The silver corruscating light that bursts from her and soars to the moonless firmament surprises her as much as it does them. 

Strange and fey patterns swirl through her anima, tigers and dancers melding into one another in a dizzying parade - and a tiger of silver light forms over her, and silver filigree traces across her skin - 

She doesn't raise a hand even with the violant rush of energy through her, doesn't attack, but the sword glances off her shoulder like its wielder hit a statue and he stares at her, terrified - before collapsing, eyes wide and fixed and unseeing.

That routs them - of course it does - they fall to their knees or flee or collapse -

But Shine looks afar into the dark night, and realizes she's drawn attention - that this was but a tiny raiding party split off from the main force - and there's something darker than night looking at her - 

"Stand," she says, voice resonant and firm, "And protect this temple from those who would threaten it."

The cavalry, when it arrives, will find a rather different battle than the one it feared - they'd been warned of a large group of undertrained warriors potentially supported by a necromancer or something darker - they find a young Lunar Exalt and a handful of once-attackers defending the temple against a small horde of walking corpses, many of them clearly recently slain. 

They're surviving surprisingly well, given that they don't even have a wall to shelter behind. 

They won't survive forever, though. 

The temple was always her goal. The village can be rebuilt but without the temple, there would be no will to do so. The argent flash that split the sky only reaffirms that choice.

Her lieutenant gives the order when they're within range, and Sapphire Elegance and her hundred and fifty soldiers charge as one. She stays in the middle of the pack until she feels the spell she's been building catch, and she pushes a rush of colorless flame ahead and the first ranks of the undead burst into white fire just before the soldiers hit, helping to scatter their lines.

She stays away from the press of melee, launching crackling golden orbs against the enemy that draw from the halo of anima building around her.

The Lunar doesn't seem to be particularly skilled at fighting in melee either - but she's keeping her men together well, leading them with a strong voice - and she directs them in a push to pin the undead against the Solar's forces - and she doesn't let her lack of skill in close combat stop her - she's doing a pretty good job of convincing the undead to purely attack her even though their blows do no damage whatsoever.

She keeps a significant fraction of that attention even as the Solar's forces slam into the undead.

It's not a long battle, after that. Sapphire's forces are trained well enough to make the most of the temple defenders' anvil, and without further undead reinforcements (the necromancer has fled, perhaps), the horde is soon put to rest.

Sapphire directs her lieutenant to see to the wounded, and have the soldiers begin collecting the bodies to be disposed of properly. She herself goes to find the Lunar on the other side of the field, her anima a cobalt nimbus fading into gold around the edges and a bright sun-shaped disc on her forehead.

Her own caste mark cycles with a languid slowness through the phases of the moon, the dark shadows whirling through her anima growing as the mark wanes, the silver brilliance rising as the mark waxes. It was waxing throughout the fight, and it begins to wane as the Solar approaches - her anima isn't any lesser though, maintaining that same ludicrous brilliance, and the silver glow is reflected in her eyes. 

"Thank you," she says, taking a deep breath as she comes over to meet the Solar partway. (She's had her own ad hoc forces set down their weapons, and has given them a speech about the sancticity of Luna's protection and then ordered them to follow the priests' commands for now.)

(Prettttttyyyyyy.)

She's maybe seventeen or eighteen, in fine dress of local make with a filigree necklace holding a golden crystal at the base of her throat, and is entirely unstained by dirt, sweat, or blood.

"You're quite welcome."

(She's maybe a year younger than the Solar, dressed in a pilgrim's simple clothes, road-worn and mildly grungy beneath all the silver light.)

"Are you - the Solar from that city near here?"

"That's me. Sapphire Elegance, very much at your service." She flourishes a bow. "And you are?"

She laughs and folds her hands in front of her before bowing back, in a style very reminiscent of dynasts Sapphire has seen. "I'm Shine at Night, at your service in turn."

"It's wonderful to meet you."

Grin!

"You're pretty," she blurts out. 

She laughs. "It's very kind of you to notice. I've been putting a great deal of effort into my appearance. It helps to make up for my youth, when dealing with some people."

"A lot of people are easily led astray by a pretty face."

"Speaking from personal experience, Shine?"

Giggle. "You think I'm pretty?"

"I do."

Tiny wiggle. "Good."

