Aberrant: Children of Quantum Fire - Nature's Path [5.9]

[LydaLynn]

Pip started to shake her head, then, her voice soft, "I don't know." 'I don't know, I don't know anyone else who can do this sort of thing, defiantly not anyone I know who can be trusted. The only people I could think of asking for would be my family, my other family. But I want them safe more than I want them here. Both selfish choices, but at least one of the choices is better for them.' She takes a deep breath and looks up into his eyes. "I don't know how to . . . gah!"

Epiphany jumped, extraordinarily startled. She hadn't been paying any attention to the baselines around them, lost in a world of just Warren and her. So she didn't notice when they started reacting to her emotions. And when one of the braver ones reached out to pat her reassuringly on the shoulder, Pip barely manage to miss Warren's nose when she spooked at the touch.

[Courier]

Warren looked around at the crowd they'd attracted and smiled wryly. There were ironies here he found amusing; a private moment held in public, and Pip was the one with the subtle powers but she was also the one attracting attention.

Warren shifted his arms so he was holding Pip around the waist, and said to Pip but out loud for the baselines' benefit, "I think our Private Lunch just got a little public. Thank you everyone, we'll continue this over food."

A warp gate appeared with the other side showing the entrance of a nice restaurant a mile away. Warren attempted to lead Pip through the gate, several baselines discovered they simply couldn't follow their goddess.

[z-The Morrigan]

Morri ran. Her heart pounded, not from exertion, but rage. They were stealing Ein from her! Morri didn’t think that they meant it; she was sure that no one had planned for them to be her guardian’s children. Ein would not have hidden them from her; Morri knew that. It had surprised him as much as her, certainly. And they might have planned this, but that didn’t matter.

All that mattered was that Ein’s flesh and blood children existed. All that mattered was that the bonds between her and Ein were forged of pity and need.

Until she’d thought that, Morri hadn’t understood what had driven her so hard. Here were children of Ein’s – pretty and strong and second-generation novas, both without her tainted past. They weren’t going to disgrace the King at a fancy dinner without meaning to, and they wouldn’t leave Einherjar thinking he needed to protect his guests from them. Moving to attack them, even thinking it, wasn’t an action worthy of Ein. She’d had so many actions unworthy of him, yet he’d forgiven every one, never even raising his voice to her or cursing at her. She knew he thought of her as a daughter and had been endlessly patient with her neurosis and fits.

And here were children who wouldn’t cause him trouble like that. They were so bright and golden; glittering children to his glorious being. They weren’t the dark shadow that he had to watch or pamper or coddle – or stop. They even looked like they belonged to him.

Rage borne of grief bubbled inside of her, and the plains of the Primal Lands rang with her scream of frustration. That burst of sound wasn’t enough, and Morri screamed again, another long, primitive sound that caused the sounds of life on the plains to falter in fear. Tears pricked her eyes, but Morri refused to let them fall. Hatchins was the last person who’d made her cry. Irrationally, she felt that if no one made her cry again, they hadn’t hurt her as bad as he had. So long as she didn’t cry, her worst pain was in the past instead of here in the present. In a streak of red, she burst into motion, running as fast as she could.

The girl didn’t slow until she saw the dark reaches of the Yrim Forest rise before her. Morri stopped, unwilling to enter the woods and cause another incident with the Sidir pack. The self-appointed guardians of the woods demanded that protocols be followed when “visitors” came. The feral never dealt with the protocols of the self-important Sidir at the best of times and now was definitely not the time.

She needed to kill something. Morri was a little frightened by this sentiment; for her, killing was what she did when running away wasn’t an option. She’d never felt the need to hurt something because of her own pain. It made her feel like she was her rapists and it made her sick. But she had to do something.

After a long moment of staring at nothing, Morri began to run again. She had a destination in mind; she didn’t want to do it, but the woman knew it would probably help. All she needed was a good pretext to talk to the Crane.

[LydaLynn]

Rather extraordinarily chagrined, Epiphany pulled her personality into herself and wrapped her appearance in normalcy as she walked through the warp with Warren. Her voice an embarrassed whisper, "I'm sorry."

[Courier]

For a moment Warren didn't get it. He sent back, Sorry? About delaying Shaman's rescue? That will turn out fine... Oh! About the baselines.

Physically and mentally Warren smiled and sent, They see something close to the real you and like what they see. I can't hold that against them, much less you. 'Forcing' me to use a warp doesn't count either.

