Welcome to Gaia! ::

The worst thing about being away from home was having all these dreams and having no one to talk about it with besides Adelaide but the princess was often busy trying to help control destinies herself. Riven’s silly premonitions meant nothing to her even if the princess made them deemed them important in her eyes it was just another demonstration of how kind and wise the Chronos Princess was even at such a young age. Riven was older than Adelaide but often found herself asking the girl for advice but today Riven was determined to solve this issue herself.

It was just a dream, after all, there were chances that she could prevent its outcomes from happening. It just was difficult given how little she had. There was a good-looking man eating lunch, or maybe it was dinner it was hard for the duchess to tell when the meals were so similar when he suddenly was choking. She assumed it was on something he had eaten but there had been times Riven had found herself choking on air because of how quickly she was talking. The strangest part of it was it appeared the boy was eating alone, not talking to anyone. It had been over a month of the academy so why was it he was by himself? It could have been that he was simply waiting for his friends or servants but issues with Riven’s dreams lay with that there were so many possibilities it was hard to tell what was going on. She had tried to master her ability the best she could but premonition was so unpredictable and unreliable.

All she could do now was look after the man and wait until a meal was served so she could potentially save his life. There was no reason for her to scare him and tell him he might die today so instead she opted to watch him in secret throughout the day. This wasn’t the first time she had done this, at her home village she often found herself following strangers in an attempt to prevent their potential death or injury. Most were thankful, others were creeped out. She hoped this stranger would admire her commitment to her mission and wished to be friends.

Watching the boy in class it appeared he didn’t raise his hand, appearing rather quiet. It wasn’t like Riven was a star student, but she tried her best to stay engaged in class discussions when she wasn’t actively trying to stay awake. Thankfully her mission gave her the energy not to have to battle the Sandman today. When noon hit, Riven knew it was time for her to be ready for action, tailing the white-haired boy to the Dining Hall. Hopeful he wouldn’t catch on to her stares she tried to stay a few people away from him at all times and sat at the table beside him so she could be there in case this was it.

Riven had yet to see him speak and was curious what his voice might sound like. Was it possible that his powers were sound based and that was why he kept to himself? ' How sad. That must be so lonely.' The girl looked over longingly at the boy as she imagined how tragic a life he must live being unable to speak for fear of hurting others only to pass away alone.

Focusing more on whether or not the man was taking proper bites of his food, Riven forgot the most important part of spying on someone, not getting caught. But as his eyes looked at her like deer caught by a hunter’s arrow, Riven knew that he had noticed her staring. What was she to say now? She had no idea how to explain her way out of this one without revealing her power. It wasn’t against the rules for her, but by doing so she was revealing her country of origin which was against one of the rules.

The duchess’ face turned beet red as he flashed her a cute smile and pulled out a pen, ' He doesn’t have the heart to tell me to buzz off so he’s going to write me a note? I’m not sure if that is rude or charming.' Her mind debated quickly on the answer as she saw the reveal of the gentleman’s powers as he wrote in ice in the air only for it to quickly dissolve into the dining hall floor. Riven wanted to reach out and touch it but it was too late to see if it was truly snow or just some illusion. " I help you? I mean you help me. No, I-" She hit herself in the forehead in an attempt to try and slow down the competing thoughts going in her brain only to be embarrassed by that action. ' He surely thinks I am some spaz, even if he can’t understand me,' Her heart was still racing but it was hard to pinpoint the exact reason due to all the potential stressors.

Matters only got worse when he turned to face her directly. Riven hadn’t gotten a good look at him before this moment but with his smile and piercing blue eyes, she knew she was a goner. Someone as beautiful as him had to be in high standing, technically she was too but her father was likely to give her younger brother the throne before her. Waving his pen like it was a magic wand another message filled the space between them again, she wasn’t sure if she had read his message correctly. If he was inviting her she didn’t want to appear any ruder than she had by staring at him so openly so she just nodded her head, grabbed her tray, and walked over to his table.

Looking at the floor between them Riven was surprised there were no wet spots on the floor from where the ice had fallen, ' Must be illusion magic then.' Her lips puckered slightly at the thought, disappointed as she wanted to experience snow. It was such a rare treat in her nation that she couldn’t remember what it felt like outside of it just being cold. But this wasn’t the time for her to talk about his abilities, especially when her own led her to this embarrassing venture. Placing her tray in the spot across from him, she gave him a brief curtsy before introducing herself, " Hello, I am Riven. Um- Thank you for inviting me to sit with you, sir." Holding onto her dress she could tell that she was shaking but she needed to power through for her to represent her nation properly.

Taking a seat and looking at the boy even closer Riven felt herself get even more flustered. Her parents had never let her experience talking to boys much before coming to Utopia and her first experience at the academy led to her kicking one in the face. She was sure that telling the stranger that she dreamt about him potentially dying was less than stellar small talk so she had to try and think of something else but her brain was coming up empty. " I apologize for staring at you so much today," bowing her head as the boy as a sign of respect, " I just, well, I had a dream about you and had to meet you." She did her best to keep it simple to not freak him out only to realize that she had yet to find out a single detail about the man besides his ability to skywrite. Riven didn’t even have a chance for her face to return to normal before it was red once again, " I'm sorry, what is your name again?" she squeaked out ready to collapse over all the energy she was exerting to not dive into a panic.

