Welcome to Gaia! ::

((Still here... luckily i have tomorrow off mrgreen ))

((Sorry about my absence. First, Mort was never replying. Then college finals happened. Then I came home, and now I have until June 5th to do everything I want/need before leaving to Minnesota to help my grandma whose been having heart problems and was just recently diagnosed with leukemia. Fun stuff.))

Izzy was in the kitchen with a cup of coffee simmering in his left hand. He was leaning back against the counter, awaiting the arrival of the various guests. As always, he was floating near the areas and people of importance, but keeping quiet and to himself unless he was needed. Obviously there was little need for him at the moment-- all the guests were fast asleep. In fact, it would probably be better if he were in the halls, ready to offer his assistance if need be.

Uriel, being the imaginary pissant he was, decided to disturb the quiet, peaceful afternoon Isaac had been enjoying. Isaac, you're a man of refined tastes, and simple pleasures. A gentleman of sorts. Like us. And we feel it's in your best interest to put aside this wasteful nonsense you call a job. Go see Sasha. Go have some fun. Relax. The other schmoes can do any job you would do, so don't worry about it. Ignore the little fleas that have come to infest this beautiful home, and get away from it all.

Isaac was just entering the hallway within which all the guestrooms could be found. He listened to unreal voices bicker over his behavior while he silently paced the length of the hallway, occasionally sipping at his mug.

I'm doing very well.
I can blackout the present and the past now.
I know by now you think I should have straightened myself out.
Thank you, drop dead.

Zenith stirred slightly, the music issuing from the headphones in his ears slowly nudging him towards the surface. The mid-day sunlight spilled into the darkened room in a futile attempt to wake him, it kept trying every day - but it was yet to succeed. The young man was sitting on the window ledge, where he had fallen asleep just under an hour ago. His head rested against the section of wall behind him and his cheek was pressed against the glass of the window. His legs were tucked up and his feet pressed against the other wall. The plain formal attire he had worn last night was crumpled and skewed by his sleeping position. Eventually his eyes flickered open, before abruptly closing again - blinded by the intense light assaulting him from outside. With his face screwed up in a grimace, he slid off the ledge and yanked the curtains closed. The room instantly fell into near-pitch darkness. They were very effective curtains. Zenith attempted to open his eyes again, greeted by the tranquil darkness of his employee suite. He smiled sleepily, and stumbled to the bathroom door.

Fifteen minutes after he had staggered into the bathroom to shower, Zenith strode out again. He was wrapped from the waist down in a large, soft, white towel - courtesy of Dakota's ridiculously luxurious budget. He paced over to the window, eyes wide and awake after his hot wash. He opened the curtains, placing his hands on the window ledge and looking out onto the bright gardens. He quickly noted that he should probably cover himself with more than a towel before standing in front of the window, just in case. He made his way to the bedside table, where the programmable coffee machine had a steaming cup ready for him. He took a deep sip, savouring the taste, before turning to the wardrobe. Today he went for something more original. A black shirt bearing an attractive, white floral pattern, accompanied by a white waistcoat and no tie. He proceeded to don some black formal trousers and shoes, before drinking some more of his coffee and exiting the room. He smiled. It was good that he had grown accustomed to his abysmal sleeping pattern, otherwise he would be a dead man walking. He made it to the kitchen in record time. Once he was there he took a doughnut from the plate on the counter. Eating it in a few bites, he then began making some toast. He was very hungry, having skipped breakfast due to the business this morning. He sighed, leaning against the counter and waiting for his toast.

((Edited, because Dakota wasn't in the kitchens. My bad. XD))

Alexander Matthews Opson
Butler and personal advisor to Miss Dakota.



((Ahh... Back into the flow of things. Writer's block is gone. I'm happy.))














Alix loved his room. It was the one place in the entire mansion where he could actually act the way he wanted to. Everywhere else, there was the pressure of formality, and of course, the constant rumble of psychic chatter. In his room, he was free from his duties and free from the annoying, floating thoughts of others. And on days like this, it truly felt like bliss.

He would have preferred to awaken at dawn, but dawn had come and gone before he'd gone to bed. He'd slept for four or five hours before his subconscious prodded him away from his pillow. He never could sleep right when he had work to do. It was a nervous habit. And he certainly had work to do now. In the rush of excitement generated by the new guests, it was almost possible to forget that someone had been murdered on the estate last night.

He slid himself out of bed, but didn't bother to change. He was never more comfortable than he was now: barefoot and bare-chested, wearing nothing but his comfortable fleecey pants. He lumbered across the room with a yawn and into his personal kitchen. (I love you, Miss Dakota!) He flinched slightly when he stepped off of the carpet of his room onto the cold tile of the kitchen, but he got used to it.

He had a small fridge, a microwave, and two pantries. That's all there was, and that's all he needed. He pulled himself a half-empty jug of apple juice from the fridge and started dragging various spices from one of the pantries. One microwave later, he was clutching his caramel apple cider like it was the only thing in the world he had ever loved as he danced back across the room.

