It Could Be Worse 2nd Season

by Sulia Serafine

The hits keep on coming and all your favorites are back again! set in a futuristic universe Complete

4. Prodigy Wannabe

It Could Be Worse (2^nd Season)

Episode 4: Prodigy Wannabe

By Sulia Serafine

[A Protector of the Small fanfic set in an alternate universe; all credit goes to Tamora Pierce. I'm broke, so you can't sue me. Any other copyrighted things that don't belong to me in here in fact belong to other very businesslike people. Could you believe that? I guess that's why I'm broke.

Oh, one more thing: BAD LANGUAGE (I. E. cursing, swearing…). You have been warned!

E-mail me at silverwlng@aol.com, okay?]

Keladry rolled over in bed, yawning. She could feel the sunshine through the window warm her skin. Lazily, she stretched her arms overhead and decided she'd better get up and do some basic exercises before going out for a jog. So, she got up and neatly folded her bed sheets. Then she stumbled over to a still unpacked suitcase to get a change of clothes from the tank top and shorts she wore while sleeping.

What am I doing today? She asked herself. Well, besides settling in some more. As she found a picture of her family, she cringed. During this whole time, she'd forgotten to tell them about her relocation. Keladry looked around the bedroom. There were no COM screens. But there was a phone on the floor, connected to the wall by a single gray wire.

She scratched her back as she sat down in front of it, picking it up and dialing. There was no better time than the present to phone home. Because of the time difference, she knew someone would be awake.

Her family lived in a quaint neighborhood, house beside house. Her parents and her yet-to-leave-the-nest little brothers and sisters lived in a two-story Victorian with blue and gray everything. Her brother lived to the right of them. Anders was in a smaller brown house with his wife and family. Inness, Adalia, and Oranie-- three other of her older siblings all went to college on different scholarships, but they still officially lived at home with Piers and Ilane Mindelan.

Now that she thought about it, Conal was the only one who didn't live with the family. He moved out and worked happily at a meat factory in the same town, though he studied by night for a profession in radio broadcasting. No one ever understood his decision, so risky and tiring. Keladry's parents had tried to talk him back into living at home dozens of times. But he stayed where he was, a tiny apartment in downtown. The son who visited every weekend to play with his little brothers and sisters, then give the dogs some trouble.

The earliest memory she had of her prodigal brother was Conal holding her off the balcony of her parent's home when she was five. This had stemmed into a phobia of heights for a long while, until she'd broken it herself at the Academy.

Now, this same brother answered the phone.

"Hello?" Conal's voice floated over the receiver.

"Conal?" Keladry said. "It's me. Hey, how are you?"

"Oh, hi. I'm fine, thanks." He moved some plates around. She could hear them clank together as he set them in the sink. "So, what's happenin', little sister?"

She pulled her knees to her chest. "Oh, a change of scenery is all."

He made a surprised noise. "You sound relaxed. Have you finally loosened up? After all these years, it takes that thing with the Immortals to loosen you up?"

"Yeah, and I'm still a little disappointed that no one could make it to the ceremony afterwards. Advisor Trebond was there. Her husband gave a speech, you know," she said tartly. "You should have come. You're supposed to be my family."

Conal's voice dropped lower. "You know Mom and Dad don't have the money. And they won't accept charity from anyone but you. And even then, you're not to blow your whole paycheck on plane tickets to haul all of us over there."

His words made her feel a bit guilty. She started winding the phone cord around her index finger. "Sorry."

"It's okay. So, anyway, what are you talking about… a 'change of scenery', hmm?"

"I've been transferred to Tusaine. If Adie or Oranie have any mail for me, they can send it when I give them the new address." She stood up and carried the phone with her in the crook of her arm. Then she went over to a cardboard box with a pocket file inside. She picked up a scrap of paper with sloppy handwriting. "Do you want the address?"

"Um, sure. Let me get something to write it down with," he answered. She could hear the rustle of papers in the background. He returned within a few seconds. "Okay, go ahead."

She recited the information dully. "Now, tell me, Conal. What are you doing at home?"

He laughed. "It's the weekend, genius. I came to see the little ones. Anders is taking Lachran and the rest of his kids camping, too, so I'm to watch the dogs since Tilaine doesn't want to. She wanted to go, but she had some board meeting she couldn't miss."

"Oh. Tell her I said 'hi'."

"I will. And um, I'll tell Mom and Dad where you are now."

She nodded though he couldn't possibly know that she was doing that over the phone. "Okay. Thanks."

"You're welcome. So, I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure. Later. Bye, Conal."

"Bye, Kel."

She hung up. After a few seconds, she set the phone down and collapsed on her bed. Talking to Conal felt like she was talking to a stranger. Had she truly alienated her family so much that even a conversation with her own brother felt like an unwanted chore?

My birthday's coming up in a couple of weeks. I wonder if they'll remember. I mean, I do call when someone has a birthday over there. They should remember mine. At that thought, she suddenly realized what else today was besides the day she met Raoul.

Faleron's birthday.

He had mentioned it last night, and Cleon had already gotten him a gift. Keladry, who did not now up until that evening, was already too tired to think of any present she could find the next morning.

I could jog to a gift store in the mini mall next door. Maybe they'll have something.

She started to drop the idea of exercising and moved on to the bathroom. While brushing her teeth, she glanced at the space beside her. No shoving for sink space. This was her room alone. Keladry didn't know why she thought of it, but it just stayed with her like an annoying itch she couldn't reach.

~~

"You're coming to visit in two days? Your Mom said yes?" Faleron asked. He watched his cousin's head bob up and down in confirmation.

"Yup. I'm sorry I couldn't get there today, but I'll definitely be there to celebrate a belated birthday with you on Tuesday!" Merric Hollyrose grinned. He was 17.

There was a seven years difference between the two of them, but that didn't stop them from being very close. When Faleron lived with his aunt and uncle, home from boarding school, Merric would copy everything he did. He was his younger cousin's role model for reasons that only little children knew. This always persuaded Faleron to be a good, moral person with little juvenile eyes watching his every move, filled with awe and adoration.

"How are you getting here from Corinth?"

"A bunch of shuttle buses."

"How long will you be staying?"

"At least a week."

Faleron nodded. He scratched his chin. "I'll see if I can get some time off from Ms. Sarrasri. She's really nice about letting me off work, considering how many times I ask her to." He shrugged. "Anyway, you must be careful on your trip. I don't want anything happening to you that could have been prevented."

"I know, I know. Because I'm your favorite cousin," Merric drawled, though with ironic laughter in his eyes.

"You're my only cousin, dummy," the older corrected. His hand hovered over the disconnect key. "Alright now. Off with you. I'll see you in two days. You have my address?"

"Yes."

"You'll call me an hour before you get here?"

"Yes," he sighed.

"You know my number?"

Merric started laughing. "Yes! I'll be fine! I'll see you in two days, coz."

"Bye, Merric."

"Bye."

Faleron disconnected. He put the COM screen down on his coffee table. Now he had to clean up his apartment and do some overtime within the next two days to make up for going on a week vacation again to have fun with Merric. He yawned and started clearing away his single sofa, strewn with clothing and things from his moving boxes.

He stepped over other cardboard boxes in his living room, still unpacked. Usually, he was never this disorganized, but he'd been focusing on helping his employer settle in. After all, if it weren't for Daine, he'd have no job and would probably support himself off gambling. And there was always a chance he'd slip up.

That kind of money wasn't stable. Sometimes, these places were shut down. Sometimes, people with bad intentions would go crazy and shoot everyone. Things happened. Strange things happened. He understood that though he would always prize that risky roll-the-dice life, it wouldn't be healthy.

And it certainly wouldn't be a good example to Merric. Faleron thanked God everyday that his cousin never knew that he had been the leader of a gang of thieves, or that he'd once killed a man in self-defense while in a home that he shouldn't have been in. Does he still look up to me? I mean, he probably doesn't now. He's a teenager. Hell, he's seventeen years old. He's not the little guy that used to follow me around. He probably looks up to people in his own age group that he considers cool. I mean, I wouldn't be cool. That girl Cleon was seeing at the hotel… she called me dorky.

There was a knock on the door. Then the intercom buzzed.

"Dude! It's me!"

"Coming," Faleron called. He walked around the boxes and pressed the button for the door. Cleon entered with another gift about the size of a toaster oven. The wrapping paper was blue with orange and green balloons. The redhead set it down on the coffee table after clearing away some trash.

"You already gave me that black baseball cap last night," he frowned.

Cleon shook his finger at him. "Not any black baseball cap. That's Northwatch Knights, man. They're an awesome team. You better wear it. That's the second hat I gave you, just remember that."

"I will."

The taller man pointed to the gift. "That's from Roald and Lalasa. Both of them are early up and at the office with Ms. Sarrasri. Black and Blue Boy asked me to give it to you."

Faleron stared at him, not accusingly, but thoughtfully. "When did you give him that nickname?"

"Don't you remember? It was in Scanra--" he stopped. "Never mind."

"It's okay, you know. You can say Scanra in front of me. I don't get depressed anymore." He forced a smile. "Besides, Merric would notice. Did I tell you that he's coming to visit in two days?"

"No," Cleon shook his head. "So, what's he like?"

Faleron looked down. "I wouldn't know. Haven't seen him for a while." He chuckled. "Okay, okay. Enough of that. Let's see what Mr. Black and Blue and his girlfriend have decided to give me."

He tore through the wrapping paper, but gently removed the white ribbon bow. It was one of those stick-on kinds that he often saw in card shops. He moved it around in his hand before unexpectedly slamming it onto Cleon's forehead where the adhesive made it stay.

