Feiruza

[Maximos]

"I...would love that." Maximos face became the very picture of an angelic smile. Child-like and innocent. This was the boy about to open his presents. "Very much so."

It wasnt that Maximos believed no one took an interest in his work. He knew Lucind was interested, he knew some of his customers wanted to genuinely know how it was all done. But he hardly had the opportunity to share. And this was so much more than just a job, or a hobby, this was his passion. It was something he loved. Just like Lucind was someone he loved. And wasnt that one of the greatest joys of being in a relationship? That you could share your life with someone else, and share those very things close to one's heart? And then to know they cared as well, or at the very least tolerated while you silently wished they actually ca--

"And you don't have to be completely silent. Actually, I think I'd love hearing you work." Oh she was just too perfect. Maximos was grinning, and grinning like a fool. He tried to hide it behind a glass, or in a quick mouthful. But even chewing he was grinning. He was, as always, excited to be able to work, but now he was doubly so! "Don't be afraid of waking me up. Nothing will keep me from sleep tonight."

-|-

She was blushing for once, and seeing the tables turned brought a small laugh out of him, yet still just to be sure, he said. "Is everything okay?"

For another second, Lucind stared at him, before it bursted out of her:

"I'll be there."

She said rather suddenly. Maximos' eyes opened, what did that mean? And then they slanted as if trying to squint the meaning from her. Of course she would be there. She would always be there. But...she was blushing. And blushing more by the second. In the moonlight her skin was ivory pale, so the rose tint showed through rather clearly. This in turn made Maximos grin, and chuckle softly.

"I know that this here", she gestured at the width of the room, "it will give us less time to spend together." Oooh, he understood now. Maximos' grin only widened.

"But with the teleporting ability - or whatever it is that Prishazan's sylph gives us, I don't expect us to be away for longer than a few days in a row...gonna be more here and there, of course...but..." And then she sat down, brushing her hair behind her ear. This had quite the familiar sound to it. They had had a similar conversation months ago. Only, back then they were discussing a single trip for a short time. Now they were discussing several trips over an indefinite period of time. But that wasnt the only difference...

...Back then Lucind was still in her shell, hidden inside herself and Maximos was no better. Now, they were truer, closer than ever before. In memory of the moment, Maximos hand moved to rub his chin even though he knew there was no, and could never be any stubble on it. And then, with a smirk he met her eyes and in a likely all too familiar manner he said. "I know."

-|-

Later on, Lucind went to change, and Maximos immediately went to her desk. He moved the trays from dinner first although he kept the glass of water, and then slowly but surely and extremely neatly he moved everything from on top of the text into a small black box beside it. A box that surely was not there before, and was most definitely blacker than any earthly material, save for the material Maximos with the most, should be.

While Lucind visited the bathroom Maximos worked at preparing his tools and what would be his temporary workspace. By the time Lucind exited, she would find that her desk was now home to a set of paint brushes, several jars, a few sealed boxes, and beside it sat some imperial blue wrapping paper and several black gift boxes with dark plum ribbons nearby. A sheet had been spread over the center of the desk and at its center was a lump of clay and some twine. And Maximos was idly flipping through various matching sheets of paper with text scribbled on them. Orders on order forms presumably.

As the Siren made her way to bed, Maximos stood approached her, stole a kiss goodnight and absolutely insisted he be able to lay the covers over her. It was some sort of Arian tradition. By the time he reached the desk, he realized he had forgotten to actually say, goodnight. But before he could, he found her fast asleep and so he whispered it instead.

He took a small moment, or perhaps a long moment, he did not measure it, and yet he took it, and in it he took her in. Lucind, body and soul in his mismatched eyes. Today had been quite a day, alot had been accomplished even if immediately it did not seem as if alot had changed. Everything had changed. Everything was changing. It brought a smile to his face, and it was with that smile on his face that Maximos turned to work .

Despite the Siren's words Maximos was as quiet as could possibly be. There would be sounds. Like the tap of a pencil, stencil, or brush touching the table, the sound of a brush being whetted, the sound if miscellaneous ingredients being pinched or poured from different containers. Occasionally there was a magical crack, or a soft magical pop and frustrated breath or two. But all and all the room was spotted with the sound of a man who truly loved his work, enjoying his work. Even the whispered "fleebs" and "damn" were testament to his love. He hated the difficult moments, but only in that he loved the way he hated them. He loved being able to hate them. He loved losing himself to the ability to simply create, for hours and hours on end. If he felt his inspiration run dry he looked up at the figure sprawled across the bed, blushed and continued working.

*

The next day, Lucind would awake to find Maximos beside her. Not asleep but, reading. Her desk had been put back exactly the way she left it, save for one addition. A rifle lay across her desk and a small back pack. Both belonged to Maximos in preparation for today. Beside the desk were several black gift boxes tied with plum ribbons. Each had a tag with a name on one side, and M.L.D. in bold stylized ink on the other. Maximos, however, was reading. His shoes missing, his book in his hands, and a smile on his face. And it was time to start the day.

Maximos was at the very back of the ship, on deck, as it moved. He wanted to see Latent vanish. And then it was time for breakfast. Even though he had eaten a few hours earlier, Maximos ate as if he had never eaten before. And for Maximos, or anyone used to him, there was nothing odd about this. Then came lessons, lessons he certainly did not expect but enjoyed thoroughly. This was how a boat worked. It seemed so simple now that she explained it. Some of the whimsy was lost, and yet replaced with the prospect of challenge! He could learn to master this craft! Lucind seemed just as excited! Or perhaps she was excited about something else. Likely something else.

