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February 15, 2012
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  >> Campfire Creative >> Fiction >> Death >> ID #1288333  |   Show DetailsPrinter Friendly Page Tell A Friend
Dead - Charlie 2
Some say death is an ending. Death can also be a begining.
Rated:
18+
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[Introduction] So... this is labeled Dead - Charlie 2 because we seemed to have reached the ending of our legal limit on campfire posts. Either that or something funky was going on and we just aren't able to see past post # 500. Well, we want to keep posting on this, so we've made another campfire for it. Here we go!
Stormy is Editing    (Continued from "Invalid Item"  )


"Well, I'm glad you do. It makes me feel like I've really got a person on my side. That makes me happy." She started eating in earnest then, actually eating it and not just poking at it.

Charlie was halfway through his food already. Having friends was neat, and he hadn't even changed so far as he could tell. It was just that here people kept giving him a chance. It was nice.

They finished their food quickly and Sensana stretched afterwards, a small smile on her face. "Well, now that we're done eating, I think I'm ready for bed, how about you?"

M    "Well..." Charlie smiled, "a bit of reading first I think, then bed." He got up to take his tray to the pile. "I'll walk down with you though."

Stormy is Editing    Sensana stood up with her tray and smiled gently, "A perfect gentleman. What are you reading?"

M    "The magic information on my laptop. There's so much there, it's amazing." He dumped his tray and left it, waited for Sensana to do the same and heading for the elevator. "I'm really curious about it, since I've never run into anything like it before."

Stormy is Editing    "Ahhh..." Sensana said as she followed to the elevator. "Magic, it's so interesting to learn about isn't it? I wonder which kind of magic you'll have. I'm willing to bet on something mental, probably air related. Have you read the basics on each element?"

M    "I've read the overview, and a lot of the specifics on fire. I'd like to finish fire tonight. Maybe I'll read air next." He smiled at her.

Stormy is Editing    She smiled back, "Well, I just think since you're logical and don't get upset easily, that you're likely going to be air. I could be completely wrong of course."

M    "Hm, I see your point, but I'm not always logical. Sometimes I can see the heart of things too. I don't know." Charlie shrugged, "None of them have sounded particularly me to me yet. Maybe once I've read the more detailed stuff one of them will. I wonder."

Stormy is Editing    "Well, one never exactly knows, it's all something that comes from inside us, somewhere we don't exactly understand." The elevator opened and Sensana got out. "I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I found out I was fire, but it still didn't seem quite right to me originally."

M    "Really?" Charlie thought it suited her temper fairly well, "It seems right for you to me."

Stormy is Editing    Sensana sighed, "Yes, everyone seemed to think I should have known how incredibly like me it was." She shrugged, "Maybe I just thought I shouldn't be something so normal."

M    "Aren't they all pretty normal? I mean it mentions that there are some rare ones, but those must be awfully rare since they don't go into them at all. I'd think it would be difficult to get one of those. I mean they don't come with directions," Charlie grinned because he knew everyone wouldn't feel that way, but he did.

Stormy is Editing    Sensana turned a corner and stopped in front of her door. "I suppose so. The ones that are rare are really rare, so there's not much that we can learn about them. Most people with those gifts are either high ranking Angels or low ranking Demons. But there's a difficulty finding out if they're strong because of their gifts or if their gifts are realized because they're strong." She ran a hand through her hair, "But it's bedtime for me, and I'm sure you'd like to do your reading. Have fun, thank you for walking me."

M    "No problem, sleep well Sensana." Charlie stopped in his room for his laptop, returned to the elevator and went down to the lounge where he'd picked up his book that first night. There he curled his feet under him on one of the couches, opened his laptop and picked up where he'd left off.

Stormy is Editing    He read for several hours before he noticed that there was someone peering over his shoulder.

M    Slowly he turned his head to see who it was.

Stormy is Editing    "Oh!" came the smiling voice of Warah, "Don't mind me, I was just looking over your shoulder to see what you were reading this time. Enjoying yourself?"

M    "Yes, I'm finishing up fire before I go to bed. I still haven't finished my book, but I thought this might be more important for the moment. How are you tonight Warah?"

Stormy is Editing    Warah took a deep breath, held it, and then smiled broadly at Charlie. "I'm doing very well indeed! I just finished up a project that I've been toiling on for about twenty or so years now. I feel wonderful, and so I thought perhaps I should take a real break and sleep tonight." He nodded at the laptop. "Feel free to read up, but there's something I should mention to you regarding it all. It may sound like something that's been well researched for years and years, and that's true, but we're finding new things about magic every day. Don't be surprised if you see things that don't seem to hold true to what you're reading right now."

M    "Congratulations on your project," Charlie marked his spot with bold and hit save. "So, what makes you feel the need to tell me?"

Stormy is Editing    Warah shrugged, "I've seen people come and people go over the centuries, you know how it is. And as time goes on and people start getting information on things they can expect, they start thinking that all of this comes easily, and with drastic results. Sometimes people with the greatest gifts don't realize they're getting their gifts at all because they're thinking huge things will happen to them, but in reality, it's only small things that happen at first. Then they neglect their training and get injured because they didn't realize the power was growing. I just want you to know not to expect great things right away." He smiled, "Well, and because I have a feeling that your magic won't be normal. Because of this, I feel the need to tell you that if it doesn't seem like you're getting power, it doesn't necessarily mean you're not getting it, it might be something you simply aren't expecting. Hope some of that makes sense to you."

M    Charlie nodded, "it does, but you shouldn't worry. I'm not all that concerned about the magic. In a lot of ways I don't think you need really strong magic to be effective. Like everything else I'm sure there's a balance between what you have and how you use it." He nodded at the seat next to him, "Why don't you sit down. That is if you don't mind me monopolizing your break time. I'd like to know what makes you think my magic won't be normal. I'm curious like that."

Stormy is Editing    Warah chuckled and nodded, jumping over the edge of the sofa and sitting next to Charlie. "It's alright, I approve of curiosity, its what makes us delve into things out of the norm and create things miraculous." Warah looked thoughtful for a moment, and then shrugged, "Well, honestly, part of that is due to the fact that you're so young, and so intelligent, and you were given the option to become a detective. Most of the younger deaths don't have the option to become a detective because unless their suicidal, which I can tell you aren't, they care enough about their soul to not be willing to risk it. Take a good look around at the ages of the people here, most of them are in their twenties to forties. There are a few younger, and a few older, but not very many of them." Warah looked up for a moment, as though thinking, and became silent.

M    Charlie watched him silently for a bit, thinking about all the people he'd met, or just passed by. Yes, nearly everyone there was older than he was. Finally he spoke again. "So you think my magic might be different because I am so different?"

Stormy is Editing    Warah looked back at Charlie in surprise, "Oh, sorry, I'd gone daydreaming a bit there. Well," he smiled, "I guess you could say that to a certain extent. I believe that power, or magic, is somewhat based on the nature of a person. Your nature is much different from most of the people I've run across, so I'm willing to bet your power will be different as well."

