06/12/02 What do you mean, 'we
need all the help we can get'?!
Ah sleeping in. How I love thee. Let me count the ways....actually let's not and say I did. A low rumble from my left made me look over at the three dragons that were sprawled out on top of the dresser, and I couldn't help but snicker at the sight of Korin on his back, all four legs lifted high into the air. Calling the sight 'odd' simply didn't cut it, it was plain funny. Of course, since my sense of humour was still sleeping, I figured that I'd simply poke fun at him later. For now, I just wanted to snuggle up to the heat source next to me and pretend that the outside world didn't exist for another two or three hours.
Silly me. I should have known better.
As Blackwargreymon purred and moved closer to me in his sleep - he was really pushing that line between snuggling and hentainess - the peacock hued form that was lying on the dresser twisted it's head around and looked at me with curious sky blue eyes, a draconic grin spreading over his face when he saw I was awake.
::G'morning, Elfy!::
Gah. Kalamadea.... s'too early.
::It's almost ten!::
That's what I said. It's too early!
::Hmpft. Lazy.::
I ain't takin' no sass from an overgrown lizard. Thus announced, I rolled over and pulled the blanket over my head.
::Mommy?::
I groaned. When one dragon wakes up, they all wake up. I tried to block them out by starting to sing the Spiderman theme song in my head, but when my sleep addled mind turned 'look, over head' to 'he gives radioactive head' I decided that I probably should stop before anything leaked through the Bond to the still sleeping Digimon....
....or before Kalamadea laughed himself to death.
Well, now that my mind was enjoying it's newfound place in the gutter, I figured that I might as well try to get up. 'Try' being the operative word. First I had to get away from Black. It's not that easy to free oneself from the arms of a Digimon that's just pinned you in a bear hug. Luckily, the wonders of whacking people with pillows until they let you go worked perfectly....unless you counted that fact that I now had to deal with an annoyed and awake Digimon.
"'Shana? What in the world's are you trying to do?"
"I'm trying to get you to let go--ack!" The last bit was because while I was in the process of pulling myself free, he chuckled and merely let go, letting me tumble off the bed to become one with the floor. Oh yeah, this was going to be a loooong day. "I need coffee."
Another low chuckle drew my attention to the Digimon that was leaning over the side of the bed and looking down at me in amuzement. "Happy now?" he grinned as he slouched on his right side and propped his head up on his right fist. I debated hitting him with something. Fortunately for him, I was distracted by the three forms that had just glomped me.
::ELFY!:: I winced. I still hadn't been able to break them of their habit of all three of them yelling into my thoughts at the same time.
Softly, littlings. I groaned and slowly sat up, not liking how my neck ached at the moment. "Korin, get off my head."
::Sorry!:: he grinned, extending emerald wings to glide over to the bed and burrow into a pile of blankets. Damn, I'd never be able to get him out of there now....
::Isn't it time for breakfast?:: Akhor asked as he turned pleading golden eyes to me. He knew I had a weakness for that puppy look, and damned if he didn't use that trick on me on a daily basis.
"Fine, fine. Just let me get off the floor first," I sighed, smiling when Black automatically reached out with his free arm to effortlessly lift me to my feet before pulling me back into bed. "You do realise this whole thing started because I wanted to get out of bed, right?"
"Oh I realise that," he smirked as he brushed his cheek against mine, a low purr leaving him. "But I also know that you love me and that you'll put up with me if I keep you here a little while longer."
I smiled and leaned against him, closing my eyes as he hugged me. It had been a little over two weeks since Telca and I had 'returned from the dead', and while things had pretty much gone back to whatever passed as normality around here, the Guys were still a little overwhelmed at what had happened. Hell, if someone had stepped out of a portal a month after I had seen them die, I'd have problems not glomping them in joy every five minutes too.
Unfortunately for Black, there were three dragons that wanted to be fed. And they wanted to be fed now.
"OW!!" I jerked back in shock at the Digimon's yelp and blinked when he roughly threw the covers aside, making me reaffirm my adoration of him in boxers before I saw the green dragon that had it's teeth embedded in his right calf.
Why you little... "Korin!! Let go of him this instant!" I yelled, glaring at him when he worked his fangs a little deeper into Black's flesh before pulling away.
While I busied myself with trying to keep Blackwargreymon from throwing things at the dragon, Kalamadea took it upon himself as the oldest of the trio to smack Korin, which of course drew Akhor's attention, which then resulted in the fact that Black and I had to leave our bed or risk being pulled into the hissing, biting and clawing fight that was now taking place in the middle of the mattress.
"They're not rabid....right?" my Bonded asked me as he propped his foot up on a chair and examined the bite mark on his leg. I was too busy slamming my head against a wall to notice.
~*~
By the time I had finished my frantic search of the closet for a clean pair of jeans, separated the trio, Healed Blacky, restrained Blacky from punting Korin out a window and then restrained Korin from biting Blacky again, it was well past eleven am. Needless to say that when I finally managed to get to the Kitchen, not only was I in desperate need of caffeine, but I was also in need of an Excedrin or three.
And as usual, the Kitchen was a warzone.
I ducked a flying muffin and reached back to snatch Kalamadea out of the air before a thrown fork hit him, cradling him in my arms as I sighed and waded into the fray. It surprised me to some extent to see Kang cooking breakfast while half a dozen Guys sat at the island counter and inhaled the food as fast as he could set it out, but the smell of fresh coffee quickly fwaped that surprise aside and took over.
::Weren't you supposed to feed us?:: Kalamadea yelped as I shoved my way over to the coffee machine, punting Zelgadis out of the way as I did so.
"Caffeine before food," I replied as I relocated him to my left shoulder, secured my favorite mug and filled it with the precious, precious coffee.
"Lashana!"
"Huh? Ack!" I juggled the mug as someone glomped me, the three dragons that were clinging to my shirt hissing in annoyance as arms and wings envelloped me, and I wailed in dismay when the coffee mug slipped through my fingers...
~I've got it.~
...then grinned as a blue aura caught it and lifted it back into my hands. "Thanks 'Two." I looked up at a sheepish Kang and rolled my eyes. "Y'know, a simple 'good morning' would suffice."
"Where's the fun in that?" he chuckled as he gave me a final hug before pulling away to let me drink my coffee. "You want breakfast?"
"Mm. Please. An put a few extra pieces of bacon and sausages on for Kalamadea and Korin, would you?"
"Sure thing. I think there's still a piece of leftover salmon in the fridge," he told me as I relieved myself of Akhor by simply relocating him to the draconian's right shoulder before I handed my mug of coffee to Mewtwo and headed for the fridge.
