There were many areas of the labyrinth she had yet to explore. While the dark tunnels were not unnerving she did loathe the lack of sky when she traipsed through the shadows. It felt wrong to be cut off from the moon and the stars, an uncomfortable crawling sensation that trailed across her skin. In the early morning, when the moon is freshly put to bed, Nox presses deeper in to the tunnels than she had before. Allowing instinct to guide her she moves at a trot, choosing her path at each fork without giving herself the time to doubt. She is confident, pulled by an indescribable sense of certainty. The first sign that she is on the right path is a stray gem, carelessly kicked aside, dropped by some other greedy visitor no doubt. Her step quickens until the tunnels widen and finally open in to malkia's chamber. Unbeknownst to her she had done a full circle, reaching the chamber from the darker back corner. Nox has no idea that she stands mere feet from the entrance to the labyrinth, but right now she does not care. The quiet here is sacred and she scarcely dare breath, studying her surroundings with intensity. Numerous gemstones are scattered along the ground, crystals that would prove most beneficial to her collection. Closing her eyes she retraced her steps in her mind, ensuring she would never forget the way here. +10 Explore a territory and find something useful in it 1/2 +10 Discuss the features of a territory with someone 0/2 +10 Find a notable landmark in a territory 1/2

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Within these confines is where Alexander felt the most at ease - at home. It made his soul feel at ease. Here, he could hear Her breath, could feel the warm embrace of her love. The chambers were a testament to her marvelous beauty and power. The sound of her heart, it thrummed in his ears, reminding her how mighty she was. A heavy breath expels as the beast awakens from his slumber, feeling fresh and rejuvenated.

The mass of his form raises, lifting with a low rumble of sound vibrating within his broad chest. Like a dragon hidden deep within a cavern, hoarding a treasure, he realizes he sleeps amongst many sparkling, seemingly glowing crystals. They make a delicate song as they clink to the Earth, causing his ears to dance atop his skull. The sound of another alerts the beast to someone's presence nearby, and dipping his head low, Alexander steps out of the darkness of the chamber to find another had arrived.

"I do not often see others here." The Savante's breath comes out from the ebony of his nostrils, a soft snort accompanying the action. Pale blue eyes peer at @Nox, but make no move to get any closer. Yet.

For a time she stands in isolated silence, cocooned with her own thoughts for company. Two-toned eyes skip across the walls and stone floor of the chamber before tracking upwards to the ceiling. Various nooks and crannies house numerous treasures, as evidences by the reflections on the rock, and she takes note of a few feathered creatures nesting up high. Of course she would not be alone. His voice does not startle her; his presence is large and she knows he is there long before he speaks. Nox does not look, not until the words have long disappeared and the silence looms once more. Then and only then does her gaze shift, and a curious smile slips in to place. "Perhaps they are afraid," she muses, with a quirk at her lips and a spark of amusement in her eyes. "Those that cannot see are often afraid." How true that was, in so many facets of life. +10 Explore a territory and find something useful in it 2/2 +10 Discuss the features of a territory with someone 0/2 +10 Find a notable landmark in a territory 2/2 @Alexander ♔

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The crystals seemed to hum and vibrate, calling to him in the silence that loomed between them after she spoke. The chamber engulfed them in darkness and while most would be afraid, as she said, Alexander felt himself most comfortable in the dark. The Earth was ever present in his mind, his heart and it made his body feel alive. Tail sweeps behind him, ears pressing back a moment as those pale eyes cast back up to the sky touched woman, "Why do you linger here, in the dark, then?" He questions quietly, moving a bit closer, but not so much that it might cause her to back away. Nostrils flare, attempting to discern any other information he could from her.