Maximos imagined himself a Captain. Standing tall on barrels, swinging on ropes, tying sails in an emergency and ordering crew around using fancy titles and ranks that he did not fully understand and which Lucind never used. Maximos had decided, it was time to see the bridge. He wanted to see the steering wheel for himself, to command, to steer, to pilot as he knew he was always destined to--

"Oh, by the way", she addressed the Shadow, while wrapping a scarf around her head to knot it in the back of her neck. Max turned to look at Lucind over his shoulder, his foot on a barrel, his rifle behind his back hanging from a black leather strap, and his arm thrust in the air as if holding a rapier...while holding nothing. "Hmm?"

"I fear I mentioned to Tagis at some point what happened the last time you took over the steering of a sailing ship." Lucind turned towards him, grinning almost apologetically. The smile on Maximos' face inverted almost immediately. His arm dropped, his shoulders slouched forward. He knew what was coming next. "I wouldn't expect her to invite you into the control cabin any time soon."

"Oh..." Max looked out longingly at the bridge, utterly dejected. He saw a crewman rising up, to the top teir of the boat and toward another steering wheel. His eyes lightened, readying to sprint for it. And just as he was about to take off...

"Or up there", she added quickly. At which point he promptly deflated, letting a theatric sigh. "Not even for a little bit?"  

[Lucind Varhetel]

Ah, there it was again. She had seen it before, hadn't she? That look on his face, the way his eyes narrowed ever so slightly and the corners of his mouth twitched as if he wanted to repeat whatever she told him about how the ship was steered if it didn't run on its engines like it did right then when it slowly left the port. He imagined himself a Captain, that she could see. Without extracting any swings or moods from his voice.

The sight of the Shadow glancing at the steering wheel on the bridge which was abandoned for the time being, as well as the way each of his movements changed, wanted to make her grin. And it hurt her to inform him that she had leaked the information of his first sailing attempt to Tagis.

"I wouldn't expect her to invite you into the control cabin any time soon."

"Oh..." Max looked out longingly at the bridge, utterly dejected. Lucind felt as if she had just shown the biggest cookie glass of the world to a little boy, only to tell him that he may never lay hands on those delicious baking goods.
Maximos saw a crewman rising up, to the top tier of the boat and toward another steering wheel. His eyes lightened, readying to sprint for it. And just as he was about to take off...

"Or up there", she added quickly. At which point he promptly deflated, letting a theatric sigh. "Not even for a little bit?"

The Siren smiled apologetically and leaned up to peck his nose (which hopefully didn't appall his piratey sentiments). "I'll talk to her." And that was what she did right away. Whatever Tagis answered, her mimic didn't tell how much she liked the idea of Maximos getting his shot to prove himself as a seaman. Lu patted his arm. "Says she's got to think about it. I'd say she'll give in soon. But when she does, please follow her instructions." And with a smirk she added quietly: "For our all safety..."



And then, the Port of Latent had vanished behind them, and only its lighthouse signaled where the docks lay. Right after passing the entrance area, they had set the sails together, and around fifteen minutes later the Feiruza was headed for the open sea. Lucind's excitement grew. The Shadow probably realized soon that it had nothing to do with a certain even he didn't know about. It was just that. Being out on sea. Surrounded by it. Feeling the endless strength of the water beneath the hull. The temperature dropped several degree once the wind could no longer be diverted by land or buildings. Lu closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Tilted her head back. She whispered something in her mother tongue, and when she looked at the Shadow, some of the darkness from the previous day smoldered in her very expression. But without fear or shame or panic. She was about to address him, when...

"Oy, Maximos!" Tagis walked the stairs up to the bridge, lighting a cigarette, while the wind played with her short, black hair and the hand full of thin braids dangling from the nape. "Still interested in trying your luck?" The captain used a key to remove the block from the wheel and open a box right next to it which hid a miniature console of what she had down in her commander cabin. There was even a plain, fully functioning compass, but the two small screens couldn't hide that the Feiruza was only given the look of being old. Tagis had noticed before that Maximos wasn't too fond of electrical details, so she planned to focus on showing him how to use the wheel without making people go over board, and how the other sailors would have to adjust the position of the sails every now and then, according to the wind - so according to where he guided the ship. If he wanted to get familiar with radar, speed indicator and the other data shown on the low-resolution screens, then she would be happy to explain it. Otherwise, she would simply teach him how to read nature out there.

Assuming he would be on the bridge before Tagis was even able to finish it, Lucind watched Max for a moment, the broadest smile on her lips. Then she began climbing the rigging, higher and higher, before she stopped to look ahead, only one hand and one foot securing her. The smile turned into a wild grin, before it was finally breached by laughter. And shouted Siren words, almost sounding like a battle cry, mixed with the harsh wind. Finally, they were replaced by a song, as powerful as the waves that rocked the ship back and forth, raw and yet pure at the same time.


Tell me, how do you feel?

Alive. - I feel...alive.

*

When Tagis asked Max to hand over the steering wheel to her, it wasn't because of him. He hadn't done anything wrong. But...
"Prishazan is going to do the warp now."

Lu, who was near by, chuckled. "Don't let him hear you calling it that!"

Tagis folded her arms in front of her chest, another cigarette hanging in a corner of her mouth. "Then you tell me what that ******** long, make-a-knot-in-my-tongue word is again he uses for it."

The Siren formed some unclear syllables, giving them the I have it in a second look. She froze. Made a face. Looked back at the other woman. "Let's go with warp."

But as much as Lucind was able to joke around, she was, in fact, rather nervous about what was to come. For she didn't really know what was to come. She trusted the monk. She had seen his immense powers and his command over the Vikra before. And still...her daring side had decided to take a nap right when she saw Prishazan walking towards the front bridge at the Feiruza's bow.

