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Seishuko walked though the woods, having left his niece back at his cabin to settle in. His wood pile was getting low and it was time for him to start gathering more.

An axe was drapped over his shoulder, replacing the walking stick and he went with out the cloak, revealing a sleeveless shirt that was obviously hand made. The cloak would have gotten in his way as he worked.

Things were going to be a bit different now that his niece was going to be staying with him for a time.

'You've been busy.' The voice came from the trees, where Lyra sat comfortably on one of the limbs, one long, well shaped leg hanging down. 'You brought her here?'

She had grown tired of watching the large man work on the fence for some reason. Even shirtless he had begun to bore her. His thoughts were far too easy to read. The poor boy had a girl somewhere. What a pity.

'Was wondering when you come,' Sei smirked under his mask, looking over his shoulder at her. He was secertly pleased with his slight better talking.

'Io being here bothers?' He asked, continueing on his walk, examing trees as he went, looking for one that was ready to be cut.

'It'll make it a lot harder for us to fool around, if that's what you mean.' She swung her leg slightly, looking him over with a little smirk. 'You're looking good today.' She said, a slight purr in her tone. It was tradition, after all. Try to get Sei in bed.

Too bad it never seemed to work. 'My brother has grown, you know.'

Sei bit back a laugh as he looked a tree over. 'Don't to begin with. Yes, seen him grown. Lanky kid.' As he remembered Nika had been when he was a teen. His memory was still fuzzy in some areas, but the important things, and people, he remembers.

Sei stopped at a tree and looked it over. This one would do. He went over to where Lyra was standing and moved her off to the side so she wouldn't get harmed.

'Io thinks you crazy,' He stated as started to work.

She glared at him, irritated with being moved against her will. 'Io thinks a lot of things.' She said dryly, making herself at home on a rock. 'She's just a child, after all. Still crushing on her first love.'

She was amused with that fact, but a little bitter. It was quite obvious that Io's first love was crushing just as hard. 'My what fools these mortals be...' She quoted, looking towards the cabin. 'Have you told her about us?'

'That we talk? No. letting her settle in first. She'll know soon enough,' he answered, still working. 'Her reigns to tight, is to stressed. Needs break.'

Sei paused in his work and looked at her once more, a slight smirk in his dark eyes. 'Now really no room in house.' His mental voice was joking, teaseing, before he went back to work.

'Darling, there was never room in the house to begin with.' She replied, tossing her hair over her shoulder and watching him work. He wasn't as large as the big man... nor quite as broad, but he was appealing. And the fact that she knew she couldn't have him made it worse.

'It's been so boring lately... I really must look up my darling brother sometime. See how he is. Family loyalties and all that, you know.' She looked at him, a slightly evil smile in her eyes. 'Now that she's here the rest are soon to follow, you know.'

Sei paused in his working. ... Damn... but part of him knew that would happen. He shrugged it off and went back to work.

'Loyalties nothing, loyal to self,' he stated, swinging a few more times before the tree. Sei back away, standing between her and the tree and it fell.

'I never thought I'd hear you say such a thing.' She said, sounding amused. 'Of all people, I would think you'd be the most into family loyalties.'

He grinned at her, takeing a seat facing her on the fallen tree, setting the head of the axe on the ground. He proped his head on his hand that were on the handle of the axe.

'You're family,' He stated. He was glad his sound bubble was up, keeping their conversation private.

'Loyal to me, are you? I don't see you telling Io that I'm here.' She stopped, letting a pause speak for her before going on. 'Or are you trying to protect her from me?'

'Loyal in many ways. Protect is what I seem to do. Though you are capible of handleing things on your own.' Io was stressed as it was. He had a feeling that if she saw Lyra, she would bet more stressed, which would make things more difficult.

He wasn't about to let her know that, however. Lyra wasn't a bad person, just ambisous and unhappy with things. That bothered him. He was probably wrong, but to him, it seemed that she was just searching for someplace to belong. He watched her. She was a beautiful creature, but something she knew all too well. No point in feeding the ego. He sighed a bit.

