Teron was sipping from a wineglass that was encrusted with diamond, gold, emerald, ruby, sapphire, silver, pretty much any valuable gem or metal you could think of. It was a beautiful stained glass pattern on the inside. "So, what brings you to my realm?" He asked.
"Err...I don't know how I got here. This is...your realm? Sorry for intruding..." Avera apologized.
"Oh no, I LOVE visitors." Teron replied.
"Is this your new sex slave?" Sal asked. "Can I have her if she's not?"
"She's a guest. She apparently got here by accident..." Teron explained. Avera looked uncomfortable, her violet eyes were wide with both fear and confusion. She tried to remember what happened before she'd found herself here, however all she could remember vaguely was someone hitting her on her way home from her job. Everything else was black. She looked further confused, placing one hand on her head, feeling a headache starting.
"Did he make you uncomfortable? Purple eyes. Unusual, to say the least..." Teron sighed. "For a human, that is." Teron stared with his ice cold blue eyes.
"I have a sneaking suspicion that this girl isn't as she seems..." Sal said.
"Her soul doesn't really appear to be a human's...I actually can't put my finger on just what species of soul she has. It would explain the purple eyes if she wasn't really human..." Teron mentioned.
"It is true I've never seen a human with that eye color. I also feel a radiating power...is she a witch perhaps?" Sal wondered. She seemed shocked. They can sense all of that?! She thought. She shook off her shock and sighed,there wasn't much point to trying to keep her powers secret.
"I'm not a human or a witch." She said, quietly beginning to explain. "I'm a shapeshifter, I can change into all kinds of things.." She told them, hoping they wouldn't do anything.
"A shapeshifter eh? You must have no one true form...if ya did, I could identify your soul... Well things just got a little more exciting around here then." Teron said.
"I'm a shapeshifter also..." Sal added. "I prefer my humanoid form though."
Avera nodded "I don't have one true form,but I prefer this one." She explained "I can be anyone or anything as long as it's living." She added. She seemed a little bit more intrigued, she'd never met another shapeshifter before.
"I can only really shift between my humanoid form, my shark one, and salmon form, I'm sure if I tried then I could turn into other things." Sal sighed. "I didn't say I was a shark...so sorry about that. You could probably guess that though. Hehe..."
"I can shapeshift into any living thing too!" Teron added. She chuckled in her own quiet way."I knew there was something fishy about you."she said,trying to joke,then facepalmed"I'm sorry,that joke was bad and now I feel bad."she mumbled."But to be serious, This is crazy, I've never met anyone who could also change shape..." She said to both of them.
"Meh, I've heard worse." Sal replied. "Nngh..." Sal rubbed his legs together. He was clearly quite uncomfortable. Avera seemed to become a little more comfortable with both of felt a sharp pain in her head again and raised her hand up to it again."A-Are you okay?!" Sal asked. I'm so horny right now... Sal thought."Y-yeah, just a headache...that's all." Avera replied. She stayed like that for a little while before it began to let out a small sigh of relief as it did, thinking it might be done."T-That's good..." Sal replied. "Maybe you should rest for a while..." Avera frowned, weighing the options.
"Only if Teron says it's alright...because it's his realm..." She said, feeling that she wouldn't be able to go home for a while.
"Fine with me." Teron said. "I believe you SHOULD indeed, rest." Avera didn't miss the emphasis on his should and became slightly nervous. She did what she always does when she felt nervous and intimidated, she shifted into something small that could hide away easily, she turned into a snake, white with dark blue diamond back patterns. She rose her head up to look at the two, ain't no way something was happening to her tonight!
"What...Did you think I was gonna hurt you or something in your sleep? Naaahhh..." Teron reassured. "Don't worry about it." Avera narrowed her violet eyes a little and flicked her tongue in and out. She then slithered away under a nearby chair and curled around it before transforming into a more comfortable form, a ferret, and closed her eyes. After a few moments she was asleep and her form reverted itself to her human one, something it did when she slumbered. Sal had a evil smirk on his face, and lunged towards Avera, but Teron grabbed him.
