Welcome to Gaia! ::

Odette practiced her dancing in the middle of the room, idly wishing she had a nice mirror setup like she had seen in pictures of ballet rehearsals. At least she had nice wooden floors now, unlike the cement ones she had at her last hive. It felt strange in her head to call it that, it was hardly like a hive at all. Then again, she couldn't help but feel at home in her new hive. It felt lonely without her lusus, and the silence only made things more eerie.

Which was precisely why Odette had been using her transportable radio-box so frequently. She could tell it was getting old, the sound was starting to crackle and fade to the point where some song bits were unrecognizable. Still, Odette pushed on, stretching and plié-ing until her heart felt content.

When she heard a knock on the door, she was already well into her routine. She tapped the radio-box off with her foot and approached the door. She grabbed the handle and cracked open the door just enough to see who was outside. Although a bit taller and even more becoming, Odette would recognize the tealblood anywhere.

"Mili!" Odette shouted, throwing open the door and enveloping her in her arms. She gave her a tight squeeze, noting how good she smelled. "I missed you so much! You look beautiful..." A sad feeling tugged at Odette's bloodpusher. The tealblood had grown so much, and Odette wasn't around to see it herself. "I'm so sorry," She said, pulling away and tugging at her own arm, "I never responded to any of your letters. I- I should have been a better friend..."

She paused, staring sadly at the ground. "Oh!" She remembered, "Come on inside, it's so cold out!" She ushered Milieu into her hive. It was largely empty, save for one recuperacoon, one well-loved plush chair, and a makeshift kitchen. "Sorry, it's not fancy by a long stretch... But I suppose its better than nothing." She looked at Milieu and smiled. She was so, so lucky that she had such good friends.

Odette smiled as Milieu took her hand. The tealblood was so genuinely kind, and her kind words warmed her. Deep in her heart, she wished she had spent more time with Milieu, for both of their sakes. She crinkled her nose, fighting the tears that were welling in her eyes.

"I've been doing better... Vremea- she really helped me." Odette looked at her feet, shyly tucking a hair behind her ear. She bit her lip, fighting a choke caught in her throat. "But it still hurts a lot. And it's been... it's been really hard. This hive is nice, but it's not the same." It'll never be the same, she thought. "This hive feels so much quieter. Sometimes I wish that I hadn't left the old one... "

Odette pondered the words in her head. It seemed like a silly thought, that this new hive felt quieter. Swanmom hardly made a peep when she was alive, why should this silence feel any different? She frowned. Maybe, just maybe Milieu would understand. If anyone would know, Odette trusted Milieu would.

She watched as Milieu emptied out her satchel. At first the redblood was confused, not sure why she had brought these things with her. When she saw the book, it all connected. These were gifts. For her. Odette's bloodpusher swelled and she held her breath, trying to hold herself together. But once a few ruddy tears escaped down her cheeks, trying to hold her emotions back became futile.

Odette, still clinging to her friends hand, rubbed at her eyes with the inside of her wrists. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She mumbled, half apologizing for breaking down, half apologizing for not having a gift prepared on her own behalf. Either way she worked herself up fairly quickly, giving herself the hiccups from crying so profusely.

Odette wrapped her arms around Milieu and sobbed into her shoulder. She thought back to the day she lost her mother, and Milieu was there for her, too. She hardly knew the tealblood then, but the girl gave her sympathy and Odette would never forget it. She cried until she grew tired, resting her head for a moment before pulling away. Wiping the last of her tears away, she looked at Milieu and smiled. "Thank you, Milieu. It means a lot that you're here," Odette said, and turned to the gifts, in a much better mood to appreciate them now.

She reached for the scarf and wrapped it around her neck. "It's lovely, Milieu!" She exclaimed, face heating up from joy. Picking up the book, she paged through the contents with glee. "Thank you so much, these are the nicest gifts anyone's ever gotten me!" She hugged the tealblood once more, giving her a swift kiss on the cheek.

She picked up the tea and stood. "I'll go boil some water so we can share tea! I'm sure you're freezing from walking all the way here. Please, make yourself comfortable." She moved to the nutritionblock corner of her hive and prepared her kettle, and smiled goofily at the box of tea. She was lucky to have such good friends, truly.

Odette returned to the sitting area, tea tray in tow. She set it down and poured the tea into the two cups, looking up to read Milieu's sign. A lump caught in her throat as she read the words. She was sad again, but not about her mother as much as she was upset for her friend. "Milieu... Don't blame yourself. It's my fault." Odette put her face in her hands, blushing hard. "I shut myself out. Vremea had to break into my hive to help me get better. I should have reached out to you... To both of you..." She trailed off, looking down at the tea, "I should have reached out to anybody."

Odette straightened, wiping her tears away. "That's enough of that." She said, looking at Milieu with happier eyes. "I'm just glad you're here now." She continued reading the board hoping the rest didn't have anything else sad to say. Pleased to find the open invitation for city get-togethers, Odette clapped her hands together and smiled.

"Yes, certainly, Mili! There's lots of places I've wanted to go, but always felt too uncomfortable on my own." Odette smiled sheepishly, handing the girl her tea. She hadn't realized she forgot to hand it over earlier. She paused, looking away for a moment before turning her attention back to Milieu. "I dare say I'm more familiar with Chittentown for that reason. But if there's somewhere you'd like to go, I'd love to join you! Even going to a park or someplace simple would be so much better with you, Milieu." Odette reached out and touched the tealblood's hand, wrapping over it and giving it a light squeeze. Without words, the tealblood had gotten so good at finding alternative ways to show her feelings. Odette could only attempt to reciprocate that, trying to convey her friendship and deep care for the tealblood in her eyes.

"Absolutely!" Odette said, excitement bubbling up inside her and making her blush. It would be wonderful to have a friend to attend these things with. It was painfully awkward and sometimes frightening to go alone.

The redblood paused, looking at her tea and running her finger along the bottom of the cup. She took a sip, setting the cup down and staring at its contents. Her smile faded for a moment, replaced by a more solemn expression. Finally, her gaze lifted back up to the tealblood. "How have you been lately?" She asked.

"It's been so long. You've grown so much— we've both grown." Her tone was apologetic, almost nostalgic. She fiddled with the handle of her cup, averting her gaze again. "I can't believe I've missed so much," She apologized, setting the cup down on the side table. "I can't imagine what adventures you've been getting into while I've been... recovering." Turning back to the tealblood, the smile returned to her face.

"Please," Odette urged, laying a hand on Milieu's knee. "Tell me everything."

Odette felt tears springing to her eyes again. Quickly, she looked down, dabbing them away. This was too much for the little redblood. But it was good to finally be crying tears of happiness again, at the very least. It was a sensation that she missed, almost. "Milieu..." She said softly, turning her head back up at her friend. "I'm so glad you feel that way, too," She continued, bringing a hand up to her bloodpusher.

"What happened in Old Hemisect... It was a disaster. But at the very least, Milieu, I'm happy to say that I've met you." She leaned in towards the tealblood, grabbing her hand gently. "Thank you. Thank you for being there for me, for helping me at my lowest. I can't thank you enough for that, Milieu." She watched her carefully, tilting her head with a genuine smile. Vremea had been so important in the healing process, but if it weren't for Milieu offering that initial comfort at the rebel base... She didn't know where she'd be without her.