"Aww, now that's not nice," Cleon said, crossing his eyes to see it. He sighed and tried to peer over his friend's shoulder at the gift. "So what is it?"

"An electric card shuffler," Faleron chuckled. He held the contraption up to the light for inspection. "Well, this is definitely something I need." He handed it to Cleon, who then took his turn examining it. "For crying out loud, take off that ridiculous bow."

He moved out of reach before his friend could come near it. "Hey, hey! You're the one who stuck it there, so it's staying there!"

"You look stupid."

"Yeah, well, I happen to like it."

Faleron nodded sardonically. "Of course. My mistake."

~~

Keladry went to Joren's room, ringing the doorbell and calling over the intercom. When she got no response, she checked her watch. It was still early. And she'd just been to the mini-mall next door to get Faleron's gift. He couldn't have left already for the station, could he?

"Need something?" a voice behind her, asked.

She straightened up in her starched uniform and slowly pivoted on her right foot to face the speaker. She would have breathed a sigh of relief if it were anyone else. But it happened to be Seaver, the medic, with a long thin green snake hanging from his neck. She eyed it warily before stepping back.

He smiled. "Oh, don't worry. He's not poisonous, or I'd be on the floor right now going through convulsions. I keep everything poisonous in containers. Trust me. But would you believe how much some snake venom sells? It's some kind of medical thing." He shrugged. "I'm still doing the research."

"Okay," Keladry said uneasily. She relaxed a bit. "What are you doing on this floor anyway? Do you take that creature on walks?"

"Of course not. I'm just using this floor's vending machine since the one on ours is broken. Do you think they still have any Butterfinger BB's left?" He seemed to be ignoring the fact that he had a snake around his neck. It didn't mind, and just stayed where it was, coiled around him.

They walked down the hall to check the status of the vending machine. As they went there and Seaver was getting his candy, she asked him of Joren's whereabouts. Seaver tore open the top of the bag before bending down to get his change from the slot. And then in casual terms, he answered. He thought he heard a motorcycle leave the garage early that morning, but it could have been Qasim, too.

"He left me behind. I knew it," she muttered.

Seaver offered her some of his candy. She accepted, but still retained her angry mood, under a blank mask. He spoke with one cheek slightly bulging with candy. "You could ask Fianola for a ride in the van. Don't have to get a taxi or anything."

"Oh, that's okay. I have a motorcycle of my own, too." She paused and went pale. "Unless he already started working on it!" She started for the elevator. "Sorry I have to run like this! See you later!"

He waved. "Don't worry about it! Later, Keladry!"

~~

She practically leapt into the elevator when the doors parted. Keladry jabbed the button for the bottom floor a billion times. As an afterthought, she pressed the Doors Closed button. The elevator doors closed and she began her descent. She'd always dreaded the sensation she got in the elevator going down at a controlled rate and area. It didn't feel natural. It was more natural to jump out the third story window and feel the air against your face, instead of stay in an elevator-- where the only ways that indicated you were moving was the floor number changing above the doors, and then the odd sensation.

The elevator opened. She sprinted out and around the building corner to the garage. She skidded down the decline of the underground garage and reached into a power box to turn a light on. Her bike was parked in back of that first level. Here, Keladry started to calm down. She saw it was whole from afar.

But as she got closer, she saw a spread out blanket on top of a bench. And then there was a stool, and a wrench. Her hope wavered. She sighed and leaned against a concrete support. She was too late.

He'd already started working on it. There were a few boxes of things she only guessed were spare parts he'd not needed. She was supposed to be paying him for this, but all of sudden, she wanted him to pay for it. And to top that off, he'd stranded her here on purpose. He knew she had wanted to see the Marshal Raoul Malorie. He didn't even seem to care the night before when she asked him.

And she still had his jacket. And in that case, she'd might as well keep it for a while to spite him. Keladry would wear it all the time-- to the station, around the apartment building. And she wouldn't give it back for at least a week.

I can ask Fianola for a ride, just like Seaver said. I don't have to be such a sore loser about it. She paused. …Not that I lost at anything. But all the same...

She trudged back upstairs, meeting Seaver where she left him. He told her which room on the fourth floor that was Fianola's and went downstairs himself to mill around the second floor walkway. Loud music came from within the youngest Rider's apartment. No doubt Fianola was already awake and moving around with all the energy that a girl like her had.

Keladry rang the intercom doorbell, wondering if it would even be heard. To her surprise, it was. Fianola, clad in a big T-shirt and cut-off denim shorts, invited her in. It looked like the girl was vacuuming.

"So, what can I help you with?" she asked while putting the vacuum away.

Keladry's eyes wandered. She looked at all the pop star posters and decorations on the walls. Fianola noticed her amazement and grinned.

"I like the same stuff as any teenage girl. Can't help it," she shrugged.

Keladry snapped to attention. "Oh, yeah. Sorry." She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "I was wondering if you could give me a ride to the station. My bike's being worked on, and I'm not sure about the taxis around here. They all seem--"

"Weird? All seem like bad drivers? Uh-huh," Fianola nodded as if she'd heard it a million times. Keladry supposed everyone in the Rider's Own got a ride from the young girl rather than take public transportation.

Fianola had Keladry wait while she got dressed in something decent to walk around in public in. It was sunny out, and so the girl wore khaki shorts and a short sleeved red shirt with a brand name logo on it. Walking out the door of her bedroom, she twirled the keys around on one finger.

Keladry stood up, feeling out of place in her uniform. Her companion noticed.

"Ah. Number one reason I dropped out," she told her in a stage whisper as they left the apartment. Fianola laughed. "Honestly, though. There are some things better left to other people. I'm not cut out to do that DJPF stuff. I'd be stuck as a traffic officer or something because I'm honestly not into getting promoted to second class or anything as great as that."

"Oh."

They entered the garage and got into the front of the Rider's van.

"Sometimes, I hate driving this tank thing, but at least I've got a permanent role here. Stable," she stated.

Keladry nodded. "Stability is always good."

Fianola pulled out of the garage, whistling as she went up the incline into the fresh air. She was a good driver, forgetting to consider all her time spent driving whenever Raoul wanted to haul the Riders somewhere. As they drove to the station, she explained to Keladry the kind of things the Riders did.

One time, Raoul had to capture a fugitive who had yet to take the stand in court. The guy had been crafty and disappeared into a national forest. There were swamps, too. Fianola shuddered as she retold the event. Luckily for her, Prosper had been willing to carry her, as they had to wade a little above knee deep in the mud and water. Seaver had been having the time of his life, observing animals, checking his databases to identify them.

"There are a bunch of things we did that still make me laugh. This one time, a guy was hiding out in a circus audience. And well, let's say that he got into the center ring and we had to tango with some indolent clowns to get to him."

Keladry smiled appreciatively. Her driver was full of enthusiasm.

"So," Fianola started. She lowered her voice. "Do you know Cleon's friend well?"

"Huh?"

"You know, that guy with the hat."

"Oh!" Keladry exclaimed. "Faleron King. Yeah, I know him well. We all know each other pretty well."

The younger girl grinned sheepishly. "He's cute, huh?"

"What did you say?" Keladry's eyes were wide as saucers.

Fianola giggled. "I think he's cute. Does he have a girlfriend?"

The first class officer could have burst out into laughter, but she didn't because it would have been disrespectful and rude to both Faleron and Fianola. So, she scratched the back of her neck nervously and held down a smile. "No, he's single. But can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why?"

The girl shrugged. "He's short."

This time Keladry did laugh-- but just a little. It came out as a smothered snicker. "You're attracted to shortness?"

"I'm attracted to the fact that he wouldn't have to bend down to kiss me. I'm short, too, if you hadn't noticed." They turned into the parking garage for Tusaine DJPF station; district T. The bottom level was already filled, so they went to the next one up.

Keladry took the chance to study Fianola. She was young and young at heart. Would she be a good match for Faleron? He was often making mock insults to his friends, things he didn't really mean, but they often scared off new acquaintances. And he was always so crafty in his conversations. He had ambitions and goals. Fianola didn't seem like the type to pay attention to ambitions and goals. She was happy with her share and didn't want any more.

They got out of the van. Fianola locked the door, then slammed it shut.

"You don't have to come with me or anything."

"Oh, it's cool," Fianola waved her off. "I wanted to see Raoul anyway. He borrowed some CDs from me and I feel like listening to them." She shook her head. "Had no idea he was into pop."

Raoul Malorie? THE Raoul Malorie listened to pop? Keladry hid her surprise. They entered the station and rushed through the metal detector. This time, Keladry made sure not to have worn anything that could have set off the detector, like she did yesterday. Fianola waved cheerfully to a woman at the front desk and skipped toward the elevator.

On the third floor, Keladry was happy to see she hadn't missed the Marshal.

Outside of Chief Flyndon Whiteford's office, three men and one woman sat. The woman was Buri, eating a ham and cheese sandwich. She leaned back in her chair and took a sip of something in a white cylinder. Joren was standing beside her desk. His arms were folded across his chest and his expression set in stone-- as it usually was. The other two men were those Keladry had not seen before.

The first stranger had red-brown hair, curly at top and short on the sides. His brown eyes were narrowed under thin brows, and his small lips curled downward in a frown. He tapped his chin thoughtfully with his index finger. The man was stocky, but did not appear so as he sat sunken in another chair.

The second man was standing like Joren was, with his arms folded across his chest. He laughed heartily at something Buri muttered, which derived scowls from both Keladry's partner and the sitting stranger. Kel could definitely guess that the standing man with such a vibrant presence had to be Raoul Malorie.

"Oh, come off of it, Flyn. He'll be signed under you, but he can tag along with Buri, or me if you're so fidgety about it," Raoul said in a deep, resonating voice.

