Welcome to Gaia! ::

The Place: A large wooden gazebo in the gardens of the Barton Manor

The Time: Sunrise Day 3

Aylin rose with the sun. She didn't care who else would be awake in the manor at the ungodly hour of the morning but Aylin was always up with the morning sun. As was ritual in her life since spending time with the brothers and sisters of the Abbey on Porta Denia, Aylin craved, and was actually addicted to, her morning meditation. However, the distinct lack of her homemade altar to Orrin's memory had Aylin looking for a suitable replacement to the meditation space in her little cottage. The large whitewashed wooden gazebo in the back gardens of the manor that was normally used for outdoor tea service was the perfect place for Aylin to conduct her morning ritual. It was for this reason that Aylin would, under normal circumstances, leave the manor and head for home no matter what time of night was on the clock.

With the duplicates on the other side of the manor walls Aylin and the others had been forced to remain at the manor overnight. And while Chef, Alice, Kagura, Cree, and Cel were more than used to spending nights in the manor the others weren't. The home cooked comfort food and Caelen's attention to their overall comfort had helped to ease the girls' worries somewhat. However, Kai's mouth and lack of thinking before talking had nearly undone that work, which had Aylin giving him a dead tired brief and to the point talking to from their bed. Aylin was still very much on edge and still very much giving herself a mental lashing, and Kai some hard looks, when she woke that morning over what had happened the day before, both in the square and in the manor. Tensions among some were still very high and if she was going to help turn them into the team she knew they could be they needed to be eased. It was for that reason she needed her morning meditation far more than most mornings. And, after a quick rinse to freshen up for the day Aylin used a little magic to conjure up the ritual linen dress and armor from her clan's marriage ceremony that she had begun wearing on a more consistent basis.

Seated upon her knees with her eyes closed on the floor of the gazebo Aylin took in a long deep calming breath as she focused her inner energy outward. To her left, Kai mirrored her meditative state as he too, with eyes closed, let out deep calming breaths. Both pixie and feline were in desperate need of the healing power of a good meditative session. With her hands out at her sides, Aylin began reciting a prayer to the patron goddess of the planet to give her strength in the coming war. It was a simple prayer in the standard human language of Gaia the brothers and sisters of the Abbey had said human soldiers often used before going into battle. It was a prayer used heavily during times of war.

"May the mother goddess keeper of us all give me the strength to do right in battle, may her light guide me down the path of truth and virtue, and may she protect us all as we protect others in her name during times of peace and war," Aylin prayed keeping her eyes closed.

War, it was such a simple three letter word and yet it was one Aylin wished was only spoken among words of past tense in a historical nature. Aylin was trained to handle the physical and emotional stress of war as she was certain Caelen was as well. However, Prim and the other girls she had met the day before and some members of the BFAA were not. While it was true the Bartobs had extraordinary talents, Aylin was uncertain if they were battle tested in war. Preparing two groups to fight not only whatever it was that lurked under the very foundations of Barton itself but the evils outside the walls of the town was going to be no easy task. Aylin knew the Bartobs were more than capable of training for the upcoming battle, however, the innocent teenage girls, some no older than Jen, were just not ready.

"Orrin," Aylin began softly, eyes open, as she fingered the rose gold ring inlaid with a white jade rose he had given her on their Joining Day, "I don't know if I can prepare such innocent girls for war. They shouldn't have to go through all of this. They're just babies like Jen."

"And yet one, maybe two of them, has the power to turn into a magical warrior like you even if they all carry that same magic. Whether they should be going through this or not, they were destined for that power like you were destined for that broach," Kai cut in from her left as he opened his eyes.

"Is it right that we should be taking their innocence away from them by turning them into soldiers for war?"

"Those things on the other side of the walls surrounding these grounds have more than seen to that by now. The moment they came into contact with them those girls ceased to be innocent. Like it or not, they need to be taught how to defend themselves against those duplicates. Besides, a little basic self defense knowledge is never a bad thing," Kai reasoned with Aylin, his advanced years and experience showing through.

