Welcome to Gaia! ::

Sebastet had gotten up at dusk and dressed in her usual fighting leathers, the ones that Borias made for her. This set was a new design for the centaur to give her: a leather bustier in a soft gray with black stripes dyed into it that matched the stripes her fur carried, shorts to go with it, gloves that moved up to her elbows, and matching boots that laced up to mid-thigh. She also sore her sword at her back, the sheath attached to the back of her top and set for a downward draw; a few daggers were included at her forearms and thighs, showing that she truly went nowhere unarmed.

She'd come down here as if seeking something that she couldn't really name. She moved through the garden on silent feet along the stone paths that criss-crossed the beauty around her. She'd done her best to turn the old courtyard and bailey into something that others would find a place of peace and beauty. There were various mazes, endless expanses of simple lawns, trees and flowers blooming at all times day or night.

She stopped in one corner of the garden and stood staring at a large piece of marble engraved with three names, without the cloak that usually covered her from head to toe and hid her from view as she got lost in memories each name invoked in her.

Julius Cartwright: Hunter turned vampire. Able to use his faith as an actual weapon against other vampires whenever necessary. Her first love, dead before they could marry.

D’Aego: Elven vampire and another to have touched her heart. Killed when he was assassinated in her bedroom.

Ishmael Cartwright: Julius’ brother and the third man to have touched her heart. Born human but able to travel the various planes of existence. Where and when he was killed, she had no idea and knew that she would never know of it.

All of them gone, taken from her before she could actually marry them. All of them holding a special place in her heart before shattering it.

Her gloved fingers touched each name in silence before turning to leave the stone as she headed deeper into the massive garden, her footsteps barely making a sound as she moved along the various paths. Her steps lead her to the center of the garden where the planter that usually held her night-blooming jasmine that was the key to controlling her temper. Few knew just how important that plant was to her or the fact that it was the only thing that held in check the rage that could actually cause her to kill everyone around her, regardless of who they were or what they meant to her.

Now it was gone, destroyed for no reason that she could determine. She considered asking for Lareth's help to come up with a new seal on her rage, but quashed it since she knew he had enough to deal with handling Cynthia right now.

She gave a soft sigh as she considered the planter again and shook her head, her braid moving behind her as her tail swished gently at her ankles. She knew she'd have to figure this one out on her own. But she was getting used to that, being alone was apparently something she'd have to deal with. So she accepted it.

Even though her mind wandered to a pair of eyes the color of golden amber and a body covered with a lion's mane and fur with the strength to actually challenge hers, a male that had her libido going and her imagination wondering what it would be like to let him do whatever he wanted to her. She shook her head, though and growled at herself, her hands fisting until her retractable claws dug into her palms.

"Don't... He'll die just like the rest... Alone, you can't be hurt again... Alone, you don't have to see him die like the others... You have to send him home before anything happens to him... It's for the best..." she told herself softly and closed her eyes against the pain from the words she spoke, not realizing that she was proving the words the goddess had given to Lio in the forest.

She was visibly shaking as she fought between desire and her determination to remain alone. She was so strong most of the time but she was still female, still someone who needed to be loved and cherished, protected even when she didn't need it, still needed someone to tell her that she was enough just being herself, still needed to be held and told that she could be loved and that loving wasn't something to avoid but to be cherished and shared no matter how much time she had with them.

"Your thinking" anube said running a hand through his hair. He was not going to ask her what he was thinking just saying he knew she was thinking. He looked at her and cupped her face and kissed her gentle. "So shall we go back to touring the garden or go get something to eat?" he asked her as he looked for there clothes.

Anube put on his boxers and pants before following her and listening. "That is a lot of food but I can deal with making it all...though might have some on bake for I suck at it" he said. They last time he tried to back was a birthday cake for Yamille and he had burned it...even the icing was burned. He followed her to the bath house and grabbed her a robe and slipped it on her. "you smell so good" he said kissing her neck.

"Will then lets get you to the kitchen and feed before anything else happens" Anube said smiling. He kissed her before he picked her and carried her out of the bath house and to the garden again. He could tell her scent had changed and it took him some time before it hit him way it had. "Love don't get mad but I think I know why your hungry" he said heading to the kitchen.

Sebastet turned when someone spoke to her, silently cursing herself for leaving her cloak in her room. But she immediately noted the mark on his neck and gave him a nod as she calmed herself from what she'd been thinking about, pushing all of that aside to deal with the current situation.

"Yes, I'm Sebastet. I have no idea why those who have children here keep making me godparent, but there wasn't much choice in it. Gypsy, Desha, and Cris did more teaching with the twins and Dancer than I did. Still... I take it that you have a purpose for seeking me out besides telling me about her Mating to you?" she said simply, keeping her voice soft so that he wouldn't hear the ever-present hint of a purr her voice had naturally.

She knew full well that he wouldn't be able to miss the weapons she carried, bladed and natural. Nor could he miss the scents that made her for Hylarr and Vampire. The latter he'd probably know well. The former? Perhaps not so much anymore...

