'd ask questions if some lout made a spectacle of himself in the middle of a temple." His voice gained confidence as he continued, the initial shock of both Jilitse's arrival and stunning appearance worn to a state of complacency.

"I don't mind. So much. I guess I could use a companion; solitude never did me much good anyway." He mimed the woman's smile and tilted his own head with hers, if a few moments afterward. An intent gaze of green kept a firm lock on her own stare, curious, and otherwise occupied with some internal mystery. "And ah," A hand lifted to rub the back of his head as he spoke again, bashful as he backtracked in the conversation. "I forgot to buy dinner and I figured I'd forgot about by offering a prayer or two. What about you? It's not exactly the prime visitation hour."

[Jilitse]

"Me?" Jilitse gave a start when Rhuryc gave her his own set of questions. Ste stared above the ceiling, as if there was an answer written there. She sighed, or at least appeared to. "I'm looking for salvation." The smile was curious, enigmatic. "I haven't been in a temple for quite a long while." A slight giggle at that understatement.

"I was wondering about the gods, and how, quite literally, I am in between two who seem to have dispute between the two of them. I did not grow old paying too much attention to them." She had a level stare, but there was a prying look in her eyes, as if she did not mean disrespect, just in case Rhuryc was the fanatic kind. "How would you feel if the gods betrayed you? Specifically betrayed you, I mean." Her lips softly moved with her words, and Rhuryc, if he was examining her face, might have seen the greying tongue. But the darkness must have concealed the sinister features of a nuit that would otherwise be stark obvious during the day. "I had the intention to consult a priest, may he, or she (just in case), pry the indecision and doubt out of the depths of my soul. But, now that I'm here, I actually feel lost. Like I'm out of place. I know that there are gods, I do not question their existence, it's just that I've learned to live without them. Got used to living without them, that I find it hard to be involved with a god or two. Am I supposed to pray? How do I even pray?"

She bowed in acknowledgement, "Those were my thoughts before you came. I was quite puzzled you see, when you said that you were hungry. I was assuming I had my thoughts scrambled up." She was serious, her face devoid of expressions as she said. "Does one need to be hungry for religion, for a god? Or a goddess? Please do acknowledge that I have been in the deepest of thoughts, sitting in a place where I thought only staid prayers are said. You had me thinking, there. And I found it best to have my curiosity satiated."

She appreciated that Rhuryc came at a time when the shadows disguised who they both were, at least physically. It would have been impossible to carry out this conversation in a different circumstance. "My mistake, however, is that I overcomplicated," she nodded to herself, "Perhaps it is the same with the way I looked upon my predicament, I have dipped in to too much thought, forgetting the essentials." Jilitse was clearly not talking about hunger anymore. She made it sound so important at one moment and then so mundane the next, making it clear that the problem was clearly private. Jil could only tell Rhuryc ambiguous clues, and that was as vague as it would get.

"It is very nice to have been acquainted with you." Her monotone made it hard to figure out if it was a dismissal or not.

[Rhuryc]

Rhuryc's eyes glazed. The sheer amount of information that assailed him threatened to overwhelm his senses. From the implications of mystery and importance to the speculation on the workings of Gods, all of it was beyond the scope of the young man's mind. Yet he listened. Albeit his chin remained at an angle in slight confusion and his thoughts disordered, Rhuryc endeavored to try and understand the postulations of his late-night companion. Behind all of this he was hardly aware of the woman's oddities, her strange appearance far from the front of his mind.

"I don't pretend to understand deities." He started with a baffled expression. "Nor do I think I could try to understand you with all of that." His hand raised and he waved it in a arch from his chest as he spoke. A peculiar motion. "And really I don't even pray myself. Never saw the use of it, really. If a God was interested in what I was doing than I figured he would come down and let me know personally; otherwise," he shrugged, "I just follow what makes sense and go from there. If one of them, or two in your case I guess, betrayed me? I doubt there would be much I could do about it. Other than complain a lot." A smile spread itself over his lips, widening almost to length of each ear. Rhuryc, while not of a lesser intelligence, was obviously not of a higher calling. His speculations were simple and level-headed, approached very much from the perspective of a common civilian.

"Anyway, I wouldn't call that a mistake. Just a varying perspective." In contrast to Jilitse, the young man seemed to put more emphasis on his words, his tone changing consistently as if he tried to counter her lack of melody. "Nice to acquaint with you as well. If you can call it that; I don't think I'm really on your level." His previously active hand moved to rub the back of his head in some bashful act, his eyes light and countenance humbled.

"But why are you looking for salvation here? I figured that kind of thing started with the individual, not the divinity."

[Jilitse]

Jil leaned forward to Rhuryc. "On your level." She repeated the words as if she was tasting them. It must have struck the nuit as something that was profound, something human, something she did not understand.

