A/N: CIG is not dead... updating as much as I can. I again am w/o my computer. I was trojened, virused, and malwared, and had to re-format last night. Luckily I have back ups, but the attack destroyed three chapters of CIG, and my Shards notes, so these stories will again be slowed once more. Nasty little work that trojen-package, it destroyed my anti-spyware/virus/popupblocker first so I could not contain it or deleate it. It's handled now, but it's slowed me down a lot. Sorry guys, you know how it is...
Is Cupid Green
Chapter 5
Most difficult task
Bored… She was bored, bored of cleaning, of petting the dog she was to take care of, bored of… everything really. All her work was done for the day so she lazily pooled on the floor, stretched out, and made a snow angel right in the center on the thick crimson carpeted floor. Noishe was so bored he watched her and yawned. He'd padded up and down the rooms he was allowed, barked at the grand cardinal's door and went in there a few minutes and had come out still bored. If the desians didn't kill her, if the sociopath swordsman with the one word vocabulary of "hurmph" didn't kill her, the boredom would.
And if it were a race to see her dead, she'd had said boredom was winning.
The water time piece dripped, she rolled over to stare at it, from one blue stone with a thin little slit at its bottom. Like an egg with its shell cracked water dripped from the blue stone, unlike an egg the contents of the stone never seemed to run out. She counted the slow steady drops. One… two… three…. Four… five…
Noishe stared at the dripping rock than started to squirm.
"Not again…" Anna groaned, Noishe only whined and looked pathetic. "You know it's distinctly undogish of you to tell me when you have to go, normal puppies just... well they go."
Noishe stuck his tongue out and made an "ung" sound and Anna chuckled.
"You know what to do." Anna yawned. "same old same old."
Anna closed her eyes, and supported the back of her head with the intertwined fingers of her two hands. She listened to Noishe wander off, the carpet muffled his foot falls but the stream of annoyed whines told her exactly where he was. There was an all too familiar scratch of claw on wood and the door hissed like it always did than swung open like an everyday door.
"Whine!"
"Not again…"
The fact that he just said exactly what she had just said struck her as funny, and she giggled despite the fact that her laughter always put him in an even more soar mood.
"Host body…"
"Yeah yeah, shut up, I get the idea." Anna shifted around not bothering to open her eyes, aware that this show of "laziness" would annoy him. She heard a door slam and was only aware of Kratos passing her because Noishe was whining like a crazy thing at the man's feet. That and the soft sigh of his cape stirring behind the man every step he took. His scent of steal and leather drifted by her, and the front door of the apartment opened and slammed closed just like any other door.
Well… wasn't that interesting? It was a normal door, not one of those hissing protected doors like the one that served as his lordship's door. Even not voicing the title, just thinking it, made her lips curl in disgust. He was –as far as she could tell- a human, he was worse then a traitor, he was… well she couldn't think of the word but evil came close to the word she wanted to use.
Time crawled by, the stone dripped four hundred times then the door opened and the chirpy dog barked and charged right at her, leapt, and though small he was fast and it was kind of like being punched by a ball of fluff in the gut. Gasping her eyes flew open. She frowned and glared at the green and silver lump on her stomach.
"Oww Noishe that hurt…"
"Whine!" The dog's little tail wagged so frantically it swatted both of her sides.
"It's alright…" Anna reached up and stroked that little tuft between those long ears. "You're not all that heavy."
She was aware Kratos was watching her, but didn't bother to lift her gaze and meet the Cardinal's black eyes. She just scratched Noishe and waited, it wasn't much of a wait. He made a noise of disgust and walked by her, again the hint of leather and polished steal tickled her nose then the door hissed in the hall.
"How did you get stuck with a Desian, Noishe? You don't deserve that." She muttered under her breath, letting a digit run over the dog's silver jaw.
It might have been her imagination but when Kratos slammed the door behind him, it was a little harder then normal.
X
How dare she… that…she has no right to pass judgment on me!
Kratos muttered a few curses in the language of his homeland and proper time, snapped two fingers than pointed. The small fireplace exploded with a tangled mess of red and yellow threads that solidified and became true flame. It was a fire that feed on nothing but his frustration, and he had a plenitude of that. He hated walking by the human pens and it was the only place Noishe could properly… tend the needs of his mortal form.
