Welcome to Gaia! ::

Celaien was sitting on the balcony with his new glaive, rubbing oil into the shaft to make it smoother. Aria flew over, looking a bit out of place. She had flown from home, a bit upset, but her mind was working. Maybe she wasn't around the others enough.

"Hi."

Celaien looked up, surprised, as Aria flew over. "Hey Aria," he said welcomingly, standing up and wiping his hands to go greet her. "What brings you here?"

Aria smiled, pleased. "Well, I decided I don't really have a lot of friends, I don't spend enough time to make any friendships. So I decided I'd try." She glanced at the glaive. "Oh...is that what you made?"

Celaien grinned, holding it up to show her. "Tis," he said, pleased. "I haven't had much chance to practice with it yet, but Tenan has promised to show me some stuff."

Aria landed to take a closer look. "That's nice. Do you know any moves with it?"

Celaien shook his head ruefully. "Not yet. Before now I was mostly waiting for the gum to finish setting up, and now I'm making the shaft smoother, so I don't get splinters."

Aria nodded. "That's good, cause those hurt. Rynn got one a few days ago." She looked at the weapon. "Mind if I hold it?"

"If you want," he said, holding it horizontally out for her.

She took it, holding it gently. The shaft was quite smooth. Celaien had put a lot of work into it. "You did a great job."

Celaien grinned proudly, colouring slightly. "Thanks," he said. "I can't wait until I learn how to really use it..." His eyes took on a faraway gleam as he remembered. "When Tenan and Dae were practicing... it was amazing... like a dance, almost..."

Aria handed it back, the same way he had gave it to her. She was smiling. "I bet that'll be interesting. Just don't get hurt."

Celaien accepted it back, tilting it upright and half-leaning on it. "I'll try not to," he said. "Promise. Hey, d'you want something to eat or anything?"

"Sure. What do you have?"

Celaien shrugged, grinning. "I dunno, usually we eat whatever Tenan makes us eat. But I bet we have some cereal, or maybe some other stuff... Shall we go to the kitchen?"

She nodded. "Sounds great to me. I've not eatten in a while. Hey, is Tenan and Dae around? I'd like to meet them."

Celaien thought for a moment. "Yeah, they're probably here... Likely enough, playing video games," he said, laughing quietly to himself. The two could be so adult at times, and so childish others. "Let's go see!" he said, flittering off through the library in the direction of the living room.

Aria followed him, wanting to meet the two Celaien was always speaking about. Well, not always but she had heard the names often enough. "Wait for me!" she called, laughing.

Celaien obligingly slowed down, grinning back. "Sorry," he called. He landed at the doors, slipping easily through the space underneath, and waited on the other side for Aria.

{{ s'a pretty big gap - easily an inch or two }}

Aria crawled under the door, looking around. Celaien offered a hand to help her to her feet, then looking down the hall, pondering. "This way," he said decisively, taking wing again.

Aria stood, then following his example, took wing again as well. "Nice place you have here. Roomy."

Celaien laughed. "It's gigantic, to me... I *still* haven't seen all of it... I think the house itself actually belongs to everybody, and stuff keeps changing all the time. It's a bit confusing.."

Aria giggled. "That would be very confusing. It's like Rynn's place...if she ever cleaned...I'd think I'd die."

Celaien grinned. "You're seeing the *clean* part of the house now... Just wait until we get to the living room, or anything belonging to Cele..." Speaking of, there they were! He flew in the living room, and sure enough, there was a Mario Kart game going on between Dae, Tenan, Tsuki, and Cele.

Aria hovered, watching. Oh wow...this was cool! It was a bit messy, but she was use to it. She giggled, flying over to watch.

Cele flailed a bit as her Kart (once again) *mysteriously* flew off into the void. Celaien landed on her head. "Hey you, know where any food is?" he asked, grinning cheerily. Aria laughed, watching Cele and her Kart. She'd never played a video game before.

Celelorien blinked, noticing Aria. "Hey Aria! You guys want some Cinnamon Toast Crunch? That's about all the feien-sized stuff we have at the moment... Though I could cut some stuff up for you, I guess.." she said, shrugging.

She waved. "Hey! Sure that sounds good. I've had no lunch." She waved to the others she didn't know.

Cele stuck her tongue out at Tsuki, who had (for no reason wotsoever, she was sure) chucked her off the side again with some Koopa shell, then abandoned her controller. "Want a lift, Aria?" she asked, pointing to Celaien. He'd made himself quite comfy on the top of her head, riding on one of the little hair-balls.

Aria giggled, landing on her shoulder. "Sure." She giggled more. "Rynn's a Moonie. Sailor Moon has hair like that and called her Meatball Head. I like the hairstyle though."

