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Lithle sat, arms crossed, staring at Michael in disbelief. The Kestrel was perched in the rafters of 'Lost Here' watching them from his superior height. The uncanny intelligence he always showed made her feel like he was listening. That didn't make the situation any better.

Michael. Feral eyes of deep blue, grace like dancing when he moved. She could make out the bulge of at least one gun under his leather jacket and knew there were probably more. Even Lithle wore more, and she wasn't active anymore.

He was the man she would have fallen in love with, if she liked men. Pity about that.

She'd come to talk to him about the bird that'd adopted her. He'd said he had problems of his own.

His problem had blue hair with streaks of green, and untrusting grey eyes. She looked about eight years old.

"You've got to admit, it'd be crazy for me to keep her. With Tred and all... what if I got hurt? What if someone found me?" He'd always had charisma to go with his brute force, he was trying to use it now. Nearly pouting.

"Should have thought of that before you brought the kid home. Dammit, Michael, do I look like a mother to you?" Lithle only had force, anger and a need for justice. Her voice was a growl, rough as a dogs snarl. She didn't smile.

"The puppies seem to like you well enough."

"That's different. I can't be b***h to some toddler. I've got enough problems with the bird. How would I even afford a kid?"

The Kestrel seemed to take that as an invite, flying down to land in the center of the table, nearly knocking over Lithle's coffee. Lucky she knew Kevin, the manager. They were getting plenty of looks. Enough to make the hair at the back of her neck stand on end.

"C'mon. It's not like Tred doesn't still take care of you. And-- I'll see that her expenses are added into that. It'll be good for you. Since Cilere--"

"Don't even mention her. Just, don't."

"I worry about you Lithle. And what if you-- well, you know. Who'll get help?"

"Well, I worry about your sanity. And I've taken care of myself so far. What's the kids name?"

"I've been calling her Jer'ain."

"You would." A glance at the kid, who still clung to Michael's arm, her eyes now fixed on the Kestrel in mute facination. "You've got her in fishnets? What, you want people to think you've got a baby prostitute with you?"

"She came this way."

"Well, I guess the first thing I'll need is to buy her new clothes."

"So, you'll do it?"

"I hate you Michael."

Living with Lithle was not an unhappy experiance, Jer'ain was learing. She wasn't like Catzi, or Michael, or the parents that she witnessed on TV. She insisted on being called Lithle, not Mom, and if Savius was daring enough to break that rule, Jer'ain wasn't.

But she was-- nice, if not warm. She never raised her voice to Jer'ain, like she did to Savius, and seemed more than willing to buy her crayons and colouring books. To be honest, Jer'ain admired her, but she was to intimidated by her to say anything of the sort. Lithle's personality was like a physical thing, and Savius was the same. Sometimes, she thought she could feel herself fading in the face of two people that were so much MORE than she was.

Which was why she found herself here, in her room. The cats were curled up on the bed with her, and she was carefully drawing on a blank piece of paper.

Savius.

Taller than she was, though shorter than most boys his age. Tiny wings. Hair in blue and black. A wooden sword and a smile that didn't say much about being happy. Crayons could only capture so much, but Jer'ain tried her best.

She would do Lithle next. If she could draw them, capture them on paper and fix them in place, it seemed that she might be able to face them in the real world to. If she could create them in colours, and put them on the wall, then they couldn't be that scary, right?

She could hear them in the other room, arguing. Neither of them ever yelled at her, but they sure liked to yell at each other. She coloured the paper around Savius red. Like blood, or anger.

Jer'ain woke with a start. It had happened again. The same nightmare. In her dream, the house was empty. Everywhere was empty. And she was in the darkness, all alone. At which point, she usually woke with a whimper. At least it wasn't a scream.

She wanted to creep into Lithle's room and fall asleep in her bed. But she knew the woman would never allow it. She just wasn't like that. And Jer'ain wasn't sure she wanted to show herself as so weak. She wanted to be like Lithle, strong, bold, fierce.

As to Savius... he slept like the dead. There would be no waking him and telling him about her nightmare. She cuddled the cat's closer, as if Torvald and Ulle could somehow chase away the fear and loneliness that the dream brought. At least they were alive.

And then... a slight tapping at the door, followed by it slowly opening. Savius walked in as if there was nothing unusual about his entering at one am, a tired expression on his face.

"'rain? What's wrong?" He asked, sitting on the edge of the bed, his wings folded neatly against his back. He could seem so... gentle, sometimes, despite the yelling. "I could hear you rustling around in here."

