Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ysanne sat near the window, watching the outside world as her brush tugged through the long hair. She hadn't braided it yet, and the vivid blue of the top layer all but hid the white of the lower portion of her hair, spreading over it. Her eyes were thoughtful, caught by Trio as the woman laughed with Tera and Aileron, an odd creature on her shoulder. Ysanne's wings tucked around herself protectively, despite her intentions to remain outwardly calm.

Maq entered the room on foot, Sinthret padding along at his left side. Over his shoulder he had slung two of his strings, braided tightly together and doubled over so that it wouldn't drag on the ground. He stopped just inside the door, nose twitching slightly at the faintest of strange scents in the air. Sin stopped as well, lowering his haunches so that he could sit beside his keeper, peering up at the male Feien with his whiskers extended.

Ysanne didn't seem to notice, drawing her hair around one shoulder and exposing an expanse of purple back and jagged lines. The brush continued to work through it, though the hair was already smooth and dry.

It was the sudden appearance of purple in the corner of his vision that caught Maq's attention, and he turned to see what it was. Ysanne, of course. He smiled to himself, watching her movements, the way she watched something herself. He shook his head suddenly, mildly mocking himself for standing there like some voyeur or something. Using his legs for the initial liftoff, he flew up from the floor towards where she sat, making little effort to move quietly. He wanted to talk to her, but didn't want to scare her, after all.

She glanced up, hair tumbling back behind her as she watched him calmly. "Maquinar, correct?"

"Yeah, that's right." He set down near her, but not so close that he towered over her. The smile on his face was easy and natural. "Though I prefer Maq. Doesn't sound so formal."

She nodded, moving to catch her hair up in her hands and begin the process of braiding it. Her fingers carefully slid along the edge of the blue, revealing the white beneath. "I thought you'd be with Aileron."

His eyebrow raised at that. "Why?" Folding his legs in on themselves, Maq sank into a seated position on the surface beneath them.

"Because the two of you seem to be friends." She watched him settle into the carpet beneath them, the ledge made by someone who'd owned cats before. "Why shouldn't you be with him?"

"Just because we're friends doesn't mean I have to spend all my time with him," he pointed out. He grinned at the thought. "That'd almost be like we were a couple or something."

Her lips thinned, a faint sneer coming into her eyes before she turned away, fingers making deft work of the braid. "The way he cuddles everyone, I wouldn't be surprised."

"Whoa now, I've *never* been cuddled by Aileron." He laughed at the thought, running a hand through his hair as he did so. "We've hung out and chatted, but it's all good, clean fun."

"He cuddles everyone else," she said, the words twisting slightly. "Perhaps you should feel slighted."

"That's news to me. I've never seen him cuddle anyone, except for the Pixacritters." A small vertical line appeared between his eyebrows as he thought about that, but smoothed away quickly.

"I'm sure you'll have the opportunity soon enough," Ysanne assured him, wings fluttering as she stretched them for a moment. "Did you want something?" She resisted the urge to go for her mirror - hopefully, the braid was all blue, and arranged correctly. It HAD been her first test with the coloring that Youkochylde had offered her.

"To talk with you, actually." His eyes tracked the movement of her wings, before settling back on her face. "I figured that Aileron wasn't the only one around here worth talking to." He grinned with that statement, broad and genial.

"Did you now?" Ysanne asked mildly, head tilting as she peered at him. "And what would you like to talk about?"

His shoulders rose and fell in a shrug, as his hand reached up to scratch lightly at the scar on his chest. "Whatever, really. Maybe we can start with how I could have sworn your hair was all white the other day, and go from there?"

She raised an eyebrow, but a faint smile came over her face nonetheless. "It was completely white yesterday. Or, indeed, earlier htis morning."

"And somewhere between then and now, it turned blue." He nodded, letting his face fall into a contemplative expression. "Interesting. Any idea what happened?"

"A rather good one. The question is, do YOU have any ideas what happened?" She smirked at him, enjoying the game.

Which was exactly the idea. "My first guess would have to be 'Attack by Sigil'." The tiny darkening of his orange eyes was mostly masked by his sudden grin. "The little bastards love dying parts of people various colors all the time."

"Your first guess... would be incorrect. Care to try again?" Ysanne chuckled.

"'Attack by Feien prank'." He nodded sagely. "There are a couple who've plotted to drop Feien paint on each other before, and that stuff's a stone b***h to get out."

"Feien paint also dries hard." She held out her braid, offering it as proof that it was NOT covered in paint.

He reached out his hand to run a finger along one segment of the braid. "Hmm. No, not hard. Rather silken, actually."

"Conclusion three?" she prompted, shivering faintly at the touch before drawing the braid back and straightening her shoulders.

He laughed sheepishly. "Actually, that's about the extent of my knowledge towards things that turn us different colors."

