[IC] Guardians of the Moon

[Aces Away]

Mena looked over the five recruits, a few of them having been rested in the healing waters by the moon's orbs thy brought them here, and the others having just appeared by following the beams aimlessly. She could tell simply by their garments that they came from varying time periods; which wasn't a shock to the First Guardian, given how rare it is to find pure souls. The moon beams must have had quite the journeys.

"Welcome, Pure Ones." She began, keeping her place to the front and slightly to the left of the moon goddess. "You all have met fates considered untimely and crass. Such is the fate of Pure Ones; others fear the aura given off by Pure Souls even if the others do not realize it." She paused to make sure everyone was still paying attention. She wasn't going to waste her words on uninterested brats. With a slight turn on her heel and a bow of the head towards the goddess, she resumed.

"This is the Goddess, Andraste; Keeper of the Moon, Pure Souls, and Healing Falls. She offers you choices; you may guard her and her Falls from humans who seek it's purity and power, or she will allow you to pass over completely. Be warned that you will have no time in the Afterlife; Pure Souls, due to their rarity, are immediately reincarnated with lack of memory regarding previous life." She stopped when Andraste put a hand on her shoulder.

"Do not try to scare them into it, Mena." She said with a knowing smile. Mena frowned; she wasn't trying to strong-arm them but Andraste and the Falls need protection and she's resigned herself to the fact that she can no longer do that alone. She needed their help. With a small nod she looked back to the group.

"The choice remains yours. If you choose to become a guardian of the Moon, then step up one by one and kneel before the Lady Andraste, and repeat this oath: "through bow or blade, through shield or fist, I vow to protect my Lady Goddess. Through blood and soul, through mind and heart, I vow to my Lady, to do my part."

"Once you complete this oath and get the blessing of immortality from the Lady Andraste, you may say your own words and then christen your weapons in the Healing Falls. Once they are coated in the water, they will never be able to take the life of man, even if you cut them through. We cannot kill. Upon doing so you will lose the purity of your soul and any blessing given by the Goddess. Begin."

Mena stepped slightly to the side to allow access to Andraste, but she kept her sword rested in front of her at all times as she waited for the first soul to approach.

[Apokalipse]

She felt tired, like she always did. It was supposedly a symptom of the leukemia, this exhaustion, but Annie Goodell felt it was more than that. The enervation that weighed heavily in her bones and the lethargy that crawled across her skin was born from the world she had bore on her shoulders. A world of hair loss, purple and blue bruises that appeared from the smallest presses, infections, and the pain of existing in a hospital room for weeks on end. It was a weariness and consuming insouciance that felt like she was walking down a hallway, never getting nearer to her destination. Yet she continued to fight, not because she wanted to, but because she was expected to. Annie fought tiredly and half-heartedly against an unbeatable force whilst taunting menacing foes in hopes of it ending. When it came down to it, she just wanted it to end.

She thought it had.

Cool liquid rushed over her, cleansing her body with a fire ice tingle. White hotness flared against her eyes and pulsed in her bone marrow. The brunette choked on the water, gasping and grasping for the surface yet she could breathe. Every moment her eyes opened, they would slip close with a bulk that pressed against her irises and she had to pry them open again. She saw nothing but a large circular shape with a glowing blue-white aura that seeped into her soul, caressing her spirit until she felt the hum in her heart. The small pool splashed and rippled as she finally pushed to the surface, her arms flapping like a bird’s wing and her chin lifting to be above the water.

She was alive.

Annie crawled from the beautiful pool that met the moon, a serene and peaceful setting that only instilled more rage into her heart. How dare there be an afterlife? The devouring fury swirled in her stomach and pulsed through her veins, thumping like a war drum in her ears. Her jeans clung to her skin and it itched and pricked in the wrong ways. Her shirt was cold and she shivered unwillingly. Standing on aching feet, she huffed and puffed amongst the bodies of six strangers, all which continued to suffocate her with their mere presence. Anger flared in her stomach and she gritted her teeth together, momentarily fixing the brown wig that threatened to fall off her head.

“Welcome, Pure Ones.” A redheaded woman began, standing next to a regal being that certainly was not human. “You all have met fates considered untimely and crass. Such is the fate of Pure Ones; others fear the aura given off by Pure Souls even if the others do not realize it.

“This is the Goddess, Andraste; Keeper of the Moon, Pure Souls, and Healing Falls. She offers you choices; you may guard her and her Falls from humans who seek it’s purity and power, or she will allow you to pass over completely. Be warned that you will have no time in the Afterlife; Pure Souls, due to their rarity, are immediately reincarnated with lack of memory regarding previous life.”

