Welcome to Gaia! ::

Angel entered the shop once more, in her arms cradled the item she had been asked to find. Strangely enough, she had had a fun time coming into possession of it. She walked toward Mystic and set the item in front of him. "This is what you asked me for, right?" She asked quietly, a smile on her face at being able to be helpful.

Delilah sat beside Mystic, quiet and lady-like, her hands folded in her lap. She had stopped trying to touch him hours ago after her hesitant little fingers went right through his hand. She looked tired and stretched thin, something unheard of for the strange little flower-girl. Her big eyes focused on the door of the shop as they waited.

She had stopped talking thirty minutes ago. Mystic simply seemed too tired to answer and she knew that bothered him.

The bell tinkled suddenly and Delilah looked up to see her mother and White Opal return. She offered a small smile, hopeful. Kova returned the smile and held up a little blue velvet pouch. A golden tassle held it closed and it appeared to contain something heavy. The tall space pirate brought the bag immediately across the shop and laid it in front of Mystic. "Phoenix talon," she announced. Then, glancing at Delilah, she stepped back again and waited. Her look of hope was the exact same endearing expression as her daughter's.

Amon entered the shop, hands dug deep into the pockets of his coat, his expression dark and foreboding, promising nothing good to whoever might try and attempt to speak to him. The events of the past weeks, ever since he'd purchased that cursed jade pendant, had led him to be incredibly cranky and irritated. The trouble he'd had to go through to get his hands on the item Merci had requested hadn't helped much either, on the contrary. Why was he doing this again..? Oh, right, to get rid of 'it'.

"Here," he said gruffly, handing Mystic a small envelope of silk paper, a certain nephrite pendant dangling from a leather string wrapped around his wrist. "The dragonfyre. I hope just the petals will be enough, they cost me a small fortune." His mouth snapped shut, and he moved aside to make way for the next person. He didn't really care about the money, he could earn that sum again easily enough. But if, instead.. He glanced down at the intricate pendant dangling from his wrist. According to Merci he was stuck with that cursed thing, but he wasn't quite willing to accept that. Surely there was a way to get rid of it.

But for that, he'd have to speak to this.. Athan.

Esfandiar was too distracted to really think about what was going on around him - the shadhavar trailed back from Sepehr's shuttered shop directly to the Gate again, and then to Twilight Designs without taking much note of his surroundings. He kept seeing the the sorcerer's pale, pinched face, first blank with fear, then taut with anger. A memory that had never belonged to him was rattling around in his mind now. A violation of trust.

There seemed to be a small collection of spell ingredients forming on the counter; Esfiandiar put his in the pile with the identifying note on top of it, then retreated. But not too far - regardless of his own mood, he did still owe Athan a debt. He stationed himself in a corner, leaning against the wall and folding his arms in front of him.

Pyrite slid in and out of the shadows, distraught by her bonded's anger. Esfandiar felt a questioning breath of thought from the Fiend but did not move. I did not care to see such things, know such things. Sepehr did not want that, either. What gives you the right? he thought, ferociously.

The soft mental touch withdrew at once. She must have heard. Esfandiar shook his head and remained where he was, brooding.

The door opened once more, revealing a blue-haired woman and the red shadow trailing her. The bag containing the lezuralis was hooked to the chains that trailed her sides, and glowing blue eyes widened once she finally got a good look inside. "Mystic !"

Zero's face went pale. He was.... He was....

Red's reaction was similar, but at the same time pretty different. He all but rushed for the other fiend, regardless of who or what might be in between the two of them.

Damnit, this was all his fault !

Echo was only too pleased to be rid of the void. It was not something she cared to have - and now she had it in her posession not for hours, but while longer. She was pleased to have been given it, but until she had set the vial elsewhere and it was not in the capable hands of those that actually knew what was going on, the woman could not breathe easily.

But she could not just leave, that would feel simply wrong. Instead, Echo found an empty wall and leaned against it. Pez had been quite thankfully quiet since re-entering the shop. Who knew, maybe the audible floating rock had a sense of understanding after all.

Echo could not stay still, she was too agitated, and even more so because she could not figure out where the emotion was coming from. Sure, she wouldn't wish being turned into a statue on anyone, but she hardly knew the people she went on the hunt to help.

To pass the time, Echo had taken out a copper penny. She would drop it on the group, and Pez would fetch it - which meant covering it in shadow until it could not be seen. But it always fell at her feet, and all the small woman had to do was lean down and pick it up, only to continue it again. It was pointless, but it kept her mind elsewhere.

She glanced at her watch, was it time yet?

Dio popped through the storefront and paused just inside getting his barrings. His eye widened at the fact there were so many people, and he immediately started to feel panic. One or two he could handle, a crowd like this scared him. The flash of blue caught his eye and he focused in on Zero, if she was here then Red would be too. Red would protect him from the scary. The unhidden eye scanned the room, thats when he saw Mystic, and next to him Red. He made a beeline for his Red and caught him by the back of his vest, hiding behind him, body curled as closely into Red's back as he could get. Terror was to tame a word for how he felt now, he recognized what was happening to Mystic, and he knew what it felt like.

