Posts by [Grave]

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Although many of her clanmates had the ability to clearly see and interact with the restless dead which haunted these lands, Grave herself did not have that particular gift. As such, it wasn't often that she caught a clear image of any phantoms or spirits. More often than not, they appeared as blurry outlines in the distance, or a cold chill that ran down her spine as one passed through her huge form. Even the colourful wisps which seemed to pick out favourites and latch onto individuals for some reason or another were beyond her gaze. Then again, the spirits never seemed to bother with her that much anyway. Perhaps they found her boring? Grave couldn't be certain.

This instance was no different - she heard a voice, faint and echoed, and from her place a little distance away could see nothing else. Trailing just behind Amara as the so recently returned canine reached the source of the noise first, the towering Lupurca narrowed her eyes slightly as she attempted to try and get a clear picture of Jericho. In her experience, the wails of the dead could normally be ignored to some extent. It wasn't often a spirit returned that was still coherent and willing to interact with the living, and so for now Grave decided to remain silent.

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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It was not often that Grave spent time in any other room than her own. The Gaia being the labyrinthine supernatural entity that it was held all sorts of strange twisting and turning corridors, rooms and hallways. All of which seemed just a little too small for her, save a select few. Today, the wolf had found herself in the library trying to gather what books she could on the old world. Like many others, this room was at least particularly lit by the many wisps which gathered here - or so she had been told. This was one of the few places that if Grave sat and really focused her mind for a few minutes, she could almost force herself to notice the small ghostly creature. Never directly, only as small balls of gently floating light in the corner of her vision. This is how it had always been. Much like Dandelionfluff that had reacted before her, as the lights began to dim and the inside of the great tree was bathed in darkness, Grave's head snapped up towards the open doorway as her muscles tensed.

Slinking out of the room as best she could without knocking anything, those sharp golden eyes scanned the interior. Many of her clanmates seemed to be just as confused or scared as the air was filled with the sounds of concerned and worried voices. Almost instinctively, as she spotted the Shepard moving with a purpose Grave waited for her to pass before neatly falling in rank just behind her. It seemed she knew where she was going, but the wolf had little time to question as to why, as when she rounded the corner and let her gaze settle on Roman she felt her eyes widen in shock. As always, it only took her a few seconds to snap out of it. One, two. And then she acted. Dandelionfluff had beaten her to it though, crushing the rotten creature which had latched onto the fox with one swift movement.

"I did not realise the spirits reacted to these creatures with such fear." Grave spoke up a moment later, her voice low as a frown took a place upon her features. Why would something as intangible as the spirits be afraid of these monsters? They were of the physical realm, they couldn't attack the phantoms and ghosts which haunted these lands. Surely. In all of the various reports she had received, she had never been given anything that spoke of a reaction like this. Unable to look at Roman, the Nymph instead turned her attention towards the entrance of the Gaia, and the frown she once wore began to shift into the beginnings of a snarl. It wasn't just this sudden and unexpected reaction that troubled her - it was that one of the zombies had reached them. None had approached the Gaia to this extent before. How long would it be before something larger turned up? A dog? A wolf? A whole horde of them? "We can't let this happen again." Grave muttered quietly, more to herself than the others.

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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His voice reached her, and Grave turned her attention to the sky. She too was uncertain of how she felt - once again plagued by something unfamiliar, something that made her shoulders tense up as a strange warmth filled her chest. It was...uncomfortable. And yet she couldn't seem to look away from the winged lion as he took flight. Along with everyone else in The Sanctuary, he too had played a role in shaping Grave into the individual she was today. With him leaving like this, she wanted to take a moment to think about the few times they had spent together, and yet her mind seemed to stay blank. Empty. As if some part of her refused to bring up those memories for some reason, and she didn't understand why.

