Welcome to Gaia! ::

Keeta finally made her way into the exam room after the nurse had weighed and measured Joel. who was now almost asleep in her arms after having eaten his fill earlier. With a sigh, she sat down in the single chair in the room and settled in to wait for the doctor, which typically took at least a little while. She craddled Joel against her with one arm and reached for a magazine with the other, trying to find something occupy herself.

Approximately ten minutes later a woman walked in. Glasses framed her nose and her brown hair was done up in a neat bun. It was not one of the doctors Keeta was used to seeing around here and she regarded the woman with a hint of surprise.

"Dr. Inders, nice to meet you, Ms....Harding and....Joel?" she asked, glancing down at the chart as she said the names, looking at Keeta afterwards for clarification.

Keeta nodded. "Yes, I'm Ms. Harding, I'm afraid I'm not used to seeing you around here. Are you new?"

Dr. Inders tilted her head from side to side, as she walked over to the counter and set down the chart, rifling through the pages still, occasionally glancing towards Keeta and Joel.

"Well, yes and no. I'm here temporarily, while one of the other physicians is on a leave of absence."

"Ah, I see..." Keeta stroked Joel's hair as he still sat cradled in her arms, his eyes half-closed. "I hope you can still help me then...seeing as you don't know his case as well..." she trailed off, uncertainty in her voice.

Dr. Inders looked up from the chart now, looking at Keeta fully, one of her eyebrows raised.

"I'm a perfectly capable doctor ma'am...." she said, her voice a bit cold, pursing her lips together

Keeta looked surprised and then realized how what she said must have sounded. She glanced at Dr. Inders sheepishly.

"I...I didn't mean it like that. It's just that the last time I came in here with Joel, the doctor I talked to couldn't give me any answers to my questions about his...differences. Please don't take it personally. I'm just a worried mother..."

Dr. Inders seemed to relax a little, but her lips were still pursed together. Keeta fidgeted in her seat in the akward silence as she waited for the doctor to finish looking at the chart. Eventually she looked up and back at the pair, her expression slightly more gentle.

"So...give me a basic rundown of why you're here today Ms. Harding. I know they took it down over the phone when you made the appointment, but I think it does better for me to hear it in your own words so there's no misunderstandings here."

Keeta continued to fidget, but answered the doctor, continuing to stroke Joel's hair. He had fallen completely asleep now and she didn't look forward to waking him up if the doctor needed to examine him.

"Well...there's his eyes..." she started, pushing Joel's hair out of the way, so all three were clearly visible.

"I want to know whether all of them function and...well...how they function. I mean I think they do...but I'm no doctor... And his hands. I want to know whether these jewel like things are any more than effectively decorations....and...well I don't know if you can tell me whether his differences are because of his father...or..." Keeta paused for a moment, chewing on her upper lip. "Or because of me and the fact that I was drinking and using early on in the pregnancy..." Her cheeks flushed red and she looked away from Dr. Inders.

"Someone mentioned before that the clinic would have a way of figuring what the genetic makeup of Joel's father was, so that I could have a better idea of how he would develop..."

"Ah, I see..." was all the doctor said at first before glancing at the chart again and studying it for a moment.

"Well, first of all, whoever told you that we can tell you the exact genetic makeup of the father, as far as what his heritage is would be mistaken. I'm afraid there's really no way to determine whether his uniqueness is a genetic contribution from the father or from your actions. So there's no use making yourself feel guilty for anything," she said, looking over the tops of her glasses at Keeta. Dr. Inders hadn't missed the way in which Keeta had asked the question and could tell that she was feeling like that.

"I think the same thing is going to be the case for the jewels on his hands. That's not something that I would be able to tell you right now whether there us anything to them other than beauty. As far as his eyes go, however, it it simple enough to determine whther they function. How they function is a bit different. What have you noticed about their behavior?" Dr. Inders knew that parents or the paitent could often be the most valuable person when it came to getting to the bottom of an illness or condition. They got to see it all day, whereas a doctor had to make assumptions with what they learn in the span of a few minutes.

"Oh...."Keeta said, disappointed that she was not going to learn everything that she wanted to know. She sighed, thinking for a moment before continuing.

"Well...from what I've seen, I think all of them work...and that the pair functions independently from the third eye. I don't know if he actually sees out of all of them, or if it's just a movement that the body does but doesn't really connect to where the brain is telling him what he's seeing...I don't know if I'm explaining myself very well. I'm not very good at all this medical stuff."

Dr. Inders nodded. She understood well enough, and knew that it could be difficult for people without medical training to explain medical issues. Particularly people like Ms. Harding, who according to her chart was not even a native Gaian. She had been scribbling down notes as Keeta talked and glanced them over now, creasing her brow slightly in thought.

"Well as you probably realized even in Gaia children born with three eyes aren't that common, so there isn't a great deal of research out there about how three eyes might function. Most of the research that is out there is centered around people where the three eyes function together, so this case is a little bit different. As such, it may be difficult to see what the extent of their abilities are until he's a little older.

"The eyes of children of Joel's age are typically still developing. We, also can't get in his head and see what he is seeing, so it may be hard to determine what his eyes can do until he is old enough to talk with us to some extent. What I will be able to tell you today is how the eyes react to light and movement. That is, if you want me to wake him up. I know it's no fun having a child who has been disturbed from their nap. We can always schedule another appointment, if you would prefer. Or if you really want to know today, I can examine his eyes for you...."

Keeta looked down at her sleeping son and thought about it. Was it worth making him cranky for the rest of the day just to settle something that didn't appear to be bothering him in the slightest? He was usually perfectly content and right now, it was only her that was bothered by the what ifs. She was feeling guilty still, even though it may not have been her fault, and by seeing if she could fix it, Keeta figured it was her way of attempting to redeem herself.

"Would it make a difference? I mean, if there's something wrong, where something doesn't work like you think it should, would it make a difference in discovering it today verses later on? Other than my peace of mind that is."

The doctor shook her head. "No, it really wouldn't make any difference. Either his eyes work, or they don't. If his eyes are having problems there's really nothing I can do about it until he's older and can communicate with me. But your peace of mind is valuable as well, I understand that." She looked at Keeta again, as if asking her for her decision. Dr. Inders also breifly glanced at the clock, hoping she would make up her mind quickly, so she could get on to the other paitents. They were way behind today.

"I...guess I can wait. I really don't want to wake him. And if you say nothing can be done either way right now, then..." She sighed in frustration, but stood, still holding Joel.

"Well, thank you for your time. I'm sure we'll be back again soon enough."

"Anytime. And if you have more concerns, please feel free to bring Joel back in. If he's awake next time, we can check out his eyes then as well." She nodded and headed towards the door, holding it open for Keeta.

"Have a good rest of your day, and make sure you check in with the receptionist on your way out."

"Sorry it took me so long." Ceres said in apologetic tone as she came into the living room. "Took me a bit to find Perian. I am just glad she wasn't reluctant to take Natalia. Those two get along so well."

"Shall we go then? Before motherly duties take charge again." Ceres' chuckled. "In any case don't worry there are 8 experienced bodies available should anything come up."

"It's ok, I haven't been waiting very long. I always like to watch Joel sleep for a few minutes. He looks so peaceful when he's sleeping." Keeta stood and waited for Ceres to take the lead for their walk. She didn't trust herself to lead anywhere on the island, as she had been warned before not to stray off the paths and whatnot.

"I'm glad to know that a lot of your children are around today to tend to Joel if he needs it. It's still so hard for me to leave him, even for a little while. I just hope no one minds being a babysitter. I mean, I don't think Joel's going to wake up any time soon, but still..."

"It is more like 9 pair of hands that are experiences. And, as a general rule around here everyone chips in." Ceres smiled as she opened the door. "You should have seen them cooking breakfast the other morning." She laughed. "5 of them gathered around one stove, Natalia included... Priceless."

Ceres put her fingers to her lips, and let out a high pitched whistle. "I believe during your visit last there was something you wanted to do, but couldn't."

"Patch, and Perch... At your service Ceres." The two whickered in harmony. They out stretched their wings as they folded their legs under them.

Patch and Perch were a pair of female twins. White coats, and wings with purple dapples. Minds full of creativity, and not an ounce of anything bound them to the ground... Not even reality.

"She is a first timer." Ceres said in equine as she motioned to Keeta. "So, please, no no fancy flying." Once Ceres had their nods of approval she turned to Keeta.

"Just watch their wings. You might have to fold your legs a little." Ceres motioned Keeta toward Patch's. "She may wiggle a bit, but it is to just get you situated. Their magic will hold you in place... so no need for bits, bridles, or saddles."

"Sounds like fun," Keeta said, laughing. As she pictured it, however, she thought of how lonely her place had been since Kael had disappeared and she grew a bit somber. Her sadness was soon forgotten, however, when suddenly the two equines appeared.

Keeta looked at the pair in wide-eyed wonder. They were beautiful and amazing and like nothing she had ever seen. She hadn't even seen Sky in his equine form so this was entirely new to her. As a child, she had imagined creatures such as these and Ceres had told her they existed on her island, but it was one thing to imagine them and picture them in your mind and another to have them actually stand in front of you.

She was even more amazed when Ceres appeared to be speaking to them in their language. It was clear they were intelligent and she felt like she should greet them as well But how did one address a horse? Feeling a little akward, she finished listening to Ceres's directions before stepping forward and smiling shyly.

"Hello. I'm Keeta. Thank you for offering to give me a ride," she said, looking at the equine Ceres had pointed her towards. Keeta wasn't sure how much the equine actually understood, but she hoped that regardless, it would realize that she was trying to be appreciative and friendly.

Patch nuzzled Keeta's palm. "They call me Patch." She said via the mind link which was followed by a vocal whicker like laugh. "So long as you are touching me you'll understand me. Nothing to be afraid of. Hop on, and leave the rest to me."

Ceres said side saddle on Perch. She braced herself with her hands, but didn't put her complete weight on them. "If I sat as I showed you my attire wouldn't be appropriate... And, I'm a little more use to this."

"All aboard." Perch whickered playfully, but Ceres understood, and smiled. She wiggled just a bit to make sure Ceres was centered. When accomplished she pranced around proudly, but it was all good fun.

Keeta jumped with surprise at the mind speech that came from Patch, before relaxing and smiling. It was so much like what Luna and Amena used to communicate. She was starting to become accustomed to it.

"Thank you Patch," she said, climbing on, feeling a few butterflies in her stomach. It had been years since she had ridden a normal horse (the last one had been back in Evin) and now she was going to be riding a flying one. She felt akward having nothing to hold on to.

"Should I hold on to your mane at all?" she asked Patch as she tried to settle herself on her back.

"My magic will hold you steady." Patch said as she stood up slowly. She didn't want to startle Keeta. Slowly she wiggled herself until she was sure Keeta was in position. "We all wiggle." She said as she turned her face just enough so she could look at who was riding her. "You may hold onto my mane if it makes you feel better."

"Perhaps a bit of a walk before you break into a run to take flight." Ceres smiled as she patted Perch on the side of her neck. "So that she can get use to the wings."

"Not a problem at all." The two whickered in unison.

Keeta took a small chunk of mane for reassurance even though she believed the equine. It was herself she didn't trust. She smiled at Patch and nodded when she turned to look at Keeta.

"A walk sounds good. I haven't ridden in a long time, and I've never flown..."

Ceres crossed her legs at the ankles. She sat in the fashion she would if she were in a chair. "Equines of this Isle do not need what humans have created to ride them. Everything here has adapted to the magic that is abundant due to the Maidens will." She smiled trying to reassure Keeta a little more.

The two winged Equine walked with that same graceful air that Ceres herself normally displayed. There was little about them that was jerky with the exception of the occasional ruffle of his wings, and their occasional whicker that caused their necks to move.

Keeta smiled as they began to ride, feeling comfortable after a short while with the equine's fluid movement. She soon was enjoying it very much and starting to look around her at the sights she hadn't gotten to enjoy the last time she visited the island. Before long her hands released their grip on Patch's mane and they simply rested on her back.

Noticing Keeta had eased up Ceres new it was pretty much time. She had been watching Keeta so that she could know when the other was ready for the next phase. "Easy does it." She says to the Equines. She pats Perch gently on the side of her neck. She didn't want to out right say it and startle Keeta who at the moment was content.

