Welcome to Gaia! ::

Rhea blinked at Cindy, honestly not understanding what she was getting at. "What?"

Shael giggled. "Well, Triton," she smiled, turning back to the neko, "why don't you let me talk to Adonai before you go see Ulani and Ulrich? Rhea's right, we haven't been to see my brother and sister since before she was born - they need to meet her, and she them. And we have been promising her since the year Cindy came ..."

Rhea's eyes sparkled with excitement and she clapped her hands together happily. "Yes!" she cheered. "We're going to go! Finally!"

It wasn't long before Adonai joined them all (he had been in the study, waiting to be called for afternoon tea, as had become the custom of late), and he thought that it was a marvelous idea. It was high time that Rhea learned a bit more about the world - and it had been a very long time since Shael had seen her brother and sister as well.

Preparations were made to leave the next day (weather permitting), and Adonai headed off to the ranch to get some of the horses.

Triton was invited to stay the night, and a cot was set up in the spare room (after a very quick cleaning job) for him to sleep in.


When morning came, Rhea was (as always) the first one awake. She dressed in a rush, waking Whisper in the process. As soon as she was ready, she grabbed her staff and headed for the door, on her way outside to go through her morning routine with it.

"Just make sure you don't wake anyone else up," Whisper whispered as they padded down the hallway towards the stairs. "No one else is ever up as early as you are."

When Rhea and Whisper made it outside, it was Whisper who brought to Rhea's attention the fact that for the first time, there was someone else awake before them.

"And it looks like he might be doing something similar to what you do," she added in a soft murmur.

Rhea's curiosity was raised, and she looked over to see Triton doing his katas (though of course she didn't recognize it). She gripped her staff in both hands, then headed over to watch him.

Rhea smiled and waved at Triton. "Good morning!" she said brightly. "What are you doing? It reminds me of what I do with my staff!"

She moved closer now that it was safe, using her staff like a walking-stick. The littinum shimmered in the early morning sunlight, making it seem almost as if the staff were glowing.

"Um, a little bit," Rhea admitted, holding the staff in both hands in front of her. "Nako's teaching me that sort of stuff, mostly for defense since Mama doesn't want me fighting ... but mostly it's for channeling energies ... or whatever it is I tend to absorb."

She shrugged one shoulder. "I'm an empath ... I used to take anything and everything, but now I can mostly control it. Still, I need the staff to get rid of things I'm not supposed to absorb."

"You make yourself sound like a sponge," Whisper smiled, licking her paws.

"I am, really," Rhea giggled, "except that I absorb pretty much everything."

"Oh, your brother Yukito?" Rhea asked eagerly. "What does he do with it?"

"Rhea," Whisper murmured, gently butting the girl's leg. "Your routine ..."

"Oh, right," Rhea blushed. "I almost forgot ... are you finished yours, Triton? Or do you want to practice together?"

They would need space, certainly, but what he had been doing wasn't altogether different from what Rhea usually did.

Rhea giggled softly and nodded. "All the space in the world," she murmured dreamily as she moved off a bit. She held her staff in one hand at the very end of it, then began a series of dance-like movements, her staff twirling and swishing through the air audibly.

She continued in the same rhythm for nearly an hour before the front door opened and her father stepped out.

"Good morning, Triton, Rhea, Whisper," he greeted the group. "Rhea, get dressed for traveling, your mother has laid clothes out for you ..." He paused. "You're all sweaty again, aren't you?"

Rhea grinned. "All part of practicing, Papa."

Adonai chuckled softly. "Rhea practices hard, no matter what she does," he said proudly. "I'll be the first to admit that I hope she doesn't need it in a fight, but that staff is a permanent part of her now, so I'm glad she at least knows how to use it."

Rhea giggled as she headed towards the house. "Nako's a good teacher," she winked as she headed inside. "Anyways I'll be ready in a little bit!" And then she was gone.