Welcome to Gaia! ::

Amai frowned, "old? but-" he looked at Tralf, "i don't understand. why would you be old?"

Tralf smiled, "length of life is measured differently outside of Falia. the world cannot sustain the lives and therefore they are shorter. Thirty is considered a little less than half of a lifetime."

Amai's eyes widened and he hugged Chelsea tight, "You can't leave! you'll die!"

Leo nodded, "i'm sure he will be fine. he does have half faie in him, you know. we tend to heal quickly, with minimal scaring." he sat down next to the boys and watched them play, yuki shifting to his human form. he was on his stomach and lifted his head up, trying to look around, but he quickly found this to be too difficult and shifted back to his cub form.

Nix smiled, "Hello!" she moved to sit next to KAshi, "how are you? i came to visit the girls, but i wanted to see you too. have you been alright without Tsume around?"

Amai pulled away, tears in his eyes, "you promise?" he sniffed and wiped his nose with his sleeve, "you won't die, right? i don't want you to die." he hugged Chelsea again, "don't go cold. your family will be sad if you go cold."

Tralf patted Amai's head, "he's had a bit of...trauma," he explained softly, lifting Amai and hugging him close as he sat back down, "sorry that he's so pushy."

Leo laughed, "especially after our little trip to the desert. i am glad you've recovered so well, Falia is good for you." he kissed Elliot's cheek, "sorry i wasn't able to be much of a help to you then. i had hoped your motion sickness would be one thing the children didn't inherit from you."

Nix watched Kashi's eyes and his expressions when he spoke, reading his body language to see if he was telling the truth or not. "I think being a daddy will suit him. but you might have a lot of work to do once the little ones come. he's not going to have much time, especially since there are going to a couple larger groups in the mix." she shrugged and picked up an extra polishing cloth and got to work, "i've nothing to do until the girls get out of class, so let me help."

Once again, a small pained look crossed Tralf's face, "Amai, she promised, see? so there is nothing to be afraid of." he smiled at the boy and put him down, "Why don't you go and find Maia? i bet she's awake by now and wants to play."

Amai nodded, "ok! bye, Chelsea! Bye Tralf!" he waved and ran off with the enthusiasm of any child, his fears all but forgotten in the face of getting to go and play.

Tralf looked away a little, "it is more his loss than my own," he replied as soon as Amai was out of hearing distance. "His mother-I," he rubbed the back of his head, "i was not much a fan of hers. she was a bit-forceful and would disappear from time to time. i didn't even know about Amai until last spring, when he showed up at my door."

Leo smiled and kissed Elliot's cheek, "we should take the papers to Saleh and his mother so they can sign them and make them official. we might have to have the librarians translate it into their own language, but for now they should sign these and make their kingdom official." he picked up Rin and Yuki and held them out to their father, "here you go. carry away."

Nix frowned a little, "i am sorry you have been lonely. they will come to realise that you are your own person soon enough, but you have to show it to them rather than hide away." she smiled a little, trying to encourage him. "it's pretty crazy over there right now. did you hear about the attack?" only after she had said it did she realize hearing that Kasp attacked innocent people wouldn't be good for Kashi. it was too late, though. "Kasp pulled their usual tricks, brother is furious. he wanted to sent our guard after them, but Elliot is holding him back for now, i guess. anyways, they had to use the shadow demons to get everyone out fast and there were a lot injured and many dead. it's really sad and there is a lot going on mentally. we decided it would be best if i avoided the area for now, it was too much for me to hold it all back." she shrugged, "but they are safe and healed and i think that the aura of the forest will be good for them. it's really hard not to be effected by the trees, you know?"

Tralf smiled, "yeah, he's warmed up to me. he didn't like me much at first, but who knows what his mother told him about me. but he's come around, and i am grateful for that. being a parent is hard, but it's satisfying when you see them smiling at you as soon as you enter the room." he was glad Chelsea didn't push further, the story of Amai's conception wasn't one he liked to revisit. "so, when would you like to start working on shifting?"

Leo nodded, "yes, you are right. there is still much to do." he smiled at Elliot's joy with his sons, they adored him as much as he adored them. he opened the door for Elliot and followed him down, "my father will probably put the rail back on these stairs for when we visit with the boys. it's a sort of mesh, so they won't be able to fall off."

Nix gently patted Kashi's hand, "tsume is fine. someone would have come for you if he was hurt. Latia-the land itself i do not know, but the people's tents and things were all lost. Falia's working to replace everything they lost, using materials that we have that can stand up to the heat and retain cool, so i hope things will be a little better for them in that way. we are even using their clothing as a sort of guide to what patterns and colors to use. we are doing everything we can, but the depression and-well, brokenness is high. they will recover, they are a strong people. i could tell that much before i ran away."

