Welcome to Gaia! ::

*She laughs tiredly and puts on a fake pout*

"Hey your one to talk I saw you back when we were still in Gambino, you rarely rest at all..."

*she giggles lightly into her hand and softly yawns*

"Besides... I can't afford to stay anywhere for awhile... you saw the arguement between me and the bartender..."

*Her head up and her eyes shot open*

"No I couldn't do that.... really it would be really rude!"

*she shook her head and thought for a moment, looking down her eyes shifting back and fourth slowly in thought. She blushed lightly for a second and quickly shook it off. She then asked quietly*

"And you would do that? After I hit you like that....? It's amazing you still want me around.... I know I wouldn't...how could you want such a horrible person around you...?"

I see...

Lucind continued just looking at Rebecca, not judging, no questioning look, just - thoughtful. What happened to the girl that made her so unsure, Lucind asked herself. Her curt answers didn't signalize, "Excuse me, that's non of your business." - in terms of protecting one's private sphere - but something like, "Please, don't make me tell..." - like when you don't have the strength to stand behind your actions.

Lucind broke the look after two seconds and pointed towards the exit.

I'd like to get something to eat. What about you?

And she wanted to arrange something else, because an idea with which Lucind had played for quite some time now, even before she'd left the stadium for the second time, had now, with the merchant's ring being ruined, become a real option. Or, to be precisely, Lucind had decide now if she wanted to translate her plans into action - she could tell that the waiters and waitresses of the old book-cafe, which had been as well destroyed, would like the idea...

She opened her mouth to say 'no'. Not because she wasn't hungry, but more along the lines of that she was afraid to say 'yes'. However, her body answered readily enough for her, as at the mention of food, her stomach began grumbling very loudly and chewing on her insides to try and get her attention.

"...er..." The girl looked a bit embarassed at that shameless show of intention that her stomach had given, and quickly covered it up with both of her hands pressed flat upon her stomach. She had lifted her head up just a bit to try and answer, but when her stomach had acted up she had dropped her eyes to the ground once again.

"...yes," she finally managed to say; taking her hands off from her stomach and picking her head up, "I think I'm hungry."

Another groan from her stomach followed.

"...very hungry... sweatdrop "

*Enki's eyes met Lucinds after he follows her around the corner, his blue eyes seeming comforting and loving... accepting*

I'm not sure what happened. Last I checked, Sunstrike got you out of the arena and into the camp... I havn't seen him since. I also don't have a clue what happened to Vahn or any of the others for that matter. You are the first person from the arena I've seen. All I know, is I closed my eyes, saw a bright light, then opened them and the arena was destroyed and I was safe and sound... then the paparazzi came along...

*He takes a step forward and embraces her in his arms, holding her close*

But thank Gaia at least you are all right

*Enki lets out a very small laugh, finding it cute that she is worried about his coat. He shakes his head and smiles*

Nevermind the coat, Lucind. It was nothing. I can easily get a new one from Barton. So you saw Raven... what about everyone else? Do you have any clue where they could have disappeared to?

"Don't you have a home to go to?!"

The voice drifted out from one of the many houses within the Merchant Town. Down a particular lane, a small commotion was stirring.

"I'm only asking to see Vahn." Said the elderly bald man, standing in front of the doorway.

"And I've told you, he's not here..." replied the man standing in the doorway opposite the old man. By the looks of it, he seemed to be a butler of sorts.

"No? Then where is he? Didn't he come here after the Stadium was destroyed?"

"Just what's going on here?" The feminine voice rang out, as Mitsuyo came walking up the lane, a few bags of groceries in both hands.

"Mitsuyo!"

"!!"

"Vahn, was killed in the explosion that destroyed the Stadium." Mitsuyo said calmly, to the old man who still faced the butler. After a slightly long moment, the old man turned his head, smiling.

"Oh, is that right? So sorry to have bothered you." the old man turned and made his way down the steps, and continued walking down the lane, until he was out of sight.

"Who was that?"

"Who knows?"

The old man continued walking on down, turning into a side alley, and striding through it, not fearing the shadows at all. A stray dog noticed him and began barking at his direction, growing louder and louder. The old man gave it a annoyed glance, and soon the alley was filled with short yelps from the animal, and then silence. The dog's body lay on the ground, blood pooling around it as a blade was wiped clean.

"So he's not here either... He must be in Strata." Walking away from the alleyway, was no old man, but instead a young man. A very sharply dressed man, whose shoes neatly sounded against the stone underneath his feet, his long length of hair gently swaying side to side.

"Yes'm," Rebecca nodded and followed her; staying close behind, not quite beside, but not trailing in her wake, either. The short responce that she had recieved from miss Lucind had weighed on her just a bit, making her feel like that burden that she didn't want to be... as if she was just being troublesome and difficult.

She was disappointed in herself, truthfully. It might have just been that she had been on edge all day after what had happened in the infirmary in the middle of the night, and what had happened afterwards. It really had been a very long day... but no matter what the hardships a person faces, they still end up being weighed against their own standards; and so far Rebecca was far from passing inspection.

She followed quietly behind Lucind as the siren lead the way, letting the time pass by silently as she thought about what she seemed to have become since coming here... Not by growing, though, but more like shrinking. Back in her hometown she had always been the loud one; making noise and getting into trouble. But here, it seemed, all she could do was feel out of place and try to get out of the way. Maybe, just maybe, it was because she was afraid...


"Yech!" the girl winced as she bit the end of her tongue, "seaweed? People eat that!?"

She was sitting quietly, for now, well behaved like any good girl should in a resturaunt. Yes, she was hungry enough to start picking through the bits that had been left by the couple that had just left at the table beside them, but she didn't know anyone here, and she didn't have any friends, and she most certainly didn't want to make an embarassing scene for the few people that she did know.

"...um..." she said meekly, first opening one eye, then the other, slowly, "...what's a... shakick...? sweatdrop "

As soon as she asked the question, the girl ducked her head down behind the menu that she had been pretending to stare at for the past minute or so; hiding from the insulted look that she expected from Lucind. 'How could you not know that!? You must be the biggest idiot in the world! You dummy! Ha!'

From behind her little wall, the girl paniced again and thought to quickly change the subject... "Soup... soup... I can't find the soup...?" She poked the menu a few times with her finger, bobbing her head up and down in a very overacted way, hoping that miss Lucind would just forget the silly thing that she had just asked... completely missing the fact that she was holding the menu upside-down.