?Are they here yet?? Amthy asked for the hundredth time that afternoon.
?No,? Cayt answered easily. ?They?ll get here when they get here, Amthy.?
?You?re sure the Pack will tell you when they get here??
?Yes, I?m sure.?

Wringing her hands, Amthy tried not to look toward the window. It was hard. All she had been able to think about for the last couple of days was when Miles would find Magister. With a man like Magister, well, he could be anywhere, and that was the problem. It could take days, or weeks, to locate him if he wasn?t ready to be found.

?Are you done with your homework?? Cayt asked in an effort to distract her nymph-y sister. The green-haired girl, and a mound of papers and books, had taken over the coffee table. As far as Cayt could tell, Amthy hadn?t written a single word since she had returned from school. Ariella and Audrien, Amthy?s fosterlings, had long since finished and were playing outside in the snow, even though they had returned well after their guardian had.

Amthy looked down at her blank page. Her lower lip jutted out over her upper lip as she furrowed her brow. ?I have some left to do still,? she replied. That was an understatement! She had three days of homework to make-up. In hindsight, perhaps, it hadn?t been a good idea to cut class so much. The blue devils descended to form a heavy, sulky cloud around the nymph.

?Then you better start working on it, huh?? Cayt responded. At the moment, the silvery-blonde haired shifter was more interested in her cup of coffee than with helping Amthy. ?Mmm, I like this new flavor Hedwig found.? She found it easy to ignore the puppy-eyes her sister was making by looking into her cup. Softly, she smacked her lips and uncurled from the overstuffed chair she had been sitting in. ?I?ll be right back. I want to get some more.?

Lantern-like emerald eyes narrowed in disappointment as Cayt left the room. Amthy watched her back for a long moment before giving a huffling grunt. Resigned, she clicked out some more lead from her mechanical pencil and turned her attention to her assignment. ?Where could they possibly be?? She sighed under her breath. Why weren?t they there saving her from her school work? ?So much for being my knights-in-shining-armor,? she grumbled. If Miles and Magister couldn't manage to save her from elementary mathematics, how could they begin to dream of saving her from Renaurd?

Shortly after the knock, the front door to Ardane creaked open. A man of indistinct years with a mop of just as uninspiring brown hair filled the doorway. Golden-brown eyes skimmed over the two men, and then touched briefly on the pegasi behind them. ?We don?t want any,? he said indifferently and closed the door on the Malign men as if they were door-to-door sales persons. Click! The lock was thrown and Magister and Miles were left in the cold.

?Who was at the door?? Someone called from the receiving room.
?Some guys selling something,? Neano answered as he pad down the hall and toward the kitchen.
?What were they selling?? Someone else called from the receiving room.
Neano gave a short, exasperated sigh. ?I don?t know. They looked shifty to me.?
?I could use a new curry comb. Did you ask if they were selling combs?? The owner of one of the voices, a Ms. Gina Benalkin, popped into the doorway, and peered down the hall to gaze on Neano?s back.
Neano lifted a hand at rubbed his temple. ?No, I didn?t ask if they were selling combs, Gina.?
Gina clucked her tongue disapprovingly. ?That was right rude of you, then.?
Neano swiveled around to look at Gina. ?Did you want me to ask them??
?Would you?? She sounded delighted at the prospect.

Neano?s shoulders hunched over as he moved back toward the door and the disreputable looking men on the other side. Gina fell in step behind him once he crossed before the receiving room door. She was followed in turn by another Geladine jockey, Bianca. ?I promise they aren?t selling curry combs.?
?Well, you won?t know until you ask,? Gina said pleasantly.
?She does have a point, you know,? Bianca threw in just because she could.
Sighing in defeat, Neano unlocked the door and cracked it open a hair. All that was visible of the man through the break in the door was just as much as would be viewable through a three inch wide crack. ?Do you have any curry combs??

"Doubt my words if you may, but do allow me to present my card, that you may convey it to someone who can recognize a welcome guest to Ardane's regal lands. Until then, we'll wait out here."