Patch and Perch remained fluid as they picked up speed. Wings out stretched. Neither hesitated as they let their bodies take over what came naturally since birth. The sun glistened against their dapples. Their mains flowed in the forming breeze.

"Here we go." They whickered in unison as they felt the wind under their wings, and their hooves left the earthly bounds below.

As they picked up speed, Keeta could tell what was about to happen and her stomach clenched slightly in anticipation. She once more grabbed a small bit of flying mane to help balance herself as she felt the wind against her face and waited for them to take off.

When they left the ground, the newness of the slight weightless sensation, made Keeta's head reel slightly. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes to balance herself once more, before looking out at what this different perspective on the world had to offer.

"I rather prefer this view." Patch said to Keeta as she steadied herself. They didn't venture to high both remember that Keeta was knew to this experience. But, they were well away from the nearest tree line. "Freedom at its finest. Not to mention it isn't crowded."

"Better than an airplane... Hrm?" Ceres chuckled. "Not that I've ever been in one, just heard of them... I'm not all that into mans 'modern' inventions. Unless it is a convenience appliance for the home such as a toilet, or kitchen gadget... The invention of the light bulb was pretty handy as well."

"I've never been in one either, although I hear they're comfortable," she said to Ceres before replying to Patch.

"It's beautiful. To think I lived all my life not knowing what the world looked like from above..." she trailed off, continuing to take in the scenery: the ocean, trees, and some other buildings on the island. She saw where Ceres' home was, but didn't know what the other buildings were for.

"Ceres, what are those places I see over there?" Keeta asked, pointing a good ways further down the island.

"Unfortunately not even I know much about those buildings. But between a sister of mine, and myself we are looking further into it." Ceres sighed softly. "But, I can say... Their are only two ways to get to this island. You can either come via mirror, or ship wreck. Maidens out of boredom will often lure ships to this island, and turn the passengers into toys." She took a moment to glance over at the buildings. "We can only guess what they went through before their demise..."

"Please, don't think for a second that I am that way. I am nothing like the other maidens." Ceres said lowering her head as she pulled her hair over her shoulder. She twirled the tip around her finger. "The two that I call my sisters came to the island via ship wreck, but it was pure accident. They liked it here, and decided to stay... We are all really close." She finally smiled.

"I would never think of you like that Ceres. You have shown your kindness repeatedly. I wasn't aware you had 'sisters.' How long have they been here? Perhaps you could introduce us someday? I'd love to meet the rest of your family. I've met all your children." Keeta smiled back at Ceres.

"If you ever want company checking out those buildings let me know. I'm usually up for an adventure."

"It is usually months at a time before we see each other. I use a lot of magic to maintain mirrors that my children, and they can use in much the same fashion that I can... But, even still it is easier sending letters than people on a regular basis." Ceres tossed her hair over her shoulder. She straighten up, and leaned back a bit. She was in a more cheerful nature now. "When I hear from them again I'll let you know an we can arrange a meeting." She giggled. "Once is a use to be pirate, and the other is a person from the 17th century that came through a whirl pool..." She tipped her head enjoying the wind that brushed against her. "Or, at least something like that..."

Ceres looked down at the buildings. "There are better adventures to be had than a look into the past in an old musty building." She said softly. "Lexiel, however, thinks differently... Maybe it is my age. Then again perhaps it is the century she is from." She shrugged her shoulders. "But... If old builds are your thing who I am to deny a look around." Despite her previous statement you could tell her curiosity had sprung free.

"A pirate and one from the seventeenth century? Sounds like an interesting couple of ladies. I bet we'd have a bit in common, seeing as none of us would have been raised in an enviornment with all the modern conviences. Which one is Lexiel? The one from the 17th century?" She glanced over at Ceres and thought she could see a glimer of interest there. But she would go off of what her friend had said, not what she figured from her expression. Keeta was never much one for assumtions.

"Well if you were more interested, I'd say lets go now, it'd give us more of a chance to talk and whatnot, without having to fight the wind. But if it's not your thing I understand...I can always go another time." Keeta shrugged, appearing not too mind too much either way.

"Lexiel is the one from another time, and Fauste is the one from the sea..." Ceres chuckled. "My first five years were spent on earth... but that was 450 year ago." She took a moment to look down again. The ruins were not to far off. "A visit to those ruins would be nice... But, you'll have to be extra careful."

Patch and Perch flicked their ears as they whickered. The circled around the ruins several times before they were nearest to the ground. They galloped in the air until they touched earth. There was a few momentary bumps as the surrounding area wasn't the most stable for a decent landing.

"Forgive me." Patch said still focusing as she slowed down to a walk. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"I'm not too worried, but I'll be careful," she said smilling at Ceres. "I know I don't want to pull on Joel what my mother pulled on me...seeing as I already did one thing to him that my mother did." The second part was said in an undertone and her face grew a little cloudy. She thought of Kael again and wondered what became of him.

When she saw they were approaching the ground, she braced herself for the landing and held onto Patch tighter with her legs. She patted the mare when they landed and she apologized.

"Nothing to worry about Patch. I know it wasn't an easy place to land. Thanks for bringing us here." Keeta smiled and patted the mare again before dismounting and looking up at the ruins. Her mouth opened slightly in awe as she looked upwards at the stone building.

"This is one pretty amazing place. It's so strange to see it so worn down and forlorn. In Evin some of the nobles still lived in places like this..."

"I could rebuild it with my will... But then the island would be short a relic." Ceres said as she waited for Perch to tuck her legs under her in a sitting position.

Slowly Ceres stood, and brushed her clothes of wrinkles and misplacement. She then turned to the Equines, and with the gentlest smile she smoke to them. "I will call for you so please do not wait on our behalf."

With that they 'jerked' their head in a nod before walking away.

"We shouldn't judge ourselves based on our mothers mistakes otherwise we'd live in their shadows. I believe everyone should be allowed to make their own mistakes." Ceres put a hand on Keeta's shoulder. "I have something serious to ask you before we step inside... A bit of a personal question."

"No I wouldn't rebuild it. It's beautiful in it's own way. It's just strange for me to see it like this is all." She said turning to Ceres with a smile as the maiden sent off the equines. Keeta waved to the pair as the went off and then glanced back at Ceres as she approached. At her statement, Keeta looked at her curiously and shifted a bit in discomfort, not sure what her friend was interested in discovering.

"What is it you want to know Ceres?"

Ceres closed her eyes, and sighed heavily. "Sky, and my time is nearly up Keeta... We're at peace with this... Really." She said softly as a tear ran down her cheek. "I'll do everything in my power to teach Natalia everything she'll need to know... But, once she has her mirror my magic and time is up."

Ceres opened her eyes, and looked directly at Keeta. "I do not want to teach her to follow the lore of the island. I want her to follow her dreams, and her heart... This island will need her, and she will probably need it..."

Ceres took a deep breath. "Sorry, I'm rambling a bit... My point, and question... She'll need motherly advise. She may have sisters, but she won't have me. There will be boys, and making a living... I don't know if at all she will have questions, but if she does would you be the person she can go to?"

While Ceres had said it was something serious, this was not at all what Keeta had expected. She looked at Ceres in surprise and almost embarassment at being asked to fulfil this role of honor in Natalia's life. Not to mention how awkward she felt discussing her friends' imminent demise. It wasn't something she liked to linger on.

"Why y-yes!" she sputtered, giving Ceres a hug, while looking a bit frazzled. "Of course! I'm honored that you would ask and I'll be glad to...but are you sure you want it to be me? I don't have the best track record in the world, and you haven't even known me but for as long as we were pregnant. And there's your sisters..."Keeta trailed off, looking at Ceres to make sure this was something she really wanted for her daughter.

"Natalia may have her aunts, and her siblings but as the tally goes they are best at railing together in times of need... They all have different and unique lives. Lives that Natalia may not want to pursue, and thus the advice might not be what she needs." Ceres said softly.

"You are a mother and regardless of past choices you will always think int the best interest of a child." Ceres eagerly returned the hug, and whispered as if everything depended on the next few words she would speak. "I have faith in you Keeta... And, it is time you have faith in yourself."

Keeta clung to her friend and felt a few of her own tears sliding down her cheek. She had known Ceres little more than a year and yet they had already become hard and fast friends. Her words meant a lot to Keeta and she nodded slowly, trying to have faith in herself as her friend asked.

"Thank you Ceres....I-It's hard for me to know you and Sky won't be around soon. I know there will be a hole in my heart when it happens, but I will definitely do whatever I can to do my best by your daughter. If that means she needs to live with me for a while, to borrow money, whatever." She stepped back so she could look at Ceres, smiling shakily and sniffling.

"How soon do you think.....?" she trailed off, letting the question finish itself.

"At the rate things are going we've got a while, but not much." Ceres said looking up at the clouds. "It will happen shortly after she comes of age... 14. She'll be able to take her mirror then."

Ceres looked back at Keeta. "I'll have enough time to teach her, what should hopefully should come naturally. There isn't enough..." She paused for a moment not sure of the world. She decided to skip ahead. "To sustain the both of us once she comes of age. I know it seems a bit on the cruel side..."

Ceres took a hold of Keeta's hand. "Shall we." She motioned towards the inside. "Before we set out the spickets." She said as she used her free hand to wipe away her tears.

Keeta actually let out a little sigh of relief at this. While the time it would take for Natalia to come of age would seem a small amount of time to someone like Ceres who had lived for centuries, to Keeta, it seemed almost a long while yet and she was grateful to know she would not lose her friend right away. She gripped Ceres' hand tightly and started forward.

"I just hope I can be everything for her that she needs me to be. I'll definitely try to come around more and establish that relationship with her."

"I know Keeta. That is why I asked you and no one else." Ceres smiled cheerfully. "I'm honored to be your friend. And, I look forward to all the time we will spend together."

Ceres closed her eyes and raised her hand. Slowly, with a very loud creek, the massive wooden doors opened. "We'd never have gotten them open on oour own... Strange thing is that on occasion they are actually open." She giggled. "Guess that could be kinda spooky to the average traveler."

"I'm looking forward to it as well," Keeta said, squeezing Ceres' hand again and turning to look at the solid wooden doors. Well, if Kael wasn't going to be around, at least she knew Ceres would be there as long as she could be.

Her jaw nearly dropped open as she saw Ceres open the doors, seemingly with the effort of her own will. Keeta knew she was using the magic of the island, but still.

"Really? They're actually open on their own sometimes? That is kinda creepy..." she said, her skin crawling slightly. "Wonder if there are ghosts in there?" Keeta continued in a teasing manner, trying both to lighten the mood and try to hide the fact that she was a little bit nervous. Not nervous enough to turn away, just enough to be wary. She took another step towards the open doorway.

"Well, shall we?"

"Probably. Like I said no telling what limits there are when it comes to this island." Ceres chuckled even as the doors slammed shut, and locked. "Well we are here now... No turning back."

"It doesn't startle me because I did play here as a kid. I've played everywhere... Things just remain unexplained to me..." She gave Keeta's hand another firm squeeze. "And, don't worry there are other ways out although they won't be as easy as waltzing out the front door."

Keeta yelped loudly, her voice echoing off the stone walls as the door slammed shut. She looked at Ceres wide-eyed and shook a little now, despite the reassurance that there were other ways out of here. Briefly she wondered what she had gotten herself into.

"So I guess I can't hope you were the one who closed the doors then?" she asked nervously, as her eyes began to explore the space they were in. It was a large entrance hall with high ceilings and, to Keeta's relief, large windows, which let in enough light to see by, even though many of them appeared to be covered over in ivy. It caused a green tint to the light in the room, and it was quite beautiful.

"If it would make you feel better I'll tell you that I did indeed close and lock the doors." Ceres said as she put on the warmest smile to make the other feel better.

Ceres snapped her fingers and the melted sticks of wax with wicks hardly there lit. "A little something to help us in our exploration." She took in a deep breath. "Very must." She said coughing just a little.

Now Keeta was confused, not knowing if Ceres had actually closed the doors or if she was just saying that to make her feel better. Deciding she'd rather not know, she tried to push the issue away in her mind.

"Well makes sense, seeing as there's probably not much airflow through here with the doors closed most of the time. Seems to have kept most of the animals out as well..." she remarked, noting that aside from the cobwebs, a mousehole here and there and a few bats hiding in the rafters, there didn't appear to be much evidence of animals living in the space.

