Gryphons
Chapter Fifteen

Ratings: PG
Warnings: Angst, some violence
Summary: Too many secrets. Draephus learns Vesper's, and Dahli at last solves the mystery of the infamous coat.
Notes:...Portions of this chapter written by S.H. Desjardins, specifically parts that take place in the recording studio. I didn’t edit them. I took them exactly as they were. What Dahli is drinking is in fact a ‘Tree Frog’, but Shane did not know I had mentioned what that was earlier in the book when she wrote her part. The only part I did edit slightly is where she is talking to Straif – Shane had them speaking as if they did not know each other, when they had in fact already met.

Draephus cleared his throat. “Heia, Teirra?”

Teirra sighed heavily. “I’m not going to be pleased, am I?”

Draephus cast a glance at Dahli, face down in the middle of the floor of his castle, Bacca and Czanda sniffing her suspiciously, occasionally barking at her inert form.

“Well… she’s fine, she’s safe, she’s…”

Raski plucked the ‘com from Draephus’ hand. “She’s passed out face down on the floor.”

“WHAT?!”

Draephus took the ‘com back from Raski, glaring at him. “We… threw her a traditional warrior’s celebration and… she got a little… um…”

“How little?”

Draephus and Raski exchanged glances. Finally Draephus sighed.

“She’s… well… pretty wrecked.”

“But she’s safe? She’s okay? By the Empire the girl is turning my hair grey! Tell me she’s safe.”

“She’s fine,” said Draephus, “she’s with us. We’ll let the Faylans chew on her a little bit then send her home when she can function.”

Teirra made a noise of exasperation. “You can understand how I’m not exactly jumping for joy over having my sixteen year old sister passed out at the house of some man twice her age that I hardly know.”

“Well I’m only physically twice her age. Mentally I’m like… twelve… thirteen tops.”

“I’m not reassured.”

“We’ll bring her home when she can find ‘up’.”

“Thank you.”

Draephus hung up, then turned towards Raski, gently drawing him into his arms, kissing him softly. Raski grinned up at Draephus.

“You didn’t tell Teirra that we awarded Dahli the traditional virgin sacrifice as well.”

“No reason to. Straif’s not a virgin. Besides tradition says you don’t have to tell the older sister that you gave the younger sister a virgin if all she did with him was talk.” Draephus gently kissed Raski, and groaned. “Gonna be a very long five years.”

Raski nodded, then said; “Would you like me to spend the night?”

Draephus nodded. “Yeah. But… we have to behave ourselves. We promised we would. And I don’t care what Vesper says about wanting us to have a baby, we’re not doing it. I’ve already betrayed him once; I’m not doing it again.”

Raski nodded. “I understand. Come on, let’s get Dahli in bed and then get some rest. We’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”

***---***

Dahli had been awake for a few hours when she heard Draephus’ grey conni pull up before the castle. She has been alone when she awoke, opening her eyes to fine herself being studied by a pair of Faylans, one of whom had a telcom in his mouth, which he spat onto her. She had answered the ringing ‘com and had a conversation with the man on the other end, a fellow by the name of Vesper. Then she got up and dressed, and began wandering around the beautiful castle, escorted by the Faylans, until she heard Draephus drive up in his conni. He parked it, shut off the engine, and then she heard the door slam.

“T’niski!”

The Faylans went mad, tearing down from the upper levels like red streaks. Dahli winced as she heard the inevitable impact with the closed door.

“Idiots,” she mumbled fondly.

The door opened and Draephus came in, walking up the stairs followed by his Faylans. He grinned at her.

“Heia Fearless! How’s the head?”

“Not as bad as it was a couple hours ago,” she said as someone come running up the stairs and into the room. It was Raski.

“Heia Fearless,” he said. “I see you are back from the land of the inebriated.”

She smiled a little self-consciously. “Just barely.”

He grinned. Damn but he was gorgeous! Posters and photos just did not capture it. It was a shame; he was utterly lovely. Then his attention was directed away from her as Draephus walked over to give him a kiss. Dahli raised an eyebrow. Bet the fan listings didn’t mention little bit of trivia. She enjoyed the view while it lasted.

“Heia Draephus, you got a call while you were out.”

“Oh yeah?” said Draephus. “From who?”

“A guy named Vesper. He seemed really nice.”

Draephus groaned, as if disappointed he missed the call. “What did he say?”

“Not much, really. Heia, how’s Draephus, how are the barkers, is Raski pregnant, THAT one got my attention, I’m gonna post that one on the Gryphon’s Roost.”

Raski snorted. Draephus just looked puzzled.

“He… didn’t ask who you were?”

“No. In fact he knew my name and everything.”

Raski and Draephus exchanged glances, then Draephus moved towards Dahli, his expression puzzled. “He knew your name?”

Dahli nodded. “Well I assumed you mentioned me to him.”

“No, I haven’t. He’s down on the South Continent. We haven’t talked much.”

“South Continent? No he’s in Avalair.”

“Avalair?!” said Draephus, looking surprised.

Dahli nodded. “Yeah, Avalair! I heard the warning sirens.”

Draephus shook his head. “No you have to be mistaken.”

Dahli snorted. “No way. Believe me, I walked through Avalair. I won’t ever forget the sound of those sirens, no matter how long I live. Or how much I would like to.”

Once more Draephus and Raski gave each other a puzzled look, then Draephus walked over to his telcom to check if it had in fact recorded the conversation. It had. He activated the cylinder, and listened to the phone call. Dahli’s voice was first, cheeky and light hearted.

“Mortified Gryphons Fan Club, Dahli Sandiniti speaking.”

Draephus and Raski gave her a weary look. She blushed. Vesper’s voice was next, laughing.

“Really? Well I’m not sure I have my dues paid up, can I speak to Draephus anyway?”

“Only if you can play Rainforest on your school desk with two pencils and the tin lid on your compass case.”

Draephus gave her a look of disbelief. “Can you really?”

Dahli nodded happily. On the ‘com, Vesper laughed again.

“Sorry, all I have are two almanikies and a watering can.”

“Well he’s not actually here right now, can I take a message?”

I suppose. I was really rather hoping to speak to him. Are you Dahli?”

“Yeah.”

“Heia I’m Vesper. How is Draephus, have his lungs cleared up?”

“Yeah he sounds fine. I’m not really the one to ask about his lungs, though, I haven’t really been here for the worst of it.”

“Is Raski pregnant yet?”

“Well not by me!”

Vesper’s voice became excited. “But he’s pregnant?”

“I really can’t answer that, I have no idea, and they don’t put information like that on the fan listings.”

“No I suppose not. I was rather hop…”

“Here!” Dahli interrupted, pointing at the machine. “Listen!”

Draephus and Raski froze as they heard a sound that they, like Dahli, would never forget; the low, dirge-like moan of the sirens, warning all who heard that the area was unsafe. It was faint, obviously very far away, but there was no mistaking the distinct tone.

“See?” said Dahli, triumphant. “You tell me that’s not Avalair.”

“That is Avalair,” said Draephus quietly. “Why would Vesper be in Avalair of all places? And why would he have not told me he was there? There is no reason for him to be there, in fact with his health the air alone could kill him.”

“Could it be they have the same sirens in the South Continent?” asked Raski.

“Where would he hear a siren in the jungle? They don’t have them in the jungle, they don’t need them…” Draephus turned his head to gaze at Raski, blue eyes reflecting an indescribable look. “I’ve got to get to Avalair.”

“Fine. Go. Just… don’t breathe the air.”

“I won’t. I won’t be near the inner city.”

Raski and Dahli watched Draephus leave, getting into his grey conni and driving off. Dahli looked to Raski, confused.

“What’s going on?”

Raski looked positively ill. “I’m not sure, but I really hope it’s not what I think.”

***---***

Draephus drove to Avalair. He had to use the ferry, since he no longer had the air-con, then once he was across the channel he began making his way to an old outpost, one where Mars was once stationed that the Kyphisians never found. One that was only just within hearing range of the sirens.

