Welcome to Gaia! ::

The HQ had proved to be too stuffy once more, and donning her jacket and boots, Caoimhe fled from the all-too-familiar walls and out onto the streets of Gaia. As usual, she wasn't really sure where she was headed, but the selkie Fa'e liked it that way. Something in her feared the confines of a house, and if she ever went too long without seeing the outside, the girl tended to go a bit stir-crazy.

Her awkward steps thudded like muffled drum-beats against the uneven sidewalk, and Caoimhe was careful to sidestep the Gaians who passed her with arms laden with packages. Apparently, holiday shopping had started early. Caoimhe had just learned about some of the traditional Gaian holidays from another children's book, and yet, here those seasons were in full swing, represented in front of her very eyes.

Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas. Gristla had described it as a "gambit of holidays" after researching more into the general Gaian culture, and made Caoimhe promise to still celebrate the Aranorn holidays with her. Still, Caoi kind of enjoyed the feeling in the air. Who would've thought?

The air grew colder, and Caoimhe wide eyes settled on the dulled lights of a corner coffee shop. The smell of baking bread and hot ciders wafted into her nostrils, and she felt her head swim from the aroma. It was getting darker, and the selkie could use a drink. Pushing through the door, she found the place mostly empty, and the warmth created by a churning fireplace was enough to convince her to stay.

She approached the counter and stared hard at the menu. An older woman with greying hair and a lined smile was wiping a counter methodically, though her eyes flickered to the Fa'e ever now and then. After several minutes passed, the woman smiled pleasantly and offered, "Are you having a problem picking from our menu, dear?" Heat flushed on Caoimhe's cheeks, but she refused to admit that she was having a hard time reading it. Her lessons hadn't prepared her for these specific words.

"Yes," she lied, taking a step closer and setting small palms on the edge of the polished counter.

Again, the old woman issued a reassuring smile and said, "Well, let me help you choose. Our most popular drink is our Gaia-famous Gran's Apple Cider--"

"Sounds great," Caoimhe interrupted, happy to steal a suggestion from the clerk.

"You'd better have some bread too," the old woman added, stepping around to the other end of the counter. Within moments, she produced a steaming mug and a basket of fresh bread with a smaller dish filled with a light orange spread. "It's pumpkin cream cheese, honey. You'll love it. Everybody does."

The selkie Fa'e nodded and slid a few bills to the woman. Gristla had made sure that Caoimhe understood that she needed to pay for things in Gaia, and after the first few accidents, the girl had been very good about paying with the correct amount and remembering to wait for change. She told the woman to keep the leftover coins, and grabbing the basket and mug, Caoimhe made her way over to a corner table that sat against a wide bay window.

She collapsed into the plush softness of the oversized loveseat and peeled off her jacket and boots, wiggling her fingers and toes one at a time. The fireplace kept crackling at her side, and as she picked up the steaming mug, she let her eyes glaze over, eager to find some peace of mind.

A haze had drifted over Caoimhe's eyes as she sat in the warm softness of the old loveseat, cider steaming away on the small table between her and the adjacent seat. But at Shina's voice, the selkie girl returned to Gaia, out of her unconscious, and let her eyes adjust on the strange girl. A warm tingle in the back of her throat told her she was looking at another Fa'e--she hadn't noticed it at first when she met Amitai or Faye or Aadil, or even Silver. But now, she recognized this slight change in her every time one of her kind entered the room.

It was different with this one, though, but Caoi wasn't sure why.

She stared blankly at the older Fa'e and blinked thoughtfully. In general, the petulant child might shoo away any intruder, but she felt calm in the presence of Shina. It was something about her, something relaxing. Before the girl realized she was speaking, she had already invited Shina to stay. "Sure."

Caoimhe sat taller in her seat, pulling the fringe of her tan jacket over her hands. Another Fa'e in another random place in Gaia. How many of them were there anyway? It seemed like everywhere she ran to was occuppied by another, some other Fa'e wandering around. Were they all lost, like her?

