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Chapter 48: Delayed Decisions

Faelen didn't realize he reacted strongly enough for Liam to notice, but they seemed to be able to read each other extremely well, and at times he could, at least, tell what Liam was feeling from far away. So it probably wasn't a surprise Liam noticed, but how to answer? 'Oh, sorry, I was just eavesdropping on your past lives and heard Lowell say that his kids murdered you. My great-grandparents murdered you.' Yeah, right. But Liam was, the whole room was waiting for an answer. "Um, well, it really has nothing to do with the conversation. I... was wondering something about Lowell, um, how he got on with his kids... and..." His voice got quieter as he blushed, "Um, how he... died." Dirk practically jumped out of his seat, and stared at Faelen. Geoff's jaw dropped, Nathanial froze, mid-pet, and Conor shook his head in horrified disbelief. The adults who didn't know the significance of the question seemed completely, justifiably, baffled. Only Snow seemed pleased with the turn of events.

Liam's body became very tense in his arms, "That... is completely irrelevant to the conversation."

Faelen nodded, "I know, but you asked. I need to know, not right now, but I heard something I need explained."

Garret looked like he was going to ask something, but didn't. Jay did, "Hey, bro, who's this Lowell chap, and why ask Liam? Was it one of his patients or something? Cause if it was, y'know he can't answer, dude."

Liam glanced around, "Why can we so rarely have a nice, quiet gathering, without such weighty questions, or life threatening combats, and the like? I refuse to discuss such a thing with this many people present. If it is so important, Faelen, let us remove ourselves and talk privately."

Faelen glanced at Geoff, but Dirk stood up, "I need to be there, too, Sensei. I'm sorry, but if Faelen was so troubled by this, I need to know." Liam nodded, Dirk turned to Conor, "May we be excused, sir?"

Conor glanced around, "I think we're perfectly safe. Nathanial seems capable enough to deal with any threats, and with the other people here, anyone wanting trouble would have to be a fool. Sort this out and come back when you're ready."

Nathanial nodded, "The basement entertainment area should be good. Should I make sure there are no interruptions, or is this just something you want a little quiet for?"

Liam growled and ran a paw over his muzzle, "It is... difficult. I do not wish for many interruptions or everyone listening in, but it is not a secret, as such. There are many in the Clan who could give you the gossip, for the asking."

Nathanial nodded. Faelen walked over and leaned in to Geoff, "Stay right here. Nathanial, don't let him out of your sight for a second, got it?" Snow grumbled and Faelen leapt back, "Ah, sorry, Snow." That sour stench of guilt drifted up from Geoff.

Nathanial smiled, "He doesn't like being crowded, but he was promising to help me. I got it, Faelen, go get your answers." Faelen walked the long way around, rather than stepping over Snow, and went downstairs with Dirk and Liam.

They sat down, Dirk and Faelen on the loveseat, and Liam on the couch nearby. Liam fixed Faelen with a firm stare, "What in the hells brought this on, all of a sudden?"

Faelen shifted uncomfortably, "I... heard Lowell talking. It was when Mr. Marks was talking about his parents." Liam leaned back in surprise, "Yeah, I know. I can sometimes hear your past lives nattering on about tangentially related things that's going on around you. Like Lowell started talking about the research he'd like to do on Vancouver Island. Apparently, it's a temperate rainforest. I didn't know Canada had rainforests, temperate or not."

Liam rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes it does. The entire west coast is temperate rainforest, portions of the BC interior are deserts, and the northeast part of that province is a muskeg, or a sub-polar swamp. Terribly fascinating to Lowell, not so much to me, as Liam. So, what was Lowell saying?"

Faelen was surprised at the question, "Don't you hear your past lives talking?"

Liam shook his head, "No, for which I am very grateful. Could you imagine trying to accomplish anything with a crowd of people in your head 'nattering on' all the time?" Faelen and Dirk shook their heads, "It was why I was so taken aback by your revelation, Faelen. So, again, what was Lowell saying?"

Faelen repeated what he heard, and ended with, "Did... did they really kill you?"

