Welcome to Gaia! ::

"I hate listening to that bird." He didn't watch the bird leave, instead he kept his gaze focused on the flow of life around him. THough Aversham had a point, he was still lacking himself. Instead of sticking by Reika, he abandoned her to fend for herself. In a way, she would have to go on her own, but not completely. Not everyone was meant to be solitary.

"Only because you know what he says is true. You're just too stubborn to wanna admit it to yourself." The angel stood besides his friend, seeing how he was glancing around. "You know what he says is true for you've told me that all the time. And I did warn you that keeping her in my world isn't going to teach her anything about Gaia. You know it's not.. exactly keen with me so I don't go there often. But Reika needs more exposure in that world in order to make proper sense of it all." He had to admit this city was quite fascinating but this issue needed to be dealt with. "Aversham doesn't understand that Reika tries hard to defend you because she wishes for some sort of harmony between you two. There is only so much she can do and since you are her father, she'll defend you til her face turns blue. But it won't change the fact she is still ignorant."

Koni snorted angrily. "Then what do ye suggest? Letting someone else take care of her?! Trust her to that bird?!"

"Calm yourself... Reika needs to be in Gaia more often. Explore more, see more. She can't be taken away from you, it'll only cause her pain after too long cause of your bond. But she does need to know that she can do things for herself. And she needs to admit to herself that she needs to change her outlook on life and how she does things." He flicked Koni's ear affectionately. "I know you love her, but you can't keep her infantile forever. With how these problems between Reika and Aversham are, I don't see her being so easy going with him right now. Whether that changes or not.. must be decided by her.. and no one else should force her heart." His eyes were firm as he looked at Koni, the ex-god watching him carefully. "I warned you. Not to repeat the mistakes I made with my child.. but I suppose one only truly learns by doing it themselves.. Reika still loves you. Be comforted by that if nothing else." Rolling his shoulders again, since his back was starting to bother him, he clapped a hand onto his shoulder. "Let's find some food! I'm starving!"

**********

"I am sorry..." Her voice was still quiet but she lifted her head slightly and watched her for a moment, watching her look through the items at the store they were currently at. Her eyes grew saddened as she seemed to be thinking more and she sighed heavily. "It's so hard.. I dinnae understand what to do. When .. the Phoneix.." She didn't feel comfortable saying his name at the moment, "spoke about how my life was, I felt that he was right. I knew that I'm... terribly sheltered.. but it's hard to convince Koni-papa to take me out.. how can I force his hand inw ays other than tears or anger? That's not what I want! I mean, Uncle takes me.. but I can't be gone too long or else I don't feel very well and he has to bring me home. The phoneix doesn't like me anymore... and I had been hoping to learn new things with him...

"But at the same time.. I want to get Koni-papa to understand that he isn't dinner..." She rubbed her temples before she sighed. "I guess i'm just tired.. I dinnae get any sleep on the train... and me head is pounding still... mayhap I'm nay making any sense... wouldn't be surprising..."

A lengthly silence followed as she watched Hayaharu pick up more pretty colored glass bracelets. It wasn't a bad thing to like shopping, she had figured out a bit ago. Though Koni-papa detested it, he often took her out to the Zyukori marketplace at home and let her look at all the shinies and such to her heart's content. For her, it was something calming and a bit soothing, something to focus her thoughts from whatever might be bothering her. Yet she hadn't been shopping for quite some time, never truly wishing to leave cause she just didn't understand what to do next. "Koni-papa eats jerky but that's about the limit to the meat he is willing to consume. He tends to like veggies a lot better.

In some way, I dinnae really think that, but he never calls him by name. Only dinner or bird or roast chicken. I always told him that he had a name but Koni-papa just would ignore it..." She ran a hand over her braid a couple of times, her fingers lightly playing with the very tip of it. But then Aversham appeared, she knew that sound of beating wings anywhere and she tensed. Had he not been with Koni-papa and Uncle? Why was he suddenly there with them?? The words he spoke caused her to grip her braid tightly enough to muss it but she didn't respond to that. She had asked him if he didn't want to be her friend anymore cause of these differences, but he had never given her an answer, only told her that she was a person that wasn't worth his time, for all he was acting. Maybe he had never exactly said he didn't like her, but he definately acted that way and he then wouldn't call her by her name.

"...." Feeling more hesitant to speak now more than ever, she carefully hopped off Hayaharu's shoulder, holding Kanjiru close as she practiced her glide ability down to the table itself. She wanted to see the pretty items up close and personal. And to keep some space between her and Aversham. Just Lady Hayaharu's shoulder space was not enough to make her comfortable. And though she wobbled a bit on the way down, she did make it reasonably safely and lightly tapped down. But she didn't face them, she just knelt next to some bracelets and looked at them. It took awhile before she said anything. "I'm sure Koni-papa say something stupid again..."

"mm..." And I'm sure ye said something just as stupid to provoke him.. but she kept that part to herself. Trying to figure them out was killing her head and she was tired of it. In the end, it didn't matter really.. Aversham obviously just didn't care, no matter if he never said he didn't like her. Sometimes, words meant nothing to actions... that's what Akiya said once. And only now was she really understanding it.. or trying harder to. Letting the way they acted get to her everytime was going to just be the death of her and she knew it.