It was early evening when Draephus pulled up before the dilapidated old house. Once it had been a beautiful little home, but decades of neglect and war had left it a blackened little shack with a snarling façade, its expression as dark and miserable as the events it had seen. It seemed gloomy and uninhabited, but that was what had made it serve so well as a hideout; it was laid out in such a manner that the main rooms were sectioned off from the others, forming a sort of house within the house. A person could watch the place for months and see no sign of life.

Draephus got out of the conni and went for the side entrance of the little house, opening the door and stepping inside. He closed the door, then followed the passage to the inner chambers, opening the door and striding in, overwhelmed by the familiar scent of the light oil used for cleaning the guns. There was only one figure in the room, and he was small and thin, his eyes just a little too intense from behind his heavy rimmed glasses. He jumped and whirled to face Draephus as he heard the door slam. The wide eyes became even wider.

“Draephus!”

“It was you, wasn’t it?” said Draephus.

“What are you talking about? What are you doing here?”

“No I believe I am the one who should be asking that question.”

Vesper stared at Draephus, blinking, jaw working. Draephus fought down the illness in his guts.

“It was all a lie, wasn’t it Vesper?”

“I don’t know what…”

“Don’t lie to me, Vesper! Now tell me why you’re here!”

The smaller man swallowed nervously. “My name’s not Vesper,” he said quietly. “It’s Coldinyirs. There is no Vesper. He never existed.”

Draephus had no words for what he felt, at least not at that moment. Later he would be able to get the feelings and emotions sorted; loss, rage, betrayal, pain, and terribly, terribly violated. For now he was just cold, his emotions shutting down.

“What are you saying?”

“I’m saying I had a job to do, and being with you made it easier,” said Vesper. “I had to make you love me. I had to find out what moved you, attracted you, and mould myself into something you would care for. It was not easy. It would have been simpler to insert myself into Raski’s bed, but Raski is too nervous. He would have been harder to fool for so long. No, it had to be you.”

Draephus watched as the man he had loved turned to resume cleaning the guns, and if he didn’t matter. As if he had never mattered. Draephus suddenly realized he hadn’t. He lunged for Vesper, grabbing him by the arm and turning him to face him.

“You bastard! You owe me an explanation.”

“I don’t owe you a damned thing, frankly. Thanks to you finding me out my entire schedule is off. It was nearly blown when that groutnoll down on the South Continent told you I was leaving you for him.” Vesper yanked his arm away from Draephus.

“So what did you need me for? Someone to look after you when your virus became active?”

“I don’t have a virus,” said Vesper quietly. “That was part of the persona. We knew of your tendency to take in and look after those in need. I had to make myself more attractive to you. So I...” He mimed a cough. “developed a virus.”

Draephus stared at him in horror. “You were never sick? Never? Vesper I… I stole medication for you, I broke into Kyphisian labs, I risked my LIFE! I might have stolen medication from someone who really needed it! People may have died because of what I did for you! What did you do with the drugs?”

“Sold them. Used them to fund the movement. You know as well as I that ammunition is not cheap.”

Draephus’ breath was coming in gasps, and he felt the vomit rise into his throat. “You… you’re leaving me for that guy on the ‘com? What…? What is going on?”

“He is my next target. I told him I was leaving my abuse lover for him. You would have received a note and a box of small personal effects from the South Continent saying I had died down there. All I needed to do is complete my mission up here and I would be on my way.”

Draephus had gone numb. Part of him had simply shut down, unable to take in what he was hearing as he watched the stranger that had been his lover turn away and once more resume cleaning the weapons.

“So… why… why did you want me to have a baby with Raski so badly?”

“I thought you would be less likely to want answers to questions if you had something new to focus on. A new relationship and a baby would serve as a suitable distraction. So I played the concerned dying lover who did not want the man he adored to end his days in loneliness.” Vesper finished cleaning and loading the laser pistol. “Now if you don’t mind, you’ve caused enough trouble.”

Draephus could feel his brain struggling to grasp what was occurring. “Wh… what did you need me for? What… what use was I?”

“You were of very little use, sadly,” said Vesper. “You’re closed-mouthed and paranoid and you don’t share secrets with anyone. It took me years to find where you had stashed that Grey Boy and his little barking freak. And now that I’m finally close you’re hiding one and the other has gone into the Avalair Underground, and now you show up at the old hideout. You’ve been nothing but a pain in my ass since we met. Having to play up to your nerves and neurosis and your sick sense of honour. I was hoping I could have driven you to suicide by now but you’re tougher than you think.” Vesper turned and pointed the pistol at him. “And now I have to think of what to say when Raski lets me know of your demise.”

It surprised Draephus how well he recalled his survival skills. He dove sideways, feeling the silent blast of the pistol just miss him. He pounced on a long-muzzled night stalker gun, rolled to his feet, racked it, and fired.

The sound was like a shockwave; felt as much as heard. The recoil nearly broke his collarbone, throwing him into a wall. Then there was silence, and smoke, and the quiet rain of debris jarred loose from the ceiling. He sank to the floor, shaking, willing himself to breathe. Then he grabbed a small waste basket and threw up into it before collapsing to the floor.

A lie. It was all a lie. Vesper never loved him. Vesper never existed. He was just a target, a means to an end. There was no Vesper. The man he loved, had killed for, stolen for, grieved, raged and wept for, was not real. Draephus curled into a foetal position and began shaking so hard he was nearly convulsing. It wasn’t real. None of it. It was all just… a dream turned nightmare. He felt someone put a pair of arms around him, and he turned his head to see Mars crouching beside him.

“Mars? How did you get here?”

“Raski called, he said there was something odd happening in Avalair. From his description I decided to come here. Looks like my instincts were right.” Mars glanced up and gasped at the bloody mess across the room. “By the gods, Draephus.”

Draephus stared in horror at the broken remains of Vesper. No, not Vesper. A stranger. A man he didn’t know.

“I… I don’t understand,” he babbled, close to hysteria. “I don’t understand any of this…”

“Just sit, I’ll look around.”

Draephus sat in a daze on the floor, eyes closed, trying and failing to comprehend what had happened while Mars looked around. Draephus had rarely come to Avalair during the war; he had only been to this place a handful of times. Mars had spent months at a time here, hence the lethal viruses that now lay dormant in his blood. Draephus listened to him flit from one secret room to another, finally returning to where he sat.

“Come, we are sitting in a viper’s lair. We don’t want to get caught here.”

Draephus opened his eyes, noticing the collection of file folders Mars was holding.

“What’s that?”

“I’ll show you later.”

Draephus slowly staggered to his feet, shaking all over, hardly able to keep himself on his feet. He grabbed up the night stalker gun, and followed Mars out of the house to his vehicle, sitting down.

“It was all a lie,” he said softly. “All of it.”

Mars put the folders in the conni, then pulled out a couple low-impact incendiary devices. They would burn with the intensity of the sun, but there would be no explosion to draw anyone’s attention. Mars threw one into the ground floor window, then threw a second into an upper storey window. He watched as the flames suddenly flared up with a hissing whoosh.

“Ah how I miss doing that. Let’s go.”

They drove to J’Vanni’s apartment, and while Draephus sat on the same couch where not more than a few nights ago Dahli had sat and ogled J’Vanni. His eyes were glazed, and he stared forward at nothing, one hand idly rubbing the neck of J’Vanni’s great hawk.

“What were they doing?” he asked quietly.

Mars turned over a paper. “Well Coldinyirs, known to some as Vesper, was part of an extremist organization dedicated to killing the Kyphisians that had defected to our side, claiming that the only reason they would do so is to have a foothold for a return invasion. Our little Vesper was one cold-blooded monster, most of these execution orders are in his hand. He’s the one who killed Jai and Shalsairas, and he’s the one who had J’Vanni and Delaes attacked. Apparently Delaes is… half-Faylan?” He turned his green eyes to Draephus. “Is that true? I mean… can that happen?”

Draephus nodded slowly. “Yeah,” he said, his voice quiet and hoarse.

“And Coldinyirs hooked up with you because through you he could learn the location of these people.”

“I never told him. I never even mentioned Jai and Shalsairas, or J’Vanni, or Delaes. I don’t keep anything about them, I destroy all documentation of their existence and I never mention them.”

