In an attempt to be a good temporary roommate, Jewell left a note for Kal on his pillow written in blue ink:

Going to Faerie. Will put away the decorations if I come back.
♥ Jewell

Jewell struggled to get through the door behind the bar with her arms full of a rather large cardboard box that had ?free? scribbled in blue ink on the side. ?Jerry!?

?I.. wait...? his objections were cut short and he was forced to put down the tankard of beer he had in his hand as the blue haired Faerie thrust the box upon him.

?My savior!? Jewell gushed. Relieved of her burden, she slumped against the bar and ran her hand back through her hair, but the numerous bandaids (newly purchased at the Arena gift shop) which covered her fingers snagged a few strands, causing her to scowl as she pulled them loose, ?Ow.?

He tried to look over the box at her. ?What am I supposed to do with it??

?Will you be an absolute doll and just leave it outside for me at some point? It?s much too heavy for me, but I know you?re so very strong!? In typical Empress fashion, she added a gentle touch to his arm into the bargain and peered around the box to offer a sweet smile as well.

?Depends. What?s in it?? Perhaps he had been warned that the petite Faerie was up to no good in the loft. It probably would not be a good thing if he helped her throw away some of Kal?s stuff.

?Candles.? Jewell replied darkly, opening the top of the box and going on tip-toes to glare inside. ?Stupid candles that aren?t spell-lit. You actually have to use matches for them! I mean, who does that?? Not Jewell. At least not after the first forty-five minutes of trying.

There went all her plans for a romantic, candlelit dinner to apologize to Kal after he tripped over her high-heels last night. And also for laughing about it. He really didn?t seem to appreciate the irony of a thief stumbling over a pair of high heels in the dark like she had.

It really wasn?t a very good plan anyway since she had no intention of actually making the dinner, which Metropolitan magazine told her was an essential part of the process. She sighed as she settled back flat on her feet, dreams utterly crushed, and let the box fall closed. ?It?s such a shame too. I really think Kal liked having them around.?

There was a bar of soap on the bathroom sink. On the brown paper it was wrapped in, there was a note scrawled in blue ink.

I think this is the one you like. I saw that yours was getting low.
J

A courier delivered a fairly rare and old bottle of scotch to The Line one afternoon with a message attached:
Someone came in and traded this for something today at Beyond. Drink later?
J

And for those mornings when he was home, her routine suddenly included an inordinate amount of time moving about the loft in just a towel post-shower.

?Handsome,? she murmured sleepily against his chest. ?I know you said we should go to the beach cause of all the snow, but we could just stay here too.? She shifted to press a line of kisses along his throat. His skin was cold under her lips, but it was a familiar chill that drew her closer to him rather than driving her away.

?I can keep you warm.?

Simply asking for help zipping up one of her dresses seemed to take a lot longer than when she asked the same of Ishmerai.

?Love ya,? she read off the side of the little heart shaped candy before popping it in her mouth. ?Be mine? was next. Jewell ate that one too. She also ate the ?hug me? one that spilled out of the bag and another ?love ya?.

Her tongue had started feeling a bit fuzzy from all the sugar a few dozen ?love ya?s ago, but that had not stopped The Empress. Oh no! She was determined to laze the day away in Kal?s loft in her robe of silk and lace, sprawled out with her bare legs thrown over the arm of the couch, a cheesy romance novel and the dwindling bag of sweetart hearts for company.

In her opinion, they were one of the few redeeming features of the silly holiday known as Valentine?s Day. Any holiday whose prominent colors were pink and red was instantly suspect to the blue-haired Faerie. Also, naked babies flying around with weapons hardly seemed romantic. But she could overlook all its apparent flaws since so many of the local stores seemed to be stocking up on chocolate.

And sweetart heart candies.

?Oh, ?kiss me?!? That one she set aside on a growing pile of hearts all bearing the same message. When there was nothing left in the bag but sugary dust (which she absolutely emptied into her mouth only to cause a coughing fit), Jewell scooped up the collection of ?kiss me? heart, deposited them in a little glass jar, wandered downstairs, and left them on Kal?s desk.

Kalamere could move more smoothly through the dark than just about anyone Jewell knew, but she was still a light sleeper by necessity (when not trapped in her regular litany of nightmares) and stirred when he got into bed.

The blonde Faerie did not appear to mind the disruption judging by the sleepy smile and drowsy greeting she murmured before shifting to curl up closer to him.

