The Quest (Story)

Kiylo grinned at Tink's impression of Hegoror and by the end of the little joke, she was giggling. She was glad he was better than he was before. She listened to him go on about what had happened, asking questions and then answering them himself, his face animating his concern.

When he reached out for her, she winced as she had before. She felt terrible when she realized that she had done it, knowing full well that he would never hit her. She looked down, allowing him to touch her hair.

"He didn't touch me. In fact, it was as if he had never seen me. The only wounds I have are from falling- and I've fallen a lot." she said, her voice cheerful and uplifting. She pulled her gaze from her lap and looked up at him with a smile. "And I guess you could say that I've made a mental note to not wear dresses when fighting, or falling for that matter."

Tink frowned slightly as Kiylo winced before allowing him to touch her. "He didn't hurt you...but someone has, haven't they?" He knit his brow slightly, looking at her. "You know I will never hurt you right? And I'll do my best to make sure no one else does as well."

He cleared his throat as Kiylo changed the subject, letting the matter fall if she wished it to. "I think you would look quite nice wearing just about anything, but you should wear what you are most comfortable in. Are you planning on fighting again? Or falling for that matter?" Tink then grinned at the thought of something, which he promptly shared, "I must admit, I would likely fall quite often if I wore a skirt as well...all that fabric to get caught in. Given my predilection of fashion choices I would be forced to wear a corset as well should I put on a dress. And while I think it would be quite flattering on me- my breathing would be quite constricted. Of course I would add a jaunty little hat, with a feather and some ribbons. The ensemble would be green of course, maybe with a bit of brown and some gold piping." He was hoping to see her smile again, maybe laugh. He chuckled himself at the image in his head.

It was then that Ashley and Marion returned with a tray each. One of the twins carries a tray with the tea service, the other carried a tray with some food; fruit, cheese, bread and a bit of smoked sausage. They smirked at Tink as they set the tea tray down on the side table next to his bed and the food tray at the end of his bed. They giggles and smirked at each other, speaking words in their made up twins language. Hearing them, Tink turned a bit red in the cheeks, but otherwise pretended not to understand them, letting them have their illusion of privacy in their secret language.

As they left, he looked at the tray. "Goodness, I didn't realize how hungry I was until I saw the food. You must be famished as well." He rubbed at his blushing cheeks a bit, as if that would make the red color fade.

Kiylo couldn't help but giggle when the young man spoke of his dress choice if he had to wear a skit. She could barely see it in the back of her mind, but it was a silly sight to see. When the her little laughing fit was over, she grinned and tilted her head to the side.

Suddenly, the twins came back into the room, bearing plates of fruits, cheeses and some meat. Her stomach made a remark to her, trying to get her attention when the smells drifted into her nose. She was rather hungry, but something else caught her attention.

The twins spoke a strange combination of words that sounded like gibberish to the young woman, but they giggled and looked over at them with a mischievous look in their eyes. She felt as if there might've been poison in the food, but she couldn't smell any of the herbal things she knew.

When she looked over at Tink, he had a slight blush to his cheeks. He pulled his hands to his face and rubbed at his cheeks. The smile that had faded from her face from confusion was now back as she nodded.

"I am rather hungry." she said quietly, looking over at the trays. She thought of something- her eyes lighting up as she remembered what was in her bag. She felt the strap still tugging down on her, and she followed it down to the glass jar that was in her bag. She pulled it out and handed it to Tink.

"Its strawberry jelly. I made it this morning, and I'm a bit surprised it made it though everything that happened today." she said, looking up at him with a smile.

Oh lord..... now they are tempting me.... please stomach do not grumble.... thank you, I will feed you later.... but right now we have to figure out what is going on.... ....

Tink smiled at Kiylo and her offer of jam. "That sounds lovely," he said as he cut a bit of the sausage and cheese, making himself a small, two bite, open faced sandwich with the bread. He reached over to the tea tray, "How do you like your tea? Sugar? Cream?"

He poured himself a spot, adding a bit of cream to the cup. "There is little in the world that gets you feeling to rights again like a good cup of tea. Reminds us that we're human I suppose." He held the pot, ready to prepare Kiylo's tea for her.

"So, do you plan on continuing on with Kotori and Hegoror?" he asked cautiously.

