Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Thanks, we're glad to be back," Alexi said. "As for questions...not really...I can't really think of anything except that the Temple's been remodelled so beautifully!"

"I might need a map to get my bearings a little," Sven added. "I'm not too good with directions, but once I get the hang of it I'll be just fine."

"I could agree with that," the girl replied.

Just then the grayish-brown-haired girl took notice of someone in the background. A girl in old-fashioned clothing was watching them. Alexi had never seen her before...or had she? Maybe ages ago, in the war...

"Hey," she addressed the two elves, "who's that girl back there? I feel like I've seen her before, but I can't place her..."

~~~

Meanwhile, Forte watched the four of them interacting like old friends. She suddenly felt a bit jealous. It'd been a long time since she'd had anything like that. If she was estimating it correctly, it had been about three years. She was close to her friends back home, but even they kept their distance at times.

Just then she noticed the girl, presumably called Alexi, staring at her.

Uh oh, did I do something? the composer thought. Am I gawking or being too awkward? Something tells me I should take my leave...

She considered slipping back into the music room, but for some reason her legs wouldn't move. She couldn't bring herself to go back into hiding just yet.

Startled a bit, Forte stepped out from the threshold and walked toward the group. She could see the newcomers eyeing her all the way.

Nobody said anything, so she spoke up first.

"Hello, I'm...Forte Nocturne," the composer said, her usually clear voice a little shaky. "Pleased to meet you." She extended her hand and Alexi took it.

"Nice to meet you Forte!" the girl said. "I'm Alexi, and this is my boyfriend, Sven."

"Hey!" Sven said cheerfully, waving at her.

The girls stopped shaking hands and suddenly a thought struck the sandy-brown-haired one.

"Alexi...is your name by chance 'Alexi Silver'?" the composer asked.

"Indeed it is!" Alexi said happily. "Only one in this world. At least to my knowledge." She laughed.

Forte gasped. "I thought so! You fought in the First War as well. I must say, I quite looked up to you. You were sort of my role-model."

"Oh really?" the other girl said. "That's cool! I feel so...grown up now!"

"That's a first," Sven noted.

"Oh shut up Mr. Plant Whisperer!"

At the sound of the words "plant whisperer", the black-haired boy started chasing his girlfriend around in a circle. The musician laughed. For some reason, this seemed to be a regular occurrence between the two of them.

As the two couples and the musician talked, laughed and played, a cloud of misfortune was already condensing on the floor above them. The cloud had an idea; she would go to the music room she'd heard so much about and practice her lovely singing. Of course, the only one who thought it was lovely was herself.

The cloud began to descend. It came in the form of a cheery but self-centered girl named Glee, who just happened at that moment to be walking down the stairs to the ground floor. As she did, she heard voices coming from the main entrance. Familiar ones...new ones...she became excited. She could introduce herself to new people! And by introduce, everyone who knew her would say "show off".

Glee walked into the main entrance and threw out her arms.

"Hello everyone~!" she exclaimed happily. "I'm here! Let's get this party started~!"

Glee was shocked. How dare someone speak to her like that!

"How absolutely rude!" the girl shouted, walking over to the center of the area. "I just suggested that we get the party started. After all, the party only starts after I get here." She crossed her arms.

"Who the heck do you think you are, miss full-of-herself?" Alexi asked the newcomer. She put her hands on her hips.

"First impressions are everything," Sven added, "and yours reeks with a foul stench!"

Alexi turned back toward her boyfriend. "Was the plant euphemism of sorts really necessary?"

"It made for some good entertainment," he said.

The three argued back and forth about the situation when all of a sudden soft laughter could be heard nearby. Alexi and Sven turned around to see it was coming from the composer.

She continued laughing, stepping forward. "I must say, you waste no time at all. Coming in here and immediately having to show off...you haven't changed a bit." She raised her head to look the other girl in the eye.

Glee gasped. "You!"

Forte giggled. "Indeed. It's nice to see you again, my old nemesis."

"Nemesis?" Sven asked.

"We go back quite a ways," Forte said. "Back to where we both came from, actually. She was always a self-centered little brat."

"And she was always a hermit-like, creepy organ-playing freak!" Glee screamed, her voice echoing in the large open space.

The two stood silent for a few minutes, staring each other down as though they were about to partake in a wild-west like shootout.

Forte closed her eyes and sighed. "With all due respect Jessie, an apology is not necessary. I have described her perfectly. If you only knew some of the things this girl has done you would be appalled."

"And what about you?!" Glee said. "You...you...!"

"Criticized you at choir practice," Forte finished, meeting the girl's gaze. "Once. And three years ago. Don't even get me started on the litany that is the list of your offenses. And maybe I put a spell on your hair once..."

"You did that?! Dammit I knew it was you! I knew I wasn't crazy!" the other girl said. "And you had no right to criticize me that time!"

"I absolutely did," Forte replied. "How couldn't I intervene, when you were making a twisted abomination out of a beautiful song with your so-called 'showmanship?'"

"WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU?!" Glee shouted angrily.