"Good luck." Two words, eight letters. Both rang hollow in her mouth, and the dry tone was enough that it almost surprised herself - even speaking made this weird unpleasant feeling worse. With her hazy amber gaze filled with that uncomfortable, unknown emotion, the Lupurca found herself drifting towards Dandelionfluff without really thinking about it. Taking a seat beside the direwolf, Grave finally looked away from Erdrick as he slowly disappeared into the horizon to places far away and unknown to her. That was it. He was gone.

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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This really wasn't something Grave was comfortable with. The Lupurca enjoyed her time alone, or with a quiet group of just a few people she knew. In crowds, she felt as if her large size made her stand out more than ever, and it made her a little uncomfortable and self conscious of her actions. That wasn't to say she disliked her clanmates, definitely not. After all, she was going to go through with this plan, wasn't she? It seemed that quite a few individuals had joined recently. Some of them new, some of them old. Either way, with the large influx of newcomers, Grave had decided that perhaps a sort of group event where they could all gather round and introduce themselves might be worth while. Not only to help the more socially inclined individuals find potential friends, but also it'd help her keep track of everyone.

With how busy she'd been as of late, Grave knew there were a handful of names she hadn't met in person yet, only getting the occasional report or hearing something passed in a conversation. So that's what lead her to this moment - sitting just outside the Gaia in a shaded patch. It wasn't particularly sunny today, but the wind had picked up a bit and it was a little cold if you stood out in the breeze, so hopefully her position would keep everyone out of the worst of it. Or so she had been told. In truth, when you were as towering as she was and covered in a layer of matted, thick fur, it could be hard to tell sometimes.

Taking in a deep breath, the Lupurca shuffled herself into a comfortable position before raising her head and calling out. "With the amount of newcomers that have joined The Sanctuary recently, I feel that holding a group meet and greet will help introduce everyone to each other." Grave paused speaking for a moment to let anybody nearby consider what she had said. Although her voice sounded like it was being dragged through a grater and then churned up in a bag of gravel didn't mean she couldn't cast it very effectively. It just hurt a lot afterwards. "If you like the sound of that, I'm holding one now. You don't have to participate, but it's recommended." That sounded official, right? Hopefully somebody would turn up soon, though. Grave would never recover from the emotional trauma of being left here by herself otherwise.

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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To be honest, it was nice to just have a normal meeting for once. Well. If you could call their meetings normal. Fireghost always had a way of making things...different? Perhaps? She didn't think that was quite the word she was looking for, but it was close enough Still, even by their standards this time things were rather tame, much to her relief. Lining up in colour order - that was easy. Taking a spot almost all the way to the right, Grave took her place and sat down quietly, waiting for the meeting to begin.

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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The whole experience with Kimihiro turning up on their border and asking for a tour had thrown Grave's thoughts into a bit of a muddle. Their visitor had certainly been polite, quiet and respected the rules which had been put in place during his time here. Grave had been busy at the time and so hadn't been available accompany him, but from what she had heard it had gone down without incident. A small part of her was still worried he was going to report this back to his leaders in the Ruins, but then again, if the majority of Ruiners were like this, perhaps they weren't as bad as she had previously considered? Grave knew that was wishful thinking, though. What was more as likely was that Kimihiro was just unique compared to the rest of his kin. No clan willingly left a ring of rotting corpses on their borders if they wanted to come across as friendly.

Still, all that aside the gift basket was appreciated, and as the Lupurca arrived next she made sure to give their visitor a polite bow of her head. "You are welcome." Came her reply a moment later as the towering wolf came to a gentle stop just beside Felix. "May your journey back be safe." The books were certainly welcome. Grave eyed them up for a moment, trying to get a quick glance at the front covers. Hm. Nobody would mind if she took a quick look at those two in particular before handing it in to the library, right?

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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The Sanctuary was a beautiful place. It was something that Grave seemed to forget from time to time - locked away in her room or in her thoughts, the Lupurca tended to zone out and let her eyes cloud over. It was only when she snapped out of those day dreams or took a few minutes as a break, she was reminded of how lovely the rolling meadows of colourful flowers were, how enchanting the dim glow of the wisps could be, and how magnificent the Gaia was standing tall and proud, its outline dominating the skyline. Even still, she did not let herself get distracted for long. There was always something she could be doing, whether that was sorting out more reports or dealing with the antics of her clanmates.

