Closed Skittering Shadows (Dex)

[Yisanareysin]

46th of Summer, 516 AV

It had been a long time since Rey had last stood here. Two years, now that he thought of it. Truthfully, he hadn’t had much reason to go back. Hai, he didn’t have much reason to go back now. But Ionu had apparently decided differently today, plopping the entrance to the garden of no return in front of him at every turn. And while Rey really did have things to do, people to meet, rumours to spread, he had learned by now that when Ionu wanted him somewhere, it was always more interesting when he obeyed. So, into the Garden of No Return he went. For the third time.

The sun was already beginning to set when Rey stripped and shifted, just inside the maze. Hissing in pleasure, Rey took a moment to stretch, and savour being in his dhani form again. He’d been stuck as a human for so long, only able to shift in his room. The house he’d bought was much better, spacewise, but it still didn’t compare to the freedom he’d have in the maze. Tucking his clothes back into his pack, Rey slithered out into the maze, turning at random. He’d learned by now to simply trust in Ionu, at least when it came to navigation. Although…

Stopping, Rey closed his eyes, focusing on stilling his mind. “Meditation”, Elise had called it in her journal. He tried to even his breathing, counting each breath until he felt a warm glow behind his eyelids. Opening his eyes, Rey turned, and grinned goofily at the sight of those glowing paths, and his own blue path in particular. Retracing his steps, Rey was slightly disappointed, but not particularly surprised to see that his patchy blue path was already beginning to fade by the time it disappeared into a bush. Seemed like he was going to have to find his way out the old fashioned way.

Still, that was a concern for later. Right now, Rey just needed to wander, and stretch his coils. Letting the paths fade from his sight, Rey continued on his way. Eventually, he made his way to a grassy clearing, just as the last sliver of sunlight began to fade. It was always hard to tell the whims of a goddess, but this seemed as likely as any to be where Ionu wanted him to be. So Rey coiled up in a corner of the field, and began to wait.

Snake Tongue | Common | Arumenic

[Dexius]

Seventeen left turns now, or was it eighteen? Here he was lost in the famous maze of his new home town, aptly named the Garden of No Return. Curiosity had overcome him once again as it often did and challenged him to take on the living puzzle that was now all around him. Earlier in the day though Dex figured he would patrol around the streets of his new city and forgo his usual training sessions by himself. The rumors around town had been growing dark lately and a few people were even found dead on the streets. He thought he would do his part to try to protect the people he now shared a home with but the uneventful day today had brought out a nagging feeling for excitement.

So here he was now in the garden maze he had heard about all so well from the few people he decided to talk to on the regular. Ever changing shrubbery would give you a run for your money they said, perhaps he should have listened to them. For now at least all Dex was looking for was a larger area to take a break in and perhaps get some of that missing training in today. It had been at least a bell since entering he was sure. The trip though the garden started off with whimsy like that of a child with the changing hedge alleyways acting as a small game of wits or even chance. Now the sun was going down and even though that didn't pose a problem to the young Symenestra's vision it could influence how safe he would be. Aimlessly wandering on forward; another five lefts and eight rights.

Surely nobody would be hiding out in a place like this since there would be very little chance of even running into another person in here. Right? Regardless, Dex carried on deeper into the large green maze as a yawn escaped his lips. Sleep had been elusive to him for quite a long time now about two seasons to be exact and he was starting to feel the effects. He resigned himself to taking a few small naps across the entire day rather than to lay down in slumber like most and now he really wished he could find a comfy looking spot to take a reprieve.

Finally while adjusting his favorite scarf he turned a corner into a much larger field of grass just after the sun set from the sky. "About time I find something else in this place other than long paths of nothingness, Viratas be praised." In a rather aloof manner the swordsman shuffled to one side of the field before plopping himself down in the grass and sprawling his limbs out on the comfy grass. "Maybe i'll take a small nap here..it seems as good a place as any other, perhaps somebody will come along in the meantime. Hopefully they aren't here to kill me if they do." He shrugged to himself in the grass before pulling his scarf up to cover his eyes. A bell or two of rest would do him good, so he believed.

