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Chapter 145: Ticket to Hong Kong

Nathanial opened his eyes blearily, idly noting his clock read 5:37 pm; he'd slept for about an hour after his heart attack. What woke him was someone calling his name. Geoff lay beside him quietly reading a book, and Micah lay half on top of Nathanial fast asleep. The bedroom door was closed, too. Who...? He suddenly noticed Liam stood outside Nick's door talking on the phone. A quick peek through showed that Liam was talking to a guy that looked a lot like Betty Chan; Nathanial had seen him at the kwoon on multiple occasions. He was in an office at the harbour, standing off to one side while an elderly Red Panda woman cleaned the room.

Liam seemed really tired, but he spoke emphatically. "I said I would ask him, but events today have _not_been favourable. I sincerely doubt he will wake before tomorrow, but even if he woke now I would advise against it. I know you wish to get to Hong Kong to see your wife, but I will not endanger his health for it."

Nathanial felt fine, other than the lingering fatigue from his nap. Even his magic seemed back to normal. He also owed Mr. Chan a favour: this was the guy who helped create a fake itinerary for his dad when Garret needed to get to Taipei. It might even make Betty a bit nicer if Nathanial helped her father.

Mr. Chan quickly bowed. "I understand, Honoured Teacher, I am merely disappointed. It would save much time and grief should I--" He broke off when the old lady pointed at a stack of loose papers. He said something in some Chinese dialect and she bobbed a few times before leaving them alone. "My apologies."

Liam cut in. "It would be most advantageous for us as well. His father is also in Hong Kong and wishes to get home to see Nathanial."

Nathanial took his turn to interrupt. *I'll do it, Liam. I feel fine.*

Liam jumped and nearly dropped the phone. Nathanial bit his lower lip to keep from laughing and waking Micah up. Liam's surprise quickly turned to anger. "One moment, Mr. Chan." The Rottie turned to glare at Nathanial's door. *You should be sleeping! You had a serious heart attack and need to rest!*

Nathanial calmly objected. *But I'd feel horribly guilty making Mr. Chan fly all the way to Hong Kong after he helped Dad, and I'd want to help Dad get home, too. With the thunder god causing problems I'd worry horribly until Dad got home. Isn't the stress of worrying bad for my heart?* Actually, guilting Liam like this made him feel bad, too. *I won't even get out of bed. I'll stay here nice and quiet to let my heart heal. It's not like opening an itsy-bitsy portal is the same as running a marathon, is it?*

The expression on Liam's face was daunting. The Rottie's brows furrowed deeply, and his tone was ominous. "My apologies, Mr. Chan, I will have to call you back in a few minutes."

The Pekinese Dog on the other end of the line bowed. "Of course, Honoured Smith. I shall wait for your convenience." That could be taken in a really passive aggressive way, but both of them seemed to think it proper and...normal. They hung up.

Liam stomped into Nathanial's room, but his pawsteps still made no noise. "You feel fine!?" Micah groaned and sat up rubbing his eyes.

Geoff and Nathanial both glared at Liam, but Geoff's glare vanished when he realized Nathanial was already awake. "Oh, hey, Pup!"

Nathanial ignored him and cut in before Liam could yell some more. "Liam! I was purposely being quiet so Micah could sleep! What the hells needed to be said at that volume that couldn't be said telepathically!? Do you know what he went through to stop Lily?"

Liam chopped through the air with his paw as if cutting Nathanial's argument down. "Naught was wrong with him that a little sleep would not cure. He was not my concern. Your heart is far_more troublesome and requires you to _rest. Opening a portal to the other side of the world is not resting!"

Geoff and Micah leant away from the two and gently rubbed their paws on Nathanial as if trying to soothe him. Nathanial sat up, knocking their paws away. "Then stop yelling and let me help! This isn't resting, either! Besides, I feel fine. Better than I have in a long time. Check my chi if you don't believe me."

"I shall!" Liam stormed over... Well, he stormed partway before his legs wobbled and almost sent him toppling onto the bed.

Geoff leapt out of bed and put his arm around Liam. "Whoa! Maybe you should be the one resting." He flipped his ears back when Liam glared at him. "Uh, sorry. I suppose."

