Welcome to Gaia! ::

Stephanie sat in front of the wall where Jessie had often lurked, days after that fateful moment when she'd disturbed Gloria from her slumber. She pulled her knees in tightly to her chest, pulling her jacket closer around her, as if she were trying to be invisible. Her resolution of several days before had broken slightly, as she found herself unfortunately lapsed back into the habitudes of an observer. It wasn't by choice at all. Well... it was a little confusing. She'd never been the most outgoing sort, but at the small Island school she'd been bubbly and cheerful and popular. Things here just seemed to have sapped her character's strength, or not given it a chance to manifest itself.

As she sat on the sidelines, hoping she'd be able to get through another hour without Gloria shouting at her about trying to pick up a weapon, she noticed another girl who appeared similarly lonesome nearby. She knew the names of everyone pretty well through her association with the pseudo-sociable instructress, and with her long, blood-red hair and distinctive attire Odin didn't exactly blend in.

Little stabs of opportunity prickled in her chest. She looked away, unusually calculating for what should be such a simple action. Odin was basically a stranger to her, though - they'd never spoken before, and for all her quietness she knew that she was one of the Old members, who'd seen everything since the start of the Order, and it was hard to not be intimidated by her type.

Still.. since Coline had... vanished... she'd felt even more isolated than she had before. Somehow, having someone in a similar position to her had made her feel better. Even thought they weren't really friends, she still felt like Coline's friend just from association. They had the unfortunate trait of being bottom of the pecking order to bind them together.

Odin seemed quiet enough, though. They might just get along well together. With that thought in mind, she got to her feet and bounced up next to her.

"Hi! You're Odin, right? I'm Stephanie!"

Stephanie didn't allow herself to be put off by Odin's apparent shyness. She smiled at her broadly, and shrugged her shoulders. "Not really. I just wanted to meet you. I've been seeing you around for a long time! You've been here since the very beginning, haven't you?"

Her smile became a little sheepish, and she gave a tiny toss of her blonde hair.

"Not very long, actually... just about three weeks ago now. Have you been fighting long? You look like a real expert. I wish I could do what you do. I'm pretty sure everyone thinks I'm a little hopeless... and I don't blame them!" she laughed, shoving her hands in her pockets and beaming again, even though this fact might have made her a little sad.

Lorika frowned. "Well, we can't have that. Have you been down to see if there's any warmer cloaks or robes in storage? I can vouch for their quality. Adeline is a very fine elven tailor."

She folded her arms, nose scrunched up in disapproval. "Just what have you been doing these past couple of weeks? You look tired and drawn. You must look after yourself, Feline. You of all people should know how easy it is to succumb to the cold."

At that moment, Gloria happened to shout across to them.

"Steff, if you're going to stand there gabbing you've got more than enough energy to come out here and let me teach you some basics today!"

The blonde girl cringed visibly, slowly turning around to face her. "Ummm... maybe tomorrow....?" she said, giggling nervously. The replacement instructor, looking even more threatening than usual with the addition of a spiked arm guard to her usual sort of costume, rolled her eyes and shook her head in front of the crowd of other students. When they interacted, it was obvious why she had the impression of Steff as an airhead. Her personality just seemed to get swallowed up in the face of the dominant woman.

"Fine. But only because teaching you would probably be a waste of my time anyway," she said rudely, and then gestured past her, at Odin. "Odin, do you want to come now? Talking to her isn't exactly the most productive way to spend your time."

Steff took the hint, shuffling back slightly, her head bowed. Of course, it would have been lovely if Odin wanted to stay and talk to her some more rather than practise, but honestly? She didn't think that was going to happen. She could always catch up with her later, she supposed...

"Of course I'm going!" she replied, nodding her head and stepping back even further, ready to fade back into the background. She didn't blame Odin for not blowing Gloria off. She'd mellowed a little in her capacity as instructor, but she was still the meanest b***h on two legs most of the time, and so that was really saying something as to what she'd been like before. "I'll see you there!"

"Alright, everyone, those of you with daggers and swords I want you pairing off over there against someone with a trident," Gloria was already commanding as Odin approached, gesturing to a spare bit of the field. She turned her attention to the red-haired girl, though without actually turning to address her directly, in the lofty kind of tone teachers who expect you to be listening to them without making eye contact take. "Odin, in case you didn't hear, we're tightening up our blocks and parries, but what's important today is working against an opponent with a weapon whose function is similar but different to your own. So short-range melee and long-range melee are going head to head."

"You know what, though?" she added, "On second thoughts, you find a partner with a trident. Pitting a scythe and a spear together should make a fun learning curve. Let the awkwardness commence. Oh yeah," she said, as yet another afterthought to the class at large, "Disarm at will. Off you go."