[Yisanareysin]

Rey coiled up and tried to meditate, with little success. He was able to achieve short bursts of peace, punctuated by impatience, restlessness, and a steady awareness of the growing cold. Nearly a bell after first settling down, in this field, Rey was just about ready to call it a night, when a figure stumbled into the field.

Rey immediately ducked into a dark corner, well aware that in these tense times, some Alvads were more likely to stab first and ask questions later. Cautiously, he watched the figure, trying to gauge if it would be safer to stay in this form, or shift back to his human shape.

After a few ticks, the figure spoke, some soft, almost soothing language. Strange... it almost sounded familiar. As the figure plopped down to lay on the ground, Rey wracked his brain, searching through his memories for anything in that language.

Taking a gamble, Rey slowly began to sneak forwards, slithering through the grass as silently as he could. Staying low to the ground, he was halfway to the prone figure before a familiar scent reached his tongue.

Pryzavard.

The spider had spoken that very language, last time Rey had seen him. Only, Vard had disappeared two years ago, running after some mysterious figure, and Rey hadn't seen him since. Truthfully, he'd mostly forgotten about the Symenestra, until now. Drawing even closer, Rey caught a glimpse of a rapier at the figure's side. Surely it couldn't be. From this distance, he could see now that this figure's hair was black, not Vard's light blond.

But this entire scenario was eerily familiar. He had met Vard under these exact circumstances, a spider charging blindly into the maze, then collapsing before seeing Rey. If this wasn't Vard, surely it was an illusion, one of Ionu's little jokes.

Slithering even closer, Rey focused, gathering his djed, and sensed the figure. Male, tall, scrawny, the same skittering sensation, the same fragile bones that Vard had had. Flicking his tongue out, Rey sorted through the spider's scent. Exhaustion was the most prominent flavour, a light, numbing sort of sensation across his tongue. A sort of sour resignation, and a few tangy notes Rey couldn't quite identify. But it lacked that buzz that the illusions had, that sort of flickering quality that separated the real from the fake.

A real person, then. Leaning forwards so he was hovering just over the man's head, Rey cocked his head to one side. "Iss not ssafe to ssleep outdoorss, you know."

Snake Tongue | Common | Arumenic

[Dexius]

In but a few moments Dex was bordering the line between the waking world and the sleeping. Relaxing here in the cool grass reminded him of the times he used to spend outside of Kalinor soaking up the sun and being a complete sloth. He so very enjoyed sleeping outside rather than to be confined to the borders of his room now or his home as a child. But it also reminded him of the results of his brash actions of exploration; the death of his closest companion.

Alasyia, his best friend of times past appeared in his fatigued mind, as she often did as a reminder of what he had lost. She was hanging down from the tree above him, he was sleeping at the cliff's edge, his favorite place to relax growing up. His friend was talking yet completely silent, and as Dex tried to figure out what she was saying to him he realized something. This was not the normal dream he would have. Something was different about this particular scene unfolding in the forefront of his half unconscious mind. But then he finally heard the words, although, something was wrong about them. Her voice was not right and a few of the letters were over enunciated. "Iss not ssafe to ssleep outdoorss, you know."

He knew that though, and she knew that he knew as well. In fact he was the one to tell her that, he told her to go back home for her own safety as often as the sun would set or leaves would fall. "I know..I know.." The words escaped to reality as Dex stirred in his half sleep. But in his dreams he heard the line repeated again and again. "I know it's not safe..go home Alasyia i'll be fine.." His sleeping mind, now very much annoyed at the supposed intrusion caused his half waking consciousness to mimic his dreaming actions. Dex would wave his friend off to go back home, almost like shooing a small child back towards their parent.

Back in reality though, his nonsensical shooing ended with a surprise thump against a solid object. Dex froze, the back of his hand now resting against whatever it had come in contact with. With the sensation of feeling pouring into his waking self Dex quickly returned to the waking world. Unfortunately he had left his scarf covering his face so he could not exactly see what lay in front of him. Slowly, the Symenestra pulled his hand away from the foreign object to remove the scarf from impairing his vision.

