Welcome to Gaia! ::

Tera paused at the top of the ruined stone steps to look out over the yard before her, the broken cobblestones of the path leading to the house nearly overrun by crabgrass and weeds. The tiny red mouse, currently curled in the curve of her ear, chittered softly, and she reached up a finger to stroke his fur soothingly. "Don't worry, Squish. I'm not turning back."

It had been surprising earlier when the Pixamouse had shown up on her kitchen table, squeeking pitifully about how ZDT needed to see her. As much as the others had protested, Tera had immediately left, refusing to let any of them come with her. Miz for one hadn't said anything other than voicing his opinion that returning to ZDT's place was nothing short of suicidal; it had been Maq who had complained the loudest, insisting he be able to go with her. In the end, she had charged him with watching after the others in the House, though she could tell by the expression in his eyes that he knew it was nothing more than busy work.

Now here she was, staring at the only place in Gaia she had visited before, when she was merely the Lady's Sword. The yard was untouched by the snow that cloaked the rest of the world, though the vegetation therein was withered, blackened almost beyond recognition. The house itself loomed crookedly, reaching towards the sky and casting the shattered path in perpetual shadows that curved like talons across the yard, as if reaching for Tera, lusting for her life...

Shuddering suddenly, she shook that image from her mind, then took the step that started her towards the house. Squish gave one last chitter, then jumped out of her ear and scuttled down her shirt, before leaping into the dead grass and disappearing. Tera figured he had gone ahead, to let ZDT know that she was coming up the walk. The thought made her smile; she had never imagined that ZDT would take so well to pets of her own, at least not the gentle furrier ones. Or that said pets would not make a run for safety, given the house they were living in. There was a rumble overhead, and as Tera looked skyward, she saw that one of the wrought-iron stairwells that clung to the side of the house had twisted away, and was even now shifting backwards, arching towards a turret some stories above it.

Oh, good. The Lesn be active. That thought disturbed her, since there were a limited number of things that caused di'Lesn to wake, few of them pleasant. When the stairwell slammed into the turret, it sent down a shower of plaster and brick, clouding the air. The turret rattled, as if in protest, and it was remarkable that Tera was able to make out the opening of the front door through the din. Making her way quickly up the steps to the covered porch, she had just barely managed to clear the shredded screen when there was a sharp whistle of metal flying through the air, and a tortured length of iron slammed into one of the cobblestones on the path, shattering it into oblivion.

"Chute 1, Ladder 0." The figure standing in the doorway snickered, then shifted from one foot to the other as Tera shot a glare in her direction. Lifting pale shoulders in a shrug, ZDT snapped her fingers, then trounced back into the darkness of the front hall.

Tera sighed, then followed the other woman inside. "You know that was one of your towers, not a chute, right?"

"What-EVER." Dancing on one foot, she nimbly avoided the table that stood against the wall, and instead collided into one of the light fixtures on the opposite side of the hall. Despite the sudden scent of blood that filled the small space between them, Tera knew better than to ask if ZDT had been hurt; the other woman would claim to be fine, even if her arm were off.

Instead, Tera reached out to where she knew the dial for the lights was, slowly twisting it to turn up the gas and subtly light the hall. ZDT was now weaving slightly, one arm clamped against her side. Ignoring the scant droplets that dotted the floorboards, Tera asked, "What's gotten into di'Lesn?"

Giving a twitter of laughter, ZDT pressed against first one door, and then another. "Yooou have a visitoor." Her teeth flashed brightly in the gloom, and the third door she pressed against swung open.

Passage through the Gate was definitely something that would awaken the Lesn, but that still didn't tell whether it was a good thing or not. There were few that Tera could think of that even knew of the Gate, and of those, none would ever have a pleasant reason to use it. Liking this little, she passed ZDT, who had pressed herself against the wall just outside the door. It would be futile, after all, to attempt to get a straight answer as to who was here to see her.

The surprise Tera felt, therefore, was much deeper, and a little more despairing, when she saw who waited for her in the room.

Breathe, girl. Come on now. "Impossible." Tera's voice was hoarse when she responded, though she did not turn around. Instead, she focused on the hallway outside the door, the cracked and tattered still life that hung on the wall across from her. Her heart was a heavy beast, beating dully within her chest, while the hollow ache in her abdomen, brought forth by the memories she was forcefully shoving away, reminded her of what she had once done to herself. In the name of the Lady.

"Impossible or not, it's who he said he was." There was the scrape of wood against wood as Anwahs shifted in her chair. The reluctance to inflict this on her granddaughter was apparent in her voice, but she knew what she had to do. "Please, Teralin, come sit down. I can get Hellene to make us some tea..."

Turning away from the doorway, dazed, Tera looked once more at her grandmother. One step, two, brought her close to the table once more, before the name had a chance to filter through the haze brought on by the first spoken revelation. "She... told you her real name?" Her astonishment must have been plain to see, for it made Anwahs smile once more.

"No. I just remembered that all the daughters of this house are named that." Rapping hard on the table top with her knuckles, Anwahs glanced at a side door just in time to see ZDT scuttle in through it. Tera looked over as well, trying to assimilate the unusual manner in which ZDT greeted Anwahs' summons.

