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Chapter 16: Knives' POV
After Vash had left to go speak with his spider, Knives had stayed seated on the porch, just watching everything going on as he thinks. It has been less than a week and things are already a fair deal different. Almost all of the pain he had spent years nursing was finally healing. He could finally look back at some of the choices he had made and view them with acceptance. Though he is sure that is because of whatever Tala had done the night before.

Still, now that he was connected to the plants he wonders if he will be able to bring into focus Dai, the plant who had repeatedly helped him out when he was injured. She had been a steady point in his mind for years even though he could not understand her, the peace he felt around her had been important to him, probably also the beginning of his healing too.

Focusing on the connection he could now feel he tried to see if he could find Dai in but was unable to recognize her from the rest.

Try calling out to her, your almost as strong a telepath as some of the elders, I am certain you can reach her though it will be faint, telepathy is not her strong suit. You will have to hold the link which can be tiring. He hears Tala encourage him.

Dai, he sends out on a wide spectrum in song.

It is a while before he is answered, but when the answer finally comes a smile spreads across his face.

The reply begins with a wave of warmth, almost like a hug, Brother, I am happy to hear your voice, that your muteness has ended.

Her voice is soft, almost impossible for him to hear even in the silence of his mind. It reminds him of the beat of wings.

Thank you, he tells her seriously, I hadn't realize quite how much you did to keep me alive until last night. Thank you.

The brush of power seems like a wave of a hand this time, dismissive. We are family. Family helps each other even when angry. Why else would you assign the brother you wanted to kill a protector even while trying to have him killed? It was your instincts. You may be an independent plant, able to do more than us, and free from the binding but you are still one of us. You always will be one of us.

He cannot find the words to respond to her. Instead he sends warmth down the link, happiness. It's weird, but he has been slowly adjusting to this life. A lot of it confuses him. Particularly the two spiders that are now part of his life, yet it's alright a growing experience.

Try living, Knives, you might just enjoy it. The 'spiders' have such short lives that many try to pack as much joy into them as they can since they do not know when their last day will come. Our lives are so much longer, and we are far harder to kill. Don't be like the foolish ones, be like the smart ones. Do what none of us that are bound can do, enjoy the ability to be out and moving, enjoy the ability to touch and embrace, to be touched and touch. Live. Her whispery voice is full of convection. Be happy, that is all any of us want for you two. Is just to be happy.

Startled, he cannot think of a response past a mental nod. Though he can feel the pressure behind his eyes telling him that he is tiring, how far away is she for the link to burn so easily?

Rest now brother, you'll be able to speak with me later. Take care, again he gets the warm feeling like hands brushing against him.

You too, he replies as he cuts the link. Shaking his head he heads into his room and sprawls on his bed. Within moments he is a sleep.

It is the soft sound of humming that awakens him several hours later.

Stretching, he finds his armor suit laying on the dresser folded up. Unfolding it he is surprised to see that the blue-eyed spider had done an excellent job repairing it. A slow smile curves his lips as he changes into it. It still fits him perfectly, though it somehow seems off.

Well I am changing, he thinks to himself, perhaps I should allow that change to be reflected in my mode of dress. I think we will need to go to my lair, not the one where Vash and I had our fight, but the one where I keep my things. I can get some different clothes, and money.

Chuckling to himself, he considers the amusement about the fact that he is actually rich, while he had been driving his brother insane, he had also had the foresight to collect the various funds that he could because there were some servants who preferred to live in the open yet hiding. Those ones he paid for their time, enjoying the chaos that they did without being caught.

At least I know what I bring to the situation, he considers thoughtfully. I will have to speak with Vash about it.

Once he is dressed in his old clothes, he heads to the kitchen, once there he stops to lean against the wall as he watches the blue-eyed spider working. Milly. He thinks to himself, her name is Milly. I should probably start calling them by their names. Why is she humming?

When she turns around he is amused by the fact she seems to almost go out of her skin. Apparently, she had not realize that he was there.

"You hum a lot, why?" he inquires, reminding himself to ask it out loud rather than telepathically. She is not a plant, she's a human. Not even one with a mind-gift either.

His sister's words drift through his mind, the instructions to live, to enjoy, to do everything that they cannot. Perhaps he will, he thinks as he carefully studies the blue-eyed spider. Milly, his mind supplies him again. She is solidly built, not overly slender but not fat, interesting golden-brown, almost brass colored hair, light blue expressive eyes. Yes indeed, this could be something else.

She replies but he is not paying to close attention to it. He just notes it in the back of his mind as his attention is turned elsewhere.

Still, he thinks as he takes his seat, she is unusual. She seems to be very much like my sisters, only she is a spider. It does not make sense that she would be like the girls. The girls are special, beautiful, unique. What's she? A human,a pitiful human with such a small life span. Still though…

As his mind drifts over the possibilities another part of him notes that the food while basic, is still good. "Thank you for cooking," he murmurs, still distracted, only now his attention is turning towards her. She is almost broadcasting she is thinking so loudly.

She nods, replying with a smile and a shrug, "Your welcome, I tried to make enough so they can eat whenever they get back but I am not sure it worked. Cooking is Meryl's normally. I tend to buy premade food."

Again silence falls only he can still almost hear her mind whirling so he decides to listen in. Normally, he prefers to not listen to spider thoughts but he feels it is an easy way to get to know her. Possibly even understand how come she acts the way she does.

Her first thoughts confuse him, a little one? Does that mean she is pregnant? When would she have done that, from what he could tell from his spies who kept track of Vash, and thus the two spiders that travelled with him, he hadn't slept with either of them though he was dancing around emotionally with the temperamental one. Meryl. The only other person it could be is Nicholas Wolfwood who occasionally was with them during his time protecting Vash. Oh that could be a problem, particularly since he is dead due to something he had ordered. Hmmm, well now isn't that just a bind?

Still listening to her thoughts even as he mentally calculates about how long until she would have her child, he is startled when he hears that there is a plan. Plans are good, but if it includes the other spider, that means that Vash is included as well. Does that mean that he is too? Hmmm.

For some reason she decides that it is best to engage in small chat, something that he really is not good at. However, he decides it would be best if he tries to learn to live with them peacefully, which means getting used to small chat and other forms of communication besides direct telepathy.

Despite the fact they are talking he still has a portion of his mind listening to her thoughts. It is a simple enough matter to do since she is directly beside him and not shielding in the least. It's all he can do not to laugh when he hears her going through a mental list of things that she knows about him.

When he chuckles at something she says, he is surprised by the reaction that she has in her mind. She finds my chuckle attractive? He thinks to himself, startled by her change of thoughts. Wait a second did she just compare me to a spider? Oh really, she does know that I am to blame for his death, yet she does not hate me for it? I don't get spiders, they're odd creatures.