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"Raaaaaaylaaaaaaan!" Tahki called from outside of the shop, her hands cupped around her mouth to make her voice even louder. "Raaaaylaaaan, are you in here??"

Yellow eyes peered around curiously as she flitted into the shop, her red and black wings flapping needlessly and lightly as she looked for her son. It took her a moment to noticed the two-toned feien on the counter, with a small group of females.

"Ah! Raylan!" she smiled a bit sadly, flitting a little closer. "I need to t--OMIGOSH!!"

Something else caught her eye, however. Immediately, Tahki was a little higher in the air, and clinging tightly onto the red feien that she hadn't been in MONTHS.

"MAAAAAAAAAQ!!!! Maqmaqmaqmaqmaq OMIGOSH! I haven't seen you in forever and a half!!"

Raylan blinked a few times after hugging his sister lightly, looking over his shoulder to see his mother clinging to the older red feien.

"And...that would be Mama," he smiled nonetheless, looking to Kookaberra and Irisa.

Waaaaah! That was the feeling Irisa had on the inside as the loud shouting rang throughout the room. On the outside, however, she managed to remain calm. ...as she calmly covered her ears a bit. She was able to just barely hear her brother, though.

"That's mom?" Irisa blinked. "Wow, she... has a really strong voice."

Their mom went shooting straight for the fiery red feien. Meep. They must have been old friends. But mom... seemed happy. Irisa wasn't sure if she wanted to disturb her.

It was interesting, seeing her mom. Irisa suddenly saw a lot of her brothers and sisters in her mom. ...she wondered if any of them would grow up to have ears that long, too.

Berra, at hearing the excited female voice and seeing the red-and-black shape barrel past overhead, jolted a little, momentarily clinging tighter to her brother before letting him go again and blinking.

"That's...mommy?" she asked, trying to differentiate who was who between the tangle of red wings and tanned limbs.

Talon, at the sudden flurry of noise, growled and jammed his hands over his ears. His head was already stuffy as it was and the squealing and declarations from whoever else was in the shop were really starting to irk him in ways he hadn't thought possible.

It didn't occur to him that one was a familiar voice because when Tahki squealed in falcetto, she sounded like every other exciteable feien he'd either met or overheard. Given his luck in catching his mate the past month or so, his mind had already decided for him that it was not her who had just come in and must be someone else.

He cocooned himself in his wings a little tighter.

:Maq feels himself slide backwards a good three inches in the air, as he is suddenly attacked by a bundle of glee and feathers. He laughs, the sound deep and booming, as he wraps an arm around Tahki.: "Whoa, now, calm down a sec. You're going to squeeze the happy right out of me." :He grins broadly down at her, damned glad to see someone familiar amongst the sea of new faces. Quantel excluded, of course.:

:Quantel's wings shift then, slightly up and around her, the faintest of shadows falling from them across her features. Perhaps now would be the best moment to make her escape. The word "Mama" echoes about in her head painfully.:

Tahki's hug loosed up a bit as she looked up at him, grinning happily as she giggled. If anyone had known better, this was probably the happiest she'd been since Raylan first had arrived from his bloom.

"How've you been? Where have you been? How come you've been gone so long? An--Ooh! Maaaaaq, come meet my son!" she blurted out all at once, her voice much softer than it had been at first.

"Raaaaay, meet my friend!" she called, flitting closer to the group of younger feien. "Wait! Who's your friends? They look familiar..."

Raylan chuckled softly before moving himself to stand next to Irisa and still close by Kookaberra. He'd allow them to do introductions, as he knew they'd been waiting an awful long time to meet their mother, just as he'd waited so long to meet his father.

"Um, hi... mom." Irisa meekly waved with a nervous smile. Wow, Irisa was just... terrible when it came to introductions with family members when she actually knew they were her family members.

She forced herself to speak some more. She couldn't leave her mom with just that confused note.

"I'm Irisa. The bloom that Sir Corvus gave away. And this is Berra. You're... other daughter.

...yea. Irisa wasn't expecting to meet her mother while her mother was busy with meeting an old friend. Meep.

:Maq moves closer to the group as well, having little choice, since he knows he needs to keep within grabbing distance of Tahki. He pointedly ignores Quantel, grinning instead at the youngters.: "I'll be damned! You've got kids now." :He shakes his head a bit, chuckling.: "Guess the mother vibe rubbed off Ares onto you, hun?"

Tahki blinked a few times, allowing the words to slowly settle in. Daughter...? Corvus bloom... Irisa, Berra... DAUGHTERS???? Her yellow eyes just seemed to brighten as she smiled, unable to contain her giggle. Though, perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to do introductions when she was so happy, because she quickly pulled the two girls into a tight (but not harmful) hug.

"Daughters! I have two little girls!!" she squealed, trying hard to keep her voice down for their sake. It was odd to even think she was an adult sometimes.

Blushing slightly at Maquinar's comment, Tahki released the two girls and stood upright, taking in a deep breath and releasing it slowly to calm herself. She could do this... She could focus. Looking to the heat feien, she smiled again.

"It...it kind of did," she admitted, folding her hands behind her back. "Though, I've only been able to meet my son since he lives with me. Irisa, Berra, Raylan... This is Maquinar. He's a reeeeeaaaaally good friend of mine!"

Irisa was almost tempted to use her stone skin spell at the tight hug, her mother caught her so off guard. But... Tahki was her mom, and Irisa was glad to be hugged, even if Tahki's sheer energy definately caught her by surprise (Irisa not being THAT energetic, herself. Hmm... she could see the relationship in her sister Berra, though).

The young feien smiled.

"I'm really glad to finally meet you, mother." she remarked as she clasped her hands together. ...oh wait, manners. Irisa turned to Maquinar and nodded. "Hello, Sir Maquinar. It's nice to meet you, too."

Berra blinked, backing away a step as Tahki and Maquinar approached, and then her moment of intimidation passing, approached her mother. "Mommy!" she grinned, bouncing on her heels. Today was just getting better and better. Talon had been promising her for days that she'd get to meet her mother and now here she was.

Remembering her manners, or trying to at least...she turned to Maquinar and waved, smiling brightly at him. "H'lo Mister Maq!"

Talon's eyes blearily tried to focus on the white membrane of his wing, finding it going fuzzy. It didn't sound much to him like Berra was picking out items moreso was socializing with friends. If she didn't hurry up, he was going to end up curled up right here on the shelf and be unable to budge until he'd rested.

His eyelids drooping, he succombed to the urge to nap, promising himself that when Berra came to get him up, he'd be ready to go as his head settled onto his knees.

"Ah, hell, just call me Maq." :He waves a hand at the kids in a friendly manner, then brings it up to run through his hair, causing it to stand on end.: "I'm no more a sir than any other Feien." :He puts an arm around Tahki's shoulders and gives her a squeeze.:

:Quantel takes to the air silently, returning as quickly as she can to the shelf at the top of the bookcase and disappearing into the shadows therein.:

"Ah, okay!" Irisa quickly turned around. "Well, yes, it's nice to meet you, Mr. Maq!"

Mr. Maq. That... didn't come out right. Even Irisa couldn't help but laugh inwardly at that. She didn't laugh outwardly, though

At that point, Irisa stared at where her father was.

"Er... dad's okay, right?" she remarked. "He just... plopped to the floor right there."

Raylan bowed a little bit in greeting to Maquinar, blinking a few times at the actions. My... Were all friends so clingy? Or was that just something the red feien did all of the time?

"Ah! Papa looked rather ill," he commented, looking toward the shelf for a moment. "He didn't say hello or anything. Then again, I'm not sure if he even knows we're here."

Tahki blushed again a little bit and rested her head lightly against Maquinar's shoulder. She remembered for a moment how she couldn't even REACH his shoulder for the longest time! Then again, she also hadn't seen him probably since he'd grown up himself...

Her long ears perked up a little bit as the two mentioned their father. Talon was here?? For a moment, she almost seemed reluctant. Maq had been gone for around 3 months... Then again, she did love Talon and it had been over a month since she'd seen him. Raylan said he looked sick?? That couldn't be good. Thus, the sickly ranked higher on the "must see" list!

"I'll be back, okay?" she smiled, looking up at Maquinar for a moment before looking to her three children. "I'll go see if he's okay!"

With that, she fluttered off toward the shelf, glancing around for the earth feien.

"Taaaaalooooon!!! Talon, I know you're heeeeeerrrrrre!"

Talon jolted so hard someone may as well have stuck an ice cube down his back at the sound of someone suddenly yelling his name. Someone....very....familiar, at that.

"Tahki...?" he asked, almost not daring to assume. Assumption was the mother of all ********, after all. But, as he unfurled the pocket of warmth his wings had been providing him to investigate, he instantly recognized the blur of red, black, and tan. It -was- Tahki!

"Here!" he called, beckoning at her with one arm, though he turned his head into his shoulder quickly to sneeze.

Berra bit her lip guiltily and kicked at the ground lightly. "Daddy doesn't feel very good. I told him he didn't have to come with me, but he said he didn't want me out flying alone in the dark." she explained to anybody who cared to be listening.

Irisa hoped their father was okay. She wondered if she should go over to check things out, too, but her mom told them to wait. Or, well, implied it at least.

"I... I hope he'll be alright." she replied to Berra, still a bit shocked.

Irisa wanted to find out more about Maq. His element (Fire, perhaps?), his spells, how he knew her mother... but she was too busy worrying about her father at the moment.

"He'll be okay." Berra assured her sister, offering a smile. "If he has whatever Miss Karma had, he'll just sleep a lot, wrap up in lots of blankets, swear about how cold it is, and then be okay in a week or so. I just feel bad that he had to go out tonight, that's all."

