Welcome to Gaia! ::

((Hahaha, Em references yet another classic scifi novel! For Ballentine and Rik/EmperialTeal.))

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Sand, sun, and surf made for the absolute ideal perfect day on the Barton Coast. Sunbathers and swimmers dotted the beaches from the Cliffs to the Port of Gambino, soaking up the rays and showing off their new summerwear. Cute girls in barely-there bikinis splashed in the shallow water, their muscled and bronzed boyfriends demonstrating their strength in the deeper water further out. Every so often, one of the swimmers would be swept away by an undertow and drift out to sea, but there were so many people on Gaia no one ever noticed if a handful went missing in the ocean.

Third skipped along the sandy shore, kicking up sand with his booted feet. He was not dressed for the summer. His heavy black coat with its fur trim looked more suited to the Siberian winter. Anyone else would have died of heat stroke within two minutes, but not Third. He was perfectly comfortable in his heavy coat. In his hand he swung a bright red plastic pail with a blue plastic shovel rattling around in the bottom.

So too was his daemon Constant, but the difference was her coat could not be removed. Her dark fur gleamed in the bright sun as she ran alongside Third. She looked ready for winter, but in reality she wore her summer coat, thinner and cooler than her fur in winter.

Rounding out their little group was Third's guardian Emperial, walking along in a long-sleeved patterned blue Oxford shirt and grey slacks. Her olive green Imperial hat sat snugly on her head, silver disc in the front glinting and gleaming as it caught the sun. Despite the long sleeves and pants she was perfectly contented. Her physiology was such that she never seemed to get hot no matter what she was wearing or how bad the humidity became. Some biological adaptation from her childhood in Miami, Florida. In one hand she carried a bundle of large towels and a beach umbrella, in the other her shoes and socks and a paperback book. As she walked she dug her feet into the soft warm sand, letting it spill over her splayed toes.

The overdressed trio attracted a few stares, which all three summarily ignored as they set up a small camp a ways from the shore where Emperial could sit on the towels under the umbrella and read her book while Third and Constant headed for the wet sand nearer the water. The only thing the scene needed was a pina colada and it would have been a true vacation.

Third and Constant began the slow task of filling their pail with wet sand and carrying it up to where the sand was drier. Constant used her paws to dig holes, leaving piles of turned-up sand for Third to sweep into the bucket. They made a good team and soon had a sizeable pile of sand ready for building. They set about the task of building a sand castle with little regard for the rest of the world.

Constant noticed Corpse in return. The little wolf was well attuned to the smells of daemons and Forgotten, even unfamiliar ones. There was something musty and bookish about the scents, nothing a human nose would pick up on, but Constant was no human. She barked invitingly to Corpse, simultaneously informing Third of her discovery of another Forgotten and daemon.

It was Third's turn to look at Corpse, and his first thought was, A skunk in a hat? He had seen a skunk briefly from afar at Wilbur's house. He knew skunks were something to avoid, and if you scared one, it would spray you with a stinky substance that took forever to get rid of.

But this little "skunk" seemed perfectly at ease on the crowded beach, and by Constant's report, it was a daemon, so Third figured it was probably okay. He and Constant exchanged a quick look before abandoning their shovel and pail and heading over to investigate.

It was one of those rare times when Constant was called upon to communicate with another daemon. She began with a simple greeting, "Hello!"

Third looked at Corpse. He asked Jason, "Will she spray me?" He had the gender right, but not the species. He looked curiously at Colby. So this was another one of his kind, albeit one who was younger.

Constant continued right along chatting with Corpse. "I'm Constant and this is Third. We all come from books!" The revelation seemed to excite her and her tail wagged back and forth in happiness.

It was then that Emperial chanced to look up and see some strange blue-haired man accosting her child. She quickly ditched her book, mentally marking her page, and began marching towards the group at a stiff, deliberate, "I'm not really scared" pace. It completely failed to mask her fear. If anything, it gave her a distinct air of worry and concern.

The response was automatic by now: "She's not a dog, she's a daemon." It seemed Third could not go a day without saying this to someone. He and Constant had only to walk down the street and one of their new neighbors would wave to him and compliment him on his dog. He learned that the sentiment was rarely detrimental: most people had very fond memories of dogs.

Still, it was obvious to Third that Constant was no mere dog. He thought it would be obvious to everyone else, but maybe you needed a daemon to be able to recognize other daemons. (And maybe it was a bit unfair for the boy who thought Corpse was a skunk to be mentally complaining about how no one knew his dog was a daemon.)

"Is there a problem?" came Emperial's shaky voice as she made her way to Third's side, looking at Jason distrustfully. She could no more recognize another Forgotten and daemon than Jason could.

Third touched a hand to Emperial's arm. "It's fine," he assured her, "they're from the Library." Then he turned back to Jason. "I'm Third, this is Emperial, adn Constant."

Emperial scrunched up her shoulders nervously at her introduction, biting her lip adn looking away momentarily. However unnerved Jason might be by a woman, she was equally unnerved by him.

Unfortunately, Emperial was not so standoffish. She was always slightly uncomfortable with physical contact, but years of dealing with other humans had taught her that extending your hand for a shake was a good way to make a positive impression and showed initiative and friendliness. With that in mind she said, "I've been in the Library and didn't mind it." Then it happened. She took a step forward and stuck out her hand. "Emperial Teal Atreides-Piett." No more ranks, no more titles, those went out with the Fleet in the conference. (except perhaps Empress, but she did not bother to use it.)

The hand hung there in the air like the elephant in the room, large and forceful and demanding of attention.

The proferred hand balled into a fist and Emperial narrowed her eyes. "Okay, fine," she said through clenched teeth, already plotting exactly what kind of ice cream cone she would ask for. Three scoops, different flavors, gummy bears and sprinkles and chocolate sauce, the most expensive type of cone, topped with anything else she could think of and like to eat and would jack up the price.

Third also sidestepped, a little worried at Emperial's sudden change in demeanor, as well as the subtle shift in her presence that he could not accurately describe but was concious of nonetheless. Constant noticed it, too, so he was not imagining the difference. He could only describe it as "something else." Something unsettling. "Yes, we'd like that," Third smiled to Jason and Colby, even though he was not particularly hungry and thought ice cream might make him feel sick. The good kind of sick kids get from eating ice cream when they shouldn't, or too much cotton candy at the fair. So long as he avoided rollercoasters it would be fine. Maybe they would even have lime sherbert.