M    "I sort of hope you're wrong," Charlie said with a smile. "I think Sensana might be sad if I got something unusual because she hoped that she would. I suppose that's silly but... I'd like her to be happy at least for a while."

Stormy is Editing    Warah laughed, "Sensana huh? She's a fun one. I think it doesn't matter if you have unusual power, if she sees how hard it is to control something that other people don't know how to control, perhaps she'll see that it was best that she didn't get something rare. If you could do anything, what would it be?"

M    "Do anything?" Charlie wasn't sure what he meant, "How do you mean? Do you mean do anything with my life, or do anything right this moment, or... something else?"

Stormy is Editing    "Do anything with your life, I'm curious." Warah smiled.

M    "I'd do exactly what I'm doing right now," Charlie replied, "otherwise there'd be no reason to be here. I mean I just sort of had that choice, and I chose this. I like all of the people I've really talked to here and I hope that by being a detective I can help them and others. So, that's what I want most."

Stormy is Editing    Warah beamed at him. "Excellent. I'm so glad to hear it. That means that you most likely won't be displeased with your decision." Warah stretched. "Well, I feel so nicely refreshed. How about you? Do you have any other questions for me?"

M    "Just one, did Jared really change after he acquired the water spirit?" Charlie asked with a smile. Warah might very well not know, but he seemed to know everyone.

Stormy is Editing    Warah smiled, "Of course. Everyone who gets a Great Spirit changes a certain amount afterwards. It's due to the sudden surge in power and the alteration of your world. I have a spirit, you know." Warah grinned.

M    "Do you? Which spirit?"

Stormy is Editing    Warah laughed, "I have the Spirit Spirit. Isn't that funny?"

M    Charlie nodded, "How did gaining the spirit spirit alter your world?" He had to assume Warah was speaking from personal experience.

Stormy is Editing    "Well, I was suddenly able to see all kinds of things I hadn't been able to see before." Warah looked thoughtful. "Well, I didn't speak for about a month after getting the spirit, I didn't know what to say. Then when I did start talking, I just kind of... well, knew things people didn't understand how I knew." He shrugged, "Does that make any kind of sense?"

M    "So your perception changed. You could perceive what had formerly been imperceivable?" Charlie was facing him now, completely caught by the information. His imagination was filling in the spaces of what that might be like. It could heavily explain Jared's silence just after, but if he was more perceptive why push Sensana away from himself? Did he think he was bad for her, or she was bad for him? What could he be seeing that she didn't. Well, as for that it could be just about anything...

Stormy is Editing    Warah nodded, "Yeah, you could say that. My ability to perceive things changed drastically. It was..." he stared off for a moment, then focused on Charlie again, "It was amazing. The first day or two, I just walked around looking at things. I remember watching an ant on earth and thinking, "I know what you're doing, where you're going, and how you're going to die." and it was all true. It was the most incredible experience. I found that if I focused just right, I could watch as people interacted with each other and saw how they would change each other's lives. It was fascinating. But then I realized I'd forgotten something very important in it all." He fell silent again, watching Charlie with a very small smile on his lips. "Do you know what that was?"

M    Charlie could think of all sorts of possible answers, but he shook his head, none of them rang exactly true. "Tell me," he requested, waiting eagerly for Warah's response.

Stormy is Editing    "Well, I'd forgotten that the whole reason I'd gotten this gift wasn't to watch people, it was to help them. I'd also forgotten myself in the spirit." He got this faraway look on his face. "It was like I became one with the spirit, but in becoming one with it, I forgot myself, who I was, what I wanted, what I'd been striving for. It was hard to tell what limited me, was it me or was it someone's definition of what strong was? It was difficult to find myself in what was the spirit."

M    "How did you overcome that?" Charlie asked, completely focussed on Warah.

Stormy is Editing    "Well, it wasn't easy." Warah laughed humorlessly. "It took me a while, several years to really overcome it all. It was like I'd been melded so completely to the spirit that I had to pull the pieces of myself out of the spirit. I had to undergo experiments that I created for myself, to find and capture myself. I scoured my power looking for the energy that was light green and not golden or silver. Then I'd pull it and put it in my core," Warah moved his hands so they were hovered around his midsection, "and then I'd hold it there, and add to it until I found all my pieces. I... well, I lost many of my memories when I'd gotten the spirit, and I had to find all of those and make them a part of myself. It was very difficult." He paused and smiled softly. "It was worth it though."

M    "It can't be the same for everyone though. I mean, that's a given. Not everyone reacts to the exact same thing in the same way. So... I wonder how much of that was gaining the spirit and how much of that was you. You know, maybe you're predisposed to watching to some extent in the first place. Are you?"

Stormy is Editing    Warah laughed richly, "Yes, I love to watch people and things. And yes, each person reacts differently to things, take a look at Loki, overall he's remained the same throughout all four of his Spirit's. I really do think each spirit is different too though."

M    Charlie nodded, "It's probably a combination of predisposition, spirit type and sense of identity. Since all three are difficult to define it's almost impossible to begin to explain how it might effect someone. Fascinating." He fell silent as he thought it over.

Stormy is Editing    "Isn't it though? And not enough people get spirits to make it into anything you can really research. Such a shame." Warah actually sounded saddened.

M    Charlie nodded immediate agreement. "I understand why you feel that way. So, for Sensana and Jared, do you think there's hope for that?"

Stormy is Editing    Warah turned gleaming eyes on Charlie, "What an interesting topic of discussion. Are you trying to play matchmaker?"

M    "I'm not sure. I'm trying to help my partner get her head straight for the moment that means matchmaking, but I can't guarantee it won't change abruptly."

Stormy is Editing    Warah laughed lightly, "Well, I think she's still head over heals for Jared, that's for sure. As for Jared, I think he still loves her heavily, but I think he feels that they aren't right for each other anymore. I know it makes no sense, but I think it's the truth. It has something to do with his spirit. Ahhh..." Warah smiled at Charlie, "Is that why you were asking about the spirits?"

M    "Well, that's what's put it on my mind lately yes. But it really is fascinating to me. I've heard Loki can't get water no matter how hard he tries and that also fascinates me. It isn't the way she feels that concerns me, it's that she's not done with him, and he's not being straight forward with her. It's very frustrating. They remind me of my parents, except that they seem to be good people, although I've become less sure of Jared as time has gone on. I see he wants her to stop loving him, but he hasn't truly released her. Turning your back on someone with no explanation does not help them get over you." He sighed, "Well, you've gotten more of my opinion then I intended."

