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"Sha... Shanuh..?"

The door to the petshop slipped open just a crack, a blurred and red-rimmed eye peering through the crack, desperately hoping the colorful man were there. Hoping that he knew what to do. She needed to know what to do, she couldn't do this herself, she didn't even know what was going on, god the world just kept crumbling around her ears and it wasn't her fault, it wasn't her fault...

Before she could stop him, the bright-eyed child at her side lunged forward, streaking into the petstore like a pink-haired comet. Cadence made a sound caught halfway between a whimper and a sigh, following in his wake, slowly and making sure her feet were steadily planted on each step. The world just kept moving too fast. It was vertigo, except you knew you couldn't step off the plane, couldn't get off the ride. And you just kept spinning until...

Oh god he was playingwiththefish.

Cadence covered her eyes with one hand, leaning back into the corner between a wall and a glass cage full of sleeping guinea pigs. Great... just great... In a room full of dirty, probably carnivorous animals, with some crazy kid at her heels, and he was poking fish. And...

"Shanuh, I think he... he killed him..." she murmered, more to herself than anyone, afraid that to speak any louder would bring the tears back with a vengeance. It probably would. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered, but she couldn't let herself cry in this strange, unworldly place. It would be giving in, opening herself up and inviting all the terrors of a brilliant and upside-down world way down deep into her heart. She couldn't, couldn't do that. And so she forced the tears back below the surface, not even noticing that her little Calytae was all ready to make friends and have fun and be, for all appearances, a normal and friendly child.

Lucien had been outside, taking out the trash full of fishes whom jumped out of their topless aquariums, full of cold corpses of animals whom died or were killed for one reason or another. Garbage, animal waste, kitty litter - there was a lot of trash to be taken out of the store every morning and eveyr night.

Work here was, seemingly, endless.

Xaxis, of course, had been told to sit still. His Boy was still uncomfortable around him, still didn't know what to make of him, but the little winged boy was content with that. He was too aloof to bother with bonding any further. Still, perhaps with time the Boy would get used to him. Maybe. Sometimes talking, on rare occassion, was nice.

Sitting in the corner of the store, the little winged one blinked as a pink-haired boy wandered back to the aquariums. Part of Xaxis felt some sort of familiarity with him - then again - maybe it was just natural child instinct. Children would be children, and Xaxis was no exception. Ignoring Lucien's earlier command to stay put, the little winged one hobbled after woman and boy.

Creeping torwards him - they both had pink hair! It was a sign! - Xaxis quietly watched him poke at the fish. He didn't say anything, not really, just stood there quietly waiting to be acknowledged. Looking from the fish to the boy, and back again, the black haired raven decided he'd play with the other boy.

Of course, when he said he'd play, he realy meant he'd just stand there and watch him poke fish. If he got really bold, he'd stick his hand in the nearest aquarium and try to catch them too.



Shanuh looked over at Cadence, listening to her quiet, trembling voice. How strange they reacted. Trixie had come to work confused, startled, and a bit upset. The poor darling didn't know what to make of the pink-banged, black-haired boy with wings and didn't even know how to explain to Shanuh what happened.

Shanuh, perhaps cruelly, had told him to think little of it and know only that his fate was now sealed. Frustrated, the boy demanded more answers, but recieved little. Shanuh had told him to get some fresh air, and with an affectionate pat on this head, had sent him off to gather and take out the trash.

Funny how one leaves and another enters. Poor Cadence seemed borderline traumatized by the event.

How funny.

"He killed him?" The bi-coloured eyed man, seemingly appearing out of no where, looked from the child with the mottled pink hair back to Cadence. Was she really that dumb? Could they not put two-and-two together?

Shaking his head, the man gave a soft snort. "Are you really that blind? Take a long look at him - a good look - and tell me what you see? Does he remind you of anyone you know?"

Doing Cadence he a favor, Shanuh refused to give them the answers until they figured things out on their own.

Poke, poke, poke. The fish, it would seem, were quickly becoming he unwilling recipients of what might end up as a very messy, wet game of tag. There didn't seem to be enough sunken treasure ships and faux coral to hide them all at once, so Calytae always had at least a few of the little zebra fish to chase round the tank with his fingers. He giggled as a goldfish nibbled his fingertip, squishing it lightly in his hand, probably harder than the slow slippery thing had been planning on. But that was before he got distracted. He took a moment to peer harder into the fishtank, a vain attempt to try and see the pale boy in the glass better--a reflection of Xaxis, but he hardly knew better.