Liam sighed and buried his head in his paws, "Dumb ass. No, they did not. I, ah, Lowell felt very guilty about the why of seeking to have a family. The 'turning' he referred to was that he loved them, he couldn't be dispassionate or study them, because he genuinely loved them. I still do. Also, that stray thought is not how he usually thought or felt about his family. Yes, I, gods, talking about my past lives in this fashion can be so difficult. I will just refer to that life as 'me', and not try to differentiate it, all right?" Faelen and Dirk nodded. Faelen already felt very relieved, his family didn't murder Liam. Also, Liam seemed to really have loved his family. He was dreading the thought of Liam being a father like Garret used to be. "So, where was I? Yes, I had a family because I wanted to see what it was like. I liked my wife, Lorena, but never was in love with her. I loved my children, all four. We were considered truly blessed to have so many children so close in age. At times, when I was feeling despondent or lonely, grieving the old age that was closing in on me, I tried to convince myself I did not love them, that I had them to see what the children of an Ancient One would be like. I could not convince myself, for it was a very futile argument. If that was my objective, I would not have married a Spirit. How could I determine what unusual characteristic arose from me, as an Old Soul, and what came about from me, as a non-Spirit. What was normal for a Spirit? I did not know, this was my first time spending more than a week or two in the presence of one. I certainly did not know what was normal for Spirit pups. I... find myself missing my family, at times." Liam shook his head, his voice thick with grief, "Sorry, Lowell's family. Lowell misses his family. My family is here, in Halifax."

Dirk cleared his throat, "Granny Lorena is still alive, and so are your, Lowell's, children." Faelen could feel, and smell, the intensely powerful pain radiating off Liam. Liam curled up and began crying.

"I-I know. I asked Conor, in a moment of weakness, earlier. I should not have. They are nothing to me, anymore, merely notes in the history books of my past." He lifted his tear stained muzzle from his knees, Faelen slipped over sat beside him, pulling him into his side. "I cannot face them. It would be too hard for me, and unfair to them. I am still likely to die before them, even Lorena. My darling lad, little Danny, is only halfway through his life, and he is a great-grandfather. I remember the day he was born, so tiny and fragile, doomed to have a liar and fraud for a father, a father that would abandon him so soon. He was only a little older than you, Dirk, when I died. At least my health left me quickly, had I lingered I may have revealed my shame. I died of old age, Faelen. I was old, I had a hard life, all things considered. Not impoverished farmer hard, but a life of many fights, of grievous injuries, and stretching the capabilities of what the body can do. My body just... gave up, and all my skills could no longer keep it going. Seventy-eight is tragically young for a Spirit, but was very old for a normal Fur of that time."

Dirk smiled, "Little Danny? Poppy? Aedan O'Conall is a very proud Spirit, I think he'd be really offended if someone called him that, now."

Liam smiled, "He is very proud, but not as proud as I was of him. He never let anyone but me call him Danny after he started puberty, and I only did so in private. I wish I had more time with them, I never got to see Muireann get married. What a beauty she was, I named her truly, 'White Sea'. I would have been so proud to see her in a wedding dress. Then Aoife, she was wild. Strong, carefree, independent. Smart," Liam laughed, "Incredibly smart, but she was like Geoff and Micah, too energetic to stay confined or still for long periods of time. I would take her for long walks and runs, showing her the world around her. She forced herself to study, hoping to get into university so she could become a biologist. She wanted to go to Tibet, to study the wildlife there. That or the Amazon. Even with her grades, the top of her school, she couldn't find a university to take her. She was furious, and so was I." Liam smiled, staring off into space, tears running down his face. "I wonder if she ever made it to Tibet." He shook himself, "It does not matter. It. Does. Not. Matter."

Faelen licked Liam's cheek, the salty taste of the tears stinging his tongue, "Why are you trying so hard to convince yourself of that? It obviously does matter, a lot. They are your children, not were, they are. You love them. Granny Lorena still has pictures of you in the family home. I never cared about who that guy was before, but I asked when I went home for Geoff's birthday. They still care, Liam. They were really happy to talk about you when I asked, and... I think they knew. That you weren't a Spirit. At least Granny Lorena seemed to have suspicions. I can tell them the truth, if you want, and a few weeks later you can go see them. Give them a chance to digest the truth, and then give you a chance to be free of all this guilt. It's eating at you, Liam, and it's going to be something you'll continue to regret if you don't take this chance to make it right."

