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Chapter 18: The Fur From Cork

Micah gave a terrified yelp and dove under the table, rattling the dishes when he banged his head. Nicholas dove past Geoff and out of his sight. Avery must have manifested because Geoff could see her eyes begin to glow with electricity, and numerous arcs jumping from her storm grey fur to the metal cutlery. Geoff knew he'd manifest as soon as the lights burst, and he'd wager everything he had that all the other Spirits had, too. He felt a shiver travel up his spine as the breathing in the corners of the room began to grow louder. 'What in Tartarus are those dogs?' A bolt of electricity shot from Avery at Nathanial, but his chair flew back, out of the way. The arc hit Dirk, and danced across his body. He fell forward onto the table, stunned and unable to move. A large furry body flew over Geoff's head and knocked Avery's chair backward, spilling its occupant and assailant into the hall. Two large bolts of lightening shattered the dark, one from inside and one outside the house. The baying of a large pack of dogs accompanied the thunder. Several people yelped, but Geoff wasn't sure who did, he might have been one. Ozone and smoke made the air foul, as did an oddly familiar cold and dusty breeze.

The table shook again as Conor slammed his paw down, "Stop this at once! Nathanial, go to Geoff's room and stay there till I send for you! Avery, with me, now! Faelen, bring Dirk to his room." He stood up, the power radiating off of him was worse than Monday night after Geoff snuck out to see Nathanial. Avery and Nathanial both cringed, anger forgotten. The doorbell rang.

Nathanial stood from his chair, and placed his paw over his heart as he bowed, "Sir. My apologies for letting my anger best me." He turned and walked out, ignoring Avery, but he suddenly gasped and moved swiftly to something.

Geoff followed Conor out as he rushed out into the dim hall, lit only by the lamp beside Conor's chair in the living room. Nathanial was crouched over the smoking corpse of his dog. The doorbell rang, again. Conor snarled, "Get rid of whoever the hells that is, Geoff." Geoff ran down to the door, and peeked out. It was Liam, with his medical bag.

"It's Sensei, Sir." A snarl and nod answered him. Conor picked up Avery and went upstairs. Nathanial glared after her, the air rippling around him. Geoff growled at him, furious, as he opened the door, "What the fuck was that?! You just flew off the handle at some little comment!? She was wrong to say that, but you just made things a hell of a lot worse! For us and Da! How is he going to explain things, now, huh!? If she liked, or even tolerated you, he could have smoothed things over, but now? I hope your damned well pleased with yourself." Two dogs moved to flank Nathanial, he didn't appear to notice.

"My response to her rudeness and bigotry was less insulting than what she gave. I will apologize when she does. Micah didn't deserve to be spoken to like that. Nor did you or I."

Liam interrupted, "Who is injured? I hate to interrupt your lover's quarrel, but if someone is injured I would like to know."

"Dirk. Faelen is carrying him to his room. He was manifesting, so he should be fine before long." Liam brushed past them, running upstairs. Geoff blinked after him, "How'd he know someone was hurt? He can't scry, or whatever, like you can, can he?"

"Leave the dead dog there!" Liam called down the hall.

His honest question, with a bit of attempted distraction, worked. Nathanial's hackles lowered and he relaxed. "I have no idea what he can do. I wouldn't even try to guess about what he can't do. If you told me he could fly, I'd probably believe you." Nathanial spoke, then he sighed, "Well, I better go to your room. I hope Dirk's all right. I should probably try to catch up on school work." He slowly walked downstairs, dogs following. Geoff grumbled as he went to start cleaning up the food. It'd have to be tossed because of all the glass in it. He was still hungry.

