A/N: The only times I have to write nowadays are during my "break" shifts at work or unholy early hours in the day after my job, that's why thing have been going so slowly lately. Having at max an hour to write a day it's putting a limit to what I can do. Shards chapter first half is complete, I'll have the second as soon as I can, till then I'll tide you over with more ICG? Enjoy, Kasan.

Is Cupid Green?

Dog lessons

Running a hand through his auburn locks he sighed. There was a noise, a squeaky gurgle that ended in a high pitched whine. Slowly, sure of his emotions, he opened his night shard eyes. The message had not changed, nor had the messenger.

"Whine?"

Thump thump, thumpa, thump

Like a third heartbeat in the room the fluffy tail thumped against the wooden table. Resting on the thread that wound around and between a mess of slender steel poles were letters of an ancient language. They were small tiles, marked by small teeth, as they had been slipped on over the wires, he stared at the few syllables, only basic words could be spoken, for if he were to have tiles for every phonic compound and conjugation of the angelic language he would have a second carpet and a blanket of tile upon his bed.

"You have never protested before." His voice was as always cool, dispassionate, distant, but there was a ever so slight hint of steel under it that made Noishe's small form shiver.

"Whine!"

Noishe went behind the stand, from each letter he went, wrapping teeth around it's base and pushing up. With a click each tile went and Kratos watched as they fell upon the wood, he winced at the noise, but then every noise -even his own heartbeat- was hard on his ears today. That was why he was avoiding the human under his roof, and why Noishe was trying valiantly to walk on the tips of his paws and remain as quiet as he could. A few dragged tiles and clicks later Noishe slipped a few letters so that the small nick in each one caught the appropriate string. Kratos stared at the new message in mild shock. Being a Seraph denied him the ability to have his mouth sag open or any other overt displays, so he only rose an eyebrow and stared for a fraction of a second longer then he normally would.

"Mer ne rehai nu asu-rehaiin." Read the runes.

"And what truth do you feel your eyes denied you that you see now?" Kratos murmured, absently taking the same stance Mithos would with him when he had a problem with some policy of Cruix's.

"Tor'alla"

"Everything?" Kratos, frowned. "That's vague, specify."

"Har'cra, Silva'sill, Shadis'tall, H'Emodis..."

"Slavery, cruelty, torment, hate," The seraph rose an eyebrow. "Such are always the consequences of war Noishe. We were both involved in one of the most vile wars our world has ever seen, you should know that by now."

"Whine bark!" Noishe protested and Kratos patiently waited until the anger wound down so that the Protozoan was steady enough to march to the tiles knock them down and put them up with a few others.

"Ne, nu Kharlan H'e'taillra ust'iae."

"I guess the words 'son of a front line soldier' mean nothing then? Perhaps for your last form's keen sight you did not see." A faint hint of annoyance crept into Kratos' voice, a mere sliver of anger gathered in his soul. "The horrors of the campaign life, of being a mercenary, I certainly remember it well enough and if you'd like to be enlightened..."

"Ayei, contro clen."

"Compared to what?" Kratos, rumbled. "Are you saying that this "ranch" system can not be compared to the Kharlan war, that because they exist millennia apart they are incompatible?"

Noishe bobbed his head.

"You forget Noishe, though time has changed we deal with the same players, the same board."

Noishe sharply shook his head and growled his squeaky little growl in protest, Kratos did not need to see the protozoan go to the "ne" tile and put it in place to know just how deeply his friend disagreed with him.

"It is simple Noishe, very simple. There are humans, half elves, and elves, all hate each other and until the idea of peace actually crosses their minds in their own lands we can't let Tethe'alla and Sylvarant interact. The ranches pose a hollow threat, take only the decrepit and worthless in all society and..."

Kratos reached out to stroke the Protozoan, but the dog shaped being squirmed away from his touch. Blinking Kratos stared in an interesting mix of both hurt and surprise at Noishe. The pain left him and only bafflement held him when the Protozoan stared at him with eyes brimming with pity as say… some maiden's eyes would brim with tears.

Noishe picked up only a handful of pieces and than hopped from table to chair, then from chair to floor. Paws muffled by the carpet the Protozoan went to the door.

Kratos -as habit dictated- let him out and closed the door. He sat at the chair that he honestly would never need to use, that he only kept in the room so that Noishe could get to the table and his "board". Setting his elbows on the table his palms made a roost for his head, his fingers tangled in his wild auburn hair as he read the five words.

"Ust-yar' Hyameni'' Mithos yashi."

"You are human, Mithos lies."

Basic words that if true bellied a hard bitter truth. Kratos snarled, pushed back the chair and rose his hand, as if to bring it down upon the offending words. His anger though drained out of him, and he stood staring at the words as if transfixed. Growling, shaking himself the Seraph turned from them, but for his mind that would never forget, that could never forget, there was no sanctuary for him. So, though he turned away, it would only be by complete denial that he could suppress the idea that this all had been a lie.

X

"Whine..." Noishe came into the main room ears drooped, eyes sad. Anna didn't think about it, she dropped the cleaning rag in the bucket half filled with water and went to him. He tried to perk up when she petted him, but obviously something was wrong.

"You don't need to act happy around me when you aren't." Anna soothed, and Noishe let out a gusty sigh that was a few sizes too big for him. Had she not of been holding him he might very well had blow himself across the room.

"Whine bark..." Noishe grumbled, leaned against her, his tail for once limp at his side.

"I wish I could understand you sometimes, it's almost like you want to talk."

Noishe winced at her words? Impossible, he was just a dog after all, he couldn't be that smart. She petted him and firmly forgot about the animal's almost human response. After a bit Noishe seemed to lose his gloom and brighten a little, but whatever was bothering that little fluff filled skull was obviously sticking around despite her best petting tactics. She frowned, considered distraction, play was an obvious option but well you had to be in the mood to play and Noishe obviously wasn't. Then she had it, she grinned and the dog's whine almost sounded confused.

"I think you need some puppy lessons Noshy, and a new look so that they'll have more impact."

"Whine?" There was a faint hint of fear in the mind green dog's eyes now.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Grinning evilly as she saw a perfect way to get back at her "master" and put Noishe in better humor all at once.

"Now the trick is the eyes." Anna began her lecture as they went into the bathroom. "You have to get them wide and you have to put a kind of waver in your whimper."

"Whiiine?"

"Begin with a more firm note and then break it up at the end, like you're going to start crying."

Noishe bobbed his furry head, both his ears pricked forward as he absorbed ever word of her lecture with eager green fuzz tipped ears.