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Gogol:

(Flower image missing.)

Arturo:

(Flower image missing.)

(Juvenile form unknown?)

Nero:

Nero hadn't been to the shop for a while. He'd been focusing so hard on training that he simply hadn't had the TIME to, and by this point, he felt almost estranged from his former friends. It had been ages since he had seen Ianios, and the last time he saw Shalafi was when...

Never mind that. Nero would get stronger and make sure that things like THAT never happened again. He had made it his purpose, and Nero was sticking to it.

But he was still lonely. And tired. And, in a small part of him - frightened. Being out of contact for this long had made him feel almost exiled. So he flew with as much speed as he could mingle to where he believed Shalafi lived, fighting gusts of wind along the way. It took him a while, but eventually he landed in front of a small house and flitted up to the window. Deciding it would be rude to peer in, he knocked twice on the glass then spun round, chewing his lip.

It took a moment, but the window opened, a dark-haired older Feien peering out. "Hello? Nero!" Yeande smiled, motioning him inside. "How are you doing, little one... I haven't seen you in ages." She w as far different than he remembered, that much was certain... but her voice was still soft and at least she remembered him enough to welcome him in. That was a good beginning, wasn't it?"

Nero blinked at Yeande, yellow eyes wider than usual. "You look... different." he commented, studying her for a moment, then smiling. She had different wings, too! That made him feel better.

And the changes were nice. Yeande actually looked almost prettier.

"It's a pleasure to see you again." he said, dipping a quick bow. "Is Shalafi around?"

That made the smile vanish and she nodded softly, glancing towards a sealed cabinet near the front door. There was a samll, almost doll-house sized door in the front of it, and it had apparently been designed fora Feien to live in. "He's in there," she said softly, nodding towards it. "He's not been out all day... ever since Tosten and Nekota brought him home."

Nero's breath caught in his throat.

Oh dear.

He swallowed heavily and nervously twirled blue hair around a long finger. "D-do you think he'll mind me visiting?" he asked softly. Hearing that Shalafi had been secluding himself was... heart breaking.

Was it Calico again? Nero was going to make him pay. Even if it cost him his life.

"I don't know, to be honest," she replied, turning back towards him and crossing her arms over her chest. He was gone for three days, Merrimack is still missing, and he won't talk to me. He just keeps saying that he got hurt when he was lost in the forest." She didn't tell him that Tosten was also acting strange... or that the blue Feien was staying there. Instead, she started to walk along the counter towards the cabinet.

"He likes you... he trusts you. Hell, you were all he was talking about after he met you. Maybe you can get him to come out of that shell he's in."

"He - got hurt?" Nero echoed softly. Normally, he would've been delighted to hear that Shalafi spoke of him so much, but now was not the time. And Merri was missing?

Nero really had missed a lot.

He felt so guilty. He was supposed to protect Shalafi, and what had he done? Nothing. Oh gods.

Nodding quietly, Nero flapped over to the door and knocked carefully on it. "Shalafi? It's Nero. Can I come in?"

There was no answer from the door, an d pulling it open let a small blast of cold air out. It seemed that Youko had rigged up a small air conditioner in the wall of the cabinet, letting the temperature in there drop by over twenty degrees. There was light, however, a string of small white Christmas lights that illuminated the lower part of the 'house' as well as the upper loft where it seemed Shalafi was now. The trailing edge of one wing could be seen hanging over the wooden railing that had been installed above. All in all, it looked as though his bonded had tried everything to make sure he would be comfortable.

"Shala - oh." Nero looked upwards, spotting a few white feathers hung over a railing. The door closed behind him. Nero swallowed heavily and tried to ignore the cold (cold? It was FREEZING.). The feien carefully flapped up to his level and tapped on the railing, so that Shalafi would know that he was there.

"Shalafi?" he repeated softly, trailing his fingers over the railing to rest lightly on the feien's shoulder.

Shalafi was sleeping, it seemed, and he let out a soft yelp, coming awake at the touch. His eyes were wide as he looked around wildly, one hand flailing out to land on Nero's arm and cling to it. "N-nero?" he asked softly, not quite sure if he'd heard the voice right. The other Feien had been gone so long, surely he was dreaming.

The skin of Shalafi's hand scratched against Nero's arm, almost as if there was something other than just skin there... and a darker, dried spot of crimson was visible against the bed where he'd been laying, beneath his hip.

Nero licked his lips carefully, doing his best not to squeeze Shalafi's shoulder out of anger. The ice feien sounded so... wounded. Broken. His heart crumbled instantly. He might not have been a heart feien, but Nero certainly felt empathy, and seeing Shalafi like this was the most painful thing yet.

Pushing thoughts of revenge out of his mind, Nero gave a faint nod, then remembered Shalafi couldn't see him. "It's me," he choked finally. After a moment, Nero cleared his throat. He had to be strong. This was not the time to show how upset he was. Shalafi needed comfort.

He didn't bother asking what had happened. Nero was fairly sure that he had a good idea. Carefully twisting his wrist on Shalafi's shoulder so that he would know that Nero was still there, Nero shifted so that he could sit on the bed. There was a spot of dried blood on the bed between them.

Dammit! Dammit it ALL! Nero was so bloody worthless, couldn't even protect a single feien, not the feien he wanted to protect the most, the one who really needed his protection and dammitdammitdammit!

Nero outwardly kept his composure. "You've eaten yet?" he asked quietly.

Shaking his head, Shalafi sat up, trying to wind his wings around himself. "You have to go," he whispered, pulling his hand back from where it had fallen on Nero's shoulder. "You have to. You have to find Merri, he's missing."

Shalafi was panicking inwardly. If Calico found out that Nero was here, all hell would break loose. He'd JUST started to make some kind of headway with the unstable Feien, and didn't want to see another of his friends hurt.

"I'm not going yet." Nero said firmly. His hand moved to close around Shalafi's and squeeze it tightly, then he remembered how strange it felt, and he loosened his grip.

"I've missed you. Been worried. I've been training, but it's just not happening fast enough," he blabbed, trying to sound cheerful. But how COULD he be cheerful? Shalafi looked horrible, his brother was missing, and despite his constant hours of training, Nero had yet to improve.

Calico was winning.

Carefully manuvering behind the large white wings, Nero wrapped his skinny arms around Shalafi, gentle as possible. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. He felt like a failure.

"This isn't your fault," he whispered, trembling in Nero's hold. The hand that Nero clasped was roughened, two of the fingers scratching against him with twin wounds that ran from the tip down to the first knuckle. He tightened his hold for a moment, looking towards their hands.

"If it hadn't been for me, Merri wouldn't have gotten hurt. I'm not going to let it happen again. I owe Calico my life, and I'm going to make certain he doesn't hurt anyone else, okay? But you have to find Merri. He's still out there somewhere. When I tried to follow him, I got lost."

Something in Nero hardened. His expression became more firm, his grip stronger, his voice more determined.

"You owe Calico nothing," he hissed urgently, tipping Shalafi's face up a bit. "Do you understand me? He doesn't deserve to even look at you, let alone ask for favors."

And Nero didn't even want to know the favors he asked for.

"You don't need to sacrifice yourself for us. You can't - you can't control him, Shalafi. He's just going to hurt other people anyway." he added. Some hair swished over the scarring "C" carved into his shoulder, and Nero couldn't stop himself from shuddering.

"I'll go find Merri soon. But I need to take care of you first. I just... really can't bear to see you like this." he muttered, shaking his head.

"I'm not trying to control him... I'm trying to show him that someone DOES care." Shalafi's gaze flicked over Nero's face, his tone growing desperate. Why didn't anyone understand?

"He's NOT like this because he chooses to be! He can't help it, and he reacts without thought. Nero, if I stay with him, he won't hurt anyone else, and he doesn't hurt me!" Shalafi had to admit that even the wounds he DID get were minimal, and barely hurt in the slightest.

Shalafi's hair fell forward as he bowed his head, the tie that normally held them back not in evidence. "Merri got hurt because of me, Nero. Because I was stupid, and now he's lost somewhere by himself. I remember how scared I was, and Calico found me. He took me to his home and fixed me up as best he could. This isn't his fault!"

That was... surprising news. Calico hadn't done this? He couldn't help being violent, and sadistic, and cruel? That if Shalafi stayed with him, Calico would behave?

That was all well and good, but what about Shalafi? Shalafi didn't need to do that. He didn't need to shoulder the burden.

"I believe you," Nero replied softly, carefully pushing Shalafi's hair behind his ear. "But he's dangerous, Shalafi. Unstable. I think he's beyond help at this point. What you're doing isn't helping things. It's just giving him what he wants."

Shaking his head, Shalafi nearly started to cry. He didn't WANT to, but he was so frustrated that the tears came unbidden. "No one is beyond help... it's just that no one wants to. What if when I'd emerged, Yeande and Youko had determined that I was beyond help??" Shalafi was shaking by this point, his teeth gritted slightly as he tried to keep from becoming angry... anger really wouldn't solve a thing.

"It's because of the fact that no one's bothered that he's gotten this bad. If no one tries to do anything, then NOTHING will help!" The pale eyes flicked towards Nero again, and Shalafi tried to focus in on where the other boy's face was. "I'm going to help him, even if no one else will. I'm sorry if he doesn't fit into what everyone else would consider 'normal' or 'safe' but ignoring it or causing MORE violence won't help anything."

"But giving in to him will?" Nero shot back. "That's just validating what he's done. You don't need to do that, Shalafi! I'm telling you, it's going to be a wasted effort in the long run. You're ruining your life for him, and I'm not going to sit back and watch it happen. That's not what a friend would do. That's not what someone who CARES about you would do."

... He hadn't meant to snap like that. But this was so frustrating. Nero felt helpless. He was no match for Calico physically, and Shalafi refused to look at the big picture here. That giving up would do less good than trying to stop him. Sighing, Nero's shoulders sagged as he nervously twitched a miniwing. He wasn't good at this sort of thing.

"Please, Shalafi. It's not worth it." he added weakly.

Shalafi was wide-eyed, staring at Nero. Nero... cared about him? The more logical part of his mind told him that it wasn't uncommon for Feien to care about each other. He cared about his friends, after all. "I think he is worth is," he whispered, bringing up one hand to thread through Nero's hair lightly. "H'es not a bad person... he just needs to learn how to control himself. That's what I'm trying to do."

He sighed softly then, letting his hand fall into his lap. "Nero, I don't know what else to do. I can't fight... I can't do magic. All I can do is stay one step ahead of him and try to keep him stable."

Nero leaned his cheek into Shalafi's hand for a moment, wishing he could forget about all this and just be HAPPY, like he used to be. Without all this stress and guilt and frustration. This feeling of responsibility, and being unable to fufill it.

"You can let us help you," Nero replied gently. "There's no need for you to do this on your own. You don't need to do this period. If we could just avoid him..." Nero trailed off. He knew that was pointless. Calico would just find new feien to pick on. It was just a CYCLE, and so far, there were no good ways to break it.

But this had to be wrong. It had to be.

"I read the spell book the other day," Nero added suddenly. "And my father told me my element the other day. If... if my magic were strong enough, I could help people forget things, or modify memories to make them seem better. I'd do that for you if I could."

There wasn't much else he COULD do. But if he trained his magic enough, maybe he could make things less painful for Shalafi, at least for the time being.

Smiling, Shalafi nodded and brought his thumb across Nero's lips gently. "I know you would. And I might consider agreeing to it." He knew that Nero didn't understand, but this was at least a beginning and perhaps it would at least buy some time. "I want to help him, Nero," Shalafi whispered, eyes half closed. "This isn't his fault. And I think that if he just realises that he doesnt' HAVE to do this, then he might not want to anymore."

"But what if he doesn't? Some things you can't change, Shal." Nero muttered. "You may have good intentions, and I know you do, but this isn't the right way to do it."

"Show me what other choice we have," he replied, sighing faintly. "Calico saved my life. He asked for mine in return and I gave it. I'm going to stick with my promise this time, and no one will get h urt again because of me."

