Welcome to Gaia! ::

Before Doesina was aware, the canopy above her head had broken more and more, releasing more of the sunshine to pepper the ground around her. Never once had she became more concerned about going further and further away from the last place she had left her cousin. Just a little bit at first. That she quickly ignored, replaced by the other pressing matter of her having gotten lost. Never one to have been good with directions, the Elaria had continued walking, waiting for something familiar to show up or maybe her cousin to bump into her. It wasn't as if she couldn't spend a long time out here. She'd been trained for survival through countless lessons with her mother and grandmother ever since she could remember. It would just be a bit lonely. She'd never spent so much time by herself before, not since leaving Yael. Always someone around back home to talk to.

But luck was on her side! For something familiar was coming into view in the distance. Giving an excited gasp, Doesina picked up her feet, hurrying towards it. Not only was it something familiar, it was a city! Full of all kinds of people who could satisfy her boredom and need for socialization.

The eyes of everyone watching her went ignored as she looked around her, a giant smile on her face. It didn't matter to her that she was so much taller than most of the people here. In fact, it was quite helpful. She could see over all their heads at either sides of the street, searching for something to catch her attention. People made way for her easily when she shifted her direction to an interesting looking shop. How nice. She wasn't sure what had attracted her attention about this one, but this one she had picked to randomly explore. So long as the shopkeeper didn't mind. She didn't want to impose her presence where it might not be wanted. She understood any misgivings anyone might have for what she was. It didn't bother her.

So, with a friendly smile plastered on her face, Doesina walked into the shop, keeping her senses as open as they could be in case this wouldn't go over well.

"Wow!" That was the first unintentional sound, uttered softly, that came out of the Elaria's lips as the door closed quietly behind her. It looked pretty interesting from the outside as it was. Building into, around, and among the branches of the tall trees would never cease to amaze her, so much different than the landscape she was used to back home, though no less beautiful. There was always something humbling about being below such large forests, like she was a tiny insect being watched over by a hundred tall figures. No matter how tall you yourself was, there was always something taller. As far as Aishans went, she was on the small side, however.

But inside was even better. She felt like she'd walked into someone's dream. Doesina did a few turns, making sure not to hit her head on anything or for her slightly flailing arms to bang into anything. She wasn't used to a shop's cluttered interior, preferring the outside stalls if she needed anything or waiting for her mother or grandmother to go get something. She couldn't say it felt claustrophobic, just...Unnatural? The outside was where she belonged, wild and free.

So distracted, she hadn't realized someone had spoken to her. She'd completely forgotten these places were usually managed by someone. She blinked at the other woman a few times. She seemed taller than most Earthlings she had seen, but maybe that was just the lighting.

"I like your shop," Doesina said. "I wasn't looking for anything. I just kinda wandered in. What do you do here?"

Consider her impressed. But than that wasn't much of an achievement. The Elaria enjoyed a lot of things in the world and seeing the ways others lived. Her own house was fairly sparse, the only decorations being weapons or pelts being sewn into something, so anything this furnished, be it even a shop, was of high interest to her.

Doesina listened intently, her head spinning with all the possibilities presented to her. Tea had never been something she paid a lot of attention to. They always had some at home, simply for the sake of having something different every once in a while. She enjoyed the taste of them, but couldn't begin to tell one from the other. Maybe if she actually looked or asked her mother what the flavor was even once. Perhaps this was a good opportunity to finally find some she could name as a favorite. Bring some back with her to Yeal as a gift to her family.

And having someone to talk to for a little while would be a bonus.

"I'm not sure. I wouldn't mind sampling some to figure it out, if you don't mind." Traveling lightly and living mostly off the land had its benefits: She should have plenty money to indulge herself a little. She shifted her feet a little at the scanning of her body, holding her arms out a bit as if her grandmother was inspecting her for injuries. "I am in good health. Though I suppose a few of those wouldn't hurt to take back with me. I hope to return home soon enough. Thank you!" she added on quickly, just to be extra polite.

The Elaria gave a little chuckle in return, clasping her hands behind her back so she didn't fidget. Like a curious toddler, the temptation was always there to poke and prod at everything around her. Her eyes kept darting around even as she spoke, looking at everything and trying to take it all in at once.

