Welcome to Gaia! ::

Maq was probably the only Feien in existence who jogged. Especially now, that the days were getting colder, he always jogged both before and after a workout, the physical exertion adding to the natural warmth of his body and keeping the chill at bay. He could, of course, start doing his routines indoors, but where was the fun in that? He knew that most other Feien would consider jogging pointless, since flying would and could get them to where they were going faster, but he felt less of a burn when he flew than when he jogged, and saved his flight time for long distances, high locations, and aerial acrobatics.

Usually he'd take a lap or two around Trio's before his workout, and as many after as he could manage before Sinthret finally whined for them to go inside, which sometimes would get into the double digits. Today, however, on impulse, he decided to make a trip to the shop in order to pick up something for Tahki, and saved his "cool down" jog for that. So there he was, leg muscles burning, chest heaving, sweat beading and collecting in what seemed like every crevice of his body, when he reached the shop and stopped at the door. Stretching out an arm to brace himself against the jab, he panted, grinning, giving his body a chance to settle down before stepping inside. No need to scare anyone in there half to death over a Feien that looked like he'd just been running for his life, after all. Sin walked past the red Feien, flicking his crooked tail as if mocking Maq for being unable to saunter right in.

The point was moot when Maq finally entered, finding the shop deserted, which wasn't entirely unusual, from what he had heard as of late. The more recent batch of Feien were rather antisocial, for lack of a better word, preferring the company of themselves, their immediate family, or no one at all to that of the variety that used to come to the shop. This development was one of the few things that kept Maq from regretting too often his current lack of shop excursions himself; that, and the thought that Quantel might be hiding somewhere within. For some reason he felt fairly certain that she wasn't here today, and instead of worrying about it he began to fly over to where the glitter was kept. As he passed the address book where it lay, his eye caught the page listing those Feien who had moved away, and the fact that several names had been added. Catching himself in mid-air, he turned to peruse the page, curious. All the old names, a few new juveniles he had never met, and then...

Well, ******** me. His orange eyes took in Tosten's name, the first on the list that he could connect to someone he knew. Melancholy settled within him; he had liked the guy a lot, more so than many, even when Tost was proving himself to be a nuisance to others. Pausing, Maq thought back to all the times the guy had approached him, craving attention in the same way that a puppy would, all the times he had intervened on Sunil's behalf to save her from being unduly bothered by the paint-speckled one.

As if summoned by the memory, he skimmed down past the names after Tosten that he didn't recognize, to one he did. Blinking, as if the name before him might be a figment of his imagination, Maq reached out to trace the letters that spelled out "Sunil", feeling as if someone had just punched him in the gut. So stunned was he that words wouldn't even come to mind, a mind that was completely blank, save for the vision of her. He hovered there, motionless, for who knew how long, before the yowling of Sinthret from the floor below finally broke through to him. Instantly, he wheeled away from the list, putting all of his energy into flying out of the shop.

He needed to find something to hit.

Blacks, greens, browns, reds... All swirled into one colorless mass as Quantel flew, fled, heedless of the leaves and grass stalks that whipped at her as she passed through the forest at a near blinding speed. Thoughts shouted over one another in her head, striving to be heard, to be recognized, but they too swirled into a featureless mass as she strove to block them out, to clear her mind. The unaccustomed use of her wings burned through her body, searing her shoulders clear down to the clenched balls that were her fists at her sides.

Gone. She left me. The words fluttered up, accusingly wounded. Others shouted them down, prideful, hurtful words. Better off. She wasn't to be trusted. Quantel's jaw began to ache, her teeth clenched tightly together to force down the primal scream that hid behind them. How could this happen? So careful... So... The blurring of her vision now had nothing to do with the speed at which she fled, the hated tears burning tracks down her cheeks, stinging when they met the scratches caused by passing plant life. Her thoughts garbled once more, arguing with each other, frightening her with the realization that this was something she could not control. Not the situation, not her own actions and reactions... She had long since dropped the spell, forgotten, unwanted, that hid her from unwelcome eyes. What she sought now was an escape, a place to hide, though she did not fully understand what it was she was fleeing, what she wished to be hidden from.

