Welcome to Gaia! ::

Enya picked her way across the rocks surrounding her favorite tide pools and paused to toss up a hand in greeting to a few Hapuna across the way. They were far enough away that conversations weren’t possible, but it never hurt to be friendly to your neighbors. There were plenty of times as a kid when she’d snuck out to the reef where she’d gotten in over her head and had been rescued by the smaller, more agile water folk. Now that she was getting older she’d learned enough to keep herself safe, but that didn’t mean she was an expert. She learned much from her elders at home and just as much from the Hapuna themselves.

Normally she would have traded her finds with them at the end of the day, at least those she didn’t bring home, but today she wasn’t alone. Looking over her shoulder, Enya waved her friend closer with a smile and an encouraging hand. “Come on Vetra, it’s not that hard.”

Had she always been this broad? Of course Enya had known her friend was stronger than she was, that was impossible not to notice, but when she’d reached for her hand Vetra’s nearly swallowed her own. They were very nearly the same height so she saw the moment Vetra’s nervousness melted into embarrassment and how the other Elidae’s eyes shifted everywhere except for Enya’s. Her smile softened at bit at that and she gave the other girl’s hand a squeeze before letting go.

“It helps if you test your footing with your toes first. Don’t be afraid to really stretch them out and when it feels okay then mold your foot around the rock. Crouch a little too; standing too tall makes it easier to fall.” To prove her point Enya dropped to a near crawl and moved ahead some, then motioned downward for Vetra to copy her.

Enya felt her body sag and instead of fighting it the older Elidae sank down onto the stones. Her legs dipped into the closest tide pool, much to the displeasure of the little creatures residing there. Bits of coral and sharp stone poked at her feet, though it didn't seem to bother her. "Don't say it like you were actually planning on going." She tapped the spot closest to her.

"I just wanted to spend a little time doing what I wanted to do before I left." And that, decidedly, wasn't getting her a** kicked. Ever since Enya had stopped practicing with her swords and decided to switch over to a trident her training had started from scratch so she was horribly behind others her age. While it might not have been so bad if she actually dedicated herself Enya just wasn't the type.

"Have you thought anymore about it? About going to Zinris with me?"

"The way Yael has always been described to me was mystical." She remembered the stories of mother Pyrrha who would sit her daughters down on the riverbank and spin fantastical visions. "Zinris has always had conflicting opinions, but Yael was always a beauty. Underground rivers that could swallow a full grown Limbara, fog so thick you could lose a sister forever and the colors....So dim that they should have been boring, but lovely instead." When she was speaking of the wilds Pyrrha's eyes would light up and Enya had always wanted a spark of that. She loved her home, truly she did, but what could make someone look like that when all other memories of a place were horrible?

"You're right, though; I won't be able to get away from training. Especially once my Aunts find me." The corner of her mouth pulled into a smirk. "I barely get by with it here, but...maybe that's for the best. I can grow without being a disappointment to my mothers or my grandmothers and come back a better Elidae."

She'd made a real mess of this, hadn't she? Enya twisted her hips to adjust herself with one leg bracing her up and the other still in the tidepool. For a moment it upset the crustaceans enough that they started to back away, but once they saw she wasn't keen on moving again they returned.

"No. No....Maybe? I don't know." She scrunched up her nose with a huff. "I've never thought I was a disappointment, I shouldn't have said that, and that's not why I want to leave. I genuinely just want to see where my mothers came from and to visit my family." As much as she'd squabbled with the others in her class growing up Enya knew her place in Kiros and felt content here. She was a valued member, had always been, despite her eccentricities. There was just a part of her that wanted a little more was all. But how could she explain that to Vetra?

"I don't know what I want or how I feel. It's so stupid, but I just don't know. I actually really like training, but when I go into sparring matches some of the others take it so seriously that it's not fun anymore. I know we need to be strict with our teachings, but...what's the point if I dread showing up?"

[6]

"If you keep saying all of those sweet things to me I might start expecting them." Vetra really could be a sweet talker when she wanted to be. She wasn't normally one for such open conversation, but around Enya it was like she could let down those defenses a little bit. They'd truly bonded over the years and Enya was beyond grateful to have a friend like her.

"I was thinking about finding some shells and making bracelets for my cousins. Do you think they'd like them or is that too childish?"

[Enya 7]

"Two of them are, but two are younger than me. Maybe I'll make bracelets for them, but charms for the others. I might even make a few for my Aunts as well," Pausing, Enya gave a hmm, "I'd like to make some for Auntie Zayana and Nayyara too but I don't know where they are. They've been traveling for a while now so tracking them down would be hard. " Maybe she could just leave them here as a welcome back present? That way even if she came back before they did Enya could just hand the gifts over.

"Are you okay? You keep squeezing my hand like you're nervous."

[Enya 8]

"Yeah....I get that." As much as Enya adored the ocean she'd never been out further than the reef. The Elidae had traversed nearly every river she'd come across, dove down as far as she could, and explored within her realms of possibility. When it came to the open water, though...That part had her nervous.

"I've talked to my cousins a few times and what Kahi I could find that knew of the deeper waters. I know what to expect, but I'm not sure how I'll handle it. Still, it's a little exciting, right? Trying something new?" It wasn't nearly as risky as leaving Chibale during a war or running away with a stolen seed, but Enya thought it was a pretty big deal.