"Are you a new Exalt? I saw your banner from over the rise."

" - Yeah. I... Wasn't expecting that, at all."

"I don't think anybody does, really. Except some dragonbloods, I suppose."

"Eesh, yeah, and it makes them obnoxious."

"I haven't had to deal with too many myself. But I've heard stories."

"The system is - unpleasant."

"You picked a good place to get away from it."

"It's been a good change."

"Apart from the undead, it's not so bad here."

"Everywhere has its drawbacks - the undead are how I know I'm not daydreaming."

"Fair enough."

Giggle. 

"I'd like to check the temple while they finish cleaning up out here," she indicates the soldiers.

She glances over. 

"...Alright."

"Will you accompany me?"

She nods. "I suspect a lot of people will want to thank me..."

"You're a hero now. I wouldn't have made it in time if not for you."

She grins. "Being the sexy sort of hero who vanishes into the night after saving the day sounds more fun, though."

"Not possible while you're glowing like that, I'm afraid."

"I'll need to figure out how to tone it down, then."

"You have to pace your Essence usage."

"Can you teach me how to do that?"

"I can try. You'd have to come with me when I leave, though."

"I don't have anywhere else I'd rather be."

"Good."

Temple?

Temple! 

The Temple of Luna Shattered is built around a chunk of pale grey stone, a remnant of the Silver Chair from when it was broken during the Baloran Crusade. There's an oculus in the dome above the shard, exposing it to the sky. As the two Exalts enter, the priests in their full-face white masks, each with the mark a different aspect painted on, fall to their knees and bow their heads to the floor. There's a susurrus of murmurs as Shine passes, on the theme of the Lady and her welcome return.

Along the walls are murals depicting Luna's many aspects and her deeds. The visages are somewhat stylized, but... the War aspect is recognizable.

...What.

(Shine's never looked at them closely - never truly seen - the Realm worships the dead and the broken, and such imagery is ubiquitous, as exceptional as the ground - )

Sapphire follows Shine's gaze to the picture. Looks back. Back to the picture.

"...Huh."

"...Uh."

"You know, there's a local legend that Luna will one day return, to mend the borders of Creation and stitch the story of the world back to its proper course."

"Are you Luna reborn?"

" - I don't think so? And I think I'd know if I was!"

"I'd hope so. The resemblance is a bit- uncanny, that's all."

"Some people might think it's more than uncanny..."

"All these priests for starters..."

(They've begun to hum a low droning prayer in the background.)

Oh No.

Is there somewhere without priests they can step. 

Well, the temple does seem basically intact, and the survivors seem unharmed. So. Yeah, they can go back outside.

Yeah that's much better. 

"So that was... unexpected."

"This entire day has been pretty - unexpected."

"I bet."

"...They're unlikely to just let the rumors fade, aren't they?"

"Yeah. If I were you, I'd want to get out in front of it. Decide what information you want people to hear and spread that first."

"That's what tended to work in the Realm, at least sometimes."

"I can help, if you want."

"I'd like that. Thanks."

"What do you want people to think?"

"That I'm not Luna - and that if I am, I don't want them spreading that idea."

"It'd probably be best to give them some other kind of shiny story to spread..." Giggle. "-No pun intended."

She laughs. "We'd have to get pretty creative to get shinier than Luna."

"It doesn't have to be shinier, it just has to capture the imagination. Something like- a princess of a lost kingdom, stranded in time by devious raksha manipulation and blessed with power to save this strange new place she's awoken in."

Giggles! "Exciting enough to get gossiped about, puts me in a crowded enough field I won't draw much more attention than just for being a Lunar... Perfect."

"I'll go let the priests know, then."

"Thank you, lovely."

"You can introduce yourself to my lieutenant while I'm doing that, if you want."

"I'd be delighted to."

"She's the one with the blue bandana, Climbing Jasmine."

Nod. "Good luck with the priests." 

And off to find Climbing Jasmine.

Climbing Jasmine is directing the dead bodies getting stacked into piles. She turns and straightens as Shine approaches.

"M'lady."

"You are Lieutenant Climbing Jasmine, correct?"

"Yes ma'am. What can I do for you?"

"I'll be staying with Sapphire for a while..." And: introductions.

