Welcome to Gaia! ::

A/N: i think i'm allowed to call Chef as Shawn in Alice's mind. o:

Alice stayed silent as she watched her friend alternate between hugs and releasing. It was comforting, in all her honesty, and both of them had obviously needed the contact more than anything. However, as guilty as she noticed it, Shawn's emotional state was at its breaking point, and the realisation that her disappearance had a major part in it was hurtful to say the least. The insult wasn't even an insult, and he should have known that. Alice frowned at the sight of her spiritual counterpart. Tears were running down his cheeks and there were darkened circles under his eyes, making his appearance look more stressed than exhausted if not both. She didn't chuckle at the expected outburst.

All of his feelings were poured out in a way that she could only describe as best as she could of him. For four months, she thought regretfully. Her eyes gravitated to the floor, suddenly ashamed for having made him worry for so long. Then, images of other people flashed into her mind: her family, trustees, the BFAA, and most of all, her upcoming husband. The weight of her friend's words suddenly bore down on her intensely, horrified at the news of his draining sanity. All because of her. She inhaled, wanting to recoil but refusing the urge to run. Before she could say anything about it, Shawn pulled her into a hug, looking much better than he did in the past five minutes. The amount of comfort she felt was soothing, and so Alice hugged him back with as much affection and without a word. So strong, the brunette inwardly smiled, he just doesn't know it much.

Alice, feeling slightly clingy, nuzzled her head in the crook of Shawn's neck and hoped that he would get the message that if they were to talk, the best place would be at the kitchen where she could-- with as much grace as she could gather-- stuff her face with delicious food that only her friend Kagura could make even at the most dangerous of times. She stayed still for a few seconds before lifting her face and started to tug him out of the room, never letting go of his hand as they started to go down the main stairs. Shawn.. I'm so sorry for everything, she hesitantly started, voice quiet to prevent others from overhearing, but everything I will say has to be kept in private. Alice knew the graveness of her decision, but it would be safer to tell him. She knew he will keep anything between the two of them even if goes against what he believes or acts on. It was also unnecessary to mention that he had to keep it private, but she needed to hear a reassurance.

If it had been anyone other than Shawn, they would not notice the way her posture stiffened, her wandering eyes, and especially the slight twitching of her nose which only her close friend would be able to tell as a sign of nervousness and alert. How, the voice in her head would sometimes ask, and she would only smile at the times she had constantly spent with the man she grew to love as an immediate individual. The voice would stop then, understanding the answer.

T-The coma wasn't from a natural phenomenon, and I could tell that you already knew, she whispered, but there is a reason for it, why I keep disappearing for periods of time, and it's going to happen more frequently. Alice tried to say more as they turned to the curve leading to the kitchen's entrance. She paused in her explanation as she heard multiple voices talking at once. A small noise escaped her lips. She didn't expect the company because she thought it would only be Caelen or Kagura inside cooking the food. A quick look at Shawn had him silent in an instant. The talk would have to be continued elsewhere, but that didn't mean that she wasnt going to eat.

True to her unsaid words, Alice led Shawn up to the door and let him open it for her because both knew she would force him to do it anyway. She hid a smile behind his back as they entered the kitchen. The room smelt as wonderful as she last remembered it, but the company seated were new to her knowledge. Before she could identify the number of people inside the kitchen, her stomach growled a little too loudly. Alice's face grew three shades darker in embarrassment and bashfully hid behind Shawn, who-- the traitor-- was laughing at her expense. Their conjoined hands became tighter as Alice tried to find a way to get back at her friend and failing because she knew her strength would never match his. Without a single thought, her mouth opened to allow an insult fly towards his face and smash it to the wall near him, but she never got the chance as a blur-- or what looked like two-- whizzed across the room to gather her rather muddied appearance in a tight hug.

"Oh really?" Lorelei watched as Leif pulled a hedgehog out of his bag, followed by what seemed to be some sort of bun. Lorelei smiled as she was offered a piece of it. "Thank you." Lorelei took a bite. The texture felt more like a bun, but it was sugary like a sweet roll. She washed it down with the water she was given. "It's not too bad. The only thing I'd say to work on is the texture, perhaps? Also, who's that little guy?" Lorelei pointed to the sleeping creature.

