PM to join [The Stone Garden] Memories of the Past (Shiyami)

[Angela Heartsinger]

Timestamp: Season of Summer, Day 74, 513 A.V. Angela had spent some time exploring Syliras, hoping to find her own place in the city. Her room was not enough. It felt cramped, stuffy, and most of all, lonely. She had never really been alone and missed her mother dearly. Almost every waking hour was spent with her mother, helping her with patrons and learning the art of fortune telling. Her mother was so wise and so strong, and she was Angela's best friend. But that life was gone now, and Angela had to move on. Being by herself was awkward at first, but she was quickly getting the hang of it. The people around the city were nice enough and the Sylirian Knights gave her a sense of safety. But she had not explored everywhere yet, having only been living in the city for such a short time. Angela climbed out of the deep chambers from under the city where her room was to the main floor. She pushed her way though the people and noise, keeping her eyes open for something that didn't seem so familiar. After a few twists and turns, Angela found herself in an outside area that she didn't recognize. Walking down a paved path, she came across a wide arch that opened into a stone garden. Angela was somewhat speechless, as if she wanted to speak anyways. It was peaceful and quiet here, with only a few people walking among the artfully placed stones. She paced along the wall before deciding to take a closer look at the stones lain into the ground. Most of the rocks had names etched into them. She crouched down and ran her fingers across a name, feeling the smooth surface give way to the indents of the letters. For a moment, she wondered what it felt like to be so cherished that your name was forever kept in stone for all to see. Even though Angela had not lived for very long, she also wondered what kind of name she would leave for herself when she too was gone? She recalled something her mother had once said, "Nothing is without meaning." If that was so, what meaning did her existence hold?

[Shiyami]

Walking along the path, with rounded stones lined up on either sides, Shiyami sighed. He normally doesn't frequent this area, due to the fact that he felt somewhat...connected in a way. Perhaps it was because he too, was killed in Syliras, abeit four hundred ago. To his right, was a small girl. It was his adopted daughter Kimi. Even though she had her ribbon still tied in her hair, she had a solemn look on her face. Heh..? Even the ten year old side of her understand the meaning of these stone?, were the intrigued thoughts of Shiyami. Normally, he would have his large black box of very dangerous equipment with him, but he opted not to bring it this time. To just casually bring in weapons into such a place, even Shiyami wouldn't have the nerve to do that.

OOCI'll let you see Shiyami first before he sees you.

[Angela Heartsinger]

Angela stood up and sighed, maybe her answers would come to her in time, maybe not. How many spent their life searching for answers without finding them? She turned and was about to continue through the garden when she saw a young adolecent, not that much shorter than her. Yet there was something strange about him. His form seemed to fade out around the edges and he was pale. She had never seen something like that before and it captured her curiosity. Perhaps he was using some sort of strange magic that she didn't know about? But then she thought of her own magic, the things her mother taught her when she was younger. Angela knew that using magic was dangerous, so she didn't use it often. This time though, it seemed like a good time to use it. She closed her eyes for a moment, reaching inside herself and focusing on the feeling that she sought. There was a deep, openness about her that was ever flowing in all directions in different patterns. This is what her mother had called Djed. Once Angela felt the flow of the Djed outside of her, she focused on her own. Now came the tricky part. She could feel her Djed and she visualized herself taking a hold of it. Immediately she felt the shift inside herself as she slowly started changing it to what she wanted it to do. Something clicked, and she suddenly felt her Djed accommodate to the flow around her. There was a sense of oneness, and when she opened her eyes, she saw the colors of the Djed move in a blur around her. Nothing was clear, but once she again trained her eyes on the boy, the form of his Djed gradually came together into focus. What she saw amazed her. With normal people, their Djed was normally bright where they seemed to be glowing. But this boy, his Djed seemed dull and it too faded out much like his physical body. Was it really a physical body that she saw? A icy and unsettling feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. She no longer thought that boy was using magic. Instead she wondered, Is that boy... dead?

[Shiyami]

Wandering about, and still feeling somewhat...nostalgic, at seeing the rows upon rows of stones, each representing a lost life. "How many were in vain? How many deaths could've been prevented...I wonder what it is like, to be alive again?", were the quiet words that Shiyami spoke, words filled with a sad tone. Feeling a slight tug on his arm, he turned his gaze down. Kimi, noticing the change in the atmosphere that Shiyami gave, did not want him to continue being unhappy. That, and she had also noticed a girl looking in their general direction. Shiyami looked over his shoulder, and took note of the girl. Looks like a normal human girl, in her mid teens. Her dress style was more of those children who loved everything around them. Why is such a person in such a solemn location?, the jumbled thoughts of a confused Shiyami. Turning around so he face the girl, he called out, "Someone you know here?", in a casual voice.

