The Forgotten Zodiac

((I love you too~))

Leo nodded, then said "Sorry, but we're very tired and emotionally drained from this long and tiring day. If you don't mind, I think many of us have need of a meal and rest." His gaze flickered briefly to Cynyr, but he rapidly turned away. Dark yawned sleepily and nearly fell over, accidentally stumbling into Luen. They were both quick to jump away from each other, with Dark ducking behind Sylas while Luen took cover behind Forin.

Zephyr sighed, then bent his head around and nudged Ophile, Cynyr and Seria into moving towards the castle, watching silently as the wolf and the red half-cat both supported their friend.

"Very well then. Cynyr, your room was put back into order. Sylas, you will be sleeping in the king's quarters, which is next door to Cynyr's room. Eh...I would give out rooms to the rest of you, but I think you all already know where the guest rooms are." The elder looked towards the dragons, yelping a bit as he realized Boko was right behind him. The little Drakeling sniffed him eagerly, made a squealy little sound, then scurried back to Vaira. It seemed like he was the only one who still had energy to expend. Everyone else was mourning.

Forin led Diana and Luen away, leaving Nate with Sylas, Leo and Dark. Sylas realized at once that Nate was growing increasingly nervous about something obvious. Finally, he spoke. "Sylas, I--"

The human interrupted him. "Save your words, Nate. What's past is passed. Let it be, so to speak. After all," He chortled a bit. "It's not like you're exactly the one who killed my parents."

"But..." Nate looked down, clenching his hands into fists. "I did."

"I thought...there was a whole team." Sylas blinked at him.

"The Honor Guard? At the reception...I mainly used them to drive people away from the exits. I...I really am the one who did it. I cut off their heads, a-and burned them...all of them. I'm guilty. The blood of all of Grittle has stained my hands since that day..."

Leo put his hands over Sylas' eyes from behind suddenly, saying "The past is such for a reason. We can do nothing for it, no matter how much we try. I know all too well the feelings of loss and suffering, but no matter how much I try, I can't bring back my loved ones. So shut up and go get some sleep. Skies above only know how much we need it." He took panther form and pushed Sylas off towards the castle, snorting as Dark trotted dutifully along with them.

Zephyr and Vaira both shrunk down to just over Boko's size, with Zephyr nudging Nate along and Vaira licking Boko's forehead gently.

Nate followed Zephyr along, watching as Boko yawned widely, showing off sharp teeth. They easily found one of the guest rooms and settled down; Boko curled up close to Vaira, while Nate laid down next to Zephyr. He didn't show any signs that he was going to sleep, though. Not with this recent discovery. Why...why couldn't he get the faces out of his head? Was he not strong enough to fight off the ghosts of the past? He had been told too many times to just let it go. To wipe his mind clean, to confess and forget. But Nate had known that a time would come when he would be punished for his crime. Whether in this life or the next. To forget such a thing was impossible for him. He didn't know how it could be possible for anyone.

Sylas got settled in the king's quarters. He wasn't sure if he would be able to sleep, but he laid down anyways. "I...I don't know what to do," He said at last, sighing heavily. "Leo...what do I do? He wouldn't have said those things with no reason. I think he's either begging for forgiveness or retaliation. The poor lad..." He frowned, remembering that Nate was technically older than him. Dragonians aged one year for every two that passed. So the 19-year-old Nate that Sylas and Leo faced in Grittle had actually been 27.

Leo suddenly jumped up and landed on the bed, plopping down and rolling over and over until the bed was a wreck. He pulled all of the blankets together into a sort of nest, digging through it and turning around and around until he could flop down and be comfortable. "Then either forgive him for his wrongs or punish him for them," he said. "But I've never punished you for your wrongs. In fact, I think I've either helped you with them or been the cause of them. And you know me; I've been the cause of a lot of bad things. Cynyr, for example. He's a..." He paused for a moment, really working past a lump in his throat before finally saying "...good boy. But he could've been better, and that was my fault." He stretched out on the bed, his soft black fur flowing in several different directions.

