Welcome to Gaia! ::

Azreal frowned thoughtfully as he caught up to the other two. This was where Zakia thought it was a good place to race? Wasn't it a little dangerous? Still, he didn't want to look like a scaredy perzi so the youngling scooped up his boat from the waters and moved closer. It was already a bit chilly, his legs were soaked from wading after Zakia but he was determined to not falter. Glancing towards Kuno he waited for his brother to catch up, "I'll let go when you get your ball ready." He stated simply as he held his boat over the waters preparing to start their little race.

[6/10]

Zakia kept shifting from foot to foot just to keep her legs a little warmer. Her mama always said if she got cold in the water that she just needed to keep warming, but how was she supposed to do that if she was judging?!

Still, the youngling dramatically shook out her shoulders and held both arms up in the air. It was something she'd seen done at a festival once where some shifters were racing their radaku. "No cheating! Just a fun race, got it?" Even if it was a generalized warning she still glared at them all the same, trying her best to keep it 'serious'. "As soon as I drop my hands you can let them go."

She waited long enough for them to get their bearings, which wasn't long at all but an eternity for a child. When she was ready Zakia dropped her arms and yelled, "Go!"

Kuno's fingers twitched, eagerly awaiting the signal that Zakia seemed to take forever to give. He gave a squeak of delight when the signal came and let the ball roll off his fingers. "Go, ball!" he encouraged, even though the ball seemed to bob in place for a second before being grabbed more securely by the current of the stream. He chased after it along with Azreal, lips pursing slightly. His ball was clearly behind. "Go!" he encouraged again, though it was half-hearted at that point.

"Go, go goooo!" The thought burned through his mind as he silently urged his boat forward. Azreal rarely let his excitement show to such a degree but he was truly enjoying this moment. Not that he liked beating his brother but it was great that his ship was proving its worth! He had been eager to try it for days now and finally it was setting sail. His azure gaze did study his brother for a moment, a brief flash of emotion twisting on his features, and after a few more seconds he splashed forward to grab his ship from the waters.

"It's cold." He announced suddenly as he broke the race before a true winner could be declared. "I'm bored." Splashing through the waters, Azreal was the prefect brat again while he truly just didn't like the idea of beating his brother now. Maybe he would have lost if something had happened, who knew? Either way he was cold and wanting something warm to drink. "Maybe we can make some of that hot chocolate that Zyphire is good at making." He commented as he trudged along towards the shore and started to shake off some of the water from his boat and then from his clothing. Though brushing his hands repeatedly down his leggings and tunic did little to remove the dampness of the stream, something that was partly his fault considering how he had splashed through in the first place.

[8/10]

"Seriously?!" Zakia exclaimed. "You're such a pain, Azreal!" Why was he always ruining the fun right before things got good? The race hadn't even finished yet! With a firm pout on her face Zakia trudged back through the chilly water towards the shore line, a few stray dreads slipping out of her bun once again.

At least Kuno seemed to have some sense! She caught his ball and held onto the sphere as she got out onto dry land. "What's hot chocolate?" It wasn't as if Zakia normally came this far north during any season that would warrant hot anything. The little hybrid spun the ball between her fingers for a bit before tossing it back to Kuno.

Kuno groaned loudly and rolled his eyes. "The water was your idea," he snorted. He paused to squeeze out his pants as much as he could, determined to at least last as long as Azreal did in the chilly weather.

"It's really good!," he chirped in agreement, catching the ball as it was tossed back. "It's like tea, but it's chocolate!" That was the best description he could think of. At any rate, who wouldn't like something chocolaty? He bounced his ball on his knee once before throwing it toward Azreal. "Head's up!" With a grin, he suddenly bolted, using the ball as a distraction to race on ahead toward the manor. "Last one there's a rotten egg!"

Azreal's gaze widened as he suddenly found himself watching Kuno's ball flying through the air towards him. "K-kuno!" He yelled before barely managing to catch the ball before it bounced off of his face. His insults towards Zakia died on his lips as he realized that he was going to be the rotten egg. Really guys?! The youngling could only shake his head in mock frustration though a small smile did cross his lips as he raced ahead.

The joke was on them cause he knew how to make the hot chocolate! Grinning, Azreal pushed himself to run faster as he chased after the two younglings towards home.

[FIN]

Zakia may not have liked everything about the boys, but she also couldn't say she didn't look forward to the warmer months. Getting to come this far North was something a lot of her kind simply didn't do and if it weren't for her mother she wouldn't be able to see as much of the world as she was! So, really, no matter how much they picked at each other and tossed insults, getting to spend time with Kuno and Azreal was ten times better than being stuck in Jauhar.

She laughed back at Azreal and turned a competitive little smile back at his brother. Only time could tell as to how close they would be growing up, but for now she didn't need to worry about that. Zakia's biggest worry in life was what hot chocolate tasted like and she was just fine with that.