Forum Thread

Amber was trying not to laugh as she watched, Raaja curled around her feet. Barley had spotted Amber and was yowling to get off the boat, Ravenpaw ecstatic as he raced back and forth. But Amber didn't notice her cats and kept watching the Harpy try to flirt with Athena.

alright, timeskip. we're at gayland!!!

They were in the port. Finally...that took a lot of effort. Theo sighed, looking around. "Now, we won't spend too much time here, alright? Can't get sidetracked. We also have to talk to Astra first."

---

Kendo whooped. He loved gayland.

---

Barley and Ravenpaw scampered off, sticking next to Theo as Ravenpaw discarded his pirate hat back onto the boat, Barley rolling around in the dirt, staining his bandana around his neck. Ravenpaw was shuffling through ferns and plants, sneezing as he found a Hibiscus. Amber and Raaja had probably been taken to the main city, while Barley was now rooting through spots to try and find his owner.

A few minutes ago...

Saiko stared into the abyss as they lurched into the dark sky silently as the boat moved slowly but surely closer to the island. The air blew past them, night receding for every minute that passes. She looked over the side, trying to track the rivers on the island and the artificial sea, the shadowed valleys, but they were going too fast, and she recognised nothing. She closed her eyes.The lands streamed by, and the wind ran across her skin. She imagined pitching over the golden rail into the open air below. It would feel good, she thought, before she hit the ground.

They landed with a jolt onto the runway, Saiko opened her eyes to see a high soft hill, thick with grass. Saiko forced herself to step down the ship, despite her wish to take a closer look at her surroundings. The moment her foot hit the ground, a mechanical whirring sound could be heard, and the ground opened, with Astra and a fleet of harpies standing on the platform that slowly rose up, Athena and Amber standing safe and sound beside her. "Welcome to my personal Delphinus my fellow colleagues, apologies for the bumpy ride, but i wasn't expecting you to visit me here."

Saiko stood on the runway, which had suddenly become a grassy clearing.The breeze blew sharp against her cheeks, and the air had a fresh scent. She could not savour it. Herhead felt heavy, and her throat had begun to ache. Astra immediately noticed and offered a smile to Saiko.

"You must be tired, come with me, let's head to my private estate." she waved her hands towards where her back faced haphazardly, making Saiko peer up where she was indicating. On the hilltop before her was a house, wide porched, its walls built from finely fitted stone, its doors carved half again the height of a man. A little below stretched a hem of forests, and beyond that was a glimpse of the artificial sea they flew over.

It was the forest that drew Saikos eye.It was old growth, gnarled with oaks and lindens and olive trees, shot through with spearing cypress. Tht's where the green scent came from, drfiting up the grassy hillside. The trees shook themselves thickly in the sea-winds, and birds darted through the shadows. Saiko knew then, that she would remember this place for years to come. All her life she had been used to the same old dimly lid hallways and paperwork, same old boring routine every day. She wasn't prepared for such profusion and she felt the sudden urge to throw herself in like a frog in a pond.

She hesitated. She was no wood nymph, she didn't have the knack of feeling her way over roots, of wlking through brambles untouched. She could not guess what those dshadows concealed. What if there were sinkholes within? What if there were bears or lions?

She stood therr for a long time even as Astra stared at her and the others to make the first move, fearing such things and waiting as if Astra would reassure her, say yes, she may go, it would be safe. The sun slipped over the artificial sea and began to douse itself in its waves. The shadows of the forest deepend, and the trunks seemed to twine against ech other. It is too late to turn back now, she told herself. Taking a deep breath, they finally strode forward and led the group to Astras house at the top of the hill.

---

Athena flew slightly behind the flock of harpies. Maybe they were more friendly than she thought. They hadn't tried to tear her to pieces yet, and Chase was quite nice.

'Gayland'(?) was slightly better than Glockhaven. But it was still hot. Still, she was on the errand of niceness, so she landed gracefully behind the harpies.

---

"ohh...woah." Private estate...lucky. Theo was walking behind Saiko, looking around. The seemingly natural state of the island amazed him, as he was used to a more bustling market scenery. "This place is...beautiful."

---

Kendo followed theo, Bouncing around.

---

Astra smiled. "Naturally. I oversaw the making of this segment myself, It was made to represent the home i once lost, and a home i never had..." Astra fidgited with a necklace that hung at the base of their throat. "But yes, Aiaiia is quite beautiful. The city part is seperate from this part of the island, we have to cater to the people on their honeymoons after all."

---

"Heh, yeah. Someone seemed pretty excited to come here." Theo muttered. And obviously he was talking about Kendo. "How busy is the city around this time of year?"

---

Kendo bounded up.

"Love this place. It's like the opposite of Glockhaven. So much better."

---

The cats had scampered along, Barley still trying to find his owner. Abruptly he looked up and angrily yowled at Astra, tail lashing, then ran off. Ravenpaw looked from Astra to Barley's vanishing tail and sat down, now grooming himself. Ravenpaw had sat down right in the middle of the path.

"Business is boomin'! Unlike electronics, love never goes out of fashion, it's the gift that keeps giving! The tarot card industry is doing fine too, you know how couples are with future stuff." Astra waved her hands dismissively. "There was a bit of a dip in people today, followed shortly by a rise. I take it you know the reason why." Astra smiled at Kendo. "I'm glad you like it here, Kend."

---

"Nice, nice. I'm more used to a loud environment...this area is peaceful. It's a nice break."

---

Kendo grinned cheerfully.

"OF course I do! It's gay and it's bright and it's colorful! I love it!"

---

Amber called Barley back, and he came running. Barley snuggled up to Amber's leg, Raaja hissing at any bird-like person, including Athena. Ravenpaw wove between Amber's ankles, and Amber smiled as he ears twitched. The cat-girl brushed aside her hair. "So this is Gayland? Not as tropical as my island, but I'm used to the heat."

Touching down into a run, Athena caught up to Chase. "Is it always this hot?" That was either a fatal mistake or the best thing she could have said.

---

"Like I said earlier...never would've thought you would have a soft spot for romance." Theo said, talking to Kendo.

---

"And I never would have expected a good-looking person as yourself to hate romance. We were both wrong there, eh?"

---

Amber was looking around, and her eyes kept falling back to Kendo longingly. Raaja had settled down and Barley was pawing at Kendo's legs, meowing. Ravenpaw was rolling around in a flower bush.