Welcome to Gaia! ::

Aela rolled her eyes. "If you must know, I come from the plains." Her eyes glinted. "Now. Where are you from?"

Aela tossed her thick tresses over her shoulder in outrage. "Excuse me?! You seem to think that you have control over my actions, which you do not!" She glared at the younger brother. "You surely need to learn how to communicate with others a tad bit better."

"There are two of us and one of you," he taunted back. "I thought you would want to see our leaders. You know, explain to them why you were sneaking around."

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"I am with an adult!" Aiya said, meaning Kayu. She giggled, thinking that this must be a game.

"I made it with sister," she said with a nod, enthusiastically giving credit where credit was due. Although truth be told, her older sister had probably made most of it, just so the doll wouldn't fall apart. "See??? Blue eyes!" Aiya nodded again in satisfaction.

Kayu laughed, mostly at herself. "Well, if you and your doll were planning on sticking with me, then you're right!" Kayu stood from her kneeling position in the moss, brushed the dirt off her knees, and crossed her arms. Okay, so she must have followed me from the camp. I could just take her with me to study the forest... or I could bring her back to the camp, Kayu thought. She looked down at the childed, and smiled.

"You and your sister are very talented!" Kayu said as she patted Aiya's head. She decided that she wouldn't mind taking the child with her into the forest, but if Aiya didn't want to study the forest with her then she would have to take her back home. "Aiya, do you want to look at the forest with me? If not, I can take you back home to your sister." Kayu asked. She held out her right hand for Aiya to take.

Kayu couldn't help but burst out laughing at the force behind Aiya's statement. She picked Aiya up in one swift movement. "How could I say no?" In all honesty, Kayu still wanted to study the forest and sketch a map of the area. However, the bright daylight was begining to fade and shadows were overrunning the forest. It was no longer the best time to sketch anything. Kayu turned around, and began walking back to the village with Aiya in her arms.

Kayu continued to make small talk with Aiya during their return trip to the camp. Once they arrived, Kayu gently placed Aiya back on the ground, and took her hand in her own. Together, they walked to the opposite side of the camp. As they walked in silence towards Aiya's home, Kayu looked down on the little girl. Kayu had never met the girl's family before, and was begining to wonder if she would be welcomed in their household. Kayu had never actually talked to Aiya's mother and had never even seen her sister, but Kayu didn't have the heart to turn down Aiya's offer. Who knows? Maybe I'll make a good first impression.

Kayu laughed to herself while witnessing the scene. She composed herself, and waved to the older woman as she walked over to the family. "She was no trouble at all. Isn't that right, Aiya?" Kayu winked at the little girl and smiled broadly. "My name is Kayu, ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet you." She bowed her head in respect towards Selve.

Kayu turned to the other girl, and Kayu assumed that she must have been Aiya's sister. "Are you the sister I've heard so much about? Your craftsmanship is very impressive." Kayu pointed to the doll that Aiya had cradled in her arm to avoid any confusion on the sister's part.

The younger woman nodded. "I am one of her sisters," she agreed. "She likes the dolls I make." She fingered the doll a moment, then smiled at Kayu.

"If you are staying for dinner," Selve suggested, "then you best come inside and help set up."

The little girl hopped around them in a circle, then headed for the front door. "Dinner! Dinner!"

They soon had work for Kayu, sweeping the floors clean and making the final preparations for the meal. The dwelling quickly filled up with twenty of Aiya's "family," who began to sit on the floor around the table.

Kayu had never imagined that dinner at Aiya's home would be such a huge gathering. She couldn't remeber the last time she had been with so many people at one time. Kayu hurried herself along with sweeping the dust and dead leaves off of the floor, through the front entrance, and outside. She then helped Aiya and her sister set the table with plates, mugs, and pitchers of water and some sort of darker colored drink for the older members of the group. Kayu just assumed it was a kind of ale or wine.

By the time she had set the last pitcher in place at the end of the table, most of the seats on the floor had been filled, and the room was filled with a dozen conversations. Kayu walked to the back of the home, where the cooking was being done. The main dish was still being prepared, but Selve instructed Kayu to take some of the other foods out and set them on the table. Kayu took a large basket of freshly baked bread rolls in one hand, and a platter filled with tiny fish (which she realized that she had helped catch in a small river nearby the camp the day before) in the other hand. She carried the food back over to the table, and set them on opposite ends of the table. She was about to return to the cooking area, but the rest of the food was already being carried out by other helpers.

Kayu looked around the table, and noticed only a few seats left, one of which was next to Aiya. Aiya was busy trying to pour water from a large pitcher into her cup, but it was obviously too heavy for her to lift without spilling the water all over the table. Kayu took the pitcher's handle from Aiya, and had Aiya hold her cup steady. She slowly began pouring the water, and said, "Tell me when to stop."