Welcome to Gaia! ::

Stopping a few yards away from the immense house, Gavin breathed a soft sigh of relief and gently laid his hand over the smaller one that rested in the crook of his right elbow. Waiting until Cecily turned her face towards his and smiled, he returned the smile and nodded to himself, "We're here."

"Wonderful," Cecily murmured quietly, fingers tightening slightly on Gavin's arm. "Tell me, what does the house look like?"

"It's beautiful; everything we were told it would be." He explained to the blind girl at his side, "It's made of wood, like a log cabin, but they said it wouldn't be so on the inside, it would be just a normal house. A very large but normal house."

"What are we waiting for then?" Cecily's pallid eyes sparked with excitement, causing Gavin to grin as for once she guided him forward. "I know our new..." For a moment the words faltered on the girl's tongue and a pained expression shadowed her smooth face, but she quickly recovered and allowed Gavin to take the lead as they walked. "Our new adoptive mother isn't the best of people, or so we've been told, but I'm excited, Gavin. A home! Finally, we have a home, and we're all together. You, me, your sister, my cousin... we're all together."

Gavin couldn't help but pick up on some of Cecily's enthusiasm, and he too found that a nervous excitement had coiled around his gut. It was true, they had heard a few harsh stories about Rhiannon, the demon who was to take care of them from now on, but she had adopted Tahnee in the past, and they had been well taken care of, and perhaps even loved.

"Yes, we're together, that's what we wanted." He gently squeezed her hand and was rewarded with a radiant smile. She was amazing, his best friend, and he was beyond joyous to have found out that he and his sister, Gabrielle, had been adopted by the same woman who adopted Cecily and her cousin, Bernadette. The four were best of friends and though none of them would admit it out loud, they would have been heartbroken if they had been adopted by separate households. "Careful, there are stairs."

As they ascended the stairs to the front porch, he was almost disappointed that Gabrielle and Bernadette had stayed behind at the orphanage to finish packing. He had suggested it, yes, but it was for a certain reason. Now it was clear that the time wasn't right to expose his motives behind that suggestion. He wanted the moment to be perfect when he gave the gift to Cecily; now wasn't the perfect time, and he soon realized that he missed the other two more than he had thought he would. It was a rather paltry gift, and something he had found rather than bought or created, but he knew she would love it just the same.

Releasing her hand, he lightly knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer, his fingers straying to the pocket of his pants where he put the gift when he had found it on their walk over here. A large, brilliantly green feather with a small tuft of bright orange near the base, a simple feather, yet the coloring was so unique he hadn't wanted to leave it behind. Cecily wouldn't be able to see the colors now of course, but she remembered them from back when she was still able to see, and he would describe it for her as she held it, and she would be able to picture them in her mind. It would be just as it had been for the past year, since the accident, and he didn't want it any other way.

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Maeve snuggled deeper underneath the large quilt of her bed, knowing it was morning but still half asleep and not ready to wake yet. It's not that she wasn't a morning person, she just liked a little extra sleep now and then when she could manage it, and she had nothing planned the entire day.

Sighing contentedly, she cracked her blue-green eyes open a bit to gaze at the alarm clock, wanting to know what time it was, only to be met with a serene face surrounded by a shock of orange-gold hair.

The Tahnee was suddenly very awake.

Bolting into a sitting position, she let out a shriek that awoke the boy slumbering peacefully next to her. He blinked, sleep laden in his emerald eyes, and looked up at Maeve, almost as alarmed as she was. "Wha-"

Before he could finish, Maeve shrieked again, this time eliciting a startled yelp from him as well. The young woman scrambled backwards out of bed, tumbling over the side and onto her back, dazed, confused and slightly scared. The boy crept over to the edge of the bed and peeked down at her, fingers hanging over the edge and cheeks pressed against the backs of his hands.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly, ready to get up and scram, should she scream again.

"I... I think so." Maeve gingerly rubbed the back of her head, which had connected with the floor when she had fallen. Sitting up, she blinked a few times and looked over the child sitting on her bed.

He was wearing green pants, had a white shirt on, and small, green wings sprouted from his back. His eyes, clear and bright, sparkled lightly as he returned her gaze; the green mark on his cheek shining. He brushed aside a lock of his hair and tilted his head, arching his brows curiously, "You won't scream again, will you?"

"N-no... no, I won't scream." Somehow the boy was familiar, his colorings at least. They reminded her of...

"The feather!" Maeve gasped, eyes widening as she shot to her feet and hurried over to the window. Drawing back the curtains, she scanned the windowsill to find the feather gone and promptly dropped to her knees; searching the floor for the missing item.

The boy giggled softly and watched her, "What are you doing?"

"Looking for my feather, but I don't think I'll find it." Maeve stopped for a moment, hands resting against the fabric of her shorts, and she eyed the boy again. "You wouldn't happen to come from a feather, now would you?"

"A feather?" The boy blinked, confused.

"Nevermind, it's okay." Maeve stood up and quietly padded over to the bed in bare feet, sitting on the edge of the mattress. "What's your name?"

The boy seemed to fluster a moment. "Patrick."

"Patrick, I should have known." Maeve smiled to herself and shook her head a bit before turning her attention back to Patrick. "I'm Maeve, it's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too!" He grinned, hair shining gold in the morning sunlight.

"You wouldn't mind waiting for me to dress, would you? I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine." When Patrick shook his head, she nodded and stood up, heading towards the bathroom. "I'll only be a moment."

"Okay." Sliding off the bed, the boy wandered towards the window and gazed out into the morning, smile spreading wider as he surveyed the forest.

This was going to be wonderful.