Welcome to Gaia! ::

Josh grumbled in frustration while his head struck the steering wheel with a soft 'thump-thump-thump'. He groaned into the faux leather interior, "Whhyyyyy?" The boy looked a bit disheveled, the bags under his eyes spoke of many sleepless nights in the time he and his raevan had been on the road, nearly two months now. He knew he felt like crap warmed over. Nevertheless, it was hard to tell if the frei was in any better shape with the hoodie she wore almost constantly now. LuLu's voice seethed through the red fabric like venom, "It is your fault for having a lousy truck."

Josh opened his mouth to protest but then closed it back up. It was best not to start an argument now. He did not know how long he would be stuck in the car with Lu. The boy preferred her grumpy rather than pissed off. He sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Let's get some fresh air. We both need it. Maybe someone passing by will help."

LuLu cringed as she exited the car. It was still brisk out. She bundled deeper in her jacket to fend off the cold, her face completely lost within its obscuring hood. No matter how far she retreated though, she could still smell the salt tinged air. It tingled her nose until she had to flare her nostrils to relieve the slight burn. They were near the beach.

She shifted her gaze to the nearby road. She joined Josh's side at its gravel edge and offered him a curious tilt of her hood. The boy was waving his arms frantically at cars passing by. Every so often he would shove a thumb in the air and give it a few quick shakes only to have a dejected frown when nobody had stopped. The rabbit pushed up her sleeves just enough to where her hands could be seen. She mimicked the boy's actions. The frei did not understand how this would get them help faster, but the exercise was helping her warm up in the winter weather. LuLu thought to herself:

Would anyone stop for them?

Josh praised the heavens when someone stopped for them; perhaps, he should have held off on the celebration. With a quickly snapped “yes” of victory and a pump of his fist, he boy then trotted forward hoping to meet the car’s owner halfway. However, things changed when Josh saw a mop of bleached hair styled into some semblance of a mohawk attached to a rather short and grumpy looking Mexican. He could not help but retreat a few steps back once he recognized the man as no other than We’rika. Josh made an audible gulp. “I guess it is, huh? I am having some car issues. Lu and I have been stranded out here for about half an hour now.” He jabbed a finger at his truck for emphasis. The rickety thing looked like it was held together by duct tape, paperclips, and shear willpower. It was rusted on the bottom, was sporting a fender of a different color, and was pouring masses of smoke from its engine compartment. “Think you can work some magic on this old thing?” He felt like he was being the nuisance here even though We’rika was the one who had chosen to stop for them.

LuLu’s eyes narrowed at We’rika. She had no grudges against the guardian. She was more concerned with the storm that followed him. Her hooded head darted around nervously. Was he with Werika? Of course he would be. Had he left the car? Not yet. Lu sharp eyes snapped to the passenger’s side door of Rika’s truck and her mouth hung agape. A figure that she only saw in her worst nightmares loomed in the window. Sevilin hung there like a gremlin. The blue haired frei looked like he was sizing her up from a distance. The rabbit puffed up, sticking out her chest flamboyantly. The action did not have quite the same effect given that she was half hidden in her bulky hoodie, but she did not care. She snapped her wings noisily at Sevilin.

LuLu did not understand what We'rika was barking to Sev about, but she did catch onto one thing: it was embarrassing. The rabbit tittered softly like a chiming bell making sure Sevilin could hear her. Part of her was grateful that even Sevilin had his dirty secrets. LuLu would make sure she hid hers better than he did. As an afterthought, she pulled her sleeves down further to hide all of her hands.

Josh chuckled halfheartedly, unsure if the older man was joking or stating a fact. Maybe it was both. The boy looked over We'rika's shoulders as though watching the Mexican fiddle with the engine would make up for all the years of spurned auto mechanic lessons from his dad. For once, it would have payed to give his father some attention. It left a sour taste in his mouth causing Josh to blanch at the idea. Josh wafted some smoke away from his face with his hand. He muffled a cough in his sleeve. "Hopefully junk heaps work the same way then. I was hoping my truck would last longer than this." He shifted a bit uncomfortably around We'rika as he continued, "I guess running her constantly this past month finally put her out."

