Action, Adventure, Excitement, Part 8
                         Side Stories, Part 2

Subject: AAE SO: Sword and Heart - Dining with Deevels

On Sat, 10 Aug 2002 13:50:01 -0400
Caprice/Legion Said As SO.CAoL Message # 00000170

Squee nods and sides off Mischief as she releases her hold in him.
*Alright.* He looks about and wonders, *No black? Well I'll see what I
can find...* he chuckles and starts rummaging through the bags.

Mischief takes out her pouch, then undoes some fastenings on the
sides, and folds it out. And out again. It's now a much larger,
flatter container with an opening that's not the same one as when it
was the pouch. *I think this is where I stored it...* She opens, and
rummages through. *Great little pouch... just don't store magical
stuff in it... hrm... Ah hah!* She pulls out a simple yet elegant
gown, then the robe/coat to go over it. It's a rich shade of blue that
brings out the color of her eyes, and is trimmed in silver. She then
removes a white silk shift, silk hose, and a pair of delicate blue
slippers. Purring happily, she starts to get dressed in her finery.

Squee looks over and then settles in with a happy smirk as he watches
Mischief get dressed. *By far, a lovelier sight has never been seen in
this or any other universe than you.*

Mischief laughs, *You are biased... Morgan was much prettier than I
am... And much more... * She coughs discretely *Developed*

Squee smiles and walks over to stroke a paw over Mischief's cheek
gently before he leans into kiss her deeply, "With the right spell,
with the right skills, anyone can be shaped however they wish to be.
But beauty is not in shape or form, but is a more intangible aura
about a person. And your own right now would have men trembling in awe
at your beauty and women scoffing in jealously.*

Mischief returns the kiss *And you wonder why I can love you, power or
no?* She smiles up at you radiantly as the kiss breaks. *You make me
happier with just a few little words, than all the wealth on Deva
could.*

Squee blushes a bit himself and hugs Mischief close. He sighs and
closes his eyes, * Suppose I should let you go and get dressed myself
before I lose my control and ask to become your mate right here and
now...* he kisses the side of Mischief's neck and gives her another
hug before drifting back again.

Mischief grins, *Not on an empty stomach... * She grins impishly. She
pulls on the overrobe, then goes to the mirror and starts fussing with
her hair.

Squee chuckles and finally finds an outfit that somewhat matches. He
strips down completely and then pulls on the white hose and shirt,
adding a royal blue doublet with silver embroidery and studs upon it.
A pair of black leather boots and gloves with blue detailing on them
follow. He looks over to Mischief and holds out his hand, *So are you
ready?*

Mischief takes a deep breath, then lets it out again. *I think so...*
She's pulled her hair up on her head using a strand of blue stone
beads, making her look a few years older, and a bit more
sophisticated. "How... do I look?" She smiles shyly.

Squee kisses Mischief again and takes her paw in his, *Ravishingly
beautiful*

Mischief purrs happily, and lets you lead her out. She let you pick
the restaurant, as her kitten-self won't visit here for a while yet,
and the Bazaar can change quickly.

Squee leads Mischief through the lanes, which are packed as ever even
at night. Hawkers continue to sell their wares at the top of their
lungs to the passing crowds as he looks about for a sushi place.

 "GLOW STICKS! GLOWSTICKS! GETCHER GLOWSTICKS! LIME, CHERRY AND
BLUEBERRY!"
 "FIND FINNEGAN'S FABULOUS FRENCH FORK! FRIED FOODS FOR FINICKY
FOLKS!"

 Squee slapped himself on the side of his head, "I'm losing my mind I
fear..." he stuffs a hand into his pouch and brings out his grey
stone. Concentrating of Sushi he starts off after it with Mischief in
tow, finally coming to Fred Wishes Dead Fishes. Squee scowls a little
and shrugs, 'Well it must have sushi or the stone wouldn't have
brought us here... alas it just goes to the closest, not the best.
Shall we try it?"

Mischief sniffs for a bit, trying to judge how good the place is... if
it reeks of dead fish going over, she'll recommend trying someplace
else.

The place looks like it'd need a bank loan to get up to Rustic
classification, but the scents form inside the tent don't smell too
badly at least.

Mischief says, "Let's go ahead and give it a try. If we don't like it,
we can always leave."

Squee nods and opens the tent flap to let Mischief in ahead of him.
The Deveel owner comes up and leads them over to a rickety little
table and hands them a pair of hands printed menus. Squee looks
around, 'Well at least there's not much of a crowd... I count a whole
4 people including us and the owner and his wife..." he smirks and
winks at Mischief. He looks over at the Owner and hands back the menu,
I'll just take the smoked salmon and an ale."

Mischief considers, then looks at the Deveel owner, with an arched
brow. "I will have the tuna and the shrimp, as long as they are
FRESH."

The Deveel looks offended, "I have only the best Fish!" Squee smirks
and telepaths to Mischief *Probably would say the same thing even if
he just took it from off the road... he is a Deveel after all..* he
chuckles and reaches over the table to give Mischief's paw another
squeeze, "Have I said how beautiful you are in the past 5 minutes?"

Mischief laughs, and hands the menu over to the Deveel, so she can
take Squee's hand in both of hers. "Not in the last six minutes, at
least." She smiles at Squee radiantly, losing herself in his eyes for
the moment. Squee smiles as he gazes into Mischief's eyes in return,
lifting her paws to his lips to kiss them, "I owe you everything. I
know I've got to be sort of crazy for you to deal with right now, but
I also know I'd probably be dead or worse were it not for you...."

Mischief says, "I love you... and I would do it all over again." She
laughs, "Though I'd rather not... I'm still worn out from the last
time!" She smiles gently, "You are worth it though... every last
moment of it.." Gods, they are disgustingly cute. Let's hope the
Deveel has a strong stomach, hrm?

Squee chuckles and blushes, shaking his head, 'I'm still not so sure
of that... but I hope you never change your mind about that so you'll
always be here with me like this... I know it's only been a few days
since you found me again, but I can't even imagine living without you
again...."

Mischief says softly but intently, "Then don't... come back home with
me... I know I can't offer much compared to what you are used to, but
it will be /ours/ safely away from the rest of the universe..."

Squee sighs and kisses Mischief's paws again, 'I.. I can't think of
anything that would make me happier... if you're sure that you can put
up with a less magical me who can only share a small corner of your
own piece of the Multiverse rather than handing it all to you on a
latinum platter..."

Mischief laughs softly, "I am sure, I am sure... I wouldn't know what
to do with the Multiverse if it /was/ handed to me. Someone who can
help keep the rabbits out of the garden would be much more useful."

Squee chuckles and morphs his head into that of a wolf. He wruffs once
and then shifts back with a chuckle. Looking up the Deveel brings over
their plates and a candle for them. Squee rolls his eyes a bit knowing
the Deveel will try to play it up later when the check comes as being
a special candlelit dinner, but right now he isn't going to argue
about it...

Mischief laughs, and doesn't feel like arguing about it either. You
both can afford it, and while a little haggling is fun, it's not worth
getting your tail in a knot over. "So, I'm sure you're curious about
what's happened to me while we were apart...." She tastes the tuna
cautiously, not sure yet if she trusts the chef yet.

Squee nods and takes a bite of his fish, then smirks and lifts a
forkful of it across the table to offer to you. "I want to hear
everything. I'm not quite so certain you want to hear about everything
I've doe though... Nor am I sure I want to tell you lest you possibly
change your mind about me and I lose you again..." Mischief nibbles
delicately at the fish you offer. "Oh hush, you are not going to lose
me..."

Squee smiles and spears another piece of the smoked salmon to offer to
Mischief's lip, *Just because my logical mind may say that I'll never
lose you doesn't mean that my heart doesn't worry about that
eventuality...*

Mischief smiles at him warmly, eating the salmon. "And you don't think
I worry the same? That you might meet someone more attractive, or more
powerful that will steal you away?"

Squee gives Mischief's paw another squeeze as he eats some of his
salmon himself. *No one is more beautiful to me than you in my eyes.
And you've already shown me testament about how fleeting a thing power
can be... But you.. well Almost all the way back my memories go I
remember seeing you. I realized how much I missed that until I got the
chance to see you once again.*

Mischief nibbles on her tuna delicately, her eyes shining. "I missed
it too..." Just then a figure enters the restaurant. Tall, about 6'2",
his hair is black, pulled back tightly into a ponytail that makes his
feline ears more prominent. His eyes are a green that is somehow
reminiscent of poison... or maybe it's just the way he looks at
Mischief, undressing her with his eyes. Mischief throws up telepathic
shields around herself, but otherwise ignores the stranger, reaching
over to take Squee's hand and squeeze it as she stares into his eyes.
"I've loved you since I was a kitten... I missed you constantly."

Squee lifts Mischief's paw to his lips and kisses it tenderly. *I had
lost my heart when I lost you. When I left I forgot how to love any
longer... even sex was just an act. You brought me back my heart. you
taught me to love again. You complete me in a way I never thought I
would be again.* he smiles, his eyes locked to hers, though his smile
is a little quizzical at how thick the shields thrown up are. He
tosses a glance over to the newcomer wondering if he's what she sees
as that great of a threat...

He's a good bet for what she felt was a threat... for as he heads over
she keeps hold of Squee's hand, refusing to let it go. "Excuse me,
Miss." His voice is a deep bass rumble, "It was rather rude of you to
shut me out when I tried to greet you." The stranger runs his eyes
over Squee. "Or are you too busy slumming?"

Mischief says in an artically cool voice, "Was that you? I thought
someone must have taught a cess pit telepathy."

Squee blinks and his face darkness. His hand clenches reflexively in
Mischief's paw as he starts to rise. His voice comes out as a Snarl,
"Slumming? Obviously you don't have the common sense enough to know
when you should be pleading for your life nor whom you speak of!
Begone from our sight and pester us no longer or face the wrath of
Squee, enslaver of souls, destroyer of entire worlds!"

