"Hey, Ilene!"
Ilene quickly saved her progress on her projected star map and paper; whatever her roommate, Megan, wanted to say, it would take a while. "Yeah?"
"Okay, so if purple is connoted with royalty, blue connoted with sadness, red with power, what would that make a blue-eyed ginger who insists on wearing purple all the time?"
"A powerful person who regrets having inherited the role." Ilene spun her chair around to face Megan.
"Okay." Megan stopped to write this down. "What color would you trust the most?"
"Beige with hints of pale orange."
"Okay. Hair color of the month?" Megan had naturally pale and silvery hair, so every month, she would dye it a different color to add personality and distinguish her from the other students.
"Red again, but brighter this time. You've got an interview and want them to know that it's the same person, but that you are individual."
"Okay. It's actually a party, by the way. So like this?" Megan was not a talented artist, which she knew, but the crude stick figure got her point across.
"I was thinking less orange and in a less vivid color."
"That's why you're a scientist and I'm a writer," Megan said, "Also, we need to plan your outfit."
"What?" Ilene was an exceptionally intelligent person, but most of the time, she had no idea what Megan was talking about.
"You said you'd go, remember? I asked you at least two weeks ago and you said you had no plans and this is the biggest night of my career and-"
"You're still a student, Meagan."
"But my book has already been published and I need to socialize with everyone associated with it so that they'll publish the sequel."
Ilene groaned, "Megan, don't you have any closer friends who do better at socializing?"
"Of course I do. But they're all at parties. It will be Saturday, and like you said, they are better at socializing."
Ilene hated it when Megan used logic, and had spent the last year she had known her trying to avoid Megan's book. Megan never stopped talking about it, and when she had plot issues, which was frequently, she would talk it out with Ilene. It was no wonder Ilene had no memory of this party.
Desperately, Ilene asked, "What about your boyfriend?"
"Oh, he's already coming. I just need a friend to look well rounded," Megan said offhandedly, "You should take a date, too, so you don't look like a lonely idiot. I know this guy in my History of Medieval Literature class who might be interested. If-"
"It's okay; I know who I'll ask." Ilene said quickly. She had already gone a blind date with somebody in one of Megan's classes and had no desire to repeat the unpleasant experience. If she really did absolutely have to go with somebody, she could just ask Zephyr; he would be preferable to another of Megan's classmates.
"Okay. Make sure he doesn't hate you. Now for your dress, I've got some blue ones that my mom gave me. I never wore them because blue's not really my color, so nobody will recognize them…"
Thanatos, much as he enjoyed being waited on hand and foot, was really getting tired of Maia trying to follow him everywhere he went. He was pretty sure he could manage to get himself to his bedroom, and he didn't need any help slicing his dinner. He wanted their plans to be done as soon as possible so Maia would have something better to do than be with him all the time.
"How much longer until we're ready?" he asked.
"Just a little more time, Master. This Saturday will be the opportune time for us to proceed with the plan." She responded with a smile.
"Why not sooner? Friday seems just as good as Saturday."
"It must be Saturday. Trust me, Master."
While he may have been growing impatient with Maia's constant clinginess, Thanatos was also looking forward to finally meeting somebody like him. He didn't quite understand why they had to start Saturday. If the way human beings treated this starlight girl was as bad as the way they treated him, he was pretty sure he could just ask her to come with him and explain what made their lives so bereft of happiness and she would comply. After all, she would sympathize with loneliness, an emotion she surely had a surplus of.
All Thanatos really wanted was a friend.
"Are you sure this thing can actually fly with two people in it?" Ilene dubiously asked Zephyr.
"Of course it can. This was the first plane I learned to fly." The touch of pride in Zephyr's voice completely undid whatever effect the wounded tone might have had.
"It doesn't look very sky-worthy." Ilene was tempted to kick it and see what happened, but she was too afraid that the wing might fall off.
"Trust me. She's the most sky-worthy thing in this hangar." His point was ruined when a flock of pigeons took off to find a better place to search for food. "If you don't want to fly with me, we can always do something else."
Being the person she was, Ilene took this as a challenge. "Only if you're too afraid that your prize plane will collapse after it leaves the ground. But I did think that when you said you had a private plane, you meant you had a plane, not a pile of duct tape and weld scars."
"Hey, Astrogeek, they used duct tape to fix Apollo Thirteen. I can use it to hold down bolts."
"They used the duct tape in the building of an air scrubber, not anything directly involved in flying."
"It still worked. You going to get in, or are we going to go eat some food?"