"Ya want help, darlin'? It's rather fiesty today," Wolverine said as he and Nightcrawler watched me approach the appliance.
"S'okay. I'm good," I smiled. Now, it isn't the fridge itself that everyone's a little leery of, it's the thing that lives inside the fridge that we have to watch out for. Last time someone didn't use the utmost caution, a tentacle seemingly made from leftover potato salad and ham had wrapped around their throat and tried to pull them into the fridge. Luckily, Telca an I had put the utmost fear of females into whatever lived in there, so it usually left the two of us alone.
There were gasps of fright as I opened the door, watching impassively as half a dozen tendrils shots out and made as if to grab me before freezing in place. I arched an eyebrow at it. It shuddered and retreated into the back of the fridge. The Guys behind me gaped in shock as I calmly reached in and rummaged around the fresh leftovers before claiming my prize and slamming the door shut.
"I will never understand how she does that, dude," Nightcrawler muttered to a chuckling Mewtwo as I opened the tuperware container and used a fork to break the fillet of salmon into small pieces.
"It's elementary Fuzzy," Duncan grinned. "It remembers what she did to it last time. I've never seen someone actually beat up a fridge before."
"What can I say? I have many hidden talents," I smirked as I walked over to the small table near the patio door and set the bowl down. "Okay Akhor. Go for it." I ducked as a white form shot past me and went to retrieve my mug, sighing as I slid onto a free stool next to Mewtwo. "Did we get the newspaper?"
~No,~ the pokemon reported as he took a sip from his own mug of coffee. ~That's the fifth day in a row that it hasn't been delivered.~
"Can't blame the guy. Not after what the trio did to him," Zelgadis pointed out with a smirk.
I chuckled and nodded as Kalamadea and Korin hopped off my shoulders and landed on the countertop. I remembered well the screams from that poor human when the trio had divebombed him and proceeded to engage him in a tug-of-war for his delivery bag. It didn't help one bit that the human possessed a rather large phobia of snakes. We found that little tidbit out when I had sent Malcho out to stop the yelling. I never knew males of any species could reach that level of screaming.
"I'll try to call the newspaper delivery service later today," I said as I watched Korin try to beg Wolverine for the rest of his bacon while Kalamadea rolled his eyes and stayed close to Mewtwo and I. "'Sides, y'all could always just go online."
~They don't have my comics.~
I snickered into my mug for a moment before looking over at a still quiet Xellos. This was unusual. Xellos, being calm and quiet. It made me nervous. "What did you do?"
He looked at me and smiled, raising a hand to wag a finger in front of his face. "Sore wa himitsu desu, Knight-Sama!"
Bedamned Mazoku. "Don't give me that crap, Xel," I growled, seeing him crack an eye partially open to look at me curiously. "Out with it."
He leered. "Out with what, exactly?"
I shuddered. "Kang?"
"On it. FIREBALL!!!" I nodded to the draconian in thanks as the fruitcake went flying out the open patio doors. The appreciation didn't last long considering that Xel rebounded off a tree, then richoched off a chair, the lawn and a rock before soaring through the doors and landing right back in his chair.
I groaned and rose a hand to cover my eyes. "It'll never end...."
Mewtwo was kind enough to give me a reassuring pat on the back. ~Drink your coffee.~ That was his solution to everything. Coffee. Well, that and Cherry Pepsi. Never thought a pokemon could get hooked on Cherry Pepsi....
A loud belch from the direction of the table made me grimace. "Akhor, excuse yourself."
::Hehe, sorry.::
"Ne, Knight-Sama?"
"What Xel?"
"You're going to have a visitor today! He's a friend of mine!" I lowered my hand and looked at the disturbingly grinning Mazoku in wary fear. A friend of his? Oh Lords.... what monstrosity were we going to end up with?
I thought Zelgadis summed my thoughts up rather nicely. "NO!!!"
While Korin glomped Nightcrawler, Kalamadea shivered and tried to burrow into my arms. ::Not another freak....::
"Aw...why not?" Xellos didn't seem to realize that that pouting look only worked on me if it was coming from someone I actually liked.
"Because we value what's left 'o our sanity," Wolverine growled. "Ya ain't bringin' any other Mazoku in here, bub. No way."
"But it's too late! He's already on his way!" The Mazoku turned to me, opening his eyes fully to meet my gaze. "And it's very important that you meet him, Knight-Sama."
"I'll introduce myself before I fire a Dragon Slave at him," I promised before taking another drink of my coffee, quirking an eyebrow when Wolverine and Kang bodily threw the fruitcake out of the Kitchen. "Thanks Guys."
"You're not worried?" Nightcrawler asked in obvious shock.
"Should I be?"
~Yes,~ Mewtwo frowned. ~Didn't you hear him? He's invited another Mazoku here! There's no telling what we'll end up with.~
I sighed and set my mug down. "Well, according to L-Sama, I outrank everyone except her in the Mazoku power hierarchy. And since I really don't think she'd lie to me, I'm not too terribly worried."
"And if what he invited isn't Mazoku?" Kang asked as he set a plate of food in front of me, sighing when Kalamadea and Korin immediately swarmed my breakfast.
I shrugged and reached into the draconic fray to steal a piece of bacon. "I improvise." They shuddered. I mean, honestly, just because my 'improvisations' usually include a Dragon Slave, a baseball bat and an AK-47, it doesn't mean they have to get such a look of fear on their faces! Yeesh. "Uh...Kang? Since there's a dragon sitting on my pancakes....can I get another breakfast? Just toast and bacon would be fine."
He blinked at me, then slowly nodded. "Uh...yeah. Sure. You're really not worried?"
"Ask me again and I'll throw a stale muffin at you," I muttered as I poked Korin aside and grabbed a piece of bacon.
"Who's throwing what at who now?"
I blinked and looked over at the other Avatar that lived in the insanity I call the Palace. "Heyla Telca. What, Remy isn't attached to your hip today?"
She stuck her tongue out at me and darted around Kang to steal the plate of food he had been making for me. "Like you're one to talk. Where's the turtle?"
"Upstairs, and he's not a turtle." I still didn't understand how she thought Blacky looked like a turtle. I suppose it was one of those unsolvable mysteries. Like where all the socks went when we did the laundry. "That's my breakfast you just stole."
"Is it? Sorry. But I'm hungry. Kang'll make more, won't you, Kang?" She sat on a stool next to me and sent a sickly sweet smile in the dracos direction.
He flicked his tongue over his fangs and grumbled out something in his native draconian language. I didn't understand it, but whatever it was, it sounded colourful. I sighed and placated myself with playing tug of war with Kalamadea for a piece of sausage.