Annie sucked in the information with an inhale of breath, seeing red at the warning tone of the woman and at her fate. It was just her luck to suffer, to be a Pure Soul or whatever. Uncomfortably, Annie dragged her nails across her skin, leaving no mark in their light wake. It was simple maneuver to pass the time and to remind herself that she was still alive, despite her wishes. Her life was Hell, filled with a yearning for an abysmal black that ate at her being, yet she was stuck with the choice to start anew with a fresh Hell, or to continue the pitiful life of Annie Goodell. The thought of being anybody other than herself sent shivers down her spine, because a reincarnation was always someone different, always changing, or that was how she was taught in those documentaries on TV.

“Do not try to scare them into it, Mena.” Said the elegant spirit, her tone flowing deftly into Annie’s ears. Mena, as she was called, seemed resigned to follow the instruction but did so anyways.

“The choice remains yours. If you choose to become a guardian of the Moon, then step up one by one and kneel before the Lady Andraste, and repeat this oath: ‘through bow or blade, through shield or fist, I vow to protect my Lady Goddess. Through blood and soul, through mind and heart, I vow to my Lady, to do my part.’

Once you complete this oath and get the blessing of immortality from the Lady Andraste, you may say your own words and then christen your weapons in the Healing Falls. Once they are coated in the water, they will never be able to take the life of man, even if you cut them through. We cannot kill. Upon doing so you will lose the purity of your soul and any blessing given by the Goddess. Begin.”

Annie moved without even thinking, her choice was not yet clear to her but that same tiredness propelled her forward. She could not live for herself, not anymore, but to become a weapon, a mindless tool, she might become numb enough to forget.

Gingerly kneeling, she repeated Mena, “Through bow or blade, through shield or fist, I vow to protect my Lady Goddess. Through blood and soul, through mind and heart, I vow to my Lady, to do my part.” Annie’s voice oozed with bitterness and reluctance, but this was the only choice for someone such as her.

Not knowing what to say, she wordlessly stooped below the Healing Falls in which she had initially appeared and dipped the emeici that were miraculously on her body. She had not practiced using her emeici since she had fallen ill at the age of sixteen; Annie wondered silently if she was still any good at it.

[elphrain]

Shintaro's soul was weak, resting on the ground and extremely close to death. When the samurai were through with him, they no longer had an interest in the burned down village, and most villagers had already taken the initiative to run away. His body was numbing away slowly, half wondering if taking a quick sleep would let him renew the last bit of energy he had left. Then again, who was he kidding? He was a goner. He tried to accept death as quickly as he could, considering he didn't have much time left. Shintaro let himself think back to his last deed and hoped that most of the villagers were alright. He hoped the samurai had left this place and hoped they wouldn't have to take advantage of another village again, though it was a hopeful thought. All in all, he did what he could do, and that was all that mattered to him, not that it really mattered at all.

In his last moments of blurry vision and foggy hearing, he felt himself being lifted up and faintly felt something being wrapped around him. Finally, everything came to an end and went dark for him. He had passed away.

And then, alarmingly, his senses came back all at once. Shintaro raced to pull himself out of a pool of water and shivered while on the ground. It was nighttime, and for some reason he was thrown into a lake of some sort. He looked around to see the moon, but gave it a second glance after noticing that it was so huge. That didn't feel right...

“I'm in...” Shintaro mumbled, realizing that he didn't feel in pain and his wounds had seemed to have healed. There couldn't possibly be any place on earth that looked like where he was now. He noticed five unfamiliar people who's garments were of different nations. Was this some sort of afterlife?

“Welcome, pure ones.”

Shintaro and the others directed their attention to a woman in front of them, explaining something about pure souls and auras. There was another beautiful woman beside her, who looked as heavenly as she could be, who was introduced as the Goddess and the keeper of the moon. From what the guardian had explained, they were pure souls who were chosen to become guardians themselves. It seemed like an incredible honor. Shintaro wondered if he was truly fit for such a thing, he felt so out of place, but at the same time he felt a warming, positive energy within him. He was very happy.

One person stepped up to take the oath first, and by then Shintaro had completely sorted out his thoughts. Shintaro stepped up, and in the most modest way he could, he knelt before the Goddess and repeated the oath.

