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Chapter 91: Gathering Some Flowers

Geoff made sure Liam made it to bed alright, despite Liam's protestations that he could take care of himself, thank you very much. Geoff wasn't just worried about Liam, though; he was really worried about Nathanial, too. He knew Nathanial was probably upset about him getting help from Faelen with...that. Thinking about that made him shiver in terror as he softly closed the door to Dirk's room and slowly paced down the hall. He'd tried really hard to show Nathanial how he felt, to the point that Nathanial almost got angry at him, but he wasn't sure Nathanial was convinced. Nathanial hadn't acted angry over the...thing, but more confused and hurt. Geoff wasn't sure why; it wasn't like he set out to have sex with Faelen or even really wanted to -- though it was incredible. It was just something that needed to be done to fulfil his duty. Wasn't it? Shouldn't Nathanial understand? Didn't Nathanial have to have sex with Da, despite it being much more serious to have sex with an older, married guy? Geoff did apologise, and Nathanial said he wasn't upset and that he forgave Geoff, but it seemed like there was something still bothering his boyfriend. He diverted away from the stairs and went to Gwen's room.

His mom had just convinced Gwen to take down the wall of rocks she'd made from around her bed and crawl out from under it. Gwen was still manifested and looked absolutely spooked. Avery held her close and gently rubbed her daughter's head and back as she rocked the young girl.

Geoff walked over and ruffled his sister's fur. "Hey, Gwen. Crisis over, everything is okay now." He began to address his mom even before Gwen nodded in response. "Hey, Mom, can I use Da's computer for a few minutes? I want to order some flowers for Nathanial." He paused for a moment. "And I guess look up the appropriate thing to send a Buddhist when a family member dies. Or should I send Liam something appropriate for a Hellenist? Huh, I wonder what he actually is. Can you be both?"

Avery looked over her shoulder as she continued to rock Gwen. "Yes, you can go use the computer." Gwen wriggled a bit, so Avery let her go. "Are you okay, sweetie? I know that was terrifying, even for us." Gwen nodded and began organizing her rocks, so Avery leaned back against Gwen's bed. "I understand why for Liam, but why do you want to get flowers for Nathanial?"

Gwen cocked her head to the side. "'Cause they're dating, Mom. Isn't that what you're supposed to give your girlfriend, even if your girlfriend is a boy?"

Avery smiled and smoothed Gwen's fur. "That's true, Gwen. It is something that's nice to get, whether you're dating or married with two children."

Geoff made a mental note to tell his da that he'd be smart to get some flowers...soon.

Avery continued, "But why order them? Why don't we just go into the gardens in the caves and pick some? Is there a specific reason you suddenly want to get him some flowers?"

Geoff blushed. "I...was hoping to talk to you about that." Avery nodded and Geoff gave her his paw to help her up. "It's about earlier." They both knew he was referring to the, ahem, donation. "Nathanial was a bit upset about it, and I've tried showing him that I love him, but I'm not sure if it was enough. He still seems upset."

Avery nodded and turned to Gwen. "Will you be all right by yourself for a while? Faelen and Nathanial are right down in the kitchen if you need anything." She smiled tenderly when Gwen nodded, then bent over to lick her daughter's ear. "I love you, sweetie."

Geoff idly waved at his sister as he walked out of the room. "So, would flowers be enough? He says he forgives me and that he's not angry." Avery clicked her tongue, making Geoff's blood run cold. He panicked a little. "No? Oh gods, what should I do then? It's not like I wanted to do this. I-I needed to go through with the..." He waved his paws as he forced himself to say, "...siring...thing if I wanted to have a chance to marry him. I needed Faelen's h-help..." He swallowed heavily, hating to admit this to his mother, but he needed her advice. He weakly continued, "...t-to, uh..." He couldn't say it.

Fortunately, Avery understood. She patted his arm as they went downstairs. "I know what you mean, dear. It may just take a bit of time for him to get over it, but flowers never hurt. Better make them roses, unless you know if he has a favourite flower."

