Chapter 18

phoenix the 1st: It should be, but Bryan's not thinking that way. Yet. *smirks*

Reiven: With me, the plot is always thickening. I like weaving both character and plot based stories. Hard to do, but they're great when they work. ^_^

Bloody Mary: I think Tala would freak if he knew about Bryan in "Bloodstained", and personally, I wouldn't blame him. If someone was thinking that about me, I'd be putting myself in witness protection. :p And I know about the OC problem. Once of my Star Wars OCs keeps stalking me. *Cenev sticks his head into the story. "Who, me?* -_-;;

Castles in the Sky: I'm so glad you think it works. Some things don't. A lot of things don't.

Ashla: You want disgusting medicine, you should see what they force down your throat in hospital. And I swear, the stuff in the drips, it ends up in your bloodstream and eventually you end up tasting it. Trust me. _

eyriess: Yep. Boris is still trying to clear his name following the tournament. Good luck to him.

Curtis Zidane Ziraa: It most certainly is. ^_~

Tala is not going to be happy that they were overheard.

Disclaimer: See first page

Tala looked up as the other two entered, setting his glass back down on the table and pushing himself to his feet. "You took your time."

"Had to wait for Panas," Ian said. "And he had to wait for Rhyce to pinch the meat."

"So what did they get?"

"Bacon."

Tala raised an eyebrow. "Bacon? I'm not too fond of the stuff, but Bryan doesn't seem mind it. But I can't really afford to be fussy, can I?"

"Not really." Spencer pulled the package from inside his vest and dropped it onto the table. "It's raw."

"Well we'd better cook it then."

As they went about preparing and cooking the meat, Ian and Spencer informed Tala of everything that was going on in the Abbey. As predicted, Tala was not impressed when he discovered that they had been overheard, and proceeded to give them a lecture about being more cautious and aware of ones surroundings.

Tala was interested when they told him about the intensified training of the reserves team, and of the theories for why that was happening. He agreed with Spencer's idea that it was because the other two boys were trained to work with Tala and Bryan, and that Boris figured that without those two, there was no need for them.

Ian frowned as he held out the plate for Tala to dump the meat onto. "What will Boris do with us? We were trained to battle, and if he sees no use for us…" He blinked. "He wouldn't, would be?"

Spencer was unable to fight the shudder that moved through him. "He was gonna kill Bry and Tal, so what would stop him?"

"But we're too good for that. We're the best bladers in the Abbey-"

"Exactly." Tala sat the plate on the table and dropped into a seat, eyes settling on the 12-year-old. "In the past, Boris has only used the weaker bladers for his experiments. As far as I know, Alexander was the most advanced, and the tests have been successful because of this. If he had you two, just imagine how successful they would be then."

Ian shivered. "There's no way I'm getting experimented on. The sooner we leave the better."

"Agreed."

Spencer nodded to the side. "First we've got to wait for Bryan to get better."

Ian looked down at the food. "Maybe we should put some of this aside with a cover over it. To keep it warm."

"Don't bother." Tala glanced toward the bed, eyebrow raised. "He's awake. Has been the whole time."

To prove his point, lavender eyes cracked open in an icy glare.

"Get up, Bryan." Tala crossed his arms over his chest. "I've known you my entire life, so I can tell when you're faking."

Bryan's hand turned over, central finger extended in a silent reply.

"To you too." Tala turned his back on him. "Just get up, would you. Before I drag you out of bed by your ankle. And I'll make certain that your head slams into the floor."

Bryan snorted, pushing himself up. "You're a real charmer, Wolf."

"And you're still a jerk, Falcon, now get over here."

"Yes O Captain, my Captain."

Ian and Spencer exchanged a grin as Tala growled, Bryan slowly moving toward them to drop into the fourth seat at the table.

Spencer grinned at him. "Good to see you up, Falcon. You had us worried."

Bryan simply shrugged it off, picking at a bit of bacon.

Tala smiled faintly, eating his own breakfast as Ian and Spencer went over everything that had been said the day before, and that morning. Bryan was content with letting Tala reply to comments and answer any questions, the elder simply eating in silence, listening in and mentally taking note for future reference.

Finally, Ian could resist no more. "So what's going on between you two exactly?"

Tala glanced at Bryan, who didn't even flinch. "What do you mean 'what's going on'?"

Ian crossed his arms over his chest, looking at his captain. "When we arrived yesterday morning, you were curled up asleep with your arms around Bryan, and that was before we knew something was wrong with him. And when we showed up last night, you were cradling him in your arms. What's going on?"

Tala raised an eyebrow. "What do you think is going on?"

Ian sighed, knowing full well Tala was dodging the questions. "Look Tal, are you guys sleeping together?"

The eyebrow rose further. "Ian, we only have one bed, which we are sharing. How would you answer that question?"

Ian was beginning to get irritated. "Look, are you two screwing each other?"

Tala's eyes became cold slits. "No, we are not."

"What, so you're just letting Bryan screw you then? Or maybe you took advantage of him while he was– eek!"

Ian found himself hoisted up from his seat by the front of his shirt, Bryan's eyes blazing as he snarled. "I have a good mind to–"

"Bryan!"

Tala and Spencer were on their feet, Tala holding Bryan back as Spencer fought to free Ian from his grip. After several moments of struggle, they were successful, Spencer holding Ian back as the youngest member fought to get his revenge, Bryan seething as Tala kept one arm tight around his waist.

"That was uncalled for, Ian," Tala said, glaring at the younger.

Ian pointed at Bryan. "He attacked me–"

"And I don't blame him for it." Tala's glare hardened. "If he hadn't, I would have. And Bryan." He looked at the Falcon's face. "You are still in no condition to get worked up like that, so cool it."

Bryan growled, settling himself back in his seat, Tala remaining standing with his hands resting on Bryan's shoulders. Spencer, once he was sure Ian had settled, sat down in his own seat, though Bryan and Ian continued to glare at each other.

Tala sighed, tugging gently at Bryan's lavender hair. "Look Ian, nobody is screwing anyone, at least not as far as Bryan and I are concerned. And personally, it would be none of your business if we were screwing each other. And neither of us are in any condition to do something like that anyhow."

Ian sunk down in his seat. "Yeah. Sorry Tala. I was just curious, that's all."

"As for what's going on between us." Tala frowned. "We're friends. We've grown up together since we were babies. We've always been close. If we ever become any closer… well, so be it. And to be honest, that's none of your concern. And, none of your business. So don't bother asking again. If anything happens, we'll decide whether or not to tell you, got that?"

Ian smirked. "So there's a chance something might happen–"

"Ian…"

"Oh come on, I was just playin'." Ian sighed. "You can be too serious sometimes."

Spencer looked around them. "I vote we stay off that topic from now on."

"Agreed." Tala settled back into his seat, eyes watching Bryan in case the other made a second grab for Ian, but saw it wouldn't be the case. Bryan had shut Ian out. Tala turned to Spencer. "Now, what exactly are the drills the reserves are running?"

Heh heh. Bryan was gonna kill Ian for a moment there. And personally, I wouldn't have blamed him. What do you think?