Welcome to Gaia! ::

You find a nearly dead fairy. Though she seems to be an adult, she will recover when cared for and form a bond with the caretaker.

"You're sure?" Shade asked Aleric as they headed up the stairs of the new Fleet Headquarters. He pressed the button for the door to open. Waiting for a long moment before the door slowly opened. They didn't know Shade, and it showed. But they did know Aleric.

"Unfortunately, yes." Aleric said. "You're the best help she can get right now, but this is where the feien come from. I'm not exactly sure why she was in the rubble..."

A small dark spot over in the still vacant lot of the old HQ, Sunil had no doubt she had already been spotted. The bright color of her markings tended to have that effect. So, without any effort to hide her intentions - she stood up and flitted over towards the new HQ's door and up behind the man and feien entering now.

"Hrmpf." She didn't introduce herself, but grumped a bit and crossed her arms over her chest as if she was impatient with them for some reason.

Aleric glanced up at the blue feien, trying to remember where he had seen her before. She was... she was... Had he met her before? At the moment he was so focused on the situation at hand that he couldn't really remember. And that was very rude, wasn't it?

"You realize that 'she' is standing right here, don't you?" Callisto asked from where she was sitting on Shade's held out hand, one leg crossed over the other as they hung over his fingertips. "And 'she' can speak for herself."

"But 'she' doesn't remember anything, and her bond doesn't know anything to begin with!" Shade finished, earning a dirty look from his newly found feien. He shrugged, almost throwing Aleric off of his shoulder.

"You're all a very self-absorbed lot aren't you?" Sunil sniffed, and then looked around as if the scenery was of particular interest to her. "Aren't you going to introduce yourselves?"

She might have met the male-ish one before, it was a toss up. He certainly hadn't made a strong impression. The female-ish, however, she had not met. She would have remembered a look and attitude like that.

"My name's Brunswick!"

"Mate, I don't think she was talkin' t' you." Jack Bierce shrugged in a half-apology, appearing seemingly out of nowhere in his usual manner, and offered a cheeky grin to Shade and the various feien. "Sorry. Kid's got no manners." He motioned towards the door. "Are you goin' in or can I scoot around?"

"I do so have manners." Brunswick's eyes took in Aleric and then skittered over to the two females. He beamed. "Hey, Aleric. Who are your gorgeous lady friends?"

"Forgive me, I'm--" Aleric stopped as Brunswick asked his question. "Aleric. This is Callisto. She's a newly reborn ancient, and this is Brunswick, and you are...?" He said to them all, focusing on Sunil at the end of the comment.

"Oh, right, yeah." Shade said, glancing over his shoulder before he bounced up the stairs two at a time. "I'm new to this whole bond thing, so Al over here said I should check in here. He's my girlfriend's feien."

"His EX girlfriend's feien." Aleric added with a slight frown at the black skinned male.

"Not for long!"

"Sunil," she offered with a frown, following Shade into the building. "And I don't like being called a 'lady'," she directed this last comment to Brunswick, for while she did privately suscribe to the theory she was hot - she didn't believe in all the girly crap that went with being a lady.

"You don't? Does this mean you're not? I don't mind. I..."

Jack sighed and reached up to cover Brunswick's entire head with his hand as he trudged up the stairs after the others. "He got into my breakfast cereal," he explained absently. "Good to meet you lot."

Callosto looked over the small blue female feien, raising an eyebrow. "There's no reason to dislike being a lady." She said, pushing at her head and looking slightly languid. "But how do you wind up with a female bond?" She demanded of Aleric.

"She was the one that revived me." Aleric replied.

Callisto thought that over, but didn't look very happy about it. "Do they have hairbrushes in this place? And water? I feel dirty."

"So... what's it like being a bond?" Shade asked the human. "Is there anything you got to do? Like take them for walks or play fetch?"

"Excuse me??!" Callsito demanded abruptly.

"There is to!" Sunil insisted, moving over to hover closer to Callisto. She was not using her inside voice.

"I don't want to 'conform to the standard of behavior" people expect of 'ladies'." She made judicious use of air quotes during this little tirade and she was clearly quoting someone in particular by the way her voice changed. "I don't have this stupid need to be clean and nice all the time."

She gave Callisto a pointed look. "I think enough feien are already like that."

Jack's eyes twinkled with amusement as he watched the two females squaring off, his hand still over Brunswick's head to prevent the inevitable comment from his feien. It hadn't been long but he already knew the kid had no respect. Which made him wonder yet again why they had sent him to -him-. It sure as hell wasn't to learn respect and manners. Turning his attention to Shade, though, the amusement showed up in his grin. "Oh, it's pretty basic," he answered. "Just, y'know, don't let 'em get ate an' don't let 'em get into the rum."

"That's not too bad!" Shade replied. "Although honestly I wouldn't mind seeing her drunk for some reason."

Callisto stood, stretching in a cat-like movement before looking at the female. "I never said I was nice." She added before taking to the air. She made a face, not used to the flight.

"Here, let me help you." Aleric said, rushing forward.

"I can do this on my own, thank you." Callisto gritted out as she balanced her flight.

"Right... well... the water is this way." He said, moving slowly towards the kitchen backwards, making sure she didn't drop like a brick.

"I dislike this severly." Callisto said coldly. "I know I can fly better than this."

"You're newly reborn."

"Then you aren't much a lady," Sunil muttered after Callisto. "You're just high-maintenance." She raised her voice and looked at Shade. "I would count on having to put more work into her than just not letting her get eaten."

Jack shrugged again and finally removed his hand from Brunswick who immediately snorted in utmost annoyance and stood, fussily smoothing his hair back (thus making it look like a slightly drunken hedgehog as opposed to a thoroughly wasted one). "Depends," he answered Sunil. "Obviously, you're all good to go on your own. No one needs t' make sure you stay alive, eh?"

Without a thought, his hand went to his pocket and removed his packet of cigarettes. The gesture was pure automatic pilot, pure habit. What finally stopped him, though, cigarette halfway to his mouth, was a prominent No Smoking sign. He huffed and instead tucked the unlit death-stick behind his ear. "So, mate," he addressed Shade. "You just got the little gel, huh? Pretty little thing."

"She is, isn't she?" Shade replied with a grin before turning to Sunil. "She's just scared. I found her stuck under a slab of concrete about an hour ago. Who knows how long she'd been there. Poor kid. No wonder she's trying to do things for herself."

The water turned on easily enough for Aleric and he squirted out some soap for her, handing it to her without a word. Callisto sniffed it briefly, looking confused.

"You rub it over your hair and body, then wash it off." Aleric said softly.

Callisto bit back a remark and did as he said.

"Scared." Sunil snorted. "I'm never scared. And I've been in some bad scrapes."

She looked at Brunswick with disdain. "You shouldn't let your bond silence you like that. They don't own us. Unless you're just too young and weak to stand on your own without his help."

Brunswick grinned at Sunil. "Honey catches more flies than vinegar," he sing-songed. "Keep that in mind, sexy lady!" Then, he neatly stepped forward off Jack's shoulder and free-fell for an instant before his wings caught him. "I'm going to check out the diva," he announced. "Wanna come along?"

Jack bit back a laugh and merely contented himself with glancing at Shade and rolling his eyes expressively.

"Diva's a pretty good word for her, huh?" Shade agreed. "Hell, I even named her after one." He walked over to one of the blue chairs and draped himself over it, wishing he had a beer. "It's been a seriously long day." He announced. "And I've still got to stop over at Ice's. Then finish up my job... might do that tomorrow, though..." He said thoughtfully.

Aleric glanced up as Brunswick got closer, picking up on the magic energy. But Callisto was completely unaware, since she had discovered the joyous hobby of singing in the shower. Her voice was husky, almost rasping, and she was singing a very... very unlikely song, that for the life of her she couldn't remember where she had gotten it from. Or what it meant.

"I'm on tonight! My hips don't lie and I'm startin to feel you boy..." Of course, had she known what it meant she would have chosen a different song.

"Why would you want to attract flies?" Sunil said in disgust, before following quietly after Brunswick to see the Diva in action.

"To get them to do stuff for you," Brunswick shouted over his shoulder at Sunil before landing at the sink beside Aleric. He eyed the singing Callisto and grinned at the male ancient. "She's cute but don't worry. She's too old for me," he said. "Soho and Marne are even cuter."

Jack threw himself into the chair opposite Shade, utterly unworried about what his feien might be up to. Lounging like he was born to it, he shrugged lazily. "Take a break," he suggested. "Bonding to one of these little guys can take it out of you. 'Specially if they're high maintenance. The morning after I got him, I got woken up at six a-emma by the sound of my entire bloody library hittin' the floor. Apparantly, he'd gotten 'curious'."

"I'm just waiting to break it to her that we won't be on Gaia for much longer." Shade replied with a shrug. "I mean, sure, we'll drop in once in a while, but until I get a new job--" He shook his head. "Damn but I hope she doesn't get attached."

Aleric glanced up, looking confused. Then he shook his head. "No, I'm not worried. I'm already... attached." He said calmly. "But I worry about her. She's been thrust into a lifestyle she's never known, with a past she doesn't remember. It's... a difficult thing to deal with."

Callisto leaned back, washing her hair out and rinsing the soap from her body. Then she stepped out from under the water, soaking wet and smiling widely. She had enjoyed that! "Now... food would be good." She said, glancing over at Aleric before looking around. She didn't want to rely on him anymore than she had to.

"But flies aren't very useful," Sunil commented. "And besides, I've found that fear will make people do what you want as effectively as affection."

And then her mind caught up with her mouth and she added, "Yeah, Soho is pretty cute. Afraid I don't know Marne though."

Brunswick watched Aleric help Callisto flutter towards the kitchen, decided against following, and turned his smile on Sunil more fully again. "Cute little redhead," he elaborated. "Very friendly. Like, -very- friendly." He paused and gave Sunil a quick, calculating once-over. "You're an adult, aren't you?" he asked suddenly. "Did it take long to grow up and just how strong are you? Since you said something about fear, I'm figuring that you have to be pretty tough."

Absently, he sank down to sit on the edge of the sink, legs swinging so his heels banged against the inside of the appliance. "Fear works, of course," he continued. "But it isn't always a good long-term thing."