Nick wandered in. He crossed his arms and leant against the doorframe trying to look aloof. "Hey, Nats. Good to see you up, I guess. Y'know, cause you weren't, and it, uh..."

Geoff helped Liam stand by Nathanial while the latter ignored them. "Oh, shut up, you goof." He raised his left arm. "Come here." He lowered it to tap Micah. "Scooch over a bit, Sprite."

Micah shifted over, his eyes fixed on Geoff's sheath, and he slipped a paw under the covers to rub the tip of his exposed penis. With both of the other bedrooms occupied, Nathanial figured he might have to vacate this one before long so his brothers could sate their needs before Nick's pheromones became too strong. Agent Hugh probably wouldn't appreciate the results, otherwise.

Liam ignored Nick when the Akita crawled up on the bed to sit by his brothers. The Rottie's paws were too busy roving over Nathanial's chest. "Humph." Liam turned around so he could sit on the edge of the bed. "You still have significant damage, but..." He rubbed his eyes. "I see signs the medication I made you is _finally_taking the expected effect. Supper is being made upstairs and should be finished in a bit over an hour." Nathanial predicted where this was going and levitated the tiny bottle over. Liam saw it and frowned. "And, yes, I was going to say you should take some. I was also going to tell Micah or Nicholas to fetch it. You had a concussion and should not be using magic."

Nathanial smiled and stuck his tongue out at Liam. He then dripped a tiny drop of medicine on it. "Had a concussion. I don't currently have one." He smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. That tingly feeling was even stronger than the first time he took this stuff. "Blech." His tongue felt numb and made his words sound funny. "Wow, this stuff is strong. Did you do something else to it?"

Liam picked up the bottle. He shook his head before turning farther so he could place his other paw on Nathanial's muzzle. "No, but this is how it should affect you. Wait for the tingling to go away before taking the second droplet." The tan paw drifted along Nathanial's cheek to rest around the orange and white ear. Liam sighed quietly. "The Light energy is fading swiftly, perhaps due to Geoff's presence, and the last signs of trauma are also healing remarkably well. The medicine you took will likely aid in that as well." Nathanial's tongue finally felt normal, so he took the second drop. Liam shook his head. "Your magic levels appear...adequate."

Nick moved Micah's paw away; it had been drifting closer and closer to Nick's groin. "So, you going to let him help this Chan guy and Dad, or what? I bet he'd worry Thunder-butt would shoot down Dad's plane until Dad actually walked through the front door." His expression said Nathanial wouldn't be the only one worrying.

Nathanial pulled him close and nipped Nick's ear. "I would, and so would you, goof." Nick snorted. Nathanial kept his arm around his brother and turned to Liam. "You were really afraid the thunder god would strike out at people close to us. Would Dad be in a lot of danger flying? Isn't that god's, um, area the sky? Planes do have protections against lightning, so he'd be safe, right?"

Liam sighed in defeat. "You win. I shall call Mr. Chan and let him know you can help, then have him arrange a location where Garret can swap places with him." Liam stood up and nearly pitched forward.

Geoff caught him. "Damn, Liam, you need to lie down more than Nathanial does."

Liam shook his head. "My other two patients have not woken, yet. I cannot rest until they are out of danger." He looked back over his shoulder at Nathanial. "I do not fly. The god of thunder would notice my presence immediately, and the safety measures aircraft possess would not protect it. I would most likely survive, as I could step into the realm of ghosts and walk to the ground, but no one else aboard would. Given the god's setbacks today, no, it would not be safe for Garret to be in the sky."

Jay called out from the entertainment area, "Yo! Hey, bro, the news is on! You wanted to see what the missus was going to talk about, right?"

Geoff began dressing; both Nick and Micah watched him with interest. Nathanial crawled out of bed and wrapped his arm around Liam's torso. The Akita rubbed his paw against his friend's ribs. "Come on, let's go watch." He looked over his shoulder. "Keep it down, you two."

Nick looked up in surprise. "Huh? I was going to watch the news with you." Micah pouted.

