Not Until We Are Lost

Sun, birds, breeze, fresh air that rivaled that of the Winter Wonderland. A sense of home felt only one other place, though the menace here seemed different. Niks rolled to her back with an almost peaceful sigh, her fingers brushing over the soft bed coverings. They weren't as thick and heavy as the ones she'd come to know recently, yet they seemed just right, perfect almost.

Her nightgown briefly had her wondering if she hadn't somehow created a more permanent dwelling in the Dreamlands. The material so fine and sheer that it seemed to mirror what she usually wore there. The presence of some other creature, one she was growing closer and closer to, also made her wonder if she had managed it, a Dreamlands cottage?

"Mmm?" She stretched, not wanting to leave the bed, not yet. She rolled to carefully to her side, setting her head down to the pillow. Her hand reached out for the fairy not far away. "Where are we?"

This was the first time she'd woken up with either of her men. Even if she hadn't been in the same bed, she was in the same room. Perhaps he found her out there; she doubt that for some reason.

The big black wolf bounded through the snow, jumped into a snowbank, burst through the other side of it, and shook himself off before taking off running again. Evan didn't know how long he'd been doing this, he'd entirely lost track of time. The snow was glorious amounts of fun as a wolf. He liked it quite a bit when he was a man, but this was so much better. The smell of it was clean and crisp. The cold bit a little at his paws and nose, but the rest of him was quite comfortable due to the fur.

He threw himself onto his back and wiggled around in the white powder, his tongue lolling out of his mouth and his tail wagging wildly. He was attempting to make a snow wolf angel, but didn't know how well he was doing with it.

Waking up here had been wonderful. Mostly because it meant they weren't in a place where people might be trying to poach him. And where people weren't visiting to try to get a picture of the strange creatures that could shift their bodies into other things. Though he had to admit that it was nice getting to bond with Sam, and meeting Betsy. That meant two people who understood what he was going through, if in their own way.

Admittedly, he was still curious to see how tiny Betsy became an elephant.

Dreams had come easier since Simon had helped her find her way back. The Lands were always waiting for her, wanting her back, and while she wanted to spend most if not all her time there, she was getting better about not doing so. She had a job here. She had things she must do, and there were people to meet. The alien - literal alien if she understood - had sparked a curiosity which was a nice distraction from the comfort of dreams and Dreamland. The curiosity didn't keep her away for long though.

She raced down the stairs, not from fear though she still felt as if something were waiting, waiting to be free perhaps or just waiting to take her under. She wasn't sure if it was something she had created, her anxiety, or if it was something that was truly there. She'd ask Simon when she saw him next, or more when she saw him next and thought about it. The Dreamlands had a way of making her forget the troubles outside.

In a filmy dress that was more ancient Greek than anything, the librarian settled by the pond and stared out at the waters. It was almost idyllic. Almost. Now and then she'd look up and catch a glimpse of something she knew wasn't there, just hoped for it. She wished a wolf roamed the lands, or the man that belonged with the wolf. In the wolf? To the wolf? Her hand dashed at the water in small frustration.

"He wouldn't want you pining away, you stupid girl." With a huff she rolled to her back to stare up at the sky. "He wants a strong woman, not...whatever you are now. Right?" She rolled over to peek at her reflection in the water. The look on her reflected face told her she knew better.

"You did good in not licking that one." The reflection smiled as if they were sharing a joke. "He felt different, begged to be petted and snuggled against. Can you imagined Mikey with him?"

Her head lifted, feeling not at all alone.

Clark was bored in most of his classes. He attended and played along because that was what was needed, but there wasn't a lot of challenge to be had here. He recognized a few of their group in different roles around campus. Some of the others were also students, while some were professors. He didn't know how the aliens had determined who to put in which position, but he supposed that they had some sort of logic behind it. Or it was completely randomized and that was part of the 'experiment' for this planet. Either way, he would play his role and bide his time while trying to figure out more about their circumstances and trying to find their captors so he could take the fight to them. He thought that they must be orbiting the planet somewhere, but so far his trips into space hadn't turned up anything. Which meant that either the ship was cloaked or they really were dropping their abductees off and heading far away. Or perhaps they could beam people anywhere without moving their ship. There were a lot of possibilities and he was still working through them.