"I am," Sunil said, grimacing. "But I am not all that strong. Once upon a time I was, but then the world changed and I was a juvenile for a second time. Its a long ******** story."

She sighed and sat to sit by Brunswick, although not close enough to touch him. "In my limited experience I think that trying to keep anyone around for long-term, no matter how nice you are to them, is futile. People grow apart. People die or leave or just plain disappear. Settle for short-term kiddo. It means a lot less effort, aggravation, and disappointment."

And then feeling old and sad, Sunil changed the subject.

"So, friendly females? Too bad I'm not into juvies."

"I could--" She started out once again as Aleric opened the fridge for her.

"Do that, yes, I know." Aleric said patiently. "But it's only gentlemanly." He explained.

She raised an eyebrow at him, then headed into the fridge, only to shiver with the cold hitting her wet skin. "It's very cold in here." She chattered out as she grabbed something off the shelf and flew out. It was a piece of cheese, just barely small enough for her to carry. She sniffed it as she made her way back to the counter, looking confused before she took a nibble. "Hmm..."

"Your name is Sunil, right?" Aleric asked, turning to the blue feien. "Silva's spoken of you."

The smile Brunswick shot her could have won awards as Cheekiest Monkey Ever. He was clearly enjoying the conversation for reasons probably best known only to himself. "Good thing, too," he said. "I'd hate to break up our beautiful burgeoning friendship over 'em. You can have Galatea if you want, though. She's not my type at all." Actually, that was being mild; the blood feien gave him a headache because he felt like he should know her but couldn't place her. "But hands off Marne and Soho. Oh, and my sisters."

"I promise to keep my hands off them as long as they're juveniles. When they grow up, all bets are off." Sunil grinned. "If you're up to it, we can fight over it when you grow up - squirt."

She looked over to Aleric and nodded. "I am and I can only imagine what Silva says. It's too bad I lost the edge I had against him when he was a juvenile."

"He said you were a... very strong fighter." Aleric said. "But he's gotten stronger with age. Perhaps you might join us for one of our training classes?"

Callisto looked at them both. "Who's Silva?"

"Silva's a big bully. An old man who thinks he knows everything." The beaming smile Brunswick gave Aleric seemed to indicate he was joking but, seeing as how the ancient had already witnessed Brunswick and Silva butt heads before... Well, it was open to debate.

Jack tilted his head and studied Shade. "So... You're not from around here, then, huh?"

Hrm, well that was a tough invitation to accept or to refuse. To be seen in her current state of weakness was embarassing to say the least - but Silva was one feien Sunil had a grudging respect for. Training with him might not be... too bad. She gave Aleric a measuring look before answering.

"Silva probably does know quite a bit. Perhaps I might join you sometime if the offer is genuine."

She stood up and then ran a hand through her short hair.

"But right now I have to be going. I'd say its been a pleasure, but it hasn't. And you," she looked at Brunswick, "maybe I'll talk to you again."

And with that, she hopped off into air and zipped for the door.

"It's genuine." Aleric called after her. "Farewell, Sunil." He said a little more softly, before turning to the other two. Callisto was working her way through the piece of cheese as if she were starving.

"This is very good." She said, almost surprised. "It stinks, but it tastes wonderful." She finished off her piece and looked at them. "Now... could you please tell me where we are?"

"We're on Gaia. In the Fleet building. They're in control of the feien breeding and trying to keep our species going. Things have... changed since you were last alive." Aleric said. He looked at Bruns. "And Silva is not quite a bully... if he were you would be in much worse shape, I'm afraid."

"He sounds... charming." Callisto drawled.

Shade snorted, looking thoughtful for a moment. "I'm from a black hole, actually. Where this crazy woman lives and runs a universe wide empire." He said, as if that happened daily. "You?"

"Eh, he's him." Brunswick braced his arms behind him and craned his neck to watch the adults. "Just you wait, though, Aleric, man. I'll learn so much that some day he won't be able to land a hit on me. Promise."

Jack didn't even react to the strange address given and merely waved his hand in a vague direction eastwards - or at least he thought it was east. "Born and bred in London," he answered. "I moved here for some peace an' quiet. Then I got the little bloke over there an' things aren't so quiet."

"Yeah, I can see that happening." Shade replied with a nod. "Are all feien so mouthy? Even the purple one, Al, he's pretty hardheaded..." He shook his head. "I need a beer."

"I expect you to." Aleric said with a nod. "That's what we're training you for." Although it would take a lot more work before the boy got to that point. "But what we really want is for you and the others to keep from--" He hesitated.

Callisto frowned. She had been tossed into a drama where she didn't know all the players, and it irritated her greatly. "Is he a feien?" She finally asked. "This... Silva guy."

"'Course he is." Brunswick eyed Callisto and decided that being a revived ancient probably meant head trauma and brain damage. At least to start with. "He's Aleric's 'brother'. Soho's, too." Suddenly, he spun in place to sit Indian style and look at her more closely. "Do you remember any brothers or sisters of your own?"

Jack's face twisted into automatic distaste, an Englishman in New York syndrome indeed. "I could point you to a decent bar, mate," he offered, "but the beer is like water 'n' piss. Most of it is 'round here. Drives a guy to the rum 'a' cokes."

Shade snorted. "It figures." He said. "How about straight rum?"

"I don't remember anything, actually." Callisto said softly, not looking at the juvenile. "The first thing I remember was--" She stopped, images of the darkness trying to devour her flashing vividly through her mind. For so long she had laid there, powerless to stop it, powerless to keep the thought that she was going to die from racing through her head, over and over again, and--

"Peace, sister." Aleric said, once again wrapping his arms around the other ancient. "You're free now."

Brunswick frowned a bit, confused at the female feien's reaction. Quietly, he stood and looked around. Spotting a bit of paper towel, he picked it up and dampened it with a drop that clung to the faucet. Then he padded over and held it out to Aleric. What a damp cloth could do, he had no clue. But it was worth a shot.

Laughing, Jack nodded. "Nothin' wrong with straight rum. So long as it's not that spiced shite."

Shade grinned. "I could go for that. But I should probably get Al back to my old lady..." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Ex old lady." He corrected himself reluctantly. "They find out you've got a dirty job and they dump you like cold turkey, you know that?"

Aleric took the cloth with a soft thanks and wiped gently at Callisto's tears until she shoved his hand away. "I'm fine." She said, shaking it off. "I'm fine already. I just don't like the dark very much."

Brunswick considered her words for a moment and then bent down to look into Callisto's face closely. "Is that an element thing or just a personality thing?" he asked and there was no bravado in his voice, just honest and almost gentle curiosity.

"Tell me about it." Jack lazily stretched his arms upwards and yawned. "That's why I don't tell 'em what I do. Well, not really. Most birds get excited enough over the professor thing." He grinned and hauled himself out of the chair, stretching more and rescuing the unlit cigarette tucked behind his ear. "You'd think they all had some kind o' kink for it, right?"

"Professor, huh?" Shade repeated. "That really work? Usually I tell them I'm a business man. Or a cleaner. Cleaner works pretty well as a title. But then you get strange looks." He said, looking thoughtful. "And they ask you if you're a janitor. I mean, I guess you could call it that... kinda twisted, if you ask me. I mean, using a broom--"

"It's a--" Callisto hesitated. "I like the light." She said softly.

"She's a light feien." Aleric provided. "Who was stuck in a very dark place for a very long time."

"Gotcha. Makes sense." Brunswick grinned at Callisto. "Tell your bond to get you a nightlight or something. Demand it. He has to be nice to you."

Jack raised an eyebrow at Shade. Not that he objected to what he read between the lines there with the term "cleaner" but he was surprised to find an assassin here and with a feien. No wonder the little purple guy had been so dodgy about Shade acquiring the diva. Probably didn't trust him to do right by her. Oh, well. Not his business. "Well, the diploma helps prove the idea that I'm a professor. Oxford doesn't just hand those out for cash." He grinned. "An' it sayin' professor o' alternate religions makes it easier t' lie about the real job description."

Alternate religions meant something a little darker than catholicism, Shade thought, not too surprised. "Makes sense." He said with a nod. "But see, I didn't even tell Ice what I really do. She snooped, as far as I can tell. Don't ever leave those little business notes in your pockets man, it's just asking for trouble. Course I had to learn that the hard way. Not like it's hard enough to find a girl like that..." He shook his head, pulling out his wallet and tugging a picture out to hand to the other man.

"I figure she'll get used to it, you know? It's not like businessmen really have souls to begin with!"

"Yes." Callisto agreed. "He does."

Aleric looked from one, then to the other. "I'm afraid..." He started out slowly. "That he really doesn't. Not if he doesn't want to."

"What?" Callisto asked. "why not?"


"Yeah, why not? I mean, Jack's no prize but he's not bad. If even he can be nice, why not this guy?" Brunswick frowned.

Jack slipped his cigarette between his lips, neatly held in the corner, as he reached out to take the picture. Taking his time, he studied it. He had to admit. The girl was cute in an exotic way. "I dunno," he finally said. "It depends on the girl. What she can take an' all. How the moral code goes." He shrugged and handed it back. "Believe me, it can get hard findin' a girl who'll put up with a right b*****d like us. Da found one but I haven't had any luck yet."

Shade nodded. "I would quit..." He said after a moment. "But it pays so damn well. You know?" He shook his head. "And what would I do afterward? Not like I've done anything else in the last... God knows how many years. Other than draw hentai manga." He added absently.

"Because..." Aleric said slowly. "Shade is a... very dangerous man." He finally said.

"He didn't seem that dangerous to me." Callisto said, offended at the comments about her bond, even if she didn't really know him well. She picked up the white piece of hair he had given her, tying her hair up once again. "What makes you think he is?"

"What makes you think he isn't?" Brunswick eyed Aleric. "You know something that you're not saying."

"Eh, I'm sure you could think of something." Jack shrugged negligently. "Cross-job skills an' all that." A wicked grin lit his face and he perched on the arm of his abandoned chair. "Kinda like I do teachin' sometimes. When I haveta. After hellbeasts, what's a college freshman got that you can't handle?"

"Teaching?" Shade repeated. "Nah, she'd really not like that. A school for future... cleaners would just make things worse, you know? Guess I could water it down, call it self defense or something." He shook his head. "M'not sure. But it's a thought."