"Hi!" cheered the bright boy, turning around suddenly, nearly upsetting a shelf full of fish food with those over-sized wings. Cadence hadn't even tried to hide them, really. She wasn't even sure they existed outside of her overwrought mind. But Calytae knew better, of course; what good were wings if you couldn't fly with them?

"You were in there," he explained with an unusual patience--it wouldn't last long--pointing sagely at the fish tank's shiny glass surface. But that was hardly as fun as a real boy outside of the glass! Calytae grinned, showing white teeth, pink hair bobbing in front of his eyes.

"Wanna play with me? What's your name? Pretty!" he ended, finally noticing Xaxis' pink hair, reaching forward to pet it as if it were a kitten perched atop the sickly boy's head. Never mind the fact that his hand was still sopping wet with water from the tank, and that Xaxis did not look like the sort of boy who would appreciate being petted.

Cadence, meanwhile, was trying very hard not to think of winged boys, or two-color eyes, or squished fish, which she would probably be responsible for replacing. Even more, she was trying, desperately, not to believe what Shanuh was suggesting.

"He's a boy! Not a, a bird, or an animal, animals... animals aren't people," she all but sobbed, , shrinking a little closer to the guinea pigs. But she did look up, just for a second, watching the little boy she had found in her living room, quietly waiting for her to wake up and play. The way he flittered from place to place, nothing holding his attention for too long.

"I... I don't know what to think... anymore..." she whispered, eyes averting, back to the floor, tense and afraid and unbelieving. Her bumblebee was dead. Dead things didn't come back. She... she knew that. Dead things never came back. Especially the ones you missed the most.

After Patrick had agreed not to throw him out like yesterdays garbage, Iamel knew instantly that he had this man wrapped as tightly around his little finger as he used to have him wrapped around his bird form.

A pleased look came over his expression, little body puffing out once more with pride. The human liked him! His Shiniee was his shinee now - forever and always. Forever. Still ever so satisfied, a sweet smile popped onto the formerly scared looking boys face and those intense eyes batted like a saved maiden.

"Good~" Voice still a little churr of a noisem pale arms wrapping around his darker counterpart in a 'hug'... He'd seen people doing it at the park, where Cadence and his Shiniee boy had gone for food.

And that STUPID woodpecker had gotten HIS shiniees SHINIES! ER--what the hell?

Gaze torn from Patrick at the sounds of another child gleefully adressing another, pulling back from his Shiniees embrace to wander off without another word. The jacket slid from his shoulders, revealing his small black and white wings - compared to the others, his appendages were actually quite small (Napoleon complex in formation?).

He didn't see the hummer or the raven before he saw Cadence, and he recognized her. Those intense eyes blinked a little and...another emotion came to him. THIS emotion he has had before, plenty of times - although he wasn't sure from where. It was a strong, bitter emotion...pushed him to do things.

Pity.

"Don't cry." His words were monotone now that he was away from his Shiniee, but sincerly said none the less. The boy flopped in front of Cadence, blinking at her. "My dark Shiniee boy screamed like a girl. You're handling it better and you have the stupid hummingbird."

Xaxis wasn't sure what to do when the boy reached over, arm dripping wet with fish-water, and started petting his bright pink bangs. His face turned into a twisted expression, his grimace showing the boy exactly what he thought of the dripping hand.

It was rather gross.

Jerking his head back, Xaxis reached up to brush away the water. Ugh. The kids arms even smelled like fish.

Still, that wasn't enough to put him off. He just wasn't used to being petted with fish-hands. "Hi," he started, quietly, his voice almost a muffle.

He didn't talk much, and this hummingbird seemed like a very talkative boy. Still, it was company, and that would do for now. Glancing over, he studied the reflective tank, peering at the fish and noting Calytae's reflection in the water. He'd indulge the kid, for no real reaon at all. "I saw you in there too," he stated, voice monotone and quiet. "I'm Xaxis." Tilting his head, his wings ruffling gently, he peered at the pink-haired one questioningly. Xaxis expected a response to his unasked question - the less he had to speak, the better.




