Welcome to Gaia! ::

Relm smiled & did just that. There was a definate skip to her step & she felt as good as she had that day her companions had decided she could join them despite her tender age of 10 years.

Walking past Bass'ken Lake itself was the coldest; perhaps because of the open space & the chill breezes that blew across the water's surface. But then that was part of the reason Trelweny liked it so much. Relm did not mind it herself. Except when there was too many annoying fishers. Luckily it did not seem like there were many out today.

Her step quickened & she seemed to get ever so slightly nervous as she headed East into the woods by the lake. They were both dark and bright as the sun filtered through the needles of the conifers & the bare branches of the deciduous trees. The path was fairly clear, though little wider than a large draft horse. Some old wagon ruts lightly marked the edges.

Deep in the woods a clearing opened up revealing a quaint little cottage, perhaps one and a half stories high. It looked only large enough to have 4-5 rooms inside. Smoke curled welcomingly out of the chimney bringing with it a soft, comfortable warm smell.

The cottage itself was surrounded by a lush rose garden, beautifully blooming surprisingly out of season. Amid the roses there were Amaryllis, Morning Glories, Moon Flowers, Midnight Candy Phlox, Strawberries, Raspberries, and something that looked to be mangos. Around the corner to one side there was a vegetable garden with asparagus & broccoli & spinach & sweet potatoes. To the other side there was a strange, metallic looking shed beyond the garden with no windows & an odd door. Relm turned to catch her companion's reaction, her fingers twitching near her pocket & a look on her face that said she expected to paint at some point what she saw there. She smiled slyly. "One of our latest additions to the family has a special knack with plants. She took over Trel's gardens."

In fact, if one looked close enough a small white & pink cait cit could be seen cooing softly to a small seedling in the gardens to the left of the front door.

Relm grins, following him over. "Why am I not surprised to see you in the garden, Amaryllis?"

The cit looked up, her blue within blue eyes shining with happiness from her work but looking slightly put off for having been interrupted. [I am planting Matthiola incana and Oenothera biennes to enhance the nighttime beauty of the gardens. I have told friend Sheridan that I will bring him clippings once they are grown.] Amaryllis blinked, finally seeing that the artist had a friend with her. She smiled gently, putting her dirt covered front paws together & bowing her head reverently. [Sweet Water to you, friend of Relm.]

The artist stifles a giggle behind her hand, her light green eyes dancing with delight.

The artist only giggled more at Keme's look, finding it both amusing & somehow endearing. Amaryllis dipped her head again daintily. [It is a pleasure to meet you, Keme. You are as kind as the paintings Relm makes show you to be.] Relm instantly stopped giggling, her face becoming one of object horror for a brief flickering instant. [Do you also like growing things? Like the tree often in the paintings with you?]

Relm swallowed meaningfully, a gesture that was lost on the young cit. "Keme's not seen them yet, Maree."

She glanced between the two audios with a perplexed look in her eyes. [Then Keme should see them. We can talk about what species his tree is after. Relm does not know.] Amaryllis nodded much like a queen at that decision, before gracing the hummingbird audio with a dazzling smile. Relm hung her head, looking away to try & hide the blush that had sprung unbidden to her face.

Relm did not get the chance. The front door to the cottage opened to reveal a human woman as a full grown green banded cait bounded out. "Amaryllis! It's time to come inside now!"

The cait gave the audios a cheeky grin of recognition as he cut between them. "She's right here, Trel!" He crinkled his nose in jest as he nuzzled the smaller cait causing her to purr gently. "Paws in the dirt as usual."

Trelweny looked their way, the signs of her eyes adjusting to the dark evident on her face as she finally spotted the audios. "Ah! Relm! You're back!" She smiled, clearly pleased. "and this must be Keme, am I right? The girls told me all about your group date. I'm so glad you've come to visit --I was afraid perhaps we were somehow scaring friends away."

While she spoke, the green cait with the dark green mask quickly cleaned the dirt from his little sister's fur until she glistened. "Oh! But look at me keeping you outside! Please! Come in!" She blinked, a strange look passing her face as if something odd happened inside her head. "You're here to see Relm's studio? That's great! She can show you how to work the door. Locke, you're bringing Amaryllis aren't you? She's much to young to stay out all night gardening."