Celelorien sighed. "Yeah, Tsuki and Dae think it's funny to call me that, too." She shook her fist at them playfully, then headed off for the kitchen. She snagged a bowl from a cupboard and the cereal from another cupboard, and poured them a nice full bowl, munching some herself as she wandered back to the living room. "You guys wanna play?" she asked, settling behind her controller again. (Dae, Tenan, and Tsuki had knocked her unmoving player off the side at least eight times while she was gone.)

Aria snagged a piece and bit into it, watching the screen. "Sure! How do you play? Just press the buttons?"

Cele grinned. "Well that's how I play fighting games. For this one, you have to steer with the joystick and press the accelerator and weapons fire. Why don't one of you drive and the other shoot?"

Aria grinned. "Celaien, wanna drive or shoot?" She dusted her hands off. That cereal was good! She'd get another piece later, but she wanted to play!

Celaien looked up from the bowl, piece in mouth. "Mrffm!" he said, then broke off the bit he had in his mouth. "Doesn't matter, which do you want to do?" he clarified, grinning.

Aria laughed, flying down to the controller. "I'll drive, you shoot."

"Okay," he said agreeably, sticking the rest of the piece back in his mouth and hopping over to the buttons, stepping on the one Cele said was the accelerator.

She grabbed hold of the joystick, pushing it and pulling it, yelping as the Kart went all over the road. There was a huge grin on her face, as she was truely enjoying herself.

Careening all over the track was FUN! Celaien laughed, enjoying this much. By some random miracle, they managed to hit a weapons box. Tsuki (coming up to lap them) was then promptly beaned with a Koopa shell.

Aria was laughing, stirring all over the place. She hadn't grasped the concept of following the track, so was driving the way she knew how. "I hope Rynn has this game! I love this!"

Celaien grinned back. "This is way more fun than just watching," he said.

Aria nodded. "Yeah! I have to come over here more often!"

Celaien grinned, firing weapons randomly as soon as he got them, enemy around or not. "I bet you guys would do well with a fighting game," Cele said, grinning. "That's just a lot of pushing buttons too."

Aria grinned, laughing as she managed to turn the Kart around. She was now going backwards. "Oh...can we try that?"

Cele smiled. "Sure. You guys mind switching?" she asked, poking the other three. They all were amenable to the idea, so she switched off Mario Kart and put in Super Smash Brothers.

Aria pulled on the joystick, laughing as the little person on the screen moved. "This is fun!"

"Hmmm..." said Celaien thoughtfully, then pressed a button. The guy did an attack. Celaien grinned - he was so going DDR on this controller! He started dancing around on the buttons, pressing them at random.

Aria watched, her attention on both the red Feien and the screen. She laughed, the guy firing away as he danced, her moving him alaround.

"Grr..." mumbled Tsuki, as his little yellow mouse thing was flung squealing into the distance by the Feien's jointly-played guy.

Aria laughed, seeing they'd beaten one guy, some sort of yellow mousey. "Yay!" she cheered, moving him all around.

Celaien laughed. "This is so great!" he said, accidentally setting off a chain of combo moves.

Aria squealed in delight as the chain of combo moves knocked yet another person offscreen. "Yay!! We're winning!"

Tenan grinned. "It's all up to you, Dae, or we'll be beaten by four and six inch fairies!" But it was too late. Dae's guy, Ness, was thrown wailing into space and the winner message came up.

She cheered, grinning, hugging Celaien. "We won!"

"Woohoo!" he cheered, laughing as he was squished into her hug. "We rule!"

Aria grinned, letting him go. "This rocks!" She went to the bowl and got another piece of cereal, eatting it, smirking. "We rule!"

Celaien snagged another piece as well, raising a toast to her with it. "Muwahahaha!" he laughed, mock-evilly, and munched cheerily on his delishous square of sugar.

Aria toasted him, her piece half eatten. She was having a lot of fun here. She was grinning, and bouncing.

Celaien grinned back. "Let's play another round!"

Aria nodded, going to the joystick again. "Yeah! Lets play!"

Tsuki made a face, but agreed, and chose the pink blobbity thing this time. Dae selected a Donkey Kong with a blue tie, and Tenan took Ness this time.

"I want the mousey!" Aria cried, trying to make it land on Pikachu. Finally she managed and off they went.

"Wheee!" shouted Celaien as his random button pushing made the little mouse thing do all sorts of neat lightning tricks.

Aria was laughing, watching as the others were getting blasted. She glanced at Celaien, grinning. "We make a good team!"

"Buttons!" was his response as he grinned and stomped around some more. He was having way too much fun, perhaps that sugar was going to his braain...

She was laughing at him, moving Pikachu all over the place. Aria was having a lot of fun herself, reaching over to snag another piece of cereal.

They eventually cleared the stage of foes again. Celaien grinned and cheered, holding up a V-sign for victory, laughing.

Aria cheered around a mouthful of cereal, hugging Celaien again. "Yay!" she said, after swallowing, grinning big.

