Welcome to Gaia! ::

Clad in a light yellow sundress, white sun hat, and dangerously high-heeled white sandals, Rowan headed out into the early evening. The heat of the day was beginning to dissipate into the rising breeze as she walked toward the small botanical garden. For the first time in what felt like months, she allowed her hair to trail loose behind her. If a youma grabbed it that would obviously still be a problem, but she was determined not to make every time she stepped out of her apartment an opportunity for combat. Chaos would probably not take any time off, but as Cuan had reminded her, she was far from the only one who could attend to that. Realistically, she couldn’t even be certain that she was the only one in her neighborhood. Speculating on who might or might not be involved had become something of a game for her, heightened absurdity only enriched the experience, after all.

Reginald’s archnemesis Arturo? Definitely an evil Mauvian. The adorable folds of his cute little ears no doubt hid eons of chaotic knowledge as the boys growled at each other from adjacent balconies.

Eccentric Antoinette downstairs? Obviously a knight of unparalleled power, wielding an enchanted knitting needle with the unavoidable force of truth and justice before she returned home to resume preparations for her next yarn bombing.

That wasn’t even scratching the surface beyond her apartment complex. Of course they just waited until after dark to make their transformations, stalking the night and securing the streets for the unwitting civilians. She let out a soft laugh through her nose as she walked, almost missing the odd little shrine in her self-amusement. It was a curious thing, a small structure resting atop a low wall surrounding the fragrant array blooming within. While nothing like the shrines she’d been tending on Tempesti it still drew her curiosity, the stone’s glow within enchanting in the calm it radiated. Her fingers hovered briefly over the offering before withdrawing. Whoever tended this shrine it wasn’t hers to disturb, and the magic surrounding her only reinforced this knowledge. The young woman glanced around as though they might return at any moment, eager to answer the questions she had about their work and its purpose. Such luck, however, was lacking and she saw only the quietly dimming street and the pale pink petals of a fallen blossom on the grass. Gingerly reaching toward it she plucked it from its place on the ground with careful fingers, its passage through the warm evening air wafting its aroma toward her. With a hint of a smile, she placed it gently beside the stone. It wasn’t much of an offering, it would have been strange if she wandered about prepared for the chance she’d encounter a mysterious shrine, after all. Still, a deeply comforting feeling settled over her, though she couldn’t say whether it was the shrine’s ambient magic or some psychosomatic effect of showing an earthly (unearthly?) shrine some love.

Carefully arranging her skirt, she lowered herself onto the warm stone of the wall. She’d made it to the botanical garden, it wouldn’t hurt to wait a while to see if the shrine’s creator decided to check on their work. Waning sunlight shot the sky through with purple and orange and though the day’s humidity remained, the mosquitos mercifully left her to her own devices as she sat with her silent companion.