"Maybe they know better..."

"The Equines use the stables from time to time to get out of the rain." Ceres said as she walked forward slowly letting go of Keeta's hand. "My favorite room is a just a bit this way..." She didn't have a clue if Keeta had heard her. She had a sudden burst of curiosity.

Keeta had in fact only half-heard Ceres, but decided to follow her anyways. She didn't much care for the thought of staying here by herself if there were invisible forces at work here that could close those doors. Stepping quickly to catch up, she stayed a pace or two behind Ceres, looking around the whole time and taking in the ancient and crumbling walls. They passed a tapestry here and there that Keeta might have stopped to examine, if she hadn't wanted to be left alone.

"This is my favorite room." Ceres smiled like a giddy kid with a new candy bar just bought for them. "The ball room." She giggled and picked up her attire as one would a dress. "Can you picture the dances, and all the people." As if she could hear music she began to dance.

The ballroom itself looked untouched. Not a thing out of place. The ceiling and windows were intact. It spanned a very large area. At the end was a long buffet style table. The dishes, candles, goblets, and the like still sat proudly as if today was the day... However, it was apparent that the people had just vanished.

Keeta stepped inside and didn't say anything for a long time. She was taking in the place and the images Ceres had suggested to her. Watching Ceres, she also smiled at her friend's mirth. It was good to see her happy after the serious topic they had just been discussing.

She wandered to the banquet table and walked along it, looking at the fine place settings and decorations, her fingers tracing the edge of a glass or plate, here and there.

"It's like it's under a spell or something...." she finally said, in breathless wonder.

Ceres' dance came to a stop as the music did that played in her head. She was a bit breathless as she looked to Keeta, and banquet table. "I suppose that is one way of looking at it... Then again you can look under the table and noticed bones." She said as she walked over to where Keeta was. "I guess in a way it is kind of fascinating.

Keeta froze and turned towards Ceres, her eyes wide once more.

"There's bones under there?" she asked, afraid to look and discover it for herself.

"I thought you said they had just vanished...."

"They did just vanish... There food didn't just vanish with them." Ceres grinned. "Didn't mean to startle you. I am sure scavengers picked bones clean and left them there when there was nothing left to satisfy them." She picked one up from the ground. "See... Didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh..." Keeta said, clearly relieved. "Those kind of bones." She giggled, embarassed.

"Sorry, I thought I was more hardened for stuff like this with my fighting background and all, but even when I was a mercenary...when I killed someone I didn't have to stick around and see what happened to them." She shuddered and again thought of Kael, wondering if his body was somewhere rotting...all alone....

"No!" she unintentionally said aloud, closing her eyes in frustration, trying to block out the image.

"Keeta." Ceres said pulling out a couple of chairs from the table. She waved her hand to relieve them from dust, and to stabilized it. "I think there are things you want to talk about, but just don't know how. The beginning is the best starting point..."

"I'm sorry..." she said softly, sitting in the seat Ceres had provided.

"It's just that Kael...I don't know if you ever met him?....he said he wanted to be with me, to be a father to Joel. He seemed genuine about it and was even helping out with some of the parenting responsibilities.

He was working exploring abandoned dungeons and whatnot, for treasure, with a group of other adventurers. On this latest one he said he could be gone for a couple of weeks, but...it's become much longer. It's been almost two months now and it's becoming difficult to bear, not knowing. My mind alternates between something horrible happening to him and him just up and running because he couldn't handle being in a fatherly role..." Keeta bit her lip and looked down, trying to maintain composure.

"Joel used to look around for him, I could tell, but he seems to have almost given up now...."

"Cheer up Keeta... You must always hope for the best, or the best will not come." Ceres said taking a seat next to Keeta. "Another way of saying it is expect the worst, and the worst is what you get."

Ceres put a hand on Keeta's knee. "Regardless of the outcome I'm here... And..." She took a moment to look away from Keeta, before looking her in the eyes. "If life ever becomes over bearing in even the slightest I am here. And, if you don't like life where you live my isle is open to you. I can link a mirror, and teach you... I can even have a house built for you."

Keeta shook her head.

"I couldn't ask that of you. You seemed already to imply that your resources were stretched with your children and sisters. With things the way they are I couldn't ask you to stretch yourself further. And...my Evin family is still there in Gaia. True, I don't see as much of them as I like, but they are still my family....

"Thank you though. It's a comfort to know you're here for me. I just wish I knew what has happened to him..."

"My offer is always open..." Ceres smiled. "And, perhaps he shall come riding from the sunrise on a white horse to sweep you off your feet." She giggled. "Or, at least that is how it works in romance novels in one way or another."

"Maybe....I can hope," she shrugged a little, trying to offer Ceres a small smile and stood.

"And thank you again for your offer, but again, I couldn't put that strain on you..." She started walking towards the entrance to the ballroom, back the way they had came. She could see the light in the entrance hall was beginning to dim as the angle of the sun changed.

"We should keep moving, if we're going to get out of here with enough light...And it'll help take my mind off things..."

Ceres waved her hand returning the chairs to their places, and natural state. "If you are in a rush to find the exit... I've got my mirror. We can be back in comfort in no time." Ceres said trying to avoid the previous topic all together so Keeta could find some peace. "But, there are still plenty more of rooms to be explored."

"I'm not in a rush to leave, I just wanted to make sure we weren't caught here in the dark. Plus, I didn't want to sit there and let myself think any longer. So long as we're moving I should be ok..."

Keeta walked into the kitchen only moments later, also heading to the sink to wash her hands. She had slipped into a comfortable skirt and loose fitting shirt that were more comfortable, and (she hoped) more tidy than what she had been wearing. Hanging back for a moment, she smiled as she watched Ceres interact with her daughters.

"Again!" Natalia chirped in excitement as she watched them go up into the air, and back down into the pan. It was her favorite part about making pancakes... The flipping.

Perian laughed as hard as she could while flipping the pancakes. "Alright, you... Just be careful back there." She said feeling it was important to emphasize since after all Natalia was getting very excited on her back.

Tinker and Aurora were laughing just as hard as Perian as they both attempted to keep the eggs from sticking to the pan. It was only a two person job due to them laughing so hard.

Somehow though despite all the fun they were having they managed to keep the place clean. Occasionally grease or egg would hit the stove, but it was quickly cleaned up by one of them. The stove wasn't typical it had been extended to be wider. But, still the girls were close together, but they all worked well together.

Ceres smiled when she was Keeta come into the kitchen. "You look lovely." She grabbed enough forks and knives from the drawer. "You can help me set the table.." She said pointing to a cabinet near the sink. "Plates and cups."

Keeta couldn't help but join in the laughter as it was contagious. It was enjoyable to watch Ceres' daughters have so much fun. She hoped that one day, she would be able to have fun like that with Joel...would she ever give him any brothers or sisters to have experiences like this with....? The thought only lingered for a moment, before she was distracted by Ceres' request.

"Sounds good to me," Keeta said with a smile, heading over to the cabinet and opening the cupboards.

"How many are we setting for?"

Ceres' eyes lit up brightly as she burst out in a new fit of laugher. "Keeta... I haven't the slightest idea how many." She took in a deep breath and tried to be a touch more serious since she knew it was probably bad that she didn't know how many to set the table for. "We never know just who's going to pop in. Everyone always knows when dinner is..."

Ceres took a moment to make a mental count, which spilled out into speech. "Me, you, Sky... Aurora, Aurora Dawn, Perian... Tinker, Cassara, Rhine... Ayisha, Masika, the twins... Natalia, and Joel." With each name she raised a finger. "That's 15 unless I miss counted."

"Goodness sakes," Keeta said, her eyes slightly wide, but her mouth in a smile. She had almost forgotten how large Ceres' family was.

"Well, Joel won't need to sit at the table. I expect with Sky having fed him, he'll be asleep soon, if not already. So...fourteen...." Keeta started digging in ther cabinet for plates, grabbing a stack of five at a time, not wanting to overload herself and drop them. She began to lay them out on the table and then went back to the cupboard for the next stack.

"Does everyone usually show up?"

"They normally show up a few at a time, but occasionally they fill the table." Ceres grinned. "Rarely is there a bad moment at the dinner table. Although, we consider it open discussion." She sat out folded napkins, forks and knives near each plate Keeta had sat out.

"We've got pancakes!" Perian said in tones of delight as she carried the large platter full of pancakes to the table. Some were regular, some berry, and some chocolate chip. "Something for everyone!"

"Pancakes! Pancakes!" Natalia clapped and cheered.

Aurora was close behind them with a plater of bacon, sausage, and eggs. "Glad to have you for dinner Keeta." She said with grin. "Hope you came extra hungry!"

Keeta glanced wide-eyed at the pile of food as she turned around with some glasses for the table.

"Goodness sakes..." she said, smiling. "I don't know if I'm hungry enough to help you all finish that off, but I'll do my best! It smells wonderful!" She set down the glasses at the table and went back for a second group, before finding herself a seat.

"You ladies did a wonderful job. Thank you."

"Pleasure." Aurora said with a cheerful chirp as she found herself a seat. "We are use to cooking large amounts. Isn't that right Perian?" She said to her sister, as she began to fill a plate for herself.

"You got that right." Perian laughed. "You wouldn't believe the food we go through in a day. Especially when everyone eats three meals here." She looked from Aurora to Keeta as she fixed a plate for Natalia first, and then for herself. "But, mother only insists that everyone always show up for dinner."

"Pancakes." Natalia giggled, and clapped excitedly. "More syrup!"

"The only time we pass plates of food from one person to the next is when everyone is present." Ceres said motioning to the middle of the table. "Please, help yourself Keeta..."

"I can only imagine..." Keeta said in response to Perian's comment about the amount of food they consumed in a day, as she reached to grab a couple pancakes, as well as some eggs and bacon.

"Does the island provide most of it? It seems like it would be quite an expense otherwise..." Doing the numbers in her head, she knew she would never be able to feed a family this large with what she made at the Casbah.

"A bit on the complicated side. There are plenty of fruits and vegetables that we can grow ourselves. We aren't big on eating a lot of meat. What we do eat we've got to get from somewhere..." Ceres lingered on the last word as she laid her hand flat on the table. "This island provides for us in many, many ways." She said as she raised her hand. The higher she raised her hand, the higher the stack of currency. "I didn't make it, but I can summon it. It is what gets left behind on sunken ships, and ship wrecks."

"Rhine and Cassara like to try and make it on their own." Aurora said with a mouth full of pancake before realizing exactly what she was doing. She covered her mouth an excused herself.

"Mom is the only one who can do such 'tricks'. Eventually, Natalia will learn. We live comfortably, and do not abuse what the island provides us." Perian said with a smile.

Natalia picked up the pancake and ate it like one would a sandwich. She didn't usually try and eat with a fork as she found it too time consuming since she couldn't see what she was eating... Also, half the time it ended up on the table instead of in her stomach.

Keeta's eyes grew sligthly wide and her mouth stopped moving mid-chew, at the money that appeared on the table at Ceres' command.

"That's a pretty impressive trick I must say...I hope Natalia has your wisdom in how to utilitze it when it is her turn." I'll try to help her make good choices when you're not here... Keeta finished to herself, feeling her heart ache again at the thought of her friend no longer being around. She didn't know how much Perian and Aurora knew and didn't want to burst their bubble if Ceres hadn't told them yet.

"If you are ever in trouble Keeta what is ours is yours." Ceres smiled as she made the money vanish as quickly as it had appeared. She helped herself to a couple more pieces of bacon and another pancake.

"I was in the other room taking a peek at that lil cuttie in Skys arms when I thought I heard someone say my name." Rhine said as he picked up Keeta's hand and kissed it. He then plopped into the nearest chair. "Hey Aurora before you go how bout passing me some of those eggs." He grinned. "And, by the way Cassara's on her way."

"You're in an awfully good mood this evening." Aurora said as she passed the plate to Rhine. She tried to hide the red in her cheeks as she quickly collected her dishes. She hadn't intended for it to sound so brazen.

"Aurora dear its life... And fortunately yet you just haven't bloomed." Perian said as she too collected her dishes.

"I have to bloomed." Aurora said with a huff as she dumbed the dishes into the sink. She then snatched the dishes from her sister. "It isn't like you do it either... Does that mean you haven't bloomed either." She narrowed her eyes.

