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Who: Aurum Elric, Nicodemus, Remus Lupin (and possibly Death “FarFar” Wilson
What: Unplanned family meeting
Where: Realm HeadQuarters
When: Early summer. After noon. Early June 2008
Why: Should be fun as all get out. ^_^

"oh! Gr-daddy! I’m so glad Daddy let me come with you! Get you out of the library some. Are you sure Gr-mommy won’t mind?" Gold fading to auburn bangs swished around a gold swirled white face as the small female tuned her head to eagerly look behind her over gold tipped red wings. The older male kitsu chuckled softly, twitching his striped & scared chocolate ears in amusement. She was so like his daughter in so many ways. So like her mother. Her fur like Liliana's tails which in turn were like his beloved Nari's wings.

Her father of course there too, in her boldness & courage, and of course the black symbol like a stamp upon her crimson wings. Like him she braided the plait of her long hair. He padded after her, out of the summer sun and into the cool shade of Realm Headquarters, the sway of his black robes through the movement making a soft swishing sound. "I cannot claim to read Nari’s mind, but I will say that we have kits to love them and I am certain she would not fault me being away longer to spend time with our beloved progeny.”

If Aurum were as perceptive to body language as her uncle or empathic or even telepathic as her aunts she might have picked up on the underlying things her grandfather had not said. But she was not and did not, reading the slightly mischievous sparkle in the dark eyes for something else. She giggled, tuning her attention to the building and seeing who else might be here today. "oh good. I’d hate to upset her.”

Remus Lupin smiled at the back of his granddaughter’s head as he shut the door behind them. Good. He had not let it known. Until it was closer to actually happening he wanted to keep their new plans between just him and his mate. At least on his end. For a little bit longer.

It had been a long time since he had given such news. How would they take it this time when it came?

Another chuckle from the wizard. "Aurum dear, it is difficult to imagine you ever upsetting anyone."

It had been with some trepidation and lots of thought Remus had requested this meeting. On neutral grounds, of course, just in case. As soon as Nari had told him her brother was back in the area... and he caught wind that neither she nor her sister had told Nicodemus of their families. He has a right to know...

Remus still remembered the dinner however. He remembered his beloved's brother's protectiveness towards her. AND her sister Nokomis. It would be unfair to ask the family to come together to let him know of their existence. Not only was it difficult to get them all at once (he himself had only seen one of his nieces & nephews) but it could -and likely would- send the blonde male into shock.

So he had chosen Aurum to accompany him. It was hard for anyone not to adore her, and she was already accustomed to being overprotected. She also of all his grandkits bore the strongest resemblance to his mate, Nari. Not in straight comparison, but it was impossible to miss the familial connection.

Death was probably the closest to taking after the other sister... but his greatniece was... well simply put it was hard to get any of Bryna's offspring to do quite what one wanted & when.

At the sound of the soft voice the winged female's green eyes followed the dark ones of her grandfather up to the balcony. "Greetings, Nicodemus. It is good to see you again. Shall we join you up there then?" The wizard of course could not fly to the balcony but he could apparate. Or levitate himself. Now in the other kitsu's presence, Remus felt he could trust some protection of his sweet granddaughter to his brother-in-law. Even if Nicodemus did not know their connection yet.


Whether you have been with us long or are just joining us now, dear readers, you should know the error Remus made in thinking about the kit named 'Death' -for to say it's name was like to call it. Even to think it, for it brought the kit's attention to the thought. One should not seek out Death...

A small kit voice interrupts. If you're not going to be yellow like the missing things, could you just be quiet for a while? I'm trying to sneak here!

... very well.

Trying, and succeeding very well. It was hard to tell if the silver haired kit had simply inherited its mercenary father's ability to walk silently (when he chose. Death's Pop often was talking too much for stealth to be much of an issue) or was instinctively implying some of its mother's telekinetics making it light enough not even a blade of grass bent beneath padding kit-paws. Like the unerring way it could tune in to someone thinking its name even in passing (it WAS unwise to catch the horseman's unpredictable attention) might be a sign of her grandmother's telepathy passing on through the generations, it was uncertain to say whether it actually was occurring that way or not. Perhaps it was only coincidence that the kit happened upon those that thought of it. Perhaps not. Certainly it was unlikely the kit knew. Even if it did, it was even more unlikely it would tell anyone. Or perhaps it would, but who then would believe the tale?