Sebastet took the letter and simply used a bit of shadow to send it to Hal in the demon realm, knowing the older demon would know how to get it to his sister quickly. Then he asked her a question she should have expected and actually gave him a smile, "What I am is a long story, Demon... But if you have the time, I'll gladly tell you. Someone should know about us since I seem to be the last aside from one visitor someone seems to have dropped on me," she told him softly and gestured to one of the stone benches that lined this small circular portion of the garden.

She took a seat and waited for him to sit as well before she started speaking, "I am Hylarr, a very old race. I remember your people when they were little more than basic elemental beasts, the Elves when they were more like the humans, watching the humans evolve from apes, seeing the first Were's shift form... I was Turned Vampire when they were still a new race. A night I rarely speak of for good reason. All the Hylarr are patterned after the cats this world knows so well, in fur and in instinct. We lived in the forests and plains, aided the humans during their first few centuries to survive the world. We taught them to hunt, to track, to plant, to build. Then their population exploded and their technologies expanded and they became 'superior' to other races, driving them into hiding to survive. The Hylarr faded into the forests and other hidden places. But the human population continued to grow and encroached on our territories.

"When the volcanoes exploded again, we were prepared for it while they were not. We helped them again, as we had done before. But they had the Church this time, who seems determined to destroy what they do not understand. They trained their Hunters well to come after anyone not purely human, siting the Hylarr first to be eradicated. After I was Turned, I gained added skills to elude them. But my people were not so lucky. They were hunted like vermin and killed in ways that would make the most hardened shudder in fear. I won't tell you of what I found in my search for other Hylarr. You don't need those nightmares.

"Needless to say that until this past day, I knew myself to be the last of my race. We have one other staying here in the castle for a while, until I can find a way to return him home since he apparently comes from another plane of existence where the Hylarr are in greater numbers. You may or may not meet him while he's here.

"A few things to remember about Hylarr, though, should you get the chance to be around another... We're very much like our feline counterpart. Hunters and trackers, preferring wild places. Some prefer to live in prides or packs, family groups. Others are solitary, only seeking others out for mating or when raising cubs. Guns make us sneeze. We all hate the blasted things. For weapons, we prefer swords, daggers, bows... weapons that require skill and training to use. We also have our claws, something not to be taken lightly. Most females carry an ever-present hint of a purr to their voice that most find seductive, though it's unintentional on our part. The males are usually very territorial and full of testosterone, a needful thing when competing for females and proving their potential worth as mates. No female will take a weak male, so they must be strong and dominant to survive a mating and protect their cubs from other males.

"Our main weakness, one that can prove to be fatal in the right circumstances, is that we cannot bear to see an innocent in pain. Many of my people were trapped that way, the Church using children to bring them out of hiding... We're highly allergic to silver, even more so than the Were's," she finished the explanation and paused to give him a moment, the tip of her tail moving gently over her ankles.

She hid the pain of loosing so many of her people out of practice honed over centuries, knowing that it was futile to rage over it now. She also knew what he saw when he looked at her. Pure white fur that gleamed in the moonlight and hid the numerous scars she carried, black stripes that marked her as a white tigress, claws carefully retracted for the moment, tail moving idly around her legs, ears much the same as a humans, long black hair braided down that reached to her knees, sharp emerald eyes slitted like a cat's, lythe body with a subtle musculature that belied the true strength in her, graceful movements that seemed inhuman, delicate facial features and small build that made her seem tiny compared to him. Very unusual to see, even more rare than he could know.

"I give you all of that because you're basically family now that you've mated Blade. There are others with histories they may or may not share with you. But you should know about me, if only to avoid the mistakes the humans have made. Learn about other races instead of destroying them," she added them stood with a soft sigh.

"Hal will see that your sister gets your letter and will send her to you soon. For now, go find your mate. If I know anything about Blade, she's waiting for you to go with her to speak to her brother. I wish you both the blessings of a happy family and will do all I can to help protect the children you will have. Go to her, Demon... And never forget to tell her how much you cherish her... You never know when Chance will take what you love most from you..." she finished, a brief inner pain flashing in her eyes with her final words to him before she moved further into the garden...

A cloaked figure moved along one of the pathways, heading for a secluded corner of the garden at a slow pace. From the silent steps and the way the figure moved, it was obviously female, head down under the hood of the concealing leather.

But before Rebecca could follow, Ash stepped into view. With the sunlight fully on him, it was easy to see just how golden his skin was, showing that he didn't bother to hide his nature totally. No, he was only required to hide the totality of it for as long as he was living here.

His dark eyes were showing violet today as he watched the cloaked figure move along the pathway and he lowered his head with a soft sigh. There were times that he hated the job he was sent here to do, hated the secrecy of it as well. Sebastet wasn't an easy person to protect.

He turned his head and noticed Rebecca and gave her a welcoming smile, holding one hand out to her, "I see that you've been lured here this morning Rebecca... Would you care to walk with a bit of company or are you intending to be solitary today?" he asked her simply, making sure not to be too pushy with her today.

He knew he'd pushed his limits with her last night with his kiss and hoped that there weren't any hard feelings over it.