Welcome to Gaia! ::

The house was dismal and gloomy, run down and left to be devoured by the elements. She was its last hope and finally defense, and to her it was freedom. The first thing that had really belonged to her, bought and paid for by her, a legacy to have and to hold.

Trivii was pleased, she knew that it would be a lot of work, cleaning, rebuilding, polishing, un-packing her few possessions, and in general claiming the house as hers. It would all work out, exactly as she planned one room at a time.

Smiling at the bleak expanse of dilapidated cottage, Trivii focussed on what each room would look like, trying to ignore the scent of mold and rotting wood. A few replaced planks, some carpet, a little lemon oil and beeswax, the place would be a gem. Trying to convince herself to overlook all the daunting little chores that would be necessary for her goal, Trivii pushed into the old parlor and deposited the first set of boxes.

It didn't take long as she didn't have much, about two hours later most of the old parlor was filled with an assortment of boxes, big heavy ones and small clinking ones, with the occasional odd piece of furniture, an end table or a chair. Her muscles ached, she was sorely in need of a bath. And thirsty enough to drain a lake.

Time to explore. Feeling childish and silly, Trivii set out to introduce herself to the old house, laughing at herself just a little, but then everyone does something stupid from time to time. So she laughed and being alone, she had no qualms in opening a conversation with herself. Taking inventory and making notes on what should be done first.

"Well, Lady. We definitely start with the first floor. Bottom up." Nodding she went fishing through her purse for her scarf and notepad. Tying back her short silver hair under a cheerful red bandanna, she put herself to work.

"First. We are going to Clean everything." Trivii jotted it down, as she meandered deeper towards the back of the house and batted at a cobweb. "Then we need the Kitchen restored top to bottom... lets just see what that means in this case."

Lifting the door from where it hung on the frame, Trivii shifted it so it was propped against the wall outside the kitchen. Then promptly sank to the floor and gawked. "Oh dear... what have I gotten myself into?"

Even the thought of bleach was beginning to make her eyes water, her sinuses hurt, and her lungs burn, but at long last the kitchen was clean. Hell the damn room was sterile enough a surgeon could use it for a tonsillectomy.

The lanky form leaned back against the worn out kitchen cabinet, “White glove please Sergeant, I promise not a speck of dust or bacteria to be found.” A clean breeze drifted in through the open window, the glass had developed a haze with age, and the sill was cracked, but it was sparkling and lemon fresh.

Trivii flicking over the room she smiled at her accomplishment, and bemoaned everything that still needed doing. “Wet rot under the window, dry rot on the floor, new sub floor, install travertine, replace all the molding, upgrade the fixtures, new porcelain sink, refrigerator, oven/range, and dish washer. New maple cabinets both upper and lower, a hammered copper counter top, new door leading out to the garden, and stained glass in the window.” Listening to herself list everything that still needed doing, she pushed back and lifted herself to sit on the existing cracked Formica counter top.

“And we are hiring a maid. A nice respectful person who can take care of everything I don’t have time for.” Turning to look out on the rest of the house the cat girl gnawed on her pouty lower lip. “I should go to the bank and see if I can afford to get a cleaning service in here, that way we can try to find a handyman.”

Sighing she plucked her bottle of water off the counter next to her and twisting the lid open, sipped slowly at its contents, no longer cold the water did the trick and Trivii grimaced. The rest of the house wasn’t near as bad as the kitchen, but that didn’t make finding a cleaning service sound any less appealing.

"Maybe I'll call the Ghost Busters while I'm at it, get everything taken care of." Polishing off her water, she closed her eyes and thumped her head back against the cupboard. "An exterminator.... gods, I'm certain that there is so much that I haven't even thought of, where the hell is my faery god mother when I need her?"

Hopping down off the counter she started out into the dining room, "helping Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty of course. Why didn't I think of that?" Confronting the legions of dust bunnies and veils of cobwebs she sighed, "Blue light special on isle 15, everything must go." And the cat girl set to work, rolling up an oriental rug that she might be able to get restored. Then taking up a broom she took a stance against the armies of darkness that would have done Bruce Campbell proud.

Handymen are like macho husbands for hire. There are a number of different issues that need to consider when hiring a handyman, just like choosing a spouse. Are they qualified? Finding a qualified contractor, one that wants to do the job, in the time period required, is far from easy. After all, Handymen don't just fix squeaky doors and holes in the drywall, they are carpenters who can do almost anything. The right one, can also give some advice on preventative tips for the during the cold seasons and also day-to-day ideas.

Trivii was just beginning to realize that she may have bitten off more than she could chew, sometime around the third Handyman she had walked through the place getting 'free estimates' when what she really wanted to get was a free massage.

The seventh was do to arrive any minute, and a glass of wine was starting to sound really good, another round of, "Miss Viscarin, please... Relax... breathe... and let Jerry/Jim/Robert/Fred, lead you down the garden path to home repair. I have done a thousand jobs, worse than yours!" Was starting to sound like torture, truly cruel and unusual punishment.

But she was doing her job as the consumer, getting prices, getting references, and getting advice.