People chattered away busily in the kitchen, each with their own perspectives on the goings on of late. For the most part, it was a lot of making assumptions based on half knowledge and trying to come to terms with the grave reality of the situation at hand. All the while, Caelen was perfectly happy to sit by and say nothing. After all, it was not a butler’s place to interject their opinions unless directly ordered. He had sensed the powerful vibes that emanated from the newcomers as each arrived. Aylin was correct, they were all about to be plunged into a battle that could very well change the face of Gaia and the ways of life that had gone on since time immemorial.

An odd growl roused the butler from his inner musings, causing him to look over toward the kitchen door. He knew she was back, but it still made his heart flutter with joy and relief at seeing Miss Alice standing there, a mixture of both embarrassment and deviousness coloring her expression. It was no wonder; her spirit twin seemed to be laughing at her expense.

Ah, Chef looks as if the weight of the world has finally been lifted from his shoulders. I know he’s been just as worried, possibly even more so, about Alice as I have been. Well, I’d best not delay the grand reunion.

Without another thought, Caelen darted from his seat at the table in a blur and raced over to Alice, scooping her up in a twirling bear hug. He couldn’t decide whether he wanted to laugh or cry or both.

Miss Alice! Don’t you dare ever worry us that much ever again! Do you have any idea how distraught both Chef and myself have been over you these past months? I’m just glad you are back among the waking world. My dear little doll, you should take better care of yourself.

Caelen was considerably taller than Miss Alice, so when he held her it was like holding a delicate porcelain doll. In fact, he often referred to Alice as his little doll. It was a sign of his endearment toward her. He considered her to be as a younger sister to him. Caelen finally let go of Alice and set her gently back on the ground. She appeared a bit pale to his keen eyes, but other than that, she was presumably unharmed physically. Cae wasn’t so sure about her mental or emotional state.

The butler’s timing was impeccable. No sooner had he set down his would-be little sister, than Celestine came in through the same old servant passage she had brought Terra along earlier. She had changed into a flowing purple and blue maxi skirt and a frilly black gypsy blouse with beaded accents. Her dark hair was partially up in a ponytail. Long, sheer purple fingerless gloves encased her hands and arms. She looked very much like a mystic from a fantasy story. Caelen noted though, her mark was still showing. She had stopped bothering to cover it several months back.

The moment Celestine entered the kitchen and saw Alice, she sprinted over to her dear friend and embraced Alice in a sisterly hug.

My dear Alice! When did you wake up? We’ve all been so worried about you. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you. After all, you are the closest thing I have to a sister in this world. Please, tell me what’s going on.

Cel was on the verge of tears, but she forced herself to remain steady. Stepping back from Alice, she looked into the young woman’s deep green eyes. She saw much anguish and stress there, but it was peppered by a certain degree of relief and joy. Cel smiled, hoping Alice would eventually become more like the girl they all knew, the girl who teased Chef at every turn and was fiercely loyal to her close friends. Then out of nowhere, a growl of hunger emitted from Alice, and Cel had to giggle just a bit.

You must be dreadfully hungry. Come Alice, Aylin is back, and she fixed dinner for us.

Wasting not another moment, Cel took hold of Alice’s dainty hand and led her over to the table. She turned back and looked at Chef. He was very relieved, but a new concern was casting a shadow on his relief.

Will our troubles never end? Cel wondered mentally asked as she pulled out a chair for Alice.

Sardis

The abysmal conditions were grating. Sardis made his way in the direction of the manner, across the sight of all the recent excitement. It didn't want to be seen, but, with the weather so poor and all the commotion, it wasn't likely anyone would be out and about. As he lazily meandered past the bulletin board he stopped dead in his tracks. Something was out of the ordinary...well, a lot was out of the ordinary...but this was more so. The damp air was permeated with the stink of dampness but he could still smell it. A black rose, one that was giving off a trace amount of dark energy.

He moved closer and saw that it was stuck to something. Huh, what's this a note or something?" He reached out and plucked the whole thing off the board and quickly stuffed it into his robes. Looking around, he found a dry place and flew over to it shaking his wings a few times before removing the objects of interest. He ran his tongue over his lips; he was a curious sort, always hoping to find things of value. He wasn't sure what it all meant when he saw it, though. It was a map, obviously. And he felt the rose meant something more than just to show off the map itself. As he was pondering that creeping sensation of being watched came upon him. He checked the area and then felt something pass by him.

He felt like bugging out until it called to him. It was the master's voice--but, how could she be doing such things from inside the cave? Then he saw it snaking toward him along the ground. The mist was there again and Sardis didn't even want to know how or why. This time it formed into blob and rose into the air, floating toward him without a sound. As it reached him three protrusions jutted out forming two wings and a tail. It was followed by others which became a head and neck and a set of arms and legs. Sardis shuddered as it stopped in front of him in the form of a dark violet dragon.

