rRosario + Vampire: Steam

By: The 483

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Rosario + Vampire

Spoiler Alert: Some spoilers, Light to moderate, are contained herein.

Chapter 4: A different World

{In the Present}

Mizore eyed herself lazily in the large plate mirror that sat atop the desk/vanity that occupied one corner of her room.

Eyes half open, sleepy, yet bright and unclouded by insecurity. Hair tousled and unkempt, falling in little clumps around her shoulders. Posture relaxed, but not the usual guarded hunch. Lips dry and un glossed, with small smile lines at the corners. The only real clothing she wore was a silk long sleeved men's button up white shirt, a few sizes too big, that hung down just slightly further then her normal skirt, but somehow managed to highlight her legs far better. It was unbuttoned low enough to hint at cleavage, but did not really show anything.. She was, of course, wearing her underwear, but it did not show unless she made an effort to make it show, which she did not.

Most importantly, she was more comfortable than in any place she had ever been before. Add to this that the room she was staying in was the Farnsworth Family home's guest bedroom, and it could have been a sizable surprise. In fact, had she been told this was an eventuality a week before, and she would have never believed it.

{A week before, minus some extra minutes}

The day after the commencement of the three week long winter break found Mizore sitting at a bus stop on the border of the Human World, and the entry to her families wintery domain. And while her face remained an apathetic mask, inside, she was a mix of excited, nervous, irritated, and relieved.

Relieved and irritated, because she would not be staying with her parents, or more accurately, her mother, for any longer this break. She was being a right terror, constantly up her skirt over what she planned to do to one up that "little Suci-skank," "winged twat," "slut-ubus," or some other such combination of words. It had at first irritated Mizore that this volley of insults was making her mad, but she figured it out fairly quickly. Kurumu was HER friend to berate, and it was not her mother's place to do so. After half a day of ceaseless ranting, she regretted having opted to come home at all, and was looking forward to her departure date the next morning.

She was anxious and excited, because much had happened during the time between then and the Halloween Dance, and after the success of it, she decided that playing with Dominic could be fun. She had, in fact, become very adept and working him, and had gained much confidence in her practice. It was an easy process, for if she screwed up, and did something embarrassing or foolish in exploring her boundaries, all it took was for her to make a sad face, or pout, and he would literally jump to apologize or take the blame. It was kind of fun to practice manipulating a boy on one who was so... hard to get mad. She was still trying to figure out how attempted murder had turned into a date, but she was not too curious, and merely contented to enjoy herself.

Plus, a new, fun game had developed with Kurumu, wherein she would try to wheedle something out of him, unsuccessfully, then Mizore would look her square in the eye, and do the exact same thing with explosive results.

For example, when Dominic had made the offhanded remark that he could cook, it had not been a joke. He was remarkably proficient, and often prepared a different meal daily for himself, and for some reason, often for Eris as well. (Eris stated it was because she was more man than he was, but Leofric had related that it was more likely the result of a bad bet he had placed, but was not clear on the specifics.) One day, as he, Leo, and Eris were eating with her, Tsukune, Moka, Yukari, and Kurumu, he had provided, besides his own and Eris meals (sized to accommodate 2), he produced enough side items for everyone. Kurumu finished hers, looked straight at him, and chuckled.

"You can cook my lunch from now on." She phrased it as a command, and wove in some of her inherent charm, possibly tinted with her powers of suggestion, almost drenching the words with it. He laughed, and ignored her. So, Mizore caught her eye, and turned to Dominic.

"You can cook my lunch from now on." She let it out in the flattest dead pan she could muster, almost drawing dust from the words. He shrugged.

"Alright. If you want anything specific, write it down, and which day you want it on, and let me have it. I just ask that you give me at least a days notice on anything bigger then say, 20 pounds." By then, she was used to the semi-sarcastic way he said most things, and wrote off the sincere tone as an exaggeration, but the look on Kurumu's face brought a smile to Mizore's lips that lit her face. And to her slight surprise, he had been including a meal for her (and also Kurumu when they ate as a group) from that day forward. Feeling guilty, she had tried to dissuade him after it proved to be a daily pattern, but he waved it off.

