Welcome to Gaia! ::

::For some reason, Faith was awfully quiet throughout the proceedings... trying to think... in her mind thoughts rolled by and by about words, and what they could mean...::

::An abbess was supposed to give comfort and guidance... and as hopeful as one could be, the words that came to her didn't seem as great as she could hope, as much as anyone could teach her or show her, she was still barely past a dibbun, and still, there were many, many things that she didn't know how to deal with...::

::But she looked up finally to Woodrow, smiling:: Please tell Constantine I'll be coming to see him very shortly...

I'll have some news I think he would enjoy immensely...

But for you... remember a warrior's place is with those who need him most, don't pressure yourself into doing more training if you don't feel like it, when you can catch up later and be with Constantine just now.

That's a request from a friend, not an instruction from an abbess, understood? ::She nodded slightly with a hopeful half smile, perhaps marred, when she too thought of Constantine's plight...::

::More than that, she thought guiltily, were her words the right ones?::

::Faith couldn't help chiding herself... she was still a junior, looking to overjump things... she had to learn there was such a thing as overjumping herself, as she put on a smile, and followed the others, nodding to Woodrow one last time::

Mother Abbess. ::Of course, only halfway down to the stairs inward did a familiar face drop down, literally::

::A spread of dark wings slowly pulled themselves off the floor, folding around her back, to the chocolate furred Kusaa, deep and dark, as her figure had indeed risen fast and strong, only a head over Faith's height, yet her modest muscles said otherwise... and her figure...::

::Well... let's say Jasmine had her discepencies, as nobeast had been able to tame Kusaa very well when it came to tunics or robes, choosing only the barest scraps of black loin to cover dignity, decorated by a tarnished silver that would not gleam, and a whisp thin rapier at her side as she bowed lowly to the warrior and abbess::

::At least here, Faith wasn't afraid to throw a good request or two:: You know, I'd wish you'd stop doing that all the time, my mother's one thing, but a close friend too?

::She slowly stood, silently, smiling only slightly as she opened those dark, misted eyes:: As you wish, Abbess Faith.

::Laughing and shaking her head, never to win, Faith made her way proudly to her place at the table, a slight spring in her good leg today as she listened to the little noises and little giggles and words around her... definitely everybeast was in a good mood, if only a little hungry, and without ceremony, she pulled her overly large habit back, sitting down, and with all expectation behind her...::

Everyone enjoy your fill, the friar worked hard on these you know! ::The second part of her miniature announcement was drowned out by a few happy cries as many mice came out with the food by the tray fulls, setting them down all around, but Faith still had her smile, she was waiting until everybeast had a mouthful until she would speak whatever was on her mind, much was her usual fashion as she let her paws play with the top of her staff in paw::

::After all, who could argue with their abbess after one of the friar's infamous Honeysuckle Peach deserts?::

(I will post. Soon.)

Just as the mouse excused himself from the great hall, two more creatures entered, both caught up in a heated conversation,

"It's true, Sasha, and you know it."

"It's your opinion. Have you asked every female on the long patrol? I don't think so."

"It's simply a statistic, that females get tired earlier during battle. That doesn't mean they're any less of a fighte-"

"Just forget it, Seth. We're making a scene." she hissed as they came over to the others, pulling on a smile and taking a seat beside Tannia. Seth came to sit beside her, but Sasha paid no mind to him. If he wanted to speak with her it would have to be later on. She had no intention of conversing with him any longer.
Sasha had grown a little, but nothing too noticeable. Sadly, she didn't lose the rough edges, but she was getting control on her sarcasm and bitter attitude.

Getting no reaction from the maid beside her, Seth let out a frustrated sigh and turned to the food in front of him, watching it as if it would spring to life and tell him all he needed to know about the female hare.
Seth was already pretty mature when he came to redwall, so he hadn't done much growing other than perhaps with friends here at the abbey. He was more familiar with the place and it's creatures, and he finally felt like it was his home. His physical appearance was the same, as well, except perhaps he was a little taller, now a good few eye levels above Sasha. That ticked her off, sometimes, but there was nothing Seth could do about that.

Turning to her cousin, she gave her a smile before ducking her head a bit to wave at Tracy. The little dibbun had grown on her, as well, much like it had Tannia. Although, she was more of the cool aunt that let her stay up late and eat sweets on weekends, she was responsible with the small bit of authority she had gained from Tannia becoming a mother. She helped as often as possible, and was quite good with the signs Tracy used to communicate.
She motied to her chest, pulling out her paw and then brought it up to rub her cheek; the sign that basically meant 'How are you?'

