Welcome to Gaia! ::

The two centaurs looked at each other with seriousness locked in their eyes. The older of the two looked at his sister with patient anxiety, while the younger looked at her brother with unreadable intent. Finally, the younger spoke.

"J'ckie, I w'nna move out."

Jackie stared at Qiuyue, mouth slightly agape. "You... You want to move out, Yue? Why? What's wrong with living here, with me?" The older of the centaurs spread his arms, gesturing about the small house. Yue looked around. In all honesty, it wasn't bad. It was slightly quaint, yes, but it was her home for so long and it always was so welcoming. "N-n'tin's wr'ng wit' it, b't I wanna live m' own life! 'M an ad'lt now an' I'll ne'er have any freed'm if I st'y coop'd up 'ere!" The large amount of talking made her out of breath and she took slow and heavy gulps of air to get her voice back. As soon as he saw she was having trouble speaking, Jackie was at her side. "Are you okay, Yue? Do you need a glass of water? You know you shouldn't talk so much at once. You'll tire yourself out..." Yue backed away from her brother harshly.

"See, Jack, t'is is why I can' st'y 'ere! I 'ave no freed'm! You j'st fuss 'ver me l'ke a m'ther hen wh'n I wan' my own life! Why c'n't I ev'r 'ave that?!" Yue was screaming at this point, her voice becoming hoarse with the sheer effort to form audible words. She ran out of the house with tears in her eyes, grabbing Lyndon's jacket as she bolted out the door, leaving Jackie standing there, speechless. He turned around slowly to face Lillian, who was sitting in a chair behind him, sipping some tea. "I've... never seen her this angry before." Lillian smiled at her friend. "You can't keep babying her forever. She's growing up. Let her have her freedom to choose her own way. She'll be happier, I bet." Jackie frowned slightly and looked away. "Maybe..."

Qiuyue sat down in the fresh grass of early spring, tears pouring from her eyes. She felt terrible about yelling at her brother, but she wanted her own freedom and her own life more than anything. ...Well, that wasn't entirely true. She wanted to see Lyndon again more than anything, and she wanted so much to feel the way she felt when she was in the cave that night... Yue took in a big breath, drinking in Lyndon's warm, comfortable scent from his jacket. Pulling it closer to her and folding her legs under her body, she hoped that she could see her friend again soon.

Qiuyue turned around, startled that she heard her name being called when she was collected in the arms of Lyndon. She immediately locked her arms around him and buried her face into his shoulder. The tears came out happily now and she smiled. "I've m'ss'd you, too, L'nd'n..." She felt him pull away and saw his eyes filled with worry for her. Yue grinned. "'M f'ne. J'st a l'ttle... fr'strat'd, is all." She giggled and wiped away the tears from her face. "Say, m' h'me's close by. W'uld you l'ke t' meet m' f'mily?"

With a sudden jolt, Yue remembered that she was still wearing Lyndon's jacket. She quickly took it off and handed it back to him, ignoring the cold of the early spring evening. "An' h're's your j'cket b'ck... Sorry tha' I k'nda took it..."

Qiuyue laughed awkwardly and put Lyndon's jacket back on. It was rather chilly that night, after all. She smiled and, while holding his hand, led Lyndon to the house where she grew up a short ways away. It was... small, and somewhat quaint, but it was home nevertheless. Before she opened the door, however, the guilt of running off stayed her hand. What would Jackie say to her when he saw Lyndon? And what would he do about her running off? Maybe bringing Lyndon here wasn't a good idea... she thought, but they were both here now and had to make the best of whatever happened. Slowly, Yue opened the door and yelled out, "'M Home! An' I brough' a fr'nd w'th me!"

Lillian looked up from the book she was reading and grinned. "Heya, Yue! Glad to see you're okay!" The wolftauress bounded up to Yue and gave her a hug. Quiyue laughed a little and hugged her back. Lillian looked over Yue's shoulder and caught sight of Lyndon. "Oh-ho! And who is this strapping young man? A friend of yours, Qiuyue?" Lillian smiled and reached out her hand to the cervitaur. "I'm Lillian. It's nice to meet you!" Qiuyue chuckled and turned to Lillian. "Yeah, he's a fr'nd. An'... wh're's Jackie? Off w'rryin' 'gain?" The centauress looked about the small living room and Lillian nodded. "Yeah, he's worrying, all right, but he just went down to the town to pick up some more firewood." The wolftauress turned back to Lyndon and smiled. "So, come on in!"

Qiuyue smiled as she entered her familiar home. She felt much more at ease when Lyndon relaxed. She wanted her friend to be as comfortable as possible in her home. To have Lyndon feel safe in her home would make Yue happiest. She felt a little apprehensive with Lillian around, but she was trustworthy and Yue hoped that the wolftauress wouldn't do anything that would embarrass her or Lyndon. Hell, that was the last thing she wanted. All she could do was pray that Lillian would behave herself.

Lillian could sense that Yue was cautious and anxious now that her friend was here. But... now that she got a good look at the two of them, Lillian could plainly see a spark between them. In the warm glow of the fireplace, the pair seemed awash in each others presence. The wolftauress smiled gently and quietly pulled Qiuyue off to the side. "Yue, I have to admit, the two of you are quite the adorable pair!"

The blood rushed to Yue's face. "Wh-wh't?!" Lillian giggled childishly and Yue pulled her friend to the side furiously. "Sh't UP!" she whispered through clenched teeth. "Lynd'n's j'st a fr'nd. So h'sh it, w'll ya?"

