It had been some time since Iofiel had last been to the Grotto. It wasn't that he had no wish to return but he simply had been busy. There were matters that needed attending to first. Daario had called him friend and friends returned with a gift. It had taken the pale male quite some time to come up with a proper gift. What did one give someone of the afterlife?

He hoped his gift to be two part though and that his delivered message had sent family to visit with Daario instead. Or at least it allowed the Spectre's family to know he was still with them and thought of them. But there was still one part of that message that stuck with Iofiel, haunting the large lion. That the Spectre still managed to get lonely. There had to be something for that.

It was while the large lion was out and looking for further plants to add to the small garden he was attempting to build in the Oasis that he had come across a lone lovebird. There was more than just the one peach-faced lovebird but all the rest were paired up with their homes built into various cacti. It was just that there was one cactus that held only a single bird.

This bird had been adopted and cultivated. And now that it could at least say Daario Iofiel felt it an opportune time to return to the Grotto. Whether he would be welcomed back, let alone remembered was something that remained to be seen.

So with the small bird tucked within his mane the pale pelted lion made his way behind the waterfall into the firefly lit grotto. "Darrio?" His deep voice rang out as he searched the area for the spectral male. Perhaps they weren't truly friends and it had only been only been a pleasant farewell on the Spectre's part. Iofiel didn't know why such a thought stung so. They had only had the single meeting after all. It wasn't as if they had made some soul shattering discoveries. Still, the siamese marked lion had thought that at least the beginnings of a connection had been formed if nothing else.

"Are you busy...?" The words came with a hint of uncertainty. "If this is a bad time...?" An open ended question joined the mix. Iofiel couldn't begin to know what one of the afterlife might be doing when they weren't visually present. Did that mean that didn't exist in this realm at the moment? Could Daario even hear him at all? But how did one make a date with one of the afterlife? Not that that was what this was. Iofiel would never presume that he could make a date with the Spectre. But it did lead to yet another question. Did spirits even have any concept of time? Would Daario even realize it had been a good length of time that had passed since Iofiel had last been here? Or did not being corporeal meant that time ceased to exist entirely?

@Daario

There were quite a lot of questions that Daario still had to ask about his life as a spirit but hadn't gotten the opportunity to. A lot of it happened to be trial and error, trying to find where he fit and where he didn't. The things he could do and the things he couldn't. The Grotto wasn't the worst place but he did terribly miss family; though, he supposed that had to do with how close he had been with all of them before. Talisa came and saw him occasionally and left little flowers here and there as a reminder that she hadn't forgotten. Daario typically looked over at them from time to time and it almost felt like she was there with him.

After a while, it became easy to assume that once someone left his company it was usually the last time he heard from them. So it was with great surprise that he heard @Iofiel calling out his name and requesting his presence. There was joy that coated his heart as he realized that his name was remembered in the very least and that perhaps he could help once more. So happily he came down through the ceiling of the Grotto and came to formation several feet in front of the sandy male. He looked much the same as before though a little more well-fed and brighter, perhaps. There is no bad time here, he jokes as there was little that could be said to have a bad time in the after life. It has been a while. You are good? Much time had passed that he hadn't seen his family but he could only assume that that meant they were very busy. He hoped in the best of ways, of course.

"You could have been showering for all I knew." It was an attempt at a joke. Not a very good joke but then Iofiel was typically the serious sort and so jokes weren't something that he tried to perform often. "Are you always here or is there somewhere else to be?" But as he thought of the question he had spoken he realized it hadn't come out exactly as he meant. "I know you said you can't leave the Grotto and travel to the lands of your family. But is there somewhere else that only those whom have passed can reach? Somewhere that we, as living beings, cannot see?" Perhaps that made a slight bit more sense as far as explaining his thought process. He had his own beliefs but that didn't mean that he didn't want to learn the belief of this Spectre, the ones held in this land.