Merci was not far behind Dio, shoving through the door with little preamble. Her tail drooped with obvious exhaustion. She worked hard to get what she had, and was actually quite proud of having found it. Who would have known that finding it would have been such a pain in the a**?

Her green eyes looked over the room when the feeling of terror hit her from Dio. The passive look turned into a solid frown when she managed to spot him, and next to him, Mystic. He looked horrible. She made her way over and set the box down, opening the top to reveal the colorful liquid swirling inside. "I hope this helps Mystic..." She didn't want to say anything else, because it seemed to be an awkward situation. Instead she just backed up and shot pensive looks toward her ward.



Mystic remained as still and silent as the two statues near his side as he watched as guardians and those that simply had aided him out of kindness filed in one by one. Steadily they had been arriving for what seemed an eternity, but in truth it could have only been an hour or two. He blinked groggily as he tried to force himself to focus on his task at hand. They had gone so far out of their way for him. For them.

He could not fail them. Especially not... her.

Faded hands reached to gather the ingredients together, to sort them, to count, and to take note. Having something else to focus upon lent him a strange sort of strength which he clung to desperately. All his remaining energies were focused upon this moment. Not even his cloak remained substantial. He had nothing to spare to maintain the guise.

It wasn't important. His task was all that mattered. She was all that mattered. Above all else it was alwaysalwaysalways her.

He flipped the pages of the heavy spellbook that sat atop the desk before stopping upon the page that listed all the ingredients of the antidote. Mentally he checked them off one by one.

One by one. One by one. By one by... one.. was missing.

His eyes widened and a thrill of panic shot through him. No. No. No. Not ... possible. Not..

He counted again. And again. Still missing. Still gone.

Gone as he soon would be.

Echo was one of the last to arrive, but she was still anxious. When the dark and fading Mystic moved, however, she stopped playing around. Intently, she watched as he sorted through the items... and it looked like everything was going to be okay.

But then there was a pause. The woman didn't know quite what was happening now, but Pez had a feeling. The shadowed gem was nestled near her ear and was twinkling and babbling incomprehensibly - and through him... Echo frowned and watched Mystic.

What was going on? What did this mean? Curses her reluctance to not learn this magic stuff! Echo's hands were clenched at her side. She wanted to help, but didn't have the knowledge to understand how she could.

Angel watched the fading ghost-like creature before her go from confident to dismayed, to perhaps frightened. Something wasn't right. She wasn't sure how to react, but she knew that this was not a good situation for this Mystic to be in.

Dio shifted and ducked his head around Red, his burgundy eye moving to watch Mystic as he moved. Something was wrong, and he knew it. His fingers tightened on Red's vest momentarily before he shoved his panic aside. Right now, he couldn't deal with his fears. His friend was in trouble and it should be all that mattered. He drifted slowly a little closer to Mystic, 'Whats wrong? Is something wrong?' His voice was quiet, he didn't want to talk in front of all these people. He wanted to curl up and hide in Red's arms, but he kept his eyes focused on Mystic.

Merci quirked a brow and pulled out a folded and refolded piece of paper. Everything that had been on it was marked off. She was sure she had gotten the right thing.

Red took a sharp "step" backwards when Dio all but clung to his vest, as he wasn't expecting something like this to happen. He almost panicked for the split second it took him to recognize who it was, and then his turn took a sharp, protective turn. One arm moved to hold Dio, bringing some of the fabric of his coat along to try to envelop him - almost as if trying to hide the little panicked fiend from the word.

However, some of his panic returned once he clearly saw that something wasn't right. "...Mystic ?"

s**t. This had to work. He couldn't die. He couldn't...

He was so going to kill whatever b*****d thought up all this with his bare hands.

Something wasn't right. Something DEFINITIVELY wasn't right. Red's worry only made her own skyrocket. Damnit ! "Mystic, what's wrong ?!"

Esfandiar observed, using his anger with Pyrite as a shield - he was here to see his debt repaid, nothing more - but as those around him began to panic, his arms slowly lowered to his side. This 'Mystic' that had spoken with him, that Pyrite had drawn memory and void out of... so pale, barely-there...

Ending; Bonded; Negative, Pyrite ventured, a curl of shadow emerging from Esfandiar's own and wrapping tentatively around his ankle.

What do you mean? The thought was, again, directionless, but as before Pyrite picked up on it easily.

Bonded; Required. Bonded; Lack: Existence; Lack.

Esfandiar let out one long, slow breath. So... the transparent Fiend was... dying, then? And what of Athan? Someone had not kept their part of the bargain, that much was clear, and the shadhavar's face took on an expression of anger once again, but for a very different reason.

"Is there time? The markets of Tesfaldir..." he offered, speaking into the chaos in general.