"I'm afraid..." Aleric said slowly. "That Callisto's bond makes his living by hurting others. Fatally."

"..." Callisto shook her head. "I don't believe you."

Knowing Aleric a bit better than Callisto, Brunswick merely stared at the ancient. There was no way that Aleric would lie about something like this. No way.

"Sure is. Guess it all depends how much you want the girl, huh?" Jack absently scratched at the back of his head and regarded Shade thoughtfully. "An' how much she wants you. I remember, this one time, Mum kicked Da outta the flat. Told him not t' come back 'til he could look her in the eye an' tell her honestly that he would never get mixed up in her business again. See, he didn't much fancy her area of doings." He shrugged. "They worked it out an' I got a little sister 'bout nine months later."

"Huh... maybe I'll ask her after this last job. I've already got the first half of the pay, you know? Can't let them down now." Shade said with a shrug. "Then I thought I'd hit a few other planets, maybe catch a Breaker game, or the festival on Carn's coming up soon..."

"I'm afraid it's true." Aleric said softly. "That's why my bond is no longer with him. And that's why... why I am so sorry..."

Callisto didn't know what to say. She could almost come to hate that truthful tone of his. "I don't have any choice. Do I?"

Brunswick grimaced and shook his head. "Maybe he's picky about it," he suggested. His Machiavellian mind bent back and pointed out that some people weren't so nice and the loss of them from the world wouldn't be -that- tragic. "Jack's got some comics and one's about a vigilante sort who..."

"And relax away. Sounds good to me. You'd be sellin' yourself short if you thought this was all you could do, mate." Suddenly, Jack changed gears and stood again. "Hey, how long you gonna be around here?"

"Not long." Shade said with a shrug. "Maybe a week or two at most. It all depends on if Ice shoves me into another dimension again. This place is so dinky that it's hard to find, you know?" He stood as well. "But hey, maybe we can get that rum before I go."

Callisto sighed. Then she stood straighter and awkwardly took to the air. "Vigilante or not... he's still my bond." She said reluctantly. "And if what Aleric's told me is true... I need him to live." With that she headed slowly and shakily for the hallway.

Brunswick cast a final look at Aleric, shrugged, and stepped off the counter to follow Callisto. There was precious few other things he could do, after all. Even if he felt like he wanted to.

Jack nodded. "Sounds good to me," he agreed. "I haven't found anyone up for that kind of thing yet. Everyone keeps pretty much t' themselves 'round here an' I live out in the sticks."

"They don't know what they're missing." Shade replied, holding out a hand as Callisto came in. She dropped on to it silently, not looking at him. He hesitated, wondering what the problem was. "We have to be going now." He said as Aleric came in and hovered near his ear. "Nice meeting you--"

"Oh. Heh." Jack laughed and shook his head, even as he motioned for Brunswick to settle on his shoulder. "Jack Bierce." He held out a hand. "We've got lousy manners, mate. Glad you mentioned it, though. I don't fancy drinkin' with a guy who I don't know the name of."

"Shade." Shade replied. "Spose it could be Shade of Kori, but I'd rather not run around with that name. Shade works." He shook Jack's hand, grinning slightly. "See ya, Jack." He said before heading out the door, his mind fully focused on what was bothering his feien now.

"Well, then." Jack turned his head so he could easily eyeball his feien. "Did you have a nice outing, lad? Make friends with the new gels an' all?" He raised an eyebrow. "An' what was wrong with the purple bloke?"

"Um..." Brunswick shrugged and settled himself better on Jack's broad shoulder, folding his legs up neatly and wrapping his arms around them. "Well, if you must know, that guy you were being all palsy with? According to Aleric, he hurts people for money."

Deciding that while this didn't actually seem to bother Brunswick, the feien wouldn't appreciate him outright laughing at him and his obvious self-importance at the knowledge, Jack merely bit back a snicker and nodded solemnly. "He's a hitman, Bruns, m'lad," he explained. "There're worse jobs out there. Can't say I support his area of expertise but... Well, he wouldn't be one if there weren't jobs, right? Economics, m'lad. Horrible, nasty things."

The tall Brit moved towards the exit, one hand extended to push at the door as the other searched his coat pocket for his lighter. "Though he's prob'ly gonna have to realize that he can't have that job an' his girl, sooner rather than later. He's not gonna like that at all."

Brunswick frowned and wrinkled his nose against the immediate smoke that appeared once they were outside. He had a lot to think about. He would have to get in touch with Bavaria and Munich and Berlin, too. If there were hitmen about, they ought to know. It could be useful information.

The rest of the long, long walk home was silent - both man and feien lost in their own thoughts.

"Wait wait wait! Shade! I was reading that!" Callisto said irritably. She and Shade were sitting on a bench in the park, reading a newspaper. At least she was reading. Shade seemed more intent on skimming.

"Sorry, Calli." Shade said absently, getting bored. Then his eyes caught on an ad in the corner, and he blinked. "They pay that much for a... tail?" He asked incredulously. "These gaians are insane..."

"I don't know... do you think I'd look good with a tail?" Callisto asked, moving so the newspaper rustled. It looked strange really, from outside no one could see her, even if they heard her, she was so hidden by the newspaper. It looked almost as if the man reading it was having a conversation with himself.

Trinityblue walked briskly through the park, headed for her home. Least... she hoped she was going the right way. Or she would if she thinking about it. Right now, however, there were a bundle of other things going through her mind.

Shade was around and near by. Jack had just resently seen him and he has a feien now, the poor dear. That ment that she couldn't go to the shop, nor could she visit her sister. If Shade still had a crush on her, then he'd more than likely would keep dropping on on her.

Bavarai, on the other hand, was having her own problems. Riding on the back of her bond's neck and shoulders was rather complicated. The shirt was a great place to hold on too her with feet, and she could grab on to Trin's hair.... but it was still rather annoying. She'd diffently would have to get this fixed if it was to continue.

"Could ya slow down or take a break?? I'm going to fall off soon!" The little feien complined.

Trin jerked and gave a sheepish look though it wasn't seen by the one intended. "Yeah, sorry about that..." She said softly and went for the nearest bench to sit for a moment. She gave a sigh as she looked over the lake, still in thoughts.

Shade turned the page, and Callisto only dodged getting closed between the pages, not bothering to complain. "Look, you're telling me they actually wear this stuff? And pay for it? I'm broke off my a** on this planet..."

"Maybe you should look into getting a job?" Callisto said. "You promised me a hairbrush, you know."

"I know, I know..." He shook his head, not really paying attention to the fact that someone had sat down next to him.

The sound of a small female's voice made Trin and her feien blink. Casually as she could, she leaned back to see around the paper. "Um... is that a Feien...?"

It was a stupid question, but one that needed to be asked.

"Huh? Oh, right, um... yeah." Shade said, grinning slightly as he moved the paper aside. Callisto looked up at the newcomer, sighing reluctantly. She had found something interesting in the paper that she had wanted to read.

"My name is Callisto." Callisto said grandly. "I am an ancient."

A smile twitched on Trin's face now as she looked down at the little feien. "Hey there. I see why you were complaining about needed a hair brush now..."

Bav parted some of the hair that surrounded her to see what was going on. And by seeing, she nearly choked. The man was dark.. and scary looking, as she remembered Brunswick discribling.

Oh. MAN.

"I'm tempted to cut it off." Callisto replied, shoving at it futilely. "But HE won't let me." She added, giving her bond a dark look.

"I like your hair long." Shade said with a slightly apologetic grin. "Don't you think she looks good with long hair?"

"Of course I LOOK good. But it's bugging me!" Callisto protested. "Hmph. Males just don't understand."

"Maybe you should learn how to brade it? That what I do with mine when I'm working." Trin offered, idly wondering why Bav wasn't going to make herself known.

Bavaria, on the other hand, was wondering what the hell had gotten into her bond. This was the guy that was going to kill them! And she was talking nice?!

Callisto thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Perhaps. But I'll still need a hairbrush."

"As soon as I get some of this gaia gold, Calli. I promise." Shade said. "We were looking for jobs, actually." He told Trinity, with a shrug. "You happen to know anything? I mean, I'm a pretty versatile guy."

Callisto went quiet for a moment, frowning as a strange sensation pricked the back of her neck. Was it... magic of some sort?

"Well, what all do you do? Are you good with people? I'm sure there are stores or restruants that would hire you." The Teiru suggested and looked over at the paper. "See what's in the want-ad's."

Then she looked at Callisto. "Would you like me to see if I can brade your hair? It'll keep more tangles from getting into it."

"Okay." Callisto said, fluttering to the other female and presnting her hair. Then she looked at Shade, motioning to the newspaper. "Start looking."

Shade raised a finger, then sighed and flipped open the newspaper. "We probably won't be on this planet much longer, but oh well..." He said, flipping through the pages thoughtfully.

"Oh, you're from space, huh?" Trin asked as she carefully started to work on Callisto's hair, not wanting to hurt her with whatever tangles there may be. It almost made her wish that Bav's hair was long. But if that were the case, she'd have a killer fro.

Did feien even had strightening irons? Or maybe she could get it into dreds....

Bav meanwhile remained quiet and curled against the back of Trin's neck, wondering if Jack had done something to her bond to make her this clueless! ..... Wait... she was already dense to begin with.

"Yeah, but aren't most Gaians?" Shade asked. "Or are they just strange? Look, here's a job for a pet breeder. Right next to the job for a can collector..."

He paused. "Which can be made into a... hat." He finished, shaking his head.

"Avoid the breedable jobs. I hear they can be a real pain at times. But yes, Gaia is a strang place with strange people. But it's nice and simple. Not everyone is from space. Some are born here." TB explained to him. "What other jobs are there? Cuz Callisto's really going to need a brush soon."

"Huh... Guess I could get a job as a bouncer..." He said, flipping through the pages. "That wouldn't be too bad. Or..." He stopped, focusing on a large ad in the back. "Huh... an arena..."

"I also need a mirror." Callisto said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Tell me... do you have a feien, too?"

"I do, but I think she's asleep at the moment." Then Trin's voice dropped to a whisper, as if conspiring something. "Usually only those with feien should see feien. Try not to be seen by others when shopping, or little kids might want to make you into their new pet. Or something worse." What she wasn't sure.

