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January 14, 2006

Lenore picks up her mug, filled with steaming crimson liquid, and goes to the table next to the kitchen's door. Faene, as he does every morning, has brought in the mail.

And, there is another, large package, addressed to Damien.

"It bloody well better not be any condoms," she mutters to herself.

She walks over to the bottom of the stairs, tying her black robe more securely around her waist. She adjusts her dark sunglasses, and calls, "Damien!" up the stairs. She scratches her messy, green hair, and walks toward the living room, fingering her engagement ring, which she has retrieved from the locked drawer where she stashed it.

Damien opens a bleary eye, and almost hisses at the sunlight pouring on him. He stands, only in his pajama pants, on his mattress and closes the curtains.

"Bloody Faene," he mutters, unaware that he has taken one of his mum's words and used it. He stretches, and scratches his head, his usually perfect hair sticking out in all different directions.

Well, since I am up, I might as well go and see what mum wants. . . . he thinks, covering a yawn. He glances at the clock on his wall, and groans. He overslept again.

Sighing, his bare feet slap against the wood floor of the hallway as he makes his way to the stairs. He pounds down the stairs, trying to get his blood flowing properly. He then peaks into the living room. "Yes?" he says.

Lenore looks up from the news, and has to stifle a laugh. She coughs, and looks away. "You have a package in the kitchen," she tests. Nyoka had told her that Damien might be able to understand the snake language that both of them use. That he had spoken one word of it the other night.

Damien covers his mouth, yawning again. "Alright," he says, and walks to the kitchen.

Lenore frowns a little, and scratches her left forearm. She shouldn't read too much into it . . . As much as he favors Eirnae, she always suspected that some of her darker traits might have passed on to him. . . . She returns her attention to the news.

Damien's brow furrows when he sees the package, and the cloth-wrapped item. He first picks up the note, written in Rhiannon's hand.

It smells a little like her, he muses as he opens the letter.



Damien reaches for the package first. He unwraps it, and blinks at the contents.

He flips open the leather cover of the notebook, and sees blank pages. He smiles. His old journal had been taken up with musings and notes from books, and the days that have strung by.

This one, however, he vows not to fill with random notes and to-do lists. It will be a proper journal.

He makes a note to go pick up a nice well of ink to use in it.

He takes his wand from the pocket of his pants, where he stashes it upon waking every morning, and magics it to the kitchen table.

He then lifts the strange lamp from the box. "What in the world. . . ." he thinks, puzzling on how a lamp like this can give off any light.

He makes another mental note to plug it in when he gets back into his room, to test it. Again, he magics it to join the journal on the kitchen table.

He then takes out the wind up toy, and laughs softly.

He winds it up and lets it run on the floor.

Harry comes slinking in, looking for his morning meal. He sees the toy, and immediately hisses.

"Don't you dare," Damien says, snatching up the toy before the mean-tempered green animal can come and claw it to death. "If this goes missing, it is cat food for you for a week."

Harry twitches his tail in the air, and pads over to his bowl of fresh steak.

Damien magics the toy to the table as well, carefully, out of Harry's eyeline.

He then picks up the cloth-wrapped package. His eyebrows wing up at the weight of it. He looks back at the note, reading about it being something to protect himself with.

His brow furrows again, and he unwraps the cloth.

Good thing he was holding the thing properly, or he might have cut off some of his fingers. . . .

He smiles a little, and shakes his head. It goes perfectly with the ones that Mum Eirnae gave him for Christmas . . .

Although, he doubts this sword will be as annoying as his other two. . . .

With a frown of concentration, he waves his wand at the items on the table. They disappear, off to rest on his bed until he gets back up there and puts them in their proper places.

Before he goes up the stairs, he checks in on Mum Lenore. He grins, somewhat wickedly, when he sees she is taking a sip from her glass.

"It wasn't condoms," he says, nonchalantly.

Lenore snorts, squirting her drink out of her slitted nostrils.

She glares after Damien's ringing laughter.

Open RP Continued. . . .

Nyoka blinks at Teigan, unsure of how she should answer her. She does think, and probably rather smartly, that it is best for her not to tell the young girl exacly how she feels about her father.

Of the scars she left on the b*****d. That thought brings a wicked smile to her lips. With the same smile, she says, "Sure, Tiegan. And, it is just Nyoka," she adds the last as an afterthought. "Kia, would you mind if we went outside? I think there is still some snow out there, and Teigan can play. . . ."

She looks at Kia now, and says, in Egyptian, "Then, you can ask me anything you want," her voice is soft, and it is accompanied with a long-suffering sigh.

Damien's eyebrows raise, and he smiles. "That sounds like it would be a nice journey," he says. "But, I think I would be rather bored if I were at home all alone."

His smile is still on his lips when he continues. "Have you been continuing your studies from Somonen?" He is guilty of not doing it. So much has happened, Mum Eirnae returned, Rhiannon and him, his Aunt Krista and Mum Lenore seem to be fighting, and Mum Lenore is acting funny. Too much on his plate. . . .

Kia made a face, she hated snow. But then, she hadn't stripped off all the snow protection layers she'd put on, so really... Kia was all prepared.

"Okay. Let's go outside."

She looked around for Tiegan, but the kid had already rushed outside and was attempting to do something with some not-so-white snow. So Kia headed out, and waited for Nyoka.

Once Nyoka had joined her, Kia asked straight away, "What did you do with Rune after I fell asleep?"

Straight to the point!

"I didn't know what else to do. It isn't as bad as it sounds, I had the internet to amuse me." Elle shrugged and shook her head as he asked the question. "No, they never started the school year. I wish they had though, I wanted to learn all of that. Now I'll just need to find a different place to learn it from."

Nyoka squeezes her eyes shut and grimaces. "What did it look like?" she asks.

Tap-dancing sounds like best way to go with this. . . .

Damien nods. "I guess I am lucky that my mums know magic. . . . Although, both are different types. . . ." he smiles again. "Well, there is always book-learning. If you wanted to learn that way, at least. If you had trouble with something, you could see if I could help."

"So, what brings you here anyway? Do you have to get shots, too?" he asks.

"It looked like you were both naked, and I think you had legs at one point." Kia replied. Then she added quickly, "It also looked like you found him pleasing?"

She stepped a few steps closer to Nyoka, partly to attempt to share in the other fa'es warmth. But it was also an attempt to be supportive.

Tiegan knelt on the ground, packing snow into a toy. It would have to be a toy pie shell, but that was okay. It would look all the nicer, and maybe it would make them want to stop making funny words at each other.

"My mum does too. But I don't really understand her type, it never worked well for me. It's too elf, and I'm too... not elf." Elle added quickly, as to not sound too pessimistic, "But I would like help if your life isn't too busy? I understand if it is... but your mum might know more about different types."

She laughed and shook her head. That was the good thing about being the way she was. "Don't need shots ever. Kia thought I had to get out of the house."

Nyoka shrugs. "He was, for the time. Served the purpose, I guess."

Oh, who is she kidding? "It was stupid! And, you! I had hoped you would be my wing-man, stop me from doing doing something stupid!" she sighs. "It's not your fault, it's mine. And, I will deal. . . ." she smiles a little at Kia. "At least I know it is possible, now?" she chuckles.

Damien waves his hand. "I always make time for friends," he says. "And, Mum Lenore can help us as well, if we really need it."

Then, he shudders. "It is time for me to get more. I hate them. . . ." he fingers the ear cuff in his ear. The only time he willingly had a needle come near him was to get the cartlidge pierced there.

And, boy, did that hurt! "You're lucky, not needing shots," he chuckles. He looks out of the window. "So, getting out of the house including cooping you up in some other building? That doesn't make much sense to me."

