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Chapter 147: Cute Killer Robot

Liam drifted at the verge of wakefulness. He smelt an array of familiar scents, but the mix confused him. Was he in Ireland? Halifax? Who was he at the moment: Lowell or Liam? Which life came first? He saw himself as Liam standing by the casket holding his mother, Mary. Faelen had his arm over his shoulder, and his father, Walter, stood beside him, crying. A long scar ran from Walter's nose to his left ear, just missing his eye. How long ago did that happen? He tried to remember.

He remembered yesterday. He was Lowell; he worked in Master John Iverson's factory. One of the machines jammed again, and this time Master Iverson ordered little Gerhard to reach in to pull the leather strap free. Of course the machine was still running -- it cost 'too much' to shut it down and go through 'complex' process of getting it running again -- and the gears caught Hardy's paw. He lost his arm before he could be freed and died from blood loss in less than a minute after that. Master Iverson was furious at the delays that caused. Since Hardy was an orphan, like Lowell, his body was just tossed out into the back alley for the corpse dealers to cart away in the morning. The odd thing about the day was that Lowell heard a voice in his head. A voice that belonged to someone called 'Song Li.'

Something was off about the memory, though. If he just heard Li's voice yesterday, how could he remember a life as Liam? He struggled to wake further. His eyes flickered open and the sight before him didn't help place himself at all. Lorie and Walter sat by him. Walter's muzzle didn't have any scars on it, and Lorie's fur was entirely greyish-white; the Blizzard Spirit had manifested for some reason. But if he was only fourteen, and Lowell, how could he be married to Lorie? He clenched his eyes shut and quietly groaned.

Liam changed his groan into a sigh when his head spun as all his memories sorted themselves out and the remaining wisps of his dreams faded away. Reopening his eyes, Liam saw the relief in his father's and former wife's eyes. He also saw the rueful smile on Walter's face.

Walter leant over the couch to peer into Liam's eyes. "Well, some things never change, do they, Liam?" His thick fingers gently burrowed into the fluffy fur around Liam's neck to check his pulse, too, actions made very easy by a lot of repetition. "You're still pretty weak. At least this spell was kept short thanks to your friends."

Lorena laughed. Lowell always loved the sound of her laughter; it was not the bright clarion of many young lasses, but rather held a smoky quality, one deep and alluring. He could well imagine the attention she would attract at a ball in London. Her confidence, wit, and humour would -- happily -- place her apart from the men and women who thought women should be mere ornaments. She would draw the eyes of all those in the room as surely as the latest dolled up debutante, and her laughter would perk all the ears. Liam felt warmed by the love he felt for both Lorena and Walter; he was most fortunate to have been able to spend so much time with both of them.

Lorena patted Walter's knee. "His_friends, Walter? After spending this long talking about our respective lives with him, I'd like to think I was _your friend, too."

Dirk's chuckle drew Liam's attention to both Dirk and Conor. They were sitting nearby and surrounded by their triggers. Conor kept several large globes of water swirling around him, while Dirk had an array of bones and wore his full armour. The Bone Spirit shook his head. "You should be happy you were out for most of that conversation, Sensei. Sorry. Liam. I wouldn't have thought Walter could have so many amusing stories about you given how early your past lives woke up."

Liam felt his face heating up. Even waking that early did not change the fact he was still a pup. Truthfully, having the very old mannerisms of Li popping up in a small child created some very amusing situations...for others. He had trouble seeing the humour, personally, mostly because he found it truly embarrassing.

Walter smiled at Liam. "Isn't it a parent's prerogative to tell embarrassing stories about their children to the future in-laws? I wasn't around when Lorena was your fiancée, so I had to make up for some lost time. I was a little disappointed she had so few stories about your previous childhood, though."

Liam turned his head away when the memory of little Hardy's death floated back up; his, and more than a hundred other pups during Lowell's few years at that factory. "Do not be. There would be no humour to be found there." He swung his legs off the couch as he sat up still not looking at his father or former wife. "I have work to do."

Walter frowned. "If 'work'_means _'rest,' then yes, you do."

That made Liam smile. "No, 'work' means 'work.' I am going to see Faelen, and then my patients. Do not worry, Dad, Faelen will not allow me to overexert myself again this evening. I should not have to do anything, other than check on them, write invoices and a note to be placed on Director Hugh's file, and then give directions on what they may and may not do for the next while. It is merely the secretarial portion of a healer's job."

