The thunder of the falls sounded almost distant here, like the drumming of some great beast's hooves in the distance.

It lent the location an ominous tone, like perhaps he wasn't supposed to be here but no one was there to stop him. That was fine, it wouldn't be the first or last time the angel had trespassed on hallowed ground.

Faust's paws grazed over the mossy flooring, stepping over and around pools of still water. Something here was different, but he was not one to be dissuaded by things such as that. It only meant that something awaited him here, maybe a sign or signal of something to come? Whatever it was, the angel was certain that it would prove interesting.

@Tauthla

Her eyes lifted to the vined walls, before quickly being stolen by the blinking lights of the strange bugs that filled the air. She grinned, swatting at one by her nose, and would have continued her venture in a similar unsophisticated fashion had the subtle sounds of another not resonated quietly through the chamber. Surprise filtered through the yearling, and she glanced over her shoulder only to see the outline of a giant framed by the entrance. Suddenly aware that she had no other way to escape this unknown chasm except for the door where he stood, the yearling pivoted to face him, trusting that she would be safe for the moment due to the several lengths of distance between them and that she was still swathed in the shadows of the deeper part of the cave.

Still, Tuathla took a step backward, her paw landing with a splash in one of the various puddles that peppered the dark chamber. The lioness had nowhere to go and no place to hide, and she could only assume she didn’t know this giant, although she might guess his intentions are only to snoop. Just as she had been doing. “Halt, newcomer!” She called to him, doing her best to inflect her voice with the dignity and other-worldly quality she thought spirits or guardians or powerful mortals might have. “State your business before entering!” She finished with feigned authority, her tail twitching in agitation to make lie of her proposed confidence, and she took another step backward. Tua had no idea what she would do if he would believe her ruse, and what if he admitted to being here for a nefarious purpose? Ideally the giant would be like most of these newcomers; interesting, pleasant, and filled with information. But with her back against the wall like this, she experienced an unexpected nervousness with his arrival.

An unfamiliar, their voice high with youth and full of dramatic flair. All aimed in his direction with purpose.

The angel's crimson eyes turned to the silhouette, nearly cloaked all in shadow with only the writhing ripples of light coming off the pools to show flashes of muted color. Whoever this was, it seemed she fancied herself some sort of guardian or keeper of this place.

There hadn't been any territory markers in or outside of the cavern, so whoever this was it stood to reason that they were either a part of a small group or acting on their own.

"My business?" He mused gently, taking steps forward as she did through the puddles and pools that littered the ground. "I've none. At least not here."

Faust stopped, coming to lay on his belly half in and out of one of the water pools. His posture was relaxed, his facial expression slack but with it's usual air of what could only be described as knowing. His size meant that sometimes, especially in those who were dwarfed by him, that he inspired unease. His solution for this usually meant making himself smaller, less of a towering spire and more like a resting Boulder.

"Mu hniima mrii, does this place belong to you?"

@Tuathla

The giant turned and his vivid crimson eyes seemed to pierce her where she stood. Tua had thought she was safe, draped as she was in the chasm’s shadows, but his attention proved her assumption false and a wave of heady adrenaline poured into her bloodstream. Instinctual pinpricks warned her of the danger she was in, but the inherent audacity of her adventure-loving spirit kept her grounded, and she would peer back at him with defiant indigo eyes as he mused a vague reply to her demand and closed some of the distance between them.

The native watched each movement carefully, fighting the urge to pace backwards as she did so, until the colossal lion reclined to the stone floor, lounging in one of the puddles. He exuded a relaxed aura that Tua noted with a strange mix of relief and suspicion, but when he spoke again, she understood only partially of what was said. “It belongs to Maua,” She replied slowly as her ears twisted forward and brows wrinkled over a curious expression. She stepped forward from the shadows, despite all instincts telling her it could be a bad idea. “And I guess they probably won't mind if you’re just looking around…” She offered after a moment, before considering his position and then clarifying her statement “…or laying around.”

@Faust

This young lioness spoke of this Maua in the way one would speak of a leader, at least from what he could gather from context. Whoever they were, this cavern apparently belonged to them, which would...make this young lioness some form of relation or pride member? It mattered not unless they wanted to come forth to cause him some sort of woe.

But it also never hurt to clarify things.

""Maua?"" He hummed the name as a question, letting his eyes shift from the lioness to the pond scattered cave. ""Well then, they sound like a gracious host. Guests are always interesting, and what better guest than an angel?""

The water he lay in was cold, as was the way of winter months. But not cold enough to be frozen over. It was bearable for the time being, but he would have to rise eventually.

""And what of you? What is your name and business here?""

@Tuathla

Art by Eerien00dle | Coding by Werge

The yearling wasn’t surprised when he phrased the deities name as a question, it only cemented her assumption that the lion was a foreigner; she definitely did not recognize him as one of the native rogues that were scattered across the continent. Yet he continued before she could interject with an explanation, and his words were much more interesting than any story she had about the deity of this part of the world. “Is that what you are, an angel?” A sharp interest inflected her otherwise dubious tone as her eyes flicked over his giant form with suspicion. What did he mean by that? Tuathla could not help but be intrigued.

