Welcome to Gaia! ::

Lying on her side in the darkened upstairs bedroom, Emperial stared at the glowing red numbers on her alarm clock. Sleep seemed beyond her this evening; she’d been watching the clock tick by for nearly an hour now to no avail. Her mind idly wandered into potential starts for sleep, such as contemplating how much humans ran their lives by their clocks, but every time she felt on the verge of dreaming her mind jumped back to where it had started and she could not sleep again.

It was the feeling in the pit of her stomach, a sense of dread and fear. She knew the feeling well. It was the feeling she felt when something bad had just begun to happen and something worse was on the horizon.

There was the faintest knock on her bedroom door. She did not move. In the event it was a parent or her brother, she needed to preserve the illusion of sleep. It was instinctive after years spent sneaking late-night computer games or novels.

Of course, everyone who knew her knew that simply because she failed to answer her door did not mean she was asleep.

The door opened.

Emperial was night blind, and had been for several years no, so unsurprisingly remained still. She could not tell who the intruder was besides the fact that whoever it was had not been stopped by security and had a surprisingly light step.

“Emperial?”

With a smile, she sat up. That was a familiar voice. “Rikard.”

“I was in town, thought I’d stop by for a visit, figured you weren’t asleep yet.”

Rikard was an insomniac, much like herself, though his insomnia was more self-prescribed. He chose to stay up to work. She failed to sleep due to chemical imbalance. “It’s good to see you,” she said, blatantly lying, as she couldn’t make out a single thing.

Unbeknownst to her, he reached up to pull the cord on the fan controlling the light. By the time the tell-tale click sounded, it was too late. They both let out squeaks of upset as the bright light burned their eyes.

“Should have warned you,” said Rikard quickly. In the light, he was revealed to be wearing heavy travelers robes in dark brown and maroon with patterns of white and gold. It was an exceptionally handsome ensemble on him, though the darkness of the brown caused his already deathly-pale features to seem paler than usual. They were truly an exquisitely-tailored set of robes, as befit a man of Rikard’s station.

Since “was in town” wasn’t a very likely explanation, Emperial asked, “What brings you here?”

“Though I’d see if you were okay. I was sleeping over at Teliu’s and she mentioned a pit of dread in her stomach, and said she thought it was you. Either that or she’s pregnant again. Figured I’d find out for her.” He quirked his eyebrows up at her, clasping his hands behind his back and waiting for an answer.

It was a sensible explanation. Teliu was a dimensional alter, one of the thousands of versions of Ems in all the universe. By happy coincidence the two had managed to form a connection, to the benefit of each. Emperial learned from her older alter’s successes and failures, and Teliu kept herself young and engaged through remembering herself in her youth.

With a slight grin, Em remarked, “You can tell Teliu she’s not pregnant.”

“So it is you.” He sat himself on the bed at her feet. “Need a snog?” he asked earnestly.

“Maybe another time. I just... there’s a lot going on lately. Too much to handle, really, and I had a bad dream last night that turned out sadly quite accurate and true. And all day long I’ve been having trouble accessing dimensions. I’m really worried about it.”

Rikard placed a hand on the lump of quilt that was her leg. “You don’t seem to be having any trouble right now.” He smiled faintly at her, green eyes staring with admiration.

“No, which is nice. But lately all sorts of dimensions have been escaping me, even parts of the house. I couldn’t get Corvus at all today, I barely got Kancho, and as for everyone else, forget about it. Bits and pieces all day. I saw Max briefly, and that was probably my longest interaction. Something feels wrong.”

“Dimensions aren’t really my area of expertise,” admitted Rikard remorsefully, “but maybe the problem is you’re trying to do too much. I’ve been thinking about all these newcomers, and I’m worried you’re gonna strain yourself.”

She sighed. “You’re probably right. But I really like them, and I crave a full house like the one we used to have.”

Rikard made a face at that. “Back when there were forty people in here? You’ve got to be kidding me! Fights nonstop, all the time... If it wasn’t Daerinnid screaming at that Snape guy, it was Daidai attacking Max, or Cecil and Marle bitching at one another trying to pretend they weren’t pals, and there was always someone getting sick and coming down with a fever... I got sick twice! Me!”

“Actually,” she corrected, trying not to think of Marle, “you were sick four and a half times. Twice with fever, once with food poisoning, once with allergies, and once with a cold.”

“See? Besides, just because you have space to fill doesn’t mean you should fill up space,” he pointed out.

Em cocked her head to the side. “You wanna get sick with something? We can play doctor.”

“If only you meant that in a sexual way,” he sighed.

“With you?” Em exclaimed. “Ew!” She stuck her tongue out.

“Well then don’t suggest it, dorkus.” He reached over and rapped her lightly on the head. “You’re an adult now. Play by adult rules.”

She rolled her eyes. “According to you, adult rules are ‘swear a lot’ and ‘have sex with anything that moves.’”

“Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it,” protested Rikard. Emperial laughed at that. Rikard rolled his eyes right back at her. The moment of silliness was soon over. “Anyway, if even Teliu knows you’re having a problem, you’re having a big problem.”

“I know.”

“Tell ya what. I’ll stick around for a day or two, see if I can come up with any ideas. Worse comes to worse, maybe I can help you watch over some of your errant refugees and adoptions,” he suggested, quickly adding, “but I draw the line at babies.”

“Okay, fine then. You take Kabuto, Yttrium, and Lemon, I’ll take Corvus, Simon, and Alchiba, and Kancho will cover Errol and help me with Alchiba.”

“I don’t even know who half those people are, but agreed.”

Emperial raised a hand to her mouth in horror. “Oh my gosh! But what about Kasha and Saisai? Dear gods, I haven’t seen either of them in weeks!”

“We’ll find out about them tomorrow. For now, go to sleep.” Leaning forward, Rikard cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lightly on the forehead. “From Torvwyn and myself.”

She smiled shyly. “My two favorite guys. Thanks, Rikard. For everything. Coming down here on what must have been short notice, fixing the rune alignments, everything.”

“Of course I did. That’s what best friends are for,” he said, standing and looking down at her lovingly. “I just happen to be lucky enough to have four and a half.”

Smiling quite contently, she settled down under her quilt as he switched off the light. “And I’m lucky to have such good friends. Goodnight, Rikard.”

“Goodnight, Emi.”

The knot in the pit of her stomach was gone.

Still she did not sleep. She was happy and much calmer knowing that Rikard was here, but the chemicals in her brain kept her awake. After another half hour of clock watching, she decided to head for the bathroom.

Moving through the obstacle course she had so thoughtfully set up for herself on her bedroom floor was no easy task while blind, but over the years she had become accustomed to it. Each footstep was carefully measured in her mind to correspond to where she remembered the empty spots on the floor to be. Rarely did her memory err, even in the most unfamiliar of locales. So much of her mind was focused on memorizing new places in the event of a blackout that it was understandable and almost excusable how quickly she forgot names and assignments.

In a few strides she was out from her room and in the upstairs hallway. It was eerily quiet, but she was not alone. As she moved into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, a silent figure followed. It waited, listening for the telltale flush of the toilet before knocking on the door.

Emperial jumped just a little at the noise. “I’m in here,” she announced, reaching to turn on the sink.

“Emi?”

She jumped slightly again, but this time due to hope instead of fright. Hurriedly (but thoroughly) washing her hands, she turned off the water so she could speak. “Kabuto?” she hissed.

“I wanted to speak to you,” he said quietly back.

She dried her hands and opened the door, revealing precisely what she expected: Kabuto in full gear standing attentively. “Coincidentally, I was hoping to run into you,” she informed him. “Join me in my room?”