Nathanial blinked. "Oh. I thought... Your pheromones were starting to pick up, so I just figured..."

Nick grimaced. "Ugh. You're right, but I really wanted to see what happened." He grumbled as he crawled down the bed before standing up. "I can keep them in check until the leading stories are done." Micah sighed dramatically and flopped back against the pillows.

Nathanial kept his arm around Liam, who didn't seem to mind at all, and brought him to the couch. Jay and Conor sat there watching the opening reel. As expected, the incident at the airport and the earthquake dominated the 'coming up soon' spiel.

Liam leant against the couch and pulled out his phone. Mr. Chan answered right away. "Hello, Mr. Chan. There has been a change; Nathanial is in far better condition than expected, and he is willing to help. Garret Marks is also in Hong Kong and wishes to return, so to spare Nathanial some effort, it would be appreciated if he can open a single portal for the two of you."

Nathanial tuned the rest out as the news anchor began showing the recordings of the storm. The way the cloud acted matched what he saw when he almost drifted off before Micah found Lily. The way the waves seemed to all move to a single spot beneath it and crash together, the billowing of the dark vapour, all of it. He swore he could even see bits of timber almost breaching the surface. "Can anyone see the skeletons?"

The people around him froze, even Liam. Geoff shrugged after a moment and leant in toward the TV, squinting. "Uh, no. There aren't any skeletons, Nathanial." Emphatic head shakes seemed to agree with him.

Maybe it was all in Nathanial's mind. "Oh. I saw some of this earlier, but maybe it was just a dream."

The camera switched to an interior view of the Hellenic Temple downtown. "The local temple is preventing anyone from entering the building, citing structural damage, but this unconfirmed recording of the interior shows only minor damage."

The video began playing and it showed a tourist or someone moving their phone around to film the round central room. The floor was marble tile with white pillars rising every few metres around the circumference. Large statues of the twelve Olympian gods stood between each set of pillars, and a dedicated altar lay before every one. Suddenly, the camera began to shake and the objects on each altar toppled over. Several vases rolled off and smashed on the floor. Voices cursing and a few screams could be heard on the speakers before a loud crack drowned them out. The camera spun around quickly to show a long split in the tiles beneath Zeus's altar. The cracking sound happened again just before the camera stopped shaking, and the altar broke in half. The crack stopped at the hooves of Zeus; the statue of the massive white Bull avoided his brother's anger, that or Zeus personally intervened to protect it. There was complete silence for two seconds before the priests of the temple shouted for people to get out and turn off their cameras. The person filming turned to leave, and the camera showed some of the statues appeared to have shifted. Poseidon's, Hera's, and Athena's statues had all turned away from Zeus's. A priest ran up to the person filming and blocked the lens.

The scene switched to the outside of the temple. The reporter Dave Solmes stood on the steps in front of a large pair of_closed_ bronze doors. "As you can see, Tom, the temple is still refusing anyone entry, and no one has been made available for comments."

Jay sounded nervous. "Shit, this is so not good, guys. I can't remember the last time I heard of the gods making their squabbles public like this. Ella would know more than me, but isn't cracking another god's altar like that and turning your statue away as bad as expelling a diplomat from your country?"

Liam sighed. "Yes, perhaps worse. This would explain why the god of thunder had not crossed the harbour. Such a display from three of the Olympians would cause even him to reconsider, especially when taking into account how displeased Lord Hades is. I hope this means he will lay low for some time." A tense hush fell over the room as the news droned on.

Micah called out from the bedroom, "Is it over, Nick? Can we play now?"

Nick shrugged as he interrupted, but Nathanial could see him shivering. "Part of it." He slumped down onto the couch, curled in on himself in an uncharacteristic display of worry. "Sorry, Mikey, but I'm not in the mood."

Everyone stared at him. Nathanial rubbed Nick's back. "Is something wrong, Nick?"

Nick jumped to his hindpaws and snarled. "Yes!_A _god wants to kill you and Sensei, Nats! A god! Do you get that? This isn't some Hunter, or Mage, or even a Demon, but a fucking god! I've been training my ass off to become strong enough to protect you from all those other guys, but no matter how much I learn, or how strong I get, there's_nothing_ I -- or anyone else in this room -- can do to stop a god! How can it be anything but 'wrong'?"