"I always make more than enough stuff anyway, and you don't eat enough to put a dent in it anyway. It's no trouble." Not satisfied, she tried simply ignoring it, and not eating his food for a week. He just would place the container down, and if she did not touch it, would remove it when the period was over, and have a new item the following day. So she quit fighting, and rubbed it in Kurumu's face whenever she could. And she had real fun. Not just with Dominic, but Leo and Eris as well. They both had that form of easy intimacy where they were easy to get along with regardless of the personality they were up against. Though Eris was far more aggressive about it then Leofric was.

Another added benefit of her relationship with Dominic, besides good food and friends, was confidence. As she began spending more and more free time with Dominic, or even Eris, who often liked to abscond with her or Kurumu or any of them separately or together, she began to see the difference in relations that these people offered. For instance, say Dominic was talking to her. In the middle of a sentence, she could get up and walk off, and not see or speak to him for 3 or 4 days, and then return and it was like nothing happened. She got the impression that she could do the same, but for weeks, or maybe months at a time, and while he or Eris, or Leo would likely be miffed, it would not impact on the base of their friendship at all. Compared to the normal, backstabbing associations she shared with her peers before, where the slightest problem could grow into bitterness and destroy what appeared to be the strongest of friendships, these friends were..strange, and slightly frightening in the security she felt. It was... very adult, this type of relationship she later reasoned.

The most interesting part of the change involved Tsukune, oddly enough. She was able to develop their relationship into an actual friendship, based on more than just her own feeling of attraction and need to outdo Kurumu. Not that it lessened her ardor, of course. But one night she realized that if she lost the contest for his love, their relationship would survive, and the hard, uncomfortable lump in her chest lightened. And as time continued to pass, it looked more and more as if Moka would indeed pull ahead and take the prize at the end of the race. Some days, when she was in a particularly morose mood, she figured the only reason it had not happened as of yet, is that Moka's sweet nature and desire not to hurt her friends kept her from acting upon her own feelings. But most of the time, she was just simply content and enjoying herself, knowing her place was secure, regardless.

She knew fairly early on that she had no desire to return home over the vacation. A single conversation over the phone to her mother had confirmed that she did not want to spend a lot of time there. So, she set herself to working on Dominic to give her a better option. He was as resistant to her hints as she was unwilling to just out and ask him for it. After all, a lady gets asked if she would like to visit a home, not the other way around, even if it was her idea. While they were, for all intents and purposes actually dating, it was not even remotely the same type of dating that Eris and Leo were, and her trying to score a room off Dominic was a last resort offer. She knew she could not get one from Tsukune, his mother was apparently still having fits over their last visit, and if he extended hospitality to her, the others would undoubtedly figure out a way to weasel in. Besides, she was not comfortable spending an extended period that far into the Human world as of yet. She doubted she would be welcome at Kurumu's or Yukari's, and Moka would likely be nice enough to offer, but Mizore would not have been comfortable under the same roof as her family.

So that left her technical boyfriend, who played stupid, or actually was unable to grasp what she was edging around. But Eris picked up on the vibe, and took her aside one day after lunch. Jumping up onto a table, she slapped her butt down, threw one leg over the other to discourage onlookers, and patted the tabletop next to her, indicating Mizore to join her.

"So, what's the problem, sweetheart?" Coming as it did from Eris, it was a term of affection, rather than the condescending barb it would have been from anyone else.

"I don't want to spend the vacation at my own house, and Dominic is immune to hints." Eris's voice hesitated slightly.

"...I wouldn't say immune. In short, you're trying to get him to ask you to stay over without telling him that's what you want, yeah?"

"Yup." She answered to her lap.