"It's hair color. Youkochylde uses it. I can turn my hair pretty much any color I choose," she said, shrugging faintly and brushing her hand over the braid before glancing to him. "It was time for a change."

"It looks good on you." He nodded in emphasis. "Not that I thought it didn't look good before, though."

She glanced back toward the window quickly, her hand tightening in her lap. "Thank you," she murmured quietly, grey eyes searching the horizon rather than looking at him.

"No need to thank me. I just call them as I see them." He watched her as she looked away, wondering what was going through her mind at the moment.

"What do you intend to do with your time with us?" Ysanne asked softly.

"Is this a test?" He raised an eyebrow. "Hang out, mostly. Get to know you guys better." He looked around, eyes roaming the room. "It's a nice place, don't get me wrong, but Ter says ours should be done rebuilding in a month or so, and I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like when we get back."

Her eyes slanted back to him. "No test. Just curiosity. If you'd prefer not to talk to me, you're certainly welcome to go find someone else."

"It's a joke." He smiled. "If I didn't want to talk to you, I wouldn't be sitting here."

"And what do you wish to know about me?" Ysanne asked.

"Well..." he started, tilting his head slightly as he looked at her. "I don't see you around much, so I guess I could ask what you do most of the time?"

She smirked at him. "Keep to myself."

That made him laugh. "Obviously. But you must be doing something to entertain yourself while you're keeping away from the rest of us boors."

"I work on my magic," she said after a moment, the final word slightly defiant, as though he might think badly of her for it. "And my energy. And I read."

Maq nodded. "Good things. I need to work on that first one myself." Shifting his position a bit, he asked, "What sort of stuff do you read?"

At that, she raised an eyebrow, then rose, watching him for a moment. "Would you like to see?"

"Sure." This was going better than he thought it would have, if she was already offering to show him things. Smiling, he stood as well. "Which way?"

A corner of her mouth curved upward in a not entirely friendly smile, and she took to flight. "My room - the shelf under Aileron's."

"Gotcha." Taking off as well, he paced himself so that he would fly just slightly alongside her, rather than at his usual speed, which would have easily overtaken her.

She seemed slightly winded as she set down on the shelf not far away, her cheeks flushing and eyes remaining averted while she paused long enough to settle her breathing back to normal. Chin lifting, she drew back the curtain to her room, revealing a shelf lit by a bright night-light, with doll furniture to make it comfortable and a large book laying open nearby. At the far end was a feien-sized full-length mirror, and a chair. As his eyes drifted over the book, he caught sight of a couple of humans in a rather... surprisingly compromising position.

Blinking, he stepped over towards the book for a closer look, twisting his head first in one direction, then the other. "That's interesting. I wonder how she managed to get her leg twisted around like that..."

"Flexibility," Ysanne said, surprised that he hadn't become embarrassed and avoided it. She moved to stand near him, also peering at the picture. "The knotwork is nicely intricate there," she added, her eyes shifting to peer at him from her peripheral vision as she tested him.

"Yeah, that does look pretty complicated." He reached up to scratch just behind his ear. "Seems like a lot of work, though, for a bit of snogging."

She snorted. "It's not about the sex," she said, voice cool as she turned to peer at him. "It's about the control. The power."

"Is it?" He straightened up, a mild look of surprise on his face. "That's a new one on me." Making a gesture to the book with his thumb, he raised an eyebrow at her. "Practicing your knot tying, then?"

"To a point, yes. Clearly, I can't practice that alone, but there are ideas in the book that I can work on." She shrugged elegantly, moving away to sit down.

"Hmm." He looked at the picture for another moment, then glanced around for a place to sit himself.

"I've also been trying to sort out what sort of feien I am," she added after a moment.

"You mean your element?" Deciding he'd be fine on the floor, he moved near to her and sat down.

She nodded. "Do you know yours?"

"Yeah, but mine's not hard. I'm a Heat Feien, which is kinda obvious to anyone who gets near me." He grinned crookedly, then added, "It took Quantel a while to figure out what she was, because she's a Shadow, and that's not so obvious."

Ysanne's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, and she watched him for a moment before lifting a hand. "May I?" she asked politely, the hand hovering near him.

"Sure, go ahead." He sat there comfortably, not in the least apprehensive of her touch. Even before her hand came in contact with his skin, she could feel the faint heat radiating from him.

Her hand drew back slightly at the feel of the heat, and then a fingertip trailed slowly over his skin, the touch delicate as she closed her eyes. Her brow was furrowed, as though she were searching within herself.

He watched her quietly, the only movement that of the muscle beneath his skin, twitching slightly at the delicate touch. He wondered what was going on in that head of hers.

At length she sighed, drawing her hand back slowly as her eyes opened. "Nothing," she sighed, sounding faintly frustrated.

