Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ianios checked the directions he had copied off the flyer back at the shop. Coming up to a large, two story house, he felt certain this was the place. He flew through the gate and over to the front door. Damn, this place was bigger than Rynn's little woodland cottage. Freaking mansion Maq lived in. Spying the knocker, he frowned.

"No way can I lift that thing," he said outloud. But maybe he could try. He had some strength to him.

He flew over, and put his hands on it. Amazingly enough, it felt light, despite looking like iron. He picked it up and let it fall, creating a sound loud enough he hoped someone heard it.

From outside, it really didn't sound as if any noise had come from the knocker at all, but moments later the door swung inwards revealing a long hall with a side table against the right-hand wall, and what appeared to be a water basin with the carved stone relief of a bearded man as a backdrop. Up the hall came a fox-like creature with multiple tails, his black coat gleaming with emerald highlights that terminated at each tail tip. When the creature was close enough to make out Ian, he sat down in the middle of the hall, tails curling around him.

"I'm guessing you are one of Maq's friends," was his wry form of greeting. "Though you must be the only other male of his species, given the number of females that have been here..."

Ian smirked and nodded. "Only male that's been here, huh? Interesting." So Maq was a playboy. He wondered if Aria knew that. Maybe she did. He shrugged.

He ran a hand through his hair, spiking it a bit. "So where is Maq? I've come for some training. And no, there are other males besides us." The house looked even bigger on the inside. Ian was sure he'd get lost in there.

"Kitchen. This way." Restraining the urge to snort, the creature stood and began walking back down the hall towards an entryway that stood open, free of a door. They passed another such opening, this one leading into what looked like a large living room, several Pixas playing some game with sticks on the carpet as a man with ram horns watched them from the couch.

Through the open way at the end of the hall came the sound of talking, the clatter of silverware against plates, and the smell of fresh baked chicken pot pie. The creature stopped just outside the doorway, letting Ian enter on his own.

Within, at a table situated in the center of the kitchen, sat another man, this one with cat ears, a tall blonde woman, and a much shorter woman whose hair changed from long, wavy purple to short, sharp spikes of electric yellow as Ian watched. None seemed to notice Ian's entrance, not even Maq, who was currently sitting beside the plate of the hair-shifting woman, helping himself to a chunk of carrot and laughing at the tale the blonde was in the middle of telling.

"...So then I trucked the whole hung-over lot of them back to the Keep, and viola! Ten drummers, ready to drum." Her voice was oddly accented, musical to the ear, and she gestured at the end of her first sentence with a bold flourish of her forkful of salad, which she seemed to be the only one eating.

Ian followed, looking around as he flew. He smiled at the pixas, wondering what his own was up too. He knew they were waiting patiently on Aria to re-emerge, as was he.

Moving further, the smell of chicken pot pie reached his nose. Yum, that smelled delicious. Then the kitsune turned into a kitchen, where he found people, Maq included. They were sitting around, talking, eatting. His stomach rumbled a little. He knew he should have eatten before leaving. Ah well. He wouldn't impose. He bit his lip, trying to figure out how to attract attention. Best way was direct. "Excuse me," he said. "Maq? I saw your ad. Will you train me?"

All at the table looked up at Ian's voice, though the reactions were scattered and different. Maq lifted his arm in greeting, grinning and waving him over. "Hey, Ian!" He set the carrot chunk back down on the plate, but didn't make a move to get up. "Come on down and take a sit; we're just wrapping up lunch."

The cat man had looked at Ian, blinking, until the shorter woman nudged him with her elbow, muttering under her breath, "Told you so. Pay up." Her eyes, solid swirling orbs of every color under the sun, watched Ian with amusement. He grumbled something back, even as he reached into a pocket.

The blonde, however, was the only one who didn't say a word, instead tucking the salad into her mouth and giving Maq a meaningful look. The red Feien, however, seemed oblivious to it. "There's plenty to eat, if you're hungry," he said. "Always best to have some fuel in you before training, anyway."

Ian flew over, smirking. He had guessed the cat man and the woman with the changing hair had bet Maq was the only male of the feien race. Seeing him had changed things. She knew there were more males. Obviously the cat man hadn't agreed.

He sat down on the tabletop, reaching over for a bite of carrot. "Thanks," he said, smiling warmly. He glanced at the human creatures, trying to guess which was Maq's bond. Well, perhaps the blonde who had given Maq a look. "I'm looking forward to this training. I haven't had a teacher stick around for long."

