Welcome to Gaia! ::

The appearance of the little green flit as she walked off the Sands had been quite a surprise to Akaris, who'd been both wrapped up in thoughts of the eggs and distracted on the presence of Rylyrr, although she had done her very best to keep her distance from him for most of the Touching, and even after was determined not to get too...wrapped up, although it would have been easy to do so. But she wanted to prove that she had her priorities straight, and wasn't there ebcause of any...feelings. In that respect, the firelizard and its message had certainly helped to bring her focus back to where it was supposed to be. Maybe even a little too well - she hoped Rylyrr didn't mind the lapse in her attention!

Oh, but it was so wonderful! Not only a piece of Vimiath's own egg, or even the letter, but the knowledge that the gold was thinking of her, and fondly...and that she believed in her. She knew that A'ral and Zinath, R'mor and Junenth did, but it was different to 'hear' it from the gold. Vimiath had every right to hate her for what she'd done, but not only had she forgiven her, she'd offered her safety at her clutch's Hatching, and now thought fondly of her. After everything...

Even once she'd returned to Western with the rest of the candidates, she held both the letter and the shell fragment close for all the rest of the day, looking at both at every opportunity until lessons and chores were finally done. The time seemed to drag on and on, but at last, their free time arrived, and with Lovely draped around her neck, Akaris set out to find Talela and Hers. She hadn't seen the Queen up close in some time, more often than not keeping a shyly respectful distance, and she had to confess that she was...actually looking forward to it.

In most situations day-to-day, Akaris didn't often lack for confidence - though such situations had once been even fewer and farther between - but the Touching had definitely been well outside her comfort zone, given prior results. Seeking out Vimiath was not quite so intimidating, although once she did spot her, there was a definite shyness in her approach. The fear was months gone, but uncertainty remained, a product of lingering guilt. But the words of the letter she still held - a letter which after a while day of this was looking rather creased - were bolstering.

After a polite little curtsy, she held her head up and smiled. "Talela," she greeted, "Vimiath. I got your letter."