Topic: "Where's da leash! I'm walkin' a dog!"

Rhiannon Brock

Date: 2010-10-09 02:30 EST
30 September 2010

It was a lovely autumn day with sunlight filtering in the windows of the old manor house. The thundering feet of a four year old rushing up to the third floor broke the morning silence. When the feet stopped moving, a surprisingly booming voice came from the girl standing outside her aunt's bedroom door. "Auntie Rhi!!!!!!!!! Timea get up!! We gotsa go!!"

Rhiannon Brock grumbled and rolled out of her bed. She was wiping the sleep from her eyes as she opened the door and peered at Maggie. "Shh....you'll wake the whole house, Maggie!"

"Too late," came the grumble from the redhead in pigtails, who was leaning in the doorway of the next room.

Hazel eyes peered up at the pajama clad Nicole. Maggie grinned. "Morning, Aunt Nikki!"

Nicole couldn't help herself, she laughed. "How about we get some breakfast, kiddo?"

Maggie shook her head. "No tanks, Gran made me pancakes with...." her small face scrunched in consternation, "the gooey stuff!"

"Syrup," the sisters said in tandem.

Within half an hour, the entire household was awake and life on the farm was in full swing once again. Nicole had charge of the household for the day. Colleen, Rhi and Maggie were on their way to Riverview Clinic. Each had a different plan in mind. Rhi was going to start her job with the animal therapy program. Maggie was looking forward to visiting with the younger patients and painting, can't forget painting! Colleen was going to be visiting one of Anya's staff, maybe more than one.

On arrival at Riverview, Rhiannon took charge of her niece so her mother could pay a call or two.

"Come on, Maggie," Rhi said as she shepherded Maggie to kennel area. "You get to see the dogs for now."

"What 'bout paintin'?"

"Soon as Mama gets done, she will take you. For now, you can help show some of the younger kids how to talk to the dogs."

Maggie's expression was incredulous. For her, talking to animals was as much a part of life as breathing. So far, she didn't possess her mother's extraordinary empathic gift with animals. However, the little girl had learned which meow meant the cats wanted food and which bark meant one of the dogs was warning of of potential danger. That in itself was not a huge accomplishment, people did that everyday. Maggie, though, was becoming one of the people that could answer them in their own language. To her aunt, the question Mairead raised was a perfectly sound one, "In people words or dog ones?"

"Both," Rhi replied.

Maggie's face lit up like a sunrise on a summer morning. "We gonna teach 'em all to bark and whiffer and stuff??"

"That's whimper and we'll see." Rhi chuckled as she lead Maggie out to the kennels.

There were plans for a small stable in the near future, but for now, horses were brought in for the patients that needed them. Riding was helpful for the leg muscles, dexterity in the hands, and, perhaps, the most important thing, building self confidence. Rhi's first session was with five patients. Two were wheelchair bound for the time being, one had crutches; these were the physical rehab cases. Of the two remaining, one was a little girl about Maggie's age that been physically abused and barely spoke. That one tugged at Rhi's heartstrings. The last was an elderly woman that had knee replacement surgery and was in the final stages of her physical therapy before being released from outpatient care.

"We shoulda brought Rassle!" Maggie exclaimed.

That brought a smile to Rhi's face. "Maybe next time, but for now, we have Trixter. She's Riddle's great granddaughter. "

The four year old put her determined face on. "Where's da leash! I'm walkin' a dog!"

She tried not to chuckle as her niece headed for the kennels to get the show on the road. It promised to be a good day.

Rhiannon Brock

Date: 2010-10-17 21:34 EST
Maggie snatched up a bright blue leash and tromped over to the young Collie. Trixter cocked her head, she seemed to be amused as the little girl headed for her. The hazel eyed preschooler looked at the dog then slyly peeked over at her aunt, who was explaining the order of the day to the patients. Maggie patted the dog on her head and brought a shushing finger to her lips. Another furtive glance was taken to see if Aunt Rhi was checking up on her, yet. When the teenager was assisting the elderly lady, Maggie slipped Trixter a piece of jerky. Riddle liked it, so did Rascal, so, why not this relative of theirs" Trixter eagerly took the treat.

