Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

Peppermint smoke wafted through the air, red and glimmering with magic.

Terra wasn't much of a smoker, she never had been; after all, you've got better things to do when you're twenty-seven and you've got a bar to run, not to mention the various kids you take in.

But sometimes, there were moments when she couldn't help herself, when she had to sink back into old habits to try to escape cruel reality.

"So, yer tellin' me she went off and kicked the bucket?" Terra grumbles to the bird perched on her finger. It's a rather arrogant little thing, stupid and vain but helpful nonetheless.

It squawks out a confirmation, barely overheard over the sound of the early morning waves crashing on gold beach. It's a peaceful time, when the waterspouts have melted away and the ocean is calm for once. After all, there hasn't been much calm lately. But then again, war does that to you.

"Well, ********. Jinx ain't gonna take that so well, is she?" Terra mutters out loud through her cig, feet clacking as she makes her way across boards pressed into the sand.

The bird rolls it's eyes, deciding to rest at the beach before going off to his next destination. After all he's traveled a long way, and world dominating birds always need their beauty sleep. Especially when it's so damn early in the morning.

"Now I've had experience with a lot of things, but damn." Terra mutters under her breath, biting at the end of her cig. It's funny, how such a tough and intimidating woman like her can get so attached to a couple of kids she's only housed for a few months.

Drunks begin to litter the sand as she continues to stride. They're all from her bar, pathetic, worthless fools who don't deserve any mercy from the Sand Golems. After all, Terra is housing half their children.

As she pushes the curtain away from the door, roof shading her from the rising sun, a small patter of footsteps make their way up to her. She looks down to see a small girl clutching her teddy, eyes wide at the sight of the looming woman, but full of trust.

The girl's chubby cheeks crease with dimples as she shoves out the bear in her arms. Slowly, slowly, it moves an arm to greet Terra.

The older woman feels a smile crease her face as well, and she waves back to the little teddy before ruffling the small girl's light blue hair. It's an admittedly odd color, only showing up in one type of species.

"G'job, Nixie." Terra mutters with a nod of approval, staring at the child with fond eyes. She looks back up with bright green eyes, smile becoming wider.

A regular child would have responded with something equally as cute, but little Nixie is mute. Terra can't help but glance down at the small queer little thing that adorns the girl's neck; it's a third of a sand dollar, white as stone.

Terra had never known what it was for, and even if she had asked Nixie, the poor girl couldn't reply. She was only about two or three, sent to the older irish woman's tavern to escape the cruel cold touch of war. The girl barely knew how to write.

Barely being the keyword, anyways. There were always two words that Nixie always managed to write in shaky writing when Terra gave her a notepad and paper.

They were 'Lynne' and 'Kaelin'.

Terra wasn't sure who they could be, or whether Nixie would be able to tell her before she forgot. But still, there was almost a sense of hope in the way little Nixie always managed to write them, and a glimmer of something knowing in the little girl's eyes when she looked up at Terra expectantly.

Terra picked up the small girl as she walked passed the tables, morning light beginning to shine through the windows. She paused for a moment as she walked by, suddenly noticing a strange vase of flowers on a table she had never noticed before.

One of the flowers, a wilted lily, had already lost all it's petals. They lay scattered on the table, making Terra feel a tad depressed.

But there was a smaller bloom next to it, just opening up to show a glimpse of brilliant teal petals.

As one life ended, another's would begin. Terra smirked quietly to herself as she chewed up the rest of her cig, the peppermint smoke filling up the front room.

And in a way, she knew things were going to be okay.