If Sapphire approves of Shine, that's good enough in Jasmine's book. Separately, the holding action she managed was very impressive. Does she have any directives for what should be done with the forces she was commanding?

A few - the ones who are sincere converts can be put to use, of course, and that'll keep them out of further trouble... Some might also have information on who was attacking...

Recruits and intelligence are good.

They don't really have the numbers to guard too many prisoners right now.

She'll sort through them to make sure - but the ones who aren't sincere likely already fled or died regardless.

Jasmine will leave it up to Lady Shine's judgement.

Nod.

Of course, once they're sorted - Jasmine is the local expert on where they'll best be used. Shine suspects many of them will be willing and enthusiastic to guard the temple and village, if nothing else. 

Lady Sapphire would usually want them to go through training first. To fully assess their capabilities.

Important regardless of what they're doing.

Jasmine can detail some of her men to guard this place in the interim, if Lady Shine would like?

Yes, at least until they're more sure the threat has passed.

It will be done.

Sapphire emerges from the temple again and comes over to where Shine and Jasmine are talking.

"Everything go well?"

"Oh yes. They have been enlightened as to your true nature."

"Enlightened, my lady?" Jasmine asks.

"My new friend Shine here is a lost princess, blessed with power to help save our world. Make sure the men are aware."

"Yes, Lady Sapphire. We could certainly use the help."

"Thank you."

Smile. "I need to take care of the bodies, and then I think we should be just about ready to set off?" She glances at Jasmine who nods in confirmation.

"Can I help?"

"Are you familiar with local funerary customs?"

"...Not really."

"I'm just going to burn the bodies and let the priests do the rites afterwards."

"Much easier!"

" - I don't have any special advantage for setting stuff on fire I think, but, if you're going to use Essence, I'd like to watch."

"Sorcery, actually, but it's not like it's a secret process."

She makes a very interested noise. "Can you teach me sorcery, too?"

"I'm basically a beginner myself, but we can learn together."

"Perfect."

Smile.

Sapphire goes to the central spot, between all the piles of bodies. She twists her necklace, and the clasp holding the central gem comes undone, allowing her to hold it in her field of view as she focuses in preparation for casting. When the spell is ready, the stone pulses. A wave of the same translucent fire she used at the start of the battle pulses out and the corpses catch alight. A second wave follows, then a third, and the bodies begin the crumble to ash.

Sapphire nods to herself and reattaches the stone to her necklace, then walks out to rejoin Shine, careless of the fire. (Even when she walks through a lick of it, it doesn't affect her.)

"Beautiful."

"That spell's called the Flames of Unyielding Purity. Very effective against undead, and also good for burning rot out of food or injuries."

"Sounds like a good one to learn early."

"Very useful in these times," she agrees.

"And brings many of the advantages of setting things on fire, with few of the drawbacks."

"The flames only burn the impure."

"How do they define impure?"

"Plague, sickness, undeath. That sort of thing."

"So, not something influenced directly by life experience," she teases.

"Fortunately for us, no?"

"Exceptionally so." She steps in closer to Sapphire. "Purity is such a dreadful thing to worry about."

"Why do I get the sense you've barely ever given the concept a passing glance?"

"I've thought of it plenty of times! Some girls have a dreadful excess, you know."

"I do hope you helped relieve the poor dears of that terrible burden."

"I'm a helpful sort, fortunately for them."

"That's very kind of you, I'm sure."

"There was a string of girls singing my praises even before I took my second breath."

"Good to know you're so highly recommended."

"You'd have to evaluate for yourself."

"When we get back to someplace a little more congenial."

"Not feeling that adventurous?"

"I have a little bit of an image to maintain. Making out in the aftermath of a battle doesn't quite fit yet."

She laughs. "Fair enough."

Hee.

Then off they set, back to Sapphire's camp.

Her anima is getting less bright over time, slowly fading - it still swirls around her for now, though. 

She's curious about the camp and about the region - she asks a few questions, but despite her curiosity she does seem content to mostly walk in silence.

Sapphire is happy to talk, or not, as Shine prefers. Her own anima fades more quickly.