Letting out a deep sigh Aylin resigned herself to the fact that Kai was right. The girls were now a part of the battle between light and dark whether they planned to be or not. "I guess all we can do now is make sure these girls have the knowledge to keep themselves alive in this war."

August was delving into the last half of the year. The sun rose a bit later than it had at full summer. At 5:30 AM, the sun had not yet crept into the sky as Caelen roused himself from his brooding thoughts. With a sigh, he dressed in a clean set of clothing for the day, filched his shampoo and bath towel from his adjoining bathroom, and headed downstairs.

The halls echoed hollowly with each step as the butler made his way to the first floor, down the grand staircase, and into the kitchen. He stopped briefly upon entering to see that the dinner mess from the previous night had been completely cleared away. Not a trace was left behind. Touched, Caelen realized that Kagura had probably taken care of the duties Caelen should have performed. He hoped she had gotten some aid in the task.

He drew his attention away from the clear table and headed over to the kitchen sink. The towel and shampoo he set down on the counter next to the sink. Then Caelen proceeded to remove his smart vest and crisp white shirt, placing them over the back of a nearby chair. He then turned on the hot water at the sink, adding in some cold to make it warm instead of scalding hot. Pulling the sprayer attachment up from the sink, Cae leaned his head over the sink to dampen his hair down before using the shampoo he had brought with him. Satisfied he had created enough bubbles, he used the sprayer again to rinse his hair. Finished, he put the sprayer back, turned off the faucet, and started to towel-dry his hair.

Lorelei was very intrigued by Leif's story; that he'd come from a place unfamiliar to her. His town was full 'sagely spirits, warriors, and wise-men and women.' She hoped she could visit his home one day too. Lorelei smiled to Leif, and took a moment to think about the questions she'd been given. "I don't really mind at all, seeing as I can't really go home now, and wouldn't want to leave you anyway." They had spent so long talking that the sun was now coming up, and the rain had stopped. "I suppose we could find a place to stay. The sun is coming up." While Lorelei had felt somewhat tired, she kept herself awake; the adventure of flight excited her. She wanted to know more about Leif, but also find out more about the others.

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Prim stirred early even though she had gone to bed late. She was still holding the kiki kitty plush that Cree had given her. It was true, the plush did help her sleep through the night. She smiled to herself thinking about Cree and all of those cute kittens. She was happy that she had gotten a hug and that everyone she had met here were kind. "This place really does have some interesting, but nice people." She thought. She really thought she could be friends with all of them. It's all Prim ever really wanted, friends she could enjoy things with and have silly conversations with. Unfortunately, the first friend she had made had moved away. Prim wouldn't forget Yume though, and in time they'd see each other again. After reminiscing, Prim took a long stretch and headed down to the kitchen.

As she approached the kitchen, Prim heard the sound of the running water. She wondered who'd be awake at this hour. Immediately she thought about the left over dishes, but those would have been taken care of last night, she thought. Prim shrugged with the kiki latched under her arm. She just wanted to get some water and head back to sleep a few hours more. She stepped in after the water had gone off. To much surprise, she saw a shirtless Cae, drying his hair near the sink. Prim let out an audible squeal, and immediately became flustered. She used the kiki to shield her eyes. Her face by this point was beet red. Prim flailed about, frantically. "C-Caelen...put your shirt back on!"Prim peeked through the kiki to grab the butler's shirts from the chair and tossed them at him. She was embarrassed and had never seen a male with his shirt off before.

One minute Caelen had the towel obscuring his eyes in an attempt to dry his sopping hair, then next minute there was a girlish shriek followed by his vest and shirt flying at his face. He pulled the tangled mess of clothing off his head and saw Prim standing next to the table, shyly peeking out at him from behind one of Cree's cat plushies. The poor girl was just about beet-red. Cae gave a nervous chuckled as he spoke while hastily pulling on his shirt.

