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After a quick and very unabashed change of clothes, Cressa seemed to be feeling better than ever. Now wearing the tight dress Jessie had discarded she looked about as ready for a night in Durem as anyone. Even moreso when she suddenly pulled out a remarkable little gadget.

Jessie looked at the computerised object in her hand with interest for a moment as they walked side by side. She hummed to herself, tapping at the screen with her thumb, and suddenly it began to emanate music.

"Ahh," said Cressa, "love this song!> I'm so tired of being here," she proceeded to sing, her own voice dwarfing the haunting vocals of the singer from the weak integrated speakers, "Suppressed by all my childish fears."

"is that?>" asked Jessie, leaping out of his thoughtful silence.

"" Cressa replied. " These wounds won't seem to heal - this pain is just too real - there's just too much that time cannot erase!"

"that's called?>" said Corie sarkily, ""

"HEY!" cried Cressa, shaking her shoulder ferociously to dislodge the bird, ""

"" the bird hollered, martyred as she slipped off the fabric of the cloak. She ended up clinging to Jessie's and proceeding to scale up the side of his body - much like a parrot, but certainly an unusual manoeuvre for a crow.

"" he asked, lifting up the part of the cloak she was on. She took his aid gratefully, pulling herself up onto his arm. Her reply, as such, was very cheerful.

""

"You used to captivate me by your resonating light, hmm hmm hmm," sang Cressa, tapping away at the screen again. "Your face, it haunts my once-pleasant dreams. Your voice, it chased away all the sanity in me. Hey, Jessie, do you prefer dogs or cats?"

"Hm?" he replied distractedly, ""

"Oh come on! "

"Fine, cats."

""

He glanced at her in bemusement. ""

"<I think,>" she said triumphantly, ""

"Ragdoll?"

"YES!" Cressa squealed, stabbing even more determinedly at the screen, ""

Jessie couldn't help but smirk. ""

"YES!" she giggled. Her friend joined in. He loved Cressa. He really did. "" she cursed. More curses followed over the course of the next few minutes before she found something satisfactory. "THAT!>"

Jessie glanced over at the screen with the same casual interest as he first had. Then, he did a double take. "" he said, with genuine surprise, and a little awe, "really adorable.>"

"" grinned Cressa, ""

"" Corie griped.

"" her mistress chastised. "actually want to talk to you about.>"

Jessie raised his eyebrow at her. ""

"" said Cressa, ""

She danced in front of him absurdly, and then placed both hands on his chest firmly to stop him from walking another step. He complied, and the two friends exchanged long, playful stares. This was obviously going to be a very serious conversation, which was ironically distracting Jessie momentarily from his truly serious thoughts.

The woman was the first to speak. ""

""

Cressa tapped her finger to the side of her mouth mock-thoughtfully. ""

"" said Jessie, with a hint of sarcasm even though she was indeed being accurate, and sometimes he did think she could read his mind. Like earlier today, for example, when she seemed to pull her knowledge of Jessica out of nowhere-

He moved to push past her, and she let him. ""

"Mm."

""

"Mm..."

"" she coaxed, skipping up beside him to take his arm again. She managed to pull him to a halt, and forced him to face her, grinning. ""

Jessie's face was longer than a gnoll's as he sadly returned her gaze. Just as Cressa could look like a little girl when she was throwing a tantrum, Jessie could look half his apparent age in dejection. ""

"" she joked, but he didn't continue. "on, lover, talk to me. Something's really been up with you ever since I arrived. You're not yourself.>"

"" he said quietly. ""

"Emo," piped Corie. Cressa grabbed her unceremoniously around the neck and hurled her as hard as she could off the roadside. By the time she turned back to her friend, he was walking off again.

"" she called, taking his hand as she caught up with him. ""

"" Jessie replied slowly. He didn't bother to wonder or ask where she got her information from. He seemed on the verge of saying something else, though... and then retreated. ""

"let me understand.>"

He looked at her sharply, surprised by the undertones in her language. She was smiling at him more genuinely than he thought he'd ever seen from her. ""

"" he scoffed.

