A/N: Here comes some more. Now, from the beginning I was determined to make this fic consistent with both Revolution and Evolution-R series, hence the mention of Rezo somwhere in the first chapters. Now I'm making it furhter consistent, although I had to make one hell of research to connect some facts. But now I can promise that everithing involving the adventures of this chaper's guest star are as canon as one can guess from hints and obscurities of the creators.

Strange as it may seem, Val swims like a fish. He proudly demonstrates several styles to me, as well as diving, and he can hold his breath for a really long time. That once again makes me wonder if he could maintain any knowledge of his previous incarnations, since I rather doubt Filia used to give him lessons in swimming.

"Ne, Val," I say when he surfaces from under my arm after swimming in circles around me underwater. "You are really good at it. How did you learn?"

"Learn what?" he blinks and grabs my arm for support, brushing back his long wet bangs.

"Swimming."

"Oh..." he looks puzzled. "Does one have to learn that? I mean, I kinda thought it's like you get into water — you swim. Isn't it?"

"Not really," I scratch my head. "Actually both humans and Dragons have to be taught how to do it, and those who weren't taught tend to drown."

Val looks doubtful for a moment, then opens his mouth as if to say something, but reconsiders.

"What is it?" I encourage him. Instead of answering he narrows his eyes at me.

"Can you teach me to hide my feelings? I mean, you can always tell I wanna say something, and everyone else can too, I think. But what if I don't want people to know?"

"Well, you should work on your expression first," I say while trying to get over the astonishment. He is five damn years old! I wasn't that reticent at his age!

"Oh," he frowns. "Right. Can I have a mirror then?"

I pretend to faint by submerging and blowing bubbles. Val makes several attempts to pull me back up, but all his strength is consumed by the effort not to laugh underwater, so he fails. Finally we both surface and find a tree that's half-growing half-floating to sit on.

"So what was it you wanted to say?" I prompt.

"Ah, well... It's just some things about me are strange," he shrugs his tiny shoulders. "Like flying human-style or being the last Ancient Dragon. And now swimming too. It's cool because I'm kinda special. But it gives me the creeps sometimes."

I consider him for a moment. He is pale like all red-heads, and his body is still babyishly soft, his head is large in proportion to his body, with big naive eyes and a tiny nose. I don't interact with children this small often, but something tells me he shouldn't be worried with such matters yet. But he does, and I have to deal with it somehow. Perhaps I should find a Mazoku-human halfblood for comparison.

"Actually," I say slowly, "it's a good thing that you are thinking about these things. You see, every advantage- you know what 'advantage' means, right? Good, so, every advantage is power. And you have many of them, therefore a lot of power. And a lot of power means that you can influence other people's lives. But before you do that you must think long and hard about which way you want to influence them. Are you following so far?"

He nods gravely.

"Good. So what I mean is, it's both good and bad to be special. Good — because you get to decide. Bad — because it's responsibility. Also, other people might disagree with your decisions. Get that?"

"Yeah," he nods vigorously. "It means, I can do a lot, but I have to be careful."

"Absolutely," I beam. "You're a smart kid, you know that, don't you?"

He smiles shyly.

"Ne, Val, why did you doubt bringing this up?"

"Um, well, I kinda thought I shouldn't whine about, er, advantages."

I laugh at his unsure word-use. For some reason it's very funny to hear him say complicated words.

"That's not whining, that's just thinking aloud," I say and wink at him. He winks back and then switches his attention to the tree on which we are sitting.

"Let's jump on it to make it swing!"

And that we do.

It isn't before I notice that Val's lips have turned blue that I manage to pull him out of the water.

"I was starting to think you two dissolved in there," Lina says as we sit down by her side. She fusses around Val a bit, drying him thoroughly with a towel and a spell. Then she extracts some foods and proceeds to fill hers and Val's stomachs. He still eats anything you give him without any preferences. I really don't want to think of the implications right now. I stretch in the sun, preparing for an afternoon day-dreaming session, but Val is far from tired yet. He crawls up to me on all fours and whispers into my ear, which is quite ticklish,

"Can we have a drawing lesson now?"

"Sure," I smile. "Why are you whispering?"

"I feel whispery," he says and giggles, the familiar sparkle of mischief in his look.

"All right," I get up in one motion. "I'll go get the supplies."

Back on the island I also decide to change into something more suitable for plein air than black woolen trousers and traveling boots, especially since they are still wet and the drying spell pertains to the White magic.

Back at the river I set up two easels and instruct Val on how to fit the canvas onto his. It's his first time, and he is really excited; some time passes before he even chooses the object (which happens to be that very tree we were sitting on), then we have to turn the easel to the right angle, some paints get spilt... Finally Val is all set and loses himself in painting. I, on the other hand, find myself at a loss. Without thinking, I put my easel just right to have a most pleasant view of Lina. But unlike all the previous times I drew her, now she is aware of my presence. She seems to have put up with my weird hobby and even enjoyed some of the pictures, but how will she react if I actually start painting her from life? With Lina you never know.