Mischief looks at Squee, "Shh... It's alright." She squeezes his hand,
smiling at him. The man just smirks, "Sorry, perhaps I shouldn't have
said slumming," He looks at Mischief, resting a hand on her shoulder,
claws digging in a bit. "Perhaps I should have said you didn't /look/
like a..." The word he uses is half hiss, half cat spitting, and
Mischief's smile freezes in place. Mischief says in an all too calm
voice, "Well, he touched me first, and he did insult us both... sit
back and enjoy your wine because...." And then she is a grey blur
moving. Up out of her seat, dodging under his arm, claws lashing out
as his belly and side, then she's past him and in feline form on the
ground, snarling. Squee blinkblinks in surprise as he's suddenly taken
from being the protector to a bystander. *Mischief! Be careful!*

"Mischief? A CUB thinks she can take me?!?" He shifts to feline form,
a good foot taller than her in the shoulder, and jet black. His wings
are black and blood red, a striking contrast to Mischief's grey fur
and her pastel colored wings. He pounces at her, and the fight begins,
almost too fast for the eye to follow. A blur of grey and black that
demolishes two tables is all most people can make out, though Squee
can see Mischief's claws get a swipe across the male's wings, notching
them. Squee spreads his metal net out to watch for approaching minds
of authority figures who might interfere. He snarls at the male, "We
were having a delightful dinner until YOU interfered. Leave with you
tail between you legs now while you can!" He doesn't expect it to do
any good, but that way no one can say they didn't' try to stop the
fight peacefully...

*I'll deal with your little...* Ok, for the first time you feel the
slime of the male's thoughts... and you understand instantly why
Mischief shielded. And what he's implying about your and Mischief's
relationships... well, even a Necromancer would consider it perverted
beyond tolerance. Mischief snarls furiously, rage taking over as she
LOOSES it.

Squee snarls as well, though his rage has a much more terrifying
effect as he draws on the power of his medallion. His form begins to
grown and shift, his skin becoming grey and dry skinned and almost
less defined as he starts gaining more and more mass. Tentacles start
sprouting from all over, each ending in little mouths filled with
razor sharp little teeth. He lifts the tarp off the tent as he raises
up higher and higher. A sling of his tentacles casts it far off into
the distance as his shapeshifting starts to finish his Cthuloid form.
Huge clawed hands reaches down for the two combatants ignoring any
slashes as if they were naught but mosquito bites. He physically
separates the two, cradling Mischief a bit as he restrains her but
starting to squeeze the male, "HOW DARE YOU CALL HER THAT? GIVE ME A
REASON I SHOULD NOT CRUSH THE VERY LIFE FROM YOU RIGHT HERE AND NOW
PUNY MORTAL THING?" bellows out his voice through a face of quivering
tentacles.

The male howls in pain and terror, hissing and spitting, seeming
little more than a beast in his pain and rage.

Mischief's exhausted mental voice manages a touch of calm and reason.
*Don't ... don't kill him... throw him out of here... it... the shame
of being bested by a pair of 'cubs'... worse than death.*

Squee continues to crush for a moment, enjoying the feel of the male
helpless against his strength. Watching his eyes bulge, watching him
scramble to try to breathe. But Mischief's words finally take hold. He
rears back an arm as liquid as it is solid and it strengthen another
twenty feet. Whipping it forward once more, he slings the male in a
long high arc that will easily take it many miles away when it lands.
Then he sets Mischief down and the cuthuloid is gone... and so
seemingly is Squee.

 * I fear we may have gathered a bit too much attention...* telepaths
a cockroach as it climbs up onto Mischief's foot.

Mischief shifts to human form, slumping into a chair that has escaped
the destruction. Her hair is disheveled, and she's exhausted, but
otherwise unharmed. She looks about tiredly for the restaurant
owner... and in vain hope that her wine glass survived the fight.
*Then... I'll deal with it love.*

Squee grows to his human form once again after scuttling off
Mischief's foot. he reaches out his hand to her and nods his head
Solemnly, 'Then we will deal with it together. This and whatever else
may face us in the future shall have to face us both, side by side."

Mischief squeezes Squee's hand, leaning against him. "I'm sorry that
the first meeting with another member of my race was so... unpleasant.
Not all of us are... good I dear."

Squee shakes his head, "No... the first meeting with one of your race
was delightful and an experience I shall never forget for it was the
day that my heart became captured by a little know it all kitten with
little wings. This was the second but changes my mind not in the least
about the first."

Mischief smiles warmly at Squee. "It's too bad the bottle of wine
didn't survive the fight... I could use a drink while we wait!" She
grins at him impishly.

Squee smiles and wraps his arms around Mischief. He looks at the
gathering crowd and sighs, "I don't think we'll have that long of a
wait anyways love..." He winces as the Deveel owner starts screaming
for help and ever crowded Deva roads become even more crowded with
gawkers.

 It causes Squee to blinkblink a moment as he sees the hugest woman
he's ever seen in his life work her way through the crowd. The flaming
orange of her hair seemed rather dull in comparison to the shorts and
tanktop she wore that left far far far far too little to the
imagination. Behind her walked a troll, hunched over a bit and looking
mean. The huge woman looks at the Deveel and winks, "Oh, cool yet jet
there hot stuff before you go popping those cute little horns and
let's hear what's goin on."

Mischief looks over at Squee, "Ok, I think this is a first for us... A
Deveel was too scared of us to come over and ask for damages." She
seems to be treating the situation with light amusement, sitting there
with you in plain view, and looking a little tosseled, but certainly
not DANGEROUS.

Squee chuckles and strokes his fingertips along Mischief's back, *I
guess we could try approaching and offering to pay them but I really
hate to be placed at a disadvantage like then when dealing with a
Deveel* His gaze drifts back to the troll staring at them, and then
the huge woman trying to get the story straight from the Deveel. Every
so often she blinkblinks a couple times and looks from the Deveel to
the two youths and then up to the missing tent.

 Finally she lumbers her bulk over towards the pair, the troll coming
along as well. "Well hey there cuteness... I love tights on a guy you
know that? So what happened the tent here" She smiles and bats over
painted eyes at Squee. Squee gulps and stumbles back a couple steps,
'W..w..well we were attacked and just d...d....defended ourselves..."
he manages to stammer, his hand on Mischief's squeezing hers tightly.

Mischief looks up at the large woman, "I don't believe we've been
introduced... I am Mischief, and this is my betrothed, Squee." She
squeezes Squee's hand reassuringly, while giving the large woman her
cutest 'he's mine, don't even THINK it look'.

The woman looks over to Mischief and nods, "Oh sure. Hiya hon, nice to
meet ya. I'm Massha and this here is Big Crunch. We were passing along
when we heard the commotion and thought we'd come give a hand at
getting things settled ya know? So since tightbuns there seems to be
having troubles getting his tongue to work right maybe you can tell us
what happened?"

Mischief pauses, gathering her thoughts. "My fiancee and I were having
dinner together, when another member of my race showed up... older
male, didn't bother giving his name. He started a fight, probably
hoping to separate Squee and myself. Some of my race can Shapeshift,
its a skill we try to learn if we leave our home dimension, so the
fight got interesting..." She gives Squee a dazzling smile, "But Squee
can shift far better than I can, and when it was obvious the stranger
meant for more than a friendly spat, well, he shifted, stepped in, and
ended it as quickly as he could."

Massha nods and shoots a glance at Big Crunch, then looks the kids
over once more, "So y'all are like werewolves or something like that?
And what happened to the tent there Sugar? Red faced and horny back
there is yellin too incoherently ta really make out ya know?"

Mischief looks indignant! "Wolf? I'm a faercat. Human form is just
something I put on for company." Big Crunch is far more likely to
recognize her race than Massha. Few members of her race leave home,
but those that do tend to become heroes, assassins, or fighters... and
are skilled enough that it takes someone with the financing of Skeeve
to think of hiring them. The term 'furry cuisinart' has been used by
some. "And well... Squee was worried about my being hurt, so he turned
into something... well... mean enough to separate us, and big enough
to throw the bully a very long ways away."

Squee just nods his head wondering how many rolls a fat a human body
could possibly HAVE as he looks at Massha, "Ummm y..yeh.. W..we'll pay
for the damages of course..." He actually jump a bit and the Troll
nods his head, "Jolly good of you there chap." He looks at Massha, "I
say this isn't an actual M.Y.T.H inc. concern and things seems to be
rather settled here. Perhaps we can just set the two to negotiating
the fee to be paid and then be on our way? I do believe they are
awaiting our return post haste."

Mischief sighs, "I hate to say it, but... I'm not sure if I trust the
Deveel to either not inflate the damages, or to be coherent enough to
negotiate..." She takes out a brown and black leather pouch... good
size, and moves it slightly. From inside comes the musical chink of
SERIOUS money. "Do you think M.Y.T.H. Inc would be interested in
setting up an account to pay our damages out of? For a fee, of
course...."

Massha smile, "Honey I'm sure we can do something for ya. Heck Green
and toothy will be overjoyed at getting a fee we don't actually have
ta go doing much of anything for. I'll go let the owner know." She
reaches out and beeps Squee's nose, "Take care there cute stuff!" She
starts moving her bulk back over to the Owner who's sitting sobbing
into his hands.

"Not much of anything, but negotiate with Deveels... better you than
me." She snugs Squee, nuzzling at him in a very feline way. "Don't
worry, I'll set up the account... Legion had to do this sort of thing
lots of places."

Squee nods and tilts his head to kiss Mischief's neck, *I think it's
been an exciting enough night. I'm ready to go back to the room if you
are.* He casts an eye to the negotiations going on and Sees the troll
go off to tell the others what's going on. He gives a bit of an
involuntary shudder as Massha starts wriggling her way back over to
them.

Mischief kisses Squee on the cheek. "Soon as we are done here, love."
She conjures a scroll from her pouch things at the room, one already
partially filled out, and starts filling in the details. "Massha...
I'll give you this to bring back to the office, along with enough
money to start the account... Fee for starting the account, initial
deposit... the funds to be held in escrow in an interest bearing
account against damages caused by myself or Squee... however, Myth Inc
retains HALF of the interest as its monthly fee... call it motivation
to negotiate well on my behalf."

Squee blinkblinks as Mischief starts drifting into accountant-ese...
He knows he could once understand such things, but that was with
knowledge lent him by his sword. Now they were just fleeting ghosts of
thoughts flitting about in his memories. He bit his lip as he felt
himself start to tremble again.
 Massha nods to Mischief and tucks the pouch and paper into her bar,
'Don't worry hun, it'll be perfectly safe right here with me." She
turn and tweaks the Deveel's cheek, 'See you little hottie? It'll all
be taken care of. No need to sweat it!"