It surprised her, then, when the air became thick and impenetrable, a violent green glow surrounding her and stopping her forward momentum. Caught, lungs burning, she ceased her flight and struggled, even as she began to slide down an invisible concave surface to the ground below. Individual thoughts, instincts, leapt free of the chaotic whirl in her head to be heard. FOOL! TRAP! DEATH! ESCAPE-

~Hush, child. Cease this tomfoolery at once.~ The voice that pressed into her, echoing and quieting those of her own mind, was familiar. Quantel found herself unmoving on the ground, kneeling with the night air drawing a frigid finger across her face. The presence of another gave her the strength to do what she could not do alone: Gain control over her thoughts and emotions. As her mind settled and cleared, she began to recognize where she was, and who had spoken to her. The viridian light had faded away from her immediate vicinity, focusing instead on the ward that etched the ground beneath her and the protective cocoon that enveloped the House before her. It was this cocoon that she had run into, which had kept her from flying further and invading the delicate process of rebuilding that was taking place behind it. Even now, she could see little more than a shimmer in the air where the House had once stood, and would once again stand when Walter finished his task.

~Much better.~ The voice, that of the House Guardian, chuckled softly, much to her irritation. ~Now that you are calm, perhaps we can speak.~

The sensation of his words forming directly in her mind disturbed Quantel. He had never been able to do so before. ~How...~

~...Am I speaking to you thusly?~ There was the impression of a sigh. ~The binds of your Oath are still intact. Unlike the oaths between mortals, the death of a Guardian's physical form has no affect on the arrangement.~ There was that chuckle again, and Quantel brought her wings closer around her body. ~Now that you bring contact through the wards, I am able to speak to you without the aid of that physical form.~

So the bonds still held. Uncertain of whether this would be for the best, Quantel contemplated the implications. As she began down that path of thought, Walter coughed, interrupting her. Aggravated, she bit out mentally, ~What?~

~Are you going to ask, or must I continue my useless expenditure of energy continuing to wait on you?~

~Ask what? The question perplexed her; was he able to hear everything in her head?

That sigh again. ~And you think you are the clever one... What were you wanting when you approached?~

Deciding it best not to antagonize this being of whom she knew little about, Quantel thought back. She shuddered, disgusted at herself for her lack of control, especially over something as meaningless as the loss of an ally. But wanting? Attempting to filter through the various thoughts and emotions that had run through her head, she searched, picked, sorted. Despite his previous comment, Walter did wait, silently, allowing her to find it herself.

...An escape. A place to hide... It clicked then, an idea forming. Before, Quantel had made use of a shelf in Tera's bedroom, tucked behind the books therein. As solitary as it was, it hadn't taken long for everyone in the household to realize that was where she slept, where she took her periods of solitude. She knew the House Guardian was rebuilding from scratch, the previous house having been reduced to little more than embers. She could feel the approval from the other being before she even spoke her request aloud. "I wish for a sanctuary. I desire a place all my own."

The light from the ward swirled upward, around her, dimming her view of the surrounding area once more. ~Very well. Simply close your eyes and show me what you wish.~

The smile on Quantel's face was deceptively beatific, near triumphant, as she closed her eyes and showed Walter what she wished.

Tera nudged the front door closed again with her hip as she flipped through the mail for the day. Junk, junk, "You could be a winner..." Yeah, right. There were several letters from those who wanted to help out with next year's charity event, which caused a mix between a grin and a wince to cross Tera's face. Her meager funds still felt the sting of that venture, but the joy of those who had gotten something far outweighed all that. As she reached the bottom of the stack, tossing what she didn't want to the sideboard against the hallway wall, she paused as the familiar address of the Feien shop came into focus on one envelope.

Dropping the rest of the mail onto the sideboard, Tera turned the letter over thoughtfully, taking her time in the walk from the door to the kitchen at the end of the hall. She had slid her finger beneath the flap by the time she reached the entryway of the kitchen, the soft sound of ripping paper preceding her. Miz looked up from the stove where he stood, the cat Juusanshi's ear twitching at the noise. When he saw the blond leaning against the doorjamb with yet another open letter in her hand, he shook his head and turned back to what he had been trying to do.

"Another invoice? A plea for donations?" Miz snorted, his tail twining around his legs as he spoke. "Don't these people realize you have better things to do with your time and money?" His slender fingers fiddled with one of the dials on the stove, a frown creasing his delicate features.

Tera scowled at the back of his head. "You're just mad because I didn't get you anything." Looking back down at the letter, she read it again. "Where's Maq?"

At the sound of his voice, the red Feien stood up, stepping away from the burner that he and Miz had been working on. "Over here, trying to fix the stove you broke." His crooked grin flashed at her teasingly. "I think we'd all live a little longer if you didn't try to cook for us."

"You two aren't allowed to hang out any more." She gestured between the cat and the Feien with her chin, mostly managing to hide her own grin. "Miz's brattiness is rubbing off on you."