Lorena shot a dark look at the closed door blocking Micah's room. "The sooner the better, Lowell. I _don't_like having them around, and I can guarantee the rest of us don't either."

Liam patted her shoulder as he walked away. "Agent Jay is enjoyable company, but I cannot say the same for the other two. I will be well pleased to divest myself of their presence." He paused at the door to the stairs. "Thank you for your assistance once again, Conor and Dirk." His heart warmed once more as he smiled at Walter and Lorena. "And it pleased me to see you sitting with me." He opened the door.

Conor waved him off. "It's nothing compared to what you've done for us, Liam." He sent the water toward the bathroom as he rose. "I'll be heading upstairs to talk to Garret. I already told him what has gone on this week, but he may want to change the plans for the next few days because of it. I figured he'd need a bit of time to assimilate all of the news."

Walter stood up. "I may as well talk to him, too, before heading home. I was in the middle of work when I got the call to come over. I need to get it finished by four tomorrow." He moved over to Liam. "No problems with that, are there? Other than you passing out, it's been very quiet."

Liam nodded. "I see no problems with it, but I have not been kept abreast of developments recently. Speak with Nathanial to ensure there are no obvious threats." He hugged his father. "Do take care. Please phone if something seems amiss; if not me, then Dirk or Conor."

Walter returned the hug with a quiet snort. "You're the one that needs to be more careful, Liam. I'll call, don't worry; just make sure you do the same."

Liam gently grabbed his father's broad muzzle and shook it. "With those present, it would take a veritable army to pose any real threat. You will be home alone. Can you not bring your work here?"

Walter wrapped his paw around Liam's slender wrist to free his muzzle. "I could, but it'd be a lot harder to get any work done. I'll probably be up till three in the morning as it is."

Liam sighed. His worries were most likely baseless, and it would take too much time for his father to gather the requisite material to work from here. "Very well. If this is for Hao, he will understand if you are a bit late; he has had quite an eventful few days himself, and is aware of much of the trouble I have endured. He would most likely be pleased to hear you have been so busy tending to me that you have not had time to finish a report. I am sure sending him the report sometime over the weekend would change nothing. If it is for someone else, they would be unlikely to read it before Monday, anyway."

Walter nudged Liam toward the stairs. "That's not the point. I was told to finish it by Friday closing, so that's what I'll do." The Spirits followed Liam and Walter upstairs. "It doesn't matter if my employer sees the work immediately or not. If it wasn't Mr. Chan, I'd say it'd be very unlikely anyone outside of Revenue Canada would see the full report at all."

Hao was very particular about reviewing all financial statements -- and just about every other piece of information relating to his businesses -- so even though he was away he may take the time to do a cursory review regardless of his personal situation. Hao's wife, Feng Li, may not appreciate it, however. None of this was truly Liam's business, though, so he let it be.

In the kitchen, Lorena hooked her paw around Liam's arm. "Do you feel strong enough to play the violin? Aoife planned on spending a bit of time in the music room; I think she'd enjoy playing some songs with you."

The two began slowly walking in that direction while Dad, Conor, and Dirk turned to join the Markses in the sitting room. It smelt like Geoff was there, too, but not Faelen or Nick. Liam nodded to Eirne, Tuathla, and Sorcha, who were chatting merrily as they cleaned.

Eirne waved her dishcloth at him. "That's a good idea. It'd keep both of you quiet and resting. Getting Aoife to relax is almost impossible." Lorena and Liam stopped walking.

Liam felt his brow furrow. "Has something happened? There is no need for Aoife to stay sedentary. In fact, I would recommend she exercise more to be as fit as possible for her last trimester."

Lorena shook her head. "Nothing happened. Eirne is just worried. She...lost a few pups before Draighean, and another not long ago." Ciaran's wife abruptly turned back to the sink. Her shoulders shook as she resumed slowly washing a pot. Gentle Tuathla quietly rubbed Eirne's back for a few seconds, her face full of empathy. Eirne's pain was not an uncommon one. Lorena sighed quietly. "I understand her fears -- I think every woman can."