"Uh..." Geoff blanked. Flowers? Why would they talk about flowers? "I think he said something called a 'forget-me-not' was pretty. He also likes cherry blossoms." They were outside the kitchen at this point, so Geoff poked his head in to ask Faelen a question. "Hey, is it all right if Mom and I go for a short walk in the caves, Faelen? I'll stay out of trouble and be back in a half-hour. I promise to stay right by Mom the whole time." He saw a gloomy-looking Nathanial fondling a wicked-looking knife as several other things were going on their own, so he went in to comfort him.

Faelen said, "No, it isn't. I'll go with you, or you can wait until after supper." He frowned when Geoff appeared to ignore him while hugging and nuzzling Nathanial, but he continued making sandwiches.

Geoff's ears drooped. "Aww." He nipped on Nathanial's neck. "I don't want to leave Nathanial in here alone, but I want to take a walk and talk to Mom."

Nathanial sighed and looked at Geoff with a forlorn expression, making Geoff's heart melt. The Akita murmured, "Um, Kiera is just leaving the alpha's. Do you want me to call her over?"

Avery looked at Nathanial closely. "Yes, please. How are you feeling, Nathanial?" She walked over and waved Geoff away so she could hug the Akita. Geoff hovered nearby, nearly whimpering as she held his boyfriend close. "You know Conor and I are always here if you want to talk. We care for you, too. This can't have been easy for you, but I know how you must feel; I went through the same thing." The Akita cringed in her arms. She licked his ear and shushed him. "Shh, shh, shh. Geoff loves you, dear boy, Faelen is his brother for all intents and purposes. I've seen the way he looks at you, and my son is definitely deeply in love with you."

Nathanial sniffled; a few tears ran down his cheeks. "That doesn't matter, though." Geoff whimpered loudly and moved around his mother and boyfriend, trying to get at him, while Nathanial continued, "He's a prince, or more, and...I... I'm nothing. I don't deserve s-someone like him." Nathanial's eyes flicked to Geoff's before he dropped his gaze to the floor, ashamed.

Avery stepped away from Nathanial and Geoff immediately glomped onto him, softly whimpering and threatening to squish his pup. Avery rolled her eyes and smiled fondly at her son. "Let's go, Geoff. Nathanial needs to finish making supper, which smells wonderful, by the way."

Geoff moved around so he could stare worriedly into the scared and grieving eyes of his lovely Akita. "But, but..." He looked over at his mother beseechingly. How could he leave his pup after that?

Gwen wandered into the kitchen. "Can I have a glass of orange juice?" Faelen put his knife down and went to the fridge. Gwen ignored him for the moment, instead looking over at Nathanial in confusion. "Why don't you deserve him? If he's a prince you just need to marry him and become a princess. Then you're both the same and can live happily ever after. I heard you were standing up to Uncle Rolph and telling Grandda Luke that you wanted to keep Geoff even if you had to fight for him. Why give up now?" She took the glass of orange juice Faelen had poured for her. "Thanks." She took a gulp, oblivious to everyone's stares. "Just kiss my toad of a brother and be each other's prince or princess...or whatever you want to be. I don't think Geoff is very princeish." She wandered back out of the kitchen. "Oh, hi, Kiera."

"Good evening, Gwen." Kiera walked into the kitchen. "Hello, sirs, ma'am." She stood by the door, impassive and patient. They acknowledged her appearance with nods all around.

Geoff turned back to Nats. "I don't deserve you, Nathanial. I'm not a prince; I'm a knave, a cad, a scurrilous miscreant who wishes he could be the prince you deserve." He licked Nathanial's ears and muzzle, whimpering and whining. "You're not nothing, you're wonderful! I won Aphrodite's lottery when I walked into homeroom on the first day and saw you sitting there. I was struck by Eros's arrow and was instantly head over heels when I sat beside you at lunch. Just before the bell rang at the end of lunch period, I knew I'd met the pup I needed to marry." He gave Nathanial a quick kiss and licked away the tears on the stunned Akita's face. He needed to convince Nathanial the truth to his words. "I-I love you, Nathanial! I'll go out and shout it from every rooftop in Ireland; just don't think you don't deserve me when I don't deserve you." He didn't realize he was crying until Nathanial reached up to wipe away his tears. He whimpered and pushed his face into the white paw, then pressed his muzzle against Nathanial's, kissing him with as much passion as he could muster.