The pilot light flared up just as Miz sputtered indignantly, causing the Juu to have to focus on that rather than any smart retort he may have been planning. Laughing, Maq flew off the stove, heading for Tera. He resisted the urge to look at the letter she held as he landed on her shoulder, focusing on her face instead. "Whatcha got?"

"A slight change in plans." She tilted the letter so that he could see Emperial's writing. "Turns out they had to shuffle the Secret Santa assignments due to one of the Feien owners going on vacation for a month. You've got a new Feien to shop for." Tera watched as his expression grew thoughtful, taking in the new name on the letter. She could tell from the look in his eyes that he didn't recognized it; to be honest, neither did she, though she knew the Bond listed for this Feien.

"'Neruo'?" Maq said questioningly. He was fairly sure he had heard of this one, this guy. For some reason he was sure it was a guy.

Tera chuckled. "Not a clue. Lucifer Force, though, I know her a little. She's pretty nice." As she folded the letter so that Maq could read over the direction to Neruo's home, she added. "He's probably nice too."

Thinking of Quantel, Maq bit back the comment he wanted to make about how you couldn't judge a Feien by its Bond. Instead, he nodded briefly.

Sensing the change in his mood, Tera frowned faintly. For the thousandth time she wished she'd been able to maintain a bit of her telepathic powers from before her Banishing, or at least was able to know what Maq was thinking, rather than this vague sensation of how he was feeling. So often it seemed he grew dark or broody at the strangest things, and while his mood quickly lifted, it still bothered her. She let comfort and caring flow back through the bond between them, letting him know mutely that whatever it was, she was still here for him.

Maq's orange eyes met the mismatched blue and green of Tera's, and he smiled. <******** the blue b***h, anyway. "Same plan as before, right? I get to know Neruo, then we go out and find him something?"

"Aii." She shot a glance at Miz, who was currently occupied by the variety of canned soups in the cupboard. "You go on. It doesn't look like Chef Boyardee over there will have dinner ready for a while."

With a laugh, Maq lifted himself off Tera's shoulder, then turned and flew out of the kitchen. So much to do, so little time to do it in... Damned if these "holidays" weren't as exciting as hell.

Miz leisurely picked out a can of Chicken & Stars, smirking to himself as he heard Tera's soft huff of disgust, before she also turned and left the Juusanshi to his work.

"YOU GIVE THAT BACK RIGHT THIS MEMENTO!!!" Even from upstairs, in her own room, with the door closed and six inches of wall between her and the outer hall, Tera could still make out the bellow of ZDT, the strange woman's voice easily distinguished not only by its volume, but by the way it hit the "i"s with a nail-biting whine. Closing her journal and laying the pen against it, Tera rose from her desk and crossed the room. Can I go one day without her dropping by? Ever since they had left Trio's house to move back in here, ZDT had made it a point to stop by almost daily, even if only to peer in through one of the living room windows and scare the beejeebus out of the Pixapups as the played on the floor.

Even as she turned the knob to open the door, she could make out the bounding of whoever it was that had currently awoken ZDT's ire, rapidly mounting the stairs in an attempt to escape. Once the door was open, the being in question, a black Zurui with violet highlights, attempted to dart past Tera's legs and into the room behind her. Once she saw what the Zurui held in her mouth, however, Tera stood her ground firmly. "Damn it, Lucy. Don't bring that disgusting thing in here."

Lucy lay her ears back and glared at Tera balefully, then tossed a glance in the direction of ZDT, who was halfway up the stairs, chanting, "MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE!" with each carefully placed step. With an indignant toss of her head, Lucy dashed down the hall in the opposite direction and into Miz's room. Tera merely folder her arms over her chest, watching ZDT as she approached.

Seeing Tera at the top of the stairs, ZDT paused, one foot hovering above the second to last step. She left her mouth open mid-word for a long moment, then finished, "...NE." Defiantly, she thrust her foot down on the step and grinned, exposing tiny white teeth.

Counting mentally to ten, Tera finally said, "What have I said about shouting in my House?"

ZDT barked twice, harshly, before twisting her otherwise attractive mouth into a sulk. "Wanna shout, must get out." Her arms, covered with a scattering of small round scabs, folded over her chest in a mimicry of Tera's position. "But, but, BUT---"

"No 'buts'." Tera released the breath she had been holding. As frustrating as ZDT could be at times, she owed the woman tolerance to her oddities. At the very least... "I saw that Lucy took your coat. Again." The fascination in that horrible jacket, which smelled as if it had been pulled off a corpse, completely escaped her. "Don't worry, I'll get it back for you before you leave."

