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Non-Elemental
1: Magic Detection - Sense nearby magical objects or creatures.
2: Minor Healing - Cause cuts and bruises to heal faster.
5: Magic Hand - Lift small objects or strike foe from afar with this invisible hand. Magic hands have a strength of 5 and dexterity equal to their caster's.
7: Shield - An invisible barrier orb, up to twelve inches in diameter, surrounds the target. Can be cast on self or others.

Air Elemental
2: Small Gust - A small gust of air, useful for sweeping small things away.
5: Air Burst - Cast while throwing a punch. The punch connects at a distance as a burst of air, but loses strength depending on distance. If the punch actually connects, Air Burst adds +1 STR to the blow. Within an inch, it has power equal to the caster's STR. Every inch after that it loses 1 STR in strength.
8: Gale Force Wind - A strong, concentrated gust of air, capable of knocking over objects, or blowing feien from the sky!

Ursa was sunbathing.

Her journey to the shop, as usual, had been arduous, as usual. Urs always stopped to plow her way through snowbanks, and test her mettle, as it were. Now was time to check for Yanvir (no noise from the entrance to his place, as per usual) and then kick back a little before heading out.

She sat in the window, and smiled, slightly - letting the sunlight wash over her back, and soothe out the pain in her muscles.

She really needed to figure out how to get some cold beer here.

A tiny yellow form came into view of the shop, again led there by her bond due to the cold. At least when it would get warmer, she would know the way on her own...

She zipped into the shop quite quietly, the small rustle of feathers against the windowhill being what announced the juvenile's presence, however she managed to stop before she could smash right into Ursa. She had not expected another feien to be right in her flight path.

"Sorry, miss !"

The deep timbre of Maq's voice carried well into the shop, even though he was somewhere outside the open door. "Son of a ********... SIN! Get out of that tree!" There was a moment of silence from outside, before a muffled whump indicated something falling or jumping out of said tree, into one of the snowdrifts. Scuffling ensued, and a not-so-small tumble of red Feien and orange Pixatiger rolled into the shop, playful growling and rumbling laughter spewing from it as tangled limbs attempted to catch and pin each other.

Ursa cracked an eye open. She'd been about to take a nap, sinking into the relazing light, but now...

That'd all been interrupting, by some little yellow thing. Ah well. It was just a child. Yellow like Tango.

"I'm hardly delicate enough to be a 'miss'. Make it 'Ma'am", eh?" Ursa rumbled, bemused.

She got to her feet. There was no relaxing, with the children around.

"Am I really that unnoticeable. That's funny. Not the usual story, with me. What's your name, honey?"

"Ryuusei, ma'am." She answered, visibely a little sheepish about her almost run-over. "I wasn't really looking where I was going... That's a little silly. I should be looking the direction im flying into..."

SMACK.

Ryuu caught the feien and the pixatiger out of the corner of her eye and repressed a giggle. Those two looked like they where having fun.

Ursa nodded at the juvenile in approval. It was good to meat a kid with some respect for her elders, like Tango. She didn't hold with taking lip from children, or with juveniles like that Cascati, who was so silver-tongued you could never see where his humor stopped and mocking began.

She was about to introduce herself in turn, before the ruckus on the floor got her attention. She strode over to the edge of the windowsill, and looked down.

"Good lord, man!" she boomed. Was that a Feien-sized TIGER!? "Do you need any help down there?"

She certainly hoped not. A grown Feien ought to be able to take care of himself.

At the sound of voices, the tumbling stopped, the tiger stradling Maq, who had one arm wrapped around its neck. Both looked up at the two above, Sin panting slightly, tongue lolling like a large dog. Taking this opportunity to shove the tiger off, Maq stood up and dusted himself off, then grinned good-naturedly upwards. Though a bit surprised by the appearance of the blue and green one, he gave no outward indication of it. "Nah, it's fine."

As Sin half-heartedly swiped at Maq's leg, the red Feien chuckled. "Just showing this stubborn b*****d who's boss." Before the large paw could make contact, Maq lifted off and headed towards the other two.

"Looks like a pixapet. I don't think he's gonna get injuried... It looks more like they're playing." The woman did not seem to know what pixapets where, so Ryuu went in explaination. "...They're rarely ever dangerous..."

"*cough*"

"...Unlike their name is Edward Elric and they won't leave you alone." Ryuusei glared sideways at the small husky. "Ed, what are you..."

"Watching over you, what else could I be doing in a place like this ?" The pixa grumbeled, then yowled as Ryuu picked him up.

"What you'lld do, bite them in the behind ?" She mumbeled. "Stay calm and be a good puppy."

"I AM NOT A PUPPY, I AM A GROWN DOG !!!!"

...Facepalm.

"Sorry, ma'am. He's okay when you're used to his antics...."

"Where DID you get that thing?" Ursa inquired, curiously. Her tail flicked with interest. Wrestling down a tiger would be just the thing to test her judo skills, with.

Then again, maybe she could test her judo skills on the red Feien, instead. Finally, an adult that seemed to know what was what when it came to fighting.

"I'm Ursa," she introduced herself to all and sundry, hands on hips. Then she continued on, reciting her usual schpiel as though by rote. "Neither of you know anything about the Feien Yanvir, I assume?"

"Yanvir..." Ryuusei ran the name a few times trough her head. "Sorry, can't help there. I don't know many feiens... Might I know your name, mister ?"

Ursa shook her head. Likely they didn't.

"It's quite alright, honey," she nodded at Ryuusei. "But you really ought to learn how to discipline your pets, if that's what this is."

Ursa shrugged. Then Ursa picked the pizapet up bu the sruff of its neck, claws digging lightly into its fur. The girl needed to be shown how it was done. She looked him in the eyes - her pupils yellow and knife-bright.

"Young pup, you will CONTROL YOURSELF, and refrain from childish outbusts. Is that understood?"