But she distracted herself by picking up a few pretty orbs, admiring who clearly it reflected her features back. Though her eyes looked red and yucky and her face felt swollen, she still thought they were pretty. Picking up a dark red one, she lifted it up. "I like this one, Lady Hayaharu!" At her feet was a plain looking necklace that had what appeared to be phoneix feathers etched into the surface of the flat piece of silver in the center. She thought it looked nice. "Lady Hayaharu, is there a place to get moochi? I'm kinda hungry.." (I think it has two 'o's >>) She lightly rubbed at her tummy with a hand. "And Kanjiru is as well..."

Reika was more than happy to remain focused on her new jewel, looking at her reflection and giggling as Kanjiru attempted to make funny faces into it. He and the other familiars were worried about her lack of smiling or happiness back at home, so it relieved him somewhat to see she was feeling a bit better now. Though he had no idea what was truly causing her pain, since she would only cry back then and not say much, nor would they press this issue, this was a most welcomed change. Reika focused most of her energy on Kanjiru and the orb, trusting Hayaharu to do what she wanted to at her leisure. For a moment or two, she wondered what Koni and her Uncle were doing.. she hoped they had gone to find proper lodgings for them all. Lady Hayaharu would be most displeased if they didn't.. especially at Koni.

At the Teahouse, she couldn't help gazing around in admiration, since she really liked how it felt there. When the menu was brought to her, she peered at it in bafflement before she was able to make the words out. "If it isn't a bother.. I would like some green tea and some moochi, please?" That was all she needed at the moment to be completely happy.

Not noticing that anyone was looking at them oddly, she hopped down onto the table, floating at the last moment so she didn't slip and fall and went over to where her food had been placed. Kanjiru ran about in happy circles before settling at her side when she sat down, tucking her bare feet underneath her. She really should have worn her boots today but she hadn't thought about it. Ah well, not much to do now about it anyway.

Carefully lifting up the first moochi, she murmured a soft prayer before she carefully took a bite. If she could have saved anything, she would have brought one back to Koni and Akiya, but she figured they'd find their own place to eat food or something. Sharing bits of it with Kanjiru, she did stop every now and then to take a hefty sip of her tea. Ah! This was just perfect for a meal! Just filling enough without making her feel overfull! heart

A couple of minutes later, she looked over at Hayaharu and tilted her head a bit. "Does it feel good? To be back home again, I mean."

She listened intently, wondering what lady Hayaharu had to be thinking about while dealing with being home again. She was sure it had to be a relief of sorts but it also had to be difficult, especially if things had changed. Returning her smile a bit shyly, she went back to finishing her meal. "Never forget.." But what about the place Reika had originally come from? She really didn't remember anything about it at all. Just the book that had kept her prisioner and that was only in broken images and hazy dreams.

Sighing a bit, she shook her head mentally to stop thinking about it and took out her new bauble, setting it down next to Kanjiru so he could continue to make faces into it, pressing his nose against the surface to try to see inside of it. He was so cute.. it was enough to make her smile for a little bit. Was it easy to ignore the fact Aversham and Onion were there? Not in the least.. but it was the only thing she could do. Aversham's words of saying he never said he didn't like her meant nothing now. He didn't say those words when she had asked him repeatedly if he was no longer her friend. If he didn't like her anymore because of her upbringing. He had just ignored it. So those words were meaningless and she was sure he wouldn't miss her so called 'companionship' that much. He had Onion and from what Uncle Akiya said, Onion was more than companion enough for anyone.

Finishing off her last bit of tea, she studied the drags at the bottom of her cup for a moment before setting it down and zoned out. Her eyes dulled a bit as she tried to link up with Koni, to find out what he and Akiya were doing currently. It took a bit since the place was more crowded and she was unfamiliar with it but when she did locate them, she was happy. Apparently, they had found lodgings, because both were without their travelling bags and were wandering through the area, Akiya eating some food and looking like he had just crawled out of bed. Koni had his hood firmly over his head and kept it low as they checked out everything. But the link wasn't strong enough witht his new place and the image was gone pretty quickly, causing her to hold onto a small pendant she had hidden under her clothes for a second. It was because of that pendant she was able to do that, a gift from Akiya, who wasn't sure if she could even use it. Least they were okay.. that was one less worry for her. After she had blinked for a bit, she looked at Hayaharu again to see if she was done. "What is the main city like?"

She couldn't help being curious..

[[Meanwhile]]

At the Merchant Gates the guards began to shift restlessly. At various vantage points across the border the beacon had been set alight to warn of an approaching menace. Necks craned and eyes expectant they waited for the tell tale signs of invasion only to be met by the extravagant dragon as it approached them at such rapid speeds. While few knew how to react in the given circumstances there were a select few who would recognise the great beast...

Whether they be from past adventures, or from connections made elsewhere - they came out from their lodgings to lay in wait for the arrival of the creature.

The entire journey there, Mirror kept himself quiet and entertained with the frightening fact that he couldn't grip onto the dragon's lacey fur to hold on. In fact, the entire ride Mirror felt and dreaded that his ethereal form would get pulled off by some strange breeze and end up being thrust into nowhere like a stray feather or kite. Somehow or other, he managed to stay on, either by willpower or something else entirely. The grief had momentarily melted off his face to replaced with indifference and muteness. When they began coming within the sight of their destination, Mirror glanced up and straightened his shoulders. He glanced once at his other companions and then down to Roan, and gave a breathy sigh.

Almost there...