Attikias's thick leather sandals were soft on the ancient wood lining this path. He had not been down this way before- in truth, some part of it intimidated him, something like Cepheus or Ursa and how perfect it might be, with potential dangers underneath. There was something here he didn't understand, something that was tamed, and that frightened him.

And yet, here he was, stepping through the long hallway and keeping his eyes to the floor.

Some part of him didn't want to look at his reflection. He saw a glimpse, yeah, but that soon went away when he went to staring at his feet, following the path for who knows how long. He was, maybe, in the middle of the tunnel- he was far enough to not see Polaris's blue light, anyways. The next room was supposed to be one of crystals, much like this tunnel, he supposed, and he held his arms closer as he felt his skin prick with unease.

He had to look sometime. He saw himself in the Eyes (back when he kept going to it, anyways) but that was through water, not through perfectly reflected crystal. What would he see? What he saw then felt... Strange, like he wasn't meant to see himself. Of course, that wasn't anything, but there were few beings he knew that even vaguely looked like what he thought he looked like. None had the strange velvet over their skin, the same kind of tail, the same shape ears- none could speak that language. Only Vivilene could recognize it-- and Astraea. One of them was related to him, and the other was a Master. Did the other Masters speak it? Shutting his eyes, Attikias folded his arms and stopped for a short moment, sighing out through his nose.

He had to look. No more wondering, no more amorphous image of himself swirling in his own mind. Prying open one eye, Attikias glanced to the side, slowly turning his head as he watched his reflection move. It was surreal, like he was watching another being that moved in time with him, but as he watched himself untense his arms he was struck with the exact notion that this was him. Steeling himself, he glanced up, meeting his own eyes for the first time in clear contrast.

This didn't feel right. Were his eyes always so vibrantly different? He could tell that they might have been, but as he stepped closer to the mirror he could clearly see what difference there was in them.

Nobody else had eyes like him. They were different colors, starkly different, and his right hand came up to rest just under his right eye.

But that wasn't the end of it. His face was strange, more adult than Vanyel's, softer than Talys's, more squat than Dip's. How had they been so different? Dip was the closest, and Vanyel and Talys were related, so maybe imagining them separate didn't count. But Attikias-- was he the only one who could be classified as elf? Why was he like this, without horns like them, with dull teeth and different eyes and suede all over his skin.

He could feel his chest clenching. His hand left his cheek and rested on the crystal, pressing hard as he stared dumbstruck at his own face. There were so many little intricacies. A scratch here, a strange blemish there, there was a freckle on one eyelid- he'd never been able to see himself so clearly before.

He wasn't sure if he liked it. Was he never supposed to see what he looked like, in this detail? It felt too self-indulgent, like he shouldn't be here, like this was a waste of time, and he was suddenly struck with the longing to rush home and hide somewhere for an entire night.

His fingers slipped down the crystal as he slowly tensed his hand, skin squeaking just slightly as it skipped on the surface. He couldn't do that. He had a family that he kept safe, one he was responsible for, and he couldn't just run and hide. But, well, he hadn't come here to stare at himself for cycles, and his head came forward to rest its forehead on the mirror.

Perhaps he could take a moment to let it all sink in before he continued on his way to Gemini.