Background
The possibility of extra-dimensional entities has long been the subject of creative exploration. From the horror end of the spectrum we have H.P. Lovecraft telling tales of monstrous incomprehensible beings that flout the laws of physics and defy the comprehension of mankind. On the other side of the scale is Abbott's piece of comedy, Flatland, a satire in which three-dimensional constructs stubbornly refuse to accept the notion of additional dimensions. Out of science we get the Large Hadron Collider looking for evidence of spatial dimensions beyond the three within which both it and its operators exist. Religion explores the subject with astral planes and beings of unlimited power and knowledge, able to see anywhere and affect anything with no regard for perceived barriers.
But all this is merely hypothetical, or at the very least unproved. What would you do if you were approached by someone not constrained by the limitations of forward/backward, left/right, and up/down? How would you react, finding yourself facing the manifested form of the unfettered? A difficult question, no doubt, as most people go through their entire lives never having to wonder or consider the likelihood of their dimension not being the highest one. Most people won't even begin to try to wrap their brains around the question 'what is perpendicular to a cube,' so bringing up the logical next step ('what is perpendicular to a tesseract?') isn't even worth it.
At any rate- take heart! Not all fifth dimensional beings are jackasses out to upset the fragile balance of limited understanding held by those on lower levels of perception. Although it can be highly tempting to use the nearly unlimited amount of power for more disruptive purposes, some are genuinely only interested in study and observation. Imagine you came across a world of sentient two-dimensional beings living on a flat plane of reality. Sure, you could scuff your foot across their world and rend their existence asunder with only a trivial effort on your part. But there are those out there who would seek to interact with these planate organisms, perhaps even establish a relationship with one... regardless of how ultimately superficial it would be. Luckily for those constrained to the x, y, and z axes, Arelya is one such entity.
Description
Pinning down any one description of Arelya is about as effective as trying to describe a digital photo of a person by only viewing one vertical column of pixels. Slide the visible column left or right and the view changes completely, flashing wildly in seemingly unrelated and confusing manners. Sure, one or two jumps in either direction and the resemblance might be noticeable, but skip thirty pixels to the side and the view is entirely different. Can you see the difficulty? And that's only an instance of viewing a 2-dimensional representation through a 1-dimensional perspective. How about the trouble with perceiving a 5-dimensional creature through the filter of eyes that only see in 3 dimensions? Needless to say, it isn't easy.
The one thing that keeps it from being impossible to understand Arelya (as well as horrifying and mind-boggling) is the degree to which she controls her projection. The space with which she interacts is always precisely the same, giving her the appearance of turning to look to the side, walking forward, sitting down or changing posture, all mostly like a human would. Sometimes she appears to defy gravity, but don't be alarmed; she's not bound by the same attractive forces. Generally, this requires a lot of concentration on her part- but she's had a lot of time to practice. These days, Arelya appears as an unassuming young female adult, with black hair that doesn't quite reach her shoulders, tipped by streaks of red. Her thoughtful eyes are an otherworldly scarlet, and generally a scarf hides her pursed-lip expression of contemplation. In spite of the complexity of her real self, her 3-dimensional intersection is rather petite, with modest breasts and a lithe waist, slender legs and scrawny arms.
The most notable part of her however, is undoubtedly the shimmering cluster of slender biological masses that nearly always accompanies her. Generally touching or emerging from her body (though not always), these flexible appendages are much less constrained in size and shape than the core of her body. Seemingly growing and shrinking, fazing in and out of existence, the fleshy manifolds are three-dimensional cross-sections of her true form, views of organs that make no sense to the senses of mankind. They are almost always moist to some degree, though this varies from merely clammy to the touch or outright dripping wet. Depending on the situation, Arelya's sinuous, curving members can be smooth or textured, spongy or firm, and theoretically as broad or slim as she desires, able to change thickness and length at her whim.