:Maq blinks, surprised. *That* is the father of Tahki's offspring? Somehow Maq has trouble picturing it, but he decides to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. His left hand moves up to scratch idly at the jagged scar across his chest.:

"If you say so..." Irisa remarked to her sister, although she stared in the direction of her father in worry a bit longer. Finally, she turned to Maquinar and inquisitively asked, "Oh! Maq, do you know our father?"

She was wondering if Maq was an old friend of her father's. Or old rival even maybe, judging by how he put his arm on Tahki's shoulder like that. ...no, the world couldn't be that much of a soap opera, could it?

Tahki headed toward the sound of his voice until she saw him, smiling as she immediately zipped up to Talon and hugged him tightly. It had been MUCH too long since she'd last seen him about a month ago, even if it wasn't as long as her friend.

"Talon Talon Talon I MISSED you!" she whined, forgetting about the fact that he was sick. It was amazing what she ever DID remember, but at least she was keeping her cold ability in check.

"How're you? What have you been doing? How come you haven't come to see me? How's the bloom? Is it okay? I know I should have gone to see you but I haven't really left the house too much 'cause Neko's gone and I think something's wrong but I'm not too sure and HI!!"

:Maq shakes his head in response to Irisa's question.: "Nah, I don't know him. I've been out of the loop for the last..." :He pauses momentarily while he makes that calculation.: "...I think Ter said it's been almost three months. Tahki and I go way back, though."

Talon stiffened as she hugged him, all of his nerves feeling hypersensitive and aching, but returned it nonetheless. He'd missed her badly, and was happy to see her, sick or not.

Groggily, his mind tried to sort out the solid stream of questions she was peppering him with as he felt his head swim.

"Mnnh...just...just a second." he groaned, clutching at his left temple with one hand.

"I've been better, I haven't come to see you because my wings were hurt...they're all right now, and the bloom emerged weeks ago. Her name is Kookaberra."

He wasn't trying to be rude and he hoped it wasn't coming across that way as he snugged his other arm around her a little more tightly.

Three months!? Wow, how... old were her parents, anyways? Three months seemed like such a long time to Irisa.

"Three months is a really long time." Irisa calmly remarked. "Did your bond have to go on a trip?"

Well, besides her own curiosity, at the very least, Irisa could see if she could gather some data about how the need to bond has affected other feien without disrupting the flow of the conversation.

Tahki blinked a few times, not really expecting to get all of her questions answered. It made her happy, however, as she nuzzled her head against his shoulder.

Kooka...berra? The little pig-tailed girl she just met! ....How cute!!!

"I like Berra," she smiled, peering up at Talon. "I hope I'll be able to see her more often... I guess that means the mushroom is left? Or did they arrive too?"

A part of her felt rather sad that she hadn't been able to meet any of her children until now. Here she wanted to make an effort to be a part of their lives, but she'd been depressed over Neko being gone and what she'd been feeling. She'd get better, though, she knew. Hopefully, the children wouldn't close their hearts to her...

"Yeah, she had to go on a trip." :Maq's a bit distracted, watching Tahki and the other guy talking, while trying not to be rude or staring about it.: "Some ******** nabbed our friend Ben, and we had to go beat the s**t out of them to get him back." :The easy way he says those words indicate that it's just a natural part of his vocabulary, probably picked up elsewhere.:

"The mushroom arrived too, actually." he told her, grunting as he pulled himself out of the reclined sit he'd been in and dragged himself to his feet. "Her name is Avangalyne...not quite as friendly as the others, but she's a sweet girl."

He leaned against Tahki a bit, half to keep her close and half for support. "Aside from Neko being gone, how have you been, love?" he asked, managing to summon some semblance of a smile for her. "Taking care of yourself?"

Out of the corner of his eye he could see someone down below...a red someone who seemed to be watching them for some reason. In spite of feeling ill, he felt his wings tense a bit behind him reflexively. What was -he- looking at...?

Ah! So it was a rescue mission? Irisa supposed that not all problems were related to the lack of magic in the world. Although speaking of which...

"Beat the... s**t out of them?" Irisa hesitantly repeated, before smiling. "That sounds fascinating. Did you use physical force or did you blow them away with powerful spells?"

The young feien was extremely curious as to what methods most feien used to beat the proverbial s**t out of others. That type of data could possibly explain some things. After all, one could hypothesize that magic began to die because humans stopped using it. ...if humans could use it in the first place, of course.

Tahki's expression faltered a little bit before she nodded, keeping her smile. "Mmhm! The best I can!" she assured him, thinking it wasn't best to go into details about the last few weeks at the shop. Perhaps she could visit him later and they could talk for a little bit.

"Avangelyne?" she questioned curiously. "What a pretty name! I hope I get to meet her soon as well!"

:Almost unconciously, Maq drawls,: "Physical. I broke my rapier and Ter lost three fingers and got her eye smashed. You should have seen the other guys." :As if remembering something, he turns away from watching Tahki, then smiles at Irisa.: "I've got to get going, 'cause Ter is expecting me back. Tell your mom she can come visit me at Trio and Aileron's place for me, okay?"

"I'm sure you will." Talon assured her, straightening up a bit once he felt he had his barings fully. "And you know that you can come over whenever you like, right? You don't have to wait for me to tell you its okay." He reached out, brushing her cheek with the back of his hand. "I've missed you badly...and Berra's been climbing the walls wanting to meet you.."

Speaking of Berra... Talon turned his head to look for her, spying her nearby where the little pigtailed feien had seemed to have ambled away from the conversation taking place between Irisa and whoever the red male was as she examined various things in the display cases.

"I would have followed Raylan off to see you myself a few days ago, as a matter of fact, but I was expected back home." he said, pulling his attention back to Tahki.

Lost three fingers and got her eyes smashed!? Irisa inwardly cringed at that. That sounded painful to say the least. And... losing fingers and an eye really seemed awful in general.

...it was good to see that people cared so much about their friends, though, whoever this Ben was.

"Oh, yea. I'll tell her that." she nodded affirmingly to Maq. "Farewell, then! I hope you have a nice night!"

"You too." :With a powerful kick of his legs, Maq sends himself hurling into the air, doing a minor corkscrew before flying away and out the front door.:

Irisa glanced around. Ack! She was rather late, too. Her bond would have a fit. Quickly, she wrote down on a piece of her paper with her quill pen that Maq said that Tahki could see him at Trio's and Aileron's if he wanted to, and flew over to her sister.

"Hey Berra. I have to get going for the night. Could you give mom this message? And take care of dad for me, okay?" Irisa nodded. "Good night, sister!"

With that, she was off.

Berra looked down at the piece of paper she'd been handed, eyeing it curiously. Before she could ask Irisa what it was supposed to mean, her sister was already leaving the shop. "Uhm...bye, Irisa!" she called after her, smiling and waving.

She then started upward, intending fully on giving Tahki the note right then and there, but then pausing in mid-air, seeing her mother and father together on the shelf. It was the first time she'd actually seen them both in the same place at the same time and something told her she shouldn't interrupt. She could wait until later to give her mommy the message, after all, as she quietly returned to the countertop.

Tahki smiled up at Talon before standing, folding her hands behind her back. "It's all right... I'm just glad to know that you're okay!" she assured him, her ears perking up slightly. "I wasn't...really doing so well that day, anyway. It probably wouldn't have been a good idea for you to stop by."

Raylan smiled, waving to Irisa as she left. He'd blanked out for a moment, thinking about a few things from the past few days, and felt bad for not being able to give her a proper farewell. Looking to Berra as the small feien came back, he thought over a question that came to mind.

"Hey, Berra? Can I ask you something?" he asked, wanting to make sure it would be all right before asking.

Talon's attention seemed grabbed at this, a look of wariness crossing his face. "Why?" he asked. "Did something happen, Tahki?" The hand on her cheek strayed upward to stroke her hair comfortingly, despite the fact that whatever incident had happened was now over with.

Berra, folding her wings against her back, turned to Raylan and then flashed him an inquisitive smile. "Sure, Raylan!" she agreed, approaching and putting her hands behind her back as she waited for her brother's question expectantly.

Tahki's yellow eyes glanced down toward the counter top for a moment, realizing Maquinar and Irisa had left. At least Berra and Raylan seemed distracted for the moment, so maybe she could talk to him now after all. Or perhaps, just for a little bit. She knew he was sick, and didn't want to keep him from resting due to worry.

"I think something's wrong with Neko," she sighed, looking to him once again. "Merri and I have been getting headaches recently, and Ares fainted a few days ago. What bothers me most is that Raylan's not affected by it, and I keep... I keep feeling like Neko's really hurt somehow. I don't know why, but I feel like he's really angry with something..."

Raylan's green eyes glanced toward the shelves for a moment before he looked back to Kookaberra, just to be sure their parents were occupied.

"Papa...doesn't act weak or anything, does he?" he asked, then realizing how stupid the question sounded. "I mean... I know he's sick right now, but before he wasn't sick, right? He was fine?"

Talon bit his lip, trying to make sense of this. He'd never heard of that before...if it was something to do with their bond, wouldn't it make sense that all four of them would be suffering symptoms?

"....how are you gathering that he's hurt and angry?" he asked at last, turning away briefly to cough. "Are you worried that he's still angry with -you-?" He'd been sadly left out of the loop since their breeding and had no clue what Tahki's home situation was like anymore.

Berra blinked, cocking her head slightly and looked thoughtful. "No? I don't think he was. After his wings stopped hurting, he was fine for awhile." Yellow eyes turned on her brother then. "Why, Raylan? Should I be worried about something?"

Tahki shook her head a little bit, looking down toward her feet. How to explain...

"I feel it," she said softly, holding a hand to her chest. "I feel it here, like he were still right next to me. Lately it's been feeling different... Anger, pain, sadness all at once. It's been like that for about a week now..."