Making it to their level, Maq landed, then blinked. She's taller than I am. The sensation of running into someone bigger, in all senses of the word, was a little unnerving, but he mentally shook it off quickly. His grin was quick, easy, and completely genuine. "I'm Maq, and I'm afraid I haven't seen this Yanvir." As one hand absent-mindedly moved up to run through his hair, he continued, "The 'tiger you can get at this place known as the Pixashop, when they've got some in stock."

Not wanting to leave her out, Maq's orange eyes roved over to Ryuu, and he nodded a greeting.

"As I thought," Ursa sighed, although she was happy to finally locate someone who could at least come up to her shoulders. "I'm Ursa, as I said. Or at least that's what I'm going by. Yanvir brought me back from the dead."

The puppy was held at arm's length from her body. She really did not care if it struggled.

"You see?" She said to Ryu. "If Maq here can keep control of a tiger, you can discipline the pup, no problem."

She gave Maq a small, curt smile.

"Impressive work there, by the way. You wrestle?"

Edward was scared often yes, but rarely showed it. But as the strange woman held him in a raving deathgrip, the cosplay pixapet internally wished he could become even smaller, wriggle his way out of his red coat, and dart off without looking back the one sparkle of a second.

...Wait, HE WASN'T SMALL, THAT ISN'T RIGHT.

All that came out of that mental struggle was a deer in the headlights look, and a small, almost pitiful yip.

And Ryuusei seemed... a little worried.

"Its all might, ma'am Ursa... Its just his way to show he worries about me..."

"Thelady'srightthelady'sright." Ed yipped even more pitifully.

Ursa handed the puppy back to Ryu.

"If you say so, honey," she nodded. "Maybe he'll learn some manners from you."

"I don't wrestle half as well as I box." He didn't point out that he still wrestled pretty damn well, which the prowling tiger on the floor could testify to. What *had* caught his attention, however, was the mention of Ursa having returned from the dead. Ever the one to go for the gusto, no punches pulled, Maq asked, "Does resurrection account for your physical differences from other Feien?"

She decided to not mention that Edward being well-behaved happened once every blue moon.

And the cosplay husky tried to crawl the deepest possible into the feien's hold as if it was the only damn thing saving his skin at the moment.

"Im sure ill be able to, ill't... just take time. He's... not that bad, really... He's a dog, its in his nature to be protective." She shrugged. "And im the only thing small enough he has to protect."

Edward shot her a glare from his hold, but kept quiet as he did not feel like reviving the Ursa-rollercoaster.

"There are alot around my bonded's house, and ill'd have to say he's got the most character."

"You don't need to make excuses to me, girl," Ursa smiled, slightly. The child had no reason to be nervous. Ryu wasn't engaging in the sorts of frippery or standoffishness that Ursa didn't hold with, and in any case, the large Feien was not about to hail off and hit puppies or children. "You're the one that has to deal with him."

She turned to Maq, her tail swishing in what could be called a preening motion. She was very proud of her exotic looks, weight and all. Secreltly, she liked it when she could make a room stand to attention. All the better to make sure that any foolishness wasn't going on!

"I don't think it's being undead, so much as my age," Ursa said, matter-of-factly. "Who knows when I died? This old girl isn't meant to have any life in her. Maybe you lot look more human, since you have to depend on them to live."

She shrugged, good-naturedly.

"Hell if I know. I've had enough problems finding the Feien that brought me back. I'm reduced to slogging out to this shop every few days."

"Its not really excuses." She smilled softly, scritching behind the husky's ears to calm him down. "That's how dogs are. I know alot about how dogs and cats usually act."

She blinked a little.

"...Yanvir, you said ? Did you look on the billboard ? Maybe there's something about him there ?" She seemed to recall SOMETHING, but she had been much more focused on the spells, and zipped trough the rest.

Maq nodded his head. That *did* make sense, after all. "I don't get to the shop much m'self, or I'd offer to keep an eye out for him for you." He shifted his footing, so that he'd be slightly facing both the Feien. He'd known a couple of youngsters that got uncomfortable around adults, and he couldn't help but wonder if this yellow one was the same way.

Smiling in her direction, he said, "I don't remember catching your name..."

It was not that Ryuu was unconfortable, mostly, it was more that she didn't intrude herself into a conversation unless invited into it. She seemed a little curious of what the two adults where doing, trough, and listened closely. After all, if they didn't want her to listen, they'lld have asked her to leave, yes ?

...Ressurection ? Whoah...

Had ursa only introduced herself to the girl? She couldn't remember. And so, she reached out to shake Maq's hand, with a powerful clawed grip.

"Ursa. Good to meet you. You say that you box?"

She sized him up. Muscles, yes, but not as thick as Ursa's own. He also didn't ahve the height. But beggars could not be choosers, and hell, if he could fed off a tiger he must at least work out.

The green Feien let his hand free.

"I've been trying to learn judo," she continued. "Drilling one of the kids - Banana Tango - and picking up some combat myself. Interested in a spar? There's a cold beer in it for you, at some point, if you agree."

In Ursa's opinion, a lot of life's problems could be solved by working yourself into exhaustion and then kicking back with a cold one. Garunteed to take your mind off of anything else.

When Ursa responded, Maq chuckled. "A spar would be great. It's hard enough finding someone close to my size, much less one that's not afraid to rumble." His eyes twinkled in amusement. "Never been privvy to judo, or to a 'cold beer', but I'd be happy to take whatever you've got."

Ryuusei was still sillent, but the part when Ursa mentionned training another juvenile turned into her head. What if... ? Naw, she probabely wouldn't want to, right ? Even if it would make Ed less paranoid if she at least learnt basic self-defence...

...But there was no hurry, right ?

The husky noticed that she had stopped her petting, and looked up at her, a little glint of worry piercing trough his cold and proud face. When the feien got a little too deep in thought, it usually wasn't about good things.

