[Euphenia]

PB · DaFont · Aethereality · rcr · Obsidian Dawn· Beyond Tonight · Dreams Time

"You aren't gay, Kiel," Phen reproached him gently, though she gratefully leaned into the warmth of his body. She didn't turn her head to look up him. It was probably a moot point, since Kiel was facing the river, but Phen didn't want to take the risk. She couldn't convince her skin to stop tingling, though. It was the same as before, and accompanied wherever Kiel's body touched hers, concentrated where his arm met her shoulders and upper back.

Banishing the temptation to rest her chest on his chest once more, Phen sat up some. Then she interlocked her fingers together, keeping her hands safely cradled atop Shane's back. "Thank you, for the compliment, and maybe I will."

Mentally, she reviewed everything that she knew about Zephyr, which mostly had been gathered from Kiel, and Phen let out a mournful sigh. If the man really was as jealous a person as Kiel claimed, then she'd just pushed Kiel's throat against a very sharp knife blade. "That's proverbial, right?" Phen asked as her mind pulled tales left and right from history that involved people killing their lovers out of jealousy. There were way too many. "He wouldn't really kill you, would he?"

She struggled with the words for a moment, then decided to just go with what wanted to come out. "Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is not jealous, or boastful, or proud."

The nyad went silent as she wondered just where she'd learned those words. They were so famiiliar. She couldn't pinpoint the source they had come from, though Phen was sure she'd read them somewhere. After a few moments, she shook her head. "Anyway, if he cares about you, I don't think you'll come to harm. I may be another matter, but that's only if he's really that violent. I'm more concerned about your heart than my body, Kiel."

Her smile was a bit rueful, but it was there all the same. Her tears had stopped, and the streaks they'd left behind on Phen's face were starting to dry. "Maybe I should tell him. Then whatever happens won't be your fault at all."

[Kiel]

“He wouldn't really kill you, would he?”

Kiel laughed. “I dunno, I dunno, but one time he lifted me up by the neck 'cause I bugged him. How awesome is that? Hahahaha, he's so strong, man.” It had hurt, too, but he'd forgotten all about that part. It wasn't that he was a masochist or something, hell no, man, but, like, Zeph was everything Kiel could never be, you know? Everything his Sept wanted him to be, everything his dad wanted him to be. It was kinda hard not to admire that, you know, when he'd been raised to think that was the standard. And, like, okay, so Kiel waved all that aside and liked who he was, but there was still that part of him that thought Zeph was a way better man than he could ever be just 'cause he was all, like, "rawr"-y and stuff.

He knew better than that. Like, he didn't think RayRay any less of a man for being green or barely Septed. He didn't think Tad any less of a ... No. Wait. Okay, yeah, he kinda thought Tad was a pansy but that wasn't 'cause of his Sept. Hahahahahaha.

The whole time Phenny had been talking, Kiel had been thinking, which, like, wasn't like him, you know? He was quiet for a while, even though he'd totally shook his head - vehemently - when she suggested telling the dude. That'd just get her killed, he was pretty sure. Like, Zeph kinda looked at Kiel as a kid with no discipline, so if Kiel told him, then the dude would (hopefully, with any luck, please Xanth) pass it off as, like, just a random thing that was bound to happen sooner or later since Kiel couldn't "focus, dammit". If Phenny told him?

Yeah, Kiel was pretty sure the world would implode. Or maybe just Zeph's head. But he was pretty sure he'd take Phenny with him, either way.

“Like. I don't think it's a question of love, you know?” His voice was quiet, subdued. Neither of them had ever mentioned the L word. They'd kinda danced around it, you know? Like, Zeph was way more tolerant of Kiel than anyone else in his hairball life, at least as far as Kiel had ever seen him with other people, but that didn't mean the dude loved him. And even if he did, it'd probably take the world ending, or Xanth setting his hair on fire, before he'd ever spill it.

As for Kiel... Well, like, you know. Kiel worshipped the ground Zeph walked on. It hadn't been that far of a stretch before he'd lumped the guy in with the rest of his family, but he wasn't sure if that was love, like, real romantic love (since he'd kinda done the same with Phenny now) or just, like, you know.