"Calico's hurting you!" Nero cried suddenly. "Maybe not physically - although I'm sure he will - but, I mean... gods, Shalafi. He's just about killed you. Don't be a martyr."

Nero bit his lip. He said too much. Even more guilt piled itself on top of him, weighing down on his shoulders. He carefully ran his fingers through the feien's white hair, unsure of what to say. What could he say? Shalafi was ignoring reason.

"He hasn't killed me," Shalafi said, smiling softly towards Nero. "I'm a lot stronger than that, no matter what people may think of me. I'm doing the right thing... I know that. I want him to have a chance to be friends with others instead of having people running scared from him."

"They have a reason for that, you know," Nero sighed. "I know you're stronger than that, you're... AMAZING, Shalafi. But I wish you wouldn't do this. Not alone."

Nero shook his head slightly. "I'll become stronger, Shalafi, I promise I will. You won't have to do this anymore. I - I can train my magic, though, or at least try to. So I can help you forget." he muttered.

Nodding, Shalafi smiled and leaned forward to hug him gently. "Let me at least try this. I want to help him, Nero. Someone has to." He would try... although he's already tried to think of what he would do if he failed.

Nero wrapped his arms tightly around Shalafi and exhaled shakily. This was wrong. He felt it down in his bones.

And Nero had learned from experience that his hunches were often right.

Still, Shalafi would not be swayed. What could Nero do? Shalafi was forcing him to stay on the sidelines until he was strong enough to take action. It was wrong. Shalafi was asking too much of himself and Nero both. "Please reconsider this," Nero muttered into his ear, and then decided to leave it at that.

Shalafi's eyes closed as he leaned into Nero's grasp, shaking his had faintly. "I can't. If no one does anything now, it's only going to get worse. If this doesn't work... I promise I'll get out of it."

"Soon as you see trouble." Nero added quickly. "I mean it. I mean, as soon as you so much as SENSE that there might be a problem, you get out of there. You can come stay at my place, and my Papa and Gogol and I will all protect you and make sure nothing bad happens. And don't think that it'll magically get better. It won't."

For a brief moment, Ianios appeared in his mind.

And quickly disappeared. Nero tilted his head sideways and clumsily pressed his lips to Shalafi's cheek. "If you make me worry too much all my hair will fall out."

Shalafi was stunned, his hand coming up to his cheek as his eyes widened in shock. "You... you would really protect me?" he asked softly, not sure he was really hearing this. "But... but your father doesn't like anyone, that's what I heard. Yeande said that he forbid you from seeing someone..." He bit down on his lip then, knowing that now he was just rambling again.

"I told you I would. I've been saying it for a while now." he muttered. Did Shalafi think he was lying? Or kidding? Not over something as serious as this.

"My father, he gets a bit overprotective," Nero explained, chuckling wryly. "He thought Ianios was a bad influence. And, the other night, he was just so pushy..." The memory feien shuddered slightly. "But I think Papa would like you. He's not as strict as he wishes he could be." he added, smiling a bit. "Besides, my Papa can't decide everything for me."

"I just don't want to lose this chance," he whispered, the blind feien curling into his wings slightly. "I want to at least give him a chance to be better, Nero. I know he's not all bad, I've seen it. He was so nice to me... and gentle."

Granted it was before Shalafi had found himself tied and being gone over with a razor, and at the thought, his hand tightened into a fist. He could feel the wounds tugging where they'd started to scab over, and left that part out.

"He took me back to his home so that I could get help. He's not all bad like people think..."

"I think he is." Nero replied quietly. "I think you're being very foolish. I wish you wouldn't do this. Promise me you'll avoid him when you can." He leaned back, hands warm on Shalafi's cold shoulders.

"Promise."

Nodding, Shalafi moved to curl up against Nero, holding onto him as he shivered. There was really no harm in that, was there? If he didn't run into Calico, he couldn't very well go with him. But then who else would wind up as the brunt of his abuse?

Shivering at the thought, Shalafi tightened himself into a ball, wings curling around himself.

"Shalafi..." Nero trailed off, circling his arms around the feien again and resting his forehead against his. Some black hair tickled between them, but Nero ignored it. At least they had progressed that far.

"I'll be able to fix this one day. Just wait." he said, making his own promise.

"Until then... I'll do whatever I can." Shalafi's eyes slipped closed then and he seemed to nestle against the other Feien, his arms still wrapped around Nero's waist.

This was nice. Nero wished he could turn his own weak magic on himself and make all the memories of Calico, and pain, and unhappiness go away. At least for a little while. So that he could smile and offer to go flying with Shalafi, like they had meant to do back when things were relatively normal.

Calico had ruined too many lives. It made Nero's temper boil, simmering in the back of his mind. Poor Shalafi, and Merri, and poor Nero, too.

He decided not to reply. If he did, the argument would just circle backwards again. Instead, he nuzzled his nose against Shalafi's cheek and sighed.

Pale eyes lifted slightly, Shalafi's voice barely heard. "Stay here for a while?" he asked faintly, not quite sure what he was asking... but knowing that he really didn't want to be by himself right now, and Yeande was already asking too many questions for his comfort.

"Okay," Nero replied quietly. He didn't really want to leave, anyway. The room was cold and so was Shalafi, but he could deal with that. His body was adjusting, anyway.

Carefully leaning back, Nero rested his head against whatever served as Shalafi's mattress and shut his eyes, long hair spilling out beneath him. His eyes slowly closed. Maybe if he stayed with Shalafi more, he could protect him better.

... And also, just enjoy his company.

((This started out as informal RP, then quickly went to formal, because both of us were going nuts. Forgive typos, I'm horrid with them.

This was origingally just us screwing around, and it got serious enough that we wanted to keep it. So sorry if it starts abruptly.

This takes place after the previous RP, when Yeande and Shalafi are at home. The location is the cabinet that is Shalafi's 'room'.))

Nero: But I don't look like Mama or Papa, o_O.

Shalafi: *Shrugs* Doesn't matter what you look like, Nero. I couldn't tell, anyway. *Grins*

Nero: *Fidgets slightly*I look weird, kinda. But you're right! It doesn't matter, ^^.

Shalafi: *Just smirks* Nope, doens't matter. I see with my hands, do you can tell me about wierd colours all day and I have NO clue. XD

Nero: *Giggles*It's not my COLORS that are weird. They're kinda boring. I've just got weird hair and weird wings, o_O.

Shalafi: *Curls up behind Nero, running his fingers through the other Feien's hair* I like your hair.

Nero: *Fidgets*It's all tangled and messy and I end up sitting on it a lot. It's not all neat and pretty, like yours.

Shalafi: *Blinks* Mine's pretty? *Shrugs faintly and combs his fingers through Nero's hair, then pulls a bit from either side above the miniwings to fasten back, out of his face.*

Nero: *Blinks, then nods a bit*It's really pretty. My Papa has his hair pulled back, like yours. And it's similar in color. *Flitters miniwings slightly*The wings on my head are kinda weird too. They don't really.. DO anything.

Shalafi: *Grins, feeling one of them slap against his hand lightly as he fixed Nero's hair* I like them... *He reached then to rub his fingers along oen of them gently.* They're unique. I haven't met anyone else who has them.

Nero: My sister and Papa do! But my Papa has miniwings like yours - - they're feathery. And my sister kind of has bat wings, like Yeande's. *shivers a bit*They're kind of sensitive, though.

Shalafi: Sensi... oh! *Pulls back th en, flushing faintly* Sorry. I see with my hands... and I guess I tend to stare when I'm curious.

Nero: No, no, it's okay! I don't mind, it didn't hurt or anything like that. *Gently takes his hand and puts it near his miniwing*Dunno, that one's just been a bit off since Calico yanked on it. But it doesn't hurt.

"Are you sure?" Shalafi tilted his head curiously then, fingers sliding over the miniwing, then moved across to the other. "I just didn't want to hurt you. Your dad has feathered wings like I do? Yeande's got leathery wings... and the ones under her arms feel funny, sort of like skin that's got no bones to stretch over."

"Is that how they feel?" Nero mused, considering it. Since Nero didn't "see" with his hands, he was sure that his sense of touch wasn't as accurate as Shalafi's, but he could almost feel it, just from Shalafi's description. "And yep, he does! Both my brother and sister have wings like Yeande's top pair - I just got the different ones, I suppose. Don't really know what they feel like, to be honest. I'm sure they're not very nice."

"They're not that bad! They feel like warm leather, and they make the sound like when Youko's leather bag slides over the couch." Smiling, he curled up to sit beside Nero then, resting his chin on his knees. "You should try closing your eyes sometime and just listen ot things... or feel things."

Nero was silent for a moment, though he wasn't really listening. He was trying not to blush, even though he knew that Shalafi had no way of seeing it. "Maybe I should," he replied after a moment, chewing his lip thoughtfully.

Much more energetic now, he turned to Shalafi, smile evident in his voice. "Well - could I practice on you, maybe? I've never really tried concentrating on what things feel like, but I think it could be a nice thing to learn, you know? And maybe kind of understand how things are like for you?"

Nodding softly, Shalafi turned to sit facing Nero then. "Sounds good. I usually start out with the face... because that way I can tell what a person looks like." He paused for a moment, then chuckled. "But I suppose you can start wherever. I mean, you already know what I look like."

Nero tilted his head to the side, considering. "I think I'll start there too. See things from another perspective, right? Um - if I start bothering you, just slap my hand away or something, and I'll stop," he said, giggling, then closed his yellow eyes.

After a moment of waving his hands about, searching for Shalafi's face, his fingers brushed over the feien's cheeks, and he carefully pressed his hand against it. "Your skin's cold," Nero commented.

Nodding softly, Shalafi smiled. Nero could feel the gesture and got the inkling that the blind Feien was going ot speak, before his voice was ever heard. "I'm an Ice Feien... I think that has something to do with it, but my skin's always cold. And when I get scared, I tend to freeze things. My hands get REALLY cold and ice forms on whatever I'm touching." He fidgeted slightly at that, remembering a time when he'd accidentally done that to Nero's arm.

Nero sighed softly, running his fingers over Shalafi's cheekbones. The incident with the frozen arm was pretty much forgotten with Nero who, despite being a memory Feien, had a pretty selectivee memory himself. "Wow, thats really amazing. You must have really strong magic to be able to freeze things without meaning too, you know? My Papa had strong magic at one point, I think - but when he bonded to Puchiko, it all went away, and he got a pair of miniwings instead."

Nero giggled as he cautiously moved his fingers over Shalafi's face. "He's really odd, sometimes, but I love him anyway."

"I'd like to meet him someday," Shalafi replied, closing his eyes as he felt the soft touch of Nero's fingers against his skin. The touch made him shiver, but he realised that it wasn't an unpleasant feeling in the slightest. "He sounds really nice. Yeande's talked about him sometimes."

"Really?" Nero asked, grining. He peeked open an eye, to study Shalafi's face. "What does she say? He's, um... difficult to get along with, so I can understand if she doesn't like him or anything. Social situations aren't his forté."

Closing his eyes again, Nero moved his fingers over Shalafi's ears.

"She likes him. She says that he's one of hte few worth arguing with." Shalafi nearly purred, liking this feeling... no wonder most people didn't mind him 'looking' at them.

Nero outright laughed. Well, Arturo certainly didn't mind an argument, given the fact that he got into them so often - even with Nero. "I'm glad. I think he respects Yeande, too, which is odd, becuse he's not a big fan of any of the Summoned blooms, really, except for Ares. I think he doesn't trust some of them. But he's getting better."

Eyes still shut, Nero traced his fingers up to Shalafi's hairline, and gently curled a white piece of hair around his finger. "Even your hair is a bit cold." he said, smiling.

Giggling slightly, Shalafi shrugged. "I don't notice it anymore. I guess living in an air conditioned cupboard does things for me." He smiled then, going over the rest of Nero's words. "I hope to meet him. Yeande doesn't speak highly of many, and anyone she does speak well of, I'd like to meet. I met Corvus already, and he was nice enough. And I met Aileron and Tosten."

