It's early evening, and Suzee's already gone through the nightly tradition of locking herself in her apartment. Though nothing's happened, she doesn't exactly feel like going back out to deal with the crowds, but at the same time, she's really friggin' bored. For some reason, she's found herself upside-down on her couch, back lying on the cushions while her head is poised just above the floor. It's only been a while, but that floor is already showing signs of becoming the patchwork monstrosity it was before.

And she's looking at the patches. Upside-down.

She taps her toes on the wall, claws making a rhythmic, sort of melodic beat that somewhat mimics the tempo of a certain piano tune she'd heard a while back. Eventually, she calls out to no one in-particular... Maybe Christa, maybe Bova, "HEY. I'm bored."

Always going for the subtle, Suzee is. Bova's sitting on the floor across from her with his new present from Nanashi - a bonsai tree. The book is sitting open beside the tree and he's reading from it, occasionally glancing up to examine the tree. At the same time, he's trying to keep Christa away from it. The mirad is fascinated with it, always trying to rub against the rough branches. Or maybe it's just the smell she likes.

Either way, when Suzee calls out, Bova goes ahead and ignores her, pushing Christa over. If the mirad gets the hint, she'll go occupy Suzee so he can continue reading. It's the first time since he's returned from the crypt that he's really been /absorbed/ in new information, and he's not in the mood to be bothered.

As Christa ambles dejectedly over toward Suzee, a few tiny pinpoints of light form over Bova's head. They might not be noticeable - it is awfully bright in the room. In any case, Suzee is ignored by the Uranusian, and her hair is pawed at by the mirad.

Suzee babytalks to the mirad, which would actually be quite amusing if Bova was listening. "He's such a meanie, isn't he? Yes, he is. Sucha mean boi, yah." While talking, she rubs Christa's ears. Apparently she's been forgiven, which is good. She's actually starting to like the kitty.

Since Suzee's sight is a whole lot better than it /was,/ she /would/ probably notice the light if she was looking at Bova. Unfortunately, she's focusing on Christa, the amazing upside-down walking-on-the-ceiling mirad. Who isn't really walking on the ceiling, because everyone knows that mirads can't do that! Wheh? Suzee blinks, shaking her head. Too much blood getting to her brain. Eventually she rights herself, lying on her side on the couch while continuing to entertain Christa, who's still batting at her hair.

Unfortunately, Bova is still ignoring Suzee. Otherwise, she'd get a nice "have you gone absolutely insane?" look. Instead, he's focusing intently on the book in front of him, glancing between the pages and the tree. Finally, he moves, picking up the scissors and, very slowly and very carefully, cuts one of the branches. The branch is set aside, scissors set down, and he goes back to reading the book. More tiny points of light appear around him, and the original ones grow brighter.

Christa rumbles her purr at Suzee appreciatively, agreeing with the "mean boi" comment apparently. She walks straight into Suzee's hair, tangling herself in the strands and purring loudly.

Suzee tolerates Christa's actions for all of a moment before she picks the mirad up, rolls over on her back, and plops the kitty down on her chest. "No touching the hair," Suzee says my means of explanation. Not that she imagines Christa will get this, but hey. She has to say something, right? As she pets Christa, she frowns. "...Hey, Bova?" Pause. She glances over at him. "Do you think she's eating too much, bec-- Neh?" She looks at the light and blinks, thinking perhaps she'd been upside-down too long. It's possible! Nope, still there. She rubs her eyes. It's still there! She offers the mirad a puzzled glance, as if she expects Christa to confirm this phenomenon somehow. Yes, Christa is in her pack, too. One of the pups.

Eventually, and as usual, she feels compelled to say something. Maybe it's... Her eyes widen and she sits up! Maybe this is what happened before a Uranusian goes wolf! "...Bova, maybe we should get you into the room." And lock you up with CHAINS. Suzee really doesn't fancy being chomped /herself./

Bova's ignoring her, still, which is a little strange. Suzee's voice is a little strained, and he still manages to ignore her. Nanashi was right when he said the bonsai tree was meditative; Bova's recognizing this feeling from meditation sessions on Umbriel. It's pretty much the same, really. The few differences include instead of focusing on nothing at all, there's only the tree and the words he's reading. The tiny instruments appear when he feels he needs them. And around him, more pinpoints of light appear, some brighter than others. They're moving - yes, /moving/ - into certain patterns, too. Recognizable patterns.

Suzee could take Christa as a warning sign of sorts. The mirad purrs contentedly on her chest, the picture of feline laziness, and doesn't seem to react to the light around Bova at all. She'd reacted when Suzee was about to change, but she isn't now. Hint?

Suzee's eyes narrow... The wolf is confused and somewhat annoyed. Distracted. A low growl can be heard, echoing such, but this passes when she looks from the light down to Christa, who seems calm enough. Hmn... Cradling the mirad in her arms, Suzee creeps down onto the floor and into a crouch. It's a very fluid movement, and measured, despite the fact that her heart is hammering. She's torn between fight and flight, though one foot sloooooooowly slides toward the door.

Cat-Thing is still happy. What the hell?

Balancing Christa on her knees, Suzee watches critically the glowing arcane specks, eventually determining through process of elimination that they aren't dangerous. The feral part of her becomes dismissive and bored, and then there's the fact that Christa isn't upset at all. Still wary, she sits, back against the couch now as she continues watching. Hmn. They look familiar.

The book is fading slowly, only the words he's reading becoming clear. But the instruments for the tree are coming more into focus. Again, he reaches for the scissors. Parts of the tree form a bright outline and this is where Bova cuts; carefully, precisely. Branches drop and are left alone. Usually, he would be gathering them in a neater pile to throw away later. But to leave them where they are as they fall - that seems more natural now. The tree is slowly shaping into something that... for lack of a better term, something that /calms/ Bova. He feels more comfortable the more he trims the highlighted branches.

