[The Stone Garden] Trying (and Failing) to be Social (Open)

[Ocelot]

24th of Summer, 510 AV

Despite having been in the city for fifteen days, Ocelot had yet to really get out of the house. As a result, she didn't know anyone, nor did she know much about the city. The few times she had left, she had stopped to ask for directions. Now, however, she had no real destination, nor did she want one.

It was late in the afternoon when she awoke and decided to leave her house. She often slept odd hours, preferring to be awake at night. Leaving behind her cloak, she made sure to dress in her corset and shift, both of which were loose enough for her to shapeshift should she deem it necessary. Having exited her house, Oc wandered the streets, warily watching for signs of trouble or entertainment. After walking for a while, she found herself in a beautiful garden area, with pathways of stone, many of which had names on them.

Crouching so she could see, Oc read a few, touching the stones reverently. She hadn't lived among humans for long, but she knew their dead meant a lot to them and respected their memorial because of it. She felt the smooth surface of a stone, then the rough surrounding rock, followed by the smooth surface of yet another stone.

Smiling, Oc sat herself down, leaning back on her hands to look up at the yellow hue of the sky. "I may not meet anyone new, but it sure is nice here," she said, smiling at the sound of birds chirping and the sight of their flight patterns in the sky.

Letting out a content sigh, Oc closed her eyes, focusing on the sounds around her. Birds chirping, critters playing, footsteps in the distance of those going to dinner, either at home or a tavern. The sounds were soothing and Oc fell into a trance, smile on her face, just listening to the city.

[Wystern]

Wys was meditating as a part of the ritual he had done every few days, or any time there was a need for it. Quite a bit of his gear was neatly stacked on the ground, except the sword he balanced on his knees. An occasional breeze showed a a black crest on the back of his neck. He remembered how his instructor once told him that it was amazing how well people could get along with themselves if they sit down and just think about what they've done. Still, it is essentially facing yourself, and everyone has their own demons or skeletons in the closet. Occasional steps, wind, his own heartbeat, noises kept trying to snap Wys back into reality. Wys heard a voice, his ear twitched and he finally opened his eyes. He let out a deep sigh, knowing that he won't meditate any more for the day; he'd have to "negotiate" with the inner demons some other time, not that he had many, just enough to not feel regret for some things he should. He got up, strapped the sword and turned around, looking for the source of the voice. Her eyes were closed. Wystern took a deep breath and decided to go for the more obvious question, "Are you lost?"

[Ocelot]

The girl was never one for focus, and she found it difficult to remain in her trance for long. After a few minutes, she had started guessing at what people were doing around her as they went about their daily lives, making it a bit of a game. Ocelot loved games.

It was only a short while after she started to play her game that Oc heard a shuffling from nearby. She quickly decided it was one person, someone who had been there when she arrived, though their lack of movement hadn't warned her of their presence. A moment later she discerned the person was male. Yes, all this without once opening her eyes... and after hearing him speak.

Slitted eyes opening, she glanced up at him, around at the scenery, and back to him, regaining her bearings. Brown eyes curious, Oc inspected him, searching for a sign of immediate danger. "No, I'm not lost," came her response as she deemed him to be of no immediate threat to her.

"I was simply looking to meet some people in a tavern or some such when I stumbled upon this garden. I was immediately taken with its beauty and decided to stop here instead," she explained, shrugging. Glancing up, she continued. "It's also quiet here. A peaceful sort of quiet, instead of the deafening kind." The kind that reminds you that you're alone, she thought, a melancholy look showing on her face.

"I'm sorry. That didn't make much sense, did it?" she asked, shrugging. Her expression quickly changed, a smile planting itself on her face. "Anyway, I'm Ocelot or Oc. What's your name?" With an extra glance around, Oc decided to ask another question, unhindered by the idea that she might be prying. "Were you meditating here? I'm sorry if I disturbed you..."

[Wystern]

"Call me Wys, and no, you didn't disturb me," Wystern half-lied with a blank look on his face, slowly planting the armor back to where it belonged. A tug here, a strap there, the light plating made a nearly perfect fit within a minute. "It still sounded like you got lost in the place and got distracted by the garden to realize that you were lost." Wys wasn't the artistic type, artistry felt like a distraction for his job, just like fear and several other emotions. Wys stood up, a large crest on the back of his cloak was a testament to what he was. He threw a quick glance at her, starting with the eyes and got stuck on them. He couldn't quite tell what seemed so different about them from the distance he stood at, but he couldn't look away for several seconds. Wys always looked people in the eyes when he met someone; eyes are the windows to the race to which someone belonged...usually, and those same eyes usually give a lot of things away. He finally managed to avert his gaze. Suppressing a yawn, he rubbed his eyes. "You are probably new to the city. People rarely get distracted when they know what these stones symbolize."

[Ocelot]

"Well, Wys, I wouldn't consider myself lost," Oc countered, giving him a playful glare. "I didn't really have a destination in mind." As she watched him, she stood, moving to a more comfortable distance for discussion. "So I'm not really lost. I could get home if I wanted to," she added, trying to convince herself as much as him. She thought for a minute, tracing the path she had taken to get to the garden in her mind and gratefully realizing that she wasn't lost. She let out a sigh of relief, seeing that while she'd been thinking, the man before her had assembled his armor.

Giving him a curious look, Oc found herself asking another question. "Are you a Syliran Knight?" The answer was obvious, so she continued. "That explains a lot." She didn't elaborate at times when she thought it was obvious, and this was one of them.

Watching him suppress a yawn, she nodded in answer to his question. "I am new in town," Oc agreed. "What exactly do these stones symbolize?" She knew they were there as a memorial to the dead, but that was all she knew. Ocelot had only heard about it from a few others, and that was just from hearing bits of the conversations around her when she went out.