Chapter Twelve
Disclaimer: I hate these things. See previous disclaimers.
It was December 15th, Nire's birthday, and her birthday party. She had invited, maybe, four people, and, of course, Coryn. Out of the four people, only Caitlin could come. Caitlin and Coryn were supposed to be there. Caitlin arrived, and the two sixth-graders waited patiently for the third to show up. After fifteen minutes, they got bored and went to the basement to play until Coryn came. Out of all of her 'friends' (acquaintances was more the right word), Caitlin was the one she liked the least. The girl was boring as hell and ignorant. But, Caitlin was better than nothing.
It got to be an hour later, time for cake. Nire decided to call Coryn, to see if she had forgotten.
"Oh, hi Nire," Coryn's mother said when she picked up the phone. "No, Coryn's not here right now. She went out with Heather about an hour ago. They'll be back around eight. Do you want me to have her call you back when she gets in?"
"Nah. Thanks anyway. Bye.' Nire hung up the phone and glared at it for a few seconds, then turned to Caitlin. "Looks like it's just us."
This was shaping up to be the worst birthday ever. Caitlin left an hour after the phone call, and Nire couldn't have been gladder. Her first thought was to go talk to Jander, but she knew he would still be sound asleep. She told her parents she was going for a walk in the woods, and high-tailed it out of there. They were used to her hanging out there for long periods of time by now. She went down to the little campsite her brother had made when he was a kid and changed into the clothes she had carried down invisibly. Then she gated to Raistlin's tower.
"Happy birthday!" the red mage said as he saw her. He detected something a bit off about her attitude, but couldn't really be sure, it being Nire. "Do you want to go visit my brother? I think he and Tanis are planning some sort of party…"
"Sure, why not." After that, she added in a voice too low for Raistlin to hear, "This day can't get any worse, can it?"
"What?" Raistlin asked as he made a gate.
"Nothing. Nothing important."
Raistlin was right. They were planning a mini-party at the tavern in Solace. They guys bought her an entire meal, of whatever she wanted. Usually they set some sort of price limit, but not tonight. The strange thing was that Nire barely took advantage of it. Raistlin wondered for a moment if something bad had happened, but decided it was just Nire being Nire. After they were done eating, Tika brought a cake out from the kitchen with twelve brightly sparkling candles on it. They sand her the Krynnian version of 'Happy Birthday', which was, in Nire's opinion, a hundred times better than the English one. Everybody had a piece, Caramon and Flint had two. Then the dishes were swept away, and the presents were piled on the table.
Nire picked up a small, wrapped sphere from Tas first. Unwrapping it, she grinned. IT was a clear globe with lights inside that swirled around in smoky patterns. It was the coolest thing she had ever seen. "Thanks Tas. This is awesome!" Tanis had gotten her a music box, Flint had made her a polished wooden dragon rampant, Caramon had managed to find a supple leather weapons belt, fit for multiple knives, and perfect to fit under her pants. In other words, hidden weapons. Raistlin had made her a spellbook of healing spells and random magic.
Nire smiled, a genuine smile. "Thanks guys. You're the greatest. I don't know what I would do without you. I love everything.
She stayed for a little while longer, chatting and talking. But, she soon said that she had to leave, that her parents would be worried. In fact, they would. She left with her pile and went to an alley. First she gated home, and then she changed and made her pile of gifts and clothes invisible. Then she walked up the short path to her house, saying she was going to bed. She shut her door, changed back, and contacted Jander.
Hi little one. Happy birthday.
Hi. Nire had dropped the happy façade she had worn visiting Krynn. Can I come hang with you guys for a couple hours?
Jander heard the need in her mental tone. Sure, kiddo. Want me to gate you here?
Yeah. She had shoved everything under her bed. Sensing where the gate formed, actually able to see the blue outline that she now knew no one else could see, she walked over and stepped through. She was in another in, in another room. Azrael and Jander had reached another town, apparently.