Currently, however, he had to do research for his Philosophy class. They were all encouraged to check out the library for further reading beyond the required textbooks. He found the campus library easily enough and headed straight to the desk. He thought that he recognized one of the librarians behind it. Was she one of their group? He was almost sure that she was, though he hadn't ever interacted with her.

He made an attempt to catch her eye to flag her down.

"Excuse me. I'm looking for anything you have associated with Nietzsche."

The irony was not lost on him that he'd been assigned the man who had developed lots of theories about an Ubermensch (roughly translated, Superman.) Perhaps his professor knew more than she was letting on and was playing with him. Or it was simply a strange coincidence.

Anger, shame, pride, frustration, confusion, anxious, loss, frustration which was totally different from the previous frustration. Niks was feeling so many things so strongly that part of her wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep. She wanted to find her way back to her home, where she truly belonged because apparently she didn't belong here. She couldn't even seduce a man who she was fairly certain wanted her. Unless it wasn't about that, a small voice said. It was usually the small voice that came up with all the many fairy tale suggestions, but now it was trying to bring reason in?

She wished she had some gift that would allow her to blow things up, or create bad weather, or anything that could be a hint destructive. At least in the Dreamlands she had some semblance of control, the world turning to her whim just a little. Here? Here it was left to everyone else, even those damnable aliens. No, especially those damnable aliens.

The librarian didnt' exactly run nor did she stroll down the halls; her longs legs ate up the distance, but she had no real destination. Or so she thought. She'd continued walking until she found a spot on the beach, plush blanket set out, and an umbrella set to give just the right shade. It begged for her to take a little rest. The owner is probably swimming, said the little voice. She ignored the little voice that agreed with a good bit of what Evan had said. The little voice was once more Niks' enemy.

She settled on the blanket and stretched out, with every intention of finding her desired escape. She did get sleep, but all the twists and turns she followed never got her to the stairs. When she woke up, she felt even more frustrated, and it was then she screamed. Well, inwardly. Evan's "admonition" had struck something; she wouldn't act like a complete fae brat. No, she screamed inwardly in frustration and pain. A certain name or more a feeling went along with it. She needed someone who could understand, or come close to it.

Where was Simon?

There was a soft sigh as she stretched; something in her ached, and she rolled over to a new room, a new environment, and a note. She felt disconnected, and she wasn't ready to find out what new hell she'd woken up to. She ignored the sound of nature coming from a window; she ignored the smell of flora that beckoned further inspection. There was a world out there demanding to be known, and she ignored it all. She needed a bit of comfort before going out into a new and possibly harsh reality.

She settled into sleep, something she'd done many times before. The dream began, as it had many times before. The world felt like it was about to open up, so that she could descend to the space she truly belonged; only there came a large squack outside her window. Or some other noise that would not have happened had her window been closed.

She rolled over, covered her head, and tried again. There was that noise. Now she swore she could hear music. The more she tried to sleep, the harder she tried to find her way to the world of power and comfort, the further away it seemed. Finally she rolled to her back and stared at the ceiling.

"Very well." She grumped and sat up; she wasn't happy, and she'd try again later. Perhaps a sedative? No, she wasn't desperate. She could survive without the other place; she would be just fine. Setting her feet down on the floor as she sat up, she finally looked at the note, guessing it was some sort of welcome bit from whatever place they were staying. They did seem to be staying at a posh resort.

"You've got to be bloody joking!" Stasis! How long had they been in stasis! How could it have kept her out of the dreamworld! Had it before! There were many thoughts bouncing around in her skull, all questions with exclamation points on the end. She balled the note up into a ball, tossed it into the closest rubbish pin - actually making it - and found something that didn't show off more skin than she wanted to show off here in the waking world.

"Now, Niklas Wright, you find your men." She nodded at herself as she pulled her hair back, pausing only a moment at the hint of pointed ear. Simon and Evan had better be somewhere in this place, or there was going to be a very unhappy librarian. She stepped out of her room in a sundress that was probably a little thinner than she'd normally wear, but didn't show off anything it shouldn't and a pair of wedge sandals. She could still dress very nicely even if it wasn't stockings and garters sort of weather.