Perian cleared her throat. "I wasn't trying to start anything... Just trying to make you feel better is all." She leaned against her sisters side, and whispered into her ear. "Besides it is us who have more fun because we aren't tied down."

Ceres looked at Rhine who was trying his best to stay out of the 'tiff' as much as she was. "So dear how was your day?"

"Thanks Ceres," Keeta said smiling, but knowing that she would be very deperate indeed before she would think of asking Ceres for help like that. It was one thing to ask her for advice and another to ask for physical resources. Just then Rhine appeared and kissed Keeta's hand, eliciting another blush like before. She tried to hide her embarassment by taking a bite of her pancake before responding to his comment about Joel.

"Thank you Rhine. His name is Joel, if Sky didn't tell you. Is he still behaving well for him? I can go get him if Sky wants a break..." She continued to eat, while waiting for a response, trying to ignore the slight argument between the girls. Keeta figured it might cause more tension if they knew they were drawing attention to themselves. She was glad when Ceres started another conversation and tried to focus her attention on that instead.

"I don't think he told me his name, but then again I was to busy to going gaga over another baby in the house." Rhine brandished his fork towards Keeta as if making a point more than making a threat. "He's doing perfectly fine with the little tyke..."

Ceres gave Rhine one of those looks causing the boy to put the food in his mouth. In other words she was shutting him up.

"You sure are a louse of a romantic." Cassara said hardly controlling her fits of laughter. "Thank heavens you aren't drinking or you'd be all over her like a fly would a pile of dung."

"Would you two..." Ceres started to say with a roll of her eyes. "We have company. A PROPER young lady..."

"I aint no lady..." Cassara said with a snort before turning her attention to Keeta. "Welcome to the mad house where we serve crazy siblings..." She grinned and snatched the plate of food from Rhine before he could take anything else off of it.

Keeta turned as Cassara walked in, a little surprised, but pleased at her pleasant attitude. Last time Keeta had been here, Cassara had been barely civil and it made her feel better to know she had a humorus side at any rate. She couldn't help but blush and stare at her plate though, when the comment was made about Rhine's romantic nature.

"It's nice to see you again Cassara," Keeta said, trying not to let her embarassment show in her voice as well.

"Vlad." Cassara still held a smile even if her voice was short. She sat the plate of food back on the table, and then grabbed the syrup. "By the way, congrats on the baby."

Rhine no sooner than he had sat down to eat was standing up with an empty plate. "I'm sorry mother to eat and run, but..." He didn't finish he just hugged his mother from behind.

"No need to explain yourself." Ceres said as she patted her son on the hand. Once he was gone she gave Cassara one of those looks. "Dear, there isn't anyone here who is going to expose you."

"No, she does a good enough job herself." Aurora Dawn said as she came into the kitchen at the tail end of the conversation. "But, who am I to say anything... Apparently I expose more of myself than I should..." She added as she saw the look she was getting from Cassara.

Keeta inwardly cringed at her mistake. Right, Cassara preferred to thought of as a man. Well at least she still had a smile on her face.

"Thank you for the congratulations, Vlad," Keeta said, purposely using her male psuedonym so that she would recognize her acceptance of it. Even though she hadn't finished everything on her plate, Keeta stood and headed for the trash can to dispose of the rest of it. The table conversation was getting to be a bit much for her this evening.

"You know...I think I'm gonna go relieve Sky, so he can enjoy some of this. It's probably about time for Joel to go to bed anyways."

"Sky's putting both of them down for bed time." Tinker said mater of factly. It was just her way about things. "But, Perian said something about Natalia wanting a bed time story to be read to the both of them."

"Keeta if you wouldn't mind... I'm going to get this kitchen cleaned up." Ceres smiled. "There is a library nook in the living room that is full of bed time books."

Cassara was already half way to the sink with a pile full of dishes in hand when Ceres mentioned that she was going to clean the kitchen. "Mother why don't you take the night off... Tinker and me got this."

"Alright then I'll take you up on your offer." Ceres said with a smile. "Thank You both."

"Oh, of course I'll read them a story," she said with a smile on her face. Keeta was grateful when Tinker's statement didn't stop after she had said Sky was putting the young ones to bed. She didn't think she would be able to stay much longer in the kitchen and was glad of the excuse of a bedtime story to escape. Never having grown up with siblings or having raised any, she wasn't quite ready to deal with the little squabbles that went on. She wondered whether she would be able to handle it if or when Joel had siblings to squabble with.

She had started to head out of the room when the girls offered to clean the dishes for Ceres and she paused in the doorway. "Going to join me for a bedtime story then?" she asked.

"I would be absolutely delighted to join you for a bed time story." Ceres said as she washed her hands at the kitchen sink. She then quickly dried her hands.

"Dinner isn't usually so embarrassing. I don't know what came over my children this evening especially when they could plainly tell we had company." Ceres said when they were out of ear shot from the kitchen.

"It's because they are secretly inducting her into the family." Ayisha said catching her mother off guard who turned around with a start. "Sorry about that mom... So, is there any dinner left for the four of us?"

"Tinker and Aurora Dawn are busy cleaning up the kitchen, but I'm sure if you hurry." Ceres said hugging Ayisha, Masika, and then the twins. "Keeta and I will be reading the kids a bed time story."

"From my family to yours congratulations on your bundle of joy." Ayisha whispered as she gave Keeta a quick hug.

Keeta whirled around as well, with the sudden intrusion of Ayisha's voice into the conversation. She blushed slighly and mentally kicked herself for it. She really needed to stop wearing her emotions on her sleeve like that.

"Thanks Ayisha. How are the twins? Getting bigger I see. So you really think they're trying to make me part of the family?"

"Yes. That is why they are secretly testing you. They want to see how you react to them, and how far they can push you." Ayisha said with a smile. "Go on now, kids wait for no one."

Ceres watched Ayisha and her family file into the kitchen. Afterwards she refocused her attention on Keeta. "Lets pick out a book Keeta." She said motioning to the book shelf."

"Have a good evening," she called after them as they departed for the kitchen.

"Does Natalia have any particular favorites?" Keeta asked Ceres as she scanned the titles "I'm sure Joel will sit and listen to just about anything. I don't think he's old enough to understand much speech yet, although I still read to him, because I know he enjoys listening to the sound of my voice."

"I generally tell her tails of the island as bed time stories. I try and keep out the nasty parts that kids her age don't know... But, at the same time I want her to know as much as possible." Ceres smiled as she ran her fingers along the spines of the books. "How about a random find?"

"Hmm....maybe you could tell Joel some of those stories sometime. I'm not so gifted at the storytelling thing, unless I have a book in front of me." She glanced back at the titles.

"A random find sounds good. Am I searching for the random book, or are you?" Keeta asked with a grin.

"It would be a pleasure to entertain Joel sometime with stories of the Isle." Ceres grinned as she pulled a book out from the shelf. "My fingers have already done the walking... And, Cinderella it is."

"Alrighty then," Keeta said, smiling as she headed down the hall. Do you know where Sky set them up for the night? Joel was in my room earlier, but I suppose he moved him to Natalia's room if they're reading a story together?"

"Logic tells me they are set up and waiting for us in your room." Ceres took Keeta by the hand in a friendly, sisterly manor. "I don't know why I brought the book with me... I know it by heart, or at the least the abridged version." She laughed.

"Ah, but the kids like to look at the pictures," she said, squeezing Ceres' hand. "I know the abridged version as well, but I don't think it's as fun. You can add more to the story when you can talk to the kids about the pictures. It's probably not a story I'll be telling much at home though. If Joel turns into a typical boy, he'll want to be as far away from Cinderella as he can manage from what I've seen," Keeta said, laughing like Ceres.

"Natalia can only see the pictures that fill her head. And, I hope she'll always need the story... Brave prince, beautiful princess." Ceres sighed happily. "Someone gallant that rides a white horse..." You could tell Ceres was slightly fantasizing herself about the situation.

"Ah, true. I forget sometimes...that she can't see like me. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be insensitive." She smiled at Ceres' expression, wishing wistfully that she had the same thing going for her. But nothing seemed to be going terribly right as of late.

"Don't worry yourself sick over it Keeta. We all slip up from time to time... And, sometimes Natalia even amazes us with a brief moment of site." Ceres grinned, and gave her a quick hug.

"Thought you'd never get here." Sky laughed from the corner of the room. He had both children on his lap, and was rocking them to keep them occupied.

Keeta hugged her back and stepped into the room, glancing at the children. Joel had a frown on his face despite being rocked, and Keeta thought that perhaps he even would have had his arms folded in protest had he been old enough and coordinated enough to mimic the gesture. Her brow creased in confusion. Why was he looking upset? He had seemed to enjoy being with Sky earlier.

As soon as he spotted Keeta Joel began to fuss and wiggle, looking towards his mom in frustration with his current circumstances. He did NOT want to share a lap with this other small person. And his mom had been gone all day, and he was tired...as Keeta made her way over to him, Joel began to cry. It had been a long day.

"Here Sky, let me take him," Keeta said, lifting the boy from his lap, with an apologetic smile, and then attempting to soothe him, walking around the room and talking to him quietly.

"All yours." Sky said as he scooted Natalia from his lap, and then stood up. "I'll leave you ladies to the details." Before he left the room he made it a point to caress Ceres' cheek. He however didn't do anything past that as he didn't want to embarrass her. With the soft sigh of Ceres he left the room.

"Right then." Ceres said snapping back to the moment. She scooped up Natalia. "Onto the bed time story about a prince and princess."

"Those are the best ones mommy!" Natalia clapped and giggled. She couldn't help but to wiggle in her mothers arms. She was very excited about this.

Keeta smiled as she watched them interact, continuing to calm Joel. He was growing quieter under her touch, but was still upset. She kicked herself for having left him so long and continued to pace the room as she looked toward the mother-daughter pair about to read the story.

"Joel, listen, she's going to read a story." She wasn't sure how much the boy understood, he wasn't even crawling yet, after all, but she thought she'd try.

Ceres put her hand on the book but didn't open it. She closed her eyes, and focused. After a minute or so the books images appeared on the wall. "If you wouldn't mind Keeta... Could you please do the reading." She said with a gentle smile.

Natalia curled into her mothers lap. She was already half asleep from the excitement of the day. This, however, was worth staying up for. Story time was always one of the best parts of the day. "Keeta read story. Please."

"Of course Natalia," she responded, pleased that she was interested in having her read. "Shall I do it from the book, or just do my best by heart?" Keeta asked the little girl, knowing Joel wouldn't have an opinion on the matter.

Joel, instead was transfixed by the images that were suddenly displayed upon the wall. They provided enough of a distraction that he stopped fussing and focused his sensitive eyes on them.

"What ever lady like." Natalia said as she turned her head in the direction of Keeta's voice. "Do you like stories?" She asked during a small yawn.

"Yes I do. I think stories are some of the most wonderful things in the world, because you only need a voice to tell them." She smiled and began, continuing to rub Joel's back, although he was still watching the wall.

"Once upon a time, there was a young girl who lived with her father and she loved him very much. They were happy together, but he got lonely, and so he married a woman who had two of her own daughters, both around the age of his own...."

Natalia did her best to imagine the different sounds, smells, and even tastes that would be attached to the words from the story. She would occasional ask what certain things would look like, and even the colors. She couldn't help herself but put herself in place of the princess. She liked the very fact and thought of dancing with the princess. Though, she would easily admit she didn't like those nasty step sisters.

Ceres took part in helping with her daughters questions. As the story was told Ceres brought animation to the book via use of the wall. She did this so Joel would have something to keep him occupied. It was like watching a movie on the TV.

"...and Cinderella and her prince lived happily ever after." Finally Keeta reached the end of the story, Joel asleep against her shoulder. She started to walk slowly towards the crib and laid him down gently, so as not to wake him. He squirmed a little, as if on the edge of wakefulness before settling down and falling fully asleep again. Keeta walked over to the bed and sat on the edge next to Natalia and Ceres.

Natalia yawned sleepily. She was half asleep, but she had been intent on staying up to hear the end to the story. "Happy ever after." She hummed softly as she climbed out of her mothers lap. She wanted to dance around the room, but didn't know much about the guest room so she decided otherwise.