Liam thought back and remembered hearing of an incident that may be a contributing factor to Eirne's apparent paranoia. She was very young, perhaps seven years old, and playing outside by the lane with another child. Eirne's mother was inside taking a nap, leaving a very pregnant Mrs. Brannagh O'Levin outside to watch over them. Eirne took off after an errant toy, right toward the lane where a carriage was going by. Brannagh yelled for her to stop, and ran after her. Lowell did not hear the details -- he did not need to, nor want to -- but Brannagh survived. Her child did not. If all Eirne remembered was a pregnant woman running and then losing the unborn pup, then her paranoia would be a very understandable one.

"We will do all we can to help Aoife carry to term and have a strong, healthy pup, Eirne, but some things are beyond mortal control. Even beyond im_mortal control. If the gods cannot gainsay the Fates, _I most certainly cannot. We must keep Aoife physically and mentally healthy, and she has always been an active lass. Trying to confine her will only grate upon her and make her unwilling to ask for help when she actually needs it."

Eirne nodded but did not turn away from the sink. Lorena unhooked her paw from Liam's elbow. "Go see Faelen, Lowell; I'll stay here a bit." The ladies resumed cleaning; Eirne viciously attacked the dirt on the pots in the sink, making quite the racket.

Liam walked slowly toward the music room. He could hear Jeff's deep voice rumbling down the hall, but he couldn't make out the words just yet, not with all the noise in the kitchen.

Then little Den spoke; his voice did not rumble the same way and could be deciphered. "Ah, before you go, I want to hear you sing. Let's run through that piece Da and I just sang."

The surprise Jeff felt could be sensed most easily, despite the intervening wall. _"'Da'!?_He looks the same age as you! I thought you were brothers! You're, what, forty at most? You got to be." The last, presumably, was directed to Danny.

Aedan laughed heartily. "Thanks for the compliment, pup, but I'm a lot_older than forty. I'm not saying _how old, though; us old farts need to keep a few secrets, you know. Still, I was pretty young when Faeden was born."

Liam paused out of sight at the corner. He was not in the mood for company, even company as amiable as Jeff's. He felt Ciaran's and then his other kin's thoughts turn to him; they must have become aware he was nearby. Den directed his aunt, "C3, Aoife," and tuned himself to the note along with Jeff.

Jeff began to sing in German, a duet Liam knew well. _<<My queen, Persephone...>>_Jeff must be singing with Den! Ah, how he had enjoyed singing with Danny, both when the lad was small and later when he was full grown. The trips from Cork to London would travel so fast when they could just pass the hours with song. Then, when little Den was born, he had the chance to enchant another small one with the words of ages past. The lad had the sweetest voice. How would he sound now, as an adult?

The question was soon answered. <<Eurydice, my morning star...>>

The pride Liam felt was painful in its intensity. 'My little Den. All those years I've missed. Why did the Fates give me such treasures, only to snatch me away so soon?' He saw Den and Danny turn away from his deathbed for the last time once more. The pause as they both looked back. The door close behind them. How long it had been for them. A mere fourteen years -- as if 'mere' could be used in such a way -- for him, but a hundred years for his grandson. How could he do this to them again?

<<...the grace of the gazelle, her smile sends my heart bounding to the sky.>> Den's voice soared to the rafters as he reached for the heights of the role's vocal range, carrying the last note for the full two bars. Lowell had a wonderful voice, but without training, practice could only take you so far.

Liam swallowed past the heavy lump in his throat. They approached the true duet portion of the song, and he could not resist expending a little chi to join in. He knew he -- as Liam -- had the singing voice of a crow, and he would not inflict that upon anyone, even himself. So he let Lowell sing with his grandson for the first time in a century. <<Our love blossomed beneath the sun and will continue to grow beyond the grave. Let the Graces smile kindly, and keep us apart no more.>> Liam felt Ciaran's chi alter and knew his prized pupil had heard him.

The song ended and Liam leant back against the wall separating him from his children. He tipped his head back as well and let it hit with a quiet 'thump.'_When did he last sing that song? He _tried to sing it with Aedan four days before he died, but his voice was too weak to hold any notes, and his breathing was too rough to allow him to do more than speak slowly. Aedan affected nonchalance, but Liam knew it had hurt his son greatly -- it hurt _him_greatly. The last successful time? 'Twas...late December, as the Saturnalia season wound down, before Ciaran and Aedan left for London. Lowell wasn't confined to bed, not yet, but his health was most evidently poor and on the decline. They sang it on the way to the post with little Den.

