Welcome to Gaia! ::

We`rika stood at the front of his apartment door longer than he needed, jingling his keys in the lock absently. He gently and inconspicuously turned his eyes behind him to make sure he wasn’t still riding the wave of peyote. But no. He had adopted half a kid to impress a girl. ********. The little boy stood—well, floated—right behind him, never moving even a foot from him. His big blue eyes were constantly dragging on the floor, too scared to look up or too confused he wasn’t really sure. At least he wasn’t a brat… yet. Taking a slow breath, he opened the door and let Sevilin in and made a beeline for his phone.

The little Frei floated in hesitantly, watching the man out of the corner of his eye. He had begun to talk to someone franticly. It didn’t sound too good for Sevilin.

“A kid. No, I’mma bein’ serious here damni’! … Okay I’mma sorry, bu’ yer no’ helpin’ me ou’ here…”

Sevilin took the opportunity to look around, heading for his old couch and the big screen TV that stood in front. He didn’t know they could get so big.

“Yeah I know… I didn’… I didn’ mean to… No! I’ was sooo th’righ’ thing ta do, I wasn’ thinkin’ with my d**k… Bu’ is like legal righ’, me keepin’ him …?”

The blue Raevan decided to drown out the details of his fate with channel surfing, though his attention was too divided to appreciate his regular shows.

“… Yeah no shi’ I know I’mma in some shi’—Okay thas fine, thas fine!” The Huichol all but slammed the phone back on the receiver. “******** ********!” He turned to see a pair of blue eyes on him and slapped his mouth shut. “Sorry…”

Sevilin just turned around and watched the screen.

“…S-Soooo… you like TV?”

Looking up glumly, the little Frei nodded at We`rika and his attention fell back on the television.

“… … Can ya talk?” We`rika sighed impatiently, watching the boy brood in self-pity. Though he was owed, he supposed.

“… Do…” His voice squeaked from ill-use the past months. “…Do I get to stay?” The last words began to shake with apprehension. He didn’t want to go away again.

“Oh no! No! Uhh ya ge’ ta stay a’course! Is all good uhmm Sev’lin…”

“Sevilin,”

“…?”

“My name is Sevilin…”

“… Yeah okay sure…” We`rika took an awkward step forward and hesitated. This was all finally sinking in. He was now responsible for a human being, well, whatever it was. A eating, breathing, needing entity. He could barely keep himself afloat.

s**t.

He turned quickly and hid in the kitchen.

Sevilin grunted softly and looked back at the television, flipping from channel to channel. The remote fell from his little hand and the Frei couldn’t help but look back for the man. He wasn’t mad at him was he? He couldn’t help but fidget, worrying this wasn’t going well as it should.

Sitting on the cold tile, We`rika tapped his feet anxiously as his phone rang. Pleeease pick up. He sighed gratefully when the receptionist picked up. “Can I talk ta Angela please?”

“And you are?”

“We`rika,”

“Okay, let me transfer you… … …”

“Did you forget something, hun?”

“… …” All coherence fled from We`rika’s mind as he struggled to put his frustrations and fears into words. The only person he could openly talk to and it was a parole officer. How pathetic. He really shouldn’t be taking care of this kid.

“We`rika?”

“I… I feel… overwhelmed,”

“Already?” He could hear Angela laugh behind the receiver.

“Angie! Seriously… What—I mean! I dun even know wh—”

“Just take it one day at a time… There is nothing we can do about it now. You can’t make him leave that would just be too cruel, We`rika,”

“I know! I—”

“W-We`rika…?”

The shaman darted from the kitchen floor, almost slipping in his urgency. “Wha’?!” All that could be seen of Sevilin were his big eyes peeking over the couch. “Wha’s wrong?”

“I… N-Nothing…” The little Raevan slinked back in the couch as We`rika came closer. “I just… you left…”

“… Hello?” Picking up the discarded phone, We`rika held it to his ear but it was only a dial tone. Delightful. “… … Sooo, uhh Sev’lin… H—Uhmm… Do you… need anythin’ or… anythin’?” Wow. That was well executed.

