Welcome to Gaia! ::

Approaching the large, tall walls of the biggest Supercenter in all of Gaia, Akina couldn't help but feel a little more corporate than she was used to. She hid her face as she passed through the automatic doors, hoping that no one she knew would recognize her. It wasn't like the elf to offer any support to a major, heartless corporation like the Supercenter, but unfortunately, money had been very tight lately. These damn massive institutions of consumer goods had a stronghold on the economy, and they also happened to have the lowest prices. Not to mention their newest brand of marketing: top-notch daycare for all children under 12 when you shop.

So, with a guilty conscience, Akina quickly passed into the store with Brimstone in tow, quickly making her way over to the daycare check-in. Brimstone, meanwhile, had practically squealed with delight at the sight of the pristine walls and spotless floors of the store, much to Akina's dismay. His joy ended, however, when he realized that the elf was attempting to leave him with this happy, sunshine people. "Now, I just think I should let you know," the blue-eyed woman began, "that Brim is quite the handful. He... well, he doesn't always play well with others, and he can get--"

"Oh, don't you worry, ma'am! We here at the Supercenter Smile Center are used to kids of all kinds! Your little bundle of joy will fit in just fine and dandy!" interrupted a young blonde ball of pep and excitement.

Akina merely stared back flatly. "...no really. You don't understand. Brim is not a nice child. He is very, very tempermental and... special." This girl really wasn't getting it.

As if this was some kind of game, the chipper girl leaned in close as well, making a mock serious face and whispering, "We have it under control, ma'am!" She issued an overly expressive wink and pulled Brimstone from Akina's arms into her own. "Don't worry, Miss Tokuwa! Just be back here in an hour to pick up cute little Br-- OW!" The girl recoiled slightly, staring in disbelief at her right index finger. "H-h-he BIT me."

Inching slowly from the counter, the elf cracked an apologetic smile and said, "Yes, he does that from time to time." Not waiting for another word, Akina waved softly to Brimstone and bid him goodbye saying, "B, be good for them, please!"

Watching his mother disappear off into the store, Brimstone cracked a darkly mischevious smile as he waved slowly to Akina. The moment the elf was gone, he turned malovently to the woman who held him, grinned even wider, and said, "Fuuuuuntiiiiiime."

It took him all of five minutes to get put in the "naughty room". After pulling several pigtails, demolishing the punch and cookies table, playing Godzilla with the tower of blocks that had painstakingly been built, and causing general mayhem, Brimstone had been demoted to a pastel pink and blue padded room with a few stuffed animals piled in the corner, whose heads he quickly began to tear off out of boredom.

Meanwhile, Akina had made her way to the party supplies aisle and was up to her elbows in cheap plastic toys. It was Brimstone's first birthday party, and she wanted it to be special. Still, doing it all by herself while juggling her job and other children... it was getting pretty rough. So, tossing aside some My Little Pony plates and cups, the elf hoped to find something spaceship or chemistry themed to make her little boy happy.

Mid-way through dissolving the head of a stuffed bear, Brimstone froze as the prison door opened and another inmate was shuffled in. So, of course, the stubborn Shattered did what he always did when he encountered someone new; he stared the other child down. Was this new playmate some kind of sacrifice for Brim? Or was he meant to destroy him? Or, maybe, he was a kindred spirit? Well, it didn't really matter. A moving, breathing person was still more entertaining than a half-melted bunny head anyway.

"Hi," Brim said flatly, narrowing his eyes and watching Mirorim like a hawk. "Whaddid you do?" He quirked a childish eyebrow for a moment, fully prepared to find out just how interesting this new child was.

Meanwhile, Akina had just found her first lightsaber-shaped plate when everything came crashing down. Literally. Being not totally aware of her surroundings in her moment of triumph, the elf had been caught off guard as a very small child collided with her, sending corporate party supplies flying. As the debris cleared with Akina on the ground, the blue-eyed elf looked over to her attacker and muttered a stunned, "Oh, I'm sorry." Though this clearly was not her fault, Akina had a habit of apologizing anyway, and obviously, this was no different. "I didn't even see you coming. Are you alright?"

In the quiet, Brim had slid his hand back over to the bunny head again, reducing the remnants into a gooey pool of lukewarm plastic fibers and synthetic cotton with a cheap plastic googly eye floating across the surface like some kind of twisted lilypad. The Shattered grinned wickedly as Ror wrinkled his nose in discomfort, thinking it fun to experiment with others. Really, any experimentation was great fun for the young child. Like, when he ate Akina's lipstick to see what would happen or when he slipped that unpurchased CD into the woman's purse on her way out of the door. They were all opportunities to observe!

