PM to join [The Stone Gardens] Beneath the Autumn Sun

[Fallon]

5th Fall 513 AV


It was warm, just about at least. Pleasant enough that one could easily sit upon the stone benches and simply relax. Or in the case of Fallon lie with her back flat against it and her chin tilted up towards the book she had rested upon her chest. She left her equipment within the dormitories –par the kukri of course -, there was no need for the rest of it where she lay. It was the daylight hours after all.

Her mind was tired, caught in the process of swimming back and forth in thought and the mind. The book she had before her was a simple reading book, nothing overly special about it. A simple tale designed to capture the thoughts of children – something that was indeed needed for her mind at present. It was much more relaxing than the idea of being dragged off for training, and it was also a recommendation from her patron. Learn, recover, grasp and understand. Learn to find a stable level, and from there move on. Everything had to be treated with care after all. She gave a tentative rub at her left shoulder, a distinct wince at the bandaging that was wrapped tightly beneath. Soon she would be allowed to loosen it; soon she would be allowed to let it support itself. But until then, it was a necessary evil.

She licked her finger and rubbed the corner of the page, peeling it forward as she turned it. Eyes scanned it, turning to the flowing ink that created each letter. It was in the last few days of musing that she found herself almost turning cynical, or perhaps more correctly becoming distrustful. Not intentionally of course, those that she knew would no doubt leave her as she was and assist her where need be. But one could never be too careful, for who knew where dangers lurked? No where was truly safe after all.

She released a sleep filled yawn, her hand pinching the bridge of her nose. She really did need to get her sleeping patterns sorted again. Being a ‘night owl’ during the summer period was not a wise decision in hindsight. She gave a definite blink, followed by the shake of the head. She had found a calm level, for now at least. Eyes turned around the garden, ears twitching to the faint mumble of voices from other visitors passing through. They paid her no mind in her relaxed state, nor did they seem to recognise her for the squire she was. Something she preferred after all. Weary eyes gave a blink, slower to rise this time – she needed to stay awake, she had to stay awake. Even if the stone garden was tempting her to do otherwise.

Just a few more bells. A few more.

[Noaru]

Noaru did not believe that he would be visiting the stone gardens again. He remembers the silence this place held and the sense of peace he felt when he first entered. Noaru wished to know the history of this place, he wanted to feel a little closer to the dignified dead—the ones who did not join him in the afterlife. The spirit stops in front of the stones and pays his respects to the souls resting here.


“In one lifetime, you all have fallen—may you all rise a thousand times in others.”


Noaru believed he could visit these hallowed grounds and with every visit, he would say a short prayer. These grounds always held a faint tinge of loneliness despite its lack of ghosts and the like. Noaru felt he could appease the living and the long gone yet not forgotten dead. The spirit places both of his palms together in a praying gesture before separating them and continuing his journey through the calm garden of stones—silent thoughts filled his mind. Noaru materializes within the garden; his dull-grey cloak was the first to be revealed, as hands, feet and other more distinct features materialize into view. The spirit lifted his head, allowing his face to be exposed to the warm sunlight.

Noaru rarely revealed this appearance, as it showed too much of his features and betrayed his dark powers. The spirit donned his grey robe for the first time in many years; he allows his pale hair and younger sorrowful appearance into the sunlight once again. Noaru's haunting blue eyes notices a familiar face, Fallon. He was glad that she had made it back with Markus yet there was another soul that was missing... Kouri. Noaru lowers his head with a sad expression; he hadn’t seen her in months.


“ I cannot constantly get myself involved with the qualms of the dead and the living. Yet... I always do. ”

Noaru approaches Fallon, though he was not sure if she was awake or asleep.

[Fallon]

Eyes grew heavy, head nodding slightly as the distinct feeling of tiredness gripped her. She released a hissing yawn, eyes blinking as she read the same line twice. Her head gave a roll, the autumn sun licking at the pages and her skin. Gods she was tired, both mind and body screamed that. There was a sigh, her head tapping the back of the bench. Just a few chimes wouldn’t hurt would it? Just a few ticks of shut eye? The book rested heavy against her chest as she fell almost into a drifted state, caught momentarily between waking and dreaming. The mind snapped shut, opening into a black chasm of nothingness, as she dipped deeper.