If he closed his eyes, he could feel the air blowing the white curtains into his legs in the doorway to the balcony of his apartment on Royal. That was the problem with being Morpheus; any time, anywhere, the best imagination in the world and, snap, the best form of torture. That's where he wanted to be, if he couldn't be with Nanshe.

Not here.

He wanted to go wander around the streets with the tourists, people watch, and forget his name.

He was divorcing himself from the people here more and more, aside from Mary. He believed they'd been placed together for a reason and he quite liked her. But the dreams of the others... he was leaving them alone. If he didn't, he was afraid he might twist them or lose himself in them. And both would be very dangerous things right now.

He made his way to the hotel lounge, aimlessly. There wasn't a lot of planning here, just leaving the room, staying away from actively weaving dreams for anyone that might be sleeping. He had a book with him, and he thought about maybe having a bite to eat...

The lounge wasn't totally empty as he'd hoped. A woman sat there, a woman with dark hair. At first he took little note of her, simply gave her a slight, charming smile, and then entered the room.

The librarian sat up quickly, waking from a very deep sleep. She was some place new; it didn't matter that she hadn't been awake when they were transferred, nor did it matter that she hadn't woken up immediately when they transferred everyone. She knew the moment she started to wake that this was not where she'd been before. She had had a sneaking suspicion that she was no longer in her hay stuffed bed.

Niks blinked a few times and looked around. This was not at all where she'd gone to sleep, not at all. She pulled the covers away and stood, feeling a little weak at the knee. This was not how she wanted to wake up. So very confused, but then she supposed no one wanted to wake up this way.

Getting dressed seemed like a good idea, and she started to get her hair under control. The librarian looked around again when the lights dimmed. There was a little flicker or three, which was strange yet not. Light flickering could mean anything - so strange yet not. She glanced at her door, sighing. The Dreamlands called to her, but she knew she couldn't dream her life away.

Pulling on a sweater she found in the closet that fit her just right, Niks left her room and came up short when she saw the red head curled up on the couch eating what looked like bonbons. The red head's brow lifted as she saw the dark haired woman.

"Hello."

"Hello."

"I'm Niks."

"I'm Peri."

It seemed like a very simple introduction, but the two women were sizing each other up and not being overly discreet about it. Peri stood finally and walked around the couch to offer the plate of sweets to Niks who was feeling a little peckish. The librarian didn't think too hard on how she did like sweets, how very much she'd grown fond of them ever since the change.

"You're new."

"You are, too."

"Oh, not at as new as you'd think. This isn't the reality you're used to."

"No, the air feels different. I did have to wonder."

"Well, Peri, we have much to talk about. Offer me a few of those and I'll tell you everything."

It wasn't that Niks automatically trusted Peri, but at the moment, the red head didn't seem that much of a threat. Sure, Peri felt a little different, yet bonbons and information sharing was a good way to get to know someone. Perhaps they would be fast friends, or eventual enemies. Or somewhere in between.

Finnick had found himself in a world that was very decidedly wrong. It didn’t feel right, didn’t smell right, nothing about it was right. He’d wanted to take solace in the nearby forest but he was informed that he had duties. A job. The indignity of it made him seethe. He didn’t know where he was or why he was here, but oh he planned to find out and there would be hell to pay when he did.

For now, he ventured into the Dreamlands. Thankfully, those were still present. Whatever else might be going on in the waking world, if he could access those, then it would be all right. He felt more at home in the Dreamlands than in the waking world anyway.

Today, he wandered by the shore of a lake. It sparkled in the sunlight at him. The plants near the lake shrank away as he wandered, aware of their rightful place as it should be. He was clad in a deep green tunic decorated with intricate patterns and brown leather pants. A sword hung at his side, ready to be drawn if needed. He had powers that made using the blade unnecessary but the weapon was still a comforting weight to have.

