Welcome to Gaia! ::

The man had shown up at her house, which had been unfortunate. Satika hadn't let him in, of course. But still, all the neighborhood had seen it: the man at the door, Taima with her claws snapping air, and the set of Satika's shoulders, as she knelt before him. At least she hadn't let him in. Her people held all the more to the old traditions in this strange place. They wouldn't have forgiven it.

He had been rude, in the way of men. He had complained about her lack of a phone, and she had explained she didn't own one. He was, he said, the one who ran the matchmaking service. But he hadn't found her a husband. Instead, he claimed, he had found her a friend. It was, in most ways, a more welcome message than the former might have been.

And now she stood in the doorway of the cafe, her gaze sweeping the room in a practice manner that did not look like nervousness. It was suitable. The woman behind the counter was matronly, a good escort considering that there were a couple of men at one of the tables. She had decided it was best that her daughter remain home, and so the scorpion was under her mother's care. If she did not appreciate her mother's attitude toward the toddler, at least she knew Taima wouldn't kill anyone under such a watchful gaze.

That was unkind. Taima didn't understand the threat she presented. She was young, and awkward yet. And Mother did the best she could.

After some consideration, she chose a booth over a table, and took her seat with care, smoothing her silk skirt once she was settled and hoping that this woman would not be... well... as some Gaian women were. Loud and showy. She'd chosen her brown silk skirt and modest, deep amber top with the hopes to dress nicely without seeming to attempt to out dress the other. She would not do that, though she knew well enough the games of women.

Satika was not, it should be said, familiar with the proper etiquette for such a meeting. Women did not meet outside of the company of men, unless they were with in the quarters appropriate to such meetings. But this was Gaia, with its own rules, and she was trying to adapt to them. She knew, for example, the meaning of that extended hand. And so she took it, her grip warm and gentle. She lowered her head as well, a polite welcome for a meeting of equals. Were Madeline more familiar, or even from her own culture, the appropriate gesture would be a brief hug. In such a meeting as this, she was wise enough to discard that motion.

"Madeline, I am glad you could come." Her voice was low and warm, with an obvious, but not overwhelming accent that made vowels a bit longer and softened hard consonants. "Please, be welcome. Your grace honors this table."

The last was said with the sort of formalistic intonations that indicate those oft use phrases of social niceties. The difficulty here was not that Satika wasn't on her best behavior, but only that her best was not necessarily what was standard. She wasn't unaware of the dissonance, but it was difficult to discard habits drilled from childhood. And so, hugs fell aside, but the old words stayed.

Besides, despite everything, this Madeline looked like the sort of woman who might very well earn the title given to wives, she could be 'the Grace of the house' smoothing the rough edges of the men, and training the children like so many unruly flowering vines. There had been little said, but she wore an appropriate dress, and did not speak in the sort of loud, fire edged voice that some of the women here did. She would not draw disapproving looks from the men at the other tables.

"Then perhaps we shall both be honored, yes?"

Madeline was right in requesting that she relax, Satika realized. Despite the setting, they were women among women, sisters. Of late among her own, there had been some level of rejection, and as such, she had taken to acting at her very best. She wanted to be above reproach. But Madeline was not one of her own, and they were meeting as friends.

A brief, slightly nervous smile, which grew more genuine as Madeline mentioned the topic of children. Oh, she had a child! Of course, many Gaians did, but it offered a sort of instant common ground that allowed for a level of comfort that might not have existed otherwise. Besides which, Satika was proud to have adopted a daughter of her own here, whatever her people said of the act.

"I, yes. I prefer to have my daughter with me, when possible." She hesitated a moment, trying to decide how best to phrase things. She didn't want Madeline to think that she was a poor parent. But, still. They were women. Perhaps it would be understood. "She can be difficult for some to manage. I believe they don't... understand her."

And then, with an abashed shake of her head, she glanced over toward the woman behind the counter, "But you must be thirsty. I am sure she'll come over if we call."

"Sons, they are by nature troublesome, are they not?" Satika asked in turn, relaxing into the role of mother. It was the appropriate thing for them to share, the trouble that their children caused them. It was what, back home, the women had often spoken of. Of course, then the little ones had been a shared by the women, and as such, of common interest. Boys... boys were meant to break their mothers hearts.

A pause, before she continued, "It is ours to fret over the end result of all our labors, so much energy given to little ones, and in the end, they choose their own paths, don't they?"

But then, the woman was heading over to see what they wished, and she allowed her attention to move in that direction, it would be nice to have something to drink while they spoke to each other.

"I had thought to order tea. I could take my own cup, or we could share a service between us?" Had Madeline been male, Satika would have ordered for the both of them, of course. But this was a different situation, and there was no shame in questioning what the other woman preferred.