Simone had a checklist in her hands as she went down everything they needed. She put Everett on her hip and handed a basket full of food covered with a blanket to Dala. “Alright, operation Terrowin picnic away from the island is underway!” Simone had her hair in a long braid with a nice dress. Everett was actually looking quite dapper for a child of his age.

They had decided that taking them to the Hanging Gardens would be an excellent little getaway. “Mira, sweetheart, it’s up to you what you want to do,” she kissed the girl on the forehead and left it up to their newest little one what she wanted to do.

Lewis had Fiori, who was their biggest challenge since the girl had learned she did indeed have feet. She could race the fastest man alive and Simone swore it was her elven blood that made her so fast. She had braided Fiori’s hair into two french braids and she had on a cute little dress.

Everett bounced up and down as they crossed the portal, “Easy, what do you see?” He was becoming bigger every day and now he was enthralled with everything he saw. He squealed loudly as Simone took him over to a large flower. The boy kicked his feet and immediately tried to stuff the large petal into his mouth. “You can’t eat that silly boy,” Simone took it away from him but Everett yelled at her.

“Oh? Really?” Simone listened as Everett yelled in her direction again. He was pumping his legs angrily. “Daddy? What do you think? Are large flowers for eating?” Everett squealed more as he grabbed another petal on another large flower. “Everett…” She was eyeing her child who just yelled in her direction again with a grin and laughter.

“You are such trouble.” Simone tickled him and he giggled more as he held onto the petal and pulled it off the flower. The petal was as big as he was. “Well… Now, look at what you did,” Simone was laughing. “It looks like a blanket on him,” Simone showed Lewis and Dala. As long as he kept it out of his mouth she didn’t mind if he had it.

This was it. The first outing they would have as a family. Lewis was barely concerned about the whole thing. At least, that was how he was trying to react. The truth of the matter was that he was having a slight issue reconciling the fact that they were all going to be together, away from the area that he was most familiar with. Anything could happen. Bandits. Sky pirates. Evil rampaging Gods. Lady Angela.

Anything.

Still, he seemed calm and collected on the outside. The assassin had chosen a basic, light tunic and pants for the day. Easy enough to move around in, and fitted enough that he could hide a dozen or so daggers on his person. Not that he expected to need them, but Gods forbid he need them….

“All right then, Fiori,” he said as he lifted her, holding her against his hip. “Are you ready?” He looked at her crimson eyes and smiled. “Just a quick step through and…” As he stepped through, the beautiful sights of the gardens greeted them, with a gentle breeze and wonderful smells following. “Here we go,” Lewis said as he caught up to Simone.

“Everett….” Lewis was having a minor panic over him attempting to eat a petal, but Simone didn’t seem worried. Had it not been for her experience and their resonance, he would have probably aged a lifetime by this point. “Fiori, would you like down?” he asked. She might not have been up for walking, but she could still do her own exploring, and Lewis was always able to keep a watchful eye over her.

Mira was still getting used to living with so many people for more than a few days. Living on the road had been tough on the child, especially since she had to worry about a lot of things. It was nice to be able to stay with people she knew and know there was a place she could go to no matter what. The little girl was excited when she heard everybody was going on a picnic, even if she wasn't sure what that was. From what she observed, it was like going outside with food and some things. Eating food outside was different than when you did inside. Outside you could see the birds, lie down on the grass, and even watch the fish swim. She learned the names of the people who were her new family: Simone–the pretty lady with black hair, Everett–the little baby boy Simone had with her when they first met, Fiori–Everett's big sister who was littler than her, and Lewis–the papa of Everett and Fiori. When they arrived at the Hanging Gardens, Mira's bluish-purple eyes were wide at how amazing everything was! It was a garden, a big garden! And it was floating in the air! It must be very hard for other people to see this garden, since not everybody could fly like her. There was another girl with pretty hair like sunshine who Simone and Lewis knew, and she was older than Mira too.