Delilah chewed her lower lip as she edged closer to Mystic and peered at the items spread in front of him. Her eyes flicked from them to his face and back. She set her hands on the counter, not quite touching the items. "Mystic?" she asked softly. "Do you need me to do anything?"

Kova, on the hand, was now trying to keep her hands around White Opal who pulsed and vibrated almost violently. Nearly coherent waves of feeling swept over her, coming from the stone. Worry, fear, nervousness.

Mystic shook his head, though the movement left him feeling somewhat dizzy. 'There are items missing. I am...' he trailed off as he came to realization that even his voice was leaving him. He ducked his head and swallowed thickly. He didn't know what else to do. '... fading.'

Outside the shop it took Trivii several conflicted moments to push the door open and walk in, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, the girl removed her sunglasses and golden eyes sparked in the dim area searching though the gathering of fiends she had never before seen.

Skimming over Zero and Red, Kova and Opal, finally finding the elder fiend. "Mystic." She spoke softly enough as not to be heard, pushing forward from the fringes and extending a small corked jar with the scales inside.

"Mystic, I hope these can help... Medusa Scales." Backing up half a step, she smiled faintly at her friend, at a complete loss for more to say.

Vibrating excitedly the little stone clung to Trivii's shoulder, extending anxious tendrils to examine the other fiends and hosts.

"What can we do to help you, Mystic?" Angel called, her eyes filled with worry. Something had truly gone awry. "There must be something...Anything." She said, stepping forward to stand more with the others who had come. "What can we all do to help you?" She asked, hopeful.

The elder shadow's eyes widened, a look of surprise (perhaps even excitement?) thrilled through him. They were still a few items short, but if others came. If others came while he started the spell! If there was enough left from what he had brought from Reyna's study it could buy them some time.

He stood again with a certain desperate determination as he began drawing runes atop the wood of the table. This was going to get messy and quickly. 'Stay back,' was the best warning he could manage to give the rapidly growing crowd of anxious guardians and onlookers.

Esfandiar's eyes narrowed, and he stayed where he was. Whatever was going on - he was going to listen to the barely-there words that the fading Fiend projected, even as Pyrite all but cut off the circulation to his feet in her clutching worry. There's a plan, he has a plan, now let go of my ankles, he informed the shadows at his hooves.

The tendrils withdrew immediately, and Pyrite herself pooled out of the shadow, but hung close by her bonded. Her fingers did not so much as twitch in the direction of the others gathered there. Many, she offered, phasing partway through the wall.

Yup. Not good. He seemed to be fading, and quickly. Even with some of his voice gone, she understood enough for her to react and pry the two boys away from him, worry in her eyes.

s**t, this had to work. If it didn't... Well, not only she probably wouldn't get Ajit here in time, but that somehow seemed even more suicidal then letting Mystic do a spell with incomplete ingredients.

Merci stayed where she was and tucked the note back into her pocket. She moved over to stand next to Zero. "Things will be alright, we've done what we can at this point. Though I think that fellow over there had the right idea." She gestured at Esfandiar. Thats when her eyes narrowed and she looked at the bottle, "Those look like snake scales.. and if you needed medusa scales I have three of the whiny brats at home."

Dio clung to Red and pressed as close as he could. He wanted to help, and he knew that he could do that best by backing off. 'Lets give him room Red. He knows what he is doing, and if he needs help he knows he can ask us.' Dio's voice was still very quiet. His head tilted up and he offered him as much of a smile as Fiends are capable of, hoping to help alleviate his friends fears.

"Del, come back here. Don't stand so close to Mystic." Kova took a reluctant step backwards herself even as the stone in her hands tried to push forward instead. The flower-girl shook her head and sank to sit just behind Mystic on the floor. She brought her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, chin resting atop. Her wide blue eyes stared up at the Fiend.

The spell didn't take the same way as it did before. It didn't form the gelatinous ooze that had cured Zero's arm. It was only half formed and melded strangely. It took on a strange glow and he half feared that he had endangered them all by being so bold as to think he could control and sustain it without all the proper ingredients.

He dared to look away for a solitary moment as his gaze settled upon Delilah. 'Backroom. There may be other items left from before.' It would also keep her busy and out of harm's way.

Excited and fearless the floating cabochon of Carnelian moved so close as to almost touch Mystic.

"Get out of Mystic's way, Carnelian." Scooping a hand to cup the wisp she pulled it into her own auric field.

"Is there anything else I can do to help?" The quiet purr of words was spoken in sincerity as she stepped back into the room at large. Full of guilt that she had been so tardy.

Mystic shook his head once. No. This was something he must do. He alone must cast the spell. Involving more people could cause more trouble. His form was at least mostly transparent and intangible save for when he called on what precious little energy he had left to move an object or stir the spell ingredients. The only thing he truly needed at that moment was time and the final items to complete his work, but he seemed to be swiftly running out of time and the items.... still missing.

There was nothing he could do, and that was frustrating him to no end. Zero was also doing a very good job at blocking his pathway to the elder shadow, too. Damnit, she knew him much too well already. There had to be some way, something to at least keep him from fading even further, because.... how much would be too much ? Was that already done ?

