Trouble At Twilight Designs
Kova leaned her head against her upraised hand and sighed, dark eyes staring ahead at some unfocused middle distance. Softly, totally unaware that she was doing it, she hummed to herself and somehow the notes rolled easily up and down the scale. Sometimes they even appeared to overlap. Delilah looked up at her mother from the little desk Athan had set up for her behind the main counter so she could do her homework on the days she came to the shop after school. "Mama?" she asked. "What's that?"
"Hm?" Kova started, blinking. "Oh. It was a tune I heard on TV. It was this movie 'bout a skeleton king and Halloween and Christmas."
"Oh." Delilah considered her mother's words and then turned back to her open book. "Halloween is this Wednesday, isn't it? I think we're having a party at school."
"You are, Delly." Kova laughed and pushed herself upright so she could stretch out. "I'm playin' fortune-teller for you cabbage-heads."
Suddenly, she froze in position and a huge, white grin spread over her lavender face. "Hey. Hey, that's an idea." She laughed. "We've got ghosties of a sort here. We should have a party or something. I could bake cookies and cupcakes and..."
Delilah looked up again and shook her head faintly as her mother snatched up a piece of paper to start making a list. She had a feeling that Mr. Athan would not like the sort of party her mother would host. She really wished a customer would come in to distract her mother. Like, right now.
Ying was actually skipping, the first time she'd done so in months. For a while she'd been quite depressed, but things were slowly getting better. She was having less nightmares, and the ones that she did have were about more normal things. Life was full of distractions that her mind welcomed. And it was Halloween, which had to be her favorite holiday, since it meant she got to dress up and gorge on candy.
It also meant she had to find a costume in time for the party. That Twilight Designs was having a party she took for granted- they'd had them for two years running. It was at one such party that she ended up with Tsavorite, something she didn't exactly like to recall, but even the Fiend wouldn't ruin her day.
Savvy seemed to know this, as she lurked unseen in the shadows, somewhat sulky. Not that it had been all fun while Ying had been upset. Initially it was nice, but when she found that none of her usual tricks got a reaction, it became quite boring. And when she wasn't depressed, she was mindlessly cheery!
Instead of focusing on Ying, Tsavorite turned her attention to the girl traveling with her. Not that she was usually very interesting, but maybe that day would be different.
They were almost there, Rinsei knew that much. She'd been to the shop with Ying once or twice before, hoping it might cheer her friend up. This time it seemed to have worked, though it was Ying herself who had insisted on the visit. Not that Rinsei minded, she just kept up her pace, waiting just behind as Ying opened the door.
Kova looked up from her scribbles at the sound of the bell and immediately abandoned her work. She grinned widely and waved to the girls entering the shop. "Hello! Happy early Halloween!" Walking around the counter, she laced her fingers behind her back and rocked slightly on the balls of her feet as she studied the new arrivals. "How can I help you?"
"Oh!" This was... unexpected. Ying had been to the shop a few times, but had never seen anyone other than Reyna or Athan there. Obviously this person worked there as well, but since she was unfamiliar, the Jumi was caught off guard.
Still, Ying was hardly shy, and quickly recovered. "Happy early Halloween! Are you new?" Or did she just not come often enough, or on the right days? "I've never met you before!"
Savvy would have snorted if it were anatomically possible. Instead she kept to the shadows, keeping her eyes on the weird purple woman. At least it wasn't Athan, and that meant, at least theoretically, that she wouldn't have to deal with Ying acting even more sickening than usual. Reyna was neither here nor there, but though Savvy would never admit, she was also a bit put out by the lack of familiar faces.
Then again, that mean new ones to play her tricks on, and she would never say no to that.
Leaving the talking to Ying, who was better at that stuff anyway, Rinsei looked at the nearest case, admiring some of the jewelry. A lot of it was much too fancy for her, but there were a couple of simple pieces that she might wear if she wanted to dress up. Still, jewelry, like conversation, was much more Ying's thing than hers.
