Kyri was largely oblivious to the concerned glances of those around her, or of the man who would be bringing her back to see the Guide herself. She simply waited patiently for her turn to come, understanding that the Guide was likely very busy and may not be able to see her before all of this was reversed yet again. She hadn’t even noticed that she was a little less there this time than her usual trips to the realm of the dead. Still, if there was one thing Kyri was used to, it was harsh words about something she was doing wrong, and the receptionist hadn’t held back on those regarding her lack of appointment.

Still, the wait didn’t take very long considering the attitude of the receptionist, and Kyri blinked in surprise as she was rushed back into an office by a nervous man with a stutter, who seemed rather intimidated by the receptionist. That surprised Kyri. Sure he seemed unpleasant, but compared to others she’d had to deal with in her life, the man seemed totally harmless, even if one did cross him. Anger behind the eyes was less fear-provoking than emptiness or a glint of desire. Nothing short of attitude drove the man.

The corridor beyond the door she was ushered through was different than the halls in any other building she had seen. It wasn’t terribly surprising, there were a lot of building types she’d never seen or been inside before. She hadn’t been inside a castle, or a court or a school. She hadn’t been in a library before arriving in the realm of the dead. She’d been in a jail and she’d been in barracks. She’d walked through the paths lined with arches that lead to training grounds or lead to an arena. She’d never been in a shop. The boxes on the walls had doors that were too small to fit through, and it seemed unlikely that there would be that many doors along the walls. What doors there were in the corridor were clearly doors, with wood and small windows to rooms that had several small tables and walls covered with papers and pictures and large black or green or white spaces.

She followed the man past these doors and the boxes that lined the walls, upstairs, downstairs and around corners until Kyri had lost all sense of direction and probably couldn’t have gotten herself out of here if she were attacked. She doubted the Guide of the Dead would particularly want anyone going through the second death in her building, but Kyri couldn’t need that thought from intruding into her mind and sticking there like a piece of cooked spaghetti. She almost wished her twin sister were here in case something did come up. Almost. Nika wouldn’t be able to get out and then Kyri would have a violent, knife-wielding ghost stabbing at her for all eternity.

Finally they arrived and a single door that didn’t look like it would lead to yet another labyrinth, with a knob that needed turning. This door looked more like those that had been spaced throughout the hallways. The inside was different from what peeks she’d been able to snatch through the small windows in the halls. Darker and smaller and more filled. It looked a little like a corner of the library had been stolen away and hidden here, with chairs that looked like they might hold her down and swallow her up, and a large desk. The floor had become soft too as Kyri walked in.

On the floor was a woman with her back turned, reading something and playing with a some bright ball shaped suspiciously like a fruit. It couldn’t be, though. Kyri couldn’t fathom someone playing with food when they might not get another meal. The lack of hunger in this realm, although she had experienced the relief in the past, had never occurred to the ghost girl.

Kyri glanced toward Brock as he got the other woman’s attention. “Ghost?” she asked, surprised that that would be a term used here about anyone. Wasn’t everyone here a ghost, in a way? They were the moving dead, alive in a manner of speaking, stuck in this realm between true life and the void of second death? Why then would that grab the woman’s attention the way it had. She fidgeted under the scrutiny of the other woman. Why was she here? She’d asked to meet with the Guide of the Dead. Perhaps this woman, or both the man and the woman, worked for the new Guide and Kyri would have to talk to them instead. Hopefully they’d be able to answer her question.

“Astral what?” Kyri repeated, unsure what the woman had said or meant. Neither word meant anything to her, but the words were clearly directed at Kyri anyway. She glanced between Brock and this Aura. “I don’t know anything about that. I just wanted to know what happened to me this time? Usually I know how I died so I know what to expect when, well, it’s complicated I guess…” Kyri trailed off a little, not wanting to freak the man out more, or start freaking the woman out. She’d already frightened one nice person (and his cat) on Shaman since she’d arrived. She didn’t want to delay any other potential friend making. “I just fell asleep this time and ended up here. Do you think the Guide might be able to tell me what happened? Or should I just wait this trip out and hope it wasn’t too painful?”

Kyri looked between them again, wondering if she’d made a mistake in even coming here and asking. She was probably wasting everyone’s time. How would the Guide know since Kyri didn’t exactly have her there when it happened. “I’m sorry if this is a waste of your time, I know I didn’t have an appointment and the Guide and you two are probably really busy.”