Aberrant: Children of Quantum Fire - Jungle Storms [5.5]

[Karren Gaunt]

The door was instantly opened and Butch was greeted by his graceful older sibling in a simple, sleaveless eufiber dress and sandals that couldn't help but look gorgeous on her, her hair hanging loose about her face. She still looked irrepressably excited from this afternoon, having spent much of the time double and triple checking that the gifts really were just right and wondering why she had bought so many, actually.

"I'm ready to go," Coraline volunteered as she carefully closed her door behind her, "Everyone else ready or should we go ahead while they finish up?"

[Maia]

Maia awoke at the sound of the gong, sitting bolt upright, and groaning. She found Justin laying there looking up at her with a serene smile on his face. "I was wondering when you would awaken."

"You better get dressed fast."

He moved to the closet, which had been filled with clothing fit for the both of them, and got dressed. Maia joined him, noticing he had his eyes closed. She kissed his shoulder and laughed. "Nothing you haven't seen before."

"We don't want be late to this Maia, and If I dare open my eyes we probably would be."

She smiled and pulled out a cream colored blouse and khaki shorts, where Justin's were olive green. She got dressed behind him, knowing he wouldn't peek.

"Okay, I'm ready."

He smiled and turned, taking her hand in his, and leading her from the room. Down the hall he saw Cora and Butch. Maia called to them. "Cora, Butch, you all running late too?" This was punctuated by a yawn from the impossibly beautiful young nova, reiterating her ordeal. That Justin stood ready to steady her should she need it was obvious.

[LydaLynn]

Epiphany hadn't so much forgotten the dinner as she had gotten caught up in her new thoughts about the language she was working on. When the gong sounded, her eyes went wide and she realized she was running late. Quickly hurrying to the mirror, she piled her hair on top of her head into a messy but elegant up-do, golden eufiber pins with sparkling amber beads keeping it artfully in place. Her attire flowed up to her neck and then down into a gown that lightly clung to her chest and torso then softly billowed out from her hips into a swaying swirl of rich amber fabric. Her feet were quickly clad in sandals with straps that wrapped up her calves in a muted golden color. A few golden bangles chimed softly on her wrists and from each ear descended amber gems. While not completely thrilled with the look, she felt it was rather fetching and easily formal enough for the occasion.

Hurrying out of her room, she spotted Maia, Cora, Butch and Justin. "Hold up for a minute. King Einherjar brought by a box earlier of some kind of counter-transmitter things for us. We should probably all snag one before we go. They're really quite nice actually, designed to look like jewelry or watches." Snagging the box she hurried to them and opened it for them to see and take what they might like.

[z-The Morrigan]

The Morrigan walked into the room, looking composed and serene. It was a very intent sort of serene, much as a stalking tiger might look after a large meal. She had shaped her eufiber into a casual red short-sleeved shirt and silken black pants. She was barefoot, as was her wont, her perfectly-shaped feet being placed neatly on the floor with graceful precision. Behind her, Tahir paced into the room; the similarity between the two was very noticeable. Both walked with a powerful, feline grace.

Morri walked to her customary seat next to a low bench. As she settled her legs into a comfortable lotus position, Tahir stepped up onto the bench, sitting on his haunches. It put his head on a level with everyone else at the table. It was apparent that the lion would be joining them for dinner.

Though she was outwardly calm, Morri was nervous. New novas were always tricky; always a potential threat. Her own power didn’t matter; she had limits. Khatar had reminded her that she was not invincible. Now, she was faced with a mass of godlings, none of whom had her trust. She would not show them weakness or fear, no matter what she felt.

Once, Einherjar’s presence would have been enough to keep her calm. But Morri wasn’t a child anymore; she knew that he wasn’t a shield against the world. He would do his best to protect her; he’d die for her if necessary. But even he had a match out there somewhere. It didn’t help to know about his obsession. They’d never talked about it, but she’d seen the look in his eyes when the stakes were high enough that Death walked beside him. She’d been at his side when Death reached for him, only to have him slip through His grasp. That was the difference between them: she screamed in Death’s Face, fighting and kicking. Ein reached for Him like a lover, coy and inviting.

She’d hate Ein forever if he got himself killed. He was her world, her sun. Tahir’s people were devoted to the Sun; they believed it to be the Primal Queen’s gift to them. As the sun was for them, so Ein was for her. He was her gift; the universe apologizing for every man who’d ever hurt her. And if he took himself away from her, what would she do then?