“Thus explaining why it took so many years for him to find them. The story about the virus in his heart was so he would have an out after the mission was over. Looks like it became ‘active’ a week before killing Jai and Shalsairas.”

“I… I can’t believe I didn’t know.” He laughed, a sick, humourless sound. “I actually apologized for betraying him. Can you believe it? I have one night with my best friend, and I actually said I was sorry. He was prepared to kill my friends and destroy my life and I was the one who said he was sorry! I wish I’d beaten him to death with my own fists!” He looked down at the scrap of silk he always wore around his ankle because Vesper had given it to him and tore it off. He then gave it to the hawk, who was delighted with the new toy and proceeded to rip it to small bits.

“You wouldn’t have had much luck using your fists,” said Mars. “From what I can see, Coldinyirs was a whip as well as an assassin, like Khandi. He’d have slashed you to pieces.”

“A whip? But… he didn’t have any triggers.”

“He did, a ton of them. But he wore tinted contacts to prevent his being affected by them, same as Khandi does.”

“What’s a whip?” asked a quiet voice.

Mars’ head snapped up in the direction of the voice, then he rose to his feet, walking to the tall man with the bandaged eyes.

“We thought you were asleep,” said Mars.

“I was,” said J’Vanni. “But I heard voices. I was hoping Delaes had come home.”

“No, not yet,” said Mars quietly. “Come on, sit down.”

He led J’Vanni to where Draephus was seated, waiting for him to sit down before taking a seat himself and proceeding to explain.

“A whip is a type of fighter, genetically created and perfected to kill for entertainment purposes,” said Mars. “The… Grey Boys made them. They took a form of combat perfected by Northern warrior-clans called Shi-Kha and turned it to their own purposes. Warriors trained in this method must be small, because it calls for speed and dexterity rather than brute force. Because many warriors trained in this combat were reluctant to fight each other, the Grey Boys programmed them to kill anything of a certain colour. They would then dress the warriors in their opponent’s trigger-colours and leave them to slash each other to bleeding rags. Fights between whips are fast, bloody, and usually a draw.”

“And… Khandi is one of these?” J’Vanni seemed puzzled. “What’s his trigger colour?”

“A specific shade of pale green. He’s killed a few mixing boards in the past.”

“He also once went crazy on my stereo,” said Draephus. He smiled faintly. “The contacts were a gift from the band, but they give him headaches if he wears them too long, so some days we end up having to blindfold him.”

“And he has no control over this?”

Draephus shook his head. “Nope. None. If it’s the right colour, he’ll kill it. Doesn’t matter what it is, all it has to be is green.”

J’Vanni slowly shook his head. “How horrible.”

“Yeah,” said Draephus quietly. “Horrible.”

Mars gazed at him, clearly worried. “Draephus?”

Draephus just shook his head. “I apologized. I actually apologized. I slept with Raski, and I told Vesper I was sorry.” He laughed; an ugly hysterical sound. “I should apologize to Raski for sleeping with Vesper.” He turned his head to look at Mars, gazing into clear green eyes. “I’m fine. I… I’m fine. Turn on the Visual, I want to find out what the situation with the fires in Avalair is, they had a flare up.”

Mars did, then went into the kitchen to make tea. Draephus reached out and took J’Vanni’s hand, squeezing it.

“How are you holding up?”

“Well much as I would like to put on a brave face I have to say I’m a complete wreck. I just want Delaes found and home and well and safe.”

“We all do. C’mon. Snuggle up. Take a nap.”

J’Vanni lay down, his head in Draephus’ lap, closing his eyes. Draephus placed a hand on his slender shoulder, watching the news, forcing himself not to think about Vesper. He did not want to deal with it yet. He would wait until he got home, then he could hold Raski close and cry out the whole tale to him, and beg forgiveness for making him wait for a lie. No more pissing around. No more waiting. No more second guessing, He should have been with Raski all along. He would go home, marry the man he loved and who clearly loved him and give him as many damned babies as he wanted, and spend the rest of his life making up for what a piece of dirt he was. Meanwhile on the Visual, the news cut to an outdoor scene, and a group of people standing around a huge tree.

“Hey that’s the old Goldenwood tree in the park,” said Draephus.

“Oh I hope they’re not cutting it down,” said J’Vanni. “There was talk they may have to after the last big storm we had.”

Draephus used the remote to turn up the sound, and grinned as he saw the female reporter. “Hey Mars, there’s a woman on TV.”

“Nonsense, they don’t exist. They’re a myth, like the sun.” He stepped out of the kitchen. “By the Empire you’re right. I think it’s a female. With breasts and everything. We used to need those for something, didn’t we?”

“What, breasts?”

“No, females.”

“Yeah we made babies with them.”

Mars raised an eyebrow. “A man and a woman? Making babies? Disgraceful.”

They watched as the woman walked over to the Goldenwood tree. Draephus turned the sound up a little higher, and at last they could hear her more clearly.

“We’re at Goldenwood Park, standing near the tree that gives the place its name. But it’s not the tree that is drawing the attention today, it’s what has been discovered up in the canopy nearly three hundred feet off the ground.”

Draephus just stared at the screen, having the oddest feeling he knew what he was about to see. Then the camera shifted to show a slender form dozing on a branch. He slapped a hand over his face. The woman continued to speak.

“It’s a rare arboreal Faylan. Virtually all Faylans in the province that includes Avalair are ground-dwelling, as the arboreal ones have a tendency to do just what this one has; head up the largest tree they can find. It makes them difficult for pet owners to control, and only one pet arboreal is known to live anywhere in this region. That would be Bacca, who belongs to drummer Draephus CZimcocious of the Mortified Gryphons. So Donsa CZimcocious, if you are watching this, you may want to check where your Faylan is.”

Draephus sighed heavily. “I think we just found Delaes.”

J’Vanni sat up. “Can we go get him?”

“You stay here with Mars. I’ll go get Delaes. I’ll have him home in an hour.” Draephus stood up, then paused, looking once more towards J’Vanni. “Does he have a leash?”

Mars was horrified. “Draephus! No of course he doesn’t have a leash, he’s the man’s husband, not his…”

“There’s one in the bedroom in the second drawer of the green dresser. Don’t use the one with the red collar, he doesn’t like that one, it chaffs. Use the blue one with the matching collar, he likes that one.”

Draephus went to get the leash, leaving Mars to stare open-mouthed at J’Vanni, who sat demurely, long legs crossed, hands on his knees.

“Delaes Randerick and J’Vanni Dei Syncopius, playing with bondage gear.”

“We are consenting adults, Mars.”

“Yeah but…. NOBODY who can write songs like ‘Pensive Moments in the Fifth Hour’ should be getting tied up and spanked.”

“Actually I usually do the tying and spanking while wearing my old teacher’s uniform.” He smiled a small, wicked smile. “He’s such a naughty pupil.”

Mars just stared in astonishment for a long moment, blinking. “Oh there is not enough brain bleach in the world for the mental images I am getting.”

“Then it’s a good thing I sent Draephus for the leash and not you because you probably don’t want to know about the chain harness and the pants made out of…”

Mars shoved his fingers into his ears and began walking back to the kitchen shouting “LALALALALALALALALALALALA….!”

J’Vanni sat, smiling faintly, waiting for Mars to fall silent.

“Eel skin,” he finished. Mars shrieked.

Draephus came out of the bedroom with the leash. He bent and kissed J’Vanni’s face, then walked out of the apartment.

He reached the park roughly twenty minutes later, stepping out of the grey conni and walking towards the Goldenwood tree. Draephus had never leashed either of his Faylans a day in their lives, though he always carried one when out with them. He would shake it, and the small brass bells on the collar would ring, summoning them. Delaes’ leash didn’t have bells and small carved wards dangling from it, but he doubted Delaes would come to the jingling of bells anyway.

He walked up to the Goldenwood tree and stared straight up, cigarette smouldering in the corner of his mouth, paying no attention to the small gathering of people and the female reporter, his eyes fixed on the tiny form resting oh so casually on a branch far above their heads. Wow. He backed up a few steps, took the cigarette out of his mouth, and called to the form on the branch.

“T’nisk!”

Delaes’ head shot up.

“Bacca! C’mon, we can come play another day. Let’s get home.”

