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The Deakon household was decked out for Christmas. There was even a manger scene in front of the house and a Santa Clause on the roof, complete with dayglow reindeer. Lights lit up everything, from the tree in the front yard to the various windows and railings around the house. This was what you got when you were married to a handyman, after all.

Inside was just as festive, with decorations and gigantic Christmas trees in the front room and hallway. There were presents under both. Chris, in his newfound teenageness, was looking a bit uncomfortable in a dress shirt (sleeves cut out, of course) and a tie. He scowled as Antony sidled up next to him with a soft drink in his hand.

"They made me get you a present," Chris muttered.

"Yes? I got you one as well, if it makes you feel better," Antony said calmly.

"I read it already," Chris told him.

"You did?"

"Woulda been a waste of money just to give it to you."

"I see."

"It was a whole ten bucks," Chris added with a perfectly straight face. "So I read it twice."

"You do realize that you're not supposed to tell the giftee that sort of thing, don't you?" Antony asked just as mildly as could be.

Chris finally looked at him, grinning wickedly. "Yeah, I know."

The doorbell rang then. Both Ze and Rory waited for there to be an answer with food in a hand, or in a bag, gifts under hand, and fiddles over their shoulders. Only one of them looked the most uncomfortible in the snow, even with how bundled up she was.

"I hate the snow," Ze'zee complained, stomping her feet to keep them warm. Even her long tail was wrapped up! "Zard is a tropical planet, you know. We never -got- snow. You wanted white ground all around you, you went to the beaches."

Aurora couldn't help but snicker at her mom. "You know, I am a teenager now, mom. Can't we go visit grandma and grandpa some time?" How totally cool would it be to go to -another planet-?? That was just awesome.

Ze looked slightly more uncomfortable for a moment. "Well, I'll have to see about it with work," she stalled.

"Uh huh...."

The door opened a few seconds later, Chris scowling slightly over his shoulder. "It's freezing out there, why do I gotta be the one to open the door?" he demanded of his mother. "Make the blue boy, he's good with cold!"

"Antony doesn't live here!" Missy called from inside the house. "And be polite!"

Both ladies stared at the teenager that opened the door. Then one of the two exploded.

"CHRIS! You grew and you didn't even bother to call me a tell me?!" Rory demanded, still standing on the door step. "Or come over?!" Never mind she didn't tell him when she became a teen. Partly because she knew he was coming over that day... but still! He should have at least -told- her!

He jerked, a look of "Oh s**t" crossing his face as he slowly turned towards her. "Ah, Rory, ah, well, y'see, there was this--and the clothing and--you--" He stopped, rubbing the back of his head with a gigantic hand. "You look real pretty."

Antony started laughing behind him, loud enough for even Rory to hear. "Shut it," Chris snarled over his shoulder, flushing purple.

"Hmph!" Rory was not to be persuaded with flattery this time. She looked away from him, nose in the air. "See if I give you your gift right away now," she muttered.

"Well," Ze said, having been fighting from laughing out loud in front of them both. "Are you going to let us freeze out here? Or are you going to let us in?" she asked with a grin.

"Oh! Right!" he said, moving out of the way quickly. "Sorry, yeah, um... Merry Christmas?" he offered, looking more like a kicked puppy than a badass monster of a teen as he glanced over at Rory. He was in such deep s**t.

"Yes, Merry Christmas," Ze'zee said, hurrying in quickly. The house was warm, and outside was cold. She so didn't like the cold!

Rory followed in after him, but didn't look at Chris. "Merry Christmas," she echoed. Then went for Missy immediately. "Hello Mrs. Deakon," she said with a brighter grin. "Mom and I brought food, as well. Finger food things."

"Oh thank you, Rory! Ze!" Missy said happily. "Why don't I put those on the buffet table while you give Chris your coats? There's only Shade and Antony here so far, but more people will be showing up soon enough."

"So you should get what food you want now, before Chris eats it all," Antony said a bit dryly. "Merry Christmas, Aurora, Ms. Ze'zee," he added politely.

Missy was right; it was rare that Beatrix wasn't punctual or on time -- Irelia Torstenn had been excused from the gathering on account of another girl's birthday party, but Jacoba Darnell and Wisp Darnell were both there in front of their bandage-eyed blonde of a mother. In fact, it was a little odd to now see that both of them were taller than her -- Wisp a few centimetres, and Jace a couple inches, the tallest of them all at what was still a fairly measly 5'5".

They were all three wearing scarves -- Bea's pale blue, Wisp's rainbow, Jace's orange -- and a fairly automatic "Merry Christmas," came out from all of them, though Jace's seemed to be "merry damn Christmas." Wisp was holding a box, but when she looked in the house, she dropped it entirely as her mouth formed a hello! to her beloved Missy. In a flash of brown skin and red hair, Jace reached out and caught it on her metal foot: but Wisp was already zooming past, brushing Aurora on the shoulder, and jumping wholesale onto a very teenaged Chris' back.

"OH MY GOD," she bellowed, "IT HAPPENED I AM THE HAPPIEST GIRL IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD."

"Damn, Mrs. Deakon," said Jace. "What'd you feed him?"

"Be nice," said her mother, and -- "Happy returns of the season, Melissa."

Rory blinked as the colorful rainbow of a friend whoosed by and jumped on Chris. She gave a sigh and a shake of the head, though she was still highly miffed at Chris. And being so, she turned to the others.

And did a double take. "JACE! You grew too? Awesome!"

"Hey!" Chris said, irritated as he glared at Rory for that. Sure Wisp was on his back, but he wasn't bothered in the least by that part. "How come Jace is Awesome and I'm in the dog house?" he demanded irritably. "That's totally not fair."

