The evening sky was beginning to turn shades of pinks and purples as the sun, a vivid orange, began to dip towards the horizon. There was a pleasant breeze blowing through the garden, pushing the clouds overhead across the sky, occasionally gusting. It was a quiet, peaceful place. Exotic flowers and trees lined the shore of the pond, with water as blue as the sky during the day. Four bridges connected the shores to the island within, perfectly centered with a blooming magnolia tree. The trees and bushes rustled, petals were blown off flowers, falling into the water while others landed in the hair of the angel sitting on an island in the middle.

She sat with her legs crossed, her hands folded in her lap as the breeze whipped her long pigtails around. Her eyes were closed in meditation, her face serene.

Times had been stressful recently. The two oracle deaths rattled the people. Between tending to Haliea's temple and the angels that came en mass, and dealing with the aftermath of the demon lords' meeting at the temple of Vaerath--where their oracle had reappeared--it had been a very, very busy past few weeks. Her nightly meditation became all the more important. It was a time where she could reflect and seek guidance from the gods. And in times like these, she needed all the prayers she could offer--though Vaerath had seemed displeased by this. Not to mention the fact that she'd failed to heed the god's calling for the oracle, no thanks to her misunderstanding with Feather.

Aolani chewed her lip as she thought, growing more concerned. Breathe, she reminded herself. Breathe.

She exhaled, and tensed muscles relaxed.

Peace and quiet. Just what she needed.

Aolani was no longer alone.

The other presence became known to her, and was...complex? Not an angel. Not a demon. Not an elf. Yet somehow all three? How curious.

But the mysterious man was not a bother. He was a curiosity; watching her with what could only be described as a hunger. His aura was a tangled mess of anger, kept boiling under the surface, like a horse chomping at the bit and ready to buck itself free. She chuckled to herself. This stranger needed to meditate more than her, it seemed. The scent of the magnolia blossoms overhead lulled her back into the world, tempting her to cast aside her inner peace and engage the stranger who'd been eyeing her from a distance.

"Would you care to join me?" she asked, opening her vibrant blue eyes to look around her secret garden for the mystery man of anger.

She found him easily; it wasn't hard to miss a man of his stature. He looked like a statue carved in reverence of the gods, with the stony expression to match, but it was his eyes that drew her in the most. Red irises against black sclera, and they were entirely unreadable. There was definitely a hunger there--it put Aolani on edge, just a bit. It reminded her of how she felt before war. A thirst for battle and the thrill of conquest.

Feelings she left behind long, long ago.

The angel shifted closer to the tree, and patted the grass next to her in invitation. "If you're going to watch, you may as well come closer," she said with a gentle smile. "It seems as though some meditation would do you well."

Her companion was the silent type, it seemed. No matter, Aolani thought. Silence was good. It made it easier to relax, to just focus on the world around her. The flowers, the gentle murmur of the water around her little island, the whisper of leaves in the wind...this was the peace she sought. What she had fought for so long ago.

As he settled beside her, the angel leaned back against the tree, feeling the bark against her skin. Smooth and pale, with moss growing on the trunks and branches, it grounded her. She would be like the tree, strong and graceful, growing in spite of the adversities thrown at her. Aolani would continue blooming, just like her magnolia tree.

The pink petals fell loose in a rather strong breeze, many landing on the newcomer and in her own hair. He was unreadable. What was he thinking? From what she could read of him, he was just as perplexed as she was.

Aolani busied her hands with brushing petals off her skirts, leaving those in her hair alone. They were, after all, a match for the fresh flowers she wore in her hair that day. With a deep exhale, she closed her eyes, and let her head rest against the tree. As the sun sank lower into the horizon the colors of the sky intensified, casting the pale angel's skin in a golden light. The golden accents on her skirts and bodice shimmered, and she opened her eyes again to take in the world, singing in the twilight hour.

As blues and purples overtook the world, fireflies came out in droves, their lights twinkling in shades of pale greens and yellows. The world was beautiful, and Aolani set her fingers on the pearl embedded in her chest. "I'll never tire of this," she said with a sigh. "This is the best part of the day, when the calm and quiet of night starts to settle in." She drew her knees to her chest and smiled to herself. Soon the stars would be out, and then she could go home to enjoy a meal.

The night's symphony was out in full chorus, and the angel was so caught off guard by her companion's voice that she stared at him, mouth slightly agape. His low voice was barely louder than tge sobgs of crickets and frogs that, for just a moment, Aolani thought she might have imagined it. After finally collecting herself, she put on a smile. "My, he does speak!" Aolani said, her laugh clear and sweet as a bell. At least her meditation was over. For now, she could let herself rejoin the outside world and prepare for the following day, no matter how much she wanted to linger and soak in the man's mystique.

It was strange to have a companion during her meditation, and for all his shuffling and grunts, it wasn't at all unpleasant. The company was nice. It was nice to not have to think about the oracle deaths; to just have a moment with some company and have no pressure. No one to calm but herself, no one to focus on but herself. It was a time for the woman to find the strength to be strong for those that needed her now. The life of a priestess was never easy, but She had shed the armor of war for the cloth. It was her burden to bear.

Taking a deep breath and savoring the cool, crisp feeling of the night air as it filled her body, Aolani let the tension of her burden roll away. She rose to her feet, her tall, slender figure not as small as she appeared to be while sitting, and ran her fingers through her rainbow hued hair, shaking the petals free where they were carried away in the breeze.

"I'm afraid our time together has to end now, stranger," she said, glancing back at the man with those dark, unusual eyes, her own sparkling in the light of a thousand fireflies in stark contrast. "I need to return to the temple for nightly prayers, but perhaps tomorrow we can do this again? It was nice to have some company." A radiant smile spread across her face as she made eye contact with him. He was almost magnetic in a way, drawing the angel in. Aolani recognized the feeling of danger around him, ever present, pickling at the back if her neck. But his was a soul needing to find peace, and what sort if priestess would she be if she denied him the chance to find it?

"You don't need to answer. Just show up around the same time and we'll meditate." Aolani gave a short wave in parting as she turned away, her golden heels clicking softly against the stone  as she crossed the bridge. Before too long, she was gone, back to the choas that had become her life.