The thief lay in the midst of scattered dreams and fur throws as awareness crept back into her mind. Amethyst eyes blinked slowly as fingers of dawnlight crept slowly across the hardwood floor of her bedroom to climb with insidious and slow degree up the sides of her bed.

Gem considered what the fading images left as a taste in her mind and soul. Tall. Handsome. Lonely and yet never alone. Vadriel. She'd been dreaming of him.

It had been so long since she'd seen him. The arrival last summer of Dair McCrae had possibly sent him off on some retreat, or perhaps a mission of mercy for those that pulled at him and seemed sometimes to drive him.

She wanted to tell him of Nyx. She wanted to pull him out of whatever hole he had vanished into, to bring him life and warmth and pleasant company. To remind him that he was cared for. Mesteno might even like to see him.

A wry smile quirked her lips as she considered that. Possibly the Sadist would bolt himself into Sanctuary to avoid Vadriel, for all the thief could guess. No matter that things tended to stay the same, now and then they did change, at least for a time.

The elf sat up and rolled out of bed to put her plans in place. First to get hold of the Sadist to see if he knew where Vadriel might be reached. She found her cell phone in the thickly shadowed room, avoiding the light for the moment. A simple text was sent then.

"Where is Vadriel, chev?"

Ah, Mesteno never did seem to realize one might want Vadriel for more than his doctoring skills, and his ex-priest skills...well, no, Mesteno had been there that long ago year when the demon had...yes. Mesteno was very well aware of what Vadriel could do with a demonspawn.

The elf considered the message, still smiling ruefully that she had not given him more to work with. She texted again.

"I am fine, not ill. Bairn is fine, too. I don't think Vadriel is, though. Think he left town for a specific reason, and I think it's time he was pulled back home. Don't you? He should have a life. He should be happy. He should be loved. Please give me his number. Or tell him to call me" Or see me? Thank you, chev."

She read the text when it came, and when done she could only cradle the phone in her hands and close her eyes as her heart ached and swelled with feeling.

The years rolled back in her head and she wondered how she had ever managed to make a friend (and such a friend!) of the Sadist. She counted it a great boon and a blessing that had enriched her life. Indeed, it had saved her life on more than one occasion, and if she wasn't far wrong, in her messed up memory, he'd even saved her soul once, too.

The possible balm to the ache of her feelings was the knowledge that he too knew he had but to ask and she would do whatever he needed, whenever he needed it.

Finally, she texted back.

"Thank you, Chev. I will await in patience. Stay safe."

Reliably unchanging, he'd still the stature of a romanticised hero, broad of shoulder and straight of spine, an athlete's proportions he took pains to cover from the throat down. Perhaps the only striking change was the lack of Georgian era flare; there was no frock coat, none of the fine, crushed velvet. Instead he'd come clad as a man of modern times, with only the cut of his tailored suit to hint towards tastes of bygone years. Expensive, and of the most exquisite fabrics, he couldn't be faulted in appearance even if there was no shock of lace at cuff and collar. Unheard of for him to make changes, and yet who knew what had happened beyond the city limits"

He reached to clasp her hands (the gloves today were kidskin, supple and ink-dark) in both of his own, and bowed low enough to kiss the backs of her knuckles like a man reverent. The dark hair she looked for was as ever thick and curling, though a little of the length had been clipped away, barely long enough to bind if he chose to now.

"My dear friend," he murmured, as if she were a sight for those sore and violet eyes. "I did not realize until this moment quite how much I'd missed you."

Her little face, so mobile in its vast array of expressions, was alit with brilliant eyes, slightly pinkened cheeks in the usually pearl-pale face, and the heart-shaped mouth curved into a smile of absolute delight at the sight, sound, and feel of him. Gem's fingers curled into his, gripping not too tightly, but like a fleeting hug, there and gone again. The kisses to the backs of her hands were observed with a melting heart and a softly murmured response.