Around him, the lights continue to multiply, certain groups of them growing brighter. They're easier to see now, too, as if a dark film has been placed behind them. The wall behind Bova can still be seen, but it's darker in patches, highlighting the pinpoints. One light in particular begins to grow, it's orange-yellow color beginning to dull.

The look on Suzee's face is hard to describe. It's somewhere between confused and mystified, and awed. Is she doing this, or is Bova doing this? Her eyes kinda dull as she watches, as her mind tries to figure this out. It's not happening. Then again, there's so much that's inexplicable here that the fact that there's no discernable explanation isn't really a problem.

She gently places Christa on the floor next to her, rubbing the creature's head for another couple seconds before she climbs back into a crouch. She walks on three appendages for a couple seconds, then pushes herself upright... Then, the confused Yensidian walks in a large arc around her friend - as large as she can manage with the size of the apartment, and gently starts dimming the lights. Subconsciously, she's making a noise in her throat - a rumble that isn't quite a growl, but isn't quite a purr, either. She doesn't even realize this, but it's not an unhappy noise.

Clip, clip. The scissors are set off the side again and certain portions of the tree become clearer. These are the parts that are perfect - don't touch them. Tiny imperfections take a moment to see - pieces of leaves are highlighted. Be careful when cutting - a wrong cut could upset the entire balance. That would be bad. Slow, careful, he cuts into the foilage, one tiny leaf at a time. They fall, highlighted, into the pot to be retrieved later.

The dimming of the lights doesn't register to Bova personally, but the lights around him grow brighter. The largest one is still growing and will continue to grow until it reaches about the size of a baseball. As it grows, it continues dulling in color until it's a near gray shade of yellow. It begins to rotate, slowly, and as it does so three other pinpoints near it begin to circle the largest in different directions, growing themselves. It likes much like a familiar planet with three moons.

Christa's still content. She even yawns as Suzee sets her down. If there was anyone for her to be worried about, it would be Bova, and she doesn't seem to be concerned.

Bova doesn't seem to be reacting, and so all Suzee can do is continue watching. Eventually, she leans back against a wall, sliding to the floor until she's sitting. If by magic, Christa is there again, passively demanding attention. Suzee rubs the mirad's ears again, /Suzee/ doesn't recognize the planet, of course. It's not familiar to /her./ But it's still interesting to watch, nonetheless. By now, she's determined that Bova's somehow doing this, though why he hadn't told her he could do this before is beyond her. Talk about keeping secrets. Jeez. Well, she won't grill him on it too badly. After all, he's gotten /hurt/ for her secrets. Bad.

The clarity of the tree is starting to fade, the highlighted bits disappearing. It's done now. There's no more you can do without upsetting it. Not today. The book and the instruments are long gone but the cup of water sitting close is suddenly crystal clear. Bova reaches for it and a slow stream of water is poured into the roots of the plant. Stop. That's enough. The cup fades as he turns the pot, looking for more highlighted areas. None. Don't ruin it. Just let it go.

The lights are slowly fading and, oddly enough, it's the large one with the three spheres circling it that disappears first. The last lights to go are a small cluster off to the side, glowing brightly before finally fading.

Bova looks up, tilting his head this way and that to crack a stiff spine. It's about then he notices Suzee's stare. Though he can speak, it's in a rough whisper and can be somewhat painful. Instead he cocks his head and raises an eyebrow. What?

Suzee's almost sorry to see it go. Aw. As the lights fade, she looks from them, to Christa, to Bova, disappointed. She crouches again and takes a 'step' forward until she's sitting closeby. For a long time, blue eyes watch dark ones, and they seem to ask their own question... "Why didn't you tell me you could do that?" The inquiry is silent, but there. She isn't offended, just confused. Perhaps it's another Uranusian thing. Maybe beauty is supposed to be locked away and never ever exposed. Perhaps it generates too much emotion, or maybe the fact that it might echo raw emotion makes it illegal. Whatever it was, it's amazing.

When he appears confused, Suzee does as well. "...That. It was pretty." Almost like Suzee's ability to font, only hers only affected existing things. And created animals. The floor under her is slightly metallic, though it's almost superimposed over the carpet this time. As time passes and she learns not to think of it, its obvious presense becomes rarer. She looks around for some paper... Maybe he wants to write.

He does, very much so, considering he has no idea what she's talking about. He gives her another very confused look and is again reminded that Suzee should be satisfied that his muteness causes his expressions to intensify. While Suzee looks for the paper, Christa comes closer to him, still purring and happily crawls into his lap. He pets her for a while, watching Suzee get the supplies. He'd get them himself but it took him a while to get down to the floor, and he'd prefer not to get up just to sit down again. His cane is lying on the floor just a foot away.

When Suzee returns with the paper and pencil, he balances it on his knee, frowning for a moment. Pruning the bonzai hadn't been too difficult to do - he only needed two fingers to work the scissors, and he /had/ two working fingers on his left hand. The problem with writing came when he needed more than those two fingers, demonstrated when he holds the pencil in his fist to write. 'What are you talking about?' he writes in his scraggled penmanship. It's getting more legible, though.

She almost takes the paper back to /write on it,/ but stops. She's just barely used to the fact that she's speaking again, and sometimes she forgets. "The pictures. A... visual acute distortion." She only wishes she could have seen their depth. She tries to think of a word to describe it, but all she can think of at first are more technical terms. Dimensional shift. Atmospheric phenomenon. Oh! "Illusions. Like my ability to Font. Only different." Suzee doesn't actually think the glowing lights were there, but they might have been. It's hard to say...

"You were sitting there /ignoring/ me, and it just started happening. I... thought it-- Nevermind." She also neglects to mention that he'd made her very nervous. The feral half was torn between running and attacking.