Shanuh, on the other hand, looked down at Cadence. Sad really. What was so hard to accept about them being changed from one form to another? Heaving a sight, almost impatiently, Shanuh glanced over where the two winged-children were playing. He spared Iamel the briefest of looks - part of the shopkeep wondered if Cadence would run off screaming at the sight of him! - before clearing his throat.


"Look," he started, not the best at dishing out comfort, and not really wanting her to be comforted. The truth was the truth, no matter how hard she cried. "Calytae, in there, is your hummingbird. The husk of the bird he inhabited is indeed useless now - but the hummingbird - your hummingbird is far from gone.

"Look at him and see the truth, Cadence. Stop cowering behind your hair and really, truly see things for what they are." There was little patience in his silken voice, but he wasn't unkind. Merely informative. The truth was hard to handle to some, but it was useless to beat around the bush or sugarcoat the answeres with something Cadence wanted to hear.

That would do nothing but complicate things further.

Calytae frowned a little, pulling his hand back and wiping it a little self-consciously on the front of his shirt. It smelled kind of funny, sure, but that didn't seem like a very good reason for the other boy to make a face and recoil so! But he hadn't run away--that had been what Cadence did, the silly unshiny thing she was, but she'd see the error of her ways soon enough--so maybe it wasn't all bad.

The boy looked over his shoulder at the glass, face breaking out into a grin at his own reflection. So Xaxis had been telling the truth, about his being in the glass too! Though he didn't sound too excited about it; maybe he would just have to make it more exciting for the raven boy.

"Xaxis, huh? That's a pretty name," he said, beaming, finished then with wiping off his hand, so he could point expressively at his own chest. "My name's Calytae! I came with my..." His what, exactly? Girl, maybe. Unshiny, scared girl. But that didn't sound very impressive. Calytae thought hard, brow wrinkling in the effort. "...that," he finally decided on, pointing at the far corner, where Cadence was still look traumatized. "Where's yours? Do you have one? Do you live here?!" There was a certain amount of glee in that question. As if the idea of living in a place with squishable fishes was like some sort of fun, fishy paradise.

Cadence, who had long since forgotten the allure of any paradise other than a nice, quiet apartment, was beginning to wonder if perhaps she wouldn't just die at any moment and find out what happened after that. After the living, what then? She hardly knew what properly alive felt--maybe she would never feel properly dead, either. A ghost in spirit and body, this time.

The girl blinked, and possibly tried to scoot back even farther as Iamel plopped down in front of her, those impossible wings catching her attention. Of course, she was already cornered, so there was nowhere to scoot to, but not for lack of trying. Still, if... if Shanuh seemed to think this one was real, too... maybe it wasn't just a hallucination. Unless Shanuh was just another figment, too. Damn.

"...Shiniee? And... and he's not stupid," she found herself saying, before she had even really thought about it. Maybe it was because Iamel was just a kid, so far as her eyes could see. But she felt a little better, then, if only just a little. Wait. Another voice. Cadence looked up from the floor, noticing for the first time that Patrick was there, too.

Third time's a charm, right?

"Wait, what... why are you..." Cadence let her voice trail off, looking from Shanuh, to Iamel, to Patrick, to Xaxis and Calytae, back to Patrick. "How... how can he be here when he died? That's not the way children are usually born!" she added, a little hysterical. Except that she saw it. She saw her hummingbird in that pink-haired, gray-winged little boy. He wasn't dead. Even if it didn't make sense, he wasn't dead.

She didn't know whether to feel relief or panic. That was before reality hit, like a brick to the head.

"...That's Woodie," she mumbled, numbly, looking down at the little woodpecker boy. Those eyes. What had Shanuh called her hummingbird? Kay-lee-tay?


Cadence cracked a pained smile, looking up at Patrick with eyes a little less hollow and a little more hopeless than usual. "...I think he told me his name."

"My name is Iamel," The bird replied patiantly, little wings fluttering a bit more. Cadence got a curious look, dark eyes flickering up to Shanuh questioningly, "Only my Shiniee calls me Woodie, and that's just because he's weird." More nodding, nose wrinkling a little bit.

"But you can call me Iamel."

"...Iamel. Right," she mumbled, pressing a hand to her right temple, trying to rub away the headache that was... whatever this was. Not reality. Another damn in-between place. Like a book you read years ago and still expected to come true, deep down inside. It wouldn't, of course, but that world, that dream, it never really died, until what really was, was only half-way true. You never could live a dream, but then, you didn't have to live all in reality, did you?

