Welcome to Gaia! ::

It wasn't difficult to spot Lucia, she was soaking up the sun like a kitten in a sunbeam. Melisande smiled, and waved back with her free hand. It had been a surprise to get a call from Lucia and Yuurei, but definitely a welcome one. Over her arm, Pasha carried a a white umbrella and a little picnic basket, which bobbed as she hurried forward. Setting them both in the grass near the blanket, Melisande opened her arms and beamed, hoping Lucia would like to give her a hug. "Hiii!"

The loose sleeves of her white peasant blouse seemed almost see through, ethereal and gauzy. She'd belted the thin shirt at the waist with a pink cinch to give it a nice shape, and the wide neckline showed off her slim shoulders without plunging too deeply. With her hair secured in a fall of curls over one shoulder, and the flowers at her temples fully open and ruffling in the breeze, Meli looked like the picture of summer fashion.

"It's so good to see you, Lucia! And look at all of the things!!"

Pasha returned the hug gently, absently making sure she hadn't crushed Lucia's lovely hair. Setting down the picnic basket gently, Melisande gasped at the idea of the balloons. "Oh, I would like that!" She could almost see it, a perfect pink balloon floating up up up, and Zave leaning over the edge of the building to catch it, and pop! Heart shaped confetti! Secret notes! Poetry! Blushing a bit, eyes bright, Melisande blinked until the daydream vanished. "It sounds like a lot of fun."

Holding up her umbrella, Melisande pulled the ribbon to untie it and pushed it gently open. The white ruffles spread into a rather large canopy, and she held it closer to the kitten Frei. Bright shade covered them both, cutting the heat of the sun, but none of the light. "I brought my sun umbrella..." She gave it a quick twirl, demonstrating how the ruffles flared, before handing it to Lucia to try. "And I brought Alto!"

Something grunted from within the shade of the picnic basket, and Melisande giggled. "He's sleeping. That's kind of all he does." She patted the top of the basket gently, but didn't open it. "I'm sorry I didn't bring any stickers or paper, but thank you for inviting me. And..."

Again, a blush, but it looked like a summer kiss on Melisande's cheeks. "...you look pretty too!!"

She didn't know what Lucia was thinking about, but the little smile she had reminded Pasha of her pirate brother. How wonderful! Sinking down closer to the blanket, Melisande stared at all the options and tried to think. Who first?

"Alto is my pet! He's just a baby, so he likes baskets." She patted the lid, and something in the darkness grunted again, but didn't stir. Maybe they could write to Zave first? No, that was selfish, and besides...Pasha wanted to learn how to make a really good one before writing to him! Maybe to Sevvie?

"Oh, perhaps we could make one for Laz first! Since he was the first Raevan? At least, he's the first Raevan I ever saw!!" She didn't reach for the paper, instead, Meli watched Lucia's face for a reaction. Aki had taught her to do that, and it was a useful tip!

Melisande lit up at the list of names. "I know everyone but Xiu! Perhaps we can start with Xiu for practice, and we can put in an invitation for us all to meet together?" It was a risky idea, but Pasha was much more open to meeting new Raevans than she used to be. Many of them were very nice!

"Which color do you think...for Xiu? Can you tell me more about them?" She didn't even know which gender pronoun to use! Perhaps Xiu was like Sevvie, free to do their own thing. Melisande ran her fingers lightly over the paper choices, and pushed a lovely dark purple one out of the stack.

"I would pick this one for you!!"

Lucia had quite a bit to say! Cheeks pink, Melisande just nodded, trying to follow along with all of it. Xiu was nice, he was quiet, and he was good! That was about all she absorbed. Accepting the blue paper and the gel pen, she offered Lucia her brightest smile.

"Cool!" She'd never used the word before, it made her feel like she was special like Lucia. Twisting around to lay on her stomach, ribbon curling against the blanket, Melisande nibbled on the cap while she pondered what to write.

Dear Xiu~

Ooh, the silver pen was so pretty on the blue paper! Pasha leaned to the side for a moment, taking a peek at Lucia's note for guidance. "I like your writing! Mine is different~"

Meli's hand was delicate and tall, with oval loops and dipping tails. She thought Lucia's looked very stylish, right down to the little x over the i. Tapping her lips with the pen, she pondered for a moment longer before continuing to write.

A new friend can be hard to find,
but I'd like to get to know you, if you don't mind!
Lucia says you are kind and sweet,
you sound like someone I'd like to meet~

Wishes, Melisande

Finishing the note with a flourish to her signature, Melisande took a moment to draw something in the corner...two little birds in flight, like the kinds around them in the park. She blew on it gently, waiting for the ink to dry, before presenting it to Lucia.

"What do you think? This is fun! After we finish this one, maybe we can do one for Sevvie?"

"I think that would be great!" Lucia's energy was contagious. Still smiling, Melisande pulled out a piece of sea green paper, and picked a silver pen from the pile. Sevilin was next!