"Can we stay up here?" The Siren asked, but Tagis only shrugged: "Suppose it doesn't really matter where you stand when it happens. But I sure won't let go of this." She petted the steering wheel.

Lucind decided to take position right next to the wooden railing, one hand placed on it, while she observed how the monk raised his hands up to his chests, palms facing upwards. He began to chant, his voice coming deep and powerful, carried through the air and all over the deck, in a similar fashion like Lu could let her voice travel with the wind. The Vikra appeared above Prishazan: It was said that once it could take the form of a human like being, but after living for ages, most Sylphs of this type forgot or stopped caring about that original skill. And so it was a very vague, slender form, remotely reminding of a body with arms and an undefined lower part that hovered in mid-air for a moment, before it dissolved, falling apart into vicious gusts that took hold of the sails and masts and ropes. The Vikra's presence was almost as heavy and threatening as it had been the day before, when it and the Siren had had there short encounter. Lucind suspected it was still a bit mad at her, but what she mainly felt there was the natural opposition of two souls not too different from each other, spreading their power and dominance in similar fields.

And while she went on musing about the actual relation between Sirens and Sylphs, her stomach suddenly flipped over inside of her, as if she had swallowed an elevator on LSD. Her balance was out of order, and she gripped the railing with both hands. Then the Feiruza seemed to leap forwards - and then everything became quiet. Prishazan's chanting had lowered to a prayer. The world around lay blurred behind a huge orb of wind surrounding the whole of the ship. Lu felt a growing pressure on her ear drums, and she had the uncomfortable feeling of standing on unstable, treacherous ground, and... What. Had happened with the ship? She glanced at Max to find out if it was only her brain creating a lovely show for her to feel better about the situation at hand: The sails now looked like over-dimensional insect wings, and even the masts had transformed...into... Was that the true power of the Vikra?

And again, she wasn't given enough time to think about it, because the ship made another leap, the extraordinary sails seemed to fold, then turn back to their original state. The Feiruza stopped. The storm shield was gone. The sea's normal sounds back on.

On the hull, Prishazan breathed out. His tanned face was a little pale, and sweat covered his forehead. He turned around, showed the tiniest smile - which, if you knew him a bit better, could be said to carry a trace of pride and satisfaction. "Is everything okay?"

"Hell, yes - aye!" Tagis practically jumped down the bridge to jog over to the monk. "It was nicely done, my friend! Whoo...that was...so...so..." While she tried to find a word to match her excitement, the captain turned around to look at Max and Lu. "You alright there?"

"I'm fine. I think." But she didn't look fine at all. In fact, Lu was still holding on to the railing, trying to ignore the sound one of the sailors made while emptying his stomach into the sea.

"Wasn't that a helluva trip?!" Tagis cried from below, all hyper and in party mood.

"You can say that again", was all that Lucind mumbled as a response, while she waited for her legs to regrow bones.  

[Maximos]

"I'll talk to her."

Victory! And all it cost was a little sad face! Max even indulged the moment and when the Siren's lips touched his nose, his face scrunched up in a most child-like manner. Either Maximos had spent too much time with D, or D with Maximos, either way when Lucind responded moments later with.

"Says she's got to think about it. I'd say she'll give in soon. But when she does, please follow her instructions." Maximos' ear to ear grin was all he could do from openly cheering. There was something after that about safety, but the Shadow honestly never had much interest in that word and wrote over it entirely with vision of high seas adventures.

Maximos could hardly contain himself, watching Latent vanish was like watching the sun set. And for a shadow, sun down is a very exciting time. He wanted to leap from mast to mast! To slid down the sails! To run up the staircase banisters and then swash a buckle back down! But even his exuberance seemed like a candle held up to the sun when compared to Lucind. It wasnt that the woman was hyper per say, or even that she on the tip of an outburst. It was the purity of the sensation, though he could not feel it, he could see it. Gorgeous and indescribable. This was Lucind in her natural environment and there in lie a connection he simply did not have the words for. He imagined this was how a bird's soul might look when it took flight and became one with the air, simply letting itself go so as to float on its whims. And yet that was a simple bird, and this was so much more.

And then, intermingled in that beautiful unison, he saw the dark. The endless depths of yesterday's experience down below. He could have spent hours, lost in that vision.

"Oy, Maximos!" Alas it was not meant to be. He knew that voice. And he knew exactly what that meant. With a wide toothy smile Maximos spun on his heels to face Tagis.

"Aye captain!" He called back.
"Still interested in trying your luck?"
"Am I ever!"

There wasnt even time for another sentence before Max ran forward, kicked off a barrel, climbed up a mast like a monkey and leapt off to land near Tagis, still grinning and almost uncomfortably excited grin. With that cigarette and her dark hair, Tagis reminded Maximos of someone. He imagined the woman just needed an eye patch to complete the look. The thought of that made him chuckle softly to himself.

Within moments it was lesson time. Maximos expected a compass and he expected his use of the controls would have some effect on the sailors and the sails, though in truth the exact nature of that connection eluded him. What Maximos did not expect was all the steel magic. Screens, monitors and readouts. No, that was all wrong. In his day, every boat he had ridden had safely reached its destination without any of those things. Those men could read the sea! They could predict the waves and the weather with only their five senses. That was what he wanted to learn! And learn he did.