Tralf couldn't help it, he tensed slightly when Chelsea hugged him, his heart rate raising, but he took a deep breath and calmed himself, "thank you, that is very kind." he smiled at her and nodded, "no time like the present. let's see what you know." he looked Chelsea over, "just sit down and close your eyes. look deep inside of yourself and search for something that feels different from everything else. something that feels more primal. thinking back on a time when you felt a strong emotion might help."

Leo nodded, "it's strong material and a thin weave, you can see out of it, but not pass it. even small animals have a hard time, there is no way the boys could make it through." he stopped at Elliot's words, confused, "you want more?" he asked, moving to Elliot's side and looking at the boys, hoping Elliot wasn't saying they should claim to have adopted the boys.

Nix smiled, "we have spent so many years cut off from the world, it's about time we started living within it once more." she finished with the fork she was working on and picked up the next, "The very earth and water of Falia is seeping with all of the magic and power that once filled the entire world. all of that building up, storing for hundreds of years and now it is finally being put to use. i think it will be a great long while before we run out." she smiled, "that is why so many of power are born there and why the longer the power builds, the stronger they become." which explained the twins, there was no way that Leo and Elliot could keep that big of a secret from her. they were born with a direct influence from that power source, it only made sense they were scarily strong.

Tralf nodded, "understandable, you've lived in a castle for most of your life. not much exciting happens there, yeah?" he chuckled and moved closer to Chelsea, he hesitated a second before taking her hands into his own, "ok, so let's try something else. you were afraid there for a second, try going back to that, but imagining that the two princes were in your care. imagine them in danger, someone is coming for them specifically, they want to hurt them, to kill them slowly and make you watch. you are too weak to stop them. they take the boys from you, their tiny little bodies struggle, wanting you. they cry, screaming for you, but you can't reach them. you can't save them, not like this. you have to be stronger, you have to grow, make your arms longer, stand up taller, reach for the boys and take them back!"

Leo smiled, "that would be nice. having younger siblings to be accountable for help you a great deal, i think." he head for where the Latain people were camped, looking for Saleh and finding him quickly enough. it wasn't hard, he was where the most Falian helpers had gathered, taking their directions from the young king. "Hello, again," Leo said, smiling as the young man that had assigned himself permanently to Saleh translated. "how are you doing? do you need anything?"

"who says we haven't already?" Nix asked softly, Kashi voicing a fear she had about her young nephews. the elders had wanted them born, had made it so they were conceived and Nix couldn't shake the feeling that the elders had their own agenda for the boys. she just prayed that she was wrong, that they would grow up to be as normal as anyone from her family ever could be. "when you finish here, you should visit Falia, i bet Tsume would be happy to see you."

Tralf shifted and blocked Chelsea's advance easily, the girl struggling to adjust to four legs instead of two. she stood on her hind legs and brushed her fur, before turning to look at her clothes and letting out a whine. "sorry about that," he said, struggling not to laugh, "but i figured you didn't want to strip if front of a man you'd just met. i have some spare clothing you can use for now." he shifted to his normal form, his clothing still on his body, much like Tsume, as he went to his closet. "i'll teach you about shifting clothing later, for now we were just working on being able to shift at all." he pulled out a large shirt and tight pants, the shirt would cover her for the most part, but the pants should fit as well. "here."

Leo smiled and waved to the girls before sitting down beside Saleh, "we have the guidelines for forming a new country. we haven't had it translated yet, but we thought that you would like it as soon as possible. we can take you to the library where they will be able to write it out in your own language for you."

Nix nodded, "i am sure you are right. i just-" she sighed as her hands stopped their polishing and she looked at nothing, "i feel like there is going to be some change. something big. the world is alright for now, but something is going to shift and i think we are just at the beginning of it." she shrugged, "but i could be wrong. i very easily could be wrong."

Tralf looked Chelsea over, "you can still speak, you know. you're words will e a bit mushy at first, but it goes away once you get used to it." he walked over to her, "now, to shift back, think about your human form and imagine your body flowing into that form, keep a clear image of it in your head. remember what it feels like, focus on that."

Leo nodded, "we will be there to help as much as you would like us to." he waited for the translator to finish before offering Saleh his hand, "shall we go and get it translated, then?"

Nix smiled, "i really hope you are right, Kashi. maybe i am just being pessimistic, not the first time i've been that way." she shrugged and went back to work, letting silence fall. if Kashi wanted to break it, he could, but for now the quiet companionship was nice.