"Not new but you must visit the days I'm off." Kova untangled her hands and held one out to Ying, bending slightly to adjust her over-tall height for the young girl. "I'm Kova and..." She looked over her shoulder at the counter she had abandoned. "Delly? Stand up, leafypuss, and say hi, please."
A small heart-shaped face topped with a mop of turquoise hair and featuring wide aqua eyes appeared over the top of the counter. Then a little hand appeared and waved. Before a response could be given, the girl disappeared again back to her desk.
Kova laughed. "That's my daughter. Delilah. She's shy."
That made sense, and Ying nodded thoughtfully. Then, grinning widely, she offered her hand. "I'm Ying! And this is Rinsei. We come here sometimes- well, Rin-chan doesn't always come, but I like to stop by and look at things. And buy, if I've been saving."
A chatterbox as always, Savvy thought. And it didn't escape her attention that she hadn't been included in her bond's round of introductions. No matter, it would only make things easier for her in the long run. If she had a mouth she would have been grinning too, but instead her eyes narrowed slightly, and she sank under the display cases, wondering how well they happened to be protected.
Rinsei waved politely as the saleswoman introduced herself, but was far more interested in the daughter that poked her head up. Was she wearing a flower? An avid gardener, she was curious about its nature, and leaned over the counter just a bit. She didn't want to appear nosy, but she did hope to get a better look.
As the one girl peered around the counter, Delilah looked up and met her gaze mildly. A math book was open on the desk in front of her and a piece of paper lay off to one side, covered in doodles and numbers. "May I help you?" she asked quietly.
Meanwhile, Kova was nodding approvingly. "That's good," she agreed. "It's hard to save but it means you can get prettier things when you do." She had obviously learned that Gaia did not approve of her former way of obtaining her own pretty items; Kova had learned to delete the thievery of her recent past in polite conversation. "What were you thinkin' of today? A necklace? Earrings?"
The contents of the book were only barely visible to Rinsei, but the Jumi wasn't especially interested in them to begin with. Instead she nodded, and pointed to the flower. "It's very pretty," she said with equal softness. "Did you choose it?"
Ying nodded again, already liking this woman. She was easy to talk to, for one. "I'm not sure yet," she admitted. "I sort of wanted to get something to go with my Halloween costume, except I'm not sure what I want to be this year. And I have to choose today, or else the stores are going to be all sold out." Not that she'd ever experienced that, but she trusted DS well enough. "I've already been a princess, so I can't really do that again, but I want a pretty costume."
Kova thought about the problem for a moment. Then she smiled gently. "Delly's gonna be a bellydancer," she offered, "and I'm gonna be a gypsy fortune-teller. Do you wanna be scary or pretty for Halloween?"
Blinking at the other girl, Delilah stared back with a look of confusion on her face. "No," she finally answered. "It's mine. I came with it." She paused, weighed her words and then reached up to touch the flower. "It's me."
"Oh, definitely a pretty one." Not that there was a problem with scary ones, but they were better left to the likes of Tsavorite. Ying liked to be pretty, and Halloween was one of the best excuses to go all out. "A fortune-teller sounds like it'll be fun. Can you really tell fortunes, Kova-san?"
Rinsei blinked, not entirely sure how to take that. The only person she knew who was related to flowers was Linnea, and she only had that on hearsay. And she'd definitely never seen anyone with a flower as part of her before. But then, she had a rock in her chest, so who was she to judge.
"Is it a special kind of flower?" she asked, still curious. If it was a flower that was unique to the person who was part of it, so to speak, that was interesting too. But she was still curious as to whether it was the sort of the flower she might find at a greenhouse.
"Mama says it's a hibiscus." Delilah tilted her head to one side, not quite sure what to make of this attention. No one had seemed so fascinated by her flower before. While she wasn't objecting to the praise, it still struck her as strange. Suddenly, she reached up and delicately removed the flower from her hair. "Here. You may have it if you like it so much," she offered.
