Is Faith Blind? [OPEN]

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Ari had not been to a temple in a long time but it was long overdue now in her eyes, she may lack emotions but she did not lack respect for those who had power and knowledge beyond her own. She passed through the open doors of the temple and made her way over to Teleska's Statue, her hard soled boots and staff clicking on the stone floor. She wore white today to honor the goddess she chose as her patron. Her long purple hair was tied back with a white ribbon and she even wore a white corset that showed off her curves a bit more than she normally would. Her leggings were white as well though the accents on her clothing were all a pale blue that the goddess's eyes were said to be. Even her staff had a white ribbon wrapped up the length of it, normally it wasn't wrapped at all.

As she neared the statue of her patron she came to a halt and took a calming breath, it always made her sort of anxious to visit the temples. She still didn't understand why she got so anxious while she was here but she had given up on trying to figure that out years ago. Closing the last of the distance to the statue she fished a small object out of her satchel and placed it at the feet of the statue. "Please accept this small token as apologies for my long absence from the temples. I've come seeking to renew my vow to you Goddess Teleska, providing you will still accept my desire to serve you." Ari's voice was soft and seemed far less arrogant than she did outside the temple, really she wasn't arrogant just easily annoyed with people.

She knelt before the statue of Teleska her staff standing up right before her, both hands gripping it and her head bowed between her slightly raised arms. Eyes closed and silent now as she waited for that feeling of anxiousness to less, she took it as a sign that Teleska had heard her prayers in the past and wasn't going to change that now. One thing she always worried about was that she might be deemed not worthy of the Goddess's attention not that she would ever tell anyone this. She didn't have any new stories to offer up to her so the small enchanted sphere she had placed on the base of the statue was all she had to offer her for now.

[Garrett Blade]

It had been days sense Garrett last slept. Ever sense Aria's disappearance the Civilian Guard Captain had become restless and slightly more irritable as of late. Even his recruits and underlings had noticed the change in their Captain's behavior. An now Garrett had failed to report to the castle for field updates. His actions fueled by each passing day that Aria had been kept up in the castle. That and his growing paranoia of the sudden interest in his job and Noku's deliberate actions of doing everything in his power to keep the two apart. So of course the fated dova would be restless! However, he had no power of his own to wield any change at the moment within the castle. He would need to be as vigilant as ever and stay on his toes.

For now all he could do was wait, watch and continue moving forward; even if it was a dangerous path to take or cross. Absent in mind and spirit, Garrett had not realized he had walked up to the Moon Temple's large white oak front doors. To his surprise he stared up at the beautiful rebuilt temple; His mind flooding with memories of that day he had first came here to this world. That Fate had brought him here... A bitter thought but one that was privately thanked. If Fate hadn't of brought him here, Garrett would of probably never put the pieces of his past back together. Plus Fate had brought his 'little bird' here as well; so all was not lost. Or so Garrett kept telling himself as he walked down the halls of the temple to the Large statues that were re-built into the main temple worship area.

Garrett's vibrant baby blue eyes had red vain tent around his right eye's iris, due to lack of sleep. His left eye covered with a eye patch with the embroidered design of a crown and dagger stabbed through the center. A beautiful design however aged by time and ware. His body clothed in dark brown leather torso vest and loose cream colored under shirt with loose long sleeves that cupped back into cuffs around his wrists. Even his leather pants and boots seemed to match his leather belted vest. Clearly not attire for work, or for a captain while he walked into the temple. His features becoming more stoic as he walked down the elegant carpeted pathways. Out of surprise Garrett saw a flash of purple out of the corner of his eye. He turned to look towards the statue of Teleska. To his surprise his eye met with a knelt woman down on the ground paying her respects. However her lavender hair and what he could see of her from behind; was that this woman was a Kray. Had the rumors of Mysteria being injured be false? Garrett thought stopping just a few feet away from Ari. " May Teleska's Blessing shine upon you. " Garrett spoke in a soft tone, not wanting to interrupt the peace of the temple an anyone else here for prayer. He just had to satisfy his curiosity even though his hands were beginning to shake out of anxiety.