"And I'm to be stuck with the rest of them? Wyldon would not send me three first class officers-- recognized by the media as heroes-- unless there's something wrong with them." The man that Keladry presumed was Flyn, seated in a chair spoke this.

Buri scoffed. "Wyldon thinks something's wrong with all his officers."

Joren cleared his throat. "I'm not sure if you've all noticed, but I am standing here."

"Well, what do you know," Raoul replied sarcastically. "You are. All right then, Joren, what do you have to say?"

At this point, Fianola yanked Keladry behind a file cabinet before they were seen. Keladry couldn't help it. She wanted to hear what her partner had to say about the rest of them. No doubt, it was probably going to be dripping with insults. Or maybe no comment at all.

The blonde shifted his weight to his right foot, one hip subtly jutting out. "First off, I was never one of his officers--"

"Hmm… we can argue that later, but go on." Raoul made a small gesture with his hands.

Joren glared at him. "The rest of them are decent. They can be bumbling idiots most often times, but when they get their act together, they can accomplish their missions. It's not that they're bad officers," he was speaking so low of voice, Keladry thought he was very hesitant to say his next sentence. "It's just that Wyldon can't stand their antics when they're being normal people, that he just wants more vacation from them."

Keladry was genuinely astonished that Joren hadn't taken the opportunity to make her or the other guys look bad in front of their new boss. She smiled a little, and then Fianola nudged her. Kel shook her head; silently mouthing it was nothing.

"Knowing him and his migraines, that doesn't surprise me at all," Flyn said. "I can sympathize."

"We know you can," Raoul and Buri chorused.

Fianola snickered. She clamped her hands over her mouth and shook her head. Then she nudged Keladry out from behind the file cabinet. Kel stumbled, quickly catching her step. She regained a dignified gait. Buri put down her sandwich as the young female officer approached.

"Ah, and who have we here? The girl from yesterday?"

Joren took Raoul's glance as a signal for introduction. He obliged willingly. "Oh. Uh, Raoul, that's Mindelan." He looked her up and down. "What the hell are you doing with my jacket?"

"What the hell made you start working on the bike today?" she retorted. To rub his nose in it, she hugged his jacket tighter around her.

Buri smiled slyly. "It's about time, Joren."

Raoul and Flyndon caught on. "Oooohhh…. So that's it."

Joren scowled. "You're all insane. Stop that childishness. You're superiors, so act like it."

"Then in that case, we order you to stuff it and have a sense of humor," Raoul chuckled. "We were only teasing you, Joren. Why, I don't believe I've ever gotten to touch that jacket, let alone wear it. Bravo, Mindelan!" He paused. "That was your name, wasn't it?"

She shyly nodded. Legends like Raoul Malorie weren't supposed to be this easygoing. Well, now she thought of it, she had said the same thing for Alanna Olau Trebond. And that hadn't been right. So, maybe it was possible that Raoul could be just as normal as she could.

Chief Flyndon held out his callused hand. "I'm sorry I was not in at the moment to greet you new ones yesterday. The big oaf here dragged me out to eat. Oh, and to help avoid his visiting mother."

Raoul groaned. "Did you have to mention her? I was having a perfectly happy morning and here you go talking about--"

"Shut up, the both of you!" Buri scolded. She pulled out another chair for Keladry. "You're going to make her think the whole T district is a bunch of lunatics in blue striped ties."

"This happens to be sapphire, Bur--"

"Shut up, Raoul. Just shut up."

Keladry could hear Fianola burst out into laughter behind her. Raoul tilted his head to get a better look. When he saw Fianola's curls peeking out over a desk that was three isles away, he whistled like he were calling a trained dog. Slowly, the girl stood up, grinning from ear to ear.

"Sorry. Couldn't help it."

Raoul folded his hands behind his head. "It's just so hard to find good help these days. Eh, Joren?"

"Nothing ever changes," Joren grumbled. "Everyone is crazy around here."

They spent the next half an hour, talking. Mostly, it was Raoul and Flyndon arguing-- and Buri telling them off. Every now and then, Joren would insert a mocking comment and Keladry would make one right back. If one replaced all their uniforms and business attire with regular civilian clothing, no one could have guessed their occupations. They were acting that normal.

Finally, Chief Flyndon had to leave to take care of some business. He told Keladry that he'd look for some minor job for her to work on, if she was so set on starting work right away. Things had gotten a lot quieter the last year. There was nothing for first class officers to do. And then, Flyndon promised Joren some consideration for a transfer, but he couldn't promise anything. This suited the blonde just fine and so he left.

This left Raoul, Buri, and Keladry alone to talk. Fianola had wandered down to the floor below to keep Dom company in the computer lab. He worked early hours and late hours, so it seemed. It sounded boring, but if Dom had any complaints, he never voiced them. He didn't even look like he was bothered by it.

"So, you have a first name, Mindelan?" Raoul asked.

"Keladry," she replied. Dom was right about the first name thing. "I think I'd better be going. My friend's birthday, you see."

"Of course. See you around Keladry!"

She returned the smile nervously and left. I really have to stop being so jittery around all these important people I've never met before. I mean, I met Advisor Trebond during some weird circumstances, but afterwards, she was really nice. And I've known Gary Naxen as Headmaster in my last year of the Academy. The President wasn't all too bad to be around, even IF at the time he was nearly bleeding to death. And now I've met Marshal Raoul Malorie. No biggie.

She imagined kicking herself while going down the elevator. She was starting to sound like Cleon. No biggie.

~~

Cleon, Faleron, and Neal were watching a movie and snacking on potato chips when she rang the doorbell. Keladry didn't mean to come so late in the afternoon, but things had prevented her from coming earlier. As soon as she'd gotten home from the station, the Riders had enlisted her help.

When they first asked her for aid, she wondered if it was a huge operation-- the kind of thing that the Rider's Own did. Perhaps they had to find a fugitive somewhere in Tusaine, wanted for the multi-murders of a socialite family. Or maybe it was something more serious than that.

It wasn't.

Seaver had brought home a couple of white mice to feed some of his more hungry reptiles. One of them got out of the box and got loose around his apartment. Afraid that it might sneak out and cause Stefan Groomsman grief with his other mouse-hating tenants, all the Riders helped look for it.

It was certainly a ridiculous sight with so many young adults crawling around on hands and knees. Keladry wished that reality weren't so banal and there really had been some major crisis to deal with. But no. They had mice problems.

An hour and a half later, the mouse was found when it crawled up Prosper's pants.

Back to the present, Keladry had hastily wrapped her present for Faleron in some white packaging paper she found in Seaver's apartment while looking for the mouse. It was a badly done job, with clear adhesive tape everywhere. She was grateful that the birthday boy didn't mind. He smiled jovially, cracking a joke about it-- one that if it had come from anyone else, she would've been angry, but from him, she accepted.

"Come on in, Kel. You want something to eat?" he asked.

"Oh, no. I'm fine." She sat down beside Neal, who gave her a friendly hug. "So, what have you guys been up to?"

"Nothing much. Just hanging around," Neal replied. "Buddy-boy here doesn't want a big party for his birthday, so we're just taking it easy." He offered her the bag of potato chips. She declined.

Faleron got some more soda for his friends. He asked Keladry if he could open it after the movie. She responded that it didn't matter. So, he sat on the floor again beside Cleon, whose attention was on a weird puzzle in his lap. It was Neal's present, a challenge for Faleron that the intelligent young man had solved in record time. Now the redhead tried his luck, and became absorbed in the task.

"I met Raoul Malorie today," she said to no one in particular. Though she usually kept things like these to herself, she was in the mood to share her day's ventures.

"Really?" Cleon looked up from Neal's puzzle.

She stared at him with unblinking eyes.

He frowned. He reached up to brush back some bangs from his face, all of a sudden insecure with his appearance. Did he have a dab of food on his chin or something? "What's wrong?"

"Why do you have a bow stuck to your forehead?"

~~

Two days later:

"I'm not that far now."

"Okay, I'll come by the bus station then. See you in a bit." Faleron waited for a goodbye from Merric before disconnecting the line. The time had come. His cousin was arriving in Tusaine, and Faleron was going to find out if things were still the same between them.

Faleron had cleaned up most of his new apartment by now. All the remaining packaging materials had been piled to the left of the door leading to the hallway. His new home still lacked decoration or any sense of unique recognition, but he didn't mind. He was bound to be out all the time anyway, so he need not look at them. The only people who ever came over were Cleon, Kel, and Neal. He didn't have to worry about their approval.

An extra mattress had been loaned to him from the manager, just that one time. Faleron had bribed the man, whose policy for visitors was usually unreasonable. He was just lucky he'd won some extra money downtown to rent the mattress.

There was some extra food in the refrigerator and pantry. Faleron made sure his mirrors were clean, and whatever surfaces around the apartment were polished. Naturally, he was a neat person. But settling in had not been as organized as he'd hoped with Ms. Sarrasri's busy schedule keeping him away.

He secretly hoped it received Merric's approval. Even if his cousin was grown up now, Faleron still felt that he had to please him, show him his older, mature cousin... responsible and law-abiding.

"Now I am. Not those lost years. Just now," he said confidently to himself. Then a panicked thought crawled into his mind. What if Merric was in his rebellion years? The years a teenager was generally acting bad, not because he was, but because he was experimenting in lifestyles. Would that make Faleron look like a dork if he was all starched-collar-proper and not mischief-and-trouble-cool?

He's your cousin. Probably the closest relative you have. He'll like you no matter what. Where the hell did all your self-esteem go, Faleron? he asked himself.

