Title: Rafi: The Lion & the Cobra (Part I)
Author: Phoenix
Company: Fire Co.

Kyle & Rafi: At The Right Hand of Tyr (Part I)

Chapter XXX – A ride to Castle Ladybird

When the door to the observation room opened again--they found themselves staring right at one another.

Rafi and May on one side; Nurse Hutchinson, Kyle, and Jennie on the other. Both had arrived at the exact same place at almost exactly the same instant. Once again, the symmetry between the two men ran deep. And though neither of them was aware of it yet, in the tripartite quality of their romances, they had even still more in common.

Nurse Hutchinson got a little start when it opened, her hand only scant inches from the knob. Still, she greeted May and Rafi with a bright smile. "Mission accomplished," she said, glancing over her shoulder at Kyle and Jennie, before stepping aside so that the groups of friends could reunite, just beyond the room's threshold.

Kyle's smile was genuinely warm, and softly apologetic, as he regarded his friends, his posture slightly tense with regret at interrupting their reunion with their companion. As it registered with him that they'd been in the act of exiting, he relaxed visibly.

"We were just coming to get you," he offered quietly.

Rafi smiled wanly, glancing back at his should into the room; a final look at his love, already on her way to Dreamland, before he returned his gaze to the others. “She fell asleep already, it was a hard day for her, even with the doctor’s help”, he said quietly.

"I guess," Jennie said with a little sigh before brightening once again, her green eyes meeting Rafi's with love and life and laughter in their hue and timbre. "So...whaddya think?" she asked. "Everything gonna be okay?"

“Well be good,” answered the young man, his smile becoming a bit wider as he considered the deeper meaning of his words. Indeed, they’ll be good, all three of them from now on. One more day and Carm can join them, too, hopefully, and then a whole new horizon will open before their family.

May smiled gently in return. "Yeah," she confirmed. "I think everything's gonna be okay."

It took brilliant and shining Jennie a moment before she noticed that they were still holding hands. Rafi watched her eyes widen in surprise. "No," May countered her own statement. "I know it will."

Rafi felt her squeeze his hand tenderly. Something in his chest seemed to take flight like a bird.

Kyle simply nodded, glad to hear good news.

He felt his smile soften as her fingers touched his, and he returned the gesture. They stood close to each other already but he shortened the distance even more with a small step, to make their shoulders touch as well. 

During the night May and he did like many times, so it didn’t seem too out of place, but he knew that if Jennie looked at them so, then the others prolly will notice everything soon, too. But who cares, really, he decided, their relationship was sanctified and strengthened by Carmilla and crowned with silver rings by Polly. The love and miracle warmed him from the inside, and he shivered lightly by the rush of feelings.

"Looks like they're ready to go, so we won't have to play the official card after all," Kyle noted to Nurse Hutchinson. "Thank you very much for your assistance, milady," he offered to her with a slight bow, grateful for everything she'd contributed to help bring joy to his friends.

She shrugged slightly. "It's fine," she said. "'Least all that money I paid to get through nursing school didn't go to waste, right?"

"Indeed," Kyle noted with a smile.

"The backup was definitely appreciated, but I'd hate to feel like we were imposing and keeping you from any other duties you might have," he added with a smile, before turning back to his teammates.

"Miss, ah...Doe was my assigned patient," she explained. "So it wasn't really any trouble. If you wanna look at it like that, that made taking care of you guys my duty," she countered. "Not that I expect anybody would've given me too much of a hard time about it. You probably guessed it already--but this hospital isn't exactly like a normal hospital."

All of them easily remembered the display that the young doctor put on within the observation room--a startling display of prodigious power. It seemed like the understatement of the century.

"A good thing for us then, as we're not exactly normal people," Kyle remarked with a playful touch of self-deprecation.

Though Rafi got the feeling that these sentences carried some sort of subtext, he didn’t really want to know it, now. He turned to the nurse instead as well, and offered a polite nod. “I haven’t got the chance yet to say thank you. Would you please convey it to the young doctor? I think I... erm, I was lost in my feelings when he finished his job on her.”

"I understand, sir," she nodded, allowing a sly little smile that told the young artist that she unmistakably did. "I'll be sure to tell Doctor Thomas you said so."

“And I’d like to say thank you to you, too. Thanks for leaving us some time alone, its highly appreciated,” he smiled at the nurse, but the expression of his eyes added a lot to his short sentences said aloud. “We needed that,” he affixed, blushing ever so slightly.

The nurse smiled, laughing a little. "It was no problem," she said. "I read a lot of romance novels. It's nice to see, every once in a while, they're not just fiction."

Rafi laughed with her, hiding his embarrassment. If she would know how simple and yet so complicated a romance could be if it happens between more than two people, like sometimes in those novels, what would she think then, he mused. Perhaps nothing, she seemed so good-hearted, he decided, that she’d never hold that against them. “Still I think I owed you with this gratitude. Thank you,” he smiled at her.

And with that, she took their reunion as an opportunity to demurely skate away unnoticed, back in the direction of the young doctor and the new arrivals. Jennie whispered her a thank you in goodbye. The nurse smiled fetchingly in return before disappearing into the crowd.

The beautiful grin lingered on the imagination, another picture to be painted.

A definite Angel of Mercy, he considered, sketching her in his mind so as to be able to do her proper justice later. He watched her departure for a moment more, long enough to assure himself that he had her features duly committed to memory, before returning his attention to his friends.

Rafi followed her leave with his eyes, silently musing further about her gift and the accompanying gentle nature, searching for a form how she could appear on one of his drawings or tattoos later. More than that, she was another potential friend in this city, he thought, if he’d expect such progression with her like with the others he met. The list has grown quite long since his arrival, and it hasn’t ended yet, he both hoped and knew. The thought made him smile lazily, as his gaze returned to the pair before him.

Kyle again felt warmth deep within as he viewed their happiness, the way the anxiety over their friend's condition had finally begun to drain away in the light of her recovery. It stoked the fires of his own soul to see them in such revitalized spirits.

And yet...

There was something more. They seemed even more relieved and refreshed, more vibrant even, despite the earlier air of exhaustion and strain that lingered. Somehow, they practically radiated happiness here and now.

As his gaze washed over his friends, Kyle's smile began to take on a wry tinge, almost a mischievous smirk at the very corner of his mouth. Pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.

Rafi saw his green eyes mirrored in the surfaces of Kyle's dark sunglasses. Kyle saw his love for his sister and lover both mirrored in the substance of Rafi's eyes. Like attracts like. Kyle held Jennie's hand. Rafi held May's.

Mirror-men. Opposite as they could be.

Brothers in all ways that mattered.

Kyle's gaze drifted down to Rafi and May's hands, the way their fingers were tenderly interlaced, noting the glittering silvery contrast against Rafi's dark skin upon a certain finger, and noting a similar gleam nestled amongst May's fingers. He looked back up at the glow in their eyes, recognizing the radiance of those who'd found something special, something they'd needed and craved before they were even aware of it...a very special fire burning in the soul, made stronger and hotter with the addition of the perfect fuel.

May saw the little smile on his face and began to glow with a gentle blush.

Kyle noticed the bit of blush, but said nothing, his bit of a smirk once more taking on the air of a broader, warmer smile.

The young black tattooist tilted his head under the stare of his friend, and raised a brow. “What?” he asked a bit uncomfortably, when he saw the beginning of that knowing smile. But he already knew it... exactly like he would do in his place, yet he couldn’t stand not to ask it.

Kyle simply smiled for a moment more, before breaking the silence.

"Dare I hope that's cause for a tri-fold celebration?" he asked softly, a radiantly warm smile rising to his features as he nodded briefly back down towards the interlaced fingers and the rings that adorned them.

The former faint reddish tinge on his dark skin deepened, but Rafi didn’t turn his eyes away, only his grip became tighter around May’s fingers as he replied. “Erm, yeah, if I understand your question well. We lived through a kind of miracle inside, and I’m still under its effects”, said he finally, and went on mentally, adding that that he will be as long as he live.

"Then congratulations are definitely in order," Kyle responded with a grin, filled with such happiness for his friends that he wondered if he'd actually begin to radiate like Jennie.

Rafi waved off it with his free hand and an embarrassed, but happy smile. Just like before, when a teasing hit the right spot, he couldn’t reply as fast and joking as he would do to a ‘normal’ comment. And it was like so now, too, even if he could distinguish the happy tone of Kyle from the poking one, with his trained ears.

"I guess that means I'm really out of the running now," he gently teased May, waves of happiness flowing forth in his words.

To that, he only raised a brow, thumb gently stroking the back of her hand.

"Uhm...yeah," she replied, daring to slide behind Rafi, still holding one hand while slipping the other around his waist. He could feel her lithe form pressed to him, almost just like it had been, back in the doorway of his parlor--only seconds after they'd first met and only seconds before he had begun to lose his heart to her. "But look at the bright side," she added. "You've still got two of your own."

Said while gazing at him from over the crest of Rafi's shoulder--a lovely spider, balanced upon the webwork of her lover. And with Jennie beaming with delight at the reminder at his side, it was a truth if there ever was one.

Rafi relaxed into the embrace, and put his free hand behind himself, responding to the girl’s nearness, tracing her spine from the high he could reach down until he placed his palm on her taut bottom. The memory from the doorstep struck him so vividly that he had to take a deep breath and release it as a long staccato sigh, to calm his mind and heart which began to pound harder again. It wasn’t a too successful try, as with the breath the scent of the girl got into his nose and clouded his thoughts a bit.

"Gotta say, I do not mind losing this way," Kyle beamed, stepping forward to give his friends a warm hug, embracing the pair of them for a moment before releasing them and stepping back to give them space once more.

To Kyle’s voice Rafi woke up from the moment and huffed once, to clear his sense of smell. When he glanced at the Haydens, he blushed and mumbled a quiet “sorry”.

"Nothing to apologize for," Kyle assured him with a smile. "I understand completely. Instead, allow me to apologize for interrupting your savoring of the moment."

He was a bit perplexed by May's remark about having two of his own, as he couldn't recall offhand anything that might've revealed matters with Marina. Of course, given how hectic the day had been, it wasn't outside the realm of possibility that he'd missed something. In any event, he supposed it didn't truly matter, as he did indeed have two very special ladies to whom his heart and soul belonged.

So he was left with simply amazing happiness for his friends, delighting in their having likewise found something so very rare and so very precious.

"I do still owe you those pina coladas," Kyle noted. "And I'd be honored to be able to present them in a toast when everyone is back home, fully rested and refreshed," he added, a slight nod towards the hospital room leaving no question that he indeed meant everyone.

“A rest will be very good...,” nodded Rafi with a wry smile. “I’m only barely able to stand straight, and I don’t know how long this last rush of vigor will last”, he said, squeezing May’s hand lightly, signing that it was she and Carm and their miracle what gave him this lift.

"We can leave in a few moments."

They looked over down the length of the hall and saw that it was Beetlebum that had offered the reply, leading the others as they walked in his direction. "We can leave in a few moments," he repeated, once they'd reached a distance at which a bit more conspicuous conversation was possible. Behind them, Rafi watched the Maxx Law guardsmen take their place at Carmilla's door again. "I've just gotten off the phone," he explained. "I've hired us a ride back to my house."

“Cool, my friend”, greeted Rafi Damon with a happy grin and a wave of hello. “We’ll get a bus?” he asked joyfully looking around their group.

"Not exactly," his bespotted friend replied. "I, ah...rented us a limousine, instead. I rather hate the bloody things, myself, but I've had to use them from time to time in the past," he admitted. "I've got an arrangement whereby I can use one, if I need to." It made Jennie give Kyle a little quizzical glance. The question lingering in her eyes was obvious: What was it that their enigmatic friend did for a living?

Kyle simply shrugged in response. If the man desired, he would reveal his background when he was ready. It might or might not be made more apparent after a more formal round of introductions and name revelations later, but it wasn't a greatly pressing matter in his mind at the moment.

“A limo?” asked back Rafi with a surprised look on his face. “Woot,” he added grinning. He glanced at May and raised an eyebrow while he formed the words with his lips, both trying to hide them from the other and doing it not too conspicuously: Limo after the wedding?, then winked.

"Guess no one wants another trip through my travel agent," Kyle muttered lightly, unable to conceal the accompanying chuckle.

“Why wouldn’t we?” asked Rafi back as he raised his left brow. “Jennie spoke for you on the last two occasion, and the only one who has to think is you, if I guess right, huh?” he teased his friend. “And since we’re going to rest, I think its not too hard to take on this offer.”

"True enough," Tanya agreed. "If we're retreating to rest, your method sort of defeats the purpose. We're all going to rest--not just a few of us," she smiled, making no mistake about it being a matter of concern for his well-being and not the ordeal of the journey itself that was in question.

He simply nodded in concession. If the matter hadn't already been addressed, he was sure Jennie wouldn't have allowed him to try another teleport right now. And he certainly knew better than to argue with her once she cemented her position on something.

"The ride's greatly appreciated," Kyle offered with a smile, appreciating his thoughtfulness.

He met Rafi's eyes in a mix of fearful optimism.

"Everything...went all right, I trust?"

Kyle kept quiet, not wanting to intrude upon his friend's chance to reveal the good news.

Rafi squeezed May’s hand as he nodded and a wide grin crept to his face. “Miraculously, indeed!” he replied, “and when they’ll let Carm out, then everything will be as perfect as one can imagine,” he added. “I think I found my place in the circle of love.”

At Rafi's comment, Kyle couldn't help but start softly singing circle of love under his breath, to the tune and tone of the song 'Circle of Life' from The Lion King.

He just snorted as he suppressed a loud laugh by way of response.

Some laughs came up from the remainder of the group. Beetlebum just shook his head to himself. Meanwhile, through it all, May turned her head to Rafi and confided with a whisper: "I don't get it."

He smiled and put his lips to her ears to whisper into. His breath tickled the girl’s skin and the warmth of it was distinguishable even in the pleasant confines of the hospital. “Its from a Disney-cartoon movie, where the lion king shows to his dependants his newborn son.” It took all his willpower not to kiss the earlobe of her, being so close to it, but he managed to retreat. He spared it for later as he wasn’t sure that it wouldn’t lead to something more sensual, and the corridor wasn’t a really good place for that, surrounded by friends.

She nodded sagely, turning her head and whispering back into Rafi's ear. "We don't have the same Disney movies you do, where I'm from," she explained. "We'll have to watch it later so I get the message right. Together," she said, smiling before turning back and looking in the direction in which they were going.

Rafi raised a brow at the comment about not having the same movies, finding it confusing, but then the memory came up to the surface of his thoughts and he remembered their discussions, her not being from this dimension but from a similar one. “Okay”, he simply agreed. He liked the cartoons, after all, and watching them with one, or, under optimal circumstances, with two gorgeous young women just raised the enjoyment.

Pausing for a moment, then turning back to cup her hand and breathe gently past his cheek once more: "By the way," she added. "I like it when you whisper in my ear." She punctuated the statement with the gentlest nibbling on the edge of his bare earlobe, dotting the sensitive bud with a kiss and the flick of her small tongue.

“Hey...”, groaned Rafi barely above the hearing threshold from his throat by the sensation what washed over him from that little touch. He got goose bumps again, and not from the cold and stared at May, pure desire flashing alive in his eyes.

Giggling to herself as she pulled away, squeezing his hand with renewed vigor.

It would take him some time to regain his composure, to be sure.

The young man fell silent for a moment, taking a few deep breaths to push back the nasty thoughts what began to rise in his mind. After all the flirting during the night and then that single but stormy kiss in the room, he was definitely wired to have more from May, but there were the others around them, and he was tired as hell, too. Still, the girl could keep him awake for a while, he new, and some of this thinking was noticeable as he looked at her.

Lise rolled her eyes. "If you weren't so damn sincere about it," she sighed, "man, would that have sounded cheesy."

"Hush, fleet one," Tanya gently scolded her. "As Obsidian said, congratulations seem in order."

Now there was Rafi’s turn to look puzzled by the comment, he was sure that only Jennie, Kyle and the nurse was there when they’ve come out from Carm’s room, and they didn’t talk as loud... but she could’ve good hearing or some tricky item to boost it, so he just shrugged. 

Then he took on a sloppy posture and changed his voice to a tune which fit to a standard two-dimensional soap-opera character. “Cheesy?”, he asked resentfully from Lise. “What would you say after you found a superhero-group, fight the bad guys and save the ladies? Ain’t that cheesy, milady?” And you don’t know everything yet, he added in mind with a wry smile appearing on his face.

She considered it for a second. Finally: "Okay, you got me there," she admitted.

Beetlebum began to lead them out in the direction of the Emergency Room's exit once more. "We can celebrate in the limousine," he said, their collective footsteps tapping along the tile floor on their way. "As I recall, the things seem to have an annoying habit to come equipped with magnums of champagne."

Rafi looked funnily scared by the idea and shook his head playfully. “Well, if they have one without alcohol...” he let his voice trail off. He didn’t drink normally, and he wanted to be moderately awake when they’ll arrive at Damon, and only fell to the bed there. He saw on some friends that even a glass of drink can make someone sleepy.

"And to another limo. Guess I really will need to get used to traveling in 'em," Kyle muttered lightly.

Jennie leaned over and whispered in Kyle's ear, the two of them bringing up the rear of their little group. "Think we should see if Marina wants to meet us at Beetlebum's?" she asked him conspicuously. "Nothing against Maxx Law, but I think I'd feel safer having her with us than with them."

"I'd prefer having her with us as well," he agreed. "Besides, as she's already essentially agreed to help represent the entire League, it'd make sense to have her there to properly meet 'n greet her new clients."

Jennie grinned with delight at his response. The brilliant radiance that surrounded her gently wavered and drifted until the reach of its glow eventually ensconced them all in emerald. As they all basked in the warm and comforting green light--revealing, not blinding; ever gentle, never harsh--Kyle noticed for the first time that it did not cause shadows to dance along the walls behind where each of them stood. Somehow, Jennie's light managed to circumvent that eventuality of physics.

A dark eyebrow arched slightly as Kyle regarded the apparent lack of shadows. As much as he loved and enjoyed his sister's glow and warmth, the notion of light without shadow was honestly a little unsettling; it flew in the face of the reliable constants of opposites. He didn't accept that there could be one without the other, as the lack would make definition of the existing one pointless. One simply couldn't explain light, nor dark, without its contrast against which to gauge it.

Of course, it might be that Jennie was generating and manipulating the light at the most fundamental levels so that it seemed there was no darkness to be found. But anywhere something obstructed the path of direct light, that resulted in shadow and darkness, even if it were too minute to see with the naked eye. And such things were his realm.

Whether or not she'd intended to, Jennie had helped provide more insight and inspiration for him, and that made him smile.

"Another brilliant idea, brought to you by Crystal Visions, Limited," he remarked with a proud smile as he fished out the phone to make the call, making a mental note to later pursue the ideas Jennie had inspired.

Kyle scrolled through his contact list until he came along Marina's number, at which point he touched his CALL button and waited for the connection to be made. Elysium City's telecom systems' distinctive double-ring, an echo of something English, thrummed through the earpiece as he waited for her to pick up.

Even on advanced systems, the wait always seemed like an eternity, collapsed into the small drop of time that it actually occupied.

Outside, through the glass doors, the white snows became visible once more.

The big black limousine in their midst stood out like a sore thumb against them.

Rafi put his hand over May’s waist, pulling her closer as they approached the car, and shivered again, not from the cold fully, but the miss of Carmilla. Only a day, he chided himself right after, and she’ll be okay and ready to join to them. No need to worry while she sleeps and regenerates, he can relax as well, he tried to convince himself, with moderate success; May’s closeness surely helped.

He felt her arm circle him as the doors parted before them, the snow and the wind outside greeting their exposed skin like a wall of hurled razorblades. She pulled herself close to his side, turning her head and placing it in the nook of Rafi's shoulder. Against him in that way, he was aware of her warmth, could feel the way that she breathed and the gentle, pleasant smell of her shampoo like a mute strawberry and cream. His senses were slowly filling up with her as water fills an empty space and he found that he could be quite satisfied drowning in it.

The young man smile softened over her head as they walked up to the huge car in front of the hospital’s door. That the smell of her was sensible even against the chilling wind was a new and contending sensation, what he accepted gladly. It was different from Carm’s, but almost as calming and stirring at once. He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head, sniffing deep while doing that.

He heard her sigh, clinging closer to his side, for the gesture. May's scent was subtle and sweet, gentle and evocative. Rafi found it intoxicating; in the moment, there was no way that she could have drawn too near for his liking.

Though unnecessary, Kyle moved to gently shelter Jennie from the impending cold and snow, idly wondering what manner of driver Beetlebum might have.

Their black and red-speckled friend opened the door, revealing a slice of the inside of the vehicle, luxurious velvet and leather that ironically matched the colors that spread themselves across the Briton's features. He held the door for Tanya, first, then Lise, waiting as the rest of them piled in afterward. Rafi noticed that both women chose one side of the limo's interior--the one facing the rear of the vehicle--allowing them both to sit next to each other on the other side. Considerate.

He shook his head once with a half smile on his lips, watching the girls taking their places. Even if they teased and poked each other, it seemed everyone in the group had gentle heart and good eyes for the emotions. And they did nothing to hide them, that was true, too.

Close to the final few steps before they got inside, he felt May's small hand--the one that found his far hip--slip itself into the pocket of his pants. It was something innocent, searching for comfort and warmth. It could have been much more. The way she sighed slightly, after accomplishing the feat, he was sure that it was.

It felt good, the touch on his buttocks, even if it couldn’t last long as they reached the car and Rafi pushed her gently before him, and stood outside for a moment, looking around one more time. He even hushed Rasgar inside, so he was the last of his small family who entered the confines of the limousine. There he settled on the side of May, placing his palm on her thigh, with such naturalness like it would be the simplest thing on the world.

"Heya," she greeted him, lowering herself so she could gaze deeply into the jaguar's green eyes. She reached out and grasped his paw in her hand, stroking the short, smooth fur near its edges with her fingertips, tracing the supple and warm texture of the leather on its underside. "I hope you're not a jealous kitty," she said.

Rasgar simply looked back into her incredible blue stare. She needed elaborate no more.

“He is,” chimed in Rafi with a wry smile leaning forward by himself to stroke affectionately the jade feline’s head, before he sat back to the seat. “And there’ll be problems with the bed,” he added quietly, but the humor and happiness could be heard in his voice. “Apparently, he decided that he’ll sleep at my feet on it, but I hope we can convince him to keep distance,” he lowered his voice as the mentioning of the bed reminded him to his new flat, and to what happened with it, after they left. 

Did the SHIELD agents rummaged through it? Did they break more thing than what he already saw? Or they cleaned up after them? Anyway, it would take time to feel like home again, after their intrusion... and there was the problem with the Viper and her snakes, too.
On top of all those concerns, there was the fact, that they were already three, four with Rasgar, and his sister were coming down at Tuesday to live with him, too. Apparently his family was growing much faster than he expected.

May took it all in stride. She didn't seem to care a bit. All she cared about is that suddenly, her every childhood hope and dream seemed to be coming true, all at once. "Doesn't sound like a problem to me," she said, turning and flashing him a dazzling grin before going back to scratching Rasgar's head, right between his ears. "All we need to do is buy a bigger bed."

He snorted quietly and a wide grin appeared on his face as he watched May next to him. He moved his hand to her back and gently stroked it along the spine, idly dwelling around the sacrum for some time before moving up again. “I like the way you think”, he said silently, but within the close confines of the car, everyone could hear that.

Lise was looking out through the window at the passing snowfall as he said it. He wondered if she could actually see anything through the melage of winter darkness. Damon was still on the phone, giving a murmured litany of directions over his end of the connection, gazing into the jar of ladybugs in his lap as he did so. Only Tanya was paying attention and she greeted him with a gentle smile. That was a sensible reaction, he supposed, for someone that'd only heard a bit of the conversation.

He smiled back, but his fingers and thoughts were elsewhere actually, and he soon turned his eyes back at the lithe spider next to him, too. He watched her profile from his point of view, her dark hair and pale skin with those sweet lips and sapphire eyes.

“I bet you do,” he whispered back, his voice getting a hoarse tone, as his body filled with lust and held her closer for a second. She wasn’t the only one who could imagine wild things for the night, and in spite of his tiredness, Rafi wasn’t planned to spend the night alone, too.

May sighed as his hand traced the ridge of her spine. It prompted her to reach over and stroke his face, fingertips glissando over the texture and angles of his features as if to memorize them, every one. "I like the way you feel," she replied. It was as if her touch trailed magic along its path.