"Um, both please." she said, a bit confused about the very essence of tea. She had never had any before, though she had heard about it in books. She took a piece of fruit and placed it in her mouth. Watermelon? she thought as she allowed it to sit there before she started chewing.

When Tink had asked about Kotori and Hegoror, she nodded, the smile fading from her lips. "I really can't stay here... Its a chance to finally get away from this town... Has too many memories I don't want anymore." she said quietly, her voice barely a whisper.

She wrapped her fingers around the necklace that the puppeteer had given her, the picture of her mother there to comfort her.

So, I have her coming with us....... but, what about Tink? I think he will to make sure Hegoror doesn't hurt Kiylo...... I would be super surprised if he didn't come to watch out for her....

Tink prepared Kiylo's tea, mixing in the cream and sugar. he offered her the cup on the saucer, tea spoon laying beside the cup upon it. "Well, you could stay with me. I am in need of an assistant. With your knowledge of herbals, we could be quite a team. We have an extra room and everything now that Minty and Wuthers moved out. My brothers are quite good fellows." He smiled at her, taking a moment to drink some tea. "I mean...you shouldn't travel with Hegoror if Kotori insist on bringing him along. What if he snaps and tries to kill you for no reason like he did to me...twice. There won't be anyone there to heal you."

Tink knitted his brows together, looking at Kiylo. "If you really can't stay here, I do have an Aunt in the next town over. She is a lovely woman. An Alchemist of sorts. Of course, some people call her the Crazy Witch of the Wood...but she is just...eccentric. I think you would quite like her. My father says I get my...ah...pension for the odd from her."

So he isn't coming after all, huge surprise actually..... We need to meet an alchemist that he is related to and she is... crazy..... pension for the odd? What does that mean? He uses too many big words......

The offer sounded amazing. She would've taken it in a heartbeat, but something called to her in the back of her mind. Her mother traveled the world, but she could never take along Kiylo when she was a baby because of all of the risk. Her aunt took her in when the accident occurred, but Kiylo was already spending a lot of time with her.

She wanted to travel. She wanted to see everything she could- learn anything she wanted to. It was her dream, but she couldn't see it yet. It just lingered in the back and beckoned to her, slowly reeling her in. If she stayed here, she would be happy, but it wouldn't make her truly happy. She was offered a chance to see the world, and make an imprint on it.

"I..." she took the cup and held it close to her chest, staring down into the swirling warm liquid. "Tink... That offer... Is just music to my ears, but I can't take it." She felt absolutely terrible, the panging in her stomach making her not want anything to touch her lips at all.

"If it were under a different circumstance and if that stupid puppeteer gave me this," she held up the necklace. "I wouldn't be thinking about leaving. My mother was a traveler... And I wanted to go with her, but I was too young... and she was a war healer. There was just no way I could do what she did, but I have a chance to escape- I mean, travel the world. Tink..." She looked over at him, guilt buried deep into her eyes.

"You're amazing. No one is as kind or as brilliant as you." her words were just coming out now, like a babbling, endless stream of words. "I would stay... But... the world is calling to me." she looked away from him, putting her tea down in her lap.

Tink sighed. He had known she wouldn't accept his offer, but he had hoped. "Then, can you at least not travel with the beast who tried to kill me...twice." He looked at her hopefully. "I know it is a lot to ask...but I wouldn't feel right if you traveled with them. It's not safe. He could snap at any time and you would be subject to dangerous whims and capricious fancies. I will give you a letter of introduction to my aunt in the next town over so you have a safe place to stay there before moving on. She may even travel with you to another town- she travels a lot in her business. Potions and all..."

He frowned, holding a bit of bread in his hand. His appetite was somewhat quenched. He didn't expect to feel so hurt when she turned him down. He just met her after all. Of course, she had saved his life...twice. He owed her a lot.

And he felt things.

Even someone who was mostly intellect felt things.

"Please, don't feel bad about wanting to leave. We all have our calling. Mine is to create and tinker. Yours is to heal and travel the world. Do not be ashamed of that. You have a great gift and a big heart. It would be vastly selfish of me to deprive the world of your gift. It was selfish of me to ask in the first place..." Tink looked into his cup of tea, "I was just hoping that maybe... you...um... liked me..." His cheeks flushed lightly rosy as he cleared his throat. "But, considering I broke my promise not to die again to you, I should not be surprised. You saved me twice today and I won't forget that. I owe you and I care a bit more than I ought to. So..whatever you want, if I can provide it, it's yours."