"My Papa likes Corvus, I think. And he owes him favors, or something like that." Nero said, shaking his head slightly. "He doesn't want to tell me all the details, but I'm sure he will eventually. Tosten is nice! Gogol, a Feien who lives with us, likes Tosten very much, but I have to admit that I've never met Aileron. Or Corvus."

Nero paused for a moment, fingers stopping. "Wow. I haven't met a lot of people, have I?"

Oh well! Shalafii was wonderful comapny, and that was good enough for him. Warm fingers made their way down to Shalafi's lips, and Nero giggled again. "Funny, though, your lips are warm."

The smile was felt as Shalafi laughed softly. "I didn't know. You're the first one to ever touch them, really..." Well, there was... Shalafi shivered involuntarily then, not wanting to remember that right now.

"You've got a very light touch," he commented, wings ruffling slightly behind him.

Nero drew his hand back. He had felt Shalafi shiver - had he done something wrong? He probably did, being such a bumbling fool - oh dear.

"I guess that's a bad thing?" Nero asked, opening his eyes. He felt guilty for upsetting Shalafi. He hadn't meant to.

"Hmm?" Shalafi lifted his head, the pale eyes trying to focus on Nero. "No... No, it's not bad at all." He grinned then, reaching out and taking a swipe to try and catch Nero's hand. "It just tickled, is all. You don't have to stop... unless you want to."

"Oh!" Nero said, relieved. "Well, here. Let me try some place else, so it won't tickle."

Nero gently grapsed Shalafi's hand (which had missed his) and scooted around behind him, keeping a firm grip so that the Feien would know he was still there. Then he shut his eyes and pressed his hand carefully against Shalafi's wings.

... Wow. They were really soft. Softer than Papa's, even. "Having feathers must be nice," he mused out loud. "Always have a pillow to lay on, or a warm blanket to put around you, in a way."

Nodding softly, Shalafi let his wings extend u ntil they flared to either side of where Nero sat behind him. "They're nice. I use them as a cloak sometimes... if I try to use them as a pillow, I wake up sore, but the blanket thing is dead on. I use them to hide in a lot, too." Not that a large mound of feathers ever went unnoticed for long, but still.

"Hide?" Nero echoed absently, his fingers trailing over the feathers cheerfully. For a moment, his hand went down the base of Shalafi's wings, where they met his back, but he quickly drew his hands away. He remembered how he had felt when Shalafi did that to him, and while it wasn't a BAD thing (far from it), he didn't want Shalafi feeling uncomfortable.

Opening his eyes, Nero moved to sit beside Shalafi, resting his hand cheerily on top of his. "That was really interesting, actually. You notice things differently when you touch them, rather than see them."

Nodding, Shalafi smiled, still staring straight ahead. "I dont' know what it's like to see things. But I like feeling them, and I like smelling htings too. There's a HUGE honeysuckle bush in the yard below the balcony, and I can smell it so clearly in the mornings when it's blooming.

"I've never smelled honeysuckle," Nero admitted, shaking his head. "I don't suppose I pay much attention to those things. Maybe I should."

Nero squeezed Shalafi's hand gently. "Does it ever upset you? Not being able to see, or anything?" he asked quietly, then immediately became flustered. "I - I mean, don't reply if you feel like it's prying. I don't mean to be rude or anything, I just don't think before I say and - "

He trailed off. Oh dear. Now he felt guilty.

A cool hadn came to rest on Nero's and Shalafi smiled softly. "I suppose that if I'd been able to see at one point and then suddenly couldn't, that it would upset me. However, I literally don't know what I'm missing." The smile grew a bit wistful as he tilted his head foward, almost as if looking at Nero's hand. "It bothers me when people describe things in colours... I don't know what they are, really. Other than that, I'm not missing much."

Nero was quiet, unsure of how to reply. He felt sad for Shalafi - it wasn't pity, but sympathy. Not being able to see colors, or anything at all really, must've been so difficult. Nero's admiration for the ice Feien only blossomed further. He knew that he would've been too weak to deal with being blind, and Shalafi took it in stride.

"Your way of seeing is more fun," he said finally, giggling.

Snickering, Shalafi nodded. "That it is. Yeande joked around that she should ask Corvus if she could stare at him sometime. I didn't know what she meant at first..." Before he could continue, Shalafi just blushed a vivid shade of pink.

Nero blinked, confused. What was wrong with th -

Oh.

Nero too blushed, dark red, and laughed. "Are she and Corvus together, then? That's nice. I like to think that I'll find someone soon."

"She thinks they are... I dunno, though." Shalafi shrugged a bit, remembering the conversation he'd heard between them in the past. "I don't know if he thinks the same way or not. But he makes Yeande happy, so I suppose it's a good thing."

"What makes you happy?" Nero asked suddenly, raising his head to quietly study Shalafi. Maybe if Nero knew, Shalafi wouldn't mind spending more time with him, and then - who knows?

Nero HOPED, but he never claimed to know anything.

"Me?" Pale eyes blinked, and Shalafi realised that he really didn't have any idea. "I... I don't know," he whispered, looking down again. "I mean... I know that you're happy when you're with Ianios." That was still a bitter taste in his mouth, but he refused to show it. "I know that Yeande's happy when she's with Corvus or talking about him. And Tosten's happy when the day ends in a 'y'. I guess I'm happy when I'm nice and cold." And not in pain, he thought to himself.

Nero flinched slightly when Shalafi mentioned Ianios, and a bit of discomfort crept into his voice. "Ianios is... um," he trailed off again, feeling awkward, and remembering the time in Ianios' den when the green Feien had nearly cried, telling Nero how much he cared and making him feel all uncomfortable and kept touching him -

Nero shuddered. Ianios hadn't meant anything by it, but it had seriously freaked Nero out. He was a bit thankful that he hadn't seen Ianios lately.

"I - I'm not sure I'm so happy with Ianios, really," he muttered sheepishly.

"BUt he said... he said that you two were going ot have blooms." Shalafi turned towards Nero hesitantly. He wasn't sure what to make of that really... Ianios had also offered to have blooms with HIM, when they'd just met five minutes beforehand. "I thought..." He bit down on his lower lip then, feeling a bit embarrassed for even bringing it up.

Nero blinked. Ianios had said that?

... A bit presumptuos, he should think.

"I don't have any intention of breeding with Ianios yet, if ever," Nero replied, shaking his head. What in the world had made Ianios think that? Nero was a friendly person, but he WAS Feien who resulted from breeding, and he understood the connection that the two Feien had to have beforehand.

And Ianios and him... just didn't have that connection.

"He's, um, a bit of an idealist, I suppose." Nero mumbled, then gently placed his hand on Shalafi's cheek. "We're not together."

That made the pale feien look towards Nero, eyes widened slightly. "You're not?" He sounded almost hopeful... inside, he was ecstatic. He really wasn't sure WHY he'd felt so confused and hurt when Ianios had mentioned that... to this day, he didn't understand it. "I'm sorry," he whispered, now feeling even more uneasy. "I had no right to get upset."

"It's okay," Nero replied, feeling a blush on his cheeks. Shalafi had been upset over that? ... Really? Nero felt himself almost glowing. For some odd reason, that made him feel relieved. "I get upset about a lot of things, too."

He smiled shyly as he moved closer to Shalafi, leaning forward on one arm as hair slid over his shoulder and pooled in Shalafi's lap. "But we're not. I'll have to set Ianios right about that."

One hand reached hesitantly to stroke over Nero's hair, the pale fingers twining through the long strands and combing along them lightly. "I don't want to cause trouble," he whispered, his blank stare resting on his lap where the dark hair cascaded against his skin. He'd done enough of THAT already.

Nero shook his head slightly. "I'm glad you told me, actually. I don't want to lead anyone on, you know? I'd feel awful if Ianios assumed things about... us... that just weren't true."

Cold was exuding from Shalafi's hand and Nero gave a slight shudder. "You haven't caused me any trouble, Shal."

"He really likes you," Shalafi whispered, partly to himself. "At least, he must if he said something like that. I felt a bit... angry when he told me, but it went away when I realised that I didn't have the right to react that way." He smiled then, fingering a lock of Nero's hair and toying with it. "I mean, you're my friend... but that doesn't mean I can be upset because you like someone else. That would be silly, really. I like other people too, and have friends. It's the same thing, right?"

"I don't really LIKE Ianios like that," Nero protested, licking his lips nervously. "Ianios - he kind of rushed things. It was sort of frightening. I'd only known him for so long, and he said he loved me, and it was just too soon. I don't feel that way about him." he admitted quietly, then bent his head to nuzzle his cheek into Shalafi's hand. From the way the muscles tightened in his cheek, it was obvious he was smiling.

"Do you like LIKE anyone, Shalafi?" he asked, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice. Probably someone pretty and less... messy, and clumsy, like... well, SOMEONE. The chances of the answer Nero wanted to hear were pretty slim.

Flushing softly, Shalafi moved his thumb to trace over Nero's cheek. "Yeah. I think I do," he whispered, not wanting to say anything just yet. I mean, Nero acted like he liked him well enough... but then again, so did Ianios, and that just confused him. Still, he knew Nero better. "I just can't really do anything about it right now," he finished, regretfully. If Calico ever found out about this, he'd kill them both.

Nero sighed. Ah, well. What had he been expecting, anyway? It had been foolish for him to hope.

"That's okay," Nero replied, smile becoming wistful. "Things'll get better. I'll help." The memory Feien was smart - he knew what was holding Shalafi back from being able to do things with the person he liked. The scar on his shoulder was evidence enough.

Shalafi reached suddenly, clasping Nero's hand and holding onto it tightly. His voice, when he spoke was a desperate whisper and he didn't dare look towards the other boy. "Promise me. Promise me that you won't let him hurt you because of me."

Nero blinked, too stunned, for a moment, to reply. "What about you getting yourself hurt because of us?" he asked quietly, lacing his fingers between Shalafi's. "It makes me feel terrible, Shalafi. I don't want you getting hurt anymore - I don't want you getting hurt EVER. So I'll do what I can to help."

Nero decided to leave it at that.

"I know you don't... and believe me, that makes me feel wonderful that you care that much about me." Shalafi sighed, tightening his hand and feeling Nero's clasp around his. "I chose this. I chose this because it was the only way I could see to possibly stop this without violence. I don't want him to hurt anyone, least of all me. But if he's going to hurt someone, I'd rather it be consentual... and I wouldn't ask that of anyone other than myself."

"You don't need to do this, you know," Nero said quietly. "There's no need to sacrifice yourself. It - it really bothers me. Because I'm afraid of what he might d -"

Nero choked a bit, feeling a lump form in his throat, and he quickly shook his head to clear it. Shalafi didn't need him doing that. Shalafi needed him to be strong.

"You could hide at my place, you know. He - he doesn't know where it is. I could keep you safe," Nero offered desperately.

It was so tempting. How easy would it be to just vanish and run off with Nero? He had no doubt that Arturo would protect him... or Yeande would, if she found out. But then who would wind up getting hurt instead? Merri again? Or would it be another innocent who had nothing to do with the situation.

"I can't," he whispered, shaking faintly. "The last time he thought I'd broken my promises to him, you paid the price. Then Merri wound up at his hands just to give me a message to keep my word. If I back away now, someone else would get hurt, and I couldn't live with myself if I allowed it to happen."

Nero felt so helpless. He couldn't do anything to protect Shalafi - he was too weak, too useless. His eyes stung as he bit his lip, tears rolling down his cheek. He kept himself quiet, so that Shalafi wouldn't hear or suspect anything, but he couldn't reply. Nero just bit his lip and shook his head, squeezing Shalafi's hand.

It was so frustrating. Wanting to help but not knowing how, and seeing someone he cared about suffer so much, and wishing that he could, just for a moment, lift that burden. "I'm sorry," he whispered, when he had regained his composure.

