Welcome to Gaia! ::

Dawna rolled her neck over the arm of the couch. She had been enjoying the last golden rays of the sunset as they filtered through the tall glass windows of the main foyer, but an unexpected visitor and an unfortunate lack of hired help spoiled the moment. The last amber glimmer had already been swallowed by the mountains by the time she righted her pose. She grimaced, swinging her long legs off the cushions and wrapping the collar of her robe a little tighter around her neck. She would have looked perfect lying as she had been when the last light of day struck her skin.

Not that anyone would have been walking through the house to see it...

"Coming!" She shouted, squeezing one eye tightly closed in annoyance as the banging continued. The heavy wood doors swung open with surprising ease when a diva whose light had been stolen grasped the handle. She popped her hip, put on her best glare and put out pout, and faced the--

Well. It was hard to keep up the finely crafted facade when faced with such a wreck of a human form. First there was the shock of seeing the battered body, then the slight twinge of fear at the reminder of her own mortality, and finally the revulsion that crept in on the first breeze that carried his stench past the threshold.

Light did nothing to flatter the crumbling Fa'e's features. Mouth opened to address the woman because he knew this wasn't going to be easy, despite appearances the man standing on the stoop wasn't an idiot. Probably not. Fingers from his good hand dragged up to scratch at the side of his stubbled jaw and then-

Something else caught his marmalade eye and his attention turned to Shai only for a moment, enough to speak in a voice that wasn't at all decrepit and instead rather smooth. Rolled off of his tongue as easily as breathing. "That- That would be actually great, gu- gi- Thanks." Flashed a surprisingly charming smile that didn't seem to suit the rest of his construct. Jack moved into the space that Shai exited like it was natural, and in the same motion he extended his hand to Dawna with the sort of- It wasn't grace, not exactly. It was the grace of a drunkard who pretended to know what he was doing, stumbling through the familiar motions.

The hand he offered wasn't clean, dirt under his nails, something maybe a little bit like blood. "Names Jack- One of you is Shai, yeah? Thanks for your hospitality, needed somewhere to go." Gaze stayed on the girl with lovely green skin.

At the mention of his name, Shai inclined his head with a single nod. He seemed content to let the pair of Fa'e speak, hanging back with a discretion that was remarkable, considering he was the primary source of illumination in the foyer. Dawna's comment was just enough to lift his snowy brows. Was he one of Aki's charges, then? Shai certainly didn't recognize the injured young man, but that meant little. His guardian was a source of constant surprise.

The look Dawna cast his way, however, he knew all too well. She'd given him the exact same look the last time Arun had left a mess down the dining room wall. Eyes smiling at the memory, he stepped past Dawna and settled a hand gently on the stranger's extended arm. "It's our pleasure," he demurred, speaking absently for the both of them. His warm accent was almost imperceptible, thanks to his lessons. "If you will follow?"

Though Shai's expression never changed, the harmonic hum of the shards altered the moment the two Fa'e touched. A dissonant resonance stirred the Tzohar, gentler than a sleeping child's breath. With another tilt of his head, he escorted Jack into the Villa and the heavy door swung shut.

Though the Villa was by nature spacious, the bath chamber seemed to take up far more room than an average bathroom should. Huge potted plants that would have been more at home in an arboretum crowded the polished walls, almost obscuring the hand blown glass fixtures and the shockingly white clawfoot tub. Shai twisted the brass workings to the perfect temperature with practiced expertise, not even bothering to test the rushing water with a fingertip. He straightened with a smile, twisting to see if Jack had followed him in.

"There is a robe," He motioned also to a pair of empty wine glasses on a brass tray, next to a pitcher sweating with cold. "...and water, if you like. To speak with all can wait, yes?"

The shards clashed faintly as he turned to face the newcomer. Shai seemed to ignore them entirely. "If there is anything else?"

A subtle frown shortened Dawna's lips as she watched their guest sink into the water with no further explanation of who he was or what he was after. 'Jack' may have been a common name in movies or novels, but in the real world of Gaia it rang no bells for her. But she wasn't about to embarrass Shai by insisting on answers here and now. His blush was best savored in more private moments.

"I'll... put these in a bag for you." She hooked a manicured nail under the filth soaked collar of his shirt and raked her eyes over his diseased skin. Again, not exactly abnormal in her world, but not something to be dismissed entirely either. "There's some bandages and ointment in the cabinet by the sink, and I think you have some clothes you wouldn't mind parting with, don't you, Shai?" It was a pity too. She was hoping that if she held off long enough on buying new laundry soap, Shai would be forced to wear jeans and a fitted shirt eventually.

"Hmm." Dawna made a show of considering for Shai's benefit as she whipped open a trash bag and dropped the reeking shirt inside. She liked that Shai still regarded her as an authority on the world around them. It was worth a few moments of her time each day to nurture, even if it meant improvising explanations of why some vampires sparkled in the sunlight while others exploded when staked.

"I don't think so. A dead person would become waterlogged, taking a bath like that... probably would leave more of themselves behind than they care to, too." She opened the kitchen door and set the bag where the wind could carry some of the stench away.

By the time Shai rapped politely on the door, he was carrying a bundle of neatly folded clothes and a plastic comb. "These are for your liking." He said, and edged into the bathroom to settle them on the counter. The stranger seemed to be finishing with his bath, which was perfect timing. Giving the jeans and t-shirt a pat, he wondered absently why Dawna had looked so put out when he selected them. They'd sat unworn in his dresser for months!

"Tea, in the kitchen, when you are ready."

The kitchen was much cozier than the bathroom, and fragrant with the odd herbs and fruits that Wasa kept on hand. A small table crowded the breakfast nook along the eastern windows, already set with three saucers and three steaming cups of tea. Without being asked, he added a lump of sugar and a dash of cream to Dawna's, pushing it her way with a smile.

"He's almost finished." Shai offered quietly, and warmed his hands around his own cup. "Not a zombie."

"Tea first" Dawna interjected before Shai could even look towards the liquor cabinet. She set the simple sandwich she had put together on the edge of the table nearest the standing man. "And if every man, woman, and child who was reborn was a zombie, 'undead' would have to mean those who have never died."