Faelen stirred within the room, as did Aoife and Aedan. Liam expected them to come seeking him; Faelen at the least would. He roughly scrubbed at his soaked cheek fur with his shirt sleeve and attempted to make himself presentable as he rounded the corner.

Jeff sounded delighted as he addressed Den. "That was great! I think you did better this time; you certainly got a lot of feeling in it." He beamed at those in the room -- Aoife at the piano, Aedan to the left of the door near Jeff, Faelen and Nicholas to the right, and Den partway between Danny and Aoife. "I saw everyone react emotionally to the song; I'm really glad to meet people who--" He noted he had lost everyone's attentions and looked toward the door. "God Almighty, Smith! You look terrible!"

Liam ignored him for the moment and gently pulled Faelen's head down for a quick kiss. He also ignored Danny's muffled groan of protest. "I have awoken, my love."

Faelen's eyes sparkled like most valuable of sapphires, and contained a love dearer yet. "I noticed." The warmth in his luxurious voice made Liam feel close to swooning.

Releasing Faelen, if reluctantly, he noted Jeff's fur was most fluffed and his temperature had risen markedly. The lad was quite titillated and surprised. Liam responded to Jeff's less than diplomatic exclamation. "I feel little better. I am merely up to let people know I am no longer unconscious--" Jeff's eyes grew wide at that word. "--and I will be retiring for the night before long." Liam nodded at the case in Jeff's paws. "I regret I cannot begin working with you on the song, but if you contact me tomorrow when you are free, I may be stronger then."

Jeff's eyes remained large. He hugged the case to his torso and nodded wordlessly. Nick shrugged. "I guess I'll get my clothes for tomorrow now, Sensei. What about Doull and Hugh? Are they well enough to go home?"

Jeff's ears perked and he tilted his head in confusion. Liam shrugged. "I have not checked yet. Presumably. If they are not, they would not be sleeping in the basement, regardless." He nodded to everyone. "I am going back downstairs; if I do not return before long, please count this as my 'good night.'"

Aoife rose abruptly. "Are you sure you won't need someone to sit with you?" Jeff's head tilted in the other direction.

Faelen smiled wanly. "He'll be fine, Aunt Aoife. I'll be with him." His love's strong arms wrapped around Liam and pulled him close -- Liam's back pressed against Faelen's front. As expected, Faelen's muzzle soon tipped down to nuzzle Liam's ears. Jeff's fur fluffed up once more -- it was most evident where his thoughts had gone -- and Liam could feel Faelen's amusement indicating he noted it, too. The glances Jeff cast toward Nicholas's rump... Well, Liam did not expect that.

Liam arched an eyebrow. "If you want to 'tap that,' Jeff, I suggest you do so with a leather paddle, first." He certainly expected the responses from _that_comment. Jeff looked absolutely mortified, yet somehow a tad excited. Nicholas perked right up and grinned most evilly at the cringing Lab. The adult Spirits, excluding Aedan, betrayed shock in their idiosyncratic ways: Aoife's paws flew to her mouth, Den rubbed his nose and soon attempted to muffle growing guffaws at the others' reactions, and Ciaran's left hindpaw slid back to place his legs in a combat ready position, though his paws remained lowered.

Poor Aedan. Poor, poor Danny. He was so easy to tease. His eyes grew alarmingly large, his scarlet ears flattened, and he even whined. Then came the outburst. "By all the gods above and below, Da! What the fuck?! Have you lost all sense of decorum? Den is bad enough, but you? Gods!" He pushed past everyone as he stormed away, chased by Den's uncontrollable laughter.

Ciaran sighed and spoke loudly to be heard over Den's howling. "I think you went a bit too far, Liam. Give us a chance to get used to--" He wiggled his index finger at Liam and Faelen. "--things before teasing Aedan like that. Even then, _I_don't want to know about people's fetishes."

Liam felt Jeff's chi fluctuate; he moved from shock to confusion. Jeff must have caught Danny's slip. Faelen noted a change, too. "Poppy Aedan was referring to his deceased father, if you were wondering, Jeff. You could look at it similarly to how some Christians refer to saints and the like."

The Lab nodded slowly. "Ah. That makes more sense, I guess. I almost thought he was talking to Smith_when he shouted." He still looked befuddled when he glanced at Liam. "That wouldn't make _any sense, though." He addressed Liam more directly. "Um, about what Do-Jin said at Betty's, you being a 'si jo' despite being so young. I did a bit of research, and yeah, they don't_give people that title for _any reason at your age. There isn't even anyone in Canada that could give it to you. So how--?"