He could feel the metal of the ring she wore on his skin, as she did it.

He was sure she meant him to.

It was his turn to sigh, and lean into the touch with closing eyelids, to enjoy it fully. Even the freezing breathe of the winter could not mess with the moment, which waved into the car through the open door, what waited for Kyle and Jennie to arrive. This was their moment alone, a silent promise for the future, yet more firm than any lightly spoken word.

For the jade jaguar's part, he simply closed his eyes and allowed Rafi's lover to continue lavishing him with affection. Of the three of them, it seemed that it fell strictly to the young artist to worry. It made him wonder if, perhaps, he should just give into the rapture of the moment as well, too. Why worry, indeed, when everything seemed to be falling into place?

Rafi tilted his head as his vision was somehow focused on Rasgar and May only. He knew that Lise and Tanya was there as well, even Damon, but that didn’t matter now for him. His internal monologue and musing took him from the car, but he slowly fought his way back. He could be lost in his own mind every time, for long, if there wasn’t something what caught his attention, this was the way how he worked. Thinking and thinking, until he found a solution or rarely he could let all the worry go and enjoy the moment. Like the meetings and phone-calls with Carmilla. 

That is, he grabbed the idea, exactly what he needed, the feeling and state like with Carm, as he recalled it. And suddenly, he was back, happy and in love, next to one of his lovers. Rafi sat up and placed a soft kiss unto the nape of May as she was leaned forward, before he let himself fell back to the seat.

Meanwhile, just leaving the hospital's ER, the other end of Kyle's call picked up.

"Kyle," Marina's voice greeted him, her lovely Russian accent bringing a smile to his face. Once again, he found he quite enjoyed the way she said his name. She sighed. "It is wonderful to hear from you."

"A delight to hear your voice once more, milady," he returned, savoring the resonance of her accent in his ear, even if it were currently being relayed through his phone.

As he squired Jennie across the snowy ground towards the waiting limo, the phone call gave him perfect pretext to accentuate his gentlemanly nature and wait until everyone else was seated within. When Jennie was ready to situate herself inside their transportation, Kyle courteously offered her his free hand for support while she slid in.

The others had all lined one side of the limousine, sitting in reverse to its motion, allowing Rafi and May to sit on the other. It left a perfect amount of space for he and Jennie to take up the seat next to them, which she did, slipping in next to where Rafi sat. In the middle of all of them, Rasgar lay down in the middle of the floor, exchanging secrets and coming to hushed agreements with his master's lady.

Rafi smiled at the siblings as they found their places within the car’s confines, and his interest was drawn away from May’s and Rasgar’s silent bargaining. He’ll be noted about the result, he knew, so he felt no urge to listen in more focused. Besides, he knew Rasgar, and the jaguar liked the girl right from the beginning, so there would be no problem, he hoped. As ever, it seemed, animals were truly the greatest judges of character in the natural world.

"Where are you?" she asked. "What has happened?"

"We're just now preparing to leave the hospital, with good news," he assured her, his smile virtually sparkling along the telecommunication lines to her.

"Прекрасный!" she replied, the concerned tone in her voice melting away instantly to reveal a bright and excited tone to match his own. "Then you have recovered her, I suppose? And no one was hurt?"

"We indeed rescued the lady we sought," Kyle responded, smiling. "Got her back to the hospital in time, and thanks to the formidable talents of a young doctor on staff, she's already doing much better, and expected to make a full recovery in relatively short order."

Jennie practically giggled in delight as he summarized the series of events that had brought them to the limo for the lovely Russian. It was as if, with their accomplishments laid out in such a manner, she was able to celebrate them anew. "This is wonderful news!" she said, his sister drawing close to his side and laying her head on Kyle's shoulder in such a way that her long green hair could spill out across the breast of his shirt as if it plunged from the edge of an emerald waterfall.

That closeness... Her scent, the simple feel of her next to him... Little joys that he treasured, things that truly brightened his world, sparking his soul and helping him feel alive and vibrant. His hand upon her hip offered a gentle squeeze, simple silent assurance that he enjoyed having her near, and gratitude for that closeness.

"We also managed to rescue a little girl from the facility," he added. "She's currently under Maxx Law protection while they work with her on information to help them track down her mother."

"Then there were survivors, after all," Marina replied, obviously relieved at the thought. Perhaps, Kyle mused, he wouldn't spoil her mood by telling her the whole of the matter. "Again, this is very good. It seems as if you met with great success then, да?"

"Better than I initially expected," Kyle answered simply, leaving it at that for now and moving onto other matters.

"Our gracious British friend has generously arranged transportation for us, to somewhere we can relax and unwind for the night," he continued, making his way into the limo once everyone was duly comfortable within, seating himself next to Jennie as he closed the door.

"This is probably for the best," Marina replied. It had been some time since he'd last heard her voice and Kyle was discovering how sexy her accent was all over again. The way that it permeated her timbre and tone like honey, slowly sliding down every word she spoke. "I was about to suggest that I secure a hotel so that all of you might spend the night in close proximity to one another. I have overheard some of the officers here making mention of their opinion that this still might be a very dangerous evening for all of you, even with your business overseas concluded. They seem to be of the belief that allies of your enemies might seek to revenge their friends upon you, if you proved successful."

He savored the rich sound of her gorgeous accent for a moment, enjoying every nuance of it as it sensuously slithered through his auditory canal and into his mind, trying to make the instant stretch beyond its confines. Alas, he could only pause briefly before responding, lest she begin to grow concerned over his silence. Besides, he'd be able to enjoy that delicious voice in person later.

"Are your instincts telling you the hotel would be a better course of action?" he queried, ever on the lookout for whatever sage advice and guidance her gift might enable her to pass along.

"No," she said, speaking slowly enough that Kyle was certain she was employing her power even then to ensure it. "No, I thought that perhaps a hotel might be a good idea, though my gift had nothing to do with such a suggestion. But now that you've another alternative," she countered, "I am sure that this is for the best. In fact, I am quite sure of it." The implication was clear: Her strange and wonderful ability had incontrovertibly told her so, now that the idea had been made plain.

"Thank you for that assurance, milady. That helps ease some of our anxiety," he informed her, exhaling a bit as he relaxed slightly.

Rafi tilted his head slightly as he heard the conversation, wondering for a moment who could be on the other end, but Kyle’s words soon answered his silent question.

"We're all safe and well, and we'd like to invite you to join us so that you can meet our new friends and teammates under more relaxed circumstances than we had earlier. And because we simply enjoy your company," he added.

He could actually hear her smile over the telephone. "You have come some distance as a hero even since we last spoke," Marina replied. "Because I was about to suggest something similar. For the precise reasons you so eloquently detailed as well." The edge of a demure laugh on the edge of that sultry voice.

"You flatter me greatly with such compliments, milady," he blushed, a bit embarrassed and at the same time bolstered by her comment.

"I'll hand you over to him so he can securely provide any pertinent information you might need," Kyle offered, glancing over at Beetlebum and nodding, ready to transfer the phone as soon as he and Marina were ready.

"Very well. But I must warn you," she said, still smiling slyly, "my concern for you and Jennie's well-being has left me with no small amount of built-up anxious energy. We must work together to find a way to release that in a creative and mutually satisfying manner for all parties concerned, да?"

A pause for a gentle chuckle.

"Since I have caused you such anxiety, I shall see what I might do about alleviating it," he smiled. "And I did leave you with a promise, after circumstances last permitted us to relax and unwind," he added softly, recalling the scent and taste of her as he'd deposited that gentle kiss back at his and Jennie's place.

He wasn't sure how much energy he might be able to muster for such celebrations, but so long as it was enough to see Jennie and Marina happy and relaxed, he'd be quite content.

She laughed. "Perhaps I will see to it to bring refreshments when I arrive," she said. "I am not usually partial to them, but I suddenly find that I have something of a taste for a pina colada. A precursor, if you will, to a more intimate celebration."

Pina coladas, Kyle couldn't help but smile. That power of hers at work, yet again.

"Perhaps a bit of extra pineapple for some, to help a couple of our new friends in their own celebrations," Kyle suggested, looking over at Rafi and May for a moment, watching the glow of their happiness, a reflection of the wonder he and Jennie shared.

"Now, I will speak to our friend," she said. "Сейчас Гн. Hayden. Будьте готовы."

"Always a pleasure, milady," he responded, enjoying the sultry sounds of Russian, even though he had no clue what she'd said. Of course, a woman like Marina could read from the phone book or recite grocery lists and make it sound damn sexy, especially when an exotic accent was added.

"Our agent wishes to speak with you for a moment," he addressed Beetlebum, extending the phone to him. "So that she might join us and be able to meet each of you properly."

"Ah," he nodded. And as he said it, Kyle was beginning to notice that the bright red hue that the Briton's skin and hair had taken on was beginning to slowly fade away, whisking away the black spots as it left, rendering his body its typical pale tone. "Very good then." Obviously, he hadn't made contact with one of his tiny friends in quite some time. "Hello?" he said, placing the phone to his ear. "Ms. Denishka?" He started to talk to the beautiful Russian over Kyle's cell, his smile spreading over his features as he did. Marina, he had noticed, like Jennie, had that effect on people.

Different gifts for setting people at ease, but similar mindsets in wanting to help others; the two special ladies in his life were each a wonder. And together, they had helped direct him onto a path that had brought him several wonderful new friends, and a deep sense of satisfaction. Perhaps it was only in a tiny little corner, but he felt as if he had indeed made a difference this night.

The young tattooist leant back on the seat, relaxing in its embrace, and as the door closed he instantly felt the tiredness slowly crawling back to his body and mind. Carm was safe, and so were they, on their way to Damon’s place, where they can finally lie down and sleep. There will be some small talk before it, he derived from the phone-talk, and it was mentioned earlier, too, but that seemed too far now. 

The limousine began to pull away, almost the instant the door was closed. Only the sound of the Lord of Ladybugs' conversation with Marina and the thrumming of the engine to break the silence that fell between them.

And the sound of heartbeats--some closer together than others.

The warm body under his palm and next to his body was much closer, suggesting other ideas, what may delay the sleep, but they had some time before that, too. Still, the thought made him smile and he glanced at May stroking her leg idly.

At his side, May mirrored Jennie's pose, placing her hand over Rafi's and her head upon his shoulder. That scent of subtle strawberries and cream would be an easy lulluby to draw him into a Dreamland of his own, if he would let it.

Rafi closed his eyes as he embraced the girl and placed another kiss on her nape, offered by the posture. He inhaled her scent and found it quite intoxicating, the dreams calling whispers stronger with every breath. But he resisted it yet and opened his eyes, against the wishes of his own body, to glance at the others with a friendly smile.

As the limo drove away, Kyle relaxed and gently pulled Jennie closer, draping an arm about her and cuddling her. Offering her a shoulder to rest her head upon, he softly stroked her hair, growing more comfortable in the understanding that their friends apparently already knew the situation between them, and evidently didn't care.

Beetlebum lowered his voice as he continued to talk to Marina. Both of them could hear that he was giving her driving directions through the city; apparently, he had no problem inviting her along to his home, as well. Rasgar, his head laying low now, on the floor of the limousine, had fallen to sleep.

Rafi listened to the conversation only with half ear, being a bit curious that they would go to that address what he knew or to somewhere else. But actually it didn’t matter, he decided, as long he had May to hold in his arms and his friends nearby. He felt good and safe, almost like home, as the burdens of the day continued to drift away slowly. It was like a dream, lived awake and only the good ending had to come.

Kyle idly wondered if perhaps he might need to speak to Marina at some near point regarding the official institution of their group's name. The forms would help cement it with Maxx Law, granting them some initial recognition. But would more be needed, or at least advantageous? Trademarking didn't really seem necessary, and might seem a bit odd or pretentious. After all, what were the odds anyone else would even think of calling a group the League of Awesome or anything similar?

Out through the window, the darkness of the city swallowed them up as they went on their way, only the glimmering lights of the Imperial City at night, like so many urban constellations to guide their way. It was amazing how many people seemed to still be awake, even in the smallest hours of the day.

The ride could have lasted minutes; it could have lasted hours.

In the company of friends and lovers, time became a very fluid thing indeed.

The city lights in the night certainly made for an appealing picture, but the beautiful emerald sun snuggled up next to him was far more alluring to Kyle right now. Fingers softly stroked her luxurious jade locks as he placed a tender kiss atop her head, lost in the brief eternity of the trip; sequestered in his own universe, basking under a verdant star, with only his close friends and teammates as witnesses to the sheer joy he radiated.

Rafi eyes began to close again, as he followed his feline companions to the fields of Dreamland, the car’s cradling and the warm body in his arms working against his willpower. The silence not helped to stay awake, too, so he haven’t even notice when his fingers stopped to stroke the lithe spider’s side. He did not sleep fully yet, but wasn’t far from it, either. Sometimes thoughts flashed up, reminding him where he is, and that he shouldn’t sleep yet, but those were too fast to grab on. He knew himself well enough that if nothing happens in the next few minutes, he’ll drift away into sleeping, yet he was too sleepy to open his eyes to share that with his friends. So he just enjoyed the comfort of the embrace.

Chapter XXXI – Tales

The trip was over far too soon for the liking of two men swimming in the depths of rapture.

For Rafi, the sight outside the window as the limousine pulled up to a halt was a familiar one. For Kyle, it was simply a pleasant-looking front yard, wide-open and expansive, bordered by a density of fir trees along its edges and a thick row of shrubbery along its front, unbroken but for a space that allowed a thatched white, wooden arbor. It was probably lovely, come the sleeping springtime, he decided. Amusingly enough, Kyle saw that there was a small stone sculpture in the middle of the yard, about the size of a bird feeder: It was of a ladybug, perched atop a small pedestal. Jennie grinned from ear-to-ear when she spied it.

Kyle smiled as he recognized the slumbering statuary beneath the blanket of white. Eminently appropriate for a man who bore such an impressive link with the ladybugs. In his mind's eye, he could see the yard bereft of the relentless snow, and it was indeed a beautiful sight.

The young tattooist eyes swept over the front yard, searching for the traces of his spider-yeti, even if he knew that it was impossible to remain anything since it happened almost a whole day ago. The memory made him smile and that turned into a grin when he realized that he had more spider around than he’d ever think before. And one of them, a lithe and radiantly beautiful was in his arms even now. He placed a soft kiss on her shoulder, just because he thought it’d feel good.

The house set at the rear of the yard was beautiful, though not especially ostentatious. It was a long, roomy Tudor that sprawled out some distance into a large backyard. It was the kind of house that a rich man would buy when he was trying not to seem rich, he decided. There was little question that it would have enough room for them all.

Observation of the house afforded Kyle another smile. Elegant and spacious, without appearing pretentious, it seemed quite fitting for their reserved teammate. Bearing witness to the silent testimony of the man's wealth and lack of need to showcase it, his respect for their British friend was further cemented.

Beetlebum smiled and sighed. "Home," he said. "Finally."

Opening the door and sliding out onto the frozen, ice-covered driveway that passed alongside the house. "C'mon, everyone," he gestured for them to follow.

"Lovely place," Kyle commented, taking a moment to fix it in his mind. "A subtly impressive work of art befitting the gentleman who resides within."

He chuckled to himself. ‘Y’like it?” he asked rhetorically. “An old girlfriend made it for me,” he replied with perhaps a bit of wistfulness to his voice. “The sculpture that is--not the house. That was when we were just finding out I had a special relationship with the little dears. Once I started to realize what extent it went to,” he explained, “I really started to appreciate it. It goes with me, wherever I’ve lived, since.”

Kyle nodded briefly in silent reply. It was certainly a beautiful work of art, and he could well understand the desire to keep it close, even without the special link it represented.

Rafi smiled at the sight of the familiar place and the ladybug made of stone. It was like his tattoo about Rasgar, a memento representing their special link, even without actually showing its deepness and strength. Everyone, who not knew them more closely, could think it was a sculpture or a normal tatt, but they know that it was something more. But Damon had the more difficult role, carrying the stone around the world, he decided, still smiling.

Jennie gave him a quizzical little look. “You’ve moved around a bit, I take it?”

“Quite a bit,” he nodded. “Mostly in England, though. London…Essex…Amsterdam…Los Angeles. Now, here,” he smiled affably. “With you.”

"Spent a fair amount of time in L.A. ourselves," Kyle breathed, his tone drifting softer and lower at the end, a subtle indication that not all had been well spent therein, a hint of a lingering memory he wished could be borne away upon the chilling winds, never to return.

The Briton snorted. "I can't confess to enjoying Los Angeles very well," he replied, in such a way that Kyle got the distinct impression that he was rather understating the point. "Perhaps it's something to do with its proximity to Hollywood. Everything feels like you're participating in a film, there. A very bad film, too."

Kyle nodded silently in affirmation. He could certainly understand the sentiment; so much of L.A., and Hollywood in particular, was crafted upon the notion of style over substance, image before and above everything. The end result was that much of the city, and the people populating it, bore tragic resemblance to the movie sets it housed: elegantly and carefully crafted facades of shallow depth, masking an absence of anything substantial beneath.

Real substance in the city was oft found amongst the streets and the everyday people, but all too often said substance dissolved into a pungent sludge under pressure. God knows he'd seen some of the worst, and close enough to haunt him.

"Not much travel overseas," he added after a bit. "Aside from occasional shopping trips," he teased Jennie with a warm smile, gazing into her eyes to pull himself up from the bleak depths of tragic memories and back into the sunlight.

Jennie gave him a little sidelong look and a smile. She held her tongue, though. Apparently, the details of that particular jaunt were to stay a secret between the two of them. At least, for the nonce.

He had little doubt there'd be future shopping trips, or something else where she'd playfully push and cajole, wrapping him about her finger. Or, perhaps more accurately, around that dazzling smile. For now, he shared her silence as their host continued.

He shrugged, continuing on his way to the door. "There...here," he said. "I suppose there's a certain amount of relativity to it. There are nice places all around the world, just like there're real nightmares. If you spend enough time anywhere, it becomes home, eventually. That's the commonality--the familiarity."

"Elysium City's the only place I've ever been that's any different," he added. "I felt comfortable here straight away. The familiarity was instant, here. Which is why I don't intend on moving anywhere again, anytime soon."

"Definitely found priceless treasures here, encouraging us to stay and see what else might bloom," Kyle agreed, glancing about at their friends.

“Hopefully we all will stay here, finding our home for our family, and nothing’ll happen to move us away…”, whispered Rafi, at least as much for himself as for a reply for the others, and he gently pulled May closer for a moment.

"Where I'm from," Lise offered, "we make sure that happens by always sticking together."

May held the young artist closer, breathing long cones of frost into the air before her as she huddled into the intimacy of his warmth. "You almost sound like you're starting to like us," she said, smirking at the pale beauty at the rear of the group.

Rafi breathed a soft kiss onto her cheek as they sat on the seat and the wintery chill waved into the limo. When he looked at Lise, too, he didn’t forget to brush his lips to her ears gently and make it so like it happened by accident, even though it was a playful reply to her kiss back at the hospital’s corridor.

"Really?" she deadpanned. "Then forget I said anything at all."

“That won’t happen,” he denied the possibility to forget their friendship and the confirmation of it by the pale ballerina. “She is the expert of sticking to things, so you better not disagree,” he added with a joyful smile and a wink.

"For us, home has ever been simply the two of us, regardless of where we've lived," Kyle noted, gently holding Jennie close. "Being all we've had, family and love have always been of the greatest importance. Having been blessed with the chance to expand our familial circle here, we're every bit as dedicated to those we welcome into the fold."

“We are grateful for your words, and you know that we’ll gladly accept you as well as you two did with us.” Rafi offered a polite nod and a warm smile from the car as an acknowledgement, as he began to move his mind on the trail what will eventually lead to the leaving of the car. He found impolite to talk to the outer side while still sitting inside, more the gangsta way, and he wasn’t one, only liked a lot of them, from the streets.

After a moment of looking about at the wonderful new friends they'd made in such a short time, "Well, let us hustle inside, away from this cold, so that we can see what other wonders await within this elegant manse."

“Wait until you see the inside,” said Rafi with a knowing smile, switching back to the house’s admiration. He remembered well to the waterfall, and the room full of ladybugs. That will be impressive to see again, and he was curious how the other rooms look, since when he was here, he saw only the main room and the gentle creatures in their shelter.

"I don't know about the rest of you...but I'm dying for a spot of tea."

"Afraid I've never been much for traditional tea," Kyle apologized as he squired Jennie up to the house. "Too American, and too corrupted by time spent in Southern California, leaving my tastes running more towards organic berry tea or vanilla chai blends," was the explanation.

"Closest I generally get to real tea is a rare cup of Earl Grey," he afforded.

“’S quite all right, I assure you,” he said, making his way slowly toward the house’s front door so that the rest of them could catch up. “I’ve got plenty of things in the refrigerator. I’ve someone that I hire to take care of the shopping for me and I’ve specifically requested a rather wide range of things, just in case I’m ever of the mind to entertain guests. So I’m sure I’ll have something your palate finds suitable. At the very least, Rafi and Tanya and I will ensure that the tea goes not to waste.”

Rafi nodded to himself as he heard his name mentioned by the tea, but he hasn’t responded yet, as he was still in the car. He was tempted to sit there for a while with the lovely spider at his side, enjoying the smooth ride, but then he grabbed his better side, and began to move closer to the door. The tea will help to wake up a bit, he hoped, but before that, the chilling wind surely.

"Perhaps I'll have to take notes, if I'm ever a success," Kyle laughed. "Culture and the finer points of upper class society are oft lost upon me, I'm afraid."

"She's the civilized one," he chuckled, nodding towards his beautiful, beloved sister.

Jennie smiled slyly in his direction, taking Kyle’s hand as he helped her out into the cold outside the limousine once more. “Says the professional artiste,” she countered. Beetlebum circled the limousine as the others began to withdraw from the vehicle as well, knocking on the driver’s dark window. He had a short conversation with him that terminated in his reaching back into his wallet, producing and handing him what looked like three crisp and new hundred-dollar bills. The window rolled back up again and the hero started up the freshly-shoveled path that led to his front door.

“You’re both beautiful,” he replied, looking over his shoulder as he dug in his pocket for his keys, tossing them a big grin before finally finding them, placing them in his lock and opening the thick wood with a turn of a brass knob.

"Thank you kindly, sir," Kyle returned with a bow. "But I'm afraid I'm quite spoken for," he joked, finding it quite easy to lapse into friendly teasing and humor amongst their new teammates; truly, they were as good for him in their way as was Jennie.

"Such a shame," he replied with a wry smile. "And so I remain a solitary man."

"We'll have to work on that," Jennie said. "You're too cute not to have some hot young thing hanging off your arm. We'll have to teach you how to accessorize." The comment got a gentle laugh out of the both of them, underscoring Kyle's thought perfectly; the ties between them all were tightening to the point where such came naturally.

"Rest assured, were I so inclined, you'd be at the top of the list," Kyle offered to Damon with a wink. "Though EC seems to present such opportunities, I should think you'll find someone to suit you," a hopeful smile punctuating the comment. "Mayhap even two someones..."

He chuckled. “Yes, I see that seems to be in fashion this year,” he noted, looking between both men and the ladies at their respective sides, comprising two-thirds of their bizarre love triangles. “I would suppose I should say that I can’t imagine being in such a relationship, myself…but then, I would imagine each of you might have felt similarly, before you found it upon you, hm?” he posed. “Such is the miracle of love; one never knows when it might fall upon you…and when it does, the how of it never ceases to amaze. I would count myself lucky to find even one that I might share my soul with, let alone two.”

"Love is what it is," Kyle mused. "An eternal mystery, elegantly simple in its complexity, oft elusive to those determined to hunt it down, yet a glorious blessing that can descend upon one when least expected; one of God's most precious gifts to his children."

"And perhaps sometimes helped along by a very special faerie godmother," a bit more quietly, softly clasping Jennie's hand in his as he lovingly gazed upon her.

Jennie locked eyes with him, her face perhaps only a few inches from his. It was easy to find himself lost in the depths of her emerald eyes, the sum of all springtimes in their verdant quality. He thought he saw her shiver for a moment, something that had nothing to do with the chill in the air. It was impossible to tell; before he could consider it, she drew nearer.

He tenderly cupped her face in his hands, gently holding her there. His eyes shone from behind his shades as he savored the moment, simply gazing upon her, drinking in the beauty and love that hovered a mere hair's breadth away. He was eager to let her complete the movement, but he wanted to pause for a few seconds to grant this greater of intimacies, to silently show her how much just having her near meant to him.

Finally, he lovingly coaxed her forward, breaking that final ethereal strand of distance.