"Hun... let me tell you something." Eris put on her didactical manner, which she did whenever she was laying down a little higher truth. "Boys are amazingly shy creatures. Oh, sure, they can be brave. They go off to war, and honorable death, and all of that nonsense without a qualm, so it can seem weird to know that they are actually much shyer then girls. But it's because what men are afraid of, is embarrassment or looking stupid, ESPECIALLY in front of a girl they are attracted to (aka anyone with tits) or even ones they actually are attracted to (meaning for one or more reasons beyond the tits). Eris accompanied this statement by handling her own meager assets with each repetition of their call sign. "A man will gladly suffer much pain, anguish, or in some cases even death the avoid a simple few seconds of embarrassment. Now... may I be blunt?"

"And what was that?" Mizore asked, wondering how bad blunt would be if that was what she considered poetic.

"Being concise. I happen to know that he has, in at least a hazy sense, gotten the gist of what you are attempting. And to be fair to him, you do have him in an odd position. You have him willingly with you, despite a raging lady boner for another man, whom you might leave him for without a moment's notice. So, needless to say, he is quite nervous about doing anything that might upset your sensibilities, or make him look like an idiot. Therefore, he has not made the offer on the chance that you will shoot him down, and leave him alone. He'd rather wuss out and be alone on his own terms, then chance getting shot down and start the landslide that will end with you dumping his ass for the next in line. Irrational, but then boys are stupid, andd that's just the way their reptilian little minds work."

"I understand." Mizore said, with her equivalent of a sigh. Eris clapped her hands.

"Cool. So, you want that invite, yeah?" Mizore looked up, slightly confused, but nodded once. Eris smiled a big, toothy smile.

"Alright." She hopped to her feet. "You'll have it by the end of the day." Mizore blinked as Eris took off, and then wandered to class herself. After it ended, Dominic approached as she walked down the hall toward her next destination, sporting what looked like a blossoming black eye.

"What happened to you?" She asked, her tone of indifference not phasing him. He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, you see, Eris just popped out of nowhere, and smacked me in the head for being, and I quote "being a stupid jack ass." I of course took offense, and tried to slap her while inquiring if she were, in fact, on her period. At this point, she took offense, and tried to remodel my face with her fist." He heaved a sigh, then let his sunnier disposition return. "But, never mind that." He suddenly became slightly hesitant. "I was wondering... if you might... want to come to my house over the vacation?" She looked at him blankly, and he began to sweat.

"When, and for how long?" She said it flatly, but he interpreted it as a hostile response, and began to sweat more. He chose the open ended answer.

"Um... whenever you want... and for as long... as you want?" He still edged carefully into it. Mizore put a finger to her chin, looking as if she was thinking about it.

"Well, I suppose I can grant you that much. You may pick me up the day after the first day of vacation. I should at least make an appearance at home."

So, they had made their arrangements, and he met her at her bus stop, and rode with her all the way back to his own area. The bus entered a tunnel similar to that marking the entrance into the School, and followed a short passage, emerging on a nice, house bordered little street. A small, neat sign made of wood hung at the side of the entrance, the words "Welcome to Laguna del Diablo" embossed onto it surface.

(...)

Mizore stepped off the bus and surveyed the town. Her jaw literally dropped, and Dominic was forced to move her gently to the side so the rest of the bus could get off. The entire mini city was built into a large, completely underground cavern It had at one time been a natural mountain, that was hollowed out and then capped, giving the lowest level of the cavern a large lake. The ceiling was an artificial sky that piped in a clone of the actual sky, and crossed the space, ending where the large screens were embedded in the natural rock. The single main road did a slow, lazy circuit of the level they were on, traveling almost all the way around the interior of the place, then sloping down to create another wide shelf about 25 feet below the top one. This continued for 7 levels, the final, bottom level being slightly less than half the diameter of the top level, and being mostly beach for the great black lake. Each row had its share of houses, shops, and other venues, wide enough for multiple homes and their yards before the slight drop lead to the next down.

"Pretty neat, right?" Dominic asked, grinning smugly. "The creators based it's design on the 7 tiered concept of Hell from Dante, though the districts aren't arranged in any coherent manner. Well, then, shall we? We're down on 2rd Circle. He lead her to a recessed staircase, and they walked down 5 levels, admiring the nice houses, little gardens, and corner stores as they passed. Mizore noted something as progressed. The farther down they went, the wider the shelves were, and the bigger the houses got. When he finally stopped in front of a low, single story, rambling, square cornered mansion of a building, she didn't even have a look of surprise on her face.

