Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was finally time. Or rather, it had been. Wyome was done with staying in the village. It was time to see just what about travelling had her mother leaving her for weeks on end. As she saw it, her first choice was going between Sauti or Jauhar, but after the warm reception she received from her Leaf kin, she wasn’t quite sure if she was willing to get similar from the Alks. So Sauti it was.

She wasn’t concerned about the path, she had glanced at a fellow wanderer’s map awhile back and she had no real destination. Maybe this could be considered a trip of self-discovery or maybe even rebellion. But it was time to leave the nest.

As the plains slowly made their way into a scattering of ponds, Wyome knew she had to be close to the border or on it. With a soft breeze and the warm sun peaking between the clouds, this was a good moment to stop by the closest pond.

Lowering herself to the water’s edge, she ran her hand along the water’s surface. As her own reflection disappeared with the gentle ripples of the water, she tried to focus on the cool liquid against her skin rather than the fragmented image. She didn’t hate herself or her heritage; she knew the struggles that her mothers had gone through. There were moments of curiosity that lead her to wonder “What would I look like if I was a pure blooded leaf or alk?” She always ended up being at a loss of an idea though.

The hybrid knew it was nearly childlike to be playing in the water, but it was soothing after the judgmental stares she had gotten in each village.

It was suffocating.

Her only relief had actually been on the road with the travelers. It wasn’t often that paths crossed, though. Maybe it was luck that she was missing out on the critical ones or truly the people were as open as the lands they wandered.
As her refection slowly returned to the water’s surface, she studied herself once more. She gave her antennae a small twitch, never really focusing on the actual moment’s look. It was rather humorous. But the moment… she felt like she wasn’t alone anymore. Glancing up, she noted a distinctly female figure before her. With a few moments of consideration, she pushed herself up and gave a hesitant wave to the stranger.

With the bright introduction, Wyome visibly relaxed. There didn’t seem to be an ounce of negativity in the… wind female’s voice. At least, she believed that she was a wind tribe member. It had been quite some time since she had seen someone of her tribe. It had actually been some time since she had seen other earthlings. “Yes, it has been quite a nice day. And I don’t mind at all! Your company is more than welcome.”

It was odd, someone wanting to visit and speak to her. There was a look of curiosity, but no malice in the other female’s eyes. She blinked her own, insectile eyes. “Are you from around these parts? I’m actually new to travelling.” Though that might have sounded like admitting a weakness of sorts, it was nice to speak to another. Her small talk skills were slightly rusty though and she gave a nervous twitch of her antennae. Plus, it felt a bit awkward to be at a distance, so she slowly stepped forward, not wanting to intimidate her. She was taller than most earthlings, though shorter than her alkidike mother from what she had been told.

There was a warmth that radiated from the wind girl, and it was comforting for Wyome. From even this brief amount of time, it seemed as though she always had something on her mind, and it left the hybrid herself curious.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Amarone. I’m actually from Tale, close to Yera.” Though she was originally from Jauhar, it was easier to just say she was from Tale. But her curiosity left her wanting to ask questions. She wasn’t sure if she could ask what kind of things she was trying to discover. People? Creatures? It seemed like there was so much to offer from what was already known in the world. She shook her head, a smile still lingering. “My name is Wyome. I wouldn’t say that it was a very interesting reason. I wanted to see what the thrill of travelling was. After my mother died, my… other mother,” there was a question in her voice, not sure if it was the best way to phrase it, “began to travel endlessly. So I wanted to see the appeal rather than staying at home. But I don’t mean to bore you with my life.”

Wyome had the feeling that Amarone would enjoy Tale when she arrived. The land was much more forgiving than the beginnings of mountains that she saw dotting the landscape. But it was such a welcoming feeling when she found of Amarone’s reasons for travelling. “It just seems like there’s endless opportunities out there, it’s just trying to find them in the vastness.” All of the opportunities out in the world… the only place Wyome wasn’t very excited to visit was Jauhar, especially knowing that she wouldn’t get the warmest reception.

A hint of a blush painted her cheeks at the compliment. It was the first time she had been called interesting in any fashion. “Well, I’m, er, part alkidike and part leaf. It doesn’t seem like many alkidikes come out this far and you’ll find more leaf earthlings in Tale. I won't be as much as a rarity there,” she joked. Once the wind girl found herself in Tale, her coloring wouldn’t be as fascinating. If not for her height, eyes and antennae, she would blend in well with the other members of the leaf tribe. She had tried to cover herself at one point in her life, but that ended quickly when the insults started. Wyome accepted the fact that she stuck out like a sore thumb wherever she went.

Slipping her arms around herself, she smiled warmly at Amarone, “Yes, it truly is. I can’t wait to see what else is in store.”

Wyome’s arms stayed wrapped around her, still a bit embarrassed. Not many earthlings were keen on the idea of her being an alkidike hybrid, but she seemed to take it well.

She couldn’t stop the blush that she already had from getting darker at the mention of being an oddity, holding back from the urge to wince. It was something that she had gotten good at over the years, to look like something didn’t affect you. Sometimes it worked to get the bullies to lose interest, but other times, it had gotten her into worse situations. But oddity, that was certainly an interesting way to put it. She certainly never thought of that word to describe herself, nor was refreshing. She sensed no malice or ill will from Amarone, just excitement.

“I’m glad to have met you too, Amarone. You’re very sweet and I’m sure that you’ll be able to find more interesting people along your journey.” And she did mean it. There was still the joy of the quest and if the wind earthling felt that she was something special, then she’d accept it.

Wyome was starting to feel as though she was studied, but it wasn’t that much of an uncommon feeling. She nearly wanted to tell Amarone that she would be fine if she wanted to ask any questions regarding herself, but that would be too forward if she wasn’t curious about that. She could possibly do the same though; she had never spoken to a pure wind earthling.

Her statement had the hybrid relaxing, the notion of being an oddity clarified was a relief. “It must truly be. There’s just so much to uncover, who knows what’s out there. Even with Yera being a decently sized settlement, it was rather monotonous. Not many hybrids and the few that were there didn’t seem to accept my Alkidike heritage.” She definitely was an outcast, though it never ceased to amaze her how even the hybrids weren’t always the most accepting group.

“I’m probably going to visit Zena, though we’ll see how long I last before I make any promises to myself,” she said with a small laugh. She wasn’t the best with cold weather, but if she could barter for some clothing the closer she got, the more likely it would be. “How about yourself? What’s your first stop?”

“I think it’s mostly because the current chief is an old, purist fart. He wasn’t too pleased that my mother brought me home, even if her wife had just died,” Everyone else just shrugged it off, but he wasn’t the nicest man to be around. As he roamed the streets, everyone seemed to join in his offhanded taunts. “It might just be because I’m part Alkidike,” she never tried to find out, but she had gotten her fair share of insect taunts.

“Maybe it would better there then,” she said with a smile. “I’ve heard that the ice earthlings can be quite… cold, pun intended, but that’s nice to hear,” Wyome became slightly distracted at the mention of snow. “Snow has always sounded like it would be fascinating.” So fragile and beautiful, but deadly at times.

She grinned, “I think you’ll enjoy it. I’m not sure about Oba, but, from what I remember, Jauhar was beautiful. The flora and fauna glowed faintly all night. Even my spitorog did.” She was still young when she was brought to Tale, but she could still remember the soft lights throughout the night.