"Vadriel, neither you nor your ever-caring (if maddeningly distant) Mesteno seem to realize how very well loved you are, and how very needful it is to have you around. At least for this elf's continued peace of mind and contented emotions." She paused a moment to relish what he had said to her...that she was apparently greatly missed. It pleased her enormously, though it also humbled her, for just as she was uncertain how she had lucked out at making so great a friend as Mesteno, so too did she feel the same way about her friendship with Vadriel.

Gem shook her head and then eyed the hovering serving lass for a moment. "Can I get you something to drink, Vadriel" And by the way, I do believe you could wear anything from an Armani suit to anything pre-byzantine."

He was not at all surprised she knew of a secret stash. The lass was a rogue, and her son doubtless followed in her footsteps to some degree. This was a deviance he could not disapprove of - he'd not had whiskey since his departure either, his vices abandoned temporarily but never wholly forgotten - and he settled into the chair with unstudied grace, dwarfing it only a little. Elbows upon padded arm rests, his fingers steepled patiently. He was far more interested in hearing her speak, and peculiarly seemed to suffer no distraction from his usual entourage. Not once had his eyes taken on that far-seeing vagueness, nor had his head tilted as if he gave ear to things unseen. Mysteries, surely, but all things in time.

As any humble gentleman would, he murmured quiet protestation for her compliment, but happily let it fall by the wayside (his modesty was not a false one) as she spoke of her body's struggling. "Your race is long lived. I have studied volumes in which members have raised one, perhaps two children within their entire lifespans. I can quite see why it has been taxing for you. Especially petite as you are." He stared at the circle her hands formed, and seemed to consider what she might be attempting to imply with the gesture. Surely the prudish Englishman would not approve! And yet here he showed naught more than simple acceptance - Vadriel was not judgmental. "Time heals a great many things," he told her stoically, "but sometimes a little assistance can be required. Do not ignore these symptoms of inappetance. You must look after yourself," he encouraged, his hand settling unobtrusively on the back of her forearm for the span of a breath. "Nyx," he added, with a slow forming smile. "Yes, he told me this was her name. I approve," he added.

Just listening to him was a charmed and charming experience. His voice was...well, if not velvet, it surely seemed so, the words neatly placed, never rushed, imparted with precision and yet with a gentleness that made her want to just wrap him up and hold on. What a very dear soul he was.

The thief listened for the words themselves and gave a slow nod, something relaxing in the line of her shoulders when he did not, indeed, judge her situation. She was happy in it for now, at least, and her daughter had an incredibly strong and incredibly diverse circle of love being bestowed upon her. She was watched, cared for, played with, and sincerely adored. Treasured even, in that circle, and she as her mother could not even dare to hope or ask for more. She tried to explain some of this to Vadriel, her words not at all measured and calm like his, but first blurted, then nearly whispered, then intense, and then finally stated in true content. A mix-match of tones that probably gave him an idea of how the circle thing had evolved for her, and indeed, how alien it was for her in the first place. That description was imparted haltingly and sometimes roughly, at times probably in Gemspeak; hopefully he got something of its intent.

His hand on her arm had made her smile and sigh in contentment. "It is true we elven women do not normally have three bairns in an eleven year period. I will try and do as you suggest, though I seem to have formed an anathema for food of late." Her smile became brilliant. "Yes, that name suits her. She has this adorable nimbus of black hair about her head which insists on standing straight up."

The elf had indeed noted the lack of bumps and knocked over things in the room about her. There was much she had much to ask, but was halted as the Tomes girl came and handed a steaming cup and saucer to Vadriel, the rich scent of the tea both hearty and intriguing, strong and yet a good flavor for all that. It might be very much enhanced by the whiskey! A tray of milk and sugar was deposited, too, and then the girl left.

The little elf might be surprised just how <I>well</I> the ex-priest could misbehave given the right....stimulation. Alas he'd been lacking in such for years, and it had been all too easy to fall back into the patterns of abstinence and avoidance. Relaxed, yes, he was that. There was none of the dusty neglect to his appearance, the polished paleness of his skin undisguised, and perhaps most startling of all for those who knew him, no darkened lenses to hide sensitive eyes. It was broad daylight, and the notoriously light-sensitive recluse was out in it with not a glimmer of discomfort.