A man to Draephus’ left made a sound of exasperation. “It’s not going to come to you. They don’t listen.”

Draephus slowly turned his head to look at the man. “That’s probably because you hit them when they do come.”

The man’s eyes grew huge, and he went white, then red. He said nothing more, and Draephus returned his attention to the form up the tree. He watched as Delaes rose up to all fours and stretched, then turned and began casually descending, moving head first on all fours like a jungle cat. He climbed down the tree, landed on the ground, then bounded over to Draephus, throwing his arms around him. Draephus picked him up and carried him to the waiting conni, loading Delaes into it, then getting in himself. He slammed the door shut, and started the engine.

“I have never been so glad to see you in my life,” said Delaes.

“Don’t speak yet,” said Draephus quietly, “wait until we are out of here.”

Delaes waited until they were out of the park, then reached out and took Draephus’ arm. “How is J’Vanni?”

“Blind. But well.”

“And Rysta?”

“He’s good, too. He’s still in the hospital but he’s going to be just fine. He says he’s never rooming with you again, though.”

Delaes smiled. “You know I really do adore that man when I don’t hate him.” He gave Draephus a sidelong look, but then lowered his eyes, saying nothing. Draephus swallowed the knot of bile in his stomach.

“I know who attacked you. Let’s… let’s just not talk about it. I… really haven’t dealt with this yet. But… you’re safe. This won’t happen again.”

Delaes nodded, falling silent. Draephus took him home, but did not stay to watch the joyful reunion. He didn’t think he could stomach it. Instead he went home to Raski, walking into his castle and pulling him into his arms, holding him tightly.

“Baby I owe you a huge apology, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life doing what I can to make you happy.” He kissed him hard, then picked him up and carried Raski upstairs.

***---***

Dahli sat and daydreamed, alone on the steps of her school, staring off into the distance and thinking about little. It was three days since her party at the Contempo, and she had a strange feeling inside, one of not actually being where she sat. A part of her was off wandering, recalling things she had said and done. Something had changed, and it was her. She sighed and shook her head, then looked around hopefully for Czamkiar. She had not seen him all day, and knew he was home with the flu, but could not help but hope he would appear anyway. He seemed to be the only friend she had left at school.

She stood up, toying with the idea of just skipping the afternoon, when Diza came around the corner and almost ran into her. Dahli stared at her in surprise, feeling both joy and sadness at running into her. Diza stared back, blinking, and for a long moment, neither spoke.

“I met Yuri,” said Dahli lamely. “You… always told me if I met him you wanted to know, so… I met him. Um… yeah. That’s… it.”

“Well I’m sure he was thrilled to meet a big bad warrior like you.”

Dahli sighed. “Look what are you so mad about? Because so far all you’ve done is act like Atania and you haven’t given me one reason why you’re so mad. We used to be the best of friends; don’t you think you at least owe me an explanation?”

“Well why don’t you just use your warrior powers to read my mind?”

Dahli gave her a look of pure irritation. “Look, tell ya what. Why don’t you go down into the shop class, borrow a pair of pliers, go into the bathroom and remove that razor-edged aluminium tampon, then come back when you’re feeling better. I’ll wait.”

Diza’s eyes bulged, and her jaw dropped. “DAHLI!”

“What?”

“THAT’S HORRID! I’M GOING TO BE WALKING FUNNY FOR A WEEK!”

Dahli though about what she had just said. “Yeah that… was a little harsh.”

“A little?!”

“Well,” she said, her tone a slightly defensive, “at least it made you briefly forget you hate me!”

Diza sighed, rolling her eyes. They stood together in silence for a little while, then finally Diza spoke.

“I don’t hate you. I hate me. Because I’m a coward. I could have come forward and admitted that I helped but I was too scared. I didn’t want to go to the detention center! I could have done a lot of things but I didn’t because I was too scared. I’ve been eaten alive by guilt for the whole time and I can’t seem to forgive myself, and the fact that you weren’t upset with me in the least only made it worse.”

“Well why would I be upset with you? You’re not a coward! You helped me when I came to you that night. How many other people do you think would have helped?”

“That’s not brave, of course I’m gonna help you, you’re my friend.”

“It is brave,” said Dahli. “You helped me every time I asked you to. That’s very brave. Especially considering what I asked you to do. Which… in retrospect was sort of a lot to ask.”

“Well you know the old expression,” said Diza. “A friend will help you move, a real friend will help you move a body.”

“Yeah,” said Dahli. “So stop picking on yourself. I miss you.”

“Yeah I miss you too. Besides, I would have had to make nice eventually. You have all my Gryphons albums.”

“Good because I wasn’t gonna give them back until you did.”

Diza giggled, as did Dahli, feeling a tremendous weight lift from her shoulders. She hadn't been paying any attention to the other people in the area, being too focused on Diza to pay them any heed. She didn't notice what they were saying until Diza suddenly snapped her gaze over to a particular group. Then Dahli began to listen.

"Oh I don't know, she probably liked it. She probably thinks she's real important now."

"Really. Hey Dahli, can I be your friend?"

Dahli blinked, looking at Diza in confusion. "Are they talking about me?"

"They are," said Diza. "There's a whole collection of them right behind you, about ten, I guess."

"Great," said Dahli. "Ever notice how the beakers travel in units? Who's there?"

Diza listed off the names she knew, which included Atania Nightwing, speaking in a quiet tone as the voices continued.

"Oh Dahli, you're so tough. Want to go out with me tonight?"

"She doesn't want to go with you, she likes older men. Older and wealthier."

Dahli's jaw dropped at that reference, seeing the same shocked expression on Diza. Dahli’s eyes grew hot and damp. No tears came, but a sickness washed over her. Draephus was a good part of her life, a clean part. He was her friend, and to have those little foul-mouthed groutnolls making innuendos about the two of them was almost more than she could bear.

“Have people been saying a lot of stuff like that about you?” Diza asked.

“I don’t know! I didn’t even know anybody knew Draephus and I knew each other!”

“Well he did go looking for you at the Detention Center and… it was sorta on the news,” said Diza. “Not to mention you got drunk with him at the Contempo.”

Dahli rolled her eyes. “Great. I’m the creator of my own rumours.”

Diza giggled. From behind her they heard another voice, this one none other than Atania Nightwing.

"Hey Dahli, what did you and Draephus really do with that body? I heard on the Astellis Monct show once that he's big on dead bodies and crypts and stuff. Did you take it for him? Did he like it?"

"Come on, Dahli," said Diza quietly. "Let's just go."

Dahli stared at the Atania for a moment, then turned and walked away. They had only gone a short distance when Dahli stopped.

"Look," she said, still obviously upset, "I'm just gonna ditch, I have a lot to think about. I’ll… see you later, right?"

Diza smiled. “Sure, you and me, fiveday night, homework at your place.”

Dahli grinned. “It’s so good to hear you say that." She gave Diza a hug. "I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”

“Bye Dahli.”

Dahli didn't have any where to go; she just wanted to be alone with her hurt and anger. But her feet had another plan, and when she looked up after a half an hour of seemingly aimless wandering, she found herself before Gryphon Studios. She stood before the huge gate and stared at the building. The parking lot was full of connis, all different, all expensive. Then she spied one she knew, an old grey one, carefully repaired and shining wetly in the muted light.

A uniformed man walked up to her as she stared at the vehicles. "Yes?" he said.

"I'm Dahli Sandiniti.”

The man nodded, and opened the gate, allowing her in. She crossed the lot and entered the building. The halls had been quiet the last time she had been there, but now they were alive with sound. Some of the weight lifted from her chest, and she brightened as she saw a familiar shaggy figure step out before her. Her heart warmed even more as he showed obvious pleasure at seeing her.

"Heia!" said Draephus, looking a little surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came to visit. Is that all right?"

"Yeah, fine, but I don't know what you'll think about the people wandering around this place."

"What's happening?" asked Dahli as the walked down the hall together. "It was so quiet the last time I was here."

