Welcome to Gaia! ::

From another direction three figures strode into the park. Well... one strode -a tall blue male audio with plaid markings and blue faerie wings. He had on a pair of nice jeans, slip on loafers, and a long black wool dress coat that was open despite the cold. He stood out the most against the white backdrop, his companions being nearly a foot shorter and garbed head to foot in comfortable white 'robes' with some bright colored trims. One walked beside the taller male at an almost leisurely pace, while the other bounced and danced excited circles around them both as her long blonde hair flounced in its high ponytail behind her through the whole in her hood.

The funniest thing was... like Kaleb they made no tracks in the snow. They did not walk on top of the snow, but 'floated' about half a foot above it.

Running out in front of the others the blonde let out a loud "BOOOOyAAAH!" Spotting the winged audio in the middle of the park. Floating booted feet made no sound as Rikku made a beeline for their scholarly friend. "Heeeeey!!! Kaleb!!"

Sighing her 'sister' rolled her green eyes even as she grinned. The Scholar? Out here? And without a book. Huh. Now didn't that beat all. Idly she wondered where his Cover could be but shook it off as the Turk probably had a job of some sort and simply let herself be glad Kaleb was not needed for it as well.

Aiden too smiled, lifting a hand in an easy wave which he was not certain the shorter male would even notice over the rush of energy that was the Al Bhed racing for him.

Swirling green eyes went wide with surprise at her friend's reaction. "Kaleb!" Skidding to an halt (don't ask how she skidded in air) Rikku came to a stop and peered down into the hole at the small winged mage. Behind her, Aiden & Relm were worriedly running up as well. Rikku giggled sheepishly & with worry. "Kaleb? You okay?" Another giggle. "You weren't supposed to fall."

Relm & Aiden drew to a relieved stop as their 'sister' giggled sheepishly and crinkled her nose. "Sorry Kaleb... didn't mean to. heehee."

Holding back a laugh the pictomancer touched her brush to her lips. "Just a little bit of shopping. What about you, Scholar. Get something for your Cover yet?" Gold eyes smiling, the Highlander simply lifted a brow to show he too was curious about the answer.

Rikku nodded, as if bout to say how very good it was that there was no harm done when she became interested in Relm's question herself. His Cover? Oh! Right! Riley! That sweet Audio that was with him at the amusement park that was checking what boxers Kaleb wore! The Al Behd grinned, then yelped and fell -floating- on her posterior as Kaleb's hands moved that fast.

"Oh? You're not?" Relm asked casually, her voice sounding like she had just made a mistake. The Highlander shot her a look that -unsurprisingly- she ignored. "oops. Well you don't have to be, well you know to get him a present if you want. You're very good friends, right? He's your partner & your roommate... it's a good excuse to get him something if you've been wanting to."

Aiden stared at the pictomancer. This would not be the first time he would thank the powers that be Lainey had kissed him that night, setting their relationship in motion & saving him from Relm's matchmaking attempts. Poor laddie...

Relm arched a brow, then lowered it as a soft expression crossed her face. "Can't see why he wouldn't be... but the real question is: are you?" Green eyes sparkled with teasing but her smile was gentle, friendly, & surprisingly un-pushy. It grew and the pictomancer threw her arms around Kaleb in an impromptu hug to signify he did not have to answer aloud and in fact she was not going to give him the opportunity to do so.

"Dinner is good!" Rikku was saying over Relm's words as if oblivious while Aiden snickered softly at her. It did not seem to phase her at all that Relm might give the mage a quick hug. They were all friends here & hugs were good! Relm needed to give more hugs anyway. The other Relms did. "Food is always a good way to show someone you care, and better making it than going out on Valentine's Day! Everywhere's so busy with all the couples & stuff! Right Aiden?" The fae male was trying really hard not to laugh. His golden eyes were sparkling with mirth though. "Aye, Lassie."

Don’t tease? Relm? Not tease? The shy scholar was lucky she did not tease him MORE. King or pauper, Relm’s often sharp tongue held no treaty. Relm had changed however, although she was biting her tongue not to continue the teasing –not to say something about how she just bet Riley was not interested- for THIS friend. She could be cruel, yes. But Relm also had more than a bit of a romantic side to her. Especially since she & Keme were together. So, no. Teasing on THAT matter would be kept to a minimum. She would not chance their relationship: Kaleb & Riley’s. Especially not in front of the others.

Besides… there were plenty of other things she could tease the shy mage about without falling upon what could be called his love life. Plenty of things that made the mage bush or stutter. Sitting back on her heels Relm just grinned at him, surprisingly choosing to be the quiet one for a while.

Of course compared to Rikku… Relm could be the quiet one. Then again, even among her ‘sisters’ Relm Audio was one of the quieter ones. At times she wondered how that had happened, then remembered the darkness of her failed ‘crushes’ and expectations… then reminded herself that around Rikku’s pleasant bubbly & bright banter even the kid with a lip on her sometimes could not get a word in edgewise.

Like now.

"Then you really should!! Maybe we could catch up with Mir and get a surefire winner of a recipe though instead of on the internet. She’s probably tried all those on the internet already though. Sometimes hard to catch her off Dark’s Island though." Gosh but Rikku was in a chatty mood now. "HAVE to plan! Fayths! Do you know how hard it is finding something new each year? Food’s usually sa---aaaaaaaaaaaaiiii!!" The rest of what the young Al Behd might have said was lost as the word trailed into a startled scream. A branch overhead (possibly warmed by all the body heat & chatter underneath but more likely the warm sun overhead) had ‘chosen’ just that moment to let fall its heavy load of snow upon the blonde audio. Unfortunately for Rikku, the landing of said snow was precisely the spot of the opening in her white hood through which her long blonde ponytail hung. Which meant… cold wet snow slipped inside & upon her head.

Aiden was beside her, and besides… he was far too gentlemanly to start something like this without some form of warning or something. Not that Rikku –wet-headed as she was- was thinking quite that coherently. Swirling green eyes fell upon the mages. They were in front of her… but they could use magic. Relm did not have her brush out… Beyond that, the logic of a hands-breadth of seconds was gone. Fire danced behind the swirl of her eyes. " Sayhea! E'mm kad oui!"

That was all the warning she gave before hurling snowball after snowball at the unsuspecting mage.

Relm blinked as snowballs whizzed past her head from behind, nit even realizing they were snowballs. Aiden just as dumbfounded hopped away from the angered Al Behd and towards Kaleb. "Rikku-lassie…." that was all the further he was able to get, a stray snowball catching him nearly in the mouth. Golden eyes blinked… and then Aiden was bending down to collect snow as calmly as if he were drawing a sword for a fencing match.

((Pronounced: "seeahae-haeayah! EAY'mm kukah-de ohooee!"))

What. the. HELL. was. going. on? Scampering out of the way now that the initial onslaught of snowballs had been tossed Relm blinked once, twice to see the gentlemanly Highlander calmly retaliate with a barrage of his own. Suddenly, she laughed. "Espers! Why didn't anyone tell me we were having a snowball fight! C'mon Scholar! Fight back! We can take you boys on!" With that she made sure her red gloves were securely in place and entered the fray. "Don't tempt me to cast Dispell"

Through Aiden's serious expression a slight smile quirked the corner of his lips. The pictomancer may not for once be intending to control the situation, but seeing the fire soften in the blonde Al Behd's eyes he could see first hand she was managing to diffuse it.