"So... a bird. You used to be a bird. And now... you're not." A self-affirmative nod. Sure, why not? It made sense. As much as anything else seemed to that morning. "And Patrick, he's your 'Shiniee'. Okay, that... that makes sense... can you fly..?" That last one had been random, unexpected, even for her. Cadence blushed a little, but managed not to look down straightaway, focusing on the boy's little wings. Strange, but they seemed... smaller, somehow, than her Calytae's.

Xaxis watched dispassionately as the other Guardian wiped his wet and dripping hand onto his shirt. At least now it wasn't covered in fish water. "Calytae," he murmured, nodding appreciatively at the name. A name was a name really, Xaxis thought little of his own.

It was who he was, it was what he knew he should be called. Simple as that. Lucien didn't call him anything else, really, and it wasn't as if either of them actually talked and communicated often.

Thus far, they'd both been adjusting to the others company. Xaxis liked the black haired one, and knew they'd work well together in their own quiet relationship. He didn't need the other to smother him with attention. Xaxis merely liked his Boy on his own time, when he felt like catching his attention.

His fuscia hued eyes slowly turned from the Hummingbird to its "that". Hmmm. Definitly not like Lucien at all - in fact, the girl seemed kind of strange. A little off. Quiet? Reclusive? Paranoid? Xaxis couldn't put his finger on it, but he did tilt his head in the most curious of manners.

"She's silly," he finally concluded, crinkling his nose in ever so slight distaste. It wasn't meant to be offensive to Calytae - he was merely voicing his thoughts and opinions. Why should she be curled up over there with the red-yellow-and-orange haired one?

Yes, to Xaxis, Cadence was very very ver silly indeed.

Looking back to the hyperactive one, the Raven almost grinned besides himself. Ducking his head, he pointed over to where Lucien was working, stocking shelves with brand-new pet toys and gear. "That's my Boy," he explained quietly, heaving a shrug of his shoulders. "He's got black hair like me." As it it wasn't obviuos. In fact, the two looked oddly related. Pale skinned, thin, and black hair; even there personalities were reminiscent.

With how much Fate had to mettle, it was funny that it was nothing more than pure irony. The two were quite the match, but the similar looks had only been a perk in the deal.

"I don't live here, no, I live in a place just down the street. It would be neat to live here though - but then again, here's where the shiniest of them all lives." With that, he was referring to Shanuh.

The Guardians could tell, the Guardians could see past what mortals missed. He was the shiniest and for very good reason.

Calytae was beside himself with amusement, stifling a titter behind one hand. Silly? Oh yes, his Cadence was a very silly thing, wasn't she? Very very. He knew that she thought that he was the silly one, but that was silly too--of the two, he was perfectly normal. He knew what was going on. She was only a curious little blind ghost, drifting about bumping into things and scaring herself to death all over again.

Strange, how Fate worked. Cadence probably would have been completely at home with a child as aloof as Xaxis. And that strange black-haired looked like he could do with some playful cheering up, even if they didn't match. The thought flitted out of Calytae's head in a moment, though; the idea of bonding with anyone other than Cadence wasn't ridiculous, it just didn't exist in that little pink-haired head. She was his, end of story, like it had always been.

"Heyyy, he looks lots like you, thin'n stuff," he pointed out, not unkindly, a silly lopsided smile showing his teeth again. He could tell Xaxis wanted to be silly and happy too!~ ...At least, he thought he could tell.

"You live closer than I do--I like it here much better." The grin widened. "Yeah, the prettiest funnest one is here, and there's lots of color and smells and fun and stuff, 'stead of just a gray box 'cause that's where we live, maybe we should move some colorful stuff there or we could move here, maybe." Calytae had to take a breath after that before he could start again. It seemed as though he had no objection to doing the talking for both of them.

"How come you think they don't understand anything? I tried telling her many many times, but she still doesn't get it or want to play much or anything fun..."

Cadence wilted a little under that intense stare, but she did seem to remember that she had a spine, a physical one if nothing else, and she ceased burrowing her back into the glass tank. She wasn't about to steal anything from this kid anytime soon--she hoped, momentarily, that no one ever would. She would be much more worried for the thief than for the boy. She had no doubt he would get his way in the end.