Okay I have got to end this mushiness.... maybe I can sneak in.... He went to grab the top of the window and his hand slipped and he fell off the roof yelling, "FUUUUCK!" and made a huge thud that was audible through the town. Owww.... so much for sneaking in.... He saw Kiylo looking out the window at him.

Kiylo blushed, staring at the swirling tea. Yes, he did break that promise, but it fine. She just didn't want to see him broken again. Just the thought of him laying on the ground, blood pooling around his head and the torn skin and revealing bones made her shiver and feel a bit nauseous.

"It was not selfish to ask that I stay." she looked up with a small smile, but then stared back down at her tea, taking a sip of it. The blush still tinted her cheeks, and the tea made them even more warm.

As she opened her mouth to say something, a loud scream and the sound of something landing hard made her jump to her feet. She stared out the window, a bit frightened considering how hectic her day had been. Her gaze turned into a slight glare when she saw Kotori.

"Why is he here?" she whispered to no one in particular before she sat down, holding her head in her hands. "Is this what it's like to be torn in two different directions? I don't want to stay, but I want to at the same time... Wanting to follow in my real mother's footsteps... Not that crazed woman who calls herself that... I can't decide."

She wanted to curl up again. Tink gave good reasons to not go, very good reasons. She wanted to stay, but the woman who claimed herself to be her mother would find her- no matter where she went. She needed to get as far away as possible from this place.

But Tink was here. He was kind to her, unlike those guys at school who would pick on her for bringing her pastries and jellies to school. While she was a person who loved to sit and chat, a book always distracted her. She never liked to pull herself away from a social life, but it was the only way she could escape the real world she lived in. No one really noticed her- but Tink did.

She is crying, this is bad. He went to get up, but all of a sudden...

Hegoror jumped out of his tower and grabbed Tink's house and started to carry it. If he wants to stay home, then he can stay home... but his home is coming with us.... And so he started walking toward Slorth where the three were going to find the Jasper heart of Slorth. As he walked he called to Kotori, "You coming?"

It looked like Hegoror had found a way to please everyone, in Kotori's mind it pleased everyone. He got up and started running toward the now mobile fortress.

Tink wanted to say something smart and witty and comforting all at the same time. But he was, in the end, a man. "No...no...don't feel bad...don't... cry..." He didn't want her to feel bad. Also, he was upset that Kotori was evidently spying on them. But, he was saved... sort of.

The house shifted unevenly. The sound of breaking followed. Moved from the foundation, there was nothing to support the multi-bedroom two story house (complete with laboratory and rug shop attached). The roofing beams split in the middle.

The bed in the room tilted over, the floor cracked.

"Earthquake!" Tink shouted, reaching out to Kiylo.

Then all of his brothers came running into the room. The younger looked positively frightened as the windows started to crack where the walls were splitting. The stress of the house being moved was breaking it apart at the seams...literally.

"That monster is stealing our house!" "He's going to eat us!" "He's taking us for midnight snacks!" "We're sorry we thought you were lying when you said he tried to kill you!" "Tink, Tink...make him stop!" The twins ran to the bed as the floor cracked down the middle along the support rafters. "We're too young to die!" "We're too stringy!" "Not enough meat!"

Minty took charge of the situation. "Ash, Rion... doorway. Tink, Kiylo..." then minty was interrupted as one of the windows broke, the wall cracking from the corners. The floor cracked in two along the pressure point from where Hegoror held up the house, all the force focused on the point from where it was held and the rest of the house not strong enough without the foundation to hold it together normally, let alone with the force and vibration torque of the movement.

Soon the house would split in two, if the rooms didn't break off first.

With a shock of fright at the fact that the room was snapping in half, Kiylo held onto Tink. The floor beneath them felt as if it were going to crumble at any moment, and there seemed to be no way to stop it.

She heard someone try to take charge, but the voice was interrupted by a loud shatter. It was then when Kiylo forced her eyes shut, trying to block out all that was going on. Nothing worked, and when she had deprived her mind of sight, it only made her other senses better.

She could hear each breath of everyone in the room, and the stomping of every step the monster below them made. The snapping of old wood. The smell of the jelly and meat and fruit from earlier lingered in the air, as fresh, cool night air started to swirl in.

I could die at any moment now. she thought, as a strange surge of calmness was pumped through her veins. Do I want to die? No... I don't. I still have a choice to make.