"Yeah, I know," said Draephus. "Well what happened is things got slower and quieter until all we were doing was staring at each other. Finally we had to admit we weren't very happy with the way things were going. So while we were just sitting there, in cruises Straif Mannechek.
Well he brought a friend, namely the sepulchord player from Anazampini, Contessa Rae. So we start to play, and Straif says; `Hey, Slow Ferril is in town.' So we call him up and he comes over. I thought he was dead, myself. They don't call him `Slow' for nothing. The man must be at least three million and two. Then Khandi got drunk and called Laude Ioko on the South Continent. He didn't come over, he told us to šukat off, sober up and go away. Anyway, people have been coming and going ever since, and we haven't stopped. The memory boards are still rolling, which is more than I can say for half the technicians. We sent out for food and cots. We've been pretty much living in the studio. When somebody falls over we throw him in bed and just keep on. I'm a little afraid to find out what we recorded sounds like. I recall thinking it was pretty hot at the time, so maybe it's all right. Oh, watch out for Khandid, I think his brain has melted. Or it least it should have by now, with all the stuff we have been collectively dumping into our systems."

"You seem fine," said Dahli.

He laughed, a harsh, ugly sound that she recognized all too well. She stopped in her tracks, and he turned to face her.

“What?”

“I know that laugh, I know what it means, and if you get ugly on me I’m gonna take that coat and do to it what I did to your conni.”

He seemed to sag, lowering his head. For a long time he was silent, then he said quietly; “I’m sorry. I… uh…” He suddenly began to shake, his knees collapsing. Dahli tried to catch him but it was like holding up a concrete tower. She somehow managed to get him into a lounge, half-carrying him over to a couch and lowering him onto it.

“Draephus what’s the matter? Tell me, please. Talk to me. You can’t…”

“I can’t talk about it. I can’t. If I talk about it then it’s real and… and I’m not ready for it to be real yet. I’m not. I… can’t talk about it. And trust me… you don’t want me to.”

“But if you…”

He turned his head and looked at her. “You don’t want me to,” he said quietly. “Just…”

“Draephus,” she said quietly, “if you don’t let some of this stuff out it’s going to kill you.”

“Yeah, probably,” he said quietly. He picked at the edge of his coat. “Tell ya what. I’ll…. uh… I’ll tell you about it when I’ve had a little time to deal with it, okay? I’ve… got a lot to sort on this one and I’m not even sure what emotions I’m supposed to be feeling. The only thing I am sure that I am feeling is betrayal. Lots and lots and lots of betrayal tangled up with a lot of other crap. Let’s just say… Vesper was not who I thought he was. The rest… I can’t talk about yet.”

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly.

“Yeah me too. I’m going to miss him every day of my life, but… well the after-math of the war is still being felt and there are still casualties stacking up. Probably going to be at least another ten years before it’s really over, and even then… who knows.”

Dahli reached out to stroke his hair. Funny, when she first met him, he flinched from her touch. Now he seemed calmed by it. He stuck a cigarette in his mouth and lit it, then let his head fall to her shoulder.

“I used to think if I was you then I wouldn’t have any problems,” said Dahli. “Because you were so rich and so many people loved you.”

He snorted, the quoted a part of a song at her, one she knew. “Take a hard look around ya, babe. Ain’t nobody got it made.”

She nodded. “So you can live in your head, or you can live in your heart. And if you don’t live at all, then why the hell did you start?”

He seemed to think about that, then turned his head to look at her. “Let’s go do stupid stuff with music and record it.”

“Sounds good to me.”

They left the small lounge and walked into the control room. Dahli stood behind the technician, looking down on the room below. Mars was on the floor, curled into a knot. Both hands were around the slender, silver rod of a microphone. He was singing in a clear, powerful voice that belied the position he was in. Behind him Dahli could faintly make out the towering amp-plants, vibrating gently with the sounds, and the vague shapes of people scattered throughout the room. It was dark, save for an occasional flash of light across the body of an instrument. There was a tiny explosion of flame as someone lit a cigarette, and then it disappeared.

“And people pay you money to do this,” she said.

Draephus actually giggled, like a bad boy getting caught at something naughty. “They pay us a load of money to do this. We ought to be ashamed but we’re not.”

Suddenly Khandid lurched up against Draephus, grabbing hold of the larger man's arm to steady himself.

"I'm going to be sick!" he cheerfully announced, gazing up at Draephus. Then he turned his liquid eyes to Dahli. "Heia!" he chirped.

"Hi Khandi."

He blinked and shook his head. "So are you sleeping with Draephus?" he suddenly asked.

Dahli stared at him blankly, shocked, her jaw hanging. "No," she finally managed.

"Oh," said Khandid.

He shrugged and weaved off in another direction, leaving the room. Dahli abruptly turned to Draephus, eyes blazing, as though demanding an explanation. Draephus looked as taken aback as she was.

"I guess he was just wondering," he said weakly.

"Yeah, him and who else?" she snapped.

"Oh I don't know, Dahli, does it matter? You're not."

He stepped forward and put his arms around her. She rested her head against his chest and listened to his heart beat, feeling the warmth of his body. It was a comforting embrace, and she felt much of the day's trials fade away.

"Don't worry about Khandid," Draephus said quietly. "He's just had a little too much to smoke."

"Yes but it must have been on his mind for him to say it. And I'm a little sick of that question."

She felt Draephus tense. "Why?" he said. "Who other than Khandi has asked?"

"Oh just some beaker at school." Dahli held him a little tighter. "I just want all this garbage to be over with, but every time it lies down to die some one finds a way to stir it up again. Anyway, I came here to forget all that stuff. I came to see you because you're the only person who makes me feel good any more. I'm not an adult, but I'm not like all my friends at school any more, and somehow I think you understand that. Am I making sense?"

"Yeah," he said. He rested the side of his face against the top of her head. "Enough for me to understand what you're saying. And if you came here to hide from all the small minds, then you came to the right place."

***---***

Dahli for the most part that day found herself behind a thick layer of sound-proofed glass, trying to comprehend what everyone was doing. There did not seem to be any organisation to the madness, only a shifting stream of music that altered as some of the musicians stopped for a break and others took their place. Straif had shown up, much to Dahli’s delight, and he and Khandid were obviously having a lot of fun playing off of one another's talents, occasionally upstaging one another. Raski was a shadow at the far end of the room, but she could hear his sepulchord in the background, an anchoring rhythm to the wild havoc Ferril was wreaking with his own instrument. Mars somehow managed to be heard above everyone else, his strong voice having no trouble competing with the other sounds around him. Meanwhile the great memory boards flickered and responded to the technician, taking all of it in.

"Is this usual?" she asked. "Do they always record like this?"

The technician nodded. "Yeah, from what I hear it's pretty normal. They have a five or six week jam session, get out their ideas, and take it from there."

Mars suddenly reeled into the room, darting out of the studio and crashing into Dahli as she stood near the board. Supporting himself by hanging onto her arm, he said to the technician, "Are we good? I think we're bloody wonderful."

The technician smiled in acknowledgment, and Mars turned his attention to Dahli. "Hold this for me, will you?" he said. He passed her his drink and staggered out of the room. Dahli watched him go, wondering if everyone else was in the same shape. She turned her eyes back to the studio just in time to see Ferril fall over backwards, playing his quinticord from a prone position. Idly, she sipped Mars' drink.

"Ferril just turned seventy," remarked the technician.

"Do you think he broke anything in the fall?" Dahli asked.

"No the equipment should have withstood it."

Dahli thought about that, then sipped the drink once more. It was already affecting her, but the thought never occurred to her that there may be anything in it other than the obvious. She took another sip and watched Draephus from behind the glass.

She had seen him live in concert, and numerous times on the visual, but to watch him from so close was an altogether different experience. He was oblivious to all around him, eyes only on what he was doing. He crashed and hammered away at the drums, coat off for one of the few times in his life, the muscles in his neck and arms working as he played. He was a power drummer, and rarely sat down. The drum set was enormous, a huge sprawling array of everything from little hand-sized ones to enormous brightly painted ones that could only have come from the South Continent. He pounded and hammered like a madman, sinews and cords standing out. He was much more lean and thin than he looked beneath the imposing bulk of his coat; almost starved, and his shoulders were covered with bruises and scrapes.

“He’s been fighting again,” she remarked softly to herself.