He raised his head up as the scarf slipped away from his eyes to try to get a better look of things. Face to face he was then with the creature in front of him. Almost nose to, snout? Large, scaly, and bright colored eyes. Not exactly your garden variety snake if he had ever seen one. Half afraid, Dex began shuffling himself back a few inches at a time in a slow enough manner to hopefully not set off the creature. Also half aloof swordsman, he felt like he should probably say something to the monster that could possibly devour him, maybe it liked humor. "It's not nice to sneak up on people when they're sleeping you know...spiders bite just as well as.." Dex finally took a good look at the being in front of him now that he was a good eight inches from where he woke up. A giant snake man. Great. He had really hoped his little joke about a garden snake was coincidence, but Dex was never that lucky. "Well we bite just as good as snakes too..maybe not as well as you though.."

It occurred to him for a moment that the creature in front of him had actually woken him from his sleep on purpose. Instead of simply devouring him on the spot it decided to wake him and maybe then it would try to eat him? Did giant snake creatures have honor? He didn't think they would. But then again, he never met one either. "It might not be safe to sleep outdoors here in the city, but it's still safer than traveling across the region." Traveling from Kalinor to Alvadas, now that was dangerous. Plenty of things could kill you out there on the road. Monsters, weather, the terrain, and even snakes. "But the road didn't have a large snake..so maybe i'm wrong on this one.." Dex attempted to cover his fears with a hint of carelessness in his words to the strange snake man in front of him. But his shaky arms holding his upper torso up off the ground decided they wanted to betray him on this occasion.

[Yisanareysin]

Rey snickered internally when the spider started mumbling in common, but managed to keep it from escaping. Who was Alasyia, he wondered? He filed the name away in his mind, before startling when the spider reached out and smacked his chest.

Seemed the sym wasn't quite awake yet, though it looked like he was returning from Nysel's realm very rapidly. When the spider removed the scarf from his face, Rey offered him a toothy grin, glancing at his face as he did so. Definitely not Vard, the face was all different. Just a coincidence, then, or a trick of Ionu's. Settling back on his coils, Rey watched in amusement as the symenestra began babbling and etching away.

Akajia, but this was a talkative one, wasn't he. Rey studied the spider curiously. The words were carefree, almost jokey, but Rey thought he could detect an almost frantic quality to his voice, a guess backed up by the fact that the spider's hands were quite clearly shaking. He wore a rapier at his belt, and yet he hadn't drawn it in the face of something that terrified him. Untrained? Or simply not naturally aggressive?

Still, he seemed to be no threat to Rey, at least right now, and so he simply grinned at the symenestra, baring just a little more teeth than was necessary, though not his fangs just yet, just to watch the spider squirm. Watching the spider, Rey began to reconsider his plan for the night.

Vard's sudden disappearance had left Rey with more questions than before regarding the Symenestra race. And while this was certainly not what Rey had expected to be spending this evening doing, he wasn't going to waste his chance to get some more answers, especially since it seemed some deity had dropped a second chance for it right into his coils.

"Large ssnakes are everywhere, but you ussually do not ssee uss. From your commentss of traveling, you are new to the ccity, yess? Alvadass is dangerouss. Illusionss may not be real, but will kill you all the ssame. And they do call thiss the Garden of No Return, you know. Be glad I mean you no harm, sspider boy. What bringss a newcomer to thiss part of the ccity?"

As he spoke, he sent tendrils of his will towards the spider, planting the very faint hypnotic suggestion of positive emotion. Anything more complex, or more powerful was beyond Rey right then, but he hoped even the slightest bit would help.

Snake Tongue | Common | Arumenic

[Dexius]

Dex sighed to himself as the large snake man bore his fangs at him in a wicked looking smile. He had done that too on occasions that called for it to put that little extra something into the mood. Since the reptile had yet to devour him or even make such a move to indicate that was it's intention he figured he wasn't in deep water, yet. But his position here on the ground was a vulnerable one and that was something he was fond of being in.

