Welcome to Gaia! ::

Log 1
Vesuvia walked through the trees, keeping to the edge of the path. She did it so she could hide in the event of anyone coming by. She was prone to collapse into a huddle upon sight of strangers and rarely left the mountain.

She was trying to get out more. She had visited her beloved sister, Hasselti, more and more since Hasselti began tutelage there under the assorted evils that resided there. Today she was just out for a walk. Flying was nice and all, but you seemed to have to know where you were going to fly, you had to concentrate. When you walk, you can go anywhere at all; just make sure you don’t trip over.

It’s especially handy if you walk somewhere you don’t recognise and then you can fly home.

It was bordering on noon and probably not the best time for a walk, but she was not hungry and would not miss lunch. She decided to continue on for a short time longer and then head back; the closer she got to the village, the more likely to come across people.

To her horror, her worst fears were realised as she heard loud, obnoxious voices from ahead of the trail. She dived to the side of the path and curled her tail around herself tightly. She even wriggled a bit into the undergrowth, hoping desperately that the passersby would not notice her and continue on her way. Please, she thought and snapped her bright eyes shut.

Of course, it wouldn’t happen to work that way, would it? No, Vesuvia could expect the worst things to happen because they always would.

So Vesuvia thought with sad resignation as the voices became closer and louder and then she heard one of them say,

“Hey, what’s that?”

Vesuvia’s heart sank like a stone and she poured all her energy into ignoring everything and keeping still, quiet and unaffected.

“Is it alive?” asked the first voice. “Get a stick and poke it!”

“I think it’s dead!” crowed a second voice.

”No, it’s not dead,” said a third voice that Vesuvia thought she recognised.

“Leave her alone,” said another voice Vesuvia might have recognised, it was very much like the third, but higher and plaintiff. “Let’s just go.”

“You’re no fun, Barren. Why do you even bring him?” asked the second voice.

“Hey!” said the third voice sharply. “You leave my brother alone!” There was a long pause. “He’s right. Let’s go.”

“Yeah?” asked the first voice in a playful way, but still Vesuvia had to fight from flinching. “Well before we go…” The voice trailed off and Vesuvia heard rustling close to her.

Then there was a thump and a scuffling sound and the scurry of many leaves kicked aside.

”Don’t be stupid, Wes,” warned the third voice. “I can take you on, and don’t think I can’t. Leave it alone.”

The last words were uttered in such a low and threatening tone that Vesuvia was a little bit frightened, even if the voice sounded very young, not yet fully grown, and he was on her side.

End log 1

Start log 3

Thanatos sat awkwardly in an overstuffed chair, looking around and trying not to look like he was staring. How did her get roped into this? Sitting in a girl’s room where everything was pink or fuzzy or covered in big eyed characters. What if the boys saw him here?

Thanatos shuddered and resolutely shoved that thought out of his head. The boys would not see him, and since they wouldn’t see him, they wouldn’t laugh him into exile. He only hoped Barren was smart enough not to let it slip.

Why was he even in a girl’s room? He glanced at the girl in question, sipping some sweet drink and glancing out the window.

Hasselti looked for her sister out in the mansion grounds. “She’ll be here soon,” she said to a figity Thanatos.

Thanatos nodded stiffly, like a marionette. He had only come by to ask Hasselti is Vesuvia had been okay after a chance meeting in the valley. She had seemed upset, or maybe it was his imagination, as she hadn’t actually moved at all. Hasselti had, instead, told him to ask her himself as she would be coming for a visit that day.

Deaf to his weak protests of ‘having things to do’ and ‘wouldn’t want to impose’, she had insisted he stay and sit and have drinks and wait for when Vesuvia would arrive.

Honestly, he didn’t really care that much, he had only mentioned to Hasselti in passing he hoped she was fine, but ohhhh no, he was invited without an invitation to sit and stare at girly stuff all day like he had nothing better to do!

He didn’t… actually. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t have FOUND something to do.

Hasselti turned away from the window and topped up his three-quarters-full cup. “There you go. Shouldn’t be long. I’m sure she will appreciate your concern.”

”I’m starting to feel like a stalker,” said Thanatos under his breath.

“I’ll go get us some munchies,” said Hasselti, ignoring him. “I’m sure you’re hungry. Boys are always hungry.”