“… Can… Can I have some water? With! salt please…”

“… Ehmm… Are you sure? I mean like… where does i’… go?” The last thing he needed was this kid to dumping water all over his furniture just because he wants to play.

“… I just absorb it.”

“……… Kay… I’mma jes gonna go inta th’kitchen so dun freak ou’ pleeease…” This was already going so well. Grabbing a glass, the shaman turned on the faucet and filled the glass up. Salt, eh? Weird. He took his salt shaker and began sprinkling the crystals in. Goddamn this is going to take all night. He turned to the living room and howled in surprise as the blue boy stood—FLOATED—right in front of me. “Jesus H. CHRIS’, kid! Wha’ do ya wan’?”

“I’m… I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to… to scare you…” Sevilin’s cherry-red lips turned to a soft frown and his big eyes looked to the floor. He could feel his space being broken and looked up to see a salt shaker thrust in his face with the cup. “Thank you…”

“Well ya migh’ as well do I’ fer yerself since I won’ be here much ta help ya so, c’mere ya pull th—”

“Wait!” The little Frei cried and floated high above We`rika with unease. “Where are you going?! Why won’t you stay?”

“Oh no, well I mean’… tha’ I won’ be here durin’ th’day cause I work. Today jes happened to be my day off…”

“… Wuh—Where do you work? Can I come?”

“Uhh haha no… Is a construction si’e so like… ya could get smashed to bits and uh I dun think tha’ would reflec’ too good on me…”

“… What am I supposed to do…?” He descended close to the floor, his hope following suit.

“Well! I mean ya can do whatever ya wan’… as long as ya dun break anythin’… Ya can uhmm watch TV and play games, I have some games! And uhh… yeah. Ya can drink water! With yer… sal’…. Yeah!” He was doing a hell of a time making it all sound so wonderful.

“… Oh…” The last spark of hope behind the Raevan’s ocean blue eyes was snuffed out. So nothing had changed at all. Just another location to be cooped, to interact with no one but the actors on television. Taking his cup and salt, he floated sluggishly back to the couch. He might as well start learning the new channels.



In the dim light of the living room, Sevilin sat beside We`rika staring into glare of the television. He frequently looked over to his new guardian, wanting to talk about... something! but he couldn’t think of anything interesting and We`rika seemed more fascinated with the show than him. The little Frei turned back to the television, his mood dropping rapidly. We`rika shifted beside him and got up.

“Well… I have ta ge’ ta bed. I gotta ge’ up at 5 to ge’ ready for work…”

“When will you come home?”

“Around 5 in the evening… Oh, and… I dun have a bed fer ya… so like ya can sleep ou’ here or sneak inta mine if ya wan’… I’lla uhmm pick up a bed tomorrow when I ge’ home and we’lla jes go from there okay? …. Nigh’…” With that, the Huichol left Sevilin alone and closed the bedroom door shut.

Sitting alone, the sea nymph turned off the television and sat in the quiet darkness. Drops of warmth began to spatter against his hand. A delicate hand masked his trembling mouth so he wouldn’t We`rika as he cried. He just wanted something different. Was that so much to ask?

Sevilin was untangling a chord from a controller when We`rika came through the living room and stopped. Even if he hadn't heard the heavy pad of his guardian's feet on the floor boards, the young raevan could feel eyes boring a hole into his spinal chord.

Slowly, he turned to look up at We`rika with guileless eyes and a quick tongue. "I was--Well, I didn't know what this was, so I... unwound it," he explained with haste, hoping the man wouldn't get angry with him if he didn't know what it was.

"Is jes a controller for my console." He pointed to the heavy black box in front of Sevilin.

"Oh... Okay," he said in a tone that certainly conveyed he still had no idea what it was. Sighing with a thread of impatience, We`rika explained.

"Ya play video games on i' and they show up on the TV..."

"Oh really? Like--Like puzzles or something?!" Sevilin was really good with critical thinking games. His excited smile, however, fell as We`rika stared at him like he was an idiot.

"No, like killin' stuff, like zombies and shi'..."

"Zombies!" That seemed like a strange thing for someone to kill, especially when they were fictional. "But why would you shoot zombies?"