Instantly the grin was back, wide and feral, as ZDT bounced up off the second step, stumbling over the last, and finally coming to a stop with a thud on her knees before the taller blonde. She flung her spindly arms out and around Tera's legs, then squeezed tightly. "Deliver unto me, o Broken One!" Little clicking noises started in her jaw as she rubbed her head against Tera's thigh, almost dislodging one of the horns that stood out of her hair as she did so.

Tera let her continue, until bony fingers began to pinch her flesh through the thick fabric of her jeans. Wincing, she asked, "Did you come over for something other than quality time with me?"

A snicker, then a slobbery kiss that left a large wet mark on Tera's knee. "Came with gifts. Red and Bluuuuuuuue." Soft, merry laughter, all the more disturbing when followed up with a dull whimper. "Mine eyes, they burn, burn, burn to see you..."

"Okay. Up first." Reaching down and sliding her hands under ZDT's arms, Tera lifted the woman to her feet. ZDT swayed, trod on Tera's toe with her heavy boot, but followed as Tera led her back into the bedroom. Once inside, Tera carefully released her. "Here we go. You sit on the bed, and don't touch anything. I'll draw the curtains."

Nodding her head before twirling away, the white blank eyes of ZDT's mask spun dizzily around and around, before ZDT came to a stop beside the bed and pitched forward, face first, into the mattress. Quite familiar with such theatrics, Tera had already moved to the window to pull the curtains closed, bringing a murky twilight to the room. Turning back, she watched as ZDT's hands crept along the comforter, almost creatures separate from the body to which they were attached, to the sides of the mask where the ties were. Long though those fingers were, the nails were short and stubby, split in places, and it was several moments before the ties came undone and the mask fell away.

Slowly ZDT sat up, the swath of pale skin now exposed softly illuminant in the dimness. She blinked, first one dark emerald eye, then the other pale cornflower blue, and reached up to rub her right hand briskly over and around her face. "Pbbbt. Nasty bed."

"Nobody asked you to eat my bed." Tera walked over to the bed, then perched on the edge of the mattress. She'd been bitten by a pouncing ZDT far too often to not be prepared to jump out of the way today. As she studied ZDT, ZDT studied her, both roving the other with inquisitive eyes, though Tera had no idea what purpose lay in the one she sat across from. Red and Blue. ZDT found it easiest to latch onto a single prominent feature rather than place a name with a face; in this case, "Red and Blue" could only refer to one thing. Maq and Quantel.

Even before the trip to the Realms, ZDT had begun to form an unusual attachment to the Feien pair, unusual even for her. That had been one of the main reasons for why Tera had taken her Feien with her; she was afraid she'd return and find a pair of gemstones, or even worse, that she had lost her Bond to a woman with the stability of a tire swing in a tornado. Lately, though, it had grown worse, to the point where ZDT had begun to stalk the Feien shop, which Tera had only found out about when she overheard the woman muttering to herself about "free Feien type persons". What worried Tera the most was the fear that ZDT would attempt to take home one of these "free" Feien.

A sudden snort of laughter broke Tera's train of thought, as ZDT toppled over onto her side and pointed straight at Tera's face. "Like me, like me! Still, still, still." Writhering in mirth, she finished, "Never heal, never heal; you'll see, the wounds, they are too real!"

"It's healing just fine, thanks." The response was a little more curt than Tera had intended; the state of her right eye was still a touchy subject. Yes, it had gone blue because of the damage, and yes, it was still unable to produce its own tears, but it was no where near as bad as it had been originally, and it most certainly was nothing like the co'Lesn eye of ZDT. "If you want to talk about giving presents to my Feien, you're going to need to stop speaking in rhyme." You know damned well it irritates me.

ZDT went quiet at that, still lying on her side as she looked up at Tera. The older woman watched the ever familiar battle behind those eyes, as the light blue one twitched and roved the room. Finally, snapping her jaw shut, ZDT nodded. "Very well. The best of me, then." She lay still against the bed, as if the effort to subdue herself had cost her all other aspects of her energy.

"The best of you," Tera agreed. "Now tell me about these presents..."

Dec. 25th, 2004

I understand now why some people dread the coming of Christmas Day. Being awoken by a dozen animals jumping on you, despite the fact that half of them are the size of mice, is one of the less pleasant ways I've begun a day. They all demanded that I get up, immediately now, and get downstairs so that everyone could open presents. Sometimes I regret the fact that I no longer keep a dagger under my pillow.

It was nice, though, having everyone gathered inside the living room, taking turns and exclaiming over each present as it was opened by the one who was receiving it. I swear, some of them were more excited about someone else getting a nice gift than they were with getting something of their own. It's moments like this morning that reconfirm my desire to have such a large collection of creatures. And make me seriously doubt my sanity.