"Just means that yours isn't tangible," he said softly. Somehow he knew that if he could hear faint frustration in her voice, what she was actually feeling was so much greater. "There are some Feien with elements like Time and Gravity... I'm sure those weren't easy to figure out, either."

She drew her hand fully back to herself, curling her arm around her waist and watching him solemnly. "San suggested I speak to Corvus, but that did little good."

"Then find someone else." He nodded. "Or keep trying yourself. I'm sure you'll get it soon."

"In a way, you feel like Shalafi felt - too much." She didn't bother to explain more than that, though she watched him thoughtfully. "Except he was the opposite of you - cold."

"I'm guessing he's a Cold Feien, then." Maq smiled wryly, shaking his head. "Ter tells me I need to keep the heat down, 'cause she's afraid I'm going to light something off." He flexed the fingers of his rigth hand, adding, "Personally, I'm working on trying to build it up."

"He's an ice feien," Ysanne corrected, reaching to his right hand to feel the heat again. "How do you work to build it up?"

"I haven't done anything with it in a while, but basically, I just think about it getting hotter." That faint line appeared between his eyebrows again as he looked down at his hand, which became warmer, the heat rising off to warm her fingers as well.

She looked slightly impressed, her fingers descending to actually touch the hot skin experimentally.

It was hardly warm enough to burn, but the heat crept up her fingers into her palm. In a soft voice, he said, "I've heard that if I work hard enough at it, I'll be able to melt metal."

She swallowed at the thought, leaving her hand where it was as she peered up at him. "It sounds dangerous. What would you do with it?"

"Make some real weapons." His eyes met hers, vibrant orange. "Something worth carrying around. Something you can really defend yourself and others with."

"Instead of the plastic swords hanging on Aileron's wall?" Ysanne asked wryly.

"Exactly." Those eyes darkened briefly. "Those things are too damned fragile to be of any real use." As quickly as it had appeared, the darkness was gone, as well as the faint line on his forehead. He grinned. "Of course, it'll be a while before I'm that good."

"What are you?" she asked quietly, holding his gaze as her fingers drifted along his hand, pulling back toward her without actually moving away.

A crimson brow arched upwards. "You mean other than a Heat Feien?"

"You spoke of defending others and weapons in the same sentence," Ysanne murmured. "What are you?"

"I want to be prepared, should anything happen." His fingers reflexively curved upwards, pressing against hers. "Play to my strengths, y'know? Guy as big as I am, I need to look out for anyone who's smaller."

Her skin prickled where he touched her, but she held her ground. "Why? What do you get out of it?"

"What do you mean?" He seemed mildly perplexed by her question. "I get to use my skills, they get to live without fear. Seems like everyone wins to me."

"But why would you bother? Do they mean something to you? Are you talking about protecting someone like Aileron?" She couldn't quite stop the sneer in her voice at his name, and found herself oddly ashamed of it. Glancing down, she watched their hands.

His hand, broad and tanned, lay now partially curled around hers. "I'd think Aileron could do a fair job of taking care of himself." He picked up on the tone of her voice, his facial features turning contemplative. "And why shouldn't I bother? It's something I want to do. No one's forcing me to do it."

"Why do you want to, though?" Ysanne persisted, experimentally turning her hand in his until their palms were flush.

"Because I'm big and strong, and they're not." He tried to find the words to match what he felt. "Some people are too weak to take care of themselves. That's why people like me are around."

"But isn't strength about power?" Ysanne asked softly.

That took him by surprise, seeming to come out of nowhere. "Well, yeah." He nodded, blinking. "It is."

"So how do you know who is and is not weak?" Ysanne persisted. "You can't tell based on size, after all."

"It's something you can kinda see." He reached up with his left hand, tapping his chest just above the scar. "You feel it, here, when you look at someone weaker than yourself. You just kinda know."

"But you obviously didn't know when you looked at Aileron," Ysanne said pointedly.

"Because Aileron's not weaker than I am." He tilted his head, looking at her quizzically. "What makes you think he is?"

"Because I watched Corvus attack him and threaten to kill him," Ysanne said, shrugging. "He got in one punch, and then magic did him in."

"From what I've heard, Corvus is a hell of a lot more powerful than any of us." He frowned slightly, trying to imagine Corvus and Aileron fighting. "Besides, Aileron's strengths really aren't in magic. You can be damned strong in one thing, but get your a** handed to you in another."

"And what are his strengths?" she asked, though beneath her flippant tone, he could see her honest interest. She waited, recalling having a similar conversation with Yeande.

"He's wiry. And a right smart b*****d." With a crooked grin, he ammends, "I mean, he gives some good advice. He could make friends with anything, if he put his mind to it. I know it doesn't sound like much, but having people skills are a lot better than some other traits."