Mischief sighs, "Now if you'll excuse us, my fiancée and I would like
to go rest... before someone else decides they want trouble." She
squeezes Squee's hand, and tries to gently extract him from the scene,
knowing that she needed to get him safely back to the hotel room as
soon as possible. "We'll be at our rooms at the Hobble Inn for a few
days more if you need to reach us..." Then, if at all possible, they
are gone.

Massha nods and finishes the negotiations as the pair work their way
back into the streaming crowds, working their way back to the Inn. The
calls of the Deveels fall upon deaf ears as Squee tries to fight back
the emptiness within him from the need for his power back. The lust
for Soulstealer. His gulps hard and trembles as he moves slowly up the
stairs with Mischief into the room
=================================
Subject: AAE SO: Sword and Heart - Cuddles and Cuteness

On Sat, 10 Aug 2002 13:55:28 -0400
Caprice/Legion Said As SO.CAoL Message # 00000171

(Warning: If Diabetic or otherwise adverse to all too cute, and I mean
ky00te, scenes, you might want to skip this post)

Mischief locks and bars the door, throws a shield around the whole
room, then all but pounces on Squee, "My brave, brave Squee... have I
mentioned recently how wonderful you are?" She purrs as she drags him
onto the bed for a cuddle, shamelessly trying to distract him.

Offs and chuckles as he's bowled over by the enthusiastic pounce,
distracted as he was by his inner torments. He kisses Mischief
tenderly and shakes his head, "not nearly as wonder nor as strong as
you are my love." He allows himself to be ground over to the bed
without protest wrapping his arms around Mischief and holding her
close as she snuggles and scritches at him. "So much for our attempt
at a peaceful evening..."

Mischief purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrs, "It wasn't so bad... we had a nice
dinner.... and we may even turn a profit on the whole affair over the
long term." She nuzzles at Squee's ears. "And you took care of that
slimeball... he'll be ashamed to show his face for Decades..."

Squee blushes brightly and sighs, *I couldn't let him hurt you. I was
afraid you'd be angry at me for stepping into your fight but I
couldn't just sit back and watch that...*

Mischief purrs even louder. *You were very brave... and he insulted us
both love... please don't ask me to translate it! But if I was annoyed
at you interfering it was all battle nerves and growling. I fear I
have a terrible temper when I get going.*

Squee sighs and closes his eyes, nuzzling his face into Mischief's
neck, *It was so much easier once... I was so much more sure of
myself.. know no action I could take could possibly be wrong because I
had the force to back up my choices... Now I just don't know... and I
certainly would never want to do anything to make up angry at me
love.*

Mischief kisses Squee on the nose. *You can't force love... that's
what makes it so scary... and so wonderful. It's given freely. And
there may be times I get mad at you... there may be times you get mad
at me. We just have to promise to always take the time to talk things
through and work them out.*

Squee just nods his head and kisses Mischief on the lips softly,
letting his eyes flutter closed.

Mischief whispers *Sleep... I'm here for you... * She waits until
Squee is safely asleep, before falling asleep herself.

Squee sighs and mumbles a bit mentally as he snuggles close to
Mischief, lulled by the warmth of her touch, the softness of her body
and the scent of her near *I don't wanna sleep... I just wanna lay
here with you forever...*

Mischief gigglepurrs. *Can't furever. Gotta eat sometime. But sleep is
good. Nesting is good too.* She nuzzles at Squee, glad she can make
him this content.

Squee smirks and murmurs a bit *Sleep in clothes bad though remember?*
he chuckles a bit and nips at the side of Mischief's neck.

*True... and I don't want to get this outfit messed up.* She untangles
herself enough to let her hair down, untangling the beads, then to
slip out of her gown. It really is a nice gown... though no belt.
Nowhere that brown and black pouch could have come from... and it
would clash horribly.

Squee sits up slowly himself. undoing his doublet and shirt and
setting them aside before he slips form his hose and boots. He runs
his fingers gently along Mischief's back and leans in to kiss the back
of her neck tenderly, *Much better*

Mischief purrs, feeling Squee's hands run over the thin silk of her
underdress, and lays back down again, curling up with him happily. * I
have a full tummy, and someone who loves me. What more is there to
life?*

Squee chuckles and lays down with her as well. wrapping his arms
around Mischief once more. *Once I would have said power, wealth,
fear.. now... I really am not so sure... You've brought about many
changes in me my love...*

*Changes that I hope you feel are for the better.... I find more joy
in a warm bed cuddled with you, than in gold or jewels. Not that I
/mind/ them, but they can burden you down, distract you from what is
really important.* She sighs happily, her eyes closing in contentment.

Squee nods his head and rests his cheek against Mischief's chest, *I
enjoy being with you immensely as well though I have to say I feel
befuddled sometimes at these new feeling compared to what I have known
for so long... But I would not trade all the gold in the multiverse
for this moment with you either.*

Mischief purrrrrrs softly, *Then we will learn about it together, dear
heart.* She strokes his hair gently.

Squee yawns and stretches hugging mischief tightly, "I don't know what
it is about you, I've never known someone nearly as powerful as you,
able to sap the will from me to wish to be anywhere else with naught
but a single hug. The scent of your hair befuddles my mind and makes
it so I can't think of anything except you and your kisses are so
intoxicating I can't even remember what thoughts I had before them.
Only of how sweet and warm they are."

Mischief purrrrs, "Flattery will get you somewhere.... I really don't
think I'm that powerful. Cute... fuzzy... those I can see." She
nuzzles at Squee, and sighs happily. "Though if my kisses are that
distracting, remind me not to kiss you in combat." Her tone is lightly
teasing, and she seems smugly content.

Squee chuckles and lifts his head to kiss Mischief firmly upon her
lips, 'You have my permission to kiss me anytime and anywhere. As long
as you agree to be by my side."

Mischief is taken by surprise, not so much by the kiss, as by the
statement. He... couldn't be proposing? Nyah... she must have
misunderstood. *If we can get you forward to my time, then I would
love to be at your side...*

Squee nods and nuzzles his face against Mischief's neck, 'If nothing
else, I know I have time travel spells in my books.. it's simply a
matter of gathering together enough power for me to be able to weave
one without becoming the same mess that Dimensional portal turned me
into getting us here..."

Mischief nuzzles at Squee. "Is there anything that would help focus
the spell? Anything that I could do to help make it easier?"

Squee smiles and nips at Mischief's neck, 'You mean besides allowing
me to construct my own sword and charge it? I'm not sure yet... It'll
take research."

Mischief gives a little mew, "No more magic swords, or shortcuts to
power... I don't want to see you torn up like that again..." She
nuzzles at Squee. "You'll have more power as you heal, and relearn
things... it will be alright."

Squee sighs and stretches, "But you said it might only be a couple
weeks. you see why shortcuts are needed? What if I can't heal in time?
If I can't find my own way there. I know I can't last any longer
without you.

Mischief kisses Squee on the cheek. "Then we can try to use the spell
that is supposed to bring me home to bring us both home... or...
well... we could ask for help."

Squee raises an eyebrow, "You're not thinking of going to the Army of
light for help are you? I'm not so sure they'd help us out once they
found out I was involved in it..."

Mischief looks innocent, "Well, we could go to Legion and Essex...
they aren't with the Army of Light right now...."

Squee rubs his chin, 'Well asking if you knew where they were would be
a silly thing.. how do you think she'll react through to her little
kitten being all suddenly grown up and in love with me?"

Mischief ponders, "Well, once she understands that little-me will be
coming back, she'll have no problem with adult-me... and... well...
she kinda already knows I'm in love with you." She blushes. "She's
already had to put up with my younger-self's constant mewing that she
misses you"

Squee blushes as well and strokes Mischief's sides, *Well should we
like drop them a telepathic line and such to let them know we're
coming or just show up? I guess we can always try and see. I know
Legion always had amazing power at her disposal the few times she felt
the need to use it...*

Mischief considers, "Let's wait until in the morning... They are in
the Tesseract right now... Essex's trying to create something to keep
her DNA from tangling up, so neither of them will be easy to contact."
She stretches, and grins, "Besides, 'mom' would probably try to put us
in separate bedrooms."

Squee chuckles and kisses tenderly at Mischief's throat, *That
definitely doesn't sound like a good idea right now...* He sighs and
smiles a bit. *I love you Mischief.*

Mischief smiles gently. *I love you, Squee... I do think this will
work out, really I do. My kitten-memories suggest it... I just don't
know /how/ it will work out.* She chuckles, *It will be hard to keep
secrets from Legion and Essex... I know things about them they haven't
learned yet.*

Squee smiles and kisses along the edge of the neckline of Mischief's
shift, *Well, the Guardian Medallion gives us mental power enough to
rival even powerful lensmen so we could scan the minds of those
attempting to access Arcadia. To keep people... well like I was from
gaining entry... If you allow I could probably create a haze that
would keep them from seeing anything... I mean a completely block
might raise alarms and would cost a lot of energy so I couldn't make
them as strong. A fog will let them know it's things they shouldn't
see but give them enough glimpse to know it's future memories and not
some sort of mind control I'm inflicting upon you...*

Mischief nods thoughtfully. *It's a good idea... even though part of
me just wants to TELL some of it.... like who Legion's parents really
were... or telling mom that she IS lovable, and Essex actually DOES
love her.* She sighs and snuggles close.

Squee just nods and reaches a paw does to stroke at Mischief's taunt
tummy through the thin silk, *I think I know.. but you also know the
dangers it can bring. If you already know things have to be one way
you change them... well you might never come and save me and then we
might never have this time together. I would be Darath the Black now
and you would be mated to some strong handsome witty intelligent guy
from another dimension...* he chuckles a bit and kisses along
Mischief's chin.

Mischief chuckles, *No, I'd be brooding in my little cottage, trying
to figure out how to keep rabbits from eating the tops off of the
veggies.* She purrrrrs and closes her eyes, just enjoying being with
Squee, the gentle touches. This is... very nice.

Squee chuckles and nips at Mischief's throat playfully *Oh that's an
easy one... a pack of hellhounds to hunt down and kill every rabbit in
a twenty mile radius...*

Mischief phbbts at that. *And scare away the deer and all the other
game, and tear up my garden? No thanks. I think I can manage with
something a little less drastic.*

Squee smirks and yawns, *OK, then a mutagenic poison on the leaves,
triggered by rabbit DNA... We can figure something out...* he runs his
hand up Mischief's entire torso and the side of her neck until he can
stroke at her cheek.

