Welcome to Gaia! ::

setting: starting in Derya. traveling party to Taika
note to others who don't start besides grace and apple: you might still be able to join. if one of the starting party left you a note, or they encounter you on the way. if you join in after the fact, please quote everyone involved at that time.
second note: if you start doesn't mean you character has to go with them to the end, but they may.
Heading to Taika for some halloween festivities.


Carmen had finished packing a small backpack. She really didn't know what to pack. She had never left town before. She had no idea what to expect aside from some walking and maybe some adventure. Though she really didn't know the extents to which adventure could be had, not all of it pleasant. She then turned to the station with the paper. She wrote two notes. One would be left here in the delivery shop to her owner. Her master had been a kind man. Though she felt bad for leaving in such a manner, she couldn't just leave without any notice. She didn't want him to worry. He had this family to look after now, and she was an adult kyresue. She wanted to just get out there.

She finally left the shop with the other letter in hand. She walked down to the fishing pier. She knew Russ worked around there somewhere. She went to the bread stall she met him at. She asked the lady if he came by often after describing him. When the lady said she knew the kry, and that he came by often in the mornings. Carmen gave her a small scrolled up note for him to be passed on with a coin in hand as a thank you tip.

What felt like a few hours later and satchel of food on her hip, she arrived at the gates of Derya into the mainland. It was there she found two Kyresues there. They were together. "Where did you two just come from?" Maybe that was too forward a question. She didn't know them, but everyone who came in from that way made her curious.

Her eyes looked at the two, no three of them. She had nearly missed the familiar with the boy. She smiled when she realized they were quarreling. It sounded rather silly, and so she giggled softly.

She then listened patiently to the girl explain some things. "Wow. It must be exciting to have a brother. I don't really have anyone except my hume. He has a new family, so I was just getting ready to go discover the world out there. If I stay in this town another minute sitting in his shop managing his business while he bonds with his family. I might never stop puking."

She realized then that little outburst might make her look bad. She looked away sheepishly and quite embarrassed. When the brother came up and asked about her cute friend, she just smiled a coy smile looking up at him. "Well, thanks for that, at least."

She was starting to get ready to bid them adieu when a sudden brash thought crossed her mind. "Are you guys here on any business or just visiting? Because if you're not staying, you three could just like.. come with me?" She threw it out there. She probably seemed a little unhinged to them maybe. She was just so tired of being bored and lonely all the damn time. This trio looked as much like a tall glass of refreshment as anything in life could look to her.

She watched them all. She admired that they all had someone they trusted and were great companions with. She felt then that she deeply wished to find people or kyr's with whom she could have trust and great companionship with too. She watched them discuss whether to go or not.

She then clapped happily to hear they would in fact go with her. "Oh! This is so great! My name is Carmen by the way. Is Felix heavy? Can I pet him? or... hold him?" She looked up at him. She had seen a few kyr's around town who had little creatures like this one. Some had birds as well.

She smiled inwardly to herself. She kept smiling bashfully. She had heard him remark for at least a second time that she was cute. She wondered just how far or strong a sentiment that was. Well, if they were going with her, maybe she'd find out along the way. "Oh, well, I'm heading east. Going to a mage town called Taika. I hear they'll be having a big festival in a week or two. Hopefully I'm leaving in time enough to get there before it's over. I actuall don't even know how long it takes to get there." She fidgeted with her backpack straps when saying so. She didn't wanna look completely stupid like she was foolish enough to dash off without knowing where she was going. Though that was precisely what she was up to.

Carmen bent over to pet Felix's head. Then, she picked him up gently to feel how heavy he felt. She didn't put him down right away. She cradled him in her arms like a newborn babe. She lightly stroked his ears, his paws, and touched the tip of his tail. "Aww. You're really soft."

She looked up at them. "Yes! I'm all packed and ready to go right now. I was hoping we wouldn't have to teary here too long.I doubt my hume would find me right away, but I really don't want to take the chance. It'd suck big time to get dragged back into town."

She just gazed at Yi for a few moments. She rolled in her mind his last bit there. ~Or until the new year; would they really want to stay with her that long?~ She was only intending a small trip, but deep down, she wondered that if you went off on an adventure. Could you end up being away longer than planned? Since she never had one; she wasn't sure. She then smiled, and her tail swished behind her. "Are you really that much older than her? I wouldn't be able to tell who was older or not."

She thought to herself that they both didn't look much older from her, but then maybe it was hard to tell age in a kyresue. She fished out a map out of her bag and unrolled it as she put Felix down not wanting to overstay her holdings. She then peeked down at him. "You can totally ride on me or in my messenger bag on my side if you wanted. Like.. if you get tired of hopping. Or... " She didn't finish her offer since she was at a loss of what else to put out there.

Carmen looked at Yi and smiled. She blushed too, but under her green pelt, it might have been hard to see. If he were paying attention, it might have shown in her eyes however. She then just smiled a hopeful smile. "Well... I have no intention of camping anytime soon. I need to put space between me and this town."

She then started to look rather serious, and her voice took an adamant tone as they waited on the other girl to return. "Please I just need you to understand. No one knows I'm gone yet. I don't want to chance it at all that I'd be caught and brought back. I really just wanna get out and have some new experiences. I haven't really had many new ones in any recent history. I desperately want to do something exciting. Even if it's dangerous."

