Welcome to Gaia! ::

Lavendulan turned off her dremel tool then reached for the purple velvet bag and dropped her current project off inside. “It’s open!” she called out.

Leaning over she opened the bottom drawer of her desk and set the bag inside before setting about cleaning up her work station of all the rock dust and small stone fragments. The tools were stowed away in a hard case with compartmental areas; one small cube space for each different kind of dremel head. “Sorry, I kind of lost track of time.”

Perhaps I should move my clock over here instead… a thought to consider since, where it was at, she’d have to turn around to see it.

In a row along her desk there were various projects in different stages. Two had sketches done in a blue colored pencil, random swirl like patterns that wrapped around the egg shaped rocks, while the other two were smaller and more flat and had words carved into them. The last one, however, was very decidedly broken and laid in three big chunks; a failed project but at least it didn’t cost her anything but time.

Her bed had been made and on it, next to her pillows, was the floppy purple wolf he had won her at the faire.

“Hati,” Laven opened a drawer and lifted a dust mask to show she had one. Without it he’d be hearing her sneezing up a storm.There was also a pair of craftsman glasses to keep little chips of rock from flying in her eye. “The wolf from Norse mythology that chases the moon.” Seemed fitting since they themselves really only got to go out and about at night time unless glamoured.

Once the last of her mess had been taken care of, she got up and pushed her chair under her desk then walked across her room to sit on the bed beside him. “Not as soft as your,” Laven ran her hand over the light blue comforter. “But at least it’s warm.”

Although she’d never admit it out loud, there was a part of her that wanted to steal his bed for a few hours and take naps on it again which was strange because she never really cared too much for fur’s before; always tickled her nose making it hard to sleep. But since that night she has had that urge to rub her face against, or sleep on something soft. Just another personality quirk she readily pointed the finger at her youma side and it in turn seemed content to accept the blame with a sigh against her consciousness.

“Before we go anywhere though. Why don’t you give me a little bit of back history about the Rift first? You said that you were there when the doors opened. What kind of things can I expect?” Despite her willingness to accompany him Laven felt justifiably wary since, from her limited knowledge, she recalled someone saying that’s where youma dwelled.

Had she not of somewhat expected it, Laven would have jumped when he grabbed ahold of her shoulders. Instead she just gave him a look that appeared to be rather unamused with one brow raised in a way that made it impossible not to guess what went through her mind in that split moment.

Seriously? Rather than interrupt him she listened intently as Wolframite walked through the steps and explained what to expect at each phase and only when he was done did she give rise to a few concerns.

“Please tell me that’s not why you want to go… Right? You’re not actively looking to wake up some sleeping youma that will probably eat us because A. it realizes it has the morning munchies, or B. it is royally pissed off.” A part of her was honestly teasing him since she knew he wouldn’t intentionally put her in harms way like that. “I’m just joking,” she admitted before he could return the look she had given him earlier.

“Honestly though, the part that has me most worried is the hall you mentioned. What happens if one of those things grabs one of us? Do we just get pushed back out into the castle?” The lightning storms were also something of a concern for her as her magic turned her body into water which well wouldn’t feel too great if she got struck by a bolt.

“Alright, I trust you.”

As of yet, he had never given her any reason to doubt him, no point in starting now.

“Just don’t be surprised if I get scared and grab ahold of your paw.” Laven poked him in the shoulder as she offered a fair warning then pushed herself off the bed and motioned for him to follow. ”You can explain more while we walk to the castle.”

Her experience with youma was limited to the ones that roamed around the Dark Kingdom and those tied to officers that followed at their heel. I wonder if he’s hoping to find a new one to place his previous one.

“So…” Laven hesitated in asking her question. “What happened to your previous youma?” Perhaps that might have been an insensitive way of asking but she wasn’t entirely sure how to phrase it since it was still a new-ish concept to her. From what he explained before, unlike the two of them, when youma die they reappear in the Rift. Maybe he’s trying to find his old one. Now that would be kind of neat if they could be reunited!

A youma with a lance. Sounds like the perfect guardian or bodyguard. Especially for someone who didn’t receive a weapon of their own. The idea of finding one like Gawain sounded like a smart choice but the idea of a suit of armour following her around was a bit unnerving especially if it didn’t speak.

“I suppose I’d like to find one that resonates with me.” Similar in nature and preferably one that had similar attributes. Seeking a youma that was more attuned with an opposing element would likely get her hurt. But ice, or steam, something she could synergize with would be highly beneficial .“A companion that can compensate for some of my flaws that will fight with me not for me.”

It bothered her greatly when Wolframite admitted that there were officers that treated him like a pet. Even if said youma existed and it was bound to her, Lavendulan refused to treat it like something to be used.

As she walked beside him, her mind seemed to wander at the various possibilities. And yet, the one trait she seemed to keep coming back to were eyes. Intelligent or wise look in its eyes that could see her for what she was and accept her as she would in turn accept it. What she truly wanted was that connection.

“Why did you leave Gawain?” She asked, tilting her head inquisitively. “It is ok if you prefer not to answer. But if he fought with you and saved your life, I don't understand why you would leave him."

“I see,” Laven fell silent beside him as it seemed she accepted his answer for what it was and decided it wasn’t her place to press him for more information.

When the door came into view, she paused on the stair step awestruck by this gateway to the Rift. There was a part of her that was excited about this new adventure but the other kept her rooted in place. “What if we encounter something dangerous? Can you teleport us back to the gate at least?”

More than anything she wanted to peek inside and see what lies beyond the hallway, but the unknown was a very terrifying thing. So at odds with herself, Laven looked to winter as a child would before jumping off the diving board into the deep end of a pool for the first time.

Her eyes followed his and after a second she shook her head. “It’s okay. I’d rather not risk it.” There was no guarantee what her reaction would be and the last thing she wanted was to unintentionally hurt him.

“Just… don’t leave me please,” wasn’t really something that needed to be said but she said it anyway.

“You don’t need to hum or anything. Just… keep talking. Tell me about how you found your last youma… or something… please?” Just like at the faire, Laven held onto his wrist. It was an odd sensation, but rather than having the feeling of goosebumps race along her arms, Laven instead felt a cool shiver run up her back causing the spine -ike fin to become rigid. Thankfully her hair was long and her back was turned away from Wolframite so he couldn't see the reaction.