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Hari flew her way, slowly but surely, torward the shop. Something had happened, the young feien wouldn't talk, and weither or not it was due to an actual event or Ryuusei's overactive mood swings where still up to debate, and this would be the only way she could figure it out.
The first thing she spotted was a familiar purple figure, but then she was the crying juvenile, and she landed, croutching beside him.
"Shhhh, boy..."Well, this wasn't looking pretty at all.
Simon sighed, furrowing his brow. "Not particularly. I suppose the ratio of unhappy feien is about equal to the ratio of unhappy humans? It's impossible to please everyone. I think the most unfortunate feien are the ones that you never see coming around here. Very little can be done about that. It's their own choice to not involve themselves with others of their kind, or the choices of their bonds."
Driesan mouthed something unintelligable, coughed, and started panting again - trying to get his breath back. For him, it wasn't an easy thing to accomplish. Tears still streamed down his face, and he was shaking badly.
Aleric sighed, finally reaching out and touching the boy's shoulder, trying to calm him. "Hello, Hari. We seem to have a distraught friend here." He said, not very good at this comforting thing. "Shh, boy, try to focus on your breathing. Everything will be okay."
A lie, most likely. But he liked to believe it.
"Perhaps you should back away and allow him room to breathe, as he seems to be straining for air," Gaius pointed out mildly. He then returned to quietly sitting, three eyes blinking in an eerily uneven sequence.
"That will never be my choice." she replied softly, holding the leaf closely again.
He had a point... Hari backed to the other end of the windowhill, but still close enough to give assistance.
"Oh, I believe I have two of them, but this one's problems seems to be a little more urgent than Ryuusei's." Her eyes did not leave him, worry apparent on her face.
"That's good to hear." Simon looked over at the window sill, recognizing Aleric. "Would you perhaps like to meet some of the other feien? You might be seeing more of them in the near future."
"Of course! It's already been wonderful to meet you." she replied, glancing to follow Simon's gaze to the others she'd politely tried not to overhear. Tiny sobs, but impossible to block out.
"Until he has calmed he will not be able to breathe." Aleric said, reminded of how he had almost drowned earlier. He glanced over at the three eyed boy curiously. "And you are?"
He starts to calm - to swallow. A good sign - means he's able to pause from panting long enough to do it. He was still crying, a little, but he was starting to calm down. He rose to his hands and knees, almost shocked, and slumped into a sitting position. Simon. This was all Simon's fault...
Well, that was an improvement...
"Shhh, boy. Yes, that's good, please calm down... Then you can tell us what happened, maybe ? But calm down, first..."
"Gaius. Might I add that it is never wise to crowd a hysteric, as you may only fuel the condition."
Gaius has, of course, made the conclusion that the sobbing feien was a hysteric. What other reason could there be for carrying on as such? Gaius found it to be most puzzling.
Simon led Tara over towards the windowsill, taking stock of the sobbing feien with vague interest, but more interested in the three-eyed juvenile and the two Ancients. He nodded to Aleric.
"I doubt he is a hysteric." Aleric said, noting the way the boy calmed after a second. Then he glanced up as Simon approached, a slight smile pulling at his lips. "Hello, Simon. It's nice to see you again."
Gaius' attention was drawn by the appearance of a large person - he assumed it was a human - and another feien. He cocked his head towards them, but his third eye remained locked on Aleric, lest he speak again. "What's that?" he asked politely, pointing to the glasses sitting on Simon's nose. He had seen an eyepatch, but never something like those...
Hari did not notice Simon right at the moment, her worry was on the crying boy, and the protective side of her personality taking over. She was about to speak when Aleric did for her, and she found herself glad, being able to keep full attention on Driesan just in case something happened.
"Yourself as well," nodded Simon. He gestured towards Tara. "This is..." Then he realized he had not only forgotten to find out this human's name, he had also forgotten to introduce himself! He turned red and stammered to Tara, "I'm sorry, I forgot to say, I'm Simon, the shop owner. This is Aleric."
"Doubt is relatively meaningless in the long run. If you are certain he isn't a hysteric, then you are certain, but I invest little faith in 'doubt.' " Gaius replied coldly, and losing interest quickly in Aleric focused his third eye solidly on Simon.
"Ah, these?" said Simon, torn momentarily away from the introductions. He raised his hands to his face. "They're my glasses."
The division of Gaius's eyes was unnerving, to say the least.
"What purpose do they serve?" he asked, face grave. "Glasses" was an entirely new term to him, and while he could make assumptions as to their function, he found it easier to base things on fact rather than inferences.
"They help me see," said Simon, his own eyes flickering towards Tara's glasses. He offered a smile to Gaius for the interest.
"I'm Tara. Heh....it's all right, Simon, you've got a lot on your mind, here." she said gently. "What happened here...?"