Bav mentally cursed at her bond saying something like that. The idiot! What if he new his mark was to have a feien?! ... s**t, she couldn't tell her whole name either.....

Trin looked at Shade again, taking in his build. "Yes, a bouncer would be a good job for you, I think. Maybe at a local bar?" There was also something else bothering her, but she wasn't sure what....

"Really?" Callisto asked. "That sounds... disturbing." Callisto said, making a face. "I am definitely not a pet." She would have tossed her hair, but it was being braided at the time.

"I'll look into it." He said. "But if you can't show your feien to others, how do you buy stuff for them?" He asked.

"There are special shops just for feien and with feien sized things. But you can also go into stores and keep them hidden. Then when there is nothing around, you two can talk -softly- about what you want and will get." Trin said and suddenly frowned. "And I have nothing to tie off the brade with..." Her fingers were holding the end of the long, blueish hair.

"Here." Callisto said, pulling the white strand of hair she had tied around her wrist to the Teiru. "This should work, I think."

"Yeah, alright. I can do that." Shade replied. Not that he was too worried about someone taking Callisto from him. That would just be retarded. But he wasn't going to tell her that. "There's a lot of rules to having a feien, isn't there?"

A brow lifted up at him as TB gave another quick glance. "So far as I know, there can be. What element is she? Having that element around will be healthy for her." She said and took the hair carefully, doing her best to wrap it around the end of the brade to finish it off.

"I am a light feien." Callisto said, vaguely tweeked at being referred to instead of asked. "At least that's what I think I am. I know that I dislike darkness."

Shade nodded. "She knows more than I do. And she doesn't know much."

Trin flushed for being rude at not asking her that. "Sorry.." She muttered, then continued on. "Well, then you might also want to pick up a night light or a little key-ring flash light when you go for your brush and mirror." This time she referred to the feien.

"Yes, I've been told that." She said with a nod as she pulled the braid over her shoulder. "That's much better, thank you." She took to the air, landing on Shade's shoulder. She eyed the female for a moment, wondering why she was being so nice. Obviously she didn't know just what Shade was...

Not that Callisto was going to tell her.

"Thing is, I'm not big on staying in one place." Shade said earnestly. "We're going to have to figure out some place for you to sleep that I can keep while I'm moving. Like a pocket or something."

"A pocket." Callisto repeated, raising an eyebrow. A faint flush crossed Shade's cheeks.

"Yeah. A pocket."

Trin bit her tongue to not laugh at this suggestion. "I hope you mean a jacket pocket, because a pant or leg pocket might just be a little... uncomfortible." There was a small laugh in her voice as she spoke. No, she didn't know who this man was. Though there was still something nagging her...

There was a very light sound from behind her neck. One that Bav wished she had never given, but live in a poket?! That was way worse than living in a shoe box! And she wasn't feeling the least bit guilty for thinking this diva deserved it.

"I'll have one built in!" Shade said, tugging at his trenchcoat. "That way you're less likely to swing around."

"I." Callisto said through gritted teeth. "Am. NOT. A. PET!" She was shouting by the time she was finished, stomping her tiny little foot on his shoulder.

Shade winced. "I know, I know! But I'm going to have to go home sooner or later, and if my boss sees you--" He stopped mid-sentence. "Look, I'll make it really comfortable. Best bedroom you've ever had. I swear!"

"If only people could make sub-space pockets in a jacket pocket, then that wouldn't be a problem." Trin muttered, thinking of the Poppin's bags that were out in space.

Not noticed? Good! Bavaria gave a small, silent sigh of relief about all of this. Yeah, sneeking around in the Fleet during 'off time' had it's benifits.

"..." Shade's eyes widened slightly. "I could do that... Hell, wouldn't be too hard at all, I'd just need to tweek some threads and--" He fell silent, digging into his pocket and pulling out a small pad of paper and a pen. Soon he was sketching away.

Callisto looked down, still frowning for a moment before she started to relax. If he COULD pull off a room like that she would be quite comfortable.

"...." Trin was quiet a moment also as she watched them, then decided to see what was going on. She leaned foreward to look over Shade's shoulder as well.

Bav even took a moment to peek though the mass of hair to see.

He pulled back for a moment, revealing what looked to be a miniature suite, as well as a few notes about a door like spell for leaving a rift openable. The same one that Ice used on her closet.

"The rift will close the moment the pocket's closed..." He said after a moment. "But we can hook up a block of sorts so it won't close while you're in there... Only question is finding a jacuzzi in feien size..."

Yes, he was a perv.

"A feien jacuzzi?" Trin asked, pulling away and choking on another laugh. Her brow was once more raised in question at him. Yeah, this guy was a bit of a perv... but he could draw well! She didn't even bother to read the notes. If she had, then she might be running away in fear.

Ok, now the little hope feien was fighting jealousy. But then, who would be jealous of a feien who had a killer for a bond?!

"You do draw really well, ya know?" TB then said, breaking into her feien's thoughts.

"It's a hobby." He said with a grin that belied his casual dismissal of her comment. "But yeah, I'm going to have to pick up some gold before I can worry about the jacuzzi. Or the four poster bed."

"I like the bed. But I expect very nice sheets." Callisto said with a nod.

"Of course you do." He said with a snort.

Trin gave a little snicker before she stood. "Well, good luck finding a job. I should get home, now. It was nice meeting you." She told him, giving him a little wave as she started away. "And Callisto, I have no doubt that he'll get you the things you want. Long as they are safe for you, anyway."

"Of course he will." Callisto said braggingly. "I deserve it."

"Actually I just like the idea of a jacuzzi in my pocket." Shade said, still doodling.

"...You're rather strange, aren't you?" Callisto asked.

A quintet of beings entered the HQ through the main door. Four of them had been there prior of course, Averno, Arae, Ten, and Ten's bond, Saedare. The fifth held onto Saedare's hand and was decidedly not Feien sized.

Rebecca, Sajhiri's young daughter, looked around wide-eyed. "Sae...what's this place?" she asked curiously. In her other hand she clutched, of all things, a rubber duckie.

Arae landed on the child's shoulder and murmured "Its the Headquarters of the Imperial Fleet on Gaia. It's where Ten came to Gaia, and I guess it's where we report to if needed. It's also just a good place to meet other feien."

Saedare smiled and nodded at Arae's explanation. "Yes, it's an interesting place, Bex. I think you'll like it. Ten wanted us to drop by and see if there was anything that needed doing."

Ten leapt from his bond's shoulder excitedly. "Oh yes! I do hope there is lots to do and people to help. I've run out of things to do in the tower really. I'm sure the fleet must have SOMETHING for us to do, or at least some of the other Feien or their bonds."

Averno snorted at the back of the pack. "If you think I'm doing manual labor, kid, you're out of your mind."

The long tailed ancient male stumbled up the steps, looking a bit down and tired. For some strange reason he was soaked to the skin, save for the spots his leather trenchcoat covered. Even then his shirt was soaked. His coat had been open when it started to rain.

He stopped at the top, glancing over at the quintet for a brief second to smile. But the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Hey. Um..." He opened up his trench, reaching in and offering his hand to the small feien that crawled out of his pocket.

"Your hand is cold." Callisto complained as she took to the air as soon as possible. "Go get dried off."

"Will do, Calli!" He said, the smile finally reaching his eyes for his feien before he headed for the bathroom. Callisto looked over at the strangers, hesitating. The last feien she had met had threatened her bodily harm.

Saedare nodded to the strange man as he passed by, but Ten leapt up to assist him. "Can I see about getting someone to bring you some towels or something sir? You're very wet, you might catch cold. Miss Arae is very skilled at healing if you'd like to see if she can stave off sickness for you."

Averno looked Callisto over curiously. She hadn't met this one. She perched on the arm of a couch and folded her leathery wings behind her.

Arae smiled after Ten and shook her head. "He's quite the helpful one, isn't he, Rebecca?"

The girl frowned a little. "Yeah, if he doesn't cut it out, he's gonna get mom on my case about cleaning my room."

Shade looked up, looking at the small feien blankly. So far all of his experiences with feien had him being the one that served... "Sure. If you want to, that is." He said with a shrug as he entered the restroom. He took his trench off, revealing several different weapons, a few blades, a gun or two, even a chain hanging loosely around his waist like a belt.

"I'm Callisto." Calli said, shoving her slightly damp hair over her shoulder and strengthening her stance. "My bond is a--" She bit back the word "Killer." "He's Shade. And you are?"

Before any of the five could answer, the door again opened and a tall, dark-haired woman strode through, absently unzipping her leather jacket as she came. Seeing others there first, she paused and studied them cooly. Then, without a word, she parted her jacket and a little purple-marked feien fluttered out. "Thank you, sir," the juvenile murmured as she performed a little bow in the air. When she turned and saw the others, her cheeks flushed and she quickly moved to land on the nearest table. Delicately, she bowed again. "Hello, everyone," she announced. "I hope I am not interrupting."

Her bond half-rolled her eyes and shrugged out of her jacket. It was only slightly damp and she carefully hung it on a nearby peg. "Galatea, I'm sure they are used to people interrupting in this place. Check your notes and then we can go."

The darkness Feien quirked a brow at the new arrivals before looking back to Callisto. "Averno. Sajhiri's my bond, and Arae's, but she's not here." She gestured towards the green haired ancient. "The big one is Saedare, she's the bond of the crazy helpful one, Ten. And the squirt is Bex, my bond's rugrat."

"I am NOT a rugrat!" Rebecca pouted and hopped onto the couch, swinging her feet.

Ten nodded enthusiastically to Shade then he flitted back to tug on Saedare's hair. "The gentleman needs towels, and I can't pick them up. I'll show you where they are if you can carry them for me, Miss Saedare?" He noticed the new arrivals and waved. "Why hello! I'll be back in a moment if you are in need of anything."

Saedare shrugged helplessly and followed Ten to wherever towels were kept.

Arae settled next to Averno and drew her knees up to her chest, folding her wings around herself.

Callisto glanced from Averno to Galatea, to Arae. Then she glanced over at Ten, almost rolling her eyes. "He's perfectly capable of getting towels for himself. He's a grown man." She told him, shaking her head. "A very old grown man, at that." Very, very, very old from what she could tell. Of course she was only a few months old, herself.

"I'm afraid I'm not used to Gaia. Could any of you tell me where we might find someplace cheap to sleep?"

