Welcome to Gaia! ::

Something in the crowd caught the security patrol officer's eye as it glinted in the midday sun. White hair... but not that of an old person. Fresh and lush; light and youthful. And then, as a small group of people moved off, he saw the body it was attached to: a man - no, an elf - with the darkest skin he'd ever seen, wearing long, jet-black robes. He appeared to be making inquiries of passers-by, motioning almost as if to describe something, or someone. It wasn't hard for him to find people to approach. The humans all stopped to have a gawp at the strange, exotic sight, much as they would a street performer. Their reactions were something to behold, from a kind of awe to obvious fear of the alien in their midst. All, however, realised that meeting the man in front of them might be a once in a lifetime chance. His was certainly not a face you'd forget...

Speaking of which... he knew that face!

Whipping out his handheld, he snapped the stylus from its little holding spot and tapped into the criminal database whilst simultaneously pulling out his walkie talkie. "Hey, can I get a check on all registered dark elves? No, not the Kuro Gang. This ain't one of them - not this far out."

While he waited for a reply, he started his own search on the miniature computer. He hadn't got very far when headquarters came back with an answer. "No dark elves other than the Kuro gang? Well, tell me - what other creature has long, pointy ears, skin the colour of soot - hey, now that you mention it, the Kuro gang don't have skin that dark. Somethin' weird's going on here..."

HQ didn't have any more help for him for now. He tapped away at the search functions on the screen... and eventually came up trumps.





Here the page could be expanded, but frankly he'd seen enough. His stomach began to churn a little. These were, of course, only all the proven crimes. There was still more to it, however, so he scrolled down further to find an annotation...



The asterix directed him to a link disclaiming liability for personal death and injury incurred during service. Well... he wouldn't be doing his job if he let this guy walk away, right? So he radioed in again. "Hey, can you do a check on a Jessie Hawk for me? I've got him in my sights right here. Might need backup."

While he waited, the officer quietly folded his arms and watched as a small group of children approached the... DRW? and pulled on his robe. The man spun around, and the children all squealed and made to run. He turned back around, and the children approached him again. This quickly became a very amusing game, almost like peek-a-boo, where the children would dodge around and attempt to evade him. Soon enough, however, he managed to catch one of them by both arms - and tickled the boy until he squealed, a big smile on his own face. He then spoke to them for a few moments, sweeping down to their level and ruffling the boy's hair, before heading to a nearby vendor to buy them candy as the three of them crowded around happily. It was strange - this guy was wanted for killing how many people? But still, if his years on the force had taught him anything it was never to judge a book by its cover.

As the strange man handed the children their sweets, HQ finally got back to him. He started, and shouted back into his walkie talkie so loud that an elderly couple nearby turned to stare at him. "What?! How do you get a Federal pardon for that?! Can you see how much s**t this guy is wanted for-?!"

The most disturbing thing happened immediately after this. The black-skinned man turned and looked straight at him, his single eye meeting both of his for several moments. The officer felt his heart stop.

Then, in a single, gliding movement, the man moved back into the crowd... and was lost.

Jessie's enquiries were fruitless, of course. Still, at least he'd gotten an interesting time talking to some of the locals out of the attempt. The people seemed rather fascinated with him - moreso than the members of the Order, who seemed far too busy being intimidated. Perhaps there were benefits to being "off duty" amongst a load of strangers...

Of course, he wouldn't have been able to hsow his face in any daytime city just a few short months ago. Catching sight of the police officer had reminded him of that, and though he knew he had nothing to fear it had prompted him to make an escape to the next phase of his plan for the trip. It was for this plan that he found himself standing in front of Gambino Outfitters.

Now, Jessie could not actually remember the last time he had stepped into a human shop - let alone a human clothing shop - and so he wasn't quite sure what to expect. He did not expect to be assaulted by a very bubbly shopkeeper the moment he stepped through the door.

"Hiii! Welcome to Gambino Outfitters! I'm Sasha!" the girl suddenly took a better look at him "WOAH! You're awesome! I like awesome people! Hi, welcome! Can I help you?"