And if only they had been more careful with that stupid piece of paper.... !!!!!!!

He held Dio closer, but his eyes where almost alit with anger and worry.

Dio floundered in his mind before a memory caught him, it was faint. It was something he didn't WANT to remember and it made him hold to Red more tightly. He shut his eye and tried to clear his thoughts. He had been as close to death as Mystic was now, and when he was, Red had saved him. Red saved him, even if he hadn't known it by giving him a piece of his own strength to feed on. The little black fiend tried, he tried to reach out and bolster Mystic.

He wasn't strong enough. He opened his eyes and looked up at Red. 'Red, save him. Like me, remember. Save him, you are so strong, you can give him some if you try. Make him strong too, strong enough.' He didn't know how else to word it. His hand squeezed Red's arm, and it was obvious he wasn't going to let go while the other Fiend was attempting it.

Merci frowned a little bit, because she had no idea what Dio was talking about. "Dio what are you saying?"

Dio made a frustrated sound, 'Red can share! Please share with him!'

There was pure confusion emanating from the red shadow, at first. What the heck was Dio talking ab-

Silence.

He remembered panic. Instinct. Not rational thought, simple, pure reaction.

Maybe that was what he was doing wrong. He was thinking entirely too much, about s**t that couldn't be changed.

Time to react.

Red stilled completely, eyes fluttering closed as he reached out for Mystic with all that he had.

He had done this once, and damned if he couldn't do it again !

Zero quite honestly had no damn idea what was going on anymore. "Red, what the hell...."

Trivii drew further away from the group watching in stunned silence and sheltering her own little wisp against her body.

Struggling against her guardians hold, frustration radiated from Carnelian as she was unable to dive into the fray.

Eyes narrowing the cat girl watched the duo of Black Star and Red. Frozen where she stood.

Another figure entered the shop, though not by conventional means. He floated through the door and past those that stood in his way, drifting easily between and around lolling figures despite his blindness. It was merely a hindrance. His true Sight aided him far more than any that he could have been born with.

'Save your strength, Alisari. Your attempt to share your energy, while a sweet notion, is for naught. He is too far gone,' he said aloud. His voice was deceptively sweet, yet clearly still masculine. 'Thankfully, you're not dead. That would have thrown a kink in things entirely.'

He drifted directly over towards Mystic who was now glaring daggers at him, eyes burning bright with anger, and oh what was that? Could that be shock? It had been quite some time since they had last merry met. The Seer radiated a sort of smug smirk before settling directly in front of the desk. 'At least not yet, that is..'

Mystic snarled, face twisting into a mask of rage, all-too reminiscent of his bonded when her temper flared beyond her control. It was in that moment that he faltered. Just slightly. It was just enough to cause some of the bright, glowing fluid within the copper basin to slip over the edge, hit the desk, and then drip like liquid mercury onto the child that sat stubbornly next to him.

He gasped and Hawk swore. That he had not foreseen. She was meant to be in the backroom. Hadn't that fool warned her? No, no. He had. Stubborn child!

Hawk interrupted both the elder Shadow's thoughts and cut him off before he could make another feeble attempt at his now garbled speech. 'Clearly, we haven't the time for this. Hurry. You need my help to finish the spell. Before anyone else ends up hurt.' He at least Saw that she would indeed be fine. Resilient, but still foolish.

Delilah gasped, a tiny surprised squeak, and tilted backwards where she sat to lean against the wall. Her hand clamped over where the potion had hit on her forearm and she squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to not cry out loud. She knew her mother and had already heard the faint sound of the tall space pirate shifting. "Mama, no," she ordered in a deceptively strong voice. The potion started to burn. "You're going to mess up Mystic's spell. I'm okay."

She lifted her hand to peer at the skin and paled beneath her golden tan. Those close enough could just about see the sudden lines of angry black pulsing along the area, moving as if following veins. She pursed her lips and put her attention back on Mystic and the stranger more firmly.

"Del..."

The anguish in Kova's voice forced her to edge her seat away slightly until she was about two feet further away.

It wasn't working, it wasn't working, it wasn't <********> working and now there was this random fruitcake coming out of nowhere trying to tell him what he should or shouldn't do. Ohhh, that did -not- sit well with him, at all.

After all, if there was one thing the child hated more than being ordered around, it was failure, especially with himself. The two things that saved Hawk from Red making his way to him and giving him a rather volatile (and probably amusing) piece of his mind was the fact that he was pissed beyond words, and that, well, Dio clinging to him like a lifesaver actually provided a damn good anchor at keeping him rooted down in place.

Dio's worry and desperate need to do something was derailed at the entrance of Hawk. He had no idea who he was and the natural curiosity bubbled to the surface. Who was this? Why did Mystic not like him? Wait did he say Alisari? Where did he know that word from?