I was really surprised that everyone had made a point to attend the opening, even usually solitary beings such as Lucy, ori, and Quantel. Granted, they either kept away from the group altogether, or stayed close to those they were most familiar with, but it was still heartening to see them taking part. I had tried to get a little something for everyone, and I think they all appreciated it. Quantel even smiled when she opened her gift from me, the first time I've seen her smile in, well, a really long time.

I hope that all the gifts we sent to those outside our Home made it to their destinations in time. I know Maq and I cut it a little close with his Secret Santa present; I had to pay one of those mail people almost twice as much as usual to get them to promise to drop the box off at LF's place without letting her know where it came from. Of course, we can't check up on that one, but I can check in with some of the others, like Trio and Angie.

Maq got his gift from his Secret Santa: A human-sized lollipop and a tiny blue snake with red wings. He's got the snake curled around his neck right now, as he rides around on Emmett, swinging the lollipop as if it were a warhammer. He said he has no idea who might have gotten him these presents, and I believe him. The Feien that he knows mostly got him gifts with tags, and none of them are remotely similar to this odd combination of serpent and candy. He says he likes them, though, and that's what really matters.

Some of my presents from my friends have resulted in new members of the House. A few new pards, a companion for one of my Beta, even a trio of creatures called Mystcats that, while absolutely gorgeous, I've never owned before. I don't know if Walter can make the House grow any larger, but if this keeps up, he's going to have to add a wing on or something.

I really wonder, though, how Maq and Quantel are going to react to my Christmas present to myself when it gets here...

28 Dec, 04

Okay. New journal, since the old one was charred when I found it. I'm still surprised that *anything* made it out of the rubble. Ter made this one for me for Christmas, stitching together a bunch of little pieces of paper. It's really neat, and it probably took her a while to do, since she's not so good at sewing and other domestic crap. Kinda surprised there's not bloodstains on it.

Christmas itself was pretty interesting. I got a bunch of stuff from a lot of people, and I wish I had thought to get more things for all of them. The "Secret Santa" thing gave me a chance to meet Neruo, who's really cool. He's a Heat Feien too, but he's pretty different from me, personality-wise. We're both pretty tall, so maybe that's an aspect of Heat; it rises, y'know. But he's more into mixing up potions than mixing it up. I don't know how many other Feien he knows, but I'm sure we'll talk about it next time I go over. I'm curious as to what he thought of the rack I sent him, or if he's even using it. I'm still really pleased with how it turned out.

Things have been fairly quiet, and I don't know if that's a good thing. I barely see Q around, and when I do, she usually finishes up whatever she's doing and leaves. I don't know if that means she's finally staying out of my way, or if she's up to something. I still can't figure out where she's sleeping, and that bothers me the most. She keeps her Pixas with her most of the time, so I wonder how they're doing without being able to interact with the rest of the Pixa group here. I know they're usually social creatures.

Ter's been acting kinda weird, too. That's what really bugs me right now. It seems like everyone around me's going through some strange times or something. I hope I can figure out what before someone gets hurt.

"Who is Mother's pretty girl? Hmm?" As Quantel stroked the soft fur of the dog, she crooned into Hanel's face. Hanel wagged her tail excitedly, but knew better than follow her urge to jump up on her hind legs. After all, Mother had not commanded it. The fact that Mother was here, spending time with her, was almost too amazing to be believed.

Quantel let her hand pass over the dog's back, down her side and under her belly, catching the end of the thinly braided thread that hung on Hanel's other side. "Such a pretty girl, for a mongrel b***h..." Those long, cool fingers brought the end of the thread up tightly, furrowed across Hanel's soft belly.

Though she tried, Hanel could not keep herself from whimpering softly, pitifully. When Quantel looked at her sharply, she fell silent, but her eyes continued to broadcast her misery. Then the beautiful, beautiful blue eyes of her mistress softened, and Quantel caught her muzzle with her hand.

"I am sorry, sweetling. I forget you are so much more delicate than your betters." When she pressed a quick kiss to the tip of Hanel's nose, Hanel thought her heart would explode, her tail wagging faster, nearly thrashing against the smooth side of the gemstone they were beside. She hadn't seen her "betters", Linth and Kalin, in a long, long while, but she knew from the constant reminders Mother gave her that she was no where near as strong, or as smart, or as worthy as they were. That Mother was deigning to touch her, to tolerate her presence, just went to show how kind-hearted Mother truly was.

Quantel continued to wrap the thread around Hanel, looping it over itself along the dog's back, and running it up the length of the dog's spine. There, she dropped it back down Hanel's side and under her belly once more. "Do you know why I do this, pretty girl?"

