Welcome to Gaia! ::

Benjamin wondered if any of the island's other inhabitants had an umbrella with them or if they'd all countered on perfectly sunny weather. The redhead remembered that they'd arrived pre-storm but couldn't recall who may or may not have gotten soaked on the way to their cabins. Anyone not prepared now was bound to be drenched though as rain poured from the skies. The storm wasn't bad enough to hide from or too dangerous to be out in bit it would certainly make a mess of those not ready.

For their sakes as well as his Benjamin hoped everything would go well on the workshop attendees trips from their cabins to his own. Cranky wet writers would not make for good listening or productive writers and he really didn't want to set them loose in his house to change if he had to offer them spare clothes, most of which wouldn't fit the varying frames represented by this batch's attendees.

The aging man's eyes scanned over his parlour one last time, making sure it was properly set up for the workshop before he turned and headed to the front door to wait.

Alice checked her bag one last time, totaling her seventh check, to make sure she hadn't forgotten any of writing materials. She was afraid she might forget something and realize that fact once she arrived at Benjamin's home for the workshop. When she decided she had everything packed, she slung the bag over her shoulder.

Then her attention turned toward the window in her room. The rain fell steadily outside, showing no hope of clearing up before she left the cabin to walk over to Benjamin's home. She sighed miserably, wishing she had been smart enough to prepare for any weather they might encounter on the island. Unfortunately, she hadn't expected the weather to be this wet and cold.

She dreaded the walk to Benjamin's house. She would arrive there soaked, and she doubted that would help her do well in the workshop. After all, how could anyone really focus on writing when they were drenched with wet clothes and hair sticking to their bodies? The thought of it was uncomfortable. But she had no raincoat or umbrella. She would have to just survive it somehow. Shaking her head, she headed for the front door of the cabin.

Jackie was excitedly making her preparations before she headed out. She had, of course, put everything off until the last minute, and was now rushing to gather everything she might need. In the short period she'd been here, her belongings had already exploded inside her room, and it was rather difficult to find anything. Frantically, she searched for a bag of some sort to stuff her materials into, and finally found one stuck under the bed.

Quickly, she packed the things she had gathered into it, and stood up, surveying the room. Now... Shoes. She grimaced good-naturedly at her own horrible organizational skills, but was finally able to locate them. The easiest thing to find actually turned out to be her raincoat, as it was still packed away.

She didn't really mind the rain; in fact, she rather liked it, but she didn't want to get her writing things wet, so she threw the coat on over the bag. Anyhow, she did love how the neon green of her raincoat clashed with the bright purple shorts she was wearing. Finally ready to go, she left her room and went towards the front door. Seeing Alice already there, she smiled. "Ready to go?" she asked cheerfully, not noticing the girl's lack of rain gear.

Alice turned when she heard Jackie. "Oh, yeah, ready to go," she agreed. She noticed that Jackie had a raincoat but instead of wearing it, she had it draped over her bag. Alice looked at her own bag. For a brief moment, she worried about her writing supplies getting wet. Then she remembered that it had rained on the day their boat ride to the island. None of her things had gotten wet, so she relaxed about the walk to Benjamin's house. Her writing supplies should be safe enough.

Alice reached out for the doorknob to open the door for them. But before she could open it, there was a knock on the door. She glanced back to Jackie, confused about who would be knocking at the door. She opened it and blinked in surprise to find Jerry standing on the other side.

"Oh, hello, Jerry," she greeted. "What are you doing here?"

Benjamin had left his post at the door only for a minute to unplug the wailing kettle in the kitchen. Naturally the first knock of the day came the second he was unavailable. "Just a minute," the redhead called out as he made his way out of the kitchen and back towards the the front of the house. Though he didn't show it Benjamin was surprised that even due to proximity of her cabin Gloria, why yes he did pay attention to the ages on the application forms, was the first to arrive.

He fiddles with the doornob for a second before letting the white haired woman inside. " Pleasure to meet you Gloria, can I get you something hot to drink?" The woman didn't look soaked but it didn't hurt to offer. Besides he'd been taught to respect his elders even if Gloria was probbaly technically younger than him in ways that could not yet be explained.

"Tea it is, please follow me to the kitchen," Benjamin would much rather the woman warm and dry before he sent her off to wait in the parlor for the others. Besides, it felt incredibly wrong to send an older woman off to sit by herself while he flitted about making tea and watching the door. He might not have qualms about sending her off on potential perilous journey but the man did have boundaries.

The kitchen itself had a very clean and modern look to it. Most things were marble or metal and all of it high tech and energy efficient. Benjamin was spoiling himself, he didn't need a convection oven, but he was at least being green in the process.

The redhead gestured towards a marble stopped kitchen island surrounded by cushioned stools. " Please have a seat."

Jackie smiled at Alice when she replied, and nodded to Jerry when the door was opened, but then seemed to have no further inclination for talking for a moment or so. This was quite unlike her, but the enormity of what was happening here had finally seemed to sink in. She was really here, and was now off to meet this amazing author. For a second, Jackie was daunted by these incredible happenings, and found herself staring off into space.

Quickly though, she shook off the stunned mood with a grin. He was really just another person, right? And people, she could usually handle, legendary writer or not. "All right," she said, speaking partly to herself, "Let's be going then!" She stepped past her companions, and out into the rain, immediately feeling cold water seep up into her shoes, and even colder water down her back. Rain, she reflected in a bemused fashion, was very wet.

Alice fought back a minor blush threatening to color her cheeks. No man had ever offered an arm to her before. After all, she didn't have her sister's beauty or grace. But she pushed away such thoughts. Jerry was only being polite since she didn't have an umbrella. "Yes, let's go," she agreed with a smile and a nod as she took his arm. She closed the door behind them after they stepped out of the cabin.