Warren sent Pip a mental image. On a beach Pip was building a house using warp gates like lumber. She finished nailing a gate down and called out, 'I need one more. How close are we to running out?' Off to the side Warren stood hip deep in an endless ocean of warp gates.

The greeter recovered from her surprise at having a warp gate appear in the waiting area and walked up. Warren said fluently in French, "Two. A booth or something private would be nice. How long is the wait?"

She replied, also in French, "One moment sir, give us two minutes." She walked away and had a hurried, whispered conversation.

Warren listened in and mentally sent, She's not as surprised as I'd think. She wasn't expecting us but around here Novas dropping in is at least possible, and it's something to brag about. She's summoned someone, probably the owner, and is getting a specific table ready. I don't recognize that word but it probably means 'best table in the house' or something. More and more I like hanging out in a nova town. Take teams of assassins off the table and life is pretty good.

While Warren waited for the table he examined Pip. She looked... stressed. Tired. Warren mentally debated what to do next. The big thing he didn't want to do was add to her stress and take away from her focus. The big thing he wanted to do was get professional help, which in this case probably meant her parents.

Who had fled the solar system years ago and literally didn't remember they had a daughter. Pip had throughly messed with their minds without their permission. 'Happy she did it' was probably an unlikely reaction if and when they found out.

He was Warren, going to the next solar system and finding them was certainly doable, but firing up a big ugly fight between Pip and her parents was basically the definition of "adding to stress" and/or "taking away from her focus".

Paying close attention to Pip's heartbeat and other signs, Warren sent, Tell me about it. How badly do you need help with Demon?

{OOC: Lie Detector is still on.}

[Quantum Fire]

"I am? He is?" questioned the young metamorph after a pause for thought of the useful seriousness of that ability. If she could keep off of Uncle's causal radar... Heh.

She waited till she got a nod of confirmation back from her Mentor, "So does this mean it'd be good for us to include him in our plans for the future, show him the Primus and our other recuees? I promised him I would if you approved."

"My dear girl, your grown up now, free to make your own choices, I'll offer advice and direction, and point out where your making errors, or if a path is a not a good one though the future, but now that you've passed though Apothesis, your choices are your own. Whatever you chose to do with Shaman, he is close enough to be family, if my former wards and students take him to be.. so, if he has your approval, that is enough."

[Karren Gaunt]

"I know, and I'm starting to trust myself to be able to get along on my own in the baseline world, but... This is a bigger choice than mine to make though, Uncle, and the last thing I want to do is endanger the family doing something reckless, no matter how much I may want to do it," her chorous replied seriously, the needs and wants of her foster siblings bigger than her own even if the twin issues of nova fertility and her relationship with Norman had begun to change the thoughtless ease of that childish selflessness, make the *only* thing of import in her world into *one of several* things of import in her world.

She smiled again, the expression only fading a little at the sudden windstorm. A glance at the trio in King Einherjar's study and she asked, as a student to her master, "Is there something going on between Maia, Shaman, and the King I should be worried about, Uncle?"

[Eingar]

"It appears we've all got things to learn and understand about one another." Einherjar said with a taut smile for his children, then he winced as a fork of lightning lit up the storm-darkened sky over Kinshasa and the rain began to fall, large heavy drops driven by high winds. More thunder danced and crackled in the heavens as the storm started to expand outwards from the sprawling capital city, causing those in the streets to look up at the unseasonal weather and immediately seek shelter. Emergency protocols went into effect, shutting down the skyrail and advising all aircars to set down on the nearest flat space. When it came to weather alert systems and weather-proof buildings, Kinshasa was a world-leader, mainly out of necessity.

When Einherjar was in a bad mood, the weather followed suit, often for hundreds of miles around.

"Shit." he said as he stood and moved to the windows, looking out at the terrifyingly dark clouds. They rumbled as though echoing his curse. He looked over at Maia and Allen and shrugged. "Would you mind if we continued this a little later? I need to calm myself down before our neighbours in Brazzaville start squawking. You're both adults: I'll leave it to you to decide who and how you tell people." Thunder cracked the air like an orbital railgun strike, and the Storm King took a deep breath before moving out into the garden and to a bench.