If a feien could come with directions to where they needed to go, it would be much more convienent. However, they didn't, so it couldn't be that easy to find the shop. After trial and error, though, the two collies and merry little feien, as well as her bundled up bondmate, trudged through the cold, finally finding the correct path to the shop. Reneeka was anxious, fluttering her wings inside of Angie's hood, which incidentally tickled Angie's fox ears, making her giggle every few steps. This was Rene's first trip to the shop, and she wasn't sure what to expect but knew it had to be wonderful. She was optimistic about it all, although if truth be known, she was getting more and more nervous, the closer they got. By the time the shop came into view, the feien was wringing her hands, unsure if they should continue or turn back.

Being set down beside the collie pair, she hesitated, staring up towards Angie, and was promptly nudged towards the door. Toshijirou and Jitsumi, the pixas, gently took hold of Rene and pulled her towards the open door. No sense letting the feien back out, they were determined to get her through the door and well on her way to socialness. "Alright alright! I'm going already!" Reneeka grumbled at her 'feien-sitters'. When she took a look around, she gasped. The shop was bigger than she'd imagined, but unlike Angie's home, there appeared to be many, many more places to hide! She could definately get used to this.. So, in admiring the enormity (to her) of the shop, Rene stood there, in the middle of the door way, her mouth agape, looking around.

"Good to hear!" Ursa clapped Maquinar on the back, genuinely very pleased. "That's the spirit! I was sure I'd be stuck with mages and wallflowers! Not that they don't have their place, but I've been itching to take on someone my own size. Give me your address and we'll set something up, honey."

She looked over at Ryu, giving her a once-over as well.

"Tango or Silva might make decent fighters yet, but they're still your age, kiddo."

"Ah, s**t." Realizing the time, Maq restrains the urge to whap himself in the forehead. "I've got to get going, Ursa, but I'll see if I can't catch you later for that spar. My address should be in that book in the shop corner."

Lifting off from the counter quickly, he does a quarter-turn in the air, and darts in the direction of the open door, Sin bounding after him.


"Ah, uh." She blinked again, taken out of her own thought. "...I need to admit I don't know much. But im willing to learn, if someone could guide me in the right direction. Its good to know at least how to defend youself, right ?"

Edward perked a little, a little surprised at the turn of events, but giving an aproving nod. Finally !

It was then that she noticed that, while Maq departed, there was a new feien.

"Hi !" She waved.

Ursa nodded in the direction of Maq's retreating form, already planning ways in which she'd step up her training. Her claws flexed, and a grin seeped across her face, molasses-slow. Ursa hadn't been challenged like that before, and she reveled in the prospect.

As he left, she caught sight of another juvenile, hovering in the center of the shop, and looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Over here, girl!" she called. The way that Ursa said it, it sounded a lot like an order. Or at least a VERY strong suggestion. "Come now, it's just the shop. Nothing to worry about. Get ahold of yourself."

Actually, there was that overgrown juvenile Corvus to worry about, but Ursa wasn't going to mention that. She'd protect the kids from his posturing if need be.

"Would you, now?" Ursa turned to Ryu, tail curling with interest. "I'm not exactly, easy, honey - on myself, or anyone else. But I'm always glad to see someone make something of themselves. Do you have any adults at home to help you with it?"

Ursa was glad to do anything that might help instill some sense of discipline and civic responsibility in the next Feien generation. If someone showed these kids how to conduct themselves, they could really rebuild a society, and there wouldn't be spoiled man-children running about. Ursa approved.

For someone who'd only been reborn for a month, Ursa was afully set in her ways. In her opinion, there was nothing for anyone like a day's work.

Blinking, Reneeka was bewildered by the red blur that passed her on its way out the door as well as two voices greeting her. Twirling around in her place, her glance darted around the area, looking for anything that might have a voice, besides her 'babysitters.'

It wasn't but a moment before she saw the origins of the voices, and slowly began floating over towards them. It wasn't that she was altogether shy, but she wasn't completely the outgoing type either. Something inside of her just overloaded though, and she quickly zipped back towards the door, the two collies bounding after her in shock. Before she completely exited though, she threw a quick apology over her shoulder. "I'm sorry! then disappeared completely.

"...That's the problem, I don't, really... You and Maq are the first adults I even saw." She nodded softly. "Im kind of stranded in my bond's appartment because of the cold. The shop is pretty far, and she's afraid ill'd get to cold, so I havn't tried. I know she brought me two of those rapiers in the item shop, but I don't know where to start, its a little frustrating."

"And it makes sence." She trailed off. "I mean... if you're not really to work hard enough, nothing will happen. It goes for everything, really... Things just don't magically happen. Even when it SEEMS like they do, there's an underlying reason.

"Equivalent trade." Edward whispered.

She blinked, watching as the other juvenile zipped off. ...Now what was that about... ?

"Equivalent trade?" Ursa mused. "You know, I like that. You're not so bad, pup. That's exactly it. If people put in an effort, and work to get things done, we'll get somewhere."

She looked around the shop, sadly. The wallflower girl fleeing had her a little put-out, but she was used to that with Feien juveniles.

"I mean, look at this place! You were born, without any adult to even talk to you? That's ridiculous," Ursa's voice grew impassioned. She frowned. Her tail snapped. A visible forrow was dug into her brow. "And me... I was ressurected without so much a s a by-your-leave, or word from the people in charge here on the man who did it. I don't think there IS anyone in charge here, even and... what kind of society is that?"

Who was raising these children? Ursa had to do her part.

Actually, she was rather glad of it. Glad to HAVE a part. The children gave her purpose, even if her efforts to find out more about her past goals were getting nowhere, fast.

"My dear," Ursa's mood shifted, and she smiled again. "I don't need any weapons. When it comes to those? I've already got mine."

She held out her left hand, and presentedRyuusei with a wicked set of sharp green claws.