“Through bow or blade, through shield or fist, I vow to protect my Lady Goddess. Through blood and soul, through mind and heart, I vow to m' Lady, to do my part.”

He took a good look at the guardian and the Goddess and smiled. He turned to the Healing Falls to coat his weapon in the water. He looked at his spear and felt a bit nostalgic, and for once he'd actually use his weapon in an honorable way. Upon completion, he gazed into the water deeply, letting his thoughts run free.

For once in his life, Shintaro really felt like he was complete. That was how he felt, after all – he had always wanted to be a protector. A mix of guilt tainted his emotion, though, after realizing that he wasn't such a pure person. Would he be able to change that, or would he have to fight himself from now on?

Shintaro tried not to think about it, so he sighed looked up, trying not to stare into the water for too long. He noticed the young woman who first took her oath not so far from him, and decided to strike a conversation. After all, many of them would be guardians together, so they might as well get to know each other now.

“It's very wonderful to see so many different people, isn't it? This is a place like no other.”

He smiled at the girl and looked back towards the big moon. This afterlife was certainly something else, he almost felt too guilty to be a part of it.

[Sunraye]

Anaïs carefully watched as the others were dipped within the lake she sat in front of, it's sparkling waters tempted her to settle within it. As the splash of one new member sprayed towards her a drop of the cool liquid landed on her bloody rose thorned arms. Part of her patterned wound healed, miraculously. She looked down at her arm in disbelief, all the spells and healing enchantments she tried didn't work yet this water from the pond easily cleared up a patch of her skin. Anaïs decided she should join in on their rejuvenating swim, though she didn't dip her entire self into it, only her arms and legs. They were the most affected anyways, no harm done.

She splashed the water onto her face as well, and the marks dissipated mostly - only the scars of thorns and vine remained, as if a reminder of what happened. How wonderful, she thought to herself. Suddenly, as if she had spaced out for quite a while, someone began to speak. Anaïs looked around to see there were more people now, and a redheaded girl began to inform them on their next steps. Her eyebrows furrowed, such strange words the girl spoke.

Pure souls? She repeated in her mind. How ridiculous. Anaïs couldn't understand the logic, how could she possibly be what they claimed a 'pure soul'. As the goddess was introduced, her words continued to flow around the environment, Anaïs was getting rather antsy. She rather enjoyed hearing about such duties, but no matter how greatly important they were, she felt unqualified. How could she possibly be the one to help serve the goddess? It made no sense to her. She looked down heavily on herself, her confidence was clouded by fog within her heart.

She almost backed down and denied their request. The little witch didn't think she could do it, and just as she was about to say no, she watched the others accept the and recite the oath. That made her reconsider, for some odd reason. Anaïs looked up at the moon, it glimmered off her silver eyes. She thought it would be better to just be reincarnated as someone else, maybe then she would be able to live a better life than the one she was originally chosen. Her was young, for it had only been reincarnated a few times. Of course she remembered nothing of those other lives, and she passed by those wondering thoughts.

Anaïs sighed, the choice had to be made now, she was out of time to speculate. Painfully bending down on one knee - her legs felt heavy from anxiety - she recited the oath in her small voice. "through bow or blade, through shield or fist, I vow to protect my Lady Goddess. Through blood and soul, through mind and heart, I vow to my Lady, to do my part." Once spoken, the witch took out her wand, it's metallic surface shimmered slightly in the light of the moon. She carefully placed it into the water, hoping there would be no complications, afraid that it would spew out angry magic or something else her paranoid brain could construct. Anaïs lifted her wand out of the pool, it shimmered even more in the light than before. She waved it around a bit, the tip spewed golden sparks, she smiled silently.

One of the new guardians spoke to the group, she stayed silent.

[Yuga]

How fitting was it, Lavender thought, that she would die at the bottom of some crummy lake most likely never to be found. She always hated that lake, far too dangerous for children to play in at day and far too scary at night. Lavender always believed there was a ghost living at the bottom of the murky lake, and she was partially right. She was sinking, her entire body made of lead. What came first, the bruises or the drowning? She couldn't remember, what was happening to her? She was dying, naturally, it was inevitable. Everyone dies, so the old adage said. However, Lavender was certain most people actually knew how they died. Her strength was slowly coming back to her, just as her lungs started to give up their fight. She weakly moved her body and a blue tinted hand appeared. It was swollen, water logged like an old sponge. She shut her eyes, she didn't want to die knowing that's what she looked like. She was disgusting, she was too late, and she was dead.

How anticlimactically typical.

