Welcome to Gaia! ::

We're going on a road trip, thanks to the lovely Silver's suggestion. You are not required to join this RP, however your character is considered to be on the bus even if you are not playing. I'd like it if everyone joined in of course.

Anyone may volunteer to drive the bus, you can take turns.
If no one wants to we can consider the possibility of having hired an associate to drive (perhaps someone in Jack's employ).

This will be a day trip, but a long one. We're getting up early and continuing through the night. Here is the potential itinerary:


We start in Durem, outside the Library. It will be the crack of dawn so make sure you sleep well.
We can take a tour past the reclamation facility. If anyone desperately wants to fish there, tough. There'll be time for fishing later.
First stop is Barton town (1). You can go shopping or see the sights. We'll just spend an hour or so here, so don't take ages. It's a small place anyway.
Next we pass through some very scenic scenery on the way to Aekea (2). This will be another brief visit, just to see the sights. Buy some furniture if its your thing.
After that we head Northwest over rather empty countryside, enjoying the scenery and the pleasant company of friends. This will be a long journey though will make bathroom stops for anyone who prefers bushes over the in coach toilet. If you ask nice we may take a brief break in the middle of nowhere for a picnic. It should be early afternoon by this point anyway.
I have decided that the island that is to be our next stop hold some kind of ancient shrine (3), though I am open to suggestion on this matter if anyone has any better ideas. It will be our next stop to relax and enjoy the sights. It may even have souvenirs.
A brief ferry trip will take us to Isle de Gambino (4) for early evening. We can shop at the bustling market, tour the mansion and the adults can of course go to the casino! We may get a hotel here to sleep everything off or we can drive back through the night to Durem. If we choose to sleep in a hotel, we'll head back in the morning instead and enjoy the sights of Gaia by daylight.

Who's in? Any suggestions regarding the trip before we begin?

Through a stroke of brilliant luck, or sheer stupidity, the creature had woven its way into the bowels of the library. Somehow it had made it not only to the elevator, but down to the second level; the quartering halls. It had chosen a direction simply at random, setting off down the western most hallway.

Treading lightly, carefully, the small creature was wary of its surroundings. It was oddly quiet; besides the gentle clikcing of its claws on the smooth floor and the rustle of its overcoat with each movement, there was no noise at all, despite maybe the gentle hum of some distant air conditioning unit. The lack of noise made it nervous, it fully expecting a surprise attack of some sort. Normally the place was overrun with occupants; those overly curious as to why the small mixbreed was there was never a good thing, yet the severe absence of life was even worse. With each cautious step, it paused, sniffing the air and watching, wary. A wrong move could surely set off some sort of alarm or trap, plunging it to some untimely and gruesome death. No, it was better to take its time and move carefully. In the space of fifteen, it had only made it half way down the hallway. At this pace, it would be hours before it actually made it back to the elevator, let alone down another hallway.

The hallway seemed to go on forever. Honestly, it was never good with time anyway, but it would have liked to have had some idea of how long it had been here. In its mind, it had probably been down here for days. At least, that's what it felt like, having no means of time by which to determine otherwise. Its stomach growled mournfully; it was hungry, yet again. A semi constant state for the poor, ragged thing. At this point, though, it felt as if it would surely die down here, most likely from starvation or dehydration, if not by some torturous means upon its discovery. In its head a morbid scene played out, as some poor soul stumbled upon its starved remains, sprawled out in the middle of the sterile hallway, clutching to its beloved little green squeekerball. Such would be its sad fate, it did so believe. In actuality, it could have turned and looked back the way it came and have seen the elevator doors from where it was standing. Well, possibly. It didn't exactly have the best eyesight ever, but you catch my drift.

With a soft sigh, it paused, staring mournfully up at one of the many doors that lined the hallway. Would this never end? Would it, actually, die in this endless corridor?

Suddenly, it froze. It heard something.. Pressing its flea bitten, ragged ear to the door, it listened hard, its eyes narrowing. Voices... There was someone inside! It wasn't sure whether to be pleased or horrified; suppose they step out, see the creature, and attack?! This was bad!

Almost to the point of panic, it began to make small little circles in the hallway, struggling to think of what to do. In its confusion, it had lost its sense of direction entirely. Because it could only see a few feet ahead, revealing only more endless hallway and the doors that lined it, it now had no idea which way it had come! Curses! It should have left itself a trail, or marked upon the doors, or something.