Forte fell silent. That was a part of her story she didn't want to delve into. She thought a moment and then sighed.

"You robbed me of a part of my dream...that I can never get back," she said, her voice very somber.

There was another silence. But it didn't last long.

"I DID NOOOOOOT!" Glee shouted, charging at Forte. She attempted to go around the force that was Jessie in-between them, but suddenly she fell flat on her face. Alexi and Sven laughed in the background.

"Not very coordinated, are ya?!" Alexi said. "You shouldn't go spouting nonsense, miss full-of-herself!"

The girl slowly picked herself up off the floor, but didn't stand up. How had she fallen? She was always able to walk in high heels; she was known for that skill by all the popular girls back home. Glee took a look at her feet...only to find one of her shoes missing. Thinking it had somehow fallen off, she looked around for it but it was nowhere to be found. She knew she couldn't have lost it; she had just been wearing it!

"Where's my other Jimmy Choo high heeled shoe?!" she addressed Forte angrily. "That one shoe cost me more than your existence!"

The musician laughed. "Oh, my nemesis, you're too good," she said, snapping her fingers. The other shoe appeared in midair near her.

"Give it back!" Glee said, taking off her other shoe and getting up. She lunged at Forte, who in turn made the captive shoe disappear and took off running down the hall. The self-centered girl chased after her.

"Hey! Forte! Stupid...self-centered chick!" Alexi called after them, also giving chase.

"Alexi, it's better to stay out of it!" Sven tried to advise his girlfriend, but he found himself chasing after her too.

Forte continued running down the hall. She looked behind her, noticing she had an entourage following her, but the first one in line was Glee. She chuckled to herself. Everything was going according to plan.

The sound of footsteps clambered down the hall and pretty soon their owners could be seen. First came the musician, wearing a devilish grin; next was the self-centered girl whose face was in a fit of rage; third was the confused girl who merely wanted to stop the conflict; and fourth was the boyfriend of the third girl, who just followed after his girlfriend instinctively.

The musician continued running until she reached the threshold of a room. She stopped and stood in it triumphantly, like she knew something her enemy did not. The remaining chasers stopped in the order they were following her. The boyfriend and girlfriend stood together. It was the girlfriend who spoke first.

"Forte! What are you doing?" Alexi asked.

"You stupid girl!" Glee yelled at the composer. "Not gonna run anymore? You're so easy to catch now; you've cornered yourself!"

"I've not cornered anything," Forte said. "But I have won this little duel."

Glee laughed. "And why do you think that?"

"Because I stand in the threshold of the music room," she explained. "In it there are instruments, of course. A piano, a harp...many others too. But there's one instrument in here that is the most striking of them all...and it's this." Forte stepped to the side to reveal the pipe organ, clearly visible to Glee, who was standing a few feet away from the musician.

She stepped back, shaking.

"N-no...no way..."

Forte laughed. "Yes way!" she exclaimed. "And now I think it's about high time you bid us all adieu."

The composer waved her hand and the organ began to play by itself. A dark but beautiful melody, unheard until now by the ears of those in the Temple, flowed through the room and caused the self-centered girl to drop to her knees and cover her ears. She acted as though the music was causing her physical harm.

"STOP! STOP IT! STOP THAT AWFUL NOISE!" Glee shouted, shaking her head rapidly.

Forte ignored her and continued "playing". Alexi and Sven could only watch in awe at the sight. Was the musician really hurting the girl?

The girl on the ground didn't stick around for long, because she quickly stood back up and ran away screaming. She didn't notice it, but Forte had given her the shoe back; she ran away carrying them, the laces of both tied around her arm.

Forte stopped the music shortly after her departure. "Oh heavens, I'm glad that's over," she said, sighing.

Alexi and Sven ran over.

"What did you do?!" Sven asked, unable to hide the hint of shock in his voice.

"I merely played on one of her fears," the composer answered calmly. "In every sense of the word."

"What do you mean?" Alexi asked.

"Glee is terrified of organ music," Forte explained. "She's been afraid of it ever since we were in middle school, maybe even before then. As to the origins of the fear I have no idea, but I do know that it gets her to leave me alone every time."

"A bit unorthodox, but I suppose what works works," Sven said. "Still it was freaky. Looked like you were hurting her."

"That's just her acting," the composer replied. "I know we just met, but I should make it known that I hate violence. Unless there was justifiable cause for it, I prefer to avoid it at any cost."

"Well that's good to know," Alexi added. "I agree with you one-hundred percent."

"I suppose we should go see some of the others in the Temple, Alexi?" Sven asked his girlfriend.

Thinking for a minute, Alexi smiled. "Yes! This is a good idea! Do you want to come too, Forte?"

The musician's eyes widened and she put her hands up. "No, no, I think I've had quite enough excitement for one day," she said, smiling. "You two go have fun."

The three said their goodbyes and Alexi and Sven left.

"So! What do you think of everything so far?" Alexi asked Sven as they headed back the way they came.

"I think we're in for quite a ride," Sven said, sighing but smiling all the way.

Alexi laughed and Sven joined her soon after. They continued their walk down the hallway to more adventures.