The stringy blonde made a clumsy curtsey, her hands grasping thin air to either side of her narrow hips. "Zee Dark Tera answers, yes? What wishes zee guest? Hmmmm?" She spoke in a higher pitch than usual, softly girlish with a shrill undertone. Skipping to one side, she came around Anwahs, then pressed close to the other woman's chair, the scarf around her neck twitching and stretching away from the furniture. Tera couldn't make out her expression, as ZDT was still wearing both said scarf and her mask, despite the darkness of the room.

Nodding towards Tera, Anwahs simply said, "She'd like some tea." There was a long silence as ZDT waited, motionless, apparently standing on one leg from the way Tera could see she was swaying sideways, but when nothing else was forthcoming, ZDT nodded vigorously and dashed away backwards, out yet another door. Whether that door had been in place when Tera had originally entered she could not say, as she was still trying to catch her bearings. Once ZDT had disappeared, Anwahs turned back towards Tera, sighing softly. "I really don't see why that of all things comes as a shock to you. You're still an active young woman..."

Shaking her head, Tera lifted a hand to stop her grandmother from continuing. She'd listen to this imposter's words, yes, but she certainly wouldn't discuss anything with Anwahs; Tera wasn't even certain she could bring herself to put her thoughts into words. "Just tell me what he said, and make it quick. I'd rather not be here when ZDT gets back with that 'tea'."

"Fine. Short and to the point." Anwahs took a moment to consider what would be the key points of her news, before starting. "This man who claimed to be your son, said he is from a time in your future, though not so distant from now." As the mismatched eyes of Tera stared at her, Anwahs' hair shifted again, changing to an auburn mohawk. "He said that he had finally found you after years of searching, and..."

Finally, the haze was fading from her mind, causing Tera to be once more aware of her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was how Anwahs' hands were now on the table, fingers twined together tightly enough to make the knuckles white. When Anwahs paused, despite her reservations against doing so, Tera prompted, "'And...'?"

Taking a deep breath to fortify herself, Anwahs finished, "He said he had managed to kill you."

Tera laughed shortly. Could that really be it? Someone with a death vendetta against her? If she had a bit of gold for every person who wished her dead, she'd have enough to purchase all of Gaia. "Well, if that's all, I guess I can go."

"You think he's a crank." It was a statement more than a question, for Anwahs knew how Tera's mind worked. "He's not, Teralin. I swear it. I wouldn't have come all this way if he were."

Standing up, Tera laughed again. "I know, gre'Tanqe. Unless you wanted to play another one of your tricks on me."

"Damn it, girl! Would you listen for once in your life?" Her chair tumbled backwards as Anwahs rose swiftly, hands slapping down on the table. Glaring up at Tera, who was a good foot and a half taller, she hissed out, "I know he's not a crank. He spoke of your Feien."

"So what?" Tera shrugged. "Like everyone in the Realms don't already know about the two of them."

The smile that crossed Anwahs' face was dark, sinister, and eerily reminiscent of those Tera wished she could forget. "Two, yes. Before he was able to get to you, he said, you were down to two." As if echoing Tera's thoughts, Anwahs' hair grew lengthy, a midnight blue in hue. "Down to two from three."

Tera was starting to think that she might be better off hearing out everything Anwahs had to say, and dismissing it as a whole when the older woman was done. It seemed like every time she got ready to leave, Anwahs sprung another surprise on her; this time, the bit about three Feien. Tera knew damn well that word had not gotten out about her soon-to-arrive third bloom, so there was no way Anwahs could have known about that. Unless... Damn her and her timejumping. Jaw setting, Tera curled her fingers into loose fists. "So this man, whoever he said he is, said he killed one of my Feien?"

"No, no, not like that." Anwahs shook her head, her eyes swirling dizzily. "What he said was that when he came to you, you had recently lost one of your three." Suddenly she seemed to be very interested in the state of her nails, holding her arm out and admiring them from that distance. "But I thought you didn't want to hear about it."

"Something threatens my charges, I want to hear about it." Tera's eyes had narrowed dangerously, as she really didn't feel like putting up with any games. "Saying one of my Feien is going to die is pretty damn close to a threat."

The sudden sound of shattering ceramics drew both women's attention to the doorway that ZDT had exited through earlier, where they found the strange one herself, jaw gaping at them as she stood among the broken shards of a teapot and the urine-colored puddle that had once been its contents.

"ZDT?" Concerned, Tera began to take a step towards the woman, but stopped when the house gave a great, unearthly shake. The woman was agitated, obviously, and the house was beginning to reflect that. Tera knew she had to get ZDT calmed down quickly. "It's just us, remember? Anwahs and Tera. You were bringing us tea."

ZDT's arm shot out, one bony finger shoved in Anwahs' direction. When she spoke, her voice was coarse and booming. "YOU THREATEN ZEE FEIEN TYPE PERSONS OF Tera?" There was a crack as the chair that Anwahs had knocked over slid across the room and crashed into the far wall, the house rumbling again threateningly.

