Welcome to Gaia! ::

Maya sat at a table in the corner, scrolls and books spread out in front of her. With all her traveling she had found her way here in Balrea, in her hand was a letter she had picked up on her return home to Jauhar. It contained both bad news, but also some good ones. Sniffing, Maya folded up the paper in her hand, placing it neatly in her pack on the floor by her chair. Her large Alkidike hand stretched out to take another strange leafy object from between the slices of bread. Popping it into her mouth she chewed slowly and carefully.

Sounds of the patrons pulled the woman from her thoughts. Looking up to see what the cause was, Maya was pleased to see another Alkidike had appeared. It was rare for her to see another sister this far away from Aisha, in fact is had been years since running into another of her sisters.

"Sister!" Maya shouted, aware she had pulled the attention of the room towards here her words spilling out in the familiar Alkidike language. Something she had become used to while traveling. Raising her hand up she waved a greeting. "Would you care to join me for a moment." She wanted news of home, how things had changed over the years since her travels.

Maya beamed brightly when Feanna noticed her. Ignoring the earthlings movements. Reaching out over the table to shuffle her scrolls about to make room for the woman approaching her. Easily offering up one of the sandwiches on the table for her to join. "Maya." The guardian replied in kind, offering up her own name. "What brings you this far away from mother Aisha?"

Not that Maya had much room to ask, with herself being so far away. Her eyes cast around the table sheepishly. "Please forgive the mess. Studying the lands layout is quite tedious sometimes." She gave a soft chuckle. "Have you been traveling long?"

"The land intrigues me. I feel like there's still something out there calling. Something that I haven't yet found. Something I feel I need to find" Maya smiled shuffling some more papers around the table. Glad that the food was accepted, she herself didn't have much of an appetite this morning. "Azehra was it? I'll be honest I haven't taken time to see any of Aisha's children. Tree wise. I belong to Aisha, so there's no need at this time to really visit any of the other daughter trees. I assume by now, they must be as grand as Aisha herself."

Pondering the looks of the four trees, Maya leaned forward propping her head up with her fist. "You have sisters from another tree, eh? Well that's something. Perhaps it wont be long before earthlings are accepted around the trees. Must be full blood Aishans like you and I then?" Reaching up to flick her dreads behind her shoulders, Maya shifted back in her seat. "Tell me more about where you've traveled. What you've seen, and does this map look accurate to you?"

Tugging a larger parchment from under the pile, Maya produced a hand drawn map of her discoveries so far. Incomplete as it was, some settlements and rivers had been filled in. The locations of the daughter trees and various smaller places were missing. Along with most of Matori.

"Fair point." Maya nodded, "I haven't gone to the other trees myself. The betrayal left by Mystic Aselia has left a fowl taste on my senses that I cannot forget or forgive. So I may not find myself welcome at the others."

The Alkidike mused a moment, slumping back into her chair. A finger tapping lightly against the table. "It's a blessing to Aisha I'm sure that her daughter seeds are flourishing so amazingly well."

A cotton dry feeling pressed on her tongue, flicking her hair over her shoulders at the mention of more maps. Maya found herself beaming. "Of course I would love to see more maps, no one has explored everything, and one map may contain something another has missed for sure. Before I dive into that though, I find myself quite thirsty. Would you also care for a drink? They have such strange and unique flavors here I just cant seem to get enough. There's so much to experience and explore."

Maya paused at the table to consider her responses. A puzzled look crossed her face before she excused herself from Faenna's company in order to purchase the promised drinks . A conversation like this one, was going to require a stiffer sort of drink than just some juice or tea. Pressing a fist into her hip while waiting in line, the Alkidike pondered on the question asked. To her, it didn't make any sense that another sister wasn't familiar with the Mystics. Then again, Aselia was a strange one all on her own.

Upon reaching the polished bench separating her from the server on the other side Maya quickly ordered a few varieties. Ranging from the very strong to completely virgin in nature. Thanking the server, Maya picked up a large plate of drinks with some small bits of finger food. Walking carefully back to the table where she had left Faenna and the maps. Maya slid the large plate onto the table. Proud she hadn't accidentally spilled or dropped anything along the way.

Picking up a small bite of battered chicken, the Alkidike guardian popped tossed it into her mouth. Chewing slowly in thought for a moment longer. "How familiar are you with the Oban war? Or more accurately the events leading up to the war." Maya finally asked, reaching for one of the weaker drinks she had ordered. "Help yourself. Though these ones are quite strong." Maya motioned to the ones closes to the edge of the table.

Intrigued by the younger Alkidike before her, Maya couldn't help but chuckle a little at the girls choice in drink. Saying nothing as she took her first sip. Biting the corner of her lower lip she held back her comments. It was rude to chastise someone for their choice of pour. Even if she thought the choice too strong for someone as inexperienced. Reaching forward she picked up a mid-strength drink for herself from the center of the plate. She preferred to ease herself into her drinks at a slower pace. Not that she was really capable of pacing herself. She could only hope the small cafe' wouldn't be too upset if she became a bit too intoxicated.

Taking a sip she regarded Faenna carefully. Lifting her eyebrows Maya let out a deep sigh. Pouring a large mouthful of the semi-sweet liquid into her mouth, swishing it around then swallowing. "That is certainly, one part of the vast events that had unfolded around that time. I can't comment too much on alot of the events as I personally was quite occupied with Mystic Aselia and her Extremist consorts. It had started with the young Mystics disappearance. A very unnatural one at that."

Maya scratched the back of her neck, taking another large swig of her drink. These events were painful to remember. The way the Alkidike had started fighting among themselves, it had been one of the main reasons she had so easily abandoned her daughter back then. A sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach ached, reminding her it had been far too long since she had seen her adopted daughter, Teiluj. A trip back to the home where she had left her pressed heavily inside her chest. That would be her next focus after this.

"I remember those events, Aselia was accompanied by a fair few sisters. Lumikani, Freya, Vescillea, and Neibet." The final name stirred long forgotten memories inside the gaurdian alkidike, and another swig followed. "Mind you, they were all quite banished to Yael after that. Soon after Elzira was born. Of course I've never set food on Yael. Who knows how many of those extremists have multiplied over the years. Though I suppose Mystic Aselia was before Mystic Danika's time."

Having finished the first glass Maya reached for a second, pausing to look over the maps and drawings before her. "What were we talking about again?" To many memories had flooded back, to many emotions and Maya had forgotten why they were even brought up in the first place.

Setting her cup down slowly, Maya looked up at Feanna. "You know, if you're planning on making that trip back to Chibale and Jauhar soon. I think I might join you for a bit. I have a few stops I need to make along the way. Namely near Ast. If you're up for the company that is."

Rubbing the underside of her chin, the Alkidike shifted her gaze to the map now in question. She had just returned from an adventure out there, and was staring to find it a little difficult to think though the start of her intoxication. Reaching for something to nibble on, Maya pushed a few bites into her mouth. Wiping any crumbs from the table so they wouldn't soak any lingering residue into the parchment. "Oh here," Maya pointed to a spot on the map. "I don't recall seeing this place. Let me see."

Reaching around to her own satchel behind the chair, Maya produced another map. Rolling it out on the table beside the first. "Yep, just as I thought. I don't have that location registered on my map here." Reaching back into her bag, Maya shuffled around the contents in search of some ink and quill. "If you're willing to travel together, I would need to make a few stops before we leave. I need to pick up a trinket or two. Gotta have something to remember the memory of this place."