Not that any such thoughts passed the mad kit's mind as she trailed the wizard and its favorite cousin. Josh's friend. Blue marked tails wagged. Maybe she knew where the spiky-haired boy was. The kit's pop had stuffed him in a closet again and try as it might, Death 'FarFar' Wilson just was not as good as her cousin (second cousin really) at finding the right closet. Or at least that was what FarFar believed had become of the space marshal. Quite likely -if he was being smart- Josh Kirkpatrick was hiding from Death and the rest of her litter.

Blowing its bangs out of the way, young FarFar looked out at its uncle and cousin and the stranger they were meeting. Hey! That wasn't Josh! hmph. Maybe it should have followed that rabbit. Stupid rabbit. always wanting it to follow somewhere. But Death knew better. Rabbits make better suppers. Sometimes they were fun guides though. Rabbit holes. Dirty places. Famine wouldn't like them. What was her pretty brother doing in a hole anyway? Maybe there were good books down there.

Pushing its long sleeves up the kit frowned, sitting back on its haunches (still without seeming to touch the ground to a scrutinous observer though directly above it) for a moment to contemplate the lack it saw there. Where were Pez's armsocks? Blue was pretty. Did anyone have any peanut butter? The kit brandished a spork (don't ask where it came from... please. None of us really want to know) then started rummaging around in its sleeves, slowly twisting in a small circle like a dog chasing its own tails.

It was far enough away. The Remus & The Aurum had not noticed it yet.

Yes, Aurum even full grown yet still being smaller than her father was quite small. The diminutive size on her mother's side coming from Nari herself who though not as small as Liliana was small for an average kitsusagi. Not that Remus was thinking this of course as he led her towards Nicodemus with a paternal air. His thoughts actually had fallen more to worry at his mate's brother's greeting. This would not be easy, no matter how he went about it. Nic was not likely to like this.

And what would he say to the news Remus had yet to tell even the rest of the family?

"It has been a long time, Nicodemus." Beside him and a little behind the kitsu with long blonde to auburn hair trotted gracefully with a shy but warm manner, her green eyes wide upon this stranger that her gr-daddy knew. "I don't know if Nari told you how worried she was for you." Of course he could not speak for Nokomis, though the wizard suspected she had been worried as well. Unless perhaps her telepathy had kept her in contact in some way. Remus would not put it past her.

"I'd like to introduce you to Aurum." No he was not nervous, and his use of contractions did not give him away. (*cough*) "A pleasure to meet you sir." The small female said with a warm smile, sitting on her haunches and putting her white gloved paws together before bowing her head daintily. This caused the tail of her braid with its red ribbon to fall over her shoulder. Dark eyes falling on her, Remus gazed on her with a look of love and pride before looking back at Nic to gage his reaction. When he spoke again his voice was soft and level. "One of our grandkits. Nari's... and mine." The wizard's dark gaze was deathly serious. Compassionate too. This could not be easy for Nic to hear. And on top of the news... he had missed so much... so much of the kits' lives. Remus could barely stand missing out on his great-grandkits' lives and he was here. How would it be for Nic -so protective of his sisters- to have missed out on their children and grandchildren growing by being away?

Looking back and forth between the older males Aurum blinked her green eyes. "Oh!" She exclaimed in revelation, eyes wide in realization as she looked at Nicodemus anew & at a loss for words.

But what about the kit that WAS still a kit? What of the little silver haired kit that was NOT a perfect little lady, even if it thought far enough to consider that perhaps it should be. If it thought about its own gender at all. What of the mad little creature that...

...what are YOU doing here again? Didn't I send you to get me a peanut butter roll-up?

... are there peanut butter roll-ups?

Is that MY problem? Just GET me one!

*sighs* Right then. Until later, good readers.

You'd better not forget the pickle dip!

