Character Name: Guinevere du miel

Age: Ageless, young and old, neither and both at the same time. If one mistook her for a human, it could be said that she appears to be more than a young lady, but not quite old enough to be a hag.

Gender: Female

Height: Guinevere stand at a staggering six feet tall, although she does not 'tower' over others.

Build: Guinevere is quite thin, but is not sickly in appearance. It is easy to tell that her life has not been spent doing difficult labor or building muscles and strength. Everything about her is slight and slim - her face, her lanky limbs, and her long, slender fingers.

General Appearance: Guinevere could be considered beautiful in an exotic, out-of-the-ordinary way, although to most she is strange and slightly frightening. This is mostly due to how slender she appears (some might say that if elves existed, she would be one). Her eyes are a muddy brown color with no visible irises, and she often has dark circles under her eyes as if she's been staying up late all night (which she has, reading old, long-forgotten books and tomes and making remedies and studying plants). Her skin is pale, but has a greenish, blueish tint to it (the color is quite difficult to describe in human ways, but it is apparent that she is, for that matter, not human). Her lips are thin and often drawn - it is not known if she has ever smiled. Her fingers, aforementioned, are long and bony, with tiny, scarp fingernails. Her hair is long and incredibly straight; it reaches down to her lower back. She wears whatever she can lay her hands on, and isn't too picky about such things, although she generally dislikes wearing pants and prefers skirts and dresses.

Personality: Guinevere is slow to anger, slow to feel joy, and slow to feel, well... Any sort of emotion in general, although she's far from 'blank'. A more apt way to describe her is that she is content, and would rather think things over, or let thoughts begin at the top of her mind and drizzle and drip downward toward her heart (her metaphorical heart, of course). She is knowledgeable, but she wouldn't consider herself wise or sagely. She tends to like the company of plants and books far more than other creatures. It isn't that she's uncomfortable around people, but society and 'social norms' do not entirely make sense to her. This can lead to Guinevere being what others would call awkward. She understands human customs and culture the best (not having much contact with outer worldly species), but she does not understand it in practice. Violence is something she does not partake in, and she doesn't fear death or the unknown, as others would call it. For Guinevere life and death are a cycle that is natural and makes more sense to welcome than to fear.

History: Consciousness is figurative, in a way. Guinevere was not born or 'made', but she thought, and therefore she was. It is plausible that she was a creature of the forest, perhaps part of the forest itself, until one day she became self-aware and had a general curiosity about her surroundings. Time is also difficult for Guinevere, so she is not sure when this happened (and it isn't quite important to her either). Those early years or decades were most likely difficult, but the metamorphosis into what she is not occurred, and she continued to exist. Along the line Guinevere began to read, and it was in these books that she learned of many things, most importantly King Arthur and his court. It is from this tale (or snippet of history, depending on what you believe) that Guinevere draws her name from. Although having a name is not important to her, self-identification seems to matter to others, and in an attempt to better communicate she chose this name for herself.

The second part of her name, du miel, came from a Frenchman she met at one point in time, who found her simply fascinating. He thought her to be as sweet as honey. But, being a mortal, he eventually died. The name, however, did not. Guinevere spent her time in the forest after this, fending for herself and staying with those who took her in. Some 'simple folk' called her a god; others thought she was special, perhaps even an angel. While this was simply not true, Guinevere never told them otherwise, but would not accept their lavish gifts, and would only ask for somewhere to stay.

That was several, many, many years ago, and now the forests are rapidly disappearing, and more Aeaeans like herself have emerged from where ever they were to mingle with society. Guinevere finds it hard to live without her trees and grasses, but has heard of a city that promises enlightenment. If Guinevere has a weakness, her weakness is her thirst for knowledge. So she has decided to brave a journey to this city, and perhaps find lodging with those like her, if possible.

Other: Guinevere has not always been met with kindness. Although she is eternally forgiving (she views most humans as children), she has become wary of the human race, and of the visitors that now dot the planet. Although she is cautious, she hopes to meet more friendly faces than not.

