Posted 08 December 2009 - 08:19 AM
His first visit to the Grotto had been an interesting one. Dante had visited New Alexandria several times in the past, yet he had never visited during the month of December. Certainly, he'd heard stories from the locals about the Grotto, and the gifts that they'd received upon their successful navigation of the maze. But, he never believed the stories. He passed them off as local lore, or stories to excite the children during a special holiday. This all changed, however, upon his most recent attempt to visit the quadrangle. The transformation itself was amazing, though he never outwardly showed signs of his intrigue, except through the arching of a brow. He immediately began taking notes in his journal, commenting on how he had likely been wrong about the stories surrounding Xanth's Grotto, and the gifts located at the end of the maze. Perhaps the locals weren't toying with him after all.
Some time after taking many more notes, and shooting annoyed glances at a rather playful and feisty snowman, he decided that it was time to try and navigate the maze. He and his curiosity simply had to find out if the stories of the gifts were true. There is also the fact that this is 'tied' to a Goddess, though he'd never admit to that as a primary reason for exploration. He didn't even need to think of the fact that the presents were supposed to be from Xanth, in order to motivate himself to walk inside. He didn't even take the time to read the sign. He simply walked in, journal at the ready, taking notes on interesting things and people that he noticed along the way.
Some time after entering, he had found himself following behind a mother and her two small children. The children seemed excited, and the mother was smiling, and telling them stories of what Dante assumed was her own experiences within this Grotto. He made brief notes in his journal about each member of the small family, trying to keep an eye on the path that he was walking, and his journal, all in an effort to keep from smacking against a wall, or another person. Though, occasionally, he'd notice one of the children giving him an odd glance, and even overheard one of them mentioning something to their mother about his smell. Dante allowed himself a small, nearly silent, chuckle, quickly dismissing it as "a kid just being a kid". He then returned to his notes, recording the humorous incident, and making light of himself in the process. Dante was all too aware of his scent, and had long given up trying to mask it. The usual methods for deodorizing just didn't seem to work. Oh well, he thought, what can a guy do..
While making these notes, he heard the distinct sound of someone running, and before he could react, the feeling of something lightly brushing his left shoulder. When he looked up, he noticed gray wings, before they disappeared around the next corner in the maze. What in the world..? He arched a brow, seemingly confused as to why this person is in such a big hurry. His curiosity got the best of him, however, so he picked up the pace to something of a brisk walk, and followed along the path in hopes of spotting this person when he emerged at the end of the maze itself. He didn't see a point in running after the person, especially since he wasn't wanting to induce some sort of added panic. He was curious, not a stalker.
When he reached the end of the maze, he had already buried his nose in his journal again, noting thoughts that he had along the way. He glanced up briefly, and saw that this half of the journey was coming to a close. He noted this fact in his journal, with a hint of disappointment. He had been intrigued by the idea of the maze, and was wondering if there would be more to it. Perhaps it changes each year.. Something to test. He makes another quick note, before looking up again to try and take in more of the large room. But, what he saw was something that he had not expected. There, dancing before the beautiful ice throne, was a strikingly beautiful woman, with gray wings - Likely the ones that he had noticed before. Upon seeing her dancing, Dante had been unable to look away. He didn't want to look away. He had thoughts, but he didn't pay attention to any of them. None seemed to register. It's as if the world had begun to stand still around him and fade away, and all that remained was this beautiful figure dancing before him. Until the dance came to an end, he was left staring and watching, simply in awe.
After the dance, he blinked several times, gulped silently and looked down toward his journal. He saw that his hand was moving, in a subconscious attempt to notate what he had just experienced. All he saw on the paper was a large ink blotch, where his pen had been marking the same spot over and over. He sighed softly and flipped to the next page, noticing that it had stained there as well. This is a first.. He pushed feelings of frustration aside, and closed his journal - pen trapped inside - and held it beside him. He took in a deep breath, looked toward the woman - who was then recovering after her energetic dance - and decided that he'd calmly go and try to speak with her. He then stepped forward.
Snap!
She turned quickly, and hurried to gather her belongings. He found it hard to move, think, or speak. For once in his life, Dante was completely unsure of what to do. Her beauty was disarming, and her embarrassment was obvious. He had not intended to cause this kind of reaction. He heard her shout, in a seemingly embarrassed voice, "Merry Christmas!", before she darted for the maze. He wanted to reply, but couldn't seem to make his mouth move, for a time. Speak, you idiot! You're only making this more awkward! Before she could run by him, he held up his hand, trying to signal her to stop, "Wait … !"
When she darted away, he sighed softly, shaking his head. Good going, Dante. You scared away a beautiful woman without even meaning to. You're a real Casanova. He then sniffed his shirt, wondering if perhaps it was his smell that drove her away. He quickly pushed the thoughts aside, however, dismissing it as an awkward moment that he'd have to learn from. He then stepped deeper into the room, opened up his journal, and began to take notes of the events that had just taken place. After all, things like that didn't happen every day for him.
Once his journal entries were complete, he stepped over to the gifts, smiled faintly and picked up the one closest to him. He had never been a very religious person, though he did believe in Xanth's existence. He also believed her to be the creator. It's just that he had never really been much of a follower, or a worshipper of her. He gave her respect, for being who and what she is, and for what she's done, because he believed that it's the least that she deserved, after enduring the oddities of these creations of hers. He took a moment, examined the throne, and decided that he should at least say something to her, if she can indeed hear him here. "I'm not entirely sure what to say. Honestly, I even doubted that the stories of this place were true. However, this poor fool thanks you for the gift, and the patience that you've shown. Happy Holidays, Lady Xanth."
Having accepted his gift, and learning much about the truth of the Grotto, Dante headed back into the maze, hoping that he'd get another chance to speak with the winged beauty from earlier, and apologize for startling her in such a way.