Shifting sands (closed to Nate)

Harhorisis glanced behind her as she followed the stone statue inside. She hadn't expected Nate to be a sight-seer, not that she knew him all that well. This temple was way off the beaten path, as well as uncharted, so his presence still puzzled her. She was intrigued in his interest though, if only he'd be straight-foward about it. It was obvious from the map he'd dropped earlier that there was more to this than common interest.

Hathorisis stopped in the middle of the large room not far away from an old alter to Horus, which she left her axe by. The feeling of being back in here after all these years was euphoric in a way, but empty at the same time. It was just another reminder that she was alone in this world. Perhaps it was best to be on good terms with the mortals of this age. Or at least the mortals that weren't trying to raid the temple. Hathorisis closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then returned to Nate's conversation with a fresh attitude.

"Stalking me? Or stalking the temple?" Hathorisis stretched like a large cat, then settled down into the ground to lounge. She felt at ease here, so why not relax? "I will never get you humans. Your riddles never even have a point to them." Hathorisis rested her head in the palm of her had, using her arm as a kickstand on the ground. "So are you here to find me? Or you seeking whatever that map told you that you could find?"

Sphinx's tail twitched back and forth as Nate threw his best lines her way. He really was pushing his luck, since Sphinx had not been created with intentions of dating. She was not some lifeless statue though, so she was taking in some amusement from the situation. Nate had come all this way for nothing really, since she was a stoic guardian of this temple and wouldn't let anyone plunder even the dust and sand that covered the ancient relics. So all he had as reward for his travels was the company of the temple's ancient servant. Well at least it wasn't the stone guardians he had to talk to.

"Flattery won't gift you the artifacts you sought here," she responded with a coy smirk. "But I cannot stop anyone from enjoying their thrills. That's their job..." she motioned to the stone statues who were now returning from locking the raider away in the dungeon. "I, on the other hand, was made to welcome guests as well as keep the unwanted out. And you are my guest, since the lord of the temple can't have any of his own anymore."

She would have offered him more comforts of the temple, such as food and drink, but after several centuries of lying dormant beneath the sand, she did not think anything left behind would be good anymore. A pity, since she needed to eat as much as anyone else did.

"So now that you have me here and no others, what did you have in mind?"

Hathorisis looked a bit troubled by his suggestions. which were outright blasphemy to her in some ways. Enjoying life? Ignoring duties? Leaving Horus's temple behind? Hathorisis was an eternal guardian. "I do not think you understand what it is you are asking of me. This..." she gestured to the temple surrounding them, "...is my life. My home. My ward. I would not exist if it were not for this. It is my eternal purpose."

Outsiders never seemed to understand though. Few ever had a sense of duty like the old Egyptians did. And the new world had changed so much from the old. So many radical thinkers and free wills that corrupted everything into a chaotic mess. And yet her world was crumbling and dead, while theirs was thriving. She wasn't blind to that fact. Even to her it was as clear as day. Perhaps if the world was moving on without any sense of the old, she should take some part in it. She would still never be one of them. But she would not fade away to become another statue of stone.

"Why must all be a race to you outsiders? You do not, I assume, have the short life of the humans. Slow down with me and we can enjoy a meal at a proper pace. Cairo... was once a great city." Although she had seen it again since her resurrection and she did not approve of the changes. Still... the old recipes had not gone extinct completely. The food would be good there. But even in the old days, her appearance would cause panic among the humans. Since she knew that had not changed, Hathorisis would blend in the best she could.

The great winged lioness stretched and stood up, but began to change throughout the process of the long stretch. The lioness faded away, as well as the wings, and left nothing but the human in her standing. "Ride with me then. There are still horses left that have not fled."

Nathaniel watched in awe while the large Lioness turned into a simple human. He let his eyes sweep over her and, to match her, his wings stretched and then vanished with a snapping motion. A single black and white rose falling behind of him. He turned and scooped up the flower, and extended it toward Hathorisis. "A pretty flower for a beautiful girl," he said, his Clove hanging loosely between his lips. He would likely get glared at for his actions, but he didn't care. He would ride a horse off to Cairo and eat a lovely breakfast with an even more lovely woman.

And so, to be continued. . .




Aka, wrapping up this thread so me n Sphinx can get XP. Sphinx is taking a break from RP, so I have ended this thread to allow her the chance to get this XP if she wants to. Ok. :]