'So... what is she like?' She asked, crossing one leg over the other curious in spite of herself. She had always had a strange affinity for Io, although the female didn't see it... there was much of her aunt in her. Of course, that's why Lyra had chose to concentrate on Zahar.

Light was much easier to manipulate then darkness.

Sei paused a moment, figuring out what to tell her. He could tell that Lyra was truely curious. Wouldn't hurt that much to tell a little.

'Angry, confused. Stressed. Very stressed. Some ways reminds me of you.' He smirked playfully at her.

'So good Uncle Seishuko steps in to save the day, is that it?' She asked, irritated with him suddenly. 'Always out to play the hero. When will you realize that some people just can't be saved?'

There was a hint of frustration in her tone, one a little jarring with her usually calm, amused voice.

Sei tilted his head, perplexed. 'Wanted to know my niece better. Hardly around before.' Why was she mad at him now? Sure he enjoed irritating her, but at the moment, he didn't feel like it. So her getting irritated at him bothered him.

It dawned on him what it might be. 'Some people are more than worth saving. What is wrong?' In truth, he expected her to yell at him or want to leave. He wasn't trying to be a hero or anything, he just didn't like to see the people he cared for go though such things.

'Have you ever thought she might need to learn to deal with stress, Sei? She's a princess, promised to be Queen someday... or she would have been had it not been for this damn curse.' She stopped, forcing herself to calm, a slight smile pasted on her face as she reminded herself that she didn't care.

'But if you wish to be dragged into their new, petty little lives, then who am I to stop you?'

'Everyone needs a break. She was planning on running away. This will help her deal better with it. Give time to think.' He stood then, swinging the axe into the fallen tree and walked over to Lyra, kneeling at the bolder.

'You don't consider me petty? Wouldn't mind you being around more....' He smirked then, the cartoon image of her strangleing him popping into his mind. This was one of the rare moments he was going to open up to her. He knew he'd probably get hurt for it, but for some reason he just felt like doing this.

'You shouldn't tempt me, Sei. I might think you liked me.' She said, relaxing slightly as things returned to normal. 'I'm an ambitious woman, you shouldn't forget that. I might get... ideas.'

She was lying, of course. They both knew it. But it felt good to pretend for a moment. 'We've been given a new life, but all we seem to be able to do with it is the same things we did before...' She went on quietly, 'Maybe Io was right in wanting to run away... Maybe there's more out there then there is here...'

She went quiet, thinking things she had never planned on considering.

Sei relax also, smiling softly. 'Running will not solve problems. They would always remain where they were, or follow. Best to get them stright. Then, if one wanted to see what was beyond this world, just to explore it, it will be more enjoyible. There is no problem with that.'

Wow that was alot he just said. More than he had ever side in one line. He shrugged that off mentally. SOmething else starting to bother him, but it looked as though Lyra was feeling better.

He smirked at her, covering it up. 'Could be pirate Queen.'

'I could be. I'd be good at it, too.' She sounded smug, tossing her hair over her shoulder again and giving him a seductive look. 'Couldn't you see me, hijacking ships and demanding booty? No one to tell me what to do, no brother standing in my way to the throne.'

'You do realize that he's my problem, don't you? How would you feel about me straightening that out, Darling?'

'That depends on how you strighten it out,' Sei smirked at her, standing. 'I doubt he'd want to be a pirate King. So no one standing in your way, save other pirates. You would be good at it...' He walked back to the tree and picked up the axe.

What the hell was wrong with him? He was use to being alone.... Her going off wasn't any different. He shoved that out of his mind quickly.

She went silent, idly thinking of how very... boring it would get after a while. 'That's the problem... it would be easy. Too easy, actually. My powers, although not as strong as they once were, allow me to take whatever I want. Off planet, that is.'

'I could rule another planet, you know... but I don't want another planet. I want this one.'

'Why? There are some powerful beings out there as well. Wouldn't mind seeing other places.... but would miss my home.' He finished, starting to chop the wood into sections.

He then smirked at her, 'I could make things more interesting for you.'

'I've been trying to tell you that for years, Darling.' She replied, smirking back.

Sei laughed, 'I meant in ways you would hate. Like make things more challenging for you and silence you powers. Unless, of course, something threatened you,' he smirked at her, then went back to wood chopping.

