"Can you pass the popcorn please?" William asked
Zoe didn't look up from her book as she pushed the bowl of popcorn across the coffee table and towards William. While he still had his head in his own book, William reached in the bowl and grabbed a handful, setting it on the napkin that was lying next to him. Rene sat at the kitchen table, working on some things for Quentin when there was a knock on the door. William and Zoe both looked up, but went back to what they were doing as Rene got up and went to the door.
"William, it's your dad" Rene said as he opened the door "You're back early"
"Just a bit" Oliver replied "Can I come in?"
"Sure thing" Rene said as he stepped aside "Zoe's bed time isn't until eleven so she and William have been in here reading for the past half hour or so. We weren't sure when you were coming back"
"Hey Dad!" William said as he got up from the couch and walked over, already dressed in sweats and a thick hoodie "Where's Mom?"
"Mom's going to meet us at home. She needed to stay in Finiks Jurf a bit longer" Oliver explained
"Why? What happened? Mr. Ramirez said that I might be staying the night if something happened"
"Well thank goodness it didn't" Oliver sighed "One of the enemies of the league was going to launch a nuke. We had to fly to Russia at the last second to stop it"
"So everything's good now?"
"Yeah, everything should be fine"
"Okay, good"
"William, why don't you go get your things. Zoe, can you help him?" Rene asked
"Sure thing Daddy" Zoe replied
"A nuke?" Rene asked once the two teens were out of the room "Is that all that was going on up there?"
"Well I learned a lot more than I thought I would. For one, Nyssa's been overworking herself for the past two months and hasn't told me because she doesn't want me to worry, that she actually wants a child like I did but thought it wouldn't be right to have one right now, and that she's terrified to use her powers"
"Wow…just wow" Rene said with a small whistle "So overall, productive?"
"I mean, for me in some ways but she just seemed stressed out the entire day. She makes my job look like I'm just sitting at a desk doing seventh grade homework"
"Hmm, that much huh?" Rene asked, receiving a slight nod from Oliver "Anything you can do for her?"
"Elena just said to not pester her, but also that this chaos should continue until November or December of next year!" Oliver expressed "But thankfully, Elena's twins are due sometime in April or May so after that, she'll be able to take some things off Nyssa's plate"
"Well that's good in some regards" Rene started "And she's still there?"
"After we got back, Elena ended up pulling her away because almost eight inches of her hair got fried off while disarming the nuke. She got back, we had our little talk while watching the sun rise, and then she sent me back here while she, Elena, Zayn, and Andrew all tried to find Anatoly"
"Anatoly? As in the Russian gangster?"
"Yeah. He's the one leading the revolt against the league"
"Huh, guess you're just going further up shit creek" Rene chuckled
"Would you keep it down? William and Zoe can still hear you!" Oliver hissed but in a whisper
"Sorry hos" Rene started "But you have to admit, your past-"
"Is coming back to haunt me, yeah, the classic line"
"That's your own fault"
"I know, you've made that clear, but it's not really directed at me this time. Apparently Nyssa's been dealing with Anatoly for the past eight months or so, she just didn't know that we had a quarrel during my Lian Yu years and he didn't know that she's my wife. It made things real interesting at the warehouse"
"I bet"
"Are you sure? I could have sworn that it was Tom that said his sister did that" William said as he and Zoe walked back into the room, William with his things gathered
"I know for sure it was Tom because Jasper said that his brother was the one that used to eat glue, not Alicia" Zoe replied
"What are you two talking about?" Oliver asked
"It was Tom's sister, Alicia, or Jasper's brother, Ethan, that used to try to eat quarters because someone told him that's how you made a wish come true" Zoe said "I think it was Alicia but William thinks its Ethan"
"I don't even know what to say" Rene chuckled "But why don't you say bye to William. You need to get to bed"
"Bye Will, see you tomorrow" Zoe waved
"Yeah, see you then" William replied
"Thanks again Rene" Oliver said as William walked out the door
"No problem man. Hope everything ends up well. See you tomorrow then?" Rene asked
"Yeah, see you tomorrow"
With that, Oliver stepped out of the apartment and into the hallway where William was waiting for him. As Oliver got closer, he wrapped his arm around William's shoulders, almost like he was holding him in a protective matter
"So you and Mom stopped that nuke?" William asked
"You heard that?" Oliver questioned
"Bits. I heard something about a nuke, some Russian gangster, and Mom getting her hair burnt off?"
"Oh, right. The warehouse where the nuke was caught fire and some of Mom's hair got burnt off while she was disarming the missile"
"Does it still look good?"
"It always looks good" Oliver chuckled
"Okay, but is she going to be home soon?"
"Yeah, she'll be back later this evening"
"It's almost eleven. Are you sure about that?"
"Okay, maybe early morning but she promised she'll be back when you wake up"
"Okay, so long as she's there, it's fine"
"Thank goodness" Oliver muttered, but William was too focused on the upcoming elevator to notice
William patiently waited after pressing the downward arrow next to two sets of elevator doors. A couple seconds later, one of them opened up and took Oliver and William down to the first floor. Once they were there, Oliver led the way out to the side of the street where his dark gray Toyota 2018 XSE Camry was parked. Once they were both inside, Oliver started driving back to their house and couldn't help but notice that William was trying really hard to stay awake in the front seat. Oliver just smiled slightly as he continued to watch the growing road ahead of them, which would soon turn into their modern lodge looking home.
