Yuuri hopped out of the bath, soaked but content. He noticed a plastic container floating beside him and picked it up with a smile. Curry. She must have tossed it in behind her.

Yuuri shook his head. He had to find out how long he'd been gone. And he had to ask fast. He was short on time even in the best-case scenario. He hurried into the hall, snatching a towel on the way to soak up some of the water in his hair. It didn't work that well. Conrad was waiting outside.

"How long was I gone?"

"About half an hour, actually. I wasn't even aware you'd left yet. You must be improving at this, Your Majesty."

"Don't call me that, okay, Conrad? Even Wolfram calls me Yuuri, and if anyone in this castle has more privileges than him, it's you." The Maou sighed, tossing the towel over his shoulder back into the bathroom. He was usually careful to clean up after himself, unable to adjust to having maids to do it for him. But now he didn't have time. There was only one person he could turn to, who could make his plan work even with nothing but an afternoon to really work in. "Do you know where Lady Celi is?"

Conrad actually looked slightly ruffled. It seemed to him a very, very odd request from anyone. "In her quarters, I believe."

"Um, where's her room?" He'd never had occasion to find her before. Usually, Celi found him. When least desirable. Conrad gave him directions, still looking dubious.

Conrad gave him reluctant directions. That seemed rather closely akin to venturing into the lion's den even to the Lady's precious son, and he couldn't think of an explanation that didn't unnerve him.

Yuuri hadn't even been to the part of the castle where she lived. Sometimes he forgot he lived in such an immense building. Lady Celi's suite was on the top floor of Covenant Castle, a room so luxurious it rather took Yuuri's breath away. This had, originally, been the Maou's room, but it was so inconvenient it had fallen out of use as such and now traditionally housed whoever was important but unlikely to be needed in an emergency. The castle was full of such traditions of convenience, or perhaps its inhabitants were just prone to calling everything a tradition.

He knocked hesitantly. Lady Celi's reaction to Yuuri's plan was sure to be frightening. But she was the least of all possible evils. He'd considered Anissina, but feared the price she might extract, methods she might suggest, and just generally being in her power. Yuuri had even thought about enlisting Gwendal. That would get rid of teasing and squeaking, and if he artfully appealed to Gwendal's latent softer side, he might even get enthusiastic help. But the thought of the look on Gwendal's face when Yuuri first voiced his idea was more terrifying than even Anissina could be.

The door flew open before Yuuri could knock twice. It was like she'd somehow been waiting for him. "Why, Your Majesty, what brings you to my humble apartments this afternoon?"

"I need your advice." More than that. He'd be polite, flattering, and gradual, and hopefully not get hugged and stuffed into the former Maou's cleavage. That plan failed as Lady Celi exclaimed her delight at being of service. "Well, there's... a field you know much better than me."

"Oh, and what could that be?"

"Jewelry." Yuuri blushed, but he was rather pleased that he had, just for a moment, actually been able to silence Lady Celi. That was something he'd tell his grandchildren about. Or at least he'd go find Greta and maybe baby Elle. "I need a gift for Wolfram."

She somehow squeaked for about half a minute on end. Yuuri hadn't known a person could do that. Where was the air coming from? "Oh, what a beautiful sentiment, Your Majesty! I'm even more jealous now. My darling Wolfram couldn't have asked to capture a nobler, more beautiful heart!"

"It's just a birthday present," Yuuri grumbled bashfully. He'd rather not discuss Wolfram and his heart. Even now, with his resolve as strong as he could make it in such matters and the fiancé himself nowhere in sight, Yuuri was confused and anxious.

He couldn't deny what Wolfram did to him anymore. Things like admiration and sympathy were easy to understand. Those rushes of electric fire that issued from the depths of Yuuri's body to shoot through him like lightening when Wolfram smiled? Less easy. What did all those feelings mean? Did they add up to what he suspected? He was shy, loath to surrender himself so to the power of one person. But he found that prospect wasn't nearly as bad as he'd have thought.