LuLu was not even the source of Sevilin's griping, but she was already getting fed up with the shrill bleats and low groans coming from his lips. She hissed out from the side of the road, "Running your loud mouth is not helping."

LuLu huffed at Sevilin. The sea fairy had a way of spouting hot air whenever he spoke; the rabbit brushed his comment off like any other annoying gust of wind. She rolled her eyes at the sneer Sev flashed in disrespect. The look she wore was questioning. Was she supposed to be the one with the ugly face?

The twisted grimace only served to further remind her of why she despised the fairy. "Maybe some chivalry would help you." The frei floated closer to Rika's truck. Her hand rested on the rust and baby blue paint to test the waters. She lifted her head up and locked eyes with Sev. Her amethyst orbs shone like gems within the dark of her hood.

Any attempt at pleasantries fell to the wayside as Josh was given a cold shoulder. Apparently, being extra nice would not get him far with someone like Rika. The few tedious minutes shared between them only exhausted the boy more. He was tired of being on the road and he was even more tired of being tied to his crummy truck. However, it was the only thing Lu and him had left now besides the few possessions they scavenged in their backpacks. He did not know what would happen if they lost the truck now. Josh inhaled sharply when Rika broke the silence.

He heard the one thing he had not wanted to hear that day. The boy took off his theoretical top hat and his own chivalry disappeared with it. He pinched the bridge of his nose for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day. The headache he had been cultivating there would certainly put him out of commission later on in the day. On the other hand, right now, he needed to take out some quick frustrations.

The side of Josh's foot slammed into the front of his car leaving a moderate ding, only one more to accompany the many it was already sporting. That felt good but it was not nearly as rewarding as he would have liked. Still running on a small burst of adrenaline, Josh slammed the hood of the car down. Immediately he regretted the decision. The poorly thought out aggression left his hands with an overcoming burn. "s**t!" He wrapped his palms in his shirt and released a few more small curses under his breath. He then grew silent and straightened himself out turning back to We'rika. "I understand, thanks for looking," Rika had only told him the truth he was afraid of discovering on his own, "Lu! It looks like we gonna have to walk... somewhere."

The frei crossed her arms over her chest obviously displeased with the turn of events. She inquired bitterly, "And where is this somewhere?"

LuLu quickly rebuked Sevilin with a sly threat of her own, "Your nose feeling any better?" She reveal her pearly whites, her lips set into a smirk. Though soon her attention was drawn back to Josh and We'rika. She flicked her ears forward and listened in on their conversation.

Josh blinked in surprise. It was as though it had never occurred to the boy that Rika could have the generosity to actually do something for another person. Perhaps he had been quick to judge; however, people like We'rika had a way of putting Josh on edge. Josh gaped for a few minutes with a slack jaw obviously unsure what to tell the older man. His sense of pride was telling him to keep their situation secret, but another part of him sorely wanted the help, even if it was Rika who was providing it. "Well, you see... there really is nowhere for us to go. Lu and I sorta ran away."

LuLu chimed in agitation, "We were kicked out."

Josh hissed air through a gap in his teeth and gave his frei a look that read "thanks but no thanks". The boy continued even though he was not quite ready for even more mortification, "Sure, either way that truck burning away was the only thing we had. We left on pretty short notice." Josh held his head in his hands and groaned. Yup, he was the worst guardian ever. Maybe he deserved a trophy for his excellence in failure. At least, he could pawn it for some money then.

A mouth hung open wide in quiet protest. Josh nearly corrected the shorter man, not enjoying the uncalled for mutilation of his name, but decided it was not in his best interests. After all, We'rika was not the finest piece of work around. This was not one of Lu's fairytales; therefore, becoming best buddies with the man overnight was probably not going to happen. Josh was also not about to dig his heel into the toes of the one person who was looking out for him that day. Perhaps it had even been a mistake on the boy’s part. We'rika's thick accent had a way of murdering even the simplest words, like pronouncing anything except the essential vowels was not worth the Mexican’s effort.