It was a rocky start. Max began by over compensating for the wind and turning the ship too far and too sharply. Sure, he looked the part of a movie captain, but it wasnt very effective. And yet, despite his rough beginnings Maximos learned rather fast. Within minutes he had a good grip on how to turn the wheel and how to manage course and direction. He even showed how interested he was by raising his arm up and into the breeze and then turning to Tagis before she gave instructions and asking her thoughts on a course of action. Should I turn into that current? Is that a good wind? If a turn like this, is that right?

And there was Lucind! Her energy was like a storm, a typhoon thrashing away at sea. It was glorious! There were just no words. He gave a smile in response to her own and then considered jerking the wheel just enough to give her a jolt as she climbed. But he couldnt, he just could not bring himself to ruin the moment. There was something powerful in her cry. Something more than magical. Something real. Something right.

Today was going to be a good day.

-|-

When Tagis asked Max to hand over the steering wheel to her, he seemed reluctant. He had been at it long enough, with almost no accidents, and only a few pranks, he knew he was doing a decent job. But...

"Prishazan is going to do the warp now." Was really all she needed to say. Maximos felt a sinking feeling in his gut and with nothing more than a nod took a step back from the wheel.

Lucind was nearby, and the two women share a bit of banter which made Max laugh, but only slightly. There was a cold tension in his stomach that went beyond fear of incident. He had been lost "hopelessly" before. Creatures he could battle. Death he could fight. But something else...Maximos' arms folded across his chest.

"...Warp." The word came out a whisper, drifting off his lips as he slouched forward slightly letting his arms rest a bit more on his stomach than his chest.

"Can we stay up here?" The Siren asked. For a moment the nervousness showed in her voice. She seemed calm and collected on the outside. But just beneath the surface she was concerned. Maximos would have guessed that she was sure the monk would make the procedure go right. But, that she was concerned about exactly what right entailed.

"Aye." Maximos responded, replying to both woman at once. "I'll be staying right here."

Maximos had chosen a nice corner of the bridge with a safe view of most of the ship and of Lucind and Tagis. If he was going to be of any use as a defender he would need to be able to see his battlefield. And yet, the way Maximos did not arm himself or move his arms from across himself seemed to belie the idea he would be defending anyone, at all.

And the chanting began. Maximos' right eye ignited in a dull faded white. He could more than hear the words, he could see their power. The essence they summoned and commanded swirled around the monk, the magic formed into words hovering around his face and then willing forth the Vikra. There was power here, and alot of it. Pinned under his left arm, Maximos' right began to itch and fidget. His fingers tapped along his side involuntarily.

The Vikra's aura was a miasma, thick and almost choking. Its presence was every and everywhere it was intense and crushing. Maximos felt like he was back in that most private library before, only now the library was a can at the bottom of the sea and tightening its grip around him. His right arm jumped once, and then twice, but remained pinned. It wanted to eat, and while the Shadow was only too sure that it could, there were consequences for such a thing. The look of it, the taste of it, the very shape of it...

...This was nothing short of phenomenal. It deserved its moment of glory, and its moment it had. The creature began to transform, or rather, to form into something more completely manifest and then...

His fear was realized...Maximos couldnt have really told anyone what happened next. His stomach felt as if some had scrunched his internal organs into a tight ball at the core of his stomach and then punched them with an ice cold fist. His head felt light, and everything of any substance inside his skin felt airy and hollow. His legs felt as if they were made of tissue paper and gave out just as quickly.

The Vikra was doing something absolutely astonishing. Max saw glimpses of something veiny and transparent like insectoid wings. He saw glimpses of green, and ocean tones and yet all of it was seen through blurry eyes. His face was teary, but not from pain or beauty, but from the rather vicious attempts his stomach was making at emptying itself of the contents it simply did not have as they had been digested hours ago. It was something like having a hang over, only for a shorter time and a longer duration.

And then, it happened again. A punch to his stomach, twisting his guts into mush and...

...well, Maximos did not remember much after that. He opened his eyes a few moments later when voices roused him back to consciousness. "Wasn't that a helluva trip?!"

Tagis sounded entirely too cheery. It somehow made the Shadow feel even sicker.

"You can say that again." Lucind added.
"But dont." Maximos finished in a voice nothing short of weak and pathetic.

The Shadow could flip, back flip, triple flip, in as many directions as their were at blinding speeds without hesitation or consequence. But take him and suddenly transport him and he was a mess. The nearest comparison was to say that the Shadow's internal Arian magical circulatory system was a constantly swirling engine, something like the whirlpool at the bottom of a draining tub. And teleportation had the effect of a hand splashing through that whirlpool leaving it a wishy washy mess until its current could be reestablished. Instant teleportation left him whoozy, but older, longer, more complex transportations like this...

...Well, anyone looking for Maximos would find him groaning in the corner with his knees pressed up to his chest, laying on his side in the fetal position and very happy he had kept from throwing up. His face already pale face seemed even more pale and had taken on a greenish blue tint reminiscent of Lucind's bioluminscent lamps down below.

But at the moment, the Shadow was anything but bright.  

[Lucind Varhetel]

She had held him. A simple and sincere sorry had come from her lips. But both of them had agreed to this trip, to experience Prishazan's first attempt in moving the Feiruza with the help of his sylph. Was that what they called teleportation? She had her doubts. But whatever magical classification of enhanced transportation it was given by experts in these matters, they had had to suck it up.

The monk had entered the bridge a little later to offer a concoction that was supposed to make them feel better - especially Max. After sniffing and nipping at it, she had decided to give it a try later on. Probably. ... Or maybe not. Using her voice, she gave both of them a time out, hunched in a corner of the bridge's railing. Nobody made a fuss about it, also because the other crew members (aside from Tagis who seemed to take some childish pride in being unphased by the jump) needed some time to readjust themselves, easing the process by adjusting the ship. Without saying it out aloud, everybody had come to a consensus: no more jumps for today.

