Author's Nonsense: I am having a blast with this story so far. I adore writing it and working on the interaction between Lenneth/Lezard especially though after that last heated episode between the two I figure I need to do some other plot things. This chapter will still have some of the two (of course they are the stars) but I am going to start doing some other explanation of things going on.

End of Chapter 8:

"You make me sick." She announced before storming out into his tower and slamming her door, leaving him to suffer alone in her room after the mortifying ordeal he'd just put her through…

Chapter 9: Hesitant Attraction

Crystalline water cascaded over marble stone and fell from the edges of Asgard to eventually become the gentle rain that would fall over the mortal world of Midgard far below. An opulent kaleidoscope of assorted vivid floral was preyed upon by the celestial hummingbirds and bees that resided in the heavens, carrying the pollen from place to place and aiding the development of the promised land's blessed fruit. Platinum paths running through the Elysium's interior like veins of silver that decorated the exuberant landscape, a peaceful lull in the holy air that had left Freya with almost no one willing to aide her search for the missing Lenneth.

Tyr had just followed her about trying to reason out a reason to cause a war along with commentary as to how Hel had probably convinced the uppity mortal to do it in the first place. The fact that he was a necromancer the first along the war god's line of excuses. Not that he didn't make a good point but the heaven's couldn't afford a war at the moment given their current missing of all three Valkyrie, one of the veteran Einherjar and a disappearance of another. They couldn't recruit more troops until at least one of the battle goddesses returned to choose the souls that would serve them - and without a way to replenish soldiers war would be a loss if they entered it.

She couldn't go and pursue the quest to rescue Lenneth when she was the keystone to order in Asgard, if it wasn't for her the laziness would transform into some sort of pandemonium that Loki could be proud of. Her sister had at least gone to aid the cause but very few other scouts could be spared however essential the Valkyrie's return was; it was even more crucial to keep up the appearance of everything being run as naturally as possible.

Which left her to asking many of the lesser gods and doing what she could to pull together the shattered remains of the water mirror and gather them in hopes of being able to reassemble the item into a useable form as it was infused with such great magical power.

She eyed the scattered glass and mirrored pieces innocently sparkling a few thousand broken reflections of the blonde haired goddess back at her. If the dealings with the lazy or battle-hungry gods of her pantheon weren't difficult enough she was also facing rumors that a man fitting Loki's description was seen on Midgard several times by sources that wouldn't actually come forward and identify themselves. The cunning ex god of chaos was the last thing she wanted to have a compromise with at this inopportune time, just another headache at a time when she needed more trouble the least.

She floated effortlessly next to the glittering remains of one of the grand treasures of her world, a reminder of the last creator she had failed and how that upstart mortal had stolen his power and knocked her away with no more labor than one would put forth to swat at a fly. Now that he had also taken Lenneth it was as if he wanted to rub salt in her wounds, the man wouldn't be forgiven after all the trouble he had caused the world simply because of his mindless lust…

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"It doesn't make any logical form of sense Misty?!" Lezard ranted at her, having returned to his habit of pacing exasperatedly around the dining room where he'd ambushed her with his raving while she tried to eat. She had to hope that the two such encounters weren't going to turn into a habit with the necromancer. "Why would she pull her voluminous form to mine and press those ambrosial lips against me to then get angry that I'd touched her? What does a girl want when they do something like that?"

"Well I'd say to tease or control you on first instinct but as I can't see lady Valkyrie doing the first or needing to do the second of that list I can't really say Lezard." Misty stifled a yawn as she answered him. "Did you use some sort of spell on her to make her be temporarily more agreeable than she normally would be?"

"Of course not!" he snapped back. "If I wanted to force her then I could have just programmed a homunculus to be my mindless sex slave Misty! If she doesn't offer it to me then it will only be bitter minus the sweet if I take it."

"Strange morals to have for a pervert." Mystina observed with a stretch, eyeing her second-rate entrée as if she was deciding if she should eat it or not. "Perhaps she figures her abductor isn't a trustworthy sexual deviant."

"Must you be so cliché Misty?" He rolled his purple eyes and then threw his hands into the air with his frustration. "Why are women so…stupid?"

"Yeah call her that." Misty offered. "It should go over well."

"Don't be sassy with me." He clicked his tongue but smirked a bit at the small argument. "So now what should I do? The gift worked fine but those heart-warming meaningful gifts aren't exactly easy to come by."

That and she didn't have any other mortal lovers I knew about whose souls I could take for crafting supplies. He added mentally.

"You said she liked the original gift?" Mystina asked curiously. "What did you get her."

"A figurine of meaningful value like you suggested." he waved it off as he said it. "More importantly is what to do now."

