Ever since the challenge at the Summit, Dero had been thinking about how to properly make himself known to his family. How to let them know that he was still here. Though the elder wasn't certain how much he could do in this state, if there was ever a way to help them with anything, at least he could still share his wisdom and guidance, his opinion if wanted. Whatever the old man could do to still be relevant, even if it felt too late now. Oh, but he was of no use in his physical state, not these last few years. Not since his mind started going, but now? Dero was clear headed, able to see the world again for what it was. He could remember things as they were, no longer plagued with the flashes of old wars at every sound of the drum. He was still here. And he was here for them.

Feeling this freedom around him, the Hodari found himself simply lounging on what was one of his favorite spots in Amaryllis. A simple boulder, plenty large enough for his body to sprawl across, shaded by an acacia tree. It was always the perfect perch to post upon while gazing out over the watering hole. He hardly needed to keep out of the son, but figured his slightly translucent appearance would be less noticed beneath the shade of the tree behind him. Even if he was dead now, the world still went on.

@Zinnia

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She should get out of the sun, but she was busy collecting things. Her pouch for herbs has been emptied and was now currently being refilled with bones, interesting rocks, and beneath all of that was lavender. Lavender, she had learned was everywhere and while the Laws would not approve of her picking flowers and herbs, it did calm her mind and soothe her anxiety. The lavender was for her.

The girl would pause, however as a new plant caught her attention. She looked it over and then dug around the roots. Deciding to take the whole thing back to the scorched wilds. She didn't know what it did, but it looked like it was useful. Grasping the Devils Claw in her mouth she turned away from the watering hole, seeking shade. She would head back to the wilds once the heat of the day passed.

As she neared the shade, she noted a figure. Familiar in that she thought she had seen the ghost at the bloody wedding. When Reti had been killed ..and brought back. Her head tilted, the plant shifting in her jaws at the motion. Why were all of these ghosts showing up all of a sudden? This was at least the 3rd she seen... "Hi! Can I share the tree?" She asked, with a mouthful or plant still. She would still be nice, this one didn't look rabid or...insane like the last ghost.

@Dero

Truthfully, Dero hardly remembered much from that chaotic day. Once Reti had entered his fight with the grey woman, the elder could barely place his eyes anywhere else. And when Reti had fallen? Nothing but red coated his gaze. That is, until Hero brought him back. Still, as @Zinnia approached, there was something vaguely familiar about the young girl. Even if there wasn't, Dero hardly had a reason to be nasty towards her as she pose him a question.

Hi! Can I share the tree? The spotted girl didn't even seem to bat an eye at the fact that Dero was not alive. Even if he looked nearly whole, there was still an ethereal glow about him that could not be ignored. There was no hiding the fact that he was not physically present, and yet she approached without hesitation. "Of course you can, miss. There is plenty of room," he offered with a broad smile and a nod towards the empty space beside him. "Or I can move, if you'd rather not be too close." It wasn't like he needed the shade anyway. Some may not be so enticed to "touch" the dead, after all.

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His answer was swift and she was thankful for it. If for no other reason than the fact that it was hot and she wanted in the shade. His smile stretched one on her own lips as she dropped the Devils Claw on the ground, shrugging the rabbit pouch over her head and coming closer. The rabid wraith had taught her not to fear angry ghosts. This one looked more .. solid, but she recognized that obvious glow that told her he wasn't... Alive. He couldn't harm her. Just like the wraith hadn't been able to.

He nodded to the empty space on the rock next to him and the bronze girl grinned again. "oh, thank you!" Excited tones rushed forth as she climbed awkwardly up onto the rock. Zinnia was careful, trying not to touch him, even though she figured she would just...pass through him. She didn't want to be rude and passing through someone felt like a violation of..something she didn't want to mess with.

The girl did come close to brushing against his paw and as she tipped her head up to look at the ghost, she locked her head to the side. "You're different. I feel... Energy... Like during a lightening storm...and I can't see through you." She felt that buzz, or humm of energy, but instead of the sky. It came from him. How peculiar. She didn't allow herself to go down the path of there being different types of ghosts. Maybe some were just more freshly dead than others? Yes. That had to be it. Darcy and the rabid jerk face had to have been dead dead and this ghost had to have just died. That made the most sense.

@Dero

Dero watched with a hearty mirth as the girl climbed up next to him. She didn't seem discouraged in being near him in the slightest despite his whole being dead thing. Maybe she was along the clerical trades like his wife and grandson. In any regard, Dero was just happy for the lighthearted company. As much as he wanted to see his family, he knew their first proper encounter since his passing would be tainted in grief they were likely still harboring. Even if he was still around, he knew it was not the same as him being physically with them. When his mother had returned in her spectral form, it was still no comparison to if he could have hugged her or felt her warmth again.

