Welcome to Gaia! ::

Zul would not have to deal with the discomfort of sneaking quick glances across a room at the newborn raevan for long. The newborn raevan had solved this problem for him. A pair of straw yellow rabbit ears were comfortably tucked away in the nape of his neck. Her soft hair and fur barely tickled Zul’s swarthy chest. The newborn raevan hung close by the older raevan. She barely moved aside from the way her ears occasionally shivered signaling the fact she was still alive. Her head was lowered; however, her eyes could just be seen through the dusty blond curtain of her hair. It was obvious that fear was glowing in the newborn raevan’s lilac orbs.

Everything was… different. This room was different. These trinkets around her were different. The people who walked about the other rooms were different. Zul was the only thing that made sense in this world to her. She clung desperately to this one shred of familiarity.

Tan skin… familiar.
Wings… familiar.
Light hair…. familiar.

If he made sense, then why didn’t everything else? The newborn raevan’s attention began to circle around the smooth object that Zul was occupied with. Her eyes locked with his. An unusual comfort arose in her when she found those lustrous blue eyes staring back. It felt like small prickles of ice running down her spine…. Or however much spine she had. He wasn’t afraid to explore the unusual things that where on all sides of them. The older raevan appeared to her as a gallant knight who could defeat the obscurity closing around them. She consoled herself. Perhaps, he could make sense of things for her instead? The intense gaze she had mustered trailed down to follow Zul’s hand as he set the metallic bauble down. Her own small hand reached down to touch the pen. The newborn raevan’s thin, brown fingers tentatively traced around the object before finally venturing forth to make actual contact with its surface. She cringed. Then just as suddenly she softened. The object had not hurt her… she was safe. The newborn raevan picked up the pen and held it up to Zul. Her voice rung out like a small bell, “Different… what is it?”

~~~~

Josh’s car nearly skidded into the parking lot. A few wayward alley cats managed to just duck out of the way of his squealing tires. The boy’s hands clutched onto the steering wheel, they had turned a pallid white. He removed his viselike grip on the wheel after much struggle to calm his nerves. Josh’s hands betrayed all his efforts as they began to shake. He was on pins and needles. Today was THE day. Josh had never thought that he would actually receive THE call from the Lab. Perhaps, catching that soul had been a cruel joke. Perhaps, someone else had gotten his raevan. Perhaps, there has been a mix-up?! Josh shuddered and rested his head on his hands. Perhaps…. He just needed to calm down.

He stepped from his car and walked towards the Lab. There was an anxious bounce in his step that undermined all his attempts to appear collected. Nevertheless, Josh made it to the large sliding doors indicating the entrance to the Lab… panic attack free, of course. The boy stepped inside. The gust of warm air he was met with did nothing to blow down his tension. Josh scanned the waiting room.

The frei’s wings gave a abrupt flutter as she felt a slender arm wrap around her. The cream hued bones that made up her wings cracked and grated against one another for the first time; delicate patterns blended together into a blur of cheery red and delightful lilac. Her eyes fluttered down at the intrusive limb. Sure enough, she found a lightly tanned arm circling her small frame. At first, she stiffened against the foreign touch; however, as time trickled by she felt calmed by the feeling of Zul’s fingers idly brushing her hair and back.

The frei’s eyes slid back up to meet his; they were veiled slightly by half closed eyelids and thick lashes. Her own hand reached around him to stroke curiously at the older raevan’s back. Her fingers came in contact with a rough column of bone. Her hand continued its exploration upward. She peeped softly as she came into contact with each new texture and object. Spikes, scales, leather… All new experiences to her.

She barely noticed that the pen has been taken from her until she heard a sharp metallic click by her face. The newborn flopped about in a mix of awe and fear. She jumped back from Zul and his exotic charm. She stared at the pen again with frantic eyes. Was it on the attack?! Why had it changed forms?!

The newborn saw the thoughtful gaze that had passed over Zul’s face. She also watched as him float across the room. She also witnessed him stop. Zul appeared to have found what he was searching for. She saw him… the pen…. and A NEW CHALLENGE! Her eyes widened in horror. Not only did she now face this dreadful pen, but now she was also confronted by a mysterious white rectangle with black scrawl scattered about it. Was it some sort of spell? A hex? The raevan squeaked as Zul directed her to come over. He want HER over THERE?!

‘Scribble-Scribble-Scribble’

Her ears perked up at the peculiar noise Zul was eliciting by putting the pen to paper. The frei felt pulled closer. Once again, Zul appeared as a hero to her. He used his magical trinket to defeat the vile white beast. She felt drowned in the sound of the fiend’s death cry.

“Scribble-Scribble-Scribble” That was the sound of the monster meeting its demise.

She froze as the pen was shoved ever so genially in her face. Her hand shook as she reached up for the object. Would she be able to control this kind of power? Something that could defeat the white beast. The raevan huffed. If he thought she could do it, then she could. She tenderly clutched the pen and pressed it against the paper. She began a series of slow circles; each new loop seemed to gain intensity though. Within seconds she had the pen shredding across the document at fleeting speeds. A frenzy of scribbles danced and curved across the paper.

