He continued through the archives before stopping in front of Kuchiki and bowing graciously to her. "Good afternoon Kuchiki my dear. Enjoying your stay?" He asked as he rose from his bow and set that cold green gaze on the woman.

"Yeah, but I couldn't help to wonder..." She trailed off before returning to the topic of their previous destination. "Where do you keep the flowers that you haven't experimented on yet?" A brow quirked, tinged by her curiousity.

Truthfully she had yet to grace this room. So she moved on ahead to walk the room and explore it. Tucking that lock of hair behind her ear. Pulling a clip from her robe pocket as she hastily but expertly put her hair up into a messy bun. Her hands in her pockets as slippered feet whispered against the floor while she continued her exploration.

"There's a spot on the roof where I grow many plants before conducting experiments." He said with a small nod. "Why?"

"I just thought you might have a garden, you know somewhere for the scholars who worked here to go for some fresh air." She nodded her head slowly to that as she continued on, "People have to get out of the building sometime or another, you know?"

"They would always go to the roof." He nodded. "Would you prefer it if there was a garden outisde?" He asked with an arched brow. All that was outside was of course, a cemetary behind the citadel with many gravestones who's engravings had long since been worn away by time.

She nodded her head slowly, "That would be nice." She admitted, mulling over the idea of the whole thing. "I think it might give the outside some color, too." A cemetery just made the place seem completely and utterly depressing, but a garden would make it seem less so by making the place seem less and less like a haunted house.

"Then come, I'll see what I can do." He said as he turned and gestured for the doors that lead out of the archives.

The doors were thrown wide as he reached them, then Raithmoore started down the steps. Once at the bottom of them, he stopped and turned to look at her while motioning to the landscape around the citadel. "Pick a spot."

She glanced up when she saw that Darcel had been claimed by the Nexus. Pity. She returned her gaze to the book turning a page. A soft sigh escaping her lips as she continued to absorb the treasure before her with her dark eyes.

Lips were pursed as she looked over the landscape around her as she faced the two front doors of the Citadel, her eyes swiveling to the west side of the building and her hand moved. Index uncurled to point in that direction while her other fingers closed against her palm. "Over that way."

He nodded as he started over toward the area she had indicated, walking at a leisurely pace until he reached it, and looked around for a moment with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Hmm...yes this'll work."

Arms were folded across Kuchiki's chest, steps dragging her towards Anatar as she followed directly behind him. Her gaze transfixed upon him as she observed his facial features, absorbed him as she waited for him to get started on creating the garden. There was nothing personal about this behavior, simply studying him as he began to work with the space. She assumed he would use magic for the task, but a gardener could always be called in possibly.

"Ah yes, now it's come back to me." He chuckled quietly while he mused out loud, before falling deep into the throws of casting a spell. The air rippled with energy as magic poured in from the ground and country around him, to fill the void he was to turn into a garden. First it was just the wind picking up, then a sudden gale started, a great vortex of air and dirt set right before him, causing his cloak and hair to whip about violently. But Raithmoore himself didn't sway, he remained rooted the ground.

All inside the cyclone was obscurred by the rapid and fierce winds, making it impossible to see anywhere past, or into it. Then suddenly it vanished, and in its place was a garden. The garden was rather bright, teeming with life, a stream that had a small wooden bridge going over it, a series of tall maze like bushes and shrubbery, flowers of all sorts, all bright and colorful. Then in the center was the tall marble fountain that seemed to be the source of the stream. The fountain had a creature of sorts, standing with four legs out wide, clawed at the ends, gripping into the edges of the fountain, its horns curved up and spiraled, while its great wings remained opened up wide above its back, casting a shadow on the ground before it. Its eyes were bright, glowing, and violet, it seemed a gargoyle of sorts.

It was early and the one window of the room just barely illuminated Kuchiki's surroundings. The heel of her palm rubbed sleep away from her eyes as she sat up in her bed. Arms raised above her head, shifting to stretch out the kinks in her back and letting out an obnoxious yawn in the process. The crimson duvet and comforter were shoved aside and bare feet touched the cold wooden floor. A small rucksack was emptied onto the bed, articles of clothing spilled out on top of the bedding stained with colors of blood.