Oh, crap. "No, that's not what she said." This was going to get really ugly, really fast, Tera could tell. Either distract ZDT or--

Anwahs groaned. "Oh, forget it. She's a nut, Tera. Let her think what she wants." Anwahs lifted one hand over her head and added, "I guess we'll just have to finish this conversation later." With a snap of her fingers, Anwahs vanished, leaving Tera to deal with the mess she had made.

As she moved through the almost silent house, Tera curled her fingers protectively around the contents of her hand. It seemed to be unduly heavy for something so small, but she realized that she could simply be perceiving it that way. Stop it, she scolded herself. Stop projecting your discomfiture onto the innocent. The stairwell seemed strangely narrow, and she took a deep breath to steady her nerves, continuing forward purposefully.

It was fortunate that her room was almost directly across from the top of the stairs, as it saved her the hassle of having to pass any other doorway on the second floor. Tera was slightly startled, having thought the rest of the house to be asleep, when she started to enter her room and a small weight settled onto her left shoulder. Restraining the instinctive reaction to swat the weight away, she finished walking through the door, and was relieved that she had not done so when the one on her shoulder first spoke.

"You are up late tonight." Quantel's voice was soft, and probably would have been missed entirely, had she not been directly beside Tera's ear. Spreading her wings for balance, one of the appendages brushed the side of Tera's neck.

Shivering at the touch, closing the door behind herself, Tera stood there quietly, not wanting to turn on a light quite yet and expose what she carried. "Aii; I was out picking something up."

The Feien could barely make out a general shape in Tera's hand, but could tell little else visibly. Extending her power to probe it, she could tell what it was. She kept the bitterness from her voice the next time she spoke. "I am surprised that Maquinar did not wait for you to get back before retiring for the night."

"He didn't know I was out." Finally she began to cross the room, though still she did not turn on the light. Though it felt almost like a betrayal to have not let Maq know she was leaving, much less what she was going to do, she told herself that it was nothing more than a way to surprise him. It was not as if she were planning on hiding this from him.

That shocked Quantel slightly. She had thought the two of them to be so closely bonded that they knew each other's every whereabouts. Her eyes were still on the object in Tera's hand, and as the woman stepped closer to the desk, the moonlight that entered the room through the window struck it, curving over its surface. Quantel inhaled sharply, having not have trusted her senses completely when they had first told her that the bloom was in fact a bloom.

Not knowing how to take Quantel's reaction, Tera finished walking to the desk, pulling the chair out so that she could seat herself. The bloom she placed gently on the surface of the desk, on top of one of the stacks of paper there. The moonlight played over it, casting strange shadows. Guilt began to well up inside her, and she once again questioned her decision not to tell the two before she brought the bloom home. "I'm sorry, Quantel. I just didn't know how to tell you or Maq..."

Barely hearing the words as they tumbled from Tera, Quantel stared intently at the bloom. Her desire to breed with Maquinar had stemmed from a desire to be present for a bloom's emergence, to be able to influence from the first day of its existence. And here... Here was a bloom. It was as if it were a sign that her efforts would not be in vain. Suddenly realizing that Tera sounded as if she were apologizing for something, Quantel reached out a hand to touch the blond hair that fell near where she stood. "It is all right, Tera." The irritation she had felt from the moment she had first heard Tera's footsteps on the stairs, disturbing her sleep, had faded away into something that could possibly be called affection. Funny how the beginning of the realization of one's dreams made one feel so much more compassionate to the pain of others.

"So... You're fine with it?" Tera wasn't sure why she was asking that question; she had no reason to think that Quantel wouldn't be.

"Of course." Lifting up from Tera's shoulder, she flew down to the desk and landed close to the bloom. She smiled softly as a shadow from one of its thorns fell across her foot. "Why would I not be?"

Good question. "I know you don't interact much with the other Feien." As she took in the sight of the tiny female standing beside the bloom, Tera felt something relax inside her chest. "I haven't seen any of your friends around lately, and you barely speak to Maq. I guess I was just worried that you would feel..."

Quantel wasn't certain she wanted to hear Tera finish that sentence. "Maquinar and I are very different." Setting her features into a careful mix of wistfulness and regret, she looked up at Tera. "The few friends I had made have either moved, or passed on." Her lower lip trembled ever so slightly before she turned her attention back to the bloom.

"Oh, Quantel. I had no idea." Tera had heard that a number of Feien had died from neglect during the time they were gone, or had left the area with their bonds, but she didn't know who those Feien were or if Quantel and Maq had known them. She suddenly felt horrible for Quantel. Maq was so energetic, so outgoing, that it was obvious he made friends easily. Tera could identify with that, easily, but her experience with others helped her to see Quantel's side, the side of one who was not so easily accepted. Softly, she said, "Perhaps this new Feien will not be so different."

Quantel merely nodded, then stretched out a hand hesitantly, as if she wanted to touch the bloom, but was afraid to. Tera gently reached and shifted the bloom's position, so that the spines were away from Quantel. Taking that to be permission, Quantel laid her hand against a leaf, smoothing her fingers over it. She wanted whatever grew inside to know her immediately, to recognize her intimately.

Feeling as if she were intruding on something, Tera scooted her chair back. "I'm going to go to bed now, Quantel. You watch over the bloom for me tonight, and wake me up if you need anything." She brought a hand towards her mouth, feeling the lack of sleep for the last several days finally catching up with her. "We'll tell Maq in the morning about our new addition."