""

""

Cressa, quietly and without judgement, agreed with him. ""

Jessie seemed to wilt even further all the same. Now, they were getting to the crux of his problems. ""

"" Cressa soothed, stroking his hand as she held it. The gesture was incredibly intimate for their kind, but very calming. Jessie couldn't help but close his eye. ""

"<...Sometimes, you remind me of my sister,>" Jessie mumbled. They were both standing incredibly close now. There was no need to speak any louder. ""

"don't remind me a bit of my brother,>" Cressa giggled, ""

Jessie's head fell limply against her chest as she spoke.

"crying?>"

His shoulders shook uncontrollably for a moment. "<...Just a bit.>"

"" came Corie's sneering voice. She landed at their feet. ""

Cressa ignored her familiar entirely this time. In one hand, she continued to hold his. With her other, arm wrapped around his shoulder, she tenderly stroked the back of his head until he recovered himself enough to straighten up again.

"" he sighed, looking away from her. One more tear dripped from his eye before he could hide his face entirely. ""

"Worse than mine, because she was insane to boot,>" said Cressa. "<...If you don't mind me saying so.>"

"" Jessie whispered, totally defeated. He began to shake again. ""

"" said Cressa, wrapping him up in her arms. They looked very bare and very thin without her usual sweeping robes to cover them up. As if sensing the difference, she grabbed some of her cloak material and pulled it around them both, totally enveloping her friend. ""

"Emo," squawked the bird.

"<- and nonsense. You've had a little cry. Now, let's move on. Pull yourself together, lover.>"

The fact that Cressa could say that while she would have preferred for time to freeze in that moment forever showed just how self-sacrificing she really could be.

"" she whispered into his ear, smiling. "feelings. You can quit acting now. It's getting you nowhere.>"

Jessie shook again, but this time it was with mirth. Deep in the endless material covering Cressa's sumptuous chest, he could be heard laughing. When he pulled away a few moments later, he was smiling broadly.

"Hah... too many feelings.>"

"" Cressa gasped, ""

Wet eyelashes or not, Jessie managed to look at her as skeptically as ever. "want to know...?>"

""

"" he laughed, as she pulled him around, ""

""

"" Jessie grinned back at her, ""

"prove it!>" she taunted, ""

He proved it. The two of them whirled energetically around the street, with far more abandon than the day before, until Corie, in a fit of jealousy over being ignored for so long, threw herself into the path of Cressa's stiletto. One squished bird didn't manage to ruin the mood, however. They sashayed down the street, breaking into little impromptu routines. Jessie kicked off his shoes. Cressa tossed her newly-shorn head of hair. She found an upbeat song, and they played it again and again until the words were stuck fast in their heads. Then, they sang it, bounding down the street a few metres at a time, doubling back, spinning, figure-of-eight-ing their way to Durem.

"And I want you back! How many times can I say I'm sorry?" Cressa began.

"How many times?" Jessie broke in.

"I said I'm so, so, sorry," she sang - and she really was. "Well you know, you can run, and you can hide-"

"-But I'm not leaving 'less you come with me!" Jessie returned, grinning at his friend as they grooved together.

"We've had our problems but I'm on your side, oh! You're all I need, please believe me!"

He believed her, alright.

The traffic to Durem was starting to increase in volume as evening was drawing in - partygoers, heading to club central. Cars slowed down when they saw the two women. Many honked their horns. Three women in a flashy convertible turned down their stereo and leapt up, singing along with them.

"Hey, ladies!" the tallest - a woman with jet black hair but strangely pale skin - called to them, "Feel like hopping in?! We're heading to a club you'd just adore!"

"Nah, sorry!" called Cressa, who happened to be air-guitaring at that moment in time. She looked to her friend, who grinned back at her before bouncing off down the street amidst a complex pattern of spins and steps. "We've got a mission to fulfill!"

The black-haired woman laughed back at her, sitting back down. "Well, suit yourself!"

"Hey, did you see that other girl? I think she was a dude," said the driver, who was wearing tinted shades on top of her head and had carefully highlighted chestnut hair that matched well with them.

"Crazy elves, man," hooted the first woman, flashing an unnaturally pointy smile. "No offense, Iselle. They're crazily awesome."

The blonde elf in the back rolled her big, blue eyes. "None taken, Xanthe."

~~~~~~~~~

* Drowic saying, accurately translated. As they are inconvenienced by sunlight, being "out of the shade at noon" basically means "at a point of severe disadvantage." It's equivalent to the human "I could beat you blindfolded/asleep/with one hand tied behind my back."