Lavender's closed eyes twitched and her torso jerked violently. Lakes have bottoms, so why did she feel like she was still sinking? The water felt differently now, cleaner and warm. She felt her strength slowly come back to her, as if she were drowning in reverse. Her eyes opened and she held her hands out in front of herself tentatively. Lavender felt all of her muscles loosen as she realized her hand was no longer the blue tinted sponge she last saw. Still, her lungs screamed for air, and with her new found strength she pushed herself out of the calming lake.

Her emergence was less than graceful. Gasping and sputtering, she forced herself to calm down. Each breath made her chest burn and her ears ring, but she couldn't say she didn't appreciate the fact that she could breathe. Eventually, her wits came back to her and her chest stopped stinging. Lavender silently gasped, she definitely wasn't in some grungy lake anymore. Lavender turned her head slightly and looked at the large silver moon that dipped into the lake's surface. Immediately, the dripping moon soothed her a bit and dulled the memory of the lake and her swollen hand. It reminded her of her mother, who had the best and warmest hugs this side of France. Lavender smiled momentarily, reviling in the clear feeling she hadn't quite felt in a long time. She wasn't on Earth anymore, there was no doubt about that. There was no way she could feel this at peace on Earth. This was some afterlife, and Lavender wasn't sure what good deed she did to get here, but she was satisfied. Just as she began to relax, her mind began wondering. Many people had probably rested in this lake at one point or another.

Her mother had probably been here.

Lavender almost jumped out of the lake, gasping as she had drowned again. She suddenly felt as if she had tainted the soothing waters. With a huff she turned away from the waters, and her eyes finally registered the other bodies around her. Her taut fingers combed through her messy braids as she joined the other bodies. This was the moment, Lavender knew soon she would be welcomed into the afterlife. She was nervous, but it didn't show through her stony expression. The people around her were odd looking, but even in death Lavender wouldn't let her guard down.

"Welcome, Pure Ones." A younger looking redhead began speaking. Lavender turned her attention to her, then looked towards the white haired being that could only be a deity of some sort.

She looked on at the redhead with feigned interest. Lavender was honored that she was chosen to guard a Goddess, even if her expression didn't show it. However, the moment the younger girl stopped talking Lavender would have to break the bad news to her. She would much rather spend the rest of her life, or her afterlife, in the company of her mother and father. Finally, she could get the closure she wanted. Lavender could imagine how shocked her parent's would be to see her, her mother would even put her hand to her heart like she always did when she was surprised. No Goddess of any sort could stop her from finding her parents again.

Lavender was so caught up in her daydreaming she almost missed the next part of the redhead's speech.

"Be warned that you will have no time in the Afterlife; Pure Souls, due to their rarity, are immediately reincarnated with lack of memory regarding previous life."

Suddenly, Lavender was alert. Her posture became even more rigid, she felt as if she had just been pulled up by a string. She gritted her teeth so hard her jaw began to hurt, this was no afterlife. Of course she would be cut off this close. Her parents were so close, behind some kind of invisible golden gate most likely. The anger she harbored was dulled, she had no strength to get truly frustrated anymore. Every event she ever experienced was just one hurdle after another. Even death was hard on her, and apparently unforgiving. She finally realized, she hadn't done any good deed. That's why she was here.

Her hazel eyes scanned the other poor souls gathered around her. None of them had any choice but to accept the Goddess' offer, she couldn't see why anyone wouldn't. There was no fun to be had tumbling around in yet another body. Lavender barely had any fun in the body she was currently in. Apparently most of the others thought the same way, she watched three others step up and take the oath. Each one looked different, each one seemed to have their own problems at the moment. Her stony facade softened for a moment when she watched the others take their oath. It returned, however, as soon as they stepped back. Life always threw her curve balls, and she always managed to go with the flow. She'd never get closure, that's the way it always had been, and she was shocked that she let herself think otherwise. Lavender walked up to the Goddess, seemingly full of the grace and elegance she had learned to fake a long time ago. She knelt carefully, afraid she might lose her composer, and looked up at the silver haired Goddess,

"Through bow or blade, through shield or fist, I vow to protect my Lady Goddess. Through blood and soul, through mind and heart, I vow to my Lady, to do my part." Lavender's voice was just as low and powerful as it had been when she was alive, and for this she was grateful.