It wasn't a very threatening thing to look at (as long as you didn't know what it was made out of) and it let out a little chirp at him which almost sounded cute. The creature was two feet tall and about three feet long. It was looking intently at the objects he held. I guess this thing senses the energy he thought before it lunged at him grabbing the map and rose in it's mouth. He looked at him a few more moments making muffled chirps and cooing sounds. But, to Sardis, it was the voice of his master he heard. She was telling him to get a move on to find the Senshi.

He shook his head as the mist dragon took to the air, seeming not to notice the crumby weather. He snuffled a bit and kicked a small pebble out into the rain soaked square. The mist was certainly odd. It was his master...and his master was odd. She was the person, Ayel. That's who you saw and interacted with. That was the voice of his master...Then there was whatever his master was before she was Ayel; that was the power of his master. And then there was mist, that was the driving force of his master. Each one of them were both the same and separate. Ayel, from what he'd heard, had been a little girl whose body was consumed by the other two so they could adapt to be in the world after years upon years of being buried. Whatever the master's "true form" was, it was brutish and cruel. It was a horrible monster of some ilk. One that in ancient times had it's own physical form and ravaged that land with its terrible might. The mist, well, the mist was the mist. It just was.

Ayel herself had no real idea where it came from or how she ended up using it. It was as if three different lifeforms ended up being compressed into one being. Sardis began to wonder if his sandbagging would be noticed so he frowned and went back into the rain on the path he'd been going. The map was safely on it's way to Ayel and he was on his way (not-so-safely) to parts unknown. The journey was cold, wet, and miserable. He grumbled under his breath the entire way. In fact, he might have just kept staring at the ground complaining and not even noticed the lights of the mansion ahead of him if not for a sudden sneezing fit.

After he was done, he glanced up and saw, what appeared a very large and opulent structure. He wasn't sure if this was what he was looking for, but he figured he might as well take a look. It took but a few moments for him to sense other powers. He lowered himself to the ground and peered into the night at the mansion. He snuck forward and then crept behind a bush and gazed at the building. This must be the place. Too much light energy gathered in one spot to just be a gathering of stuffy swells. And something else...maybe a demon as well...Better get less noticeable. With his thinking done he poofed into his smaller imp form. He was now a small black ball with two red eyes, a mouth, wings, and a tail. He would be hard to spot now and so, he began prowling around the perimeter of the mansion's property not daring to get close enough to be detected. At least, he hoped not close enough. If the master wanted him to spy on them, then they must have been bad enough dudes to either piss her off or make her see them as a threat. And he didn't want to think about what kind of dudes that would be.

Although Chef had asked his close friend whether or not she wished to remain in the privacy of his room or go downstairs to talk over dinner, he would have preferred she chose the latter option. He was probably just as hungry as she was at this point, and he didn't think there would be many people in the kitchen. So he was rather pleased that Alice suddenly took him by the hand and dragged him out of the room and down the main stairs. On the way to the kitchen, Alice apologized for this whole ordeal that caused her close friend great pain and stress over the last four months. She then quietly explained that whatever she was planning on saying needed to be kept private, and her behavior only seemed to reinforce this point. She appeared to be tense, paranoid, cautious not to let anyone overhear if they happened to be nearby. Others may not have been able to detect the nuances of her body language, but others couldn't call themselves Alice's twin either. As she looked back at him, hoping for a response of some sort, Chef gave her a most reassuring look.

"I understand, Alice," he replied sincerely. If there was one thing Chef was especially good at, it was keeping private matters and secrets to himself. In a life long gone, keeping secrets was essential in his line of work. He endured months of training to make him unbreakable in the event of capture and interrogation. He couldn't afford to reveal anything, not even to those who were supposed to be his allies. Secrecy was what held that entire branch of the military together. It was what held his entire life together. But even now when secrecy was not needed so much for a much simpler life on Gaia, old habits die hard. What Alice had to say next with regards to her situation was going to remain locked in Chef's mind for as long as she needed. No one was to find out, not even his good friends in the Manor, until Alice decided it was okay to let them now. Chef had grown to hate keeping people close to him in the dark during his days as an intelligence officer, but he knew it was something that needed to be done, for the safety of everyone.