Basic training for Maggie had begun. Not for Trixter, she knew what she was supposed to do. Sit. Down. Stay. Shake. Roll over. Fetch. She knew them all! The dog listened for the key words, but wasn't quite hearing them. Maggie was used to the household canines understanding her. However, they'd both been her companions since she was a baby. There was not a day that she recalled where the cold noses and friendly barks of her dogs didn't greet her. There was the answer; Mairead barked at Trixter just like the dogs at home talked to her.

The doggie eyebrows lifted; that she understood. The young dog stood proudly at attention as if she was being judged in a show. Trixter looked rather please with herself when the child clipped the leash onto her collar.

A finger pressed against her lower lip, Maggie tried to remember the people command to get Trixter to walk with her. The barking was easy for her, but too many loud noises might frighten the little girl across the way. "What'sit Gran said," she murmured then blinked. "Da tells Rassle ....Heel!" She started walking and hoping she had gotten it right. "Heel, Trickser!"

The name was close enough, but the command was spot on. Dog and leash holder headed for the shy little girl that kept hiding her face. Maggie was trying to decide if it was a game of peek-a-boo or if the girl was frightened out of her wits. Once they arrived near the girl, a second command was given, "Trickser, sit your butt."

The other patients looked amused save for the old lady, she laughed outright. She glanced to Rhi and asked, "Is she your little girl?" After all, younger girls than Rhi had children in Rhydin.

A blush filled Rhi's cheeks. "No, ma'am, she's my niece and a handful at that!"

"She's a lively little thing," Moria Clarke, the elderly lady observed. "Maybe she can get through to little Laura."

"That's what I'm hoping for, Mrs. Clarke, that's what I'm hoping for."

Laura was more inclined to greet the dog than the other little girl, but that didn't bother young Miss Harker at all. Dogs spoke their own language even if they made no sounds.

Rhiannon Brock

Date: 2011-08-14 11:39 EST
Riverview's Animal Therapy program had plenty of success stories. Almost a year ago, Rhiannon Brock had started taking over several cases from the physical and occupational therapy departments. They were people that standard therapies didn't seem to work for and people that simply responded better to an animal companion than another person. Moria Clarke, who was still being monitoring by various departments, often stopped by to chat with Rhiannon. One by one they eventually went back to their homes and into the world even Laura Baines, who had become Maggie's bosom pal.

Lately, it had been rather awkward working without her pint sized sidekick. Ever since the outbreak of RBF, it had been much safer for her niece, Maggie, to be well away from the hospital environment. Measures had been taken to protect the Harker children from the virus, but the family preferred not to have to explain them. Even her father's relatives could only do so much and one had to choose carefully when asking a boon of those associated with Mount Olympus.

It would not be long before she celebrated the life milestone of her eighteenth birthday. Party plans were already in motion to commemorate the occasion. Rhiannon wasn't sure who was more excited, her or her mother. They were holding the event at the arena on a Saturday night. While she cleaned the dog kennels, thoughts of the happy event filled her mind. She seemed not to notice the figure approaching her from behind.

Just before the sharp tip of a spear pressed against her back, Rhiannon ducked and rolled out of the way. In her right hand appeared the longsword, Summer Tempest, that had been named for the season of her birth. A quick turn of her wrist and the blade collided with the spear's long handle. A flash of lightning glimmered in the blade's fuller. That had never happened before, at least not in Rhydin. Despite the disguise her opponent had projected, Rhi now knew who she was facing. For an instant, she hoped that this was not the day the thread cutter had decided was her last. She met the spear again and again blocking her opponent from advancing closer. She even started to enjoy it, much as she did dueling in the arena. It was the growl of a seemingly elderly dog that stopped the combatants from their potentially deadly dance.

What Colleen called the Glamour faded and Rhi was faced with the visage of her aunt, the goddess of wisdom, battle strategy, and so much more. The teenager's her smile brightened as did her eyes. "Aunt 'thena!"