Scanra. It went to Scanra and shot itself in the head in a jail cell, waiting for vindication.

"Wow. Didn't know I became so morbid since then," he muttered. Things never were the same after Scanra.

The com screen beeped. He walked around the sofa to pick it up from the table. He was met by a blank screen. It had to be someone using a phone. He'd been getting that frequently. Cleon said he meant to buy a com screen that week, but Keladry wasn't planning on getting one soon, and neither was Neal.

"Hello?"

"Hey. It's Lerant, from the Riders. We met a few days ago?"

"Oh, right. I remember you."

"Yeah, I was wondering if Cleon was over there with you. You know, because you guys hang out so much."

Faleron, though he didn't need to, made a sweeping look across his apartment. Maybe the redhead had snuck in and was hiding in the closet. He laughed inwardly at his own absurdity. "Um, no. He's not here. Why, what did you need from him?"

"Oh, I just wanted to borrow some stuff from him." There was a brief gap filled with silence. "Hey, if you're not doing anything, you can come hang out with the Riders."

"Oh, thanks. My cousin's visiting, so I'm not sure."

Lerant chuckled. "Well, bring him. We're just doing what we do best when we're off duty: sitting around one of our apartments and watching football. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Sure. Bye."

They hung up. Faleron got up and grabbed his hat. He held the battered thing in his hands. It was old. Cleon had bought it in that thrift store, so he remembered. Perhaps he'd better wear it next time. So, he chose the baseball cap with the Northwatch Knights logo on the front. It was a perfect fit. He tried to curve the brim some more with his hands-- the way style dictated, but decided to leave it like that until later.

That day, Roald had let him borrow the car that he usually chauffeured Daine in. The councilwoman wasn't going anywhere. She'd been stuck with paperwork the whole time, or talking via com screen with Numair. Her car was a four door black hover car. Leather interior, power steering-- power everything-- but it was only the best for a council member.

"Too bad it's just for today."

He drove to the greyhound bus station, parked in a safe place where no one would back into him and give the car that did not belong to him a dent. It was increasingly weird how many times he'd seen that over the course of time he'd been here.

So, he settled down on a metal bench to wait, tugging at his cap. He watched the electronic signs for arrivals and departures. Every now and then, he checked his watch, Keladry's gift and also one of the more expensive manufacturer's styles. He wondered if it was her first-class paycheck money that she was splurging on him.

Finally, his cousin's bus arrived. Faleron stood up, hands in pockets, trying to see over a crowd in front of him. The station was full of people this busy weekend. People coming back from vacation, or leaving to go home from vacation. Chatter and footsteps, and sounds of the buses' lurching away from the curb like tired metal monsters that wished to sleep in their cozy garages.

He couldn't see over the crowd of course. Not by much. He stood on tip-toe, granting him a couple more inches worth of height to see. It hurt his toes, in the shoes he was in, so he stopped. He could barely see the passengers step down from the humongous hover buses.

"Fal! Over here!" a familiar voice called. Faleron squinted, seeking out the face he expected to see. He quickly analyzed the situation he was in within fractions of seconds. He was in a crowd. Merric could obviously see him, but he coudn't see Merric. The people jostling around him were moving like a river, dragging him further away. If he called out, Merric still probably wouldn't be able to get to him.

Maneuver over to that post, stand on top of the bench, and look for him that way.

"Problem solved," he said and started shoving his way through the throng. He eventually caught hold of the post he spotted before and stood atop a bench which was currently seating three people. The three people moved over as far as possible. All of them looked at him as if he were a lunatic.

"Merric!" he called with his hands cupped about his mouth.

"Over here!"

An arm waved frantically from above the heads of strangers. Faleron lifted up his cap, so the brim didn't block his view. He finally spotted his cousin on the other side, near the pay phones.

"Stay right there!" Faleron got down from the bench and made his way to the other side again. When he was finally standing beside Merric, he had to look up a bit. He sighed. "You grew."

"Not by much," his cousin protested.

"You're taller than me," Faleron pointed out.

"But still," Merric shrugged. He set down his bags and clapped him on the shoulder. "It's been a while. Happy Birthday! How are things?"

"Good," Faleron nodded. As they walked out to the parking lot, he took the time to study his younger, but taller cousin. Thin blue and white plaid shirt, dark blue jeans, and clean appearance. He would never understand the complete look of trust and happiness on his younger cousin's face, but he was glad it was there. It showed that he was silly to think things would be awkward between them. Nothing had changed at all.

Except now, maybe, Merric was taller.

"I like your hat," his cousin commented. "Northwatch Knights are great. You watch their games?"

"Not really. I work lots of hours now." It wasn't a complete lie. He'd never watched a complete baseball game ever, but he did work lots of hours. Merric didn't have to know that his excuse for working had nothing to do with his sport spectator habits.

They loaded his bags into the borrowed car and got in.

"Wow, this is nice. When did you get it?"

"Borrowed from a friend actually. Haven't been here long enough to get a car yet. I'll get one, eventually." At least that was truth. Merric didn't seem to mind either way. He was enjoying the feeling of leather seats and functioning air conditioning.

Faleron pulled out of the parking lot and into some mild traffic that was breaking up. "We'll go home first. I'll show you where you can put down your stuff. I don't really know what to do tonight."

His cousin fiddled with the radio, finding some catchy song and turned the volume down enough for them to talk comfortably without raising their voices. "I don't care. I'm fine with whatever you want to do."

Lerant did invite us over for the football game. "Have you heard of the Rider's Own?"

Merric gasped. "No way. You know them? I hear about them on the news all the time!" He grinned. "They work for Marshal Raoul Malorie, right? That guy who was famous for that..."

"Goldenlake scandal," Faleron finished. "Yeah, I haven't met him yet, but the Riders are neighbors of my friends, and they invited me over. Some of my friends are probably over there, too."

"That's cool. I can't wait to see the kind of friends you keep."

For some reason Merric had yet to realize, his older cousin cringed.

~~

"Hey! Ice Cream Pants!" Cleon shouted as soon as Faleron entered Lerant's apartment. The redhead jumped over the couch he was sitting on to stagger to the door. He excitedly extracted a crumpled piece of paper from his pants pocket and handed it to the confused former thief.

Merric stood by, smiling slightly, still taking in the whole scene. He pretended not to notice the odd greeting Cleon had given his cousin, and figured it was some inside joke. The Riders were all crowded around the holo screen, everyone either eating flame broiled burgers or the salad that Fianola had made. All of them seemed to be avidly cheering for one team or another, often arguing with each other who was going to win.

Faleron tried to flatten out the paper against the wall. "What the hell is this?"

Cleon, abashed, rocked back and forth impatiently on his heels. "I got really bored today at the station, waiting for Chief Whiteford to give me a crappy job, so I got to thinking about Kalasin... and next thing I knew, I was writing a poem for her." He bit his lip and tried to read over his best friend's shoulder. "So...? What do you think?"

The shorter man snickered. "Sunrise? You called her Sunrise?"

Cleon gasped sharply. He gnawed gently on his lower lip. "Do you think I should have called her Teardrop?"

"Uh... no, Cleon. No, I don't think you should."

"Why not?"

He took him aside and whispered. "Because she's going to laugh until she chokes? Remember, she's a really, really bitchy spy that works for George P. Swoop."

"She's not bitchy. We were just all under a lot of pressure in the underground Immortal habitat is all," Cleon argued. He snatched the paper from him. "And if you want to make fun of my poem, fine! I'll make fun of your poetry!"

"I don't write poetry."

Cleon tried to shake it off with some dignity. "Then... I'll... I'll... send Fianola a poem that Neal wrote for a girl and say it was from you!"

Faleron arched one questioning eyebrow. "He writes poetry? And girls like it?"

"One out of a dozen," he shrugs. "He's making progress."

"And what's this about Fianola?"

"Oh, that. I overheard Kel use your name and hers in a sentence, but I didn't quite hear all of it. Just a random threat."

"Oh." Faleron's eyes widened. "Oh! Damn, I'm so sorry. This is my cousin, Merric Hollyrose."

Merric stepped forward to shake Cleon's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Cleon gave a low whistle. "Clean cut and everything. I can tell you're cousins."

Prosper stood up from where he was. "Hey! You three! Get over here! It's half time, and whoever gets to the couch last is stuck with salad! There is only one burger left!"

Yuki smacked him on the back of the head. "Oh, so you're saying Fia's salad is bad, huh?"

"It's vegetables," half of the guys chorused.

"Too bad," Keladry said loudly. "You're eating it. Neal, you haven't bitten down on that burger yet. Leave it so there's some for them. Eat the salad."

Neal's groan could be heard all around that floor of the building. "But... I don't like vegetables!"

Merric laughed. "Wow, they're just like the fellas at home. These are the Riders? Really?"

"That's them, " Cleon nodded. He paused. "Save for Dom and Qasim. They're working late."

They joined the others at the couch. Some sat on the floor, plastic plates in their laps. Fianola scooted over and beckoned Faleron to sit next to her. He didn't see any other clear spots, so he did. Keladry stared at them for ten seconds, suddenly smiling and muttering to Yuki.

Merric became acquainted with all of Faleron's friends, though he couldn't tell apart which were Riders and which were not. It didn't matter at the moment. He was having fun and enjoying himself. There need not be any other reason than that to be happy.

~~

Faleron yawned and stretched like a cat the next morning. He absently rubbed the back of his neck as he slowly stood up from bed. Merric was sleeping in the living room, on the extra mattress. They'd come home late last night, only having the energy to brush their teeth, change clothing, and tumble into bed.