Despite Magister?s explanation of their reason to be present, Neano didn?t open the door any wider. His gaze flicked down to where the staff was wedged in the crack of the door. Bianca and Gina were pressed up tight against his back, pushing him closer against the door frame as they struggled to both see, and hear, their visitor. He gave a noncommittal grunt, and took the card. As soon as the staff and card had cleared the threshold, the door was closed once more on the Malign men?s faces, and the door locked.

?Neano!?? Bianca gasped in horror as the door was closed once more without further comment. ?What are you doing? They?re here to see the Princess!?
?Don?t be stupid!? Gina hissed as she tried to bully the man out of the way to get at the door.
?I told you they weren?t selling curry combs.? If he?d been wolf, his ears would have flicked back. As it was, all he could do was narrow his eyes.
?I don?t care any more,? Gina snipped as she hip bumped the Hishn to the side. ?Go tell ?Rora and Cayt that we have company,? she instructed him. Smoothing her hands over her hair, and then over the front of her clothing, before opening the door. Nice and slow and with a smile to boot! Letting her eyes roam over the Malign?s, she settled her attention firmly on Magister. ?Please, won?t you come inside?? She stepped away from the door, and motioned for them to step into the foyer. ?I do apologize. Would you mind sitting a moment in the receiving room??
?We have company!? Bianca yelled up the stairs at the top of her lungs. Shuffling her steps toward the kitchen, she herded Neano that way with the persistent press of her hands.
?Would you care for anything to drink?? Gina asked Magister as she escorted both he and Miles to the receiving room door. With so many people living at Ardane, it was never the same experience twice! It was going to take a while before everyone recognized the infamous hellraking Pirate at first glance.

Shortly following the announcement, two little forms popped out over the top rail. ?Who?s here?? Audrien called down the steps. The dark-haired girl was dressed for bed, even if she hadn?t been able to bring herself to actually sleep.
?Yeah, who?s here?? Ariella, the catling, mewled from her sister?s feet.
?I think we should see.? Audrien stepped away from the rail, and started down the stairs to the main floor.
?So do I,? Ariella replied, creeping along just behind her sister?s feet.
Slink. Slink. The pair made it to the archway to the receiving room, and spied on the adults inside. Two sets of sea green eyes watched, and two sets of ears listened. ?Who do you think it is?? Ariella asked.
Audrien brightened and gave a high little girl squeal. ?Miles!? So much for hiding! The little girl dashed over to the Pirate, and threw her arms around his legs. ?Play with us!?

Gina smiled politely to Magister and Miles both in turn. She was embarrassed by Neano?s behavior, but not too much! She was more concerned over Cayt?s wrath?if there was to be any being the most important part. Pacing a small circle away from the men when Magister went to see about drinks, her attention was drawn immediately to the door and the streak of dark-haired little Catling. ?Audrien!? She hissed.

The little girl in question was much too captivated by Miles to care about the disapproving tone of Gina?s voice. Giggling, she hung on the Pirate in a cling meant to put off sleep for as long as possible. ?Go Fish!? She chirped. It was clear to see from the child?s demeanor just who it was that was her guardian.

Ariella, the catling tiger cub, on the other hand, made a wide berth around the fire place to wind around and between Miles? legs. ?Yes, yes, play a game with us!? She mewled. ?I wanna play the Fox and Hen game.?

?We can?t go to sleep just yet, Aunty Amthy is still awake,? Audrien confided to Miles. ?She?s in the study working on her school work.? Her eyes rolled up. ?She takes so long to do it.? A short huff of breath was given as she looked downward to her sibling, ?you always want to play that game. I want to pick the game this time.?

?But you pick boring games.?

?I do not.?
?Do.?
?Not.?
?Do.?
?Not. Not. Not. Not!? Audrien howled as she climbed over Miles, hanging possessively on him.
?Do. Do. Do. Do!? Ariella called back just as loudly as she wound a circle around Miles? legs.

The two little catlings started to bicker back and forth, and Gina covered her face with a hand. She didn?t know if she wanted to be amused or put out completely! In those precious moments, she was saved by the appearance of one rumpled looking nymph. There were smudges beneath her eyes, and her expression was pitiful. Oh, woe indeed! She?d had to actually do her homework, and her make work as well! Amthy didn?t move into rescue Miles. No way, No how! She lingered in the doorway, and watched with a gentle, amused smile. That expression did much to soften the look of her.

