Welcome to Gaia! ::

River blinked again, and the corners of her lips quivered slightly. It was hard to tell if she was about to smile or cry. She sniffled again, then dropped her weapons and wiped at her eyes with the back of one hand.

"It ... was really unexpected," she murmured finally. "He- he was crying really loud."

She looked over at Miyuki at last. "You think they would take us?" she asked. "They would let us go away from the group?"

Amalirahc grinned. "Sure they would. Maybe Mama or Ada would take us! It's safe! And we wouldn't even have to be gone long, but I bet we could see half the Southland!"

"And bows couldn't reach that far anyways," River mused. She was seriously considering the idea. After all, it would be safe ... and they would have at least one adult with them ...

"Maybe," she decided. "We can ask anyways if we'll be allowed."

"Allowed to vhat?" Haldia asked, leaning closer to the three. She had been sitting just on the other side of Miyuki, but she hadn't been able to get comfortable, and hadn't been able to help overhearing their conversation - or at least part of it.

"Oh, I vould love to take a flight!" Haldia beamed. She knocked with her knuckled on the chest on which she was sitting. "This is not so comfortable for me, I find. Very hard, and difficult to sit nice on."

Then again, being as far along as she was in her pregnancy - well over halfway - she was rarely comfortable.

"Much," Haldia admitted. "Though I must say, I do not quite remember the last time I vas very comfortable. I do not even remember the last time ve slept in a real bed. I did not grow up vith a bed for sleeping, but I like them very much."

She giggled. "But yes, Rhiel is as comfortable as I can get nowadays."

"I should imagine she would feel like a big down mattress," River suggested with a faint smile.

Haldia bit her lower lip and looked down at her belly thoughtfully, placing one hand on it gently.

"I ... I must think through the seasons here," she murmured. "It is different from vhat I know ..."

She closed her eyes and thought it through. It took her several minutes, but finally she opened her eyes again and looked back at Miyuki. "In ... how you say ... six veeks or seven or eight, something like that."

"I wonder where we'll be then," Amalirahc grinned. "We could be just about anywhere!"

"Not just anywhere," River replied, finally more or less back to her usual self now that she had been sufficiently distracted. "We're heading into the Southland first, so we might be in the Westland by then. Maybe!"

River giggled and poked Miyuki in the ribs. "Are you saying it wasn't fun before?" she asked her teasingly.

Haldia laughed. "I think it vill be very fun," she agreed. "All of it. As long as people do not get stupid again." She rolled her eyes, then laughed. "But ve vill not be stupid, ve vill be safe this time! Yes?"

"Hey, let's play a game," Amalirahc said brightly. "It will help pass the time, and it'll be fun!"

"What kind of game?" River asked warily. It would after all have to be something they could do while sitting atop some crates in the wagon.

"Well, I have some cards in my bag," he replied, turning around and looking for his bag. "And some dice ... Mama, where's my bag?" he called to Leyenda, who was sitting on the back of the wagon with her legs dangling.

Leyenda shifted to look over her shoulder. "By your foot," she called back.

Amalirahc's face grew warm, and he knelt to look through his bag. His black skin did not change colour, however, and only his eyes showed his embarrassment.

Amalirahc nodded as he dug the cards out of his bag.

"Kaito helped make them when we were on our last sailing trip," he grinned, still searching. "He said they're kind of like Gaia cards, but he made them different. Something about suits or something? Anyways instead of making them with different shapes, he made them different animals."

He found his cards at last and showed them to the girls. "See? Dragon, unicorn, phoenix, and griffin. They're not really good pictures, he said he would have better ones for me the next time he came."

He looked around. "Maybe I can ask him the next time we stop!" he said eagerly.