Closed [Stone Garden] A Midnight Stroll (Ardea)

[Carvezia]

10th of Summer,513AV

The day felt extremely hot, but It was only because the Summer wheather had just rolled in and people were so used to the spring. Carvezia rolled around in her bed sweating for she was having a nightmare. She was dreaming that she was a little girl dressed as she used to in Eyktol, she walked through the desert with nothing in sight as winds picked up pulling sand through the air. Carvezia continued walking as she hears her fathers voice saying"Thats right Carve your almost there, just keep walking and I will be at the shore waiting" in a assuring tone of voice. The little girl kept walking as winds started to get much stronger, and then she started running. Soon a sandstorm formed right above her head but Carvezia woke up with tears running down her face.

"It seemed so real" she thought as she sits up on her bed. Carvezia then wipes the tears off her face and is clueless of what time it is considering the Stronghold Citadel had no windows. She climbed out of bed and got dressed to start her day assuming it was a little past the 7th bell. Carvezia brushed her hair and teeth before leaving the small 20x20 apartment. After walking outside she quickly realized that it was only the 1st bell.

"Well I am awake now" Carvezia thought as she walked down the almost empty streets. She saw one man wearing a dark hooded cloak as he held his head down and walked slowly by her. It gave Carvezia a bad feeling and her eyes stuck to the back of his head as they passed by each other. "what in Yahal's name is he doing" she thought right before bumping head on into a Sylirian knight carrying a torch. The knight held the torch in her face and yelled "Where are you going!? Are you drunk!?" as if he was interrogating the half-benshirian but in reality was just looking out for her safety. "Wh..what n..no, I am sorry I couldnt sleep, I am only taking a walk" Carvezia says still shooken up. "Carry on then, my apoligies" The knight says sincerly as he walks off. Carvezia looks around feeling a little paranoid as she continues to walk down the road before stumbling upon something unusual. the young woman looks down to examine a perfectly round pebble about the size of her fist, she looks forward to only see thousands more. "Where am I" she thought as she rubbed the smooth rock.

[Ardea]

Ardea awoke with a start, her entire body trembling, adrenaline pulsing through her veins. It was unusual and rare for the normally steely kelvic to be this shaken up, but whatever it had been she had been dreaming about, she could not seem to ignore the dread that creeped along her spine. Swallowing the hard lump that had formed in her throat, she sat up, unable to allow herself to fall back asleep for fear of the nightmare continuing.

Slipping out from up the covers, Ardea got dressed swiftly, sliding her trusty kopis into her belt, just in case. It was at times like these that the focused tigress sought out one of the more peaceful places in the city, where crowds rarely gathered and visitors found themselves less aggressive when they left than when they had first entered; Ardea was going to the Stone Gardens. Pulling her hood low over her face, she began taking measured, loping strides out of the inn and onto the streets, she did her best not to be seen, scrambling hastily sideways whenever she heard the soft thud of footfalls on the surrounding pavements.

It did not take her long to reach the Stone Garden, but just before she reached the entrance, the inevitable clunk of clashing steel reached her tuned ears and a voice called out behind her.
"Halt!"
Stifling a heavy sigh, the youthful kelvic spun on the spot, coming face to face with a heavily armoured, absurdly tall knight.
"What business have you on the streets at night?" He demanded, approaching her and casting a critical, suspicious gaze over her lithe form.

"I'm visiting the Stone Garden, is the twelfth bell not the perfect time for reflection?" She gave a sarcastic bow and flashed a mocking smile. The nameless knight shifted his weight uneasily from foot to foot,
"Very well. Carry on. But if I hear you have caused any trouble this night, I will not hesitate to submit you to capital punishment, understood?" With a sincere nod, the kelvic carried onwards, her pace slowing as she breezed amongst the perfectly smooth pebbles, planted methodically within the ground.

[Carvezia]

Carvezia heard yelling from the distance which scared her. The girl imediatly stood straight and ran with a light step accross the pebbles to the closest thing she could fit behind. The girl was acting on impulse as she threw her back against a large stone building and peeked around the corner; she anticipated a group of Sylirian Knights weilding spears and swords marching through the street to find and collect her head. "I knew that knight let me off far too easy" she thought in paranoia as she yanked her head back behind cover.

Her worn boots began to slide on the pavement as Carvezia held her body tightly against the wall. she repositions her feet quietly as she slowly leans her head out of cover to check on the knights that she thought would be searching for her but she was wrong. The only thing she saw was a young woman walking over the pebbles as if there was no problem. Carvezia's mind was eased tremendously as she stepped out of cover and looked forward at the woman and the pebbles. She takes a deep breath before slowly walking towards them as she gave her attention to the clear midnight sky. "Wow I can't remember the last time I actually looked at the sky in the dark, its so beautiful" Carvezia thought as she sat with her legs crossed in front of The Stone Garden and smiled at the woman.

[Ardea]

The youthful kelvic moved so gracefully between the smooth, slate-grey pebbles that she might as well have been floating. Her thoughts were so preoccupied with memories of the breath-taking Sea of Grass and of her family back home in Riverfall, that she did not immediately notice the other woman. Indeed, it was at least five more chimes until she noticed something move out of the corner of her amber eyes. With a jolt of surprise, she spun around, her hand flying to the hilt of her kopis, tucked securely into her belt. Every muscle in her body tensed, she cast an intense, predatory gaze over the women.

Finally, when she had determined that this women was not an immediate threat, she visibly relaxed and warily returned the stranger's smile. Ardea had intended to spend the night alone with her thoughts in this calming location, but the other's company was certainly not unwelcome. The other seemed to be gazing wondrously at the ebon sky, as if she were seeing it again for the first time. Ardea narrowed her eyes suspiciously, moving towards the woman with an air of inhuman agility. Consoling herself in the fact that she could always shift into her feral form and defend herself, she decided that she might as well make some use of the other's presence.
"My name is Ardea. What, pray, brings you to the Stone Garden at such an ungodly hour?"