Hanel hesitated, thinking. She wanted desperately to get this question right, so she tried to remember what it was Mother had said when she entered the room earlier. When she thought she had the answer, she spoke demurely, "So that Mother's pretty girl will be safe from harm."

"And why does Mother worry about this?"

That one was easier. "Because the pretty girl is not strong enough or smart enough to do so herself." Hanel was immensely pleased with herself when she saw Mother nod in agreement.

"Very good." Quantel finished tying off the thread, then stood, looking down at her handiwork. She had formed a small harness around the dog, and now she experimentally grasped the segment that went down Hanel's back with her magic, lifting the dog into the air.

Startled, Hanel kicked her legs, but found herself swiftly rising, then moving over to the side and being set upon the gemstone. Her little eyes wide, she looked at Quantel fearfully, hoping Mother hadn't thought she had gotten up her herself. When the straneg force released her, she stood, stock still, afraid that the slightest movement would cause her to topple off the top of the stone, or worse, would cause her to damage the stone in some way.

With a sly smile, Quantel extended her arms to Hanel, who quickly jumped down into them, trembling. She smoothed the frightened dog's ears, quite pleased with the results of her work. Levitation, after all, was far too easy for a struggling animal to escape. Cooing softly, she stepped away from the gemstone, and considered other applications for her discovery.

Sweet, blessed oblivion.
No fear...
No pain...
No past...

"...was hurt pretty bad, even for her..."

What...?
Grandmother...
But who...

"...realize that. She's got my blood in her. She'll be...

!
Can't be...
Have to wake...

"...up, girl. I know you can hear me. Just wake..."

...up.
Wake up.
Wake. UP.

Struggling up from the depths of unconsciousness, Tera rolled her eyes open. The right obliged partially, stopping in a squint against the light in the room, but the left refused, transmitting only an icy pulse of agony from the base of its socket, beating in tandem with the fiery waves emanating from her right hand. She began to groan, her gaze sliding to her side where the voices had come from, but when she met the eyes of the man there, the noise died silently in the back of her throat.

He grinned broadly when he saw her looking at him, his hand, so large, moving from where it had been resting on the bed to smooth her hair away from her brow. That smile alone destroyed the chasm of all the years between them, the sincere joy in his red-orange eyes assuring her that he had never forgotten. "You gave us a fright, Ter. Took quite a beating, it looks like."

As his voice rumbled through her, touching off long lost memories, the more familiar figure of her grandmother moved up beside him. Despite the fact that he was sitting, the top of her head still fell a few inches below his. She swatted the man on his massive shoulder, mock scolding, "For cripes sake, Quin. She's only mortal. Give her a break." Her hair was at rest for once, tight gold curls against her scalp, but her eyes whirled in their ever-present kaleidoscope, crinkling up amusedly at the corners to belie her shrewish tone.

Being this close to him brought home both the differences, and the startling similarities, between Maq, the Feien, and Maquinar, her father. Where the former's hair stood in bright red spikes, the latter's exploded in a riot of spikes the color of a late tropical sunrise, all oranges and reds blended into one impossibly brilliant color. His eyes were of the same, slowly smoldering with the lust for living she knew him to possess; Maq's were a brilliant orange, though no less vibrant in their enthusiasm over life. Their sizes were probably the same, relatively speaking; from what she could tell beneath the dyed leather armor, and if memory served her correctly, he would top out at seven feet tall, were he to stand at the moment.

Tera began to sit up, but a surprising spear of pain, dormant beneath the more pressing onslaught of her eye and her hand, sprung forth from her shoulder, reminding her of the injury she had inflicted on herself. Struggling not to pass out even as her limited vision blurred, she gritted her teeth and swallowed the urge to cry out. Not in front of him. Almost as if he could sense her need, Maquinar reached around her and supported her with his hands, infinitely gentle despite the damage and havoc she knew they could wreck. "Careful, girl. I may have let Anwahs heal your hand, but I wasn't about to have her mucking around in your eye." The faintest of lines appeared between his brows. "I'm sure you've still got a bit of hurtin' going on in there."

Mutely, she nodded, not wanting to take her eyes off him, lest he vanish and prove to have been little more than a hallucination. Less than five years had passed since she had last seen him, but spoken to him? Been held so tenderly? Ages wouldn't be a long enough word to describe what that period of time felt like. Even now, she felt a part of her come to life, the young girl eager to learn, eager to please him. Eager to please... Her.