"You better damn well evolve into your next form soon." Kratos hissed to the empty room. Kratos' exercise of talking to himself was a futile attempt to retain some of his mortality. It was all an act, a mere reminiscence, a re-enactment of his mortal habit of addressing the person who wasn't there. When he'd been human he had talked to himself or to others not there in some vain hope that they'd hear him, now he just did it to remember that he used to have habits and wasn't a mana consuming machine of Yggdrasil's make.
He threw the collar and leash upon the bed and glared at the fire he had made with a mere word and gesture. And while his eyes stared at the writhing mess of salamanders his mind was looking back…
"The Aeros' next form will run across the earth with the speed of the wind, forsaking wings for legs…"
"That bird… is going to turn into something else?" Yuan stared at Noishe, the hawk –no it appeared Noishe was actually a protozoan- coolly returned the favor.
"Indeed." The elf elder's lips curled slightly into a mocking smile he favored the collection of half breeds and human filth that had dared have a Protozoan with them. "All know this."
"I thought Noishe was a bird…" Mithos stared at the green hawk that was perched on Kratos' shoulder. Noishe preened his wing than turned to stare at Mithos. Slowly the hawk crossed his black-brown eyes.
"Noishe, be polite." Kratos mutter absently, tapping the hawk firmly on the back of his head. Squawking in indignation at the accusation-despite the fact Kratos was correct- the avian shaped being flapped his wings then settled down after a bit with an annoyed cooing sound.
The elf stared at Noishe, stared at the human and his jaw tried to dislocate itself from his face.
"Sir," obviously having a green bird on your shoulder elevated you from "human swine" to "sir" for some strange elvish reason. "The Protozoan is a holy being, an embodiment of life and change, speaking to such a holy being in such a callous and crass manner as if he were your inferior is the greatest sacrilege…"
Kratos stared at the elf, once he wouldn't have been able to follow that thought to its end, the long words would have baffled him to no end. Months of Martel's patient tutelage had remedied that though.
"Sacrilege to your faith," Kratos fondly tweaked the avian's tail feathers, and the elf looked morally outraged. "Not in mine, and worshiping him would be impractical for the grounds of our partnership."
"Partner…" The Elf sputtered. "Human you don't deserve to be in the presence of this holy…"
Noishe screeched, flared his wings, and tightened his talons grip into Kratos' shoulder.
"I think Noishe has a few objections to you sticking a hood on him and taking him as your own Elder." Martel chuckled, "more then a few."
"Noishe…" Kratos hissed. "I would like to have a solid shoulder, not fragments of ground up bone…"
Folding his wings Noishe shifted and then loosened his grip. The elf was looking like he was having a few problems breathing. As if to rub it in that he liked humans and would have nothing to do with elves Noishe began to preen his chosen partner's wild hair and coo.
"Aww, that's so sweet." Martel chuckled. "Noishe must really like you Kratos."
"What is he… doing?" Mithos whispered.
"Preening, think of it like bird kisses." Martel explained to her "baby" brother.
Mithos of course flaunted his immaturity by snickering and Yuan joined him.
"Kind of hard to appear all tough and strong with a bird kissing you, isn't it Kratos?" Yuan chuckled. "Will you two be getting married?"
The cooing stopped and Noishe's beak snapped closed, neatly scissoring through a lock of Kratos' hair so that it fell from the human's head. Slowly the Protozoan shifted and glared at the blue haired half-elf. With a screech Noishe fluttered from Kratos' shoulder and landed on Yuan's head, tugging on talons full of long silky blue locks and pecking at that thick half-elven skull.
"Get it off!" Yuan screamed, bringing his hand up to swat Noishe away. Mithos and Martel both came down with the giggles and after being in countless grim battles and weeks of hunting demons Kratos wasn't going to be so cruel as to deny them their entertainment. The human only smirked as Yuan screamed for help. Kratos crossed his arms in front of his chest as he watched the show. Yuan ran around in circles trying to get Noishe off, much to the human's disappointment the half-elf cut the entertainment short by running headfirst into a rather thick looking tree and knocking himself out.
