Welcome to Gaia! ::

It had only been a few weeks since the Maevin family returned from their extremely long trip across the seas. In their absence the island they call home, Gambino, had undergone some changes. New shops opened, old favorites closed, and even Gambino himself was whacked off by an unknown assassin! Talk about a difference!

On this particular day, Miss Lillian had decided to drag the lads away from their comic books and training to investigate the new sites. Now as they settled back into their home Lillian had taken a few steps forward when it came to food. She had begun to experiment with meals and going over Aphi's recipes he had left her. With all these new shops open there were bound to be places that sold food for her to use in her quest to take care of Tyson and herself.

On this humid day, with the clouds debating on whether they should rain or not, the clan stood outside a new bakery that had popped up in their time away. Lillian, Tyson, and Iorek each eyed the store's display warily. The treats in the window looked as appetizing as the fancy cuisines in France. The terrible growls and gurgles that howled in the two with stomachs spoke their approval.

"Well....Aphi did want us to eat better." Tyson proceeded as he listened full heartedly with his stomach.

Lillian frowned and crossed her arms as she gazed into the store. "Alright. We'll check it out. We need some breakfast anyways and I can hear your stomach rumbling from where I'm standing."

Before the young woman or the preteen could move towards the door Iorek opened it up and floated on in. The raevan was always curious when it came to food and he learned to just move along if his guardians started to bicker. Sure he couldn't eat any of the delicious looking treats but just how they looked interested him. They were all various colors, shapes, some with sprinkles, and others with swirls. The deserts were as different as people. Some bakers even made cute designs with colorful frosting on cookies and the treats always made Lil and Ty happy.

As he examined the bakery delights the thick skinned raevan floated nonchalantly through the store without fear of anyone judging him based on his appearance. It had taken many months but the youth had grown used to the stares, gasps, and whispers he gained whenever he went somewhere. Nothing really could affect him anymore and the sleepy eyed people trailing through the aisles in this bakery certainly didn't have the capability to make his skin crawl.

Very curious to see everything this bakery called Vermillion had to offer, Iorek leaned his large form closer to the cases that held all the different breads, muffins, cookies, and pastries. As he inspected the goodies the lad made sure to keep his wings tucked against his back and his arms close to his front. If he was to knock something over well...Iorek would never be able to forgive himself. Whoever made these so-called tasty delights worked hard and if he ruined them he'd be as vicious as a dirty old villain!

"Mmm?" Iorek's long ears twitched when he was greeted and with a small smile on his face the young raevan gave her a polite nod before getting back to business. Unlike other raevans Iorek rather stay off to the side, unnoticed by others. It was easier that way for everyone and it was the best way to avoid trouble.

The bell sounded again as the door to the bakery opened, this time a curvy young lass entered followed by a young teen. She looked around the shop curiously in the same fashion the raevan had. "Iorek?" Lillian asked as she looked around for him. Her curious scan of the goodies stopped when the bulky floating torso fell into her range. "Oh! There you are." She chirped happily, trotting over to the youth.

"Ah...yes." Iorek said softly, smiling as he spread his arms to make room for Lillian and Tyson to squeeze into the space and look at the fancy treats he was eyeing.

The lad chuckled and smiled at Reks, "Iorek! You're going to have a sweet tooth when you get that belly. You may like salty rocks now but when you can eat this stuff you won't go back."

Lil shook her head, her now long feathery hair falling left and right over her shoulders. "And if you eat a lot of these you'll really have to pour on the training. We may as well spread out and look around the shop to see if there's anything we want for breakfast, okay?"

Reks nodded and floated back where Vivi and Shepard were in order to watch his guardians at a better angle. He could feel the two unknown worker's eyes on him but the young beast wasn't sure exactly how he should react. He certainly didn't want to frighten them...so it was best to stay still and just examine what goodies he could see. But Lil and Tyson probably wanted to eat something now...