"Hi little one. How has your day been?"
"Each day of my life is worse than the one before." She paused. "I guess it was okay."
That was a lie, and Jander knew it, but he didn't press the issue. That would just make her day worse, because she would end up getting in a fight with him. Or maybe he was thinking too highly of how she viewed him. "How much cake have you eaten today?"
Nire grimaced. She loved sweet stuff, but…enough was enough. "Too much."
Jander smiled an easy smile. He had figured that. "So you're just here to collect whatever gifts we happen to have and go home?" he gently teased her.
Nire didn't seem to notice the lilt in his voice that was always present when he was being a tease. "Sometimes I question where my real home is," she said, her eyes dark. "I need to hang around some normal people for a while, so I came here."
"Ah, 'tis a sad day when I am considered 'normal', little one."
"Yeah. For the rest of the world. Shoes you just how sucky my world really is.'
"Seeing as how it's your birthday," Jander said, changing the subject, "what do you want to do?"
"Nothing," she immediately said. That was not strictly true - she didn't want to do anything physically. What she wanted to was to bask in the feeling of safety and trust that she tended to feel around Jander. A feeling that she realized was dangerous. "You don't even have to notice me. In fact, don't."
"Why not?" he asked, hoping she would answer. Nire was an enigma.
"Because…I…Because!"
"Okay, Nire, okay. You know you don't have to answer anything I ask."
"I know, sorry I snapped at you. I know that this is supposed to be a happy day for me, but it hasn't, so cut me some slack."
Jander eyes Nire, testing her sincerity. Finally, he patter the bed, and said, "Come sit down, and I will ignore you as hard as I can. However, when Azrael gets back, I can't vouch for him."
Nire sat down at the very end of his bed and lay back, stretching across it. AS Jander glanced at her before he picked up the particular carving he was working on, he realized with a start that his little one was growing up. She may have never been a child in mind, but now her body was catching up. If she hadn't been so overweight, she would have actually been quite pretty. In fact, Jander wasn't sure if she wasn't pretty. She cracked open one eye to look at him.
"Ignoring me means not looking at me, genius."
Jander smiled a boyish smile. "Sorry, little one. But I just realized how old you're getting, that next year you'll be an evil teenager."
"As if I'm not evil enough now." She fell silent, and Jander did as he promised and ignored her.
Before Azrael got back from wherever the teen was, he had gotten bored of etching out the delicate features from the block of wood. He watched Nire out of the corner of his eye. Her eyes were still closed, her breathing was deep and even, but she wasn't asleep. Nor was she meditating. She was merely…existing. He kicked off one boot, letting it thump to the floor. Nire didn't respond at all, so he paused. Then she started to stiffen, to tense up almost imperceptibly.
Jander ginned as he realized that she was waiting for the other shoe to drop, literally. He obliged her by letting it thump to the floor. He wiggled his bare toes, and glanced at Nire prospectively. She wasn't noticing anything, her eyes still closed, so he swung his legs up and settled his feet gently on her stomach. Then he leaned back, resting his head on his pillow, and left his eyes cracked open only wide enough so he could see Nire.
Nire tried to ignore him, and succeeded for a good twenty minutes. Jander was almost about to move when she said, "There any particular reason your feet are on my stomach?" She paused, waiting for the answer he wasn't going to give. "Hello…? Did you fall asleep…? Are you going to answer me…?"
"How am I supposed to ignore you if you keep talking." His voice grinned. "You're breaking your own rules."
Nire was quiet for a moment. "Your feet smell."
"No they don't.'
"How do you know?"
"Feet need sweat to smell." He wiggled his toes.
"So? You are so infuriatingly practical some times." She swung her body around and scooted up so she was lying next to him crossing her arms over her stomach. "I'm gonna have to go home soon. How long 'till Az gets back from wherever?"
