Welcome to Gaia! ::

Neruo fluttered along contentedly, humming a recent rock tune that he heard on the radio. LF gave him permission to visit Ruya since she was busy cleaning house and taking care of the new baby. His mind started to drift until he all but slammed into an open window. He stopped and chuckled to himself before floating in. He stood on the windowsill, surveying the room.

"Ruya...? Are you home?" he called.


Neruo got lucky. Normally Ruya would have been upstairs in the attic bedroom, but right now she happened to be meditating on the couch. She had intended to do so upstairs, but Kam had recently moved Chandra in there and the baby kept waking up and fussing. So Ruya had made her way downstairs and picked the couch. Rishi lay beside her, napping in a spot of sunlight.

At the sound of someone calling her, Ruya opened her eyes and looked for the source. When she spotted Neruo she unfolded to a standing postition and beckoned for him to come over to the couch.

"Neruo! It is very nice to see you. How have you been?"

Ruya smiled happily at him in greeting.


Neruo smiled and floated in, carrying a bundle of small flwers he had picked on his way here. He lit on the couch next to Ruya, handing them to her. The flowers were all bright colors, ranging from white to purple.

He leaned and waved to Rishi and sat down on the couch. He thought he had heard a baby's cry.

"You have a new baby in the house? LF recently brought home a child, too. And I am very good, now that I get to see someone. How have you been, Ruya? Anything new happen with you?"


Ruya accepted the flowers happily. They would make a wonderful addition to her space upstairs.

"Thank you Neruo! You're so thoughtful."

Ruya grimaced as she too heard Chandra fussing upstairs.

"Yes, Kam has a new child in the house. It wasn't a big deal when she had her own room, but now she is in my room and it gets very difficult to concentrate. I thin I may be asking to move to my own space soon."

Ruya set the flowers down beside her and sat back down before continuing, guesturing for Neruo to do the same. She would have to put the flowers into some water later, but for now she wanted to visit with Neruo.

"I am alright. My brother Merrimack has been missing for quite some time, but I plan to visit Tosten later and get an update on the search."

Ruya pondered exactly what else about her recent escapades was worth sharing.

"I've started painting a little and I met a new feien who lives in the house beside ours. What have you been up to lately?"


Neruo blushed slightly and sat down next to Ruya. He was glad that she liked his gift, as he was told that women liked flowers and such. He leaned back, looking at the ceiling.

"LF brought home a baby, too, but Jung sleeps in her room so that she could keep an eye on him. I've never seen her fuss over something like this before. She fussed over me, too, but I told her that I could care for myself. Jung cannot speak, though, so maybe that's why she's worried.

"I'm sorry to hear that your brother is missing. I do hope he's alright. I've never met him, but you don't seem sad, so maybe he's brave and will come home soon. I'm sure of it." He sighed and played with his hair.

"I haven't been up to much lately, save for listening to music. LF told me that she ordered many items for me to play with, but they haven't arrived yet. I'd like to learn to sew. LF tried to show me, but she got too frustrated to continue. She doesn't seem to have much patience..."

He watched Rishi and his mind began to wander. "Tosten? I haven't met him either. I hope to meet more Feien soon. I feel like a loser..."


Ruya nodded for most of what Neruo said, thinking that it was too bad Chandra wasn't mute. She laughed when he mentioned his bond's patience. Kam certainly didn't have any either. When he mentioned her brother though, she grew thoughtful and spoke.

"I am upset about my brother, and he isn't very brave, " Ruya's face fell, "but there isn't much I can do and I'm hoping he has been found and in the excitement no one has come to tell me."

Ruya took a deep breath and pulled herself together, before leaning over and putting a friendly hand on Neruo's shoulder.

"Why do you feel like a loser? How many feien you know doesn't mean anything. You're a good person Neruo."

Ruya removed her hand and picked up the flowers.

"I'm gonna go put these in a cup or something so they don't wilt."

Ruya flew out the door to the adjoining kitchen and placed the flowers with a little water, in a baby sized juice glass. She decided to leave them there, as moving them herself might mean spilling water, and she flew back into the room to sit with Neruo.

"The last time I saw you, you were learning about plants and healing. Have you still been doing that? Tell me about a plant and something you can do with it."