::I'm a growing dragon! I need my food!:: the peacock hued dragon hissed into my thoughts, flashes of red and orange punctuating his words. I rolled my eyes and merely lifted the piece of food into the air, eyeing the dragon that was now dangling by his fang-hold on the sausage.
~He's definately from your side of the family,~ Mewtwo told me as he joined me in staring at the hatchling in barely veiled amuzement.
Telca snickered. "He's certainly got Elfy's stubbornness down pact, doesn't he?"
I looked at her. "Hello? Pot? This is the kettle returning your call."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. At least Mischief isn't stupid enough to eat Duncan's cooking."
Korin ducked his head slightly. ::I only did that once! I didn't know it would make me sick!:: Ah yes. That had been a not-so-fun night. Dragons and food poisoning didn't mix.
"Uh huh. Suuure. Ack!" The burgundy haired sorceress ducked as Akhor did a close flyby past her head before he landed on my left shoulder, crooning in pure contentment as he curled himself around the back my neck. "Lashana. You have a pair of eyes in your hair."
I relented in trying to get anything from the bottomless pit known as Kalamadea and set the dragon back down before snickering. "He blends in well with my hair, doesn't he? Scared the living daylights out of Zelgadis a few days ago. Eh Zel?"
The chimera smirked and gave me the one finger salute before going to refill his coffee mug. Ah yes, life was back to normal. I grinned and leaned against Mewtwo, tilting my head back to meet his amuzed gaze. "So what're y'all planning for today?"
The pokemon chuckled and curled his tail around my waist. ~Personally, I'm going to log some time in the Danger Room. I've let myself slip.~
"We always knew your sanity would slide away, Purple," Telca smirked, not even phased by the nasty glare he sent her. I rolled my eyes and looked over at Kang as he handed me a plate of bacon, sausages, toast and eggs.
"What part of 'just toast and bacon' didn't you get?" I asked as I eyed the enourmous amount of food.
"What? You barely eat anything. With all the energy you burn off flinging spells around, it's a miracle you and Telca manage to stay healthy!" I rolled my eyes and munched on a piece of toast, letting him continue his rant for a bit longer. "And you can't just live off of coffee and chocolate, you're a fighter, you need decent food!"
I exchanged glances with Telca and shrugged. Sure, we burned a lot of energy using our magicks and getting into fights, but what the draconian didn't know about was that we had stashes of food all around the Palace.
"Dude, chill," Nightcrawler grinned, watching the draconian work himself into a rant that even I would be proud of. "She's eating already. Yeesh. You want me to bamf down to Beast's lab and get you some Valium?"
"No I don't want Valium," the draco grumbled, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned back against the counter and looked at Telca and I. I arched an eyebrow at him quizzically and made a grand show of sinking my fangs into a sausage, hearing Telca's insane laugh when the draconian winced.
~Lashana, don't be perverted around the dragons,~ Mewtwo scolded me. Silly him, didn't he realize that I'd corrupted the dragons a long time ago? They were linked to my mind after all. I suppose that explained why they were laughing at Kang like they were. Oh, look, draconians could blush. Hehe.
So while Kang grumbled and cursed and generally acted like a spoiled male, I let Kalamadea and Korin help me eat my breakfast. It didn't surprise me at all that they had just finished a lumberjack's breakfast and were still hungry. It did surprise me that they weren't waddling yet, but that was about as far as my surprise factor went these days.
A low rumble drew my attention to the Digimon that strolled into the Kitchen, and I smiled as I let my gaze travel over him approvingly, liking how those jeans of his were snug at just the right places. "What took you so long?"
"I went and threw a load of clothes into the washer," he told me, blinking when Telca choked on her breakfast and when I gaped at him and dropped my fork, the utensil clattering loudly on the floor. "What?"
"You....you....did laundry?!"
"Yeah? So?"
Telca and I exchanged shocked looks. "They can be taught!! Sweet Goddess, they can be taught!!"
Kalamadea looked up at me as if I was nuts. ::What in the worlds has gotten into you?::
"Almost an entire year of nagging, and finally, it all pays off!" Telca grinned at me. "We've converted the most stubborn of the lot, the rest will soon follow!"
Blackwargreymon turned from me as I cackled along with Telca to look at Duncan. "Did you put something in her coffee?"
"Me? No. Never. Why would I do that?!" I thought he sounded way too innocent and way too panicked, but luckily Black noticed it too. Hence the reason that the Immortal had just been punted out of the Kitchen. That Digimon saves me so much work.
I got control of myself and nudged my plate over to him. "Help me eat this. Kang seems to think that I can eat this by myself and not gain ten pounds in the process."
"With all the spells you do it's a miracle you have the energy to move every morning. Why do you think I eat so much and never gain anything? I have to make up for lost energy when I lob those Terra Destroyers that usually end up saving you from getting pulverized."
I glared at him, ignoring Kang's smug smirk as I grabbed another toast and a few pieces of bacon, swatting the dragons away from the food as I did so. "That's enough you two. Your stomachs are buldging."
::Are not!:: Korin protested.
"Oh yeah? Try to lie down. Your chest won't even touch the counter," I smirked, seeing him blink slowly before swinging his head down to look at his distended belly.
::Oh.::
::Yeesh.:: That was from Kalamadea. It freaked Mewtwo out sometimes when the dragon and I acted exactly alike. I was about to comment on how Kalamadea really shouldn't be poking fun at Korin when he was in the same boat when a loud gong sounded from the Main Hall. I arched an eyebrow at Telca curiously.
"What? The other doorbell wasn't loud enough!"
"Uh huh. Be right back." I slid off the stool and headed for the Main Doors of the Palace, tucking locks of my unruly hair behind my pointed ears as I neared the huge ordinate doors, wincing when the gong sounded again. Gods that's loud! "I'm coming already!! Keep yer shorts on!!" I grabbed the handle and gave it a rough yank, throwing the door open with considerable force. "What already?!"
The sight that greated me actually managed to startle me into silence. That doesn't happen often. Standing in front of me was a creature I had never seen before. He - it was obviously male due to the lack of clothes (think dragon here people. Internal everything. Of course if you want go be hentai...) - looked like a humanoid dragon. But not like a draconian, mind you, that wouldn't have startled me so much. Instead of scales, he had dark skin that rivaled my Bonded's midnight black complextion, and the few gold rune-like markings along his arms and legs gave him an almost demonic appearance. A long spade-tipped tail swayed behind him, as if he was nervous but trying not to show it. The inky blackness of his body gave way to a deep gold that covered his chest and underbelly, the contrast working rather well for him. He stood at least six feet five, which meant that I had to look up to study his face, blinking when lama-like ears swiveled in my direction, locks of long golden hair held in place by two black horns that were akin to an antelopes. Black and gold leathery wings twitched slightly, and I had to firmly remind myself to breathe as I steeled myself before meeting his gaze. Sky blue eyes stared back at me with equal surprise as a narrow muzzle opened, revealing rows of wicked looking fangs.