A sharp pain in her back grabbed her attention, and she screamed. The glass from the window that had broken was stuck in her back. She had known pain like this once. It was just like that time she had been beat, over and over again. She could feel everything going numb.

Pain was never something Kiylo was good handling, but she forced herself to keep it to herself as much as possible. The reason why she learned about herbs was so that she could heal herself. She couldn't use her own willpower on herself, so she had to heal normally. When pain usually struck her, she passed out and allowed her mind to block out the pain.

She did just that.

He saw the house about to break he used a spell he knew he could use without the help of the gods, (OOC: I need to explain the spells by the way, never get a chance to though but, I digress) "Dos Les Nes REPARAR!" The spell of repairing, used to fix anything that the user could fix theirself and make it stay fixed. Suddenly the damage to the house was reversed in Hegoror's hands. This would keep hold forever now. Oh shit! What are we going to do with those brothers of Tink? Oh well, guess they can join us on our quest as well..... Wait, what is that on the ground? He saw a small, fits-in-your-hand notebook on the ground, the type most adventurers use. He picked it up and decided this would be where he would write all his notes in about the adventure and his thoughts. (OOC: This will be a Character Journal for Kotori, please do not post in it as it is HIS notebook.) So he ran to Hegoror and said," I think I know the answer to this but, why are you carrying the Sator's house?"

He saw the boy and heard his question and replied, "Well, if Tink wants to go home, then he can go home. But, if the home comes with us than, Tink can get what he wants, while he travels with us. Took me a long time to think of this. I thought his house would be heavier though, but it is surprisingly light for me that is," He looked at the boy and thought he didn't trust him so he asked Kotori, "Look, if you don't trust me I understand. But, hear me out. I only tried to kill Kotori, because of who I am. My people I mean. We are a vicious race called the Nargleans if you didn't know that. We all knew we could easily rule the world with our strength, but we were content with where we lived and our different customs. But, that is besides the point. We Nargleans are very peaceful, believe it or not, but we have a very short temper. All Nargleans hate it when things don't go their way. We Nargleans also, believe that if someone is told their destiny then they need to accept and follow it or they are supposed to be killed and when we see someone who needs to be killed, it is like we get taken over by another being and take on another person. I know this all seems like excuses but, I really wasn't in control of my actions. So, I hope to eventually gain your trust back and we can become friends. I know I will probably never gain the others' trust back, but I hope at least our leader can forgive me,"

He said I am the leader? Well, makes since I did start the revolution and everything.... But, I do not think that Tink will like the authority that I will have... I need to ask them first.... He climbed up Hegoror's back and went into the house. He went up to Tink's bedroom and saw Kiylo had glass in her back and so he pulled it out and with the little knowledge of first aid he had he was able to fix it. He Noticed as he stepped back that the two didn't really look that happy to him. Aww... FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK Now I got to deal with them...... Might as well get it over with...... "Okay, I understand you two are mad at me so you know what? Let me have it. Come on just throw it all at me. Don't hold back on me either I want you two to give me your full anger not baby version. Don't worry I can handle it," He told them. He sat on the floor, preparing for the yelling to commence. (Damn it Sure I had just posted and then you posted before me that you are dieing.)

Another searing pain ripped her back into reality, along with a scream from her throat. She hissed in agony, her eyes still shut. Whoever was trying to fix her up was doing a terrible job of it and she was paying the price for it. She had no energy to move, but she made herself sit up by herself, and try to pry her eyes open.

Even when she felt her eyelids open, it was still blackness. No light touched her eyes and she couldn't see at all. It was as if she had awoken in a completely dark room. She reached out and touched something. It was a face, but she couldn't tell who's.

"I... I can't see..." she whimpered, her voice quiet and filled to the brim with fright. Her fingertips retreated back to her face and she touched her own eyes. They were definetly open, but still, she had no sight.

She had gone blind. In fact, she was lucky to be still alive, or not paralyzed. The wound had been in her spine, and it severed a few nerves. The nerves had been for her eyes, and she could no longer see.

So there she was- drained of all willpower, unable to heal herself, tired beyond all relief and blind. And the dress she was wearing was now growing too uncomfortable against her ribs.

Great. she thought.