?You?re late,? she said absently, and to no one of them in particular. There was, however, a pout in her voice. ?I finished with mah homework, already.?

Ariella snuck in a hiss to Audrien. It was her way of having the last word. Her tail lashed about beneath Miles? arm in a temperamental flick. Audrien couldn?t let the hiss go unanswered, so she stuck out her tongue. This only provoked another hiss, and yet another show of Audrien?s tongue complete with a scrunch of her nose and squint of her sea green eyes. Audrien snuffed and gave her best mock-apologetic voice, the one that got her out of trouble at school, and wound her arms around Miles? neck. ?Nice to meet you, Nuncle Magister,? Audrien said with a solemn voice.

Ariella?s tail continued to flick as her attention skipped right over the mage to focus on Greebo. ?If I get fleas, does that mean Greebo will give ?Rien lice?? She asked Miles all too casually.

Amthy?s cheeks puffed up and she wagged a finger at the catling in warning. ?You?re not going to give your sister lice.? That?s the last thing the green-haired nymph wanted to deal with! A horde of little critters besieging the fair locks of the whole of Ardane. Her expression flowed right into a nose wrinkle. Her expression was one of clear distaste and disappointment when she let her attention continue on to Miles. It went to show, really, she wasn?t much better than her charges. ?But I wanted dearly to be distracted!? She dragged that out with a sigh. ?I dunn think you understand how dreary it is.?

?Yes, Miles, tell us about the pirate and the pixie princess!? Audrien squeaked happily. She loosened the loop of her arms to crane her head back. A story was a good way to get out of going to bed! ?You want to hear a story, don?t you, Ariella?? She tried to convey that thought about delaying sleep to her sister with a meaningful cut of her eyes.

The catling gave a long, skull splitting yawn and licked at her muzzle. ?Tell us a story!? She hunched in against Miles? side, her black and shadow striped fur puffing up as her head sank back to make her a tidy little ball. Well, as small a ball as a tiger cub could be.

While the girls focused their attention in on Miles, Gina on the other hand excused herself from the room to locate Caytlin. She smiled pleasantly to Amthy and Magister in way of farewell as she stepped out into the hall. There was no telling if Bianca and Neano had ever made it to the princess, and it was her duty to make sure that the information reached the silvery-blonde?s ears.

Amthy listened with half an ear to the story Miles began to weave. It was only half an ear because the rest of her attention was on the compliments being bestowed upon her by the lecherous mage, Magister. A low breathy titter bubbled past her lips as a stain of mint mingled with a deep forest hue. Flattery was really the way to that particular nymph-pix?s heart! Dark green lashes lowered, and with a grin; she tangled her arms around one of Magister?s. ?So you don?t think I look like a boy?? She queried. A hand was then run over her lissom frame to draw attention down to her new best feature, which was, in this case, her legs. It was all about proportion, and for her size, she had legs to die for. Sleek and well turned, the nymph was just made for woodland cavorting.

Tipping her head in against Magister?s shoulder, she cooed. ?Oh, I do like the scent you?re wearing,? she said in a good-natured gush of excitement as she drew the mage to the other side of the receiving room and away from Miles and the girls. Her fosterlings were, in fact, ignorant of Amthy?s little problem. ?Magister,? she began in a hushed voice, ?I fear I?ve found myself in a bit of a pickle.? Her teeth worried at the inside of her cheek for a moment as she searched her airy little head for the right words. ?I?m under a compulsion, you see, and it is my desire to discover a means to remove it.?

If anything, Magister always had a pleasing thing to say. His technique was easily found in his nephew, Miles. Her body was once more a-buzz with the mage?s flattery, her dark green lashes lowering demurely even though she smiled. Of course, she knew him to be right. Her ego, horrible monster that it was, had recognized the truth within his observation. Amthy spared a glance over shoulder to Miles and the girls as she and Magister removed themselves to the far side of the room. Brilliant emerald eyes held a note of longing as she gazed upon the trio. She wished, dearly, she could join them. The story was much more interesting than the one Magister was coaxing her to spin.

