The Forgotten Zodiac

Welk smiled meekly, then brought their lips together in a soft kiss, slowly moving one hand down her side to rest against her hip. He pulled back when he heard a weird sound start up; like a faint hum. He blinked, realizing that Cynyr was slowly putting up a wind barrier, sharpening the wind so it was impossible to see through. Welk caught a single wink from his brother before they were left completely alone in the un-see-thru, un-hear-thru compartment.

Welk blushed, knowing it was no trouble at all for Cynyr to keep up this meager amount of magic, then turned to Isslia and gave a sheepish grin. "Hi..." he said softly, giving a weak chuckle.

Isslia smiled and pressed as close as possible to him, kissing him again. She ran her fingers through his hair and held his other hand as she did so, and when she finally broke away, she was blushing and smiling happily. She slowly stopped smiling, however, and looked down at herself. "Should...should I let you...?" She pulled at the edge of her shirt, not entirely certain if Welk would be okay with just kissing or not.

Welk's eyes went wide at once, then he grabbed her hands and made her let go, saying "No, no! No way, Isslia. I told you I'm not that kind of person. We're just boyfriend and girlfriend right now. Kisses and touch are as far as we go. And not even that kind of touch." He brushed the edge of her shirt down, making certain that she was securely covered before looking up at her face again. "I will never, ever do that to you. That is something that comes after marriage. And...I'm going to marry you, someday. Hear me? You'll never be hurt by another person ever again." He tilted her head back to look up at him, then grinned weakly and said "Doesn't mean I can't do this, though." He tilted her head back further and placed a small kiss on her throat, purring. He was still very depressed over Werr, but he knew the boy was still alive. That was the only reason why he was able to lavish this love on Isslia. If Werr were really dead, it would be an entirely different story.

Isslia hummed a very quiet note, wrapping her arms around him again. That was how she knew, then. He really did care for her. He loved her deeply, and was willing to wait until they were both ready before doing anything of that sort. Willing to wait until they were both married.

"I love you, Welk," She said, quiet in spite of the barrier around them. "I love you so very, very much."

His smile, when it came, seemed more genuine and easy to surface. "I love you too," he murmured, kissing her forehead softly. "Now while we're alone, let's get some real kissing done." He pressed her back against the seat, settling her securely against himself, and brought their mouths together in a deep kiss. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tiny frame close and relishing in every second of having the beautiful girl here with him. She was pure elegance in his eyes, and she could be nothing but perfect.

If there ever were a true love, it would be the love of Welk Kaelen for Isslia Royal.

((I'm going to skip to some interaction between Forin, Diana, Galai, and so on. >w<))

Obelisk slowly lowered his hand, as he had been rubbing the stubble on his chin. "I'm sorry I had to lie to you, back in Remor's mind," He spoke to Naybrin softly. "Zephyr isn't quite here yet, as I'm sure you've realized. I couldn't let Remor know what I was doing, or...well, you see what's happening to Werr. He's trapped."

((Yup~))

Naybrin nodded once, sagely, saying "Pay it no mind, Sharp-Spirit, I hold no blame for you in my heart." He sighed, lowering his head onto the pillows of the couch. "I'm getting extremely old, Obelisk," he murmured. "True, I think I could survive indefinitely, but...I've begun to feel my age. And I've begun to wonder. The Goddess did not make me immortal, though it does seem that way. I suspect she was 'testing' something on me. I am immortal; however, I've stopped growing, and I can be killed by outside forces. I think...that I will only truly die...once I've decided to die. And...I think my subconscious is betraying me, in that regard..."

Obelisk was quiet for a moment. "We can't all be immortal. If you die, then you die..." Obelisk sighed heavily. "At least you have the knowledge that if you truly want to die...you can. Those years of my life were the most miserable I've ever had. I'm not entirely certain how I'll deal with things, after Fawn is dead...but I'll survive, I imagine. I have no choice." Obelisk sighed heavily. "I'm hoping that Malice will one day find a woman of his own. I can watch over his children, and his grandchildren, and their children...it will be troublesome explaining everything to them, but..." He chortled. "That's a small price to pay."

Naybrin smiled, then looked up as Malice entered the room, carrying two cups of hot tea that Fawn had made. He slid one into his father's hand, then turned and shyly carried the other over to Naybrin. "M-mom said...to give this to you," he said hesitantly, holding the cup out to the ancient dragon.

Naybrin blinked, then smiled and took the cup, gently steadying Malice's quivering hands. "Thank you, little one," he soothed, taking a welcome sip of the drink. He ruffled Malice's coal-black hair, watching the boy smiled and skitter back to his father, curling up in the same chair and wrapping his arms around him.

"Thank you, Malice." Obelisk smiled. "Enjoy the tea. It's my wife's blend, made to relax and rejuvinate. Perhaps you'll feel a little better after drinking it." He took a sip, then lowered it. "You're a very ancient dragon, I know. Older than I. But have you considered meditation? Sinking into one's own heart and soul...it's very beneficial, if you know what you're doing..."