"I plan on sticking around for a while, so no worries there." Reaching over, Maq picked up a hunk of something white, then brought it up so that he could take a large mouthful of it. Once he had chewed and swallowed, he pointed at his hunk, then at various items on the changing woman's plate in turn. "Potato, carrot, pea, crust and chicken..." With a broad grin, he moved on to the actual people sitting around them, first the one who's plate they were eating from, then the blonde, and finally the cat man. "Anwahs, Tera, and Miz."

Ian nodded in greeting to each other, hoping Anwahs didn't mind him eatting off her plate. SO far it seemed she was fine with Maq doing it. Spying a piece of chicken, he grabbed it, bitting into it. It was hot, and he nearly dropped it, but it was good. Gravy dripped from the chicken and onto his lap and chest.

He smirked, shaking it head as he scooped it up into his hand, swallowing it. "That's good to know. Cause frankly, I don't know where to start on doing any sort of training. I just do whatever."

Maq took another bite of his potato, then looked Ian over thoughtfully. when he'd finished chewing, he said, "Well, we'll probably run you through a couple of tests, so I can see what you're working with." Then he nodded and took another bite.

Anwahs, far from appearing disgruntled at the sight of the two Feien eating from her plate, grinned over at Tera and said sweetly, "uth ren'Tail? Ri qualen Maq..." There was a sharp thump from under the table, and Anwahs winced visibly, Tera glaring at her.

With a raised eyebrow and a cheekful of potato, Maq looked between the two of them, then back at Ian and shrugged.

Ian nodded, looking up at the two females. His eyebrow cocked, wondering what was being said. He got Maq's name, but that was it. Hopefully she wasn't suggesting Maq and him...lord no, he hadn't gotten over Cel and that was ages ago. At least now he had the gemstone.

"Alright. Ready when you are." It never took much to fill him up, but he had a feeling he'd be hungry again before this day was through.

Luckily for Ian, Maq had already pretty much eaten his fill by the time the green Feien had gotten there, since he wasn't one of those finicky Feien who ate like a bird. He finished the bite he was chewing, then dropped his potato back down onto the plate, next to his previous piece of carrot. Anwahs made a big show of scooting both to the far edge of her plate with her fork, which earned her a grin and the finger from Maq.

"Now's as good a time as any." He stood, then stretched his arms out behind his back, linking his fingers and bringing them up over his head with an audible popping noise from his shoulders. Dropping his arms back into place, he rolled his shoulders, then lifted himself a few inches into the air, away from the table.

With a glance back at Ian, he said, "Just follow me; let me know if you have trouble keeping up!" A short laugh, and he was off, wings spreading out like sails behind him as he headed to leave the kitchen.

Ian smirked, cleaning himself off as best he could. He quickly wolfed down the bite of chicken, then stood. He hated to make a mess at the dinner table. "Sorry about that," he addressed the three, not sure which was Maq's bond.

He buzzed off after the heat feien, wondering where they were headed. It would be an interesting experience, finally having a teacher that would hang around. He wanted to be trained, taught how to defend himself, in case he ever had trouble in any of his adventures. But since he knew next to nothing in ways of battle, most of his adventuring had slowed to a crawl. No point in risking himself. So now he explored the house, sometimes coming across things he hadn't seen, but mostly he had just rediscovered things he had.

When Maq exited the kitchen, he made a quick, hard right, glancing back again over his shoulder. Not too shabby. It looked like this Ian had a bit of speed to him, which was good. He picked up the pace a bit, deciding that this was as good a time as any to start the first of said tests. If the guy could keep up with the turns and the pace, then Maq would know that he was at least close to his own level of speed and dexterity.

They both sped down a short hallway before Maq wheeled again, this time to the left, in order to start flying up a set of stairs. He passed another one of those fox creatures, this one black and purple with long horns, which snapped at the red blur as it zipped over her head.

Ian followed, taking the quick, hard right after Maq. It seemed he was just zooming around. He smirked to himself. Perhaps this was a test, as he saw the red blur wheel again, zipping up a staircase. Not a problem, he could keep up.

He followed, past the other kitsune. He laughed, keeping up the pace.

The staircase took them to the second floor, where Maq made another right, flew a short distance further, and one more right into a large room. Along the opposite two walls ran large windows which reached almost to the ceiling, overlooking the backyard, which spread out until it reached a small stream. Just beneath those windows were a series of window seats, perfect for perching on and peering out at whatever was going on outside.