It was too late; the door began to open, and it had no where to hide. Out of pure desperation, it scurried down the hallway, just happening to go back the way it had come. It skittered around the corner and froze, wheezing for breath; it wasn't that long of a run, actually, but it wasn't in the best of physical health, either. As it tried to calm itself, it listened, hard. It was still out in the open, but at least it was not in the immediate eyesight of whatever it was that had opened the door.

Slowly, nervously, it dared to peer around the corner, squinting as it struggled to distinguish whatever it was that had caused it such panic. At the moment, it was too far away to be anything beyond a blurry silhouette. It did, though, look to be smaller; possibly even a little smaller than the creature itself, should it ever bother to move on its hind legs rather than crouching low to the ground on all fours. This.. was a good sign. Yes. You could almost hear the rusty cogs in its head begin to turn, squeeling under the strain. Smaller creatures, especially human creatures, required food; sustenance. If it.. If.. If it could fallow it, perhaps.. Just maybe.. it would be led to food. Yes.. It nodded slowly to itself. This was a good plan. Follow the human creature until it came upon nourishment, then, upon the very instant that its back was turn, it would be gone, and the mixbreed will be fed! Huzzah! Thing's were looking up for it, as it were. It only had to be careful and discreet. Soon, it would be fed!

Ilia skipped her way through the corridor, happily oblivious to the scruffy form on her tail. She was supposed to knock on the doors and wake everyone up, she supposed. She paused by the first door. She knocked heavily. No answer. She frowned and knocked again. With a sigh she shook her head and waved her hand. The door opened for her. She bounded into the room uninvited, as children often will when ignored.

"Uncle Jack! Mister Raven! It's time to get-OH!" The little android covered her eyes swiftly, blushing deeply. "Put some pants on! I'm going to make breakfast. You got five minutes." she scolded, backing out of the room. The door shut behind her and she fiddled with the hem of her dress awkwardly for a moment. Walking into rooms like that was a bad idea. She cheated and sent out a general alarm call to all the screens in occupied rooms. The image of the still blushing little android flashed up.

"Get up get up! It's time to eat! Breakfast will be on the tables in five minutes!" the message repeated, making sure it would be as annoying as possible until every clan member got up and manually turned the screens off. Satisfied that would do the job, she headed to the elevator and up to the kitchens to begin cooking.

Kaori, despite having slept so soundly beside him, managed to haul herself out of bed in record time and into the bathroom before him. He smiled to himself and chuckled softly. He turned his eye to Myurr who remained quietly curled up in the aquarium his companion had escaped from. Ruby eyes were fixed on him meaningfully.
"Alright, I'm coming." he muttered, padding over and sticking his arm into the tank. Myurr took his place in his skin and Guyy made his way into the bathroom. "You know, you could have escaped also." he rolled his eyes. The snake would have shrugged if it could have.

He followed Kaori into the warm water of the shower, murring softly at the temperature. She knew him well. Though he had to laugh a little at the way Kaori's own serpent hugged her form, almost protectively.
"Got company this morning, do you?" he teased, raising an eyebrow as he passed her, a hand trailing across both scales and skin with fond amusement. The water rushed over him, soothing him and waking him up refreshingly. He didn't spend long in there, enough to scrub up a little before stepping out and drying off.

He didn't have the luxury of illusions to dress himself, so he hopped around the room with one leg in his trousers and one arm in his sleeve as he tried to brush his teeth at the same time. Thankfully there was little else he needed to do. He ran his fingers through his hair and straightened himself up a little. He finally managed to cross over to Kaori (having fallen on his face only once while getting dressed this morning).
"Someone's affectionate this morning." he grinned, giving Yaone a brief chinscratch. "I mean, aside from me." he smirked, leaning over to playfully nuzzle at Kaori's neck. "Ready Milady. May I escort you to the dining facilities?" he bowed a little and held out his arm for her to take.

Unknown to all, except for maybe Ilia, Aya was already putting the finishing touches on breakfast. It wasn't anything as extravagant as her other breakfasts (just some pancakes, waffles, and whatnot) but it would have to do. In the dining room, Parvati was happily preparing the plates and glasses, arranging them and rearranging them just because it was fun.

Aya 'humm'ed' as she poured the contents of the natural juice into a container and placed it on a table where Parvati would later get it and place it somewhere in the dining room. The ice queen paused for a moment before she grabbed a couple of fruits and began slicing them small and delicious looking slices, placing them neatly and artistically on a round plate. Once done, she carried off the heavy dishes and placed them in the center of the dining table.