"Don't you dare..."
She sighed in her sleep,showing two sharp fangs, signifying that her body would shift back if she was awoken. She curled up tighter around the leg of the chair.
"B-But why not?!" Sal asked.
"I care about her." Teron answered. Avera was completely dead to the world she was in such a deep sleep. Her calm face however now seemed troubled.
"Is she having a bad dream or something? It's making me worried..." Teron wondered. She curled up more, her face now hidden from view. Her hair covering her face as well as her arm. Much later her breathing became shaky even though it was quiet. Silent tears rolled down her face, obviously she was having a bad dream."S-She's having a bad dream!" Teron said, his pupils shrinking, his body shaking, the corners of his mouth turned downward, his mouth a-gape. She woke up suddenly with a yelp and a small jump, her body suddenly reverting to her previous form. She touched her face, bewildered at the tears there. She almost never remembered her dreams.
"Are you okay?" Sal asked.
"I was so worried! What did you dream about anyways?"
Avera looked up at both of them with her big ferret eyes before shifting to her human form."I-I think I'm ok...I-I don't remember what happened..." She said,her violet eyes sad."I can't remember my dreams.."
"That's a skill most people don't really have..." Sal noted.
"Oh...you don't...w-well...I'm glad your okay now..." Teron noted.
Avera looked over to Teron and gave him an apologetic smile."Sorry I made you worried.." She said.
"It's okay Avera. Oh, but on a different note...Sal...you don't really seem...concerned at all..." Teron said. "It's kinda...weird..."
"Weird? Nah, I was concerned. I'm just not that good at expressing emotions. Seeing someone suffer kinda makes me...dazed." Sal explained.
"It didn't really seem like it..." Teron noted.
"You can't be serious dude. Everyone expresses emotion differently. I kinda find it weird that you seemed to OVERREACT." Sal refuted.
"It's not weird!" Teron whined.
I can't believe you find that normal. Also, I asked her if she was okay. Clearly, I would not have done that if I was not concerned." Sal crossed his arms.
"Your kinda weird...something always seems off about you..." Teron said. "Though, I don't really know anyone else who reacts the way I do, but still."
"Off? No one has ever told me in my life that anything about me was off." Sal replied.
"I'm really suprised that no one has ever found you suspicious." Teron glared at Sal. "I have this feeling that your concern is not genuine."
"Not genuine...not genuine..." Sal mumbled. "You need to stop being so suspicious, Teron. I honestly don't see the problem, and neither does she." Sal said.
Avera listened to their exchange,frowning a little as they spoke as if she wasn't there. She bristled a little that he said that she had no issues with it, this entire thing ruffled her feathers. She decided to speak up."It's ok Teron...no matter whether he's sincere or not isn't that big of an issue.." She said,looking over at the two of them with a face that said please don't argue. "And plus, even if he is suspicious I trust both of you..." She added. "Break that trust and you'll have hell on your hands."She said,her eyes darkening a then shook off whatever she was expression softening again. "Sorry if that bothers you...but I don't put my trust in people lightly..."
"I'm a bit of a rambler. And while you were sleeping he lunged towards you...I stopped him." Teron said.
"I was just going to give her a pat on the head though." Sal lied.
"Mmm, you said that about the LAST person who got lost here. You tied her up in the basement, and I don't want to imagine what you do to her..." Teron pointed out.
"You would do that too." Sal was shaky.
"Name one instance in which I kidnapped a guest." Teron said. "Should be no problem. You said I'd do that too."
"Ummm..." Sal thought really hard. "I...don't know."
"You don't know?" Teron grinned.
"How could I know?" Sal asked.
"Let's see, you have been here...like...500 years?!" Teron yelled.
"It's been that long? I don't even look old!" Sal stared at his hands.
"Granted you immortality. Kinda regret it now. Just because your immortal doesn't mean I'll end up giving you an easy break cupcake." Teron said.
"Did you just call me cupcake?" Sal asked.