@Zinnia's observations in the state of his afterlife form was amusing, but educational as well. The Hodari couldn't exactly see himself the same way the living could, so to hear that he was a little more whole than other spirits out there made him believe himself in a higher form than his mother had appeared. "I suppose that makes me more than just a spectre, then. I believe this land calls its higher souls Guardians?" Though the terms here were different than his prior home, the concept was still the same. He remembered when his grandparents had transcended the their different levels of death before ultimately coming back to life, but that was a special circumstance that Dero hoped not to encounter. He was frankly more than happy to linger in this after-state of being, as least as long as it took to wait for his wife to join him. "You aren't afraid of the dead?" Dero asked. Couldn't hurt to make sure, after all.

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Zinnia

Her head would tilt at his explanation. Spectre? Guardians? Higher souls? That was…all beyond her scope of knowledge of the afterlife. She had thought they were all the same, all dead. Her brow furrowed slightly as she thought about the other ghosts she had met, but he was different. He was more solid, he had energy buzzing from him. He was here instead of the grotto. Something must be wrong if so many souls were out and about. "So…the guardians protect the living?" She asked, curious tones colored with confusion. That would be a relief, to have a guardian to talk to. "Why aren’t you in the grotto?" She couldn’t help it, she had always been told that the ghosts-souls- were in the Grotto. Not…everywhere…

His next question made her smile, a small shrug of her shoulders and bigger shake of her skull. "Well…you can’t hurt me so…why should I be afraid?" She didn’t really understand why Miaran hated witches and ghosts so much, most of them…aside that wraith…had been nice to her. Even if they wanted to harm her, they couldn’t physically touch her, she could handle their mind tricks and mental sabotage…or at least, she thought she could. "I’m collecting an offering to try to get my family to show up. They haven’t yet, but I think I brought them the wrong thing." She nodded to the herb she had found and the pouch. "These are the coolest rocks, and lion bones..or pieces of them… and herbs for healing. I think they will like those." She didn’t bring them out, mostly because she didn’t want to get off the rock and dig them out only to put them back, so he would have to take her word for it.


@Dero
speech

artwork • coding

Even though Dero was dead himself, he as hardly any expert in regards to how the afterlife worked. Just when he had thought he might have understood the basics, his own mother had shown up as a spirit. The fact that she had never once stepped foot within Amaryllis and yet still showed up here threw a wrench into any belief of understanding the Hodari had to what could happen after someone died. Still, he would do his best to answer the young girl's questions. "I cannot speak for all Guardians, but the few I know or at least know of seem to have that mindset." Himself included, of course. "Though, I don't know how much they can do to truly protect the living. At the very least, we can share our wisdom and guidance." On this, Dero had not tested his own abilities. While he looked more solid than a spectre or idol, he hadn't yet touched anyone to see if there was any difference for him as a guardian. Perhaps he would have to find out before officially facing his family.

As for the grotto, there were two explanations the man had to offer. "As a guardian, I have a bit more freedom than your average ghost. As far as I can tell thus far, I am able to appear in the Grotto, but I can also appear anywhere within Celosia Fields if I so choose." That explained his position at the moment, but the dark man knew there was something else going on this time of year, something extra the spotted child might want to be aware of. "Sporadically, though, there are times when all the dead are set free from their chains in the grotto. When even ghosts might appear before you. It seems to happen every couple of years, and I believe that time is currently upon us at the moment," he offered in a mild warning. "So stay alert." Not all the dead were friendly, after all.

If only everyone could be so practical in their beliefs. @Zinnia offered a very logical explanation as to why he did not frighten her, causing a light chuckle to escape the guardian. "Fair point," the man laughed with a grin. "Though, I wonder if you would humor me for a second. I'd like to test something." While he had no intention of harming the girl, Dero couldn't help his own curiosity on the extent of his ... deadness... for lack of a better word. What did being a Guardian really afford him that was better than just being a ghost?

His cheeriness was replaced with a somber expression as Zinnia mentioned trying to summon her own family with an offering she was putting together. At least, he was assuming by show up, she meant as spirits like him. Not only was it heartbreaking to hear that her family was gone in the first place, but to hear that they hadn't shown in these lands just made the feeling worse. Though it felt like ages ago now, Dero was not unlike her while growing up, having lost both his parents at about her age, separated from his sister for a while. The Hodari had forged his own family eventually, which at least gave him hope that the girl at his side could do the same. Little did he realize that her family was his as well. With a glance towards the Devil's Claw, Dero gave a thoughtful expression to the trinkets mentioned. "Were your family members healers? Would these sorts of things be important to them?" It was a genuine question, just looking to help Zinnia figure out what might be the best offering to procure.

