Seikou is settled on the bench etc etc.

Bevani jumps up from his crosslegged position on the grass, with a startled look on his face.

Milo is on another bench. Surprise.

Bevani glances around disoriented for a moment before settling down and looking over everyone present.

Bevani closes his eyes again and stands perfectly still, a smile appearing on the corners of his mouth.

Variance approaches from the western side of the square, violet eyes lowered unseeingly to the cobblestone walkway. He's even more drawn into his thoughts than normal, and seems openly troubled, to boot.

Seikou looks up, the happiness on his face vanishing. He gets up and walks over to the white-armored Reploid. "Vari-kun... Is something wrong?"

Bevani 's eyes flick open again, vivid blue instead of their normal dull green, but he blinks and they return to normal immediately, as he looks over at the two reploids.

Variance emerges from his internal dispute to regard a concerned Seikou, and shakes his head dismissively. "No, I'm fine. Just... thinking." He takes a seat on a vacant bench, clearly not convincing anyone he's a good liar.

Seikou sighs and settles on the bench next to Variance. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, Aura's back... although some little tree-thing wouldn't let me near her."

Bevani frowns slightly and sits back down on the grass cross-legged.

Variance nods in understanding, deciding to keep his conclusion that the dryads still hadn't found trust for Seikou to himself. "That's good to hear."

Seikou sighs and shakes his head. "...I couldn't have come near her if I wanted to. It might've just been the tree-thing... but when I entered the Sanctuary, the headaches came back. Worse than before..."

Variance keeps his gaze planted on the ground near his feet, new thoughts forming in place of the more provoking ones that pervaded his consciousness before. It made enough sense, it was a -Mana- Sanctuary, after all... But he hadn't felt that much from the place before.

Seikou closes his eyes. "I've been in there before and nothing ever happened... So it was either the tree-thing or it was Aura. I can only hope the former..."

Bevani closes his eyes and resumes his meditations, but keeping part of his awareness listening to the current conversation.

Variance lets out a soft, nearly silent sigh, crossing his arms in front of his chest as his trademark 'thinking pose'. It would be understandable if it -was- the dryad, but Aura... he didn't have any idea as to where she might have gone, hence not knowing if it could have been her...

You say 'I... can't quite say one way or the other.'

Seikou says '...Ah well.'

Seikou says 'At least she's back...'

A smile resumes it's place on the corners of Bevani's mouth without any apparent outside stimulus.

Seikou hums the music box tune under his breath...

Variance is left out of whatever's making everyone else's spirits rise, going back to the subject of his previous pondering...

Seikou sighs and looks over at Variance again. "You're still depressed..."

Variance shakes his head again, though not meeting Seikou's eyes. "It's not depression..." He pauses briefly, trying to find words to describe his dilemma. "I've just been considering certain things of late. It's nothing to be concerned about."

Seikou says 'Well, mind telling me what they are? Maybe I can help...'

Bevani suddenly bursts into laughter and rolls onto his back, breaking his meditation.

Seikou blinks at Bevani, turning away from Variance for a moment. "Sir, are you alright...?"

Variance stands, taking a deep breath to collect himself. He finally meets with Seikou's gaze, forcing as reassuring a smile as possible. "It's alright, honest..." The sudden burst of sound from somewhere cuts him off abruptly, calling his attention to its source.

Bevani looks across from where he's lying on the grass, still chuckling slightly. "Oh, I'm fine, but if you'd seen what I just saw you'd laugh too."

Seikou says '...If you say so, sir....'

Milo says 'What did you see?'

Variance just -stares- for a moment or two, then shakes it off, turning back to his own business. "As I was saying, it's fine, I'll sort it out on my own."

Bevani says '.. Some friends of mine doing something I never thought they would. I don't think they'd appreciate me saying exactly what.'

Seikou sighs and shakes his head. "If you say so..."

Sunflash walks in from the north. A quick glance and nod is given to the others as he sits down on an empty bench. He is quiet for a moment, trying to sort out the happenings.

Bevani manages to get his laughter under control, and dragging himself to his feet, glances around the square again.

Bevani blinks, his eyes changing to blue again, as he looks towards the north intently.

Bevani keeps his eyes pointing northward, the blue becoming even more brilliant. "To the north, i can see something that looks like a temple. Am i correct in assuming that?"

Sunflash quietly glances in the proffered direction, but refarins from commenting. After all, he had just sat down. Why move?

Even though it might not have been directed at him, Variance takes the query for himself, if only to distract himself from the subject of his intent questioning. "Yes, it's the Mana Sanctuary. Not much of a temple, but it can be called as such."

The grin on Bevani's face disappears and he suddenly appears more thoughtful. "I see. I'll have to go take a closer look then, I guess."

Sunflash raises an eyebrow, but again stays quiet. None of his business, really.

Bevani says "Thanks for your help, then." before beginning to walk towards the Mana Sanctuary.

Variance nods and takes a seat on the same bench once again, going right back to his previous state of intent consideration.


(Busy day. x.x;)

(Almost out of nowhere, a tiny weight seems to drop out of the sky and land atop your head, pressed flat for a moment before whatever it is picks itself up again, shuffling around only a bit rudely.)

Variance immediately straightens to attention, possibly a bit startled by the sudden invisible motion. Out of conditioned response than much else, he tries to look up as well as he possibly can. "So... is she really...?"