Amthy smiled wanly as Magister?s hand conformed to her cheek. Sighing, she tipped her head briefly toward the comfort he offered, simply because his hand was there. ?Miles is vague on the details only because he does not know them. You and I both know iffin he did have them all at his disposal, he would not have brought you to see me, but instead put you to work in your tower to find a solution.?

At the mention of sitting, Amthy?s attention flicked out over the arrangement of chairs. It had been her intention to find one, and to sit close. She had no idea how close Magister had intended that to be until she was pulled down into the libertine?s lap. The green-haired nymph?s eyes widened to dinner plates, and a bird-like squawk of surprise left her lips. Her blush renewed in a mesh of chartreuse and pea greens as she scrambled to make that perch upon his lap as innocuous and platonic as the position could allow. There was no doubt he had meant the gesture to be grandfatherly in nature, but in the back of her mind she couldn?t forget all the adjectives usually connected with that particular Malign. Words like lecherous, lewd, lascivious, and licentious.

Clearing her throat softly, she pressed a hand to her cheek to still her blush of embarrassment. ?If I tell you, it is as good as telling Miles, isn?t it? How then can I feel safe in disclosing the whole of the affair if I need worry that you?ll fill his ears with everything I?ve left out?? She gave a sigh, and scrunched her nose. Twisting her fingers together, she looked down at her hands and started to weave her tale. ?I s?pose you could say it started with an evil Unseelie witch, who wasn?t very evil at all, and an Unseelie wizard who was quick to help, but only if it served his purpose.? Puffing out her cheeks, her brows knitted and briefly hooded over her eyes. ?They both are kindly sorts, despite the sound of things. Enid took good care of me when I came to her, and asked very little in the way of compensation. I was unaware at that time tha? the tasks she put me to were engineered for me to fail. She was under no obligation to assist me until I?d completed the responsibilities she put before me. Renaurd, tha?s the wizard; he interfered with those tasks so that I might win. I had no idea of this when it happened. I am not very worldly when it comes to Underhill affairs.?

She strummed a finger over her lips, and set her attention back to watching Audrien and Ariella pepper Miles with details, and occasionally whine that his story just wasn?t possible. Anything that glamorous had to be completely made-up. ?Enid, I reckon, was not ignorant of his interference. She was very kind, and I enjoyed being with her very much. She set me with a cure for my malady,? she tipped her head toward Magister, ?which was the whole reason I was Underhill from the start. When I left her, she set me with guidelines, which, of course, I broke. I s?pose tha? was her way of protecting me. As long as I did not deviate from the actions she outlined for me, I was under her care. Renaurd maneuvered to thwart that protection. See, he?d helped me, whether or not I?d known it, and it was then time for him to collect his due.?

Amthy gave a heavy sigh. ??s the way with the Fair Folk. One cannot accept a gift unless one is offered back of similar worth. With Enid, it was an exchange: I completed the tasks she desired, and I was rewarded. There are shades of gray with Renaurd?s gift. Not only did he assist me, but he did save and take care of me through the throws of my transformation. He was, in fact, very kind to me afterwards. He made no demands upon my person, but neither would he let me go free.? Oh, sure, she was sugar coating some of the events, but her memory had gentled them. ?He even allowed me to search for a means to escape?which turned out to be worse.? She cupped both hands to her cheeks and hung her head. ?As I said, you cannot receive anything for free. I had nothing to trade, but myself. For each task he assisted me with, I gave him a piece of me: blood, bone, memory, and name by the time all was said and done?all freely given and without coercion.?

Her expression crumpled, ?Oh, Magister, but I could not stand it any more. I spent years there within his castle, first living as his guest, and then as his servant. I saw no end to it. I longed so very badly for the things?the life?I?d had before. After I gave him my memories, all of it was in shadows. I knew I had been happy once. Why couldn?t I be again? I begged him for my release, and eventually we came to a compromise. I swore three times over that I would return to him after a year and a day of freedom. That?s when I gave him my name, as a means to assure him that I would keep my word.? She twisted, her finely wrought features contorting with her eagerness, ?and I did mean to keep my word. For six months I labored under the idea I would leave, and I acted horribly to those I love. I want to stay. I have felt love again, and I want to stay.? Her chin quivered and her bright eyes welled with tears. Heavy drops won free of her lashes to darken the fabric of Magister?s attire.