The region is not so developed as the southern half of the Caul, where the pilgrimage path begins, but the currents and trade winds make Kama, the port city, a convenient stop for the traders who traverse the ocean north to south, from Wavecrest Archipelago and the other miscellaneous islands to the nations of the southwestern coast of the mainland. The city and its lowland environs are inhabited by immigrants and their descendants, the culture a slurry of Realm influence, islander tradition, and a sprinkling of Caulborn superstitions.

To the southeast of Kama, the direction they're approaching from, the land rolls up into jungle-covered hills, the domain of two or three tribes of natives. They hold the earth their trees grow on in strange regard, at once fearful of and venerating it. They will not sleep on dirt or in a structure constructed of stone, instead preferring to sling hammocks between branches or poles of wood. Those furthest inland refuse to walk on the ground at all, living in the upper canopy like the stories of Haltans from the East.

As one arcs around Kama to the north, the hills become proper mountains, too steep and forbidding for the forest tribes, inhabited by mountain goats and tigers. Sapphire has a camp there to guard a mine that is rich in iron, and to serve as a base for her regular expeditions up the slopes. At this time of day if you look up and catch the sun at the right angle, you might see a flash of gold near one of the higher peaks. That's the sign of a manse dating back to the First Age that Sapphire has claimed for her own.

"It's all so beautiful," she says in awe. The sun is just starting to rise in the east, a bare glimmer on the horizon, and the light it casts through the early morning fogs is strange and unreal. "What's that glint up there?" she gestures at the golden flash catching the morning sun. 

"That would be my manse."

"It must have an especially lovely view."

"It's spectacular."

"I'd love to see it."

"It also has an entire library of books on sorcery."

Bounce!!! "How soon can you take me?"

"I'll have a few things to check on when we get home before I can set out again- But likely tomorrow."

More bounce!!!

Cute! Cutecutecutecute.

No Sapphire's cute.

Both things can be true.

Two exceptionally cute women. 

A matched set.

Like the sun and moon once were.

An apt comparison.

Sapphire does, after all, glow as beautifully as the sun itself. 

And Shine has the luster of the lamented unfractured moon.

She won't contribute to any rumors impugning Luna's beauty.

On the countrary, Luna should take a comparison to Shine as a compliment.

Beam!

High praise indeed. 

Shine deserves nothing but the best

Wiggle!

It's good Sapphire recognizes that. 

She's quick on the uptake, as Shine will find out if she sticks around.

She intends to. 

Very good.

They stop at a farm a little ways outside the city walls that Sapphire has taken over. It's been partly converted into a training camp for new recruits; they spend some time each day working the land in addition to their other education. Shine's new converts can be dropped off here, and Sapphire takes a little bit of time to check in with the instructors and ensure everything is running smoothly. That done, they can proceed on to the city. The guards at the gate salute when their group passes through, and Sapphire gives them a nod of acknowledgement, greeting the sergeant by name.

Sapphire's house is a large mansion in a good district near the city center, three stories tall and surrounded by a walled garden.

Her glow is down to a faint silver murmur by the time they reach the city.

"Having the recruits help farm is an interesting idea."

"If all you do is fight, it's easy to become detached. I think this helps ground them, give them a reason to focus. Reminds them that they're not above anyone else. I have plans for doing similar things with other trades, but farming's easier to centralize and scale, so I started with that."

"Gives them other skills, too - the problem with a professional army is you need to give them work to do."

"Some dynasts put their soldiers to work as builders - making camp and putting siege engines together trains you pretty well for houses, and roads are a military need - but some people just keep them busy with war."

"I have a feeling there will be enough war to go around here, but I'd rather start planning for the future now."

"Build on solid foundations."

"Exactly."

"You're doing a good job of it."

"Thank you."

The door to the mansion is opened by a servant for them. "Are you hungry?"

"...Starving, actually."

Sapphire will arrange for food to be brought, then.

Shine wants something spicy, and perhaps lightly sweet.

Sounds like a constraint the kitchen can accommodate.

Certainly. 

And if the kitchen has any native or specialty dishes, or just stuff you're unlikely to see in the Blessed Isle - Shine likes trying new flavors.

Sapphire will recommend a Caul favorite, then- lamb fingerlets, battered and fried with a fiery pepper glaze and honey sauce for dipping.

Sounds wonderful. 

Quick to prepare, too, so they won't be waiting long.

A boon - Shine's been up all night and hasn't eaten since an early, light dinner the day before. 