"All right." Things were getting better and better with every passing moment. So as not to appear too eager to be alone with the bloom, Quantel looked up to watch Tera as she stood, yawning, and headed for the bed. She continued to watch until her Bond was safely tucked beneath the sheets, before turning back to the bloom. She smiled again, smoothing her hands once more over the leaves and petals of the bloom.

"Worry not, little one," she crooned softly, eyes glittering darkly in the moonlight. "I will always be watching you..."

13 Jan 05

Another bloom. Despite what she said to Anwahs back in the Realms, about me and Q being plenty, Tera brought home another bloom, and left it where Q could get at it. No, scratch that, she left it with Q. She didn't tell me anything about it, and left it with Q all night long. So there was Q when I came in, slick as s**t through a goose, petting all over the bloom. The bloom I had no idea was even coming. The bloom now Bonded with Tera.

Is that why I flipped out? I don't even remember really what I was thinking at that time. All I know is that I looked at Q with that bloom, and I thought of her and that dog of hers, Hanel, the way she whispers to it and the way it looks up at her as if she were the best thing that ever happened to it... It creeps me out. She shouldn't be allowed near anything still too young to know right from wrong. But I think I overreacted. Tera said as much, at least, and said that I should probably hold off from hanging around the bloom until after it emerged. She said something about how I had almost stepped on Q's bloom a couple of times before. I don't know if she really thinks I'd accidentally do something to the bloom, but I know she's majorly disappointed in me. I can feel it every time she looks at me, and it makes my stomach flip.

This is bullshit. I don't know what Q is up to, or how she managed to pull this one off, but I've come out as the bad guy this time around. I've got to find out some way to let Tera know that Q can't be trusted to care for the bloom properly, anymore than the kook ZDT could with the rest of our Housemates. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. I need someone who can back me up. Someone who won't fall for Q's crap like everyone else seems to.

I think I need to talk to Ursa again.

The red and tan hunk of flesh that was Maq flew in through the window, heading straight for the item case. A small roll of paper was clenched in one hand, his eyes narrowed with a purpose. If he had to be here, after all, running errands for Q, he'd damn well make it quick.

Unrolling the now crumpled paper, Maq peered at the neatly formed words written on it. A frown creased his brow, and he glanced back up at the items in the case. "What the ******** does a bloom need a rapier for?" he muttered under his breath.

Flitting in through the door, Rene alighted on a table, not bothering to take a look around. Searching the tabletop, she looked for the address that had been written down for her a couple of nights ago. She'd remembered most of it, but not all, and was here for the rest of it, so she could tell her bond, so they'd have it for whenever.

"Oh come on. Where'd it go..." So intent was she on finding the tiny handwriting, that she didn't notice the other fairy also in the shop.

Just as Maq was beginning to roll the paper back up, his attention was caught by the flash of color that had suddenly entered the shop. Turning in that direction, he blinked. Orange? Was that possibly Neruo over there? The items in the case momentarily forgotten, Maq lifted off from there to head over in the newcomer's direction.

It was only when he was almost upon her that he realized that no, it wasn't Neruo. It was actually a female Feien. A rather attractive one at that, for a juvi. A broad grin lit his face as he landed. "Well, hello there. You look like you've lost something." One hand landed idly on his hip as he spoke. "Need some help?"

Suddenly startled by the appearance of a voice, as well as a body that accompanied the voice, Rene nearly fell over. You'd think she'd get used to such appearances, as that's all she'd encountered so far. "I uhh... Well, to be perfectly honest, yes. I have lost something. Somewhere on this table, if I remember correctly, is a bright pink feien's address. Hitomi, I believe her name was." She pondered a moment, then nodded. "Yes. Hitomi was her name. I remembered most of the address, but forgot the last little bit, and came back to retrieve it so my friend could write it down. However... I cant seem to find it now."

Rene wasn't above having someone help, and she nodded again. "Help, would be most appreciated. I believe there's a saying that says... 4 eyes are better than 2?" Frowning slightly, the fairy hoped that she'd said that right. "At least, I think that's what it was..."

"Too bad I don't know this Hitomi, or I'd just tell you how to get there myself," he drawled, starting to look around as well. A Feien sized scrap of paper on this table wouldn't be easy to spot, especially if it had managed to get blown off entirely. Pointing a finger upward, Maq looked back up at her with a raised brow. "Have you tried getting an arial view? Might be easier that way."

Part of him really wanted to see her in flight. Those wings of hers... They looked almost as useless for flying as his own were.

While her own wings weren't exactly the most practical for flying, they served their purpose, as long as she flapped them about as fast as a hummingbird. Now, the actual speed of a hummingbird's flapping wasn't exactly matchable, but the equivalent for would suffice for a comparision. Fluttering them slowly, she pondered his idea.

"That might work, although I think it would be harder. She wrote it on the table itself, instead of something easily portable, so I'm afraid it might have been....wiped away?" Rene was pretty sure the whole idea was a lost cause. It wasn't like she wasn't going to see Hitomi again, but she felt kind of responsible for having not been able to remember the entire address as she'd planned on doing.