It was kind of the Lord to not be offended by her stares, Riven was doing her best not to worry about it but how could she not? If she told Addie about her mistake she was sure the princess would judge her severely for what she had done. Thankfully Lord Milo appeared to be rather unbothered by the looks, ' He must be so famous that staring is just something he is used to now,' Riven reasoned as she gave the boy a polite nod before starting her meal.

There was a moment where his mouth opened and no sound came out where she feared the moment of his demise might already be here but it was just so he could take a drink. Looking at his meal none of it contained the contents of which he had in her dream which only meant one thing. He wasn’t going to die. Well, at least not today. But even with that revelation, it was hard not to look at him as he ate, he was so handsome, he looked like a portrait come to life or an angel. Riven was having trouble deciding which one he closer resembled.

Her body finally started to relax as she ate with him until the fated words cursed her. It made sense for him to ask, if she was in his shoes she was sure he would have done the same, but it didn’t make it any easier to read. It felt like the words lasted longer than normal before they faded into oblivion giving her some time to think about how she wanted to respond. Her mother always taught her the importance of honesty but her father stressed how important it was that she follow the rules so she could stay at this academy while it wasn’t technically breaking any rules to tell him it felt like a strange loophole which made her rather uncomfortable.

There was also the idea of telling something they were going to potentially die and there wasn’t anything they could change it which never felt right. But his dreamy blue eyes looking at her were just staring at her expecting something. " My dream- um well, you know, it was just you sitting here, alone. And then, well, um, you died?" Riven felt her whole body tense up, closing her eyes as she braced for the man’s reaction. Milo had seemed rather calm and collected so far but she had heard tales about men who used lies to deceive women, and their true selves would reveal themselves later.

The duchess prayed that Milo wasn’t one of those men, but it was hard to tell from one dream and a small conversation if that was the case. She opened her eyes to see the same man in front of her, anger-free, which relieved her. Unclenching her fingers she sat back up and attempted to collect herself, " Thank you for not hitting me. Or throwing things. I don’t know if it’s of any comfort but the meal I saw was hot potatoes and ham which appears to not be on the menu today."

Riven’s brain had been so transfixed on the idea of her dream scaring him that she forgot to look at him. As her eyes started to open, she could see the falling snow effect once more, but the words were no more. Her blasted fear had gotten in her way once again! The duchess made a small note to ask what he said later when she wasn’t trying to maintain her grace in such a delicate situation like this. After all, if she was caught breaking the rules and accidentally revealed her title, she could get kicked out, and she just got here! The raven-haired woman didn’t want to have to leave already.

Thankfully, based on his expression, he wasn’t upset. Well, not angry. It seemed like he was more worried than anything else, which made sense, considering Riven had just told him that he was supposed to die today. It was a small thought, but she couldn’t help but wonder if some of the concern was for her as well. After seeing the flick of his wrist once again, she made sure to pay close attention to his actions and see the words he was trying to convey to her, no matter how terrible they were to see.

But they weren’t insults or scoldings, it was about the idea of someone harming her. It was logical to think about it so simply that hurting another student would result in the other getting expelled from the academy, but seeing it written so beautifully and by someone so dreamy? It was hard not to fall for the line, hook, and all. " Your words, you are too kind, sir." Despite this being their first meeting, her childish brain wanted her to believe that he wouldn’t say this to just anyone, that she was somehow special. Her parents always assured her she was for her title, but given that Addie was her only friend, it was hard to feel spectacular in comparison.

Reaching her hand out, she attempted to catch the icy message before it faded, but she was too slow. " My apologies, just your powers are so, fascinating," Riven hesitated to look at him as she spoke but made sure to do so this time given the mistake she had made previously. She didn’t want to miss out on anything this angelic man had to say to her. " Is the snow real?" It sounded so silly to ask as she knew the answer was “no” but wished for a different one anyway. The concern that her childish ways might start to catch up to her was boiling up, but it was nice to have such a calm conversation for once.

This was the longest Riven had ever had a conversation with a male before, outside her immediate family. Even Addie’s brother just seemed so unapproachable, and given everything she had said about him it wasn’t like she wanted to be starting conversations with him unless it was of the utmost importance. But Milo was different, he seemed kinder and smarter than most. It didn’t hurt he was also good to look at, probably one the most crushworthy of the men she had the pleasure of speaking to so far, she just hoped she wasn’t blowing it.

Their conversation started with her staring and had got to her dreaming about her possible death so she was sure that his visions of her were of someone silly but she was glad he was humoring her. Another movement of his quill made Riven focus back on him this time, sure she didn’t miss him this time, ' Something he can do outside of the illusions?' her curiosity piqued, thinking about what else he could do. Illusion powers had the potential to do a lot, exciting Riven at the possibility of what he might do next.