"Well, here it is. Not too bad, don't you think?" She didn't think it was bragging, he might have honestly been asking her opinion.

"Impressive." She said, looking up at the house. "I never would have guessed you were rich." He looked slightly embarrassed.

"Well, I wouldn't say rich... but like I said, my mother was born about 400 years ago, and my father more than 6 times that. The long life species just have a lot of chance to generate capital, is all." He still looked slightly uneasy, but moved to open the door. 3 steps forward, Mizore heard a shout, and looked up just in time to see something black and pink plummet at high speed from the sky, and collide with Dominic's back, driving him to the ground.

"YYYYAAAAHHHH!" The sound was suspiciously similar to the battle cry of a young girl. Mizore took a step back, and watched as he rolled on the ground, struggling with what appeared to be a pair of black bat wings and pink cloth with a strawberry pattern.

"Urk... hey! Cut that... OW! Son of a... uhh,urrp." Dominic grunted as he tried to free himself. Mizore thought she heard the other thing say "chomp."

"Ow ow ow! Oi, no biting." He struggled for another minute, made a sound like "aha" and stood. He was holding a little girl of maybe 6 or 7 by the scruff of her neck, her limbs and wings drooped in defeat, her head facing down, short black hair falling no further than her chin. She was wearing a little pink dress, sleeveless, with tiny red strawberries printed on it, and black buckle shoes with white socks. Mizore could not see her face, but the general impression all added up to cute.

"Who's this?" She asked. "Another from the throng of women out to get you?" In contrast to the girl, who still looked neat and clean, Dominic was ruffled, his jacket askew, hair sticking up on the back, and with dirt splashed across his forehead. There was also a semi-circle of small, bleeding puncture marks on his collar bone, where the girl had apparently bit him.

"Well, to make a long story short, when I was little, I always wanted a puppy. About five years ago, my parent's when to France, and came back with... this." He shook the girl slightly. The girls face rose, along with her arms and legs, and she smiled brightly, her eyes closed.

"Arf!" She mimicked the sound a dog would make. Then she cocked her head, and stared happily at Mizore, who had to up check her to Adorable+. Dominic sighed, and dropped the girl, who barely managed to get her feet back under her before landing. She turned, and latched on to his leg.

"Hey, Brother! Who's the lady?" She commanded in a high pitched little voice, sounding both nervous, authoritative, and curious at the same time. He patted her head, and looked down.

"That's rude. She's a friend of me and Kurumu. Introduce yourself, Runt." The little girl turned to face Mizore, a look of awe glinting in her deep emerald eyes. She took a step forward, and gave little curtsy.

"Sorry, Ma'am. I am Capris DeLecroix, and I am pleased to meet you." Mizore gave a slight nod, and returned the gesture.

"Nice to meet you to. My name is Mizore Shirayuki." The little girl looked happy, and Mizore noticed a small black tail whipping around from under her skirt.

"Are you really a friend of Brother and Kurumu's." She asked, with a touch of suspicion.

"Yes. We are all friends at school." The little girls smile brightened again, and Mizore noticed all of the little girls teeth were tiny pointed fangs.

"Me and Kurumu are the same kind!" She announced, as if it were some type of great honor.

"Oh?" Mizore asked. She imagined that what this little Capris was saying was that she was a Succubus. She gave Dominic a curious look, and he motioned with his head to ask her. "And how is that, when your Mother is a Spirit, and you father and Brother are Devils?"

"Simple," she answered, with a grin that showed her small, needle sharp teeth, "I was adopted."

"That's enough, Pree. Now scramble off so we can go in the house." She darted forward, opened the door, and ran in. Dominic had a queer look on his face.

"Well, isn't she just adorable?" Mizore nodded once, suddenly uncomfortable, but not understanding the feeling completely. "It's true, while in France for business, my parents visited a friend who worked in the orphanage, and my father picked her out. Capris isn't upset at all about it. Succubi are not particularly maternal creatures, so orphans are not unusual." Mizore gave an understanding smile, and Dominic picked up her luggage, a single suitcase. "Alright, then, let's head in."