Amthy blinked back her tears, and sniffed. Mopping her fingers to the corners of her reddening eyes, she tipped her head and leveled Magister with a look that was a delicate mix of awe, and appreciation. She wasn?t completely sure how he managed it, but the mage could make any invitation sound dirty. It didn?t help he was jostling her lightly about as he filled his pipe, the motions causing her to slip along the slope of his legs to sit closer to his chest. By the end, she was confused enough about his intent that she wasn?t sure if a blush was in order, but she was afraid to ask. Just to be on the safe side, a bare hint of mint graced the highest points of her emotion ruddy cheeks.

?Thank you for your understanding, Magister,? the nymph?s voice was sincere. ?I would not have him worry more than he already must.? At the thought of him, she found herself looking back to Miles and the girls, and their cozy little spot nestled in the over-stuffed chair. The girls had started to drowse, Ariella no longer even pretended to have her little catling eyes open, though Audrien was making a good attempt at appearing to be alert. She could not, however, stop the occasional yawn, and was now sitting with her body resting heavily against Miles. Every now and again, she asked for him to repeat a detail or two having missed them the first time around.

Lantern-like emerald eyes skipped back over to Magister. It wasn?t a far journey! All she had to do was look up. His arm was hooked casually around her waist, and her legs were draped over his. When he began to indulge in his pipe, at first the smoke made her sneeze, but then, later, as she became accustomed to it, she found it comforting. ??m not sure tha?s terribly important,? Amthy confided to the mage, ?but I went to see her because she?s the Faerie Doctor, or at least one of them. A kindly,? a pause as memory proved the ?kindly? part to be false, ?goblin helped me find her. ?m not very good when it comes to crossing the veil, though it is very weak in mah clearing. I need Silvanous? help, but he could not help me. We were too sick. He had to sleep. It was not s?posed to turn out this way. Silvanous would not have thought I should cross the veil if he did know this is wha? would happen.?

Her lips parted, her first intention was to elaborate, but on his statement about her imprisonment; the train of her thought made an unscheduled stop. ?But he did not demand those things of me. I decided to give those things. The only one he asked for was mah memories when he did teach me to read.? Her cheeks puffed briefly as she tipped down her chin and played with a tuft of her hair. ?Though, I fear I did misunderstand when we made the trade. Tha? was mah fault for not asking for details. I thought he did only wish to hear about me, not that in the telling I would surrender them to him, ya ken??

Her expression wavered, and her brow furrowed to hood over her eyes. ?I think he is worthy of sympathy,? she confided to Magister. ?He is as much a prisoner to wha? it is tha? he does as any other that crosses his path.? Sure, she was biased, but stubbornly she wished to hold on to her belief in the inherent good rather than its opposite. ?I don?t think if he had a choice that he would continue on the path he?s on now.?

Amthy shifted on Magister?s lap; a slight wriggle that took her back up the slope of his legs and toward his knees a few inches. She found herself being swayed, if only marginally, by Magister?s words. Memories of her time spent within the castle swirled to the front of her mind. She had not been happy there in the garden, and the few times she had been were short lived. ?If I had been in love with him, I might have given them to him,? she said slowly, ?but I did not love him.? In fact, when it came down to it, she was hard pressed to think of him as her friend. Of course, at one time, she had thought of Renaurd the Guard as such. It was Fingal-Renaurd the Wizard she had no affection for.