I am the elements, and they are me he told himself silently as he sat down, working through the mantra he'd drummed up years ago. This anger is momentary, fleeting. The anger will pass, the situation will be resolved. I am Chief of Chiefs, master of my destiny and my Self. I am the power, the power is not me. And so on, attempting through force of will to bring the storm to heel, to dissipate the foul weather that clearly echoed his foul mood.

[Maia]

With Einherjar occupied quelling the storm in the sky and within himself, Maia indicated Allen should follow her.

After giving their biological father some space, Maia looked over to her little brother and smiled. "So Allen, tell me about yourself."

She was asking politely, though the question sounded more like a statement. It was easy to see she'd reciprocate, but The divine visage before him that was his half sister obviously was quite curious about him.

[Adrian Moss]

'Sister! Remember she's your sister!'

"Ummm ..." Allent began, desperately trying to not look at Maia," Allen was the name that I was given when I was in hiding. I don't know my birth name, so I prefer to go by the name I have chosen for myself - Shaman."

'And I have a cloak, furry underwear, and the chipmunk sidekick to prove it.'

"I umm ... talk to animals ... AND PLANTS! I mean, it can understand the rhythm of plants."

'The last bit actually sounded pretty cool.'

'Yeah, it did, didn't it?'

'Psyche!'

"I guess I get my storm sense from my Father. I can feel the winds and storms and I have some power over them. I like snow."

'I like snow? Seriously?'

'It's the truth.'

'Let's not tell her that I like to roll naked in snowbanks.'

'...'

'NO!'

"My parents - the people who raised me ... well they must have thought they would have more time to well, raise me. There was probably a great many things they knew that would be real handy now, but that's ... not going to happen."

"So, what about you?"

[Maia]

Maia smiled. "Until I was six I lived with my mom and Dad, then they were killed." She looked sad for a moment and then shook her head.

"Uncle Shen was listed as my godfather and legal guardian, So he took me then. He watched over me from then until now, and through him, I met my brothers and sisters." She didn't seem to differentiate between blood and non-blood siblings.

"Some of us have been together for over a decade and change, though we've all become a family in the time we're together."

She chuckled. "I think I might be the more normal of the group, I still enjoy doing alot of more mundane things like shopping and going to movies with my boyfriend, or my sisters."

"Recently I took up modelling, along with Cora and Marina. It's been alot of fun."

She chuckled, "I got dad's Strength and durability more than anything else."

The comment about snow made her smile. "I always enjoyed playing in the snow myself. One time we had a snowball fight amongst the siblings... Let me tell you, few things are that fun."

[Adrian Moss]

Shaman shook his head.

"I never had brothers or sisters."

'Never any as good looking as you ..'

'Stop it! SISTER!'

'Oh, yeah. Eyes forward. Eyes forward.'

"I got ... Dad's weather abilities."

'Sigh ... Sis, I lived in a cave and survived on mice and squirrel nuts.'

"I've been to Calgary two times that I remember. My parents wouldn't let me out of their sight the entire time. All they really did is succeed in making me curious. No friends that didn't move around on four legs. Heck, it wasn't until I was five that I realized my parents couldn't talk to my little friends. That was a shocker."

'Smoooooth.'

"I mean, I always assumed I was part of the living world. I assumed everyone else was too. It never occurred to me until much later that all the people I met were blind to what was so clear to me. Now that really depressed me."

Shaman looked to Maia,

"Hey, why don't we go exploring? Neither one of us know the lay out, and I won't understand what half of these gadgets are for, but well ... my Mom had this button from her Elite days. It said, 'Let's split up. We can do more damage that way!' It has never seemed more relevant than now," Shaman grinned.

"What do you say?"

'What did I just say?'

[z-The Morrigan]

Morri picked her way over the muck and mess of the salt marshes, grimacing at the mess it was making of her feet. She could wash off, but she wished she could fly so that she wouldn't have to even touch the nasty wetlands with her feet. She moved slowly - for her - making her approach clear. When she was close enough to be polite, she stopped and waved to the birds, making sure they could see her. When none moved to stop her, Morri proceeded forward.

Her trek took her past wide bogs, skipping from hump of land to log to clump of grass, avoiding the thick water and deep mud when she could. Long-necked water birds watched her quietly; eagles perched on nearby trees tracked her progress. Ducks and geese were here in fewer numbers, but they watched her too, their dark, glassy eyes tracking on her.