At this current moment she was on one of those few breaks, and had decided to leave the quiet confines and solitude of her room to go for a walk. It was at this moment when she spotted the origami seemingly folding itself, and that alone was enough to make her pause and blink. Unlike many of her colleagues, Grave lacked the ability to see the restless dead which stalked these grounds. Well, the spectral type at least. The giant wolf only tended to catch little glimpses of the phantoms and spirits that lived here, either as faint outlines in the distance, movement in the corner of her eye or wails during the dead of night. She had gotten used to it a long time ago, though.

This instance was no different - Arlo had stopped and posed a question towards the source of the apparent self-folding origami, and she could only assume it was one of the spirits which had self-awareness, or at the very least had the inclination to interact with living beings such as herself. Even still, unless this ghost in particular decided to reveal themselves to her Grave would be none the wiser, only hearing a faint echo of their voice against the background noise of the world around her. Regardless, with her thirst for knowledge being as it was, Grave was keen to listen in to what the spirit had to say, especially if it was a tale from long ago. "If you wouldn't mind, though forgive me if I'm not directly looking at you. I have difficulty seeing the spirits." Grave replied a moment later, looking not quite at Missy but instead just to the left of him with narrowed eyes as she attempted to make out his outline and failed.

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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Grave did not show it, but a wave of relief flooded through her as a few of her clanmates began to trickle in, some familiar faces and some not. Relaxing a little knowing that she wasn't going to sit here by herself looking awkward and alone, the Lupurca shuffled a little bit to get herself in a more comfortable position before speaking. "My name is Grave. I'm the Nymph of The Sanctuary, which is the position just below Shepard. If you have any concerns or questions and can't find one of our two leaders, please come to me. I spend most of my time around The Gaia or in my room, so I shouldn't be difficult to locate." That seemed official enough, right? The wolf gave Hev a hint of a smile for a moment as her friend offered his artistic skills to those interested - if she wasn't already weighed down by her current responsibilities, she might of just taken him up on that art mentor offer.

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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With the lights out, navigating without Dandelionfluff and her wisp taking the lead would be difficult. Even still, at his remark there was no question over her response - the second Roman asked for help, his words gave the Lupurca all the strength she needed to turn and face him. This was not the first time she'd carried the fox, after all. These circumstances were considerably more dire than that previous instance, though. She wouldn't admit it, but in hindsight although it was rather embarrassing giving Roman and Dog a ride around on her back, it had been rather fun. The memory burned away in the forefront of her thoughts in stark contrast to the current situation, but it offered her at least a little bit of solace.

Lowering herself down to his side, the towering wolf took another look at his injured leg and let a frown fall upon her features. That bite looked nasty, and with Adeline currently unavailable, the next best individual to handle the situation would either be Felix, and then...herself? Then again, the bite didn't seem particularly bad. Maybe? Grave had no experience treating rat bites before, and Roman said all he needed was some time to clean and wrap the wound, so perhaps that was all the situation required? She'd just have to trust his judgement and hope for the best. "Of course, I can take you to your room if you'd allow me?" Grave asked, unable to keep those traces of concern from her words as she spoke, that gravelly and damaged voice speaking quietly and quickly now as if raising her volume would somehow attract more of those creatures.

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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It wasn't often Grave found herself away from the Gaia. So much of her time was spent there these days. Her obsessive nature over ensuring the daily reports she received were well documented and sorted took up most of her time, and the rest was spent dealing with the daily antics and trials the rest of her clanmates put her though. Even when she went on a break to clear her head, more often than not the huge wolf just patrolled around the outside of the great tree for a little while, finding a nice spot to sit and stare off into nothing before returning to her duties. As of late, she had another reason for staying there, however. Ever since Roman had been attacked, the Lupurca had remained on high alert, keeping a constant vigil for any more of those monstrous creatures. Everything precious to them was inside the Gaia, and she couldn't bear to think of what might happen if something larger and more dangerous like a dog ended up getting inside.

