Just Friends

Rowan

"Again...not an idiot," I said.

I went to sit down on the nearest chair, repressing a sigh. Now I just had to wait to be killed and eaten...hopefully in that order.

((FF?))

Liam

Watching Blair for a moment I smirked a bit further and started walking towards where the others would be waiting. Carefully pulling the expression from my face I pushed on one of worry and seriousness, explaining to the others upon finding them, how the starlighters had stolen both Ailey and Peter. Everyone grew quiet at the announcement, and I took that moment to explain that I’d found Blair bleeding on the earth, and it looked like she’d hit her head on a rock or something.

Everyone agreed that it would be best to make it back to the city and have the girl healed, not one fay considered the idea of a rescue party. Why would they? This had happened too many times before, and not once did they go after the fay. It was too dangerous, they said, too many star lighters for them to take on.

Blair remained out as the healer dealt with her, easily taking care of the broken bones and the cut on her head where I’d hit with the rock. When she was done she sent me away with orders to make sure Blair didn’t move around for awhile, and to just take her home and lay her down to rest. Nodding like the good boy I was, I did as asked, laying Blair down on her bed in my home before walking back out and sitting down at my kitchen table.

Now to wait for Blair to wake, it would be easy to deny whatever she wanted to tell everyone, after all, she’d been here for two days.

I’d been here for seven hundred years.

FF

Ailey

A few hours later I heard a flutter of wings outside my door. Setting my book aside I crossed the room, opening the door to see both the Dark Lady and Aliyah. Shocked I just stepped aside, unable to thinking of an appropriate greeting for the Lady.

"Hello to you, too." She said coolly after a moment, eyes flickering around the room for Peter.

Rowan

Well, here she was... It was still strange to see her with wings; I'd seen her with them a few times before, of course, but I was so used to her appearing without them. Other than that...it was really nothing new.

Now to see how quickly I was going to die.

Ailey

I watched the lady quietly as she slowly approached him. Her eyes didn't reveal anything, as emotionless as the perfect starlighter would be. Her wings extended out behind her, the dark gray color, almost back, spotted with her silvery-purple markings.

"It really is you..." she mused, pausing about two feet away. "In my world.....quite....interesting for sure..."

Rowan

"Yeah..." I started, keeping my tone even. "Murdered by Seph Blake for being a freak, and associating with his daughter while being a freak. But hey, that's life."

The last statement was, of course, purposefully ironic.

Blair

I had no clue how long it'd been before I woke up. All I knew at first was that the pain was gone, not even a headache remaining. Surprised for a moment I just say there...marveling over this strange occurrence when I remembered why I'd gotten hurt in the first place.

Peter.

Pulling myself up I scrambled from the bed, pausing momentarily as the room spun. Gripping the bed post I also began to slowly recognize the room for who's it was. Peter and I's .... in Liam and Ailey's house.

My breath caught slightly and for a moment I just stood there, staring at the bed opposite of mine. Peter's. My throat tightened, feeling chocked as I struggled for a breath. Peter should be here, enjoying this mining..or whatever time of the day it was. Things were supposed to be better now...but as far as I could tell nothing had changed. Once again he was going to die....and there was nothing I could do. Biting my lip I couldn't help the cold feeling settling over me as my hand clamped down my wrist.

Friends...we were friends.

Frowning I turned my eyes to the door, glaring at it as if it were Liam instead of what it was. How could I act like I was giving up. I wasn't. We were freaking friends.... that had to mean something.... right? Trying to shove away the cold feeling I started towards the door, deciding then and there I had to help him.

Even if it meant I would end up joining him.

Ailey

The Dark Lady's lip twitched slightly, her gaze calling upon me slowly. "And you found him?"

"Yes m'lady, well, I managed bring him,Mallow and Mia found him."

She nodded, turning attention back to Peter with a slightly amused expression as she spoke. "I am assuming you'd like to not be eaten...correct? The starlighters do not believe in eating anything but fresh when the chance presents itself. As in...still breathing."

Rowan

"I'd rather not be eaten, yes," I said, my tone still even. "And if you want to eat something that's still breathing, that puts the situation slightly in my favor. If you do decide to eat me, I could simply kill myself with my own energy. So, if you don't want that happening..." I let the statement hang.

It was a bonder technique...self-termination through energy backup. That, and SED. Death by SED was certainly the less painful route, but that wasn't an option for me presently.

