A new day dawns, the sun rising up from the ocean to the east, and its gentle rays tease at the eyelids of a lone Eeee that sleeps on the steps of the Srinala Tower, just underneath the stone relief of a tree set into the face of a door meant never to open. Last night, here he was, visiting his mother's tomb, and gazing at the starry night sky, with no clouds to obscure his view of the Procession … but he certainly doesn't remember the coarse blanket that he finds draped over him as he slowly stirs to consciousness.

"Mmmmf," Alptraum mutters as he slowly comes to. He blinks blearily and comments, "I fell asleep here? I don't even remember drifting off." He shakes his head and sits up more, saying, "Could be worse. At least it's not another snow bank. That had to be the worst nights of sleep I ever had." He yawns and stretches, looking around.

A few acolytes tend to the shrines and mausoleums in the memorial gardens, though at least there was no fresh snowfall last night to sweep off. A couple of Yodhsunala walk at a brisk pace toward the main temple complex, and there are the usual signs of scant activity to be seen about the place.

Alptraum eases the blanket off and stands. He then spends a few moments folding it up. "Well, I should probably get up. I hope I'm not in any trouble over yesterday," he says. He smiles slightly and turns, touching the doorframe lightly and says, "First birthday together in near twenty-three years, strange. I know what the 'faith' says about you, and I know you're now gone, but thank you for giving me a chance at life."

A couple of the acolytes pause in their work on the shrines, and just stare up toward the tower a moment, then start exchanging hushed whispers with each other, until a passing Yodhsunala gives them stern looks. They solemnly attend to their chores again.

Alptraum makes his way back down the stairs. "I wonder what that was about," he ponders, watching the acolytes.

The acolytes pointedly do not look Alptraum's way again, and no one encounters him on his way down the tower. However, once he reaches the bottom, one of the priestesses comes from a doorway of one of the catacomb entrances, bowing to him. "Good morning, Alptraum," she says. She stands taller than most of the priestesses, her fur having a curious blue sheen to it where the light reflects off of it, and her hair having a pale cast of blue to the white as well, as it gathers up into a braid that comes over her left shoulder.

Alptraum bows in response. "Good morning to you, Yodhsunala. I apologize for falling asleep up there. I don't even remember drifting off. I hope I haven't offended anyone by doing so?" he says.

"Not anyone who has any reason to be," the Yodhsunala says, bowing in response. "I am Yodhsunala Razaka, Chief Preventer. I served under Yodhsunala Sutrana, but now I have taken her station in her prolonged absence. There is an acolyte in my care who wishes to see you, if you would not be greatly offended at her presumption to ask."

"Yodhsunala Sutrana," Alptraum repeats. "We have had our differences. But, that doesn't extent past that. I'm not offended at all with being asked to come talk. It's rare anyone here says much of anything to me, really. Is this the one from yest – " He stops himself there.

Yodhsunala Razaka looks at Alptraum a moment after his halted sentence, but neither confirms nor denies the supposition. "This way, if you please." She walks back toward a shrine that conceals a stairwell leading down to the catacombs.

Alptraum follows along. "Have there been any sightings of Sutrana as of late?" he inquires.

"If there have been," Razaka says, still facing forward, "I have not been informed." She takes up a lantern set within one of the nooks, and uses it to light the way as she navigates the twisting tunnels underneath the ground. Although there are enough turns to reduce the chances of anyone quickly finding their way here without a guide or previous experience, the actual walk is fairly short. Razaka stops at a door, and goes through a set of keys before she finds the right one, then unlocks it, and opens it, letting out a rush of warm air, and the brighter light of a warm hearth heating the room beyond. There is a scent of herbs and medicines strong on the air, and thick veils that section off the chamber into portions, though by the sound, there cannot be many patients within this room – in fact, quite probably only one.

"May I ask her name? I would feel strange calling her just acolyte," Alptraum asks as he peers into the room. "I wonder what she remembers about what happened," he ponders for a moment. "Hopefully nothing."

Razaka pulls aside one curtain, revealing a young girl Eeee, bound in bandages and casts, her wings stretched out on a rigid framework and carefully held in place. The girl's fur – what there is to see of it – is very dark red, and not totally black, though her hair is purest white. She stirs faintly. "Acolyte Zana," Razaka says quietly, "you have a visitor."

Alptraum tilts his head slightly and listens, trying to see how well she's breathing. He swallows, nervous.

Zana seems to be breathing well enough, though she's so bound up that she doesn't look as if she can easily move very much. Her eyes open, and she looks over toward Alptraum. There's a strange look in her eyes – uncertainty? Fear? Curiosity?

Razaka says, "If you need anything, I will not be far." She steps back, closing the thick curtain behind her. The curtain seems made to muffle noises as well as to obstruct vision.