Her clothes were a comfortable sleeved dress and shoes picked by Simone, and there was a hairband on her head. She liked keeping her long curly hair untied, and loose clothes let her move around easily. She smiled and gave a nod to Simone when the lady kissed her forehead, and she stood to watch everyone for a few minutes before deciding on what to do. Since Lewis and Simone were both busy with her little sister and baby brother, Mira was on her own for a little bit. Letting her orb float next to her, the child crossed her arms as she looked at what was around. The flowers were pretty, but what she loved the most was how the water would pour off the sides like great big waterfalls. Grabbing her precious orb, she tucked it close to her stomach before looking to see if the two adults were watching. When she saw they were preoccupied, her little feet carried her towards the edge and she hopped in, gleefully riding the torrent down like a giant water slide. 

With her floating all the way, there was nothing to worry about as far as Mira was concerned. Looking up as she descended with the flow, Mira noticed that if you slid from a higher level, the ride down would take longer. Once she was at the bottom, she would fly back up and try it again from the topmost layer of the gardens. Not only was it more fun, you could see so much more from there! 

Fiori was clutching to Lewis' shirt as they walked through the hanging gardens. Everything surrounding her was full of life and new fascinating sounds. She buried her face into Lewis' shoulder, rubbing her cheek against the soft fabric. The sun's rays were warm and she could feel that soft breeze flowing through the air. Fiori heard her father's question and she reached towards the ground. When she was placed down, she practiced take a few steps before sitting down again, Reaching towards the ground, she felt the soft grass and crumbling dirt.

The emerald colors of nature and the sapphire blue sky fascinated her, along with the dark brown tone of the earth. She poked the ground then grabbed a fistful of dirt. Opening her hand slightly, she watched as the dirt pour out of her hand and scatter as the wind pushed it all away. Now her dress was covered in flakes of earth and she started brushing it off. Looking up, she spotted Mira riding the torrent. Fiori reached up and snatched Lewis' shirt, yanking on it to get his attention then with her free hand, reached out for Mira.

Meanwhile,

Dala was laying in the grass near Simone and Everett, focusing on her work. She had been assigned some reading and was taking notes. Simone and Lewis had gotten a third child, a pretty girl by the name of Mira. Their family was huge now, having at least three kids. And Lewis seemed to be having a panic attack anytime something went wrong. Thank goodness for Simone's experience or Lewis would have turned as white as his hair.

Dala smiled as she watched the family before turning back to her reading. The text was about economic trades and how they functioned across Revaliir. Her notes were detailed and made in a beautiful cursive, something she was particularly proud of. Even though she was supposed to be on break, Dala kept doing more work. It helped her relax and gave her a feeling of purpose. And it also kept herself entertained while everybody was off doing their own thing.

Alythea was an expert when it came to flora. She had identified every specimen of flora back in her home forest, species that humans had no knowledge of. It wasn’t a hobby of hers, it was her life once upon a time. So when she had journeyed to the hanging gardens, she couldn’t help but stand in utter shock at how much she didn’t know. Large crimson flowers stood in full bloom, petals the size of the human spawn. The air was littered with tiny, glowing,pollen, yet her lungs were barely agitated. The warm glow of the sun was not intrusive, but comforting and welcome in the slight chill of the air. Islands connected by bridges and nothing else floated high off the world below, giving the grounded Alythea her first taste of high altitude. While Alythea preferred the ground and being this high up made her nervous, she couldn’t help but admire the view those high above saw.

The warm sun shined brightly on Alythea’s silver hair, sending sparkles into the air. In the bright light, Aly’s fair, porcelain skin was almost blinding. For this particular outing, she donned a well worn red and yellow tunic which once mostly likely once belonged to a man. She made her way through the gardens before something caught her attention from the corner of her eyes. A small human spawn… Child… was walking near the edge of the island. There were no guards. There was no one watching her. She walked further and further till she had come to the edge. The child jumped. Horror wreaked through Aly’s body as she lurched forward but not in time. Her heart was jumping out of her chest when the small child had floated back upwards, this time further than the current island they were on.

She rose into the air, floating to a small island that rested higher above them and jumped once more. Alythea rushed forward, her arms outstretched and picking the small child from the air and swinging her onto the ground. Her breath was uneven and heavy but she managed to give a small smile to the child. “Be very careful, little foal. Accidents are abound when you ask for them. Perhaps you could find something more appropriate than jumping off islands, yes? She asked, using a tone pleasant for small human spawn. “Tell me, little foal… Where are your caretakers?”