Stormy is Editing    Warah listened to him with a nod here and there to encourage Charlie on. When he finally stopped talking, Warah smiled, "Yes, all of that is true and yet some of it is disturbing. Let's see," he paused, "As for Loki, I think his main problem is that he isn't really in touch with his emotions, which I must admit isn't all his fault, but still, until he is, he can't really understand water. As for Jared and Sensana..." he sighed, "Well, I think there's hope yet, but it's mainly on Jared trusting himself, which is something that may never happen. And I really like having you speak your mind to me you know? I like it, it allows me to understand you a bit."

M    "That's good, because if everyone keeps letting me do so like they have been I'm afraid I'm likely to just keep doing it. I still don't get it, did he just never trust himself or did he stop for some reason? He's throwing of such mixed feelings. I don't know how to take him. I would think you'd need some command of your emotions to capture water, or is it just enough to feel them and know what you're feeling? Then again maybe no ones sure either way? I don't mean to be in their business so much, but I guess I'm just naturally nosy."

Stormy is Editing    Warah chuckled, "No, I think it's something you want to do for people you like, or care about. I don't think you're nosy in things you don't care about. Let's see, as for taming the Water Spirit, I'm not sure what you have to do in order to capture that one. I know that it's emotional and therefore more difficult for logical people to get, but other than that I don't know the specifics. The only person I know of that has the Water Spirit is Jared. I think he's got it 'cause... well, 'cause he was very emotional and had such a high level water power. But that might not be exactly right, I'm not sure." He laughed loudly, "Well, that wasn't helpful, was it?"

M    "Well... I think it confirms that no one is exactly sure. In that way it's helpful. Thanks Warah, I think I'd better get to bed now. If Sensana knew I was still up she'd have a fit I suspect. I'm not so good about going to bed or getting up," he smiled ruefully. "I suppose I'm still a kid after all."

Stormy is Editing    Warah ruffled Charlie's hair, "Naw, you're just getting used to a new environment. Once you're used to us all here, you'll just slip right into a routine. Go on, get to bed, sleep well and have a good morning."

M    "Thanks, goodnight Warah. It's been nice talking with you again."

Stormy is Editing    "It was nice talking to you too Charlie, good night!" Warah waved as he left.

M    Charlie went straight to his room opening his laptop when he got there. "Einstein, would you wake me in eight hours?"

Stormy is Editing    "Certainly Charlie, I would be delighted. What kind of alarm would you like? Music, noise, or a combination?"

M    "Try music first, and if it doesn't work then whatever makes me twitch, erm you know, actually get up."

Stormy is Editing    There came a small noise from the laptop that sounded suspiciously like chuckling. "Certainly Charlie, I'll start with music. What kind of music would you like?"

M    "Doesn't matter, something fairly loud with an up tempo beat." Charlie stripped and slipped into bed, glad he didn't have to wear pajamas to bed. There was something about Sensana that made him feel the need.

Stormy is Editing    In exactly eight hours there came the sound of hip hop music popping through his room.

M    "Mmmm," Charlie stirred and his hand felt around for something to turn off but he couldn't find anything, "ehhh?" He put his pillow over his head.

Stormy is Editing    The music got louder and someone started rapping.

M    "Agh," Charlie's muffled voice complained, the pillow slipped away and his eyes peered out from under it. He blinked twice and sighed, "Oh, Einstein, thanks, I'm up," he said, finishing with a huge yawn as he sat up.

Stormy is Editing    "Are you certain Charlie?" Einstein said as the music got softer.

M    "Yep, once I'm sitting you're safe. You did a great job, really. Whenever you and I are alone and I go to sleep could you do that? Eight hours should be plenty of sleep most of the time." He stood and headed for the shower.

Stormy is Editing    "Certainly Charlie," Einstein said as the music stopped. "I should also mention that you have mail from Sensana."

M    "Oh," Charlie paused, "can you read it to me?"

Stormy is Editing    "Certainly," Einstein said, and a moment later, "Charlie," came the voice of Sensana, "I just wanted to thank you again for last night. I greatly appreciate your help. I was hoping to get permission from the Chief to go shopping in two days time, would you like to come with me? You can either write me a note, or let me know in person, I'll be around the forest all day, I want to do some herb picking. Thanks again, Sensana."

M    "Thanks Einstein. I'll look for her after breakfast, so I won't reply." He started the shower and got in. Once he was clean he dressed, picked up Einstein and headed down to the cafeteria, where he ordered an omelet and looked around to see if anyone familiar was sitting at a table.

Stormy is Editing    He saw Warah sitting in a corner with three books arranged around him, and Jared in a different corner, picking at his food.

M    He went straight over to Jared, smiling broadly, "Good Morning Jared, may I sit here?"

Stormy is Editing    Jared rolled his eyes and motioned to the seat. "As if I can really stop you, right? You've made your decision to bother me, you may as well sit and get it over with."

M    "Great," Charlie said, taking the seat and setting Einstein to his side. "How are you this morning?"

Stormy is Editing    "Tired. How are you this morning?"

M    "I got eight hours of sleep, didn't have to deal with my mother and had a great hot shower, so I'd say fantastic." Charlie took a bite of his omelet, chewed it and when he was done eating asked, "Want to talk about it?"

Stormy is Editing    "About what?" Jared asked, glaring at Charlie.

M    "About what made you so tired this morning obviously. Sounds like something's bothering you. I might be able to help," he took another bite.

Stormy is Editing    "Doubtful, as I'm certain you're partly responsible for making it so hard for me to sleep last night."

M    "Truly the only one who could keep you from sleeping is you Jared, but I'm used to people blaming things on me, so I can hack it if that's what you want to do. At any rate, I'm sincerely trying to help you right now."

Stormy is Editing    Jared rolled his eyes. "You'd think you were not responsible for making Sensana come to me in a fervor like a crazed animal last night. You know she's crazy right now, right? You shouldn't encourage her."

M    "You know Jared, for someone who has to be in touch with his feelings you're pretty full of shit." Charlie put his fork down and looked straight into Jared's eyes. "If you're done with Sensana, fine, tell her you're done and give her a reason. How would you like it if someone you loved just suddenly lost interest in you and walked away without giving you any reason? Don't you think you might want some closure on that? If you do love her why not try to work things out? Maybe she's done stupid things, we all have at one time or another, but she's still a person. You can't decide what she should or shouldn't want. If you want to keep blaming things on others fine, but if you make no effort to work this out with her I can promise that the next thing I'll be doing is helping her get over you. If that means finding her someone else to love I'll do that to. Say the word Jared and I'll start today. Tell me you don't mind if she gets over you and moves on."