Celaien overbalanced this time, falling off the controller but still laughing. "Well that was fun," he said, grinning. "What now?"

Aria laughed, smiling down at him, offering him her hand to get up. "I dunno. What all do you do here? "

Celaien blinked, accepting the help up and shrugging. "Not much really... ooh! I knows!" He flew up to Dae and clung to his bangs. "Dae will you and Tenan spar, please please please puh-leeaasee?" he begged, giving him the biggest puppy eyes he could manage.

Aria giggled. "Oh, please do!" She wanted to see a spar. That'd be neat!

Dae blinked. "Weeelll... I dunnoo," he said, looking at Tenan and grinning. "What do you think?" Celaien launched himself at Tenan, clinging to his nose.

"Pleeaase?" he begged. "I want to learn anyway you said you'd teach meee!" Tenan laughed, then relented.

"Okay, you guys go have a seat on the balcony and we'll practice in the garden."

Aria clapped her hands. "Yay!! I've never seen a spar before!"

Celaien zipped over to her, grabbing her wrist and attempting to pull her into the air excitedly. "Come on, come on, it's the coolest thing in the world!" he chittered. Sparring was one of the few things that could get him this worked up.

Aria took wing, allowing him to pull her. "Ok, ok, I'm coming!" she excalimed, her eyes shining.

Celaien half-dragged her back down the hallway, scooting under the library doors and half-running, half-flying back to the balcony. He perched, peering down at the nice flat bit of grass the two were going to practice on, waiting for them to show up.

Aria was giggling, taking a seat on the balcony along side Celaien. She peered over the edge, waiting on Dae and Tenan as well. "Do they use glaives too?"

"Tenan does," he said. "Dae uses a katana." The two walked out, smiling as they chatted amiably.

Aria nodded. "Oh cool...I want a real katana, but none are our size."

Celaien grinned. "Yeah.. that's why I had to make my glaive."

"Rynn saw this website...had small metal weapons. She might get me one," Aria replied, nodding. She looked to Dae and Tenan, ready to watch. She was nervous and excited.

Dae and Tenan bowed to each other, weapons in hand and padded. Their eyes locked as they came up, and they began.

Aria watched, leaning over to watch, Her eyes followed their moves. "Wow..." she whispered.

Celaien's eyes shone. "Isn't it amazing?" he whispered. Tenan dipped to a crouch, sweeping out with the glaive, which Dae dove-rolled over to avoid, lashing out in turn. Tenan pirouetted with the weapon's weight guiding him, stepping just out of the katana's range.

Aria clapped, watching. She nodded to Celaien's comment, her eyes glued to the action.

They dance-fought for a while, then mutually decided to end it. They paused, and drew themselves upright, bowing to each other again and grinning. Dae called up, "Did you guys enjoy the show?"

"Yeah!! That was so cool!! Can you teach me too?" She called down, smiling, clapping. "You guys rock!"

Tenan grinned up. "I'm sure Dae wouldn't mind teaching you swordwork, but I'm only any good with the glaive."

Aria grinned. "Would you mind, Dae?" She thought it better to be polite and ask.

Dae shrugged, smiling. "If you like."

She grinned, flying down to thank him. "Oh thank you!! Whenever you want to start, I'm ready!"

Dae laughed a bit. "Not so fast, little miss! First, I'm getting something to drink. Then maybe we'll start the lessons," he said, winking.

Aria grinned. "Well, I'd have to get my sword. It's at home....I guess I should go back..."

Dae smiled. "Ok, well we'll take our break and you can fetch your sword, if you want to begin now. Otherwise, we can start with a basic history lesson."

"Ok, the history lesson sounds good." She really didn't want to go home, not just yet.

"Come on down then," he said, offering up a hand. Celaien, interested as well, flittered down from the balcony.

She flew down, landing on his hand. She grinned at Celaien. "This will be fun!"

Celaien grinned back. "Most assuredly. Dae knows a lot more about a lot of stuff than he usually tells, but when he does, it's cool," he said. Dae carried them into the kitchen and set them on the table, removing the padding from his katana while Tenan bustled about getting juice (and a small pair of shot glasses for the feien).

Aria sat down on the table, indian style. She smiled her thanks at Tenan for the juice, sipping it slowly. She couldn't wait and watched Dae remove the padding.

Tenan handed a glass to Dae, then settled in a chair himself. Dae took a drink, then started talking. "Katanas originated in Japan, and they are extremely tough. They're nearly indestructable, actually, if you wield it right. This is because in the forging, often the metal used is folded over to make it stronger. They retain a good cutting edge for a long time, as well, because only the sharpened edge is hardened. This gives the katana its curved shape," he said, running his finger along it to show the way it curved back slightly.

Aria nodded, listening. Even Rynn didn't know that much, about the metal being folded over.