Something was beginning to happen, something strange. Perhaps it was the loud colour of the liquid she drank, luminescent almost, and green. A liquor created from the distillation of a hibiscus plant from the South Continent. Some of the plant's fluorescent properties remained in the bottle of liquor. This particular drink was mixed with a tonic called silver...because it was. And there was something else... She took another swallow in attempt to identify the flavour, then continued to examine the fluid suspended in a tall clear glass. She smelled it, slowly, then touched it with her index finger. Metallic green dripped from the finger as she withdrew it. Interesting. A large drop formed on the tip, suspended. She licked it free, then held the drink aloft and swallowed, long and slow, until the glass was empty. Satisfied after a long voyage inside the depths of the glass that there was nothing more inside it, she glanced through the window which separated her from the band. She wavered, was she wavering? She saw the window come towards her.

`It's going to hit me,' she thought, and it did. The window gave her a bleeding nose.

She stepped back, feeling the technician's hand on her shoulder. She looked down at it as blood dripped unhindered onto the white shirt she wore.

"Hey," he said.

Dahli followed the arm up to the source of the voice, and watched a napkin come towards her face. She looked at the technician, confused, as he held the napkin to her bloodied nose.

"It's not generally wise to try and walk through sound-proof glass."

"I didn't," she protested mildly. "It hit me."

"I see," said the technician quietly, a little amusedly. His face filled her vision, huge and surreal. Mars then reeled back into the room and came to rest against her. He hung an arm around her neck, his face even larger and more bizarre than that of the technician. Dahli watched it come towards her, shifting and altering. Tiny coloured specks filled the air. Then Mars dropped from view, temporarily disappearing, then, with a lurch in time, he was suddenly there again. He was talking, and she couldn't understand a word he said. Then time lurched again, and suddenly she and Mars were entering the commissary and he was wiping blood off of her face.

"Got to be careful how you drink that stuff," he was saying, but the words came out surprisingly slow for how fast he was moving. He didn't seem to move at all, but he was one place, then another, and then he was gone entirely. Dahli was left alone in a commissary full of bottles and bags and cups.

The bags she began to check out. One contained capsules, green ones. She took one, reasoning that since it was green it would counteract the effects of the drink. Then she poured herself a glass of some sort of thick, clear liquid and took a sip. It didn't taste like much, but her mouth and tongue filled with a tingly warmth. Then as she was heading out of the commissary she noticed a stack of lined paper and a pen. The sight of these reminded her of the report she had to write, and she took some of the paper and wandered off to find a place to write.

She had only just sat on the speaker and been writing for what felt like seconds, when she looked up and found Draephus beside her. All the paper she had taken was covered in her handwriting. She let him read what she had, and he seemed to like it. That was good enough for her.

"Does it make sense?" she drawled, her mouth feeling numb and slack.

"Yeah I understand it perfectly," he said, watching something fly across the room. As the invisible left his range of vision, he once more turned his attention to Dahli. He took her glass and had a sip, then made a face and shook his head.

"You're drinking this straight?"

"Yeah."

"You're going to be one sorry girl in the morning."

She shrugged in slow motion, weaving slightly. He smiled, helping her down from her perch. "Come on, let's get some food into you."

They went into the commissary, and while he went through the coldbox, Dahli took the opportunity to check out another bag and pour herself some more Hibiscus liquor and Silver. The bag she now investigated was full of tiny spined mushrooms. They were a sickly greenish white, with the occasional shade of grey on them. Dahli ate one, the spines proving to be soft. They tasted the way Draephus' coat smelled. She ate another one.

An arm reached around her, an electric blue arm with a ruff of white lace about the wrist. She sipped her drink and followed the arm up to a handsome but rather young-looking face, with an untidy mop of wild brown hair. She watched him eat a mushroom with drugged interest.

"Heia Straif," she said.

"Heia," he said, looking amused. "I'd be careful about how many of those I ate."

"Dahli what are you into now?" Draephus came up behind her and peered into the bag she had been eating out of. "How many of those have you had?"

"Two,” said Dahli swaying. She looked at Straif "You poor guy, with all the talent you’re stuck playing with Vortex. I'm so sorry." She patted him on the shoulder consolingly.

"Dahli!" said Draephus, unable to believe what he had just heard come out of her mouth.

Raski drifted into the room and began going through the coldbox. Straif smiled slightly at Dahli, a touch annoyed by the remark.

"I am at the moment, though I don't think that will go on much longer, now that Marachani Kai from Bad Influence has joined."

Raski pulled his head out of the coldbox and looked up. Still chewing, he yelled, "WHAT?"

"I'm not supposed to know this," said Straif, turning large green eyes to Raski. "But apparently Bad Influence is dissolving. So my band has grabbed up Marachani Kai because he's a more low-key type quinticord player than I am, and I suspect I'll be kicked out of the band shortly. That's part of why I'm down here. I'm looking for a band. Too bad about Bad Influence, though. That was the one I wanted to get into."

"Bad Influence are breaking up?" said Raski. He looked upset and disbelieving.

Straif shrugged. "That's what Marachani says."

"Yes, well, the only comment you should ever believe coming from Marachani Kai is `I've got a knife and I'll use it’." said Draephus. He looked down at Dahli, putting a protective arm around her. "You, my friend, are toasted."

Dahli's mind was once more at work, but only partly. Her etiquette centre had gone to another planet.

"Well I'm glad you're getting out of Vortex. They're awful. The only reason anyone buys their stuff is to laugh at the lyrics. How did that one song go? `I think of you when I pick my nose...' Oh, no that was the version Khandid released. Never mind." She waved her hand as though to clear the air of the comment. She began to slide down, and Draephus had to hang onto her. He grinned apologetically at Straif, who narrowed his eyes.

"Oh this is wonderful. I have to find out from your fans that the biggest band on Sferkkaa has been releasing comedic variations of our music? You couldn't pick on someone your own size?"

Raski staggered over to Straif. "My dear lovely young Straif, with the emphasis on lovely, there is no one our size."

Straif stared levelly back at Raski, then sighed. "Groutnoll." He tossed back his hair and stalked from the room.

"Blew that one, Rask!" yelled Dahli happily.

"You stay out of this. You're a nasty child. You ought to be given a good swat."

"And you're arguing with me so what does that make you?"

Draephus tried not to smile as he held onto Dahli, who looked up at Draephus with liquid eyes.

"You don't think we hurt his feelings, do you? Because I really like him and I think he likes me, but that may be because I’m one of the only girls around here.”

"No," said Draephus. "And I don't want to see you grazing on anything that isn't food."

Dahli watched the room start to distort, time was beginning to move in jerks once more. She nodded.

The next time she was aware of her surroundings, she was watching the band play. She was vaguely aware that a lot of time had passed since she had come into the studio, but she couldn't think how much. She didn't know any of the people in the room, and there was a different technician. She hadn't seen Draephus for quite some time, and she felt thick and heavy. She was tired and she knew it. She asked the tech where she could lay down, and he gave her directions to a room down the hall. It was furnished simply with cots and blankets, and there were bodies on several of these. As Dahli staggered into the sparsely furnished room she heard someone shift, then sit up.

"Dahli?" said Straif.

"Yeah, me," she said, and swayed.

"Figured you'd run out of energy sooner or later. How do you feel?"

"Mmmph," she muttered, and flopped down onto the bed beside him. "Sick. I'm too heavy. I'm gonna go right through this cot and hit the floor and I'll just... split, y'know? Like ancient ruins."

"Better not go through the cot, then," he said.

"Guess not," said Dahli, and closed her eyes. “I’m sorry I teased you about your band.”

“It’s fine. I’m just annoyed over being replaced by a man I can out-play in my sleep.”

“Yeah, that would bug me too.”

She settled closed to him, and exhaled quietly. She was asleep when Straif dropped the blanket over her, leaving his arm to rest across her back.