She then thought that what if someone from the town noticed her standing off by herself. She then scurried on over to stand next to Yi and Felix like she was part of a group that was traveling with them. She then had to smile in spite of herself. Yi's flirting wasn't without any due effect on her. She didn't' have a lot of experience with boys, but part of her wanted to change that. She wondered if he was the type to allow his flirting to go anywhere beyond flattery.

She then went back to waiting, fidgeting as she adjusted her backpack, her messenger bag. Lastly, she made sure her pigtails were fastened well. "Do I at least look like I want to have an adventure?"

Carmen ran her finger tips along the center part of her hair. She then found a loose hair strand to play with. She then started to lick her bottom lip and graze it lightly with her teeth while looking off for a moment. "Where will I sleep? Hopefully at least several hours away, somewhere I can't be discovered quite so right away. Can't we at least go for a few hours? It's barely even sundown. Or.. preytell... do you always go to bed so early? Maybe you are older than you seem. I think going to bed just after sundown is for children."

Her eyes flickered with a tone of mischief. She was of course just daring and baiting him. At first she had missed it, but she began to catch on to seeing his eyes roam her so. She didn't poke fun at nor chastise him over it. She gasped a bit when he tugged her pigtail. She then walked up closer to him. She leaned in and stood on her toes as he was a tad taller than her. "Well, if you really want to touch my hair; I don't mind. Though I'd much rather if it were being touched a little differently than just tugging on it. That's not nearly as enjoyable." She gave him a coy stare before she started to talk onto the path that led away from the town.

Then, a large wagon was pulling up and about to leave town on that same road. Carmen ran up to it. "Which way are you guys headed?" A large hume sitting up on the helm of that big old timey pioneer wagon looked down at her. "Well, I reckon we be headed east and then south. We're headed for the town of Nuha."

Carmen though quickly and asked the moment she thought of it. "Would you mind if me and my companions rode on the back as far east as you go? We'll get off there."

The tall man said give him a minute to think about it and talk it over with his traveling party. She then turned to look back at Yi. She smiled and methodically swished her tail here and there. She gave a little wave with a hand to motion him and Felix should get closer.

She felt a little perturbed by his refusal to seize the moment, but he wasn't wrong about her lack of travels. In fact, she had never left Derya ever. She hadn't felt like arguing with this kyr she had just met. They had all started to get off on a good foot, but his insistence on camping soon was really throwing a monkey wrench into her drive and motivation to get going.

Finally, after an agreement to share some of her food with them on the trip, the driver and his helper in the wagon agreed to let them travel with them east until they were ready to head south. Carmen clapped her hands together feeling rather victorious. She smiled charmingly at her trio of new found friends. "Well... we won't have to walk during the night. We still get to go right away just as I wanted."

She courtseyed in front of the others. "Well, let us get on board right away. If you all get tired and need to sleep on the way, it's cool. I'll keep a watch out while we move." That little dig was playfully said, and she cut her eyes to Yi. Her mouth smirked as it bounced off his counter that he went to sleep whenever he wanted.

She was completely excited and psyched out. There wouldn't be any way she'd be able to sleep for a while. She had never been anywhere. Part of her hoped they'd make good time before all the daylight was gone. It would be neat to see the country side. The humes were riding up front. The wagon was fairly long with a huge canvas over it. There were lots of boxes, casks, and barrels in the front of the wagon, so there was plenty of room in the back for the four of them to ride without being much of a bother or being bothered by the humes.

As she was climbing up onto the wagon and looking for a good spot to sit down and get comfortable at. She had seen the sister return and whisper something. She wondered if it were about her. Hopefully, her insistence that they keep going wouldn't be a wedge between them after all.

Carmen stood up on her knees and waved to the men driving the wagon over the boxes. "We're good, thank you." Soon, they were moving. Carmen sat near the tailgate as well. She sat there with her head on her arms which were layered on top of the tailgate itself. She was watching the road below them roll away. She had never ridden in a wagon, and this felt exciting to her too.

Her tail fluffed a few times, flickering from side to side before it found a comfortable place and position to lay itself in. It felt like she was touching something, but she hoped it wasn't in anyone's faces. She then turned her head to answer Akiko without looking at Yi. She winked at her. "Thanks for the offer and the advice. I'm sure both might come in handy before we arrive at our destination. If both of those humes take turns driving, we might make good time away. Then, if they camp for the night, we'll have a good rest anyways."

Then, she leaned back and supported herself with her hands on the floor. She looked over at Felix. As she looked at him, she decided at some point, she'd like to get a pet too. "It must be nice that you three have each other. I don't have anyone. It can feel despairingly lonely sometimes." She hated to openly admit that. She wasn't sure why she even said it. As soon as she said it, she regretted the words leaving her mouth. She was afraid it made her seem as if she were seeking attention or something. She didn't want these new acquaintances to think of her that way.

She then took off her bags and set them to the other side. She went back to the tailgate, semi kneeling with her legs out on either side of her in a flat straddle sitting position. She put her face laid out on her arm. Then, she had a random idea. She pulled her pigtails loose to let her hair drift over the edge of the gate. She let the wispy feel of the move of the wagon move through her hair. That was nice.