Was he really practicing that much when Nathanial wasn't around, all to protect him? Was that why he seemed to be getting so strong so quickly? He'd certainly pulled some surprising spells out of his hat when Nathanial least expected it. Nick's shivering grew worse; he was terrified, and it wasn't for himself, but his older brother. Nathanial pulled him down onto his lap and into a hug. "It is bad, Nick, but you saw we aren't alone in this. Four gods -- at least four gods -- are standing against 'Thunder-butt' and his vendetta. Liam can ask for Hades' help, and as long as the thunder god doesn't go all out, we can protect ourselves some. I can always run to the Plane of Darkness, too; he has no sway there. If he does go all out, we can be sure some of the other gods will step in like they did today."

Nick squeezed Nathanial tightly, but he did stop shaking so much. "You sure? You aren't just saying all that for my benefit, are you?"

Nathanial nipped Nick's ear. "I'm sure. I'm very sure."

The news switched to the debacle at the airport, and they turned to watch it.

---

Faelen finished the last touches on supper with Da and Granny Lorena when the doorbell rang. Granny Tuathla called out from the ballroom, "I'll get it!" A few seconds later he heard the door open. She greeted whoever it was. "Hello, welcome to the Marks residence. May I help you?"

A male voice, with a thick Chinese accent, answered back. "I am Hao Chan. I wish to speak to Master Smith; I believe he is here?"

A slight pause followed; Granny Tuathla was probably trying to work through the mix of the Canadian and Chinese accents. "Oh, yes! Yes, of course. Please, follow me." The intercom crackled throughout the house as she activated it. "Pop... Um, um, Master Smith, Mr. Hao Chan is here; I'm bringing him to the kitchen if you'd meet us there." The intercom clicked off.

Nathanial's voice sounded in Faelen's mind. *Liam is checking on Agent Hugh, Faelen, and he doesn't want me moving around either. Could you bring Mr. Chan and his bodyguard downstairs?* There was a bit of a pause. *Liam seems pretty worried about Agent Hugh, I know I am. He should've regained consciousness by now.*

John Doull had woken up about a half-hour ago. Liam received some help making a poultice and a potion -- the poultice was for some broken bones, and the potion was for the internal bleeding -- and said he should be fit to go home in a few hours. Agent Hugh received the same poultice as well as a steam-administered version of the potion, but he was still out. Jay had taken to pacing along the wall by Micah's room.

*Sure.* Faelen passed the ladle to his father. "Liam's busy, so Nathanial asked me to escort Mr. Chan downstairs."

Da nodded and took over scooping the meat sauce onto the pasta-covered plates. "All right. It'll be good to have Garret back; the pups would have worried a lot if he'd had to fly, and I don't want to think about Garret's parents getting custody of them if something did_happen to him." No, that would've been..._bad. Faelen didn't think Liam would've tolerated it, and Dirk's scent indicated he wouldn't have, either.

"Maybe we should have Garret sign Conor or you into his will as their godfather; even their aunt would work. That'd guarantee the elder Markses couldn't get custody." Faelen didn't wait for an answer and trotted down the hall.

Dirk's scent indicated approval, as did his voice. "Good idea. I'll mention it to them."

Faelen rounded the corner of the music room the same time Granny Tuathla rounded the far one. Behind her walked Mr. Chan in a far more elaborate suit of Chinese clothing -- Tangzhuang? At least, he thought that was the word for it -- deep blue, with green cuffs, and stiff from highly detailed embroidered dragons. He pulled a small travel suitcase. His bodyguard, a Tiger, wore a chauffeur's uniform and carried an instrument case. The Tiger didn't carry himself like a bodyguard, leading Faelen to believe he was just a personal servant. Faelen bowed the way Liam taught him in kung fu. "Mr. Chan."

The Pekinese stopped to return the bow. "Faelen." He gestured over his shoulder. "The biwa Master Smith requested is here."

Faelen stepped up to open the music room door, and then reached out for the case. "He'll be happy to hear that." The Tiger passed it over, and Faelen put it against the wall inside the room. "Jeff Walker will be using it, so we can leave it upstairs."