It was about then that he registered the anger rolling off Red. His train of thought throughly derailed he patted his friends arm soothingly. 'He's one of us Red, he'll help. He has to help.' He was feeling a little disoriented, and he had to remind himself that all that truly mattered right now was fixing Auntie Reyna, saving Mystic, oh, saving the Athan man, and keeping Red calm. Not necessarily in that order but pretty close.

He was patting Red on the arm, when he noticed the fact there were a number of little wisps in the room. 'Red don't do something violent in front of the wisps.'

Mystic tried to contain his rage. It was dampened only slightly by his anguish for Del, but it allowed him enough clarity to focus. He projected his emotions and disjointed thoughts upon Hawk to interpret. Speaking was in fact useless to him. He could no longer find his voice.

'I can charge the spell. It will be enough to return one of them to normal.'

Bright, violet eyes narrowed. Only one? Only ONE of them??

'And it must be Athan.' Hawk held up a hand to placate the other. He already knew what his argument would be and while it was valid, it was the only true solution. 'You will have to trust me. Athan's true element is earth not darkness and shadow. He will respond better to it than Reyna will, and he can save her.'

He did not want to believe. He flexed his fingers as he resisted the urge to clench his fists as currently both his hands were suspended on either side of the basin to hold the spell. 'No..'

Hawk scowled as he was branded with a particularly harsh vision of what the future very well could be if he did not comply. 'I've no desire to become eldest, Mystic.'

The surprise of the new comers entrance, and the spill onto the child, the rushed exchange didn't quite register with Triv.

Everything was moving so fast and the smell from the simmering potion was turning her stomach. Side stepping closer to Red and his friend, she felt drained as Carnelian again slipped her grasp to hover closer to the pair.

Little tendrils caressing the pair Carnelian exuded confidence and bravery at the pair, blindly mixed affection and, oddly enough, concern and a questioning thought.

Her eyes narrowed at the potion brewing fiends. They were going to succeed... was that a good thing? Did she want them to succeed? Gold mingled oddly with opal, a light of conflict in the recesses of her eyes the cat girl focused on anything but the scent as what was transpiring finally connected with the facts she had.

And her stomach churned.

Pyrite slid in and out of the shadows. So many thoughts, memories sleeting through the air, close enough to reach out and grab; but then the one that was nearly melted away to nothing would vanish entirely.

She wanted to find out more about that void. And she could not do so if he melted.

Watch; Urgent, she told Esfandiar, firmly.

He looked down at her, where her dark eyes blinked out of darker shadow, where his body leaned against the wall. I can't do anything-

She flicked a tendril of shadow at him, annoyed. Watch, she repeated.

Bemused, Esfandiar turned his attention back to the tableau unfolding before him, the words of the other Fiends dropping neatly into his mind even as they ignored him entirely. Such a strange community he seemed to have fallen into.

Oh, he better had to help, or else things would get very ugly, very quickly. He would make sure of it. He watched the situation unfold, tail trashing wildly back and forth, glowing eyes narrow. He wasn't sure if he liked this turn of events, but, what could he do about it ?

Nothing. And that's what he did. Thankfully, there was enough restrain in him to keep him from acting impulsively and screw up the spell.

Dio watched and then spoke up, directing his voice towards the two of them. 'You said there is only enough to charge for one. Red and I can go look in the back for more ingredients, in case the Athan man will need them to fix Auntie Reyna. I know you don't like it Mystic but it's the most logical choice. He is the magic man after all and taught you right? If he could teach you he can fix Auntie Reyna!' He fell silent again and took heart from the little wisp that had made it's way over to them.

Dio turned his burgundy eye down to Carnelian and reached out with his sleeved hand, something he didn't do often, to touch the reaching tendrils. It amazed him sometimes how tiny wisps were before they found enough power to grow.

Quietly uncertain Trivii mutely lifted her hand like a student in class. "Mystic, my friend... please think about what he is telling you. Athan can save Reyna."

Again reaching out and recapturing her wisp, Trivii closed her eyes. "And if he needs help, he will get it. Please, use your head before you use your heart."

Watching the Fiends argue, the spell hang in the balance and (more importantly) her daughter curled up and looking decidedly strained spurred Kova to take a few steps forward. The stone in her hands flickered and White Opal's tendrils reached out to the other nearby Fiends. She recognized a few and sought instinctive comfort. Kova was too busy to provide it at the moment.

"Mystic?" There was a quaver in Kova's voice that no one had ever heard before. "Please let him do the spell. Before anyone else gets hurt. Mr. Athan can save Miss Reyna and..." Her voice caught and she swallowed as a few more steps showed the darkening marks on Delilah's arm. "He can help Delly. Look at her, Mystic. She's hurt now, too."

"Mama..."

"Mystic, please. We've got to do something now before things get worse."

A look of guilt washed over his face at Kova's mention of Delilah's injury. That was his fault. She was right, and so was Dio. He nodded to Hawk but the other Shadow had already Seen his answer and was beginning to take over part of the spell.