"Oh. Got distracted by Sal again. Sorry, Avera." Teron apologized. Avera glared at Sal, she was confident if he did anything she'd be able to get out of it...but that still didn't mean she wasn't upset. That glare faltered as she found out how old he was, her head started to hurt again from all the frowned. "It's ok, I'm used to stuff like that happening." She said, meaning she was used to being ignored. "Oh...you are? You poor thing..." Teron said.
"I'm giving up on life, I shouldn't even still exist." Sal collapsed on one of Teron's many couches and started wailing.
"Existential crisis. Used to have those a lot. I think there's something else going on with him though..." Teron scratched his head. "You should get back to bed...if your still tired..."
She smiled a little."I don't think I can even if I wanted to." She said, chuckling a little. Though on the outside she seemed ok, inside her mind was whirling with so many thoughts.
"Oh..." Teron glanced at Sal, a clear look of worry on his face. "I-It couldn't be...he doesn't feel that way about me..." He mumbled to himself. "Ummm...I guess I should work on a way to get you home..." Teron said. "Your what's most important right now."
"Avera." Sal rose, his eyes puffy and the last of his tears rolled down his face. "I have something to confess." Sal whispered.
Avera smiled a little at that."Thank you." She said gently. She was then startled a little by Sal. She turned back to frowning, she glanced at Teron worriedly before taking a few steps forward. She wasn't afraid, as she had thought before, she could probably get out of any situation that could be bad. "What is it?" She asked.
"I'm in love with Teron." He whispered. "I got a bit jealous when you showed up and blinded myself with rage. I couldn't bottle up my feelings anymore, don't tell him, he'll react really badly."
Avera looked shocked for a moment,then chuckled." You got jealous because of me..?" She reverted to the way that she spoke to her friends. "Honey,You had nothing to worry about...I mean,sure he seems to like me, but you can't love a person you just met. Love takes time."She said, her violet eyes were kind as opposed to earlier when she'd found out he'd tried to attack her in her sleep. "And though I've said this it doesn't mean I've forgotten what I was told you tried to do to me in my sleep." She said "Try anything like that again and I will destroy you." She warned "You can be upset all you'd like, but try to give me a reason before pulling stunts like that." She added in a less threatening tone. It was obvious she didn't want to hurt him, but she'd do so if he tried to hurt her.
"Yeah, things would have gone a lot differently if Teron didn't stop me..." Sal sighed. As it turns out, Teron heard their conversation and walked up next to them. "Oh dear. I hope he didn't hear that first part."
"You love me?" Teron's eyes shone. "I thought you didn't feel the same way!"
"Er, me too." Sal kissed Teron on the cheek. Avera smiled,seeing both of them so happy, she walked over to the other side of the room to give the lovebirds some space. She investigated some of the books on a bookshelf
absentmindedly, distracting herself with titles. A mere kiss on the cheek soon turned into a deep kiss on the lips. Teron broke away from the kiss.
"Wel I personally woulda liked it to last a bit longer, but I can compromise for you." Sal said. Teron glanced over to Avera.
"I was going to congratulate her, though I see she's kinda busy." Teron said to himself. As Avera read the different titles of the books she stifled a soft stopped reading them and stretched for a moment,causing a few popping noises from her back.
"Why were you going to congratulate her?" Sal asked.
"She managed to coax something out of you in just a few minutes that I couldn't in 500 years."
Avera turned into a white owl and flew up to one of the higher shelves that she couldn't read the titles from.
"Shy one, ain't she..." Teron sighed. Avera turned her head completely around to look at them,ruffling her white feathers.
"I thought seagulls could only turn their heads 180 degrees, boy was
I sure wrong." Sal said, bewildered.
"Sal that's an owl." Teron corrected.
"An owl? Never heard of it."
"You've been here 500 years..."
She heard his comment and puffed up her thought maybe it was the coloring of her feathers,she transformed into a more known species,a great horned owl before flying over and gently landing on Sal's shoulder.