"I'm sorry! I was already falling asleep, and I'm still not sure what I was dreaming about and what I was seeing. It is very blurry." Kia paused at the last bit, and grinned. "Well, that is something everyone needs to know. Life without sex would be boring! ...I'd know. I envy you."

Tiegan wandered up at that point, and handed Nyoka a strange looking toy filled with snow. It was slightly dirty snow too, mud mixed through parts. But she pointed at those parts and cheerfully told Nyoka, "That's chocolate snow."

Then she wandered off again to find a new toy, so she could make one for her momma as well.

Elle looked up at Damien's earring, and grinned. "I only get needles when it's up to me. I don't think I get sick like people do." She lifted her dark hair to show him the piercing she'd had done in her hear. There were quite a few of them now... and they had hurt.

Looking around at the clinic, Elle sighed. It was pretty bleak here too. "Yea. But since when did Kia make sense to anyone?"

Nyoka takes the snow-filled toy, and her brow furrows. She thanks Teigan before she walks away, and looks at Kia. "Does she really want me to eat this?" she asks, changing the subject, or at least trying to.

Damien chuckles, covering his mouth as he does so. "No, I suppose Kia has never made sense. I remember hearing stories. . . . "

He then admires her piercings. "Well, you are braver than I. I think, after this first one, I won't get any more. I don't know how my mums and aunts, and sister, even, can take it. . . ." he shudders again.

"Don't know. Maybe you can drop it on the other snow, it all looks the same now." Kia stared at it, making a face at the snow. She didn't like snow at all. Eating dirty snow was like eating... eating... raw fish. Ew. "What will you do with Rune now? ...and was he drunk too?"

"I just made up for all the shots I missed out on, maybe. I can wear silver earrings, I was afraid I'd have to wear gold. But they don't hurt me." Elle blinked, and nudged him with an elbow. "What stories did you hear?"

"Wouldn't that hurt her feelings?" Nyoka asks, frowning down at the snow. She pulls her wand from her messy hair, and taps the snow. "There, it is preserved. I'll just stick it on my shelf. . . . Mum taught me the spell."

Then, she sighs. "You know, I don't know him. I can't tell whether he was drunk or not. I am hoping, then maybe he won't remember?"

Damien chuckles. "Well, it is mostly stories that Nyoka has told me, where Kia would torture her. You remember when uhm . . . Teigan? Asked Nyoka if she could have a tail? Nyoka wasn't joking when she said Kia tried to make herself one with a blanket. It was amusing, she said, to watch her ttry to walk," he chuckles again. "Also, some story of body-switching?" he frowns a little.

"That's a good spell. I like that one." Kia admired the strange looking snow-filled toy for a few moments, and then nodded. "I know. I hope he was drunk too, or else I will have to hit him over the head."

She peered around for Tiegan, who had wandered inside and was still stacking up some sort of jungle scene with toys. She appearaed to have gotten distracted again, as if she'd forgotten about the snow thing.

Kia grinned at Nyoka. "She acts like Taka sometimes."

"That sounds like Kia. Kia doesn't torture like that anymore, now she cooks and tries to get you to eat it. I don't mind her food, it smells very good. But she always forgets that I can't eat... and then gets insulted and upset when I don't." Elle hadn't heard the body switching thing... but that sounded scary. She wasn't sure if she wanted to know about that.

"The poor dear," Nyoka says. "I hope she got more of your genes than his. . . ." She watches Teigan playing, thinking that her hope might not be able to come true.

"Well, at least you could remedy that. Just keep telling her that you can't eat the food. It's nothing against her, and it is no fault of yours that you can't eat the food," that is the best he can give her about that. He knows his own mum sometimes looks at the lot of them over dinner with envy, because she misses the fact that she cannot have whatever was cooked that night.

He looks up at the clock, and sighs. "It's time for me to face the music," he says, frowning. "Maybe we can talk more when I get this over with?"

"He has good genes too. Tiegan gets the best of Taka, and some of me too in there. But Oka... I was wondering if you would do me a favor?" Kia asked carefully, not sure how Nyoka would take to the question. "Would you take Tiegan sometimes, and teach her how to be ... less like Taka's weak side? I love him, but I want her to be stronger than he is."


"I do, and she keeps getting insulted. But oh well... I suppose she'll eventually remember that I can't eat without being reminded." Elle grinned weakly at Damien. She didn't envy the shot thing one little bit.

"Yea, okay. Good luck in there."

Damien sighs, and stands to go over to the reception area.

Nyoka frowns, a note of panic in her voice. "Kia. . . ." she says, and pinches the bridge of her nose in her fingers. "You know how I am with kids. . . . And, I am not the best role model, after what I did. . . ."

Sayuri finished writing in her notes, filing them away. She stifled a yawn, noticed Damien had stood up and fished out a magazine to read. After all, if anyone wanted anything, an 'excuse me' always worked wonders, she smiled to herself as she flicked through the pages.

"Then it will be good for the both of you. Tiegan likes you already, and she should! And besides, you are a good role model, even if you make mistakes." Kia wrapped an arm around Nyoka's middle, and added, "And Tiegan is not all that scary?"

Nyoka frowns. "What do you want me to do with her? How long do you want me to take her?"

Damien clears his throat, a blush on his cheeks. "Ah . . . Miss. Sayuri?" he asks, his voice very soft. "Er. . . . Mum Lenore sent me to get some shots. . . ."

"A few hours now... while you two bond. And then maybe we could come over for a night or two? Taka is never home, and I get lonely out in the country." Kia frowned then, and kicked at the snow. "He's always working. Always."

Sayuri looked up at the clearing off a throat, smiling at Damien as she put her finger in the magazine to keep her place.
'She did huh? You're not a patient of mine, but if I find your notes I should be okay to do that.'
She stood, putting the magazine down and going over to the filing cabinet, looking through the files for his name.
'Here we go,' she flipped it open, scanning the notes.
'Sooo,' she looked at him, then folded her arms.
'Everything going well with Rhiannon then?'

"Well, he's a rockstar," Nyoka says, sourly. She sighs, and puts a hand on Kia's shoulder. "I'll try. I can't say that things will go the way that you want them to, though. I am feeling really crappy right now. . . ."

Damien clears his throat again, feeling his face get hotter. He manages to keep his eyes on Sayuri, though. "Yes . . . Did she tell you she is coming to dinner soon?" he asks. "Ah, she is meeting my mums. . . . I hope that is agreeable?"

"Yes, that's what he is. But I need social life too." Kia wriggled closer to Nyoka, glad of the warmth. It was too cold in the snow. She liked hot sun. "I can take care of you while you feel crap?"

Sayuri nodded, smiling.
'Yes, she was really excited about it.' she tucked his file under her arm.
'Right well we'll do your jabs now if you'd like to follow me into a consultation room,' and she walked off, opening one of the closed doors, waiting for him to enter before shutting it again.

Damien nods, and follows Sayuri. "I'm glad she is excited. I hope she doesn't get too nervous. . . ." he smiles a little, watching Sayuri as though she might attack him at any moment.

Nyoka puts an arm around Kia. "Sure. Now, let's go inside before you freeze to death. Baby," she teases, smiling a little.

"Anyway, you just need to go out more. Stop cooping yourself up at home."

"I'm not a baby, I am an Egyptiian. We don't have snow. We have sand, and gardens, and water, and beautiful warmth. All the time." Kia poked tongue out, and added, "And snakes like warmth too, so ha. You like it too."


Quickly she added, "I've got to be at home for my babies."

The shot is over with before he even knows it. And, it hurts like hell! Rubbing his arm, his sleeve still rolled up, he walks back into the waiting area, a frown on his face.