There was a noise, a mumble of words, a faint prayer upon the wind. Her eyelids gave a twitch, nostrils flickering almost in response to it. She cracked an eye open, once more staring upwards. There was something there, a grey monotone against that of the stones. Turning her head to the approaching figure, her vision bleary, her mind was caught almost off guard by the moment. Had she fallen asleep? For how long? Not long surely? She rubbed at her face, the book slipping off and landing with a thud to the floor.

”Oh petch…” she gave a mumble as she regarded the creature – or man more correctly – that stood there, those piercing blue eyes ever focused upon her. Sluggish movements commanded her, fingers reaching out and grasping onto what she could. There was a shake of the head as she came too, ”Did I fall asleep? Petch. Petch. I did indeed. Am I late? No… I…” A groan, long and distinctive, hands fumbling for the book, her toes lightly pressing against the stones. She dared not to stand just yet, not whilst her head continued to swim within the world of darkness and dreaming. There was no real recollection of the spirit that approached her; she did not recognise him in such a form. It was the black swirls within the rain she remembered most clearly when it came to Noaru, not this current guise. She rested her forehead in her palm, her body hunching over, ”Petch. Sorry. Should stop cussing. Bugger. I mean-“ she finally placed the book upon the bench next to her, chin tilting up to the pale haired gentleman, ”Sorry, I was gone. Do you… need something Mister…?”

Waking up was such a tedious task.

[Noaru]

Noaru barely manages to hold his composure after seeing Fallon wake-up in a daze. The way she had responded to him made grin a little, she didn’t recognize him. Noaru stared at the weird human with a harmless expression upon his face, it was good to see that Fallon was okay—the spirit was happy. Noaru was sure that he could pretend to be someone else but seeing as he did forcefully posses her, he could at least be truthful to the squire who helped him—instead of him helping her.

“I’m the ghost you met in the forest that thunderous and stormy day.”

Noaru felt like this was a good time to apologize and thank Fallon for allowing him to attempt to do one good deed—even if it was done in a rather unorthodox manner. Noaru struggled with finding his own name, only Radjutlas stuck-out, more so than his memory of the previous world. The spirit realized the effort wasn’t worth it, he did not need to cause anymore strain on his mind. Noaru distracts himself by looking at the quiet beauty of the stone garden, he could feel the soothing effects of the environment overtake him and calm his mind.


“ ”

[Fallon]

There was a blink, followed by a distinct groan. Her head was still stuck within the thoughts of sleeping. Something that seemed more like a pleasant idea at present. She gave a wince, pinching her brow harder this time. Had she missed something important? Was there an overlooking of something? Why was he smiling? It was no doubt due to her current state of being off guard and asleep. Then again, she would find it amusing herself to see someone in a similar state. Yet, he was a stranger who had approached.

Least that was what she thought before he explained himself. The memory alone jerked her back to the living, the wild rain and rolling thunder playing once more. Her brow knitted together, a nervous tension of the jaw as she eyeballed him. There was a distinct look of suspicion, followed by a very definite frown, ”But… were you not more… wispy?” Scratching at her jaw, she tilted to the side to look past him and around as if searching for a confirmation. She shook her head, her tone dropping to that of cool, ”Are you possessing someone? Like when you did…” Fallon trailed off, the confusion apparent. It felt awkward to say the least, more so as she was not expecting to come across the spirit again. Or at least not this soon. There was a second blink, her fingers flexing and moving.

Jerking her hand out she reached to him, her hand keen to grab hold of either him or his robe. The air around him was chilled and surprising, her hand recoiling back into a fist. Back straightening she gave only a quick glance to him, before finally lowering her gaze to the stone floor. She absorbed the silence, cheeks puffing ”So… did you need something Spirit Noaru? I mean, do you require assistance with something or is there another issue?”

