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[fears_nothing]

Niko never slept in, even in the relative safety of the island, and today was no exception. Sunrise brought tea and yoga, both for the purposes of limbering up and relaxing the mind. It was easy to get into a meditative state of mind in the early dawn quiet of the island. Most of the residents were still asleep at this hour and the few that were

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[1000_cranes]

It's time to get back to her life. Cadi's a quiet baby, stoic like her father, and she's happy in the sling close to her Momma's chest. Charlie supports her weight with one hand as she pads into the kitchen. She's signed up for Niko's yoga class in the hope of getting back in shape and, when she sees him, she smiles.

"Hey there, handsome," she says. "Cute trees."

[fears_nothing]

"Suddenly appeared," Niko offered, still watching them carefully. He didn't suppose they would suddenly spout blades or anything but only time would tell if they were as benign a gift as it seemed on the surface.

He looked up and gave the woman a polite smile; she wasn't someone he'd met but he'd seen her around before, he thought.

"I don't trust gifts when I don't know who gave them to me."

[1000_cranes]

"It does that sometimes," she says, shifting the baby's weight as she pads towards the counter to pour herself some tea. "Things appear. Madam got a stroller, this mornin'. I got art supplies a couple of years ago. I reckon you can stop lookin' at it like it's goin' to bite you."

[fears_nothing]

Niko laughed a little, but it was a startled sound. He hadn't realized he was staring so intensely and he took the opportunity to look up.

"Do you want me to get the tea for you? I don't mind."

He'd gotten used to helping Susan with Rickon and Helen and always liked to offer, even if she usually turned him down. He had the same instincts regarding this woman.

[kindofbroken]

Likewise, Crews liked to start his days early. The sun was the most crucial part of that, he supposed, in that he'd always had a weakness for soaking it up despite his complexion. That morning, he'd come up to the kitchen for breakfast, settling on a cup of hand-squeezed orange juice and some other food that he'd managed to prepare.

At the sight of the trees, he managed a quick smile.

"Haven't seen those types of trees in a while."

[fears_nothing]

"I don't think they're native to the area," Niko mused, touching one of them gingerly as if it might bite. He was still wary of them, not knowing where they came from, and was a little unsure if he should accept.

"Aren't they from Japan? Bonsai trees?"

It was an idle question, but Niko was half-curious as to the answer.

[kindofbroken]

"Their history's linked with both China and Japan, but I'd say they're more linked with Japan, these days," Crews said, taking a few steps closer to get a better look at the trees.

"They're lovely, aren't they?"

[fears_nothing]

Niko nodded, turning one of the little trees to admire it fully. "Someone clearly thinks I'm in a surfeit of zen right now. I would argue with them, but that defeats the purposes of achieving zen, doesn't it?"

A little philosophical for this early in the morning but Niko had never needed to adjust to waking up before being fully alert.

[tricksthetreat]

Habits were hard to get into, but the necessity of fitting into her skinny jeans meant that she was now a regular runner on the island. Not that she was one of those early-morning, run with the sunrise, obsessive-fitness types, hell no - Trixa got up when she got up and ran when she felt like it, this time finishing sometime mid-morning and heading to the Compound to see if anyone had made muffins... or doughnuts. She'd kill for a glazed this morning.

She was exercising, she earned her carbs, dammit.

What she didn't expect was a somewhat familiar face contemplating the eternal mysteries of shrubbery.

"Forty-two. Whatever the trees are telling you, they're lying."

[fears_nothing]

Niko looked up with a question on his face, wondering what, exactly, Trixa was getting at. No telling. He liked her well enough even if he wasn't overly friendly and he gave her a quick smile.

"They showed up on my doorstep this morning. I don't trust a gift if I can't size up the giver beforehand."

[tricksthetreat]

"Secret admirer?" Trixa set aside her visions of sugary goodness for the moment, coming to sit across from Niko, the possibly evil shrubbery between them.

"Call me crazy, but I don't think a bonsai bush is going to up and kill you in your sleep."

Granted, she'd heard of stranger things.

[fears_nothing]

"No," Niko conceded with a smirk. "But it might be poisoned somehow. Far-fetched, I know, but I like to have contingency plans."

He fingered one of the little miniature branches, watching as it sprung back into position.

[fears_nothing]

"These just appeared this morning," Niko said, looking up and granting Ishiah a small smile. He hadn't seen much of the peri since the puck had disappeared and while it had been a while, his presence now was not unwelcome. Ishiah was nothing if not even-keeled.

"Have you had that happen? Gifts from no apparent source?"

[fears_nothing]

"I guess it'd be all right to let my guard down about them then," Niko said, still slightly wary. "Now that I know they're not going to poison me, or anything."

If Ishiah wasn't concerned about the source of the gifts, Niko thought that was enough of a vote of confidence for him.