***---***

Dahli awoke, uncertain as to how long she had been sleeping, but long enough that Straif had somehow transformed into Draephus. He was a lump next to her, and she rolled onto her side to look at him. He looked different when he slept. Not older or younger, just different. Perhaps it was that she could really see his face for the first time. When he was awake she seldom saw more than his eyes. He had a strong face, the cheekbones prominent and angular, the jaw rather heavy. The eyes were set deep within their sockets, which were dark-rimmed from lack of sleep. The nose was long and narrow, with a slight warp in it from previous altercations. She could even see the thin, ragged scar over the warp. The skin had a roughish, slightly grey look to it, and the stubble on the jaw was getting long. A large, silly smile spread over Dahli's face as she looked at him.

"You're beautiful," she said quietly.

"Beautiful!" came a voice from another cot. "I've seen baby-prints of that man, he was never beautiful. People sent his mother sympathy cards when he was born, and the doctor slapped his father."

Draephus rolled onto his stomach and propped himself up on his elbows, facing the other cot. "Shut up, Khandi. And don't contradict Dahli, I think she has very good taste." He put his arm around Dahli, resting his head on her back.

"Yeah," said Dahli, her voice muffled by a pillow. The weight of his head on her back and the closeness of his body were far from unpleasant. His breath, however, would have cracked masonry. Dahli chose to ignore his breath, but she couldn't ignore the nagging thought which had just crept into her mind.

"What time is it?"

From a third cot came another voice, this one a little irritable.

"Twentythreehour in the evening, I believe."

"Mars!" sang out Khandi. "You're cranky!"

Mars rolled under his covers violently, but said nothing.

"Oh," said Dahli, closing her eyes.

"I'm hungry," said Khandi, leaping from his cot to Mars’. "HEY MARS!" he bellowed. "YA HUNGRY?"

Mars sighed heavily. "Death comes to us all in time, Khandi, why must you court it?"

Dahli felt Draephus get up, and her body missed his presence. She rose as well, and followed him and Khandi out of the room, heading to the commissary, where they found Raski picking at his breakfast. Draephus walked over to him, kissing him softly, touching his face. She didn’t miss the way Raski responded to him, and found herself feeling oddly jealous, the same way she felt when Diza first began seeing Randish. Then Straif came to stand beside her. She turned to head to look at him.

“Why does it bug me that Draephus has Raski and my best girlfriend Diza has a boyfriend?”

“Because having to share your friends stinks?” he said. “You know if you wanted me to I could help you make them a little jealous.”

“I don’t know,” said Dahli, uncertainly. “I mean you’ve fought in the war and you’re the fastest quinticord player in existence and famous and… my only accomplishment was not throwing up on the floor last night.”

He shrugged a little. “I think you’re cute.”

“Uh huh. Do you really think I’m cute or am I just the only girl you’ve ever seen?”

“I think you’re cute.”

“I think you’re hot sex on toast.”

He grinned. She giggled and took hold of his hand, a little overwhelmed by the situation but by no means unhappy with it. Even if Straif had not been a famous musician, he was absolutely beautiful.

“Are you getting cavities?” asked Raski. “Because I’m getting cavities.”

“Yeah I think my teeth are falling out,” said Draephus.

“Groutnolls,” said Dahli.

They plundered the coldbox in the commissary, then sat at the table, eating cold leftovers and nodding over their tea. Dahli felt leaden and thick, as though her head was full of some spongy material. Across the table Raski was shaking like an old man, and even with his dark skin Dahli could tell he was grey beneath it. The only one who didn't look any different from the usual was Draephus. He had a thoughtful look on his face, and he turned to look at Raski.

"Hey Raski," said Draephus, "do you have any idea what time we went to bed? I'm not sure Mars is right about the time. We were all into the green stuff pretty heavy, and you can't keep track of time on it."

“Well I wasn’t,” said Straif. “Not in my condition. But I did have a couple mushrooms.”

Dahli’s eyes were huge. “Straif! You can’t be doing that! You’re pregnant!”

“It’s all right,” said Straif. “Spined mushrooms in moderation are okay, I already looked into it. I can have them, I just can’t have more than two or three a day.”

“And what if you have more?”

“My implant thinks I need to get pregnant again. And considering the model I have stores genetic material… it could happen. Which is why I have been limiting my mushroom intake to three every other week.”

Draephus made a face. “I’d just stop eating them ‘til I was done being pregnant.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

"I'll ask the tech what time it is," said Raski. He left the room for a short time, then came back and sat down again.

"He says it's nine-and-a-half hour on a beautiful Fourday morning."

Dahli almost dropped her cup. Her eyes grew large, and the fuzzy muddledness left her head as her stomach convulsed into a knot. "Fourday morning? For real? It was Oneday afternoon when I got here!"

Raski shrugged. "You were as fried as the rest of us, Donselle. We were taking bets on whether or not you would even land this week."

Dahli was in a cold panic. "Teirra will want me dead. Where's the ‘com?" She lunged out of her chair and ran for the telcom, picking it up and dialling her code. The ‘com was answered by the first ring.

"Heia?" The voice was Teirra's, weary and concerned.

"Teirra it's Dahli."

"WHERE ARE YOU?" Teirra's voice tore out of the ‘com so loudly that from across the room Raski jumped. "ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?"

"Yes, Teirra. I'm sorry, I lost track of the time."

"For three days? Are you with that groutnoll?"

Dahli closed her eyes and waited until she had regained her self-control. "Teirra," she said softly, "I was wrong to worry you like that, and I am very, very, sorry I did it. But you may not call my friends names."

There was a pause on the line. When Teirra resumed speaking it was with a quieter tone of voice. "All right I’m sorry, it’s just I’m beginning to think Draephus is a bad influence. Where are you now?"

"Gryphon Studios."

"Do you mind telling me what you were doing that was so fascinating that you didn't remember to go home for three days and nights?"

"I don't have an answer to that." Dahli pushed her hand through her hair. "Look, I'm going to go to school, and we'll discuss this when I get home, all right?"

Teirra made a noise of exasperation. "Just as long as you're fine. But I reserve the right to kill you."

Dahli smiled. "Sure. Talk to you later." She hung up the com and looked across the room at Draephus, Raski and Straif.

"Okay, how big a fool did I make of myself?"

The three glanced at each other, then looked back at her. "Well we didn't notice," said Raski, still shivering.

"That's not encouraging. I must look like garbage. I've got to get out of here." She snatched up her jacket from a chair, noticing a roll of paper in the pocket. She recalled the report she had written and was glad at least she had her assignment done. A brief flash out the window caught her attention, and she made a small sound of distress as she saw the skies were black, and the rain a pounding torrent. A storm was in full fury, and her light jacket was not suitable for such weather. To top things off, she noticed she had spilled something green all over her shirt. As she stared down at it, wondering whether she should have a fit or not, she heard Draephus' voice cut into her thoughts.

"Well I can offer you a semi-clean shirt. Sorry I can’t offer you a ride but… I’m in no shape to get behind the wheel.”

She looked up into his faded blue eyes. They were puffy and red-rimmed. A smile crossed his stubble-covered face, and in one hand he offered her his own abused but relatively clean shirt. Dahli smiled back at him and took it.

"Thanks," she said softly. “And it’s okay, I don’t need a ride, the school’s not far. What I need is a coat that can stand up to the weather.”

“I’d loan you mine if I had brought it,” said Straif.

She smiled. “Thanks. It’s sweet but not real helpful.”

Raski looked at Draephus, then gently nudged him. He sighed, then stood up and shed the imposing might of his infamous coat and held it out to her.

“Here, it’s made for the South Continent, so it will stand up to this.”

Dahli stared at it. “You’d… let me wear the coat. That coat. The coat that no one on the planet will possibly mistake for any coat other than THAT coat.”

“Well if you want to leave soggy footprints behind you all day…”

Raski got up and went for Draephus’ shades and hat as well. “May as well make the picture complete.”

Dahli took the coat and slid into it, astonished at the sheer weight of it. Then Raski came to put the hat and shades on her before stepping back to survey his work.

“Awwwww….. that’s so cute! It’s an itty-bitty Draephus!”

Dahli held up the sleeves. “I can’t find my hands.”

“Perfectly fine,” said Raski. “They’re overrated anyway.”