She gave him a dark look, then shrugged. 'As if that hasn't happened before. You're just an over-charged guard in some ways, aren't you.' She knew he would hate that comparison. He had made no secret of his dislike for guards... other then that little female... What had her name been?

Idly she wondered if he had had a crush on her...

Sei snorted, finishing up a sections and starting a new one. He was no gaurd and he would be damned before he started that job. He just cared for the people he saw as important.
'You liked many a guard. Except the head guard.'

'What can I say? I'm a sucker for a man in armory.' She said, smirking slightly and deliberately ignoring the last comment. 'It's just their powers that are annoying, stealing my own just for their convenience. Almost puts a girl off muscles if that's what touching leads to...'

Sei smirked. 'You liked touching many guys.' He only liked one guard back in the old life. That one guard was the one who taught him how to defend himself, and she never hurt him. She was the guard he called friend.

'I'm a hot blooded woman, darling. You can't expect me to pine after you all my life.' The voice was slightly mocking, amused. 'You broke my heart, you know.'

Sei just gave her a look, stopping his work, doing what he could not to laugh. 'I did, did I? By siding with my sister and her husband?'

'No darling, it was much earlier then that. I was five, you were six, you know how it goes.' She waved it off, trying not to let her reaction to his words show. 'Girl meets boy, girl likes boy, boy runs away.'

'You scared me,' he said bluntly. 'And we had just met.' He veguly remember that meeting.... it was one of the blurry things in his mind that wasn't even triggered until she mentioned it.

'Hmph. Too much woman for you, even back then.' She turned, looking away for a second and speaking softly. 'Have you figured out how to lift the curse yet, Sei?'

Sei smiled at her, then the smile vanished when said that. 'No.... not yet,' he started back to work. 'You haven't. If you had, would have used it. What will you do?'

'Wash my face, for one. Kiss a man, put on makeup, girly things, really. The things I used to take for granted.' She stood, reaching out to touch his shoulder and turn him. 'I need to try, though...' She said, moving forward until her mask almost touched his.

Sei froze, eye wide as she did this. He didn't expect that! He relaxed though, smirking and trying to to laugh at himself.
He pulled back from her, waving his finger back and forth, laughter in his eyes. 'You are eger.'

'No... I'm frustrated.' She said bluntly. She wouldn't have told anyone else that. Reluctantly she pulled away from him, looking towards the cabin. 'Your neice is coming this way.' she said, not explaining how she knew, even though Io was still out of sight. She didn't have to.

Sei shrugged, 'Then I guess I will see you later, when you decide to show up again.' He started going back to work on the tree.

She nodded, watching him for a second before turning back to where the teenager was coming from, not budging until the snap of Io's steps on twigs echoed in the woods. Then she disappeared, leaving them both behind... where she should have left them long ago.

Sei brought the last of the wood to the shead, pileing it to be used later. He then headed to the well, drawing a bucket of water up and washing his hands and mask off, getting his black bangs wet in the process.

It was nice to have an extra set of hands to help around the old place. He looked back over to his house, running the things over in his mind that needed to be done. There were a few more leaks that needed to be fixed in the roof.

Lyra rifted herself onto a stump right next to Sei, crossing one long leg over the other and staring at him as she waited for him to notice her. He had some explaining to do, after all.

Sei didn't move for a few moments. He knew she appeared, but didn't acknowledge her as he pourd the water out and set the bucket back down on the well.

He wiped his forehead and then looked at her a moment, trying not to smile at the look she was giving him. Sei then headed for the axes, picking them up and heading for the shead to put them away. He was waiting for her to speak first.

... He was ignoring her, she thought. Well two could play at that. She turned, looking into the woods and wondering what had happened to the little fox boy she kept around. Probably off spying on the jester girl, no doubt.

She really needed to get back to work, she thought, irritated with herself. She was supposed to be gathering information on her "Darling" brother, not chasing after Sei. She of all people knew how futile that endeavor could be. She'd spent a lifetime trying to get in his bed, after all. There really was no point in wasting a perfectly good second one.

But she didn't move, a thoughtful look on her face.

