Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ashori paused and then slowly nodded her head. "Ok." She blinked and glanced back down at the ground, thinking to herself. "What is there? The dining hall or somewhere else?" Come to think of it, she hadn't really eaten since arriving, and she'd been here for quite a while now. Thinking about it made her realize suddenly that she was, in fact, very hungry. Why did she always let this happen? Eating was such a hassel, she often ignored it. Maybe that was why she was so thin. She frowned slightly and then glanced back up at Loki, waiting for a reply.

Ashori glanced at him, quickly discovering why he would need to. She bit back a small laugh and instead smiled, nodding her head. "Yes... should I meet you somewhere then? Or...?" she trailed off, a bit confused in what to do. She was somewhat reluctant to part ways. It seemed everytime she met someone, once they seperated, she never saw them again. That'd been the case with pretty much everyone so far here eat Ria. Honestly, she was still surprised he got used to her odd appearance so quickly. But then again, he seemed to be a demon as well, so maybe it wasn't so strange..

Ashori's eyes widened slightly at his words. Was it that obvious what she was nervous about? She shifted in place, and then took a small step back as he began sinking into a shadow. She stared at it in awe, blinking as he tossed something towards her. Her hand moved up automatically to catch it, and she glanced at it before looking back to Loki. "...ok," she nodded, smiling faintly. She waited a few seconds after he'd disappeared and then turned to face the dining hall. Her wings spread wide from her back and thrust downwards, lifting her from the ground. Then she shot off like a bullet, clutching the ring tightly as she soared towards the dining hall's building.

Yumi just happened to come across this quaint little church while wandering her new school. It was almost empty, with a few people flitting in and out...she was here for a reason, and she felt that she needed to repent for the wrongs she had done others.

Hey Ishimaru, what do you say to God when you pray?

I don't say anything.

Oh, I see...what does God say to you?

Nothing. Prayer can be without words.

Since then, Yumi had been a firm believer in not saying anything when praying. She found it was easier, too. She couldn't explain how she did it, or what she felt at the time of praying. It was un-explainable. Speaking to a person without saying anything was hard at first, but through her actions, she was telling God that she was a good person. Through her actions, she repented for her misdeeds, and those of others.

This will be a prayer...for those out there who don't have anything, and for those who do have something, may they share. For blessed are they.

Seyla was in the church routinely from time to time. She liked to help out as a token of her gratitude to Mother Aili. Although she wasn’t terribly religious—or rather religion had never been a huge part of her life since birth, she was learning. The church itself was a very comforting place for Seyla. Despite the chaos between Kurai and Joy years prior, she still felt she was in a place of sanctuary. Much of the destruction had been repaired, and if one had not been present, it was near impossible to discern the newer construction from the original structure.

When Seyla was in the church she tried to be more conservative in her dress; although no one said anything, her usual attire made her feel a tad bit disrespectful in such a holy place. It was thus that she wore a pale blue dress. The dress extended past her knees and was sleeveless. However, she wore a white cardigan over it. Seyla’s usually wore her hair down in her natural loose curls, but when volunteering her time her, she pulled it up in a bouncy ponytail, leaving her bangs to frame her face.

After having left the kitchen with a small snack thanks to the acolyte Tale, Seyla wandered back into the main hall of the church. She was always enamored with the way light filtered in through the high arched windows. In the distance she thought she saw someone enter the church. She brushed the dust from her dress and treaded towards the entrance. Her intent of course was to greet the visitor.

What she hadn’t expected was to find her long lost friend Keila at the double doors. Seyla quickly broke form at the sight of the girl and ran, tackling her in an exuberant hug. She couldn’t remember the last time when she saw Keila. It must have been years. Unfortunately, Seyla had lost touch with many of her friends from her time here as a student. The inopportune events that occurred soon after the Asura Labs incident left Seyla rather scarred, and in turn she quickly secluded herself from those other than Kurai. It had taken a lot of time, but Seyla had worked hard to gain better control over her glove. In the end she had been rewarded—while she was nowhere near maintaining complete control, she was able to manage enough of her energy to stop herself if anything terrible were to happen. It was her hard work, and Mother Aili’s charity that allowed her to come back to Ria High.

“Keila! How have you been?!” she nearly shouted. Seyla was met by many harsh glares from others in the church. She blushed and muttered her apologies before turning back to Keila. Now as she spoke, she was careful to whisper.

“I’m sorry, we must be quiet. It is nice to see you though. I am very sorry that we lost contact, I must confess that I am to blame.” She was quick to apologize, not even considering whether or not Keila remembered her. But how could she not remember Seyla? Keila was one of Seyla’s first friends at Ria High along with Komlon and Zero. She smiled brightly, even if she was a few years older, Seyla still got along with Keila very well.