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"Speech"

The girl listened as the Guardian spoke, touching on the subject of if they protected or not. She nodded. "Wisdom is better than physical skill." She offered, she wasn’t sure how much she believed that, after all, she was still a Law and they valued physical strength perhaps a bit more than cunning. Intelligence was still highly valued. In her case, she was large, but she was lean and still young, it was better for her to be knowledgeable than a wrecking ball.

When he mentioned having more freedom than a regular ghost her head tilted, that was interesting. He was able to appear in the Grotto and in the fields. She looked around, "why here? Is it important to you?" She asked, curiously. It was pretty in the fields, but she wasn’t sure how interesting it would be, there weren’t any prides here…talking to someone was probably few and far in between. Maybe he was lonely. "Do you visit others often?"

He continued, telling her about how sometimes things shifted, the dead were set free of the Grotto, her jaws parted slightly, then she was nodding vigorously. "Yeah! I met a really nice old ghost, her name was…Daredasher." She didn’t give him her real name, protecting the elder ghost. Then her expression soured. "I met a mean one to, I call him a wraith. I think he died of rabies." She nodded confidently. "He tried to scare me, he said I could hurt more than physically." She didn’t know his name, but she didn’t care to. She remembered his words and how his ghostly slobber and foamed and dripped, tangling in his mane. She shuddered. The sight of him was more frightening than anything he had done.

She was practical, but the girl had been through a lot, that was the only way she had stayed sane- and her guardians they had helped too. His light laugh caused a grin to pull at her lips, nodding at his agreement, but then he wanted to try something, to test something. She hesitated for a moment and then nodded. "Ok. What do you want to try?" She asked, head tilting to the side. He couldn’t hurt her, so did it matter?

The mention of her family brought a somber expression to his expression, and she followed suit. It was his question that stumped her. It wasn’t easy to do. So when he asked if they were healers she looked down, "well…not really.. they were warriors." She wasn’t sure what to get a warrior. "It would be if they were hurt and…well…they were hurt when I ran away..when they died." They had been hurt, they had been bleeding and then they had burned. "The rocks, they are strong- like them. The bones…well.. I just thought ghosts liked bones. I thought the herbs would be good to heal their wounds." She shifted on her paws, not sure if that was good enough. Then she perked up slightly, maybe Dero could help her find the right stuff? She waited to hear his reasoning with what she had brought.


@Dero

everything starts and ends with you

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ooc: Hoping I interpreted the guidebook correctly in terms of what guardians can do. -("They radiate an energy that allows them to be touched — but they exude no warmth and are not completely “solid”)-

This child was certainly a breath of fresh air for conversation. However long his presence would last in the physical world today, he would gladly spend it conversing with @Zinnia. Knowing his first real encounter with his own family, since his death, would likely be coated with a haze of grief from his loved ones allowed the Guardian to appreciate the lighter exchange this young woman offered. "Both have their merits," the obsidian man offered in rebuttal to Zinnia's declaration of wisdom being better than physical skill. Not all were meant to be fighters, but not all were meant to be diplomats either. It was the ones who could manage both who often found themselves ahead of others.

As for why he chose the fields to watch over as opposed to any other place in Amaryllis, Dero wished he had a better answer. "Honestly, Celosia Fields really held very little importance to me in my living form. It's true, not much goes on here, but after all I've seen in my lifetime, to be able to watch over somewhere peaceful felt right. A nice 'retirement,' if you will." The Hodari man smirked at his last statement. To just be able to watch the world go by felt like a relaxing option. "Besides, no other Guardian watch over the fields. Someone had to do it." Again, the dark man uttered a chuckle to himself. In regards to visiting others, though, his smile faded. "No, not really. Not yet," he started off, looking down at his paws for a moment. "I haven't been dead long, so my appearance to my family may still feel a bit raw for them. I haven't found the right time to see them, nor has anyone come calling for me yet." That's not to say he hadn't shown up for them, though. He was there during the chaos in the Lagoon at the summons of Morrigan, and he had been there to support his family during the challenge for the Summit, though only his wife had been aware of his presence. Other than that, though, Dero hadn't found the right moment to show himself, or call his family to him.