Nicholas interjected. "So what? Someone from China probably flew in like they're going to for the auction. As for his age, it could very well be some regional Chinese thing, similar to the Dalai Lama." Liam did not appreciate that. It was_very much like the Dalai Lama; they were both Ancient Ones, though the Dalai Lama was open about it. The only reason his openness on the matter was accepted was due to the religious nature of his position; anyone who did _not belong to the Hidden World would associate his stated nature with religion _only_and not magic. Even amongst those in the Hidden World, most appeared to believe he was not an Ancient One.

Jeff's ears perked right up; granted, only as much as a Lab's ears could perk. "That's so cool! You must get a lot of people 'accidentally' showing up at places you frequent. Do people stop you and ask for blessings, too? Do you get tons of invitations to weddings and stuff from people you've never heard of? I guess your parents belong to that religion, too, or they'd really think it was weird. How did these guys pick you?" His head tipped to a side again, and his tone indicated he had thought of some flaw in Nicholas's statement. "But..."

Faeden still had trouble controlling his laughter, and Jeff's raptures over Liam's religious status were not helping. "All hail the great Liam! God of teasing--!"

"I am not a god!" The room fell silent, as did the kitchen and quite possibly the sitting room; Nathanial, at the least, was now looking in. Liam could feel that he still shivered despite Faelen's arms tightening around him. 'I am not a god. I don't want to be a god.'_Liam thought of the shrine Nathanial showed him in Taipei, a shrine made to him by a fucking _Pixiu of all things. Liam did not want to be kept confined. To be locked away except when brought out to be venerated. To be _alone,_always alone. "The gods do not appreciate such banter."

Nicholas's expression of concern on Liam's behalf switched to fear. "Yeah, and to do it _today?_Didn't you see the news?"

While Nicholas spoke, Faelen whispered into Liam's ear. "I'm here, Liam. You aren't alone, and you never will be again." Liam turned around and clung to Faelen, drawing what emotional strength he could from his love.

Jeff timidly put his paw on Liam's shoulder. "Of course not; that's just silly talk. I'm pretty sure I know what you are, and there's nothing magical or spiritual about it." Liam_had_ to hear this.

Aoife spoke before he could, however. "And what's that?"

Jeff looked wary, as if he was used to being teased about his theories. "Um, a-a cyborg or anthroid; you know, a robot that looks like a Fur. Smith killed people with a single punch, punches that left almost no visible damage. He jumped onto the roof of a one story building with ease. He ran laps around Geoff when they were running around the soccer field one day, and Geoff is fast. Neither of them looked like they were even trying, but they were going faster than the guys I saw at a track and field event last year." The silence in the room seemed to encourage Jeff. "I thought of him being augmented, like Nathanial, but some stuff doesn't fit as well. Like Smith's almost digital memory. He can hear or see something once, for just a moment, and he can recall it perfectly -- it pisses off the teachers to no end, by the by. Um, and he's a kung fu master, at fourteen, to the extent that all the martial arts guys in the city acknowledge it. You could explain that with--" His voice filled with withering scorn. "--reincarnation, but it makes a lot more sense for him to have been programmed with the knowledge. He's also some sort of doctor, and a master musician, and painter, and other things that take way too much time for a fourteen year old to become great at when added together. And..." Jeff hesitated, glancing apologetically at Liam. "Um, the way he looks and talks most of the time, like he's some sort of cute killer robot. Completely expressionless. His words spaced too...perfectly, and always enunciated with precision."

Liam felt Faelen's chest muscles quiver with contained laughter, and Nathanial's chi spoke equally of great amusement. Liam did not see the humour, personally. He was unsure if he should be insulted or relieved that Jeff had wandered far 'out in left field,' as the expression went.

Nicholas smirked a little. "So, if Nathanial was augmented at the Q.E. II, what about Liam? Do you think they'd have the resources to do genetic resequencing or whatever, _and_grafting robotics into a Fur?"

Jeff's eyes narrowed a little. "The robotics would be done at the labs in Dalhousie, using tech developed in concert with Japan. Some of it was stolen from China, of course, using the secret base on the Senkaku Islands as means of inserting spies into China. It's why China has so many--" Jeff made air quotes. _"--'fishing'_boats around the islands, now."