Ruya loved knowledge. Even if she wasn't particularly interested in plants herself, the information would be nice to have.


Neruo blushed when Ruya touched his shoulder. Why did he blush like that? He didn't do it when he met other feien...It was a strange situation, and he would have to think about it further sometime. He leaned back and watched the ceiling.

"LF has several herbs in kitchen. I really only know them by what they look like. The book I'm reading about them uses their technical names, and I can't pronounce them to save my life...There's one bitter-tasting herb that, when mixed with some water and made into a pate, has disinfecting properties. I can only make small batches at a time, though, due to my size. If you want some herbs, I could give you some of the leftover seeds so that you could plant your own...and I could copy some of the book for you..." He got to thinking and became quiet for awhile...

He then snapped out of it, embarrassed. How rude! He laughed nevously. Why was this so hard?

"And thanks for not calling me a loser...Sometimes I just want to throw a huge party and invite all these Feien to meet...but then I suddenly don't feel like it. Laziness comes and goes in waves, I think..."

He stood up suddenly, inspired. "Do you have a favorite song, Ruya? LF has been letting me rifle through her CD's lately...I could get one for you and play it..."


Ruya noticed Neruo's blush and matched it with on of her own. How silly. She shouldn't be blushing, there was no reason to at all. She tried to fight it, but somehow that only made it worse. Resolutely she ignored it, perhaps that would work.

"I would love some seeds. I've never tried growing anything before."

Not only would it be an interesting endeavor, but it might also be an excuse to have Neruo over more. Ruya reached up and ran a hand through her hair.

"Yeah, somedays you just want to be alone and do as little as possible."

She nodded and laughed a little. The thought of having all the feien she knew in the house made her a little nervous.

"Oh! I don't know much about music. Something relaxing would be nice."


Neruo nodded and made a mental note to bring soothing music and herb seeds on his next visit. He liked Ruya's company and wondered why so many feien were different from her.

"Ruya, do you have any hobbies? Tell me about yourself. And your parents. Is it good to have parents?"


Ruya settled back on the couch, propping herself up against the back with her hands behind her head.

"I like to read everything I can get my hands on. I'm on a Shakespeare kick right now. He wrote great plays and used something called iambic pentameter. Its like a rythmn to the lines. I think I like it because its an unexpected cross between math and literature in my mind."

Ruya laughed nervously and turned to look at Neruo for a moment before continuing.

"I like math. At first I found it a good way to pass time, but rather boring. As I prgress however, I can see how math really pops up in all sorts of unexpected places."

She sat up and leaned in his direction, really getting into explaining herself.

"And recently I started painting. I'm not very good, but it makes such a good outlet. I think, after looking at some art books of Kam's, I'm going to experiment with splatter art. I like the illusion of chaos it presents."

Ruya stopped, her throat having gone a little dry.

"Sorry, I talk too much."

She laughed at herself and then added.

"And having parents is great. I don't see them that often, but I know they're there for me if I needed them."


Neruo tilted his head in thought. Compared to Ruya, he felt so...boring. She was into such intellectual things like Shakespeare and mathematics. He remembered the day that LF took him to school and her comment about hating math. He really didn't have a preference, but his hobbies seemed so...mundane.

"All I really do is socialize, play drums, practice medicine and listen to music. LF is trying to make paint bowls out of bottle caps for me until me real paint arrives. She's letting me use feathers and small pieces of cardboard as a canvas...No real paint yet, since she can't find any of her oil paint tubes..."

He absently played with one of his many curls. Was he boring? He certainly hoped not. He hoped to impress her for some odd reason...But what could he do to impress such an intellectual Feien?

He suddenly had an idea! He sprung into the air, gliding into the kitchen. He quickly found two toothpicks and floated back to Ruya, winking.

"Watch. I can do this!"

He quickly began to twirl the toothpicks until they became a woodn blur. Then, he threw them into the air and proceeded to toss them, still spinning, from hand to hand. He tripped up every once and a while, but overall the performance was good. He juggled them over his head and around his back, slightly thankful that toothpicks weren't too sharp.


Ruya clapped, jumping to her feet as she laughed. What an interesting performance!

"Oh wow Neruo, that is so cool! Where did you learn to do that?"


