Welcome to Gaia! ::

When Rivener acquiesced to what she would consider hard-driven negotiation, Sa'ida threw her arms up and cheered again. It didn't take rocket science to figure out Sa'ida's happy buttons--as happy was a key she loved to play. "Yay~ Thank you, Rivener! I promise I will be a very good model," she giggled, throwing a few cutesy, non-raunchy poses she picked up from watching marathons of Top Model.

"Oooh! Very, very pretty indeed," she nodded officially the fountain and garden afficianado out of the two. Though this fountain was not as big as the one at the park, there was plenty of room for dancing. However, Rivener didn't seem like one to get himself unnecessarily wet, despite being a fellow sun worshipper like Sa'i. She didn't mind though. Maybe they could dance under the stars when he comes to visit. That could certainly be fun!

"Check this out." Sa'ida gave Rivener a mischievous smirk and clasped her hands. Sinking them just below the surface of the water, she squeezed them together to make a little geyser of water. Normally, it would look like a tiny fish spitting out plain water, but this water was a miniature rainbow. It arched up in a tiny spectrum and fell into the water, returning to its naturally clear state. "Pretty cool, huh?"



"It wasn't a Yoko Ono and the Beatles sort of thing, well not in the sense one would think. Long story short, I'm a girl from a very traditional family of the fine arts who loathed the fact that their pride and joy was the front girl for a rock cover band. Do you know how good it is to finally tell someone the real reason why I quit?" she mused, giving Aphismet an appreciative smile. Unlike the bogus press released doled out to the local papers, citing "dedication to school conflicting with tour schedules" or the rumors that hinted at a torrid love triangle among the members with her at the crux, Natsuki answered truthfully and honestly to Aphismet.


"I put out two indie albums* with the band before things went down, but I don't regret my time with them. I mean Cranachan tried finding a new front girl, but in the end, they just stuck as a guy rock group," Natsuki said, standing up and stretching, giving Aphismet a warm smile. Talk about being hit with a tsunami of nostalgia. The cafe owner hadn't given much thought to her time as the drummer turned "It Girl" for a local band that almost made it. From Durem to Gambino, Aekea to Barton-- just about anyone who had their pulse on the music scene knew Cranachan.


Though unless one looked really close, it would be hard to recognize the lingering traces of Suvi Wish of Cranachan. Natuski no longer bleached her hair, streaked it with color, and coiffed it in edgy styles, and her makeup was more girl next door than rocker chica down the street. She had traded leather jackets, knee high boots, and colorful tank tops for what many would call the celebutante, princess lifestyle. However, the fire she had back then still lingered in the back of her stormy gray eyes.

"Actually, I got a call from the bassist, Gawen. They've recently released their first pro album and are going on tour in the area. They want me to come to their show. VIP Passes, the whole nine for ole times sake. Though, he pulled no punches in is his nonchalant hint that the band's still looking for a full-time drummer," she continued, trying to hide the desire to get back up on stage again. Like Aphismet, she too, had many responsibilities. People (or in her case -- a raevan) dependent upon her.


[[*The album titles are Atholl Brose and Sütlü Nuriye. Their new (and first professional album is entitled Loukoumades. All items are foreign dessert dishes! XDD]]

"I'm still learning about it, but somethings change color easier than others. Clear or white things are the easiest: water, glass, paper, fabric, but I think I will be able to do bigger things one day," Sa'ida replied, toying with the water, watching the clear ripples dance away with tints of color.

"Like earlier with when I tried on Natchi's hair and eye color. Those were easy, but I can't change my skin tone... not yet at least..." she continued, turning her green eyes up to deep red ones, then turning her attention to his hair, she held out a hand and pulled it back carefully. She almost forgot to ask him for permission. A bright, fascinated smile traced her lips as one iris turned crimson and the other pitch black, mirroring the streaks in her 'big brother's' fabulous hair. "Would you mind, if I touched your hair, just for a moment?"

"You know, Aphismet I really enjoy talking with you. It's always nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of without fear of judgment or sounding insane. Sa'ida, Stars lover her, is still young, so she's all about trying everything and enjoying everything without much consideration for the past or future. She lives in the now, something I think I should try doing more of," Natsuki smiled genuinely, giving her fellow guardian a bemused smile. Leaning back against the support of the gazeebo, she turned her attention back to Rivener and Sa'ida.

Perhaps it was the stark contrast between the two raevans which made them stand out beside one another. Pale skin with rich shades and cocoa skin with bright jewel tones lingered near the fountain in perfect balance of one another. The redhead found it particularly interesting. "Does Rivener babysit? I haven't seen anyone so great with her. Though I find the combination rather uncanny-- him with his night sky and dark colors and her with light and rainbows. Normally, Sa'ida doesn't take to darkness so much, other than watching the stars at night," Natsuki mused, turning her grey eyes to Aphismet.