Slender arms woudn around Nero then, pulling him into a hug as Shalafi rested his head against the other Feien's shoulder. "Don't be. I'm not. I'm helping my friends, and that's all any of us want to do, right?"

Nero wrapped his arms tightly around Shalafi's neck, burying his face in the Feien's shoulder. His cheeks were still wet, but Nero didn't seem to notice. "You shouldn't have to do it alone. No one should." Nero muttered. "Come to my house and we'll keep you safe, and I'll do my best to make sure Calico doesn't hurt anyone else. Please, PLEASE Shalafi. If you keep getting hurt I'm going to go insane."

CLinging to Nero, Shalafi found his wings wrapping around them both tightly. "I don't want him to hurt someone else because of me! If he were to hurt you or Merri again, I'd never forgive myself."

"We won't get hurt!" Nero cried, lifting his face. "If I see him, I'll immediately leave, and I'm sure Merri will do the same. We can avoid him and protect you at the same time."

Nero knew it was hopeless, though. Nothing he said could change his mind, apparently. Shalafi's wings were warm and soft, just like Nero thought they would be, and he wished that he could just forget everything. Even just for a bit. If only his magic was strong enough...

"I'll find ways to help you," he muttered, more to himself than Shalafi.

He wanted to... GODS, he wanted to. Shalafi clung to Nero then, hiding his face against the other boy's hair as he trembled. He wanted to just go NOW and not think about it. But he kept hearing Merri's voice int he back of his mind, and swore that he'd never let the shy, firghtened boy ever come into Calico's hands again.

"W-we could just test it out," Nero suggested, feeling him tremble. Oh no. He felt awful. Was he hurting Shalafi too? Why couldn't Nero do ANYTHING right?

"We'll protect Merri, too. Lie low at my house? Part of it's underground, too, so it's really difficult to access. I don't want anyone getting hurt anymore. But you're my top priority, Shalafi. I want to keep you safe most of all."

Nero kissed Shalaffi's cheek meekly, fidgeting in his arms and red all the way down his pointed ears. He hadn't meant to say that much, or do that, but it just - came out.

Swallowing hard, Shalafi nodded, tightening his hold on Nero for just a moment. "You... are the only one that could make me even consider this," he whispered, eyes closing tightly. "If you KNOW that we can stop him from hurting Merri again.. and the others. Then I'll go with you." Before Nero could reply howeve,r he pulled back, eyes snapping open to stare towards him. "ONLY if we can protect them, Nero. Otherwise, I canNOT do this."

Nero nodded eagerly. "I'll make sure nothing happens to anyone, Shalafi. You can trust me." he swore. "He won't hurt Merri, or anyone, because I won't let him, and that's that."

Nero nodded again. He had to be confident in his abilities - otherwise, Shalafi might not come.

"I'm glad you're doing this," he added after a moment, smiling slightly. "It makes me feel so much better to know that you'll be safe."

"I'm not going until I know for sure they'll be safe, Nero." Shalafi shook his head softly. "I can't until then. I promise you that if I know for certain they're safe, I'll go with you. But for now, I have to cling to the hope that this is working." Shalafi nuzzled against Nero's hair gently then, holding onto him tightly. "I want to go with you. But I can't just turn my back on my promise to him, either. It's working, I think... he was so nice to me. But I know that he could snap at any moment." He pulled back then, eyes flicking as he seemed to be trying to find Nero's face. "I promise you... I will do this. But I just want one more chance to try and get through to Calico."

Nero grimaced, happy that Shalafi couldn't see it. An ultimatum. Just when Nero thought he could save one of his friends, someone he really cared about, it had to get thrown in his face.

"I - I'll do my best," Nero replied quietly. "But please, Shalafi. I think you're being too trusting of Calico. I don't think he's the good person you want him to be. Not everybody is."

He sighed, feeling defeated. In a way, Shalafi had just chosen Calico over him. It stung. No matter how much Nero begged Shalafi, the ice Feien clung to his ideals. There was little Nero could do to protect him. He hung his head, the crown resting against Shalafi's chest. Still, Nero had to TRY to protect Shalafi, even if he didn't want him to. He couldn't give up.

"I care about you," Shalafi whispered against Nero's hair. "That's why I'm doing this. I'm not sure how much you were conscious of when Calico caught us the last time. But I could hear everything he did to you." Shalafi's voice caught in his throat then, and he closed his eyes. "I never want to know that one of my firends is hurting like that, when I can stop it."

"And how do you think I feel?" Nero snapped suddenly, bringing his head up. "I hate this! You just... just putting yourself out there, leaving us unable to help you no matter how much we want to or how hard we try? Never mind we - ME. I'm tired of seeing you with new cuts and bruises every time I visit. It's hurting me more than Calico did!"

Nero took a sharp breath. He'd said to much again. Oh dear. Oh dear.

Shalafi stopped, stunned into silence as his eyes widened. "You..." he whispered, not quite certain if he should believe what he's hearing. "I... I don't know what to say..." He tried to show Nero, his voice shaking as much as he was. "L-look... he didn't leave any m-marks this time. He didn't even try to hurt me. I h-have to keep trying, Nero, I think I'm finally getting through to him."

"You're being naive," Nero choked. This was hurting him to say. But he hated keeping things on his chest - hated it. "People, they cant just... just CHANGE magically because you want them to. I've tried, Shalafi, and if I can't even change myself, you can't change Calico. It might work for a while, but you'll do something that'll make him angry, and he'll snap, and he'll hurt, and he'll -"

Nero couldn't help it. He bursts into tears, loud ones this time.

Shalafi wilted at the sound, hating to hear it form anyone, least of all someone as strong as Nero had been. "Shhh... oh gods, Nero... please don't cry. I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I wish I could do somethign differently, but I don't see how. If I keep my promise, he won't hurt anyone else. If he does... if he breaks his promise to me, I swear I'll come with you."

Nero's tears quieted quickly. If Calico hurt someone, Shalafi would come with Nero?

He felt hair brush against the back of his shoulder, and he clung to Shalafi, biting his lip. "If that's what it takes," he whispered hoarsely, thinking aloud.

If Nero had to hurt himself to get Shalafi out of danger, he would. It was the least Nero could do.

Shalafi was still too unnerved by Nero's tears, he clung to the other boy tightly and shivered. "I just have to try, Nero. I have to try, because no one else will."

Nero shook his head, pressing his hand to his cheek so that Shalafi could feel the smile. "Let's not talk about it anymore. Let's just try to have a conversation that doesn't focus on Calico, for once." Nero sighed.

Nodding, Shalafi curled into his wings slightly, still not wanting to let go. "I'm sorry," he whispered, bringing up one hand to rub at his eyes furtively.

"It's not your fault. It's no one's fault." Nero muttered, shaking his head.

Except Calico's.

"S-sorry about kissing your cheek earlier," Nero managed with a nervous chuckle. "I hope it didn't frighten you too badly. I just wasn't thinking, I suppose."

"It's okay!" Shalafi blinked towards him, not quite sure what to say to that. He didn't mind the gesture, that he knew... but why would it frighten him?

"Th-the thing is," Nero began, fidgeting nervously. This felt awkward. Shalafi had just put him through a whole mess of emotions: admiration, adoration, confusion, embarrasment, worry, fear, depression - and here he was, right back to adoration, confusion, and embarrassment.

Hoo boy.

Nero pulled some hair over his shoulder and began to braid it, ANYTHING to keep his fingers busy and his mind vaguely distracted. "I - um. I think that y-you might the person that I like like." Nero said, squeaking towards the end, then continuing rapidly, "So you can understand why I'd be so worried and everything and, oh, haha, look, you've got a feather misplaced." Still babbling merrily, Nero tucked the feather back into its proper position, afraid to let Shalafi get a word in.

The blind Feien was stunned... and sat there staring at Nero in shock and confusion. His eyes were wide as he felt a hand against his wing, arranging the feathers again. "M-me?" he squeaked faintly, not quite sure how to respond to that. He had to have heard wrong... he had a very hard time believing that anyone would feel that way about HIM, when there were so many other Feien out there who didn't have his problems.

"Me? As in, M-E? M-to-the-E-to-the... oh, I guess that's it for letters, isn't it? Hahaha! Um. Y-E-S space Y-O-U haha spelling, really, such a funny thing. I watched this thing on TV once where they had all these young children stand up on a stage and spell things and the whole thing seemed VERY silly to me." Nero chattered absently,

It seemed like Nero had picked up Gogol's habit of speaking without bothering to breathe.

Now he was just confused. Shalafi blinked faintly, shaking his head softly as he tried to make sense of Nero's rambling. "What are you talking about?" he asked faintly, pulling back a bit. Was he being made fun of?

Nero heaved a sigh and forced himself to calm down. "I'm sorry, I - I get nervous," he explained quietly. Deep breath, Nero. Just relax. If Shalafi didn't like him back, which would probably be the case, it wasn't the end of the world. Shalafi would still be his friend, right?

Right?

"I like you, Shalafi. I think I might like like you. Pleasedon'thatemeorgetfreakedoutoverit!" Nero cried, drawing his hands away from Shalafi. His face was screwed up, as if he were expecting to be punched.

"Why... why would I hate you?" Shalafi swallowed hard, not wanting to follow after him. With his senses being this frazzled, he couldn't tell where Nero had gone, and was shivering faintly from the lack of contact. "I... I think I might like you like that too... but I don't know." He sighed, looking down as he wound his arms around himself. "I haven't been around many others since..." No, he told himself firmly. They said they weren't discussing him again tonight. "I mean. I just don't know that many Feie. I want to know you better, though."

Nero noticed Shalafi shivering, and nuzzled slightly against him, beginning to shiver himself. Shalafi's skin was always so cold, but Nero didn't mind. Especially not after Shalafi didn't outright reject him, or punch him, or do the things Nero was expecting him to do.

"I want to get to know you better too," Nero muttered, unable to keep the smile from reaching his voice. Then the other thing Shalafi said registered in Nero's head:

Shalafi wasn't going to decide untili he met more Feien.

Well, how could Nero expect him to? Shalafi must've known that there were so many Feien out there who were better than Nero - stronger, faster, more intelligent, more brave, less strange, less ugly - the list went on.

Still. They had a start, sort of. And that was more than enough to please Nero.

Smiling softly, Shalafi nestled against Nero, resting his head against the other Feien's shoulder. "Thank you," he whispered, feeling a bit more relaxed for now. He wanted to believe that everything would be alright now, but things were just so complicated. Sometimes he found himself wishing that he'd never made his promise to Calico... then he remembered Merri coming to him, bloody and beaten, and knew he'd done the right thing. At least for now.

"You're welcome," Nero replied, feeling satisfied, if not a bit unsettled. Calico was still haunting his thoughts and worrying him like mad, but Nero tried to block it out.

He wanted to be happy. He wanted Shalafi to be happy. He wanted EVERYONE to be happy, maybe even Calico, but Nero doubted Calico was happy unless he was hurting someone.

STOP THINKING ABOUT HIM.

Nero ran his fingers gently through Shalafi's hair. "And thank you." he muttered.

"For what?" came the soft answer, Shalafi's eyes slipping half closed as he settled there, comfortable in just being held and petted like this.

"For being Shalafi," Nero replied, content to be sappy. He too was feeling comfortable, his body long since adjusted to the cold, and his fingers slowly settled at the base of Shalafi's neck as his eyes closed sleepily.

"Stay here tonight?" Shalafi asked faintly, repeating the same soft request that he'd uttered the last time Nero had come to see him. He wasn't sure just when he realised that he hated being alone for long... but he just felt more comfortable when there was someone else around who could deal with the cold.

"I'd love to," Nero replied, already half-asleep. His arms tightented around Shalafi, fingers stroking at the hair at the nape of his neck. Just like last time... only nicer.

The blind Feien was addicted to touch, it seemed. Good touch, bad touch... it didn't matter. Itw as how he knew he was alive, since his sight could tell him nothing. Nestling against Nero, Shalafi let his eyes slip closed fully as he relaxed with the petting. This felt good.