"Is this the Harem Dimension?" I felt Ahkor shift on my shoulders at the sound of that wonderfully rich baritone voice, the sensation startling me back into something akin to coherancy.
"Uh...yeah. Yeah it is." I blinked some more then wrenched my gaze from his, eyeing the wicked double bladed weapon he had. What did I mean by double-bladed? Remember Darth Maul's double lightsaber? That's what I meant. This thing looked damned dangerous. Naturally, I wondered if I could find it in one of the weapon catalogues that Telca and I subscribed to. "What can I do for you?"
A look of resigned disgust flashed over his face. "Is Xellos Metallium here?"
I quirked an eyebrow at him. This was Xellos' 'friend'? "Yeah. C'mon in." I turned away and headed for the stairs. "XELLOS!! Get down here you fuckin' fruitcake!!"
There was the distinct sound of a teleport behind me seconds before lips brushed against my right ear. "Do fruitcake's fu--" I cut him off by spinning around and introducing my fist to his face.
"Don't piss me off, Xel. Else I'll portal you into the Teletubbies dimension again," I wiped my hand clean on my jeans and gestured to the new arrival. "There's your friend. Have fun, I have to go disinfect my hand with bleach."
There was a disgusted sort of choke behind me. "I'm not his friend! He's just the only contact I have here!"
"Contact?" I turned and looked at the newbie, eyeing him warily. "Contact for what? Xellos, what aren't you telling me?"
"Sore wa himitsu--"
And thus I got to see that double-bladed weapon in action. My, oh my, but I wanted one of those. So now that there were many Xellos pieces littering the carpet, I let out a weary sigh and eyed the arm that was trying to reach my foot before slamming the heel of my boot onto it. "Touch me and die, namagomi." I looked at the new arrival. "Nice. But why are you here? And why in the Gods would you have Xel as a 'contact'?"
"It's a long story that I'm not permitted to tell you at this point in time. Suffice it to say that I'm looking for the new Chaos Knight."
My eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"
He looked at me for a moment, seemingly studying me. "As with every one before him, I serve the Chaos Knight as Guardian and Teacher."
Hmm. This is interesting. "Her."
"Excuse me?"
I smirked, really wanting to see his reaction. "You said 'him'. The Chaos Knight is female."
"Female?" There was actually a look of pure terror on his face. "You're certain?!"
This was not what I was going for. "What's the matter with that?" I frowned, absently kicking at a piece of Xel that brushed against my boot.
"The last female Chaos Knight..... did not treat me very well....." he muttered, avoiding my gaze. "I do not wish to experience that sort of pain again."
I felt my temper start to rise, but quickly bottled it up before I did anything stupid. "You won't." I said adamantly.
"How would you know?"
I smirked and folded my arms over my chest, putting my weight on my right leg as I looked at him. "I don't hurt people unless they give me a really damned good reason." I swear he almost passed out from shock. Poor guy, I just hoped that whoever had hurt him before was very very dead. Else I'd have to go pound them into the ground.
He stared at me in total dumbfounded shock for a moment before - and I swear he did this - he dropped to one knee and bowed his head. "F-forgive me! I did not know! Please, spare my li--" I cut him off by crouching in front of him, looking at his shivering form for a moment before I grabbed his arm and stood, gently forcing him to stand with me.
"I won't hurt you," I whispered, grabbing his arm again when he tried to kneel again. "Stop that. You don't have to do that."
"You're the Chaos Knight. L-Sama's Chosen. I have to show my respect." His voice sounded hollow, as if he had once believed those words. I frowned and reached up to poke Ahkor.
"Littling. Give us a bit of privacy, would you?" I murmured. And don't tell the others. Especially not Black. Not yet, alright?
::Oh, alright. But you have to tell me what happens later on!:: he sent to me as he uncurled himself from around the back of my neck and leapt into the air, wings spreading to their full width as he lazily soared into the Kitchen. I glanced at the newbie to judge his reaction and smirked at the expression of shock on his face.
"C'mon," I said as I opened a portal and hopped into it, emerging into the Library. I glanced back as he warily stepped through, and waited until he was clear of it before closing it. While I threw myself down onto the couch, he stood in the middle of the room and stared at the shelves upon shelves of books lining the walls, the sunlight streaming through the windows warming the air around us. I waited until he had remembered that I was there before speaking. "Now, what's this all about? And for Goddess sake, stop kneeling!" When he didn't get up, I rolled my eyes and slid from the couch to sit in front of him, catching his shocked look as I shifted to sit lotus style on the hardwood floor. This is going to take some work. It's like he's been conditioned! He keeps looking at me like he expects me to attack him!
"You shouldn't...." he trailed off, his tail lashing behind him.
"Shouldn't what?" I coaxed gently. "Shouldn't treat you like an equal? Why? Because I'm the Chaos Knight? Please. That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard. I don't treat other people like they're 'things' that are beneath my attention. Believe it or not, but that happens to include you." I sighed and leaned back against the front of the couch. "So, you gonna tell me what all this is about? Cuz I really don't want to go and try to get information out of Xellos."
Even he shuddered at that thought. "It's as I said before, M'lady. I'm to serve as your Guardian and Teacher, as I have served those before you."
I took a shot in the dark. "Then you're Immortal?"
"In a sense. While I do not age, I am not invincible. I can be hurt, even killed." He looked at me and actually grinned. "Though it's not an easy thing to do."
"I certainly hope not," I agreed, meeting his gaze. "Why are you afraid of me?"
He blinked and slowly shifted so he was sitting lotus style like I was, lying his weapon across his lap as he eyed me warily. "The only other female Knight I served was....evil. I don't have a better word to describe her. She had tapped into the Chaos by accident, and used magicks to fuse it to her soul. I was merely a pet to her, a thing to be exploited, experimented upon and used for....entertainment....."
I don't know what expression I had on my face at the moment, but I think at that point that it was something beyond murderous, for he gasped and immediately bowed his head, trying to be submissive. I stiffled a growl and reached over to gently grasp his muzzle and raise his head, forcing him to meet my gaze. "Is she dead?"
"What?"
"Is she dead?" I repeated, dimly aware that my eyes were flashing from blue to gold and back again.
"Y-yes. She died a hundred years ago."