Seyla noticed Keila recoil under her embrace. She had forgotten that the lighting made her look like nothing more than a shadow! The poor girl must have been terrified! To her relief Keila eagerly returned her excitement. The younger teen bounced like a little energizer bunny as she hopped and hopped, her arms linked about Seyla’s neck. Seyla couldn’t help but giggle despite the glares they still received.

“Seyla,Seyla,Seyla!” at the sound of her name, Seyla couldn’t help but echo back with her own cheers of ”Keila, Keila, Keila! However, Keila quickly quieted. Remembering her abilities as a telepath, Seyla realized that she must have picked up on the thoughts of the other church goers. She watched the pink color rise to her cheeks and as the girl shied closer towards Seyla, she wrapped a comforting arm about her side as if to protect her from harm. She smiled sweetly, and offered a low bow in apology to the other occupants of the church, and the acolytes as well.

Should.. we go somewhere else? The thought echoed in Seyla’s mind, but they belonged to Keila. It was a strange feeling that she was no longer accustomed to. Even so, she did her best to show no discomfort. Instead she smiled, just as she had learned to do. Whenever Seyla felt nervous or uncomfortable, she smiled. In this way, she didn’t offend others. She offered a soft nod to Keila in reply and quickly ushered her through the double doors to the south.

Once outside, she let out a sigh of relief. It was very tense in the church after the commotion they caused. However, she did not stop there. She lead Keila to the gardens on the west side of the church. They were smaller, with rows of vegetables growing on the sides. In the center was a small statue, surrounded by a luxurious garden of lilies and anemones. Seyla sat down besides Keila on the northward facing bench her golden gray eyes meeting those of the cloaked woman in the statue. There was a moment of silence, as if Seyla was offering her respects to the statue, before she turned once more to Keila.

“We may talk here without interruption. Welcome to the west gardens. I don’t know too much about them, otherwise I would explain more.” She paused for a moment before continuing on. The gardens were a special place for Seyla. The gentle flow of the fountains brought forth great serenity, and the statue itself evoked a sense of peace within Seyla. It was as if the woman saw straight through to her soul and looked past her robotic parts. Here, Seyla was whole, Seyla was Seyla—there was no glove, no chip, no lack of control.

“How have you been? She asked casually. She felt terrible for not telling many people of her return to Ria.

Seyla noticed that Keila seemed to drift off into thought. She chose not to interrupt Keila, and instead let her own thoughts wander. The garden had that effect on many people, herself included. Seyla had begun to question her identity a lot lately. Now that she had grown out of her hormonal teenage years, she found herself better suited for sorting through the facts and questions that stormed her mind. There was no question that the glove not only changed Seyla physically and biologically, but it also touched her mentally, and spiritually even. The glove’s presence went beyond the plane of reality and into a completely metaphysical manifestation. It did more than bind itself to her skin and brain, it crept into her soul. The thought terrified Seyla, but she knew it was true.

Seyla’s personality had changed a lot. Maybe it was because she was beginning to accept her lot in life; Seyla Hawking just wasn’t lucky. Even so, she continued to strive for an optimistic outlook on life in hopes that one day her fortunes might turn up. In the short term, Seyla was having a very good start to the year. She had a job, a place to live, and friends were beginning to make their way back into her life. She looked over at Keila, the small teen seemed so much bigger than she remembered. Had she really grown so much? Noting how she awkwardly twiddled her thumbs, Seyla was reminded of her own experiences growing up. Certainly there was a lot of unnecessary trauma in her adolescent and teen years, but Seyla still experienced the same hormonal outbreaks and changes that Keila was going through right now. The girl had to be confused, more lost than she even fathomed feeling now. Sure, Seyla had a machine of sorts messing with her emotions, but at least she had something to blame it on. Seyla began to look upon Keila with a new light. Maybe there was something she could do to help. She had longed for a guidance figure to look up to, more importantly a female figure, in her teenage years. At that time Mother Aili was so distant, Seyla had only met her when she was 17, and Kurai—well, he was obviously of the male persuasion. Earlier she had met Momo, and promised the young fae she would look out for her. Why could she not do the same with Keila?