Around two hours later, Lucind couldn't feel her nose anymore thanks to the crisp wind surrounding them in this area - instead, she felt her stomach all the more. She was damn hungry, and even Max looked as if he could have some tea, maybe even something more solid. And the moment they began scooping a broth with vegetables here and there, the Siren was amazed at the preciousness of being literally warmed up by something so simple.

"It's true what they say. Food is life." She watched green sprinkles of herbs floating on her spoon.

Max smiled softly, still a little gray around his nose. "Aye."


After some more jumps, Lucind got used to it, although she would always feel as if there was something wrong about it. Maybe it was because the spiritual, symbiotic bond to her surrounding was disturbed whenever the sylph took the ship with it on this ride. Or maybe she simply couldn't stand seeing the world slipping from her grip and gaze. A world that seemed to rush towards destruction time and again anyway, without anybody needing to enhance the decomposition of Here and Now...  

[Lucind Varhetel]

One of those days
I: Then


How could she have let this happen?

The maritime organisms in the glass lanterns running along the ceiling of the library were mocking her, the way they moved only every know and then as if it took all the strength those tiny, boneless creatures could ever bring up. But the luminescence they produced without lifting a finger - which they didn't have anyway - and which let you read even small fonts without troubling your eyes was more brightness Lucind had accumulated in herself over the last couple of days.

Honestly, where was the merit in her work when in the end, she was humiliated like this? Or, to be precise, when she brought humiliation on herself.

If there was one thing she had learned from the past ten or fifteen minutes, then that the book lying in front of her refused to mend its broken back just by being stared at. Every time the Siren had picked up gauze, cardboard, and glue, images from that night had obfuscated her enthusiasm to finish this job. A frustrated sigh. She pushed the workplate away and rested her head on her forearms.

I will contact you in a week, she had said to Mr. Matsumoto with the promise to trace the van Hellsing treatise on the afflictions of blood within that time. Van Hellsing's writings are kept by idealists or the insane, she had said. Lucind had met both. And it had taken her twice the estimated time to get her hands on said text. Not that two weeks to track down such a rare manuscript was bad. In fact, the Siren could still claim to be one of the best book and text hunters on this continent, but the way things had unfolded she had to ask herself if arrogance had made her careless. After ruling out wrong high spirits originating in coming to terms with her own darkness, she had to admit the problem was an old one: vampires, vampire lovers. No matter what she did, she just didn't get along with persons belonging to those categories. Maybe because she didn't feel inclined to. Vampire haters and their morale were a special case, too, but Tenkai was a good example that she was able to communicate with them in a normal way.

Lucind placed her chin on her hand. Was it a known fact that vampires held their liquor quite well? What about their poker skills? Maybe the latest edition of "Vampire 101" enclosed chapters on those questions. She should offer writing them, because after that night two days ago the Siren could tell some stories.

"Lucind?" On a nearby shelf, the dragon teapot Oswald Fletcher cleared his throat.

She still had a headache. Not from the booze, though.

"Lucind? It's time."

If Sirens were damn good with suppressing memories or unwanted thoughts, vampires were masters of this practice. But if you lived many hundreds of years, thousands even, every mean to keep your wits together and lead a somewhat normal life was just and equitable. Lu remembered treating a vampire once, one that had lived only half as long as the one she gotten the treatise from. It hadn't been pretty.

"Hello! You don't want this oolong to go bitter, do you?"

Vampires were always so full of themselves.

"Alright. I know you don't like that, but a good tasting tea always has priority!"

Selfishness. Vanity. And oh the darkness in those tortured souls. She rolled her eyes.

"One..."

But all that pomp and self-aggrandizement barely covered up a madness unequaled by most cases she dealt with. Migraine inflicting. And with a bitter after-taste lingering for hours.

"Two..."

She had asked for it, right? Her price for winning the first round of poker. And his price for winning the second round... Lucind groaned and slid her gray shawl up a little higher.

"Blergh."

She raised a brow and turned her head. Apparently, her tea was ready: Under demonstrative retching noises, Mr. Fletcher had emptied his stomach so that now a wet, green heap was sitting in front of him.

The moment Lucind got up to pour herself a cup, she felt Tenkai approaching the ship, finally half walking, half stumbling down the stairs.

"Ms. Lucind? Are you there?"

"Come on in, Mr. Matsumoto."

He would find her standing next to her desk at the other end of the room, sipping tea from a tiny, earless cup. She greeted him with a warm smile, the sour face from before wiped off.

"Welcome. How are you, Mr. Matsumoto?"  

[Lucind Varhetel]

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," said Tenkai a bit sheepishly, if a but unwarranted.

She heard his uneasiness in every word he offered, yet her smile only widened - and then she added a "yeah, sure" in her head when the monk complimented her and her business.

"But I digress," he said, getting down to business. "I remembered the arrangement we made and wanted to fulfill the terms you laid out for me." The monk began scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I hope you can forgive me for my lateness. You had said it'd only take a week to find the book, though I seem to have taken much longer on my head. The decision was rather difficult."

Lucind shook her head reassuringly. "That is perfectly fine. To be honest with you, the hunt proved to be more demanding than I had anticipated. But before I go into details - may I offer you some tea?" Leaving her own cup on the desk, the Siren walked over the shelf that wasn't meant to hold books but run around on of the horizontal posts stabilizing the ceiling. She heaped the soaked tea leaves onto a tiny metal plate. "Highland Oolong, first flush." If Tenkai accepted, she would fill a second earless cup for him.

