((These events take place the evening of Saturday, March 26.))

It was eerily quiet in the halls. As most of the enclave and student body were off at a celebration, he'd been enjoying the peace and quiet, but something drew him out of his chambers. A vague feeling of unease, perhaps. That, and a certain concern for a neighbor, who by her very nature would've avoided a celebration like the plague. Quietly, he slipped into the library, and gently rapped on the door. ?Elle? Are you alright??

Panic beyond all means of panic oozed out through the very frame that surrounded the door. There came a sudden crash, then a startled squeak, as a voice called out in a fine, fine tremble. The voice that answered the blue feline would undoubtedly not be what he was expecting. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Just cleaning... cleaning, cleaning. I promise!" Came a muffled, squeaking reply from within. This was not quite the proper voice. Elle's voice was soft, yes, and at times could be quite small, but there was something about the lack of depth in the reply; the lack of natural feminine baritone that made a woman, well, a woman.

?Elle?? Worry crept into his voice, as he listened. ?What's wrong??

Behind the heavy, safe veil of the door, a much smaller, much more timid creature was flurrying about. Her clothes were much too big, and she rectified that as best she could with heavy knot work kinked into the extra fabric. The mop of blonde curls was the same, though perhaps a bit brighter, as though it were recently bleached from a long, long summer. They were also a-fly. One handed, the minute Elle child fumbled for the door. Why was she one handed? Well... you see. Her glasses were something she had to hold to her face until she found a proper bit of string to pin them to her head. "I'm fine, I just forgot 'bout being moved today, Sir. I promise. M-matron told me all 'bout you, I p-promise I remember. I was just cleanin', honest!" Clearly, she had no idea just what was going on, but quickly moved to take up the blame out of learned fear.

Of a certainty, the lack of a doorknob might be throwing her off balance somewhat. So, for expediency's sake, he touched the outer control to let the offending slab slide into the wall. ?Matron? Moved? Whatever are you talking ab ... ? His eyes went rather wide, as the door opened, and his voice drew up short.

Khoom, to say the least, was not the face she was expecting when little Estelle had the door open on her. Stumbling forward as she tried to catch herself, she squeaked again. No louder than a mouse underfoot, and damn near as small and awkward. "Ee-ep! Oh.. Oh sorry. Sorry. I really am. S-someone stole my clothes I think, and messed with m'glasses." She was mumbling apology after apology, trying to hard to ignore the burn building beneath her skin. The hot. The fever. Her cheeks were trying to turn much darker and stranger than pink from embarrassment.

Slowly, he knelt down to sit cross-legged on the floor. Such was the state of shock, he didn't even conjure up the bean-bag. ?Elle?? Encyclopedias of astonishment echoed in his voice. He tried desperately not to stare, but this ?

Estelle. Her mind corrected. Estelle. But what she said wasn't anywhere near that, but it held an equally sad tone. "Yes... Yes. Elle. You can call me Elle s-sir. I wasn't sleepin'. I was just cleanin', honest." Sheepish wasn't quite the word to describe her, nor pathetic. It was a word in a world all it's own, what Elle was right now. Warm, very warm... I wish I knew where I was. I can't believe I slept that heavily. Am I crazy? Her hair began flushing at the roots a dark, dark fuchsia.

Slowly, almost of its own volition, his tail slipped around, hovering near her arm. ?What happened to you?? From the waves of uncertainty and fear he could feel rippling off of her, he kept his voice carefully soothing. ?What's ... what's the last thing you recall??

"W-we.. I. Uhm. I was with the other children with Sister Matron? Like I said... I was cleaning after they showed me to my new room. I wasn't sleepin'. I was trying to be good." Unlike how the Elle Khoom was used to would have responded, this much younger, much smaller one didn't flinch away or dodge the nearness of his tail. She stayed in her spot as if glued or trained. Her free hand fidgeted against one of the many knots in the overly larger blouse she was drowning in.

?Hmmm.? His face showed a peculiar uncertainty, as his tail hovered close. ?Well. I have no idea who this Sister Matron may be ... where is it you think you are now??

"I... I remember the trolley ride to your Home, Sir.... T-the space you've given me so very nicely. T-that you're giving us all while other fosters look at us?" His line of questioning was confusing her, and she made no means to hide that either. It was all just too strange. The clothes, the odd, deep sleep she felt like she'd woken up from... All those things paled in comparison to the strangeness of the room she was in. It certainly wasn't the orphanage room she'd remembered being brought to to share with the other children. Not at all.

He couldn't help but break into a smile. ?Trolley? Fosters? Oh, child ... you poor thing.? While the exact cause of the condition eluded him, the results were painfully obvious. ?Please, be at peace. This is your room. None will take it from you, or you from it, without your express consent. But it seems that again, I must introduce myself. I am Khoom.?