"Most people use two hands to hold katanas, though it is possible to only use one. They were originally intended as swords for cavalry units, and often paired with the slightly shorter wakizashi. It's mostly meant for cutting, in an arc, and not so good at thrusting, though it could be used for such."

"Rynn has a Wakizashi, though she calls it a Katana. She can't remember the name though. It's name is Phoenix." Aria grinned.

Dae grinned. "That's a common misconception," he said. "Katana is the name that refers to swords over sixty centimeters long. Wakizashis are between thirty and sixty. They're also forged a lot differently, with different blade thickness and different metals. They're more of a field weapon, whereas katanas are kind of like rapiers."

Aria nodded again, picking up the shot glass to drink. That juice was good. She swallowed, setting the glass down. "Ahhh...I see. Well, we both know it's not, she can't recall the true name to it."

Dae sipped his juice. "There are, of course, several different types of weaponry used overall that were quite popular in Japan. Masamune were extremely long, and I don't think anybody ever got the hang of them one-handed."

Aria nodded. "I bet not, if they were really long."

Dae grinned. "One weapon almost nobody could deal with, one handed OR two, was the zanbato. Now THAT was a weapon!"

"What did that one look like?"

"It was a gigantic blade, taller than a man and about as wide, with a short, thick wooden handle. It was meant for foot soldiers to use against cavalry, the idea being to cut through both horse and rider in one sweep."

Aria's blue eyes went wide. "Wow...but if it was so big, how'd they expect anyone to use such?"

Dae chuckled. "That's why almost nobody could handle it. It was only in service for a short while, because they were just too heavy for normal usage."

"Those that could much have been huge men!"

"Aye, or very very strong," he said, shrugging. "Which is why these were much more common." He gestured to the katana. "Wakizashis were even more so, because their shorter blades meant quicker drawing, and the way their edges were done made them much more vicious against soft flesh. Katanas, being very sharp and very strong, were a sort of all-purpose weapon good for cutting through harder materials. Often, if a samurai could wield a katana one-handed, he would put a wakizashi in the other. They were paired so frequently they even got a nickname - daisho."

Aria nodded. All this was fasinating to her. "Cool. I bet they were hard to beat."

Dae sipped lightly at his juice. "Daisho literally means 'large and small' - large, for the katana, and small, the wakizashi. They were a formidible force to face - at least, until the age of gunpowder. But that's a different story."

She nodded, glancing at the clock on the wall. It was awful late. "I appreciate the history lesson, but I should get home. Rynn's gotta be worried about me. But I'll be back!"

Dae waved. "No problem! Perhaps next time you can bring your sword," he said.

Aria nodded. "I will. It's plastic though...that won't be a problem?" she asked, standing.

Dae shook his head. "Not if you just want to learn kata, or all you're going against is plastic. I bet we could whittle you down a bokken, though - wooden katana, meant for practice," he explained.

Aria grinned. "I'd like that! That would so rock!"

Celaien stretched, grinning at her. "Glad you had fun! I can't wait until we can make a real katana our size," he said, smiling.

Aria nodded. "Yeah!" She grinned at him. "Thanks for having me, come over anytime!" She waved, and flew out the kitchen window, grinning.

"Any time!" he called after her, waving back.

Celaien woke slowly, his brain all fogged-feeling and kind of painful. Not very, but a little. He was still in the chair by the hearth with Ian on his lap. He smiled gently at the younger feien's sleeping face, nudging him with his nose. "Hey... time to wake up, sleepy head," he said softly.

Ianios' blue eyes fluttered open, and he groaned, nearly pitching backwards. His head pounded. Oh flaming dragons, what had he drank last night?? Even the light that streamed in was too much for him. He leaned his head over on Celaien's shoulder. "Gah....what happened?" he muttered into his shoulder.

"I think you might have had a little too much to drink," Celaien said softly. "Does your head hurt?" *Now* he remembered what Tsuki had said about sake... It was alcohol, so too much and you'd get something called a hangover the next morning that hurt like nobody's business. He ran his fingers through Ian's hair gently, trying to make him feel better.

Ianios nodded, enjoying the touch. "Yeah...whole hell of a lot." He closed his eyes tight, using the shadow of the red feien's shoulder for protection. Now he knew why Rynn told him to avoid the alcoholic drinks, like wine and beer. But she hadn't mention sake. "That feels good."

"Poor thing," he said, nuzzling his forehead gently. Celaien looked around for somewhere shady - Cele certainly despised the light whenever *she* had a headache, and from the looks of it, Ian was feeling the hurt too. He put his free arm under Ianios's legs, and using one of his wings as a light shield, stood up and started carrying him to a nice, dark corner.

Ianios leaned on Celaien, and once he settled into the darkened corner, he relaxed more. But his head pounded something fierce. Would it ever pass? He sighed, reaching up to rub his temples. He liked Celaien, that was for sure. "Thank you." His whole head felt as if it'd come off it hurt so much. The warm feelings were gone and what was left made him feel all terrible. He wanted to curl up and die he felt so awful.