Dear Sevvie,

You're as pretty and playful as the sea,
Thanks for being such a good friend to me!

Love,
Pasha

Folding it carefully, Pasha added it to her stack. She decided to do Vyn next, and then Zave. Even thinking of Zave made her cheeks a bit pinker, she would definitely need some time to think about what to write! Picking a piece of dark pink paper and a black pen, she started on Vyn's note with a smile.


Dear Vyn,

I had so much fun with you that summer day,
We should take our puppies out to the park to play!

See you soon,
Meli

Even as she folded it, her mind was already on the next note. Picking the cleanest, brightest piece of white paper she could find, Melisande spread it out in front her of...curls hiding her eyes as she looked down at it. The pen she picked was pale pink...maybe not one of Zave's colors, but hopefully it would make him think of her.

Dearest Zavier,

I watch the clouds go by,
and all I can think of is you,
when the wind kisses your cheek,
I hope you think of me too.

Love,
Melisande

She took a moment to draw something in the corner of this one as well, a few spidery branches in the corner, with little blossoms clinging to them. Pasha hummed to herself as she drew a few petals floating free, and carefully made one of the petals look like a heart. Smiling, proud of her work, she folded it and set it carefully in the pile.

"I'm going to write one to Laz, and one to Rivener. They will both be on red, I hope they don't get mixed up!"

True to her word, Melisande picked two pieces of dark red, but she used a black pen for Riv's and a gold pen for Laz's.

To: Rivener

I hope this note finds you well,
This is for fun, in case you can't tell.

Melisande

Laz's note was just as quick.

Dear Laz,

I haven't seen you in quite a while,
but I hope this note makes you smile!

Best,
Meli

"Oh! I should write one to Lucretia too! Do you know her? She always reminded me of Roux, with the color blue she wears, but she isn't like him at all." It had been a long time since she'd thought of Roux. They used to be such good friends, but she could only remember the last time she'd seen him, at karaoke. He'd been so cold when she didn't hug him, but she was scared! Pushing the thoughts aside, Melisande jotted a quick note to the other icy raevan.

Dear Lucretia,

Roses are blue,
Ice cream is pink,
We should meet again soon,
That's what I think!

-Meli

It seemed like Lucia was writing to more people than Melisande knew! Taking a peek at the names, she made sure to write a few short notes to the people she'd never met. For the first one, she picked the opposite colors Lucia did, with a red piece of paper, and a bright green pen.

Dear Eiry,

Lucia is writing to you as well, so
You're probably someone I should get to know!

Let's meet soon,
Melisande

She didn't know Zul or Lulu either, but Melisande didn't want anyone to feel left out. For Zul, she used an orange piece of paper and a red pen, and for Lulu, a gold piece of paper and a purple pen, still playing off Lucia's color selection.

Dear Zul,

I wonder if you'd like to play
In the park together someday!

I hope to make your acquaintance,
Melisande

Dear Lulu,

I think your name is very neat,
I hope someday that we can meet!

Best,
Melisande

Almost finished! Though she had no idea that Lucia had written one for her, she realized it would be nice to write one for Lucia too. But they were already together, what could she say? Instead, Melisande drew a picture of a little kitten, playing near a flower, and folded it up with the rest. On the front of the folded part, she wrote 'To Lucia' and set it aside.

"That was a lot of writing!" It was true, her hand was even a little sore! "I can't wait to put them together, what do we do first? Maybe you could do the first one, and I could watch you?"

Melisande watched as the notes and confetti slid into the balloon. How clever!! She accepted the blown up balloon with both hands, handling it carefully as though she feared it might pop any moment.

"You want...me to write it? Okay!" It seemed like an important duty, after all, it would be the first thing the person saw! Taking the fat sharpie, she popped the cap and wrote in clear, slow letters



After all, it always paid to be polite. As soon as she finished, she turned the balloon to Lucia for approval. This wasn't hard at all! Setting that one aside, Melisande started on her own balloons...first handing over the notes that were addressed to people she hadn't met before. It seemed like a good idea to combine those with Lucia's!

For Sevvies, she made sure to use all kinds of lovely colors, and a bunch of glitter. The rest of her balloons were a bit more moderate, with a pinch of glitter in a contrasting color, and a few hears and stars to make it festive. When she got to Zave's, though, Pasha took her time...carefully picking red heart shaped confetti out of the pile and adding only those.

When she got to Riv's, Melisande paused, looking at the options. While she didn't want to hurt his feelings by leaving him out, she certainly didn't want to give him any hearts. Instead, she picked all the stars out of the pile, and only added those. She also neglected to write 'please' on his balloon, figuring the nicety wouldn't matter much anyway.

"This was a fun idea, thank you for inviting me!" She only chatted when they weren't concentrating. Getting everything in the funnel without spilling was hard! "I think I'm almost done, how about you?"

From inside Meli's basket, something snuffled and grunted. Eyes wide, Pasha held the funnel with one hand, peeking under the lid with the other. "Alto, I'm sorry! It's almost time for you to go out!"