Neruo blushed and suddenly lost concentration, losing control of one of the toothpicks. It planted itself firmly in his leg.

O.o

"Well, I certainly didn't mean to do THAT." He promptly pulled it from his leg. It was a tiny, slightly bloody hole, but the pain was worth the result of his performance. He shrugged and continued on.

"I just was listening to rock music one day, and I tried to imitate the drumming. It was too fast, and I couldn't figure out how to do it properly. LF let me watch this 'music video', so I could SEE the drummer. I just kept practicing and practicing...and then I could twirl them quickly like the drummers in the videos do. I'm glad you liked it..."

He looked about for a napkin to wipe the blood trickling from his thigh. He didn't want to bleed on Ruya's furniture...


Ruya put her hands over mouth when the toothpick fell into Neruo's leg. Oh dear.

"Hold on, let me go get you something for that!"

Ruya took off up the stairs, and banged around the bathroom on the second floor before finding a tube of neosporin and a small bandaid. Then she flew back downstairs and deposited her items on the couch and sat.

"Here, sit and give me your leg, " she said matter of factly.

Ruya held out her hands, obviously expecteing his leg in her lap.


Well THAT was certainly straightforward. Neruo thought as he gingerly sat down. He was a tad embarrassed by the fact that he slipped up, especially in front of HER, but..he was glad that she offered to treat him, even though his wound was minor. Heck, he could've been bleeding from gaping holes in his chest and he would've dismissed it as nothing. He blushed and let her adminster the bandaid.

"Well...you don't have to do this, but...thank you. I'll have to repay you somehow for this..."


Ruya took the leg and applied a drop of neosporin first before affixing the bandaid. You never knew where germs were hiding. Better safe than sorry.

"No problem, " she said, smoothing the bandaid out with her hands. "I don't want you to be hurt and not want to come back and visit me."

She kept her head looking down at his leg. She was pretty sure if she looked up, she would blush again. Stupid blushing. She was going to look into ways to stop the phenomenon as soon as possible.


Neruo thanked her by bowing his head and stood up gratefully. LF had done similar things to help him, but this was different somehow...And he would repay her...He had some ideas.

He smiled and offered his hand to help her up. The bandaid had actually helped the stinging. He would have to stock up on these things for later practices. He picked up the clean toothpick and floated into the kitchen to put it back. He then threw the other, bloody one away. He flew back to Ruya and bowed.

"I do appologize for stabbing myself in front of you. It wasn't intentional, really..."


"It's ok, " Ruya giggled, " I was pretty sure it wasn't part of the performance."

She fidgeted a little bit, unsure what to say next.


Neruo thanked her many times and stood up to leave. He floated to the window and took one last long look at her and smiled. He then unfurled his wings to the fullest and slowly fluttered outside.

I WILL get her something special...


Ruya jumped off the couch and flew to the window.

"Neruo?"

She hope he wasn't too far out to hear her.


Neruo heard her voice drift from the window and he hurried back, poking his orange head inside.

"Did I forget something?" he asked curiously.


Ruya smiled and wrapped her arms around him for a quick hug.

"No."

Done, Ruya went back inside the house and disappeared up the stairs with a wave.

Silva sat in the shelves, patiently watching the feien shop from the shadows. He was getting irritated, having waited for a while now, and no one had come in.

But hell, he thought, chewing on his toothpick, even if the kid he was looking for showed up... how would he know it was him? All Ruya had told him was that he had given her flowers. Unless the kid came in toting a bouquet, then he would... dammit... have to ask.

Neruo rote:floated slowly in, having just come from a hour's worth of sunbathing. He was extremely happy, and practically glowed. He found an empty table and lit on it, stretching.

Silva jerked from where he was sitting half-asleep as he noticed another feien enter. He stood, stretching a little before jumping off the edge of the shelf and heading towards the lazy looking feien. He stepped onto the table, chewing on his toothpick and looking over the newcomer for a second before speaking.

"Hey, kid." He finally said, not quite sure what to talk about with another male. "Don't think I've met you, yet."

Neruo's ears perked at the sound of a newcomer's voice and he turned about slowly. He smiled and extended his hand in greeting. He noted Silva's burgandy color. The color of wine.

"I am Neruo. I've never met you before. What's your name?" he asked politely.