He wasn’t alone here. He could feel that much. It wasn’t entirely surprising-sometimes mortals or other faeries stumbled upon the Dreamlands. The presence today, however. That presence was familiar in ways that he still wasn’t sure he was comfortable with. There was a flash of irritation that faded just as quickly as he turned his attention back to the lake. If she was here, she would have to come to him.

( What dreams may come... )

The librarian hadn’t meant to go back to her room, but she didn’t know where to go. She knew somewhere there had to be food, a place she could go to get away on this damn metal thing, but she also knew that the only place she wanted to be was the Dreamlands. They were safe, for the most part, and they accepted her. She felt whole there, and if she could just wait long enough, be quiet and focus, the answer would come to her. Problem was, she didn’t know the question to even begin.

Back in her room, she quickly undressed and climbed into bed. As soon as her eyes closed, she felt herself slipping away from this world into the other. It was a transition she could make with little trouble, and she was happy for it now.

The dress she wore held unusual threads of color; none of it stayed the same length, color, thickness, matching her mood. Why she let those two have such an effect on her, she did not know. She didn’t even know what affect they were having exactly other than instilling in her a need to be away. They overwhelmed her, and at the moment, she felt all too easily overwhelmed.

The Dreamlands shuddered with her frustration and confusion as she moved through it, looking for a spot that would be a proper spot to light. A stump that didn’t seem large enough for anyone to use was soon just the right size for the part-fairy.

“This would be much easier if it all came with a book. A manual. Something.” She didn’t like hearing that hint of whine or need in her voice, but there was no one here to hear her. “Something to help me.”

( ---- )

Evan felt like he'd been hit by a truck. Though his body didn't look like he'd sustained that much damage. He figured that it was his brain going with the old standbys. Get in a fight, hurt after. Get hit by a guy who can hit that hard, feel like you've met a train head on.

He went to bed aching and sore, and woke up still a little battered, but more shocking was the fact that he wasn't in the lean-to, or laying on leaves, or hearing the ocean outside, waves in perpetual motion. He was in a room. Alone. Weirder still, it smelled like him.

There was a check of the bed, first, to make sure that he wasn't sleeping next to any new strangers, and then Evan got out of the bed and started to inspect things. He discovered all of his stuff. All of it. Even the pig medallion. Everything that he'd had in Electric City, all the stuff from the strange Easterfucked planet, and what little he'd obtained in Blackandwhiteworld. All of it was here.

Quickly, Evan pulled on some clothes and went for the door, sure that it wouldn't open for him. When he did, he paused for a moment, trying to check for a force field or something else that would burn him up on contact. He even used his nose. All he smelled was the strangeness that Evan could only attribute to the metal walls and the fact that he was now sure he was aboard alien craft.

He spent a little time stepping into and out of the room, anxious to leave it, but worried that it was some kind of trap. Evan's head snapped up and he became as still as a rock when he smelled something familiar headed his way.

Fairy.

Simon wouldn't laugh, he shouldn't laugh, as Niks got lost in her reflection in the pond. She hadn't notice him go, but she knew he had gone. She hadn't bothered with waking up. Not yet. No one would miss her; she was sure of it, even if she did have a small concern. There were reasons she wouldn't be missed, and a few did sadden her.

There she sat, staring at herself, trying to understand the woman staring back at her. Her fingers would now and then tap on the surface of the water to blur the image, to make it feel more real. It was almost too perfect, and the blurred, rippling image made it all messy. She needed that.

Eventually the newly formed...her brows furrowed as she actually had to ask the question of who she was. She need to find a name for what or who she was, yet she knew she wasn't ready. She had to accept it fully perhaps. With a hint of frustration, she dashed the water and the image with her hand, needing something, anything else to look at and watch.

She watched the trees, felt the movement in them. She listened to the song that the breeze played on the water's edge. She lay back on the grass and breathed, and she might have stayed there had the world not felt different. Someone had come into her, no, the Dreamlands, or somethings had.

The once historian found her feet easily enough and started toward the new, the different. She didn't know what she was looking for, but the feeling was a curious one. She didn't own this realm, but she was connected to it, more so than she had ever felt before. She was a part of it, and it was a part of her. She belonged in it, to it, with it, yet it wasn't all she was. Perhaps it was a good that she had been what she was before. Though, she was still upset and shocked by Simon's invasion into her reality.