"Not really," Kova replied cheerfully and without an ounce of remorse, "but it'll be fun trying, won't it? I might even pretend to be a gypsy queen while I'm at it. I love all the shinies I can wear if I do that." She studied Ying, thoughtfully. "Y'know, sweetie, I just had an idea. Ever want to be a pirate queen?"
Hibiscus were tropical, Rinsei vaguely remembered. It definitely wasn't a plant that would grow in the garden. She sighed, but nodded her understanding. The information was helpful, even if it wasn't what she had hoped for. She opened her mouth to thank the girl- and was stunned as she was presented with the bloom.
There were several questions that tumbled through Rinsei's mind, but the first and most urgent was the only one to be spoken aloud. "It... doesn't hurt you?" She thought that removing a part of one's body would have to be painful. If someone removed her core, she would die!
So she was just pretending. But that wasn't a bad thing; Halloween was all about pretending to be someone you weren't. "I'm sure you'll get real good at it by the time Halloween's over," she said earnestly. "And it must have lots of pretty gold jewelry, right?" Gold wasn't Ying's favorite- gems were much better- but it was still pretty.
At the idea, Ying lit up, but was quickly confused. "A pirate?" she asked, wrinkling her nose. "Aren't pirates dirty and mean and missing legs and eyes and stuff?"
Kova looked suitably horrified and shook her head fiercely. "Oh, you don't want to be one of those pirates." She leaned closer, a move that required quite a lot of bending on Kova's part, and whispered dramatically, "I'm a pirate, actually. I'm just on vacation here 'cause my cap'n thinks everyone needs a vacation sometimes. I'm the cook, see, and it's hard work." The simple honesty in her face spoke only of truth on the woman's part. She was not lying or delusional.
Wordless, Delilah pointed back to her hair at the other girl's concern. A new blossom had already appeared, fresh and vibrant. Then she smiled. "Not a bit."
Kova-san was a pirate? But she was pretty! And purple, which was one of Ying's favorite colors. "Really? You don't look like a pirate." Of course, the only pirates Ying had seen were in movies. They had looked pretty real... but she didn't see a reason for the woman to lie, especially when she'd told the truth about fortune-telling.
She nodded dimly through the vacation part, brightening a bit when she mentioned her specific job. "Oh, you cook! DS-okaasan cooks too. Mostly for us, but sometimes other people ask her to cook for parties and things. So you cook- cooked- for the people on the pirate ship?"
At first there were no words that could express Rinsei's astonishment. She simply stared, eyes wide, at the newly bloomed flower. Then she smiled, and with warmth in her voice, said simply "That's amazing!"
Delilah flushed a bit and ducked her head shyly. "Thank you. It just happens. I have flowers all the time."
Giggling at the girl's reaction, Kova straightened and nodded. Her hands came up to rest on her hips and she stood proudly. "Cap'n Chota said I was the best cook ever and she didn't want me to go on a vacation but... Well, I gotta sometimes." She suddenly laughed and shook her head a bit. "'Cept the Cap'n's without her gunner now, too. He's visiting me."
"That's great," Rinsei gushed, not without a tinge of jealousy. She looked down at the counter, suddenly shy, but went on anyway. "I have a garden- everybody's garden, but I work in it. It's hard to get things to grow sometimes." And the more beautiful and delicate the plant, the more care it needed, and the better the chance was that it would wither even with her best efforts. It was rather discouraging.
A real pirate! Some of the people at home would probably think that was cool too. "I'm sure you're food tastes really yummy," Ying said earnestly. "Do you have lots of pirate friends? Maybe you could have a party sometime!"
Somewhere under the counters, a faint clicking noise started up, as if someone was repeatedly pushing the top of a retractable pen
"Maybe!" Kova tilted her head, tail swishing a bit. "Y'know, I was just thinking about parties, too. You must be psychic. I think we should have a party here, don't you? I want to ask Mr. Athan about it."