It was equally not fair in the way that Jace swaggered next to Rory and judiciously swatted her on the butt; winked at Chris, not Rory, though she made a gunshot ch-ch in the back of her throat at the tall green-eyed girl. "Suck it down, man," she said, and folded her arms.

Wisp was apparently just thrilled that she could go back to treating her childhood friend like a jungle gym; she looked happy and content, little blue sparkles winking in and out around her head. At least she was wearing jeans for once; jeans and -- what appeared to be a leotard, arm-and-leg-warmers, the leotard painted with a snowman saying YO. "You're in the doghouse?" she said, and: "Hey, you should be in the doghouse! Did you tell Rory or me? No you did not. Seriously you and Rory should be all sucking face, not -- "

"Wisp!" Rory squeaked, cheeks going red. Then she shook her head quickly, getting back on the topic and wrapped an arm around the redhead's shoulders. She was taller, so she was more leaning to the side. "Jace's awesomeness extends beyond the need to tell. Unlike you, who's supposed to be one of my best friends! And you didn't tell Wisp either??"

"It just happened this morning!" he protested. "And it was a busy day!" Now he was in the doghouse with both of them! Dammit!

"You have to admit, it is a bit hard to deal with the first day," Antony said, sticking up for Chris and getting a glowering look for his trouble.

The redhead punched Rory's shoulder in a light, familiar way -- she liked Aurora; Aurora was uncomplicated -- before making her way over to Antony instead. Jace did not look that festive: she was wearing a brown hoodie and the ripped jean shorts she loved, though apparently when she hadn't been looking Wisp had furtively drawn snowflakes on her back in bright yellow. She leant herself with her elbow up on Antony's shoulder instead, and apparently didn't deign to play grab-a** with him.

"Should've thought of that before," she said, "chicks get weird about that stuff, man. Sup, Mantony."

Wisp clambered down from Christian's back, patted his arm, but then stuck out her tongue to show that she was on Rory's side. She marched over to her friend and stuck her arm through hers, looping it through tightly. ""Well, Miss Rory," she said, "let's go and get some buffet, yo!"

Rory just glanced when Jace abandoned her for Antony, then turned her attention back on Chris, arm in arm with Wisp. She took her arm, though, away, placing her hands on her hips and marched up to him.

"So, you just turned today? Is that true?" she asked him seriously. Then deflated with a sigh before looking back at Wisp. "Should I forgive him?"

Chris waited impatiently for Wisp's answer.

Antony slid a hand around Jace's waist, resting a hand on her hip. "They have some six different flavors of soda," he told her casually. "As well as food enough that Chris hasn't eaten all of it. Want to go get some before Chris gets to it?"

"Bea!" Missy said, finally coming out of the front room. "Please, give Chris your coat and come on in! All of you do that, actually," she added. "He's learning to be a gentleman now, or I'll have to beat it into him."

Wisp turned Rory around in obvious super-secret powwow, voice low as she brushed her pink-streaked hair out of her face. "Yeah, forgive him," she whispered, "but don't be too like, 'oh I forgive you everything!', be more like, 'okay I guess I can forgive you THIS TIME,' just so that he knows he can't mess you around. Even if you're like 'oh Chris you are such a hottie,' which he totally is, except he's like my kid brother so it's not like I'm all, 'woo!'."

Beatrix was taking off her coat, and consented to give it to Chris; she was smiling, though it was a wry Dr. Darnell smile. "I can't imagine you beating anyone into anything," she told Missy, "but I can well believe -- hullo, Antony; and congratulations on growing, Christian."

"Six types of soda," Jace was saying, and she was already fiddling with the tie of Antony's ponytail. "God, the excitement. Let's go get some food before Chris stuffs his huge fat a** -- sorry, Chris, you're like the size of a house, man, I'm kind of nearly worried about my ability to try to beat you up. -- C'mon, man, I'll let you pour me some Coke if you're a good girl." (Antony did not look like a good girl.)

Rory whole-heartedly took that advice, turning back to Chris with a serious look on her face. He was a hottie now, though. That was like a bonus! "Alright. I suppose I can't forgive you -this time-," she told him, poking him in the chest. He was like a rock, took. "But don't forget to tell me again, got it? Got it."

Then she held out a large, circle shaped present, that looked like it was a pain in the butt to wrap. "And because you are forgiven, you can have your gift."

Jace looked at him, his shoulders shaking in silent laughter, and she grinned herself; took a paper plate and started judiciously piling up her plate, his laughter at the situation a little infectious. "Yeah," she said, sotto voce. "The boy is looking at a lifetime of being henpecked."

Chris probably wouldn't mind.

The little blonde, however, clapped her hands together, and she had shone like a lantern when Chris had leant down and kissed her best friend on the cheek. The operation was obviously going into a success. She leant forward to dape her knuckles together on Rory's, the little star on her cheek crinkling as she smiled. "Yessss," she said.

Rory was still stunned by this act (and in front on others). It was one thing to give a boy a kiss; it was something else to be kissed by a HOTTIE. Then she gave a slightly stupid grin at Wisp in return, blushing. "Yeaahh, anyway. You are awesome. Thanks! Now, we'd better do like your sis and Antony and get some food things. I got you a gift too."

"That's not the only thing," Antony admitted quietly as he made his plate. "He stands by me waiting for people to show up and tells me that he read my present. Twice. Because otherwise it'd be a waste of ten bucks."

Chris took his time putting the coats away, waiting for his flush to go away. He felt like a little kid in a teen's body. It sucked. But finally he headed back in, knowing his parents would yell at him if he didn't.

"Welcome," Tyler said as he saw all of them. "We're going to eat first, then exchange gifts, if you've brought them. Chris decided the order of events." Which was said a bit dryly.

