Welcome to Gaia! ::

Maia was troubled. She was out alone at her camp to the east of the town, sitting on a stump she had purposely set up besides. So busy in her newfound work, she hadn't noticed how close to a certain time it was becoming. It'd be her first holiday away from her father. Though he hadn't participated as much in it the last few years, he was still a known presence in the house. If she tried hard enough, she could always get him to come out to enjoy a dinner she'd made and pass a gift to each other. Now she didn't even have that. Should she go back for a visit? Send something through the mail? What if he was mad at her for getting up and leaving so abruptly? He certainly would have noticed by now. It had been months. She'd made a point to leave after all the crops she'd planted for the year were harvested and put away for the winter. He'd have plenty of food to do him until next Spring. She'd also left a letter of instructions on how to keep the house running smoothly and what they were beginning to run low on.

She laughed softly at herself. Her father had always said she'd make a great housewife someday. He was not wrong, she thought. From a young age, she always thought that was what she'd end up doing someday. Marry someone nice and keep house. Or join a fancy household as a housekeeper. Though, if she was honest with herself, neither of those things were ever very appealing to her. Maia didn't like feeling confined to a single building. Maybe not even a person.

But that wasn't really the issue at the moment. Aside from her father, she was also thinking about that old Shifter. Patri was her name, Maia had come to learn. She needed to get used to working with the woman, as she was the best appraisal in the town. Or at least that's what Patri claimed to be. Maia wouldn't be surprised to learn that was just Patri saying that. Still, Chiro claimed she was indeed very good, if not extremely picky about who she worked with.

Maia stretched out her legs and leaned back, staring up at the tops of the trees. Maybe she should get Patri something, too. A show of good will and no hard feelings between them. Just the thought of it was terrifying. What would Patri even like? She'd never accept anything Maia gave her. She'd just securitize it and pick it apart for flaws. Like she did with everything. Still, she should try, right? Patri might surprise her.

Groaning, the young Shifter sprang to her feet. Why was this so hard? It was never hard before. Oh, she couldn't stand sitting around like this. She needed to do something, that would help her think.

The bag she used to store what she found was sitting besides her tent. Maia grabbed it and went out into the forest, making sure to keep sight on her camp. In her state of mind, she was likely to get lost.

This was an area she had not been to yet. She was going to hit it tomorrow, but her mind as it was, she wanted something new and fresh to help her mind. And who knew. She might get lucky and find something that might make a perfect gift for Patri. Patri was the biggest obstacle. Chiro she planned on making something for. A new jacket. She was decent at sewing. Decent enough to buy a cheap jacket and fix it up, add some embroidery to it. She'd noticed his was getting patchy and frayed at the ends. He wouldn't get a new one. Didn't want to spend the money on a good one. He was a "struggling artist" still, he said.

If the other appraisals in the town were like Patri, Maia could understand perfectly well why. Even Chiro could barely sell something to Patri. How exactly did she even make a living, Maia wondered.

Darkness began to creep around the edges of Maia's vision. She'd been so preoccupied with exploring, she hadn't even noticed the time. Her bag carried a few things she'd found, all on the surface. Including a necklace that looked lost. She would ask around town next she was in, see if she could find the owner. She didn't want to sell something that might belong to someone else.

Even a fancy necklace wouldn't be enough for Patri. Maia smiled at her own joke as she made her way back to her camp to look over her finds closer.

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