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In the back of her mind she registered the quiet foot steps echoing down the halls, she wasn't paying much attention actively to her surroundings right now. Her mind was focused on her physical state, nothing really telling her more about right now in the presence of Teleska's statue than her own state of anxiety. She was starting to feel that anxiety lessen when his voice was heard, snapping her out of her semi trance like state. She stood and turned to look at the man standing behind her, eyes showing a bit of her surprise at someone else visiting Teleska's shrine.

She gave the man a slight bow, "May her blessings shine upon you as well sir." Her tone wasn't one that conveyed emotion though it did hold sincerity in it as she looked the man over. Her eyes seemed to waver a bit here and there as her anxiety began to build back up. She wasn't used to dealing with people while in the temple that were not part of the clergy. She turned to the statue of Teleska again and bowed to it, offering a parting respect to the goddess. She turned back to the man again, "I'll be out of your way now, Teleska doesn't need me holding up her other servants."

She wasn't trying to run away of dismiss him just make room for someone else to make an offering, who was she to get in the way of Teleska's other worshipers and their offerings to her. She stepped aside to allow him past if he was headed here to see Teleska, she was studying him though like she did with so many others she had met. Something about his body language told her he was worried about something though as to what she had no blood clue. Really she found it odd that people relied on their emotions so much, she just couldn't wrap her mind around this need of theirs.

[Garrett Blade]

Well this was an unexpected turn. When the kray woman stood and turned around to stare right at him; Garrett's skin shivered before muscles locked in place, instead of being greeted by a familiar face; Garrett suddenly froze in shock. This was not Mysteria and the Captain struggled to keep his composure. He hadn't seen another kray except for the King's Advisor, so it was a bit surprising to see another of 'that' woman's kind. The color of her eyes drawing him in which kept the Guard Captain paralyzed standing at the door way.

Garrett's facial expression blank, his mouth slightly gaped as he stood motionless before the woman that now began to talk to him. Dear god, he had thought his shyness around women had faded due to dating Aria. However, it seemed being surprised still triggered his problem. So Garrett took this moment to calm himself in order to move let alone communicate back with the female Kray. First by taking a long moment to inhale the temple's incense before forcing himself to bow in response to her own respect. He hadn't meant to disturb a stranger an Garrett's shyness slowly faded as he began to move and stand at a proper military stance. " Oh...Uh, Thank you. " Garrett managed to speak out in a soft awkward manner, approaching the statue of Teleska and knelt down on one knee. He reached into his vest to pull out a white lunar flower with a green ribbon tied to it's steam. He placed the single flower onto the alter. Once the flower had settled he stood back up and took a few steps back to glance slightly over to the woman who had stepped aside.

" You must be a devout follower of Teleska? Have you traveled far to see her here?" Garrett asked, his voice stern yet cautious with each question asked.

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She read the shock in his eye as he was addressed by her, a noticeable amount of tension settling in over his body. What had made him react like this she didn't know but these were things that didn't matter to her right now. He finally bowed back to her and it seemed that tension wasn't going away since the bow looked a bit stiff. The more she studied him the more she came to believe that it was her that caused this reaction. Did he have a problem with seeing a Kray or was it some weird emotional thing.

She stood there as he moved up to the statue in silence to place his offering on the alter as well. It was a nice example of the species of flower he had presented, the ribbon was a nice touch as well. He glanced over her again and it seemed he was still having an issue with her, it was actually starting to irritate her. Finally he spoke to her again asking her if she traveled far to visit the temple, "Not really I am part of the military and am stationed in the city right now. It has just been a while since I had the free time to come and leave an offering for her."

She looked him over again, still trying to figure out what his issue was. The more you know the better you can handle a situation, at least that was the philosophy she followed. "Are you a devout follower of Teleska?" she returns the question back to him and moves out of the shrine so she wasn't interrupting anyone else's attempts to make offerings to her patron Goddess. Her purple hair bouncing with each step as she found a place to sit down finally, the walk up here wasn't bad but the way the temples made her feel was taxing to say the least.