“You can't tell him, though, man. You gotta let me do it, okay? Like, it's not like it was a real nearly-kiss, you know? He'll understand, totally. Ehehehe.” And bruises looked way better on Kiel than they ever would on a pretty chick like Phenny, if it came to that.

“Okay, okay, like, you wanna get back to Latin?”

[Euphenia]

PB · DaFont · Aethereality · rcr · Obsidian Dawn· Beyond Tonight · Dreams Time

Kiel was worried for her, Phen could read that much of his thoughtful silence. When he didn't immediately speak after she did, the nyad dared to open her eyes and sneak a glimpse of his face. While she felt an echo of that same strange feeling from before, Kiel's obscure facial expression and the mystery of the emotions behind it kept her still.

Phen didn't agree with Kiel's assessment of Zeph's so-called "awesomeness" when it came to how the man treated her friend, whether in anger or otherwise. Since she'd met Kiel, she hadn't seen hide nor hair of the man the 'vari was so adamantly obsessed with. In fact, Phen had begun to suspect that Kiel wasn't so much enthralled with the man as with what he believed the man to be like. The nyad was intelligent enough to realize that to directly confront Kiel with her worsening opinion of his boyfriend would be a disaster. Kiel would probably leap to rescue Zeph's reputation, no matter what she said. Yet she couldn't stay quiet. The truth was important between friends, wasn't it? So, quietly, Phen said, "My gram told me once that the reason she chose my pappa over all her other suitors was because of his 'strong gentleness'."

Smiling, Phen bade her body to relax, and in so doing her cheek almost automatically came down to try and rest on Kiel's shoulder once more. Phen ignored the resulting addition to the tingling sensation. "She said that he was, 'Sturdy and strong like the oak, with a protective streak a forest wide. Yet he will never hurt me, nor those I hold dear.' I suspect that she was trying to advise me to avoid those who would hurt me."

With her eyes closed, Phen sighed and let out some of the butterflies that were beginning to fill up her stomach. "It's easy to give in to anger. Anyone can do it. What's difficult is to temper it into a tool to be unleashed upon your enemies, not those you claim as allies."

Phen's twilight eyes peeked open to smile at Kiel. "That one is from my mother, but you probably guessed that already."

"Like. I don't think it's a question of love, you know?"

The nyad shrugged, which had an interesting effect on her anatomy given the fact that she was cuddled up to Kiel like she was. Phen wisely chose not to speculate on that. "I agree that often when the other nymphs got involved with one another, the things that happened soon after didn't look like 'love' to me, either. Yet I don't see the point of actually being romantically involved with someone unless you intend to eventually deepen the relationship to the point when love is entirely possible."

"You can't tell him, though, man. You gotta let me do it, okay? Like, it's not like it was a real nearly-kiss, you know? He'll understand, totally. Ehehehe."

Rii-iight. Phen summed up her opinion of Kiel's "he'll totally understand" statement with a disbelieving glance, then straightened back up. She immediately missed Kiel's warm skin, but she didn't move to reclaim her previous position.

"I won't tell him," she promised, and meant it. If Kiel wanted to handle the matter on his own, that was his business. However ... "But if he damages you because of this, I will revoke my promise and I will talk to him."

Phen looked up and straight at Kiel's face, aiming to gaze right into his eyes with a stubborn expression on her face. "I won't stand by and let my friends be hurt. Alright?"

"Okay, okay, like, you wanna get back to Latin?"

"Yes, let's," she agreed and reached for the book. Her hands couldn't quite make it, and Phen found herself smiling sheepishly. "Shane, as welcome as you are upon my lap, I'm afraid your mass isn't very productive towards my fetching today's lesson plan."

[Kiel]

Phen's attempt to tell him she thought his relationship with Zeph was bad for him totally went over Kiel's head. Like, subtlety never really worked on him, you know? And, like, maybe she was right, but Kiel never really worried for himself how Zeph would react to stuff. The dude had helped him so much, giving him his first job and becoming an awesome mentor, and dating his boss had its perks. Maybe that made Kiel dumb, 'cause he knew Zeph wasn't the sanest of folks, but he'd grown up in a madhouse where half the men were warriors just like him. That kind of attitude and behaviour was commonplace for him.

“I won't tell him.”