He finally got his breathing back under control. His eyes narrowed. There was only so far one could be "nice" to someone else. And Simon had just pushed that limit. Drie remained sitting, calming himself further, trying not to let anger consume him.
"What a marvelous invention," Gaius replied sincerely. Something that allowed people to see? How brilliant. Gaius' eyes - all three of them - were in perfect working condition, perhaps even better than some, but maybe these glasses would be able to improve them even further...
Hm. A thought to ponder. Gaius felt wonderfully sated, and returned to staring unblinkingly at Simon, as he was prone to do.
Hari simpely sat.
"Are you going to be allright ?" She asked, her voice stil tinted with worry.
Aleric glanced over at Hari, sure that she would be able to handle anything that might happen, then stood, stepping forward. He ignored the three eyed child, deciding that Simon was now the boy's focus, and bowed slightly to Tara.
"We are not quite sure, honestly. He hasn't told us." Aleric said. "As Simon said, I'm Aleric, my bondmate is Ice Queen. And you are?"
"Tara. And it's good to meet you too, Aleric." she replied softly. Her eyes were drawn back to the distraught Feien. She hated seeing anyone unhappy, and this one was keenly so.
Driesan stood without saying a word, having completely caught his breath now. His eyes were murderous. He still said nothing, but turned to glare daggers at Simon - whether the other could see the glare or not.
The constantly roving yellow eye did, however, notice the icy look.
"You seem upset." Gaius concluded. Very good, Gaius. Pat on the back. "Perhaps you should go outside and take a deep breath? I am told that helps." he offered helpfully.
Simon looked at Gaius. "Are you perhaps one of the offspring from Ares and Arturo?" he asked.
"A pleasure to meet you as well, Tara." Aleric replied calmly. He glanced over at Hari, then paused, distracted by the look on Driesan's eyes. He followed the look, glancing over at Simon. A slight frown pulled at his lips as he tried to figure out how to calm the oncoming problem.
Gaius' attention snapped back to Simon with a smooth sideways glance. "I am, though I have not met Ares herself. I'm assuming you're familiar with one of them?"
"Fine, have your way..." Well, as long as he wasn't choking, then she could hope the worst had passed, which was all that mattered, really.
"Now if I could have a lead on what's going on, that would be nice." She mumbeled.
He said nothing, but launched himself into the air, and towards Simon, drawing back a fist to attempt to land a punch in the vicinity of his jaw. It took a LOT to get Driesan mad. A lot. And apparently Driesan was now furious. Angry enough to fight.
Simon nodded. "I know Arturo fairly well." In Simon's book, fairly well meant he had spoken with Arturo more than two times. He wasn't exactly renowned for his social prowess.
Driesan wasn't very fast, though, and Simon saw the punch. He could have dodged, but he was too shocked and merely braced himself. The impact sent his head to the side but did little else. He didn't even budge in the air.
Aleric let out an uncharacteristic curse, chasing after the boy and grabbing for him after the punch landed.
Well, so much for THAT.
She didn't act in time to stop the first punch, but she managed to grap him before he could attempt another.
"Calm DOWN." She hissed, not mad but damn well intending to be listened to, holding him back as hard as she could while not hurting him. "I am not letting you go till you do. This can happen the easy way or the hard way, You decide."
A fight was unfolding in front of his eyes and for a split second Gaius found himself somewhat surprised by the seemingly unprovoked nature of the violence. But his mind quickly calculated the best manner in which to react, and concluded that it was best to prevent further violence.
So Gaius sprung into the air and, clumsily but firmly, managed to wrap his arms around Driesan's torso, thus locking the feien's arms at his side. It made flying difficult to keep up, however, and Gaius scowled in spite of himself.
"Perhaps we should go outside," he insisted, a bit of urgency edging into his normally emotionless voice. The nice purple feien seemed more shocked than angry, but he did not want to see matters escalate further.
Drie struggled with the one holding him, wildly squirming, and trying to get free. He was screaming, words directed at Simon.
"What the hell did my father ever do to you, huh? What did he do to that b***h that she didn't deserve?! She was trying to FORCE us to leave our bonds. He protected us! And what do you do!? You ******** BAN him from the very people he was trying to protect!? WHY?! Why, dammit!?"
Simon blinked. He had his hand to his cheek, rubbing the area, but there was no real pain to it. He seemed ot be having some trouble organizing his words. At last he croaked out, "Forced?" He wasn't there. It was hard for him to be certain. But as he understood it, no one had been forced to leave their bond. They had simply been given the option.
Aleric moved, seeing the other two grabbing the boy, and set himself where he could easily move between the two. He said nothing though, allowing Simon to answer for himself.
Gaius was right. The feien was a complete and utter hysteric. More amused by the situation as the seconds ticked by, Gaius gave Driesan a small squeeze, knuckles driving ever so slightly into his stomach. Not enough to hurt, but enough to make one feel mildly uncomfortable.