With these dark thoughts hidden deep inside, Morri sat at the table and waited.

Tahir is dormed.

[Karren Gaunt]

Coraline was the first to arrive at the dining hall, flitting a few inches above the ground and sporting one of gadgets Pip had presented on her left arm, memories of a teasing grin to her siblings and a hurried 'meet you there!' playing over in her mind. The fledgling nova super model touched down when she saw their host and his female guardian, nodding her head in graditude for the hospitality and the delicious smelling meal to come. The young metamorph looked ready to bounce into the air again on an excuse, buoyed up by an internal excitement that made her her grin from ear to ear.

"You have a lovely city, King Einherjar, and thank you for letting my family and I share it for a little while. I've never felt so safe among baselines before," she stated honestly and happily, one ear waiting for the sound of Maia potentially needing help.

[Maia]

Maia and Justin each took one of the devices, his a watch type, Maia's a necklace. Justin looked to Epiphany. Are you going to come with us, or wait to pass those out to the others?"

[Butch_Cole]

Butch also selected a watch from the counter-transmitter box. He placed it securely to his left wrist and said, "Maia, Justin, I know y'all ain't had near enough time to recover, so just let me know if you need a hand down the hallway. Seriously. Doctor Butch's orders."

His smile was genuine and softened the harshness of his multifaceted, bug-like, green eyes. Sure that they would not need any assistance, Butch made his way after Cora.

As he approached, Butch heard Cora and waited for her to finish before he entered. Upon entering the dining room he took a position next to Cora. Butch was impressed by not only the extensive spread laid out on the table, but also the surprisingly intimate and comforting feeling of the room. He felt very welcome, which was a feeling he had enjoyed not nearly often enough outside of his life with Traveler's group of wards.

"Good evening, sir, ma'am," he said, acknowledging Einherjar and the Morrigan. "I'll second what Cora said. What you've helped build here in the Congo is inspiring. I'll add that I'm very grateful to you for not only allowing Maia and Justin the chance to recover here, but also for having the rest of us as guests as well. And complements to you and anyone not here who helped set this dinner up. This is one hell of a spread!"

Butch was able to contain his excitement for the most part, but only to a point. His words were sincere, genuine, and he hoped that it was readily apparent to his host.

[LydaLynn]

"I think I'll come on with you, there's not telling if anyone else is even going to pass through here on the way to dinner." As Epiphany picked up the gold and amber necklace she had lingered over earlier, she sent a quick message to those in the network who hadn't gotten a pretty bit from the box yet. 'Just a quick not to everyone, there is a box of counter-transmitters in the apartment area for us, feel free to pick one up on the way to dinner.' Smiling as she put it on, "That should do it. Let's go. I'm sure the two of you could use a good dinner and it's probably not a bad idea to get you in your seats before the strength your rest lent you is used up."

Taking the arm Justin didn't have tucked around Maia, "Besides, I haven't yet gotten the opportunity to welcome you into the family."

[Maia]

He smiled to her, not a hard thing to do at all. She wasn't insanely beautiful like Maia, but there was a certain something about her that spoke of amiability and friendliness, things he enjoyed in company.

"I'm Justin, It's nice to meet you Epiphany." his smile was genuine, and he himself exuded an aura of calm charm that difused into the air. More than that, he was extremely attractive, almost on Darrik's level.

"I think Maia's suffering far more than me."

Maia tried to wave his concern off but couldn't and he nodded. "See?"

Together the three novas made their way down to the Dining hall, Seeing Butch and Cora already there, speaking to Einherjar.

Because the three of them were together they all seemed to bow as one, though not as low as most would, but still respectfully as they could. Maia spoke first. "It smells amazing."

For the first time in ages, Maia was actually hungry. "Thank you again for granting us a refuge for a While, King Einherjar."

Justin nodded. "You hospitality surpasses all expectations, and speaks highly of your nation, your home, and yourself."

Though it may have been taken as simple flattery, the two novas meant every word, as they were largely the reason for this entire detour from the plan.

[SalmonMax]

Alexandra strolled into the dining room and took a seat. She wasn't dressed 'up' in any way, with her turquoise 'splatter' t-shirt and jeans, but at least there weren't any stains or smudges or smears on any of it, or her. Her tousle of dark brown hair was admirably pinned back and down, making it look like she'd spent at least some time trying to make it look good...though the reality was that she could make adjustments like that in seconds.