"Yeah yeah…you keep repeating that." She finally let her rumbling stomach decide the battle for her. Picking up a piece of the cheese without mold on it. "You could try apologizing to her."

"But I didn't do anything to her!" The man protested a little childishly.

"So?" She held up a finger to finishing chewing and swallowing before she continued. "You think men don't often apologize for things when they really aren't at fault? Suck it up Lezard. Be the bigger man as it were. What does it matter if she'll forgive you for the supposed transgression?"

"A good point." He agreed, nodding a little as he paced. "It doesn't have to be honest as long as she thinks it's true I guess."

"Nice to know the length of your loyalty when you say you love someone that much."

"As long as she feels better what does my lack of conscience matter?" he asked as if pointing out the obvious. "It's her well being that is important, I'll lose far less sleep making her happy than being concerned with some pointless inner voice."

"The way you justify your actions stupefies me." Mystina had to laugh at his established defense for his arrogant words and actions. "So the plan is to give her false amends and then what? You going to start feeling her up again?"

"I do my best to behave." He defended himself with a pout. "I don't even get points for trying either…which is a crime by itself. Having to force myself not to touch and hold her…"

Mystina returned to her meal when he got the starry look in his eyes, figuring he'd be in his fantasies for a while before he returned to grilling her for her 'womanly knowledge'. Not that she was surprised that she knew more than Lezard in the end, in all honesty it made her feel better that she was a master of something he'd probably never be able to grasp; human relations.

"You talk to her!" Lezard turned on her with the command. "She'll listen to you. She likes you."

"She doesn't like me Lezard."

"She likes you more than me."

"She likes anyone more than you Lezard. I think she'd take Loki or Hel over your presence at the moment. Why do you want to drag me into this sick little game?" Mystina protested her involvement vehemently.

"Because she'll listen to you…she knows that you know me better than most of the other people she could speak with." He raved on insistently.

"Are you listening to yourself? I thought you wanted her to forgive you."

"Not a time for joke Misty…I can take that body of yours back you know…I'm sure I can find any other wandering soul that wouldn't mind a second chance…" He let the threat linger as the sorceress turned red with anger.

"Dammit Lezard. You are always going to hold that over my head aren't you?" she hissed.

"Well yes Misty. What good is bringing people back from the dead if they can't be of service to me on occasion?" He grinned at her as he won the argument. "I'll let you finish that impromptu meal first. Besides, I'll be generous and say it's a good return for your stay so far."

"You really are a rotten bastard." she muttered as he stalked from the room with triumph, cloak flaring behind him. "Man…if you didn't have the books I need I would so just leave tomorrow…"

She eyed the somewhat foul nutrition and despite her rumbling stomach figured there might at least be safer snacks in Lenneth's room as a consolation prize for being forced to cooperate with this little scheme. Knocking on the lady Valkyrie's door when she reached it, not expecting the face full of water that she received when Lenneth opened it long enough to toss it at the victim she figured was Lezard.

"Nice to see you too." Mystina commented dryly as the ex-goddess gasped, opening the door more.

"Oh my goodness!" Lenneth held a hand over her mouth. "I'm so sorry Mystina…I…I thought…"

"Yeah I can figure. Mind if I borrow a towel to dry off?" she asked with a smirk at the shocked look on her face. "Guess I'll remember to duck to the side when I try to get in from now on. I'm just thankful it wasn't acid of some kind and just water."

"I should think through my throwing things a little more in the future." Lenneth promised as she dashed off to bring the other woman a towel. "Some reason for the visit?"

"I wanted to bum food off of you." She smirked. "The stuff Lezard keeps makes me think he's made himself immune to sickness somehow."

"Gods aren't subject to the same illnesses as humans." Lenneth explained with a small frown. "I'm surprised he keeps food at all if that's the quality, he shouldn't need it."

"Maybe he enjoys the rotten flavor." Mystina commented offhandedly on finding the real nourishment, picking herself out some grapes. "He still manages to spoil you even when you aren't talking to him."

"Let's not talk about Lezard." Lenneth sighed. "I just need to find a way out of here as soon as possible."

"So you didn't kiss him back?" she figured the blunt approach was good enough, glancing toward the pink cheeked virgin warrior.

"He controlled me somehow." she protested. "Felt me up and forced me to feel emotions toward him I'd never be capable of."

"You realize that sounds doubtful when he's given you every consideration outside of your kidnapping right?" Mystina chowed down on several of the different dishes laid out like a personal buffet for the spoiled woman.

"He sent you in here." She narrowed her eyes in mistrust.

"Yep," she admitted. "He feels bad but figures you won't believe him if he apologizes himself. Apparently I have more creditability in your eyes than he does - not that it would be surprising but I didn't figure he was right about it. Why'd you kiss him back?"

