Welcome to Gaia! ::

River nodded excitedly. "Yes!" she exclaimed. "And you don't have to worry about getting lost because Ninako always makes sure there are ways to get out if you're really lost and scared."

She wasn't sure how, she had never gotten that lost, and the hedges were much taller than even her father.

"That's true," River agreed cheerfully, clasping Miyuki's hand tightly. She gave it a slight squeeze before darting forward into the maze and tugging Miyuki after her.

They spent the better part of an hour, darting this way and that, trying to find their way through the maze - until at last they finally succeeded, finding the exit and dashing out into the bright sunlight.

"We did it!" River cheered, laughing. She let go of Miyuki's hand and tumbled headlong into the grass, rolling a few times before coming to a stop on her back, arms and legs outstretched, grinning at the sky. "Wow, I think I need a break now."

"Food!" River replied without skipping a beat. She giggled. "My stomach's growling, I'm so hungry! And I think there's going to be a competition soon, we can grab something to eat and then eat while we're watching!"

Of course, it didn't have to be lunch food - she would be more than happy to fill up on cake and pie and other delectables.

So after a bit of a rest, they headed towards the tables that were laden with food. River took a plate and helped herself to a slice of strawberry cake, a slice of raspberry pie, and a few maple sugar drops that someone had brought from the city.

Once she had her food, she waited for Miyuki to do the same.

River looked around to see. "Umm ... looks like a canoe race, foot race, and possibly the archery contest?" she guessed. "That's what it looks like anyways, though they could just be setting up ..."

That was one problem with having so much going on, none of it was announced, and it was hard to tell what was starting when. It was easy to miss something you might really want to see.

"Okay," River agreed happily. She headed towards where the archery was being set up and found them a seat up at the top row, so that they could see over everyone else's heads.

This time it was Ulani setting things up, and the targets were a bit smaller than the ones from the day before. They were also a little further away to start with.

While they waited for it to begin, River munched away on her food, beginning with the cake. It probably wasn't a good idea - by the end of the day she was going to be on a sugar high, something that sometimes frightened those around her. She was hyper naturally, but when sugar was added into the mix ...

The archery tournament began shortly thereafter, and like the day before it was by process of elimination. However, there were a few changes: they had only one shot this time.

Since Ulani was running it, she was not participating, which meant that everyone else had a much better chance of winning - especially since River was also sitting out.

"I wonder who will win today," River murmured to Miyuki, her eyes calm as she watched the tournament begin.

River squealed and dropped her plate to the ground below - thankfully, she's managed to eat most of it before Naida had come along.

"You scared me!" she laughed, turning to look at Naida. She squealed again when she saw how big Naida was. "Lookie you! You're bigger! You're almost as big as Mama is now!"