Stormy is Editing    Jared's eyes narrowed. "You know, for someone who doesn't know much of what's going on between us, you act big and mighty. If I was her I'd be trying to get over me. I don't want to hurt her anymore and I certainly don't want to have her hung up on me while I'm trying to come to terms with myself. If you want to be an ass and try to make her get over me, go right ahead, I personally think she deserves better. I'm not entirely sure why she keeps saying she loves me when I've done everything in my power to make her hate me. I've done these things on purpose, although I have a feeling you already knew that. I want her to leave me alone, but that's not because I don't care about her, in fact, it's not because I don't love her too. I just think that she should have someone other than me, and I've been trying to get her to see that." Jared had been speaking in a hard undertone the whole time, but now his voice raised to a normal level as he stood up. "Do what ever you think you should do you meddling little boy. But remember one thing, whatever you do, be prepared for the consequences. I didn't ask for you to make her understand why I don't want her to love me anymore, it was something you did on your own, and sitting by me and trying to talk to me when you don't really know me... that was your own doing as well, so you get what you ask for." He grabbed his plate and turned around, and came face to face with a slightly red faced Sensana.

"You want me to hate you Jay~Jay?" she said, her voice quivering slightly. He glared at Charlie and turned away from her, pushing past when she tried to stop him and heading to drop off his tray.

M    Charlie stood and followed, "That's the thing Jared, you can't choose her emotions, only yours. Do you even listen when people talk to you, or is it just that you don't know me? You think she shouldn't love you? Fine, tell her that and tell her why. She's a person not a thing. You can't just decide to make her feel one way or another, that's up to her, not you." He stayed on Jared's tail as he spoke, refusing to let him out of earshot no matter where he went. "Are you listening, or are you just hearing the parts you want to hear?"

Stormy is Editing    Jared slammed his tray down and turned to face Charlie, his own cheeks bright red. "I'm listening alright, but I don't think it's any of your business what happens between us! I don't think you should be mixing in on the whole thing because it shouldn't be something you are sticking your nose into!" His voice was raised a few levels and some of the other people in the room were turning to look at them.

"Jared!" Sensana said, running over. "Don't get mad at Charlie, he asked and has been a good friend ever since he started here. He's helped me understand some things and he was helping me, not sticking his nose into our problems!"

"He doesn't need to help you Sensy, you don't need help to know that you shouldn't be with me!"

"Well maybe it's my decision to make on whether or not I want to be with you, not yours and not his!" Her voice was raising a few notches as well.

"You're crazy Sensy!"

"And you can't make decisions on my emotions for me!"

"Oh, you think I can't?!"

"That wasn't a challenge you know!"

M    Charlie looked from one to the other as they yelled at each other then said, "Outside, we should be outside."

Stormy is Editing    Jared turned away from them both and started walking out of the room, Sensana watched him start walking and ran after him. "You're not getting away from me Jared, we've started this, we're going to finish it."

"Yeah, well your little friend made a good comment and I'm going to listen to that particular piece of advice."

M    Charlie followed the two of them outside.

Stormy is Editing    When they got a certain distance away from the building, Jared turned on Sensana. "I know it wasn't a challenge, but the thing is Sensana, I can manipulate emotions and I can make you feel things you wouldn't normally," his voice was much calmer right now, as though the walk had helped.

"Jared, I know you wouldn't do something like that to me..." she got cut off.

"It's not something I might do intentionally. I might cause you more pain that I would do good. That's the thing Sensy, it's like I'm right back where I started from, relearning my powers. I can't afford to fuck you up while I'm doing it."

"Jared," she said softly, reaching for him. He backed away from her.

"No Sensy, you need to leave me alone, alright? I need to know that no matter what happens, I'm not going to make you someone else."

"And who the hell are you going to make me?"

"I don't know! That's the problem!" his voice was raised again, and he turned away from them, wrapping his arms around himself. Sensana reached for him, gently placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Jay~Jay, can't you tell I'm not going anywhere? I don't care if I'm not perfect, I don't care if you're not perfect, we're human, not some kind of exact race or something. Just trust me when I say I love you and try to understand that I'm not going to change because you need to learn control again. I was there in the beginning, remember? I didn't leave then, I didn't hate you then, why on earth would I hate you now?"

"Because I was strong and now I'm weak," he said softly. Sensana chuckled.

"As if that could make me stop loving you," she said, finally wrapping her arms around him.

"I don't want to be in a relationship with you until I learn control, alright?" he said tightly.

"How about friends? Can't we be friends instead of enemies?" Jared was silent for a few minutes.

M    "Lovers or friends or whatever, can't you just be honest with each other again?" Charlie asked softly, "because this kind of drama effects everything you do. You know Jared, I may not be directly involved, in fact I'm not, but I'm Sensana's partner now and I do get effected by her emotions. I do." He looked from one to the other. "Why not call a truce and stop provoking each other?"

Stormy is Editing    There was silence for a few more minutes, before Jared nodded his head once.

"Fine," he said, "Fine, we can call a truce, but Sensy, I can't love you the way I am."

"The fact that you're doing so much for my sake proves to me that you love me Jay~Jay," she whispered. They stood still like that for a few moments more and then Sensana stepped away from him. "Now, I have some shopping I need to set up and I haven't eaten yet, and I know you want to go swimming." Jared nodded once. "Go on, I'll see you later Jay~Jay." She turned to Charlie, and he could see that she had been crying.

"I'll see you later Sensy," Jared said as he walked away.

"Well, I'm hungry, and I'm sure you still are, shall we move to the cafeteria again now?" Sensana said, smiling broadly at Charlie.

M    Charlie nodded once, put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her with friendly affection. "Yes, let's go." He allowed his arm to drop away and began walking toward the cafeteria with her.

Stormy is Editing    She sniffed once and straightened up, looking happier than he had ever seen her as she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief and walked into the cafeteria.

M    "Feeling better?" he asked, following her into the food line.

Stormy is Editing    She nodded, "Yeah, I'm feeling a lot better overall. I just don't know why he didn't talk to me about all this." She shook her head and got an omelet. "I mean we used to talk all the time, what would have made him feel like I couldn't handle, well, all of this?"

M    "It might not be a matter of couldn't. I think he was trying to protect you, and he didn't feel you would protect yourself given the choice. I'm not saying he was right, but it seems he decided not to give you a choice. I think I've probably thoroughly alienated him now, but at least he's talking to you again. If you maintain some distance he should be satisfied." He followed her to the food line, even though his food was cooling on the table.

Stormy is Editing    She nodded and got her food, walking to the table where Charlie's food was and sitting down across from him. "I just don't... well, I just don't understand why. I'm going to have to talk to him more about this later, of course, but..." She reached out and lightly put her hand over Charlie's food, and when she removed it, it was steaming hot again. "As a way of thanks," she said, her cheeks blushing a bit.

M    "Thanks," Charlie gestured at the food before continuing. "I don't know either, but I was talking to Warah a bit last night. Did you know that he has a spirit? He was telling me about how it changed him when he got it. It was really interesting. Have you ever talked to him about it?"

Stormy is Editing    Sensana shook her head, nibbling delicately on her omelet. "No, in fact, I never even knew he had a spirit. That's an interesting thing. So what did he say about it?"

M    "He told me that when he first got it he got very caught up in observing. He didn't talk to anyone at all for months. I guess it gave him the ability to see what would happen to things and people and he could see what there future might be, how they'd live and die." Charlie ate some of his own omelet.