His brow furrows, staring at her in confusion as she speaks. On the paper he writes, 'I don't understand'. Which is annoying. He's meditated before and while it was usually a solitary activity, there had been group sessions. No one had ever said anything about any sort of illusionary side effects. 'What was it?' Like Fonting? What had he made? Suzee created things from her home, but the Yensidian wouldn't be staring at him like that if he'd created things from Umbriel. Or calling the effect "pretty".

There's an explanation. Suzee's patron granted her the ability to heal quickly. So far as Bova knew, Nightingale hadn't gifted him with anything. ...Or perhaps She had and it had taken meditation to bring it out. That would have been useful knowledge earlier, of course. On the paper, he writes, 'Patron gift?'

"Neither do I," she mutters, obviously disappointed that Bova has no idea what she's talking about. Gr. "It was just light. And--" She shakes her head. "Stars, maybe? A planet?" There isn't too much else she can say about it, because that's all it was. She'd even turned the lights down so she could see it better, but they were mostly random floating spheres even then. She eyes the space above them, almost as if she expects something to happen again. Her eyes are seeing the room as if it's clear as day, even though it's quite dim now. The gas lamps that are still burning create just enough ambience for a normal-sighted person to see by.

"Patron--" She doesn't even remember which god claimed Bova. Some friend she is. "...What makes you think I'd know? You'd have to talk to Nanashi." She's not snapping at him. Really. If she was snapping, she'd be giving Bova the ANGRY EYES... And she's not.

He's confused. Disappointed, too. Apparently he could create something, he just couldn't /see/ it or control it. On the paper he writes, 'Meditation triggers?' That's probably what it was. Of course, if he was meditating, he couldn't see the results. Ar. He's just now noticing the dimmed lights and blinks, looking around at them. He can still see, though, for the most part.

He makes a face at Nanashi. 'I don't think you know. I'm asking for your opinion.' No, there's no ANGRY EYES, but now they're both equally annoyed, and for almost the same reasons. The frustration of not having the answers. Still, he lets out a sharp exhale of exasperation and pulls Christa back. She was getting a little too close to the tree.

"Yeah, that's what it looks... like. If that's what you were doing." She moves closer to Bova, touching her shoulder against his. It's almost as if she doesn't mean to, but does it for reassurance nonetheless. Her own, and possibly his, too. She knows what it's like to have an ability you can't control, and knows how utterly infuriating it can be. Again, she makes that rumbling growl in her throat - a noise of content. She doesn't even realize she's doing it.

Her eyes wander to the tree. "You should have seen it, though. It was... Beautiful. It wasn't really anything specific that I could tell, but... If only I could show you." She can, of course, but she'd rather not pitch into his mind unless he asks. She's afraid of what she'll see there now. The purring edge leaves her voice as Bova addresses the issues of a Patron's gift again. "I don't even know who your god is. I suppose it /might be./"

He makes a noise of his own, however small. Just a "Hm" as he leans back against Suzee. Then there's the surprised glance he gives her as she growls. Christa looks up too. The noise the Yensidian had made did sound remarkably like the mirad's purr. Bova smiles slightly and puts Christa in Suzee's lap where the mirad rubs her head under Suzee's chin.

The thought crosses his mind to ask Suzee to pitch the memory into him, but... well, it just didn't seem that important. Not important enough for her to pitch. She didn't like doing it, and he wasn't a big fan of being on the receiving end of it. Still, maybe if it was developed enough, he could figure out a way to conjure up the images with his eyes /open/.

'Nightingale,' he writes on the paper. 'I don't know anything else about Her, though.' The capitalization on the pronoun is almost unconscious and he goes to erase it and rewrite it as lowercase. Except... well. He leaves it capitalized. 'You have a gift from Egret. Nanashi has his Personas. It makes sense She would give me /something/.' Maybe. He looks back at the bonzai and notices the clipped leaves and branches. He starts to gather them carefully, trying not to disturb the dirt in the pot. For whatever reason, the thought crosses his mind to get some stones to place over the dirt. It would look better- No. It would /feel/ better.

Honestly, she has no idea why Bova's looking at her, until she thinks about it. Blushing, she makes a mental note to be more careful, smiling tersely as she cuddles the mirad... Christa is purring, too. Everyone's happy! ...Right? She looks at Bova out of the corner of her eye, which isn't really working too well because he's on her left. Eventually, she turns her head to face him. She should at least say something to him. "Remember how frustrated I was when... I was first learning that I'm a Font? ...It'll pass." It's her roundabout way of telling him to be patient. If she were to actually SAY that, it would be like... Hypocritical, almost. When is Suzee ever patient?

She reads what else Bova's written. "Oh." Had she known that? She remembers hearing it once upon a time. "Well, if it's a gift, you just have to learn how to... use it. Most gifts tend to be useful." Like the ability to heal. She pulls her pantleg up a little to reveal the fact that all but the worst of the bites there are completely /gone./ There's not even pink lines there to indicate they'd ever been present at all. That is /unlike/ the Font ability, which still has no discernable use. Meh!

Another 'Hm' noise. He's still focusing on the tree, pushing some of the dirt around with a finger. After a while he figures it's not going to get any better, and he stops. The branches and leaves are gathered into his palm, but he doesn't get up to throw them away. He keeps leaning against Suzee, perhaps needing some comfort himself. Strange what he reacts to. Killed by a werewolf? All he needs is a shoulder to lean on while he walks. Unable to see some pretty lights? Bit of a breakdown. That's a Uranusian for you.

On the paper, he writes, 'I wasn't there when you first learned about being a Font.' There's a pause and his frown deepens, a sharp exhale of exasperation as he writes, 'Damn. Now I'll have to start meditating again.' Not that anyone will be forcing him to. Just that this new ability is too interesting to pass up, and he'll do anything he can to develop it.