She placed a soft kiss on his lips, her lips, moist and warm and giving. The tidal wave of emotion held in the gesture washed over him, something impossibly powerful within such a small, subtle gesture. Then she pulled back, resuming her orbit from him, such a scant distance apart, her eyes still locked on his own. Everything was as it is as it was and as it would forever be. Perfect.

Words were not only unnecessary, they were impossible. His breath drawn from him with the tender kiss, and he had freely given of it, surrendering completely as he returned the kiss with equal love and devotion. And he gladly accepted the fire that had been poured into him, letting it wrap about his heart and soul, infusing him with verdant joy.

Even as she gently withdrew, Kyle held her close, though it quickly became evident she had no intention of removing herself more than a mere finger's width or two. He was happily lost in his personal springtime, basking in the glow of his precious star. It would be several moments before he could reluctantly pull himself from those depths.

"I'm ten years old again," she whispered, so close to Kyle still that he could taste the words as they fell from her lips, each one like Fourth of July fireworks on his tongue in which every skyrocket was a brilliant, luminous green. "I'm wearing that cone hat we made out of construction paper and pretending I'm a princess. And I'm finding out all over again that I'm in love with you. Uncontrollably, absurdly, wonderfully in love with you."

"And I you, my Princess," simple, concise, yet clearly revealing everything that needed be said.

She leaned forward, touching her lips to his once more. The fireworks shimmered and shined on the darkness behind his closed eyelids. "You're the best knight there ever was," she said, just at the edge of hearing. "You saved me, that day."

"You saved me for real."

He savored the minty sparks left behind by her kiss, enjoying the rapture of her presence and her love. His words and breath once more snatched from him, he simply held her close, trailing a hand along her cheek and chin in tender caress, a silent vow that he would ever be there to save her if she needed him.

“He speaks well”, admitted Rafi from the car’s door. “Two days ago I’d never think this will happen with me, a promise became reality and finding a new love…”, he said squeezing May’s hand softly.

Through the sensation of his hand upon hers, he could feel the cool texture of her ring on his skin. What sort of magic did it take to make such a feeling a tangible thing? "Something about dreams coming true?" she asked as they drew still closer on their way to the door. The warmth engendered by their nearness was a pleasant consequence that had nothing to do with the reason for the gesture at all.

“Yeah”, smiled Rafi at her, “and this time the reality is even better than the dreams”, he added with a wink and a light stroke on her cheek.

Rafi sighed as he moved outside after the others, helping May to get outside as well, and placing his hand on her hip. The young artist grinned at the other as he took the comment on himself. “It must be the city, having the some of the same desire for the freedom and love like the hippies. Just think on it, we started as individuals or pairs, and first we founded a League, then we call it as family…”

“Yeah,” Lise chimed in. “A week from now, we’ll be calling ourselves The Cult of Awesome.”

Kyle chewed his lip, desperately struggling to stifle a chuckle, forcibly restraining himself from spouting retorts about fertility rituals for their cult.

“For a cult, we need more members and leaders, do we?” asked Rafi on a playful tone.

"Stick around," Lise chuckled, thumbing in Jennie's direction. "You really think she's done yet?"

The brilliantly glowing Crystal in their midst smirked. "You know me too well, already."

"Mischief, writ large," Kyle remarked, softly squeezing Jennie to him as he smiled.

Rafi couldn’t do anything but laugh as a response. Though they not spent much time together with Jennie, he already figured that she is an overly optimistic and sometimes willful girl, why would she act differently in this topic, he mused.

“I think it marvellous,” Tanya smiled warmly, ignoring the lithe, pale beauty’s biting sense of wit. “In my mind, the Sixties weren’t a failure; it was the Seventies that let us down terribly. The concepts of love and family…things to be shared by all those around you without reserve and blind to matters such as race or gender or tradition? How could these things be anything but wonderful?”

“Well-said,” Beetlebum nodded, smiling. “And so, built on such ideals, how can our League be any but marvellous and wonderful in kind?”

"Awesome, to be certain," Kyle voiced, recovering himself. "Especially with such friends to help hone it," he smiled.

“With that cemented, shouldn’t we turn our interest back to the things at hand, like the drinks and the warmth of the house?” asked Rafi smiling wryly, his voice still keeping slight tinge of humor.

“A tea would be good, but –forgive me my friend- my vote goes to the bath and the bed after it,” he added with a smile, paddling in the snow to keep himself warm. “But perhaps we can fit the tea in between,” he nodded, “As I deduced from the conversation, we’re waiting for Ms. Denishka, anyway.”

“Ah, that reminds me,” he replied, reaching back into his pocket and returning Kyle his telephone. “The lovely Ms. Denishka has assured me that she’ll be proceeding with her driver the moment she’s able to unsnare herself from the ocean of red tape that flows through the halls at Maxx Law,” he smirked. “She told me she would expect that to be no more than twenty minutes.”

"Thank you," Kyle graciously returned, accepting the phone back and tucking it away. "If Ms. Denishka expects to be no more than twenty minutes, then I'm sure it certainly won't be any longer. She has a knack for gauging matters and deftly maneuvering herself through them with minimal hassle and delay."

Rafi silently considered that then he has to stay awake and mostly talkative for the next hour, if the mentioned lady will arrive after twenty minutes and surely they’ll talk some before anyone would leave for the bed. He released a silent sigh, and glanced at May at his side as if asking will we hold on that long?

May glanced at him and made a little face. "If she makes me wait more than half an hour before bedtime," she whispered into his ear, just over the howl of the wind, in such a way that Rafi wasn't sure if she were kidding or not, "I'm gonna be climbing up the walls." The implication was obvious: May Parker had absolutely no intention at all of sleeping alone this evening.

He stroked her nose with his cheek with a smooth move as he turned his head to face her, eyelids half-closed. “Patience, little spider, you’ll get what’s yours…” he whispered back, punctuating the comment with a quick kiss at her lips, and staring into her skyblue eyes with his own deep jade ones.

"She seems very organized," Tanya said, loud enough so that the whole group could hear them. "You've definitely done well, as far as agents go. Not that I know much about what makes for good representation," she added, "but at the very least, she's talented and committed. And that should go a long way, if nothing else."

"I was quite fortunate that Ms. Denishka felt my potential worth her personal attention, and felt that we would work well together," Kyle considered. "I certainly never expected to be attended by an agent of her caliber. Her talent and dedication to her clients make her a formidable agent indeed."

“I’ve never had someone to talk for me, like an agent…,” chimed in Rafi. “On the streets, you need pals and good rumors, not spokespersons,” he added, thinking back to his environment at home. Their level of living was above the average, thanks to his parent’s dedication towards learning and education, but he spent a lot of time on the streets, while he danced and walked around with others from the roda.

“I’m with Rafi,” Lise chimed in. “Words’ll only take you so far, y’know.”

“I dunno,” Beetlebum shrugged. “I’ve always found that a good agent can help save you a lot of time, letting you focus your energies where they might be more constructively applied. They open the doors for you and handle all the details,” he explained, “so that when it is time for action--it’s not misplaced. At least,” he shrugged, almost apologetically, “that’s been my personal experience.”

"In some arenas, the action of having a good agent to stand forth for you can be much more effective than any words you yourself might offer," Kyle noted. "Business meetings can be an entirely different sort of battlefield. On the streets, allies and rumors are just different sorts of agents to act on your behalf."

"And she's our agent," he amended. "She's going to represent us all, at least insofar as the League of Awesome goes. And that may open further doors for consultation on other matters," he mused as Damon led the way to the door.

Rafi raised a brow at the comment about future, but he left it that for now. The cold got his thoughts before his curiosity, so he wanted to be inside instead of talking more outside.

“Ah, yes…that,” their host replied, looking perhaps a bit uncomfortable as he said it. “That’s…ah, something we’ll need to talk about. I actually, ah…have an agent already,” he confessed.

"It's not a mandate, simply an option," Kyle assured him. "Ms. Denishka will potentially represent the League of Awesome in regards to our heroic careers, particularly in light of legal matters and working with local law. If you've an agent for your professional life that's doing right by you, that's great; no need for change there," he smiled warmly.

The comment seemed to set him at ease. With a sigh more born of relief than weariness, he nodded. "Well, I can't argue against having legal counsel as a hero," he agreed. "I mean, there are laws against vigilanteism in the United States, aren't there? It's good to know you'll have somebody that'll be there to take up for you, if someone ever decides to press charges, Heaven forbid."

"Lawyer's number: one of the most important things to carry in your utility belt," Kyle chuckled, mostly to himself.

"The option may still exist for you to hire Ms. Denishka for consulting purposes in matters of her expertise, should you so desire," he added. "No pressures of any sort. My apologies if I gave the impression otherwise," offered as Damon reached for the door.

"It's quite all right," he replied. "It's just a lot to think about, is all. One moment, we're taking up for our friends, the next, we're all in a sanctioned superhero team," he laughed gently. "Bit of a whirlwind, I think."

Kyle nodded silently in understanding. A great many things had happened in such a short time, for all of them. It would take some time to fully digest. And regarding Marina's representation, there was certainly no rush for the matter to have to be addressed immediately. There'd be time for the gentleman to mull it over.

He pushed his door inwards. “You can hang your coats--and cloaks,” he grinned back at Tanya, “--on the rack just behind the door. You can either leave your shoes on the mat at the door or not, it doesn’t really matter.”

Kyle simply shifted his costume to something more relaxed as he followed Jennie inside, his attire becoming a short-sleeved dress shirt and Dockers-style pants. He courteously took the time to dutifully clean the snow and grime from his shoes before proceeding, but otherwise left them on for the nonce.

Rafi lifted a brow by the sudden change of Kyle’s clothes in front of him, and shook his head with a wry smile. “Tricky,” he said, but without any jealousy. He then followed the example and trampled down all the snow what gathered on his trousers, and kicked off his shoes to the place built for them. He loved to walk around barefooted, and he thought it more appropriate now, since he was sure that even if he’d clear off all the snow, it will leave wet marks in the house. The coat he hung up simply on a hook.

"Very nice trick, indeed," Tanya appreciatively nodded. "I'm going to have to try and remember that. Perhaps I can incorporate a similar effect in my shop's wares."

Jennie tossed her a sly grin. "Make sure you contact IAG about the copyrights, first," she replied, wagging her spring eyelashes suggestively.

"I'm sure we can manage to work something out," Kyle chuckled as they closed ranks behind Damon to escape the cold.

“The want-to-have list of mine constantly expands in the company of yours,” smiled Rafi at the Magess and Kyle. “The bottomless bag and other magical things, and now this outfit… both could ease the problem of the small dresser, as the number of inhabitants of my loft grows.”

“Well,” Tanya smiled, “make sure you get your orders in early. I handle consignments strictly on a first-come, first-serve basis,” she informed him, but then laughed merrily. “Of course, I have been known to make special exceptions for my close friends. Not to mention that rather generous discounts I extend, as well.”

"Perhaps a bit of barter, a painting, or maybe a bit of unique sculpture," Kyle mused, stroking his chin as the thought trailed.

“I can offer drawings or tattoos, and my bad sense of humor when in company, all of that for free,” winked Rafi at Tanya, easily slipping back into the teasing mood what seemed to be common with his new friends. The thought remained, though, as he mused over the possibility of a cooperative work with Tanya, an art to his own skin -and perhaps May’s, considering their relationships now- with the relic tatt-gun and the Magess’ magic to protect himself against Carm’s stinger. It seemed definitely an idea worth talking about later.

"If your wish-lists are as long as you're implying, I suspect the both of you should continue bandying about ideas," she smiled back. But then, she laughed gently. "But in all honesty, I think you'll find I'll be amenable to whatever you think would be fair recompence. I think I would have a difficult time denying any of my close friends an item that just might end up saving my life at some point, hm? As long as you're prepared to come up with--or at least help me hunt for--some of the rarer material components necessary for their construction...I would be most happy to do any of the work you'd request, I'm quite sure."

May grinned up at Rafi. "Hard to compete with that kinda sale, huh?"

"We'll definitely help you get hold of materials if we can," Kyle answered Tanya. "What're friends for, after all?"

Rafi pulled May closer for a second, and stroked the side of her unnoticed. “That means, we count as close friends?”, he asked winking at Tanya. 

"Indeed," she nodded. "I would say so. And you haven't even made it to the roda yet," she winked back.

A lone, dark eyebrow crested above shades in curiosity, "Roda?"

“Yup,” Lise nodded. “It’s kinda how we got mixed up with him in the first place,” she pointed over in Rafi’s direction offhandedly. “And he hasn’t even danced with us yet.”

“Yeah, another circle of our lives, this time for the caopeira we all do, except May and the two of you,” replied Rafi with a smile. “But, I think I can speak in the name of them, too, that any of you welcomed to join anytime.”

Jennie looked slightly confused. “What’s Capoeira?”

Rafi almost replied simply with the comment of a dance, but Lise was quicker - not surprising him at all with that, anyway.

“It’s a martial art,” Lise replied, “based on the principles of dance.”

“It’s also quite good as a meditative exercise,” Tanya added. “As well as keeping one fit.”

"From what little I've seen in vid clips, it's very beautiful and elegant," Kyle noted. "I'd be very interested in learning, if the offer's open. I'd be starting off at Level Zero though, so you'd have to take it easy on me," a bit of a shrug accentuating the admission.

He wondered if, once he gathered enough learning of the art itself, there might be a way to blend its use with his powers, perhaps extending his effective striking range with shadows, or even using the form through the shadows themselves; the idea of shadowy tendrils gracefully flowing through sweeps, grapples, and strikes as he directed them was an entertaining one.

“The invitation has been made,” nodded Rafi, then cracked a sly smile. “And we’ll be patient, be assured. I think we all remember to our first class... at least I do.” And he did. He was coming home after school, during a summer, and that was when he saw the small circle in the park, where they danced. He was fascinated by the moves and graciousness of them, and instantly forgot his destination, crawling up to the roda and watching silently the young people there. The participants were nice to him, letting the kid spy on them before calling in him a while later. It was dark when he got home, and got chided by the first time for being late. Still, he fell for the capoeira, and from that moment, he was a dedicated dancer. He was eleven, by then.

“Everybody falls for the first time,” he winked as he quoted a popular sci-fi from the end of Nineties.

May looked up at Rafi from her warm place on his shoulder. “Sounds like something I might like,” she mused. “Would you teach me how, if I asked?”

The thought of May, with her blend of preternatural speed, strength, and agility in the Roda was almost too frightening to conceive of. She would be an absolute holy terror within the circle, he was certain. It would almost be worth it, just to see the looks on the others’ faces.

He considered it for a moment, musing over the possibilities what May could produce with all those extraordinary physical abilities, and smiled at her, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. “Sure. You’ll be a great dancer, judging by your talents what you showed to date.” He smiled down at her slyly, and added on a playful tone, “I think you can show new things even to me...”

May chuckled under her breath. "I hope to," she winked. "Stuff they haven't even come up with yet, in 2009," she added, her voice, full of entendre.

“Mmm, tempting,” replied Rafi on the same tone, his lust beginning to build up again in him. This gonna be a good night, he decided, and all the others, coming after it, together with Carm and May.

He then glanced back at Tanya, pointing with his head after Damon. “If I remember right, the plan was having one dance today, around five, but with all this events today, I think we’ll have to delay that,” he paused for a moment, then went on. “That is the visiting time in the Hospital...,” he added a bit quieter, musing about Carm’s dream.

“Absolutely,” the Magess replied. “Considering today’s goings-on, I think at least postponing our appointment is in order. And I would think,” she nodded, obviously thinking the same way Rafi was, “you’ve got a much more important function to attend later, hm?”

The young dancer nodded with a sincere smile. It wasn’t the first time he thought that the Magess either knew too well the people or using a mind-reading spell constantly as her thoughts were on the same track as his. “Perhaps we can reinstate it tomorrow.”

“On the other hand, as Kyle said, I’ll gladly join to whatever expedition you plan on to gather components, too. Then only thing we’ll have to do is to conciliate the materials and our time. I’m not too greedy, anyway,” he added smiling.

"That's good to know," she nodded. "Some of the materials I'll need to create the items you'll undoubtedly ask for aren't precisely what I'd call easy to come by. And the more extravagant or powerful they are--the longer it generally takes for me to create them. In the meantime," she mused, "if you'd like a catalog of the sorts of things I can make for you on consignment," she said, reaching back to fiddle about in the worn leather backpack she had beneath her incredible peacock-feather cloak for a moment before finally withdrawing a book. "You can purchase one easily on eBay."

Kyle was definitely intrigued that she had catalogs readily available. He wondered if some enterprising sorcerers had created such for convenience. It would definitely be an interesting thing to peruse.

RE-CUT

“When we have some free time and none of us are in danger of fainting dead away from exhaustion,” the sorceress quipped, “I would be most interested in having an opportunity to examine your wondrous artifact, if I might be allowed,”she smiled. “That, in and of itself might be worth a bit of store credit.”

“Sure, why not?” agreed Rafi with a simple nod. “I don’t fear placing my things into your hand,” he said, before he noticed that it can be comprehended more than one way, but it was too late by then. With that done, he just smiled shyly and shrugged. Too much talk about cults and love, and a wonderful girl’s closeness and constant flirting, he defended himself before himself.

Kyle had to bite his lip to hold back a retort, shaking slightly and nearly tearing up from the effort at holding it in. Poor Rafi had offered up such a straight line. With a bit of effort, Kyle's courtesy for his friend won out over the urge to tease, and the jibe remained unspoken.

May, for her part, took nothing from the comment. She seemed much more interested in cuddling up with Rafi than in making something of a harmless bit of play.

He watched meanwhile the book she fished out from the backpack, but he wasn’t familiar with it. The style of the image suggested that it was an aged thing, clearly not something from the last twenty years. Judging by the inking and the lines, he placed it somewhere into the early 80s.

The book she held up for their approval was black in cover. It pictured a terrible looking red-skinned demon with a long nose and eyes that burned like twin stars. Bejangled with jewelry, he brandished a mighty scimitar as several bold adventurers circled his feet, apparently ready to make battle with the great evil in their midst. The top of the book read DUNGEON MASTER'S GUIDE in bold yellow letters across its face.

Kyle chuckled as the book stood revealed, having forgotten for a moment her remarks before about drawing upon Dungeons and Dragons for her references and inspiration. A better look at it caused him to scrunch up his brow in a bit of confusion; it certainly wasn't the same as one he recalled perusing as a kid. Then again, he seemed to recall the one he'd seen was a secondary or revised edition, so perhaps the one she held was an earlier version.

"You can get one for just $6.99 and shipping, if you Buy It Now," she smiled knowingly.

"Actually, I think I might be able to get a pdf for cheaper," Kyle retorted playfully. "Not sure if it's that exact one, but I definitely saw something similar at a site a while back, when I was hunting up some novels I remembered reading as a kid."

“Hah, another thief of the Net,” teased Rafi his friend. “I’m fortunate that my work couldn’t be shared by that way so I get my money for them fo’ sure,” he winked. In truth, he had no problem with that, most of his music files came down from that source, too. He wasn’t an expert in DL-ing, but he had friends who gladly filled his requests in that field.

"I didn't steal anything, it's a legit online shop, licensed to carry their products," the protest flowed forth. "Five bucks a pdf, and no shipping charges.."

“Aha. I didn’t want to charge you,” was all that he said as a reply, and a small smile.

Jennie looked up at the protesting Kyle and covered one eye with the palm of her hand. "Arrr..." she growled faux-menacingly. The truth was, Kyle knew that she knew well that he honestly came by virtually all of the data-files in his collection, whether on his system or stored on some form of media. Still, she seemed happy to play along, the same.

Kyle simply stuck his tongue out at his sister in reply. A moment of pause, then a gentle kiss upon her brow followed.

Tanya shrugged. “Ah, but the true magic lies in the texture of the paper and the smell of the wonders each page may have conjured in the imagination of a thousand boys and girls all about the world,” she countered, her eyes seeming to catch a spark for her obvious excitement at the prospect. “Those dreams bear in them a sorcery unmatched by even the works of a thousand archmagi! Though he knew it not when he first penned his many masterpieces, truly was Ernest Gary Gygax the father of all magicians, great and small.”

“In any case, I invite you to peruse his pages carefully,” she smiled. “Digital or otherwise, I am sure you will find something to your liking within them.”

The young artist nodded, and put the information on a mental shelf for now, to be searched through later, definitely after a good night’s worth of sleep.

"Always did like sword 'n sorcery stuff, or knightly tales," he smiled. "Though it seemed all of those games I looked at as a kid painted darkness as evil and scary," he added with a playful huff.

"Not to me," Jennie assured him. "I go to sleep in the dark," she reminded her beloved brother.

"And I always feel safe and secure, there."

He smiled lovingly upon her, her support as always warming his spirit.

RE-CUT

As the small gathering followed Damon into the house, they walked upon the deep forest green mat he had referred to, doing so, stepping into an absolutely immaculate home. It was so perfectly clean that there was little doubt in any of their minds that he must have had a maid that occasionally showed up to maintain its lustre. The whole of the place was decorated by all kinds of matching wooden antique furniture made of a uniform timber, dark and lovely. It looked like the home was a model for a magazine, like it’d been arranged by a professional interior decorator.

The sheer cleanliness of the house as it began to stretch forth before them left Kyle a bit apprehensive; he was always discomfited by exceptionally clean places, though he always kept his own fairly clean, as he worried over the potential anxieties of the owners regarding their pristine castles. The artist and engineer drew him forward, perhaps with a bit of assist from Jennie, as the house was awe-inspiring in its subtlety and grace. Once more, he brought up the rear of the group, proceeding slowly as he drank in the beauty of the home into which they'd been invited.

He started to lead them into a room adjacent to the foyer, off to the left. Rafi could not help but smile to himself as he remembered the sight he’d be greeted to in that side-place: Nature’s bounty, magnificent and soothing. For Kyle and Jennie, though, they were struck by the scene in what must have been the living room: The whole of the wall opposite them, looking every bit like the raw face of a shale cliff, water somehow trickling gently down its rough contours into a stone-hewn trough that sprung from the floor below, creating a waterfall of it that bubbled softly in the background. Rasgar, just as he’d done on their previous visit, walked up to the side of the trough and inspected its confines, full of bright, orange-scaled fish swimming around merrily. He sat up in such a way to study the water intently; he was instantly fascinated by the swimming bits of sparkling light he could see through its surface.

"Amazing," Kyle gasped, eyes widening behind his shades as he took in the entirety of the scene. It was gorgeous and inviting, a welcome and relaxing change from the dreariness that lay outside.

RE-CUT

In response to his mind's eye, some of the shadows upon the wall and floor began to resolve themselves into hummingbirds and butterflies flitting about the waterfall and trough.

The sight of them tore Rasgar's attention from his reflection, floating wavering above the stream of small fish in the stone aqueduct along the foot of the wall. Instead, he began to saunter over to the bare spot on the wall upon which the shadows danced dipsomaniacally. When he finally reached them, he began to tentatively paw at the flat surface, testing their solidity and response with the kind of focused curiosity that was the purview of felines alone.

In response, the shadows rose up a bit to play with the sleek feline, two-dimensional wisps of darkness fluttering out from the wall to greet and dance with the jaguar.

The jaguars presentation of so typical feline traits made him smile, and he followed Rasgar’s movements, enjoying his buddy’s happiness, before he responded to the earlier remark about the sight.

“It is wonderful, indeed, even on the umpteenth sight,” nodded Rafi, liked he had been here not for the second times, but more. But he was sure that the small bit of nature, created here would be ever the soul-lifting one, as long as the Forever Winter will rave outside, but prolly longer.

"I know," Lise sighed faux-wearily. "Every time I'm here, I'm afraid I'll break some priceless heirloom he's got lying around someplace. I wonder what the poor folk're doing right now?" she added, ever the edge of sarcasm on her lips.

"Standing here in amazement, thinking how their living room only houses a cascade of boxes yet to be unpacked," Kyle retorted.

The group began to filter about the room, each small subset of their number finding different sets of furniture on which to recline. Their host, for his part, continued on, disappearing around corner in the open mouth of a frame that led to another room.

“I’ll start the refreshments,” he said, just before he was gone.

His voice sounded as if he were smiling.

"Please and thank you," Kyle extended to the retreating Brit, zeroing in upon a loveseat near the trough so that he could continue to enjoy it even as he basked in Jennie's delicious warmth and radiance.

She wasted no time claiming the spot that would fall right next to Kyle. "English people are so polite," she said, flashing her brother and lover both a scintillating grin.