Galatea frowned, thinking hard. Her hands knotted in front of her, a familiar habit to anyone who knew her. Finally, she shook her head slightly, sadly, and looked up towards the Captain.

"There are a couple of places," Serafima answered, filling in the blanks for her feien and addressing Callisto just as if she were a full-sized human. "The Triple Tree on Main is reasonable and clean." She raised a dark eyebrow, though, and glanced in the direction of the noises coming from the bathroom as Shade dried himself. "If your definition of clean is more flexible, there is the Calder Motel on Firefly Way and Valley View on Lexington. If you are looking for cheap rather than clean, The Court on Alexander is the least expensive you can find." She glanced at the other feien and the child. "My name is Captain Serafima Rabik, by the way."

Saedare grabbed a small pile of towels out of a closet at Ten's behest, and knocked on the bathroom door. "Mr. Shade? I have some towels here for you." she called through the wall.

Ten hugged her neck then zipped back into the area the others had congregated in. "Captain Rabik!" he called, saluting formally, screeching to a halt in mid air. He dropped a bit then fluttered back up. "Good to see you, sir!" He tried to remember who she was, but nothing much outside of that came to him. Darn those wipes they did.

Averno twitched a bit at Seraphima's title. "So you are part of this Fleet then? Can't say that I know much about it."

Arae looked up curiously. "Yes, neither do I. Can you explain a bit to us, perhaps, Captain?"

Rebecca clapped her hands. "Are you like Captain Kangaroo? Or Captain Caveman? Or Captain America?"

Callisto blinked, but waited for the answer, only having heard a few small things about the fleet. She wasn't even sure they had anything to do with her, actually. That and she needed to remember what names the Captain woman had suggested. "They don't have cockroaches as big as I am, do they?" She asked after a second. "Those things are so disgusting..."

Shade opened the door, revealing the fact that he had taken both his trench and his shirt off. There were a few scars over his chest, but one couldn't live as long as he had, doing what he had done, without getting scars. He was wiping at his face with a paper towel, but he reached out, taking the towels. "Thanks."


"The last place does." Serafima obviously had given up on the idea of accomplishing whatever Galatea's mysterious errand had been quickly. She moved to sit in one of the available armchairs, long legs folding in a surprisingly demure manner as she set her folded hands atop her knee. "If your bond has any consideration, he will not take you there." The barest flicker of a smile was then directed at Ten and she nodded, a bit warmer than anyone would have expected.

Galatea beamed in Ten's direction as well. She hadn't met another Fleet feien since the Bratpack and they were hardly suitable examples to her mind. She bowed to him. "Hello. I think I remember you a little bit," she ventured. "But I am sorry and I cannot remember your name."

"They were both with the Fleet as well," Serafima explained, inclining her head in Ten and Galatea's direction. "The Fleet is..." She shrugged. "It is the Fleet. Benevolent, powerful, orderly, large. It is hard to explain it adequately. I was... I -am- a captain with them."


Saedare's white face turned scarlet at the sight of the shirtless man in the bathroom. The museum librarian averted her eyes and mumbled a hasty "You're welcome," before beating a retreat back to where the feien were. She slumped onto the couch and opened a dusty book, sticking her nose in it to conceal her embarassment.

Averno noticed and she grinned at the Aduthule. "See something interesting, Sae?" she asked mischeviously.

Saedare cleared her throat and stated "No," tersely.

Ten beamed at Galatea and flitted over to her. "I'm afraid I have no recollection of your name either, but I am sorry I don't. I think it a crime not to remember such a lovely face." He bowed. "I'm Ten, a pleasure to re-meet you!"

Arae quirked her head to one side as she listened to Seraphima. "You make it sound like an entity in and of itself. I was of the understanding it was an organization. Some sort of...milita?"

Rebecca fiddled with the rubber duck in her hands. "That lady knows really big words, so it must be like Captain Kangaroo. He's smart!"


"There's a kangaroo that's a captain?" Callisto finally asked, flushing as she realized how naive she sounded. So she shoved her hair over her shoulder again. It was a nervous habit. And she didn't like how she wasn't the center of attention.

Shade stepped out of the bathroom, the towel over his shoulders, his shirt and trenchcoat hanging off of his arm. He didn't want to put his wet top back on until it was a bit dryer. He was completely ignorant of how many weapons he was leaving revealed that way.

"They've got a kitchen in this place, right?" He asked, leaning into the main room. "I'm starving."


Serafima had already flowed smoothly even before Shade finished his third word, unfolding like a delicate origami. Without a single concious thought, her hands were free and her posture was alert. Years of training made such things as easy as breathing when one was confronted with a stranger who looked to be in peak condition and was wearing weaponry. Her mind processed the scars, the muscles, the way he moved. But she did nothing but answer, "There is a kitchen, yes. However, I'm not sure there will be anything edible in it. There has been a phase-out."

Galatea sobered and knotted her hands in front of her again, head dropping. She had forgotten about that. How horrible of her to make the Captain bring her to the Headquarters when they had no proper right to be there, anymore.

Rebecca moved over to study Callisto curiously. "No, he's a man, but his name is Captain Kangaroo. He's friends with a farmer named Mr. Greenjeans." She smiled. "You're pretty. All swirly and purple. I like purple."

Saedare went a shade redder and slid down a bit on the couch, hiding behind her book.

Averno snickered. "Yeah Shade, there's a kitchen. This way." She stood and flapped her wings, heading towards the kitchen area. "I'm sure Saedare would show you but she's too busy BLUSHING at your chest."

She paused as Seraphima mentioned the phase out. "A what? What the heck does that mean?"

Arae sat up as well. "Phase out? What do you mean?"

Ten blinked in confusion at Seraphima. "Captain?" he asked, encouraging her to explain. He set a hand on Galatea's shoulder gently.

Shade looked around, completely ignoring the blushing comment. (Ice had done that when they were first dating, as well. He figured at least some females did that.) He had had to mess with the water to get it going, had finally wound up using the back part of the toilet, as unsanitary as that might sound. And now he was being told the food was bad? He sighed and headed from door to door, checking to see if they were the kitchen. At least half of them were locked.

"Found it!" He called over his shoulder as he walked into the darkened room. The lights came on reluctantly as he went in further. And he headed for the fridge, making a face at how bad it smelled when he opened the door.

"Are Mr. Greenjean's jeans green?" Callisto asked blankly.



Galatea had started at Ten's touch but then forced herself to relax and smile shyly up at him. "Yes," she replied quietly. "A phase out."

"The Fleet has restructured," Serafima answered shortly. "They will no longer be having a presence on Gaia." Her dark eyes lowered, eyelashes masking the flickers of uncertainty that -still- insisted on coming. She was furious. Why could she not just move on? "The Headquarters here are abandoned and there will be no more direct contact with the organization. Feien will stay with their bonded and things will... Go on," she finished and even the words sounded lame to her ears.

Gently pushing Ten's hand from her, Galatea fluttered up to stand on her bond's shoulder, one hand tangling in the woman's dark hair. "This explains the current state of the building," she explained and her voice was soft and gentle. She tried for a faint smile. "It is usually much more pleasant and functional. Or it was, at least."

Ten gaped at Seraphima. "No...no contact? But... but I was here for Fleet purposes, wasn't I? Why? Why would they abandon me here? And what about you, Captain? And Miss Galatea?" He looked thunderstruck, and his whole form seemed to shrink a little.

Saedare put her book away and stood, cupping her hands around her little Feien and cradling him. "It'll be all right, Ten. I'm sure there's a good explanation for everything. But for now we'd best get home. It's Rebecca's bedtime."

"He has green overalls and he's an old...." Rebecca scowled at Saedare, her sentence to Callisto going unfinished as she yowled, "But I'm not TIIIIIIRED, Saedare!!!"

Arae smiled "That right there is proof you are, little miss, Hollering at you sister like that. Come now. I'm sure Captain Rabik can fill us in on this phase out another time."

Averno was scowling herself, her arms folded over her chest. She'd need to talk to Silva about this, see if he could find out what state the HQ was in, if it could be reclaimed to what it used to be. "Right, lets get home. Sajhiri will have our hides if the rugrat gets to sleep late."

The quintet headed out, Ten visibly shivering in the hands of Saedare, his shock apparent. Saedare murmured to Seraphima, "If you could send him some sort of explanation...he had so many aspirations of fleet service..."

With that, they were gone.

Galatea looked at her bond and Serafima finally shrugged. Somehow, the little feien had the trick of making her feel guilty over things. It was a new and uneasy development amongst a whole host of new developments. "Of course, Galatea," she murmured. "I will find their home and we will talk to Ten about what has happened."

"Thank you, sir." Then Galatea turned her attention to Callisto and she bowed. "I'm sorry, miss. I did not introduce myself properly. I don't think. My name is Galatea. Pleased to meet you."

"I'm Callisto, my bond is Shade, and--" She stopped as Shade came out of the kitchen, carrying a box of crackers. It was almost empty.

"This is all I could find." He said as he dropped down on one of the chairs. "They drank all the alcohol, too. You want one, Calli?" He asked, offering the cracker to his feien. She broke off a small bit of it, taking a bite. "So you're out of a job, huh?" He asked Serafima, a little too bluntly. "So am I, actually."

Serafima's jaw tightened, lips thinning, and she nodded brusquely. "In a manner of speaking, yes," she answered. "Though it does not make much difference. I was between assignments, anyway."

"The Captain was waiting for new orders when the Conference was held," Galatea provided hurriedly, lying ever so slightly as she recognized the increasingly frequent signs of emotion in her bond. "But we enjoy Gaia and the Captain is kind enough to plan on staying here so I can be with my friends."

Shade shrugged. "Hey, it happens. I was just thinking... you being a captain--"

"I don't believe she's like the kangaroo, though." Callisto added, slowly shaking off her confusion. Feien confused her, she had decided. And so far none that she had met changed that fact. She really wondered how she had survived in her past life.

"Right." Shade agreed. "That means you can fight, right?" He went on.

"No, Shade." Callisto said, finally jerking. "I will not let you go back to that! You almost--"

"Not that, Calli." He said. "I mean... oh, I don't know... bounty hunting or something..."

Serafima raised a dark eyebrow. "Of course I can fight," she responded, the control back in her voice. A bit of stubborn pride leaked in, though. "I was a line captain in the Intel Division. Field operations, combat."