Scattered across the floor were a number of large cushions, brightly colored against the cream of the carpet. Bookcases lined those walls not windowed, stacked with a wide variety of books, toys and miscellaneous knick-knacks.

Maq came up short in the center of the room and hovered there, waiting for Ian to reach him.

Ian followed up the stairs, making the sharp right, down the hall, spying Maq make another right. Once in the room, he saw the red feien hovering in the middle. He smirked, flying over. "That was fun!"

"Glad you liked." Maq grinned in return; the green Feien didn't even seem to be out of breath, which was a good sign. Of course, flying wasn't one of the most physical activities, as it relied more on magic than anything else.

He let himself float over to one of the window seats, lowering until his feet touched down on its padded surface. "When you said you do 'whatever', what exactly do you do?"

Ian shook his head. "Not really. I dunno what to do, so I mess around with them." He never had a teacher longer than a day and after a while, those lessons had faded from memory. Not that he was too worried about it. He figured he'd find a teacher one day that would hang around.

He grinned at the mention of the exercises. He knew he'd enjoy it a lot. "Lets get started now!"

Maq nodded, then began to take Ian through a series of stretches, followed by a couple of cardiovascular routines. Since he'd decided to do their beginning work up here, instead of outside where Maq had most of his equipment, he decided it better just to skip anything, like pull-ups or lifts, that would require such things. As it was, what he was showing Ian now would be more than enough to make the Plant Feien break a sweat.

Keeping in mind everything Ben had told him, Maq made sure to explain what each exercise did for the body, which muscles it manipulated, and why it was important to do them. As they worked over the course of the next hour, Maq started to feel that familiar, pleasant burn within his muscles that let him know he was doing everything correctly.

Ian was grinning the entire time he worked out. He was enjoying the feeling he was getting. The strength that he knew he was starting to build. Now he felt like he was finally getting somewhere.

He didn't mind the sweat, as that would be washed off later. The burn in his muscles felt good. He wanted more.

Once they had finished, Maq said, "You can do those first thing in the morning, or later in the afternoon. I don't suggest doing them before bed, unless you're fond of not sleeping." With a broad grin, he added, "If you're not worn out already, I can show you a couple of boxing moves."

The plant feien nodded. "That would be great!" He made a mental checklist of what all he had done, to be sure to do it later again. He wasn't worn out, a little tired, but learning some boxing moves would rock.

"First, the stance. The way you stand is important, since it helps you keep your balance, and makes it easier to move out of the way." Maq demonstrated where one put their feet, upper body shifted slightly away from one's opponent, then lifted his arms into the typical boxing pose, fists before his face. "Like this. Make sure you feel balanced. Got it?"

Ian copied his move, his own fists up before his face. He nodded, feeling balanced. He bounced a little on the balls of his feet, his wings dropped down behind him. "So who'll throw the first punch?"

"You." Maq took a deep breath, then shook his head out and grinned, a gleam in his orange eyes. "I want you to hit me as hard as you can."

He blinked, smirking. He threw a left hook as hard as he could towards Maq, aiming for his chin. He was sure Maq could dodge, cause he certainly didn't want to harm the guy. Aria would kill him.

While he could have dodged, he didn't, instead letting the muscles in his neck loosen so that when the hit connected, along the side of his jaw, his head whipped to that side. The momentum forced Maq to take a step in that direction as well, so as not to lose his sense of balance. He'd wanted to see exactly how strong the guy was, after all, and that was sure as hell a good way to find out.

Giving his head another shake, this time to clear out some of the tiny white spots that floated before his eyes, Maq moved back into position and laughed. "Good, good. You're not afraid of a little contact." His fists came back up, and he jabbed forward lightly, as if he were punching at Ian, though he drew up and back before his fist came anywhere near landing. "Get you some form, and we'll be set." The flesh along his jaw was already discoloring, which Maq wouldn't notice and do something about until later.

Ian was surprised Maq actually let him hit him. He was sure the heat feien would dodge. He smirked, until he noticed his jaw was discoloring. Well, he certainly wouldn't tell Aria, when she re-emerged. She would kill him.

He watched, unflinching as Maq threw punches at him, but would pull back before getting hit. "Lets get me some form then!" He was itching to do this, cause it was fun.

