Welcome to Gaia! ::

Diana didn't even bother to disguise her excitement when he stepped back and gave her room to play with and examine the plant. She held her breath, grasped it between her paws and made the connection. The sound that resulted was incredible for two reasons;

a) she was responsible for it,
and b) she couldn't believe she was responsible for it.

"Amazing!" she finally breathed again and let them go, turning to Hank with a smile on her face. The longer she looked at him, the less it looked like a smile and the more it looked like a frown. Something was wrong.

"What's on your mind?" she asked him softly and her eyes locked onto his. She was suddenly less interested in the plant and more interested in him.

Diana may not have been the brightest of Numas, but she could tell when somebody wasn't being completely honest with her. A part of her wanted to believe him, because it was Hank. She had just met him a couple of hours earlier, that was true, and she understood that she couldn't possibly know him as well as she wanted to. Yet.

"Thank you," she nodded gratefully, though her mind was hardly on the singing vine any more.

The contrasts between his former, almost bubbly self and this, not quite happy one were so wild that she couldn't just drop it. A little bit of pushing had gotten her this far, into his home, so it was logical to assume that some more might get answers. Wasn't it?

"What sort of a problem?" she murmured, "Maybe I can help."

Diana did not appreciate the riddling talk. The frown she wore only grew more menacing with every word his spoke and, with a great huff, she struggled to keep her temper under control. Did he think that, just because she wasn't as smart as he was, he could pull this kind of lame trick on her?

"I'm sure you're not as old as all of that," she said as casually as she could manage, "and, I do not mind. My youth does not control my thoughts and feelings. The same, I'm sure, goes for you. Your age should not matter."

Then, her frustration getting the better of her, the female Numa prodded him in the chest- right above where she knew his heart must be, "How you feel is what matters."

The thought that he might not want her around had, unfortunately, slipped into the cracks of her muddled brain. She was upset, and unsure as to the reasons why, which made her even more upset than she would have been otherwise. Still, she did her best to hide it. An uneasy chuckle slipped between her lips.

"If the loss of your youth bothers you so, why not make the time you have left worthwhile? Enjoy it. Do something you want to do now, even though you think you probably shouldn't. The risk is what makes it the most fun. Come on, I dare you."

Who the hell was she? Surely, she wasn't the same lazy girl who had fallen asleep in the meadow that morning? She'd only just met this other Numa. She had no right to speak to him this way. Especially not when he'd so graciously invited her into his home.

His silence brought feelings she'd never even known existed bubbling to the surface of her not-so-tough exterior. Despite what she claimed, Diana had not been meant for intense situations such as this. It was hard for her to comprehend what was happening between them. It confused and thrilled her at the same time.

When he hugged her, a note of surprise fell from her mouth and there were a few, stunned moments before she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him in return. He wasn't just a charming stranger any more. He was Hank, the genius who wanted to be her friend.

"Of course I will," she chuckled half-heartedly, relief dancing in her eyes, "all you had to do was ask."

This meant that he wanted her around after all, then?

She did not want to move. It had been so long since anybody had hugged her. In truth, Diana couldn't even remember if anybody ever had and Hank was so very good at it. He was larger than her, and his embrace was comfortingly warm.

"I think you did just find," she told him softly, with her eyebrows raised, "you've done nothing that might make me think ill of your 'social etiquette' abilities. In fact, I find you quite charming."

Honesty was the best policy. She liked him very much, and wasn't afraid to tell him so.

"I'd love to stay," she nodded, "if you don't mind me getting in the way sometimes."

She disagreed a with him, but wasn't about to push the issue. Not when he'd asked her to stay. It had been what she'd wanted, after all. There was no point trying to prove to him that her naturally clumsy nature would probably result in a mishap or two. He would see soon enough.

Diana took the mug with a smile on her face and pressed it to her lips, sipping from it at a much slower pace than she had before. This was going to be her home. The thought sent thrills shooting up her spine.

"You're the only true friend I've had," she informed him sweetly, "and I look forward to living here and working with you."

The female glanced around the cave, a playful smirk on her lips as she remembered the way they'd met, "Where shall I sleep?"

He couldn't be serious. She was going to have a room of her own. A bed of her own. If he'd offered her the stars, she wouldn't have been more amazed. The thought of sleeping in the same place every night was an awesome one. Diana was tempted to leap for joy.

She did not step into the room right away. Instead, she beamed at Hank and swept him into another quick hug.

"I don't know how to thank you," she murmured softly, "the more you show me, the more I think I'm going to like it here."