[Noaru]

“I’ve only grown stronger in that short period of time. I’m not possessing anyone either. This is just another appearance I can undertake. ”

Noaru takes a minute to look at his old form. This was definitely the most different of them all; he could easily pass as a human, or nonhuman. Noaru had the idea of him walking through the streets of Syliras in grey but that would draw attention…something he did not need. He understood that he looked different but Noaru didn’t know he looked that different. The spirit chuckled inside his mind, as he would have looked odd, if he had done so out loud. Noaru extends a tendril of soulmist towards the ground, his cloak wraps around a leaf that was rolling pass his feet.

Noaru lowered his head to look at the leaf; afterwards he slowly raises it towards his face and watches as it gradually turns black. Noaru in that moment almost forgets to apologize to Fallon, he owed her an apology and he would give it to her. The spirit raised his head, what honor would there be in an apology, if it wasn’t sincere? Noaru looked into Fallon’s eyes, preparing himself for the worst while at the same getting his words together.

“I’am sorry for possessing you against your will that day, Madame Fallon.”


Noaru stepped back and lowered his head before raising it again to face Fallon.

[Fallon]

Somehow that answered her question, and enlightened her that ghosts and the like could indeed achieve states of appearing solid and real. Not that it made much sense to her as to how that was achieved. She rubbed her brow, ”Right. Right…”

Muffling a yawn she looked upon the ghost as he studied the leaf upon the floor. Such strange beings were ghosts, she never quite understood them and as to why they chose to dwell in the world. Trapped and unable to move on until forces pushed them on to do otherwise. She gave a frown as the leaf curled cup and withered, the veins turning to that of black. There was that trait also that she could not quite comprehend – at least not in her current state. She looked him in the eye when he finally returned his attention, and gave a distinct flinch to his apology. She was quiet for a moment, caught up in what to exactly say to him.

”You did what was necessary… even if it was a bit intrusive,” she cleared her throat, her eyes darting away, ”Besides, I should be thanking you. You were willing to stand at my side out of free will, and ready to face the task at hand. That takes a lot of courage.” Her hands clasped together, her form hunching in to look at him with a sombre expression, ”And you had a lot more than I did to say the least.” Sheepishly she extended a hand out to him, almost as if gesturing to shake, ”So… well… thank you.”

Fallon gave a smile, her brow raising slightly. She held no ill against the spirit Noaru, and no doubt he would be a curious being to understand in good time. But before that even she knew they would have to find some level of equal footing, ”And please, drop the Madame. I’m too rough to be a lady. Just Fallon is good enough. Okay, Noaru?”

[Noaru]

“ Thank you, Fallon ”

Noaru wasn’t sure of his soulmists power; would a small portion of his soulmist harm Fallon? He extends a tendril of soulmist, one that was small, from his robe. The spirit extends several tendrils of soulmist each barely as large as the usual tendrils he would extend, outwards. These tendrils were very thin—like that of a silk of thread weaved by a black widows spider and they formed together to make a shape vaguely resembling a hand—crude and awkward in appearance. Noaru focuses on the several tendrils of soulmist each moved in unison and gripped onto Fallon’s hand before quickly letting go afterwards. The spirit had never used his soulmist in such a weird manner; he doesn’t show the difficulty he was having with this different soulmist projection form on his face. Noaru’s tendrils of soulmist break from their strange formation and begin to move individually, like before.

The word courage, it was the first time Noaru heard such a word but he felt that he understood the meaning behind it. A word, this simple concept, could be a portion of goodwill—something he greatly sought after. Noaru could not believe he had displayed courage: a foreign concept he had no knowledge of. The spirit realized, in that moment, just how much he’d changed in mere seconds; he knew that in the past, he would have never displayed or performed a concept he never knew of.

Noaru smiled, he was happy that he had helped someone and for once, it wasn’t a selfish action. He felt a sense of completion; though small, it was something he could smile upon and fondly think of. The spirit rubs his hands together and parts them, showing that he was unsure on his next plan of action. Noaru retracts the tendrils of soulmist he’d extended outwards and had them rest close to him, swaying in the breeze. He looks around a little to absorb his surroundings once more before answering Fallon again. The spirit was so accustom to honorifics that calling to and answering a person without honorifics seemed odd to him… but he could adapt.

—’

“I understand, Fallon.”

Noaru said with a small grin.