Welcome to Gaia! ::

Katane strolls through the streets, observeing the masses of people. It always thrilled her that there were so many thousands of people here. She felt all wrapped up in it, part of an expanding world of never ending possibilities. Of course, there were growing pains. The latest wave of new immigrants had brought more ingorant and confused than ever. She stopped occasionally, giving people directions, and helping a few new people settle in.

Seeing a child walking the streets helping out others, she smiled. Despite all the troubles, there really were good people here.

Walking quietly along the pathways, a foxeared girl handed small bits of gold to people who held up their hands to her. Usually she would give no matter what, but sometimes, she saw suspicious activities behind them in the shadows that showed they were only puppets, and that they were victim to the greed that filled Chatterbox Alley these days. Searching for the little girl she had lost in the streets, she kept her eyes open for lilac hair and a white coat.

During her search, she noticed another girl, not the one she hunted for but just as charitable and adorable, and she smiled.

"Excuse me.." She tapped the girl on the shoulder. "Perhaps... you look like you could use a break. I'm about to stop for a snack, would you like to join me?"

As the doors of the church squeek open and emit two members of the church who are immedately accosted by the throng of n00bs, the child jumps and uses her skills, hard won, to disappear into the crowd. Sneaking back to her hideout, she waits until night, then gazes down upon the church from her loft in a nearby skyscraper, its light ever present. Sometimes, if the night is especially still, she can hear the members within singing their supplicants to the Mods.

Once, she sang in that choir. Once, she taught the ways of the Mods. Once, she lost her way. Once was enough. She sighs and attempts to sleep. Fitfully. If the dreams of her past don't awaken her, then the occasional cry of the homeless were sure to send her flying off her bed into a defensive position. The last few months had not been kind to her frame or her reactions to startlement.

"Oh mods...." She cries softly. "Why me?"

The hook made a small splash as it hit the water. A pair of blue eyes watched it sink into the murky depths and disappear from sight. A slight, content sigh escaped from a man's lips.

Deep Vermillion knew that Bass'ken Lake had no fish. At least not yet. But he didn't care; in fact, he liked it better this way. Once the fish came, it'd be impossible to get a moment's peace as the whole area would be filled by people. Besides, he didn't have the heart to kill any fish once he had caught them. His humanity towards fish was an interesting contrast to the swift justice he dispensed should any violators of the ToS surface in the religious part of Gaia. Though he started out as a wanderer, he had transmutated into something more akin to an inquisitor in his strive for a clean Morality and Religion-neighborhood. He was like a surgeon in his removal of faulty tissue and though it prided him, for every topic he removed, he grew more and more bitter and silent. He would not, could not allow himself any regrets.

At his left, next to a broadbrimmed red hat lay one of his trusty twin red blades; for show, if nothing else. It shone in the sun and would ocassionally blind the man as the glare caught his eyes. He looked up at the sky and smiled slightly; sunny days like these were growing more and more rare, as the season was changing before his very eyes. The leaves of the surrounding trees turned a reddish colour and though beauteous, he longed for those warm summer nights.

A lone, vermeil leaf lost it's soft grip of a branch and slowly glided towards the soft mat of it's Autumn-stricken comrades below. The man watched it drift towards it's final resting place when suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Vermillion spied the movements of an unannounced presence followed by a loud "do u blieve in god lol". Instinctively, his hand shot to his side, metallic crimson lightning struck once and as the red leaf lightly touched down, Vermillion returned Freki to it's scabbard. And again, all was silent.

Vermillion said a whispered prayer for the ToS-violator, arose and gathered his belongings. He put the hat on his head and once again hid his eyes behind a pair of coal black glasses. The noise of the city reached him even there and it was with a heavy heart he made his way towards the eye of the storm. His path was a lonely one and solemnness filled his being but though it would bring him little peace of mind, it would be good to return to the church. He hoped he could avoid any further accostings and silently recited the ToS to himself as his steps made their way home.

Perched carefully in the lower branches of a large maple a young woman stroked her rusty red tail as she watched the people below her go about their business. Lasreaine had always enjoyed watching people, they fasinated her more so than any other life form. Always changing, never predictable, they kept her wits sharp. Of course she had to sift through all of the gritty parts to find the few shiny bits of glass that kept her hope for the race alive, but it never seemed to daunt her. Letting out a soft sigh as a pair of sun-striken leaves drifted past her nose Lasreaine dropped her gaze to the ground below.

Her clear green eyes blinked once, slowly, as she saw a young child yelling at his playmate over some small discrepancy. Her sensitive ears twiched as they began to fight, it would soon get too loud for her to enjoy her tree's company. Resisting the urge to throw a stick at him she dropped lightly to the ground, digging her toes into the soft grass happily. Always barefoot, the better to flee, she took off at a light trot across the park. Fall was ever her favorite season on account of the crisp, clean air. Sometimes it burned in her lungs, but that was the way she liked it. No small fight over who had the most diverse background was going to ruin this day for her. Demon/angel/vapyre hybreds were all too common these days, she was working on a way to purge them all, or at least present great difficulty.

When encountering such random displays of stupidity and hate all this girl had to do was remind herself of the church of MOD. Though Las was not terribly fond of churches, the congregation of this one were different. They cared, in a sometimes sarcastic way, and most importantly they were amusing. Everyone made her want to sing, if she could, as it was she simply pranced about whenever the deeds of the church past her notice. Knowing she should try to find a way to assist them in some greater way the girl turned her feet toward Barton.

Similar cries echoed in Kyoki's ears as she again made her way down the crowded streets. She was heading toward Chatterbox Alley, looking for poor innocents who were caught in the melee and battling and the throngs of the people there. Sometimes, she knew all too well, people would be caught there and, as a dear friend had once told her "Sold to bad men for Pocky money."

Prone to adopting orphens, she searched the threads, poking her head in door after door, looking for that one child who had the spark of potential...

Hearing her name amidst the begs for gold and items, she looked between throngs of people for the familiar voice. "Who... Mory?" She gently nudged aside some TOS violaters of the crudest sort, averting her eyes from their behaviour, and made a note to report them to a mod as soon as possible. "Really... and with children here, too." She worked her way to the girls side. "Mory, honey. What are you doing here?" She looked aghast. "I told you not to come down here alone!" She scooped up the girl's hand and struggled through the crowd until she found the street leading to the Church and its sanctuary. "Come on, lets get inside and find something to eat. You look exhausted."