Geoff heard a faint noise behind him, but it didn't register until Nathanial pushed him away. Nathanial was blushing furiously, but looked extremely pleased. The noise was caused by the kitchen door swinging shut after Ciaran walked in, his long black coat rippling in the breeze created by the door. Both Ciaran and Faelen looked stunned: Ciaran by the sight of Geoff and Nathanial kissing, and Faelen by the unexpected appearance of his uncle.

Ciaran's expression quickly became neutral. "My apologies for interrupting; I was just checking in on things. I was expecting Kiera back inside the alpha's -- she said she was just stepping out for a moment -- and the alpha wondered about food. He wanted to make sure there was enough for twenty before sending people over."

Nathanial kept his gaze down and, though his blush hadn't abated, he quietly yet confidently said, "Yes, in twenty minutes or so. U-Um, sorry. I was distracted or I would've stopped before you came in." He glanced at Geoff then at Ciaran's chest, still unable to meet his eyes. "You... You aren't upset?"

Ciaran chuckled, a little nervously, but it was still genuine. "Ah, no problems, I already knew. It was unexpected, but I don't have any issues with...that." He shook his head in disbelief. "Still, seeing it is...different than knowing about it. You've probably heard many times that homosexuality is so taboo in Spirit culture that it's never discussed beyond..." He attempted to impersonate Marvel's The Hulk as he said, "'...gay bad!' So, well..." He just shrugged; Geoff was really surprised he was so cool about it. "Will you be staying here, Kiera?"

Kiera tipped her head toward Faelen, who'd returned to making sandwiches. "I'll be escorting Mr. McDougal and his mother in Faelen's stead while they go on a short walk."

Ciaran gave a quick nod in understanding. "Very well. If you wanted to go back, I can take them instead. I was going to take a walk myself, or talk to..." He paused as he looked around the room. "Didn't you have two friends with you, Faelen? You shouldn't let either of them wander around unescorted."

Geoff found that really puzzling; of course Ciaran knew Liam was here. Then it dawned on him that he wasn't letting Kiera know that he knew...yada yada yada. Smart.

Faelen answered, "Yeah. Liam Smith, a Monk. He's got a bad cold so he's upstairs resting. The trip has really been draining for him; the tension and the fighting did him in." Faelen shot his uncle a dirty look when Kiera glanced at the vegetarian sushi rolls Nathanial was making. Was it still sushi if it didn't have raw fish?

Geoff was confused and not just about the sushi. Did Faelen blame Ciaran for the argument Geoff had with him and Liam? Well, Ciaran did kill Muireann, which was the cause of the argument, but it really wasn't like Faelen to bring someone into their problems. Ciaran didn't seem to know what was going on either, but then again he didn't look confused or guilty -- just blank.

Avery sighed. "One of you come with us, please. If we're going to make it back in time to eat we need to go."

Kiera waved to her uncle. "You can go if you want; I'm going to sit with Poppy Aedan. He seems to be breaking down. I've heard him muttering about 'da' several times, like he's forgotten Poppy Lowell is dead. I'm getting worried." She sighed heavily. "Granny Lorena has her paws full with Uncle Tanai, too. He's acting like Aunt Muireann was murdered and not the seventh suicide this year." She shook her head. "So many pointless deaths. Far, far too many considering how few of us there are." She shook herself out of her growing funk. "Sorry, Uncle. I'll go back."

Ciaran nodded. "Very well, you are relieved." He took Kiera's spot by the door when she left. He even copied her stance and stared steadily out into the kitchen.

'Bloody O'Conalls.' Geoff glanced around and mentally shrugged before pulling Nathanial away from the cutting board and giving him a quick kiss. He whispered into his pup's ear, "I love you, Nathanial. I'll be back soon."