She shrugged, not inclined to completely dismiss his words, though the memory of him laying shaken and cringing on the ground did little to persuade her. "He made friends with you."

"I like to think I'm not that hard to be friends with." He winked at her then, in a friendly manner.

She glance down at their hands again and blushed, pulling hers back. "Indeed."

He chuckled at that, softly. "I'm not that bad, really. I know I bluster about a lot, and strut, but I can be a big softie, too."

"Can you?" she asked in disbelief, fingers still tingling with warmth. One white brow arched into her blue hairline, patent disbelief in her voice.

"Well, yeah. You don't have to look so surprised." He knew that she didn't know him that well, that he was an imposing figure even to his friends. That alone kept her words from stinging. "Not everything is what it looks like, after all."

"Prove it," Ysanne challenged, not sure quite why she was pushing him.

"Prove that I'm a softie? Heh..." He ran his hand through his hair, causing it to stand on end as he thought. "That's a tough one. Any ideas on how I can do that?"

She shrugged. "You're the one who made the claim. What precisely did you mean to imply?"

"That I'm not all brawn." He shrugged. "Sometimes people think that since I'm more than willing to use my fists, that means I'm some sort of thug."

"But you're not, if you're trying to divine ways to protect others. Don't thugs hurt people, rather than watch over them?" Ysanne said calmly.

"Exactly." He smiled, pleased that she had made the connection. "I guess that's a good way of putting it."

Ysanne nodded, pulling back as though his presence was getting too hot for her. "So how will you prove it to me?"

"Am I making you uncomfortable?"

She blinked, looking at him in surprise. "A bit, I suppose. I don't care for contact. It's uncomfortable."

"Why do you find contact uncomfortable?" He rested his hands on his knees, within view, genuinely interested in why she felt that way.

Frowning, she peered down at her palm, where the tingles of heat were finally beginning to die away. "It feels... too close."

He raised both his eyebrows. "Too close to what?"

"Too close," she said again, rising and moving to the curtain. Her arms curled around herself protectively. "As though you're crowding me."

His eyes softened. "Sorry." He knew he didn't need to apologize, but still, he wanted to.

She glanced over her shoulder at him, eyes thoughtful. "Proof," she said softly, after a moment, allowing a faint smile to curve her lips.

He blinked, then grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, there you go." As his hand came up to scratch at his scar, he shook his head. "Told you I'm a softie."

"How did you get the scar?" she asked, her voice muted as she watched him.

"Had a run in with one of Ter's other pets, and a few of his cronies." His hand spread over the mark, almost covering it from view. "It's still healing."

She turned back, warring with herself for a moment before reaching out and pulling his hand away to examine it more closely. "Who was it?"

He let her pull his hand away, though the weight of it proved that the gesture was reluctant. "Kef. He's a Sigil. I understand that Trio has one too?"

"Yes. She regularly irritates the resident Juusanshi scholar," Ysanne said softly, another fingertip travelling over the scar curiously.

The skin there quivered, still healing flesh twitching beneath her touch. "I'd try and stay away from her. I don't know if all the Sigils have it bad for us, but I know that Kef's had it out for all the Feien he's met so far."

"I'll remember that," she nodded, drawing her hand back after a moment and watching him before releasing his wrist. "We don't come into contact much."

"The little s**t and I don't much either. Especially now." He dropped his hand down to his knee again. "There was a time when he tried to pick on Quantel a bit, so I had to discourage him from that."

"That protective streak again," Ysanne smirked. "It got you in trouble?"

"Ended us up down a hole, because she couldn't figure out how to run straight." He smirked a bit at that, one of the few negative expressions he was ever wont to use.

"Sometime, you'll have to tell me the full story," Ysanne informed him, eyes softening a bit as she looked at him again. "I'd like to hear it."

The smirk faded, replaced by his familar grin. "It's not as interesting as it sounds, but I guess we can find the time at some point."

"That would be good," she said, then turned back, opening the curtain and peering out. A moment later, she frowned and held it open, turning back to him. "I'm sure we'll talk again."

He could hear Aileron's familiar voice in the hallway, chatting with Levon.

Taking that as a sign that she would probably rather end their meeting here, Maq stood up, striding towards the opening in the curtain, and as it was, her. "We'll definitely talk again."

She gazed up at him as he paused to speak, and nodded quietly. "Very well. Enjoy your time with Aileron."

"If I talk to him." He gave her a smile and a parting half-salute, before stepping off the edge of the shelf and making his way back down to where he had left Sinthret waiting with his braided string.

Ysanne watched him, then ducked back behind her curtain just as Aileron arrived in the room, a pensive expression on her face. We will speak again, Maquinar, she decided silently. I want to know more about this Sigil threat.