The young woman stepped back from the door to let them inside. Locke gave them a cheerful wink before lifting the cit by her scruff & carrying her inside. Glancing at Keme, Relm took his hand & gave it a friendly squeeze of reassurance. "Guess I get to lead the way a bit after all." She said, letting go of his hand once she was sure the oldest members of her family had not frightened her friend from coming inside.

As if sensing -and with Trelweny that was highly likely- that she had inadvertently overwhelmed the hummingbird audio, the human woman remained quiet as they entered, taking the sleeping toddler from Aiden's arms as she passed him & nodding kindly. Watching underfoot for the jivvin ust that followed the human boy almost inseparably Trelweny crossed the room.

The room was fairly large, almost a great room, with a vaulted ceiling overhead. In the corner to the right of the door a television was on playing Oklahoma! to which Relm rolled her eyes in a "not again" gesture. Going to the right wall was the fireplace with a cozy fire burning brightly behind a very secure grate. Above the fireplace was a portrait of the human woman, the young boy, & a man who was broad of shoulder's & kind of face with a mischievous crooked smile to match the child's. The painting style was clearly Relm's.

Across the room were two entrances, one to a narrow hallway, the other into what looked like a kitchen. A faint floral fragrance could almost be smelled coming from the kitchen mixed among the scents of the last meal. Occasionally, a flurry of black robes or the light pink & red markings of a tail could be seen through the open doorway.

The left wall had but one door, which looked like it lead out to the gardens. This was where Relm was leading Keme. Past the floor to ceiling window to the left of the front door where a beta tank with four fish inside hung suspended four feet from the floor. She circled the end of a couch, dodging pillows & beanbags & cushions along the way. A handful of cats & cat sized creatures slept or dozed upon them. Locke was tucking Amaryllis into another with brotherly protectiveness, a small red fox overseeing the proceedings. Aiden nodded at Relm & Keme before flying up to a hammock halfway up the room. There was another one located higher up if one cared to look. The one the highlander chose had a good view of the room from nearly every angle. Relm grinned like a cat with a canary as she put her hand to the door. "Are you ready for this?"

She reaches for his hand again, telling herself it is only to reassure him. She did not have Trelweny's empathy to guess at his homesickness, but it was clear from Keme's body language that he was at least a little overwhelmed. Relm breathed a sigh of relief that the Weasleys seemed to be in their experiment room already & that the GaiaCom Myranda was otherwise occupied. Normally Relm enjoyed the witch's sometimes scathing comments... but today she did not wish to be subject to them herself.

The artist wondered faintly at the surprising lack of flighty fae creatures in the air but took that too as a good sign. What would Keme do at the sound of Tien crying "Aamha!" I wonder? Smiling at the thought, She focused on her studio & opened the door.

White walls cut from floor to ceiling with large picture windows let in every angle of lingering sunlight from a beautiful view of the side gardens. There was even a skylight in the ceiling. Each window had a natural wooden blind hung at the top to permit the lighting to be changed at a whim. even the skylight had blind that could be shut by a cord dangling low enough for the 5 foot Relm to reach. The ceiling was dotted with pot lights & lights ran across the seem where floor met ceiling as well. Easels, canvases & paints were set up all around the room. To the right of the door was a tidy collection of supplies in a tall shelf with a stack of what appeared to be finished paintings leaning against it. Most of the paintings on the easels bore pictures of audios in costumes, but some held familiar hummingbird colors upon them. To the left of the door was a comfortable yet simple futon couch-bed. The coverlet was in Relm's colors with a mix of Arabic & Celtic designs. Over the bed hung a large painting running the length of the bed & nearly to the ceiling. It was of such detail & clarity that one could almost swear they could put out a hand & step right through it. If it was any larger the audio beneath the sweeping boughs of the tree would be of a size with the original... as it was it gave the impression that the viewer was not quite close enough yet.

Relm beams at the praise & sits lightly on the edge of the "couch" to watch him. Now that she brought Keme here the artist was not quite sure what to do. She had not really planned this. "I'm glad you like it. It's perfect for painting you know."

What else was there to say? "Of course it's easy to get lost in my art here too. What with everything I could possibly need right at hand."

At least everything she could need for her artwork.