"I don't know, little one." Azrael knew that the two of them were telepathic, but they didn't advertise it by contacting him at a time like this through their powers. Nire still wasn't sure if she wanted to bring him into her little telepathic fold or not.
As if one cue, Azrael knocked and walked in. "Hey is- okay, that answers my question. Hey Nire."
"We're supposed to be pretending she's not here," Jander chimed in before Nire could respond.
"Shut up," the girl said. "Hey Az."
"Happy birthday Nire." He held out a wrapped box. "Here ya go."
"Thanks, Az." She sat up, crossing her legs Indian style. "What is it?"
"You have to open it to find out, genius.' Az sat on the very end of the bed.
Nire's eyes flicked quickly to Jander and back to the box in front of her. She wondered if he had gotten her anything, and the thought that he hadn't cared enough actually hurt, and that surprised her. Unwrapping it, she found a box. And inside this box, was a snow globe. Inside the globe part was a tower. Clouds swirled around the tip of it. When Nire shook it up, the clouds turned from dark to light pastels, and white flakes rained down. Nire lived it.
"This is awesome, Az. Man, you guys have all been great." She shook it up again and watched the snow rain down. "Sweet…"
Azrael could tell by the look on her face, a rare, open look, that she truly liked it. Jander decided not to give Nire his gift yet, that he shouldn't try to follow that, even though Azrael gave him a clear Look.
"Did you eat yet?" Jander asked her.
"Yeah. Sorry man.'
"You have left absolutely nothing we can do for you for your birthday."
Nire grinned at the irony of it. "That's okay. Just you two being you two is enough." Nire lay back next to Jander again, shaking up the globe and setting it on her stomach to watch it.
Jander heard a random thought from Nire very clearly right then. The best present either of them could give me is to make me feel, just for two hours, like I'm loved, like I belong somewhere. He knew that he shouldn't have been able to hear that; that she hadn't meant for it to get past her shields. But the little slip showed just how badly she wanted it.
Jander wished dearly to know what had happened to her that day, what someone had done to her. Whatever it was, he felt as though it had been the straw that broke the camel's back.
"Ah, little one," he sighed. "If there is nothing we can do for you, then all we can offer is for you to bask in the glow of our friendship."
Nire ginned. "Okay, man. That's all I ask for tonight."
Jander half-smiled at her, as Azrael said, "So, what, are you two just going to lay there all night?"
"And enjoy each other's company," Jander told him, sliding an arm under the newly turned twelve-year-old's head, as a father would.
"If I happen to fall asleep, wake me up before dawn so I can go home," Nire said. Jander had been afraid that she would reject the gesture of friendship and comfort for whatever had happened, but she merely moved around a bit to make herself more comfortable.
"You guys are so boring," Azrael said, rolling his eyes and standing up. But both Nire and Jander could see the look of envy in his eyes, envy of the family bond she and Jander seemed to share, envy of their closeness.
"There's room for you, too," Nire said as she and Jander slid over, so she would be in the middle.
"Boring." Now he was being stubborn, for no reason at all.
"Suit yourself," Nire said, like she and Jander knew something he didn't.
Azrael stood, the indecision clearly written on his face. What Jander and Nire had now was something he had wanted all of his life, and never gotten. People were afraid to touch 'the vampire-boy', unless they were hurting him. Nire and Jander had been a frightening change, offering him friendship and no pain. He still wasn't sure he totally trusted them.
In the end, he walked around, kicked off his boot, and gingerly lay down on the far-far edge, trying not to touch Nire. Nire and Jander silently took bets on how long her would last.
Nire, the three of them, were quiet for a little while. Finally, she said, "Man, today bit!" There was no response, just patient waiting. "I mean, Jesus, the fates have it in for me." Nire would guess that it was about ten o'clock at night, and yet, she was already tired. She yawned. "All of one person came to my birthday party, the one person I liked the least, my parents got me the kind of cake I hated so my sister would eat it, too, I got shitty gifts from everyone on Earth. My best friend told me she was coming, then never showed. It seems that the fates hate me." She sighed.