?Nothing done among the fae is done without some sort of exchange involved whether it is service or boon. To take and not give is to put yourself at the mercy of the other?especially so among the Unseelie.? The olivine-haired nymph?s voice was solemn. Oh, sure, she?d had to relearn that lesson the *hard* way. ?Renaurd did not change me, if tha?s wha? you mean. I was destined for this change from the moment I bonded with Silvanous so many years ago. He withheld that information from me. Tha?s why he would not help Miles and me with a very, ah, delicate situation a few years past.? At the thought of it, her eyes returned to the pirate in question, and her two very sleepy charges. Ariella was asleep, and Audrien was trying to whine another story out of him. It wasn?t often that they had guests at Ardane, and never so late as this. She wanted to stay up and find out the cause. Unfortunately, she was tired and that was interfering greatly with her plan.

?Wha?d started with Enid did finish at Renaurd?s castle, if tha?s whucha mean to discover. My duenna and a few of his other servants did nurse me through the worst of it.? She tipped her gaze and twisted to eyeball Magister. ?But I dunn see wha? that has to do with mah geas which happened several years afterward. It is not Renaurd's fault I look this way. It is a consequence of being bonded to a creature of earth.?

?Why would he do such a thing?? Amthy was clearly baffled by the turns Magister?s thoughts had made. ?Iffin he?d jus? stripped me o? mah wings, tha? wouldn?t have made me into something new.? The subject of her wings, or lack of them as the case might be, was still a sensitive thing for the landlocked elemental. With her thoughts on other things, the light touches Magister laid upon her person just didn?t register in her airy little head.

Her gaze cut to Magister in alarm. ?I?ve no desire for him to be dead,? her voice was soft, but strong, ?I?ve but one concern and tha? is to stay here. ?m the one doing the ignoble thing! I?ve given my word, no matter how it was secured. ?m the?un! After this, mine own sworn word will mean nothing a?tal. ?m no better than he is, make no mistake. I am a wretched creature.? She took a breath in through her nose and swallowed. ?I love them, Magister. I love them so much tha? I would rather be ruined than be without them.?

The nymph-pix was not given to displays of strong emotion, at least not unless they were of the sweet, and warm persuasion. Her fingers curled in against her legs, and she looked away; shamed. She did not look at Miles, but chose instead to focus on the adjacent wall. She wondered, vaguely, if Cayt would be open to allowing her to have the wall coverings redone.

"I nearly had to knock him out to get him to loan this to me." Presenting the pearl to the nymph, he asked the most important question of the evening,

"What is this and why is it so important?"

At Magister?s words, she looked back to him and the box he held. It took her a moment to realize what it was she was looking at. She had not thought to see it in Magister?s possession. A warm rush of color stained her cheeks as she lifted a finger to touch lightly on the bead-like item. ?You should not have this, Magister,? she gently admonished him as she drew her hand away. Shaking her head, she touched a hand to her cheek. ??ve not told him what it was?there is no? surprise in me tha? you would lack in knowing as well.? She tipped toward him, her voice low, ??s mah heart, Magister?well, half o? it. Morpheus has the other half in his possession. Do take a care. I would not care for you to break it, nor would Miles, I wager.?

Amthy watched as he stowed the precious bit of magic back into the box that had been made to hold it. The nymph gave a tip of brilliant emeralds to look from the box to Miles. The pirate had his hands full with her very sleepy charges. Ariella had stretched out against his side, tiger-cub claws kneading into his thigh as she drifted in and out of sleep. Audrien had given up her pretense of wakefulness to tuck in against his side. She sat with one leg thrown over his as she wedged her thumb into her mouth. The dark haired girl only gave the odd incoherent mumble that might have been in response to dreaming, or the story that Miles had wove.

Amthy snuffed, rubbing the back of her fingers to her straight little nose. ??Cause Miles will thrash you soundly if you did not,? the nymph teased the mage. A small smile for Magister as her eyes narrowed in amusement. ?Do you think so?? She steepled her hands together, touching the tips of her fingers to her parted lips. ?Magister, tha? would be amazing! I had my own worries tha? I would be found again once I did return Underhill.?

She leaned in toward him, though she didn?t have far to go. The lech had kept her lissome, well turned body nice and close to his. Arms wrapped about him in a jubilant squeeze. ?Oh, Magister,? she gasped, ?you?ve given me such hope,? she cooed to him. She stayed close while he spoke, her brows furrowing together as she drew back. Scrunching up her nose, she looked at him completely baffled. ?Huh?? Her tone dull, she wasn?t always the brightest crayon in the box.