Caoimhe watched the angelic Fa'e as if she were a ghost, something extremely fascinating yet terrifying. The calming waves seemed to pour into the young girl, and her guards weakened, pulsating lightly at the back of her mind. She watched Shina receive tea and bread, and stuffing a handful of bread into her small mouth, she scooted over to allow room for the older woman.

After a breath of silence, Caoimhe felt the question in the air and found her words dumbly. "Kee-veh," she anunciated as best she could given her thick Celtic accent. The syllables rolled and bounced unnaturally, and the young girl offered a belated half-smile.

Kin. It was an interesting concept. In her old world, Caoimhe had existed as a creature outside of the lines of kin, and only in Gristla had she found any companionship. That was, until she realized she was a Fa'e. "You are what I am?" The selkie Fa'e knew it was a silly question before it even left her lips, but it was too late to take it back. Letting her gaze shift uneasily, she curled back into herself, waiting for the older and more secure girl to lead the conversation.

Feeling a little out of place still, Caoimhe brought her cider mug to her lips again, wincing slightly at the temperature. When in doubt, just eat something. It seemed a logical enough rule of thumb. Listening to Shina, the selkie Fa'e piled bread into her mouth until her cheeks bulged. Her expression was not too far from that of a chipmunk, but the Fa'e seemed unaware of the social faux paus of chewing with her mouth open and continued to chew away.

New arrival? Oh, right... Many times the girl seemed to forget that she was different from the other Fa'e. She had only met two other Fa'e who understood when she mentioned that she was not born in Gaia. So, was she to believe that there was something special about them? As if being a Fa'e wasn't weird enough?

Caoimhe read something about shopping for the holidays, but since she really didn't have any friends or money, the girl hadn't really worried about it. This girl in front of her must know a lot of people if she actually had someone to buy gifts for at Christmastime. Suddenly, the selkie felt even more involved in the conversation.

"I don't like staying in one place for too long," she offered, swallowing down the bread with a gulp of cider. Feeling a second agenda rising up in her with each swallow of cider, Caoimhe found it impossible to control herself, as she generally did. "So, you must know a lot about being a Fa'e, right? I mean, since you look so old and, um, tall."

The words fell dumbly from her lips, but it did not slow her down. "It's just that I've been here for almost a year, I think, and I still don't know anything about anything. And people keep telling me stuff about guardians and past lives and stuff, but I think they're wrong about me. I don't have any of that stuff. I think I just got mixed up in all this Fa'e stuff for no reason."

Blinking harshly, Caoimhe sat back against the chair, having pushed everything at the front of her head out into the open now. Suddenly devoid of words, she took another sip from mug and watched Shina carefully.

Completely unaware of her second and third social faux paus, Caoimhe continued to sip away at the cider, making tiny slurping noises against the side of the mug. She was having a hard time controlling herself now that she had decided Shina could answer all of her questions for her. Watching the angel as she spoke, Caoi nodded in time with her words. The selkie Fa'e knew what an elf was--just from living in Gaia--but Shina looked like some kind of elf she had never seen.

"Short?" Caoimhe laughed, rushing to set her mug down so she didn't spill it. "You're tall!" Under five feet tall, the teen girl was used to being mistaken for a child, a pet, or even a piece of furniture so to hear someone as tall as Shina call herself short was unthinkable.

She had a son, too? It was a shame it wasn't a daughter. Caoi had recently been craving a little more friendship, but it was hard to meet people when the only person you really know is your feline guardian. Still, boys made her nervous; she didn't trust them.

Lifting her mug again, Caoimhe patiently listened to Shina, drinking in her words with the hot cider. So, even if she did have a past life or whatever, it didn't matter? Because she doesn't have to remember anything unless she has to? Even if Caoi was a naturally intelligent girl, she still would have been confused by this. Yet, one thing that Shina said really stuck out to her. "What do you mean you don't see one lurking?"