"Chris is kind of a d**k in private," admitted Jace, with absolutely no sign of censorious or even disapproving. In fact, it sounded like something she liked about the youngest Deakon, something to slightly admire. Anyone who hung around with Wisp and Rory had to have some kind of personality secret to cope with it. "Pass those meatball things, wench. Damn, I love Chris' mom's cooking."

Her mother had sat down next to Tyler and the other adults; "Wisp, go and get the bag out of the car before we eat," she said, Thwomp hovering around near her shoulder. "I thought you were going to bring it in."

"Whoops, moment of suckage," announced her youngest, who darted out after Beatrix dangled her keys at her -- all really overly tight jeans and her retro 80s leotard top revealing that it was pretty much backless. Someone would have to tell Beatrix eventually that Wisp dressed like the cast of Dirty Dancing by way of youthful pole dancer.

"Hurry or you're going to freeze!" Rory teased her friend, but didn't offer to go back out. Instead, she was getting herself some food too.

"Missy, I hope you don't mind, but I did bring my fiddle, if you want some kinds of old fashioned music going on," Ze said with a grin. She had taken a seat with the other adults as well, having already grabbed some food.

"Oh, I don't want you to feel like you have to work!" Missy said. "But if you'd like to play a song or two after we unwrap presents you know I'm not going to stop you," she added with a grin. "I'm so glad you both could make it here tonight! Chris was so nervous earlier."

Then she frowned ever so slightly as she caught sight of Wisp running out the door. She would have to do something about that outfit, she thought with an inward sigh.

"It's because he hates me," Antony said cheerfully. "It's rather entertaining--" then he stopped as Rory got there. He would rather she not hear that conversation.

Chris came in with the present, placing it under the tree with the others before heading for the table as well.

Wisp came back in with pink cheeks -- matched her lipgloss -- and a large plastic bag full of lumpy objects. "Ho ho ho," she said, "Merry Christmas," and knelt down to start unpacking them briskly underneath the tree.

Plate finally piled high with food (it wasn't like Beatrix was an awful cook, but the fact was that Missy was a very good one) Jace collapsed down in her chair: "You can sit on my knee," she offered to Antony, guffawing at her offer.

"I'd say that sounds more than a little uncomfortable," said her mother, "considering what your knee is like."

"It's Antony. He likes suffering that way."

"I'm certain he doesn't," said her mother(and his faux-aunt -- did that make Jace his cousin?) wryly. "I apologise for her, as ever, Antony."

Rory was a little bothered by the fact the talking that had been going on stopped when she got to the table to get food. Then she shrugged it off as being a little edgy after Chris kissed her. Her plate also piled high with food, she took a seat on a cushioned foot stool. Just because she could.

"Mom had be bring my violin as well," she told Missy, then looked to where Wisp was coming in again. "What you get me, Wisp??"

"That wont be a problem, since I like to play," Ze assured her.

Chris sat in the chair behind Rory, starting in on his new plate of food without a thought. "Oh dear," Missy said. "He's probably finished off all the salmon balls again, Wisp, would you mind helping me get some more from the kitchen?"

Chris looked up, swallowing loudly. "There were only ten left," he said a bit guiltily.

"And had there been twelve you would have done the same thing," she teased as she stood and headed for the kitchen.

"Hee, I'm not telling you until you open it," the blonde informed her best friend, swinging around behind Missy as she followed her into the kitchen. "Otherwise it wouldn't be a surprise. I think it's pretty awesome, though. -- Are you and your mom going to play the violin? Say yes! Please please please! I've never heard you and your mom play together, that'd be rad chillies..." Then she disappeared behind the older woman.

"See, now look what you did," Jace said wearily to Rory. "She's all excited now. She'll pee on the carpet."

Testament to how much Beatrix had mellowed out that she only said: "We'll cover the floor with newspapers where she's sitting."

Rory choked, then started to laugh at that. It was sooo wrong to laugh at your best friend being made fun of, but she couldn't help it! Then she elbowed Chris's knee. "You shouldn't take so many, even if you like them. We're guests. You have to leave some for those of us who -don't- get your mom's cooking all the time."

Then she pouted, looking at her two rolls. "I was hoping to get more later..."

"It's not much, but we'll do it," Ze'zee said, then winked at Jace. "So, you might want to find that newspaper."

Antony was sitting on the armrest of Jace's chair, balancing his plate as if he did this sort of thing daily. "Don't worry, Aunt Beatrix. I'm quite used to it by now, I'm afraid," he said. "So how long have you two been going out?" he asked Chris, only a bit evilly.

Chris jerked, swallowing loudly at the question and forgetting to reply to Rory's jibe. "Huh?" he asked. One moment he had been hanging out with his best friend, eating his favorite non baked snack, the next he was put on stand by the blue boy. Not fair!

"Going out," Antony repeated. "As in dating. I thought she didn't know you were a teenager yet, but it seems that doesn't seem to matter. That kiss back there--"

"I knew this would happen, of course," Missy said as she bustled around the kitchen, getting the supplies out of the fridge. "Which is why I only made a few dozen up front. We're going to have to make more now, I hope you don't mind?" she added to Wisp. "But that'll give us time for a little girl talk!"

"I love girl talk!" said Wisp blithely, and she did, and she loved watching Missy make food: would probably attempt to help as well, but mostly just pass things, make conversation and look cute, since Wisp was not the world's most incredible cook. She grinned, lighting up -- Jace was forced to admit that Wisp was really pretty, but maybe crazy did that to a person. She followed Mrs. Deakon back into the kitchen.

"Unless you're not dating," she added, already catching on to Antony's pretty a*****e-ish and therefore hilarious line of conversation. She popped a meatball in her mouth. "Because, damn, I know like six guys who'd snap Rory up like that. Hey, I don't think you're too bad-lookin' either, sugar britches." (Aurora was probably going to kill her, but it was all in the name of lulz.)