Moving through the trees, she searched for the new, the different, but she soon came to a full stop. Whatever had pulled her attention was becoming larger, and it was possibly too large. There were so many emotions, and they were all very raw. Something beautiful and private was happening, and it could have been any number of happenings. She didn't know if she should see what it was or if she should have let it be. But, her curious nature demanded just a peek, just a little one.

What she saw through the tree tops was one of the most beautiful and frightening sights she'd ever seen. The fire, no, fires were truly awesome, in every sense of the word, and she watched, feeling more like the indecent voyeur than the keen observer. Yet, she didn't turn away. It was too wonderful not to watch before it ended all too soon.

Simon found Niklas easily. He didn't speak to her when he did, though. And he paid no attention to the women in the house who tried to stop him as he headed toward the stairs. The fairy waved a hand and they forgot he was even there. He didn't even knock on her door, just slid the elegantly written note under it and left again.

It stated simply to meet him in the Dreamlands in two nights time.

The time passed easily for him, he found many things to occupy himself while he was waiting. The citizens of this world weren't too exciting, but Simon did like their clothing, and he liked the cars. There was plenty of interesting sights, despite the lack of interesting people. He knew he could have sought out any of the ones who he had been moved with, they would at least be better than any of the ones they were now stuck with. But he wanted his mind clear when he spoke to Niks. There was already Isaac to think about, and what he might be able to do with the youth. Or to him.

Simon waited in the forest at the bottom of the stairs, not hiding his true face, and even displaying the wings he more often than not kept hidden. He knew that she liked them. He lay on his stomach in a patch of beautifully colored flowers. The brightness of everything in the Dreamlands was a bit startling after all the black and white, even for him. He found himself fascinated with a particular purple color at the moment, gently touching the edges of the petal to move it into light and shadow respectively. The green of the grass was beautifully rich, and the fairy wondered how anybody could live their life forever never knowing color.

He wore nothing other than a bit of cloth around his lower bits for modesty. His bare feet wiggled in the lush foliage around him, and he listened to the sounds of birds and other animals. Simon didn't know if he was ever as truly at peace as he was when in the Dreamlands.

Again, Ilyien had not only found a place for them to stay, but a way to make the money needed to pay for things they had to have. Food and shelter topped that list, but more clothing was also important. It was one thing to wear the same thing day in and day out when you were traveling, it was another to do it when you were stationary and moving through a new society. But her friend made it all happen.

Neither phoenix really noticed anything strange about the coins that he brought home. So far, none of the money they'd seen - especially Sabev - had been anything like what they were used to. It didn't freak either of them out, and it didn't really cause much wonder other than the initial inspections.

The thing that Sabev found most strange and disconcerting was the lack of color. Color was the way that she had always defined her life. Phoenix were identified by their color. Family history could be seen in clarity and lines. It was unsettling to look at her human body in the looking glass and not see the fiery red hair or the bright blue eyes. It was off-putting to imagine seeing herself or Ranulf in their true forms and not seeing the colors there.

But in the end, she was okay with it, because he was here with her. Even though she couldn't see the colors of the dresses he brought for her, she could still appreciate the styles. They were different. Flowy. A little bit bouncy.

Though somebody had convinced him to buy some very silly hats. She wore them in the rooms they shared, but she wouldn't dare wear them out the door.

Sabev was straightening up a little while she waited for him to return. She wanted to see if she could convince him to meet Niks. Sabev knew what her friend's mind felt like, so while it might be a little rude to do so, she felt confident that she would be able to seek out Niklas Wright fairly easily.

The librarian yelped as she came to. She wasn't waking from a bad dream, just that feeling of not being wherever she should have been. With a deep breath, she opened her eyes again, not realizing that she had closed them in the first place. There were people everywhere, faces she knew somewhat. Somewhere moving, others were reacting, and it was not at all what she wanted to see. The lack of color, finally registering, was just as off putting.

