Welcome to Gaia! ::

Azana chuckled slightly, choosing to stand now and stretch her legs. "That's kind of what I meant, Gren...I know a lot more about what I don't like than what I do. When I think about what I'd like in a man, I get a bit too pragmatic for my own good..."

She took a sip, smiling at the couple. It was always nice to see them happily together...even though some would consider them an odd pairing. Sometimes the strangest ones ended up being the best...

"Do not worry, Azana, most think that way. But... Going for your exceptions can be extremely satisfying... For example, I never imagined myself falling in love with one as natural as Gren... And yet? I couldn't be happier..." He nuzzled the cheek, pressing a kiss to it.

Azana smiled at the encouragement, but the mention of going for the exceptions clearly darkened it for a moment. She took a long sip of her root beer, returning to her former jovial self in short order.

"I can see," she commented. "You two balance each other in so many ways...I would have been more surprised had you not fallen for one another."

Glancing up confused by the momentary dark look on Azana's face, he smiled curiously. "Balance, huh? ...I suppose I can see that. I'd always seen it as a sort of 'prince and the pauper' sort of scenario..."

Waving gently as MacPere fled, he chuckled. "Seems like we've both got schedules like that today..."

(No problem! I'll be on for a while yet. Have fun! heart )

Walking back down the stairs, in bike leathers, MacPere adjusted his gloves, laughing. "Seems so... I'd almost forgotten about work, though. I'll see you later on~?" He held his lover's waist with an arm and pressed a kiss to his lips, holding his helmet under the other. "I'll make it up to you with dinner~ Bye Gren, Azana~!" He waved before walking out and down to his covered bike.

Azana laughed, deciding to take to a chair for a story that would probably take a while to tell. "Oh, where do I begin with him...? We first met in...unusual circumstances. Back then, I was desperate for answers...and I only knew three people who could tell me. The Oracles...the problem is, they were allowed little to no contact with the outside world, kept confined in the Delphi Complex, an ultra-high security area in the GMO."

She stopped momentarily, pointing toward the bar. "You want something...? This could take a while."

Azana nodded at the summary. "Knowing all of that, I did what any insane agent would do...I broke in. Of course, my presence didn't go unnoticed for long...and in my running for my life, I found a room, went inside, and barricaded the door."

She smirked a bit. "Yeah, I know...wasn't really thinking things through at the time. Well, I ended up in the Oracles' chamber, must have been my lucky day...and there he was, with his two sisters, none of them surprised to see me." She closed her eyes for a moment, remembering the image vividly. "They looked...non-human, almost angelic...they each answered one question of mine. He was last...and acted differently from the others. I didn't know it at the time, but he exchanged, rather than gave, the information...not only that, but he teleported me out of there before the guards arrived."

She took a short break, sipping again at her root beer. "The next I saw him was again by chance...I was ambushed coming home one night, can't remember exactly what it was, and a tall, dark man in sunglasses banished it just in time."

Azana nodded again, knowing that Gren was keeping up. Some days, when she thought about it, the story didn't even make sense to her. "I bought him dinner in return, where he finally introduced himself as Sosol and explained his difficult situation. He had seen, in our exchange, glimpses of the world outside of Delphi and could no longer tolerate the confinement, no matter how comfortable or privileged...and so he left."

"Back in the old GMO, that was a big taboo. Oracles were devastating in the wrong hands, and any who were kidnapped or missing were to be brought back...dead or alive. I couldn't let them do that to him...I took him in, faking his death and sending back his blood-stained oracle garments as proof." Her fist tightened a little, remembering the conflict in her mind that took place...between her loyalty and her conscience.

"Sosol stayed with me for a couple years, earning his keep by helping around the house and taking care of Moonbeam when I was out on mission. Meanwhile, I worked on helping him control his excess psychic energy and teaching him practical knowledge about Gaia and avoiding the GMO. Even James got in on it, making him those special lenses he wears...and, apparently, a perception filter/glamour hybrid generator. That's when he arrived at the Inn the first time...and you know a lot of the rest..."