Welcome to Gaia! ::

She nodded obediently as she took the envelope. "I'm very gracious for all your help." she murmured softly as she felt the package, gently pressing the outline of the key. "Is it my own room or do I share with a roommate?" she felt silly asking such a question, but at her old school she had shared a room with a young girl who had no respect for personal property. "I'm sorry if I'm taking up so much of your time..."

Standing to leave, Scarlett shook her head. "No, but I'll be sure to come to you if I have any questions. I do believe I'll just head to my dorm and unpack my things. As I stated before....there are a lot of them unfortunately. My father is quite paranoid. Part of me thinks he believes he's sent me to the middle of nowhere." Scarlett pushed a stray strand of hair out her face and gently placed the envelope in her green knapsack. "now...which way am I going?"

Once the girl was out the door and bound for new adventures, Anna went back to her chair to slump into the plush fabric. It was a good chair, and one that had served her well over the years she had owned it. Such a strange thing, she thought, for her to have brought a few pieces of her own furniture to her workplace, but she was going to be living there for quite some time.

"Well now... a lull. And what do we do when there is a lull?" she asked herself quietly.
The answer was given by her hand reaching for a book across her desk. The Count of Monte Cristo was another one of those classic reads that served for entertainment. Her edition was leather-bound, with the title and author stamped in gold. A beautiful thing, really.

Annabelle became quite cozy in her chair and began quietly reading aloud to herself. The world outside may have been cold, but her heart was aglow with the thrill of the dashing tale.

"Do come in!" Anna said, while searching for some stray of paper to stick in between the pages. So much for a quiet day for reading...

"Pyralis!" Anna's face broke into a wonderful smile as she set eyes on her dear dragon. "Where have you...been..." Her eyes caught the beautiful bookmark he had set in between the pages. Such intricate, woven craftsmanship was usually the work of fairies, and certainly didn't come cheaply. Emerald leaves turned and coiled around a golden archway that curved along the outside of the bookmark. In the center was a beautiful view of a fairytale castle. The small gift in her eyes was something very thoughtful indeed, as she always seemed to be in great lack of a good bookmark.

"It's wonderful," Anna said, gently closing the novel over it. "Thank you, dearest." And of course, her real thanks came through a warm embrace once she rounded her desk.

Anna tilted her head, and with a quizzical look, took the small package in her hands. The only thing she had noticed over the past few days was that her Pooh stories had gone missing... probably sitting in between the bedframe and wall, where things liked to slip every now and then.

In order for him to see her reaction better, Anna tucked her legs under her on the couch and faced him. "Let's see what we have here..." With careful precision, her fingers untied the string, undoing knots and unfolding paper. Immediately the glitter of gold caught her eye. It was a title! Once the rest of the book had been exposed, there lay in her lap a leather-bound copy of Winnie the Pooh . At first, Anna thought he had bought her a new copy, but it wasn't until she had opened the book to the inside title page that she saw her own name, in a younger hand, scrawled across the top.

"You... you got it rebound!" With such an enthusiastic excitement, Anna stood right up from her seat and began pacing the room with it, turning it over and muttering to herself. "Shining red leather... gold leaf... raised bands... woven headband... the fore edges have even been trimmed slightly... and look at that, the new pastedowns and flyleaves have been marbled..."

"Gladly!"
But instead of sitting down with her new present, she dove into a fierce hug. "You sneak! You're the reason I couldn't find it!" Anna laughed, pulling away so she could see his eyes. Those glittering eyes were always full of mischief and love for her, and it was then that she could definitely see him pulling other tricks in his younger years. "This is one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received. Thank you..."
While speaking, she had settled herself in his lap much like they had been while sitting in the grassy plains, telling stories. She still wanted to know just where he had went, though.