Mischief giggles and nuzzles at you. *How about the silly rabbits
smelling two rather large predator's have taken up residence?* She
closes her eyes at the caressing, purring sleepily.

Squee chuckles and runs his hands back down Mischief's sides and along
her legs, stroking them gently, *Well we'd have to go outside form
time to time for that...* he giggles mentally and kisses Mischief
tenderly upon the lips, taking the lower one between his own lips and
tugging at it with a smirk.

Mischief grrs softly, playfully. *Well, outside might make a nice
change...*

Squee giggles merrily and presses his lips to Mischief's again, mrring
into the kiss to make them vibrate as he massages along her thighs.,
enjoying the soft sleek feel of her skin. *I guess so...* he chuckles
and shifts to lay a bit more atop her.

Mischief shivers softly, and kisses him softly *We... we should
wait... I... I don't want to find myself alone, decades in the
future... and find that you have found someone else...* She doesn't
WANT to stop, but... it would be the right thing to do.

Squee sighs a bit and kiss her firmly again as he starts to slip down
to the side again. *You're right I know... Waiting's a hard thing to
do though when you're used to being able to take anything the moment
you wish it..." he tickles at Mischief's knees with a smirk. *But I
think you're worth it.*

Mischief hrmphs, *I should hope so.* She giggles at the tickling, and
wiggles away. *Think you can sleep now? That fight took a lot out of
us both...*

Squee smiles and quickly scootches into the comfy spot you just
vacated with a grin *I think I can.* He reached over to draw Mischief
back to him as he lays there on his back and closes his eyes.

Mischief laughs softly, and nestles down against Squee, resting her
head on his chest. *Good... Because the only thing happier than
falling asleep in your arms, is waking up there.*

Squee blushes brightly and kisses Mischief's forehead, *that's because
you've never had the fortune to wake up in your arms*

Mischief chucklepurrs softly, cuddling close to Squee to fall asleep.
=================================
Subject: AAE SO - Sword and Heart - A Little Shopping

On Sat, 10 Aug 2002 18:25:52 -0400
Caprice/Legion Said As SO.CAoL Message # 00000172

Squee yawned and stretched... a jolt a pain struck him as a kink in
his neck greeted him. His mind swam a bit and he had to try to
rememebr where he was... the bed wasn't soft enough to be his own.. He
rolled over and saw the vision of ravishing beauty that instantly
restored any questions of where he was. He couldn't help but reach
over to move a stray lock of hair form Mischeif's face as he gazed
upon her... wondering once more as he had a thousand times already,
about how he could be so lucky to have been given the gift of her
heart. Carefully he lifted the blankets and attempted to slip form the
bed without waking her.

Not easy to do with a sleeping cat. Sleepy mumbling protests great his
movement, as she tries to remain curled up against him. Mischief
opened one eye a bit as Squee slid out of bed.

Turns back to Mischief and strokes his fingers through her hair in
slow soft caresses. "Shhhh go ahead and sleep love." he whispers. He
leans down over her to place a tender kiss upon her lips, "there are
some preparations I wished to do before we go..."

Mischief mutters, "But you make a good bedwarmer..." She yawns then,
and stretches. "'Sides... I should hunt through my bag... try to find
something appropriate to the marvel-verses."

Squee chuckles, "I guess I should probably try to look different as
well... Last time I was there I had a bit of a scuffle with the
Avengers that I wouldn't care to attempt again in my current state..."
He sits back down on the bed and leans against Mischief as he was
gazing at the batteries in the corner, 'I was hoping I might be able
to charge those mana batteries enough that I wouldn't be so completely
drained when we arrived..." he purses his lips and ponders then
notices a holocube next to the bed he hadn't noticed before... it
flashed through various advertisements for merchants at the Bazaar...
one caught his eye and he smiles. "And perhaps I don't need to...
D-hoppers...."

Mischief purrs and stretches a bit. "Well, if Legion's in a Marvel
universe, then I should be able to get us there. She taught me a
'homing spell' years ago. Only problem would be if she was in Essex's
Tesseract.... It doesn't quite trust me."

Squee nods and tried to pick up the cube... then realizes the whole
thing is just a hologram. He blinkblinks and looks around for the
controls, 'Well we still might want to see if we can find one of these
D-hopper devices just in case... until you have a way of calling ahead
to find out where she is?"

Mischief nods, "I do, but lets get dressed first... in case I do find
her... then we can head right over." Before Legion becomes looking for
the pair of them, goes unsaid. Mischief gets out her bag, and spends
some time unfolding and refolding it in different configurations,
until she finds the 'pocket' she wants. She mutters under her breath
the whole time about getting organized.

Squee chuckles and moves to nibble at the side of her neck from behind
as Mischief gets dressed, "Ahh alas, tis the pity of it that you must
get dressed again... You're so beautiful as it is unclothed..." he
chuckles and concentrates, shifting into the form of a small Gryphon,
"While you find the clothes you want, I'm going to shop. My reserves
are pretty much recharged so I could be able to magically clothe
myself in a hurry if I have to." He flops over and kisses Mischief
again, "I won't be long love."

Mischief pouts cutely. Dirty pool, but all's fair in love and war.
"Going shopping without me?" She doesn't say that she doesn't trust
him loose in the bazaar.. but she is worried about what might happen
if the wrong person spots him.

Squee nuzzles Mischief with his beak. "I'll only be a couple moments
love. I can navigate the Bazaar much faster and more easily and resist
most of the temptations by flying. Unless you want to risk others of
your kind being attracted to the spectacle of a gorgeous young winged
feline flying with a gryphon?"

Mischief chuckles, "I'm surprised there WAS one of my kind here...
we're kind of rare and well... mostly xenophobic." She nuzzles at him,
"But I'll stay if you want me to..."

Squee swishes his tail about and sits his haunches down, trying as
best as he can to smile with a beak, "OK love, let me know when you're
ready to fly then."

Mischief gives a little cheer and bounce, then scrambles out of her
shift, into a pair of grey slacks and a white button-down blouse. She
folds up the pouch again, attaching it to her belt, then shifts to her
natural form, stretching her pastel butterfly-like wings. *Ok! Let's
go! I haven't been shopping in AGES... even if I /am/ trying to
promise myself just to look...*

Squee chuckles and lifts a paw to catch the door latch for Mischief,
bowing low and spreading his wings wide as he ushers her through
first. And she could almost swear there was a smirk on that beak.

Soon the pair were in the air above the Bazaar watching for
recognizable sights as they navigated their way. Stalls and shops and
buildings stretched off in all directions to the horizon. One doesn't
really get a sense for the true vastness of the bazaar until they see
it from flight. Squee finally sees the stall he's in search of and
with magitech devices. Curving his wings he dived down into the
throngs of shoppers and Deveels bellowing out their enticements at the
top of their lungs.

Mischief is all mental purrs and giggles, an odd sensation like
champagne on the brain. She lets Squee come in for a landing, before
making her own, precise though less flashy, landing next to him.

Squee pulls his wings in tight and tries to keep his tail out of
people's ways as he wriggles through the crowd and steps into the
tent, past the Deveel demonstrating the set of vorporal kitchen knives
with the lifetime guarantee for only $29.95... His tail twitches a bit
as he looks around the large shop inside the small tent and he wanders
about trying to find the D-hoppers that were advertised...

Mischief is ALL kitty curious, perked ears and bright eyes. She is
also graceful enough there is no chance of her knocking things over,
though her ears are also alert for trouble... or for anyone calling
her a PET. Nasty word. It makes her bristle to think that a fierce
(would be) warrioress like herself could be mistaken for a PET.

Squee pauses to gaze appreciatively at a display of dancing daggers
dancing out Swan Lake all by themselves. A deveel notices his interest
and hurries over, "YEEEEEEsssssssssSS? How can I help you today?" he
asks in a far too cheery tone.

Squee turns to look up at him, "I'm looking for Dimensional hoppers
please."

The Deveel smiles broadly, "Oh YEEESsss! Please come right this way
sir!" The deveel starts leading him on sort of a roundabout tour of
the store, obviously making sure to lead him past the latest and
highest priced other magitech gadgets until he finally comes to the
display of D-hoppers. Squee pauses a moment to look about and see what
happened to Mischief...

Mischief is keeping mostly to herself, though there is a length of
memory fabric forming and reforming itself into various gowns that
keeps distracting her. She manages to drag herself away from that...
then pauses to admire herself in a mirror... then finally manages to
dodge distractions to start heading towards you.

Squee chuckles at he watches Mischief and pads over to nip playfully
at her neck, 'you know you can have anything in here you wish me to
buy for you love... I was thinking though that we both should probably
have d-hoppers, just in case... If you want one of course... I was
just wandering what type.. they seem to have them in bracelets and
necklaces and gloves and pocket models and suits and is that a TARDIS?
never mind.. too expensive and bulky..."

Mischief chucklepurrs *I really don't NEED anything dear.... I'd like
a bracelet model myself... a pocket model might work for you.* She
nuzzles at Squee's ruff, nipping back at him. She just likes to window
shop... besides, would she WEAR something like those gowns? Nope, a
nice, practical D-hopper is a much better choice.

Squee chuckles and turns back to the Deveel. "Alright... Model 632643
there for myself, and 235643 for the lady please, no we don't want the
extended warrantee, service contract NOR the accessory packages. No we
aren't interested in any other items at a discount with the purchase
of these and no we would not like to give you our phone numbers,
cyberspace locals or e-mails for mailing of your specials."

The Deveel blinkblinks and nods, running off a little frustratedly to
go get the bill and the items. Ten minutes of haggling later, the pair
are winging their way back to the Inn with their new purchases, "I
guess we're ready to find Legion?"

Mischief keeps scanning the sky. It /can't/ go this smoothly. The laws
of the universe seem to demand at least one ambush just to cross the
street! *Yes... She's out of the Tesseract... I should be able to
program the D-Hoppers for the right universe.*
=================================
Subject: AAE SO: Sword and Heart - Ambush!

On Wed, 28 Aug 2002 08:39:11 -0400
Caprice/Legion Said As SO.CAoL Message # 00000176

Squee banks to start swooping down towards the inn once more. Intent
as he is on his own thoughts, he doesn't notice a glint of light off
of something shiny on the roof. And thus he doesn't see the odd
looking gun, nor the being who wields it. The gun bucks and a blue
swirling beam lashes out, striking Squee head on. He crumples and his
graceful glide turns into a plummet as he begins to fall from the sky.