With those two in mind Iorek slowly turned around to face the man and woman working behind the counter, "Umm...Excuse me, do you have any samples that the public can taste?" He questioned quietly but ever so politely.

Iorek could feel the heat rising to his cheeks as he awaited a response from the woman. Was she going to ask him to leave? Did he scare her? But before Iorek could apologize for any trouble he may have caused her the young man beside her took control of the situation. One moment Iorek's eyes were on the young lady and the next he was staring at a perky man.

"Oh...uh...y-yes, thank you." Iorek added quickly when he realized his request was being made reality. He returned a friendly smile to the man with the accent, happy that this man wasn't nervous or scared of him. "Me?" He piped up, blinking with curiosity. "Thank you for the offer but well..." Reks raised one of his large hands and moved it against the spot he suspected a stomach would be. "I can only eat rocks right now so unfortunately I can't eat your treats, but my family can. Do you two make all of these treats though? I'm impressed." He chuckled and lowered himself a few feet to look at the tart the lady had been working on.

Lillian and Tyson smiled when they saw the store owner walking over to them. "Wow..." Tyson gasped with excitement. Even though he had matured during their long trip the lad still acted jumpy and joyful when treats were introduced into the mix. "They look great!"

Lil smiled to Vivi and walked over to meet her, "Ah, thank you. I hope you don't mind us trying out samples." As she said this Lillian could feel her heart blooming with pride over Iorek approaching them for snacks. That was good! It was something he'd never have done a few months back...looks like he was really improving.

"Well thank you. You're very kind. We were certainly curious to see what you had to sell. We've been gone from home for a while and upon our return we saw your shop. Sooo...as you cans ee. We decided to investigate." Lillian smiled at the woman's kindness and nudged her brother to take some pieces, "Go on. Try some." She encouraged before reaching forward and picking up a pastry. The lass's eyes immediately lit up with delight as the delicious cream melted on her tongue. "Wow..." She gasped when her cheeks flushed from the wonderful taste. "These are delightful." Lillian cooed with an added giggle.

Tyson chuckled as his sister melted to be as warm and sweet as Vivi's baked delights. "Okay, okay." He took a piece of cinnamon bread and had the same reaction take over him. With eyes set aglow the boy reached for another pastry he didn't recognized and popped the delicious food into his mouth, "Mmm...what was that?" He asked with an added chuckle as he certainly enjoyed the taste of whatever it was.

As Tyson licked his lips and fought back the urge to grab another treat Lillian listened politely to Vivi. Her cheerfulness turned to curiosity when the woman acknowledged Iorek. The frechwoman was not in shock nor awe instead she acted calm and collected. She even knew what he was called! "You know about raevans? Huh...I guess word about them has been spreading in our absence." The lass moved her bangs out of her eyes and glanced at her ward, "Mm hmm, he's ours. Iorek may look threatening but he's a real big teddy bear who wouldn't hurt a fly."

Reks felt much more comfortable as Shepard held a serene expression and position. There was no fear sitting in his eyes. Wrinkles had yet show on his forehead or the corner of his lips too which usually was a sign many humans held when they were concerned. Instead the male stood with a lazy smile on his face and no muscle tensity. "I think these stores are very impressive. I don't believe I'd ever be able to make such delectable treasures." Iorek warmly purred, his tone of voice going unnoticed as he scanned the shelves.

The raevan was drawn away from eyeing the muffins when Shepard asked a question. "Mm? Oh yes, rocks. That's what I eat to keep myself alive and strong. I....suppose I do it for the same reason you humans eat." The male shrugged his sturdy shoulders while his head tilted to the side.

He never really thought much on why he ate rocks. He just did. Instinct perhaps? It was just something his body identified as food. "My kind, um, raevans, all have a specific something they can eat or absorb to feed themselves. It's rather strange really." He said with an added deep chuckle. "Raevans are such a curious case. We are bizarre life forms." Reks spoke softly as a clawed finger played with a mint that had fallen from a case on the counter.