Silva blinked... then blinked again, staring at the hand for a second as his mind slowly processed.

"Neruo, you say?" He asked, quickly covering his shock. He smirked, taking the hand. He turned, looking around the shop as he thought for a few minutes.

"Come here often?" He glanced at the other male from the corner of his eye, noting the curls and markings... Committing them to memory.

Neruo smiled again. He hadn't met one like this. LF had a similar companion named Larka, but he didn't see much of her, despite living in the same house...He shrugged and absently twirled one of his tight curls around his index finger.

"I try to come as often as possible. Some of my friends are here when I am, so I visit with them. Sometimes I read. Do you come here often? And, you never did tell me your name..."

"I didn't, did I?" Silva replied, chewing on his stick and shrugging. "I have one. Just don't feel like sharing it." He looked the other male in the eye, smirking slightly. "A name can be a dangerous thing, kid. If the wrong people have it then bad things could happen."

"But enough about me. Why don't you tell me about some of these... friends... of yours. My bondmate keeps telling me I should meet new people." He gave his rendition of a friendly smile, showing just a few too many teeth. "You might be useful to me."

Neruo tilted his head. Odd. He didn't want to reveal his name. Never met a Feien like that before. Perhaps he was named something embarrassing? Or he was hiding from the law? LF watched too many crime shows sometimes. He watched Silva's smile, perplexed. Useful?

"I suppose I'd be glad to be helpful to you. You need something done that you can't do yourself? I'll try to help if I can."

Helpful? Silva almost laughed. "You know..." He said, changing his approach slightly. "There is something I could use help with. Come over here, kid. Sit with me. I've got a story to tell."

He headed for the edge of the table, assuming the other male would follow, then sat down, his leg hanging over the side. "See, kid... there's this girl. She's gorgeous, actually. Bright colors, sweet smile. The kind of girl you find yourself watching out the window for while you're doing your workout."

He sighed, watching the other male for a response. "But... well, I'm not the kind of guy you bring home to mother. At least that seems to be what she thinks..."

Neruo wandered over to Silva, but did not sit down. He crossed his arms, thinking. This Feien seems a bit secretive, but not overly rude or anything. Why would this other female not like him enough to tell others about it? It seemed odd.

"Well, I'm not one to do workouts, but I suppose I know what you mean. Perhaps she'd be more inclined to 'bring you home' if you...adjusted your attitude accordingly...perhaps then she'd like you more? But maybe that's too much. You wouldn't want to change so much and then not really be yourself anymore. Is she worth that kind of effort?"

He wandered around some more, but stayed near Silva. He thought about the female's description. Bright colors...sweet smile...

He almost twitched. Adjust his attitude? When he was fighting the urge to strangle the kid? Hell, he was on his best behavior! "It's not that simple, kid. It isn't as if she doesn't like me... but I'm not like... well... you, I suppose. Hell, I bet you bring your dates flowers. And don't kiss until the third date. Me, well, I'm not like that. And I'm not going to change..." He sighed, shrugging slightly.

"But that's not the worse part, kid. You see, she spends her nights hanging over at my place, you know... talking, hunting fireflies... other things. But she spends her days with one of your type. The respectable type. And I'm starting to get... well, hell, guess I should just speak my mind. I'm starting to get mad as hell, kid."

Neruo sighed slightly. He felt bad for the burgandy Feien. "Well, I'm terribly sorry that she seems torn. And yes, I suppose I'm more of a 'good' and, perhaps 'noble' person, but that doesn't mean that she can't like you for who you are. She seems torn. Perhaps you should talk to her about it?"

He finally sat down, crisscrossing his legs beneath him and resting his chin on his palms. He wanted to help, but he wasn't sure how. He was just now coming to grips with what he felt for a certain Feien, and wasn't quite sure what the rules of such feelings were...he just...went with his instincts. Perhaps they were right? Nonetheless, Silva deserved better than this, he figured. He didn't seem so bad.

"I'm sorry that you're mad, too. Maybe speaking your mind would make you feel better?"

Silva bit back a smirk, noticing the other male's sympathy and planning on exploiting it. Of course the "good" and "noble" comment made him want to get violent, he didn't have time for that. Right now he needed the kid right where he had him.