That had been her life for the last month or so now. Although Grave took her duties very seriously, and believed that her responsibility to watch over the clan was an important one that warranted all the respect she could give it, she did miss simpler times. The days in which she could just aimlessly wander through the territory. Every rock, every tree, all committed to her mind. Her thoughts running rampant asking questions of the world in which only silence answered her. No concerns over roles and regulations. With how stressed she had found herself recently, those ideas of just up and leaving to the edge of the territory for a day or two to spend some time by herself had started to creep into the corners of her mind. At first she had brushed them aside, telling herself that her work was far more important than her personal desires. And yet as the days went on and Grave began to run herself ragged over the stress of current events, the Nymph had eventually given in.

Out of everywhere in The Sanctuary, the location known as the Quiescent Cove was one of the few places she had yet to fully explore, and so after tidying her room and leaving a small note on the door informing anybody to who noticed where she'd be going, Grave had set off with only the company of herself for the journey. On the time of her departure the weather had been fair - a little overcast with a strong breeze, but nothing that could bother her. Now though, it seemed as if that had been the beginnings of a storm, as in the distance and slowly rolling towards them from across the uncharted sea was a thick layer of dark clouds, rumbles of a distant yet closing thunder echoing across their territory as it approached.

This had lead her to look for a place to shelter from the storm - just because she wasn't easily bothered by the weather didn't mean she wanted to get completely soaked. What she had ended up stumbling across was a small cave that led into the cliff face just inside the cove, and as much as she wanted to bask in the silence of the secluded cove, it seemed as if she'd just have to soak up the atmosphere in there instead. Even still, Grave chose to sit close to the entrance. The cave itself wasn't particularly big which was one concern, but the other was that small, enclosed dark spaces tended to bring back rather...unpleasant memories. Thoughts of being trapped beneath the ground, almost completely unable to move. Dirt covering her eyes and nose. Opening her mouth to try and breathe, just to choke on the soil which found its way inside her maw and throat.

The wind was starting to pick up, causing the waves which entered the cove to wash higher and higher up the steep cliff wall. The sound of the rain hitting against wet stone became louder, the creaks and groans of the trees far above her swaying in the breeze, their leaves rustling as the sky darkened. And so here she was. By herself. Silent, still. Eyes closed, taking in heavy lungfuls of that clean, crisp air. Away from the others, her work, her responsibilities. A place that felt so isolated to the life she lead, that for a moment Grave entertained the idea of exactly that - the life she could lead by living on her own. Cutting ties and simply...leaving. To exist in a place like this, with nobody else. Not that she ever would, of course, but just for these few precious moments she could pretend that the world was just that simple. And honestly? It was wonderful.

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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Moments like this were rare, and fleeting at best. Here, with her eyes closed and free from distractions, she could let the rest of her senses flourish. The joy of just experiencing nature like this, feeling icy tendrils of the cold sea breeze creep into the small cave and wrap around her paws, the gentle splash of rain against the side of her matted ashen pelt as the wind carried it at an angle. Cold, damp stone beneath her. Another deep breath filled her nose with the salt of the ocean air - such a different sensation from the scents of her clanmates, of the many flowers around the Gaia, of crinkled paper and scented wax long since burnt down and extinguished by time.

She wanted to keep this with her, this sensation of existing somewhere else. Although the wolf had little time for it these days, Grave sought knowledge in all of it's forms. New experiences and information helped to expand her picture of the world - topics that most would consider common would sometimes be a complete mystery to her. With the past eluding her, everything had to be learned from the ground up. No matter how insignificant. Different environments, no matter how trivial, absolutely were part of the experience, and in a time like this with so much stress weighing heavily upon her aching mind, enjoying something as simple as sitting by the sea on a cold and stormy day was exactly what she was looking for.