He flung himself into his bed (after setting the drink safely on the nightstand, of course) and smiled into the large, fluffy abyss. It felt as though he were being swallowed whole by his comforter. He turned himself over, got nice and snuggly in his bed, took his tasty, tasty drink, and took a long, happy sip. Then he pulled the folder from his nightstand and began to read.

((Sorry. It's stupidly long.))

There was music playing. It was...peaceful. Anna opened her eyes to find herself spread carefully on a velvety cloth. As she sat up, she found herself staring at a boy playing the piano. Anna stepped off the cloth and walked up behind him. "Koki?"

The boy nodded and kept playing.

"Where are your bandages?" Anna asked. He wasn't wearing the bandages she'd always known him to wear around his eyes.

"I stopped being afraid." The boy looked up at Anna, and she saw that, for the first time in seven years, his eyes were there. "And God finished fixing my eyes, an' he gave them back. I can see now. I can see you."

Anna reached down to touch the boy on the cheek, and in some sort of mutual agreement, their faces moved towards each others...

And right before they touched, Anna heard the blare of her cell phone ringing. She jumped down to where her shoulder bag was, unzipped it, and dug her phone out, flipping it open. "Yes?" She snapped. She hated it when stuff like this ruined good dreams.

"Hey, Anna. It's seven in the morning. Do you know where I am?"

"At...home...?"

"No. You're wrong. So anyway...where are you? Since you're not at home and your parents have decided that they never had a daughter."

"You went to my house?"

"Yeps. Anyway, since you're up, and avoiding my question, why don't you get ready to go?"

"Go where?"

"Life. You know. The road goes ever on and on..."

"That's about enough of that. Alright, I'm going. Talk to you later, Erika." Anna shut the phone and stumbled into the bathroom. Checking the digital clock that for no real reason was in the bathroom and not the sleeping main area. It was 10:30 AM. Not seven in the morning. How far from her home was she?

After she'd washed her hands and face, Anna entered her room again, and, while rooting around for a shirt and pants in her bag, she found an envelope. She tossed it onto the wardrobe to open when she was wearing something. She ended up in a black halter top and brown cargo pants with her bandanna around her neck. She then flicked open the letter.

Dear Anna Kosa,

It is wonderful to know that you have wanted to figure out about my previous letter. I thank you for trusting me and for coming to stay with me in my home. You shall find that my reasons are well reasonable and you should find your stay as comfortable as possible.

I know you have alot of quesions and I shall answer them all...in due time. Today I have schedualed a meeting with all of my guests in a room that you will find by going through a scavenger hunt. You shall need to answer the riddles you find at each place and each will take you to another place and another till you find the room of which I shall be waiting for you. There is a time limit but I wouldn't worry about that yet. I shall let you know via intercom what that time is.

As for now I am sorry that you have missed breakfast and you are probably hungery. I shall help you with the first clue, which is enclosed. Your help is also on that clue. I shall see you at the deadline!

Sincerly,
Dakota Williams

Anna stared at the letter for a moment, then walked outside, her beads clicking together. She'd have to ask Ainsley or Aya what it said. God forbid if she asked one of the guys...

~!~

Yoh'd fallen asleep in the kitchen, so when Lysander had walked in, he'd sat up suddenly. "I'm awake!" He took a quick look-around, and remembered that he was still sitting on that stool that belonged to him. In one of those weird leg positions with the bottoms of his feet together, too. Was that yoga, or something else? He didn't remember. Maybe he'd check later.

Yoh glanced over at Lye. "Ah, it's just you." He made a cushion for his head with his arms again and dropped his head back on it.

And then he remembered the kid.

"Waitaminute!" And he was back up and pointing at Lye. If there was one thing you could say about Yoh, it was that his brain had lag time, but he had good reflexes.

Dakota's head jerked up when she heard the knock. She had fallen asleep again. "Hold up!" She took a long sip of coffee before standing and going to the door. When she saw Zen her face lit up. "Zen! And why were you looking for me?" She moved back to her seat to see that she was almost out of coffee. With this knowledge she knew that it was only a little bit of time before that stupid dream started playing in her head. But there was no way for her to go get more. The kitchens would be off-limits to Dakota for about an hour. Panic started to rise. 'He's really after me. He really wants me out of the picture. Why...why'

Zenith was startled when Dakota's voice responded from within. She was in here after all. Hm. He stood with a grin as Dakota opened the door, and he followed her inside. "Zen? How long have people been calling me that? I honestly didn't notice." He followed her to the table with his usual casual grace, laying his coffee and the plate of toast down on the surface. He sat down at a chair across from her. "Hmm. It has a nice ring to it, anyway." He had never been given a nickname before, and it made him feel more a part of the community. He took a moment to self-consciously smooth out a crease in his shirt, before looking up to Dakota again. "I was bored." He said with a smile. "I was also meaning to ask you what you had planned with regard to the guests today. Is there something I should be doing to help?" He took a sip of his coffee and, setting it down on the table, gave Dakota a concerned look. "You look beat. Did you get enough sleep?"