"Hold on, I knew that that might have not worked. So, let me see if I can ask the gods for help," He said knowing they wouldn't know what he was talking about. Gods of the world of Athoria.... I ask for you to take over me so that I may heal this woman that is my friend so that she may not be blinded and feel better..... I ask of you for without her, I cannot complete the task ahead of me.....

The gods heard his plea and knew that he was right. So they shined a light on him and he turned into a demigod. He glowed a yellow light and his eyes were white. He laid his hand on her and he said, "Broken nerves, torn skin and split veins, now you shall become REPAIRED AGAIN!" and suddenly you could tell that the insides of her body were shifting and so they were coming together and connecting again and slowly the girl gained her sight. And as the work was done, Kotori turned back into a normal person and he collapsed. "I can't keep on doing this for you guys, the gods will stop helping me if you guys keep getting hurt this badly," He stopped and crawled to look out the window and said to Hegoror, "Can you stop for a minute? We need to rest for a while,"

The man seemed confused and said, "Why would you want to stop? We are almost at Slorth! Look!"

He crawled over to the window on the other side and saw a town that was a metropolis but a futuristic one it kinda looked like a bigger version of Detroit. "Holy crap! Guys, we made it to Slorth!" He crawled again over to the other window, still not strong enough to support his legs, and said to Hegoror, "Put us down anyway, we do not need to go around town with you holding a house,"

He heard him and understood and gently put the house down, making sure not to rock it too much. "Hey guys, I am going to hide the house in the woods so not to draw any suspicion. So, I am going to gently push but, it still might shake so hold on to something," he waited a minute so everyone could get situated or hold on to something and then he started pushing the house.



(THIS CONCLUDES CHAPTER ONE: AGNAROKON: FIGHTS FIGHTS AND MORE FIGHTS/ INTRODUCTION TO THE HEROES! AND BEGINS CHAPTER TWO: SLORTH: A SCAVENGER HUNT FOR THE JASPER HEART/MORE THAN A CARD GAME!)

Kiylo was definitely not healed. Her back, though, felt better then it had before, but it still ached terribly. She tried to look around the room again, but she could still see nothing. She turned her face so that she could hear everything going on around her, keeping her eyes closed.

She could hear the conversation between Hegoror and Kotori, but she stayed silent, her lips pulled into a thin line. She sighed and placed her hand on her lap, where she could feel something damp. The tea had split in her lap, and it was staining her dress. She groaned and pulled her hand away, raking it through her mess of a head.

"Kotori. Dammit. I need to sleep. I need a long day to myself. I was seriously just forced to choose to go on this thing, and I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I like the ability to make my own choices." she said quietly, her tone grave and serious.

She reached out and tried to touch something. It was warm- definitely human. "Tink...? Is that you...? Are you okay?" Her voice was still quiet, but it was softer and kinder.

Tink was angry...really angry. It was one thing to force things upon him, but another to force things upon his family, his friend.

But, he search for calm. Kiylo was injured...or had been injured. And that too, was Hegoror's fault. And then here was Kotori, blaming them. He had the gall to blame the two of them for their injuries. Their hurts. Like it was their fault. Tink knew his injuries were not his fault, they were the fault of Hegoror as were Kiylo's. He wanted to shout, to scream at the stupid little boy. But, Kiylo need him to be calm now. His brothers needed him to be calm.

So, he decided to be calm.

"Kotori, leave my house. Please." The please hurt him to say. But he was polite gentleman and gentleman always say please. "Wurthers, Minty, please see Kotori out."

His older brothers looked at the magical boy who barged in. Neither one looked terribly pleased by his presence. "I think the lady has asked you to leave. As has our little brother." Minty looked to Wurthers before continuing. "As are we now that I think about it. You do realize you have just taken us from our businesses and my brother Wurthers here from his wife right? You've scared the daylights out of my baby brothers- who I swore to my dying mother that I would protect and keep safe. I know I am not feeling particularly charitable at the moment. I can only imagine how he is feeling about the matter."

Wurthers looked at Minty, "That is enough." He looked at Kotori and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Please, respect the lady's wishes and just come with me for now. We can have tea downstairs in the kitchen if you like. Maybe in the morning we can all sit down and talk. Alright?"