"Here, let me... face the corner, hmkay?" Celaien ordered gently. Keeping his large red wings up to make the corner as shady as possible, he scooted up behind Ian and started to gently and methodically massage his neck and shoulders, between his wings and back up to his temples and the back of his neck. He learned a lot from his housemates through observation, and whenever Dae's head hurt, this was what Tenan or Cele would do.

Ianios visibly relaxed, sighing softly. He nearly purred, and tried to rumble as Rynn had once when she was pleased, but neither sound came out quite right. He leaned back against Celaien's hands. "You're good at that."

Celaien smiled. "I take it you're feeling better, then?" he murmured into Ian's ear. "That's good." He gave the feien's shoulders one last knead, then wrapped his arms around Ian's waist. "So what's wrong, that made you so upset last night? If I'm prying, you don't have to tell me."

Ianios leaned back into Celaien's arms. "Had been thinking, really. What if I'm not good enough for Nero? His father certainly dislikes me. I'm trouble, seem to get most hurt around me, though I try not too. I get the feeling the others don't like me, Nero just trying to please me." He sighed deeply. "Shalafi spoke of gemstones, merging with one. I think I'd be better off doing that than breeding. No one needs more of me running around." He rubbed his eyes for a moment. "The sake just helped bring it all up to the surface. It's a fear...that no one will want me."

Nero? And... Ianios?? This was news to him, but then, he hadn't been around the shop much lately. Something that was going to change, and right now. He tightened his hold on Ianios just a little, nuzzling his shoulder gently. "Ian, you're good enough for any feien you choose. You're a wonderful individual, and don't ever let anyone, not even Arturo, convince you otherwise." He took a deep breath, trying to gather courage, and the right words. "Ian... even if nobody else does.. *I* want you here... You... you're special... and.." he paused, blushing slightly and pulling at his reserves of determination. "And... if you chose me... then... then I would choose you back." He waited, frozen but almost trembling, for Ian's response.

Ianios turned his head quickly and whimpered. Too fast! Gods, that hurt badly. "You would?" he asked as that stab of pain past. He blinked, turning so he could see Celaien better. His hand came out, brushing his cheek. "Seriously?" He was torn. He did like him, he did, but he liked Nero as well. But Celaien wasn't forbidden to see him. He had no intention of hurting either, but maybe he should let Nero go. Perhaps it'd be better. Oh lord...he was torn between them. But hey, he could love more than one! Who said he had to choose one? He tried finding the right words. "I..I'd be honored. I don't want to hurt either of you, but I'm honored." Was he messing this up? He hoped not. He was feeling all warm again, but this was a different warmth. "Celaien, I dunno how good I am, but I'll do my best by you. And Nero as well."

Celaien flooded with relief, letting out a breath he hadn't been aware he'd been holding. He hugged Ian tightly, pulling him closer to him, and kissed his forehead. "I understand. And I can live with that." He leaned his forehead against Ianios's and smiled gently. "As long as you love me, I can live with that quite well."

Ianios smiled back. Load off his mind, he hadn't screwed that up. "I'll take you to my den one day. It's nearby but my head's a pounding. And it's nice right here." He hadn't thought he'd find love during all this. He had told Nero he hadn't wanted anyone else, but he found out how wrong he was. He really enjoyed Celaien's company. He hugged him to him. "I do love you. I will try not to let you get hurt either."

"I think I'd like that. Now rest some, so your head will feel better, okay?" Celaien replied. He lifted a hand to start stroking Ian's hair again, smiling softly at the feien curled against him. There was a lot of thinking to be done, but he'd do that later. Right now, he was content to just sit and watch over the green feien.

Ianios curled against the taller feien, sighing softly. It felt good to be touched. He really enjoyed having his hair stroked. His head wasn't pounding so hard. He gave Celaien a smile, holding him close around the waist. He didn't say anything, just held him.

Celaien was lying listlessly in the garden, staring at the sky. He hadn't seen Ianios in.. well... it felt like *foreeever*.

Aria was leading Ianios to Celaien's house after they arrived back home. The plant Feien had been bugging Aria to take him over there since they got home. Spying Cel in the yard, Ian yelped and flew straight over. "Celaien!"

Celaien jumped, looking around in shock. Surely it couldn't be... THERE! "Ian!" he yelped, glomping the other Feien and clinging to him with all his might. Hold on... He pushed the other feien away at arm's length, studying him. "You grew!" he exclaimed, looking up and down the now-taller-than-him green feien.

Ianios grinned, and hugged the smaller Feien. "Aye, that I did!" He was much taller now than Celaien, and though it was a bit odd, he still liked it! Aria had flown over to study a plant, leaving him with Cel. "Do you like?"