"Easy," he muttered, wings flapping wildly to keep him and the other feien aloft. "You are behaving foolishly."
After a moment, Simon managed, "Unless she physically picked you out of the air or told you to leave or she would kill you, I believe the forceful party was the person I asked to leave." Who, he was beginning to think, was a very bad influence indeed, if this was the sort of violence he was teaching his feien.
This only made Hari more confused about whatever the heck was going on, really... but at least it seemed like no more violence would happen as long as they kept him in place.
"The person you asked to leave was my damned FATHER."
He started struggling wildly again, not enjoying the pressure against his stomach.
"All Xander was trying to do was protect us! He was trying to protect us! The woman made the offer. And then she told all the Bonds that they'd regret not taking advantage of this! That's when I grew terrified - and Xander got pissed off - just like a bunch of the other Bonds. The only thing "wrong" with Xander was that he had the GUTS to threaten her if she didn't leave!"
Simon took a deep breath. "A threat requires no courage," he said slowly. "A threat is a function of cowardice. A truly courageous and strong person does not need to threaten another, for they are confident enough in their own abilities." He fell silent once more.
"Excuse me, sir," Gaius called out over Driesan's rant. "But perhaps you should leave, for a bit, while this feien regains his wits. Clearly your presence is upsetting him, and since you seem to possess a better grip on the situation, it is probably best you go. This one appears most unstable."
Curious curious curious! Who was this Xander? Was he a feien also if he was this strange feien's father? Gaius felt no connections to his father himself - Arturo was almost as distant as Gaius - and was surprised to see such a strong bond cropping up. Clearly it led to silly things. Gaius was glad he was not influenced by such a bond.
Aleric sighed, realizing that neither would give on the subject. "Maybe we should take a second to calm down before we continue with this discussion." He said quietly, his tone calm.
He fell silent, and his eyes dropped to gaze at the floor, then closed.
"Let me go."
It wasn't an inquisition, or a request - it was a direct order.
"Let me go. Now. I won't hurt him."
Simon removed his glasses and pondered them gravely, turning the little wireframes over in his hands. Perhaps he should leave. Perhaps he should address this feien's anger, assuming the attempt wouldn't be futile. Which was the better choice?
With a frown, Simon slipped his glasses back on and crossed his arms with a humming noise, halfway drawn into his own thoughts. He wasn't entirely certain of Driesan's mental state. Attacking another feien without provocation, or the flimsiest of self-justification... that was really a sort of Corvus thing.
He fixed Driesan with a level stare and nodded to Gaius and Hari to release the juvenile. Simon decided to take his chances. He was faster, assuming that charge of Driesan's had been done at full speed. He could dodge if he needed to. Besides, it was his shop. That was a good argument towards not leaving.
Gaius was impervious to the firmness of Driesan's words, but released him anyway in order to maintain flight. He was glad to be rid of him, really. He did not enjoy the sensation of touch; not that he was opposed to it really, he just found it to be something he wouldn't want voluntarily.
With a shrug, Gaius drifted back to the windowsill, commencing his usual sit-and-stare activities.
Hari pondered for a moment.... but let go, while seemingly ready to grap again should he attempt. And beside, the 3-eyed juvenile seemed to be enough to restain him if need was.
"A threat was made." Aleric said, looking at Driesan. "Don't try to say otherwise, I was there. And if the shop owner feels it necessary to ban your owner from the shop, you have no choice but to go with that." His tone was calm, even slightly sympathetic. "He is not taking you away from your bond, nor is he threatening your relationship. Or attacking either of you physically."
His tone was calm, but he was ready for an attack. Living with Silva it was stupid not to be.
Simon kept still, watching Driesan for any sign of violence. There was a vaguely unapologetic air about him. he seemed ot be waiting for Driesan to talk.
He shrugged off both sets of hands holding him, and landed on the sil, still looking down - it was obvious that he was trying to keep his cool.
"He is not my -owner-, he is my -father-, and I'd appreciate it if you -treated- him as such. And now, if you -please-, I have a novel to finish writing."
He muttered something that suspciously sounded like "******** you, Simon", and picked his manuscript - miniscule though it was - from where he'd dropped it on the sill. That done, he made his slow way over to where the shelves were - not trying to move fast, and seated himself on one of them, flipping to a new page, and writing furiously.
Simon looked at Aleric. Despite the fact Simon had been around some eleven or twelve months longer than the reborn ancient, he seemed to be wearing an expression that just begged for advice. He also seemed to be not much interested in offering up a new start in the conversation: he hung in the air mutely and waited for some sort of a sign as to what he should do next.