He reveled in that beauty, softly tracing fingertips along her back as he cradled her close, savoring the ability to relax and openly display his love for her here amongst friends.

With the back of her costume being open, the gesture allowed Kyle to enjoy the soft, supple texture of her skin. Jennie’s radiant flesh was warm and inviting to the touch…making the secret desire within him rouse to wakefulness--and yearn for more. She was not blind to his nearness, either, he knew; he felt her squeeze his hand with renewed vigor, stroking its top with her thumb.

He smiled and simply held her close for now, trying to keep the backrub more comforting and relaxing than stimulating. Waiting was torturous, but definitely necessary. He couldn't afford to have himself exhausted when Marina arrived; he'd promised to help her unwind, and was certainly looking forward to that. So, for the moment, he enjoyed the deliciously simple intimacy of just having Jennie close, whilst trying to distract himself with a bit more harmless shadowplay.

The shadowy birds and butterflies began to find themselves joined by playful faeries, dancing and silently laughing in joy amidst a slowly expanding field of darksome flowers.

May glanced over at Rafi and gestured toward one of them, one that seemed to dance upon the wind as it drifted along the flat of the wall. "I think I recognize that one," she said, then glancing down at the beautiful loop of silver about her finger. A twist of sensation cast in metal; a dream made real.

He studied the little fey what the lithe agent mentioned, then reached out with his ringed left arm, grabbed May’s and lifted it to his heart then to his lips, placing a soft kiss on it. The two silvery circles touched each other as he did it, making a bridge between his dark and the girl’s pale skin. There was no need for words, the gesture and his eyes told everything.

Their eyes locked, emerald and sapphire melting with one another in that moment of contact, Rafi watched her mouth out the words I love you, before squeezing her left hand shut tightly, as if she guarded the ring from someone stealing it away. So close, he could hear her heartbeat, pounding within her chest, feel it against his skin, where they touched. It seemed to beat in rhythm with his own.

He smiled at her touched his forehead to hers, taking in the moment fully. Their union in front of the waterfall was a common scene on the fantasy paintings and in some cartoon, yet he felt right there. He then took a deep breath as he retreated, and looked around in the room to see where some place was for them what the group left free.

Rafi decided to sit on a couch, where May could be next to him, and where he could put his arm around her shoulder, tracing her skin with his fingertips round and round, while they waited on Damon to return. He sighed relaxed, and let his body slacken in the comforting warmth of the house and peaceful noises of the waterfall. He followed the dance of the shadowy creatures, enjoying the play, but he did nothing to comment it other than a smile.

Lise took a high, wing-backed chair on the wall, across from them, while Tanya simply lifted one foot off the floor and then the other, until she floated waist-high from the carpet's floor, seemingly completely comfortable cross-legged.

RE-CUT

 “You talk about living room only?!” asked back Rafi with an overplayed outcry, returning to the conversation what was cut half by the settling. “I have a loft with only one relatively big open area and no closable doors at all.” “And three girls to live with, two lovers and a sister”, he added much more quietly, barely audible, only by those who stood the closest. “I’m doomed”, he mused over it for a second humorously.

Kyle was about to make a remark about the line for the bathroom in the morning, but then found himself diverted onto a different mental track. Recalling what little he'd seen of Rafi's place during his incursion earlier, he wondered about the possibility of solid shadow partitions like Oriental screens or adjustable and movable interior walls. Sure, it might not entirely solve issues of privacy, but it was an intriguing notion that sparked his creativity over applications of his gift.

“Surrounded by all those women?” Tanya giggled. “I should say so!”

Lise clucked her tongue. “Most guys’d pay for the privilege.”

Rafi just stuck his tongue out at the girls as a response, like a kid would do, when the others are right, but he wouldn’t want admit it aloud.

“Don’t worry, tiger,” May said, snuggling in closer to Rafi’s side. “I travel light.” Then with a whisper into his ear: “And you’ll still only need the bed-space for one. That is, if you don’t mind sharing,” she said suggestively, punctuating the innuendo with a subtle lick across the sensitive bud of his earlobe with the tip of her tongue.

The young guy shivered again at the experience, as he turned his head to the girl, and pushed the cautiousness and shyness away, kissing her passionately on her neck, right at the corner of her chin; before moving up to her lips for a deeper one. Only after the task completed did he replied in words as well. “I plan on to have 2 bedrooms and a living room, with as much furniture as needed.” Then a bit quieter, just like May before, “one bed would be enough for us with you and Carm, tho,” he smiled at the lithe agent.

Rafi could actually feel May shiver beside him with anticipation. She looked up and met his eyes. She said nothing; she said everything. She reached up and touched the top of his chest with a single fingertip, allowing it to trace down between his breasts and down the flat plain of his stomach before coming to rest precariously at the top of his belt.

Rafi grabbed her hand at there, denying the further moving, and held his breath while he unintentionally tautened his stomach. It took a lot from him not to grab the girl and push her to the wall right there, as the continuous flirting lashed his longing higher and higher. He wanted to close his eyes, to reclaim his senses but he couldn’t do that, they were enlocked by the sapphire sparkles in May’s.

"I can barely wait," she breathed.

And, in the moment, neither could he.

Rafi just moved her hand back to a safer place, managing a weak smile and cleared his throat as he pulled his stare from her, and looked at Tanya again a while later, when he felt safe to do it.

May simply grinned devilishly. "Sorry, tiger," she offered quietly. "Cats aren't the only creature in the animal kingdom that're curious." And with the veiled comment, he could see a sparkle of mirth and desire in the depths of her sapphire eyes.

It made it no easier to deny her, that was for sure.

Kyle lightly chuckled from across the room, observing some of May and Rafi's behavior and recognizing the signs of lust and love that echoed therein. He gave no obvious signs of having noticed anything, leaving them to their moment, knowing from experience how aggressive a lady could be when in the mood. At least Rafi wasn't in any danger of driving off the road...

Rafi still breathed measuredly as he replied to her, but he risked only a sideways glance this time, and held her hand in his, just for safety. “Curiosity is a good thing, but sometimes the waiting can heighten the contentedness felt over the gift,” he whispered, “bear just a little more longer…,” he finished and squeezed her hand.

“Perhaps we might be able to do something about that,” Tanya said mysteriously, a bit more seriously. “I know a spell that actually might do wonders for your particular situation.”

“Definitely an important thing to talk about,” nodded Rafi as he glanced at Tanya, “once we can return to our normal life, at least between actions.”

"Some sort of personal pocket dimension magic?" Kyle broached, curiosity drawing him up from his artistic reverie. "An application of hyperdimensional topography and theoretical physics, wherein the interior space can be drastically larger than afforded by external measurements?"

Rafi tilted his head and raised a brow as he looked at Kyle, trying to understand the scientific description of the expansion of his flat. He would be grateful to have it, and wasn’t too interested the exact nature of the technical -or, in this case magical- solutions.

Looking about at the others, "I, uh.. wandered off into geek mode there, didn't I?"

“Kinda, I guess, but we like you anyway”, nodded Rafi with a sly grin.

"Thanks," Kyle returned with a laugh.

Still, matters had definitely perked up his creativity, and he needed at least a small outlet for his expressions. No attempts at spontaneous interior walls, but he could do something to vent the artiste within.

"Actually," Tanya replied, as he continued to muse over the possibilities, "I was referring to Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion."

"But if you've a better solution--I'd be eager to hear it."

"If the magic you're referring to incorporates the ability to make an interior space larger than the space outside it -- say, turning the inside of a closet into a spacious loft, as an example -- then we may be on the same essential wavelength," Kyle considered. "My ideas are completely in the realm of theory, since I've not had the chance to practice crafting bubbles of extradimensional space," he admitted.

"That's the general idea," she replied. "The spell, like so many others, isn't mine. The archmage Mordenkainen--the greatest and most powerful worker of magic that's ever lived on any of the planes or crystal spheres, to my knowledge--created it, well before he was Sorcerer Supreme of Oerth. Throughout the course of his many adventures, he had cause to create a spell by which he could bring into being a secure sanctum removed from the Prime material Plane that he might invoke in any place or situation. One in which he and his stalwart companions could rest and recover without fear of being assailed and in which all of their personal needs were seen to. Thus, he created his Magnificent Mansion, which does all that and much more," she nodded, quite seriously. The way that Tanya said it, it was as if it were an actual part of history and not something she'd merely read in a Dungeons & Dragons book. There was so much conviction in her voice and obvious reverence for the man she spoke of himself, that it was almost easy enough to believe her, too.

"I know the name of that one," Kyle mused, rifling through his scattered childhood memories of the game and related novels he'd read. "But I could swear I read a magazine short story where he was at some meeting of sorcerers, and acknowledged some silvery haired lady as his superior..."

“You refer to another mage,” she replied with a sagely nod. “His was the name Elminster of Faerûn. I am not certain that there existed such an individual or if his legend was aught but an element of pleasant fiction. Sometimes, when one ventures from the word of Gygax himself, it is difficult to be certain. You see, I’ve in my possession many magazines of the sort you mention,” she smiled fetchingly. “Though they are of little use as an aid to my magical study, I find that they make quite good material for my customers to peruse, laying about in my waiting chamber.”

Kyle arched an eyebrow at her use of the phrase, the word of Gygax himself, it sounding a bit like religious devotion, the way folks tended to refer to their chosen holy scriptures. He opted to say nothing of it, however. Such works evidently factored into her sorcery, as inspirations if nothing else, so he supposed it shouldn't come as such a surprise that they held such reverence for her.

"In any event, you're saying you can utilize those gaming books as actual arcane references, developing enchantments based upon spells or items listed within?" very intrigued curiosity dancing about his features. If such items were indeed that useful to her, perhaps they might be able to help track down other source materials for her magics as well.

“Quite so, my friend,” she nodded. “Upon my arrival at The Hinterlands, where my education in the arts arcane was conducted, I proved a very poor student, unable to unlock my latent gift for magic through the traditional manner of spellcasting employed by most of my teachers. They were very nearly at the brink of giving up on me--and might have, I fear, had it not been for the seemingly-happenstance discovery of some of my sister’s old books, one of which you see before you now,” she explained. “That was when I discovered the truth. There is no such thing as happenstance,” she smiled. “And that it is often in what is perceived as the drearily mundane that the most powerful of magicks can be found.”

"There are no accidents," Kyle muttered softly, in mimicry of the tortoise, Master Oogway, from Kung Fu Panda.

"If your spell creates an extradimensional pocket, does that render the space within more secure?" he ventured curiously. "Making it nigh impossible to enter, except for authorized users? Well, aside from the possibility of detection and forcible breaching from those with extraordinary resources, that is..."

"To the best of my knowledge," she said, pausing to consider the thought further, "it is nigh-unassailable. The Mansion exists on a plane of its own, which is not the Prime Material, nor any of the Outer or Inner planes. Entry within is impossible except for those designated as guests at the spell's casting. And furthermore, detection and forcible breaching would also seem impossible except to the most powerful of archmages. The only trace of the Mansion's existence is a slight shimmering at the point at which it was cast. Mordenkainen," she smiled, "certainly did his work well. It is considered to be one of the masterpieces of the dweomercrafting artifice."

Kyle nodded in consideration as she explained. If a pocket dimension could be crafted for limited authorized access, then such could prove useful security and protection for them and their families. It was an idea anyway.

Rafi kept his head moving from Tanya to Kyle and back as they discussed the details about the planned expansionand the mighty sorcerer who created it. “And here I thought on such a simple solution like building a new floor on top of the already existing ones...”, he smirked. “A secure and hidden mansion would be extremely surprising and useful, tho.”

"Indeed," she nodded. "The only problem with the spell is--even though it is extremely long-lived for an evocation of its kind--it is not permanent. At the end of its duration, all its occupants are spit unceremoniously back onto the Prime Material, whereupon they entered the Mansion."

"But this," she added, "is only an obstacle. Not an impasse."

"Would the Mansion need to be stocked with food and drink, or does it provide those as well?" Kyle inquired, becoming more and more intrigued with every bit of the discussion.

“Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion is attended by ghostly servants who lavish the owner of the conjuring with delicious food and drink aplenty,” she described. “However, such is only illusory. In truth, one who dines within its confines will find themselves just as hungry or thirsty as they were upon entering its edifice. If one were to avoid such a condition, they would be forced to provide their own foodstuffs.”

"Duly noted," he nodded.

“Which means I will still pay off all my money to feed Rasgar...”, muttered Rafi jokingly, glancing after his friend, who was a bit further forward, eagerly following Damon closer to the warmer entrance of the house.

Tanya turned her head and watched the sleek green feline saunter across the living room's carpet, following after his master's friend. "Perhaps," she mused. "Perhaps not. There are ways to solve such a problem, to be sure. The spell Create Food is a very simple one, I can assure you. And perhaps not difficult to conjoin to some sort of household item, as well."

"You mean," May asked, looking up at Rafi for a moment, "like a food dish?"

Tanya smiled softly. "Precisely like a food dish."

“Cool, everlasting rations in the cupboard,” nodded amazed by the idea Rafi. “If that won’t be too straight, but somewhat variable, then this is a great possibility. Perhaps it can offer something different every time I open it, or it can sense my wish and respond accordingly,” he mused over the potential.

"Sounds like a good way to overcome what seems one of the few limitations of this Mansion spell," Kyle mused thoughtfully. "Still, that limited duration..." he trailed off as he considered the matter, silent for a couple moments before speaking up again.

"And, forgive my ignorance if this is an absurd question, but would it be at all possible to cast the spell in a way to attach it to a physical focus for permanence? Such as linking it to a given doorway, so that the space remains accessible through that door for authorized personnel, so long as the door remains? Any non-keyed people simply stepping into the closet, or whatever else physically exists beyond the door?"

“Not without another dweomer to attach it to that position and provide a basis for its longevity,” she elaborated. “I know such a spell, called Permanency. Though rather self-explanatory, it is a harrowing spell--extremely taxing upon he or she that would cast. Dangerously so, I must say.”

Kyle nodded silently, brow furrowing in concentration as he pondered the matter, whilst Rafi spoke up.

“Though I’m not really experienced in the ways of magic - other than if you call some art as magical -, in the movies and books the material components could provide great deal of help to create more permanent effects. And doors, I have a few, one even opens into the closet,” replied Rafi with a wry grin. “This sounds more and more alluring as we talk about it. Do you think its possible for me to participate in the creating of this Mansion?” he asked the Magess with a curious look on his face. “Lately I began to be very exploratory with my gift…”, he said as he recalled the experience coming with the angel on Carm’s back and the doors what allowed them to travel between continents.

“Perhaps so,” she allowed. “I will do research into an optimal way to fabricate such a Mansion for you and yours--incorporating both your artistic gift as well as rare and precious material components to create it so it might be perfect for your needs.”

She chuckled gently. “And, of course, for those of your ladies.”

“When that happens, I don’t think I can be gracious enough to equalize the bill,” bowed Rafi slightly, smiling thankfully as his mind began to work on the various rooms, walls and other interior designs of his dreamhouse.

May squeezed him a bit tighter. “A Mansion,” she smiled from ear-to-ear, stars in the deep blue of her eyes for the mere consideration of it. “And a few months ago, I was living in the street!” she laughed.

“Yeah, a Mansion with family,” returned Rafi the embrace, being happy for her joy and smiled just like her, until the meaning of the last sentence fell to him. “On the streets?!” blurted the question out from him in surprise. “How so?” She was similar to Carmilla in that too, then, occurred to him, just like being an agent of SHIELD. The girls shared a lot more things than just being partners, as it seemed.

"Well," she shrugged, "when I showed up in your time--it wasn't like I exactly had a place to stay. The trip wasn't what you might call pre-planned," she explained. "I was lucky I ran into Carmilla when I did, just a few days after I arrived. If it wasn't for her, I might've starved to death. That's probably how we became such good friends."

The young artist nodded, and placed a small kiss on her brows. “You have to tell me the whole story later,” he whispered to her, being curious but not wanting to ruin the happy moment and the planning of their future.

"I will," she said, leaning up and placing a small kiss, in kind, directly upon his nose. "But it's long...and there's a lot of parts in it that aren't exactly nice."

He just smiled back, returning the kiss on his nose with a stroke of his nose on hers. “We have time for that, from now on together,” he replied quietly enjoying the closeness of her.

Another kiss, this time, tender and slow. "Good thing," she whispered, "it's got a happy ending."

“Very happy, indeed,” he whispered back as he returned the kiss, and pulled her close, pushing her onto his chest gently but firm. It was hard to believe that their romance started less than 24 hours before, with a deceit staged for the same Kyle who now stood next to them as a friend. That first moment lived perfectly in Rafi1s mind, and he knew that it will do for long, as it was the precursor of their future, even if unknowing by then.

Kyle politely kept his gaze averted from the couple. He was curious to hear May's story as well, but he could readily wait until such time as she wished to share it with him. Here and now was for them; no stories, just the chance to enjoy their blooming love.

RE-CUT

Beetlebum returned into the room surprisingly quickly, a silver platter in his hands with a crystal pitcher of ice water on it and an identical silver decanter alongside it. The whole of it bore four tall glasses. "I've water and lemonade here," he said, placing it down onto the coffee table in their midst--a flat piece of slate set upon what looked like a stand that had once been the barest stump of a tree gone petrified. He looked up at Kyle and smiled. "Which would you prefer?"

"Lemonade, if you please, sir," Kyle answered as the flights of shadows danced back to the wall, flitting over its surface.

“Perfect,” he said, turning the silver decanter to dispense it into one of the glasses before them. With a pair of silver tongs, Kyle watched him pluck one of the lemons within it and place it onto the side of the glass through its center. It looked absolutely delicious, he thought, as he handed it to him.

"Thank you, kind sir," Kyle afforded, graciously accepting the proffered glass and taking a sip of the sweetly tart nectar within.

“Just a water for me,” Jennie grinned up at him.

Their host smiled back affably. “Water for the lovely lady, then,” he said, filling her glass of ice to the top with the sparkling, clear liquid. “And for you as well, my dear,” he nodded at Lise, pouring her a glass as well.

“Thanks,” she smiled as he handed it to her. Kyle noticed something unusual as she took it in hand. The motion of his giving it to her caused ripples in the top of the fluid; they stopped instantly as she took it in hand, as if frozen motionless in time. It was actually kind of eerie to behold, really.

He paused in mid-sip, gazing over the rim of the glass at Lise and her preternaturally quiet and still drink, a dark eyebrow raised in curious observation. He wondered if it had to do with her powers, his mind idly pondering if she were somehow capable of siphoning kinetic energy from objects or the environs about her in order to fuel her heightened speed. A definite curiosity, tickling at his interest, but he said nothing of it for now, instead resuming his leisurely enjoyment of the lemonade.

In the background, Rasgar decided to lay flat on his belly, legs tucked beneath him, watching the shadows play across the wall.

RE-CUT

“Moreover, at the end, we’ll end having another Mansion somewhere, like a private HQ for our League…,” he mused as his mind returned to the earlier train of thoughts. 

“One mountain to climb at a time, my friend,” she chuckled. “Weaving the Permanency once will be quite the test. To challenge it a second time…” she took a deep breath and left it at that, allowing the thought to hang in the air.

Rafi raised his open palms as a way of defense. “I didn’t say that we have to do it now… it seemed only just a logical end on the trail, looking how we started our League and where we ended,” he said smiling.

"Would there be any way to cast such magic in some sort of ceremony, where any strain might be divided amongst multiple willing participants, thus lessening the overall stress?" Kyle inquired.

"Just a random thought," he offered.

"It is an excellent one, though I will have to reply to the negative, I'm afraid. I am not terribly experienced in the ways of Ceremonial Magicks," Tanya confessed. "Those that I have been a part of in the past, another--always one of my teachers at The Hinterlands--led the ceremony, and I was but a participant. My understanding is that being a mere participant is easy enough; one simply follows the magickal rote and that is that. The onus of the spellcasting falls to he or she that would lead it...and unfortunately, I have no skill in such a practice."

"Perhaps," she posed, "if we were to find another magi, this might be possible, though."

Kyle nodded. A matter to file away for now, to be investigated later for its possibilities. He mulled it over a bit more as Rafi piped up.

“My sis will throw away her mind when she’ll notice all these changes,” he chuckled, but then cut it short abruptly. “I’ll have to figure out how to bribe her to keep her mouth shut in front of my mom…,” his eyes narrowed as he thought the possibility over.

Jennie grinned in his direction.

“I know a good Russian lawyer who might represent you, she winked.

Rafi grinned back at Crystal. “We’ll see, if I can’t handle Jo by myself - with the help of the girls, certainly -, then it might happen that I’ll call her up”, he chuckled.

RE-CUT

He then mused over the rules and possible restrictions of the ceremonial magic for a moment, until he managed a hold on something similar. “Just like my tattoos. The bigger and more detailed ones are much harder to make and they took a lot more time,” he said. “Well, at least before I got this little wonder,” he added patting the beltpack he wore, and what hid the relic of the Dagda. 

"What, Santa gave you some sorta magic tattoo gun?" Kyle inquired, genuine curiosity underlying his playful teasing tone.

“No, not Santa,” shook his head Rafi, smiling at the memory, “but a mysterious lady in a non-existing shop behind the veil of the reality. She has some fey heritage or she acts so, in my opinion,” he explained. “And she was the one who gave us these rings, too,” he added, glancing down at the silver circles on May’s and his finger.

"A faerie godmother?" Kyle gasped incredulously, shaking his head slightly, as if he couldn't believe it.

“Something like that, but I’d say she’s a bit young to be a godmother, but who knows her age, after all?” replied Rafi with a shrug.

Kyle nodded silently. Where mysticism and the unusual were concerned, he could readily believe in a fey spirit being of years far beyond what her appearance suggested.

Of course, what he couldn't believe was the odd correlation to his own strange experience. And yet, so many things seemed to echo between his and Rafi's lives in the short time they'd known each other. Was it possible they'd encountered the same mischievous sprite, and that she'd help set them on intertwining paths?

"If she looked like a gothic pixie or Alice in Wonderland, and called herself Polly, despite what her scrawled nametag proclaimed, then I daresay that device is special and wondrous indeed," Kyle mused, smiling for the memories of the friendly and unusual lady who'd gifted him his furniture.

“Exactly!” looked Rafi at Kyle in surprise. “I was going to buy some equipment for my tatt-shop, and a dude drove up to her, there she gave me this tatt-gun and a few other things. Even this was strange, but she didn’t accept any money in return, only an art. I drew a faerie ring for her, where she danced in the middle.” 

“You know her, too?” he asked and tilted his head.

A nod of confirmation, "Just the other day, when we first glimpsed each other at the mall, I was shopping for furniture and apparently stumbled through the looking glass and into her shoppe. She provided me a wealth of amazing furniture that would cost a fortune, even if it lacked its unusual abilities... And in return, as with you, she asked only that I draw her a picture."

Rafi nodded, by way of agreement. “Furniture with unusual abilities? Sounds interesting, indeed,” he said with obvious curiousness on his face.

“As for payment, actually, she asked for something, brought by me for her, and I chose to draw for her, what she accepted, then,” he added.

"Your picture was there, posted to a refrigerator in her furniture store, displayed with pride," he added.

“Cool”, beamed Rafi with pride. It was a heartwarming thing to hear that Polly put his drawing out - even if to a fridge -, for everyone to see.

"I'm sure there's more we could share of our experiences with her, but perhaps that can wait for a later time," Kyle suggested.

“Sure,” agreed Rafi with a nod. “Another thing to share more detailed later.”

"Right," Lise nodded. And for the first time since they had met the pale wisp of a woman--the fastest ballerina in the world--she genuinely looked disturbed. As if the whole conversation had taken her down a path that she'd have preferred it never have gone. "I'd like to hear what you two have to say about this Polly," said, almost contemptuously spitting her name. "I happened across something the other day, myself, before we all met. Something very personally important to me."

Kyle was speechless for a moment, stunned by the apparent venom Lise issued when speaking of Polly. After his experience with her, he couldn't imagine why anyone would think harshly of her, and Rafi's initial replies hadn't hinted at anything unpleasant in his own encounter. His brow was furrowed in concern as he awaited for whatever more Lise might divulge.

"And I think it's this same Polly that gave it to me."

A few moments of silence, and Kyle was forced to accept that this was all she was going to say on the matter for now. Perhaps if he shared more of his meeting with Polly, Lise might open up a bit more.

Rafi tilted his head as he took in Lise’s reaction and posture fully, trying to understand what made her to react so as she did. Polly was nice to him both times when they met so far, even if the second occasion was very short but heartfelt indeed. At first she even warned him not to be too kind or else she’ll might keep him there, he remembered and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

He then glanced at Kyle, who had the same experience with her, according to his words, and lifted his head in silent way of questioning his story first.