"I do!" he replied, grinning. "But I can't use you as a chin rest anymore!" He hugged Ianios fiercely anyway. It felt strange, leaning against the was-shorter now-taller feien's chest. "I missed you..."

Ianios smirked, holding the heat Feien in close. He rubbed his back. "I missed you too." He looked down at the one he wanted to call his mate. "But we need to talk." Inside he was nervous...very nervous. What if Cel rejected him?

"Yeah, you're right... we do..." Celaien said, suddenly feeling very uneasy. What if Ianios decided he was too mature for Celaien? What if he left him behind...? He pointed up to the balcony above them. "That should be a good spot to sit," he said mutedly, tugging Ianios that way.

Ianios nodded, and took a seat. He glanced at Celaien. Where to start? "I...I think we should slow down....I mean, Rynn said I was rushing things, I should enjoy being a kid...well, when I was a kid...and I don't wanna rush you, make you uncomfortable..." Ianios sighed, glancing to his feet. He hoped Cel wouldn't push him away.

Celaien let out a whoosh of air he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Yeah, Dae said the same thing... about slowing our relationship down, yanno... To let it grow in its own time..." He leaned against Ianios, nuzzling his shoulder a touch. "But I do still want to be together. I *want* the relationship to grow..."

Ianios smiled and hugged Celaien to him. "That's what I want as well. I think I might have rushed Nero. I knew he was uncomfortable, and I don't want that again. I...I'd rather do it right this time." He ran his hand down Cel's back, just gently caressing him. He had spoken his true feelings.

He didn't mean to, but he stiffened unconsciously, then forced himself to relax. He pulled away a little to look into Ian's eyes. "Ian.. I want to know... What is it that you really feel for Nero? And... and for me?" he asked, looking away and biting his lower lip anxiously.

Ianios sighed. He knew it'd be asked. "Well, at first...it was friendship....then I became obsessed, I guess. He was my first friend, other than Aria. Though she's more a sister." He sighed, looking to Cel. "As for you....well, I think it's a deeper thing than friendship. I want it to blossom into more than that, if it happens that is." Lords, he prayed this would work. He adored Celaien...he really did. If he lost him...

Celaien smiled in relief and joy, snuggling against Ian's side a little. "Well, we may not be immortal, but we have plenty of time to find out more about each other and let it grow like it should," he said contentedly, twining his fingers in Ian's. "So... what's your favorite food, then?" he asked teasingly, grinning.

Ianios moved closer to the heat Feien, the blush fading down to his cheeks. He knew he was right. And he was happy, Cel hadn't rejected him. Inside he was singing for joy. Outside, he just grinned. "Yeah..."
He actually had to think a moment on that one. There were so many...what had they eatten last night? Pizza? He'd go with that. "Pizza."

Celaien laughed a little. "I like pizza too, but I'd hafta say s'mores are my favorite. You ever had one?"

Shaking his head, Ianios frowned. "Never heard of them. Are they good?"

"Yesss... want to see if Cele will make us one in the microwave? It's marshmallows and chocolate and graham crackers," he explained, grinning at the thought.

Ianios grinned, nodding. "Yeah!" Aria then flew up. "Should I head home?"

Celaien almost jumped at Aria's sudden appearance. Had she been listening the whole time?? "N-nah, you can come and try one if you like," he said, trying to calm his heartrate back down.

Ianios had forgotten himself she had flown with him to Cel's house. "Yeah, sis, come join us." She grinned. "Good, I like sweets!" She winked at Celaien as if to say she heard, but her lips were zipped.

Celaien grinned back, blushing slightly. Ah well, I guess it's a sister's perogative to know... he thought. "Well come on then, let's go get some s'mores!" he said happily.

Aria flew on into the house, leaving Ianios and Celaien outside. Ianios got to his feet and offered his hand to Cel. "Wanna race?"
Celaien grinned cheekily up at him. "Sure!" he said, shifting over to his hands and knees and taking off from the ground, laughing.

Ianios blinked and laughed, chasing after him. "No fair!"

"Myaa! Catch me if you can!" Celaien called back, grinning and laughing. He had never felt so absolutely *alive* in his life. And he liked it.

Ianios laughed, his wings buzzing hard after Celaien. He reached out, flapping as hard as he could to catch him. His fingertips brushed over the heat Feien's foot. "Almost...."

"Meep!" he squeaked, jerking his foot away. "No tickling, that's not fair!"

Ianios laughed. He kept reaching out, trying to grab a hold of his foot. His wings buzzed hard, making him sound close to a hummingbird. Finally his hand grabbed hold of his ankle, and he grinned. "Got you!"

Celaien smiled, slowing down. "That you do," he said, taking Ian's hand and giving it a little squeeze. "That you do."

Ianios blushed again, and squeezed back. He had nothing to say, he was so tonguetied at the moment.