Hari, likewise, seemed pretty lost, but was begining to piece pieces together to come to some kind of understanding, since visibely not a soul would bother explaining it. But what did all of this have to do with Ryuusei coming back upset ? Bahhh....
"He needs time to cool off." Aleric said softly, intending only those closest to him to hear. "He seems quite offended by the banning, even though it wasn't his own."
Aleric decided it was probably a good time to change the subject, allowing the blue feien something new to think of. "Have you made any progress with the letter?"
"Now, if one of you could explain me what in the living hells is going on, then it would be VERY nice."
"Oh, yes," remarked Simon, surprised. "Cleared the whole thing up by the next day. It was for Djerod, just as I thought. He offered some advice to Ms. Adams, she found a feien to go with her, and went back to where she came from. It turned out to be a minor matter, really."
"A... month ago we had a woman interested in trading feien come and visit. Some of the bonds took offense to the idea, and an... argument occured. The male that the boy considers his father got... defensive, and threatened the woman. Because of that he has been banned from the shop." Aleric explained calmly, looking at Hari.
Then he looked at Simon, a slight smile pulling at his lips. "Perhaps we should spread word that the matter has been resolved, then."
Simon realized he had dropped the roll of paper when he was punched and swooped down to the floor to pick it back up. "When the man threatened her, he wouldn't give his name," he said, "so she drew this picture." He unfurled the paper to reveal the photo-perfect portrait of an angry Xander.
"Perhaps we should, but I've been told to expect another representative from where Cerratine hails in a few days." Simon sounded a bit put-out by the subject.
Ahhh, FINALLY. ...Still had no link with the younger feien. Can't win em all.
"Thank you." Her face turned pensive. "...Was Ryuusei present during that, Aleric ? Do you remember ? She came home huffing and wouldn't say a thing at all."
"I wasn't here for the banning, actually. But she was here for the argument... and she might have been offended by the banning if she was here at the time." He looked thoughtful, thinking of the the yellow feien in question. "Was that the other problem?"
He glanced over at Simon, still not knowing how to respond to that statement. "Then nothing has been resolved after all..." He replied softly, nodding. "Can another be found as easily as the last?"
"Sounds like quite a matter at hand... And she might have been. Expecially if the boy happen to be her friend... She's very... emotionnal." Hari shook her head a little, untangeling bangs from her hairs. "It may get her hurt someday."
"I suppose it depends," said Simon. He shrugged. "It wasn't particularly easy for Ms. Adams to locate a feien interested in going with her. It might be easier now that a feien has actually come from that place... which I think is the problem..." Simon dissolved into inaudible mumbles.
"It won't with you looking out for her." Aleric said firmly.
He turned, nodding at Simon's comment. "I hope you're right. To keep those who are not willing to go from worrying, that is."
"They have the choice, that's all," said Simon ruefully. "The rules of the arrangement prohibit anyone being forced."
"There are thing I cannot protect her from, Aleric." Hari hated to admit it, but it was true. "...And mistakes she will need to make in order to learn. I hope she has at least learn something from tonight... And I do hope things go smoothly. I don't think she might show up in the shop again soon, so parhaps she will not be present when this other representent comes."
"But it would take calm thinking to understand or even bother to learn that fact." Aleric said. "As much as it pains me to say it, I have not met many feien that have those... skills. In fact the only two I know are standing right here."
He turned to Hari, reaching for her hand. "Things will work out. And she'll learn. She's still young. But I should be going. My own bond might get worried."
"Indeed. It was nice to see you again, Aleric," said Simon, and looked at Hari, wondering what her name was.
"I doubt she will ever... but she'll learn a little, at least. We all do." She took the offered hand. "I should as well, if only to make sure everything is allright. Not that I am too worried... Ryuusei seems more prone to brooding and words than actual violence." She turned to Simon. "I apologize if she has insulted you, and I hope you can forgive her. I think she's going trough a though time... There are dozen of questions in her head, I know for a fact."
"You as well, Simon." He gave them both a slight smile, before turning to Hari. "We'll have to play another game of soccer next time we meet, Hari. Ryuusei told me you've been practicing." He squeezed her hand slightly before letting go and taking to the air.
"Certainly not," said Simon instantly, "and I understand. It wasn't my intent to upset her or..." He looked over towards the shelves where Driesan was writing. "... Driesan. Merely a matter I was obligated to see through, I owe it to the person who requested it."
"I am sure that she will understand this in time." The ancient nodded. Then she chimed. "It keeps me busy !" She grinned.
"Oh, I don't believe we've been properly introduced ?" She remembered, right before she took off in the air. "My name is Hari. I hope to see you again soon. Until then, stay well."
And with this, she took off, but would probably have enough time to hear Simon's answer, since her flying was slow.
Aleric nodded, then flew out the door, ready to go home.