Getting up from her position, Lavender looked down to find a rapier at her feet. She picked it up warily, as if she could break it simply by looking. It had been years since she actually held a rapier, she remembered the fencing lessons her mother taught her in their dusty house when the world was tearing itself apart. She turned towards the Healing Falls and wordlessly covered her weapon in the water. Turning the old sword around, as if inspecting it for approval, she thrust into the air in front of her once. She again remembered her fencing lessons for years ago, she could still hear her mother repeating every move she attempted. Thrust, thrust, parry, thrust, feint, thrust.

Lavender looked towards the man trying to make conversation with the girl next to him. She turned towards the young girl farther away and nodded, as if accepting all of them. They were all chosen.

[unicornwar]

Lilith sat quietly at the waters edge, staring blankly at her toes. This was place was no afterlife she thought to herself. Oddly amused by the idea of death she was a bit disappointed she didn't end up that way. She wondered what kind of place her dead circus family had gone to. The image she had built in her mind was an extravagantly illustrated picture that was inconceivable to any human beings imagination. Wishing she had her paint set with her, Lilith continued to construct the exclusive scene in her mind.

"The choice remains yours. If you choose to---

Engrossed in her imaginary world, she paid little attention to what was being said and sat completely unfazed as all the others had moved forward. Her mind was already made up. Granted she missed her family a bit, she knew they were at peace and didn’t feel the need to follow them. It was a simple choice with an easy answer, not much complexity to it. Blithe was her nature and her frolicsome little spirit told her this would be much more fun than being dead or reincarnated.

Sensing it was her time to go up, Lilith snapped out of her dreaming. She glided merrily but silently up to the Lady Andraste. Her artificial wings trailed noisily behind her. A mischievous grin on her face, she knelt before her Lady in an overly pious manner. Using a singsong voice, she repeated the words of the red headed woman, "through bow or blade, through shield or fist, I vow to protect my Lady Goddess. Through blood and soul, through mind and heart, I vow to my Lady, to do my part."

Without a word, Lilith skipped over to the moonlit water and plunged her whole body into it. Not to mention having wings as weapons she also carried numerous concealed armaments in her outfit that would have taken far too long to wet one by one. Randomly thinking she felt like Ophelia, she dragged herself out of the water.

Soaking wet, Lilith dripped with anticipation as she browsed through the other pure souls and took little mental notes on each one.

[Aces Away]

Mena raised a single eyebrow at the group, surprised that they all took the oath- albeit seemingly reluctantly to some- and dutifully followed the given instructions. She would have to keep an eye on the bitter brunette with the bright green eyes, though; she seemed the type to cause trouble simply due to her attitude. It would be interesting to try and keep the interactions between this odd group civil. Mena honestly wondered how these clashing personalities would be able to work as a team to defend the Moon and it's extensions. She worried they'd end up fighting each other instead...

She gave Andraste a doubtful glance but the goddess simply smiled at her ward and Guardian. She turned back to the group and spoke up once more.

"I will show you to your living quarters and later explain the situation to a further extent. You've all come a long way be it through death or land, and you all deserve your rest after such tiresome journeys." Mena, making sure they were all following, turned on her heel and walked right under the Moon's waterfall, the water not even phasing her as she appeared on the other side, not a droplet on her.

The inside Cavern was simple, with shelves carved into the stone and a few lamps littering the place. She led the group down the first hall on the right and came across five identical rooms; a single bed with a wooden dresser next to it, lamp settled on top, and an alcove above the bed holding another, smaller lamp. The stone floors were less rough than the walls, but in no way was anything in the room fancy. They were simple spartan rooms, left to the owner to change anything if necessary. She turned to the group once more.

"These are your living quarters. It is up to you five to decide who gets which room. If you wish to rest, rest. If you are restless, and have questions, come see me and the Lady Andraste in the common room." She turned on her heel and went to the end of the hall, turning to the right and following rock steps up to a room, slightly more furnished than the bedrooms, and sat down on the wide couch, next the Andraste. 600 years and the girl still could not figure out how Lady Andraste gets passed all of Mena's senses and just appears in a room. But she is a goddess, so Mena doesn't question it much.

"Will anyone be coming to join us, Mena?" Andraste asked.

"I believe that not all of them will confine themselves to their quarters immediately, we may have some of them coming up to the room for answers." She leaned her head against the rock wall and looked to the ceiling. She closed her eyes as Andraste pulled her head to her chest and stroked her fiery hair. In the arms of Andraste was the only time Mena allowed herself to act like a child- no- a daughter in front of the Goddess, leaning into the pure motherly touch as they waited for the Pure Souls who would follow up to the common room.

