Welcome to Gaia! ::

After wondering around the village some more, Kinu stopped in the square. A few passersby paused, watching her. They all knew why she came here, and despite the discomfort she gave them, they had to admit she put on a good show.

She closed her eyes and folded her hands as she breathed purposefully. Then she began dancing. She had the steps memorized. Some movements were graceful, some were alluring, and some were even violent. Every time she turned, the tone of the dance seemed to change.

Next she began to add special effects. A stream of smoke began to swirl around her feet, and every so often, sparks would fly from her hands as she swung them in differant directions. People talked quietly and gawked as the mesmerizing dance continued. Eventually you could no longer see the ground she was stepping on, and one could say it looked like she was dancing on a cloud.

Then in another puff of smoke, she vanished. Hushed murmurs filled the square as the people looked around, unaware of some nearly invisible little shadows moving on the ground. Seconds later, she reapeared at the opposite end of the square, and bowed low as the people applauded. She smirked to herself. She always had loved attention.

In the evening air, Flau walkedslowly through the village, medicine book in hand. Even though she had read this book two times already, cover to cover, she believed that she might have missed something. Seeing Sofia ahead, amusing a child with stories of her youth, she quickened her pace.

"Sofia! I need you to go prepare the sanctuary for our prayers. I will return in a while," she told the disgruntled apprentice. Sofia sighed and said goodbye to the boy.

"Another time, 'kay kid," she murmured, earning a smile from the child and a sharp glance from Flau. Modifying her sentence slightly, she tried again.

"I will see you again. Be safe, child,"

This time, the reactions were reversed. Flau was happy, but the boy wasn't so excited at the formality. Turning on his heels and running off, Flau silently prayed for his safety. Then, turning to Sofia, she smiled warmly.

"Goodbye,"

"Goodbye..." replied Sofia, turning to walk in the other direction. Flau continued on her commonly treaded path through the village.

~

As Flau walked, she caught sight of 'that creepy gypsy woman' as she liked to call Kinu performing a mafic trick. The other youth of the village had taken to calling her that as well behind her back. Slowing down, she called out a greeting once the woman was finished.

"Good evening, Miss Kinu! How's it goin'?"

Smiling to herself, Sofia noticed that while her first sentence was more formal, she had reverted back to her normal speech for her second sentence.

"I'm doin' good. That was an interesting trick you pulled on the villagers. I enjoyed watching. You have so much talent," Sofia commented, grinning. Even though she did like to call Kinu creepy, she was still highly interested in what the woman did. She guessed that part of it was her trying to discover other routes in life besides the two she had already experianced. Although she had enjoyed the way of the blacksmith, and she was slowly adjusting to her new life as a priestess, she still didn't feel settled.

"So, where are ya headed now?" she asked, feeling at ease. Kinu had that effect on her, allowing her to slip into more informal speech.

((If it's okay, I'm going to quickly use the mayor as an npc. He's still open as a character, however))


Shocked, Sofia accepted the coins.

"Thank you, Miss Kinu! Of course I'll visit," she exclaimed, grinning. When Kinu asked her what she was doing, she sighed.

"I'm actually heading back to the temple to prepare for Miss Flau's and my prayers. This will help out a lot," she explained, slipping the coins into a small pouch at her side.

"See ya in a little while, Miss Kinu. I should get going!" she finished, turning to leave.



Walking towards the mayor's house, Flau closed her book.

"Maybe this will help..." she sighed, knocking on the door before her. The mayor opened his door and peeked out. Seeing Flau, he nodded.

"Yes, yes, come in, Miss Flau. How has your day been? May I offer you some tea?" he asked, smiling the whole time. Flau quietly declined the tea, and asked if she could sit down. The mayor consented, and sat opposite her.

"Mr Mayor, my reasons for coming here are important. The young girl, Senora. Where is she? Why haven't I seen her lately? Could it be perhaps that she was bitten by the Demon Snake that has been plaguing our region lately?" she asked, getting straight to her point. The mayor's face whitened.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Flau! What is this 'Demon Snake you speak of? Oh, I get it! Those monks at the Temple of Niaran must have told you a legend of some sorts, and you took it seriously! Oh ho ho, young Miss Senora sadly died in an accident a while back. It was very quiet, just her family for the funeral. I'm sorry you didn't hear about it," he stammered, trying to push a smile back onto his face. Flau's face grew stern.

"Very well, Mr Mayor. Turn a blind eye. I will find a cure for this, mark my words!" she snapped, standing up. Turning on her heels, she stormed out of the house.

Once she was a few feet away from the mayor's house, Flau calmed herself down.

"Why? Please, Niaran, tell me what to do!" she whispered, putting her face into her hands.

((it's fine, any of the main characters that haven't been taken yet can be treated as NPCs until then))

"Of course. Always happy to help!" Kinu beamed. She twitched when she heard a beast-like cry come from the mountains above. Several people nearby jumped, and some ran for cover as though expecting the creature to come from the sky. Kinu just stood there, scratching her chin as she eyed the ledges closely.

"I should investigate that," she mused aloud, earning her looks of various degrees of horror and shock. She just chuckled when she noticed, and began to saunter toward the town's edge and the tent she lived in outside to gather some supplies before it got too dark. Anyone could join her, she wouldn't mind the company. But she knew there weren't very many people here that would be willing to their lives on the line in such a way.

((this character will become important later. You can't interact with her just yet))

A lovely, mature woman stood on the mountain's highest ledge. A temple resided in silence behind her, far from the reach of most humans. Her slitted eyes were closed as she felt the gentle evening breeze on her face. She was safe up here. Safe from all the troubles of the world below...and from creatures that prefered the places where air was stale, and never moved.

She laughed heartily to herself at the thought, her golden eyes gleaming as she thought venomously, "Just let that pesky brat try! See if she can beat me here! The poor fool doesn't stand a chance. She never has, and never will."

She chortled again, admiring the glowing orb in her hands. It shimmered brightly, like a tiny sun. A priceless treasure. Her treasure. A treasure she would die protecting.