"Good. Then I don't have to go beat the living daylights out of the bitch." I released him and got to my feet, going over to stand in front of an open window. Dear Gods.... what in the worlds is WRONG with people these days?! I shook my head slightly and closed my eyes, letting the breeze that was flowing into the room wash over me.
I heard him get to his feet and hesitantly approach me. "M'lady?"
"Don't call me that," I whispered as I turned around to face him. "I don't know how things were like in the past for you, but things are going to change. First and foremost being that you have to come to terms with the fact that we are equals. No more and no less. Second," I paused and pulled a dagger out of a portal, seeing him tense at the sight before I slid the blade against the palm of my left hand, fisting my hand to let the blood flow. "You have the Blood Oath of an Elf....that for as long as there is breath in my body, I won't let anyone treat you like that again."
He stared at me for a moment before lowering his gaze and stepping forward to take my bleeding hand in both of his. His eyes were unreadable as he lightly cupped his hands around mine, a white light emmenating from his palms for a brief moment before he pulled away, letting me see the Healed cut. "You honor me, M'lady."
"Lashana."
"Pardon?"
"It's my name. As opposed to 'M'lady'?"
"Oh. Right. I am Tvashtar," he paused a fidgited for a moment before meeting my gaze. "I....I suppose Xellos was right when he said that you were different than the others."
I quirked an eyebrow. "Xellos said what now?"
"He told me that you and were unlike any other's that the Universe had ever seen."
"Xellos said that?" When he nodded I blinked. "That almost makes up for all the times he pissed me off.... almost...." I sighed tossed the dagger into a storage portal, running my hands through my hair afterwards. "Alright. C'mon. If you're gonna stay here then you might as well meet the others."
"The others?"
"Well yeah. I don't live alone. Telca, you probably heard of her, she's the new Gaia Avatar, and I have around two dozen guys living with us and....why are you staring at me like that?"
"The Gaia Avatar?! She's here?! In the same building?!"
"S'what I just said," I muttered, curious as to why he had such a look of wary hope in his eyes. "What?"
He blinked at me, not understanding that I wasn't understanding. "Surely you don't think that you're the only Avatar to have a Guardian?" I blinked. "The Guardian to the Gaia Avatar....he's my brother! I haven't seen him in decades!"
I stared a moment longer, then groaned. "This is turning into a frakkin' soap opera.... Alright, then we'd better hurry and explain this to Telca before he gets--"
"LASHANA!!!!! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!?!"
"--here." I sighed. "Oh nevermind. C'mon." I opened another portal and stepped through, emerging into the warzone that was the Kitchen. A quick look around showed me that the Guys were what I call on 'high-alert' and the fireball that Telca was holding didn't help matters any. Frak. "Telca, chill."
She turned to look at me and glared. "What the hell is going on? Who's this? Why is he looking for me, and who the hell is that behind you?!"
"Kadrith!"
"Tvashtar?!"
I watched as Tvashtar darted past me and fairly threw himself at a creature that could have been his double. The only difference was where Tvashtar was black and gold, the other one was a deep bronze with a cream coloured underbelly and cream, copper, and bronze streaked hair. I let them reunite and crept over to Telca, meeting her 'what the hell is going on' glare for a moment before I grinned and pulled one of those party noisemakers out of a portal, setting it off right in her face. "Surprise! You have a bodyguard!"
WHACK!!
~*~
"Damned banshee doesn't have a sense of humour...." I grumbled as Blackwargreymon carefully lifted the icepack to look at the nasty bruise I had on the side of my head, a lovely reminder that rolling pins were deadly weapons.
"You did deserve it," he told me, wincing when I slowly turned my head to glare at him. "Nevermind."
"Bloody Digimon...." I looked over to where 'Kadrith' and Tvashtar were talking energetically and figured that a bump on the head was worth it. However that moment passed as soon as Black touched the painful bruise.
"Does this hurt?"
"OWOWOWOW!!! YES!! It hurts!!" I swatted his hand aside and fairly tore the icepack away from him, grumbling lowly as I rested the numbing ice against my head again. "Sadist."
"It's not my fault if you pissed Telca off," he grunted, ignoring the glare I sent him this time. Actually I imagine it was easy to ignore considering that I had to narrow my eyes to block out the bright light that was the sun. I figured that if I didn't get a migraine from this that it would be an Act of the Gods.
A soft croon accompanied by the sensation of a small body curling up on my right shoulder helped ebb the sudden urge to fireball something, and I sighed as I gathered the other two dragons to myself before carefully sliding off the stool.
"Hey. Wait! Lashana, you shouldn't be walking around yet!" I growled at my Bonded and stepped around him, then around Mewtwo and Kang.
"Lashana-"
"Don't. Touch. Me." I said lowly, the three dragons loosing warning hisses as I trudged past the Guys and slowly plodded my way up the stairs. I wanted to use my portals, but I damn well knew better than to try to weave that spell when I had a headache. I was dimly aware of the Guys exchanging worried looks as I reached the second floor then started up the next set of stairs, heading for the Library. At least I can lock myself in there for a few hours....
::Mommy?:: Kalamadea whispered in my thoughts, a worried flash of yellows and greens making me wince. ::Are you alright?::
"Uh huh."
::Liar,:: Korin frowned, looking up at me with worried red eyes. ::Why didn't you stay with Blackie?::
Because if he pokes me one more time and asks 'does this hurt?' I may just kill him. I adjusted the ice pack and grimaced as I reached the third floor, the change in altitude making my head hurt even more. Luckily, stubbornness is a wonderful trait, I think that's the only thing that managed to get me into the Library.
~Lashana?~ I made a sound between a moan and a sob and collapsed on the couch, leaning my head back so that I was staring at the ceiling.
"What?" I croaked out loud. Thinking hurt. A blue glow drew my addled attention over to the Pokemon that had teleported in front of me, and I grimaced when I saw that he had brought people with him. "What do you want? Go away." Yes, I was an enigma wrapped up in insanity wrapped up in complete incoherancy.
"That's a contradiction of terms," Kang chuckled. I groaned and flopped back against the couch, slouching down into the cushions. "Here." I cracked an eye open and gazed at the Excedrin and the glass of water he was holding out to me and wondered if they were worth dropping the icepack for a few moments. I settled for grabbing the pills then the water, enabling me to keep the pain-numbing ice against my head.
"Now go away." The dragons hissed in agreement. I liked my dragons a lot at the moment.
"Lashana." I looked over at my Bonded and sighed as he moved to sit next to me, his arms slowly wrapping around me to pull me into a gentle hug.
I whimpered and clung to him. "My head hurts." There's nothing like stating the obvious. Really, there isn't.
