Welcome to Gaia! ::

I had a very interesting chat with the man upstairs, so to speak. He might be right. I hate to say that, but his words, however sun-baked his brain may be, are occasionally right. He advised me to stop giving a damn about what everyone else thinks. At first, I was ready to scoff at him. Me, care what they think?

But the sad fact is that I do. I want them to leave me alone, I don't want them to hate me.

Much to my chagrin, I found several new additions to the family here upon my return. Em's Sigil scroll opened up into a typo demon (who seems quite frightened of me, to her credit) and her test tube turned into a Mendel.

Yttrium. I hate him already. He's a senseless, brainless little twerp, and I would be quite happy if he fell out the window and never came back.

Em seems happy enough about my return. She promised not to get any more pets. We'll see how long that lasts.

I've been offered some space to myself in the closet and I've accepted it. No one else is to be allowed up there but me. I wil not be taking Griswald with me. He can sit and enjoy the company of Colin and Martouf in the drawer. Serves him right, to be forced to endure the chatter of that annoying Pixacat. I'll never understand why Em felt the need to get another, particularly that one.

I shall now retire to begin setting up my new space. My robes are still in the washer, but I should have them back soon.

CORVY CAME BACK! I was minutes away from calling a red alert and having the whole city of Miami canvassed in a giant search when he showed up at the window!

Dear gods, but he looked awful. He hadn't eaten much of anything, he was dirty and smelly, and I have never seen such a sorry sight before in my life. Babe the pig has nothing on Corvus.

I feel so bad about it all, I really should have been paying Corvus more attention, but now I've got even more pets to concern myself with... Yttrium's kinda cheered me up, but it's hard to laugh at his comedic antics when I know he's part of the problem.

Corvy had a chat with Saisai today. Not sure what they talked about. I trust Saisai, though, and Corvus seems much better since he got back. Sometimes I think Saisai might be the wisest of us all. Then I remember he smokes. Nuuuuu! Bad Saisai! Stop smoking!

Lemon is terrified of Corvus. The moment he showed up she hid behind my comptuer monitor and I've only just now coaxed her out.

I fear Corvus is right. I easily have five pets too many.

Corvus gave me some feien blooms today. And a big surprise. One feien bloom was for a special order, and the other feien bloom...

"I think I've been a little out of sorts of late," Corvus said to me, "so I'd like to apologize and make it up to you." And then he held out this cabbage leaf. "I admit I'm not the easiest person to live with, but I'm going to make more of an effort from now on to get along with everyone. Including your new fairy."

My jaw dropped to the floor. That cabbage leaf, it turns out, is yet another leaf-mimic feien bloom.

"My gosh! Corvy, you didn't have to!"

He smiled, the first time in weeks. "But I wanted to. I understand now that even if there are others around, our bond stays the same. So this is my way of apologizing."

"Thank you!" I picked him up and held him against my cheek, which is the closest I can get to hugging him, really. He didn't seem to mind.

I think this means things are back to normal now. No more high drama, I hope, just nice living together.

... Except Yttrium drew in my dictionary. I told him when I said draw only in books, I meant ONLY IN THE SKETCHBOOK. I didn't yell or anything, I just said it very seriously and clearly so he understood. I don't think he understands that what he did was wrong, just that there was a new rule. ^^;

It's really nice to work on the computer with Yttrium and Lemon drawing next to me. Yttrium is really good with her. He doesn't yell at her or correct her, he just really encourages her in her coloring. I really need to do some scans or their stuff soon. It's pretty wild! I'm going to suggest to Yttrium that he try drawing something specific. I love his random scribbling and the curves and swirls, but I think he'd be good at drawing actual stuff, too. He's very creative. He made a little house for Colin out of some PostIts by folding them up into a houselike shape. Griswald declined a house when offered. I'm not sure, I think Griswald's a bit depressed of late... Corvy's been up in the closet and poor Griswald's stuck down here with Colin, Yttrium, Lemon, and Tarpeia... and he really just seems to want to keep to himself.

Corvus made amends with me, so why not Griswald? I wonder if I should intervene or let the situation resolve on its own somehow?

San pointed down towards a house that seemed to be in the same place as the map she'd been given. "Here, I think, Aileron!" she said, flying to the window and peering inside.

Aileron sighed, watching her and tucking his bundle against himself a little tighter before darting after her. "Could you PLEASE go slower?" he asked, already tired.

San turned. "Sorry!" she said. "I keep forgetting you get so tired." She raised a hand and suddenly Aileron felt a little lighter, as though buoyed up from below.

Gritting his teeth and smiling at San, Aileron grumbled. Must work out more - I'm tired of her outstripping me...

San beamed back and turned towards the window, knocking on the glass. "I hope this is the right house," she said nervously.

"Me, too," Aileron said, tucking the cloth tighter around the squirming bundle in his arms.

San peered through the window, trying to catch a glimpse of the summoner fairy as they waited for their knock to be answered.

After a few moments with seemingly no reply, there was some noise from within and the door opened. It was a girl, but an unfamiliar one. She took one look at the fairies, yelled, “Emperial!” and left the door in favor of the couch.

“Whaaat?” came Em’s voice from deeper in the apartment.

“Door!”

There was some grumbling and Em appeared, trudging over to the door in a reluctant manner. Then she saw who it was and her eyes widened. “San! Aileron!”

San blushed, smiling at Em.

"Your roommate is most... welcoming," Aileron said wryly, smiling at Em. "How are you today?"

“Er, fine,” mumbled Em, then realized she was still standing in the door. “Here, come in!” She stepped to the side and gestured for them to enter.

"Thank you," Aileron smiled, flitting past Em and looking for a place to land.

San glanced at Aileron, waiting for him to make the first move before following him into the house. She hadn't spoken to Em much yet, and she was getting a little nervous now that it seemed they might actually SEE Corvus.

“So,” said Em, closing the door and moving into the kitchen area. “What are you guys doing here? Is something wrong?”

Aileron shook his head quickly, tucking the bundle against him again. "No, nothing wrong." His gaze slanted to San as he waited for her to explain.

San bit her lip, seeing Aileron's look. "We brought a present for Corvus," she said shyly. "For Easter."

“Really?” said Em, leaning on the kitchen counter. “That’s neat. We got an egg from Tosten not too long ago.”

Aileron nodded. "I got one, too. We have a gift for him as well, when he returns."

San nodded. "May we see him, please? We...sort of wanted to give it to him in person."

“Oh, he’s here! He’s in the closet.” Then she realized what she’d just said and started to laugh. “No, I mean, he’s literally in the closet!” The laughter subsided. “But I’m not sure he wants guests. Since he’s in the closet and all.”

"...WHY is he in the closet?" Aileron asked, blinking at Em.

San looked distressed. "Yes, is he still upset?"

“It’s his ‘special place,’” explained Em, then realized that was potentially just as bad as saying “in the closet.” She coughed once, repressing her mirth, and tried, “He wanted someplace private.” Then she thought about that and started laughing again.

San looked a little bewildered. "Well...can you ask him if he'll come and see us anyway?" she asked hesitantly. "Just for a moment, so we can give him his present."

By now, Aileron was failing at suppressing a smile himself, one eyebrow raised at Em. "He wanted a place to retreat to when he didn't care to socialise, you mean?" he muttered.

“Right!” Em agreed quickly. “I’ve been watching too much Coupling. Anyway, I’ll go see if he feels like coming out.” She left the two fairies standing on the kitchen counter and disappeared through a door.

San blinked at Aileron. "Coupling?"

"Watching... coupling?" Aileron blinked. His cheeks flushed a dull red, and he glanced at San before turning resolutely toward the door.

Seeing the blush, San turned crimson as well. "Th-that's what I thought..."

Aileron moved a touch closer to San, still blushing. "Not something I'd admit to so easily, but... who knows?" he whispered.

The door opened. “Okay,” Em was saying as she slipped out, closing the door behind her. She looked at Aileron and San and shrugged. “He doesn’t want anything from you guys.”

Aileron glanced down at the bundle in his arms, then over at San worriedly.

San blinked. "But...but we bred it just for him!" she protested.

"To be accurate," Aileron said softly, catching Em's attention. "The gift is from San. I'm just transport."

Em looked down at the bundle and took a deep breath, air hissing through her teeth. “Hoo boy. Er.”

San looked up at Em pleadingly.

Aileron tensed for a moment, then said reluctantly, "If it's a problem, I can certainly wait elsewhere while San delivers the gift."

Em thought about that and went back into the room without a word. The door closed behind her and all was silent once again, save for the noise of the nearby television.

Aileron glanced at San, then handed the bundle over carefully. He did NOT look happy with the idea.

San looked at Aileron nervously as she accepted the bundle. "Please don't leave," she said softly, remembering the taste of Corvus' lips.

"I won't be far... but it might make Corvus more comfortable accepting the gift from just you," Aileron murmured, brushing some hair from her face.

San nuzzled his hand. "Just...stay within shouting distance I guess," she said. "J-just in case he agrees to see you," she added hastily, blushing.

"Or in case you need me," Aileron nodded, agreeing. He glanced around the room, looking for somewhere to go that might give them some privacy.

San hesitated, then nodded. "Or in case I need you," she said.

And then the door clicked, opened, and Em stepped halfway into the hall. From somewhere in the room, Corvus’s voice could just barely be heard yelling “Wait!”

“Well is it yes or is it no?” Em demanded crossly. Corvus’s reply was too muffled to make out. “Corvus! I’m not going to stand here all evening while you make up your mind! Yes or no?”

“Fine, yes!” came the shout at last. Corvus whizzed by Em and stopped just short of the kitchen counter, two feet away from San and Aileron. He looked very cross as he hovered there, crossing his arms and glaring at the two of them.

"Hello," Aileron said blandly, taken aback by the sudden appearance.

San blinked. "Uh, Happy Easter, Corvus," she said shyly, holding the squirming bundle in her hands.

