Welcome to Gaia! ::

Xiu meanwhile was busy helping Hazeline sort through a new order of books somewhere in the back office and lifted his head when he had heard the door to the bookstore open. “A customer,” said Xiu turning to Hazeline.

“Hmm? Could you see to them then Xiu?” asked Hazeline not looking up from her checklist. “There’s a good lad. Mrs. Bediever has gone grocery shopping and Joshua has gone out with a bunch of his friends,”

“Of course, Hazeline,” said Xiu nodding before leaving the young woman to her paper work. Floating silently out of amongst the row of books, Xiu was surprised to see a familiar figure browsing through the shop’s wares.

“Rivener?” said Xiu smiling as he floated up to the scorpion raevan. “You came,” this time, there was a definite note of delight in the young frei’s voice as he greeted to older raevan. “I am so glad to see you,”

“Alone? No, Hazeline’s doing some paperwork,” said Xiu with a smile before turning his attention towards the photo offered by the other raevan. At the other’s comment, Xiu coloured a little. “Can’t help it I guess,” said Xiu with a soft laugh. “After all, I was having my picture taken with a Sigel. Not many people could boast of such a feat now could they?”

Rivener had then asked if Xiu could read and the white frei nodded. “A little,” said Xiu indicating to a shelf containing some children’s stories. “ I’m afraid the other books, the ones marked as romance are a little beyond my understanding at the moment and Hazeline herself had not been too keen on allowing me down that aisle. Perhaps when I am older, she had told me,” said Xiu as he led the way towards the back office. Placing his hand onto the doorknob, Xiu turned around and gave Rivener an apologetic look. “It’s rather messy back here, especially when Hazeline’s sorting through the paperwork so umm…just bear with it for a moment? We’ll head to the living room upstairs once Hazeline is done,”

Saying so, the young frei then gave the door a few raps before turning the handle and entering. Beckoning Rivener to follow, Xiu turned around to face his guardian. “Hazeline, this is Rivener; the older raevan I told you about,” said Xiu in a slightly raised voice. Hazeline could be deaf to her surroundings sometimes when paperwork was involved.

“The older raevan?” asked Hazeline looking up and for few moments, stared in amazement at the scorpion Sigel. He certainly was an impressive specimen. Young, strong and with an aura of danger lurking about the Sigel, Hazeline could very well imagine women falling for him. In fact, the guardian herself was finding it rather hard to tear her eyes away from scorpion. “Pleased to meet you, Rivener isn’t it?” asked Hazeline as she got up and made her way towards the raevans. “Xiu has told me about you and I’m glad that we could meet face to face,” said Hazeline as she held out her hand.

At Rivener’s words, both guardian and frei gave Rivener a surprised look with Hazeline’s quickly taking on a look of someone caught doing something bad and Xiu looking at Rivener with a small frown. It was evident that the white frei did not approve of having his guardian reprimanded by Rivener. In fact, Xiu had been proud of his guardian and was hoping for the Sigel’s approval. A slight flick of his wings was all that was seen from Xiu as he eyed the other keenly; blue eyes watchful should his guardian be harmed; physically or otherwise.

Hazeline on the other hand was looking thoroughly ashamed of herself; having never been scolded ofen even when she was a child. A stern look from her teacher back then was enough to send the young Hazeline crying. “I am sorry…,” said Hazeline in a quiet voice. “ But…well…yes, yes. I guess I should have known better,” said Hazeline looking at Xiu who immediately gave his guardian a concerned look. Shaking her head slightly, Hazeline ran a hand through her hair. “Sometimes, I keep forgetting that Xiu is not even a year old and well…he just seemed so…capable but, that would be just excuses,”

How the times have changed thought Hazeline to herself as she remembered the times when she was younger. There were no restrictions back then. You just…practically played anywhere you fancied and the adults worried less about their children disappearing from the streets and worried more about stray cats running off with the fish. But that was in the past. The present was much more dangerous. Children were disappearing off the streets everyday and here she was letting Xiu out…

“Understood,” said Hazeline nodding to Rivener. “I would hate it if Xiu was taken away from me. He is part of my family now and to have him taken away…I’d much rather have one of my kidneys removed, or something….Thank you Rivener for the warning in advance..,”

Hazeline was surprised by the hug given by the Sigel and managed a small smile. She was still rather shaken by the encounter with the scorpion Raevan despite him seeming to calm down. The tension in the air was definitely lesser than what it had been a moment ago. “No harm done Rivener, in fact, you’d have probably saved us a ton,” said Hazeline stepping away from the Sigel as he floated back and positioning herself beside a silent Xiu. Hazeline had been worried about Xiu during conversation with Rivener as the frei had taken on similar look to the one he had given San when San had fingered a gun in Hazeline’s presence. The change in expression, however subtle should be looked out for if trouble was to be avoided. Although technically speaking, Hazeline herself was in the dark regarding Xiu’s abilities.