"I, I had a bad dream." She admitted, not wanting to say it. Not wanting Savius to laugh at her for her fear.

"Oh. Well, I'm here now." A flash of that fierceness, a smile that had very little to do with kindness. "I'll protect you."

"Y- you don't have to." She objected.

"And what kind of brother would I be if I didn't protect my little sister? Go to sleep Jer'ain. Mom's gonna get us up early."

She nodded, resting her head back on the pillow. Despite the dream, and Savius sitting at the edge of her bed, it was easy to sleep. Easy to just slip away. She could sense him, just there, protecting her. There'd be no more nightmares. Not while he watched.

She'd be just like him some day....

Part Five:
http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?page=3&t=2137980#54151308


Jer'ain hung close to Savius while the other girls got pierced. It would be her turn next, probably, and she felt strange about it. She'd already murmured something about a piercing at the top of her ear, but the more she thought, the more she didn't want it. Maybe some day, but right now, well, she wasn't sure she wanted to do the same that they were.

"Savius?" She tugged lightly on her brother's sleeve, pulling his attention over to her. "I don't wanna get anything pierced."

For a second, she thought she saw disappointment in his eyes, and started to wilt. But it was only a second, and then his eyes were bright again, like lights flickering in a storm. He rested his arm around her shoulders, like he often did, and the familiarity of the gesture calmed her.

"No one's going to force you, Sis."

She kicked at the floor, wondering if she was really ready to do what she was thinking about doing. But he was going to do it. Surely she could be as brave as he was? Just this once at least. "I want a tattoo."

His expression changed again, brightening this time instead of darkening. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Whatcha gonna get?" He looked at the wall, scanning the images for a second time.

"I-- I don't know." She bit her lip. This was the hard part. Making a decision that would last on a whim, and she wasn't sure there was anything she wanted forever.

"You should get that." He gestured to what appeared to be a Chinese or Japanese character, one of many that covered the walls. The word 'sister' was written underneath.

It made her smile. She liked the idea of being marked as family. Savius always made it seem like they were one, instead of just a few unrelated people, living in the same house. And yet, at the same time, it felt... wrong. There were things she was unsure of, things she couldn't even articulate yet. "No. That one." She gestured to another character a couple spaces down.

"Sibling?" Savius asked, studying the character. "It works. So, where you gonna get it?"

"My arm. Like you." She nodded, firmly "But the other one."

"You're cool sis... sib." He tightened his grip on her shoulders, squeezing her affectionately. "This'll be fun."

Part Seven:
http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?page=2&t=1784074#54153548

Family Dinner

God she was glad to be out of that damned library. Her head full of facts on gryphons and ancient wars, and Taylor's wand shoved in her backpack. She felt like a ******** college student, even now. She didn't even want to remember those times. The times after the first loss, but before the second.

Before Michael, before Tred, before the fight. She'd run on hurt and hope, like every stupid teen did. Now days, she ran on anger and apathy. Life changed, didn't it? Even if the circumstances seemed simular. Getting ******** over. Same old story.

Pushing open the door to the top floor apartment, she could smell the scent of stir fry on the air. Jer'ain was in the kitchen, pushing veggies and meat around in a big pan, humming softly to herself. She kept trying to remind herself to buy the girl a guitar. Or a better paint set. She did a lot, as much as Lithle wasn't good at saying it. Not that she needed her. But it was nice to come home to dinner.

"Lithle, you hungry?" The girl asked, already getting plates and glasses out of the top shelf. Savius wouldn't eat meat he hadn't taken part in killing, but he was fine with veggies. Even liked most of them, strange as that sounded for a raptor.

"Thirst. Got ******** dust in my throat." She muttered in response, settling at the kitchen table and dropping Taylor's wand in the center. "I've been reading all day."

"And who's ******** fault is that?" Savius came out of his room, hand shoved into his pockets, shoulders casually slumped. He wore a childish grin, ruined only by his language and the smear of blood on the corner of his mouth. Messy eater. He'd been that way as a bird too. "What'd you find out, anyway?"

"Not much about him, specifically. Maybe I'd have to talk to the chick to find the books that have him, if they exist." Lithle shrugged, not really caring that she hadn't been able to read up on the wand's past life. It seemed kinda creepy, to stalkerish for even her taste. Maybe the past deserved a chance to rest, at least after death had come. "But all sorts of s**t about the war, and gryphons."