---

Liam heard a large electrical discharge inside the McDougal's home, as a bolt of lightening struck a large tree behind the house. He was running up to the house, and had just stepped onto the lawn. The sudden noise and light made him lose his pacing and he stumbled, catching himself before he fell. 'Well, at least I know why I am here, now. Are Mages attacking?' The house was almost entirely dark, only a small lamp in the living room was visible. He rang the doorbell. He could hear Conor's voice inside. The tone was strained, in anger, but too muffled for him to make out. He rang the doorbell again. Geoff ran to the door and peeked out. He didn't seem hurt, or too upset, so things must not be too bad. He did seem scared, angry, and distraught. 'A bad argument? Between whom?'

Geoff opened the door, and Liam found himself stepping into a very tense discussion between Geoff and Nathanial. 'Surprising. The last two I would expect to be fighting.' He was told Dirk was injured so he began running upstairs, and nearly tripped over a... something. He couldn't really see it, but he could sense a large, furry, and dead object was near the top of the stairs. It seemed to be a dog, an unnatural one, like the two flanking Nathanial, which he also could only sense by the disruption of his Chi, but not see. He was often glad his Chi created a field around him that could detect objects, almost like short range sonar, a trick employed by Monks and Hunters. He'd have to examine the corpse, and the living dogs, later. He smelled singed fur and ozone, as well as a cold breeze from the dining room. He called back to them as he turned the corner to go upstairs, "Leave the dead dog there!" He silently raced upstairs and heard two more voices in a heated argument in Conor's study. Conor and a woman, apparently named Avery. He could smell more ozone coming from the study, the woman must be the one releasing all that electricity. He moved on to Dirk's room. Faelen was moving stacks of bones closer to his father, who lay on the bed twitching. 'At least he is still manifesting. That should make things easier.' "Faelen, I need room to work. Enough bones."

The bones clattered to the floor as Faelen jumped, "Bloody hells! Don't do that! I'm really not used to not hearing people. What are you doing here? How did you know Da's hurt?"

Liam ignored him, and placed his bag down and ran his paws lightly across Dirk's body. Disrupted nervous system, minor muscular damage, a small crack on one bone, and burns where the electricity hit. Already most of the damage was repairing itself. 'Remarkable. I would really like to have this regenerative ability.' He pulled out a few ingredients and ground them in his mortar and pestle. "Thermos." Faelen pulled a thermos out of his bag and opened it. Liam dumped the powder in and focused his Chi as he mixed it, "Lift him up." Faelen raised his father into a sitting position. Liam placed his paw on Dirk's head and calmed the twitches of his nerves. He helped Dirk slowly drink the hot potion, as he gently soothed the Spirit. Liam waited until the potion was half done before saying, "I am concerned. Why would this 'Avery' wish harm to O'Conall?"

"She didn't. She was aiming at Nathanial."

Liam felt his hackles rise, "Indeed. That would explain much. It does raise a similar question."

"She insulted Micah and the rest of the Marks." Liam waited for more information, then cleared his throat when none was forthcoming. "It is a matter between my employers and their guests. I've already said too much." Liam nodded.

Dirk was nearly finished the potion, so Liam handed the thermos to him, "You will be sore for another half hour, remain manifested and do not move until that passes. You are confined to light activities until tomorrow, you are off duty until I clear you. If you will excuse me, I have a... feral dog to examine." He grabbed his bag and left the room. The argument was still going on in the room, it sounded even more heated.

"I don't care about your damn reasons! He's a Mage! Geoff's a Spirit! They're both male!" Avery was reaching a very uncomfortable volume. Liam shook his head and knocked. "Go away!"

"Enter." Conor sounded almost calm.

"What!?" Liam opened the door, "I'm still talking to you!"

"Yes, I can't help but hear that. I also can't help but notice it is 'to' me, not 'with' me. I will discuss this with you in a moment. Yes, Healer? How is Dirk?"

"I apologize for the interruption, Mr. McDougal. Mr. O'Conall will be fully healed by morning. The shock he received may have proven fatal to another, but he was manifesting when he received it, and that prevented the worst of the damage. I noted a number of injuries, including a cracked bone, that his Spirit powers will repair swiftly. The more concerning damage was to his nervous system, including his brain. He was nearly having seizures when I reached him. I was able to stop the degradation of his nervous system and repair most of the damage already caused. He is confined to bed for at least another half hour, to allow the muscular and bone damage to heal. He is confined to light activities until tomorrow, I will check on him prior to school. I will give you the bill at that time."