Athena turned toward the dog and uttered a command, "Stand down."

Goddess or not, she was not the dog's mistress and until Rhiannon gave the same command, the old dog stood his ground. "Riddle, find the toys." The younger patients were always leaving things around and the Collie was often sent to find them. He chuffed in an irritated manner then went off to do as he was told. Had his young mistress still not learned that his primary responsibility was her welfare"

"He serves you well, Rhiannon," Athena said as she watched the dog. "He was one of the few gifts you received from us as an infant. Did you know that?" Grey eyes then looked upon her brother's child.

"Yes, I also know that his mother was born on our farm. His father, well, I suspect my grandfather's brother knows where he is." She set her blade down carefully.

"You've known all this time?"

A soft humorless laugh escaped Rhi's mouth. "One of the other gifts I was given was that of communicating with certain animals. I was told at some point, Aunt 'thena. I heard about the large dark creature that sired a litter on of one of my mother's dogs." She finished clearing up the last of the kennels. "Funny thing about the pups from that line, they give new meaning to loyalty as you just saw."

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me." A ghost of a smile drifted across Athena's lips. "I came to bring your birthday gifts." One of them, an eagle owl, rested on her shoulder and was carefully handed off to Rhi.

"Bubo," she whispered as she gently stroked the downy feathers.

"He is to guide you at night. The other will guide you during the day." The other was an eagle.

There were other gifts to be given and received not to mention another Rhiannon to receive them.

https://i.imgur.com/X9lBdW5.jpg

Rhiannon Brock

Date: 2011-08-21 06:33 EST
It was not a pleasant a day for Rhi as she went about her work feeding and tending the animals almost mechanically. There were no patients on her schedule for the day which was probably for the best. The teenager needed time to think. Once her work was done, she planned on going home to sit in her favorite climbing tree. It was an elegant and ancient oak tree whose upper branches presented a lovely vista of a nearby lake.

Her mother had been rushed to Riverview's isolation unit a couple of days before and it had put a damper on the gaiety that had previously filled the house. RBF used to be just a jumble of letters. Now, however, it represented a horrific thing called RhyDin Benghu Fever. Her mother had so rarely been sick, but being pregnant did odd things to her immune system. There had been no bleeding like the government had warned people about, at least not that Rhiannon had seen. Nausea and general achiness, however, was another matter. MacLeod House had been a rather somber place. Those who lived there wondered when and even if its mistress would be returning home. RBF had hit her hard.

Life went on, but uneasily and often with uncomfortable silences between the siblings. Rhi left word with her sister, Nicole, where she could be found if disaster struck. The note was simple enough, I'll be at my thinking place. Their mother's thinking place was a cavern in the side of a mountain that overlooked the same lake as Rhi's tree. Nicole Brock had primary charge of the household while Colleen was away. Much like her mother, she ran an efficient household. She had always been the homebody, cook, and baker. By virtue of those talents, the pointy eared redhead was privy to the secrets of the brownies among other recipes that Colleen had never written down.

Rhi packed enough food for three days along with some extra clothing and her sleeping bag. Her favorite tree awaited. Twilight was the most peaceful time of day for the young woman. It was the time when much of the world went to sleep. Softer sounds like the singing of crickets could be heard clearly. When the sun finally set, moonlight would dance on the water and stars would glitter in the sky.

She was deeply immersed in a favorite book when she heard the rushing of large wings. Dark hair fell into her eyes as she looked out over the water. She reached out her hand to pet the nose of the winged horse, a Pegasus. She spoke to it as she had been taught since childhood, in wickers and soft neighing sounds. The handsome creature turned its body to allow Rhi to mount him like she would any other equine. "Where are we going," she whispered as she leaned down against the horse's neck. He simply tossed his head and carried her off.

When the stallion finally landed, it was on a island in the middle of the lake. Waiting for Rhiannon was a number of gifts. It was the pendant the bore the trident that identified the giver. "Uncle 'Idon," she murmured as she dismounted.

