Welcome to Gaia! ::

Aila had made considerable progress in her maps of the base. Not only did she have a complete blueprint of every floor accessible to her, she had also begun recording the shape and contents of the individual rooms. She already had plans to map out the coverage of the surveillance systems upon completing her current task. For now, however, she was satisfied with the work she had finished that day and advanced towards the trainee dorms in hopes of acquiring a spot in the showers.

The form of a person in the hall gave her pause, however, and, despite herself, she found herself lingering and peering over the woman's shoulder to catch a glimpse at what she was doing. It was a landscape, skillfully executed at that. The motion of the pens and pencils, leaving ribbons of line and color in their wake, reminded Aila of her mother and her teachings, and she soon lost sense and care for what she had been doing before spying the artist.

She had not realized she had been staring and started at the woman's words. Aila was relieved, though, that she did not seem to mind. She leaned forward slightly to take in all the detail that was offered to her. The girl thought back to her mother's lessons and to the reading she had pursued on her own and dredged up the necessary vocabulary.

"The atmospheric perspective is executed quite well," she said, referring to a more finished area of the drawing. "The composition as a whole is strong, and your use of color is skillful." She straightened her posture, tucking down her chin and folding her hands in front of her - ever the proper lady. "I would not have expected to witness such talent within an organization such as this."

Aila listened to the explanation, delighting in the opportunity to experience the faraway place through this woman's work. She did not notice the shift in the language until Emilie began to repeat herself in English. The girl pursed her lips as she sifted through her own vocabulary. Her mother had not absorbed Kodo's language as easily as her young daughter, and so Aila had spent many years conversing at least partly in French. It seemed as though it had been ages since she last practiced the tongue, though, and her confidence in its proper use was slight.

"" she asked, although the answer was obvious. Warmth rose in her cheeks - she hoped she had not mistaken the pronunciation...

Something about the sound of the words triggered a shift in Aila's demeanor, and the distrusting thief melted into the 16-year-old girl she was at heart. Daintily she took a seat at Emilie's side as she heard the woman's story. She was struck with a small pang of envy, having no firm connection with her own culture after spending her entire life in Camphoreon. She formed a cradle of interlaced fingers and rested her chin upon it as she thought on her response to the woman's questions.

"" It was a small country, largely independent from the rest of the world except to exchange resources, and Aila had frequently been surprised by its scarcity in news broadcasts. "" She carefully considered how to respond to the second part of the query, unwilling to reveal too many details about her heritage lest they give away her purpose. "" she explained. ""

She blinked, inwardly startled by the Pikachu's appearance. She was in a good mood at the moment, though, and so she retrieved a pokeball from the belt that secured her uniform and released Fleur into the hall. The Bulbasaur looked around dazedly - usually she was only willingly released in the presence of battle or food, and she could discern neither. But oh who was that? A Pikachu! A friend! Fleur ran to meet the electric mouse, a bright grin on her face.

"" Aila mused aloud, "" It was not that long ago that she had for the first time left Camphoreon, almost on a whim, to travel to Jinko. Even if she had failed to obtain the Blue Orb, the journey had been worth it for all the beauty she had experienced.

Aila took the brief silence for a moment of consideration. She had not realized that such idle conversation could be so... pleasant. She found herself very nearly overwhelmed as the unacknowledged loneliness that had accumulated over so many years suddenly washed over her being. Her tone was considerably quieter, perhaps even hinting at sorrow, when she replied, "" The subtle gaze that found its way to Emilie's drawing implied the amendment especially compared to you.

"Saurrr!" Fleur was overjoyed at the black fabric adorning her head, and she felt obligated to offer something in return. What could she give, though? She tilted her head to the left and then to the right. Inspiration struck her. She released a weak cloud of Sweet Scent, just enough to perfume the corridor with none of the debilitating effects.