-(=+=)-
"I got all my homework done with Zoe so I'm going to bed" William groaned as he walked through the front door of the house
"Okay, and you're taking a shower in the morning?" Oliver questioned
"Yeah, sure, whatever" William said "Night Dad"
"Night buddy" Oliver said while holding back a bit of laughter
William trudged up the stairs with his flash backpack hanging off one shoulder. Oliver watched him disappear in the space above, then heard a door shut. When he knew that William had gone in his room, Oliver walked into the kitchen and glanced at a wall clock; 11:18pm. A small sigh escaped his lips as he walked to his office. Oliver opened up a small drawer towards the bottom of his desk and pulled out a smaller bottle of vodka, from Russia of course. Along with the bottle, there were two glasses. He pulled out one, set it on the desk, and poured a moderately sized drink. Oliver took a quick drink of the alcohol, then looked at the pile of files on his desk. They were about four inches tall when stacked on top of each other, signally that he had a busy day ahead of him, but then his mind drifted to his wife, who was halfway across the world. Oliver pulled his phone out from his jacket pocket and looked at the screen. No notifications. He spun around in the chair and looked behind his desk to where two large bookshelves were with the windows on the right side. On one of the shelves was something Oliver couldn't help but smile at; the Australian guitar, as he and Nyssa called it. Oliver got up, picked up the guitar, and sat back down at his desk. He silently started to strum some of the chord patterns he could still remember back from college and before the gambit, but it didn't sound as sharp and flawless as he had hoped for it to be. Oliver didn't want to go at it any longer and risk waking William, so he got up and put the guitar back in its place on the shelf
After finishing off the glass of vodka, Oliver went back to the kitchen and set it in the sink. He walked up the stairs a few moments later and walked into the master bedroom. Oliver got changed into some looser clothes and hung up the attire that he had worn to Finiks Jurf. When he walked into the bathroom, he couldn't help but notice the ways the counters were left. Normally, the woman's things would be lying out after a morning of quickly getting ready but it was just the opposite. Oliver's side was riddled with stuff from this morning, since he had been in more of a rush, while Nyssa's side was perfectly clear except for a single piece of ribbon that had been cut off from the piece she used to hold her hair in place. It was a more regal shade of dark gray that matched her normal league attire and was only about a half inch thick. It was such a simple part of her routine but Oliver knew that he wouldn't be seeing that part of the routine for at least another six months or so.
After completely his small nightly routine of shaving, washing his face, and brushing his teeth, Oliver walked back into the bedroom and sat down on his side of the bed. All the lights were off in his room, so he grabbed his book on the side table and turned on his lamp. Oliver picked his feet up and adjusted himself so he was sitting with his back against the short headboard and his feet crossed at the ankles. Once again, he glanced at the clock; 11:42. Oliver looked back down and opened his book, picking up right where he had left off
Around two and a half hours had passed since Oliver had first sat down on his bed and he felt his eyes getting heavy almost an hour ago, but now they were getting heavier to the point of annoyance. He would keep nodding off, but woke himself up after a few minutes later and went back to reading.
'Nope, nope! Stay awake!' Oliver thought to himself after jolting awake 'She'll be home soon'
Once again, Oliver readjusted his position against the headboard and tried to get back to his book. She would be home soon after all, what's the point in going to sleep?
-(=+=)-
"And you have those trackers running?" Nyssa asked from where she sat next to Zayn in the computer science laboratory
"Yes, all of them are set up and if we get anything regarding Anatoly or the East Bratva's activity, we'll be right on top of them. They can't get the jump on us this time, but with all the satellite points you set up, I don't think this could fail" Zayn answered "I need sleep. I can't do this for much longer without screwing something up"
"You go do that. I'm going home" Nyssa said as she stood up
"Not stopping you or anything, but it's it almost five in the morning there? You'd have a little over two hours there" Zayn asked after looking at a wall clock
"Yeah but I promised Oliver that I would be there to see him and William off. It's part of a routine"
"Ah, I see" Zayn said while stretching back in his chair "Welp, I'm going to get a full six hours hopefully. You have fun there on the west coast"
"See you in a bit"
"Highly unlikely" Zayn chuckled
Both of the assassins started walking out of the computer division, but then split ways as Zayn headed towards his own room which had been built closer to the science division cave for his convenience. Nyssa walked down a staircase that led down to the main level. It was nearly three in the afternoon in Finiks Jurf and for the middle of winter, it was pretty warm at twenty nine degrees (Fahrenheit-I'm American). The main floor was surprisingly empty, so Nyssa took advantage of that and stomped her heel on the ground. She used the small flame created and turned it into a larger trail. Nyssa made the small flame circle around her and as it did, it created something like a column or a sleeve around her. It closed in as the bright white light and rush of warm air passed by and the next time Nyssa opened her eyes, she was standing in the basement of her home in Star City.
