Welcome to Gaia! ::

Akacia inhaled a slow, deep breath. She squared her shoulders, straightened her posture, carded long fingers back through her crimped dreads, tilted her chin up, and expectantly eyed the wooden plank of Ai's door before her.

In the several days since their first encounter in the training yard, Akacia had maybe seen Ai for a handful of minutes in passing. If they shared conversation, it was brief, shallow, and over before much more could be made of it. As she'd promised, Aka had returned to the training yard the following morning, to watch the other Alkidike put that mouthy Elaria brat in her place. And that, even if the previous day was disregarded entirely, was enough to make Aka feel as though she'd met a kindred spirit.

That said nothing of the way Ai moved, though. Blades in hand, sliding rhythmically, easily through her strokes, lithe figure, well-toned through the dedication to her training, and just the faintest bounce- Akacia couldn't recall any other time in her life when she'd stared so intently at a swatch of cloth over any woman's breasts.

All she knew was that she couldn't afford to do so much of it today, when there wouldn't be one of Elzira's poisonous offspring between them. Instead, she hoped the woman would accompany her to the edges of their territory. The hunting was better farther into he forest, and the deeper they wandered, the less likely there was to be outside interference from any of their other tribemates or unwanted children. There was the chance Ai would refuse. Perhaps she had plans of her own today, but Aka wasn't willing to dwell on any such thing.

Exhaling in a stiff puff of air, she knocked. And waited.

The walls that bordered Alkidike homes from the common areas and pathways were not especially thick, in Akacia's experience. And as she stood outside Ai's door, the thought was reinforced. She couldn't see anything, no, but she heard voices. A voice, more precisely. Young, bold, decidedly unfamiliar to Aka, and it definitely didn't sound like anyone old enough to have come from the mainland. Immediately, Akacia's expression hardened, posture noticeably stiffening, and brows furrowing down. Did Ai have a child from these lands? If she did, Aka certainly hadn't been privy to such information.

No, no, of course she wouldn't. She couldn't. At least not one old enough to have any speaking capability. The youngster had to belong to another. Perhaps... Ai's own guardian. The one she moved down with. Yes. Surely. Akacia swallowed.

She did not have anything against children. In fact, she'd once thought she would raise one of her own, if Aisha chose to grant her such a thing. She would've been happy to do it alone, if necessary, and proud of any offspring that sprung from her mother's branches. It would've been a great honor, a wonderful opportunity for her to pass down her teachings, and there was never anything wrong with having a young charge to handle menial tasks. But the children from Yael were different, and many knew of her thoughts on that.

The girl that opened the door was no exception.

Akacia's eyes narrowed the second the pinned on the Elaria female, the corners of her lips tugged down into the beginnings of a snarl, and before she could stop herself, "Poisonous worm s**t, you've no right to greet guests into a home that isn't yours-"

The girl (whose name Aka did not know) must've instantly taken her words to heart, because the door was promptly closed again before the Alkidike woman could finish what she'd been saying.

Needless to say, Akacia was not pleased. She bristled immediately, a short spit of a growl tearing from her lips. This brat had the gall to look her dead in the eye and then almost fearfully retreat. This is how Elaria children deemed it appropriate to behave- to flee from things that offended them. Aka's first impulse was to bang her fist on the wood, kick the door in, grab the young female by the hair and just shake her. But Akacia was the adult here, and that wouldn't have been the proper thing to do, either.

She sucked in a breath through her nose, and hissed, "Open this door now, you vile little imp," through clenched teeth.

There were times Akacia wished she could burn things with a look. It wasn't an express want to destroy Ai's house, so much as that little s**t was on the other side, and if Aka didn't punish her, she doubted anyone would. What shameful cowardice. The young Alkidike perched tensely just at the threshold, nose almost touching the wood as she stared at the spot the little girl's face had just vacated.

Clearly Akacia was capable of silencing Elaria bratlings with her stare, though obedience seemed to be another matter entirely. The door was closed far too long for her liking, and Aka wanted to assume something else was transpiring beyond the wooden plank, even if she heard nothing to support such a notion. Surely the girl wasn't rude enough to just leave here there-

Oh?

An answering snarl tore from Aka's throat as the door cracked open. It died almost immediately at the sight of Ai, though a rumbling discontent still reverberated around her. Peering over the other woman's shoulder, Aka did a slow scan of the visible rooms through narrowed, dark bug-eyes. Nothing. The girl had wisely vanished. "I wasn't aware you harbored one of Elzira's spawns..." Akacia muttered as she glowered at the door leading beyond her vision.

But Ai was right. As little as Akacia liked the thought of the toxic trespasser. she had come for another reason entirely. With a great burst of willpower, Aka dragged her gaze from the home's interior and back to Ai's face. Frustration emboldened her. "You told me if I was ever in need of you, then you'd be available. As it turns out, I find myself wanting a hunting companion for today's expedition. I thought if we went together, perhaps farther out than usual, that we might have more success." She didn't feel any need to offer an alternative, 'But if you are busy or unwilling...'

Miira. Ai's... guardian elder, perhaps? Akacia had no way of knowing for sure (besides asking, which seemed immediately out of the question), but any Alkidike woman adopting the Elaria children must surely, surely be older than Aka herself, and so likely older than Ai as well. What an unasked-for curse, to have one living in your home. Likely with little say-so in the matter. "I'm sorry to hear that. You have welcomed me into your home, and so I, too, would like to extend you the same offer. If the girl gets to be too troublesome, you may seek refuge with me, if it suits you."