"Nonsense. It's an offering from the heart, I'm sure. What did you have in mind?" She stepped into the room, grabbing Yuuri's collar as an afterthought and dragging him along, too. Lady Celi was amazingly strong. She pulled out a jewelry box the size of a suitcase, hands shaking slightly under the weight. "Is any one of these an inspiration?"

"I know what I want to get." Yuuri glanced over the box. It was shinier than a Cavalcade greeting, and he couldn't look straight at it. "A gold ring with a green stone."

"How lovely! What a wise choice, Your Majesty." She Set the box back on the sumptuous vanity, shoving a half-dozen combs onto the floor with its bulk. "Well, the love of the Maou demands only the finest expression. I'll take you to the best jeweler in Shin Makoku!" She threw her fist into the air resolutely.

"I sort of wanted it by tomorrow," Yuuri said awkwardly, wondering if that was just unreasonable.

"Now, Your Majesty, if you were the best jeweler in Shin Makoku, wouldn't you make sure you were convenient to the palace?" Celi grabbed Yuuri again and shoved him through the door. "I'll be downstairs in just a moment. Have horses saddled for us."

The door slammed and Yuuri hurried down. He had Ao and a delicate white mare named Alabaster saddled. She was apparently Lady Celi's favorite horse. She tried to bite Yuuri three times before her mistress got downstairs, adorned in a brilliant red tunic, more silver bangles than looked save to wear on a ship, and tight black hose. And, Yuuri noticed, the boots Wolfram had worn to the party. He wondered whose they actually were.

"Come, Your Majesty, we must away!" Lady Celi bounded lithely onto Alabaster and the mare reared, silhouetting them both against the brilliant afternoon sun before bursting into a gallop. Yuuri followed with difficulty. He was still no master horseman, and when not driven by panic, found a gallop very hard to sit.

Fortunately, it didn't last very long. Ao and Yuuri were both worn to the bone (for Yuuri, mostly his tailbone) when Ladies Celi and Alabaster stopped. For Alabaster had roughly the same status among Covenant Castle's horses as her mistress. That of Unholy Terror.

They had come to the nearest town. Yuuri had been here many times, though he didn't particularly remember this street. It struck him as rather feminine. The store windows were full of clothes, shoes, and fancy bottles full of sticky perfumed stuff.

The storefront Lady Celi firmly steered him toward put Yuuri in mind of her jewelry box. He stared and then was sorry for it. Staring at heaps of precious gems and metals as they reflected the sun stung his eyes worse than a strong onion. "Wow. If that's in the window, what must be inside?" he asked as he wiped away tears on his sleeve.

"Your Majesty, that's all nickel and colored glass." Lady Celi giggled. "Who would be silly enough to put priceless jewels where a passing smash-and-grab could snatch them all away?"

Oh. Sometimes Yuuri was too trusting even for his own taste. He liked being merciful, but sometimes he got the impression he was just tragically naïve.

Inside the store, he had to blink a lot before the dazzle of the sun on the window display wore off. Then he proceeded to be just as dazzled. The inside of the store was dimmer, so as not to blind customers, but every inch gleamed. Inside glass boxes, the same as at any Earth store he'd ever seen jewelry sold at, glimmered thousands of gems.

Right beside him was a row of bracelets, solid platinum wrapped in rose gold thread and set with moonstones. Beside those were bracelets of silver filigree, and after that some carved from solid jade, festooned with hundreds of tiny flecks of gold. There was a rack of earrings on his left, hoops, studs, and elaborate, dangling shapes, every metal and every shade of stone Yuuri could have imagined. And many he couldn't have imagined. Yuuri didn't devote a lot of his imagination to jewelry.

He was snapped from his reverie by Lady Celi's voice. "Oh Jaurah!"