"But if you want to work out and toughen up, I know a drill regimen that'll make your body scream for mercy."

Uras'd read up, to form it. Talked to Neon, who knew everything there was to know about martial arts, and was a master swordswoman in her own right. She felt confident in her ability to lead a workout, even if she couldn't teach swordplay.

"Sometimes, your body will be the only weapon you have, anyway."

Weapons could be taken. Magic could run out. But a body - that was something which could never be taken.

Edward seemed to grow into liking that rought woman more. At least she had logic. He liked logic in other beings.

"Really ?" Ryuusei blinked. She had no trought of her emerging without any adults around being odd. "...There was my bond, but no other feiens. And, ill'd like to try, at least."

The pixa glanced up again, a tint of worry trough his cold face. Faking battles was good, yes, he used to do it all the time with his brother. But getting the s**t beaten out of you ?

"Bonds are all very well and good, even though mine is a nervous wreck of a thing," Ursa nodded, "but it's good to get to know your own people as well, I think. Otherwise we might as well not exist at all, except to be the humans pets and helpmates. I refuse to accept that."

She almost laughed, when the pup stared at her with large, worried eyes.

"Calm down, boy - I don't hit children, and I'm not going to start with Ryuusei. I work out to get stronger and tougher, and I can show her how to do that."

She looked Ryuusei over.

"Repeat anything, and your muscles will remember. That's muscle memory. The trick is to make sure that your muscles remember the right things. So that question is: what do you want them to learn?"

She thought for a moment.

"Are you fast? Strong? Do we need to test your physical limits? That might be a place to start. "

Ed's pride kicked in once again.

"Of course not. Me, worried for her ? Nice one."

"Quiet." She sushed, scratching behind his ears again.

Damnit, why did she have to know his weakness ?!?

...It was then occured to her that she had about NO IDEA.

"...I think im kinda fast, but I don't really know." She blinked.

"Hm," Ursa thought for a second, before deciding on a course of action.

"Then we'll have to find out!"

She pointed towards the other side of the shop, and eyed a clock on the wall. Fortunately, it had a seconds-hand.

"To the wall and back. Go."

Ryuusei nodded, let down the poor, unsuspecting pixa, and dashed as fast as she could across the shop, making sure she wasn't about to bump into something, tagging the wall with her left palm before turning into midair and running as soon as her feet touched the ground again, hurrying back torward Ursa and stopped as she touched the wall that had been beside her, looking up at her elder questioningly and sightly catching her breath.

"Not bad," Ursa nodded, approvingly. "It's certainly better than I could do. But you look like you're out of breath. All the speed in the world don't do you any good if you collapse after a short run, honey."

She crossed her arms across her chest.

"The key to anything is repetition. If you want to get faster, run. Run whenever you can. Run until your legs feel like they're going to give out, and then run some more. Run until you can't see straight. Set yourself an impossible goal of laps, and then meet it. Push yourself, or find someone to do the pushing for you. Your muscles will remember."

And then, the large Feien grinned a grin of ill-omens.

"So. On that note," she uncrossed her arms and pointed to the wall once more. "AGAIN!"

Ryuusei had this deer in the headlights look, but understood and compelled. After all, she had been warned this wouldn't be easy. And, as much ignorant as the yellow feien could be about many things, one things she did not perticulary like where easy ways out of things. Even with her short life, she had learn, trough her bond and observing, that they often wouldn't bring many good.

So, she ran, even trough she did not perticulary feel like it, trying to at least keep a constant speed, even if it was not the fastest she could do. Anything was better than nothing, right ?

Her hand met the wall, and she again turned as fast as she could and dashed back. The feeling of air zipping beside her kept her motivated, she had to admit, and if she stopped it was very likely she wouldn't start again.

She touched the starting wall, and didn't wait for what she was sure would come from her mentor of shorts, and zipped off right again, trough slowler. And when she reached the other wall again, she couldn't help but lean on it and pant.

"Are you going to give up there?" Ursa boomed, in her version of encouragement. A rather threatening version of encouragement. Her tail cracked, like a whip. "Don't start anything if you can't finish, girl! Make your way back over here! Or are you going to let your body defeat you!?"

As much logical as Ryuusei could come across, she was extremely emotional. Right now, she wanted nothing more than lay there for a few hours, but Ursa's "encouragement" got straight to her. She wasn't about to look like that, thank you very much !

With her temper sightly flared, Ryuusei slowly got back to her own feet and started rushing again. It was pretty damn slow at this point, but it was there. When she finally reached the other side after what seemed to be an eternity for her, she let herself slide to the ground again and let Edward assult and give a rough lick, probabely his own form of encouragement.

"You see?" Ursa looked down at Ryuusei, who seemed to have collapsed into a small heap. Ursa understood where the kid was coming from. That was what Ursa looked like after two-hundred three-point push-ups.

"If you force yourself to do it, you can do it. If your will is strong enough, your body will follow."

Ursa offered Ryuusei a hand, to help her up.

"The more tired you got, the worse your form was. On that last lap your wings were all over the place, catching air and slowing you down - makes me glad mine are simple cloth. You're going to have to work on that," Ursa noted. "And you're going to have to go running at least once a day, if you want to get better. Maybe more. But I like you, kid. With hard work, I don't see why you can't accomplish your goal."


Ryuusei panted, trough took the offered hand and let herself being brought on her feet again, her other hand glapsing onto Ed securely.

"Thank you..." She managed to let out. "I think I understand now... And I hope ill'd be able to do it."

"Sure you will, kiddo!" Ursa punched her, very lightly, on the shoulder. "Just keep at it. Make a schedule and stick to it. And..."

She took in Ryuusei's panting form.

"Next time, make sure you have some water on hand, eh?"

She yelped and almost felt as she was punched, but smilled and replicated the punch, trough with no where near the same effect.

"Right."

She overhead a few familiar taps.

