Welcome to Gaia! ::

Brielle's first memories might have been of Chaos. She'd spent time as a puppet, a soldier, and some of that had stuck with her. Even now, her life might have been more focused around war and conflict than it was around everything else, but she was trying, with the help of those around her, to make time for being human on top of the rest of it.

She was getting better at feeling human, that was for sure. She was even learning to be a bit domestic, when the situation called for it.

Today she'd gone all out, knowing that she was meeting up with Momma who also wasn't having the easiest time of it, lately. She'd picked a corner of the park where the old-growth trees kept the picnic spots out of the sun. She'd spread the table with a cloth, and she had nice tea set out in a nice tea set, and there were tiny macarons from a nice bakery.

The tea was in a cozy to keep warm, and she didn't pour it yet, just arranged the skirts of her sundress so they laid properly. Even though it was warm, she was in booties that covered the state of her feet.

She found a wrinkle in the tablecloth and smoothed it, wanting everything to be perfect.

“Not too much time,” said Brielle, although it has been at least an hour of getting all the little pieces together and making sure everything was perfect. She turned into Momma’s hug and even wrapped her own arms around her mother’s shoulders for a quick squeeze before letting go.

A year or so ago she wouldn’t have considered herself a touchy person at all, but it was getting better in small doses from people she cared about.

“But anyway, you’re always doing so much to look after everyone else. You deserve people taking time for you now and then.” As if to prove her point, she reached over for the teapot and began to pour out a cup, smiling gently. “Sugar?”

She didn’t think that Momma needed it, since she was sweet enough, but of course she’d offer all the same.

“How have you been?” She asked. That was probably the best place to start before she got caught up in the whirlwind of her own life.

The tenderness was appreciated, and Brielle didn’t shy away from it. She returned it in her own way, stirring just a bit of sugar into the tea before handing it over, and then holding her own between her hands to soak up the warmth, without adding anything into it at all.

A bit warm for it to be a truly cozy moment, but it was nice all the same.

“The babies are lovely,” Brielle agreed. “You’re lucky to be able to spend so much time with them.” Although there were trade offs, she was sure, which was part of why she didn’t yet have children of her own. The late nights and time commitment seemed daunting, so she compromised with looking at pictures of the other’s kids.

“And you’re going to have to show me this gallery. I’m dying to see it, honestly.” Her smile twitched to the side as she took a thoughtful sip of tea. “It’s almost funny that Devyn’s one of my best friends now, after how everything started.”

Now they felt like kindred spirits, and Brielle was curious to learn everything she could about Devyn’s life and past.

Her face really lit up hearing that Claire had gotten stronger, though. Try as she might, the magical war was where her focus lived.

“You did? Can I see?” She almost looked like an excited child, in that moment. “Do you want to see my wings?” She whispered this, but no less intensely. “That’s sort of why I invited you out here.”

Momma's reaction to everything, from Devyn being in their life to the concept of showing off each other's powers, was nothing short of adorable, and Brielle found herself smiling softly as she sipped, but did not chug, the rest of her tea.

She also spared a glance around the area and over her shoulder just to make sure nobody else looked too caught up in the enthusiasm. Perhaps she had the reputation of being the reckless one, but she knew the basics of taking care, at least.

It seemed fine though, so smile still on her face, she said, "Today. Now. Well, in a few minutes."

The tea wasn't just for show. She really did hope to enjoy it.

"But we can find a quiet place to power up and I can take you to Cybele." She considered. "Or we could do your Wonder, if you'd rather."

"We should go up to your Wonder sometime," Brielle agreed while the two of them finished up their cups of tea. Cosmos knights all had such beautiful outfits that it made her wonder what sort of places they came from.

But, if she was the one showing off today, that was fine. Her world really was starting to come back to life in a way that was nice, even if it had taken her a while to appreciate. After taking what she felt like was an acceptable amount of time to savor her tea, she side-eyed the macarons for a moment.

"The cookies are portable," she decided, and grabbed the fancy plastic box.

"There's a shed over there," she said, nodding to a building that she'd chosen a table near on purpose. Conveniently, it was mostly hidden behind a hedge to keep what Brielle assumed were unsightly mowers and other upkeep equipment out of sight. "It's where I usually power up if I'm in this area."

Rising from the table, she added with a smile, "If we're lucky, maybe you'll see the deer butterflies, or even the rabbits."

"A star themed picnic?" mused Brielle, as they made their way over behind the bushes. "For a star themed wonder?"

She could likely figure out something like that, she thought. There had to be places around here that sold celestial cookie cutters, and Momma seemed to appreciate giving things small touches like that, so Brielle would do that, too.

For now, though, it was her turn, and she smiled as she pulled her pen out of her bag and powered up. Of course she was just in her Eternal form for the moment, they were trying to do the opposite of causing a scene, but she didn't mind showing off this outfit, either. It was familiar, it was light.

The shoes were a particular favorite.

It was also enough to get them to space, and Cybele held out a hand.

"Whenever you're ready," she said.