With his tea appropriately doctored (he smiled, a beatific expression - he'd missed the whiskey!) he sat back to consider her request, and for the first time since his arrival there was some hint of a troubled look. "There are things I ought confess to, my dear. I know you have been told I have been studying, but the situation is not so simple. Study has only been a part of why I left, and to return now with my efforts as yet unfinished would potentially see me as I was before."

His hands engulfed the tea cup, such a dainty thing in his long fingers, and he blew the steam away softly to taste the aromatic brew. "At risk of sounding melodramatic, I was at my darkest point this last year or so. I've a heart, even if not a human one, and it was quite broken."

Gem had curled up in her chair, a little cat in her comfort requirements. The elf took slow sips, savoring the mingled flavors as she listened to him speak. It had occurred to her that he was oddly without his usual troope, and his tolerance for the light wholly different, but she had not quite gotten to the point of bringing it up. Never fear, though, being Gem she would!

As he related the last bit, her heart seemed to contract and shift within her, and a fierce protectiveness flooded her. Gem had learned, of course, when Dair came back and had overheard things between he and the Sadist what had gone on, or at least enough to know that something had happened and the nature of it. The pain he must have felt, and the very forthright and yet rather noble way he stated the condition of his heart made her suck in a breath, and it was with eyes wide with compassion and understanding that she gave him a slow nod.

"I had learned something of that. I cannot see what the dear idiot...I have never been able to see why there has not been a line of both men and women trying to beat down your door to get to you. Had you any interest in either wenches or...or even little elven thieves, I would have so been on that track years ago." She smiled at him. "Don't get me wrong, I am delighted with the relationship we have, and it provides me and I hope you with great pleasure and constancy of affection, but damn, Vadriel. You are an exquisitely hot man and you have an incredible number of marvelous traits. I cannot see how people can keep missing this. And Dair" He must have been a beggared blind man. That's all."

She paused and sipped again, distressed for Vadriel and it showed. "I hate that such a thing will keep you from us for a longer time. What is it that you study that might...help with that' Or perhaps not help, but what will you gain from what you study?" She was interested.

It was entirely likely he wouldn't have spoken a word of it to anyone but her, and the predictable red-haired wretch. Truly he was as private as ever, but he'd no doubt in her capacity to guard his secrets. "Perhaps he was misled, mistook gratitude for something more— No. That is unfair of me. I do not feel he doubted himself whenever feelings came into question, there was a sincerity there that could not be feigned." There was self-reproach in him for his doubt, but he shook loose of it for now. There was time for melancholy later, and he did not wish to be maudlin in front of Gem. Something of the stiff upper lip was necessary at all times.

"Aurelian was a priest, yes. And he is quite human. His sin as not the same as mine, but his punishment was, and he's years far beyond my own. There is a whole sect of us, those ex-communicated by the church in the mundane realms we hail from, who have been accepted again by the Bishop Albrecht in the Basilica here in Rhy'Din city. Whilst he cannot overturn the official decisions given by the Vatican, he is the prime representative here at the centre of the Nexus, and there is a measure of...leniency granted to him given the obscurities of this place. But I digress. Amongst them there are those talented in preternatural ways, and one was able to offer an enchantment against the light. It is a form of shadow magic, but invisible to all others. As for my entourage, they are out there, waiting. They have simply come to understand I've a certain need for living companionship, now that I've greater skill in handling them." Improvement indeed. Not a complete fix, but time would see things better yet, he hoped. "I will come and see you, of course. Whenever I've the time to spare," he promised.

The elf sipped her tea as he spoke, a slow nod given to the thoughts on the Scot and his depth and sincerity of feeling. A smile graced her lips as he spoke of the priest at the Basilica. She had not known this and it delighted her. For Vadriel to have some measure of acceptance in the community, and indeed, others in like circumstances to be with encouraged her greatly for both his present and his future. "Ah, I see. I am so glad that you have been able to mix and blend with others of your particular skillset and mindset, Vadriel. It is more important than many people know."