Her destination was the last patch of earth that could be called land out here. The Crane waited for her, his expression patient and composed. Smaller birds swarmed around his feet: ravens, hatchings and ducks all danced in attendance on him. As Morri stepped up on the crown of land, the giant bird dipped his head. "Blood Queen," he greeted her.

"Crane," Morri said dipping her own head. Some species saw it as an honor to name their leader after their species - like the Reth taking the name 'Simba', it signified that the leader embodied his or her species, that she was epitome of all it was to be Lion. Morri wasn't sure if that was the same principle in the Sky-callers; they weren't a government as much as a religious organization. They were seers and advisers who guided, not a territory-holding group that would go to war with the other species.

"You seem troubled," The Crane said mildly. "I take it you have work for me?"

Morri unslung the lengths of wood from her back, holding up the two pieces. "I need these carved, as a gift," she said.

"You don't want to give them?" The bird was insightful, but it still unnerved Morri that he could just pull things from her like that.

"It will make the Storm King happy," she said, hearing the sullen tone in her voice.

"But not you," The Crane observed. The two staves floated out of her hand, beginning a slow orbit around the bird. Slivers of wood peeled back from the sticks as he began to work. The curls of wood were picked up by the attending birds who removed the trash.

"I fear they'll take him from me," Morri said, hating that her voice quivered as she spoke. She hated being this honest, but that was the price of talking with The Crane - either you were honest, or he did not help you.

"Why?"

"They're his children," Morri said, rubbing her eyes to stop the potential tears. She would not cry! "His real children. He might call me a daughter, but they are his flesh and blood. His real family. I'm the bedraggled mess he found on the floor of a cage." Her eyes stung harder but still she held back the tears. "They're pretty and cultured and not an embarrassment."

"Does that matter in family?" The Crane inquired. With a sudden crack, the two pieces snapped half making four pieces. Morri frowned, opening her mouth to protest, but the bird continued. "Family is family, regardless of embarrassment."

"They're his flesh and blood," Morri insisted. Part of her felt pathetic to know that she'd believed that Ein had cherished her because she filled a unique niche in his life: someone to care for and a woman who filled his non-sexual social needs. Maia could do that, and Morri knew her type - Maia could do it better than Morri. She even had red eyes!

The Crane seemed to smile, the four staves spun around him, seemingly carved by the air itself. Shapes were forming in the wood. "Blood Queen, how do you start a family?"

Morri's cheeks colored, but she made herself mutter, "With sex." Just saying that word turned her stomach.

The bird's head snapped up and he barked a squawking laugh. "Yes, but that sex is between a male and a female, bound by ties of the heart, no?" As Morri frowned, he added, "There can be children without that bond, but there is no true family. A family of blood begins with a family of heart."

"But... I'm not their mother," Morri persisted. The thought opened a gulf of longing in her - to be a mother - but what she had to suffer to become a mother made her once again bury that thought deep inside. That kind of invasion, even if it was by a doctor using donor sperm, twisted her stomach into a knot.

"No, you're not," The Crane said, "yet when I carved the tooth, you spoke of your love for the Storm King." Morri's cheeks reddened; love wasn't something she and Ein talked about at all. They knew how they felt about one another and didn't need to speak about it. She felt odd calling it love because she knew that people would jump right to romantic love, and that wasn't what her relationship with Ein was about. "You spoke of the bonds you had forged with him, over years. You believed that he found these bonds to be precious - why would newly found children change anything for him and you? Your family isn't being taken away - it has a chance to grow. To include more than the Storm King." The four carved staves, now scepters instead of the walking staves she had envisioned, floated into her hands. "If you want that, of course."

She studied the carvings, admiring the work. "Thank you," Morri said to The Crane, bowing again.

"You are welcome," The Crane answered, the long shadows of the ending day casting him in an eerie light. As Morri turned to go, he added, "I see darkness, Blood Queen. Be wary."

Morri frowned but had nothing good to say. Still wearing her concerned expression, she turned and walked away.

* * *

The invitation came to each of them via a servant that afternoon. The request was handwritten, asking Maia, Shaman and Einherjar to join Morri in her room for dinner, after sunset. When they arrived, the lights were off while candles provided illumination. Morri was sitting on a cushion at a low table. Her eufiber was shaped into a soft gray dress, comfortable but a little nicer than she normally wore. Her crystal circlet glittered around her forehead. There were four settings at the table, and a nearby table was laden with a nova-sized dinner for four. It was an intimate setting; a quiet dinner between close friends or family.