As if on cue, the hand not supporting her moved to her face, long fingers cupping her chin as his thumb traced the thin line of the scar that marked her. His eyes followed the movement of his thumb, the frown line creasing deeper. "She really did a number on you with that one." When he reached where the scar neared her temple, she found herself gazing into his eyes, darkened by an emotion she knew him to be too proud to voice.

Anwahs, deciding not to intrude on this moment between two of her favorite progeny, quietly slipped out of the room. Though she caught movement, fluttering away from the door as she exited, she merely smiled to herself and headed down the hallway.

"Not so bad." Somehow she managed to find her voice through the lump in her throat, despite everything else. Her voice was hoarse and the words clumsy against her tongue, as if the presence of an actual god made it close to impossible for her to accurately speak Gospen. When humor reentered his eyes, though, she knew that he had understood her. Tera found herself wishing this moment would never end, the touch of his hand, warm against her cheek.

"Aii, not so bad. You'd already bucked Her control by that point." His swallow was barely perceptible, as was his momentary hesitation. "Tera..."

Before he could continue, she brought her left hand, the one free of pain at the moment, up to lay over his. "It wasn't your fault--"

"--Like hell it wasn't--"

"--You didn't know what--"

"I should have." His fingers tightened against her jaw, causing her to stop speaking. "I should have known what She was going to do. I knew She had tortured Her first two into submission; I should have realized She'd do the same to you."

It was her turn to swallow, caught in the blaze of his eyes. He was furious, yes, and the tiny mortal part of her naturally quailed before that fury. She knew, however, that it was not her he was angry with, and that knowledge warmed her, melted any lingering doubts she may have had as to his role in the making of her existence with the Lady. Suddenly, she flashed back to the fight, to the fear she had felt at the vision of a small red form clutched in a leather-clad fist, to her own righteous fury that any would dare to harm one of her own. Jerking slightly, she scanned the room, almost frantic when she didn't immediately spot her quarry. "Maq?" she called out.

Maquinar blinked, confused. "I'm right here."

"No, Maq-- my Feien." Attempting to swivel her legs over the side of the bed, Maquinar prevented her from doing so. As further explanation, she added, "A small red guy. With wings."

"Ah." The confusion left his eyes, to be replaced by amusement. "Yeah, I remember that one. Little ******** has quite a set of lungs."

The comment did little to soothe her. "Where is he? Is he all right?"

Maquinar nodded, supplying, "He's fine. He screamed bloody murder when you passed out, which made it easier for me to find you."

"In the..."

"...Realm of the Dead, yeah." His hand left the side of her face to tuck the ragged remainder of her hair behind her ear. "It's not so far from my place, you know." As she began to relax, he raised a brow. "So, you've got a little man who looks a lot like me, and you just happened to name him Maq?"

If she had ever thought she would have to explain that action to her father, she might have thought twice of doing it. As it was, she felt a mildly embarrassed flush creep into her cheeks. "Aii. He's a Feien, a fairy, from the place I live now. I thought he might be..."

"'Might be'... What?"

It suddenly seemed so silly, all the "what ifs" she had considered from the moment Maq and Quantel had arrived in her life. "I thought he might be Gaia's version of you."

She had expected him to laugh at that notion, and she wasn't disappointed, though his laugh was tender. Maquinar shook his head in mild disbelief. "A Tinker Toy version of me. I swear, you get the damnedest ideas sometimes." He smoothed her hair again, affectionately, then commented, "I'm guessing you named the blue one 'Quantel', then." At her sheepish nod, he laughed again, though this time it was a little tired, a little bitter. "You don't get that masochistic streak from me, you know. And I seriously doubt you got it from Her."

"Anwahs implied that it wasn't coincidence," Tera supplied in her own defense. The stubborn streak within her, which she had in fact gotten from him, couldn't bear the thought of him thinking her that foolish. "And that she had something to do with it."


He snorted. "Of course she did; she's ******** with your head, kiddo." Maquinar's thumb tapped her lightly, in the center of her forehead. "High Goddess of Chaos, remember? It's what your grandmother does best."

Lest she say something she'd regret later, Tera fell silent at that. It was entirely possible that Maq and Quantel's existence weren't some carefully premeditated scheme. She recalled reading something about how a Feien's Bond could influence them, even while they were still inside their bloom. Could the explanation be that simple?

Taking advantage of her lapse in conversation, Maquinar continued. "You have gotten a little soft, if you're buying into things Anwahs is telling you. Your boyfriend said as much, but I didn't believe him at first."

"Boyfriend?"

"You know. Scrawny guy, keen flame trick."

Tera blinked, turning that over in her mind, which was starting to grow hazy again with the pain. "You mean Ben... He's not my boyfriend."