"Torn, huh? That's one way of putting it. Maybe I should put this in terms you would understand, kid. You've got a girl, right? A nice looking guy like you is sure to have somebody." He paused, waiting for his reply. He wanted to make sure this was the kid he wanted, though it sure as hell seemed to be.

Neruo tilted his head. "Somebody? No, not really. I mean, I'm not too sure. I'm just really coming to understand my feelings, and I'm not positive about how she feels in return...so I'm not sure. And besides, I'm not THAT good looking. I have puft cheese-snack hair..." he said with a chuckle. He shrugged.

"Who is it that you're talking about? Perhaps I could talk to them and explain this all to her. Maybe you should write her a note?"

He blinked. Not sure? The kid was either dancing around the bush... or... He scowled, deciding to think about it later. "Let me finish, kid. You're jumping the gun." He took his toothpick out, examining it for a while and thinking for a second. The kid wanted to know who she was, huh? Wanted to give him a hand... he smirked, wondering how willing the kid would be AFTER finding out who it was.

"This girl that you're not sure of, kid.... Does she make you feel like doing stupid things? Does she make you... jealous? See, my girl... well, I don't think I'd want you talking to her. You're just the type of guy I'm pissed off at." He sighed. "And I'm afraid I'm not as... kind as you would be, kid. Not if she took a liking to you... too."

Neruo thought a moment. "I suppose that, yes, she does sometimes make me feel like doing stupid things to impress her, but most males do that as instinct anyway...well, most human males. That's what LF said...And jealous? Who am I suppose to be jealous of? I don't think she's done anything to make me jealous...not that I'm aware of."

What is he getting at? Neruo wondered. He seems much more well-versed in the ways of women than I...maybe I'm just ignorant.

"You don't think, kid. That's the problem. Me, though, I KNOW. Now take this girl that you're not sure of and imagine her with someone else... And since you're more like the other guy then me, imagine her sneaking out at night chasing fireflies with a not so noble guy. Eating cherries... kissing."


He sat back, waiting for the idea to sink in.

Neruo thought of Ruya...chasing butteflies...okay, I can picture that...eating cherries...I THINK I know what a cherry is...and...kissing? I've seen that done on TV...with another Feien... Neruo was silent as the thoughts and images sunk in. He stared intently at the table beneath them and fluffed his wings absently. He finally looked up after a considerable amount of time.

"I suppose that, if she really does like another Feien better than me...it's her business...I really don't mind."

He was... shocked, actually. Then he started laughing. "Kid..." He said, taking a breath and wiping away a tear. "I like you. You've got style. And it's almost too bad that I'm gonna have to do this." He stood, stretching slightly.

"You know that girl I was talking about? Her name is Ruya." He waited, watching to see how the other guy took it. "And she told me the name of the other man."

Neruo shrugged. He didn't know what Ruya did when he wasn't around, but wasn't too concerned about it. As far as he could tell, there really wasn't much between them anyway...well, not much yet, but if she prefered someone else, then that was entirely up to her.

"I was wondering about that. I didn't know you knew Ruya. She's nice, isn't she? I guess you're the one she's been...kissing. Does she like you more, or do you know?"

"I don't know, kid. But I'm sure we'll find out one way or another." He was still angry... but not nearly as pissed as he had been. This kid wouldn't know HOW to take advantage, even if he wanted to. He looked the kid over critically, noting that the hair really DID make him look like a girl. Other then that... He shrugged.

"Hell, man. If she does choose me we'll just have to find you another girl." He smirked, looking forward to it for some strange reason. "You like princesses?"

Neruo shrugged. "Who says I need someone else? I'm not really interested in anyone else. But, if Ruya chooses you over me, then that's fine. I'm surprised I was even in the running after meeting you."

He blinked his gray eyes and sat down, a few feathers leaping from his wings. He was surprised to even be considered by Ruya, and for that, he was happy.

Silva shrugged, smirking slightly. The kid was interesting. He would be worth hunting down later... or not. He shrugged, turning and slipping out of the shop. He had spent too much time in the shop already. Who knew when a crowd would show up? But now he had to deal with Ruya... He dropped down beside his ferret and mounted up, his mind already on something completely different.