" Uhhh, 'cause if ya dun' then they're gonna kill you instead."

"But.... How can they kill you if they're not real--?"

"Ugh, here! Go si' on th'couch!" We`rika snapped and shooed Sevilin off so he could turn on the console and bring the controller with him right beside his ward. "Is not real, ya know... Is a game. Yer--Well yer character--is on a search an' rescue thing an' they ge' caugh' up in a zombie army..."

"That sounds scary," the small frei said quietly as the game booted up and pictures of zombies and monsters bombarded the screen and some human equipped with little else but a gun.

"I guess," We`rika snorted and handed the controller over to Sevilin. "Okay, so this is yer shoo' button and this one makes yer character walk. If ya wanna run, hold down this while ya walk and uh this is reload--"

"This is complicated."

"No is no', no' when ya ge' used to i'. Okay, so ya move the red do' on yer enemy ta fire on 'em..."

"Okay, so I want to go to that house, right? And, okay, so do I--Oh my gosh!" Sevilin screamed when a haggard person started limping toward his character. "We`rika! It's coming for me! It's coming! Run, person, run!"

"No, dun run! Shoo' i', thas th'whole poin'!"

"But it's right on--Ahh it's biting me stop, stop, stop!" He began to mash the controller and suddenly a knife came from the character and the screen was lit up with blood as the knife flew back and forth. Eventually, the little frei cut down the zombie, but his character died right along with it.

"Wow, you suck a' this..."

"Well, this is the first video game I've ever played!" Sevilin reminded him sorely and clicked continue to try again. His pale hands were shaking form the adrenaline and scare.

We`rika simply snorted and then groaned when he saw the time. "Ah, ********, I'mma be la'e for work." Peeling himself off the couch, he grabbed his keys and wallet and made his way to the door. "As long as ya dun break i', ya can play any of my games.... So... Bye." With that, he opened the door and left, locking it from the outside.

"... Bye." It was too late, but Sevilin said it anyway. The house was suddenly very quiet without the older man, even with the shrieking and moaning of the zombie on the television. Gradually, the young raevan pulled himself out of his revere and loaded up the beginning of the game once more, determined to become an expert at killing zombies by the time We`rika returned tonight.

By the time they returned home, Sevilin still wore a big grin on his face. He flitted into the apartment like mosquito, unable to find any once place to float for longer than a few seconds.

"God, calm down, yer makin' me exhausted jes lookin' a'ya."

"That was fun!" Sevilin crooned, too involved in his own bubbly world to have heard or cared what We`rika had to say. "We should do it again sometime! I never get to go out and see people, or my own kind!"

"Yeah, sure..." It was as uncommitted as it sounded as he shucked off his work boots and went for the fridge for something to eat or drink.

"Maybe we can invite even more people next time! I can see Rivener again and maybe he can bring some other Raevans or--"

Closing the fridge door shut, We`rika turned around and snorted. "Why would ya wan' ta hang ou' with him again? He was a comple'e a*****e to you! For no reason! Had you guys ever me' before?"

"... Not really," Sevilin mumbled slowly, not really enjoying where this conversation was going. Picking up the remote, he turned one the television and hoped that was enough of a hint for We`rika to stop. It wasn't, of course. He should have known better that subtleties didn't work on the man.

"Okay, well then he's jes a gian' d**k. How th'hell can' ya see tha'?" He knew Sevilin was very upbeat, but he didn't figure that meant gullible as well. He was naive, but when someone was slapping you in the face, the proper response was pain. he couldn't understand why the Raevan wanted seconds.

Sevilin was patient enough to sigh as his good mood drained in the face of stupidity. His guardian thought he was oblivious. How ironic. "I'm not stupid, you know..." He didn't bother turning around and instead kept his attention on the television as he surfed. "I know he didn't like me, but... that's fine." Sevilin didn't want to explain himself to the man. The sea fairy was pretty sure We`rika would just make fun of him or laugh at him if he knew hoe desperate he was for a friend, even one that didn't really like him.

Being nice and sweet was the only way he knew how to get anywhere with anyone and it had smoothed Rivener's figurative feathers out by the end.