The hostess was sitting quietly; only a little tension betrayed her unease. "Thank you for coming," she said in a soft voice. "Please be seated and be welcome."

[Adrian Moss]

Shaman stealed himself as he made his way to his Sister's - Elder Sister's - quarters. This could go bad, or really bad, or lethally bad. What he had to do was find a way to make that not happen. He hated himself for not coming up with an appropriate gift. He had to show some measure of respect. This was her home as much as Einherjar's and he couldn't forget that.

'Oh Great. I'm the first one here.'

'Whatever you do don't say something like "Can I see your Claws?".'

(image of spine and intestines exiting my back)

'Good idea.'

"Hello Elder Sister. I see I am the first."

'Keep it going.'

"I do not have a gift worth of showing my proper respect to you, but I am trying to find something."

'...'

"Ah, were do I sit?"

[z-The Morrigan]

Morri managed a smile. It didn't help, and it made Allen all too aware that there were no witnesses. "I recommend that one," she said, pointing to the cushion on the other side of the table. Despite her desire to work on making this work, his words 'Elder Sister' set her teeth on edge. Putting the table between them was prudent for everyone involved. There was a moment of awkward silence. "You look a lot like him," Morri said.

Her skills at small talk weren't very good and that was apparent in her statement.

[Quantum Fire]

"I know, and I'm starting to trust myself to be able to get along on my own in the baseline world, but... This is a bigger choice than mine to make though, Uncle, and the last thing I want to do is endanger the family doing something reckless, no matter how much I may want to do it," her chorous replied seriously, the needs and wants of her foster siblings bigger than her own even if the twin issues of nova fertility and her relationship with Norman had begun to change the thoughtless ease of that childish selflessness, make the *only* thing of import in her world into *one of several* things of import in her world.

She smiled again, the expression only fading a little at the sudden windstorm. A glance at the trio in King Einherjar's study and she asked, as a student to her master, "Is there something going on between Maia, Shaman, and the King I should be worried about, Uncle?"

"Nothing that needs our intervention, so in answer to your question, not particularly, although I'm sure you can hear everything Einherjar is saying from here, to make matters simple, everything he's telling Maia is true." He responded to Cora's question, having her suddenly look at him with a measure of surprise from some of the revelations she was hearing. "Yes, Einherjar is a friend, yes, it's been a strained friendship for a number of years, yes.. he's maia's biological father, and yes, I left it to him to tell her, and said nothing of it all these years." He paused. "As to my reasons, I'll explain to Maia if she asks, but some of them are between me and Einherjar, and some of them are for other reasons."

[Karren Gaunt]

As the windstorm turned to rainfall and slicked the young metamorph's hair and clothing against the curves of her body, she slowly nodded understanding. Uncle Shen wouldn't deceive them without good reason. She certainly would have reacted... stronger to the news that he was involved in hunting those completely lost to taint before she finished her training in T'ai Chi Ch'uan. Even then she couldn't help but flinch a little inside whenever she said or heard the once simple and blanket epiphet for all that had been wrong with her world. Everything was so complicated now.

For all that though... She'd rarely flown in a rainstorm and this one promised to be an exciting one. "I think I want to see one of King Einherjar's storms from the inside, Uncle. Tell Maia to link me if she wants to talk and you see her first," her chorus offered before Coraline was airborne and away again, pitting herself against the sudden stormcell in an innocent game of tag with the world.

[Adrian Moss]

'Careful now. You are in her home, her lair, her cave.'

"Like him? Really? Wow. Thanks, our fa ... Einherjar. If you think I look like him, I thank you. You know him best."

'Count the words. Did they make sense? Do we see anymore fire in those eyes ... nice eyes too.'

Shaman took the chair Morri had indicated and sat down.

(awkward silence)

'Say something, anything!'

'Okay, not anything.'

"Morrigan ... can I call you Morrigan? What do you expect from me? See, I know I've come into your house uninvited, and that's wrong. I should have come to you first to make sure things would be okay between the two of us. I apologize for my thoughtlessness."

"I may be his blood, but you are the one who's earned your place by his side. I haven't earned that right yet. I know that, but I will try to be worthy of being part of your family."