Since she was still in her league attire, Nyssa took it off along with her weapons, then went upstairs while she was dressed in some dark leggings and a longer shirt. Nyssa quietly walked up the stairs and saw that the door to her and Oliver's bedroom was slightly cracked, so she stepped in. Nyssa smiled slightly when she saw Oliver already fast asleep with a book lying in his lap, but instead of being in a normal 'reading' position, he had fallen to his side, taking up both his side and part of Nyssa's. She was glad that Oliver was getting sleep, but she was also a bit sad that he wasn't awake. Nyssa wanted someone to talk to. Nevertheless, she closed the door so it was left unmoved without a trace of her presence. She moved down the stairs and sat down on the couch. Just because Oliver was taking up her side of the bed, again, it wasn't going to stop her from getting at least an hour of sleep. Nyssa was just getting comfortable with her head on one of the throw pillows when something started vibrating in her pocket. She groaned slightly as she pulled out her phone and looked at the caller ID. It wasn't going to help if she ignored it, so Nyssa just picked it up
"What in the name of hell do you want Dakota?" Nyssa asked, obviously pissed off but trying to keep her voice down
"Nyssa! Thank god you picked up! I need a favor!" Dakota said urgently
"Dakota" Nyssa started as she got up from the couch and walked towards the glass door that led outside to the deck. She stepped outside, being greeted by the chilling morning air of the early winter, and then closed the door behind her "It may be almost six in the evening where you are, but it's five in the damn morning here"
"Sorry, were you trying to sleep?"
"Trying being the key word" Nyssa muttered "What do you want?"
"I need a favor from you and I know you'll probably say no but we REALLY need this right now and-"
"Dakota! You're wasting my time! Just tell me what it is you want"
"I need you to go to a Tibetan base where I have some of my men stationed. Our communication systems are on the fritz and we can't proceed with another mission until we have this from them so can you please go there and then come here to Isfara and hand it over?"
"You want me to go halfway across the world, meet some of your assassins, get intel from them, then go to Isfara and give you the information" Nyssa summarized "Why can't you do this yourself?"
"Because the plane that we're using to head out on the mission is going to be leaving the runway in an hour. It would take us almost seven hours to get this information"
"And there's no other way you can get ahold of it?"
"Not in this time window, no"
"Fine" Nyssa said after a moment "Text me the address of the base in Tibet and the Isfarian one"
"Thanks Sis, your the best"
"After this, I'm going to make your life an absolute hell"
"You wouldn't be you if you didn't. Thank you again, so much, but I really need to get going"
"MmmHmm"
Nyssa hung up the phone and started walked back inside and to the basement. When she got downstairs, she started to put on the set of armor she had just folded and put away less than ten minutes ago. As Nyssa sheathed her sword, she glanced down at her phone; 5:04am. While she was still looking at the time, two texts came in from Dakota with the addresses of the bases. From what she could tell, they weren't too far apart which meant the task should be rather quick. Nyssa grabbed her collapsed bow off the rack and put it on the right of her belt, where a small loop was that was meant to fit the riser. Who would have known if she would actually need to use it, but it was better to have it than not; after all, Nyssa had never interacted with Dakota's assassins as a superior. There was no telling how it would turn out.
-(=+=)-
Oliver woke up to the loud and annoying sound of his alarm going off. A groan of annoyance escaped his lips as he leaned over and started slapping the top of his bedside table. Eventually, he found the button to shut it off and savored the silence for a moment. Oliver picked his head up from where he previously had it buried in the pillow and looked to his right. Nyssa's side of the bed was still empty. Oliver picked up his phone and saw that there still weren't any texts that had come through, or calls for that matter. He didn't waste any more time worrying about it, as he knew he would find an answer soon, and got out of bed. Oliver crossed the hallway and tapped on William's door.
"Buddy? You up?" Oliver asked
"Yeah! Yeah I'm up! I'm getting in the shower so please don't come in!" William called back
"Okay then"
Oliver peeled away from the door and walked back to his room. He figured that after he got dressed, he would call Nyssa to see what was going on. While Oliver was getting ready, he discovered that he had left his comb downstairs in the kitchen from the other day when he was running late. Oliver, still dressed in sweats and a tee shirt, walked down the stairs and in the direction of the kitchen. When he wrapped around the corner and entered the family room, he saw a dark clothed figure lying on the couch, seeming to be asleep. Oliver walked around the back and looked down to see Nyssa lying on her side and from the looks of it, she was asleep.
"Nys?" Oliver asked quietly
"Hmm?" Nyssa hummed with her eyes still closed
"When did you get back?"
"What time is it?"
"Uhh….6:18"
"About twenty minutes ago" Nyssa said as she sat up
"Why didn't you come upstairs?"
"Because I literally came back two minutes before you were going to wake up. I was hoping to at least get a few minutes to sleep"
"What's been going on all night then?"
"Zayn and I have been setting up satellite receiver things all across Russia so we have a tracker set up to find the Bratva. I never thought I would be in so many different Russian cities in one night" Nyssa said "But then again, Dakota hasn't been much help in the last few hours"
"He got involved with the search too?"
"Of course not. I actually got back at around 4:50 but he called me around five asking me to go to some Tibetan order base, get some information for him, and go to Isfara to give it to him all in less than an hour"
"Why couldn't he do it himself?"
"Something about his plane leaving in an hour, the communication system breaking, and a round trip taking seven hours" Nyssa said while rubbing her eye "The order's base is pathetic compared to Finish Jurf. It's a bit sad honestly. They've been around a lot longer than we have"
"Maybe you should go there and teach them a thing or two" Oliver said while rubbing her shoulders "I don't think Elena would mind if you take the day off, especially after everything that's happened"
"I physically can't take the day off. Because of the Bratva, I wasn't able to get down to Kigoma or test the new commanders so I have to do that today in addition to all the other things"
"Anything I can do to help?"