Being a creature of natural dexterity it was a simple task to rise from the ground with a bit more grace than the other humanoid races. Dex quickly rolled back on his shoulders for a moment while bringing his legs up above his head. He followed up by pushing off the ground with his hands to semi gracefully land on his feet, his front torso leaning forward a bit more than he would have liked cause him to waver for a tick.

Now back on his feet his left hand gravitated towards his rapier's scabbard to rest, more habitual than out of fear. His right hand tossed his scarf back up around his neck as he listened to the snake's humorous sounding speech. "Large snakes don't usually hide so well, it's the smaller ones people have to worry about." He had been in the city here for quite a bit now, just about thirty-eight days after tonight was over but he had never seen a creature quite like this before even here. Dex took note of the various features of the large snake man: the long coiled tail, scaled skin but a humanoid looking torso, rows a long fangs, and very interesting looking eyes.

"Yeah, I guess you could say i'm new to the city still. Going on forty days here soon give or a take a few." The comment on illusions though had Dex a little worried, he thought illusions were nothing more than that, just playful spectacles in the city streets. "How could something not real kill anybody? You could just as easily kill me I suppose as any of the illusions though. Garden of No Return, yeah, I got it. I just didn't think people meant that in a literal sense.."

Without exactly realizing it, Dex had moved his left hand away from its normal perch and into his trouser pocket instead. He thought it amusing that the snake man was trying to talk diplomacy to him when he was the one caught unawares in the first place. "Well if you mean no harm then can you go ahead a put those teeth away, pal? And I suppose i'm here just for the same reasons anybody else would be, to challenge the maze. Perhaps I have lost though, it's been over a bell now since I entered if I had to guess." Dex shifted his weight from leg to leg slowly, still obviously on edge about the reptile man even through his talks of peace. "Also really, spider boy?"
He rubbed the top of the bridge of his nose with his free hand for a moment. Dex really did not want to have to deal with what the snake man might have in store for him. But again, it had made no indications of aggression besides flaring his teeth and that was probably more for intimidation. "I don't suppose you know where the exit is...do you? As much as i'd like to stay and talk with..whatever you are i'd much prefer to do it in a more public setting. Perhaps we can talk then and you can tell me about yourself...if there's anything to say really." At that moment he really wished he knew which way was out, he didn't like being the one trapped, that was the spider's job after all.

[Yisanareysin]

Rey rolled his eyes, amused when the spider did a flip backwards. He vaguely recalled Vard doing a trick that seemed similar in difficulty, if not in style. Perhaps it was a racial trait? Or perhaps it was simply his luck to have found two rapier wielding, acrobatic spiders.

"Ssome illusionss are more real than otherss. The regular illusionss are ssafe enough. Thesse changing sstreetss or paper tigerss or danccing colorss, they will not hurt thosse who do not invite hurt. Lying on the ground in the Garden, thiss iss inviting hurt."

Rey smirked at the spider. "Bessidess, iss not only illusionss to be wary of. You haven't heard? A man wass sshot dead in the sstreets some dayss ago. Dangerouss times."

When the spider asked about the exit, Rey shook his head in mock sorrow. Aah, newcomers. Always so fun to watch scramble around the city. Although... that gave him an idea as to how to get his answers from this one. "There iss a reasson they call thiss the Garden of No Return, sspider boy." He teased. His eyes flickered to where the spider had dropped his hand from his rapier. Good, not being perceived as a threat was a good start. "Sssee?"

Rey gestured to the entrance the spider had stumbled in from, now blocked off by a hedge. "This mazze twisstss and turnss ass Ionu willss. No ssuch thing ass retraccing your path, I'm afraid. "

He gave his words a few ticks to sink in, then continued. "Of coursse, I've been around thiss maze sseveral timess, and I do know the trick to getting out. I could lead you from thiss placce, for a pricce. All I assk iss that you ansswer a few quesstionss. We don't ssee sso many of your kind in Alvadass, and I am curiouss."

He toyed with the idea of using some more hypnotism, but reluctantly discarded it. Best to conserve his energy.