Lu released a soft squeal into the frigid air, partially because of a door connecting with her side and also because she too was realizing the current turn of events. Sevilin and her mixed together like oil and water or chainsaws and kittens. Either way, those two being together for more than a day would not end in anything pretty. The rabbit bounded after the fairy with her own shrill voice coming to fruition. She wanted to object to everything that was going on, Sevilin and We’rika specifically. “No! Nononono," LuLu barked the word off over and over again like a machinegun attempting to pierce an armored tank. However, the contemplative look in Josh’s eyes informed the rabbit that her “rounds” had been deflected. So it was time for the big bomb. The frei bit off words bitterly and succinctly to Josh, “I will never forgive you.” Her arms snapped to her sides as she donned an exaggerated pout that contorted her soft features into something both revolting and adorable.

Nevertheless, Sev and Lu’s rancorous cries fell on deaf ears. Josh nodded to Rika in agreement. “It seems like the best option right now. Thanks man, I owe you big time.” The boy trotted around to bed of his truck and pulled two light backpacks from its rusting floor. He swung the blue one over his shoulder a bit too easily, the bag weighed markedly less than it should have, and held the red one out to his raevan. His hand shook up and down to make the red bag do a little dance in the air in front of Lu appearing like a trainer offering meat to a grumpy lion. There was another shake to beacon the girl over. LuLu finally complied and floated over to Josh.

However, this lion had its pride, as the frei approached her pout grew more and more fierce. Lu’s hand snapped forward like a beast’s paw to strike the bag from her guardian’s hand. It fell into the dirt with a muted “thunk”, her hairbrush fell through the drawstring opening at the top. The boy recoiled to examine the red welt already forming on his knuckles. He was sure the frei had hurt herself more when she had lashed out, but Lu was trying hard not to show it. He tsked the girl gently as he saw some tears welling in her eyes, the hand she had hit him with was flexing in a pained way. Her misty irises glowered at him behind half lidded eyes. She could not believe her guardian would do this to her. LuLu worried away at her bottom lip. Staying with Sevilin was the WORST option. Crossing all of Gaia on foot seemed like a cakewalk in comparison. The rabbit would have none of this. If her guardian wanted to go with We’rika and his hellspawn, then by all means he could. Lu would find another way to get by. “I refuse! You cannot make me!” With that said, LuLu gave her boney wings a grating flap and took off towards the beach. Maybe someone more sane would be there to help her.

That was one thing about Lu, she never did anything half-assedly. Even if her task was running away, she would try her best. Not even a glance was spared when the fairy barked encouragement for her to leave. Her fierce glower was already set on a bee's line path towards the water. The rabbit could care less if the three men behind her hated or loved her decision. She was not doing this for them, it was for herself.

Josh had started after LuLu, but his will to continue faded a bit when Rika egged on his own frei to go after the girl. The boy's slim jawline cocked to the side in confusion and curiosity, questioning if Sev would really pay attention to what We'rika was asking of him. The Mexican's words were certainly more courteous than Josh was expecting. It seemed like the older man had a few gentlemanly bones hidden away in his body. It was also painfully obvious which guardian had more control over their raevan. Even Rika's final meltdown had a blast zone that made Josh's stomach clench. He could only stare wide eyed as Sev caved in and begrudgingly stomped after the rabbit. The younger guardian gaped before letting out a low whistle of admiration, "It looks like you handled that well to me." However, with a soft mumble he added, "But, are you sure Sev can get her back?" As if the boy really had a place to talk at this point.

Lu could pick up on the shrill, cracking tenor of Sevilin's voice behind her. To her dissatisfaction, he also seemed to be getting closer. It was probably due to the fact Lu would soon run out of land to cover and had to slow down to keep herself from running straight into the salt water. Nevertheless, the sound of rolling waves was clearer than Sev's satanic bleating. The sea was closer than the sea fairy at that point and the rabbit was dead set on making it to the beach before Sev made it to her.

"Fwooosh!"

LuLu smirked to herself. She had found the water! However, to her chagrin, the waves were cascading at the base of a small bluff. Lu was residing on the top of said bluff. There also appeared to be no path to get down to the water safely.The rabbit's ears trained themselves onto the crashing thunder coming from the waves hitting the rocks below. Her victory was rather bittersweet as she examined her surroundings. There was not another soul to be found, they really had managed to find the one abandoned beach in all of Gaia. Lu had nearly forgotten that Sevilin was still fast on her trail as she began to float away from the cliff's edge.