"Very good, Sensei. You have my gratitude." Liam could tell his interruption worked. Avery had lost her momentum, and was thinking clearly again.

"Do you require anything further?"

"No, thank you, Sensei. Not right now."

"Then I will go examine that creature in your hall, if you do not mind. I will likely be here for an hour. Sir. Madam." He nodded to each before turning and leaving, he closed the door behind him. A conversation started up behind him. He went downstairs and turned on some lights. He was intrigued to notice that once the light reached a certain level, the mastiff became perfectly visible. He switched off the light, and it vanished from sight, very much the way Geoff seemed to when he was manifesting. He began grinning broadly, and knelt to fully examine the creature from the Elemental Plane of Darkness, humming as he did so.

---

Geoff frowned as he took the last few dishes from the table, 'What is that noise? Humming? Last thing I thought I'd hear this afternoon. Who is it?' He poked his head out of the dining room and saw Liam kneeling over the dead dog. He was facing away from Geoff, and his whip-like tail was wagging hard enough that his rump was shaking a little, too. He was humming happily, as he ran his paws along the fur, pausing to pinch or poke every once and a while. He moved to check its teeth and claws.

Liam seemed to see him standing there, his huge grim not fading, "Ah! Geoff!" He chortled, "What a marvellous specimen this is! It's perfect!" He chortled again, rubbing his paws together in glee, "See these teeth! The claws! Not bone, no. Nor are they keratin, or any other common material in Earthly organisms! This 'fur' isn't properly fur either! Ah, the papers I can write on this beastie!" He sounded like he was from Cork. Geoff was absolutely perplexed, he would've sworn that Liam was born in the same area of Cork he was from, judging by his accent. "Here, here! You must see this!" He had a small scalpel in his paw.

Geoff's eyes popped, "Whoa! Hey! No dissections in the front hall! I know the place is beat up, but we don't need a pool of blood here, too."

"Bah! This is in the name of science! Or arcane lore. Whatever. Knowledge, pup! In the face of new discoveries, what matter if a few bits of wood become a little stained? Where's your laboratory or butcher shed, then? An ice house would serve in a pinch, the sawdust will soak up what I don't bottle. I do hope I have enough bottles. My journal, now where did I put my journal?" He began checking his pockets and medical bag.

Geoff looked at him warily. 'Liam? That's not Sensei. Who is that? Liam makes sure everything is in its precise spot. He doesn't lose something unless someone else moved it.' He edged closer, "Who are you? You're not Liam Smith. Sensei doesn't lose stuff."

Liam seemed to start, and answered in his normal voice, "It is me, Geoff-san. No one has assumed my form. I merely lost myself in this discovery. I would like to begin initial examinations, promptly, if possible. Where would a good place to start, be? I do not have a proper site, but I require a good bit of the pelt and tendons. Some of the blood, and other materials may also be of assistance. If there was a scientist in the Arcane Society I could trust, that would be ideal. They delight in these discoveries as well."

Liam put a paw to his head and winced. Geoff answered, "Agent Ella. Nathanial trusts her. She wanted to meet you, anyway, Healer. I'm actually surprised all of this commotion hasn't brought her here. Why do you need that stuff?"

"A gift. Also, these planar entities have invaluable components for medicines and the creation of magic devices."

"Like grimoire?" Liam smiled slightly. "And, yes, you did seem to 'lose yourself'. To someone from Cork. That wasn't you. It was about as far from you as you can get. Like the Celt at school on Tuesday." Liam's face became stony. "I trust you, now. Mostly. This makes it hard, but you must have your reasons. I can lay a tarp out in the garage, and I have the Agent's phone number, if you want to call her."