Dark took a blanket and curled up on the floor, falling asleep almost instantly.

Leo glared at him, then looked to Sylas and said "He was young, Sylas. We all have things we regret."

"Yes...I know. I think...I think I know what I'll do. Werr appointed him to be the head guard here, didn't he?" Sylas frowned thoughtfully, not disturbed at all by his friend's wiggling. "Well...we should sleep for now, either way." He rolled onto his side, pushing his face into Leo's fur to sleep. Sleep...it evaded him for awhile. It evaded most of them for awhile. Werr's death had struck all of them badly.

Morning broke over the orange and yellow trees. The only ones still green were pines and other evergreens; some trees were already bare. Winter was coming, and despite the dragon attacks, Alastor was prepared for it. The storage huts were full to bursting with foods and other required things that would be hard to come by during the snowing seasons.

Breakfast was prepared and laid out on the table for those within the castle. In spite of the short staff, it was very nicely prepared and all the food smelled (and tasted) delicious. Forin, Luen and Diana were the first to be seated and eating.

((What is Sylas going to do?))

Luen was munching quietly through some fruits and other non-meat products. The last time he had eaten something strictly meat, it had made him very ill. Now he was careful to avoid most things that didn't have plants or fruit mixed in. He kissed Diana's forehead gently, smiling at her, then looked up as Seria entered the room. She looked very tired, and it was clear that neither she or Cynyr had slept well, if at all, during the night.

"Good morning," she said quietly, sitting down at the table and just leaning her arms on it for a moment.

"Seria," Luen said softly. "Are you okay?"

"I will be," she said tiredly, looking up as someone slipped into the room and walked up behind Forin. Delicate arms slid around his neck, folding over his chest. Luna closed her eyes and kissed the side of his head, knowing that they were safe to show their affections for now.

Forin tensed up before he realized it was just Luna. He took her hand in his, tilting his head back and kissing her in the cheek. "Good morning." He said quietly, running a hand through her blonde wig. "Is it comfortable? I hope it hasn't been sliding off or anything..." He spoke with almost the same tone as when he spoke to Diana, but...softer.

Luna kept her eyes closed, content to just lean against him with her arms around him. "It's fine," she said, gently stroking her fingers against his neck, rubbing his skin softly. "In fact..." She leaned back a bit and pulled up the edge of her wig, showing where her hair was. There was silver fuzz growing on her skull, a sign that her hair was growing back. She pulled the wig back down and kissed Forin's face, just above his eye, sighing.

Luen and Seria both found themselves smiling softly as they ate.

"Good. That's good..." Forin nodded. "Here, why don't you sit? I'll make you a plate." He stood, picking up the plate of the empty seat next to him. "Do you like eggs, bacon?" He looked up, spotting Ophile helping himself to the bacon platter, unable to help himself. "...just eggs?" Forin looked back to Luna, smiling ever so slightly.

Luna chuckled and let go of him, sitting down in the chair next to his. "That's fine," she said, folding her hands in her lap. She was wearing a pretty yellow dress, a good chance from her usual silver or white. With her soft turquoise eyes and the blonde wig, she was very pretty. She stood up and reached over to Ophile, taking the bacon platter and setting it on a chair so he could eat from it easier. She gave him a quick rub behind an ear, then pulled back and turned to Diana. "Hello, miss Diana," she said, smiling.

"Hi!" Diana smiled. "I like you," She said happily, nodding once or twice. Forin chortled at this, then looked up as Ophile finished the bacon.

"So," The wolf said, licking his lips, satisfied with his meal. "We've got three out of an apparent five, counting the braclets as one. That leaves the two we know of, the crown and the bracelets. What's our next move?"