Thanatos knew it wouldn’t help to say ‘I’m not hungry,’ but he did, anyway. “I’m not hungry.”

Hasselti had already gone.

Thanatos let his boredom take over and he swung from side to side in the chair and bopped his head. He vaguely wondered if he could slip out while she was gone and say he’d had something pressing to do.

Before he could steel himself and make a dash, the door opened from the outside. Thanatos froze in his chair, ready to pretend he hadn’t been thinking of leaving at all.

However, the hand that held the door was not white as snow, but it was tipped in frost.

That’s not Hasselti.

Vesuvia stepped into her sister’s room. A jug of drink sat on the table. Hasselti had been expecting her, after all, but Vesuvia was puzzled that there was not a glass set out for her. Perhaps that was what Hasselti had gone to get when she had passed in the corridor.

End log 3

Start Log 5

Thanatos dived into his bedroom and slammed the door behind him. He paused for a few seconds and then turned around and kicked the door viciously three times. It had happened again, over something utterly stupid and ridiculous, not even worth being upset about, but he had been upset and…

Thanatos shuddered and covered his eyes with his hands. What had he done? How could he have let himself get carried away like that? Now Barren-

Nope, he thought defiantly. He opened his windows and launched himself out into the air. He caught and updraft soared in a large loop of the mansion. Where to go now? The mountain looked as uninviting as ever, but it seemed like a good place to go now to calm down and figure out what to do next.

Vesuvia sat curled on the landing ledge of Dragonhome, staring off into the valley. She was not bothered, nor chilled by the cold. She was silent and watchful and comfortable.

A purple shape rose from the valley and flew with speed straight into the middle parts of the mountain. She stared, usually no-one at all came to the mountain without an invitation, and those who did come with an invitation came up to the ledge of Dragonhome to see them.

Vesuvia stood up and checked inside to see if there was anyone to tell about her going. There was not and so she took off, aiming for the place where she had seen the purple spot go.

Thanatos landed badly and fell. He kicked and got himself up and smashed his fists into a tree. It hurt him. He did it again and again, to take away the sensation of being at fault. He was ashamed to feel tears rolling down his face. He stood with his fists against the tree trunk for a long while, but it didn’t seem very long. Momentum had deserted him and he had no other thought than to stay there until life overtook him.

Vesuvia saw that it had been Thanatos who had flown to the mountain and landed upwind of him. She walked carefully across the loose leaf litter at the feet of the grand old trees and headed towards him. She saw he had his back to her and he looked very upset. “Thana-“ she began but it was cut off by her blood-curdling scream of terror and pain. A huge branch had fallen from high up and struck her hard, pinning her to the ground. She groaned feebly and her extremities twitched involuntarily.

Thanatos had whipped around at the sound of the beginning of his name and then recoiled in shock at the sudden scream and the crash of the tree branch. He was torn; to stay and help, knowing he might make it worse, or leave and try and find someone else to help. Vesuvia’s pitiable sounds of pain made the decision for him.

He lunged over the detritus, clawed handholds into the tree branch and began to slowly lever it off. “I’m sorry, It’s okay, I’ll fix it,” he said between grunts.

End log 5

Start log 7

”I don’t think so,” she said quietly. She wasn’t using his hands for balance any longer, but still held them anyway.

”I made a big branch fall on you and hurt you, how is that not just so dumb?” Thanatos snapped and drew his hands away.

Vesuvia breathed evenly, trying to figure out how to say something well enough to make him feel better. “It was an accident,’ she said. “Not hurt.” She opened her arms and showed herself off.

”You were scared,” Thanatos said simply. “I’m not a good guy. I should just go away.”

”Wimp,” she said flatly.

”What the hell did you just say?” asked Thanatos angrily.

”You can’t control yourself, so you run,” said Vesuvia, annoyed herself at this idea of flight.

”I don’t want to hurt anyone else!” Thanatos snapped.

”So don’t!” she said in the same tone.

Thanatos glared at her until he realised that she was right. After all, it didn’t happen every day, just today and he felt bad and sad and everyone was okay in the end, but he had to stop being so angry about something he couldn’t control all the time. “Fine then,” he said lightly.

Vesuvia smiled at this and it was not a pained grimace.