"I thank you for your trust. Mostly. I, obviously, have secrets and wish to limit the number of people who know of it. I am losing the ability to prevent you from discovering it on your own, or reasons for not telling you. The primary reason was how quickly your identity was discovered, as well as Nathanial's. Despite your best attempts, Nathanial-san was discovered Monday, and you on Tuesday. Not the most glowing review for one who wishes to keep a secret." Geoff growled as he looked away. Liam was right. He wouldn't want to tell a huge secret to him, based on that. And Liam's secret seemed to be huge, despite how quickly certain people seemed to know of it. "I will trust Nathanial-san's judgement. May I have the number? I will just have to be persuasive when I claim my materials." He winced slightly, again, "Having Nathanial-san speak to her, first, may help."

"Do you need your medicine? I can put a kettle on."

Liam grimaced and shook his head, "No. The side effects are already debilitating. I would take the pain to avoid making them worse."

"You've mentioned them before. What are the side effects?"

A heavy sigh was his answer, but after a half minute Liam spoke, "After the amount I have taken this week, my Chi production is almost nothing. If it had not been for Faelen's semen, as well as yours, or rather the Chi in the semen, I would have been unconscious for most of this month. At this rate I may still fall unconscious. I do not seem to be getting any opportunity to rest, and I am constantly placed in situations that require me to expend Chi. It is most aggravating."

Geoff snorted, "That sounds like an understatement. I bet Nathanial feels the same." He shook his head, "Mom's here. They don't seem to like each other." He gave a brief summary of what happened, "And this is before Mom found out we're not just sweet on each other, but dating, and that Da, well..." He shuddered, "I just hope he doesn't tell her _all _ of what happened. Hearing about an all male four way would probably kill her, or us." He pulled out his phone and called up Ella's number, he handed it to Liam who copied it into his phone. "Let's move this to the garage."

They struggled to carry the mastiff through the kitchen and into the garage. It was very heavy, and quite awkward. Once it was there, Geoff grabbed a tarp and they spread it out and placed the beast on it. Liam smiled as he looked down at it, "That pup is constantly surprising." The smile faded, "I just wish this did not accompany a most distressing temper. He is currently unfit to become a student of mine. Very unfit. Where is Nathanial-san now?"

"Da sent him to my room. He's not allowed out until Da lets him."

"A wise precaution. Let us adjourn there, I wish for him to talk to this Ella first."

Geoff shook his head, "You go. I need to clean up the dining room, first."

They parted ways at the dining room, Faelen had left his father and was vacuuming the room, making sure there was no glass on the floor. He grumbled, "Those light bulbs are going to be a pain to get out of there. I'm still hungry, too." Geoff nodded in agreement. Liam smiled and continued on.

Geoff grabbed the last dish off the table, "Hey, Faelen, Dirk's all right?"

"Yeah. Da will be fine. Liam is cute, smart, tough, and a top notch Healer. You guys moved the... thing into the garage?"

Geoff nodded, smiling at Faelen's assessment of Liam, "He's still odd. He was from Cork this afternoon. He was going into raptures over how marvellous a specimen the mastiff was. He wanted to dissect it right where it was, and he couldn't find his journal. Liam-sensei? Losing something?"

"Cork? Like where Lowell O'Conall is from? Or at least lived a long time?"

"I suppose? What does that have to do with anything? We're from there, too, and he's supposed to have been your great-great grandfather. He's dead by now." Faelen shook his head and started packing up the vacuum. "He sounds like he's going to tell us what he is. He's just concerned at how quickly our identities were uncovered. Can't say I blame him for being reluctant. But he is noticeably odd, and he seems to know it. He says we'd likely figure it... out." Geoff's tone became almost accusatory, "You suspect something, don't you? He's not a Vampire, Fey, or Spirit. Those're the only really long lived things I can think of. So what are you thinking?"

Faelen put the vacuum into the closet in the hall. "I'm not sure."

"Hey, come on. Don't leave me hanging."