And yet, even now out here by herself in the middle of blissful nowhere, it seemed that somebody had found her. For a moment, that almost but not quite tranquil state she had found herself in was washed away, as a deep rooted anger crawled up from the pits of her heart and flooded her chest with a stabbing, hot pain, and if it were anybody else Grave would have snapped at them. But Roman wasn't just anybody. It was the distinctive sound of his light touched walk that gave it away - the gentle steps, one beat a little faster with his injured leg, and then bleak silence where a fourth beat would have once been. The cold, ocean breeze and the sound of that delicate voice melted her bottled rage away.

Grave. One word. Five letters. Her name. The wolf opened her eyes to stare down at him. Together in this little space in the cliff, sheltering next to one another from the storm, he looked so small. The surprise hidden behind his words did not escape her. Neither did the edge in his voice, drowned out slightly by the crashing waves and the whistling gale beside them. She had looked upon him in such a way only once before, when she had followed him far beyond the borders of The Sanctuary. Out into the wilds, out into the unknown, where she had found not the soft-spoken, intense fox she knew. But the fragments of someone that had been through so much, pushed to the brink by her own reckless actions, crying out in anguish and regret. It's hell-it's my hell. The image, his stammered, pain filled words still echoed clearly in her mind.

"Roman." Comes the response. It's her own voice that finally breaks the aura of solitude that had been steadily settling in around them - damaged by his approach, shattered by her reply. The tone of her voice comes naturally, and yet it is one of which she had never really used before. That slight growl which never truly left her was there of course, but even by her standards it was low, even gentle. The shell of a voice which was almost used to display wrath, now empty and devoid of that ferocious emotion. "I'm just..." Two words, six letters, trailed off. A half formed reply, soon replaced with something which slips from her thoughts and out her mouth before she can really stop it. "Tell me. Do you feel trapped here? In The Sanctuary?" There is a long pause, filled by the waves and wind. "I know this will sound strange, but...it's as if I feel confined, only free to expand myself within boundaries. Do you...understand?" The question rings hollow. A statement offered in this private place, an admission to something she didn't quite believe even from herself.

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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"Incredible." Her response is immediate - with eyes widening slightly, Grave looked upon the many examples of sketched cheeses. Although the Lupurca was still playing into the whole humour thing, she was genuinely impressed. Even with such a ridiculous choice for the markers, Hev had still put his all into doing not just a few, but several detailed drawings of cheese. She supposed that it was admittedly for an important reason, but still. That was a lot of cheese. "You are correct. It'll certainly confuse anybody that's unaware of the context behind them." She remarked idly. A memorable project indeed. "It seems that you are more than capable of drawing some little doodles on the map to help mark those trap locations then, hm?" The way Grave raised her voice at the end implied this was posed as a question, but from the way she spoke it was exceedingly obvious her words were rhetorical. She absolutely expected him to draw pictures of cheese on her map. She'd accept nothing less.

As the wolf finished commenting on his work, she flicked one of her well worn down and slightly broken pencils towards him as a small invitation for him to join in whenever. No doubt Hev would produce his own, well cared for and neatly sharpened drawing implement instead of using hers, though. The pencil she was currently using had at one point been very obviously snapped in half and awkwardly stuck back together again. In her defence, pencils were small and very awkward to handle when you were as big as she was. Regardless, Grave was trying her hardest and she hoped that Hev would notice - all jokes aside, she genuinely did like drawing with her friend. "You are correct once again. More detail is important." As much as she wanted to nail this out sooner rather than later, adding some nice little details here and there would certainly make her work look much more visually appealing.

Deciding where to start was always difficult. Once she got going, making progress was easy enough and Grave found that she could usually manage through a mix of careful decisions, logical thinking and a healthy amount of improvisation. Adding additional levels of detail to her drawing was no different, and it was obvious from the look which overcame her face that the huge wolf was having some trouble figuring out where to start. After all, it would be a pretty useless map if the extra little bushes and trees she added were in the wrong locations, so accuracy was also on the line here. Perhaps Hev had some more references in his sketchbooks? She remembered him showing her a few back on that first night he had found her hard at work drawing away in here. "You don't happen to have any references of the lake to paw, do you?" She asked after a few quiet moments of consideration. "Ah, I almost forgot to ask. How have you been doing as of late? It's been a while since we've just talked like this."