Nathanial had, fortunately, left the knife on the board, and wrapped his arms around Geoff's neck, keeping his paws clear so he wouldn't get dirt on them. "I-I love you, too." He rubbed his nose over Geoff's, blushing furiously the whole time. He stole a quick kiss before letting the Wolf go. "Shoo, I've got to get food ready."

Geoff smiled and took his mother's paw; she looked amused and annoyed at the same time as they walked out of the kitchen with Ciaran, who really didn't seem to mind one way or the other.

They started walking down into the basement when Ciaran spoke. "Sir, ma'am. Before you start talking I need to ask a question -- were either of you there when the Mage and the Monk gave their report on the teleporter?"

Avery shook her head. "No, we weren't. Don't worry though; we know about Smith-sensei and his relationship to your family. Both relationships."

Ciaran nodded. "Very good, ma'am."

Geoff tipped his head to the side and looked back at the O'Conall. It was a really odd question to ask; it wasn't like it really impacted Ciaran. "Why? We heard some of it, but, um, I'm not sure how much Grandda would want us to pass around." It wasn't like Ciaran was one of the alpha's advisors, so there was probably a bunch of stuff that he wasn't privy to.

"Da gave the impression it wasn't safe and needed to be fixed; I was hoping to bring my wife and daughter over to visit him when I had the chance. They're currently out kayaking around Ireland with most of the other O'Conall women."

The older Spirit's posture shifted. It was almost exactly the same way Faelen's did when he was trying to hide something that bothered him, but why would kayaking bother Ciaran? Most of the O'Conall women went, but not... Oh. Right. This guy was the one who just murdered his sister. Was he wishing that Muireann had gone on the trip, too? Was there some regret there, or was he just horny and wished his wife was here? Nah, if that shift in posture meant the same thing it did in Faelen, it meant he was actually really upset. What in all the hells do you say to comfort the guy who just murdered his sister, especially when it's her death he's upset over?

Geoff turned around and clapped his paw on Ciaran's shoulder. "I'm sorry your duty forced your paw, Ciaran; I know that couldn't have been easy. I-I know the rest of the clan will never know, but you may have saved lots of lives." 'Especially Faelen's life.' He didn't know what he would do if the clan threatened Faelen just for being gay or for not being a full Spirit. He knew for sure he wouldn't stay in the clan if Faelen couldn't, even if it sparked conflict throughout the Hidden World. Still, the entire thing made him feel sick to his stomach; being nice to this guy was probably the worst part, even if he was suffering in silence for his fucking duty to the clan.

Ciaran almost looked surprised; it was kind of funny how similar his cues were to Faelen's. "Thank you, sir. It's...gratifying to hear that from you. We aren't here to talk about this, though. I'll ask the alpha about the teleporter."

Geoff nodded idly; his mind was occupied elsewhere. Would Faelen have done what Ciaran did? Faelen said he would kill Muireann if it came down to it. Would he really have become an assassin if he was in this guy's place? Geoff basically knew nothing about Ciaran, but he reminded him of Faelen, and it raised a lot of disturbing questions.

He pushed those questions from his mind and turned to his mother, who was listening quietly with a pensive expression on her face. "Mom, I've never dated anyone before. I'm kinda stumbling through all of this and there's just so much to worry about all the time! What if I say something stupid...uh, again? How can I show how much I care without suffocating him? You know, all that stuff. And then there's everything else. Is it safe to hold his paw at this place or that one? Will I cause a row if someone finds out we're gay, or even if they become suspicious? I'm not even talking around the clan but just anywhere or anyone. If, for some inexplicable reason, he wants to go to the dance, do I take him? There are some out guys at school, but they aren't dating the star of the football team. And they aren't as sweet and vulnerable as Nathanial is, either. Would it be safe for me to take him?" He felt that familiar gnawing in his gut as he finally gave voice to a tiny percentage of his worries.