Faelen gave him 'a look', the one reserved for when he was being an ass or an idiot, "It's his secret. It'd be like outing him. It's just not cricket."

"But friends talk. They don't keep big secrets, right? Bah! You're right. Just tell him that you know whatever it is, so he'll finally tell me."

"I should mow the lawn tomorrow. The grass is getting long." They had moved to the kitchen and were cleaning up there. Faelen was looking out the window at the backyard, "The flower beds could use some attention, too." Geoff shook his head at the very unsubtle hint that the subject should change. They talked about very mundane topics for the next ten minutes as they tossed out the food and tidied the kitchen. The storm was passing. "I'm going out to check the Dryad's trees. You coming?" Geoff nodded, and they went out through the garage. The dim light made the mastiff hard to see, Geoff doubted that Faelen could see it at all. Faelen still made a large detour around the tarp, grabbing some tools in case the trees need some care.

Geoff and Faelen finished caring for one of the Dryads, her tree had some wind damage, and she was in a bit of pain. They carefully removed the broken branch and put some sap-based sealant on the fresh cut. That'd keep mould and other infections out. Faelen took a few minutes to work some manure into the soil around her roots, while Geoff spoke to her. He always found Dryads interesting, they were a bridge between the Fey and Spirits. Their appearance and abilities were more in line with the Fey, but were very similar to Spirits in that they were tied to a very particular natural element: their tree. The light was still on in Conor's study, and Geoff noticed that Faelen's ears often twitched towards it. He knew better than to ask what was being said. If Faelen thought he needed to know, he'd tell him. Geoff was very tempted to manifest and see if he could hear for himself, but he thought it'd be pushing it. If Conor found out, while he was this worked up, it'd be... unpleasant. His parents didn't believe in spanking, and had never hit him, but they were still very good at making their displeasure known.

Faelen's ears twitched and perked, "Conor is looking for you. We're done here, so let's go in. Good evening." He inclined his head to the Dryad, she was looking very pale and she just smiled weakly. Geoff said his farewells before they ran back in. "I'll put this stuff away, go see what Conor wants."

"Thanks, Faelen. Jeeze, I'm soaked." He carefully wiped his hindpaws off before stepping into the kitchen. "Da? I'm in the kitchen!"

Conor looked annoyed as he walked in from the hall, "Where were you? I was looking for you. Gods, you're soaked!"

"Yeah, one of the Dryads was injured during the storm. Faelen and I were helping her. Do you need me right away, or should I dry off first?"

Conor waved at him, "Go. I wanted to talk to you and Avery together for a bit before bringing Nathanial back in. I don't want you catching cold or messing up the house, though. Avery is upstairs, wring your clothes out in the garage, and then go dry off and change. Make sure Faelen does, too." Conor went back upstairs.

In the garage, Geoff stripped naked, shivering in the chilly damp. He wrung his clothes out, Faelen did as well, once he finished putting the tools away. They held their wet clothes in front of them as they stepped back into the kitchen. Faelen's ears twitched, "She's upstairs, talking to Dirk, I think. Even when she's calm her voice seems to carry. I mustn't be used to the pitch of women's voices any more, not after spending so much time with just us and our fathers." They quickly moved through the kitchen and down the hall to the stairs. The light was out in Geoff's room, but Nicholas and Micah were watching TV. Faelen took Geoff's clothes and headed for the laundry room.

"Hey, guys. Nathanial is still in my room?" Nicholas and Micah looked over, eyes widening. Geoff hid his grin. He knew that his soaked fur was plastered to his skin, making all of his muscles stand out.

Micah smiled, "Yup. Sensei went out, though. He went with that Jackal guy. Jay." Geoff frowned, he didn't know any Jackals. Then he realized the mastiff corpse wasn't in the garage when they came in from checking on the Dryads. Nicholas was blushing and turned back to the TV.