Stormy is Editing    Sensana shivered, "I don't think I'd like to have that ability." She looked around the room, "I mean, that's too close to having St. Peter's ability to know where people are going to die and all that. I'd hate that, knowing when each person on the earth dies..."

M    "That would really bother you wouldn't it? Well, what happened with him was that he suddenly realized he was just watching and not doing anything anymore. So he had to stop and do some thinking. He said he'd become so entangled with the spirit that he had to literally extract himself from it piece by piece to see what he really wanted and thought. On the other hand he said he didn't notice Loki ever having that problem at all."

Stormy is Editing    Sensana snorted once, "I don't think there's enough of Loki's mind left to siphon away into something else." She shrugged, "Well, that's an interesting thing, isn't it? I can't imagine going through that, is it worth it?" She looked at Charlie seriously, "Is that kind of power really worth the trouble?"

M    Charlie shrugged, "who can say. I think it depends on what you intend to do with the power. If your need outweighs the trouble. Besides, I don't really understand the whole thing. I mean did Jared decide to go after water? It seems somewhat counter to his nature to seek power. Of course I didn't know him before, nor do I really know him now. I just have an impression of what he's like."

Stormy is Editing    Sensana shook her head. "Loki and Jared went out together. They made some kind of deal regarding it, I don't know the details. Well," she shrugged, "when they came back, Loki was sad and Jared had the Water Spirit. I don't know past that anything." She took a few bites and chewed thoughtfully.

M    "What are you thinking?" Charlie was almost done with his omelet and feeling much better for it.

Stormy is Editing    "Well, I was just thinking that maybe Loki wanted to get Water and it just happened by luck that Jared ended up taming him. Maybe Loki was thinking of doing a double attack on Water or something."

M    "Well, at least part of it must have had to do with Loki wanting water. If Jared has an affinity to it maybe he just couldn't help himself once he was face to face with the spirit. It might not have been a choice he made so much as an incident that happened. I wonder." He thought for a bit himself, eating in silence.

"You know Sensana, about earlier, I would never try to get you over anything or anyone unless you wanted to. I just... got exasperated with him."

Stormy is Editing    Sensana looked at Charlie in surprise, "I know that!" she said, her voice shocked. "You'd never try to force someone into any kind of emotional situation they didn't want. You're not that kind of monster." She smiled softly, "I think I can tell that about you even though we've hardly known each other."

M    Charlie nodded, "Good, I just needed to make that clear. I don't want you to ever have cause to wonder. By the way, would you mind if I shortened your name a bit?"

Stormy is Editing    Sensana smiled, "Certainly, are you thinking of calling me Sensy now?"

M    "No, Sana, if it's okay with you."

Stormy is Editing    Sensana paused mid bite to look at Charlie. She stared at him for several moments before her eyes watered. "Oh Charlie!" she breathed, putting her fork down. "I'd adore it if you called me Sana. That's such a wonderful shortening of my name, and I'd never get confused by who was calling me. I love it!"

M    "Good, because I don't think I could call you Sensy, that name is between you and Jared. Besides, I think Sana is a pretty name and you like pretty thinks." He finished off his omelet.

Stormy is Editing    She closed her eyes and blinked a few times then nodded. "Yes, I think Sana is a very pretty name, thank you so much! I don't think I want to shorten your name though, do you mind? The only thing I could think of to change it to would be Chuck or Lee, and I don't think either suits you quite right." Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

M    "Um, no, and if you ever call me Chuck I'll ignore you until you take it back," Charlie half joked.

Stormy is Editing    Sana grinned and nodded her head, "Yes, I think if I were you, I'd do the same thing." She finished her omelet and stretched. "So, what are your plans for the day, and did you get my message?"

M    "I did, and I was planning to look for you after breakfast. I would love to go with you. I think fish are great. By the way, how does Jared take care of them when he's on assignment?"

Stormy is Editing    "Oh, he's got a feeder system set up in his tank. I helped him research and build it. You should see his tank..." Sana breathed, "You just wouldn't believe how beautiful it is. You see, we created an environment so to speak, so each animal feeds off of the others. It's a wonderful tank." Sana looked giddy happy for a moment, her eyes shining.

M    Charlie smiled at her, not wanting to say anything that would disturb her mood. She was so devoted to Jared and, he was obviously an integral part of her life. How could he expect her to hate him. It only made Charlie angry again to think about that so he diverted his thoughts quickly. "Do you want help collecting herbs?"

Stormy is Editing    She blinked a few times and nodded, "Sure, I'd love the help. I make some quick use medicines for when I'm out on a mission and I'm low on some of my vials. It's a tedious task to pick them but it does need to be done. I can show you around the forest too!" She grinned at Charlie.

M    "Sounds good," Charlie stood and put his laptop case over his shoulder. "You can teach me a bit about herbs too, since I don't know a thing." He lead the way to the tray return.

Stormy is Editing    Sana dropped off her tray and started walking out of the room. "Sounds like a good deal. First I make a basket when I get outside, it makes it easier to keep things organized." She led the way out of the building and started walking to the forest. She held her hands together and a pinkish red energy formed in her hands and weaved into a basket that had several different compartments. "Like this. We're going after five herbs specifically, so I've made five places to put them." She slung the basket over her arm and started looking around her. "We're looking first for the mushrooms. They grow under these large tree's here," she patted the trunk of a nearby tree.

M    Charlie looked at it carefully noting the bark and the leaves as well as size of the tree. As they walked he kept an eye out for similar trees.

Stormy is Editing    "The mushrooms are slightly grey around the edges and the main part of their body is green. They often grow in rings around the roots of the tree," she said as she walked and looked around her. A little distance off, Charlie spotted something that sounded like what she was talking about.

M    "Like that, over there," Charlie pointed at the mushroom ring.

Stormy is Editing    Sana looked over and nodded delightedly. "Exactly like that!" She walked calmly to the mushrooms and crouched down, putting her basket on the ground next to her. "Now we only want to take the large ones, like this," she picked the largest one from the base of it's stalk. "There are five large ones, so nothing smaller than that one," she pointed to one that was about a half inch in diameter, "is acceptable for this particular search." She started picking a few of the others.

M    Charlie bent down and picked the one she'd pointed out, the same way she was picking hers, and put it in the slot she used in he basket. Then he stood and looked around to see if any other rings were withing site.

Stormy is Editing    He saw another small crop of trees like the one they were at but didn't see the mushrooms from here.

"There, that's beautiful Charlie, thank you." She stood up, dusted off her clothes and picked up her basket. "I need at least ten more of those now."

M    "Let's try this way," he started in the direction of the trees, making sure she was following.

Stormy is Editing    She was, and her lips were curved up in a smile. "I think I need to take you with me every time I go herb hunting, you're good at this indeed." She clapped her hands in pleasure when they got closer to the tree's. "I think there'll be plenty of the mushrooms here!" she exclaimed as she saw the several rings of mushrooms that grew in the circle of tree's.