“Certainly.”

~~~

It was pitch dark in the room, at least by Emperial’s standards, but for Kabuto the darkness was easily pierced. His eyes adjusted so quickly it was almost inhuman. She closed the door and, knowing full well she was completely unable to see, he made his move.

Grabbing her with before she could do so much as peep, Kabuto spun her into his arms, covering her mouth with one hand and hugging her close with the other. It was not the romantic move she might have hoped for, but a restraining motion. He tucked his chin against her neck so he could whisper into her ear. “Listen carefully,” he instructed, an unseen smirk on his face. “If you do precisely as I say, you may get out of this with your life intact. If you disobey, I will kill you and everyone else in this house. Understood?”

Mutely, she nodded, blind eyes wide.

“We’re going to leave this house now. Don’t struggle or try to cry out. I’ll snap your neck.”

“Not so fast.”

With a look of shock, Kabuto froze. There was someone behind him. Judging by the voice, it was Emperial. He could feel something pressing against the small of his back.

“If you so much as move a micron, this top of the line A-9 PietTech blaster will eat a hole through your stomach so big you could march a parade through.”

Kabuto though quickly. If Emperial was behind him, who was he holding?

“Now that I have your attention,” continued Emperial, “let’s have a chat.”

A copy. Kabuto cursed and released his captive, fully expecting the copy to burst into smoke and reveal itself as a log. Only it didn’t.

“You were nearly late,” the Emperial he had just been holding remarked.

“Sorry. Interdimensional traffic’s a b***h,” said the Emperial holding the blaster. “And dream messages are so vague. You couldn’t have sent an owl? Yakushi-san, correct? Please raise your hands where I can see them and lock your fingers behind your head.” Kabuto did so, shifting his weight from one leg to the other.

“I’m going to turn on the light,” said the first Emperial. “Don’t move, Kabuto, or you’ll regret it. Emperial there is a mean shot with a blaster.”

“You flatter me,” laughed the second Em, nudging Kabuto’s spine with her weapon. “But it’s only the truth. Are we contained?”

The first Emperial took two steps and reached up to where she knew the light switch to be. “Yes. We’re contained,” she confirmed as she flicked it on.

The light revealed Emperial, the one Kabuto had just been speaking to at the bathroom door a few moments earlier, exactly as he remembered her. Whoever was behind him tossed something at the familiar Emperial, which she caught. It was a blaster.

“Excellent!” remarked the Emperial in front of him, looking the blaster over once and pointing it at his chest. “Why don’t you have a seat, Kabuto? On the floor there is fine. Emperial, we can sit on the bed.”

“Just what I was thinking!”

As Kabuto sat, he was finally able to see who had been standing behind him, and found it was Emperial.

There were two of her.

The one he had spoken to had longer hair and was dressed for sleep in an oversized t-shirt and a skirt. The other wore tan pants, knee-high black boots, and a maroon velvet jacket Kabuto recognized as belonging to Emperial. He stared at them in confusion.

“So, Em, keeping busy while I’ve been gone I see?” said the shorter-haired one.

“Oh, a bit of this, bit of that.” They both sat down on the bed at precisely the same time, still pointing their blasters at Kabuto, and both crossed their legs identically. “How’s Severus?”

“He’s doing fine. Asked if you’ll be over for tea any time soon. Draco might like to see you as well. Give him something to think is attainable now that I’m out of his reach.”

“The matchmaking with that veela didn’t work?”

“No, he had an episode and she couldn’t deal.”

“Ah. Day or nighttime?”

“Nighttime. Apparently they’d just had sex.”

The longer-haired Emperial pursed her lips. “Oof.”

“Yeah. So I figure, maybe it’s time we started looking across the worlds for someone. HEY! Don’t move!”

Kabuto had only barely twitched. He quickly realized that the second Emperial was a bit more combat-trained than the first. That might make things difficult.

“So,” said the second Emperial, “what should we do with him?”

The first Emperial smiled cruelly. “I think we should have some fun.” There was something dangerous in her eyes Kabuto had never seen there before.

“No, can’t do that, Severus would never forgive me,” said the second, shaking her head.

“And Kancho would never forgive me. Darn, I wish it were like the old days. I would so love to hear Kabuto scream. And maybe, just a bit...” She licked her lips.

“No and no, Em. Besides, he looks frightened enough as it is. Perhaps we should just give him an explanation? Or at least give him a chance to speak. He looks like he has something to say.”

Glowering, Kabuto did indeed have something on his mind. “How long have you known?”

“That you were just here to kidnap me? Since before your arrival,” said Em the first. “My turn. Things were going so nicely. I thought you’d do this earlier, when Kancho was about to kick you out. Why now?”

Kabuto offered no response, angry glare enough.

“Come on, now, answer her!” said Emperial the second. “Or my trigger finger might spasm and turn you into a splatter of protoplasm on the wall.”

If he could get out of this and complete the mission, it wouldn’t matter what he told them. “Because Kakashi and Sasuke aren’t here,” he sneered.

“Makes enough sense. Your turn, Kabuto.”

“Are you going to kill me?” He stared straight at the first Em as he asked, daring her to deny her feelings for him.

She did so easily. “Maybe. But I might like to play with you a bit first. I’ve always been known to play with my food.” Next to her, the other Emperial sniggered. “In any event, Sasuke and Kakashi will be gone a while. Why so soon? You could have had the whole week to plan out something more refined than a late-night snatching. You’re not even the on-duty guard at the moment. Did you think Jango would have just let you leave?”

“That was two questions,” he said stubbornly.

“Who’s holding the guns here, us or you?” smirked the second Emperial. “I haven’t killed anyone in months, ever since Voldemort’s defeat. I rather miss it.”

The two Ems looked at him expectantly. Then Em the first smiled knowingly. “I see why. The relativity of time. You were worried tomorrow might find you stuck in your home universe with Kakashi and Sasuke back here. You know very well I can undo the pause button on that time frame any time I wish even without waiting for news day, because there are alternate means of pursuing relativity.” (For the lay reader, Em the First refers to her ability to pick up the Naruto manga instead of waiting for the anime every week. If she picked up the manga, her frame of reference on the Naruto universe would advance beyond the anime, which could pull Kabuto out of the House and drag him back into the story. Or alternately, she could choose to separate out her version of the Naruto universe from the main continuity and pursue the story herself in an alternate direction, which is how Voldemort was defeated in her personal Potterverse years before the publishing of the seventh book. Since Em controls how time passes in these universes relative to her own, Kabuto has decided to act before he potentially loses the chance, which could conceivably be the next day.)

Kabuto, though he had little idea what exactly had just been said, correctly guessed that it was in some way detrimental to himself. Namely, the part where his motivations were revealed as being fairly obvious and his tactics as hasty and poorly-planned. Which was a truth.

But what the two Ems didn’t realize was that Kabuto was busy concentrating on a jutsu, forming an illusion to take his place so he could attack. He closed his eyes a moment and bowed his head, mouthing the seals. In a moment, he would stand, and two girls would see nothing but the illusion of him still sitting on the floor.

He stood.

A blaster shot hit him in the chest, knocking him back against the wall.

“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” said Emperial the Second. Both Emperials stood as Kabuto slumped against the wall and slid to the floor.

“How?” he gasped through the pain.

“Oh, brother, Kabuto,” said Em the First. “Don’t you remember when we fell off the roof? You tried to use your chakra and it didn’t stick. That’s because we were sitting above my bedroom, and you seem to have forgotten one of my newest pets.” She pointed to the corner of the room up towards the ceiling.

There, hanging from a pole mounted on the wall, was Ygmella.

“The Force, magic, chakra -- it’s all the same. Just different words from different universes. And Ygmella creates a fifteen-foot no-magic zone, at least. More because she was specially bred for effectiveness. That’s why Simon and Corvus weren’t flying when they arrived here with Alchiba last weekend. They couldn’t use any magic.” As Em the First spoke, Emperial the Second cooed at the furry beast.

Sighing, Em the First crossed over to Kabuto and relieved him of his formerly hidden kunai. “It was just my own dumb luck that I happened to send a cry for aid to my alters earlier this evening, and Emperial never travels without a weapon.”

“Or two, just in case,” grinned Emperial.

Em shook her head sadly. “Did you really think I’d make a suitable new host for Orochimaru, or possess some hidden dimension-travelling jutsu that could be extracted, or be a puppet in your bid for power, Kabuto?”

With all of his systems going into shock, Kabuto couldn’t even blink in answer. His limbs felt numb and his lungs were frozen, incapable of swallowing a single breath of air. His vision was blurring and only the wall against his back kept him in a sitting position.

“Amazing model, this A-9,” he heard one of the Emperials say as his mind faded into darkness. “Packs the strongest punch ever with this new particle compressor Kancho designed. It’ll kill a human in two shots on the low setting and kill an elephant in one on high. Trust me. I helped test it.”

The last thing he felt was something wet pressing against his mouth, and he was gone.

As Corvus made his way through the streets, it occurred to him he had only the vaguest idea as to where Yeande actually lived. With a sigh, he flew to the back of the shop and past the office window. The window was very thoroughly shut, having never been opened, but there was a space just above the office air conditioner big enough to squeeze through in emergencies. It was how he managed to never be at the shop yet still get his work done. Taking the small hole in his hands, he pushed its material aside, enjoying the malleability of the normally stiff wood in his fingers. Mend and Form, like all other skills, improved with constant use and practice.

Once the hole was widened, he slipped into the quiet office and flew down to the desk. A wave of his hand opened the bottom right drawer and retrieved the black address book where Em kept track of feien locations. He noted with interest the fact that several of the names had been moved around. Sei-Veritas and her owner had moved away, and there were two new names in the “Local” section, Nigel and Fionn, including dates. Corvus flipped through the pages until he spotted Yeande’s information. The address wasn’t far.

Returning the book to its drawer, he made his way back out, squeezing through the hole once more and pausing to return the wood to something close to its original configuration. He played with the pattern of the grain a few minutes before he was satisfied and set off again.

He found the building with little trouble (particularly since Em had included directions in her notes) and stared up at the apartments.

It was easy to tell which one was Yeande's however... a tiny object could be seen walking along the railing of the balcony, a white cloak fluttering in the slight breeze. To anyone not familiar with the Feien, it would simply appear to be a cloth or rag that had blown loose from a clothesline.

Yeande had learned that black fabric only grew hotter in the sun, and white kept her skin shaded just as well. She moved between the myriad plants, clipping a few tiny blossoms here and there.

Heading up the wall, Corvus made a beeline for the familiar energy. He shot up the side of the building like a hawk and popped up next to Yeande, quickly landing on the railing a few feet away. “Hello.”

The voice gave her a bit of a start... of all of the people Yeande could imagine arriving on her balcony, Corvus was likely the last. It had to be because of the others. There was no other explanation for it. "Hello, Corvus," she replied softly, not turning around. Instead, she kept her gaze on the miniature rosebush she was working with, hissing softly when one of the thorns gouged at her finger.

He ignored the less-than-worshipful welcome and held out the bundle. “However flattered I am by your affections, I thought I made myself clear last time that I don’t require any gifts.”

The Feien sat up a bit straighter at that, and turned towards Corvus. "Any gifts? What on earth makes you think I gave..." Pausing, she saw the bundle and narrowed her eyes. "Contrary to what you may believe, my world does not revolve around you, Corvus. Those are gifts that were given to me by those idiots at the shop, and I want nothing to do with them."

Corvus frowned at her and his stomach dropped a notch. “You left these on my counter,” he protested, rather bravely given the embarrassing circumstances.

"Where else would I leave a bag of inane trinkets for a group of Feien that seem to have nothing better to do other than lounge around that selfsame shop? It's not like I know where they live." She got to her feet then, brushing off her hands and picking up the flowers. "Take them back where you found them... or throw them away. Pitch them off the balcony for all I care."

Yeande stepped down off the rail then, using a deck chair as a means of walking down to the floor of the balcony as she headed towards the sliding glass door.

“Wait,” he ordered, flying after her, the bundle still in his hand.

Pausing with an exasperated sigh, she turned to level a glare at him. "What could POSSIBLY be so important that you'd want to speak to me now? You've been avoiding me like the plague for months."

“Give me your hand.” Again with the orders.

"Why?" she countered, not backing down as he approached, the violet eyes still watching him warily. "If you're going to try and give me those things back, don't waste your time or mine. I got rid of them for a reason."