"I told you that. He used magic on me." Lenneth snapped in annoyance.

"No that isn't gonna work." Mystina laughed, not realizing she was talking with her mouth open. "I know that Lezard is a pretty twisted fellow, one of the most soulless people I've ever met. But he's never been one to be completely contradictory without a reason. I can't see him risking your wrath for a few seconds of passion…if he planned to control you he would still be controlling you. Which leaves me to wonder if he wasn't dominating you then why did you respond to him and then punish him for it?"

"He -was-…"

"You are only fooling yourself lady Valkyrie." Mystina interrupted. "Not that I really care about the tryst you two are having…but Lezard won't stop raving like a lunatic about what happened. Normally your treatment of his is justified, but after he saved you from that little band of people in the town you should at least be a little more appreciative."

"He murdered that man in cold-blood"

"Casualty of war."

"He was no where near his level."

"Who is?" Mystina laughed. "Seems to me that you are looking for excuses, searching for every possible reason you can grasp onto so you don't have to admit to yourself that at least physically attracted to him. It makes a little sense, Lezard is a good-looking guy compared to most really…and when he isn't being himself he can be rather captivating. However, all your protests you need to test with yourself not me."

By the aghast look on the silver beauty's face she could tell that her little speech had affected the Valkyrie, she was a little perplexed herself that the ex-goddess actually had returned a few moments of uncontrolled rapture with the necromancer she said she loathed. These two were a match that Loki couldn't have managed to develop, he'd of been jealous of the idea if he knew what was happening she was certain.

"So what does it mean…physical attraction to another…" Lenneth asked meekly, head down and fiddling with her hair between two fingers.

Mystina stared at the question dumbly for a little while before it dawned on her that even though she'd had a crush on the kid warrior she'd met several years back it was probably more puppy love and wasn't sexual in any form. She'd been thrust into a new body that would have different responses than her old one and while that still made for an amusing thought she wasn't sure what to tell the lady Valkyrie.

"Well…" she paused to think a moment before answering further. "You can be attracted to someone's appearance without actually liking their personality or liking them. It's just most people want more than just a quick fling and so try to make sure they have feelings for the people they…do that sort of thing with. That isn't always the case though. You admitting you like his face and hate his character is all…welcome to the club lady Valkyrie."

At that Lenneth had to laugh a little bitterly, whatever she was going through wasn't natural and while she knew that Mystina wasn't lying about her personal views…she also knew that there was something wrong with what had happened…with how he had made her feel.

"It doesn't seem right." she told the green haired girl. "Did he really tell you all that?"

"I think I just happened to be a piece of the furniture that could talk back when he was ranting confused about having his…manhood harmed as badly as his pride." Mystina laughed then. "Did you really knee him there?"

"um…yeah…" Lenneth replied with another blush. "But I don't know how else I could have gotten him off."

"Oh no, I applaud you…I had to bite my tongue to blood to keep from laughing at him when he told me that. It's still a little scared but totally worth it." Mystina waved off her trying to excuse the behavior. "He didn't like it but I can appreciate anyone that drags his ego through the mud a bit from time to time. I was a little surprised he told me but I can't really talk about it or he'll kill me again so no real danger I suppose."

"Well tell him I'm not going to apologize." Lenneth insisted suddenly. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"You are turning out to be a real natural at this being a mortal woman stuff." Mystina complimented. "I'll let him know. Should I tell him that you are still livid or that you've at least calmed enough to let him apologize."

"He does plan to say he's sorry then?"

"Yep, told you he did didn't I?"

"Yes…I guess so." Lenneth sighed a bit. "I suppose I'll let him apologize then…you can tell him that…but give me another day alone first would you? I want more time to think about all these…new details."

"No problem, I'm sure he'll greet you bright and early tomorrow then. Thanks for the grub lady Valkyrie," Mystina waved as he headed for the door now that she was done eating and had finished her job for Lezard. "Thanks for the talk, be seeing ya."

She left the silver haired kidnapee to ponder the many doubts going through her mind…

End Chapter

Whew, this chapter was long and difficult at times but needed for the story. Some Lezard and some Lenneth but sadly none of them together L. I am gonna do my very best to be back to the pair and their interesting relationship during chapter 10.

-Aura

To my reviewers:

Lezard Valeth - Yeah I know, but the scene I thought was questionable enough that someone might complain about it so I went ahead and upped the rating to be safe. She's very slowly -sort of- opening up to him. It wouldn't be a fast process after all.

Fox of Anubis - Thank you. Can you see Lenneth admitting that she's attracted to him easily? I always figured that Lezard always has the impulses but he's masterful enough of himself to keep the larger goal in sight. And yes, Lenneth is a silly little girl really.