M    Charlie headed for one of the ones further in. "I'll get these," he told her, bending down to study the sizes and pick those that were big enough.

Stormy is Editing    "Thank you," Sana said as she did the same thing. She was quiet for a few moments before she said, "I only need about 6 more, how are you doing over there?"

M    "I found five," Charlie brought them to her and placed them in the basket, "but we have one more ring there, unless you picked there too." He pointed at the third ring.

Stormy is Editing    She shook her head, "Nope," she moved closer to the ring and selected the biggest one, plucking it with enthusiasm. "There! I have all I need. Next, we need a type of leafy herb. It's long and bright red." She stood up and moved away from the mushrooms, after waving at them briefly. She walked around for a few minutes and finally brought them to an area filled with bushes. "Here we are," she said, bending down and moving some of the branches apart. "See that there?" she asked, pointing to a clump of small, holly red leaves. "That's them. I need a total of six whole plant worths of them."

M    Charlie followed along, sometimes leading as they collected the herbs she needed. When they were done they had lunch together and went their separate ways. Charlie went to the lounge, opened Einstein and returned to his reading.

Stormy is Editing    The rest of the day flew by and part of the next did as well. During lunch the next day, Sana rushed over to him and sat across from him. "Charlie!" she said excitedly. "Are you going to be available tomorrow? The Chief approved of it and I can go out shopping!"

M    Charlie nodded with a smile, "Did you clear it for me as well?" He marked his place in the spirit document and saved.

Stormy is Editing    "Yes I did!" She wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm so excited, I thought..." she blushed, "I thought maybe we could go shopping for a new dress while we're out? I have to upgrade my summer dresses and I thought I'd only start with one since we wouldn't have too much time."

M    "That's fine, I don't mind. What time do we leave?" He lowered his laptop screen so he could see her better. He read whenever he couldn't locate a victim to bother in the cafeteria.

Stormy is Editing    She blinked and smiled even more broadly. "Thank you Charlie! It's cleared for tomorrow and we have a car ready for us by 9 in the morning. We have to be back by five."

M    Charlie nodded, "Okay, I'll need to be in bed by midnight then." He looked down at his laptop, "Einstein, remind me to go to bed by then please."

Stormy is Editing    "Certainly Charlie," Einstein said happily. Sana blinked at Charlie, a grin spreading across her face.

"What a wonderful name for your computer!" she said. "What on earth made you think of it?"

M    "Oh, I..." Charlie blushed a bit and shrugged, "I always wanted a laptop named Einstein. This one seems to fit the bill."

Stormy is Editing    She nodded, "Yes, I can see why you would think that. It's a wonderful name."

"Thank you Miss Sensana," Einstein said softly, his embarrassment almost touchable.

"You're very welcome," she said, lightly patting the top of the laptop. "Well, I'm going to grab some food now, I'll be right back," and she got up in a rush, returning a few minutes later with a tray full of food.

M    She and Charlie chatted for a while, then parted to meet the next morning for Sana's favorite hobby, shopping. Charlie showed up a bit early, with Einstein over his shoulder. Carrying him with him was quickly becoming habit, but he figured it wasn't a bad thing. Einstein was constantly reminding him of little things as Charlie asked him to.

Stormy is Editing    She was ready of course, waiting for him by the door. She pushed off of the wall and smiled at Charlie. "Excellent! We can get a small headstart on our driving! Are you ready?"

M    Charlie nodded, "Very much so. I'm really looking forward to the pet shop." He went out to the car and got in with her.

Stormy is Editing    She got in and started driving, landing them in front of a large shopping mall. "Oh, I'm so excited!" she said happily, parking the car and getting out.

Several hours later they were walking out of the mall with three bags worth of merchandise, a full, designer dress set, complete with accessories and shoes. She hummed happily as they walked to the car, and she put the bags in the trunk quickly.

"Now onto the main attraction," she said, getting back in the car and driving them to a very large pet shop. "Are you ready for this?" she said excitedly.

M    Charlie grinned, her mood was infectious and it was wonderful to see her happy. "Indeed I am. I can't wait to see what you have in mind for him."

Stormy is Editing    She giggled and walked into the store in high spirits, moving to head straight to the tanks.

A strange thing happened to Charlie when he entered the pet store though. Suddenly he heard several voices in his head all at once.

*Awww, I wanted that snack!*

*I'm HUNGRY!*

*This water is so much nicer when it's not cold.*

*Uh oh, I didn't mean to pee there... I wonder if they're going to yell at me again.*

M    He stopped, caught the door and stood half in, half out for a moment. Looking at Sensana he confirmed that she couldn't possibly be hearing... all... these... voices. He ducked back out closing the door firmly and taking a deep breath to steady himself.

Stormy is Editing    The voices instantly cut out, and all he could hear was the noise of animals. Sensana came out of the store and lightly put a hand on Charlie's shoulder.

"Is everything alright?" she asked concerned.

M    Charlie shook his head and lowered his voice, "I can hear them talking, I mean it's like all of the animals are speaking my language."

Stormy is Editing    Sensana lightly started rubbing his shoulder. "All the animals? There's so many of them! It must be maddening." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I could put a shield up around you? Since I can't really teach you how to do it here, and then I could show you how when we get back?"

M    Charlie nodded, "Whatever works, I want to see the fish with you. I even wanted to... look around a bit. I was never allowed a pet." He paled a bit, "but I don't think I can handle all those voices for more than a minute or two."

Stormy is Editing    She nodded, and closed her eyes. Charlie saw a light pink, almost fuzzy looking, wall separate from her and wrap around him. It felt like a warm blanket of comfort. He realized that everything seemed much more silent once it had.

"There," she said, opening her eyes, "how is that?"

M    "Quiet," he gave her a weak smile, "for the moment. Shall we make a repeat attempt?" He turned to the door and opened it for her.

Stormy is Editing    She smiled and accepted the chivalry, entering the store and turning towards the tanks again. This time, when Charlie walked in there was no noise.

"How is it?" Sana whispered.

M    He nodded, "Much improved, thank you Sana."

Stormy is Editing    "Not a problem!" she said pleased. She led the way to the tanks and started looking around at all the exotic and interesting fish. She peered into one, then the next. "I'm looking for something in particular, and I'll know it when I find it."

M    "Great," Charlie followed after her, looking into the tanks she'd already passed, "that means I should get a bit of time to browse before you find it."

Stormy is Editing    "Hmmm...?" she mumbled, moving on to another tank, "Oh, yes," she said distractedly, "most likely."

M    He flashed her a quick grin which he knew she wouldn't see and returned to browsing.

Stormy is Editing    There were so many different types of fish he could watch them forever. There were all kinds of sea creatures as well, floating all around the tanks. He could see just about every imaginable sea animal in these tanks.