Alice started with a whisper, explaining that there wasn't anything remotely natural about what happened to her, though Chef expected as much. But he didn't expect her to go on by saying that her disappearances were about to become more frequent. It was something that brought him down, a bit, and he made it known to Alice that it was a rather disappointing bit of news. But instead of moping about her inevitable next disappearance, he decided he was going to make the best out of the time she had to spend with him and everyone else in the Manor. Alice was about to continue, but stopped just short of entering the kitchen. The two looked at each other and came to the mutual agreement that not another word was to be spoken on this matter. It was something to be dealt with later, for now it was time to sit down and eat good food with good company.

Chef opened the doors to the kitchen like the upstanding gentleman Alice forced him to be for her and followed her in. The smell was even more amazing than when it first graced his sense of smell, and it proved too much for Alice's stomach which promptly let out a very loud growl in a perfectly silent situation. All of Chef's worries about today, about the council, Alice, Terra, and everything else that worried him vanished in an instant as he burst out laughing at his twin's sudden outburst. He knew she was likely to retaliate, but before she could do anything she found herself spinning in the air, courtesy of Caelen. Chef couldn't help but smile and chuckle to himself as the two exchanged their usual teases and Caelen expressed relief at having her back. It was no sooner after the demon butler put Alice down that Celestine emerged from the backstairs and ran over to embrace her. Chef let out a contented sigh as he stepped into the kitchen to greet all those inside.

"Boy, it sure is great to have everything back to... relatively normal levels." As he stepped to the side of Celestine and Alice to enter the kitchen, he took a moment to quickly survey everyone present. There was Caelen, Celestine, and Kagura, of course. And there were several new faces aside from Terra which included two other young ladies, an angel imp, a small dragon, and a gray cat sitting on the kitchen island. And standing by the kitchen island was a face Chef hasn't seen in months. "Aylin! Guess I was right about hearing you earlier. It's great seeing you again! It's been... Wow, it's been about four months since you last dropped in. Y'know we've missed you here!" While Chef knew very important business must have kept Aylin busy and away from the Manor, he figured it would be best not to mention it in case it brought up something sensitive. Plus a serious topic had been brought up and he needed to address everyone. He quickly greeted all the guests before getting straight to the point.

"Yes, yes. I really hate to rain on this parade here, but Alice is right. Something's going on in town. Something bad." Terra, who had been quite content to sit quietly in her seat and avoid saying or doing something other than eat her pasta so as not to embarrass herself finally took this chance to speak up.

"You're telling me!" the teen exclaimed. Finally she had time and energy to vent all the frustrations that have built up over the day, and she didn't really care if it was to complete strangers that she was ranting. "Two days in this town and I've dealt with more weirdness and rotten luck than in the rest of the sixteen years I've been alive! I came face to... well I wouldn't say that thing had a face, but... Uh... Anyway! There was this clone of me, but it was made of water, and it came after me! And, uh... Aylin, was it? You think me and some other person are here for the same reason as you? So that means there are more of them!? What are we supposed to do about them, huh?" Terra sat back down, slumped against her seat, and got back to her pasta after getting all her frustration out. She got so fired up that she didn't even realize she stood up in the first place. But she said what she needed; she did not feel safe in the least bit. She was scared for her life after today.

Lorelei nodded gently to Leif's answer. "That's true, I do think we do all have the power to conserve heat." Truthfully, Lorelei could produce fire and small novas as a senshi, but as an ordinary gaian she was powerless. "Don't worry, it's not bothersome. I'm just fascinated by your wings." The crimson haired woman assured.

Lorelei saw Leif sink to his knees. She quickly grasped his hands. "You are strong. I know it. Don't let your own emotions get to you." Lorelei somehow knew that Leif was in a mindset that she had once been. The feeling of not knowing who she was or why she was here. It was better just to move past and not let the negativity cloud her mind. She was searching for answers she had not yet heard. Her mission was to find the ones who would save the world. The rest would come in time. Right now, Lorelei tried to transfer her warmth to Leif and gave him positive assurance.

i want to believe you . .. Falling a bit deeper in to his own darker thoughts Leifs energy surged like an avalanche before all together ceasing not with a bang but more of a whimper as a small flame of energy trickled back to him from Lorelei as he sat there just trying to come to terms before he felt the reassurance. Slowly an Aurora glittered off the feathers as heat came back with a small smile of Self assurance several moments later and a gentle but yet resolute squeeze of Loreleis hand as if to say thanks and im here.