"That was fun," he mumbles when he sits back with Elle.

"So did my mums, but they still found time to go out and do things," Nyoka says as they walks back in. "You just have to get away. Unless, somewhere within you, you really just don't want to."

"Your mums are very special women though, very strong and ...strong." Kia beamed at Nyoka as they entered, glad to be inside the warm GMFC. It wasn't ideal, but it was much better htan anything else.


Elle had been doing exactly as Kia had wanted her to do. She had been sitting int he GMFC. Too bad, she grumbled to herself, that it was just as pointless as most other things she did to occupy her time. The arrival of Damien startled her, and she blinked at him. "It was quick too, wasn't it? Did you ge a lollypop?"

"Uh huh. What does that make you, weak?" Nyoka asks, plopping down in a seat again. She notices Damien rubbing his arm, and is about to ask him if he is ready to go.

But, he is talking. That would be rude. . . .

Damien raises an eyebrow. "I am a gentleman, woman," he starts, in mock offense, and with a hint of an accent in his voice. Mostly to poke fun of his Mum Lenore's and Nyoka's accents. "And gentlemen to not suck on lollypops." With a sniff, he turns up his nose, but not before he gives Elle a smile to show he is joking.

Kia shrugged. "No, it makes me... um. I don't know."
She caught a glance of the time and sighed. It'd take ages to drive home, and Kia had to cook dinner. "I have to go, I have to drop Elle off, then get home, then cook, then clean..."

She hugged Nyoka. "Come visit soon? Elle!"

"No, a Gentleman would use a knife and fork, and be very prim and propar when eating the lollypop." Elle teased right back, "Which would require a long time and good company. I imagine that lollypop is in a pocket all ready for a nice snack."

Elle glanced up at Kia, who was getting out carkeys, and sighed. "I have to go. I'll call you or something. Bye!"

"Other than the nitwits that just come in here to freak out their parents, it's pretty cool." Raven grinned, resting her elbows ont he table and her chin in her palms. "It's quiet... it lets me keep up on my school work, and it gives me extra money in my pocket." She made a motion then to her clothing and grinned. "The employee discount is good, too. I like the clothes we get in, and the jewellery... and I think I have most of the bookshelf contents at home."

"Really?" Damien leans in again, folding his hands on the table. "So, you enjoy reading as well?" He might have made a big leap there, but if she has all those books at home, he can only assume that she does.

The dual-coloured eyes lit up at that. "Definitely... so long as it's not a romance novel or a western, I'll read it. Whenever I get bored in here, I camp out in these chairs here and read. So long as I don't ignore customers, the owner's fine with that. If you want, I can see if she's hiring, when I talk to her on Friday?" Well, it was worth a shot anyway. She wasn't sure if the place was busy enough to warrant having more than one person working at a time... but it'd definitely be interesting to work with him.

"It sounds like an ideal place to work," Damien says. Then, he nods. "Sure, if you don't feel umcomfortable about it," he says,another smile on his lips. "If I don't find anything, though, I am pretty sure Mum Lenore would let me work in her shop until I found something different," he shrugs at that.

He sighs, and goes back to the subject of books. "I am the same way. Why would I want to read a romance? It seems a bit. . . . cheesy to me. And westerns? Too many macho-men running around trying to shoot outlaws, or the like. Give me a good fantasy, or my study books, any old day."

"Why would I feel uncomfortable about it?" Raven asked, blinking at him. Hell NO, she wouldn't mind in the slightest! She would have retorted a bit more, but the mention of books drew her attention away again. "Ah yes Fantasy... the bane of my existance." She chuckled then, shaking her head. "I have all of the Valdemar books by Mercedes Lackey, as well as her SERRA-ted Edge novels... and all of Katherine Kurtz's Dryni Chronicles. I'm starting to collect the Pern books by Anne McCaffrey... my father says I'm going to read him out of house and home."

Damien chuckles, recognizing some of the titles as books that he has yet to reach in the vast library in the study. "I guess I was born lucky," he starts. "My mums are really big on reading, so our study walls are just one big bookshelf. Not one inch of them is wasted, let me tell you. We even have some stacked in the corners, and hidden off in a closet in the hall," he smiles, happily.

"Well, I was just saying, it might be uncomfortable for you to have some strange boy that you have yet to meet perhaps work with you," he shrugs. "Now that I say that, I suppose it sounds stupid. You are meeting strange people all day," he says, smiling again.

He then moves a chunk of his loose hair out of his face, and steeples his hands, resting his chin there. "So, what do you study here while you are working?"

"From the shelves?" Raven turned slightly to look towards the books. "Religions, mainly. I think it's amazing how many different ones are in the world, and how alike they all really are at the core. Otherwise, it's mainly just my school work... I'm getting slogged down with homework this year, and study hall just isn't cutting it. I wind up still having a couple hours worth, usually, but it's all done by the time I get home from here." She smiled then, tapping her fingers against her cheek idly. "I swear, I'm going to take about a year off between high school and college, just so that I don't burn myself out."

Looking to him again, she tilted her head to the side. "What about you? Are you in school? Here I've been jabbering on about me and I know very little about you."

Damien smiles, rather sheepishly, again. "Well, I am home-schooled. There really isn't a proper school for my . . . erm . . . talents?" he says. "I get taught the basics, you know; math, english, history, and all of that. But, a good chunk of my, erm, school day is taken with the other stuff." Rather vague? Yes. It might seem odd of him to be shy talking about magic in front of a girl who works at a New-Age shop, but he is wary sometimes.

"What other stuff?" Raven asked, now completely focused on him. There was one thing that intrigued this little foxcoon more than anything... something she didn't know. The vague hints had now piqued her curiosity and she wasn't about to let go of the subject until it was answered.

"Well . . . ah, I hope you believe me," Damien replies, the sheepish smile still on his lips. "Some people, I am told, don't believe in it. But . . . I am a . . . wizard," he says the last softly, and quickly. "And, Mum Eirnae is teaching me elven magic, as well as Mum Lenore's spells and wand-work lessons." His hands fidget in front of him.

Raven's eyes were wide as he explained, and her tail was twitching behind her as she grew more and more intrigued. "Seriously?" she asked, the word coming out as barely more than a whisper. A moment later, she seemed to realise how silly she looked and just smiled. "Well, if I was a normal person, I'd likely just laugh it off. But you see..." She started ticking off a few things on her fingers. "My mother is a fox/racoon anthro... my father is half demon... my sister is a Fa'e with wings and a gender complex, and my little brother is a talking frog. My brother and I have ears and a tail... and that's not even mentioning the wierd stuff over at HIS house, where he lives with mom."

Damien chuckles. "Your family sounds every bit as . . . diverse. . . . as mine. Two of my sisters happen to be Fa'e, as well," he admits. "I don't know if your sister would know them or not," he adds.

Then, he lets out a relieved sigh. "Well, I am glad that you don't think me a loon," he says, pushing his long hair back behind his shoulders. He touches his wand resting at the small of his back, to make sure he hasn't lost it in the time that he has been here. "So, your father is half demon, eh? That sounds interesting. . . ."

"He doesn't act it," Raven snickered, shaking her head. "I mean, he doesn't even really LOOK it, either. He's half kitsune... fox spirit. My grandmother's a riot, she's a full kitsune and pretty much takes over the house when she comes over." Raven blinked then, as if realising something and it had just made contact in her head. "Wait... Eirnae? And Lenore? You're KIDDING me..." Leaning back in the chair, Raven started laughing, taking a few minutes to compose herself before trying to speak through the giggles. "I still have the fox plushies they gave Kendal and I when we were born... and the basket they came in. Dad said I could keep it as long as it NEVER leaves my room. Apparently, it was charmed to speak when he stumbled across it and it scared the HELL out of him."