"In the mall, I headed into a large furniture store to see about outfitting my new place here in Elysium City," he began. "I was drawn in by a combination of it simply being the first such store I passed, as well as a luxuriant bedroom set that prompted me to wonder if they had it in other materials and colors."

"Shortly after entering, I saw what I took to be a salesperson heading towards me from deeper within the store. She drew my attention because her gothic schoolgirl style of dress seemed quite out of place in the upscale store about me. When she approached and offered to help, I addressed her by the name scrawled upon her name tag, whereupon she informed that her name was not Maxine as listed, but Polly instead."

"Dismissing that initially as some bit of eccentricity, along with her attire, I inquired about the sort of furniture sets and styling I sought. She informed me that they did have sets like that, but that they weren't really me, according to her. She said she had the perfect set for me, which I thought to be merely the sales arrogance sometimes displayed in upscale stores."

"As she led me deeper into the store to see this 'perfect' set, she addressed me by name, which put me a bit on edge, as there had been no mention of my name when I entered. I thought perhaps she might recognize me from some of my few sales in L.A., as some of the goths seem to be drawn to my work," a slight sigh of resignation accompanying this last bit.

"When she asked me how I found the store, I thought it a bit odd, since there's only so many ways to locate a store in the mall. She seemed a trifle confused when I answered that I'd scanned the directory at the entrance and simply made my way down to the store, as if she'd expected some different sort of answer."

"The array of furniture she showed me was indeed impressive, and seemed to resonate with me personally. The entire routine was starting to seem stranger and stranger, especially as it seemed we had perhaps wandered into some sidestep from reality, where I could see Jennie," nodding towards his beloved sister, "perusing the rest of the store, yet got the impression she was totally unaware of my interactions with this unusual saleslady."

"I wasn't," Jennie confirmed with a nod. "Actually, I couldn't find Kyle at all. I figured he'd disappeared around some of the bigger pieces they had in the middle of the store with a salesperson and I'd just lost track of him. I didn't think much of it at the time, because it was a pretty big store--but now it's obvious something was going on."

"I had the distinct impression at the time that, even were I to shout, you would have noticed nothing," Kyle told her. "Being able to keep track of you kept me from being more unnerved."

"Perhaps by design," the softer musing before he continued.

Rafi listened intently as the tale began to unfold itself, and more and more parts of it showed very distinct similarity to his own. Still, he kept his comments for himself yet, and let Kyle continue, being curious how it went further, what he received from the mysterious Polly.

"When I expressed to Polly that I'd likely not be able to afford such wondrous sets as she was showing me, she replied that some things belong to us, are made for us, long before we're born, or before there's even a need known for them. Coupled with her cryptic remarks regarding price, this made me even more leery."

Lise had a strange expression on her face. Neither Kyle nor Rafi could have described it concisely, if they'd been asked to. There seemed to be a lot of different things, all held in the specific look, as she continued to listen to the tale. Disgust? Cynicism? Sadness? And maybe, just maybe...a glimmer of hope? All those things seemed to be there, along with a million other confused and chaotic thoughts and feelings that likewise defied description. Perhaps she couldn't even quite sort them out herself.

Kyle was perplexed by the swirl of emotions playing about Lise's face, and a bit sad himself, being familiar with such emotions as cynicism and sadness as currently strove to mar her lovely features. But he knew so little of her as to have absolutely no reference point for what to make of the maelstrom of emotions, instead having to content himself with a touch of hope of his own; that the hope seemingly lurking about the fringes of her mood might win out and proceed to the fore.

Rafi tilted his head, measuring the speedsters reaction to the story, and clothing her into various outfits in front if his mind’s eye, trying to find one what would fit for her, and help understand her feelings and the secrets behind. The princess and the lady he put fast aside, her general demeanor and sarcasm shadowing them. But the others, the normal street-garment, the fairy, the mermaid, and even the cat-lady weren’t good enough for him. She was alone and lost in every one of those, something hidden, unrevealed yet, what would transmit her true self. But they’ll have time to discover that, he decided; and then flashed a soft smile at her with a little upnod, just to show, that he is there and caring.

"We that deal with the affairs of the magickal world often seem to couch things in like terms," Tanya mused. "I'm not sure why that is--I certainly signed no sort of agreement to do so--but it remains just the same."

“The taint of the job, I guess,” smiled Rafi at the Magess, “just like the tatts on my skin…” It had some ground, after all, that all the jobs the people did left a mark on their general behavior even if they left their workplace, the thoughts and norms remained with them. It was rare when someone acted completely different in one place than the other, and that required a lot of practice or self-control, so why would the sorcerers different, - or so he thought.

Kyle nodded politely in return. He supposed there were likely as many reasons for such things as there were mystics who acted in that manner. Perhaps some sought to appear more sagely, or mysterious. Others might behave so as a simple reflection of dealing in matters of cryptic complexity. Still others might be akin to some scientific geniuses, dealing in esoterica so far removed from most people's understanding that they simply had trouble relating on the same levels.

It promised to be a virtually endless cycle of pondering if he gave it too much thought, so for now he shelved it and returned to relating his encounter with Polly.

"Throughout it all, however, she never seemed threatening or malicious, more akin to a gleeful and friendly schoolgirl who still held onto a sense of childish wonder; her behavior was very much pixie-like in my mind, despite the growing aura of mystery and potency that seemed to swirl about her."

"In the end, she asked nothing more for the array of furniture than that I draw something for her, which was a bit of a surprise. So I rendered her a picture of her as a gothique Alice in Wonderland princess, with her fey kingdom in the background. She expressed childlike curiosity as I sketched it, standing upon her tiptoes behind me, peering over my shoulder as I worked. When I presented her the finished art, she clutched it to herself with reverence and an almost tearful sense of happiness, which dissolved any lingering strands of doubt and suspicion I might've had, leaving me with only a warm sense of joy for providing her such happiness."

"It sounds like a wonderful picture," Damon shouted, his voice carrying forth to them down the hall of the house, from some unknown point within. It was amazing, he thought, that he was still capable of hearing them.

"One of my proudest creations," Kyle returned, curious whether it was lingering ladybug gift, keen mundane hearing, or acoustical properties of the architecture that enabled his clear hearing in this instance. "Were it not a gift, I'd be glad to display it for appreciation. As a gift made specifically for someone, however, I cannot recreate it," the soul of the artist and heart of a grateful person preventing him from diminishing it in such ways.

The young tattooist nodded in agreement, he knew that feeling well, there were images he made what he wouldn’t re-draw even if he were able to do it from memory. A gift for someone was always special and made for her/him alone. Still, it’d be nice to see that piece of art. Maybe he’ll get the chance if he’ll visit Polly again, somewhere far - or not that far - in the future.

"In any event," Kyle returned to his tale regarding the woman for whom he'd crafted that picture, "At about that point, Jennie tapped me upon the shoulder, to show off a lamp she'd been inspecting. When I turned back to thank Polly, she was gone, as was the furniture, with only a 'sold' sign marking its place. As I briefly explained things to Jennie, she confirmed that she indeed had been completely unaware of my odd negotiations, and that it seemed to her as if only moments had passed."

"The furniture I would later find delivered and set up in my -- correction, our place," he amended, flashing Jennie a loving smile. 

It was a gesture that his sister responded to with a brilliant smile and the gentle pulsing of the emerald corona that sprung vividly from her very being. She squeezed his hand as if to confirm the notion to him: Their place.

No words were needed to convey how he felt every bit as strongly and joyous about that as did Jennie. He didn't shine like her, but his smile and his touch as he held her hand radiated plenty of warmth.

It was Rafi’s turn to regard his friends with a smile and understatement in his look. Their deep love was clearly visible, and if Jennie wouldn’t reveal their fraternity, they would threat them like lovers for sure. But all that not counted, only the precious feeling, the perfect love.

"Come the following morning, I discovered that the furniture apparently undergoes subtle alterations in appearance. Thus far, it seems to occur at night when we're sound asleep, and I've not yet any real idea what prompts the changes, whether it be linked to prevailing moods, some cyclical phenomena, or something else entirely."

"Hmm..." Tanya mused. "Exceedingly curious, I must say. Once again, a phenomenon that I would be quite eager to view for myself. Particularly through the eye of an Analyze Dweomer spell, if I might be so bold. Perhaps, in such a way, I might unlock the secrets behind your mysterious bedroom ensemble," she smiled over the edge of her cup of tea, from which she sipped, once finished speaking.

"I'd be grateful for any insights you'd be able to offer," Kyle extended the invitation.

“An invitation to check your bed, so soon after the first meeting, eh?” asked Rafi playfully teasing the shadowy young man.

Kyle started to protest that it hadn't been intended that way, but he couldn't deny that such thoughts had crossed his mind as well. It had taken a great act of will to restrain himself from replying to Tanya with a similar remark. It just showed how close they'd become, with such friendly jabs flying so readily.

Tanya blushed furiously at the suggestion. "Well, I...ah..." she started, flustered to the point where she had to pause to reclaim her usual placid calm. "While I'm certainly loathe to rebuff the attention of such a fine and courteous gentleman--especially one so handsome," she paused to smile broadly, "--methinks, amongst the crowd, I might find it difficult to find purchase on their bed without a significant conjuring. And such always puts a damper on the mood."

Kyle simply smiled for the compliment she paid him in her response. A friendly nod to accompany the warm smile in gratitude for her praise was his reply. Words poised upon his tongue, ready to descend, but they were held in check for the nonce, lest they inadvertently add to her embarrassment.

Jennie giggled so hard she actually snorted. "Well, if you change your mind," she winked, "we can always track Polly back down about trading up for a bigger model. We'd do our best to make sure you didn't regret the effort."

Rafi’s eyes narrowed a bit as he watched how embarrassed Tanya became by his teasing comment. Perhaps he said unintentionally something what hit the jackpot, he mused. He was thinking that he might apologize for it - accepting the stares for it, but then everyone settled and so a wry smile appeared on his lips, when he eased, even allowed himself to chuckle softly. Though it wasn’t Kyle who responded, he decided that it was a good joke, after all.

Mercifully, Lise relieved Tanya the opportunity to reply. "Rafi?" she asked him, bidding him to begin his tale of his encounter with the mysterious girl. She could have cared less about innuendo, in the moment; this seemed much more important to her than any sort of play.

Kyle offered Lise a friendly nod and smile, silently thanking her for getting the conversation back on track.

“Hm?” glanced at Lise the young tattooist, then he got the call and nodded. “Yeah, sure,” nodded and smiled at her gently.

“Interesting, indeed, as I said earlier,” nodded Rafi as Kyle finished his tale. The girl was the same, obviously from the circumstances what surrounded the meeting. “My story is somewhat similar, but different at the same, as the great old tales used to diverge, assimilating to the storyteller and the place where they are told.”

The Magess nodded, understanding completely. Lise? Not so much. "Whatever that means," she replied, that strange look still a feature of her otherwise lovely, if exotic, face.

He would reply to that comment with a funny retort about the advantages of reading a lot, but the look on her features stopped the words on their way, before they reached his mouth. He simply smiled at her instead, slightly shaking his head, but otherwise made no response.

“I got her address - or that was how I thought at first -, from an old shopkeeper in a furniture store, from where I gathered thing for my home and parlor. He unfortunately haven’t got much modern stuff, so he suggested to visit another shoppe, and wrote the address on a card then gave it to me,” he began his own story from the start.

“Some dude drove me there and we all entered, since no one wanted to stay in the cold and in the car. And the strangeness began right there. A lovely young girl came to me, who’s dress instantly reminded me to Alice from Wonderland. She had a name on her nametag, but when I used it, she corrected me that she is Polly, instead of what was written there,” he nodded to Kyle, indicating the similarity in their story. 

Jennie nodded, glancing over in Kyle's direction to gauge his response to the obvious symmetry in their experiences.

"Perhaps that's why she seemed as if she were expecting a different answer from me," Kyle considered, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe she was expecting that I'd been referred there as well."

“Could be,” nodded Rafi, thinking on it for a moment, recalling the event more accurately, to tell the others as it happened.

"My apologies for the interruption," a smile and nod bade Rafi to continue.

He shrugged and waved off the remark, as he went on the story. “Then she asked how I got there and that I brought something to her or not. When I told it, she made me check the card, but it was empty,” his eyes went wide and he gesticulated to support the tale, just like a real storyteller would do, to catch the attention of the audience.

At Rafi's side, May was rapt. Even though she was still utterly exhausted from the day's adventures, she hung on his every word, her own blue eyes going wide as he painted the landscape of her imagination with his every word.

“My buddies were lost in some other reality, just like you mentioned ‘bout Jennie. She told that it was because some Reverie; it must be a spell or something. Yet somehow I could accept that without any fear or something, she definitely picked my interest,” he went on. “She explained that her shop moves, where it is needed, and it’s kinda hard to get there more than once. You need magic to reach out right for it. Or, you supposed to be there, and then it’ll show itself - like it did for me twice,” he smiled at May, and gently touched the silver ring on her hand, their solidified dreams and love.

And now, it all came full circle for her--her understanding of the whole of the matter closing like a plain metal loop. Like the ring that she reached up and touched, as if beckoned to by his tale of the mysterious laughing girl-child that had given it to her. As she did so, she placed her hand upon Rafi's own, still in contact with it. And was reminded anew of the still-greater gift she'd been given, the ring only the pale representation of.

She looked up at him and smiled. Gripped his hand a bit tighter.

It was the rarest kind of magic of all, to be sure.

He returned the hold, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb gently, and her chin with his other hand, gently, like a flutter of a butterfly’s wing. Still it conveyed his feelings and thoughts, just like they would have touching each other not only in body but in mind and soul, too. It meant a great deal to him, that was sure.

Kyle smiled softly as he glanced at their rings. It seemed he had yet another reason to be grateful to Polly.

“We agreed on a picture as a payment, then I told her what I searched for,” he continued and lifted his gaze back to the others. “She gave me this relic tatt-gun, then, and told about its origin. The feather on its tip was the same what the old Irish god, the Dagda – if I remember correctly - used t’create the Morrigan, Queen of Ravens and War. He tattooed her onto the night sky...”

Tanya's eyes fell upon the small satchel in which the tool was kept. Her jaw was slightly slackened for his explanation. "You hold an artifact," she said, pausing for a moment to collect the strength to actually form the words, "that was used to birth a Goddess?"

The young tattooist nodded sincerely. “So I was told and what I experienced later, supports it.”

Kyle was simply speechless. What Rafi had been gifted wasn't simply an intriguing and useful mystic item, but a divine relic instead?!? There weren't words to encompass that shock and surprise. Even the traditional exclamations of Holy Shit! or Fuck Me! fell far short of the mark here.

She paused again. At his side, in the bag, Rafi almost seemed to become aware of it anew. Almost unbidden, his fingers stroked the surface of it as one might stroke the bare skin of a lover. "The power...!" The Magess said, leaving the final word of the statement to hang in the air between them.

A phantom raven, to circle the sky in their midst.

Kyle was still silent, the very concept dizzying in its ramifications. It made him wonder more about his furniture and what secrets it might hold. Nothing quite so fantastic as a divine touch; he certainly didn't expect anything as dramatic as the pieces being painted with the tears of the night. Still, he wondered if they held more than mere shapeshifting. An intriguing enough curiosity that he nearly missed as Rafi continued his story.

“The map you analyzed and what brought us to Germany, remember? That was drawn by it, too, while I was with Carm and the Morrigan by soul. She brought me there and drove my hand on the paper.” His mind was back at his parlor again, when he called the relic’s power for the second and third time, desperately trying to find his lost love, and the Queen answered his prayer, bringing him to her. 

His fingers stroked the smooth metal and the feathers attached to it, and the touch slowly brought back him from the musing. He blinked twice, smiled and shifted his intention back to the tale.

“Once we were finished, I found myself in a Starbucks, at the counter while the others waited for me at a table. It was weird, but it was real, too. I know...”, he whispered, and turned to May again, smiling at her. “You saw the first thing I created with that relic, to Carm’s back...”

She nodded, tracing the vein on Rafi's arm from his wrist to his elbow with a single fingertip, as she eyed the small satchel at his side. "I did," she said, before looking up into his eyes. The color of blue he beheld therein, the world had certainly never seen its like. "And remember how I said I wanted one too?" she said.

He shivered as the girl’s finger stroked his skin, slowly and sensually. Her skyblue eyes trapped him again, so he held her gaze and nodded once in confirmation. “Yeah, you said if I do spiders, you can be convinced,” he quoted her, whispering.

She nodded gently, obviously pleased that he'd remembered. Smiled broadly. "Now I definitely want one.

“You’ll get one, love,” replied Rafi with a sincere nod. “I promise – and those I keep.”

She drew still nearer. And only closed her flawless-sapphire blue eyes for a moment to pause to cross that last bit of space between them, placing the softest kiss upon his lips. Perfect, in the way that only things shared by lovers can be. "I'm counting on it, tiger," she said. And when she did, it sounded something like a vow. "I'm counting on it."

Rafi smiled back, and closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the moment and substituted this into the place of an understanding nod. So distinct and yet so similar the two girl in his life were, he mused. The promise he made to Carmilla and how she accepted that, that was so familiar now with May, that he sighed and squeezed the lithe agent’s waist, pressing her to him for a moment, before settling back to the tale.

He then shrugged, and turned his own ring around his finger with his thumb, lifting his hand before his chest and watching the silver sparkle in the light. “The second times, he just dropped by like an angel, or small fey with butterfly wings and gave us these...”, his voice trailed off as he thought on Carmilla, sleeping peacefully in the hospital bed, hopefully strengthening with every passing moment.

"They're beautiful," Jennie said, estimating the one on Rafi's finger. "Simple, but perfect."

"And magickal, too," Tanya added. "Though with a type of dweomer one needs be no sorcerer to recognize," she smiled. "Ensorcelled with the most powerful magecraft of all."

"Indeed," Kyle agreed heartily, tenderly clasping Jennie's hand, fingers interlaced with hers.

She looked up at him and smiled. And as she did, the only star in the dark skies of his life glowed a brilliant green.

A smile returned, Erebus gazing raptly upon the verdant beauty who nurtured his soul.

The young artist smiled at his friends, his hand holding the hand of his love, and said nothing. Even if the rings would be made simply from silver - what he doubt somewhat, considering what they knew about Polly-, he would be utterly grateful. Those three silver loops was a symbol for their love, for their future family and a world to share just by them.

“What about you, then?” looked Rafi at Lise after a moment of musing. “You didn’t sound as happy for meeting her like us...”

She folded her arms across her small, pert breasts. "It wasn't her," she said. "That...wasn't it. It was what she gave me that bothered me. But it seems like your friend...that's what she does. She gives you what you need. Apparently, whether you like it or not."

He nodded, tilted his head as he waited her to continue. His eyes held curiousness and support, too, but he didn’t want to push her to say what she didn’t want.

Jennie was hesitant...but eventually, she asked the question that was on all of their minds. "Okay," she posed, though it was obvious she wasn't sure what kind of answer--if any--the pale beauty would offer them. "What'd she give you, Lise?"

And with that, the young woman dipped a hand down into the hip pocket of her cargo pants. After a shift of her hips to allow it, along with a moment of fiddling, she finally produced what looked like a silver length of chain--a fancy pendant attached to its end. "This," she said, almost spitting the word. And carelessly, almost recklessly, she tossed it through the air--where it landed on the table between them all, skittering to a stop up against the tray on which the beverages lay. It might've scratched the top of Damon's furniture.

Next to the silver tray--it was apparent it was not that. Instead, platinum.

And it was no mere chain.

A locket, instead.

Kyle reached for it, to gently pick it up an examine it more closely, "What does it herald that distresses you so?" His voice was soft with genuine concern.

Rafi turned his gaze from the medallion back to the pale, lithe girl, as Kyle said his question aloud.

"Go ahead," she said, nodding in its direction. "Pick it up. Open it."

Said in an ominous tone, like thunder heralding the storm to come. Kyle was closest to it, in the way that she'd tossed it, of any of them. It sounded, almost, like a challenge.

"See for yourself."

There was a brief pause to consider the potential risks her tone intimated. Her attitude certainly suggested a lurking danger in examining the locket, but his curiosity nagged at him. Perhaps if he faced this challenge he might learn something more of their mysterious teammate. He gently excused himself from Jennie's embrace, wanting to spare her any hazards the locket might entail.

Standing, he reached down and picked up the locket, shadows coalescing about his hand in preparation for shielding his friends if something untoward befell. Carefully, he began to open the locket to see what it contained, turning his body a bit to further act as a human shield for his companions if it proved dangerous.

Lise frowned at his reaction. "It's not gonna blow up or anything," she assured him. The way she stood, coiled shut with her arms across her breasts, closed like the locket itself. "Just open it up. The clasp's on the right hand side. Pull it down and it'll swing by itself."

"I've no idea what to expect, save that you're making it out to be this great and terrible thing," the explanation, tone soft and apologetic.

Perhaps he should've been less paranoid. Lise had said it to be a gift from Polly, and the gothic pixie hadn't brought him any ill. Not had she done anything wrong by Rafi, given his tale.

Rafi remained silent as he watched the scene unfold before him, he was as curious as the others, but he kept that on short leash. Lise’s tone and actions made clear that she wouldn’t like to talk too much about it, only the minimum what could explain the situation. Judging the size and style of the locket, there could be a picture or two, but about whom, that was the question, he thought. Or, he reminded himself, there could be some small relic, too, from someone important… Until they’ll know what’s inside, prolly wouldn’t be too wise to ask more, he decided, following both the path of the pendant in Kyle’s hand and the ballerina’s face and bodily expressions.

Kyle found the small bead of a switch that she had described, something like a pearl and no bigger than the head of a pin. A single finger was all that it took to open it in his palm with the gentle nudge of a weak internal spring and a barely-audible crackling, like some ancient tomb being exposed to air after being sealed for untold millennia.

Carefully thumbing it open, though it was likely sturdier than its delicate appearance suggested, he peered to see what lay within, seeking that which seemed to haunt Lise so.

Within the locket, under a thin oval of glass, he beheld a picture.

The expected contents of a locket, sure enough; and yet, the portrait contained therein struck him as most unusual.

It was a man, though he had to look again, to be sure. He was possessed of thin and fine features, somewhat androgynous, after a fashion. His skin was a snow white pale and his face was framed by a resplendent mane of hair like the sum of all winters. Long and perfectly straight, it fell down his back to disappear from the frame; tracing the edges of his cheeks, it plunged into twin braids that likewise vanished, wrapped in thin leather cross-ties of jet. he was handsome in the way that Kyle associated with storybook fey--too-perfect features, things that did not quite seem human for their flawlessness. His eyes were like the springtime sky for their blueness, like the ocean for their depth. His expression lay somewhere between a smile and a cool and placid calm. He seemed elemental and timeless. Below his neck, Kyle detected the top of what looked like leather armor, like the wraps in his hair, a perfect, night black.

"An Elf Lord?" muttered softly as he regarded the image, curiosity and fascination prompting him to look up from the locket for a moment, regarding Lise anew.

He'd said it so quietly that nod even Jennie, curled up so closely at his side that he was aware of the gentle scent of her shampoo and body wash, could hear him easily. Lise responded like he'd said it through a megaphone. "No," she shook her head, the perturbed look still undimmed on her otherwise-lovely features. "Not even close."

Kyle looked at her, surprised she'd evidently heard him. Curiosity for further explanation was clearly writ upon his face, punctuated with an arched eyebrow. But he didn't verbally prod; if she wanted to be more forthcoming, he would leave it up to her.

Rafi stretched his neck and tilted his head to get a better look at it, but Kyle’s earlier decision, to shield it with his body was successful, so he couldn’t see anything. “May we see it, too?” he asked quietly, both from Lise - but that answer he knew from the way she tossed it there - and from Kyle, since he held it in his hand.

"Go ahead," she agreed with a little nod.

Kyle nodded and bowed towards her as he turned back around, a show of respect acknowledging her permission. With it thus given, he retracted the masking and shielding shadows he'd woven to help obscure the locket, letting it rest openly upon his palm as he presented it where Rafi and the others could see it.

The young tattooist leaned forward and reached out then gently took the pendant from Kyle’s palm. He then sat back and showed the small picture to May, too, as he studied the pale lord’s features. Without knowing Kyle’s comment about him, his first thought was the same: a fey lord, with obvious relationship to Lise. Perhaps not a close relative, but the same paleness and whiteness hinted that they had something common in their past.