Kiel grinned down at her, his chin tilted awkwardly as his hair totally took a dive into his eyeballs, making him blink. “Hahahahaha, it's okay, it's okay. I can totally take it, you know, I've been training up.” He held out his free hand to flex his biceps as evidence, and even though he still looked way more pansy than he'd have liked (he figured by now that was never going to change, you know?), he did at least look like he'd been working out.

As Phenny attempted to get Shane out of her lap, and Kiel sat up straighter to scratch at his naked scalp like a chimpanzee, he frowned and tilted his head. “You're wrong, though, Phenny, man.” Pushing at Shane's butt to assist the Nymph out in gaining her freedom, Kiel grinned. The 'kin was miffed to be displaced, but just crawled into his lap instead. “I dunno, maybe it's the age thing, but 'Vari tend to think differently. Like, you know, most of us hope we'll find our lifemates someday, but that doesn't stop us getting married and having kids and stuff before then, you know? 'Cause, I dunno, you gotta take what you get and enjoy it. Life's pretty boring without connections, you know? Like, three thousand years? Dude, just look at Zeph. Couple hundred alone and he's lost pretty much any social skills he had, hahahahahaha!

But for sers, man, I dunno, I guess I think it's possible to enjoy being with someone without wanting something permanent, you know? Me and Zeph, we're, like, I don't expect him to want to marry me, you know, that'd be kinda weird, but that doesn't mean I'm not totally serious right now.”

[Euphenia]

PB · DaFont · Aethereality · rcr · Obsidian Dawn· Beyond Tonight · Dreams Time

Phen could almost picture her words as tiny little arrows of reason being fired off from her mouth, and they all arched right over Kiel's head and on into infinity. Inside, she sighed. Her friend's ability to ignore the bad things in life was part of what she loved about him, but in this case she worried for him.

"Hahahahaha, it's okay, it's okay. I can totally take it, you know, I've been training up."

A smile lifted a corner of Phen's mouth. She let it stay there as she shook her head. "I mean it, Kiel. If he hurts you, my promise will no longer be a factor and I will talk with him."

Then she listened closely to what Kiel had to say, and Phen didn't interrupt, not even when a bubble of protest tried to work its way up and out of her mouth. What did she know of living for hundreds of years? Her mother hadn't shared much about her own experience on the matter, but Phen suspected that was because of Enyo avoiding the subject of having to watch her daughter grow old and die long before the skotadi herself would. Phen's grandparents wouldn't be able to shed much light on the subject, and Kiel was really the first long lived person she'd befriended.

But did Kiel have the same lack of knowledge about how life looked from a short lived perspective? Just how old was he, anyway? "It's true that we have considerably less time to find our 'mates', as you put it," Phen agreed as she stretched out her legs to encourage blood to start flowing through them as normal, all while smiling at how cute Shane was when she occupied Kiel's lap, "And I can see your point. However, for me, I don't know if I'll be able to do something like that so casually."

While tempted to look down at her hands and study her fingernails, Phen brought her head up so she could meet Kiel's eyes instead. "I've never been with anyone romantically, so I can't say this with absolute certainty, but I feel that I couldn't handle the heartbreak of going from relationship to relationship. I just want to find the right person for me and be done."

Phen let out a little puff of air before widening her smile to be somewhat sheepish. "Which sounds childish even to my ears."

"Oh, I don't know anything about this!" Phen said with a dramatic wave of her hands, then put her fingers to use to make a grab for the Latin textbook. "You were right before. Let's go back to something familiar."

[Kiel]

“I guess,” Kiel conceded thoughtfully, ruffling Shane's ears playfully. “Like, I mean, I've never been with anyone before Zeph either, so I could totally be talking out of my butt, you know, but I don't think it'd bug me, breaking up with him, not, like, I dunno. I mean, I'd be devastated, but then, I dunno. You know? Like, I think my heart's big enough to love more than just him, you know?

Um. Like. Not that I love him. You know? Just, like, if I did, like, but I like your idea of long-term, hahahahaha. I dunno, though, I don't think my lifemate exists. Maybe that's why I got Shane instead, hahahahahaha.” Giggling as the 'kin swiped his chin with her pretty pink tongue, he grabed her head in both hands and wiggled her a bit. “Yes, I love you, I love you, you're awesommmmmmeeeeee!” She growled, then purred, like she totally agreed with him, and then flopped half out of his lap to snuggle against his chest, her butt still warming the top of his thighs.