"... a-again?" His concern, his smile, his promises; they could be all false. It was something she'd just learned to take with a blank, trusting face and move on despite how she felt. "Oh! Khoom. Sir. I knew your name... Sister m-matron told us." Lying, yes, but it was another thing she'd grown used to doing as easily as breathing. Or so it seemed. The fushia was fading into orange, yet still it stood out in her hair. She was uneasy to say the least. Very on edge. Very cautious. But still she didn't shy from the hover of his tail.
Suddenly curious, she blinked behind those overly large frames as she adjusted her firm grip on them. "Did you need something sir? Did you have a chore list f-for me?"

?I highly doubt that is the case, child. There is no Sister Matron here. And there are no chores for you to perform. Especially not in this state. Tell me ... are you hungry, perhaps??

Yes. "No.. N-no. I ate with the rest only an hour ago."

It's at that point his tail stopped hovering, and gently came to rest upon her shoulder. Elle didn't flinch so much as flush another strange color, and her nose took on a more buttoned shape. She almost seemed to be darkening and shaping down to the mouse she seemed. There was a smile though, despite her unease; she was still trying to get over the fact that he was... well. A cat. She loved cats. She had a lovely little bit of precious, polished catseye hiding in her little bag.

Though his tightly wrought shielding, he let a portion of his emotional state leak. Honest concern. A measured amount of panic. Honesty. And, a faint tingeing of humor woven through it all. ?Estelle. You are currently in the library of the Kirn Institute of Astromancy. And I fear we have a great deal to discuss. But first, allow me to ask you a question.?

"The... w-what?" Blinking slowly seemed the only answer; there were several levels of odd happening to her all at once. The touch helped her know how he was feeling, this she didn't mind. She's never minded that. It'd always been an advantage, albeit a disturbing one from time to time. But the good far outweighed the bad. He in turn would sense a myriad of emotions from her, though she was unaware of this; fear, confusion, and there, beneath it all, the smallest smidgen of hope.

?You're in a school. And there are some things you may wish to learn, while you are as you are. Would you like to attend a class or two??

"How..." Her voice trailed off with the line of thoughts jumbling around and pouring out of her head. "How am I gonna pay for this? Did Sister Matron tell you I like books? I love books. I could clean them for you if you want. Dust'em? I'll help however I can! I don't even need to be in a class, I can just watch! I promise I'll be good, Khoom, I promise!" Earnest, eager, panicked, fearful; she was concerned for her future, concerned for all the wonderful things Khoom was promising her. And very, very concerned she was going to reach up and touch his tail, which could make him very mad. She couldn't help it. She wormed under the pressure.

Chuckling softly to himself, he let his tail drift down to curl around her wrist, the tuft resting upon her palm. ?Dear Estelle. You have no need to worry. This is your domain. But this class ... it is to learn to keep the presence of others from intruding upon your thoughts.?

Without meaning to, without trying to, she smiled. It came to life within the first few syllables of Khoom's gentle words, and it was all due to the tail in her hand. Then something he said made sense, and her entire face pinkened well beyond the realm of a human pink. He knew?! "You?re... You?re like. L-like me? You feel things?" Eyes wide, the last bit all came out in a RUSH of air.

?I am an empath, yes. As are many of us here. We will teach you, if you wish it.?

It's a trick... maybe. Maybe not. "I." She was fidgeting again, eyes down and staring hard at the forest of knots in her clothes. Smart, resourceful, cleanly, eager to learn, desperately hungry(for everything), and passionate. Little Elle was all these things and more, but above all things, she was hopeful. Very hopeful. "... I d-do." She answered in a small, small voice.

?Good. I'd hoped you'd agree. Now, shall we see about something to snack on? It's a bit late, and I've a mind to help you with your clothing problem.?

Nodding rapidly, Elle flashed Khoom a wide, wide smile; one that happened to be missing a tooth. Unabashed, and brimming with excitement, she pointed to her glasses with her free hand. "A-and I'd really like string please. I can fix'em myself if you get me some string." Glancing back at the room before she stepped away cautiously, the little blonde cherub mashed her lips together thoughtfully, keeping close to the kirn's heels.

Leading her to the bunk, he seated himself on a suddenly appearing beanbag, and looked her attire over. ?String? Oh, that just won't do.? With a whispered word, the sagging clothing unknotted itself and shrank down to form a comfortable fit.

Marveling as her clothes worked and shaped on their own, Elle's throat tightened with a sound caught somewhere between a squeal and a gasp. It was hard to keep her smile tempered, and those wide, delighted eyes of hers weren't helping. They were a rainbow of colors, and each one was amped beyond the spectrum of the norm.