Sei, for once, was tired of the silence around. She was too quiet, and he didn't like it when Lyra was quiet. He might as well give in, or nothing would get done at this rate.

'What's wrong,' he asked softly.

She almost jerked at his words, frowning slightly behind her mask as she thought of his question. 'Nothing.' She told him, forcing herself to relax. 'But I am curious, you might say... Such an intersting conversation you had with our darling neice. Something about you being in love?'

Her voice was surprisingly calm. 'Might I ask... who?'

Sei blinked, still looking in the shead, his hand hesitating on the axe for a moment. So that was it. He smirked lightly. He shouldn't be surprised that she had herd that convosation.

'Might be,' He answered. 'Course.... why would I tell...?' He then looked over at her, his eyes playful. It was a dangerous game he played with her, but it was entertaining.

'Oh, no reason.' She replied, shoving her hair over her shoulder again. It was irritating, having the mask cover her ears. There was nothing for her hair to hook on. 'I just wouldn't take you for being that big of a fool. Love is such an easy thing to manipulate people with, after all.'

'But I suppose that depends on who you're in love with. Is she quite... naive?' He always was too closed-mouthed for his own good, she thought, keeping her calm facade.

Sei smirked lightly, leaning against the door to the shead. Was Lyra jealous? That wouldn't be a first... and at the same time it would be.

'No, she's quite... sharp,' He answered simply.

Well that ruled out a few... several... others, she thought, going over the remaining females. Fauve was out, she was just a bit too... vain to be considered truly sharp. Of course there was nothing wrong with being vain, but to be vain as well as uncertain rarely adds up to the term "Sharp."

Io seemed to have the sharp factor, but she was family, as was Zahar. But she hadn't paid much attention to the others, had gotten distracted by Scagg around that time. Excpet-- No, he had said the word "She."

Could the little guard girl pass off as sharp? She stopped, pondering this for a while. She hadn't seemed easy to manipulate, a little emotionally unstable, but considering her powers that was to be taken for granted...

'Do you dream of her?' She asked, forcing a note of derision into her tone. 'Sneak into town to watch her? Are you... gods forbid, stalking her, darling?'

Sei just looked at her. He knew what was running through her head, but chose to say nothing about it. That was rude, after all. But the way she asked him made him laugh, mentally. His laugh miniced his father's, since he didn't know what his true laugh would sound like, this was the most natural thing that came to him.

'Dream, yes. Stalk, no. Don't sneak into town.' He regained his composer, watching her again. To tell her who it was, no matter how much he wanted too, would be a dangerous thing.

Her tone turned seductive. 'Would you like to?' she asked wickedly. 'A little glimpse, perhaps?' she stood slowly, walking over to him and running a finger over his chest. 'I'd be willing to... help, you know. For... love.' She couldn't help the hint of sarcasm that laced her voice on the last word.

Sei just smirked at her and took her hand, planting a kiss on her finger tip before he walked past her. 'I'm fine,' he said, a small laughter in his mental voice. She was jealous! Now that was very interesting indeed.

He headed for his cabin, though a bit slowly, hopeing she would follow.

Lyra didn't move. She was too busy staring in shock at her fingertip. She had felt it! No, not his mask... his lips! But... if he could kiss her finger, then--

Wait.

He had just turned down her offer. She almost growled as she shoved herself to her feet, then forced herself to calm. 'Afraid she'll notice you? Or worse... afraid she won't?' She asked, following him in a smooth, sedate way that was meant to look as if she wasn't.

The more she tried not to look like she was about the explode the more amusing it was. He shruged at her question. No, what he truely was afraid of is that she would use him, then never return to him.

Sei headed into his cabin and started to look around for something, moving things aside as he did.

She followed him, thinking once more. What WOULD she do if she caught him with another female? The very question made her blink, slightly shocked when she felt a cold wave of rage flowing through her. They would suffer, she decided, calmly. A slight smile pulled at her lips with that ocnclusion, but it wasn't a happy smile. It was a smile of grim satisfaction.

She almost thought of warning him, but decided not to. Knowing Sei it wouldn't have mattered. She turned, looking around with a faint air of boredom. 'Really darling, we need to bring you into the twenty first century.'