He glances at Suzee's leg and the fact that it's nearly flawless again makes him smile a bit. He's glad she won't have to carry those scars forever. A lot of the werewolf texts he'd read had mentioned people who could never be rid of the scars, no matter what they did. It was some property of the curse. Of course, next to a God who wanted pretty pieces on the Board, the curse didn't stand much of a chance. This train of thought leads him to glance at his ankle which is stretched out to the side so as not to irritate the scar forming there. Scars don't bother him, which is good considering the ones that now litter his throat under the bandages. An illusionary gift seemed to fit him the way a self-healing one fit Suzee. That was a little more cheering.

As Bova cleans up the branches and continues leaning on her, she starts rumbling again. AUGH. She hugs Christa up to her chin. It's the cat, really! Of course, Christa picks this moment to shut up, and so... Well. Making an expression of disgust, she crosses her arms over her chest and just continues /doing/ it. Evidently, it's something she can't help. Maybe she'll have to throw some more concentration into that, as well. As well as learning how not to want to eat people.

"You didn't want to be there when I was learning about that," she chuckles, scritching Christa's belly as she rolls over. There had been fits and temper tantrums and lashing out at random people when they told her what she was. Of course, she seems to have adapted to it more now, and it's hardly as extreme. She looks toward Bova, tilting her head curiously as he writes the part about meditating. She isn't aware he ever did that. Perhaps she just never bothered to notice. Boredly, she lets the pantleg drop back down over bare feet, and stretches her legs out in front of her. There's no one that's happier than Suzee when it comes to the fact that Egret is still her Patron, especially since the burns all over her face are all just /gone/ now. That's impressive. "Like I said, you should go talk to Nanashi. See what he can do to help." For some reason, it doesn't feel like she's using him, so much as bringing him joy. He seems to like helping others.

Bova still has enough control over his emotions to keep from grinning outright at Suzee's new 'purring' habit. He can't help the smile, though, so he keeps his head bowed over the tree. He'd have to thank Nanashi for it later - apparently, it was more useful than the blind man had even known.

As Suzee mentions going to see Nanashi again, Bova frowns a bit. Maybe he /had/ known and was trying to bring the illusion ability out. In a very roundabout way, but whatever. It worked, didn't it? Either way, this conversation is reminding him of something else he had meant to ask Suzee about. On the paper, he writes, 'I need you to write a letter for me.' The reason why should be obvious. He can hardly write a few sentences legibly, much less a letter.

Suzee wasn't even aware before that dogs purred. Cats do! She knows this from allowing Christa to sit on her lap and cuddle. The mirad herself has once more become a running motor - Of course NOW, after Suzee didn't need her anymore. Oh, well. That's what cats do. And evidently some Yensidians.

Said purring abruptly stops when Bova makes his request. She looks at the paper, turning it toward her a bit so she can make sure she's reading it right. "A letter?" she wonders outloud. Now she's not so much comfortable as she is interested. "What about?"

'Water Point Guard. Nanashi told me to see her about my throat.' Whether or not Suzee knows about the scars is up for grabs, considering he still wears the bandage around the apartment. The external ones aren't an issue, though. It's the internal that worried Nanashi enough to direct Bova to Water Point Guard for a 'potion'. There was something important in the injury that had to do with Bova being a Hierophant, but he hadn't entirely understood the argument the blind man had made. But hey, if this woman could get him to talk again, he was willing to try it.

Bova reaches out to tickle Christa with some of the branches in his hand, teasing her. He drags them along the floor to watch her pounce on them and smiles. He's reminded of Fred's comment about taking Christa to the sewers she'd lived in to catch the rats. The mirad looked more like to play with them than eat them.

Maybe she's not thinking, or maybe she really /doesn't/ know the name of the Water Point Guard. Or maybe she's not paying attention to the specifics of Bova's writing. The only one she's sure about is Bigby. Earth. "Yeah, I can do that," she says offhandedly, watching as Christa bats at the branches. She's somewhat surprised that Bova's playing with her... Then again, he continues to surprise her every day. Again, she turns her head so that she can look at him. As the blind eye picks up a little light from one of the lamps, she winces. It's almost painful, but /welcome./

"We'll get you fixed up," she adds, "And by the time the month is over, I think we'll know if you're a-- Anyway. What do you want it to say?" She's almost hoping that he /is.../ Selfish, but Misery loves company. If he's a werewolf, she won't feel so damned /alone/ on the matter. At the same time, she'd rather kill him again than watch him go through what she's going through. Really, Suzee can't wish that on anyone and still maintain a clear conscience.

'Explain injuries. Ask for' there's a pause before he writes the word, feeling a little foolish. 'potion.' Well, at least it's out now. And who knows? Maybe it's just a word used in the Dream for Advil. Maybe he's full of shit. That makes more sense. It's pure luck that keeps him from mentioning the damage to his throat could actually be permanent. That was, after all, the reason why Nanashi had suggested the Guard in the first place.

Bova doesn't know anything about the Water Point Guard, other than what Nanashi's said, which is very little. He doesn't even know that Bigby is the Earth Point Guard. He does know that the mirad in front of him is getting sick of the branches and is going to pounce on him if he doesn't distract her soon. So he rolls her over onto her back, tickling her belly with her own tail.

Potion? She almost gives Bova a funny look until he realizes that he's serious. Rosie used to make 'potions' of sorts. A medicine. A cure for Catalina's throat, at one point. Perhaps Bova had misheard something, and he really meant a /poultice./ After all, with the wide range of people that dwell in the dream, it would be unsurprising if one of them turned out to be a medicine man. Or... Medicine woman, as it were. Suzee will do what she can to help him, too. If she knew that the injury might be permanent, she'd be trying a lot harder. "...I'll need to ask around. Maybe find out who she is." Her speaking is becoming less broken, so she won't sound like such an idiot when she'd doing said asking.