"...H-hummer? Shiny?" Confusion, then the bleak light of understanding. "Oh... oh, you mean... him," she glanced over at the colorful boy with his gray wings; he seemed to have quit badgering the fish to instead badger... another boy with wings... oh, her head, how it hurt. "And the ring, he's got it from me... right... he wouldn't steal your, um, 'Shiniee', I think..."

God, this kid was creepy. She didn't have to hear his thoughts to know what was going through that head--the dark cloud of his glower was warning enough, but at least it was short-lived. She'd hate to get him riled up and then send him back to Patrick. "They are very nice... wings," she found herself saying, more or less against her own will accepting the fact that Iamel did, in fact, have wings, real wings, ones that were not hallucinated or imagined or dreamed. Who knew--maybe one day he would fly. Maybe none of them could now. God, there was more than one. Cadence cringed. This was... a bad day... too much at once...

Abruptly, she sat down, right there on the shop floor regardless of the fact that animals had put their feet there, and that was just gross. Crossing her arms over her knees and resting her cheek against the back of her palms, she managed a faint, weary tweak of the lips that might have maybe possibly been a smile.

"So there's lots of you... bird kids... that's just... just great, really..." Her tone suggested that she rather preferred them as just birds.

"There's only three so far, I think." His answer was nonchalant, watching her curiously, those puffed up wings slowly sinking back to hug himself. He felt more secure with them there - afraid someone (like the ******** hummingbird) would tear them off. Another pause and he settled down next to her.

She wasn't going to let her bird steal his shiniee, and she wouldn't steal his shiniee...so it was okay. His lips pulled into a reluctlant smile, small shoulders rising and falling lightly.

"..you're reacting better then my Shiniee. He screamed like a little kid and hid under his desk. Sparkly Shanuh got angry at him because he called me a 'thing'. Or..something like that." Another shrug, his nose wrinkling, "I think Shanuh didn't eat him or somethin' is 'cause he was my shiniee. Shiniee is irritating, I guess, to Shanuh. He doesn't like him much. *I* like him though..he's sparkly and dark, all at the same time."

"..not like you. You're pale and dark, all at the same time." A small finger moves out, poking her shoulder gently, curiously. "Your skin is pale - my shiniees is dark. But you're not a sparkly or a shiniee, but the hummer said you're shiny on the inside." How he said 'shiny' and shiniee' was different... a longer ending to the 'shiniee', his tone pitched different. Affectionate? Something like that.

At this point, Iamel didn't care if he was repeating himself. He was just talking. xD

"Is it that you dun like us? We haven't done anything to you," Yet. But Iamel didn't know that, "It's not our fault we liked you. You shiniees should be honored to have us like you. To trust you." He was getting angry now, little words huffing and almost grumbling, sinking back into himself, "It's not like we hate you or are evil or something. We just ARE. We can't help it! Can you help being wingless and soft and normal - what you think is normal? I think I'M normal - but your hummingbird is kinda freaky. He's weird. But why do you hate us so much that you scream and deny our very existance?

"What's wrong with us, that makes you scream and flinch when you see us?"

"Just three? Still, that's... well, more than there were yesterday, at any rate..." She watched him fluff and resettle his wings against his shoulders, lips quirking again as he sat beside her. Cute kid. Wasn't his fault she didn't like kids, because children were people to, and she didn't much like people, either.

The smile cracked, just a little, at the mention of Patrick screaming like a little kid. She had no idea why, but it amused her, just a little, to think of such a colorful and flamboyant and unphaseable-looking man to shriek like a schoolgirl at the sight of something so... small and cute. Then again, she had been pretty surprised, too. She was still pretty surprised. She wondered what happened after you were done going into shock--maybe it was what she was doing now.

She let him talk and rant, listening without moving, even when he poked her, although there was a curious raise to her eyebrows at the touch. Like he expected her to be made of jell-o instead of flesh because she was pale instead of dark.

"It isn't... really isn't anything like that," she answered, after he had finished, her tone almost reassuring, or at least what Cadence thought reassuring sounded like. "There's nothing wrong with you. You all seem like... kids. Good kids. It's just kind of... strange, disconcerting... to find a dead bird and then you guys there. I thought you were just birds. Shanuh never said anything... well, maybe he hinted, but just waking up and there one of you are..."