How terrible. A double serving is needed, then.

Doubly perfect.

In the meantime... maybe they can sit down somewhere cozy and Sapphire can attempt to distract her?

Attempt, certainly. 

Hmmmm how about a little kiss where Shine's neck meets her shoulder?

Gets her tilting her head back, pushing her neck towards Sapphire. 

Seems like a go-ahead for more kisses.

Nearly a demand.

Oh, well in that case... Shine's wish is Sapphire's command.

Good she knows the score here. (And exactly where to kiss Shine.)

Her intuition in these matters is flawless.

As in many things. 

She's so glad Shine is eager to recognize this.

Shine prides herself on her perceptiveness.

Then it's possible she might be the first to scent the approaching food.

She is! 

Which produces a very complicated dilemma for her. On the one hand, food. On the other hand, Sapphire.

Next meal they should get something she can just lick off Sapphire.

Maybe Sapphire can feed her for now? Or the other way around, maybe.

With how hungry Shine is... Definitely Sapphire should feed her. 

She'll try not to drip too much sauce- And make sure she cleans up any drip spots.

There might be a lot of those, given Shine's wiggles. 

Sapphire will have to be extra diligent, then.

Shine's certain she's up to the challenge. 

It'll take more than this to trip her up, for sure.

Is that a challenge?

Not while they're still on the nice couch.

Alright.

"Thank you for understanding." Kiss.

Kiss!!!

"I can't say no to a pretty face like yours."

Giggle.

"Mm, I like that. I'll try not to abuse such power."

"Though some abuse might be appropriate."

"If you ask me nicely."

"Planning to make me beg?"

"A pretty girl is prettiest when she's on her knees."

Blush!!!

Her breath hitches, then, trying to regain equilibrium: "Does that mean you'll kneel for me?"

"Normally I wouldn't." Kiss. "But I'll let you try to convince me to make an exception."

"I can be very convincing."

"I hope so."

"I'll be sure to impress." Kiss!

Kisses!

With a perfect girl. 

Two perfect girls.

Meanwhile, in Heaven, the city of Yu-Shan, residence of the gods and home of the Celestial Bureaucracy. it's another beautiful day. And Sesus Salikati, or Sal to her friends, Sidereal Exalted, Chosen of Endings, knows just how to ruin it for her cute little apprentice.

She bounces into Temoa's cramped little office happily and slaps down a thick file in front of her.

"Guess who has good news!"

She pulls the file over to herself, flicking it open. "What did you do now?"

"Gasp! So skeptical, my beautiful apprentice." She grins. "Good instincts. But no, this is not, strictly speaking, my fault. This is your first long-term field assignment."

Interested noise as she investigates the folder's contents. "What will I be doing?"

"We've picked up some unusual quavers in the Loom, related somehow to happenings on the Caul. Your job will to be seek out, investigate, and resolve these disturbances."

"A broad mandate, then."

"Enough rope to hang yourself. Though do me a favor and, uh, don't."

"I'll be careful."

"Good. Between the Realm, the Lunars, and the deathlord, you'll need your wits about you."

"...Deathlord?"

"-Right, those are kind of new. Imagine an extraordinarily gifted necromancer, then make them a ghost of an experienced Exalt who remembers all the tricks from their life, leave them in the underworld to stew and fume about their failures for centuries, shake well, and serve upon an unsuspecting Creation to wreak havoc."

"Well, I won't be bored."

"It's unlikely! The file should have everything you need for backgrounds, current force dispositions, potential allies... Come find me if you have any questions or need help requisitioning equipment, otherwise I'll expect your first report in two weeks. I've made an arrangement with one of the moonlets for you to use altars to Luna as dead drops."

Slow nod.

(And quick skim of the files - though there's a lot.)

The Caul's a big place, after all, almost five hundred thousand square miles. That's a lot of ground and history to cover.

"Any tips on where to start?"

"If you plan on starting in the south, you can use the standard Immaculate disguises to piggyback on the Realm operations and start gathering intel there. We've also been getting some reports of a new Solar gathering followers near Kama. They've been active less than a year, so it shouldn't be too difficult to infiltrate and partially suborn their network. And Solars are trouble magnets, so decent odds they're either already involved in or will be drawn into whatever's messing with the Loom."