He made no move to take it. “What the hell are the two of you doing here? I thought I told you never to bother me again.”

San glanced at Aileron nervously. "We wanted to give you an Easter present," she said, wondering why Corvus hadn't figured it out yet.

Aileron stepped forward a pace, eyes cooling slightly. "San cares enough about you to try and make you smile," he said firmly.

“Ha!” replied Corvus. “Don’t make me laugh. An Easter present! How utterly ridiculous, especially coming from the two of you.”

San blinked. "Why is that so ridiculous?"

“Apparently, your memory is as poor as your wit,” scowled Corvus. “Do you not remember the warning I gave you last time?”

Aileron's eyes narrowed, and he glanced at San.

San flushed, but glared at him, taking a step towards him. "And d-don't you remember what I told you?"

“Immaterial,” pronounced Corvus. “I’ll give you one last warning. Leave now or suffer the consequences.”

San held out the bundle. "Happy Easter," she said stubbornly. "There's a card, too."

"Did you ever care about her?" Aileron asked quietly, a moment after San's stubborn words.

Corvus’s eyes went wide and his nostrils flared. “How dare you!” he hissed. He uncrossed his arms and clenches them at his sides. It started to get dark.

“No fighting in the house,” a calm voice said from the bedroom doorway. Standing next to Em was a man just past middle age wearing a bright Hawaiian shirt of toucans and palm fronds. He said something to Em in an unfamiliar tongue before approaching the fairies, Corvus in particular.

San looked at the newcomer nervously, edging closer to Corvus and trying to smile.

Aileron divided his attention, wary eyes still mostly on Corvus as he glared at the other feien.

“Care to explain this, Corvus?” asked the stranger, adding, “nityish plakrennen?”

Whatever Corvus said in reply was in the alien tongue, and thus unknown, but it seemed to get a reaction from the elderly man. The stranger looked at San and Aileron. “Your gift is accepted,” he said simply.

“What!?” exclaimed Corvus, waving his arms in the air.

“Hospitality,” said the man. “And if the idea offends you so greatly consider it a tribute.” Corvus hung in the air, aghast.

Aileron blinked and stared at the man for a moment, then looked at San curiously.

San looked flabbergasted. "W-what did he say?" she asked.

Aileron reached out, taking the bundle from San and offering it to Corvus. As he did so, the cloth slipped away, revealing a very... colorful puppy.

A little battered from being wrapped up with the puppy, a card was sitting underneath.

“If you were meant to understand our words, we should have spoken them in a tongue for your ears,” said the man, looking at Corvus. Corvus was too busy staring at the dog to notice the look, or that any words hard been spoken at all.

San picked the dog out of Aileron's arms and walked to Corvus, offering it and the card to him solemnly.

Aileron almost moved forward with her, at the last moment tensing and taking a step back, to give her the spotlight. His eyes were trained on Corvus still, wary and cool.

Finally shaking himself out of his shock, Corvus snatched the card and tore it in half. “This is an outrage!”

San stumbled back a step, holding the puppy to her chest and staring at the pieces of the card in horror.

"No," Aileron said coldly, moving to insert himself protectively between San and Corvus. "This is you acting like the same immature brat you've always acted like. I'd wash my hands of you, but I'm not that lucky," he snarled, eyes flashing fire.

“Immature?” replied Corvus. “Did you ever pause to think maybe I don’t want a dog, Mr. Maturity?” The elderly man snorted; whether from mirth or some sort of disapproval was unclear.

"No, I think you just want to hurt San, to punish her," Aileron growled back, taking another step forward.

San watched the two of them, wincing as she realized that all she'd done was start another fight between them. "Please..." she whispered.

The man stepped forward, moving between the two feien. “I think that’s quite enough. As you are not in residency here, you cannot be expected to know our regulations or the reasonings behind them, but suffice to say, your gifting a living creature is irresponsible and uninformed, though I don’t doubt that you meant well by it.” He directed most of his words towards San.

San stared at him for a moment, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. She looked down at the puppy, petting him gently. "I...I guess I'll just keep him, Corvus," she whispered. "I'm sorry you don't like him."

Aileron glanced back at her, heart aching before he turned back to Corvus. Deliberately, he stooped, gathering up the pieces of card. "Given how often Corvus graces the shop to give Griswald a chance to interact with the other pets, I thought it might do Griswald well to have a companion," he said coldly, as much to the unnamed man as to Corvus. "Trio thought likewise."

“Then you’re not the only idiot, as surely Trio would have known there’s already two Pixacats too many in this household,” said Corvus.

"I thought you loved Griswald," San whispered. "If you didn't want another pet, though, I understand. You...you could have just said so."

“I don’t recall being asked,” Corvus sneered.

Aileron paled at the words, fists clenching as he stared at Corvus. He didn't seem to even hear San. "You are, of course, more than welcome to return Griswald to the shop," he said softly, holding himself in check by a thread. "Trio will place him in a home that cares about him."

San lifted her eyes to Corvus. "You could have just said," she said again.

“Why you--” started Corvus, but the elderly man held up a hand.

“I think that’s quite enough. Corvus, elutven jeildan,” said the man. Corvus shot San and Aileron dark glares before darting back into the bedroom. The stranger continued, “I cannot even begin to fathom what possessed the two of you to attempt this sort of a prank, but it was needlessly cruel. I will show you to the door.”

San blinked. "P-Prank?" she asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

"No prank," Aileron said softly. "Just a rather foolish hope." Eyes dark with fury, Aileron turned toward San, gesturing for her to head to the door Em had brought them through. He turned back to the man after seeing to her. "No need for more 'help'. I'm sure we can find our way." The words were bitter.

San cuddled the puppy and followed Aileron's command, flying slowly towards the door.

Aileron followed San out, the anger staying with him in a hot, furious ball in the pit of his stomach.

-----

Moments after their departures, Em finally moved from her position at the door and smirked. “Well, that was downright... evil of you.”

“Oh, think so, do you?” smiled Kancho, a thin smile that remembered the misspent days of his youth, when cruelty had been a way of life. “I only did what was asked of me.”

“Corvus will appreciate it.”

“He had better. I assure you I won’t do his dirty work for him again. Though, in all honesty, I did find that gift thoughtless and in poor taste.” Kancho harrumphed irritably.

Cocking her head to the side, Em mused, “I can’t think San meant any harm by it, truly. Aileron I’m not sure about -- Corvus dislikes him, that much is well-known, but San... She was the one who, you know.”

He crossed his arms. All trace of amusement had left his face, replaced by a vague remorse. “Indeed. I do hope that wasn’t too much. I got a bit carried away.”

“Well, it certainly wasn’t worse than what I’d had in mind,” Em reassured. “But I have a reputation to maintain.”

“Whereas my reputation is already well-established and well-deserved when it comes to this sort of thing.”

The comment annoyed Em; she frowned at him. “Only from people who don’t know you. But never mind it all, I think I’ll go have a chat with Corvy. Goodnight, Kancho.”

“Goodnight, Emperilu.”

Last night was, without a doubt, a disaster, so this morning I caught Saisai during his morning coffee run and accompanied him upstairs.

We played a few rounds of cards and he suggested I not worry too much. He did ask what exactly the things were that bothered me, though, and I listed them as thus:

1) San showed up. I warned her not to.
2) She showed up with Aileron.
3) For no explained reason, they wanted to give me a gift.
4) The gift was a living creature.
5) They implied I was unfit to own Griswald.
6) I lost my head.

And similarly, the things I felt good about, if that word can even be used in connection to this tragedy:

1) Em's Kancho apparently does not hate me, and despite a small misunderstanding, stood up for me. I never expected that. I was quite convinced he hated me.

Saisai suggested a small exercise. He suggested it be an exercise of thought, but I see no harm and indeed a reason to write it down.

1) San showed up. I warned her not to.
- I did all I could have been expected to in this regard. I asked her not to bother me. If she cried, that was outside of my control, and very much a consequence of her own actions.
2) She showed up with Aileron.
- I cannot control the actions of others, and it is futile to try. I can only control how their actions affect me. However, whatever delusions I may have suffered concerning San are quite gone now. According to Saisai, showing up with ones new boyfriend is a prime weapon of the female arsenal.
3) For no explained reason, they wanted to give me a gift.
- The fact that they could not justify their actions to any satisfaction is proof they should not have taken them.
4) The gift was a living creature.
- As noted by Em, Kancho, and Saisai, purely irresponsible. To be sure, Em gifted me with Turin and Mishna, but she came to me and said, "if you want them." What Aileron and San did was far more forceful, as they were quite prepared to leave the pup here, I believe.
5) They implied I was unfit to own Griswald.
- My relationships with Griswald, however strained at the moment, is none of their concern. Furthermore, until Griswald goes to them to complain, they can shut the hell up.
6) I lost my head.
- Purely my fault, and something I must work on. Saisai says not to worry about this, as it will come with time and determination. Now that I've thought about it and identified the triggers, I can work to overcome them.

I finally beat him in a game of cards.

And since it has not once been mentioned here but it did come up later that evening: Em's role in the event. While I'm a bit disappointed, her involvement was mostly accidental. She tends to do whatever she's asked to. They came to the door, they asked to see me, she came and told me. I'm actually kind of glad she didn't jump in, as Kancho's jumping in can only be seen as a positive thing (he is better at making people cry than she is), and if she had, I might have felt that I wanted to handle it on my own. I did want to, really, but now I'm grateful someone else took care of it for me.

Maybe next time San and Aileron will think twice before stepping through that emergency portal.

Sunil poked her head in the door, checking to see if anyone else was there. It wouldn't do for her revenge to come before she was ready. There didn't seem to be anyone in her immediate sight however and she snuck in on tiptoe. She had hoped to come by and re-read the spell list for offensive spell she could possibly work on learning. She didn't really know anything yet that would help her avoid Seamus's magic hand.