"Oh, I have to go now." She turned and waved. "Ill do that ! Thanks for the help, Ursa !"

She flew off to the window, ignoring her agonizing legs.

She'lld do that, but now the couch and the ps2 where very tempting.

Raphael entered the store quickly, but not quietly as he flapped through the open window. He hadn't visited in awhile, so therefore was not so surprised when he spotted three juveniles and an adult he had never seen before. Quieting down so as not to draw too much attention to himself, the yellow feien steered himself upwards and sideways and landed on the rafters, where a great amount of dust had gathered.

"... what was that?" Kojak twisted around, turning and looking to see where the noise came from. He could've sworn he heard something, except that there was nothing there in the direction he looked.

The shop had pretty much gone silent and he gave a smile to both Hitomi and Reneeka before continuing to look around. He could've sworn he heard something.

Reneeka twitched, tilting her head as she listened around them. Too silent... except for something above them. Little particles of falling dust raining down upon her alerted the brightly colored feien to something around them. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Zero would seriously be mad, but at this point, Ryuusei didn't really care : She needed a breath of fresh air, and it was the only other place she knew. So she escaped by a window and flew all the way from the appartment to the shop, zipping into it and welcoming the warmth. God, it was COLD. She tightned the blue scarf she wore, even if she was inside.

She inched in, not really expecting that there would be alot of people, after all there hadn't the other times she had came. Well, so much for peace and sillence...

She glanced up at the rafters, spotting a golden feien. Blinking, she fluttered up.

"Is this a private rafter, or is there room for one more ?" She asked, a small smile inching on her face in dispice it all.

Raphael panted slightly, partly from exhaustion at having flown so far, and partly from relief at not having been seen.
Err, except he had been seen.
He looked up at the yellow feien, first surprised, and then embarassed as he quickly stood up, the beginnings of a blush appearing on his face.
His face looked confused at her question, but he attempted an answer.
"W-well..I think the rafter b-belongs to the shop..." He paused, "Sure."
He extended his hand, as he remembered it being the polite thing to do.
"My n-name is Raphy- err, Raphael."

Ryuusei blinked, not really understanding why he was so nervous. Did she look like a demon from hell or something ? o_O

"Ryuusei." She answered, shaking his hand. "Pleased to meet you."

She fluttered and sat on the rafter, glancing downward. The view from here was pretty cool.

He gave a meek smile and sat down as well, causing more dust to fly about as his wings stirred it up. He looked at it curiously as it spun about.
And felt an odd tingling sensation in his nose.
Strange! He frowned slightly. It was horribly uncomfortable. He tried to ignore it, but it wouldn't go away...he clutched at his nose, wondering if he could smother it out, when, suddenly -
"ACHOO~!" He sneezed. Feien-sized dust particles and mucuous shot from his nose, and (luckily enough) into his hand.
His blush deepened.

Ryuusei couldn't help but giggle.

"They need to clean up there more often, visibely." She said, blowing a dust bunny away with her hand. "No need to be that shy, you know." She gave a reassuring smile. "Was just a sneeze."

Raphael gave a meek nod.
"Sorry," he smiled apologetically. Quietly, he attempted to wipe the uncomfortably sticky stuff from his fingers on his legs, but only succeeded in getting them sticky as well.
"I-I'm just..nervous around others, I guess."

"I rarely am... I dunno why." She shrugged. "Everyone is different... Some adults are intimidating, but
eh."

"Who have you met?" he asked, sudden curiousity conquering his shyness.

"Not a whole lot... I don't get out alot, since its so cold. Its my first time comming to the shop on my own..."

"Really?" His blush returned. From her sociable nature, he had been certain that she was a regular, or at least older than he was.
"I-I don't come to the shop often either..." he paused slightly, thinking about the comment about the cold and remembering a conversation he had had with Ianios.
"What's your element?" he asked.

"I think its air, but im not sure." She sighed. "...Almost a month, and I still don't know why im here, really... There must be a reason."

Oddly enough, the yellow feien relaxed his shoulders a bit. He hadn't realized it, but they had been scrunched up the entire time, zapping him of energy.
"I wasn't really sure what my element was for awhile either.." he admitted, "but I eventually found out that it was cold." Or ice. In actuality, he still wasn't entirely confident.

Ryuusei couldn't help another smile.

"Either way, you must like the current temperature alot, uh ? A tad too cold for me, but its kinda nice when its a little windy."

He nodded.
"I like the cold. But I don't like heat. I live outside the house." His thoughts came out as oddly fractured sentences as he attempted to remember something.
Raphael shifted somewhat in his seat, feeling uncomfortable again for some reason. How long had they been sitting there?

If Ryuu noticed, she didn't show it much. She visibely was getting used to the other feien's shyness.

"Im mostly inside. I don't think ill'd last long outside right now." She chuckeled. "Maybe we should go back down ?"

"Okay." Raph agreed. The yellow feien slowly stood and stretched.
...And frowned, as he noticed a shining something buried in the dust nearby.
He looked at it, and, without a second thought, walked over to it and attempted to lift it from the dust.
It was a little heavy, and pointy, and metallic...
He lifted the needle into both of his hands and turned to show it to Ryu, looking confused.
"W-what's this?" He asked her, almost as if he expected her to have all the answers.
Curious, he shifted it over to his right hand, where it looked almost like a sword.

Ryuusei blinked, then got up, peeking over his shoulder.

"I don't know... Be careful, it looks pointy." She said, without really thinking.

Raphael nodded again.
"Yeah," he replied. Without another word, he put it back where he had found it. Shiny item, but certainly of no use to him.
He walked over to the ledge, and almost jumped when he saw how dark it had become outside.
"I-I have to go..." He squeaked, wringing his fingers somewhat. "Nice meeting you. Bye!"
Speedily, the panicking feien disappeared, barely allowing Ryu time to answer.

Blink.

"Uh... bye ?"