((Part 1 - Calico, Shalafi, Nero, Yeande))

This wasn't home.

What the hell happened? Go to the mountain, through the trees and then... black. A lot of black. Calico stared numbly at the hardly familiar building before him and let his eyes drop slowly to the floor of the balcony upon whose railing he crouched. An island of flowers, speckled with molted white feathers that could be so easily overlooked if they weren't so significant and noticable to him.

This wasn't his home. He was back at Shalafi's.

At first he couldn't place why, but by then it didn't matter. He was here and was too desperate to figure out the reasoning. So without a coherent thought to work in he flit from the railing and swooped down to the sliding door Shalafi had guided him through last time. It was a little tighter and a tiny, bloody handprint ended up smudging the glass before he was off and droning through the household. The kitchen, this way? Maybe.. ah- there, the cabinet! He was flit in close without even bothering to see if there was anyone else home or nearby to have noticed his appearance.

"Shalafi? Shalafi!" He hoarsely shouted, fighting the door a moment before hauling it open and being stunned back as he had earlier by the cold. Horrid stuff. He called again, and it was an unusual sound. When he yelled, it was out of anger. But this voice, it was one of fear. "Shalafi, dammit...!"

Immediately, a soft yowling mew came from the top shelf of the 'loft' as Shalafi kicked off the blanket and immediately dove towards the door. "Calico??" he called out, not sure what was causing that odd tone in the other Feien's voice... but he didn't like it and it scared him so badly. "Calico, what happened?"

When he reached the doorway, he grabbed hold of Calico's arm and moved out of the cabinet. "What happened, are you alright??"

Calico didn't make much help for balance or even awareness with the situation as he wrenched backwards, away from the touch. He hovered perfectly at one spot, his wings flitting so rapidly that their droning 'hnnn' was as vocal as an angry hive of wasps.

"Ah, 'ell, Shalafi... I ******** tried tah stop, I told 'im tah stop 'n he didn't listen'n and what the hell 'appen'd?!" He dropped rather sharply, exhausting himself in his frantic half-sanity of movements. So he swooped down suddenly, away from Shalafi so to drop heavily upon the floor. "I can't bloody remembah..."

Shalafi was still batting at the air trying to find Calico again when he heard the other Feien from the floor. Dropping down, he moved to land nearby, reaching out towards Calico, but not touching him yet. "Calico, please calm down.... please? Told who to stop... who didnt' listen?" Every passing moment was making him more and more frightened, and he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he didn't like one little bit. Not at ALL. Something was very wrong here... Calico was NEVER scared, and now he was babbling fit to best Tosten.

Calico pushed a hand up through his locks, mingling what remainder of blood upon his hands over his forehead and standing out against the yellow bits.

"... I think I kill'd Nero." He admitted finally and horribly blunt, sitting down heavily where he was. He scrubbed his face with his hands, desperately trying to overcome the flaw in his mind and think straight but it just wasn't happening. "God dammit, I told 'im tah stop, that ******** mouth of 'is, he kept talk'n and talk'n and I just had to make 'im stop."

Nero... oh gods, Nero, what did you do... Shalafi moved to kneel in front of Calico, moving until he found the darker Feien's hands and grabbed hold of them forcibly. "Calico, listen to me. Listen to me, please... you have to take me to him. If he's just hurt, then we need to get him to someone who can help him. This is NOT your fault!" Shalafi was quickly growing frantic as well, but refused to show it in his voice or mannerisms, realising that it would only make Calico even more aggitated.

"It's okay, Calico," he whispered, forcing his voice to stay steady. "We have to make sure he's okay, then we'll handle the rest. This isnt' your fault."

Calico looked up sharply when his hands were grasped, staring at Shalafi or perhaps past him with how dazed a state this sent him in. This was bad, he specifically avoided situations like this.

"It's not ******** okay, Shalafi...!" He snapped back frantically. "What the 'ell do I do? They're gonna find meh - god dammit, I told 'im tah shut up." There was a pause then an exhale, his words slowing down finally. "What do I do...?"

One hand came to smooth back the damp hair, Shalafi not realising that it was blood and not sweat that made the tangled locks so slick. "WE..." he corrected, softening his voice. "We will handle this. We have to make sure that Nero's okay first, then we'll worry about the rest." He sat down beside Calico then, loathe to let go of him, and trying to soothe the frantic Feien. "No one's gonna find you. I won't let anyone hurt you over this."

It wasn't his fault, Shalafi knew... Nero had acted so strangely the night before, after Shalafi had told him that he would go with him if Calico hurt someone else. Was THAT was this was about?? Had Nero put himself in the line of fire just to prove a point? Growling faintly, Shalafi brought his arms around Calico suddenly and narrowed his eyes. "That stupid son of a.... he baited you."

Calico stood for the touch up until the arms went around him. It was only a few seconds that he stilled for that but eventually he pulled away. "Don't. Jus'... jus' don't touch meh right now."

His control was in the gutter at this point, he didn't want to make this two corpses in one night - if the first one really was a corpse. He was pretty positive of that and -- .... a touch of reality crawled in.

"Bait'd meh? Why the ******** would he do that? He want'd tah die?"

Shaking his head softly, Shalafi hissed. "No. No, he didn't want to die... he wanted me to go with him. I..." He sighed then, pulling back a bit and digging his hands through his own hair. "He wanted me to come with him. To hide from you, because he was afraid you would hurt me. I told him that you didn't hurt me, and that you hadn't been hurting anyone else either." It was hard to explain, but the words poured from the frightened Feien's lips. "I told him... I told him that I wouldnt' go with him so long as you didn't hurt anyone else. I can deal with it if you hurt me, I don't care... but I didn't want you to hurt anyone else because of me."

Pale eyes half closed then and Shalafi shivered faintly. "He did it because he wanted me to go with him. He wanted to prove to me that you could hurt someone else... but I know you're not like that, and you even said you asked him to stop."

Calico seemed at a loss for a moment, staring at Shalafi blankly. Wait, what? What the hell was all this? He twitched a moment then shoved himself to his feet, infuriated.

"If I didn't what? Yah were gonna leave if'n I did what I want? I can ******** well 'urt anyone I want!" The earth feien snapped. He claimed that, and maybe he believed it, but there was just the fact that he truly hadn't done anything... until now. "T-tch, bugger... 'n now 'm gonna get ******** kill'd cause of this?!"

This was tiring again and the tantrum died down so he could sit again, exhausted from all that occurred so suddenly tonight. He didn't have the endurance for this. "... bullsh't. This is utter bullsh't, I dun't even believe it, ha..." With an exhausted sigh he keeled over onto his back. "... What if someone sees me there, if I take yah to 'im?"

"If I believed for one minute that you would have hurt someone else on purpose, I would have left a long time ago," Shalafi whispered, trying to keep himself focused. "No one's going to kill you. You were provoked, and I will vouch for that. Nero was way out of line with this...." He wasn't sure WHAT to do. He couldn't think straight, but they had to make sure Nero wasn't dead.

"Calico listen to me. Was Nero a gemstone when you left him... or was he just laying there?" Shalafi had to get Calico to concentrate and get him out of the panic he was in.

Calico twitched an ear in irritation. But he did hurt people on purpose, what the hell was Shalafi on? He didn't kidnap and beat Merrimack not wanting to do it! But he wasn't about to argue these facts with the only person willing to believe him, let alone help him.

"A wha?" He lifted his head from where he lay and set Shalafi with an odd look. "He was... lay'n there. I dunno if'n he was breath'n or whatevah, everythin' round meh kept mov'n so I left."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Shalafi nodded. "Good. That means he was still alive. When Yeande merged with that gemstone, she said it was a dead Feien... and when the others died, they became stones too. If he wasn't a stone, then he's still alive." He got to his feet then, holding out a hand towards Calico to help him up too. "Come on, we have to go get him. Then we'll worry about the rest."

"..." For a moment Calico didn't move, dropping his eyes and closing his eyes for a few moments. It took an effort, a hissing exhale and clench of fists before he looked up again and took the hand, nearly yanking Shalafi down in his forceful rise.

"If anyone sees me..." He warned angrily, though it was an anger still on the edge of panic. He didn't release the hand but just gave a yanking tug as he lit into the air, proceeding to haul Shalafi off for the sliding down and out into the night again.

It probably was a familiar pattern, the sounds and directions for the blind feien being toted along. Calico was taking him back to the feien shop. And as it had been earlier, it was a short flight made all the shorter by how quickly the earth feien flit along... this was stupid, STUPID. If someone saw him then he would actually HAVE to kill someone. He could see the situation was unchanged when they neared the shop and he couldn't help but wonder if Shalafi was even right... was the fact that Nero wasn't a stone honest proof he wasn't dead? That seemed like a pretty bullshit explanation and still, inside instinctively it made sense. Whatever. He pulled the ice feien down upon the roof with him inches from what HE still considered a corpse. "He's 'ere." Giving Shalafi's arm a yank in the direction Nero lay so he had an idea of which way 'here' was.

Shalafi dropped to his knees, patting around with one hand until it came to brush against Nero's foot. A foot!! He was alive! Breathing a soft sigh of relief, Shalafi moved up Nero's body, then came to let his fingers stroke the Feien's forehead gently. "Nero? Nero, can you hear me?"

He could hear ragged breathing, and he could feel that Nero's pulse was at least still relatively strong. It was a beginning, at least, and now he just had to figure out how bad this was and what he could do. He was no healer... and was pretty sure Calico wasn't either. But there was no way he'd be able to get Calico to go for help.

Calico lurked the background, at first turning away and watching the air, paranoid of another feien with bad-timing deciding to stumble across the scene. It seemed clear enough, but what would he know seeing as he could hardly focus on one spot for more then half a second before he was pacing and putting his attention elsewhere. He paused only when Shalafi spoke, looking over and exhaling an annoyed hiss before pacing again. "He ain't dead, right? Right?" He demanded fiercely, desiring more proof then this stone theory.

"Right," Shalafi breathed, calming a bit. "He's not dead, I can hear him breathing and I can feel his pulse. But he's not awake." That brought a frown to Shalafi's face and he was hesitant to run his hands farther over Nero if he really WAS hurt. "Calico, help me? Tell me what you see with him. Can you tell where he's hurt badly?"

Not dead. Good, goodgood, that was a start. Calico paced again. Still, this was a bad situation. Beating someone near death still warranted pissed off feien. But as long as he's alive they can't make a drama about it. What the hell was he thinking? They'll make a drama out of tripping, this was going to be hell! "... Eh?" He paused and eyed Shalafi blankly. Turning on a heel he approached the side of the unconcious, older juvenile and crouched down to stare skeptically. He couldn't even remember hitting him let alone how or where, he might as well had never even been here as it all seemed like a drugged haze. "I dun't know, 'is face is all ******** up." Was the best he could supply, and in a most uncaring tone.

Nodding, Shalafi moved his hand away from Nero's face then, not wanting to make it worse. "Makes sense, with why he's unconscious. I don't suppose you can heal, can you?" His attention was all on Nero, Shalafi's hand resting against the pale Feien's wrist and keeping track of his pulse. NOW what would they do?

There was movement beneath Shalafi's hands as Nero squirmed beneath the icy fingers. Those were cold. Slowly, Nero blinked his yellow eyes open, unsure whether he was alive or dead. The face close to his was blurred and unfocused and that was all Nero knew. He tried to open his mouth to speak, but his words came out a moan. His jaw refused to move and was stuck at an unnatural angle. What had happened? Nero closed his eyes again. The sunlight didn't help his headache.

Calico had pushed himself back to his feet, scoffing off the question. "No." Which meant Shalafi couldn't either, god dammit. He had resumed pacing once more, a vent for both his panic as well as his fury for this absolutely ridiculous situation. What the HELL was wrong with that feien? Setting him up like this, it was a god damn suicide attempt... he had barely ranted much to himself before a long ear twitched and he sent a sidelong glance to the corpse. Eh? Turning more fully in that direction he perched a hand upon his hip and leaned forward just a bit. "Is he mak'n sounds?"