A small man seemed to materialize from nowhere. Yuuri had simply missed him because of being blinded by the glow of gems, but the effect was intended. He was very short, even smaller than the Maou, with mahogany skin and sharp, vulpine-looking hazel eyes. His hair and beard were close-cropped and white as snow. His clothes were plain and practical. He was distinguished but innocuous looking, clearly a respectable man but with no intention of ever showing up his beautiful works of art in flashiness.

"My Lady, it has been too long." He clasped Celi's extended hand in long, clever fingers and kissed it gently. "What are you looking for today? I've just had several flawless amethysts come in today, if you'd like to look them over. Purple is lovely with your complexion."

"Oh, you're tempting, you wicked old lout, but I'm not your customer today." She smiled sadly. "The Maou is looking for a gift for his fiancé. I simply had to bring him to the best in the kingdom."

"Oh, Lady Celi, the best in the world, surely?" He smiled and turned to Yuuri. "Your Majesty, it is an honor to meet you. I am Jaurah Augustine, and the beauties of this shop my life's work."

"I'm glad to meet you. And it's all very wonderful." He'd never felt plainer or more awkward when not in Wolfram's immediate presence. Between the breathtaking Celi, the poised Jaurah, and the shining gems around him, Yuuri was suddenly even aware that the buttons on his clothes were dull.

"You're very gracious. And what do you have in mind for this lucky fiancé to receive?" With a grandiose gesture, he indicated the entire store.

"I'm looking for a ring with a green stone and a gold band." He swallowed a few words. That was one thing to plan, even to announce to Lady Celi. The words felt so heavy and awkward among these living, radiant works of art. He was completely ignorant in one more way.

"Ah. Right this way." Jaurah led Yuuri to the longest counter in the store, which was all full of rings. They were grouped by the color of the stone, logically enough. Yuuri stared thoughtfully at the green ones. They were in all colors and hues. There were bright and dark greens, some so bright they were luminous, some muted and deep. There was no permutation of green not represented among the gems.

There was one that had the perfect color, but Yuuri didn't immediately chose it. Another had a flash to it, the brilliance of a spurting green flame that matched the surges of Wolfram's hot temper and forceful passion. Another had the deep, liquid quality of Wolfram's eyes in those rare moments of contentment. One stone with a golden tinge even put him in mind of the warm, peaceful eyes that came with Wolfram's gentlest smiles, those reserved for Greta and Yuuri. There was an erratically shimmering gem that even put Yuuri in mind of those very rare tears.

But not one of them was really Wolfram. The Alexandrite had been, in repose, a very poor match for Miko's eyes. Yuuri felt his father had reached deeper than that. Eyes were window to the soul. The warm, rich color of the gem and its shifting, unpredictable hues were a perfect representation of Shibuya Miko. It echoed her eyes, but that wasn't the real point as Yuuri saw it.

But maybe he was looking for something that couldn't exist. At least not for Wolfram. Maybe his fiancé couldn't be captured in what was, Yuuri reminded himself, a cold stone when all was said and done. Maybe his soul was too much. Even his eyes were hard. Yuuri was about to indicate a slightly blue-tinged tourmaline when his eye caught the ring beside it.

From where he'd been standing, that gem had looked dull, a translucent, dull green that looked strange beside the more brilliant ones. But when he looked closer, Yuuri was inexorably drawn to the depths of the stone. It was entirely the wrong green, but that didn't matter.

It wasn't even green, or not green more than any other color. It was also blue and purple and everything in between, with a silvery hue throughout and a deep, strong gray the shade of a storm cloud easing one color to the next. It danced almost independent of the light, the colors leaping and sliding through the stone in a way that Yuuri couldn't help feeling must be magical. It was a dance that echoed fire and ice at the same time, cool silver containing the fiercely contending colors within. He'd never seen anything like it. Except in a certain Little Lord Brat, at once fierce and gentle, conniving and sweet. This was Wolfram's stone.

"This is what I want," he said quietly, still almost awed at the perfection he'd found. Amazing that he could let himself be so worked up about a symbol of what he feared to admit he cared for at all. But Yuuri seldom really made sense.