“For gods’ sakes,” he sighed, dropping the bundle to the ground and snatching her hand. It fit easily into his own. He covered her hand with both of his, enveloping it completely, and closed his eyes a moment. There was a tingling sensation.

For a moment, she was going to pull back, her eyes widening at this sudden gesture. Yeande was about to retort when the tingling started, making her hand twitch instinctively in response. "What... what are you doing?"

Corvus opened his eyes and the sensation subsided. “A healing spell, you nit,” he said crossly. “I don’t get a lot of opportunity to practice it.” The excuse sounded lame even to him.

Nodding softly, she watched the thorn cut vanish before her eyes, and she kept her gaze on her hand as she tried to figure this out. It was a thorn, nothing more... it wasn't as though she hadn't been injured by the roses before. "Thank you," she replied simply, her hand squeezing his lightly before she started to pull it back. She remembered what touch did to him, and had no intention of reliving that particular spat. "I didn't know you had healing spells."

Clasping his hands behind his back, he surreptitiously wiped them on the back of his toga. “Someone I live with was wounded.” He seemed reluctant to supply any more detail than that.

"Ah..." She wanted to ask more, but doubted any information would be forthcoming. "Hopefully I won't injure myself again, we don't have a healer here. However, with the rate some of the Feien are going, you'll likely have to patch a few of them up before long." Yeande couldn't help but chuckle at that, moving to set the flowers into a small china teacup that had been filled with water and left near the door as a Feien-sized floor planter. "Almost makes me wish I'd be there to see it... some of them deserve to get their brains rattled a bit."

Corvus frowned. This was very much not what he had been expecting from Yeande. “Did something happen?” Coming from anyone else, the question might have seemed an attempt at comfort, but from Corvus it seemed more like an interrogation.

Yeande tensed at that question, the slight reprieve from her anger seeming to end as she replayed the last two days in her mind. "It seems that your contempt for me has spread. And despite how foolish you may think I am, I do know better than to stay where I'm not wanted."

Her answer didn’t satisfy him. He looked down at the floor, considering his options. He hardly wanted to insult her on her own turf, but he was having trouble trying to figure out how to apply the Lady Admiral’s principles of leadership to this situation without either insulting her or making an absolute fool of himself.

An uncomfortable silence hung between them for a minute or two before she spoke again. Her voice still held a chill to it, but she kept it under control. "I understand now, Corvus," she said, her gaze turning cool. "At least I think I do. I don't really mind that the others seem to dislike me. The ones that do it openly at least let me know where I stand. It's the ones that pretended friendship that hurt the most, and I won't let that happen again. I won't be going back to the shop." Looking around herself then, she felt oddly comforted. "Everything I need is here. Let them be two-faced with each other if they want... I'm not going to lie down and take it anymore."

Corvus was almost tempted to fly home and visit the Lady Admiral for advice, but he wasn’t about to let Yeande stump him and admit he couldn’t figure this one out for himself. “Yeande,” he started, then paused, brow furrowing. He tried again. “I think...” The only words that came to his mind were “ergo sum.” He recognized too much of himself in her words and was unsure how to deal with it. He himself had never truly dealt with the pain he often felt in the shop, merely pushed it to the back of his mind and adopted a strategy to cope. He was not about to share that strategy with Yeande, but he wanted to do something. There was an opportunity in this somewhere. If only he could figure out what it was.

((Em: Dude, Corvus, you should totally snog her!
Corvus: ... No.))

"You know what I think?" she replied, looking up to him with her head tilted to the side. "I think you were right about me. At least for a while, at any rate. I was foolish." Yeande's arms crossed over her chest as she pulled the home-stitched cloak around herself a bit tighter. "I was foolish enough to care about someone when everyone else was telling me I was insane. And then I was foolish enough to believe those selfsame people when they claimed to be friends. It was brought home to me the other night just where I stand in the scheme of things, and it was a shock I wasn't quite ready for. I'm not even certain who I was more angry at... them for stabbing me in the back or myself for believing them in the first place."

Her gaze slid to him then and she let out a wry chuckle. "And the most ironic part? Despite the fact that you hate me, you're probably the one I would trust the most now. You've never lied to me or sugar-coated your words."

Corvus looked at her sadly. He was beginning to realize exactly what Saisai had seen all those weeks ago, and it was truly pitiable. He cleared his throat. He finally had something to say. “Despite what most think of me, you are correct. I don’t lie if I can avoid it. Therefore, I would like you to listen carefully to what I am about to say. We are all of us two-faced, myself included. Being two-faced is a necessary part of survival. The only thing we can do is decide how much all the other two-faced liars affect us. You are perfectly free to spend your time hiding in your house, wallowing in your pain and self-pity, lamenting over those who caused it. That’s your right. But before you do so, you must remember that no matter how much you would like to blame the others, the person responsible for your upset is yourself. You cannot control their actions, but you can control how you react to those actions.”

((Em: Okay, now snog her!
Corvus: ... No.))

That made her pull up short, blinking at him in a mixture of curiosity and confusion. "So which part of you is the real one, Corvus? The one who pushes everyone away, or the one who seems to be concerned enough to tell me all of this?" Yeande thought she knew the answer, but wanted to hear it regardless.

((Em: .. You missed your chance.
Corvus: Shut up!))

He smirked. “And what makes you think I’d tell you, girl?”

"Foolish hope?" Yeande returned the smirk, shrugging as she turned to step a bit closer to the patio door as the slowly moving sunlight crept closer to where they stood.

“And which one is the real you? The clingy desperate one who chases me and mourns the loss of her supposed friends or the quiet, focused one who pricks herself on the flowers she tends and stays shyly at home, or perhaps the one smirking at me right now?” As he spoke, he took two steps forward to her one, both to move away from the encroaching sunlight and to close the distance between them.

"Perhaps a bit of all three..." She chuckled, looking to him. "I do care about you, but I learned that the feeling wasn't shared. I respect that and will leave it at that. I don't mourn the loss of friends who were never truly friends to begin with..." As she spoke, she glanced around the garden, the smile growing a bit softer. "They depend on me," she said, nodding towards the flowers. "It feels good to be needed, I suppose, and trying to be the social butterfly tires me. So, I suppose each of those is a bit of me in some way. Perhaps a bit more embellished or downplayed in areas."

“Then,” he said, looking down at her, “one might conclude that the mean b*****d who tortures the people who annoy him and the seemingly concerned one reciting words others gave to him are both me as well.”

She seemed to think on that a moment, then nodded softly as she looked up at him. "Fair enough. If everyone had just one facet to themselves, life would be rather dull, I believe."

“Indeed,” he remarked, sounding vaguely distant as he studied her. “You took your time revealing those facets.”

"We live and learn, I suppose." She shrugged softly, watching a fat, furry bee fly past them to land in the bushes nearby. "I learned that I can't please everyone, and it was useless for me to try and be someone that I'm not. How it happened isn't of concern... and I'm still angry at how the realization came to me. But I'll live."

“Don’t trust me enough to reveal the exact details?” he said, low voice dropping to almost a purr. “I suppose I can’t fault that. Though I am curious who precisely you managed to displease.”

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's that it's not particularly important how it happened... as for who I managed to displease, it seems to be nearly everyone I come into contact with." Yeande's arms tightened around herself for a moment as she shivered... and the part that caught her oddly about the gesture was that it was far from cold outside. "Part of it is my fault, I'm certain... it seemed that every time I would try to get closer to anyone, something always wedged itself in between. Despite that, I kept trying... and wound up forgetting just who I was in the process. Remembering was a bit of a shock, and not one that I'd like to repeat anytime soon."

He nodded idly. “So are you giving up on pleasing others, then?”

"At the expense of myself? Yes." Yeande chuckled softly, feeling far more at ease than she had in quite some time. "I won't compromise myself again. It's too much of a nightmare to try and come back from."

((Em: Dude, Corvy, enough already. Either kiss her or leave her alone.
Corvus: Weren't you the one who recently said she enjoyed playing with her food?
Em: ... *thwaps* You're not supposed to know that ICly.
Corvus: It's not like that was first time you've said that, it's fair game.))

“Yes, I agree. My experience has been much the same.” Again, no elaboration, only a sort of coldness about him. He glanced away. “Your garden is quite nice,” he said, attempting to change the subject.

"It better be... I spend most of my waking days here." There was a hint of pride in her voice, the garden was one of the few things that she took great care in maintaining. "I have a small bonsai garden inside as well. It's relaxing to sit under a tree that's our size."

A bonsai garden. Something flickered into the back of Corvus’s mind. A dinner Em mentioned with a woman who tended bonsai trees at the National Gallery. One of the many gifts left on his doorstep had been a bonsai tree. He frowned and arched an eyebrow. Perhaps the change of subject had not been a good idea after all. He waited to see what she would do, hoping the subject of the tree left on his doorstep would not come up.

((Em: I tooooold you to water that thing and put it in the window, but noooo, you wanted to see how long it could last without food and light.
Corvus: Yes, well, I didn't seriously think its ghost would come back to haunt me!))

His hopes were fulfilled in that respect. Yeande didn't mention the bonsai at all, however the subject didn't stay on her garden for long. "I have a hard time seeing you compromising yourself for anyone," she whispered, approaching the subject tentatively. "Sometimes I believe you're one of the only ones of us that I've never seen back down from another or let yourself be cowed."

He took that as an invitation to sneer at her, hiding his relief. “Is that a request?”

((Em: ... "Is that a request?" *looks at Corvus funny*
Corvus: It was the only thing I could come up with!))

"A request for a bit of explanation, perhaps." She smirked at him, arching one slender brow. "After all, I've trusted you enough to tell you about myself."

He harrumphed and threw his shoulders back haughtily. “Very well, then, I’m hardly scared of a little kezlshengr such as yourself.” Inwardly, he was very much afraid. Perhaps he had gotten carried away earlier. He had to think fast if he wanted to maintain a position of power.

She had to stop herself from chuckling softly, managing to keep a straight face despite the need to react to the image he presented. This was the Corvus that she had grown used to, even if he was a bit more relaxed now. "I won't press, you realize. But I'm curious... what happened?"

“With what?” he prompted, refusing to give out anything unless she specifically asked for it.

Clearing her throat softly, Yeande lifted that eyebrow again, a slight quirk coming to the corner of her lips. "When I said that I wouldn't compromise myself anymore because of the difficulty in bouncing back from that, you said that you understood, because it was your experience as well. What happened to give you that experience?"

The pit in his stomach expanded, threatening to swallow him up. The only external sign of his inner turmoil was the tightening of his jaw. “Someone I know,” he managed at last, “once said that revealing himself to others, while a piss-poor piece of misjudgment that would inevitably result in his downfall, was quite preferable to walking around with it all stuffed into his head. But someone else I know said never to tell your deepest secret or shame, that no matter who you told it to, you would be betrayed. ‘You may reveal all your other secrets,’ she said, ‘but if you reveal that last one you will cease to hold power over yourself.’” He faltered and looked towards the apartment above with a trembling lip. He suddenly seemed very tired. “I don’t know which of them to listen to.” He hastily covered his face with the sleeve of his toga.

Yeande reached up, but stopped before she came into contact with him. Now was NOT the time to incur his anger because of an impulse. "Corvus..." she began, choosing her words carefully. "At the risk of sounding cliche'd, I'd say to follow what your own heart says. We can't let other people dictate what we do all the time... even if we think the advice is sound."

There was a choked laugh and the toga came down. Predictably enough, there were two streams of saltwater, one on each of his cheeks, and he was hating himself for it. “And do you live by that yourself?” he gasped out. “And what if your heart tells you to do something which is not right? What if it tells you to do something destructive, selfish, or cruel? What if you wish to do something that would destroy yourself? Do you listen to it then?” Even through this he was sneering.

She shook her head softly, stepping a bit closer to him. It was almost close enough to touch, but she still kept that slight distance between them. "I listened to my heart when I lashed out at everyone. Was it the right thing to do? Probably not. I like to consider myself intelligent, and I didn't think things through." A prime example was running through her mind right now. She WANTED to comfort him, but knew that if she laid a hand on him, he would probably react badly. "You're smart enough to know that difference as well, and know how to handle it."