The first thing Mizore noticed as she walked over the threshold of the entry, was a wave of heat. She had to concentrate to avoid shifting her personal temperature so low that her body would begin to steam. She extended an aura of chill close around her, cooling the incoming air and allowing her to relax her control slightly. The next impression was that of a female voice, soft, yet strong and slightly authoritative.

"Hi, Dominic. Did it suddenly get colder in here?" As Mizore entered the house proper after removing her shoes, off to her left, she could see into the kitchen. Standing there, radiating heat, was a pillar of fire in human shape. Soft, pale yellow at the core figure, with ruffles of red and orange flowing about the slender frame, the tips occasional deepening to blue and white. The face was clear of the darker orange flames, just a soft, wax like yellow, featureless save for the gentle curve of the nose and 2 lime green ovals that were clearly eyes. From the top and back of the head, a waterfall of flame poured, ending at the waist, where the tips of individual flame danced as if caught in a light breeze.

"Oh, yeah, it did..." Dominic answered, feeling the chill on his back. He turned, and noticed the look on Mizore's face, and suddenly it clicked. "OH! Yeah, I had forgot. You're a cold climate type. Sorry!" He turned to the fire. "Mom, this is the friend I said was staying over for a while. She's a Snow Woman..."

"Dominic!" The woman's voice cracked like a whip, cutting him off. The temperature dropped suddenly, as the Efreeta stopped generating a aura, and her body began to change. Pale yellow faded to pale skin, and the orange ruffles of living flame sunk into the skin. The green of her eyes shrunk into irises as white pushed in from the border and a black dot appeared. A mouth grew, full and red lipped, and a field of freckles bloomed over her cheeks. In less than 6 seconds, she went from living fire to her naked human form, the flame of her hair swirling around itself until it just seemed to pop into long, brilliantly orange hair.

She bowed apologetically.

"Miss, I am very sorry. I was not made aware of your thermo-regulatory needs." Her voice of soft, gentle, but had an undercurrent of strength. Mizore had been initially surprised upon seeing this. She expected a wizened old woman, based on her assumed age, but other than the palpable feeling of maturity that this woman wafted, Mizore would have guess she was a teenager, or at best in her early 20's.

"That's ok." Mizore said, realizing she was still spreading her bubble of cold, and reduced the effect. The other woman smiled, then walked out of the kitchen. She came back a moment later, dressed in a long sleeved button up white silk shirt.

"There, I adjusted the temp control in the house. It should be more comfortable for you now. If you have a more comfortable setting in mind, please let me know."

"Oh, it shouldn't be a problem, Ma'am." Mizore was embarrassed at the level of deference she was being treated with. The woman smiled warmly.

"Think nothing of it. Go ahead and make yourself at home. If you find any accommodations not to your liking, please tell me, and I will fix it for you." She turned a sharp eye to Dominic. "Take her to the guest room, and get her settled."

"Yes Ma'am!" He called, and moved away. She sighed, and Mizore turned to follow. The entry hall was a real hallway. Branching off to the left was the kitchen, which Mizore could not see much more of then a long section of counter and white tile flooring. She would learn later that it was a large kitchen, and the tile was ceramic, and flame resistant, like all flooring in the house. The hall however was floored in dark blue carpeting that felt soft through her leggings. After a short distance, the hall moved through a small arch, and opened into a sea of carpeting, it what was clearly a family room. Based on the visible dimensions, it was equal to the entire width of the house. Dotted throughout the room were islands of white couches and arm chares, and the wall in front of her had a large, wall mounted television hanging on it, with a couch and two armchairs arrayed in a semi-circle around it. Dominic continued moving through, pausing to open a door at the rightmost side of the wall. She walked through as he held the door, and froze, catching her breath. Capris came dashing by, dressed now in a pair of small shorts and t-shirt, and into the living area. Mizore was facing left, where a floor to ceiling glass wall ran the length of the long hall, and outside the glass was...