[z-The Morrigan]

Morri gave him a faint smile. “That’s part of what we’ll discuss at dinner… but call me Morri. Most people do… most friends do. As for the rest… what I expect, I’ll get into that later. I’d rather only go through this once.

“This isn’t just my house, though,” Morri said, feeling uncomfortable with calling Ein’s house hers – though it was her home, without question. “It’s Einherjar’s, too, and he doesn’t need my permission to invite people into it. He’s your f-father. You had every right to approach him first. And you have every right to be here – your blood gives you that right. Maia, too, and me as well. In all our various ways, we belong to the Storm King, and he to us.”

It still ripped something out of her heart to say that. She didn’t want to share the best thing in her life. But that wasn’t her choice and she’d do her best to find bond with his children, to find more good things – and people – to cherish.

[Eingar]

It had taken awhile, but the storm had eventually been calmed much to Cora's disappointment and the rest of the Kinshasa region's relief. Einherjar's "little storms", as the people referred to them, were as disruptive as any powerful natural thunderstorm, but at least they weren't the terrible "ragestorms" that accompanied his full anger. The last one of those had been four years ago and very localised over about fifty square miles of jungle. It had lasted perhaps ten minutes, but those ten minutes were enough to flatten everything in the affected area - trees, buildings, people: nothing had survived. The Storm King lost his temper very rarely indeed, but the occasions were all the more memorable for it.

Once he'd calmed the weather to a steady drizzle of rain, he retreated to his chambers to quietly brood, sitting out on the patio and staring at the royal gardens sightlessly. Hours had passed that way until Morri's note had arrived, causing both relief (that she was back) and consternation (as to what she would do next). Ein set the note on his lap and stared at it for awhile, then sighed and rose to prepare.

Now he stood at the threshold of Morri's apartment, feeling like a stranger in his own palace: an image that made the king smile as he listened to Allen and Morri talk. Deciding not to delay further, he stepped into the room and smiled at them both, his expression mainly relieved as it rested on an unharmed and calm Morri, but there was a touch of defensiveness around the glowing blue eyes as well.

"You look nice." he said with a smile as he sat at the low table, furling his legs to sit Indian fashion. He meant it, too. Morri didn't often dress up without some prompting, and she looked both beautiful and quietly regal as she knelt on her cushion to his right. He glanced at Allen on his left and smiled, nodding in greeting before glancing back at Morri, curious as to her purpose.

[Maia]

Maia nodded. "You really think I'm gonna let my flesh and blood little brother out of my sight to roam Kinshasa when he's admitted to being ignorant of how things are?"

She looked at with a teasing mirthful grin, and shook her head. "We can go to town if you want, but it's gonna rain on us all the way I think. Better to explore the Palace itself

Hours later Maia'd been handed the invitation which brought a smile to her face.

Maia wanted to make sure she made a good impression, and dressed up in some of her better clothing. not the insanely made evening gowns, but something that would befit dinner with her blood family, and her "elder sister," Morri.

She was the last to arrive, though still on time, and bowed her head in respect to the others. "Well this is an interesting turn of events, I'm not first." She smiled, and took the remaining seat, kneeling down and settling back. He red eyes caught the flickering of the candlelight and gave her an even more exquisite look than normal, as her hair was pulled back into a long woven braid, that actually reached the floor.

[z-The Morrigan]

"Thank you," Morri murmured to Ein, giving him a real smile. Shaman caught a glimpse of how unguarded the girl could be, when she relaxed. She looked young; no older than him, when she smiled like that.

Maia got the same stiff smile that Shaman had earned, but the effort Morri was putting into all of this was clear. "Thank you, for coming," she said, clearing her throat. "After today, I'm glad that you were willing to come and eat with me." The other three started to murmur their assurances; Morri let them finish talking before she continued, "Please, eat your fill; this is the first of many meals we'll have together."

Einherjar had the bad feeling this was going too well as Morri leaned over and pulled the food table to her, scooting it on its wheels. From there, she dished food at the others' requests, playing the hostess well. When everyone had enough to start, Morri sat back and said, "I don't know what Ein said after I left. I don't know what you know about me. I know that there are many stories about me, but this one is true.

"My first memories are being caged by a man named Vyse. Using drugs, he turned me into his quantum weapon-"

"Morri," Ein interrupted gently, his expression concerned.