“Okay, like. Okay. I'm kinda bored with the deep and meaningful stuff. Amor sun amenti!* Hahahahaha.” Pumping his fist in the air, he grinned at Phenny, then clamoured closer to let the lesson (re)begin.

((* He's trying to say "love is insane" to end the conversation and also get back to the Latin thing, but he's garbling - badly - a 'Vari saying to do it. ¬_¬))

[Euphenia]

PB · DaFont · Aethereality · rcr · Obsidian Dawn· Beyond Tonight · Dreams Time

Phen flipped through the textbook in an effort to try and find the phrase that Kiel had used. When she didn't have any luck there, she instead looked up the words one by one, starting with amor.

Unfortunately for Kiel, his mentioning of lifemates peaked Phen's interest. "When you say 'lifemate', Kiel, what do you mean?" the nyad inquired as she read the meaning of amor and moved on to the next word, "It sounds different than marriage. Is it a spiritual thing? Perhaps something only the dracovari can do? I ask because I've only heard rumors about the matter, and they were vague at best. One of them even said that that Xanth's Aide, Dazadi Rhea, was and still is lifemated to a dracovari."

She shrugged her shoulders slightly, then snuck a glance at Kiel's face before looking back down at the book in her hands. Her heart gave a heavy thump in response, but Phen ignored it as best she could. "Love is ..." she murmured as she read what the second word meant and continued on to research the third.

[Kiel]

“Wahahahaha, you're curious, huh? Hehehehe.”

Stroking Shane's seeking nose, Kiel launched eagerly into storytelling mode. “Like, it's not really a seeeeeecret, but, like, dragons don't talk about it all that much 'cause, like, you know, they're all 'rawr' and stuff, hahaha. But, like, yeah, mostly it doesn't leave the species. I mean, like, I never heard of a dragon-'Vari pair, that'd be, like, totally gross, except for the summoning bond but that's totally different, you know?”

Pausing ever so slightly to tilt his head at her as she mumbled her translation so far, Kiel smirked. Who was teaching who here? Hahahahaha.

“Like, it's way more binding than marriage, right, but I dunno if you'd call it spiritual? I dunno, it's kinda like soulmates, you know? Like, that story about how humans used to have four arms, four legs and two heads but they censored a god or something and he split them in two, body and soul, so they'd be cursed to forever wander the Earth looking for their other half?

Lifemates is kinda like that. Only not as gross or painful. Well, maybe it is painful, I dunno. 'If one lifemate dies after they've bonded, the other's swift to follow!'” He half-sang the last, quoting his mom, right down to fake-alto voice. “I dunno about aides, though, man. Like, I guess I heard something similar? If she was bonded to a 'Vari like that, though, she still would be. I never heard of a pair splitting without it killing them. Although, like, Pheebs once said it works different outside the species, so I dunno? It does happen, though. I only know that,” he confided sheepishly, “'cause it totally censored my gramps off. "'Vari things should stay 'Vari, dammit!" Except I dunno why he was mad 'cause we used to all be lizards, right? Sssss.”

[Euphenia]

PB · DaFont · Aethereality · rcr · Obsidian Dawn· Beyond Tonight · Dreams Time

While she listened, Phen kept looking for that elusive last word that Kiel that spouted earlier. Just how many times could she miss finding amenti in one book? Surely it was spelled how it sounded, just like the others. But then ..

"Ah, here it is!" Phen exclaimed not long after Kiel said "you know?" the first time, "Amenti means ... insane? Love is insane?"

Phen gave Kiel an intrigued glance, complete with raised right eyebrow. "That sounds like it should be longer, like it's a part of something. Maybe a song?"

The nyad pursed her lips as she contemplated that for a moment, trying to figure out just what song matched. Then Phen realized that Kiel hadn't stopped talking and promptly went silent once more so she could hear him better. Her cheeks flushed a rosy pink, as Phen didn't want to be rude to anyone, much less her best friend.

She caught most of his story despite her outburst, and nodded a few times to indicate that she understood what he said if not what he meant.

Giggling softly at Kiel's "Ssss", Phen reviewed what the 'vari had shared and tugged free some questions from the ball of curiousity that was forming. "So, if I understand you correctly, every 'vari has the chance of a lifemate, and it isn't always with their own sept or race? Yet that chance may never happen, because there's nothing to say that the person who was supposed to be your lifemate was born after you've already died, or vice versa?"