[Apokalipse]

“It’s very wonderful to see so many different people, isn’t it? This is a place like no other.”

Annie startled at the man’s question and shrugged her shoulder carelessly, “Yeah, I guess it’s different – unique, whatever you wanna call it. But it’s just a place and we’re just people. Undead people, but people nonetheless. We probably won’t last long; too different, too unique.”

The numbing qualities of cool water seeped into her fingers, so long had she held her weapon under water, and she reluctantly pulled away. Frighteningly, Annie felt numb, head to toe; but not because of cold water. Dragging a hand down her weary face, she stood up with a sweep of her wet jeans and turned to Mena to receive answers. Alas, she waited too long.

“I will show you to your living quarters and later explain the situation to a further extent.” The redhead said more, however Annie only listened with half an ear. She spent most of the speech curling and uncurling her fingers, pretending she didn’t exist in such a cruel, cruel world.

Following torpidly, Goodell entered what seemed to be the lounging room. Wintry air climbed up her flesh and Annie wrapped her arms around herself, protecting her body from the cold barrage. It was a simple room, nothing special, and she plopped onto the couch and winced at the uncomfortable hardness, or softness as she really couldn’t tell – it was either too soft that it appeared hard or too hard that it appeared soft, like fire-hot water or freezing cold water.

Annie pointed at the room farthest from the entrance door and gathered everyone’s attention with an annoying yelp. “That room’s mine. I called it – it’s mine.”

When it was clear that it was her room, Annie leapt from the couch and traipsed from the room and to the area that Mena and Andraste had disappeared.

Seeing Andraste cuddling Mena so tenderly, like a mother, made Annie cringe at the intimacy that she had intruded upon. Clearing her throat loudly and obnoxiously, she crossed her arms once again, this time with a certain flare of attitude.

“Would you care to explain more.” While it was worded like a question, it was most definitely a command. Annie was not the bossy sort, never cared enough to have constant control, but she refused to continue any further without knowing all the details she could gather.

[unicornwar]

After looking over the group she was going to be with, Lilith had to admit she was more interested in them than she first thought. She wondered who she should set her sights on first. At least one of them appeared to come from around her time, perhaps a few years after her and she seemed to be French. Then there was the only guy in the group. He seemed pretty friendly. There was also the little witch girl, what could be more fun than black magic? And finally the sore looking green eyed girl. Her newest "troupe" looked promising.

Then Mena, she believed the Goddess had called her, commanded for them to follow her through the waterfall. Inside was the cavern which would be their new home. “These are your living quarters. It is up to you five to decide who gets which room,” Mena called out and with a few more words left for the common room.

“That room’s mine. I called it – it’s mine” the brunette called out.

So Lilith glided into the room next to miss green eyes and closed the door. She didn't want to be next to the entrance as well and that girl seemed like she wouldn't be a noisy neighbor. She looked around her new living space. These rooms were incredibly boring. Way too dull. Again she found herself wishing for a paint set.

Still pretty wet Lilith took off all her clothes and spread them out on the floor. She stared at her pretty circus dress for a moment, taking in how beautiful it and all her costumes were. Then she rummaged through her clothes for every single weapon and item she had on her. Concealed in her clothes were 34 combat tools,13 vials or bottles of random substances, a paintbrush and oddly enough 3 thick pieces of white chalk. She picked up the chalk and drew on the walls. Suddenly, a brilliant idea hit her.

She could get her paint set afterall! Chalk and clay were great fillers for paint, and plants could provide the pigments. All she had to do was forage around outside for ingredients and then she would finally have paint. Completely overjoyed and forgetting she was still naked, Lilith burst out of the room in a frenzy. As she zoomed past the looks of disbelief and crashed through the guy and French girl, Nocturne had the look of a mad woman.

The land they had been summoned to was virtually barren but Lilith was determined to find what she needed. She already knew what the first thing she wanted to paint was, a scene of her old pet tiger lying on his back in a field of her favorite flowers. For this painting she would only needed the colors white, black and red but in large amounts. She hoped the basket and three bottles she brought would be enough to carry it all or that she could even fill them up.

First she filled a bottle with water. In the second bottle she put mud and dark colored bugs for making black. In the distance she saw lots of tiny white flowers and collected them. She had to venture a very long way but she found a small patch of red poppies which she put in her basket as well. She even got some honey from a bee hive. Satisfied, she made her way back to room. She broke a drawer from her dresser for a palette and created her paints.