"Ah. You must have misheard me, Rhuryc." There was a slight change in her icy tone, it was a faint hint of teasing. "I said I was looking for salvation, but I did not say I was looking for salvation here." She lifted a hand and waved it to the room. "This is a sanctuary for the soul which had lost its way, a place of worship for those who embrace their religion, and embrace it well."

"Unfortunately, I cannot complain about my predicament." Her face smoothed out, cold as marble, "It is a, shall I say, mission. A calling in life. Have you ever come across such a thing? One day you're a nondescript person in the world, and then the next day you feel so important that the rug is pulled underneath your feet and you find yourself with a purpose in life and you carry this burden willingly." She muttered the words one after the other without breathing. Maybe Rhuryc would even notice that she was not breathing at all. "Tell me, have you ever experienced that? If so, how did you feel about it?" Her eyes almost looked concerned, "If not, what will you do about it if it will come to you in this life?"

Jilitse seemed like a good listener, if only she did not sit like a statue on the pew. After Rhuryc answered, she was quiet for a while, contemplating the weight of the other person's answer.

And then she added a question, "I think I should return your question. It's not exactly prime visitation hour. Are you unable to sleep? Are the gods keeping you awake?"

[Rhuryc]

"I don't know," Rhuryc spoke as his gaze swept about the temple, his eyes following the motion the Nuit made as she spoke. "I don't think this place is for any one thing. There's something more to a temple that acknowledges all divinity; not just the sort it feels a connection too." The young man unconsciously nodded to himself when he finished, almost as if his exterior senses agreed with the internal. Yet it appeared that Jilitse had already moved on to her next topic, a habit Rhuryc found he was troubled to keep up with.

He continued to listen. More vague statements. Whoever she was, this woman was woefully guarded and stammered more riddles than Rhuryc cared to answer; nevertheless, he sat and thought on her words, the full brunt of both his wit and compassion focused solely on this idle, midnight encounter. His expression changed on a regular basis from amused to contemplative, bemused to curious, a quaint bundle of emotions all in direct contrast to the subtle, rare change of countenance dawned by his companion.

Was that another question? Rhuryc almost missed it, having been caught up in the woman's previous words. Albeit his attention was now split. Something began to fester in the back of the young man's mind, a casual observation, or several. Was Jilitse ill?

"Purpose? Never had one." He bobbed his head again. "At least, really, I don't believe anyone is given a purpose. So far as a calling it should be everyone's own job to find what theirs is. If they even have one, I suppose." Rhuryc shrugged. There was little else to say on that matter in particular. "If some opportunity opened up I'd follow it. Wasting time on deciding never suited me much."

Finally, a pause in the action. Rhuryc wanted to pump his fist in some sort of victory pose, but his revelry was quickly interrupted as Jilitse began her verbal assault once more. He did not remember the last time he had been tested so viciously.

"You are, by far, the most curious person I have ever met, Jilitse." He grinned and shook his head, amused now. "The gods don't have much to do with it. I just like to come here at night and sit. I figure one of these days Tyveth will show up and confirm all of the stories my uncle told me about our family. Until then, though, I get to think without all of the noise from the city."

[Jilitse]

The nuit nodded even if she did not fully understand the human's logic. She was thinking about the words he answered to her questions, and was in the assumption that he was too young to continue the complex ideas running through Jilitse's mind.

"Curious, perhaps because..." Jilitse smiled eeriely, "I'm someone who has a lot of tribulations." She had considered telling the human that she was a Nuit, but she got better hold of herself. There was no telling how Rhuryc will react with such a claim, and he might go running away. Or worse, he might chuck Jilitse's head off. The nuit hoped the temple was enough to at least hold Rhuryc in a perpetually polite manner. She waited for his reaction before continuing. "When you look at things from my perspective," she said, "there's a constant need for finding answers, finding meaning, finding logic. I've spent enough time not caring about what makes the world go around. Somewhat like a leaf riding the wind. Lost, and does not want to be found. Unfortunately, there are questions in life you must find answers to, and searching for meaning entails some kind of sacrifice on your behalf." Jil spoke of otherworldly theories, for a moment her words didn't seem to make any sense. It took her a while to recognize that Rhuryc had been unable to follow her line of thought.

"Enough about spirituality gone astray. Tell me about your god, then? What is he like?"

After Rhuryc's answer came the strange questions, "So what is your relationship with that deity? How deep do you think is your life attached to his will?"

"How would you feel if Tyveth showed up and talked to you? Or, on the other hand, have you ever considered calling him for an audience?" Her questions was not in the interest of Tyveth, but in the interest of knowing how a human approaches and deals with their own personal gods. Rhuryc's answers will be well deliberated and thought upon, of course.