Kaylin hated mirrors. She hated them with a passion she was certain the wise would reserve for other things. Kaylin, however, had never been accused of bring wise. She forced herself to get up at some bleary-eyed hour of too-damn-early-in-the-morning to answer the call. Helen's reflection stared back at her.
"Lord Grammayre is awake, dear," Helen said, driving the sleep from Kaylin. Her familiar flew over to settle on her shoulder.
"Truly?" Kaylin asked after swallowing hard.
"I am," the Hawklord said, moving into the frame, "recovered. Your Helen, however, is disinclined to allow me to leave without your permission." Kaylin flushed at her lord's tone.
"I'll come now," she offered. Her lord frowned at her.
"There's no need," he replied cooly, his eyes more blue than grey.
"We haven't apprehended the suspects in your attack," Kaylin told him quietly. "Please don't return to the Aerie yet." The Hawklord held her eyes silently for a long minute.
"I will allow you to examine me now," he replied at length, making Kaylin nod. She knew that was as much of a compromise as she was going to get from him.
"I'm on my way." She reached out and broke the connection.
"You are having dinner with the Emperor this evening, I believe," Lord Nightshade commented as she almost ran into him in the doorway. She stumbled back a step and forced herself to nod without offering him the Leontine that reminder deserved. He, of course, heard it anyway. "I will, nonetheless, require you return here afterwards. You are not yet ready for an Imperial Ball." Kaylin, who felt she would never be ready for an Imperial Ball, nodded again. "Tender my regards to Lord Grammayre," he continued, earning a third nod as she tried not to shift impatiently. He smiled slightly, then reached forward, holding her in place as he bent down to kiss her. He was, really, too damn good at that. Kaylin was grateful when he drew back, because she wasn't sure she could. "I will see you later." Kaylin nodded again, because speech was now beyond her for a completely different reason. She hit the portal at a run and her happiness at the Hawklord's recovery was almost enough to drive the nausea back. She hadn't made it three strides before Andellen fell into step beside her.
"Don't you ever sleep?" She questioned as they ran. The light from the moons was bright enough for her to see the raised brow that question earned her. Which was fair, it had been a stupid question. The Baranni Hawks didn't need it either. All thoughts of annoying Baranni who didn't need sleep were driven from her mind as they passed a couple of the fieflord's guards facing a feral. She almost stumbled in her surprise. "What's going on?"
"Lord Nightshade has assigned patrols to the fief," Andellen replied, not having the decency to sound winded. Kaylin, knowing they didn't need help with a single feral, had to force herself to keep running anyway. She mulled that over for a few minutes.
Thank you, she said reaching out to the fieflord.
You're welcome, Nightshade replied. She and Andellen had made it to the bridge now. They crossed it without issue and headed through the city to Helen. The few people who were out made way for the running Baranni, so it didn't take long.
"Kaylin," Helen greeted as soon as she stepped through the gate.
"Where is he?" Kaylin replied.
"In the parlour, dear," Helen replied, following her in. "Teela was here when he woke up and wanted to speak with him." Kaylin nodded. Teela, as the ranking investigative officer in the case, was no doubt making her report. "Yes dear," Helen agreed, opening the door for her. Kaylin froze for a moment on the threshold. There he was standing, looking, to her eyes, as beautiful as he had seven years ago when she had first climbed his Tower. He turned towards the door and met her eyes. His eyes were almost a Baranni blue, a colour Kaylin hated to see on Aerians. Kaylin hardly even noticed Andellen follow her in.
"Private Neya," the Hawklord greeted in High Baranni, then, seeing her expression, shifted his wings, "fledgling." Kaylin knew that tone, that arch of his wings. She ran over and threw herself into his arms, trembling as his wings came down around them. She stood in a cocoon of perfect white feathers, not even bothering to hide her tears. He knew her better than she knew herself, so there really was no point.
"Don't do that again," Kaylin whispered into his chest. He cradled her face in his hands, careful to avoid Nightshade's mark, and kissed her brow, his eyes now a soft grey. Kaylin closed her eyes and accepted it like the benediction it was, to her. As she had grown up, these moments had become increasingly rare, but feeling his heart beating steadily beneath her hand, Kaylin could finally believe that he had survived. "I can't loose you."
"You eventually will," he replied, because he didn't often lie to her, "to old age, if nothing else. However, thanks to your healing, not this time." She nodded, not quite ready to let go. He waited until her hands unclenched on his shirt, before lowering his wings again. When Kaylin glanced around, the room was empty.
"Yes, dear," said Helen's voice, without her accompanying body. "Teela thought it best to give you two privacy."
"Private," the Hawklord began again, forcing Kaylin to step back and, after a deep breath, salute.
"Sir."
"Report." Kaylin frowned. Hadn't Teela already done that?