Damien blinks. "Well, it certainly sounds like something they would do when they are in one of their moods," he chuckles. "I will be sure to tell them about you having the plushie. . . and the effect this basket had on your father," he has to chuckle. A grown man, half-demon, being scared of a talking basket? Yeah, that's funny stuff.

Then, he taps his chin. "Kendall. . . . he sounds very familiar. . . . Did he go to Somonen for a little bit?" he asks.

Nodding, Raven smiled. "Yup. We both did. Well, DO. We're still in classes there although we're not living on campus anymore. Kendall still has that scroll thing he got when we first started. I think he's waiting for it to do tricks."

"How did I never run into you?" Damien asks."I remember your brother, vaguely. . . ." he admits."I think we might have met, or I overheard someone else speaking to him," his smile falters a little, and taps his ears a little. "My hearing is too good, sometimes. I am no eavesdropper."

"I didn't like the idea of boarding there, to be honest," Damien sighs. "It would have been character building, no doubt. But, I am far too close to my sister, Nyoka. She lives in Greece, and when she can come 'round, it is to the manor, so I would miss it."

Nodding, Raven understood VERY well. "I hated being away from home. Kendall said I was being a puss, but he moved back home too, so that's not exactly an insult." One claw traced idle circles on the table as she smiled almost wistfully. "I like living at home. I meant it's more than the fact that there's always food and the rent's cheap. I think I'd go nuts if I was in a house that didn't have the rest of them in it."

Damien nods. "Or, you know, if you were too far away to visit often," he adds. "It might ound, to others, like we are . . . . erm . . . 'pusses'," he pauses. "But, when you have a foundation built around these people, all of them family, or very near it, it is just hard to drop everything and leave it."

He coughs, and waves it away with a scaled hand. "Ah, now we have touched on another subject very near to my heart," he chuckles a little. "What sort of hobbies are you into?" That's Damien, ever the curious boy.

She was still fascinated by the scales, especially after the faint brush against them when she'd shaken his hand. Still, she snapped out of that fascination for the moment and turned to the question at hand. "Hobbies... well, I'm a computer geek." She paused after that, glancing to him as if expecting him to start laughing the way Kendall did. "I build them, mainly... or rebuild them. I think I'm the on-call tech crew for most of my friends. I'm addicted to a couple of computer games as well. Other than that, I read... or draw. Between school and work, that's about all the hobbies I have time for."

"Ah," Damien smiles faintly. "I am not too familiar with computers," he says. "The magic around the manor, sometimes it can mess with the electronics we do have in the house. Mum Lenore has a computer, though."

He leans back in the chair, and crosses his arms over his chest. He studies Raven a moment. "Well, from what I understand, it takes considerable skill to build, or even re-buld, computers." Obviously, he is not going to laugh, he is more interested in the idea of building the computers than amused.

Of course, he is a geek of sorts himself. "What sort of computer games are you addicted to?"

Now it was time for her to get fidgety. She'd had to deal with being the 'Crackmonger' from Kendall for way too long, apparently. "EverQuest is my main one," she admitted. "And Sims2... and Maple Story. Two of them are online games, and I've made quite a few friends on there. Dad said that so long as I don't wind up believing anyone that tells me they're 18 and look like Brad Pitt, he's fine with it." She smirked then, glancing up to him.

"I have heard of those games," he says, thoughtfully. Then, he has to chuckle. "I think that is one reason I never got interested in online things. It can be dangerous, if you lose your head," he says.

He notes her fidgeting, and his brow furrows. "Have I said something wrong?" he asks.

Shaking her head, she let her ears drop slightly as she nervously tucked a lock of hair back. "No... I just get crap from my brother about playing computer games. Not like HE has room to talk," she snorted, rolling her eyes. "He's a video game freak, and spends most of his time with a controller in one hand and wondering why both thumbs have callouses."

Damien smiles slightly. "Well, they wouldn't be siblings if they didn't make your life miserable every once in a while," he says. "That's my experience, anyway. But, you can't live without the buggers," he shrugs.

He looks down at the watch that his sister insists that he wears, and frowns. "Oh dear," he says, and starts to stand. "I am afraid I have to get back soon." He frowns at Raven. "I barely have time to get that book and the deck of tarot cards I was wanting to buy," sighing, he manages a smile. "Time flies when one is in good company," he says, chuckling.

"Especially since Kendall's my twin. He lords that minute and a half over me constantly." As Damien made mention of hte time, Raven's eyes went wide and she glanced to the block on the far wall. "Gods, I've been sitting here this long? I've still got to get all those new necklaces and earrings hung up before we close." She gave Damien an apologetic look as she got to her feet, pushing the chair in. "You pick out your deck... there's the shelf of them over there, as well as opened ones that you can look through to see which one appeals to you most. I'll be up at the front counter when you're ready, okay?"

Damien nods, and feels a stab of guilt over keeping her from her duties. And, he voices that, "I am sorry for keeping you so long," he says, smiling slightly again.

"Alright, I will check out in a moment," he says, and hurries on long legs toward the bookshelf.

He grabs a few of the books on tarot books, glancing at the titles to see if they seem to be what he needs. Then, he quickly scans the decks. He choses one that he thinks he will be able to learn from, and goes to pay.

When that is all taken care of, he holds out his hand again. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Raven," he says, inclining his head a little. "I hope we meet again."

"I hope we do as well," Raven said, smiling to him as she held out her hand to take his again. She was fighting to keep herself from grinning... who'd have thought someone like this would come into her shop? She handed him the bag with the books and deck in it... after slipping in a business card from the shop as well. Just in case he had any questions, of course.

The fact that her cell phone number was written on the back was just an extra precaution. She was pretty sure she'd kick herself for being so blatant after he'd left... but at the time, it seemed like the right idea.

Damien grins, and nods. "Thanks for you help. And, I hope you don't stay too late. . . ." With a wave, he leaves the shop.

Raven kept herself still until he'd left the shop and disappeared away from the window. She nearly leaned OVER the counter to make sure he was out of sight and hearing range before letting out a SQUEAL and nearly bouncing in place where she was standing. A moment later, she was clearing her throat and smoothing her skirt as if the momentary lapse into teenage girl-ism had never happened, and had started to unpack the box waiting for her on the counter.

Nani and Damien make up.

I can't believe I forgot all about this! Where has my mind been lately!

Well, Tinania and I finally got past our differences. I am sorry to say that it was in the way that I didn't want it to happen.

Her grandfather finally showed his true colors, and she went insane.

In the end, Tinania saw that we were right. Should I feel smug about it? Maybe, but I don't. If you could have seen her face. . . .

I am just happy that this stupid fight is behind us. My grandfather, and hers, are not worth losing the friendship that we have.

-D

Tinania unlike most of this week had decide today she just wanted to stay in her room. She was actually sitting on her bed looking over the book she had gotten from her grandfather's home. She was racking her brain trying to figure out what the language was.

She was dressed still in her pjs, which were pink sweatpant, then a black spaghitti strap. Her hair was down around her face as she layed on her belly. Shaking her head she lays her head on her arms grumbling "I'm never going to figure this out..."

Damien is finally fully awake. He scratches his head and stretches as he stands from the breakfast table.

Mum Lenore just went to lie down. She said she was feeling ill, and Mum Eirnae went with her.

If she is ill, I am pink, Damien thinks, shaking his head as he takes the dishes to the sink.

He is immediately told to go away by Emme.

Sighing, he leaves the kitchen, to be met by Kamus in the hall. He leans down to pet his head before walking toward the stairs.

He pauses, and looks out one of the many windows toward the DarkAngel-Silme wing.