"She is wonderful!" Galatea dutifully chimed in, face beaming. "The Captain lets me exercise with her."

"See?" He asked. "Now if both of us can fight, and you can gather information, I think we've got a decent job perspective going. Just--" He stood and looked around, frowning slightly. "I need a place to live. Ice won't let me live with her, and she'd probably be even more pissed if I asked to live with you..."

"You asked Ice if you could live with her?" Callisto demanded. "With that no good b*****d Silva??" She moved so she was shouting in his face. "I REFUSE!"

Shade blinked. "How about that Jack guy?" He asked, figuring it would be best not to get her going.

"Jack?" Galatea blinked, trying to place the name.

Meanwhile, Serafima's normally blank expression had been tested to its limits and she stared at Shade in outright disbelief. Was he seriously considering inviting himself into people's homes? Drawing herself up slightly, she regarded him cooly. "I have not yet decided what to do now that my position in the Fleet is defunct. Though I would suggest both of us choose carefully since, should we die, our bonded feien die as well."

He looked up at her, blinking for a moment. Then he shrugged. "If I was going to die chasing after thieves I would have kicked the bucket long ago. But you're right." He added as Callisto turned even paler than before. "I'll have to think of something less... um..." He couldn't say the word "Dangerous" with a straight face. Which made him feel guilty because Callisto had started to glare at him.

"We'll find an apartment." Callisto said coldly. "You have enough gold for THAT at least, don't you?"

Shade reached into his pockets, pulling out plstic disks. "I've got creds. Oh, about sixty thousand on me. But no gold." He added with a shake of his head.

Serafima looked at the discs curiously. "Can't you find anywhere that will exchange them?" she asked. "I should think they would have some sort of shop to do that here. Any well-run society that believes itself global does."

Stepping off the Captain's shoulder, Galatea returned to the table near Callisto. "I am sure there is something he can do that will not endanger you, Miss Callisto," she said. "If the Captain doesn't mind, I would like to invite you to visit our home some day. We feien need to make sure we all stay safe and healthy."

The thought sounded almost hysterically like she pulled it directly from her much-admired Hadrian's brain.

"I would appreciate that." Callisto said with a smile. "But I'm fine. Really. I can take care of myself."

That earned her a strange look from Shade, but he shrugged it off quickly enough, glancing back at Serafima. "It depends on if they ask how I got them." He said with a shrug. "But you've got a point." He added, looking at the creds thoughtfully before pocketing them. "I'll have to find a map of this place..."

"Of course." Crossing to the abandoned secretary's desk, Serafima dug in a drawer until she found a piece of pater and a pencil. With a few quick strokes, she began laying out a neat map of the streets directly around the Headquarters. "I would suggest dividing up that amount of credits and exchanging them at different locations," she suggested. "Places will only ask if you do large amounts at once. Several smaller transactions always raise fewer suspicions."

She penciled in the home where she and Galatea were staying... For the moment.

Galatea smiled shyly at Callisto. "Oh, I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't," she replied. "I was just... That is, I wish to be polite."

"Then.. thank you." Callisto said. "I appreciate it." Purple and polite seemed to go hand in hand. "I'll be sure to visit, then."

Shade got to his feet, moving closer to watch her draw, a slight frown of concentration on his face. "And Ice would be..." He pointed to a blank spot on the paper, not too far away from their house. "Here."

"Of course." She added the square and its name. "Galatea often visits that house. She is friends with the feien there." She glanced at Shade out the corner of her eye. "I take it you often have business there?"

Emboldened, Galatea knotted her hands in front of her and added, "I can show you my house."

"Oh, I could show you my room, if you wanted!" Callisto said, warming up to the subject. "It's through Shade's pocket, but it isn't IN his pocket... it's um... well, it's rather hard to explain. But I do have a jacuzzi and a rather comfortable bed." She paused. "I'm afraid finding posters that are small enough has been a problem, though."

"That red one... Silva, and the purple one, Aleric?" Shade asked. "Yeah, Ice has a few of those." He shrugged at the business comment. "Somewhat. She's an old friend. I thought I'd check up on her."

"Silva, Aleric, and Ruby Soho." Serafima bent her attention to adding in a few more streets on the paper. "Galatea and Ruby Soho exchange gifts sometimes and I believe Silva is teaching her how to handle herself physically in a fight. Some sort of training better suited to feien than what I am able to give her."

"Oh, is his pocket some sort of dimensional portal?" Galatea tilted her head, interested. She was not aware that anyone outside of the Fleet had such technology.

"It's a rift, at least that's what he calls it." Callisto said. "Shade, open my pocket, please."

"Oh, sure, Calli." He said, not really paying attention as he held the pocket open for them. "Silva teaches fighting? Guess I shouldn't be too surprised..." But his mind was rushing. Ice was letting a fighter live in her home? Even a small one?

Callisto reached out, offering her hand to the other feien.

"Come with me." She said. "I haven't been able to show it off properly yet!"

Galatea hesitated and looked up at Serafima. "May I, sir?" she asked.

Pausing, Serafima looked over at her feien. Then she looked narrowly at Callisto and then at Shade. "You may," she replied finally, her eyes still focused on Shade. Clearly, the message was - and she better return back safely or ELSE. "Come back soon, though. We need to go home and start dinner."

"Yes, sir!" Taking Callisto's hand shyly, Galatea waited for the other feien to lead her.

Callisto stepped onto the lip of the pocket, then dropped inside, pulling the smaller feien with her with a smile. There was only a slight twisting feeling before they looked around. It was like a pale playboy bunny suite, not that Callisto realized that.

A large round bed stood on a slight platform to the right. It was actually a small throw pillow with cloth over it and a piece of thin plastic around it, but she adored it. next to it was a small set of mirrors that showed from all directions once you stood in the middle, and last was a jacuzzi, made from a deep plastic bowl and a heated fishtank piece to circulate the water.

The colors were pale purples and blues, and the wall behind the bed was a sheet of glass, looking out to space. The room was lit by starlight. Callisto never had figured out exactly where he had set the room up to get that affect all the time. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"So... what do you think?" She finally asked.

Galatea's reaction was satisfyingly impressed. She stood, hand still in Callisto's, and started around the room with wide, pink eyes. She hadn't seen the stars so close in ages and the elegance of it all... Galatea sighed softly. "It is very lovely, Miss Callisto."

Callisto smiled. "He's not the best bond..." She admitted. "He's done some bad things, and he needs to be yelled at once in a while... I'd actually rather have someone like Ice... but..." She shrugged. "He's very good when he puts his mind to it."

She shook her head, tugging at the girl's hand. "We should get you back to your bond." She said as she pointed to the hole in the ceiling. The sound of Shade's heart beating was now recognizeable, a constant in that room, no matter how far away it was in reality.

"I should, yes." Again, the dark-haired feien tilted her head as if listening to something inside of her. Then she smiled lopsidedly and obediently followed Callisto out again. "The Captain has done many things, too, I know," she admitted, "and some of them are considered wrong by society. But I know she is still a good person and she takes very good care of me. She only wants me to be strong. Perhaps Mr. Shade wants you to be strong as well."

Callisto almost laughed at the idea. "No..." she said, shaking her head. "Shade prefers to keep me close to his heart." She pulled them both out of the pocket with a touch of flurish. "Your bondmate, safe and sound." She looked over at Gala. "you'll have to try out my jacuzzi sometime! It's a lot of fun, even if you're not a water feien."

Shade grinned, not saying a word about the close to his heart comment. It was true. He had messed up with Ice, but he wouldn't mess things up with Callisto. Not when she didn't have a choice. "We should get going. We need to find a money exchanger or six..."

"It was good to meet you, Galatea. Captain." Callisto said. "Next time I might be talked into singing for you."

Shade just shook his head. "She's a bit of an exhibitionist." He said with a shrug, as if he wasn't still walking around shirtless.

"Sometimes they are," Serafima agreed dryly. Galatea blushed. A small laugh escaped the Captain at the reaction and she held out her hand. "Come along, Galatea. We have our own business to handle."

Stepping onto her bond's hand, Galatea turned to bow at both Shade and Callisto. "It was very nice meeting you both," she said. "I hope we can see each other again. I will show you my home next, Miss Callisto."

Serafima shook her head slightly, amused at her feien's manners. Then she turned and retrieved her coat, managing to shrug into it one-handed before transferring Galatea to her shoulder and slipping the other arm into the sleeve. "Riding inside?" she offered.

Galatea beamed at the offer and slipped down to curl up in an inner pocket. Close to her bond's heart. It made sense. Oblivious to the juvenile's thoughts, Serafima zipped up the jacket and nodded at Shade. "Good luck with the exchanges. Hopefully, the map will help."

"I'm sure it will. Thanks!" Shade said as Calli waved.
***********END*********************

Having just settled down in his favorite arm chair (the one that had the patch on the arm and was so worn that the leather felt like butter and the cushion had practically formed into perpetual Jack-butt shape), Jack found himself extremely reluctant to do his fatherly duties and merely
grunted out a "knock it off, you" in the direction of Brunswick. The feien immediately sunk into a sulk, walking away from Evie's cup and flopping down on a paisley-patterned bean bag. Evie giggled and clapped. She clearly thought the situation was hilarious.

Jack sighed in resignation. "Did he hurt you, baby gel?" he asked. He knew she would never say yes. The kid had more heart than self preservation.

"Nuh uh." Evie spun in her cup for a moment and then moved to rest her arms on the edge closest to Jack. She settled her chin on her folded arms and smiled sweetly. "Brunswick doesn't pinch hard. He does it to show he loves me."

Brunswick snorted and made an elaborate show of shifting to prove that he did not at all love her... Even if everyone in the room knew that she was right. Her cheek wasn't even red.

Before Jack could finish his smirk and reply, there was a knock on the front door and he grimaced. "Who the bloody hell is out in this downpour?" he muttered under his breath, levering himself into an upright position reluctantly.

"Bloody," Evie mimicked cheerfully.

"... Don't say that, pet. It's bad. Pretty words for pretty gels, right?" With a sigh and a mental note to start watching his language on top of attempting to not smoke, Jack sauntered out of the living room with its welcoming fire into the hallway and down it, stopping at the front door. He paused, closed his eyes in concentration, and then opened the door as he reopened his eyes. "Hullo?"