"It's a miracle you're still conscious," he murmured as he stroked my hair, trying to calm me. I closed my eyes and curled up in his arms, hearing his worried rumble as he cradled me against him.
"With a head as hard as hers it doesn't surprise me one bit." We all looked towards a silver and white glowing portal, and I winced when Black growled as Telca stepped out into the room. "You okay?"
~You hit her with a marble rolling pin. How do you think she is?~ Mewtwo growled, blinking in shock when the other Avatar merely pushed him aside and walked over to me, completely ignoring the nasty glare that Blackwargreymon was giving her.
"You did deserve it," she muttered to me as she rose a hand in front of me, the glow that emenated from her palm making me close my eyes again. When the light faded, so too did the mind numbing pain, and I took a moment to blink in surprise before raising a hand to touch the spot where the bruise was....or rather where it used to be. Kalamadea stuck his head into my hair and privately announced that the bruise was gone, making me sigh in relief.
"Thanks...I think," I said, gently pulling away from Black and getting to my feet, meeting Telca's gaze warily. "You didn't kill Tvashtar and his brother, did you?"
"No. And I resent the implication," she answered, folding her arms over her chest as she glared at me. I sighed and reached up to massage my aching temple. The pain from the concussion was gone, but the headache was still there, as was the urge to fireball something. "You gonna explain all this?"
::Do we have to?:: Akhor asked, looking at Telca like one looks at a screaming child that they don't want to go near.
I groaned and threw myself back down onto the couch, sitting sideways so I could lean against my Bonded's side. "From what Tvashtar told me, he and his brother are supposed to be our Guardians and Teachers. They're Immortal, so they've served all the other Avatars before us."
"I don't suppose there's a loophole to get us out of this, is there?" I shook my head and she dropped her arms with a sigh of exasperation before she shoved my legs aside and sat on the couch next to me. "Lovely. What now?"
"I have no--"
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" I snarled at the voice and rose my gaze towards the ceiling, glaring at Xellos.
~Go away!~ Mewtwo growled, launching a psychic energy sphere at the Mazoku and scowling when Xel merely phased out then appeared directly in front of me, floating upside down so his gaze was even with mine. The three dragons that had been staying close to me hissed and flew over to glomp Mewtwo. That was the standard Mazoku. When Xel's nearby, go to the one who can shield you the best in case Lashana goes ballistic.
"Aren't you happy I brought him here? He's got soooo much negative emotions locked away, they're just so tasty!" I immediately knew he was talking about Tvashtar. He knew it too, for he grinned and leaned closer to me. "I'm going to enjoy bringing them out. Think chaining him up would get a decent reaction?"
Telca looked at me, obviously intending to ask what the freak was talking about, but she stopped and stared at me for a moment before glancing at Black. "You might not want to be touching her right now," she advised him, and I was dimly aware of him looking at me before frantically pulling away.
As Mewtwo and Kang followed my Bonded's example and moved as far away from me as they could, I reached up and shoved Xellos out of my face, slowly getting to my feet afterwards. I had meant what I had told Tvashtar, I didn't go around giving my Oath for party quirks, and I had to admit that I actually liked him, his soul was pure, I didn't want to see it destroyed. And Xellos knew that. But I knew that Xel would try to make Tvashtar's life a living hell, either by tormenting him directly or going through his brother. Damned if I was going to let that happen.
"Would someone explain this to me?" Telca demanded as she stood up, standing next to me as she looked at me expectantly.
I growled. "There was another female Chaos Knight a hundred years ago. Tvashtar was bound to be her Guardian and Teacher, only she was....think female Demon Highlord." I kept my gaze on Xellos as I spoke, letting my anger grow as I saw the delighted smirk on his face. "She hurt him. Used him for experiments and other things that I don't even want to know about. He wants to use Tvashtar as some new food source."
An equally angry growl echoed mine, and I glanced over to discover that Telca was looking at Xellos in a rage that was almost equal to mine. She looked at me and smirked. "Shall we?"
I grinned.
~*~
The mad chase of Xellos through the Palace was the most destructive that there ever had been. But it was worth it. Telca and I had formed a plan with just a shared glance. It was simple, effective, and downright evil. Remember that 'happy' spell Telca had created? The one that would bombard Xellos with feelings of love, and happiness and friendship? The complete opposite feelings that he fed off of? The one where, everytime he thought, felt or said something perverted, the spell would immediately boost it's lovey-dovey feelings? Heh. Well, Telca had already put that spell on him when I had thrown that first fireball at him. And we all know how much Xel loves pain. However, now that he had that spell on him, everytime he got hurt and tried to enjoy it, the spell's 'happy' feelings went up a notch. Evil, ain't we?
So now we were chasing the very afraid Xellos through the Palace, screeching and generally living up to the term 'insane banshees', our favorite weapons held high in the air as we tried to catch up to him. It was an added bonus that the 'happy' spell weakened him so that he couldn't teleport, so that meant that he could either run or try to fly. He was doing a mixture of both when we hit the Kitchen.
Poor Tvashtar and Kadrith. I imagine the sight of Xellos flying past them and out the patio doors startled them enough. The sight of the armed and insane Telca and I charging after him must have really unhinged something. Unfortunately I was far too busy enjoying myself to notice.
While Telca merely dashed through the Kitchen and out the doors, I leapt up onto the island counter and used the added height to launch myself after the fruitcake, a fireball leaving my right hand and slamming into the Mazoku's back, stunning him enough for Telca to embed her axe into his side. Too bad that spell didn't stop him from being immortal. He shook off the attack as well as he could considering that the spell had just boosted up another notch, then shakily threw himself into the air.
"Y-yare, yare, K-Knight-Sama!! I was only joking!" he cried as Telca and I loosed another barrage of fireballs at him. "Can't you take a joke?!"
I glanced at Telca and grinned when she smirked and nodded. I'm gonna enjoy this. Letting her take my sword, I hopped up onto the deck's railing, an aura of power flickering into existance around me as I rose my hands. "Darkness beyond twilight! Crimson beyond blood that flows, buried in the flow of time. In thy great name I pledge myself to darkness! Let all the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess!" I looked up at Xellos and gave him a fanged grin, delighting in the first true look of panic I had ever seen on his face. "DRAGON SLAVE!!!"
Telca grinned at me as I turned and jumped off the railing. "Now that was funny."
"Very funny," I agreed as I took my sword back from her and casually leaned the blade against my right shoulder, joining her in watching the large ball of destructive energy in the sky. "You have to teach me that spell."
She chuckled evilly. "And miss out on being able to participate in this again? Hell no." We both chuckled at that, then turned and headed back into the Kitchen, casually talking about how we could increase the spell's effectiveness.