"Ah, what exquisite taste." Juarah smiled, and for a moment, Yuuri saw the pure pleasure of an artist whose work was appreciated, not the rather unctuous merchant's satisfaction at selling prized wares. "It is a rare eye and a rare heart that can appreciate the true beauty of Mystic Fire."

"Mystic Fire? That's really what it's called?" He felt like Gunter, but Yuuri couldn't believe that wasn't an omen. Mystic Fire for the sorcerer of the flame.

"Indeed. A most prized gem, found almost nowhere, created through mysterious processes unknown to human or Mazoku. It is said to have strange and wonderful power, conferring the strength of its mysterious forging on the bearer." Juarah coughed, apparently feeling a little too melodramatic. "We have only a small collection. While Mystic Fire is my personal favorite, those who can grasp its wonder are few indeed. I must say, your fiancé is fortunate."

Yuuri coughed self consciously while Lady Celi giggled over the brooches she was examining and Juarah extracted a box of rings from a cabinet under the display cases. Yuuri chose a ring made of the brightest yellow gold with a wide, graceful band. The Mystic Fire was a marquise cut in a six-prong setting. Delicate and strong at once. Yes, it suited Wolfram and his Mystic Fire.

"I'd like it engraved." Yuuri extracted a scrap of paper and a pencil from his pocket. In his most careful calligraphy he wrote his message once in Japanese. Below it, just being careful to make it clear what he was saying, he rewrote it in the script of Shin Makoku. "Um, the writing from my language should be on the outside of the band, and the ordinary part should go on the inside." He didn't exactly want everyone being able to read what he meant. This way it would really be just between him and Wolfram. And Lady Celi, who had read over his shoulder and was laughing delightedly. And, he supposed, Jaurah Augustine, but a jeweler must see far sillier inscriptions than that.

"It will take several hours to complete that, Your Majesty. I will have the ring shipped to the palace."

"Thank you!" Yuuri smiled politely. "Oh, but could you deliver it to Lady Celi? If he'd up and about, Wolfram's sure to go through any mysterious package addressed to me."

"A fiancé who's that much trouble is always worth it, Your Majesty." He smiled. "Do come back some day when my wife is here."

Yuuri promised to and left with a smile, clambering onto Ao's back with a smile. He wasn't sure he liked this idea now, but he wasn't letting himself back out. Just once, he was not going to be a wimp. Once!

They made the ride back at a much slower pace. Yuuri was very glad for it. He wondered whether there was a reason not to put a cushion on Ao's saddle. He climbed off happily as they rode into Covenant Castle courtyard. For better or worse, that was over with. The setting sun warmed his face and, for a fleeting moment, Yuuri was sure of himself.

"Yuuri!" He felt himself tackled at the waist and grinned.

"Hello, Greta."

"Yuuri, where were you? I was looking. Gunter wants you to write your name on a bunch of things." She smiled. "I was going to warn you to get away, but I guess you did already."

Yuuri kneeled down and hugged her briefly. "Good girl. Is that the thanks I get for letting Gunter hide from Anissina in my room?" He leaned in with a conspiratorial smile. "I was actually out getting a very secret birthday present for Wolfram." He put his hand in front of her mouth to muffle the happy squeak. "It's a secret, secret surprise. You can't breathe a word of it to him."

Greta nodded happily. "But will that be from you? I don't have anything to give him."

"Well, I'm sure he'd be happy to get a gift from you. Tell you what. The other thing I got for him will be your present." Yuuri stood and put his hand on Greta's shoulder. "Let's go get that. And your book. We'll go keep Wolfram company all tonight. Or until you two fall asleep." And have a snoring and kicking Yuuri contest. He almost missed the nightly competition. The winner was always unpredictable.

Yuuri led Greta upstairs while Lady Celi giggled conspiratorily and put the horses away. It was her good deed for the week.