Mischief gives a feline cry of rage, tossing out a spell to turn your
plummet to a gentle drift downwards, and hopefully to a stop. She then
throws a Tangle Taffy spell at the one who fired the 'gun'... a
childhood attempt at conjuring candy, it mainly produces a sticky,
gooey MESS that ensnares whomever is in the middle of it.

Squee continues to fall though not nearly as fast now, coming to land
with a falumph on the roof of a pavilion. He lays there unmoving.

The figure on the rooftop of the inn is moving quite a bit however.
Entangled in pink and blue and green and brown muck he struggles to
free himself. clouds of steam starts building up around him until
finally he manages to tear himself free once more.

Mischief pulls her wings in tightly to dive-bomb the one who fired at
you, long talons attempting to rake across his face, hoping to blind,
or at least mark him. Then she circles over you, trying to figure out
what that shot did to you.

The claws spark and screech as they scratch along the metal of part of
the man's face and rip off his hood to reveal a cyborg... well sort
of.. this looks like the lowest tech cyborg ever though if he is. Part
of his face has been replaced with hammered and riveted steel plating,
as have both arms seemingly and possibly a leg or two though his pants
and boots don't show much flesh. Steam puffs out form his joints as he
moves, watching Mischief circle. He reaches towards an old wheellock
pistol in his belt. "Should have gone with the basics all long..." he
casts a quick glare at the high tech gun still stuck in the goop.

Mischief mutters a little cantrip, just enough to start a spark...
usually used for starting a campfire without using flint and steel...
Except now she's trying to spark the black powder for the gun. *Squee!
Wake up! Please wake up!* She dares to land next to him, nuzzling at
him as she uses the contact for a healing spell, hoping the
distraction isn't too much of an opening.

The man yells in surprise as the pistol explodes, and then the
explosion is followed by a much larger one. There's a crash as he
falls off the three story building's roof to the road below.

Squee moans a bit, feathers of his head singed where he was hit but he
seems very much alive and intact if only a bit hurt. *Wha.. what
happened?* he mentally managed to mutter.

Mischief seems pleased by the explosion. *Someone shot you... I think
you just heard him explode.. It was blue light... Please, we have to
get cover, he might have friends.*

Squee tries to stand up, but being on canvas doesn't help a foggy
head's coordination too much. He realizes this big form wont' work and
tries to concentrate to change... and finds himself stuck. He
blinkblinks in surprise *I can't change shape...*

Mischief nuzzles at you. *C'mon... I'll use a levitation spell...
you'll just have to steer. We'll make it together.* She works the
spell a second time, staying close to him, and keeping her eyes peeled
for any more trouble.

Squee gets up and works his wings testingly. He nods his head to her
and blinkblinks a few more times still trying to clear it and feeling
very odd. Approaching the inn though reveals the man indeed isn't
dead, but is badly hurt. His metal and flesh are all badly scorched
and more steel is leaking out of one of his arms than probably should
be.

*That's him! Oooo... I oughtta....* She gives in, and hits the baddy
with another taffy spell. Meow. First thing is getting you to
safety... Then she'll come back after the villain. *He can wait... we
need to get you to safety.*

The man finds himself gooed up in taffy once more... but unfortunately
so do a few of the other people in the crowded Deva street, though not
nearly as badly. He manages to reach for a knife in his boot to start
trying to cut his way out.

Squee tries to focus on the man and figure out who he is, but can't
seem to place him. *What does he want anyway?*

*You perch on the balcony? I'll find out...* She lands in front of the
man cutting his way free and ROARS at him a paw reaching out to swat
at the hand holding the knife. <<You! You attacked my MATE! I should
gut you!>> Her telepathic voice is loud enough that even the
completely head-dead will be able to hear... and if they have the
survival instinct of a paramecium, get the hell out of the way.

The man/borg turns and glares at Mischief. "Then I should have tried
to kill you so he could feel the same pain he caused me. He took
everything that was important to me in my life. He even took my
humanity. I WILL kill that bastard for that!" And with that he snaps
the rest of the taffy holding him and lunges at Mischief, though
rather slowly and clumsily as might be expected with those ancient
looking appendages aiding him.

Mischief dances out of the way, swatting at the borg, attempting to
swat his feet out from under him. She gives him a look normally
reserved for small bits of food that might prove more interesting as
toys. She is /not/ human, never has been despite the forms she
sometimes takes, and right now it is strikingly obvious. <<Nothing
will deter you from killing him? Your body could be healed, you could
try to find a new life... but if you are that determined to kill him,
I can not risk you living.>>

The man rives a fist into the dirt street as Mischief dances easily
out of the way. "He must die. He has to pay. Even if I could be healed
of the wasting now. Dianne, Ki, Liam, Arlo... they're all dead... dead
with thousands of others he just slaughtered... He deserves the worst
death that could possibly be imagined..." he turns and starts
lumbering towards the doorway into the inn, looking up to the balcony
on which Squee lay.

Mischief says, <<He has been dying longer than you have... I have not
saved him, just to let you slay him.>> Softer in his mind she whispers
<Their souls are now free... now may you join them.> Her movements are
incredibly swift, faster than most human eyes can follow, one blow to
knock the cyborg to the ground, another to snap his neck, attempting
to kill him quickly and painlessly.

The borg doesn't give out any cry of pain, only a growl of
frustration, then... silence as the neck comes apart with a burst of
hot steam and the head comes completely off. The body continues to lay
there leaking steam for a bit until he finally just stops completely.
People mutter and wander around gawking, not knowing exactly what to
think..

Mischief sigh, her ears and tail drooping a bit. A final spell reduces
the body to ash, the metal to dust. Flying up to the balcony, she
slinks into the room, and curls up on the rug.

Squee looks over at Mischief as she comes in from where he lay on the
balcony still. He starts to get up to follow her inside and comfort
her when the room starts swimming and he faceplants into the floor
again.

Mischief lets out a mew! She rushes over to him, sniffing at him as
she uses less mundane senses to try to figure out what was wrong with
him. *Squee? Speak to me, please!*

*uhhh I don't feel good mommy* his mind replies.. rather weak and
waveringly. The entire magic of his body seems to be disruptive and in
complete Chaos... this being a bit worse than normal for a faeish
being like Squee because of the natural need for magic like air or
food or water...

Mischief mews, and licks at your beak... She isn't sure what did this
or how... The blue light... She starts siphoning off the chaotic
energies, taming them, and then feeding the purified, tamed magic back
to him... She feels... awful. She wants to throw up... but she tries
to hold on by sheer will.

Squee groans as Mischief tries to undo the effects of the Mana
Disruptor, trying to undo all the magical shorts throughout his system
and restore the natural flow of the energies... it's slow, tedious
work, made worse by the feeling as she draws more of it upon herself.
But finally Squee's system can start helping, undoing the effect of
the damage...

Mischief is a magical creature herself, a member of a fae race of
felines bred to be predators and prey by an evil offshoot of the
Sidhe. So this has her sicker than wombat puke by the time it is
done... she can't even climb into the bed, she instead tries to climb
under it.

Squee slowly get up and shifts down to a size small enough to join
Mischief under the bed. He leans close to her and sighs, "Tomorrow...
seems like a... good time to go..."

Mischief noses at Squee. *Tomorrow. Sleep now. maybe soup later* She
curls up to nest with him, content that she's done all she can to help
you. But tired... oh so tired.

Squee and Mischief drift into sleep. Deep, dreamless sleep as their
bodies heal, but by morning the effects seem to be largely gone.
=================================
Subject: AAE-SO: Sword and Heart - Meeting the Family Part 1

On Wed, 28 Aug 2002 21:21:20 -0400
Caprice/Legion Said As SO.CAoL Message # 00000177

Mischief wakes up first, and gets a hot bath, then changes into a
clean pair of grey slacks and a white blouse with embroidery at the
neck and cuffs. She moves quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping
Squee.

Squee finally awakens on his own He slinks out form under the bed
blinkblinking a bit in confusion as he shifts into a human form again,
"How did I end up... UNDER the bed?"

"Um... I wasn't feeling well, and went for the closest thing for a
burrow or nest... you crawled in after me." She tries to pull her hair
back into a ponytail, then looks in the mirror and sighs. Kitty ears,
tail, claws, eyes... nope. She's going to have to try for more human.

Squee sighs and walks up behind Mischief to wrap his arms around her
and nibble at the tip of one of her ears, 'I must not have been
feeling well yesterday either... everything's kind of blurry... if I
had a hangover I'd think I'd been drinking..." he hugs her softly, "I
hope you're feeling better though. So shall we find Legion and figure
out how we can both get shunted to your future together?"

Mischief smiles. "I think that would be a very good idea... though let
me work on shifting a bit more... I need to look more human." She
sighs, looking at the mirror. "I've been lazy here."

Squee blinkblinks and smirks, "Look human? In the Marvelverse? Have
you met half of the X-men?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to get assaulted for being a mutant..." She
focuses on her image in the mirror, working on making her appearance
more normal... human ears... human eyes... And black hair, not grey.

Squee chuckles and shrugs, massaging Mischief's shoulders, "Well you
could wear a big floppy hat and trenchcoat... it always seems to work
for Beast and the Thing..."

Mischief chuckles, and turns around and hugs Squee tightly. "Silly
bugbrain." She smiles at him warmly, then stands and works on
rearranging that pouch of hers into something that will pass for a
brown leather purse.

Squee chuckles, "You're just being a fuzz face... oh wait, that's what
the problem is isn't it?" he winks and collects up his things as well
making sure nothing of importance was left behind in the room. He
looks down at himself and ponders his own clothes. He closes his eyes
and concentrates magically reforming his clothing into a black Armani
suit with red silk shirt and a pentagram tie tack just barely poking
up over his coat. Another thought and he forms a walking stick in his
hand. "I'm ready I think..."

Mischief looks at you and Oooos silently, then grins. She pauses,
concentrating carefully. "Legion and Essex.... they are in New York...
Ah... heading for the tea room near Four Freedom Plaza... which
universe.. which... Ah! Got it!" She takes out her D-hopper, setting
the settings carefully, letting you mimic the settings.

Squee copies the settings into his own hopper and winks at Mischief,
"Ok, to make sure we arrive together, we'll activate them on the
kiss..." he chuckles and leans in to kiss her tenderly, pushing his
activate button.

