The room was much like an oasis in the desert, and for a moment Alex couldn't believe what he was seeing.  A lush green paradise had arisen from the grey stone of the temple.  The room was clearly the source of the scent as well.  He scanned the chamber trying to take in it's unexpected beauty.  And that was when he saw it.  Or her.  He couldn't immediately decide what he was seeing.<br/><br/>It was an enormous flower, the petals spread wide and upwards to face the sun.  Emerging from the center was what looked like a human female.  He was immediately struck by her beauty.  She appeared to be sunk into the center of the flower up to her thighs, and for a moment Alex feared she was being devoured by the flower itself.   He'd heard the legends  of supposed "man eating" plants but of course didn't believe them.  He walked a bit closer, ready to spring to her rescue.<br/><br/>But on closer inspection he could see that the woman was part of the structure of the flower below.  Her features merely mimicked those of a human.  Even her hair- long and lustrous- had a greenish cast.  It had done a remarkable job of mimicking a human form.  But it was her eyes that struck him most of all.  They were an indescribable shade of violet, and they held his gaze with something that seemed to radiate intelligence.  The two creatures studied each other for a moment in silence.  The plant girl glistened with a viscous nectar, and various small vines writhed and twisted at the base of the flower.  Whatever it was, it was clearly a living creature.<br/><br/>"Hello...." he said, waiting to see if the creature reacted at all to the sound of his voice.  It was utterly ridiculous to believe that such a thing could be intelligent.  But those eyes.  He had to try to communicate with it.