Welcome to Gaia! ::

Aya smiled a bit as Locke spoke. "She cares about you. I can tell that much. She let you near to help her after the Grignack came. She would let none near her without force when hurt in our home. She was like that before she came to us." She moved to sit beside him knowing she shouldn't speak more, but also knew he would need some information about his friend. "I've been told it was about three moons before she was brought, well taken from those she had been with to our castle. Father wouldn't speak of what happened during that time. I know he branded her as his, though that was so no other's could hurt her more. Once you've been branded by a king of our world, you belong to them. No outside tribe will mess with that. My father by no means is a saint. However, he does try to protect rarities or things endangered in our world." She would risk a moment and pat his shoulder before standing. "I wanted to warn of what you could be in for if you pursue her affections."

Drake looked to Jake after Sam left the room and sighed. "You know Jack, on the inside, I bet she's a scared little girl. I don't know what you find creepy about her. If its how she acts, maybe when you see her world you'll understand better. But for now lets all rest." He turned entering the hall and looking about before placing a hand on the door. "Aya, time for bed." He called through the halls knowing she was near.

Aya nodded soon hearing Drake's call. She sighed a bit soon heading to the spare bed. She tucked herself in and fell fast to sleep knowing well that she would be home soon. When she woke it was still early. She wondered if the others were awake and snuck from the room. She soon found Jack on the floor of one room and worried unsure if he was hurt. She knelt beside him shaking his shoulder. "Jack? Hey, come one wake up, this isn't funny. Jack?" She looked about unsure where the others save for Locke were, or if she should jump to a conclusion and get them.

Aya moved a bit back as Jack jumped awake. "You scared me. I thought you had been attacked." She noticed him distance himself away. She didn't understand why he didn't seem to want to talk to her. She stood offering a hand to help him up, though was sure he wouldn't take it. She remembered his waking comment though. "If you're talking about Miss, Sam. Don't try. She loves you more then you probably know. You don't have to know about her, it will come soon enough. Being with her and being beside her is all she cares about I'm sure."

Drake woke stretching knowing well they had some travel ahead of them. The good news being Andrea's portal would lead them to the castle courtyard. He knew as good of a tracker as he was, that world would throw him off. He soon made his way to Jack and Sam's room, soon catching Aya trying to interact with Jack, though wasn't sure it was going well.

Aya looked to him as he took her hand. She gave a light smile in encouragement. She thought on making food though was clueless as to how. "I guess, but I probably won't be much help. I've never cooked before." She felt nervous not wanting to mess it up.

Drake soon took note seeing Locke and nodded. "Morning Locke. Wasn't Aya in the spare bed in your room? Shouldn't she be awake?" He wondered how Andrea would act once back and the other world left behind.

Aya nodded though wasn't sure if things were called the same as the things in her world. She looked about the things he was getting together thinking at the questions he had asked her. "There's not much to say. This world is brighter in the day, but, there is usually a war, or a grignack season. And not sure about fun or games. Father has me study and training, and when that isn't being done it's princess etiquette and sleep. Silver one I think tried to play games with me when I was younger. She would hide somewhere and have me try to find her, then when I would catch her she would tell me to hide and she would find me. She always found me. She said hiding was a way of finding secrets only the castle could tell." She paused a moment thinking of the Silver one. "It actually saved me in the end. It's how I escaped."

Drake looked to him nodding on the comments of Aya. He smiled after a moment and patted Locke's shoulder. "Glad to see you getting back to your senses. I was starting to worry about you. It's one thing trying to get Andrea back to herself, but not when we got you back. Too soon for any of to loose our minds." He chuckled hoping the joke would lighten the mood.

Aya nodded listening to him as he had started to say something but let it go. She could tell what he was getting at, but also knew it would have been pointless. She was thankful though he seemed to finally open enough to try talking and interacting with her. She handed him what he had asked and a few other things now and then when he would need them till she could smell the food almost ready, or so she hoped. "Jack, before I go home, Silver one used to talk about something sweet she said she hadn't had since she was a child. Cookies I think she called them. Do you know how to make them? Think we may have time to make some I could take with me? You know, maybe to share with my father?" She wasn't sure she had the term right but also knew it had been many cycles since she had heard the Silver one talk about her past.

