Welcome to Gaia! ::

The sun barely peeked out from behind the horizon when he arrived at Fa'e HQ. Walking from Nicolai's place of residence to this painfully familiar building had taken longer than expected, but he had been in dire need of thought. And for the hummingbird Fa'e, fidgeting always accompanied deep thinking, or angry thinking as it were.

Readjusting the worn, leather strap of his bag on his shoulder, he dug his bare toes in the still warm garden dirt. The sandals had been kicked off around five minutes prior, when he had noticed someone in HQ. He couldn't tell who it is, but he couldn't hear the usual dead silence that went along with an empty building.

He had yet to decide whether to enter or not. After all, it had been over a year.

With a sudden, angry exhale the Fa'e yanked his toes from the dirt and stuffed them into his sandals, but only after wiping them off on the grass first. Before Naolin could change his mind, he walked quickly and quietly to the door and opened it in a bit of a rush. Again, to not chicken out. It was only a building and probably just some new Fa'e he'd only have to deal with this once.

Then again, since when do things work out as expected for a Fa'e?

He heard the clattering in the kitchen, and he took a deep breath as he figured he hadn't really been the silent ninja he could have been. Thus he called out after dumping his bag onto the nearest chair, a puff of dust floating into the air upon impact. "Do they have Red Bull at all?"

While Nao was definitely grateful for the past year, he had lived on the basics with the Russian, and Red Bull had not been considered a staple to living. At least, not to the boss. A flicker of excitement at the possibility of processed sugary goodness burned through him as he dumped his coat on top of his bag, bringing more dirt and dust into the air.

Rubbing his hands together in front of him, he marched himself into the kitchen and blinked at the feminine figure in front of him. "Long time no see," the Fa'e stated as he leaned on the counter, stretching his wings lazily in an attempt to look relaxed.

Instead he appeared aged and heavy minded, worry lines gracing his forehead and around his lips. The past year had been nothing but stressful situations, sleepless nights, and long hours staying in the same tiny area without moving. Living like that would take it's toll on anyone, especially a fidgety Fa'e like him. It seemed to be both a blessing and a curse to have been cut free, only time will tell.

Until then, there shall be junk food.

He took the glorious drink from her and nodded silently while drinking a few gulps first. "Unfortunately, yes it is me. If it smell, it's because I haven't showered since," Nao looked up as he counted to himself before shaking his head, "A well you get the idea."

Finishing the drink in the next couple of gulps, Nao set the can on the counter and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. His red eyes looked her over, and while he appreciated her female form, he had no desire to deal with the mess that came with a woman. Still his gaze was judgmental and rude, though he made no move to hide the intensity. Nao had to be sure he could trust her. A year was a long time, after all.

In the end, he decided that she, unlike him, had remained honest and true. Sighing, his eyes turned to the diminishing sunlight that remained in the kitchen. "Truth be told I don't know what I am doing anymore. What can an ancient god do when all that he cherished, including his people, are said to be gone?" His gaze returned to her, "What can any of us do anymore?"

Naolin listened to the older, undoubtedly wiser Fa'e, a frown growing on his lips and fitting into the well worn lines. He thought as she spoke, attempting to organize his thoughts into something smart before shrugging. "I am the God of the Sun and War, and while the former still exists I find that this generation's taste for war is bitter and unpalatable. Nations fight for stupid reasons, whereas my nation would fight to keep their gods alive. Sacrifice themselves to keep others alive." He paused, rubbing the sparse stubble on his chin for a moment a smile creeping out as he remembered the bloody 'old days.'

Turning to her, he smiled, "I once was a horrid, bloodthirsty b*****d who enjoyed killing. I ate sacrificed hearts of warriors, enemies and my people alike. I encouraged war and fighting with the neighboring tribes. And in trade for all they did, I used my powers to keep the sun on its course and night from taking over. To keep the crops growing and my people happy."

He sighed, sure he had been a bad guy to most people's standards, but looking through history it seemed that he hadn't been the only god to take advantage. He had been power hungry, and careless it would seem.

"Yet, I do not feel remorse still," he began slowly, carefully. "I've grown and I've learned, and all I want is to be myself again. I want blood to spill once more on the temples, and I want the artistry of war to return. It was... Elegant."

Realizing that he may have begun to appear well, manic and crazy, Nao shrugged his shoulders too and snuffed out his grin while lighting a cigarette. "Something to eat would be great," the hummingbird finally responded, nodding to himself and returning his gaze to her.

"How about a bloody, barely cooked steak?" He asked, mouth already watering. Again, steak had not been a need but a want, and therefore it had been a long, long time since he had eaten one. So far, Fa'e HQ was treating him very well.

Pushing himself from the counter, he began rifling around for some sort of ashtray. At the Russian's place there constantly was access to an ashtray, vodka bottle, and roaches even. Giving him his search, he settled with using his empty Red Bull can. "So what about you? What have you been up to other than soaking up the sun? I should charge you for that by the way," he smirked. "What's a little blood anyways? Kidding... Kind of..."

"Mmhm, of course I do. It is my handiwork after all," he said, puffing his chest in an overly proud gesture before laughing and making a motion for her to spin around with the hand holding the cigarette. "Do what a woman does best and show off the goods while you tend the stove." The grin he gave her barely held in the laughter, regardless of how serious his views on women were.

Taking the plate, he licked his lips and snuffed out his cigarette on the bottom of his sandal before tossing it in the can. "Looks perfect, thanks." Carefully sitting down on one of the chairs, he began to dig in and only after a couple of large mouthfuls had been swallowed did he talk again. "His own life? Honey, no one brings back dozens of ancient gods and goddesses without having an ulterior motive, or motives. But we'll let that discussion be for later, when did you pop out the children?"

"Details, details," he muttered through a full mouth of food, making a dismissive gesture with his fork. Swallowing, he listened to her while taking a break from his masticating.

It wasn't until she had crossed her arms did Nao comment. "I assume you chose well their guardians, but it still must be difficult. Mothers are supposed to bond with their children, and Fa'e must be anchored to a bond to live. I doubt it's an easy situation for any of the Fa'e mothers."

The hummingbird teen ate several more bites of steak before awkwardly reaching over and patting her shoulder, fork still in hand. "Think of it this way, no dirty diapers for you. Or vomit. What about the father?"

"Oh what a shame," he chirped when she mentioned Lucien dropping off the planet, imagining for a moment gravity failing just for the bug Fa'e that he would be sucked off of the earth and into space. Then he would suffocate painfully with lack of oxygen. Tragic, really. "I think you're better off, personally."

Grinning, Nao returned to the almost gone steak in front of him, but paused at her question. "Another Red Bull would be great," Nao nodded, face falling calm a moment to think the offer over. "I can't think of anything else other than a long, hot shower. Care to join me?" He waggled his eyebrows deviously at her, knowing full well she wouldn't oblige. Not that he actually wanted her to, deep down. She wasn't that kind of woman, and he had come to respect her, kind of. Not that he'd admit that either.