Raylan smiled slightly, and shook his head. "Oh, no. I was just curious was all," he replied, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck. "I do hope he gets better soon, however. Please let me know if there's anything I can do? I'd love to help out when or if I'm able to."

Talon narrowed his eyes a bit, racking his brain for an explanation but, sadly, knew of nothing.he could tell her that would make it clear. Sometimes he could guess when Karma WOULD be angry or WOULD be sad, but he'd never actually recieved any emotional drip-down from her.

"....I wish I knew what to tell you." he told her at last, holding her to him. "....maybe that's something that comes with having a strong bond between you and your bondmate."

"Daddy'll be okay." Berra assured her brother. "He just needs to sleep some more and actually drink some of the soup Miss Karma offers him. But....he says he doesn't like chicken." She paused a bit and then shrugged. "Maybe just some juice then. You could come visit sometime, though. I think we'd both like that."

Tahki hugged Talon lightly, nuzzling her cheek softly against his. No one could really help her anyway, right? While she was glad to be able to feel that Neko was possibly all right, that never stopped her from worrying. She'd get better, like always, and things would return to normal. However, how long would "normal" last for?

"It's okay, I'm not expecting anyone to tell me anything," she admitted before planting a soft kiss on his cheek. "However, getting to see you again does make me feel better and make some of my worry go away. Maybe I'll get out of the house a little more, because that seems to help... I know! I'll try to come visit soon! ...Maybe when you're a little better, though, 'cause I don't wanna make you sicker."

His smile broaded at the invitation. "I would love to, Berra," Raylan told her, his wings shifting a little bit on his shoulders. "I've wanted to say hello to Globin, as well. Please tell him I said hi?"

Leaning down a little bit, he whispered softly as if it were a secret. "Also, please let him know that Merri isn't mad at him. He seems to be a lot more nervous as of late, so perhaps he's come to a decision and he's merely scared to tell Globin... I'll try to convince him into visiting soon, though, since Globin's the only feien Merri will even leave the house to go see."

"You'd never make me sicker." Talon assured her, feeling himself blush a bit under her kiss. "If anything, I'd worry more about you catching whatever bug this is that I have. But yes, I'd love to have you visit...I've missed you, as I said, and Berra's been climbing the walls wanting to meet you."

He leaned in, kissing her forehead, his skin feeling a little feverish to the touch. "I love you, you know...." he told her softly, resting his head on top of hers.

Berra seemed to brighten considerably at Raylan's words "That's great!" she grinned. "I mean...really, it is!" The little girl softened her voice then, looking warily at the shelf to make sure the two adults hadn't heard her. "Because Merri's been the main thing he's been upset about lately. He's worried that Merri doesn't ever want to see him again and nobody can convince him otherwise....so a visit would be really good for him." she reached up to brush back a small wisp of raven hair that had escaped one of her pigtails.

"And I'll be sure to tell him you said hi. I'm sure he'd like to see you too, Raylan. He doesn't see his friends very much and I wish he'd stop forcing himself to be lonely. It makes him really sad."

Tahki frowned slightly at the heat, unsure if it was completely natural or not for one to be so warm. After all, Maquinar was much warmer than most other feien, and she'd just been hugging him before seeing Talon. Nonetheless, the air around her began to grow a little cooler, though not frigid as it usual became when she allowed her ability to grow stronger.

"I love you too, Talon," she said, smiling slightly. "I always will."

Raylan nodded a little bit, resting his hands down onto his knees to keep himself propped up the way that he was. He felt a little bad for being so much taller than Kookaberra, even though he knew it couldn't be helped.

"I can understand that," he said. "I'm sure I'd feel the same way if I didn't go out to do my own things. Well... Actually, I did feel that way until I was able to do things, but that isn't the point. I'll try to get Merri out of the house, because I know he needs to be away as well. Let's just hope he listens, hm?"

Talon smiled at this and breathed a quiet sigh of content. He was tempted to try and coerce her into coming back with he and Berra, just to spend more time near her, but if Raylan was there as well, it meant someone would be expecting them back...especially if Neko wasn't around to place an irate call to Karma to ask where Tahki had gotten to.

He brought his head down to nuzzle her ear lovingly. "I want to see you again as soon as I can. Being away from you like this drives me crazy. I was worried I might have offended you or something since the last time I saw you was....well....the nightstand and everything."

"Yes, let's hope. Getting out is good." Berra agreed, hovering up a little so she would be more or less eye level with Raylan. "I've been trying to get Globin to come to the shop with me sometimes, but he won't. Maybe Merri can talk him into going out more?"

The nightstand? ....Oh! Tahki blushed slightly upon remembering, and couldn't help but giggle a little bit. "No, you didn't offend me! Neko just wanted me home, was all, since it was my job to take care of the bloom!" she explained, turning her yellow eyes toward him. "Then Neko left, and said he'd be back by now... But, staying inside isn't helping me at all, so I'll come visit soon! I'll bring Raylan, too, so Berra has someone to play with. I mean...someone smaller to play with."

Hopefully that last part had made sense.

"Merri...isn't one to go out himself much, either," Raylan admitted, chuckling a little bit. "He gets tired pretty easily, unfortunately, but perhaps if we find someone to take them around they'd agree. Again, I'll see what I can do. Perhaps the two of us can get them to do something, as well."

"I think she'd like that." Talon nodded. "She doesn't really get to actually 'play' much. I'm not really one for playing, as you know, and she, Globin, and Shalafi don't really do anything but sit and talk."

He cleared his throat, quickly turning away to cough again "So I guess I'll leave the window open, just in case...I'll just sleep nearer to the heater at night so I don't get sick again."

"That would be fun! Do you think they'd let us help?" Berra asked. "I mean...I think Globin would, but he told me Merri can be a little grumpy sometimes...I don't wanna make anybody mad."

Tahki blinked a few times, her ears perking up a little bit. "Why do you need to leave the window open?" she asked curiously.

Raylan turned his green eyes upward for a moment, thinking about that. Merrimack tended to get annoyed with him whenever he asked to play a game, but there were a few board games he'd managed to get him to consider.

"I think it might depend on what we try to do," he decided, looking back to Berra. "He does get a bit grumpy sometimes, yes, but there are also times he'll give in. Perhaps if we pick the right thing to do, he'll go along with it."

Talon sighed "Well...for one, Berra seems to take after you in liking the cold. I don't think she's a cold element since she doesn't NEED it, but she likes it, so she needs a constant breeze going to get to sleep. And for another, so you'd be able to get in when you came by without having to fuss with the doorbell." he explained.

"Okay!" Berra chirped. "That just leaves figuring out what the right thing is...Globin said he and Merri like to read together sometimes...maybe I could ask Miss Karma to get some books from the library and see if that would make Merri want to come see Globin."

Tahki looked over toward the counter at Raylan for a moment, thinking about that. She had a feeling she knew what he would say to that. "He'll probably want to use the door, though... So it's okay," she said, looking back to Talon and smiling. "Maybe you could ask Miss Lady to get a small fan for Berra? Neko said he would get me one whenever winter comes because it'll be too cold to leave the window open, much less open it at all."

"Deal," he smiled with a nod. "I'll talk to Merri, and you ask Miss Karma about getting some books. He seems to read a lot of things called plays at home... Maybe that's what they'd read together?"

"We have one." Talon replied. "But if there's no cold air to push around, it just circulates the hot air and doesn't help much. She needs the window open, sadly." A small shiver passed through him and he drew her closer for a moment before letting her go again. ".....sorry." he muttered. "Stupid chills..."

"Hmm...maybe so." Berra nodded. "Maybe that's easier than reading storybooks together. When daddy and I try to read Harry Potter together we keep ending up stepping all over each other's words and we finally give up and just read it with our eyes instead of talking." she chuckled a bit. "But he makes a good Professor Snape." she added.

Tahki blinked a few times, blushing slightly as he drew her near. That was from a chill? Not that she minded, of course, but it seemed strange to her. Frowning slightly, the cold feien lifted a hand and gently placed the back of it against Talon's forehead, hoping to feel his temperature.

"Story books?" Raylan questioned, a bit interested. "Neko doesn't seem to have too many of those. Perhaps I could read some when I come to visit."

His forehead felt warmer than it usually did, and he was flushed a bit around the eyes, as though the blush from earlier had never gone away. He stood still and allowed it, but he understood the hidden implication. ".....I should probably be heading back soon." he said reluctantly. "I need to try and sleep this off, because god knows I don't want it getting worse."

"Sure!" Berra nodded. "We have all kinds of books! You and i could pick out a new one and start on it when I see you next!"

Tahki still looked worried as she moved her hand, gently placing it against his cheek. "Maybe I could stay with you tonight," she said softly, her ears drooping a little more than usual. "I could be with Berra, and the window could be closed. Maybe that will help a little?"

"I would like that," he smiled, straightening up and folding his arms behind his back. "I'll look forward to reading with you then, Berra."

Closing his eyes for a moment, Raylan took in a deep breath, yawning inwardly as he began to grow a bit sleepy. "Oh, excuse me. I guess it must be getting a bit late..."

Talon looked as though he wanted nothing more than to agree to this but then shook his head "I don't want you getting sick too, Tahki." he sighed. "Or Raylan getting it. Trust me, neither of you want it."

Berra stifled a giggle behind her hands. "That's okay, it -is- a little late." she paused, blinking and realizing she'd forgotten her reason for coming in the first place...she was supposed to be picking out things and then going home so Talon could get to bed...! Well...maybe that wasn't entirely her fault...he -was- talking to hers and Raylan's mother after all...if he'd wanted to leave, he probably would have said something...

Tahki pouted slightly. "Oh fine," she frowned, her wings drawing closer to her back. "I'll visit soon, then, so that you can rest with the window closed!"