"Aleksandr Tsolaykhin Thornnathu," Lise said, in a voice that was not quite human, either. 

The young artist turned his head sideways, as if to catch the most from the name and the voice which told with his sensitive ears; to decipher all he could from it, to know more about the tale, without many words. His knack for perfectly mimicking tones and voices helped a great deal in his life to better judge the truth behind the spoken words, to reveal more than the speaker wanted.

The strange thing about the quality of her voice, when she said the name, was that he wasn't entirely sure that he could even come close to mimicking the sound she made when she said it--even considering his ability to imitate virtually anything he heard. It was not a noise that he was sure existed within nature. At least, not one that the human ear was accustomed to hearing. It was a tone between tones, something that haunted the auditory spectrum that evoked more than just sound and formed more than just words. It was a feeling more than a sound; it was a sensation more than a set of words. And in that, Rafi thought it might be singular and irrepeatable.

It lilted and drifted to the ears like the wind through skeletal, autumn branches. It touched a place within every person within the room, just beneath the surface of their chests, to spread out in a cold heat until it left them in a gentle shudder. It was not just a set of words, not just a name; it was an emotion given voice, something haunting and melancholy. Something longing and wistful.

He sighed and closed his eyes, allowing his ears to catch more of the intonation, but he knew deep that he wouldn’t be able to imitate that name perfectly - and that was new and sad at the same. Even more, considering that it was only a name, not an actual speech. He wanted to hear that language more, he decided, but kept this desire for him as Lise’s story hadn’t ended yet. He swallowed once, and opened his eyes back to Lise, while he offered the platinum locket to the next one, but no one particular, since he didn’t know if Tanya or Damon saw it already or not.

Though the tone was saddened, there was still beauty in the song of her voice as she spoke the name. Kyle closed his eyes for a moment, letting the melody sink into him, images of an Elven maiden watching forlorn from castle walls as her love rode off on some quest. Or perhaps it was the maiden, garbed for adventure, who had ridden off, leaving the lord with but a haunting memory.

The melody-inspired reverie nearly caused him to miss her following words.

"He might have been my husband."

"Might have been?" the curious inquiry, eyes fluttering open behind the shades once more, pulled back to alertness by the weight of that brief comment.

"Might have been," she replied. "I'm sure as Hell not married now."

Kyle was about to inquire further, but it seemed his brother in spirit was of similar concern and curiosity.

Rafi looked at their pale friend at the statement, after that strange, soul-touching name and language. There was the story behind the picture, right as he guessed, and he wanted to know more. “What happened?” he supported Kyle’s question with his own.

Lise took a deep breath, exhaling it in something like a sigh before she spoke again. "Aleksandr, as you guessed," she nodded at Kyle, "isn't human. He's not a mutant and not an alien, either, though. He is Tzoladzyu: A race of people that come from where you currently consider the Georgian region of Russia. Just as old as Man, they grew parallel to humankind, cloistered away from view in a primarily underground homeland. Perhaps no more than a hundred people in the world even know of their existence," she explained. "To the Russian herders and farmers that have spoken about them for generations--they're an old wife's tale, a folktale to be whispered about around campfires and the insides of sleepy inns."

Kyle was definitely intrigued, listening with rapt curiosity. Many questions began to form in the swirling mists of his mind, but they remained amongst the ether for now, as he just listened as she continued.

Rafi huddled back to his seat, placing his arm around May’s shoulders as he listened to the tale. The idea of a secret race, living amongst the humans wasn’t new to him, there were legends about the jaguar-people in his – or, more accurately, his mother’s – homeland, too. And by that, he didn’t mean the tribe with the same name, that was just for the white people... he nodded to that, showing his attention and understatement on the following.

"But," she nodded, "I can assure you that they exist. Or rather," she smiled gently, "we exist. Because like Aleksandr, I am Tzoladzyu, too."

And to look at her, with the revelation, it became obvious. Lise had the same features, pale and fine, her hair like a whisper of the winter snow that rained down even now outside their window. She had the same elegant, perfect bone structure and the same bright blue eyes. "Aleksandr was to be my husband," she continued. "It may seem strange to you, but we Tzoladzyu propagate our species through a series of arranged marriages, strictly controlled so as to provide the genetic diversity necessary to avoid inbreeding within our relatively small population. We were introduced at a very young age, raised within a small Creche, where we grew together. Eventually, we came to love one another, as it was meant to be."

Kyle nodded as she explained. It wasn't as if many known cultures throughout history didn't likewise practice arrangements for various sociopolitical agendas. And many believed such arranged unions could readily lead to love and affection, at least amongst those cultures that considered love to be of any importance. He was more distressed by the fact that her attitude and expressions told that there was no happy ending in this fairy tale.

The dark-skinned young placed a soft kiss on the top of May’s head, absentmindedly as he followed the story what Lise told them. She was right, the idea of having an arranged marriage was strange to him, he was raised to be free and independent, yet loyal and faithful to his family. This seemed wrong at first, but different cultures worked on different ways, he thought. If finally it came birthed the love, the start didn’t matter. If that was love, he mused, and not an emotion built from duty, but he haven’t said that aloud. He smiled at the pale speedster instead, encouraging her to continue.

"Or," she sighed again, "at least I believed so. Aleksandr, you see, left our homeland on the very night before the two of us were to be wed. He simply disappeared before any of us woke, never to be seen again. He left me in shame and disgrace, robbed of my life-mate and the futures of our children-to-be." And as she said it, both Kyle and Rafi could easily detect the mix of melancholy anger that began to rise from within her. Too, it was obvious that Lise's entire syntax had changed. She wasn't nearly so coarse as the woman that they had come to know so far; she was using much more refined and elegant language. It was as if, for the revelation of her identity, she had allowed a great ruse to finally slip away.

Kyle wondered if his initial vision of the elf lord riding off had been closer to the mark than he'd imagined. Had the man been possessed of some inexorable wanderlust that pulled at him? If so, why would he have hidden everything from the woman he supposedly loved, leaving her without a word? While he knew nothing of their culture or ways, and naught of the man himself, and yet it still struck him as inexcusable.

This train of thought furrowed his brow in distaste for the way Lise had been treated; she'd said it herself: left in shame and disgrace. Though barely acquainted, she was among his new teammates, and he counted her a friend in the making. For her to be treated so left him visibly irritated, the shadows at the corners of the room rippling slightly, as if guard dogs threatening to rouse from their slumber.

A low growl came alive in Rafi’s throat, like the first sounds of a thunder, warning before the storm. Leaving his loved one, that was impossible for him, or at least doing that without a word. Well, only if he had no other choice, but chose that to protect her. But from what, he mused as he tilted his head and watched Lise intently. From this small he knew about, he could be a mad man, trying to give the whole world to his love, freed from humans to allow his secret race to come up and live without fear and disdain. But that was a sick thought, so he slit his eyes, and chased it back to the depth of his imagination.

"This is why I came to Elysium City," she looked around at each one of them singly for a long moment. "I have come to find Aleksandr Tsolaykhin Thornnathu. I've now only dwelt in your culture, lived in your civilization for a few months now. But I began here as I thought that a place like this could not fail to draw him to it inexorably. It seems this city," she allowed a bit of a smile at last, "has a way of attracting the most interesting of personalities to itself."

"So that is what happened, Rafael," she looked over in his direction before going back to Kyle.

"And now, perhaps, you better understand my demeanor, as well."

"Pray forgive me if I seem overly brash, Milady, but if it is within my power to aid you in your efforts, then you have my word upon it," Kyle extended to Lise, a deep courtly bow offered as one would to a Lady of station.

Once the others were done checking out the locket for themselves, Kyle gently folded it closed, fastening the clasp to seal it once more. Proceeding over to where Lise was, he bowed once more, hand extended palm up as he offered it back to her.

She accepted it, taking it back into her possession with a deft touch. Yet both Kyle and Rafi could not help but notice the way that she palmed it once in her hand, covetously, as if she never meant to allow it from herself again. It left little doubt as to the personal importance she placed on the locket and the picture within--a reflection of a future that might have been. It also made clear the vehemence she regarded Polly with. Sometimes, it was difficult to separate the messenger from the message itself.

A silent nod was returned, a show of courtesy and gratitude for having been allowed to inspect that which held such meaning for her. A trace of sadness flickered at the corner of his lips, for what had been inflicted upon her. Unlike Lise, Kyle held no ill towards Polly in this matter, despite the maelstrom of emotions her gift had unleashed; his vitriol was instead directed towards the coward who had abandoned Lise.

Rafi tilted his head as he watched her fast move and the expression on her face. It seemed she truly loved that man, who left her alone for some mysterious quest what he could only do alone. It wasn’t a good feeling, to be left like that, he could imagine. “He is right, again,” nodded Rafi at Kyle, staring into Lise’s ice blue eyes. “We’ll definitely help to recover your mate, if you allow and if you want.”

"I...appreciate this," she said. And as she said it, she hung her head slightly.Lise was obviously proud. She was not the type of woman that accepted aid from others easily. It was almost as if she bore another private shame for doing so. Another in a long litany of such embarrassments.

Kyle knelt slightly before her, lowering himself so that her head rose above his own. Though he knew naught of her culture, past experiences with Ren Faires and the SCA had taught him that many societies that placed a premium upon honor and dignity considered such to be a show of respect for one of noble or regal blood. And so he granted her this, treating her with respect due a Lady; a silent declaration that, regardless how she or her culture might see it, she was worthy in his eyes.

The young tattooist followed his friend’s courteousness with his eyes, but didn’t move, himself, from the couch where he sat with May. He meant what he said, and that was enough for him, coming from such a subculture where the words were important, and perhaps a clasp on the shoulder and lower arm, but no kneeling or such knightly moves. There was an ancient aura around the gesture, though, which made it fitting to the scene, he admitted.

She looked up after a moment of silence. "You should know that this will not be an easy thing, however. I am not unique among Tzoladzyu, with my abilities. Aleksandr, in fact, is amongst the most powerful of my people--with a gift for applying his Voice in a manner to make himself all but undetectable. You should think again before you volunteer yourself to assist me," she said, rather seriously. "It may be that I will not find him for many of your lifetimes to come."

"I may be neither a true Knight, nor of noble blood, but I have sworn my oath to a friend," Kyle stated, calmly yet firmly. "If aiding you proves beyond my abilities, then I shall be disappointed for having failed a friend, but the offer of my aid remains."

He thought briefly about remarking that he could readily craft himself a wheelchair of shadows to continue the search when he was old and frail, but then grew concerned that Lise might fear he mocked her with such attempts at humor. The gestating joke died away, never to find purchase upon his tongue, as Rafi spoke up.

“Many lifetimes of us?” perked up Rafi’s curiousness, and raised a brow. “How so?” he asked glancing at Lise. To find an undetectable man was definitely a high goal, next to the others they already had, but to do that with a long-living ballerina, who might outlive them by thousand, he imagined the answer, was something again from the fantasy tales. Still, his questions were aimed not the impossibility of the quest, but on the side-information he could get about Lise, and perhaps about his man.

“It is a simple thing,” she said shrugging slightly. “At one time, I am told that my people lived and died much as yours do. These were the days before The Voice--before the Tzoladzyu completely understood our birthright and what it might be capable of. Now, we use it in such a manner as to forestall the weight of time and perpetuity upon our minds and bodies. And so, we live every bit as long or as briefly as we wish it--not an instant more, not an instant less.”

It was certainly an interesting thing, Kyle considered, to be able to decide for oneself how long one lived. To have the potential to live for centuries, yet be able to let it go if you found the weight of all those years too much to bear after a time; something many would no wish for themselves. Had he such a choice open to him, the temptation to live a long time would indeed be great, so long as he had some drive inspiring his life. Here and now, Jennie was his drive and inspiration, and he would gladly share centuries with her. He flashed his beloved sister a smile filled with warmth and affection as Rafi spoke once more.

Though unknown for Rafi, his thoughts mirrored almost exactly Kyle’s about this race’s lifespan. To have the power to live or to die at their own decision... that was a great treasure but curse as well. What if you decide to die too early? Or decide to live too long? He wouldn’t want to have such an opportunity – or at least he couldn’t think on its advantages yet. Sure, it’d be nice to live long with loving family around, but who wants to live forever, he mused. He then glanced down at May at his side, smiled at her and placed a soft kiss upon her temple. Well, perhaps there were reasons for that... he opined, but then returned his thoughts to the pendant.

“If Polly gave you this, it must be important for you to have,” he said sincerely. “And I don’t think it’s only for remembering. Perhaps it can be used to trace Alexandr”, he tried to pronounce like she did, but he couldn’t do perfectly. “Maybe one our Magess’ spells can help, using this as a focus, hm?” he asked, glancing over at Tanya.

"It is easily done," Tanya nodded. "With such a token, it would be a simple matter to successfully cast a Magic Mirror spell. Or failing that, use it as an aid to scrying with a Crystal Ball. So fear not, Lise. I--"

Lise interrupted her with a small shake of her head. "Perhaps I should be more clear," she interrupted her. "We Tzoladzyu have a common gift. Each one of us is specifically attuned to ourselves and our positions in the very world itself. Through this complete awareness of that essence of the universe around us, we have trained ourselves to tap into that with little more than spoken or subvocalized words. This is The Voice," she explained. "Each Tzoladzyu utilizes it in a different fashion, something personal and singular to every individual. As you have seen since we've met, I sing so as to move with an unthinkable swiftness without so much as disturbing the world around me. My balance is so perfect so as to dive within still waters and leave not a solitary ripple behind myself."

Rafi nodded, as he listened to the explanation behind her wonderful gifts. He was surprised the she isn’t an ordinary – how can someone use such a word for an individual, he mused – meta, but a member of a forgotten race. That they had the same base for their powers but everyone used it in a different fashion, sounded cool, too. The addition of inaudible but rich and powerful tones to the language what they used made it clear to him why he couldn’t mimic even the man’s name. He shall ask Lise’s true name later, it must have sound beautiful, he mused, while she went on the story.

Kyle could not help but nod to himself. That was how she managed the trick with the water, he realized. And it was also why she had become a ballerina, since coming to the world of Men. It had to come as naturally to her as breathing. "Aleksandr taught me how to sing so as to live in harmony with the world," she finished. "His mastery over The Voice, so as to ply it in such a manner, is unparalleled. He is absolutely undetectable when he wishes it, as he has done since the moment he left the homeland, under cover of night. Too, he was the greatest of our warriors, a fighter of legendary ability and skill. I have seen him personally sing so as to kill a man with such skill that their body only realized they had died days after--when they fell to bits, unbidden, in their sleeping bed. At a distance of miles apart."

Kyle's mouth drew into a thin straight line at the description of this Aleksandr's slaying effect; it seemed a terribly cruel and vicious end to visit upon someone.

At Rafi's side, May shuddered gently at the thought.

Rafi’s eyes went wide and he unintentionally gasped in horror, and his mouth fell agape for a moment, before he rebuilt his soul. “This is awful...,” he breathed. “And cruel... how can a civilized man fight like that?”, he asked discrediting.

Lise shrugged. “I would not ask you to understand the ways of my culture,” she replied, fixing him with those powerful blue eyes of hers. “You are an outsider; you have no context and could not hope to understand. But I would ask you not to judge us so harshly without such an understanding, as well. Surely, you have noticed that my…way,” she tried to explain, “is different than yours or your fellows. That which I value and that which I scorn cannot hope to be similar to these same things to you. In the short time I have remained with your people, I have…tried to emulate your ways and mannerisms. It has made it easier to be accepted into your society and made my stay a peaceful one. But you should also know that it is but a portrayal,” she looked around their small circle. “I am Tzoladzyu. I will always be Tzoladzyu. And just as Aleksandr’s actions seems unthinkable to you, so too does mercy visited upon one’s enemies ofttimes seem to my conscience.”

Rafi bit his lower lip, and made an apologetic face. He wouldn’t think that voicing his reason would affect Lise so, but after her explanation he looked in himself. There were some truth in her words, definitely, he had to admit. It was a damn bad habit of him, to talk first and think after... and sometimes he haven’t even noticed the offending content of his words, only when he saw the effect.

"I suppose I can understand some of that," Kyle ventured. "In many of the past warrior cultures of our people, many actions were commonplace that our modern society would label as uncivilized or cruel, especially in matters of war."

"Is war not uncivilized and cruel by its definition in your dictionaries?" she asked in response, lifting a snowy brow with the question. "I am aware that your modern nations even now wage war upon one another--and visit that which comes from such strife upon both your warriors and the helpless alike. I would not easily suggest that such ways are the province of past human cultures, backwards and primitive, when one need only yesterday's newspapers to witness them occurring anew."

"My comment was in reference to times and cultures where war oft included the idea of personal contest against one's foes, rather than the cold and impersonal methods of dispassionate mass slaughter the modern world has invented," Kyle elaborated. "Though when has any society that has engaged in war ever left the non-combatants unscathed? That fault is hardly the sole province of our modern nations."

“War is a bad thing, whether it happened in the past or happens now, it always affects more the people than the true maker of that,” chimed in Rafi, nodding at Kyle’s wise words. “But a fight between two honorable fighter –would be they men or women- should be a clear thing, a test of their abilities, deciding the end there, not days after,” he said, shrugging slightly. “I think I’m a bit old-fashioned,” he added with a faint smile.

"And I never called those past cultures backward or primitive," he pointed out. "Many of those cultures contributed great sciences and arts, and many possessed at least some semblance of honor that seems too often lost or forgotten in this modern world."

“Just look at our fresh experience to see what was lost…”, said Rafi silently, thinking on the executed inhabitants of the HYDRA complex, the sheer cruelty how they threatened him and tried to make him the reason behind that. He shivered by the memory, and clung to May’s shoulder, to anchor himself into the reality, avoiding the trap of believing those words.

He still felt it harsh personally, to inflict a wound that would seemingly leave the foe alive, yet butcher them days after the fact; better to simply cleave them then and there on the field of battle in his opinion, but he opted to say no more of that.

"We will keep such things in mind if we find this man you seek," he added.

Lise nodded. "You have my thanks," she allowed. "It will be of the utmost importance to approach any meeting with Aleksandr with the greatest of care. I would find it difficult to believe that any of you have ever met--even considering the Viper that vexes us so now--a more dangerous man than he. I, however, know him well and understand what he is capable of. If he mistakenly perceives us as a threat, he will certainly not hesitate to end any of our lives--save, perhaps, myself--completely and succinctly. And make no mistake: I believe him more than capable of doing so with very little effort at all."

Even as Lise looked around their small group, one by one, it became obvious to both Kyle and Rafi that she had chosen her words very carefully. And in particular, one of them stood out above all others: Perhaps. She wasn't sure at all that Aleksandr would spare her, if hostilities broke out upon their reunion. That single word spoke volumes as to the danger involved in finding him.

"Then, if we should find him, we shall do our utmost to appear non-threatening; expressing that we simply wish a dialogue," Kyle noted.

He'd caught Lise's choice of words, and the concern they apparently heralded. He knew not what chances they might have if they found this Aleksandr and matters dissolved to bloodshed, but in such an instance he would do what he could to safeguard his friends.

Rafi nodded at his friends polite words as he looked at Lise. “Please, accept my apologies. I wouldn’t want to hurt or judge you, but as you said, we were raised with different manners and by different customs, and so that was the reason behind my words,” he said as he bowed slightly to Lise. “Next time I’ll think before I talk, okay?” he asked with a faint smile.

Lise smiled softly. "You are a gentle and kind man, Rafael," she looked upon him with blue eyes that seemed even more piercing than ever, now that the charade of her assumed personality had been shed. Now, there was a certain exotic gravity that seemed to surround Lise that was not lost at all on the young artist. It simply commanded attention. She was the deadliest flower in the jungle: One would be foolish to not pay her her due heed. "I do not take your words as an insult," she continued, then turning over to Kyle, "nor any of the things you have said. You have simply never encountered one such as I before. How could you be expected to behave? You are still learning my way, much as I learned yours upon visiting your land. I know that you are good men with noble and brave hearts," she smiled at the darksome man before turning back at Rafi. "That excuses you from my scorn or wrath. I know that your intentions are pure and just."

Kyle nodded silently, gracing her with a courtly inclination of the head once more. He knew not the specifics of her culture as to show her the appropriate displays of respect, so he would respect her as was the due of a lady of station in cultures he did understand.

“Good to know that you judge not by my words but looking into me as well,” smiled the young tattooist at the pale ballerina. “It’d take some time to know more about each other, but I think we found a solid base to build upon,” he said, and thought the same as well. His fast mouth got him into trouble sometimes and even with his experience with the people of the streets where a bad glance or wry brow could be a deadly cause couldn’t protect him to talk. It was a bad habit, but he worked against it… tho it wasn’t an easy task, he knew. Such scenes like this helped a lot, strengthening his resolve on the matter.

"It will not be so easy to find my Aleksandr," Lise said.

"But if you would try--I would gladly accept your aid."

"Perhaps the locket may indeed prove a key in locating him, if it is truly intended to be what you need, There may yet be hope," Kyle offered with a smile.

“Time will tell, what the pendant can be used for, but before we fail with it clearly, we shouldn’t close any of the possibilities out,” nodded Rafi in agreement. “We’ll do what we can to help you, okay?” he smiled at the pale beauty.

Lise nodded, carefully replacing it into the pocket from which she’d produced it. “You…have my thanks,” she said. And as she did it, it was obvious that she was averting her eyes from theirs, almost as if she couldn’t bear to meet them, in the moment. There was little doubt that she was a proud woman. To accept their help was difficult…but to have it offered in the first place? To someone from her culture? It was probably as unbelievable as it was humbling. “It is…meaningful to me that you would do such a thing. I will endeavor to prove myself worthy of your vow.”

The locket snapped closed.

Something else, though silently, opened itself wide.

"Your friendship makes you more than worthy," Kyle assured her with a smile.

To that, the dark-skinned Jaguar only nodded and smiled at her. Again Kyle voiced his opinions, so there was no need for any addition other than agreement. She helped him recover Carmilla, without knowing him, just because Damon asked her. He was grateful for the lithe ballerina, and that was independent from her race and heritage, only her actions counted. A friend, indeed.

"You may trust me when I say that the feeling is a shared one," she nodded. "To a Tzoladzyu, the deeds of a man prove his valor and worth. Each of you, in just a day, has proven to me that you possess rare sums of both commodity. You are all honorable, each one of you, and I would stand by your sides gladly against all odds or any enemy that might be foolish enough to meet our full measure."

She sat back in the chair and sipped her water. Even when the glass tilted and the liquid met her lips, it rippled not a single bit.

"I have said too much. Now, instead, we should know peace."

Kyle nodded and rose slowly, extending her a courtly bow as he withdrew, backing gracefully away as he exited her presence and returned to his seat at Jennie's side.

“The honor is ours, milady”, said Rafi, bowing slightly in his chair, smiling at her. “And peace… that would be nice to have for a while…”, he added.

WARNING - connection

"Since we've got some time before Marina shows up," Lise said, sitting back into the comfort of the chair she'd chosen, let's talk about the two fifty-ton elephants in the corners of the room. Specifically, Sabah and Ms. Snake-in-the-Grass."

“No rest for the wicked, eh?” interjected Rafi with a wry grin and a playful groan.

"And even more specifically: What're gonna do about them now?"

"A simple, and yet complicated, matter," Kyle mused, the shadowy birds and faeries melting once more into traditional forms arrayed against the wall as he considered this serious matter. "The simple answer is that we protect Sabah as best we can, and do what we can to remove the serpent from her life."

Rafi nodded in agreement. It was simple to decide that, but so far he saw no solution coming. He hoped that this late brainstorming would result some, but he feared that it won’t be easy.

"From there, it becomes a tangled weave of complications, I'm afraid. Even if Maxx Law concludes there's nothing directly threatening about Sabah, there remains the potential resource and wealth of information she represents; a resource that HYDRA will stop at nothing to reacquire. That regrettably makes Sabah an unwitting danger to everyone around her."

“Well, as long as she’s with the Kommissar, I’d say she’s pretty safe,” Lise considered. “I mean, who’s gonna be dumb enough to bang heads with Maxx Law?”

“Or with us,” Jennie countered. “Don’t forget, we’re no slouches ourselves.” Lise gave her a look like she either didn’t understand her or was crazy. Or maybe both.

"Guess you missed the poached eggbot," Kyle answered Lise's silent query. "Getting her riled up is bad for anyone on the receiving end," a smile and sense of pride adorning the statement.

"Eliminating the serpent will be difficult enough, since she's likely to keep herself well hidden and send her goons to carry out her orders. It becomes even more complicated if she's got any legal claim to being Sabah's mother, whether legitimate or not. I pray she doesn't, but it's a possibility we have to consider."