"So, your decision wasn't that easy?" Lu nodded, then refilled her own cup.
"That's good to hear. You wouldn't believe how many of my customers try to pacify me with halfhearted offerings that don't match the desire that made them come to me to find a book or scroll or whatever in first place.
For something like this", she nodded at the torn volume on the desk, "I do accept money. This is a mere service, in most cases. But I'm sure you understand why plain currency doesn't suffice for tracking down one of van Hellsing's writings."

The way Tenkai was keeping his left arm hidden told her the man was carrying something. On the first look, one could have thought he was injured, but muscle tension and posture indicated his limb was fine. The Siren had to concede she was curious if whatever he held out of sight had something to do with his payment.

"After five days, I was sure to have found the book. A physician in the northeast had been priding himself for owning two of the rarest Hellsing texts. Turned it, however, that one was a work by a pseudo-Hellsing, I suspect a student. I almost didn't notice that the handwriting, despite almost perfectly mimicking the master's, showed individual traits. The second text was simply fake. A crude compilation of other Hellsing texts and own thoughts. It seemed to me this archeologist knew something was foul, but as long as nobody of his friends realized the huge discrepancy between both books and he didn't came across someone familiar with van Hellsing, he could simply argue he owned a very early work of the doctor, thus excusing the slightly different handwriting.

But I don't want to bore you with every little step of the hunt. The first text contained valuable hints that finally sent me in the right direction.

So yes, I found the book you are looking for."

After setting down her now empty cup, Lucind slightly cocked her head and showed another smile, while her amber eyes bore a severity that announced one last test.

"Do you still believe that whatever you decided to be your payment is the right price?"  

[Lucind Varhetel]

Staying silent, Lucind watched how Tenkai placed a book, his payment, on her desk. To have more room, she moved the workplate with the torn volume all over again, then began to run her fingertips over the monk's remuneration. The aged leather felt mostly smooth under her touch, only here and there, she found rough patches. The Siren picked the tome up to examine spine and back, as well as the metal clasps. Finally, she opened the book, and her eyes lingered on the title for a moment.

It was wasn't so much the material condition that interested Lucind. It wasn't unimportant, either, but taking her time with inspecting the book - she now began turning pages - gave her time to look at it from a whole different perspective. Her physical view was overlapped by her Siren sense, and she saw what Tenkai's words already had revealed: He had chosen a price that wasn't easily paid indeed. Every page, especially the private notes where tinted with the monk's soul essence, so thick Lucind thought to receive images of a younger Tenkai, eagerly studying every chapter. And...sadness. A lot of pain was paired with enthusiasm. A hint of revenge? She would have time enough to take in all information later on.

"Alright." Lucind turned around and nodded. "This is a decent offer. You said it was difficult to part with this book, and that is all that counts for me. And while it might be a hard decision, I'm sure you will find this step also liberating. And now, the object of desire," she smiled. "Excuse me for a moment."

Lucind would walk over to the door opposite of the main entrance. Upon vanishing inside, the sound of a bucket being knocked over could be heard before the Siren closed the door behind her.

A couple of minutes later she returned with a square package, apparently a book wrapped in clean linen cloth. It was placed next to its cousin on the table, and Lucind first removed the layer of cloth, peeling it in all directions, then a second layer of tissue paper, until the body of leather and celluloid lay in front of them like a rare fruit. It was almost as thick as its payment, the pages just as aged, the leather only some shades darker. There were no note cards. Instead, Tenkai would find a large spot of blood on the first page that slightly sprinkled on the title:

On the Afflictions of Blood
History, Studies, and Experiments

by Dr. Abraham Van Helsing

The blood had seeped through the next few pages and ran down the lower right corner. It had faded, showed a brownish hue. But Lu had seen enough of such stains to know it definitely was blood. If animal, if human - if it had been an accident or a fight, she could not say. It was as though this tome had been wiped clean of any magical or psionic residue, at least as far as she could tell. She stepped aside, waiting to see the monk's reaction.  

[Lucind Varhetel]

"Thank you," said Tenkai. "I'm glad my contribution was sufficient, though I have to admit, I almost benefit just as much from giving you that book as I do receiving this one."

"Oh?"

Lucind lifted a brow, but listened patiently. She nodded when Tenkai described his emotional connection with the book. Towards the end of his explanation, however, the siren's forehead showed a small frown.

"Well, knowledge holds the key to all power, I wholeheartedly agree with that. But knowledge itself is relative. Society defines what we conceive of as valuable knowledge. And in private situations, the importance of knowledge may lie on areas seen as nothing more than a trifle by the rest of the world.

I am aware that this book means a lot to you. It has been your companion for many years, and you shared your thoughts with it. In return, these pages tell me that you are bound to it on an intimate level. I do not own the skill to draw detailed memories from personal belongings - yet I believe to understand why you follow the path of working against vampires and similar beings."

Lucind remained where she was, standing some feet away from the desk. Her eyes wandered from one van Helsing book to the other, and she seemed to weigh her words before going on.

"However, I do not estimate these writings as dangerous as you apparently do. From what I have heard and read, van Helsing was a master of his field, but a lot of research has been done and published especially over the last hundred years - and as a result, van Helsing is no longer an insider tip. Plus, in these days, where magic mingles with high-tech, knowledge is barely ever safe. I mean, truly safe.

You said it yourself, this copy of the Wanderers is not the original. Van Helsing had a student or maybe several. Who can tell whom they passed their knowledge on to? If I only searched the siren plane long enough, I sure would find stored memories filled with related information."

She raised her head to look at him.

"What if someone with my powers decided to feed on you? Are you able to withstand psychic attacks?