Tink meanwhile, decided it was best for him to focus his attention on Kiylo. Her hand touched his arm and he smiled. He placed his hand on hers. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry. I'm fine...are you? Are you okay?" He felt strained, the stress and horrible reality of the day weighing down on him. He felt guilt. He knew it wasn't his fault, but at the same time, he felt guilt anyway. "I should have designed something for the windows to make them safer. I should have foreseen...them breaking. You know I didn't want this for you. Let me take you to a spare room. Minty can stay in my room so you can have some time alone. I can find you something to sleep in if you like. I think we have some of my mother's old things in the closet."

He paused, looking at her, "Why are you keeping your eyes shut? Did some glass get into them? Do they hurt?"

"You know what?" he chuckled as he finally was able to stand up, "You know what? YOU KNOW WHAT?!!?!?" He grabbed the hand on his shoulder and picked him up and threw the man far into the air, to point where you couldn't see him. The boys voice turned to that of a deep demonic one that sounded like the devil himself, "I AM TIRED OF TRYING TO HELP YOU GUYS AND YOU NOT GIVING ME ANY THANKS!" he looked at the brothers of Tink, he looked at them with his now black eyes. He let out a loud demonic screech, that shook the house. "I HAVE FORCED NO ONE TO DO ANYTHING! DID I PICK UP THE HOUSE AND TRY TO MOVE IT? NO!" Everytime he answered his questions he yelled loud, "DID I THROW YOU INTO A TOWER AND TRY TO KILL YOU? NO! DID I DO ANYTHING ON PURPOSE TO HURT YOU? NO! SO YOU KNOW WHAT?" He jumped out the window and pushed Hegoror's pressure points to where he couldn't move, and then, he was able to grab hold of the house, and picked it up, "YOU KNOW WHAT I AM GOING TO DO? I AM GOING TO SEND YOU TO SPACE!" He threw them into the sky, and as it went up, the boy he had threw before came into the house through the window. And eventually the house fell back to Earth and Kotori caught it, threw it towards the woods, and warped over to where the house would start to lose altitude grabbed it again and started repeating this process of throwing it in a random direction then catching it.

He was finally able to move again, and when he stood up he started trying to catch Kotori. After a five minute chase, he was finally able to get Kotori and he tried to calm him down, "Stop doing this, these are your friends, they trusted you. Go back to your normal self, before you hurt them anymore then you might have,"

He finally calmed down, and then he saw the house flying and went, "SHIT!" He warped over to the house and caught it, and slowly spun it around until it went to a halt. Great, once again I am going to have to deal with them.... If Hegoror hadn't stopped me though they would be dead.... They need to realize I have not until now done anything to hurt them intentionally.... I can't deal with them now, so if they do not want to come then they won't come.... I will kill myself and then they can stop dealing with this... too bad, guess this generation will not be freed from Deviliculitus..... He took a piece of paper out of his new notebook, and wrote, "Dear friends, since it is nearly impossible for us to get along as a group, I am going to go ahead and kill myself.... Seeing as how are destinies to save the world were caused because of me, I will go to the Volcano in the distance and jump in it.... Guess that this generation will not be freed from Devculitus..... Sincerely,
Kotori
P.S. I will not jump till the sun rises tomorrow, so if you have any intentions of stopping me do it by sunrise.


He placed the note on the window sill when they weren't looking and ran towards the mountain, tears rolling down his cheeks the whole time.

Kiylo was about to speak again, but she was cut off by a loud demonic voice. It was so loud that it made her ears ring, and it made her head hurt. The hands that had comforted her were definitely Tink's, so she slowly took a few steps towards him until she could rest her forehead against his shoulder. Or maybe it was his chest, but it didn't matter to her- she was too tired to care.

But suddenly, her moment of rest was pulled away from her as the floor beneath her seemed to disappear. She hit a horribly hard surface and the impact was mainly in her head and neck area, but when the floor had returned, there was no pain at all.

She had gone completely numb, but as she started to move her hands some, she found the wood floor. She held onto the floor as pieces of glass pierced her skin, making the large caverns of numbness start to fill with rivers of a shocking pain. She cried out, as she tried to hold onto what was rest of the reality she had.

She reached out aimlessly until she grabbed onto a hand. "Tink! Are-ow are you..." she couldn't finish her sentence. Pain overwhelmed her as she even tried to move at all. "I-is everyone... alive?"

Tink frowned slightly as Kotori had his tantrum and turned apparently demonic on them. 'Oh yes, this is a great sign for my ongoing attempts at staying alive...' he thought as Kotori apparently lost it and turned evil on them. He was unprepared when the house, once again, was jostled about with everyone else not holding on to anything.