Lillian couldn't help but smile at Yue's anger. She shot her a coy look. "Riiiigghhht, a friend. And that's why you keep ogling at him?" Yue gave her friend a deathly glare. "J'st keep y'r trap sh't." With that, the centauress wandered back over to Lyndon's side while Lillian watched the two and smiled gently.

Qiuyue smiled and laughed softly as Lyndon patted her head. "Yeah, th're is 'ne m're... J'ckie. B't he's out g'ttin' f'rewood, so..." Yue looked at Lyndon and chuckled. "'Nyw'y, I g'ess y're w'nderin' 'bout our... 'nusual f'mily." Yue motioned towards the wolftauress, who had sat down in her chair and was reading a book. "It's k'nda f'nny. Wh'n I was l'ttle, Lill c'me to th' Isles an' m't Jackie, an' they w're 'ld friends, so th'y both took c're of me. An' now Lill's p'rt 'f th' f'mily, too."

As Yue was talking to Lyndon, Jackie walked into the house with an armful of firewood. When he saw the strange cervitaur standing in his house right beside his little sister, he almost dropped the firewood onto the floor. "H-hey, Yue, Lillian... Who's our guest?" As calmly as he could, Jackie placed the wood down by the fireplace, walked over to the stranger, and held out his hand for a handshake. "Hello, my name is J-"

"J'ckie." Yue interrupted her brother with the slightest trace of anger in her voice. "H's m' old'r br'ther. J'ckie, th's is Lynd'n, wh's a friend 'f m'ne. He's 'ur guest." Yue smiled at Lyndon and grabbed a hold of his arm while directing him over to the couch. "So, Lynd'n, m'ke y'rself at h'me! Sh'ld I g't s'me tea or wh't? Or w'uld you l'ke s'mthin' t' eat?" Yue smiled at her friend again, and as she turned to get the tea kettle, she shot a scathing glare at her brother.

Jackie watched his sister and the stranger interact with no less than absolute suspicion. This man, this... stranger looked so chummy with Yue... If he was using her for some nonsense or if... Or if... they were in l-... Jackie's eyes snapped open wide and he coughed into his arm roughly. No, no... calm down... This was probably nothing. The two were just good friends, nothing more. Besides, this Lyndon character was a guest to their household. Jackie needed to be a proper host. He sat down in a chair opposite that of Lyndon, and as he did so, he caught the glare given to him by Yue. Despite his want of Yue to be happy, the centaur was suspicious.

Jackie folded his legs underneath and seated himself comfortably in the chair. He took a quick glance in Lillian's direction and saw her immersed in a book, not wanting to take part in the tension in the room. Jackie could feel it like a nasty thundercloud overhead, ready to strike. He took a deep breath and addressed Lyndon directly. "So... Lyndon's your name, is it? I've heard a good bit about you from Yue. Apparently, you two had quite the adventurous run-in a while back." The centaur leaned over to the side of his chair, propping his elbow on the arm and resting his chin on the back of his hand. There was no way in hell he was letting this stranger get away with anything. Protecting Qiuyue was his first priority. "Id love to hear about it."

Quiyue hurried in putting on a pot of tea in the kitchen. In the back of her mind, she debated on whether or not bringing Lyndon to her home was a good idea, what with Jackie and his nose for suspicion. As much as she loved her adopted brother, he couldn't be trusted. If he drove away Lyndon, or did something to make him uncomfortable, she... Yue's eyes narrowed. There would be hell to pay.

Jackie's eyes were narrowed as he listened to this cervitaur's recount of the events that led them to this point in his house. He listened with curiosity and slight contempt and faintly remembered Quiyue coming home when she was younger, arms full of flowers, mentioning some odd boy who ran into her and squished her other flowers. His fist was clenched now as Lyndon told his tale. The centaur did not miss the blush and the loving sigh and his eyes shot wide open. His ears flipped back and he growled slightly in the back of his throat. The... the utter nerve!

Finally, the tea was done. Qiuyue quickly added the hot water to the cups with herbs and placed them and placed the cups on the platter. She turned around on a dime and walked into the living room where the first thing she saw was Jackie fit to burst in fury. Her eyes turned as cold as ice. She swiftly placed the platter on the table and seated herself next to Lyndon, giving a deathly look to Jackie. She then smiled at Lyndon and chuckled nervously. "S-so, L'nd'n, d' you wan' s'me tea?"

Jackie saw Lyndon's nervousness. That was good. He should be nervous, that little... Inside, Jackie knew that what he was doing was wrong and cruel. Yue had the right to be with who she wanted. But even besides that, Jackie only wanted what was best for his adopted sister. He wanted her to be safe and secure and happy, and Jackie had yet to see if this cervitaur, this Lyndon, had what it takes.

Jackie caught the glare given to him by Qiuyue as she sat herself by her friend. He gave a small smile back to her. He knew she was furious, but she did not understand. She didn't understand that all he wanted was her safety and her happiness. She didn't understand that this boy still had yet to prove himself. Jackie smiled kindly. "Thank you for the tea, Yue. Lyndon was just telling me how you two ran into each other a while back. I must say, it sounds riveting. Perhaps you could tell me more?" Jackie reached down to the platter and retrieved a cup of tea. He wanted to hear Qiuyue's side of the story.

Yue frowned at her brother for a split second, then smiled ever-so-sweetly. "'F course, br'th'r, I woold b' h'ppy to r'gail tha' n'ght f'r you." Yue gave a small smile to Lyndon, as to say "Don't worry. It will be fine."