Avery shushed him before he could keep going. "Telling you to stop worrying is pointless, I know that from experience." She hooked her paw around his elbow after they descended to the second basement. She leaned over to gently bump into him and quietly said, "This isn't the best time to talk about that. There're always people around down here, but I will say that I think you're doing a great job as it is. As long as you show that you care enough to be concerned about him like this, that you really value his feelings and safety, then everything else should fall into place. Just make sure you don't decide for him; talk about things, express your concerns, but his decisions are his to make. Never try to take them over, even if it's 'for his own good.'" She chuckled. "Of course there are always exceptions, so I probably shouldn't have said 'never,' but you know what I mean."

Geoff smiled wanly. "Yeah. I know." He glanced back over his shoulder to make sure Ciaran was still there. The guy was as bloody quiet as Liam, which probably wasn't surprising. Yeah, he was there, slight and really unthreatening. He almost looked dwarfed by that black coat, but sometimes when the light caught him right, or Geoff glanced at him at the right time, the dusty-coloured Wolf looked really cool in it. He mentally shook himself; he shouldn't be thinking favourably about this guy at all. Why was he having such a hard time remembering what Ciaran did? Fuck, he lit into Faelen and Liam for what happened, and the guy who did it was right there!

After they left the subbasements and walked into the caves, Geoff saw a younger Spirit walking across the intersection ahead of him; it was Bran ap Dafydd. Bran was one of his friends; a fourteen year-old Spirit from the Cardiff Clan. His parents had successfully petitioned to come to Cork so he could attend school with other Spirits -- there were no Spirit pups in Cardiff within three years of his age. The fact that his mother was slated to be the next alpha of Cardiff and he was close to Geoff's age didn't hurt at all, either.

Bran glanced over and saw him; he waved excitedly and ran over. The black Wolf had grey-brown splotches of fur all over his pelt, including over his left eye, and he was short. He was probably a good six or seven centimetres shorter that Liam. Really, Liam was nicer, smarter, and much cooler than this guy, but that probably wasn't a fair comparison. Liam was in a class of his own in many ways.

Bran stopped a few paces back, panting. His dark brown eyes were nearly black, and they danced in excitement as he gazed up at Geoff. "Hey! You're back! This is so cool; it's really dull without you around. Please tell me you're..." He trailed off, nose twitching, as his face screwed up in confusion. "You stink! Gods, what were you doing? Hugging vermin? You got their stench all over you." His eyes almost closed in concentration, so he missed the murderous expression that crossed Geoff's and Avery's faces. "It's...off, though. More like a 'crat, but it's still not right. Well, it might be. It's not like I've met very many of those damned Mages, just the De Gaulle twins, but it's still different. And still stinks."

Geoff thought Nathanial smelt nice. Right from the beginning, actually, which was a bit strange since he used to agree with Bran about how bad Furs and Mages smelt. Still, who the fuck was this runt to be saying Nathanial stank? He tried to moderate his tone, though, Bran was his friend. "Yes, I did hug my friend. He was really upset, so I gave him a hug. It doesn't matter if he's a Mage; I'll make friends with whomever I want."

Avery's tone was much icier. "Nathanial is a sweet boy and the weekend has been very rough on all of us. I'd ask you to never talk about him like that again. Understood?"

Bran stepped back with wide eyes. "Y-Yes, ma'am." He licked his muzzle nervously, tail tucked firmly between his legs. "I, uh, s-sorry." He scuttled away, going back to whatever business he was on.

Geoff stepped back to Ciaran and whispered, "He's right about one thing, though. Spirits smell different. How the hells could Lowell hide for so long? His scent should've given him away."

Ciaran's ears twitched momentarily before he whispered back. "The soap he used made his scent very close to a Spirit's and he took some herbs that changed his body chemistry to produce an odour similar to ours, too. Between the two no one could tell the difference. I didn't know Bran ap Dafydd had such a keen sense of smell; he wasn't that close to you."

