Jaska tilted his head, "Why didn't he help you when you were little? Was he afraid?"
----

Rakesh shifted closer so he could rub the side of his face against the young drow. "Leave you?" He asked, pulling back a bit to look at her, an astonished expression on his reptillian face. "Leave you? No. No, Z'tan would not do that!" He told her, laying down his head on the pavement next to her, so he was looking up with wide, sad eyes. "You are like his child now. You, and Imorvir, and even Narya. It is bad for him, but he loves all of you, no matter what you will do!" He shifted forwards a bit to rest his nose on her knee, now partially shielding her from view with one of his softly luminous wings. "And he's hurt worse than this- you have no idea! This is nothing, you didn't hurt him much!" He whined again, "Please come back to the House! We will be sad, if you don't. He wants to make sure you are okay."

Barek shook his head. "Afraid and worried I guess. It doesn't matter though. What's past is past." He glanced up when he heard someone approaching. The door opened quietly and Kailyn slipped in. His blue eyes were staring at his feet as he sat down on the floor and gazed at the rug.

Barek watched him a few seconds. "I was just telling Jaska a story. You still like stories?" He asked the older boy. Kailyn shrugged weakly and continued to stare at the ground, one arm wrapped around his stomach. He picked at the rug with his gloved hands.
---
Zebyvyll looked away from Rakesh as he spoke to her. "Okay...you go ahead of me. I'll catch up in a bit."

Jaska looked like he was going to ask another question when Kailyn came in. Whatever he had been about to say was immediately forgotten as he watched his friend sit down and look fairly miserable. It was only when he caught the blue glint of the other's eyes did the child crawl off the bed, and sit in front of the pale-skinned elf.

"You okay?" He asked quietly, not really sure what sort of reaction he was going to get either. Did Kailyn even know what Kian did when he went away? He had to know Kian existed...
-----------

Rakesh looked uncertain when Zeb said to leave. "I don't want to go back. The Healer made Z'tan sleep. I don't like being in the House without him." He closed his eyes, and settled in a bit more, folding his wings by his sides, obviously having made up his mind. "I am staying here with you."

Kailyn continued to stare at the rug, even as Jaska sat before him. "No." He answered quite simply. He swallowed and looked over at Barek who watched the two boys without a hint of interest. "Do you want me to make you something to eat?" He asked Barek.

"Oh...actually...I am kind of hungry." Barek put a hand over his stomach and shrugged.

"I'll make something for all of us." Kailyn began to stand up.
---
Zebyvyll stared at Rakesh. "No. You don't have to go back. But I want to be alone. Look, I promise I'll come back later. For now...just...do something else." She said as she slowly pushed herself up. She dusted off her shorts and quickly walked out of the alleyway, disappearing in the crowd.

Imorvir swallowed hard and shook his head. "Why do you protect someone like that, Z'tan? What is it that you see in her? What is it that you want to do with her?" he asked. "This is senseless. She's going to get you killed. Would you die for a drow who would probably get herself killed soon after? This isn't worth it. She's not worth all of this, my father." He insisted with a small frowned. He couldn't believe this.
He pused the healer aside a bit and tended to some wounds himself.

Jaska frowned a little when Kailyn wouldn't look at him and offered a one word answer... which wasn't really what Jaska had wanted. When Kailyn stood, Jaska did too, and grabbed his friend's hand, giving it a slight tug in hopes that the other would look at him. "I'm sorry." He muttered.
-----

Z'tan listened to Imorvir patiently. Wouldn't you protect your own child, regardless of what they did or what they became? He asked quietly when the weaponsmaster had finished speaking, Her life is just beginning. She is young, and brash, and bitter towards the cards life has dealt her. Narya was not so different, once, and had I not taken her in, doubtless we would both be dead, and this city in ruins. He told the younger drow.

Then he snorted, And besides, Imorvir. This is hardly going to kill me. I have been beaten far worse than this before, and by someone who knows how to deal the maximum amount of damage- not by a child's unpracticed hand. She hit nowhere vital.

Kailyn stopped when Jaska took his hand. He stared ahead of him as Jaska apologized. Kailyn shook his head. "I know." He said quietly and gently eased his hand away from Jaska. Silently he left the room and went to the kitchen to begin putting a meal together.

Barek breathed through his nose and shrugged. "Just let him be. You'd be surprised how he doesn't deal well with emotions...despite the fact he tries to deal with everyone else's." He snorted a little and put his glasses back on.

Imorvir guessed he wouldn't know. The scars on his body were either nonexsistant or too small to notice. He had not been beaten many times. No one wanted to ruin the Matron's perfect male. And the mention of his child he knelt down beside the bed. "Narya's pregnant." He whispered. "I'll have a child soon...I would defend her with everything that is my being."
He gripped the side of the bed.

Jaska looked put out when Kailyn still wouldn't look at him or say much. He glanced over to Barek when the other spoke. "I guess..." The child said doubtfully, and shook his head, "It doesn't make sense though..." He added, before climbing back onto the bed.
----

Z'tan looked over to Imorvir when the other male said the Matron was pregnant. He sighed a bit. Be careful. He cautioned, his eyes showing worry, I understand your loyalty but... it comes at a heavy price.

"What doesn't make sense?" Barek asked Jaska when the boy joined him on the bed again.

"Trying to solve other people's problems when you've got your own?" Jaska replied, "I mean, shouldn't you try to fix yours first?... otherwise you really can't help anyone..."

Imorvir frowned. "What do you mean?" He asked softly. That scared him, to be honest. He didn't want anything bad to happen to his child.

Barek shrugged a little at his son's comment. "People handle their problems differently. I just tend to try to stay out of all that." He said with a hint of amusement.

Z'tan sighed, The Lady Lloth is a jealous, bitter Goddess. The male said simply, She hates love- perhaps it reminds her of a life now gone from her, or maybe it was never in her nature to begin with to feel that way. She will tear your life apart to scourge it from your heart, replace it with hatred. And Narya will do nothing to stop it.

He was silent for a moment, I am no fool, Imorvir. I know what you feel for her. Maybe there is something in Narya that wants to love you back too. Maybe in her own way, she does. But she is not ...well... Imorvir. Her mind is hurt. There will come a time when you are nothing to her, like her children are now. Playthings. Possessions. You saw how easily she killed a daughter for a slight infraction, and left the other child to bleed and die. The look in his sightless eyes was tired, and sad with these words. He clearly didn't want to be saying them.
-----

Jaska giggled a bit, "I bet it doesn't work!"

Barek smirked at his son, something that he seemed to only do towards Jaska. "It does when I isolate myself from everyone possible. For some reason though people like talking to me about themselves despite the fact I tell them I don't want to hear it." He said patiently.
---
Zebyvyll appeared in the doorway a while later. She remained in her woman form, no longer caring who or what saw her. Her hair was messy and wild, her large shirt slid from her shoulders and sweat beaded her smooth, flawless forehead.

"Am I disrupting something?" She asked with an overly sugary voice.