Chapter 4
Michael stretched languidly and opened his eyes, dark hair spilling down his back as he sat up, slightly disoriented. It took him a few scant seconds to remember where he was, and exactly whose sheets he was tangled up in. Ciela was not in the bed, however, and he looked around the room, slightly alarmed.
Then he noticed the slight shadow being cast from the small balcony, and smiled. He’d forgotten about her ‘morning ritual’, as she called it. Getting up at dawn to pierce her skin and offer her blood to give thanks to her god for another day. So he hadn’t overslept, and she hadn’t been awake for very long. He brushed a hand across the other side of the mattress, and smiled. She hadn’t been awake for very long at all.
He stood up, searching for his pants. They were here…around somewhere. He held in a laugh as he located and picked them up, and wondered if Ciela’d be up for a shower before breakfast.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jayna was downstairs in the kitchen, pouring herself a cup of coffee when Michael entered, hair damp and hanging in a loose braid down his back. Lucifer sat on the counter, staring at them both. The oversized white Persian’s tail flicked back and forth in seeming annoyance, until it jumped down in a single graceful movement and wandered off. Michael, as usual, gave the creature wide berth.
“Well, someone’s in a good mood this morning.” Michael nodded after the departing feline. “He didn’t even try to take my leg off.”
“Oh, he understands that you and Az are both off limits.” Jayna poured Mike a cup and sat down. “Breakfast will be ready shortly.” She added. “Nothing fancy, are you hungry?”
Michael raised an eyebrow. “Starving.” He looked back towards the doorway to make sure the fearsome feline was gone. “How in the world did you manage to convince that…creature that we were off limits?”
“Oh, I just reminded him that he was here as a guest, and if I ever turned him out, since I was the only one that would take him in, that he’d be out of luck. He’d have been dead years ago…”
“Who’d be dead years ago?” Az asked, entering the kitchen, dressed in a loose t-shirt that hung to her knees, and sandals. If she wore anything under the shirt, Jayna couldn’t tell. She raised an eyebrow slightly but said nothing. Ciela breezed past both of them and immediately grabbed for the coffee. “What’s for breakfast? It smells wonderful.” She sat down next to Michael, giving Jayna her best ‘don’t say it’ look.
“Breakfast’s just scones and some other pastries. I need to go to the store.” Jayna smiled, handing Ciela the sugar bowl. “I’d take you shopping but you probably have other plans.”
“Hm, yeah, Sil’s gonna show up pretty soon to continue our training.” She looked over at Mike, who was calmly sipping his coffee. He said nothing, so she continued. “Now who’s going to die?”
“No one. We were talking about Lucifer.”
“That beast? I don’t know why you insist on calling it a ‘cat’. He’s demonic!” Ciela poured herself a second cup of coffee, the first having vanished in a hurry. Today was going to be a loooong day. She ran one hand through her damp hair, absentmindedly.
“You’re pretty close to the truth.” Jayna nodded, standing up and removing the pastries from the oven. “He was once a mage, a powerful human being with a real sadistic side.” She slid the scones off the pan into a large bowl and placed it on the table, turned back to the ‘fridge, and brought out a few condiments. “I really need to go to the store.” She huffed, sitting back down.
“Lucifer was a wizard? How did he end up as a cat? Spell go wrong on him?” Ciela turned towards the door, feeling eyes on her. The subject of their discussion was sitting calmly behind them, glaring unnervingly with glowing-cat eyes at the group. Michael followed her stare a second later, shrugged, and turned back around to pick up a pastry.
“A council was formed to ‘fix’ the problems he was causing. I was a part of it, and I was the only one who was opposed to simply killing him outright. So it was decided to turn him, if I’d agree to take responsibility for him.”
“And you did?” Ciela paused in mid-bite, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.
“Obviously.” Jayna snorted.
“Why?” She was shocked that Jayna would voluntarily take responsibility for such a foul-tempered creature.
“I had my reasons.” Jayna turned her head, looking at a small sensor panel on the wall as it chirped. “I think Sil’s here. You want to let him in?”
“Sure.” Ciela gulped the bite of scone in her mouth and crossed the kitchen to open the far door. “Hey Sil.”
The silver Oan nodded in acknowledgement to the group, entering and closing the door behind him. “Was I too early?”
“No, I’m just running late.” Ciela laughed, grabbing another scone and stepping around a perturbed looking Lucifer, bounded up the stairs. “Let me grab my stuff.” She called back over her shoulder as she disappeared from sight.
“All right.” Silver Lantern glanced at the pair sitting at the kitchen table, then to the cat, then back to Jayna and Michael. “I believe she is doing better.”
“Hmm.” Jayna gestured to the open seat next to her. “Sit down, you look silly just standing there like a statue.”