Jander wasn't going to push his luck on the touching issue, so he lay still next to the girl. "One bad birthday out of twelve, with many more coming, isn't that bad, little one. I know that's not the response you're looking for, but…"
"That's okay, man. That's more sympathy than I expected to get."
Jander
had learned to read Nire as best he could.
Right now, he would assume that the betrayal of her friends, which was
how she saw it, was causing her to begin to doubt her trust in people. He glanced over at the two children. They were so similar
- drawing away from everyone as a safety mechanism. Azrael was at the very edge of the bed, not
quite belonging. He stayed merely for
fear of missing something interesting.
Jander opened his mind a little, hoping it would work. He let the friendship he felt for the two of
them flow through. Nire smiled
peacefully, but he caught the flash of mistrust in her eyes. Azrael, on the other hand, looked
shell-shocked. Jander quickly realized
that the teen had probably not believed that they didn't have an ulterior
motive in allowing him to come along.
But he watched as Azrael began to slowly relax, become part of the
group.
Within fifteen minutes, Nire
had fallen asleep. Jander tamped down on
the telepathic sending, and slowly closed his mind. He made eye contact with Azrael, seeing as
how they were both wide-awake. To them,
it wasn't even noon. He nodded his head
towards the door, and slowly began trying to reclaim his arm. Azrael quietly got up on the other side. But Jander knew the instant that her
breathing slightly increased and her heart rate sped up that they hadn't been
able to pull it off. She didn't open her
eyes, however, feigning sleep.
"Sweet dreams, little one. I'll wake you up again before dawn." He gently caressed the top of her head as a loving parent would, and left with Azrael.
When Nire heard the door close behind them, she opened one eye and inhaled the scent of Jander that was on the bed. She did not realize it, but, to her, that was slowly becoming the smell of home.
* * * * *
Jander woke Nire up exactly when she wanted to be woken up. He knew that she had really woken up the instant he had set foot in the room. She was scarily good at that.
"You told me to wake you up, little one. And I still have to give you your birthday present."
"You can keep the whatever it is if you let me have ten more minutes of sleep," she grumbled.
"You can have both," he said, turning to leave.
"No, I'm awake." She sat up and rubbed an arm across her eyes. Her hair was all psychotic from sleep, wild and sticking up. She finger-combed it relatively flat, as flat as curly hair could go. "Damn, I wish I could stay here, but I got freakin' school to go to and asshole friends to yell at."
"Well, little one, this might make you happier." He pulled out an intricately carved box from his pack, and handed it to Nire.
She admired the box a bit before opening it, wondering what was inside. It was hinged, and actually looked sort of like an instrument case. She opened it, and stopped in shock when she saw the flute.
"Oh my God…" she whispered, reaching out to stroke the polished wood of the instrument she had admired so much in the music shoppe. "Oh my God, oh my God, you just so totally made my day. Oh my God." She jumped up and hugged him. "This has got to be the best thing I've gotten in years."
"You're very welcome, little one," he said, returning the surprising hug.
She backed away and picked up the flute, running a scale. The notes were just as sweet as she remembered, just as much of a joy to play. She played a couple bars of 'Fur Elise'. Then she carefully wiped off the embouchure and put it back."
"What would I do without friends like you?" she asked rhetorically.
"Shrivel up and die from neglect, little one," Jander said with joking eyes. "Are you ready to go home?"
"No," she replied matter-of-factly, "but I guess I have to anyways. Tell Az I said bye."
"Okay. I'll make the gate for you, little one."
Nire nodded her thanks, grabbed her new flute and the snow globe from Azrael. Then she stepped through the gate and Jander closed it behind her. Azrael had already gone to bed, and now Jander was doing the same. His bed smelled of the peculiar scent of Nire - cleaner than most people of his world, vanilla, and almonds. He felt strangely comforted by the scent - it gave him a feeling that someday, everything would be all right. For the first time in a long time, Jander fell asleep with a smile on his face.