Mr. Chan said something to his chauffeur in Chinese; the Tiger bowed and turned to leave. Granny Tuathla tapped the pads of her paws together. "Oh! Here, let me show you the way out, sir." She happily preceded the tall Feline toward the door. Granny Tuathla was never as happy as when she felt useful.

Faelen turned the other way and led Mr. Chan into the kitchen. The Pekinese looked at Da and Granny Lorena before appraising the rest of the room. "I was unaware so many Spirits were here."

The teen paused with his paw on the doorknob. "They're family. Nathanial brought them over so they could meet Liam." He gestured to each in turn. "That's my da, Dirk, and my great-great grandmother Lorena. She was married to Lowell."

That got the Monk's attention. He bowed very deeply to her. "It is a great honour to meet you, most esteemed lady. Had I the time, I would find it a great privilege to speak to you in depth of your time with Lowell O'Conall. He has said very little of his past, frustrating our efforts to record his actions and words."

Lorena opened and closed her mouth, dumbstruck. Da wasn't; he smelt horribly amused. "Then you might be interested to note his children are here, too, as is the only grandchild that had been born in Lowell's lifetime."

The bulbous eyes of the Pekinese danced, though he retained his composure otherwise. "Indeed? Honour upon honour. I count this one of the greatest days of my life. I have already met Aedan and Ciaran, but might I meet Aoife and Faeden as well? It would be pleasing to greet the other two once more, of course."

Da's left ear quivered slightly as he bottled up his laughter. "Certainly. I'll just call them on the intercom; they're upstairs, so it'll take a bit for them to come down."

Mr. Chan bobbed several times. "I will wait with great patience. You have my gratitude, Mr. O'Conall."

Da punched in the code for the billiard room on the third floor. "Da, Poppy Aedan, and Ciaran, you're wanted in the kitchen."

Lorena gave Dirk a dark look before opening the window over the sink. "Aoife, could you come in for a moment?"

The sound of metal chair legs scratching over concrete coincided with Aunt Eirne exclaiming, "Stay there, Aoife, I'll go."

Faelen could hear Aoife faintly sigh. Lorena added, "No, I don't need her to do anything, Eirne, someone wants to meet her."

Aoife smelt relieved as she quickly stood. "Of course."

Thudding came from the staircase as Aedan and Faeden thundered down. The tempo faltered and became erratic just before Poppy Aedan exclaimed, "Whoa!" The sound of a heavy body tumbling lasted for a second before a pedestal and vase crashed to the tile floor. Lorena rubbed her forehead and sighed.

Da shook his head. "Poppy?! You okay?!"

Lorena added, "What did you break _this_time?!"

Poppy Faeden yelled back for is father. "He's just bruised, and Nathanial already fixed the vase!"

Granny Lorena pursed her lips. "The advantages of being a Mage, I suppose. I lost count of how many vases he broke growing up."

Aoife trotted into the kitchen via the sitting room, closely followed by an anxious Eirne. Lorena glanced sidelong at her daughter-in-law. "Aoife, I hope you're getting enough exercise. The healthier you are going into the latter part of your pregnancy, the better off you and the pup will be."

A quick look of gratitude flashed across Aoife's face. "Not as much as I'd like, Mama; perhaps I'll hit the gym in a bit."

Eirne looked at her sister-in-law in a panic, but Mr. Chan smoothly interjected. "You would be Lowell's youngest daughter, yes? You have my sincere congratulations; I know Spirits have great trouble conceiving. I would also agree with your honoured mother; exercise is very important." He bowed. "Ah, but my apologies. My name is Hao Chan, a Monk and associate of the honoured Master Smith. It is truly a great privilege to meet you."

Aoife quickly bowed in return. "Aoife O'Conall, of the Cork Clan. The honour is mine, Mr. Chan."

Dirk cut in before Eirne could. "I'd be happy to show you a number of low-impact exercises if Sensei is too tired to, Aoife. If you'd prefer a walk, Micah is very familiar with the surrounding forests, too, and is obviously on good terms with the local Fey." Da gestured at Eirne and faced Mr. Chan. "This is Eirne O'Conall, wife of Ciaran."