Yet, the feien was long gone.

She sat there again, laying back against a pole and closing her eyes, drifting away in thought.

Yo, Ryuu :

Happy summonday ! Your gift might be late. I just figured out that it doesn't work at all ! God damnit. Well, at least there's a little something for now. (Gotta admit its more like a gag gift...) But you'll have to look to find it ! So, there's an hint :

Right beside the serpant trench.

Hopefully ill be done with this thing before the day's over.

- Z

"So Yeande wasn't home. Big deal. I'm sure this isn't the first time you've caught Youko's apartment when no one's been around." Karma sighed, walking down the sidewalk past a busy minimall where cars were lined up to escape the parking lot. To a passerby, she appeared to be talking to herself, but she was, in fact, talking to the sulking feien occupying her jacket pocket.

"Its not just that." came the slightly-muffled reply. "Its that people are disappearing left and right since I got back. Irisa, Yeande, Shalafi....don't you find that just a shade strange?"

"Not...really..." was the foxcoon's answer as she hopped off of the curb and jogged across the street toward the ice cream parlor. "I think its more your own bad timing than it is everybody suddenly jumping ship, Talon. You always assume the worst. Why do you do that?"

"Because I'm usually right." he growled, clinging to the bottom of her pocket as he was jostled rudely. Rolling her eyes, Karma pushed the door of Baskin Robbins open, immediately assaulted by the smell of freezerburn and various light flavors as she looked for Zero.

Zero walked her way outside, glancing at a tiny sheet of paper with directions, and not minding the tiny feien that crawled her way into the collar of her jacket, trying to find the one perfect spot where the coldness of the air wouldn't get to her.

"Turn left..." She mumbeled, doing just that, then stopping, staring from the paper to the surroundings.

...

Zero was not a wonder of orientation, yes.

"Great, Ryuu. I think we're lost."

A yellow and blue colored head emerged, and gave her own glance.

"...Wouldn't it be there ?" She asked, pointing at the Baskin Robbins.

...

Owned.

Ryuu grinned, and Zero swallowed her pride, stuffing the paper in her pocket and making her way inside the building, the feien returning to her hiding spot.

Karma paused in the middle of the shop, seeing all of the booths vacant and becoming puzzled. She'd given Zero a good half-hour lead after they'd made plans to meet here over the phone...had she missed her, she wondered?

Just as she turned to ask the girl at the counter if she'd seen her, she found herself nearly face-to-face with her friend and grinned. "THERE you are!" she announced. "Thought I missed you for a second there"

From within her pocket a sigh of chagrin sounded, Talon's momentary hope Karma's friend had been a no-show being dashed to bits. The only reason he'd been drafted into coming in the first place had been because Zero had mentioned wanting to introduce Karma to her new feien and Talon had had the misfortune of being the only one of the three who hadn't been in hiding at the time when she had said she would be sure to bring one of her own feien along as well.

"Well, uh... Sorry ?" Zero scratched the side of her head. "I've never been in this area before..."

"That, and you get lost in a shoebox, Z."

"Quiet, you."

"Its not a problem, its just that I had to chase Talon around for a good twenty minutes before he'd shut up and get in the pocket...I was worried maybe you got sick of waiting for me." Karma grinned.

Her ears perked at the sound of the tiny, but unmistakeable voice and she cast a look at the counter girl, making sure she wasn't paying attention before looking back to the empty booths surrounding them. "We should probably sit, huh?"

"Yeah, that'lld sure be a good idea..." Zero nodded, heading torward the booths and trying to find one that was relatively hidden from view from the counter, at least.

Karma followed after her, setting her sights on one of the corner booths. It wasn't COMPLETELY hidden, but it was moreso hidden than the ones along the wall. It was going to have to work.

"You all right in there?" she asked, taking the hem of the pocket between her thumb and forefinger and jostling it. Almost instantly, a tiny green-fingered hand shot out and swatted at her.

"Rest assured, I'd be much better if I wasn't here."

"I think, if you try really hard, you just may live." she assured him.

Ryuu poked her head out again once they got there, glancing around.

"Ice cream ? Its not cold enough outside allready ?"

Why would someone eat ice cream in winter eluded her, but she had a feeling she was about to find out.

Karma smiled as the little juvenile emerged from hiding. "It was either this or McDonalds, I'm afraid, and this place was more likely to be empty this time of the day. You must be Ryuusei. Its nice to meet you." Yellow feathered wings...that was new on her.

"C'mon out and say hi, Talon." she said, patting her pocket gently. Recieving no response, she gritted her teeth and peered into the top. "Get out here or I'm coming in after you. Your choice."

The male feien made a disgusted noise and the pocket wriggled a bit as he shifted his position to a point where he could emerge from the top, disheveled from the journey and looking generally annoyed.

"Nothing up my sleeves and...ta-dah!" Karma smirked, making him glare at her and lay his ears back.

Blink.

"Yeah, that would be me. Nice to meet you." She glanced downward at Talon then, blinking another time. He... did not seem to be in a wonderful mood.

"Nice to meet you too, Talon."

Talon cringed and then looked in Ryuusei's direction as he was addressed. He swore he could hear the gods laughing at him....couldn't find two of the females in his life that he deemed most important, and the other two he was on shaky ground with, yet he seemed to have no problem whatsoever with getting shoved at a juvenile girl he'd never met before and was expected to be cordial.

"Nice to meet you, Ryuusei." he said, trying not to grate out the words or to duck back into the pocket. It wasn't HER fault he was here, after all.

She rose an eyebrow sightly.

"Something's bugging you ? You don't look so well." She shrugged. "Might be just me or something..."

One yellow eye wandered up to Karma and Zero who's interest had already deviated from the two of them as they looked over the pamphlet of flavors and chatted with one another. Why did they even bother bringing him and Ryuu at ALL, he wondered irately?