Rory was secretly game. If she could get Chris to admit to something like that, or at least -ask- her, then it was all for the good. "Really? Is that why guys keep walking into poles when I jog past them in PE?" she asked, cocking her head to the side in a not-so-innocent fashion.

At least she had learned how to control her speed, so when she said jog, that was more like a normal person's run. Her type or running, no one else would beable to really get a good look at her. She would have been a blurr.

A murderous expression crossed Chris's face, both at the pole comment and at Antony and Jace bringing this up so soon after he had grown. "We aren't dating," he muttered. "What about you two?" he added. "Since you seem to be so... close." It was easy enough to change the subject.

Antony just smiled, mildly. "Oh, we're not dating," he said simply. He took a drink of his pop, still enjoying this situation. It was revenge for the Christmas present comment and he was mature enough to know it, while being immature enough to do it. "But Jace is Jace and Rory is... Rory," he added. "And you DID kiss her."

Chris let out a rumbling growl.

"You know, Wisp, you've grown to be such a beautiful young woman," Missy started out as she started to cook. "Have I told you that yet?"

"Chris, that's gay, dude," said Jace, sounding a little disturbed at his implication that she and Antony were dating. But then she changed the subject as well: "I think everyone's pretty much expecting Chris and Ror to date, right? It's like how every tard at school kind of expected Riley and Iggy to get together, which just proves their lives are boring-a**." (Everyone except Wisp, that was.)

Wisp was happily in the kitchen, or else that comment would have started to make her very flustered; she blushed at a compliment from the woman she considered to be probably the most beautiful woman found anywhere, and always had done ever since she was small: Missy was beautiful. It was undeniable. "Do you really think so?" she said, a little hopefully. "You're not just all, oh that's Wisp I better tell her she's cute, because hey Rory is so gorgeous she might feel bad. I mean I think I'm pretty cute, you know? But beautiful's like, the b-word, it's huge."

Rory was very wisely not jumping on Chris about dating. She wanted him too a lot. A whole heck of a lot, but this was his first day, so she was going to have a bit of mercy on him. "Wait.. you mean Iggy's got, or might have a girlfriend?" she asked, going on to a whole new conversation.

Basically, she wanted to know for Wisp's sake.

Antony sighed. "Lord I hope not," he muttered. He would rather have Iggy dating Wisp. He didn't like Riley, he never had. She rubbed him wrong for some reason. It was shocking that Jace didn't, to be honest.

Chris's attention was on Jace. "Jace... you're a girl," he said finally. How was it gay if she was a chick? That completely baffled him and distracted him from being teased about Rory. But Antony had a point, a betraying thought said in the back of his head. Rory was... Rory.

"You're a very beautiful girl," Missy repeated, giving the girl a "MOTHER" look. "Would I lie to you about something like that? But there is one little problem, honey, and I really think we should discuss it now before it gets worse."

Terror immediately awoke in Wisp's breast, and she looked at Missy with a slight deer-in-the-headlights expression. What was wrong? Did she have a zit? Didn't Missy like her hair? She could streak it different colours; she was planning on it, anyway. Was she getting fat? Was it the fact that she didn't have huge boobs like Irelia? She swallowed -- she had to remember she was a superhero -- and calmed down, managing to croak out a tiny, "Yes?"

"Damn, boy," her sister was complaining at Chris, "I don't point out that you're a big-a** black demon dude." After this baffling statement, stealing a meatball from Antony's plate and popping it into her mouth before he could steal it back, she added: "And nah, Ror, Iggy doesn't have a girlfriend -- Wisp keeps trying but I don't think he notices she has boobs. What, you want him?"

Thankfully Zee, Tyler and Beatrix were all apparently involved in adult conversation, rather than listening in on the who-dates-who.

"Nope," Rory answered, poping a meatball of her own in her mouth before going on. "As a best friend to Wisp, I wanted to know if he had someone else. But since he hasn't clued in to all of this yet, the answer would be no."

It was all to easy to not look at Chris, with the way they were sitting. At least that worked out! She then gave Antony and Jace a very curious look. In some twisted, messed up way, they'd be interesting together. Together-together, and not just friends.

Chris shrugged. "Don't have to, I've got mirrors," he said simply. "And trouble going through doors. And the little problem when I was a kid with ripping arms off of chairs. Kinda hard to forget what I am."

Antony had a disturbing image of Chris ripping off other types of arms. It was a bit too easy to picture, so he decided to change the subject. "These aren't really meatballs, are they?" he asked, curiously. "Since you're vegetarians, right?"

"Yeah," Chris said. "So some of them are fish, and some of them are mushroom. I like the fish the best." And he promptly tried to steal one of Rory's. Which was flirting, but Antony didn't mention it.

"Oh, Wisp, it's not the end of the world!" Missy said, seeing that look on her face. "It's just, well, honey, do you really have to wear such revealing clothes?"

"They're not meatballs," Jace said, "they're cheatballs. God I am hilarious." (She then proceeded to crack up at her own joke, though she was a little amazed at how Missy managed to make fake meat taste as good as real meat. She hadn't even noticed.)

The tiny blonde looked up at Missy with a blank expression, as though not quite sure what she meant. She looked down at her clothes: tight jeans, wicked-cool leotard that was totally hot, leg warmers, arm warmers. The chunky necklace of blue beads Irelia had given her for Christmas. Then it hit. "Oh," she said, puzzled, "oh -- oh, Missy, I'm like, reclaiming my sexuality, right? I'm all hitting a blow for womankind. I'm like, I am so proud of my femininity. I have to dress this way, right? I'm a rebel!"

But she added a little doubtfully: "It looks like I'm being rebellious, right, Missy?"

"My fish-meat ball," Rory said, quickly stabbing said meat ball that Chris was trying to steal and popping it in her mouth. In doing so, however, she left a salmon roll open for grabs.