"You didn't know you were rich... yet you have a natural hot spring in your house?" A slight tone of incredulity broke through her blankness.

"What? No. It's a natural spring, sure, but not a hot spring. There are no natural hot springs in this area." Outside the glass, nestled in between large boulders and groomed sand, along with thickets of hearty bamboo and tall green grasses, was easily an Olympic sized swimming pool sized body of water. Mizore could see what looked like an elderly couple in the water, partially obscured by light mist on the surface, what was clearly steam wafting upward in the chilly air. It looked very peaceful with the light dusting of snow coating the ground and plants. The man in the water noticed them, and waved, and Dominic waved back.

"I see steam." She said simply.

"Right." He said. "My mom seeded and raised her own pocket of molten rock about 8 meters down, near where the font issues from the bedrock." He indicated the couple in the water. "A lot of the neighbors like coming over in the winter for soaking. Oh, which reminds me. It's just me, Mom, and Pree here right now, Dad is out of the country on business, will be back sometime, but who knows when. So anyone other than the three of us you see wandering about, feel free to ignore. They're likely just here to use the spa, and won't consider you rude if you do. Follow me, the rooms are in the back of the house." He moved down the hall, passing for doors, and turning around a glass anchor corner, into a nearly identical hallway. At the far end of this hall, he opened a door, and walked inside. Mizore followed him. A cream colored bed sat against the far wall in a sea of blue carpeting, a vanity with a large mirror was against another wall, and across the room a closet was built into the wall. He placed her luggage on the foot of the bed, and turned toward her.

"Alright, then," he said, looking almost sheepish, "...um... go ahead... and... make yourself at home. As I am sure my Mother will make clear, while you are here, you may consider yourself family. So go ahead and make yourself comfortable, and I will head out. Go anywhere you want, and if you need anything, just ask. I am sure Pree will probably be pestering you soon enough, if she gets too irritating, just let me know and I'll take care of it." He looked apologetic.

"Anyway, I have to go out for a while. Leo is working on his dad's car, and needs my help. So, yeah. I'll be back later tonight, unless it's as bad as his dad seems to think it is." He smiled meekly, and moved to the door, opening it before turning back.

"Oh, and thank you for coming out. I know it's probably pretty strange to be staying at an almost complete strangers house on your precious off time, but I am really happy you decided to come!" His sincerity was so plain that it was almost pathetic, but it made a small smile play across her face.

"It's fine, and I am looking forward to being in such a dirverse looking community for a while. It's kind of sheltered, up in my mountains. But I will actually get to see some of you, right?" She hadn't intended to add that last part, and was mildly surprised to find she didn't mind having slipped it in there. She even felt a twinge of guilt at the horrified cast his face took on. She was beginning to believe that the shyness Eris spoke of did indeed exist.

"Oh, o fcouse!" He blurted. "I wouldn't leave if it weren't necessary. But Leo's dad need the help, and there aren't a lot of people in these parts who really know much about how things from the human world work, where as Dad in insistent that we have a functional knowledge about as much as possible." Mizore gave a simple nod, and Dominic imagined she was irked. "It's very important we get it going again. I doubt I would have been able to get away at all if Eris hadn't know I was going to go pick you up."

"Eris is certainly... involved, isn't she?" Mizore asked lightly.

"Yeah. I would hate to imagine what it would be like if she was actually as much of a bitch as I tell her she is. Have to run, and again, I am really happy you're here!" He scampered away quickly, and Mizore sighed and planted her butt on the bed, which was so squishy, she sank down about a foot, and was dumped on her back. She starred at the ceiling for a moment, nervous. She knew she should go out and actually meet Dominic's mother, but she was unused to situations like this. Finally, she mustered up the courage, more out of fear of being rude than any other concern, rose and put away what little she brought with her in the closet. She opened the door into the glass walled hallway, and noted that the couple in the spring were asleep now, towels over their faces.