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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Grave had come to expect many strange and unusual things from her clanmates. The Sanctuary was an odd place that attracted odd individuals after all, and yet even still that mindset was not enough to prepare her for telepathy. This was the first time somebody had directly spoken into her mind, and a look of genuine surprise flashed onto her face for just a moment - only long enough for those already watching her to notice - before that expression she had been holding previously settled onto her features again. Having another voice in her head was a little...unnerving. Until now, the Lupurca had considered her mind to be one of the few places she could find total privacy in, but now she wasn't so sure. Did this mean he could read her thoughts in response? Not willing to find out, Grave decided to offer the spirit a bow of her head as thanks and remain silent instead. A magic show was certainly an interesting way of looking at it, but she had to admit that watching the paper fold itself and float around was rather appealing.

As the voice returned once more, the wolf stopped herself from flinching a little again, but soon settled in to the idea of letting his words flow through her head. Japan. It's the first word that sticks out. One word, five letters. A country from the other world. Being a native to the lands of Agrelos meant that Grave had never experienced what the first earth had been like, only hearing stories of it passed between a few individuals which had been around back then, and reading what she could from books found in the library. She knew enough about Japan to know it was a country, but honestly very little else.

One by one the sections of coloured paper began to fold into different shapes and sizes, and her steady golden gaze drifted between the dragon, the arrow and the butterfly as the story continued. She knew of this craft as well. Origami. One word, seven letters. The art of folding paper. It was difficult to soak up the story he was telling as well as pay close enough attention to see how the paper was folded. Perhaps once he was finished, she could enquire about the skill? The pursuit of knowledge was one of her goals, after all. For now though, Grave quietly waited for the story to continue.

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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In contrast to the individual which had arrived before her, Grave must have looked the complete opposite - huge, lumbering. Her muscular Lupurca form towering above the both of them, burnished golden eyes locked onto the stranger, narrowing as she approached. The expression she held didn't display any open hostility, but it was certainly judgemental. Anybody from The Exiles should be treated with harsh scrutiny in her honest and true opinion. A group as savage and brutal as that had earned their reputation through bloodshed and violence. Anybody that still carried their scent as strongly as this pup did deserved no quarter unless they proved their intentions as peaceful.

Then again, that other stranger which had visited them from the Ruins a little while ago had shown her otherwise. Perhaps this newcomer was here for much the same reason? Regardless, she came to a gentle stop a small distance behind Dandelionfluff, but said or did nothing other than take a seat. The Shepard had already asked all of the necessary questions, so now she'd be looking for a good response from the stranger in return.

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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Now this posed an interesting question - had Grave actually ever played with a ball before? That individual she had once been, the one which had grown up in these lands before her awakening was a mystery to her. Perhaps at some point? Kicking a round-ish object seemed like a common thing for children to do, right? She had seen a few kits scampering around playing with balls of moss after all. As much as the wolf enjoyed the idea of spending some time with her clanmates, her size would make things a little...unfair. She could see it now - all she'd have to do was lie down in front of the goal and that was it, the immovable object, unbeatable defence.

Still, that didn't mean she was going to slink away back to the confines of her room. The sun was out, the weather was fair, and the gentle breeze was enough that she could probably do some work outside, so long as she made sure none of her papers flew away. Completely unaware of the halo of wisps which orbited the direwolf which had arrived before her, Grave sat close enough that she ended up blocking the path of a few of them. To her, it felt as if the air had grown a little colder, maybe the wind had picked up for just a second? The wisps themselves scattered away from her at the sudden intrusion, and as they did that 'cold breeze' seemed to disappear as the wind settled down. "I think I'll just. Spectate. If you wouldn't mind." Grave eventually spoke, the words leaving her mouth slowly as if it had taken her some time to consider what to say.