[Garrett Blade]

The hell was wrong with him?! He was a captain of the Civilian guard for the gods sake! Seen more tits than he cared to count and above all his own flesh and blood was the Goddess of Passion. So why was he this anxious? The guard captain cursed silent under his breath at Vennessa for cursing him with this one weakness. However, his relationship with Aria was proof enough that he could over come this overwhelming shyness of beautiful women. Not once sense coming here had he experienced such an episode. So Garrett struggled to maintain a proper composure as he lowered his gaze down to the floor. His military stance not wavering, even in a prayer like pose, listening to Ari as she spoke softly not wanting to disturb the atmosphere of worship.

After a moment of silence, perhaps in prayer, Garrett lifted his head to stare at Ari with a raised brow. " Apart of the Military? Then I suppose our paths were bound to cross at some point then. " he nodded, his personality from before somehow completely different. Almost as though he was a tad bit more confident, though still slightly nervous around the kray. However when she asked if he was a devout follower of Teleska. Garrett blinked at her for a moment, before reaching his hand over to rub the back of his scalp. " Not exactly.... I'm actually a follower of Vennessa. Though tragically the goddess's voice has fallen and gone silent.. " He sighs, pointing to a statue of Vennessa covered in flowers and candles. " But I have to admit, I'm not that knowledgeable about the other gods or goddesses." He lied, his lips forming a frown at the sight of the Goddess of Passion's statue, but his attention returned to Ari to see her taking a seat. Not fully aware of how far she had traveled to get here or much about this woman other than her race. So with a moment of awkward silence, Garrett finally spoke.

" The name is Garrett Blade, a soldier like yourself for the army. May I ask your name?" He asks in a curious tone, his head slightly tilted as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

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She cocked an eyebrow at him when he said their paths would have crossed eventually, in reality she wouldn't have been this 'friendly' with him outside of here. She knew how rank worked and he was most likely above her by a few, so as long as he doesn't tell her that she down't have to resort to normal protocol. He seemed to be really on edge still though and she couldn't help but laugh when he told her that he followed the goddess of passion.

"To think that one who follows The Goddess Vanessa would be so shy," she held amusement in her voice as she said this to him but no judgement each person is drawn to their deity or patron for their own reasons. "Then again passion doesn't have to all be carnal, passion is supposedly an emotion that denotes a strong affinity and desire for something." Now she sounded like a dictionary which was getting closer to how she would act outside of the temple, though still being in the building would keep her from fully reverting to her normal self.

She tilted her head to the side a bit when he gave her his name making a mental note of it along with his face and occupation. Ri'ariel Edara, military support magi. A pleasure to meet you." Her tone wasn't dismissive it was more that she wasn't able to express her emotions well providing she was able to feel them at all. Confusion, annoyance and anger were the main ones she felt, though you could say she had a passion for learning anything she could and as much as she could. She was kind of a walking book of random knowledge that has proven useful to her more times than she could count now. She really had to find out if there was some sort of central library where lore and historical records were kept and then go spend her days off duty with her nose in those books.

[Garrett Blade]

The captain's face flaired with a hint of red across his cheaks, Ariel's comment taking him by suprise about being shy. Blunt and to the point. She wasn't wrong, he was rather shy for being a follower of a goddess such as passion. So he couldn't protest,Though then again, he had to blame his mother for his nervousness and anxiety around women.

Garrett's arms no longer crossed. Giving Ariel a nervous smile while lifting his right hand up to rub the back of his scalp." I suppose your right, but my reasoning for following her is a tad bit selfish. I am sure that you understand. That one can only dream of being blessed by a divine being in their life time. " garrett chuckled trying to lighten the mood, returning his hands back to his side. " lt's a pleasure meeting you then. A support magi? So you will be under Roland's command at the castle. You'll have your hands full with the royals and Roland is a little rough around the edges, but he means well. " garrett spoke warmly, keeping a soft smile to act more at ease. His eye keeping note of her body language and her odd yet familiar kray features.


