Welcome to Gaia! ::

When he had first arrived with the other monks from Sai'onkoku, Arihitszu and the others had moved into a two-storey building in Palisade. In the time since their arrival, the monks had already begun to turn the location into a small monastery away from home: in autumn, dozens of wooden planks had gone into the front door, and the early winter nights now allowed for the occasional views inside of a statue under construction within.

The winter solstice was a time for celebration and observance for the monks of Valandi, as well, it seemed: for another day, a length of sheer silk dyed in various shades of green hung from the eaves of their place of worship and residence, and a string of small bells hung across the top of the doorway. Arihitszu sat just in front of the front porch of the place at a small table, which was neatly arranged with folded paper spiders. Beside him, flames licked from a brazier, giving off warmth and curls of fragrant smoke. Dressed in layered black and grey robes with a similarly sheer silken stole, the monk beckoned politely to passers-by who spared his table a glance, encouraging them to take a spider and perhaps donate if they wished.

At length, the man stood to stretch his legs a moment, and moved over to the brazier to warm his hands. All the while, he kept an eye on his table and a faint smile on his lips.