Absently, she scratched her nail to her cheek. ?Tha?s a silly thing to ask, Magister. O?course I dunn think you wretched. Perverted, yes,? she nodded her head vigorously at the idea. She angled a finger to point back to the pirate and her fosterlings. ?Does tha? look wretched to your eyeballs? It does look sweet?an? very homey to mine.?

She then inclined her finger back at him. ?But you?re Malign, tha?s wha? Maligns do.? A subtle stress upon her words as if to imply he should know that already. A faint blush of celery stained her cheeks as she turned her eyes away from Magister?s. ?Tha? was different, wasn?t it? I would much rather have had Miles live than die for something tha' wasn't his fault to start. You did whacha had to, Magister. No one can find fault in things done to protect children.?

One bright green eye closed and she peered at Magister. "Are you really so bad? I think Miles is fairly exciting. Is he a bad man by other people's standard?" She turned her gaze back to the cozy scene taking place at the other side of the room. "'s no' jus' a lie, Magister. I gave my sworn word. Tha's like a magical contract. 've no' jus' misled the man, I'd broken a contract tha's legally bindin' to my kind."

A faint flush in kiwi stained Amthy's cheeks as Magister captured her and and brushed a kiss to the back of her fingers. She couldn't help the breathy titter that bubbled past her lips, or the demure lowering of dark green lashes. "Are you trying to corrupt me, Magister?" Her voice wasn't accusing, merely curious, especially so since he'd found it fit to use the word 'bliss.'

The tip of her tongue showed briefly between her lips. "I surely must think so somewhere inside iffin 'm willin' to do this a'tal," she said softly. "Tha' dunn make mah heart feel any more better for knowing the depth o' mah selfishness...but then, all creatures are motivated by tha', aren't they? Their own desires placed so high over any others." She offered Magister a smile. "So you will be able to trace me through my bead. Is there aught else I can give you to help?"

Amthy gasped, waving her hands before her vigorously. "OhMIgosh, you weren't there, but it was horrible! I'd never thought I'd see the day tha' mah beloved Chou-Chou would do such a thing...okay, out side o' tha' time I went with him an' some o' the other Bloods on his ship. There was killing there, too, but we did manage to have a splendid lil picnic on the deck." A half-smile in remembrance curved her mouth as she kicked her legs lightly against Magister's. Mercurial as ever, her sorrow had given way to delight as she tucked herself in cozy-like to the mage so that she could whisper to him.

"You an' Miles are two men o' the same mind, you do knowing this, yeah?" Amthy asked as she ticked her head toward Magister's shoulder. "Right down to the smile an' the smilin' eyes, 'cept Miles' eyes aren't blue." Craning her head back, she stole a stealthy, shifty-eyed look at the pirate and her fosterlings. The flames of curiosity had been stoked within her eyes at the elder Malign's words. "Forboden, you say?" Her tone was leading as she stretched out the last of her question. Fingers walked over Magister's arm as her lashes lowered. "Whisper into mine ear, and Miles would be no more the wiser for it."

Amthy was right cozy with Magister when he moved his lips toward her ear, the combination of moustache and breath making her laugh and giving her a case of goose bumps. Emerald green eyes widened to saucers and her lips rounded in proper scandalized fashion--though she wasn't that surprised. This was Magister after all! He was the one who'd sent Miles through his paces. Really, when she looked at the lascivious mage, she was getting a peek into the future. Miles, without a doubt, was already well on his way to following in his Uncle's foot steps. Was it any wonder then that Magister likewise found the lissom lovely to be intriguing. Sure, one could argue that Magister found anything of the female persuasion just as enthralling. All that mattered, at that moment in time, was that Magister's proposition had chased away her fears, and brought the sunshine smile back to curve the nymph's lips.

Twisting around in the elder Malign's lap, she splayed her hands over her mouth and cheeks. A shimmering sparkle entered her lantern-like eyes as her mirth and building mischief danced a fiery waltz. "Magister, tha's quite the promise. I dunno iffin you would survive the encounter," she said matter-of-factly, her hands skimming down to playfully capture his errant ones. "How would I explain tha' to Miles? ''m sorry, Darling, but he was trying desperately to shatter the glass, crack the stone, and frighten Greebo from my room.'" She released one of his hands to touch a fingertip lightly to the tip of his nose.