"Several somethings." he relented, dragging his eyes back down to look at the juvenile as he vented a long frustrated sigh. "And being here instead of trying to find those somethings isn't helping much." Another glare was shot upward at Karma, who remained oblivious.

"Ah, well... Im sorry, I guess ill't kinda be my fault..." Ryuu sent a glance at the two. They where definitively not paying attention by now. "Maybe I can help you ?"

Talon was silent for a moment, and then, reasoning that just because HE'D never met Ryuu before didn't mean others hadn't, he looked to her. "Maybe you can...do you know a feien named Irisa or Yeande?" he inquired, trying not to get his hopes up. It was worth a shot, anyway..

Ryuu's face turned thoughtfull, as she ran the names many time into her head.

"...Can't say I do, sorry... Do you know who their bonds are ? Maybe Zero knows one of them and might have an idea..."

He repressed the urge to curse, reminding himself he had no place to be disappointed when it had been a longshot in the first place. "That's all right..." he sighed. "Karma knows their bonds and she's already said she'll try to get ahold of them. Thanks anyway."

He brought up his six-fingered hand and smoothed back his hair, moreso a nervous gesture than anything else. It just didn't make sense....

"Im sorry I can't help better..." Likewise, Ryuusei was now warping one of her braids around her finger. "PLaying games the only thing im good at, I seem..." She gave a low chuckle. "I can't get out often because of the cold."

Games...he remembered when he was a juvenile and made a common practice of playing video games or trying to with Meka. He felt he was already going to hate himself for asking, but at the moment, there was not much he COULD do except pass the time until Karma and Zero decided it was time to part ways again.

He fixed his eyes on her once more.

"What sort of games?"

"Mostly rpgs." Ryuu's face lightned up. "Im not that good at anything that requires too much of a fast reaction, but im getting better."

"Don't think I've ever played any..." he said, folding his arms on the rim of the pocket and resting his head on them. Interesting how common ground hung just out of reach... "The only thing I was decent at was the Nintendo. Everything else had too many buttons."

"Zero only has a ps2, I see what you mean... But if you grap the analog by the middle stick, you're mostly fine. She got me a SNES today, trough it doesn't work just yet... That'lld probabely be a little less complicated." She glanced around, then extirped herself from the collar and gliding over to the table, stretching a little. Boy, it was cramped in there.

The gamer talk passed over Talon's head with an almost audible whoosh. So much for thinking he knew what he was talking about...he could tell you pretty much anything you wanted to know about Adventure Island, Mario Brothers, Q-bert, or Bubble Bobble, but....what the hell was a PS2?

"I suppose so..." he said, for lack of anything else to say as he had no earthly clue what an SNES was either.

As Ryuu emerged from her hiding spot, Talon debated a moment before doing the same. It probably wasn't the best idea...especially not if the girl behind the front counter decided to come over and make sure things were all right....but damned if a wool-lined pocket didn't get stuffy after awhile.

Ryuusei really didn't know what to talk about, which was... confusing, to say the least. She usually had to problems taking to others, but she had no clue what to say now.

Wait, he had mentionned a Nintendo. The old 8 bit one ?

"What games did you play ?"

At least THAT was a question he could answer as he shook out his wings, ridding them of cramps and a couple of stray puffs of lint.

"It was a while ago..." he said thoughtfully, his voice having levelled itself out from the snarl it had been in when they had first started talking and becoming moreso of a resigned monotone. "Mario Brothers, Adventure Island, Q-bert, Bubble Bobble....maybe Castlevania at some point...."

He had no idea how popular the games were. Meka was a bargain table shopper, so for all he knew, they were bootlegged foreign titles nobody had ever heard of before. Nonetheless, he watched her, waiting to see if anything he'd rattled off might spark recognition.

"Ahh, Mario. I liked that one... Z has some kind of way to play them on her laptop, beats me how." She shrugged. "I always got totally maimed by the bullet cannon things so I gave up on it... Heard of Adventure Island on the net but never saw it, really... Castlevania's good too, but I suck at it."

...It was wierd, but Ryuu tried not to show it. It was like there was some kind of ice she couldn't melt, and it unsetteled her sightly.

"The bullets aren't so bad...its the fire whips that gave me hell." he said quietly, sitting on the table. He was ponderously silent for a moment, then shook his head as though realizing he wasn't holding up the facade of conversation very well.

"Irisa is my daughter." he said out of nowhere as though deciding it was perfectly pertinant to return to a much earlier topic they were no longer on. "She's gone missing somewhere, apparantly...and Yeande, my--a friend of mine....she's gone too." He left off there, deciding it was a good enough explanation for his current foulness, despite the fact this was the way he usually was.

Ryuu's face darkned a little, worry purely evident.

"So that's what bothering you, uh ? Im sorry. I hope they're both fine... I can't say I know how its like but... yeah."

"Thank you." he said, nodding once and not looking up, already starting to slip back into his jumble of thoughts. "I hope so too..."

He paused again, and then, deciding that he had to ask... "Have you been to the shop lately?"

On the way back to the Gaia portal, Julius had informed him that, once the tablets had been successfully translated, further details would be posted in a bulletin in the shop. He wasn't sure artificing was something he, himself, was interested in, but it was something he decided he wouldn't mind observing others try....just to see what, exactly, it had been that had necessitated two trips to Rome.

"Hmmm, yeah, I've been there a few days ago. There was something about a school of something but there was so many people reading it I couldn't really get near." She shrugged, drawing Zero's bowl of oreo ice cream torward her, the reploid too busy in her conversation to notice the "theft" as Ryuu grapped a small bit of cookie. "Being small kinda sucks."

His green-tipped ears perked slightly with interest. Ah, so they HAD been translated...somehow he'd thought it would have taken much longer than that. Perhaps he'd have to go and see for himself later...Julius had told him only the bare minimum of artificing and he wondered if the sheet itself would say more.