"Hello Acolyte Zana," Alptraum replies gently. "I don't think we've ever really met by I'm Alptraum bar Reisender. You wished to speak with me?" He smiles slightly and says, "I'm honored."

Zana seems to be searching for words for a bit, or perhaps the strength to speak, and she finally manages, in a whisper-quiet voice, "Did the Yodhgorphat cause you trouble?"

"Not at all. She's unusual, but certainly not unpleasant or wishing me any ill," Alptraum answers. "How are you doing? I hope you aren't in much pain."

"I'm very sorry for breaking your trust," Zana says, and she looks to be in near tears, "but I am not in any undue pain. I am very numb from the unguents."

"There is nothing to be sorry for," Alptraum answers. "I was in no danger from her. She wanted to thank me, I think, for spending time speaking with her at the Coalition tower. That is all. If I may ask, what did she ask you?"

"She asked me about the your birth," Zana says. "I do not know how she knew to ask about it, but I was a horrible liar, and when she knew I was not being truthful, she threatened me with a pox. I am not afraid to die, but to die from a pox of Gorphat, I could not bear it! I lost my courage, and I told her even more than she asked, and for that shame, I cast myself to … " She pauses. "But I didn't die."

"No, you didn't," Alptraum agrees. "Do you remember what happened?"

Zana for a moment seems about to shake her head in reflex, but then winces, evidencing that the unguents must not be completely numbing her body. "There was not much to remember. I thought I saw you as I fell. I could not bear it. It was dark, and I hit something… but, no, I have heard a few things, and I do not know what is true, for no one will tell me plainly what happened."

"I'm not sure how much I should say. I did try and catch you, but I wasn't fast enough," Alptraum says. "What have they told you, in general?"

"They told me that I should have died, but I did not. That they found me in the arms of a statue of Sunala Herself," Zana says in slow and quiet words. "Sunala spared me, they say, so I must live." She looks back to Alptraum. "But I am still so very sorry. I am glad that nothing bad happened to you, but I should never have given in for fear of even a pox."

"We all make mistakes in life, Acolyte Zana," Alptraum replies. "No harm was done, and I think you may have jumped to conclusions about the outcome. Perhaps Sunala wanted me to see the Yodhgorphat. Hard to say, and you would know more than I on that. I, for one, am glad you lived."

Zana's face breaks into a smile, though she seems almost to tears trying to suppress it. "If there's anything at all I can ever do… "

"Live," Alptraum replies with a smile. "Maybe someday if you can help someone else, do that. Mind if I ask you something? Not many here talk to me, and I've wondered, what do people here believe I am?"

Zana looks a bit uncomfortable at this, and then finally says, "You were born from a Srinala, I know, but a Srinala has no soul of her own … so if you were given life, it must be through Sunala Herself." She bites on her lip a bit, then says, "I have heard it said that you are immortal, that you can speak to the dead, and that you can even go to the Sea of Souls and bring the dead back." At this, she looks intently up to Alptraum.

"Who has told you this?" Alptraum asks. "Things around me have happened that could suggest that, I must admit. But, I do not know the full truth of it all. Immortal, well, I really don't know about that. I've been hurt, poisoned, and nearly killed before. The dead – I've spoken to many ghosts on my journey here, but then so do spirit mages. And as for the Sea of Souls, well, that may have been a side effect of the Dream Ritual. Though, three have survived around me when I suspect they should have died. But, I don't know if that's me, or just my luck for being there." He shrugs slightly and says, "I honestly don't know what I am. I may be all that, I may be none."

Zana smiles faintly. "I do not know who you are, then, but you are someone very special and important … and I also hear that you play very nice music when you are in the forest. Might … might I be able to hear you play music some time?"

Alptraum smiles. "Certainly. When you're a bit stronger, I can stop by again to try and keep you company. But for now, I think you should just rest. You've been through a great deal," he replies.

Zana starts to nod, but soon thinks better of that. "All right," she says. "Thank you for visiting me. And … happy birthday."

"Thank you," Alptraum replies and steps back. "Sleep well and I'll check back with you later," he says, then slips through the hanging curtains and back outside.

"I'm certainly something," Alptraum says as he walks back through the catacombs. "What's going to happen now? If Zana has heard all those things about me, then I suspect Nekara and Sutrana will soon know of this as well, even if I 'wasn't there'. How will they react to this? The fact another survived a fall, with me around. I need to talk to Mariamara about that. Was I there when she fell? Had we been together long? did I perhaps bond to her as if she was my mother and somehow stopped her from dying back then? Two I could easily dismiss, but three? Mariamara, Autumn-Storm, and now Zana. And that voice I heard, who was that?" he considers as he makes his way back into the daylight, to await the arrival of Mariamara.