All she acknowledged of the room was the four poster bed, massive in its size. The room consisted of various scarlet and crimson shades, but was also well lit like the entrance of the Citadel. She took the Venetian mirror in with her peripherals and then canted her head curiously, staring at her reflection. Horns forming a rounded point, almost like a soft triangle that matched a felines ears so well. Tresses of pink flooded down to her lower back, adamantine optics transfixed on the pools of crimson. She shook her head slowly as she turned back to the contents on her bed.

Kuchiki stripped herself of her garments and donned instead, a white silk shirt with buttons down the front and butterflies embroidered along the sleeves and back of the shirt. Black slacks were also shimmied on and fit to her form like a second skin. Sandals with a single prong between her big toe and index, if that's what you wanted to call it, slid onto her feet as she ushered them in. The shoes were made of a thin wood, sanded evenly on the bottom for a smooth surface. Most people would have thought against the purchase as they would be sliding everywhere, but she liked how little traction they held.

Regardless, Kuchiki moved for the door of what was to be her room while she resided in the Citadel Raith. Slow footsteps took the early riser towards the main level of the building and she took outside of the building. Once outside of the Citadel, the female immediately took a left turn towards the west side of the house. The bars of the gate spiraled, forming Celtic knots. Kuchiki pushed through the metal barrier that separated the garden from everything else and gazed around.


The focal point of the floral garden contained a fountain, a curious creature was mounted in the middle and spouted water from his mouth. Horns sprouted adjacent to human ears, though unlike the cat like ones on her head, his spiraled in a curving manner textured with lines. The creature was on all fours with claws seeming to grip the edges of the fountain. He appeared to be in a predatory stance, the front part of his body and torso lowered with haunting eyes. The optics were the only colored part of that marble structure, a hypnotic violet haze. Long hair cascaded down nude shoulders as he was scantly dressed. Breeches fit to him, but appeared shredded to the point of being a rag covering only what was necessary. The wind whispered as though he were cursed and alive. She reached out to touch the structure and thought against it.

Crimson optics diverted about at random, taking in the black rose bushes as well as the other floral bushes that stretched on. Like the Citadel, the garden seemed to be one long and continuous maze that extended infinitely. She was afraid to venture too far for fear of getting lost in the winding garden, but coming outside was nice for the most part. At least she could finally get some fresh air.

The female heard the footsteps, presuming it to be Anatar himself. She turned precariously though she hadn?t yet received the premonition of death either. The footsteps were also louder and different then the Raith?s. Scarlet orbs set into her eye sockets tried to catch the other with peripherals before she actually allowed her steps to move her in a full circle, moving the entire three-sixty degrees required to catch a glimpse. ?What are you doing up so early, Darcel?? This was the first time she had actually directed him other than to inform him of her name. Her voice was surprisingly soft and at ease opposed to the nervous, wary tones she used when Anatar was present. It was only the Raith himself in which she had such trepidations lurking through her thoughts, consuming her entire being.

He paused, pivoting slightly to land the foot that was going to take another step behind him to face the female. The change in her voice was noted - he was, after all, much less of a threat than Anatar - and he wondered what the girl would do if she ever found out what the Raith was really like. He swallowed the temptation to tell her. After all, he was sure Anatar had put up a perfect facade for a reason, and he didn't want the hard work to go to waste, or give her more reason to be paranoid. Still, it was tempting. "Out for a walk." He returned vaguely, although he spoke the whole truth. His tone was the same as usual - indifferent, and even a bit cold. It reinforced the chronic expression on his face, and one could easily come to the conclusion that the boy simply didn't care.

?Obviously,? she noted and then her arms folded across her chest with a mock stolid expression pointed towards the man. If he wanted to act apathetic and make miserable company than why not do the same? Her gaze drifted to the stream that ran underneath the winged gargoyle. She moved forward, prodding at a clawed hand with curious fingers. ?Do you think that he?s alive?? A slender brow was arched at the marble structure though Darcel wouldn?t have seen it. ?It seems like he?s trapped.? The pads of her fingertips ran along the gargoyle, caressing a bare marble shoulder as she peered up at it. It was probably inappropriate to touch the gargoyle, disrespectful even and more so if something inside of it lived.