She took a minute to examine the spa, now that she was not being lead, and noticed that the "snow" she had seen was not actually snow, but rather just white dust and smaller dustings of white sand. The whole area was arranged and cultivated in an artistic manner, and the overall effect was better than some Hot Spring businesses Mizore had seen in magazines. She noted that a little sand path lead to the exact center of each of the three glass walls that faced the hallways, where rubber blocked glass doors stood to admit people, and block weather from leaking into the house. The pools themselves sat elevated from one another it a rough spiral, water cascading from one pool to the next from the highest pool, maybe a meter above the lowest, and largest. It was strangely organic, yet clearly ordered, and absolutely beautiful.

Mizore padded down the hall, retracing her steps, and reentered the dim living area. She was assaulted by noise, the loud television throwing flickering light across the room as she entered, and reflected in the two wide eyes of the little girl laying on her stomach, elbows buried in the carpet an hands supporting chin, who was watching it. She was completely fixated on the screen, and Mizore didn't interupt her, walking around and toward the kitchen. Upon entering, she saw just how large the room really was. Shiny appliances fronted the left wall, and counters of polished marble topped an army of drawers and cabinets to the right and behind walls, while the forward wall was again a floor to ceiling glass wall, facing a moderate sized concrete patio, sea of soft green grass, lawn furniture, and the assorted toys of a young girl scattered about a large yard. On the immediate patio, a small dog with a mane of shimmering fire was nipping at a waist high dog with three large square heads, who was laying in its side, swatting lazily at the offending pup. In the center of the room was a large, solid black wood table, set with white linen place mats, with no less than 24 chairs between both sides, and another capping each end, 3 ornate silver candelabras evenly spaced about the table.

Mizore saw her host standing at the sink, still dressed in her simple white silk shirt and human form, humming to herself as she sliced potatoes into a large pot. She noticed Mizore enter the kitchen, stopped what she was doing, and smiled the warmest, most welcoming smile she had ever received, and felt her chest tighten a little under its power. It was then that Mizore noticed that she was not controlling her temperature any longer, yet she was not uncomfortable. The temperature in the house had lowered, probably to around 50-60 degrees. She had seen without noticing that little Capris had been wearing a overlarge purple hoodie as she lay on the floor too.

"I am sorry, Miss, but I am afraid my oft excitable son, while telling me that he did have a friend staying over for a few days, failed to mention anything pertinent. While you were getting settled, I did a little research into your race, and used the data to make some generalized assumptions on how to suit your comfort. I set the temp at what I read was about normal comfort for the average Snow Person, if it is wrong, please tell me, and I will set it correctly.

"Oh, no, Mrs. Farnsworth, it's perfectly fine, but you don't need to..." The woman stopped Mizore's words with a sharp glance.

"Please, Dear, it's just Jenny." She left a pause, and Mizore, after a short delay, offered her own name, which earned her another radiant smile. "Thank you, Mizore. As I was saying, while you are a guest here, our house is yours. Temperature is no problem, as all but my little Capris can control our heat needs internally." She pronounced her daughter's name with the French accent. "It is less then no trouble, and we enjoy having Dominic's friends over. It is sometimes a big house for just the 4 of us and pets, and having happy teens about is always interesting." Mizore was almost staggered by the warmth and hospitality of the treatment. She was glad her face was not used to making exaggerated emotions, so there was merely a slight blush in her cheeks, and burning at the corner of her eyes. This woman was so kind, so ... motherly, it made Mizore's heart hurt a little. With her own slightly cold, and easily angered mother, busy father, and lack of siblings, Mizore was used to a rather solo home life. Add to that her isolation at school, and experiences with the Gym Teacher, and she behaved like a dog that had been kicked too many times. She was not accustomed genuine, unselfish kindness, and was suspicious of all nice acts, wondering when the next kick would fly.

Almost as if she could feel Mizore's confused feelings, Jenny dropped her tool and potato, and strode, almost floated over, wrapping Mizore in the hug she did not know she needed.

"There, there, child. There is no need for tears, you are home now." Mizore had no tear leaking down her face, and was fairly sure she had not clouded up, but at the same time, she did not doubt what Jenny said, and simply buried her face in her shoulder, and hugged back, feeling the love soak into her bones. It was a nice, warm type of thing. After a minute, Jenny pushed her back, and held her shoulders. And just like that, all of her awkwardness was gone, and she felt comfortable.