Maybe I should find myself another object. Val would be an obvious choice, but the way he is sitting right now, nose into the canvas, he won't look very well on the picture. I turn around in search of a scenery or anything at all I can concentrate on, but even without looking I know I won't find anything. I never had a desire to paint before I met Lina. All the skills I had by that time I got from sketches for scientific purposes, like those of different animals. Or from the portraits I did when I wanted to put a person on the wanted list. I was never inspired to draw anything, and it looks like my sense of beauty hasn't changed after falling in love.

"Are you waiting for an invitation?" Lina drawls.

"Huh?" I'm not sure what she is talking about.

"You're standing there, staring at me like you seem me for the first time," she clarifies. "Normal people ask permission when they want to make a picture of somebody, you know."

"Oh, eh, sorry, I... May I then?"

She rolls her eyes.

"You should've asked that several years ago, and now it's a bit too late."

"I'll... stop if you don't like it," I say, deeply disappointed. These pictures have become second nature for me over the years, and giving them up feels like ripping something off. But if she says...

She looks at me with the most charming smile I've ever seen her produce.

"You idiot, I'm just saying go ahead."

I grin and grab a pencil.

"Thanks, then, just for a minute, keep that expression, please, please!"

The pencil is set to work at the speed of light.

Lina can't stay still for more than thirty seconds even if she is half-sitting leaning on a tree with a book in her lap. She just has to move all the time. She tucks her hair behind her ears, shoos away stray insects that are not affected with her anti-gnat spell, rubs her eye, fingers the pages of the book, scratches her head, looks around, shifts her back against the tree-trunk... In a nutshell, the only way to draw her is from memory, even if she is posing.

I've finished the sketch and start battling with oils when a girl comes up to our small inconspicuous group. Unlike us, the girl's outfit screams 'notice me'. I stare at her with ill-concealed curiosity, and I have two very legitimate reasons for it: first, she is obstructing my view of Lina; second, I have definitely seen her somewhere. While my memory is perfect and everything that I once put there is stored forever, it is also very huge, so the search sometimes can take a few minutes.

So, the girl is actually rather cute, if totally not my type. She is tall with long black hair and wears a witch's cloak with spiky shoulder guards and virtually nothing underneath except for a suffocatingly tight necklace with a skull. If I have ever seen this girl before, she was definitely wearing something else, or rather something at all.

Lina is obviously ignoring her, because I won't believe that one can fail to notice such a shadow looming over one's head. After standing still for a few moments, the girl flops on the grass between Lina and me and snatches a sandwich from Lina's picnic basket. Lina finally looks up from the book, and her look is dirty.

"Long time no see," she says skeptically. "I was kinda hoping you vanished for good."

"Vanished?" the girl mumbles through a stuffed mouth. "You think you can lock me up in a box of tangerines, leave me on someone's doorstep with a note, like a foundling, and then claim I 'vanished'?"

Lina closes the book and puts it aside.

"I rather meant the whole living armour thing," she says. Oh, right, things are starting to make sense to me. Hello, Nama-chan. "Anyway, what are you up to this time? I really have no desire to fool around with you anymore."

"Oi, oi," the Nama-chan prototype mocks. "You know the saying, the more arrogance you show, the less your breasts grow."

Having uttered that, she indulges in a fit of excruciating laughter which makes me, Val and everyone else in the area jump. Lina is the only one who seems to have expected it. Val tip-toes up to my side.

"Who's that?" he whispers.

"An old acquaintance," I whisper back. "She is annoying, but not dangerous."

He nods but stays behind my back, firmly grabbing onto my belt.

Meanwhile, Lina and the ex-Nama thing go on talking.

"That's a pathetically old joke, you know, Naga," Lina sighs. "I hoped after all these years you could have come up with something more exciting."

Naga obediently looks around for something to make a joke of and spots Val's clothes on top of his tiny backpack, as well as my cloak hanging on the tree.

"So what are you now?" she says, taking another bite of the sandwich. "Mrs. John Doe with three kids and the best bakery in the neighbourhood?"

This time Lina is actually taken aback if only for a second.

"I'm still the most powerful witch in the world, just hanging out with friends here. Although the concept is most likely alien to you."

I'm not sure the Naga woman understood the last bit of Lina's reply. Now let me see, Naga stands for Naga the White Serpent, right? Well, I haven't actually met her in person, but I've heard plenty of rumours about her from fellow Mazoku. I also happen to know that she used to work with Lina on a few occasions, although from this interaction it's evident they don't quite get along. Then again, it was obviously her spirit that Lina's gang and I encountered as Nama the Living Armour. Both Lina and I had a feeling she was somewhat familiar. Still, there is something about her that I can't quite put my finger onto. It would really help if she turned her face to me.

"You didn't answer my question, though," Lina presses. "What do you want with me?"

"You aren't very hospitable today," the woman has the cheek to say after gulping down the rest of the sandwich, "but seeing that we are old rivals, I'll let you in on it," Naga winks. "I'm on a job, looking for a missing person."

"Oh," Lina shows a polite amount of interest. "And who's that?"