Ailey

The Dark Lady rolled her eyes, amused still. "I'm not going to eat you, after all, I am a Fay. That would make me a canible, would it not? No, I will keep you. "

Frowning a little she glanced at me, then back to him. "Not at my house though... that wouldn't last near long enough as I would like..."

Rowan

"I meant you in a general sense," I said. "And if you're a Fay, why do you have the starlighters work for you?"

((Short...dialogue... >.>))

"Why wouldn't I?" The Dark lady questioned, a slight smirk on her lips. "They're very nice followers, and decent company when required."

I frowned a little, it beginning to sink in what the lady may have meant in her last comment.

No. No freaking way in hell.

I was no keeping it any longer.

Rowan

"They clearly hate Fay," I answered. "I'm half-surprised you got them to follow you. Only half, though."

I wondered what that other statement before meant...the one about not lasting long enough in her house. I was pretty sure it was referring to me... So I figured I wasn't going to be held there. Was I staying in Ailey's house after all...?

Ailey

Her smirk grew slightly as she almost seemed to chuckle, surprise creeping over e at the sight. Normally you couldn't have paid her to shoe any emotion, and yet....

This was weird.

"Only half? I'm slightly surprised you have so much faith in me."

Rowan

"Well, we both know how easily you can get people to do things," I said dryly.

Really...couldn't we get on with this? I wanted to get it over with...

Ailey

"Oh yes..." The Dark Lady murmured, then pushed some of her hair into place with a bit of irritation at it. "That isn't the case when it comes to the starlighters though, is it, Ailey?"

I blinked, then nervously played with the bottom of my shirt, giving the answer I knew she wanted. "No, of course not m'lady."

She frowned a little, seemingly not impressed by my lack of enthusiasm, but then, surely it wasn't that. If I were a good starlighter by any means I wouldn't have showed any emotion what-so-ever, so surely it wasn't that upsetting her. Without a word she seemed to examine the room, then drew her eyes back to me.

"He shall stay here, for a little while at least, until I grow tired of him. When that happens I'll give him over to you to do as you wish, understood?" She asked coolly, and I nodded. "Good, you are to use any force to keep him here, I don't mind a few scrapes and bruises on my toy, just don't break him yet."

Swallowing I nodded again as her eyes went back to Peter. She looked him over once more, then gave a thin smile.

"It's so nice to see you here in my domain Peter, but I simply must go back home. There are people who need me more than you, so its goodbye for now."

Rowan

I made a noncommittal noise in response. Maybe she'd criticize me for being impolite, but...I honestly didn't care. Not at this point.

So it looked like I had more time to live than I'd thought...though that wasn't necessarily a good thing. Torture from the Dark Lady, then getting eaten once she grew bored...really, the only good aspect was that since I'd be living a little longer, there was more of a window for...

...No. I already told myself to stop thinking that way. There was no chance.

Blair

Gathering my determination I pulled open the door and started down the hall. My hand was around my wrist almost immediately, that old habit wasn’t going to die anytime soon, unfortunately. I rubbed it slowly as I neared the end, knowing that if I was here, then most likely Liam would be as well. After all, it was his house. Pausing in the doorway, just to prepare myself before speaking to him, I just stared at the back of his head for a moment.

Who would have imagined someone who’d seemed so…kind held such darkness behind the silence? As if sensing I was there he slowly turned, a smirk on his lips as his dark eyes landed on me. The smirk quickly melted away into concern, but I wasn’t fooled this time. I’d seen it there, just like I’d seen the cruelness in his eyes before the rock hit my head. I knew better now, but yet… two could play at this game. It wouldn’t do me any good to be on his bad side right off, after all…he could easily decide that I wasn’t needed anymore if that happened.

“Hello…” I murmured, shuffling my feet as if feeling awkward, in reality trying to stuff down the anger he seemed to stir up in me.

Liam nodded, mouthing hello back as he gestured towards one of the empty seats at the table. Only hesitating slightly I made my way over, never removing my eyes from him as I sat. He pursed his lips slightly, looking me over before picking up a quill on the surface of the table, I hadn’t noticed it there before, and scratching a message down on the paper.

‘How do you feel?’

I bit my lip to keep from blurting out what I wanted to say, because honestly.. How was I supposed to feel? Peter was gone, with the starlighters and had a good chance of being eaten, whereas one of the people who caused this was sitting right in front of me, being kind and acting like nothing happened.

“I feel great,” I told him after a moment. “What’d you do? I thought for sure I at least had a few broken bones… at the very least.”