"Bet you half a dollar?"

Amthy's jaw dropped down and she gasped, scandalized. "'s tha' all surviving a night o' pure unadulterated bliss with me is worth?" She clucked her tongue in reprove. "Hardly a motivation, and here you were saying you did know more than he. Perhaps you technique is lacking, or perhaps, you think mine might be." She pressed a finger thoughtfully to her cheek. Mirth and mischief danced a wild waltz in her lantern-like eyes. There was a reason she adored a flirtacious man: it kept her from thinking about serious things.

Hearing Miles, she turned to look at the Pirate, and promptly blushed a shocking shade from nose-to-toes and back again--twice. "Ah, so whispering things didn't save your ears at all, mah Chou." A warm smile softened her features as she scrambled out of Magister's lap. Fingers brushed affectionately to Audrien's back before she placed a kiss on her temple, while Ariella earned herself a soft scritch. "Do be careful, mah sweet, an' dunn fall."

A glance back to Magister. "Does he even wear pants, Chou?" She whispered to Miles.

Amthy giggled in amused delight at the imagery Miles supplied her. It helped her mood considerably when the sound of Magister's mirth mingled with her own. At the threat of the noise waking one of her fosterlings, she clapped a hand over her mouth as Miles turned from her and took the now slumbering girls back to their room. The flat of the hand that covered her mouth curled in, and she swallowed a dreamy sigh as her heart gave an unexpected throb of warmth.

She was still making sheep-eyes at Miles' back, that was until she couldn't see him any long, when Magister spoke. A cut of her bright eyes to the mage, and she took a coy backward step off and to the side. Clasping her hands behind her back, her head tipped in consideration of his question. "Oh, aye, wings are just the thing. I canno' resist a set of them, such a scrumptious pleasure they are to the skin...feathers, tha' is. Verily, I may no' be able to resist your considerable charms then, Magister." She teased.

Turning, she went to secure herself a drink. She watched the amber liquid swirl up inside the snifter, just a splash was all she wanted. It would help her nerves. "Thank you, Magister, for everything." A short flick of her eyes back to the elder Malign. "However this does go, I dunn wish for it to be a trial for Miles," she said after a look to the door to make sure the pirate hadn't returned. "If there is no helping me, Magister, promise me you won' let'm withdraw into himself. Take him out carousing iffin you must, and find him adventure and company when you can. Iffin tha's no' enough...well...you're a great an' powerful mage, 'm sure there are spells to help'un forget whether the person in question does know they are being used, or no'."

Amthy listened to Magister like a child being scolded by the Principle, which was something the nymph was well acquainted with. Rolling her lips into a thin, white line, she looked down to her glass. How was it that the Mage could be so sensible? A wave of guilt crashed over her, and her heart sank further into her stomach. Miles was human--blessedly so. For all that she delighted in the attributes Magister outlined, there was nothing to compare to the vibrance of fleeting human life. Miles burned with it, and it was a beacon that attracted her like a moth to a flame.

"But Magister," she started with feeble protest, but stopped. What could she say that would make the mage see her side? Was there anything she could do that would bring him to feel the same as she did? It wasn't likely. Releasing a breath, Amthy scrunched up her nose. "I dunn wish for him to suffer for the lack o' me, Magister. While he may feel tha' he pales before the majesty o' mine other companions, I can say without hesitation I love him most of all. No other can ever eclipse him in my heart." A chagrinned tip of her mouth. "No' tha' it did stop me from loving others, did it?" Even though it was posed as a question, no answer was truly required from the elder Malign. "'ve only ever brought the ones tha' love me pain, Magister. I would save him tha'...if only you would see."

She let her lilting voice fade off and snorted a laugh at the imagery Magister painted. "Then here is to our success," she said as she let her glass hit against his. Drawing it up, she took a healthy swallow, and just hoped that it wasn't too soon to celebrate.