Talon blinked and drew back, cupping her face with one hand "Its not that I don't appreciate the offer, Tahki, I'd love to have you stay with me. I really would. But I don't want you to get sick, that's all." He forced a smile that didn't last very long and sighed. "Figures that after a month of not seeing each other, we meet up again when we can't spend much time together...such is my luck."

Tahki's ears drooped down a little bit, her large bi-colored wings curling around a little bit. He had a point... She'd never been sick before now, and she had no idea what it really felt like. It didn't look pleasant... "Get better then, soon, okay?" she whined a little bit. "I wanna be able to come see you."

"And I want to see you too." he assured her. "That's why I'm going to go home and hopefully sleep off the rest of this fever so that the next time I see you, I'll be better." The hand on her jaw strayed upward to accidentally-on-purpose brush her ear as he feigned stroking her hair once more.

"Karma was only sick with this for a week or so, its already been a few days for me, I can't imagine it would be much longer."

The cold feien blushed slightly, closing her eyes for a moment. "I hope not," she said quietly, folding her hands behind her back again.

He withdrew his hand after a moment and stepped back, loathe to withdraw from her, but knowing if they kept up this way, they might very well stay here bantering well into the night. Green eyes looked longingly into her ambers and then he reluctantly turned his head, refocusing it down below them at the juveniles on the countertop.

"Berra!" he called, making the little pigtailed feien dart her head away from her conversation with Raylan. "We have to go now."

Kookaberra tried not to look disappointed at this, but nodded and looked to Raylan. "Guess we've gotta go." she sighed. "Daddy needs to get some rest."

"Understandable," Raylan smiled a little bit, leaning down and giving Kookaberra a hug. "Make sure he gets lots of rest, hm? I'll see what I can do about coming to visit soon. And please don't forget to tell Globin."

Tahki, like her daughter, also tried not to look disappointed. "Rest well and get better! I'll try to come visit in about a week, okay? That should be plenty of time to make you better!" she told him, smiling through her worry. "I can bring Raylan with me, too!"

"I won't forget!" Berra smiled, hugging back. "Take care of yourself and mommy." Saying so, she drew back from the hug and flitted up to the shelf where Talon was still saying goodbye.

"A week should be plenty of time." he nodded in agreement. "And if I'm not completely well by then, I should at least be well enough." he looked to Berra as she landed beside him, and then back to Tahki. "And yes, bring Raylan." he added gently, fighting the urge to step close to her and kiss her soundly. Not a good idea, he chided himself. The aim was to KEEP her from getting sick, not to ensure she would.

"I'll see you in a week, then, love." he smiled, allowing Berra to rush forward and hug her mother fiercely before making a move to take her by the hand.

In a fluttering of white and red membranous wings, the two of them were out the window and swallowed by the darkness outside.

Tahki smiled, kneeling down to hug her daughter tightly before reluctantly letting her go. Meeting her children hadn't quite gone as planned, sadly enough, but at least she'd gotten to see them for a moment. Hopefully, she didn't make too bad of an impression...

Waving a hand to them as they flew off into the night, the cold feien fluttered into the air and back toward the counter, where Raylan had been waving as well.

"Home now?" she asked him, floating toward the door slowly.

Raylan nodded, lifting his wings off of his shoulders and stretching them for a moment before flitting into the air. "You wanted to talk to me about something, didn't you Mama?" he asked as he glided to her. "I would have asked you about it, but you'd been occupied with Maquinar and Papa."

Tahki thought about that for a moment. "Oh! Yes, I'll talk to you on the way home!" she giggled, linking her arm around her son's and guiding him out of the shop.

Hoping he had the right house, Maq winged his way towards the building that lay at the end of the directions he had been given. As he neared it, he slowed his flight, to the point where he could make out the various entrances, or, more importantly, the window on the second story that was wide open. Figuring it'd be an easier way of finding Tahki than knocking on the front door, he headed in that direction, propelling himself quicking and coming to an abrupt landing on the sill.

Tahki hummed quietly to herself, her large bi-colored wings drawn close to her back as she happily parted one of Raylan's ponytails. She'd gotten bored, and since he was there she decided to braid his hair. The first one had turned out rather cute, so she'd thought it best to do the other two, tying the ends with string that she had. Of course, he didn't mind her doing it, especially if it made her happy. Her ears perked up slightly as she thought she'd heard something, but being so distracted, the cold feien didn't bother to check.

Raylan, however, was a little different. Unable to turn his head to look toward the small sound, he motioned for his small earth pixapup to come to him.

"Can you check to see what that was, Kiba?" he asked the pup quietly, scratching the green and brown dog's head lightly.

Kiba panted happily before padding away to inspect the window sill, using a book that had been placed against the desk's edge and the sill's edge to act as a bridge. He whimpered lightly at the feet he couldn't recognize, his beady eyes peering up at the red haired feien rather expectantly. Obviosuly, this pup wasn't a watchdog.

Grinning, Maq bent down and offered a hand to the little pup to sniff. "Hey there, little guy. Going to let me in?" He glanced up briefly at the other two, wondering if Tahki would hear him.

The small pixapup sniffed almost eagerly at the hand, before barking softly, admitting the stranger as a friend. He didn't particularly do much else other than look back up at the red feien, his short tail wagging a little bit as he waited for his owner.

Tahki was the first to react, however, immediately recognizing the voice. Frowning slightly as she looked at Raylan's half braided hair, she decided she could finish it later, and tied the braid off anyway.

"I'll finish it in a moment, Raylan!" Tahki giggled, hugging her son from behind quickly before she bolted up into the air and just as speedily rushed to Maquinar.

"Maaaaq! You came for a visit!!" she said happily as she clung to the taller feien, smiling brightly.

Raylan blinked a few times as his mother rushed away, standing up slowly before smiling. "Good evening, sir," he called from the desk, waving a hand in greeting. A part of him wondered if he should leave, but another part of him was telling him to stay.

Managing to give the puppy a quick scratch behind the ears before he's hugged by Tahki, Maq laughed softly. "Yep, I did. I didn't get enough of you the other day." A friendly wink, as he hugged her back, before lifting a hand to return Raylan's wave.

Tahki blushed slightly, giggling a little bit. It had been quite a while since she'd gotten a visitor, and this just made things all the better! Come to think of it, the last person to visit her was Talon, and that had been a month ago...

"How've you been? How's Quan....Quantel? What brings you here?" she asked, loosening up her grip on her friend.

Raylan noticed the look he was receiving from Kiba, and quietly made his way toward the windowsill to retrieve his pet. Watching his mother interact with others was interesting to him, however he couldn't tell if she was always this happy around the others or not. Maquinar was a good friend, though, right? Perhaps that giddy personality she brought out around him was normal for them, then.

"I've been good." His smile broadened, and he shifted his arms around her for a more comfortable position. Pressure on that scar still bothered the muscles of his chest, after all. "I came by to see you, and to give something to Raylan there."

"For me, sir?" Raylan questioned, shifting his arms around Kiba a little bit to hold the puppy better.

Leave it to Tahki, however, to question something else. After to much hugging, she'd finally noticed the off-colored mark on his chest, and absently lifted a hand to brush her fingers along it lightly. "What's this?" she asked curiously, recalling a similar mark over Neko's right eye.

"Yeah, for you. But only if you stop calling me sir." Maq's crooked grin showed that he was mostly joking. He looked down at Tahki, watching her trace the scar, the skin around it twitching lightly at the contact. "I got clawed by Ter's Sigil, Kef, and it didn't heal quite right."

"Er, yes si--...I mean, Maquinar," he corrected himself, a bit curious as to what the gift was. The only gifts he'd ever received was his three pixapets, and that was simply because he promised to care for them himself.

Tahki blinked a few times, her ears perking up slightly. "What's a sigil?" she asked curiously, her wings spreading out a little bit.

Maq had to chuckle softly, as Tahki had managed to keep on topic for once. Some things did change, apparently. "It's a demon, about our size. Nasty little ********>" He loosened one arm so that he could reach back in the folds of his wings, then brought his hand out, closed over something, extending it towards Raylan. "Hold out your hands."

Raylan carefully set Kiba back down onto the windowsill, patting the earth dog lightly on the head before he held out his hands as ordered. He was rather obediant it seemed, trying to hide his excitement.

Must be something the kid got from his father, because the gods know that Tahki never reacted that calmly. Bringing his hand down so that the knuckles brushed against Raylan's palms, his smile broadened. "Careful it doesn't run off now, okay?" Gradually he opened his hand, a small, satiny ball settling on Raylan's skin. Drawing his hand away, Maq revealed the object in question to be a tiny chocolate brown mouse, just big enough for a Feien.

Raylan's green eyes seemed to brighten as he smiled, cupping his hands slightly around the tiny mouse. He brought the chocolate colored creature a little closer toward his face to get a better look at him, his two-toned wings folding down over his shoulders.

"He's...he's so cute!" he admitted honestly, kneeling down to show the curious Kiba. "Now Reiko will have another friend! Thank you, Maquinar!"

Tahki giggled a little bit, releasing Maquinar for the time being to lean down, watching to see the mouse a little better herself. "Cuuuuute! He looks like that mouse that lives with Tempest, too!" she said happily, her wings drawing close to her back again. "Where did you find him, Maq?"

"You're quite welcome, Ray." Thankfully, his idea happened to be a good one. "Tera's pair of mice had babies. I thought he would like one." He smiled down at the sight of mother and son, so entranced by the little creature. "You have daughters too, right? I think I met them the other night."

Tahki nodded with a smile, standing upright and folding her hands behind her back. "Uh-huh! Three of them!" she exclaimed, cantering her head to the left. "I still have one more to meet, but hopefully I'll get to soon!"

"I'll be right back, okay?" Raylan smiled, standing up slowly and bowing slightly. "I'm going to go show Sora, and see if Reiko will mind sharing her space with him."