"I am well. I have joined the Oasis pride. I am trying to start a garden there so I have been busy with that." The pale male quickly clicked his jaws shut as he realized he was speaking too much of himself. He didn't know what it was about Daario that loosed his tongue. Usually only talk of healing was what got him to open up. He supposed his garden was healing related.

Iofiel hung his head shyly as he realized what he was doing only to be squawked at in protest by the bird with a huffed out 'Daario'. "Oh, there is that." The large lion shook his head which caused the bird to squawk again before finally flapping away from his mane to go and perch on the branch of a tree instead. "You mentioned you get lonely and I found them alone as well. So I thought that perhaps you could be friends and friends at least should know each other's names." And he was rambling once again.

"Sorry." A sheepish look passed over his features as he apologized. Typically he could contain himself more than this. "I have been talking too much. Tell me, how have you been? Anything of interest happen?"

@Daario

It was an amusing thought -- to be showering here in the Grotto -- but alas, he didn't quite have the same capabilities. A shower sounded quite nice, however, and would've loved to enjoy a nice refreshing bath but he hadn't felt that for quite a few years now. Nothing ever seemed quite the same. Just here, in the Grotto. One day perhaps he would be able to venture out of the confines of the Grotto but for now this was where his primary residence was. Perhaps he'd be closer to family one day and they wouldn't forget about him as they often did but he didn't have a say in the matter. Maua had already done so much for him that he dared not ask them for anything more.

Think of the beyond as... a darkness. A great place of sleep. When he wasn't here, present in the Grotto, then he was at a resting point. As though he were caught in time and frozen in place until the next one called for him. Like being in cryo sleep but without the cold. Luckily for @Iofiel, Daario was happy to listen to him continue on about the Oasis and his garden. Pleased to have someone that was happy to come talk to him. It wasn't until the faint squawk of a bird that he realized they weren't completely alone.

Eyes dashed quickly to Iofiel's locks of hair as he noticed a lovebird fluttering out of his mane and out towards the nearest tree. The words, however, were surprising. They had picked up on the loneliness bit and had gone so far as to provide him with some company. Obviously there would be limitations. Daario couldn't linger in the Grotto the whole day (or could he?) and the bird would likely be left alone. The last thing he wanted -- or wanted Iofiel -- to do was to murder a bird just for the sake of a constant companion. That is... very thoughtful of you, he mused quietly as he realized just how much work the near stranger had gone through to make sure that Daario was comfortable and content. Taking spare time out of what was likely a very busy day in order to help a spirit feel a little less droll.

Eyes twisting from Iofiel, to his new bird friend and admiring its colors from afar before realizing a question had been asked. Oh. Not much? A couple came by a month ago and asked me some questions. Friends of my daughter, Talisa, who told them about me. Daario wished he had been able to give them a better idea as to what lay behind for them specifically but it was only disappointment. Walthari had wanted to know if his mother would be beyond the veil but unless they passed well within the walls of Amaryllis, they would not have been brought here. Maua's reach was great but it was not endless.

"Is that all there is to do? To sleep or to entertain uninvited company whom have an endless amount of questions?" Iofiel was certainly included among that uninvited company. Granted there was also that tricky bit where Darrio couldn't exactly leave the Grotto to pass out invitations. Though it did beg another question. "Must you answer every time someone comes calling or are you free to ignore them?" Did being tethered to the Grotto mean that the Spectre must make an appearance any time that someone else came? How much free will had been lost upon becoming a spirit? "Do all whom die here become like you?"

And then he realize he was being too nosy and prying way too much. "Apologies. I simply wish to understand how being a Rwh here works." As there seem to be differences with the Rwh he knew. The Rwh he believed in were vengeful and could travel where they must to seek out their vengeance.

"This one had no companion to share a home in the cacti with. They don't speak much but they are capable of learning. Very intelligent birds." Fauna wasn't really his area of expertise but he did know a little bit, mostly about things that lived in the desert. Plus he didn't want Daario to think he had stolen the bird away from a family.