[Kiel]

Kiel pulled a "cogs turning" face as he tried to translate Phenny's question into Kiel-speak. That last bit, in particular, had stumped him a bit, but in the end, he just nodded and said, “Like, yeah, man. I dunno why, but lifemates are crazy rare, at least, like, among the 'Vari. The lizards are all, like, "ssss, it's because you suck at being dragons!" but Tad said his old mentor said that his mentor said it was 'cause... I dunno, I can't remember. But, like, maybe it's 'cause we turned into humans, kinda? From what my gramps said about lifemates, though, I think we're probably better off not getting one.”

Ruffling Shane's ears again as he considered eternity (well, like, three thousand years was a long time, man!) with the same person, Kiel was kinda torn. Like, Zeph was awesome, and Kiel was happy with the dude right now, but who knew what the future could bring, you know? As they were, they both had an out. Even if they got married (hahahahahaahhaha!) they'd have the option of divorce, although, like, Kiel kinda thought the hairball would roast him on a spit if he asked for one, but lifemates could never get away. Even if one died, the other'd just, like, up and die with him.

“Dude, that's kinda depressing. Hey, hey, Shane, get me a snack, okay? The basket's all the way over there.” It wouldn't take much to get himself one, but since the 'kin had to get up so he could get up anyway, and he was feeling kinda lazy just then, and, like, he didn't mind 'kin drool, he gave her a gentle nudge.

“So, like, you totally believe in marriage and stuff, then, right? Like, I thought Nymphs were all, like, loose and free and la-la-la and stuff?”

((FYI, Nymphs can get married, he's just talking out of his butt. ))

[Euphenia]

PB · DaFont · Aethereality · rcr · Obsidian Dawn· Beyond Tonight · Dreams Time

Phen leaned over and snagged one of the sandwiches, then tossed it in the general direction of Kiel's chest, aimed in the hope that a flat side of one of the two slices of bread would collide with the 'vari first. The whole thing was wrapped in a napkin, so hopefully it would be whole and edible upon arrival. On occasion, Phen's having long arms and being taller than the average nymph came in handy, as well as her foresight.

"There you go," she said before closing the book and setting it off to the side. The way the conversation was going, the Latin lesson was being postponed. "What part do you find depressing, the fact that when a lifemate dies the 'other is soon to follow', or that they so rarely meet?"

The nyad smiled crookedly as Phen made to provide an answer to her own question, "For me it's the second. Should I be so lucky as to meet the person I'm meant to be with, and something happens to them, why would I want to keep living? I'd want to be with them in the afterlife, not here and missing them with my entire being."

"So, yes ... I am that kind of person," she offered in reply to Kiel's teasing inquiry. Shrugging her shoulders, Phen turned her head to make looking at the melting mess she'd made of the show she'd earlier put on for Kiel easier. "Some nymphs are, some aren't. In that respect we aren't much different than the dracovari. I grew up watching the strong bond my grandparents have. They depend on one another in so many ways. I want to have that, but maybe ..."

She sniffed, then blinked tears away. Phen didn't want to cry again. She felt pathetic enough already, thank you very much. "A great deal of people will never find the person that's right for them, just like so many of your race will never meet their lifemates."

Wanting to push the spotlight onto someone other than her, Phen looked over at Kiel and asked in a mimicry of his own words, "So you don't believe in marriage and stuff?"

[Kiel]

Kiel wasn't surprised Phenny was 'that kind of person'. Like, she wasn't like how he'd always thought Nymphs would be, you know? He'd heard stories about how they played around with people, breaking hearts left and right, unable to settle down, but she was, like, the exact opposite of that. Maybe it as 'cause she was a halfie, but he doubted it. Like, Laz was kinda the same, you know, although he didn't know her well enough yet to be privy to her private affairs so he couldn't be sure she didn't have them.

He was glad she didn't start crying again, though, man. Like, he was sympathetic, but he was uncomfortable around crying girls. Less so than his brothers, since it was always him the girls came to if they wanted sympathy, hahahaha, but still. He was kinda nervous about what would happen if he had to comfort her again, you know?