Grey eyes, not just because the world had decided to turn grey scale, turned to the other person sitting across from her. While she didn't mind the face she saw, it wasn't the face she had been expecting to see. A manicured brow rose slightly.

"This is an interesting turn of events." Her gloved hands rest on the table before her. She noticed the bracelet around her wrist; it hadn't been there before, but she wondered at the sparkle. It may have been suiting that her booth mate did enjoy the shiny. She turned her hand over to get a better look at it.

"Did you poke something you shouldn't have, Simon? Or was this totally unknown to you? Although, I must say, I like the cut of your suit, what I can see of it." Her eyes lifted to the fairy's face. She had to push the fear that something might have happened to her partner; she couldn't see him from her seat, and she could only hope that Evan were somewhere else in this place. Whatever, wherever, and whenever they were.

Eventually, Piotr decided that enough socializing had gone on. People knew that their friends and loved ones were here with them, and that was a good thing. They could catch up further later, however. If he didn't interrupt, the meeting would go on far longer than anybody wanted it to. He'd provided some snacks, but no actual food. There would be a need for actual food at some point.

He cleared his throat to get the attention of everybody present.

"We are all here right now for the same purpose." Piotr's voice wasn't loud, but it was demanding. His accent cut through everything else easily. The edges of it were sharp, the middles heavy. He wouldn't, couldn't be ignored. "All of us were brought to this place, world or dimension, and we have all been seeking answers since we woke up. It is time to share what we have found."

He smiled a little at Mary, at Cas, then at Rob, still not giving up his position.

"I will do this in the most orderly manner that I can, so we can get the information and compare notes as needed."

Piotr turned to Castiel, who had spoken up first.

Piotr was anxious to get everything rolling. While putting the meeting off had given extra time to round up others who might need to be in on it, it meant a delay of information that he wasn't truly comfortable with. He'd managed to play it off with everybody that he'd encountered, making as if this wasn't as big a deal as it really was to him. Inside, Piotr had been twitchy. Anything could happen at any time. They were all dealing with the unknown. There were too many variables, the risk was far too high. Lingering only swayed things away from their favor.

It was very domestic, the way he readied for the guests. He didn't let Max lift a finger. It was the only way he could keep himself from stewing, really. To move, work. Put plates together. Ready beverages. Create a spread that Martha Stewart would have been proud of.

He even dressed up.

Black suit, crisp white shirt, black tie, shiny black shoes, hair combed impeccably, guns tucked away in their holsters under his arms and hidden carefully by the jacket of his expensive outfit. Not a lick of metal showing anywhere to give him away, and that was more a throwback to the long nights of watching a mark than anything else. Piotr didn't have any good reason for it now, but it felt right.

When there was nothing left to do, he leaned against the arm of the couch and worried his lip between his teeth. There wasn't a watch to check on his wrist, so he glanced every few minutes at the clock on the wall, ticking away in its hideous orange and purple motif, strange detached bunny ears the hands, a mangled face grinning behind them. It was disturbing at best, though Piotr didn't really see the image, just the minutes.

The doorbell rang and he opened it, taking up the entire doorway. He smiled at the first guests and stood aside to allow them in. He made motions toward the table of snacks and directed them toward the kitchen for drinks. Every single newcomer got the same treatment. Max still not allowed to do anything that might have taken even an iota of the control out of the Russian's hands. They weren't military people, those who were showing up, they weren't highly trained like he was, but he would be damned if he wasn't in command of everything.

There were so many faces that he didn't recognize, and still no sign of the one that he was still seeking. Rayne was not with any of the others that showed up. Piotr couldn't help the worry he felt for his charge. The strange woman who he'd met in Malden, what felt like a hundred years ago now. He didn't ask after her, knowing that if any of these people knew her, she would have been here. He'd been careful to set the time of the meeting right after sunset to accommodate her and any others that might be like her. If she was here, by some strange chance, and had not been informed of the meeting, and hadn't come looking for him, if she had, in fact, decided to keep herself secret, then she had a reason for it, and it wasn't Piotr's place to draw attention to her. The hope of that was beyond slim, however, and he knew it. She wasn't here, he just had to admit it.