"Yourself as well," Simon said after her, rolling up the drawing again. Now that its purpose was completed, he could tuck it away in one of the office drawers. He floated past the shelves and into the back office. Those resupply orders wouldn't write themselves!
The first thing she spotted was a familiar purple figure, but then she was the crying juvenile, and she landed, croutching beside him.
"Shhhh, boy..."Well, this wasn't looking pretty at all.
Simon sighed, furrowing his brow. "Not particularly. I suppose the ratio of unhappy feien is about equal to the ratio of unhappy humans? It's impossible to please everyone. I think the most unfortunate feien are the ones that you never see coming around here. Very little can be done about that. It's their own choice to not involve themselves with others of their kind, or the choices of their bonds."
Driesan mouthed something unintelligable, coughed, and started panting again - trying to get his breath back. For him, it wasn't an easy thing to accomplish. Tears still streamed down his face, and he was shaking badly.
Aleric sighed, finally reaching out and touching the boy's shoulder, trying to calm him. "Hello, Hari. We seem to have a distraught friend here." He said, not very good at this comforting thing. "Shh, boy, try to focus on your breathing. Everything will be okay."
A lie, most likely. But he liked to believe it.
"Perhaps you should back away and allow him room to breathe, as he seems to be straining for air," Gaius pointed out mildly. He then returned to quietly sitting, three eyes blinking in an eerily uneven sequence.
"That will never be my choice." she replied softly, holding the leaf closely again.
He had a point... Hari backed to the other end of the windowhill, but still close enough to give assistance.
"Oh, I believe I have two of them, but this one's problems seems to be a little more urgent than Ryuusei's." Her eyes did not leave him, worry apparent on her face.
"That's good to hear." Simon looked over at the window sill, recognizing Aleric. "Would you perhaps like to meet some of the other feien? You might be seeing more of them in the near future."
"Of course! It's already been wonderful to meet you." she replied, glancing to follow Simon's gaze to the others she'd politely tried not to overhear. Tiny sobs, but impossible to block out.
"Until he has calmed he will not be able to breathe." Aleric said, reminded of how he had almost drowned earlier. He glanced over at the three eyed boy curiously. "And you are?"
He starts to calm - to swallow. A good sign - means he's able to pause from panting long enough to do it. He was still crying, a little, but he was starting to calm down. He rose to his hands and knees, almost shocked, and slumped into a sitting position. Simon. This was all Simon's fault...
Well, that was an improvement...
"Shhh, boy. Yes, that's good, please calm down... Then you can tell us what happened, maybe ? But calm down, first..."
"Gaius. Might I add that it is never wise to crowd a hysteric, as you may only fuel the condition."
Gaius has, of course, made the conclusion that the sobbing feien was a hysteric. What other reason could there be for carrying on as such? Gaius found it to be most puzzling.
Simon led Tara over towards the windowsill, taking stock of the sobbing feien with vague interest, but more interested in the three-eyed juvenile and the two Ancients. He nodded to Aleric.
"I doubt he is a hysteric." Aleric said, noting the way the boy calmed after a second. Then he glanced up as Simon approached, a slight smile pulling at his lips. "Hello, Simon. It's nice to see you again."
Gaius' attention was drawn by the appearance of a large person - he assumed it was a human - and another feien. He cocked his head towards them, but his third eye remained locked on Aleric, lest he speak again. "What's that?" he asked politely, pointing to the glasses sitting on Simon's nose. He had seen an eyepatch, but never something like those...
Hari did not notice Simon right at the moment, her worry was on the crying boy, and the protective side of her personality taking over. She was about to speak when Aleric did for her, and she found herself glad, being able to keep full attention on Driesan just in case something happened.
"Yourself as well," nodded Simon. He gestured towards Tara. "This is..." Then he realized he had not only forgotten to find out this human's name, he had also forgotten to introduce himself! He turned red and stammered to Tara, "I'm sorry, I forgot to say, I'm Simon, the shop owner. This is Aleric."
"Doubt is relatively meaningless in the long run. If you are certain he isn't a hysteric, then you are certain, but I invest little faith in 'doubt.' " Gaius replied coldly, and losing interest quickly in Aleric focused his third eye solidly on Simon.
"Ah, these?" said Simon, torn momentarily away from the introductions. He raised his hands to his face. "They're my glasses."
The division of Gaius's eyes was unnerving, to say the least.
"What purpose do they serve?" he asked, face grave. "Glasses" was an entirely new term to him, and while he could make assumptions as to their function, he found it easier to base things on fact rather than inferences.
"They help me see," said Simon, his own eyes flickering towards Tara's glasses. He offered a smile to Gaius for the interest.
"I'm Tara. Heh....it's all right, Simon, you've got a lot on your mind, here." she said gently. "What happened here...?"
He finally got his breathing back under control. His eyes narrowed. There was only so far one could be "nice" to someone else. And Simon had just pushed that limit. Drie remained sitting, calming himself further, trying not to let anger consume him.