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Go or Return to:
Genesis Gauntlet
Genesis Gauntlet Submissions
[Akayume]

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Round 2

The waiting room of the immigration office was warm and most of the seats were occupied with the bodies of the numerous waiting immigrants, wannabe-Krung-Thepians. A thai woman in her 30s with shoulder-length black hair appeared by the door and glanced over the crowd. She looked down at the paper in her hand and called out: "Guinevere du miel?"

A figure that had been resting silently against one of the walls (since, upon entry to the waiting room, all of the seats had been occupied and Guinevere didn't mind standing) moved silently and at a steady pace towards the women with black hair. Guinevere's hands were clutched together loosely behind her back, and her eyes met the woman's, unblinking. "I assume it is time then?" She asked in a smooth, even tone.

"Yes, hello, sorry" the woman spoke the series of words like a leaking tap, a little flustered as she assumed that Guinevere meant that she had had to wait for a long time. "This way please." She headed to her office, then turned around as if she forgot something. "Oh. My name is Mary. Nice to meet you." She led Guinevere to a small office that had a desk with a chair on both sides, a filing cabinet, and some drawings by children tacked to the wall. "Please have a seat," Mary said as she went to sit behind the desk, pulled out some papers and clicked a few things on the computer. She looked at the computer with great frustration, and clicked a bit more frantically, looked at Guinevere apologetically and pressed some keys on the keyboard. It seemed that nothing was giving her the desired result, as she ended up pressing the power switch. "Before we start I have to ask you, do you speak English? Here in the office we have universal translators so that we can understand each other, and we can give you a government-issued personal one of you need it."

"I believe I have sufficient knowledge of the English language to communicate with you..." Guinevere seemed to pause, to ponder, as if she wasn't quite in accord with what she had just said. But after a moment her peering eyes gazed back at Mary, and she concluded. "Yes. My knowledge will suffice. Please," she made a flourishing gesture with one long-fingered hand, "continue." She had placed herself on the edge of the seat, but not in a nervous manner. Her back was rigid, straight, and her other hand rested peacefully in her lap. She seemed to have no need for constant blinking like the person in front of her, but no emotion could be easily gleaned from her swampy-brown eyes. Guinevere herself was calm, not nervous, even though this was a very important meaning. Her acceptance into the "city of knowledge" relied on this interview, but Guinevere saw no reason to fret. After all, being nervous or anxious would not get the effect she desired.

Mary nodded then glanced from Guinevere back to the computer. She wanted to punch the stupid thing but decided against it. "I seem to have some trouble with my equipment, so we'll do this the old fashioned way" she said, and slid a form with a pen across the table to Guinevere. She was surprised at her own formal choice of words. Mary always did this, started to reflect the speech of the person she was talking to. She was hoping Guinevere didn't notice. At least it wasn't as bad as when she dated that one guy from Boston... "This is for just some initial information for our record, such as your age, place of birth, marital status and the likes."

Guinevere looked at the papers, then back to Mary. She looked at the woman, unblinking, and said quite seriously, "This form is of little use to you for... What did you say? Records?" She seemed to think, to go back into her memory and checking over that detail before continuing. "You see, miss, you and I aren't quite the same. We are both considered living creatures, but... Our origins are not similar, and while things such as birth places, dates, times, and other... Oh, what's the word? ... Ah, facts are important to humankind, they are not quite applicable to the likes of me." Guinevere hadn't even moved to pick up the pen or look over the other questions on the form. She was treating this matter quite seriously - it was an instance where one might think a practical joke was being made except for the utter seriousness of the delivery of the joke (therefore nullifying the chance it was a joke at all).

Mary suppressed a sigh. As much as she appreciated honesty as a quality, sometimes she wished that these types would just go with the flow and make something up. And while she was all for integration and 'more the merrier' - she also did sometimes think that 'when in Rome...' "Hmm, uhh, how do you mean exactly? You don't know your place of birth? You can just make a guesstimate, country of birth? Your age roughly? Like," she dreaded to guess people's ages since she always ended up insulting them, "30ish?" She tensed up a little at the number, in case she got it offensively wrong.