It didn?t take her long to pack up all her stuff. Dresses, shoes, and toiletries were all thrown rather haphazardly into her trunk. Why not? It had an anti-wrinkle spells on it anyway. Jewell locked it with a click and headed towards the stairs.

When The Empress departed, she left some things behind.

The knit throw on the couch and a jar of seaglass. January?s issue of Metropolitan fashion magazine on the coffee table next to a book about Japanese sword fighting. A bar of soap in the shower that smelled of vanilla and orange. The lingering touch of glamour that was distinctly her own. One pair of sky high heels in the closet. Hair pins in the bathroom. A blue pen with feathers on the end.

And a final candy heart that said ?xoxo? on the table where he sat.

She sent him an address and a note:

come swimming with me

And when he arrived (and got them inside, a skill Jewell always found particularly appealing), she had no qualms with stripping off her dress even though the cold night air prickled her bare skin and her body still bore the many scars of the ritual she had willingly undergone.

She had no shame. Not with him. Not tonight.

Tonight, she was going to show him how she could make the water dance.

She liked to send him notes and alcohol. This one arrived on Thursday afternoon with an amber bottle.

I didn?t die because I?m AWESOME. I brought this back from Faerie though. It?s supposed to be like scotch only better.

xoxo

Jewell showed up at The Line rather promptly after the the list of Madness seeds was released to the public. There was a thick group of people there already, all lined up and prepared to lay down money for their brackets. She smiled and easily charmed her way through the group in order to get behind the bar.

She kept out of Jerry?s way but purposely stepped right into Kal?s path as he tried to hand off a tankard of ale to someone. She was not really smiling anymore, her brows knit together in confusion. ?Did you have anything to do with this?? She lifted the newspaper up so he could see the Madness seeds; her name was circled in blue at #1 under Monk division.

"Aye... ?" answered the elf somewhat hesitantly. It was his division, so the answer seemed obvious, and yet the look on the blue haired Faerie's face suggested it was not the right answer to deliver.

The brilliant smile that lit up her face should have given him some measure of reassurance in the split second before the petite Empress pinned him rather adeptly against the back bar. There were several hoots from the crowd along the bar as she kissed him and a grumble of dismay from the patron whose tankard of ale hit the floor.

?Fifty-four. Fifty-five.? She lay with her cheek pillowed in her hand, piling the coins from her Madness winnings carefully on his bare stomach. ?Fifty-six. Fifty-seven.?

The towers of gold wobbled unsteadily as Kal reached for his glass of scotch. ?No no! Don?t move!? Her lilting, breathy laughter mingled with the clinking and jingling of the coins as they tumbled back to the bed. ?Now I?ll never know if you cheated me.?

The clock informed her that she was already running twenty-two minutes late for her spa appointment in preparation for the gala this evening. Yet, she was only a few feet closer to the door than she had been the first time she had attempted to leave. If the half-elf wasn?t so damn good looking and distracting, it would make the process a lot easier.

But he was and attempt number two really wasn?t going much better.

She only stopped kissing him long enough to say, ?I can come back and get dressed here. Maybe at two-thirty.? Then her lips were on his again, her fingers tangled in his hair. She was really going to need to reevaluate this plan. ?Two. Better make it two. And if you mess up my hair, I?ll make you pay for it later."

Never let it be said that The Empress did not know how to show gratitude.

?I just want to put my new earrings in and then I?ll put my shoes on and we can go eat,? she called the promise from the bathroom as she opened the jewelry box. The earrings were a present from Kal purchased just that afternoon, a gift from mentor to mentee to commemorate reaching sapphire for the first time in Duel of Fists. Jewell hummed as she exchanged the true silver studs she wore for the new pair. Tilting her head this way and that, she gave her reflection a nod of approval before stepping back out into the main room to rejoin Kal and his glass of scotch.

?What do you think?? She asked, leaning forward so he could get a better look. It was one thing to see them against velvet in the store and another to actually wear them. Her hair fell loose over one shoulder, leaving her ears and earrings visible for admiration. At the store, he had let her pick what she wanted; her choice was a pair of heart shaped sapphires in a white gold setting that would match her hair whenever she returned to her natural color. For now, the deep blue went nicely with both her golden locks and her grey eyes.

The earrings were simple, beautiful, and tasteful.

They were also all she was wearing aside from a smile.

The night air was cool against her bare arms, but she didn?t notice. She?d spent the last hour of the Diamond Quest, her meeting running far too late for her to enter the tournament, happily imbibing some of the best drinks available at The Line and watching the competition on one of the portals.

Now she was lingering outside that fine establishment, waiting for the weary and bruised but ultimately victorious owner.