Nodding, Shalafi nearly fell in relief as he sat down on the roof tile and let a faint smile come to his face. "He's alive!" Now, however, he had another worry to deal with. Neither of them were healers... he couldn't get one of the others, because they'd automatically assume the worst. NOW what were they going to do? "Calico?" he asked softly, an idea forming in his head. "Can you carry him back to my place? It's not far, and more comfortable than here. Then, I can get him settled and I can go find his father."

Calico gave a glance to Shalafi that showed little agreement. He moved back to the body of the juvenile before him and toed his side a little, wondering how alive this dead looking thing was. "Say I do that..." He started off vaguely to make it clear he wasn't agreeing yet. "Whut 'bout those at yer house? What're yah tell'n them? 'N his Pa?" He crouched down and cleared some hair from Nero's face, frowning when he saw it. Things looked the same to him, he didn't seem anymore awake then earlier.

"No one's AT my house right now," Shalafi said softly, shaking his head. "Yeande's not back yet, and Youko probably won't be back til tomorrow." He turned as he heard Calico's voice get closer, the dark feien lowering himself a bit towards them. "And I'll tell his father the truth. That he provoked another feien and got badly hurt as a result."

With a scowl he took his eyes from Nero's face, turning them upon Shalafi's. There was a obsessive defense in his voice... he didn't care what happened to Nero, he just had to keep himself safe from this. "The truth sounds like bugger'd up sh't, whut if'n he don't buy it?" He challenged demandingly to make sure Shalafi had his interests in mind too. He was too panicked to care of much else.

Shalafi's gaze levelled at Calico, narrowing slightly as his voice grew hard. "He has no reason to disbelieve me, and if I lie, it will only make matters worse. I won't let anything happen to you, Calico, but I also won't let another Feien DIE when I can possibly help!"

A low sound escaped him with his frustration, his fingers balling tightly into a fist. STUPID little feien with his stupid a** morals, this was his damn fault anyway and.. and.. argh! He slammed his fist into the roof between them and shoved himself to his feet with the same motion, turning his back in one restless flourish. "He bettah live through is cause 'm gonna really kill 'im fer it!" He glowered down at the juvenile and, with only vague control, managed to crouch back down. "... how the 'ell am I suppos'd tah carry 'im? He ain't small." Calico was hardly much taller, not enough for it to be helpful in lifting him. There was his magic, he mused... whatever. He couldn't just scoop him up, too big for that. On his back or shoulder would bug his wings and he couldn't rely THAT much on the magic. So he proceeded to push Nero to be sitting so he could lace his arms beneath his own and hook him from behind. Best he could think of. The temptation to drop him was going to be hard to fight, he knew that already.

"If you can't carry him all that way, then let's just get him into the shop. There's fabric and such in there, we can get him comfortable in there," Shalafi offered.

"Shuddap." Calico snapped, the humming of his wings picking up as he lit to the air. He was jerked down, Nero firmly anchoring him to the roof. But he made the gradual switch of his energy, a thankful result from his obsessive magic training in the woods. Magic lifted himself while strength went to his wings as well as arms to get the feien up. "I'll make, g-go already!" His voice strained with the effort, it strained his lack of patience to, snapping fiercely. He'd much rather stash Nero somewhere more secret then the shop, Shalafi's house was perfect.

Shalafi took off immediately, wings spreading as he started back towards his own home as fast as he could manage. He stayed just ahead of Calico, making sure that he could hear the soft buzz of wings at all times. Once they got to the balcony, he shoved at the sliding door as hard as he could, working it open a bit more so that Calico could get Nero inside easily.

Holy hell... how could such a girly looking feien be so damn heavy? Had Calico been in better condition it probably wouldn't had been such a laborious job. But with the burden of the earlier fight, and the two panicked flights were wearing away his lacking stamina. Several times he was positive he'd just land and refresh himself, but he didn't. The rest of the time he contemplated letting go... but by the time he decided it might be worth it to drop the sack of useless feien they had arrived at the now vaguely familiar home. Down he swooped and Nero's heels went to the ground, more dragging him then carrying. To hell with putting him anywhere convienient right now, he dumped the feien there on the floor so to slump into a panting heap himself. Thoroughly annoyed he gave Nero a mild kick - hell, Shalafi wouldn't see it anyway.

A wheezing groan from Nero as he felt Calico's foot hit his side, and even if it was a weak one, it still hurt. For the second time, Nero opened his eyes and then instantly closed them. Oh gods. Everything was sore, and his jaw - it didn't even feel like it was there anymore. Nero finally opened his eyes and kept them open, though he squinted. His temples throbbed, and he still could hardly make anything out besides basic shapes. Where was he now? Weakly, Nero let out a questioning moan, and decided to make no more noise, because that reminded him that his jaw was indeed still attached, and that it hurt like holy hell.

"Nero?" Shalafi was immediately down beside them, kneeling next to the injured Feien. "You're alright, you're at my house." This wasn't exactly where he'd planned on having the sickbed, but it was the only option. HE couldn't lift Nero at all. "I'm going to go get a blanket and pillow from my room. It'll make him a bit more comfortable." Saying that, Shalafi darted off, chewing on his lower lip. This wasn't good... at ALL. If he'd had a choice, he would have made sure Nero was well before even thinking about getting an adult. But neither of them were healers, and Nero needed help SOON.

Calico watched Shalafi flit off to retrieve whatever it was he had said before focusing on Nero. With a thick swallow to try and calm his panting he moved forward upon his knees and peered at the juvenile once more. His eyes were open, they didn't seem focused but they were open... it meant he was awake, somewhat aware... and he wasn't sure why but that just absolutely pissed him off. His own orange eyes narrowed and he took up a fistful of that ungodly long hair, closer to the scalp as he gave it a mild wrench up and scowled at that barely concious face. "Whut the ******** is wrong with you? Yah try'n tah get meh kill'd? Cause I ain't gonna die this easy!" He vented, furious of the position Nero had forced him into. Shalafi may be confident about the truth but he couldn't picture any adult, even the most reasonable, buying this whole story that the one that beats the s**t out of weaker feien was the 'innocent victim'.

Nero whimpered instinctively, feeling his head jerked up. He knew what company he was in now. Calico and Shalafi. Calico. And Shalafi. A surge of anger rushed through him, but he was too weak to struggle against Calico's grip. For a moment, Nero was glad that he couldn't move his mouth. Because he was contemplating begging Calico to let him go. He couldn't deal with this right now. Calico was making things even more painful and miserable than they already were. Instead, Nero did his best to focus on Calico's face, yellow eyes wide with a mixture of emotions.

Calico glowered down at the other feien for a few moments, hardly realizing his other hand had fisted and was more then ready to rid himself of this annoyance for good. But wait, that was what he was trying to AVOID. He recalled that well enough and released the fistful of hair at once, letting his head rudely drop upon the floorboard once more. "God damn... I ******** hate you." He felt the need to mention as he sat back and buried his face in his hands. It was more a tactic to both calm and ignore Nero then anything of distress or sadness, even if it could appear that way. He was far from sad. Just pure anger.

Coming back, Shalafi had the fleece pillow and blanket that Youko had made for him, the plush fabric being the most comfortable thing he could think of. He came back in time to hear the last of Calico's words and cleared his throat faintly as he landed. "Thank you," he whispered to Calico, then knelt beside Nero and lifted his head gently to set the pillow beneath. Once he had the memory Feien covered with the fleece, he scooted a bit closer to Calico and tried to wind his arms around the other Feien. "There's not a whole lot we can do," he whispered, shaking his head. "We need a healer. Arturo will likely know of one, Nero told me before that he knows a lot, and a lot of people."

Calico hadn't yet reacted, or namely lifted his head until Shalafi came close to him. Up to that point he had listened with a detached sort of interest, putting little value on the words that reached his ears. But at the touch? The cold fingers and arms lurched his insides, hardly aiding in his mood at all given his dislike of the chill. Who knew why he attached to Shalafi and yet could hardly stand his element a majority of the time. He jolted up his head and set a glare upon the blind juvenile. "Bloody well warn meh, stupid..." Tch. He didn't bother wrenching away though, it was too tiring to do and it always amused him when the other feien sucked up, as he considered every affectionate action to be doing. That, at least, did add a calming effect. Enough to have him talking a tad more straight. "A'rite, fine, let's say we do this that way... how the 'ell we find 'im? You know? Cause I ain't look'n. - 'ell I ain't talk'n either, I'll damn well watch."

Shalafi started to talk, then frowned, settling beside Calico. "I could go back to the shop. There's got to be someone there who can read the address book and find a phone number. The store HAS a phone, right?"

What really woke Nero up was that hug. At first he didn't understand; Shalafi hugging Calico, and Calico letting him. It hurt more than the punching did, because it was practically a direct slap to the face. Unable to say, or really do ANYTHING about it, Nero weakly gripped the blanket and pulled it tighter around him. Gods be damned.

Calico dismissed Nero for the time so to c**k an eyebrow high and glance over at Shalafi. It sounded like a stupid plan to him but how could he argue when his idea was to just dump Nero in a ditch, alive or dead. "A phone? I dun't know, I dun't look for them." He replied unhelpfully. Maybe he was logical that a store had a phone but what the hell. He paused and only then glanced at Nero. "******** it, I'll go wit' yah. I can't go home and I ain't gonna sit 'ere 'n watch 'im." He'd throttle him if left alone with him, he was positive of that.

Nodding, Shalafi slid his hand down Calico's arm and took his hand before standing up. "Good... then you can read the phone number. If you want me to talk to Arturo, I will." He let go then and moved to Nero's side, making sure he was comfortable. "We're going to go get your father, Nero," he said softly, still not aware that Nero was conscious. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

Nero let out a soft whimper in reply. Although Shalafi couldn't see it, there was a definite cold glisten to his eyes as something within him hardened against Shalafi. He had suspected it all along - and this only confirmed that he was right. Shalafi didn't care about him aside from his morals, about 'not letting people get hurt.' He'd promised. Shalafi had PROMISED to leave Calico if the earth feien hurt someone else, right? Then why was he hugging him, and holding his hand? It made sense to Nero, somewhat. No one really gave a damn about him aside from his father - and why would they? Why bother. Closing his eyes so that he wouldn't have to look at Shalafi, Nero curled further. He didn't want to be awake anymore.

Calico developed a theme... he ignored most of what Shalafi did until he said something. When released he pushed himself to his feet and fanned his wings, debating if he could honestly reach the shop yet again tonight. When the blind feien spoke to Nero though he looked over sidelong, cocking his chin a little higher arrogantly. Stupid brat, causing him such problems... and from what he saw of this kids dad he wasn't the most reasonable guy. Argh, he wanted to kick the little b*****d again...! So he settled for grabbing Shalafi's arm and ripping him away from Nero's side. "Let's GO." He demanded as he pulled the ice feien with him, finding renewed strength in the rekindling anger each time he just glanced at Nero.

A soft yelp came from him as he was hauled to his feet. "Alright! Alright, we're going. I just hope Arturo knows a healer..." Shalafi made for the door then, walking until he'd exited onto the balcony and could spread his wings without fear of smacking them on the narrow opening of the balcony door. Once outside, it was a simple matter for him to start on the memorized route to the shop, fear nagging at the back of his mind the entire time. You'd better be alright, Nero...

Shalafi may had been ready to head off once they moved out onto the balcony but it was a bit more of a challenge for Calico. "Wait a second, dammit!" He called after the ice feien when he had taken to the air. The anger renewed him to drag Shalafi, sure, but it was hardly a motor for his exhausted wings and lost endurance. His magic felt strong but without the stamina to focus it was virtually untappable. So he was trying to get his wings going... yet another factor to contribute to his bad, frantic and frustrated mood. God damn that was sore already, this was all Nero's fault - again!

Shalafi, meanwhile, let out a yell above him as he found his arm grabbed suddenly while his attention was focused on Calico.