Luckily his brothers seemed to be mostly okay, though Wuthers looked a trifle upset over the entire turn down for tea and reason he had offered the boy.

Tink attempted to grab Kiylo as she was flung about the house into the wall and failed due to his own precipitous introduction to the wall. With his face. He managed to get an arm between himself and the wall to avoid severe damage to his head- two severe head injuries a day was quite enough. Certainly he had ample brian cells, but he didn't want to risk too many of them in one go. But he still smacked his nose something good as he bounced off the wall. But, that didn't hurt as much as the funny bone he hit in his elbow, causing a jolt up his arm. Nothing serious, just that shock of hitting the funny bone just right.

When the tossing about eventually stopped, he reached to Kiylo, who also reached for him. He tried to pull her close and rest his hand in her hair. "Are you alright? Why don't we get you into something clean and dry, then clean those wounds..they look painful, but not overly deep thankfully. And then we can get you into bed to recover for the day. I think this is quite enough excitement for the day. Hopefully, this is the end of it." He helped her up, offering his arm, shoulder and whatever else she might need as support. It was then he saw the note on the windowsill. He grabbed it, the sound of jostling paper in his hand crinkling. "It seems Kotori has left us a note."

Kiylo was helped up to a standing position. Everything had calmed down, but there was a bit of a paranoid feeling that something else may happen. She nodded the answers to Tink's questions, because if she opened her mouth, she felt as if she might start crying. There was far too much stress on her right now, and the settling feeling that she was blind wasn't helping anything either.

The ringing in her ears was fading away now, her hearing still a bit off. She held onto his arm, knowing full well that if she let go, that she may end up falling again. After a long day of falling, she was not in the mood to fall again.

When Kiylo heard about the note, she looked towards the crinkling noise. "What does it say?" she asked, her eyebrows knitting together. If she couldn't see, she wouldn't be able to read and that was just going to drive her insane.

Tink reads the note, then looks at Kiylo. All at once he knows he can't burden her with the true contents of the note right now. it wouldn't be right. She has enough to deal with. What sort of person would do this? Place this sort of guilt and blame and weight on another person who has just had, quite possibly, one of the most stressful and horrific days of their life?

"Dear Friends," Tink starts, as if reading the note, "I just want to apologize for my actions. I know I overreacted and I am sorry. I know we are all feeling the stress of the day and destiny. I will give you some time to think about things and we can all have a nice quiet breakfast in the morning. Sincerely, Kotori." Tink finished, lying through his teeth about the contents of the letter. He would accept this burden on his own and let Kiylo rest her mind, her body and her weary heart for the evening.

"See, isn't that nice? We can all have a bit of a rest this evening. Let me see if I can find some of my mother's old clothes for you." Tink goes to the closet of the room, then remembers that earlier today, the entirety of his house had been ransacked. The contents of the closet, lie in a pile on the floor of it, tossed back in, probably by the twins, in an attempt to make it look tidy.

He looks through the pile and pulls out a soft nightgown. It is knee length in a soft blue fuzzy cotton with little yellow and white flowers. He finds one of the matching slippers easily, but has to dig around for the second. "I'm sorry I can't offer you a bath, we aren't connected to the water pipes anymore. I will see if I can find a stream and rig up a heater so you can have a bath in the morning. Doesn't that sound lovely? I know I could go for a nice hot soak."

He lays the nightgown in Kiylo's lap along with the slippers. He goes back to the closet and pulls out a dress that belonged t his mother. It is a little rumpled from its stay at the bottom of the closet, but he is flooded with memories and emotions upon seeing it.

He couldn't have been more than five or six. But he remembered his mother wearing this dress and standing in the kitchen, her hair pulled back in a decorative braid as she worked on making some little cakes. It was his father's birthday and his mother didn't know he was watching her as he stood in the doorway, peeking into the kitchen as she hummed to herself decorating little frosting flowers onto the cakes. The sun had lit up her face. It was then that Tink knew what love was. It was the look on his mother's face as she thought about his father. As she decorated the small intricate flowers onto his cake. It was the way she hummed an old love ballad there in the kitchen. It was the way she prepared everything for her family.

Tink looked at the dress fondly, remembering his mother from that day. Before the twins and her death. Though, thinking about it, she must have been pregnant with them on that day.