Sei felt a shiver run down his spin for some reason and looked over at her. The look in her eyes was a dangerous one... and the fact that she switched subjects. He decided to let it go and shrugged.

Sei then sent her the cartoon image of him with a screw driver trying to fix something, and then that thing blowing up in his face. 'Not good with tech,' He said with the images.

'That's why you hire someone that is, Darling. Or have Io handle it, she seems the type to like getting her hands dirty.' Her tone said that wasn't necessarily a good thing. 'Or maybe your future girlfriend will be able to handle it.'

She stopped then, irritated with letting her thoughts be known so easily. But it was her nature to keep prying. Speaking of which.

'Have you thought of how to remove our masks?' She asked, as she always did. He was their best hope, no matter what he might say.

'Doubt she'd know how, or want too,' he smirked lightly. 'No money to hire,' he added, more as an after thought. Sei pulled a package out from under somethings, turning to her.

'No, haven't been thinking on it,' he answered her casually.

'Hmm...' She said, totaling that fact into the equation. Shiva didn't seem the type to shun grunt work. She had been so very good at it back in the old days. 'Then think about it, Darling. I'm getting tired of this dreaded thing.' She finally replied, shoving herself to her feet and stretching, deliberately drawing attention to her body.

Sei smirked. 'Will,' he said softly and began to open the package. 'Cold weather's coming.'

Out of the package he pulled some cloth, shaking it out before drapping it around her, showing it was a cloak. The outter part of the cloak was made out of leather, which was softened to be comefortible. The leather was dyed a midnight blue. Lining the leather on the inside was light blue silk. Silk could be very warm, and very cool. There was leather cloth over her shoulders, forming into a hood and was lined with blue-black soft furr.

All of it looked hand crafted, but showed that much time had been spent working on it. Sei stepped away from her after hooking it, not sure as to how'd she'd react to his gift.

Lyra blinked, honestly shocked at his offer. Her hand reached out, then hesitated as she forced herself to get a grip. Sure, it was a gift, and it had been a very long time since she had recieved one, but that wasn't the thing that got to her.

It had been made just for her. Much like her old clothes had been before the curse, and not quite as perfectly, but... this time she hadn't had to order it. This time it had been made out of... what? Friendship? She blinked, pulling her hand back slightly.

'And what do you ask for in return?' She asked.

Sei shrugged, relaxing as he had watched her. 'Keep warm, is also water repellant,' he turned and started to move things off the table, putting them in place for once so that Io could have a place to eat without things trying to attack her.

He didn't know where Lyra stayed, nor had he ever asked. But if she was out of a decent house, she'd need something to protect her from the elements.

She gave in then, rubbing a hand over the leather that covered her shoulders and almost purring. It felt soft and supple as if it had been treated by someone that knew exactly what he was doing. And it had been, she thought, watching him for a second. Then she reached up, pulling her hair out and smirking slightly.

'Thank you, of course. But you know what it is that I really want.' she told him, trying to keep her priorities in mind. She reached out, running her fingernails lightly over his back. 'And it isn't just the mask off.'

She stepped back then, satisfied her point had been made, then rifted out of the room, leaving him to get ready for his neice.

Sei smirked, feeling her leave. All and all, this had been a good day. He knew his gift made her happy, but he wasn't going to rub that in her face, or say anything about it. That would ruin this small "victory". He didn't know if victory was the right word for it, but it was the first one that came.

After cleaning things off, Sei checked his wilde spices, seeing that he was running low. He took his cloak, a small pouch and his walking stick and headed out. He also sent a quiet, telepathic message, telling Io that he was out to get some things for dinner and would return.

Yes, this was a very good day.

Sei returned to his cabin, after several minutes of walking through the woods and his stomach was reminding him it was past time to eat. He looked around a moment before entering his home, wondering in Io had made it back yet.

Io looked up from where she was cleaning the turkey she had caught, looking at him for a second before speaking. 'You okay?' She asked, worried for some reason.

Sei blinked at her, then smiled, eyeing the turkey. 'Did good,' He stated softly, trying to ignore the pain in his mind.