Again there it was, the temptation to say a simple 'I don't care' and continue on with his business. But, he decided it wouldn't hurt to humor her. He was going to have to learn how to get along with her if they were going to live together, after all. His heavy boots shrieked with the pressure of the few steps he took to near the fountain. The necromancer took a moment to study the structure, as he had simply noted and passed it without a thought before. "I wouldn't be surprised." He mused, suddenly wondering what it took to petrify a demon. "It's more probable for him to be alive." Anatar seemed the type to keep his offenders alive and suffering rather than kill them outright.

"Why though?" A slender brow arched, "Why would someone want to trap another like this?" She continued to unleash the entourage of questions as they assembled in her thoughts. "How even?" It wasn't like her to dig so deep for reasons of why things were the way they were. In fact, she tended to do the opposite and retract herself from others for personal reasons. Rhy'din had proved different because while these people frightened her and stirred up unwanted feelings, they were also welcoming. Anatar and Darcel had proved to be decent enough people so far as neither had tried to initiate an attack of any kind on her. She had expected at the very least, insults. But perhaps many residents of Rhy'din were considered monstrous as she herself had been tagged. Anatar with the vibe he had given her, Madeline with the disturbed expressions Kuchiki had only caught a glimpse of, Darcel she wasn't too certain about yet. But she could almost bet on the fact that not a single one of them were human either. They couldn't be, she convinced herself of this easily. She wasn't ready to discover just what any of them were yet though.

"To make them suffer through an eternity of immobility, of course." He mused, feeling the statue with only his eyes. "To make it so they no longer have any control over the world around them, or their own lives for that matter. It's rather simple." He didn't think much of the poor man-creature's, a devil or demon of some kind, situation in and of itself. Rather, his thoughts went to Anatar. From his observations of the citadel, the man was extremely deliberate, and didn't think much about the sufferings of other creatures - or, if he did, he certainly responded to it in anything but mercy. From his observations of the man himself, well, despite the Raith's facade he puts up for Kuchiki, his attitude seemed to echo what the citadel had already said. He was polite, but a bit overly so to hint at something malicious lurked beneath the surface. Darcel had already accepted the fact that as long as he lived in the citadel, his life was in Raithmoore's hands. The once-was-drow held too much power not to be able to kill him, and too much intent to not consider it in the first place. The necromancer was already to the point that if Anatar were to ask him to do something, he'd do it without hesitation and without question.

"Interesting," a one word response which allowed the silence of her thoughts to echo. Crimson optics remained on the necromancer while she moved to sit on a part of the fountain edge where the gargoyle wasn't clutching at or hovering over so much so that she didn't have to hunch over. "What do you remember? Are your memories just not there or is it kind of foggy and incoherent?" Both things could suggest entirely different reasons as to why he only had few remnants of what his past was.

"They're just... not there." He uttered softly. His bright irises had glazed over, and his voice had come out in a breath. "I can't recall anything. My first memories are of meeting my teacher." Well, sort of. His first memories were really of walking down a street and glancing into a window, only to be shocked at what he saw reflected. But, seeing as he met his teacher that same day, he supposed he'd get away with bending the truth a bit. He blinked, willing himself back to reality. Iced azures studied the female suspiciously. "Why are you so interested?"

"Do you think that your teacher has something to do with your memory loss then?" A slender brow lofted once more with her inquisitve expressions and behavior. She seemed deeply fascinated by all of this, "Actually... It's probably because I don't really get companionship, without being singled out and abused with insults or some kind of injury." A slight roll of the shoulders to that as she continued, "I would probably have to assume that it's because you haven't showed any signs that you want to jump out and lynch me or something. Everyone in the Citadel, they're like me in a way. Different. Not completely human. Distinctive from the inferior and defenseless races because we have what they don't. The power to kill them in the blink of an eye. Whether we want to or not. We're not the same as them."