He let everybody mingle for almost an hour, to make sure that all the people that had been told had a change to show up. That and it was obvious that some of them had been looking for each other for a while, and they were just now discovering one another. He couldn't bring himself to break that up. He knew how he would have felt if he'd found his friend. He wouldn't have been able to focus on anything else but making sure that she was alright.

Finally, he stood in the center of the living room, his eyes skating over the seating, knowing that there wasn't enough for everybody and regretting it, and cleared his throat to get the attention of the assembled.

"We are all here right now for the same purpose." Piotr's voice wasn't loud, but it was demanding. His accent cut through everything else easily. The edges of it were sharp, the middles heavy. He wouldn't, couldn't be ignored. "All of us were brought to this place, world or dimension, and we have all been seeking answers since we woke up. It is time to share what we have found."

He smiled a little at Mary, at Cas, then at Rob, still not giving up his position.

It was not an easy thing to keep from touching the man she'd wanted to touch the moment she met him, even if that very thought would have made her scream at how ridiculously cliche it was. Evan Vang had irritated her when she first met him, and Niklas Wright had want so very much to hit him square in the jaw. She'd also wanted to kiss him because he was very attractive in an annoying way. There was something animal about him, which was not a slight on his lack of formal education. In fact, she found his education rather well rounded for someone who'd done it all on his own.

Yet, Niks wanted to touch him in less violent ways as they headed back to her house. Or the house she had woken up in. She wanted to hold his hand, even if that seemed a little too clingy. Plus, she knew how dangerous that could be for him, which admittedly made her want to touch him even more. The librarian was almost disgusted with herself, meaning she didn't say much as they made their way back to her place.

She let him in, staying well out of his way to make sure she didn't accidentally touch him. She even moved directly to the kitchen to start a pot of water for tea. Her brow furrowed as she thought about whether or not they had tea; she knew they didn't have anything to go in it.

"I don't think she's here." Niks spoke as she filled the kettle with water. "We should probably go look for her." She didn't want to. She wanted to get to know Evan a little better, but Sabev could be in trouble in a world that was all too new to her. There had to be a better way to handle all of this, surely.

Niks was a little out of her depth, or maybe she was more in her depth than normal. It'd been some time since she'd had to deal with anything beyond the normal out of the ordinary. The phoenix was something completely different. Very different in fact. Sabev was one of the most unique creatures/people she'd ever met.

So, with a promise that she would return with food, more knowledge, and more learning experiences - including clothes and kitchen appliances - to share, Niks slipped out to get a little information from her neighborhood library. The library had the basics, the very basics, and that wasn't enough for the woman who needed to know.

The librarian sighed as she started down the walk. She knew there was a place close by that had a few sugary treats, and while thankfully she hadn't started gaining from her increase in sugary intake, she wasn't happy that she found herself wanting sugar more often than not. Then again, she couldn't exactly blame Simon, not exactly, but she heavily considered it. Although at the moment, Niks would not have minded having his knowledge to beg questions of.

She wouldn't have minded Evan either. Actually she would have felt comfort in the "puppy's" close proximity. It wasn't fair of her, but she did like having the artifact hunter around even if she had made the rules. Rules she was now hating.

Sabev woke with a start.

Things assailed her from all sides. The room she was in was unfamiliar, the view outside the window was unfamiliar, and more importantly, there was a piece missing. A very important bit of the puzzle that she'd grown very used to and very fond of.

With her mind, the little phoenix called out to him, searching for him, begging him to please come back. But she was met with emptiness. Not the blank slate that could be found when one phoenix was blocking themselves from others. But nothing. Well and truly nothing. There was no trace of him, either, no lingering tug. There should have been something. Even if Ilyien had returned to flames, there should have been a glimmer of him remaining. Something she could touch with her mind and know that he had been.

To make it worse, Sabev could feel no other phoenix at all, either. There were no others like her here.

She felt very, very alone.

And suddenly very, very scared.

Not knowing what to do, not knowing how she'd come to this new room, Sabev buried her face in her hands and wept quietly. She did not make herself aware of her surroundings as she probably should have. All of her teacher's words about the world faded from her mind.