He turned away. “I don’t know. It’s not the sort of information one finds in books.” He dabbed at his eyes lightly. “I’m not half the person you seem to think I am, Yeande.”

Shaking her head softly, Yeande frowned. "You're wrong. You're far more than you give yourself credit for."

“I’ll tell you, then. Is there some place we can sit down?”

Yeande nodded then, motioning inside. "Come in... the sun will be shining directly on us in a few minutes, and I don't feel like risking another burn. Youko's gone at that tree relic of his, so you don't have to worry about eavesdroppers." She led the way into the house then, removing the cloth cloak and letting it hand on a low nail that had been apparently set into the wall at just the right height for her.

As Corvus looked around, he noted that the place was relatively small, but not cloyingly so. The livingroom, which is where they were, had a table beside the sliding glass doors where what he assumed was Yeande's house rested. There were the typical furniture staples... a couch, a worn chair that had seen better days... a television and coffee table as well as a few lamps.

Off to one side was a rather miniscule kitchen attached to a diningroom that was surrounded by windows. This is where Yeande's bonsai garden seemed to be, on a long table by the windows there.

To the other side was a closed door, presumably Youko's bedroom, but there was no way to see inside there at the moment.

Corvus tugged on his toga, tightening the cloth in a reassuring manner. The apartment looked much like any other. He watched Yeande for a clue as to where he should be going, unusually conscious of the rules of etiquette.

Turning to him, Yeande smiled, motioning him in. "Welcome to my home." She led him to the small house that was set on the larger table, and stepped inside. It was Japanese in design, sliding walls that when opened, appeared to lead directly into the garden itself. Granted, the glass was still present on the apartment door, but it was a nice illusion.

The room she brought him into was a sitting room of sorts, with a kneeling desk against one wall, a low table with cushions positioned around it, and a folding screen that shielded what Corvus assumed was another door leading to the rest of her 'house'. "I can make some tea if you like, and I know there's some fresh fruit in the kitchen."

“Tea would be excellent,” he mumbled, a bit taken aback by the feien-sized furnishings. It put his old cobbled-together home to shame. “Do you have any grapes?”

((Em: ((DO NOT FEED HIM GRAPES.))
Youko: ((Mrr? Why not?))
Em: ((Have you ever seen Corvus eat a grape?)) ))

Yeande nodded, making sure he was comfortable as she moved to the sliding door. "Feel free to look around if you like. Be careful of Yami though. He can't see you, so expects you to make way for HIM. I've stepped on him a few times by mistake because he won’t get out of the way." She extended her wings then, disappearing towards the kitchen.

Corvus didn’t see the Pixacat anywhere nearby, so sat himself on the cushions next to the table. He was in no mood for exploration. When she returned he was sitting at the table still, resting his chin on his hand and staring wistfully out the window, motionless. He knew where she was without seeing her, after all, and at the moment much preferred the view out the window. His eyes were just the tiniest bit puffy and red, but aside from that, there was no sign of his previous distress.

Curling onto one of the cushions, Yeande set down a small metal tray that appeared to be some sort of accessory to a dollhouse. On it were a matching teapot and cups, as well as a small creamer and sugar bowl. The miniature spoons that were set beside each cup weren't actually silverware, but some sort of coated plastic. Still, they sufficed.

True to her word, at one side of the tray was a grape, cut into quarters with the seeds removed.

After a few more moments spent staring at nothing in particular, Corvus tore his gaze from the window and looked at the tray. The corner of his mouth pulled into a small lopsided smile. “Alas,” he said, reaching for one of the quarters of grape and holding it much the way a human would hold a watermelon.

"Alas?" she asked curiously, prodding him onward as she poured tea into both cups and watched him with a wry smile.

“This does take much of the fun out of it,” he explained, turning to the side so one arm rested on the table and his legs stretched out parallel to the table’s edge. Holding the piece carefully in one hand, he grabbed a handful of grape with the other and raised it to his mouth, grape juice sneaking down his arm.

Chuckling, Yeande sat on one of the cushions, picking up a quarter of the grape as well. "Somewhere, Youko has a picture of me with half a grape on my head from when I was younger. I have to admit though, I never thought to use my hand to scoop it out." Instead, she held hers by either corner, taking a bite from the pulpy inside.

As he licked the grape from his hand he half-chuckled at her memory, but there was still too much going wrong at the moment for him to find much merriment in the world. He wiped at his mouth with the sleeve of his toga and looked over at the teapot.

She slid the cup over nearer to him, then nodded to the sugar bowl and creamery. "I didn't know how you'd like it," she said, smiling faintly and sipping from her own cup. "If you want to talk, I'm a good listener as well... you've listened to my ramblings since you got here, after all. I'm more than willing to return the favour."

He quite ignored both sugar and cream and humphed, lifting the glass with one hand so the steam rose into his palm. “I did promise you an answer.” His eyes focused on the teacup. He momentarily wished he hadn’t squeezed his invisible hand out of his spell repertoire; sipping tea with such a gimmick would have been amusing. “Though I am not entirely sure if I should trust you, if what you tell me concerning your standing in the shop is true, to whom would you pass along the information?”

Yeande shook her head, setting her cup down and looking into it. "What is told to me in confidence stays that way. And I have no intention of going back to the shop." The very idea of betraying someone that way made the drink turn sour in her mouth, and she lifted her gaze to him once more. "Regardless, it would be wrong of me to reveal anything you say to another."

“Don’t make such rigid proclamations,” advised Corvus, taking the teacup in his grape-sticky hand and sipping at it. “You may yet find a reason to revisit the shop.” He settled down into his cushion and took a deep breath. “It was several seeks ago, a month at least. Probably more. I don’t remember what was going on at the time shop-wise, though it’s unimportant. Tell me, how do you feel about your human bond?”

"As I said, I don't have any intention of going back. That may change at some point, but that still doesn't mean I'll tell anyone a thing." Yeande blinked at him then, then lowered her gaze back to the ripple of liquid in her teacup. "He's alright. We have our issues at times, but for the most part we get along well. We're both pretty independant, and with his nest relic needing so much attention right now, we hardly have seen each other in two weeks."

Corvus took another sip. “Does the nest relic bother you?” He’d heard Em mention the Ieldi and was familiar with what they were, even if the specifics escaped him.

Shrugging in reply, Yeande reached and tucked her hair back behind one ear. "Not really. I mean, I doubt it's going to come and live HERE, after all. I did a bit of decorating, painting designs around the shelf with berry-stain before I got sent home." The look on Yeande's face let him know that she wasn't too terribly pleased with this outcome. She'd been hoping to stay and greet the little spirit... after all, she HAD been the first one to see it, not Youko.

The teacup was returned to the table and joined by the half0eaten grape as Corvus turned to face her directly. “Forgive me for being blunt, but from what you are describing, is it safe to say that while you like and get along with your human, that you do not love him?”

She could answer that easily enough. "No. I don't suppose I do. We have a lot of similarities, but his time is very divided. I think we both like it when we're doing our own separate things."

“I suppose I’m much the same way with Em, but the fact of the matter is she does love me, and I her. I wouldn’t ever want to live with anyone else. Despite her many flaws, she is great company and infinitely patient with me, which is far more that I deserve considering what I did to her.” He twirled the teacup around with his finger. “I knew she loved me within a week of meeting her, but I didn’t reciprocate for at least a month. The humans are the reason our kind is dying out. I hated her for that. I hated that she was necessary for my own survival and decided the best course of action would be to simply use her for what she was: my bond. That worked for a while.”

"Then what happened?" she pushed gently, wanting to know more but unwilling to push him away after this much progress had been made.

He paused only to take another sip of tea. “I think the turning point was when I first began to realize I was hated. I expected the feien to follow me, unquestioningly, out of gratitude for their very lives. They demanded of my things which I was not willing to give. They wanted a father figure. I wanted simply their obedience. Apparently the gift of life isn’t worth much these days.” His expression soured. “So I stayed away from the shop, despised each and every one of them, and stayed at home with Emperial, who was very obedient. If I called for food, she brought it. If I wanted a bath, she turned on the water. If I wanted her to leave me alone, she did. She wasn’t like all those juvenile feien back at the shop who expected me to coddle and guide them. She expected absolutely nothing of me, except perhaps that I more or less behave myself and not run around smashing plates or some similarly asinine antic.”

“As you might expect, I continued to ignore her and use her for my purposes. But then I began to notice a trend, and two important things happened in the shop. The first shop event was my fight with Seamus, which is now common knowledge and caused the other feien to unite in their hatred of me, an act which was totally unjustified and caused totally by Seamus and his unstable mental state. I won’t bother rehashing that. The second, and by far the more important of the two shop events was my rejection by San.” He bristled a moment and his fingers tightened on his teacup. “That was probably the second-worst thing to ever happen in my life so far, all three months of it.” He put the cup down on the table lest his shaky hand spill the beverage.

The mental image of Corvus going on a dish-breaking spree was hilarious, but Yeande's mind was quickly occupied once more by the rest of his words. "If I may ask.. what was the first, Corvus?" She paused for just a moment before adding. "You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to. But I'm also curious as to what changed between you and Em after that?"

He looked momentarily irritated. “I’m getting to that.” He swallowed, took another deep breath, and relaxed. “I suppose you don’t truly understand what something is until you’ve been denied it, and love is no exception. I went home after that rejection very angry and bitter, and that’s when I noticed the trend. I had been with Em over a month at that poinr, and during that period of time she had slowly been accumulating more pets. At first, when it had been only her and I, I had enjoyed her undivided attention. But now, if I asked something of her, she was likely to ask me if I could get it myself, or ask someone else to do it, or request that I wait because she was too busy tending to one of her other pets. That was the worst moment of my life. The feien at the shop hated me for failing to be the person they wanted me to be, my first love denied me in favor of another, and my one last refuge, my obedient human, was too busy to attend to my every whim.”

Yeande closed her eyes for a moment, nodding softly. "I know what you mean... at least for some of it. I was told too many times that I was being stupid or foolish." She snorted faintly then, one finger tracing along the teacup. "That does wonders for the self-esteem as well. But I can't really say that I know what you're talking about with Em... because Youko and I have never been as close as you seem to be with your Bonded."

He slammed his fist on the table. The hand without the teacup, thankfully. “It HURT.” The veins of his neck were popping out with fury. “It didn’t make any damn sense at the time and it wasn’t fair!” He suddenly seemed to realize he was leaning halfway across the table and snarling. The anger left his face and he sat back down. “So I left.”

If Yeande was startled or afraid of the outburst, she hid it well. She didn't back away, or let out a cry of surprise... the only indication at all was the slight tremor in her hand as she put the cup back down. She continued to watch him, nodding softly in agreement. She could only imagine what he'd gone through... and was suddenly very glad that she didn't share that deep of a bond with Youko. Granted, they WERE bonded... and Youko was the readon Yeande was alive. But the two seemed to live parallel to each other, instead of WITH each other... and that suited them both fine.

Calmer now, he was able to continue his tale. “I was gone for days. I can’t remember how many. A week perhaps? I wandered around the streets of Miami and slept in bird nests and under overpasses when it rained. The only food to be found was found in dumpsters behind restaurants, which I refused to eat. So I didn’t eat anything at all until I was so desperate I’d eat anything, and then I mostly threw it back up once I thought about it for any length of time.” This part of the tale didn’t seem to bother him as much. He remained calm and collected, if slightly distant.

One hand came up to cover her mouth, but it wasn't disgust that Corvus saw on Yeande's face. Nor was it pity... it was, however, concern for what had happened, and sympathy that it had had to occur at all. "For what it's worth, Corvus, I'm glad you came back."

