Glorious Home

[Nephrite]

No worries if you don't.

[Anastasia]

Not going to quite make it - she's 95% done, but the last 5% is gonna take some time. So to side trip land for the day.

You're resting in your room a bit, preparing mentally. Tomorrow's the operation, when Grias flutters in. "Oh, Moore," he says, "Kaja's getting a card game going and he invited you."

[Nephrite]

"It'd be rude to decline, I suppose." Moore says as he gets up. "All right, let's go see him."

[Anastasia]

Kaja's in his bedroom, a table set up there. Cresiel, Xandra and Jetina are already here, "Moore," Kaja calls, "Come and join us."

"Hi!" Jetina gives you a smile.

[Nephrite]

Moore gives a wave and takes a seat. "So what's the game?"

[Anastasia]

"Dragon's Eye," Kaja says, "The goal is to get all four aces and..." As he explains the rules, Jetina says in an aside, "I think the real point is to take and have fun."

Cresiel merely nods as Kaja deals the cards, "It's been some time since I've played cards," he remarks, "I believe Aurora had an occasional poker game, but I never got involved."

"Didn't take you as the type," Kaja notes as cards are passed around, "You're as serious as a golem."

Cresiel inclines his head to the point, "I am also a historian." Ignoring Kaja's look at that, "One can understand a people by understanding how they play, and understanding people is a vital part of any history."

"Bahamut's scales," Kaja groans, "You're a knight, a solar and a historian from Celestia. Did they build your spine of adamantine and include a dragon's worth of stuffiness?"

"No, after all, I am not a dragon," Cresiel smiles slightly, looking over his cards.

[Nephrite]

"There were all sorts of social things going on there." Moore agrees. "I think a lot of people thought of it as just an organization... which it was, but there were so many people there that it had to more than just military."

A smile at the banter back and forth."You can thank me for his sense of humor." Moore says. "It's still a work in progress, though."

[Anastasia]

Kaja laughs ab it as Jetina adds, "Really, you can learn about people by how they play?"

As Kaja mouths, 'Thank you,'s ilently, Cresiel nods. "You can. How a people raise their children says much about their society, as well as how they relax."

[Nephrite]

"Oh, yes, there are all sorts of visual cues people give off when doing things." Moore says. "There's a lot you can learn about people from the way they move and that sort of thing. A lot of people have things they do when they're lying, for example -- like they scratch their hands or shift their posture."

[Anastasia]

Cresiel shifts a bit as he says, "Yes, you can learn a lot from watching people - any aspect of them, really."

Xandra nods slightly, "There is much wisdom to be gleaned from eyes that watch and ears that listen. Kaja, you're brash, powerful and confident - all traits that indicate you embrace your draconic heritage?"

"No great secret there," Kaja draws a few cards and tosses a few more down, "You can tell the way Cresiel carries himself that he's serious. He's focused. Reminds me of a dwarf who had a growth spurt."

Jetina laughs a little at that, "Ah! Then what can you conclude about me?"

[Nephrite]

"You're the type of person who's very honest with their emotions." Moore says with a smile as he puts some cards down. "You're also the type that wants to eventually stand on her own feet but you don't think you have solid ground enough there yet, so you look to others for inspiration and a helping hand."

[Anastasia]

"That's...true," Jetina finally concedes, "I'm still learning everything out here, and I have power others would kill for."

"It's not uncommon when a newborn celestial is incarnated powerfully," Xandra speaks up as she puts down all four aces, getting a groan from Kaja. "Also, I win this hand."

Collecting all the cards, "Yeah? You're born with it so you flail with it like a child at first?" Kaja says. "Also, aren't you a seer?"

"So I am," Xandra says coolly, "Did you think playing cards with me would work out well for you?"

[Nephrite]

Moore grins and slides his cards over. "Still, there is some luck in these sorts of things. Well, usually, anyway."

He nods to Jetina. "You've had about as long as I had from when I first woke up here after... everything. I totally empathize with your situation and realize it's a lot to take in. You have to go at your own pace and not try and keep up with anyone else."

[Anastasia]

Kaja laughs some more, a loud and full laugh. "Bwahahhahaa...no, well said." Dealing more cards, "So what is this Lost Realm?"

"A place of the light.," Xandra says, the last word radiant, bright. Her eyes close as she speaks it, staying closed even as she takes her cards.

"I'm remembering more, but it feels like living a day at a time and a fragment of memory at at ime," Jetina admits, "Some days I feel myself, some days I feel as if I'm all wrong and other days I remember acting just as I am."

"So you've moved past childhood into adolescence?" Cresiel murmurs, taking his own cards.

[Nephrite]

"It's a long story that I don't remember all the details of. Think of it like a purgatory for people who deserve to be tested." Moore says. "I think eventually we'll remember everything that happened to us there, but... regardless of the good or bad of it, we came out stronger, better people than when we went in." Moore says with a smile.

He takes a few cards and glances through them. "Ultimately, we were strong enough to leave. I think that says a lot about us."