Dirk reached over at grabbed Liam's knee, "He's right, Sensei. One, or both, of us can go home tomorrow, after the soccer game, with Avery and Gwen and talk to your immediate family. Your kids have all moved into the O'Conall home in the cave system with Granny Lorena, so it'll be easy to get them to all together." He let Liam's leg go and sat back.

Liam smiled, "This hidden portion of the Clan is so peculiar, yet logical at the same time. I could not believe it when I first heard. A large set of caves built into the rock beneath your community housing over two-thirds of your population. It is ecologically sensible, as building so many houses would require far too many resources, and would be too hard to hide from the mundanes. I do not know how you can continue to hide such a large community from modern technology and bookkeeping now. What do you do when a member who was born two hundred years ago has a child? It is not unusual, for Spirits, but how to explain where this child came from when enrolling him or her to school?"

Faelen squeezed Liam into his side, happy that the painful scent was receding, "Now who's going onto irrelevant topics? Do you want us to talk to our family for you? Do you want us to tell them the full truth, that you're alive again and here, or just tell them we found out who you are and leave it at that? You could also leave it up to our judgement, based on how they react."

Liam froze, tears welling up again, "Let me think on this, please. I... am afraid. I do not know how I would react in their place."

Dirk said, "Hey, Sensei, don't forget, this is fairly recent for you, in some ways, but it's been a hundred and one years for us. They've had time to heal and we don't remember the same way you do. Don't think that the way you'd react is the same way they would. I think they'd want to know, and I think they'll want to meet you. It'll be awkward, especially since we'd also have to tell them you two are dating..." Dirk paused, uncomfortable, "And, um," He sighed, heavily, squirming in his seat, "In the spirit of honesty and disclosure, the truth about Faelen's birth and, um, that I'm gay, too. Hera give us strength." A very uncomfortable and prolonged silence followed.

After a few minutes Liam sat up, "Nathanial asks us to return, since we seem to be done talking. He agrees with the two of you; he thinks I should ask you to arrange a meeting for the following weekend. I need to meditate upon this." Faelen held him close as he went to stand, then pulled him into a kiss, "Nathanial says we can take a few minutes," Liam said, smiling, as Faelen released his muzzle. Faelen lay back on the couch, pulling Liam on top of him.

Dirk laughed and walked to the stairs, "Make sure your dicks aren't bulging out of your pants when you come upstairs, okay?" Faelen waved at his Da, his mouth was otherwise occupied.

---

Geoff laughed as he chased Nathanial through the warm water, catching his prey as Nathanial stopped to let Micah jump off the diving board into the fog-enshrouded water. It had taken a bit of convincing, but the pups managed to get their parents to let them go for a quick swim in the pool, despite the chilly evening air. Jay was key to this, he cast a spell to warm the water up to an acceptable temperature. The Jackal was actually skinny dipping with them, as was Dirk, Walter, and even Conor. Garret was giving Avery a tour of the house, and Geoff thought they were probably talking about Nathanial and him. Geoff pulled Nathanial close to him and slid his paw down Nathanial's front, bypassing his boyfriend's sheath, if only reluctantly. Micah popped up out of the water beside them, laughing, "Ooh, Geoff's being naughty!"

Geoff mock-snarled and dove underwater, as Micah gave a playful shriek and started to swim away, but Geoff caught his hindpaw and pulled him under. He grabbed Micah's waist and tossed him out of the water, sending the pup laughing through the air. Nathanial was floating on his back, paws under his head, smiling as he watched them. Geoff swam over, momentarily gazing at the slightly chubbed sheath resting on the white belly fur. He rested his chin on Nathanial's chest, treading water, "So, barring that little scuffle you got into, how's your birthday?"

Jay was climbing onto the diving board, his sleek, muscular body dripping water, so Geoff swam a little toward the shallow end, pushing Nathanial in front of him. Jay smoothly dove into the water, surfacing on the far side of them as Nathanial started to answer, "Great. Swimming under a bright moon like this, with all the fog around is awesome, and the warm water makes it perfect. I really got to thank you for this, Jay, it's a blast."