Sin stretched his head up to accept Maq's scratching, before releasing the braid at the Feien's request. Slinging it over his shoulder, Maq began walking towards the door again, wanting to take a long walk so that he could think about what he and Ysanne had just talked about. He waved upward at Aileron, on the off chance that the older Feien would notice him down on the ground.

Although the house became a mad house whenever it was full, due to such frivolous things as Fiona, Vulpecula, and Oxygen arguing over what color looks best when combined with what, the house typically was NOT full, and it was during this time that it almost became boring.

Irisa enjoyed having the free time and solitude to accomplish things such as reading and learning, but the large empty mansion started to get lonely after a while, even for her. Maybe she should go to the shop again, to see if she could see her family, or perhaps some other feien that she may or may not have met previously.

As if fate were to answer the plea, the doorbell rang. Irisa calmly flittered down the marble-floored foyer past a few potted plants to answer it. The button for the automatic door opener that her bond had installed for Irisa's fairy godmother Oxygen long ago worked wonders. Irisa checked the outside peroscope and brightened up a bit. She wondered why he was here, but if he was a good friend of her mother, then he was welcome to drop by. She pushed the button and calmly flew to the open door to greet the visitor.

"Oh, hello, Maq." she calmly smiled. "What brings you here?"

Maq, still looking around the house curiously, brought his attention to Irisa and smiled back. His left hand stole upward to run through his hair, causing it to stand up in cluttered spikes. "Just a friendly visit, since I had to leave in such a hurry last time we met." The smile broadened into a crooked grin. "And I've got something for you, too."

Irisa's curiosity was piqued a bit. Coming over for a visit? It shouldn't have seemed strange, but truthfully, Irisa didn't go over to visit specific feien so much as hope to meet them in the shop. In retrospect, she should probably change that.

But it was really nice of Maquinar. Irisa only knew him a little, yet he was kind enough to drop by. He must have been a really good friend to her mother.

"Really?" Irisa responded to Maq's statement with a curiosity, wondering what it was. Then she remembered her manners. "Oh, please come in. It's nice to see you again, Maq."

Maq accepted her invitation, moving into the house. "It's good to see you too. Been so long since I was around, it's nice to know that there've been some good additions to the Feien race." He wondered if she would be as polite as Raylan, and wait for him to bring up the subject of what he had brought again, or if she would ask herself, which would be the undoubtably Tahki thing to do.

"Oh. Thanks." Irisa remarked, tacking a smile of appreciation after a split second of hesitation. The compliment was rather... global in scope, but Irisa took it politely but without awe. Hmm... maybe Maquinar looked at things in terms of the big picture, too? Well, now wasn't really the time to think about things.

Irisa looked around, wondering what to say next. Casual talk tended to elude her sometimes. She still wondered what that thing Maquinar talked about was, but she was sure he'd get to it when he was ready. Rushing too recklessly into things didn't suit Irisa that much.

"...can I get you a drink?" the young feien politely inquired.

"A drink? Sure." He nodded, a little surprised. Of all the places he'd been, this was the first where he'd been offered consumables right off the bat. Hell, he could get to like it here.

Irisa never really played host to anyone, before. She heard stories from her fairy godmother about tea parties that she herself set up for others, but Irisa herself didn't have any experience with that sort of thing.

In general, she wasn't very good with small talk. Give her conversation with a set purpose in mind or to talk about her current accomplishments and goals and she could offer entire thesises, but right now, Maquinar was the one who had come over and, in layman's terms, 'the ball was in his court' so to speak, and Irisa didn't know what the exact purpose of the visit was. She had a general idea, but couldn't be sure. She didn't even know if he had an item to give to her or perhaps a task for her to do.

So she made due the best she could, trying to remember what Oxygen had told her about being a hostess.

The young feien led the taller feien to the dining room, where there were a few dollhouse tables Oxygen had set up for her own fairy-sized friends long ago.

"What would you like?" Irisa asked, trying to recall the types of drinks that Oxygen had prepared in mendel... er, feien sizes. "We have green tea, chai tea, and... vodka tea."

Vodka tea? What WAS that, anyways? Well, that was what Oxygen called it.

Vodka tea? That was a new one on him, though Ben had let him have a few sips of just plain vodka before. Given the nature of his visit, he didn't think that would be the best thing to go for, so instead went with, "Green tea would be fine, thanks." Then, feeling a little mischiveous, he added with a gleam in his eyes, "And some water for your gift."

"Right away." Irisa nodded, before pausing. Water for her gift? Was it a plant? And, if it was, was Maq bringing her a bloom to take care of?

...no, that'd be silly. Irisa was just born, herself. She needed to remember not to think so much about those sorts of things.

"Is... 'my gift' really thirsty?" she hesitantly asked. "Oh! Er... yes, I'll get it some water, too."

With that, she began pouring into the cups. Green tea for Maquinar, and water for 'her gift'. There was some embarassed confusion on her face, though. No one had ever given Irisa a gift before, really. She had no idea how to accept it.