Sil crossed the floor from his position of guarding the door, pulled the chair out, and sat down stiffly. “As I was saying…”
“She’s fine.” Mike interrupted, giving the Oan an unreadable look. “You shouldn’t worry about her.” He picked up the cup he was drinking out of and took a long swallow of it. “I’m going with you when you train today.” he said, putting the cup down and fixing Sil with a challenging gaze.
“That is fine, as long as Azangel approves.” Sil had the odd feeling that he was being left out of something, but he couldn’t put a finger on it. As a matter of fact, all three were acting oddly today…
“She approves.” Mike looked away from Sil as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. “That was quick.” He beamed.
“Yeah. I didn’t want to keep you guys waiting.” She flashed Michael her best smile, grabbing him by the arm and nearly pulling him out of the chair. “Let’s go.”Chapter 5
Green board under his feet, Silver Lantern approached his target from behind, silent and deadly. Twin Oan beams flashed from his outstretched hands, scorching the air where his rapidly moving target had just been. She banked around, wings flashing with blinding light. Stilettos of brightness broke away and slammed into his chest, but an aura of Oan power deflected them.
{Azangel’s power level has increased dramatically since last encounter.}
{I noticed. But she’s still not powerful enough to do more than ‘tickle’ me through my force field.}
Silver blinked, and then scanned the area. “You’re still able to turn invisible, I see. You know that won’t work.” He gestured with his hand and suddenly Azangel appeared, encased in a sphere of silver energy. “Tag, you’re it.” He deadpanned.
“Better watch out, if you smile your face might stick that way.” Ciela taunted from inside the silver globe. “New trick.”
“No, I have always been able to do thi…”
Inside the sphere, Azangel began to glow slightly, then exploded with a blinding radiance that caught Silver off guard. The Power Oan dissipated, and Ciela dropped like a rock towards the ground, leaving Silver Lantern blinking in surprise.
“Ah. A new trick. I see.”
He pointed his board after her and caught up within a few seconds, hurling bolts of energy after her. Any bolt she was unable to dodge was apparently deflected by her armor, which always seemed to know where to be when it was needed. She could still FEEL it, however, he made sure of that.
“If this was a real fight, that ‘trick’ wouldn’t have worked.” He called after her as she ducked and wheeled, wings pressed tightly against her back.
“I know. But the look on your face was priceless, at any rate.”
“If you say so.” He replied, nailing her with a double-handed blast that sent her reeling. She recovered quickly, wings flaring out fully to fight for altitude. She turned to face him midair, practically flying backwards, and stretched one hand out towards him. He was close enough that she could almost touch him.
{Energy level increasing dramatically.} The ring intoned even as a beam of solid light streaked towards him. It splashed across his shield and skittered away harmlessly, but even then it packed quite a physical punch.
“And that’s a new trick as well if I’m not mistaken.”
“Oh, you’re not mistaken. Wanna see it again?”
“No thank you.” Sil retorted as his silver beam intercepted her white one. “Once was quite enough.”
“Spoilsport.”
"Let us try a new scenario: I am the evil one that you must catch, flight only." He reached over and touched her shoulder. "Tag; you're it." He sped away while she was trying to understand what he meant by it.
It didn’t take long. Silver was hovering above a nearby building, looking at her, arms folded. Was he impatient, or taunting her? It didn't really matter; she raced towards him.
Silver Lantern turned and flew away, not so fast that he would lose her, and not so slow that she would catch him. He kept the same distance from her by constantly scanning her position. From her point of view, it was as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
Gotta pour it on and catch him! She thought to herself. Good! He's heading to the business district; I bet he's not as maneuverable as I am!
*****
Silver Lantern stood there waiting, floating. I must time this just right.
*****
She saw him ahead, he seemed to be standing still in midair, but she couldn’t quite tell. She slowed down a bit to avoid slamming into him, and as she did so his board hit her from behind. It had just "clipped" her, but she lost her balance; her arms and legs flailing about even as she flew.
"Hey! That's not fair!" She righted herself and he was standing before her with a big smile. He was standing on nothing, surrounded by a slightly visible Oan Aura.
"Gotcha!" She yelled as she lunged for him, but her arms passed through him.
"Hey, that's not fair either!"
"Time is up." He said with a wry smile.
“You used your board and became intangible; you said flight only!"
"The board did fly. That was within the game. And yes, I did cheat when I was immaterial. Do you blame me? You would have choked me."
"I still might!" She barked as she put her hands around his neck.
Power Oan ran along and through her body like an electrical jolt. "Hey!" She quickly let go. "That hurt!"
"You can take it." He smiled. "Truce?" He offered her hand.
"Okay." They shook on it. "You cheater."
“I really needed that - the other Azangels have been telling me the hows and whys of my ‘new’ powers, well, they’re new to me at any rate…” She landed next to Silver, already on the ground. “The problem is, with no way to actually test them, I’m putting myself and others in danger.”