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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The sounds of the storm, the ocean, the wind, blend together as one. A beautiful chorus, crafted and given to them with what felt like nature's personal touch. The land the Gaia was placed upon could almost be a blessing from the earth itself - though perhaps that's why the great tree was given such a name? Even this far away from its huge, spiralling roots, everything still seemed so refined, to the point of almost being picturesque. The unyielding force of the storm whipped up the murky waters below them, every movement of the rolling waves sending spray up and onto the sheer cliffs that protected the isolated cove from the rest of the world. The drumming of the rain, once a gentle patter now gradually increasing in tempo and intensity. The side of her that's close to the mouth of their little shared space is wet, damp with the sea spray and dripping slightly. A single paw shuffles away, barely moving an inch. The rest of her does not.

This raw, untamed environment is all Grave knows. The concept of city streets, an urban labyrinth of fabricated metal, an unfeeling concrete jungle, is something she had only read of in books. The idea of living somewhere like that is far beyond her, so much so that the Lupurca had tried visualising what it must have been like to exist in a place such as that which could stretch on for miles and miles, and failed. This land is her home - rolling fields, tall and ancient trees that stretch up high into the sky, forming together to create nameless primordial forests which had been untouched for untold centuries. As the towering wolf looked down upon Roman as his gaze met hers and stayed there, she tried to think of him always being in a place like this. Growing up and living in a world like hers. And she failed.

What did she actually know of Roman? What secrets lay behind those honey-brown eyes, behind that quiet stare which watched them all so astutely, that voice which spoke with such a carefully concealed weight as if he had experienced a lifetime of misery, and was trying so very hard to exist in a place which he did not truly fit into. The wolf had never asked before. He had never given anything away, and yet it's only now that the words finally take shape in her mind, then a moment later find purchase in the waking world. "I think. I think you don't suit this place. But you're trying, aren't you?" Grave paused, breaking her gaze away from him to look out into the chaotic, terrifying display only a small distance away from them. "You've never said, but...I need to know. Where did you come from, Roman? What far away lands did you travel from to reach this beautiful, cursed place?" The words are spoken carefully, deliberately. Each one chosen specifically, even if she didn't say them in quite the way she had hoped for.

But who was she for him to spill his ever so carefully guarded secrets to? It was clear that he saw her as different, just as she found his image in her thoughts during those few precious moments when she could allow them to drift. With it came that strange warmth in her chest again. The one that made her limbs feel weak and heart beat a little quicker, something she thoroughly disliked distracting her, and yet she yearned to feel it time and time again. A guardian? A figure of authority? A friend? Perhaps here, in this little secluded cave so far detached from her life, maybe if she just tried hard enough they could talk as if none of it truly mattered - their positions within The Sanctuary, forgotten, ignored, just while they were alone. Just until the storm passed. Perhaps that's why she was talking like this? Grave couldn't say for sure as more words began to flow from the depths of her thoughts.

"I need to know. Because I want to know why you understand." The wind howled, the gale forcing the waves into a frenzy of crashing water. The spray of the tide dampened her face. The wolf didn't flinch. "I need to know, because...why would you tell me to run?" His voice had resounded with such sharp contrast from the world just a few small steps beyond them. Empty of emotion or feeling. And it hurt listening to him speak like that. But she'd ask anyway. Because she had to.

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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At first, it had taken Grave quite some time to get used to the idea that there were beings unseeable by her mortal eyes that lived alongside the denizens of The Sanctuary. Then again, it had taken her quite some time to get used to everything back then in those few weeks after her awakening. Still, the restless ghosts and phantoms which resided within and around the Gaia seemed to pay her very little attention, and so in return the Lupurca often ignored them. Every now and again, she caught glimpses of figures standing in the distance just to vanish a moment later, or the shadow of some unknown entity dart away out of the corner of one eye. By this point she was used to it, and so the sight of Cessna playing and shouting out to things that only the gifted could see didn't cause the towering wolf much concern.