Drake looked to his friend patting him on his shoulder. "Well, as far as I can see, I've only known you for a few months now. And in that short time, you've grown a lot. All of us have. I'm glad to see it's going for the better, and not the darker. I'm almost too much darkness for this group. We certainly don't need more." He said jokingly. "But for now, I smell breakfast. Lets get young Aya back home, and bring Andrea back and work on those wounds of hers. I can't imagine that stitching? they called it, is all that good other then as a temporary hold." With that he would turn to Jack and Sam's room to see Jack working with Aya for breakfast and smiled, proud to see Jack finally relaxing around her.

Andrea woke in a sweat within her old room. The nightmare still playing out as she sat up holding a blanket to cover her form. She turned seeing Azreal sitting in a chair to one corner and shook her head. "You never could leave me alone. You realize what was once will never be right? That it wasn't my will at that time? You should forget about it."

He smiled seeing her wake knowing well the nightmare she had. He could always tell which ones they were by how she woke and acted. As she spoke he simply sighed and looked to her. "Yes Silver one. I remember well those times. And I will always hold the hope that you will choose me in the end. However, I do believe I've met the one where your heart truly lies, even if you don't know or acknowledge it. But soon they will return with my princess, and you will return with them. It will be a sad day for our kingdom, but an honored one."

Aya gave a light smile hearing she had the right item name. She was also happy to see Sam as she woke and went to him. It seemed to her things were on their way to being patched up for them. She went to work with Jack seeing Locke and the other entering now. "I helped Jack cook. I've never done that before, ah, the cooking part that is." She soon started plating some things while taking note of what had gone into everything and their proportions. "Maybe I could teach the chefs of our world how to cook. Though, not sure how Father would fair about that."

Drake laughed hearing Aya's enthusiasm about what her and Jack were doing. He gave a nod and smile towards Jack hoping he would understand the slight praise for trying to interact with the young girl, despite how much older she seemed.

Andrea thought on the king's words and shook her head before moving from the bed. She was glad she was a bit steadier then she was the evening before, though still weak. She hated being like this knowing the risks of it. "I need to prepare and reach the courtyard for heir return."

"Silver one, you're in no condition to do any such thing. Servants come." He turned soon seeing some hand maidens begin to tend his general. "Let them help you. Just work that power of yours and I will greet them in the courtyard. It's too risky if others learn of your return. The castle is the safest place for you now. When it's opened and they all arrive, I will send for you. Until then, rest." He moved to stand before her, a hand gently on her chin. He looked to her a brief moment before taking her lips into his own. They would stay a moment before she would kick him away and grabbing a blade. He smiled knowing it was the closest he had gotten to her in years.

"I told you, never." She watched him bow from the room before she would drop the blade and collapse within herself. She hated and loved that man. It worried her knowing if someone like the King could only get so far before her instinct took over, what would she do to someone she actually wanted to be held by?

She went about helping with the food soon taking a seat to eat herself. She felt like she for once did something other then sitting around waiting since she had gotten there. She kept to her thoughts though pausing a bit as she realized all of it was ending soon. She wasn't sure how she felt about it though.

Drake watched the group happy in how everyone was finally acting. He had been worried about them all since before Andrea's return, and more after she had. He soon turned though looking towards the door feeling a familiar shade and sighed. "She's opened the portal. The Shade on that side has reconnected with me." He tried to hide the relieved feeling he always got once a shade came back or connected with him. He wasn't sure he could describe his abilities to them.

Andrea stood despite the handmaidens trying to help her. she summoned hat energy she could feeling pain from the effort as the portal opened. She fell to her knees pushing the women away as she tried to hold it open knowing it had to be long enough for them to get through and for all of them to return to her world.