Hawk outstretched his own hands to mirror Mystic's and a sort of strange, bright static charge ignited between them and made the spell glow even further. The light was abrasive to their senses, being made of darkness, but they had no choice but to endure.

The Seer hefted the basin up with a surprising show of strength and dumped over onto Athan. It wasn't the most practical means of coming across the cure, but it would work. It damn well better work. The amount of energy he had expended simply getting there would soon enough be taking its toll, never mind the feat he had just performed. He now needed Athan in the sense Mystic needed Reyna. Wren, quite clearly, was no where to be found.

The stone that seemed to cover Athan cracked with fissure lines, his hands that were still held outright as though he were still reading that infernal note flexed and then quite suddenly, he broke free with a groan of pain as stiff joints that had been locked in place protested fiercely enough to send him to his knees.

He coughed as he knelt on his knees, for the moment unable to move as he tried to catch his breath. His lungs burned. It felt as though he had been held underwater and finally let up for hair two seconds too late.

"Ohh by the gods," he groaned before he made an attempt to stand. It was only then that he took notice to the great number of people gathered and to the familiar Shadow that stood before him, fox-like tail swishing side to side. "Hawk!"

The Seer beamed a sort of contentment as he moved to help Athan stand with one arm wrapped firmly about his shoulders. His brief moment was ruined however when Mystic stood and drifted through the table and towards both of them, anger still evident in his features.

'FIX HER,' he demanded with what little strength he still possessed. He was beginning to fade faster. His cloak had deteriorated almost entirely, his skin and hair nearly colorless.

Still frozen where she stood, Aki stared...for several long moments unable to comprehend what was unfolding before her. Curls of white blond hair stuck against the perspiration beaded on her forehead, glittering as faintly as the outstretched vial in her hand. Struggling to catch her breath, one hand still on the gaping door, her face crumpled slowly in understanding. But was she too late?

"Fix her." Old pain twisted tears into Aki's voice as she echoed the last spoken sentiment. Coral lifted slowly behind her, like a bloody sunrise over one shaking shoulder, and gazed at those assembled with uncertain ocean blue eyes.

Selfish as it was, Coral was glad she had no voice with which to make such a cruel decision.

Athan stilled as he tried to comprehend the situation he had more or less awoken to as he backtracked in his mind. Zero came in angry with a note that had been attached to her door. The spell was hidden -- hidden well enough that even he had not seen or sensed it. Then... then they had turned to stone. He was now returned to normal, but...

He turned and he drew in a shaky breath as he realized with a sudden clarity what it was both Aki and Mystic were demanding. He was so faint he could hardly sense him. He attempted to extend some of his own energy to the Shadow but he had twined himself so close to Reyna and closed himself off to him long ago. It would be enough to sustain him, but not for long.

"I.. I'm not sure how," he answered before he moved over towards the spell book. Before he could turn the pages he was hit with a vision that quite clearly was not his own, but he was not allowed time to protest.

He stood in front of Reyna, the desk had been moved so that it was no longer an obstacle in his way. Behind her was Hawk, his arms wrapped firmly around her form in an embrace to charge the spell he was about to cast. Mystic was no where to be seen, but faintly he could still sense him there, a brooding, heavy weight on the room.

Green runes appeared on her alabaster skin as he called them forth one by one, he unclasped a vial that was in his left hand and poured it upon chalked lines that had been etched onto the tile floor. The lines flared to life and the mermaid tears sped along the chalk like quicksilver before climbing it's way up along the statue of the demoness.

The silver absorbed into the stone and disappeared entirely. The lines dimmed. He could feel Mystic panic, but he remained steady and calm to hold the spell. If he let go, it would backfire onto Hawk.

Fissure lines appeared and the stone began to break away, shattering in a near violent manner as the demon awakened.

Athan reeled for a moment, swaying until he gripped the side of the desk to steady himself. What felt like minutes, perhaps even an hour, was in truth only a few seconds. As if being turned to stone hadn't been disorienting. He shot Hawk a pointed look before his gaze settled upon the group of guardians and other such familiar faces.

"Help me move this desk."

Now that, finally, felt like something Esfandiar could do... curious as he was about the proceedings, he felt like a stranger hovering at the edges, unaware of the shared history of those assembled. He had never enjoyed social awkwardness.

The shadhavar strode over to the desk and grabbed the corners, then nodded at Athan. "It is good to see you again, Sage. Where would you like it?" He could probably manage the weight alone, though the movement wouldn't be graceful or precise. Best to have more hands.

Pyrite, startled by her bonded's sudden movement, remained blinking in his shadow, though she sidled as far away as she could get from Mystic. All of him was melting, even the memories, even the laughter and the void. She wanted no part of that.

"And you as well, friend," Athan replied, "Though I regret it is under such circumstances. Once this mess is settled I believe perhaps a more simple afternoon of tea and conversation of our travels may be in order." He chuckled quietly to himself before also taking hold of the desk. "If you could help me shift it away from Miss Crelos, please. Towards the door to the back room would be ideal."