Words. She was trying to put it into something understandable, eloquent even, but there wasn't a word for the kind of fear that paralyzed you, or the way the space between your eyes throbbed everytime the world you knew turned upside-down. But her expression softened anyway, hesitantly giving Iamel a pat on the shoulder. Real flesh, a real kid. "There's nothing wrong with you. It's just that you surprise us... little kids usually don't come out of animals... and this isn't usually the way people have kids..." she admitted. She had most certainly not been planning on having kids, ever. It just... wouldn't have been right.

"When we stop being surprised, we won't be scared... we'll love you like any good 'Shiniee' would. On the inside or not." She blinked, remembering something he said earlier, looking down at herself. "...shiny on the inside? I wonder what he meant by that. Guess he is a little weird..." she conceded, although she wouldn't quite admit to him being freaky. Maybe he'd grow on her. It seemed Iamel had, at least.

"Death shouldn't be frightening. It was weird for us too, y'know. I went to sleep as something that was sitting on his shoulder and, and roost and I woke up - on the floor! - as a boy. Then got screamed out." A soft pout, still sulking a little. Sure, patrick had apologized for screaming, assuring him that he was going to be taken care of, to be adored.

"You'll always be surprised. We're 'weird'.." A slight shrug, dark red eyes sliding back to her, his fingers flexing a little on his legs. It felt like he should have...something. Claws? Longer nails? something to grab with, to hold. To scratch.

Iamel decided to grow his nails out. Period.

"Mmhm..Shiny on the inside. Shanuh.." His eyes lit up a little, lips curling into a smile, glancing up to wherever Shanuh was, "SHanuh glows, like a lightbulb. But softer. He's...We like him. I like him. He doesn't scream or act shocked and...his body just..glows. He's shiny on the inside." A firm little nod at this, Iamel stretching out his legs, moving his feet back and forth so the sock-clad feet hit each other, toes wriggling mischeviously. "It's very important to be shiny on the inside.

"My Shiniee is shiny on the outside too. He puts holes in himself and puts in shiny stuff. I think it's 'cause he doesn't think he's shiny enough on the inside." Those toes continued wriggling, eyes fixed on the wiggling plaid-purple ness. "I think he is, although I can't see anyone elses shinyness. But..the hummingbird - Calytae - said you were shiny on the inside. It's important to be, after all."

Xaxis stared at the hummingbird, trying to keep up with everything he talked about. His mind refused to translate everything that spewed out of the pink-haired boys mouth, only catching clips and phrases. A few words here, a few words there.

His feathers ruffled, almost distastefully. Funny how the hummingbird always seemed to get his feathers tied in knots. He was just too fast and too excited and too full of energy! Xaxis was more quiet, more subdued, and far more relaxed. He didn't like loud noises, and he didn't like being rushed.

Rushing was what this bird seemed to do best.

Waiting for the bird to catch a few breaths, Xaxis stared at the floor, reaching a hand out to trace the cold linolium. He felt sand and dirt, grit, mixed with some splashes of wet water. Obviously from the aquariums.

It didn't take long for the hummer to remember he had to breathe to survive. Looking up, he shook his head slowly. "You sure do talk a lot," his nose crinkled before the little raven gave a snort. "It's not healthy," he explained calmly, certain that over-talking was as bad as any disease.

Looking over, he studied where all the people had congregated. The bright pretty one, Shanuh, his Boy, the silly girl, and a few others. Too many people for his taste. Maybe he was better off with the humingbird, even if his ears were starting to hurt!

Thank goodness Lucien wasn't loud and obnoxious. He'd go crazy!

"They don't understand because," he hesitated, brow nitting as he tried to find an answer. Why didn't they understand everything they were? Was it because they had wings? Was it because they could kill? But people could kill. And so what if they had wings? "They don't understand because they don't want to understand."

It was the only reason Lucien still lookd at him out of reserved eyes. It was the only reason his Boy acted strange when taking care of him. It's why they didn't talk, it's why their bond was strained.

And if Lucien didn't get it, and it was sure the Hummingbirds silly girl didn't get it either, then it wasn't just a fluke.

"Calytae never said it was weird for him... just woke up and, you know, there he was, hiding behind the couch..." Cadence's eyes went a little distant, trying to remember what had happened after that, but already her memory was blurred. Brains were funny like that. They liked to erase what was traumatic until you all but forgot, until it was like the tickle of an idea that you had read years ago.