It was Eula's lucky day, it seemed, as she was no left alone there to deal with the bat. A slightly older Terra made her way up to the two and took a seat beside her friend, hoping to help the haremaid deal with the bat; she knew Eula didn't have much of a tolerance for the younger ones.
Terra had grown considerably over the years; although still strong and slightly crude sometimes, she had outgrown the boyish tunics and shirts for more lady-like outfits. Nothing too girly, but just enough to show off that she was a female and wasn't a child anymore.
"What do you have there, Eula?" she asked after waving to the bat with a smile as a greeting.

::Unfazed by her loss at trying to suprise Eula, a quick wave to Terra, Gem only let her one track mind derail itself when she suddenly let her ears pop RIGHT up and her giddy expression go hungry eyed as she looked to the book!::

You get to be recorder?!?! ::She huddled her arms together, paws clutching underneath her maw excitedly, trying to hold back her giddiness:: You get to tell EVERYONE for future generations EVERYTHING!!!!

::She was positively bouncing now, as her wings flapped again and again in excited little drafts:: Songs, festivals, events, the harvests, the feasts, the tragedies, the dibbuns born and couples wed!!!!

And us!!! ::She looked quickly back at Eula from her daydreams and THREW herself round the hares' back, no longer able to perch atop her head any more, this was just as good:: I'm so glad for you!!!!!


::With slightly calmer events, another family came aside the hares, welcomed by a perfumed scent, as a voice politely greeted:: 'ello mon ami...

::Rosa, with Castor held close, and Antoine, as before, as stiff as a splint, as they all made their way to sitting down... and of course, it was impossible to miss Rosa's bump in the middle of her stomache, favoring the moment for a larger, wider habit borrowed from the dorms than any of her usual attire, she took a deal of care to sit, although her looks never faded the beauty she was, with an added glow, as her headfur hung down long and curled, barely tamed, with the addition of a rose pushed in aside her ear, no doubt Castor's, as Antoine ensured his mother's comfort first before seeing to himself::

'ow are you all on such a fine summer's day?

The sun, 'e is as wide and 'appy as this little bundle of joy, nes pa? ::She smiled, instantly drawn upon Tracy, as she put her paw beneath her muzzle, waving her fingers in a wriggly fashion as a friendly hello::

Tracy, grinning from ear to ear, high-fived Sasha, obviously very pleased with herself. She looked even happier when she turned back to see that Tannia, as she had promised, was getting her a plate of dessert.

"Hello Rosa, Castor," Turan said, nodding at the two in turn. And then at Antoine, though he had just spoken to the young skunk a few minutes prior. He quirked an eyebrow momentarily, still not understanding why Rosa made her young son abide by such a strict code.

Going at her dessert with gusto, Tracy managed to just be kind enough to spare a wave and smile at Rosa.

"Oof!" Eula grimaced, groaning in irritation at Gem's bubbly, annoying demeanor. You'd think someone with such sensitive ears as a bat would have enough sympathy not to squeal so much around a hare! Already feeling a headache growing, she put a paw to her forward, shaking her head at Gem. "Okay, okay," she said, trying to get the young bat to calm down. "Less love please, thaaank you."

She nodded to Terra, smiling. "Haha, you really think I need a silly book for everyone to know who I am?" Eula said in a mock cocky tone... but it was probably true. She had done so much since she had arrived at this abbey, so often in the spotlight. She certainly hadn't changed in that aspect.

Who: Eula and Donato
Where: In the orchard by the pond
When: Two seasons prior to current
What: Don't correct me! Miss I-Play-Feminine-Nearly-to-the-Point-of-Gay Males!
But Really: So cute, must read! (How many years in the works?)

Eula: Eula had already started going through the process of mellowing out in her later teenseasons. Though she had still picked and instigated fights with Donato since that last ridiculous eavesdropping one, for the last couple of months they hadn't argued once. Actually, Eula spent a rather limited time with Donato - at least less than usual. She had taken it upon herself to branch out and make friends with others, finding other ways to occupy her time. It had probably been a golden move in she and Donato's friendship... spending too much time together had already proved detrimental, and now that they were spending a more ordinate amount of time hanging out, they got along much better.

Still... although getting along with him was certainly worth the difference, she was saddened by the change in their friendship. They were very good friends, but it was hard to call them best friends, two peas in a pod, attached at the hip, whatever phrase that could've been used for them when they were younger... she missed that.