He pulls out one of the rubber bands he keeps in his pajama pockets, and puts his hair back in a slightly-messy poney tail. Then, with Kamus following him (in the form of glittering, rainbow-scaled snakes), he opens the door and heads toward the wing.

Rinon lets him in, and eyes the snakes warily, but says nothing.

Damien heads toward Nani's room. When he is outside it, Kamus returns to her normal form, and sits next to Damien's feet.

Damien lifts a scaled hand, and knocks.

Tinania looks up when she hears the knock. She knew it wasn't her mother, because she was still in bed rest, and Rinon would have been staying close to her at least she thought. Shaking her head she looks back down at she calls across the room "Its open you can come in."

Her bed was cover in book on one side, she had spent most of the morning trying to work on the curse and also work on her class work for the upcoming week.

Damien peeks inside the room. Kamus sticks his head in as well.

Damien steps in, Kamus ever on his heels, and he shuts the door behind him. "Good morning, Nani," he says.

He notes all the books on her bed, and an eyebrow wings up. "What are you working on?"

Tinania looks up then smiles shrugging as she sat up "Alittle be of school work. Need to plan for upcoming classes. Then I was trying to breaks this language so i could ready this book I got from the Malfoy.." she shakes her head then holds her hands out to Damien for a hug "How are you this morning?"

Damien walks toward the bed after telling Kamus to stay by the door.

He then looks down at the book, his brows furrow. "Hmmm . . . It looks like you might have your hands full with that one," he says. "Have you tried looking in the study on our side of the house? We have a few language books."

"And, I am fine," he says, looking toward the door. With a sad little sigh, he asks, "How are you? And, Aunt Krista?"

Tinania looks down at her lap as rubbed her hands together. Looking back up she smiles, ever since the fight she was deteremine to stay strong for her mother. She eyes showed the pain and sadness but she didn't show it the way she held herself "I'm doing good, and no I hadn't check yet. I was going to do that later to actually. Mum still in a deep sleep from what I've been told. Father been going crazy. I'm worry about him also.." she pauses looking back down at her lap.

Damien looks away. "I'm sorry. . . ." he says, softly. He puts a scaled hand on her shoulder.

Secretly, he is really happy that the two of them can still be friends, even with what happened between their mums.

He knows that his mum, at least, feels horrible about what she did. Even if she won't come and visit Krista, she is sending potions. He brings them to Rinon every night. Things to help her heal quicker, things to help her heal without scars, and potions to lessen the pain, and to help Krista sleep.

He sighs again. Now determined to make them both forget about their family drama, Damien asks, "Is there anything here I might be able to help you with?"

Tinania looks up at him then shrugs as she pushes some of the books alittle to give him room to sit. "Unless you could figure out this language I don't think so. I've looked through everything I have yet I still can't figure it out." she pushes her hand though her hair then frowns "Not to mention I have to get a lesson plan down for next week." she sigsh then looks at Damien "Your lucky you know that. Being a teacher is crazy, always grading, and having to come up with lesson plans. Its it wasn't the fact that my pay was good I wouldn't be doing it."

Damien shakes his head. "Sorry, I really couldn't help you with teh language," he says.

Then, he tilts his head to the side. "I don't know, Nani," he says, smiling slightly. "I think I would like teaching. It would be a different sort of learning experience, I think," he says. "But, I can help you with your grading, or whatever else, while I am here. We can still talk," he says.

Tinania smiles then nods "If you wanna help me grade that would be wonderful." she pauses then smiles tilting her head "Well actually we have a job opening at the school. Its in English also, I could see you doing a good job with that subject. " she relaxes as she picks up a handful of papers and a red marker handing them to Damien.

Pulling out the answer sheet she hands that to him also as she picks up her own handful of paper but a different answer sheet.

Damien takes the papers, and shifts back onto the bed. He crosses his legs 'Indian style,' and sets the papers down in his lap.

"You do?" he asks, twirling the marker in his hands. "Do you mean English as in literature and sentence-structure English, or English as a Second Language?" he asks, tilting his head. "And, what age group are you talking about?"

Tinania looks up then smiles "English as in literature, you know the love of books your have?" she winks then nudges him. "The man teaching the class retired, so the opening there. Were looking for someone who is young and knows the subject real well." she pauses then smiles "You be teaching people our age, like Celia or Tari....Celia in the potion class I teach." she pushes her hair back then finishes the one paper she was grading.

Damien chuckles. "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to try," he says, looking over the tests. He finds he doesn't need the answer sheet, and sets it aside.

"Maybe you could help me get my foot in the door," Damien says, putting an 'x' next to one of the answers before moving on. "I really don't know if I am qualified."

Tinania looks over at Damien then smirks "I'll talk to Kira. But I don't think you'll have a problem. I'll talk to her on Monday before classes start then get back to you. How does that sound?" she looks over the paper in er hand marking an 'x' by quite a few of them then writing something about talk to me after class and I'll help you.

Placing the paper down she smile "It be cool to have you there, not only is everyone great, but give us more time to hang out. Plus I know you would have fun there." she giggles then looks back down at the next paper "So why you looking for another job anyways?"

Damien shrugs. "I don't like to ask Lucius to lie to Mum Lenore," he says. "I don't want her to know I am working in her wand shop. And, Lucius won't let me go collect wand cores with him. Sitting around the shop and reading is fun, but I don't feel like I am doing anything to earn the money."

He shrugs again. "Plus, I just want a job. I don't want to be sitting around the house all the time for the rest of my life. If I ever have children, what sort of example does that set for them?"

That caused Tinania to giggles "Okay when did you start thinking about kids? I thought you wanted to wait until you were older?" she sits there just watching him. For once she was being really curious before she gets blunt "Have you and Rhi even had sex yet?" she knew that would shock Damien, she had never been blunt with him before.

Damien pauses in the middle of the check mark he is making. He looks up at Nani, his eyes a little wider than normal.

He would have gaped at her, had he allowed himself.

He shakes his head and clears his throat before returning to the paper before him. "A gentleman does not speak of his sex life," is his reply, as he looks over the paper again.

The only consolation he has right now is that the burning in his face that he expected to come is not as great as it would have been months ago. He has gotten better at stamping the blush out.

"And, I am just thinking about my future," With Rhiannon, he thinks. "I should start a carreer, one that I think I will enjoy. Teaching is one of the avenues I toyed with."

Tinania smirks, she knew Damien to well, the way he acted then what he said gave it away. Cause everytime she hit the mark he went gentlemen on her. Giggling she shrugs "Okay just curious...."

Placing the finally paper down she looks over at Damien nodding "I understand, its why me and Surion both have jobs. We wanna be able to support eachother and the furture. Whatever that holds, plus then there the new house.." she pauses smiling alittle just thinking about it.

Smiling she giggles alittle as she picks up a different set of papers starting to grade those "Can you believe how much has changed since we were both kids? I use to sit in your lap when you read, now were grown and have separate lives..." she pauses again then looks at Damien "Promise me that no matter what happen, we'll always be friend. No matter what I don't wish to lose you Mein. You next to Surion are the closest people in my life."

"The house?" Damien asks, finishing his own stack of papers, and moving on to the next.

Damien sighs, and puts the lid back on his marker. He sets it neatly atop the stack of papers, and steeples his fingers. "You know, when we were children, it was much better. We didn't fight until recently."

He studies Tinania. "But, I am glad that we are still close. . . . I don't think that will change. We grew up together, that counts for something. Besides," he smiles. "You're my best friend, and family. Nothing will change that."

Then, he takes the lid off of the marker, and starts browsing the tests. "That's why I want to ask you something. I don't want anyone to know, but I need advice. . . ."