When the brass knocker rattled on the front door, the graceful home owner slid to her feet and painfully trudged up to the door. And forcing a smile she pulled the door open, stunned. Standing before her was the most delectable piece of man-flesh she had seen in years. Not of any cat descended race, but long limbed, lean and muscled with dark, dark hair and skin the color of a cappuccino. When she finally managed to pull her eyes up to his her smile was real, not forced; and his eyes dear gods the oceans weren't that blue.

Purring she extended her hand, "Triveni Viscarin, You're Aidan right? With Old World Repairs?"

Smiling Mr. Fix-It accepted her hand, "Yes ma'am. I understand you have a large job you wanted an estimate on?" Shifting his clip-board under one arm he glanced about. "I have to admit I was curious when someone finally bought the old Richards place."

"And here I thought I was insane for buying it, please come in, and we'll get started on the walk-through." Holding the door open Trivii stood to one side while he followed her in. "have you ever been here before?"

"Yes ma'am, I use to play with the Richard's youngest Dan." Pulling up his clip-board Aidan glanced around taking in the damage, wear and tear. "It was in better shape back then."

"Call me Trivii. It's fantastic that you were here before, then you can tell what the place use to be like," snatching her list of a makeshift table in the entry hall she turned to face him, "And we can discuss what needs to be done, Do you want to start up-stairs or down?" Grateful for her châtelaine training that allowed her to be brisk and professional at times like this, Trivii strove to keep the topic on the house while they went over everything.

Well, Aidan and his brother Will had started work on the kitchen renovation and progress was being made. Trivii smiled feeling all the building blocks of her dream home slowly start to fall into place. The Cabinets had been torn out, the appliances disposed of, and if the current racket was anything to go by, the beautiful man had started tearing up the old, water-logged sub floor and mildewed lath and plaster.

Smiling the cat girl set up the folding table in the dining room, pulling out a gallon of spring water and a coffee maker, she stared at the coffee she had bought for the men, reading the instructions she put the filter in the machine, and opened the can of Maxwell House premium dark roast and inhaled the aroma... Oh yeah that would wake the dead. She glanced at the door to the kitchen and quickly ladled three scoops into the filter, closing the door and opening the top to pour in the water, she slapped the top closed, hit 'brew' and fortifying herself strode to the kitchen door and waited to be noticed. Enjoying the view as Mr. Fix-It and his brother worked up a sweat.

Will spotted her first, lowering his pry bar and smiling. "Need something?"

Embarassed Trivii shook her head, "Just wanted to let you two know, I have a pot of coffee on in the next room. Help yourselves okay?"

Brown eyes sparkling Will nodded, "Thanks Miss Viscarin."

"Not a problem Will, If either of you need me, I'm up stairs pulling up carpet... And please call me Trivii."

"Yes ma'am."

Flushing Trivii shook her head and left them to their work hearing the faint echo of Will and Aidan laughing over something as she climbed the stairs. Probably laughing at her. She sighed reaching the second floor, not much to do except start gutting things, put plastic up over broken windows and wallow in, what she was starting to recognize as a crush.

Sinking to the floor in the master bed room Trivii plucked at the gawd-awefull shag rug that had probably been lavender in a past life but now looked gray and was tinged green from some sort of fungus that had taken root. The new vantage point allowed her to see the room in much better detail, chipped paint, pealing wallpaper, and loose molding under the window seat. It looked like the entire panel had been pulled off and the put back on without the benefit of glue or nails. "Lovely."

Pushing to her hands and knees, she crawled across the room to the window, touching the panel that was harder to pull off than it looked. Standing the cat girl wiped her hands on her already dirty jeans and strode from the room in search of her tool box. Only to return a few minutes later carting the thing, it rattling and sounding like a jar full of screws. She dropped it and then lowered herself in front of the window, dug out slotted tip screwdriver and set to work prying the dumb panel away from the window.

Several minutes, a few curses, and three scraped knuckles later it finally came free with the stumach turn crunch of glass breaking. "What'd I break?" Trivii dropped her screwdriver and removed the panel, and only shock stopped her from screaming.

Pointy eared, purple, blue, and black, tiny figures... were they dolls? Lifting the first one, it was cold to the touch and as soft as silk, definitely not made of plastic.

Long gossamer wings, transparent and too fine to have been weaved by anything resembling human, whisper soft, they could have been the wind itself.

Such perfect little bodies, not molded wire or stuffed clothe, velvet but not anywhere near as soft as a horses nose.

"Fearies.... No, too small.... PIXIES." Trivii whispered completely breathless, had she gone insane? Was she hallucinating? How could there be Pixies in her house?

As though responding to the warmth of her hand the little purple creature started to wake up, opening long slanted eyes and staring at her, it zipped out of her hand and across the room looking baleful. Eager to touch the other two, Trivii gathered them into her hands. The Blue one woke with a start clawing her arm when it tried to get away, and the black one made no pretense. Biting her before vanishing back into the moth eaten drapes.

"Oh my......"

"Trivii? You got a minute?"