Mr. Chan bowed. "A pleasure, madam." She returned the bow and said something in Chinese; Mr. Chan looked impressed and answered back.

Ciaran padded into the kitchen. "Wonderfully said, Eirne." He bowed to Mr. Chan, saying the same thing Eirne had. Aedan and Faeden soon followed with introductions and greetings.

Lorena kept things fairly short, though. "Supper is getting cold, and I don't think we should keep Garret waiting too long, either." She waved her paws toward the stairs. "Shoo, Faelen. It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Chan."

"The honour was mine, Mrs. O'Conall." He bowed to everyone.

Faelen opened the door downstairs and led the Pekinese onward, closing the door behind them. "They know who and what Liam is, now -- some of them just found out last night."

Mr. Chan shook his head. "I could see that being...difficult, and the true import of the knowledge would not be immediately evident. I hope they understand what an honour it is before long. Song Li is truly a great person, a hero of the ages."

They walked into the main room. Liam sat on the arm of the couch, hindpaws on the floor and paws braced against his knees as he leant forward a touch. "That took a while." He looked over with bleary eyes, and ignored Mr. Chan's expression of alarm -- Faelen couldn't ignore the smell and sneezed explosively. "Inform Garret we are ready." Aoife came down the stairs behind them as Liam continued talking, and Jay stopped pacing by Micah's room. "Beware, Mr. Chan, this takes a great deal of magic, and the pressure thereof will be unlike anything I believe you have encountered. You may need to use your chi to shield yourself. Furthermore, Garret will come through the portal first, and the moment he is clear, you must run through as quickly as you can. Do not pause for any reason. It is dangerous to leave it open for any length of time."

Mr. Chan frowned. "I had not heard there was any danger involved." Mr. Doull walked out of Nick's room and moved to stand by Jay; he looked really unsteady.

Nathanial left his room. "Not from the portal, no, but the..." He shivered and paused before continuing, "...things_that seem to be attracted to them _are dangerous. Horribly dangerous."

The Pekinese nodded and took a breath as he focused his chi. "I stand ready."

Nathanial's phone binged. "So is Dad."

The pup closed his eyes; the two other Mages fiddled with their respective eyepieces. Faelen felt the swirl of magic filling the room. An incredible pressure pushed down on him. Mr. Chan's knees buckled and he fell, but he growled and forced himself back upright. Jay slumped back against the wall, shook his head, and furrowed his brow. The Jackal stepped into what looked like a training or focusing pose -- hindpaws widely spaced, back ramrod straight, and paws held at diaphragm level, palms together with right over left.

The pressure increased as the air distorted in the middle of the room. Aoife manifested, shaking her head as if trying to dislodge something from it. Mr. Chan growled as his wrinkly face creased more deeply in concentration. Liam wobbled; Faelen leapt over to catch him. The Mist Spirit manifested, too, and drew on the moisture in the room to cover his boyfriend.

Nathanial clapped his paws together and the distortion flared, spiralling out into a portal. The pressure vanished. "Go!"

Garret leapt through with his suitcase, and Mr. Chan ducked around him going the other way. The portal winked shut as soon as the back wheel of Mr. Chan's suitcase crossed the threshold.

Nathanial smiled and grabbed his father in a big hug. "Dad!" Nicholas and Micah dashed out of Nathanial's room.

Garret hugged him back, obviously surprised. "What are you doing up?! I heard you had a heart attack!" He reached around Nathanial to pull Nick and Micah to him, too. Nick was so happy he didn't even attempt to look aloof; the thought of his da flying after Zeus's actions today must've really worried him.

The two Spirits suppressed their powers. The two Society Mages began quietly conferring; there must've been some sort of ward raised, because Faelen couldn't catch more than a faint buzz of their voices. Reading their muzzles indicated Nathanial's name came up a lot.

Liam didn't try to push away from Faelen at all. That said everything right there. Even his voice sounded pretty weak when he called out, "Garret, a word." He looked up at Faelen. "I will need to rest. After supper, sit with Agent Hugh and let me know when he wakes."