Delilah considered this information with a slight frown. "Everything grows for me," she offered. "Do you talk to the flowers?"
Ying opened her mouth to agree- and shut it quickly. What? "Was there not going to be a party this year, Kova-san?" However the first one had ended up, Ying rather liked the Twilight Designs parties. They gave her something other than just trick-or-treating to do. Besides, who else in her house could say they'd been invited to a snazzy party?
Talk? Rinsei shook her head. She barely talked to people, much less flowers. "I hum sometimes," she offered. It wasn't like she didn't spend time with her plants, just that some were stubborn. Or she was doing something else wrong...
Delilah nodded. "Talking is important. Singing is good, too. Mama sang to me when I was little." She paused, eyes solemn. "Plants are important."
"I don't know, lil bug." Kova shook her head and made a vague gesture with her hands. "I don't think they've got anything planned. I wanted to ask, though, 'cause it didn't seem right to not have a party. Y'know? I'll do all the plannin'. I don't mind."
The door chimed with a familiar little jingle as a cloaked figure stepped through. Despite initial appearances, it was not Athan swathed in dark robes, it was merely Mystic with his cloak wrapped tightly about his form that seemed to blend in with the dark clothing he was currently wearing.
Typically, he did not especially like wearing clothing, but in this instance, it had been necessary. His guardian had asked if he could pick up a package in her stead, and who was he to deny his Reyna?
Kova looked up at the new arrival and another huge smile lit her face. "Mystic!" she called as she straightened and waved. "It's good to see you. Did things go alright? Can I get you anything?"
Again Delilah stood briefly to peer over the top of the cabinet. Seeing Mystic, she waved briefly and offered her own tiny smile before again withdrawing. She glanced expectantly at her own conversation partner as if waiting for more plant questions.
'As well as could be expected,' Mystic replied with a bit of dry humor. He had given the delivery company a bit of a start with his soft telepathic speech and ghost-like appearance. He found it hard to believe, given the realm he had visited, that strange creatures picking up deliveries was all that uncommon, but it was more of how he simply appeared and the Halloween season.
He seemed to merely drift forward despite the fact that he was also wearing shoes, an entirely uncommon sight, as he moved towards the desk and left the small parcel upon its surface.
'Hello,' he went on as though he recalled a certain thing called 'manners' rather abruptly. And rather quietly in a form of speech no one else would've been able to decipher: 'And what sort of mischief are we up to, dear Savvy?'
Talking was important sometimes, maybe. There were certain things that could only be conveyed through talking, and it was the method most people employed to get their point across. Despite that, Rinsei didn't LIKE talking, and even when she felt she had to, she kept her sentences short. Words just got in the way.
Despite her feelings on that matter, she nodded emphatically, smiling. Plants were definitely important! And they didn't try to make messes of things by talking either.
"That would be interesting," Ying ventured, unsure. So far Reyna or Athan seemed to do the planning. And the parties were fun! But maybe, if someone else had done the planning, she wouldn't have gotten stuck with-
The chime of the door opening made Ying lose her train of thought, and she whirled around. At first it looked like a person, but then she saw it was... Mystic, that was his name. "Hello!" she chirped, waving cheerily. "Nice to see you, Mister Mystic!"
There was another light clatter from underneath the counters, a bit louder than the first one, but still hard to hear over the conversation.
'... nothing.'
"We were just talking 'bout parties," Kova added. Then she seemed to notice that Mystic was now ignoring them for something else and shrugged. There was a momentary frown but she recovered and gave Ying another bright smile. "So should we see what kind of shinies a pirate queen would need?"
Delilah stared at Mystic for long moments. Finally, she followed his line of vision and abruptly got on her knees to peer beneath the cabinet. Seeing the mischievous fiend there, she blinked. Yet she said nothing.