"He could have, but I don't think it'd necessarily be in his character. He seems a bit too..." A pause, "naive, I suppose. Maybe trusting would be a better word, but anyway." He emulated her shrug. As her words sunk in, he brought into question his own existence once again. "I'm not a very violence-oriented person in the first place. All the combat I know is in self-defense." He commented. "I wouldn't jump out and lynch you even if I thought you were a monster. I agree, though. This citadel is a very nice place to call home. We aren't judged here. Manipulated, maybe, but not judged. Although I do think Anatar has taken a liking to you due to his curiosity." He wasn't going to say he was jealous, because he wasn't. "To be honest, I seem to be his least favorite." It was a simple observation, and he didn't seem to care. "And, well, I'm not really sure what I am. I'd say I'm close to human, though. I definitely feel mortal, but I'm not trying to jump to any conclusions too quickly."

"Sounds a little sketchy, but I don't have enough information on your race to doubt it." He accepted it easily; it wasn't his job to judge her words. "Have you ever met another Silpelit or Diclonius?" Kuchiki was an interesting female. Darcel could see why Anatar had grown a liking to her. She was naive enough, and had a strong unseen power that could rip things apart with - as she had put it - a blink of an eye.

"I wish I could say that I have." she admitted as her gaze dropped to the ground. "Unfortunately, my kind take to hiding themselves from others. I've known of some that were nearby, but that was only on the rare event that more than one of us had been captured by the same group of people. Even then, we were separated from one another." She bit her lower lip, eyeing Darcel as though expecting him to ask her another question. Usually she was barricaded with questions on her kind and anything that related to it.

"I see." He muttered, letting the conversation fall into silence.

"Have you made very many friends since your memory loss?" She queried carefully as she eyed him with polite curiosity. She had changed the subject as she was sure he wasn't going to ask further questions with that last comment. "How far back are your most recent memories?"

"A few." He admitted. "Not many I genuinely enjoy the company of, however. My memories..." A pause, to collect his thoughts. "I have a good couple of months' worth. But even then, I can't remember every detail. I suppose that would be the natural memory loss that my species experiences, although as far as I know, I could have a strange condition in which my memory is gradually lost and the rest of my kind remembers every bit of their life." He wasn't sure which he preferred. Perhaps the former. "I don't know too many things," was murmured under his breath, as if to himself.

"Do you yourself think that you will ever regain them?" A brow was lofted over a pool of crimson.

Another pause, head hung in thought. "Sometimes I feel a strange sense of nostalgia when I run across things I've never experienced before. Those times, I allow myself a little hope. But, honestly, no. I don't. At least I feel that I shouldn't let myself think that. It's probable, sure, because who knows just what's causing my memory to lapse? But if I let myself think that it's possible, I'll wait for it. I'll expect it, and I can't allow myself to do that."

"Is that because you don't want to deal with the disappointment it might cause if that never happens?" Her voice lowered a few decibels, softening as she attempted to smooth over the reaction it might cause. The question was not only personal, but one he might not be comfortable with as well.

A pause, eyes downcast and mind elsewhere. "Yes." He hadn't wanted to say it. It was for the best Kuchiki did.

"He doesn't sound like a very kind person, how did he end up becoming your teacher in the first place?" Intent scarlet optics remained on the man, scrutinizing him while taking an interest in what he had to say simultaneously.

"He offered; I didn't see anything wrong with it at the time. My mind was still a blank back then." He admitted, head hung. "I needed a teacher, and sometimes feel like I still do. Life is awkward when you lack the experiences to tell you how to handle certain situations."

"Well, Rhy'din's full of people who are different. At least that's what I've gathered and have seen." There was a faint shrug, "Why not replace him?"

"Haven't found any good replacements, although Anatar would probably prove to be a good substitute. I doubt he'd be interested though." He shrugged in return.

"It's worth a shot, I guess."

A shrug. "I suppose."

"How long do you think this will go on for?" She asked curiously, obviously having trailed off as her thoughts carried her elsewhere. "Do you think that we'll be staying at the Citadel long? I mean... Do you plan on leaving anytime soon?" She allowed her gaze to lock on Darcel, "I don't even know why I agreed to come here and now Anatar and I sort of have a deal that I'm uncertain of the results with." She seemed to pause as though mulling that over a moment before continuing, "Do you think that if I chose to leave that he might force me to stay against my own free will?"

"I don't know." Admitted. "I can't say that I plan on leaving. But then again, I can't say that I plan much of anything."