Lillian listened and nodded her head politely as Vivi spoke about the shop's existence. "Well I'm sure you have good business. This street is usually very busy and with so many holidays going on now everyone is looking for delicious deserts."

Her eyes fell back on the raevan who was more of a guardian to the family than she was. "He certainly did, that boy likes history and found a lot of it in the places we went. Not only that but he thrives for adventure just like the munchkin here." The lass mumbled as she gestured back towards Tyson who was eyeing a few more delicacies on the plate.

"Hear that Lil? I can have this kind of stuff for breakfast. She says it's fine and healthy if I have something good to drink with it." The boy cheekily spoke to his sibling as a wide smile broke on his features. He even leaned into to nudge Lillian with his arm, only laughing when she rolled her eyes at the behavior she knew he'd possess if he was given such an answer.

With a swift hand Lillian took hold of the lad's shoulder and adjusted him to a closer range where it seemed she thought he'd be easier to keep in control and away from anymore delights. With anymore chocolate the boy would start protesting her rules or something of the sort to bring chaos...

"Not bad. Get ready for your whole life to change though. They have look like teenagers but these guys are like babies. We got lucky with Iorek, he doesn't seem to hold any powers that could go haywire and unlike many raevans he isn't snooty, vain, or hormonal. At least you teach them like you would a child so they're pretty much easy to mold into a suitable citizen. Unlike this one..." Lillian muttered the end as a hand moved through Tyson's hair, playing with it as she spoke.

"I take offense to that!" Tyson piped up from his new captivity. "But really you should be very excited. Although it can be tough it is a lot of fun and there must be something special about you in order to be given one. Honestly I have yet to know why we got Iorek but meh..." He shrugs and reaches for another desert on her tray, successfully popping it into his mouth before Lillian could nab it. "We have him and he's what matters now."

Iorek followed Shepard's direction to the delicate and intricate birds that the man created. "They are very beautiful...." Slowly, since he didn't ask for permission, Iorek floated up towards the ceiling to look at the pieces of artwork. He kept to the lowest region and merely looked the birds in the area over with a wide grin on his face. Such cute little beings. Although they were made of such clunky and rough materials the man below breathed life into them that gave each one grace.

"It looks like they could fly away at any moment." Iorek said with a deep rolling laugh to the artist below. Knowing he shouldn't stay up for long the raevan drifts back down to Shepard's level once again meeting him face to face. "You have very skilled hands, firm but gentle. A true creator."

Shepard was then met with a faint blush that shone from under the raevan's stone cheeks when the spotlight fell to him. "Erm...It's just natural for me." His ears lowered as did his eyes, the beastly youth seeming to squirm with Shepard taking an interest in him. "Ah! R-Really it's fine. I'm happy to just look around." Iorek quickly added with a perk of his ears.

"Perhaps you'll get lucky and they'll eat chocolate so you'll always have their food in stock." He added with a smile.

Before he could ask anymore about the raevan in question Shepard suddenly remembered something very important. Reks looked startled at first, a question ready to pop out of his mouth right then but held it to catch the name of his newfound...friend? His smile grew when he heard 'Shepard' and nodded happily. "It suits your character well. Strong name for a strong man."

Slowly he raised his own hand to grasp and shake Shepard's. "I'm Iorek Maevin...or Reks depending upon what you'd like. It is a pleasure." Reks met Shepard's eyes, ignoring the fact that his hand seemed to devour the man's own. His cold claws scraping gently against the artist's skin but certainly not hard enough to draw blood.

Iorek flushed at the man's easy-going 'let's be pals' attitude. His gray cheeks took on a rosy tint as the friendly atmosphere made him feel both happy and uncomfortable. The gargoyle didn't know whether it was just because he wasn't used to a stranger's eagerness to call him a buddy or if the bridal blush was caused by the happy little flutter his heart gave. "A strong name? Really? Mine...?" His voice began to drift off just like his mind, flustered and actually pleased to hear that. Good. A strong name was needed if he was going to save the world.