(As the presence moves around, a tiny (and by now, quite familiar) female voice materializes, though any physical presence remains unseen. "Aura back! In sanctuary. Safe, sleeping. But we have bigger problem, need help, ask!")

Variance fully stands this time, releasing the sleek shaft of his glaive from the unseen clasp on the back of his armor. "What is it?"

A tiny green light sparks just noticeably atop Variance's head, but otherwise, no other physical entity is plainly obvious.

(The invisible spirit grows still after another hesitant moment, apparently having found a suitable perch. "What wrong with Seikou-reploid? In condition we see, no can be near Aura! What wrong with him? No like power of mana? We not understand.")

The tiny green light flickers again from atop Variance's head, a bit dimly, but still blatant in intensity.

Variance lets out a small, possibly a bit relieved sigh, re-clasping his weapon to his back. "I'm not exactly sure myself, but something within him reacts adversely to mana energy."

You say 'It's not that he doesn't like it, he just can't be near it if he wants to spare himself the biggest migraine known to man.'

("That not good. Not know how fix, how help? Aura back normal now, same as day born! But now, have gift from mother, child of Mana Tree. Holy power of mana at fingertips, but not know it. Aura give off mana power now, small.")


("But still, give off mana power. If Seikou-reploid no can be near, how see, how 'love'? See what problem we find? No want unhappy, and no want hurt.")

Variance gently sets himself down on his bench once again, gaze locked with the ground as it had been previously. "We haven't figured anything out yet... We don't even know -why- he reacts so badly to it, and one can't fix something they know nothing about."

(There is silence for any given number of moments, before she speaks again. "Seikou-reploid come earlier, see Aura sleep in Sanctuary. We have hold back, so no hurt self, maybe no hurt Aura. Aura tired, long journey back home.")

("We have no choice but force Seikou-reploid stay away from Aura; we not understand what wrong. We try talk to Seikou-reploid, too, but not carry flow of mana in heart; no can hear our voices.")

("You hear us, you hold mana in heart; maybe do favor for us, tell Seikou-reploid what we tell you? Just for safe, so not hurt self. We still uncomfortable around Seikou-reploid, but we not heartless.")

Variance shifts somewhat uncomfortably, both from the sudden, if partially easily-executed burden and to relieve himself of the short slouch he'd slipped into unwittingly. "I'll tell him. Seems like the only thing anyone can do for now."

There is a dull green glow from atop Variance's head, not bright in any way, but more of a dull-yet-consistent flickering of light.

("We grateful. We guide Aura home, back to sanctuary, 'cause have trouble walking, now. You have meet again, see with own eyes, udnerstand what we mean. Aura different from Aura you used know.")

Variance says nothing, gaze wandering aimlessly beyond the ground. Thankfully, his look of complacency is enough to derive a reply from.

(The invisible being seems to flatten itself out again across the top of your head, almost in an idle manner. "We hope soon all this mess be over. We know Aura gone long time, but not expect -more- problems when come back.")

("We hear saying before, people say 'Strange world we live in!' Maybe make sense to Vari-reploid, too? But we try ease things, too. Aura home, back to normal self, and not hurt. So we think, do our job well.")

("Goddess guide flow of mana in right direction. We just go along for ride, guard Aura entire way. And Vari-reploid only one of few people who can hear us! Reason, you understand, why we trouble so often with requests.")

("No have much other people ask favors from. No can ask favor if no can hear.")

"It makes enough sense, yes." Again, as unwittingly as before, Variance slips into a more relaxed slouch on the bench. "I'm not quite sure how -I- came to be one of the few, and while that first saying describes almost every odd occurance here..."

You say 'There's another one that works just as well, 'Expect the unexpected.' No one could have forseen what might have happened to her after returning, save for the Goddess herself.'

Bevani wanders back in from the north, a thoughtful look on his face, and resumes the same spot on the grass as earlier.

("We hear before, too. Know. But we count on Vari-reploid, tell Seikou-reploid when get chance, so we no have worry about 'accident' happening. Aura mana power untapped, not lethal, but Seikou-reploid reaction, maybe pain, hurt. Not want.")

Bevani sighs and sits down, closing his eyes and resuming his meditation.

Variance seems to completely disregard the presence of others, eyes trailing up to the sky once again. "Well, there's no need to worry about that. I'll get the message across the next time I see him."

Bevani looks over at Variance, wondering who he's talking to. "I didn't know people here had powers such as telepathy."

(The unseen dryad wriggles about for a moment, before her presence fades out of feeling, entirely. "You help us time, time again. One day, we find way for repay. Goddess watching, we see again. Now we go back Aura, make sure safe.")

Variance nods and decides to stand, casually working a slouch-induced kink out of some undetermined area of his back. He regards the source of the only other voice to have contacted him during his little conversation, realizing someone -had- been there.

Variance coughs briefly, obviously out of expression than anything else. "Well, it -is- a strange world we live in. You can never truly tell what others are capable of..." Then, somewhere in the back of his mind, his logic pats him on the back for making the perfect cop-out.

Bevani nods slightly. "Of course, you're right. It's just that my initial readings of this place didn't show such detail."

Variance nods himself, scanning the area briefly for any other eavesdroppers around. Finding none, he takes a short bow in the other's direction, taking a few paces backwards and towards the west. "Well... It was nice meeting you."

Bevani looks Variance over again before nodding. "And you."

Variance turns around, starting off briskly. As soon as he's out of earshot, he lets out something between a shout and a scream, internally repeating a mantra regarding the public's view on people who talk to invisible mana elementals...