Micah was unabashedly checking him out. Geoff stretched and subtly flexed, "Well, I need to dry off and get dressed. Make sure you guys get your homework done, if you have any." Nicholas grunted. Micah was too busy staring to respond. Geoff grinned openly and walked into the bathroom, noting there was a small pool of water where he had stood. The Wolves dried off and then went to get dressed.

Nathanial was sitting on his bed, reading his Geography textbook. He looked up and smiled, eyes lingering on Geoff's white sheath. "Hel-lo there! The Dryad is doing well? She seemed to be in pain."

Geoff was shocked for a second before remembering, "You felt me go outside and checked to see what I was doing?" Nathanial nodded, "She'll be fine. They're actually very tough. Sensei went with Jay? He's another Agent?"

"Yeah. Ella was trying to sleep, so she gave me his number. He's off right now, so he has time to help Sensei. They both seemed really excited about this discovery. I'm not sure what Jay was more excited about though, the mastiff or the Rottweiler." Nathanial stopped, a surprised expression on his face, "I don't mean like that! I meant, the, um, Healer part. That he was so young, but he got rid of Demon taint. It's supposed to be extremely hard to treat. That's why the Society and the other two groups tend to just kill tainted Furs. They don't have Healers capable of treating it. At least none around, I'm sure they must have a few." He was blushing as he talked, embarrassed by his inference. "Jay met Liam-sensei by the garage and teleported out with the Shadow Mastiff. They went to somewhere in Halifax. I think near Dalhousie University. It wasn't Liam's office, but nearby. I'm not good at placing things that far out. I had Liam-sensei call me when he arrived, to make sure things were all right."

"I thought you could only sense things in a few blocks?" Geoff was trying to pull on his shirt as he talked. He was still damp, and the shirt was clinging to him.

"Hold still." Geoff stopped. "Arms up." He complied and felt his shirt move itself away from his fur and slide on. "That's true, but I can 'look' through phones. I can tell he's close, that way, but not pin down the exact distance. It was a surgical lab or something. You should've seen Liam's face, he was obvious delighted to find someone as interested in this as him, and the lab itself seemed to thrill him. He was upset he didn't have his journal. I didn't know he had a journal."

Geoff smiled, "He had my accent, too?" Nathanial looked shocked, "Yeah, he was like that upstairs, too. He wanted to dissect it right there in the hall." Nathanial looked like he was going to be sick, "Whoa! Go to the bathroom if you're going to chuck! I need to go see what Da wants, he's going to call you up in a bit. It looks like things are calmed down. Just keep yourself under control, would you. Once she gets over her surprise, Mom is really quiet reasonable. She just really hates surprises and things challenging what she's decided is going to, or is supposed to, happen. I don't like this temper of yours."

Nathanial smiled wanly, "You and everyone else, including me. I don't know what triggered it. It was the same time my magic has been going haywire. It started Tuesday, when I saw Liam-sensei get shot. And speaking of surprises, you're the same as Mrs. McDougal that way. Just ask Faelen."

Geoff winced, but leaned in to kiss Nathanial and headed upstairs. He knocked on the door to his father's study. "Enter." His mom left Dirk's room and followed him in, a little shame faced. Conor waved at them to sit. "You have something to tell Avery."

Geoff felt a little confused, "Ah. Yes? What? I can think of several things, but she seems to already know."

Conor leaned forward, pressing his fingertips together, "Yes. But say the words. I had to get it confirmed by Faelen. It should come from you."

Geoff stared at his hindpaws and cringed, his voice was barely audible, "Mom. I-I'm gay." A few tears ran down his muzzle and dripped off the end of his nose.

Avery moved, and Geoff flinched, "Don't be silly." She hugged him, "I know. I've been trying to deny it for years, but I know." Geoff began crying into her shoulder, "It isn't something you should have been forced into telling us, but I know I have a temper and it scared you. I probably would've said things to hurt you. Ah. More things. I'm sorry for what I said at tea. I don't know what I think about this Mage of yours, but," she laughed, "He has a temper to match mine, at least. You'd best learn to be as diplomatic as your father if you want to keep him."

