Welcome to Gaia! ::

An eyebrow quirked as the tiny girl passed judgement on his dolphin naming skills. Sure, they weren't Flipper or whatever other names had been tossed out to aquatic animals in mainstream movies but Akio's experience with naming anything tended to come from his knowledge in science, not pop culture.

"If you wish to give them a nickname, I'm sure Steno here wouldn't mind."

The dolphin chirped in response, though it wasn't clear if he actually understood the conversation or was merely reacting to his name being spoken. Seal's Eye patted the dolphin and sent him on his way, escorting the girl slowly through the coral fields and trees and into a world of underwater adventure. His female companion was in hot pursuit, trailing behind the duo while behind her casually floated a familiar white seal.

Through the red and pink coral they swam, twisting and turning around the greens and blues as they waved at the various wildlife that watched the group with interest. There were fish of all sizes and colors, pearls that adorned the sea and crabs that scuttled back and forth in an almost dance-like fashion.

Seal darted forward until he was side by side with the male dolphin, when he offered a happy bark to the passenger.

The dolphins seemed to enjoy singing along with the six year old's happy clamoring, making the seal shake its head in amusement. Clearly Giulia was enjoying herself - which was good. Excellent, in fact.

It had been a long, long time since anyone had been invited into his waters and it warmed his heart to see the child enjoying herself as the dolphins continued the wordless tour around the domain.

Time flew by as they swam, Seal's Eye uncertain as to how much had passed, exactly, while the child and her new aquatic friends chittered along with each other. Daylight would soon be upon them, but they still had a little while yet to enjoy each other's company.

As the dolphins began to swim around in circles, Seal's Eye took his leave and returned to the ocean floor, the young man resuming his natural shape as two fingers lifted to his lips. A shrill whistle alerted the dolphins that it was time to return to him - Steno reluctantly offering the blonde girl up to his master's reach.

"So what do you think of my home, little princess? Does it meet your approval?"

"You have to allow me to keep some of my secrets, sweet girl." He teased, one finger moving up to gently poke her on the tip of her nose while his other arm moved to support her weight.

The dolphins swam away after a moment of hesitation, having had their fun with the duo's short adventure. The hand that had gently teased the girl moved up to brush away some of the blonde curls from out of her face. "I live both here and on your world - like how you have an apartment and a nice, large home too? I love both of my worlds equally."

If only living on both was as simple as that.

"There are others like me, but it is my task to look after those who dream of water." His voice held a tinge of pride as he smiled down at her. "So whenever you dream about swimming or playing on the beach, you can rest assured that I'll be looking out for you."

"Yes, darling. If you have the most terrible dreams, just rest assured that there is always someone there to help protect you - it may feel like the monsters are about to get you, but the monsters in dreams are much easier to vanquish, if your heart is pure and good."

One gloved hand moved to point at the center of her chest. "And the little princess has one of the purest I've seen."

Her comparison to living under divorced family life was innocent and sweet... and all too real, the more he dwell upon the idea. He loved both of his worlds, but there were days when he wondered if it wouldn't be easier to simply give up one or the other, as opposed to fighting to give attention to both.

Hugging her gently, he shook away the depressing thoughts and bumped his forehead softly against hers. "As far as dreams go, I'll let you decide. Though... don't you think it's time we got you back to your bed, speaking of comfortable places?"

With a quiet smile, the water around them faded, transitioning into the dark, shadowed walls of the young princess's bedroom. Coral and fish were replaced with childish trinkets and posters - worthy fuel for sweet adolescent dreams, in the Dream Guardian's opinion.

His arms were still around the little girl, the fabric of his tunic as dry as it was outside of the backyard pool. She was yawning, stubbornly fighting the sleep that tugged at her tired eyes and he took his seat upon the side of her small bed, his attention completely hers.

"Yes, Giulia?" Important questions from an innocent could only entail further endearment, as far as Seal's Eye was concerned. Perhaps tonight would be nothing more than a wonderful dream for her - perhaps that's how things should be, when everything was said and done. "What is it?"

His eyes widened at that, eyebrows arching in startled surprise.

Then, without pause, he began to laugh. It was a hearty noise, enough to startle Castor out of his hiding spot as the cat darted out of the bedroom, no doubt having lurked in suspicion of the fishy-type man who had sudden appeared with the young lady of the house in his arms.

"My little princess, you never cease to amaze me, do you know that? And such sound reasoning, at that!"

One arm moved out to pull back the bedspread of the princess-worthy bed before the Guardian leaned down to deposit the small child within the comforting embrace of the blankets.

"I am afraid you would have to petition the beautiful Lady Helios with an offer like that - I am but a servant of her world, after all."

One gloved hand moved up to brush away the blonde curls as he worked on tucking her into bed. "Seven years old is quite grown up - are you sure there are no young princes currently attempting to court you now?"

"Ah, but it seems little George has an advantage that I do not; he is a Prince and I am but a humble dream guardian with only my name as my title. I am not worthy of a princess, Giulia."

The blanket was tucked up to her chin, the young man careful as he wrapped her up, tucking her in for what little time there was left to slumber.

"Lady Helios is Princess of our Elysion, yes. It is through her that all of your dreams are protected, so we will have to remember to thank her in our dreams tonight, right?"

One hand moved up to adjust the pillow behind the girl's head before the Dream Guardian finally rose from the bed. Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss on her forehead and took a bow, signaling his inevitable need for departure.

"Protect the others, my fierce little princess and I will continue to aid Lady Helios in watching over your dreams. Good night, my lady."