“That means, we have to fold up the organization? Or to present such a bargain what would keep them away from her?” asked Rafi shaking his head. “Somehow I don’t think that the Viper would have been on large so far if she wouldn’t be very clever and canny. And what can we do what the SHIELD or MaxxLaw or any other intelligence agency could not to find and capture her?”

“We might not need to worry about that, if we can convince Maxx Law to turn her over to us,” Jennie added. “Look, operating under the premise that she’s as important to Viper as we think she is, she’s going to want her back. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that she’s going to do whatever she thinks is necessary--to the extent of H.Y.D.R.A.’s resources--to get her back. If she’s with us, that means that we’re not going to have to worry going looking for her. She’ll be coming to us.”

Rafi felt the urge to quote Eddie Izzard, even if he talked about the idea of fighting with Russia, but the words a-a-a, not a god idea, not a good idea would fit here, too, he thought, but then resisted the luring. Jennie was too optimistic by his book, and somewhat innocent, like she had avoided the real big problems so far – or was running from one.

“Assuming that we can get Maxx Law to turn over an eight-year old girl to us,” May chimed in skeptically.

“Right,” she agreed. “But if Kommissar Maxwell’s serious about us being considered as good as partners with their organization, I don’t think that’ll be an issue. I think he trusts us, considering everything that happened in Germany. It might not be as hard as you think.”

“It sounds dangerous,” Beetlebum said from the other room, an assertion that was punctuated by the sound of a kettle whistling. He was in the kitchen, they all realized then. And tea was done.

“It will be,” Jennie admitted. “But being a superhero’s dangerous work.”

They could hear Beetlebum sigh. “Dear.”

"Painting a larger neon bullseye upon ourselves to focus HYDRA's attention," Kyle mulled it over. "If Maxx Law were willing to entrust Sabah to us, it might enable us to gain an advantage in selecting where the inevitable battle occurred. Make your enemy come to you..."

"That would be the plan," Jennie nodded. "And as far as plans go--it's pretty foolproof, the way I see it. Either they come get her and give us the chance to put 'em away once and for all," she explained, "or they keep their distance and Sabah has herself a safe new life, away from that scumbag, Viper. Either way, it's a win for us."

Kyle nodded silently in consideration. He wasn't convinced that it was as foolproof as Jennie's optimism led her to believe, but it might still yield some benefits in their favor. It definitely wasn't a matter to be rushed into or taken lightly, however.

Rafi silently shook his head as he considered the possible consequences, but he haven’t responded yet, he let Kyle finish his musing over the problem instead. That could lead a very, very dangerous situation very quickly, as he looked at it and how he imagined (or remembered) the mentioned organization’s style of acting.

"A very dangerous proposition, as it would render us targets for more focused HYDRA resources, and we'd have to constantly worry about ensuring Sabah's safely removed from the field. I don't think I could endure that..."

"Not again," muttered faintly.

"Ideally, Marina will be able to give us more insight, at least in regards to legal issues," he addressed the group. "We can go over more details with her later," he suggested, before Rafi spoke up.

"A splendid idea," Tanya agreed. "Being that this seems a matter that transcends simple bravery and skill-at-arms into the legal arena, I would think that she would be instrumental in helping us guide ourselves on our way forward."

"Exactly. We don''t yet know what manner of legal land mines we might encounter along our path," Kyle agreed, considering saying more on the notion, when Rafi spoke up.

“Sorry for being a bit negative, but this seems a big bite to me. Still, since we already blow her mind, I don’t think we have any other choice than trying our best to do that.”

"And that leads to the inevitability of how to deal with Sabah, once matters are settled. She's been conditioned to regard this woman as her mother, and likely will be quite upset over how things are apt to turn out, especially if we do remove the woman from her life once and for all."

"I hate the idea of breaking a little girls' heart," he muttered quietly.

“Me too. I became quite fond of her,” admitted the tattooist with a nod. “Like a new little sister… on top of the already existing two,” he added smiling kindly as he thought about Jo and Virginia.

“Well, then,” Jennie shrugged. “It’s simple. We just have to have somebody willing to take her in under their wing…and serve as her new mommy or daddy!”

She looked around the room slowly, just as Beetlebum re-entered the room.

“Any takers?”

Rafi’s eyes went wide, but the words stuck in his throat as the idea fell on him. He wasn’t ready to make such a decision yet, he was only twenty-one, close to twenty-two, but even if he liked the little girl, now way he could imagine having her around like his own kid. A miraculous wedding with two young but wonderful girls was enough for the day, that’ll be hard enough to explain to his family, he thought in his silent musing as he slowly relaxed again in the embrace of May on the couch.

Nobody said anything for quite some time. The words themselves seemed to stun their host, halting him dead in his tracks for a long moment. Finally, he continued forward once more. "I think waiting until Marina arrives to make all of our rash and hastily-arrived-upon decisions is a fantastic idea, as well," he said after his pause. He was bearing a platter with two large silver decanters on it, surrounded by a few beautiful ceramic teacups on saucers. From the tops of the taller ones, lazy steam wafted up into the air, trailing him as he walked. A small sugar and cream cup in matching metal finished the ensemble, which he placed on the table in their midst. "I would be most interested to hear how the lovely Ms. Denishka--with her gift for solving such dilemmas--might approach the situation. In the meantime, I've Earl Grey and Green Oolong here for any who might be interested."

"The lemonade's fine for now," Kyle answered. "But thank you for the offer."

May grinned. "Can I have some of the water, instead?"

"Certainly!" he nodded, reaching across and pouring her a glass. "Cheers, my dear," he said, upon handing it to her.

“I’ll stay with the Earl Grey, with one sugar and a bit of cream, just like last time”, smiled Rafi at Damon, but he leaned forward even as he said it to help arranging it, not used to being served.

Damon stopped him with an impish little smile. "You're forgetting whose house you're in, my friend," he said. "Hospitality, I'm afraid, is the English way. You'll have to become accustomed to it." After which, he meticulously put together Rafi's tea in a cup with all the desired accouterments. He handed it to him graciously, steam still billowing from its top. "For you," he said with a nod.

Rafi offered an apologetic smile and a grateful nod. “I’ll try, my friend. But in my loft, soon we’ll go on my way, and you’ll count as family - so you can serve yourself just like home,” he replied smiling wryly and topped it with a wink.

"I'd like some of the green," Jennie said, "please."

"I might have known," he smiled wryly. By the time he had begun to pour her cup, the red and black pigment had almost completely faded from his features and Kyle was beginning to regard him anew. His face had a familiar look to it, he was sure. It was like the song lyric on the tip of your tongue that you know you should know, but continues to elude you maddeningly....

Definitely something about him, something about those features resonated with Kyle. He was sure he'd at least caught a glimpse of the man's face somewhere before, something that had marked him as important, though not necessarily of major importance in his personal interests. Perhaps the face had been glimpsed amidst a news bite he'd seen in passing, or maybe glanced at briefly in a magazine thumbed through. Whichever, it hadn't impacted upon him enough at the time to forge a solid link with any name that might have been attached.

As Tanya said: "I'd love a green cup as well, dear," he was sure he'd think of where he'd seen him before, if given the time. In any case, their flesh-anew host poured it for her dutifully.

For all he knew, it might've been in one of Jennie's magazines that he'd skimmed across that face. Maybe he'd done some modeling or music. Curious, Kyle glanced at Jennie to see if she showed any signs of recognizing their gracious host.

His sister seemed, if anything, more oblivious to the fact that he might be someone familiar than Kyle himself was. He watched her regard him with a bit of humor; she clearly found him an agreeable and charming fellow. But not one that she recognized. Or at least, one that she let on that she did.

Ah, well. They'd get to it one way or another as formal introductions were made. Not that a name would automatically forge the connection for him.

On second thought, to hell with it...

"Okay, I'm just gonna be blunt," Kyle announced. Eying their host," I know I know your face from somewhere, and it's gonna bug me until I figure out who you are... So... Since I believe decorum dictates that I proceed first... Kyle Hayden, at your service, sir," offered with a warm smile and extended hand.

Rafi tilted his head as he watched the scene blooming in front of him; he was curious what name Damon will offer to their new friend, though he opined that the shy Briton will admit his true name this time, too. 

He looked at him seriously for a moment. It was hard to tell what he was thinking about in that instant. He looked like he might be afraid, actually. But, that pause was concluded with the blink of an eye. He had, it seemed, come to his own conclusion.

He folded at the waist, bowing graciously. “Damon Albarn, at your service,” he replied. “Formerly of Her Majesty’s United Kingdom…formerly of the bands Blur and the Gorillaz,” he introduced himself. “And currently of the League of Awesome.”

The dark-skinned artist smiled at his friend hearing the introduction, and the phrasing of his affiliations. He reacted just as he expected, and that was good. Once, because in spite of their short common history, he liked the Briton very well, and twice, because he judged well his liking for their other new friends.

He stood straight once more and smiled. And then, standing before him, it all made sense for Kyle. He had seen him before. On any of the ten million times that MTV had played that song during the summer of 1997 alone. His speaking voice wasn’t all that much like his singing voice; that was what had prevented the connection. That, and the black and red flesh, of course.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mister Albarn," Kyle offered with a smile. The name alone hadn't helped a great deal, but the band references had cinched it; he could generally name the singers for his favorite groups, but didn't keep track of every lead singer, especially amongst the pop genre.

He did like Gorillaz, decidedly more than Blur, but just enough to have some of their albums to listen to when in a more whimsical upbeat mood. Not that he was really letting on that he was indeed familiar with Damon's music.

Jennie simply stared at him. “Can I have your autograph?” she beamed.

Damon shrugged. “Of course,” he replied. “Not that it’s worth much of anything, anymore, mind you.”

“Don’t be silly, why wouldn’t it worth anything?” asked Rafi furrowing his brows, just to get his answer immediately.

“I believe I’ve retired from the music industry,” he said. “I’ve other interests, as of now.”

"Perhaps not considered worth much in the ever fickle eyes of those who hunt celebrity memorabilia, but as a gift from a friend... Priceless," Kyle assured him.

"No body signings though," he teasingly warned.

“Hehe,” chuckled Rafi at Kyle’s warning as he glanced at Jennie, wondering again how a tattoo would look on her perfect skin, with the shimmering inner radiation. He then looked back at Damon, cocking a brow, “Why should you retire? I can still draw and I don’t plan on closing my shop before I could’ve even open it; so I think you can still sing or write,” he said, after that he looked around their small group, smiling. “And I think you wouldn’t be short of inspiration around us, too.”

"Perhaps so," he replied, laughing along with his friends. "But since I moved to Elysium City, it's something I've been moving increasingly towards, in any case. You see, I created the Gorillaz with my mate Jamie largely because I was tired of the attention that comes with being a pop star. You have to understand how difficult it is to have a personal life of any kind when you're under that kind of microscope," he explained. "I've spent most of my life with my every waking moment being detailed on the telly--in magazines and all over the internet--laid out the general public's mass consumption. And it wears a body down after a bit, I have to tell you."

He sipped a bit of his tea. "With the Gorillaz, I'm able to be a bit more anonymous," he continued. "At my behest, Parlophone put together a focus group to see how many people, music fans of all sorts, could name the actual singer of the band. Did you know that only four percent of those people could even get as far as that guy from Blur?" he smiled. "Even out of those people who mentioned a specific interest in the Gorillaz, only forty-three percent said Damon Albarn. So it's been a tremendous success. I've found a way to effectively hide behind Jamie's art," he said. "It's been smashing, I must say. But, I've also done just about everything I've set out to do."

"So now," he finished, "perhaps it's time to try something new."

"I can certainly understand the desire for anonymity," Kyle mused. "Keeping to the shadows is sort of part of the package," he afforded with a chuckle.

“S’okay,” nodded Rafi in agreement. “I just said what I said, to remind you that you’ll never now when or where the inspiration strikes, so no need to close that door behind you.”

Once the introductions were finished, and everyone settled over their drink, he returned to he former question as it bugged his mind more than a bit. Sure, he could’ve simply let the topic fall, as it was his first intention, but he didn’t want to leave Jennie unanswered, too. “You suggest that one of us should adopt Sabah?” he asked with a raised brow. He glanced around on the group, and shook his head. “Aren’t we a bit young and bold for such a thing?”

"That may prove an even larger undertaking than facing HYDRA," Kyle sighed. "I for one don't have even the basest qualifications for something that important, not that the courts would even afford me a second glance even if I were qualified."

"But it is something we'll need to think about, and to try'n help arrange after matters are settled," he admitted. "She will need good, strong, loving parental figures to watch over her and guide her, ones dedicated to walking the tightrope between doting and spoiling, ones capable of providing all she'll need. And she may need quite a bit, emotionally, if forced to endure the loss of the woman she's known as 'mommy'."

“Or, remaining our idea what Tanya mentioned at the door, she can have all of us for that,” deadpanned Rafi, just say something less serious. Even he didn’t think that it could work, or it’s more than a joke, but he said it nonetheless.

"Yeah, right," Lise replied with a snort. "I'm real Mother of the Year material."

Under other circumstances, Kyle might have fired off a jest in good humor, but this matter he found to weigh heavily upon him.

“We’d help,” tilted his head Rafi with a wry smile. He didn’t know why Lise was so sour in humor, and perhaps about herself, too, but he hoped that he’ll know it with time. The girl was a nice company, anyway, and her sarcastic comments made the day brighter. Even now, when they talked about such a weighty matter... but it was help for only seconds, it was too serious now.

Sitting forward, elbows propped upon his knees, chin resting on his clasped hands as he contemplated the issue looming before them, "That may prove to be the hardest part of our struggle." He could feel Jennie's hand descend upon his back, rubbing all across his bunched muscles, washing away the tension of the day's struggles with ever knead and roll of her fingers.

The gentle relaxation of his posture was ample silent testimony that her attentions were greatly appreciated and well received.

The stoic resolve etched upon his features proclaimed that, for all his lurking doubts about the difficulties ahead, he was fiercely determined to do what he could in hopes of granting that little girl a better life.

“By the way, girls and guys, is it really necessary to solve this problem now?” asked Rafi quietly, furrowing his brows and rubbing his eyes. “We wanted to unwind and relax, after a hard day… and this not really help to achieve that.”

“Not that I wouldn’t like to know what and how will happen with Sabah; I have even admitted that I like her, but this is too big decision to make with sleepy head. Just like the other one, with the plan to further angering the cold-blooded snake.”

“I have met her. I heard and saw her move and act, and though that was only a few minutes and a business-talk, she was cold and professional. Luring and fearful at the same time, having an aura of danger around her. Kyle saw the result of her decision which she prolly made with as easy as we breathe, but we just heard about it. Do we really want to have her to come to us?” 

As Rafi explained his feelings about the Viper, his tone was serious and his face supported that he wasn’t joking the slightest. He was a bit afraid of her, yet strongly he refused to fall for that fear. He only wanted the others to know what they face, sharing his firsthand experience.

“What do you think, how hard it’ll be for her with the resources of the H.Y.D.R.A. to find our family and place them into the crosshair? Or worse, what I wouldn’t even want to think on…” He fell back to the seat where he straightened during his talk, and pulled out his sketchbook and iron. “Sorry…”, he mumbled then, setting his jaw, and began to draw her face with quick, powerful lines, just to give a form to his burning emotions.

"Well-said, my friend," Beetlebum said, shaking his head. He poured himself a cup of the Earl Grey and smiled charmingly. "We've all had quite a day, don't you think? For most of us, I think we can all agree that it's been nothing short of life-changing. The reality of the situation is that, even if we should take the time to rest and recover, Sabah will still be safely in the care of Kommissar Maxwell and our least-favorite serpent will still be out there somewhere, hissing away in the darkness. We needn't be in a rush to solve all these problems--especially when we might be better served doing so with rested brows and clear heads, don't you think?"

Kyle nodded silently in affirmation. Both men spoke truly of the need to take time and approach such a crucial matter with fresh minds and careful guidance. Neither aspect of the problem was something to be taken lightly; both were powerful, far-reaching matters that would have to be lived with once decisions were made. No turning back from those paths, Kyle mused, as their host continued.

“That was what I said, too”, followed Rafi’s nod Kyle’s. “Thank you,” he added, while he continued the drawing of the Viper. With his talent and the very vivid experience, it didn’t take a lot of time to finish it. The long hair, covering half of her face and the cold stare from the other eye was so real that he shivered once. That glare changed the otherwise wonderful woman into something terrible, perfect for her chosen name. He then stroked her features with a fingertip, like if searching for some deeper inside her, and then tore the page out from the book and let it fall to the small table between them. 

May, at his side, had been leaning over and watching Rafi draw out the coldly beautiful features of Frau Kreuzotter--the mysterious and deadly Viper--as he'd built her up from the stark whiteness of the paper below. She frowned gently. "She'd look better with glasses," she whispered into his ear as he drew. "And a mustache."

Rafi simply shrugged at first, but then he thought better, and turned his head to the girl, placing a quick kiss to her nose. “The caricature will come later; this was only the easiest way to remove her from my mind for now. She is less scary if you can look at her, not only having her memory haunting in your vivid - sometimes too vivid - imagination,” he said quietly. “There I’d like to have other images…,” he added in a whisper, his voice becoming lustful.

May smiled slyly. “Any pose you like,” she said.

Though she never said it, it was obvious she meant wearing whatever he’d like, as well.

He blushed heavily, and swallowed hard as the mentioned vivid images floated through his mind’s canvas, May and him naked and sweaty, together around the many corners of their magical mansion, with Carm stepping in too. This denied him to talk for a short while, but the joyful smile what appeared on his face talked for him. He thought better to turn his intention back to the conversation, before he’ll loose his self-control.

"Such a lovely face," Danom said, regarding the paper that lay on the table between them all.

"All the better to lull you to sleep with, my dear," Tanya cautioned. "And poison you dead while you sleep soundly."

Kyle regarded the image silently, but though no words issued forth, his feelings were becoming evident. The paper rippled and shifted as the shadows and darkness beneath began to rouse themselves from slumber. The paper began to rise an inch or so off the table as the hungry shadows clamored underneath. Tiny tendrils of shadow snaked forth from the lurking darkness, beginning to crumple and pick at the edges of the sheet, though no torn bits of paper drifted to the table or floor. Bits of shadow began to fold further over the paper, crumpling and wadding it some more, with one tendril lashing out and slicing a small razor scar down the Viper's cheek.

No, Kyle Hayden did not care for the woman depicted at all, a tiny ripple of angry sneer trembling at the corner of his mouth as the image teetered at the precipice of the Sugar Bear treatment.

Lise slit her eyes, staring at the page in the process of ravishment.

“And that,” she said, “is why you shouldn’t be afraid of the dark.”

"The curtains of night and shadow are not fearsome beasts, merely part of the natural order, beautiful and comforting in their way," Kyle observed, a bit of shadow stretching forth to offer Lise a darksome rose, flat as a photograph in the moment, but rich and elegant in its detail.

Tanya nodded. “Unless you happen to slither on your belly,” she added.

"Those who threaten my friends should be ever wary," Kyle muttered softly, another beautiful dark rose extending toward Tanya, even as thorns of darkness pierced up through the sketch, erupting from Viper's eyes and mouth before folding out and clutching at the paper to drag it back down through itself, into the consuming darkness of its own shadow, to languish in whatever cold, dark corner of hell awaited.

He haven’t said a word as a comment, only moved on a new page in the sketchbook, and began to draw another image, this time about a lithe young girl, who was holding herself in the upper corner of a room. She wore a dark blue -almost black- costume what covered her whole body, and there was a greenish spider-symbol on her chest. The color of it was the same like the color of Carm’s hair and the effect of her stinger. The eyes were made with the same green, like Rafi's own ones. He drew it much slower, and with greater care, but that just made the picture even more living.

"Oooh..." May said, huddling still-closer to him, her interest renewed as he watched him render the contours of her incredible shape onto the paper. "I like that!"

Rafi nuzzled on a way to allow May come as close as possible but he could continue detailing the picture. The warmth of her body, the touch of her breasts on his arm was comforting and inspiring at the same, so he savored the moment. The young artist slowly filled the corner with a sparse spider-web, the strands of it had a dark tinge, as he remembered her own one what she showed them during their adventure in the HYDRA complex. 

The girl - under the mask - clearly had a wry smile on her face, after saying some witty comment to someone, who was under her, but out of the picture.

"You can't beat the color," Jennie chimed in, wagging her jade brows.

"Definitely a much lovelier picture," Kyle afforded with a smile.

The young tattooist nodded, and pointed with the tip of his iron to the web, showing May that he hid a small, tribal-style scorpion and a jaguar between the strands of the web behind the girl, watching her, close to her side, almost at her heart.

He took a sip of the tea and smiled anew. "I need to go off and prepare your rooms for the evening," he continued, with a witty laugh. "Or day. or afternoon. However you wish to look at it. Please feel free to roam the house to your heart's desire. I'll come fetch you when everything's prepared." And with that, they watched him turn, scooping his jar of ladybugs from the corner where he'd placed it, disappearing from the room in the direction they'd entered.

A pause after he'd gone.

Of course, Jennie was the first of them to pipe up. "Y'know what you three need?" she said, looking around at Rafi, May and, Lise.

“Uh-oh”, muttered playfully Rafi while he raised a brow. It could be anything, but he was grateful for the distraction from the former topics.

"I can't wait to hear this," the pale speedster rolled her eyes.

Undaunted, Jennie just grinned from ear-to-ear.

"Costumes."

"Sounds like someone's scheming for a shopping trip," Kyle teased, placing a light kiss atop Jennie's head.

She laughed merrily, caught in the act. "Always!" she admitted.

"Let me guess, you're looking for me to be chauffeur and luggage handler on this shopping safari?" he teased.

“Heh...”, snorted Rafi. “Something skintight and revealing for the girls, like yours, and something comfy and elegant for the Jaguar, eh?” he asked and stroked May’s thigh with his fingertips.

"And what if the female contingent of this little menagerie of ours would prefer it the other way about?" Tanya said, her musical little laugh like merry windchimes on the air between them all. "After all, I'm told turnabout is fair play...especially when we've so many handsome and powerful men about ourselves to admire longingly."

"Is that a request for a show?" Kyle inquired, winking at Tanya over the edge of his shades. "I'll tell you right now, though.. I ain't doing no battle-thong," a chuckle accompanying another wink.

Rafi chuckled along as he shook his head, and put his hand around May’s shoulder. “I keep the undressed sight of for seashores and warm holidays, or for my home, but if we find a good T-shirt, that can be fitting… if it provides some protection as well. But no plastic or shiny leather, that’s sure.”

Lise, as usual, cut right to the chase. "What'd you have in mind, Sunshine?" she asked Jennie, a snow-colored brow cocked curiously.

Before she could answer, everyone collected within the living room could hear the sound of ice and snow crunching under the tires of a vehicle. Turning out the front window towards the sound, they were greeted to the sight of a long black automobile carefully pulling its way up the driveway before stopping in the exact place that the other limousine had been. They hadn't, in their conversation, even noticed that the other one had even left.

But it was apparent that more company had arrived.

This time, in the form of a wise and beautiful Russian.

Kyle sat forward, placing a light kiss on Jennie's cheek as he moved to stand, his gentlemanly instincts prompting him to want to head out and courteously squire Marina up to the door.

She allowed him to leave her embrace, though there was a reluctance to the acquiescence that was undeniable. "Hurry back," she bade him. She'd probably only let him go at all because she knew he'd return soon enough.

"Absolutely," he assured her, placing another tender kiss upon her cheek, his fingers softly trailing along hers as he parted with reservation.

Rafi turned back to his tea, took a few sip of it, and then nestled into the embrace of May. With Marina’s arrival, hopefully they soon will be allowed to leave to their respective rooms, and get their rest… among other things before finally falling for sleep, he mused as a sly smile appeared on the corner of his lips.

Kyle passed him by on the way to the door, just as May returned Rafi's gesture with a smile of her own. She didn't say a word. She didn't need to. Instead, she simply nestled her head into the nook of his arm--more feline than arachnid in the maneuver--settling herself into his embrace, warm and contented. Her dark auburn hair felt like so much silk, where it touched his skin. And though her nearness made his heart race and imagination run wild, he found himself hoping that she wouldn't do as he suspected and fall asleep where she'd found her comfort. The idea of waking her was almost heartbreaking.

He afforded them a small smile and nod as he passed, though he expected no response from either Rafi or May. He knew well the joy of being lost in the simple intimacy of having your beloved close, and he begrudged them nothing, feeling only happiness for them.