* * * * *
"Hey Coryn." Nire slid into the desk next to her 'best friend'.
"Hi Nire," came the soft reply. Coryn barely ever spoke above a whisper.
"How come you didn't come to my birthday part?" That was Nire, blunt as ever.
"When was it?"
Nire could have screamed. "Yesterday. Remember, you said you'd come. Ring any bells?"
"I'm sorry, I forgot. Oh well."
Nire shook her head. "Whatever." She picked up her books and moved to another seat farther away. Being friends with Jander had made her soft, made her a fool. Coryn had just reminded her why she never had friends for more than a couple months, why she always pushed them away after that time period. In the end, people you trust would just hurt you. It was human nature.
Coryn had been the straw that broke the camel's back. When she had come back to school, all of her fifth grade friends had ignored her. Sixth graders were just plain cruel, and it was worse than last year. Nire knew that it was now time to begin drawing away from her off-world friends. She was long overdue for betrayal, and, hopefully, she could pull away before someone did that.
To her, Raistlin and Jander had seemed extremely vulnerable for adults. It brought down her guard, had taken down the metal-and-stone wall piece by piece. Now it was time to rebuild the walls and barricades, and to pull back from everyone for a while. Nire's self-preservation instinct was kicking into overdrive.
Nire immediately began to act upon her realization. She could not count the number of betrayals she had suffered, and could not guess at the number that was to come. But she would prevent these. She slowly began drawing herself back from Flint, Tanis, Tas, Caramon, Raistlin, Gar, Alea, Azrael, and Jander. She did it subtly, so as not to inflict the pain on others that had been inflicted upon her. She thought she did a good job, and they did not notice what was happening…
She was sort of correct. Out of the nine people, three realized what was happening - Jander, Raistlin, and Azrael. The three went over things they possible could have done to anger her, to put her off, and all came up empty. It was barely noticeable at Yuletide, but after that, the process began to speed up. By New Years', Jander was considering talking to her. By halfway through the month, he decided to go speak with Raistlin.
Jander had basically avoided the red mage since he had found out the vampire's secret. Truthfully, Jander did not trust the mage of the mage's magic. But he was more concerned about Nire. He knew that she was slightly suicidal, and, plus, he enjoyed her company and he missed her.
Raistlin? he asked tentatively.
I need to talk to you, was the immediate reply.
About Nire? It was a common agreement to use Krynnian when talking between Krynnians and people of Faerûn.
Then it's not just me? Gate to here. Raistlin sent an image of a room.
Slightly mistrustful, Jander gated to the room. There were no traps waiting for him, and he felt a bit foolish for his paranoia.
"Does it feel like she's drawing away?" he immediately asked.
Raistlin nodded gravely. "What do you know about it? Anything? She won't talk."
"Bits and pieces from reading between the lines. Something happened at her birthday part at her home - I think her best friend didn't come."
"But she was fine when she came here for our party." Raistlin was puzzled. Usually, he could at least guess at Nire's moods.
"She wasn't when she came to me and Az. You know how Nire is when she's had a really bad day?" Raistlin nodded. "Well, she was like that, except… It was if she knew that this was the last time she would have any sort of…closeness. Like, for one night, all her defenses were down."
"I've been working for years on getting her to open up just the tiniest bit," Raistlin said. "And, I've been making progress. You've seen how she is around me. And I've watched her on the rare occasions you've been here. You've gotten much farther than me. And now…"
"It's like she doesn't see all the good things about her." Jander ran a hand through his golden hair. "Do you know what I mean? It's like she doesn't see how intelligent and bright she is, and that's what we value. The gods know I can't afford to lose any of my friends, no matter the ages," he added softly.
"What if both of us sat her down for a nice, long talk, separately, and see if that brings her to her senses."
"Then report back to the other? Combine our resources?"