“Sunil, correct?” came a low voice from the shadows. Corvus stepped out of the shadows. It was easy to see why her initial scan of the shop had failed to pick him up. He was dressed in a long black toga, black wings curled around his arms. Even without magic he blended perfectly into the shadows of the dark wood accents in the shop.

Sunil jumped a little at the unfamiliar voice. She had forgotten to try and scan the shop with magic, instead relying on her rather failable eyes. She squinted a little at the unfamiliar feien. He was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place him. Perhaps someone she had met while a bloom?

"Yes. I am Sunil. Who are you? I don't believe we have ever met."

She stayed where she was, tensed and unmoving. She wasn't yet sure what level of threat he posed if any at all.

“Actually, we have. You were the ringleader of the gang that broke into Em’s office several weeks ago. I’m Corvus, your summoner.” He said “your summoner” the way someone says “your king.”

Ahh, so that was who he was. She remembered him leading her into talk to Em now. She had always wondered whether Corvus avoided the shop on purpose or not. Now she wondered if he was there more often than they knew, hidden and watching. He cut such a creepy figure in his black toga.

"Ah, yes I remember. You're almost never in the store. Don't like what you've created?" She relaxed a little. As she had told Ares a long time ago, it would be silly of him to make them only to then destroy them.

“I did not create the feien. Does a human father create the whole of mankind? I am merely the reason for our continued existence.” His face was calm and expressionless as he spoke; only the tone of his words betrayed any emotion.

Sunil rolled her eyes. He was not her father. Or if he was he wasn't a very good one. "I wasn't speaking of feien-kind in general, but the specific feien you've summoned." She sighed. "But that doesn't really matter. I always wanted to ask you one thing though. Do you know what we're going to be like when you summon us? Or is it out of your control?"

She peered at him curiously. He was very unlike her former friends.

Corvus stepped further out into the light so as to more properly converse with her. “I control your basic attributes. Colors, gender, height, hair length. But not always. The plant flowers when it reaches a critical energy level, so blooms can be as controlled or random as I please.”

Now this was interesting. Sunil leaned in a little, her curiosity overcoming all of her fear. "But you have no control over our personalities? Or our elements?" She paused briefly. "Do you see yourself as a father for all of us? Do you feel a sense of responsibility for what we become?" She frowned. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of someone who had a possibly legitimate claim over her.

“I see you largely as a blight on the face of the Earth,” he smirked slightly, “but as I am compelled to continue bringing you into existence, I’m willing to accept that. And no, I do not control your personalities, though I can control your elements.”

Sunil laughed. "Do you hate yourself too? Or just the rest of us? And how are you compelled? I can't imagine anyone is forcing you to make us." And a thought occurred to her. "Did you make Ares on purpose? Do you have a plan for her powers?"

Sunil scowled, forgetting for a second how much she currently disliked Ares. She had hoped to utilize Ares's powers herself at some point.

The line of Corvus’s mouth pulled into a grimace. “Her element was the result of extra energy being drained by the plant. She had to exist, apparently. I did not have control over her then, nor do I have any over her now, so you may rightfully assume I have no plans for said powers. Her magic is weak, though. I doubt there is anything she could do for me. You, on the other hand...”

Sunil tensed up again. She had of course assumed she had simply stumbled onto him, but maybe he had been waiting for her. "Me? What exactly do you want with me?" She scowled in his direction. She didn't really want to fight him, since she couldn't even defeat Seamus, but she disliked his implication she could be of use to him.

“To start, I’ve heard about your little fight. I was hoping to hear a first-hand account.”

Now Sunil grimaced. "I didn't get in trouble for rifling through the back room, but I'm in trouble for getting almost choked to death?" She glared at Corvus, attempting to convey her outrage. "The entire thing was not my fault. If someone is going to be punished it should be Seamus." She hissed Seamus name, packing the name with all of her pent up frustration and hatred.

“That was my intention precisely,” he said simply.

"Oh." She peered at him. This was unexpected. “Well then, I suppose I can tell you what happened. I fell asleep in the shop after talking to someone briefly in the morning. I woke up and saw some other feien in the shop. I walked over and it was Seamus and Ares. Seamus had grown up, but was still shorter than me so I made a comment about it. He tried to hit me with his magic hand and I managed to withstand it without getting knocked over. I hit him back, on the shoulder, because I thought we were just having fun. But apparently not as he then tried to choke me to death while Ares just watched. I ended up passing out on the floor and coming to with them staring at me. I left and told them I would do the same to them as they had tried to do to me."

Sunil spent most of the story looking at her hands, but gave Corvus a sidelong glance during the last part. She really wasn't sure how he would see her quest for revenge.

The muscles in Corvus’s arm tensed. He instantly saw that Seamus had done the same thing to Sunil as to himself. His instinct would seem to be correct: Seamus was a dangerously unhinged feien. “And are you going to keep to your word?”

"Yes. I'm not going to give in to Seamus and allow him to hurt me without hurting him. I've convinced Tosten I want to work things out and he is going to work out a private meeting between Seamus and I. That's when I plan to get him back." Sunil allowed herself a tiny grin of satisfaction. It didn't seem like Corvus was going to try and stop her.

“Interesting,” said Corvus, smiling slightly. “Don’t tell me you’re looking in there for that reason?” He indicated the spell book with his head.

"I am. Seamus beat me with magic. It seems only appropriate I do the same to him. But I don't have anything I can use." Sunil crossed her arms over her chest. "I can feel magic, and I can make myself faster and stronger momentarily, but I have nothing to beat Seamus's magic hand. He'll just do the same thing to me again." She gave Corvus a sideways glance. "I don't suppose you know a solution to that problem?"

“A good attack,” began Corvus, “is a combination attack. Strike him on multiple fronts and catch him off guard. Being faster and stronger gives you an advantage on the physical front.” He stepped up to Sunil and examined her carefully. “Your magic is strong, but unfocused. When is this meeting scheduled?”

Sunil was pleased he thought she was strong, but frowned a little at his question. "I don't know. Tosten hasn't gotten back to me with Seamus's response. I assume soon..." She trailed off. She hadn't really thought about when it would be.

He turned to look at the spell list. “Seamus is a water, so... the spells he has at his disposal are water and nonelemental.” He pointed at both sections. “Your spells, as air, are here, and you also have nonelementals. What spells do you know so far? And do you know what spells he has? I take it from your description Seamus has Magic Hand to start.”

"I have uh... " Sunil walked over closer to the spell list. "I have Head Start, Giant Strength, Adrenaline Rush, and I just learned Magic Detection not that long ago. I don't have any Air spells." She pointed at them as she named them.

“Magic Detection is incredibly useful, if you know how to use it. It takes some practice, but you can identify spells and other feien with it. Air Burst should be easy for you to pick up. Shield is a good general one. In your case, since you’re already strong on the physical front, perhaps Growth as well. The rest of the air spells are not particularly useful, save for Advanced Flight. Tornado would be, but you’re just short of being able to cast it. Whereas Seamus... Has no spells worth worrying about from his element. He choked you with Magic Hand, truly?” Corvus shot Sunil a doubtful look.

Sunil turned a little red. Was he making fun of her? "Yes, he did. He used it to grab my neck and squeeze. I probably didn't help it by struggling. I was surprised." She concentrated on a spot on the wall. "How do I learn these spells? I know how to work out to become stronger, but Kam knows nothing about magic and neither do I really."

“Come with me.” Corvus started towards the back room.

Sunil was getting used to Corvus's abrupt manner, but she still didn't really understand what he was getting out of all this. She sighed and followed him anyway. There seemed to be little reason not to.

With a wave of his hand, Corvus shut the door behind them, and indicated that Sunil should take a seat. “Magic is done by a part of our brains we cannot usually access. Consider it the subconscious. There are therefore only two ways we can use magic: subconsciously, as a natural course of events, otherwise called instinctively, or by focusing on unlocking that reservoir of magic and channeling it towards a specific goal. The spells tacked up outside are not by any means the extent of magic. They are simply a few ways to channel our innate magic which are presently known. Do you follow so far?”

Sunil sat down as he indicated and tried to concentrate on what he was saying. "I think so? So, basically magic is something we can either just let happen or we can work at making it happen? And there are more ways to channel it than Em has tacked up on the wall outside." She put her hands in her lap and resisted the urge to fidget.

“Precisely. Close your eyes and relax your mind. Imagine the space around you: the air in the room.”

This Sunil knew about. Kam called it meditating. Sunil usually found it boring, but nonetheless she closed her eyes and began breathing rythmically trying to think of nothing but the air in the room around her. She could certainly feel it pressing in gently on her cheeks, little air currents swirling around her lazily. But she really didn't see how this was magical.

“Which way is the air moving?” asked Corvus, voice calm.

Sunil tried to figure out what he meant. She concentrated on the way the air felt on her face, but she couldn't pinpoint a direction. She clenched her fists and tried harder, but that seemed only to make the task more difficult. "I don't know." She sighed in frustration. "It doesn't feel like its going anywhere."

“You’re an air feien. Which way do you think it out to be going?”

Sunil sighed again, it was her favorite way of expressing her frustration with the world in general. "Should it be moving at all? It isn't windy in here and I'm not moving. I thought the air just stayed in one place?"

Corvus frowned crossly. “You’re an air feien, make it move, dammit.”

Sunil opened her eyes and scowled at him. She was starting to get angry. This all seemed rather ridiculous, but she closed her eyes again and tried to use Magic Detection to look at the air. Instead she felt herself, so she tried to push the magic she could feel in herself out into the air to make it move. She wasn't sure but she thought she made a little breath of air somewhere by her ear.

“Finally,” went Corvus, rolling his eyes. “Air isn’t just a vast nothingness. In your case, it’s a vital, living thing which you can control with a bit of thought. Furthermore, you can use the air to fight blindly. Instead of sensing objects, you can sense where objects are not. But that will take still more practice on your part. For now, the goal is accumulation of specific spells that will aid you in your purpose.”

