Welcome to Gaia! ::

Fiadah was crouched in the tall grass as she watched the path to the house with a delighted intensity. It wasn't often that any aunts or uncles came by, so talk of their visits were always met with excitement. She was determined to be first in line for the greetings... and what better way to greet her uncle than by testing his abilities with a sneak attack?

Ever eager to test herself, her uncle was definitely not safe from her list of peers to be measured against. It was difficult to wait in one place, unable to help fidgeting impatiently. She would freeze when she heard the snap of a twig or the rustle of leaves, but otherwise tapped her fingers on the ground and shifted her weight from boredom.

Ugh. Was he ever going to get here? Her mind was starting to drift, picking out shapes in the clouds...

Fiadah's head popped up at the sound of the singing. Was that-? It was! She quickly crouched back down once her target was in sight. Her teeth were exposed in an eager grin and her tush even gave an eager, feline wiggle. She had to wait for the perfect moment. Wait... Wait....

"Rawr!" She jumped with all her might to tackle against her big uncle and attempted to grapple him. "I got you!" she announced preemptively, unconcerned whether or not she actually "got" him.

The teen was giving her best fierce predator impression, growling and clinging tight. For a moment, she felt victorious as she pinned her target to the ground. Then... she let out a high squeal and flailed backward, one hand swiping at her poor ear. "Eweweweeew! You brute!" With another deep growl undermined by intense giggles, she tackled forward again with her fingers seeking out any possible ticklish armpits.

"At least you're not denying it!" Utterly delighted with her successful attempts, Fiadah delayed a couple more seconds before she pulled her hands back. "Okay. Truce. For now." she panted out through a large smile. With a tired but delighted sigh, she flopped down to stretch out over her uncle for a rest.

"I thought I was gonna be waiting forever! How long are you gonna be here?"

The playful reply earned an amused smirk. "I'll make sure to keep you busy then, so they don't get bothered and you don't get bored!" Now that she had some breath back, Fiadah pushed herself upright and laughed. "Right. I'll be lucky to get big like you and baba. At least I don't have to worry about hitting my head as much." Her eyes lit up and she jumped to her feet. "Speaking of your last visit..!" She reached out to grab at Siel's hand and 'help' him up as well. "Come on, I got something to show you."

Fiadah headed up the path slowly to let Siel catch up. "I can't tell you now. I want it to be a surprise." She really was excited to show him what she had accomplished and felt the rare flutter of nerves in her belly. Climbing the tall trees was fine, but this? She gave the brush a playful look to distract herself, as though waiting for someone else to jump out, but then she laughed and waved her hand. "Nah. Papa might have if I'd asked, but he's busy with a chiavi emergency."

As though on cue, there was a sharp yip and a bright yellow blur darted forward from the opposite side of the path. Drawn by the laughter, Flana had hurried down the path to make herself part of the festivities. With another yip, she bumped hard against Siel's legs and rubbed herself against his calves excitedly.

"Flana, you nosey stinker," she cooed affectionately to the zanteer. She pursed her lips slightly and continued on. "I think so? Someone's chiavi got in a fight with a wild one, if I heard right. Got beat up pretty hard, poor thing. I'da gone, too, but I'm taking care of a little sermal cub. Needs a close eye on her." The house came into view, and she picked up her pace. "You wait out here with Flana. I'll be right back!"

She hurried into the house and paused inside to take a steadying breath before she swiped up the instrument and brought it to her lips. She could do this... Wanting to impress her uncle, she went with a low level piece that was upbeat and fun so that she would be less likely to mess up. She had been practicing on and off with the flute Siel had given her years ago. Only in the past year did she actually start putting more effort into it, which she was now very grateful for. If he had shown up last year, she would have had nothing to show him!

Flana was delighted with the attention and continued running back and forth against Siel's legs. When the sound of a flute began to float through the open front door, she paused and perked up her ears.

Fiadah tried to let her mind drift into a more relaxed state. The positions were pretty much muscle memory by now. It was one of the few aspects of her life that did not involve risk to her limbs; aside for a bit of future arthritis. Despite that, she found a surprising amount of joy in the practice.

At one point, she dared to crack an eye open. Seeing her uncle's smile, her breath faltered and heat rushed to her cheeks around an embarrassed but delighted smile. "I've.. been practicing," she said bashfully, lowering the flute slowly. "Did it sound okay? ..I didn't make your ears bleed by the looks of it."

Flana followed after Siel, ears twitching at the occasional flat or sharp note. Seeing that things were calming down, she slipped over to hop onto one of the cushy chairs and curled up happily.