With her attention on Chris, she couldn't laugh, or snicker, at Jace (or her joke).

He grabbed the salmon roll, popping it into his mouth with a triumphant air. "I like the salmon rolls better, anyway," he teased her.

"Even if they're not meat, they're a million times better than anything anyone in my family can make," Antony drawled, guarding his own plate now that people were stealing. "A household of bachelors doesn't make for great fare."

"Wisp, do you really think that femininity is tied up in showing off your body?" Missy asked softly as she rolled the balls. "Don't you think that there are some much more important factors? Such as your thoughts and beliefs and actions? Do I seem less feminine when I wear more modest clothes?"

It was better than M.B.'s cooking too, even if they lived in a house of bachelorettes. But M.B. wasn't bad. She was a dab hand at stuff like grilled cheese. She just wasn't Missy, who was a kind of domestic goddess. "So did you get that notice home for sex ed.," Jace said. "I can't believe they have to notify your 'rents on that kind of grab-a**."

Wisp tilted her head, obviously troubled. "No," she said, "but you always look gorgeous, that's different, right? I'm more -- I have to make a statement! Like -- do I really look skanky," she finally said, doleful. "I just like wearing bright colours and skinny jeans and things. And rainbow bracelets. And side ponytails."

Rory gave Chris a dirty look for stealing her salmon roll. "That was mine, ya know." Her mom wasn't Missy either, with the cooking, but it was also good. At least both of them could read a recipe and go from there. And hopefully not burn anything. Then her attention turned to Jace once more. "That sex ed class? Yeah... why'd they have to go off and do that?"

It was embarrassing, on a level, after all.

"It sucks," Chris muttered, flushing again. "It's gonna be worse now that I'm older. Dad already told me the basics, so why does that hippy chick gotta go over it?"

"I doubt it can get worse, to be truthful," Antony said with a sigh, agreeing with Chris on this one fact. Lindy wasn't his favorite teacher by any means.

"None of those things are bad," Missy said. "Used in moderation, that is. Wisp, you're a sweet, funny, adorable girl. You should make people focus on that fact instead of your body alone. There's so much you have to share, you know?"

"I dunno, guess it's required for teens," said Jace, immediately bored and finishing off the rest of her food in case her friend thought he needed to steal some back. Antony probably wouldn't. He was honourable that way. Wouldn't steal your cheatballs. "Least it'll be more interesting than normal health. I mean, it'll probably be funny-a**, right?"

All would be redeemed if Ms. Lindy somehow made it funny-a**.

"Do you really think so?" said Wisp, who looked entirely discombobulated. "I mean, if you think -- I mean, I'll try, Missy." She still looked a little woebegone. She also looked doubtful, as though she maybe thought people didn't really ever focus on Wisp being sweet, funny or adorable.

"I guess we have no choice but to find out," Rory added with a shrug. School was pretty awful that way. Just when you were getting the hang, and doing well in all other classes, they had to throw something new into it all.

Rory finished off her food and looked towards the kitchen. Now, where was Mrs. Deakon and those other salmon rolls?

"I know you'll do great," Missy said, handing her a plate of the food and kissing her cheek. "Because I believe in you, Wisp. Now go take these out there before Chris suddenly decides to eat everyone else's."

Antony laid on his bed, wearing only a pair of sleeping pants, blue of course. His body, while slender, was well defined, each muscle separate from the next. He had worked hard for the lack of bulk, and was proud that he still looked like a gentleman with his clothes on.

But he wasn't thinking of that at the moment. It was the first day of the new year and he had yet to tell Jace or Iggy what was planned. He should have called them days ago, but he couldn't seem to find the time. Or the urge.

It was usually Jace who prevented him from having to do these kinds of things at all; gone were the days of the pebbles thrown at his window, unless she was feeling ornery for some reason. He heard the familiar sound of his window being lifted, then quietly closed again; just Jace, in a blouse with a singlet top over it, scarlet hair pushed back from her head in an actual headband, her usual ratty pair of jean shorts -- he knew which ones she liked because they were already looking pained and worn. She dressed eclectically these days: he'd probably expected her fashion sense to be just how it had been as a kid, consummate tomboy, but it wasn't quite the case. Maybe she figured that was useless now that she had breasts.

Jacoba did not comment on his own lack of clothing barring a quiet, overdone wolf-whistle, drawing the curtains again as she plunged his room into darkness.

"Who were you waiting for? Santa Claus is gone, babe," she said.

He blinked, glancing over in the direction where he could see her aura. "Hello, Jace," he said calmly. "What's with the window closing?"

"It's cold, dipshit," came the charming reply. That made sense; she hated the cold, though why she tended to choose short sleeves was beyond him -- more like Jace hated it but tried to let on that she didn't. The bed creaked as she sat down on it at the foot, in the dark, having clanked her way over.

"I know what you're doing," she said.

"Even with the lights off and the window closed, I see," he said. "That's astonishing. I never knew you could see in the dark before." Not that he had even budged from where he was earlier. He just didn't want to argue with her about his plans. Not in the dark. But something kept him from turning the lights on.

Somehow he knew that she was flashing him the middle finger in the dark; then she was doing something to her legs, as she gave a little hiss of a pain as something like a steam release sounded. Two heavy thud, thuds chorused on the floor, and the Jace that eased herself in next to him was much lighter than Jace should have been; no legs, though from the feel of it her thighs were capped with metal cylinders.

"I don't care, you know," she said, much too deliberately careless. "You can ******** off and become an ace attorney, I ain't standing in your way."

He stayed silent, not reacting to her words, but scooting over so she could lie next to him. "I want to make money," he said finally. "I can't make money going around killing people that are already dead." It was dangerous, being like this, but just as he couldn't force himself to get up and turn the lights on, he couldn't force himself to complain.