“Hell yeah!” he countered enthusiastically, shaking his head. The messed-up sandwich he'd been scoffing since she'd tossed it at him waggled and drooped bits everywhere - which Shane promptly lapped up - as his hand flapped. “Like, my mom and dad have been together for, like, ever, man. Like, for sers, I swear they were together when the worlds were created, you know? Hahahaahaha, I think they'd die if the other, you know, just 'cause, like, they've been together so long it'd be like having an arm or a leg cut off, you know? But they're not lifemates,” he clarified quickly, out of habit. “I dunno, though, I think it's rare for people to find someone they can live with forever, you know? Or maybe it's just 'cause I get bored easy, I dunno, I dunno, hahahahaha.”

[Euphenia]

PB · DaFont · Aethereality · rcr · Obsidian Dawn· Beyond Tonight · Dreams Time

Being around Kiel had always been a mood enhancer for Phen. The man was a fount of joy once one knew how to turn its spiget, and once they did, the cheerfulness just kept flowing. Yet the tingle under her skin had betrayed the nyad's understanding of feelings that had once been so clear.

She didn't have a future with Kiel. He was her first and best friend, and there was no way that Phen wanted to lose that or him. He deserved to be happy, and she couldn't do that for him, not for the amount of time she had. "Thousands of years, you say," she thought aloud, then finally sat up straight.

As Phen forced herself to face cold hard facts, her cheeks settled into a soft pink flush. What had happened was because of her thoughts of Dante, Phen was sure of it. It had nothing to do with Kiel, even if he was very attract-No! She had to stop thinking like that! Shaking her head slightly, Phen smiled at her best friend. "If you were so easily bored, Kiel, I think you would have stopped doing many of the things you still do today."

"Like dating Zephyr," she thought, but what she said was, "It's getting kind of late. Could we finish eating and then take this stuff back before you have to go in for work?"

Making good on her suggestion, Phen started to put the Latin textbook away. Then she paused, and turned to look Kiel full in the face. She felt gratified when her hormones only made a gentle hum in response. "Your parents, my grandparents. Maybe one day we'll have what they have, maybe not, but at least they gave us a good example to follow?"

Without missing a beat, Phen shifted forward to try and pet the snacking Shane with one hand and aim a much more confident smile at Kiel. "Thanks for coming out here with me, Kiel. We'll have to do this again soon. In fact, let's make this our study spot."

Briefly, her smile became a mischevious grin. She knew what motivated her 'vari friend to learn Latin, and she was fully prepared to prod him with it. "We have to drill Latin into your memory sooner than later if you want to get your dragon, right?"

[Kiel]

The second Phenny talked about quitting for the day, Kiel had to swallow nervously. Like, he'd more or less forgotten the conversation he'd be having when he got back, you know, at least while they'd been talking about something else, but it was a chain reaction. She said home, he got happy thinking he'd see Zeph soon, and then that made him think about the near-kiss and then he was all, like, "crap". And then the whole thing started burning a hole in his pocket all over again.

“Hahahahaha, no drilling, no drilling! That sounds way painful, man, and I kinda like wearing hats too much to make my head all gorey, you know? Hahahahaha. This was fun, though, man” he tacked on as he shoved Shane off him and got to his feet to pack up. The 'kin decided that being upended was fun and started rolling in the grass like she had an itch on her spine. “Like, I totally haven't learned anything, but that's cool 'cause I had fun. This is a pretty sweet spot, you know?” He kind of felt like he had to say something about the almost-kiss, like an apology or something, but also felt like saying something would just ruin the whole day and possibly their friendship too. He loved her, you know, he didn't want to lose her, and he knew the whole thing was just 'cause she'd been so sad.

Naw, man, he wouldn't embarrass her like that.

“So let's come back next week,” he agreed. “Same time, okay? I'll totally meet you here, though, 'cause I'll have to come straight from work next time, okay? Okay! I'll walk you into town, let's go, let's go!” No half measures for Kiel; once they were packed and ready to go, that was it, he wanted to be off, although he'd keep her pace instead of making her dash along with him, hahaha. So he grabbed the basket in one hand, held out his other elbow for her to slip her arm through, and giggled a little as Shane bounded in circles around them, phasing between shadows to keep out of the sun.

((I think this thread's finished? ))