"Now, I bet you could use some tea." She turned, and moved to the silver fridge, opening it and removing a pitcher of dark orange liquid. "Now, while I was looking online for some basic details, I saw a post that said that it is not unusual for Snow People to prefer chilled teas, as compared to hot brewed." She checked the temperature of the pitcure, and looked satisfied. "When I saw that, I put this in the freezer. Is that what you'd like, or would you like something else?"

"That will be fine, miss... Jenny." Mizore corrected herself. Jenny's eyes still narrowed slightly.

"I asked what you wanted, Mizore. If you want the cold tea, that's fine, if you want some other, I'll brew some. Please, don;t settle. If it were something I did not wish to do, I would not offer." Her voice remained light and friendly, but was at the same time remarkably firm.

"Honestly, either is fine, but I would like some of the chilled tea, please." Jenny took the words for what they were, just basic information to supplement the knowledge she had looked up, and poured a glass for her. Capris came running in, her bare feet making little slapping noises on the floor, the large sweatshirt hanging down past her knees, one arm of it draggig on the floor, the other rolled up in a ball at her shoulder.

"Oh, Mommy! Can I have some?" She cooed, jumping in place. Jennifer Farnsworth smiled, and pulled out a smaller cup with a lid for her little girl, and handed the cup to her. Capris smiled sunnily, and thanked her mother. Then her eyes fell on Mizore.

"Hey, um... Miz...Mizo... lady!" She stuttered, forgetting Mizore;s name already, and hoping to mask the fact with the enthusiasm she blurted the last word out with.

"Mizore." Her mother fed her.

"Yeah, Mizore! Want to come watch Kaedae the Witch with me?" She asked, almost pleadingly. Kaedae the Witch was a popular Monster world kids animated T.V. show, about a female Witch who battled the evil Papal Forces that were trying to destroy the lives of inocent monsters everywhere. Mizore looked up and caught her host's eye, who shrugged.

"Ok, sure." She replied, and Capris let out an excited squeak, grabbing Mizore's free hand with her own sleeve covered one, and pulling her back into the living room and onto the couch. The next half hour was spent learning more than she had ever wanted to know about the show, as Capris gave her an animated rendition of most of the previous happenings, going so far as to act out a handful of her favorite scenes. Mizore thought it was adorable, and was surprised how nice it felt, and how much she enjoyed it. When the door bell rang another half hour later, Capris was sitting on the couch next to her, drink gripped in both hands, wide eyes glued to the screen as the Grand Bishop explained his evil plan as his lesser priests were strapping Kaedae into an old Iron Maiden. Seeing the girls rapt attention, Mizore rose to answer the door.

She glanced into the kitchen, and saw Jenny dancing around slightly as she continued cooking, whistling to herself. So, Mizore assumed she was welcome to open the door, and did so. Framed in the door was Eris, wearing a pale green sundress, her long hair tied in a braid and hanging down her front, the end of the braid hanging lower then her waist, her ears standing flat out from the side of her head. Behind her was another girl, her purple hair cut short, but with a large section of bangs hanging down over the right side of her face. She looked to be wearing a brown feathery shawl over a plain t-shirt and black pants until Mizore noticed that she had large wings tucked against her back. She looked vaguely familiar, and then suddenly Mizore remembered; she had been the harpy fighting Eris the first time she had gone to the monster fight club.

"Hi, Mizore. Since the boys are busy, I thought we'd come and see you." Eris said, smiling and walking into the house. She turned, and waved into the kitchen. "Hi, Jenny!" She ran in, hugging the older woman.

"Good Afternoon, Eris, Seph." She gave her usual warm smile. "It's nice to see you girls again. How are things?" Eris shrugged.

"Boring. Leo and Dom are busy, so me and Seph figured we come by, and show Mizore around the neighborhood."

End 4

Going to end this here, partly because I just want to post something, and secondly because I don't want it to run too long. So for those of you who've hung in this long, thanks. Hope this entry was less boring then the others.