Sal gently rubbed Avera's head. "Thanks for listening to me. I can't really tell birds apart that well, sorry..."
"He's been so closed off since I met him...Maybe you could coax his past out of him?"
Avera was making small trilling noises, enjoying getting her feathered head looked at Teron when he spoke, then hooted in agreement, not being able to speak in her animal forms.
"So you'll try that? Awesome."
Avera hooted again,turning her head almost completely upside down to tell him she'd definitely do then looked at sal and gave him an upside down owly smile.
"I don't have much experience with birds, since I've lived underwater for most of my life...Don't really know much. Owls sleep at night, like hanging out in trees, are quite stealthy, and um...eat mice apparently. Err...that's all I got. I had no idea owls could be white, so I mistook you for a seagull, sorry..." Sal sighed.
She chuckled before fluttering off his shoulder and transforming into herself again. She smiled."I guess that was my own fault for turning into something that lives in the snowy Arctic..." She said. "Good job on those facts by the way,you only missed one,they sleep by day and hunt at night." She told him. Maybe she could teach him things about different creatures of the world. It seemed she enjoyed both of their company,but She felt her and Sal could become better friends. She also wondered if they might have an empty sketchpad laying around...she always liked to draw when she felt she was stressed or had a rough day. She was extremely talented at it as well,being able to draw things from her mind as well as draw actual people and creatures. Then she remembered, she'd been walking home with her backpack on her shoulder, she'd completely forgotten about it. She scanned the room and low and behold there it was in the corner where she'd woken up at. She grinned. "Just a sec." she told them before going over and opening it, everything was still there, including the sketchpad she'd just recently been working in. It had 300 pages and only twenty were filled with different pictures she'd drawn. She returned to them,sketchpad in hand. In her town she actually lived by the ocean and one of her sketches was a highly detailed drawing of the beach and the waves. "You mean an ocean like this?"she asked, showing Sal the picture.
"Wow, that looks exactly like the eastern shore back in the Sea kingdom. Your quite the artist!" Sal replied.
Avera blushed a little, she was normally very shy about her artwork, but with him she was being a little more straight forward. "Th-thanks..." She said "I normally don't show people my work because I'm always afraid of being judged for it. Its nice to hear a compliment though..." She told him."I normally draw animals, but sometimes I get an image in my head and I have to draw it." She told him and showed him a few more of her drawings. Each one was incredibly detailed as if she put her best into each pencil stroke. One was a leafy sea dragon, they were her favorite ocean creature because of how invisible they could look among the seaweed. On the next page she'd had the bright idea to make it into a graceful sea dragon, like the ones told of in fairytales. It looked both graceful,beautiful and powerful at the same time, much like the ocean itself. Others included a black rose with morning dew still on it, a girl staring out at the sun as it set over the sandy beaches and a few fantasy creatures: a phoenix, a Chinese dragon and a griffin.
"You have quite the talent. Have you considered selling your work?" Sal asked. "It's gorgeous!"
Avera chuckled, shaking her head."I still have a long way to go I think...at least socially, I'm too afraid to sell my art..." She explained, her violet eyes sad even though she smiled.
"I'm sure everyone would love it though..." Sal replied. "Though, I can't help you with shyness..."
She just gave a shrug. "I guess." She said quietly, looking down. She couldn't help her shyness either, it
was something that just creeped up on her, one moment she'd be talking, the next, she'd be unable to speak.
Yeah...it would be..." Sal sighed.
She smiled a little, looking at the bright side. "Hey,the first step to getting rid of it is talking to people..." She pointed out. "And I'm talking to you."
"That's a good point..." Sal replied.
Avera smiled."Are there any pictures you really like?" She asked him.
"No...Choosing one seems unfair...They're all great too..." Sal sighed.
She frowned slightly,she'd been thinking about giving him one of her drawings as a symbol of their then stifled a yawn."I think I'm going to go rest...but when I wake up is be happy to talk to you more."she said with a small smile.
"Okay then. Hope you enjoy your nap!" Sal replied.
End of chapter