Another sip, thoughtful elf thinking before speaking now. "I know Dair, at least a little. I have strongly affectionate feelings for him. He is a good man, I believe, though I think he is also conflicted about many things, and I think he lets that bother him more than he perhaps should. I think he has more than once cut off something good that he has had or been offered"...and yes, she thought of Jack there. "But I think in all that he is a man who loves if he says he loves. I imagine he is sorry he has lost you, at least on some level." She offered her observations as a hopeful panacea, to ease the man's own doubts and self-reproach.

"I have not spoken to him, nor seen him in years," he admitted, the words chasing a swallow of liquor-laced tea, "but the way you speak of him, I think he must he very much the same man I once knew. I am glad he has had you to rely upon, Gem. I hope that he is happier now, whomever he has, than he was before." There had been a woman, that much he'd known, but he'd refused to learn her name when the dead had come whispering, and put an end to the vigilance of the sentinels who'd told him of the man's return. It would have been wrong, even to passively be involved in the Scotsman's life, and he didn't want to suffer his own jealousy had he seen some new lover and begun to compare himself, be it woman or man. "These are things of the past though. I will not repeat my old mistakes, and I hope to be stronger, perhaps even to be useful when I return to the city full time. Tell me, would you desire a watcher for your Nyx" A companion spirit who could come to me should anyone attempt her harm when you and yours are at rest?" Jack, Ben, Lir....these were names he would have to remember.

Gem nodded slowly at Vadriel's answers. He said what she expected him to say, regarding Dair, though she did not feel she had been of any particular support to the man, sadly. She had not been here enough, and clearly things had gone south while she had been away, in that regard. It was best that Vay cut himself off; it is what Gem would have done. She smiled at his strength, for she could see it very clearly. He may not recognize it, but she felt he was an even stronger person than he had been when she had met him. The offer caused her to pause, though. "Ah. Well, I would have to broach that with Jack. He being a Lord of Faerie and himself in particular, he has certain"....she paused to consider her words. "Certain abilities that might make that a moot point, though I thank you most heartily for the offer."

The elf looked down for a moment at her hands which held her mug. "You could, though, do that for Jewel and for Rei. He is about much and works in dangerous ways. Jewel has been...taken by her father for the nonce, and I have limited access to her, considering the way time flies in each day." She looked up and smiled at him, sadness etched deeply in her pretty eyes. "I would consider it a boon if you were to do so, Vadriel. Thank you. "

Vadriel had a marvelous ability to grasp a thing even when he had not personally suffered through it or been in such a situation. It was part of his incredible charm and ability to empathize. The thief smiled at him as a lazy curl of smoke rose up from the tip of her cigarette. A nod was all she vouchsafed to his certainty of the situation resolving.

The move to Rei as a subject was a much easier one, and she smiled in delighted motherly love. "He is a fine, fine son. He has grown much, and changed a lot." She was quiet for a moment. "He was sadly lured away by that little snip of a Drow, Mica, and something bad happened there. He was gone for a long time, but he did come back. I think Mica is dead. I don't know for sure. But he has been learning to grow and love here. He was...involved with Salvador, Mesteno's brother." She knew he would know who that was, oh yes. "It did not end well, alas." Sadness for her son's pain slipped over her face like a dark cloud, but passed on again. "He has been recovering since the split. He does well, I think, considering. As painful as young love is. As any love is."

The elf inhaled and then let out a plume of smoke and watched it curl to the ceiling. Above which were the stars. Which brought them to Kabe. "I think Kabe tried. I think he thought it would be a simple matter of saying "Oh, hey, it wasn't my fault, any of it, so yeah, let's be cool, okay?" Only naturally Rei didn't see it that way. He held my grievances and my side of the story up and that seems to have ended the reconciliation attempts. I've told Rei to leave me out of it. Completely. Kabe has no love for me, none at all. No sense in adding me to the mix."

