[Excalibur]

The deluge poured in through the castle's crumbling roof creating temporary waterfalls that beat down onto the stone floors with echoing slaps. In some places this ingress had clearly been happening for decades, if not centuries, water had eroded smooth bowls and rivulets into the flags. Theses ingrained waterways then snaked away to disappear into the cracks between the huge slabs, presumably to continue the damp invasion into lower floors. 

Excalibur scraped some mud into one of the cracks; it dammed the flow for a moment, creating a browish pool, but the water soon found its way through and drained away taking the mud with it. She sighed. She had known it wouldn't work but tried anyway. "Sorry. I'll have to come up with something better." She muttered, as if the castle could hear her. Of course it couldn't... But... There was something about this place, a watchfulness... A presence? She had noticed it the first time she had entered, many weeks ago. At first it seemed forbidding; odd sensations like a sudden, sharp, tug on her ear or tail and bitter cold patches of air, but now it seemed, familiar... Almost friendly? Warm gusts would greet her from no where, even on the coldest of days, and then there were odd sensations like gentle rubs on her nose. She was probably imagining it, she told herself, it was probably some sort of thermal activity underground and cobwebs... Something plausible.

"I would make you whole again..." She murmured to the nearest wall -a wistful wish from one shadow of its former self to another- placing a paw against it and scraping away the green moss coating. Back in her old home a rock was a rock -big, solid, hurt you if you kicked it- just plain old rock. Here it was comanded, twisted, shaped, it could become anything so long as you had the vision to make it so. The Wall had proven it. Well, vision and skills, and it was that last one she was sadly lacking in. She was no builder and had no clue where she would even start. A soft breeze seemed to stroke like fingers through her ruff, she smiled. While she was definitely refusing to admit a castle was her friend -her only friend- she did keep coming back, daily, and had even taken to calling out a cheery, echoing, 'Hello!' when she did so. "You would be so magnificent." She told the castle as she brushed more moss away from an intricately carved block.

[Ashe]

Outside, the storm had progressed outside into a rather formidable torrent.  The deluge had completely caught Ashe by surprise, and had sent her scrambling to find cover.  it had pummeled the copse of trees she had originally began waiting out the sprinkle in, and she had run for a new shelter while her guard hairs saturated.  The rain misted the landscape, turning it foggy and hard to see.  It was only by accident Ash had run though the darkened doorframe and into the building.  She sighed in relief at the abrupt stop in falling water, and closed her eyes as she shook herself.  Droplets splattered the cobbles, speckling them dark in a burst around her.  When she finished her shake, she took note of her surroundings, and gaped.

"Ooohhh" A soft gasp escaped her lips.


What she had thought was a cave had turned out to be another mysterious construction like the Wall.  She had immediately been mesmerized by the Wall, which appeared to her to be as a riverbed that had been turned on its side.  The first chance she had gotten, she went back to look at it, and had discovered it's construction was not so different from a riverbed's at all.  Some sort of silt had been smeared in between the gaps in the stone, and others were stacked tightly together so that there was no gap.  She was more than a little intrigued, and had wondered if there were other such features scattered over Gemini's landscape.  It appeared she was now standing in the confirming answer.

It was clear that nature was attempting to reclaim the space.  The rain fell directly in through gaps, and little falls made from the water that impacted above streamed down in ribbons.  The mixture of nature and mysterious shaping was alluring, and Ash was instantly enthralled.  She stood in the doorway, simply staring up in awe of her surroundings.  She was so busy looking at the ceiling that she hadn't even seen the stepping pools just yet, or closely examined further into the chamber. Moss slicked the inside walls as the moisture accumulated, scant bracken and ferns grew in the corners, dotted with wildflowers.  She followed a stream of water down and moved to examine the basin in which it fell.  She was so absorbed in her discovery she didn't even spot the silver wolf who blended in with the shadowed stones.

[ame]

It’s whispers that draw him in.

The storm rages outside - but he’s safe in the little hole in the wall, curled up, just a black spot in a black hole, pale face buried in the fur to keep warm. The castle, as broken and crumbling as it was, provided great security from the battle in the sky. He was safe, he was warm, and the thunder vibrated through the stones, humming around him like a lullaby.

But then he heard the whispers, and pink eyes fluttered open to peer about him curiously. He wasn’t in the main hall, just some old room off a corridor from a corridor, but he heard the whispers like tickles in his ears, and after a moments debate - maybe it was a ghost! - he crept out of his warm hole and started off to the whispers.

He didn’t see anyone at first - feet silent on the ground as he walked through the twisted ruins, but then he saw her. No ghost, but a steel wolf, who looked so at home that it almost stunned him. He looked at her with bright pink eyes and, in the quiet, just for a moment, he thought maybe he could see her there -

But the image was gone.

'I would make you whole again...' so wistful, 'you would be so magnificent.'

And Ame smiles, because the vision is contagious. He approaches, popping up over a large rock and sliding down, little bits of dust trailing him. “Um,” he starts, because Ame has never been anything other than awkward, “I could. Help make it whole, that is.” His white face glows in the dim, and he side steps a small puddle. He stands a respectful distance away, smiling shyly. “I helped build the wall. I could help you,” hesitation, “I mean, if you want. Help, that is. To. Rebuild it?”