~~~

Forte closed the door of the music room and took a deep breath. That was far too much interaction for her; she was drained, and in a terrible mood. Although things had gone in her favor, she was still upset by the turns the events had taken.

"Confound it all!" she yelled, stomping over to the seat of the organ and sitting down. "Why do encounters with that girl always bring out the worst in me?! I guarantee the new acquaintances I've made think I'm a petty fool and will probably never talk to me again. I'm right back where I started."

She put her arms and head down on the organ. The keys sounded louder than usual, echoing in the room. Forte picked herself up a few seconds later, intrigued by the sound. Her eyes felt like they were watering; wiping at them she discovered the water was tears. Sniffling, she looked at her composition book, which sat right where she'd left it.

"Let's see...what keys did I press just now?" she wondered aloud, picking up the book and taking the pen out. She didn't feel like playing her new song now...no, that would have to wait for a while. Thinking, she wrote down the notes in addition to a few others that complemented them and set the book and pen aside. The composer placed her hands on the keys of the organ and inhaled deeply.

A few seconds later, Forte began to play. The keys resounded in a soulful yet somber melody that was filled with emotion. She became immersed in the music in her traditional fashion, so immersed that she didn't feel the tear fall from her left eye down her cheek.

[~10:05 am]
'Figures that classes were cancelled today...I'm rather surprised that Evelyn isn't here though, she usually shows up at some point in the mornings. Oh well, nobody's ever around if there aren't any classes. I really should get a room in the basement or something, being out of the loop like this sucks. Well, guess I need to find someone to ask about getting a room.....later. No use making other people think that I'm moving into the Temple if I can't even haul my stuff. Hey, is that a Levitation book? I could use this...and build a big box...and use DeskBot to shrink some stuff. Probably. Better make sure the Levitation will work like a proper enchantment should.....'

Thus thought the annoyed Xeiashi, who had arrived through a side door some time ago to find a distinct lack of classes in the Library. After moving briefly to the Main Hall to check the announcement boards, he retreated to the Library again to study some of the books that he hadn't had a chance to read yet. His thoughts had distracted him, however, and he soon found himself researching the various methods of making things float, and before he knew it, there was a small commotion in the area.