The thought gave her a renewed purpose, a new fire to light her frame. As if responding to her knew resolve, Seyla brought her hands together so that she formed a small cup with her palms facing upward. Within her hands, a small flame began to form. It began as a tiny ember, a small speck that sparkled within the sun’s warm rays, and then slowly grew into an orb of serene orange. Seyla watched idly, as if mesmerized by the flame, as it danced within her palms. The flames licked up, and swirled about one another as if in a waltz. The orb then split itself in two smaller balls of flame of changing colors. She knew she should be careful, in such an idle state Seyla could easily lose control. Seyla felt safe in this environment, she had protection from the Lord above her did she not? It was with those thoughts that Seyla let the flames shift into the forms of two tiny kittens. She smiled as she watched them tackle one another and play just as two real kittens might. Unlike Arabesque, the flame tiger summon Headmaster Mattus was forced to absorb, these two kittens were harmless. Seyla whispered something in a foreign tongue to the two younglings and they both sat at attention within her hands, glancing at her with keen interest. It was then that she named them:v“Andromeda and Perseus..” she muttered softly. The kittens mewled in response, as if understanding their new found names. She then noticed that Keila seemed to have gathered her response. She spoke once again in that ancient language and Andromeda and Perseus let themselves be absorbed once more into Seyla’s being.

"You know.." she started absently, eyes still downcast, "You remember those tournaments that would happen so long ago? The star tests? I miss those." It didn’t bother Seyla that Keila did not answer her question. Her main intention was to get the girl talking. If she wanted to reminisce, then Seyla was happy to oblige. Her mention of the tournament made Seyla want to shudder, but she caught herself and smiled instead.

I caused a lot of destruction there on those days. I almost killed Darius…and yet there are many happy memories too. Even if I did get hauled out on a stretcher…. A lot of things began to happen after that tournament. That was when Headmaster Mattus made the order to keep her out of the hospital unless personally approved by himself. She was very thankful for that, he didn’t know her—except for seeing her fight, and the incident in the training hall with Kurai, but he still did that for her. She still didn’t think he realized how much that meant to her. He had essentially bought her freedom from fear, and further asylum. Her thoughts turned back to Keila. She was so young when she entered the tournament. Seyla was still amazed that she had managed such a feat. It was very courageous of her, and Keila had fought valiantly—even if she lost. The tournament had never been about winning. For Seyla, it had been about proving herself, and overcoming her internal struggles. She gained a lot of valuable experience from the star tournament; if it weren’t for those fights, she would have never been able to summon Perseus and Andromeda and summoning was one of Seyla’s greatest joys in life. With summoning, Seyla could create life; rather than take it away. It was just then that she remembered she should speak, so as not to frighten Keila. She wasn’t sure if the girl had noticed her display earlier, but if she had, she was certain to be surprised.

“I miss them too. I am afraid I would not be able to participate at my age. I am no longer a student here” Seyla let her voice trail off momentarily, “And I feel that it would be a sin to subject anyone to the torture that Darius had to go through.” She tried to smile as she glanced over at Keila, meeting her eyes. ” If another tournament comes up, you should enter. I’m still amazed that you held your own last tournament, not to mention even entered. You were so young.” She mused. She was sure Keila was thinking very much the same things.

“I know its been years since we’ve spoken or seen one another,” Seyla began. As she spoke, she leaned forward, resting her elbows upon her knees. Despite her formal clothing, Seyla still fell back into her rather masculine posture—she had Kurai to blame for that. That thought in itself made her smile, and yes, even laugh. Oh, Kurai, what was he up to now? She hadn’t seen him once since she had returned to Ria High, and it disturbed her greatly. She hoped he wasn’t avoiding her. No, Kurai would never avoid you. Kurai is on his own personal journey, he will return to you when he is good and ready. she told herself. She then continued on with her present speech, cocking her head towards Keila with a wolfish grin.

” I was thinking I would like to spend more time with you, and even help you. I know this sounds cheesy—and forgive me if it does, but I was your age too once. I had always wanted to have someone just to talk to, to help me figure things out. It was unfortunate that I hadn’t met Kurai or Mother Aili until I was 17 or so, by then I was well on the way to becoming out of control. It would have been nice to have that guidance from the start. I guess what I’m trying to say is..that I get where you’re coming from. You don’t have to say anything to exude it, it’s written all over you face. You’re feeling a little lost and confused aren’t you Keila?”

Seyla ended her little monologue with a question. She much rather liked the idea of Keila asking for her assistance, than her forcing herself upon the youth. She sincerely hoped that Keila would accept though. Part of her knew there was a lot she could learn from Keila. She silently wondered if the girl was listening in on her thoughts right now. Her heart told her no, that Keila felt too ashamed to ever fathom doing so. But Seyla knew how the young mind worked, curiosity killed the cat as they said. She didn’t mind. Keila was welcome to look at her thoughts whenever she so desired. The thought in itself sparked an idea. Maybe Keila could help her in her own quest to reclaim her lost identity. She was a telepath after all.