"What a marvelous invention," Gaius replied sincerely. Something that allowed people to see? How brilliant. Gaius' eyes - all three of them - were in perfect working condition, perhaps even better than some, but maybe these glasses would be able to improve them even further...
Hm. A thought to ponder. Gaius felt wonderfully sated, and returned to staring unblinkingly at Simon, as he was prone to do.
Hari simpely sat.
"Are you going to be allright ?" She asked, her voice stil tinted with worry.
Aleric glanced over at Hari, sure that she would be able to handle anything that might happen, then stood, stepping forward. He ignored the three eyed child, deciding that Simon was now the boy's focus, and bowed slightly to Tara.
"We are not quite sure, honestly. He hasn't told us." Aleric said. "As Simon said, I'm Aleric, my bondmate is Ice Queen. And you are?"
"Tara. And it's good to meet you too, Aleric." she replied softly. Her eyes were drawn back to the distraught Feien. She hated seeing anyone unhappy, and this one was keenly so.
Driesan stood without saying a word, having completely caught his breath now. His eyes were murderous. He still said nothing, but turned to glare daggers at Simon - whether the other could see the glare or not.
The constantly roving yellow eye did, however, notice the icy look.
"You seem upset." Gaius concluded. Very good, Gaius. Pat on the back. "Perhaps you should go outside and take a deep breath? I am told that helps." he offered helpfully.
Simon looked at Gaius. "Are you perhaps one of the offspring from Ares and Arturo?" he asked.
"A pleasure to meet you as well, Tara." Aleric replied calmly. He glanced over at Hari, then paused, distracted by the look on Driesan's eyes. He followed the look, glancing over at Simon. A slight frown pulled at his lips as he tried to figure out how to calm the oncoming problem.
Gaius' attention snapped back to Simon with a smooth sideways glance. "I am, though I have not met Ares herself. I'm assuming you're familiar with one of them?"
"Fine, have your way..." Well, as long as he wasn't choking, then she could hope the worst had passed, which was all that mattered, really.
"Now if I could have a lead on what's going on, that would be nice." She mumbeled.
He said nothing, but launched himself into the air, and towards Simon, drawing back a fist to attempt to land a punch in the vicinity of his jaw. It took a LOT to get Driesan mad. A lot. And apparently Driesan was now furious. Angry enough to fight.
Simon nodded. "I know Arturo fairly well." In Simon's book, fairly well meant he had spoken with Arturo more than two times. He wasn't exactly renowned for his social prowess.
Driesan wasn't very fast, though, and Simon saw the punch. He could have dodged, but he was too shocked and merely braced himself. The impact sent his head to the side but did little else. He didn't even budge in the air.
Aleric let out an uncharacteristic curse, chasing after the boy and grabbing for him after the punch landed.
Well, so much for THAT.
She didn't act in time to stop the first punch, but she managed to grap him before he could attempt another.
"Calm DOWN." She hissed, not mad but damn well intending to be listened to, holding him back as hard as she could while not hurting him. "I am not letting you go till you do. This can happen the easy way or the hard way, You decide."
A fight was unfolding in front of his eyes and for a split second Gaius found himself somewhat surprised by the seemingly unprovoked nature of the violence. But his mind quickly calculated the best manner in which to react, and concluded that it was best to prevent further violence.
So Gaius sprung into the air and, clumsily but firmly, managed to wrap his arms around Driesan's torso, thus locking the feien's arms at his side. It made flying difficult to keep up, however, and Gaius scowled in spite of himself.
"Perhaps we should go outside," he insisted, a bit of urgency edging into his normally emotionless voice. The nice purple feien seemed more shocked than angry, but he did not want to see matters escalate further.
Drie struggled with the one holding him, wildly squirming, and trying to get free. He was screaming, words directed at Simon.
"What the hell did my father ever do to you, huh? What did he do to that b***h that she didn't deserve?! She was trying to FORCE us to leave our bonds. He protected us! And what do you do!? You ******** BAN him from the very people he was trying to protect!? WHY?! Why, dammit!?"
Simon blinked. He had his hand to his cheek, rubbing the area, but there was no real pain to it. He seemed ot be having some trouble organizing his words. At last he croaked out, "Forced?" He wasn't there. It was hard for him to be certain. But as he understood it, no one had been forced to leave their bond. They had simply been given the option.
Aleric moved, seeing the other two grabbing the boy, and set himself where he could easily move between the two. He said nothing though, allowing Simon to answer for himself.
Gaius was right. The feien was a complete and utter hysteric. More amused by the situation as the seconds ticked by, Gaius gave Driesan a small squeeze, knuckles driving ever so slightly into his stomach. Not enough to hurt, but enough to make one feel mildly uncomfortable.