"Sweet deal," Raistlin said, and then grinned. "Great, now I'm picking up phrases from Nire. Will wonders ever cease."
"Thank you Raistlin. Thank you a hundred times over."
" 'Till we meet again."
Jander stepped back to his room in the in he and Azrael were currently staying at, to find the boy sitting in a chair. He jumped slightly when Jander appeared.
"Hi Azrael," he said, wondering what the teen could want.
"Hey. Can I talk to you?"
"Sure." Jander sat down on the end of the bed. Azrael had become, to Jander, almost as much of family as Nire was. He wasn't sure how close Azrael thought they were, though. He had the feeling the teen still felt as though he didn't quite belong.
"Two things. First of all, can I have some money to buy this really cool Mnematoad named Herman down at the bar?"
Jander looked confused. "What?"
Azrael was just as puzzled. "I don't really know. That just popped out of my mouth."
A voice from the sky caused their heads to turn towards the ceiling. "Sorry about that, guys. I am the great and powerful Author. My friend wanted me to put something in about an Mnematoad named Herman. What the hell is an Mnematoad, anyways? Okay, continue your conversation.'
Azrael and Jander looked at each other and shrugged. Then the voice from the sky came again. "Oh yeah, I forgot. Herman likes to eat chocolate éclairs. Sorry. Continue."
"If you're finished," Azrael said with a glare to the ceiling. When no words came again, he continued. "First of al, do you know what's up with Nire? She's like… I don't know." Azrael had difficulty expressing his feelings and thoughts out loud sometimes, after living for so long alone. "Did she tell you if I did something to make her mad?" he finally asked.
Jander shrugged. "She's been acting odd to everyone. I went to talk to one of her other friends, and he agreed with me. Don't worry, my friend, I doubt it's something you, or I, have done. Raistlin and I will try to pry some definitive answer out of her. Okay?"
Azrael nodded. He was not forthcoming with his second question, so Jander prompted him with a, "Well? What's your other question? Or did you forget?" He slightly smiled.
Azrael shook his head and twisted his hands nervously. If he was right… Did he even really want to know? But if he did not ask, then he would always wonder. But if he was right… There had to be some way to put this…
"What are you?" he finally asked bluntly.
"An elf," Jander tried. All of a sudden, there was a ball of lead in the pit of his stomach. Truthfully, he was dreading this conversation. There was no way it could end well. There weren't that many people like Nire in the world, and the odds of Azrael being as understanding…slim to none.
"Are you really," Azrael said, his inherent mistrust of everyone flaring. "You don't walk like an elf, you don't eat, you sleep during the day for no apparent reason, you're pale pretty much all the time. What's up? What am I traveling with?"
All of the happiness, the feelings that nobody noticed but Nire until they were gone, slowly leached from his face, leaving it grim and sad. If Azrael looked closely, he could see the weight of centuries in Jander's eyes.
"What do you think I am, Azrael?" Jander asked quietly.
Azrael stared, transfixed by the look of masked pain on Jander's face. "I…" He almost regretted that he had brought this up. "A…a vampire?" Azrael watched as a look of sadness and pain flahsed across Jadner's face, only to be quickly hidden as the elven vampre slowly nodded his head.
"Yes." His voice dripped with derision and self-contempt. "That is the beast that I am." He waited for a reaction; only slightly curious as to what it would be this time. There was only so many times you could watch people react before you had seen them all, and they were no longer interesting.
He immediately felt the fear in Azrael spike to the max, then slowly begin to fade. "Holy shit, I was right? Not just paranoid? Good gods."
Azrael was talking to himself, not to Jander, although that was where he was looking. Jander had to put out some reassurances. He couldn't just…
"Look, Azrael, listen to me, please. I swear, you're in no danger from me. I don't drink human blood anymore. I…" Jander shook his head. This was stupid and pointless. "Never mind. Take half the money out of my money pouch - or all of it, I don't care. I'm sure you can find someone else to travel with."