"They're family, aren't they? They should know," the feral nova insisted firmly. She looked at them both. "I was abused during that time. Raped, beaten, drugged. It left me little better than a savage, my memories of my life before gone forever. Einherjar found me there and started to teach me how to control myself. He saved me, not just from a cage, but from others who, through the best of intentions, would merely exchange one slavery for another.

"But I still fear strange men," the red-eyed woman continued. "The reason I reacted so poorly was because Einherjar has been the best thing in my life." She smiled at him, one of those real expressions again. "I know he cares for me - my head knows that. But deep inside, my heart isn't as sure. Part of me..." She stopped and swallowed. "Part of me never left that cage.

"I thought a lot today, talked to a friend who showed me that my fear of losing my family - Ein - was narrow-minded. I could have more family, if I could just let go of my own fear. So I'm going to try." The statement was firmly delivered; Morri looked as resolute as she ever had. "You are Ein's family, I am his family as well - he doesn't deserve to have two families. He deserves one, this one.

"It won't be easy. Just because I want to accept this and trust in my position, I've lived like this all my life. To help, I ask that neither of you touch me without warning," Morri continued. "Let's not push the 'sister' title either; just Morri for now. If I seem to be losing control, please don't try to physically stop me. I don't want to hurt either of you. If you can't talk me down, get Ein and get the hell away from me." She paused and looked at Ein. "That's the basics - should I mention anything else?"

[Adrian Moss]

'Hi, I'm Shaman and I lived with two people who loved me in a lonely cabin.'

'Hi, I'm Morri and I was raised in a cage, by people who saw me as a disposable thing.'

'What does one say about that? Sorry is beyond lame. It's not like I can relate to that. Still, ... '

'Pay attention; Touchie meanie Deathie.'

Shaman gave the barest of nods.

'Hi Five! We live!'

'Hi Five ... Morri got screwed and they are still screwing her today, asshole. We can celebrate the day when she can reach out and touch us without fear and loathing in her eyes.'

'...'

'Yeah, sometimes life sucks. Now I see it sucks more when all the power at your command is useless.'

'Man, this does sucks.'

Shaman looked down at his plate and moved the food around.

[Maia]

Maia remained silent. Morrigan's ordeals hammered home how well she'd had it up to now.

"That's plenty to consider for now, thank you."

She nodded. "I'm glad someone like Einherjar came around and was able to free you, and help you." if nothing else, Maia was honest, and this statement was no exception.

"We can take it slow, I don't think anyone at this table wishes to rush things. We've all got to get used to being around each other, and we're all incredibly different people."

[Eingar]

"I think you've covered the essentials." Einherjar told the Morrigan in answer to her question. He gave her a small smile, his warm hand over hers in a brief, gentle clasp communicated his approval louder than words as he glanced around the table..

"I would like to add something." he started softly, picking his words carefully. "Morri says that part of her has never left the cage, and I agree. Some things leave scars so deep it takes more than a decade or two to sort it out. But... every day, I've watched more and more of her leave that cage behind. People say I freed her, and in a literal sense I did. But I prefer to think of it as I showed her what freedom was, and she chose to try it out." He looked back at Morri. "I'm not one to really talk about my feelings, especially the deep ones, but I'd like to say right now that the more I come to know you, Morri, the more proud I am to know you." He let that hang in the air as he looked back at the other two.

"Shaman, Maia - you are both my children. It's a powerful phrase, to say someone is my child, my parent, my sibling. There's a lot of connotations the world will put on that, a lot of expectations others will make. But I want you to define what our shared blood means to you. Don't let anyone else, including me, tell you how to be Einherjar's child. You don't have to add prince or princess to your names. You don't have to stay here and learn how to rule a country - hell knows that I'm not going anywhere. There is no obligation on you at all beyond what you wish." He grinned a little.

"That said, it does warm my cold black heart a little to think that the U.N and the Directive board is going to have a collective aneurysm when they realise that there may be a line of succession for a nova monarchy." He waved the thought away, chuckling. "But we won't panic them with that information yet. Until we decide that we want the world to know, the world doesn't know."

[Adrian Moss]

"The same goes for you, Morri, and Maia. If you have need of me, just call. I will always give my best."

Somehow those words felt like enough. It didn't take much, if the people around you believed in you. That was nature's way, to rely on each member of the system to do what was required. Wolf was Wolf, Bear was Bear, and both would run from a fire, and neither would kill the other unless the need was great, and even that was understood.

'Really? Nothing else?'