Greta couldn't quite grasp how a camera worked even after half an hour's explanation. Yuuri finally just told her it was magic and offered to explain it to Wolfram himself. With that in hand, as well as The Legend of Lady Anissina and a warning to tiptoe in case Wolfram was still feeling the effects of his indulgence, Yuuri and Greta headed off to Wolfram's room.

"Wolfram? Are you among the living?" Yuuri cracked the door slowly. There was a distinct "hmph!" and no ensuing wince of pain, which Yuuri took as a good sign. He let himself in, ushering Greta ahead. "How're you feeling?"

"Giesela has decided to put me under patient probation. As if there was such a thing. Even if I was slightly inebriated last night, I didn't do anything to set back my own medical situation permanently. The presmption!" Wolfram growled.

"Um, what does patient probation entail?"

"The same thing as any probation, Your Majety." Giesela appeared in the doorway and bowed. "Any misbehavior will result in severe punishment, but if he's a good little patient, there will be nothing to worry about." She grinned cheerfully. "You need your bandages replaced, I'm afraid."

"Yuuri, make this woman leave me alone!"

"Sorry, Wolfram, but you're under royal command to stay in bed and recover. You can do that best if you follow the doctor's orders." Yuuri smiled a little awkwardly at the poisonous glare Wolfram sent at him. He suddenly turned around when he realized the extent of Wolfram's injuries were such that he'd have to be almost completely undressed to have the bandages all changed. Yuuri pulled Greta with him.

"You've been losing weight, Wolfram. If I catch you not finishing your meals, the consequences will be dire." Cheerfully, Yuuri heard her scuffling around, unrolling gauze and giggling softly at Wolfram's grumbling. "The good news is it looks like that arm, at least, is all better. All you did was twist it in a few places, so that's to be expected, but you'll be able to use it freely. Legs are still bad, though, and I'm still a bit bothered by the knife injury. And watch your head. You were lucky you didn't crack your skull, and that bone bruise is nothing to dismiss when it's on the crown of your head."

Shortly, the scuffling stopped and Yuuri dared to look over again. Just a little bit too early. Wolfram was still buttoning his shirt, and there was nothing under it this time. The bandages only covered the space over his heart.

Yuuri wondered why he cared. They'd had baths together more than once! But somehow, whatever had changed in Yuuri also changed the sight of any more of Wolfram's skin than was normally exposed.

He pretended not to care and almost convinced himself. Was this how Wolfram had felt every time Yuuri had shamelessly stripped in front of him?

The Maou resolved never to think of that again.

"Well, alright, now how are you feeling?" Yuuri asked after Giesela left and Greta had hopped onto the bed to be cuddled.

"Better, but if you ever tell that woman I'll make you suffer." Wolfram seemed more cheerful. Giesela had fed a lot of power into him while fussing with the bandages, and he was feeling as good as he possibly could under the circumstances.

"Yes. So, anyway—"

"Wolfram, I got you a birthday present! Well, Yuuri got it, but it's from me." Greta grinned and held out her hands, so Yuuri pressed the bag into her grasp. Wolfram's mouth twitched oddly, but he managed to hold a smile.

"Well, thank you, Greta. You really didn't have to. He looked rather pained as he examined the bag. Then he started to look more excited as he realized it must be from Earth. "Yuuri, how do I open it?"

Sometimes, Yuuri had the opportunity to feel really smart. Then he realized he felt smart because he could open a zipper, and in the end just felt more pathetic than ever. He Opened the camera bag and began the long, laborious process of explaining the whole process.

He'd thought Greta's trouble was based on her age, but in a world without even the earliest forms of this technology, everything really was magic to Wolfram. Yuuri eventually just had to explain everything that way.

Wolfram's moods were fun to watch. The thrill at getting a present from Earth—from Greta— was apparent at first, slipping away into total confusion as Yuuri tried to explain the function of a camera. He demonstrated the best he could, shooting pictures of both Greta and Wolfram, showing what all the buttons meant, and so forth. He was glad this was such a fancy camera. Most of its functions were automatic. Yuuri wasn't exactly an experienced photographer himself, though Mr. Shori of the school newspaper had taught him the basic when he was young.

