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Meeting With Medi - Kupalo/Hina - (PRP - monkeylovefirework & The Medium)

Idly The Medium sat in her living room, staring at the wall with her blank glaze. Gaia was a complete bore to the former Guardian of Death. Or was she still the Guardian of Death without the majority of her powers? Ah, who knew. A proxy had taken over for her, and she was now doing her part to earn her return. She longed for the gates of hell, and of course, the arms of her lover.

The only one she had showed a remote hint of emotion to. After all, when handling death all the time, emotion was seldom appriciated.

The soft sound and light of the crystal coming to life roused her from her self imposed reverie and she sighed, "A new one? Lovely."

She wouldn't bother looking. Not yet.

It hadn't been a full day since Drake's running incident before he felt the urge to do it again. For him it was the perfect high, no downers. He wasn't too stressed for his own good this time that caused today's run however; it there was just a nag at the back of his head that forced him to sneak out of playing with his grandson and wife for.

Now bandaged up with different colored and shaped band aids all over his chest and jaw, his hands had very light ace bandages around them. This run led him to a place he didn't expect to go, he was zoning out as he did before, letting his feet guide him.

Stopping for a breath of air due to a brutal stitch in his side, he snapped back into his own head and looked around to figure out where he was. All he could see was this little cottage that might have been vacant, might not have. One thing was certain, he needed a glass of water before he collapsed.

Drake had caught his breath for the most part before he reached the door and lightly knocked on it to the beat that was constantly flowing through his head and waited for a responce.

Mmm. This one was prompt, it seemed. Well, thank goodness for small miracles - all of the other Spirit Keepers had shown up days, even weeks, after the crystals had been found. No matter.

Rising from her perch, The Medium made her way to the door, opened it, and turned away as if expecting Drake to simply follow her inside. No words were spoken, but she stopped at the curtain of colorful beads - the only thing of bright color in the dark, cold house before turning around and staring at him with those creepy black, voided eyes.

Drake looked confused and waited a couple seconds and then followed the strange woman. All he wanted was a glass of water... What had he gotten himself into this time?

When she looked back at him he got this ere feeling like she wished bad things on him. He didn't know what he was supposed to say, was she expecting an apology out of him? She defenetely wasn't going to get one of those... At this point, Drake would gladly hand over his wallet though if it'd get him out of there.

"Uh.. Hi..."

The woman stared at him for a very long time before passing through the curtain of colorful wooden beads. They didn't move or show any sign of being able to move as she passed through them, and the eerie glow coming from an unidentifiable source dimmed slightly.

After a long moment, she spoke, "Well? Are you coming?" No greeting whatsoever.

If he slid through the beads, they would move and rustle as he passed, clinking together merrily before stilling once more.

Drake nodded and gulped, "Can I get a....."

Just then the beeds registered in his head but he shook it off and followed her, expecting the same but receiving different. The beads moved and rustled as they passed over his shoulders. He winced a little at the extra pressure on his day-old wounds.

"Glass of water..." He finished his sentence as his bright blue eyes gazed around the curious new room.

"There's a pitcher on the stand by the door," came the woman's reply, dark fingers touching at the crystal orb on the center of her table. The light immediately lessened and she almost sighed in relief, fingers stroking over the smooth surface once more.

Lust and Fertility? Odd pair. So he got two...Well, that was rare enough. Turning her head, she smiled a very odd, creepy smile, "Dad."

Oh how she enjoyed pushing people's buttons!

Drake poured a glass of water in one of the glasses that was sitting by the pitcher upside down. After a few long drinks he sighed a quenching sigh.

"Ohthat'sverylovely.." He mumbled with his eyes closed. Holding onto his glass he opened his eyes and turned around then stood infront of the woman with a curious brow lifted. How'd she know?

"You.. Know one of my kids?" Good luck on pushing this man's buttons. He was too lax to let much bother him.

"Yes, a boy and a girl. They're currently around your neck. Twins. Lust and Fertility, I believe..." her eyes traced down to the crystal, as if to confirm, and gave an affirmative nod of her head.

"Iridae. Cast down from the heavens to give them a second chance after they made a mistake large enough to be cast down. Lovely, yes?"

Her voice was monotonous, no hint of actual life as she spoke.

Drake had been put in cookie situations like this before and as a bartender he had met almost every type of person there was to meet. Including half-breeds (or people claiming to be or even believed they were) that spoke of such probibilities. Heck, almost anything was possible in Gaia these days.

"So.. You're saying... Dad... Meaning these..." He had followed here eyes and saw that she was focused on his necklace before, "pendants.. Are...Cast down Iridae... Lust and Fertility to be specific... That made somme kind of mistake?"