Oblivious to Shina's subtle hints, Caoimhe slurps on, only pausing to take a breath here and there. It was a habit that was hard to break: eating like it was her last meal. On Aranorn, the first person done eating could then fight the others for what they had left. You could only ensure a full stomach if you beat them to it by swallowing it down in a few bites, whatever it might be.

The selkie Fa'e was starting to like this woman. She was pleasant to be around and didn't try to scare Caoimhe or chase her or confuse her. Nope, just straight talk and cider and-- wait, who the heck was Hoshi? The girl quirked an eyebrow, but before she could ask, the angel dropped her eyes, breaking whatever line of thought Caoi was chasing after. Oh well, it happened a lot, and before she could think to think about what she had been thinking about, Caoimhe was swept up by Shina's words.

"I have a gift?" Caoimhe blurted out, not too unalike a child on Christmas. "What is it?" Turning pale grey-blue hands over, the girl searched for her gift, as if it could be seen sticking out of her skin like some flag or ornament.

But again, Shina broke her train of thought with an offer. The selkie never thought a lot about souls or what that even meant, but now that she was a Fa'e, the word just seemed to come up again and again, no matter what she did. So maybe knowing the shades or whatever of it could be nice.

After thinking for probably a few moments too long, Caoimhe dropped her mug to the table with a loud thump and replied, "Sure, that'd be cool, I'm sure." Eloquent, as always.

Caoimhe felt the corners of her mouth soften as Shina spoke, answering questions that had been building up in the new Fa'e mind for nearly a year. She sighed gently, which was something quite odd for her, and nodded methodically with Shina's words. "You know a lot about... a lot." It was a compliment, rare as they might be from the selkie's lips.

As Shina raised her hand, bright blue-green irises traced its arc, tracing the soft lines that approached closer. Already heating up, the angelic fingertips felt cold against Caoi's skin. Should she close her eyes? It seemed like the kind of thing you were supposed to do. Still, closing your eyes was one of the stupidest things that you could do when someone is after you--and Caoimhe was still a bit worried that someone was out to get her. At night, she would wake up with chills and run to the window just to make sure she was still in Gaia, still away from all the people who wanted to hurt her. But was she really? How could she even tru--

Before she was able to make a decision, Shina was done and speaking, addressing the colors in her aura. The Fa'e itched the inside of her arm, slightly uncomfortable at being looked into so deeply. It was like she was laying on a table, slit from navel to neck, and leaking colors out onto the floor. It made sense, Caoimhe knew, but she refused to acknowledge it. "Pretty close, I guess," she streched, hoping that Shina would dig no farther.

Caoimhe was growing a little uncomfortable so she shifted the focus off of herself quickly. "So, what about your own colors? Can you see them?"

By this point, Caoimhe was leaning so far forward that tangles of brown curls were brushing the table. There was something about how Shina spoke that disarmed the stubborn Fa'e, pulling her close in physicality just as well as mind. If she weren't in such a trance, she might have felt embarrassed, or sat up rigidly in her seat. But she was under an unintentional spell, and whether she would admit it or not, she was eternally grateful for the calming presence. She would miss it when the angel left her company.

Tapping fingers and buzzing lips almost exploded with excitement at Shina's offer to answer any questions that Caoime had--surely the angel did not know what she was getting herself into in making such a blanket offer. Still, Caoi couldn't focus on her Fa'e needs just yet; she wanted to know more about Shina. It was odd for her, being a largely selfish creature, to care about the thoughts or feelings or story of someone else, but there she was, hanging on any detail about the older woman's life.

Before she was conscious of speaking, the selkie heard her voice fill the space between them. "Tell me about your colors," she said. Caoi cleared her throat a little and added, "You're right. It's only fair." The girl tried to mask her eagerness, but hiding how she felt was not exactly one of Caoimhe's strengths. And in the face of an empath--well, she might as well have been standing there naked and reading off a list of her fears.