Though Rafi was contented and at peace on the couch, he flashed a small smile as Kyle passed by them, and mouthed his wish: be fast, before we fall asleep to him over May’s head, before he began to stroke her back with slow, long, gentle moves, even if he knew that’ll help her to became even more sleepy. To compensate it, he whispered into her ears, hoping that it’ll help her staying awake. The bad thing was, that her warmth, and the scent of her shampoo didn’t help a bit to stay awake by himself, either. “Keep just a little more longer, little spider. We’ll need to bath before the bed, then we can rest together.”

The girl who he held tightly to his side simply murmured acknowledgment, something that seemed to melt into the greater purring of her slow, steady breathing. She was warm and comfortable at his side. Only the way that she smiled at the picture he painted for her with his words let him know that she had not yet completed the crossing into Sabah's Dreamland, herself.

No more than a score of steps from the couple, Kyle walked out of the house's front door, into the fury of the snow and the cold. At the end of the walkway that led from there, Marina's car was parked. He could see Boris in the driver's seat, obscured only by the intermittence of the windshield wipers. He gave the shadow-man a friendly little wave as he saw him.

Kyle waved in return, hoping Boris caught the gesture amidst the snowy tempest. He would've ensured Boris caught his return by greeting him as he met them at the car, but Marina apparently wasn't content to simply wait.

As for the Russian beauty herself, she briskly walked in his direction. Really, it was almost impossible to tell that it was her, wrapped up in her long, dark coat, face hidden away but for squinted eyes by her rich red scarf. Only her dark red hair, the color of a rich and sumptuous wine, revealed the identity in the shroud of thick clothes.

He shifted his attire into a long coat more suited to the weather, defiantly pushing his way against the wind and snow to make what haste he could in reaching Marina.

The fought through the teeth of the weather to his side. "Привет!" she greeted him, the sound of her voice muffled by the heavy scarf.

Somehow, the same, he could tell she was smiling beneath it.

"Always a pleasure to see you and hear your voice, milady," he offered with a smile, shifting his costume coat into a long cloak to wrap about her to better shield her against the wind's bite as he escorted her up to the house.

Marina surprised him by not slowing an instant as she rushed up to meet him. Instead, she crushed herself to his chest, throwing her arms around him and embracing him warmly. The force of the gesture had the effect of making her leave her feet and spin about a little as she held him. Kyle could feel the contours of her lithe and curvaceous body as it pressed to his--even through the thick outfit she wore.

Though caught a bit off guard by her rapid and enthusiastic approach, Kyle nonetheless managed to gently catch her, holding her close and returning her embrace in equal measure. Her passion and nearness brought with it a heady rush, intoxicating in its scent and texture. A soft throaty mmmm of delight escaped his lips as he thoroughly enjoyed the feel of her pressed against him, his shadowy senses enabling him to ignore the muffling effect of her clothing.

The way she'd hurled herself into his arms had also had the effect of bringing her face close to his. Only inches away, he could behold Marina's lovely features, the way that the cold had reddened her cheeks and the tip of her nose. She was a vision of beauty in winter, he thought.

And she was very, very glad to see him.

He was every bit as glad to see her, savoring her beauty in its entirety, his gift ensuring her elegant and graceful features were not the least bit obscured from him by her shield against the weather.

"Hello," she said, this time, in English, barely whispering it. The wind caught the bit of frost that came from her soft pink lips and drew it away from her as she spoke. Her green eyes twinkled even in the wan light that escaped the house and trickled out onto the front lawn, near where they stood.

He could have held her, in that way, forever, if time would allow it.

"Well met once more, beautiful lady," he returned.

She cocked her head slightly and leaned in, gently kissing Kyle on the lips. Even with the ferocity of the winter swirling around them, it was a tender gesture. Perhaps a Russian affectation; a Siberian khatru, shared between lovers. "And to you, as well, my dark and handsome gentleman," she said. She had yet to release her grasp upon him. The limousine rumbled gently only a few dozen feet behind her. Marina did not seem to care that Boris saw her so. "If you could not tell--I missed you."

"I've missed you as well," softly whispered to her as he savored the lingering taste of her lips. "You leave quite the impression. Always have, right from the start."

She smiled, delighted at the notion. "I must place the credit for this squarely upon my unique gift," she replied. "Always leading me to that which is best for me. And my most heartfelt desire, as well." Squeezing him tighter as if to punctuate the thought.

"And thus your gift has greatly blessed Jennie and myself as well," he smiled, happily clutching her to him, hands softly rubbing her back -- the feeling evident, even though the sensation was muted by her bundle of clothing.

"Let's get you inside so you can relax," he suggested, wrapping his cloak about her as he reluctantly broke the embrace so that he might squire her inside.

The dark shroud billowed out wide like a sail on the wind, wrapping itself about Marina and clinging to her form snugly. Kyle watched the bare edge of it dance in contempt of the wind, as if to the timbre of an intangible breeze that only it alone could sense. Like the idle rolling of fingers, expressing tedium with their tapping. She leaned in close to his side and Kyle heard the car begin to pull backwards, down the driveway. Apparently, Boris had been instructed that he was not to stay long.

He hoped that Boris had something relaxing and enjoyable of his own to look forward to, until such time as his duties called again. He felt a little bad about Boris seeming to get exiled to the car at every meeting. But it was hard to truly think about much else, with a beautiful and elegant woman such as Marina nestled by his side as he walked her to the house.

"Besides, if I keep you all to myself out here, then Jennie will be upset over not getting to share in the fun," he whispered softly into her ear as they headed up to the door.

She laughed. "And you think I would leave her out?" she replied. "You have much to learn about me, I think, Mr. Kyle Hayden." Regardless of her words, Kyle could tell that, now by themselves and a bit more accustomed to his company, she had begun to be more herself. Her laughter came easily and freely, a musical thing from her lips that he found he quite liked the sound of. Perhaps he had much to learn about her, but he was already somewhat familiar about the Russian ouvre to be a bit restrained in the company of strangers.

"Mmm.. I look forward to the instruction," he chuckled delightedly.

"As your legal counsel," she added. "I advise you strongly to follow my advice implicitly. It is, of course, completely in your best interests," she smiled wryly. "I would know this, да?"

"Of course," was the ready acquiescence. "My only suggestion is that I am in dire need of linguistic practice regarding the beauty of the Russian form," an honest truth and sensual innuendo intertwined.

Marina was far too smart for the remark to be lost on her. "If that is so, then I will be glad to teach you the ways of my tongue," she smiled sweetly, only allowing a bit of slyness to creep into that grin when she added, "if you will teach me the ways of your own."

Yes, indeed. She was much more forthcoming, outside the company of strangers.

"I would be delighted, and hopefully you will be as well," the return, a tender smile upon his lips, and a growing arousal at the very thought of sampling her once more. Fortunately for him, he had a moment or three to try and bring himself back under control before they wandered inside to rejoin the others.

As ever, his gentlemanly ways took point, prompting him to open the door for her as they arrived, then aiding her with her coat once secured within away from the cold.

The two of them walked back inside, the warmth of the house a welcome greeting as it caressed the skin. Marina was quick to tap the snow that had collected about the bottoms of her boots--a high-heel leather style that disappeared up beneath the hem of her dark skirt. She did not take them off as she entered.

After hanging her coat up for her, Kyle shifted his attire back to the nice casual array he'd worn before heading outside.

Then, with a gracious wave of his hand and a slight bow, "Ladies and gentlemen, it is my great pleasure to present the esteemed Ms. Marina Denishka."

"Hello, everyone," Marina greeted them with a small wave.

"Greetings, Ms. Denishka," Tanya waved from her position, riding the air above the carpet. Her smiled was both warm and cordial.

Jennie grinned broadly when she set her eyes on her. "Heya," she practically purred, sliding over to the very edge of the love seat. "C'mon! ! Tea's on--and we saved you a seat!"

Rafi and May watched the lovely Russian as she did as bade, crossing the room over in Crystal's direction. Rasgar picked his head up for a moment to see what all the fuss was about before deciding that seeing somebody that he already knew once again was much ado about nothing and placed it back down again, closing his eyes and drifting off towards slumber.

“Heya”, greeted Rafi the Russian lady with a nod, too. “Good that you could join to us, finally,” he said, politely but his tiredness was sensible in his voice, even if he wasn’t intended to complain or something.

The lithe spider at his side was not far behind him. "Okay," she whispered in his ear, as Jennie began to offer her the drink of her choice. "Company's here," she asserted with a cheeky, plaintive little pleading.

"Time for bed yet?"

Rafi furrowed his brows on the wicked comment as he glanced at the girl in his embrace. He shook his head a bit disapprovingly, and pinched her bottom slightly. He didn’t say a word, though, as he understood why she said that, and agreed with her, but his usual politeness not allowed him to say something so rude.

It made the girl at his side giggle, even through the fatigue, writhing gently. "No fair, pinching," she chided him playfully. "That means I don't have to play fair anymore too, y'know."

“What? I ain’t done anything,” smiled at her Rafi, playing the innocent bysitter, who only noticed that something happened when the other mentioned it. He was glad that she found as much endurance in herself to awake a little, and be a bit flirtatious again. He leaned closer for a moment, and placed a soft kiss on her lips as a way of excuse, though.

She kissed him back and chuckled gently, remaining so close that their noses brushed. "That's the problem," she explained. "You ain't done nothing." And allowed the innuendo to sink in on him before allowing herself to settle back into the nook of his shoulder that she had found so comfortable the moment before.

“Yet,” he moved his head closer to her ear and whispered into it, his lips brushing gently her skin, and mimicked the same small lick on the earlobe what he received when they left the hospital. 

Beneath the weight of the gesture, May shuddered.

"No rush on the first date, anway," he whispered even more quieter, but on a teasing tone, "but if we took this as a wedding night...", he let the end of the sentence trail off. He then lifted his head and looked back at the others, careful enough to take a deep breath within the movement, to allow himself a bit calmness.

None of the others stared at him with undue concern. Either they hadn't heard or were simply too kind and accepting to chide him for such. It was just another reminder of the wonder of the sort of people that had managed to fall into his life in the last day. They were good friends all, indeed. "Do you know how close you are to having me throw you over my shoulder, dragging you down the hallway to the first empty room I find--and webbing you right to the floor?" she asked him in a whisper, just below the edge of easy hearing. And in the way that she did it--he wasn't entirely sure that she was joking, either. "That stuff doesn't disintegrate for hours, y'know," she assured him.

The young man lifted a brow while he listened to the girl’s plans for the night, would he continue the teasing on open place. He didn’t know her long enough to surely decide when she was joking and when not, so he glanced at her with a bit doubt and playful fear on his face, waiting for her to finish.

"And I guarantee you, tiger--you'll love every second of it."

It was Rafi’s turn to shudder and take a deep breath, what he released in a long sigh. “Mmm,” he groaned subtly, “I’m counting on it,” he added, perfectly mirroring her earlier remark about the tattoo, even the tone of it.

"I think perhaps a simple round of introductions for now, so that Marina can begin to familiarize herself with the rest of the team," Kyle suggested. "That way, those who are needing to get to bed can do so," he offered, casting a brief glance over at Rafi and May.

He stood behind the love seat for the moment, not wishing to crowd Jennie and Marina upon its cushions.

“I agree. We can talk a little, but I share her desire for sleeping, too. It was a very long day, and a lot happened what saddled both on our soul and body”, said Rafi, in try to save May’s shallow rudeness into the understandable sleepiness.

“The question is, what topic we want to revive for now?” he asked glancing around, while his faint grimace suggested that he doesn’t want to return to the sorrow and hard ones, like the HYDRA or the Viper.

"The lot of you look exhausted!" Marina replied, in a manner that made Rafi and Kyle wonder just how bad they must have looked for her to say it with such insistence. "Let us only share our names with one another, so that those who need do so can get some much-needed rest. I came here to help and to be with my friends--not to deprive them of sleep!"

The young tattooist glanced at May, raising a brow to search for the signs what made the Russian lawyer made her comment right at the start of their conversation. Sure, they were deadly tired, and prolly will fall into sleep immediately when they loosen their focus, but somehow he skipped these details, as watching May called forth some completely different process in his mind and heart.

"Very well, then," the Magess nodded. "I am Tanya Hirsch. Clearly, you already know both Kyle and Jennie," she nodded in the direction of the two siblings with a knowing little grin. Marina, for her part, finished crossing the room, sitting down on the proffered love seat. The way that she did so left just enough room for Kyle to do so as well, in between the two women--though the three of them would have to draw close to fit.

Kyle observed the invitation inherent in Marina's maneuvering, though perhaps it was more of an instruction, he considered with a smile. Winding his way back around to the front of the love seat, he carefully situated himself between the pair of lovely ladies, enjoying their closeness. He gently scooted Jennie up onto his lap a bit, providing a bit more room to avoid crowding, enabling Marina to comfortably nestle against his side if she wished.

"I'm Lise," the speedster said. She gave her a little up-nod. And nothing more.

On the far side of the room, as it fell to Rafi to introduce himself, Rasgar had fallen asleep next to the merrily bubbling rush of the waterfall's trough.

Beside the quicksilver fish within, he began to snore rather loudly.

Rafi chuckled at his friend’s reaction, and regarded him with a sincere smile, even though he could stroke him now only through the link between them. But in Dreamland, that was as good as it’d be the touch in the real one.

“He,” he pointed with his big toe at the snoring jaguar, “is Rasgar, my feline expansion and buddy, right on the way back to his original home, Dreamland,” he introduced the jade feline, apparent pride and love in his voice. “I’m Rafael Gurney, but only Rafi for the friends,” he nodded to Marina, smiling gently, implying that she can call him so, too. “I’m pleased to meet you.”

Almost on cue, Damon re-entered the room from the same hallway he'd disappeared down before. In his hands were a small stack of three, fluffy and clean white towels. "And I am Mr. Damon Albarn," he introduced himself with a wry grin, "proprietor of our humble inn this evening. And, of course, absolutely charmed by the presence of yet another ravishingly beautiful woman beneath the bowers of this lonely, old home," he nodded in Marina's direction. Damon's own self-deprecating way seemed to suit her. Perhaps, Kyle, though, it was a bit of that that had first drawn her to him, as well.

At any rate, he continued. "The rooms are prepared," he explained. "And I have it on good authority that I've some very tired guests."

“Not much more tired than you, I guess,” smiled at their host Rafi.

"Perhaps," he replied. "But I'll make a good showing of it, nonetheless," he chuckled. "The reputation of English hospitality depends on it. I might get a personal letter from the Queen, should I fail."

"Fear not. If it comes to that, we'll ensure you've several duly notarized letters attesting to your gracious hospitality," Kyle assured him.

“Indeed!” agreed Rafi enthusiastically. “The serving is great; it would honor anyone to be so well treated. Seems like you saw a lot butler working around you,” he winked at his friend.

"Not quite," he replied with a soft chuckle, "though I certainly appreciate the compliment. My father did very well, but not so much as to warrant a private housemaid or butler. He did, however, demand that our house be kept in an immaculate state. I suppose I've only kept up those habits I despised so as a young man."

A trace of saddened smile flickered across Kyle's features for the briefest of moments. To have had a true role model, whether for good or ill, to guide one in forging one's own path, something to balance oneself against in the struggle to become a man, rather than simply fumbling about; a dream of never-was.

“We receive a lot from our parents what we don’t like when it happens, but later turns out as a part of our core,” nodded Rafi turning to be a bit more serious, and though he talked to Damon, he haven’t missed the shadowy expression on Kyle’s face. Even the master of the darkness had his own shades within his soul, it seemed. 

Would he not sat far away from him, perhaps he would tap him on the shoulder or poke his side with his elbow, but now he could only look and say nothing. There will be time to get acquainted more with each other, in spite of the long talks they had during the day, he knew and left it at that for now.

"So if you'll follow me--I'll take you to your rooms for the evening."

Nodding in response to Damon's offer, Kyle stood slowly and carefully, bringing Jennie up with him, courteously aiding her to her feet. Once assured she was well set, he offered a hand to Marina to graciously assist her in turn.

The two women took his proffered hands. "I hope he has wide hallways," Jennie giggled.

Marina pulled close to Kyle's shoulder, placing her free hand atop it as she neared him. "I do not," she countered. "i much prefer the idea of having to squeeze tighter. Even if the moment is forced upon us."

Kyle smiled warmly, gently wrapping his arms about Jennie and Marina's waists. Accompanied by a pair of gorgeous ladies, closely pressed against him? Yeah, he could definitely live with that.

Before they followed Damon, Kyle paused a moment, smirking and working to stifle a chuckle, before finally muttering "Walk this way" under his breath in best Transylvanian cartoon butler fashion.

“No funny noises, Igor,” retorted Rafi the joke, on the fitting evil genius master’s voice, borrowed from some other movie, then chuckling softly.

"That's Eye-gor!" Jennie replied, demonstrating that her best attempt at the accent was a bad one, at that. Marina, nor May or Lise seemed to get the joke, but Tanya tittered softly behind them as she followed.

"Yes, Doktor Fronk'-en-steen," Kyle returns to Rafi, before beginning to softly whistle the tune of Puttin' On The Ritz. It made Jennie giggle riotously to herself.

At his side, May looked up at him curiously. "I don't get it."

Kyle looked over at May, a dark eyebrow arched for a moment. "One of these days we are gonna have to hold a movie night for you," a friendly smile marking the comment.

The darksome young man pulled May closer for a moment, stroking her hair and cheek with the back of his index and middle finger, almost like he did with Sabah, back at Germany. “We’ll share you with those movies and cartoons what we’re joking about, little spider, okay?” he asked her, but he glanced at Kyle nodding to him, respecting the good idea. He couldn’t know that he and May already agreed in such an engagement already, after the Lion King-story, but one wouldn’t be enough for all, he knew.

Rafi chuckled and shook his head, delighted by their small play, which was untinged by their usual flirting. He was both surprised and amazed how well their relations developed into that intimacy, like he’d known each other for years, not for a mere day.

He then stood too, lifting May with him, and gently placing his arm around her hip. He glanced at Damon, raising a brow, “Do you have spare clothes, too, my friend?” he asked.
“And we need to pull numbers at the bathroom or this house of wonder has enough of that for everyone, too?”

"I've spares, sure," he nodded. "Though I can assure you that one size most certainly doesn't fit all. I'm sure, at any rate, the lovely ladies amongst us would prefer not to have wear my old togs. That would fly in the face of that selfsame hospitality," he smirked.

“Well, either the old, used ones, either yours,” shrugged Rafi, but then a sly smile crept to his face, as he added the newly emerged idea at the end. “Or we’ll handle it like in the old days, before the winter, on the naturist beach…”

"If it comes to that," Tanya assured him, "I'll be most happy to conjure a solution--though it might only be so temporary as to tide us over until more suitable garments make themselves available. Modesty demands so--at least to my own mind."

"I wouldn't wanna put you out," Kyle told her. "I could manage with a towel or something, while my magic costume airs out."

Rafi smirked listening to the off-hand solutions what came without thinking, and let out a quiet laugh. “I can summon some temporary garment, too, given the time and my sketchbook with a pencil, if we choose that way,” he replied. “Good to know that we have at least three solution for the distress of being clothes-less,” he chuckled.

At her side, Marina produced a slender cellular telephone. Kyle watched her dial a number and pause for a moment. In the meantime, as they passed a closed door on the right, he was almost certain that he smelled something like fresh air and turned earth from beneath it. Gone, the second they passed.

The lure of fresh air and soil was definitely tempting. He made a mental note to see if Damon would permit him to explore that room later. Part of him wanted to try sating his curiosity by peeking through the shadows, but he wouldn't violate Damon's privacy that way.

Rafi remembered the room well. The last repository of all the ladybugs remaining on their snow-jacketed world. They passed it by as Marina whispered into the phone. "Boris," she said. "Приношу свои извинения за созыв в столь поздний час. Мои друзья и я нуждаюсь в одежде. Как быстро вы можете вернуться в дом, на котором вы бросили меня?" Jennie just lifted an eyebrow to Kyle as they continued onward.

Kyle simply offered a slight shrug in return, having no idea exactly what Marina was saying to Boris. He imagined, given the timing of her deciding to make the call after Rafi and Damon's remarks regarding clothing, that perhaps she was making sure she and Jennie would have something suitable later.

"Очень хорошо," she continued. "Я буду ожидать Вашего приезда в ближайшее время. Пожалуйста, позвоните, когда автомобиль приблизился. Спасибо, Boris. До свидания."

She folded the telephone and replaced it at her hip. "I have seen to it that you will all have suitable clothing," she replied. "My chauffeur will be returning soon with a few things for you to choose from."

Kyle watched as the phone was tucked away, his gaze lingering gently upon the sleek curve of Marina's hip for a moment.

Lise looked skeptical. "He knows our sizes?"

Just as he wanted to ask, glanced Rafi at Lise, raising a brow, then looking back at Marina.

Kyle suppresses a smirk, enjoying the brief moment before Marina's reply, wherein he was privy to a wonderful secret.

"No," she replied with a soft smile. "But I have told him where to go in order to pick the things that will undoubtedly fit you all quite well," she assured him.

"I have a...knack, you see, for choosing such things."

“Cool,” smiled Rafi, and offered a small smile to the Russian beauty. “I’m curious what sort of outfits we’ll receive from you.”

"Most gracious of you, milady," Kyle offered, knowing well enough to have no doubts whatsoever as to the clothing fitting; what manner of styles her gift might have intuited was an intriguing curiosity, however.

Not quite as intriguing as the mystery of air and earth that lay behind that door, Kyle finding his gaze drawn to it once more. Alas, as with the matter of the impending clothing fashions, he would have to content himself with waiting until it resolved itself in due time.

The young dancer glanced at the door following Kyle’s stare and remembering to the awesome micro-environment within, full of ladybugs of various colors and sizes, but all in love with their host. He’ll have to show that to all of them, tomorrow, perhaps, he thought. He was sure that everyone will like it, and be stunned, seeing it for the first time, or the umpteenth, possibly, considering Lise and Tanya, who knew Damon earlier than he or Kyle.

They finally paused before a door to their left. "Rafael and May?" he called out, gesturing in its direction as he opened it inward. Grinning wryly all the while.

"For you--the honeymoon suite."

“Don’t wake us up until we’ll come out by ourselves or if the danger calls, Sir, if I may ask such a favor,” Rafi said on a lord’s voice.

"If the room's a rockin'," Jennie leered, "don't come a knockin'."

Kyle simply shook his head at her incorrigible nature.

Damon grinned broadly. "I wouldn't dream of it, my friend," he assured him.

“I know,” sounded the reply exactly on Han Solo’s voice, when affirming the princess’s love in the carbonite-chamber. Solid and macho, just as needed, but his eyes twinkled with humor, then snorted and smirked. He then bowed deeply before May, “Honey,” he winked and then picked her up into his strong arms. 

Despite her obvious strength, May proved to be actually light as a feather; he whisked her off her feet and into the cradle of his arms with little effort at all. She simply giggled softly, allowing her arm to curl about the back of his neck and rest on one of his shoulders. "Don't bother trying anything funny," she looked back at them. "I plan on webbing this door so shut you'll have the burn the whole house down to get us out."

"You could always have Rasgar serve as doorstop, or guardian," Kyle suggested, nodding toward the sleek jade feline.

Rafi glanced at his feline companion, and shook his head gently. “If my senses are right, he’ll sleep once he’ll put his head down again. He is short with almost a day’s worth of napping, because of our adventures...,” his voice trailed off, but the girl’s weight in his arms and the scent of her pulled him back before he could muse further, and so he stroked the top of her head with his chin. “So the doorstop is a good idea,” he smiled at Kyle.

Marina smiled softly. "I will ensure your clothing is placed outside the door, then," she said.

The lithesome spider laughed. "I like you already, Marina," she replied.

"We'll give a brief knock, come breakfast, to see if you've come up for air yet," Kyle offered with a wink over his shades as Rafi carried May over the threshold.

“Okay,” he replied with a nod and another smile. “We’ll see who wakes up earlier,” he added with a wink, glancing at Jennie’s elfish smile and Marina’s hold on Obsidian’s arm, what suggested an active rest for him, too.

"And don't do anything I wouldn't do," Kyle offered to Rafi in parting, flashing the pair a smile as they prepared to disappear into their own universe.

To that, he only laughed softly and heartily while he looked around the small group once again.

He paused for a moment, saying goodnight to the others, after that crossing the threshold of the door, closing it with his heel, and only after a sensual kiss looking around the suite.

When the door closed behind them--all that remained was another little giggle.

The honeymoon had begin already.