Tinania smiles then leans over giving Damien a hug "Yes nothing will ever change that. No matter what..." she goes back grading the papers marking a few wrong answers every now and then.

Looking up she tilts her head to the side "Yea I'm gonna be moving out soon, and moving into a new home with Surion, so you don't have to worry about your kid sister bugging you anymore." she winks as she crossed her legs in front of her before looking at him slightly concern. When did Damien ever need advise, didn't he know everything? "Okay what kind of advise? Maybe I can help you for a change?" she smiles placing the red marker down in her lap.

Damien chuckles. "You don't bug me, Nani," he says, tapping his chin with the marker as he keeps reading. "I think Surion might have mentioned the house to me. . . ." Of course, that might have been when Surion gave him a headache with his fast-talking. . . . "I am happy for you and Surion, though. Congratulations."

He then clears his throat uncomfortably. He tells her what he has in mind, and figets when he is finished. He marks on the paper, and puts the grade at the top before moving on to the next one.

Tinania jaw drop slightly and her eyes widen before she giggles "Go for it Damein. No point in waiting right?" she winks then leans in whispering something she hadn't told anyone just to make sure she doesn't jinx it.

Leaning back she blushes then giggles pushing her hand through her hair "Yea anyways. I would in a heart beat if I was you..." she grabs a few more papers still slightly red.

Damien is blushing as well, and he smiles. He tells her another sort of tidbit, and is smiling now.

Then, he finishes off the pile in front of him, and recaps the marker again. "I don't think you have long to wait, at any rate, Nani," he says. "Really. It is too obvious that that is where you are headed. . . ." he grins at that, and gives Nani's shoulder a squeeze.

Tinania covers her mouth to stop herself from screaming with delight. She places her papers done completely forgetting about them. She turns looking at Damien then giggles "Awww..." that was all she could say.

Looking down she wrinkles her nose then blushes even more "Yea I know were heading that way. But its the waiting that got me. You know, I just want it to happen.." she looks up then shrugs. "Only give his dad another reason to ask when he going to be a grandfather..."

"Yeah, I have this whole plan that I hope is going to work," Damien sighs. "We will see. . . ."

Then, he chuckles. "Oh? They are already talking about grandchildren?" he asks. "I feel a little sorry for you. I have heard stories of how Mum Lenore was. . . ." he says.

Tinania blushes then does the only this she can, she hides her face in her hands "Oi don't remind me. I swear they want me to have kids, but I'm not ready yet, nor is Surion..." she peeks out between her fingers.

"How did your mother act while she was pregrant with you?" she was slightly curious because she never really understood what she read in the book about what it was like.

"Well, they are just planting the thought in your head, I think," Damien laughs. "Making sure you know, for sure, that they want grandchildren."

Damien raises his eyebrow at Nani's questions. "Well, I heard she ate everything in sight, she had violent mood swings. And, there was one time, when she woke Mum Eirnae up at . . . I think it was close to two in the morning. She made her go get papayas for her." he chuckles. "It is no picnic, though," he adds.

Tinanai groans then shakes her head "Oh dear visha I'm in trouble...." she swallows then laughs "It don't help that Surion people are known for having more then one child..." leaning back she lays her hand over her stomach then giggles "It would be worth it, having my own child to care for.." she looks over at Damien then smiles "You should come over to our home once we finally move in. Just to get away from everything going on here..I don't knwo about you, but I hate seeing the family fight.."

Damien laughs. He can't help it! "You're going to have twins!" he teases.

Then, he sobers up pretty quickly. "Yes, I think I will come visit. . . . In truth, that is one of the reasons I have not been home so much. . . . I don't like seeing this happen. But, there is nothing we can do. Mum Lenore and Aunt Krista are both too stubborn to listen to either of us."

Tinania gasps and pushes at Damien laughing "Don't jinx me. Otherwise when I do have kids, your babysitting them..." she was joking she wouldn't do that to Damien.

Tinania herself frowns then nods "Yea they are, watch it take something really bad to bring this family back together..." she sighs then looks at the bed "I hate that they are fighting, they are acting like kids..." she knew she didn't have any room to talk, but she still didn't like it.

"Yeah, that is what usually brings this family back together. It is never something good when we all fight. . . ." Damien sighs. "We'll see though . . . I just wish it didn't get to . . . the point that it got to. . . ." he says, quietly.

Tinania sighs going quiet herself, she didn't like the thought of anything bad happening, this family was going through enough as it was. Looking up at Damien she shakes her head "Let just hope it doesn't happen that way..."

Damien pats Nani's knee, and nods. He then pushes the papers into a neat pile. "I had better go get dressed. I have some more errands to run today," he leans over and hugs Nani. "Things will get better, just hold onto that. And, if you ever need me, I am only a few minutes walk away," he says, smiling a little.

Tinania returns the hug then nods "I will Damien. and I'll stop by your room once I talk to Kira I promise." she kisses his cheek then smiles "Yes everything will work out for the better.."

Damien returns the kiss on the cheek, and gives Nani's hair a stroke.

Then, he pulls away. "I'll await the verdict, then," he says.

He then points at the papers. "Don't stay cooped up all day. Go visit the koi or something," he says, trying his hand at a smile.

He then leaves, Kamus following.

Tinania nods then smiles "I'll try not to...talk to you later Mein." she watches as he leave then turns looking at the papers again. Biting her bottom lip she instead goes for the spell book again trying to once again break the language.

(( Because I can. And, yeah, that is what he is wearing. . . . ))

Proposal, pt 1

Damien walks up the walk to Rhiannon's home. He is braving the sun, praying to Eilistraee that he doesn't get sunburned on his face. Yes, it is trivial, but sunburns are painful!

His gray tunic sways in the wind behind him, along with the darker-gray 'belt' he has tied around his waist. His loose green-streaked, light brown hair sways with him as he keeps walking. He stares down at the ground beneath him as his feet move.

Smiling, he finally reaches the door. He lifts a scaled hand to knock on the door, and hums a nameless tune as he waits.

Rhiannon tugged on her jeans as her sensitive wolven ears picked up the knocking sounds at the front door. She had been going through her wardrobe, making piles of clothes that she would take to a charity shop. She hurriedly scooped up the pile, stuffing them into a bin bag, zipped her jeans closed and tugged on a cut-off tee before running downstairs. Opening the door she let out a small happy squeal and jumped on Damien, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly.

Damien almost falls over, having not braces himself for the jump. He manages to stay on his booted-feet, and puts his arms around Rhiannon.

"Well, isn't this a wonderful welcome," he says, chuckling a little. "I missed you too, Rhiannon."

He strokes her hair, and breathes in the scent of her. He keeps his arms around her. Well, until she gives him any indication that she wants to pull away. Until then, he is going to hug her tight.

Rhiannon nestled into him, kissing the side of his neck, and then along his face. She looked into his eyes and smiled;
'Hello,' she said softly, then released him just long enough to tug him inside, and shut the door behind them.

"Hello," Damien replies, ignoring the tingling he felt when she kissed his neck. "Ah, I found you well, I assume?" he says, an amused expression on his face as he studies her.

Rhiannon nodded, bringing one of his hands up to her face and kissing it, still keeping her eyes on him. His scent was all over her now, and it inflamed her blood, causing her cheeks to redden and breath to quicken...sometimes she wondered how close to animal she was, but she just wanted him - now if possible.

Damien stares, and he feels his cheeks redden a little. He squeezes her hand and, again, with a hint of amusement in both his voice and on his face, he says, "Before other . . . activities enter out minds, I wanted to talk to you about February."

Then, because he wants to, Damien pulls Rhiannon close to him, and gives her a kiss, squeezing her close.