"I remember when I was your age..." he said, watching her pilfer from Zero's dish. Despite only having been a few months ago, and that he was one of the younger adults, it felt like ages had passed. "All I wanted to do was grow the hell up and be taken seriously."

"Ill't happen when ill't happen. Not many people treat me just like a kid, but those who do do get on my nerves, kinda... Just because im one month old doesn't mean I don't know anything... But I guess some just see me as clueless." She mumbeled. "Because im not as good with things than the others. Im sure I have an use somehow, I just need to find it."

Well, at least she knew what she wanted....that was a step up from what he'd been like as a child. The fact she even had thought that far ahead was commendable in itself.

"From experience, I'll tell you that there isn't much the others as a collective are very good at. Unless you count gossip, chatter, flirting, and playing with glitter a skill." his expression softened a shade. "I think the people who try too hard to serve a purpose end up serving no purpose at all, really...your use will likely end up finding -you-. That's how it ended up with me..."

"Makes sence..." She nodded, munching another bit of cookie. "And yeah, I've noticed it was a little like that... Im not the kind to like... embark endless hardships or whatever... But I want to kind of... matter, you know ?"

"You'll matter somehow." Talon nodded, readjusting his sitting posture a bit so he was more comfortable...or as comfortable as he could get on a cold plastic table anyway. "Even if its only to one person...you'll matter."

He had yet to meet a feien who no one honestly gave a damn about, after all. Everybody had at least a friend if they hadn't yet been yanked into the pool of caramel-thick drama which all feien relationships seemed to drink deeply from.

She just nodded.

"You're right, and I guess I shouldn't be worrying about it just yet. I mean, im still kinda young for this kinda thing." She chuckled, glancing up at the two bonds.

"Geez, you'lld think those two are trapped in their own little world."

"Status quo as far as Karma goes." he grumbled, putting his attention back on his bonded at Ryuu's mentioning of her. "The day she notices something other than the tip of her own nose is a day I'll mark on the calendar."

"Z's not the wisest lightbulb in the pack, she's a little overprotective, but her heart's at the right place, at least. Ill join with the calendar marking the day she can get from point a to point b without getting lost, weither it be in her own thoughts, or in the more physical sence."

In spite of himself, Talon felt a ghost of a smirk pull at the corner of his mouth. He and Ryuu had something in common after all...he'd begun to wonder if resentment, playful or not, toward a bonded was something he was alone in. Most other feien respected and loved theirs or simply didn't speak of them at all.

"I know its for my own good, but eh." She continued on that trail of thought. They seemed to have gotten to a point they both knew. "But sometime the best way to understand something is to fall on your face, so to speak. I allready did that. I tried to become something I wasn't, and it took some hammering but the point got to me."

"You'd be surprised how things never quite turn out the way you'd expect them to." the white-winged male shrugged. "I'd thought the most I'd ever contribute were my genes for a breeding."

"Im not sure if ill'd even do that... But im not really thinking about that right now, im way too young for kids. But yeah, none of us can see the future, so none of us know what can or will happen. And what would be the point of living if we knew everything ahead of time ?" She mused. "Sometimes it suck, but its the unexpected that keeps things interesting."

"It depends, I suppose....I mean there's the 'The weather said it was going to rain today but its sunny' sort of unexpected, and then there's the 'I got hammered and snogged someone I really shouldn't have' sort of unexpected..."

His mere tone suggested this was not simply a scenario drawn out of the blue for comparison.

Ryuusei visibely decided it was better not to ask for deeper explanations.

"True, that's why I said it sucks sometimes. It can't rain all the time, but it can't away be all blazing sunshines, either."

Talon shrugged again, deciding not to argue. If that was, indeed, the case, he felt he was long overdue for some damned sunshine. Just as this thought settled itself, a fuzzy padded finger nudged his back, making him momentarily flail for balance before catching himself and looking up reproachfully.

"Don't look like you're enjoying yourself TOO much, now." Karma smiled at him. "I think we're about headed out."

The elder feien vented a sigh over his teeth. It figured, didn't it? The minute he'd decided that he and Ryuu could carry on a conversation (fractured as it was) after all, and she wanted to leave.

Ryuu seemed to think alike, Talon being able to catch a glimpse of eye-rolling on her parts. We have the masters of timing, folks, right there.

Looking back to Ryuu, he shook his head. "Guess that's my cue..." he sighed, sounding a bit like a child being called in from playing to wash up and go to bed. He hesitated and then nodded once to her. "It was good meeting you." his face remained the mask of emotionless annoyance it had been since he'd arrived, but his voice held the sincerity of the statement.

She nodded right back.

"Hope to see you again soon, Talon... Good luck with Irisa and Yeande.. I really hope they're okay." She smilled and waved, returning to Zero's jacket.

He returned the wave, a simple flex of the fingers, and then hovered up into Karma's pocket, disappearing from sight again gratefully as the foxcoon began to wrap up her conversation with Zero.

"We'll have to do this again sometime." Karma stated, finishing off the last of the cup of peanut butter and chocolate ice cream she'd ordered. "I don't get to go out much and just talk to people anymore since the twins were born."

"Yeah, sure, maybe I can come over to your place sometime, or something like that..." She scooped the last of the icecream, herself. "Well, ill seeya then ?" She grinned, waving and taking off.

Karma waved as she left and, once Zero was out the door, peered into her pocket at Talon fleetingly before fumbling out her wallet to pay for her half of the ice cream. "Now...was that so bad?" she questioned.

Talonfaust, however, didn't grace her with a reply. He was not going to tell her what she wanted to hear, even if it WOULD get her off his a**. It hadn't been one of his more ill-fated meetings, no, but it had still been inconvenient and irksome being dragged out this way.

As they left the shop to begin the walk home, he decided that he would try retracing his steps again in the morning, hoping it would yield better results. To pass the time, however, he had an irritating urge to pick up the Nintendo controller for the first time in months...