M    Eventually he wandered ahead of Sana, doubling back to see the tank she'd been at when he'd done so, then he headed off into the rest of the store. He spent a lot of time with the animals, getting to know them while Sensana stared at the fish.

Stormy is Editing    He was watching some of the ferrets when he noticed one hidden in the very back of the cage they were playing in. It had silver fur and was incredibly small. As he looked at it, it moved slightly and blinked a bright green eye at Charlie.

*Hello,* he heard a small, timid voice in his head.

M    Well, all the voices weren't gone evidently. Charlie tilted his head at it, "Hello," he replied. It was so much smaller than the others and such a pretty color, he wondered why no one had bought it yet. He crouched down so he could be closed to it. What beautiful green eyes.

Stormy is Editing    *I thought so!* the voice said excitedly, and the creature uncurled completely. *I thought you could hear me! I'm so lonely!*

M    "Why are you lonely?" Charlie looked around and shrugged at a lady that was staring at him. People talked to animals all the time, but he needed to be a bit more careful not to sound like he was holding a full fledged conversation.

Stormy is Editing    *Because no one wants me,* it said very softly. It started walking towards Charlie, very slowly, limping slightly. *I'm just a runt, I'm no good, I look funny, they all say.*

M    "Oh, I think you're beautiful," Charlie replied sincerely, "but I haven't gotten paid yet. I don't know how I would afford you." He held his hand out to it even though you weren't supposed to put your fingers through the bars.

Stormy is Editing    It limped over to Charlie and lightly licked his finger. *But... at least you might want me? I mean... I've been here for a long time, all my litter mates have been gone for days now, I'm all alone, and no one wants me. Maybe... maybe they'd give you a discount?* It licked Charlie's finger again, it's tongue warm and slightly rough.

M    Charlie smiled at him, "I'll have to talk to Sana," he mused. He really needed money if he was going to keep this up. He pet it's head gently. It seemed to be having a hard time in there with the others. They probably trampled it all the time without even meaning to.

Stormy is Editing    It leaned into his touch and a small noise came from it. *Thank you,* it said, closing its eyes contentedly, *I appreciate the attention, even if you do leave me.*

"Charlie?" came Sana's voice from behind him. "What have you got there?"

M    "I..." he looked up with sad eyes, but they cleared fairly quickly, "he's very lonely," he told her simply, moving so she could see him.

Stormy is Editing    "Oh my!" she gasped, crouching down and looking at the little creature. "Oh dear, what on earth are you doing here?"

*He's funny,* the voice said softly, although there was no humor in it's tone. *Do you think he'll let me go with you?*

M    Charlie looked from Sana to the ferret and back to Sana. Somehow the whole feel of the conversation had changed. "What?"

Stormy is Editing    "It's an elemental," Sana said softly, reaching out her hand. "It's not... they're often born and die before they get to an age where they might survive. I'm so surprised it's still alive. But it's not well," Sana held out a tiny bit of energy and the ferret seemed to suck it into itself.

*He knows?* It looked at Charlie in hope, *can I go with you two? I don't want to be lonely anymore!*

M    "Well, I was going to ask if I could borrow some money," he said to Sensana. "Could I?"

Stormy is Editing    Sana nodded, "Yes, absolutely." The ferret licked Sana's fingers in pleasure.

*Oh, thank you!* it said, nuzzling Sana's hand.

"I think I'll go talk to someone right away. You'll have to care for it properly you know. How about I get you everything you need for it, and then I'll hand you the receipt and you can pay it back? I know you don't like borrowing money from me all the time." Sana smiled at Charlie.

M    Charlie nodded, "Yes, I'd like that."

Stormy is Editing    "Alright, stay here with it, and I'll be back." Sensana stood up and walked off, and the ferret nuzzled up against Charlie's hand.

*Oh! Thank you, thank you!* it said happily. *I was afraid I'd die there and no one would care!* It's eyes were misty.

M    "Don't worry," Charlie's eyes felt misty too, but there was no way he was crying. "I'll do everything I can for you. I knew that as soon as I saw you."

Stormy is Editing    It made a contented noise, and curled up around his hand. The other ferrets took that moment to realize that it was getting more attention than they were, and they all came over and started trying to push themselves towards Charlie. When the silver one tried to stay near Charlie, it got hissed at and one of the ferrets took a bite from it.

*No!* it said mournfully, *leave me alone! I've got a home now!*

M    Charlie looked up to see if Sensana had tracked down anyone yet, then looked back. "Stop that you two," he scolded, fairly sure they wouldn't listen.

Stormy is Editing    One of them rubbed up against Charlie's hand and the other one pushed at Charlie's ferret. The one by Charlie's hand licked at Charlie's fingers while the other one bit at the silver one again.

*I wish they would stop! Why do they hate me so much?*

M    "I don't know." Charlie removed his hand from the cage, and looked for help. He needed to get his ferret out before the others hurt it more.

Stormy is Editing    What he saw was Sensana walking towards him with purposeful strides. "What are you two doing?" she said, putting her hands through the cage and scaring the two away from the bars and ultimately the silver ferret.

*Thank you!* it said, as it trembled in a ball.

"Oh honestly!" Sensana said, putting her hands on her hips. "I can't believe they would do that."

M    "Did you find anyone? I really want to get him away from them," Charlie said, eying the other two ferrets, annoyed.

Stormy is Editing    "Yeah," came a voice behind him. "To be honest, I'd really like to get him out of there myself. I've been wondering when someone wouldn't be freaked out by him. He's a beautiful ferret, if I could have taken him I would have." When Charlie looked, there was a young man with black hair cut over his eyes with a paper box in his hands. "The other ferrets don't like him but we aren't really equipped to have a ferret in a single home. I've been trying to get them to set it up but..." he shrugged.

M    "He's in pretty rough shape," Charlie said. "I hope he'll be okay." He moved so the man could get to the cage.

Stormy is Editing    The man crouched by the cage and carefully opened it. "Come here," he said softly, and the silver ferret looked at Charlie once before zipping into the mans hands. "Wow," he said, picking him out and opening the box, "That's the first time it's been that easy, I guess he likes you."

"More than you could understand," Sensana said, a small smile on her face.

M    "If I were him I'd like anyone who was willing to take me out of that cage, honestly. At least for a little while," he looked at Sensana. "You must have found the right fish."

Stormy is Editing    Sensana beamed, "Yes, I found the perfect fish! Exactly what I was looking for!"

*I can't wait to belong to you!* the little ferret said before it was carefully placed inside of the box. The man smiled and closed the box up, handing it to Charlie.

"There you go. He's not had a name, and he's small for his age, but I think with the right home, a pleasant atmosphere and plenty of love, he'll perk right up. I've almost got your set together for him, there are lots of instructions I've included about how to care for him. Good luck!"