A large hand fell on her slender shoulders and the deep voice belonging to the lord of the sea spoke softly, "Happy birthday, niece."

Her father's family tended to watch her and her siblings from a distance. Long ago, her parents had been separated by and suffered at the hands of several of the Olympian deities. Two of their children had been stolen and a third was lost at a young age. Fate cannot be cheated even by those that weave and cut the tapestry's threads. Rhiannon and her siblings were a part of that fate.

https://i.imgur.com/miOPquu.jpg

Rhiannon Brock

Date: 2011-08-22 05:08 EST
"How is your mother?" The question had been simple enough, but the stoic reaction it evoked from Rhiannon said far more than words ever could.

"If you had asked me that a few weeks ago, I would have said she's wonderful."

Poseidon studied his brother's grandchild in silence. When at last he spoke it was to ask a pair of questions, "Where is she and what happened?"

"In the hospital. There's this virus going around and ..."

The sea god's brows furrowed as he listened. "A virus" Since when does your mother succumb to illness?" He had known Colleen in her previous existence; it had been lifetimes ago.

"She's pregnant, it changes things."

Waves rushed against the island's shores. Most would have put it down to a normal shift in the tides, but Rhiannon knew better. Her uncle's mind had drifted back to a time long ago and a piece of family history that she had never been told. She rested her hand in the crook of his arm and her touch drew him out of reverie.

"I'm sorry, child," was all he said.

Her features hardened, was it an echo of Hera or some other goddess that had appeared? No one seemed to remember who her father's mother had been. All they remembered, or wished to, was that she was strikingly beautiful and resided in Olympus. "You have the power to help her."

"My domain is the sea, Rhiannon. I have no power over the land nor do I have charge over women that are with child." There was no anger in his voice as one might expect.

"Uncle 'Idon," she said quietly and almost pleadingly, "your domain is not just the sea, it's all water. Unborn babies live in water."

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Young Rhiannon had made her bid for his assistance wisely and carefully. She was her parents' child or at least her mother's. Colleen had always been one to question and push against the grain. Damon, on the other hand, had left his family behind rather than question his duty to the gods he served. It was no wonder that these three half blooded children, especially the youngest had been looked after from afar.

"I'll go see her." And just like that, the promise was made. Later in the night, the lord of sea visited a woman that had once been part of his family. He did his best to not awaken the man that had fallen asleep in the chair next to her. If the virus had already touched what grew within her womb, he could not change it. He could, however, purify the water surrounding the child. Not child, children, and keep them from further harm. As for their mother, she was in other hands including the ones that held onto hers.

Rhiannon Brock

Date: 2011-08-25 09:51 EST
What was supposed to be three days off from work filled with peace and quiet turned into a small parade of well wishing relatives. While not exactly peaceful, it was rather comforting.

The next visitor was the goddess of love. She came armed with a ruby satin gown and matching jewelry. What caught Rhi's attention, however, was the simple golden pendant in the shape of a swan. Somehow, it was symbolic of what had been expected to be a half blooded ugly duckling growing into a beautiful swan.

"You've grown into a lovely young woman, Rhiannon." After all these years, the name still didn't roll easily off of Aphrodite's tongue. It was foreign to her and always would be. She wondered at times why the girl wasn't called Elpis because she represented hope. Or Sapphira for the striking blue color of her eyes. She would have settled for Aurora! Even if it wasn't a Greek name it marked the time of her niece's birth, the break of dawn. Dawn was the middle name her parents had chosen.

"Thank you," she murmured. Her aunt made her feel awkward. After all, this was the woman that ultimately had caused the Trojan War! Rhiannon had learned one simple rule about romance from her mother, never ever fish in another person's pond. Colleen tended to say another woman's pond, but Rhi was well aware that some men preferred the company of other men.

"So," a wry grin appeared on the goddess's face, "is there anyone's attention you need help getting" Anyone you've looked over?"

"I appreciate the offer, but ..." Rhi hesitated

"But?" Aphrodite interjected.