The girl, though wearing what he deemed to be the latest fashion, was not what he would call attractive, with her deadened, dyed hair and maddening grin. He was barely in the door and completely irritated. Maybe this was a bad idea...

But no, he had to persevere for Coline. "I'm actually looking for a dress. A blue one."

The girl's smile faltered. "Oh, poo! You have a girlfriend! Darn it! I have the WORST luck with men!" Well, at least she was upfront... "I'll see what I can find for you! Is she hot?!"

"...She's very beautiful," he answered after several moments of hesitation. The question had caught him quite off guard, and annoyed him when he thought about it. Hot... what a disrespectful way of describing a woman! He didn't wish to think of Coline in that way. "Do you accost every customer who comes through the door?"

"Hm~? I have no idea what you're talking about!" she sang, emerging from the racks after some searching. "How's this one?"

She held up in front of herself a piece of material he wouldn't actually have called a dress in a thousand years. There was nothing which could be called a "neckline" as such - simply two strips of fabric that extended down to around the navel. The back was completely open, and the skirt... well, "mini" was very much an understatement. He raised his eyebrow, and shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Aw, but it's so cute!" she mourned, throwing herself back into searching. After a few minutes during which Jessie began to feel very much like crawling back to his room - the gaudy, bright colours on the walls, racks, floor and furniture were beginning to make his head hurt - she pulled out another non-dresslike dress. This one was more like a long sock of stretchy material he couldn't quite imagine any normal-sized human woman managing to squeeze themselves into.

Before she could hurl a sales-pitch at him, he held up his hand. "I'm sorry, Sasha, but I believe that you don't have any items which could tempt me," he gave a small bow, and then turned to leave.

"Hey, waitaminute, Mr Hot Elf Guy-!" she called after him, anguished. Then, as the door shut behind him, she suddenly yelled "Meanie!!"

He rolled his eye. The spoiled women on the surface could never equal the wrath of a matriarch-to-be... but at the same time, they managed to be just as highly irritating.

Jessie's eyebrow went sky high as he approached the next shop. "Ruby's Rack." What an unfortunate name! And yet incredibly appropriate, as he would soon find out.

He'd almost expected to be cornered again as soon as he entered. This time all he was greeted with was the small tinkling of the bell above the door. He wasn't sure which was worse - the sheer colourfulness of the last shop or the intense brightness of this one. Everything was decorated in a pastel shade, but the furniture all seemed to gleam, and the midday sunlight was almost intensified by the gigantic panes of glass it streamed through.

He reached up and massaged his temples for a moment, before blinking hard and resolving to browse through the rows of clothing for himself. He was soon overwhelmed by the choice, however. The women's section proved to be so much of a problem he moved over to the men's out of curiosity, and began browsing through the selection of jeans and shirts. His heart began to pound a little for some reason. How would he look in this clothing...? He couldn't quite imagine it.

The room suddenly felt oppressive. He rubbed his forehead again. What was he doing here amongst these bright surroundings? He didn't belong here, with his thick, dark robes and strange customs drilled into him since birth. All at once he experienced the distance he'd come over the years. The feeling of disjointed non-belonging threatened to overwhelm him.

He was just about to leave when the door behind the counter opened. A child and a woman's laughter could be heard. All of a sudden a small red-headed boy holding a yellow rubber duck bounded into view, singing some sort of song about the bird.

The child stopped dead in his tracks and stared at him. The two regarded each other for several moments.

Then the child let out an ear-piercing scream, and ran back the way he'd come. "Scary elf is scaryyyyyy!!!!"

His cry was immediately followed by the chastising sound of a woman Jessie presumed to be his mother. "Peyo! How many times have I told you-?!"

Having winced and shut his eyes at the sound of the child's voice at close range, he was surprised to feel a hand touch him lightly on the arm. "I'm terribly sorry, sir. My son didn't mean any..."

He looked up at her, and she blinked. "Oh my goodness! How astonishing! Are you a dark elf, sir?"