What if someone overpowers me? I, too, have my limits.

And do you believe vampires and their folks haven't gathered knowledge over the centuries, to protect themselves?

Don't get me wrong, Mr. Tenkai. I like you, and with what I just said I didn't mean to devalue your book. It really fulfills our deal. Furthermore, I think you are pouring your heart into an honorable cause. I believe, though, that your own notes are probably more worth than the book itself, from a rational point of view. And usually I would say that it didn't matter, because you paid with something close to your heart.

However, I fear there is a misunderstanding. You say you hope to have found a place where this book is secure. But safe keeping is not part of our deal. When I receive a payment, it becomes mine, and I can do with it whatever I see fit."

The siren took her cup and slowly returned to the shelf. After helping herself to more tea, the woman rubbed the pot's dragon shaped head which seemed to nuzzle against the finger for a second.

"You see now why I don't really believe in safety of knowledge. It isn't impossible to keep something absolutely secret, but that rarely ever is the case. And when you held books in your hand that can kill thousands of people by turning a single page, you have problems putting a van Helsing treatise in the same risk category.

But let's say there really is someone who badly wants to get his or her hands on this book." She waved her hand in the direction of the Wanderer volume. "Someone dangerous. Really dangerous. He or she finds out about where the book is, which is totally possible. There are many other book hunters out there, some as good as I am. Then a ton of other persons who simply have a knack for digging up hot information."

Once more, the siren's eyes pierced his. "Do you expect me to defend this book with my life? Do you expect me to do that, Mr. Tenkai?"

Lucind didn't mean to be mean or rude. She couldn't let the monk leave having the wrong ideas about this business. She needed him to understand the graveness of what she so carelessly called her job. The risks and the consequences. The responsibility resting on her shoulders.

"It's not that I wouldn't ever do such a thing for a book. But not only would the reason for me to enter such a deal have to be...well, convincing."

A sip of fresh tea ran down her throat. The small but sincere smile was back.

"If you have to pay with something close to your heart in exchange for a text like this, what do you think the price would be if I agreed put my own life on the line?"  

[Lucind Varhetel]

"I chose this path so that others wouldn't need to suffer or give their lives needlessly," Tenkai said to Lucind. "Do what you feel is best. I trust your judgement."

Lucind bowed her head ever so slightly to thank him.

"You can rest assured I won't let anybody run off with this book."

She didn't want to prolong his unease and therefore offered Tenkai another cup of tea. The siren also inquired about his current business and if he would join this year's Heaven or Hell.

Later on, after the monk had left, she would indeed sit down to browse through the new library addition. She wasn't able to pay full attention, however: The meeting with Mr. Matsumoto had her wonder if she should remind herself more often of the possible risks of her work as well as the possible danger for the rest of the crew. Not to talk about the often tense relationship she had with ship's spirit, the wind sprite Prishazan lived in symbiosis with. What she should do if something happened to the Feiruza's monk and, ultimately, to the ship, Lucind still hadn't thought through.
Her thoughts and underwater-silence were broken all of a sudden when Mr. Fletcher interrupted again, this time with muffled sounds of disdain and indignation. Once more, the siren looked up - and broke into a bellied laughter. Piri had woken up. When Lu took the naked frog-monkey with her down into the library, the pet resided in a basket and an adjacent tiny hammock, both located on a shelf behind the siren's desk. But now, hunger had driven the tiny one out her nests and onto the tea pot's place where she had nothing better to do than sucking on Fletcher's dragon head mistaking it for a lollipop. After watching the tea pot protesting, flapping his wings for a bit, Lucind finally showed mercy and went on to remove Piri who reluctantly let go of the china and began to fuss right away.

The siren quickly took dates from her black sweater's pocket which where wrapped in aluminum, and a second later, the frog-monkey was eagerly gnawing on the dried fruit, even though her huge eyes glanced at Fletcher from time to time nonetheless.

Still grinning, Lucind stretched and proceeded to take off her shawl for a moment. She yawned and wanted to sit back down.

"Ah! Is that what I think it is," the tea pot exclaimed, his voice not only filled with surprise, but also with a distinct hint of schadenfreude. The siren's eyes narrowed, but Fletcher went on.
"I can't believe it! How could that happen to you - to you? After all those times you claimed to ha---- no wait! I'm sorry, really very sorry - no, n---ughmmnnn!"

Dried date removed. Piri put back next to the tea pot. Problem solved.

Only not. Lu had just sat down while wrapping the shawl back around her neck, when Mr. Fletcher decided it was a good idea to drew in air from his belly and blow into the frog-monkey, which in turn freaked out, let go, jumped back (the plate holding the tea leaves fell down the shelf) and hissed and clamored at the dragon. Needless to say, Mr. Fletcher answered with a tirade of his own.

"..."

For the second time on this day, the siren buried her face in her arms. She was back to sour face mode.



One of those days I: Then - End  

[Lucind Varhetel]

One of those days
II: Now
(Taking place a couple of weeks after the meeting between Maximos and Tommorrow on Shadow Island)

Arriving at Latent's train station was unusual for her. A duffel bag landed on the platform with a dull thud before a pair of heavy boots followed. She took a moment to turn her head in both directions, and her breath drew a steamy trail. It had been a wise decision to stock up on warm clothes before coming back. There was a pair of thick, fingerless gloves which she put on and a hood she pulled farther down her head. Finally, she shouldered the bag, bending her knees when she did so, and followed the last passengers towards the exit.