It was obvious the rusted wheels were turning in the stressed out man's head. With a deep breath he took it in and spoke once again, "What's an Iridae and what do I have to do with all of this?

"Aye. Iridae. I am an Iridae - the...First to be fell. I am Death. You're chosen to be their Spirit Keeper. I'm sure you've already felt them pulsing, yes? The warmth? They're feeding from your life essence..." she smiled then, her perfect teeth startling and not expected. And of course, it looked creepier than her emotionless face.

"Soon, the stones will crack and you're going to be stuck with two little infant Iridae. Good luck. Especially with Lust."

He tried not to stare at the different looking smile as polietly as he could. Drake looked down at the necklace then looked back up at her.

"Alright... Lust... Fertility... As infants? Oh wonderful... More babies... Just when I thought I had raised the last of mine...I've felt the pulsing... A comfort in the middle of the cold night... But you said they are feeding from my life essence? So does that mean... What does that mean? And why especiallly Lust?"

The white haired man's mind was now going as fast as it could go. He was curious, a key component in his nature, but calm.

"It means that you're tied to them. Bonded. You die, they will - unless they've reached their immortal status. And if they die...You lose a very large portion of yourself. And why especially lust? I believe just what he's guardian of should tip you off on that."

The silvery white hair of the woman fell over her face as she returned to her crystal, dimming the light further. She didn't like the light, it hurt...

"Right... I see... The light bother you?" He asked observantly, stalling for some time to think things through more clearly.

Of course death was an option, but not a probability... Lust. Wonderful. Going to have to keep him on lockdown... Don't need too much drama.. Oh God what was his wife going to say about this? Her being half demon must make things muuuch better... Or not.

"Yes." She answered, turning her head to look at him once more, "You just take care of those two. Bring them around - there are others like them. I am a Seer, and I am....obligated...To guide them where they need it, or you cannot. But that is all the information I can, or will, give to you now. Leave me."

The lights went out, and The Medium disappeared.

Drake chewed on his lip, perhaps he had stepped over a boundary? No bother. Knowing that he wasn't the only one in this perdicament made things a little bit easier to swollow.

He put the glass he had been drinking out of in the sink on his way out after finishing it off and left, shutting the door behind him.

"Kat's going to have yet another field day with this..."

I didn't do it!

It'd been almost a week since Drake had decided on lying off of the running for a while, deciding that his feet got him in more trouble than his mouth did (which has always been a huge issue). Everything was going quite well, he had found himself a new outlet for when he got too stressed out; he fixed things. The only problem with his new hobby was the fact that he had no idea what he was doing. Drake's wife had started hiding things from him so he wouldn't try to fix them before they broke, and the kids were learning quickly. Kat had already gotten quite upset at him for attempting to fix an imaginary wobble on the kitchen table resulting in them having to sit on the floor and eat off of the now legless table.

Aside from constantly thinking about the crystals around his neck, Drake kept on with his normal life. He was working his routine shifts at his club and running around fixing things but found himself remarkably more and more worn out and wanting to take a nap. Though he played it off, as he just wanted to show Treble that it was okay to take a nap and still be a "big boy". His dreams when he napped were not something he'd ever share with anyone… In one of his dreams he was pregnant and in another he had found himself attracted to his best female friend to the point of no return. Drake being the easy going guy that he was, didn't fret over them as a precursor of the type of insanity he'd have to deal with once he had two little monsters of his own to take care of once again, but left it food he ate or things he had smoked in his past having an impact on him now.

But something was starting to nag at him; how were these crystals going to turn into babies? Had The Medium forgotten to tell him something? The crystals were growing warmer by the day, but it was more comforting than bothersome.

Something bright and hot hit Drake's face, causing him to flop his forearm over his eyes and groan. Not looking he started to feel around for his blankets to pull them over his head, assuming Kat had just opened the curtains trying to wake him up from a little cat nap. The only problem was, as he was feeling around, he felt wood instead of silk and only metal tools instead of his soft fluffy comforter. Under his head he realized was his shirt and his other hand.