The dark haired teenager lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "You remember what happened with my parents." Rhi's sapphire gaze met that of the goddess before her. "That's just something I have to do on my own. Without," she nearly said interference, "help."

The goddess knew what her niece meant, but kept her good humor and offered a warning. "If my son gets it into his head to offer assistance, I'm not likely to convince him to," she paused and studied Rhi, "what?s the phrase. Lay off?"

An impish grin tugged at the corners of Rhi's lips as she nodded. "It fits."

"Be well, little one." She kissed Rhi's forehead. Before she took her leave, the goddess left a final gift. A small wedge of swans flew over the lake before settling on the water.

What she told her aunt wasn't quite the truth. She had noticed several young men. Most, however, fell into that catch term of friends. There were two, though, that Rhiannon Brock had given more than a second glance. Much of her life, Rhi had watched the heartache her mother had suffered again and again while never fully losing faith that maybe things would one day be different. The teenager had promised herself that she would tread carefully when it came to her heart. Rhydin was a funny place and too often people fell in love with someone they shouldn't have. The residents of Mount Olympus and their kin already had a long history of intermarrying within their own bloodline.

https://i.imgur.com/6tyVz0Y.jpg

Rhiannon Brock

Date: 2011-09-05 00:25 EST
The sun began to set. Its brilliant light reflected on the lake and Rhi was content to watch the swans drifting about in the water. She closed her eyes to listen to the sounds that always seemed unique to the nightfall. It wasn't so much that frogs didn't croak in daylight, but that they could be heard clearly in the night. Crickets sometimes sang in the day, too. But when the world was drifting into its rest and many of its creatures slept, those that had the night as their domain made their voices heard.

The owl that Athena had presented to her was settled in the branches near her shoulder. Bubo hooted softly as a figure drifted through woods. Rhiannon heard the bowstring being drawn. Before the arrow met its mark, she had dropped down under the branch and hung there by her hands. She scowled as she saw the fletching on the arrows. They bore the markings of Artemis, goddess of the moon; the huntress had come to call. "Not funny," Rhi muttered under her breath. What was it with her father's sisters that they felt the need to announce their arrivals with weapons drawn"

"It wasn't meant to be amusing," a feminine voice whispered from beneath her. The bow was lowered and Artemis laid her hand on the back of a long legged stag. "You must keep your skills sharp."

"Bows are my cousin and brothers' department."

"And your father's other daughter" What of her?"

"Them, actually. There's a long drawn out tale as to why there are four daughters now. Nicole's weapons tend to be kitchen knives."

Her brows lifted. Confusion' No. Intrigue" Perhaps. "Does she wield them well?"

"Mother is giving her all the secret family recipes one at a time to perfect. So, I'd say that's a yes."

The tone of voice from the older woman shifted to one of uneasy concern. "How is your mother?"

"Not so good."

A nondescript expression came over the goddess's face. Artemis knew the story of how her niece and her siblings had been watched after and why. One of the Moirae had misused her power to gain what she could not and should not have tried to change. Atropos had wanted Damon Brock for herself. She, however, had called him by another name, one that was never mentioned in Colleen's home. Rhiannon had never known it and likely never would. Finally, the huntress asked, "What's wrong?"

"A virus." Before she could be questioned again on why her mother had contracted a disease of any sort Rhi followed it up with, "She's pregnant." Silence followed as Rhi climbed down the tree. She was a bit taller than her aunt and, inwardly, it delighted her.

The huntress walked down to the lake to allow her companion to drink from its waters. "What is to be done to aid her?"

"Uncle 'Idon went to see her."

"Did he now?"

"Yes," Rhi murmured. "I had to press the issue. He said he did not have charge over mothers in waiting." She gave her aunt a somewhat pointed look. "I reminded him that the unborn live in water."

"Very clever!" She grinned. "You outwitted him." A dozen heartbeats passed before the goddess spoke again. "You will have more visitors soon," her voice became serious as she kept her gaze out on the water. "Father's other brother ....and them," it was the last the huntress said before she departed.