"Well, I do believe we are done Parvati."

"Yup! I hope everyone likes breakfast today!"

So saying, both Aya and Parvati took a seat but did not touch the food that they had prepared. It was only polite after all, to wait for the others before eating.

Back in the kitchen, the dishes were being washed by invisible hands, most likely Aya's work.

Well if downstairs went Kaori's arm... so too did Kaori go.. being attached to her arm and everything. Yet by the way he held onto her, it was almost as though they were inseparable right then. Languidly she let her steps flow, ever so balanced as always, he was in no apparent hurry and so neither would she be.

Her nose caught the aroma of fresh cooking from the moment the elevator door opened, the tigress knew what was on the table long before she rested eyes on it. Aya and her daughter Parvati were, beyond a shadow of a doubt, the culprits behind this simple yet massive breakfast. Ilia was still looking pleasantly surprised and so Kaori learned that not even a bot as advanced as Ilia could keep track of things everywhere in the library all at once. Perhaps with age and technology advances, that would change.

Guyy was off and inspecting the goods, giving complements and such she gave her own as well yet made her way into the kitchen making a b-line for the fridge. The only thing that was foremost on her mind was a large cold glass of milk. Once that was in hand she took her seat, of which Guyy held for her, (How sweet!) at the long dining table and went after the variety of fruit, leaving the sticky waffles and pancakes for the younger members of the clan to enjoy.

Finally Raven had had enough. After a few more moments of that annoying message repeating itself, he found himself half dead on his feet and shutting off the screen. It had been the first thing he had figured out how to use here... just in case this sort of thing might happen.
Did he stay up?

He looked to the bed almost longingly, it called to him... go back.. sleep.. but if he did... he'd miss this little road trip and Kaori made him promise he would go. He wandered into the bathroom and freshened up, showering, brushing his teeth, making his hair perfect... and then trudged out to the closet to change. On the way he picked up the pillow and tossed it back onto his side of the bed... not that Jack actually gave him a side to sleep on being sprawled out like he was.
The thought made Raven smile, but on he went changing into clean clothes, looking as preppy as ever.

Going over to the bed, he sat on the edge looking over the red head laying there still, and smiled one of those very rare, soft smiles. "Jack.. common. Time to go."

Aya's manners were impeccable. There was not a stray piece of food in sight once she was through with her meal. She closed her eyes at the sound of Master Guyy's compliments, already knowing what she would find once she took a glance in his direction. Taking a chance, she looked up at Guyy and surprise surprise! He was chomping it down as if there was no tomorrow. Her mouth shook and she bit her bottom lip to stop herself from doing something she really shouldn't. Her eyes twitched however, and with every bite Guyy took, the stronger the urge became.

No...I must not succumb to it...

She diverted her eyes towards Parvati...who seemed to be mimicking the Head Librarian's antics. It was too much. She let go of her bottom lip and slightly opened her mouth. One would expect a harsh lesson in table manners from her but none of that was voiced. What did come out of her was a giggle...a giggle. Aya Tienade did not do giggles but here she was, trying her best to hold in her laughter even though it was all in vain. Her quiet laugh became a little louder as she continued to watch the two and pretty soon, it turned into a normal melodious sound of mirth.

"Your...your faces!" she said in between laughs and gasps for air.

The twinkling inside of him signified that his other half was happy. Very happy from the looks of it. Caine raised a brow as he stopped directly in front of the dining room door. Even from here he could hear Aya's laughter. What was she laughing about? Curious, he entered the room with Parvati's and Aya's bags in hand when he saw the spectacle.

Ah. So that was it. He smirked. It was funny but he wasn't about to laugh at the father (sort of) of his lady love. Laughing at a lover's parents was just not something any sane man would do.

Caine had joined the clan only a few weeks ago and still he was adjusting. The way they operated was slightly different from his own group but that shouldn't mean to suggest that he didn't enjoy it. He was quite certain that given time, he'd be able to get comfortable enough with everyone that he'd stop looking over his shoulder to see if there was anyone behind him.

With his smirk lessening into an amused smile, the brown haired man took a seat beside his still laughing other half. His green eyes twinkled as he watched his daughter and Guyy duke it out. He wasn't exactly hungry for anything other than meat but he'd eat so that Aya's hard work would not go to waste.