"And just where are you two headed in such a hurry?" Yeande lifted a brow at Shalafi, not letting go of the boy's arm, then looking down to Calico as she made to land beside him, the blind feien in tow.

Calico started when Shalafi yelled and set his gaze up sharply. What the hell could go wrong now?! Despite the night, when the dark feien was clasped onto the white juvenile she was easy to notice now. And his original stance, which had become aggressive and possessive in thought that something had attacked his pet, changed immediately into defensive when he realized who it was. That female that had came to Hurog that day... Yeande, was it? Hell. This wasn't better. He kept a close eye upon her and was suddenly a lot less noisy. Dealing with adults was annoying business, he learned that from Sunil.

Once they were on the ground, Shalafi wormed his way loose, rubbing his arm where Yeande's claws had dug in. "We... we were going to the shop. We needed to find Arturo."

That made the dark Feien lift a brow and she turned between the two of them. "Alright. No one in their right mind goes LOOKING for Arturo. What happened?"

"Nero's hurt... " Shalafi began and didn't get any farther before he just sighed and grabbed Yeande's hand, pulling her into the house to show her.

It was a hard decision now... he could leave. Right here, right now, while Shalafi led her off inside. Calico glanced at the sky before dismissing the idea, disappointedly at that. His wings didn't work at all well enough to bolt... he'd just have to confront this and find a different route. So he slunk after them, lingering in the opening of the sliding door just in case. He had the expression of a disgruntled cat in the rain... very unhappy to be there but no where else to go.

Yeande stepped over to the curled up Feien, sighing softly as she tried to listen to Shalafi's rambling and determine what was wrong. This didn't look good, that much was obvious, and she carefully brushed Nero's hair away from his face. "Nero, can you hear me?" she asked.

Shalafi sighed, coming to stand net to her. "It's a long story, and it's not what you think. I'll explain later, right now he just needs a healer."

Nero brought his eyes up to peer sadly at Yeande. Yeah, he heard her. He was hearing a lot of things, but hardly any of them were registering. Still, Yeande's touch was soothing, and Nero was thankful for the presence of an adult. He nodded best he could, wincing as he did. Part of him wished Calico and Shalafi would just go and leave him alone, though he knew that was stupid and selfish, like he always was. And what did Shalafi know of the story. Nero wished, for the millionth time that minute, that he could talk. But his jaw was unhinged, and he clearly couldn't.

Unlike Shalafi, Yeande could see the problem and frowned at the extent of the bruising over the boy's face. It looked as thought he'd gotten introduced to a brick wall, face-first. All she could do at the moment was make sure he was comfortable. "I'm going to go get a healer. Screw getting his father, Arturo couldn't do anything about this." She glanced towards Calico for a moment then, narrowing her eyes faintly. "You, I would like to speak to when this is over. For now, however, I'm trusting you and Shalafi to keep him calm and safe until I get back. It shouldn't be more than fifteen minutes, the flight isn't that long." With that, she got to her feet and headed quickly towards the balcony.

Irritation transformed into a more aggressive defensive, regardless of the oxymoron, when Yeande had said that. Tch, hell... and Shalafi saw this as good? He said no words aloud, stepping aside from where he had been lurking the opening so Yeande could pass on her hurried exit. No vocal words, but his expression and body language were filled with the unsatisfied anger still long since stirred to life by Nero. Orange eyes followed the dark feien until he was satisfied with her exit, to which he turned to Shalafi angrily. "Yah bettah know damn well whut yer do'n cause none of this looks in meh bloody favor."

"Don't give her a reason to be pissed off at you and she won't be," he shot back, not happy with this, either. Pulling the blanket up over Nero, Shalafi sighed and moved to sit beside him. "If she says she just wants to talk, then that's all she'll do. She didn't act angry... she's generally a lot louder."

"That's reassur'n? ******** lousy, did yah see 'er?" Well, obviously no but Calico didn't wait long enough for that to be pointed out. "She bloody well looks like cough'n in the wrong place in a sentence is gonna be piss'n 'er off!" And so the pot called the kettle black. And given his more sensitive temper he was definitely going to do worse then cough wrong in a sentence. God damn he just wanted to hit Shalafi now too and get the Ice feien to see what was happening. Did he have to be blind in EVERY sense of the word? Bah, hitting him would be bad so he just flopped where he was and glowered, in the end, at Nero instead. Your fault, your fault, your ******** fault! He might as well be mentally willing pain upon the juvenile since he couldn't cause anymore physically right now.

"If it makes you feel better, I've never seen her hit anyone," Shalafi replied calmly. It was the only snide comment he'd allow himself at the moment, his main focus being to just keep Nero alive until Yeande got back with the healer. With how aggitated Calico was, there was no telling. For now, however, he just settled himself and tried to keep calm.

Twitch twitch went an ear and Calico closed his eyes in rather dramatic irritation. "Yer really hilarious." He said flatly. "A regu'lah comedian. Be 'appy she's com'n back so fast or I'd slap yah fer that." He wasn't in good humor but he was also a lot of bark and no bite right now, half opening his eyes listlessly. He wasn't even sure he had the energy to make true on the threat even if she was going to take hours. Damn was he tired.

Shalafi didn't look up, nodding softly. "And I'd probably deserve it. I'm just trying to make sure that this doesn't get even worse than it already is," he said. "If you want, you can go lay on the couch. There's some fluffy pillows there, and it'll be a place to rest." It would also hopefully relax the other Feien.

Couch? Calico fully blinked open his eyes and looked about the room, reabsorbing his settings. "... Un." Was the grunt of agreement and he shoved himself to his feet, deciding to go with that idea. Shalafi was bugging him, the very sight of Nero made his blood boil, and he wasn't looking any more forward to Yeande's return. So he trekked away for whatever was closest, uncaring if it was the couch, a chair, whatever... anywhere to settle but still keep a good, possessive watch of the situation.

Settling beside Nero, Shalafi kept a hand lightly on the boy's arm. "She'll be back soon, Nero," he said softly, for his own nerves as much as Nero's. With the calm came another emotion that was almost foreign to him. Anger. "What were you thinking?? You could have gotten killed, and for what?"

Nero, of course, couldn't reply. But to protect Shalafi, of course - fat lot of good it had done either of them. The ice Feien must've forgotten his promise, but Nero remembered it clear as day. He let out a soft noise and weakly moved his hand up to cover Shalafi's slightly. Hopefully Yeande would be back more than soon, because, despite Nero's unusual tolerance for pain, this hurt. This hurt a whole lot, in a bunch of different ways, and Nero wanted nothing more than to get out of the room. Had he the strength, he probably would've. Left Calico and Shalafi to whatever it was they did, Shalafi's "conversion" of the bully and what have you. The same unfamiliar emotion of anger flared inside Nero, but there was precious little he could do to express it, his voice completely useless with his broken jaw.

Yeande tightened her hold on Shalafi's hand, tightening it as she tugged the blind Feien along with her.

"Ow!! Yeande, let go!"

"No," she hissed softly, eyes narrowed. "If you want to give Nero an attitude, you can do it in person, because I am NOT going to deliver this note for you and then have to explain it."

Snorting faintly, Shalafi set out his wings again in an attempt to stop the larger Feien. "Then dont' explain. It's not like HE did."

The flare of his wings tugged Yeande back as it slowed them both, and she just tightened her hold. "You're going to hand him that note, and you're going to get this resolved because you're BOTH acting like idiots right now." Dragging him along, she headed for Puchiko's lab, calling out once she found an open window. "Arturo! Gogol! Anyone home?"

Gogol's brown ears pricked up slightly. Hmm. Unfamiliar voices! Who was coming to visit him? He didn't often get visitors! This was quite exciting!

"Who is it?" Nero asked, looking up from the book he was reading.

"Don't know!" Gogol chirped, moving to the window. He peered out the glass, white brows furrowed as the black and white shapes approached.

Was THAT Yeande?

Holy peacock feathers dipped in butter!

"Well?" Nero asked, pushing some hair behind his ear.

"It's Yeande! And - and some VERY white Feien!"

The color drained from Nero's face. "Oh gods," he muttered, standing up. His eyes darkened. "I'm not here, all right?"

"But you are here!"

"No. I'm not." Nero replied, diving off the counter and speeding out of the room. Or, at leat, speeding for Nero.

Gogol blinked after him, then shrugged and opened the window once the Feien had landed on the sill. "Yeande!" he cried, throwing his arms around her waist. He soon squeezed her into a near bone-crunching hug, grinning from ear to ear. "It's so TOTALLY AWESOME TO SEEEE YOOOOOOUUU! You look - wow! Wow! Wowowow! Sooo pretty!"

His blue eyes fell upon the rather disgruntled-looking Feien behind Yeande, and he waved. Apparently, he wasn't aware of Shalafi's blindness. "Hello!"

Laughing, Yeande let go of Shalafi's hand as she landed and she hugged Gogol tightly. "Hello there! Gods, I haven't seen you in ages, how are you doing, Gogol?" She was able to forget about why they were there, at least for that moment, and couldn't stop the grin at seeing her old friend. "You need to start coming around more often, it took me forever to remember where you lived. This is Shalafi, he's the other Feien bonded to Youko, and a friend of Nero's." At the last comment, she lifted her voice, half glaring at the boy.

Shalafi flinched slightly and glanced away, toeing the edge of the windowsill as his wings folded around himself tightly. "I think it's pretty obvious that Nero doesn't want to be friends anymore. After all, it was STUPID to care for me, just ask him."

Sighing, Yeande turned to Gogol then and looked at him helplessly. "Where's Nero? Those two need to talk."

Gogol blinked. He was sensing a lot of tension, and that was bad for his feng shui! Ah, well, everyone had their rough spots, he supposed. Clearing his throat meekly, Gogol addressed Yeande's first statement. "It's hard for me to get to the shop," he admitted quietly. A breeze coming through the window rustled his wings and hair as he idly toed the floor, an unintentional mimic of the other white Feien. "'Cause I don't fly an' stuff. I tried walking the other day, but I nearly got eaten by a bird, and it was REAAAALLLY scary!"

That, and he was kind of scared to. Yeande's changes were beautiful, but what if... if EVERYONE had changed, and Gogol was the only one who hadn't? Would they all hate him? And there were more bad Feien, and Gogol was MUCH safer at home, yep, yep, nothing to be scared of at home.

And then Yeande asked about Nero. Gogol cringed visibly and wrung his hands together. "Nero? He's, um... well... he's - IN THE SHOWER!" Gogol cried, with a stroke of brilliance. "Uh-huh! The shower! An' he doesn't like being disturbed, he gets all cranky and stuff!"

Nearby, Nero was resisting the urge to beat his head against the wall. He should've known that Gogol wouldn't have been able to cover well for him.

"Well, he's about to see ME cranky and that's a lot worse." Yeande turned then, catching hold of Shalafi's arm as the boy was about to try and dart off. "Oh no you don't. You try it and I'll go home without you."

Shalafi froze, what little colour he had draining from him as his eyes widened. "You wouldn't..." he whispered, obviously scared out of his mind at that thought.

"Bet me," she shot back, turning to Gogol. "We'll wait for him. That note he left at our place was NOT what I wanted to find first thing this morning. He left it there, he can deal with the aftermath."

Gogol nervously chewed his lip. What was he supposed to do? He wasn't smart enough to deal with situations like this! Gogol liked happy silly things, like the talking sponge on TV, not sad, scary things! "I - "

"I'm right here," Nero sighed, flitting into the rooom. He was staring pointedly at the floor, arms twisted behind him as his wings worked to keep him hovering.

Shalafi tugged back on Yeande's grip, nearly sliding to sit on the windowsill when his feet came out from beneath him. She just left him sitting there then, and flew over to Nero, handing him a piece of paper in return. "Since you couldn't manage to take care of this in person, I allowed Shalafi to write back to you in response. However, I refused to have this idiocy continue from both of you, so he came with me to deliver it." The note was folded simply and was written in Yeande's neat copperplate script.

Dear Nero -

I'm sorry you feel that way, because I did consider you a friend.