Naked and happy, Lilith was not going to be joining Mena and the others any time soon.

[Sunraye]

Her nervousness was getting to her, yet the little witch girl knew that there would be nothing to fear anymore. Anaïs wondered if she was the only one still alive. She assumed that those who appeared into the pond were ones that had died, and since she had arrived there bruised but living, Anaïs couldn't help but curiously scan the rest of them. One of the girls had spontaneously thrown themselves into the water, a giggle erupted from the little witch - it was pretty funny. After laughing to herself she made eye contact with one of the women chosen, and as the other nodded her way she gave a weak smile before quickly looking back out towards the water. Anaïs was never one to look in the eyes of those who conversed with her, her gaze always looked down as if she did something wrong. She also felt a little embarrassed for laughing, the older woman seemed to be mature and confident. The woman's body practically glowed in the moonlight, it was rather strange, Anaïs noted they all had some sort of aura. She looked down at her book, wondering if it was the cause of this new sight.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the firey haired girl began to speak again. Mena explained their rooming situation, it didn't excite Anaïs one bit. It sounded a lot like the 'home' she lived in for all her years, and that was a place she never wanted to go back to. She couldn't even think about it without cringing, all the times she was teased or mocked, was there any safe place for her to be in peace? She told herself to lighten up, for it was all over now. The other girls chosen didn't seem to be of the mocking kind, except for the green eyed girl, Anaïs made a note to watch out for her. She could defend herself, however the thought of killing them was out of the question. They were mostly already dead, what was the point?

Her mind had wandered and she didn't notice the groups movement. Jogging a little to catch up, the 6 of them proceeded through the waterfall - Anaïs was intrigued by their seemingly waterphobic selves - and Mena led them down a rocky corridor. Their footsteps clicked up against the stone - the little witch was tempted to use her wand to light their way, for it was rather dark within the cavern. Though once they got farther in there were light fixtures scattered down the cavern, and thus the thought was pushed away.

Anaïs continued to listen to Mena speak, becoming a little anxious from the thought of being next to someone she didn't want to be next to. At least they got their own rooms, much better than that dreaded orphanage. It still reminded her of the place though, she shivered a little from the bad memories.

Anaïs watched as the green eyed girl and the one that jumped into the pond picked out their rooms. It seemed appropriate for her to follow their footsteps, but she didn't want to be next to the crazier one, so she chose the room closest to the entrance. Sure it might be a little cold at times, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. Besides, now that she actually had magic, she could easily concoct herself a blanket or heating device.

"I'll take this one.." She said quietly, and proceeded to enter the room of her choosing. It wasn't as bad as she had thought, though the furniture could use some spiffing up. Anaïs placed her book on the dresser, moving the lamp so she could see the words move along the page. Flipping through she noticed that some of the pages in the back - originally blank - began to fill with words, her eyes sparkled to see new spells for her to try. Finally once she picked out the proper spell, she repeated the strange language out loud, copying the instructions for which she should wave her wand. Suddenly the tip began to glow a pinkish hue, and with a smile Anaïs began to redecorate her room. The floor was given a plush carpet, her bed was dressed with a new mattress, sheets, and of course a warm comforter to top it off. The dresser transformed into a taller case, it's decorative markings were of what she imagined. Pointing her wand to the opposite wall she placed a mirror, next to it a small bookshelf. There were no books yet, but she hoped to collect some more while she stayed here. The small alcove became a shelf, and as she was about to change the walls Anaïs stopped herself. It might be too much, she thought, unsure what decorating she was allowed to do. She also didn't know the reverse spell, so it was best that she left it as is.

Anaïs smiled, deciding she was satisfied with her room's new look, the pinkish color quickly vanished from her wand for it's work was done. She opened the door to see what the others were doing, her new furniture visible out of the doorway. Anaïs thought about going to ask Mena questions, but she wasn't sure exactly what to ask. The little witch was plastered onto the walls as a naked girl ran past her, Anaïs giggled as the girl stumbled over the others in a rush to get outside.

[elphrain]

Shintaro let out a bit of a sigh to the girl's cynical response, she seemed a bit down. Well after all, the last thing they all remembered was their own deaths, so he understood why she could feel that way. Within a short second, the guardian spoke up to them all and proposed that they could pick out their quarters if they wished it. Shintaro rubbed his hands together excitedly and peered at all the different rooms.