So Daario had a daughter named Talisa. Was this the same daughter whom needed Maua's intervention? Not that he was about to ask such a thing. "I would wish to know more about you. About whom you were in life and what passions you had, or still have if those have persisted after death."

@Daario

While his newfound friendship with the sandy male was fresh and unyielding, it was a nice change of pace. Most of those that came to him seemed to ask questions and were always met with disappointment at most of his answers. Either that or they didn't even ask him questions at all, presumably because they didn't know what to say, what to ask or how to behave. Daario didn't blame them but it often times didn't give him very much to do and ended with him feeling as though he'd done more harm than good. So it was nice that @Iofiel was so inquisitive because he was never bored.

For the most part, that is all there is to do. And no, I don't have to show up for those to summon for me. I am... free to ignore them as I wish. There were a few times where someone had wandered into the Grotto and he'd found no reason or will to appear. Some can ascend to greater skill -- being able to do more within the realm of Amaryllis. One day he hoped that he might be able to be given more responsibilities as a spirit but for now he was a little more limited in his range. No, please. Ask away and I will try my best to give an answer. Though, he couldn't make promises that he would have a question for it all.

Eyes wandered quickly over to the lovebird that had apparently been taught his name. A wonder of a creature as it continued its perch within the tree. Daario was deeply enamored and flattered by the gift, ultimately wondering if it would enjoy his company in return. I am a father to eight children. Seven of which are my daughters, while I have one son. Nearly all of them live within Vermeda, save for one of my daughters who died when she was very young. That was one small gift he had been given, next to not having to go for very long without company as he and one of his wives had died nearly together. I had two wives, Tyene and Lucretia. The latter lives here, though doesn't partake in the living all too often. Daario was the most active spirit, he imagined, aside from Pypar who liked to mingle with those that showed up every now and then.

I was a warrior, in my time. A soldier to protect my home and my people. I trained others to protect themselves and made sure we were prepared for anything that might come. Sparring and training had been hobbies of his though in his later years he hadn't been given much opportunity to really use his training. A blessing, of course, but he missed the thrill of a fight in the beyond.

So there was still some free will to be had even as a spirit. Though there also seemed to be a lot of restrictions in place as well. And with what Daario was saying there were different levels to being a spirit. "What sort of skills would a Rwh have?" he asked when he was given free reign to ask questions. Daario wanted to do more and Iofiel was curious as to what that more consisted of.

Eight children sounded like quite the number. It made Iofiel wonder how he managed it, with most of them being girls even. And there were two wives, of course. Because Iofiel wouldn't be Iofiel if he didn't happen to have an interest in someone whom was unavailable. What was more available than a straight spirit. Strike that, a straight spirit whose wife lived here with him.

To learn that last bit had Iofiel glancing to the bird that he had brought. How foolish he had been. "I apologize for my presumption. You aren't in need of company after all." If the love of Darrio's life was here then what would the Spectre need with a stupid bird for? "I suppose I can always return it." Or else Iofiel would just have a new bird friend or something. It made him feel foolish for having thought he was doing the other some great favor when it turned out it wasn't even needed in the first place.

"I can respect wishing to protect one's loved ones. Fighting is simply something I have never found an interest in. I have never believed in harming another." He didn't know why he was telling the Spectre this. He hadn't been asked to reveal anything. Nobody ever asked him anything.

@Daario

To be fair, the knowledge he had of @Iofiel's "rwh" was still rather lost on him. The most he could remember was that the male had compared it to himself, as a Spectre. Asking if they were one and the same which were close, he supposed, so best to simply go off of that. For me, as a Spectre, I am limited to the Grotto. I am given full memory of the life I had before but without being able to go elsewhere, I only know of the land from what is told to me. Which was why the male often felt like he was so far behind on the times. Once upon a time he had known every little thing that moved and changed and now he was limited by what someone else was willing to tell him if they wandered here.