He paused to take a breath. “When you did that, did you sense a sort of reservoir within yourself? A center of magic, if you will.”

Sunil opened her eyes. Maybe he wasn't just being uselessly cruel. "Yes I did. That's how I got the air to move. I sorta... pushed at the air with the magic."

“That reservoir is what you need to draw upon. You can channel it in a number of very different ways. Now get up.” He erected a shield around himself; it took next to no effort to do so at this point. “You can sense the magic around me, correct?”

Sunil looked at Corvus and concentrated. She could feel the magic around him, it wasn't hard. "Yes. It feels much more solid than Seamus's. Is that a shield?"

“Very good, it is. Punch it.”

Sunil looked at Corvus like he'd lost it. "Why? Isn't it just going to be like punching the wall?" She stepped over in his direction anyway. Everything else had had a purpose. She squared her feet and punched at the shield.

It was indeed like punching a wall. “Assume that this is a spell Seamus has, as it is perfectly logical to assume he does based upon his magic level. Shield is the second most useful spell in the feien arsenal, after the magic detection ability. It blocks physical attacks and objects. It can also block magical attacks to an extent, but eventually will fall. Find that reservoir again and remember how it felt to move the air. Then focus that thought and energy into your punch.”

Sunil shook her hand. Punching a wall hurt, which was why she never bothered. She closed her eyes briefly and felt around for her magic. Now that she had found it once, it seemed much easier to find again. She kept her eyes closed, as she could feel the shield in front of her just find and pushed unruly little tendrils of magic down her arm. Then she pulled it back and punched, trying to will the little tendrils to go out a little ahead of her hand.

Amazingly enough, the tendrils of magic that made up the shield broke under her attack and her arm went through the construct. The magic unraveled around her, dissolving into nothingness.

Sunil opened her eyes in shock. There wasn't a wall anymore. She pitched forward totally overbalanced, having anticipated a wall, and landed on her knees. She looked up at Corvus in awe. "Thanks." That was about all she could manage. Punching shields was much cooler than simply being able to see them.

Corvus leaned over and stretched out a hand to help her up. “Any thoughts on why that worked?”

Sunil grabbed onto his hand and pulled herself up. Then she let go and brushed non-existent dust off herself. "I put magic into it? But you said it could block magic for a while... Did you make it not too strong to withstand me?" She furrowed her brow and tried to think of an alternate explanation.

It had been a bit much to hope she would guess on the first try. “Air Burst is an extremely good spell. It combines both a magical and physical element and is focused. Had you attempted to, say, Gale Force your way through the shield, it would not have worked. A large magic attack will distribute energy evenly over the shield. A shield can withstand a large amount of energy if that energy is spread over a wide area. By concentrating the energy into one spot, you can break through. Then the shield collapses. Perhaps I’ll explain why another time.” He wiped his hand on his toga absentmindedly.

Sunil brightened up. "It's like an egg. Kam says you can crush them in your fist, but its easy to break if you hit in one place. I suppose it makes sense that it would dissipate magic or a physical blow but not a magical and physical blow." She noted him wiping his hand on his toga. "None of the other feien wear clothes. Why do you?" It didn't occur to her that that might be a rude question to ask someone she barely knew.

“So I don’t have to touch you lot,” he said simply, and hoping that would be the end of it, moved on. “Both Breeze and Air Burst are externalized spells, but there are also internal ones.”

Sunil let the odd comment pass. She really didn't know who would just glomp on to someone as intimidating as Corvus, but there were lots of feien she hadn't yet met.

"Internal spells? Like Head Start and such?”

“Correct.” He allowed himself a small smile; she was fairly smart. “Head Start can generally be used instinctively, as it’s based off your speed, so when you want to go that fast, your body naturally draws upon your magic. For a spell like Growth, though, you have to concentrate. You can’t simply magically grow bigger because you want to. That is, if Growth interests you as a combat spell.”

"Grow bigger? But I'm already taller than Seamus... It almost doesn't seem fair."
She frowned. She wanted to get him back, but getting bigger to do it almost seemed like cheating. Of course putting a magic hand around her neck hadn't been fair either.
"Nevermind. Sure, can't hurt to try and learn it right?"

“No sense in wasting an advantage,” said Corvus. “When you concentrate, try channeling the magic to all parts of your body. It’s important to do it equally, and works best if you simply relax and allow the magic to flow at will. Once all the magic is in place, you have to lock it there, for lack of a better word. That’s a fundamental difference between Growth and Head Start. With Head Start, the magic quickly dissipates, but with Growth, you want it to stay where you’ve sent it. We’ll start with the dispensing of the magic. Try to release it all over your body, but don’t go further than that.”

Sunil closed her eyes. For right now she found it mush easier to deal with her magic that way. She felt around for herself, and noticing there didn't seem to be as much to find, she tried nudging it around her body. It didn't really seem to want to cooperate and it took her a while to coax it down to her feet. She managed to get it spread out to all of her body, but it kept trying to pull back to where it had started like overstretched rubber bands. She opened her eyes. "I don't think I can hold it here for long. It doesn't want to stay all spread out." The act of talking seemed to make it worse and she lost a little out of her toes and up her left leg.

“You’re uneven. Try not to focus on where it’s going, just release it,” he suggested. “It’s fine if some ends up in the air.”

Sunil nodded. "Okay."

She closed her eyes again and tried to just relax. Not something she really did all that often. Some of it flowed around to other parts of her body and some of it rushed out in little gasps of air, but in the end it all ended up pretty evenly spread out. She opened her eyes in surprise.

"It is much easier if I relax and wait, but isn't it going to be tough to find that time in a fight?"

“Practice makes perfect. Forget about that for a moment, and focus on my magic signal.” He closed his eyes and half a second later was a beacon of magic, spread evenly and perfectly. When he spoke, the magic remained, unwavering. “With time and effort, it becomes like a second nature.”

Sunil felt him, and realized even sensing magic was getting easier. He made what she had just struggled with look effortless.

"I see." She blinked. "You must practice magic a lot."

The magic disappeared as quickly and cleanly as it had emerged. “Generally at least two hours a day. I have precious little else to do, particularly since I haven’t been tending to the shop. Even with all that, though, I can’t teleport more than twice.”

Sunil raised her eyebrows.

"Teleport? Wow. How far can you go? And why haven't you been in the shop? Don't like wandering among the unwashed masses?" She tried not to make it sound like a negative comment. The truth was she didn't always feeling like dealing with people either. "I would think you could teach us all a lot. But I guess its better for me that you don't teach us all." She shrugged, really it wasn't her concern what he did just that he had helped her.

He shrugged back. “Given that I think the majority of the feien around here are absolute idiots, I would much rather restrict training to those I deem worthy. And it’s simply the fact that no one respects my request to be left alone that keeps me out of here. Actually, I recommend it. Much calmer without all the drama that goes on in this building.”

Sunil nodded. It was true that all the drama started here. His comment made her realize he hadn't really answered her earlier question.

“I don't really want to waste too much more of your time, because I really appreciate what you've showed me, but I have two questions. The first is what was in this for you, since no one does something for nothing and the second is why you make us if you dislike us. Couldn't you just give up on the feien and stop making us?" She tried to look cool about the whole thing, but honestly she was dying of curiosity. She had always figured he liked making new feien.

“Sit,” he instructed, sitting himself. “To answer the first, I believe Seamus to be dangerously unstable. From his crying fit, which was for absolutely no reason, to attacking you, he is a danger. And given that most everyone around here hates me based on his crying fit, I have an interest in seeing him get what he deserves. I hate being made out as the great feien villain simply because Seamus is an idiot of a whelp who can’t control himself.”

Sunil stifled a laugh, while she sat down. "He cried? He didn't tell me that." She thought about what he had said. "Thats a good reason I suppose. If you were to get revenge yourself, you'd only look like more of a villain, but no one will ever have to know you helped me."

She nodded. Corvus was smart. She hoped not to get on his bad side. She wasn't really sure he had a good side, but neutral seemed fine in his case.

“I thought everyone had heard about his histrionics by this point. As for the second question...” He paused to work up the courage to say it. “I cannot stop making new blooms any more than you can stop breathing. You’re familiar with the genetics information, so surely you know that a summoner is a genetic mutation. It’s a mutation on the second gene, which is the gene that governs natural magic, or the amount of magic energy we have to draw upon. You’re naturally strong, meaning that you have a larger amount of magic in you than, say, Ares or Arturo, both of whom are weak magically. This doesn’t mean that they’ll never be able to outperform you magically.

“As I’m sure you’ve also gathered by this point, magic is more about control than anything else. So even though Ares and Arturo have a low magic supply to draw upon, if they learn to control it well, they can perform magic just as well as you or I.

“But my gene is different. It has a specific forced mutation. So while you have a naturally large magic reservoir, mine is even larger than that, and the level of my magic constantly increases. The plant drains my magic and uses it to produce new blooms. Were it not for that fact, I would probably burn out. I nearly did.” He stared at some far-off point in the middle of the room.

Sunil's eyes widened. "You have too much magic?" The thought seemed incredible to Sunil. "Isn't there anyway to siphon the magic off into something else other than the feien plant? Isn't there any other sort of magical reservoir you could pour it into?"

She felt a little bad for him. No wonder he didn't like them. He had to make them in order to survive.

“I tried to see if simply teleporting a great deal would do the trick, but it didn’t. I just ended up exhausted, and I very nearly didn’t make it back home in one piece.” He shuddered slightly at that memory. “Another thing you might not know about magical energy levels: the more you have, the shorter you live. So those feien with the least magic will outlive us by at least a year. More like three years in my case.”

Sunil looked contrite for once in her life. She really hadn't meant to bring up what was obviously a delicate subject.

"Sorry that was more than two questions. I just can't find much about the feien specifically in literature and no one around here knows anything. If you don't mind, how long do we live? I asked Tosten and he acted like it wasn't a big deal as long as I just lived each day to its fullest." Sunil rolled her eyes. Tosten was so simple.

