Welcome to Gaia! ::

Sicilia snuffled and peaked out from a hole in the beehive-esc catacomb that she called home. It was a bit of an eyesore, amidst the beautiful rolling dunes and crisp oases of Hal'ia's Grand Desert, yet it was rather intriguing. Sicilia had created it herself, for she had always found she had a way with sand more than a way with water like most of her Pan' brethren. The "beehive" stood a good three stories from the ground, and was made purely of hardened sand, a bit like a termite mound. She slithered back into the entrance hole, deciding it was too hot to go outside just yet. She had been hoping to do a bit of hunting before it got too dark, but the sun high in the sky indicated to her it was barely past noon. If something didn't happen son, Sicilia was sure she would simply drop dead from boredom.

Sicilia tensed as the sensitive "fins" protruding from her side sensed vibrations through the sand. Something big was stalking around not too far from her home, something that was definitely another Painter. Sicilia smiled to herself, and made sure she looked in order before slipping back out of her sandy palace. She slithered slightly across the sand like snake, heading towards the place were the vibrations were coming from. There! A handsome red Pan' was stalking through the sand as though sent to her as an answer for her pleas for company. Sicilia hailed the weary Pan' with a wave and called out, "You Sir! You are very far away from the oases... would you not care to come into my humble abode for a while to rest? You seem utterly parched...." She smiled and snaked her body around herself flirtatiously, knowing full well that her "abode" was anything but "humble"....

Sicilia smirked mentally as she noted the slight hesitance in the male's steps. He was obviously tired, and there as no where near at all where he could rest, so it amused her to no end that he actually had to think about the offer. Of course, she was glad that he accepted in the end, otherwise should have had to bother him even more, and Sicilia didn't want to stay out in this sun any more than he did. She beckoned to him with her tail and replied, "I have shade, water, and food for you both... Follow me, it is right over his dune..." She turned and slithered off, pausing only slightly to make sure she felt the vibration of the other's foot steps...

Sicilia smiled as she heard the male follow her, and slipped through the sand with ease. After climbing the dune, from the top, one could get a wonderful view of the flat ground her sand palace had been built upon. She giggled to herself and then slid down the sand with glee, stopping at the bottom to enjoy the feeling of the warms sand on her skin before continuing forward, towards the large hole which was the entrance. She paused in the shade at the front of her home and beckoned to the two guests yet again before disappearing inside.

Sicilia sighed with comfort, the inside of the palace was noticeably cooler than the outside, even just at the entrance. She had built it in such a way that there would always be adequate airflow, meaning the inside was always a pleasant temperature. The walls of the round entrance tunnel was smooth, as though made of crystal glass, which it basically was. Glass was made from sand, an Sicilia was very adept at making glass objects and ornaments. After the short walk through the entrance tunnel, the space widened into a large pavilion of sorts. It was like one giant room, the ceiling going up countless stories, and the floor dipping down into the ground so everything look like a giant arena. On one end of the room, a small oasis of sorts bubbled serenely; it was the reason why Sicilia had built her palace here in the first place. There were quite a few palm trees, which grew strong due to the oasis' water and the sun beaming through the perforated ceiling. It was like a mini-paradise.

Sicilia chuckled and gazed happily as Niu's panada splashed in the water, "Your panda seems to like it here... what a handsome fellow he is..." She looked at Niu on the sly and added, "He goes along well with his handsome master..." Sicilia smirked and slithered off to the side, where another tunnel lead off from the pavilion, probably to a kitchen and pantry of sorts, "Oh, I do not have any lemons at the moment, but I make a wonderful cold passionfruit tea, if you would like some..."

Sicilia slipped through the curving tunnel, glad that the new painted was following her again. At the end of this one, was a vast glass, crystal, and sand kitchen of sorts with enough room for 5 full grown Pan's to move around comfortably. She slipped over a closet in on of the walls and brought out a silk bag that smelled of mint and green tea leaves, and with her other hand she deftly chose 5 of the plumpest passionfruit of the bunch she had. She then turned and placed them on a counter, started a fire under a strange clay stove, and placed a very large pot of water to boil.

She dumped a handful and a bit of the tea leaves into the water and let them steep while she began to slice the golden passion fruit in half with her claws. She scooped the gooey insides into a bowl, and whisked is quickly, adding water from a pitcher near by on intervals. Then, everything from there happened quickly. She ran the passion fruit pulp through a sieve to remove the seeds, added more water and sugar to the new golden nectar, and took the stewing tea off the stove. She then turned to Niu and smiled broadly, "Now, we wait for a bit for the tea to cool, add the passionfruit juice, and we can head back over to your little panda friend..." Sicilia smirked to herself, wondering if she had managed to impressed Niu even more. She had had a pitcher of the tea already made and being kept cool in a natural cooler in a basement under their feet, but she had wanted to show off her cooking skills a bit. It was not the first time Sicilia thanked the gods for a Pan's deft hands...

Sicilia chuckled as she noticed Niu looking around in wonder, "And as for your earlier question, I didn't just "happen across" this place, silly! I MADE it..." She lifted her chin proudly, and looked around, admiring her own crafty work which had been years in the making. She sighed a bit as she heard him talking about his panda so fondly, "I'm sure you two must be good companions... I had always wanted a little companion, but they tend to get lost in the catacombs that make up the rest of my palace. It gets lonely sometimes... which is why I always keep an ear out for passing travelers. It is the only way I get company... though no one ever comes to visit just for fun..." She heaved another sigh, and poured the cooling tea into large ornate glasses adding in the passion juice after wards. She brought out long glass spoons and stirred the two glasses, and then poured a bowl for the panda, with more passionfruit juice than tea. She smiled at his compliment and preened, "It took me a long while to get the combination of flavors just right..."

Sicilia's eyes lit up as he complimented her drink and she purred in return, "Aye, I've got a knack for cooking I guess. It took a long time to get it... just right..." She smiled and slipped pasted Niu, barely brushing him as she made her way back to the pavilion, holding her own glass and the bowl for Niu's panda. She chuckled and replied over her shoulder darkly, "An excellent sense of direction? I believe that is what my last long-term visitor said... I found him much later, or what was left of him..." She paused and looked over her shoulder, hoping she had shocked him with that little joke of hers. She then burst out laughing and continued, "Oh I'm only joking~! I'm sure you'd find your way just fine through my palace, all one needs to do is follow the light..."