She nodded at her family already present, and gave Ein a beaming smile. She was still trying to get on his good side it seemed.

Any sign of protective 'jewelry' was noteably absent.

"Hi everyone. Dinner smells fantastic!"

[LydaLynn]

After making sure that Maia and Justin were both seated and comfortable, Pip slid into a chair as well with a smile for the king. Having spoken with him only a short time ago, she felt no need to say much more at this moment. As her family gathered, she felt comforted by the presence of the others. For the first time since she had taken him on, Demon was silent.

[Eingar]

"It does." Ein grinned back at Alexandra, then waved everyone not already seated to the table. "Let's not stand on ceremony. Help yourselves to drinks - somehow, I don't think novas need to worry about a little alcohol. And dig in to the food. Those as are late will have to fetch stuff from the side table there if they're too slow to grab what's here."

Suiting his own actions to his words, their host sat at the head of the table, with Morri and Tahir on his right. There was no seat at the foot of the table, the guests all noted as they likewise got comfortable. Platters of differing meats and vegetables, large serving bowls of soups, salads and fresh-baked bread torn into chunks, a variety of sauces and condiments both familiar and unfamiliar, and of course drinks: milk, fruit juices and booze of varying, and expensive varieties. More food caused the table against one wall to groan: the palace staff were well-acquainted with the demands of nova appetites.

Ein cast a glance over his guests during the hubbub that accompanied the passing of bowls and platters, salt and sauces. He paid attention to them all as he busied himself with stacking his own plate, noting the bright-eyed excitement that marked Cora and Butch, the keen-eyed interest of Alexandra, the polite enthusiasm of Maia and her beau, and the shy reserve of Epiphany. He glanced at Morri then, noting her withdrawn expression, and gave her a smile as he poured a drink of juice for her, knowing she didn't much care for alcohol as a rule.

"I'm glad you liked the city." he told Butch and Cora as he tore off a piece of bread and ate it. The others noticed that, whilst the places were set with knives, forks and spoons, the king seemed to prefer eating with his fingertips where practical, the ease of much practice making it elegant rather than brutish or primitive. A small bowl of scented water with a single hibiscus flower floating on the surface was set by each place as well, the purpose of which was obvious when he dipped his fingertips into the water and cleaned them on a napkin before passing something down to Maia. "It's a work in progress, but we've made enormous strides. The trick was to keep the charm whilst losing the squalor, and though I say it myself, we're doing alright on that score." He smiled proudly. "I can't take all the credit - there's been some excellent and innovative minds, nova and baseline, Congolese and foreign, that have gone into making Kinshasa into the belle of the ball."

"So whereabouts did you roam? Any areas catch your interest particularly?" he asked, frank interest in his face as he looked down the table at them.

[SalmonMax]

Alex sampled the food for politeness sake. Her body relied on far more efficient principles of energy transfer than biochemical now, but she could use the heat differential in the cooked bits to extract some energy, then annihilate it when it reached thermal equilibrium so that she didn't get gunked up inside.

"The jungle, mainly," she replied to Ein's question. "Though I toured Kinshasa as well. I'd like to discuss several questions I have when you have some free time to spare...though I expect that doesn't happen frequently. You strike me as the sort to keep himself busy."

[Maia]

Maia took the bread and smiled. "I look forward to getting to go out and see the city when I've recovered."

Justin nodded, speaking between forkfuls. "Excellent food, and like Maia, once her convalescence is complete, I look forward to playing tourist. This whole event is the first time I've been outside North America."

[Karren Gaunt]

"We visited a little bit of everywhere, although most of Butch, Warren, and my time was spent getting gifts for Maia at one of the markets," Cora added between platefulls of food, enjoying the sheer variety to go with the quanity availiable, "My brothers were better to me than I deserved with the way they let me burden them down and... experiment dealing with baselines. It was mostly good but strange. One or two of them asked me to bless their children."

The young metamorph gave a smile at Maia, rueful understanding in her eyes, "Tell us when you feel up to opening presents, sister, because we got you lots."

[Maia]

"You really didn't need to Cora." She smiled. She knew saying that was relatively pointless. "Thank you. Maybe later after dinner I can see what you got me."

[z-The Morrigan]

Morri returned Ein’s smile; she couldn’t help it. When Einherjar smiled, she had to smile in return. It was a rule of nature. His small gesture was enough for her to push away the doldrums and focus on the table. Like Ein, she ate with her fingers, each morsel being passed over her lips delicately. Tahir, on the other hand, snapped up his bite-sized pieces of raw meat with bone-crushing strength.