"I can't believe we have to deal with her today," someone grumbled, as the teens began pairing off. Most were dithering, restricted from their usual partners due to the similarity of their weapons. Cue lots of confusedly turning heads and uncertain propositions. "I was hoping they'd cancel training cos of the ball. What am I going to do with my hair...?"

"There's no prayers today, at least. They probably just wanted to keep us all out from underfoot," her friend replied, "For the last-minute preparations. I'm sure she'll let us out before two, though. Or I hope so anyway. If not, I'm off. Gotta pick up my dress from the Outfitters..."

Their conversation faded away into nothing as they ambled off, and shortly afterwards the two girls were forced to split. There seemed to be a heated discussion going on over on the left side of the sandpit, as two male recruits exchanged words over who was to spar with a third - Zuri, the part-demon, who stood with a hand poised posily on her hip, her other occassionally coming up to flick her long, glossy black hair.

"Boys, please...! You know you can always take turns...! Teehee!"

Crunch crunch! The leaves made noises under the little plant’s feet as he marched through the forest.

“That stupid Alexi!” Total said as he walked. “Thinks that she can make a fool out of me. Well I’ll show her! I’ll just stay here for a little while and have her freak out. Then she’ll come crying back to me! That’ll teach her to share my secret!”

As he continued his little journey to nowhere, Total thought about the time he first met Alexi. That forest fire seemed to be the only thing he could remember, as if it was the beginning of his existence. He had no recollection of what happened the minute before he saw the flames surrounding him, or the minute before that. He had no idea what his identity was before then, if he even had an identity before.

Come to think of it, he thought. Alexi was the first human I ever came into contact with…

At least, he thought she was. He couldn’t be sure. If there was a person confused about their identity or existence, their confusion couldn’t possibly surpass Total’s.

As the day went on, Total’s stamina decreased. Deciding to rest for a while, he heard noises in the distance. It seemed like music and people talking. After a few minutes rest, he got up and headed over in the direction of the noise. To his surprise, there was a small crowd gathered around a wooden cart. The side of it read “Fortune Telling—ancient divination by the wise Madame Foster”.

“Hmm…fortune telling, huh?” Total asked. “Let’s see this firsthand…”

Slipping past the people, Total wandered under the curtain and into the cart. The room was dark but shiny, filled with little star-like lights on the walls and ceiling and sitting in the center of a table was a giant crystal ball. And behind the table sat a middle-aged woman, with dark eyes wearing strange gypsy garb.

“Next please!” the woman called.

“That would be me,” Total lied casually, attempting to get into the chair that was across from the woman. Grunting and heaving, he made many attempts but they were all in vain. “A little help please.”

The woman looked down and saw the little plant. She shrieked so loudly that the crowd outside dispersed within two seconds. She jumped up onto her chair. “What…what ARE you?!”

“Relax lady,” Total said. “My name is Total, and as you can see, I am a talking plant. I don’t know why I am a talking plant, but those are the cards that fate has dealt me.”

The woman got down off her chair and helped the plant up onto the table. “I think this will work out a little better than the chair, no?” she asked.

“Yes, much better,” the little plant said. “Thank you. But why are you being so kind to me? A minute ago you were freaking out at my existence. Now you’re all chummy with me. What gives?”

“That…that was just a fluke,” the woman said, adjusting her clothing. “After all, I specialize in the occult and the abnormal, so I must remain calm even in strange situations.”

“Yeah, sure,” said Total, slightly rolling his eyes.

“So,” the woman said. “As you probably have already seen, I am Madame Foster, capable of divining and seeing the future. What have you come for?”

“Actually Madame Foster,” the plant told her, “I haven’t come here to know my future.”

“You haven’t?” she asked.

“No.”

"Then what have you come here for?”

“As I mentioned earlier,” Total said, “I am a talking plant. But I do not know why. There are other things that I am aware of, but do not know why. I do not know why I know what humans are. I do not know why I know what fortune telling is. I do not know why I know what a merman is. I do not know why I know…what love is…”

“Love?” the woman asked. “You’re in love with someone?”

“A girl,” the plant replied. “Her name is Alexi Silver. She saved my life back during the war. I would’ve been burnt to a crisp if it wasn’t for that girl’s bravery. She is a human, but…I feel so strongly for her. I…I want to protect her. But I can’t, not in this body…not the way I am. Plus she’ll never take me seriously. If I told her I loved her, she would just look at me and laugh. Either that or she’d say ‘Aww, I love you too, Total!’ and hug me, but she wouldn’t mean it the way I mean it. You know?”

“I understand,” Madame Foster said.

“I have not come here for my future,” Total told her. “I have come here…for my past.”

((So begins Total's tale....XD
Part 1 of 4 or so...I think lol))