Interestingly enough, Jander smelled Azrael's fear levels spike again. "What? You're kicking me out? Or…well, whatever you would call it." Hurt flashed through the teen's eyes.
Jander's mouth literally dropped open. "Well, no, not if you don't… What?" He ran a hand through his golden locks and studied Azrael more closely. The look in the teen's eyes clearly said, 'I don't want to be alone again'. "I just assumed that… Are you telling me that being alone scares you more than me being a vampire?'
Azrael dropped his eyes for a second, then stared defiantly back at Jander's silver robs. "Yeah, it does. So?"
Jander just sighed and shook his head. "Humans," he muttered.
Azrael was used to Jander's sudden mood swings by now. "Are you really a vampire?" His fear shone in his eyes for a second. Azrael flipped between topics almost as fast as Nire did.
"What do you want?" Jander asked more harshly than he intended. "Proof? Do you want proof?"
Azrael flinched, but said, "Yes, I do."
Jander let his fangs slide down and turned his eyes. Then he bared his fangs and hissed at Azrael. Was he overdoing it? Yes. Did he care right now? No. Would he car later? Yes. Azrael jumped up in surprised and knocked over his chair, his heart rate escalating and fear spiking. Immediately regretful, Jander turned away and closed his eyes, bringing the beast back under control. When he turned back, Azrael was standing behind the righted chair.
Suddenly tired, it could be heard in Jander's voice as he said, "Go ahead. Run out of the room, go alert everyone else that there's evil here." The weight of centuries was weighing down on his shoulders. He never realized how much he valued those around them, their support of him, until he knew he was about to lose them. He dropped his face to his hands and waited. But the heartbeat didn't fade, and he heard Azrael sit back down.
"Know what? I think you're just as afraid of being alone again as I am."
Before Jander could come up with a suitable response, he felt magic behind him. Immediately whirling around, he felt foolish when he saw a tired and angry Nire standing in her pajamas behind him.
"What the fuck is going on here? The fucking emotions coming off the two of you woke me up in my world. Whatever it is QUIT IT NOW!" She was gone before they could respond.
Jander looked at Azrael. That was the first time they had soon Nire in a week, and it was disconcerting. "Let's call a truce until Nire's in a better moor, okay?"
"Yeah," Azrael agreed. "For such a little kid, she sure as hell is scary when she's mad." Azrael paused as Jander nodded. "You're not just going to leave me here, are you? Because I know?"
Jander smiled a genuine smiled. "No, Az, I wouldn't do that to you.' It heartened Jander that Azrael was more worried about that than the other issue. It was also sad. Jander bid the child good night, even though it wasn't even midnight, but didn't get out of the chair before Azrael was gone.
* * * * *
Azrael and Jander's relationships became slightly strained for a few days. Jander knew very well that Azrael was scared, scared of all the legends. But Jander did everything he cold to prove he was harmless. Jander wished he could talk to Nire, but she was now standoffish most of the time. It made discussion difficult.
The two pretty much avoided each other for a few days. Azrael needed time to come to terms with the fact that one of his two friends was a vampire - the quintessence of evil - and yet he wasn't all that bad. Jander just didn't want to see or smell the fear, because it hurt him emotionally, and the gods knew he didn't need any more emotional pain. Within five days, however, things were almost back to normal. Azrael was still a little jumpy, but he accepted Jander at face value. After weighing the actions against the legend, Az came to the right decision and decided the actions weighed more, which was very mature for the now-sixteen-year-old. The smell of fear hadn't gone away yet, not at all, but Jander was sure it eventually would. If Azrael was going to continue traveling with him, it would have to.
Jander, quite frankly, was amazed that Azrael had chosen to stay. If he had been in the boy's place, he could not say that he would have. The human race constantly amazed him. Usually, it was their brutality and ruthlessness, but every once in a while, a brief light of compassion shone through.
Now, all Jander had left to do was to talk to Nire…