Growing bored, the neon-haired boy collapsed back against a blue padded wall and exhaled, wondering when his sentence in this hell hole would be up. "Who're you?" he asked at last in an attempt to quell his boredom and ignoring all previous comments made by Mirorim. Radioactive green eyes slowly dropped to the stringed beads Ror seemed focused on, and Brim contemplated who they might taste but thought better of it. For now!

Meanwhile, in the party supplies aisle, Akina was on her feet again with Star Wars plates in her hand and an apologetic smile still on her face. She watched the young mouse girl quietly, glancing down at her armful of party supplies as well. Then the mention of cakes? "Oh, I see," Akina began, chuckling lightly. "You must be getting ready for a party too. It's my son's first birthday, well, a few days ago. I'm trying to throw him a little surprise party, but... it just isn't going as planned. Everything is so pricey and..." The elf paused for a moment before dropping her voice to a bit smaller of a level and finished, "I have to admit that I have never thrown a party before. I didn't even think about having a cake."

Laughing awkwardly, the elf grabbed a bag of balloons from the rack beside her to occupy her hands, dropping them into the basket that sat at her feet. She crossed slowly to the invitations display and scanned for any power plant/technology/space themed ones before turning back to her new acquaintance. "I'm Akina, by the way," she greeted, offering a hand to the girl. "And whose party are you getting ready for?"

The scent of burning plastic seemed pleasant to Brim. It was the aroma of a reaction! Still, he seemed remarkably unphased by smells such as these in general. Perhaps all were not so lucky? Stopping his tirade, the nuclear child inched away from his puddle of ooze to get a better look at Ror. "Mirorimror," he stated, not quite understanding that the other child had presented a nickname.

Still, the ferocity with which the next voice Ror used fired back at him surprised Brim. He didn't know why, but something about the voice that he used seemed undeniably cool. How could anyone dislike someone who spoke like that? Yes, Brim respected Ror and his sharply direct voice, not quite able to wrap his childish mind around why it seemed so familiar. Either way, the Shattered liked it, which, in turn, encouraged him to respond directly back. "Brimstone."

Back in the store, Akina was smirking in amusement at the extreme joy that this child radiated. Oh, she had a child/brother around Brim's age and had never thrown a party before? They were definitely kindred spirits in that aspect. "We certainly have a lot in common," the elf laughed, putting back a packet of heart-shaped confetti. "Your brother is certainly lucky to have such a nice sister. I'm sure you will throw a better party than I can manage." And the elf meant it. Akina had no plans to make a cake; it would be a disaster. She had no plans for activities either.

Honestly, she had half hoped that a store like this would throw the party for her, but as she walked down the aisle, Akina could see just how out of luck she was. "Hello, Chuu. I hate to be a bother, but... do you have any suggestions for how I could throw a decent party? You see, my son is..." Oh, how to describe Brimstone? "...very special. And picky. And prone to tantrums. I'd be thoroughly grateful if you could lend me a hand." The girl who stood before the elf seemed much more prepared to throw a party than she did, and her pride could be sacrificed for today if it meant making Brim happy.

Watching Ror quietly, Brimstone found himelf warming up to the kid. He had a nice voice. Even more so, Ror seemed to be of the curious sort, which was something that the nuclear Shattered could definitely understand. He watched as the masked Shattered poked at the goo and listened to his strange question. "Bunny deserved it," he uttered cooly, narrowing his eyes at the pile of goo on the floor. Looking back and forth for a minute, the neon-haired boy stared back at Mirorim. "What you wanna do?" he drawled, leaning his head back against one padded wall.

Meanwhile, Akina was blushing and laughing in the party aisle, still not convinced that she was capable of throwing a decent party. In the midst of her embarrassment though, Chuu mentioned something that the elf was, in fact, familiar with. Fire girl? "The girl... Her name wasn't by chance Ilistala, was it? She is a friend of my son's who came to Gaia in the same way that he did." The elf let her voice drop at the end, wondering if Chuu would think her odd for mentioning that her son came to Gaia in any way other than through a birth canal.

"I haven't really thought of a guest list. I want a lot of people there, but I don't know if Brim knows enough." She paused for a moment, snatching another bag of plastic toys from the shelf. "What about your son?"