She was sitting alone now, out in the orchard near the pond, on a large rock that hung out over the water. It was mid-Winter and the pond had frozen over, providing a series of very fun and sometimes dangerous new games for the young Redwallers. Bundled up in a soft cloak and scarf, she lazed back on her paws, her feet dangling over the edge of the ice as she watched snowflakes fall lazily to the earth.

Donato: Donato was gradually acting less inane than he had when he was younger. It seemed that the loss of his grandmother, after sending him into a period of angst and moodiness, had eventually worked to make him a more serious young creature - which had to be an improvement. Still cheerful, there were the stirrings of earnestness about him now. He only lacked a channel for it - something to be earnest about. He was generally restless now, with no work about the Abbey that he could call his own.

He had been venting some of that restlessness in his near-constant fights with Eula. He hated the fighting, but at the same time blessed it without realizing for being an excuse to let out his frustration. Things had cooled off of late, as he took to making friends with the other Abbeydwellers his own age.

All the same, something was gone from his and Eula's friendship that he dearly wished they could get back. The thought niggled at the back of his mind every time they were together - things just weren't the same. He had been thinking about it a lot of late, and now he had come out to find her. Walking across the dead grass, wrapped in a brown cloak of his own with a fairly hideous scarf to go with it, he approached the pond and stopped by the rock.

Eula: Eula was humming quietly under her breath, looking as if she were captured in some daydream or other. She eventually sat up and raised a paw up flat, letting a snowflake drift into her palm. She smiled and closed her paw to let it melt. It was such a nice day, really, chilly- but not terrible, and not very windy either, which helped. And everything smelled so... winter; cold and... icy... only ways to explain it.

Her ears perked when she heard the sound of crunching... the dead grass and fresh-fallen snow between Donato's footpaws. Turning she saw Donato walking up, and gave him a little nod. "Hey, what's new?" she asked, turning back to return her gaze to look over the frozen pond.

However, she did a double-take on him, turning and giving Donato a once-over with those violet eyes. She smirked. "That's a fairly hideous scarf," she said playfully.

Donato: Donato had approached without a word, suddenly very anxious as he waited for Eula to turn around. "Hey," he replied to her greeting. He listened to the comment on his scarf without seeming to make the connection right away, then took the edge of the scarf in his paw and looked at it. "Oh," he said vaguely, smiling a bit and letting it go. "...Hey. How've you been?"

Eula: Eula looked at him curiously, immediately catching on to his different mood. He was definitely distracted by something. She thought about asking over it, but decided to hold off on that... for now anyway. "I'm doing good, just watching snowflakes." She scooted over on the rock, giving Donato plenty enough room to climb up and sit with her. She watched him for a few moments, wondering if something was actually wrong with him. He had been so slow to respond to her teasing, and hadn't even attempted to retaliate in kind. "How about you?"

Donato: "I'm alright." He perched himself on the edge of the rock and brushed some snow off his shoulders, "y'know. Just been thinking lately."

Eula: Eula smiled genuinely at Donato, but was still getting an awkward vibe from him. When he informed her that he had 'been thinking lately' she finally felt confirmed in the suspicion that something was wrong with him. Approaching some kind of deep conversation suddenly felt awkward now. They had been in that... just good friends stage for so long now that it almost seemed out of place to have any thoughtful conversations. She pursued the topic with a definite note of caution. "...Oh? About anything in particular?"

Donato: "Well, yeah." Alright, he was just going to take the plunge. "We haven't really talked in a while, y'know?" Said, somewhat quickly.

Eula: "What do you mean? I talk to you everyday." Eula asked lightly. She averted her gaze, looking away from him finally. She of course knew what he meant, but she still felt the need, for some reason, to keep distancing herself from Donato. Having any deep conversations would make them close again, it would make things how they used to be. She wanted that, but... she didn't.

Donato: "Not like that. I mean really had a talk. What happened?" Of course he knew full well what happened, but he still tried to dance around it.

Eula: Eula was quiet for a long while, not really knowing what to say. She reached up and scratched the back of her neck, avoiding eye-contact. "I... um... well...Well, usually we had deep conversations when something was wrong with one of us, you know? I guess we both just have been doing well." The last part sounded almost like a question as she finally looked at him again. "I... er... has this been something you wanted to talk about?"

Donato: He wouldn't have said he really wanted to talk about it, but he supposed that would do. "Yeah, sort of. I mean, it feels like it hasn't been the same since when we went to Salamandastron and..." And. Indeed.