Did. Until it apparently became stupid to consider me as such. Being friends with others sometimes hurts... more than anyone can say. However, running away solves nothing. You made a mistake, and that's fine. People do so all the time. Running from it was something I never expected of you.

Someday, if you want to be friends again, I'll still be here. I'm the one that never left.

-Shalafi

Nero's eyes scanned the note quietly, not even flinching as he read it. Though it was a bit of a struggle, he did have a shred of his father's emotional control in him.

Wordless, Nero folded up the letter and offered it back to Yeande. There was a cold, distant air to the memory Feien, one that even surprised himself. But Nero had been training himself to do this. Just detach. Detach, and nothing bothered you.

"If you would like an explanation for the note, I'm afraid I can't offer much besides this: we all have our limits and boundaries. I overstepped mine. I'm simply cleaning up the mess I created and preventing it from happening again." he said stoically, though as he glanced over at Shalafi, the hard look that had come to his features softened.

Nero instantly shook his head and brought his eyes back to Yeande. To get emotional was to get involved he learned, and that wasn't going to happen again.

"And apparently I'm one of those messes," Shalafi hissed, turning and spreading his wings as he leapt off of the windowledge towards the open air. He didn't care if he got lost at th is point, he just didn't want to listen to this any longer. It wasn't his fault, it WASN'T! And he refused to feel like it was any longer.

Wincing faintly, Yeande looked to Nero, shaking her head. "Friends can overstep boundaries and stay friends. I know that better than anyone... Aileron and I both do." As Shalafi took off, she cursed under her breath and turned back to the window, about to ask Gogol to go after him, then remembering that the light Feien didn't fly... ever.

Nero tensed as he saw Shalafi leave, biting his lip. This... wasn't how it was supposed to happen! That letter was supposed to make a clean break, explain his actions - SOMETHING, anything but this.

He didn't want bad blood. He just wanted to be left alone, to prevent things like this from happening. Everything Nero did was a failure.

Though that wasn't really a surprise to him.

Throwing what dignity he had out the window, Nero chased after Shalafi without so much as a second thought. The younger Feien was faster than him, but not by much. "Wait!" he called, pumping his wings hard as he could.

Shalafi could hear Nero behind him and put on a purst of speed... right into a tree outside. He smacked into the leaves first, bringing up his arms with a yelp before moving to fall to the grass in a heap of feathers. "Damnit," he whispered, pushing himself up and shaking off, leaving a scattering of feathers in the grass.

Why was Nero even chasing after him? He'd made it pretty obvious that he wanted nothing to do with the pale Feien.

Nero winced and shifted into a dive, wings flat against his back to make him faster. At the end his flared his wings and stumbled into the grass, tripping forward. His face ended up right on the other Feien's stomach, and he jerked backwards, slipping into the Nero that Shalafi was no doubt more familiar with.

"Are you hurt?! I'm sorry I fell on you - there must've been a twig or something, I don't know, I'm just a stupid klutz, are you okay?" he gushed, checking over Shalafi. His concern outweighed his logic, apparently.

Shalafi blinked, looking towards the tirade of explanation as if Nero were speaking in a different language altogether. "N-nero...?" He frowned then, shaking off the concern. "Why do you care? You said you didn't want anything to do with me anymore."

As he spoke, he tried to worm his way out from underneath the dual-coloured Feien.

Nero cringed, ignoring the cold of Shalafi's skin and not allowing him to wiggle away, just yet, because there was a red stain marring the ice Feien's pale flesh, dripping slowly down his temple.

"You cut yourself," Nero scolded, seemingly not hearing Shalafi's words. It wasn't a large cut, or a deep one, but it was STILL there.

... All Nero did was hurt Shalafi. He was worse than Calico.

Wiping the blood away gently with his thumb, Nero chewed his lip nervously, the awkwardness of the situation finally hitting him. Hard. "It - it wasn't that I wanted to," he muttered finally, keeping his thumb pressed against the cut. He knew that if pressure was applied to a wound, it would stop bleeding. "But it's things like this, Shalafi! I always end up making things worse for you. I don't want to do that anymore, I'm sick of making your life tougher. So I figure that, if I leave you alone, I can't mess up your life anymore."

"YOU didn't do anything to make my life worse, or tougher or anything else!" Shalafi exclaimed, wincing away from the pressure at first, then letting Nero stop the trickle of blood. "I made my choices because it was something I felt I had to do. Then I stayed because it was something I wanted to do." Sighing, Shalafi slumped over, wings folded around himself tightly.

"But no one understands that. Everyone wants to help me, and I don't need the help! I thought you were DEAD, Nero! I thought you'd finally pushed him too far and that you were dead! Would THAT have made you happy?? Is that what you were trying to do that day?"

Nero was silent.

Shalafi wanted to stay with Calico?

Something inside him withered. Completely died. It left him with an empty void, one that was quickly flooding with hurt. Wound effectively clotted, Nero drew his hand away, resting his chin in his knees as he brought his legs against his chest. Nero wished he had wings like Shalafi - ones that you could wrap around you protectively. But his wings were utterly useless in that respect, along with others.

"Why would it matter?" Nero said finally. He couldn't keep the bitterness from his voice. "But no, that's not what I was trying to do, and you know that. I - " He trailed off, watching a team of ants carrying a leaf.

"You're better off without friends like me, Shalafi. I've been petty, and jealous, and low. It's shameful." Nero muttered. "I have made things worse for you. I'm sorry, all right? I'm trying to fix it, and this is the only way I can."

"I'm apparently better off without all of my friends, seeing as how all of you are leaving." Shalafi sighed, shoving at Nero until he was able to at least sit up fully. "Fine, I can take a hint. Go then. Just do me the 'honour' of not talking about me behind my back wh en the lot of you get together to discuss how stupid I'm being." The blind Feien was bitter, to say the least, his voice nearly a growl. "Everyone's so ******** concerned with what's best for everyone else, that they don't bother to find out what everyone else WANTS."

"Talk about you behind your back?" Nero echoed, confused. What was Shalafi talking about?

Then the rest of Shalafi's words sank in, and Nero's eyes narrowed. "That is so hypocritical of you." he muttered, digging his nails into the dirt in an attempt to calm himself. It didn't work. "You ALWAYS do that! What about you being 'so concerned' for us that you had to go and make yourself into the equivalent of a god damn human sacrifice?! What about what I wanted, which you completely overlooked?"

Nero took a deep breath to calm himself. Shouting wasn't going to help anything. "What about the stupid things you did to me?" Nero asked quietly. "Leading me on, and then telling me that you want to be with Calico? How do you think that makes me feel?"

"I never led you on," he whispered, shaking his head faintly. "You were my friend, and I wanted to help you. I wanted to help the others too, that's how it started. YES, I was hypocritical, and I know that now... but I can't change that." Shalafi ignored the fact that he'd felt jealous over Ianios, and quickly turned away, wings ruffling slightly. "I'm sorry if you feel that I led you on, but I never had that intention. I'm a child, Nero... and so are you. I have other things to think about besides whether or not I'll find true love, or whatever it is that Ian spouts off about all the time."

"I am not a human sacrifice... I am staying with Calico out of CHOICE, because I know that my presence there is stabilizing him and keeping him calm. I have begun to see just who he is underneath the violence that everyone else is shown, and I just wish that others could see it too." Sighing deeply, he crossed his arms over his chest and stayed where he was. "I'm feeling less and less like the blind one around here, that much is for certain."

"But you were, originally, a human sacrifice." Nero shot back.

He shook his head. "How do you expect us to see the other sides of Calico you talk about when all he shows us is violence? That's his choice. I don't like him. I don't trust him. I think he has issues that you can't fix, Shalafi, no matter how much you want to. But you don't listen to me, so why should I bother? And I wasn't searching for true love." Nero sighed. Shalafi made too many assumptions without enough fact. "But you - you made me feel wanted. Aside from Gogol, no one really seems to care that much. I thought you did, and that it might've gone somewhere, eventually."

He was wrong. Like always.

"You're my friend, Nero," Shalafi replied, tilting his head forward slightly. "I had hoped that maybe something else could come of it, but this is one rift I don't see healing anytime soon. When something is this important to me, I cannot willingly deal with someone telling me that I'm insane for trying. Whether or not I AM insane is beside the point... I need people to support me and help if possible, not to put me down and try to get themselves killed to prove a point. I've got enough on my plate as it is." He wanted to go home... hadn't he already done what he said he would and talked to Nero? It didn't look like it was getting anywhere at all, other than to make the both of them more upset. "I'm sorry... for everything."

It seemed a good way to start, at least, and he still wasn't entirely certain that he understood everything that he'd done wrong.

"You don't have anything to apologize for," Nero replied, tugging at the grass. "It's my fault for thinking you were interested when you clearly weren't. I was just being stupid."

And hopeful. And there Shalafi was, getting his god damn hopes up again, when he had just told Nero, almost directly, that he wanted to stay with Calico. That translated into "I care for Calico." in Nero's head, and Nero wished he would just shut up and stop jerking him in all different directions.

Nero KNEW he wasn't that important to Shalafi. Why bother entertaining thoughts that he might be, when Shalafi kept saying otherwise? Stupid Nero.

"I just can't support something I feel is wrong. I'm sorry that I don't understand you or your rationale, but I just can't. I don't think this 'quick fix' will work, and that's it. But, again, I'm sorry to have made things more difficult. I won't get in your way anymore." Nero muttered, standing. He carefully took Shalafi's hand in his and pulled the other feien gently to his feet.

Shalafi did so, then pulled his hand away, nodding softly. He refused to focus his gaze on Nero, even though he could hear the other. "There is no quick fix for this... Things have changed since we were those naive littel Feien who got ambushed. They've changed more than either of us realise, I think." He stepped away from Nero then, padding along in the grass slowly. "Let Yeande know that I'll be out here when she's ready to leave."

Nero chewed his lip. There was still bad blood. "O - okay," he replied softly, staring at the ground. Nero hopped into the air, but it felt like his entire body was made of lead, weighing him down.

So he landed and quickly crossed the distance between Shalafi and him, throwing his arms around the feien and burying his face in one white wing. "I really am sorry." he muttered, voice muffled by Shalafi's feathers. "And I will always be there for you, even if I just mess things up."

And then he drew back quietly and flapped off.

Shalafi didn't move as he was hugged, his body tensing slightly. Whatever apologies were offered, nothign seemed to be making this better... and he was getting tired of trying. Yeande had told him once that sometimes you just had to accept that things weren't peaches and cream and just deal with them as they came.... Shalafi was convinced that this was one of those times.

I've received another bloom from Em.

The strange thing is... it's not really a bloom. It's some sort of fruit? I must admit, it looks rather appetizing. Were I not already fed, I might lose myself and take bite out its scrumptious, tender meat, hiding so succulently beneath the sk -

WHOA. Remember yourself, Puchi!

I'm sorry. I just haven't had a lichi in months, and needless to say, I'm a bit of an addict. I suppose those strange Japanese litchi candies shall do for now.

Moving along! It's time to being some light experimentation. First things first: music.

"Would You...?" - Touch and Go - A comical, jazzy song, with lyrics such as "I find you very attractive. Would you go to bed with me?" and other such nonsense. Loud trumpet, interesting vocals, and very upbeat.

"Sunlight Bathes Our Home" - Clinic - An alternative rock piece. Upbeat, but not in a cheerful way so much as it has a quick, repetitive beat. Overall happy message, with addictive guitar riffs.

"Ponteio" - Edu Lobo - Latin jazz/lounge music. Portugese, with a quick beat.

"Once Around the Block" - Badly Drawn Boy - Another repetitive, cheerful sounding song, with more addicting guitar riffs. (Seeing a pattern?) Jazzy sort of rock, somewhat laid back.

"Bhanga Fever" - MIDIval PunditZ - Interesting Indian techno, with a strong beat and random grunitng. Fun stuff.

"The Cheese Shop" - Monty Python - "Venezuelan beaver cheese?" Need I say more?