Rhiannon nodded, letting him pull her close and returning the kiss. She tugged gently on his bottom lip with her teeth and pulled away.
'I wouldnt do that again if you want to just talk right now,' she grinned, walking off towards the living room.

Damien lets out a - hopefully - cooling breath, and follows her. He takes a seat on the couch, and looks at her.

"Well, I will make a note not to do that again," he says, smiling ever so slightly. "Now, I am sure you are wondering about what I have planned for those days. . . ." he pauses a moment, letting the silence draw out. "I am only willing to tell you one of my plans. And, that is only because it explains why I asked for so much time with you."

Then, he falls silent, waiting for her reaction.

Or, just trying to drive her crazy.

Rhiannon sat next to him, letting a hand fall on this thigh, tracing circles with her fingers;
'Well yes I was..' she nodded, listening further.
'Oh so you're going to be a big tease in more then one way huh?' she smiled to let him know she was kidding around.

Damien chuckles. "I suppose I am," he admits.

Because he can't concentrate with her finger running on his thigh, he takes her hands in his. "Now, I really hope you don't get the wrong idea when I tell you what I have done. I don't expect anything, I just wanted to spend some time with you. And, since I am hoping I am right about how well I think you know me, I really don't think you will slap me. . . ."

He expells a nervous breath. "I booked us a room. It isn't the best room, but it isn't a seedy one, either. I thought you might want a break from everything for a while, and, as I have said, I just wanted to spend time with you. I can always get my money back if you don't want to stay there, however," he says, letting her know that there is a way out should she want to take it. "I have a few other things planned as well, but they don't require us staying together." He studies her face, unconsciously holding his breath.

Rhiannon blinked, not really noticing that he was holding her hands. Why a room away? It wasnt like they couldnt do that sort of stuff here..but then it would be nice not to have to worry about someone barging in; or her father putting his nose in. She let out a little chuckle;
'Damien I cannot get enough of us being together like that...' she moved her hands so that she was holding his, and squeezed them.
'But I'd love to be alone with you...and do whatever you wish.'
Her curiosity still held though, what were the other things he was going to do?

Damien blinks. Well, she did get the wrong idea. But, she didn't seem mad about it. . . .

He DIDN'T get the room for sex, he got it to take her away from home things for a while. And, as he said honestly, to spend more time with her.

Also, and this was a tiny part of it, to test them. See if they would be able to get through constant contact with each other. In case they ever decide to move out together. . . .

"Well, that's good," he says, grinning now, even if there is the slight blush at the tips of his ears. "I thought you were going to slap me for even suggesting having a room together," he says, his voice soft.

Rhiannon leaned in, brushing her lips softly against his cheek, touching the little scales.
'I'm not sure why you'd think that,' she purred in a low voice.
'I hate to leave you when we have to part as it is.'

Damien puts a hand on her cheek, and tilts his head. Thoughts tickle at the back of his brain, but he does not voice them.

Instead, he shrugs. "I don't know. In retrospect, it might have been a sleezy-boyfriend move to make," he smiles, sheepishly.

Then, he pokes her nose. "But, that makes two of us. I don't like to leave you, either." He tucks his hair behind his ears.

"But," he starts, in a teasing tone, "I think you will enjoy the things I have planned. . . ."

'Only if your girlfriend was the prim and proper type,' Rhiannon poked the tip of her tongue out at him.
'I'm sure I will...I just wish I didnt have to wait until February to know what they were.' she trailed a free hand along his thigh again.
'Was that all you wanted to tell me?' she smiled, looking at him and raising her brows.

"Well . . ." he trails off. "Nope, you will just have to wait," he winks at her.

Then, he taps his chin, another way to take his mind off of her hand. "I got a job?" he says, smiling sheepishly again.

Rhiannons hand trailed upwards, towards the top of his leg, her fingers pressing through the material of his trousers.
'Oh you did? Doing what?'
Talking about jobs reminded her of another conversation, about something she had mention to him. She waited for him to reply first though.

Damien audibly gulps, and looks away, taking a moment. "Well. . . . I am teaching English in the village in Emerald Forest," he says. "The pay is great, and I will be. . . . ah . . . teaching about something . . . I know a bit about. . . ."

Proposal, pt 2

'That's good,' Rhiannon smiled at his reaction, letting her fingers travel around a bit, teasing him.
'I'm glad at least one of us is doing something as a career that they like to do.'

"Ah . . . how is work . . . for you?" Damien asks, finding it VERY hard to think right now.

'Becoming tedious,' she stilled her hand for a moment, frowning.
'The money is ok, but it's not challenging. Trouble is I don't know what I would like to do.'

Damien expells a breath of relief, and he relaxes. "Oh?" he asks, frowning a little. "Do you have anything in mind? Something tickling at the back of your head? Nothing is too silly," he says.

She squeezed his thigh, shaking her head.
'Nothing is coming to mind right now,' Rhiannon licked her lips.
'But then you are very, very distracting to me.' she breathed.
'Tell me what else is new with you before I completely lose control of my more..animal instincts.'

Damien blinks, the chain on his ear cuff swaying a little. "Nothing," he says, his voice almost a squeak. He clears his throat. "I believe I told you everything."

Yep, he knows that look in her eyes, he remembers it very vividly. And, he is also being reminded of the effect it has on him.

Her other hand trailed upwards, fingers touching the chain dangling from his ear.
'So not this then?' she smiled, clambering onto his lap and replaced her fingers with her mouth, teasing the flesh of his earlobe, and kissing along the ridge. She pulled away again.
'So that would be everything then?' Rhiannon laid her hands flat on his chest, head tilted as she looked at him.

Damien pretty much melts when she touches his ears.

Then, loses control of his senses when she teases him.

Mumbling an oath, he pushes her back, and brings his lips to hers.

HOW does she always get him this CRAZY?

Rhiannon made a noise in the back of her throat; a small squeaky growl of excitement as Damien's mouth met hers again. Her fingers scrabbled at the tunic he was wearing, trying to work out if it could be opened or just taken off him. She settled for now for slipping hands under it, feeling his skin under her probing fingers made the noise sound again.

Damien unties his belt, and tosses it aside, before working on the tiny buttons of his tunic.

Before he can toss THAT aside, he comes up for air. "Are we alone?" he asks, in a breathy whisper. He glances around, as though he expects someone to jump out at them and scream "BOO!"

Rhiannon's tail wagged, as Damien seemed to realise her problem and undid the tunic for her. She kissed his chest, trailing the very tip of her tongue on his skin. She stopped, nodding.
'Completely alone,' she whispered, trailing her fingers along his sides.

He still is glancing around when he shrugs out of his tunic.

He REALLY doesn't want another few boxes of condoms. . . .

He smiles again. "In that case. . . ." he says, before resumng the kiss.

'My father hasnt been around since that last time,' she said as though she could hear his thoughts, her voice betraying the anger she felt for her father.
'Do you care really anyway? My mother likes you..' Rhiannon kissed his chest, then attacked one of his ears again.
'And I love you, and I very much want to be with you here and now.'

Damien pauses a moment to think.

Well, think as clearly as he can, anyway.

"No, I don't care," he says. He brushes a bit of Rhiannon's hair from her face. He sits up long enough to scoop her into his lap. "And, I love you, too. More than I could tell you. . . ."

"Rhiannon. . . ." he pauses. He looks over at his tunic, which is lying on the floor in front of the couch. "I. . . ."

Goddess, can't he just get the blush to stop coming? And, a slower heart-rate would be nice too. . . .

Her heart swelled, and she felt kind of floaty when he said such beautiful things. She kissed in the crook of his neck, and then sat back on his lap again.
'You what sweetie?' Rhiannon asked, head cocked and ears pricked.