"Yes, happily ever after." Ceres said with a chuckle. She grabbed the book and then pushed herself to stand. "Rooms all yours. Rest well." She smiled softly, and gave Keeta one last hug for the day.

Keeta gave her friend a warm hug back. Even if today had been somewhat complicated, it had been a good day, and she was glad she had come. It was good to be in the company of friends again.

"Thanks Ceres. Have a good night. You too Natalia," she said, giving the little girl's shoulder a squeeze.

Keeta sighed. Another Saturday alone. Well not alone in the true sense of the world, but she was definitely lacking in adult company. Not that Joel was boring or anything, but he couldn't exactly carry on a conversation yet, and he was still asleep. Puttering around, she grudgingly turned on the TV, which she had purchased and hooked up about a month ago, also out of boredom.

Channel surfing, she finally settled on a home and gardening program that was talking about backyard landscaping. Keeta thought maybe she should try her hand at a project like that, which would keep her from sitting around feeling bored and lonely. Joel would probably even enjoy the extra time outside.

As she pondered this idea, a commercial for the local zoo came on, and Keeta watched it with interest. The zoo? Why hadn't she thought of going there before? She'd always wanted to go, but never had...and then the whole thing with Joel...He was getting old enough now that she thought he'd enjoy it at least a little bit. Nodding her head, she decided they'd go....Just as soon as Joel woke up.

* * * * *

Two hours later, Keeta was standing in front of the entrance to the zoo, with Joel strapped securely in his stroller and a whole bag full of various things she thought they might need during the day. At the moment she had out the sunscreen bottle and was trying to appropriately coat her son in the white liquid.

Joel wasn't a big fan of this, however and was turning his head this way and that, squirming as she tried to apply sunscreen to his face, arms and legs.

Jiao'lan had been incredibly bored sitting around the flat waiting on Ke'rehl to get home from job hunting. She had managed to get on the bus, pay her fare, and pay again to enter the zoo. She had never been to such a place and the idea of some familiar and some completely new animals amused her greatly.

Instead of her customary top she wore a ruby red, halter peasant top, both to hide the slight bloating from the fertility meds and, well, she didn't think it quite appropriate, as she was learning a bare midriff in Gaia is sometimes seen as sleazy. She had a small hempen bag slung over her shoulder. She sat down on a bench and began to apply a generous amount of sunscreen to her pale skin.

Children were everywhere. She smiled softly as she watched them with their parents or older siblings.

A young girl, about five years old walked up to her. "How come you got feathers, lady?" She asked before her mother rushed up to her. "Abigale! That's rude." The woman hissed. "S'no' a problem, ma'am...I reckon I look quite odd t'er." She smiled softly knowing the little girl would need a simple, easy answer. "Ah'm related t' 'arpies...de big 'alf bird 'alf 'uman creat'as." She explained. The woman smiled sheepishly. "Again, I am so sorry!" She added.

Jiao'lan smiled.

"Ah sure Ah'd 'ave asked too if'n I were her age...not'ing wrong with curiosity." Jiao'lan reassured the woman. The little girl beamed. "I loooooooooooooooooooooove your big, poufy feathers!" She said, staring a bit. Her mother nodded. "Thank-you for being so understanding ma'am...come on...we haven't seen the elephants yet." The mother told her daughter as the pair walked away.

Well, today was most certainly going to be interesting.

Keeta had eventually managed to get enough sunscreen on Joel and for a final touch put on him one of those big floppy hats with a chinstrap. She knew that the chinstrap would annoy him, but without it, the hat would tip forward and cover his center eye and she figured that would annoy him even more. She wanted to put sunglasses on him as well, like she had seen some other parents of younger children do, but she didn't think it'd work too well only shading his "normal" eyes, so she decided to skip it altogether.

When they were ready she got in line for a ticket for herself (Joel was free!) and was inside the gates within another five minutes. Just inside the entrance, Keeta pulled out the map they to follow for the day. So absorbed was she in trying to keep Joel from ripping his hat off and in studying the map, that she failed to notice the feathered lady sitting just feet away from her.

Jiao'lan was hard pressed to forget a face. But placing an odd name to it, that would be the issue. She pushed herself to her feet and walked over to the pair. "Ey dere, Keetah..." She bent over to look at Joel and smiled. "Ello t'you too..." She added before standing up straight again. "Am ah interrup'tin' anyting?" She asked, making sure she wasn't making a pest of herself. The social structures and customs were so different in Gaia!

"...huh?" Keeta looked up from her map, her blank expression turning into a smile when she saw who was adressing her.

"Jiao'lan! Hi! Oh, no not at all. I was just looking at the map to try and figure out what route I wanted to take through the zoo today. I didn't expect to see anyone I knew here, but I'm glad I ran into you. I've been getting lonely.

"How have you been holding up? Any luck in the motherhood department yet?" she looked around to see if anyone was with the feathered woman and no one seemed to make it apparent they had come with her.

"Are you here by yourself?"

Joel smiled at being adressed and he babbled a greeting back to Jiao'lan. "Bababa"

Jiao'lan beamed, feathers puffing slightly in contentment. "Es good'ta see you s'well." She said pleasantly. "No, dere's no cake in de coul'ron yet..." She said. "But dese meds are enough t'drive meh mad...Ke'rehl's out lookin' fer a job at the mom'nt, Ah'm goin' stir crazeh in de flat by meself an' though' Ah'd get a leetle fresh air." She explained. "Ah'm sorreh t'ear dat yeh've been gettin' lonleh dough." The female said.

She chuckled sheepishly. "Ah've nev'a been t'a zoo an' Ah though' it migh' be a fun change 'o pace...see some tings dat Ah 'aven't a'fore an' such...but..." She sighed, feathers slicking down closer to her body. "Actuleh, now dat yeh mention't Ah'm not doin' so keen meself...Ah've 'ad a 'orrid 'bout'a 'ome sickness an' de side effects of dese meds aren' 'elpin' matt'as. Dere wearin' meh down...mentalleh an' physicalleh. Ah jest 'ope de pregnanceh'll 'elp distract meh from some 'o et." She forced a smile.

"Bu' Ah'll manage...ah always 'ave."

"I'm sorry to hear they're making you feel poorly," Keeta said sympathetically, patting Jiao'lan on the shoulder.

"I hope it gets better for you soon. Sounds like you've been like me at your place. That's why I decided to come here as well. Never been and a chance to get myself some fresh air, like you said. My man's kind of disappeared as well..." Keeta bit her lip lightly, as she tried to push away the emotion rising in her chest. It was getting a little easier every day, but it still wasn't gone.

"Anyways, you're welcome to join Joel and I if you wish. We'd love to have you," Keeta said with a smile.

Joel was batting at the chinstrap again, the elastic around his chin driving him nuts. He wanted this hat off.

"Ah, well et's fer a good 'cause so Ah've jest been tryin' t'take et all in stride, as et were." She said. The female smiled, finally glad she knew someone in Gaia.

It made the days far less lonesome and hard to deal with. The Keincho-Jin couldn't imagine a male just up and leaving his family but then again that showed how vastly different their cultures were.

"Ah'd love de compa'neh...tank-you fer de off'a," She said before glancing to Joel. "'E 'ates dat hat like nothin' else in dis worl' eh?" She asked.

She also didn't quite understand the use of hats. Afterall, where she had grown up a thin covering of aloe mixed with other plant juices was a very good form of sunscreen. With her fair skin she slathered it on most of the time.

"So, where to firs'?" She asked, not wanting to intrude on her plans.

"Yes, he does," Keeta said, leaning down and trying to readjust it. "It's really the chinstrap that's annoying him, but without it, the hat slips forward and covers up his center eye. I'm still working on a better solution, because I want his eyes to be shaded. I tried sunglasses, but they wouldn't cover his center eye either. So...until I find something better...I think he's going to have to deal with it." She sighed a bit as she fought with Joel's hands trying to get the strap back into place.

He whined and fussed, grabbing at his mommy's hands, not understanding that she was trying to do him a favor. All he knew was that it was bothing his chin! When Keeta finally handed him a toy to occupy him, he was distracted enough and started shaking the toy up and down and occasionally chewing on it.

"And it's no problem, I'm glad to have run into you. I was thinking of heading off to look at the African animals first, so I can show Joel the elephants and lions and whatnot." She pointed towards where a section of the path was heading off toward the right.

"Does that sound ok to you?"

"Sounds more'n fine ta me." She said with a bright smile. "Ah've actualeh onleh seen what was on de islan' back 'ome so dis is gonna be a real treat Ah'm sure." She said somewhat sheepishly at her own excitement over seeing animals. "De missionarehs nev'a translated any of our words fer animals int'a 'elephan' so...I dun think Ah've ev'a seen one a'fore." Yes, she was anxious and excited, which rolled itself into one bubbly emotion.

She had no idea just how big the world was and what lived in it. Would she ever have quite a bit to tell Ke'rehl when he came home!

The biggest animal they had on the island she was raised on were Causeries, large black, blue and red flightless birds which stood five feet tall and had nasty dispositions so the idea of something as large as a giraffe would be simply mind-boggling.

She began to walk, slowly in case Keeta wasn't ready to head out yet. "Ah dunno if Ke'rehl woul' mind et but...Ah'm proba-leh gonna need ta find a job...ting es Ah dunno what skills Ah possab-leh 'ave dat coul' be of any use." Jiao'lan explained biting her lip slightly.

She was quite good at what her clan called, 'gentleing animals' but she knew that would be of no use in Gaia, or so she thought at any rate.

"Well, from what I know, elephants only live in jungle and desert areas. I don't think they typically end up near the ocean like on an island for example...Although you may have seen a picture of one, since being here and not known what it was. That's how I was when I first came," Keeta said shrugging. She hadn't seen all these animals either. Not in person at any rate.

Explorers from Evin who had traveled to other places in the world had brought back sketches of some of the more amazing animals they had encountered in their travels, as well as the stories of the big cities and crazy things that Keeta had never heard the like of before. Back then, she had only believed half of what she had heard, writing it off as embellishment or fantasy. To her shock and amazement, however, when she made the journey to Gaia, she found that most of what they had said was true! As overwhelming as it had been for her, she could sympathize with Jiao'lan, who had been under even more isolating circumstances.

Only in the past couple years had Keeta become aquainted with things like elephants, tigers, kangaroos and giraffes. And what she knew of them came from what she had seen in books and on TV. She had never seen any of them in person.

"I'm sure there are things you can do that would be wonderful to use as a job skill," Keeta said starting to walk after her, pushing the stroller.

"Tell me about some of the things you're good at and that you like to do, maybe? I can't promise to know of every job in the world, seeing as I've only been here a few more years than you, but I can try to help..."

Jiao'lan chuckled. "Ah'm good with animals...and...well I can't say good at cookin' 'cause Ah'm sure Ah'm 'orrible in Gaia. Dere's not too much real-eh 'sides...possib-leh sewin' but 'gain I couldn' make the tings people here wear." She said.

A peacock was roosting under the shade of a maple tree near a duck and koi pond where children were buying corn from a machine quite akin to an old fashioned gumball dispenser and feeding it to the animals. As soon as it saw the three approach it rose to it's feet and bobbed it's head slightly before unfurling it's brown, mottled wings and making a sort of half flap, half jump into a low branch and began to coo, staring at Jiao'lan.

She looked to the bird and smiled. "Ah fergot dat birds seemed t'reall-eh take a fancy t'me..." She laughed. "Must be de feathers." The woman mused aloud. "S'one bird 'ere Ah'm familiar with...we kept dem along with jungle fowl...I tink you call dem 'chickens' if Ah'm not mistaken." She explained.

The path branched with two hanging signs over each on metal rods. One read 'African Veldt' and the other, 'Australia'. She took the Veldt path, walking at a leisurely pace.

What looked like a large ravine with thick, bullet-proof glass around it was just ahead. It had acacia trees, and water sources. It was the elephant enclosure. There was a large bull at one end and three females and a calf at the other.

The young woman's mouth dropped slightly, eyes wide with a child-like wonder. She couldn't read the placard that said, 'Elephant' and had a little blurb about them but just seeing the giants was enough for her. She was speechless.

Keeta smiled in amusement as the peacock seemed to be drawn to Jiao'lan. She had always had a soft-spot for birds, but they had never just come to her like that. As they passed by she turned her head back forward, pushing the stroller behind her feathered companion as she took the path towards the Afican animals.