[Angela Heartsinger]

"Someone you know here?" The boy had said, startling her and making her lose her concentration. The colors of the Djed quickly faded into her normal vision and she felt her own Djed once again find it's usual rhythm. She was slightly flustered. What did he say? "Uhm, no. I don't know anyone here. I was just wondering around." She smiled and glanced around the place. No one really seemed to notice or care about what was going on. It was quite true that she was wondering around, and she really was trying to mind her own business. Hopefully she didn't just make things awkward, as her social graces were still in development. She looked back at the boy, wondering what was wrong with his eye and who the girl was. "Why? What are you doing here?" Angela inquired, wondering briefly if his name was among these stones. But she didn't dare ask. What if he really wasn't dead but something else? She could only imagine how uncomfortable she would make things if she started calling him a... ghost or spirit? Was there a difference? Or maybe he just wouldn't want to talk about dying and all. Angela could only imagine if she was dead, she wouldn't like talking it to a complete stranger.

[Shiyami]

Nodding his head, when the girl responded with a predictable answer. Is she not used to talking to ghosts?, he thought quietly to himself. Deducing the fact that this girl was wandering around, in such a place, he deduced that she was probably new to Syliras. Either that, or she was locked in a corner all her life. When the girl asked a question of her own, Shiyami could only shrug his shoulders as the best response. "Well...I was reading the names, and hoping that I wouldn't find a few buddies of mine among the rocks.", he casual spoke, but there was a solemn gaze in his eye as he said those words. Looking to his right when he felt the tugging once again, Shiyami notices that Kimi was pointing at one of the rocks. The name on it, said 'Ser Nico Gradeen, died 125AV'. Sighing slightly as he read that, and muttering, "Pity. He should've took my advice, and retire with that broken leg...", in the same casual voice he has been using the whole time. Turning his attention back to the girl, he realized none of them knew each others name. "Ah, I believe introductions are due. I am Shiyami Toten, and this child is Kimi.", he calmly said, before waiting for the lass' response.

[Angela Heartsinger]

Angela had to almost bite her lip when the boy mentioned finding friends among the rocks. So he really was dead? Then she reminded herself about how young he looked. How tragic it must have been to die so relatively new to the world. When she thought about her life, just budding into womanhood, she couldn't imagine dying before having the chance to live. But to be a ghost? She wondered how long this lost soul had been dead, and worse of all, how many horrible memories he carried. The boy muttered something under his breath, something about a leg, then turned back to her and exchanged pleasantries. She looked from him to the girl, trying to memorize the names and faces. Then she remembered that she should also say something... "Oh, um, my name is Angela Heartsinger," she said with a slight bow of the head.

[Shiyami]

Finally hearing the girl respond, Shiyami laughed slightly. "I take it you don't meet ghosts quite often?", he asked, with Kimi still looking at the girl, who introduced herself as Angela. "Pretty~!", she cooed out cutely, to which Shiyami ruffled Kimi's hair and saying, "Staring isn't nice, you know.", in a gentle voice. He turned his attention back, and then pointed to the stone that had the name of someone he used to know. "Like this man, if some people realized not to constantly jab at each other's necks, they would find that violence is not a large problem to face", he assessed, being rather calm about it. Well, he had basically four hundred years of existing after this knight had died. Shiyami was obviously knowing that death would come one way or another, just whether sooner or later. "Do you know anyone who died?", he asked carefully.

[Angela Heartsinger]

"I have never seen a ghost before. You are my first one," Angela said and smiled at the little girl, feeling touched by her innocence. She reminded herself that the girl's name was Kimi. The boy, Shiyami, seemed to be very nonchalant about everything. It felt like nothing was new to him and that he had it all figured out. Maybe that was the advantage to being dead. You had all the time in Mizahar to think about things and find all the answers. "Do you know anyone who died?" He had asked, and looked as though he was almost concerned about her answer. She thought about it, and came to a solemn conclusion. "Well, I haven't known very many people. And I defiantly don't know anyone who has died." She tried to sound somewhat curious about it, but in reality, the longer she spent around people, talking to them and the like, the more she realized how unusual her life has been. It made her feel somewhat out of place. While other children had friends and spent their days outside, she was inside most of the time. The way her father had talked about the outside world to her, he made it appear like a dangerous place. And it was for the most part, but the thing that was never mentioned was the fact that life went on in a most fantastic way outside of her home...

[Shiyami]

Pondering for a short while over the response that the girl gave, Shiyami asked in a more friendly tone. "Are you new to this city, Angela?", were the words that accompanied a small smile. He was asking this, both out of curiosity, and the fact that Kimi kept tugging on his arm, with the very obvious expression a child would have when she wants to hug a random stranger. Oh, yes, Shiyami was right to think that Kimi wants to hug the human girl, or at the very least befriend her. Why you ask? Kimi started to tug more insistently on Shiyami's arm, when he asked his second question. "You haven't known many people over you life? Is it possible to add Kimi and I to that small list of friends?", he asked calmly...oh, the tugging is getting harder to ignore....

Shiyami