Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ai rinses out the teap pot and starts a fresh batch, taking it into the living room when she's done, pouring it there so she doesn't need to carry a dish. Then climbing into the abandoned platform bed, she closes her eyes, thinking only of listening to Kero play, of concentrating on the music, but she's used up quite a bit of energy repairing the harp and it catches up with her. Soon her soft snores keep time with his music and the dark furred lion has to smile to himself as he drags a blanket over and tucks her in. Some things never change.

Ai looks up from where she is sitting at the table and laughs. "Shar said she was coming down remember... with Corby this morning. I think she'll do your lesson then and you don't have anything with Mica until after lunch, so calm down... your books are where you left them... upstairs on my nightstand. Though why they are up there I will never know."

Ai hops down and stalks over to where he is standing. He can see she's grown a tiny bit, but not all that much since the day before. Reaching up she bats him lightly on the nose... a gentle maternal chiding... but odd coming from one so small. "Enough, neither of us have been angels... pun intended. So we are going to have to just do better... naturally, but going out of your way to bend over backwards is just going to set you up for failure. Be yourself. You owed Shar nothing... nor Corby. The people you do owe apologies to are not here save for me and I've already forgiven you. Though if you wish to apologize to the healer in my stead go ahead... but I really do think I should be apologizing for myself..."

Ai falls silent, her face toughtful and sad, and shakes her head. "I don't know where he is. I keep looking for him to walk through the door, but he doesn't. I can't feel him either. He's blocking me for some reason or another... I guess we just wait for him to come back. Hopefully it will be soon."

Ai sighs and looks away, her eyes shadowed by something that sharply reminds Kero of fear. She starts to say something then a knock at the door interrupts them.

It is Shar and Corby, the former with a basket over one arm and Corby looking thinner but hearty on the other.

"Kerobian!" she calls as she enters dragging the neko in with her. "I found your wayward student languishing in the temple gardens. He needed some air so I told him he should accompany me on a walk."

Shar turns the cat man loose then bends down to give Ai a hug. "Maya made scones today so I talked her into sharing the wealth. Is the tea on?"

Shar laughs merrily and drags Corby and Ai into the kitchen. She sits the basket on the table and lifts the cloth covering it. In it rest eight large scones, still warm from the oven.

"We'll need to eat them right away or they'll be cold. I practically had to make Corby run all the way here, so we'd get them here before they cooled. There's four different kind, so pick the one you like best..." she instructs the three felines and goes to the cabinet for plates.

*insert your favorite here... I love the ones they make up here with blueberries and cinnamon*

Corby, not surprisingly heads for a scone that has cheese crumbled in it, making Ai laugh. While Shar sellects a raisen traditional.

"I see you still have you addiction to any and all things made from milk." teases the bard as Corby nibbles on his choice, taking tiny neat bites, making sure he misses not a single crumb.