Welcome to Gaia! ::

“Onika, Sayin, Chima and Taraji!” Noelani waved as they approached the Matori and Obans who had joined them on this particular venture. Even though the other four were in town they had enough members at the moment to at least begin moving the dig towards the western area of the valley that the drawing had shown. “We have a final location to check out for one of the ancient tribes. I think we’ve found the right spot! You’ll need to look out for stone pillars like this that should be buried beneath the sands…they’re made of a limestone that should be fine despite the passage of time but we have to be careful to not chip away any writing. Even if the script is mostly faded by now there could be some symbols remaining that we can recognize if we uncover the area.” She explained while motioning for them to follow her further out into the desert with Ami trailing behind. Noelani gathered tools while sending Taraji out towards town to get the others back, their eagerness to explore increasing despite the heat. Eventually she found the right angle of the cliffs and it was here that Noelani started to mark the area, the treasure hunter moving swiftly and nearly stumbling over some loose stones that had already been revealed from the recent sandstorm that had occurred right before they ventured into the valley a few days back.

[Noelani 8]

“True.” A soft sigh left Noelani’s lips as she pulled away from Ami and straightened her own belongings, the pack of materials bouncing against her hip from the momentum. The frown, however, quickly disappeared as the limestone piece was held out to her and Noelani could not stop the gasp that echoed Nanami’s own. “You have to be kidding me!” She gushed before holding the piece up towards the light to try and see the etching. It was truly faded but there was something carved there. “You truly are a lucky charm, Ami!” Noelani turned towards the Kawena and wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug, placing a kiss on her lips that deepened for a good long moment before others arrived at the site.

[Noelani 9]

While Ami helped, Noelani raced about the site and encouraged everyone to push through the day. “Evening is already almost here so if we can get everything set up today we can start again early in the morning before the next wave of heat.” She promised the rest while helping with what she could despite her own condition. Noelani was just excited to discover more artifacts to bring back to Oba so that they could expand upon their history, the hybrid just as interested in ancient culture as she was in actual treasures. Another part of her excitement was the hope that this meant they could return to Matori sooner than later, the hybrid eager to see their new home and to watch their family grow. A flush of delight crossed her own cheeks as she peered back to Ami who was helping others to sketch out the area so that they had an idea of where to dig and where to be careful about the ancient pillars and potential artifacts. I truly am fortunate. She thought as she watched the Kawena working without complaint despite how uncomfortable she truly was in the desert. A strong partner who always brought her luck and truly cared about her. Noelani could not wish for anyone better.

Eventually the next few days finally brought about the discovery of the pillars and as hoped there were several artifacts scattered about the area which included tablets with an ancient dance and golden gifts for the god that had been stored away for the rituals. Jewelry for dancing, a golden statue of On’os and even simple instruments decorated with gemstones were also found buried deep within the sands in a hidden cave over the next week and it would be less than a month later that Noelani would return with Ami to Sulburi to share the findings with their benefactor before preparing to return to Matori for a good long break.

[Noelani 10]