Ahem, I uh, I'm sorry if I've made this an awkward situation for you. The general rule in society is that it is perfectly acceptable for a male to be seen without certain attire. After all, they do so at swimming venues. However, I should keep in mind that you are very young and still of a tender innocence. I beg your pardon for appearing in an unacceptable manner, Miss Prim. I will try to keep your delicate sensibilities in mind in the future.

Caelen bowed to Prim, feeling quite bad for the poor girl. He wondered just how much of a sheltered life she had led if she had never even seen a man with his shirt off. In a fleeting moment of self doubt, he wondered if she had found him unattractive.

Oh, don't be an idiot, Caelen. It has nothing to do with a lack of appeal. More like too much and at the wrong time. *sigh* Will I never be rid of this effect I seem to perpetuate where the fairer gender is concerned? he bemoaned inwardly.

Prim's obvious embarrassment over seeing Cae shirtless was bad enough, but then the little angel imp fluttered in to make the butler feel all the more awkward and embarrassed. However, the imp's gentle pat on Cae's head and whispered words made her real feelings on the matter clear.

She was just teasing me he thought with a sigh.

The imp's laughter seconds later confirmed his thoughts.

Caelen facepalmed at the imp's shameless joking and said Oh, heaven help me! before buttoning up his shirt proper and putting on his vest.

Giving Prim an apologetic smile, Caelen turned his attention to lending the imp a hand at breakfast preparations.

“At dawn, just as the sun breaches the horizon with its golden rays, that is when you must begin,” High Priest Aerenian instructed a wide-eyed, younger Celestine.

“But why? Why do we do this right at first light?” the young crystalmancer-in-training queried of her teacher.

The High Priest was a gentle and benevolent soul, very fond of his young pupil. Aerenian lightly ruffled Celestine’s hair as he answered her question.

“We do this because we draw strength from the sun as it rises in the sky. The closer it comes to its zenith, the greater the flow of light energy will be within us. We store up this energy so that as the sun wanes in the sky and gives way to night, we will have energy reserves readily available. ”

Celestine tilted her head a fraction, considering what her teacher had said.

“It makes sense. As the sun goes down its energy flow decreases because the moon’s energy is increasing. We have to gather all we can so we won’t be sitting ducks in the hours when the darkness element is dominant,” Celestine concluded aloud.

High Priest Aerenian smiled with pride. Celestine had come far in the very short time since her arrival in Sun City. She was very youthful, and a tad naïve at that, but she was quickly learning what it meant to be not only a crystal mage, but a follower of the elemental ways. There was no doubt in the High Priest’s mind that this young slip of a girl would rise to great heights and become a person of exceptional importance and great wisdom. Storing that thought away, Aerenian kneeled on a cushion beside his apprentice.

“Shall we begin then?” he asked.

Both teacher and student kneeled side by side on a terrace of the Light Temple, breathing in the crisp, late fall air and speaking the mantra that was the heart and soul of K’taal.

Thoughts of her dear teacher brought a tender smile to Cel’s lips as she made her preparations for the daily Light Harvesting ritual. She had indeed come a very long way since her early days as a mere crystalmancy apprentice. Many things had come to pass in that time. The Shadowlord had been defeated and the seven kingdoms restored. The highest element, the soul, had been rediscovered, and Celestine had become the first Soul High Priestess in many thousands of years. All that aside, Cel always pressed forward with the attitude that learning never stopped. There was always more one could benefit from being taught. Though she was the high priestess for the most powerful and all-governing element in her world, Celestine was still learning about her duty as a spiritual intermediary between the people of K’taal and the high elementals. It was no small task to be a spiritual leader, especially for an entire aspect of a world that had been neglected, scorned, and forgotten, though never truly lost.

