[center][h3]Nettle and Pelanu[/h3][/center] Pela was a bit…. Anxious. That encounter with Sazel was quite stressful. She was so forward and… close. [color=B2A95E]”Oh geez… I’m feeling tired now.”[/color] She muttered to her harpy companion. [color=B2A95E]”Athena, what do you make of that Sazel girl?”[/color] The harpy looked at her from the corner of her eye as they walked and soon enough her whole head turned fully around. [b]”I mean, she’s a bit suspicious in my eyes. Just… Be careful around her. Anyhow, if you’re tired, call out that sphinx and have her give you a ride.”[/b] Athena mentioned before disappearing into a number of scattering leaves. [color=B2A95E]”Whaa! A-Athena!”[/color] Pelanu exclaimed. She was not happy about this at all! [color=B2A95E]”C-c-c-come on out, Lapis Lazuli!”[/color] Nearby, a small sinkhole appeared and started replacing dirt with sand. From the hole a creature crawled out. The first sight of her showed off a feminine quality about her as she started to pull herself out of the pit. As more and more of her escaped the confines it became increasingly obvious to the outside viewer that she wasn’t human. Instead, an oversized cat body seemed to be the lower portions of her body, starting from her midsection. [b]”Ahh! Pelanu, my dear. I’ve missed you.”[/b] The creature known as Lapis Lazuli smiled as she shook some of the sand off. [b]”Why do you call on me today?”[/b] She added, walking close to the girl after making sure she got most of the sand off. [color=B2A95E]”Ahh.. Well, long story… But… Stress, tired, wobbly legs and you’re warm and relaxing to ride.”[/color] Pela told the creature, a sphinx. [color=B2A95E]”I was hoping you’d take me to the cafeteria…”[/color] [b]”Poor dear, I shall spare you the riddle today. Climb aboard…. And off we go!”[/b] Pela mounted on the sphinx’s back and wrapped her arms around the creature’s waist. The repetitive tapping of the old crook against the stone floor of the school bled into the sounds of footsteps from many sources. Many students were on their way to the cafeteria for lunch. Nettle was no exception in this. By her side walked the tall suit of armor, silvery with a green tint, that she called The Green Knight. It carried it’s large menacing axe as though it were weightless. In its hands it practically was. The knight turned its head, casting it’s gaze over its shoulder down the hall where the sound of paws drummed towards them. Not an uncommon occurrence for either of them but there always existed the risk of getting trampled by a wayward summon if they weren’t careful. Nettle looked over to see what had drawn the knights attention and saw the fellow student approaching quickly upon the back of her summon. She watched the student with care as they drew near, her eyes overshadowed by the hood which cast its dark shade over her face. Lapis took her time in moving, not trying to bounce her rider up and down too hard. [b]”We’ll take it slow. You just need to feel better.”[/b] As they moved, they came upon something. [b]”Oh my. A girl and a suit of armor. How quaint.”[/b] The sphinx said as she took stop in front of the two. Pela, on the other hand, was trying as she could to hide from the other pair. Her head was obscured, yes, but her body was pretty obvious. It seemed that the four of them were stalled to a halt in this hall. Looking up to the tauric entity and her rider Nettle listened to what the mount had to say. They remained silent for what was likely an awkwardly long time, the two of them still looking up at the other two before Nettle finally spoke. “Hhhh… Hello.” The greeting escaped her lips like a dying gasp, the breathy nature of her accent drawing it out. The knight was silent as always, it’s eyes simply fixed upon the two as it stood by. [b]”Oh! She talks! Wonderful, I thought your voice was broken.”[/b] Lapis stated with a wide smile across her face. [b]”A pleasure to meet you. Well, a pleasure for me and less for her.”[/b] The sphinx said, pointing to the person attached to her waist. Said person smacked her a couple of times on the side. [b]”You may call me Lapis Lazuli.”[/b] Nettle’s face had not changed from her default expression, a distant stare with no inflections of any emotion to speak of. “Hh… O- oh. Hmy name is Nettle.” She had almost forgotten that when others introduce themselves it was socially expected that they trade names. As the two stood there looking up at the one addressing them her gaze slowly shifted from the mount to it’s rider. She seemed frightened of them, or perhaps injured? Nettle didn’t have a solid read on her emotions or anyone’s for that matter. The behaviour of those outside her swamp was certainly quite different. It took some getting used to. “Hhh… H-is hshe… Alright?” Nettle inquired, more out of curiosity than out of any serious concern. [b]”Perfectly.”[/b] Lapis giggled. [b]”If she wasn’t alright I’d be rushing off.”[/b] She continued, looking back to her master. [b]”She’s besides the point right now. Now then, since I’m here now… You may not pass unless thee answer my riddle correctly. How unfortunate.”[/b] She giggled and put herself in between Nettle and leaving. [b]”Now then, my riddle is thus. [i]There is a house. One enters it blind and comes out seeing. What is it?[/i]”[/b] Nettle tilted her head to one side, her long curved bangs swaying slightly with the motion. This was a strange and curious query by this entity who kept them captive until they answered this question of hers. “Hhh… I am hnot familiar with, hhhh… Hriddle.” Letting the creature know this she moved her train of thought over to the question asked. “Hh-I would suppose it hwould depend. Hh-are you asking what a house is or what [i]it[/i] is?” [b]”Clearly the riddle is over “what sort of house would one enter blind but leave seeing.” Tis’ not hard.”[/b] Lapis said, cocking her head to the side slightly. How odd this human was so far. [b]”Dost thou wish to leave?”[/b] She asked, just to make sure. [b]”Or is my beauty that enrapturing?”