Welcome to Gaia! ::

Delilah held open the door for her mother and smiled as she absorbed the interior of the cafe. It was perfect. Even if she had designed it, it could not possibly have been more perfect. White wrought iron tables spread throughout the open room, breaking up the black and white tiled patter of the floor. The walls were washed with pale pink on top and covered with fine white beadboard on the bottom. Someone had gone a bit mad with paint and added detailed murals of rosebuds, climbing vines, daisies and the like everywhere. "Mama? Can we sit near the window?"

"Of course, Delly." Kova grinned, reaching down to smooth the girl's teal hair back from her face. "Any table you like. It's your treat, right? Because you're a clever girl."

"Thank you, Mama." With that permission granted, Delilah quickly led the way to one of the two tables beside the wide, gracious window that looked out into the back garden. She only barely glanced at the colorful little girl at the other table. Then she paused and looked over to squint more closely. She smiled without realizing it. The girl had a beautiful flower in her hair.

Delilah turned at the soft word and smiled when she saw it was the little girl with the flower. She approved thoroughly. Anyone who knew that flowers were important was already higher in her view than most others. "Hello," she answered quietly. As the perfume of the little girl hit her, she smiled wider. Her mother watched with both surprise and amusement as Delilah twisted further in her chair to better give her attention to the girl. "I like your pretty flower."

"I'm Delilah. Oh, and this is my Mama." She indicated the tall, purple woman vaguely. She was far too interested in this new little plant-girl to be properly polite.

Kova inclined her head and offered brilliant smile of her own. "Hello," she said. "You can actually call me Kova if you like."

Delilah glanced at the grown-up lady at the table Kaimi had left, gave her a faint smile, and then turned her attention back to the other girl. "Would you like to sit with me?"

There was only the briefest moment of hesitation before Delilah nodded. Instead of moving closer for the other girl, however, she lifted a finger to signal for Kaimi to wait a moment. Then, carefully, she reached up and plucked the flower from her hair with nimble hands. She held it out in offering, cradled in cupped hands. The flower was brilliant even against her warm skin and the petals moved slightly as if they were breathing. "Here," Delilah said. "You can have this if you like. It will look nice against your other flowers."

Even as she passed it over, there was a fan of slow-growing sparkles at her temple where the flower had been. Within moments, a new one had appeared. Neither Kova or Delilah seemed to react as if this was abnormal.

"Oh." Delilah dutifully considered the tiger before waving to him. Then she looked back to Kaimi and smiled faintly. "He's a very nice tiger," she said. "I don't have anything like him. I have a garden in our window, though, and my plants have names. It must be nice for Fredward to be able to come along on adventures with you."

She folded her hands and rested them on the table in front of her. Kaimi was much more interesting than her little plate of cookies and cup of tea. "It's nice that Fredward is over there keeping your mother company. She is your mother, right?"

"It's not right in the window," Kova corrected as she stirred more sugar into her tea. "It's a couple of window boxes."

Delilah glanced at her mother and nodded as if thanking her for the help. Then she refocused on Kaimi, unlaced her hands once more, and began estimating the size of her window box garden in the empty air for the other girl. "I have a box of purple and a box of blue and a box of pink. Then Mama has a box of green, all the herbs she uses to cook. What's your favorite color?"

"Purple." Delilah paused and wrinkled her nose. "No, pink. Or green." She smiled sheepishly. "I like all colors except black," she explained. "Black is like nightime, you see, and I like the sunshine much more. Even if the stars are pretty and lightning bugs are fun to chase. Don't you think?"

A little smile appeared at Delilah's lips and Kova was relieved to see it was sweet and not mocking. She loved her daughter but Del could sometimes be a bit startling with her moods.

Holding up one hand, Delilah demonstrated a tiny space between her thumb and forefinger. "They're tiny," she explained, "and they're bug. They're not dangerous but they're pretty. Mama said that she'll make me a cage for them so I can have a living nightlight."