'We are due for the annual Halloween party,' Mystic chimed up idly as he looked up briefly to meet Kova's gaze. He was listening, distracted and far more interested in whatever trouble Savvy was up to, but he was listening nonetheless.
'Well that's certainly no fun,' he replied smoothly to Tsavorite in that quiet voice meant only for her.
"Sure!" Ying replied enthusiastically, already daydreaming about all the fun stuff a pirate queen would get to wear. Queens by themselves were nice, if a bit stuffy. Pirate queens, as long as they really weren't dirty, would probably be way cooler.
Tilting her head, Rinsei tried to peer over the cabinet without being rude. It was difficult, and in the end she couldn't see anything of interest. "What are you looking at?" she asked softly, hoping it wasn't an inappropriate question.
Tsavorite hadn't thought anyone would actually LOOK at her. When the flower child spotted her, she froze, then hissed mentally. Still, the girl wasn't snitching on her... maybe she wouldn't ruin things.
'Distract them for another minute and you'll see,' she replied equally quietly. Ignoring her observer, she tinkered with something under the cabinet. Hopefully another minute would be all she'd need. If her bond had been more attentive and less easily distracted, the whole thing would have been hopeless to begin with.
"There is a small ghost thing under the cabinet," Delilah answered Rinsei formally. She was clearly just stating facts; whatever Savvy was doing made no difference at all to her as she continued to watch the Fiend work with vague interest.
'Ghost thing?' Mystic chuckled, a low, yet warm sound that was somewhat unexpected coming from him, 'Dear one, she is a shadow, like myself.' He seemed to smirk faintly as he phased right through the desk, clothes and all, as he reached to ruffle Delilah's hair affectionately the way he would have his own little sister. 'Hasn't your delightful mother told you about us? Really Athan should have at least mentioned it...'
Delilah blinked up at Mystic, obligingly allowing him to muss her hair. The moment he took his hand away, however, she straightened it and checked that her flower was still there. Kova laughed. "I did tell her," she insisted, "but Delly might not have been listenin'. Definitely possible."
The little girl shrugged a bit. "My shadow doesn't do what you do," she pointed out. "I suppose you and the little girl down under there are special Shadows."
'Oh, but it could,' he stated, eyes sparkling with mischief as he reached out with one hand and with a little concentration and thought, caused the child's shadow to dance up from the floor to skitter across the wall and then back again in a Peter Pan-esque fashion. 'But yes, to clarify,' he went on, 'We are a special kind of Shadow.'
A ghost? Savvy scoffed; she obviously was something else. After all, what sort of self respecting ghost would be stuck somewhere like this? And with someone like her bond, no less. Still, she was almost done, and there was no time to worry about an uneducated girl.
Familiar with Tsavorite and the kinds of things she liked to do, Rinsei just nodded. So she was up to trouble again. It might have been more upsetting if it wasn't so completely expected. Besides, there wasn't much she could do anyway.
"Little- SAVVY!" Ying shrieked, not taking it nearly as well. What if Tsavorite did something bad, and got them all kicked out of the shop? Bouncing nervously on the balls of her feet, she leaned over the counter. "Get out of there RIGHT NOW!"
It was too late. With one defiant gesture Savvy thrust her hand through the bottom of one of the cabinets, trying to reach into a case where some of the more expensive looking items were kept. If there was an alarm, she couldn't find one, so maybe the people were silly and didn't safeguard their things. Their loss!
Of course, she hadn't been looking for other methods of deterring thieves...
Athan was not one to resort to the use of technology when a good old-fashioned spell could easily be used instead. Not but a few split seconds after Tsavorite had snatched up a shiny trinket, her moment of triumph was ruined when dark vine-like tendrils seemed to latch onto her hand and slowly climbed up her arm as it removed the item that was still held tightly within her grip.
Mystic's eyes widened almost comically so. He had forgotten about that. With a worried look upon his face he strode calmly over towards the case and placed his palms flat upon the surface of the glass to see if he could stop the spell.