[/b] Despite her words Nettle looked only somewhat confused over the matter. All the while the knight was so still it wouldn’t be unreasonable to mistake it for a decorative stand. “Hhh… Hleave?... Depends.” Taking in the variety of responses the mount provided she mulled over each one, going down the list in her mind to summon up her own response to each one. “H-if it is a house hyou wish to know of in the hhh… Question regarding a variety of house hwhich deals with mending sight, hhh… Hh-an optometrist’s house, o-or building rather, would be h-an answer. Hhh… People with difficulty seeing h-often go to those to have their sight hrepaired.” The only change on her face after delivering the answer was but a couple blinks, her face quite still as she puzzled over the remaining question. “Hhh-as for your beauty I do hnot know… Hh-am I supposed to be? I understand hsome beings use visual cues to lure prey… Hlights on angler hfish… Alraune’s likenesses to human mates… Mermaids in a similar hmethod.” As she started on this line of thought her voice slowly descended into a whisper as she was half talking to the mount and half to herself. All the while her gaze slowly fell, first scanning along the height of the mount until she was looking upon the floor itself, her eyes far from occupied with the sight at the moment. Just then her eyes flitted back up to meet with their inquisitor’s own as a question emerged. “Are you… Hhhunting us?” With that question the knight’s posture changed slightly. It went from standing by to interposing it’s weapon between it and it’s summoner. The head of the axe had not shrunken down since the confrontation back in the herbology clubroom and it had not dwindled since then. The knight’s grip on its weapon was firm. [b]”Easy now, child.”[/b] The sphinx said, pointing the bottom end of one of her paws at the knight to tell him to calm down. [b]”If I was hunting you I would have pounced on you as your knight here was not quite at attention. No, I am merely riddling you so you may pass. I am not so crass as to not give some chances. I’ll even give a hint as you remind me of my master in a way. All away from home and house in this land of the civil. Speaking of houses, it is not the house of an individual but a type of house. It allows you not to see in a literal sense but in a metaphorical sense. If your knight can communicate I will allow two heads to work as one.”[/b] Stranger yet. Nettle and the knight remained uncertain of this summon. She pressed on with her riddle all the same. “Hhh… I am, hhh- not well h-accustomed to metaphors.” Nettle replied. “H-I am hstill somewhat unfamiliar with double entendres… Or hwas it double meanings?” Nettle remained silent and still like her companion as she dwelled on the meaning. [b]“In a way, I suppose. Mayhap I should give more of a hint. Being blind is not knowing.”[/b] The sphinx said with a small giggle. Lapis was hoping that would be enough information for the girl to figure it out… But… [b]“Think about your surroundings a little bit.”[/b] “Hmy surroundings?” Nettle looked up from the mount and scanned her surroundings. “Hhh… H-the answer, is it Hl’mordryn Academy?” After all, it was a building with knowledge in it. [b]“Heh. Well, not the exact answer I was looking for but I’ll take ‘Hl’Mordryn Academy’ for now.”[/b] Lapis giggled. [b]”The answer I was looking for was a ‘schoolhouse’. Children go in blind to the world and when they leave their eyes open.”[/b] Lapis wasn’t quite like the sphinxs from legends and such. She asked riddles for fun. There was hardly any reward so the punishment like-wise barely existed. [b]”I’ll have to think of one for you next time.”[/b] For a good half a minute Nettle, like her silent companion, was still and silent as stone. The only evident motion came when she blinked. “... H-I’m not hwell accustomed to metaphors.” The answer the summon was seeking made little sense to her. It wasn’t like people who came to this school were blind and even if they were leaving it would hardly improve their sight. Such a strange summon she was to her. “Hhh…. A- anyways I remember hyou said we could pass if hwe answered. I hshall be passing through this hall now.” Nettle and her cohort turned to continue on down towards the cafeteria before Nettle stopped, remembering something just as she was leaving. “Hh-ah, yes. H-in parting we hshould trade farewells.” She muttered to herself aloud before turning back to the mount and it’s rider. “Hhh… Goodbye Lapis and hhh…” Nettle’s words slowed to a still as she realised she didn’t know the rider’s name. She was not informed of what social protocol was in effect when one involved party did not disclose their name at the beginning of a discourse. For the first time in this conversation Nettle’s brow furrowed slightly as this conundrum put her mind to real work. “... Hhuman?” She awkwardly raised her hand and pointed at the tan woman sat upon her quizzical mount. Maybe not the best approach to this puzzling social dilemma but Nettle was in unfamiliar territory. Lapis laughed. [b]”This is correct, though her name is Pelan--”[/b] She cut her sentence off as the said human was hitting the side of the Sphinx’s body. [b]”PELANU!”[/b] She yelled to get it out. [b]”Anyhow, we’re heading to the cafeteria.”[/b] More puzzling behaviour, this time out of the rider rather than the mount. Nettle didn’t look less confused about it all. “Hhh-any ways,” She paused, thinking if that was the word she was looking for. “Hh-I too am hheading for the cafeteria. Hthat would mean I, hhh… I hwould see you later hh… Pelan’pelanu?” Nettle figured the name of the human was Pelan’pelanu, not deducing that it was an unintentional interruption and not a purposeful glottal stop. Not that Nettle could see, but Pela was tensing up and hitting Lapis’ side again. [b]”Indeed, fare thee well Riddle-Less human. I shall accost you again in the future.”[/b] With that, the sphinx started to walk off towards the cafeteria. With that Nettle and The Green Knight also took their leave. This of course resulted in the four of them walking together in relative silence towards the cafeteria, having bidden the other leave but staying the same course to the same destination. Nettle, like the knight, kept to herself as she quietly walked down the stone halls. Her crook tapped all the while, a gentle rhythmic clack against the tiles with each tap of her old wooden aid.