“Not nearly as glad as I am. After so many days, my body couldn’t deal with the strain any longer and I flew back. I smelled absolutely revolting and was so dirty I left handprints on everything I touched, but when Emperial saw me at the window, she let me back in, no questions asked, fed me food, which I then threw up on her desk, and washed me off ‘til my skin was visible again. That was when I knew the nightmare was over.” He finished and looked down at the tea and grape. Just remembering that week-long ordeal had caused him to lose his appetite.

Seeing the green fringe around his face, Yeande moved to pick up the remaining grape pieces and set them aside. "So things are better between the two of you now... that's good." And that's an understatement, she whispered in her own mind. Regardless of childhood 'crushes' or anything else, the thought of the other darkness Feien never coming back... was enough to make her blood run cold. Lowering her troubled gaze, she refilled the two cups and settled back in the cushions again.

“I hope I have answered your question satisfactorily?” he asked hollowly.

She nodded softly, offering him a soft smile. "Yes, you have. Thank you, Corvus." She was grateful that he chose to answer her at all. It wasn't like he HAD to, after all.

“I haven’t even told Em all of that,” he admitted, “though I think she knows it without it being said. She’s funny like that sometimes. I’d almost swear she can read minds.” He sipped at the tea, helping to relieve the pressure in his stomach.

"Was it worth it?" Yeande asked, almost cryptically. Her head was tilted to the side as she regarded him quietly. "After everything you went through, and after all of what you just told me... was it worth it to get where you are now?"

Without hesitation, he answered, “That whole experience, despite having brought me my greatest sorrows, also gave me my greatest joys.” That one answer seemed to replenish his internal reserves and he returned to his usual self.

"Then that's what you should be remembering most of all." Yeande smiled then, contented by that answer as she sipped from her cup.

“I’m lucky in that respect,” he mused. “I live with a constant reminder in the two people that I love. No matter how terrible one day may feel, I can always count on them to be there when I need them.”

Yeande looked away at that, the smile staying on her face, although her eyes were a bit hurt. The two... San and Em, of course. "And I'm sure both of them would gladly be there, without question. That's what loved ones do for one another."

He took a long swig of his tea. “Thank you. For the tea and the ear. Both Daerinnid and the Lady Admiral were right about secrets. It does feel good to get that off my chest, but it also leaves me feeling powerless.” He smiled faintly and looked out the glass.

"You never have to worry about feeling powerless here, Corvus," Yeande said softly. She reached forward then, letting her hand rest ont he table beside his own, but not touching him... giving him the chance to move if he wished. "My home is always open to you, for whatever reason."

“And mine to you. Feel free to use the portal behind the shop and visit any time. Don’t mind the other residents; they usually know where I can be found.” He stared at her hand, pondering. “I should probably been getting back. I’ve taken up more of your time than was justifiable.”

She didn't move, but let herself laugh softly, the first time that particular gesture had been made. "If I'd minded you taking up my time, Corvus, I would have shoved you off the railing when you arrived." Her hand didn't move, and she simply nodded in reply to the first part of his statement. "I'll keep that in mind as well... and I promise not to bring anymore gifts." At that, she just smirked wryly at him.

He hummed at that and stood, slipping his hand away as he did. “I might not mind. Simply take great care in choosing them. A lot of the gifts I’ve gotten that I disliked have ended up in the dustbin.”

"Noted." Yeande stood with him, gathering up the tea tray to take it back out to the kitchen. "The patio door here is always unlocked. And while I won't be around the shop much, I can at least come and see you without having to go there first."

“You can indeed. Let me get that for you.” He moved to take the tray from her hands.

Startled by the gesture of kindness, she smiled and nodded, letting him take it. She picked up the creamer and sugar, then walked back to him. "The counter in the kitchen is fine. I almost got washed down the garbage disposal once, so either Youko or Aniya does the dishes. I was asked not to anymore." She started towards the counter herself, smiling inwardly as she realized just how relaxed and calm she was after this. She hoped Corvus felt the same... at least he didn't seem as agitated as he had before.

Nodding, Corvus released the tray. It remained where it was, floating in the air thanks to a levitation spell. With a wave of his hand, he sent it sailing smoothly from the room, guiding it by memory.

Yeande chuckled, watching the tray head along behind her as she set the sugar and creamery down ont he counter. She winged her way back to Corvus then, landing lightly and letting her wings fold over her shoulders. "Thank you," she said, pausing for a moment before summoning up the nerve to finally ask. "May I touch you, Corvus? It won't be a hug, since I don't want to make you crawl out of your skin."

For a moment, there was silence, and therefore hope. It quickly ended. “No,” he said.

Nodding softly, she didn’t let her disappointment show. "I understand. I told you I'd respect your decisions about that."

“I won’t let you touch me, because I want to move first.” Saying that, he moved a step forward, tilted up her chin with his hand, and kissed her.

Yeande let out a startled gasp, but it was muffled quickly the moment his lips touched hers. She idly wondered if he was using his healing magic again, because she felt that tingle once more... but before that thought could even take hold, she knew it had nothing to do with that particular magic. Her eyes slipped closed then, and she took the tiniest of steps forward to close the distance a bit more. Good lord, if this is the result, I need to get pissed off more often... she thought, a moment before her mind decided to turn to more important things... like just how the hell he'd made her knees turn to jello without even trying...

He nibbled on her lower lip slightly as he drew away, moving his hand from her chin to her ear under the pretense of running his fingers through her hair, only his fingers paused at the junction between her ear and skull and tickled her lightly. Corvus didn’t touch others very often, but when he did, he knew how to make it count. He had, after all, written the shop information about what contact passed for feien intercourse.

The touch brought a faint moan from the still-parted lips, and Yeande couldn't help but let her head tilt to the side slightly, encouraging him. Her mind was racing at this point, and she didn't bother trying to figure out just how he knew what to do... it was too wrapped up in enjoying the moment. "That feels... incredible," she whispered, her hands moving until they paused just a hair's breadth away from his shoulders. The violet eyes slitted open to look up at him, a soft smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Now may I touch you?"

“As much as you like,” he answered.

Yeande smiled widely then, reaching to wrap both of her hands around Corvus' as she backed up a step. "Come back inside?" she asked, leading him back into the tiny house and sliding the door closed behind them.

Dear gods, I am sooooo happy right now.

Almost as happy as Corvus looks. He’s been lying on my dresser all night smiling at the ceiling. I asked him if he wanted anything to eat. He just smiled at me and said, “Oh, no, I’m fine right here.”

Rikard’s been smirking about it. He confided in me he thinks Corvus just had great sex. I’m inclined to agree. But with who?? The mystery is driving me up the wall. I’ll just have to wait and see what turns up.

Oh yeah! In my exuberance yesterday I forgot a few things in my diary entry. More than a few, really.

Kabuto recovered very quickly with Ygmella gone. It’s probably a good thing later that afternoon Ygmella came back. And with Ygmella came Emiko! Apparently Emperial finished having her fun with the poor beast and asked Emiko to bring her back, which is great because I was hoping Emiko would help me out with all the pets. Thanks, Em(perial)!

I’m very glad Min’n gave me Ygmella. His timing could not have been perfect. She saved me a big headache.

Kabuto was very quiet. I could feel his eyes watching me, and they were angry eyes. Nothing else in his demeanor betrayed his anger. He has excellent control of his emotions, even when he can’t use his legs and left shoulder and arm. He had his right arm, though, so I’m quite certain he could have killed Lemon and Yttrium, but he didn’t. I knew he was hungry even though he didn’t ask any more after I had that hot dog for a snack, so for his good behavior, I rewarded him by hand-feeding him grapes. It did get a mite out of control, I admit... especially when I decided it was more interesting if I didn’t use my hands. (Yttrium and Lemon were sent outside with Rikard for the occasion, and this was before Corvus got back.)

Later, after Kabuto fell asleep, Rikard and I played a game of casino. I trounced him! I won a gold and ruby pendant off him! (It was a birthday present from Daerinnid, actually. I’ll give it back to Rik later today.) Rikard is such an awful card player when he can’t cheat... Since Ygmella was back by this point, Rikard was unable to use his magic. Score!

Must thank Rikard some more. He had the most enviable task of sneaking Kabuto to the bathroom yesterday and last night and he didn’t once complain. Will thank him when I return his pendant. He’s upstairs with Kabuto at the moment and I’m down here typing this up.

I got what I wanted anyway, it seems. My house is full to the brim! Corvus is happy! Rikard is visiting! I have a sexy young ninja trapped in my room! Simon’s excited with his new microscope and possibly breeding germs! Oh, right, I’ve lost track of where I was again...

So, first I fed Kabuto grapes, then Emiko showed up with Ygmella, the Corvus returned, then Kabuto fell asleep, then Rikard and I played cards, then Corvus fell asleep, and finally Rikard and I went to bed. (Emiko went downstairs to meet Alchiba and spent the night there. I wonder if he can tell the difference between me and her?)

Y’know what I’m forgetting? LEMON AND YTTRIUM! And quite purposefully, because I wanted to save this Precious Moment (tm) for last.

Y’see, Yttri... oh my god. I just realized something! Yttrium is very similar to Atri! I must see if my little Yttrium is okay with me calling him Yttri. Yttri and Atri!

But anyway! Yttrium and Lemon came into my room yesterday and played with Kabuto, as you all know, which greatly cheered Kabuto up (whether he admits it or not he likes them). They went outside to play in the evening during the grapes, and came back shortly after, remaining in here the rest of the evening. Yttrium fell asleep on Kabuto’s chest and poor Lemon, I don’t think she realized where she had fallen asleep... but omfg it looked so cute! XD And I finally went to sleep next to the three of them, quite happily hugging Kabuto’s bum arm. Poor guy. He’s stuck in my bed and can’t roll over for fear of Yttrium falling off or being crushed, can’t have a nice dream because he might wake up Lemon, can’t get rid of me due to my being attached to his arm, and can’t use his chakra to speed up his healing so he can kill us all.

Oh, yes, don’t think I don’t realize he’s only playing along with me so he can find another chance to kill me or kidnap me, whichever proves more feasible. I admire that. Utterly humiliated several times over by one and a half girls and still his will isn’t broken. I need to come up with a finishing move to earn Kabuto’s loyalty, however crazy that sounds.

I probably won’t be able to play so much tomorrow. I can only hide Kabuto from Kancho for so long, and Kabuto will only be my prisoner for so long. I actually enjoyed running Kancho around in circles yesterday. I’m sure he realizes something’s up. I’m sure Emiko or Emperial must have said something to him by now. But that’s okay. I had one perfect day and that’s enough, because it was so perfect, and sleeping in a room with so many people I absolutely love is the best finish ever.

And now I embark upon a new day! I’d better stop writing and run back upstairs, though. Kabuto still hasn’t woken up and I think I just figured out what I’ll say to him to try to win him over. I might try a bit of blackmail. I’ll come up with something.

5/22/04

Dear Emiko,

My apologies for leaving you with command of the Household. There were a few things I needed to do. Please take care of Simon, Alchiba, Yttrium, and most of all, Kancho.

No matter that you consider yourself the weakest among us, you are nevertheless quite strong. I know you can do this. I encourage you to seek aid; Tanaka comes first to mind. He will help you even if he gives you hell while doing it. Rikard can care for Yttrium and Lemon.

You'll note several universes are currently sealed off. Please do not reopen them in my absence. I've left you with the House, Rhea, Hogwarts, Myth, and a few more. I apologize for leaving you with so little in the way of dimensional resources. I needed them for what I'm doing. I particularly apologe for sealing away Kuni and Tou. They must nto under any circumstances come to the house.

I'm taking Corvus with me. You'll find Lemon on the back porch where Corvus was before.

Since you are doubtless curious, I am not going after Kabuto. The Naruto universe is sealed only temporarily and the bonds will break when they're ready. Kabuto will have a number of questions for you concerning the slip of paper I left him in the event I am not back before his return. Answer as best you can. Filibuster him if you can. There's a significant chance I'll be back before he is.


May the goddess ascend and wreak vengeance upon the world,
~Em

Dear Diary,

The light was on for me when I went to bed last night. I don’t know who left it like that. Maybe Rikard, maybe Kancho. But it is an extremely strange feeling to go to sleep in a bed which is somehow yours yet not your own.

I had an extremely hectic day. The House sure has changed a lot since I was last here. Kancho is my one source of stability. He seemed to know what was going on. I hadn’t a clue.