"What the hell do you need money for?" she said, obviously taking the tack that he could just grow up and live in Jack's house and Jack would expand; not that he would ever have the urge to grow up and move out, that -- just as Beatrix said -- he would fall into the circle of being an exorcist forever and ever, ekeing out an existence that way. "I know you're not the family type, retard. What do you want? A big house? A car? We can knock over a bank."

"And of course, they'll never see me," he said with a laugh. "No, I want to not live off of my uncle's generosity forever. Even if Father's paying rent now. And I want to see what I can accomplish."

He could feel her heat next to him. "There's nothing here for me, you realize."

That netted him a long silence; they lay there in the dark, side by side, her sharing space on the other end of the pillow. Eventually, quite evenly, she said: "You seriously think that."

Which wasn't a resounding <******** you!, but considering Jace it might've been. It was half a question, half not.

"Do you know what it's like," he asked suddenly, "being an exorcist child in a household of a magician? It doesn't make you special. It makes you quite typical. A cliche. No one would expect anything more out of me." He smirked ever so slightly into the dark. "And of course I have a few friends, but I'm sure you'll all be fine for the seven or so years it takes me to get my degrees."

A short silence again. Her voice was still pretty even, almost flip, when she said: "You and me are how old? A year? Could be dead by then, dillweed, while you're off playing Doogie Howser or whatever. Whatever," she repeated again, and he felt rather than saw her turn her cheek into the pillow, "I know you don't need me, man. It's Iggy who's going to be sobbing into six quilts. You better goddamn tell him, you know."

He was silent. "It's true," he said. "That's the thing that gets me the most. How short are our lives? How long do I have to accomplish everything I want to?" He turned, dropping an arm around her. "I don't want to die just a few years after being born. Not without accomplishing something first."

She didn't flinch into his arm, but didn't tuck into his embrace, either; just lay there on the bed, ostensibly staring up sightlessly at the ceiling. "Yeah, yeah," she said restlessly. "You sound just like Irelia. One day I'm probably gonna marry that girl," she added, and it sounded like a joke, just -- "You're so obsessed with crap like that. I'd be like -- saving the world is an accomplishment, being a lawyer is like, oh hell yeah, I have spent a couple years being so boring it is like a disease."

"So you love Irelia?" he asked calmly. "I shouldn't be surprised."

"Don't ask me s**t like that," she said restlessly, "what the hell would you know."

There was surprisingly little aggression or accusation in her words, just -- Jace sounded part impatient, part nearly something like forlorn, diminished and subdued. "What the hell would you know anyway," she repeated, "you're probably going to gay marry Delilah."

"The last I checked, Delilah was a girl," he said. He was subdued, holding her yet feeling so far from this scene. It was as if his body and his mind were in two different places. "Jace," he said blandly. "I love you, you know. It is quite irritating, I might add."

"I love you too, but you can't have my Bud Lite," she said; either she was deflecting on purpose, or she hadn't read anything into his words. The girl next to him didn't sound as though she was going to mouth off about him being gay, or make any number of her usual jokes about him and homo sex, or whichever -- just shifted her head on the pillow again. Her arm went up over his shoulder; Jace's dexterous fingers were fiddling with his hairtie, easing it off his usual greyblue-silk ponytail of hair. "Or my Twix."

"I'm going on vacation on the thirteenth," he told her. "Come with me. I doubt Father would mind if you joined us."

"Of course he wouldn't, your dad's into me," Jace said. Her fingers were combing out his hair in the darkness, tangling through his long Pantene mane, the callous of her thumb brushing over the nape of his neck. "I'm like his long-lost daughter and s**t, like you're the apple of M.B's eye. Like a parent swap."

"Exactly," he agreed. "There's going to be fighting competitions to watch," he said. "And gaming competitions, and food. Tons and tons of food, if Father's to be believed. It'll be entertaining. And it'd get you out of school for a week." He moved closer. "Come on, you know you want to," he whispered.

She didn't answer. Jacoba shimmied forward, hand sifting through his hair, and suddenly she was kissing him; her other hand moving down to rest on his hip, leaning forward in the dark, thankfully having not missed his mouth in the darkness. "Date Del," she said into his mouth, "gaywad," and kissed him again. Then she said a little incoherently: "C'mere, babe."

It was as good as saying she wouldn't come. But he didn't care. He kissed her back, letting his body have its way.

He would hate himself in the morning, he realized on that level that was still thinking. But...

Life was short for a cabbage kid.

"Welcome to Air Shade," Shade said to the group standing in Ze'zee's front yard. He noticed Antony and Chris looking at each other with a hint of amusement. "Some of you might not have expected others--"

"I expected him," Chris said. "Just wasn't looking forward to it."

"Thank you so much for the token of friendship, Christian," Antony drawled. He got a shamelessly toothy grin in reply.

"And others might still be wondering how we plan on getting to another planet by standing in your front yard," Shade went on. Behind him was a short ladder, waiting for him to walk up it.

"Yeah, actually," Aurora bluntly said. She didn't get the demo that her mother had, and thus didn't get it as well. Beside her were her bags; guitar and violin cases as well. She was so eager to see her grandparents in the flesh for the first time that she didn't even notice the looks.

More like, she was ignoring the looks that they always gave each other.

Ze'zee was doing a last minute check of the bags and her list, making sure nothing was missing.

"I," Shade said grandly, "happen to be an Ancient Dragon with the ability to open rifts to other worlds, or to anywhere, to be honest. And since transporting Chris would cost far too much in food checks alone, I thought the trip should be as short as possible."

He leaned down, touching the air with a finger and slitting through it as he walked up the steps. There, where there had been nothing, was now a rift that showed strange sights on the other side. "One at a time, please, no jostling, make sure all your things are--oh, forget it, just step on through."