As she did that, Maq reached back behind him, into the folds of his cloth-like wings. He searched about for a moment, and by the time she had finished pouring, had drawn forth his hand, closed around something carefully. Stretching his arm out, he rested his hand on the table before opening it slowly, the contents still hidden from her view. Then, as he lifted his hand, he exposed a small dark brown mouse, just big enough to be held in a young Feien's cupped palm.

Irisa stared quietly at the mouse that Maquinar had just set on the table. The small creature seemed confused for a bit, until it looked at Irisa curiously and scurried over to her side of the table. She finally looked up at Maquinar again, a bit surprised.

"Is he... for me?" Irisa asked. Maquinar was giving her a pet? Her deduction of her being given something to take care of wasn't too far off.

He nodded, his broad grin softening slightly. "Yeah. Ter's mice had a litter recently, and I thought you might like one." Maq liked the fact that the little critter seemed to take to her quickly.

"Ah, why... thank you, Maq." the young feien politely smiled with a beam. "That was very nice of your bond. I promise I'll take good care of him."

Opening her eyes, Irisa looked down and watched the mouse scurry energetically in a few circles in front of her. Finally, she put her hand out on the table and the mouse happily clammoured into her palm.

Heeeey there, baby! Wow, you're so fine. Oh baby baby baby, today is you're lucky day because I'm going to show you for a good time! I'm the mouse with the most and you know you just want to touch my sweet smooooooth fur! Slam dunk! Oh yea!!!

The mouse eagerly looked up at Irisa before snuggling against her.

"He seems to be very sweet." the young feien commented happily as she looked at him. How cute.

"Well, his breed is 'Chocolate', so I'd say sweet is a safe word to use." Maq chuckled a bit at the bad pun, before picking up his cup of tea and taking a drink.

"'Chocolate'? That's an... interesting name for a breed." Irisa remarked, glancing at the very active mouse scampering around her hand. "Ah, I suppose I should probably give him a name. Hmm..."

An active name for an active mouse. Or... maybe she should name him in honor of Maquinar, for giving it to her. Irisa looked up at the feien again. Even Maquinar's looks alone gave off a really fiery aura, and he did speak of how he was good at kicking much 'a**'. Perhaps a warrior name... hmm, well, Irisa did see her bond watching some lucha libre or so a while back.

"Maybe 'Ricardo'... that sounds nice." Irisa smiled, before looking down at the mouse. "Do you like 'Ricardo'?"

The mouse ran a few more circles around Irisa's palm, which she assumed was an affirmation.

Ooooh yea, who doesn't like Ricardo, baby? This mouse is made with sweet SWEET SEXY dark chocolate. The type you just want to put in your mouth and suck and suck aaaaall day long. Yea! You know that you definately want a taste of sweet smoooth Ricaaardo! There would be having it no other way, baby!

"Okay, then it shall be Ricardo." Irisa nodded to the mouse. What a nice innocent creature.

"Ricardo." Maq nodded, liking the name. "You'll have to drop by the shop where they sell these at some point. Trio's Feien, Aileron, helps out there, and he's always happy to see a Pixa that's found a home with a Feien."

"The owner of the shop is also a feien owner? I'll come over someday, then. I'm sure Ricardo would like to meet more of his own kind, too." Irisa smiled, before adding, "Thank you very much, Maq. This was really nice of you. I really appreciate it."

Oh baby baby baby. If 'my kind' are half as sexy as you are, then Ricardo's eyes alone would melt from the hotness in the room! But of course you really appreciate me. No girl can withstand the charms of sweet sweet love that is Ricardo!

Irisa took another glance at the mouse that was looking back up at her. She wondered what he was thinking. Well, it seemed like he was happy to have her as his owner. That was nice.

Maq grinned sheepishly. "It's nothing, really. I can see that you and he are going to get along great, and that's what I really wanted." He affected a mock-stern expression, wagging a finger slightly. "Now, you take good care of him."

"Of course, Maq. He's in good hands." Irisa looked up at Maq and nodded seriously. Ricardo was more than just a mouse, after all. He was a gift given to her by an old friend of her mother's! And that had to be something worthy of respect, right? She was sure that Ricardo was just as serious. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if he was thinking of his own responsibility of something such as taking care of the daughter of his original owner's good friend.

Wooooooo! I get to be with da sexy ladiez all my life! Oh yea! Ricardo in da house!"

"I thought as much." Maq's smile returned, broad and dazzling. His eyes turned up cheerfully at the corners, tiny orange sparks dancing in them. For some strange reason, when she became serious like that, she strongly resembled Tahki. Reaching his hand out, he extended a finger to Ricardo, waiting to see what the little guy would do.