The clock in the lobby stroke midnight. She stopped to let her gaze wander again: a few shops and cafes were still open, you could even buy a bouquet at this time. Lucind wasn't interested in flowers or other gifts but was headed straight at a counter in whose glass belly pastries and sandwiches presented themselves. The clerk turned around to greet her while working the espresso machine, yet his smile and whatever courteous phrase had been on his tongue died in an instant.

"What...can I...would you like to..."

He was fishing for coherence and didn't notice that hot steamed milk scalded his hand.

"A double cappuccino."

The man jerked his hand around, as if he expected to find someone standing right behind him with such a raspy, low voice.

"Please."

He looked back at Lucind, eyes wide open.

"It's alright, you can do that", the siren added, apparently forcing some encouragement into her words which where thick of her accent and a subliminal vibration that could cause dizziness in some. Lucind didn't see cold sweat appearing on his upper lip, nor the way the clerk almost crushed the paper cup he took from of stack. She felt it. If the people around her got the feeling the dark clad woman was looking right through them - if they happened to meet her eyes at all -, they weren't too wrong. Lucind's sight was almost completely dominated by her siren sense. All beings where watery ribbons for her, their shape and vibration replacing mimic or posture. Aside from that, soul signatures and voices offered everything she needed to orient herself.

Somewhere in the lobby, a child began to cry. A man leading a bulky dog on the leash tripped over when his companion ducked low suddenly, then pulled him towards the main exit which lay opposite of the coffee shop. When Lucind turned around (the clerk had huddled into a corner after passing the cup), the dog whimpered. Like a positive magnet in a box of negatives, she was evaded on her way out and in all streets that followed.

The cappuccino didn't work. The siren entered the main street and mechanically drank one sip after the next, but the warmth didn't arrive in her stomach, and the taste wasn't registered by her nerves. She still held on to it.
There was a group of people leaving a shop of some sort, one of them locked the door. A woman cleaned her glasses with a cloth. Something made her shudder and when she turned her head and put her glasses back on, she found Lucind staring at her from the other side of the crossing. Let's go, come on, hurry, the siren heard her whisper. Only when she caught herself licking her lips as she measured the flavor of each soul, Lu turned and vanished between two buildings - a short cut on the route to the docks.



A hint of familiarity embraced her when she walked through the quarter that was the last one featuring inns, pubs and a frequent street vendor before the restricted port area began. She blinked, but her view wouldn't clear, the world was still hidden behind a water veil. In many a dark alley, unknown creatures shrank back upon approaching her, and people inside houses felt the inexplicable urge to escape to...wherever. For Lucind it was as if the bottom of the ocean had followed her onto the land. An under water dream, only that she was very much alive and alert. A natural force taken from its habitat. But it was enough now. She wanted to go home - feel home. The transition always took a while, and six weeks of hunting and fighting with her siren senses running on full power were even harder to shake off.

She chose a random tavern and sat down in a corner, ignoring alarmed and scared looks and customers leaving, despite their drunkenness being beyond good and evil. Lucind just sat there, staring at her hands until someone put a plate and a pint in front of her. She slowly raised her head and saw a woman who had Maximos's height at least. Very muscular. Gone through many armored battles muscular. Blond locks were kept out of the face with braids.

"You look as though you could need it", she explained her unrequested gesture, and wrinkles appeared around eyes and mouth as she smiled at the siren.

Lucind gazed at the things on the plate - stew, mashed potatoes, some vegetables -, at the huge mug - probably beer. The waitress hesitated a moment, then chuckled and returned behind the bar.

"Thank you."

The tall woman nodded, showed another smile. "You're welcome."

The siren pushed back the hood that actually wasn't part of her knee-length thick coat, but was fastened to a stole that easily warmed half the upper body. She proceeded to take off the gloves and noticed the steam of the hot meal translated into different smells once they reached her nose. What the cappuccino couldn't do, this homemade dish did: the connection to her surroundings began to return, the steady noise of a myriad of voices settled until only those in her immediate radius remained in the foreground. Lucind tried to savor every bite and mouth full. Tried to concentrate on herself, sitting in a tavern, eating delicious food, drinking refreshing beer. Tried to remind herself that she was here and that she had to readjust her senses.
Before leaving, she thanked the other woman again and paid too much but pretended she didn't hear the protests.

Another fifteen minutes walk brought Lucind to the Feiruza. When she closed the library's door behind her, she felt at the right place and yet still separated from everything. The lanterns ignited since they sensed her presence, therefore the siren took off the hooded stole, gloves, pullover, and coat in the dim greenish blue lights the lanterns' organisms created. Her clothes landed on the floor.
The ship was empty aside from Prishazan whose signature she made out at the other end in his cabin.

What now? She was exhausted from the travel, exhausted from research and book hunt, from unexpected negotiations with siren clans. Exhausted after fighting and taking a few lives in battle. What she had done, she would do again. But now she longed for nothing more than doffing this official side of her. A trip to Azum was always nice, one way or another. But now she wanted to be nothing more than a book loving siren in her own four walls.

After walking here and there without a plan, Lu lay down on the floor, right on her clothes, still wearing tank top, cargo pants, and boots. A groan escaped because she felt every bruise and contusion that hadn't fully healed yet.
Beneath her the sea formed stronger waves than before and she knew there were a lot of fish circling her aura. She stretched her arm towards the ceiling, watching greenish blue specks of light seeping through her fingers. A focal point. That was what she needed. Concentrate on something that would make her mind follow her body home. Her thoughts took intricate paths, swayed and swirled, memory after memory, picture after picture. Whenever she thought she had tamed her mind, it slipped away again to enter another mental rollercoaster. But behind each flash of information, the outlines of the same face appeared: dark hair, mismatched eyes, the broadest smile. She wasn't aware she was still reaching out.

"I'm back."