[~11am]

The music was fine. Cressa had this irritating habit of playing anything and everything at odd hours of the day, so it was easy to let the (admittedly pleasant) piano music from the next room over drift into the background. A sound startled him slightly. Cressa was using the 'messing around with Captain Hawk' voice, and it sounded as if books were flying about. Who was playing the piano then? And what if the books got damaged?!? Xei glanced nervously to the source of his teacher's voice.

'Oh. Just the History section, nothing to worry about.' he thought, remembering that the most important books were always enchanted against all manner of harm, and the non-important books were easily replaceable (besides, Xei didn't care much for the History of the First Barton War, or indeed, any history text that didn't deal with Gaia-as-Nation).

He turned back to his reading. Already, his plans had to be altered. No mere box would be able to hold the Levitation enchantment, he discovered. It would need to be tied into a sturdiness spell just to hold itself together. It would almost be easier to use a Mass Levitation enchantment on most of his house, and then put it into a similarly-floating cardboard box to ensure that nothing drifts off...

Applause sounded from the direction of the Music Room. More distracting than the piano, but still expected, especially if some of the newcomers had wandered over to listen. The music started right back up, however, and the room was quiet of all else. Perfect for studying, until he heard more from Cressa and Captain Hawk in the entirely-recognizable tones they used when joking around. This was starting to get distracting, though the conversation quieted to a mumble after the song had finished. All was once again right with the Library, though Xei was starting to entertain notions of moving to one of the practice rooms. In his laziness, though, he remained firmly planted in his chair of choice, a decision that was reaffirmed when more music began stemming forth from the usual area. It was unusually good to study by, and he wondered if it would be worthwhile to study closer to the source some other day. The idea was filed away with all of the other wild ideas he got, but this specific one was at the unique junction of 'plausible' and 'easy to do', a location not often populated by anything, and if populated, it isn't for long.

In one of the lulls between songs, Xei could almost swear that he heard someone screaming in the distance, but disregarded it as someone shrieking in one of the outdoors-games that the Combat students liked to play. He vaguely noticed the dark elf pair leaving the room, followed later by another person (probably the other musician, he told himself). Loud noises of excitement then issued forth from the direction of the Main Hall, but the corridor muffled the noises to the point that Xeiashi couldn't make out any words. All for the better, as he had discovered a possible problem with levitating that many objects at once.

But then something happened out front. The noises of excitement had turned into noises of anger, and soon he could hear the distinctive 'patpatpatpatpat' of people running. The footsteps drew closer...and closer...and pretty soon, they were sounding from within the Library!.

'It's too early for this....why in the Third Level of the Mirror World are they running in the library. And now I'm going to need to scare them into walking...heh, I must sound like a crotchety old man, like....'. He had been prepared to launch out of his seat and into a tirade, but the tangent-thought of Panda put him into a silent introspection, having reminded him of the last time that a large-scale commotion happened in the Library. Such was his reverie that he didn't hear any of the speaking, organ music, screaming, retreat-dashing...nothing, really. Only after a few minutes (during which time almost everyone had left the Library) did he remember that spats were happening in his library, and SPATS DO NOT HAPPEN IN THE LIBRARY.

"And now they've gotten away...*sigh*. Time for damage control then" he mumbled to himself as he set the book aside and walked to the last scene of the commotion, the Music Room. Inside was a lone girl, just beginning to play the organ again. Out of respect for the playing (after all, it was probably the non-Cressa one from earlier), he stood at the door until the playing stopped of its own accord, then tapped the door a few times with a knuckle and abruptly began his own roundabout way of getting information from strangers.

"Uhh...hello. There was a bunch of running and shouting earlier in here, and I find it immensely difficult to study in peace when there are spats in the library. Since some of the shouting came from over here, I figured you might know who I should be irritated at? And more importantly, if they broke anything?"




(Wow. This is probably my longest single post ever. Hooray for catching up?)