The latter made Rhiannon shudder. She'd rather have faced the Lord of the Underworld a dozen times than them.

https://i.imgur.com/BsqoLHr.jpg

Rhiannon Brock

Date: 2011-09-22 05:20 EST
Them. That was how these three sisters, The Moirae, were generally referred to by their brother's children. It was out of respect for their mother, who had suffered at their hands. Rather, at the hands of one. As young children they didn't know the cutter of thread was the catalyst for their mother weeping in the night. They only knew she cried. They didn't understand why their father had suddenly disappeared and left their mother to raise them on her own. However, even at two and four years of age, the young ones noticed the lack of his presence. It was years before they understood why she never spoke the name his father had given him; a name in his native Greek. Now, her memory of it might have been obliterated; the children believed it was for the best. If she could not remember, it would not cause her heart to ache while she recalled what was lost.

At seven and nine, the trio was greeted by the regretful face of a virtual stranger, who had haunted their dreams and memories. They remembered the sadness in their mother's eyes when he told he had always loved her. He told her that he had been forced to choose between their family and his duty to the halls of Olympus. It was then they felt the cold fire burning in her like ice on bare skin in the dead of winter. It wasn't quite hatred. They didn't know it was the second time he'd made that choice or that it was the second lifetime that he'd left her behind. He had gotten a second chance and made the same choice; the wrong choice. The first time, no offspring had been collateral damage.

His grand plan had been to leave his wife with their twin son and daughter and take their youngest child to groom her as his replacement. Damon had not counted on the presence of the elder Rhiannon when he had come for the younger. It was she who stepped forward. Not even They could ignore such an act of selflessness. It was also this act that had saved both sisters from their father's fate.

On a bright August afternoon, the sisters, who wielded fate and destiny like a warrior would a weapon, presented themselves at the Riverview Clinic. Unlike the others that had come bearing gifts to the young woman, their presence as a group had never been welcomed at the family's estate. Instead of a gift, they presented her with a question. When asked what gift she would choose for this special birthday, Rhiannon answered without hesitation or thought of consequences. She asked them to save her mother's life. And, so, it was granted, but at what cost'

https://i.imgur.com/yuS7pNA.jpg

Rhiannon Brock

Date: 2011-09-24 00:55 EST
The elder pair of children had received one gift from all their father's kin on each birthday. It had some interesting effects and consequences. Who would give a child power over fire before she could even speak properly' There was a method to the madness, one could hope.

Until the recent visitations, Rhiannon had been given very few notable gifts from her paternal relatives. Summer Tempest, the longsword she carried had been a gift from her grandfather, Zeus. The steel had been infused with lightning. And then there was the dog. Oh, that dog, who had guarded her since the first moment she had been laid down in her cradle. He had the appearance of his dam, a long haired Collie dog that had mothered many broods. His sire had come from the Underworld at the direction of its Lord. It was a rare canine that had such a lineage. He was the only pup in that litter and had been named Riddle for that is what he was, a riddle and a mystery. Hades had never been known as a caring individual. Colleen had often wondered what price, if any, he would name for the hand he had lent in safeguarding her daughter's life and when would it come due.

https://i.imgur.com/sK5GAjF.jpg

Rhiannon Brock

Date: 2012-04-16 09:59 EST
Time passes, seasons change, and wounded hearts eventually begin to heal. As anyone knows, the heart that still beats is still laid bare to those it holds close. It had been mid-autumn when Rhiannon suffered the pain that the elders would have called a broken heart. Papa Tass had been standing there when it happened. He was one of the few people that she couldn't hide anything from, he knew her far too well. No matter how many tears were let go in the dark before she slept, Rhiannon would always pick herself up, take up her sword, and fight the battle that needed to be won. It was just about Valentine's Day when when she stopped crying in the night.

Rhi had her own place, a sweet little house and garden that was cooked up between her mother and Jaycy. For the time being, however, she needed the familiarity of home. She found herself in her mother's kitchen watching her sister, Nicole, engaging in her favorite pastime, cooking. The tile was cool under her bare feet as she fixed herself a cup of tea.