The kit was now rolling in a ball, head over tails over head with its teeth clenched tight on the back end of its... cloak/robe/kimono... thing. Around and around and around and around. Hey! What was that sound? It was like... its cousin Aurum had made an exclamation! FarFar unwound, legs flailing in all directions as she uncurled and put every limb out at once as if to suddenly put on the brakes. Which surprisingly seemed to work rather well for something not at all thought out or thought through.

One problem: it was now dizzy. Beyond thrusting out its limbs, those limbs did not appear to be working. One leg went under and Death reached out with its front paws to try to hold the world still a moment.

"Stop the world and pass me the tequila! I wanna get off!" Death did not know what tequila was exactly, but it sounded like a good idea. Something its Pop would like. Cooler name then 'beer' anyway. Tequila. Tequila. Rum.

Right! 'Rum! Aurum! Where was she? Was she lost? No... Josh was lost. So that meant Aurum had found him! No... Aurum had found someone else. Pop? No... Pop wouldn't have found Josh. He lost him. Again. Or put him away somewhere and forgot about him which was the same thing. Death was going to have to coat the handle of that door with peanut butter. Its tummy rumbled. Loudly. Rabbit droppings. No... those weren't any good to eat. Better for projectiles. Should get one of Mom's paperclips and turn it into a slingshot. Rubber bands...

Rubber... now how was rubber supposed to keep parents from making kits anyway?

Stupid rabbit... world was still spinning. Death sprawled ungracefully upon its back, head facing the three and watching them upside-down for the moment. Now why was it interested in what they were doing again? One minute... how had its tail -the odd-man-out with the fainter blue swirly things on it- wound up under its blue belt-waist-y-thing?

Stupid yellow bubble-things. Where were they when they were useful anyway?

If you're just joining us, good readers, it might bear mentioning that if the girls are second cousins that means they have a common ancestor. That being, in this case, Nicodemus & Nari & Nokomis' parents. Hence, if the kitsu Nicodemus was hoping to keep from realizing that his beloved sisters were indeed grown mothers, the LAST thing he should want to do is approach the odd & upside-down kit...

Wait! You're saying...!

Remus was sighing and shaking his head, realizing that his unknowing brother-in-law was being ... well... deaf. Talk about selective hearing. Shaking his head, the wizard watched as Aurum stared wide eyed and silent as her great-uncle moved behind her -moving to stay focused on him.

Death... oh boy, Death. Hearing the unknown voice its ear perked and it pawed more wildly at the air as if that would turn it over. Then its eyes lit up happily. "Uncle Nic!!!" Floundering more it finally managed to flip over, ignoring the cringe its Uncle Remus was making and its cousin's confused reaction seeing her grandfather make such a face. Death "FarFar" Wilson ignored all but its target though, launching itself at the blonde kitsu with a mighty -kit-like- war cry. "You've gotta tell me about your adventures!! That must have been some rabbit! What did you eat? Did you bring me back anything?" Yes... it was also totally ignoring the fact that they had never actually met before. Likely also somehow gleaning from somewhere how they were related.

Aurum giggled, hiding her mouth behind a pristine white gloved paw. Remus coughed, dark eyes dancing in mirth that he did not feel was at all appropriate when he was simultaneously feeling so uncomfortable about all of this. He had not anticipated Nicodemus completely disregarding the news as he had. Now his grand-niece... this could complicate matters. Severely. If FarFar did not make someone's brain explode.

"Hello, FarFar. I didn't know you were out this way today." The kit blinked, as if it had not been trailing the magic users and was in fact only now seeing them for the first time as it peeked around Nic's shoulders. Then they settled on Aurum and Death squealed happily. "Rum!! Gather the sporks! Bake the cookies! Commence the mission to rescue the greatest space marshal of all time! So is the word of the mighty... ME! Death "FarFar" Wilson! Horseman of the Apocolypse, eater of num-nums! Private guard to the Queen of Hearts -off with their heads!"

The witch-alchemist would have laughed -as was her wont to do whenever her cousin Death was around- but she was worried that perhaps something was wrong with her friend Josh. There was usually some kernel of truth in what came out of Death's mouth. If one could get past the madness to find it. "Josh? What's wrong with Josh?"