Daario didn't know how to explain to his new friend how being an Idol or a Guardian worked. Or that he presumed that after a while, he might be able to ask Maua for more powers beyond his grave but for now this was what he knew and what he would patiently take. Suddenly the conversation turned downwards and Daario's eyes lit up in horrified surprise. The feeling of having somehow emotionally trampled upon the male having made him feel quite guilty. No-no. You misunderstand, I think. He felt uncertain of how to proceed and knowing that it wasn't an easy concept for some.

My wife, Lucretia... she doesn't get out much. I want to experience more than what I was given when I was alive. Would Iofiel understand with those words? That he loved his wife and always would but he didn't wish to give up on this life so easily. Daario wanted more and she seemed more harnessed and tethered to this territory than he was. Back when I was a yearling - a young adult - fighting to protect my pride and family was necessary. Our pride, Vermeda, wasn't always the only one but for the majority of my children's lives, it has been. There had been a handful of prides when he had been young and they had always sought to dismantle the home that the Valour's had made for themselves in the Brook. There had been little choice in what he wanted to be when he was younger that it simply was a part of who he was now.

"Then I will simply have to visit often to keep you informed of what has been happening." Not that Iofiel was particularly in the know. He didn't really get out like that to meddle in the affairs of others. But for Daario he would. It had to be hard to have been part of everything once and suddenly not a part of anything. Iofiel was used to that, he was a nobody and had always blended into the background. He was often forgotten about in the midst of everything else.

"Spectre." He tried out the words that the other had used to dub himself. It sounded odd on his tongue. But then Daario likely felt that way about Rwh. "Rwh can go anywhere they wish. They are often vengeful and will place curses upon entire generations." Not all of them were like that but one only got told tales about the vengeful ones as a warning rather than hear anything about those whom might prove helpful.

Perhaps he did misunderstand but the Spectre's explanation didn't particularly ease his mind. In fact it made him more confused. "I apologize, I am afraid I do not understand still. What more is there to want when you have the one you love with you?" What Iofiel wouldn't give to have something like that for himself. But at his age it really didn't seem to be in the cards for him.

"I had been born and raised in the desert. That is a fight of its own. Certainly nothing to compare what you have been through, of course." He wasn't trying to one up Daario nor belittle the warrior's struggles. Iofiel was simply offering a smidgen of insight into his own background. He could most certainly understand the struggle to survive. Daario simply had an enemy that he could fight while Iofiel had struggled against the elements instead.

@Daario

That would be a great service you would be doing for me, @Iofiel. There was very little that he could do to repay the sandy male but if he was able to, Daario would appreciate it from beyond the grave. Perhaps tell one of his children (should they ever visit!) to bring a gazelle to him for his trouble and kindness.

The Valour did not know exactly how he could explain himself better but knew the one he had given was weak. Our love is our family. It is our mission to be able to go further than this place. Daario paused, knowing that this explanation was still not going to be understood. Not from anyone else's point of view who didn't know Lucretia and who might not understand how separated the two were. Daario was an active spirit who wanted to engage with the world that they had unintentionally left behind where as his wife had no will to try. At least, right now she didn't. It is by my knowledge that I believe that should I do my dutiful to the life I live here, that Maua might take it upon themselves to grant me the chance to reincarnate. Further expressing that there was a lot than their Deity could do but there was one small hiccup.

It has not been seen in my family for several generations but I know that they are capable of doing so. If only through their legends and stories. If Daario could be a exemplary guardian of Amaryllis, then he could have the chance to live once more. Something he aspired to be but was doing so at his own pace, in the off chance that it was no longer possible. As he certainly didn't want his family to get their hopes up.

As for the warrior's life, Daario certainly understood that not everyone was built to fight. Over the last few years, his children had not seen trouble or chaos. They had been raised in bliss and simply the consistency of community. So the most he could offer was a nod of acknowledgment, for he knew little of how living a life in the desert was like as he had only traveled through as many times as he had toes on his paws.