Welcome to Gaia! ::

"You nem," Adonai repeated patiently, rocking back and forth on his heels, once more tracing the moon on her notebook with his index finger. "'As you nem?"

His dark eyes shifted to her face, and he pointed at his chest. "Ad'nai," he told her, and then pointed at her. "'As you nem?"


Ulrich nodded and rose from his chair, heading over to a large wooden chest that was kept in the corner. He rummaged through it a bit, then came back to the table with an enormous sheet of paper that was rolled up neatly.

"A map," he said, setting it down on the table and unrolling it, "of the northern lands. Not the Northland, but all the lands north of the Southland."

He tapped a point in the center at the bottom of the map. "This is us, here in the valley," he told Donovan. "I'm not sure if you've seen one of our maps before ..."

"A few times," Donovan admitted, "But only briefly while Kara was poking around in the castle library."

Unfortunately Kara didn't have a gift of languages as her children did, though he suspected the children's ability to grasp languages came from the fact they were fast growers, as a result they tended to pick things up quickly as a matter of survival. Whether or not they slowed down as time passed was unknown to him. Kara could learn, but it would take the decades given to her race to learn and time here.

Cindy moved the book out of reflex, though it was a good thing she hated to think he would hit his head on the hard cover.

"Are you okay?" she asked settling a hand on his back gently.

She checked to see if he hit himself anywhere, though she supposed it was better on her lap, at least he wasn't as big as his sister yet.

Ulrich spread his hands to indicate that he didn't know.

"Some of them travel alone," Ulani offered hesitantly, "but more often than not, they travel in groups. Sometimes they're as small as three people, but quite often ... up to eight or nine. Strength in numbers, after all. They're pretty good fighters, but their weakness is that they do rely on their numbers - they always do everything as a group. If you can separate them from each other, get them one-on-one, you shouldn't have any troubles."

"If you happen to run into Freebooters," Ulrich put in, "don't do that - they are amazing fighters, and fight better individually. In a case like that, magic really is the best resort - and better not to be a last one."



Adonai froze, and his face turned a bright shade of red. He scrambled off her lap and moved to the far end of the couch, where he curled up in a protective ball, staring at Cindy warily once more.

Donovan would have almost relish the challenge that freebooters represented. Though he was sure Kara would kill him in the next life if he managed to get himself killed due to stupidity on his part. He didn't often use magic though, the clan didn't like to be dependent on it. Well, he was just going to have to go prepared and his 'magic' so to speak would be some magic bullets.

"I see," he murmured, "I'll keep that in mind."

"That's okay," Cindy replied back with a smile as she picked the book back up.

She held it out to Adonai to let him study the cover a bit more.

"It's not damaged."

Ulani shook her head. "They're all human, they dress the same, travel the same ... it's only their fighting skills that separate them. At least, if you're alone."

"If you were traveling with a woman," Ulrich put in darkly, "then you would be able to tell a lot more easily. Highwaymen respect women. They won't steal from or threaten a woman. Freebooters, on the other hand, are more likely to kill you, steal and violate the woman until they're bored with her, and then kill her."

"I think they're Gion's particular favourites," Ulani commented.

"To hunt," Ulrich added with a malicious smile.




Adonai grinned eagerly and took the book from Cindy, then held it on his lap and traced the moon once more with his index finger. After tracing it a few times, he looked at Cindy curiously and asked, "Cinee yike 'a moon? Cinee ha' moon no'booh. Cinee yike 'a moon?"