Welcome to Gaia! ::

Olivia twirls around, watching her orange and pink skirt twirl around her. She giggles and kicks off her flip flops. This is great! The light reflecting off of the lake, everything! She'll have to try and bring her friend from the shiney place here, after she figures out how to get her out of there, of course. . . .

Finally having gotten the courage she needed to venture away from the safety of her room at the Development House, Belinda tiptoed down the hallway, down the stairs and towards the front door.

She'd dressed meticulously, taking great care to make sure the outfit she'd found in the bureau was kept neat and tidy, and that she looked what she believed to be pretty. Ra'cerne was held securely in her arm as she opened the door. She had to shield her eyes from the bright sun as it was brighter than she'd anticipated. Blinking quite vigourously till her eyes adjusted, she finally set off down the little path, out to see the city in person for the first time, instead of only from the window of her room.

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Too many things caught her attention, demanding to be explored and investigated. But not one thing alone stood out this day to be the single thing she explored. Instead, she'd just make mental notes to come back and look closer another day. Today, she was mainly just out walking to see the city and see what was beyond the buildings and if there were others. The idea that she was alone didn't bother her, but she was curious. She'd heard noises in the Development house over the week, but was too scared to open the door to look.

He walk led her just past the eastern wall, to an environment she felt drawn too. The trees, the vegetation, the cover of nature even seemed more natural to her. Not as safe, but quite natural. She had a small smile on her lips as she walked towards the glinting lake surface just beyond the trees.

Inhaling deeply and looking down to Ra'cerne she felt very peaceful. Glad she'd finally decided to do this.

Belinda took a step back seeing others like her. She was surprised they looked so different, but similar. The little pink girl in front of her was very pleasant. She'd discovered that pale pink was her favorite color and this girl was covered in it. She smiled and held Ra'cerne tight her body. "Hi... I... Bel...Belinda." her voice squeaked just a little, only for lack of use, if anything.

Her own tail moved very slowly behind her along the ground, moving to curl around her leg. She noticed this Olivia person had a pink tail and that made her smile a little broader.

Belinda nodded to Olivia, agreeing it was nice to meet her too. She looked down to her dress when Olivia mentioned it and grinned a little, tugging at the edge of the skirt with her free hand. "I not know." She shrugged a little and looked back up. "It wasss in my home, ssso I weared it." She looked at the clothing Olivia was wearing and nodded a little. "I like your dressss." she says softly before holding Ra'cerne up.

"Thiss isss my friend, Ra'cccerne." She pulled the pull-string on the back of the doll to show Olivia that her friend spoke too.

"Hello, my name is Ra'ceme, who might you be? "

Belinda nodded fast, "Yesss! I only have thisss and ... jammiesss." She tugged the edge of her skirt again. It was nice to feel pretty and she liked the dress quite a bit, but Olivia's clothes looked comfy too and she wanted to try something like that now that she seen they existed.

"Ssshe talksss when I pull her ssstring." She explained and pulled the pull-string once more.

"Looks like I'm going to be your friend * sighs*"

"Minesss isss pink too!" Belinda was beaming, she really liked Olivia so far. "But no daisssies. I got just pink ssshirt thing." She nodded. "I like to sssee pretty clothesss sssomeday! Livvy take Bel sssomeday?" She asked, looking very hopeful.

She pulled Ra'cerne's string again, knowing sometimes the stuff she says isn't so bad...she still hadn't quite memorized the order yet tho, thinking Ra'cerne was not a doll but her living friend.

"Make sure you look after me."

"I already sssaid I would, Ra'cccerne." Belinda told her doll, then pulled the string again.

"My skin is so ...pale."

She shook her head at Ra'cerne. "I be Livvy'sss friend!" she said with a wide smile, looking back to Olivia. "You be Bel'ss friend too?"

Krait slipped through the water, and felt the power of his tail beat through the liquid effortlessly. He understood now the flat tip to his tail. Olivia had not had the same flat tip. He had wondered, had his tail been pinched in the door before he could remember? No, now Krait knew, that flat tip that tip beat through the water and steered him through the dark and cool, into the nothing. Without thinking he twisted in the cool water world and drove himself deeper, away from the light above.
He felt his skin growing colder, felt his blood slowing, and then, his chest began to hurt. He began to realize that he could not stay in this world for ever. He began to realize that he needed to breathe. He twisted sharply again and blinked his eyes against the particles of mud and algae that floated about his face. The Light was so far up, so far away. Krait began to push for it, beating the water with both arms, and both legs and his tail twisting madly behind him. He began to shoot through the water, he could feel the push of it as it split aronud him, his ears were screaming as the pressure changed, and his lungs burning.
Finally, with a splash and a deep gasp, Krait broke the surface and paddled in one spot, catching his breath, rubbing his chest and waiting for the ringing in his ears to stop...
He thought of the sensation when he was belw...the sense of timelessness, the sense of solitude...and the more Krait thught about it the more he realized how long he had been under, not breathing air, not thinking, just doing just swimming.
Krait was puzzled, and at the same time completely unsurprised.
He turned his attention to the shore, and there, sure enough was Olivia...and...another? Krait paddled in smoothly, his head bobbing along the surface, just high enough that his nostril could take in air, but the rest of him hid in that dark world below the surface. His pale hair floated about his face, more like silk than anything. He drew near enough to see the girl in her pretty satin and fancy shoes... Krait grew shy and did not venture closer. He bobbed slightly and paddled in place, straining to make out their words.