"Good morning everyone," he greeted in his low baritone voice. He took a bit of fruit, placing them on his plate, and poured himself some juice before he decided that enough was enough. No offense to Lord Guyy but Caine didn't exactly want his daughter to grow without table manners. And since Aya was incapable of giving a warning at the moment, he was going to have to do it himself.

He didn't utter a word. He just stared at Parvati until the girl noticed and looked up.

She swallowed her food before she let out a sheepish grin. Taking a table napkin, she wiped her face clean of any stray food and cheerfully waved at her father. Taking the glass of juice, she quickly drank it all. Then she turned to everyone and, now that her mouth was unoccupied, began babbling about the bus.

"I've seen the bus! It was big and yellow and had many windows! I've never been in an automobile before except for the one that mom drove a year ago but that ended up at the bottom of the lake. And then we had to swim and swim while mom cheated and iced herself a path. Dad was pretty annoyed with that and so he tackled her and they both ended up getting wet all over again!"

Aya's laughter abruptly ended at the mention of the car that she had lead to its inevitable watery demise. She lowered her head, somehow making herself seem smaller as her cheeks reddened at the memory. Beside her, Caine was chuckling, conveniently forgetting the fact that it had been his car that Aya had driven into the lake.

"Ah. That incident. Aya was learning how to drive then-"

"Caine!" Aya piped as she glared at her lover, her cheeks still pink. He merely grinned at her and looked at the others for their permission to continue his tale.

Guyy looked up, half a pancake dangling out of his lips. He was stunned to hear Aya laugh, but it was a beautiful sound. She should laugh more. Even if it was sort of at his expense. He looked over at Parvarti and had to suppress a laugh himself for fear of choking on his breakfast. He glanced up as Caine entered cheerfully and struggled to straighten himself up. Last thing he needed was blamed for their daughter picking up his habits. At least ilia was neat.

He raised an eyebrow and smirked. Lady Aya was quite fallible after all. He held in a laugh. In the space of five minutes she had both laughed and blushed. Having her family here with her was doing wonders for her relaxation. It had taken years, but she was opening up finally. He smiled wider than before.
"Really? Well, perhaps we can give her some practise with the bus." he suggested teasingly, trying to catch her eye over the table. He looked over to the other man and grinned. "Sounds like you have your hands full." he joked, his leg stretching out a moment to brush against Kaori's. He certainly didn't mind when his own hands were full when it came to family. Not that Kaori had ever crashed a car into a lake.

Jack made a noise of delight at the suggestion of hanging back and catching up with the bus later. He opened his eyes fully and regarded Raven over the pillow he hugged to himself tightly with a smile. "Tease." he muttered.

He murred contently at the gentle kiss on his forehead, conveniently ignoring the jab against Guyy. Likely he would have laughed himself silly, and then stopped the bus for them. And then started it again as they reached out for the door. The pair of them! They were a nightmare together and a nightmare apart. Jack chuckled to himself.

He didn't give much thought to his past at that moment, the half remembered dreams of the past fading already under the watchful gaze of the blond. It was hard to think bad thoughts in this situation. It would be difficult to learn much of Jack's past, that was one part of himself that was guarded so well even he never thought of it.

He pulled himself up onto his knees on the bed and stretched out with a wide yawn. Food was a good suggestion, after all. He rubbed at his eyes sleepily and blinked thoughtfully as he crawled over to the edge of the bed to stand and go get ready.
"Hey, was Ilia in here earlier? I kinda sorta think I remember hearing her." he mused as he padded drowsily into the bathroom and began to wash up.

Guyy laughed mirthfully. This was an excellent start to the day. Good friends, good food and the sight of Aya relaxing with her family. He gave Kaori a wistful smile for a moment over the table, his leg pressed against hers warmly. It was good to see the Ice Queen coming out of her shell. She must have been very comfortable with them all there and he took it as a compliment.

"Oh, I can imagine you get a lot of enjoyment out of it. I know I do." he smirked, polishing off his third fried egg of the day and leaning back against his chair. His red eyes twinkled as he looked at the blushing woman. He suspected she didn't much mind the teasing at all. He gave her a happy chuckle and nodded, relenting.

He looked down at his empty place, looking over to glance at Kaori's beautiful features and then to the young girls looking so eager and enthusiastic. He grinned widely.
"Well, let's see if anyone else manages to make it to breakfast and yes yes, then we can get on the road." he nodded as he sipped at his coffee, causing Ilia to squeak with delight.