A few moments later, after he?d given her the ?grand tour? of her quarters, and gotten the beaming little girl settled back into her nice, warm bed, he left the library just as quietly as he?d arrived. A plate of pastries and a glass of milk rested on the nightstand next to her.

The faint echoing of his laughter drifted down the halls. Tomorrow, he?d have to have a talk with the Dean. The library could fend for itself for a time. As for Elle, it?s time she leapt headlong into an education she?d been sorely missing.

((Thanks to Elle's player for being a part of this!))

Relaxing wasn't the problem. Falling asleep in familiar surroundings was. With an effort, he pulled himself back upright. "So tell me. How are you feeling?" The concern in his eyes surmounted the easy manner in which he spoke.

Lying, she'd come to realize, was a delicate beast. Often times it was more problematic to tell the truth than to lie, but when it came to some people, especially people like Khoom... Well. Truth was best. "I... have been all right physically." Not retaining her adult memories, not knowing what the future held or what she'd remember when she awoke in the morning. Well. To say the least after the past few days, it had her almost breathless with fear. There were slight depressions under her eyes that showed her attempts to keep awake, but they were only slight, and only noticeable if one were looking for them.

Quietly, he nodded, resting his elbows on his knees. His tail stilled, as he steadied his gaze, willing her to continue. "And ... ?"

"I j-just wish I knew what else has happened. W-what else I'm going to have to remember." The last bit came out almost too-slow, and she choked. It was a dry sound. Very small and ill fitted to someone so grown. Holding the edge of her skirt, Elle shook her head, smiling wearily. "Someone hurt me very deeply."

His eyes clouded for a moment, and his ears twitched back. Instead of lamenting, or offering words as a solace, he did something he really didn't know if she'd accept or not. Slowly, he held out his arms, and lowered his shields. "I've often heard that pain shared is pain halved."

She stiffened at his reply, eyes back up immediately. They'd done similar before, of course, but not that she knew of. It was the first time all over again, except it wasn't joy he was offering to share, but pain. Pain and fear and what she had to admit was the worst sort of hurt she'd ever suffered thus far. The kind most shouldn't have to suffer ever, and she'd suffered it at barely fifteen. The world sank down on her for a moment, and she felt a bit childish. So many others hurt too, I have people that care enough to listen and to help... Not all others can say the same. In her mind, she did have the memory of that too, but not quite like this. She hadn't needed nursing this time around, at least not the physical kind. And Khoom. Sweet, friendly, patient friend he'd been through all this. Fidgeting, Elle shook her head, and sobbed dryly. "I don't want that to ever happen to you... I c-couldn't."

His smile softened, and held a tinge of sadness. "I know you don't, but you also shouldn't have to suffer by yourself. Please?" Above all, he hated seeing others suffer alone. While he abhorred inflicting pain, he knew better than most the ways to relieve it.

Young as she was, Elle didn't have the resolve and the inane rigidity that she did as an adult. And given the surroundings she was 'growing up' in, there was a certain level of sharing that she knew was expected. A certain level of care, of sweetness and understanding. There was warmth here where all she took from these new washes of memory were a chill. Her motions were stiff at first, but the closer she moved, the faster she became. Please, he'd said. Please, she thought, sobbing again as she all but fell into the kirn, arms wide as she dropped her head and her shields. Then... Then all that was left was the memory. The pain, the fear, and the shame.

His arms wrapped around her, a soft melody seeming to flow from him, as he rode the memory with her. Standing with her, as a bulwark against the pain. Offering tenderness in the face of the fear. And putting up a fierce stance against the shame. All of this, and the reasons why, she'd be able to feel, just as she could feel a practiced hand, standing up to this and more in times past.

He lured her, like a tamer with an apple for a skittish foal. He'd taken her, laid her down, stripped her bare, hushed her when the air in the room chilled her naked skin. Then all he did was hurt. Grunting a name that wasn't hers, thinking of a body so much more than her own, wishing in a cruel mantra how much different she felt, how queer, how un-preferred. She'd been nothing to the boy, and even less than nothing shortly after when her body began to change and shape to what he'd been wanting.
The world had felt so empty and unsafe. The bulk of the matron cradling her away from behind was all she knew... but there were real arms now. Solid and warm. They smelt of a day's worth of travel, of fur and skin, of magic and spice. So many things that pulled her back and kept her anchored as the tears fell and fell, darkening his clothes and matting his fur. "... I. I didn't have control then. I d-didn't know what to do." She whispered brokenly.