Guinevere looked at Mary blankly for a moment, then said, "Dear child, I am far older than thirty. In fact, I would assume that when your great-grandparents were just learning to walk I was also present and... Existing." She sat back in the chair a little, her eyes looking up toward the ceiling. "Hmmm.... I've never given much thought to my birthplace, as it is not a relevant factor, to me. I thought, I think; therefore I exist. These things," she made a loose gesture with her right hand, "are very... Trite. Why keep such distant memories? There are better things to fill one's mind with." She pondered a little more, and said a bit softly, as if to herself, "n fact, I do wonder if current country borders even existed back then..."

Mary did the math quickly in her head and said "so like... a 120ish?" She knew the extra-terrestrials and the Aeaeans could have crazy ages, so the thought didn't bug her too much. But there was something about Guinevere that did bug her, something about her calm way of being, her almost rational approach to philosophy. It intrigued her. "Okay, let's go back a bit more then... Are you from this planet? Can we put down a continent at least?"

Guinevere answered the first question with ease. "Yes, earth is from whence I hail," she said, and then rested a finger against her chin, tapped it once, twice, deep in thought. "I feel as if... As if some of my earliest memories are from Europe, slightly later from France," she paused, added as a side-note, "hence the name, du miel" and then concluded her sentence with, "but I'm afraid I cannot identify an exact location." She lowered her hand and raised the other so they were even, and held them out slightly, palms up, in a gesture of apology. She lowered them again, intertwined them in her lap. Gave Mary her deep gaze, waiting for a reply. She almost pitied the women, or would have built up her emotions towards pity if she had been given enough time to dwell on it. The work seemed... Stressful, as the humans would say. Guinevere wondered if this job brought the one called Mary joy, joy like knowledge brought to her.

'I'll take it' Mary thought to herself, and said "that's okay, we can mention that you are European. Now, what about family, do you have a spouse, or any dependent children somewhere?" She continued, trying to get at least some kind of a semblance of paperwork done.

Guinevere was silent for a long time, then said, "I believe one has to have... What do you call it? Ah, yes, sexual intercourse to have offspring, unless you're from the tale in the religious writing of the Bible and your name is Mary, correct?" Guinevere cocked her head slightly to the side, as if thinking again. "In that case I have not met the criteria to produce offspring of my own." She seemed to hesitate on the former question, and there were several moments of silence before she answered, "there was a Frenchmen, once, a long time ago who claimed he had amorous feelings of affection for me, but as a creature of live he also took part in the last, final stage of living: death." The way Guinevere delivered this sentence was not cold or uncaring, but more... Factually. There was no real way to detect emotion, save perhaps the small sigh that escaped her lips when she concluded.

Mary was a little bit stumped by the way Guinevere expressed herself, but quickly composed herself and her brain simply fixed it by thinking 'she's foreign.' "Ah. Okay, so no family. Well, we can move on from the past and into the future: do you have any plans for your stay in Krung Thep? Do you know people in the city?"

Guinevere opened her mouth as if to speak, and then closed it again, once again retreating to her thoughts. "Well, I'm not sure, I haven't been inside the city yet. There's always a chance someone I've come across previously will have also found their way to the city, so I'm not sure I can give you a definite answer to that particular question. However, regarding the first of your inquiries..." Guinevere paused, and looked straight into Mary's eyes. For once, a flicker of emotion, or perhaps several all at once danced across her face. It was all very sudden and quick and it was over before she began to speak, but if one looked closely, payed attention, they would see; excitement, wonder, anticipation, perhaps even a small glimmer of happiness or joy. But as quickly as it was present it was gone, and Guinevere spoke. "It has been said that all creatures have a vice, or a weakness of sorts. Mine is my unquenchable thirst for knowledge, you see." She relieved her eased posture to sit upright, hands in lap, but still calm and even-spoken. "I've heard from numerous sources in my time that this city could be a... Oh, how should I say? Safe haven for my studies. Mary," She peered at the woman, "if I may speak sans formality, one does not, as your kind say, 'Live life to its fullest' if one does not take every opportunity to learn, to fill their head with facts and words and the beauty, the sheer magnificence that is worldly knowledge." She paused, waiting for her words to sink in for a moment before continuing. "I will learn all there is for me to learn, or try to the best of my ability to do so." She closed her lips together tightly in a way that suggested it was now Mary's turn to speak.