"Well if you're good with and like animals, there's quite a few career possibilities for you there, if you get the proper training. People in Gaia like t-" Keeta stopped seeing her words were no longer being registered when her friend saw the Elephants. She grinned at seeing her friend's amazement, and she took a good look at the wrinkly, grey-skinned creatures as well, enjoying getting a chance to look at a real one up close. She had never seen one in person, but her amazement was not so intense, as she had at least known what to expect. Still smiling, she reached over and touched Jiao'lan on the shoulder.

"You ok?" she asked, a hint of amusement in her voice. Keeta wanted to get Joel out of the stroller for a better look, but she thought she'd get her friend's take on it first.

Jiao'lan jumped slightly before smiling sheepishly. "Heh, Ah'm more'n fine..." She said. "So...what exact-leh are dey...'sides huge 'o 'course?" She asked, peeling her eyes away from them for a moment. The tusks, trunks, and ears alone would be impressive but when paired with their size, they were almost mesmerising.

The calf waded into the water and scooped up a bit of mud and threw it over it's head so it landed on it's back before repeating the process until it had a gooey, slosh-y mess all over it.

She chuckled slightly. "No matt'a what kin' 'o creature yeh are kids is all de same." She said with bemusement. Of course she knew the elephant was also doing this to cool off but it looked so happy and playful.

Two sparrows landed on the largest female and began to pick at and eat the mites hiding behind their massive ears.

"Well...." she started, chucking at the comment about children, before leaning down to unstrap Joel.

He was suddenly still, his eyes wide and all three of them focused on the elephants. The center one was looking at the large male, while the others were focused on the calf. It was obvious these large creatues had caught his interest.

"These are the Elephants I was talking about. They like to eat grass and their trunk, which is the long thing hanging off the front of them, is their nose and can be used much like a hand. From what I understand they're very social creatures and like to live in large groups. I...belive....they are the largest animal with hair that lives on land..." she trailed off, not quite sure if that was the kind of information Jiao'lan was looking for. Vaugely she hoped she wouldn't have to do that for every animal in the zoo, because quite frankly, she didn't know enough about all the animals that would be here. She was sure she'd come across quite a few that would be completely new to her as well.

She nodded, plume like feathers swaying a bit. "Dey're quite a sight." She mused looking to Joel and chuckling at the wide-eyed look on his face. Keeta had provided more information than she had expected. It was welcome but all she had been wondering about were names.

The Keincho-Jin made a mental note to come back sometime so she could do a bit of sketching. She hadn't even thought of that as a skill she could use when job hunting.

Children chattered behind them and Jiao'lan only caught a few words of the excited babble, 'elephants, bird lady' and such. She was used to the latter and didn't mind. She had had a few adults come up and ask her questions as well in the past and she saw it as a necessary thing. Afterall, she would probably have questions abut someone else who looked quite different from what she was used to.

Her tail swished slightly as a horse-fly landed on it, attracted to her black plumage. She dug in her bag and pulled out a watch on a fob chain. It was nearing noon. She grabbed a small bottle and shook out three pills before palming them and taking out a bottle of water. She downed them easilly and put the water back in her bag.

"Ah'm glad my chillin'll be able t'grow up with such experiences." She said with a wistful sigh.

"More of your meds?" Keeta asked sypmathetically as she watched her friend swallow the pills. She really hoped it would cause discomfort while they were at the zoo and ruin the experience for Jiao'lan.

"I'm glad Joel will be able to as well. Although, I think I'm going to miss him having some of the experiences of running free through the forests and exploring nature and such that I had. But....with the way the world is here, I could never trust letting Joel and any of his friends run off by themselves as younger children. Maybe when he gets to be a teenager, but still..." Keeta's mouth pressed into a straight line. While life here had it's comfortable aspects, it was decidedly more complicated.

Keeta sighed and glanced at the map, but grinned when she read what was in the next pen over.

"If you think the elephants are a sight, wait until you see the Giraffes over here..." Keeta said, still carrying Joel on her hip and pushing the stroller ahead of her to the next enclosure.

Jiao'lan nodded. "Dey go down easy but...aren' de most fun tings." She said pulling a slight face. "But again Ah jest 'ave t'think 'o de beeg pict'a." She said with a soft smile.

The female grew pensive for a moment. "Yes, Ah know what yeh mean abou' dat. Ah'd like nothin' more den to show 'im or 'er what 'is 'ome was like...takin' walks in de jungle an' such. Dere was always so much t'see. Birds, butt'aflies, monkehs...jest loads o' critt'as." She gave a slightly humourless laugh. " 'Is grandfolks in perticul'a. S'kind'a a ting I wanted t'share with me moth;a...but...heh, ah well Ah 'as Ke'rehl...an' you a'corse." She smiled slightly.

Jiao'lan merely took Keeta's word for it and followed her to the Giraffe enclosure. Again, the sight left her almost speechless. "Merceh-full 'eavens...I didn' know anyting came dat big." She craned her neck up, shielding her eyes with her hand, to look at the Giraffe's face. It plucked a spring of leaves from a nearby tree and ate slowly, much like an odd sort of cow, its tail flicking at flies every now and again.

Keeta chuckled slightly at Jiao'lan's exclaimation, but nodded in agreement.

"They were certainly a shock to me the first time I saw them on television too...but somehow the screen can't truly portray the vastness of their height." She craned her neck back slightly to get a better view of one as it came closer.

"Do yeh min' if I ask yeh a kind'a personal q'estion?" She asked, hoping it wasn't too forward.

Jiao'lan had a very confused and muddled sense of what was socially acceptable here versus where she had grown up. She knew sex was taboo as it was where she lived, speaking about it anyway so she wasn't too sure the results of it weren't as well. She dug around in her bag and found a sandwich bag of crackers and began to nibble on one, focusing on that instead.

Keeta shifted nervously and gave Jiao'lan a sidelong glace. Personal questions weren't always safe, but by Jiao'lan's expression, she knew that. Well...she figured from the way the feathered woman seemed overly cautious about things sometimes, perhaps it wouldn't be too bad.

"I guess not...." Keeta said, a hint of reservation in her voice. Joel was starting to get heavy and she placed him back in the stroller, where he continued to carefully watch the giant animals whose heads were far above him.

She nodded and chewed a cracker in silent contemplation before looking up. "'Ow'd yeh feel when ye firs' got pregnant?" She asked, waiting for some look that would tell her she had said the wrong thing.

Only mothers and grandmothers talked about this in her village and it was a strictly need-to-know basis so she assumed she was really overstepping the boundaries.

"Ah'm sorreh! Et jest...scares de piss outta meh an'...Ah...Ah'm sorreh!" She added quickly, blushing deeply, head bowed.

"No need to apologize....but I suppose I want to know whether you mean physically, mentally or emotionally..." Keeta said, blushing slightly herself, vaugely hoping that Jiao'lan was only referring to the physical effects. The manner in which Joel had been conceived had caused her mental and emotional stress and was not always a topic she felt comfortable discussing. And if the topic of pregnancy and childbirth in general was considered taboo in Jiao'lan's culture, what did they think of mothers who conceived out of wedlock? Keeta absentmindedly ran her fingers through Joel's hair while she waited for clarification from her friend.

Jiao'lan smiled softly, quite relieved that she hadn't been scolded by the other woman for asking too personal of a question. "Well, Ah assume de meentle an' emotional aspec's is deef'rent fer every'un so...Ah was askin' abou' de physical part." She said. She chuckled uneasily. "Ah'm kinda flyin' blind 'ere." She said sheepishly. She was also afraid she'd do something wrong and harm her baby once she or he was conceived.

She was sure she could handle the baby once it was born. Her mother had a lot of postpartum haemorrhaging and her father had to care for her, leaving Jiao'lan with her new infant sister. She had only been fifteen at the time and was very adept with young children. While her mother was weak she was still producing milk so she had to prop her up and hold her sister so she could latch on properly.

It was tiring but worth it.

It was building the baby and the process of getting it out that frightened her.

"Well...I didn't really notice until I was 7-8 weeks along. That's when I started having morning sickness and began to suspect....I really didn't have much physical difficulties overall. Like the mental and emotional effects though, it's different for every woman. I can't predict how it will go for you, particularly with your unique circumstances...I imagine our gestational processes are rather different..."

Jiao'lan nodded but she seemed slightly confused. "What kind 'o seekness es, 'mornin' seekness'?" She asked, not too sure about the term. The rest of what Keeta had said made prefect sense.

She was, after all, more human than not. The black and white female knew she was very different. "Ah s'pose Ah'll jest have'ta ask loads a' questions when Ah manage t'get mah engagem'nt at de cleenic." She said.

"Morning sickness is just a common term applied to the nausea that often occurs in the early weeks and/or months of pregnancy. It doesn't always happen in the morning, and doesn't always happen to every woman. I think your best bet to understand everything is getting an appointment, like you said.

"Joel is my first child and I didn't know much in the way of anything regarding pregnancy and childbirth before that, so I'm not expert. The people at the clinic, well that's their job, so I'd hope they'd know more." Keeta shrugged, pushing the stroller ahead of her. She had started walking down the path again towards the next enclosure which contained the lions.

Joel was happily gnawing on a toy, smiling up at some of the faces they passed. This almost always elicited a smile back, until they looked a few degrees higher on his face and many times the smile disappeared to be replaced by a perplexed expression. It would seem not everyone was comfortable with his unusual feature.

Jiao'lan noticed the looks and couldn't help but glare slightly. She knew she would get the same looks when she had her baby, hell, she got them now! But directing them toward a child was something she was not ready or willing to tolerate.

As they neared the lion enclosure Jiao'lan didn't seem quite as excitable, this animal looked slightly familiar to the Jaguars and Ocelots she grew up with. She smirked. "Hehehe, what'd yeh know? Cats're everywhere." The woman chuckled. "Ah'd 'ate t'be at de wrong end o' dose claws...jag'ars ees bad enough." She said.

She looked to the infant and knelt so she was eye level with him. "Dey're big'uns aren't dey?" She asked him with a smile, knowing he couldn't really respond besides in babble.

Keeta found herself glaring and frustrated by the glances as well. She;d endured some of them before, but it was rare for her to be in such a highly populated area with Joel. She usually tried to get Annata or Tess to watch him if she was going shopping.

Eventually she found herself mutting under her breath and gripping the handles on the stroller tightly to keep from giving a tounge lashing to some of the passers by. What was their problem? She was grateful when Jiao'lan's words brought her away from her thoughts for a moment.

"Indeed. Some people keep them as pets, when they come in the smaller varieties. I've even considered getting one, although I hear they can be quite destructive with their claws even pint size. You saw a lot of Jaguars where you lived though?"

Joel grinned at Jiao'lan and shook his toy excitedly, wiggling in the stroller seat. His free hand reached out to touch her face.

"Buhbuhbbtttttttttt."

She touched Joel's hand lightly, chuckling before rising to a full standing position. "Oh yes, all de time. We 'ad t'watch our cheelin's when dey were out an' about t'make sure dey deedn't get snatched." She explained. "Dey were all ov'a de place. Dat an' tapirs...but one begeets de oth'a." She said. "Ah've neever seen a cat quite dat big dough. We keept ocelots as pets. Sweet cats."

Jiao'lan began to feel a bit nauseous and dug into her bag and fished out a cracker. Her fertility medication was starting to catch up with her and she nibbled on it slowly.

"We never had much in the way of agressive wildlife in Evin. We had bears, yes, and sometimes wolves but they generally preferred to keep to themselves than get involved with people. Only on very rare occasion did you hear about a child disappearing due to an animal attack and that was generally speaking only due to extreme parent negligence.

"In Gaia I know I don't have to worry about animal attacks either, but there are different kinds of predators here..." Keeta sighed as she once more wistfully thought of the freedom she had had, to run around as a child and she wished she could offer that opportunity to her son. Maybe she should consider taking Ceres up on that offer of living on the island. But was that really any safer?

If animals weren't the predators that only left people. It was beyond her that any adult would want to harm something so innocent and precious as a child. But, again, she grew up in a completely different world. She hoped she hadn't come to the right conclusion. So she'd ask for clarification.

"Oth'a predat'as?"

Her tail twitched anxiously. Perhaps Gaia wasn't the best of choices. But then again, she couldn't have stayed at home. Her choice in mate was enough to have her ostracized and her mate killed. Possibly vice versa from his tribe.