And so Wolfram's incomprehension became disbelief and then wonder. He wanted to run out immediately and start taking photos. Yuuri dissuaded him on the basis that it was dark, the flash was limited, and he was still on probation. No one should be defying their probation, after all. Yuuri had to promise to spend the day taking pictures with Wolfram before he'd be dissuaded, which Yuuri didn't mind at all. It sounded like a good way to spend one's eighty-third birthday.

He felt so weird when he thought about how much older everyone was here than he was. There was the ceremony at sixteen that Conrad had already explained would slow his aging to match a Mazoku lifespan, but there was still considerable difference. Was Wolfram going to be an old man and Yuuri still young and blushing? He hoped it wasn't that great a difference. And then he wondered why he was thinking of such a long future together.

That was creepy. He knew he found that creepy. So why wasn't he creeped out at the moment?

Wolfram finally calmed down about the camera well after dark. He insisted on lighting the lamp to read by rather than have Yuuri walk across the room to light a match, and the Maou was pleased to note Wolfram didn't look at all weakened by using his magic. He reminded himself to tell Giesela later.

Yuuri volunteered to read Greta's story, but Wolfram overruled him. He stumbled a lot less, and the story always was more enjoyable, so Yuuri didn't argue. They poured enthusiastically over the harrowing tale of Anissina and her enlistment of the queen of the elves to aid in combating a dark monster that had risen from a lake deep underground. The monster was vanquished with Mr. Drains the Evil Power of Ancient Corruption, powered by the magic of Queen Shale.

Greta was curled up by the end of the bed, asleep by the end of the story. Yuuri smiled. "You know, it's amazing that a scientific inventor type like Lady Anissina could write such silly fantasy about elves in misty mountain forests."

Wolfram set the book down on the bedside table and began to comb his hair. "Really, it's not whimsy. It's just a lack of interest in that kind of research. I bet she hasn't even bothered to talk to any elves. I mean, they're much more likely to be the ones living underground, for one thing. The truth makes just as good a story."

"There are really elves here?" Yuuri blinked in surprise.

"Well, not here, dimwit. There's nowhere really suitable for them to live. Their skin is very sensitive to sunlight and heat, so they really do need a network of caves to live comfortably unless they're willing to go nocturnal. And I don't blame them for not wanting that."

Yuuri shrugged. Why were elves more improbable than dragons? Or Shibuya Yuuri, twenty-Seventh Maou of Shin Makoku? Still, it made him wonder what else he still didn't know about this world. "You know a lot about them. Is that just common knowledge?"

"The Voltaire family mansion is situated in prime elf country. I used to spend a lot of summers there when I was young, since it's cool up in the mountains and Gwendal was usually off on military maneuvers. Conrad and I were supposed to be learning to run a household, but really we just played. Anyway, there was an elf tribe that lived very near the castle and I got to be good friends with some of them.'

Wolfram being good friends with a bunch of tiny, pixie-like creatures almost cracked Yuuri up, but he managed to hold his composure. "Wow, so you just know something about everything. You're really well-rounded." Yuuri internalized a sigh. Yeah. Well-rounded at the expense of health and some sanity.

Wolfram looked very pleased, though, even coloring a little. Yuuri was beginning to like making Wolfram blush. He wondered if he might be able to push it. Making Wolfram feel like he was good at things might make him lessen the pressure on him a bit. And if he'd believe anyone, the Maou uncomfortably realized, it was Yuuri.

"I mean, you're good at everything. Your magic is really amazing, and to have so many other talents is pretty great. I'm not even that good at one thing. The magic I do doesn't count, since I'm not even aware. I'm even mediocre at baseball, in the end."

"Yuuri!" Wolfram actually looked uncomfortable, blushing brightly and twitching. Yuuri had never realized the power of the right compliment. And none of that was even right, most likely, just blundering in the dark.

"Conrad told me you're a musician, too. And pretty good. What do you play?" After this he'd stop. It was just fun now to watch Wolfram squirm.