"The spirits, of course." Came her reply to Marrok's question as she moved up and took a seat a respectful distance away from the newcomer, offering them a small yet polite greeting nod as she did. "I take it you lack the ability to see them as well then?" It was a rather pointless question to ask as he had already provided her with the answer, but what Grave was attempting to accomplish here was something that resembled polite conversation. She had been told of Marrok's arrival, but until now had not actually met him in the flesh. "Ah, I do not think we have met yet. My name is Grave, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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Surely, for a training session based entirely around fighting larger opponents, there was nobody more suitable for this than herself? Her intentions still lay in learning of course - although Percy was planning on showing the rest how to effectively fight larger opponents, that didn't mean she couldn't watch the technique and then come up with an effective counter, right? Still, compared to the rest of her clanmates, maybe she was a little too towering. Maybe she'd make a suitable assistant for Percy to demonstrate his moves on? Then again, the idea of watching somebody like Hev struggle to bring her down was rather amusing. With that thought in her mind and a tiny, hint of a smirk on her features, Grave quietly approach the group and took a seat beside her friend. "Perhaps I could assist?" The Lupurca offered a moment later, head tilted sideways slightly.

The desire to fight and spar had once burned through her veins, that restless energy demanding to be released in one form or another. In time it had been washed away and suppressed with the effects of sleepless nights and a stressed mind, which now that she thought about it was a little disappointing. Although The Sanctuary was a quiet and peaceful place, that didn't rule out the possibility of an attack, as unlikely as that was. They seemed to do a pretty good job of staying on friendly terms with several other groups, and tried to remain out of the way of those that'd cause them any grief. That hadn't stopped Felix from being taken, though. Or Dethroned from being murdered. The good mood which had been on her face only moments ago was abruptly pushed away with a soft frown as Grave fell silent and waited for the training to start.

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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In those many long, restless nights in which she had remained awake, either by her own desire to keep working until the early hours or because sleep was simply evading her, Grave had considered the use of weaponry such as swords in combat. Once during a sparring session with the angelic lion Erdrick, she had considered asking about his skills in swordsmanship. Circumstance had lead to her never quite finding the time to ask, and now he was gone. A small, pang of regret left an unpleasant sensation in her chest for a moment as she thought back to the white lion - but a moment later found the strength to push it away and focus on the topic in question again. Surely, with her size and strength, arming herself would only make her even more dangerous? After all, what's more terrifying than a 6 foot tall angry wolf? One with a giant sword, that's what.

Approaching the group, Grave took a seat a small distance behind the few which had gathered before her, offering each of them a silent, polite greeting before turning her attention towards Maxine, uncertain of whether the Siberian Tiger had anything her size. Probably not. Still, just being here to watch would be more than enough to satisfy her own curiosity. The pursuit of knowledge was a goal she tried to meet as often as she could. Without the supernatural ability to lift and control an object using the power of the mind, surely wielding a bladed weapon of sufficient size would be difficult? There were only so many ways you could effectively hold something like that in your mouth and swing it around, after all. But that was what made this training session all the more interesting, right?

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags

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"It's a letter. Presumably for us." Came the voice of Grave as the lumbering wolf approached, head tilted sideways ever-so-slightly. It wasn't often that they received a letter, how curious. Coming up behind The Shepared and easily leaning over the top of them, she took a quick scan of the message with eyes narrowed for a moment. Hmm, straight to the point. "It seems you left a good impression on Louis." Shuffling backwards a little and taking a seat as she did, Grave offered the floating leopard a gentle smile as she tried to envision what sort of Fireghost Brand™ antics they'd bring to the event. "You specifically have been invited to dinner at the Dark Dynasty. The letter requests that you meet Louis at the border tomorrow night." One of these days, she really ought to bother Ghostie into learning how to read.

Fear is a reasonable response to Life // Nymph/Deputy // The Sanctuary // Tags