On the table itself? Now that was a weird place to write something. "Guess that leaves out the address having blown off somewhere, eh?" He chuckled, the sound rumbling deep in his scarred chest. Taking a closer look at the table, he tried to figure out if he spotted anything that remotely resembled writing.

"I think, even if it wasn't wiped away, it's pretty much lost." Maq motioned to the wide expanse of wood around them, before his hand lifted up to run through his hair, sending the whole vibrant mass standing on end. "Maybe you'll run into her again."

It is a warm day outside and cool breezes blow through the shop. Along with the breezes a cheerful looking tickle-me-pink colored Feien. Her abilities hinder her from flying very well so she seems to fly more like a butterfly. Her body leads the way while her large feathered wings flap behind her sporradically and with small bursts of energy. She alights on a table to rest a moment before venturing around the shop again.

Aria flew into the shop, singing softly to herself. She wanted to get some more cloth, to make some beds for all the pets they had running around. There were so many and Rynn hadn't had the time.

Spying two familar red/orange feien, she grinned. Maq was there! She dove down, hovering behind him, putting her hands over his eyes. "Guess who?"

Nodding solemnly, Reneeka resigned herself to having been careless and lost it. But she also knew this feien was right, and that she'd see Hitomi again, so it wasn't such a horrible loss. "You're right. I'm sure I'll see her again."

It wasn't till a moment later that it hit her. "Mercy me, where are my manners. I apologize. Here we are, having a conversation, and I haven't introduced myself. My name is Reneeka." A flash from her previous encounters, namely with Ian, reminded her to extend her hand out for a friendly shake.

Something out of the corner of her eye looked rather familiar, but Rene knew her manners mattered at the moment, if only to herself, so she didn't turn to look quite yet.

She was quite surprised when yet another familar blur appeared behind her current company. Waving a little to Aria, Rene smiled warmly.

First the arrival of a bright pink flutter, and now... Reaching up a hand to cover those over his eyes, he ran his fingers along the shape of the digits, then up one wrist and over Aria's forearm. "Hmm... I'm going to have to guess..." His fingers tarried momentarily over the inside of her elbow before he grinned. "Aria?"

This was good. Two relatively well-adjusted adults here to talk things out with a pair of juvies. Much better them than other Feien Maq could think of. Of course, with his eyes covered like this, he missed Reneeka offering her hand.

Hitomi peered out the windows hoping she'd lost it. After getting home extremely late last night Mamma saw fit to buy her a set of Sprockets. Or as Hitomi liked to call them, Watchdogs. Even though they bore no resemblance to dogs in anyway. She had just turned to fly towards the other group when she hears the familiar buzz of the Watchdog that was sent to follow her around for the day. The almost translucent misty grey shell of the Air Sprocket comes whooshing through the window just after her. Hitomi rolled her baby blue eyes and took off floyings towards the group, two of which she recognized. "Hello Everyone!"

Aria giggled, letting go of Maq's eyes and waving to Reneeka. "Hi!" She said, coming around front, and landing. The caress in her elbow felt good, way good, but there were too many other feien about. "Hi Reneeka, Hitomi!"

She grinned up at Maq, her eyes sparkling. Had he been alone...well, she would suggest a snug off on a shelf or something. But with the children, that was out of the question.

Reneeka glanced down at her untaken hand, then to his eyes being covered and quickly retracted her hand, blushing. "Hello Aria!" Another voice joined them and she turned to greet it as well. "Hello Hitomi! We were...sort of just talking about you! Though I assure you it was all good."

Turning back to the rest of the feien, Reneeka observed them all. It was becoming apparent to her that none were alike. In color, shape, size, or demeanor. Not that that was a bad thing or anything. Just a simple observation she'd made so far.

"So all you lovely ladies have already met?" Maq laughed, as he wrapped a friendly arm around Aria's shoulders. "Good, good. Strength in numbers, and all that."

As he took in the two youngters, his fingers unconciously tightened on the roll of paper in his hand, forgotten. "Guess you two need to know who I am... Maquinar's the name, but you're free to call me Maq."

The door to the shop was opened and there was all most immediately growling noises heard from the entrance. Kojak came in, all most a roll in the air as he twisted to look around at Wren. He was getting a hang of the flying thing, even if he wasn't all that fast.

"Look, Kojak," the blue totetsu in Wren's arms squirmed and growled, trying to get free, "you stay here while I try to get Ripper a collar and a lead." At the mentioning of a collar, the totetsu started to squirm more. "... before he bites somebody else's arm off," he muttered quietly, before speaking louder, "take care of yourself. I'll be back, okay?"

"Okay. I'll be fine." Kojak nodded his head, happy that Wren was too distracted by the beast in his arms to be worried about him. Then again, at least the thing wasn't trying to eat him like it had some. He turned back around after the door shut and let his attention drift over to the others in the shop. He knew two of those present at least, but one reminded him of the painting Hitomi showed him. So, of course, he started to head that direction.

Aria grinned, wrapping an arm around Maq's waist. "Yep, we met last night, the night or so before..." She trailed off, seeing Kojak and his bond enter. "Hey! Nice to see you again so soon!" She waved him over, grinning.