So he was right, it was the time of freedom for the dead as his listened to the young woman talk about the other spirits she had met thus far. Neither soul sounded familiar to him, so the dark lion simply nodded. Hurt more than physically? The notion sent a chill down his spine. To speak such words to someone so young. She already sounded like she'd been through enough in her short life. Zinnia didn't need further emotional harm thrust upon her. "Well that wraith doesn't sound like a pleasant fellow at all," he mused. "Can't say the other one is familiar either, though." Not any of the spirits he had met in these lands.

Dero was pleased, though, that the youngster would indulge his curiosities, prompting an almost mischievous grin to sprout across his features. "Splendid," he smirked as he turned to face her more. "I promise, I will not hurt you, but I just want to see if...." and in that moment, the Hodari had focused his thoughts and energy into a single paw as he lifted it, aiming to simply touch Zinnia on the shoulder. When his paw collided with the softest of taps and did not pass through the young girl, Dero's eyes shot wide open. He did it! He could touch others, and be touched in return. While he could feel the warmth of her body, though, his own form would not offer the same in return. To touch the Guardian would be as if touching any inanimate object. Somewhat solid, but offering no warmth. He was elated to know now that when he did finally see his family, they could still physically feel him to some degree.

The Hodari then listened intently as the girl went on to describe her family as warriors. As she explained what the items might mean to her family, Dero nodded in understanding. Everything made sense once she explained them. "I am sorry that they died." He started with his sympathies, first and foremost. "But your offerings sound thoughtful. Each one makes sense for who they were, how you describe them. Did they die in Amaryllis, though?" That was a bigger question, knowing that it would be much more difficult for the girl to reach her family in the afterlife if they did not die in these lands. Not impossible, but very difficult.

Table by Amanda

      
"Hey,"

The girl enjoyed her time with Dero. It had been a long while since someone had challenged her mentally and the elder ghost did just that. He challenged her thinking. When he spoke of both having merits, she would shake her head slightly. "Strength wins a battle. Wits win wars." She argued. Of course, it could be argued that the lions that killed her family had been both…since they had won completely by obliterating all but one little Law.

As the conversation moved to the fields, Zinnia couldn’t help but look around as he spoke, her ears tipped in his direction as he described it as peaceful. She smiled, it certainly was peaceful here in the fields. She was once again meet with the notion that those around her were…ancient. Reti… Dero… Daredasher… When he mentioned someone had to do it, no one watched the fields until he had she smirked. "You are a good watcher." She answered, turning back to look at his interesting figure.

When she had turned to face him though, it was not a smile she was met with, but something sad. Sure, his lips were upturned, but there was sadness on his facade that made her own fade. She listened. He hadn’t been dead long, his sudden ghostly appearance might be too much for his family. Her brow furrowed at this thought. She sucked in a soft breath at the idea no one had come calling for him yet. "I bet they would want to see you, if you could find them…" It was a quiet voice that she used now, soft and gentle. "I’d want to see my family…the hurt…it wouldn’t hurt as bad then." She answered honestly. "Who is your family? Maybe I can find them and tell them you’re here?" She tilted her head. She would do it for him, because he was a nice ghost and even she- in her young age- could tell that he missed them.

She shook her head at the mention of the wraith. "He wasn’t." Zinnia didn’t really want to talk about him anymore though, the more she talked about him the more she wondered if he would haunt her…at least while this veil was so thin.

Fortunately, Dero wanted to try his experiment and that was enough of a distraction for her. A friendly, but almost, mischievous grin stretched across his face as he shifted to face her more squarely. He spoke, reassuring her as he lifted his paw (a motion Zinnia watched very closely) and stretched it so that it would land on her shoulder. The girl jumped, both from the cold energy that pressed into her shoulder and from the fact that it rested there instead of falling through her. Her eyes went wide and her breath sucked in sharply as she looked from his translucent paw and then to his face. If she could, her face would have paled as her body went still. "You aren’t supposed to be able to do that…" She trailed nervously, both curious and frightened. The fur along her nape stood on end from the cold current. "H-How are you doing that?" She asked, wondering, could they all do that right now? Or was he special because he was a guardian?

Despite her fear, she did not feel threatened by Dero, if anything, the girl felt safe with the Guardian. The cold touch would not deter her. When he talked about her offerings, she nodded. They were well thought out but…they had not come yet. They had evaded her thus far. When he asked if they died in Amaryllis, she shook her head. "No… They died in my homeland…Does that matter?" She asked him, because obviously, as a guardian, he would know if she could really reach them. "The wraith said he wasn’t from here and he showed up…" She trailed. She didn’t want to speak of him, but he served as a point. "Daredasher died away from Amaryllis too…but she had been here…" Maybe it did matter, maybe she had just been unlucky in finding the wraith.


@Dero

everything starts and ends with you

code x art