'Will we be enough?'

'We'll try.'

'Consider their powers and experience to my own. What do I offer?'

'So that they will never be alone.'

'...'

[Maia]

Maia nodded. "Call for me, and I will answer." She smiled, "That's part of being family after all."

She looked at them all. "I will probably let my siblings know, since they will find out in time anyway."

She looked at Einherjar, and for a moment, it was almost like looking at her mother, "I'd almost pay to see that reaction. Then again with the events of last time fresh in my memory, perhaps a video would be best. Preferrably the non-explosive kind."

[z-The Morrigan]

It was set. Everyone, even her, was agreed. Her agreement wasn't sure but she would try. "Thank you, everyone, for your words. They mean... so much. I have something for all of yo- Us. All of us." That word was just one more attempt to unite the four into one. Lifting the edge of her pillow, Morri drew out the four scepters that Crane had carved. Silently, she handed the one to Shaman; it was carved with animals and scenes of nature. The second, the one she gave to Maia, was emblazoned with images of a powerful woman. The one that she laid across her legs showed another powerful woman, but utterly different in form and intent than Maia's. Where Maia's was a sophisticated, elegant shape whose strength came from emotional grace as well as physical prowess. The woman on Morri's was fighting, swords clenched in her hands and her teeth bared. The last went to Ein, of course, and it was a staff of storms and lightning and a sword.

"I had these made - one for each member of the family," Morri told them. "It's a physical reminder, to me, of who you all are and what you mean. That, and as the royal family we need to have scepters." She gave the table a wry grin.

[Adrian Moss]

'Cool ...'

'But, are you listening?'

'Huh?'

'Prince of the Realm?'

'Crap-tastic.'

"Morri, do you really feel I've earned this yet. In my mind ... in my soul, I feel such things are earned, not given. I don't want to be your brother because of what my Mother and Father did one night long ago. I want you to be proud to call me Brother because YOU feel I deserve that great honor. I don't see how I can really be Einherjar's Son if accept something I haven't fought for and earned."

'Okay, not dead yet.'

'Tell me about it.'

"I'll bear this Scepter as a sign of your favor, or I can return it to you so that you can keep it safe until we both know I am who I would claim to be. What do you say?"

'Man, but it's a really cool stick.'

'Which means what?'

'Think of the chicks we could get?'

'Would we really want any girl who saw me only for my stick?' (face-palm)

'Hehe.'

'Point.'

[Maia]

Maia smiled, accepting the scepter. "Thank you Morri."

Maia took the scepter in her hands, and looked to the others. Acceptance was a great thing.

[z-The Morrigan]

"You're welcome, Maia. And Shaman, I suppose you are right," Morri said to Shaman, her expression thoughtful and utterly serious. She glanced at Ein, asking, "What do you think? I'm sure we could come up with some quests for you to prove your worth." Ein grinned at her and it was only then that Morri's straight-face slipped and she chuckled softly.

"You're mocking me," Shaman said, surprised. It was also night and day how her appearance changed between wary and happy. Almost like a different person.

"A little," Morri answered honestly. "We don't always have to prove our worth to be accepted, Shaman. Sometimes, you are accepted. I may have earned my place here, but I hadn't the day I first met Ein. In fact, I stabbed him-"

"Twice," Ein reminded her.

"I stabbed him twice," Morri corrected, throwing him a look that communicated mock-annoyance as well as her affection for him. "Both were ample reason for him to set me aside, for me to have 'unearned' my place with him. But he still granted it to me. So I say to you - you are Ein's son and part of... our family, and so you are a prince of the Congo and have a place here. Just remember - if you prove false, I'll use that scepter to messily kill you over several miles of the jungle." She grinned broadly - it was not a smile to inspire warm feelings. "Of course, did I think that was a possibility, you probably wouldn't have been granted the scepter, nor do I think the Crane would have made it for you. So rest easy - I believe you are who you say you are. And I... accept that." She swallowed and added with a touch of effort, "And I accept you."

[Adrian Moss]

'Heh, well they can't say I did't warn them, can they?'

'It's a start.'

'Man, both of my Sisters are Hot.'

'Groan.'

"Thanks," Shaman says, slightly flushed and looking down. He sticks the Scepter in his belt. "So, we going to eat now?"

[Quantum Fire]

End of Thread

XP: 2 Standard, 2 Baseline, 2 Nova