The feral nova watched the interactions around the table quietly as she ate. She’d never had this kind of relationship with anyone and the sibling interaction was strange to her. A life maturing at the side of Africa’s most powerful mercenary and king hadn’t given the tools to understand interactions like these.

“If you like jewelry,” she added to the conversation, “then see Frederique’s in downtown Kinshasa. They will do custom orders, and have a nova on staff.” She smiled slightly, recalling a fond memory. “They will often allow guests of the King to watch some of the crafting, if that interests you.”

[LydaLynn]

Epiphany sampled everything, enjoying the taste of the food, but not needing the food as most of the others did. And going with the adage 'when in Rome', she too ate with her fingers. Though she was careful not to take anything in a heavy sauce or broth, she did not need to have to clean that out of her fur. Family meals were something she'd had to adapt to when she came to live with the others, her natural family all having the same strange metabolism that allowed them to pull their needed energy from the world around them. While they still occasionally ate for the experience, it wasn't something they often bothered with. A dinner in a setting like this was completely outside of any of Pip's experiences and she watched the others for social cues to follow.

[Eingar]

"The jungle, mainly," she replied to Ein's question. "Though I toured Kinshasa as well. I'd like to discuss several questions I have when you have some free time to spare...though I expect that doesn't happen frequently. You strike me as the sort to keep himself busy."

"One of the perks of being me is that I can delegate my business to other, very dependable people." Ein told Alex with a broad smile. "This place hums along quite nicely if I decide to step away from the controls for awhile. All I need to do is keep one ear cocked for the sound of attempted graft in the Senate and my other ear cocked towards the U.S. Embassy, and I'm golden." He chuckled slightly, taking a sip of his rum. "Though the sound of elected representatives trying to feather their nests is louder than CIA trying to destabilise my country, these days. The Americans and their friends have come to accept that things are better with me here, military-industrial complex be damned, whereas certain of my senators are taking a leaf out of the U.S. politics playbook and attempting some surreptitious lobbying, which is strictly forbidden. They're here to represent the people that elected them, not take money from big business and special interest groups." The king made a rude noise. "They're like children trying to steal cookies, honestly."

"We visited a little bit of everywhere, although most of Butch, Warren, and my time was spent getting gifts for Maia at one of the markets," Cora added between platefulls of food, enjoying the sheer variety to go with the quanity availiable, "My brothers were better to me than I deserved with the way they let me burden them down and... experiment dealing with baselines. It was mostly good but strange. One or two of them asked me to bless their children."

"Ah, yes. That's fairly common." Ein nodded at Cora, smiling a little in sympathy. "Even back in the bad old days, when Elites were the only novas the common people in Africa were likely to see, they were still treated with reverence. Here, power means survival, prosperity for you and your family. To the poorer Africans, novas were power personified - healers, destroyers, gods or saints or angels. Part of that was cultural, part of it was lack of education, and a large chunk of it was desperation." Einherjar's expression was sober, his blue eyes clearly remembering bad things. "Women and men, sometimes little more than children, would offer themselves to novas if it meant protection from ethnic cleansing or bandits. Mothers would offer up their babies, asking the Elites to take their kids out of hellholes like Somalia or Darfur. And we were taken aback, for the most part. Most of us came from the First World. Adulation there is impersonal, a matter of magazine covers and talk shows, reviews and OpNet sites. And here... Here we got to see the other side, people actually praying for safety, security, good crops... Things they needed, and badly."

He paused a moment and looked down at his glass, rolling it slightly between finger and thumb. "It was heady... and scary. It still is, in a way. I try not to think about the fact that in almost every native home there's a shrine to me and Morri. Nothing fanatical, just honest thankfulness that we're here and hope that we'll stay." He looked up at the younger novas, a wry smile crooking his lips. "These days, the desperation has given way to admiration, at least in the Congo. But Africa is still Africa, no matter how advanced this slice of it is. And I'm not sure I would change that, even if I could - I fell in love with Africa when I stepped off the plane at Windhoek, two decades ago. It's a different pace of life - slower and yet more dangerous." He got up, pacing over to the window and looking out over the gardens, his voice a gentle rumble of thunder, his tone pensive. "There's blood in the earth here." he mused softly, almost whispering. "Endless generations of blood, running through the dark soil, and underneath it is a heart that beats. That sound... is Africa." He blinked, then emptied his glass, giving the watching youths a sense that he was toasting the night outside.