“For you, three to four years. For Tosten, four to five, and for Ares, six to seven.”

Sunil raised her eyebrows. And lost in her curiosity again she asked another question. "Why does the magic wear us out instead of helping us stay alive? I thought magic was the secret to immortality. Most literature has magical beings living longer than non-magical beings."

She raised a good point, and an avenue worth pursuing. “Perhaps that may be true for larger magical creatures, such as unicorns, dragons, and elves, but in our case, our magic is very unstable. Our bodies simply cannot maintain magical production for so long. It burns out over time, and then ceases altogether, at which point we die.”

"Like stars except it takes much longer."
Sunil nodded to herself.
"So no magic is bad, but very little is good. Interesting. I don't suppose you also know a lot about runes or alchemy?"
Sunil laughed a little to herself.
"You're like the fountain of knowledge, Corvus. Much better than the internet."

“Feh, you shouldn’t be mucking about on the Internet anyway,” he chided. “All that technology is the reason our kind started to die out in the first place. Runes I know a bit about, but alchemy... I think Em knows two people well-versed in that area, but I myself am not.”

The night was full of revelations. "The internet is killing us? Oh dear. I suppose photocopiers aren't good for us either. Or microwaves. Its too bad. They make being lazy so much easier." Sunil stifled a yawn. "I think I'm too stuffed with knowledge to learn anything else, but maybe I could ask you about runes sometime in the future? If not, its ok, I have some books on it and I've been practicing."

She stifled another yawn. She was more tired than she would have expected.

“Of course. If you need to reach me, use the emergency portal to reach Em’s apartment. Any time you like. You should probably get some rest now; such is the price paid for excessive use of magic. It gets better with time.” He stood and stretched, joints cracking in protest.

Sunil stood as well, slightly unsteadily. She grinned at Corvus. She didn't know what everyone else complained about. He seemed very useful. "Thank you." She waited for him to open back up the backroom door, so she could slowly wing her way home.

With a wave, it opened, sending in a fresh gust of air. “Take care of yourself and practice. You’re fighting for both of us.”

Sunil gave him a tired good night wave, and stifling another yawn attack, took to the air to mostly float her way home.

Watching her leave, Corvus’s face was blank. He had a lot of planning left to do.

The day had been relatively quiet. Corvus was reading a novel while Simon pored over the genetics information in preparation for taking over that area of the shop. Cats and bloomlings and people walked by unnoticed. Then Em came in. "Special delivery," she announced. "Someone left these by the door for you." She dropped something on top of her hamper and went back to the television, as she was busy catching up on the episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy she had missed the previous evening.

Hidden up in the closet, Corvus was quite prepared to ignore the announcement, but dreading the arrival of some misbegotten pet, he felt compelled to investigate.

Leaning out from the closet, Corvus was able to make out a small pile of things on the hamper. Certainly nothing moving. A glance over in the direction of Em's sleeping couch found Simon staring in blank confusion. Corvus sighed and tumbled from the closet shelf, swooping easily through the air to lang on the hamper.

What he found there was hardly any better than a Pixapup. Two plushies and a note. Simon uneasily flew up behind Corvus, carefully landing next to him on the hamper. Corvus stooped to retrieve the items and in the process noticed a third, previously obscured by the note. A friendship bracelet. With a derisive snort, he picked that up as well.

"What are those?" asked Simon, peering curiously at the toys.

"Stuffed animals." The dark fairy's eyes scanned the note. "Or plushies, as some Gaian liks to call them."

"Those things were alive?"

"No, they're made of fabric, you idiot," snapped Corvus. Simon bit his lip and looked down with shame. Corvus read the letter one more time before throwing it and the darker of the plushies over his shoulder onto the floor below. He handed the pink bunny plush to Simon. Laying the bracelet over his wrist, he announced, "This I'll keep." He summoned a magic hand to aid him in tying it on.

While Corvus concerned himself with the bracelet, Simon considered the pink rabbit. He squeezed it experimentally. Despite being recently chastised, he couldn't contain his curiosity. "What does it do?"

"It doesn't actually do anything," explained Corvus. "Little girls sleep with them. Compulsives collect them. Besides that, it just sits around and takes up space."

"Then why are they here?"

"Ares. Her idea of a gift, the sentimental twit."

Simon wrinkled his nose. "I still don't understand. Why is she giving them to us?"

"She probably likes them herself. In addition, yesterday was what most of those nitwits are calling a 'summonday' for Ares. Which is basically an announcement that they're a month old, only of course they can't all agree if it's the day their bloom appeared on the plant or the day they actually emerged from the bloom..." He trailed off for a moment, staring blankly at the bracelet on his hand. "It's rubbish anyway. At this rate, we'll be celebrating a summonday every day of the month. There are some thirty-odd of us at this point."

"That hardly seems efficient."

"That's the least of it. Are you going to keep that?"

Simon considered. "Maybe I could take it apart. Can I have yours, too?"

"Fine by me," said Corvus with a disdainful snort. He turned and flew back up to the closet shelf.

Simon stared after Corvus a moment, wondering if he had been wrong to ask. It certainly seemed that Corvus didn't want the little discarded toy. Then again, sometimes he was hard to read. There was nothing to be done about it now: Simon had his permission, so he flew down to the floor and collected the other plushie. He picked up the crumpled note, too. No sense in being messy.

Things have been weird of late. Y'see, I'm going back home for a while (two months?) so I'm supposed to be packing, and meanwhile I've got all these responsibilities to keep up with and my computer desperately needs a harddrive cleaning, and Corvus has been off in his own little world (he finally reconciled with Griswald, more on that in a bit) and Simon is just taken with every little thing and has been taking apart everything he can get his hands on and it's all very stressful and meanwhile Yttrium is demanding my attention. He was sitting on my tablet today, listening to music while I played Stars! and suddenly he went, "The buzz is wrong!" and jumped on to my hand, hugging it. He can be an affectionate little bugger.

I've been meaning to post the two pictures he did of Lemon... bad me for not getting around to it, but again, my computer's all wonky.

Honestly, I think Yttrium is the most worried about the move. He hasn't been out of his tube all that long, and suddenly he has to leave bright, fun Miami for some place I've described as dull, lifeless, and cold? I told him it won't be that cold; we're going into summer. Being in Roanoke will actually be much nicer than in Miami. But Yttrium likes the heat.

Simon, of course, is excited because he's have even more news things to learn, and I told him about my parents' birdfeeder where he can watch all sorts of species and their books of bird and wildflower identification and of the hikes my dad and I take way up in the mountaintops!

Corvus is... impassive. I'm not sure he knows what to think. He's not a big fan of the heat (especially since he started wearing that toga and all) but he has everything already set up on the closet shelf.

Kancho's looking forward to it the most, probably, because it means he gets to be back with Max (but they may not spend all their time together! Max must spend time with Sally!) and all his friends, and he gets to show off Kasha, which he's done a bit already, of course, but this will be different. Kasha's nervous and excited; there are a lot of new people to meet at the main house, and she's a real people person!

I'm not sure how the climate change will affect Marius and Snapdragon. Kancho says he'll set something up for climate control if they need it.

As for Chedem... Well, I might leave her at the main house if she likes it. But while I worry about all of them, I worry about one person in particular.

Saisai really loves his rooftop adobe, and while he's fine with the garage roof in Virginia, it's not going to be the same, is it? He likes the Florida climate almost as much as I do, if not more. And, of course, there's Esmerelda. Birthstone Dragon breeding opens up tonight, and we still haven't decided if Esme should stay here for that, go to Virginia, or go somewhere else. Saisai wants to be at the house when I get there, but he also wants to be with Esme.

So I have a compromise. I think he should be with Esme if she'll have him, so I've asked Atri to come down and serve as bodyguard. I know he's got a lot to deal with, what with his new daughter and all, but maybe it will be a break for him. I'm sure Max and Sally won't mind watching Yalla and Em for him (snicker). Oh, and while his daughter is Em, she's not named after me. She's named after the Lady Admiral, EmileAmai. I swear, our family (biological and otherwise) needs more creativity in the names. Kancho named Lilem EmileAmai (Lilem's a nickname) and me Emperial. How many Ems can we possibly handle???

Anyway, first I'll tackle Corvus and Griswald. I was starting to get frustrated by the lack of reconciliation, so I offered to put Griswald up on Corvus's shelf while he was upstairs. Griswald said no, but I picked him up anyway, him protesting all the way. When I finally got him up there (I had to stand on the dresser, yeesh) he said thank you, though.

Then, some time later, Corvus got back. I heard some talking from my seat across the room, low voices I couldn't make out, but since Corvus didn't ask for me to take Griswald back, apparently it was fine and they've made up. About blooy time!

Oh, and while Corvus was packing up his things for the move, he found that the bonsai tree someone had given him had died. I told him he should have watered it; he said it was better this way, he didn't want that kind of responsibility. And he's been busy of late, anyway.

There really aren't many fairies in downtown Miami, so Corvus's quest to find a fairy gemstone has been stymied, but since we're going to Virginia... I know there are tons of fairies there (or there were) because that's where I met Juli, to start. So we can probably find some there. I'll be surprised if we don't, though the fact fairies survived in that putrid place as long as they did is a surprise.

Going back to Simon, he's made some real friends. Griswald introduced Aorta to him, which is great, because I intended Aorta for Simon. They get along fabulously. Simon is interested in Pixapet breeding. He's curious about their genetics and the combinations of traits that would result. Aorta's happy to oblige, but has no lady doggy, so I guess it'll have to wait a bit. Also, Simon took over caring for Colin, too. Colin's curiosity meshes well with Simon, even if his chattiness is a lot different. They have an interested rappaport: Simon will be researching something intensely with Colin chattering away beside him, Simon only really paying him half a mind, but it seems to suit Colin fine. I suppose Colin might participate in Simon's breeding program as well, though once again, no lady Pixapets in this household.