He tiptoed past his slumbering cousin, hoping to find something in his pantry for breakfast. He came up with a box of cereal-- Lucky Charms, his favorite. In the refrigerator, there was half a gallon of milk, and a quart of orange juice left. The orange juice was Cleon's, brought over a couple of days ago when they watched the movie. Faleron never did understand why he liked pulpy orange juice so much. He could certainly understand a healthy obsession with Lucky Charms, but not orange juice.

When Merric woke up, half an hour later, Faleron put a bowl of cereal in front of him and asked him whether he wanted milk or orange juice. Merric took the milk and poured it into the cereal.

"So, what's good around Tusaine?"

Faleron frowned. "Nothing that I know of, really. I mean, there's a museum and a city aquarium, I guess. Um, maybe a couple of sporting events."

"That's okay. How about your friends? What are they doing right now?"

"Cleon and Neal are stuck on some cheesy, no-effort jobs. And Kel, I don't know. We can hang out at her place for a while."

Merric was halfway done with his cereal. "She's not like I expected her."

"Oh? What were you expecting?"

His cousin chuckled. "Big, intimidating action heroine. You know, the kind in the movies. Except maybe a little better than the movie girls, because she's a real person and she was all over the news."

"Oh, yeah. I remember that. Keladry was annoyed for a while at all the media attention, so the Commissioner issued a no-speak order."

"What's that?"

"It's the nickname for this condition where if Headquarters believes that the media is pestering an officer of the DJPF too much, and possibly distracting him or her from the work, then it issues an order for the media not to even speak to that person," he explained. "Keladry and the others were pretty happy to get the order issued a week after the final showdown at the Presidential Estate. It was so much easier on us all."

"Was she some sort of child prodigy or whiz kid at the Academy or something? I mean, no one really enters and graduates that young. I mean, the average age to enter is my age right now. Or even then, after high school graduation."

Faleron scratched the back of his neck. "She always was a little too good to be true. Yeah, I guess you would say she was some sort of prodigy that way."

"I'd want to be like her. I mean, known and successful and all that." The skin at the corner of his eyes crinkled when he smiled. "Well, can we go to her place now?"

"Sure. Let's go."

~~

A automated message was recorded on the intercom. It was Keladry, saying she was upstairs hanging out with Yuki, Lerant, and Fianola upstairs at Lerant's place. Faleron and Merric went back to the elevator, but not before Merric got some candy from the vending machine.

"Butterfinger BB's?" Faleron eyed his choice.

"Why not?"

He decided to forget about it. Up they went to Lerant's apartment. By now, it had become like routine for the Riders to gather at his place out of all of them. There was no reason why. It just became that way, without anyone ever noticing or questioning it.

Faleron rang the doorbell beside the intercom.

"Who is it?"

"It's Fal."

The door slid open. Lerant welcomed them in. There was a pile of shoes near the door, so Fal and Merric took off theirs as well, nudging them aside. Everyone was lounging around the couch or on the floor. A bag of reduced fat potato chips was being constantly passed around, as well as rainbow jellybeans. The jellybeans were more likely to run out sooner. The bag was almost empty, whereas there was more than enough potato chips.

"Hi," Keladry greeted Merric as she sat up from where she'd been lying down on the couch. "Having fun on your visit?"

"Tons," he affirmed. "So, what have you guys been doing?"

Yuki offered him some jellybeans. He was standing right behind her. "Oh, nothing much. This has been the longest time we've never had any work from Raoul. We plan to enjoy it."

"Something tells me he's going to go on overkill as soon as we start up again," Lerant sighed. He was the only one consuming the potato chips. "There are some drinks next to the sink, if you want any."

"No, I'm cool."

Fianola got up from her place on the carpet and grabbed Faleron's hand. She whispered something to him and dragged him over to her spot to sit. Keladry noticed again and bit her tongue to keep from saying anything. It wasn't like her to do that, but she was still loosened up since after Seastone. The youngest Rider was certainly out to catch herself a boyfriend. And either Faleron didn't have a clue-- the least likely-- or he was actually enjoying her flirtatious behavior.

He needed somebody to be close to besides Cleon and me, anyway. But I wonder if Fianola won't annoy him first with her youthful behavior, or if he won't annoy her with his patient, prudish actions. It's got to be one or the other. For some reason, she just could not imagine them lasting more than a month. Keladry didn't want to be so skeptical about it, but it wouldn't stop bugging her. They were her friends, and how they related to each other would affect everyone else around them, too.

She berated herself. Just shut up and concentrate on the stupid holo screen. You've gone crazy.

Her attention shifted over to Merric, who was chatting with Yuki about his home life. It was one of those awkward, still-getting-to-know-you conversations, but Merric handled himself very well. Yuki, for once, was perfectly clean, and not in her work clothes. But Keladry bet that it wouldn't be long before she found an excuse to try and fix something around Lerant's apartment and get grease smudged onto herself.

Fianola stood up, her arm hooked with Faleron's. "We're going to look at my CDs. We'll be right back."

"Merric, if you want to go somewhere and I'm not back yet, go with Kel, alright?"

"Sure," his cousin smiled. He, like Keladry, knew exactly what was going down.

Faleron feigned complete ignorance, or at least, she assumed he was faking it. The two similarly short people left Lerant's, making small talk as they got their shoes on and went out the door. Lerant grinned mischievously, and nudged Kel.

"Can you believe that?"

She shook her head, smirking. "Faleron doesn't listen to many CDs. I don't think he even owns any."

"I was wondering how my cousin's love life was going," Merric commented, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, hey. This is all pretty new to us, too. I guess Fia goes all out when she's attracted to somebody." Yuki paused. "Actually, I've never seen her interested in someone. Why would she pick Faleron?"

Keladry started laughing-- not too racously--, but she couldn't stop to form coherent words for the others to understand. She was the only one to know the real main reason Fianola had taken interest in Faleron. Kel wasn't going to snitch though. They'd write Fia off as shallow or something. Which would be very bad.

She quieted down almost as soon as she started. It was totally out of character for her to laugh like that. No doubt, her friends would throw it in her face later on. She dismissed it for now and they went back to watching television. It was some old episode of a sitcom placed in the big city with four unlikely roommates. The plot was very flat, but they watched it anyway. There were some pointless things you could only subject yourself to if you had someone else with you. This was one of those things.

About three quarters of an hour went by, before Keladry checked her pager. She mentally cursed.

"Great. I'm late! I was supposed to at Chief's half an hour ago to get some new job he thought was good for me!" She climbed over the couch, since Yuki and then Merric were sitting in areas where she'd have walked on. "Sorry I have to leave like this!"

Lerant shrugged. "Don't mention it! See ya!"

The rest said their rushed goodbyes as Keladry yanked on one shoe, and then the other. She realized she wasn't wearing full uniform, but hoped her uniform jacket would suffice. Panic swept through her. Honestly, Keladry had never forgotten something, or been late to something so... average as getting orders.

She sloppily hit the button for the door, still adjusting her shoe on her left heel. "Argh... stupid... Okay, bye!"

The door promptly shut. Those left went back to the watching the show. Seconds later, Lerant was finally done with his chips. He'd been taking his time with them. He asked for jellybeans. Yuki laughed and disappointed him by throwing the balled-up empty bag at him.

~~

Keladry drove a squad car, given to her the day before. It was sadly needed, since she no longer wished to bum rides from Fianola or Roald-- though calling Roald and riding in Ms. Sarrasri's super-nice car was awesome. She didn't want to bother anyone whenever she needed to go someplace. And she often would, since she volunteered to do grocery shopping for Neal and Cleon.

Why? She figured they would take turns, so not all three of them would have to trudge out every week when they had other things to do. Kel would be paid back, if she wrote down what each man received and how much it cost. The real reason she did was because the only way to make sure Neal and Cleon didn't eat junk food everyday was to shop for them. And even then, when it was Cleon's turn, she'd made plans to page him exact shopping lists that he could not vary from, on pain of death.

Or on pain of something really unpleasant. She wasn't sure yet. Kel had a feeling he would purchase a great quantity of orange juice and then freezer foods.

Back to the present. Keladry was now entering the station, stopping at the metal detector to reveal her watch and pager. After that, she impatiently jogged past the front desk, tossing an apologetic smile at the desk lady while she held up her ID to her.

The elevator seemed extremely slow. All things seemed slow when a person was late and had someplace to be. It was like some strange universal force purposely dragged out every second to your conscious notice so you felt extremely anxious about the time.

This was not one of her favorite things in the world. She was tapping her feet and drumming her fingers on the side of her thighs. No wonder she usually showed up early to every little thing in her life. This was excruciating torture. Well, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but it could have been torture.

On the third floor, Chief Flyndon Whiteford was staring at his clock while yawning. He looked up when he saw her approach.

"Oh. There you are. Are your clocks broken, Mindelan? Because mine says you're at least half an hour late."

She inwardly kicked herself. "No, sir. My clocks are correct. I apologize."

He waited for her to continue. "What? No excuses?"

She bowed. "I was taught by my teacher that one should never bring up excuses, if those excuses would do nothing to improve the situation."

Flyndon made an interested sound. "Really? Which Academy?"

"Tortall, sir."

"Ah. A fine institution." He gestured to the seat. "Please, sit."

She sat. For a brief couple of moments, she'd wondered why he'd bothered to ask what Academy she'd attended. But people transferred to HQ in Tortall all the time from distant Academies, she concluded. That must have been the reason. Flyndon shuffled around a few folders and documents on his desk. He chose a manila folder with a green tab and handed it to her. Keladry took it and started flipping through the items within.

"I've looked over your past work from Tortall. Your assignments are far more exemplary than that of your fellow transferees. I believe you're perfectly suited to this next one." He started spinning a pen in one hand. "I wish I had more first class officers like you. To tell the truth, the Immortals Expedition stole away most of my competent officers. I have very few left."