"I'm going," Ilene said, climbing through the open door, "but if I die in this lump, I will make eternity miserable for you."
"I know you will, Astrogeek," Zephyr responded, smiling, "Okay, wait here. I need to do some quick checks."
"You mean apply more duct tape?"
"Yes. Now pass me the roll. It's over there somewhere."
Ilene tossed him a half used up roll of duct tape and thought about how if she died in this run down plane, at least she wouldn't have to go to Megan's party.
Megan's party! Ilene had completely forgotten, again. It was a wonder why Megan would even trust her to remember and show up to something so important to her.
"Hey, Zephyr!" she called out.
"Yeah?" he responded, ripping off a piece of duct tape and patting it down over a bolt.
"It's Friday, right?"
"Yeah, Friday, and yesterday was Thursday, and tomorrow is-"
"Okay, I get it. What are you doing tomorrow?"
"Why? Can't get enough of me?" he said, hopping into the plane and grinning a bit.
"Flyboy, I've already had enough of you," she said, "I just need a bit of a favor."
"What kind of favor? One that involves my immense talent with planes?"
"No."
"My incredible charm?"
"No."
"My irresistible good looks?"
"Let's just assume that it has nothing to do with any of your qualities and more to do with me not wanting to spend my evening listening to somebody talk about why a certain region of England had the best literature in the medieval period."
"Ugh." Zephyr looked as horrified as Ilene had been after that disastrous blind date. "Okay, anything to save you from that."
"I need you to come to one of the parties with the publishers of my roommate Megan's book."
"That Megan and that book?"
"Yeah."
"I hate parties."
"You just said you were willing to do anything to save me from my fate."
"That doesn't even have anything to do with medieval English literature."
"Of course it does."
"How?"
"Well if I don't get somebody to come with, Megan's going to set me up and make me go with another of her classmates, and so really I just need-"
"So you're asking me out on a date?" Zephyr looked as though he had just won a major battle.
"N-"
"In that case, yes." he said, cutting Ilene off.
Ilene decided not to argue anymore, in case she did end up stuck with medieval literature again.
Zephyr was almost whistling as he finished preflight checks from inside the tiny plane, and when they took off, Ilene was pretty sure it was due to his own buoyancy and not the engine.
"Do you stand corrected, Astrogeek?" he asked, "Is my baby sky-worthy enough for you?"
"Evidently, we aren't plummeting to our deaths, so I guess the answer would be yes." She responded.
"Of course she is," Zephyr responded smugly. He added, "Now, about that date…"
Ilene rolled her eyes and braced herself for whatever was coming.
The next day, Ilene went to lead Zephyr from the spot under the drama department stairs to Megan's car. She fidgeted as she walked: Megan was slightly shorter than she was and the dress didn't sit quite right on her shoulders.
"Nice ribbon, Flyboy," she called out.
"Yeah? Looks like you could use more than I do, Astrogeek," Zephyr responded, twirling said ribbon in his fingers.
Ilene scowled at him; she knew she could have done a better job of moving her hair out her face, but it wouldn't stay when she moved it.
"Hey, don't worry. We'll fix your hair in the car." Zephyr said, moving to leave.
"We'll fix my hair?" Ilene took the lead to Megan's car.
"Just me, really. Clearly, you have no idea how to manage hair properly."
"What makes you think you can do a better job?"
"For starters, my hair is longer than yours."
"Barely."
"Also, it looks much neater."
"Clearly, you haven't experienced hair quite like mine."
"Clearly, you need help to fix that."
"Maybe we should fix your crooked tie before we fix my hair."
"My tie's not crooked, Astrogeek."
"Check again, Flyboy."
"Backwards ties are huge in fashion this year. Also, backwards isn't the same thing as crooked."
"Would you have actually believed me if I said that you'd screwed up so royally as to get your tie on backwards?"
"Would you think I'm lying if I said yes?"
"Yes. Hi Megan. Hi Lewis," Ilene said, waving at Megan and her boyfriend as they reached her car.
"Ilene, what happened to your hair? Were you mauled by an angry badger on your way here?" Ilene thought Megan was greatly exaggerating the condition of her hair.
"Hey Ilene," Lewis said coming out from behind the car.
"Lewis?" Zephyr said incredulously.
"Zephyr!" the two embraced and laughed good naturedly like old friends.
Zephyr punched Lewis in the shoulder, "Why didn't you tell me you were in this state, you filthy animal?"
Lewis laughed, "Why didn't you tell me you were here? You weren't exactly clear about where you were going to get your commercial license."