Just as Pyrite kept her distance from Mystic, Hawk made it a point to maintain a proper distance from her. He could not read her, and he did not like it.

Esfandiar nodded and lifted, then took a few steps backwards, trying to take as much of the weight as he could. Tell me if I'm going to walk into something, he thought, quickly. He was starting to kind of get the hang of this mind-speaking business.

Affirmative, Pyrite replied, and he felt her cool touch on his legs as she peeked out of the shadow.

"There," he spoke up, "That should do it just fine. Thank you very much."

Before he could try to figure out what to do next, Hawk was at his side and was pressing both chalk and the vial Aki had brought into his hands. Wordlessly he accepted both. He knew what to do from there. He moved towards Reyna's still form and drew a circle around her and quickly drew in the necessary symbols with practiced ease.

Mystic. Where was Mystic? He glanced to the side where he believed him to be. He had curled down next to Delilah, but was hardly visible at all, only his stone remained entirely visible.

Esfandiar nodded and stepped back, automatically reaching out to right a pencil cup that had fallen over in transit. Pyrite peered at Athan from behind the desk, her dark eyes blinking slowly.

Desire; Memory, she whispered, but did not move, merely watched.

Don't you dare, Esfandiar shot back.

Movement-Self; Negative. Desire-Memory; Affirmative. Obedience-Bonded; Affirmative. One of her hands solidified enough to creak around the desk with cracked fingers as she observed.

Red would have helped with moving the desk, but hadn't quite cooled his temper down enough so that he wasn't more likely to snap and hiss than be helpful. He drifted around the room, in a way that looked oddly like a nervous man pacing back and forth. At least, he settled, warping himself loosely around Mystic's shoulders, as if somehow trying to protect him from something he could never even dream of possibly preventing. His long tail went on to curl around Dio's waist, giving a nervous twitch every now and then. There was still anger simmering right below the surface, that he couldn't quite let go of. Anger and worry.

Mystic hadn't even the energy to sigh. He was simply there, but for how much longer it was somewhat difficult to tell. Red's presence was at least comforting. Little brother. Little serpent. Idly he lost himself to memories, what few he clung to. He wanted to sleep.

Athan, on the other hand, worked quickly as he completed his circles and runes and designs all around the statue before he stood. Then, just as in the vision, Hawk was draped across her back and the actual spell began. He thought for a moment to warn those present, but it was too late to do so and he could not afford for his concentration to be broken. Exhausted as he was, it took every fiber of his being to remain calm and in control of the situation.

He held his breath as he opened the vial and the first drops of the mermaid's tears splattered against his linework. It flared to life as it was meant to and he exhaled in relief.

Aki folded her hands, pressing them against her stomach as she watched. Silently, Coral floated a bit higher and reached forward to smooth Aki's hair back off of her forehead, seemingly more concerned with her guardian than the events at hand. Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, Aki gave a silent prayer to the Goddess that no longer heard her...praying that the tears of a fallen mer were just as potent as those of the true sea folk.

It hadn't occurred to her until now that the difference might mean Reyna's life.

Attention; Occurrence, Pyrite projected, her grip on the desk tightening a bit. Shadow flowed out through the cracks in her skin, snatching at dust. The faded one was hardly anything but memory now. If she came to him, she would eat him whole, hold his entire being in her mind.

She stayed where she was. Emphatically.


Reyna's escape from her stone prison was entirely different from Athan's. Where his began with fissure lines and cracks that peeled away and faded, hers began like rapid burning wildfire. It was to be expected in a way, given her true nature. Before the statue even began to show the first signs of color and semblance of normalcy, a low grating, animalistic growl could be heard.

The statue cracked and then it erupted, shattering and flinging stone as she burst free in a fit of rage. She lurched forward in a swift movement and seized Athan by his neck in a chokehold, taking him entirely off guard. "YOU," she managed in a ragged, low voice, "Do not pay me enough for this s**t!"

Athan wanted to laugh at that, but he had no desire to provoke an already.... disagreeable berserker. He instead remained as still and neutral as possible until she relinquished her grip when her attention was drawn away when a sudden jolt hit her, sharp and painful like a shock of electricity. She doubled over and growled until she realized what exactly it was when she felt her energy begin to pull away from her in a familiar drain.

"Mystic," she managed before she reached out towards him with one outstretched arm. If she had been more the emotional sort, she likely would have burst into tears at the sight of her Shadow looking so ragged, worn, and barely-there. Instead she grabbed at him as best she could and drew him close.

Red slid away from Mystic as Reyna went for him, sliding to the Dio's left while his tail never left it's curl around the other child's waist.

Hopefully, it meant all that bullshit was over now... hopefully.

Zero let out a sigh of relief as things finally seemed to work out in the end. Still, she felt horribly guily - like this was all her fault, like she should have thought this out in more depth before crashing down into the shop like a madwoman. Her emotions where easily readable from her, just like an open book.