Not meaning to be impolite, his eager nature seemed to take over as he unfolded his wings and quickly took flight, flapping out of the room while carefully holding the small mouse. Kiba had tried to follow, but only made it as far as the desk.

Maq followed the boy as he flew across the room, trying not to laugh. There was Tahki, clear as day, showing up in his actions. Turning back to Tahki, he shook his head. "Three more? Wow, you didn't waste much time, did you?"

Tahki blushed slightly, seeming to be in a fit of giggles at the moment. "Oh, silly! I've only had kids once," she explained, not quite understanding the joke. "There were four blooms from the breeding. I still need to meet someone named Ava... You haven't met her, have you?"

He shook his head. "Can't say that I have. Just the two that were there the other night."

The cold feien nodded, feeling herself grow a little down. "Raylan met her once," she rambled, still managing to smile. "It was by chance, I know, but I can't help but feel a little jealous of him."

Sensing the change in her, Maq put an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. "Don't feel too bad. I'm sure she's just as anxious to meet you, too." He gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"R-right!" she agreed, giving one more nod. "I mean, Raylan said she wanted to meet me too, so it'll be fine! I can meet her, and then I can see her whenever I want! ...Yes..."

Another thought seemed to occur to her. She could see anyone she wanted, right? Instead of complaining about how she never got to see any of her friends or how much she missed them, she could just go see them. So, why didn't she?

"Do you know if everyone's been gone, Maq? Did everyone else leave too, or did they come back like you did?"

"Everyone else?" He rubbed her shoulder absentmindedly as he tried to figure that one out. "Who do you mean by everyone else? Ter & Quantel?"

Tahki had to think for a moment. Names... names... So many names.

"Um...the others! Like Sieben, and Tosten, and Cel and Neruo and...and everybody!" Come to think of it, did Maquinar know everyone she was thinking about? He knew Cel, and Aria, and Fionn...

"Ah." Maq thought about that for a moment; it did sound like so many of the Feien he had met were gone now, which would explain why he kept running into those he didn't know. "I'm afraid I haven't seen them, Tahk. It was just Ter, Quantel and me."

Tahk? ...She'd never been called anything other than her name before. It actually felt kind of good! "Really?? What'd you guys do for so long? Did I already ask that? Maq did you get lonely and stuff? I mean, I know you were with your family but did you miss being able to see your friends?" she asked curiously, looking down toward her feet and wiggling her toes.

"'Course I missed being able to see you." He gave her another squeeze, smiling. "Family's good and all, but it's not the same as spending time with one of my favorite girls."

Tahki blushed slightly. Favorite?? "You're so sweet Maq!" she giggled, smiling as she wrapped her arms around him to hug him carefully, more aware of the scar on his chest. She nuzzled her head against his arm and closed her eyes for a moment, not minding the natural heat he always held as she never seemed to mind. "I missed you lots. I miss everyone lots... A lot of the others seem to have disappeared, but maybe I just keep missing them. I'm glad you came back, though!"

"Me too." Suddenly, he was aware of exactly how glad he was to be back, here, among friends. With Tahki, he could almost remember the way he had felt back then, so ready to take on the world, so eager to defend those he thought needed his protection. Now... He swallowed, almost imperceptably, against the bitter taste in his mouth. So many things had changed.

"It's hard..." she said quietly, mostly to herself than to anyone. For a moment, Tahki lost her smile and she looked troubled. "It's hard not knowing if anyone would ever come back."

Growing distracted, the cold feien released her friend and stepped in front of him for a moment, folding her hands behind her back. "Say, you don't have to go soon, do you? Maybe you could stay for a little bit! No one would really mind, especially since we don't get many visitors, and Raylan likes you! Can I get you anything before you have to go? I can get you something!" she blurted all out with a smile.

He was about to answer in the affirmative when the sensation of tiny feet in his wings reminded him that he still had some other tasks to take care of. Reluctantly, he shook his head. "Wish I could, but I've still got to get the rest of these mouselings handed out. I was hoping I could give them to your girls."

Tahki tapped the tips of her fingers together lightly. "Oh how nice!!" she squealed as quietly as she could. "I'm sure they'd love them!! That's so nice of you, Maq!"

The sight of her enthusiasm banished all the melancholy thoughts echoing about in his mind, and he grinned. "'Course, I need to know where to find them all. You don't know directions by any chance, do you?"

She moved one hand from behind her back to rest against her cheek as she thought. "No, I only know wh--oh! I know where two of them live!" she remembered, blinking a few times. "One of them lives with the shiny lady, I think it's...5 blocks down and then 5 more blocks to the right? And and Berra lives with Talon! ...Um... Talon lives near Yeande and Shalafi, I think. They're waaaaaay over that way!"

Well, that didn't help much now did it? Tahki rubbed the back of her head a little bit, rocking on the back of her heels. "I don't know where Irisa lives... Maybe there's an address at the shop?"

He laughed. "Yeah, there's probably an address there. I hadn't even thought about that." Reaching a hand up, he ran it through his hair.

"I'm sorry I can't help more," she apologized.

"It's okay; you don't have to be sorry." He reached out a hand to touch her cheek. "I mean, that's just the way our kind are. We've got to bond with humans, and we can't all bond to the same one." He gave a little shrug, while stroking his thumb over her cheek bone. "We're all probably lucky that our humans haven't all moved really far away from each other."

Tahki blushed once again at the touch, unable to help but recall the feelings she used to feel toward him. How she used to long to be touched in such a simple way, just to be merely held in his arms. Longing to...

Talon...

The corner of her lips tugged up into a smile again, the feathers of her wings ruffling a little bit. "I don't think I'd be able to stand that. I'd...I'd find some way to stay behind if Neko ever wanted to move. I don't think I could be away from Talon forever... You neither, Maq."

He made a mental note to make sure this guy was worthy of the way she felt about him, even as he smiled back. "I don't think you'll have to worry about that." He drew his hand back slowly, eyes on hers. "I plan on coming out to see you a lot more, you know."

"Really??" she questioned, her yellow eyes just seeming to brighten at that. "I'd really like that!!"

"Of course! I wouldn't say I was if I wasn't." He nodded his head, as if that alone should settle it.

Tahki giggled a little bit, her wings shifting a little behind her. Glancing out the window for a moment, she realized it was getting a little late, and a part of her worried about Maquinar getting lost. Perhaps it would be best to send him off now before all the light from the sun faded and darkness would overcome the streets.

"I...I don't want to keep you much longer... It's getting really dark," she commented, her ears drooping a little more than usual.

"All right." He stepped towards her, extending his arms. "I get a hug before I go though, right?"

"Of course!" she smiled, not hesitating for even a moment to hug her friend tightly, being careful not to hurt him. Hugs... She missed hugs.

He hugged her in return, reluctant to let go, but knowing he had to. The other mice in his wings were already starting to itch... Finally, with a soft sigh, he pulled back. "Guess I'll be off." To lighten the mood a bit, he added, "Sooner I'm gone, the sooner I get to come back!"

He knew just how to cheer her up, it seemed. Standing up on her toes, she leaned up and planted an innocent kiss on his cheek, taking a step back afterwards. "I look forward to seeing you again, then!" she nodded, her smile bright as ever. "And thank you so much for stopping by, and giving Raylan a mouseling! He seems really happy about it. Be safe, okay?"

"You too. And make sure the mouse keeps Raylan out of trouble." He gave her a wink, then stepped backwards, unfurling his wings and lifting off so that he could fly back out the way he came.

For'mir sighed as they neared the house, thankful that it was at least night at the moment. Merrimack had demanded to be taken to Karma's, despite Neko's pleas to keep him home or to take him on an early trick-or-treating trip. Who needed that stuff, anyway? Of course, when For'mir had offered to go with her, the demon hanyou immediately turned him down and requested him to escort her feien. He was so close... All he wanted was a little snack from a beautiful lady.

"I'd stop while I was ahead, if I were you," Merrimack said a bit sternly, a small, thick black piece of cloth wrapped around his shoulders for warmth. It was odd that he seemed to know what the vampire was thinking. Or perhaps it was just because the Tahnee had already tried several times to bite his guardian. "I don't think anyone would appreciate being bit."

"Vhat eef eet vas a lave bite?" he questioned, his voice calm and soothing. Had it been any deeper, one could wear he was a younger Dracula, but with more emotion in his voice. "I assure you, I don't vant to keel her."

"Bite her, and she'll more than likely kill you," the feien replied, rolling his eyes. "I'm sure she gets "bit" enough by that blonde freak. Anyway, this is the house."

For'mir stopped, blinking his red eyes a few times. Looking to the house, he peered curiously at the lights. "There? Vhat are you doing here, anyvay?" he asked curiously, looking to Merrimack sitting on his shoulder. "Ees there a special lady vaiting for you?"

Merrimack narrowed his eyes at the vampire before quickly lifting his red wings into the air and flitting off of his shoulder. "I...guess you could say that," he replied honestly, even if it technically was a lie. "Thanks. And watch out for Neko. Why don't you try Minami if you want food?"

"Hmmm... Good idea," the Tahnee smirked, his eyes softening a little bit. "Good evening, leetle vahn." With that, For'mir stepped into the shadows and disappeared into the night, leaving Merrimack to float on toward the house.

Indoors had become far too stifling over the past few days. Globin had relocated from Meka's room to various unintrusive places about the house, but couldn't find somewhere that he found comfortable. It was as though the walls were closing in on him...like a colony of ants had crawled beneath his skin and set up habitat there.

It had gotten so bad that tonight it had driven him from the house completely and out into the chilly night air to seek solace of some sort. The blood feien was currently perched on the edge of the roof, dividing his attention between watching the stars wink on one by one and looking to his hands which were folded around the stem of the red rose.