"Thanks."

"Good luck!"

"I might need it."

"Oh, you'll definitely need it. No doubts about that."

"It does seem... High risk."

"If it was easy we wouldn't need to do it. But I think you can handle it."

"I can."

"That's the spirit."

"Enough spirit to carry me through the hardships ahead."

"Hopefully."

Nod. "Yeah."

"I'll keep you updated, though."

"Can't sweep in for the heroic rescue if I don't know you need it, after all."

"Don't worry, I'll give you extra warning on any opportunities like that."

"That's a thoughtful apprentice."

"Always anticipating what you want?"

"It's the real key to advancing up the ladder around here, you know."

"And climbing is where my real talent lies."

"Right!" Sal claps her hands together. "So have fun, make friends, and come back alive!"

"At least two of those."

"Well, if you need to make compromises, you need to make compromises."

"I'll be intelligent about it."

She winks at Temoa.

"I've got other things needing my attention, so take some time to read the brief in full. I'll see you later."

And like a ghost, she's gone.

And Temoa reads through the file before heading off to requisition supplies. 

There's quite a bit of detailed information, geography, climate, personality assessments, force distributions, cross-references to cover identity themes that have worked in similar situations...

She has her work cut out for her even before she sets out, it seems. 

That's why she was given the phenomenal cosmic power of the Five Maidens.

And she's taking that phenomenal cosmic power - not to the South where the Sidereals are already active, nor to Kama where the baby Solar is. Not directly. 

She has a hunch, is all. 

The Caul has an ancient history- more ancient than some realize, perhaps. Temoa's hunch leads her into a piece of that history.

There is a certain mountain, close to the middle of the continent, which is carved into the shape of a face. The details have weathered and worn over the millennia, but the mouth is open, a doorway to a cave.

She moves cautiously - makes sure she has gear for whatever she may face - and she enters the cave. 

The path is broad and smooth. The stone is expertly carved, all impurities scraped away. At the back of the "throat", there are steps leading down. Beyond those, the walls of the tunnel begin to have inscriptions, Old Realm glyphs that illustrate a story at the same time as they tell it, though those stories may not be the same one.

Temoa is more than a little bit of a nerd, and she knows Old Realm.

Her steps slow as she reads the stories laid out. 

The story being told is a version of Creation's beginning, when the Primordials gathered together to fashion something enduring out of boundless chaos. It focuses on the interactions between Gaia, who gave the world its base substance, and many-faced Luna, who was tricked into safeguarding the fringes. By the time the tale gets to the rebellion of the Incarnae, it's clear that this is, above all else, a love story.

(The illustrations chart a pair of lovers dancing back and forth across a wild meadow, running up a hill and tumbling back down arm-in-arm, building a small cairn of stones to mark their presence.)

The broad strokes of the story are familiar, though this is... Different details than she's seen before. It's interesting. 

The stories Temoa has heard focus more on the tragedy, not the joy. 

Their parting at the end is noted, though it comes with a promise of return.

It's sweet, in its own way. 

She keeps moving.

The hallways, outside of the light that Temoa brought with her, are very dark. Full of shadows.

She comes to something like a control room or monitoring station. It's a rough semicircle, with the entrance on the curved side and the flat made up of a pane of thick glass fitted to the ceiling and floor without any obvious seams. Inert runes are lightly etched upon the surface, mystical diagrams tracing around- perhaps intended to highlight certain features beyond the window. It's hard to tell what those might have been, since the view through the glass is a yawning black void. There are several altars/diagnostic stations set throughout the room with various panels and buttons.

She moves slowly, taking in everything she sees (alert for dangers, for opportunities...), and her fingers itch for paper to record the runes and diagrams - but she needs to check the area at least somewhat first. 

Her meticulous search doesn't reveal any traps or dangers.

She does note that the diagnostic stations are composed in large part of jade, and have several of what seem to be pure starmetal widgets apiece.

Temoa is very glad that her training has made her memory perfect; she doesn't have enough paper for this.

She investigates the consoles more in depth, trying to figure out if any will still activate after all this time. 

Everything seems basically intact, it's just a matter of kickstarting the Essence flows.

However, before Temoa can try that, she's tackled away from the console by a short, white-haired figure in a black dress.