She looked away, those bald facts still capable of slicing a long hidden part of her heart. "I think Rei is planning to try again. I fully support him in his hopes. A boy should have a father." She paused again and then went on. "When I first saw him here last year, after so very long..." Her hand fluttered in distressed swoops. "I thought..ohhh..he is back..my heart wanted to explode...and then...he mocked me. He laughed. So. I slapped him hard enough to rock his world, I think. And that was the end of what he wanted to say to me." Did some regret taint her voice there" Yes. But she wasn't going to say that. And of course, no mention of Cassiel was made. Probably it would be too painful for Kabe. Or, as Vay considered, it was not like Kabe to offer things freely, indeed. "I've heard naught but praise about Rei from our mutual friend. Evidently he's quite the student." And naturally, the scholar approved. Curlicues drifted silver-grey from the cigar, and slipped from the corners of the doctor's pale mouth, rolling lazily over his tongue. "He's young yet, and though age does not discriminate over heartbreak, I suspect there's a resilience that comes with youth, the capacity to bounce back bravely."

The doctor had been creeping out of his mid-twenties when he'd met Gem a dozen years before, but he appeared as peculiarly ageless as he sat there conversing with her as he had back then. The nacre of his skin had not faded with excursions in the light, the polished marble quality immutable - he might have been twenty-eight, or he might have been in his mid-thirties. Either way, he'd had none of this resilience he attributed to youth. He'd been knocked hard by both failed loves, and it was questionable as to whether he'd the courage to try again.

"He'll be better equipped to choose in the future, all the wiser for his errors. Someone new will come along, for him. As for his father..." Vadriel drew more of the smoke into his mouth, and offered a languid shake of his head. "I do not generally condone violence, but I confess I might have stood in approval over your actions. My memories of Kakabel are not fond ones, and Rei's caution in accepting him now is a sign of wisdom. Have Kakabel prove his intentions with more than half-hearted attempts and hollow words. He should earn your son's approval, not simply expect it. And remember, a girl needs her mother as much as a boy needs his father." He'd not forgotten mention of Jewel and Ezekiel's foolish conditions.

So adorable! Benjamin was all light, lithe steps, elegant in dusty gray and denim with a few wraps of summertime green linen around his chest and shoulder. The better to tote around about eight pounds of cute, a denim baby bag off of his other shoulder.

His smile was lighter than air as he turned to bump his way into the tea shop. "Cheers," he called, heading for the counter. "Cheers!" The actor greeted those who had come into the Tomes. Then a wave to the shop girl. "Pot of blueberry and white tea. And goodies."

"There are some who obey more readily than others," he confessed, and of course harshly critical despite the readiness with which she chose to compliment his little victory. His enduring patience had limits after all. How strange that the two he'd spare none for were Kakabel and himself.

"Your sacrifices were honourable, and I cannot fault you for them. I would have followed the same course entirely. Cassiel would have had me believe his brother was not at fault, but I could not forgive him even at his urgings." Not that Kakabel would have cared in the slightest. They'd always been readily dismissive of one another, even before Gem's involvement. "Rei's choice of role-model is not what I would have expected," he admitted, somewhat wryly. "You've no concern he might develop undesirable habits?" It was possible he teased, and yet humour came so rarely to that deep, bass voice, it was difficult to identify.

With Gem offering greetings to the oddly bitten man across the room, Vadriel inclined his head behind the scrim of cigar smoke, a congenial greeting from the violet eyed doctor.

Ben humorously pointed to Nyx. Showing her off" He was. So sue him. Right! Showing off Nyx. Getting Tea. He's there.

The stranger toting the child could only result in one reasonable action. Vadriel extinguished his cigar immediately, and waved the remnant smoke towards the nearest open window.

Of course Vadriel would think of that. Gem, too, had put her cigarette out when she saw the Englishman. Her smile lit her face upon sight of him and the bairn, both. "Benjamin! Oh, bring my babe over to me noooow, please?", pathetically eager to have her child in her arms.