"No. Not that I know of"
"You sure?"
"Beloved, you don't know how to test a commander in a group of assassins nor how to identify the venom that comes from a snake based on a fang"
"Snakes. That's what's going on down in Kigoma"
"Yeah…..kill me"
"Heh, I'm not going to do that" Oliver started "Last night when I was about to go to bed, I saw that piece of ribbon on the counter"
"Did I leave that out? I meant to take care of it before I left"
"Nah, you're fine. It was much better than my mess" Oliver chuckled while looking down at Nyssa "Guess you can still use it. Your hair is longer than I remembered it, even after it got burnt off"
"Oh, you think I haven't tried to pull it back while I was traveling around Russia and Tibet?" Nyssa questioned "Elena had to cut it in some style called face framing because the ends of the front parts were also burnt. Now they're shorter than the back and I can't pull it back without it falling in front of my face"
"Surely it can't be that bad"
Nyssa stood up front he couch, turned around and face Oliver while gathering her hair like she would when tying a ponytail. As soon as she had raised it to the normal height, the front pieces of hair fell down on the sides and in the front of her face
"See?" Nyssa asked "Only way I've been able to keep it back is by keeping it down and tucking it behind my ear on occasion"
"So the shorter hair isn't for you?"
"Hell no. I'm growing it back out and I'm not going to cut it like this ever again" Nyssa started "It's not that Elena didn't do a good job, it's just that it doesn't work for what I do"
"No, I get it. I'm thinking about growing my hair back out too. You know, Russia/Island style"
"Please don't" Nyssa said with a small laugh "If you try to, I'll cut it off while you're asleep"
"The threats" Oliver laughed "Yeah, it would be a pretty good idea"
"The media would go crazy"
"No kidding" Oliver started "Anyway, I have to get upstairs and finish getting ready. You going to stay down here?"
"Yeah, I'm going to get changed into my armor…..again!"
"I'll wear that armor if you want to wear my business suit"
"I look terrible in a tie, but I'll take the blazer"
"You just haven't found the right tie"
"Yeah, I'm sure that's what's at play"
Oliver just chuckled as he walked into the kitchen, grabbed his comb off the counter from where it's as sitting next to a couple of his folders, then he went back upstairs. While he did that, Nyssa walked downstairs back into the basement and picked up her sword once again. She put on the four other parts of her armor before grabbing her weapons off the rack once again, but instead of putting them on her person, Nyssa just set them out with the circlet so she could grab them right before she had to leave. When she walked back upstairs about ten minutes later, she saw that the main area was still empty. Nyssa knew that both Oliver and William were getting ready but since she never actually slept, she didn't have to do anything extra. She walked into the kitchen and pulled out one of the mugs from the cabinets above the toaster. While she was still getting her tea ready, the sound of footsteps thundered down the stairs and landed with a thud on the hardwood floor. Nyssa looked up from her cup and saw William walking through the family room while rummaging through his backpack, which was hanging off his elbow. He finally found the assignment he was looking for, so he looked up and his eyes lit up
"You're back!" William said excitedly as he walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Nyssa "Dad said you had to stay behind to fix something with the nuke"
"Yeah, but everything's fine now" Nyssa assured when she pulled away from the hug "So how was school?"
"Same ol' same ol" William replied "Oh, we get out on Thanksgiving vacation today after school! My friends and I are already starting to make plans, but are we just doing the normal thing for celebrating?"
"Normal thing?"
"You know, invite some people over from the team who don't really have a family to go back to for the holidays. Curtis, The Ramirez's, Aunt Thea, and maybe some others"
"It's really up to your father, but yes, I do believe we're doing that again especially since we actually have a large home to host in"
"Awesome! It's really fun when we get everyone here! And we have that yard now! Zoe and I could practice with Aunt Thea or something!"
"Yes, and your father wants to build a pool. Maybe you should talk to him and give him your input this week because as far as I know, he wants to put a plan together by Christmas so construction can start as soon as the weather improves"
"That's awesome! I can't believe of all the things Dad could have added to the house, he chose a pool!"
"Maybe it's because he didn't swim very often when he was younger. Catching up on lost years perhaps"
"Seems like him" William said while rummaging through the fridge "Where's the bread? I really want toast"
"Top shelf" Nyssa said while taking a sip of her tea
"Oh hey, nice, fresh loaf" William said from the counter while opening the new loaf "Dad told me your hair got burnt off last night. It still looks really nice"
"Thank you" Nyssa smiled
"Hey, have either of you seen my bag?" Oliver asked as he walked into the kitchen
"Try the dining room beloved" Nyssa replied
"Yup, right again" Oliver said from the dining room "I've got a meeting at seven fifty so we're going to have to leave a bit earlier buddy"
"Do I still have time to eat my toast? Because I just put it in the toaster" William asked
"Yeah, you'll be fine" Oliver replied
"Awesome. I need toast" (A/N: We all do. PSA-Never neglect toast)
"So Kigoma and commander training" Oliver said as he stood at Nyssa's side "Anything else going on today?"