Jay smiled, "Cheers, bro. I'm having fun, too. I haven't gone swimming in years, and skinny dipping with my new mates is totally righteous. Good thing Ella's not here, she'd freak. I thought the missus was going to, for her."

Geoff laughed, "Yeah, she was mad at me for even suggesting it, and when you took away her biggest argument, she was torn between laughing and exploding. I don't think she was too keen on it when Conor wanted to go swimming with us, or when all of us, minus Garret, left her. She's not that comfortable with general nudity, but when it's a bunch of guys swimming like this, she's fine. If we were straight, and swimming with girls, that's be something else."

Conor swam over, shaking his head, "If there were girls, and everyone was fine with it, she'd be swimming with us. Nathanial, do you think I can manifest? Would there be... problems?"

Nathanial seemed to focus, as Geoff tried to wrap his head around the revelation, 'Skinny dipping with Mom? Ugh. Well, is it any different than Da, other than that she's a girl? Hells, I saw Da fuck my boyfriend, I don't mind seeing him naked. Ah, who am I kidding, I like looking at him, he's ripped. Mom's pretty good looking, for a woman, but eww.'

Nathanial nodded, "No problems, as far as I can see. I toned down the receptivity of the Investigators detection grid, as far as Spirit powers go, that and Dark powers. I'll take some time later to completely get rid of that portion of the spell. But, if Mrs. McDougal wants to swim with us, she could just jump in, or put on one of Mom's, I mean, Lily's swimsuits. We still have all of her clothes. I don't have any problems with it, but we'd have to check with everyone else." Conor manifest with a delighted smile.

Geoff stopped swimming without thinking and sank underwater, and came up coughing and spluttering, "Nats? Um, Nathanial? You serious!? You're the shyest one out of all of us, and you'd be fine with Mom joining us?" Everyone else stopped horsing around and swam over, making Nathanial stop floating and lower his legs into the water.

Jay raised his paw, "Whoa, hey, bro, back up. You can screw with the detection grid? The warning system we got? Dude, not cool, not cool at all. That's a major crime!"

Nathanial raised an eyebrow, "Then they're allowed adding another magic type with the express purpose of trying to track me, just one person, who has never committed a crime?"

Jay's eyes bugged, "No, no way. I didn't really think of that when you said Dark magic, I thought, well, I didn't think about it. Man, Ella's going to freakin' flip over this. But, bro, um, I heard nuthin' all right? I mean, about you messing with it? Just, um, fix it when you're done here." He swam off toward the diving board, muttering "Fucking bloody hells."

Faelen looked at Conor, surprised to see him manifest, but shrugged and manifest, too. The shallow fog was thick enough that he vanished from sight, and Geoff and Dirk copied the other two. Nathanial cleared his throat, "Okay, guys, just be careful. You two can see each other, Faelen and Geoff, and so can I, but no one else can. Don't swim under the diving board, and don't make pests out of yourselves. Everyone else, jump straight off the diving board, or call out before jumping." Snow was climbing onto the diving board, "Jay, move aside, Snow wants to jump!" Geoff laughed, this was something he never thought he'd see. The rest of Nathanial's pack showed up, curious, but stayed out of sight. Only Jay and the four older teens stayed in the deep end. Snow shifted his weight, his hackles rising as the board moved beneath him, it was a pity only Nathanial and him could see this. Snow growled and made two small bounces before launching himself into the air. He landed rump first, making a large splash, and Nathanial sped over to make sure he resurfaced safely, but Snow reappeared on the edge of the pool. Snow was dry again and didn't look all that pleased at the experience. Nathanial managed not to laugh, "Okay, guys, Snow doesn't like swimming, my pack will keep out of the water. Ten more minutes, Micah and Nick, it's getting late, and I want you guys to do some homework before bed." Geoff noticed the pause after he finished, and the lack of immediate protest, Nathanial must be talking to them privately. Nathanial swam back to Geoff, "So, guys, I'm letting Mrs. McDougal and Dad swim, if they want, in a bit. We can go in, or stay out here for a little longer. I'm pretty tired, and it seems Liam is, too." Conor seemed to be really enjoying himself, it was rare that he had the opportunity since coming here to swim, let alone swim manifested. He was fast when swimming underwater, faster than Geoff was running. Nathanial saw Geoff staring and smiled, "Yeah, Daddy seems incredibly powerful. I'm glad you're starting to exercise your powers, you might catch up to him, from the way people talk." Nathanial flipped onto his back, again, head turned to keep facing Geoff, "I just don't understand how you can't know what you can do, or didn't learn all this stuff earlier. Don't you guys have some sort of Spirit school or training programs for young Spirits to learn about themselves?"