"Sso, what do you ssay? I'll even sshift into a more human form, if you wissh."

Snake Tongue | Common | Arumenic

[Dexius]

Killer illusions huh? Well that was something new to think about. Dex shrugged his shoulders as the snake man went on about his safety. He had always been able to protect himself from anything that threatened him, well, maybe not from his current conversation partner. "As long as the illusions don't all look like you I think I might be fine, I can handle myself fairly well I think." He nodded at the mention of the various deaths in the city, the reason he had even been out tonight. It had become more dangerous in the city over the last couple of weeks, that was for sure.

He smiled brightly at his reptilian partner. "That's why I was out tonight, thought i'd make sure everything was going okay in the neighborhood. If i'm to live here I would at least prefer it be safe." At the snakes gesture he decided to look towards where he had come. Figures. The maze is just like the city, well at least he didn't feel so bad about getting lost now. "Ionu appears to will a lot of things, most of them seem to put me off track and quite often."

The deity of the city, Ionu. He..she..it, Dex really wasn't sure which it was yet. But regardless, this particular god seemed to enjoy confusing a particular Symenestra and he wasn't really that fond of it. Now how would he get out of this obnoxious maze? Just at the moment though, the scaly speaker offered up a solution to the problem. Dex crossed his arms for a few moments to contemplate the deal proposed. He simply sighed and shrugged again since there was little alternative beside trudging through the maze once more.

"Sounds like a deal there scaly man. The name is Dexius by the way, but I prefer Dex. Yourself?" He reached his right hand out for a deal shake with his newest companion, this city had a knack for strange people. And this strange one seemed to come in multiple shapes and sizes. Whatever he was though, if it came in human size he would prefer that to this colossus. "Do me that favor then..and uh..turn into a human you say? As weird as that sounds to me I guess I prefer that to whatever it is you are right now. By the way, were you uh, born this way?" The Symenestra pointed up and down at the large body of the reptilian monster. He had hoped that wasn't the case, he felt bad for the mother. He also felt bad for his.

"So how do we go about getting out of this place if the way is always changing just like the streets? You said you've been here before but you could be just as lost as I am." The tone of his voice turned a bit serious after having been playful the entire conversation prior. He really did not like to be tricked, by people after all. Not a whole lot he could do about a god who wanted to, especially one in charge of a city like Alvadas. He pointed at the remaining exits from the small field. "Which way is back towards the entrance then, and how could you know?" Dex locked his gaze with that of the would be leader, two pairs of strange eyes glaring into each other.

[Yisanareysin]

Rey raised an eyebrow at the spider's comment about handling himself. Interesting. Experienced with the blade, or overconfident? The spider didn't strike him as the bragging type, so perhaps it would be best to assume that he did know what he was doing. For now.

He cocked his head to the side when the Symenestra gave his name. No Kro or Krova or whatever prefix honourifics it was they used? Hm.

"Reyssin. Iss a pleassure to meet you." He shook the spider's hands, noting curiously how delicate his hands seemed to be. Rey had noticed that they seemed frail, but in this shape, he felt like he could crush this spider into dust.

Releasing Dex's hand, Rey slithered back to his pack, answering the spider's question as he did. "Born thiss way? Hardly. Wass hatched a ssnake." Pulling his clothing from his pack, Rey decided to leave his answer at that, curious to see if Dex would inquire further. Did this one know of Dhani, or did he think Rey an illusion or anomaly?

Turning slightly to watch Dex's reaction, Rey shifted back into his human form, ending his thirty tick transformation kneeling in the grass. He dressed quickly, and stretched. He'd hoped to stay in his more serpentile form for longer, but the maze wasn't going anywhere. He'd have time.

"Ionu iss not a cruel goddess." Where Dex's tone had grown somber, Rey's was still cheery and amused, almost teasing. Ah, newcomers. "Or perhapss sshe iss. Not for me to ssay. Ass Alvadass hass itss patternss and gamess, sso doess the garden."