Mary had awkwardly almost started to speak twice while Guinevere talked, until she resolved to wait patiently and let her speak. She nodded along while Guinevere spoke. "Okay, that's great," she said, though her voice didn't express much enthusiasm, "have you been in contact with any universities or academies, or know what kind of line of study you would like to pursue? Or is it independent research you are considering doing? We can also arrange for you to meet with a kind of a guidance counsellor about the different options... Though residence might be the most important thing to begin with, we can provide government housing if you have no specific place in mind where you would stay."

Guinevere hadn't noticed Mary's behavior as she had spoken, or perhaps she had noted it but hadn't payed it any attention. She thought for a minute on Mary's words, then said, "While I usually prefer to find these things on my own, sans what... Hmmm, what do you say? 'Planning', I think, but something tells me this would be considered strange and against customary actions that are considered acceptable in a social network such as this large city." She paused for a moment, then explained, "You see, I'm not used to large cities." She leaned in a little, and looked Mary intensely in the eyes. "You seem to have great knowledge and understanding in the ways of customary and acceptable social interactions, Mary. What would you suggest to me?" She waited patiently for a reply, without blinking, as if she blinked she would miss Mary's response.

Mary ho'ed and humm'ed a little before answering - Guinevere's mannerisms were constantly surprising her and keeping her on her toes. "Well, I think, maybe contacting some professors about your subject of choice would be a good idea... Unless, well, depends on your education. What kind of previous education do you have?" She asked, looking at the form in front of her and noting down "study" for the field for "reason for entering Krung Thep" and feeling relieved she could write down at least something sensible.

"As of late I've had no... Formal training," Guinevere explained, cocking her head to the left, only slightly, as she pondered the past. "I once studied with scholars and monks as they attempted to 'fix' the Latin language and restore it from the vulgar form the populous had begun to speak. I've studied with other scholars, scientists, professors and such, but not for many, many years. Most of my new knowledge comes from self-discovery and study: I'm quite interested in botany and such." She explained, then continued. "I've heard that nowadays it's harder to study sans formality - I don't really have worldly possessions such as money or other material things of value. I have some books that would be considered quite rare, but I refuse to part with them." She said the last sentence not with cruelty or anger, but more so with a sense of dignity. "However, I'm sure I could take tests or something of that sort to prove my intellectual worth."

"Nowadays it is actually increasingly easy to study and do research independently, with the help of technology and libraries, you will find plenty of resources to get you started in this city," Mary said encouragingly. All during their conversation she had been coming back to the basic role that she has in her job: to assess whether the person applying for entrance to the city should or should not be allowed. And though she knew that Guinevere's papers would never work, she knew that she would not only be fine in the city, but also improve it. "You know what," she said, looking at Guinevere. "I have enough information to know what to write on these papers to get all of this sorted. And I trust you, strangely enough. So if you will just wait in the hall just a little longer I will arrange for accommodation for you and finish writing up, and... yeah. We can be done," she said with a smile.

Guinevere's expression changed for a moment, but it was hard to tell if she barely smiled or if it was just a trick of the light playing across her face. "I do humbly thank you for your time and efforts," Guinevere said, then stood. "I have no qualms with waiting for a bit more. When you've been around as long as I have... Waiting a few minutes or hours is really nothing too serious." Inside Guinevere's mind, she was thinking over all the possibilities now open to her. All the knowledge she could gobble up, and the new information to take in...
If she were a human, she might have jumped for joy.