Her brows remained furrowed and tension still held her form taunt, but the yearling was no longer on the precipice of adrenaline-inducing fear, and she took another step closer. A slight frown weighed across her mouth at his next words; the yearling couldn’t recall him introducing himself, and yet he requested the courtesy of her first. Still, the lioness recognized the potential of his power, even in his relaxed, dormant state. “I’m Tuathla, and I’m just looking around,” She replied, her eyes slipping to the vined walls that bordered them, before looking back to the lion. “You never said your name,” She stated, attempting to lighten her voice so as not to sound like an accusation.

@Faust

A chuckle vibrated in his throat as this young lioness, this Tuathla, continued speaking. He could practically hear the suspicion drip from her words, but such suspicions were healthy for a young lady such as herself. It would keep her safer to know the world was not her friend.

"Angel I am," He confirmed evenly. "I have a fair number of names, but you can call me Faust."

They both had a common goal in 'looking around', but one had tried playing at being the mysterious guardian of this cavern before being upfront with that. Faust knew well the intimidation games that many yearlings seemed to be so fond of, but he had plenty of his own tricks and couldn't fault her for trying. Had he been in her situation, maybe he'd have done the same.

"Interestingly enough, this Maua's name is close to a word in my own language. Maura, meaning friend or ally." Faust flicked the tip of his tail in thought, "Would you say that is an accurate description of them?"

@Tuathla

Art by Eerien00dle | Coding by Werge

An angel named Faust. Tuathla considered him with an unintentionally intense gaze, her freckled expression wrinkled in the same curiosity that emanated from her muted hues. His crimson eyes seemed to pierce through the very fabric of her being, but it was also possible her active imagination was assigning the titan a generous amount of flair. This otherworldly chasm did little to ground her; the drone of the waterfall and twinkling of fireflies cast an ethereal backdrop, in her mind. To a more objective eye, the gilded titan seemed to have at least attempted to appear relaxed and nonthreatening, but the yearling was not exactly convinced, although she remained intrigued in spite of this. For better or worse, Faust lingered on the subject of the deity that resided over these lands, and Tuathla nodded absently, her expression still wrinkled in plain curiosity. “Sure,” She replied, her tone indicating that she wasn’t necessarily ‘sure’ at all; in truth, she didn’t know how to quantify the sentiments or alliances of a deity. “I guess if you give them respect and if you have a good heart, then they could be considered a friend, but a cleric would know better than me.” She trailed off as her head tilted, her thoughts flitting to other subjects. Nevermind that she may have unequivocally revealed her paw that she was no guardian of these parts at all, perhaps even just as much a trespasser as he. “Your own language, is that what you were speaking earlier? What is it?” There was something said about curiosity and the cat. @Faust

The simple 'sure' was a potentially loaded response, but roulette was life's favorite game. It told him enough at least, when applied to her additional explanation. This Maua sounded overall benevolent, should one not tread on any apparently divine toes.

The mention of clerics had him intrigued. So this was some shade or haunt that roamed the lands, keeping their own definition of peace? Sounded like a kindred spirit to the nephilim, or else competition. The two destinations were never far from each other either way, how would one ever be ever to tell if they truly got along if a few throats weren't squeezed between the beginning and end of it.

"How very interesting, to live in a land where the veil is so thin," He hummed, mostly to himself. It would take some fact checking of course, to see how far this Maua's influence truly went. If it even went beyond the mouth of a young lady telling stories.

He chuckled at the mention of his tongue, adjusting himself in the puddle in some vain attempt to find any comfort that he'd previously missed. "The language of my blood, the language of angels. I may be one of the last left to speak it."

@Tuathla

Art by Eerien00dle | Coding by Werge

The angel spoke of the land being interesting, of the veil being thin, and Tuathla felt herself an inadequate and intrusive audience; all she had for him were questions, and he seemed to only be talking to himself. The cat’s curiosity was not so easily tempered by courtesy, and the lioness shifted again on her paws, her cream-tufted tail curling reflexively around her ankles in manifestation of the curiosity she attempted to conceal. “It should suit you, I’m assuming.” She speculated out loud; her head tilted as she eyed the gilded titan- he had claimed to be an angel after all, so would not a world with a thin divide between tangible and intangible be a perfect haven for him? She wanted to ask more about it, but she settled for her voiced speculation; let Faust answer as he chose, if he chose, as that was the respectful way to handle it (so she thought) and besides, their conversation turned to other things before she could change her mind. Although heralded by a chuckle, his words struck a chord in the lioness that she has been doing her best to avoid – that of grief and loss and loneliness. “That sounds lonesome,” She commented before her gaze flicked away from his, fearing her own emotions and subsequent vulnerability might be read in their depths. “Do you have to be an angel to learn it?” She asked after a moment, her soft indigo gaze returning to his intriguing crimson with a revived interest. @Faust