Welcome to Gaia! ::

Shade yawned and stretched as he finished changing into his sleepwear - today had been long, but he honestly couldn't complain too much. Sure, he'd been all over Vargash, and his sneakers had been thoroughly soaked by the end of it all, but it had all been worth it. The green spark resting on the nightstand next to his bed was proof enough of that.

The boy made his way over to his bed and climbed in, glancing to the bubbly stone. He smiled a bit before turning his gaze to a book that lay next to the spark - a journal, to be exact. His mother had given it to him years ago, but...he'd never really had a use for it until now. Now, he felt like he might actually have something interesting to write in it.



"Shade!" The boy jolted slightly as he heard his mother's voice. "Lights out! You have school tomorrow!"

"Okay Mom!"



Shade closed up the journal and set it down on the nightstand again before turning his lamp off. Seconds later, he was curled up underneath the blanket, fast asleep.

Shade was woken by the sound of footsteps in the hallway outside his bedroom. He could hear an angry voice as well, though it took him a moment to realize who it was, as he was still half-asleep - his mother.

The young impling glanced to the digital clock on his nightstand and saw that the green numbers were flashing 8:03; he wasn't normally up this early on a Saturday morning. He could hear Nyx in its corner of the room and when he looked, he saw that the little Proto was still fast asleep - the noise hadn't been enough to wake it up, apparently.

"We're doing just FINE over here, Dad!" Shade's ears twitched as he heard the angry hiss outside his doorway. Was his mother on the phone with his grandparents again? If so, the conversation certainly sounded heated. Cautiously, the boy climbed out of bed and pressed one of his large ears up against the door.

"No, he hasn't dropped out of school! Why the hell would he?" Luna's voice seemed to grow more furious at the accusation. "He's still going, and he's not going to stop an- why would we call HIM?" She spoke the last word with a sharp venom. "He has no right to spend any time with Shade! And Shade's made it quite clear that he wants nothing to do with him!" Shade had an idea of who his mother was talking about - his father. The teenager shuddered at the very mention of THAT man. He still had scars from some of the time that he'd spent with HIM.

"Why should we...no! Shut up! You have no right to say something like that! You know NOTHING about him! You know what? I'm not talking about this anymore!" There was a beep, indicating that his mother had hung up the phone. Seconds later, the boy heard a soft sob and he felt his stomach twist.

Quietly, the boy opened the door and found himself looking at his mother's back. "Mom...? Are you...okay?" Moments later, he was swept up into a hug by Luna and felt her stroking the top of his head. The boy found his own arms wrapping around her in return and he bit his lip, leaning his head against her.

"It's okay, Mom...it'll be alright..."

"Where're we going, big brother?" Nyx peeked her head out of Shade's hood, watching as pedestrians passed by on the sidewalk. It wasn't often that she was allowed to come outside with her sibling - normally, he was worried about someone seeing her. There was something special going on today though.

"You'll see when we get there..." He smiled and glanced at her over his shoulder for a moment. "Just wait a little while longer, alright?" Nyx nodded and ducked back into her hiding place, quite used to riding around in the impling boy's hood - she was small enough to fit in it, and it was more comfortable than the pockets of Shade's hoodie.

It didn't take long for them to reach their destination - the Neverland Toy Store. The shop's bell rang as he pushed the door open and Nyx peeked out again. Almost immediately, her eyes widened with awe. Lining the shelves were stuffed toys, dolls, and almost every other toy that Nyx could imagine.
"Pick something out." Nyx blinked slightly, surprised by Shade's words. She was allowed to pick one? Really? But there were so many to choose from - how would she ever be able to decide?

Her eyes fell upon a rather simple-looking doll. Her hair was made of red string and her eyes were black with little 'eyelashes' underneath them. Her nose was a red triangle, and her mouth was a simple smile with a red circle in the center, probably meant to be lips. The doll's outfit consisted of a simple blue dress with a white apron on top; her legs looked like a pair of stocking, and her feet were a set of black shoes. Despite the simplicity of the doll, Nyx couldn't help but feel quite attracted to it.

She tried to look away, not wanting to make a decision too quickly, but her eyes kept wandering back to that particular doll. Finally, she said, "That one, big brother," She did her best to point at the rag doll from behind Shade's shoulder. "Could I have that one?" Needless to say, Shade was surprised by her choice.

"You sure? You don't want a...nicer one?" Nyx shook her head. Well, if that was the one that she wanted, then that was the one that Shade would get her. Reaching up, the boy plucked the doll down from the shelf and carried it over to the check-out counter.

"Will that be all, sir?" Shade nodded at the cashier's question as he dug around in his wallet, pulling out the money he needed. He had to admit, his new job made this all so much easier, and he was glad that he wouldn't have to ask his mother for money now. "Alright, that'll be $12.50 then." Not that the doll was very expensive anyway, but that wasn't the point.

The impling quickly handed over the money and hurried out the door of the shop. Shade jogged back to the apartment and let Nyx out of her hiding place before handing her the new doll. "So...what're you gonna call her, Nixie?"

"Hmmm..." The little proto thought for a moment as she sat next to her doll, tilting her head at it. "...Rose! Her name's gonna be Rose!" Shade smiled at the Essentic, his tail flicking.

"Sounds good, Nixie..."