Neruo fluttered slowly out into the backyard, staring ahead mutely. The orange one lit on Kam's wooden fence and watched the setting sun drift beneath the horizon. He watched as the droplets of water on the grass grew cold...and he sighed slightly.

His fingers twisted around one orange curl and tugged.

"Alright guys, time to go out."

Ruya's voice drifted out from the partially opened porch door, as a stream of pixapets filtered out onto the porch and then the lawn itself. They were followed by a tiny dragon, Ruya, and a pixie, who stopped to wait by the door.

When Ruya stepped out the door, she noticed someone or something perched on the fence. Shrugging, she flew over to investigate. She really hoped it wasn't a bird. Getting all the pets back inside would be rough.

"Hello?"

Neruo's ears perked when he heard her voice. He slowly turned around, a blank expression on his face. He then warmed up and smiled, waving. He extended his orange wings to catch the last bits of sunlight. The light drifted through his feathers and then seemed to glow.

He then stood up and began to walk the length of the fence, towards Ruya. "Hello..." he said quietly.

Silva stared down at the dead mouse, wrapping his chain slowly as he waited to make sure it wouldn't move. He turned, looking around for something else to kill. He jerked as he caught sight of someone sitting on the fence, it wasn't a bird, the build was wrong, even though the wings were feathered.

"Neruo." He muttered like a curse, torn between getting closer or walking away. In the end he chose to stay where he was, too far to hear, but close enough to see. It was almost masochistic in a way, but he couldn't seem to help himself. Ruya would be walking that damn dog of hers soon...

Ah it was Neruo! Ruya felt elated, and then a little bummed. It was nice to see him, but she had things to discuss with him.

Ruya landed on the fence not far from Neruo and waved back.

"Hello Neruo! How are you this evening?"

Neruo smiled and slowly kept walking towards her, saying, "I'm alright. I see you're out an about this evening with the herd. Are you alright?" He sounded a bit concerned.

His gray eyes thought they had seen something moving in the distance. Feathers? He decided it was his mind playing tricks on him and dismissed it, turning back to Ruya.

"You seem...depressed?"

Ruya stopped and blinked at Neruo. She opened her mouth and then closed it again, before finally speaking.

"I'm a little troubled, but not depressed. More confused. Can I speak with you?"

Ruya sat down on top of one of the fence posts, motioning for Neruo to do the same.

Neruo's eyes softened and he sat down beside her, more worried than he had been before. A tinge of guilt tugged at his heart. Was it something he did? He hoped not, but he wasn't sure.

He looked down at the grass and waited patiently for her to begin. He liked to think of himself as someone others could come to to voice their feelings...

Closer... Silva wanted to get closer. He wanted to hear them talking... to hear her confess to the flower boy that she was sneaking out at night with him. He inched a little closer, but paused as something struck him. He would have to get close enough for THEM to be able to hear HIM if he wanted to hear them. That wasn't a good idea...

So he sat down and waited... and watched.

"May I?"

Ruya reached out for one of Neruo's hands and placed it between her own.

"I don't know how else to say this so I'm just going to get it over with. I think you have a crush on me."

She unconciously avoided looking him in the eyes.

"And if I'm right, it really isn't fair for me not to tell you that there is someone else. That there is another boy I spend time with and ... stuff, " she finished lamely.

"I'm sorry?"

She finally looked up at his face, both afraid of and not wanting to miss any reaction he might have.

Neruo looked up and slowly nodded. Was he that transparent? He wasn't big on hiding anything, as that just caused problems and was overall way too much work...But maybe it would've been best to hide it? It may have caused Ruya less grief.

"Was it that obvious?" he asked simply. "I read somewhere that women like mystery...but I guess I'm not that mysterious, am I?" He chuckled. What a waste of a Feien he was...

But it's not like he could help it. "You wonder if I'll be upset?" he asked, and withdrew his hand from hers. Not from anger, but to keep his mind focused on what he had to say.

"I would be hurt if you had feelings for me and then you went off and engaged in amoral conduct with someone else, but...I don't know how you feel about me in return. Am I worth it? I suppose I can't give you a real answer unless you answer me this: Do you like me in return, or is my affection one-sided?"

Ruya folded her hands together and stared down at them. Why did he have to ask this? It was such a big part of the question she was avoiding answering to herself.