Shooting up frantically, the wide-eyed man looked around in search of answers of why he was not in his bed. He saw country on one side, and rooftops on the other three. Then he saw his "Blacklight 2" monger and remembered that he had conked out while he was fixing a light bulb on the roof in the (at the time) shaded part behind the tall sign. After palming his forehead he laughed at himself and took out a cigarette. Dirty habit…

Sitting back, lapping up the sun, the native islander took a deep breath of fresh air between puffs and smiled. A random smile was a rare thing from Drake at this point in his life. Really thinking about it, he tried to figure out exactly what it was that was stressing him out. Nothing horrendously bad was happening to him. He had a successful business, a loving wife that had returned to him after months of disappearing, kids that were old enough to keep themselves out of trouble, a son that's getting married, another that's moving out, a grandkid, and now two more babies on the way… Somehow…

A confession then protruded out from between Drake's lips slipping right past his tongue ring straight from his chest, "Yeah, there's no reason to be so stressed out. So there's a lot going on, not like the world's ending or everything's going bad. For a complete screw up like myself I miraculously had things relatively under control. It's allllll good…"

Spoken too soon. Believing his words he puffed out his chest taking in a long deep breath he heard a tiny cracking noise and looked down. To his bane the precious crystals that he had refused to take off since he placed them around his neck had cracked. And now there was this mist like diaphanous substance started to seep out of them.

"I didn't do it! You've got to be kidding me!" Drake's ego that he had been working up immediately deflated and the peace of mind that he was forming also shattered. Not knowing what else to do he figured he would have to go back and see the ominous Death.

I met a man

So this weird thing happened a couple days ago. I sneezed really hard then looked down at my crystals and they were cracked and this odd looking mist was coming out of them. I don’t understand if the sneeze was the final bit of energy that they needed or not. However, whatever the case I’m not sure if I should be hiding it or flaunting it. Yesterday I went to the beach for a little walk. I thought that I would check out the surf, you can take the boy out of the island but you can’t take the island out of the boy, or so my wife keeps telling me. There I met an elfin looking man with red hair, long ears and tattoos all over where I could see of him. He was just sitting there on the beach with a little blue boy that was playing in the sand and had wings. The man called me over and asked me about my crystals, as if he knew exactly what they were. After a couple of dull seconds I figured out that he was a Spirit Keeper as well and his little blue boy was another fallen angel like around my neck. I felt reassured, remembering that The Medium had told me that there were others like me. I’m glad that there are others, and that I actually met one. Gaia isn’t that big of a place. “It’s a small Gaia after all” as that annoying ride so quaintly puts it.

I have no idea what I’m going to do when these little guys come. Zero. I haven’t bought anything for them. I guess Kupalo could use Colten’s crib that I made for him way back in the day. But that leaves me nothing for Hina. I suppose I’ll have to go out and buy things for them. I think I’ll take Kat with me… She likes to shop… It’s been a long time since I’ve had a real baby in the house. And now having twins, I’m not sure how this is going to turn out. One can only hope. Hope that I’ll be a good father once again. We’ll see if I still have it in me.

No, I’m sure I do. I can do this. Well… I’m going to go shopping now. Wish me luck!

After a very very heated 'discussion' with his wife, Drake had to get out of the house. So he got Kupalo and Hina and put them in the stroller he had gotten before the crystals cracked into his gorgeous babies. Kupalo was babbling to himself happily, while Hina seemed mildly upset, but wasn't fussing as she held onto her doll and sucked on her passafier.

Drake on the other hand was blowing off steam as he walked, so they were going at a fairly quick pace.

Vin was tossing the blue baby into the air, not giving a care in the world. The two where heading off to the beach and to there original spot they had always vacationed at for the day. The two where so carefree and didn't care about anything.

Setting back into his mind the worries of all these so called 'Iridae'. Even though they where growing in a mass of numbers. Today was a day to just 'Chill'.

Vin released a hearty laugh along with Arranos' giggles. The pair took a turn and left behind the rocky terrain and kicked up sand with every step. The ocean waves crashed in the distance, almost soothing... but yet disruptive. Vin found great pleasure in the sounds of the waves... and hopefully Arranos too.

Finding there local spot, Vin released the baby on the sand and plopped down. Letting the rays of sunlight wash over his body.
"Ahhh..."

Kupalo who was sitting in the front of the two seat stroller, saw the man and baby cross onto the beach that they had wondered to. Getting excited to see another of his own age, he let out a loud babble trying to get Drake's attention.

Bringing himself out of his rut, to the baby's sounds he forced a smile and stopped to look around.

"What is it Pono, what do you see? Ah! Vin.. You guys wanna go to the beach? Play in the sand?" His tone wasn't exactly babytalk tone, but it was nice, pleasant and happy.

No sound from Hina was a signal for a go-ahead. With that, Drake headed toward where he had met the man and blue baby before. After a couple seconds of sand-to-stroller he decided to go back and park it and simply carry the two babies. Careful of their wings, he picked up the two babies and held one in each arm after locking the stroller to a bike rack.

Once they got to the spot, Drake cleared his throat before he spoke, "Hey, Vin. Mind if the three of us join you?"