"Living here, you feel that you're in the cradle of mankind, deep in your gut you know it. Life and death are stronger forces here... or maybe it's easier to feel them close at hand." Spell broken, he turned back to the table and smiled, coming back and sitting down. "It makes the most pragmatic men acknowledge their spiritual sides, at least in my experience."

[Butch_Cole]

Like Pip, Butch also had little personal experience with eating in a formal setting prior to becoming one of Traveler's wards. He followed suit and ate with his hands, too, not really minding. Even though he didn't need to, Butch enjoyed eating, and eating with his hands was quite comforting. When he was a kid, most of his meals consisted of things he could eat with his hands. A lot of sandwiches - bologna and cheese, PB&J. Johnny Hellfire never tried to be a gourmet and they never really had a kitchen, but he could barbecue a mean burger. In his hands. What Butch wouldn't have given to have another one of those burgers...or a minute with his father...

He took a sip of cloudy liquid from his glass. It was coconut juice. And quite tasty. He scanned the table trying to pick something else to eat.

On his own for two years, Butch rarely bothered to eat with utensils mostly because he didn't eat, but when he did it was usually something simple. Baltimore may not have been the kindest of cities, but Butch fondly recalled grease-soaked Lake Trout sandwiches slathered with hot sauce and bags of old bay seasoned chips. Sometimes he'd get a scrapple sandwich for breakfast, but only if he was feeling really indulgent and could risk going out. It wasn't until Traveler took him from that abandoned East Baltimore rowhouse and brought him to the Island to live with his other wards that Butch really started to eat with others at a table on a regular basis.

When Einherjar gave his speech about Africa, Butch ignored his search for something to add to his plate and instead listened intently, focused on the deep feeling emanating from the leader of the Congo's words. The sincerity behind the words was palpable and served to add to the mystique about the man as well as the continent he described.

Butch wondered though if he'd ever find a place on Earth that would bring out a spiritual side in him. Hearing Einherjar's words, Butch hoped that would be the case.

[Karren Gaunt]

Allowing the moment to pass, Coraline commented with the eagerness of someone looking for an answer to a problem that was truely bothering her, "So how did you do it? Get the Motherhunters to leave Congo alone, I mean."

[z-The Morrigan]

"A reputation for extreme justice helps," Morri observed, smiling at Cora over the lip of her cup. "Those who come hunting here typically don't leave, so the Motherhunters have to weigh their positions very carefully. We have had some try, particularly if their target lives outside of Kinshasa. They seem to think that Einherjar being physically in the city prevents his agents from acting with efficiency outside the city. None have been successful in over a decade, and I don't think we've had a real attempt in... more than five years."

The lovely woman shifted on her seat before continuing, "And Einherjar has built a network of spies outside the country. Whispers against the Congo come back to his ears, making it easy to thwart their attacks before they're much more than plans.

"Mostly though, he makes it clear that anyone who harms one of those under his protection faces his wrath," Morri finished. "And with his wrath comes my fury. We're not bluffing. We don't give second chances. It's interesting how people find other targets more appealing when they'd have to pay such a high price to threaten those under its protection."

[Eingar]

"We treat motherhunting as a casus belli. And we've let them all know it." Einherjar said softly, nodding in agreement with Morri's explanation as he added his own perspective. "That is to say, if we catch representatives of any organisation or government agency hunting novas in the Congo for any reason, it is considered an act of war. And there is every possibility we will go to war over it, and they all know it. Aeon, Directive, Proteus, the Chinese government et al are all well aware that I hold their organisational chiefs fully accountable for what their underlings do. They rein them in, or I go straight to the top with my retribution. That was made abundantly clear... what?" he looked at Morri conversationally "Six years ago?"

"Six." Morri nodded. "The Chinese."

"They snatched a pregnant nova, a Chinese national who'd fled here seeking asylum. Morri led several others to neutralise the snatch-team and recover the poor woman. She took several of the Chinese novas alive, and once we were done interrogating them we had all the information we needed. Then Beijing' suffered a rainstorm and minor flooding for a few hours, and a recording of their novas being executed as spies was delivered to the Chinese government along with bucket containing their mixed ashes. The message was received and understood - next time I won't confine myself to moderate property damage, and if the girl had died, Beijing would have suffered." Einherjar recounted the whole incident calmly as he topped up his glass. "That all happened behind the scenes, but everyone knew what had happened."

