The Forgotten Zodiac

Werr smiled and hugged Lexi as tightly as he dared. "Are you feeling better? Feel better, Lexi..." He looked up at Galai, smiling happily, tears of joy budding in his eyes. "Thank you, Galai...you always know just what to do..." He then looked down. "I...I don't know where Sylas is. He was with us before the attack, but..."

Galai looked concerned, saying "Oh dear...have you looked for them? Where do you think they would go? I'll have to inquire about this." She shook her head, re-buttoning Lexi's gown and watching as Werr helped her to stand. She was able to without pain, and she even twirled in a delicate circle, her gown flowing out around her. "Thank you, Galai!" she cried, hugging the queen tightly. "It means so much to me. Thank you, thank you..." She turned back to Werr and hugged him tightly, nuzzling into his neck.

Galai smiled, then dipped her head to them and headed out of the room.

Werr beamed happily, trying his hardest not to cry. But they were tears of absolute joy, not of sadness.

"Galai," Ophile met her in the hallway. "Such a surprise to see you here, my queen." He smiled and nosed her hand, rubbing up against her leg. "You're just as beautiful as ever, I have to say...why did you come, though? It's dangerous here, Galai, people can have their tongues cut out for so much as mentioning the Goddess' name..."

She bent down and began scratching his ears, really messing with them, like Cynyr liked to do. "Ophile!" she said happily. "It's good to see you again, darling. And as I said before, I am here to assist you all. At least for a little while. We received troubling information and I convinced Titus to let me come here for a time. And I assure you, the people here will not know what I am."

((So Bun, I've been wanting to know. Do you like any of the guys at your school? Have anyone you think you might be starting to like? : D A random question, I know, but it's been something I've been wondering.))

((Not particularly. I don't have ridiculously high standards for men, but none of them have peaked my interest because any and all Christian boys in my school are nonexistent.

Why, do you have someone you like? And don't worry about me telling or me being unhappy, I'm happy so long as you are.))

"I see...well, so long as you're kept safe." Ophile smiled. He turned and locked his eyes on one of the doors, then padded down the hall. "Seria, she's not screaming anymore," He called, wagging his tail a bit. He looked up at Galai and explained. "Luen and Forin went to Kaislun to get Luna back and to fix Forin's problems. They didn't want Diana to slow them down, so they left while she was asleep. She threw a fit when she woke up, though..."

((No, I haven't been around enough guys to have a decent pick yet. xD

Another question I've been thinking over lately is something I still feel a tad awkward asking but...I just really want to know. What do you think of gay/lesbian people? My thoughts are that what they do is very, very bad, but we shouldn't hate the person, just the sin. I just know I would rather die than ever do something like that myself, ya know? I'd like a man someday. xD))

Seria steeled herself and rose up to go and try to talk to her, but Galai stepped forward. "Seria, dear, will you allow me to try first?" she asked. "You look absolutely exhausted, darling. Please, go sit down and don't trouble yourself."

Seria opened her mouth to protest, but Galai merely smiled and pushed her towards the livingroom, saying "I insist, I insist! Now you go rest." Once the confused half-cat was ushered off, Galai turned to the door and opened it. "Diana?" she called gently, opening the door. "Sweetheart, darling little one, are you okay?"

((That's a bit of an odd question. DO I SEEM LESBIAN TO YOU? p3p

It's exactly as you say. It's a sin; but the person committing it is still a person, and they're still very much loved by Christ, whether or not they accept it.))

Diana was...not there. Ophile, who had followed Galai in, immediately sniffed around; she wasn't hiding under the bed or in the closet. The window was open. "Obelisk! Did you sense anyone leaving?" He called down the stairs.

"No, there've been no breaches of the perimeter." Obelisk replied. "Everyone who was here is still here, on the property."

"Then where..." Ophile hopped out of the window, sniffing around. Thankfully, the house was only one floor; Ophile's hind legs were merely scratched by a bush. No big deal. He sniffed around, then looked up at Galai. "Smells like she went out back."

((NO, FOR POOTY TOOT'S SAKE. NEVER. -cling- I asked Hannah the same question and she had the same answer, so.

-clinghug- Don't be upset. p3p I just wanted to know if we had yet another thing in common, which it turns out we did.))

Galai considered, then said "Is there a garden back here?" Upon Ophile's nod, the elegant, graceful queen moved forward, concern etched into her features. They found Diana trying desperately to open the gates in order to get out. As they approached, she stopped trying and just slid down against the doors, crying.

Galai rushed forward at once, with wild abandon. She scooped up the girl and held her close, saying "Oh, you poor angel! You've been having a rough day, haven't you just? You poor angel..."

((Haha, well, it's a very reasonable thought process.

Of course we do. We have tons in common~))

Diana wailed louder, not recognizing Galai's sweet voice. She struggled desperately for a long moment, then caught sight of her captor and stared at Galai with surprise. She fell silent almost immediately, just staring at Galai and faling still, not fighting the hugs, but not really accepting them, either. She said nothing, completely and utterly silent.

((Eeeeee. -hugs-))

"That's it," Galai said, standing up with the girl in her arms. "We're going to go inside and make something to eat, together. Alright? Nothing soothes heartache like eating. There's just something calming about it. Now, you tell me your favorite food and we'll make it. Alright?" She turned and headed into the house, carrying the girl with her.