Irisa watched as Ricardo looked up at the finger pointing at him, and then just... seemed to ignore it. He simply lay down on Irisa's palm while looking up at it.

Sorry, man. Ricardo don't swing that way!

"Er..." the young feien remarked. "That's odd. He seemed so active a few moments ago. Maybe he tired himself out."

Chuckling, Maq briefly brushed the tiny mouse's head with the tip of his finger, before pulling his hand back. "Maybe the little guy likes you more than me?" He winked at Irisa jokingly. "You are much easier to look at, after all."

"I suppose my contrast of black and white does make me rather visible." Irisa remarked, before adding "Although even in the short time I've known you, I always figured that you stuck out in a crowd, yourself. Red is a very fiery color, after all."

Not that Irisa could see what was so hard about seeing either her or Maq in any well-lit room...

He had to laugh at that; how long, he wondered, before she lost that innocence that made her oblivious to the teasing of males? A part of him hated the thought that she might lose that; he wanted to see all of Tahki's children eternally happy, content, at peace. Aloud, he said, "The height doesn't help matters, either."

Irisa wondered what Maquinar was laughing about. Was it his height? Or... was there another joke that she was missing? Mental note: Go over the mental log of this conversation again to figure out what she missed.

Still, whatever the case, she was enjoying the company. Irisa smiled.

"Yea. It... really makes for a different perspective when you literally look up at someone, too." she remarked. She wondered if there would be anything different about how she could interact with Nero now that he's grown up, come to think about it.

"Should I sit down?" He glanced around as if looking for a chair, then snapped his fingers. "Wait, I know!"

Without any further warning, he dropped down to his knees, putting himself on a closer level to Irisa.

"There we go. Don't have to look up at me now, eh?"

Irisa gave a soft and brief laugh. That pretty much solved that 'problem'.

"You're really nice, Maquinar." she nodded. "Now I really see why you were such a good friend of my mother."

Shifting on his knees a little, Maq grinned. "Your mother's a good friend herself. I'm lucky to know her, really." One of his wings twitched, draping soft folds of red over his feet. "And I'm glad I'm getting to know you, too. You're a lot like her."

The young feien raised an eyebrow curiously.

"You... really think so? I suppose... although I don't know my mother that well."

From her short meeting she was able to have with her mother, her mother seemed very... energetic. Of course, then again, Irisa tended to be able to overwork herself whenever she saw something to do but she never saw herself as outward as Berra or her mother were.

At least, not all the time, although she did have her moments. Hmm, maybe she was like her mother, after all. It made sense, since her mother was... well, her mother.

"Thank you, Maquinar." Irisa smiled. "I'm glad you came over."

She glanced down at Ricardo, who apparently had fallen asleep. Although he seemed extremely... happy, for some reason.

Just lyin' in bed with mah woman...

"I'm glad I came." Glancing at Ricardo, Maq shook his head slightly. "Looks like the guy's worn out after all. Maybe you should find a place to tuck him away for sleeping?" Bringing one foot up and setting it on the floor, he leaned forward, bracing his arm against his knee. "I should probably get going anyhow; I've got another mouse in my wings that's probably dying to get out."

Another... mouse? Oh, right! Irisa figured that she could probably guess what that was for. She nodded.

"Okay." Irisa smiled. "Thanks, again, Maq. Well, perhaps we'll see each other at the shop. I try to drop by really often."

Rising to his feet, he nodded. "And if not there, or the Pixapet shop, then I'll make sure to swing by over here, to see how you and Ricardo are getting along."

"Oh, definately." Irisa cheerfully replied. She looked down into her palm at the sleeping mouse one last time and petted him, before waving to Maquinar. "Goodbye, Maq. Take care!"

"You too!" He waved in return as he took off, before heading out the way he had come. Yes, he would definitely have to pay another visit at some point; Irisa was too sweet a girl not to.

After she watched him off, Irisa proceeded to fly back up to her room.

"Okay Ricardo. Now to make a bed for you."

But I'm so happy right here.... zzz...

Now she had her first gift. From her mother's close friend. And she was going to make sure she was going to take good care of him...

With lazy, swooping strokes, Maq flew in the direction of Aria's home, retracing the path from memory. It seemed like nearly forever since he had last visited; then again, in the life of a Feien, it nearly was. As he neared, he scanned the surrounding area, wondering if he'd spot her outside again, or if he would need to knock at the door.

Aria was actually outside on the front lawn, watering the plants Ianios had planted. It wasn't too hard, the water was coming out at a trickle, and she'd move from plant to plant at her own pace. She dropped the hose, heading back to turn off the water, her eyes spied something red heading towards her. Once closer, she grinned, and rushed to greet the familar Feien, forgetting all about the hose. "Maq!"

"Aria!" he called out in response, a broad grin crossing his face. Maq drew his wings out to help lessen the blow that would be her crashing into his wide armed embrace.