Simon also has another friend. My Chalcedony Gryphon, Tarpeia, who'd been rather snappish at everyone, finally relented under Simon's persistent attempts to examine her. He's curious about everything! Tarpeia doesn't seem to mind Simon all that much (though she pretends to) and has moved over to his corner of the room. So Simon, Colin, Aorta, and Tarpeia are on my nightstand, Yttrium and Lemon are on my desk, and Corvus and Griswald are up in the closet. Not to mention Kancho and Kasha in the other closet, and Marius and Snapdragon in the living room.

Oy, that's all the news from Lake Wobegon for today!

Sunil stepped out onto the lawn of an unfamiliar house. She was incredibly intimidated by the size, since Kam's house was much smaller. She took flight to cross the distance to the door and landed in front of it. She raised a hand and as hard as she could tried knocking. She could only hope it was loud enough for someone inside to hear.

Incredibly, someone did hear. The door opened, revealing a human, only not a human, for its ears were like a feien’s. It was, in fact, an elf with golden blonde hair and warm brown eyes. He glanced around the door a moment before noticing Sunil on the ground. “That explains it,” he said jovially. “Can I help you?”

Sunil looked up at him for a few moments before taking flight again. She disliked looking up at people if she could help it. After winging her way up closer to the unknown person's face, she managed to speak like she did stuff like this everyday. It was clear from her rather wide eyes however, that she was a little intimidated by the situation.

"I am Sunil. Is Corvus here? I'd like to speak to him."

The elf turned away from her and bellowed into the depths of the house: “Corvy!”

“I think he is on the back porch, Feyu,” said a calm voice. Another elf stepped into view, shorter and fairer than the first. “Sunil... you are one of the ones he has allowed, I believe. Will you please follow me?” The pale elf smiled at her and motioned for her to enter into the living room.

Sunil smiled. She had hoped Corvus would be willing to see her. She wondered how long she would be welcome given what she had come to ask. She fluttered past the person who had opened the door to follow the shorter one who obviously knew where Corvus was.

They passed a small gaggle of people on a couch, all unfamiliar faces, and were ignored in favor on the ongoing conversation. Something about varieties of casserole. That subject was, of course, of no concern whatsoever to Sunil. “I am Orriole,” said her guide, “visiting at the moment, but perhaps I should drop by the feien shop sometime. I have a great interest in your kind.” They passed through a dining room and into the kitchen. Orriole opened the first of two doors leading to the back porch.

Sunil looked around as her guide led her through the house. She had never been around quite so many people at once. She was both annoyed and relieved that she was ignored.

When her guide spoke to her, Sunil started a little and looked up. She had drifted somewhere around her guide's waist, which she found to be a comfortable height. She worked her way back up closer to Orriole's neck before replying.

"If you're interested in the feien, the shop would be the place to go. On any given day there are several of us around. Although I would imagine anything you have to ask could be answered by Simon or Corvus. They're the ones who study our genetics and such."

“I try not to be a burden to Corvus, and have been too busy to speak much with Simon.” Orriole opened the first door, and they moved into the laundry room. “I feel observation is the best way to learn, though.” The second door opened and a gust of chilly wet air swept into the small room. “Here we are. Corvus? Are you present?”

“Sunil,” said Corvus, from some point unseen. He quickly dropped into view from the porch rafters. “Thank you Orriole, that will be all,” he said dismissively. With a bow and a smile, the elf disappeared back into the house.

The porch was L-shaped, screened, made of dark old wood, very dusty, and afforded a nice view of the overgrown backyard and garage. It was a distinctly unpleasant place. The boards, wet from recent rain, had a distinctive, pungent odor. There was a dirty wicker loveseat with a faded floral print cushion and a ceiling fan mounted to the rafters.

Corvus crossed his arms expectantly, waiting for Sunil to deliver some sort of news. The faint smirk on his face suggested he expected the news to be good.

Sunil wrinkled her nose at the smell and peered at Corvus. He looked pleased with something, which made her a little nervous. For all her big words to Seamus, she really didn't think any of them could take on Corvus.

Swallowing her fear, she crossed her own arms over her chest and looked Corvus in the eye. She wondered about where to begin and considered working her way around to the central reason for being here, but looking at Corvus she decided against it. He would know she was dodging some sort of issue. Sunil decided to jump right into it.

"Corvus, how important is Arturo to you? If someone were to attack him, would you feel bound to attack them in return?"

That was not what Corvus expected. He jerked back an inch through the air in surprise and blinked at her. Then he swallowed. “I...” His mouth tugged into a frown and his brow furrowed. “Of course I would. Attacks on my allies cannot be tolerated.” There did, after all, have to be some sort of benefit for putting up with all of Corvus’s antics.

Sunil frowned. This was gonna put a damper on her and Seamus's plot. Being confronted by Corvus himself her resolve to fight Arturo no matter what was fading. There were other people to fight. People who Corvus wouldn't feel the need to avenge.

"Oh."

Sunil uncrossed her arms and lowered herself down to stand on the damp boards of the porch. She sighed and looked down at her feet, which were now undoubtably filthy.

"I had hoped you would be willing to overlook it. He did take Ares from Seamus."

At that, Corvus bristled. “What!? Take Ares from Seamus?” His eyes went suddenly hard and dark. “Is that what that delusional twit is saying now?”

Sunil looked up at Corvus in surprise.

"Well, yes and Ares said she had outgrown Seamus when she grew up. It seems convenient right when she outgrew Seamus she grew into Arturo. I assume Arturo was there all along trying to get Ares to leave Seamus."

Sunil clenched her fists as she looked out onto the back lawn. Ares's statements to her about no longer being bossed around still rankled.

“What part of ‘Seamus is a seriously unhinged feien’ do you not understand?” demanded Corvus. “Ares outgrew Seamus? Ha! I’m not surprised. Perhaps she finally just came to her senses and realized the truth.”

Sunil glowered at Corvus. Seamus was a bit unbalanced, but at the moment she had control over him. He was her tool and she didn't want to be deprived of him. Unless she could trade for something better.

"Perhaps. But I'm not speaking to Ares at the moment since she also outgrew me. I'm not particularly inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt."

Sunil considered her next move carefully. She decided to stall for time with a side issue.

"What do you know about shadow as an element for feien? I met one and she bothered me for some reason."

“Forget that. So you were stilted,” said Corvus, ignoring the attempt to derail the conversation. “Welcome to my life, Sunil. Or hadn’t you noticed that every damn feien has a convenient excuse for tossing me away? And that most of those convenient excuses seem to stem from that git Seamus? And, when you think about it, now he’s gone to work his magic on Ares? You’re being used, you idiot. Just wait. Eventually you’ll make Seamus cry and he’ll turn the tables on you. It probably won’t even be anything you really did. He’s good at making things up.”

Sunil sighed again. Corvus had a point. Seamus was easy to control because he was vulnerable right now, but if she helped him he might not be so willing to rely on her. He had in fact in the past been as critical of her personality as Ares was now. She replied grudgingly.

"I guess you have a point. But I hate to give up on a good fight. I was really looking forward to it. Seamus wouldn't even fight me back when I fought him and then Tosten got into the middle of it. But I suppose you already knew that."

“You’d be surprised how little information one gets ‘out in the boondocks,’” drawled Corvus. “Are you truly so desperate for a fight?”

Sunil scowled and studied her feet. Corvus like everyone else apparently thought she shouldn't be fighting.

"Well I haven't had a proper one and I would like to prove myself."

Sunil flexed idly and looked at her muscles.

"It seems a waste to be strong and never take advantage of that fact. How do you keep from using your magic to just get what you want all the time Corvus? Doesn't it bother you to know you could probably kill any of us at anytime and not do anything when people 'toss you away'?"

“In the long run, people are worthless, and I care more about myself than them. They’re not worth the effort.” He was beginning to doubt Sunil was worth the effort, but kept that to himself. “What makes you think I could kill you?”

Sunil nodded thoughtfully. Fighting people was a lot of effort. And so far she really hadn't gotten anything out of it. She didn't really like being wrong, but Corvus was pretty convincing.

"You yourself said as a summoner feien you have much more magic than any of the rest of us do. I simply assumed as a result that you would be virtually impossible to beat."

“Care to try?” he smirked.

Sunil raised an eyebrow at him and took flight. She hovered up about even with him although not particularly close.

"You want me to fight you?"

Sunil grinned. What the hell? If she died at least it would be fighting Corvus. Sunil dug deep, fighting butterflies, and propelled herself towards Corvus with the intention of punching him in the stomach.

Corvus wasn’t quite prepared. Only his quick reflexes saved him as he darted to the right of her blow. He already knew that she was much stronger than he was. He had to try and keep her at a distance. Unfortunately, he doubted he could outrun her. If he teleported -- but no, that was completely out of the question, as it would leave him magically weakened, and he knew her magic to be almost as strong as his.

But not quite. If he won, it would be thanks to his magic. He quickly brought up a shield between them. It would at least buy him precious time.

Sunil rapidly fluttered her wings trying to stop her headlong flight past Corvus. He had obviously dodged her attack and now she had her back to him. She turned to face him as quickly as possible, hoping she would be able to deal with whatever he did next.

It didn't look like he had done anything, but occured to her he might have done something magical. She switched on her magic detection and noticed he had put up a shield. Sunil grinned.

"You taught me how to break shield Corvus. Why try and use it against me?"

She pulled from her little resevoir of magic again and gathered it in her arm. Once again she sped towards Corvus, her eyes on the shield, ready to punch it with air burst.

The shield held for the first punch at least -- barely. Corvus used that grace period to summon up the darkness from within and send it outward. The invisible sphere filled with an inky blackness through which no normal eyes could penetrate. It seemed to offer Sunil a choice: break open the shield and release the darkness, or leave it be without a clue as to what spells might be forming inside.