Keladry nodded, glancing back and forth from his face to the folder in her lap. She briefly thought of Owen. She missed him. But now was not the time to be missing people. It was time for work.

"The man's name is Ivath Brand. He's been abusing his girlfriend and her children, as well as neighbors of his apartment building. He resisted arrest last time he was reported, and since then has fled to where we believe he's holding up with his brother around Wilshire and Burnston Street." He let out a deep breath. "I would consider him dangerous, but we have yet to know if he's armed. I've made sure some third ranks will be circulating in the area, should you request back up, but I think we have a better chance surprising him with just you sneaking around."

"I understand. Are there any surrounding civilians I should watch out for, just in case he tries to pull something?"

Flyndon set the pen down. "I'd hope the answer is no. As far as I know, he's not smart enough to take a hostage. If you can just sneak in and apprehend him before he knows what hit him, we'll all be better off."

"Yes, sir." She tucked the file under one arm and saluted. He inclined his head for a brief second. She was dismissed. Keladry made an effort to form intelligible thoughts, but her mind was blank. What else was there to think about?

Oh, wait. She had to figure out how to take the man by surprise in a dangerous environment she had very little information about. She had to make sure no innocent persons got in the crossfire. Keladry had done this sort of thing before. Of course, that was Tortall, but how different could Tusaine be?

Tortall had been so big, she never new the area anyway. There was always a chance that a civilian could get in the way, or be put in danger. Infiltration and surprise was something she'd been drilled in at the Academy, though it never took as well as she hoped.

I've worked my butt off on the most dangerous things for the last few years to make it to first class. I've done the unprecedented. And now I'm being all whiny over a stupid case like this. That vacation made a lazy slug of me. I never should have went.

Elsewhere, Merric had become very bored with hanging around the Riders. It had nothing to do with them. It was the lack of anything exciting to do. He figured that the Riders were used to exciting things, and that being bored was a blessing for their aching and sore limbs. But Merric was not one of them. And he was going crazy sitting on the floor of an apartment, watching the marathon of the lousiest sitcom he'd ever come across.

He checked his watch as a pretense to stand up and act worried. "Oh, I'm sorry. I meant to go home and make this call to my parents to tell them I arrived okay." Yuki and Lerant looked up, no change of expression.

"Go ahead, Merric. We'll see you later. Do you need a ride home?" Yuki asked. She looked around. "I mean, I think Fia left her keys here, and I can drive you."

Lerant searched the couch cushions he was on. He also stretched himself to see past Merric and at the kitchen counter. "Umm, no, actually I think she took them with her."

"That's okay. I can get back by myself. I know the way."

Yuki got up to open the door for him. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Are you sure?"

Merric nodded. "Yeah. Being seventeen and all, I think I just might survive the harsh journey."

Lerant laughed. "Then see you later!"

"See you," he called back, and smiled appreciatively at Yuki as she waved. He briskly strode down the hall to the elevator, wondering if he had time to go to the vending machine on the third floor again.

Once outside of the building, he started walking aimlessly. If he was lucky, he'd discover a nice variety shop or restaurant. There had to be something worthwhile to be found. Something fun, something interesting...

~~

Keladry decided against putting on her full uniform. If she was going to sneak into the place, there was no sense making herself the obvious target by revealing she was DJPF. She folded the warrant for arrest in half and inserted it in her back pocket. She could still conceal her gun and collapsible energy glaive on her body. That was not the problem.

"Wilshire... Wilshire..." she whispered. At the moment, she was driving on Burnston Street. As soon as she found Wilshire, she would park the squad car a few blocks away where it could not be seen, then proceed to search the area. There were already two officers she had made contact with. They were patrolling close by and were ready if she needed them to be.

There was a red light, so she stopped. That was when she noticed where she was.

She spotted the street sign which read Wilshire. It looked like a typical rundown neighborhood. The street had old brick buildings or houses with sunken in roofs. Weeds grew tall from the cracks in the sidewalk. Attempts to whitewash a long fence had stopped midway. A small, broken red wagon was sitting in a driveway.

At least it wasn't Carthak, she mused. The light turned green. She moved forward, taking her time. Now she just needed a place to park. That couldn't take so long.

~~

After two or three strange specialty shops, Merric was trying to retrace his steps to get back home. It had been at least an hour since he left Yuki and Lerant. Hopefully, his cousin was still busy and wouldn't come to pick him up from the Riders. That could easily get him in trouble with his parents. He loved Faleron like a brother, but obviously, the shorter cousin could learn to be less stiff and mature.

The smart and humble thing to do would have been to page Faleron and confess that he wondered off on his own and gotten lost. Instead, he ended up in one of the less than picturesque neighborhoods, lost without a clue, and determined to find his own way back. He stepped high over weeds in the sidewalk and around a small red wagon in someone's driveway.

He shielded his eyes with his hands and read the green street sign. "Wilshire and Burnston. Hmm." He was about to cross the street to reach a pay phone when he spotted a familiar head of light brown hair. "Keladry?"

She wasn't wearing her uniform. He guessed that meant she was off duty. That was good. He could hang out with her in the meantime. Keladry was such a fantastic person. He could learn a lot from her on being set on his goals and working hard. This was the sort of person he wanted to be. All these years tagging behind Faleron, and this young woman was the type of role model he should have had.

Guilt made itself present in the back of his mind. He'd always do certain things he'd learned from Fal, but Kel could teach him so much more. Today would be a great time to start on his new path.

Keladry entered a rundown building with wooden boards over the higher windows. Graffiti covered the outer walls, bright color tags of 'artists' who wished to leave their mark. A dog was barking somewhere above. Shouts of a fed up master accompanied the animal's sounds.

The first door on her right had missing numbers. There was a discoloration in the shape of the numerals, indicating that it had once been 2A.. She relaxed herself, rotating her shoulders a tiny bit. It was bad to be tense when entering a potentially dangerous situation. It was okay to be alert, but tense didn't help.

She knocked three times and stood back. Anticipate everything, she reminded herself. But it would be a unlikely the man who opened the door would pull a gun on her. If he did, though, she could handle it. She'd handled tons of things. But the moment before always got her.

"Relax," she muttered.

The door opened just a crack. A woman of exotic appearance glanced fearfully out.

"What do you want?" the woman, dark haired and dark eyed, asked. Her voice was thickly accented. It sounded a bit Carthakian. She had big lips, in dark red lipstick. Finely manicured nails were also painted the same red. Her hand trembled against the door frame.

Keladry smiled, so as to prevent the woman from suspecting that she would do her harm. "I'm looking for Ivath Brand. Do you know who he is?"

The woman made a move to close the door, but Keladry stuck her foot in and forced it open. The woman backed away, shaking her head with terror in her eyes.

"No, no," Keladry crooned. She raised her hands over her head. "I'm not going to hurt you. " Her gaze swept over the room. There were water stains on the ceiling. A broken radiator gained cobwebs in the corner. There was a off green couch with the stuffing coming out of the cushions. Old pizza boxes were piled on a rickety metal table.

"What do you want with Ivath?" the woman asked suspiciously.

Keladry slowly showed the woman her pager ID. "I'm with the DJPF. I'm here to arrest him for the bad things he's done." She stared the woman in the eye, speaking in gentle tones. "Do you know where he is?"

"That scoundrel? You're taking him away?" the woman suddenly became bold. Resolution took shape in her words. "Good. I don't want him bothering Roberto and me anymore. I don't care if he is his brother."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll take him away. But, do you know where he is?"

The woman pointed in the direction the remainder of the hall went. "He's at the end. Last door on the left. He has a gun though."

Keladry nodded. She checked her own gun, concealed under her vest. "Is there anyone else in the building?"

"Just that hermit Vanget haMinch. No one goes near him. Not even Ivath. It's the dog."

"Oh. I see." She reached into her pocket and came up with some coppers. The woman, realizing that they were for her, stuck out her hand. Keladry dropped the coins onto her palm. "I want you to get some of your things and get out of here. Call your husband at work and don't let him come home."

The woman went through another doorway to fetch her purse and belongings. She was muttering to herself some obscenities in a different language. Keladry waited patiently for her to finish. Protocol demanded that she wait until she knew the lady was out of the building and away from harm.

She now wondered how she would get Mr. haMinch and his dog out. She like dogs; really, she did. But the sounds of the barking from above intimidated her. If only all dogs were as well behaved as Jump, Thom Trebond's dog, then this would improve her job conditions by so much. Going upstairs, she risked being mauled to death.

"Excuse me?" Keladry called out feebly. Wow. What an authority figure I must look like...

"Yes?" the woman reentered.

Keladry looked up at the ceiling. "What sort of dog does Mr. haMinch have?"

"A Rottweiler," the woman answered. She set down one faded yellow suitcase made of mostly vinyl and plastic. Then she dusted her hands off on the lap of her colorful skirt. "I don't think you have any problems with that mutt, though. Ivath would not go near it, so you don't have to go near it."

Keladry nodded. No, not a Rottweiler. I've heard stories of that breed. No, no, no... "I have to evacuate this whole building. It's mandatory." She walked over to the window and lifted up the blinds. "And warn the neighboring area."

The woman laughed. "No, sweetie," her accent made her words teasing. "Don't worry about the dog. Go beat up that son of a bitch Ivath. I will drop by Lucina's next door and tell her to take kids out for food and then she tell the rest of her building."

It couldn't hurt. No one would know that I left haMinch and the dog alone. I mean, the two patrol boys nearby-- I can talk them into not mentioning it to anyone IF they hear the dog. Everybody likes me because of the Immortals thing. I can use it for influence...