She glanced up at Maq, not noticing the paper in his hand. "Hey, Maq, you know I got a near twin? I never caught her name last night though...." She trailed off, feeling a little uneasy again. That one had really raised some selfdoubt in her, but she shrugged it off. Most other feien seemed pleasent and she wasn't about to let her near twin ruin it for her.

Hitomi clasps her hands behind her back and rocks on the balls of her feet and smiles widely. "Really? I've only been back for a few days and already the talk of the town!" She looked to Maq as he introduced himself, "It's nice to meet you!"

As she heard the door open she leaned back to look and see who else was comming in. A busy day at the shop! She saw the fluffy swirls of black and yellow and smiled, "Hello Kojak!!"

His name was Maq. It seemed to fit him rather well, though Rene wasn't one to be a good judge of how names fit with their owners. But it was definately a name she could remember, and that's all that mattered right?

Peering around, the feien caught sight of yet another fairy nearing them, a different one than rest. This one was dark skinned, as she was, but he just seemed different somehow. She liked his hair though. It was poofy. Looked like it was probably pretty soft. But she pried her attention from the newcomer. It seemed rude to just stare, and she didn't want to seem rude to anyone.

All this time, Aria's conversation was lost on her. Rene hadn't heard a word of it at all. But Hitomi's bright voice greeting the newcomer brought Rene out of her silence, if only enough to make her appear like she'd been listening the whole time, instead of thinking.

"Near twin?" The idea struck something in Maq, but he wasn't qute able to figure out what. "You've got a near twin?"

The arrival of yet another juvi made Maq wonder if there had been some sort of meeting announcement that he'd missed last time he was here. The faint furrow that had begun to creep over his face at the "near twin" issue smoothed as he smiled at the newcomer, and a male at that. Would that mean there'd be some competition now? Damn, but Maq hoped so. He was aching for a good fight.

"Hitomi, Aria, hello." Kojak finally reached his destination, still hovering a bit to get in a little more practice with his flying. He smiled at the both of them, that charming smile. "It's good to see you two again."

Of course, he eventually did land and a smile was given in the direction of the other two. Particularly since it looked like the other one had been paying attention to him. His tail swished from side to side before curling around his leg briefly.

His gaze focused on the other male, the first one that he had seen, and he peered at him intently for a moment before looking to the other girl -- the brightly colored one. "Kojak's my name, and it's a pleasure to meet you two." Of course, he meant the new he didn't know. ( Apparently manners when it came to introductions was the one thing Wren got into his brain so far. )

Hitomi felt her face flush again and she suddenly got very jittery again. She was feeling fine just a moment ago. She sprocket that followed her in apparently felt the change of emotion and whirred a bit closer to her. Hitomi snapped her head to look at it and it seemed to back off a bit. "Hello Kojak, it's great to see you again." She looked to Aria, "And you too. I had fun last night meeting you guys!"

Aria nodded, frowning as she recalled Q. "She's shorter than I am, not by much though. Long blue hair, large blue dragon wings, her marking are blue, like mine, but circles." Of course Aria would refer to her wings as dragon wings and not bat. "She never told me her name, but she had the prettiest bloom with her...kinda friendly, but not, you know?"

She glanced up at him, nuzzling in close. She hoped this near twin wouldn't come and take her Maq from her. Well, Maq wasn't actually hers, but she liked thinking he was. Other than Ian, there really wasn't others she was sort close too.

"My name is Reneeka." Nodding towards Kojak, she acknowledged his name, staring at him maybe a little too long, but with innocent intent. So she could put a name with a face later on. Though she did happen to notice his tail and pondered about that for a moment....

Aria's description of another feien caught her attention, and she listened carefully. So far she hadn't encountered any such feien, but it would be good to know what others might be out there.

The strangest thing happened then, at least for anyone who had ever known Maq. As realization dawned on him, his bright orange eyes narrowed, blazing almost dangerously. This was the only emotion that showed, however, while his smile slipped away to near nothingness. He spoke softly, more of Aria's benefit than any of the others. "That would have been Quantel."

Humming Beethoven's Ninth, Emperial wandered into the shop as if her presence there was somehow a happy accident. This could not have been further from the truth.

Nestled into her hand and trembling almost violently from cold and fear, Luun began to doubt that he could go through with this. Not that he'd thought he could in the first place. Emperial had insisted.

"You want to do a breeding?" she had said. "Then we'll go to the shop and find two feien to help you. Everything'll be just fine!"

And Luun dearly, dealy wished he could believe her, but as he began to make out the noise of feien voices he only wanted to crawl deep down into Emperial's shirt and bury himself there where no one would find him.

Instead, Emperial called out a greeting to the other feien, mindful to shield Luun lest the little fellow faint. "Afternooon everyone!"

Aria looked at him, blinking. She was a little unnerved by his expression. "You know her?" she asked, her voice soft in return. Judging by his expression, she wasn't one he liked.

Looking up as she saw the shop owner enter, she grinned. "Hi Em!"

It looked like the two adults were focused on one another and Kojak only spared them a brief glance before letting them be. They looked attached to one another, in some way.