Shade was soaked to the skin. His white hair clung to his forehead and neck, his leather jacket gleamed slightly in the light from the door. Callisto was firmly in her little room inside his pocket, since she hated rain, and, as she told him earlier, hated it even more when it was night.

"Hey." He said, raising one wet hand in greeting.

"Hey." Jack regarded his late-night visitor with a mild expression, broken by only a single raised eyebrow. He had forgotten he had given Shade his address. "What's up?"

"It's raining." Shade said. "And I've got a bottle of rum." He opened his trench, revealing the rum in question. "You want a drink?"

"Got one already," Jack replied cryptically. Nonetheless, he opened the door wider and stepped back to allow Shade to enter. "Where's your little lady?" he asked.

"In my pocket." Shade said as he shook off the rain and stepped into the house. "She hates rain. She hates night. So she's pretty much not coming out of her hottub until I dry off and get inside."

That broke Jack's look of indifference and he tilted his head to give Shade and his coat a long slow study. "A hot tub?" he repeated. "In your pocket?" Straightening, he grinned. "That's one hell o' a coat. Anyway, what order you want it? Towel, tea, fire?"

Brunswick appeared in the doorway to the hall, fluttering. He scowled for a moment at Shade and then darted over to land on Jack's shoulder. "Where's the diva?" he asked, eyeing the other man.

"In here." Shade replied with a grin, opening his jacket and holding open the pocket for the juvie. It was mean, and he knew it, but he couldn't help himself. She had abandoned him for the cold rain! "And a towel and fire would be great." He added with a glance at Jack.

"Consider it done." Jack pointed towards the doorway through which Brunswick had come. "Fire's in there. Bruns, lad, take 'em in there. You know which chair's mine an' all. I'll just get a towel outta the cupboard down here." With a gentle push, he knocked the feien from his shoulder and turned on his heel to disappear into the kitchen for a moment.

Brunswick caught himself with a sharp snap of his wings and rolled his eyes after the departed Englishman. "C'mon," he ordered. "It's nicer in here." He suddenly stopped and hovered in the doorway, though, mouth stubborn. "No smoking or cursing around Evie," he added. "Jack's rules. When he remembers." Then he turned and led the ex-assassin into the nice, cozy room.

Shade followed easily, letting out a loud yawn as he got into the room. He spoke as he looked around. "We wound up sleeping in an ally last night, I've still not converted enough credits to gold." He said casually as his eyes fell on Evie. He cocked his head. "Hello, what do we have here?" He asked as he walked toward her.

As if that were her cue, Evie pushed herself upright, face all smiles until she dimpled. Her brown eyes shone at the prospect of meeting someone new. "Hello!" she answered. "My name is Evie. Are you a friend of my Daddy?"

Brunswick made a choking noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.

Shade grinned. "Hello, sweetheart. I am at that." Of course he had almost killed a friend of her "daddy's" but that was ancient history in his mind. "But I didn't know feien came in um... cups."

That earned him a giggle and a shake of her head. Her ponytail bobbed with the vehemence of her denial. "I'm not a feien," she replied. "Brunswick is a feien. I'm a... " She hesitated and screwed up her face in thought. Jack had yet to adequately explain what she was and, even though she had met another like herself, she still did not have the appropriate word. "Well,
Daddy says I'm a little shot of sunshine."

Shade barely bit back a laugh before he opened his coat again, peering down into the pocket. "Calli, baby, get out here, would you?"

"No! I am not freezing my beautiful butt off in that cold, nasty rain!" Calli shouted back.

"Honey, we're not outside anymore. We're at Jack's."

"You had better not be lying." She said as she poked her head out of the pocket, shoving her hair out of her face and looking around.

The moment a new face appeared, Evie waved wildly. "Hello!" she called. "My name is Evie."

Brunswick sat down beside his adopted sister's cup and propped his elbows on his knees. "Hey, Callisto," he offered. "Looking good."

She shoved at her hair, pulling herself out of the pocket and doing her best to look fabulous even after the long night she had had. "Thank you, darling. I do try." She told Brunswick before fluttering over to the table. "Hello, little one, who might you be?"

Shade almost snorted. She had been practicing her "act" lately, and she reminded him a bit of a highclass whore. Not that he would tell her that, of course.

The little girl tried not to sigh, thinking the other feien (because she -had- to be a feien since she had such pretty wings and pretty markings on her body) must not be good at listening. She folded her arms on the edge of the cup and smiled. "My name is Evie. Are you a friend of my Daddy, too?"

Callisto looked at Shade, raising an eyebrow slightly. He nodded ever so slightly and she turned back to the girl with a smile. "Why yes, I am." She had no clue about why she was in a cup, but she thought it would be rude to ask.

Shade moved around the chair, dropping down on the floor in front of the fire and taking his coat off to let it dry. He turned slightly, pulling his long white hair out of its ponytail and letting it hang to dry as well. "So what's been happening?" He asked Brunswick.

Brunswick shrugged and pointed vaguely in the direction of Evie. "We got -her-," he replied. "She started out a glass of red watery stuff. Then Jack took her out one day and brought -her- back."

Evie, meanwhile, was studying Callisto intently. After sending a final smile at her, she twisted to eyeball Shade. Before she could open her mouth and say something, though, Jack returned and tossed a towel at the back of Shade's head. "The menagerie's gotten bigger," he laughed. "Hey,
Callisto."

Callisto smiled, shoving her hair back over her shoulder again, still not quite sure how to deal with strange situations. She watched Shade for a sign, but all he did was dry his hair with the towel.

Almost reluctantly she sat down on the table, looking thoughtful. "Have you had any trouble with Silva lately?" She asked Bruns, wondering why the b*****d was even on her mind.

"Silva?" Brunswick raised an eyebrow and snorted. "No. The old man's been too busy, I dunno, getting old. He hasn't had a training session in ages. Useless." He brightened suddenly. "I should go over. If he's sulking or something, he won't be threatening to kick my a** for talking to Soho.
That'd be cool."

Jack snorted, overhearing. "He should threaten you just on principle, lad," he pointed out. "You flirt worse'n anyone I've ever met. Soho's a good kid. Don't bother her." He settled down into his chair, stretching long legs out in front of him. "So, Shade... Not here for a contract, right?"

Shade paused, as if he was actually trying to remember. "Actually..." He said slowly.

"He isn't." Calli said with a glare at her bond. "He hasn't taken a contract since Trinityblue. And he isn't going to take another, now are you, Shade?"

"Um... no. Not planning on it." He said.

"And Silva isn't something you should joke about." Calli said as she looked over at Bruns. "He's a rat b*****d that needs his wings chopped off." The hatred in her voice was almost shocking.

Brunswick again rolled his eyes, clearly disgusted at what he considered Callisto's over-reaction. Before he could open his mouth and say something horrific, though, Jack clucked his tongue. "Language, milady," he drawled mildly. "We've got children present."

"What's a contract and what's a rat b*****d, Daddy?"

"... A contract is what Shade's not here on an' you don't need t' know about the other one, pet." Jack directed a lazy shrug at Shade as if to say "kids, what can you do?" "So what's up then?"

"He threatened my life." Callisto said coldly. "But you're right, forgive me for my language."

Shade paused. "He did?"

Callisto paled, realizing that she hadn't told Shade about that little incident... dammit. "Shade is here because we can't sleep on the streets tonight. It's too rainy." She said, changing the subject.

Over top of Brunswick's muttered "He threatened my life, too, so what?", Jack laughed. "Ah, I see. Even though Shade's made sure you'll always be dry, luv, you'd still prefer a roof, eh?"

Evie splashed in excitement. "Can they sleep over here, Daddy?" she asked. "We can make popcorn and watch movies."

"I'll even let you braid my hair!" Shade said cheerfully, easily getting into the mood. That he was joking wasn't something he bothered to mention.

Callisto looked at Bruns, horrified. "He did?"

"Yeah, probably, I think so." Brunswick shrugged. "So what?" It clearly did not bother him as much as it did her. He knew Silva had killed but that was one of those inevitable circumstances and it was for Soho, he heard.

Evie clapped and Jack obligingly pushed her cup and coaster a bit closer to the edge of the table so she could better see her would-be victim. "Do you really mean that?" she asked. "Daddy's hair is too short and so is Brunswick's. Do you like tea? Do you like 'smores? Do you smoke?"

"Well... sure, I guess so, not really, yes and... no." Shade said in reply, grinning at her.

Callisto frowned. "Threatening a child. It's such a cowardly thing to do." she complained. "I really don't see how Aleric can stand to live with him."

"Eh, whatever." Brunswick stood up and sauntered over to reclaim his beanbag. It was all too clear that he had recently discovered James Dean. "Oh, yeah. Would you like somewhere to sit?" he asked. "I can send Jack to get you a chair from my house or something if you want."

Jack ignored the hint from his feien and tried his best not to laugh. Regarding Shade with sparkling eyes, he said evenly, "You're good with sprogs, mate. Mebbe I can get out the dolls for you two?" Evie's face lit up at the suggestion in a way that promised hours of Shade speaking a falsetto and manipulating a doll if he capitulated to her whims.

Shade gave him a dry look for a moment before he pulled out his bottle. "Give me long enough and hell, I won't mind in the least." He said as he uncapped the bottle and took a drink.

Callisto shoved at her hair again, forcing it back as she forced thoughts of Silva away. "No, I'm fine here." She said with a sigh. "You really shouldn't bother."

"No bother." Brunswick grinned, relaxing back lazily. "Jack's a lousy host. He should have already offered you something. You're a lady, right?"

"Don't worry, mate. You wouldn't be the first. Evie there's a charmer." Jack stretched more, feet at the fire, and wiggled his bare toes. "Anyway, her offer stands. I've got spare rooms. You an' Callisto are welcome t' one o' 'em for the night or so."

"If you don't mind, that is." Shade said with a crooked grin.

"I am." Calli agreed. "As difficult as that might be sometimes."

Brunswick appeared to consider her words and then nodded slowly. "If you say so," he agreed. "Can't say I know many ladies. Cute girls, sure. Fun girls, yeah. Don't know that Soho or Marne are -quite- ladies." He grinned suddenly. "They're way too much fun."