They finally reached the kitchen and Aria, who had already *ahem* "persuaded" Celelorien to make them s'mores. It being not very difficult as she was in the mood for gooey smushness anyway.

Ianios settled down on the table, watching the s'more cook in the microwave. It smelled good! "Hmm..."

"I like s'mooores..." Celaien hummed happily, waiting patiently for the marshmallows to finish puffing up like looney balloons.

"I bet I will too then!" Ianios watched, blinking as the marshmallow grew huge. "Wow..."

"Watch, this is the best part," he said, as the microwave beeped. Cele pushed the button, the door opened, and the marshmallows flooped over on themselves, shrinking back to normal.

Ianios blinked, amazed. That was kinda cool! He flew over before she took it out, looking at it. "Cool..."

"Isn't it?" he said, laughing. "Sometimes if you poke them while they're still big they deflate funny." Cele grinned and added the top cracker to the s'mores, smushing them together and taking one out to cut into smaller bits.

Ianios flew out of the microwave, and back to Celaien. Aria was waiting patiently, but she was kinda bouncing.

Cele, satisfied the pieces were small enough, set them on a plate on the table and acquired a s'more for herself, nibbling complacently.

Aria took one and munched happily. Ianios took a piece and took one bite, chewing it and swallowing. Instantly, he felt sick. "Oh no..."

"Hm?" Celaien asked, pausing to look worriedly at Ian. "What's wrong?"

Aria looked over as well, stuffing another into her face. "Ianios?" Ianios looked at her, then Celaien. "I don't feel good..." Aria blinked. Oh...she remembered! "Ianios doesn't like sweets! It made him turn brown when he was still in his leaf!"

"Oooh, I'm sorry," he said, flicking over to Ian to rub his back gently. "Maybe just the cracker and marshmallow then? That's not too sweet..."

Ianios nodded. "Sorry...it doesn't agree with me." Aria took his bite of s'more, eatting it. She smiled gently at Celaien. "He should be ok with that."

"Mmkay. And if the 'mallow's still too sweet, the crackers are good plain, too," he said, smiling gently as he picked a new piece up and took off the top cracker and chocolate, making an open-faced s'more for Ianios.

Ianios took it, and took a small bite. It wasn't too bad, but at least it wasn't making him as ill as before. "Not bad..."

Celaien smiled with relief. "That's good. Sorry I made you feel all sicky... but I know now, right?" he said.

"You didn't make me feel sicky!" Ianios hugged his friend. "We'd forgotten, so it's no one's fault!" He grinned. "Sides, I feel better now!"

"Heh... well that's good," he said, smiling and hugging back. "We'll just remember that for next time then."

Ianios nodded, watching Aria wolf another down. She adored them. He grinned. "Well, next time we'll try something...um...spicy!"

"I like spicy food," Celaien said, grinning. "Then again, I like nearly all food, so.. heh..."

Aria laughed, her mouth covered in chocolate. Ianios grinned. "Ok...so what don't you like?"

Celaien blinked, thinking. "I... don't really know. Haven't met anything yet that I don't, barring cold stuff. Cold stuff I definitely don't like."

Ianios nodded. "Hadn't tried cold stuff myself yet, really. Maybe I should. I like warmth." He grinned directly at Cel. "Rain is ok, but I like the sun."

Celaien smiled back, blushing only slightly. "I like rain if it's warm, and storms are pretty cool. The sun is definitely my friend though."

Aria smirked. "You two are made for each other!"

Celaien blushed, but continued to grin anyway as he munched on his own piece of s'more.

Ianios moved to Aria, playfully smacking her. Aria only grinned and wiped her mouth, rubbing it on Ian. "Oh..now you'll get it!" he cried, tackling her.

Celaien just laughed from the sidelines for a bit, then helped by tickling Aria.

Ianios tickled Aria who was laughing so hard, she was nearly out of breath. She was struggling with Ianios, trying to knock him off her, laughing. "Ssstop it!" she cried, kicking as tears ran down her face.

"Okay, time to let her up," he said, laughing as well as he scooted away, grinning like a cheshire cat at her.

Ianios grinned, letting Aria up who was rubbing her facem grinning. "I am so going to get you, Ian."

Celaien just grinned quietly. "I'm almost glad I don't have any feien siblings," he laughed.

Aria laughed. "But it's fun...he's so cute and fun to play with..."
Ianios blushed. "Stop it."

Celaien laughed. "Sorry Ian, gonna hafta agree with her on that one." He smiled.

That made Ian blush even more, even down to his toes it seemed. Aria only laughed more, smirking. "Stop it..." he said, embarrassed.

"Aww... I'm sorry," Celaien said gently, still smiling, and scooted over to give Ianios a hug.

Ianios hugged him back, and stuck his tongue out at Aria. She smirked, and picked up another s'more. "See what she does to me?"

