Welcome to Gaia! ::

Fiona let out a light-hearted laugh. “Yeah, we can go someplace cold.”

The heat over the last few weeks has been unbearable, especially since she spent at least 8 hours a day, minimum, at the ice rink for work. Leaving the cold building often gave her a bit of temperature whiplash when the difference between inside and outside was more than 40 degrees. Although her twin was absolutely loving the weather, Fiona often felt like she was going to melt.

“There are a few options. We can go to Baskin-Robbins or Coldstone Creamery for some frozen desserts. Or we can go to the ice rink, although it might be a bit crowded today.” When she glanced at the schedule yesterday, it appeared to have a birthday reservation at 2:00 PM with about 17 guests between the ages of 10 and 13. “I’m not sure what kind of space we’d have for me to give you a private lesson again.”

FIona looked visibly confused until Sylvie mentioned ‘your kind of cold’. Then the proverbial light came on.

“Oh.. oooh!” her face flushed at the realization that she meant homeworld kind of cold, not just AC. “Yeah, sorry.” She wasn’t used to anyone actually asking to go to her world. Last time was almost a year ago, when she picked ice flowers around Destiny City with Eleonora, and they wanted a place to preserve them.

Although her twin didn’t care much for the cold, as long as there was an adequate set of fur-trimmed clothes for her to wear, she didn’t complain nearly as much.

“It’s still pretty light out now, we’ll need to find a safe place so we can…” She nodded her head, leaving the reason implied. There were a lot of people walking around the park, it’d be unsafe if any of them saw the two of them power up. “Do you want to find some place in the shade to sit for a while and have some snacks?” She glanced at the small bag Sylvie was holding. “Or would you rather save them for later?”

“A walk would be nice,” she agreed.

Fiona allowed herself to be tugged toward the trail. Though mindful of where she stepped, she allowed herself a moment to glance up at the canopy of leaves that at least provided moderate shelter from the sweltering sun. “I’m looking forward to Fall. When the maple leaves turn bright red or dark purple. I think it’s prettier than spring.” Not to mention fewer bugs flying around, and the shift in temperature when leaving work was far less jarring.

However, it did mean that there would be more rainy days and fewer chances to go on walks like this, at least not without an umbrella. “What were the seasons like where you’re from?” Sylvie rarely spoke about what life was like on her homeworld, which was perhaps the reason the question slipped before considering that her friend might have reasons she kept those topics private.

“I’m sorry, you don’t need to answer if it makes you uncomfortable.” Fiona quickly added before Sylvie had a chance to reply.

Fiona watched Sylvie, nodding in acknowledgement as her friend spoke.

Although she didn’t have a full understanding of what happened to her world, Fi knew that her friend had survived the catastrophic event and had been alone for a long time. This differed greatly from her own experience in knowing that she was a reincarnation of the Alcor that would have been alive when Kemi had flourished. The circumstances of how she died in her previous life were still unknown, but she supposed that was perhaps for the best.

“It sounds beautiful,” she commented quietly once Sylvie had fallen silent. “Perhaps someday you’ll be able to experience seasons like that again.”

She tilted her head back again and looked up towards where her heart knew her homeworld was. “I don’t think my home has seasons. No matter how many times I visit, the air always feels the same, the light never changes. There’s no lengthening of nights like in Alaska. It’s almost like the world is frozen in time, either unwilling or unable to move forward.”

Sure, a few storms had broken out on the surface of her world: a blizzard with winds fierce enough to tear someone off their feet, and more recently, the strange purple lightning that had come in the wake of the Calamitous Hollow. But she often wandered below the surface where it was calm and safe.

“Alright, I just need a moment.” Fiona powered up and withdrew a long fur-trimmed coat similar to her own, but it was a dark blue with white fur trim. “Just in case,” she added, even though Kemi’s uniform was plenty layered.

“Now I’m ready.”