"I don't know why he told you that. I haven't been able to practice in a long time. I must be rustier than Morgiff." Wolfram looked a little less flustered now that he could argue again.

"Well, I can barely play anything on the recorder, remember. Anything you can do is going to be better than me. Come on, Wolfram, play something for me. Celebrate having your arm working again."

"Fine. But on your own head be it when it hurts your ears." He scowled and stood. "I'll go and get it. Wait." He disappeared into a closet across the room from his bed. Yuuri wondered what it was. Wolfram was probably the wind instrument type, with that poise. A flute? Maybe a clarinet? Something sweet and pretty.

So Yuuri was shocked when the door was shoved back open with Wolfram's hip and he came out dragging a case bigger than he was. Yuuri stood up abruptly. "You play a stand-up bass?"

"It used to be Raven's. He gave it up and Stoffel eventually gave it to me to clear some storage space." Wolfram scowled vaguely, disapproving the fact that the instrument was a hand-me-down, but only as an afterthought.

"You need help moving it?"

"No, it's light. Just awkward." He was obviously straining. Yuuri was about to go insist on helping when Wolfram popped the case open and drew the instrument out. It was gleaming and graceful, if comically huge. Wolfram actually smiled as he unloaded his instrument, and Yuuri was glad to think he at least really liked this effort of his. He tuned the strings and resined the bow with obvious care that made Yuuri feel that hot, swooping sensation again, looking at the pleased intensity on Wolfram's face.

"What should I play?" Yuuri tried to think of something Wolfram could actually know, but his fiancé beat him to it. "Oh, you liked 'Parting at Morning,' didn't you? That was the first song I learned." With another warm, fierce smile, Wolfram slid the bow over the strings and let his eyes slide closed, sliding away on the music from the first notes.

On the first notes, Greta woke with a yawn and sat up, rubbing her eyes and grinning. "Pretty!" Yuuri shushed her and let her climb into his lap.

Yuuri was delighted. Maybe he wasn't a masterful musician, but Wolfram was pouring his whole soul into the song, and that was much more important. The occasional missed or wrong note wasn't the end of the world. And as a very unimpressive baseball player, Yuuri could never criticize someone else's poor use of a passion.

Wolfram really did know that whole song, which Yuuri clocked at seventeen minutes. He looked rather worn out when he was done, but flushed and happy. Yuuri applauded with a grin while Greta bounced up and down and even cheered a little.

"Oh, please, you shameless flatterer." Wolfram tried not to smile and failed, turning red to the ears. "And you're just encouraging him, Greta." He returned to the bed and collapsed there gratefully, smiling despite himself.

Greta nodded happily, not seeing that as a negative. Then she yawned, blinking sleepily.

Yuuri stood, cradling Greta. "I better get her to bed. Thank you for playing for me. Please do it again sometime soon, okay, Wolfram?"

"Hmph. You really are shameless." But even Wolfram's faux scowl couldn't hide the bashful smile as Yuuri and Greta left the room.

Author's note: If parts of this chapter were sub-par, I apologize. As it was being written I experienced the saddest fate a writer may know. The computer ate part of it, an afternoon's work. Not hours of sitting still and typing, but an afternoon of getting in a sentence or two every time I had a spare moment. I had the whole purchase of the ring bit done and it was eaten. So if I wrote in a certain spirit of bitterness, please forgive your humble author. Frankly, I just wanted to make that complaint to someone other than my sister's cat and the Viking who keeps trying to carry me off. If you don't have a Viking, you should get one. They're pretty cool.

So, on a completely unrelated note to either devoured files or Vikings, did you think I was being too silly with the name of that gemstone? Mystic Fire. Sounds like a garage band. But don't blame me. Blame whoever's in charge of naming gems, because that's real. It's a form of topaz, though in our mundane little world it doesn't occur naturally, but instead only after a bunch of treatment. That's why being a Mazoku rules. Among other things. The more you know.