"Still have my work with Nazaria, probably going to head to Spain today and get some things done down there, and more work on our Bratva problem" Nyssa replied "Lighter day, yay me"
"Well if you need anything, don't forget to call"
"I won't"
While Oliver got his traditional morning cup of coffee, William scurried around the kitchen grabbing the things he needed to make his perfect piece of toast. By the time he was finishing it, Oliver glanced up at the clock and realized it was seven twenty; time for them to leave. William saw it too so he cleaned up his place, grabbed his things, and walked towards the door to put on his shoes
"I'll see you tonight?" Oliver asked as he walked back towards Nyssa with his own things in hand
"Yes you will" Nyssa smiled before giving him a quick kiss
"And if you need a break, take one"
"Why are you reminding me of these things like I am a child?"
"Sorry, but I worry about you Nys"
"And I worry about you, but it's unnecessary. I trust that you can handle yourself and I hope that you'd trust me in the same way"
"I do, that you don't have to worry about" Oliver smiled, then kissed her once more "See you tonight"
Nyssa gave a small wave to Oliver and William as they walked out the front door of the house. After the door was locked, Nyssa finished up her cup of tea and then walked downstairs. Her weapons were just as she left them, so she put them all in the proper places before looking back at the table where her circlet was. Nyssa put it on her head where it usually sat, but ended up getting one of her shorter pieces of hair stuck in the swirled pattern. She pulled it off again and after some readjusting, she put it back on her head. Shorter hair was going to take some getting used to
-(=+=)-
"You are making excellent time today! What changed?" Elena asked while looking down a small notecard
"I want to die" Nyssa groaned from the floor, where she had her back leaning up against a wall
"Well don't die yet. Maybe tomorrow, but not today. We still have things to do, or at least you do" Elena teased "But seriously, what changed?"
"Uhh….Oliver's being unbelievably supportive, but I got no sleep last night between the Russia traveling and Dakota's last minute requests for me to travel half way across the world at five in the damn morning"
"Want me to beat him up for you?"
"I have no doubt that you could kick his ass, but don't do it while you're pregnant, please?"
"Ugh! Everyone's saying 'Elena, take it easy' and 'Elena, you're pushing yourself too hard'! Women who are pregnant with one child and at five months collapse from things like walking up three flights of stairs! I haven't collapsed even once, even after an hour of sword fighting and they have the nerve to tell me to take it easy?!" Elena questioned, but then looked down at Nyssa, who was just snickering "What! You think I'm joking?!"
"No, no I'm on your side" Nyssa laughed while pinching the bridge of her nose "You said there were other things to do"
"Yes I did! Kigoma, done. Commander testing, done. Spain, done. All that's left is your work with-"
"Nyssa!" A voice called from the entrance of the main hall
"Speak of the devil" Nyssa muttered
"Quite literally" Elena snickered "You have fun Nys! I'm going to go bother Andrew"
"Heh, you have fun with that" Nyssa replied before turning to the person who had just walked in "Nazaria"
"I was expecting to see you yesterday, but seeing as what happened, I can understand while you baled" Nazaria said as she came to a stop
"Yeah, that came up without warning. Apologies" Nyssa replied
"At least it gives us today to finish what we've been working on" Nazaria started "And it's like you knew I was coming. You're back at the spot"
"Sure, that's what happened" Nyssa said while looking around the entrance hall
"Let's not waste any more time. We have much to catch up on"
Nyssa followed Nazaria up the stone staircase that led up to the platform just in front of the waterfall. She and Nazaria had made that their place to practice, after all, it was the site where the nine swords were bonded. In the eyes of the league, it was more than a historical and sacred site. It held as much importance as the site of creation which was said to be the location of the Garden of Eden.
"We've finished your lessons in five of the nine powers" Nazaria stated once they were standing apart from each other on the platform "We're left with celestial, illusion, light, and darkness"
"I vote we should focus on Celestial. I could use the extra time" Nyssa spoke up
"You are just like when you were a child" Nazaria stated "This time, we're going towards darkness"
"Are you sure it wouldn't be easier to begin with….light?"
"No. Darkness is the hardest element to master, no matter who you are. It has a certain unpredictability that makes it extremely dangerous to all those who use it. Once you learn to control it, then all the remaining elements become easier control with practice"
"Okay. How do we start?" Nyssa asked
"Open your mind. Darkness may seem dangerous to those uneducated, but it is nothing more than a simple opposite or light, a thing we all enjoy. It's what surrounds the stars and everything around us and it's beautiful, but when spoken out plainly, it is seen as something negative. Your first step; recognize that darkness, like all other elements, has beauty" Nazaria explained "I want you to start with a simple plume, right here in the center"
Nyssa extended on hand towards the center of the platform and turned it ninety degrees to the side. As she did, a small plume of black mist appeared in the center of the large circle where designs were carved into the stone. Nazaria looked down at the plume, up at Nyssa, then back down at the darkness
"Do you see how it is moving?" Nazaria asked "Wildly. Without control"
"What do I do to fix it?" Nyssa asked
"Open yourself. Allow that feeling of control from the element takeover"
"Isn't that a bad idea?"
"It could be, but we're going to do it anyway" Nazaria said "Take a strong stance, but open yourself up. Allow everything that is normally in your control become free for a moment"
Nyssa fixed her stance, closed her eyes, and tried to focus on what Nazaria was saying.