“I understand, and that is why I agreed to this little exhibition.” Silver nodded in acknowledgement to Michael, who had been on the ground watching. “Even if it was only for one spectator.”
“I will never understand why you chose a loincloth as part of your costume, when you knew you’d be flying a lot…” Michael grinned. “But it improves the view from down here.”
Ciela smiled broadly as she walked over to him and put her arms around him. “Because it’s traditional, baby.”
“Nice tradition, then. I bet the ancient Aztecs used to go out of their way to watch training lessons, huh?”
“Actually, they were executed if they were found trespassing where an Azangel was living. They were vessels of Quetzalcoatl, after all, and considered holy. But don’t worry, I won’t tell. You’re too cute to execute.”
Sil rolled his eyes. "So many have lost their lives because of religions. My people -"
He saw the look on Az's face, knowing she didn't want to hear how high and mighty the Yqum-Lavians were. She had heard it before a number of times from him.
"Yes. I am pleased Azangel has chosen not to kill you, Michael."
“Yeah, me too.” Michael leaned over and gently pressed his lips to her cheek in a quick kiss. “I have to go to work now. Be careful up there.” He grinned.
“That’s all I get?” Ciela crossed her arms in a mock pout.
“Maybe later…” Mike glanced at Sil, who was studying the sky in an effort not to eavesdrop. “…and not in front of an audience.”
“Ok, fine. Be that way.” She walked over to him as he started to put on his motorcycle helmet, and wrapped her arms around his neck. “But I expect you to be a little more attentive ‘later’.”
“Are you using me to make him jealous?” Michael glanced over in Sil’s direction, who was still intently looking upwards, for all intents and purposes, ignoring them.
“No, more like trying to embarrass him. I think it’s working.”
“You’re mean.” Mike laughed, fastening the helmet strap and pulling away from Ciela. “And I’m going to be late for an appointment if I don’t go.”
“I’m mean and you love it.” She grinned wickedly as he left.
*****
Sil watched as Michael roared away on his bike, then turned back to Ciela. “I was NOT embarrassed. I was giving your privacy."
“I know; I was just teasing." She smacked him on the arm.
"You have a stain on your uniform." He pointed and went to touch it.
As she looked down for the stain, his finger came up and tapped her nose. "Got you."
“That was silly…are you trying to become more ‘human’ Sil?” She laughed, then looked up at him teasingly. “Or is that a new sneak attack you learned out in space?”
"I'll never be 'more human', since I'm Yquem-Lavian." He said with a straight face. "Nor am I 'sneaky'.”
“Yeah, it’s kinda hard to be sneaky when you glow in the dark”
"However." He said, and she could see he was suppressing a smile. "I have learned a few tactical moves from Timmy Anderson."
"Tim, huh?" She remembered the child from the debacle with Zen Reaper. She just knew Sil was going to pull some crazy stunt; she had her guard up. "Like what?"
"Well, for example I could-" He paused for a moment, as though he were suddenly in deep thought. "There is danger. THAT way." He pointed.
"Danger?" She turned her head. "What is it?"
"Tag! You're it!" He shoved her gently with Power Oan, and she was propelled forward and away from him.
"Why you!" She swore as she took control of her flight to intercept him, her wings ready to hit him with concentrated light.
But he was gone.
"Where are you… you…fink!"
I'm 'everywhere. His thoughts entered her mind.
“Ok, now that is really pushing your luck, Sil.”
Luck? Who needs luck when you have the Power Oan?
“You will in about five seconds, chrome dome.”
Promises, promises… Sil taunted, still inside her mind. He’d carefully avoided making contact with the helmet, but nevertheless he was beginning to feel its power tickling the edges of his consciousness, as it followed his power back into himself. He broke off contact, wondering if that had been Az’s surprise.
From his vantage point, he could see her clearly with his senses. He knew that she could turn invisible by bending light, but he was pretty sure she had never seen him do it. He held in a laugh, just as she started to glow.
That’s different. he thought to himself as the glow intensified, and shot away from her in a glowing double arc of light, the first splashing over his Oan field, the second sparking and flickering as it made contact. He was fully exposed, and Az was…
gone?
Where?
She plowed into his back, both arms fully extended and hands balled into fists. “Tag! Now you’re it!” She launched herself straight up as he stumbled forward a few steps.
“So you’re going to play dirty, Ciela?” He asked, recovering quickly.
“Who, me? Not at all. Remember, I’m still trying to get the hang of this.” She laughed, hovering above him, and he used her distraction to appear behind her, a blur of movement that she had no chance of following. Strong arms slipped around, and up, holding her in an unbreakable grip.
“I think you’re it again.” He grinned into the back of her head. “Unless you want to say ‘Uncle’”
“Nope.” She brought her head back against his face, hard, the magic-powered helmet protecting her from the impact but shocking him enough to cause him to lose his grip. She spun in midair, to face him. “I think this has gone on just about long enough.” She grinned.