"Wait, what?" As was usual with Megan, Ilene had no idea what was going on.
"Astrogeek, meet my childhood best friend," Zephyr said, pointing to Lewis.
"I didn't know you were from Alaska, Lewis," Ilene said.
"Well, he is. Coincidences are funny that way. Get in the car," Megan said, "And fix your hair disaster, Ilene."
"Yeah, come on, Astrogeek. I'm going to have to work some kind of magic to fix that hair."
Ilene gritted her teeth and clambered into the backseat, with Zephyr following and exchanging joking insults with Lewis. Megan climbed into the car, had a look cross her face, and dashed back to the dorm. A bit later, she came out with the keys.
"Sorry. Forgot these."
Ilene frowned. She could have sworn she had seen the keys in Megan's hand as she and Zephyr were approaching. She looked at Zephyr; he also looked puzzled. Both wondered what Megan had actually gone back to the dorm for.
Only Lewis didn't seem confused, "Only you could forget your keys on the way to the biggest publishing party of your career," he laughed.
Ilene decided she probably didn't want to know what Megan had gone back for and put it out of her mind, though it continually burned at her curiosity.
"Turn around, Astrogeek. I can't work hair magic from the side," Zephyr said.
Ilene obliged, and a bit later, true to his word, Zephyr had worked magic on her wild mane. She had no idea how he did it, but he managed to pull it up and coax it away from Ilene's face with only his ribbon and Megan's hairbrush.
"Admit, Astrogeek. You look fabulous," he boasted.
"Well, yes I do. Though that may not be because of you," Ilene grinned.
"Because I did it. You're wearing my dress," Megan said, "don't slouch like you're doing now at the party."
"No, no. it's definitely the hair. She wasn't able to pull this off before I fixed her hair."
Lewis interceded, "It's the way the colors of the ribbon in her hair blend nicely with the dress and her own eyes."
"No, I just look this good all the time."
"Whatever gets you to sleep at night, Astrogeek." Ilene stuck her tongue out at him and Zephyr reciprocated the gesture and continued, "Not everyone can look as great as me."
"But they can at least put their tie on straight."
"Why don't you fix it?"
"Why don't I let you just embarrass yourself?"
"Because I will be right next to you the whole night long," Zephyr said, leaning closer to Ilene to emphasize his point, "and my stupidity will reflect on you."
"At least you recognize the problem," Ilene sighed and undid the knot to fix his tie.
Thanatos adjusted his bow tie. He added the offending neckwear his ever increasing list of things he wanted to annihilate utterly.
"What are we doing at this party, again?" he asked Maia.
"Waiting," she responded cryptically.
"For what?" Thanatos added Maia to his list for the seventh time tonight.
"The girl, Master. The one who will help us."
"At a publishing party?"
"Trust me, Master. I know my sources. She will be here."
Thanatos sighed and wondered if an abstract concept could be annihilated utterly. He really loathed waiting.
As they pulled into a valet line, Megan quizzed the occupants of the car on what she wanted them to do tonight.
"Lewis, where will you be tonight?"
"At your side, where I will compliment your many talents and talk excitedly of the sequel, without revealing any spoilers."
"Ilene, your role?"
"Wander around, talk to as many different people as possible, same as Lewis."
"You forgot stand up straight," Zephyr added.
"Make sure you do that, Ilene," Megan reminded her, "Zephyr?"
"Stick close to Ilene all night long and make sure she does what she's supposed to."
"Right. Don't forget to socialize with other people too. Okay, let's go." Megan tossed her synthetic red hair over one shoulder and strode toward the entrance.
Climbing out of the car, Zephyr offered Ilene his arm, "Shall we?"
Ilene took hold of it, "We shall."
Thanatos saw her coming into the party. Having never seen the girl before or even had her described to him, it was a shaky recognition, but he knew instinctively that it was her. Who else would be clothed in the color of the midnight sky with a piece of dusk trapped in the blackness of her hair? Who else could have each and every star in the galaxy flare up in her eyes as she laughed at something her companion said?
Thanatos felt his heart tremor at the sight of the girl, like some long lost friend had been spotted. But that couldn't compare to the way it suddenly jerked in his chest when he finally caught sight of her companion.
It was him. Thanatos watched himself walk into the building with the starlight girl. He touched his body to make sure he was still standing by the bar. He felt real, so who could have taken his short blonde ponytail, his blue eyes, his gangly build, and his long fingers? What was he doing?
Thanatos was so wrapped in his shock that he almost missed Maia's sharp gasp of anger.