Mischief giggles, returning the kiss as she pushes her button... and
the two of you appear in the shaded entrance of an alley just off of
Four Freedom Plaza. She breaks the kiss, looking up at the building,
"A little close for comfort, but it's a huge interdimensional land
mark."

Squee chuckles and nods, slipping his own hopper into a pocket inside
his jacket. He takes Mischief's arm, "OK, do you know exactly where to
find them or shall we have to start searching the crowd?"

"If nothing else, we can wait outside the tea room. They are
definitely headed there... it's their favorite place to eat and
talk...." Mischief finds herself wishing she had worn something
fancier... or at least something more elegant in jewelry. Squee nods
and steps into the throngs of typical New Yorkers and Tourists. He
casts come glances up nervously towards the Fantastic Four's penthouse
but couldn't really see anything from street level even if they were
gazing down on him right now. So he wraps his arm a little more
tightly around Mischief's waist and sighs a bit as he walks with her
to the tea room
=================================
Subject: AAE-SO: Sword and Heart - Meeting the Family part 2 (AAE 8?)

On Wed, 28 Aug 2002 21:24:58 -0400
Caprice/Legion Said As SO.CAoL Message # 00000178

Mischief chuckles, and leans her head against Squee's shoulder. "It
will be fine... as long as you aren't allergic to little cucumber
sandwiches." She grins impishly, "I call dibs on the shrimp ones!"

Squee smirks and nuzzles Mischief's ear, "Sandwiches aren't what I
worry about... I just hope I'm able to make a good impression on
Legion... I know she's met me before but well.... a lot of changes
have happened since them... I feel like I'll be meeting her again for
the first time... Meeting your love's parents and all that... pretty
nerve-wracking..."

Mischief sighs, "Well, right now they aren't married... Legion is
convinced she's too inhuman for someone to love her, and Essex is
convinced that no one could forgive his past enough to love HIM. I
want to swat them both..." Ah, the tea room, just off of the plaza, an
elegant place where your attire will fit right in.

Squee chuckles, 'Well I can understand how he feels... after all some
would see me as far worse than he, yet I somehow earned your love." He
smiles and squeezes her hand. As they enter the tearoom Squee looks
about and then pulls Mischief into an alcove, wrapping his arms around
her and kissing her firmly. He mutters a spell under his breath into
he embrace and makes a few gestures, taking a dress he saw another
woman inside wearing and altering it a bit for Mischief so that when
he releases her finally and steps aside she appears dressed a bit more
properly for the setting.. "Well do you see them?"

Mischief works a small spell of her own, altering the reservation from
2 to 4. "Not yet, she should be...." She turns around suddenly, and
freezes. When you turn to look, Legion and Essex have just entered,
and have frozen also, though they are staring at Mischief, not you.
Something silently passes between the two of them, and Legion relaxes,
rushing over and giving Mischief a tight hug. "Looks like I'll do a
good job then," she says cryptically.

Squee smiles a bit to himself and stands back to let the two...
reunite... meet... whatever the correct term would be. He nods to
Essex in greeting in the meantime.

Essex sizes you up, in more ways than one. "Squee?" he says, half
statement, half question, and extends his hand for you to shake.

Squee nods his head and shakes the hand in return, 'The same... well
not the same exactly but yes I am."

Legion looks up in alarm at that, and glances back and forth between
the two of you... but there is no attack. "Well." she says. "Perhaps
we should get our table... and talk."

Squee smiles to her and nods, "I've heard a lot about the
sandwiches..." he smirks and winks at Mischief.

Mischief blushes prettily, and Legion chuckles. "Very well then." She
goes up to the front, announcing the party to the hostess, who nods,
and escorts the four of you to a table.

The hostess escorts the four of you to an intimate table near one of
the walls, out of easy earshot from those next to it... perfect for
the four of you to talk.

Squee moves a bit nervously... whether it's from wondering how Caprice
and Essex will react to him or fear of something ruining the evening
like the last restaurant he was in isn't' really obvious. He pulls
Mischief's chair out for her and once she's seated takes one for
himself.

Mischief sits gracefully, giving Squee a radiant smile. She makes
idle, polite chit chat with Legion until they bring two pots of tea,
four tea cups, and a small tower of plates with cheese and fruit,
little sandwiches, and tiny desserts... and of course, a basket of
scones.

Legion waits until the server has left before saying more, then takes
a deep breath. "So, Mischief... your younger self is in your future,
and you are visiting your past..." She looks over at Squee, "And
you..." She lets her voice trail off, not sure what she wants to say.

Squee blushes and looks away, 'Am different now than what I once
was..." he mutters softly.

Legion pauses at that, just... studying Squee. Her expression is more
thoughtful than anything else. Essex says softly, "That... is never
easy. I simply... try to stay out of sight. There are too many who
would attack me for... what I was, what I have done in the past...
without even bothering to question."

Squee looks towards Essex and nods, "And you only will have to deal
with one universe or two... Myself... I have a lot more to be
accountable for. But this is neither here nor there and not what we
came to you both for..." He reaches over and gives Mischief's hand a
squeeze.

Mischief takes a deep breath. "Fate... did a little creative weaving
to allow me to be Now... I'll have to return to my own time when my
younger self comes back." She looks over at Legion, "We... were hoping
maybe that you could help Squee come back with me."

Squee nods his head solemnly. "I love Mischief."

Mischief smiles radiantly at Squee, "And I love you, dear heart..."

Essex... looks bemused. He is trying VERY hard not to smile. Legion
sighs, and takes a sip of her tea, and nibbles on one of the
sandwiches. "Creative... weaving you said? I suppose it's possible..."

Squee shrugs. I wish I could help in some way... Unfortunately most of
the knowledge I held... was in Soulstealer... the sword is gone now.
But if there's anything I can do to help you keep me with Mischief
please you have only but to ask."

Legion looks intently at Squee, "Soulstealer is /gone/? That... does
make a difference in things." She sighs. "I... always felt guilty...
that I hadn't been able to help you before... and having a certain
small kitten mewing over her friend..." She looks over at Mischief,
"Alright... hand me this weaving and I'll see what I can do."

Mischief hands over to Legion what looks like a length of home spun
grey yarn... exactly the normal color of her fur.

Squee blinkblinks in surprise at the yarn as he watches Legion...

Legion shivers a little as she takes the yarn, and gives Mischief a
/look/.

Mischief says softly, "I know, I know... but even trading times was a
risk... but I had to. I mean... it had already happened, and that poor
child..."

Squee blinkblinks as he looks between the two and looks over to Essex
with a sighs, "You'd think being telepathic you could understand more
of what they might be talking about but it doesn't seem to help me
any..." He smiles a little.

Essex chuckles, "It's a mother daughter thing... Telepathy is of no
help, I fear." He shares a sympathetic smile with Squee.

Legion hrmphs, as Mischief says nothing, but nibbles at one of the
shrimp sandwiches. "I'm sure you've heard descriptions of Fate as a
weaver... people talking about the thread of life..." Legion's tone
isn't hostile, just ... worried. "This... is a section of Mischief's
thread, or at least a physical embodiment of it... I... I believe I
can entwine Squee with it enough to bring him back when she returns...
just by being in love, it's already partially entwined. However..."

Squee raises an eyebrow, 'However?"

Legion says, "There are dangers involved..."

Mischief interrupts, "The only danger is mine, and I accept it...
Please... If I could do this myself, I would..."

Squee blinkblinks and looks between Legion and Mischief, "Dangers?"

Mischief starts to say, "It's alright, I accept..."

Legion says, "He has a right to know... Squee, if you are killed
before you reach her own time... it will kill her. If you are
separated from her for too great a distance, or taken to another
dimension, it will backlash on her, and hurt her, perhaps kill her."

Squee Blinkblinks and looks over at Mischief. He frowns and looks to
Legion, "Only if the tying will cause a backlash to myself as well...
I've only been reunited with her a short time. but She not only
possesses my heart, but my souls is hers. I could not stand to live
without her."

Mischief looks over and Squee, "Love... you don't have to..."

Squee looks back at Mischief, "I mean every word I say love."

Legion nods, "Very well... let me see what I can do..." She runs her
fingers over the yarn, stroking it over and over... examining how it
is tied to Mischief... then drawing ties from Squee and weaving them
in. From Squee's point of view, he can feel Legion do ... something...
and then, he /feels/ Mischief. Not quite telepathy, but just an...
awareness of her, a sense of her.

Squee leans over to Mischief and turns his head to kiss the side of
her neck gently.

Mischief purrs softly, nuzzling just a little at Squee.

Legion coughs, "Ahem." She hands the piece of yarn back to Mischief.
"I suggest the two of you find someplace quiet... perhaps the Place...
and stay there until her younger self returns."

Squee chuckles a bit nad looks over at Mischeif mischeviously, 'Hrrmmm
someplace quiet were we can stay together hrrmm?"

Legion gives Squee a LOOK. It's the look that mothers in any universe
give boys that they suspect might be doing more than just holding
hands with their little girls.

Squee chuckles and smiles innocently, but gives Mischief's hand
another squeeze, "So the Place..." he muses...

"After Tea." Mischief says firmly. He WILL be nice, and have a nice
tea with her family. And besides, there are still little shrimp salad
sandwiches left... not to mention the fruit and the little petit fours
and desserts.

Essex chuckles and murmurs, "Best to surrender gracefully... she
learned /that/ tone from Legion."

Legion gives Essex a fond, but exasperated look, "I heard that!"

Squee looks around and nods, 'Alright... after tea..." he kisses
Mischief's cheek, 'And here to hoping for a quieter meal with you
love." He reaches out for one of the cups of tea and takes a sip.

Mischief makes small talk, mostly asking questions about what's going
on in this corner of the Marvel Universe, what Legion and Essex have
been up to... After all, her memories of this time are that of a
kitten... mainly of trying to get into trouble, and being the center
of attention.

Squee stays quiet, his eyes scanning the room as much as listening to
any conversation. He's been to the Marvelverse before and he really
wants to see anyone that might recognize him....

Legion's head suddenly snaps upward. Essex looks over at her,
frowning. "Dear, what's wrong?"

Legion says in a slightly distant voice, "I sense a great disturbance
in the Force. as if a thousand continuity editors cried out at once.
and were silenced."
=================================
Subject: AAE Scenes From a Life Yet to Come: Influences and Enemies,
Part 1 (Long)

On Mon, 27 Jan 2003 00:02:38 -0500
Mike Knight Said As CAoL Message # 00011039

"Hello, Mister Seven, David, how are you both today? Not got too wet
from the rain I hope?"