"Breathe" Nazaria spoke up
Nyssa took a deep breath and tried to do what Nazaria was saying, but was finding it harder done than said. After almost two minutes, she opened her eyes and stood back up straight, only to discover that the small plume that had been between her and Nazaria had disappeared
"I want you to do something for me" Nazaria said "Walk"
"What?"
"Walk towards me, as you normally do"
Nyssa hesitated slightly, but walked towards Nazaria like instructed. The priestess watched her intently and when they were two feet apart, Nyssa stopped
"Naturally, you take such a firm stance that it's impossible for anything to get through to you" Nazaria said while continuing to look at Nyssa "Stay here"
Nyssa watched as Nazaria walked down from the platform. She turned around and just watched the waterfall for a few moments before Nazaria returned with about eight books in hand
"Discard all your weapons to the side" Nazaria said as she walked back up the stairs
"Wait, why?"
"Because this exercise will help you. Your weapons will only slow you down"
While Nyssa took off her quiver, sword sheath, and other weapons from her person, Nazaria set the books down off to the side. When Nyssa had all her weapons to the edge of the platform, Nazaria approached her with a one of the books
"Put this on your head and walk"
"Is this for posture practice?"
"No, something else"
Nyssa took the book and put it on her head so she was balancing it perfectly. She looked at Nazaria and waited for further instructions, but the priestess only gestured to the open area in front of her. Nyssa took a few steps forward and as she did, she found that she had to adjust her posture a bit more to ensure that the book didn't fall, but soon, she was walking at a normal pace
"I don't understand the point of this" Nyssa confessed
"The way you are walking in makes you vulnerable, and you can't stop that. It looks powerful and dignified, but it's more open as well. The first step to mastering the dark element is to open yourself up so that you can fully understand how and why the element works in the ways it does" Nazaria said as she picked up another book "When I add another one, you will see that you have to adjust even more and it will make you even more open. As the number of books increase, so will your openness. When you are actually using the element, it is important to maintain a mindset and stance like the one you are currently in"
Nazaria moved forward and Nyssa lowered herself slightly so another book could be placed on her head. When it was on top of the other, Nyssa felt the weight shift but was able to quickly adjust. As she continued to walk and perfect her stance, Nazaria would add another book. Almost half an hour passed before they had reached the eight book total. When Nyssa turned back around after perfecting that stance, Nazaria smiled slightly
"Now that you have a good posture, I want you to try creating another plum, but this time, bigger" Nazaria instructed
"How big?" Nyssa asked
"Fill up that entire circle"
Nyssa looked down at the ground and at the circle that was in the dead center of the platform. It had a radius of at least six and a half feet so filling up the entire thing would definitely be a challenge. While Nyssa was starting to take her stance, Nazaria snuck behind her and pulled the books off her head. When she did, Nyssa kept her stance and kept on focusing on the circle ahead of her. She extended on hand and started to turn it to the side. As she did, the engravings in the outer border of the circle started to change to a pure shade of black, then the rest of the lines changed into the same shade. A wall of back mist slowly started to creep up from the outer border of the circle and into the air. As it kept rising, Nyssa felt herself hesitate slightly when seeing just how big and how uncontrollable it could get
"Remember, the darkness will only hurt you if you give it a reason to. Open your mind" Nazaria said from off to the side
Nyssa tried to focus on what she was saying and when she fixed her technique, the darkness almost seemed more controllable. When she had brought the column up and it touched the ceiling, a small gust of wind shot out in all directions from the top of it, causing the whole thing to slowly start to spin, but not move from it's original position
"You did it" Nazaria said "You're a natural"
"Thanks" Nyssa said as she released her stance, allowing for the column to fade out
"Now that we've established control, it's time to move onto using the darkness in more situations than when you're standing still" Nazaria said "And that's why I have this"
Nazaria reached into a small pocket in her long skirt and pulled out a small object that looked like a black onyx, but it was surrounded by a silvery blue border made of some type of metal with some engravings in it
"This" Nazaria said as she pinned it to the center of her chest like a broche "Is the death totem"
"Death totem?" Nyssa asked "D-Didn't the legends have possession of those?"
"Yes, they did" Nazaria said "After their battle with Mallus, Sara and the rest of the legends handed Amaya's future daughter, Kuasa, four of the six totems. Her job was protecting them, and as she is an old friend of mine, I explained our situation to her and she lent it to me for this purpose. Of course, I never could have found her without a certain someone's help"
"Who's this 'certain someone'?" Nyssa asked
"That remains a secret, at least until tomorrow. They wished to come see you"
"A-Alright…?"
"Now, we need to continue working" Nazaria said as she started walking down the staircase, Nyssa following close behind "In the way we are going to do this, I am going to play offensive, you defensive. You are only going to use darkness to defend yourself"
"What happens if I don't?"
"Well that's to be decided, but I may kick it up a notch every time I see another element besides darkness" Nazaria warned "Take your stance"
Nyssa took her stance as Nazaria walked to the other side of the entrance hall so they were around twenty five feet apart. Nazaria tapped the totem and was immediately surrounded by a silvery black aura that faded away after a few seconds. Nazaria stepped forward and shot her hand in front of her. Nyssa didn't expect the sudden attack of a silvery looking mist and was only able to create a barrier at the last second. By the time the barrier dropped, another one of Nazaria's shots was hurling towards her. It hit Nyssa straight on and she was sent flying back and crashing into a wall. While she was still in a daze and trying to regain the breath that had been knocked out of her, Nazaria started walking up towards her
"We'll work on blocks first, then offensive attacks. As we go, we'll incorporate aspects of control and forging with other elements, which, might I warn you can be very dangerous" Nazaria said
"Great" Nyssa groaned as she got up from the ground "How do I start?"