"Dígame, mi hermana pequeña," Nicole said as she took a pan of fresh rolls from the oven.

"You know my Spanish is awful, Nikki," Rhiannon muttered as she took a seat.

"Not so awful that you didn't recognize it," Nicole chided gently. "You know exactly what I said. Now," the redhead pointed at her younger sister, "start talking or I'm going to ask Maggie just why she was going on about the cry bringer again."

A frown touched her lips. "Meanie."

"I love my kid sister, if that makes me mean then I'm mean. Now, do I have to go haul Mama in here?"

"Oh, no, you don't!" She dropped her jaw into her upturn palms. "I do not need that fishing lecture, Nicole Elizabeth!"

"Oooooh," Nicole said in an exaggerated manner. "What happened?" She set a plate with a still warm and freshly iced cinnamon roll on the island counter next to the cup of mint tea that Rhi had been nursing.

"I feel like I've been gut punched and blindsided." Rhi took a ragged breath. "Both of them in the same place, Nikki. I felt my knees buckle. They almost gave away under me." There was regret and, perhaps, sadness in her voice.

Nicole lowered one brow as she listened to her sister. "Let me get this straight, you finally start to get a little peace of mind and, whamo, blammo," she made wide dramatic hand gestures, "someone came back?"

"Yeah," was she all managed to say before shoving a bite of food into her mouth. Rhiannon's eyelids shuttered closed. Had it been anyone but Nicole, the ploy might have worked. However, her older sister knew that expression, Rhi was attempting to hold back a wave of emotion to rival Vesuvius in its heyday.

A red braid swayed as Nicole shook her head. "What you're really saying, Miss Manners," she handed Rhi a napkin, "is that you started trying to move onward and, but you really can't."

Just to spite her sister, Rhi chewed with her mouth open for a moment then swallowed her food. "In the last few days I got a deep insight into Anya's lifestyle. Not to mention a few things about our mother."

"Mom's circumstances were different, Rhi, you know that." She held up one hand, palm up. "She was lied to, you weren't. Were you?" A slender red brow arched as she waited for confirmation.

"No," Rhi said simply.

"For the longest time, they were twins pretending to be one man. That's a lie, it might be a lie by omission," she held up her index finger as if to punctuate her sentence, "but it's still a lie."

"We didn't tell each other any lies, but a lie was exposed. That's what started this path in motion."

Nicole crossed her arms and rested them on the counter as she leaned toward Rhi. "I think you already know this, but I need to say it anyway. No matter how divided you feel your heart and affections are, you can't make someone love you." She took up a cinnamon roll and dipped her finger in the icing. " What is that line from the Wizard of Oz?" She paused a moment as she recalled scene where the wizard gave the Tin Woodsman a heart. "A heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others."

"I need to know where I fit. Where I belong."

"You belong where you want to be," Nicole's tone had an edge to it. "The problem is you need to figure where that is and whether or not you even have a choice. Sometimes, our father's sisters make those choices without any input from us."

"Meddling, Nicole, it's called meddling." Rhi chuckled humorlessly.

"They would call it casting or scrying someone's fate."

"They can call it what they like, but you know what?s really got me turned upside down?" The pain those thoughts had caused were clearly reflected in those sapphire eyes.

"Not a clue, but I suppose you'll tell me."

"What if," Rhi rested both hands on the counter on either side of her mug and leaned almost nose to nose with her elder sister, "what if part of my problem is that these things I feel aren't real" What if some of our crazy relatives got together and decided what they wanted would happen?"

Nicole scowled. Their parents lives had been turned upside down because of that sort of meddling. "I think you're better off knowing and not agonizing over it." She chomped on her cinnamon roll and swallowed what was in her mouth before saying, "Well, tell me about them."

"One is lightning crackling on ocean water in a thunderstorm." Rhi's sapphire eyes twinkled with mischief.

"Dangerous." Nicole nodded at her sister's description. "And the other?"

"Apples and cinnamon on a warm autumn evening." Rhi's face took on a thoughtful expression.

"Like home," Nicole added her two coppers to that, too.