- What - 

- Sal is never going to let her live this down - 

Temoa twists, trying to land in a minimally disadvantageous position. 

Her assailant is, fortunately, not actually trying to pin her. In fact, she carries through with the roll and comes up on the other side of Temoa in a neutral position.

A strange white bird flutters out of the darkness to reperch on her shoulder, and Temoa can see that she's wearing a blindfold.

" - Who are you?"

"I am the Breath of Autumn That Shakes the Dying Leaf Which At Last Clings Alone."

"It's good to meet you." She supposes? "Why didn't you want me to touch that?"

"The Essence line is rigged to explode if you do not enter the proper authorization code before activating it. I do not know what the code is, but I saw the trap."

...Yeah, never going to live this down. 

"Thank you, then."

"You are- welcome."

Small smile. "What are you doing down here?"

"Looking for information or valuable relics."

"Pretty much the same thing as me, then."

"...Perhaps."

"Have you found anything interesting yet?"

"No. I did not arrive very long before you did."

"And I am- less than familiar with this... magic."

"You spotted something I didn't, though."

"I suppose I did."

"What is your name?"

"I'm Temoa."

Prettyyyyy.

"It is good to meet you."

"It's my pleasure."

She tilts her head. The bird mimics the movement.

"I believe this room should be otherwise safe to explore."

"Will you rescue me again if I need you?"

"I would endeavor to do so. But it would better if that were not necessary."

"I'll try to only need you for other things, then."

She nods in agreement. (If she could blush, she probably would be doing so now. Her cheeks remain porcelain-pale as ever.)

"You look like a girl with a lot of skills, after all."

"My primary training is in counterintelligence and assassination."

Grin. "I'm very good at drawing hidden talents out of girls."

"I am very good at hiding."

"I'm not opposed to a bit of cat and mouse."

"Are you intending to try to eat me?"

"If you ask nicely."

...Meep.

Smirk.

Unfair unfair so unfair.

"...Where do you want to start?"

"On investigating the room? Or on cat and mouse games?"

"The room."

Hum. "Do you know anything about this observation window?"

"Not specifically, no."

She'll go poke that, then. 

She gets the sense that it's somehow more of a projector screen than an actual window.

Hm.

Can she tell what's supposed to project onto it? 

Not exactly- but some of the runic circuitry tickles her memories of Heavenly interoffice communication equipment. This screen seems like it could show things from a great distance away- and if that's the case, then these things could control the precise location, those would set different filters, that could be a remote alert system... And she might be able to divine the most frequently shown area from the traces that are still left. A rough calculation puts it clear on the other side of the world, the Southeast near the Dreaming Sea.

"Did you find something?"

Hum. "Yes, though I'm unsure what it signifies..." She summarizes.

"Hm."

"What sorts of things would need coordinated over that kind of distance?"

"Might depend on the exact time period... An Exalt with political control of both terrories might have needed it for government coordination... It might be important for large scale Essence... Or for monitoring for incursions of raksha..."

"I have reason to believe this installation is as old as the island."

"So predates political concerns..."

"Human political concerns, at least."

Thoughtful nod. "So - divine, primordial, wyld, or general Essence..."

The bird takes off from her shoulder and flutters over to the glass, tapping on it with its beak a couple times.

"...There are traces of wyld. And primordial."

Hum.

"This island was created by Gaia for Luna, according to the legends."

"So this place could be related to that."

Nod. "Have you heard any legends linking either strongly to the other area?"

"No, but I'm- not from here. Or there."

Nod. "I'm not, either," she says, companionably.

"Where are you from?"

"The Realm," she says. "I'm a field researcher for a small historical institute."

"Do you enjoy it?"

"Yes - I see a lot of interesting things." Pause, then: "And interesting people."

"I would imagine so."

Nod. "And where are you from?"

"A mountain kingdom. In the north."

"You're pretty far from home, then."

"There was coup. I- didn't have anything to stay for, at the end of it."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you."

"Are you looking for new reasons?"

"A reason... to stay?"

"Yes."

"I... hadn't considered the possibility."

"The future contains many possibilities. Discovering new reasons - that's one of them."

"I suppose you would know."

"It's the kind of thing you notice more the older you get."

"I suppose so..."

"The past hurt. But that doesn't mean the future can only bring pain."