Aria flew right into his arms, slowing down not to crash into him. She was grinning from ear to ear. "You came!" She cried, wrapping her arms tight around him in a hug. "I've been missing you!"

"Sorry, sweets." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close against him. "Things have been busy at Trio's, or I'd have been here sooner. Forgive me?" The rakish gleam in his eyes proved that he already knew she would.

She nodded, her eyes shining. "Of course!" She giggled, glancing back at the house. "We're alone, you know. Rynn took Ian with her to check out some more plants."

"Are we now?" He moved his head closer to hers, nearer to her ear. "So who's looking after you?"

Aria smirked, glancing at him. "Just you, I suppose," her voice went low, the sparkle in her eyes getting brighter it seemed.

No sign that she was against this; hell, she could always tell him to stop at any point. He dipped his head down to inhale the scent of her hair briefly, before burrowing in to nuzzle at her ear.

Aria smelt like the sea, he'd note. She shivered, clearly enjoying this. She enjoyed his touching her ear last time, and now...oh..it was sending shivers up and down her spine. Her wings even flexed a bit.

He finished his nuzzle with a soft n** of his teeth against her earlobe, before pulling back and smiling. "Guess you didn't mind that..."

"How's this for starters?" She smiled, moving up to look him in the eyes. Hers were glittering, and she kissed him full on the lips, hard. Her hands wandered over his back, rubbing down his shoulder, to his wings.

She shivered, the electric tingle coursing through her as he brushed over the base of her wings. That too was a good spot, she noted. Her hands slipped down to where his wings met his back, rubbing there gently. She was liking his responses. She tried to rumble as she had heard Rynn do, but nothing came out. So instead she moaned into the kiss. She didn't wanna break it, she was enjoying it way too much. Who knew a simple kiss brought so much pleasure?

Maq deepened the kiss, then pulled back just enough to be able to nibble at her lips, his fingertips exploring the skin of her back, the other hand maneuvering around to her hip.

Aria moaned softly, breaking the kiss. It felt way good, but they were outside...and who knew when Rynn would get back. She smirked at him, dropping one hand to his waist, rubbing it gently with her fingertips. "I can see why Ian would have needed to have left."

He gazed down at her, orange eyes enflamed. His voice was a husky growl when he spoke. "That's not even the half of it, Blue Eyes."

She looked up, a slight blush to her cheeks. "What's the other half then?" she asked. She knew of course, her fingers making odd patterns on his skin.

"I get the feeling you might know..." He began to dip his head towards her ear again, knowing that to be a much more productive place for his mouth to be than on her lips.

Aria smirked slightly. She really wanted him to nuzzle her ear again, but Rynn could come home at anytime. And she might not like seeing what they were doing. "Maq...maybe we ought to go elsewhere first...just in case..."

"Ah. Of course." He nodded briefly, then swept her up in his arms. Lifting off the ground, he grinned down at her. "Just point the way."

She giggled. Now this was new! Alright, where was safe to go? She took a moment, snuggling down into his arms. She knew Ian had a hideout, but it wasn't anywhere close by. Out further in the woods might be good. "That way," she said, pointing out back of the house. "We can be alone back there."

He nodded, then started flying in that direction, setting a nice little clip. Not too fast; after all, he didn't want it to be too terribly apparent how eager he was for this.

Aria giggled, looking for a nice spot on which to land. Somewhere soft, and not too far to get lost, but far enough to remain hidden. Spying some moss at the base of a tree a good bit away from the house, but still having it within sight, she pointed. "Down there, that looks nice."

"Sure thing." He dropped down into a spiral, twirling dizzily as he approached the ground. At the very last possible moment, he drew up, whipping his wings out and catching them both for a soft, if stomach dropping, landing.

She laughed, hanging onto his arm as he landed. That was fun! "Perfect," she said, snuggling to him. "Now we can continute where we left off, without worry."

He lowered himself to his knees first, settling her in his lap, before resuming the nuzzling that had been interrupted earlier.

Aria sighed, leaning back against him. Hmm..this was most definately nice. She didn't want it to end. Her hand dropped down, rubbing his leg, her foot playing with his. Her other hand went back behind his head, running her fingers through his hair. It was soft, very soft. Ad he was warm, but that had to be because he was a heat Feien. "Hm...wanna stay right here with you, Maq," Aria whispered.

He moved his mouth so that his words would be little more than hot breath in her ear, "That's what I had in mind all along."

Aria shivered as his words brushed over her ear. Her fingers curled around his hair, her whole body tingling. She imagined this was what Rynn felt around Naaro, and she didn't want it to stop, even when she heard Rynn's voice. They were back, but she wasn't about to give away their spot. This was way too nice. "Hmm..." she moaned softly. Maybe Rynn or Ian wouldn't come looking...