Dirk shook his head, his half-suit of armour rattling. Geoff was surprised he didn't sink, but Dirk was probably buoying himself with it, "No, we think it's important that we discover who we are, and what we can do, by ourselves. I... disagree, strongly, with that mentality, but it's tradition. I really disagree in the case of Elementals, Incarnations, or Spirits in Faelen's and my case. We need to learn, and learn fast, about our gifts. We're expected to protect the rest of the Clan from all dangers, and we can't do that when we're stumbling through some sort of protracted adolescence."

Conor popped up out of the water beside Dirk, "I've wondered why you weren't secretly training Faelen, I know it's tradition, but you obviously don't give a damn about that, just duty. Why haven't you tried to train him?"

Dirk met Conor's eyes, unflinching at the almost harsh accusation, "How? Can you get any farther apart in Spirit types? I have powerful defensive capabilities and good offensive abilities, too; Faelen's are based around obscuration, observation, and mobility. I'm a tank, he's a scout. What can I possibly teach him?"

Conor seemed surprised and thoughtful, Geoff was, too. He agreed with Nathanial, and had always wondered why Faelen wasn't getting trained by Dirk, quietly, of course. He'd never considered how... impossible that was. Conor answered, first, "You're right. I wouldn't even know where to begin, either. Some of my abilities might overlap with his, but I don't have my abilities written out in a nice booklet to refer to. I don't even have a mental map of what I can do, to try to pick out what to get him to try."

Nathanial snorted, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! You guys are constantly under threat from the Hunters and Knights, and frequently at odds with the Society. You seem to emphasize combat, glorify strength, and reward aggression, but you don't even have anything of what you guys can do codified into some sort of Spirit martial arts? How can you improve from generation to generation? How can you expect to keep your sovereignty or lives when faced with an evolving and advancing group of foes and competitors? Do you think the Society is above enslaving you, once their power is such that war is so unbalanced as to be immediate suicide on your guys part? Hells, forget slaves, just start writing book titles on your backs and calling yourselves grimoire!"

Geoff recoiled from Nathanial's anger, as Dirk bristled, armour rattling ominously. Conor just raised his paw, "Be still." Dirk settled, but still seemed steamed. The pool was completely silent, "You're right. You said it with a complete lack of diplomacy, but you're right." Dirk's jaw dropped, Geoff wasn't sure if his had or not. "That's one more thing we need to fix in a broken and anachronistic culture." He shook his head ruefully, "A culture that's completely fragmented and splintered, but starting with the Cork Clan could be the impetus needed to start the change globally. It's things like this that emphasize the need to have a global council, like a Spirit UN. Perhaps Geoff should start writing out a checklist for when he takes over." Geoff recoiled at the idea, "Only a Dark or Light Elemental would have the natural authority necessary to make such big changes, Son. I can't. I wouldn't be able to make the changes in my Clan, let alone get other Clans to follow suit."

Nathanial snorted, again, "Please. That's a defeatist attitude. Have you even tried? Get the ideas and start talking to people. Suggest it to the Alpha. You said your father respects you and turns to you for advice. Try to get him to at least consider the idea, the pros and cons. He knows how precarious things are. Hells, why are you even here, except that the Hunters were making things too difficult for Geoff, the Clan's precious Dark Elemental, to stay! And you were afraid how things would shake out with the Society if something happened. Ella seemed to agree, on some points. If your father would be forced to betray his own grandson if the Clan found out he was gay and wanted him gone, he'd be forced to institute reforms if enough of the Clan pushed for them." Dirk looked like he was about to explode, even Da looked angry. Geoff could feel the pressure of his Spirit powers, especially through the water. Nathanial seemed completely unperturbed.