”So,” Thanatos said offhandedly. “You know what I can do. What do you do?”

Vesuvia looked embarrassed, but she couldn’t deny that he had a right to know about her what he had told her about him. It would be cowardly not to tell him. She hoped he would not spread it about or think about it too much or… anything.

Thanatos paused at her strained look. “Hey, no, don’t, I was joking, don’t take it the wrong way,” he said.

Vesuvia shook her head and her lovely red hair tossed around like waves in the sea. “I hurt people. They die,” she said sadly.

Thanatos was struck silent. He couldn’t figure out what to say. “You haven’t hurt me,” he said half jokingly.

”I try hard,” she said stiffly.

”Is that why you don’t really… well girls they… they talk a lot,” said Thanatos lamely. “You don’t and that seems strange to me.”

”I’m strange?” Vesuvia asked.

”No, no,” reassured Thanatos. “All the other girls are strange and you are normal. You talk even less than some of the loud-mouths I’m friends with!”

Vesuvia rested her hand against her collar. “Friends?”

”What?” asked Thanatos. Then he realised he had discounted her among his friends with his comment. “No, of course you’re my friend as well. You talk the least of all my friends,” he amended.

Vesuvia nodded in appreciation.

”So… if you don’t mind me asking… how do you hurt people?” he asked bluntly.

Vesuvia inhaled deeply. “Like a volcano.”

Thanatos didn’t exactly understand but he decided he would be better off looking it up himself than trying to squeeze more information out of a stone like Vesuvia. “But it only works when you’re upset?” he asked instead.

Vesuvia nodded resignedly.

Thanatos picked up her hand and patted it twice before giving it back. “I suppose that’s why you don’t talk much?”

Vesuvia nodded again.

”That seems as good a reason as any.” He cast around for another good idea of what to do; they couldn’t stand around talking like a couple of girls. “Want to go swimming?” he asked.

Vesuvia smiled brightly. ‘Yes!”

End log 7

Start Log 9

It was late for Thanatos to still be asleep. His curtained bedroom was dim, pleasantly so, and the bedclothes were rucked up about him.

He had been up abominably late the night before, awake into the wee hours of the morning and he only grudgingly went to sleep. The reason for such flagrant disregard of diurnal habits lay beside him on the bed.

His fingers laying across it gently, as though loathe to abandon it even in sleep, was a paperback edition of The Old Kingdom Chronicles. The bookmark was over halfway and Thanatos was utterly exhausted by his efforts. Vesuvia had let him borrow the book after he remarked that he was disappointed to have held her back when they read together.

That first afternoon had been very nice. Vesuvia had opened the book she was reading at the beginning and prepared to put it between them for each of them to read separately and silently. Thanatos had looked at the book and her and said

“But it would be nice to read it out loud.”

Vesuvia had looked very embarrassed but allowed it when Thanatos volunteered to read first. That first chapter had gone well, even allowing for Vesuvia correcting Thanatos’s pronunciation on the unfamiliar words like ‘Sabriel’ and ‘Abhorsen’.

Vesuvia had taken her turn and surprised Thanatos with her energy. She gave each character its own voice and resonance and listening to her made even the details of background and building conformation interesting, when Thanatos would normally have skipped over it.

When she reached the next chapater and prepared to hand the book over to him, he pushed it back at her and asked her to keep going.

“I could not do half to well.”

So she had continued to read and they read until Vesuvia’s voice was hoarse and dry. Thanatos had noticed her bookmark far into the book and was annoyed at himself that she had to go back to the beginning for him. With her permission to borrow the book, Thanatos swore to catch up in no time and have another very nice day with her.

While the book, which was actually three books and one novella, was fascinating and kept his attention for hours and hours, but it really necessitated all of his attention and even with it, his progress was not as fast as he would have liked. In the end, he had tried an all-nighter before his meeting with Vesuvia the next day. He still was not up to her bookmark, but in the end he couldn’t remember what he had read and retreated into sleep.

It was in this manner that Vesuvia, knocking timidly on the door and waiting twice before letting herself in, found him at half past twelve. She smiled when she saw the book next to him. He had not met her for their half past eleven meeting and had come to see if he was well. She herself had ended up in a similar position with that book, reading long past when she had meant to sleep.

End log 9

heart

heart