"Once Cynyr is ready to lead, we'll move out," Seria said. "He'll be mobal soon. We're going to have to find the Artifact hidden here in the capital. It shouldn't be too hard, but we can't take it lightly.

Luna nodded, one hand slipping under the table to grasp Forin's hand. In keeping their relationship secret, they had to savor each moment together. She knitted her fingers into his, rubbing his pale scars gently with her thumb.

"I know. The necklace...was not written down in the book. That makes five, not the four that we thought. We're looking for the crown and the bracelets..." Forin said thoughtfully. Thoughtful as he was, he couldn't figure out why the book didn't tell us about the necklace. Maybe just some things weren't meant to be written down. Forin squeezed Luna's hand gently, then sighed. "We'll have to go back, you know...and my bretheren will know, Luna. A few probably already do..." He murmured, closing his eyes.

"So we'll have to go to the market," Ophile said, changing the conversation back to their mission. "Ask around for rumors. It worked last time, didn't it?"

Forin moved his hand away sharply as the door opened again. "U-um...have any of you seen the elder? Or Relan?" It was Aries, looking as nervous as ever. "I can't find them...their room is messy a-and I...I think I heard something last night, but I fell asleep instead of investigating..."

Luna shivered and looked over at Forin. "Then perhaps it's time to stand up for what we believe in," she whispered to him. "Because I think some of my sisters know too. But I know that many of them have wanted to find boyfriends among the Tartarans. Because although we have our summoners, it's hard living a life of solitude." She slid her hand over to his under the table, stroking his fingers in a way that portrayed tenderness and love. A new, and pleasant, feeling for Forin.

Seria stood up, saying "I haven't seen other of them. We'll have to look for them. Don't worry, we'll find them."

"If anything's left," Luen said worriedly, biting his lip softly. He looked up at Aries and said "Where are their rooms? Can you take us there?"

"I think so. But we still have this world to be concerned about..." Forin trailed off as Aries spoke.

"What do you mean, 'if there's anything left'?" She squeaked, sheer panic crossing her face. "They can't be dead! That can't happen, because then I'd be the only adviser left, and that in itself is a terrible thing because--ooohhh," She moaned, starting to pace anxiously while she chewed on her thumb nail.

"W-well," Luen stammered. "We do have to think logically. If someone took them, there IS the chance that they could be dead. I'm sorry to say it, but I can't baby it and make everything sound perfect. It's just the truth." He tilting his head slightly to the side, frowning.

Luna gave Forin's hand another soft squeeze, then stood up and said "Aries, take us to their rooms. We need to investigate."

"Yes, yes of course." Aries nodded, unable to hide her fear. She knew what Luen was saying was truth...of course it was. She watched as Forin stood as well. He looked down at Diana; she was still eating away, like she hadn't eaten food this good in ages. Which...she hadn't.

"Luen, please watch her for the time being," Forin said quietly. "We'll be fine, you worry about Diana." He smiled a bit, then straightened up and moved to follow Aries, who turned on heel and headed straight for the door.

Luen nodded, turning his attention down to Diana and smiling at her.

Seria, Forin and Luna all followed Aries to the aforementioned rooms, making sure to keep mostly quiet. A shadow suddenly flickered in front of them, but they paid it little mind. Nothing emerged, and it had looked more like a candle had flickered somewhere along the way. So they passed it without worry and came upon the rooms, only to spot an all too familiar figure digging through things that weren't his business.

"Keir!" Luna said, stalking forward. "What in the god's name are you doing here NOW?!"

"Oui!" the thief said, flinching and whirling around to face them. "Ya think you could give a guy some warnin' next time!"

"A thief!" Aries screeched, backing up.

"Calm down. He won't hurt us without reason." Forin sighed, looking at Keir pointedly. "What all did you take? We're looking for evidence here. Apparently two advisers went missing this morning. I suggest you put back whatever you might have taken." He said firmly, his 'suggestion' sounding more like an order. Either way, Keir probably didn't want to make Forin angry.