On a slightly less unsavory note, Aka was fairly pleased to hear the other woman's agreement. Particularly since she'd had the very faint expectation that Ai might refuse. Such was not the case. Her posture relaxed ever-so-slightly, frown slipping away so that something more neutrally satisfied might take its place.

"I didn't put much thought into it," she admitted. "Something far enough off that we wouldn't risk being bothered by passerby from either our village nor that of the Yaeli." She took a step back, so that she wouldn't be crowding the doorway when Ai chose to join her outside. "I think if we head due north, we can probably make it as far as that swampish lakebed. I imagine game will flock to a source of non-salted water like that."

"No." The word was past Akacia's lips before Ai could so much as finish her question, and immediately after, Aka felt her face heat. She thought to clarify- it hadn't been her intention to offer, but that didn't mean it wouldn't be acceptable if Ai wished it- but making further commentary after the other woman claimed she was 'joking' just felt like unnecessary excuses. And would likely cause more blood to rush to her cheeks, as if there wasn't enough of that already.

Instead, she remained quiet as they departed camp and started picking their way through Yaeli's forests, so unlike the ones back home. So strange and ugly. No less dangerous, but far more unpleasant.

But bearable, with Ai around, even if Aka did feel a simmering discomfort beneath her skin at the earlier tease. Her dark gaze flicked from the trees ahead back to her companion at the following commentary. "Did she?" Akacia blinked in open startlement. "I hadn't heard..." She'd never been in love, had no hope of understanding the feeling of losing someone so precious. All she knew was that, "It's an unsavory path to take," she agreed with a roll of her shoulders. "But everything seems so much more bleak here. Perhaps she thought it best to return to Aisha the only way she knew how."

"...Though she might've shown her grief to the Earthlings first, if that was the path she was so intent on taking."

Akacia's expression pinched, the corners of her lips tugging down as she tried to decide if she only imagined Ai's frown from the corner of her eye. Maybe she should explain herself. It seemed such a silly thing to have so much concern over (hence the still-creeping flush), but if it was worth a frown, it was surely worth the few moments it would take to rectify. Despite how Aka had hoped she wouldn't have to. She swallowed, opened her mouth...

And then happily let the conversation continue on the track of suicide and how people planned to die. It was easier that way. Ai's expression had probably been a figment of her imagination, anyway.

Besides, she had her own plans regarding her demise. Aka shrugged. "I used to think it might be alright to get old. I expected children of my own, before this place. And I thought I might live a long while, to see the results of years of hard work let lose upon the world." A disinterested scowl crawled onto her face, and she 'tsk'ed softly, lids pinching closed as she walked. "But that'll never happen, now. And I might just go out into that world, see what there is to see, take out the people who get in my way, and when I have far surpassed those sisters who stayed behind, I will return to Chibale, and no one will be able to do anything about it."

"Or I will die trying. And that is far better than anything that could happen here."

No, she hadn't been imagining it. That much seemed abundantly clear now, if the tone of her companion's voice was any indication. Akacia shifted her bow to her opposite shoulder and straightened her posture to hide the inexplicable and unwanted sense of agitation Ai's question posed. Still, Aka was not one to mince her words. "Yes. Anything 'good' here could happen anywhere else and be three times as magnificent, I'm sure."

She rolled her shoulders and raised a hand to finger at the clasp of her top. "However... That is not to say that appealing things can't happen here." She took in a breath. "There is a very appealing thing right next to me, after all. I suppose it is more that it would be better if we were elsewhere. If we were home. This place is suitable for earthling trash and little else. Maybe the Elaria. If they really do dedicate themselves to Aisha's ways, as is trying to be taught to them."

Her better judgement told her to leave it at that. There was little more to be said on the subject, but it really was an impossible effort to control her tongue.

She brushed a hand to Ai's forearm. "Do you not think you would be happier in your home, with our goddess? It should not be a far-fetched want. To raise children born of the same goddess I was, in a land I am familiar and comfortable in, with a woman that will fight as hard as I do. You-" Akacia raised her gaze to meet the other Alkidike's. "I did not mean that you would be unpleasant company to keep in my home. Only that the thought hadn't occurred to me. If I offended you, it was not my intention. You are always welcome by my side."

There were many things that happened in Akacia's life that she never would've thought to anticipate. And if she took the time to think about it, most of her adventures on Yael seemed to encompass that very fully. She never would've thought to be on this island. She never would've thought a child-bearing goddess could spring from the soil as Aisha had. She never would've thought her sisters would worship it as they did. She never would've thought she might be convinced that good things could happen in this forsaken land.

And she never would've thought Ai would have the gall to show her in the way she had. The whole of this experience had gone from thinly-veiled awkward to mildly agitating and now surprise. It should've been unpleasant to be caught off-guard in such a way. And even more unpleasant that she'd allowed Ai to take that first leap, rather than do so herself.

It wasn't. But it should've been.

Instead, Akacia relaxed, posture easing and expression melting from alarmed surprised to intrigued curiosity and amusement. She raised a hand to brush her fingers to Ai's cheek before they separated. She leaned back and tempered a smile into something more neutral. "I don't usually say this, but maybe at least one of my claims has been... slightly inaccurate."

"You are a very attractive woman and have continued to grow more so with each encounter. So perhaps, perhaps, knowing you here is better than some things that could happen elsewhere."