"Like I'd tell you," Naga snickers. "It's my job, it's well-paid, and I'm not in the mood to share."

"Like you ever are," Lina rolls her eyes. "Anyway, I told you I'm on a summer break, not taking any jobs, no matter how well they are paid. But whatever, I couldn't care less about anyone who is so unlucky as to rely on you for their rescue."

"Actually it can just be that you care all right," Naga edges closer to Lina who pulls up her feet before the other woman sits on them. "I am looking," she pauses, "for a little boy," she pauses again, darting a glance to Val's clothes, "just about this size."

I can see that Lina is having a hard time deciding what to do. She can deny everything and send Naga on a different route, or she can admit she has Val, and then find out who is looking for him. But then, we already know who that is, don't we? It's funny that the Dragons saw it fit to hire a human magician to find Val. And Naga doesn't have a very good reputation either... What if it's not them, but somebody else? Then again, how trustworthy is that woman? Will anybody be very sorry if she is slain? On the other hand, is she stupid enough to believe that the boy traveling with Lina is not the boy she is looking for, considering that she probably watched us before making an appearance? That's about five too many questions for my taste.

Meanwhile Lina raises an eyebrow.

"Well, Naga, if these clothes really belong to the child you are looking for, then your employers have clearly misinformed you. My son isn't missing, he belongs with me, and you really don't want to kidnap him," she chuckles. Val pulls on my shirt, and when I look at him, I see surprise, gratitude and fear all mixed together in his gaze. I pat him on the head, then smile and press my finger to my lips. Lina knows this woman, so let's not interrupt her game.

"Ah, but my job is not to bring the boy to the employers," Naga drawls. "It's just to locate him."

Lina shrugs.

"This location can be out of date any moment; it's been a while since I last traveled traditional way on foot. These days a prominent witch like myself can't afford to waste time on the road, so I switched to instant traveling."

"Hu-uh?" Naga looks and feels immediately envious. "How d'you do that?"

"Honestly, Naga," Lina stares at her exasperated. "You call yourself my rival, and you have no clue about instant traveling? Go to the nearest Guild of Mages, do some reading after all!"

Naga purses her lips and turns away with a look of superiority. By doing so, she finally spots me behind the easel. Her expression changes magically into one of the sweetest smiles I've ever seen.

"Hello Mr. Artist," she sings in a liquid voice. "Not much for you to target around here, hmm?"

"I'm not the one to complain," I say carefully, adopting a pleasantly neutral expression.

"Oh don't be so shy, I know you've already put your eyes on me. Well, this's your lucky day, because I'm actually a professional sitter. And, guess what, right now I have lots of free time to pose for you."

"I am afraid you don't fit very well with my style," I reply. Honestly, that's some self-esteem!

"Of course I do!" she exclaims flapping her long eyelashes. "I've been painted time and again by many different artists, including the most famous ones of our age. Your pictures will sell like candy if you do me, I promise you that! See for yourself."

She turns on her spot and leans back to display a vast amount of healthy skin. Now I can finally make out that she does have some clothing on, although it seems several sizes to small for her forms.

"Thank you," I say, "for moving out of the way. Lina, honey, if you would lift your chin a bit..."

Naga springs onto her feet and is at my side in no time. I decide I'd better pick Val up and hold him, in case this woman has some means of teleporting after all.

"You are painting HER!" she screams with such exasperation, that I realize, grabbing Val is nowhere near her mind.

"Of course I'm painting her, what's wrong with that?" I wonder.

"But she's childish and flat and plain- and a bitch!"

"Perhaps you should visit an optician," I say with fake concern. "Your eyes are obviously failing you. Lina is a gorgeous woman, and if you have any disagreements with her, they shouldn't cloud your vision."

Naga actually goes green in the face — and oh, what a timing! I finally remember where I know her from! Meanwhile, Lina walks up to my side and stops there, giving Naga a condescending look.

"Mrs. John Doe after all," Naga spits. "Well, fine, back to business then. You pay me twice as much as the Ice Bastard, and I don't tell him you have the kid."

"Who's the Ice Bastard?" I wonder, even though I have a very clear idea already.

"The hell I know! My employer. All I can tell, it's bloody cold at his place. Anyway, d'we have a deal?"

"Perhaps," I say. "And that would be as follows: you don't tell anyone about the child, and I don't inform the whole world that you are actually the errant princess of Sailune."

Naga closes her mouth with a snap.

"M- my family knows I'm a traveling magician," she manages after a pause.

"Right," I grin. "And princess Amelia is going to find it terrific, the way your outfit advertises morality of her kingdom."

"But no one know I have anything to do with the kingdom!" Naga exclaims.

"Oh but they will, Princess Gracia, they will," I wink.

She grinds her teeth.

"Fine," she grunts. "I'll go looking somewhere else. But you know what, you better keep away from her," she points an accusing finger at Lina. "She has bad influence on people, I'm telling you."

With that, she finally turns and walks away, making sure that the movements of her hips are visible even through the thick cloak.