Maq gave the boy points for enthusiasm, and began to show him the various punches that could be used in boxing. The legal ones, at least. Jabs, feints, uppercuts, roundhouses... While they were at it, he gave examples of sidestepping, twisting to avoid a hit, how best to retaliate when one's opponent was overextended. Just disjointed examples for now; practical use would come after Ian had mastered some of this.

Ian grinned. Some of these moves reminded him of Street Fighter. He was sure he'd get these down. And it was fun! He copied the moves, trying to get them all down in his head. Maq was a great teacher.

Once he was certain Ian had the moves down, Maq began to string them together. "You might have to shadowbox at first," he stated, after a series of combinations. "At least until you get some sort of punching bag set up. Shadow's good for building up speed, but it's the 'bag that'll get you used to hitting something with resistance."

Deep orange rays of sun began to filter through the window to their side, casting long shadows along the window seat as the afternoon approached evening. Those same rays caught a pillow in the far corner of the room, exposing a small blue Feien and her accompanying spike-laden bloom to view. Her sapphire eyes watched the males with disinterest, following their movements languidly. Maq seemed not to notice her; at least, if he knew she was there, he was doing a damned good job of ignoring her presence.

Ian nodded, not entirely sure what to make a punching bag out of. Maybe a scrap of leather. He'd figure it out later. Right now he was more concerned with getting the moves down.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ian caught the glimpse of blue. Aria's shade. He looked over, but noticed it wasn't her. He had hoped it was, cause he had hoped to see her. "Who's that?" he asked Maq, returning back to practicing.

"Quantel," Maq answered simply, watching Ian as he practiced. He didn't know Ian well enough to feel right in warning him away from the female, so he didn't say anything else. "Keep your elbows closer in," he warned, reaching out a hand to tap Ian's exposed ribs as he said this.

Quantel shifted her position so that she curled closer to the bloom, slipping her hands among the many spikes that jutted out of it. Her head turned away from the others, hair falling in a wave to hide her face from them while simultaneously exposing the cool white curve of her neck.

Ian nodded, bringing his elbows in closer when Maq tapped his chest. He couldn't help but glance back at her, noticing the curve of her neck. Hmmm...looked inviting. Of course, he knew nothing of the girl.

He kept practicing, wanting to get better and maybe attract her attention.

Maq was wrapping up their practice when Tera stepped into the doorway of the room. She leaned against the jab, watching the two males for a moment, before smiling and stating, "It's almost time for dinner, Maq. Your friend is welcome to stay if he wants."

The red Feien glanced outside in surprise, then back towards his Bond. "Sure thing, Ter. We'll be down in a min." As he turned his attention to Ian, he raised a brow. "How 'bout it? You ready to brave another meal with the folks?"

Seeing that Maq was being suitably hospitable, Tera moved over to where Quantel and the bloom lay. Quantel, already knowing that Tera would want her to come to dinner as well, began to levitate the bloom with her powers, to which Tera smiled and cupped her hand under the spiky thing. Next the Shadow Feien lifted herself, long wings extending for balance as she lit upon Tera's left shoulder. The trio left the room without a word to the pair at the window.

The green feien nodded. Rynn wouldn't mind him staying longer. "Heh, wasn't that bad before, you know?" he said with a smirk. Really, they all seemed friendly, save for Quantel. Now she was a mystery, and Ian liked that. Maybe he'd see more of her at dinner.

He watched her use her powers, impressed. He wished he had some cool powers like that, but he'd deal with what he had. Maybe he'd learn how to fight properly and his powers wouldn't matter so much.

"Before was nothing. Dinner..." Maq trailed off, then laughed in what could be taken as a very nefarious manner. "Well, you'll see." Starting to lift off from the window seat, Maq looked between the wide open door and the closed window behind them, thinking.

Deciding it'd probably be faster to go the outside route, Maq spoke to no one in particular, "Walt, can you get the window for me?" On command, the window opened, and Maq darted outside, confident that Ian would follow.

Ianios blinked, looking around to see if anyone else had come in. But there was no one around. So how did the window open on its own? It was creepy. Were there ghosts in this place? A shiver shot through him and he bolted out of the house.

"There's going to be one ******** of a scrum in the hall," Maq offered as way of an explanation, flying at what was a rather sedate pace for himself towards the opposite corner of the first floor of the House. "Dinner's about the only meal that everyone here eats." Even from where they were, a line of large winged cats could be seen waiting at the open backdoor to the kitchen.