Not able to laugh -he'd lost that ability long ago- Kratos settled for a cynical smirk to curl his lips. As an Aeros, Noishe had been a brilliant ally. His avian form had made the protozoan an unmatched scout, a decent fighter, and a skilled messenger. Despite the three month span of having to feed him bits of ripped up rat and pushing him off small rocks and trees to get him flying… It had been worth it to ignore Yuan's urging to de feather and cook the protozoan. It would -Kratos decided- be worth it to endure the intensive care that Noishe's current incarnation demanded. As a wolf certainly the Protozoan would be an excellent fighter, and with a little lying or even the use of dye Kratos could probably have the Protozoan join him in the upcoming Regeneration journey. Much easier to explain or sneak a dog into a inns common room then a hawk, people got edge with a raptor that was so tame, but with a dog almost anything could be passed off as training.
And despite how much he hesitated to admit it… it would be nice to be with someone who he could trust completely, someone who could watch his back, and someone he could honestly talk to.
Even if that person couldn't talk back yet.
X
"What is it with you and women? If I were at all like Maverick you know you would be in trouble don't you?"
Noishe cracked an eye open and greeted the "Desian's" whispered words with a yawn. The protozoan was sprawled over the sleeping Anna's belly, the woman even in slumber had a hand around the small dog shaped creature and held the "animal" in a protective embrace. Noishe's small legs dangled at least an inch from the floor, his dreamy fogged brown eyes cleared and he whined at Kratos' reference to their womanizing traveling companion four centuries dead.
"Whine?"
Kratos sighed, folded his wings so that they looked little more then a feathered sapphire hued cloak of several overlapping segments.
"I was busy… the monsters around the ranch…"
Noishe nodded, waged his tail, and winked. He obviously enjoying the fact that his small form kept him out of the fighting, he also seemed to be enjoying the fact he could rub that fact in to his immortal companion.
"Indeed." Kratos let his lip curl, and knelt at the human's side who –despite having a cot in a small closet made room- had fallen asleep on the floor.
The woman's long chocolate brown locks spilled out behind her, one hand rested by the protozoan, the other hung limp at her side. Questioning defiant black eyes were closed, and without the permanent scowl she wore when he was about she seemed little more then a child. Anna was asleep, out cold, comatose, dead to the world, and nothing short of an earthquake, battle, and hurricane all rolled up in one would wake the woman up. Kratos had made sure of that, deepening her sleep with a spell. He wanted no interruptions for this strenuous task.
"Why pick this woman? Why every time you pick a woman for this? The last five were women and do you know the rumors that are circulating because of this?"
Noishe rolled his eyes and rolled over so he was on his back and whined.
"I am not giving you a belly rub while you are…" Kratos flushed. "Lying there…"
The tail thumped and those brown eyes went wide so the "puppy eye" face was forefront and ready to plow through Kratos' mental defenses.
"I…" Kratos gritted his teeth and just told himself it was like bad odds, you drew your blade and went head first and trusted the gods. "I am sorry."
Noishe's tail stopped waging, the protozoan's mouth sagged open and he stared at Kratos in total shock.
"I… was being a sarcastic ass to you and I should have listened or rather tried. Is what's bothering you an issue now?"
Noishe bobbed his head up and down.
"I… packed your… board. When we left Derris Kharlan I brought it." Kratos sighed, hiding his face with one hand, this admitting you were wrong was hard and had he been able… Well he wasn't able to feel emotion anymore, or at least not feel strong emotion, but had he been human he'd have been embarrassed. "The letter board, if it's pressing…"
WhatKratos would do to keep his last friend, his last ally, was a simple question to answer.He'ddoanything, face pain, torture, shame... even admit that he was wrong. Because without Noishe -wellYggdrasil would be right-Kratos would be nothing more then a Mercenary iwth a blood seeped past. And it was not Kratos' will to fad into that role, to become as he was before Martel had saved him, had saved them all...
Noishe hopped down from his perch and decidedthe issuewas so pressing that he'd beat Kratos to the door and start whining.
As Kratos set up the small marked wooden tiles on the floor -so Noishe could go to each one and tap it with a paw- Kratos had to admit how lucky he was. Noishe had not abandoned him, not yet. It was only a matter of time but until that time ran out... Kratos would hold onto every second with desperation being his strength. Noishe went to the first letter, and being what he was Kratos would not need to take notes.Knowing that, tollerating that for some unknown reason, the protozoan padded to another tile on the end of the row.
It would be time consuming, a trial of patience and temper if Noishe said something that annoyed him, but he'd endure all three and so much more to keep his last friend at his side.