The only reason Suzee really knows of Bigby's status is because he'd died with her in the airship... And of course, they'd talked a bit then. Bigby, unfortunately, isn't too thrilled with Suzee's cowardice that day. Neither is she, though. Thinking about Point Guards, and thus Bigby, causes her to narrow her eyes again as she remembers the two people that had waited outside the airship... Recently, she'd gotten confirmation from Nanashi that they /had/ been abandoned. If Bova were to look at her, he'd notice that she looks almost wholly pissed off.

No, it's actually a potion. He's glad Suzee doesn't bring it up, though - he feels foolish enough asking as is. 'She's in Water District. I can find her - just can't talk to her.' He doesn't want to have to go through the whole 'writing letters into the palm' thing unless he has to. He's hoping it'll be a simple visit, just getting what he needs and going. He's noticing, however, that very few things in the Dream are actually like that.

He does glance over at Suzee, but can't really follow her train of thought. At this point, he's assuming she doesn't really want to write the letter. Not that he can think of a good reason why she wouldn't want to, but Suzee didn't always have good reasons. He writes, 'I could write it myself, though.' The end of the 'h' trails off to the edge of the paper as Christa chose that exact moment to launch herself at him, pushing him down to the floor.

Startled as Christa leaps at Bova, Suzee automatically makes a grab for the cat, but stops when she realizes what she's doing. You don't have to be that protective, Z, she tells herself, picking up the paper instead and looking at what Bova wrote. "No... It's not that. I just had a talk with Nanashi about Keis and Akari." He might recognize the names. If he doesn't, he's about to, because she's going to explain. At her anger, the floor under her glows a little more, becoming something more solid than the simple overlay which was there previously.

"When I first went to tell Nanashi that I'm a werewolf..." Hmn. She'd actually said it. That hadn't been so difficult. "...We got to talking. Keis and Akari came up, and he told me that they'd left. Abandoned up. And that Keis' patron had left him." She has no idea that Phoenix was Keis' patron. Wouldn't care if she did. What she does care about is that for once, she and the wolf are both in agreement that if they ever met Keis, they'd try to tear him apart. No mercy. "Akari, on the other hand, was just... following orders." Doesn't make it right, but. There's a pause. "I'll write your letter."

Good mood or no, Bova glares at the mirad and picks her up to deposit her in Suzee's lap. See what happens when he tries to be nice? Nothing good. Go play with the Yensidian now.

He sits up as she talks, recognizing Akari at least. He'd met her before, directed her to Nanashi once. Tried to get some information about the airship out of her, but it hadn't worked. And here Suzee's telling him all he had to do was ask Nanashi! Well. Whether or not Akari was following orders, Bova's annoyed at the girl now. He'd flat-out asked her why she and the old man had left the others in the airship, and she'd assured him it hadn't been on purpose. Even acted insulted at the insinuation! Showed how much you could trust people.

The look on Suzee's face causes a frown to appear on Bova's. He hadn't shown such a horrible reaction (mentally, at least) toward being mauled by the wolf, but that doesn't mean he wants it to happen to other people. He can't quite think of a good way to put this into words, though, so he ignores it. For now. On the paper, he writes, 'Thank you.'

The memory is distant now, and doesn't cause her heart to race. Thinking of the darkness and the pain, and knowing there were people there that could have helped... That doesn't help her temper. As she'd told herself, she might be able to forgive Keis, even if the only reason is that Nanashi says he has, and Suzee trusts his judgement. However, he hadn't spoken so kindly of Keis...

Perhaps the wolf has a target she can hunt.

But... That's all done and over with. There's no reason to focus on it now when her primary goal is making sure Bova doesn't continue suffering the ill-effects of her attack on him. Her mood instantly changes from passive anger to something more pleasant as she grabs Christa's front feet and holds them in her hands. There! Try to bat at things /now!/ Haha!! "It's no problem." She takes a couple sheets of paper and sets them on the metal footprint her feet had made just moments before... And then she offers Bova the most triumphant smile. "Hey, look. It /does/ have a use!" Smirking still, she retrieves another pencil from her pocket.

Bova smirks a little as Christa struggles against Suzee's hold on her paws. That's what you get, troublemaker! Just because he'd admitted to liking her doesn't mean she can get away with everything. She's just lucky his ribs were healing so well.

He rolls his eyes when Suzee claims Fonting /does/ have a use, but he's still smiling. Giving her a look, he points at Christa. He was annoyed with the mirad, but he could still remind Suzee that her Fonting abilities had at least created /one/ good thing. ...Well. The term 'good' being used loosely, that is. On the paper, he writes, 'Just ask about my throat. Not worried about the rest.' And he's not. Another week and he'd probably be able to take the bandages off his hand, maybe even get rid of the cane. Yay! Get rid of the cane! YAAAAY!

There's a moment where he doesn't move at all, wondering if that last bit was internal or not. And while a bit of it might have shown up on his face, thankfully, most of the emotion had remained internal.

Suzee's handwriting isn't necessarily the best, mostly because the letters are somewhat influenced by the scrawly Yensidian characters that she's more familiar with. Granted, she knows Common and HAS always known it - well, since she could talk, anyway - but if she has to write something, it's usually for herself, and there's no reason to use Common. At least she isn't trembling anymore, though, so what she writes is quite legible. Finished, she hands the letter to Bova. Surprisingly, it's actually formatted in a business-type fashion and not half-hearted as Suzee tends to favor at times.

'Esteemed Water Point Guard,' it says in place of a name. 'My name is Bova. I've suffered an accident involving a wild animal, which hinders my ability to speak. I would appreciate if you could help me. If that's not possible, perhaps you can direct me to someone who can. Thank you,' And after this, she's left a spot for Bova to sign.

"Here," she says, handing it over. "Tell me if that's good enough." She's offering him an odd smile. Yes, she wrote 'wild animal.' She's starting to find it funny.