Looking up from her tea the cat girl reviewed the look on Aidan and Will's faces. "Sure, come talk to me." The purring trill in her voice was concerned, "What's wrong?"

Clearing his throat Aidan looked at his brother, the back at his employer. "The floor in the kitchen is in real bad shape, I know you were prepared to replace everything but it looks like termites have built homes."

Will interrupted, "We'll have to get an exterminator in here before we can look at the structural situation."

"Alright, I was planning on getting an exterminator to come in, make the arrangements." Trivii looked from Will to his pale eyed older brother. "That isn't everything is it?"

"It will require major construction to make it habitable; the termites look like they have attacked parts of the floors in two different rooms and to different effect; as for the repairs, one site has convenient access and is easy to fix, one has inconvenient access and will require replacement of a number of short pieces, and the last site has a hole clean through the floor about 8" in diameter! I'll go through the process -- it's not difficult, but time-consuming" Aidan grimaced.

Trivii rubbed at her face and took another swallow of peppermint infusion. "How long will I be out of the Kitchen?"

"About two weeks. Conservatively."

"Okay."

Will leaned back against the wall, "Just okay?"

"Yes. Okay. The rest of the repairs are minor, I don't mind spending a little extra on the kitchen."

Aidan smiled slowly. "Great, the windows are being brought in next week, once we get those installed, we can get an exterminator to tent the place, and nuke the termites."

Smiling the homeowner tucked her feet up under her in the chair. "Sounds like a plan to me, and in the meanwhile, since you can't get anymore work done in the kitchen, just get started on the next project."

Straightening up from her crooked half-curled position on the moth eaten sofa, Trivii's back protested, and judging by the noise upstairs the pixies were still in a temper over the renovations to the master suite. She groaned and rolled her head on her shoulders, flinching as the vertebra cracked and popped like cracker jacks.

She hit the old, musty oriental rug on all fours, arching her back and climbing to her feet. The cat girl checked for the small orange stone, it was still in the small clothe pouch she had put it in, glowing with life from the depths of its black aura of twisting shadows.

"I have to get out of this house for awhile." No longer phased by talking to herself, the cat girl took the stairs up to the master suite, and prepared for a face off the with trio of winged doom when she attempted to claim her shoes, she was shocked to find the chamber spotless, sparkling with the frost that the triplets usually left in their wake, and completely without the wreckage and havoc she had been expecting.

"I'm leaving now ladies... I'm just getting my shoes... then you can have the house to yourselves." Silence greeted her, but Trivii knew better than to trust it, and advanced into the room with caution, carefully looking both ways before tugging open the closet.

Still nothing.

"Alright..." She leaned in and swiftly collected her sandals before straightening and glancing around again. "Where are you guys?" The frost was starting to thaw leaving a film of moisture and the faint smell of mildew.

Darting for the door she closed the room after her as she tugged on her sandals and descending the stares at a dead run, the cat girl swiped her keys and purse of the table and was out the door, careful to not slam the newly paned leaded glass, as she closed and locked the door, engaging the security system.

Hours drug on one fading into the next as she returned her library books and purchased a post office box. She was finally stopping by the electronics outfitters for the latest anti-virus for her laptop and another storage cartridge for her digital camera when a young woman rushed out of the store and slammed into her.

"Watch where you going!" The woman snarled at Trivii.

Stammering Trivii was talking to empty space by the time "Excuse me" Slipped passed her lips.

*****

It was late by the time Triv got home, disengaging the alarm and turning her key in the lock the cat girl yawned and moved blindly into the breakfast nook where her laptop sat waiting bypassing the table in the hall where she normally dropped her things she set a kettle on for tea and powered up her laptop.

Fun, time to get to work.

She pulled the clothe pouch off from around her neck and dumped the stone rather unceremoniously into her open hand, setting the Carnelian in the sand filled dish next to her computer and cracking her knuckles.

This shadowy wisps clung faintly to the hands of her guardian as Trivii tried to settle in to work, giving the slow air that radiated Nap Time the stone shimmered.

Trivii's mind was a complete blank. She knew what she was supposed to be writing about, and that her editor expected it no later than Friday, but the words simply wouldn't come.

The Kettle whistled and she knew she had been staring at the blank screen for fifteen minutes.

One cup of tea, and two sentences later, the cat girl groaned.

"What in heavens name am I doing?"

A giggling slightly snide voice hummed, "Not writing anything thats for sure."

The bottom dropped out of her stomach as she turned at looked at the hovering sprite in black. "Leave me alone Nettle."

"Now why would I want to do that?"

Focusing away from the pixie and her writing, the cat girl went digging into her messenger bag for her new security software. When her hand encountered something glossy and thin, she pulled it out and stared at a photo that hadn't been there that mourning.

It was her, but she was surrounded by a black vapor, and in a place she had never seen before. The air exited her lungs in a rush as she felt like she was being strangled and then the world went hazy... Like being outside her body, the next she was staring into her own face in another photo, in this photo she was at her table.

The other her had narrowed amber eyes with slit pupils, not vibrant opals....