Geoff answered at his normal volume and began walking by his mother again; she was still looking pretty annoyed. "He's a Raven Spirit. I don't exactly know what that gives him, other than a knack for mischief." Geoff paused. "Well, other than the normal stuff." That 'normal stuff' was talking to his animal -- ravens in this case, senses on par with his animal, and the ability to call them from across a large area. A powerful Spirit could assume the shape of that animal or acquire characteristics of one (gills for a Fish Spirit, for example). Geoff wasn't sure if Bran could take on the shape of a raven or grow wings; he wasn't overly strong so it was unlikely that he could, but he might be able to when he matured.

Ciaran just nodded and followed them quietly.

---

Faelen and Nathanial were just finishing up preparations for supper when Nathanial turned to Faelen and said, "They're on their way over. We don't have enough seats for everyone, so we should just set everything up on the dining room table and let people wander. I'll prepare the table if you want to move the chairs out of the way."

Faelen nodded. He put the largest kettle on and went to head out to the dining room when he paused. "Is Geoff in range of your senses?" He was worried about his boss; he was with Ciaran, and if Geoff was angry at Liam over what happened, he didn't know how he'd react to the assassin. If Faelen wasn't happy with Ciaran, Geoff must be worse.

Nathanial smiled; he looked like he knew what was going through Faelen's head. "Yes, Faelen, he's fine. He's just walking back into the second subbasement with Avery and your uncle. He's carrying--" Nathanial broke off suddenly and blushed furiously; one of his hindpaws scuffed the floor bashfully. "Aww..." He glanced up at Faelen, his eyes shiny with tears and a small smile teasing the corners of his muzzle. "He got me some roses. They're beautiful."

Faelen chuckled. Nathanial could be so incredibly sweet and cute. If Geoff saw... Faelen whipped out his phone and snapped a picture of the Akita, who actually became more embarrassed and ducked his head the way Geoff found irresistible. He even grabbed the end of his tail in his paws. Faelen snapped a second photograph and looked at the picture, pleased. "I got Geoff's new desktop picture right here."

Nathanial stuck his tongue out at Faelen. "Meanie." He didn't sound upset, so the Wolf snapped yet another picture. "Shoo, get those chairs out of the way." Trays of food levitated their way into the dining room as the front door opened.

Faelen laughed as he put the phone away and stepped over to pull Nathanial into a quick hug. He nuzzled the Dog's ear. "Geoff will be upset that he missed your reaction to the flowers, so I wanted to show him." He nipped the end of Nathanial's ear before pushing through the swinging door and walking into the dining room. He saw Conor and Dirk walking into the front hall with the alpha. The air around Dirk smelt thick with grief; he was a lot closer to that generation of the O'Conalls, though not as close as his da. Faelen was surprised at the intensity of the grief though, and walked over and hugged the Bone Spirit. "Hey, Da, we're just setting up some food. I'll fetch you a plate once the dining room is set up; I need to move the chairs and stuff, first."

Dirk nodded and sniffled before numbly walking into the living room, with Alpha McDougal following.

Conor watched them go with a small headshake. "I...didn't think he was that close to Muireann. He gave no real hint of it at all; not even his scent indicated he hurt like that. I shouldn't have made him work all evening." Conor followed him into the dining room and helped move the chairs.

Faelen smiled wanly. "I couldn't smell much from him either, or from Poppy Aedan, but I think they just weren't letting themselves feel anything. Liam was the same way until Geoff made him acknowledge how much he was hurting."

Conor was silent as they carried some of the chairs out of the dining room, down the hall, and into the living room. Granny Lorena, Poppy Aedan, Poppy Faeden, and Kiera were there now. Kiera was cuddled into her grandfather, her head on his chest. Poppy Aedan rubbed her back, idly, as he stared blankly into the distance. Poppy Faeden sat beside his daughter, with his face buried in his paws. Granny Lorena occupied the chair beside the couch. She had her MP3 player out and some earbuds in, but Faelen could hear that she was playing the music Liam gave her. She had tears running down her cheeks and appeared to be completely lost in the music. Dirk was sitting beside the alpha in the love seat, grief-stricken, but he still watched everything closely-especially Conor.