He'd carried it with him since receiving it, still not quite sure what to make of it. On the one hand, a red rose symbolized true love. But on the other hand, what if Merri didn't know that? What if red was just the color he'd happened to choose because it seemed traditional? What if it was just something to pacify and placate him?

He sighed and drew his wings about himself a bit further, the feathers entrapping his body heat and guarding him against the October air.

Merrimack flitted toward the doorbell, going about his usual routine of entering the house. It was too damn cold to be outside, and he hoped someone would be able to answer quickly. Pressing his weight against the doorbell using his shoulder, the memory feien twitched slightly at the ring that sounded, doing his best to refrain from chattering his teeth.

Globin flinched, drawing out of his feathered cocoon at the sound of the doorbell resounding within the house beneath him and sat for a moment, wondering who was visiting at this hour. It had seemed more of Karma's friends had come into possession of their own blooms and were filtering in and out wanting to socialize them.

None of them had asked to see him, thank goodness...he hadn't been much in the frame of mind to meet anyone. He was surprised, frankly, he'd been able to rise to the occasion of seeing Banana a few days ago when she'd stopped by.

Curiosity got the better of him after a moment as he tucked the rose among his tighter-knit feathers and crept forward to peer over the edge of the roof. He didn't immediately see anyone at the door at all...just a few scant shadows. Perhaps the neighborhood children had begun their halloween pranks that Banana had spoken of early.

But then he caught something else...a flash of red and white just at the doorbell. Leaning forward a bit more, he narrowed his eyes trying to will the darkness to part a bit so he could see better. It wasn't. It couldn't be...!

"Merri...?" he said aloud, hesitantly.

Merrimack's ears twitched slightly at the new sound, swearing he heard his name. ...Who would be calling him from outside, though? Turning his head, he looked over his shoulder first, seeing nothing but darkness and dim light emitting from the street lamp. How strange... Turning back to the door, he waited a moment longer before growing a little paranoid. Was someone spying on him? He felt eyes watching him...taunting him... Just waiting for him to make the wrong move.

His three orange eyes began to survey his surroundings, peering about suspiciously as if something would jump out at him at any moment. What if that hellspawn of Tahki and Talonfaust's was playing a trick on him? He'd never met the child, so who knows what they could be like. Glancing up toward the roof, however, his heart skipped a beat. The white hair belonged only to one feien around here: Globin. Curse him for scaring him... Though, perhaps not. Taking in a deep breath to calm himself, the tall feien exhaled slowly with relief as he turned only his eyes to the blood feien for a moment.

"Globin... I wasn't expecting you to be out here," he said a bit quietly, but loud enough for the other to hear. Flapping his wings a little bit, he flew up to meet his friend, landing carefully on the roof. "Why...ARE you out here?"

Globin remained crouched for a moment, able to do nothing more than watch Merri approach and land. Remembering himself, he cleared his throat and stood, looking up at the memory feien somewhat guiltily.

"I--I suppose I just--" he stopped, drew a breath and tried again. "The house has felt suffocating the last few days. I'd come out here hoping it would help." He bit his lip, almost afraid to ask, but knowing he would anyway... "A--And you...?"

His wings ruffled a bit as he inwardly steeled himself, preparing for the worst. He was mindless of the fact the rose was still tucked amid his feathers like a very odd ornament, forgotten for the moment.

"Well, I... I came to see you," was Merrimack's response, lifting a hand to rub at the back of his neck. He blushed slightly as he recalled exactly why he'd come, mentally thanking the Gods that the darkness covered his red cheeks.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a bit of red out of place amongst the feien's black feathers, curious as to what it was. Could...that possibly be...? "D-did you get the gift I sent you?" he asked as calmly as possible.

Globin's mind stuttered and then tried to shuffle itself back in order. The rose...! Where had he put it?? He looked over his shoulder, his eyes skating the rooftop in the area he'd been and seeing nothing. No...! Had he lost it? Had he-- A sweet scent wafted past his nose as he looked down, flushing with embarrassment and plucked the flower from between his feathers, clutching it in his hand tightly a moment and not minding as the thorns pricked uncomfortably against his skin.

"I did." he said, a tremor to his voice as he tried desperately not to let the emotions he'd been letting fester for the last few weeks all come bubbling to the surface. He'd not seen Merri in a month, the last thing he needed now was to dissolve into a weeping bundle of raw nerves and drive him away.

"Its beautiful, Merri, thank you." Globin, to his credit, managed a small smile...apprehensive, a bit lopsided, but a smile nonetheless. There was a beat of silence and then ".....I've missed you."

Merrimack's blush didn't fade as he looked down at Globin, his eyes softening a little bit. Were there a more beautiful sight than what he was seeing right now, he wouldn't know because he found himself in a bit of awe as the blood feien held the gift so protectively. So...tenderly... For a moment, the memory feien had even allowed himself to smile, his wings drooping down a little bit as he simply stood there. A shame the smile was shrouded by the darkness.

Clearing his throat, he dropped his hand slowly to his side as he spoke. "I missed you too, Globin... I guess that would be why I'm here." He hesitated for a moment, choosing his words a bit carefully. "And... What do you think?"

Globin's wings drooped a bit as well. What did he think? He....he didn't know what he thought. He had hoped against hope that when he saw Merri again it would be on pleasant terms...and so far it seemed to be exactly that. The memory feien had done nothing to betray that he was upset or here grudgingly to deliver bad news. Perhaps all of the worrying and upset had been for nothing after all...he wanted desperately to believe that.

And Merri said he'd missed him.... The smile broadened a bit, becoming more genuine, and at the same time, his scarlet eyes took on a pronounced glitter as tears threatened to overtake him. "I--think--" he swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. He wished Merri wasn't as averted to touch as he'd come to know him to be....he wanted nothing more than to throw his arms around the other feien and not waste time on any more words. He wasn't sure he COULD come up with any words that would be an appropriate answer.

But still, that wasn't an option. He had to try. Collecting himself, he spoke. "I think I've learned the hard way that--that spending time apart from you is maddening to me." He looked upward to meet Merri's eyes, or what he could see of them in the dimness...they betrayed little else in the shadows than amber flickers of reflection.

"I still love you, Merrimack. Possibly moreso now than I did before." he furrowed his brow apprehensively, his wings folding tightly to his back and beginning to tremble behind him as his nerves reared their head. His eyes stole down to the red rose he held, deciding that the worst he could be told was no. ".....may I--may I be so forward as to ask if this means you......feel the same?" Just getting the words out had seemed like an extreme drain on him as he squeezed his eyes shut, awaiting confirmation or denial. Either way, it would put an end to his worrying.

Merrimack listened intently until he heard the question. His ears flicked slightly, as if trying to catch more words that he might have possibly missed, but there was nothing and his smile faded into a frown. He... He still had to ask? Was his answer not clear? Granted, he doubted he'd know were he in Globin's shoes, but... Globin KNEW him. He was smart enough to figure it out, wasn't he? How he longed to just reach out and touch him right at that moment... Longing to just say the words he'd heard that month ago. However, something was still holding him back.

He still feared that touch he wanted so badly. He feared the simple emotion so much that it drove him insane... Seeing the relationships between Ares and Arturo, and then Tahki and Talonfaust, didn't help his opinion or thoughts on the matter at all. Turning around, Merrimack looked toward the front door.

"Perhaps...we could go inside for a little bit? I know it sounds strange, but I was hoping we'd be able to try and finish Romeo and Juliet tonight. It's been driving me mad that we still haven't finished that one," he replied instead, not having the courage to truly explain himself. Maybe working on the play would calm his nerves, or at least give him the strength to tell Globin how he felt.

Globin inwardly cringed and felt his heart sink. "Oh..." he said softly in barely a whisper. His hand tightened on the rose's stem, feeling a stinging pain as one of the thorns broke the skin, bringing a bead of blood to its surface unheeded. It served him right, he thought miserably. He shouldn't have made any assumptions.

At length, he moved to catch up with Merri. "Yes, I suppose we can." he said placidly as he tried to sound as he normally did, though honestly Romeo and Juliet was the last thing he felt like doing at the moment. If it was what Merrimack wanted to do, though, he would not deny him that. It had been a long time since they'd done anything together and having his question unanswered was a small inconvenience in comparison to what could have happened.

He could have been yelled at...sworn at...Merri might have even up and left completely. But he hadn't, he'd stayed. That, at least, was a comfort. He hadn't offended him too badly, it seemed.

Merrimack lifted his red wings again and began to float down off of the roof, chewing on his bottom lip softly before he spoke again. "It'll all be clear soon, don't worry," was all he could manage to say, as quietly as it had been said.

Globin blinked slowly, hearing what Merri had said and not sure he wanted to invest the energy into making sense of it as they both hovered down toward the front porch again. -What- would be clear soon? Why was he being so cryptic? Was this some sort of game that he was supposed to be playing a role in and it was all going over his head?

He didn't know...and at this point, he wasn't sure he cared. He would have to learn to be content with what he was given in the future and stop trying to muck things up by expecting more of them. He felt as though something big were about to happen...and he wasn't sure he was ready for it. He'd told himself time and time again that if Merri said no, he'd be able to handle it....and now that he was presented with that possibility, he wasn't so sure any longer.

He laid a hand on the doorbell when he reached it and pressed, jolting as almost immediately it swung open and Karma poked her head out, looking annoyed. Her expression softened, seeing the two feien and she sighed.

"Sorry...thought you were the neighbor kids." she said, shaking her head and opening the door to allow them in, wisely deciding not to ask what Globin had been doing out front or where Merri had come from. The expression of apprehensive misery on Globin's face was incentive enough to keep quiet, feeling that perhaps the two of them were in the middle of discussing something that was nobody's business but theirs.