I glanced over at the stunned and gaping Tvashtar and Kadrith as we walked past them and met the former's gaze. "You'd better be careful. Xellos knows about your past. He wants to....exploit it." I looked out the doors and smirked. "Though I think he'll be out of our hair for a while."
"Too bad. That was fun," Telca snickered as she set her axe on the counter and grabbed a box of 'Pot of Gold' out of a cupboard, opening it and holding it out the three of us. "Chocolate?"
I think I saw Kadrith twitch.
~*~
"I still can't believe that the Avatar of Gaia and the Avatar of L-Sama are....best-friends...." Tvashtar muttered for the fifth time in as many minutes. After he and his brother had recovered enough to form complete sentences, they had moved to sit at the island counter and immediately started asked questions, most of which Telca answered because I was too busy rampaging through the cupboards in search of my Ovation stick mints.
"What's wrong with that?" I asked as I climbed up onto the counter to reach the top shelves, shifting through a bunch of canned food and quirking an eyebrow at the sight of a can of fried crickets. I don't even want to know.
"Nothing, I suppose. It's just never happened before. We didn't think that the Avatars of Life and Chaos stood for the same things," Kadrith answered for his brother. His voice wasn't as deep as Tvashtar's. More like a soft tenor. I smirked and glanced at Telca.
"What do you stand for?"
"A Xellos free world, X-Men comics and chocolate for all." I chuckled and grinned when I found my box of mints behind a jar of pickles, closing the cupboard before hopping off the counter, smirking when I saw Kadrith lower his face into his hands.
"What? I think those are very sound things. Especially the anti-Xellos world," I sat on a stool next to Telca and munched on a chocolate mint-stick. "Why exactly are you two here? I mean, yeah, we know about the Guardian and the Teacher thing. But why? We can mostly take care of ourselves..."
"What do you mean 'mostly'?" Telca frowned.
"Need I state the Demon Highlord incident as reference?"
"Oh. Right."
Tvashtar frowned. "Demon Highlord?"
I shrugged and started on a second mint. "It's a long story. Suffice it to say that we got caught up in a Demon War that we didn't want anything to do with but didn't have much choice. We fought and killed a bunch of demons that wanted us dead and pissed off the Highlord in the process."
"Almost a month and a half ago he showed up here wanting revenge. This was before the whole Avatar thing, so we were pretty much overwhelmed...." Telca trailed off for a moment before continuing. "He kidnapped two of the guys. Elfy an I followed him into Hell and saved them but.... well we died in the process."
I waited until I thought Kadrith and Tvashtar had properly absorbed all of that before taking up where Telca had left off. "We came to in the Sea of Chaos. That's where Gaia and L-Sama told us that we had accidentally become their Avatars. That was two and a half weeks ago."
"Wait. Accidentally?"
Telca glanced at Kadrith and nodded. "They were the ones that gave us the strength to defeat the Highlord, but in the process their Power merged with our souls. Personally I don't know how someone can 'accidentally' let their powers merge with someone, but hey, what do I know?"
I resisted the urge to delve into sarcasm and bit down on another mint stick, grinning when three familiar forms swooped into the Kitchen. My grin faded when the three dragons completely ignored me and went for the chocolate. "Gah. You're an ungrateful bunch, you know that?" I grabbed the only mint stick that wasn't in the process of being consumed and pulled it out of the range of the trio.
"They're yours?" Tvashtar asked, looking at Akhor curiously as the dragon fought Korin for a piece of chocolate.
"Yeah. That's Kalamadea, the green one is Korin and the white is Akhor." While I explained the whole fiasco about how I ended up with three dragons to Tvashtar, Kadrith turned to Telca, studying her for a moment before getting off the stool and walking around the counter to kneel before her. I glanced over and made a mental note to try to break them of that habit.
Kadrith bowed his head. "I am at your service, Lady Telca."
Telca grinned and looked at me. "Y'think we can teach the rest of the guys to do this?"
"Hardly," I muttered, sending her a disapproving look as I did so. She sighed.
"Alright. Alright. Yeesh." She turned away from me. "Kadrith, was it? Get off the floor. You don't have to do that."
He glanced up at her in surprise. "But you're the Gaia Avatar! Doesn't everyone bow to you?"
"I wish," Telca grumbled sourly, glaring at me when I snickered. "You shut up." I got myself under control and sent her an innocent 'who me?' look. "Yeah, yeah. Your halo's being held up by your horns."
I smirked. "I wouldn't talk if I were you. Kadrith, please get off the floor. Honestly, you and Tvashtar don't have to drop to your knees every time you see us." I glanced at my supposed Guardian and arched an eyebrow. "Right?"
He glanced at his brother, then back at me. "Yes, M'lady."
::'M'lady'? You're kidding right?:: Kalamadea snickered, ignoring the glare I sent at him as he broke out into hysterical laughter, rolling around on the countertop.
"Traitor," I growled.
"Okay, back to the original question," Telca said as Kadrith sat next to his brother again. "Why are you here?"
"We were created to serve as guides and protectors for the Avatars of Life and Chaos," Kadrith answered, wings spreading slightly. "We're bound to you until another Avatar takes your place. And that may be sooner than you think."
I blinked at that, staring at him as Kalamadea got control of himself and flew up to perch on my right shoulder. "Why?"
"The challengers of course."
"Challengers? What challengers?" Telca frowned, looking from Kadrith to Tvashtar. "What the hell are you talkin' about?"
"Other followers of the Goddess' will track you down and fight you for your place as Avatars," Tvashtar told us. I groaned and banged my forehead against the countertop, dimly aware of Kalamadea's yelp as he tried to keep his balance by clinging to my shirt.
"I thought we'd be left alone after all that," I complained, my voice muffled by the counter. I rose my head and looked at Tvashtar. "How bad is this going to be?"
"It all depends on who finds you first." I groaned and buried my face against my arms. "It's not that bad. Kadrith and I are sworn to you, we'll prepare you for what's to come as best we can. ....And I think that perhaps....I for one will bend the rules and fight the challengers with you."
"What?!" Kadrith yelled, startling Telca and I. "Are you insane?! We're not allowed to chose who should be an Avatar and who shouldn't!"
Tvashtar looked at him for a moment before turning his gaze to Akhor as the dragon moved to arch his back under his hand, begging to be scratched. "Maybe it's time to change that."
Telca leaned closer to me. "You certainly made an impression. What'd you do?"
"Not much. I just swore that no one would treat him like the last female Avatar treated him."
"You call that 'not much'?"
"Well, I was going to track her down and beat her to death, but since she's already dead it kinda crimped the plan a little."