Ten minutes later, a short form in an over-large coat, wearing a grey t-shirt, flat-soled boots with a piece of rag tied around the ankle, a hat and shades was seen leaving Gryphon Studios, walking quickly. It took only a few minutes to get to the school now that she was hurrying and taking a direct route, but she now that she was moving it was as if the ghost of everything she had been drinking in the days prior were rising to trouble her. By the time she reached school she was definitely feeling… something. It wasn’t unpleasant but she doubted anyone would approve.

Despite the fact that she was late, Dahli stopped off at the washroom and had a look at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and red, at least where they weren't circled in black from lack of sleep. Her face was greyish and sallow-looking, and her lips had virtually no colour to them. Her hair was at all angles, but at least this she could fix. She wet it down in the sink, wondering what her breath must smell like. She rinsed her mouth out with water several times, then, in a fit of drug-addled brilliance, stuck her head under the soap dispenser and squirted some of the noxious substance into her mouth. Then she took in some more water and worked the whole mess into a healthy mass of bubbles before spitting it out. Finger-combing her damp hair, she put on the hat and shades and, looking like a miniature version of Draephus, left the washroom and went down the hall to her locker to find out what class she was supposed to be in.

She walked into Languages as quietly and unobtrusively as possible, but there was just no missing her. Atania Nightwing was mortified when she got a look at what Dahli was wearing.

“She’s finally snapped.”

Duone Alsayers was somewhat amused, but not much. "So good to see you Donsa CZimcocious. Care to share with us where you've been?"

Dahli twitched involuntarily, then shook her head to clear it. "Out with friends?" she said in a small voice.

"Did you get your report done?"

Dahli reached into her pocket and pulled out a mighty document, dropping it loudly onto the desk top from arm's length. There were a few subdued giggles.

"You have friends?" said the boy next to her.

Dahli turned her head to stare at him blearily. "I have to warn you, that at this moment my saliva is caustic, and you are not that far from me."

"Dahli you are not going to spit on anyone,” said Duone Alsayers. “Now since it is no secret you had the most interesting summer, you read yours first."

Dahli sighed and stared down at her report. To her horror, the page was covered by scrawled little figures, some human, some bestial, all nonsensical.

"We're waiting," said Duone Alsayers.

"Yeah well you may have to wait quite awhile," Dahli muttered as she sorted through her paper. Much to her relief she discovered it was not all written in the little characters. Relief, then further horror. It was all gibberish. She chanced a furtive glance around the room. Everyone was staring at her.

"Just read what you have," said Duone Alsayers.

"Okay," she said, knowing she was facing down the most embarrassing day of her life. She took a deep breath then began to read.

"Dark dark dark spinning light swooping across planked floor lurch. New day, all right, never know I'm gone. Lurch again still same day stuck out back in this joint how did I get in and how do I get out assuming I do at all then he walks into view and asks me what I want for lunch and I follow into commissary eat go back to speaker sit. So hard to think garbage loads of garbage should put a period in here somewhere someone offers me a drink don't know who thanks cool down here I'm so quiet that they just let me sit here asks me if I'm okay yeah fine gotta write this stupid report yeah okay gonna go sleep. Sleep? What time is it anyway get another drink some mushrooms ought to go find breakfast comes Draephus want to go eat sure do this later no wait I'll bring it."

Then the little figures resumed, and the next two pages were unreadable. As Dahli sorted through them, she heard Alsayers ask; "How long does it go on in this manner?"

"Uh," said Dahli, "I'm not sure. Some of it I can't read."

Why not?"

"Well it's in another language. Oh wait, here's a part...`in the men's washroom somebody sure tossed in here the smell's so bad makes me want to add to the mess. Write on door can't read it. No good go back to kitchen more silver and green and wait for it to take effect oh wow Touskanian chocolate see you later where do you go when you die or do you just go what do you mean the memory board went down seven minute improvised drum solo and the board goes down someone's gonna be angry. Cui's dead, Faylan’s dead I'll be dead too someday I guess."

"Duone Alsayers," piped up Atania Nightwing, "I think it is obvious that Dahli wrote this report under the influence of some hallucinogenic substance."

"Hey don't stop now," said the boy next to Dahli. "I was just beginning to understand it."

Dahli swung her head to look at Atania. Images smeared temporarily. "Yes, I was stoned. Nasty, nasty me. If you'd get that knot out of your back end maybe people would share their drugs with you, too."

There was a shocked silence. Somebody giggled. Atania stared open mouthed at Dahli, then looked towards Duone Alsayers.

"Dahli," said Alsayers, "are you quite all right? You seem a little spontaneous."

"Duone Al..." began Atania, then was violently interrupted when Dahli leaned forward and screamed into her face.

The day ended abruptly. Dahli slogged home, wondering where her life had gone wrong. The only bright spot was when Diza caught up with her, taking her arm.

“Dahli where have you been?! And what was with you today?” She laughed. “I can’t believe you screamed at Atania.”

Dahli laughed. “It wasn’t my fault, honest. I’m not sure what made me do it, but it was a lot of fun.”

Diza looked her over. “So… is that it? Is that THE coat?”

“The one and only. This is his shirt and hat, too. This coat weighs a hundred tons.”

“Well it’s probably soaked.”

“It’s not. It’s some kind of hair. It’s really soft but the rain just rolls right off it. I’m completely dry.”

“Well why is it so heavy then?”

“I don’t know, but my period started with a vengeance in class and I am NOT giving this back to Draephus with a big red spot in the middle of it!”

Diza’s eyes grew enormous. “Do you think…?”

“Oh I hope not but I have a horrible feeling I did.”

They reached Dahli’s house, going inside and heading up for Dahli’s room. Dahli dumped the coat onto the bed and ran for the bathroom, while Diza examined the inner lining. After a few minutes Dahli returned, wearing a clean pair of pants.

“Well?”

“We’re going to have to find a way to wash it,” said Diza.

“I don’t know,” said Dahli worriedly. “Draephus doesn’t wash it, there’s gotta be a reason.”

“Well do you want to give it back to him with that in the middle of it?”

“No.” She sighed, and examined the coat. “Hey, look the lining comes out. We can wash the liner and not touch the outer shell.”

“Too bad,” said Diza. “I’ve had fantasies about washing this coat.”

Dahli giggled. “Yeah me too. C’mon, help me with it.”

They found the snaps that attached the inner lining to the outer shell, slowly pulling it off. Beneath it was a second lining, of what Dahli didn’t know. It was a cream colour, aver thick and very soft, and also dotted with blood. Like the lining it was held in with snaps, and the two girls pulled it out as well. They gaped in complete astonishment at what they found. Guns, drugs, several forms of currency, ammunition, sterile bandages, sealed rations, gold, gems, some medical instruments, keys stitched individually to the fabric in a row, and a vial of something nameless. All were firmly fixed into a sort of leather harness attached to the second inner lining.

Dahli and Diza just stared, jaws hanging. Dahli reached out to touch one of the bands of ammunition.

“That’s why he never takes it off,” she said softly. “That’s the whole secret of the coat. If the Kyphisians come back… he doesn’t want to be taken unawares. This is his safety net. It has everything he needs to survive for days. Why would he loan it to me? Why would he trust me with something so important? This is his lifeline! He just… sent me out the door this morning wearing his chance of survival like it was no big deal.”

“Well,” said Diza quietly, “I think he’s saying you’re pretty important to him.” She glanced at her, and said; “Look it’s none of my business, Dahli, but I’m hearing some things at school…”

“I know,” said Dahli. “But it’s not like that. He’s not my boyfriend, I’m not his girlfriend. There’s no unspoken longing or any of that garbage. Look I know that from the outside our friendship must make no sense at all, and I’m not sure I understand it myself, but… I can sit beside him and say nothing and understand everything he’s thinking. I don’t know why we’re friends. We just are.” She ran a hand over the sealed packets of gemstones, then stood up. “C’mon. Let’s take out this lining and set it aside, then wash the rest.”

“Okay,” said Diza, “But if we ruin it and have to go on the run then I want the little gun with the blue inlaid handle.”

“Fine. But I get to keep the hat.”

Disclaimer:

All original fiction and the characters, places and situations with them are copyright Alyx Shaw, and may not be published, copied, distributed or archived without the author's prior written consent.

The characters, places and situations described in these stories are fictional unless otherwise stated in the story headings.

(C) 2008 Alyx Shaw