Seeing the flush on Hitomi's face, he did his best to not grin widely, but briefly looked curiously at the thing that was hovering about her. "It was fun. Particularly to get out of the house." Kojak shook his head before focusing on Reneeka. So she was the one that Hitomi had painted in the picture. "You're Reneeka? Hitomi spoke about you last night." A little bit, at least. She was brighter than he imagined, but it was cool.

Of course, at the sight of somebody else entering, he turned and looked towards them. His tail loosened and swished as he smiled in greeting, looking at the person curiously.

"Hello!" said Em, about to tack on Aria's name, only she had managed to forget it. "Maquinar, uhhh.... everyone."

Hitomi looked up as she saw someone MUCH larger than herself. It was defiantley a person like Mamma and Auntey Whitey, but this guy was different. Mamma had told her about this lady. She was in charge of the shop and she was the lady who saved the Feien. Hitomi fluttered up a bit higher, the lady had something in her hand and she wanted to know what it was. After fluttering abotu a foot higher Hitomi could see that it was a small boy who was a very pretty shade of blue. And he was shaking. She had hopes that he would come over and chat with them. It was always fun meeting new people.

Reneeka couldn't help but notice the change in Maq, and wondered why exactly he would react thusly to knowing whom Aria was speaking of. But she didn't want to pry, nor did he seem like he really wished to talk about it, so she wasn't going to be the one to implore futher on the subject.

Kojak wasn't the only one curious about the larger person entering. It wasn't like Rene hadn't seen other people similar to her bond, but this one held her interest for a moment before the fairy remembered that she'd been spoken to. "Hitomi spoke of me? I hope it was all good things." This time was Reneeka's turn to blush.

Spotting Em, Maq grinned again, Quantel momentarily forgotten. The chick didn't matter much, anyway. He lifted a hand in greeting. "Hey, Em! Long time no see!" Come to think of it, he couldn't remember having seen the woman since he grew. Guess his coloring made him easier for humans to remember, regardless of his size.

He nodded a bit to Aria, adding out of the corner of his mouth before he forgot, "Quantel is Tera's other Feien. You might want to steer clear of her."

Aria nodded, making a note of it. If Maq said to steer clear of her, she would. She trusted Maq. "I will," she said, smiling up to him, nuzzling into him. She wondered why Em was here, as she never seemed to be while Aria was. Maybe they had always missed each other.

"All good things and a painting of you she did," Kojak spoke to her, grinning and glancing at her out of the corner of his eye. He winked at her briefly before nodding his head towards Em -- since everyone was calling her that ( which meant was she the one that Wren and Halo had mentioned to him? ) -- as she looked just as curious as he was.

"Hello," Kojak said smoothly, still watching Em, and then looking up at Hitomi who was trying to get a flying feien's eye view of things it looked like.

"Say," said Emperial, addressing the gaggle of feien at large, "I'm looking for a pair of feien who might be interested in breeding. Does anyone know where I can find some?" In her cupped hands, Luun quaked and quivered, barely daring to even peek at the feien assemblage.

Oh my god... Aria thought. That's Ian and I!

"Em! I am wanting to breed! But Ianios is at home! It won't take me too long to go get him!" she cried out, unlatching herself from Maq. Granted, if Maq had asked, she'd have said yes in a heartbeat. But he hadn't, so she was going to go get Ian.

"I'll return shortly!" Launching herself from the countertop, she flew out the door, as fast as she could go.

Maq was damned glad now that Tera had made him go to the shop for Quantel. After her big speech about wanting to breed with him, she'd be all over Em at the moment, and another bloom was the last thing Q needed in her possession. After all, he was still coming up with ways to get the spiky thing away from her.

Aria, though. He was more than happy that now she was getting her chance. As she zipped away, he grinned widely. "She's been looking forward to this for a while now," he supplied for Em's benefit.

Hitomi strains to keep herself aloft as she ever so slowly drifts back down to the table. She quickly scampers back over to Reneeka and Kojak and smiles, "There's a little boy in her hand. He's blue. And he has no wings. He looks very scared."

"Wow," blinked Em, looking down at Luun. "That was easy." Luun whimpered something that might have been a word of agreement, but might have just been a random convulsion.

Em shrugged slightly and made her way around the counter to sit and await Aria's return.

"A painting of me? I'm quite flattered..." No one had ever done a painting of her before, but then too, it never occured to her that maybe the fact that she was a rather new face around here might have something to do with that.

Looking up towards the one called 'Em', Reneeka offered her own greetings. "Hello there." She was curious as well to know what was cupped in Em's hands, but didn't know if she should investigate. By the way the hands were held, it appeared that the person was protecting, in some way shape manner or form, whatever was in them. That alone told Rene that maybe she should just stay where she was, and she'd find out eventually, maybe.

Aria's zipping out of the room barely caught the brightly colored feien's attention though, as Hitomi returned to them. "A little boy? Very scared? Oh the poor thing!" Reneeka could sympathize with being really scared. She herself had been quite... frightened when she first came to the shop. "I do hope he's alright..."

