Welcome to Gaia! ::

Pushing open the library doors, Eragon paused to take a deep breath. He loved the musky smell of the old place. Reminded him of something... what, he could not place a finger on. Close behind him was Illy, carrying a few books.

Looking around, Eragon tried to see if anyone was around. Seeing Eriol and DS, he walked over to them.

"Hey guys!" he shouted, waving a hand at the pair. "Buffy let Illy and I loose this afternoon, she had some buisness to attend to." Turning to DS, he continued. "Do you mind if I borrow Eriol? I have a few places I want to show him around town."

"You know me ma'am, I'll take good care of them, don't you worry!" said Eragon with a cowboy accent.

Smiling at the cute little fox in Eriol's hair, Illyria began to poke at it and cooe at it. "Why, your such a cuty!! I love animals!" she giggled as she scratched Spectra's head. The little girl continued to sleep.

Not waiting for Eriol to protest, Illyria turned and walked through the door whistling. Eragon rolled his eyes. "Common! The streets have been rather empty this weekend, some kind of crashes just outside the city are preventing people to come in. So we basicly have the entire city to ourselves!" he said with a grin.

"Let's check out some of the nearby shops!"

Laughing, Eragon turned with an evil smile to Illy and Eri. "Let's play a little game..." he said as he backed up slowly. "First one to catch me wins a free fighting lesson!" he yelled as he began running down the empty streets.

Laughing, Illyria began running after him. Jumping over crates, she gracefully kept up with her brother. She was taking agility lessons with her brother whatever chance she could.

Turning to see Eriol behind her and gaining, she increased her pace. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Eragon turned the corner widely. Grinning, she ran faster, getting close to the wall so she would gain speed.



"Oph!" yelled Illyria as she knocked right into Eragon. Eriol, who had been close behind, fell ontop of them both.

"OOWWWWW! What on earth! Why did you stop Eragon?" she asked as she wiggled out of the pile of arms and legs. Looking down at her brother, she paused. He was staring at something behind her, eyes wide.

"Err--a-gon... what's behind me?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Eragon shook his head. "That's never been there before! We just came by here less than 20 minutes ago!"

Illyria gulped. "How on gaia did it get there?" she asked.

Getting up, Eragon headed for the door. "I don't know, but I want to check it out!"

Grabbing her brother by the shoulder, Illyria shook her head. "No... I don't like the looks of it!"

Using his other hand, he gently pried her fingers off. "You can stay out here if you wish, I'll check it out." He opened the door and stepped in, before it could close, Illyria ran in after him. "I'm comming!"

Illyria jumped behind Eriol and grabbed him by the back. She shook, frightened.

The old man that appeared as if out of thin air, walked slowly towards them. His long hair was a greenish grey. His beard reached the floor. The long wrinkles that covered his face seemed to move on their own. His long dark tunic was riddled with holes. What frightened Illyria the most was the twinkle in his eyes. But neither boy seemed scared of the old man.

Eragon smiled. The old man infront of him looked really sweet. His greying hair tied behind him in a pony tail, his small rimmed glasses balanced at the tip of his nose. What Eragon liked the most was his nice smile. Taking a step foward, he bowed. "Hello sir. We arn't looking for anything in particular, we just saw the shop and decided to come inside. I've walked down this street countless of times and I have never seen it before!"

Illyria watched as her brother spoke to the strange man. Eragon did not look the least frightened. She shivered as he shook the man's greenish hand. His touch seemed to leave a mark on Eragon, but he didn't feel it.

The man turned to Eriol. "I sell here a variety of oddities and notions. Feel free to take a look around, I'll be behind the counter if you need any help." He seemed to glide as he made his way towards the back of the store.

Once the man was far enough not to hear her, she quickly let go of Eriol and attached herself to Eragon. "He was scary bro."

"What? Your weird Illy. He seemed nice to me!"

"A nice man wouldn't hurt you." she whispered, tracing the mark on the back of Eragon's hand.

Snatching his hand back, Eragon looked at it. "Your just seeing things sis, I don't have a mark there, must be a trick of the light. Let's take a look around, see if there's anything that catches your eye."

Eragon waved them off. "Trick of the light" He walked over to a nearby table and picked up a large sphere. It glowed slightly, warm to the touch. He put it down and picked up a embroidered dagger. The gold shimmered in the light. He couldn't take his eyes off it, it was so pretty.

Illyria followed the two boys, careful not to touch anything. Pulling her braid around her, she was slightly comforted by it's warmth. Watching as Eragon lifted the dagger, she gasped. None of this feels right... she thought.