From what I’ve learned so far, in my charge are Alchiba, Yttrium, Lemon, and Simon. I will attempt to tackle each.

Alchiba reminds me of Corvus, the one who died, in appearance (though hardly in personality). He has this lovely olive-ish skin and a mess of black hair and little black feathery wings! He was instantly the easiest to get along with. I just held him in my arms and sang a few songs I knew. I was surprised to hear that Em had given up singing, so I suppose that is now my domain. I don’t know why. I always thought it was the most potent of our powers, and the easiest to perform.

Perhaps that’s why I was given this assignment. I don’t know what the others are doing, but I’m the simpleton of the group, aren’t I? This was probably the easiest task they had. I don’t envy the others for that; this task seems so daunting! I can’t imagine why anyone would want something harder!

Alchiba is certainly a quiet little fellow. He didn’t seem to have many toys. I raided Em’s closet and retrieved some that seemed fine for a baby. A maraca for a rattle, her old toy piano that amazingly enough still worked when batteries were put in, a hand mirror. I’m afraid it seems Em didn’t hold a lot of respect for most of the relics from her infancy.

I did find one relic she treasured which I hope she won’t mind my borrowing: a quilted blanket, purple primarily, which I wrapped Alchiba in. He is sleeping in it now. It was Em’s second blanket, a gift from a treasured family friend. I’m not sure, I think the friend may have passed away. The blanket seemed to reassure Alchiba some, and he enjoyed playing with the toy piano. I enjoyed playing with it, too. You can play it like a normal tiny electric piano or insert a cartridge that will play tunes regardless of the buttons you press, and lights up over the correct one. I don’t know what the songs were, but within an hour I was playing them just fine and Alchiba seemed to have learned a few notes. He’s shy, but very bright. He liked my haircut.

I wish I knew why Em had forbidden me to bring Kuni or Kai here. I know Kuni would enjoy Alchiba; there’s a bit of resemblence between their personalities. And lying in that bed all by myself... I miss my husband. I think Em froze the relative time. When I return it will be as if only a few minutes or hours have passed there, but how long will I have been here? Of course, I’m only ever meant as a support, so all I can do is to play my role and hope the warriors and mages will be able to do their jobs thanks to me.

Yttrium and Lemon are apparently not to be dealt with separately. One is this tiny excitable fellow who threw a penny at me when I introduced myself and started screaming. Thankfully I’m not expected to deal with him. I know that sounds awful of me, but the cut on my forehead still smarts. I am more than happy to let Rikard deal with him. His companion, Lemon, is much bigger, but still small enough that she could perch on my arm without trouble. She seemed shy and nice at first, but when encouraged by her fiery friend is just as bad in behavior. I had to escape from them before they walked all over me! I do hope in time Yttrium will stop calling me “imposter” and be a little nicer. I’m sure we can get along!

Finally, Simon. He is one of two fairies, the other being Corvus, who went with Em. I don’t know where to start with poor Simon. He seemed positively distraught when he was told Em and Corvus were gone, and was confused by my presence at first. Kancho had a talk with him for at least two hours about who I was and what I was doing here. It was a little painful listening in. I know I shouldn’t eavesdrop, but I’m the imposter here, and I need to get to know these people, for lack of a better word. I just wanted some insight into their lived now that I’m expected to be a part.

After his talk with Kancho, Simon came up to me and asked if I was really the same person as Em. I had to tell him yes and no. We look alike, to be sure, but we’re really very different once you get to know us. I tried to make a joke about me having nicer clothes and hair, but Simon didn’t seem to find it very funny. I think I may have offended him.

The only ones I can truly say I have any sort of decent connection with are Kancho and Alchiba. With Kancho, it’s very hard. I know he’s being very nice to me, but it’s easy to tell I’m no replacement for his daughter. He promised he’d do everything in his power to help me.

I looked into Talos and Tana-chan and was informed that Talos was in his native universe, which is presently sealed, but that Tana-chan was in residence on this plane. Though I would dearly love to see my little Tally-chan again, it is presently impossible. Kancho promised to send someone after Tana-chan, though. That reassures me somewhat. He can be a bit grating at times, but that’s just his gruff exterior. I know he’s really a nice man. I hope he won’t be mad at me for asking for his help.

Love,
Emiko

Corvus fluttered into the office, was immensely relieved to find the fairy plant still there, and set about doing what he did best: summoning blooms. The specific magic meant for this task had been pent up inside him for weeks, building and building until it felt ready to burst. Scarcely had he touched the plant a bloom was ready, and then another, and another.

“Emperial!” he called. In a moment his bond was there, pushing through the curtain that divided her office space and main house. She noted with interest that some of her things seemed to have been moved about in her absence. “Em,” he said earnestly, “I need you to do something with these blooms. Give them to good homes or something.”

“Sure.” She lightly plucked each from the plant and ducked back out.

Of course, after all that, he still had too much magic left. He frowned, and quickly set upon the answer: a breeding!

Only, he had been gone for too long. Who would be able to breed? Aileron and San were always first in his mind when it came to the subject, but they weren’t here. Simon would know a good pairing.

Where was the little rascal, anyway? A quick magical scan revealed him to be nowhere in the House. Perhaps at the shop. Corvus teleported from the office onto the porch without even pausing to think about it and zipped through the portal.

The moment he was through, he knew Simon was not there. Not a trace of his magical signature (which Corvus knew so well), and a vague sense of some unfamiliar presences. Corvus quickly turned back around and returned to the house.

And felt something he had never expected to feel again in his entire life.

The magical energy was masked, but it was so close Corvus could practically reach out and touch it. He looked around in confusion. This was impossible!

“Corvus,” said Julius, materializing out of thin air in front of Corvus’s face. Not teleportation, but invisibility, combined with a masked magical energy signature that made Julius impossible to detect magically unless he were standing less than three inches away -- which he was, in this case.

“Julius!” chokes Corvus. “I thought you were dead.”

“The same can be said of you,” replied the Ancient. His voice was smooth and calm, but Corvus imagined he heard the tiniest bit of anger creeping into the words. “Where have you been?”

“I was with Em!” said Corvus. He was instantly reduced back to a cowering juvenile, humbled be Julius’s imposing presence. All his accomplishments were reduced to nothingness around the former Councilmember, for what could Corvus ever hope to accomplish that would equal anything Julius had done? “She took me on a quest with her.”

Julius said nothing to that, merely switched back to his own agenda. “I was forced to summon another summoner in your absence.”

Corvus blanched. “What!?”

“As there was no evidence indicating you might return, it was a necessary precaution. She is young and cannot yet summon blooms.”

Now it was Corvus’s turn to say nothing. He felt immensely betrayed. He had been gone a month and Julius had seen fit to replace him so easily.

Corvus’s silence was fine for Julius, who still had another matter to discuss. “I must ask you about the gems you stole from my hamlet.”

Corvus felt his confidence sink lower and lower and finally leave him completely. The gems. Julius knew about the gems. Furthermore, the Ancient considered this a theft. “What about them?” said Corvus. The squeak in his voice surprised him.

“I wish to know your intentions. Do you intend to meld?”

Paralyzed, Corvus tried desperately to consider that question. Did he?

Julius did something with his hand and suddenly the truth came spilling out. “I was going to make myself immortal with them.” His eyes widened with fear.

There was no visible reaction on Julius’s part. “That is impossible.” He paused a moment to let that sink in. “A gemstone can only grant additional power. It cannot be used to make one immortal. Furthermore, as you may only meld with one gemstone, I see no reason for you to have seven.”

Corvus was floored. The gemstones would not grant him immortality? “B-but,” he managed weakly, “you’re not dead!” One of the facts Corvus knew about Julius was that he had merged with a gemstone himself.

“I am an immortal, Corvus.” Julius titled his head to one side slightly. “Did you think that was due to my gemstone binding?”

“Yes,” quaked Corvus.

“My gemstone binding gives me other things. A measure of power impossible without, the ability to acquire spells from the domain of Light as easily as spells from my own domain of Prophecy, and physical strength I did not originally have. Gemstones are a powerful enhancement to a fairy.”

Corvus flinched. “Then, you’re not mad?”

“Far from it. To seek to meld with a gemstone is a perfectly natural thing. That is part of the reason you find so few gemstones left by feien. Others fairies have merged with them.”

“My gods, that is such a relief,” gasped Corvus. Julius ignored the uncharacteristic (and doubtless stress-induced) outburst.

“I am unsurprised that you would seek a gemstone due to the many benefits, particular where magical power is concerned. But be warned, for gemstones grant more than mere power. They can and do change one’s physical form, and can alter one’s psyche.”

Corvus considered that. “How much magic power are we talking?”

Julius sniffed with light amusement. “A great deal. Perhaps as much as twice your current power. It depends on the gemstone you merge with. Are you quite listening to my warning, Corvus?”

The glint in Corvus’s eyes suggested he was not. “Oh, fine, what warning?”

Julius sighed. “The changes can be unpredictable. You become one with the feien within the gemstone, taking on aspects of their appearance, even traits you would otherwise despise.”

“Like?” prompted Corvus.

Julius reached up a hand and removed the blindfold from his eyes. Corvus was surprised to find that unlike the rest of him, Julius’s eyes were bright orange, with dark green markings around them.

“Oookay,” said Corvus, “that’s odd, but not anything problematic.”

Of course, Julius was not yet done. He ran a hand down the front of his robe, releasing some unseen latches within, and it fell to the ground.

Corvus gasped in surprise. “I see what you mean.”

Corvus made his way to Yeande’s balcony on his last legs, or wings, as the case was. He was completely and utterly exhausted. Having summoned half a dozen blooms, started a breeding, and teleported at least one time too many today, he was ready to sleep.

But he had to see Yeande first.

After seeing Simon and his reaction, Corvus feared the worst. He had done the equivalent of using Yeande in the worst way possible: one night of pleasure, no return call. While he did not love her, he liked her enough to not want to put her through that. The sooner he apologized the better.

Landing on the balcony, he stumbled the last few steps to the sliding door, just barely managing to summon up enough magic to push it open with a wave of his arm. “Yeande?” he called. “Are you here?”

The dark feien wasn't seen immediately, but she appeared soon enough, peering over the edge of the table where her home sat. "Corvus?" she whispered, eyes widening as if she wasn't really certain of what she was seeing. For a moment, she rubbed her eyes with one hand, blinking again and breaking into a smile as she leapt off of the table and used her magic to float down to him. "You're back!"

She hadn't really had much doubt that he WOULD come back. She was, however, very glad that she'd gone to the house when she had, otherwise she likely would have given him a rather chilly reception. However, she had been convinced that it was NOT his fault he'd been carted off, and stopped just before where he stood, not wanting to touch without his permission. "Welcome home."

“I’m so, so sorry,” he began. His day seemed to be full of apologies, which made adding another apology that much easier. “It was not my intention to leave you how I did.”

Nodding softly, she reached, letting her hand pause just near his cheek. If he wanted to lean towards it, he could, but she wasn't going to force him into contact. "I know. I came looking for you shortly after you disappeared. The others at your house told me what had happened." She glanced over him, frowning softly, then looked towards his eyes again. "You're about ready to fall over... come inside? It's at least more comfortable if you sit."

“Yes.” While he did not learn towards her hand, he reached out to take it, apparently interpreting the motion differently than she had intended it and putting her in the unusual position of physical support.

She wasn't about to correct him. She was just happy that he was here, in one piece, and back where he belonged. She took his hand gently, then wound an arm around his waist to help lift him with her own magic and take him towards the small house.

"Yeande, who's..."

"A friend," she replied, glancing towards the small white Feien that hovered nearby. "Go on now, this isn't the time to meet him." She barely noticed the soft nod as Shalafi darted off again, her focus intent on getting Corvus somewhere that he could relax.

Corvus shot her a funny look concerning the unfamiliar feien, but was too exhausted to truly care. He was simply thankful to finally make it to the miniature house, where he promptly dropped to the floor, curled up under one of his wings, and closed his eyes.

Yeande sighed faintly, giving him a faint smile before she moved to get the pillow from her own bed and slid it beneath his head. She curled up to sit nearby, letting her fingers trail against the feathers of his wing gently. "You're safe here... and no one will disturb you. Get some rest, Corvus."