"Your stance"
-(=+=)-
"So how was school today?" Oliver asked as he took his seat at the island next to Nyssa and William
"Pretty good. It was a pretty easy day since we got out for break today" William replied "Kaida, Zoe and Monica are all trying to get together to go do something so me and my friends want to do something involving frogs"
"Certainly sounds like your group" Oliver chuckled before turning to Nyssa "You're pretty quiet"
"I like the quiet" Nyssa replied casually
"As I've noticed. How did things go in Finiks Jurf"
"Got everything done for today if that's what you mean" Nyssa replied "Although Nazaria's idea of training is questionable at times. I don't even remember how many times she sent me into that wall"
"What wall? What were you doing?" Oliver asked
"We're working more on training and to help me, she found an old friend who was in possession of the death totem. She used it to teach me about seven different block styles and a couple offensive moves but she said that the person who helped her find the totems is coming to Finiks Jurf tomorrow because they want to see me" Nyssa replied
"Any idea who it is?" William asked
"Not a clue" Nyssa replied "Beloved, you're up! How was your day?"
"Uneventful for the most part. Quentin brought in some good coffee today so he treated the council to some decent cups this morning" Oliver replied "Other than that, just meetings and paperwork"
"So, um, this is kind of last minute" William started "But, um, Jasper is going out of town for thanksgiving and he's leaving tomorrow morning"
"That's neat. Where's he going?" Oliver asked
"Somewhere in Tennessee to see some cousins" William replied "He's been looking for someone to watch his dog for the last six days and all the other people's he's tried have said no, so he went to one of his neighbors who's pretty sketchy and asked them. They agreed, but he's still uncertain and…..asked me if I could watch his dog…..do you think I could do it?"
"Is the dog house trained?" Oliver asked
"Yeah! He's about a year and a half old" William replied
"What breed?"
"Border Collie"
"So it sheds" Oliver muttered
"Yeah, but I can vacuum if need be and Jasper said that if you just brush his coat through every morning, then his shedding goes down a lot" William said
"And how long would you be watching him?" Nyssa asked
"Until Sunday Afternoon" William said "So about five days. Jasper would bring over everything we need to take care of him and if we end up needing to buy something while they're away, Jasper said he'd repay us. So do you think I could watch him? Pleeeease?"
"I mean" Oliver started "I don't see why you couldn't, just take care of him and on Thursday, keep him in check or in the cage because there will be a lot of people here, at least, more than usual. Nys?"
"I don't think I'd be a problem" Nyssa replied "But do take note of what your father said"
"So I can watch him?" William asked excitedly
"Yes buddy, you can watch his dog" Oliver replied
"Yes! I'm going to go call him so he doesn't have to worry!" William said as he sprung up from his stool and out of the room "Thank you!"
"How do you think this is going to turn out?" Nyssa asked
"William's a responsible kid, I think he'll do just fine" Oliver replied "Besides, he's been hinting at wanting a pet for the past few months"
"Yes, that hasn't gone unnoticed"
"This could be a good test for him. Maybe if all goes well, we consider getting him a pet" Oliver started "A low maintenance one since we're all out of the house all day"
"That would definitely be interesting" Nyssa said with a small nod
"Dad! Mom!" William said as he ran into the room "Jasper's going to drop off Caspian tonight! He'll be here in fifteen minutes!"
"Caspian?" Oliver asked
"Yeah, that's the name of his dog but he calls him Cas for short" William replied
"Okay, okay that's fine just figure out where you're going to keep everything while he's here" Oliver said
"I'll go do that!" William said as he ran out of the room once again
"This is going to be interesting" Nyssa muttered
"I'll say. I've never had a dog before. You?" Oliver asked
"Once, when I was six" Nyssa started "My father made me kill it. It was an adorable little black lab. I love that little animal for the few months I had him"
"That certainly wasn't the direction I was expecting that to go in" Oliver replied as he stood up from the counter "I'm going to start in on the dishes. Can you make sure that William's got all of this under control"
"Yeah, I can do that" Nyssa replied as she also got up
"Good luck with excited William" Oliver chuckled
"Beloved, he's my son. I know how to handle this" Nyssa said with a small laugh as she left to go find out where William had run off to exactly
-(=+=)-
"There here!" William said as he ran down the stairs after hearing a knock on the door
William quickly ran to the door with his parents behind him a bit. He unlocked it and opened up one of the French doors to see Jasper standing outside with his parents, a large supply of pet related things, and a large border collie on a blue leash that looked rather excited
"Jasper!" William greeted "Is this Caspian?"
"Yeah, this is Cas" Jasper replied "He's really excited actually"
"I can tell. Want to come inside?"
"Sure!"