“So you want to quit while you think you’re ahead, is that it?”
“Pretty much, yeah.” She held out a hand to him. “We’ll have to do this again sometime, it’s been fun.”
"Yes, it has been fun." He thought for a second. "And for the record, it was a tie."
Chapter 6
Ouch...Ouch…Ouch.
Ciela gasped as the hot water from the shower hit her skin, nearly burned from where Silver Lantern had shocked her with electricity. He just can’t play nice, can he? She thought to herself, letting the water soothe away the soreness that was beginning to seep into her tired muscles. Three days straight of being the Yquem-lavian’s personal punching bag had left her tired, and left her with a strong desire to find a more suitable sparring partner.
Maybe Michael could overcome his distaste for violence long enough to get me back on track. She mused, before quickly deciding that not much would actually get done, if they were to take up sparring. Not after last night, and this morning…Her gaze dropped to the bathtub floor as she realized she was grinning like an idiot, standing in the shower, thinking about things that were going to require a quick blast of cold water to get out of her mind. She chuckled, grabbing a bar of soap and proceeding to get the grime out of her hair and from her skin.
Wonder if Jayna’s gone shopping yet? I could use someone to talk to right about now…
She reached down and quickly turned off the water, grabbed a towel, and headed to her room.
Getting dressed and heading downstairs, she heard voices coming from the shop. A silver-haired young man and a woman with long dark hair were just turning to leave, with Jayna standing at the door, saying her goodbyes.
“Old customers of yours?” Ciela vaguely remembered having seen the woman before, but she couldn’t place her. The man had been wearing sunglasses, and he seemed even more familiar…She shook her head. He looked a lot like the former Mayor.
Jayna locked the door and crossed back towards the kitchen. “She’s a very old customer. I always make time for her, when she shows up, even if it’s not within business hours.”
“That’s nice of you.” Ciela commented, looking around as she heard a deep-throated, threatening growl from an antique cabinet. “I think Lucifer’s stuck behind here.” She pointed at the offending furniture, which began to shake violently.
“You’d better move. Ali’s not fond of him, and she, uh, ‘put’ him in there with a little spell.” Jayna reached over and opened the cabinet, freeing the cat, which howled like a banshee and tore out of sight. “I hate it when she does that.”
“Uh, right…” Az muttered, following Jayna as she moved towards the kitchen again.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jayna picked up the leftover scones and wrapped them in plastic, putting them into the fridge for later use, as Az sat down. “So, are you busy?” she asked, trying to be as nonchalant as possible.
Jayna looked puzzled, then remembered how much trouble the Aztec warrior had with ‘small talk’ and smiled. “Not really. More coffee?”
“No, I’m fine…” she dropped her head to study the table top. “I was just wondering…”
“I wasn’t going to say anything in front of Mike.”
Ciela snapped her head up to look at Jayna, already starting to blush. “Um, that wasn’t it. See, Sil will be heading back into space soon, and I need to find someone else to train with. Just until I’m more comfortable with these new…uh…powers, I guess.”
“Well, I’d suggest Aquarius, but he’s got some major hush-hush job for Ravenstrom that he’s taking care of. He said he’d probably be off J Street for a while, so that’s out of the question.”
“So that’s why he wasn’t here for breakfast.” Ciela taunted, and grinned at Jayna.
“Yep. But I notice Mike stayed the night.” Jayna smiled mischievously at her friend, and started laughing as Ciela started to flush crimson. “Did either of you get any sleep?”
“Back to the training question…” Ciela changed subjects as quickly as possible, sending Jayna into another laughing fit. “I was thinking more along the lines of you. I mean, as old as you are, you have to know something about fighting, right?”
“I’m flattered, but I can’t, not for a few weeks, anyway.”
“Why’s that?”
“I have a few items I need to pick up for the shop.” Jayna hedged. “I’m out of a few items, vials of water, you know how it goes.”
“Ok.” Ciela smiled. “You’ve got something you need to steal for the pair that just left.”
“Well, that too.” Jayna admitted with a small shrug. “As a matter of fact, can you mind the shop for a few hours? I’m expecting an old friend by to look for some stuff in the basement, and I promised him lunch.” she gestured at the cupboards. “I need a whole lot more food for this guy, his appetite is enormous.”
“Um, sure, I’ll wait, but how will I know who he is?” She looked at Jayna, who was counting a large stack of bills she’d pulled from out of her purse. “You’re taking all that grocery shopping?” she gasped.
“Yep. I said he had a huge appetite didn’t I?” she laughed. “I’ll be back in a couple hours. As for how to know if it’s him, just look for dark hair and a tail.”
“Tail. Right.” Az slumped down in her chair as Jayna left. “So much for that idea.”