Merrimack nodded an acknowledgment to Karma, feeling too cold to do much else. Quickly, the tall feien flew into the house and immediately glided into Meka's room, the usual place where he and Globin tended to reside. Landing a bit harshly on the bed, he waited a moment for Globin to catch up and for his muscles to relax. Dear Gods...this would be a rather long night. At the moment, he didn't know what was worse; being cold outside, or being foolish inside.

Globin didn't go immediately to the bed when he'd caught up with Merri and instead went to the shelf, deciding that he may as well fetch the book if they were going to read from it. He found it in its usual place, and tugged it out with only a bit of difficulty. His back to Merri, he took the opportunity to temper himself a bit more and calm as he fumbled with the collection of Shakespeare.

Stop...just stop. Can't you stop? he chided himself, feeling churning heat in his eyes as the tears prickled and receded, at bay for the moment. He'd only paused for perhaps five seconds to do this, but it felt much longer as, awkwardly, he lifted into the air with the novel.

His balance canted, fidgeted, and for a moment he looked like he may drop it as he made his way to the bed with it, dropping it gratefully a few feet away from where Merri was standing before landing on the mattress, panting a bit.

Taking in a few deep breaths, Merrimack turned to face the other feien, raising a brow as Globin seemed to have been struggling. Had the poor feien really grown that weak...? Perhaps all that worry he'd seemed to be doing was finally eating at him, and this concerned the memory feien. Clearing his throat once more, he dropped his makeshift blanket onto the bed and took a few steps closer to his friend.

"Where's the light again...? If it's all right, I guess I'd like to close the door some," he stated, lifting his wings to take flight again.

Globin hadn't slept well since receiving the rose and most of his time had been invested into fretting, crying, or a bit of both. He had been so preoccupied that Karma had taken to bringing him thimblefuls of juice and milk twice a day just to make sure he wasn't letting himself waste away. But all things combined, it had been an incredible drain on him.

His ears twitched at Merri's words and he turned to point at the wall just to the left of the doorframe. "Its right there." he told him quietly. "Or there's the desk lamp if you prefer...would you like me to get it?"

"No, I'll get it," he insisted, flitting into the air. This wasn't going to be an easy task for him, he knew. "Just...find where we left off, okay? I'm pretty sure we had gotten close to finishing it the last time I was here."

Gliding over to the door, Merrimack looked between the lightswitch and the door itself for a moment. Which would be easier to do first? The door was closer... but fumbling around in the dark for the switch didn't sound look too good of an idea. Making his way to the switch, the large feien floated underneath it and placed his hands around the plastic "pole" the best that he could from his position. With a bit of effort, he pushed upwards, and managed to get the light to turn on. Okay... part one was over. On to part two.

Flitting over to the door, he pressed his back against the side facing the wall and pushed backwards, this alone being a strain for him. Curse his stamina! Curse his weakness! How he hated these kinds of things... If only there were a way for him to be stronger, everything would be fine. Once the door was more or less closed, Merrimack slowly floated back to the bed, flopping down onto his stomach to rest for a moment. Everything made him so damn tired... Quite frankly, he was sick of it.

Globin looked up from leafing through the pages, regarding Merri with concern as he laid on the mattress resting. He bit his lip, wondering if he should ask if he was all right, but knew full well that he was. This had not been the first time he'd seen Merrimack stop what he was doing and flop down to rest for a few moments.

He resumed searching through the book, going too far over into the first few pages of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and then backtracking into the proper play. A bit more searching and he ran across a page that had been dog-eared, a faint pencil line drawn after the first two lines of dialogue near its top. In Merri's handwriting, a date had been penciled...presumably when they'd stopped there and he realized just how long ago it had been since they'd settled in to read together.

"I've found it, I think." he called over his shoulder, turning to regard Merri, deciding not to draw attention to the fact he was sprawled out after all.

Merrimack shifted his head so that his face was no longer covered by the mattress, doing his best to breathe slowly. After another moment, he finally strained to at least get up to his hands and knees, and crawled over to the book to take a closer look. Reading it over, he nodded, doing his best to stand up.

"Yep, that's it," he confirmed, looking to Globin. "See? Not much more to do..."

"No." Globin nodded. "Not much at all." his hands rubbed at one another unconsciously and he forced himself to stop fidgeting and skimmed over what was below the pencil line. It seemed they had stopped during the final confrontation in the Capulets' tomb between Romeo and Paris.

"I'm afraid I've forgotten, though, who had been given which part." he cast his crimson eyes over to look at Merri apologetically. ".....would you mind refreshing my memory?"

Merrimack knew quite well who had what parts, but he pretended to think this over for a moment. "Well, I believe I was playing Romeo, so I might as well keep that part. Aaand, in this scene, Juliet had been pronounced dead, and it seems Paris is about to fight me. Will you be Paris, so I don't have to go through having another figurine fall on me?" he asked, placing his hands on his hips.

Globin, finding a scrap of jovial mood within him, smiled a bit. He remembered THAT incident very well...the day Merri had transformed drastically from being shorter than he was to being well over twice his height.

He nodded, getting to his knees and then standing as he read over his lines. "And the page?" he questioned as an afterthought, seeing that Romeo and Paris weren't the only ones in the scene. Yes, it was only one line, but still...

Merrimack looked around the room for a moment. One liner, huh? ...Wait.

"You have a pixa, don't you?" he questioned, hoping the other would understand.

"Hm? Yes, several..." he paused, understanding, and then flitted off of the bed, disappearing beneath it momentarily and resurfacing with a very tired and rumpled-looking Ferna. The fire cat yawned and looked generally annoyed as he set her on the bedcovers.

"What...?" she grumped.

"I just need you for a moment, Ferna." he told her gently, pointing at the book. "Just one line and you can go back to your nap."

The fire kitten examined the dialogue and gave a dramatic sigh, shaking her head. "Strahd warned me about you and your readings...fine, then....one line." she agreed stiffly, tail curled around herself as she looked to them both expectantly.

"You'll read this here." Globin informed her, pointing at the page's line and watching as she gave a dismissive flick of her tail, her expression telling him to get on with it.

Merrimack watched them for a moment, rather amused. "Right then... No swords, we'll just pretend, all right?" he instructed, looking at the book one last time. He pointed to a line in the book. "We'll start here... Just before Romeo enters the tomb."

Globin leaned in toward the book to find where Merri was indicating, absently reaching down to stroke Ferna's heated fur as she arched her back, seemingly against her will, and purred rustily.

"All right." he nodded, deciding he knew where they were and looking to Merri, awaiting him to begin the scene.

"Thou detestable maw, thou womb of death, Gorged with the dearest morsel of the earth," Merrimack began almost right away, his wings drooping down limply behind himself. "Thus I enforce thy rotten jaws to open, And, in despite, I'll cram thee with more food!"

He stopped for a moment, raising a brow at the line he'd just spoken, and decided to think nothing more of it. Quietly, he pretended to enter the tomb, looking to Globin.

Globin's eyes flickered to the page, reading his lines and taking them to memory before speaking "This is that banish'd haughty Montague, That murder'd my love's cousin, with which grief, It is supposed, the fair creature died;" He realized that his voice lacked much emotion and attempted to step up the theatrics a bit to fit the mood.

"And here is come to do some villanous shame to the dead bodies: I will apprehend him!" It came out a little -too- angry, he felt, but he didn't know that tonight he would find a happy medium between lackluster and bombast as his heart wasn't particularly into it tonight.

"Stop thy unhallow'd toil, vile Montague! Can vengeance be pursued further than death?" he continued, deciding to simply go with the vent of emotion he'd opened. Better to be TOO into your part than not at all... "Condemned villain, I do apprehend thee: Obey, and go with me; for thou must die."

Merrimack allowed himself to smirk for a quick moment before scanning the page quickly for his own lines.

"I must indeed; and therefore came I hither," he called, eyeing Globin for a moment. "Good gentle youth, tempt not a desperate man; Fly hence, and leave me: think upon these gone; Let them affright thee. I beseech thee, youth, Put not another sin upon my head, By urging me to fury: O, be gone!"

The memory feien began to walk on, as if to try and pass by Globin. "By heaven, I love thee better than myself; For I come hither arm'd against myself: Stay not, be gone; live, and hereafter say, A madman's mercy bade thee run away."

The blood feien immediately put an arm out to his side, miming blocking Merri's path with a sword and narrowed his eyes. "I do defy thy conjurations, And apprehend thee for a felon here." he said accusingly, deliberately, and matter-of-factly as he maneuvered himself further into the taller feien's path.

Funny how it all came back once the actual process had started....and how quickly he felt his reluctance to play being swept aside by the gentle pull of being drawn into a character. Perhaps this had been for the best after all...if nothing else, it would get his mind off of his dejection and humiliation of their encounter on the roof.

Merrimack's own eyes narrowed, taking a few steps backwards. "Wilt thou provoke me?" he questioned, placing his left hand by his right hip, and pulled out his imaginary sword, "then have at thee, boy!"

In a quick movement, he "struck" at Globin's "sword", intending for them to begin the fight.

Already sauntering toward the edge of the bed, looking not-at-all interested, Ferna stated in a bored monotone "O Lord. They fight. I will go call the watch." before hopping over the edge of the bed and guiding herself to the floor with aid of her claws on the side of the bedspread.

Globin, having not noticed his pixa's blatant disrespect for the play, was too caught up in the imaginary swordfight, his mind working furiously to invent the sounds of clashing metal and the whicker of blades on the air. Knowing what would happen next, he deliberately put himself in the path of one of Merri's "thrusts" and doubled over, his white hair shrouding his face as he did so.

Pretending to drop his blade, he sank to his knees, one hand clutching at his belly and then drawing away as though to examine blood that was not there. "O....I--I am slain..." he whimpered, taking slight liberty with the line as he wavered and then keeled onto his side, twisting with what seemed great difficulty until he laid on his back.

"If thou be merciful....Open the tomb. Lay me....with Juliet." Eyes rolling back and closing, Globin laid still.

