Welcome to Gaia! ::

Calliste swam peacefully along the ocean floor, not really paying attention to her surroundings. It was a rare occurrance that she wasn't with her twin Calypso, but as they had grown older, the two spent more time doing their own things. Calliste had always been an adventurer, and loved going out looking for more interesting and new shiny things to add to her vast collection. Most of her treasure had been found in caves, or had washed into the water from the shore. She always got excited when she found something new, and would usually hurry back to the herd to show everyone what she'd found.

It was on this day that she was out exploring alone that she had found a large cave. As she ventured inside, her eyes adjusted to the dark, and what she could see astounded her. This cave was full of all kinds of interesting things. A few of the objects resembled some of the ones that she already had in her collection, but the vast majority of the things in there she had never seen before. She was mesmerized by the amount of "treasure" that this cave held. Giddy with excitement, she clapped her hooves together and starting looking around, Ooo-ing and Ahh-ing at everything.

Ahti's eyes scanned the waters as he made his way to his secluded home. The small beaded necklace gripped between his teeth sparkled in the clear water, and he allowed himself a small smile. He had traded some kelp to a group of unicorns for this necklace, and it was already a favorite of his. It would look great in his collection.

He passed through the kelp beds that sheltered his cave and paused at the entrance. Something was... off. He entered his home, dropping the necklace on a cave shelf so he could carefully place it among his collection later. He spotted a shadow and froze. Someone else was in his cave. Invading his home! Were they stealing from his collection?!

"Hey!" he called, narrowing his eyes and slowly continuing his approach. "Whoever you are, you're trespassing!"

The abrupt shout startled her so badly she jumped, bumping into some things on a shelf and caused them to fall, floating soundlessly to the floor. She yelped and turned to face the voice. "Oh!" she cried out, and as her eyes finally found the source of the shouting, she stared in horror at him. She was both afraid, and embarassed that she had been trespassing in someone's cave. "I'm. I'm so sorry mister. I wasn't stealing," she fibbed, for if she'd have had the chance, she proabably would have taken a few of the trinkets, not knowing they belonged to someone, "I was just looking, and admiring your wondrous collection." She gave a lighthearted smile, hoping to defuse the situation. She swam slowly towards the stranger and approached cautiously. "Where did you ever find so many beautiful things? It puts my little collection to shame."

Ahti sent her a deadpan stare. "Yes... it is. This is my home," He gestured around the cave with a hoof. "My name is Ahti... what is your name, tresspasser?"

He couldn't believe that he was introducing himself to this suspicious stranger. The collector in him was incredibly curious though, and he couldn't help the curious note in his voice when he asked "And what sort of things do you have... in this collection of yours?"

Excited, she swam over to one of the closest shelves, and closely inspected an oddly shaped, item that she'd never seen before. "What is this?" she asked, looking over at him.

Ahti lost track of how many items he had gestured to and explained. He was so caught up in talking to another who shared his love of collecting, that he was taken by surprise when a yawn bubbled up his throat. He immediately stopped his tale of encountering a herd of land dwellers and snapped out of the trance he seemed to be in.

"I-I," he cleared his throat and looked at the ground. "I didn't realize how late it was..."

Calliste noticed his yawn and felt a pang of guilt. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I didn't mean to keep you up. I guess I should be going now, huh?" She chuckled lightly at her questioning tone, for it was obvious she should do so. As she swam towards the entrance, she looked back to him. "It was great meeting you, and getting to see some of your collection." She wanted to ask if she could come back to see more of his collection, but she didn't want to impose.

Ahti blinked as she quickly swam away towards the entrance of his cave. He was grasping for what to say. He should just let her go. She was in a herd, she probably had lots of friends. He was a hermit, he didn't know anyone... "Will I..." he looked away. "Will I see you again?"