Welcome to Gaia! ::

The scent of the sea was heavy in the air, and Belle soon realized that with the rise of the moon came the rise of the tide. She laughed, noting that the water had been creeping up on them while they had stood at its edge. The winiko could feel her claws slowly sinking into the saturated sand, a strange feeling like her paws were being pulled away.

"Then I'm glad I could help you," she laughed, lifting her feet and pulling them free, "'Cause you've helped me just as much, yeah?" She turned in a circle, tail brushing against the bottom of his chin, before facing him, eyes flickering towards where very distantly, barely on the horizon, a few pinpricks of light could be seen against the quickly darkening sky. The first few stars were peeking out from their hiding places, taking their places against the ebony backdrop of tonight's venue.

"You're welcome." she whispered, a smile spreading back across her face. She couldn't think of anything else that needed saying; it was just that simple.

"Do you want to see it, Tanzaku?" she inquired softly, head craning to the side as she watched the lights a moment more; tiny light the light-house on the end of a cove. "It's going to be dark soon, but it's always prettier in the dark." She looked back to him, smile broad on her maw. "Most things are, at least, yeah?"

Kayin laughed all the harder at her response, greatly amused. He could spend the rest of his life trying to make her laugh and be content with it. His roaming eyes took in the extravagant spiky things and her long graceful tail as she stretched. A tail that was irresistible - flicking back and forth in a teasing mocking sort of way always out of reach. He crossed his paws, looking at her and feigning not to notice. Back to the topic at paw. What was it?

"Haha! Suuure sure, lay it on thick. Strong? Questionable. I'm lazy. Dashing? Maybe! What's that even mean really?" He grinned, readjusting and moving imperceptibly closer as he talked. Hind legs drawn up just a touch, readying for movement.

" I think your just trying to mollify the big-bad-brute because you know... you're... next!" At the same time he scooched forward and the paw once folded was whisked down where her tail once was in a last ditch effort to catch the red-brown tuft tantalizing him so.

((Aww thanks Sully. <3))

Cornelius on a bit of a sugar buzz licked his face clean and pounced at a funny looking blue bag that he noticed amongst the food. Finding this to be an interesting new toy he pawed at the purple tissue that was peeking out of it giggling at the sound it made.

Wally licked her cheek and smiled the best charming smile he could muster. "But of course lady Jun, my dearest half of sexiest Winiko ever created."

((*gently shakes bag* ninja Gratzi, Sully ^^ *tosses to Cali for safe keeping* Hmmm... maybe that wasn't such a good idea.))

Cali snatched the pretty goody bag out of the air with her teeth and set it down on the ground. "Ohhh... what is it!?" She set about trying to rip it open.

Mo detatched himself from Harley and Sarabi for a quick moment, pulling the bag from Cali's paws. "How about I hold onto this for now, Calidrya?

"I hate it when you call me that." She sulked. "It's Cali. Caaaaaliiiii." She glared at him, angry he had taken away her bag of fun good stuff.

Mo smiled down at her and nuzzled the top of her head. "You can have it back in a little while okay, Cali?" He gave her another quick nuzzle and walked back over to Harley and Sarabi, carrying the bag with him.

Cali sulked for a minute more, but her attentions immediately went to a new, and far more important task. Somewhere on the blanket to her right she smelled a bag of cheesy chips. And by golly she was going to find them and eat the whole thing.

"Dashing?" she quirked a brow at him, an amused smile on her face. "You don't know what it means?" She shifted her body a bit, eyes narrowing playfully as he moved. What was he doing? Her tail twitched a bit more, spines ruffling a bit along her back.

Caught off guard as he moved forward, Vienna's tail lay smack underneath his paw. She stared at it for a moment, not sure of what to do, before she rolled a bit farther onto her side and brought both paws up to bear-hug the outstretched leg that had not only killed grapes, but was now aiming to take out her tail as well. She laughed, mane falling from behind her shoulders and framing her face. He was good, she'd definitely give him that; suave and charming at the best of times.

She was on her back now, still latched onto his leg and looking up at his face, a toothy grin on her maw. "You're looking a bit strange from this angle, I have to say," she said, giggling softly still, "But then again, nothing ever looks right upside-down, does it?"

Tanzaku felt her wandering thoughts and looked around him- the night was setting in. With it, he let out a relieved sigh at the darkness that pressed in from all sides, the strange, curling claws of the shadows that picked themselves off the ground with pugnacious snarls, the silver crescent that hung precariously in the sky like a warning to the incoming future. He felt at home in the night, and both of their dark pelts blended with a guilty flawlessness, though he would never have guessed someone that looked so dark would be so pure inside.

At her comment, his eyes flew wide open- that was a lie, right? When had he helped anyone? Back then, when she was just a passing shadow, when they were just two waltzing strangers converging on a sad fairytale, he hadn't intended on helping her. Rather, he was sure there was no way he could save someone when he was lying on the floor, waiting to be thrown a rope. But the very notion tickled pleasantly at his heart and he could only smile, unsure of how to tell her how much that very phrase had lifted him all that much higher.

"Yes, yes, I'd love to see it," he whispered to her, turning his head up, up, for a change, where the light lived in all corners. It was lurid in his eyes, strobe lights, natural flares. "It seems beauty is the most radiant when stark against the darkness."

(To wally, then to Whisper)

Jun purred as he licked her cheek When they were settled rightly, she rested her head against his neck, nuzzling him watching the party. "I think this night couldn't get any better now..." She wanted wally to prove her wrong.

----------

Juillet nodded. "It is indeed an amazing sight, isn't it? I had no idea there were so many of us. And to see how diverse we all are!" She looked at the children, the Elders- Everyone. It was dizzying to grasp.

(To whisper)

"That's a new play thing!" Juillet reached a paw up to greet it. "My human calls them familiar. They follow us. I admit, Lilly- that would be my little ball of energy- can get bothersome at times, but they watch over us. I think this one has chosen to follow you. So you're sort of stuck now."