"Easy," he muttered, wings flapping wildly to keep him and the other feien aloft. "You are behaving foolishly."
After a moment, Simon managed, "Unless she physically picked you out of the air or told you to leave or she would kill you, I believe the forceful party was the person I asked to leave." Who, he was beginning to think, was a very bad influence indeed, if this was the sort of violence he was teaching his feien.
This only made Hari more confused about whatever the heck was going on, really... but at least it seemed like no more violence would happen as long as they kept him in place.
"The person you asked to leave was my damned FATHER."
He started struggling wildly again, not enjoying the pressure against his stomach.
"All Xander was trying to do was protect us! He was trying to protect us! The woman made the offer. And then she told all the Bonds that they'd regret not taking advantage of this! That's when I grew terrified - and Xander got pissed off - just like a bunch of the other Bonds. The only thing "wrong" with Xander was that he had the GUTS to threaten her if she didn't leave!"
Simon took a deep breath. "A threat requires no courage," he said slowly. "A threat is a function of cowardice. A truly courageous and strong person does not need to threaten another, for they are confident enough in their own abilities." He fell silent once more.
"Excuse me, sir," Gaius called out over Driesan's rant. "But perhaps you should leave, for a bit, while this feien regains his wits. Clearly your presence is upsetting him, and since you seem to possess a better grip on the situation, it is probably best you go. This one appears most unstable."
Curious curious curious! Who was this Xander? Was he a feien also if he was this strange feien's father? Gaius felt no connections to his father himself - Arturo was almost as distant as Gaius - and was surprised to see such a strong bond cropping up. Clearly it led to silly things. Gaius was glad he was not influenced by such a bond.
Aleric sighed, realizing that neither would give on the subject. "Maybe we should take a second to calm down before we continue with this discussion." He said quietly, his tone calm.
He fell silent, and his eyes dropped to gaze at the floor, then closed.
"Let me go."
It wasn't an inquisition, or a request - it was a direct order.
"Let me go. Now. I won't hurt him."
Simon removed his glasses and pondered them gravely, turning the little wireframes over in his hands. Perhaps he should leave. Perhaps he should address this feien's anger, assuming the attempt wouldn't be futile. Which was the better choice?
With a frown, Simon slipped his glasses back on and crossed his arms with a humming noise, halfway drawn into his own thoughts. He wasn't entirely certain of Driesan's mental state. Attacking another feien without provocation, or the flimsiest of self-justification... that was really a sort of Corvus thing.
He fixed Driesan with a level stare and nodded to Gaius and Hari to release the juvenile. Simon decided to take his chances. He was faster, assuming that charge of Driesan's had been done at full speed. He could dodge if he needed to. Besides, it was his shop. That was a good argument towards not leaving.
Gaius was impervious to the firmness of Driesan's words, but released him anyway in order to maintain flight. He was glad to be rid of him, really. He did not enjoy the sensation of touch; not that he was opposed to it really, he just found it to be something he wouldn't want voluntarily.
With a shrug, Gaius drifted back to the windowsill, commencing his usual sit-and-stare activities.
Hari pondered for a moment.... but let go, while seemingly ready to grap again should he attempt. And beside, the 3-eyed juvenile seemed to be enough to restain him if need was.
"A threat was made." Aleric said, looking at Driesan. "Don't try to say otherwise, I was there. And if the shop owner feels it necessary to ban your owner from the shop, you have no choice but to go with that." His tone was calm, even slightly sympathetic. "He is not taking you away from your bond, nor is he threatening your relationship. Or attacking either of you physically."
His tone was calm, but he was ready for an attack. Living with Silva it was stupid not to be.
Simon kept still, watching Driesan for any sign of violence. There was a vaguely unapologetic air about him. he seemed ot be waiting for Driesan to talk.
He shrugged off both sets of hands holding him, and landed on the sil, still looking down - it was obvious that he was trying to keep his cool.
"He is not my -owner-, he is my -father-, and I'd appreciate it if you -treated- him as such. And now, if you -please-, I have a novel to finish writing."
He muttered something that suspciously sounded like "******** you, Simon", and picked his manuscript - miniscule though it was - from where he'd dropped it on the sill. That done, he made his slow way over to where the shelves were - not trying to move fast, and seated himself on one of them, flipping to a new page, and writing furiously.
Simon looked at Aleric. Despite the fact Simon had been around some eleven or twelve months longer than the reborn ancient, he seemed to be wearing an expression that just begged for advice. He also seemed to be not much interested in offering up a new start in the conversation: he hung in the air mutely and waited for some sort of a sign as to what he should do next.
Hari, likewise, seemed pretty lost, but was begining to piece pieces together to come to some kind of understanding, since visibely not a soul would bother explaining it. But what did all of this have to do with Ryuusei coming back upset ? Bahhh....