Pause. Blink. Grin. "oh, Pop lost him in a closet again." Nod. Nod. The kit's wildly-mad grin turned back to Nicodemus. "Do you like snails, Uncle Nic?"

Remus coughed, a sound that could almost be surprisingly accused of being a choked chuckle. "FarFar dear, I do believe you're suffocating Nicodemus." The kit blinked, glancing at its cousin who seemed to be relieved, worried, and trying not to laugh all at once. The paws attempting to grab it seeming to not be noticed by the kit at all. Or anything else for that matter. "What?"

Green eyes went wide at the face-hugger and Aurum tilted her head and sharply indicated that Death should look, whereas the mad kit did (hey! 'Rum was the one who found Josh (aka Uncle Chucky) all the time! duh! No brainer!) ... causing Death's eyes to go wide. "Uncle Nic! When did you get here? And why're you making all those great sounds?"

While talking, Death released its great-uncle's face and sat -almost primly- on its haunches upon his chest instead. "You really should breathe before trying to speak in Yyrgradian."

Yyrgradian? That was too much for Aurum and she burst into a fit of giggles behind her paws, crimson wings fluttering to keep her balanced behind her. Remus was having a heck of a time himself not laughing. "My appologies, Nicodemus. Bryna & Wade's kits are... in a class of their own." Big kit eyes. "Class? If I have class, do I get recess?" Aurum fell over. Laughing. "You... okay... Unca... Nic... 'demus?" The winged femme managed between giggles, reverting to her kit pronunciation of 'Uncle' in the face of so much mirth mixed with her worry for him. Well, at least Josh was safe. She could let him back out of the closet when they got home. If Fluffy had not saved him in the meantime.

HEY! Where was my talky-thing?!? I've been gypped!

Excuse me?

Ah! There you are!

... talky-thing?

*ignores* Where were you? You're supposed to babble first.

... it seemed unnecessary given the situation.

What, was there peanut butter?

...

oh and tell Uncle Nic's writer's I'm like a tribble.

... dare I ask why you of all beings & considering your parantage would rather be a tribble than a fear & death bringing creature?

We multiply!!!! rofl

... I do believe that would kill him. Break his mind at any rate. *decides not to do this thing, much as decides so about most of Death's mandates*

Now good readers perhaps you already know that a few moments left unguarded in Death's presence is a dangerous commodity. One can never say what queer & unusual things may happen. You perhaps know this, and instantly could see her uncle's mistake. Clearly however, Nicodemus did not for he gave the kit plenty of time to have done a vast array of things. None of which I will give any clue to in the fear that I might in some way be aiding the mad kit in giving a thought she has not yet had herself.

Who is this her?!?! Why do you talk about her! You're MY talky-think-thing! I won't let anyone else have you! *goes into a litany of wild things it will do when it finds who is trying to take its 'talky-thing' from it*

*sighs* Right. How could I have forgotten...

Luckily for Nicodemus, his insane great-niece managed to become both distracted & enthralled by his simple act of trying to breathe again. "Uncle Remy? What's he doing?"

Not even bothering to hide his cringe for the nickname -FarFar would manage to pick that up from Chroma- Remus sighed heavily. Dark eyes glanced to his granddaughter, who was trying very hard to stop giggling so she could get her paws together to perform the Alchemy to clean herself after having rolled on the ground. "It's called breathing, FarFar-dear."

Death was sucking in air deeply to go off on some likely long-winded tangent when its attention was diverted by its 'perch' speaking. Gold eyes turned on him blinking, as if the kit had completely forgotten it was sitting on a living being. Another blink and Death's look of confusion shifted. "You been smoking the caterpillar's hoopak, Uncle Nic?" Even sweet Aurum looked slightly befuddled. "Didn't Gr-mommy Nari tell you, Uncle Nic? Mommy & the others were born ages ago. I know you've been away... or at least that I didn't get to meet you... but I thought..." One paw rubbed nervously at the other -while the alchemist-witch selectively ignored the latest mad soliloquy of her cousin's.