Sunil pulled her arm back and drifted away from the dark sphere. She didn't recognize the spell and occured to her she probably should have spent more time looking at spells in other elements.

She knew she could break the shield eventually, but then she would be without eyesight. Presumably Corvus wouldn't have that problem, since he had chosen to summon the darkness. She considered carefully, if she didn't break the shield, he could drop it without warning. She decided to go for it. Breaking the shield was really the only move she could make at this point.

Sunil drifted closer to the shield and got ready for another punch. She prepared to drop at least a foot if it broke. A moving target was hopefully harder for Corvus to hit.

The shield burst open upon impact and the darkness billowed out. It formed a black cloud over the area, stretching out for a good eight feet in length and six in width, but perhaps only two and a half feet high. From a foot below her previous position, Sunil was halfway in the magical cloud. She could sense its magical nature but was not overwhelmed by it. Clear air beckoned below her, dark nothing pressed down from above.

Overwhelmed by the darkness, Sunil closed her eyes. She didn't particularly like darkness, which was part of why she avoided the basement, but she was determined not to be scared by anything Corvus did. Fear would only slow her down.

Feeling around in the darkness with her eyes closed, Sunil searched for a bundle of magic in one spot. Corvus had to be here somewhere. She felt something that seemed like him. It felt like the darkness, but more concentrated. She clenched her fists and sped towards it intending to tackle him. A punch wouldn't be any good since she couldn't be any more specific about his position than general location.

Of course, Corvus could sense her coming. His magic detection gave him that. What he didn’t have was enough time to fully dodge. Sunil hit him squarely in the side, knocking the wind from his lungs. He crumpled against the blow, reaching his hands out to grab onto her, reaching for something -- anything-- to latch on to.

Sunil felt Corvus grabbing out for support and latched onto him. She attempted to shift their positions so that Corvus was below her and she altered her path to intersect with the floorboards of the porch. If she could keep Corvus below her long enough, she could crush him against the ground on impact.

There was a sudden surge of power. As they plummeted, they left the dark cloud and the surge was revealed to be crackling dark energy. It danced over Corvus’s body like sparks and flame. Sunil barely had time to notice this, as with a furious cry Corvus sent the full force of this dark energy surging into her body.

Sunil screamed briefly as her entire body cried out in pain. She lost her hold on Corvus and dropped towards the ground, trying to curl into a ball.

She never hit the ground. Though nearly balled up himself, Corvus had a hand out, levitating her. He squinted at her through the pain in his side. “Having-- fun-- yet?” he gasped.

Sunil growled while floating a fetal position.

"In a way, yes. But I won't deny I am in a lot of pain and that I seriously question why we're fighting."

“Your idea,” managed Corvus. “And if you can’t beat me, what makes you think you can beat Arturo?”

"You asked me to fight you."

Sunil slowly started to straighten out.

"And I would have Seamus to back me up against Arturo. Besides if you boss Arturo around, you must be stronger than him. Otherwise wouldn't he be in control?"

Slowly, Corvus lowered them both to the dusty ground. “No, not necessarily. I am quite certain he could kill me if he wanted to, but I doubt if I could kill him. I’m simply in command because I gave him something and he owes me. He is sadly the only feien who seems to understand that idea.”

Sunil spread out, but stayed laying on the ground. She looked up and tried to ignore the pain she felt.

"What did you give him?"

Corvus, at least, was able to sit up. “The same thing I gave you. Life.”

Sunil rolled over, wincing and looked at Corvus.

"So we're all supposed to serve you? We didn't ask you to make us. Besides, what is your purpose Corvus? What is it you have allies for?"

There was a pause. Corvus looked disgusted for a moment, then collected himself and said, “I hardly think that’s something I should impart unto you, of all people.”

Sunil chuckled and rolled back over to look at the ceiling.

"Why not? You've already proved I can't stop you. Besides, if it’s sufficiently interesting, I'd help you."

“No Seamus involvement,” said Corvus sternly. “If I never have to see that deranged maniac again in my eternal life, I will die wishing I’d spent less time with him around.”

Sunil laughed briefly before coughing a little. She thought briefly and made a decision.

"Fine. I can keep a secret from Seamus."

He studied her carefully for a moment. “On top of my quest to achieve the aforementioned immortality, I intend to resurrect the High Council. As the recipient of their combined powers, I am the logical choice to do it,” he said.

Sunil rolled back over and propped herself up on an elbow.

"Who the hell is the High Council? And do you mean resurrect as in "raise the dead"?"

Her eyebrows were about as high on her face as they could possibly go. This was much more interesting than she had anticipated.

“No, I mean resurrect as in recreate,” sighed Corvus. He hadn’t expected Sunil to interpret his words in such a childish fashion. “The High Council was the governing body of the feien before we came along. The greatest and wisest of all feien made up their ranks. They were the champions and the leaders of our people.”

Sunil made a face at Corvus. He was so impatient. No wonder he didn't like other people. Questions seemed to irk him.

"So you plan to become immortal and rule over all of the existing feien? Who else are you planning to put on your council? Arturo, Simon, anyone else?"

“I wasn’t planning on either of them,” said Corvus curtly. He went to cross his arms but at the twinge in his side decided against it.

Sunil tried sitting up and made it into a lounging position. Her muscles felt like she had tried to run a marathon.

"Were you planning on including anyone? Or is this going to be a council of one?"

Corvus smirked. “That depends. In any event, that’s a concern for the future. I have more pressing things to attend to at the moment.”

Sunil tried sitting up fully.

"Is that a get the hell out of my house?"

Sunil peered at Corvus curiously and flexed her wing muscles to see if they worked.

"Anything you would like me to do? Or do you not trust me that much?"

“Sunil,” said Corvus flatly, “if there is one thing I beat into your head, let it be this: you cannot trust anyone but yourself. Though, actually, perhaps there is something you can help me with. I had been trying to enlist Simon’s aid, but he is unable to detect any magic.”

Sunil rolled her eyes. Of course she didn't trust anyone but herself. The question was whether Corvus did.

"It seems to me like you must trust Arturo. You think he could beat you, but you trust in the idea that he owes you enough to not betray you. Anyway why do you need to detect magic?"

“Pfeh,” went Corvus to the first part, and then to the second: “I’m trying to find some artifacts of a magical nature. This whole city has a vaguely magical buzz to it; I know there’s something here to uncover, I simply can’t pinpoint where it might be.”

"So you want me to hunt around in this area and find something magical for you? Any clues on how I'll know it when I find it?"

Sunil scowled. She did not want to be on some magical goose chase.

“It will be more magical than whatever it’s buried under. I happen to need someone with a more physical-based element than mine to accomplish it; you can harness the power of the air around you. I can only work with shadows, which has so far not been of any help.”

Sunil pulled her knees up to her chest and lightly wrapped her arms around them. She grimaced as the position wasn't particularly comfortable, but didn't move.

"So you want me to fly around this area and use my magic to find you a magical artifact. Then you want me to just bring it back to you with no explanation of what it is I'm bringing you?"

Sunil sighed. Her curiosity was piqued.

"Fine. I'll do it. Any final tips before I set out?"

“Watch out for bats,” he said, dead serious.

Sunil gave Corvus a wide eyed look.

"And owls too I suppose."

She struggled to her feet and hopped a little to get in the air. She was glad to have a little magic left as her body still didn't really want to move. She floated in the direction of the door back into the house.

“Not in there,” corrected Corvus, “out there.” He gestured at the yard, and presumably, the wide beyond.

Sunil back around.

"Right now? I don't even get to rest after we beat eachother up? You must really want whatever it is you would like me to find."

Sunil floated back towards Corvus and then with a sigh the yard.

“Wait, wait,” went Corvus, waving for her to stop. He glanced at the house. With a flick of his wrist, he sent his magic hand knocking on the kitchen window. “We can at least relax slightly. You don’t have any healing magic, do you?”

Sunil lowered herself back down to the ground and looked at Corvus with relief.

"Although I would like to right now, no I don't. I never really considered it important. With hindsight that was stupid."

“I should learn some, especially given all the bruises I get.” There was a loud creak; the back door opened and the elf from earlier poked his head out.

“Yes, Corvus?” said Orriole.

“We require refreshments, and some ice.” He looked at Sunil. “Do you want anything in particular?”

Sunil looked up at Orriole and wondered briefly what she was thinking and whether she had been watching them.

"I am pretty partial to honey nut cheerios if you have any. No milk or anything. Just the cheerios. If not, then I have no particular dislikes. Anything should be fine."

“Ah, honey,” mused the elf as the door closed and he presumably went to fetch the requested items.

Corvus shook his head. “It’s a shame my house is still boxed up. Then we would truly be able to relax.”

Sunil looked at Corvus and sat back down.

"Your house?"

“Yes. I have a table, a trash can, some shelves, and a number of cushions which I made myself.”

Sunil looked at her feet and grimaced at how dirty they were.

"Ah. I have a lab. I have some boxes that serve as both tables and chairs depending on my mood. I haven't tried sewing anything though. I just steal Kam's throw pillows. What did you make the shelves out of?"

“Leftovers from a craft project Em had intended to do but never started. Popsicle sticks, she called them.”

Sunil laid back down on the damp porch and thought about her day. It was not what she had expected. She waved a hand in acknowledgment of Corvus's words, but chose not to respond. She closed her eyes and started to doze off.

Just then, the door opened. It was Orriole. In his hand was a plate bearing tiny cheese slices, a small cup of Cheerios (presumably Honey Nut), a few grapes, some minutely-sliced pieces of apple, and a small cup of honey. “Corvus? There is someone else here to see you...”

"Afternoon, Corvus," drawled a voice behind Orriole. Arturo appeared from behind the elf, red wings flapping idly, and he raised his eyebrows at Corvus. "Who's the blue girl?”