Liam knew little of these islands, other than that their ownership was disputed and that they were located in the relative vicinity of Taiwan.

Jeff looked toward the door again. "And Nathanial's genes wouldn't have been resequenced recently; the modifications would've been activated. Retroviruses have come a long way, but no one in the forums has found evidence they can do a large scale job like that. His genes would have been modified before conception." He met Nicholas's eyes evenly. "Like yours probably were."

'Oh? This is truly an unexpected visit.' Liam turned away from Faelen to face Jeff, but stayed within his lover's comforting embrace.

Nicholas's smile faltered but did not fully slip. "Uh-huh."

Ciaran picked up a violin and quietly began playing Brahm's Lullaby. Liam could see his son's attention was not at all diverted, but he wished for it to appear that it was. He was most intrigued, and rather amused. Faeden had stopped laughing, for the most part, and he, too, paid very close attention. Aoife was more difficult to read; she was a little amused and listened to Jeff talk without interruption, but Liam guessed the... What form of popular culture would this fit under? Regardless, the pop-culture nature of Jeff's theories bored her. Faelen was amused but became distracted by Liam's ears once more.

Jeff's next words snapped Faelen out of his growing reverie, however. "Pheromones." Nicholas's smile completely vanished. "There are stories coming out of your school about how out of control students are getting, and it's not because society suddenly became more sexualized over the summer. So unless the military or other_agencies have decided to experiment with their chemical agents on the whole school, that means someone _in the school is the cause. Logically, as Nathanial's brother, you become the top suspect. You both look like your father did when he was your ages -- the age he mysteriously vanished for a year -- meaning both of you are probably near clones of him. You might have been full clones without the modifications done on your genes, or if the experiments done on him carried through his sperm. Nathanial was designed to be a super soldier; they designed him to have exceptional strength and all. You_were designed to be able to be a spy or agent provocateur; you can manipulate people through pheromones just like Marvel's _Spider-Woman. I don't know what your father was altered to do."

Ciaran stopped playing for a moment. "I thought you said retroviruses couldn't modify a person's DNA thoroughly enough to 'change' someone the way you're inferring Garret was."

Jeff shook his head. "No, but they didn't have retroviruses when Mr. Marks was born; they'd just perfected in vitro fertilization, remember. Even injecting altered DNA into a 'blank' egg was just a theory at that point. That's why he 'vanished' for that long, so they could do more invasive experiments, like bone marrow transplants. By replacing his marrow, they changed the blood he produces, which lets the modifications spread through his whole body."

That appeared to be very_close to what the Nosferatu did to Garret, be it intentional or not, and the changes _did get passed on to Nicholas and Nathanial. If Jeff was even remotely correct, what would be the goal of such inheritable changes? Was the appearance of Beriatana, that blasted Succubus, phase two of some diabolical plan? No, it made far more sense for Garret's survival to be chance and his imprisonment be solely to keep him as a power source. To look for reasons beyond that, without more evidence, was to fly in the face of Ockham's Razor: 'plurality should not be posited without necessity.' In modern speak, that would translate to 'keep it simple, stupid.'

Nicholas's eyes narrowed hostilely. "And how do you know Dad 'vanished' for a year?"

Jeff, facing a potentially wrathful Nicholas, shrunk in on himself, and his voice softened to near inaudibility. "I-It's easy to find on the net, if you know where to look. I looked up stuff on your family in September, and there's a lot on it. Your father's father worked in diplomatic and business circles, so his name comes up frequently, mostly under espionage theories."

Nicholas appeared doubtful and suspicious. "'Espionage theories'? Uh, where, exactly, were you looking?"

Liam wondered if, perhaps, those theories were truer than they appeared on first blush. The person in question was a Demon Mage after all, one who gained power by discovering secrets and whose magic would be most useful in uncovering them. A Court Imp thrived_in diplomatic circles, and there was a _reason so many stories spoke of unscrupulous Mages using them as familiars when seeking political power, even if it always led to their own demise in time.

Faelen rubbed one paw over Liam's belly and his nose snuffled around Liam's ears. "I can assure you, Jeff, that Liam isn't a robot. I've examined every bit of him that _can_be examined." It appeared Faelen wished to divert the conversation, and it worked perfectly.