He did not often frequent this part of town, but if he recalled correctly, the rather quaint jewelry shop he had visited once before was near by. He certainly hoped it had not closed, as he was hoping to obtain another trinket of some sort for a lovely lady he had his eye on currently.
Furthermore, he had not ever managed to get a hold of Miss Crelos previously about some potential design work he had in mind. He had several designs he had sketched out himself that he would like to see come to fruitation, but last he had visited she had not been available.
This time he hoped his luck was better, but upon stepping into the familiar shop, he was faced with a group of very unfamiliar faces that seemed to be in a rather precarious situation.
He paused for a moment as he peered over the rims of his glasses towards the smaller lime colored Shadow and a much larger purple one. "... I don't suppose I came a bad time, did I?"
Kova glanced up at the new arrival and offered an instinctive smile. "Oh, no. We're just, um..." She laughed even as she quickly edged behind the counter to push her daughter further from the scene of craziness. "If you'll just kinda stay over there for a bit... Ezra, right?" Not waiting for an answer, she crouched down and tried to unlock the back of the cabinet quickly.
Ezra went from gawking as he stood awkwardly at the very front of the shop closest to the door to smiling brightly. His entire posture seemed to shift and he fairly oozed charm. He always loved it when a woman remembered his name, even if they were merely acquaintances.
"Why yes," he replied in a smooth, warm tone, "And you... you're Kova, correct?" So perhaps there was a familiar face within the crowd.
Kova's head popped up over the counter at his words and she nodded. "Uh huh!" Then she dropped down again as she got the lock undone and slid the back open. "Okay, hon," she murmured. "Hang in there. We'll get you out."
Mystic's brow furrowed in concentration as he focused all of his attention upon the case before him. His eyes drifted half closed and what could be seen of them seemed to take on an eerie glow. Another darkness seemed to emanate from his very being, but was focused more on his hands itself. It was as though the dark black swirls upon his hands were drifting off of him to battle with the dark vine-like tendrils that had bound Savvy.
Kova's one hand seemed to rest on Savvy's shoulder while the other busied itself in the case, pushing away stones and bits of jewelry to better clear the spot. Her long fingers touched a milk-white bit of pretty carving and then delicately shoved aside a lump of glowing violet. "Hush, sweetie. Almost there. Mystic'll work it out."
And work things out, Mystic did. His dark hands gripped onto the black vines and with a little bit of focus, they dissipated, withering away like a plant that had been exposed too long to the sun. Nothing was damaged, and everything in the case remained largely untouched save for what Kova herself had moved out of the way.
'I'm sorry, Savvy,' the elder shadow replied with a small frown wrinkling his brow, 'I did not think about the spells Athan had cast.'
Once free, the little shadow skittered back to her bond sulkily to be dragged away by both her bond and Rinsei. The entire group of girls looked quite put out, but Mystic knew it would be Savvy that would remain most irritated. He would have to find a way to make it up to her.
Delilah stood on tiptoe to wave to the departing girls and then, tilting her head, she slipped back around the display case to stand closer to Mystic. Her bright eyes studied him curiously even as she neatly laced her fingers together to keep from reaching out to touch him. She had learned on her own that touching was impolite sometimes; it was certainly something that her tactile mother never would have thought to teach.
In the meantime, Kova sighed heavily and shook her head. "Oh, that was... Well, I guess Mr. Athan is really, really protective of these pretties." She smiled at Ezra as she reached back into the case to withdraw a few items and inspect them for damage. The stones caught the light and flickered in her hands.
The redheaded man who had been watching tucked his folder under one arm and clapped a few times. His posture before had been pulled back, watching everything that was going on with a slightly uncertain expression on his face, that disappeared nearly immediately as he smiled his bright and charming smile at Kova and one briefly for her daughter.
"I can understand his feelings," he said. "Possessing something so truly lovely!"