Mike shook his head as he led his five year old son into the barber
shop. David marveled at all the photos on the walls.

"Not too terribly," Michael said, "David here needs a bit of a trim."
Michael took off David's hat, revealing the small, Minbari crest
wrapping around his head, breaking the holographic illusion that
helped him pass as human. David knew his father had devised a mental
trick to let those here see the crest without recognizing that there
was a crest consciously. It allowed the barber to cut David's hair
properly for his unique anatomy without thinking he was doing anything
more than giving a standard trim.

Michael Seven took a seat while David sat down in the chair. David
knew his dad was only reading the paper on pretext, not that the
effort took much out of him, but he was always alert to what his son
might be doing both physically and mentally. Right now, David was
admiring the number of photographs.

"Are all these people friends of yours?"

The barber looked around and nodded proudly, "Every one is a head I've
trimmed."

David nodded, going back to looking around, until the barber turned
his head to face forward.

"Stay still now, lad, don't want to nip you with the shears."

David resorted to mental looking around, observing the bank across the
street. The owner, a rather uptight man, nodded to some children
playing in a puddle by the curb, saying they shouldn't get their shoes
wet like that, then frowned as they just stared at him. Holding a
newspaper over his head, he ran across the road to the barber shop.
The children were imitating the man after he left.

As the banker entered, David sent to his father, ^Why do they make fun
of him?^

^Who? The bank manager?^

^Yes.^

^They don't understand him. He's not comfortable around kids, doesn't
really remember what it was like to be one, or maybe he was just very
serious. They can see that in him and find him funny because he's so
uncomfortable. They don't really understand him, either.^

^It's not very nice.^

^No, it isn't.^

"Hello," David said as the banker entered.

The banker smiled uncomfortably, mumbling in a way he hoped was
kindly, "Uhm, hello there young man, getting a trim are we?"

David nodded, "Yes sir, it's very rainy out."

The banker smiled, "Yes, yes it is." He sat down next to Mike,
relieved that the questioning didn't go further, though pleased at the
child's politeness.

Mike glanced up at his son over the edge of his paper.

^Are you rummaging around in people's heads again?^

^I just wanted him to have a better memory than with the kids who all
make fun of him behind his back.^

The trim didn't take long, and Michael took the chair after David,
leaving the boy to watch the rain coming down outside.

From the fire station, another man started running toward the shop as
the rain got even heavier.

"Just a shave today," Mike said. The barber started lathering up
Mike's chin around his goatee as the fireman rushed in. As he hung up
his coat, David noted a lump in his pocket. Perceiving beneath the
fabric, he saw a woman's face.

"What's that?" David asked, pointing at the lump. The fireman blinked,
pulling out it and showing him, "That's her majesty, see?"

"Oh," David replied, then sent to his father, ^Who is 'her majesty?^

^The queen of England, which is the country we're in right now.^

^Why's he keep a portrait of her in his pocket?^

^I have no idea, I never understood constitutional monarchies. And
quit looking in people's pockets, unless you're invited to, please.^

^But I could see the lump.^

^It's still impolite.^

"There you are, sir, all finished." the barber announced.

Michael got up and paid for the haircut and shave, then led David out
of the shop.

"C'mon, I'll buy you something."

David pointed toward the roundabout. "Can we buy some poppies?"

Mike smirked, "Have I played you this song before?"

David giggled, "Yeah, 'Penny Lane,' I saw the streetsign when we
arrived."

Mike laughed, "Okay, then you lead the way."

* * * * *

Molly leaned back on the couch, David in her arms. The seven year old
Seven boy had been trying to tickle her and their subsequent wrestling
match had just broken up.

"Molly, what was it like growing up as a kid?"

Molly frowned slightly, thinking back. "It wasn't a lot of fun. People
thought I was weird because my psichic abilities couldn't shut off or
tire out like theirs could so people mostly avoided me, they thought I
was intruding in their thoughts when I couldn't help it because their
thoughts were so close to the surface most of the time. I tended to
prefer being alone."

"You didn't have any friends?"

"A few of the older adventurers took pity on me when they were there,
they taught me a lot of magic and technology, but I really didn't have
any friends until after college. I met Tiara and we wandered for a
while, that's where I got the old Vincent from, my bike. But after we
broke up, I figured that was it, I was just going to avoid people
entirely. Then I met this guy, David."

"David? He had my name? Was it me?"

Molly ran a finger over David's Minbari crest, "No, I'd have
remembered a head crest. David's eyes were brown like your dad's right
one, and his hair was a bit lighter than your dad's, but not red like
yours, more yellow. Unlike anyone I'd ever met, he didn't freak out
when I talked to him telepathicly. He used to let me listen through
his ears. He even braved a Disaster Area concert with me, he was like
the older brother I never had, a really cool guy. We parted ways after
a few months, I'd not been able to handle such a nice guy, always felt
like he wanted something. Dunno whatever happened to him, though I
bumped into him again some years later."

Molly glanced at the ceiling, "Computer, play 'Handle with Care', by
the group, 'Travelling Wilburys.' This was something I used to love to
listen to back then, I could empathize. About someone who'd been
beaten up by the world but was still looking for someone good."

David listened for a while, and as Roy Orbison sang about still having
love to give, Molly remarked, "No one should ever have to be alone."

* * * * *

"Who's the new recruit, Virgil?" Robert Kinnisan asked his old friend
Samms.

"Name's David Seven, kid dropped outta nowhere on a racing bike right
in front of my car, made me put my front through the railing on the
skyway. Kid rolled over the hood as I ran over his bike, and nearly
fell to his death. I leapt out, grabbed his hand and pulled him up. I
tell you, Robert, that kid had jets to spare, from the instant I took
his hand, I knew he'd be the best Lensman we'd probably ever get. I
told him to forget about the damages if he'd come work for us at the
Hill."

Robert whistled, "Talk about falling into your hands, Virgil, that's
one incredible break."

Virgil Samms nodded, "Who's the girl he's talking to?"

Robert replied, "Anstice Robertson."

David still couldn't believe it. In his twenty years, he'd never known
anyone who was such a skilled dancer except perhaps Tinkerbell. Like
the young Time Lady, this woman was far more responsive to cues than
anyone in his family, and compared to the women of this world, who all
felt stiff and slow as molasses, she seemed to move with grace and
experience far beyond her years.

"I still can't believe you'd never danced before."

Anstice smiled, "I just moved as I felt I ought to be moving, it was
the strangest thing. Say, you weren't using that lens thing of yours
somehow were you?"

"Scout's honor, I wasn't doing any such thing."

Anstice smiled, blushing, "I guess I was just lucky."

David shook his head, "You're a natural, please, save some room on
your dance card for me."

Anstice blushed more deeply, "I will, thank you." She couldn't believe
what a wonderful man she'd met. Most of the men, even the Lensmen,
especially the lensmen, were more interested in Virginia Samms.
Anstice was relieved to finally be singled out from the rest of the
women around her.

David found her captivating, they seemed to connect somehow on a level
he didn't understand, but there was certainly some sort of kinship
here that he hadn't felt with most of his friends.

As the band finished the minute waltz and started into the Blue
Danube, David asked, "May I have another dance?" Anstice smiled, "I
would be honored."

* * * * *

Anstice was in tears as she ran for the car, the letter from David
still clutched in her hand. She started the engine as the ancient
Beatles recording started with it. She tried turning it off, but was
too upset, the strains of "Hey Jude" filling the air. She had to get
to the Hill, she knew that's where he'd be. He'd said he was leaving,
that he was sorry, he hadn't meant to hurt her feelings, but he had to
go and couldn't come back. He'd said she was a wonderful woman and
would find a wonderful man someday, he just wasn't the one meant for
her.

But how could he feel that way? She had never met such a great man
before, she wouldn't let him go! She'd settle for no man less than
him!

The truck horn drew her back to the road, the rain, and oncoming
traffic. Her foot hit the brakes, but she was too late, a suddenly
familiar sensation came over her as the world went away. She would
settle for no man less than him, if she couldn't have David, she'd
have someone just like him.

* * * * *

Rene ran after the man. "David!" she called, "It's really you?"

Devon turned and glared at the woman running toward him. She seemed to
recognize him, though she was showing some signs of confusion now.

"David, is everything alright? Oh, I'm sorry, I'm Rene, we met once
before."

Devon reached into her mind. ^I'm not David, and I can assure you, no
one is like me.^

Rene blinked, startled, "But you're a Lensman, how can you not be
David? You look just like David, he was a Lensman too. But no... you
feel wrong."

Devon snarled, "Do I now?" So, the image in her mind was just like
him. But, he knew he had never and would never visit this world in her
mind. So, there was someone like him out there.

Finally, a worthy challenge, perhaps. Excellent.

He grabbed her with his mind and flung them both home across the
dimensions. "We'll see just who my counterpart could be. I've searched
the multiverse for years and never found a single one like me, this
should be an interesting battle."

* * * * *

Rene stumbled across the fog-shrouded field of close cut grass. The
barbed wire fencing hadn't done her any good, not after having her
mind and body repeatedly torn apart and healed in the most painful
ways possible. She understood now, in a sense, just where she'd gone
wrong. Anstice had been in love with David Sevin, and Rene, once those
memories had been rekindled in her by seeing Devon, had recalled
vaguely what had sent her to this place, the idea of finding another
man like David Seven. But, something had gone wrong, and she had wound
up meeting Devon. Could it be Devon had spoken truly, that men like he
and David were so rare that such a drastic change would happen when
trying to find another man like the one she loved?

It seemed so. But now she had to warn David about Devon. Devon knew
that he existed and would come after David. She would give her life to
stop that. Unfortunately, it seemed, guessing from the wounds she'd
received while escaping, that she very well might.

Yet it wasn't far now. She just needed to reach it and she could use
the last of her strength to get away. Her pursuer would never be able
to catch her then and she'd be with David again, if only for a little
while.

The stone pillar suddenly loomed before her, the place of power having
guided her here. More were just visible out of the fog, within the
stones was safety, sanctuary. But it would take blood to make her
escape, not that she didn't have a ready supply.

