Welcome to Gaia! ::

Imara was running late. Add to that the fact the boardwalk was packed and parking was a nightmare and she was really late. “Never again agreeing to meet here on a summer day…” The woman goaned as she shoved past several bikini wearing women that smelled of tanning oil. Horrible smell….

But her manner changed as she came to the more open area and noticed a familiar head of hair bobbing around. Smiling, she called out “Sonia!” in a cheerful voice. They had agreed to hang out. Imara wanted to hear about the woman’s latest fencing tournament anyway. She knew Sonia had kicked butt but always more fun to hear about it in person.

Scanning the crowd for the familiar voice that had called her name, sunset colored eyes finally spotted the short bob teal haired women. “Hey!” Sonia lifted her hand in the air and waved.

Quickly closing the distance she offered the other an apologetic smile, “Sorry if I made you wait. There was some guy, an artist, down at the other end of the boardwalk.” She paused to point in the direction she had just come from. “He wanted to draw a portrait of me and we just kind of got to talking.”

The raised brow creeped up Imara’s face as her smile seemed to grow at the corners. “Some guy?” The smile was quickly becoming a grin as she watched her friend point down in the direction she had come. There was no hope seeing him. WAY too many people. “Some guy huh? Interesting.”

Red eyes going back to watch Sonia, there was a knowing look of her friend’s face. It was one of those moments when a girl was just toying with the idea that ‘some guy’ meant more than a random stranger. “And did this ‘some guy’ have a name?”

“Unless he’s a con artist or an identity thief his name is Mathias,” Sonia handed his ‘business card’ over to the teal haired woman beside her. Ok so maybe it wasn’t a card in the traditional sense rather than a piece of paper with info scribbled on it; at least it was legible.

“If he’s still there later we should see if he will draw you too.” No sooner did that suggestion leave her lips did Imara find herself on the receiving end of an ever persistent nudging elbow. Lucky for her there was one truth Sonia failed to mention, he was packing up for the day when she left and would be long gone unless they turned heel and went back there right now.

“Oh please.” Imara said glancing at the card and then offering it back to Sonia. “As if anyone would draw me for free.” She motioned down her body at the rather loose clothing she wore and the very ‘unlady like’ stance. Imara was a tomboy. Men saw her as one of their own. Not as a woman.

“But!” She glanced at the card one more time before Sonia’s fingers pulled it back. “He gave you his number.” The sly smile returned and in kind, Imara jetted her own elbow into the side of the woman. “Gonna call?”

“I don’t know, what do you think? Should I?” Personally she was on the fence about calling him, He seemed a bit strange at first, then again most guys who knew her passion in life usually gave her a wide berth or were confrontational and tried to size her up or intimidate her usually before a match. Though, to be fair, the awkwardness did subside towards the end of their encounter so perhaps calling wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Sonia looked over at her friend with a raised eyebrow patiently waiting an answer.

Imara answered with a smile and extended her hand. “Let me see the drawing first. Then I’ll tell you what I think.” Just talent over character. If he was good with his hands, chance are, he was good with them in other ways.

“I want to see if he would be even worth it.”

“Just be careful when you take it out. He didn’t spray it with anything to keep it from smudging.” For a moment, the brunet paused to pull the cardboard tube he had given her out of her side bag. “I think I’m going to get it framed and give it to mi madre since her birthday is in a few weeks.” Might be worth calling calling Mathias up to at the very least commission him to do one of her younger brother, Anton, then at least she could give them both to her mother as a set.

Accepting the cardboard tube, Imara turned it for the paper to slide out. Plus one: he cared about his work even after it had left his hands. Not bad…

As the paper slipped into her hands, she unrolled it, making sure to hold it at the corners. “Well I’ll be.” She let the last word slip as she gazed at the page and then back at Sonia. “Nose is a little off but other than that...not bad.” Frankly, she just wasn’t going to admit how good it really was. “What did he tell you to use to protect it?”

“Nothing, he just said to get it matted and framed. Though I’m pretty sure if I go into an Aaron Brothers someone in their framing department can help me figure out what sort of spray to use. That, or I can just swing by my parents place and borrow the stuff my brother uses.” He was, after all, more artistic than she was. Come this fall he was going to be starting his freshman year at the International Academy of Design and Technology in pursuit of a degree in graphic design despite their parents wishes for him to do something, as their father so eloquently put it, ‘better with his life’.

“I’d let someone else do it. That way, you chance they know what they are doing.” Rolling it back up, she slipped the paper into the tube and once again offered it to Sonia. “Your mother would love it. She might even want to get one of the entire family.” Imara chuckled.


“Oh god I hope not, I don’t want to sit still that long.” The brunet shook her head in a ‘hell no’ fashion with her eyebrows raised as if saying ‘you’re crazy and don’t you dare suggest that to her.’.

“Well, shall we go find something suitable for it? Hate to change this heat and these people…” the teal haired woman groaned as someone ran into the back of her. “Damaging it.”

“That would probably be a good idea. There should be a craft store down on 3rd and Blanchard. After which do you want to go get something to eat?” At the mention of food Sonia’s stomach growled, though with all the surrounding noise the sound was rather muffled. “There is a BBQ restaurant along the waterfront I think you’d enjoy.” From what she had heard they had a few more unique options in terms of meat to choose from.

Glancing down at Sonia’s stomach, Imara let out a hearty laugh as she swung her arm around her friend’s shoulder. “You are speaking my language. Taylor beat me to the eggs this morning so I am starving!” She lifted up her other hand and shook her fist. “Curse you older brother and your ways!”

But then she caught a look out of Sonia’s eyes and softened her eyes. “You know, I’ll go with you if you want company to check out more of his work. No one will mess with me.” And she winked.

“That would be great, otherwise I’d be showing up with my sword in hand to keep him from trying anything stupid.” She was quick and agile as one would expect from her but, to a degree, lacked the strength to properly defend herself. Yes she worked out, it was kind of a requirement to stay in shape, but building body mass by lifting weights was nowhere in her daily routine.

Then again, even if she could throw a half decent punch, going at it against a MMA fighter like him, assuming he had been telling her the truth, probably meant she wouldn't land a hit even if she tried.

“I wonder if he would even let you in the door then.” Imara chuckled. Sonia was good. As good as she was with a bow even. Imara had seen the woman fight and been impressed. Speed and agility were her gifts. Imara was more up for force and stubbornness. Throw her at a brick wall and she would dig through.

“Just let me know when. Now...about that BBQ…”

“Okay, okay we can do food first.” A wide grin spread across Sonia’s tan features as she stowed away the picture for the time being so no food got on it by mistake since this kind of meal tended to get a bit messy. “Then we’ll go get a frame kay?” Just as she posed the question the crosswalk changed signals allowing the masses to cross the busy street.

“Deal.” Imara laughed as she tried to drag her friend across the street. The promise of good meat always had the huntress drooling. Not to mention good BBQ and such. “So tell me, how did the match go?” And she let the rest of their conversation trail off in the crowd.