Antony went first, walking through it as if he had done it a million times. Chris, on the other hand, just looked at the rift blankly.

"Woah, no way!" Rory grinned at the little rip and watched Antony walk away, into it, and on the other side. She walked around it a moment, just to make sure and saw nothing more than the normal other side of the yard. She then went back to gather up her things.

"Shade, any time you want a place to stay at Zard, let me know and I'll tell my parents," Ze said, walking through with her things.

"Come on, Chris. It's not going to bite you," Rory teased him, heading for the rift as well. Frankly, she didn't know if it would or not, but that didn't seem to matter to her.

Chris looked at Shade, his mind going to exactly where Shade hadn't wanted it to go. "You're dangerous," the starmaker said simply.

"Yeah," Shade admitted. "But you've known me all your life."

"Yeah," Chris said, and walked through the rift, stepping onto Zard. Shade stepped behind him and the rift disappeared, leaving a faint sense of energy before it was gone entirely.

"Wow, so this is Zard?" Rory said as she looked around the alien planet. Aside from the people walking around that looked like her mom and the heat, it didn't seem.. that different. There was definitely an air of 'difference' however. Like you just took a road trip someplace else, only without the cramped car ride. And it was.... warm. Very warm.

Ze'zee inhaled deeply, letting out a content sigh. "Home. I've missed the Zard heat! No more stupid snow!" she said happily, her thick, lizard tail gave a small swish as she looked around to get her barrings.

They got several second glances, even third glances, but Shade didn't seem to be bothered by that. It was only when two teenage zards noticed Chris that there was trouble. "It's ACHERON!!" the bellowed, racing towards them. Then they stopped. "Dude... weren't you a lot bigger?"

"He's not Acheron," Shade said. "He's just a kid."

Chris blinked.

"He's Christian," Rory added, looking at the boys just a little oddly. So this Acheron guy was supposed to be bigger? Did that mean that Chris would just keep on growing? Well, he was just a teenager....

"Hey, kids, can you tell me what street we're on?" Ze'zee asked the kids, deciding to use them to get more of an idea. She thought things looked familiar, however, she just wanted to make sure.

"We're on Posterly, lady," the kids said, looking at Chris again, as if he would grow suddenly and turn into their hero.

"Not too far from your parents', right?" Shade offered. "I figured we'd move in and go see the sights. The real entertainment doesn't begin until tomorrow, after all."

"Thanks," Ze said then looked at Shade. "Yep, right on target. That makes it a lot easier." She pulled out her cell to call her parents while leading them to their destination.

"What entertainment?" Rory asked, keeping close to Chris as they went.

His tail whipped back and forth with irritation as he noticed so many people staring at him. Well, at least they weren't running away screaming, he thought in order to try and calm himself. No, they were just comparing him to someone a million times cooler than him.

He wasn't sure which was worse.

"The mating day festivities," Shade said. "Fighting, eating, gaming, it's all there!" he added cheerfully. "And thanks to Chris and you being starmakers we won't have any trouble at all getting in!"

"Re--"

"What?!" Ze choked, looking back at Shade. "What do you mean the mating day festivities?? It's that time of year??"

"Mom...?" Rory asked, lifting a brow at her mom. She hadn't seen her this kind of panicked from her mom, ever. It was... odd.

"Why else would anyone come to Zard?" Shade asked. "It's a party like no other! If it wasn't for this, we'd all be on Carn, enjoying the carnival."

"I did like the carnival," Antony said mildly. "And I bet even Chris could fit on the rides because of the bear men."

"But there's a Hellspawn concert here," Chris said. "I want to see it."

Ze gave a small groan. She so didn't realize that this what -that time-. The time when those who were looking for a mate would go and watch others strut their stuff and-- She wasn't going to go with them. She couldn't. If she showed too much attention in anything, someone might get the wrong idea. She already had one bad fling! She didn't need something else!

"You okay?" Rory asked her mom, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine. Just surprised that I forgot, that's all," Ze said with a sigh. "Anyway, I'd better call the parents to let them know." Again, she brought up the phone, dialing it.

"Yeah..." Rory turned her attention to the other conversation then. She was worried about her mom... but what could she do to fix it. "The Carn fair?"

"We can go on Saturday, if you want," Shade said. "The concert will be on Friday, and it won't be much trouble just to rift over to Carn for a day of fun. But we should get back Sunday to recover for school."

Antony was shockingly quiet. He didn't even seem to be paying attention to the conversation, really. It was more like he was thinking of something a million miles away.

Chris glanced at him, then back at Ze'zee. Something was weird here. "You mean they're all flirting with each other?"

"Something like that," Ze answered him. "It's like a talent show. Showing off your skills and what you're good at to attract attention. Think of it like some birds, flashing their feathers to attract others."

Rory blinked at this idea. Was that what her mom was worried? Attracting someone? She didn't see why she should worry. Her mom was awesome! And talented and skilled and could cook-- She was also a teenager, so what was holding her mom back? Maybe they needed to just take her there and force her to check out others!

Chris looked at Rory, his mind jumping straight to the most important part according to him. "I don't like this idea," he muttered simply. And moved a bit closer to Rory with a dark, forbidding expression on his face.

"Trust me, kid, nobody's going to try and steal your girl," Shade said, patting him on the shoulder. "Everyone knows what a starmaker female looks like by now. If they don't, I'm sure you're more than enough to clue them in."

"She's not--"

"So, we'll be able to meet these other starmakers?" Rory cut in, before Chris could deny it. She wasn't about to give him the chance to do that.

"Besides, Chris, Zard's typically never go for anyone outside the race. You all look way to weird," Ze told them seriously. "So, you don't have to worry about someone thinking you're taking 'special' interest in them, or them taking 'special' interest in you."

