Welcome to Gaia! ::

Serenity blushed softly and smiled warmly at Gaunt. "Yes," she giggled. "Though the people we're going to see first, my Mama's cousins, Ulani and Ulrich, they're nearly 4000 years old, and they've got a lot of stories as well, and they're more willing to talk about them."

Ian looked thoughtful. "Maybe ... maybe we can convince him?" he suggested. "Mom says he's really nice, the guy we're gonna see."

Serenity smiled warmly. "That's why I love coming here," she murmured. "Everyone back home dreams of a place where when you work hard, you are rewarded with time to relax, and stress-free times, of places where family can always be together no matter what, and where people aren't forced to do things that they don't want to ... here, it's reality. Money isn't necessary. Very few people have bosses. And what bosses there are, are fair."

They came to the edge of the forest, and to the north, east and south they were surrounded by mountains. Ahead of them, down a little hill, was another patch of trees, and then a winding river along which four houses and one barn were visible: log buildings, all of them, and only one of the houses was two storeys.

Ian looked down at the scene in front of them. "It looks nice," he smiled. "Like a picture book."

Serenity nodded and pointed with her free hand. "Second house from the left," she told him as they started down the hill. "But it's true, I find that my schoolmates are always worrying about things ... but here it's just such a relaxed atmosphere most of the time, really it's quite wonderful."

Of course, winter was sometimes another story altogether, but that was winter. This was summer, and it was beautiful.

Ian grinned at Prince. "Hey, my Mom lived in this world for a year one time, maybe we can, too! They took care of her and everything and she learned and did paintings, you should see them!"

It was a beautiful and peaceful walk down the hill and through the second area of trees, and Serenity took pleasure in pointing out various wildlife to the other three: squirrels, foxes, a few rabbits, starlings and jays, goldfinches and hummingbirds, even a weasel at one point.

At last they arrived at the clearing near the river, where a tall elvish woman (six and a half feet tall, approximately) with long black hair was sitting at a picnic table, reading a leather-bound book. Her clothes were made of deerskin, giving her an almost Indian look, but her pointed ears were unmistakably elvish.

"Ulani!" Serenity called with a smile, waving with her free hand.

The woman looked up from her book and smiled curiously, waving back. She closed her book and set it on the table, then stood and headed towards the group.

"Serenity," she greeted the girl warmly. "And troupe." She laughed. "Who is all of this?"

Serenity flushed proudly. "My suitor, Gaunt," she explained, "his son, Prince, and my son, Ian."

She hoped Gaunt didn't mind being called her suitor, but the terms boyfriend and girlfriend pretty much didn't exist here.

Ian grinned up at Ulani. "You look kind of like my grandma," he nodded. "Well, sort of anyways."

Ulani laughed. "Aye, you're an Aldrich all right," she grinned. "Welcome to the valley. I hope you didn't have any trouble on the way here."

Ulani appeared to be momentarily confused. "Mrs ... ?" she asked, looking to Serenity for help.

Serenity giggled. "A term of respect for married women," she explained.

"Ah," Ulani chuckled. "I see. Well, there's no need for any formality here, Gaunt, just call me Ulani. I'm glad you had such a good trip. You're lucky ... I believe you're the first human to see this place in nearly four thousand years. And you might want to make sure you don't wander around without Serenity." She winked at him. "Most humans found in this area are the ones who kidnap children for slave labour. Not looked upon with kindness, shall I say. But as long as you're with someone from here, you'll be fine."

She turned to Prince and giggled softly. "I'm glad you like it," she beamed. "I was born and raised here, and in the thousands of years that I've been here I've never wanted to leave."

Serenity smiled warmly. "Is Ulrich around?" she asked. "We were sort of hoping he could make a bow for Ian ..."

"And one for Prince, don't forget!" Ian beamed, ignoring the fact that Gaunt still hadn't given his permission.

Ulani smiled at Gaunt. "Then you are a truly decent human," she approved. "I'm glad for Serenity. But come," she laughed, "we can head inside and you can have a drink and a snack."

She said nothing of Prince's disappointment at not being allowed to have a bow. He was older than she had been when she had first learned, but on the other hand they were from a completely different culture, and Gaunt was his father and his word was the one she would be listening to in this case. If he didn't want his son to have a bow, she wouldn't push the matter.

Serenity put one hand on Prince's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "Don't feel bad," she murmured. "I'm sure you'll still enjoy yourself today."

"Sorry, Prince," Ian mumbled, eyes downcast. "I tried."

Serenity sensed Gaunt's discontentment, and she squeezed his hand as the boys went ahead of them.

"Don't worry about it," she murmured softly. "It's a different way of life here. Ulani will do her best to make you comfortable. She just might not understand your way of thinking."

She gave him a quick kiss to the cheek, then squeezed his hand once more and led him towards the house.

Ian hugged Prince's hand, the only part of him small enough for the boy to actually hug anymore. "Can I tell you a secret?" he asked Prince in a quiet voice, smiling hopefully.

Serenity smiled and nodded. She understood. "I'm sure Ulani will find a way to make sure he doesn't feel left out," she murmured, following him and Ulani inside.

They were in the living room of the house, a rather large area with a fireplace in one wall, surrounded by leather chairs and even a long deerhide couch, a small table in the middle, intricately carved out of oak, and a few smaller tables in the corners. They were standing on a woven rug, and to one side was a place for footwear - which had two pairs of boots on it, and nothing else. On the wall next to the door were several hooks, with a few cloaks hanging from them.

"Come on in," Ulani beckoned them towards a door on the right. "Kitchen's just here."

Ian hugged Prince's face. "You're my bestest best friend," he confided with a happy smile. "Even if you're bigger than me. Cos we can still play and stuff, right? Maybe not the same as before, but we can still play."