They weren't over the top fancy, but they were better than the homes he used to live in, that was for sure. Most people had already claimed their rooms, so Shintaro went for whichever one was open. He gazed around the room and was pretty satisfied with the setup that the Goddess had given them, but maybe later he'd try to see if he could give it some more décor to make it feel homier. He wasn't sure what to add, though, so the room was satisfactory for him right now. He also didn't feel particularly tired at the moment, so he figured he might try to find something else to do. Maybe look around, look at the beautiful Goddess again, maybe do something else...Shintaro didn't really know what his plans were for the day.

As soon as Shintaro opened his door back up, he stood in the hallway for a moment before noticing one of the guardians run out of her room naked. He tried not to laugh, but thankfully she didn't seem like she was frightened or anything when she ran out of the room. In fact she seemed kind of happy, like she didn't realize that she was naked until she saw everyone gawk at her. Shintaro averted his eyes up at the stone walls, pretending as if he was talking to someone. Maybe someone heard him. “The masonry here is quite nice. Back home we didn't make walls like this...back at home...this is quite the presentation...” He tapped his finger against the hallway wall, trying to look occupied until the girl made it back to wherever she was going.

[Aces Away]

Mena stared at the bitter girl who demanded answers, unconsciously tensing as she pulled away from her Lady. She stood up and leaned against the wall by the couch, crossing her arms over her chest. "You have taken an oath to guard the Lady Andraste from Hunters and Thieves who seek to steal the water of the Healing falls. Pure souls rarely come about so we had to send recruiting beams throughout time. From the looks of it, you are fairly recent. The current year in linear time is 1928." Mena paused and looked over the girl. "You were pulled back in time whilst others were pulled forward. The samurai is obviously from older times- though not older than mine- the little witch girl even further. Time and space hold no meaning here.

"Only Pure Souls may guard the Healing Falls and the Lady Andraste because if anyone else were to pass under the waters as we must to rest or heal, they would burn to death with no sign of flame. The moon is pure, as is the water it produces, as is the goddess. It is only logical for the Guardians of these to be Pure as well." Mena's stare remained neutral as she continued to speak, not leaving her spot against the wall. "Some of you died and were brought here by the Recruiter Beams, whereas some were injured. The little witch girl followed the Recruiter and waited for the rest of you.

"I have been serving my Lady for 600 linear years... and since the start of the 20th century, the Hunters have become more ambitious, bringing new technology that is getting harder to combat single-handedly. The Lady Andraste made the decision to find Pure souls who lost their lives or were cast out by society in an attempt to protect the Falls." Her eyes bore into the girl's green ones. "That is why you are here. We do not want to kill the intruders, nor maim them or destroy any access to the Falls. We want to protect them from harming themselves with the water as they refuse to believe it will burn impure soul right out of their vessels. Since they will not listen, we must make them with..."

"A bit of tough love." Andraste spoke up, smiling at the girl. "I am sorry for the turn your life took, Annie, but I assure you you will never have to suffer such pains again. You can leave the basin and spend your day where you wish, and need only come back at night. You must be here at night, for that is when the Hunters come. And you need your rest."

"...It is as the Lady says." Mena spoke softly, having forgot that these people also met ends that could best hers 600 years ago. Many things have been invented since she was brought here. She couldn't imagine half of them. 1310 was a long time ago in linear time. "We must force them back for their good, not ours." She tilted her head, her eyes slightly softer than before. "Any other questions?"

[Apokalipse]

“No, that’s all.” Annie brushed her wig back and left the room, feeling disconcerted. The mention of her life caused more than a little bad memories to surface.

Only once she arrived to her bare room did she allow herself to dwell on the memories. Like the one time, when she was at the zoo staring at the lion, bored out of her mind after being dragged out by her parents. They had left to buy her food, they always seemed to follow her every demand, but they remained…silent, odd, distant. Annie knew what was happening, they were trying to detach themselves for when she didn’t wake up. They wanted to stop caring. The once brunette blinked repeatedly in order to rid herself of the tears that hovered on her waterline. She wished they would care again, that they would be worried. Maybe that was what brought Annie to dive underneath the bar separating her from the cage and shove her arm in between the steel bars. The lion looked at her curiously, began to trot over to inspect, when a nearby zookeeper tossed her away from the cage. A paw squeezed between the bars just as quickly, claws lightly carving her skin. If she had been at the distance she was before, her arm would have been torn to shreds.

Annie sighed, back in the present, and moved to sit on the bed. What was she supposed to do now? Lying back, she closed her eyes, wondering if there was any sleep for dead.