She hoped she'd get used to Gaia and learn it's rules in a timely manner.

"Some people in this modern world act as though they were animals themselves, hurting, maiming and even killing the innocent," Keeta responded to the question, as though she had a bitter taste in hor mouth.

"I was blissfully ignorant of it until I moved here and bought a TV. Try watching the news sometime if you want the facade of this amazing place removed. It will really take your blinders off. I never knew people were capable of some of the things i hear about until I came here."

Jiao'lan merely nodded. She had no idea what to say, really. "Ah...deedn't know dat." She seemed a little shell shocked. The woman looked to the next enclosure which housed African Wild Dogs. "Oh look'et dere...dogs." She said, trying to find something else to focus on.

Another topic popped into her mind, commoradory.

"Ah'm glad t'ave met'cha...fer more reasons den one, o'course." She said with a smile and a chuckle. It was somewhat forced but it looked real enough. "S'pecially seence yeh 'aven't leeved 'ere yer whole life." She elaborated. "S'good ta know Ah'm not de onleh one who's found dis place a shock." She admitted.

She looked to Joel fondly. "Ah mees, 'avin' behbehs 'round." She said with a soft smile. "But, hopfull'eh dat'll change soon a'nough." She said with a whistful sigh. "Heh, back 'ome yeh couldn' swing a dead monkeh without heetin' eith'a pregn'nt woman or a behbeh." She said.

"Life seemed so seemple dere." She admitted as she watched the dogs sunbathe. One female nursed her pups while they crawled all over each other to try and get the best teat to suckle.

"I"m sorry for bringing that up..." Keeta said, barely loud enough for Jiao'lan to hear. She hadn't meant to destroy the fun of the day, and she welcomed the distraction the Harpy-woman offered with a change in subject.

"It's hard for me to believe sometimes that one could NOT be shocked by living here. I suppose though that when it's all you're exposed to it seems natural. The few outsiders who came to Evin to visit I know were shocked by our relatively simple way of life, like you said. Although I must say, we didn't have nearly as many children around as you describe. That must have been wonderful!" There had been a few children associated with Mystic Nights before they left, but they were all from the same family. One of fox demons that seemed to have a propensity for overpopulation.

She smiled at the memories. "Ooooh yeah, et was certainleh nice." She agreed. "Heh, Ah has a feelin' dat my way of leeving might even be 'seemple' t'yeh." She said, feathers fluffing slightly as she relaxed. "Dere were onleh two main rules...treat oth'as as yeh wanna be treated...an'...dun associate wit de Shan'ro, a rival tribe." She said, her voice dropping slightly.

Jiao'lan sighed.

"S'why I can neev'a go home." She said as she took a bottle of water out of her bag and took a drink. She was feeling incredibly homesick. She wanted to share this experince with her mother and was unable to.

"Et was a stupid ting real'eh." She began. "Dey're not dat bad...at least Ah dun tink so." She said with a soft smile. "But dat's kinda obvious seein' as me mate's 'un." She said with a chuckle. "Sorreh, Ah'm just...goin' on abou' my issues an' such...Ah guess Ah jest dun wanna worreh Ke'rehl wit any o' et. E's got enough on 'is plate." She said sheepishly.

"Hmm, I see where that could get tricky. And you don't have to feel bad about sharing with me. I'm quite content to be a listening ear when people need it." She smiled and patted Jiao'lan on the shoulder.

"I wish my mother was here to see her grandchild as well, but she had disappeared years before I left Evin." Keeta shrugged a little. "But I guess that's life...and if I can make it, you can make it too."

"Ah well tank you." She said appreciatively. "An' Ah know I can..et'll jest be a challenge like anyting else." She agreed. "Dere'll be loads o' deeferent opportunities 'ere and dey may not be so bad." The woman said. "So long as Ah get used t'et a'fore Ah 'ave me chil' Ah tink at least he or she'll 'ave a good go of 'et." She said brightly.

She looked down to Joel with a soft smile. "S'a good ting 'e won't 'ave a transition like we did, eh?" She asked.

It was gettling closer to noon now. Jiao'lan's stomach was settling somewhat. She knew she had enough for a meal, even with the zoo's high prices, so at least that was one less thing to worry about.

"Yes and no. The transitions we went though give us a broader perspective of the world. We can understand more than just how we grew up. I think even if it's hard, it's healthy to have more than one idea of where a person might be coming from..." Keeta shrugged and moved ahead again.

"I suppose as a mother I am grateful that he may not have to endure some of the same hardships." Her stomach growled suddenly, echoing Jiao'lan's thoughts of lunchtime.

She nodded, the plumes on her head swaying a bit with the movements of her head. "Yeah, I s'pose Ah am grateful 'o dat, too." She agreed before she chuckled slightly.

"Well Mist'a Joel, is you hungreh too?" She asked squatting down, again, and looking at the blue haired little boy as he tapped him lightly on the nose with her index finger. Her eyes sparkled when she interacted with him. It was a side of her not even her mate was ever able to see. Her soul seemed to soar around the child.

She then stood fully again and rolled her shoulders, causing them to pop softly. She had noticed she carried a lot of tension in her shoulders and back as of late. It was hereditary among her family line to carry one's stress in that area.

She'd come to loathe it once she was weighted heavy with child, but for now it wasn't anything to even bat an eye at. She knew she was stressed. Ke'rehl knew she was stressed, so what did it matter? He was in the same boat she was, afterall.

"If 'e's allowed aft'a lunch I propose a roun' a' ice cream cones...mah treat, 'o course." Jiao'lan said with a soft smile.

Obviously Joel didn't respond with speech, but at the word hungry, he started to fuss a little bit and looked up at his mom, frowning and wiggling to be removed from the stroller.

"I'd say he's getting there...." Keeta said. "He certainly can't talk, but I think he's starting to understand certain words, and he has no problem making it known when he wants or needs something," she continued with a wry chuckle. Inwardly she smiled widly at seeing Jiao'lan's ease and happiness interacting with the boy. She hoped the other lady's dream of motherhood would soon come true.

After checking the map. Keeta turned the stroller in the direction of the food court and began to walk as she considered the offer of ice cream.

"That's very generous of you....thank you. I suppose I'll wait and see if we're still hungry enough for some after lunch," she said with a grin.

Jiao'lan smiled. "S'no problem...Ah'd be glad t'do et." The woman replied in reference to the ice cream.

She chuckled. "Ooooh yeah, heh, dey certain'leh can let'cha know what dey wan' in a hurry." She agreed. "Me cousins and seeblings were dey same way. S'a good ting a lot o' dat translates ov'a t'all behbehs." She grew slightly penisve as she followed Keeta. "Et's somting isn't et? Chillin's having such a clean slate to start with?" She elaborated.

"In dere tiny 'eads are the possibilit'eh of learnin' any form a' talk. S'too bad dat goes away as yeh age." She added with a slight laugh.

"Ah assume yeh spoke a' different talk all yer own in Evin?" She asked curiously.

She was pleased with herself for making so much headway with English. The rules were so confusing! All of the exceptions in grammar were enough to give even native speakers a headache at times!

While her native language didn't really have a name, its grammar worked a bit like Japanese, save the sentence structure. She was grateful for that part. The whole, 'subject then predecit' concept. Despite her islander dialect to the untrained ear her language could easilly be confused for Japanese, due to the way the endings of the words sounded and the emphasis on respect within the culture.

"Hmmm....well I suppose if I had been raised among my father's people I would have learned elvish, but I was raised among a mixed group of people," Keeta started, pondering the question.

"In the tavern I spent most of my early life in, we tended to speak the 'common' language which was basically English, because we had so many travelers coming through our doors. Of course some of the expressions we used, and some definitions of words were different, but overall it's similar enough. I picked up bits and pieces of other languages from some of the other employees, but nothing I could even remotely claim to be bilingual in."

"Dat must have made tings a wee beet easy-a on yeh...de English, Ah mean." She said.

The young woman thought back to her mate.

"Sometimes Ah tink eith'a not 'avin a..." She paused, brows furrowed slightly, trying to think of the word she wanted. "a...a 'out loud'," She was looking for the word 'verbal', "kind'a talk like me mate would'a made tings easy-a." She admitted. "Not dat Ah min', 'o course."

Soon the wooden tiki-hut style restaurant with the infamous golden arches was in sight. It was screened in and had many picnic style tables inside. Jiao'lan hadn't had McDonald's yet, but oddly enough, she'd recognise a burger. Her father used make capybara meat into burgers.

Jiao'lan went to the door and held it open for an elderly couple, and got a sweet smile from the woman and a 'Thanks, Missy' from the man. She beamed and nodded, still holding it open for Keeta and Joel.

Keeta politely waited for the other couple and nodded at Jiao'lan in thanks as they passed through the door, before continuing the conversation.

"I'm not sure what you mean...does your mate speak differently than you do?" she asked, never really having considered this. As she waited for a response she glanced at the menu. Ugh, McDonald's. Fast food was definitely not high on her list of favorite things to eat. Processed food and people of an elivish background didn't seem to mesh well together....Maybe she could find a salad....

Once Keeta had pushed Joel's stroller though the door and she followed them in. "His tribe nev'a really talked a'loud." She said. "De win' was col' enough t'take de breath from yeh so dey use a lot o' hand gest'as t'get dey points across." She explained.

The floor felt greasy underfoot and she lifted her foot and looked at where she had stepped before pulling a slight face. The cashier, a acne covered dark haired teenage boy, stared at her openly with a 'wtf' look on his face.

To Jaio'lan, the whole place smelled greasy.

When she took another step she nearly slipped, grey eyed wide, winged arms pinwheeling. A man who was standing in line with his young daughter moved quickly to catch her, under the arms.

"Are you all right, Miss?" The man asked, his feline ears twitching. Jiao'lan looked up to him sheepishly. "Yeah, tank-you, Sir." She told him as he helped her steady herself. "Dis floor isn' made fer claws." She added. He chuckled softly. "No it's not." He agreed. "Well, you're welcome." He said with a cheery smile before going before going back to his daughter.

Keeta watched wide-eyed as Jiao'lan slid and almost fell and was about to leap over to help when a nearby gentleman offered his assistance. She breathed a sigh of relief and then quickly closed the short distance between them, her sneakers providing the approrpriate amount of traction on the floor. As soon as the man stepped away, Keeta repeated his question, more quietly this time.

"Are you ok? Maybe you should sit down and I can get the food...You can sit and play with Joel for a few minutes?" She was trying to make it so Jiao'lan wouldn't have to cross any more of the treacherous floor than was necessary.

Jiao'lan smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, Ah'm all righ'...tanks." She then looked to the booths and to Joel. "Heh, dat sounds like a good ide'ah." She agreed as stretched up for the handlebars on Joel's stroller. "Hear dat? We's gonna so sit fer'a bit, buddeh." She told him as she steered him toward a table. She then turned Joel so he could see her as well as out into the lobby, and Keeta before sliding into the booth and adjusting her tail.

As more people milled through new pairs of eyes rested on the little woman. She tried not to may them any mind as she chatted and played with Joel. A few people rushed around to peer in the stroller and looked puzzled at the sight of Joel. One woman was staring quite blatantly. Jiao'lan gave her a straight look. "Yeh, gots a prob'em ma'am?" She asked dryly. Looked horrified that she'd been caught. "Ah'm watchin' me friend's boy fer 'er...stare a'meh all yeh wants...bu' leave 'im alone." She said coldly.

Joel, of course, was oblivious to the stares of the adults, but he did enjoy looking at Jiao'lan's elaborate plumage. He grinned and waved his arms at her, making happy noises, including a couple raspberries. He didn't seem concerned that his mother was out of his line of sight for the moment. She would be back and anyways he had a friend!

Keeta stood in line, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for her turn to order. Why did amusement parks always have the slowest lines for food? It was a frustrating truth she had learned in her few years living in Gaia, not that she often ate fast food. In fact, she usually made a point to avoid it, but as she heard a teacher once say, "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit."