"Sir," she began, but then the door opened and Teela, Tain, and Andellen entered.
"Forgive the interruption, Lord Grammayre," Teela said, walking forward and offering her own salute. Tain saluted in silence. Kaylin wondered when he had arrived.
"Just now, dear," Helen replied, following the Baranni in. "I'll get some food for you and Lord Grammayre, once you've finished your report," Helen continued, answering Kaylin's thoughts, if not her words. Kaylin nodded.
"Lord Andellen," the Hawklord greeted. Kaylin's eyebrows shot up and she wondered when they had met. The very blue-eyed fieflord's guard came forward and bowed.
"Lord Grammayre."
"I understand from Corporal Danelle that you have been attending the investigation."
"With Lord Kaylin's permission, yes." That made four pairs of blue eyes swing her way.
"He's not involved in the attack. Neither is Nightshade. We have a likely suspect for the Arcanist and are waiting for identification from Moran on an accomplice," Kaylin defended.
"You were at Lord Nightshade's tonight?" Kaylin tried to keep the blush from her cheeks and knew she failed when the Hawklord's eyes darkened. He shifted, folding his wings more tightly behind him. Kaylin wanted to dig a hole and hide, knowing how well he could read her.
"Yes, sir."
"A social visit." Kaylin wanted to cringe, but forced herself to stand at attention and answer.
"Yes, sir."
"Corporal Danelle tells me that you are attending an Imperial Ball in three days time."
"Yes, sir." At his raised brow, Kaylin elaborated. "Nightshade - Lord Nightshade -" she corrected, before Andellen could, "is teaching me to dance. The Arkon suggested it."
"I will not question the Arkon's actions in this," the Hawklord conceded. "You will be attending as Lord Nightshade's guest?" Kaylin nodded, thankful he hadn't said Consort.
"Lord Nightshade felt that having me arrive on my own would draw more attention than we want to me." The Hawklord considered the matter before nodding.
"Very well. I will not suggest you change your plans." Kaylin wanted to sag with relief, glad that part of the conversation was over. "Corporal Danelle also informed me about your recent introduction to your father."
"Yes, sir."
"Keep me appraised of any further developments," he instructed.
"Yes, sir." He glanced over them all before turning to Teela.
"I will leave the investigation in your hands, Corporal Danelle," he concluded.
"Yes, sir," Teela accepted cooly. They made their way to the dinning room where they found the rest of Kaylin's guests having breakfast. Having a houseful of Immortal guests for whom sleep was a strange human idiosyncrasy meant that you could run into people at any time of the day or night. Kaylin sat down and began eating.
"Your brother is working on laws for the fief," Kaylin told Annarion. His eyes, predictably, darkened at the mention of his brother.
"Any interesting ones?" Mandoran asked into Annarion's silence. The rest of the table didn't even bother pretending they weren't listening to the conversation. Kaylin shrugged.
"Considering it took him more than six thousand words to say 'don't steal,' I haven't read them all." Kaylin grimaced at the memory. Teela snorted. "He's also got patrols out hunting ferals," Kaylin continued.
"Thank you for telling me, Lord Kaylin," Annarion said stiffly with a glance at Andellen.
"Oh, and he told me to say hi to you for him," Kaylin added, turning to the Hawklord.
"You're paraphrasing," the Hawklord replied. Kaylin shrugged because it was true.
"He said to send his regards," Kaylin tried again. This time, the Hawklord nodded.
"Please thank him - politely - for his concern." Teela snorted at the instructions. Kaylin, despite being the one to have brought the fieflord up, decided to change the topic.
"So how do we find an Arcanist on the run without involving the Wolves?" She asked Teela around a mouthful of food. The Hawks really were an investigative branch of the Halls of Law and Kaylin had no real experience in hunting criminals except if they resisted arrest. That was why she could run a four-minute mile.
"He'd be stupid if he returned to his house," Teela pointed out with a shrug, "so we should probably start with the Arcanium."
"There's been a lot of stupid in this case," Tain commented. Teela snorted, her eyes lightening.
"Moran's identification of the accomplice just arrived," Helen announced. "She's currently in her custody." Which pretty much settled that. Kaylin wolfed down the last of her food and got to her feet.
"Alright, let's get going."
"Not like that, you're not," Teela commented, making Kaylin glance down. She'd completely forgotten that she was still wearing the damn dress from the day before. At least she'd gotten used to moving in it.
"Right. I'll be right back," Kaylin told her. Helen came over and followed Kaylin up the stairs and into her room. The familiar bit her when she poked him before consenting to settle on her bed while she changed. Kaylin pulled off her dress and splashed some water on her face. "What is it, Helen?"