......and immediately wondered if he was supposed to simply continue to lay there for the rest of the scene or not. Well...until Merri said otherwise, he supposed that was what he'd do...

Merrimack couldn't help but think to himself how perfectly that was done, and looked to the book for a moment. The hardest part was coming up next, and he braced himself.

"In faith, I will. Let me peruse this face," he said, showing great concern on his face as he dropped his "sword" and stepped over to Globin. "Mercutio's kinsman, noble County Paris!"

Kneeling down, he did his best to carefully lift the feien into his arms. "What said my man, when my betossed soul Did not attend him as we rode? I think He told me Paris should have married Juliet: Said he not so? or did I dream it so?" he proceeded with his lines, struggling to stand at first. For others, this would have been no problem...but for HIM?? Oh, of COURSE it had to be a problem.

"Or am I mad, hearing him talk of Juliet, To think it was so? O, give me thy hand, One writ with me in sour misfortune's book!" He began to struggle with the words for a moment, but managed to right himself once he was standing straight. He began to take slow steps toward the book. "I'll bury thee in a triumphant grave; A grave? O no! a lantern, slaughter'd youth, For here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes This vault a feasting presence full of light."

The memory feien stopped as he reached the book, taking a few deep breaths. "Death, lie thou there, by a dead man interr'd." With that, he carefully laid his friend down atop the pages, hoping it would be comfortable enough. This was the only place he could think of to put him, given the long speech he had ahead of him. He leaned in close to the blood feien's ear, already beginning to feel his cheeks burn with a light blush.

"Stay right there..." he whispered ever so softly.

Globin's eyes opened momentarily at the words as he blinked, but obediently remained where he was and closed them again, not arguing. Why on the book, he wondered? It wasn't horribly uncomfortable, he supposed, but it seemed a bit odd nonetheless.

Ah yes, this was the part of the play where Romeo filibustered for a bit. Well, at least he didn't have a difficult part, he only hoped that Merri wouldn't tire himself as he settled in to listen.

"How oft when men are at the point of death Have they been merry! which their keepers call," he started again, standing up and stepping away slowly. "A lightning before death: O, how may I Call this a lightning?"

Of course, stepping away didn't do much good as Merrimack quickly returned and knelt down beside Globin. "O my love! my wife!"

Reaching down, his hand began to tremble as he fought his fear and carefully took one of Globin's hands, his words steadily growing shaky. "Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath, Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty: Thou art not conquer'd; beauty's ensign yet," he managed to say, reaching his free hand down to gently touch the blood feien's cheek, "Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks, And death's pale flag is not advanced there."

Merrimack turned his head upward as if to cry out to the heavens. "Tybalt, liest thou there in thy bloody sheet?" he called, turning his eyes to the page he needed for a moment and scanning his lines before closing his eyes momentarily. "O, what more favour can I do to thee, Than with that hand that cut thy youth in twain To sunder his that was thine enemy? Forgive me, cousin! Ah, dear Juliet..."

Once again, he looked to Globin and opened his eyes slowly before continuing; the new sincerity in his voice made his speech so clear, that it was as if he were speaking the words from his own heart. "Why art thou yet so fair? shall I believe That unsubstantial death is amorous, And that the lean abhorred monster keeps Thee here in dark to be his paramour? For fear of that, I still will stay with thee; And never from this palace of dim night Depart again:"

Globin had jolted as he'd felt Merri take his hand and now, as Merri spoke to him, felt a flush creep into his cheeks. He hadn't been told he was doubling as both corpse roles...and...the tone in the memory feien's voice now was...well, he didn't quite know. If it was stage acting, Merri had improved upon it incredibly within the last few moments.

He almost thought....no, he chided himself. As much as he wanted to believe it, no. He'd already disappointed himself once that way tonight. But nobody could stop him from entertaining that thought in private...that Merri was speaking to him with such adoration.

Merrimack leaned in a little closer to his friend, his voice growing a bit softer. "here, here will I remain With worms that are thy chamber-maids; O, here Will I set up my everlasting rest," he spoke, his thumb gently brushing along Globin's cheekbone, "And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars From this world-wearied flesh. Eyes, look your last!"

"Arms, take your last embrace! and, lips, O you The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss A dateless bargain to engrossing death!" He leaned back again, reluctantly lifting his hand away from Globin's face, and reached to his side, grasping onto an imaginary flask and holding it into the air. "Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavoury guide! Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on The dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark!"

Biting his lower lip softly, the memory feien looked to his hand and cried out. "Here's to my love!" With that, he pretending to drink the poison Romeo would have had with him, swallowing hard on his own as he prepared himself for the next few lines. Again, he began to tremble as his fear was slowly getting the better of him the closer he got to that fateful moment.

"O-O true a-apot-h-hecary..." he stuttered, turning his eyes to Globin and leaning closer to him again. "T-Thy drugs a-are -q-q-quick."

Releasing the blood feien's hand, Merrimack gently placed his hands on either side of Globin's face, holding his head carefully. He could do this... It was a simple action, and I didn't require him to explain anything if the other were to understand at all. Gathering up his courage, he continued one more time as he leaned in even closer, his breaths quick and sharp as he decided he needed to do this.

"Thus...with a kiss...I die..." he said in a whisper, brushing his lips softly against Globin's. He wasn't going to stop there, however. Closing his eyes, the older feien gently pressed his lips against the other's lovingly, lingering for a long moment to see how he would react.

Globin, against his will, felt all of his muscles lock as Merri's mouth brushed his, and then, thinking the scene was over, tried to relax, only to find that it wasn't over at all. He drew in a sharp inhale through his nose as the kiss lingered, becoming more pronounced and blatant....and much too long simply for Merri to be playing his part any longer.

For one brief moment, he could do nothing -- thought, action, none of it would come to him. And then something within him yielded welcomingly as he lifted his head a bit, pressing back gently against Merri's lips with his own. He'd kissed twice before....Talon shortly after his summoning when he'd gravely misunderstood the extent of the elder feien's dislike for him, and Banana just a few days ago. Neither had felt like this.

Nothing like this.

Another moment, and Merrimack finally drew back, opening his eyes slowly to look down at the blood feien. His heart pounded hard inside of his chest, his thoughts a bit blurry as he tried to completely analyze what had just happened. This one was different... This feeling was different. ...And it made him happy.

"Please...please tell me that you understand now," he said softly, gently brushing a bit of Globin's hair away from his face.

Globin looked back at him, dazed, and with a sparkle in his eyes that was reminiscent of someone who'd had a touch too much to drink. He smiled again, the first unguarded one he'd allowed himself in weeks.

"I understand." he whispered, turning his head slightly into Merri's touch as he brushed the hair away. He felt thoroughly foolish now, in fact, as he backtracked on everything that had led them to where they currently were...how had he allowed himself to be that dense?

He remained on his back, for a moment seeming like he would be content simply to lay there and look up at Merri adoringly for the rest of the night, but then shifted a bit and moved to pull himself into a reclined sit.

He could only imagine the courage the memory feien must have had to gather to do what he'd just done, and Globin didn't want to push it, despite the fact he wanted little else except to curl up with him and stay that way for as long as possible. If any further moves were to be made, they would be made on Merri's part, he promised himself.

He had his answer now, that was all he'd really needed. And it was the answer he'd been hoping for. What he -wanted- could very well take a back seat.

Merrimack watched him for a moment before moving to stand up, holding out a hand to help the other. "I have a few rules, however... Just for the time being," he stated, his wings shifting a little bit behind him. "If that's all right..."

Globin accepted the hand and stood as well, feeling lightheadedly giddy and focused his attention on Merri. "Whatever you like, Merri." he said with a nod, keening his ears to listen. At the moment, he felt there was very little that could put a damper on his mood.

"Nothing too romantic until you're grown up," he started off, reluctant to let go of Globin's hand at first. "So, in a way, nothing's really going to be changing right now... I'll...I'll allow the hugging and things like that, but don't be put off if I reject it sometimes."

Merrimack sighed lightly before he brought an arm behind the blood feien and pulled him close. "You know how I am about others touching me... This is going to be something that'll take time getting used to."

Globin was very still as Merri pulled him near, as though expecting him to suddenly change his mind. When he didn't, the blood feien nodded, his hair brushing Merri's skin as he did so. "Understood." he said softly, letting his eyes drift closed as he savored the memory feien's touch. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Merri....nothing that makes you uncomfortable."

His hands fidgeted, wanting to return the embrace but afraid to.

"..." Merrimack looked down at Globin, tilting his head up with his index finger. "I can't exactly get used to anything if you don't do it, Globin."

He bit his lip at this and then nodded. "I--I'm sorry, yes..." he murmured, hesitating and then bringing his arms up, enfolding them gingerly around Merri's back. A small shudder passed through him at how utterly right it felt to finally touch him and he hesitated, waiting to see what the taller feien's reaction would be.

Merrimack's first reaction was to flinch, biting his lip to keep himself from jumping away. Not long after, however, did the tall feien kneel down in front of his friend and wrap his arms around the other, hugging him tightly. He'd get over this... If he couldn't get over any one else's touch, he's make himself get over this one.

"I'll try..." he said softly. "I trust you, so I'll try."

Globin held his arms still, careful not to fluster him any further. He knew it would be difficult for possibly a very long while, and if Merri was prepared the make the effort he was certainly prepared to be patient with him.

As he was pulled tightly against Merri, he felt a tear course down his cheek. "....that's all I can ask for, Merri. And I'll try my best as well." he paused, and then tentatively added. "....I love you."

"I..." Merrimack hesitated, swallowing hard. It was a simple word... A word that meant a whole lot, but it was still just a word. Closing his eyes, he rested his head gently against Globin's, being careful of his horn. A slight smile curled up on his lips as he finally continued, "I love you too, Globin."