"I wasn't told that there would be two of them!"
The wheels in Thanatos's head started turning in overdrive to figure out what she meant. The answer was so plainly obvious that Thanatos felt a strong desire to kick something when he figured it out. "That's my twin brother?"
Maia nodded, "As far as you are concerned, Master, yes."
"You didn't know he'd be here." Thanatos didn't ask a question; he already knew the answer.
"No, Master."
"Will he be of any use or affect our plans?"
"No, Master. I've been tracking him since his adoption. He has no more idea of who he is than you do, and he was never privy to her secrets."
"Should we take him anyways, as a witness?"
"Master, where would we keep him?"
"The backup cell," Thanatos scowled.
Maia smiled, "Master, this disaster may have just turned into a delicious opportunity."
Zephyr and Ilene leaned awkwardly against the bar. Neither of them being particularly extroverted, they didn't seek out conversational partners. A few people approached them, and they extolled Megan's talents until they left. Being on student budgets, they didn't have enough money to buy drinks, even they hadn't been below the legal drinking age, and they sipped on complimentary water. After a while, they had taken up a guessing game to try to determine facts about each other.
"Okay, um, blue," Zephyr guessed.
"No, silver," Ilene said.
"Really? Silver?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Just felt like you'd really like dark blue. Like your dress."
"This is Megan's dress."
"I know, but you like the color. You were wearing a blue jacket when we went flying in my plane."
"Yeah, but I like silver better."
"What's my favorite animal?"
"Easy. Bird."
"Yeah, but what kind of bird, Astrogeek?"
"A puffin."
"What?"
"A small bird from the north pole region."
"I know what a puffin is. Why would you think a puffin is my favorite animal?"
"I really don't know."
"Then why would you say puffin?"
"Because I like puffins."
"Why do you like puffins, of all birds?"
"They seem mildly anachronistic."
"What makes you think that puffins are anachronistic?"
"Their beaks."
"Astrogeek, are you sure your head is attached firmly?"
"Have you checked yours lately? I think you might want to apply some duct tape there."
"Maybe I'll apply some to your head, too."
"Then we can both scream in agony as the tape rips our hair out."
"I always love a dash of agony with my imported spring water," he said, raising the bottle to his lips.
Ilene laughed a bit and said, "I think it's better with mini sausages."
"Why don't you go get us some, Astrogeek?"
"I think I will. After all, we'll probably be at this party until we die." Ilene crossed the room, deftly stepping around other people to the tiny snack table.
When she reached the snack table, she saw something that confused even more than Megan usually did. Zephyr was leaning against the wall, like he'd been there a while. She had almost called his name when she saw that unlike Zephyr, this man was wearing a bow tie. Zephyr was wearing a tie, now straightened.
Instead she said, "I didn't know Zephyr had a brother."
The man said, "He doesn't know either," and deftly cupped one hand over Ilene's mouth while using the other to pull her out the back exit.
Zephyr started forward as he saw Ilene get kidnapped by someone who had stolen his appearance, but was stopped by a hand on his forearm.
"You better come quietly, if you know what's best for you," a girl next to him said softly.
"Why?" Zephyr knew it was stupid to ask questions, but he didn't know what else to do.
"Because we have the police off on a wild goose chase, and building security is passed out upstairs. There is no one to come save you or her. And I don't need to take all of you with me." She smiled and revealed a tiny knife.
Chills ran down Zephyr's back as he nodded and followed his abductor. She smiled ferally.
"Good boy. Perhaps your punishment won't have to be too painful."
"What punishment? What have I done wrong?"
She just smiled and led him out.
First of all, it should be noted that this chapter was a pain in the butt to write.
Second, apologies for being almost two months late with an update.
Third, thanks to the anonymous guest reviewer, whose one or two review sparked me to finish this thing. Anon, I was going to send you an email detailing how I would have a post within the week, but you are an anon.
This is a fluffy chapter. Truth must be spoken. It also has a bit of a cliffhanger. Maybe this time I'll feel more inspired to know what happens after the cliffhanger and actually update on time. Nag me if I don't. Anon, you know what to do.
This is a buttload of words. Enjoy this buttload because I don't think I'll actually have to write another chapter this long for this story. Ideally, I would split this up into a lot of little chapters, but they would be too short. Also, the changing POV was a butt to write. (too many butts, arggg)
Plot yeah.
Disclaimer- If was Tolkien, I would not be posting on fanfiction. (I would be dead) (Megan and Lewis are, incidentally, not OCs *cough*hint*cough*)