Yes, Ame has always been awkward, and his little hands fiddle with each other nervously. He wasn’t the best wall builder, not by a long shot. But he thought that… maybe he could see what she saw.

And it was beautiful.

---

[ooc: okay low-key, rebuilding the castle would be a hella cool sort of fortification/fort/sanctuary/hiding place/idk what the hell the word is for this thing in case there was ever an attack and civilians needed a place to go. no idea if this would ever be a thing but i’ll suggest it whoops]

[Excalibur]

A sound. A scuff of claws on stone. Excalibur's ears flicked up and her head turned towards the sound, her yellow eyes wide in the gloom, instinctively she leaned back, weaving into the shadows, to better observe the stranger while unseen herself. The new arrival didn't seem to have noticed she was even there and Excalibur did nothing to give herself away -yet- just watched. The newcomer stared up with apparent fascination at the crumbling ceiling with its tumbling cascades of water, then down into the basin into which it fell. Another admirer, Excalibur thought, and approved, classing anyone who could appreciate the structure as someone worth engaging with. She stepped forward, making a effort to make some small noise first so as not to startle the stranger and would have spoken then save for a another appearance.

"Um, I could. Help make it whole, that is.”

Excalibur's attention was now fully focused on the strange, oddly graceful, apparition before her, jet black, save for a ghostly white face that seemed to swim alone in the darkness. "I... Well... Uh..." She stuttered somewhat embarrassed and surprised, like anyone would be, to have been caught talking to a wall.

“I helped build the wall. I could help you. I mean, if you want. Help, that is. To. Rebuild it?”

There was no sarcasm or guile she could detect in the words, there only seemed to be a genuine desire to help. Which in itself was a little confusing for her, everyone wanted something -even if that something was only to put someone else down- didn't they? She tilted her head slighting regarding the stranger thoughtfully for a long moment, accessing him, still slightly distrustful that she wasn't being mocked or played in some way. "Where would we even start?" She asked slowly nodding round at the huge chamber, and that in itself only a tiny piece of the puzzle. She took in the clasped paws... Hands? And felt a pang of jealously. Those were the tools she really needed; her own paws were clumbsy and crude in comparison, but those, those could build a wall or a castle. "Could you teach me?" She didn't want to ask a favour, it would only leave her a debt but a spark of excitement -a sense of purpose- had begun to glow in her chest. This was something, the first thing, she had actually cared about since Arthur's death. The warmth of it chased away the deep cold and numbness. If it was true... If he could teach her... Then perhaps... 

The spark glowed brighter. There was still fire in the steel.

"I want to learn."

[Ashe]

The small noise Excalibur made was more than enough to alert Ashe.  She spun towards the sound, sliding into a crouch as she did so.  It was actually a quite graceful movement, but her ears were flat backward and her tail was tucked.  She locked eyes with the silver wolf for a moment, but then a voice distracted them both. The silver turned, and began to converse with the voice.  Ashe could not see another figure, hidden as they were among the fallen stones.  But she saw the puff of dust.  Her ears pricked forward, swiveling to catch the whispered sounds.

"Um, I could. Help make it whole, that is.
"I... Well... Uh..."

“I helped build the wall. I could help you. I mean, if you want. Help, that is. To. Rebuild it?”
"Where would we even start?  Could you teach me? I want to learn.”


A million thoughts supernova'd into a whirlwind of ideas.  She felt an opportunity presenting itself, and before Anxiety could talk her out of it, she was on the move.  In perhaps the first act of boldness that Ashe had experienced since she had come to Gemini, she approached the Silver and her apparition.  For some reason, being in the presence of a ghost was something that didn't scare the flighty female.  She had heard ghost stories from the elders of her old home.  Ghosts were often guides and guardians.  Ancestors that lent their knowledge to those who needed it.  She had never seen a ghost before, but spectral figures that faded into darkness sounded right, and this little thing certainly did fade into darkness. 

"Excuse me, did you say you built the wall?"

Anxiety had started to buzz.  That wasn't the way to address an ancestor.  What was?  Wait... what was?  She was pretty sure she had never been taught.  And it had come to speak to the silver wolf.  Oh, dear.  Now she was second guessing herself.  She shouldn't have interrupted.  It wasn't her place to interfere, and this spirit probably was of the Silver's ancestor.  Her ears drooped and she tucked her tail, suddenly unsure of her welcome.  Anxiety ruled when it came to ghosts, because Reason couldn't make sense of them.  So Anxiety had decided to have a field day.  Let's think about curses, shall we?  Betcha there's one for interrupting ancestors.  How about a flip through the memory storybook...

"I... I'm sorry..."  She said, backing away from them. "I didn't mean to intrude on your communion."

[Nova]

[ooc; hey, i know this is super old, but i was interested in potentially finishing it so while i'm super slow with ame he's at least doing something (trying to rebuild the castle). would you guys be interested still?]

[ypput]

[i]OOC: Yes! I’d love to continue. I’m actually away for a couple of weeks so super slow myself as of right now but happy to get this one going again.)

[Nova]

[ooc; i'll go ahead and whip up a response then when i get a chance!!]