~~~~

Josh seemed to be lost in all the words that the woman before him had gushed. He fought through the onslaught and shuffled the content away into the correct places. Somehow, he had been led all the way across the waiting room before the information had registered in his brain. The warmth from their handshake earlier still clung about his hand. He perked up, “Yes! It is wonderful to see you again. Alex wasn’t it?” He flushed lightly hoping he had remembered the correct name. He grasped the clip board and swiftly wrote his name; a few loops and curves were thrown off by his nerves. He was so close to seeing a raevan… HIS raevan.

He didn’t know what to expect.

LuLu reclined back to see Zul’s familiar sun kissed face looming over her shoulder comfortingly. She held up the shredded paper in his direction. A few fragments flew off the page at the older frei like text filled confetti. In a way, it marked her success. She felt washed in his praise. Even if it was two words, “very good”, it still meant the world to the newborn. It was worth reducing the Lab’s documents into a pile of scraps only suitable for hamster bedding if it meant she was able to hear those sentiments from someone like Zul. Her face broken into a pristine, delicate smile. If fit tidily on her face and showed just the perfect mixture of pride and elation.

~~~~~

Josh fluttered about Alex in a nervous hum. His anxiety seemed to be running circles around him. Aelx’s enthusiasm only seemed to feed his edginess. He really did seem like an expectant father the way he was pensively meandering after the Lab employee. Each door they passed by seemed like an punch in the gut to him. Which one would have his newborn raevan behind it? Left. Right. Left. Right. Every one turned up fruitless. Finally, they reached the end of the hall. All that torture for this. They could go no further.

Josh nearly jumped when the woman’s knuckles wrapped against the door.

~~~~~

LuLu turned to the door then Zul expectantly. He was her protector. He was supposed to answer it. As for his question, her ears drooped in confusion. A name? Did she even have one? Her smile faltered then fell pack into her inquisitive pout. “None…”

Most owners have a moment of tenderness when they first lay eyes on that flawless being known as their raevan; however, Josh was not like most owners. He froze in his tracks before the two freis. Time seemed to drag by as the cheap plastic clock in the corner of the room announced each passing second with a methodical click, click, click. Many emotions passed over Josh's soft features. Not one of them appeared happy.

The boy finally settled on one expression. His eyebrows drooped into agitated arcs and a gentle pout drew his lips together into one tight bundle. His raevan was gorgeous. No. Beautiful beyond words. Nevertheless, said gorgeous raevan was nuzzling inexplicably close to a male raevan and happened to be desecrating the Lab's timetables for the next three weeks. Josh couldn't help feeling as though he was already becoming a bad 'parent'.

~~~~~

The female raevan's wings fluttered briskly against Zul's chest as if to give herself more room to 'work'. She enjoyed the preening and attention she was getting, but something within her did not like such close proximity. A touch against her arm, a hand entwined with her own, and pressure against her back. It was too much for one moment.

She turned towards the two newcomers. She was familiar with the legged woman, but the man... he was new to her. She echoed Zul's words in a subtle sing-song tune, "You are pretty... your name will be too.... promise." It made sense to the frei. She wanted a name that would suit her... the way Zul described her. Pretty.

~~~~~~

Josh peeked out from behind Alex and nodded in her direction as if to excuse himself from her, "He seems like a charmer." The boy added a wink to punctuate his words and hide their slight bitterness. He approached the male raevan with as much flair as Zul had shown. He stood tall at his full height and made his own little spectacle. "A name...." Josh was prepared as usual and was not thrown off by the seemingly simple question. He had pondered the small list in his mind and already had the answer. "LuLu..."

The raevan stared at Zul curiously. When her new name spilled from the unfamiliar boy’s lips she seemingly ignored him; her gaze remained fixed on Zul’s crystalline blue eyes. The words held no importance to her. It was like some foreign language pouring forth from some foreign person. They were empty until they were spoken by the male raevan. When she heard Zul’s sweetly husky voice press out the name ‘LuLu’ judgingly, the words suddenly gained meaning. LuLu… it felt right now. She gripped the male’s hand tighter and tried the name for herself. The vowels held the same singsong delicacy that the rest of her speech had, “LuLuuu~” Her eyes remained set on him, peering deeper and deeper. Her own soft, purple orbs held some sadness as the male withdrew from her. She did not enjoy the feeling of her ‘protection’ being stripped away. It felt… oddly cold… lonely.

Zul held her hand up to Josh like some sort of offering. Her expression distorted into mild panic until Josh’s hand reached out to grasp her own. LuLu’s face softened into the calm façade she wore around Zul. She felt the same warmth that she felt from the male raevan coming from this boy. Perhaps, this was just another challenge Zul was giving her. Just like the white monster. LuLu floated up to Josh and wrapped around his arm timidly. She would prove to her protector that she could handle this challenge too. She gave Zul a pleasant smile tinged with the slightest hint of smugness. She wasn’t sure when she would see him again, but she new that she would succeed in conquering this task. Until then….