Blood-stained, her hand pressed into the grass at one of the compass
points and she stumbled on to the next. Her blood dripped onto the
ground, making enough of a circle for her purposes from the smears as
she made her way around. She managed to rise enough to propel herself
into the center of the circle and fall onto a stone laying flat on the
ground. She rolled onto it, staring at the sky, and raised a hand.
She'd have to keep the spell short, there wasn't much more time. She
pointed in the compass directions as she said the first rhyme that
came to mind.

"North and east, then south and west, take me to who I love best," she
said as the giddiness was starting to overtake her.

"Drop that hand, Rene," a stern voice ordered. Rene did so, smiling
goofily as the world began to spin around her.

"Gladly, Em." she said, "I didn't think I could hold it up much
longer."

"You've lost a lot of blood on the way here," the man said. He'd
always struck her as one of those MiB agents, down to the gun he had
trained on her, "Come with me, we can get you healed up."

"No, thanks, Em," Rene replied, "I don't want any more of Devon's
healing. Do all his dad's employees look like him."

Em came forward into the circle of stones, "More or less."

"I wonder if David's dad looks like him, too."

The circle's energies warmed to her spell; light, sound and a
whirlwind of air and magic started to coalesce around her.

"Don't do it, Rene, you're not gonna make it out of here alive if you
try to get away with magic. Stop the spell or I'll open fire."

"Sorry, Em, too late to stop it now. You're gonna have to tell Sept I
got away," Rene said, the energy almost at the point to send her to
David. [Please let it be soon. Please let me live long enough to warn
him.]

"Maybe kid, but not while you're still breathing," Em said, firing
repeatedly into the swirling vortex. He heard Rene scream as the light
grew to blinding. He shaded his eyes as the wind tried to pick him up
of his feet, all his will now just to keep standing up.

The wind died down along with the light and sound, abruptly, like a
lightning strike, and Em was alone in the circle. Still blinking, he
took a chrome cellular phone out of his inside pocket and dialed a
number.

"Put me through to Michael Sept, this is M7," Em said into the
receiver, "Yes, there is one there. Look, it's French, darling, it's
pronounced like M-I-C-H-E-L-L-E, not M-I-C-H-A-E-L, that's how English
speakers say it. Now put me through... Monsieur Sept, this is Em. She
got away, but wherever she's landing, she won't last long enough to do
anything but die in peace."

* * * * *

David sighed to himself, hanging off the cliff-face of the spire of
rock before him. This is what came of having four women and a female
cabbit vying for his attention. He'd decided to try a bit of exercise
in Dad's latest world. Inyu had fallen in with the Tenchi Curse, it
seemed, having gotten something of a school-girl crush on him. He
could almost accept that, along with Zora's rather shy, bashful
affection. Even Walkabout's platonic desires were not bad. But Bernice
was still being herself, and even if she swore she wouldn't fight over
him, in being herself, she was still certainly causing trouble.

So, he'd left to get away from it. They'd probably track him down,
eventually. But, in his desire to do something to get his mind off
them, he chose to climb this huge pillar of stone, the single landmark
for the first ten miles in any direction in this desert. Not his
smartest of moves, he had to admit, but he was certainly gaining a new
perspective on things hanging several hundred feet in the air. Both on
the lay of the land, and on the relationships in his life.

Focusing on the stone, he looked deep into it, at the crystalline
structures inside. They had some interesting properties, Dad would
have a lot of fun with the geology here, probably his reasoning for
writing this Age. He'd written some two hundred of the D'ni books in
the twenty eight years David had been alive, it was a hobby with
Michael Seven since he had retired from the Army of Light. When he
needed to get away from the intrigue of running Illuminati University,
he'd pull out his notebook and start working on the rough draft for a
new Age. David suspected he would work on them when he was supposed to
be paying attention to faculty meetings. Not that he'd missed much,
David knew, but he tended to go for the Bruce Wayne style of business
leadership, mostly not paying attention, until someone tried to slip
something by him, when it would turn out he'd been watching all along.

Sort of the way he raised his kids, David considered. He'd never given
him the feeling of being an absent parent, but there were plenty of
times David had let down his guard because he thought Michael Seven
hadn't been watching, only to find out he had been. Usually snooping
in other people's minds or around their person was where he'd get
caught. Dad'd always tried to teach him that as long as it was in his
power to do so, he ought not to look into places where people assumed
they had some privacy. Other than that, he would let David's sense of
perception have free reign. He learned early on not to screw that up,
but he'd let himself make mistakes and get caught if he was confused
as to why something was a mistake to begin with. When he was an
adolescent, he could still be caught over-focusing on a single thing,
but thankfully, that didn't happen now.

He calculated the time it would take him to finish this climb and
grumbled, "When I get off this thing, I'm going to get a cheese burger
with back bacon and some poutine."

"What's poutine?" a voice asked, startling him out of his
concentration and making him jump. A hand grabbed his wrist just as he
started to fall back off the rock and guided him back to the hand and
footholds, as he'd expected. He looked up to see Bernice looking
apologetic, hanging upside down over him like Spiderman climbing down
a wall, also as he'd expected.

"Sorry about that," she said, "I didn't think you'll miss me climbing
down."

David shook his head. He didn't get caught over-focusing unless it was
a machine mind that he couldn't read easily. Bernice had slipped under
his sense of perception because he'd been so focused on the rock, and
he self-examination. Walkabout was hovering down towards them in her
skycycle mode, Zora and Inyu looking concerned.

"Of all the irresponsible--!" Walkabout fumed.

"Are you okay, David?" Inyu asked from the front seat, Zora sitting
behind her and keeping the Gelfling from leaning too far to one side
with her wing-like finned arms.

"I'm fine," David said, "Bernice caught me before I had to do
anything."

Zora looked relieved, "There's a picnic waiting for us atop this
pillar, do you need a ride?"

"That sounds fine, I was getting tired of climbing anyway," David
replied.

Bernice grinned, still hanging upside down from the rock by her
fingertips, and let herself fall, doing a flip to right herself, with
a twist to face David, still hanging on the rock, and formed a jetpack
on her back, which ignited. She grabbed him around the waist, forming
a tandem harness between them.

"I have room!" Walkabout objected, "You can fly yourself up there."

"This way is easier, saves having to try and get off the rock and onto
your backseat," Bernice pointed out, with a mischievious smile,
"Besides, you gave him a ride last time."

Bernice turned up the jets, leaving Walkabout objecting, "When was
this last time?" before following them up.

"It's not worth the argument," Zora comiserated, patting the
Transformer on the center of the handlebars.

Reaching the summit, they gathered around a full spread of food
arranged on a picnic blanket. For Walkabout, they'd arranged some
energon goodies on a silver platter. Zora and Inyu had packed sushi in
ice, exotic fruits and vegetables to snack on, with a large amount of
carrots for Kari-Ohki, potato salad, cold-fried chicken, iced tea with
lemon, and a chocolate cake.

"This looks wonderful, guys," David said, "Shall we dig in?"

The wind chose that moment to pick up, swirling around the pillar of
stone. Inyu yelped, feeling herself lifted off the ground. Zora
grabbed her and they clung tightly to each other, huddled in a crouch.

"What's going on?" Zora shouted. Bernice ran to their side, driving
long spikes from her heels into the ground as she wrapped her arms
around them both, lacing her fingers together.

Walkabout was already scanning. "I'm not familiar with this energy
system, but we seem to be in the center of a very powerful cyclone."

David looked over her arm's readings as he held on to Walkabout. "I've
never seen anything quite like it. Similar to the primal forces of the
multiverse, but not of any archetype I've ever seen before."

"Magic?" Zora called out, her words almost lost in the noise.

"None I've ever seen," David answered.

There was a blinding flash and a form lay prone in the center of the
picnic blanket. A blonde woman David had never seen before, covered in
blood. The cyclone had stopped with her arrival, as had the mysterious
energies.

David was at her side first, Zora right behind.

"Walkabout, Inyu, my medicine bag," Zora commanded, "Bernice, I need
to see her injuries."

Walkabout transformed back into her cycle mode, Inyu rushing over to
get the pouch from the transformer's trunk-space. Bernice held up an
arm and a hologram formed over the woman, displaying her injuries.
David knew they were fatal at first sight, but Zora would not be
deterred, nor did any of them try to do so. Zora may have started out
a handmaiden to a princess, but her healing instincts were powerful,
her need to use them just as strong.

The unknown woman's eyes focused on David as he leaned over her.
"David, he's coming."

David leaned forward, "Who's coming?"

"Devon. Twin. Use... Lens... no time... left... for me."

"Don't talk like that," Zora said, working feverishly, but David
didn't hesitate, he knew the woman was right. He entered her mind.

Her thoughts were swirling, but David saw clearly someone like him,
someone evil beyond measure. Torture, healing that was torture in
itself, repeated over and over again. Her mind finally broke and there
was a flood of information. This evil version of himself was named
Devon Sept, she'd gathered that much. And there was an army of men who
looked like his dad, including Devon's father, assuming this 'Em'
character was correct.

But how did she know him? After these flashes of coherent thought
finished, her mind began to whirl in earnest. It was then David saw
she was named Rene Armstrong, she'd been looking for someone special
all her life, and when she saw Devon, she called out for David. There
it was, she'd had a past life experience. But what manner of
coincidence...

"Oh Maker," David muttered. She'd been Anstice Robertson. She'd died
in a car wreck trying to stop him from leaving. Her last thoughts had
guided her reincarnation. Her mind was whirling now, she was so glad
to be with him again.

No, he couldn't have her in danger again. She'd given her life for him
twice now, once to try and keep him, the second to try and save him.
He gingerly took hold of her mind and implanted a thought as she took
her final breath.

^Thank you, Anstice-Rene. Now, I want you to go somewhere safe. Go
somewhere beyond our reach. Be safe. Get beyond our grasp.^ Her mind
was objecting. ^Wait for me, I'll come back when Devon's gone. But
stay safe for now. Stay beyond our reach.^

Finally, Anstice, or Rene, assented as her body gave up its fight for
life. David sighed. Zora swore in her native language. Bernice rested
a hand on her shoulder as Inyu gave her a hug.

"It's alright," Inyu said.

"You did all you could," Bernice agreed.

"Who was she," Walkabout asked.

"A friend from some years ago," David said, finally, "She came to warn
me about someone."

"Did she at least manage that?" Zora asked, still upset about her
inability to save her.

"Yes, she told me everything she wanted to. She'd just taken too much
damage," David said, standing up, "Come on, we've got a job to do, and
I'm going to need some help to do it."
=================================