"Uh huh. I can see how it'd do that."
"Do tell." I paused and looked over at the two creatures, blinking when I saw that they were staring at us in shock. "What?"
Kadrith glanced at Tvashtar before looking at me again. "You would have done that? Gone after her?" When I nodded, he glanced at Telca. "Are you certain you're the Avatar's of Life and Chaos?"
You doubt? I blinked and looked around, spotting a familiar form floating a foot off the floor seconds before both Kadrith and Tvashtar dropped to their knees.
"Dammit, L-Sama! I'm trying to break them of this!" I growled as I got to my feet and walked over to Tvashtar, trying to get him off the floor.
Good luck. They've been serving our Avatars for half a millennia. She chuckled. They're almost as stubborn as you are.
Telca smirked. "Not possible."
"Shut. Up."
Tvashtar, Kadrith, these two are the Avatars you saught. But they're different than the ones you served before them. They're balanced. Each has light and darkness within them, that is why they will be your salvation, just as you will be theirs. Besides, they need all the help they can get. Goddesses, they wouldn't be able to give a straight explaination if the Universe depended on it. Telca and I exchanged exasperated looks and moved to litterally haul our two Guardians to their feet, ignoring their startled looks as we glared at L-Sama in annoyance.
"What do you mean 'we need all the help we can get?!" I muttered sourly. "We can take care of ourselves!"
"And would the moon explode if you gave speeches that weren't in riddles?!" Telca growled. "We don't need salvation, thank you very much."
Not at the moment, no. But you will.
I grumbled various opinions I had of her speech under my breath after she had vanished and released Tvashtar's arm once I was sure he wasn't going to drop to the floor again. "I'm really starting to hate it when she does that."
"You an me both. At least mine tends to leave us alone," Telca muttered.
"That's because she's the only one that gives straight answers," I growled sourly, looking towards the doorway when a familiar heavy tread caught my attention. "This is going to take some explaining."
"Can I?" Warning signals went off in my mind at the level of glee in Telca's voice, but at the moment I simply didn't care.
"Go for it," I shrugged, wondering if I had made the wrong decision as she cackled and bolted out the doorway. "Maybe I shouldn't have said that..... Oh well, too late now." I turned my gaze to the two Guardians and sighed. "Well, I suppose we should see about getting you two some rooms."
"We usually bunk in the same room as our Avatars," Kadrith told me, blinking when I paled. "What? It would be separate beds. We would never--"
I shoved the mental image of what Black would do to Tvashtar out of my mind. "It's not that. Y'see, Telca and I are.... um.... 'involved'. I, for one, know my Bonded would not appreciate sharing our room."
They exchanged glances. "Oh," Kadrith murmured. "Then.... a room next door perhaps?"
I snickered. "I don't know what rooms are free in Telca's wing, but I can show you which are empty in mine. Actually, just a sec...." I walked over to the door and stuck my head out into the hallway. "FUZZY!!"
BAMF! "Ack! Geez, Lashana! I'm not deaf! Well, I might be now...." Nightcrawler trailed off at the sight of the two creatures and backed towards me. "Uh, hi?"
I waved brimstone smoke away from my face. "You know what rooms are free in Telca's section?" I coughed.
"Yeah. There's a few of them. Why?"
"Meet Kadrith and Tvashtar. Guys, this is Nightcrawler. Also known as Kurt or Fuzzy Elf," I grinned at the teen. "Kadrith's Telca's Guardian and Tvashtar is mine. It's a long story, so don't start pestering me with questions just yet, kay? I'm still recovering from when Telca hit me with that rolling pin. Just do me a favor and show Kadrith around."
He shrugged. "Sure. But where's Telca?"
"Knowing her, she's probably trying to give my Bonded a panic-attack," I chuckled, tucking my hair behind my ears as Korin landed on my left shoulder and started to fight Kalamadea for the better clawholds on my shirt while Akhor chose to perch on Tvashtar's right shoulder, much to his surprise.
"Good luck then," Nightcrawler grinned before turning to Kadrith. "You'll like it here. Mostly."
"'Mostly'? What does that--" BAMF! I lost the rest of Kadrith's sentence due to Fuzzy's teleport, and for a moment I wondered what the teen was going to tell him. But it passed. Mostly due to the sensation of Korin sinking his talons into my flesh.
"C'mon," I said to a slightly overwhelmed Tvashtar as I removed Korin from my shoulder and carried him in my arms. "I'll show you your choice of rooms."
"Thank you, M'lady."
"And you don't have to keep doing that either," I murmured as I opened another portal and hopped through, turning to look at him as he followed me.
He looked at me and smiled. "It's a sign of respect. Besides, it's....second nature. I was trained to submit to my Avatar."
"Yes well, 'your' Avatar doesn't want you to submit," I smirked. "I'd much rather have someone tell me that I'm being a complete idiot than have them constantly agreeing with me." I sent a warning glance at Kalamadea when he looked like he was about to broadcast something. "No comments from you."
::Funsucker.::
I rolled my eyes and headed down the hallway. "Kay, that room's free, and there's another two doors down and to the left and another five doors that way on the right. The rest are all TV and storage rooms."
"Which room is yours?" I quirked an eyebrow at him and saw him duck his head slightly before he seemingly caught himself and straightened. "If I'm supposed to be your Guardian I can't be half a hallway away."
::Either that or you want to get in her pan--:: I cut Korin off with a sharp glare.
"I don't even want to know where you learned that," I growled at him as he chuckled and leaped out of my arms, heading downstairs. I exchanged annoyed glances with Kalamadea, then returned my attention to a very embarrassed Tvashtar and pointed a little ways down the hall. "My room's there. There's a free bedroom directly across from it."
"I'll take that one then," he nodded, walking past me and opening the door, his jaw dropping as he looked inside. Curious - I was afraid that one of the Guys or the trio might have trashed it - I joined him and peeked around him, looking at the large bedroom with the double bed, two nightstands, full sized desk, computer, empty book shelves and the attached bathroom. He choked slightly. "This...you can't be giving me this!"
"Why the hell not?"
"It's huge! It's too much, I can't accept...." he trailed off at the look I was giving him, then glanced from me to the room and back to me. "Are you certain?"
"The other two rooms are exactly
the same. Actually I think the third room is a bit bigger and has a queen
sized bed...." I paused at his look of shock and planted my hand on my
hips. "Take the room. If you want I'll bring you into town later and get
some better blankets and sheets for the bed. The stuff that's on there
now are the ugly mismatched ones we give to guests that we don't like."
When he nodded dumbly, I smirked and casually reached up to brush a long
bang out of his eyes. "Welcome to the insanity."