"He needs time to cool off." Aleric said softly, intending only those closest to him to hear. "He seems quite offended by the banning, even though it wasn't his own."
Aleric decided it was probably a good time to change the subject, allowing the blue feien something new to think of. "Have you made any progress with the letter?"
"Now, if one of you could explain me what in the living hells is going on, then it would be VERY nice."
"Oh, yes," remarked Simon, surprised. "Cleared the whole thing up by the next day. It was for Djerod, just as I thought. He offered some advice to Ms. Adams, she found a feien to go with her, and went back to where she came from. It turned out to be a minor matter, really."
"A... month ago we had a woman interested in trading feien come and visit. Some of the bonds took offense to the idea, and an... argument occured. The male that the boy considers his father got... defensive, and threatened the woman. Because of that he has been banned from the shop." Aleric explained calmly, looking at Hari.
Then he looked at Simon, a slight smile pulling at his lips. "Perhaps we should spread word that the matter has been resolved, then."
Simon realized he had dropped the roll of paper when he was punched and swooped down to the floor to pick it back up. "When the man threatened her, he wouldn't give his name," he said, "so she drew this picture." He unfurled the paper to reveal the photo-perfect portrait of an angry Xander.
"Perhaps we should, but I've been told to expect another representative from where Cerratine hails in a few days." Simon sounded a bit put-out by the subject.
Ahhh, FINALLY. ...Still had no link with the younger feien. Can't win em all.
"Thank you." Her face turned pensive. "...Was Ryuusei present during that, Aleric ? Do you remember ? She came home huffing and wouldn't say a thing at all."
"I wasn't here for the banning, actually. But she was here for the argument... and she might have been offended by the banning if she was here at the time." He looked thoughtful, thinking of the the yellow feien in question. "Was that the other problem?"
He glanced over at Simon, still not knowing how to respond to that statement. "Then nothing has been resolved after all..." He replied softly, nodding. "Can another be found as easily as the last?"
"Sounds like quite a matter at hand... And she might have been. Expecially if the boy happen to be her friend... She's very... emotionnal." Hari shook her head a little, untangeling bangs from her hairs. "It may get her hurt someday."
"I suppose it depends," said Simon. He shrugged. "It wasn't particularly easy for Ms. Adams to locate a feien interested in going with her. It might be easier now that a feien has actually come from that place... which I think is the problem..." Simon dissolved into inaudible mumbles.
"It won't with you looking out for her." Aleric said firmly.
He turned, nodding at Simon's comment. "I hope you're right. To keep those who are not willing to go from worrying, that is."
"They have the choice, that's all," said Simon ruefully. "The rules of the arrangement prohibit anyone being forced."
"There are thing I cannot protect her from, Aleric." Hari hated to admit it, but it was true. "...And mistakes she will need to make in order to learn. I hope she has at least learn something from tonight... And I do hope things go smoothly. I don't think she might show up in the shop again soon, so parhaps she will not be present when this other representent comes."
"But it would take calm thinking to understand or even bother to learn that fact." Aleric said. "As much as it pains me to say it, I have not met many feien that have those... skills. In fact the only two I know are standing right here."
He turned to Hari, reaching for her hand. "Things will work out. And she'll learn. She's still young. But I should be going. My own bond might get worried."
"Indeed. It was nice to see you again, Aleric," said Simon, and looked at Hari, wondering what her name was.
"I doubt she will ever... but she'll learn a little, at least. We all do." She took the offered hand. "I should as well, if only to make sure everything is allright. Not that I am too worried... Ryuusei seems more prone to brooding and words than actual violence." She turned to Simon. "I apologize if she has insulted you, and I hope you can forgive her. I think she's going trough a though time... There are dozen of questions in her head, I know for a fact."
"You as well, Simon." He gave them both a slight smile, before turning to Hari. "We'll have to play another game of soccer next time we meet, Hari. Ryuusei told me you've been practicing." He squeezed her hand slightly before letting go and taking to the air.
"Certainly not," said Simon instantly, "and I understand. It wasn't my intent to upset her or..." He looked over towards the shelves where Driesan was writing. "... Driesan. Merely a matter I was obligated to see through, I owe it to the person who requested it."
"I am sure that she will understand this in time." The ancient nodded. Then she chimed. "It keeps me busy !" She grinned.
"Oh, I don't believe we've been properly introduced ?" She remembered, right before she took off in the air. "My name is Hari. I hope to see you again soon. Until then, stay well."
And with this, she took off, but would probably have enough time to hear Simon's answer, since her flying was slow.
Aleric nodded, then flew out the door, ready to go home.
"Yourself as well," Simon said after her, rolling up the drawing again. Now that its purpose was completed, he could tuck it away in one of the office drawers. He floated past the shelves and into the back office. Those resupply orders wouldn't write themselves!