Yep, he has lost the use of his voice. So, instead, he reaches for his tunic.

Lifting it off the floor, he grabs something out of the pocket. It is in a small, purple, velvet pouch with gold rope keeping it closed.

It is probably only ONE of he reasons Rhiannon didn't feel it there. He has been carrying it with him since he got it. Oddly enough, so that he didn't lose it.

He was going to wait, but now seemed as good a time as any. . . .

"Ah," he says, and takes Rhi's hand. He opens it, and slips the pouch in there.

'Ah,' is about as far as he can get.

'What's this?' she wondered out loud, looking at him. For the moment carnal thoughts were replaced by curiosity. She undid the gold securing it, and upended it onto an open hand. The ring flashed in the light as it landed on her palm.
'What's..this for?' Rhiannon asked, biting her lip and looking at him. It was beautiful, but she wondered from his sudden inability to string together a sentence if it meant..something.

Damein scratches his head and smiles, nervously. "You're going to make me say it, aren't you?" he asks.

"I am . . . hoping. . . . It is an engagement ring," he says, his voice little above a whisper.

'Umm..pardon me - what?' Rhiannon stammered out, thinking that maybe because he had spoken so quietly that she had misheard him. After all, the possibility of this moment had been a mere dream, a magical hope that she had entertained.
'Damien,' she managed, the hand holding the ring trembling, and tears pooling.

"Oh, you heard me," Damien says, watching her eyes water. Uh oh, he thinks. I might have miss-judged the feelings she felt for me.

Self doubt, that he hides, fills him. But, he moves his hand to rest on Rhiannon's cheek. "Mela," he starts. He stops himself from saying his usual 'erm,' and continues, "Marry me?"

Rhiannon nodded at first, causing the tears to spill then cried out;
'Yes!...yes,' she said firmly, her emotions making her voice tremor.
'Oh Damien,' she murmured, clutching the ring tight enough in her hand to leave a mark and kissing him hungrily. She pulled away, holding the ring towards him.
'Will you put it on my finger for me? I want you to.'

Damien's heart pretty much stops at that point. And, despite himself, his own eyes mist over.

But, he takes the ring in a trembling hand,and nods. After a little difficulty, Damien slips the ring on her finger.

Beaming, he puts his hands on either side of her face, and leans in to kiss her again.

"You have made me very, very happy," he says, softly, when he pulls away.

Rhiannon is crying properly now, and gets off him for a moment, grabbing a tissue and drying her face. She sat right next to him again, nestling into him and looking at the ring on her finger, tilting it so that the light catches it in different ways.
'I love you Damien,' she said, looking at him.
'And I dont think I've ever been so happy as right now.' she kissed him on the cheek.

Damien takes the opportunity, when he back is turned, to hastily wipe at his eyes. "And, I love you Rhiannon," that seems to be all he is able to say at the moment. So, he simply holds her to him, humming, softly, the same, nameless une as before.

'Was this what you had planned for February?' Rhiannon asked, sounding amused because if it was he was adorably cute for not being able to wait till then. She stroked his arm, resting on his bare shoulder.

"Uhm, one of the many things. . . ." He admits, blushing a little at that. "Sorry. I guess I couldn't wait." He reaches up to poke her nose. "You always get me caught up in the heat of the moment."

'It's okay...its more then okay,' Rhiannon giggled.
'It was perfect.' she turned her head and kissed shoulder, remembering with the touch of her lips against his warm skin what they had paused with his proposal.
'You are perfect,' she mumbled, teeth softly grazing him.

Damien has enough brain-power to teasingly say, "Eh, you're alright," with the same grin that he gives her to show her he is joking.

And then, his own brain goes back to what they were doing as well. Getting back in the spirit of things, he leans in and nibbles at her neck, his fingers running up her spine and under her shirt.

Rhiannon nipped him at that, leaving a little red mark that slowly faded;
'So mean,' she said, smiling though. She felt the heat rise inside as his hands wandered, and she moved, motioning for him to lay back, leaning across him to lay the cushions down so he was comfy.

Damien lies back, as he is 'told.' He smiles again, he can't seem to stop, and reaches his scaled hands to fist, gently, in Rhi's hair at the nape of her neck.

One of his hands leaves her hair, and moves to he belly-button, trailing up.

Rhiannon leaned into his hands a moment, eye sliding shut. She licked her lips, looking at him and leaning over and down, trailing a path down his body, using mouth and tongue, lapping at his belly. She stopped at his pants, but they didnt stop her, and once she'd undone them, she carried on with her mouth....

~*~*~***~*~*~

Damien is just lying thee, pretty damn relaxed for someone who was a bundle of nerves earlier.

In fact, he can't move. He's blissfully numb. With his eyes closed, he breathes slowly. He reaches for Rhiannon's hair, to run his fingers through it. But, he can't even move his arm.

"Hmmmm," is all he says.

Rhiannon had gone away after trying out the thing she had wanted to try on Damien..which seemed like a big success - fetching a blanket and draping it over both of them as she snuggled against him again, kissing him tenderly on the cheek.
'Well,' she said, giggling softly and laying a hand on his chest, her eyes again glancing at the lovely engagement ring.
'That was...well I guess you liked it huh?' she asked, grinning.

Damien nods, and manages to snake his arms around Rhiannon. He opens an eye to look at her.

It occurs to him that she might not have enjoyed it as much as him.

Well, he thinks. I can't leave my finace 'wanting,' now, can I?

Fiance. He likes the sound of that, even if he has only said it in his head.

With those thoughts in his head, he shifts, switching so that he is on her. With a twinkle in his eye, he starts to repay her.

~*~*~***~*~*~

When Rhiannon's legs had finally quit trembling and she could focus properly she wrapped her tired body around him.
'That was...' she kissed the nearest part of him she could reach before going on.
'Very, very nice...' she smiled, feeling sleepy now. But she knew that they couldnt do that here. At some point her mother would come home.

Damien, feeling pretty pleased with himself, and, for once, happy that Fauna had cornered him in Greece to badger him, looks at Rhi.

He seems to have the same thoughts in his head, about sleeping, and them being in too public a part of the house.

"I have a proposition for you," he starts. "If you can make it to your room, I will stay the rest of the day with you. . . ."

Rhiannon stifled a yawn, nodding.
'I can make it anywhere if you're the inducement,' she said, her voice drowsy. She said up, gathering her clothes, leaving the blanket for Damien to cover himself with and began to shuffle to her bedroom.

Damien burrows in the covers, and grabs up his asorted articles of clothing, including his boots.

Shifting them to one arm, he moves toward Rhi. "Lean on me," he offers, making steady progress to the room.

Rhiannon waved him off, laughing a little.
'I'm fine,' she said.
'My legs are working a bit better now,' and she winked at him as they approached her door, pushing it open. She discarded the last items of clothing that she had on and scampered to her bed, getting under the covers.
'Shut the door,' she called, grinning at him from across the room.

Damien was already shutting it, and he drops his clothes on the floor then.

Still huddled in the blanket, he walks to the bed, and slides in, sliding under the covers as well. He snuggles close and closes his eyes.

"I can see my life when we are married," he comments. "You tell me what to do, and I do it," he teases, nuzzling a scaled cheek in the pillow

Rhiannon showered him in butterfly kisses, nuzzling him and sliding close under the covers.
'When we are married I want to only please you..' she said, pausing her attentions and looking at him. Reaching up under the quilt she stroked his cheek.
'In many and varied ways..' she grinned before kissing his nose.
'I love you,' she whispered, her eyes closing as she held onto him.

Damien snugs. "We'll be married, and I will be happy," he says, content. "I love you too, mela."

He holds her closer, and strokes her hair until they both drift off.