"Not like Ze!" Shade said, grinning at her. "Ze's prime mate material around here. Bright healthy colors, just the right age, good body, yeah, she's going to be... appreciated." Then he grinned at Rory, not giving Ze the chance to reply. "We sure are. It's yet another reason I brought you two with us!"

"So we could meet him, or so you could?" Chris asked.

"Both!" Shade said.

They headed out the door and down the street. Unsurprisingly, there were others headed in the same direction. "I suppose now is as good a time to tell you as any," Antony said as they walked. He had his hands in his pockets and a slightly worried look on his face.

"I doubt we want to hear it," Chris muttered, getting a strange feeling in his gut. He probably didn't want to hear it, whatever it was.

"Whatever it is, it should be fine, though. You can tell us," Rory said more encouraging. She had placed herself between the two boys as they walked down the street. This way nether one of them would suddenly attack the other. She hoped. But naaa, they never got to that point.

"Well," Antony said slowly. "For a while I was worrying that I wouldn't have a very long life," he admitted. "With the speed that cabbage kids grow at, I figured there was a chance I would be old long before my time. You two didn't have to worry about that, though."

"Because we're starmakers," Chris said.

"Exactly."

Oh... so... he knew? "Though.. we probably wont live as long as normal starmakers.. and everyone we know now wont be around when we're old, either..." she added more somberly. That was a fact she was having to get used too, still.

"Not exactly," Antony said. Then he stopped talking, just walked on.

"Would you spit it out already?" Chris demanded once the silence started to grate on him.

"Well it seems that I'm not quite human," Antony admitted. "I should have probably realized it when various body parts started disappearing for no reason..."

"Okay... so, what are you then?" she asked after a moment, curious as to what he meant. Maybe there would be one person who'd at least be around too!

"I'm a hybrid reaper," he said. "A shinigami, a death god, the angel of death, there's tons of names you can call it. At least, that's what Thanatos told me. And it does make sense, considering how he was trying to train me."

"You're death?" Chris asked. "You're just annoying."

"Thanatos? That's the guy Wisp can see, but I can't, right?" she asked instead. "So... that means you're like a living ghost. That also means you'll be around longer than others, right? Like us?"

"It seems so," he admitted. "Which is why I'm afraid you won't be getting rid of me anytime soon. You two and my father are the only ones I know that will live longer than I will. Or at least longer than the physical half of me."

Chris was silent. There wasn't anything he could say, really.

"That.. that actually makes me feel better," Rory admitted, smiling as she did. "I was worried that everyone that I knew as going to vanish. But... at least some will be around."

Then she gave Antony a hug. he needed one, it seemed at least to her. Never mind was hugging a guy other than Chris in front of Chris. But Antony was a friend, and friends could have hugs too.

Chris reached out, gently untangling her from the other male and hauling her back to his side. "Hug time is over, thank you."

Antony was too stunned to say anything. Rory had the HUGEST breasts—

"What, you want a hug too?" Rory winked teasingly, then wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug as well.

She had no clue what was going through Antony's mind.

"Not in public," Chris muttered, untangling from her before his body could react more. As it was he was glad he walked on all fours and wore extremely baggy jeans.

So soft, Antony thought. So big and soft and-- A tail whapped him upside the back of his head, almost knocking him onto his face.

"Yeah yeah, you brat," Rory teased him again before looking to the stumbling Antony. "You okay? What happened?" She so missed the blur of black that had hit the blue boy, since her attention was on Chris.

"Ah, nothing," Antony said, rubbing the back of his head with a wince. "I just learned the limitations." They were to the fair by this point and he looked around for a map. There weren't many outsiders there, so he wasn't sure there would be a map to look at.

"Bout damn time," Chris muttered, pulling out a cigar and lighting up.

Rory gave Chris a thump, but said nothing. "So, think we should just walk around? We'll probably find things that way," she suggested, not sure there would be a map either. "Wish mom had come... Then we would need a map, or to wonder around..."

They got several interested looks, or at least Chris and Rory did. And they had a few people ask to take their pictures as well as they headed through the crowd. "To tell the truth," Antony said as a little girl bugged Rory into getting her picture taken with her, "you wouldn't have been able to do much date-like here anyway."

"I meant," Chris said. "That it's not a date between you and Rory."

Antony had the balls to laugh at that.

Rory didn't mind at all, taking pictures like this. She had figured out that she and Chris couldn't have had a date anyway, with all this going on.

"There you are!" Ze said from out in the crowd. She made her way over to the teens, looking just a bit flustered.

"Mom? What are you doing here?" Rory asked as she stood up.

"Well... your grandma more or less ordered me to come, and be your guide. There aren't maps for the fair, since it's a local thing," she explained. "So, where do you want to go first?" All she had to do was just -not- pay attention to anyone.

"The fighting, Ms. Zee," Antony said, ignoring the irritated and confused look on Chris's face.

"Fighting, right... That's over here," Ze said, starting to lead the group. "What have you been up too?"

"Pictures! They want pictures with Chris and I. Probably because of what we are," Rory said, walking with her mother, apart from the boys now.

"It seems that no matter what planet he's on, Chris still gets surrounded by beautiful women," Antony said, shaking his head as they walked.

"Shuddup," Chris managed to mutter.

"There were also boys, you know," Rory added over her shoulder. "And little kids."

Ze snickered and shook her head as they came to the fighting zone. There were rings set up with crowds around them, watching what was going on. And there were many, many warrior Zards around. With them, you could see the difference between Ze'zee, and a warrior Zard. Their plates were sharper and stronger looking.

Chris was completely distracted. His cigar threatened to fall from his lips. "This," he said, "is going to be so cool."

"Yes," Antony said. "Yes it is."