Sunil opened her eyes slowly to the unfamiliar voice. Arturo? Crap! Sunil sat up and grabbed her head as all the blood rushed out of it. "I am Sunil. I am sure given your relationship with Ares that you've heard my name." She glowered in Corvus's direction. Had he known her plans ahead? How? More importantly what was the fastest way off the porch. She started glancing around, while trying not to look too nervous.

“Afternoon, Arturo,” went Corvus, more concerned with the contents of the plate than either of the other feien.

Arturo's keen eyes noticed Sunil's shifty looks, no matter how much she tried to mask it, but he said nothing. Instead, he simply ignored the blue feien and addressed Corvus, "I came to see how you were and just report a few events around the shop."

Sunil stayed where she was. It appeared Arturo had come on an unrelated matter. She didn't let down her guard completely, but relaxed a little and glanced in the direction of the cheerios. Fighting was hard work and she was hungry. She decided to remain silent as well. Maybe if they didn't notice her they would talk as if she wasn't there.

The plate was placed on the floor and the feien left to their affairs. Corvus spent some time considering his options before replying to Arturo. He picked out a slice of apple and dipped it in some honey. “Let’s hear it, then,” he ordered.

Arturo sighed and landed on the floor, next to the plate. "Well, I suppose I should start with the good news. You know that Ares and Seamus were a couple?" He didn't wait for Corvus' reply. "Well - they're not. Anymore. She's," Arturo paused to clear his throat. "With me instead. And she grew up."

“Well congratulations,” went Corvus, raising his piece of honey-dipped apple in a toast. He smiled almost cruelly, predatory eyes on Sunil.

Sunil rolled her eyes in Corvus's direction. "He already knew that Arturo. I told him. Seamus and I were planning on attacking you." She stood up and wobbled over to the cheerios for a snack. She picked a couple up and wobbled back to her former spot and sat down to eat.

Arturo raised an eyebrow. A look of amusement briefly crossed his face before disappearing again. "Were you now?" he said placidly, stooping to pick up his own cheerio. Then he frowned and tossed the Cheerio to another hand. "I don't know why you would attack me. I don't even believe we're acquainted," he said, shrugging.

Sunil finished her first cheerio before responding. "No, we're not. Does that really matter?" She looked over at Arturo with a genuine look of curiosity at his response.

"I suppose not." Arturo replied with another shrug. He then eyed Corvus for a moment and snorted. "And you were informing the summoner of your plans?"

Sunil giggled. "I asked Corvus for permission. I didn't want to have to fight him after you if Seamus and I succeeded." She grimaced.

Another snort. "You wouldn't have."

“I told her as much,” stated Corvus. He practically inhaled his piece of apple and went for his favorite spectator sport next: the grape. While he was reaching for it, the back door creaked open once again. Orriole bent down, placing a cup of iced water on the floor next to the plate. He smiled apologetically at Corvus for the delay. Corvus ignored the gesture and Orriole was gone as quietly and quickly as he had come.

“The thing is,” said Corvus as he pierced the skin of the grape with his fingers, “I fail to see the reason behind your attacking Arturo. He’s done nothing against you specifically, Sunil. You should be smarter than to involve yourself in other people’s wars.”

Sunil watched Corvus eat with a vague expression of curiosity. "I was mad at Ares and Seamus provided an excuse to get at her through Arturo." Sunil shrugged and munched on another cheerio.

“And wouldn’t you know, there he is again, our little pal Seamus, who of course couldn’t possibly be so bright or so devious as to be manipulating everyone into his clutches,” snorted Corvus. He pulled out a handful of juicy grape innards and slurped at them, the dark purple juice rolling down his chin.

Arturo watched on in obvious disgust. "I hope you washed your hands before eating that grape," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "I don't honestly believe Seamus has anyone in his clutches. People realize that he's just... not right for them." He sighed and shrugged.

Sunil also stared at Corvus in fascination and disgust. She felt bad for the grape, being disemboweled in such a manner. "Corvus, that is disgusting. Could you make any more of a mess? And Seamus is hardly an evil genius. I think you're projecting."

“Humph,” went Corvus, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his toga. Of course, he had to trail the toga sleeve into the honey while he was doing it, creating a sticky mess in the process. He stared at the sleeve a moment, amused. “Perhaps genius is a stretch, but he is certainly a manipulative, deranged, unhinged, annoying, jealous, pathetic, underhanded, foul, vengeful, vindictive, clever, misleading, deceitful, deceptive...” Apparently, Corvus had a long list of words to describe Seamus.

"Single," Arturo added. He took a bite of his Cheerio.

"Pigheaded, dirty-eared, over-reacting, emotional, crybaby, nitwit, sad excuse for a feien," finished Corvus. "And did I mention he's insane?"

Sunil had run out of cheerios and set her hands in her lap with a sigh. "Yes I believe you have." She turned to Arturo and glared at him. "I certainly hope that dislike of Seamus wasn't a deciding factor in your decision to pursue a relationship with Ares."

"I hardly know Seamus in all honesty. I hold nothing against him, and I don't blame him for having a grudge against me." Arturo replied honestly.

"Good." Sunil looked over at Corvus again, but continued talking to Arturo. "I think we've killed the topic of Seamus. Any other news from the shop?" She reclined and looked towards Arturo with interest.

"I don't recall having to report to you, girl," Arturo replied levelly.

Corvus laughed. It was, as usual, not a pleasant laugh, some sort of a combination between a hyena and a seizure. His honeyed sleeve trailed over the floorboards, picking up dust and dirty debris. “This,” he chortled, “makes getting up worthwhile.” He waved for the two of them to continue their bickering.

"My fondest wish has been fulfilled. I'm so glad to have pleased you." Arturo said, deadpan.

Sunil scowled in Corvus's general direction. "I am not here for your amusement, " she huffed.

The laughter subsided into another handful of messy grape. “Could have fooled me,” remarked Corvus. “In any event, isn’t there anything else to report?” The handful of grape made its way to Corvus’s mouth, where it enjoyed a brief moment of total terror before being squashed into edible oblivion.

"Not really," came the reply. "I mainly stopped by to see how you were. Besides poor-mannered."

Sunil laughed. "Were you hoping he had choked on a grape in your absence? I'm amazed he hasn't." Sunil gave Corvus an innocent look and mimicked his earlier gesture to her and Arturo. "Please do continue eating. It amuses me."

Corvus stuck out a purpled tongue at her and did just that.

"Children," Arturo drawled, eyeing the pair. "None of us are juveniles here. Let's not act it. And no, I was not hoping he had choked on a grape. Amusing as the thought may be." A smirk.

Corvus pantomimed flicking a cheese square at Arturo and leaned back. “Oof!” he exclaimed as his elbow hit the hard floor. He rubbed at it with a sour expression on his face. “Yes, well, glad to see you’re still alive, too, Arturo. In any event, does that conclude the actual business portion of today?”

"Indeed it does." Arturo replied, shrugging. "Shall I go?"

“There’s plenty of food,” noted Corvus.

Sunil stood up and walked back over to the cheerios. She took a couple more and with an eye on Corvus sat near them. "What happens if you get too fat to fly Corvus?"

“I beg your pardon!” Corvus retorted. He waved his hand at the cup of ice, levitating a piece next to him so he could press it against his side. “I hardly think a feien with my physique, magic use, and metabolism has to worry about that. I can scarcely keep weight on as it is.”

Sunil snorted, but said nothing further. Corvus's use of ice on his side had reminded her of the shock of energy she had received earlier from their fight. She concentrated on her cheerios.

"So what were your plans for revenge? Corner me and attack?" he asked, smirking.

Sunil eyed Arturo past her cheerio. "I don't think I need to disclose the specifics of my plan with you. But to be honest, it wasn't that detailed since Corvus hadn't been consulted. Neither Seamus nor I really wanted to fight Corvus over you."

“There you go again!” railed Corvus, dramatically knocking over the honey cup. He paid it no heed. “Seamus, Seamus, Seamus. Just what is it with you in him? Are you in love with him?”

Sunil laughed at both Corvus's question and actions. "I don't believe in love, " she said quite seriously. "But Seamus was my co-conspirator and if you're going to ask about my plan to attack Arturo then Seamus was involved. Why are you always talking about him? Are you in love with him?" Sunil sighed, what a stupid question. Corvus was obviously insane.

"Do you two know what the word 'civil' means?" Arturo snorted. He idly stared at the honey as it oozed across the floorboards. "I'm think I'm going to head back. No point in sticking around if you're just going to argue."

Corvus was able to contain his anger long enough to allow Arturo to speak, but no longer. “I’ll have you know that twerp ruined a large part of my life and I won’t rest until I see him crushed and driven out of the shop the way I was.”

"No one drove you out of the shop to my knowledge. You'd probably be well-received if you returned to the shop." Arturo reasoned.

“I sincerely doubt that!” said Corvus crossly.

Sunil gave Corvus the kind of look you give to a spoiled two year old. "How would you know? You haven't been there in forever have you? Half of the feien who frequent the shop don't even know who you are." She grimaced before adding, "Arturo is right.”

Corvus considered that, rolling a grape seed around his mouth. Then he spat it out. “I fail to see how that is possible. But I’ll wait for Simon’s report on the matter.”

Sunil sighed at Corvus and stifled a yawn. "Should I stay and look for your magical artifact or go and come back another time Corvus?"

"And I should be going." Arturo said, standing. "Puchiko needs help with the baby. ... Actually, mind if I spend the night here? I can't take the screaming anymore."

“I’d heard a bit about that from Em... Of course you may.” Corvus sighed. He probably wasn’t going to get Arturo to help him look for dead feien gems. “Sunil and I simply have some business to attend to first. Make yourself comfortable, and if you need anything, yell and Orriole will be happy to assist you.”

"Thank you," Arturo replied, settling back down. "Much appreciate it."

Corvus stood and looked to Sunil. “Let’s be off, then.”

Sunil stood and attempted to brush herself off a little. She nodded at Arturo and walked towards Corvus. "Alright, lets go!"