Seeing that there was no longer a visible threat to his guardian, Xiu allowed himself to relax a little and nodded in response to Rivener’s statement. “I do not wish to find myself in anyone else’s care,” said Xiu quietly. “ Hazeline is my guardian and my guardian she shall always be,”

Upon hearing Xiu’s word, Hazeline felt a slight blush creeping up her cheeks. “W-well…let’s not stand around here shall we?” asked Hazeline as she made her way to the staircase leading to the upper floors. “I’m sure we could all do with some refreshment; well…perhaps with the exception of Xiu. He does not eat solid food I’m afraid,’

“Afraid not Hazeline,” said Xiu with a smile before turning to look at Rivener when his guardian had made her way up the stairs. “You should have told me of your plans Rivener. I would have put your worries to rest. Hazeline and I have both met a raevan called Vyn and we have heard her story. We do not plan on repeating that mistake.”

“I had not known that,” replied Xiu, visibly shocked that Vyn was older than Rivener but at the mention of Sevilin’s name, the white raevan gave Rivener a surprised stare. He had never met Sevilin before but to hear that the raevan called Sevilin was rehomed was disheartening news. Was it truly that simple for a raevan to be rehomed? The white frei flicked his wings uneasily. “I’m sorry Rivener. I should not have brought that up,” said Xiu before turning his attention towards the stairs. A clatter of crockery could be heard as Hazeline tried her best to remember where Mrs. Bediever had kept the teapot.

“And as to being forgiven, I guess that could be managed,” said the frei with a smile. “Truly. I have never seen Hazeline blush so then when you had given her a hug. Is that an inborn skill of yours or does that come with the developement of your stomach?”

“I will live,” replied Xiu in reply to Rivener’s statement about putting Hazeline on the spot. At Rivener’s suggestion on helping Hazeline however, Xiu looked horrified. “No, we should not. Definitely should not,” said Xiu shaking his head.

“It’s a sort of unspoken rule here. Mrs. Bediever reigns supreme over the kitchen and to ummm…do what Hazeline is doing now would incur her wrath. It is best that if…someone has to go down, that someone does not drag another with them,” said Xiu nodding in earnest. “Honestly, Mrs.Bediever could scare the pants off almost anyone,”

As if on cue, a crash followed by a tinkle of china could be heard before a string of not-so-horrible curses drifted by. A few seconds later a sheepish looking Hazeline could be seen from the kitchen’s doorway. “Whoops. Broke the teapot,” said Hazeline with a look that clearly said I’m doomed. “Perhaps you could take Rivener to browse the bookstore while I find another teapot? I’m sure we have a spare somewhere. Oh and Rivener, if any book catches your fancy, feel free to have it? Consider it as…a sort of gift for taking the trouble to worry over Xiu,”

“Thank you, Hazeline,” said Xiu before turning to Rivener. “Shall we go?”

Xiu shook his head. “She’s a little more than a housekeeper but it is…a little complicated. Hazeline and Joshua love her though and…she loves them too,” said Xiu slowly as he tried to piece together the relationship between Hazeline, Joshua and Mrs. Bediever.

At Rivener’s question about the housekeeper being ‘just a lady’, Xiu had to smile. “Have you heard of the term ‘a whirlwind of a person’? Mrs. Bediever is something like that except the whirlwind is now squeezed into the body of a slightly smallish old woman with a temper as unpredictable as the weather. She is…alright I guess. We have … learnt to live with each other,” said Xiu with a slow nod. It was probably best not to tell the Sigel that Mrs. Bediever was initially not too fond of the white haired frei believing him to be the worst possible mixture of science and religion around. The frei’s blue eyes however, were thoughtful and reflective as he spoke about the housekeeper.

It was then that the teapot incident happened and as he let the way down to the bookstore, Xiu nodded in response to the Sigel’s question. “Yes, do not worry Rivener. I guess living with all these books around; one could get a little melodramatic at times. Perhaps it is to counter what most people would call a “boring” life,”

“But I am happy here though,” added Xiu quickly; fearing that the Sigel would then start having a new worry about him. “It is…a good place as any to learn,”

“So,” said Xiu, shifting the topic of conversation to another “I saw you browsing the store earlier. Do you have any particular book in mind Rivener?”