Eula: Again, she was quiet for along time before replying. She looked down at her lap, drumming her paws nervously on her knees. She finally took a breath and looked at Donato. Oh well. Here it was. "Okay. Donato. Look. During that trip and for some time after we got back we were arguing a lot. And... I... well... admittedly most -er- all of it was my fault. I just... I didn't want to fight with you anymore, but I was upset so I did anyway. I think we were spending too much time with each other." Eula was talking kind of quickly at this point, as if she just wanted to say it and be done with it.

Donato: Donato listened, meeting Eula's gaze until that last sentence, with even the trace of a sympathetic grimace on his face at "I didn't want to fight with you anymore, but I was upset so I did anyway." He knew that feeling. He looked away for a moment when she finished, perturbed. "I- Eula- d'you think it has to be like that? We have to fight if we're close?"

Eula: Eula was clearly stuck on an appropriate answer to that question. She was still feeling very nervous; it seemed very odd to her that Donato would bring this topic up rather randomly. "I... I... I don't know. I really don't. I mean... it was awhile ago and I was-" she paused. "Well. We were both going through a lot. Maybe it's different now..... I don't know."

Donato: "I- I think it is." He managed to get out. Oh, no, this was a mistake.

Eula: This time there wasn't a pause because Eula was stuck on words, but because she clearly thought Donato was going to continue talking. When he didn't, she gave him the most tortured look. "Donato... I think it'd be in both our best interests if you just spit out what you're thinking. One of us is going to lose our nerve in this conversation." Her tone was not mean, it wasn't even demanding. It was truthful. She just sounded nervous.

Donato: Donato took a breath and let it out slowly. "Alright, you're right.... Just, remember when you talked to me then about, well, being more than a friend?"

Eula: And got shot down? Terribly? "I seem to recall a conversation along those lines, yes." Eula said, not even able to avert her gaze like she wanted to.

Donato: "And you remember what I said?" It wasn't a question, though. "But I think I feel differently now...."

Eula: Was Donato trying to TORTURE her? Her heart was racing so fast, and she had to let out a breath slowly, suddenly aware she had been holding it. "I... um..." Eula drew out, what was she supposed to say? If Donato wanted an answer he'd have to ask a question.

Donato: An apologetic and embarrassed expression took its place in his features with an awkward grin. "Maybe you were right, we were spending too much time with eachother. 'Cause when we stopped being close, I sort of started thinking about things." Er... "I kind of like you."

Eula: Eula was holding onto and fiddling distractedly with the end of her scarf. Her cheeks were flushed pink, but she could always attribute that to the cold later. Looking at the hem of her scarf as if it were incredibly interesting, she cleared her throat, trying to speak normally. "Well... um... what do we do about that?" Eula was leading, Eula was leading!

Donato: Donato looked at her uncertainly, running a paw through his headfur. "Well, I- I guess that depends... I mean d'you still?"

Eula: Eula looked at him with this treacherous look of disbelief. Are you going to ask me out or WHAT? "Well, seeing as I can't possibly be shot down like I was last time... Yes I still have feelings for you."

Donato: A grin of relief still mixed with awkwardness broke out on Donato's face in response to Eula. "So, then, this mean's you'll be my... girlfriend?"

Eula: Eula tilted her head to the side, wondering if that was really a question. Also, she got a little pleasure out of prolonging the answer for a few moments, for how long Donato strung HER along. Finally, she nodded a little, and tried - she really did- but a big smile still slid across her face and her cheeks were on fire. "Yes, I'd love to."

Donato:Donato ducked his head, grinning as widely as Eula and letting out the breath he had been holding with a quick laugh. "Wow... That's- wow, I'm not sure what to say." Evidently Donato was just a little slap-happy. Okay, breathe for a minute there, Donato.

Eula: Eula was looking at her lap for a few moments, still smiling. Clearly she wasn't sure what to say either. Eventually she looked up at him. She was quiet, looking at him as if in consideration. Turning and getting on her knees, she reached over and put a paw on his cheek and kissed him. She had wanted to do that forever! Drawing away slowly, she smiled. "It's almost lunch, we should probably head in."

Donato: Donato blinked, not looking too displeased, but not quite looking at Eula either. He wasn't going to deny he'd been wanting to do just what Eula had done - actually, if asked, he'd probably deny it to the death - but it had caught him off guard. And not in a bad way. "Hm? Oh, right, right. Lunch." He slid off the rock and held up a paw to help Eula down, as flushed as she was.

(( SO CUTE OH MAN ))