"No worries." Jack shrugged, loosely lacing his fingers together and resting them atop his flat stomach. "I'm not shufflin' you off t' a hotel at this hour. It'd be madness."

"Well, there was one lady that offered to set me up, but I kinda got the feeling she thought I was..." He coughed. "Selling something in return."

"They're young yet." Calli said with a smile. Although considering they were being raised by Silva, she doubted they would ever be ladies.

"I guess so." Brunswick rolled over to lay on his stomach and watched Callisto, his head tilted. "So everything's still cool between your bond and Bavaria's? Trinity, that is. 'Cause you're okay and I don't mind you staying but not him if he's still... Y'know."

Jack burst into laughter. "Oh, hell, no. Really?"

"Daddy?" Evie blinked. "What's that mean?"

"It means that she liked my pretty... hair." Shade told her with a slightly wicked grin. "But I'm a bit picky about who gets to play with it."

"We haven't seen Trinity or Ice since that day." Callisto said. "And I'm almost positive that Shade's forgotten entirely about Trinity. He's got a bit of a... short attention span."

"Excellent. Then he can stay, too. You've gotta understand. I need to look out for my sister."

Evie clapped, distracting Brunswick and making Jack laugh harder. "And you said -I- could play with your hair," she reminded him. "That means I'm extra-special."

"Oh definitely, sweetheart." Shade said with a grin. "But you might want to wait till it's a little dryer."

"So you consider her your sister?" Calli asked curiously. "She's adorable. Shade seems quite fond of her already." And she was starting to get jealous. He had never offered to let her play with his hair!

"Huh?" Brunswick looked away from where Evie was nodding obediently to Shade's suggestion and his brow furrowed. "Her? That's Evie. Jack says she's my sister and she calls me brother but it's not -real-. Anyway, why would I want a fake sister when I've got two real ones?"

Jack shook his head and drew himself up so he could lean his elbow on the table which supported Evie. "Hey, pet, how you gonna play with his hair?" he asked. "There's a lot more o' it than there is o' you."

"... I'll play with only little parts of it!" Evie beamed at her own thought process. "It's such a pretty color, isn't it? Calli has very pretty hair, too. They kind of match."

"She's got great hair." Shade agreed, glancing over at his feien. "She's my pretty little lady."

Calli gave him a dark look, even though the chauvanistic comment stroked her ego a bit. "I am not 'yours' I am my own, merely forced into a bond by extenuating circumstances." She said calmly.

"Of course." Shade said with a shrug. He was used to her going off like that, it didn't mean anything.

Jack raised an eyebrow in Shade's direction. "Was it really that dire then?" he asked. "I know they need bonds t' live but she makes it sound like you were just about the only choice."

He shrugged. "In her case, I was." He said simply. "I was the first to find her right when she was about to kill over, so she bonded with me out of necessity."

Calli actually flushed guiltily and looked away as he went on. "There's no way she'd want to be bonded to a guy that does what I do--did for a living, after all."

Jack glanced at Brunswick and shrugged. "It happens. I'm still not sure how I got that one there," he replied lightly. "Mind, it wasn't as desparate as poor Calli there but..." He grinned. "I have this feeling I was just convenient for him. He an' his siblings wanted t' get down here for some reason."

Shade nodded, glancing over at Calli again. She still wouldn't look at him. So she had no choice, but he was trying to make it easy on her. That's what mattered, right? She couldn't leave him like Ice had...

"So... think you could show me the room I'm borrowing for the night?" He asked after a second in an attempt to change the subject.

"Hm? Oh, sure." Jack pushed himself into a proper sitting position and then hoisted his lanky frame out of the chair entirely. He paused to touch a careful finger to Evie's cheek. "Do you wanna come with, pet?"

"Yes, please!"

Obediently to his little princess, the British magician picked up the cup and girl. Then he nodded in Brunswick's direction. "You comin', too, lad?"

Brunswick looked at Callisto questioningly. As if waiting to see if she was going with them.

Shade stood and offered a silent hand to his feien, waiting to see what she did. Slowly she stood and stepped onto the hand, finally looking up at him. He smiled, but didn't say a word as he turned back to Jack.

That decided things. Brunswick stepped off the table and fluttered over to sit on Jack's shoulder. "I'm coming," he announced.

"Mmhm" was his bond's oh-so-mild answer, neatly masking Jack's amusement. Instead of elaborating, Jack lead the little group from the cozy room and down the dimly-lit hallway and up a flight of creaking, carpeted steps. "Watch the runner on the fourth step up," Jack cautioned. "It's pullin' up some an' I keep forgettin' t' fix it."

Shade nodded, not mentioning that he would have to get used to using stairs in the first place. He was going to have to get his excercize somehow, he figured, now that he wasn't killing people on a daily basis.

"Fourth step, I'll remember that." Was all he said. He kept his hand out so Calli could see where they were going.

Jack flicked on another light once he reached the top of the stairs, revealing another long, wooden-floored hallway graced with another carpet runner. The walls were a neutral ecru, soft and inoffensive; as yet, Shade could not guess if the house came furnished and decorated or if Jack had hidden Martha Stewart talents. "The first door is a no-go," he announced. "Trust me
on that." He continued walking. "Second door here's a bathroom. There's towels an' stuff in there. Help yourself." finally, he stopped at the third door. "Here you go, mate."

Jack pushed open the door and reached in to turn on the light. The room revealed was clean and simple. The iron bedstead was almost stark in its basic nature but it was enlivened by a bright-colored patchwork quilt tossed over it. An Oriental carpet warmed the floor and a few bureaus of various sizes were scattered at the edges of the room. "How's this work?"

"It's perfect." He replied. "A lot better than my last room." Which had been in a rundown old hotel that had more than one scream echoing through the walls on a nightly basis. "How much do I owe you?"

Jack blinked. "For what? A night? Don't worry about it. Just crash."

"Yeah?" He asked. "Not even a favor? Thanks, I appreciate it." He said, heading into the room and tossing his coat onto the bed. "Now I think I owe Evie a hair appointment, right?"

Calli stepped off of his hand, heading into the room to look around more closely.

"Not even a favor, nope." Jack winked, leaning against the door frame lazily. "Mind, though, this is 'cause I can't let a lady out in the rain. If it was just you, mate, can't promise you'd be warm an' dry now."

Evie neatly twisted in her cup to smile at Shade. "Yes, please. If you think your hair is dry enough."

Snorting, Brunswick left Jack's shoulder to stand on the nearest tall wooden bureau. "Not a bad room," he said in Callisto's direction. "It looks out on the back yard so it's more private and all. Jack's room looks out on the front. Ugh."

"It's a lot nicer than we're used to." Calli admitted, even as she shoved her hair again, as she usually did when she was feeling a bit uncomfortable and trying not to look it. "We couldn't even sleep in the last place since people kept screaming at odd moments."

"And not all of them for entertainment." Shade added dryly. "Now how should we do this? I'll sit on the floor in the front by the table, then you can play with my hair?" He offered Evie. He would find a new place the next day... maybe.

His hopes weren't too high.

Evie looked up at Jack and, when he nodded, she turned and nodded in exact imitation. "Yes, please. If Daddy puts me down on your nightstand, I should be able to reach." She paused and dimpled at Shade. "If I'm careful."

Clearly, the little girl already had decided that the room belonged to Shade and Callisto. Jack merely laughed and set her down in the place she suggested. "There you go, lil bit," he said. "Don't wreck his masculinity, like, right?"

Brunswick glanced at Callisto. "D'ya want a bed for yourself?" he asked her. "I bet we could find something so you don't have to balance on his pillow." He made a face. "Jack nearly squished me when I used to have to do that. He flops all over."

"Calli has a room--," Shade started out.

"I think I would." Callisto said before he could finish that. "Or at least a pillow on the dresser?"

Shade shrugged off the question that occured to him. Remaking something as comfortable as her pocket room would take a while... but she didn't seem to mind.

Jack nodded, grinning. He offered a short bow in Callisto's direction. "Right, then. I'll be right back." With that, he disappeared from the room.

"It's a big house. Even I don't know what all's in here." Brunswick shrugged. "Jack's probably already got something that'll work just perfect. He's like a squirrel or something."

Shade nodded and sat down where Evie had told him to, pushing his hair gently onto the table so as to not knock the cup over. "There you go, sweetheart. My hair."

"Shade's never around in one place long enough to get many things." Calli admitted. "But I finally got a brush out of him."

"Well, maybe now that he's sticking around, you guys can settle down and get a place of your own." Brunswick grinned. "I've got a castle."

Evie stretched and reached until she could carefully pick up two handfuls of thick, white hair. "Thank you," she murmured. "I promise not to pull." Then, humming to herself, she began stroking and separating, preparations to braiding.

"Thank you." Shade said seriously.

Calli nodded, but didn't say anything. She wasn't about to get her hopes up.

"Don't worry. He's gotta take care of you." Brunswick eyed Shade, watching the ex-assassin submit to his little "sister's" ministrations. "It's a rule and he seems to like you so that's good."

Evie giggled, glancing over, her hands tangled in Shade's soft hair. "Of course he does. Callisto is very beautiful. She's a -lady-."

A tiny little smile pulled at Calli's lips and she took to the air, fluttering over to them. "Thank you, sweetie. I try." She told Evie before taking another piece of Shade's hair and starting to braid it. She figured the little one could use some help.

Jack laughed and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, watching the girls work. "Looks like you've won Evie over," he joked. "She's not gonna wanna let you leave."

"Yeah, well, it's nice to know that at least one female feels that way." Shade said with a sigh. "Ice sure doesn't." He tried to look over his shoulder at the girls.

"Quit moving, we're busy, right, Evie?" Callisto scolded him.

"Yeah! We are!" Evie cast an adoring gaze at Callisto before returning to her braiding. Her tongue stuck out the corner of her mouth as if it might help her concentrate. "We're making you -pretty-."

Jack tried not to snicker and barely managed to keep it to a smirky grin. "Ah, Shade, mate. You're so pretty. How can any gel resist?"

"I dunno. Maybe Ice doesn't like her boyfriends prettier than her." Brunswick feigned casual inspection of his fingernails.

"Yeah... it's a curse." Shade said with an exaggerated sigh.

"Quit moving!" Calli told him again, fighting a grin. She could learn to like it here.