Bova reads it over, a little surprised himself. Very polite, businesslike. He doesn't let Suzee see his surprise, though, reaching for the paper instead. 'Very good. Thank you.' She wants him to sign it? He frowns a bit at his left hand. Regular printing was one thing, but his signature couldn't be done with the non-dominant hand. He knows he's pushing it, but... He holds the pencil in the two uninjured fingers of his left hand, holding it steady with his right. He signs it, then leans back, looking at it with his eyes narrowed. Well... it wasn't great. Then agian, most signatures /weren't/ legible.

Looking at the paper, he almost doubletakes at the phrase 'wild animal'. Well, at least she was doing better with it. A large part of that probably had to do with Nanashi's help, but most of it, Bova suspected, was just Suzee's own ability to overcome. That specific trait of hers never really ceased to amaze him. Or Nanashi, for that matter.

Bored, Suzee drapes Christa around her shoulders, still holding the mirad's front feet in her hands. "If you want me to go with you when you go to look for her, just let me know." Just no going out right before sunset. That's the only rule. She needs to keep herself inside right then. It's a pain in the ass, but at least it's only for a while. The main problem is really that she can't ever stray too far away from home! ...Well, maybe she can figure out how to do /that/ after she figures out /what/ exactly she is. "I feel like I've heard of her before. Can't remember the name, though."

She stands up, claws tapping on the metal patch - which is already fading at the edges- as she takes the extra paper and puts it away. Since destroying her apartment, Suzee's been attempting to keep it as clean as possible. Perhaps it's becomes somewhat of an obsession, but it's something she can concentrate on. As soon as she lets go of Christa's feet, however, the mirad jumps from her shoulder and wanders back toward Bova.

Bova shrugs to the comment about the Water Guard. Honestly, no idea who this person is. Actually, that's probably something he should have asked Nanashi before the blind man had left. She'll be in the Water District, though. That much he knows, at least, and he knows that area a bit, too. It's where he'd woken up the first time.

That's an odd thought, now that it crosses his mind. He'd first come to the Dream through the Water District, and now he has to go back after a sort of 'Dream rebirth'. There's something philosophical there but Bova doesn't know what it is.

When Christa starts making her way toward him, Bova eyes her warily. But... well, how can you say 'no' to that face? The Uranusian tries several different ways, but they all fail when the mirad crawls into his lap, purring. Stupid cute thing. Her tail is whapping at his tree, too, and that creates the fear that she might break it. As he's moving the bonsai out of harm's way, the topic of illusion reaches his mind again. It had happened when he was pruning the bonsai, but he doubted it was specific to that. Nanashi would have told him. ...Probably. Maybe all he needed was /something/ to focus on, rather than the meditation he was used to which focused on nothing. Really.

He starts petting Christa, from her nose to the tip of the puff on her tail. As he focuses, he forces his senses to stay on the mirad; visual and touch, yes, but also the rumble of her purr which is sound and touch both. Slowly, very slowly, the area around her blurs and the mirad becomes more clear. The lights are appearing again, but extremely dim. Suzee might be able to see them, but no one else would.

When she turns back around from putting things away, she notices the lights again, her pupils narrowing away to nothing until they're gone. It's probably odd to look at, but then again, she can already tell Bova isn't watching /her/ at the moment. Hey, he's figuring it out! And maybe he'll do something neat again. The thought makes her purr again - for all of a couple seconds, before she quietly sits back down next to Bova, careful not to touch or interrupt him in any way. At least not /yet./

If Bova or Christa notice Suzee's new position, neither of them show it. Christa is lying comfortably on her side in Bova's lap. Strangely enough, the mirad's tiny black-button eyes are staring straight into Bova's. He knows it, he can see her staring at him, but he doesn't stop concentrating. His hands continue running down the long stretch of Christa's body; that's touch. She's still purring, her noise drowning out Suzee's, though it's not a certainty that he'd be able to hear it even if Christa was quiet. Her belly vibrates along with the noise; touch and sound. He can even smell her at this point - not a recognizable smell, but what he realizes must be a mirad scent.

She's moving, too, albeit slowly. Instead of lying in his lap, she moves to sit in the center of floor his bent leg allows, stretching her neck so her face can reach his. It doesn't break his concentration. In fact, Suzee (the only observant) should notice that the lights are forming faster, clearer. /Larger/. They're forming in a large sphere that holds both Bova and Suzee inside of it. Certain lights are becoming brighter, up in the corner one grows and and increases to a near-blinding yellow light. A sun.

This is new... And Suzee likes new things. Usually. They're fun to study at least, but when they start happening to /her.../ For example. She'd been interested in studying werewolves. She hadn't really been interested in becoming one. Dream-Death, too, had interested her, but she hadn't enjoyed experiencing it. In this situation, she's very interested in studying Bova's new ability... But she's not so sure she wants to be a part of it. The feral side of her feels and evaluates her uncertainty, and before Suzee knows it, she's in a crouch again, waiting to run if she needs to. Are these spheres dangerous? If they prove to be, she'll have to escape. One hand balances her, while the other is raised, palm open, as if she means to bat at them. She doesn't - but she thinks about it.

Her jaw drops as the lights circle, partially out of uncertainty and partially because, again, they're so pretty. As the yellow light comes to life, she growls at it - it's not a pleasant sound - and moves backward on the floor. Meanwhile, she's imagining how retarded she must look. It's all Bova's fault! Reaching out, she allows her hand to hover over his shoulder... But doesn't contact him just yet. She needs to watch more. Learn more.

He's more concentrated now than he was with the bonzai. Maybe it's because Christa's a living creature, or maybe it's because of whatever psionic powers she possesses, but Bova isn't aware of anything beyond the mirad. Even his own body is a little fuzzy. Christa's nose finally touches his, creating a new touch which is cold. The lights, all of them, shrink slightly at that but slowly return to their original size. Throughout it all, Bova just pets Christa and she continues to purr.

