Welcome to Gaia! ::

Delilah glanced at the filigreed clock above the cash register and nodded to herself as she delicately settled into a chair at her favorite table. The skirt of her floral dress was rearranged absently and she crossed her legs at the ankles, very lady-like. She had told Kaimi three o'clock; it was two minutes until. Plenty of time. She focused on a middle distance, remembering how the other girl had looked the last time they had met. For one thing, she had grown. That was a surprise.

The real shock, however, lay in just how wretched and tired Kaimi had appeared. Every inch of the other girl had radiated exhaustion and ache. Delilah still shivered when she remembered how Kaimi's touch had felt - it had seemed to suck energy and vitality, hungry and bottomless and full of claws and teeth. It was upsetting to say the least.

Idly, Delilah played with the single Gerber daisy in the bud vase on the table. It curled against her hand and the petals shivered with each brush of her fingers. She had slept so deeply that night. She would have to make Kaimi tell her what she had done.

As soon as she settled in, of course. Delilah looked towards the door expectantly.

"Hello, Kaimi. It's good to see you looking better." Delilah pushed a menu across the table to her friend. Her bright eyes took in the improved appearance, approving of the general look of health. She sniffed discretely. Kaimi was smelling more like herself, too. "It's my treat, remember? Order what you want."

Delilah regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. Then she abruptly turned to the waitress and made her own order - jasmine tea and an elderberry tart. Only after the waitress had retreated, did Delilah sit back in her chair and nod slowly. "They haven't tried to take you again?" she asked, neatly pushing aside the thanks. Her faint smile, though, reassured Kaimi that she heard and accepted it. "I don't want to ever see you in that state again."

"I've been fine." She glanced out the window and suppressed a shiver. "Winter's almost over. The cold was getting to be too much. I've been at the gardens a lot." Turning back to her friend, Delilah folded her hands in her lap and tilted her head. She gave the other girl another long look. "You look much better," she added. "You've been getting the sunlight again, right?"

Delilah's eyes widened slightly before she could regain her cool composure. With an absent smile, she leaned in to get a better look at the sprouts. She considered them for long moments. Then, very gently, she extended a finger and stroked one of them. Her touch was so light that they barely shifted. However, when she drew her hand back, they strained noticeably, stretching out of the crack and twisting a bit.

Delilah sat back in her chair and smiled with more warmth at Kaimi. "That's very interesting," she answered. "They're so healthy."

"Can you grow anything at all?" Delilah asked. The thought of a castle clearly appealed to her, too, however, and her porcelain-pretty face took on more life with the notion. Location, location, location. "Like I said, I've been in the botanical gardens mostly and everything there is very responsive. I like to think I can handle just about anything myself," she added with false modesty.

Delilah sat back in her chair and regarded Kaimi thoughtfully. The intensity of the stare almost seemed to pick up on the other girl's hesitation and uncertainty. Then she smiled reassuringly. "We can experiment," she announced. "Just to see."

"That's settled then." Delilah turned to share her smile with the returning waitress who paused, smiled uncertainly back, and then began setting out their order. The teenager waited until the waitress left again and then drew her tea-cup towards her, cradling it in both hands. "Can you come and go whenever you like?" she asked. "From your house, that is."