She could've kicked herself. Now she was thinking of using her new fame status to avoid dealing with a simple dog. This was a new all-time low.

"I should head upstairs," Keladry amended. "But thank you for going next door and warning people. I'll wait until I see you from here to continue. Thank you, Mrs..."

"Mrs. Brand. Mrs. Roberto Brand. I am unfortunate to share a name with that bastard Ivath," the woman spat. She sighed. "Now I go. Good luck, Officer. I hope he rots."

Keladry smiled weakly. "Heheh... Thanks. I think."

~~

Merric entered, trying to be as silent as a mouse. He wondered what Keladry would be doing here if she were off duty. Not too far into the hall, he heard Keladry's voice and a woman's talking. So that was it. She was visiting a friend who lived there.

I'd better not interrupt, he thought and snuck past. There was light coming from a room at the far end, on the left. Maybe the occupant who lived there also knew Keladry. That would be perfect. Merric could get to know her without having to ask pestering questions. After all, it would look extremely childish to appear a wannabe. But that's what he was. He wanted to be like her.

In the back of his mind, he pondered if it was all right, doing what he was doing. He should have let Faleron know where he was. Faleron was so proud of him, and protective. But Faleron was also allowing himself to be distracted. And anything that came of that was his cousin's fault, and not Merric's.

"I'm just having some fun," he said to himself as he approached the end of the hall.

He knocked on the door, which was slightly ajar. "Hello?"

A gruff looking man came to the door. He had dirty blonde hair and an unshaven face. His brow was hairy, making it appear like he had one long eyebrow instead of two small ones. Merric stepped back, eyes wide and heart pounding.

"What do you want?" he demanded in a deep bass voice.

Merric gulped. "Uh, I'm sorry. I'm waiting for my friend, an officer. She's talking to one of your neighbors at the beginning of the hall. I wasn't sure if you were acquainted with her as well."

The man stared at him. He looked out the door into the hall. Then he nodded for Merric to enter.

What am I doing? Something doesn't feel right. Oh, Merric, you idiot. You should have stayed and waited for Fal... He stepped across the thresh hold, smelling the cigars and the putrid stench of alcohol soaked into clothing. He wrinkled his nose and bit his tongue, trying not to gag. But he did believe he was going to be sick.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have intruded on your privacy. I think I'll go," Merric half spoke, half gasped. He turned to open the door, but then everything went black.

~~

Keladry waited a little under half an hour by Mrs. Roberto Brand's window. She was relieved when she finally saw the woman accompanied by another lady exit the building next door. Behind them was a line of children of varying ages. The other residents of the building closed their windows and put down their curtains. Others got into their cars and drove away.

She stepped away from the window, rubbing her hands together. Now to deal with Mr. haMinch and the Rottweiler. Oh, this is going to be fun, she sardonically thought. She silently said that she would rather face a hostile Stormwing than that dog which she could hear so plainly on the floor above.

"Stop being a baby," she scolded herself. With a determined look on her face, she marched out of the apartment and headed to the stairwell halfway down the hall.

She could hear the dog roaming around on the second floor. Maybe she was getting nervous over nothing and the dog wasn't that terrible after all.

Even Ivath won't go near it.

"Damn," she muttered, now so nervous that she was cursing-- something she didn't like to do. So, she steadied her racing heart as she stepped onto the next floor. Dust floated around her shoes, disturbed by her walking. No one had been up there in a long time.

So Mr. Vanget haMinch was a hermit. That made sense. She wondered how he got his food. Maybe there was a dumbwaiter installed in his room. That could explain a lot. It wasn't as if there was a manager to the building. It was only occupied by those who could stand to live in a rat-infested place and not have to pay rent.

"This place should be condemned," she whispered. No doubt, after the DJPF were done hauling out Mr. Brand and putting him in jail, someone would make a comment about the building and bring it up to standard.

There. There was a sliver of light from beneath a brown door on the end. This time, there was a room number on it. The brass of the numbers was rusted, but she could read it plainly.

Not that I have to write that thorough a report... She took a shuddering breath before knocking.

Ten minutes later, she was face to face with two baby Rottweilers, cuddled up against their adult mother, who barked viciously, but made no attempt at moving. Keladry was politely sitting on a perfectly clean pink armchair with a crocheted doily over it. It was the work of Mr. haMinch's late wife, supposedly.

"You look like Irene," the old man commented as he brought her some tea in well kept porcelain cups. They appeared to be antiques. Keladry wondered at the welcome surprise.

She thanked him and took a sip. "Uh, Mr. haMinch, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave the building for a bit. There's a dangerous criminal being harbored downstairs and I must apprehend him. I can't do that if there are other people around whose safety is threatened."

He squinted at her and stomped his cane on the floor, eliciting a bark from the mother dog.

"I ain't leaving. Haven't left this place in a long time. Don't think I need to leave cuz of that whipper snapper downstairs."

She smiled obligingly. "I can understand how you would feel, sir, but I really need you to evacuate. Just temporarily. I'm sure you would be able to go a couple of houses down the block and stay with someone just until this whole thing blows over. The DJPF would pay for it."

"You DJPF would also condemn the darn building," the man snapped. "And then were would I put Irene's stuff?"

That was something she couldn't answer. Keladry set the cup down on the table. "Please, sir. Perhaps just as a favor. One that I'd pay back, certainly."

He peered at her for a long moment, nostalgia in his eyes. He waved her off. "Aww, I'll leave. I never could deny you, Irene."

She smiled reluctantly. Irene was dead, but the man could not let go. It was alright with Keladry if he wanted to see his wife in her-- but just for a bit. If it got him out of the place and into safety, then she'd allow him to think what he wanted.

The next few minutes, Kel was helping the man pack his most necessary things, and most prized possessions. This mainly consisted of his wife's belongings: the tea set, some quilts, and a case of jewelry. He refused help though, in moving himself down the street. Keladry was surprised when he discarded his cane and with an unexpected strength for a man his age, and went down the stairs with his things without her help.

Now it was time to finally deal with Ivath Brand. The first job since her vacation had ended. It felt different now, working jobs she was used to. The vacation had released a relaxed side to her-- a part of her that enjoyed life instead of filling life up with duties she didn't need to take on.

She checked her gun again, making sure she had an extra clip if she needed it. She hoped that she wouldn't. Her energy glaive was tucked into her low rise boot, under the leg of her pants. She was badly out of practice with it, but brought it along anyway.

"Hello? Is anyone home?" she called as she nudged open the door.

A man came in from another room. He smiled at her, showing his crooked and yellowed teeth. "Yes?"

She tried to remain inconspicuous to what she was really here for. "Hi, I'm sorry to interrupt, uh, whatever you were doing, but are you Mr. Ivath Brand?"

He nodded, folding his arms across his chest. "That would be me."

"In that case, I need to have a word with you. If you would come closer, sir."

He grinned wider. "Anything for a pretty face."

She tried hard not to show the disgust she felt on the inside. Ivath stepped closer, confident for some reason. She didn't know if he was armed, but he looked cocky enough to have a weapon on him. Keladry reached under her vest and produced her gun. She trained it on him with one hand while showing him her pager ID on her other wrist.

"Ivath Samuel Brand, you are under arrest for the abuse and beatings of Iris Eyesly and her children, as well as four of your neighbors at the address of 58 Kings Street. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can be used against you in a court of law--"

The man started laughing. "Honey, don't go any farther."

She put both hands on her gun. "I said, you have the right to remain silent. I'd suggest you'd do so." She continued on her memorized speech. "If you do not have a current attorney to present you, the Federation of the Court will appoint you one--" hopefully the sleaziest, dumbest one in Mithros ..."Or you will have the freedom to defend yourself in the Federation Council's Court."

He yawned. "Seriously, don't go any farther. Sugar, you should be the one to put your gun down. Not me."

He reached behind him. Keladry tightened her hold on the trigger. "Sir, you don't want to do that. I'll shoot. I'm within my rights to."

He withdrew his hand, holding a small belt pager in his palm. "You don't want to shoot me." He squinted his eyes to read the name on the pager. "Merric Hollyrose. Hmm... you know him?"

Keladry's blood ran cold. "Shit."

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Baby Doll," he teased. He drew his gun and pointed it at her. "Now why don't you lay your gun on the floor, any extra magazines, and kick them over to me, huh?" While he said this, he threw down the pager onto his table and walked backwards to his closet.

This isn't happening.

She placed her gun on the floor, with her extra clip and kicked it toward him. The man slowly bent down to pick the gun up and point one at her while keeping the other trained on the door. He opened it by hooking his elbow around the knob and yanking it open that way.

Inside the closet, Merric was bound and gagged, the corner of his mouth being purple and swollen, with a trickle of blood down his chin.

Hostage situation. I hate hostage situations. I'm not good at hostage situations. Why did it have to be a hostage situation?!

"Now, you're going to take those delightful handcuffs of yours and use them on yourself. Cuff 'em to that pipe over there." He gestured to a part of a pipe exposed through a broken place in the wall.

She looked to Merric, who looked terrified but also focused upon her.

"Don't worry, Merric, it's going to be okay," she told him as she retrieved her handcuffs from within an inner pocket of her vest. She held the handcuffs up, to show them to Ivath. He nodded.

That's it. Blessed inspiration was going to save her. She dropped the cuffs, pretending to have dropped them by mistake. She continued to hold her hands up above her head.

"Pick them up, bitch!" he ordered. He moved closer to the cuffs and pointed at them with his original gun.

She sluggishly moved forward, genuflecting in a way with her left knee on the dirt speckled floor while she reached for the cuffs with her right hand. The cuffs were next to her right foot. And her right boot was exactly where it was.