'Well, there was a bigger one, but I thought for the two if us...' She shrugged, not mentioning that the larger one had babies. 'But where have you been?'

He held up the pouch. 'Herbs, need for cooking,' he answered her. He set the pouch down and took off his cloak. 'Everything ok....?'

She wasn't going to get an answer. Oh well, she should have figured that. She shook her head, finishing off cleaning up the turkey and stepping back, shrugging slightly. 'Um... I know how to clean this, but cooking...' She looked over at him, hopeful that he would offer to take over. And/Or tell her where the hot springs were...

Sei smirked. 'Was deal. right? You hunt, I cook.' He gently sent the image of the hot spring to her and headed for the door, looking back at her expectently. He was ready to get started on cooking the bird.

She blinked, rinsing her hands in the bowl of water she had pulled from the well and frowning slightly at the turkey. 'This shouldn't take too long, will it? I don't want anything deciding to help themselves to our dinner...'

Sei shook his head. The spring wasn't that far away, he headed out, heading to a path that was behind the shead.

Io took that as a no, so she wiped her hands on her pants and followed him, not speaking for a while as she sniffed the air. It smelled like perfume again! It didn't make any sense, actually... unless there was something Sei wasn't telling her. Of course, that wouldn't be that big a surprise.

After rounding a few bushes he came to the spring. There were large, smooth rocks around it, just right for sitting on. Near the spring was another, smaller shead. Sei sent the images of towels and washing things to Io.

'Other creatures don't tend to come here. Is safe. If something happends, call?' He noted the strange look in Io's eyes. 'What is it?'

'Wh-oh... nothing.' Io replied, distracted as she looked over at the shed. 'I don't suppose there's swimsuits in there, are there.' She said, feeling strange at the idea of taking a bath outside where anyone could stumble upon her.

Sei just blinked at her. 'Why would I have a girl's swim suit......?' He tilted his head, not fully understading why she would need one to take a bath in. That would make it difficult to wash....

'Um... yeah. I didn't think you would.' She replied, heading for the shed. 'Um... thanks.' She said beleatedly, glancing over at him. She didn't know how to politely tell him to get lost...

Sei shrugged, turning on his heal and headed back to the house. Now that she was at the spring, he could finally start to cook the bird. And doing that would give him more time to stop talking to others, which was the rest he needed.

Seishuko sat on the floor whiddling at a peice of wood, like he had been doing when no sleeping. Lyra's home was surprisingly nice, not to mention quiet. Here he was away from the "buzz" of minds. It made his "recovery" much easier.

But he also knew what she was after. He continued to carve the wood into one of the many animals that were one Masquerade. This one was going to be a Rade.

Lyra walked in, dropping down on the chair and crossing her legs. 'I've been very patient, Sei.' She said.

'I know.' He said simply. 'You mad?'

'Impatient.' She replied. 'Take my mask off, Sei. Before I remember that you took Io's off before mine.'

'....What will you do once free?' He asked, pausing in his work.

'Speak... wash my face... admire myself for a while...' she said, looking thoughtful.

He sat there in thought, still not looking at her. She wasn't going to hurt Nika, if she was, she already would have and she had her memories.... Sei sighed, turning on the ground to look at her. 'Come.'

She stood, walking over to him. 'Darling, must we do this on the floor? It seems so... crass.' But she lowered herself down, nonetheless.

'Standing would hurt.' Great, he was going to have to go through this again. 'May I stay here?'

'I suppose.' She said generously. But the truth was, if Io passed out after the procedure she expected to as well. She couldn't take him back even if she wanted to.

Sei hesitated a moment, remembering how much he didn't like doing this the first time before he took a breath, placing both his hands on her mask. He closed his eyes, silencing the magic from her and slowly pulled the mask away. Once it was far enough away, he tossed the mask away.

She blinked. For a second nothing happened. Then the power rushed over her, crashing through her like a wave, overloading her mind and body. She slumped, falling towards the floor, unconscious.

He watched her, laying himself down as his strength gave out. This was much easier to do here.... He thought before his eyes closed. He was going to be doing even more sleeping. Again.