Welcome to Gaia! ::

The gypsy sighed from her perch atop her unfortunately flamboyant-looking Guardian. Ever since she had started her venture north, things had gone from bad to worse. No. That wasn't quite fair. It had all started with those blasted Grimm twins long before she had decided to set out from Palisade again. From the moment their respective beasts had claimed them, her life had been nothing but a massive headache. One problem after another. Non-stop. And what did she find here in Northport, her favorite town in all of Sunderland? More trouble.

She had known before starting the journey that the wolf situation was grim, but the more accounts she heard, the more pieces of the puzzle she pieced together, the more bleak it all appeared. There had been so much death already. So many disappearances. So few survivors. In fact, if she wanted to give credit to the enemy, she might accuse them of having left survivors on purpose. What better way to instill fear in the hearts of every human than to leave a few wounded to spread tales of fear?

She scratched Oberon's neck and took a look around, seeing what there was to see. A break from her melancholy thoughts was in order.

The docks. It came as no surprise to the gypsy to find herself there; it was one of her favorite places. Though she had never been on the sea herself, she had always loved it. The fact that she had always found the people who inhabited port towns to be considerably more tolerable than most was just an extra little goodie.

For the time of day, there were surprisingly few people about. Of course, given the time of year, that was perhaps not so surprising. The Iron Sea was more treacherous than ever in the winter. Besides, tales of wolves were doubtless scaring off all but the bravest or most foolish of sailors. How much longer until trade ceased altogether? Until they were isolated from the rest of the world?

The gypsy made a disparaging noise. There she went, off on her thoughts again.

Oberon paused and indicated a pair of strangers up ahead. Surely that ought to provide enough of a distraction, if she wanted to continue. Well, it was not as though the pair of them could not handle themselves if it came to it. Rajani urged her Guardian forward. Even if she could not pass the time with the strangers, she could at least get a better view of the sea.

The dumbfounded expressions of the first man gave Rajani the first bit of amusement that she had had all day. A fair bit of awe was directed at her Guardian of late, but some were more comical about it than others.

Oberon eyed the second man with only a small amount of disdain. Though he was getting better about not being so decidedly against the thought of any human men being within a fifteen-foot radius of his Chosen, he still preferred that they keep their distance. Besides, he quickly grew bored of ignorance, and clearly this one knew next to nothing about Guardians. His long tail flicked dismissively.

"Yes, he is," Rajani said, turning her attention to the second man.

A scowl crossed the gypsy's lips as she realized that she was being completely ignored. It was not as though she felt the need to be the center of attention at every moment - indeed, she rather preferred being out of the spotlight unless she was singing. However, she was well aware of her beauty and was not used to being ignored by men - especially not in favor of her Guardian. Admittedly, Oberon was a more impressive sight than ever before, with his new-found majesty, his long tail, and his increase in size. Not to mention his intellect and the glowing eyes. Still. It was mildly insulting.

"It's rude to talk about someone as though they are not there," she informed them, for whether they knew it or not, Oberon was as intelligent as any human. "If you're just going to gawk like a pair of schoolboys, we'll be on our way." So much for a little distraction from her woes.

Mollified, Rajani deigned to linger at least a little while longer. It was not as though she could really complain; many of the sailors she was acquainted with were guiltier of worse than simply being awe-stricken by a Guardian. Besides, now that their jaws were off of the ground and they had actually acknowledged her presence, they seemed a decent enough sort. Of course, one never knew about strangers, but if worst came to worst, they could handle themselves.

"Rajani. And this is Oberon," she said, patting the great stag's flank.

The little totem in Ollie's hands had not gone unnoticed, and she gestured to it. "If that's any indication, you will be seeing quite a lot of a similar sight. Best get used to it sooner rather than later."

"Could be," she said casually, amused at Rob's expense. Oh, the trials and tribulations of having a Guardian, or even having a brother with one. "There are some even bigger." Well, she had only seen one that was bigger than Oberon's current size, and Cadence certainly had to be as large as he was just to support Macaire's massive frame, but that was beside the point. The doe could grow to be as large as Oberon, but it was unlikely.

Rajani decided to take a little pity on them.

"Most are smaller," she admitted. "Even he was not this big until recently."

The stag in question eyed his chosen oven his shoulder, sending her the clear message that he did not appreciate being talked about as though he had become a cow. He was a Guardian; he was an impressive warrior; he was not some inconveniently large, useless animal. Rajani's lips twitched.

The gypsy shrugged. Who was she to say how useful a Guardian would be on a ship? Chances were, she'd be good in a scrap once she grew, and Rajani supposed that a doe could be taught to help with some chores, though it really depended on the individual. It was more a question of how accommodating Ollie's Guardian would be to such a life. Not all of them would stoop to menial, human labor, and some were too aggressive to be around many people for any period of time.

At Rob's question, the stag seemed to draw himself up until he looked like something out of a painting. Legendary Defender of the People, was he. Rajani snorted.

"Do you see a great, long tail on that totem?" she asked. "He doesn't look much like it, does he. Not so very long ago, he...changed. Awakened, is the proper term. Not just his body, but his mind." It was a difficult thing to explain, but she supposed that if anyone was worth the effort, it was a newly Chosen.

"From birth, they're much cleverer than normal animals, but when they Awaken, it's like their minds suddenly expand. He is human-smart, now."

In response, Oberon merely regarded the man with a flat look, one that somehow communicated his opinion of Rob's intelligence. It was not a flattering opinion.

As it seemed that their conversation would, in fact, have at least some measure of substance, Rajani dismounted in favor of leaning against her Guardian. From her position standing on the ground, the brothers were rather taller than her, even with her high-heeled boots. This did not particularly bother the gypsy; she was used to it.

"I suppose so," she agreed. Why some and not others, she could not say. Perhaps it was a matter of experience, or perhaps a question of intent. Regardless, the purpose of Guardians in general seemed clear to her. "Have Guardians ever existed for any reason but to fight wolves?"