Welcome to Gaia! ::

Serenity smiled and nodded, but a faint flush appeared, sprinkling across her cheeks. She was still unsure of herself on the matter of meeting Reno's father. She didn't know him, after all ... but, she reminded herself, she would never know anyone if she never met them first.

Summoning all of her courage, she murmured, "Maybe ... I can meet your father ..."

She didn't know if she should add anything else, like ... 'first' ... or 'now' ... or anything. But in a way she sort of wanted to try meet him on her own, before Mama came, because then she could be proud of herself in starting to get over her shyness. At the same time, though, she was terrified.

Serenity's face turned a deep shade of red as the man approached, and when he spoke to her, she smiled back but lowered her eyes. She opened her mouth to reply to him, but her throat had closed up on her, and she found herself unable to speak.

"Hhhh ... hhhh .... hhhhhhi," she squeaked finally, her face beet red. She got to her feet awkwardly and bowed at the waist as she had been taught to do when greeting people. She wanted to add that it was nice to meet him, too, but the words wouldn't come - so she trusted the bow to say it all for her.

Serenity straightened and swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat. She took a few gulps of air, then stuttered, "W-we built a s-sand castle ... s-see?"

She pointed at the castle that she and Reno had begun to build to show EJ, feeling slightly better. Her face, however was still a bit red - her cheeks especially.

"Reno s-showed me how to play in the w-water," she added bravely, looking up at EJ properly for the first time. "And we m-made the castle together, and I t-taught him about merlin walls and p-portcullises and stuff."

She put her hands together in front of her and twisted them together nervously. Why was it always so much harder to meet grown-ups than it was other children?

Serenity realized with a start that EJ was ... rather a lot like Reno was. She smiled. That made it easier for her to feel more relaxed, which she did immediately.

"Mama used to live at a castle," she told EJ, her voice coming naturally once again. "But now she lives in Gaia and she adopted me and my siblings, and she brought us here for the day so we could have fun while she's gone with Lore. He's not my papa yet, but he will be someday."

She was so focused on EJ that she wasn't quite paying attention to Reno - though, if she had been, she might have thought he looked a bit dopey at the moment. As in out-of-it dopey, not stupid dopey; Mama had taught her that it was very rude to call anyone stupid or any variation of the word.

"Mama's coming for me," Serenity replied as quickly as she could, not realizing that her tone might come across as rude. Her eyes were wide with terror at the idea of going home with people she had just met. "She'll be here soon, I think, to come get us."

It wasn't that she wasn't thankful for the offer, she knew he was being kind to her; but she had never been alone before, and she didn't want to be ... especially if it wasn't with a family member.

"But thank you for offering," she added as an afterthought, blushing again. "Maybe I'll come see with Mama sometime ... or you should come see our cafe," she suggested. It was a spontaneous suggestion and it had taken even her by surprise. Never in her life had she been so bold before.

She was certain that Mama wouldn't mind, though ...

Serenity thought carefully for a moment, then slowly murmured, "I ... think ... our cafe is in Barton Town, too ... maybe ... something like that. But it is in Gaia!" she added in a rush. "I do know that much! We don't get many customers either, not in a long time ..."

Not since the fiasco that had happened shortly before Serenity's birth, though she knew only little about it.

"I think Mama would really like it if you came to see us," she smiled at EJ and Reno, putting her hands behind her back shyly. "And I would like it, too."

Serenity was about to reply to EJ's question when she spotted a phoenix flying just above the horizon line a little ways out over the sea. Her eyes lit up - phoenixes were her favourite birds - and she turned back to EJ and giggled, her shyness suddenly gone.

"There she is!" she pointed at the phoenix. "I guess she hasn't found anyone else yet, or else she wouldn't be alone."

The phoenix flew quickly towards Serenity and lit on the sand beside her. For a moment, it just stared at EJ and Reno as if measuring them up; then it spread its wings and became a tall elfin woman with waist-length black hair, green eyes, and dusky skin. She was wearing a pale blouse and long crimson skirt with golden leaves down the side, and she put her hands on Serenity's shoulders as she stood behind her daughter and smiled at the strangers.

"Mama," Serenity smiled widely, putting her hands over her mother's, "this is EJ and Reno! I played with Reno today! He's my new friend!"

The woman smiled and bowed her head to the others. "Hello," she said in a soft voice. Then she straightened up once more and her smile widened. "My name is Elnara Aldrich Winters ... just call me Elnara. Pleased to meet you."

By which she also meant, it was nice to meet someone my daughter isn't terrified of.