"Yeah, guess it's a good thing I don't have feien siblings after all. I mean, what if I got a sister?" Celaien said teasingly, aiming the last comment mostly at Aria. He grinned to show he didn't really mean it.

She laughed, flying over and tickling Cel. Ianios smirked then joined in.

"H-hey! No fair!" he yelped as he was double-teamed. He squirmed about, trying to evade their fingers. "Celeee, do something!" he called, laughing. She just grinned and nibbled on the last of her s'more.

Aria smirked. "You did the same to me!" With that, she grabbed Ian's side and tickled him, laughing as he squirmed as well, trying now to protect himself as well.

"Phew! I guess what comes around goes around, huh?" he said, grinning mock-evilly as he joined Aria in tickling Ianios for a bit, then sat back and laughed as he regained his own breath.

Ianios was panting by the time Aria had stopped, grinning from ear to ear. "Yeah. Sis had enough torturing me?" She laughed. "That's not torture. Tying you up tonight and tickling you is!"

Celaien laughed slightly. "Oh, that's not fair, Aria," he said, grinning. "He should at least be able to fight back."

Aria stuck out her tongue. "Heh," Ianios replied. "Just wait...I'll do the same to you then." He grinned at Cel.

"I guess it's really just a race to the string then," he said, smiling.

Both Feien laughed, Ianios smirking. "Yeah..." He moved closer to Celaien. "So...want a sister? I can give you Aria."

Celaien laughed. "Nah,I think Avvie's enough sister for me any day. Actually, come to think of it, I really don't have that many sisters..."

Aria smirked. "Rynn wouldn't go for that." Ianios laughed. "True. I haven't any brothers, either....lets switch!"

Celaien smirked. "Nah, you can just have a couple. I have plenty after all. What do you say, Cele?" She just stuck her tongue out at him, then padded off for elsewhere.

Aria laughed. "Hehe!" Ianios smirked and snuggled to him. "What else should I know about you?"

"Hmm.. what sort of stuff d'ya want to know?" he asked, looping an arm around his waist again.

Ianios sighed, pulling his own arm around the heat Feien. "Well, likes, dislikes? Fears?"

"Hmm. I like you," he said, grinning teasingly. "Does that count?"

Ianios grinned. Aria took the chance and flew back towards where she recalled the living room. "I think so...but what else?"

"Well let's see. I like all sorts of food, except cold food, and I dislike cold in general. Yanno, part of the whole being a heat feien thing," he said, grinning. "I like a lot of stuff, really. I don't much like large groups, but I don't mind small ones... Hm. I guess I haven't really found too awful much to fear, yet. How bout you? What sort of stuff d'you like?"

Ianios thought a moment. "I like doing things for others. I like plants, and warmth. Rain's ok. I love to explore and go on an adventure. I...I'm afraid of losing you, losing Aria..."

Celaien squeezed Ianios gently, nuzzling against his shoulder some. "You won't lose me. I promise."

Ianios looked at him, smiling gently and hugged him close. "I hope not...I dunno what I'd do if I did."

Celaien smiled gently back. "Don't worry about that... 'Cos you won't," he repeated softly, giving him a gentle kiss on the forehead. "Mm, it's getting late though... You and Aria want to spend the night?"

Ianios smiled, and nodded. "Sure, I don't think Rynn would mind. " He nuzzled Celaien's shoulder, laying over on him. "I know I wouldn't mind."

"Mmkay. Shall we head to the living room then? Hopefully Aria's not gotten *too* involved with any video games," he said, laughing slightly.

Ianios nodded. "Sure..." He grinned. "She's gotten me hooked to them as well."

Celaien gave him a quick kiss on the forehead and stood, offering a hand to help him up.

Ian smiled, and got up, using Celaien's hand to get up. He followed him to the living room, where Aria was watching a game being played.

: Cele was working on the Halloween Town part of Kingdom Hearts at the time, so when Celaien asked if they could spend the night she merely responded with a vague "Mmhmm." Celaien just grinned and shook his head. "So, how bout it Aria? You want to stay?"

Aria looked over and nodded. "Sure! I wanna watch this, ok?" Ianios grinned. "She'll pick up pointers. Rynn has that." He took Celaien's hand. "Lets go to your bed and rest."

"Mmkay. Cele can point my pillow out to you when she's done," he added to Aria. "Come on, Ian, it's over this way..." He led Ian down the hall to the library and then up to where his pillow was. "This is where I sleep," he said, smiling sheepishly.

Ianios grinned. "It's nice. Rynn made us beds out of tissue boxes. " He settled down into the pillow, getting all comfortable. "Come sleep beside me."

"Mmkay." He settled in beside Ianios, curling up beside him.

Ianios snuggled up close, dropping his arm over Cel's chest. He was tired. His eyes started to close. "This is nice..."

Celaien nuzzled against Ianios happily. "It is," he agreed drowsily, drifting off to sleep himself.