She frowned at the menu trying to decide what to get and also wishing she had thought to find out what Jiao'lan wanted. For a moment she considered going over to ask, but when she turned and saw the line that had formed behind her, she gave up that notion. Seeing she was up next, she decided on two salads, hoping that wouldn't be objectionable. One Asian Chicken and one Garden Salad and Jiao'lan could pick the one she preferred. She just got some apple dippers for Joel. He wasn't eating tons of solid foods yet and with the promise of icecream and the cheerios she had stashed in the bag, it would be plenty.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry." The woman said, stumbling over her words. Apparently the small, upset, bird-like woman made her uneasy. She walked away quickly. Jiao'lan looked to Joel and smiled warmly. "Yeh likes me feath'as dun'cha?" She asked with a light laugh as she put the tip of her tail within his grasp. It had the same plumage as the rest of her, only shorter. The woman wondered what he'd do. But he seemed awfully interested in her, so she didn't mind feeding his curiosity. She waggled the very tip of it and watched him.

Some business women, dressed in suits with briefcases took their seats in a booth very close to the one Jiao'lan and Joel were seated in. One took out a laptop and tapped into the Wi-Fi, while the others fusses with their blackberries and paperwork. Every now and again, a woman with long, curled black hair and olive skin would look at the pair. It wasn't a look of confusion but a look of happiness when she saw Joel. "Margot." One of her companions called and snapped her fingers. The woman snapped back to attention. "Oh, sorry...so...they wanted to close the escrow on the Olsen account, right?" She asked. The blond who had hailed her attention nodded. "Thanks for coming back to planet Earth." She quipped.

Joel's eyes immediately became fixated on Jiao'lan's tail. What was this strange new thing moving in front of him? He became very still as he watched her twitch it around within his reach. After a moment, he tentatively reached out and gripped it with one hand. He grinned when he managed to capture it and wiggled a little in pleasure. His other hand joined the first, holding the twitching tail end and pulling it closer so he could look at it better.

Keeta arrived a moment or two later, carrying a precariously balanced tray with two salads, two bottles of water that didn't want to remain upright and a small package of apples. As she approached she was clearly mumbling something to herself.

".....have to make everything so expensive at these places. 250g for a bottle of water...."

She beamed at Joel as he inspected her tail before attempting to gently poke his nose with the end of it. Out of the corner of her eye, Jiao'lan saw Keeta on her way back. She laid her bag in her lap and began to dig through it for her coin purse. Once finding the drawstring purse she laid it on the table. "Ah knows et. Dese places is such rip-offs." She agreed. "'Ow much was me share?" She asked. "Yeh sai' two hun'erd an' fifteh gol' fer de wat'a..." She spoke aloud, as if thinking.

For some reason she couldn't do the maths properly at the moment. "Ah tink me brain's gone on strike." She said with a chuckle as her stomach growled. "Actul'eh...Ah knows et did." She corrected herself. The woman was somewhat curious about what you could get to eat at such a greasy seeming place. Whatever it was, she hoped it wasn't dripping in oil. She wasn't sure her stomach could handle that at the moment.

Joel squealed happily as Jiao'lan poked him, continuing to try and maintain a good grip on it. It was certain more fun than holding his other toy that didn't move on it's own. He enjoyed chewing on his other toy though. It felt good in his mouth. Hmmm....how would this feel? Joel brought the tip of the tail closer, attempting to get it into his mouth.

Keeta, unaware of what Joel was trying to do, set the food on the table as she slid into the seat.

"Eh....don't worry about the money yet, let's eat. I got you a salad, I hope that's ok? You can pick either one, I would be ok with either. I'm afaid I don't know what things you like to eat...." she trailed off uncertainly, hoping the fare was acceptable.

"One's a fancified garden salad and the other's dubbed the Asian Chicken Salad."

Jiao'lan wasn't paying attention to Joel either. She felt his plump little fists on her tail but so long as he was happy, she was content as well.

The young woman nodded to Keeta. "Ah, dun care eith'a." She looked at the salads. The chicken seemed odd to her. She had never seen bird meat because her kind never ate them. "What kind'a meat es 'cheekin'?" She asked, unable to place the name. She blushed lightly feeling rather stupid.

The seasonings also smelled rather strong. Not bad, exactly...but different.

Keeta blinked at Jiao'lan, at first confused by the question. Who didn't know what a chicken was? Then she remembered that her friend was no more from Gaia than herself. Mentally she pictured a chicken and was about to descibe it, when she realized what a stupid thing she had done. Her face paled and she tried to think of a way to water down the news.

How stupid could she be?! A chicken was a bird... it was just so automatic to think of them as food that she hadn't stopped to think of them in their living form. She bit her lip, trying to figure out how Jiao'lan might react to the news. Slowly she reached for the chicken salad, pulling it towards herself, figuing the other woman would want nothing to do with it.

"Erm....chicken is a kind of bird," she said quietly, cheeks red with embarassment.

It was at this moment that Joel managed to get Jiao'lan's tail in his mouth.

Jiao'lan's eyes widened and she let out a slight yelp. Out of reflex her tail flew from Joel's mouth and hands and into her own. She picked up a napkin and dried it off. "Stron' bite..." She said sheepishly before what Keeta said had set in. "Et's...a...bir'..." She turned pale but tried to keep the look of horror off of her face. Eating a bird, to her, was like eating cows in India. It just didn't happen. Keikancho-Jin were very, very close to birds being half avian themselves.

She pulled the other salad closer to herself and popped off the lid. She just looked at it for a moment as if trying to decide wether she could eat. Her stomach was twisting and flopping. It would be like someone sitting down for a meal with Hannibal Lecter. Without taking her eyes off of her salad she reached for her bottle of water and unscrewed it before taking a sip.

Life here was very, very, very different.

She knew this now.

Jiao'lan swallowed a gob of spit that had collected in the back of her mouth. It had gone extreemly dry. So she picked up the dressing, opened it and squirted some onto the lettuce before mixing it in. She stabbed a mouthful and just looked at it, half way between her mouth and the bowl.

Joel, of course, did not understand why the thing came flying out of his mouth and then disappeared. He blinked in confusion, before resorting to crying. Confusion was scary!

Keeta at first thought the yelp was in response to her statement, but soon figured out what happened when Jiao'lan began to wipe off her tail and Joel began to cry. As frustrating as it was to have your child cry in a public place, Keeta was glad of it at the moment, because it gave her an excuse to be occupied and delay further conversation for the moment. She hadn't missed how pale her friend had turned.

She pretended to fumble with the straps on the stroller, drawing it out as she 'rescued' her son. Joel was reaching for her with both arms, his crying already subsided some, but he still wanted comforting.

How could she be so stupid!?

She still felt rather sick from the whole concept but lifted her eyes to Joel, her maternal side kicking into gear. "Oh, Ah'm sorreh, Joel..." She said, brows furrowing. Jiao'lan wasn't sure what she could do for him. Every time she looked toward them her eyes would be drawn to the sliced chicken breast and she shuddered.

The woman attempted to take a bite of salad again and managed to chew and swallow it before her stomach gave a giant lurch. She gagged out an "E'scuse meh." Before jumping to her feet and rushing to the lavatory.

She nearly ran over an elderly woman in the process and only make a croaking sound as she tried to apollogise as she zipped past her. She knelt in front of the toilet bowl and took deep, slow breaths to try and keep her food down. She wasn't sure if she was going to be sick, but she most certainly didn't want to chance getting ill in the lobby where everyone was trying to eat.

After a few minutes she decided she'd be able to keep everything in place. She pushed herself to her feet, and brushed herself off before walking to the washbasin and rising onto the balls of her feet to wash her hands before splashing a little cold water on her face.

Joel had calmed down to the fussing stage, but Keeta didn't really notice. Her hands were just soothing him automatically. She sat down robotically and stared at nothing.

Stupid.Stupid.Stupid.Stupid..... The word was endlessly repeated in her head. She had actually made her friend want to throw up. She had sickened her to that point with her dietary habits. Would Jiao'lan even want to be her friend anymore?

After a couple moments, she noticed Joel had calmed and she returned him to the stroller. Her eyes found the food on the table and noted, with little surpise, that she was no longer hungry. With the way she had run to the bathroom, she didn't figure Jiao'lan was hungry either. Only bothering to save the apples and water, Keeta picked up everything else on the table and deposited in the nearest trashbin. She didn't believe for a minute that Jiao'lan would subscribe to the idea of out of sight, out of mind, but maybe it would make thing easier at least....

A tiny bit of the colour had returned to Jiao'lan's face as she made her way back to the table. She slid into her side of the booth and unscrewed the cap on her bottle of water before taking a small sip of it. "Es Joel doin' bett'a?" She asked, her voice even, but quiet.

She looked to Keeta and then to her own hands which were resting on the table. There was a sort of static sound buzzing in her ears. There was so much to process in such a short amount of time. This was a completely different word from the one she grew up in. Apparently, eating birds was part of the local diet.

Keeta didn't know that eating birds would upset her, she reasoned. Afterall, she was half human as well as avian and her friend knew nothing of her culture or heritage. It wasn't on purpose. Yet, she stayed quiet.

"He seems to be. I think he was just surprised," Keeta answered just as evenly. Her eyes stayed safely away from Jiao'lan's face. It seemed neither one of them wanted to discuss the elephant in the room. She wondered if the tension between them was evident to the other restaurant patrons. The last thing she needed was witnesses to this spectacle.

The business women and the adjacent table had all noticed what was going on. Two of them were whispering to each other. Margot was trying to focus on her work instead of gawking at the trio. a few small children openly stared while their parents tried to hide the fact that they were watching.

Jiao'lan nodded. "Good...Ah deedn't mean t'scare 'im." She said. "Ah knows yeh knows dat." The woman added, aware there were eyes on them. "'Ow much was everyt'ing?" She asked. "Ah wanna pay yeh back fer it." She explained. "An' throw in enough t'get Joel dat ice cream cone."

Keeta waved her hand, shaking her head slightly. She was starting to feel the eyes and she fought the urge to look up and stare back. What would that accomplish.

"I know. Of course you wouldn't do that....and, no, no....you don't need to do that," Keeta said, not being able to stomach the thought of Jiao'lan helping to pay after what Keeta had done to her. It wouldn't be right. She stood and gripped the stroller handles.

As Keeta took the stroller in hand she got up from the booth. "Ef yer sure...Ah feels guilteh dat yer gol' wen' t'waste." She said softly. But, she also noticed the similar look of guilt in Keeta's eyes. True, she was still shaken but, again, she knew her friend hadn't done it on purpose.

Jiao'lan looked to her. "Ah'm in a new place an' yeh all aren' related t'bir's." She began. "Ah, knows yeh didn' mean an'eh offense." The woman paused to try and choose her words. "Ah, jest..." She glanced to her clawed feet. "Ah'm not upset with yeh jest...a lill' shaken es all." The Keikancho-Jin woman explained.

"Sorreh fer makin' a bit'o a scene..." She added quietly.

"No...please don't worry about it. I'm the one that should be sorry. If I had been thinking at all, I would have realized...." she trailed off, knowing the rest of what she wanted to say would be understood. Keeta started walking for the exit of the food area, avoiding eye contact with anyone who had been within earshot. Her heart was thumping in her chest as she struggled to fight back the emotion in her: shame, anger at herself, embarassement.

While it was true she was horrified, she also felt terrible for upsetting her friend. 'They eat birds here.' she thought. 'It was probably wrong of me to make such a fuss.' The thoughts kept swirling in her mind. She glanced up to her friend as a rather tall, stout man with a demon tail and matching horns held the door open for them. "Tanks..." She said her eyes flicking to the man's for a brief moment.

"Not a problem." He replied.

She let out a soft, and shaky sigh. "Yeh know...eet's okay, Keeta, don't 'cha?" Jiao'lan asked. "Ah mean, eet's common-place 'ere." She continued running a hand through the down-like feathers on the top of her head. She forced a soft smile for emphasis. "Bu'..." She stifled a yawn despite her surging emotions. "De meds is catchin' up t'meh. Ah tink I'mma make me way 'ome an' take a nap." She explained.

"If yeh're interested...we'll 'ave t'get togeth'a again sometime."

"Yeah...I think I should take him home for his nap too," Keeta agreed, although she knew Joel wouldn't be ready for a nap for another hour or two. She just knew she couldn't hang around after what had just transpired.

"And of course we should get together again soon!" She answered enthusiastically. "That is, if I haven't offended you too badly. I'll just think more about my meal choices if we eat together." Keeta gave a wry, apologetic smile.