Conor's eyes narrowed, "You really need to learn how say things nicely; you came across as an absolute bitch, but, yes, you're right, again."

Liam nodded, "He is, Conor-san, as are you, on that point." He addressed Nathanial, "Even when you feel strongly about a topic, Nathanial, you must take care in how you say it. That is often as, if not more, important than what you say. Conor-san, I think that even if you could start the dialogue, that would be a huge step forward."

Conor hesitated before answering, "I'll start talking, maybe send a few e-mails out to begin with. Perhaps I should get you to write them first, Nathanial, and I'll just ensure they don't insult the people we want to side with us." Nathanial blushed. Conor's eyes slid along Nathanial's body, "Hey, Nathanial, you look to be in a lot better shape compared to the last time I saw you like this." His paw reached up and ran through the fur on Nathanial's chest, "You're getting a lot more adult fur, too. Looking good, son." Nathanial blushed again, fiercely, and lowered his legs back down to tread water. Geoff thought he saw Nathanial's sheath swelling even more.

Nathanial's ears tilted back, slightly, "Heh, um, th-thanks. We just noticed that today when Ms. Paul commented on how tight my jacket was getting around the shoulders. I need to get measured for a new uniform." Geoff smirked, and slipped his arms around Nathanial, pulling Nathanial back against his groin. Nathanial blushed even more and Geoff could feel Nathanial's erect penis start twitching against his arm, "Um, stop, Geoff. Please?" Geoff nipped Nathanial's neck and let him go, laughing. Conor was trying not to laugh as he gave Geoff a stern look. Nathanial raised his voice, calling over to Nick as he was about to dive into the pool, "Last jump, you two, then head inside. You can take the back door, if you want, it's unlocked, and don't forget to shower."

Geoff decided he wanted to float, it looked comfortable, and flipped onto his back. Nathanial put his chin on Geoff's stomach and watched Nicholas dive into the pool. Conor dove underwater, and Dirk swam over to Walter. Faelen and Liam were in the back corner of the deep end, talking quietly. "So, Michelle."

Nathanial sighed, then blushed, again. Geoff looked at him, questioningly, but Nathanial just said, "I don't want to. I... probably wouldn't be able to be convincing." Geoff felt his Da swim under his back, brushing by his tail, "I don't think I'm, um, flaming, but I've always been accused of being gay. People would likely guess I'm just trying to throw off the rumours, unless I did something drastic, like make out with her in public. I can't do that. I don't even know if I could dance with her." He sighed, "Oh, Dad and your Mom are on their way. They don't have swimsuits with them." Micah and Nicholas were just climbing out of the pool. Nathanial slid a paw under Geoff's back, down to the base of his tail, "So, you? You'd be more convincing than me, but could you take her to the dance? You... don't seem to like non-Spirits, much, and normal Furs even less." Geoff flinched, "Could you be an attentive date to one, a female one? Could you actually make it look like you liked her, even if it just looked like you wanted to have sex with her?" Geoff recoiled at the thought, making Nathanial laugh, "Yeah, I know." Nathanial slid his paw down so his fingers ran along Geoff's crack and over his rosebud before moving back up to his tail.

Geoff shuddered and felt his sheath thicken, "Stop that." The patio door opened and Garret and his mother walked out, both dressed in bathrobes. Geoff looked away as they slid them off, "Dad, Mom's here." Conor jumped out from underwater, shooting completely out of the water to land on the concrete on his hindpaws. He walked over to take her paw. Geoff, without thinking, watched his father walk, still finding it strange to see him with a thick, muscular tail, almost like an otter's. When he held his paw out, the webbing between his fingers was obvious, too.

Garret and Walter noticed it, with Walter asking, "Conor, are your paws webbed when you... what's the term? Power up?"

Avery smiled, "Manifest. Yes, they are. His fur changes texture and colour, too. Why is everyone manifested? I assume Geoff and Faelen are, since I can't see them and Nathanial and Sensei are obviously each cuddled with someone."