Savius made his way into the kitchen, grabbing to cans of coke and a beer from the fridge. He wasn't nearly so helpful as Jer'ain, not by half. But... it sometimes seemed that he was the one who knew just what she needed. Anger when the sparks faded. Calm when the fire got too bright. He knew things, the kestrel boy. She didn't want to know what he knew.

"Was he one of the good guys?" Jer'ain asked, as she set the table with food, and took her place. The wand shone, the center of the conversation, and yet outside it, as they spoke.

"Sure seemed that way. But I bet the story'd be different from the human point of view. Hell if I know. Maybe you can ask him, if he ever comes out."

"Zombies. ********." Savius poured the beer into the glass in front of her, the childish grin gone, and a hint of something very old in his eyes. Lithle didn't look away, she was used to it. But she didn't like it either. Reminded her that his game of family was just that. Play time.

"V, you've got blood." Jer'ain rolled her eyes, motherly, as she wiped the red smear from the corner of the bird boy's lip. Whatever darkness it was that he held, she didn't seem to see it. Or didn't want to. He wasn't sure which. "You're gonna make me sick."

"Oh, come on, your full of the stuff Sib." He glared at her mockingly, but Lithle knew full well that he wouldn't raise his voice at the girl. She never did either, and she wasn't sure why. "And Zombie stick here doesn't creep you out?"

"He's not a zombie, Savius. He's reborn, or something like that." Lithle wasn't sure she completely understood the process, but she certainly hadn't picked up any image of shambling brain eaters from the chick. "Get used to it."

"Yeah, fine. I'm used to it." He reached out, poking the stick lightly with a finger. "Welcome to the family zombie boy."

A pause. A slight haze. The slow puff of smoke appeared above the stick, strange and hesitant at first. It wasn't much. Just a wisp, a suggestion of white and gray. Lithle stared.

"You broke it?" Her voice was a bit uneven. If the kid had ******** things up. "What the hell did you do?"

"Relax, Dad! I just touched it is all. It's fine. It's just... ********, what is it doing?" He leaned forward, wings batting slightly, making the slight wisp move.

"Hold still, dammit." Lithle snapped, leaning forward as well. She reached out a finger, and the wisp seemed to lean into it, as if sensing her there. "I think... I think maybe it's supposed to do this."

"It's supposed to smoke?" Jer'ain asked, actually sitting back away from the bit of gray coming out of the brightly coloured wand.

"Yeah, maybe. There was something like it at the easter thing."

"So I fixed it!" Savius announced, triumphant. "I made it come out."

"Whatever kid." Lithle picked up the wand carefully, watching as the wisp followed its source. Well, she'd definately have to keep a close eye on the thing. It looked like it could be blown away by a breeze. "C'mon, lets eat."

Dear Journal,

So, things have been quiet lately, which is almost kinda nice. Lithle's been busy a lot, and she's not home as much as usual. I don't actually know what she's doing though. Stuff for Tred, I guess. Stuff, anyway.

Usually, that means that Savius and I are home by ourselves, and that's ok, really. Savius has been trying to teach me how to rollerblade, and I like it a lot. I'm not as good as he is yet, but he's lighter than me, and he's got wings, even if they aren't very big. So he does jumps really good. I think I could do that too if I had wings.

Still, I'm learning how to go REALLY fast, and we've been having lots of races. The other day, I almost beat him. I'm gonna talk to Lithle about getting new wheels and stuff. I'm learning how to make the modifications myself, and it's really not that hard. And a lot cheeper than going out and buying a whole new pair of blades.

Sometimes, when Lithle isn't home, Kyle comes over, and I love it when that happens. I get to play with Isabel, who's younger than me, but still fun. And sometimes he brings Earako too. She's got wings too, but she can really fly, not like Savius. Savius says the whole group of us are a family, and that we've got to look out for each other. Mostly, I just see us all as friends, but the idea of having a huge family is nice. I mean, I might not have a Mom or a Dad, but maybe I have a bunch of siblings?

Kyle says that my art is really good, and that I should start taking classes. I really don't think I'm good enough for an art class, but he's pretty insistant. And he says he can talk to Lithle for me, if I want. I'm not sure I do. I mean, arts always something I've done for me, not for anyone else. But, I would like to be really good, like the people they make books about and stuff.

Maybe not that good.

But maybe good enough that people want to buy my work?

That'd be nice.

Anyway, I promised Savius another race. Maybe I'll beat him this time.

Jer'ain.