His attention no longer focused upon Tsavorite, Mystic allowed his gaze to settle upon the small child near his side. He offered her a brief look that very well could have been a smile. The expression seemed to sour somewhat when he glanced away from the child and eyed Ezra warily. He wanted to say he had met him before, though he could not quite remember when or where. If they had met, it had been quite some time ago, and the man obviously had not made enough an impression for him to truly recall him specifically.
He did not have long to dwell on it, however, as he found himself once more drawn towards the case. His bright eyes widened in a look of surprise as a sudden surge of feeling swept over him. It was always like that when a stone awakened. It was a brief struggle, a breath of fresh air, and then freedom.
His gaze darted towards Delilah whom was still standing ever so close to him. Oh no. That would not do. A child should not have to cope with the whims of a shadow.
'Kova,' as he motioned for her over his shoulder, '.. it seems there is a gift here for you.'
"Hmm?" Blinking, Kova gently lowered the jewels in her hands to nestle in a length of black velvet. She looked over her shoulder to try and fathom Mystic's words. His face was unreadable, though, and so she merely followed his line of vision to peer back into the case. "What's for me?" she asked.
Delilah pointed. "Mommy, those look funny. I think Mystic means those." She glanced out the corner of her eyes at the Shadow as if looking for approval of her cleverness.
Unable to quite help himself, Ezra leant forward as well, looking towards what Delilah and Mystic both were gesturing to. His eyes widened behind his glasses, apparently genuinely shocked - this wasn't something you saw every day - before his expression changed back into surprised good humour. "My word! Are they meant to be doing that?"
Mystic showed no visible interest in acknowledging the other man's presence or even bothering to answer his questions. He was more concerned with getting the stone to Kova and quickly! He would not want to be held responsible by Athan if the stone attempted to bond to Delilah, and he did nothing to prevent that.
He reached into the case and retrieved the intricately carved White Opal that was skittering and twirling about. He cupped it in his hands carefully and resisted the urge to clamp his hands down around it when he felt another jolt of something.
It wasn't entirely uncommon for a single awakening to work like a domino effect, but typically Athan was around to handle the situation. It was in the case on the opposite side of the room from where they stood. He could feel the darkness surge and surround it before the stone itself clinked daintily against the glass in an attempt to be free of its pristine cage.
'Take this,' he murmured distantly as he all but shoved the stone towards Kova before he floated over towards the other case in a diving motion. 'Do not touch that stone, Miss Delilah. It would be best,' he warned.
Kova gasped at the rough gesture and her long-fingered hands instinctively closed tight around the opal. Something seemed to surge through her palms in a sudden, pushing pulse and her dark eyes went huge as she tried to hold tighter. "Delly, do what Mystic says," she whispered.
"But... It's a pretty..." Delilah trailed off as she watched her mother's skin go a paler shade of purple and bit her lip before nodding. "Yes, Mommy. 'Cause it's Mystic and he knows things," she agreed. Once more knotting her hands in front of her, she turned her gaze towards the Fiend. Watching the way her mother had begun to tremble a bit worried her but she trusted Mystic. She supposed she did, at least. "Be careful, Mr. Ezra," she suggested
How cute it was of the little girl to worry about him! Usually it would have been fodder for a wiseass comment, but Delilah was fairly sweet, and so she was given one of Ezra's extra-charming smiles before he was distracted again with watching the stone intently. The room didn't reek of magic so much as it stank of it now, dizzyingly so. "I think I'll be quite all right," he said. "Don't worry your pretty little head."
Mystic felt sick to his stomach. He wasn't entirely certain why, as awakenings had never made him feel ill before. He was simply thankful he did not truly have a stomach. There would be no vomiting involved, only the repulsive feeling of unending nausea. Somehow that was better, though he wasn't entirely certain how.
His hands, usually so deft and swift, were slightly clumsy as he fumbled with the case before freeing the amethyst stone that was click-clinking against the glass, determined to be freed it seemed even if it meant potentially harming itself in the process.