Aoife took Liam's paw before he could say anything else. "Da? Are... Are you all right?"

Lowell, a very old Lowell woke up. "Yes, lass, as well as I can be. I don't have much time left, but I'm glad--" Liam passed out.

The large-eared Spirit gasped and tears filled her eyes. "Da?"

Faelen shushed her. "Shh, shh, shh. He's just passed out. He'll be fine after a bit of rest."

She smelt on the close of panicking. "What do you mean 'fine' and 'just passed out'!? Passing out is the _opposite_of fine!" The Mages, excluding the Markses, froze and stared at them.

The basement door opened and Ciaran poked his head through. "Aoife?" His ears flicked back and forth when he saw Liam. "Will Smith-sensei be all right?" He must've heard about Nathanial jokingly adding Japanese honourifics to Liam's name.

Faelen picked Liam up. "Yeah. He's used too much chi and forced himself on long after he should've gone to bed. With a bit of rest and having some Spirits sit with him, he'll wake up." Ciaran slipped through the doorway. His movements reminded Faelen of the way most of the kung fu masters at the kwoon moved, and made him think of the first time Liam_met Ciaran. Faelen was still a bit annoyed about that, so he added, "And, _no,_a no-holds-barred sparring match is _not a good idea. His medicine will have already dropped his chi recovery far too low for safety; he needs to carefully conserve it for a few weeks now." Faelen thought it was weeks. He wasn't too sure about how that medicine worked.

Ciaran smelt chastened but merely nodded. "I'll sit with him, then. I came down to tell you supper is ready."

Aoife grabbed Liam's paw. "I'm not leaving him." She shook her head vehemently. "I don't want to lose him again."

Ciaran paused before nodding. "Sure. It's not necessary -- I don't think so, anyway -- but I understand. I felt the same way..." He heavily exhaled. "...last time."

Would Da feel like this when Faelen died and came back? Would every illness reopen the wounds caused by his death? Faelen looked down at the cute Ancient One in his arms and studied the patterns of his fur, though he didn't need to since he had memorized each swirl, as he tried to look into the future. When would it be? Would it be slow? Would he have to watch, and feel, Liam slipping away with their friends and family knowing the clock was ticking for him, too? Sudden? A Hunter's bullet cutting them both down with one shot?

Nathanial suddenly stood beside him; Faelen hadn't even noticed the Marks's approach. "Put him on the couch for now; it'll be easier for people to sit by him. I've told Walter what happened." He looked over at Ciaran and Aoife. "I've fetched a plate of supper for each of you. They're on their way down." Nathanial addressed Faelen again. "Do you want one, too?"

If he wanted to reassure his family Liam was in no danger, then it'd be best not to, even if that's what he wanted personally. He shook his head and moved around the couch to lay Liam down. "No, that's not necessary." He put his paw on Liam's forehead. "His chi is very depleted, but if he has a few powerful Spirits keeping him company, then he should be up in a few hours." He smiled lopsidedly. "Maybe we should get a full vacuum here for Uncle Ciaran to manifest by and your roses for Aunt Aoife."

Nathanial perked up, missing the joke completely. "That's a good idea! They're on their way. We have a central vac, so it's just a garbage bag full of detritus, not a stand-up vacuum, but it should help." The door to the upstairs opened, and a caravan of floating objects drifted through. Two heaping plates of food, a teapot, two cups, and two glasses of wine preceded the ten pots of roses. From the laundry room came of full bag of dust and crud.

Faelen couldn't imagine that such small quantities of dust and leaves would be able to make any difference whatsoever -- he thought it'd be immediately obvious -- but Nathanial looked so pleased by the idea Faelen couldn't bring himself to point it out. He watched Nathanial quickly set everything up before turning back to Ciaran and Aoife. "I'll be down after supper, you two. Let us know if Liam or Agent Hugh wakes up."

Nathanial shooed his siblings up before following them with Garret. Faelen reluctantly went, too, followed by an equally reluctant Agent Jay, who had to help Mr. Doull walk up the stairs. Jay shot once last look at Micah's bedroom door before it passed out of sight.