Rey slung his pack over his shoulders, assessing the spider. As much fun as it was to tease the newcomer, Rey did want his answers. How best to get them..... With some, Rey could dangle the possibility of answers before them, and get everything he needed that way. With others, feigning awe and wonder would start a torrent of self centred exposition, from which Rey could sift out useful information. With this one, straightforward friendliness seemed to be the way to go.

"The garden changess, yess, but what iss within it doess not. The flowerss, the treess, all thesse thingsss remain. Ssupposse you did not pay attention to the flowerss ass you walked on, yess? Then I am your way out of thiss maze."

With that, Rey turned to retrace his path at an easy pace, trusting that the spider would follow him. If he was correct, Rey would start off with the most recent question that had occurred to him.

"Lasst ssymenesstra I met," Second last, really, but the last one didn't count, "gave hiss name with word in front. Krova, then Pryzza? But you do not? Iss becausse I am not sspider ass well? Or iss it only a thing of the well born of your kind?"

Snake Tongue | Common | Arumenic

[Dexius]

Shaking the hand of the large snake man made Dex feel rather..uneasy to say the least. It was less of a handshake after all and more like his hand was consumed instead. "Reysin then. The pleasure is all mine. May Viratas keep your essence strong, snake friend."

Dex watched as the reptile retrieved his pack and began to remove a few pieces of clothing from it. It was born this way. How very...unsettling. "If you were born a snake then, what does that make you exactly? You obviously know my people's likeness to spiders but you..whatever you are takes that a bit further than whispers in the streets."

The snake was an interesting being to behold, that much was for certain. Dex began to wonder what the creature was capable of...that is until it started..what was a good word. Melting? The reptile's body began to melt into itself, slow changing into something smaller and smaller.

If the skin of a Symenestra could get any more pale then his would be see through. His body even more ghastly looking than it would normally look during the impeding dusk. The face of the swordsman wore a torn look of complete disgust as he tried to look away from the sight but also that of an unending curiosity, though he hated it in this particular moment.

Finally it was all over with the now man..woman..no man rising from the ground to dress himself. It was an odd sight to see..well other than the large snake man becoming a human thing. The man, now on two feet stood very much shorter than previously in his scaly form. Almost a good foot short than Dex, in fact, he would have to look down to talk to him if standing too close. What a weird city.

"Cruel is a matter of opinion, the gods see fit to do what they will upon the world regardless of what we think is cruel." Dex responded to the first words from the..man since his transformation, the voice being oddly similar still. "But..please do me a favor. I have seen death, but I do not wish to see that again."

He shrugged at the snake's response to his accusations of escape. Not much he could really do other than to walk blindly back into the hedges. Something he preferred to not do at this point. Then again, there were a lot of things he would prefer to not have to do. Like following the 'snake' man through a maze like a mouse. Mice were prey and he was not prey. Spiders were always ready to strike, with that thought in mind his hand drifted to rest back on the pommel of his blade.

Dex stepped forward next to his newest companion and like he guessed, had to look down at him to address him for a response. "Last Symenesta huh? How many of my people have you met before?" Most people were very...wary of dealing with the widows even after meeting them more than a few times. The calmness of the 'snake' man was a little unnerving to that fact.

"He spoke with my people's words of honor. Titles we might give each other to convey respect or in turn distaste. If he named you with either of those titles, he must have found you a good companion." Dex had never really considered using the Symenestra honorifics on other races but who knew what could happen in the future?

"I do not use them because I feel I should attempt to grasp at more local cultures while I am living in the city. Perhaps someday, should we find a mutual understanding of each other I could place an honorific of my people upon your name."

Dex motioned forward for his new 'friend' to lead on through the maze. He was very ready to be rid of this place now and possibly forever. "We do have..what you could call low bloods I suppose. But my family is well born enough, as are most Symenestra. Class is less of an issue in my city. But enough about me. Tell me about yourself..little one. What exactly were you doing laying in wait here?"

A spider and a snake then. What could possibly go wrong with the two trapped in a maze? Hopefully it wouldn't come down to who had the bigger teeth.