He smiled, looking very much like the normal fay I had believed him to be. ‘The healer fixed you, its one of the many important callings available to fay when they are born. She says that you should take it easy for awhile though, there may be some damage to your head she didn’t find.’

I frowned, unsure what to think of that then sighed, glancing from him to the door. I needed to be out there, I needed to help Peter, to have him back here with me. He’d know what to do, he always knew what to do. No matter what was going on it seemed he was in control… and now here I was… alone and needing him…

“They’re going to save him… right?” I asked after a moment, trying to ignore the fact I was talking to the man who’d just watched as Peter was taken away. “They have to don’t they? I mean.. he’s…”

Liam frowned, seeming to consider his words before writing. ‘No.. they won’t do a thing… they never do…'

“What?!” I demanded, standing. “They have to! He’ll be- I mean they can’t-”

Liam shook his head and I cut off as he quickly dipped the quill in a bottle of black ink, marking something on the paper and pushing it over to me. He’d underlined the last sentence and I felt a sinking feeling in my heart, that cold feeling returning as I fought the urge to yell at him.

“….This is your fault.”

His serious look froze for a moment, then slowly morphed into something else… something… not quite right… I resisted the urge to shudder, suddenly getting the sense that there was something not quite right about this guy. He started to write something on the paper, just as a knock sounded on the door. A dark look crossed his face, then it quickly moved to that concerned look he’d had earlier. Crumpling the paper in his fist, he tossed it, with perfect aim, into the fireplace.

I had the acute feeling that I didn’t want to know what he’d been going to write.

Ailey

Pursing her lips slightly the Dark Lady sighed, turning her back to Peter and starting towards the door. “Manner Peters, remember them sometime. I may mention the chance of working out a deal… be a good boy and maybe I’ll forget about that other girl that came with you, Ailey was so kinda as to be thinking of her during our little chat. Just… that in mind.”

As soon as the last word had left her mouth the Dark Lady left, a breath that I didn’t even know I’d been holding racing into my lungs. Glancing at Peter I considered saying something, then decided against it as I walked to shut the door that she’d left open.

Aliyah stood the side of the room, her face pale as she stared at the door, then at Peter. After a moment she seemed to work up the courage to speak, her frame trembling slightly.

“So… It’s staying, Auntie?

“Yeah..” I grumbled, walking back over to my chair. “It’s staying….”

Rowan

A cold feeling crept up inside me at the Dark Lady's words. Of course she knew Danae was here... I'd have to behave, then, as much as I resented the idea. Act like a good little torture subject and future food...great.

Ailey

I sighed, relaxing and glancing up at Aliyah as I did. Frowning a little I considered her, not really wanting to send her home like this.

“Where’s you mom, do you know?” I inquired after a moment.

“Uh… she’s at home.” Aliyah replied uncertainly. “Her and Dad were making beads.”

I nodded, glancing between her and Peter. “Would you mind if I asked her about you spending the night here?”

Aliyah’s eyes widened, and she shook her head quickly. “Nu-uh, your much more exciting than them, Auntie Ailey.”

I nodded slowly, standing and walking over to the door once more. “Alright, I’m going to go take care of that now. Watch him for me, Aliyah? I’m sure you’re a strong enough girl now that you can do that.”

She grinned in response, and I felt her cast a glamour, the wings disappearing once again as if to prove that she was good enough to watch the fay for awhile.

“You can count of me, Auntie.” She chimed and I nodded, casting one more look at Peter before turning and walking out the door.

Rowan

I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Look," I said, "you don't have to watch me constantly or anything. It's not like I can just leave. ...Well, I could, but I'd be going right through this whole city anyway, so it's not like I'd actually make it out."

Aliyah

I frowned, pouting slightly as I crossed my arms.

“But she told me to.” I sniffed, almost glaring at it. “So I’m gonna. Otherwise she isn’t gonna ever trust me again. I just know it.”

Even as irritated at it as I was, I couldn’t help the curious feeling running through me. After all, I hadn’t seen anything like it since the changing. All I’d had was already dead, and cut up. Not much fun in that. After a moment of studying him though I decided that it didn’t matter much, cause he was weird. All the glowing and marks and stuff. Who looked like that?

Rowan

"Whatever," I said dismissively, sighing again. "...And stop looking at me like that, would you? Honestly..."

((Short...dialogue... ._.))

Aliyah

I sniffed again, walking over to Auntie's chair and pulling myself up in it.

"You can't tell me what to do." I informed him. "I'm in charge, so it's my job to tell you what to do...and I want you to be nice."