Dio clung to Red and shut his eye leaning against him fully. The relief was tangible, despite Reyna's outburst. 'Oh thank goodness.' He felt wonderful to be so near Red, safe, and truly happy. Everything was right with his world.

Merci just smiled, glad that what little she was able to do actually did help. Athan and Reyna were good... well sorta people. Reyna was a demon, but all in all it worked out for the best. Her eyes moved over to Dio and she smiled slightly. "Glad your both alright.." She offered before falling silent.

Though her shoulder's sagged in relief, Aki's eyes still held the haunted pain that had so twisted her voice. Reyna was alive...and while once, that would have been all that mattered, something dire still weighed upon her.

Someone had done this to them. To her, to Coral. Someone had done this to Reyna, "Someone..." Aki's shoulders did not square. Instead, they curved farther in, as though the space around her was distasteful. "...is going to pay."

Coral paid little mind to Aki's soft spoken promise of revenge. Floating forward, twining like a lazy kite, she tried to get a better look at Mystic and Reyna where they had collapsed together. Without a word, she turned to glance back to her guardian...studying Aki for a long moment. Despite all their trials, she'd never known it could come to this...and the thought frightened as much as it morbidly fascinated. Lifting one slender arm, the siren Shadow pointed unerringly at what was left of Mystic's visible form, blue eyes still locked on Aki.

-Now fix him?-

Aki's brows furrowed, narrowed gaze flicking for the first time to the beaten and tattered shadow that Reyna pulled close. It was a hard thing to realize, but until now...she hadn't cared whether or not the Fiend fared well. Her only thought, from the start, had been the demoness...and the shadow of guilt made her delicate ears droop.

"I don't know what to do for him, Coral..." Lifting her eyes, she took a long look around the room...studying Hawk's pale form, Pyrite's cloaked face, and the relieved silhouettes of the others. "Does anyone...?"

"I think they just need some time together. Time and... Cookies." Smiling with relief and her mind immediately moving back into the usual train of her thoughts, Kova slipped behind the others and through the curtains. Moments later, she reappeared with two cups of tea and a first aid kit. She set one cup on the table close to Athan's hand. "Miss Reyna?" she murmured as she crouched carefully beside the other woman and her Fiend. She offered the other cup but almost immediately set it on the floor. Then she slid over to pull Delilah into her arms, cuddling her tightly.

Delilah shifted sluggishly, barely looking at her mother and (even more rarely) not even taking the chance to push White Opal out of her mother's other hand so that she did not have to touch the shivering stone. Her half-closed eyes watched Mystic and Reyna closely, brows pulled together with worry. The black lines remained on her arm but had stopped moving.

White Opal pulsed once, twice. Then she reached out a wavering, unsure tendril towards the demoness and her Fiend. A wave of concern swept out from her, more seemingly aware than any other emotion displayed before. Another tendril even reached back and out towards her reluctant "sister."

Angel wasn't sure how to act. Everyone here had a true inkling of what was going on.Everyone but her, that is. These shadows seemed very important, for everyone around he had some sort of ghostly thing with him.

"A good thing has happened, with them being awakened, right?" She murmured, mostly to herself. Considering the fact she knew no one, she was still rather pleased with the fact that she had helped in reviving these important people. Of course, she was confused.

Reyna snarled at any and all that came near to her. There were too many people. It was suffocating and it just added to the anger that threatened to eat her alive. It burned and twisted her insides. She had been pushed too far this time, and the rage was hard to control. The only thing that helped were Mystic's cool, barely their hands pressed against her face as he tried to coax her into a more calmed state.

She sucked in her breath and held it as she shut her eyes. If she could just drown it out, maybe it would stop. Mystic whispered something to her and her visible eye snapped open before settling upon an all too familiar figure -- one that she had not seen in... how long?

Too long.

"Where's Wren?" she managed to grate out.

Hawk shook his head. The briefest flicker of remorse (perhaps even longing) flashed across his features, then it was gone and he had hid himself in Athan's shadow.

Athan frowned. If Hawk was there, Wren should be close by, but when he reached out towards the Shadow with his own bond that linked him to nearly all of the creatures, he found a thin, barely there line to the demon. Instead, there was a rapidly forming bond to himself. He sighed heavily. Something had to have happened.

His gaze settled upon the demon and his frown darkened further. This... should not have happened.

"And what in hell are we going to do about this?" Reyna demanded, "This cannot continue to happen. This is serious." She growled quietly like a predator that wanted loose from its cage to hunt. Oh. There would be blood. Lots of it, if she had her way.

She took notice of the tea Kova had sat down next to her and snatched it up with a grumbled thank you as she sipped at it. Eyes downcast until she glanced up and took notice of Aki. Sweet, sweet Aki... who looked strangely ... changed in a subtle manner she couldn't quite place.

Mystic followed her train of thought and glanced towards the elf as well, bright eyes twinkling faintly with merriment at the graceful creature that haunted her shadow. Then he found his voice again to say, 'I will be well.'