He looked at the red and white striped sundress. "For in the morning, you can wear this dress if you like. It was my mother's, I think it would look quite nice on you." He says, offering the dress to Kiylo.

Kiylo listened to the contents of the letter Tink read to her and the tension in her shoulders seemed to be released. She sighed and felt a grim smile on her tired expression. She was glad she could finally take a break from the craze of the past day.

When Tink told her about the bath, her sleepy expression seemed to brighten. She would be very happy to get a bath, and just the very thought of not having one made her felt even more grimy and dusty. But she told herself that she would survive another day or two. Her fingertips rested on the soft fabric of the night gown after it was placed in her lap.

She heard the rustling of a fabric, and some steps towards her. She reached out to touch the dress he was talking about and felt its stiff, yet soft fabric. She smiled and turned her face to look at where she was hearing Tink's voice. She was appreciative for a new dress to wear in the morning. It is his mother's... So maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to go running around like we had today. I wouldn't want to mess it up. she thought.

She reached behind her head and pulled her hair to her shoulder. As she attempted to separate it into three parts, she started to get a little aggravated. After a moment, she gave up and furrowed her eyebrows, her lips pulled into a thin line. She bowed her head some and thought about not braiding her hair, but an idea popped up.

"Tink? I know this may sound like an odd request, but could you help me braid my hair? All you'd have to do is separate it into three parts and I think I could get it from there." Her voice was a bit quiet. She didn't want to ask anymore of Tink, but she hated sleeping with hair hair down. In fact, she hated anything that was touching her neck when she was trying to go to sleep.

"Thank you for all you've done for me today."

Tink smiled, then felt slightly silly realizing that Kiylo couldn't see him do it. "Of course I can help you." He opened up one of the dresser and search around in the messy contents (another apparent quick clean up of the twins) and eventually found a brush. He took Kiylo by the hand and led her to the bed. "Why don't you sit down and I'll brush it out for you too. No reason to go to bed with it all tangled."

He sat down behind her and started to run the boar hair brush through her hair- another token of his mother's. His father couldn't bear to part with anything of hers, so this room was a veritable shrine to her after Wuthers moved out. He was gentle as he ran the brush through her hair and hummed to himself one of his favorite songs. Eventually, the hair was brushed and shining as best it could given the state of mess and dust. He parted it into three sections and twisted it into a tight, simple braid as if he were winding wires and coils. Then he got to the end and realized he had nothing to tie it off with and immediately felt foolish. "Have you got a hair tie?"

"I should probably be pretty quick if I want to find a water source and rigged up a water heater before the night is out." It was an excuse to go out and find Kotori without giving it away to Kiylo. "You need some rest. You've worked hard today...you know, healing me so much and all."

Kiylo sat down, listening to the song he was humming. She recognized it and softly sung along with it, her voice barely a whisper. It had felt like it was years ago when she was just walking to the market to get some breakfast, humming songs or just sitting down reading a book. All of that seemed too far away now, as if they would never come back.

When Tink started to braid her hair, she was on the verge of falling asleep. She had started to lean back and drift off into the world of dreams, but Tink had brought her back into reality.

"A hair tie...?" she murmured. There were quite a few in her little bag, but she had no clue where it was, so she checked her wrists. She had one wrapped around her right wrist, serving as a bracelet. She tugged it off and held it behind her head to Tink to take from her.

When he tied off her hair and spoke about the water, she felt a bit worried. "You need rest as well, Tink... Even more then I need it. You've nearly died twice today and you're still hurt... At least let me try to heal you a little bit more before you go." she said quietly, her voice filled with concern.

"I won't hear of it. You need sleep." He said as he tied the end of the braid. he got up from the bed, his hand finding Kiylo's and giving it a gentle kiss before she could pull away, then letting it go. "I am fine. I just want to find a bit of water, then I'll make my brothers do everything. Promise. It will be worth it in the morning. We can have some more of your lovely jam and perhaps some tea."

Tink moved away from Kiylo, "I will leave you to change into the nightgown. If you need anything, I'll make sure one of my brothers is close by to help you." With that he moved to the door, making certain she knew he was making his way out of it by the sound of his steps.

He waited a moment in the doorway to see if Kiyloy needed anything before closing the door behind him and going to gather his things before heading off to the Volcano to fetch Kotori from his tantrum.