Her bright face turned to the Doctor across from her in his own arm chair. "Vadriel, this is Benjamin Piers. I mentioned him." Her face flushed again, an odd sort of shyness there, after their conversation about her circle. "Ben, come and meet a very dear friend of mine. This is Vadriel de Guise. He is a doctor among many things. He has saved my life more than once."

She smiled at them both, but her eyes were glued to the little speck of head that bobbed along with Ben, with its shining nimbus of fine black hair standing straight up. "Nyx...oh, Nyx!"

Ben smiled as he picked up his tea, and nodding politely to Vadriel, headed towards Gem and the man. "We decided to come looking for you," he noted, amused.

"I am so glad you did, Ben!" The elf rose up to take her bairn from the front of Benjamin, and then tucked her into her arms as she sank back down on her armchair, nuzzling and cooing to the little Nyx. Nyx squealed with a high pitched delight at being so clever as to have discovered her mother.

Gem leaned against Ben's side as she cuddled her demanding bairn, and setting the child up so that she could face Vadriel, she smiled at the Doctor. "Meet Nyx, if you please."

The child, barely three weeks old, wobbled her head and one fist came up to the side of her mouth, which had her hunting for it with her lips, but her eyes, great, enormous black eyes, so dark the pupil blended with iris, fixed upon Vadriel. And stayed there. Fixedly.

With the others arranging themselves comfortably, Vadriel folded back down into the seat he'd been occupying, studying Nyx as she, in turn, studied him. Perhaps he'd expected tears - certainly he could imagine there would be some if he requested to be allowed to hold the child (he'd none of the elf's warmth or softness to spare). "She's as lovely as you described her to me. And so very different from Rei and Jewel," he remarked. Vadriel, smiling. A rarity, and utterly transforming.

The elf took in that smile of Vadriel's and it eased something in her. She so very much wanted him to be happy and at peace. "Yes, she is, isn't she" Very different, they all three are, my bairns." She smiled at her babe, and then nodded to Sal who had come in, as well.

Then she leaned more against Ben. "Do you have a blanket I can put over a shoulder, Ben?" What' Did that mean' Oh yes. Might want to reverse stampede out the door, peoples, as Gem was quite prepared to nurse her child right there and then. But at least under a blanket!

Nyx would indeed have cried at being handed to Vadriel, at least for the moment, because that child knew what mamas were for, and now she had one in her clutches, she wasn't going to be happy with anything less than the full Sm"rg'sbord!

"Of course." He simply shook out the wrap and draped it over Gem's jubblies and bebe head without comment.

Gem gave a smile to Shae who had entered, with a nod, and then settled the covered babe with deft fingers under said blanket. In a very short time there was quiet and peace over by the fireplace. The elf leaned back and sighed relief. "Benjamin is an actor, Vadriel. Ben, Vay is a Doctor." Trying to get the conversational ball rolling.

"I've never played a doctor," Ben noted humorously, "Maybe more likely you've treated an actor." And Vadriel" Had seen Gem sans clothes before, and despite his prudish nature was a doctor. He was not off-put by a nursing mother, and with all so conveniently disguised as it was via well-placed towel, did not follow the example of others and vacate the area. Settling back now that the babe was too obscured to view, his gentle attention drifted back to Benjamin at Gem's subtle direction.

"On occasion. The term 'break a leg' seems to result in an unusual number of actual broken legs here in Rhy'Din," he commented, reaching for his tea again. It was only lukewarm, but that was still a good deal warmer than Vadriel. "Do you act upon the stage, or before the cameras?"

"I know, that's about how I got into acting." Wide eyes in a doleful face, though his eyes were bright and laughing, "I blame my sister, she said in boca lupis, or whatever it is. 'In the mouth of the wolf'." Pause. "Only it was a rattlesnake." Then the bright smile returned, "Cameras, I play the bad tempered and ambiguously natured shaman mage Sterling in a night time soap opera. It's a lot of fun."

The elf smiled at the two men wither her near the fire, listening as they interacted. Was it silly of her to hope they would get along? She did, so it didn't really matter if it was silly or not. Silver brows rose at the tale of the rattlesnake. Gods!