Conor sighed as they re-entered the dining room. "I've spent almost every hour of the last eighteen years with Dirk; I don't like the idea that I don't know him as well as I thought I did. How could he hide something like this from me?" Faelen could smell the sour bile-like stench of guilt pouring off Conor, making his stomach churn. Conor gave him a sickly apologetic smile.

Faelen shrugged. "It's no harder to hide his emotions from you than it is to hide them from himself. I really don't think Da knew how much Muireann's death upset him, and seeing how hurt the rest of his family was would just make his pain worse." He switched to a teasing tone. "Just stop feeling guilty, please. You smell like Geoff did when he ate all of his Halloween candy in one sitting." It was strange after all this time to finally find someone else who understood the problems caused by smelling emotions and that it was someone who'd been beside him from day one.

Conor chuckled; he still smelt guilty but not as sickeningly. "Yeah, I think that's one of the worst emotional scents there is. Sorry."

They quickly moved the rest of the chairs out of the way as the last tray of food came in. Faelen could smell roses -- Geoff must've just opened the door to the basement. "Sir, could you get Da a plate? Geoff just got back." He leaned over and whispered into Conor's ear, "He was feeling guilty, so he took Avery down to the gardens to pick some roses for Nathanial." Conor smiled fondly and nodded, so Faelen slipped into the kitchen just as Geoff walked in through the other door. Faelen could hear Avery and, presumably, Uncle Ciaran walk into the dining room.

There was now a small crystal vase on the counter with some water in it. Nathanial must have found it in anticipation of the roses.

Geoff had a paw behind his back holding a large bouquet of red roses as he quietly walked over to Nathanial. He cleared his throat and Nathanial turned away from the pots of tea he was preparing. Geoff's eyes were downcast so he couldn't see the pleased blush on Nathanial's face. Geoff sounded like he was having trouble speaking, let alone speaking up. "U-Um, h-hey. I, um, got you something. J-Just so you kinda know that, well, I'm sorry if I hurt you. I... I-I love you, Nats. I don't want to risk losing you, s-so, please, forgive me?" Geoff still had his paw behind his back.

Nathanial looked torn between melting into a puddle and laughing; he went with both. He leaned over and rubbed his nose over Geoff's, whispering, "They're lovely, thank you, but can I see them?"

Geoff blushed fiercely, the fur around his cheeks and ears turning bright pink; he quickly shoved the roses toward Nathanial, almost punching his pup in the process. "S-Sorry."

Nathanial couldn't stop a snort of laughter from escaping. He rubbed his paw over Geoff's cheek and quickly kissed the chagrined Wolf. "I understand, Geoff. They are lovely, but they're no match for you. Yes, I forgive you and, yes, I love you too." He took the roses from Geoff and turned to put them in the vase. He suddenly hissed, "Sssss! Ouch!" He dropped the roses into the vase, and the water turned pink with his blood. "Thorns." He looked down at his paw; there were four drops of blood welling up from separate cuts on the pads.

Faelen fetched the bandages from a drawer by the sink -- Dirk insisted on keeping first aid supplies in the kitchen -- while Geoff whimpered and hugged his boyfriend. "Sorry. I'm so sorry. I thought I got them all. I practically shredded my paws trying to remove those bloody things."

Nathanial rubbed his head against Geoff before suddenly pulling away and washing his paw off in the sink. "Once my paw is bandaged, I'll take some food up to Liam. Why don't you get some for yourself, Geoff?" The door opened, and Tanai walked in. Nathanial turned from the sink and let Faelen pat his paw dry with a clean towel. "Hello, sir. Can I fetch something for you?"

Tanai looked around the room quickly. He smelt...dangerous. He felt so full of anger, despair, and resentment; he could do anything in this state. "I was looking for that Rottweiler that came with you."

Faelen quickly answered before anyone else could. "He's sick and trying to rest; no one can see him at the moment." Faelen could smell a spike of concern from Nathanial, echoed seconds later from Geoff. Nathanial must've caught Faelen's concern and warned Geoff.