Conor leaned over and kissed her, she was rather pretty, but Geoff still felt a little uncomfortable seeing his Mom nude. It was the first time, even though nudity wasn't as taboo as it seemed to be here, it just seemed that Mom didn't like nudity. Conor smiled, "Nathanial said it should be all right, he also turned down the receptivity of the spy spell so we shouldn't be detected. I wanted the chance to swim freely."

Jay swam up to the edge of the pool, "Hey, missus, didn't think you two would be joining us. Thanks for the invite, bro, this is the best day I've had in ages. Are there any brews, now that the young pups are inside?" Avery manifest with a small smile as she slipped from Conor's arms and into the pool.

Garret smiled, "Yeah, I left them just inside the house. I wasn't sure if Micah and Nicholas were still here."

Avery exhaled in contentment, "The water is perfect. Not too warm, but a lot warmer than the air. The fog adds a nice touch, and so does the moon, but it's a bit dark. Sorry, Geoff. Can we get a little more light?" A few small globes of light appeared by the corners of the pool, and a swarm tiny lights, a little larger than fireflies, appeared over, and in, the water.

Jay smiled at Nathanial, "Bro! Nice touch! Let me get rid of mine and see how much light yours are casting." The larger globes vanished, making Geoff happy, but Jay continued, "Could you make some more, bigger, around the edge of the pool?" Nathanial nodded, his chin digging slightly into Geoff's stomach. A dancing ring of lights, the size of cherries, appeared around the edge. The light was from each was slightly dimmer than a candle, all in all the light was a tiny bit brighter than a full moon. The lights underwater were a bigger help for the others than those around the pool, but they looked very nice.

Nathanial shook his head, tickling Geoff a bit, "Michelle, we need to let her know." His voice dropped, barely audible, "Gods, both our dads are hot." Garret had walked out, still naked, putting a small cooler by the edge of the pool. Conor grabbed two beers, his cock and balls swaying as he saluted Garret, and slipped into the water by Avery, passing her an opened one. Nathanial sighed, then called out, "The four of us are probably going in soon, make sure you have a designated person that's not drinking."

Garret laughed, "Yes, Dad. We'll be responsible." He opened a bottle and slipped into the water, too, "This is great!"

Geoff laughed, "We keep getting sidetracked, don't we." He whispered, "Yeah, you're right. I'd love to see Da plough you, again, or get my dick in your Da. His ass is almost as hot as yours." His voice came back to normal, noticing Conor glancing over at them, appearing a little surprised, "I... don't like, I really don't like the idea. She seemed to be in so much pain, I don't want to be taking advantage of her, even if she agreed to this. She might enjoy herself, but she likes us, even knowing we're gay. Isn't it toying with her emotions, even a little?"

Nathanial flipped onto his back, only the very tip of his penis was poking out, and hooked his arm into Geoff's, so they floated beside each other, "Yes, it is. Playing Devil's Advocate for a second: Rolph, the Clan, your family. What happens if someone, any Spirit in our school starts talking, and the word gets back to your Clan? Do they, the local Spirits, know who you are? It sounds like they do, but why don't they seem to want to be your friend?"

"Few Spirits go to our school, they live in a different county, or something. I think. I don't even know which students are Spirits, I don't know if they know who I am, but they probably do. Anyway, about my Clan finding out, it's a possibility, one that scares me after what Da was saying. That's what makes me pause. I can't imagine living my whole life trying to hide, but I couldn't live with myself if my family suffered because of me. The Fates are cruel, dooming me to misery. I wish I could change my life, but any change wouldn't make me happier. I wish I was straight, that'd solve the big problems, but I wouldn't have you, rendering the whole thing moot. I wish I wasn't a McDougal, but then I still wouldn't have you, because I wouldn't be here, and would never have met you, but at least there wouldn't be so much pressure to become Alpha. Even if I was still a Dark Spirit, the expectations wouldn't be nearly as high. If I had a different family, one I didn't care about hurting, I'd be miserable and no farther ahead. No matter what I do or what I wish, someone gets hurt and I still will end up miserable." Nathanial leaned over, as well as he could without sinking, and kissed him.

Conor called over, "Hey, Geoff, get over here and grab a beer. We should talk."