"I don't really know that either. I'm sorry." She was not being very helpful. Doesina gave the other woman an apologetic smile, feeling bad indeed over it. She never liked to give anyone a tough time over anything, even something as small as her taste preferences in tea. Being an Elaria, she put extra effort in to be co-operative, knowing the problems her Sister's attitudes had probably caused everyone else around them. She wanted to be a shining example that everyone could co-exist together in peace and still keep to their own sections of the world.

"If it helps, I'm not very picky," she added. The whole reason she had never paid much attention to the teas served by her mother. They had all tasted good to her, whatever they had been. "I don't mind spicy or sweet or bitter. I'm alright with trying whatever you suggest." Doesina bowed her head in a greeting, still firmly keeping her hands behind her back. "Hello, Lutana. I am Doesina. Take as long as you need. I have nowhere to be."

"You're welcome!" the Elaria returned pleasantly, bouncing a bit on the heels of her feet in excitement. It wasn't just the thrill of being in a new place, about to maybe try some new things. But just talking so nicely with another person, especially an Earthling. So many of them looked at her funny, as if they expected her to break out into song or something. Or maybe start torching their houses. She was no stranger to the reputation her Sisters had gained over the many years since their Tree had been planted. It only made her all the more determined to be as friendly and co-operative as possible. Perhaps, in time, the world would come to suspect Elaria less and accept them a bit better. They weren't all like that, after all. "A taste of home sounds nice. It's been a while since I left."

Her eyes were big as she followed Lutana up the stairs, holding up the edge of her own long skirt so she didn't trip. A long slit sliced up one side, revealing a long grey leg every second step. She'd always liked the movement of cloth against her legs. Not practical for fighting, but Doesina had no problems ripping them off for easier movement if she needed to in a pinch. Until such times, she would enjoy the cool swish against her skin. She continued to look all around her until she heard the other woman speaking to her.

Doing as she was told, the Elaria sat carefully on a cushion, arranging her long legs underneath her and placing her hands nicely in her lap. "Mm," she hummed, thinking on the question. Was there anything she wanted to discuss? She wasn't sick. She wasn't wounded. She had a bruise on her leg, hidden always under the fabric of her skirt that wasn't really bothering her. Bruises and small scraps happened when you spent most of your time out in the forest. Which she always did back home on Yael, as well. There was nothing Doesina loved more than being outside, in the fresh air. So what should she talk about?

"Is it fun working inside a tree? It feels very...Magical being in here."

"It does!" Doesina agreed, looking around her once more. It gave off a very nice, cozy feeling to be entombed inside a giant tree. Almost like the tree itself had chosen to keep her safe within it, like a warm embrace from a mother. But than maybe that was an expected reaction for one who came from a tree herself. It must have felt just as safe and cozy laying inside her bloom underneath the branches of her Mother Tree. It made her delighted to think that maybe Earthlings also shared this feeling when they were inside their tree homes. Something to connect them together. She looked back at Lutana, rearranging her hands in her lap, enjoying the pleasant conversation. "It is weird, but I can't say I dislike it. Makes the tree feel more alive, in a way. Like it's protecting those within it."

"I hope they liked Yael," she answered, more out of politeness than because she was paying attention to the conversation. Pale eyes watched the process of making the tea intently, her head only moving a fraction. She'd never really paid much attention to her mother making it, so used to the older Elaria doing it that it wasn't of much interest to her. Everything was always more fascinating when a stranger did it. "A reading sounds fun. But I'm not entirely sure what to ask about." There was no real goal to her life right now, after all. She wasn't aiming to achieve anything. Just explore Jauhar alone while she waited for her cousin to finish whatever it was she was doing up north. Not that she minded the long wait. It allowed her to meet more Earthlings and see more of the Shifter's world before she had to leave back for home.

Home. It had been a few years now since Doesina had been there.

"I guess the only thing I can think of is if I can go back home soon."

The emphasis on the word wasn't lost on Doesina, who was always being told by her grandmother how much cleverer she was than how she choose to present to others. She didn't think there was anything wrong in her behavior. It wasn't like she was trying to pretend to be less intelligent. She knew she often came off as ditzy to a lot who met her and this left them with the impression that she was dumb and naive. Mayella didn't like this at all and thought all Sisters should conduct themselves with the proper respect. Doesina wasn't behaving appropriately, in her eyes. Why did it matter? If someone thought they could fool her, she'd call them out on it and they'd realize their mistake. Honestly, it was more fun this way. She got to see their faces when she revealed how much she did understand.