@Nox

She is not bothered by his presence, nor his nearness. In fact when he steps closer she follows suit, closing the gap between them so that they might converse more easily. Nox prefers close contact, drawn to the warmth of others, pulled in to their orbit without resistance. "I have never feared the dark," she murmurs, a spark of truth in those two-toned eyes as they dance away to pierce the shadows. There is more that she has to say, the weight of unsaid words heavy in the air, but for a long moment they are locked behind her lips. Until, finally, she looks back at him. "I was drawn here. Now I understand why." A flash of teeth as her paw shifts, plucking one of the many precious stones from the ground. +10 Discuss the features of a territory with someone 0/2

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Alexander finds himself pleasantly surprised when she inches closer, unable to help himself he closes the distance between them - what was left, at least. As she moves to pick up a stone, the Savante finds himself amused, laughing. The way she had spoken, it was almost as if she were talking about him, if not otherwise clarified by her actions.

Sitting down, his blue eyes narrow in on the stone she'd picked up, curious on what she would do with them. "Do these hold some significance to you?" He questions, testing the waters - wanting to know more about her, what she believed in. Surely this woman of the sky was a mystery. One he wished to unravel.

@Nox

Of course he asks -- she had known that he would. Mortal men are predictable, and Nox rather enjoyed that about them. No matter how she would have liked to cast aside the stones and play a different game she answers his question, though at her usual pace. Contemplating the crystal she had picked up she turned it one way and then another, appreciating the ethereal gleam it held even in the shadow. "Krustallos," she murmured, in a voice that was almost reverent, "eternal ice." Indeed the one she had plucked from the ground was a piece of quartz, beautiful in it's clarity. "They are no mere stones," she carried on, though now her focus once more returned to him, leaning in as if she is bestowing some great secret, "but vessels. They can protect you, give you strength..." Her voice trailed off as her lips twitched in an expression akin to a smile.

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Oh, if she only knew why he asked. The beast remained silent, allowing her to explain something he already knew. Crystals were a part of the Earth, a part of Her.

Often they were used in rituals to bestow blessings, empowerment - some given to mothers upon the birth of her children as a symbol of protection. At the height of their power, the meeting place of the Savante had been a chamber full of these empowered cyrstals.

Still, it caused his chest to swell with interest as she seemed to know the secrets of these crystals, intriging him all the more. "It is kristály in my tongue, almost as beautiful." He teases softly, a smirk curving those dark lips of his.

"My kin, we are familiar with these, with the Earth - The Mother. They sing to me." The beast in forms @Nox quietly, pale eyes lowering to the almost ethereal glimmer the quartz put off. He was only a mortal man, but he was not so simple.

Nox might have pouted when she realized he knew more than he let on, but instead her interest only swelled. Much as his own when he recognized some measure of kindred spirit she, too, was intrigued. "Kristály," she repeats, her tongue twisting around the foreign word with a surprisingly amount of grace and skill. Language had always come easily to her; when she was a child it was only another sign i her mother's eyes. Everything was a damn sign. His kin are different, but there is an overlap in beliefs all the same. If there is one thing that she had found to be consistent it was that nearly every system had some amount of overlap, beliefs bleeding and blending almost seamlessly at times. "And mine," she mused, as she placed the stone back on the ground and peered up at him, "call Her Gaia, and she is the mother of all life."

The words of his kin sounded easy on her tongue. It was not the ancient chorus the Savante usually sang, but still - it was beautiful. Alexander found himself approving of this, showing in a small smile. She reveals shortly after that they call the Mother another name, as many do.

Recently he had come to know that some called the Deity of these lands Maua. Yet, Alexander knew that the Mother was something entirely different. Ancient, more primal - the root of all things. She was the very thing they stood on - and they were all blessed to have such a privilege. The idea of Deities always intrigued him, but only because most you could not touch, or feel - only sometimes could you see.

With Her you could see her, touch her, feel, smell - everything. The Mother was tangible, which made it so easy to believe. Even still, he was a beast that would not deny the existence of other beliefs. It appealed to him when they were so similar to his own.

"Gaia? A lovely name, one befitting a Goddess. Are there others?" He muses, a single brow arching at the lioness before him, leaning in curiously. @Nox had opened up Pandora's box, now - his curiosity of all she believed in growing.