Welcome to Gaia! ::

Kayla pressed closer to her parents as they approached the gangplank which descended to the Harbor South docks, and the first time she'd set foot on her home city's ground in several months.

An extended vacation, her parents had said. A chance to go visit other cities, see what sights they might have to offer. A chance, also, for Papa and Mama to take Kayla away from whatever it was that had caused her eyes to change color. Relaxation, recreation, adventure. And it seemed to have worked. Her eyes were the same mismatched color, and the black steak still refused to be dyed blond, but there had been a general change in Kayla.

When they had left, the normally overly cheerful Kayla had been quiet, uncertain, even anxious. That, more than any of the physical changes had settled the decision in favor of the cruise.

And after a week of sitting quietly in her cabin, Kayla's mood improved. Not only improved, in fact, it seemed the girl began to mature a bit. She ventured out, sometimes for the entire day, to go explore the ship. And while Kayla still retained her good-natured cheerfulness, she seemed a bit more restrained. She payed more attention to what others said in conversations, and seemed less inclined to ramble on.

What her dear parents couldn't have known, however, was that Kayla's improved mood was the result of finally making up with Loki, the trickster god in the back of her mind.

Loki, having found that his silence and stern disapproval had more effect on the eager-to-please Kayla, had maintained complete silence until Kayla had literally begged him to say anything. When he finally had, Kayla was like soft putty in his hands, ready to follow any order. About time, too! Her oblivious cheerfulness had nearly driven the god to his limit. The cruise was also fortunate in that it completely removed the distraction of other players. As far as Loki was concerned, he had several months of uninterrupted training opportunity, and Kayla had come along quite nicely.

It was at his prompting that Kayla dropped her doll on the gangplank, then held up the line attempting to get off while retrieving it, and getting a good look at the crowd waiting on the docks, as well. Never hurt to be prepared. A quick scan of the crowd revealed no one particularly suspicious.

One of the major cons of the cruise was that Loki and Kayla had no idea what had happened in the Game during their absence. If there was someone out to get them, now would be the best time, when they still had no knowledge of the current events.

Doll retrieved, Kayla hurried down to meet her parents on the bustling docks.

Loki was attempting to use the crowd as a learning experience with Kayla by instructing her on the fine art of pickpocketing. Kayla, while she listened dutifully to her god, was unenthusiastic about the idea.

"But that's stealing!" she whispered beneath her breath, eyes threatening tears. "What if the person really needs their money?"

Then, you make sure you choose the wealthiest looking snob out there! Look at the people around you, Kayla. The smallest percentage of the population controls the largest percentage of the money. Meanwhile, the majority of the people have a hard time feeding themselv-

Loki abruptly cut off, suddenly aware of a rather ominous presence somewhere nearby. Damn! From the looks of it, that wasn't a Player either. He shushed Kayla's worried questions about why he'd suddenly gone silent, and informed her of the nearby god.

Kayla paled, and edged closer to her parents. Loki had taken the time on the voyage to press upon her the dangers that came from playing the Game. I.e. Anyone who wasn't a newbie like her, didn't stand a chance against the higher ranking players. And if they ran into one of the actual gods running the Game, well...

She reached up to tug insistently on her Father's coat.

"Papa, I think there's someone following us!" she said urgently, glancing back at the milling crowd. To his credit, Olaf immediately stopped Mama, scanning the faces around them, as he tried to spot anyone suspicious.

"I think it's best, in that case, that we stay put for the moment." he decided, taking Kayla's hand, and squeezing it reassuringly. "Safety in numbers, after all. They may move on if they see that we're alert. What do they look like, Kayla?"

"Um..." Kayla was at a loss as how to answer. She hadn't actually seen anyone, after all!

Well, it didn't look like the God planned to make a move. The three of them stood there for a few moments, scanning the crowd, before Kayla ventured a timid,

"I don't see him now."

Mama sighed with relief and kneeled down to smooth Kayla's hair reassuringly. Olaf looked rather pleased that his plan had worked.

"Ah, that's good, then! We must have scared him off by standing our ground!" he exclaimed, chuckling.