Riven felt her heart almost leap out of her chest as his hand was quick to grab hers. ' Is this really happening or did I fall asleep at the dining table again?' The panic started spiking at the possibility of someone catching her snoring in her mashed potatoes. It had taken hours for her to get the corn and stuffing out of her hair and nose the previous time. But his cold touch made her think she might be living in reality this time.

Seeing her name written in the snow, made her smile, remember the first time she had experienced snow as a child. She had such fond memories of Winter but rarely did it snow in her region of Chronos. She wanted him to do it again, she curled her fingers with his in order to try and see if she could control the ability at all herself. " Close," she beamed at the boy, " I normally sign my name with a heart above the “i”. Can you show me yours?" She mimed a heart with her other hand, embarrassed by the suggestion but trying to stay strong.

" Are your illusions always ice or do you use other elements?" Her curiosity had gotten the better of her but she couldn't help but want to learn more about him. Her heart was still pounding, and she was starting to shake as well but she didn’t want to stop the feeling of snow since it had been so long. She hoped he didn’t she was being selfish for asking him to use his abilities, but she attempted to justify it by thinking about how hers had caused the two to meet anyway. The duchess just hoped he was enjoying himself as much as he was.

Riven was sure to follow the boy’s motions appropriately and read his words carefully but was a bit confused. Xavier, that wasn’t the name he had written before. She was sure it was Milo previously. There was the chance she hadn’t read it right the first time, but this wasn’t the time for doubt. Lord Xavier had shown her nothing but kindness so far; if he wanted to be referred to by many names she was not going to object. Riven had to just figure out which one he wanted to mainly be called. Xavier mentioned another power but not having the space to demonstrate it which piqued her curiosity further. She didn’t want him to feel embarrassed for not being able to demonstrate his ability, especially when she was less than forthcoming about her own.

There was no issue she had in explaining her dreams to him, having already slightly given it away. But most of the people at the academy were gifted with two abilities, while she was just given one. One that she didn't have any control over. Most days, it felt like a curse than a gift, but her mother assured her that one day her powers would be more manageable. But as of right now, she was floundering with just the one. ' I am sure Xavier's other ability is just as beautiful as his ice writing.' She mooned at the thought.

" T-that’s okay!" Unsure what to say, she landed on three simple words to reassure the man, " I love ice," Her smile continued, there was no lie there. Ice was her favorite element, the source of one of her favorite treats, ice cream. Something she didn’t have often due to her village’s lack of colder temperatures but her visits to the main kingdom had her testing the treat from Hyouden. Riven wondered if Milo had ever had it as well, " Have you ever had ice cream Sir Milo, I mean Lord Xavier," She was making mistakes already, this was no good at all, her fingers trembled slightly as she realized her hand was still in his.

In an attempt at being brave, she massaged the lord’s thumb with her own and remained focused on his eyes as she asked her next question, " What would you like me to call you, my lord?" Her face started to blush again, but she was sure this was just a constant shade of red that would remain for the rest of her conversation with the kind man. Calling him “my lord” made her feel like she was starting to sweat, but she hoped that was just nerves. Nothing would be more uncomfortable than having to explain that to the man.

What an idiot the duchess was. Of course, the man had ice cream before! Being a royal and having ice powers, he was sure to come from Hyouden, and what was a delicacy for her was possibly a simple treat for them. Riven just hoped that soft-eyed boy didn’t lose interest in talking to her. This was the longest she had held a conversation with someone of the opposite gender outside her family.

Instead of being met with questions about her intelligence, Milo was kind enough to offer her a smile. The idea of flavor was something that Riven was unsure of. She had only had one before: vanilla. That was all that was available to them; she didn’t know there were other flavors but could imagine it was possible to mix other items like chocolate or syrup to make the delicious treat even sweeter. The talk of sweets made her crave some, but she didn’t want to be rude or risk leaving the table for him to have another woman take her place. She was sure the line for his company was miles long, given how soft his smile was and how kind his eyes were.

" Flavors? I have only had one before. Are there more than one?" What a silly question to ask! She already knew the answer before asking. Her fears of boring him were manifesting in the worst ways. This conversation had already gone on longer than she had imagined it could, so now she was just attempting to cherish each moment and look at his lovely face a bit longer. " Do you have a favorite, Lord Milo?" Her heart was bubbling inside her as she spoke the last two words, tempted to just refer to him without his title, but was too afraid.

Riven struggled with the idea of calling anyone with such familiarity outside her family and Addie, but those were different. A boy: there would have to be some time to have passed between them before she removed their title for fear of them assuming the worst of her. At the end of the day, she was a Duchess here on behalf of Chronos, and she needed to be a lady. Playing games would not make anyone want to her their wife, and while she was sure that someone as kindhearted and generous as Milo already had potential suitors, she did not object to adding her name to the list. But that meant that she had to have more conversations with him outside of this.