In a blink of any eye, she drew her energy glaive and expanded it, striking forward before Ivath could react. The end struck him forcefully in the chest, knocking the air out of him. He slammed backwards into the wall, dropping the gun aimed at her. Before he could shoot the other one, Keladry spun around and ignited the flare at the end of her pole arm to burn his hand.

Ivath cried out and dropped the gun, clutching his wound. Spittle from his mouth dribbled down his chin as he wailed ceaselessly. Keladry picked up the dropped weapon and aimed it at him. She moved toward Merric, collapsing her energy glaive again and tucking it into the waistband of her pants, though the bottom of her shirt flipped over it.

"Merric, are you okay?" she asked once she removed his gag.

"I'm okay. Kel, I'm so sorry! I got lost wondering around... then I saw you come into this building and..." he stammered. He was soothed by her attentive gaze. With her free hand, she worked to undo the rope tied around his wrists. The skin there was red.

She helped him undo the rest of his bonds. Doing this, she failed to notice Ivath, whom she still assumed was freaking out due to his injury.

Merric looked up from what they were doing and spotted the gun barrel, leveled at them.

"Watch out!" he yelled, shoving Kel out of the way. He pressed himself to the side of the closet, where the overlarge doorframe shielded him some.

Kel twisted around, firing back and hitting Ivath in his chest, a bit below his right shoulder.

"Agh!" He hit the floor hard, screaming his pain. Keladry sent a distress call to the patrolling officers she talked to earlier. Mr. Brand was down and needed medical assistance. She was fine. Everyone in the area was fine.

Her attention shifted back to her friend's cousin. "Merric, I want you to pick up that rope and gag and run out of here. Wait for me next door. Don't let any officers see you."

He frowned. "But... why?"

She dared taking her eyes of Ivath again. "Look, if my superiors call your parents and tell them what happened to you, I don't think they'd ever let you visit Faleron again." She bit her lip. "I don't like this. I don't usually lie for friends. I'm a model officer. I usually do everything that's in the rule book, because that's the sort of person I am."

"Kel, I'm sorry--"

"Later, later," she chided. "I'm letting you off the hook because I value you and Faleron more than my responsibility. Take advantage of it, would you? This is a once in a century offer that I, of all people, go against the rules for personal reasons." She jerked her head towards the door leading out to the hallway. "Go. Now."

She looks so alive in the midst of a fight. So honorable, so... great, he thought to himself. He couldn't explain the warm feeling within him for the older woman. But he did what he was told. Merric picked up the ropes and gag and sprinted out, smiling to himself.

Keladry groaned. "I have a feeling I'm going to regret this."

~~

"What happened to you?!" Faleron was hysterical. Cleon had never seen his usually calm and witty best friend like this. It was something that never happened. Faleron being hysterical was like the time... the time in Scanra... no, before that... the time when he was so reluctant to shoot Keladry in the head... no... no...

"Fal, it's okay! I'm fine!" Merric protested.

Cleon snapped back to reality. He came over to sit beside the seventeen year-old and his frantic cousin. Merric was holding a wet cloth to the corner of his mouth, wiping off the dried blood and wincing as he felt the swollen bit.

Keladry stood wearily in the doorway. She had had Merric wait for her in Dom's computer lab at the station until she was done filing her report on Ivath Brand. Neal's godbrother was not in at the moment. Which was good. She didn't feel like explaining anything. And anyone who spied Merric within the lab thought he was a new Rider. After all, he was a civilian.

Now it was night, and they were in Cleon's apartment. Faleron had hung out with him when the redhead got home, refusing to comment about what he'd been doing with Fianola since earlier in the day.

"You look tired, Tough Stuff. Have something to drink," Cleon offered. He got up to get a glass of ice water for her. He snickered. "Wow, compared to my day giving out traffic tickets like a lousy third class, you had barrels of fun, huh?"

She groaned. "Shut up, you." She accepted the ice water and sipped. "Fal, I think it would be best if you didn't mention this to your aunt and uncle. You might never see Merric again."

He nodded. "Thank you so much, Kel. This is all my fault. If I hadn't stranded him with Lerant and Yuki--"

"It's not your fault," Merric interrupted. "I should have stayed with them like you told me to."

Cleon eyed the youngest man. "Compared to Kel, you look dead on your feet, kid. Go and lie down in the bedroom. You and Ice Cream Pants can crash here so you don't have to go all the way back to your place."

"You sure it's okay? I mean, you could take the couch, and I could sleep on the floor," Faleron began. Cleon stopped him.

"No, it's cool. Take the couch." He shoved his hands in his pockets and winked. "I think I'll go crash over at Fianola's and ask her how wild you were. That'll be a riot."

Faleron turned bright red. "No, it was nothing like that. Okay!? She's 18 for crying out loud! I'm 24! No way! That's six years, dude!" He held up his fingers. "Six years! As in, half a dozen. As in, just more than half a decade! As in... she was in the sixth grade while I was graduating!"

Keladry and Merric started laughing. Cleon gave a wolf whistle.

"You seduced a girl under 21," he grinned. "Aww... you wild stallion, you!"

"ARGH!" he tugged his hat over his ears. "Damn you, Kennan! She's the one who seduced me--" he stopped midway, realizing how wrong that sounded. "No one did ANY seducing!"

The rest of them cracked up with no hopes of stopping for hours. Faleron, his dignity lost for the evening, slumped into the couch and shot glares at his cousin and friends.

~~

Keladry left an hour later, wondering if she could get some fresh ice from the second floor before she went to bed. She got her ice bucket from her apartment and took the stairs down, because it led to the elevated walkway surrounded with trees. She loved the walkway, though little time she'd been living in Tusaine.

The moon was full. It was a bright luminescent orb of beauty in the dark blue skies. The stars were not easily seen, thanks to all of Tusaine's visible lights. But that was okay with her. The moon was there, and that was all.

She wished she could feel the sun's warmth though, and it was too much to hope for since the moon only reflected the sun's light. Or rather, not even reflected. Absorbed and transformed into its own kind of beams.

A hard day and she could still find something to stimulate her thoughts. Wow. I guess that vacation did more for me than I thought. She was halfway across the covered walkway when she noticed someone was leaning out, gazing at the city's lights.

His pale blond hair-- so pale it could have been white-- it identified him immediately. That color... Keladry could see him as a child of the moon with hair like that. And his eyes were icy, like the airless vacuum of space. So cold.

He turned to look at her, not speaking. He resumed his outward gaze.

It was then she realized that she was now wearing his jacket, retrieved from the squad car after her tussle with Brand. Keladry took it off quickly and not gracefully. She hesitantly advanced toward him, holding the article of clothing in her arms.

"Sorry about a few days ago. Here. You can have it back now."

He regarded her through half lidded eyes. "It's still windy out."

Yes, she knew it was windy. Strands of his unbelievable hair blew around his head in such a way, she only thought this was a dream of some sensational artist painting a picture of indescribable beauty. But, did that mean for her to put the jacket back on? He wanted her to keep wearing it?

"You sure?" she asked in such a hushed voice that she was suddenly embarrassed.

He rested his chin on his palm. Joren once again went back to looking at the part of the city he could see, from where the land sloped down. "Yeah. Give it back to me later. I want to be alone right now."

This isn't like him, she thought. Is this what being back in Tusaine does to him? Or is it something else? To remain a bit longer, she put on the jacket and picked up her ice bucket again. "I'll, um, give it back tomorrow. Don't leave so early. Not that I have to catch a ride with you to see Raoul again," she shrugged, a bit skittish. "Umm, but we can... talk about my bike? You know..."

"Sure," he murmured. It was like his mind was somewhere miles away. She nodded, not knowing what else to do. Only he ever made her feel so insignificant and so non-existent. It was aggravating, but this time it was worrying her.

Leave it alone for now. Wait until he's ready to talk. And that might even be a long time in coming. She walked past him. Before she went inside the other building, she glanced over her shoulder at him again.

Glanced at the crestfallen moon child who silently stood sentinel over a place he'd started to call home, in place of another hell across the sea. She imagined his tears against her shoulder, as it had occurred in that other hell. She imagined his desperate lips, trying to find something human to keep him grounded to earth instead of floating back up to the cold moon where he belonged.

She imagined his rare, bittersweet smile, and when her first name and not surname had been on his tongue.

"Keladry..."

~~

Author: Wow. Good? Yes? No? Maybe so? At the end of the episode, I'd realized that Joren was barely in this one. I hope this short ending scene was enough to satisfy all you romantics for now. It's so hard to do these scenes romantically and not like a cheesy dime-store romance novel. You know? Well, is it different than those? Is it better?

I KNOW there are a lot of you who appreciate me taking the time to develop this weird, unlikely couple so it's realistic to a certain extent, but unbelievable, too... but you're also very aware that I have probably taken the longest time out of all the authors at fanfiction.net to do this development. This season will not have been in vain. I'll hopefully be hitting the right emotions with the two to finally progress their "relationship". (Ain't that one hell of an incentive to keep reading ICBW?)

Forget that... How did you like the action? The comedy? Fal being called a Wild Stallion? Oh, and I will put more substance to the Fal/Fianola thing. I didn't mean for Fianola to sound like a ho or anything. She's not. Really. *pause* Anyway... Review. Tell me whatcha think.

IMPORTANT!

Thanks to Silverstar188@yahoo.com, I've started a mailing list for all those who aren't members at ff.net and don't have authoralert. PLEASE, email me to join. doesn't matter what you put in the text, just put 'mailing list' as the subject. Thank you! And I hope this makes it a lot easier for everyone.