(( sorry for the short post. X.x ))

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She noticed he was studying her as much as she was studying him and it brought on that sense of amusement again her head tilted to the side again. Roland? I don't think I've met him personally then again I've not met many of the higher ups to be honest not that there is much of a reason why they would want to speak to me." She was being blunt still and wanted to get out of this building now that her prayers to Teleska were done since this place always made her feel off somehow.

She hadn't commented on his fumbled attempt to explain his reason for choice of patron, it wasn't one of the things that interested her right now. This man was obviously knowledgeable about the higher ups which had her curious what else he knew of them. "Do you need to visit her temple today? I'll accompany you and possibly pick your mind for knowledge of my superiors so I'm not caught unaware of proper protocol when encountering them." Still not much of a hint of emotion in her voice and she seemed to want to know more about the way Nova's military functioned to ensure her place in it and possibly work her way up in the ranks.

[Garrett Blade]

Garrett's face washed over like a blank board. He stared at the purple haired kray for a moment in a awkward silence before rubbing the back of his head in a nervous fashion. He hadn't gone to his mother's temple shine in a minute. In fact he hadn't been sense being fated here into this time, world, universe or what ever Fate had hellishly tossed him into. At least on the plus side there was some he knew from the period he came from. However, most seem to be gone or vanished some how. A worrisome thing sense the population of the Fated has dwindled over the past few months.

His attention being brought back to the current reality at hand as Ri'ariel subtle movements bringing him back to focusing on the questions she was starting to ask. His cheeks still slightly flared with a rosy tint. " Oh, thats right you don't know Sir Walker yet. He is the Royal Guard Captain for the King's magi. He's kinda a character when you first meet him, but I swear over time he won't be so.... Aggravated? " Garrett paused, unsure if 'aggravated' was the right word to use to describe Sir Roland Walker. A chuckle escaping while his cheeks finally turned back to normal as he gained a little more of his composure around the woman. His movements rather stiff and ridged as he walked past Ariel and stopped at the door way to wait for her to follow. His features now some what serious or at least somber as he finally made eye contact with her for just a brief moment. His vibrant blue eyes looking like pools of water before his eye lid closed shut when forcing a faint smile.

" I feel ashamed to admit I haven't visited her in a long minute. I know this is selfish to say, but seeing you pray and give your respects to Teleska today has me feeling the need to try and connect with passion. Thank you for being patient and showing someone that had some what lost faith a reason to pray again." Garrett nodded. " Well if you really want to know then follow me." He spoke softly in order not to disturb the mood of the hallway to all the different temples devoted to deities within the building. Garrett only bothering to glance back once to check to see if Arial was following behind as he finally made it to the open doors to the Temple of the Goddess of Passion. The inside of the shrine barely taken care of as signs of cobwebs could be seen forming in the corners of the dome room. Twigs and wilted flowers stems decorated the footing of the statue in different style vases. The beautiful goddess covered in burned out candles that had been stacked on Vennessa's shoulders, arms, hands, and feet.

"It's sad to see such a pitiful thing. Once casted from the pantheon the moon temple barely takes care of her anymore." Garrett frowned, slowly approaching the statue of Vennessa. He stood before the stone carved goddess in silence for a brief moment. Taking in this moment of silence before suddenly reaching down to pull out a small iron dagger from his belt. With a quick steady motion he swiped his arm upwards and grabbed a small chunk of hair. Then with a steady motion and without hesitation he lopped off the selected strains with the dagger. " It's not much to offer... Though I know as your champion you can see that this is no simple gift I give to you." Garrett spoke softly as if in prayer, bending down to place the small lock of hair onto the statue goddesses feet. When the lock of hair was placed he returned to a more straightened posture. His head slightly turning to the side to glance over his shoulder at Arial.

" So what do you want to know about your superiors? "