As he's concentrating, completely oblivious to Suzee's discomfort, a few of the lights/stars start to move. Just a few, the closest to Bova himself, start circling him.

This is a little too much for Suzee to be right /next/ too. She actually succeeds in fighting off the urge to attack the lights (Which are threatening her pack), and slowly stands, hunched over just slightly so she's not coming into contact with the stars above her. One unsure eye watches them while she backs away. She wants to be an observer from the /outside/ of this. Seriously, she's not at all one-hundred percent certain that those lights can't turn into weapons.

But still, she's proud of herself that she's able to fight back the instinct to attack. It's the one bad thing about becoming one spirit with the wolf... And that is that in her normal body, she's /channeling it!/ Gr.

Christa's eyes, Bova realizes slowly, aren't really black. Just a very dark orange, or gold - an incredibly dark shade of her own fur color. He's still focusing on her but somewhere, in the back of his mind, he is mildly aware that the illusions have started again. Not moving, not growing, not creating tiny suns. He just knows that they're there and has no knowledge beyond that.

There's another part of his mind that... opens, for lack of a better word. Memories, bits and pieces of them, are coming back. Not important memories, and all prior to boarding the Christa, but they're there. And just beyond them are more senses; not senses other than the main five, but senses that aren't his. Gentle pressure on his own body, from his nose to the base of his tail bone, a /warm/ touch on his nose, and... not /thoughts/, but feelings. Contentment, comfort, protectiveness, safety.

At the moment, he can't consciously seperate his experience from Christa's. So far as he knows, someone is actually petting him.

Eventually, she makes her way over to the couch, creeping up onto it. She still has to fight down the urge to flee, but the fact that Suzee's rationalizing that Bova's in control eases her mind a little. She's not sure he /is/, but at least the thought of it is putting her mind more at ease.

Christa moves. Well, she'd /been/ moving. This time, though, she breaks the eye-contact, turning and bounding off toward the couch, toward Suzee. Abruptly, the lights fade. Poof - gone, and Bova is left sitting alone on the floor, blinking dazedly. He looks lost, unsure, and he finally understand what's happening when the lights are completely gone. Which causes a frown to appear, frustrated that he'd missed it again.

There is a bright side, though. He looks over at Suzee as Christa starts to climb the couch and the frown slips away. His face is blank for a couple of seconds before a small smile appears. He writes on the pad of paper and, not wanting to walk it over, slides it across the floor to the couch. 'I think I know why Christa likes me.'

She's still crouching on the couch, still exerting a somewhat feral disposition from the unfamiliar experience, though her eyes are back to normal. Her head tilts at the paper, and she starts to reach for the floor, to put her hand down on it before leaving it entirely, but she catches herself. The reaching hand stretches a little farther - awkwardly, because the paper really is out of reach - but she doesn't want Bova to know what she'd been about to do.

She idly vaults Christa back onto her shoulder, pushing the mirad up until she's crouching on the Yensidian's back. Once Suzee has the paper and sits up, Christa jumps down into her lap, sitting there and purring. Suzee echos the noise, quietly though, and again, it seems like she doesn't know she's doing it. After a moment, she slides the paper back. "...Why?" she asks.

It takes him a moment to put it into words, to seperate his feelings from the mirad's. It shouldn't be that hard - he's a much more complex creature, mentally speaking. But since she /is/ that simple emotionally, and basically so is he, it takes a minute or two. Finally he writes, but he does so slowly, scratching out several words along the way. When he's finished, he reads it, re-reads it. It's not quite right, but it's close enough. He slides it back across the floor. 'Sees me as a challenge. Trying to help.'

He reaches for the cane, standing by placing all of his weight on his left leg first. Once he's standing, he bends down to pick up the tree, book and instruments, then heads over to the kitchen to set them down on the counter.

Suzee narrows her eyes, getting to her feet as she gently shoos Christa back to the floor. Following Bova, she picks up the paper on the way and looks it over. Help? Help how? She knows that the mirad is likely /primordially/ telepathic, as there are very few animals with the outright talent that the sentient Yensidians have, but he can't imagine that she'd actually be /feeling/ something and processing this as a need to help. She walks across the metallic patch again as she trails along after the Uranusian. "What do you mean?" she asks, setting the paper down on the counter next to him.

He frowns when she asks the question, adjusting and readjusting the tree on the counter. One part of his mind is actually focusing on the placement, which actually does matter to him. Most of it, however, is focused on the question. 'Hard to explain,' he writes after a moment. He turns to lean back against the counter, crossing his arms. He watches as Christa follows the path Suzee took; the mirad's making a beeline for him. It's her that he watches as he tries to get the words right. When she gets close enough to rub against his legs, he turns back to the paper. 'Senses something. Attracted to it.' How to explain it? Saying the mirad was trying to help was giving her too much mental credit - it wasn't that simple. It was a connection Christa had sensed when she first appeared. He looks down as she stands, pressing her paws into his leg. He just looks at her for a minute before picking her up, dropping her on his shoulders. It's almost as if he thinks she'll give him the answers.

His logical mind isn't even protesting to what he's trying to tell Suzee. It wasn't just that he /felt/ Christa's connection to him. He'd... It was something like how Suzee described pitching into someone else. She just knew; so did he. There was a reason why Christa wanted to be around Bova and it centered around his near-lack of emotion - he was sure of it.

Christa decides to take this moment to climb onto his head, back legs resting on his shoulders, her face centered between his antennae.