Loki knew better, of course. He could still feel that other God out there in the crowd. But neither parties were making a move. Stalemate. No good. They needed an advantage. In the back of Kayla's mind, Loki began to wrack his own in search of an answer.

"C-can we go home, now, Papa?" Kayla asked, holding tight to both her parents' hands. Olaf ceased his chuckling and shot a glance at Mama, who returned it two-fold.

"Don't worry, darling. We'll go now. I don't think there's any other need to worry." he answered.

Once again shouldering their bags, the Sindri family wound their way through the familiar streets of the city to their small cafe, taking only a few moments to greet friends they met along the way. All three seemed anxious to be behind a locked door.

A fluttering of wings sounded overhead, and a moment later, a crow flew down to land before the dark-skinned god. It cocked its head to the side to peer up at him with one black bead of an eye.

"Say please." it croaked. Without waiting, it shed its feathers, each pinion curling away into shadow. Loki straightened up and gave Anubis a smile with more teeth than welcome. His green and orange eyes glowed softly in the dim of the alleyway as he looked the jackal god over.

Whew. Tall, dark, and ugly. Definitely a God from one of the hotter countries. Loki puzzled over the identity of the judge, even as he feigned a nonchalance, readjusting the set of his coat on shoulders. This guy was probably from one of the major pantheons down that way. Doesn't look Asian. Egyptian, most likely. And, if there is a Goddess of Life judging the game, there should probably be a God of Death appointed as well. So, who is the Egyptian God of Death?

"Osiris?" Loki hazarded a guess.

Loki listened calmly to the sound of popping ligaments, reassessing his current ability to take on a god known to oversee the pulling of a person's brains through their nose.

"Anubis." Loki replied, adopting a self-deprecating demeanor. "I once tied my balls to a goat's beard, just to get a lady to laugh."

Loki spread his hands wide. "I'm eager to please. On the whole, I can't say I understand why I was banned in the first place."

"Lemme guess. Fenrir?" Loki replied, seemingly unconcerned by the accusations. "Huh, didn't know he was about. Seems to be taking after his old man rather well, though. Thanks for the information, Anubis."

A hint of a smirk twisted in the corner of the Lie-Smith's mouth. It disappeared as the jackal god grew to loom over him, replaced with wary caution. Loki even seemed to shrink a little beneath Anubis's dark glare.

"As for chaos, I think you overestimate me." A memory of bindings and slow, dripping poison. "I've done very little thriving in my life."

The shadows coalesced about Loki's features for a moment, hiding his expression. They passed swiftly, however, and he turned a wry expression back towards the towering Anubis.

"I seem to remember a time when the gods did as they wished, not caring whether the mortal population saw or not." he remarked, and sighed regretfully. "A sad indication of the times, that gods must hide from men. But I suppose your presence here makes sense. You're the god of Funerary rites, correct? I'm curious, how do you plan to embalm the world when it finally dies?"

Loki blinked. So they really do that?

Regaining his composure, Loki put hand to chin, and seemed to think the "offer" over. He even paced in the narrow confines of the alley, the fur of his great coat hissing against the cobbles.

Finally, he looked up at Anubis, and raised two fingers.

"Before I agree, I have two questions. One, what exactly are the rules, and Two, who is the Green Lady?" he asked. His expression, for once, suggested that he was quite serious.

Loki listened quite intently, apparently dedicating the rules to memory. When Anubis paused, he only looked expectantly at the dark god. The news of Persephone and her 'honeymoon' caused a glimmer of interest to surface in his eyes, but if he had questions, he withheld them.

"Very well, then." Loki sighed, "By Yggdrasil and the three realms, I swear to abide by the rules you have told me, Anubis."

Around them, there was a sudden palpable tension, as though something had witnessed the vow, and was now keeping watch. Gradually, it faded, though Loki was keenly aware that the Tree of Life was now keeping tabs on his whereabouts. He grimaced, imagining how the great life force might react to a breach in his oath.

Pulling his attention away from that awareness, Loki said to Anubis,
"Am I now considered legal?"