"And none of this was your fault, Estelle ... None of it." His voice rather hushed, as he made himself feel as she felt, and in the same vein, let her feel what he felt. That she had value. She had friends. She had people to call family. And above all, that nothing of the sort would ever happen to her again, not while he drew breath. He's a protective cuss, isn't he? "But now ... now you will. Now, you can be as you choose. Not as others make you. You are you. Estelle. My perfect little friend."

"Ev?nylyw..." She inhaled slowly; trying to catch her breath no doubt. There'd been a moment through it all where she'd lost it, and all those little life giving bits of oxygen had been scarce indeed. But he'd kept talking, talking and talking. All that talking was helping drown out the bad, which was good, because her body just wasn't ready for shields again right now. Her skin had taken on a feverish flush, and her hair was a deep, rich mahogany; residual color from the woman in the memory.
The blonde was coming back again though, phasing in full and pale as corn silk. "I'm sorry you had to see that." Part of her wasn't, part of her wanted to be selfish, but she smothered that part so often it barely registered in her thoughts; there and gone again in an instant.

"I'm not. You've held that in for a very long time, haven't you?" Leaning back, he smiled, bringing a thumb around to wick away a tear from her cheek, and let her see the trails flowing down his.

Seeing the tears she'd caused, Elle flinched. Unfortunately it was about the same time he'd wiped that tear away, and it made her emotions flare up; sorrow and hope being the more dominant of the bunch. Determined in her own way, she reached up to keep his hand there, but she closed her eyes. "I... I must have, but I don't know. I'm scared to look in the journal, I don't want to know how old I really am." No one had offered to tell her, so she hadn't asked.

Honestly, he didn't know, or he would've offered. But he kept his hand there, letting her feel the warmth both without and within. "When you're ready, you will. But this time ... there's differences, yes?"

"Differences?" The echo was back, but sometimes it helped for her to hear something out loud again; it's just how her brain worked. Anyone who shared close quarters with the young woman while she studied would know that very well, for she often could be caught reading aloud to herself very, very quietly. "Oh. Y-yes. There're differences." She sounded relieved, but still a bit tender overall. No doubt it was the traumatic memories and the stress of her current predicament combined into some great monster. Slowly but surely, she took her hand away, the fingers curling inward to keep the warmth for a few moments longer. More warm to chase away the cold with.

He made no move to shove her away, instead letting his tail flick to make that bean-bag he favored so much. While everything in his quarters was 'comfortable', some things required more comfort than others. This was one of them. "C'mere. You look like you could use a nap. And, to be honest, I wouldn't mind one either." Just a nap, nothing more.

Elle felt her lips twitch; it was an attempt at a smile, but she was simply too worn out. It stayed a natural, downward curve. Just a little frown. "Every time I close my eyes and sleep, I remember something else..." And my shields, they'll go down. Though she wasn't quite leery so much as unsure. Unsure of what he'd feel or see while she slept. Unsure of what she'd feel while she slept. There'd been no movement on her end either, she stayed where she was for the most part, hence her actually entertaining his idea. Were she still across the room, she might not have gone for it as little as she was already. But there was more warmth to be had, and the promise of a good few hours of sleep was very, very tempting.

"I'll be right here with you when you do, dearling. I promise." He'd had many long years of practice keeping his dreams under control. "And if you'd like, I'll shield the both of us."

Promise. There was that word again, and as open as she was, Elle knew he meant it through and through. Eyeing the cush of the unformed sac-chair beneath him, she smiled tiredly. "We'll kill that poor thing." She said with an odd sort of distance in her voice. It seemed she was beyond caring now, at least for the moment. How was this obvious? Well, you see, she was inching back in, gentle as can be, if only not to give him an elbow in the kidney. Contrary to what others may think, Elle was quite used to sharing a sleeping space, courtesy of the orphanages.

The bean-bag rustled as he shifted, putting her in the crook of his arm, so she could rest her head on his shoulder, safe and warm. "I think you'll find that it, like you, is tougher than it looks." Even his tail contributed to the feeling of warmth, laying in switchback curves over her legs. He's a very warm being when he chooses to be.

Having little else to say, Elle simply grunted a soft 'hurrump'; agreeing for the sake of agreeing really. Two weeks ago, the shifter might have done and said quite a series of things otherwise, but right now was not two weeks ago. Right now she was emotionally drained and felt stretched beyond the realm of thin. The KIA was safe, Khoom was warm, and sleep... Sleep was just too close. Her body relaxed as she slept of course, and later when he woke, the kirn might just find fingers had knitted themselves into the thicker parts of his fur.

Oddly enough, he's used to that sort of thing. As her breathing eased, he softly, ever so gently stroked her hair, smiling all the while. After a moment, he let his eyes droop closed, joining her in the realm of slumber.

((Soooooo many props to Elle's player for this!))