Welcome to Gaia! ::

All the clunking and disorderly noise attracted attention, as it was always sure to do in the quiet of the library. But where others might have reprimanded Len for his clumsiness, his fault would earn him a small giggle.

Fern Everlasting had found a very nice place to perch high above the heads of all the students and staff, right on the top of the shelf. It was rather dusty there, and filled with cobwebs, but it didn't bother the fae one bit. At four inches high, Fern could play with those cobwebs and spin with the dust motes like they were meant just for her.

She wore an orange dress that fit her snugly, and little orange slippers. The cool air outside didn't bother her as it did the more vulnerable human students, and so she was quite comfortable. Fern sat on the edge of the book case, dangling her feet off and letting her shoe hang precariously on one toe. But that noise Len made gave her such a fright that she nearly lost her little slipper altogether.

"Eh?" she said, leaning right over the edge until she tilted right over it, catching herself with a mad fluttering of her little wings. Now that she was moving in mid-air, Fern created a light glow and a glittering cloud about her.

The little bit of dust and shimmer followed her all the way down, right where she perched herself upon a lower shelf behind Len. So, she said to herself. A clumsy boy! Just watching him anxiously pick everything up made her give a high-pitched laugh. No grace, even when there were no prying eyes to impress.
But Fern ducked behind a book's protruding spine so she wouldn't be seen.

This boy intrigued her.

Fern stepped out of her hiding place and tiptoed her way along the shelf. She was still glowing slightly, which didn't even strike her as something that would give her away. Her mind was far too preoccupied with following this boy, and maybe even playing a few tricks.

As he turned the corner, he was on the opposite side of her row of books.
"Of course ye go 'round the other side," she mumbled, and with another great fluttering of wings, Fern had lifted herself into the air, up towards the ceiling and right back to where she had been before all the ruckus.

Her view of the library was restored. It was a lovely place, to be sure, but the boy below her didn't seem to be enjoying it nearly so much as she was. Fern thought that down on the ground, this must seem like a labyrinth. But she quite enjoyed being small and able to fly, which she certainly couldn't do when she was as large as a regular person.

Len's question caught her attention once more.
"It ends at the beginning!" she chirped high above him. Her little voice may not have been heard all that well from down below, which was only a few feet from where she stood. That was half the fun: would he hear her, and if he did, where did he think she would be?

In a way reminiscent of Tinkerbell to Peter Pan, Fern flitted down right in front of his face and poked his nose. With a high laugh, she flew away a few inches to give him some space. That and with her constant laughing, she was bound to make her little glitter cloud even worse. Humans seemed so sensitive to it, judging from the times she had made them sneeze.
"You're quite light on your feet, aren't ye!" she cried. "Better get on your feet before someone comes 'round, wonderin' what the fuss is."

Fern's face was beaming as she hovered in a little haughty stance, hands on her hips and legs straight out underneath her. She stuck out her chin at him. He was so odd and couldn't seem to keep up with her fast voice and movements to save his life.
"Come now, come now! ...ye never seen a fae before, have you?"
It must have been the only reason for his slowness! she thought.

Fern gave a frustrated, "Eh!" before alighting upon a nearby shelf. She took a few steps towards him, all the while looking down at her foot prints in the dust.
"And how long have ye been in Grove?" she asked. "Surely you must know that there are elves an' angels an' all sorts of folk from the Realms here! And surely ye must know 'bout your own blood, and what you are that caused you to be chosen for this place?"
Fern looked at his bewildered face once more. This boy was lost in more way than one, that was for sure, and she was determined to set him to rights.

Fern tilted her head in understanding.
"Eh. Jus' this morning? Then I 'spose you can't be too much to blame for that..." The fae was used to being a bit above and beyond everyone she'd met so far, more often than not in a literal sense.
Fern jumped a bit and got her wings going like a hummingbird so that she could navigate her way in front of his face. She was smiling in a genuine fashion, with no mischief brewing at all. This was rare for her, but perhaps it was only because she was trying so very hard to be nice to him.
After all, she could spin circles about him and laugh herself silly if she tried.
"If ye think, though, that I'm odd? You might have a wee bit o' trouble with the others. An' watch what ye say!" Fern tapped his nose once for emphasis. "There are beings here that wouldn't take kindly to that talk. 'specially the vampires."

Fern acknowledged his apology with a nod of her head, then suddenly with a dramatic twist of her body, shone a great light. It only lasted for a second, but when it had faded, a human-sized Fern was standing right in front of him. She looked no different than when she had been flying, though more of her could be made out now that she was bigger.
"I'm Fern Everlasting!" she said, taking his hand in a good shake. Her hand was incredibly light, but still held a strength behind it, as did her voice. She looked up to Len's face, as she was seven inches shorter than he was, but it had never discouraged her to be so small. Size was just a minor detail to a fae.
"It's a great pleasure to meet you, Len!"

Fern enjoyed watching his eyes grow wide. She swore she could almost hear the wheels turning in his head as he processed everything that was going on, but he was beginning to take these things with a bit of grace. Everyone at Grove, in some way, grew used to beings such as fae or vampires at some point. The wonder never truly left them, but it became less shocking.

To his question, Fern gave a light laugh, and kept her smile.
"No. This is a nice little place to have a bit o' quiet time, or when ye just want to watch people. Sometimes playin' in the dust is fun, but all in all, I just like the atmosphere."
Mischief was really what she liked, though she hadn't lied to him. Fern bounced on her heels a bit before asking her own list of questions.
"What about you? Did ye come here to find a book? Or were ye just scared of a new place an' wanted a bit o' time alone?"