"I don't know, " she mumbled after a couple awkward minutes of silence. "I really like talking to you and I don't want to stop hanging out with you, but I don't think... "

She studied her hands really closely, much more closely than she needed to. Then with a sigh, she finished her sentence all in one breath.

"... I don't think I want anything more than that right now."

There it was said, but was it really what she wanted? Who knew. The awful feeling in the pit of her stomach remained, as if she had done nothing at all to help out the situation.

Neruo sighed and smiled. He bent down and took her hand, trying to comfort her in her sadness.

"That's all I wanted to know." he said quietly. "All I wanted was a straight answer...and since there's someone else...someone you like more...then I don't mind you doing whatever you want with him, since you do not have feelings like that for me."

He stood up, pulling at one of his curls until is was so taught that it went straight. "I'm glad you told me."

Silva sat there, his chain fisted in his hand, the feeling that he was a @%$%^ idiot creeping up his spine. He forced his hand to loosen, his lungs to breathe fresh air. She wasn't that important, dammit. It was the situation that was pissing him off. Right?

He told himself to move... to stop watching, but he didn't... he couldn't. This involved him, after all.

Ruya stood as well and reached out to make sure Neruo was looking her in the eye.

"That's not it at all. I'm not sure I do like Silva better. I just know that right now I'm not ready for the kind of relationship I think you and I could have."

She let her hand drop and took a deep breath.

"But I meant what I said. If you can stand to be near me, I want to be friends. I think you're really interesting Neruo."

Neruo chuckled. "So that's his name. We met earlier and he never did tell me. He's the burgandy one, white short white hair. Yes...I suppose I can see why you do...those things...with him. He's much more versed in that sort of thing than I am."

He promptly let go of the curl he was practically ripping from his skull. He was so focused on listening to her that he didn't notice the needles of pain shooting through his scalp. He was better now, or so he thought.

"And, why would I suddenly not be able to stand you? I'll be here for you as a friend, no matter what happens. Alright?"

"Good. You have no idea how much I worried about that."

Ruya sagged with relief. She had been worried Neruo would suddenly not want to hang out with her anymore and that thought had made saying this so awful.

Wait. What did he just say? Ruya looked up and gave Neruo a puzzled look.

"You met Silva?"

Neruo nodded. "Yes, he's the Feien that is the color of wine. Darker skin and white hair, with bat wings...and quite the womanizer, I assume. Does it bother you that we chatted?"

He wasn't entirely sure why she was so concerned about it. The way he figured it, why would it matter if they had met or not? She seemed to be slightly more interested in Silva than he, but he liked her regardless. It was her decision and he would respect it in its entirety.

"Yes, it does bother me. I wanted you to find out from me."

And this means that little b*****d took it upon himself to interfere in something that was none of his business, she added mentally.

"And quite the... "

Ruya's eyes narrowed. She no longer felt upset or guilty, she felt angry. Very very angry.

But she smiled anyway for Neruo's sake.

"If you don't mind me asking, what did Silva say to you exactly?"

Neruo tilted his head in thought. "Well, he was angry. I could tell. He said he was 'mad as hell' that 'his girl' was hanging out with someone of 'my type'. Or something along those lines. I don't think he thinks I'm the brightest crayon in the box, despite my color..."

He hoped that he didn't leave anything too important out, but he was more focused on her than the previous meeting. Other things would come to him, if they were important.

Silva blinked, noticing the change in Ruya's stance and feeling something close to worry... Something had changed the emotion of the meeting on him and he was almost positive that whatever it was... was not good.

Not good at all...

Ruya couldn't even keep up her false smile for that, but she tried to stay polite. It wasn't Neruo's fault Silva was the way he was.

"Thank you for telling me that Neruo. I had no idea Silva would do such a thing."

She probably should have though. Ruya looked around and noticed most of the pixapets appeared to have gathered back on the porch to go in.

"Its getting late Neruo, I wouldn't want your bond to worry. Perhaps you can come another day and we can spend some time in the backyard? I think there are some wild chives growing in one corner."

Neruo smiled and bowed to her, not wanting for her to wait for him any longer. He slowly took to the air and floated just above the fence, turning back to wave at her and Rishi. He then sighed and made his way home.

He had much to tell Lu when he got there.