"I could be a secret agent one day! Though I think I'd have to stick to being a girl because I don't know about changing certain things," the genie confided to the scorpion. She didn't want to say it outright, but she was sure that since Rivener was a Sigel, he'd catch on to her subtle reference to girl parts. Not that she'd drawn attention to them, but she was certainly more aware of them after the groping incident with Tariel. For some reason, Rivener reminded her of The Beast from one of her favorite fairy tales. Mainly because he looked rather intimidating, but inside there was a gentleness that radiated.

Before she touched Rivener's hair, she removed her coral hair comb and unwound her twisted ponytail. Hazelnut curls sprang forth, like a sail catching a gust of wind. Sa'ida wanted to capture the entire effect of the streaks and her counterpart's wild persona. Her fingers deflty, stroked Rivener's hair, twirling and caressing it lightly like it were a fine silk. Like a rich milkshake passing through a curly straw, red and black started at the tips before snaking and careening their way to the top of her head. I felt warm, like a desert breeze, dry but comforting for one akin to the heat of the sands. "What do you think?" Sa'ida asked shyly, twining her fingers nervously in her waves. She'd never worn her hair down around anyone aside from Natchi, so she felt uncharacteristically vulnerable, despite her comfort level with Rivener.

"Sometimes... I think I have another power coming out, but I can't seem to get it to work on my own. When others ask for something, like making a wish. Ya know, like in the movie Aladdin. For example, Natchi and I were shopping at the craft store. I told her I wanted to take home four barrels of stained glass, which is impossible in this economy, but Natchi said that she'd wish that we could bring them home... then the shop keep just gave it to us! I thought Natchi was going to have kittens!" Sa'ida rattled on with excitement. The streaks of red and black softened slowly, returning to her natural rich brown as if the exchange never occurred.

"Good point, Aphismet. Sa'ida has more control over powers involving color, that I often forget to think about what may manifest from her djinnyeh side-- the most powerful class of genie. Perhaps the desert links them together. Who knows, maybe their souls knew one another in their previous lives?" she mused, pulling her gaze from their raevans to compliment Aphismet on his astute observation.

When Sa'ida took her hair down, Natsuki's curiosity was piqued. Then she saw Sa'ida reach her hand out to Rivener's hair. "It's not necessarily one of her useful gifts, but this is how Sa'ida commits people to memory. She remembers their scent based on their colors. You'll probably be next," Natsuki said feigning a sense of foreboding, complete with creepy "someone's coming to get you" waving fingers. Hopefully, it would freak him out too much.

Dazzling white teeth glinted from her parted lips at Rivener's compliment. She'd be a hippocrate if she objected to the other raevan's fingers in her hair as she'd just did. His smile warmed her heart with a strange familiarity. She welcomed the intrusion, diverting her eyes from his own to that of his pale fingers lassoed in her curl. "I did? I don't remember it sometimes. It's still a newer power, so I don't think I can control it well. Did you make a wish?"

She clasped his hand in excitement at the suggestion of trying wishing out. He'd be willing to help her test out her other powers. "As you wish..." Sa'ida replied, almost mechanically, as a diamond white wiped the emerald green from her eyes. One hand left Rivener's and touched his cheek gently, fingers lingering behind. Her voice sounded far older and wiser than that of the bubbly Frei, as if she were channeling a being from another plane of existence. Her gaze looked distant, as she turned her eyes to the Far East where the deserts of Gaia presumed lay.

The garden seemed silent momentarily before the soft rustling of the window billowed in from the east. Countless butterflies of a myriad of colors flushed themselves from bushes, flowers, and trees. The danced on the wind, painting beautiful abstract rainbows in the sunshine. Many different species of butterflies bobbed their way to the two raevans at the fountain. The white washed away, replaced by the brilliant green.


"You never know, eh, Aphi? I guess we'll just have to sit and find out. Perhaps the two may figure it out themselves or it will come to them. Too bad, they didn't come with manuals, right? I find it amusing that you named a scorpion of all things Cuddles. I am sure he didn't look as cuddly in his former incarnation," Natsuki replied, nodding. "I know, but she only wears it down at home. I think she worries about her looks some times, especially since a lot of people stare at raevans enough, sometimes it even makes her uncomfortable, but I am sure you're safe, Aphi.... It's not painful at all. If anything, it's like getting a nice head massage or having someone play with your hair. If funny how such a simple gesture can have such an impact with another being," the redhead continue, reassuring her chef friend. Though she'd hate to admit it, Natsuki was quite protective almost vain about her hair, so it's not something she'd just let anyone manhandle.

"She also can see the individual's natural hair color, though she is modest enough not to show it to the wo---," her voice trailed off as a swarm of butterflies erupt from every corner of the garden. Breathless would be one word to sum up Natsuki's reaction as countless butterflies zipped past the gazeebo and headed toward Sa'i and Riv. "I have a feeling this isn't exactly a miracle! Let's check it out." She said, hey eyes wide with excitement gesturing to the fountain. She quickly unfastened her strappy shoes and left them there as she skipped stocking footed to the fountain like a child.