Welcome to Gaia! ::

The first two attempts had failed. The first had been away from home, the second had moved. Still, Autsu was not one to give up easily. It was a new day, and, with his lunch and a couple of books shoved in his backpack (adjusted by his father to suit his wings) he was back on the road. So to speak. Rolling down the sidewalk, weaving around pedestrians, and reading street signs intently.

This was it.

Autsu checked his list one more time, picked up the skateboard, and walked up to the door. Maybe this time, the comrade would be home. Comrade to be. Autsu had no illusions, he knew that there would be some on the list that would not fit. But he had found Kian. And surely that meant there would be others of a simular mindset. Surely.

Well, only one way to find out. Frowning thoughtfully, Autsu knocked firmly at the door, and waited, his wings folded against his back.

Oh good, an answer. And she certainly seemed to match the description of the person Autsu was looking for. Not there was much of one, just a little note, 'Centaur'. But what were the chances that this was some other centaur girl, living at the same address?

"You are Je'ra, once Sur'isana, yes?" Autsu asked, deciding to get right to the point. There was an oddly formal tone to his speech that he had not yet learned to discard. The consiquence of the family that had taught him the local language, before Gaia, he had spoken as roughly as any soldier. Bowing slightly he introduced himself. "I am Autsu, once Esuth."

Di'Esuth, but he had sworn off such formalities. He would not play the game of class, not anymore. Indeed, should he find the girl trustworthy, he had no intention of continuing to use the Je' in her name. (It had, of course, been explained to him, that things were different here, but even now, he was more comfortable without the starts of names).

"I would speak with you, should you be willing."

If he noticed the change in her attitude, it didn't show on his face, he entered without hesitation. An analysis of his movements would yield at least some confusion for most. While his walk still spoke of the soldier he had been, there was none of the confidence that a soldier should have. He knew too well the limitations of his current form, and it showed. He kept his wings folded tightly against his back, awkward with them, even now.

So, how did this go. He was not supposed to be here. It was not his nature to be a leader, an organizer. It was for the Ex' to think.

But no. That was for the past. No more Ex', Di', or Ne'. He would be all three, because none existed here. He would do this until he found a leader. One of them would be of that nature. Had to be.

It was no use, living without reason. He and Kian had figured that much out.

"I came to see you." Well, that much was obvious, wasn't it. But, it was a start, something to say to this new one. "I hoped to talk to you about this... new life. Whether you find it... enough."

His words were careful, not because he was afraid of offending, but because he was quite simply unsure of what exactly he wanted to say.

Autsu took a look at the couch, a look at Jera, and after a moments consideration settled crosslegged on the floor, his sktaeboard beside him. He did not mind looking up at the other criminal, and the floor was, overall, more comfortable. At home, he usually perched on the arms and backs of furniture, but he knew enough to avoid such rudeness.

He listened, or appeared to listen, closely when she spoke, his ever serious expression remaining still. There was, perhaps, a slight fluttering of his now half open wings when she spoke of disatisfaction, but no more than that.

Inwardly, he was more active. There it was again! The same way he felt, the same way comrade Anne felt. They could not live this childhood life. It was crippling to drift so, to be unmotivated, to be unguided by any force, leader or passion. There needed to be a point!

"Oh." He said, instead of giving voice to the mess of thoughts. He could not help but wonder what her crime was, that she had wished to be caught. But he didn't ask. He hadn't asked Anne. He hadn't looked when he made his list. Talking of others pasts meant discussing his own. He had no desire to share his scars.

"You're not alone, in that." He admitted, now looking at his skateboard, idly spinning a wheel with a finger. "We feel we are going soft, without a goal."

He did not use the same words he had with Anne. He had found new ones, for his feelings. "It is not a matter of my family, or this world. But I am a soldier. I am not meant for idleness."

The black skinned boy did not respond promptly, but continued to spin the wheels on his skateboard, staring thoughtfully off into the middle distance. "I'm unsure." He admitted, slowly. "I just think that if we were a group, we would have a better chance of finding a goal."

He hadn't thought this through, not fully, to hooked on the original idea, the potential promise of being with comrades. "I was a soldier. I work best with a unit."

A shrug for the second question, the movement making his wings rustle before they settled back into place, feathers resting neatly. Grooming his wings was high on the list of tasks in this new world that Autsu hated. But now was not the time for griping about such things. Greater issues were at hand.

"There is myself, my ally Anne." It was not really a group yet, being just the two of them. But the pair could get somewhere, Autsu thought. With help. "I have a list of those like us. So I am visiting. Seeing if others are... discontent."

"Unit." Autsu offered, in an attempt to help Jera locate an appropriate word. It was the only word he had so far. They were not yet an army, though he planned for them to be one. There needn't be a war for there to be a standing army. Only a threat, and he was sure he could find one of those. There was always danger. Such was the nature of all peoples.

Isn't that what he'd been trained to believe? Danger lurks outside, and so the Ex' must be protected. Of course, they'd been right. There had always been danger.

It was here too. 'tsu just hadn't found it yet. His fingers continued to dance along the skateboard, impatient with this stillness. This was a success though, or near one. He wasn't sure about Jera yet, but she was certainly, on surface, a comrade.

"I will stay in contact with you. There will be others too, I hope."

Well, if the small talk was lacking, it certainly wasn't a flaw in Jera alone. Autsu, having achieved his mission of the moment, was left with nothing he wanted or needed to say. He stood, gracelessly, and picked up his skateboard. He wasn't smiling, but he was happy with how the meeting had turned out, and thus his expression wasn't quite as morose as it often seemed.

"I will contact you soon." He bowed, "Goodbye."