Welcome to Gaia! ::

Kneeling in the soft grass, Elle settled Kudzu gently down...peering up at the sun overhead. As always, she worried about his pale skin burning, but he'd never shown so much as a hint of pink. Sun, cold, rain...Kudzu seemed to take it all in stride.

As she settled down, getting comfortable, Elle reached back to tie her hair into a single large knot...letting it rest against the back of her neck and out of her face. The wind was a bit cold, this time of year, so she'd donned a warm brown cloak that morning. Tugging it a bit closer, she smiled down at the child by her side.

For a moment, Kudzu gazed back up at her...the corners of his eyes wrinkling in a ghost of a smile. His attention shited back to the grass after a moment...one little hand reaching out to pet the lawn as though it were a languid cat. He was only starting to get the hang of crawling...for the most part, the babe was content to sit beside Elle and gaze around the gorgeous winter garden.

"Pretty here, isn't it? I hear there is a garden inside, as well!" Though her voice was soft, Elle spoke to him like an adult. She'd never gotten the point of baby talk. Kudzu lifted his eyes again at the sound of her voice, but simply gazed before returning to his inspection of the lawn. Rolling slowly to the side, he wiggled about until he was on his tummy...finally able to get a better look at the little spider crawling up a stem.

Elle didn't disturb him, watching both spider and child before twisting to look back toward the south side of the garden. She'd seen other people around the HQ that day, and invited a few of them out to join her...but would any of them come?

Her hand settled absently on Kudzu's head, fingers ruffling his verdant leafy hair. Hopefully, they would. It would be nice for Kudzu to meet others like himself!

Raising her head at the call, Elle focused on the pair...raising one hand in a brief wave. Company! How sweet! Smiling brightly, she nudged Kudzu gently...motioning with her hand to the visitors.

Blinking, still thinking about the spider, Kudzu finally lifted his pale eyes to the colorful pair approaching. He usually had a good disposition for just about anyone he met, but the first thing the babe saw was green. Lots of green.

He smiled slowly, eyes squishing shut as his cheeks rose with happiness. One little hand opened and shut, as though he wished to grab that tail, but hadn't yet realized they were too far away to do so.

"Hello! Oh, please join us...we're not doing much, but it would be great to have company." Scooting to the side, Elle waved again to the little one...smiling in delight at the way the babe's eyes roved independently.

"I'm Elle, and this is Kudzu! It's a pleasure!" Elle's voice was rich and bright as always, a trait of a storyteller. Patting the grass, not noticing as Kudzu did the same, she tilted her head with a smile in anticipation of introduction.

Laughing with delight, Elle stretched out in the grass, propping her chin in her palm as she watched Erishi ramble. So cute! "Why...if I may ask...did you bite in the first place?"

Kudzu didn't draw back, but he paused as the lovely green scooted closer...head wobbling a bit as he tried to focus. Once he found a lock on the other child, he smiled again...reaching out for the distant tail once again. The crystals upon his feet and elbows glimmered as he shifted, facets catching the sun.

The oversized white shirt Elle had dressed him in like a nightgown was already scuffed with green...he certainly didn't seem to mind. Arm dropping as he determined the tail to be out of reach, he went back to staring at Shammi's facepart instead.

"Dah." A simple exclaimation, but certainly a greeting!

"Well, I'm glad you say hello in more traditional ways now. I'm not sure how I'd feel about being bitten!" Elle's smile flickered between amusement and genuine pleasure. "So, how did you and...Shammi...find each other?"

Gasping as the tail came closer, Kudzu reached forward after a moment's pause...fingers making grabby motions until they met resistance. Petting it gently, just as he'd been petting the grass, Kudzu's eyes followed the tail upward.

Legs, body, head, eyes! Oh! The green tail was attached! Gurling in sudden comprehension, Kudzu left the tail alone and brought his hands together in a single, gentle clap. Exciting!

He'd barely noticed his hair being touched, the leaves rustling as Shammi mussed them. A single purple petal drifted down from the tiny flowers growing at his temples, settling silently into the grass. Where was the tail owner going? What was she looking at? Endlessly curious, Kudzu found himself staring at his own crystalline limbs. He wanted to see too!

Nodding at the recollection, Elle's lips curved into a softer smile. "Kudzu arrived when I tried to create a Lifeseed...which is, hmm, something like a magical tree?" She tried to keep it simple, in case Erishi's attention span was as short as it seemed.

"Instead, I made a Kudzu! I mean, Kudzu!" Great, now she was talking oddly! "Who else is in your family?"

Kudzu watched as Shamilade spoke, his own lips parting in curiosity. A gentle burble was the best he could manage. Going a bit crosseyed as he was poked in his forehead, Kudzu shivered at the touch. What an interesting feeling!

Was she playing with his hand as well? Feeling a tickle, Kudzu raised his fingers...staring at the large dark spot. Oh, it was the spider again! He showed Shammi first, before making a noice and raising his hand for the others to see. Maybe Elle would want to pet the spider as well!

Eyes going wide at the metal worked into the girl's flesh, Elle felt something sink within her. Was such a thing possible? She'd never heard of man and machine becoming one. Sad, for a reason she couldn't quite explain, Elle tucked her legs under her and pulled her cloak a bit closer.

"Well...you made a very fine hand, I must say. And I think you and Shammi make a lovely family." Turning to peek at the babies, since they had been mentioned, Elle peered at Kudzu's hand. A garden spider, how sweet! Proud of the boy for letting the harmless creature travel so unhindered, Elle's smile blossomed once more.

He didn't notice the smile, but Kudzu cooed as the spider dropped...spinning a thin thread as it edged toward the grass. Lifting his hand up higher, he gave the spider farther to travel...burbling as it simply spun more web. Leaning forward, he moved his hand toward Shammi...offering the spider to the girl by the thread it dangled upon.

"Pah? Rooooo."

Elle swallowed heavily, but managed a smile...choosing not to think too hard on Erishi's words. Jumping a bit as the girl rocketed backwards, she leaned to the side to peer down at her.

"Ooh, are you okay? It won't hurt you, I promise!" She had no idea what to do to comfort the young woman...but for the first time, Elle found herself reluctant to draw someone into an 'unasked for' hug. "Is there...something I can do? Would you like to go for a walk? The children will be fine here for a moment, I'm sure!"

Kudzu didn't seem to notice Erishi's unhappiness, being too focused on Shammi. When the girl giggled, he lit up as well...a ghost of a smile appearing upon his pale face.

Tilting his head, Kudzu tried peering at the bug through just one eye, kind of like Shammi seemed to. He didn't see much of a difference, and flopped back in the grass in defeat. Calm and accepted defeat, of course.

One of his heavy feet rose into the air, silhouetted against the cool early spring sun. Light caught beautifully upon the facets, entertaining the babe for a split second before he rediscovered his company.

Without putting the foot down, he reached out for Shammi. "Apah? Bababa." Maybe her funny eyes would be nice to pet!