Reflecting on these thoughts as she worked, Cel opened the precious trunk of items she had brought with her from her home world. There were many items of great power and interest inside, but it was the Soul High Priestess crest and the six runed crystals that she brought forth from the trunk’s depths that morning, as she did every morning. Celestine walked over to the terrace doors in her bedroom and opened them wide, letting in the early morning air of predawn. That task completed, she proceeded to lay out the crystals from the trunk in a circle right in front of the open terrace doors. Each of the six crystals represented an element: carnelian for fire, turquoise for water, green jade for earth, a clear crystal resembling quartz that was known as windstone for air, a yellow citrine for light, and lastly a deep onyx with a blue tint for darkness. Each stone was placed so that opposites were directly across from each other, with the light stone at the top of the circle. Celestine then placed a simple purple cushion in the center of the crystal circle and stepped inside. The crest she had removed from the trunk, which she placed around her neck, echoed the crystal circle around her with one small difference. In the middle of the crest was a faceted amethyst, the stone representative of the soul element. This most sacred and precious of all priestly talismans was presented to Celestine on the day of her induction as the Soul High Priestess. It served as a powerful reminder of both her great power and the even greater responsibility that came in tandem with it.

Clearing her mind of all outside thoughts, Celestine kneeled on the purple cushion and steepled her fingertips together, creating a sort of tent with her hands. She brought her hands up to rest against her forehead in that position and closed her eyes. As the sun began to inch its way over the horizon’s edge, Celestine began the mantra of K’taal in the sacred elemental language known as Taale (pronounced tall-uh). Roughly translated in common, it reads:

In all things seek purity over depravity, justice over vice, patience over haste, mercy over ruthlessness, love over hatred. In service to others be always humble, willing, and steadfast that they may see the true path through your life. Let the sacred circle never be broken. This is the way of K’taal.

With each word of the mantra, the pure light energy from the sun flowed into every fiber of Celestine. It pulsed and throbbed with life, renewing her depleted reserves of energy and strength. The crystals around Celestine began to glow with an inner light, being charged with new brilliance as they responded to the influx of light energy in the room. This was what it was like for those who used light energy. It was akin to being filled with the very sun itself and set ablaze inside with pure, life-giving light. At the final word of the mantra, Cel let her hands slowly lower to her sides. She opened her eyes as the crystals surrounding her settled their brilliant light show. The sun had indeed been like a breath of new life for Cel, but it was not quite enough.

Hmm, it’s a little less energy than yesterday. Subtle, I know, but never the less it will be yet a fraction smaller tomorrow. I only wish I knew what is causing this drain. If I can’t find the source and stop it within the next month, I will either perish or be forced to return to K’taal until my friends have sorted out this mystery. I do not wish to leave them to carry one without me, but there is nothing I can do…for now.

A small sigh of sadness escaped Cel’s lips as she gathered up her crystals and returned them to their special box in her trunk. She removed the crest from around her neck as well, and placed it in the small silver chest with purple velvet lining that was made especially for it. Her fingers briefly played across the gemmed crest as she thought of all the people she had left behind on K’taal when the High Elementals had opened the portal this new world called Gaia and she had gone through as they instructed. She had dear friends and family back home, but her newfound friends in Gaia were just as dear to her heart.

Please, Sacred Ones, hear me and protect the people of this world from the evil that would try to ensnare and destroy it. Celestine said in silent mental prayer to the High Elementals.

As she closed her terrace door and exited her room, Cel hoped that her prayer would span the vast distance between Gaia and K’taal to reach the Sacred Ones.

Prim's face still was red. She was somewhat relieved by Charm's quick action. It wasn't that Cae wasn't attractive, she had just never seen anyone of the opposite gender undress before. Prim quickly went to help the imp pick out some pancake mix. "What kind of feast are we talking? I can make eggs, toast, and special bentos that my mom taught me to make." Prim handed over the pancake mix, and pulled out more ingredients.