Welcome to Gaia! ::

Keline sighed as she rubbed at her face. Her mother and sister had gotten into another fight over their aunt and Keline had begun to develop a headache. She was only too happy to escape from the house that day. And even more happy that it was the one day her and her best friend had designated to meeting up at a certain spot between their towns. They had found the clearing one day, when exploring together, and had slowly built it up to be a sort of clubhouse. She glanced up towards the sky, squinting as she tried to judge the position of the sun through the treetops. Most likely she was late. Kel was always late. Naji always forgave her too. He really was the best of friends.

With her face to the sky, Kel didn’t notice the rock in the road until her toes connected with it and she tumbled forward. She sputtered as dust, from the path, flew up around her and her hair fell into her face. Huffing, she pushed back up onto her feet, dusted herself off and adjusted her pack. She was thankful that Naji hadn’t been around to see her trip. He would have teased her to no end about being clumsy (as he always did). Keline quickly glanced around, to make sure no one else had been around to see her, and, when she realized no one was there, she continued off in the direction of their meet up place.

At the sound of the unfamiliar voice Keline jumped, heart slamming against her chest as she jerked around to face the intruder. She had been sure she was alone on the pathway. Her eyes narrowed on the shifter — a girl much the same age as she was — and her cheeks flared red at her question. “I...I’m alright. I’m just clumsy.” She rubbed at her cheeks and was just about to look away from the girl, out of embarrassment, when the light hit her just the right way and she saw the light alkidike markings. Surely her eyes were playing tricks on her. The girl looked like a pureblood shifter, not a hybrid. But Kel could have sworn she had seen those markings, though. Frowning, she finally spoke up again. “Are you...from around here? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

“Oh. Well, welcome back,” Keline said as she fidgeted with her tunic she’d slipped on earlier, and struggled to find something to talk about. “I’m not from around here. I was pretty young when my mother decided to move from Amara.” She couldn’t help but keep thinking about the slight shimmer of markings she had seen on the girl’s face and, so, she kept trying to move ever so slightly to catch another glimpse. “I...I don’t want to see rude but...are you a hybrid?”

“Huh…” Keline didn’t really understand the logic behind that. If you had the race in you...they were part of you — no matter how little it shined through. She wouldn’t argue with the girl, however. How would Kel even know herself? She’d not been friends long with Naji...and the male was the first hybrid person she’d ever met. Before him, there had been only alks around her. Keline glanced around as a small, awkward silence fell between the two of them. She really should be getting to hers and Naji’s hideout. Fidgeting slightly, Kel debating on inviting the shifter before finally caving. “Have you explored much around here? I could show you a really neat place. My friend, Naji, and I found this clearing and we set up a small club house. It’s not far from here. But...but you couldn’t tell anyone else about it, yeah? It’s our secret meeting place.”

Keline blinked, eyes widening a bit as a small giggle escaped her lips. She hadn’t even really thought about giving the shifter her name. It wasn’t a lack of wanting to, Keline had just forgotten. “Oops, sorry. My name’s Keline. Kel for short.” She paused from her walking and extended a hand towards the shifter — a small, friendly greeting in Kel’s mind. “What’s your name?”

Keline felt her cheeks redden slightly as the compliment to her name was given. She hadn’t run into too many people that had done as such and, so, she wasn’t used to hearing it. When the shifter girl said she didn’t like to be touched, Keline blinked, confused. Why on earth would someone not like to be touched? She opened her mouth to ask as such but frowned. Kel chastised herself — it was none of her business why this stranger didn’t like to be touched. Instead, she closed her mouth, gave Rajani a small smile and nodded before pulling her hand back. “S’ok. I like your name too. How long have you been back in Jauhar?”

Keline blinked, head tilting to the side as Rajani continued to talk. “I’m...not actually sure how far that is. I’ve never been past Ast. I grew up on Isle Amara and then we moved to Andile. So this area is all I know.” She raised an eyebrow as another question came to her. “What’s Oba like? I’ve always wanted to visit. I want to see all over. But...I can’t yet. Maybe not for a while.” Her shoulders sank a bit at the thought of being stuck in Jauhar for years to come. It wasn’t what she wanted but it was what her family wanted — and needed. After her aunt had been exiled and left, Keline’s mother and sister had been butting heads. Then her mother’s depression… No, Keline had to stay around for a few more years. She owed that much to her mother and sister.