That was when he felt it. It was unmistakable.
The purple stone and that of White Opal seemed to be vying for attention, competing. It was like being hit by wave after wave of jealousy. It was no wonder why both Kova and Mystic looked a shade paler than usual.
He gripped the stone with both hands regardless before turning his eyes upon Ezra. He did not want to give the stone to him, but there was no other option. He certainly could not put that sort of strain on his bond with Reyna and Delilah was a child. He had no other options.
'... and a gift for you, it seems.'
Even as Delilah pouted that she had not been chosen to receive the stone, Kova exhaled in relief. She had no idea why she would feel a sudden loosening but the thought of the amethyst, beautiful as it was, being anywhere near her made her want to scream and break things.
It scared her a bit; she never broke things. Well, not on purpose.
The stone in her hands seemed to throb, though, and she brought it automatically to her chest to hold it to her sternum. She watched Ezra with wide eyes to see if he would accept the stone.
For a moment Ezra was still; and then he smiled, nearly beatifically so, as he reached out and took the stone. For him, taking the stone was apparently as instinctive as it had been for Kova, fingers wrapping around it tightly and shutting its glow out from everyone else. He cupped it in his palms and looked at it, over and over again.
"If this is a gift, who do I thank?" he said flippantly. "'Never 'twere true beauty till this night,' I think. All of my compliments to the artist."
Mystic look tired, yet utterly relieved when the stone was no longer in his hands. It bonded itself quickly to Ezra without even a moment of hesitation. White Opal, it seemed, followed suit and completed the half formed bond to Kova as though it had finally resigned itself to its fate.
'Your compliments should be reserved for Athan,' Mystic managed. His eyes looked darker than usually and he pointedly stared down Ezra, but he did not have the energy to muster any further remarks. The ones running rampantly through his mind were not so nice.
"Athan," Kova whispered. The opal in her hands had finally stopped vibrating but the tall woman looked even more upset suddenly. "Oh, stars an' black holes an'..." She caught herself before she could fully complete the curse, aware of her daughter's sudden intent focus upon her. She attempted a lopsided smile. "Mystic, hon, is Athan gonna kill me for this one?"
"As I said, all compliments to the artist," Ezra said easily, still clutching the stone. A few strands of red had fallen down around his face as he examined his new prize. "So the missing and indomitable Athan. -- Why, Kova, who could ever be angry at you? It wasn't as though anything that happened here was your fault! Am I correct?"
Begrudgingly Mystic acknowledged Ezra's statement in an effort to console Kova. 'That is true. Athan would not be angry with you by any means,' he offered as he relaxed enough to stand upon his human feet and casually leaned back against the jewelry case, 'If anything, he ought to thank you for... your assistance.'
"I'm still going to apologize." She brought her hands down and opened them to peer more closely down at the stone. A slow, sweet smile appeared on her face, though, as the reassurance sunk in and she relaxed. "It's gorgeous," she murmured. "All swirls an' flowers." Lowering her hands further, she allowed Delilah to peek. "See, Delly? It's a flower like you."
Delilah considered this for a moment. "Except I'm a prettier color," she offered mildly.
This made Ezra laugh out loud; he had pulled his hankerchief out of his pocket and was wrapping up the stone before tucking it safely away somewhere else on his person. "You're going to have quite a time when that little mite grows up," he said cheerfully. "She knows exactly what she's worth!"
Mystic slowly floated over towards Delilah to settle at her side. 'You are lovely,' he agreed and gently petted at her hair. He did not say anything further though he did turn towards Ezra, once more making an allowance to acknowledge his presence.
'... I believe you were here to see my guardian, Reyna. She is not available. I think it would be best if you returned at a later date,' he replied, Yes, that's where he had seen or heard of him before. He was an artist as well. His gaze shifted towards Kova. 'I think... Athan would not protest to closing shop a little early. Given the circumstances.'
He personally needed to rest. As did Kova.
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