"The key is to be smart with one's ruthlessness. If you've decided something is worth fighting for, then make sure you're willing to put everything on the line. Most governments and organisations aren't brave. If there's a way they can save face and back off to pick an easier target, they will. Always give them an exit from the battlefield, and you can herd them through it."

[SalmonMax]

"Damaging Beijing is essentially collective punishment, isn't it?" Alex asked. "You're hurting much more than just those responsible under those circumstances."

[Eingar]

"Perhaps there's a case to be made for people being more aggressively choosey about who their leaders are and what sort of trouble they start." Einherjar replied with a shrug. "Not that it'd make a difference in China. They've had millenia of conditioning to bend their necks to whoever runs the place. So in that instance, perhaps I'd simply confine myself to a super-tornado directly over the Politburo. The point isn't exactly what I would do, it's what I'm capable of. If my enemies believe I'm perfectly capable of flattening a city of millions to get to them, they might think twice before giving me reason to."

"And as to whether I would..." Einherjar grinned toothily. "Only I know the answer to that. And if we're lucky, I won't have to demonstrate it."

[Karren Gaunt]

Coraline couldn't help but smile back, liking what she was hearing from the Congo's ruler and his guardian and taking notes. Here was a potential 'how' to the puzzle of what she wanted to do with her life, the 'what' being protecting nova families from motherhunters without killing them all. Martial heroism was really *hard* to do in the real world where the people weaker than you who needed protection against some threats would stab you in the back in other conflicts. Baselines were so... fickle that way, frustrating to no end.

[Maia]

In her current state, Maia simply listened. She didn't feel up to actually debating what was being said, and in truth she wasn't particularly happy with any of it. Justin could feel her tense up, her hand resting beneath his and he gave her a subtle squeeze, hoping to reassure her. The calm way such things could even be discussed, it bothered them both. Until earlier that day he'd been simply a baseline, and this sort of talk was something he thanked Maia for giving him the means to not make a fool of himself with his reaction to what had been said.

Instead the recovering couple sat there eating in silence.

[Toby Lupin]

"Fortune seems to favor you, King Einherjar." Darrik remarked as he entered with a courteous half-bow, accompanied by Gwen and Agatha. "I apologize for the intrusion and lateness, but Shen suggested we join the remainder of the family for dinner, and all's settled on Primus... My name is Darrik, and my companions here as Gwen and Agatha." Once the introductions had been made and, Ein's nod of welcome, Darrik and his ladies found an empty set of seats nearby Justin and Maia and smiled quietly to the two of them. They weren't the only ones with relationship complications.

[Courier]

Throughout the dinner Warren had remained silent. This was a social event, not his strong point even without the added burdens of lack of familiarity and potential lack of focus. Ein and Morri were important to the family and the entire 2nd generation, Warren was simply avoiding making mistakes. As the conversation turned to motherhunters and how they'd dealt with them, Warren hung on every word. Ein and Morri were world experts in winning, thus far he'd only avoided losing.

Warren lifted a glass in toast to the two and said seriously, "Well done. To the victorious protectors."

[z-The Morrigan]

The arrival of the newcomers made Morri instantly nervous. The man drew her eyes instantly and the young woman was simultaneously aware of her body's reaction to him. These feelings - her flesh betraying her with tightening skin and a clench in her lower extremities - forced the bile up in her throat. The feelings threw her back into the cage, lying drugged and helpless under Dr. Rast or Hatchins, so long ago. The new nova glanced at her, and despite the women he had on his arms, licked his lips at her. Hatchins had done that to her all the time, as if he could already taste her skin. And then, every time, he went for the tranq gun, or the collar remote. Darrik took a seat well away from her but Morri felt those red eyes alight on her; she could feel his consideration of her. Other men had looked at her the same way.

The spike in her heart rate was audible to Einherjar, but her guardian merely gave her a gentle glance that assured her she wasn't alone and could take support from him if he needed it. Warren's toast jolted her out of her reverie. Morri reached for her glass and acknowledged the toast, some of her hard-won etiquette rising to the surface. "Thank you," she said to Warren. She felt Darrik's eyes fall on her again; she knew he was inviting her to come to him with his eyes. "I hope to protect many more of our children in the future."

[Quantum Fire]

End of Thread

XP: 4 Standard 2 Baseline 2 Nova