Naybrin sipped softly at the tea, sighing happily, then said "I have considered it, but...I haven't really tried it. The only times I have, I've dealved too deeply into the sad parts of my life. I can't seem to stay out of them. I guess, despite all of my powers, I just don't know how..." He sighed heavily, then looked up at Obelisk and smiled. "Perhaps there are some things I could yet learn from you, Sharp-Spirit. What say you to helping an old dragon find a bit of peace? Because..." The distant look came back over him. "...so far, the only other peace that I know to find is death...and I'm not yet sure if I'm ready to go or not..."

Obelisk smiled a bit. "When death is not an option, sometimes you find other places to go. And spending time in the darkest, deepest recesses of the heart, where the joyous memories are stored...sometimes even that does nothing to help. Looking on to the future will only result in sadness and expectations that can never be met. The present, however...there's true peace to be found in the present, believe it or not. Wholesome, soothing peace. If you can come to terms with the fact that you're still alive, then you'll realize that it is so for a reason. The Goddess is, perhaps, testing your resolve...perhaps she wants you to form a Soul-Bond with Werr Krow. You know how powerful those are..." He smiled slightly. "But who knows? That's looking on to the future again. The present...your dear friends are still alive. You've found the brother and sister of your late son, along with their father. There is hope for the Wyvern race, as there is hope for Herrace now, too." Obelisk closed his eyes, humming a small note. "I've never been much of an optimist, but there are times when seeking out the happiness in the present is important."

Naybrin tilted his head back, absorbing Obelisk's words with a calm expression on his face. "Your words are kind, Sharp-Spirit," he murmured, rubbing his mouth and chin thoughtfully. "They fill me with a faint sense of hope." He sighed, stroking his light blue hair back, then said "Perhaps I will try meditation again. Meditating on the good things...or at least, trying to. The present. The present..." He closed his eyes, exhaling softly, and allowed his mind to wander.

"Right." Obelisk smiled, taking another sip of his tea. "Dareth not wander too far." He stood, stretching a bit. Then he snapped; a portal to the Realm of Darkness opened up. He reached inside with both arms and emerged with a heavy looking box. It was white with a golden spine and fancy gold swirls on it. He sat down and opened the box, pulling out a thick, leather-bound, old looking book. It was still in good condition, but obviously worn around the edges. Even so...the pages themselves seemed to shimmer and shine with a gentle, lovely light.

Cyprus sensed it at once. Holy magic flowed off the book in waves. If Obelisk weren't human, if he were made of shadow instead of flesh and blood, he may have been burned by touching it. Obelisk spotted the look on Cyprus' face, and held out the book. "I believe I've kept something important from you."

"Wha...you'd just...hand it over?" Cyprus gaped.

"Of course. I've no need for it. I have the words memorized." Obelisk shrugged. "I can't use the power it holds, either. Give it to someone of your choice...have them weild it. Who knows?" He smiled again, and shook it lightly to take Cyprus out of his stare.

The Demigod took the book with great reverence, hugging it close once Obelisk let go. "You don't know what this means to me...to the world." He beamed.

"I think I have a pretty good idea," Obelisk chortled.

Seria, who was curled up nearby in cat form, still in a rather bright-spirited mood, lifted her head and blinked her soft blue eyes at the two. She didn't say anything, seemingly thinking about something, then smiled widely and turned over, shivering in a joyous sort of way.

Nearby, Zelana snorted and turned away from them all. She was carrying a small tray of food in her arms, and she headed off towards Carlyle's room. He was easily recovering from the attack that had been made on him; really, it had been the worst of times for an attack to be tried, what with Galai and Cyprus both around. Galai had insisted he remain in bed, even though he was pretty much okay, and Zelana made it a point to visit.

"Hey," she said, stepping quietly into the room after knocking lightly. She wasn't wearing her usual scant tribal outfit; instead, Fawn had lent her a flowery dress.

"Hi." Carlyle was sitting up in bed, avoiding the window. It was broken, and another arrow was lodged in the floor. "Don't worry about that, that was about an hour ago. Cern forgot to pick up the arrow" He was bleeding slightly, but only due to the glass that had flown about when the arrow had been fired.

He sighed heavily. "Right now, I'm just questioning who sent the Blood Hawks. I don't think it was the Peacekeepers...it may have been Corporal Quin. He's always had it out for me..." He looked up at her at last. "Oh. You look lovely." He commented lightly, smiling again.

She blushed furiously, looking angry, then set the tray down next to him and forced the cup into his hands. "Be quiet," she said, her cheeks and the bridge of her nose still red. "You should just lay still and shut up." She had let her long blonde hair go free from her usual ponytail, and it hung down to the bottom of her spine. There was a meow at her feet, then Blossom jumped up onto the bed, purring and rubbing against his leg.

"Ah, little Blossom." Carlyle beamed. "There's a good little kitty," He gently pet the kitten, scratching it behind the ears and rubbing a finger under its chin. Then he paused to drink from the cup, smiling a bit still. "Thank you, Zelana...you're very kind. The only other two who bothered to visit are Diana and Galai..."

She blushed again, looking away and twirling a lock of her long hair nervously. "It's not kindness," she said huffily. "It's just that I don't want you dying. Not because I like you or anything. It would just be a hassle to have to bury your corpse right now. We don't have time for it."

Carlyle knew by now that anger was her way of dealing with embarressment. She obviously wasn't used to kind words.