Welcome to Gaia! ::

The tall Grandfather Clock sitting in the corner of the candle-lit hallway began to chime. The deep bell echoing through the empty and very Victorian inspired hallway twice, then returned to utter silence. There was a light sigh, and the large oak door next to the clock opened carefully. A young woman stepped out into the hallway carrying a stack of blankets in her arms. A rather vintage pink dress with a white apron shook back and forth as she walked down the dark red carpet. Her brown hair was pulled back into a loose bow at the nape of her neck, and bounced in rhythm with her dress.

It was going to be a slow day... she could just feel it. The building was unbelievably quiet, and the other workers seemed to be going about their tasks slowly to pass the time.

The young woman walked into a small sitting room. A single antique couch and table sat in the middle of the room, and several bookshelves lined the room. Most displaying old, very out of date books, and others holding various antiques. The girl very quietly moved towards one of the bookshelves and opened the bottom drawer. She slid the blankets inside, then shut the door and moved over towards the couch.

Laying fast asleep on the couch was a woman wearing a dark purple Victorian dress. Her curly black hair was gently pulled back along the sides, and scattered across the small pillow under her. The younger girl smiled and gently leaned down to shake her arm.
”Lady Edel?” she said softly.

Edel groaned gently, then rolled over onto her side. ”Hmmmm.....?”

”I'm sorry, Miss. But you did say not to let you sleep past the hour.” the young woman said.

”Mmmh... yes, of course.” Edel replied sleepily, moving to sit up. Once she was sitting up right, she yawned and stretched her arms out as much as the old dress would allow her. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times as her vision returned to her. After a moment her black eyes settled on the younger girls face, then turned puzzled. b]”I'm, sorry dear, but I don't quite recognize you. Are you new here?”

The girl blinked back at her. ”I... I'm Miranda, Miss Edel. I've been working here for a few years now. Hades had sent me over. Remember?” she replied, a bit puzzled now herself. This was the first time Edel had ever... not recognized her.

”No, I... I don't remember.” Edel admitted. ”It's probably just me though. I'm sure it will come to me soon enough. My mind sometimes takes a little while to fully wake up.” she continued, then straightened her dress out and stood up. ”I apologize. Have there been any customers?” she asked.

”Not since this morning.” Miranda replied. ”You have the Fanklett couple coming here at eight o'clock tonight, but that's all the customers I know of for today.”

”Fanklett couple?” Edel asked.

”Yes. They asked you about having a child the 'old fashioned way'.” Miranda replied.

Edel groaned slightly. ”I must still be tired. I don't remember that appointment... and I haven't done it the 'old fashioned way' in years.”

Miranda blushed brightly. ”Oh, no... not THAT way.” she corrected quickly. ”I meant the woman wanted to have her own baby and you had a herbal remedy for her. Not that she wanted you and her husband to... I... I forgot that you used to....” Miranda said, then became a little flustered and looked away. ”I'm sorry...”

Edel smiled and patted her on the shoulder. ”Nothing to be sorry about.” she said, then started for the doorway to go to the shop portion of her home. ”I just prefer to help women have their own children now. Not help myself.”

Edel had just been preparing for a good hour's worth of reading when the sudden.... "guest" made her arrival. The shock wave that burst from the force field surrounding Edel's home was more than enough to catch her attention, along with every servant and helper she had in her home. Edel of course was the first to react to it. No one, and nothing got through her force fields. And if it did, it was never a welcomed visitor.

The ancient but physically young sorceress sprung from her vintage sofa. The book she had just opened carelessly tossed to the floor beside her as she sprinted towards the door of her lounge. The young woman who had introduced herself as Miranda met her in the hall as she swung around the doorway and hurried away.

"Madam!" she called as she floated after the woman. Normally she would have ran, but this seemed to be an alarming situation for Edel, so floating would be considerably faster. "Madam! What's wrong?" she called as she watched the woman in lavender and black lace hurry towards the front entrance of her home.

Edel had burst through the front doors, expecting to find something a little more... monsterous than the green and silver clad woman standing before her doors. Something with the sort of god-like magic that was radiating from the figure tended to warrant something more masculine or creaturely or... gigantic. Not a child.

And if the girl hadn't been in a fighting stance, Edel may have let her guard down. But the girl looked like she was ready for a fight, and Edel could only assume that fighting was exactly why the woman was here. No one just rips through her force shield and take a fighting stance without intending on fighting after all.

Edel glared at the girl. "What." she nearly growled. Her tone controlled. "Do you want." she said.

"Calm down?" Edel repeated, her tone a little less controled. Before she could say more she felt a tap on her shoulder. The young brown haired girl was floating behind her, looking around Edel's thick black ringletts.

"Per... perhaps we should try to resolve this calmly? You do hate cleaning up after others." Miranda suggested.

Edel looked back at the young girl for a moment, then sighed and turned her attention back to their new guest. "You are at Audra Ailith. My home. Magically fortified and built. And... very, very hard to simply "fall" into. At least those who have the level of magic that you seem to possess."

"I'm not surprised." Edel replied calmly, tossing a few locks of her raven hair off of her shoulder. "Well... I probably should be since this has become a small New York tourist attraction in recent years, but it's not widely known. The only other place I have called Audra Ailith is my business practice in New York City. The only other place I own of such magical protection is my home in England." she said.

Then she paused a moment in thought. "Although... surely you would have felt my magic. Even if just viewing America. There are only a few locations in America of such a level of magic. Where are you from?"

The older woman blinked several times. Now having gone from irritated to confused herself. "That's impossible. My magic and artifact building is right in the middle of the city. It is primming with a magical aura for those who can sence them. I know it's competing with numerous other magical auras in the city, but it's certainly noticeable. Enough that I need to keep my better relics here so they're not stolen." she said. "I have an Elven girl help with my shop so that she can see the human world and study it before those stingy tombstones at the Imperial City make her go back and hide with the rest of them. Here I have ghosts and spirits help keep my home protected and managed."

Miranda waved gently from behind Edel. Her hand the only thing that could be seen over the taller woman and her poofy sleeves and hair.

"Tame?" Edel asked, crossing her arms. "Sounds like something someone from the Imperial City would say." she said. Her tone suggesting that she was NOT friendly with whatever this imperial city was. "And I honestly I find it hard to believe that someone of your power has never noticed any of my homes before and lives here on Earth."