"Maybe we will always be surprised... but not scared... we'll know what you're like inside, too. Not just what we see on the outside, I guess..." She thought for a long moment, about this 'shiny on the inside' stuff. It didn't make much sense, but nothing did anymore. But she did look up at Shanuh, following Iamel's red gaze, trying to see the glow the boy was telling her about. She didn't see it, couldn't, probably never would. Sure, the shopkeeper was shiny enough on the outside, the way Patrick was shiny, all full of holes and precious stones and glitter, but that was just the outside.

"...I can't see it," she finally whispered, almost in shame, as if it were some immense failing on her part. Maybe it was something she was supposed to be able to see, maybe something other people, normal humans, humans without wings or red eyes or bird-thoughts, saw.

"But... I think he's a good person. Your Patrick, at least. He seems like a nice person, one that would glow on the inside and all." She couldn't speak for Shanuh--she couldn't read that thin face, those two-color eyes--but Patrick had proved himself a good person. He deserved to be shiny on the inside, no matter what the outside looked like.

"Well, it was weird enough for Shiniee to scream like a little girl," He actually sounded a little smug about that right there - Patrick was normally well put together, just short of suave, and he made him squeal like a little girl! It was cool.

"That's okay." A small hand patted her shoulder comfortably. "You don't hafta see it. You're human and you guys can be blinde I guess?" Iamel sounded doubtful there. He wasn't sure...at this point he hadn't met too many. They seemed to be exciteable and Shanuh certianly held disdain for them - and Iamel adored Shanuh but... "You don't have to see the shininess.. You ARE the shinyness."

The small bird was actually quiet when she described his shiniee, head and small body twisting a bit so he could get a glimpse of that dark skinned man, chatting with Shanuh, doing something. He was nice... he.. Iamel nodded and flopped down, peering at her from the corner of those intense red eyes.

"He thinks he's not. That's why there's all the holes." His voice was short, lips quirking into a frown, "Maybe that's why I'm here. To make him see the shiny. For the hummingbird to make YOU see the shiny." Peeking back to Cadence, nose crinkled up a little bit. "'Cause you guys hafta see the shiny sometime."

"I... guess we do," she concluded, although she didn't sound so sure of that herself. She still didn't quite understand this whole... shiny... deal that this kid had going on, but hey, he was a kid. Couldn't expect him to make sense.

Never mind the fact that he was managing to make sense out of nonsense, which was rather like making harmony out of discord. You weren't supposed to be able to--even she knew that, despite how fervently some cousin or aunt or deranged great-grandmother had pressed Stravinsky on her fragile young ears. She had been six and she knew that screaming piccolos and pulsing french horns did not, would never, equal harmony.

"...I don't know about making me see the shiny... but I don't think he's making me see the way I did before." Was that a note of helplessness? Not that that differed from her usual tone, but this cowardly giant of a woman was somehow less stable, less secure, than the bird boy who had been reborn that morning by dying first.

If she took the time to stop and think about it... it would be silly. She was silly, for letting everything bother, for letting the world turn upside down and only holding on with one hand, letting herself be trapped halfway between reality and fantasy.

"Maybe I need more holes," she added, laughing a little, although more out of sheer exhaustion than humor. Then she seemed to realize something, eyes going wide in a sort of glazed horror, like a rabbit being stared down by rapidly-approaching headlights.

"Oh, god. What do you guys eat?" She hadn't thought about that. Food, and clothes, and all the things that went along with children. Children were money. Or rather, gaping pits into which money was thrown, lit on fire, and buried.

"I eat crickets and beetles." He blinks a little bit at that last question, big red eyes fluttering slightly at her panicked expression and words. Small shoulders rose up into a mild shrug, lips twisting into a wry smile.

"Shiniee might want me to eat green things, I think but.." Another shrug, intense eyes still rather hard, even though they were speaking of his Shiniee, his Patrick, diminutive mouth working as he thought of.

"He's a hummingbird. Just take him to a park an' let him pick flowers."

It was all said in a slightly matter-of-fact tone, as if Cadence should've thought of it all before. One twist of his small frame and the boy leaned back, wiry arms supporting his face. Little wings spread, fluttering and letting a single black and white feather flutter to the ground.

"They don't eat a lot. Or you can buy some honey and smother him with it in his sleep."