Suzee herself isn't quite sure she understands. If she were able to access the Infocore, she might be able to get a bit more information. Of course, the Infocore did not, had never, and will never exist in this place, so she can only make guesses. "I don't know exactly what she's attracted to," She muses, leaning back on the counter. The claws on her toes scratch against the wooden floor, leaving a glowing trail which almost instantly fades. "I think I mentioned once that she's probably mildly telepathic. I suppose I could pitch into her to see." She's not as uneasy about pitching into non-sentient creatures. Compared to Bova or Nanashi, looking into Christa's mind would be easy. Mirads don't care about keeping secrets, though even the mind of an animal can hold /some/ information. Her eyes focus on the catlike creature, pupil vanishing again as she sets her concentration.

Bova tolerates the mirad on his head for maybe three seconds before picking her up and setting her on the counter. He turns to try again with the pencil and paper when Suzee suggests pitching. He looks at Christa for a while, concerned. For a minute, he's thinking about whether or not the mirad would /like/ to be pitched into.

Um what?

He nods, leaning back against the counter to watch. The last time he'd seen Suzee pitch into someone was when Reaver had boarded the Christa. It'd be nice to watch the process without fearing for his life at the same time.

Suzee actually chuckles when it looks as if Bova's uncomfortable with the suggestion. "It won't hurt her at all. In fact, she won't even be able to fight off my mind. It's not like you." She pauses, stroking Christa's head for a while, then scratching between her shulders. "She'll fall into a bit of a trance, and probably won't even realize I'm there. Right Christa? You won't feel a thing, will you?" She baby-talks to the cat again before picking her up, crossing her legs, and sitting them both down on the floor.

Only one eye glows. The blind one remains blue while the other darkens to violet. Christa just sits there, staring curiously and passivly up at Suzee as the Yensidian makes the jump. She feels much more 'at home,' so to speak, in this simpler mind. It shouldn't be too hard to find the information she's looking for, and so she searches for two things. Three, really: /Are you telepathic? What do you sense from Bova?/ ...And then, she can't help looking for the answer to the question, /What do you think of Suzee?/

The mirad is a simple enough creature, she doesn't actually think in words. Pictures, feelings. Suzee will be able to understand, but, as it was with Bova, she'll have a hard time explaining.

Simplified, the answers to Suzee's questions include, 'Yes', 'Alone, confusion; hides emotions'. Then there's the clincher, or at least the clincher for Suzee. 'Friend. Gives food.<3'

Bova's watching, interested, as three eyes glow purple - Suzee's blind eye being the only one unchanged. He's fighting the unease that comes with allowing the mirad's mind to be searched, even if the mind is simple enough that she won't actually care. Well... if Christa /was/ sentient, she probably wouldn't mind anyway. Probably.

Suzee blinks, smiles broadly, and severs the connection between them before pulling Christa into a big hug. They're both purring. Looking almost sheepish, she stands again, setting the mirad on the counter. Even still, the Yensidian appears slightly disoriented, her eyes momentarily empty as she pushes the last bit of the creature's memory out of her mind. It always took a moment afterward, and to some degree, she's going to carry that mind with her for a while. "She's telepathic. Not like me, but it's enough so that she can sense that..." She gives Bova an accusatory glance. "You hide your emotions. So I guess it's more like empathy."

There's a pause as she glances at Christa. She doesn't even seem to realize that Suzee had just been reading her mind. "...And she likes me." She runs her fingers through her hair, smiling again as this action causes one ear to show itself for a moment.

She glances to the Bonsai tree again, then realizes that she's still bored. "I'm going to go out for a walk. You don't want to go, do you?"

Bova watches Suzee assault Christa with an amused smile. And when Suzee adds that the mirad likes her, too, he understands, his smile growing a bit. At the accusation toward his emotions he pauses, glares outright at her and points at his face. See? Emotion. There it is. ARR ANGER. ...Except it's not really there, so the expression is gone within a second, the small smile returning.

A walk? Mm. He glances at the cane, glares at it for a minute, then reaches for it with a nod. If he wants his ankle to get better so he'll stop /needing/ the cane, he'll have to work with it. Walking is good for ankles. Actually, now that he thinks about it, he has a reason to go out. On the notepad he writes, 'clothes'. He's still wearing the t-shirt and sweatpants Suzee had given him on his return from the crypt. Showering was pointless when the clothes you changed back into were still dirty.

Noting Bova's false anger, Suzee simply rolls her eyes, shaking her head. Oi. And about his limited wardrobe... Well, he could always /wash the clothes./ That's what civilized, non-lazy people like Suzee, too! Of course, she also has a few other items she could wear. A few, because she's shredded a few recently! ...Accidentally. But when one is going from one-hundred and twenty pounds to three-hundred pounds... Well. Things tend to get ruined. The only reason the bathrobe hadn't is because she only had it draped over her shoulders. She looks at what Bova's written and says, "Me, too." They can probably even hit a couple shops before they close for the night.

Her eyes turn to Christa. "You have to stay," she says. Despite the tolerance of Familiars and pets in Middleton, shop owners tend to be wary, even still. She helps Christa down onto the floor, then turns to Bova and buts her head against his shoulder, nudging him toward the door as she returns to her room to put on some shoes. The action - again - had been totally natural. It's as if she doesn't realize she'd done it.

Blink. Bova stares after Suzee as she walks toward her bedroom. The purring, and now this action; he wondered how many more primal traits she'd aquire because of the wolf.

As for Christa... he looks down at the mirad, he's sitting on the floor and looking pitifully after Suzee. In a minute, she'll turn her gaze on him. Bova just rolls his eyes and, since using the notepad for the mirad won't do anything, actually speaks to her. "You /could/ come," he says, voice just slightly over a whisper. "You'd just have to stay outside when we went in certain shops. And I don't trust you to stay out of trouble." Another pitiful look and Christa's purring stops completely. Bova sighs, reaching down to scoop Christa up in his arms and hold her. At least until Suzee's ready to go. Then the mirad is /staying home/.