Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was a lazy summer day on Gaia, but not so in the Lab. Papers bustling, cultures growing, the place was in full swing, scientists and their assistants striking out into the cutting edge of biotechnology. A single day's research here was worth a month in another facility. Best of all, everyone who worked in the Lab knew it. It was the sort of facility where people came to work and wanted to be there for the research that was done and freedom to make that research what they wanted.

Of the many fanciful research avenues that the Lab allowed, none was better known than the cabbage project. Gardening meets supercomputer gone awry, they took up a very prominent place in the middle of the open courtyard. Few of the scientists paid the cabbages any attention, used to them after so many weeks, but visitors to the Lab paid the plants more attention. For most, the cabbages were the whole reason for visiting.

The adoption center waiting room was not at that precise moment empty. One of the blue and white-garbed Sisters was there, updating the corkboard with new photos and flyers. She was short, her dirt brown hair piled under her folded cloth cap so only the roots were visible. Her small hands showed signs of a life spent working. At the sound of the door she finished putting up a a pair of bright red notices and stepped away from the board, brushing her hands off. "Can I help you?"Her jaw was slightly squarish, her eyes small, but there was a pretty sort of earnestness about her.

"I'm Sister Josephine," she introduced herself, bobbing her head in curtsy. It took her a moment to register the hand and extend hers in return. She touched Tyler's hand only briefly. Josephine was just a bit nervous, this being the first time anyone had come to the Nursery during her shift. "The process is very simple. We have a few forms for you to fill out, then you can visit the nursery and meet the children. We have three with us right now."

Josephine was disappointed. Though infants rarely remained in the nursery for long, it was still disheartening to think of any of them being in there. "Oh. That's across the way. We only take care of the children here. The form is the same, though." Josephine went and took one of the slim packets from the plastic holder on the wall. She held it out for Tyler and Missy. "They do all the processing, I'm not aware of the details."

"You're very welcome," said Josephine, bowing her head again. "Good luck to you both!" She felt the need to try and end on a good note -- she had not meant to guilt the couple. Every cabbage that went to delivery was one more child that would never even need the nursery.