So the extra attention on the word guardian brought a happy glow to her face, her eyes lighting up and widening in her delight over it. Yes, why should just a Mother Tree be seen as a guardian? Lots of other trees provided protection for many other species, Earthling and animal alike. "I'm sure the tree would appreciate that."

The Elaria's eyes went wide once more at the next turn in the conversation. Earthling reproduction was something that she had to admit fascinated her as well as made her a little uncomfortable. There had not been many opportunities to learn more about it. She certainly wasn't going to ask any of her Yaeli friends back home or a stranger here about something so personal. At least, it felt like something that should be super personal and secret. The act itself did not bother her in the slightest. It was what resulted from it that sent shivers down her spine.

"Two men can't make a baby together, huh?" How odd that was. Why wouldn't whoever created Earthlings give them all the parts they needed to start a family between them? Seemed cruel, to her, to deny a loving couple the joy of children who were a mix of the two of them. Nothing would spark as much joy from her, she knew, than seeing children who were the combination of her and her lover. Even if they were pure Elaria like her, the features of the second mother would still be present whoever she was. "Sounds like some Goddess's idea of a cruel joke, if two people can't start a family on their own as easily as going to a Tree and asking."

Doesina raised her hands to her own cup, breathing a thanks over the steam as she breathed in the scent of it. "It's amazing that leaves can do that. Are they very accurate?"

"Well, I could say it's beautiful, but everyone says that about their home, don't they?" the Elaria laughed, taking a small sip of the tea, giving a small sound in her throat in appreciation of the taste. It did taste vaguely of something her mother had made before. The taste of home that was mentioned before, she assumed. "It's much different from here. I'm not familiar with the Yaeli towns, since they wouldn't appreciate an Elaria walking among them. There is moss everywhere, large cracks in the earth for water to settle into, and a fine mist in the air. Even the air here feels much different than I am used to. A lot dryer. The fruit not quite as soft as it is near where my family lives."

"Of course!" Doesina responded with enthusiasm, bouncing a little where she sat in her excitement. "Trees are universal protectors. They're not just for my Sisters. Like this one." Raising her hands, she spread them above her head in an arch before curling them back around her cup. "You might not be born from it, but that doesn't mean it's any less important or special than mine. It just has a different duty."

She pursed her lips at the next wave of thoughts that the conversation was putting into her head, silently sipping on her tea as she considered things from her angle. How the other races got children was such a strange thing to think about. Even men in general looked so strange in the world when she did see them, no matter how often she did. Her home naturally had none. Not even male hybrids lived where she did, given how much her grandmother was against them and her mother wanted to remain near her immediate family. Doesina had spoken to men plenty of times before, though couldn't call any of them friends. Maybe she should make some efforts to befriend some. It wasn't like they were all that different from her. Just slightly different body types.

"Mm. Makes sense. We don't change too much from each other aside coloring and a few tiny details. I think it's pretty interesting how diverse Earthlings can be. It's not always easy to tell different hybrids apart." She paused to take another sip of the tea, swishing the liquid around in the cup a little bit before putting it back down on the table. "Not that I've seen much but Yaeli in my lifetime," she added with a giggle.

"Perhaps that is what it was predicting. That he would try to stop it when doing nothing was the right course." Feeling herself quite smart for the observation, the Elaria twirled the cup gently by the handle, making a complete circle of where it sat on the table. "I suppose it's a good thing all I asked about was going back home." If she really believed leftover leaves could tell a person what to expect in the near future. Doesina was not one for planning. She liked the here and now, going with what her gut told her was a right decision. It told her to volunteer to go to Jauhar and now look at her, having such fun conversations with Earthlings she might not have made back home.

"I do. I'm hoping I can return soon. Whether I will stay, I don't know. Seeing the beauty of other's homes does sound like a tempting lifestyle. At least for a little bit. I will have to think about it. Is there still time to change my question? I think that is a better one, if traveling would be a good idea for me to consider."