"I am drow..." he mumbled, self-consciousness returning with vengeance "I'm sorry for frightening your son..."

"He's frightened by dust mites," she said, and laughed. "Now, what is it I can help you with?"

"I'm looking for a blue dress..." he began, finally allowing himself to take a good look at her. The copper-haired woman, who was probably in her thirties, had a beautiful, demure air about her that he found very comforting. Then, as he looked at her clothes, something clicked. "A bit like the one you're wearing. It's beautiful!"

"Oh, this?" she replied coyly, laughing again "It's nothing special, and certainly not trendy enough for a girl your age. How old are you?"

"Sixty seven," he replied. Her eyes snapped back to him in shock.

"Oh...! Y-you don't look..."

"Oh, but in a way you were quite right. The girl the dress is for is only around twenty."

Her look became even stranger. Jessie suddenly realised exactly what the implications of his statement were, and he blushed. "A-anyway... could you help me find something suitable?"

"Of course," she replied, and began sifting through the racks in a much more careful fashion than the woman at the previous store. She pulled out several dresses from all over the store while he waited. After a while he began to strain to get a good look at the things she was choosing - attempts which proved impossible, and did nothing to sate his worry that he was about to be forced to choose between several tube-like dresses, as he had been at the Outfitters.

Fortunately, the dresses she laid out for him were nothing like that, except one which he deemed too short and Ruby obligingly placed back on the rack. Once again, he found himself making aesthetic decisions - too dark, too heavy, unflattering style...

Eventually, he was left with one that he deemed absolutely perfect. It was a sundress - perhaps unsuitable for the time of year, but that hardly mattered. The top part was fitted, with wide straps on the shoulders, but the knee-length skirt was comprised of three layers of wispy material that fluttered pleasingly when moved or blown. The material was smooth, light and high quality, and the colour was just right. He nodded at the proprietress. "This is the one. Could you... put it in a gift box for me?"

"Certainly," she said brightly, taking his selection to the back of the counter. For a moment, he worried that the size would be right... that had been something of a guess based on a description her height and shape... but he knew that Ruby wouldn't have chosen wrongly for him on purpose. He supposed he could always come back and change it...

She placed the dress in a white, square box amidst many layers of tissue. He was suddenly reminded of the pendant. "Please... do you have something you could put this in, too?"

He produced the necklace from his pocket, and Ruby goggled. "Wow! That girl of yours sure is lucky! I don't have any boxes that small in front, but I'll see what I've got in the back..."

Eventually, she retrieved a matching white jewelry box just right for the necklace. She popped it inside and secured it, finished packing the dress and tied them both with aqua ribbon. "That'll be-"

"Here," he said, carelessly tossing his entire pouch full of gold onto the counter. Ruby looked inside and gawped.

"But...! This is far too much! I can't charge you all of this!"

"Then don't," he replied dismissively, moving towards the door "Consider it a gift. Thank you for all your help."

Ruby didn't know quite what to say to the silent, generous man in front of her. And so, she simply nodded. "It was my pleasure. I hope to see you again..."

However, he was already gone.

(( Lorika is sleeping, dead to the world

and Jessie is in town sooo there's not much room for interaction thar =<

It's now like midday-1 btw. Really moving this day on fast because there's not much happening anyway... ))

“So I cried, and I begged for you to Love me love me say that you love me...”

White Mage Kyo Christmas

Kyo, having been filled in from an Acolyte began to take care of Lori. First he started off by trying to heal her through his own means by kissing her forehead. Not seeing much change he summoned for a bucket of warm water and a rag. As he waited he sat next to the sick woman and stroked her hair out of her face. “Poor Lori…I wonder what’s wrong…” When he received the bucket he rang out the rag and damped her face before laying it across her forehead. He wished he would have practiced more healing skills…

"...leave me leave me just say that you need me I can't care about anything but you."

(( Is sitting on a bench outside the library (=w = )+ ))

{{I can try to barge the door open!!!}}