When he came down the street, she pushed off the wall to meet him halfway, the old bottle of scotch (probably pilfered from his own stash) held up as a symbol of her intentions. ?Think you?ve got enough energy to get us to the hot springs, oh great and powerful Diamond??

?Morning Jerry,? she greeted him cheerfully as she came out of the hallway and into The Line proper. Sure, it was closer to noon than morning, but who was keeping track?

?Jewell.?

The blue haired faerie leaned against the bar and smiled at him. She bat her eyelashes a bit too. The overall effect was not limited at all by the stitches marching an angry red line across her face. ?Oh best-of-all-bartenders,? she liked to keep on good terms with Jerry, and he didn?t seem to mind when she laid it on a bit thick, ?can you make me coffee for my walk home? Something strong. It?s so cold and my poor head hurts.? The sympathy card too. Nice touch but totally unnecessary.

He leaned on the bar opposite her. ?What kind of strong??

?The kind with a little bite.? Because The Empress liked to couple head injuries, iron wounds, pain killers, and a night of? exertion with day drinking.

Jerry shook his head, but he couldn?t resist that smile. ?Sure.?

She leaned way over, her feet leaving the ground a moment, so she could smack his cheek with a kiss. ?I knew you were the best.?

Chuckling, he turned away to prepare her drink while she settled her feet back on the ground and glanced around. A small pile of Mad Fairy Ale posters ?signed? by The Empress Overlady sat on the bartop. Kal was making a killing with those. There were two people watching some kind of kangaroo boxing, but it was otherwise quiet. Rath was standing at the door, letting the cold air in and staring at something outside. Since the coffee was still percolating, she strolled over to check on her favorite half-ogre. ?What?s going on darling?? The Empress was likely one of the only people who would call a half-ogre ?darling?. She peered around him, using his body as a shield from the breeze that went right through her dress, to see what was going on outside. ?Oh.?

The protesters had found their way into Dragon?s Gate.

At least this crowd was peaceful. For now. They were just standing there, hands linked to form a human chain that zig-zagged across the street to the Red Orc Brewery and then back towards The Line. Others were silently marching around in circles, holding some of those awful signs: ?END HUMAN OPPRESSION?, ?MAKE RHYDIN HUMAN AGAIN?, ?HALFIES AREN?T HUMAN?, ?UPRIGHT, ROUND-EARED AND PROUD!? They were impeding foot traffic, but they weren?t accosting the people that averted their eyes and skirted around them.

Despite the lack of violence, Jewell didn?t want to take her chances. Not after Tuesday. Her cheek throbbed just thinking about going out there. It wasn?t that she was scared. Oh no. Nothing could scare The Empress (except for small, dark, enclosed spaces and evil people with her true name). She just couldn?t be bothered with such nonsense today. ?Ka-al! I need you!? she called out loudly as she headed back towards the bar, intent on collecting her coffee and the half-elf. Loitering around The Line and then a half-elf made portal home later suddenly sounded a lot better than anything else she had planned for the day.

The hammock swayed gently and the warm breeze stirred her damp hair. Coupled with the waves lapping at the sand just a few feet away and the setting sun, it was as though someone had cast a spell of peace upon her. She wasn?t even willing to break it to reach for the daiquiri planted in the sand below. The condensation was running down the side of the hurricane glass, and the icy blue slush was turning to liquid, but Jewell didn?t care. She shifted to nestle her head more comfortably against the half-elf at her side.

This was better than presents. This was better than decorating the loft above The Line while Kal was away in order to surprise him. It was certainly much better than trying to make Christmas cookies and burning herself on candles. She didn?t have to battle with tinsel or try to hang mistletoe. She didn?t have to worry about the proper way to dispose of a Christmas tree or how to keep a half-ogre from eating all the decorations.

In fact, she didn?t have to worry about anything at all.

He broke her heart on a Tuesday. On Friday, a courier brought an envelope to The Line. The note was short, written in her flowing handwriting and (of course) sparkling blue ink:
Kal,

I meant for you to have this. Maybe one day it will save your life like you saved mine and that debt will be paid. I hope you will never need it, but I know being a high-class escort is dangerous work so maybe wear it just in case?

Thank you again for the magnolias.

Always,
Jewell
The note was accompanied by a pin shaped like a dagger. It was made of true silver and could be used as a weapon in a bind. There were a few strands of blue hair worked into the metal as well, to serve as a ward against those who might wish to do the half-elf harm.

It had also been made with love, and there was nothing stronger than that.