His eyes gleaming, Maquinar winked at her. "Only because his p***k turned to ice after he diddled your mother."

"That wasn't his fault! The Lady--"

At the sheer indignation in her voice, Maquinar quickly held up a hand, laughing and cutting her off. "I know, I know. Don't rip my head off." He lowered his hand, then attempted to get her to lay back, seeing the fatigue returning to her one visible eye. "The Lady takes after Anwahs, in that She likes to ******** around with people's heads, too." When Tera resisted, her need to stay awake overriding every other survival instinct she had, he finally admitted, "Ben's fine. I was just getting back from returning him to his rightful place when I ran into your happy little party."

Tera did slump backwards then, a combination of relief and exhaustion overcoming her. Though she hated to show weakness before him, she couldn't help it, and knew that he wouldn't fault her. She was, after all, only mortal now. "Good," she said, managing not to slur the word. Her eyelid was growing heavy, perilously so. "I can kick the Lady's a** later..."

"You leave your mother to me for now." Maquinar saw that she was comfortable, adjusting her position and that of the covers delicately, before reaching up to lightly cover her open eye with his finger, urging it to close. "You rest, heal." Though he couldn't tell if she had heard him, he waited, watching, until her breathing fell into an even canter. He stayed long enough after her descent into sleep to smooth her brow before standing, towering protectively over her. You be safe, Teralin. With a feline grace, oddly contrasting to his near gargantuan proportions, he turned and strode out of the room with a purpose.

He was the God of War, after all. Time to do what he did best.

As Maquinar left the room, Maq pressed himself tighter against the wall in the hallway, one arm across Quantel, who also hid in the shadows, at his side. Sure, the big guy was Tera's dad and all, but he was pretty damn large, and Maq wasn't sure if he'd take kindly to his daughter being spied on, even if it *was* just by a pair of fairies who were already Bonded to her. As soon as the stalking figure had turned the corner and disappeared from sight, Maq let out his breath in a soft exhalation of relief. He had been lurking out here pretty much since the point Anwahs had shooed him out, which was immediately after he had relinquished Tera's fingers so that Anwahs could reattach them. Too concerned with Tera's well-being to worry about running off to wash her blood off himself, Maq had stayed in the hall, darting from one side of the doorframe to the other, in an effort to better hear what was being said inside. There had been a close moment when Anwahs had left, when Maq hadn't been sure he had hidden in time, but she hadn't stopped to oust him, so he figured he must have been safe.

Quantel, however... He had no idea how long Quantel had been out here with him, since he had only just noticed her fade into view about the time that Tera and her father had been talking about the Feien pair. Between the joy he had felt at the proof that Tera wasn't dead after all, and the pounding in his head that increased as the pain Tera felt filtered through their enhanced bond, Maq hadn't thought to do more than drop down beside Quantel. The blue juvenile had looked so small, so frail, her fingers clutching the wood of the doorframe, as she listened, so he had placed a protective arm around her as the two of them listened to the conversation within.

Now, though, the time for listening was over. With no one else in the room, Maq figured it was safe for them to enter, so that was what he began to do, his arm drawing away from Quantel as he moved through the doorway. He was a third of the way across the room when he glanced over his shoulder and saw no sign of Quantel. Perplexed, he flew back, catching the corner and finding her still pressed against the wall, her sapphire eyes staring off into the darkness. Hovering for a moment, he watched her, then said, "Quantel? The coast is clear. We can go in now."

The shake of her head was so slight that he nearly missed it, save for the sudden tumble tremble of her hair against her face. Very softly, she lifted a hand to gesture him away. "You go on."

"Are you sure?" Maq frowned, concerned, but torn by his need to stay with Tera. When Quantel gestured again, he nodded, then added, "Don't stay out here too long," before darting back into the room.

Quantel barely noticed, lost as she was in a whirl of her own thoughts. So many things were connecting now, so many things making sense. She bounced from one memory to the next: Tera's wary glances in her direction, Tera's fondness for Maq, the ease with which Tera and the male bonded while she felt farther and farther away from them both... Finally, she came to her very first memory of Tera, of stepping into the glittery moonlight to look up at the beautiful creature claiming to be her Bond, of the way those emerald eyes had flashed briefly with horror when she saw what Quantel's bloom had borne. She felt vindicated in her decision to hide her true self in the shadows within, seeing as how Tera had not even given her the opportunity to be anything but what the woman's past had projected onto the newborn Feien. Damn you. Damn you both. Damn you all. Folding her wings around herself protectively, Quantel disappeared into the shadows, ignoring all the while her desire to disappear entirely.