William stepped aside, allowing Jasper and his parents to both walk inside. While Jasper and William immediately ran off with Caspian, his parents stayed behind with Oliver and Nyssa
"Hi, Jared Kingston" The man greeted as he shook Oliver and Nyssa's hands "This is my wife, Marie"
"Nice to meet you both" Oliver said in a rather mayor like smile that seemed to satisfy both the Kingstons.
"Thank you so much for watching Caspian. Jasper's been having such a hard time finding someone reliable to watch him while we're gone" Jared said
"It's not a problem at all. Glad we could help out, in fact, this is a really good opportunity for William. He's been slipping in little 'reminders' that he wants a pet of some sort" Oliver replied
"Well glad we could help out with William's test" Marie said "Should we go find our boys and make sure they're not getting into too much trouble?"
"Yes, that would probably be best" Oliver replied
Oliver led the way into the dining room, where they saw William and Jasper playing with Caspian in the open area. Both the boys stopped what they were doing and turned their attention towards the adults while Caspian seemed to do the same, dropping his toy and sitting still while his leash laid loosely to the side
"So is this where you're going to set him up?" Oliver asked
"Yeah, Jasper says that Caspian has a cage that he usually sleeps in so we can set that up in this corner along with his food bowls and other things" William replied
"How about you two go get the cage out of the back of the car" Jared recommended
"Okay, can we leave Cas here?" Jasper asked
"Yeah, he'll be fine" Oliver replied
"C'mon William! You have got to see this cage!" Jasper expressed as they ran back towards the front door
"I'm coming!" William laughed "Hey, we should FaceTime Zoe and show her this! She loves dogs!"
"Yeah, score yourself some lady points with my dog are you?" Jasper teased before they ran out the door
"Those two" Marie laughed "I hope they stay like that forever"
"Yeah, college payment is going to become a real pain" Jared said with a small whistle, then a laugh "But it shouldn't be a problem for you guys. Bet you can't wait to see William continue the Queen legacy as important public figures"
"We just want him to be happy and successful, not matter what he does" Nyssa spoke up, for the first time
"Those are always the best intentions" Jared said
While the adults continued to talk, Caspian sat in the middle of the open area of the dining room. His dark eyes darted from side to side, taking in everything that was new. New was exciting, but also new people and there were three new people to play with in one place! One looked tall and wore a large smile while laughing with his older owners, but the other at his side seemed super shy almost. Although they were silent, they seemed nice. A better greeting wouldn't hurt
"Yeah, so we have a rotation for family get togethers and for this holiday, we're all gathering in Nashville to see my brother and his family" Jared explained "So what are you guys doing for the holidays?"
"Well we have some people that we usually invite over; friends, family, and some others" Oliver replied "But since we have a larger house this year, we're definitely going to-"
Oliver didn't get to finish his sentence before the sound of quick scampering caught everyone's attention. There was barely any time to react before Caspian launched himself up into the air and straight towards Nyssa. He pushed her back down to the floor while she tried to block him, but Nyssa was only greeted by a bunch of licks to the face
"Oliver!" Nyssa said while trying to get Caspian off her and blocking his kisses
"Caspian!" Jared said as he pulled the dog's collar back "I'm really sorry about that. He doesn't usually launch himself like that"
"It's fine" Nyssa said as she took Oliver's hand and stood up from the ground "I'm going to go wash all of….this off"
"We'll take care of Cas" Oliver said as Nyssa started walking towards the stairs
Nyssa quickly walked up the stairs while trying not to cringe at all the dog slobber on her face and hands. She stepped into her and Oliver's bathroom and immediately started to wash all of it off. When it felt like it was all off, Nyssa rested her hands on the edge of the sink and looked in the mirror while her face was still dripping wet. A shorter piece of hair had fallen down in the center of her left eye and when she tried to blow it off to the side, it was only pushed up before it stick to the front of her face. It was going to be a long week, that much could already be told
-(=+=)-
It had been an hour and a half since Jasper and his parents left the Queen household, making the place just that much quieter. William and Jasper had set up everything for Caspian and had gone over a schedule and basic care guidelines. Since it was now the break, William was occupied with Caspian and a very competitive game of tug a war. While he was downstairs in the dining room, Nyssa and Oliver were both upstairs in their bedroom. Oliver was reading the book that he had fallen asleep reading the previous night while Nyssa sat near the foot of the bed reading over somethings that Elena had written out for some coordination missions coming up in the next week
"So" Oliver started while the room was quiet, only lit by the two bedside lamps "I was thinking about our guest list for Thanksgiving"
"Yes?"
"And I wanted to run this by you because it may be a more….sensitive topic….?"
"Beloved, you're starting to babble" Nyssa said while not looking up from her papers
"So in addition to the people we normally invite; Rene, Zoe, Curtis, Thea….there's two, maybe three others I'd like to invite"
"Well who are they?"
Oliver sat up straight, scooted to the end of the bed where Nyssa was, and whispered the three names into her ear. When he pulled away, she looked at him with a puzzled look and a bit of concern
"I understand the first two, but why the third? Are you sure that's a good idea after what happened last time?" Nyssa asked
"I'm positive. I think something's changed"
"I trust you. If you think they really have changed, then I'm behind you on this"
"Well then" Oliver started "This is definitely going to be an interesting Thanksgiving"
Author's Note: This is really off my normal schedule, but I needed a small break/refresher from Queens and Assassins plus I was getting excited about uploading this chapter. Normal schedule should be back soon