The way Jeff's fur suddenly stood on end made it look like he was struck by a bolt of static electricity. His body temperature rose shockingly fast, too, and he stammered, "I-I-I, um, w-well, you see..." Nicholas's and Faeden's howling laughs cut him off. Ciaran shot Faelen a dirty look but nodded minutely in approval, as if he knew why Faelen interrupted the conversation.

Faeden gasped out, "And I bet there were some invasive exams, too!" Ciaran's expression became most withering as he turned to Faeden.

Faelen hugged Liam a bit tighter and rubbed the side of his muzzle over Liam's head. "Very invasive and prolonged." Faelen released Liam and stepped back. "But, on a more serious note, Liam did just regain consciousness. He should be in bed, sleeping." He waved at Jeff. "If you're heading out, I'll see you tomorrow. If you're staying to talk to Nick some more, then I'll be up after I make sure Liam actually goes to sleep."

Jeff's fur had still not settled, and Nicholas spoke a bit before the Lab could make his voice work. "Nah, I'll show him to the door; I have homework to do." The Akita shook his head. "What a fucked up day." Liam noticed Nicholas reacted in concert with a shift in Nathanial's energy. Nathanial must have called him on his language. Speaking of the eldest Marks pup, Nathanial was approaching the music room with Geoff.

Jeff deflated a little, but perked up remarkably when Nathanial stepped in view. "H--"

Geoff's louder voice cut him off. "Hey, Jeff. Good to see you. We would've come around sooner, but we thought you were just grabbing the case and leaving. Nathanial shouldn't be walking around too much as it is." The last was coupled with a dark look; Nathanial must have insisted on at least saying 'hello.'

Nathanial sighed. "I'm _fine._Really." He turned his attention to their classmate. "Hi, Jeff. I see you've met my brother Nick." Nathanial gestured toward the older Spirits in turn. "These are some of the O'Conalls, Faelen's relatives. Aoife, Faeden, and Ciaran." He smiled at Ciaran. "You play the violin very well. Did Lowell teach you?"

The question took Liam aback greatly, as did the sadness and regret detectable in Ciaran's chi. "No, Nathanial, Da didn't. I learnt it after he passed so I'd have something more to remember him by." When Ciaran lowered the violin, Liam noted with even more surprise that it was the violin Lowell had left to Muireann. It was _his_violin.

Faelen's paw clapped heavily on Liam's shoulder. "Good night." He steered Liam out of the room.

Did Ciaran actually_regret not learning the violin from him? Lowell had taught him so much, and spent so much time with Ciaran, that it did not make sense. Perhaps it was a regret born of grief, something that did not develop until after Lowell had died. Should he have tried to make the time? Perhaps when they had quiet time in London? But Lowell found such periods to be the only time he could really unwind to any degree. To spend it playing at being 'Da' would have taxed him further. This was _Ciaran--

Faelen's paw tightened on Liam's shoulder. "Don't dwell, Liam. It's all in the past. Right now you need to recover, both physically and emotionally. You feel very wound up."

Liam sighed and pushed the thoughts aside. "Most true. It has been very trying. I need to spend much time meditating to regain my centre. First, however, my patients."

Faelen let his shoulder go as they entered the kitchen. "Yeah, we've been very worried about Hugh. He only regained consciousness shortly before you did; before that, he was completely comatose."

Liam sighed, relieved. "Excellent." Faelen's choked gasp and very visible shock amused Liam mightily. "Did you think his prolonged unconsciousness was a sign of great trauma?" Liam shook his head, chuckling. "He did receive dire wounds, yes, but I knew he would not rest to let my medication work, so I administered sedatives to _force_him into stillness. I was also not in the mood to argue, and this ensured his silence." Faelen's stunned expression remained. Liam shook his head again. "How did he react upon waking? Did he try to leave the bed despite warnings? Did he insist on working?"

Faelen growled in annoyance. Liam was momentarily sure the growl was for him, but Faelen's words belayed that fear. "You're right. He started arguing and shouting pretty much right away. He even got out of bed, despite hearing he had a concussion, and had to be helped back in when he got sick. He's been arguing with Jay and Mr. Doull since. He'll want to be taken off disability leave immediately; Jay has refused to tell him anything of what's been going on, as their directives demand."

Liam nodded. "As expected. I still have more sedatives ready if he proves to be troublesome, but it is best for Mages to deal with problem Mages." Liam sighed and braced himself for an argument as he opened the door at the base of the stairs.