Aria returned within a few minutes, actually exhausted. She had gotten home, explained things in a complete rush to Ian, then headed back out. Ian wasn't far behind her.Once she set down on the counter, he buzzed in. Aria's excitement had gotten to him as well. His heart was pounding so hard, he was sure everyone could hear it.

He landed down beside Aria, who was in the process of hugging Maq once again. "I''m going to have blooms!" she cried.

Ianios smirked. "Well, I'm here." He smiled at Em and waved. "Howdy!" He had heard from Aria on the flight over that she was shop owner and she could help them breed. It was finally happening. He hoped Cel was alright with this, where ever he was.

The mentioning of breeding was vaguely interesting to Kojak, never mind the response in brought out of Aria and the speed in which she disappeared. Of course, it was something he only thought about briefly before turning to look at Hitomi and Reneeka.

"Yes, it was bright, like you." Kojak grinned, looking at Hitomi as she touched back down and shared the information about which Em was hiding within her hands. Another feien? Another young boy like himself? Protecting him from them perhaps? It seemed that way since he hadn't been revealed and Hitomi mentioned shaking. Speaking of which ...

"Thanks for sharing, Hitomi." Kojak gave her another smile, but his eyes cut back to Em. He didn't know quite else what to say, but he nodded in agreement with Reneeka's words absently. Perhaps he wasn't fond of crowds?

Em smiled at the nearby feien but quickly turned her attention to Luun. "We're all done here, and we'll be back home soon," she murmured, storking Luun's back gently with her thumb. The motion did not seem to reassure him in the slightest.

Maq laughed and returned Aria's hug. "That's right! And I couldn't think of a better pair for it."

Aria grinned, smiling. "Thanks, Maq!" She hovered up a bit and kissed him. Then turning to Em, she grinned. "We're ready!"

Ianios nodded. "As we'll ever be!" he added, smiling.

"Breeding. Wow, Mamma said I shouldn't talk about that until I was older. This should be interesting." Her eyes wandered around as she blushed a bit.

"I did a painting of you Reneeka, but I left it at home. Maybe I'll bring it by next time and leave it here so I don't forget it again. And I'll write my address on the back so you can keep it and not forget. I forget a lot of stuff too so it's okay." After seeing Aria zip out and then quickly return with the plant boy she smiled. This must be the one she was blooming with.

"Well, let's head out then," said Em, standing back up and heading for the door. "Nice to see everyone! Have a nice day!" She would have waved, but to do so would deprive Luun of some of his protection.

Aria and Ianios followed, waving to the others. They couldn't wait for this! Both were grinning widely. "Bye!" called Aria as she flew out behind Em.

Maq waved as Aria left, then turned back to the case. He really needed to get these things for Q and get back, before Tera got to worried.

Slipping back inside after his run, Maq reflected in the quiet of the House while wiping sweat from hsi brow. For a place that housed literally hundreds of creatures, it never surprised him how silent everything was at this time in the morning. Almost like I'm the only one here...

He was starting to get that feeling a lot. It seemed like half the Feien populace had moved off to parts unknown, from what he had seen briefly in the shop yesterday. He hadn't been able to get a close look at the names, but the list certainly seemed longer than it had been last time he'd looked at it. It didn't feel right to him, the way their kind was scattering to the four winds. Feien were supposed to be a communal species, right? They bonded with humans out of necessity, but did that mean they suddenly had to change what they were?

That brought him back to thinking about Ursa, the resurrected Ancient he had met a while ago. She had mentioned training others, something he didn't think was such a bad idea, and had offered to spar with him some; that's what he needed. That's what they all needed. Just to get together with others of their kind and do Feien things. Maq hadn't heard from her since that time, but that didn't mean he couldn't go find her himself.

Maq had just begun to form his plans for the day when a cry from upstairs and the sensation of bone-chilling anguish filled him from the place he and Tera shared.

Tera's cry caused Quantel to sit upright, eyes wide and staring at the woman in the bed. All had been quiet until that point, soft and dark in the wee hours of morning, she and the bloom nestled in a dark blue sweater of Tera's on the desk. Suddenly the room was filled with the subtle sound of weeping, and Quantel could make out the curled form of her Bond beneath the covers. Hesitantly, her hands moved away from the bloom, and she lifted herself out of the folds of the sweater, heading towards the bed.

No sooner had she reached the top of Tera's head, blonde strands of hair emerging from beneath the comforter, when the flash of red lightning that was Maq appeared between Quantel and the woman. Quantel drew up short, to keep from running into him, and met his eyes in the darkness.

"What did you do?"

The question surprised her, given that she had just gotten to Tera herself. Is everything that happens now my fault? Fixing a cool gaze upon him, Quantel shook her head. "If you were as close to her as you claimed, you would know that I had naught to do with this."

She knew her words had struck their mark when his hands curled into fists at his sides, body tightening with the restraint he needed to keep from lashing out at her again. With a triumphant, bitter little smile, Quantel turned back to where the bloom waited for her. Maquinar, after all, was Tera's favorite. Quantel could do no good over here.

Waiting until Quantel had disappeared into the sweater once more, Maq landed on the pillow beside Tera's head. His hands moved out to soothingly stroke her hair as she wept, his face forming into an expression of worry. This didn't bode well for the days to come.