"Kaylin," Helen began tentatively. It was enough to make Kaylin pause, her hand hovering above the shirt she had been about to pick up. "If you intend to be Lord Nightshade's lover," Kaylin blushed fiercely at the term, but she knew that somehow over the last few days that had become a distinct possibility, "I can connect our mirrors so that you and he can travel between here and his Castle without difficulty."
"You would do that?"
"If you like, dear."
"You don't need to," Kaylin told her quickly. "I can go there the normal way." She knew Helen had been hurt by the fieflord in the past and didn't want to be the reason Helen was hurt now. It was different, when he came to visit Annarion.
"I would also like to heal," Helen told her, surprising Kaylin, yet again. "He harmed me, yes, but... I can only see a little of your recent interactions with him," Kaylin blushed hard at the thought of what she might see. "Not a great deal, dear. You can, when you choose, keep things private from me." This surprised Kaylin. She knew that others, like Severn, could hide things from Helen, but it had never occurred to her that she could. "Yes, of course, dear, but I think we're rather drifting from the point. You believe in him and I am willing to trust your judgement in this."
"Are you sure?" Kaylin asked.
"Yes, of course, dear. His Tower, like the High Halls, is secure. I would not have offered, otherwise." Kaylin swallowed, but, forcing herself to acknowledge that most people would already consider her his lover even if they hadn't had sex yet, nodded.
"Thank you."
"I want you to be comfortable, here, dear. I will make my peace with your Lord Nightshade so that you can be." Kaylin wanted to object that he wasn't her Lord Nightshade, but wasn't entirely certain that at the moment she could. Which made her blush again. Dammit. She got dressed in a hurry and almost tumbled down the stairs in her rush. Helen altered the stairs so she wouldn't actually fall. The Hawklord was waiting at the foot of the stairs with Teela, Tain, Andellen and Bellusdeo: or what had become their ordinary investigative team. Kaylin ignored the ache in her chest at the fact that Severn wasn't among them. Her familiar, in a rare display of affection, butted his head against her cheek. They were on the street again, the first hints of dawn acknowledging that morning had, in fact, come, when it occurred to her.
"Did you, um," Kaylin began. Bellusdeo snorted smoke in her direction.
"I told the Palace that I'd be going Dragon, yes," she replied. Suiting words to actions, she shifted.
"I will meet you there," the Hawklord declared, spreading his wings. Kaylin watched him take flight in silence, captivated, as she hadn't been in years, by the beauty of his flight. A sharp elbow in the ribs from Teela was her reward. Kaylin let loose a volley of Leontine and then, recollecting herself, nudged her familiar. He bit her finger, but flew to the ground and transformed without further complaint. Kaylin climbed on and a heartbeat later Teela settled behind her. Teela didn't let the silence last.
"What," Teela asked, sounding irritated enough that Kaylin didn't need to turn to see her eye colour, "did I say about getting close to Nightshade, kitling?" Kaylin, with her fallible, mortal memory, couldn't remember.
"It's a bad idea?" She replied with a shrug, because that seemed to be the gist of all of their discussions about him. Teela snorted.
"It is," the Baranni Hawk affirmed. "That was not, however, what I was referring to." Kaylin really couldn't think of anything else, making Teela sigh. "Let me guess: he has shown you some weakness and so you have - like the idiot you are - dropped your guard around him." Kaylin grimaced. And blushed. Dropped her guard was one way of putting it.
"Teela, it wasn't fake."
"No, of course not. That wouldn't work on you. That does not change the fact that it was a deliberate move on his part." Kaylin, realizing she couldn't argue that, simply shrugged.
"He's not a monster, Teela. I'm not sure there's anything he wouldn't do for Annarion. I can't hate him, anymore, and Teela, I don't want to."
"I'm not telling you to hate him, I'm telling you to exercise caution." This time Teela was the one who sighed. "I don't know why I bother. It's not like you even know how to be cautious at the best of times." Kaylin opened her mouth to protest - because she was always trying to be careful - but Teela cut her off. "Do not even try to deny it."
"He doesn't intend to hurt me, Teela," Kaylin told her instead, knowing her sense of caution would never satisfy Teela, because they'd argued about it so many times before.
"If you're sure, kitling," Teela eventually yielded. "In the meantime, we have a case and you have dinner with the Emperor this evening." Kaylin wilted at the reminder. "Try not to fall asleep in your food, hmm?" Teela prodded because she had, of course, done it before.
"Why do I have to be there?" Kaylin tried not to whine, but only ended up making Teela chuckle.
"You're the host."
"Not a very good one," she grumbled. Kaylin could feel Teela's nod. She grimaced. "Teela, I'm nervous enough without you adding to it. You could, you know, support me."
"You want me to lie to you?" The familiar laughed, more a roar than a hiss at this size, making Kaylin's shoulders droop.
"Never mind," Kaylin replied.