Diana was a little stiff, but she allowed Galai to carry her. She still didn't seem willing to respond, but as Galai sat her down at the table, she said quietly, "I...I like sweet things."

"You can't always get sweet things, can you?" Ophile rested his muzzle on the table. "Being always on the move and whatnot..." Diana slowly shook her head, then buried her face in her arms.

"Sweet things, alright," Galai said, searching through the cupboards. "Hmm. I've never worked with many of these human food types. I know you need sugar to make things sweet..." She found one of Fawn's cook books and flipped to the deserts, eventually managing to throw together a batch of overly-sugary cookies. "Here you go," she said, setting the plate down in the center of the table. "You eat whatever you want, alright?" She stroked Diana's back, murmuring "It must be hard, huh? Not having Forin or Luen around."

Diana tasted the cookies, frowning slightly. She set them aside and looked up at Galai, then back down at the table. "I...they left me. I wanted to go with them..." She sighed unhappily, not having the energy to cry anymore. "They're just...gone. And it might be a really long time before they come back..." She put her arms around her stomach and her head on the table. "My mom and dad wanted to leave me, too. I was too young to understand what adoption was, back then...but I remembered it because it was they were talking about wh-when they walked in..." She turned her head to the side and stared out the window, remembering Gual. Standing there exactly in the same sort of position as one of the men that had killed her parents.

Galai listened to her speak, then said "But Forin and Luen will return very soon, as they said. You know they love you. They're your family; they can do nothing else but love you and want the best for you. I can feel their love for you, Diana. They love you so much. Your parents would've missed out on the greatest thing of their life if they gave you up." She continued stroking her back, running her fingers lightly through her hair. "They missed out, and you found something better."

Diana didn't seem to take Galai's words to heart. She picked up one of the cookies and walked back to her room, where she closed the window and just stared out at the sky, half-heartedly munching on the cookie. It would take much more than a few sweet words and a treat to cheer her up, clearly. She had lost her two main sources of happiness, and both in a matter of two seconds. She quietly cursed her own sleeping habits; she took naps a lot, slept in heavily during the mornings...perhaps if she hadn't slept in so much, they wouldn't have left without her...

Galai watched her for a moment, then said "Diana, there is no point in mopeing about like this. Therefore, we are going to clean the house! Come on, it's the least we can do for our wonderful hosts!" She rose up and seized a broom and dustpan from the closet, along with a feather duster. She put the duster in Diana's hand, saying "A working mind has no time to dwell. Let's get moving! Welk, if you don't mind, I'd like your help too."

The half-cat stood at once, saying "Yeah?"

"You get to clean out the chimney," Galai said with a smile.

His eyes glinted brightly in excitement. "Really? Cool!" he said, then turned to Isslia "A chimney, Isslia!" before running outside to get on the roof.

"No, no, I assure you, cleaning is not neccesary in the slight--" Obelisk started to protest, but Fawn touched his arm and looked up at him softly. He huffed slightly. "But dearest, what if they tear up my shadows on accident? The house cleans itself for a reason, those surveillence shadows were hard to construct..." She peered at him a different way. "It's not a weightless excuse, I--" A quirk of an eyebrow and the hints of a small smirk. "Fine, fine..." Obelisk finally gave in. "Don't sweep any corners before the shadows have a chance to move."

Fawn's method of communication seemed to work perfectly between the two of them. Any other may be dreadfully confused with her; she spoke through touching Obelisk's arm or chest, looking at him certain ways, and making whatever sounds she could. It was communication that another could only understand if they spent a lot of time with her. Knowing what she needed and wanted was no easy task, by far, but Obelisk...well, Obelisk had it in the bag.

Galai nodded at him, saying "We will not intrude on anything, Sharp-Spirit." She hummed happily as she swept the floors, always waiting until the shadows moved. Sometimes she tickled the edge of one lightly, watching it vibrate with a giddiness that seemed to transfer directly from her. She never hurt them, of course, just as she never pushed them to move. She was a bright, joyous presence in the house, humming and singing in the Amnairian tongue.

Diana hung around in her shadow (so to speak), dusting away any small amount of dirt and grime she could find. Obelisk was far from living in any dirty hole; the house was almost spotless. Almost. Galai was really just sweeping up dirt that the others had tracked in, that Obelisk hadn't gotten around to cleaning just yet. Which was enough to make a small pile, at least. But every nook and cranny, even spots that seemed slightly out-of-the-way, all of it was clearly cleaned regularly. Basically, it was hard to find things to clean. But pretty much every room was available for cleaning.

Diana flinched back and scooted behind Galai as Carlyle emerged from his room. His head had been bandaged, as had his hand. He was leaning on a crutch, but didn't seem to care all that much. He passed the two with hardly a glance in their direction, heading to the dining room to see what he could scavenge from what was leftover for breakfast.

Galai paused to watch him go, then flinched and turned sharply as Welk tumbled down the chimney, landing flat on his back in the fireplace. "Ouch!" he yelped, sitting up. He looked nearly like a black lion, covered in soot he was. He coughed and soot flew off of him, moreso when he stood up. "Wow, look at me!" he said, grinning and showing off white teeth in a black face. "I'm a black lion!"

"And you're making a mess!" Galai squealed. "You go off and take a shower this instant!"

Welk stared at her, then shrugged and headed off.