~~~

When Corvus awoke, it was without any sense of time, date, or place. It took him a moment to recognize Yeande’s house. When had he arrived? He recalled leaving, but after that things became rather blurry. He stretched out a stiff wing, grazing the ceiling with his feathers.

Yeande was nearby, curled up on the pallet that was her bed. Her wings were folded around her, the jagged membranes fluttering with the breeze that came from the doorway. The ceiling fan sent a draft into the house almost constantly, keeping the place cool.

When he stirred, her eyes flicked open, watching him for a moment before she pulled herself from bed and moved to where he was laying, then curled up to sit alongside him. "Good morning," she whispered.

“Morning.” He squinted at her a tad and smiled wryly. “You look much the same.”

"Not much has happened to change me," she replied, the smile coming back to her lips as she wound her arms around her knees. "You're still in one piece," she said, stating the obvious rather well. "I knew you would come back, I've just been waiting."

Yeande chewed on her lower lip for a moment before tilting her head to the side. "So much has happened while you were gone... I hardly know where to begin. Are you hungry? I can get us something to eat while I catch you up on events."

“That sounds excellent. I also have a great deal to tell you.” He sat back and waited, both expecting her to serve him food and unwilling to speak his half until fed.

If she took offense, she didn't show it. Yeande was used to Corvus' particular quirks, and got to her feet in silence. "I'll be right back. Make yourself at home." She left out the door then, vanishing from sight as she headed for the kitchen to get their meal.

It wasn't too terribly long before Corvus heard a rustle outside... one that couldn't be caused by Yeande's leathered wings. Shalafi leaned in through the doorway, small fingers tightening around the door frame as he listened. "Hello?"

“Hello,” answered Corvus suspiciously. “Who are you?”

Smiling softly, the boy stepped in, keeping a hand on the wall. He'd never actually been too far inside here before. Yeande liked her privacy. "My name is Shalafi. You must be the one Yeande was waiting for."

Corvus sniffed. “My name is Corvus. What are you doing here? And where did you come from?” Julius had told Corvus the second summoner was too young to summon flowers. Had that been a lie?

"I live here," he replied, tilting his head slightly. Youko is my bonded, I've been here about a month now. He moved in a bit closer, keeping his steps small until he was able to sit near Corvus.

"Yeande said that Julius summoned me. He's a Feien that she met when she realized that blooms were still appearing and thought you had come back."

“Julius summoned you?” echoed Corvus. Alas, there went yet another detail he had been so proud of before which now no longer unique to him. Wait, was this-- “You’re the new summoner!”

Shalafi blinked, staring towards Corvus on shock. "Me?" he squeaked, shaking his head softly. "No! No, I'm not a summoner... At least I don't THINK I am." He was pretty certain that a summoner wouldn't get the tar kicked out of them by another Feien. "I'm not as strong as you are. I couldn't be a summoner."

Corvus considered that. If this feien were a new summoner, wouldn’t he know? Or was Julius keeping the fact from him until later? Best to hold on to that and ask. “There are no other feien as strong as I am, save for Julius.”

Nodding, Shalafi smiled. "That's what Yeande told me. She said I'm good at magic, but not as good at it as you are. Did you really get taken to another dimension?" He couldn't help but ask, the Feien's wings nearly vibrating as he tried to keep himself still. He was curious, to say the least, and he was finally getting to meet the only Feien that Yeande respected.

“You make it sound like something out of the ordinary,” noted Corvus. “I cross dimensions every time I go between my home and the shop. Furthermore, Gaia is another dimension for a lot of people. They merely visit it and leave every single day.”

The boy leaned back slightly, nodding. "I hadn't thought of it that way," he murmured, gaze flicked towards the ceiling as he thought. "I suppose it's not that uncommon when you put it like that... perhaps someday I'll get good enough at magic that I can go between them as well."

As he was musing, Yeande came back with two thimbles full of iced tea and an array of tiny cut-up pieces of fruit, including grapes that were already cut into pieces. "Shalafi, OUT! Leave him be, now's not the time to harrass him."

Smirking wryly, Shalafi bounded to his feet and bowed to Corvus. "It was a pleasure meeting you, and I hope to speak to you again sometime." With that, he darted towards the doorway, however he seemed to be heading for the wall instead.

"LEFT!" Yeande cried out, wincing as she kept one eye open to watch. Just in time, the white Feien swerved and made it out the door without incident.

Corvus shot Yeande another funny look, but was too concerned with the arriving food to press the matter. “Alas, you forgot I prefer my grapes whole,” he noted, taking one of the pieces.

"I didn't forget..." she answered, setting the tray down and moving to sit beside him. "However, I'm not the one who prepared them. Youko had a container of them set aside for me already this morning, and that's the last of the grapes." She picked up a piece of melon, eating slowly as she glanced towards the door. "I'm sorry if he bothered you. He's insanely curious about nearly everything, and since Talonfaust went home, he's been stuck with having only me around."

“Since what?” asked Corvus.

Ah yes, he hadn't been here. "One of the other younglings. His name is Talonfaust, and he believes he's a dragon. He was staying here for a few days while his bonded was away,a nd was here when Shalafi emerged from his bloom. He was invaluable with helping us through those first days." She didn't want to tell him the rest. If he knew just how badly she and Youko had screwed up with that poor bloom...

However, hiding it would probably make him even more angry. "Shalafi is blind. He's gotten used to the house and can maneuver around here relatively easily... he's getting used to the shop as well, but Talon was his eyes for the first few days."

First Simon, now Shalafi. “I’m beginning to think someone may have tainted our gene pool with ocular defects,” joked Corvus. “Is that all that’s happened since I left?”

Yeande shook her head softly, swallowing a bite before answering. "I met an elder... I believe that's the first time I've ever seen Arturo speechless, was when I told him. The drama around here seems to have slowed down, but there are a lot of new little ones running around. Some of them seem to thrive on causing trouble, one of them almost got Arturo's son killed by a bird."

“Really? But he survived? What happened?” The mention of a potentially grisly story excited him. He wasn’t yet sure if he was relieved or disappointed to hear the boy had survived. “And just how many ‘little ones’ are there? How did they come to be?”

"He survived, yes... Arturo and I pulled their tails out of the bird's nest in the rafters of the shop." She shook her head faintly, half scowling. "There are a lot of them. Arith and Shux... Aquafina, Talonfaust, Shalafi, Ianios, and some little troublemaker I haven't met yet that seems to scare the hell out of Shalafi. I honestly have no idea if there are any others, those are just the ones I've seen."

Yeande shifted as she was sitting, wings folding tightly behind her. "At first, I thought you had come back. There was no other explanation for the new blooms. When I went to find you, I found Julius instead. He's apparently been the one bringing about the new blooms."

Corvus swore bitterly in an unfamiliar language that sounded like two sharp rocks being banged together. “Is there nothing left to my domain?” he scowled, looking crossly at the table. “If Julius wanted to play summoner, there was no need for him to summon me in the first place.” He swore again.

"He said that his coming here had nothing to do with you," she started, trying to soothe him. "It could just be that they needed to find a bonded and he didn't have a choice in the matter."

He thought about that. It was entirely possible Julius had another summoner working in secret somewhere. Maybe Corvus had not even been the first. “I should have a talk with him, then. Assuming I can find him. He’s hard to get a hold of.” He took a large bite of grape and followed it up with a swig of tea.

"When I ran into him, he yanked me beneath the porch of your house. There was some... THING flying around and he said it would kill me." Yeande shuddered at the memory, it having been one of the low points of her existence. However, she'd be damned if she told anyone just how frightened she'd been at being wrapped up in cloth and carted off. "When I went back again another time, he wasn't anywhere to be found."

“He can be standing five inches away from you and you’d never know it,” agreed Corvus. “Magic detection and all.” He busied himself with eating, not eager to revisit the subject.

Nodding, Yeande turned back to her own meal. It was very likely that she simply hadn't noticed the elder Feien at all. She had been working on her magic, but it was no where near those levels yet. "So... what HAVE you been doing for the past months?"

“I wish I knew,” he started, which was perhaps not the most reassuring way to start. “One minute, minding my own affairs on the back porch, the next, Emperial’s snatched me off for a jaunt on this absolutely horrid planet called Nikoths! Then, a mere week later, it’s off to this giant windy field! I nearly died there! We hadn’t any real food and we got separated. I ended up in this library place, and a day later I suppose Emperial ends up there, too, only we still haven’t got any food or water.” He paused to pound his forehead with his hand. “That girl is going to kill me! I just know it!”

Yeande reached, shaking her head faintly as she brushed his hair back. "She's not going to kill you... I think she'd rather die first. However, I definately don't envy you the journey you had."

He jerked up. “But it didn’t end there! In fact, it just didn’t end! It kept going and going... So here we are, trapped in this library, and there’s no food or exits, and I have no idea why we’re there, but we’re there for several DAYS until we conclude that there’s an important book missing from the library. Then, by pure mad luck, we are rescued by a girl named Rose, who has one of these special books, and then we have to go find a book, too, and we do. We finally get out of the library then, only not to Gaia, and not to the place Rose is from, but to a mountain, which we apparently must climb to the top of!” He waved his arms for emphasis as he spoke, nearly knocking his tea off the table as he did.

One slender hand reached out to grab the tea, her gaze still fixed on him as she listened. "How on earth could such a place even exist?" She waved a hand then, stopping him before he could start. "Nevermind, I don't want to know. I just pray Youko never gets a wild hair and decides to go to one of those places. How on Gaia did you get home?"

“We didn’t,” he said, taking the tea and sipping at it, “at least not for a long time. First we went to the top of the mountain, then we had to go into this Citadel, and then I accidentally teleported into a wall.” He scowled.

That made her start slightly, Yeande's eyes widening slightly. "Corvus you could have gotten killed! Are you alright?" She started to look over him as if making certain all of his limbs were still in place.

“That’s just the thing,” he smirked, “it did get me killed. For a whole two or three days, during which time I was stuck there in the Citadel’s walls with half a dozen other dead souls.”

Yeande's pale skin went paler at that and she stared at him in shock. Sitting back heavily, she shook her head faintly, part of her mind trying to digest that information, while the rest went in circles about just how easily she could have lost him forever. "What happened?" she finally managed to ask, her voice shaking slightly.

“Oh, well, I got over it,” he said, and took a large gulp of tea. “Got reunited with my body in the end. And it turned out the book was supposed to be mine, and got an egg to go with it.”

At least he was alive AND in one piece. "I'm glad you're home," she whispered softly, picking up her tea and sipping from it. "I kept the shop going as best I could. But I'm just glad you're back and safe."

“Then you should probably know I can’t guarantee that for long.” He didn’t sound particularly upset about this statement.

Somehow, she'd had that inkling. It wasn't like Em to truly stay sedentary for long, and it would stand to reason that Corvus would be going with her. "I understand. Just know that you always have someone who will be glad to see you come home."

He stared at her. “You say that now, but will it be the same tomorrow?” he mused.