Tanai looked at him sharply. "I just need to see him for a minute. Tell me where he is and I'll be done quickly."

Nathanial set the teapots on a trolley. "I'm sorry, sir, but he isn't seeing anyone at the moment. I can pass on a message for you, or you can come back in the morning." Nathanial took his bandaged paw back from Faelen. "Can I fetch you some refreshments, sir? Faelen and I made a large variety of things. I'm sure we can find something to your taste."

Ciaran walked in and caught Nathanial's eye, nodding slightly. Faelen suspected that Nathanial had talked to him, too. "Uncle Tanai, there you are. Mama seemed a little concerned when you walked out like that. Are you alright?"

Tanai turned to glare at his nephew. "Stop coddling me like I'm some senile old coot, you damned thug. Keep the hells away from me. This is almost as much your fault as his!" His voice was getting louder as he worked himself into a high dudgeon. "You and your damned father, the both of you running around--"

He cut off when Nathanial put a paw on his shoulder; there was a flicker of black energy just before the paw connected. Nathanial caught the old Wolf as he turned extremely pale and sagged. "Are you okay? You look really faint; perhaps you should lie down or go get some sleep." Nathanial slipped an ancient-looking pistol out of Tanai's pocket telekinetically and levitated it behind him, placing it in a drawer. "Maybe I should call someone to help you get home."

Tanai's voice was faint but vitriolic. "Get your filthy paws off me, you damned dirty Mage!" He was having trouble keeping his eyes open, and his legs trembled from the exertion of staying upright. Whatever Nathanial did to the old Wolf really took the wind out of him. Tanai tried to shake Ciaran's paws off of him too, when his nephew went to take him from Nathanial.

Nathanial sorrowfully countered, "I can't do that, sir. I don't think you'd be able to stand on your own right now. Losing a loved one is very painful, and it can really drain you. It can also make you do and say things you normally wouldn't consider. Please, why don't you just get some sleep and come back to talk to my friend tomorrow? Anything worth saying can still be said then."

Tanai weakly nodded. "You're right. I can still give him my message tomorrow." He let Ciaran take him away, though he glared up at the assassin and added, "I'll want to talk to you, too." His voice dropped into a feeble muttering as he hobbled out the door. "Muireann. My poor, beautiful niece. Sweet, kind Muireann."

Alpha McDougal's voice suddenly boomed out from the hallway, "Merciful Apollo! Tanai, are you all right? Someone get the nurse!"

Nathanial slipped out of the kitchen as Faelen got the tea cart and followed him, if a bit slower. Nathanial spoke loudly enough that everyone could hear, while trying not to sound like he was shouting. "He isn't in any danger, sir. He just seems tired and weakened by all the stress of the weekend. He'll be fine in the morning." He gave the alpha a look as he stressed the word 'weakened.'

The giant Wolf seemed to catch the meaning and just said, "Alright." He carefully patted the frail old Wolf's shoulder. "Tanai, get some sleep. I don't know how I could run things without you there keeping everything in line. You need to take care of yourself."

Tanai growled up at his master. "Would everyone stop coddling me! I'll have you know that you'd be a grave dis... A grave..." His head bobbed a few times before he passed out.

Dirk walked out of the living room; his gold eyes were still bloodshot, but he seemed to be a bit more composed. He took Tanai from Ciaran and picked the manservant up. "If you'll get the doors, Uncle, I can carry him." Ciaran nodded and preceded Dirk out.

Nathanial whispered to Alpha McDougal, "He had a gun in his pocket; I think he wanted to shoot Liam...and Ciaran. The gun is in a drawer in the kitchen. I, um, used a spell on him to sap his strength. He'll be fine in a half-hour or so."

The alpha's voice was a muted rumble. "Thanks, pup. You did good. The food is good, too. I can't wait for Wednesday." The Elemental clapped Nathanial on the back and almost knocked him over; the Akita seemed torn between being immensely pleased and nauseated from worry.