"I do. But his temper is... unnatural, I think. He is a very shy and timid dog, normally. Until Tuesday, from what he said. His magic has been acting odd since then, too. I hope it isn't because of me."

Avery frowned, "Then perhaps you shouldn't be around him. There is a prohibition on what you're doing."

"Sensei told us his theories on why that is, and it makes sense. Nicholas and Micah aren't affected the same way, either. And I can't leave him. I love him, more than I was in love with Faelen. I-I plan on asking him to marry me when we start grade eleven, if things keep like this. I want to get married once we graduate. I can't imagine life without him, now. You'll probably call it puppy love, but..." He laughed, and sniffed around his tears, "This is almost exactly what he said to that Society Agent. She didn't really approve either, but she seems to love Nathanial like a big sister or something. He has that effect on people when he's himself."

His mother stiffened, "Agent? Why were you talking to an Agent?"

Geoff gulped, "Um. Oops? She was waiting for Nathanial when we went to find Micah." He gave a quick run down of what happened.

Avery sighed, "The Fates really have it in for those Marks boys. I guess I wasn't helping." She let Geoff go, "I don't approve of your lifestyle choice, or this pup, but I won't oppose it, either. Just, no... lovey-dovey stuff around me, okay?"

Conor rubbed his temples, "Dear. It isn't a choice. He was born gay. The same way we were born straight. Did you 'decide' to be straight?" Avery looked away, Conor looked stricken, "Avery? Please tell me the truth. I-I need to know, I will still love you, but, please." Geoff felt his stomach churn at the grief in his father's voice.

She smiled slightly, "No, I don't think so. There are a few women who are... interesting, but you are the one for me. I've thought about it before, but such things are taboo."

Conor relaxed, "Oh. Good. So have I, well, more than thought."

"What!?" Geoff hugged his mother a bit tighter. Avery tried to shake him off, "I'm talking to your father, Geoff. Go away!"

"Mom, we're the same the way we react to things. Shush. Look at me." He forced himself to look into her eyes, "I love you, Mom. Just relax. Don't lash out in anger, the way I hurt Faelen when I found out who his mother was. It sucks having to apologize, even more when you really hurt the other person."

His mother began calming down, keeping her eyes on her son's, "I know. I never seem to learn that lesson. I hope you do. Now. Who was... no. Just, ah. Do I really need to know any more?"

Geoff smiled, softly, "Yup. It was a prescription. Da told you about the Healer's theory about Spirit-Fur relations?" Avery nodded, "Well, Nathanial and I have been intimate." His mother tensed, "Shh... I'm sixteen, almost. I'm not a child." The look in Avery's eyes showed that she disagreed, "And anyway, he had a bad dream and got lost. His soul went...somewhere. We think it was the Elemental Plane of Darkness. But I brought him back before by kissing him and pushing some of my Spirit Energy into him, so I kissed him again."

"How romantic." Her voice was dry, "Right out of a fairy tale. I guess he's the princess in your relationship?"

Geoff blushed, "Mom! I thought you didn't want details! But if..."

She cut him off, putting her paws over her ears, "NO! No! Just, just go on." She put her paws down.

"That much Yang is dangerous, so Liam-sensei said that Nathanial needed Yin to balance his Chi. Only Da and Faelen are Yin. Dirk is Yang like I am. Da is the only one strong enough to counter all the Yang I gave Nathanial, but he doesn't seem able to transfer his energy like I do, so that left the, um, natural way. If you know what I mean."

"Oh, gods. He's, what, sixteen!? Conor!"

Geoff grinned evilly, "Come on, Mom. It's not like Nathanial was a virgin, anymore. Not after the night before."

"Geoff! No details, I said! I don't want to hear it! Gods. Men. Think sex is the answer for everything. If it has a hole, stick a dick in it and it'll fix everything." She shook him off and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

Conor smiled, "Well played. She took that better than I thought." Geoff smiled back.