"I had hoped Nari or even Nokomis would have told you when you returned." Remus offered with soft apology. His granddaughter's green eyes looked up hopefully. "If you would've known, you would've come see us sooner, right Uncle Nic?"

((Death just killed my brain. Be glad I'm too lazy to type its monologue. O_O))

Now, some would think that anything comatose should be somehow safer from the mad-kit. *pause* And one might be correct. But that is forgetting that he kit in question is unpredictable. What it might forget one moment might be all the world the next. ...well perhaps not the world, but the sole focus of said kit's undivided attention. Given that you might think there was a 50/50 chance Death would notice her fallen uncle once he collapsed. If only Nicodemus were so lucky, for wherein madness lies the stakes are not always what one would think and the tables often change. The roulette wheel might become the Wheel of Time upon the Tarot.

Carrot? *grimaces* I don't like carrots.

.... *sighs*

I like wheels though. ^_^

...God save us all.

Gold eyes went wide with interest as FarFar watched its grandmother's brother's eyes roll. So engrossed was the kit that while Remus and Aurum were reacting with concern to Nicodemus' collapse -its cousin's sweet & shocked "oh! as she stepped to the side to let her grandfather quickly make his brother-in-law's side with a concerned "Nicodemus!"- Death was making an excited sound and putting her face to her uncle's with pleased exclamations of "Do it again! Do it again!"

"FarFar!" Remus admonished, the worry evident in his voice enough to make even the mad kit pause to watch as its kin did what they could for the fallen kitsu. At least in curiosity. "Nicodemus does not need to repeat fainting."

"Then he shouldn't do that." The kit said with such logic and rationality in its voice that both Aurum and Remus paused in shock. Logic? From FarFar? "Uncle Nic should just roll his eyes back over & over again. Did you see how they bugged?" Its litany -or verbal diarrhea- continued much to the shock & horror of the two trying to care & revive Nicodemus. But now that Death was monologuing again they could ignore her for a moment.

Remus being far older and more experienced gave his granddaughter instructions that she carefully carried out. "Yes, gr-daddy. Should we wake him though, or let him wake on his own?"

Whatever the wizard was to answer had no time to leave his maw as Death jumped forward -and back onto Nicodemus' chest- a large leaf tied to each front paw somehow. "Mayday! Mayday! Stat! Code 51 -or is that Area 51?- he needs the pads of life NOW! Stat! Give me 350jolts, Mister Rabbit! No! NO! The other wart! Okay! Ready!!"

Aurum stared at her cousin in wonder, green eyes focusing on the green bound paws. "FarFar... are those Lily Pads?"

"NO time for questions, Nurse Jenny! You may know pokemon, but I know pads! All clear!" With that Death raised her paws, slamming them forcefully upon the fallen male's chest before her other uncle could do anything but yell "FarFar! NOooooooo!!!"

So it appears Nicodemus' chances of becoming forgotten were about as slim as one of Death's mother's paperclips. In...

Enough of your babble! Look!

*sighs*

"Nic..." Remus started with both worry and relief. His granddaughter was moving in on mention of her name, nodding cutely and a little shyly to give his shoulder a nuzzle. She jumped back with a yelp of surprise however as the spell was finished, green eyes flicking and seeing how even her grandpa Remus had stepped back into a defensive position to protect the young ones just in case. There was a look of sympathy in his dark eyes as well, realizing that the truth was no longer being held at bay by his brother-in-law.

Death was staring with gold eyed fascination at the smoke coming from his ears "Do it again!! Do it again, Uncle Nic!!!" Her posterior was wiggling happily from the ruffling of her head & being called a cutie. Her excitement however was all from the smoke. "I can do something like that!" Pulling her paws back to make a circle between them the kit ignored (selective hearing is a dangerously wonderful ability) Remus and Aurums cries of 'no!' "Abacus!!" A ball of dark shadow swirled between her paws and shot out past the fallen male's shoulders to hit a wall where it made a crackling sound and dissipated. "But my ears never smoke like that!! Teach me teachmeteachme!!" With each word Death drew closer, peering into her great uncle's ears as if to find the secrets of the universe inside.