Vin focused long and hard on the voice of the man. With out turning his head, "Umm... Drake right? But three of you?" Finally turning his head, Vin saw the two the man carried between his arms.

"Ahh, I see they have finally arrived!" Vin smiled, "How exciting!" Partially lying, thoughts returning back into his mind about the ever increasing population of Iridae.

"I don't mind, I'm sure Arranos would love the company!" Vin tapped Arranos on the shoulder. "Hey dude, we got some company!"

Arranos turned his head slightly, looking up at the familiar man. But the two between his arms he didn't recognize, but something seemed to click as to what they where. Releasing a slight giggling noise, the baby of blue crawled over his guardian's leg and plopped down. Waiting for the two others.

Drake nodded, sencing the insincerity a bit, but brushing it off as Elvin behavior he sat down in the sand, setting Hina and Kupalo down near the blue boy.

"Alright guys, be good. Pono, that means you too..." Drake added the last bit pointing his finger at the baby, knowing fully that he wasn't able to understand him totally.

Kupalo made a B-line for Arranos giving a little giggle, knowing exactly who the baby used to be. Hina was really the one who knew him better than others, his past business and hers went well together (most of the time). She was more shy around him at first but was right behind the quick moving Kupalo in greeting him.

Arranos continued his expedition over his guardians leg and met up with the other two. Placing his hands up into the air like what Selah taught him to do. Releasing a giggling noise. Arranos tried to stand up, but just plopped down into the sand.

"Dork!" Vin mumbled beneath his breath. A hint of laughter could be sensed from the sound of the Elf's voice.
"So what have you been up to? Other than... taking care of a pair of twins." Vin scratched at his head.
So... there is another pair of twins. How interesting...

Kupalo looked at the raised hand as if the blue boy was crazy. Not sure what to do with the hand infront of him he raised his eyebrow verry slowly and just a little bit with a concentrating look. Which resulted in his diaper to become a little heavier. Paying it no mind, he dug his hands into the sand and picked up a little, and started to get a little agrivated as the sand slipped between his fingers before he could plop it infront of Arranos.

Hina watched her brother, confused to his actions and decided to pay more attention to the other boy. When he tried to stand up, she looked a little envious, she had just managed to master crawling. But no matter, she reached out and touched his forehead then made a little squee sound and slapped the sand as her passafire fell out of her mouth and around her neck. For once, this didn't result in her screaming.

Their guardian was watching them intently, praying they didn't try to eat the newly found substance. "Well, having marital issues. But what's new there..." Actually, it was quite new. After all his years of marriage they havn't gotten into a fight since they remarried. "But, besides that, these two take up most of my time. Glad I have an assistant at the bar.. I can only go there in the daytime. Hina doesn't like loud noises much.."

Arranos watched the girl inventively. Following her every move. The baby of blue giggled softly. Feeling the girl touch is forehead. No one has ever done that before. Placing his own hands on his forehead Arranos felt the gems that protruded from the skin.

Arranos tilted his head, eyeing the other boy adorned in dark blue designs. Gawking at him. Comparing the blue of his designs to the blue of his own skin and gems. Digging his own hands into the sand.

"Hina? What are there names?" Vin cocked his head slightly confused. Now scratching at his head. Vin watched as the three played in the sand. Curious little Iridae.

Hina rubbed her eye before touching the boy's gems on his shoulder and then his wings. When she saw something pretty, she had to touch it. And the bright colors were something that appealed to her like nothing else. With each new surface and color she gave out a little giggle, the shyness quickly rubbing off. She began babbling a little, mostly to herself.

Drake pointed to the baby with pink in her wings, "That one's Hina. And that other trouble maker is Kupalo. I call him Pono. It's something my grandfather used to call me. It means good and pure, a term of endearment wher I'm from." His chest was filling with pride every time he took a breath. He twitched a little though, having to had quit smoking again when they came.

Kupalo after a few moments saw the blue one's white markings on his arm then looked down to his own. Making a sound as if an engine were starting with his lips he smiled and starting burying his feet in the sand.

Arranos squirmed slightly from the touch of the other baby. It was giving him chills up his spine and arms. Lifting up his own arm to view the gems that protruded from his skin. The baby saw nothing special about them.

Tilting his small frame forward, Arranos dug his hands into the sand and drew clumps of sand close to his body. Building mounds and more mounds. Potentially building some kind of building of sort. Arranos released a gurgling giggling noise.

"There nice names!" Vin smiled, thinking to himself silently. Maybe having these Iridae here wasn't a bad thing. In ways there gifts, but how exactly did they get here and why? At least why was Arranos here and what was he guardian of?

Vin shook his head, ignoring the mind assaulting comments to himself.

[[TBC]]