"It's been the same since you left last time," she replied, smiling wryly at him. "I don't see how one more day will change it."

“Because today, I’m going to meld with a gemstone,” he boasted, “after which point I will be changed forever. You can never guarantee tomorrow, Yeande. Don’t try to pretend you can.”

Yeande blinked, staring at him in surprise. "Gemstones... you mean you've found a Gemstone? I'd heard about them, that it's what happens to us when we finally die." She glanced down at her hands then, tightening them into fists against her lap. He couldn't change THAT much, could he? It wouldn't change who he was.

But it might.

Closing her eyes for a few moments, Yeande then turned back to him. "Then I won't guarantee tomorrow. But I will guarantee that very little can change my opinion of you, Corvus."

He sniffed lightly. “We’ll see. But yes, gemstones are dead feien, and by melding with one, a fairy can obtain previously unheard of levels of power.” His eyes glinted. He no longer cared what she was doing or how she felt, he was simply bragging for the sake or it.

"I'm happy for you," she said softly, her smile widening faintly. It was good to see him this excited about something... ANYTHING. "Will you let me be there when it happens?" She had to admit to a bit of curiosity as to what happened when a Feien merged with a gem... and this would likely be her only chance to see it.

“Sure, if you like. You can take notes for Simon. He’s currently too preoccupied to observe. I probably should have mentioned it to him earlier. He would have liked the chance to watch the process.” He shrugged and finished off his tea.

Nodding, she started to gather up the remnants of the meal, her mind working in overtime. "What will it do, do you have any idea other than power? Will it change how you look? How you act?" She couldn't help but think that if the gemstones altered power, they could alter other things as well.

“It varies from stone to stone,” he explained. “Physical changes are a given. Mental changes are rare but have occurred in the past. If you’ve seen Julius, then you’ve glanced the power and some of the changes that can result, but he keeps most of the more drastic modifications hidden under all those robes.”

"I've seen his wings... three pairs, from what I saw. What else happened to him, do you know?" She was half wondering if his vision hadn't been damaged, with how he wore the veil over his face.

Corvus pointed to his face. “His eyes. Rather nasty little effect there. And the double sets of ears. Or was it the split ears?” He thought a moment, then shrugged. “Not important. Quite a few markings under the robes. I don’t know why he’s so bloody self-conscious about it all, really. The tradeoff in power is more than compensation enough.”

"I was wondering about his eyes... it didn't seem like he could see, but it didn't slow him down at all." Yeande crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned back slightly. "I don't see why he would be self conscious over it, either. Things happen, and it's not like we can stop it, we just deal with it and move on." She was reminded of her wings, and felt a bit hypocritical as she folded them tightly behind her back.

“Indeed not. But now that I’ve got seven gems, I get to pick one to merge with, and I intend to do it as soon as possible, which would be today.” He finished off his second piece of grape, which he had picked up during the course of the conversation. “The power might not make me immortal, but it will be quite useful overall, I think.”

Immortality... that was something Corvus wanted most of all. Yeande could understand why, he would be the shortest lived of all of them if he didn't find some way of stopping it. "I hope it at least helps you achieve that immortality. Perhaps it'll make it easier."

“My thoughts exactly. In any event, we can leave whenever you’re ready. I’ve had enough to eat, I think.”

Nodding, Yeande cleaned up the mess and headed out to take the tray to the kitchen. "Shalafi! I'm going out, I'll be back later." She didn't really feel the need to tell HIM where she was going... but Youko wasn't home and he would be able to relay the message later.

“Whatever,” shrugged Corvus, rising.

~~~

Corvus brought Yeande straight to the gemstones, which he had hidden underneath the porch, “Where even Julius can’t find them,” he boasted. There were seven in all. He picked up the one he had chosen for himself: an octagonal yellow one that glowed. It was the only one of the gemstones that shone so.

"They're beautiful," she breathed softly, looking at the gems and hesitant to touch them. She gazed over each one, violet eyes wide as she took in the sight of the sparkling stones. "I hadn't expected them to be so pretty... I feel stupid saying that now, but I didn't think that anything that came from death could be this lovely." She leaned down, letting her fingers brush against one of the stones, an amber coloured sphere that lay gleaming against the soil.

“ ‘Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath,/Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.’ Shakespeare,” he quoted. He turned around and looked behind them a moment. “Hm. Must have been the wind.”

"Romeo and Juliet," she whispered in reply, barely glancing towards him as she got to her feet once more and watched him. "How do you merge with it? Is there a spell, or does it simply happen?"

“You must have someone do the spell for you,” came Julius’s voice, as calm and even as ever. The Ancient appeared behind them from seemingly nowhere.

“Aha, I thought you were there,” said Corvus.

Smiling faintly, Y eande tucked a lock of hair back behind her ear as she turned towards the both of them. "Hello again, Julius," she greeted him, glad to see that he was still around. She'd been worried that he'd gone for good the last time, when she hadn't been able to find him.

“Are you to meld as well?” asked Julius, folding his fingers together.

"I..." Yeande paused then, glancing to Corvus and then back to the stones. As tempting as it was, she couldn't just TAKE one. "The stones belong to Corvus," she replied. "I believe I’m simply tagging along."

“Gemstones cannot belong to anyone,” said Julius firmly. “They are equal to all fairies. As one feien may not ever own another, so too gemstones cannot be owned.”

Corvus scowled, disappointed at that edict.

She glanced back towards the amber sphere, fidgeting slightly as she watched the play of light over its surface. "I suppose... if I'm able. That one has had my attention since we arrived here."

“You are welcome to her,” nodded Julius, “but before you accept a gemstone you must know that while they bring great power, they also contain great dangers. To accept a gemstone is to accept another as part of yourself. You will take aspects of that person’s power, but also of their physical being and even their mind. The changes can never be predicted, even by myself.”

Nodding softly, Yeande picked up the stone and looked over it. It felt soothing in her hands, and almost seemed to beckon to her. She glanced to Corvus then, noting the excitement that was barely contained beneath the Feien's gruff exterior. "I understand," she replied to Julius, ready to take that risk.

“There is one more thing,” said the Ancient. “If you do this, you will never be able to bond with another feien to create new blooms, and the process is irreversible.”

She stepped a bit closer to Corvus, curling her arms around the stone and letting her eyes stay locked to Julius. Whatever he was doing, she wanted to see it. "I have no desire to bond with any Feien other than Corvus," she replied honestly. "And there would be no blooms, regardless." She'd felt that way ever since she was a child, and now was the only time she'd ever been able to let Corvus know that. He'd been so adamant about it being a flaw of his when she was younger... and she honestly didn't care whether or not she ever made blooms.

“You’re making a mistake,” said Corvus. He seemed suddenly very cold. “Yeande, while I am aware of your feelings, I don’t share them. Don’t ruin your chances for me.”

"I'm in charge of my own feelings, Corvus, and they won't change simply because you don't share them." Yeande continued to look towards Julius, not even glancing towards Corvus. "Every word was true, I have no desire to bond with any other Feien. So regardless of whether my feelings are returned or not, there is still no chance for anyone else."

Corvus looked Yeande up and down once before shrugging. Her choice. If Julius said she was allowed, Corvus was in no position to stop her, and he could care less if she decided to throw away her life. “What now?” he demanded of Julius.

“Simply hold the gemstones to your chests, and I will start the spell.”

Yeande nodded, holding onto the gem and taking a deep breath. She had no idea what this was going to entail, whether it would be painful or not... she was having second guesses, but kept them quietly squirreled away.

Julius hesitated a moment. He seemed to have doubts of his own, but his role here was the same as Corvus’s role as summoner: to do what others wished him to do. He held his hands up. A whisper broke his lips, something low and faint, and he began to shine a brilliant light blue that reminded Corvus briefly of the Citadel. The gemstones they held turned insubstantial and sank into their bodies.

Of course, Julius had failed to mention one thing about this process: it hurt like hell. It felt as if molten lava were coursing through their veins, insects consuming them from the inside out, a thousand migraine headaches poured into one moment.

Yeande trembled, trying to keep her control as long as she could. She did NOT want to seem weak in front of Corvus, but she couldn't keep up the control for long. She let out a scream, her arms holding tightly to herself as they folded over her chest, the gemstone disappearing and settling within her. Her hands clung tightly to her arms as she fell, dropping to her knees and curling forward tightly from the pain.

A hand landed on her shoulder, offering aid and support. Corvus, unable to see his eyes were so tightly closed, was still able to locate her using his other sight, magic detection. The hand was the least he could do for someone so foolishly throwing her life away for him. His teeth ground together as he knelt next to her. The pain was excruciating, but he was beginning to get used to such torments. Still, he let out a strangled cry.

Gradually, the pain faded and their senses returned to them. Julius was gone.

Gasping for breath, Yeande tried to focus, tried to see through the sparkles in her vision that were the result of the pain. "C-corvus..." she whispered softly, trying to turn towards him and curl against him as she waited for the trembling to stop. Something was wrong... something different that she couldn't put her finger on just yet.

He was too preoccupied with himself. Extending out from his original black markings were golden swirls, totally covering half his body. He reached behind and found he suddenly had long hair -- long yellow hair at that. “Damnit,” he swore, “should have listened to Julius.” Then he bothered to look at Yeande and whistled appreciatively.

The whistle was what got her attention, Yeande's gaze lifting to him as she was about to ask just what the hell he was whistling at when she felt like curling up into a ball and dying. She stopped halfway through that thought, however, and stared at him, bringing up one hand to cup Corvus' cheek, then let it slide down his right side where the markings had changed. "Corvus, you're..." Different... changed... so many words could have summed up her thoughts at that moment.

"Damned good looking, as if you weren't before." She grinned then, pausing and staring at her own hand... and the orange-tipped claws that scratched lightly against Corvus' skin. NOW she understood what the physical aspects were... as well as the dark amber-coloured folds that seemed to be stretched between her arms and her sides, forming a secondary set of gliding 'wings'.

He took her hand and moved it away from himself, looking vaguely amused. “All in all, I think I may have to complain. I wanted the multiple ears and claws.”
"Ears?" She reached, bringing her fingers over the dual ears on either side of her head, then chuckled faintly. "Not my fault you picked the wrong gem." She glanced down then, noting where her markings had changed as well, and her feet... she had claws on her feet? Something told Yeande that she would be spending a LOT of time in front of a mirror when she got home.

Looking up to him, she smiled still, tilting her head tot he side. "I have to say that you look ravishing, even without the ears and claws, Corvus. And your hair..." As if just noticing it, she turned to get a better look, peering around behind him.

He picked up the long ponytail and stared helplessly at its yellow color. “Yes, well, I suppose casualties were unavoidable.”

"All in all, I think the casualties were a minimum," Yeande said, bringing a hand to run through the blonde hair. "This will definitely take getting used to, I believe. And the others won't know what to make of it."

Corvus stood, shaking away any and all of her attentions. “I believe I should seek out a mirror, not to mention my bond.” He cast an eye at the remaining five gemstones. “Perhaps they can be sold to other feien.”

Nodding, Yeande got to her feet as well, stretching and looking over the new addition of wings. "Perhaps it would be a good idea. I doubt either of us could go through something like that again."

“We don’t have the choice,” he remarked bitterly, recovering the remaining gemstones with sand.

"Then that's what we'll do," she said, helping him to cover them, then heading out from beneath the porch. It had been a very enlightening day, indeed.