The gargoyle just floated before Shepard for a moment or two, his eyes glazed over and mouth open just a jar. Luckily before he looked like a complete dunce the side that spoke sense twirled it's lasso and wrestled his drifting mind back into reality. He gave a little jump before his brilliant green eyes gazed down at the hand reaching out to seal the deal. Again Iorek stared and slowly he raised a cautious hand up from his side and gently intertwining it with Shepard's.

"Of course, if you will have me." Iorek said softly with a brilliant smile on his lips while he gave Shepard's hand a good shaking. The man's hand was firm and strong giving Iorek a lot to go by on how confident this person must be. "M-Maybe I could come in before then too...." He muttered ever so quietly under his breath. If the raevan had feet he'd be shuffling them now into the floorboards and trying to imprint many little circles into the ground. Iorek was too busy being embarrassed to even think about what would be taboo or not and honestly if he was that in tune the raevan wouldn't mind at all. He never saw anything wrong with exploring the life that had made his.

"Psst...Reks, you can let go of his hand now if you want." Tyson hissed to the raevan before looking back to the girl's conversation as he popped another chocolate into his mouth.

Lillian smiled and shrugged as she and Vivi discussed the raevans. Carefully the young lass went over who she had met over the years she had been a part of the lab. "Oh, well, that's just my opinion and I'm not in good standing with a few of them." Rivener to be exact but there was no reason to bring anything like that up. When she considered how attractive the raevans were Lil had to nod in agreement. "That's true. Luckily Iorek is pretty menacing look-wise so I don't have to worry about any girls coddling him. He hasn't gained an ego at all which is pretty nice. If you get a gorgeous raevan I suppose that's something you have to watch out for. At events they can be eaten alive by fans." She too laughed while glancing over to the raevan as he carried on a conversation with the handsome craftsman.

"Well there's gotta be some reason we were picked for this it just takes a while to figure out I suppose. They seem too special of creatures to be given out willy nilly." Lillian grimaced at the thought of someone who was even worse off than them getting a raevan on top of all their other problems.

Lillian nodded as they tip toed over the soul-catching task. That was a difficult challenge for them too and although it had been a while now it was still too raw to discuss. Quickly she trotted into the next discussion, "The powers are something else! Iorek hasn't shown anything other than his strength but some raevans have really neat powers. There was one raevan who could control ice and nearly turned us into popsicles at a festival a few years ago when this one," She gave Tyson a nudge, "pissed him off."

Reks had no clue that he was the key that would open the door for Shepard and lead him into the world of raevans. The youth didn't consider himself that important or special enough for such a duty.

"R-Really?" Iorek stared up at Shepard as though he had just given him the key to the city. He broke eye contact once and that was to look at the strong hand resting on his shoulder. Was it bad to feel so happy about this? Nah....His ears twitched and his wings gave a great flap. If he had butterfly wings they'd be all a flutter by now. "T-Thank you so much, Shepard. I appreciate it greatly."

Tyson sniggered when Vivi said, 'incredible knowledge' and his eyes glanced up at Lillian. "Hear that? We have a vast amount of knowledge. Who would've known?" The lad looked back at Vivi. "We're really not as smart as you're making us out to be. This is all by trial and error or just what we've picked up."

Lillian shook her head at the boy and looked back at Vivi. "That raevan was very dangerous. His caretaker was kind and sweet but at times she was too nice to control him."

The lad grinned even wider when the attention was given to him. He was little back then but he still remembered that day pretty clearly. "I wasn't that brave." He laughed and shook his head, "I actually caused most of it. I thought he was some kind of super hero and got too close."

His sister frowned as she recalled that day too, "But you were little and he should have been able to stay in control. Iorek may not like being around a lot of people but he will never raise his hand to harm them."

Iorek twitched when he was mentioned and nodded slowly. "I would never hurt someone unless they brought harm to the two of you. You know that."

Lillian shook her head and smiled at Iorek's honesty. "We know, Reks. You've told us this time and time again and every time we tell you how thankful we are for it."