M    "Thank you," he said, lifting the box and saying, "at this point you're as good as mine." Then he looked at Sensana, "I'm sorry I got so distracted. I can't wait to see which one you picked." Then he looked back at the man, "I really appreciate all of your help. I hope I can keep him safe and healthy."

Stormy is Editing    "I'm sure you will," the man said. "I put my number and email address among the information, so if you ever want to ask any questions, feel free to do so."

"It's fine Charlie," Sensana said right afterwards. "I can't wait to show you either, but you will, and I'm sure you'll love it just like I do!"

*Good,* the ferret finally got a chance to speak. *I don't want to go anywhere other than with you,* and it's voice sounded heavy and happy, somehow at the same time.

M    "Just hold on," Charlie told the box, "I'll get you home soon as I can." Then he held it close so it wouldn't tip or jostle too much. He smiled at the man, "The email will be great help. I always have my laptop. I hope it isn't too much trouble though. You must answer it on your own time, no?"

Stormy is Editing    "It's my work email, I check it whenever I can. I can check it from home, or from work, it doesn't matter, because I use it to communicate with people who are setting up environments instead of simply cages or such. Feel free to email any time, like I said, the address is on the paperwork you're getting with all of this." He gave Charlie a big grin, "I really wish I didn't live in an apartment, I'd have taken him home with me."

M    Charlie nodded, "Don't worry, I'll take very good care of him." He turned to Sensana, "Is it time to see your fish?"

Stormy is Editing    She nodded, "Yes! Let's go!" She started heading out to the tanks and stopped in front of a very large salt water tank. "It's in here," she said, looking around the water again. "Ah! There it is!" she pointed to what looked like a very small octopus. "That's what I'm taking home!" It came out of the rocks it had been behind and started taking a leisurely swim through the tank.

M    "Wow, it's so cool! It reminds me of an octopus." Charlie watched it as it swam.

Stormy is Editing    "Yes!" she said excitedly. "That's what it was breed from. They're very good for filtration of the tank. Almost like plec's or catfish."

M    "That's great! I'm really glad you thought of this Sana. It would have been sad if we hadn't come out here today."

Stormy is Editing    "Yes," she glanced at Charlie's box and gave a small, pleased smile, "Yes, it would have been sad." She looked around and spotted an employee. Within moments, she had her octopus and was heading for the counter. There was a pile of boxes already by the counter and she paid for things in two cycles. She handed the receipt to Charlie and started out, the pile of boxes following behind her, being wheeled out by an employee.

"There, you're all set for your environment," she said, smiling. "He'll be the happiest ferret ever!"

M    "I hope so," Charlie eyed the boxes and then teased, "do you think I'll be able to fit all that in my room?"

Stormy is Editing    "Oh no, of course not!" she sounded appalled at the idea. "You'll be getting a new room of course, it'll need to be upgraded anyway. Don't worry, it'll be done tonight."

M    "It will?" Charlie blinked at her, confused. "Um..." he waited until they got everything in the car including themselves before finishing, "how exactly does that work?" He opened the box so he could pet the ferret.

Stormy is Editing    It's bright eyes blinked out at him and he attempted to crawl out of the box and into his hands.

"Well, basically, you'll still have your old room, you'll just be making it bigger. I'll show you how, it's not hard."

*Can I...* it said timidly, *can I please stay close to you?*

M    "Yes," Charlie lifted it out of the box and set it on his lap, cuddling it. "You can grow a room? Doesn't it run into the other rooms?"

Stormy is Editing    *I'm so happy to hear you say that,* it said softly, and it curled up in his lap, making that contented sound it made before.

"Yes, you can grow a room and no it doesn't run into the other rooms. It's difficult to explain, but lets just say it's like each room is in a different dimension that is all linked together by the dimension that is the hallway."

M    "Oh," Charlie thought that over for a while, "that's convenient. I wonder what the math behind that is." He looked down at the ferret. What should he name it?

Stormy is Editing    "Oh, that, I can't even imagine. I heard that Loki was partly responsible for creating it. I suppose you could ask him."

*I really like you,* it said as it warmed in his lap.

M    After a while he said to the ferret, "Do you already have a name by any chance?" After all, he couldn't have told the people at the pet store his name, even if he knew it.

Stormy is Editing    It shook it's head. *No, I was never given a name, and I was not born with one either. No one loved me enough to name me.* It sounded very sad.

M    Charlie nodded and returned to his debate. Before he knew it they were pulling up in front of the agency. "You'll need to get the octopus cousin to Jared quickly won't you Sana?"

Stormy is Editing    "Yes, yes I do. I can meet you at your room right afterwards if you'd like?" She got out of the car and opened the trunk, pulling things out of it and doing something so that they floated on the air.

M    "Okay. What are you doing with our purchases?" He watched with curiosity.

Stormy is Editing    Sensana smiled, "Levitating them I suppose you could say. I'm using air currents to make them float so you can get them all to your room without needing me right there. Here," she handed something that looked like a piece of cloud to Charlie, "Just take that and drag it where you want. It'll follow."

M    Charlie nodded and smiled, "I hope things go well with Jared." He headed inside carrying his ferret in his arm and the cloud in his other hand.

Stormy is Editing    The boxes followed obediently and before long he was walking into his room with them all. The ferret never moved from his arm. Once they were in his room, it looked around excitedly.

*Oh, is this your room? Is this my space? Can I look around?*

M    "Yes, although from what I've heard we'll be changing it a lot, so don't get too used to the way it is. Also, I'll be traveling a lot. I was thinking I'd be taking you with me. I hope you'll be okay moving around like that." Charlie set him down on the bed and carefully placed the levitated stuff in one part of the room.

Stormy is Editing    It sniffed the bed, slipped under the covers for a moment, then came back out and scurried around the room. *No,* it said contentedly. *I only care that you're where I am. Other than that we could be anywhere. So long as I am with you I am happy.*

M    "Why me?" Charlie asked. He'd been wondering about it from time to time since they'd left the pet shop.

Stormy is Editing    He could feel curiosity coming from it. *Why you? You feel right, that's why.* It sounded so certain about it's decision, as though that was all it needed for such loyalty.

M    "I see, well, I've decided to call you Janus. If I recall correctly he was the Roman God of new beginnings. I think you could use a new beginning, so I'm naming you for it. Is it okay?" He watched Janus explore as he looked through all of the stuff they'd ended up buying.

Stormy is Editing    Janus stopped mid sniff and turned towards Charlie. *Yes!* his eyes were bright, *Yes, that is a wonderful name!* a tear fell. *I am so happy to have someone who loves me!* Janus dashed over to Charlie and sped up his body, landing on his shoulder and he licked Charlie's cheek. *Thank you!*

M    Charlie laughed lightly, "You're very welcome. I think I'll be very happy to have you around as well. It's sort of neat to be adored."

Stormy is Editing    Janus nuzzled Charlie's neck. *Adore, yes, that is the perfect word!* he said, and he wrapped himself around Charlie's neck for a moment before slipping down Charlie's body and exploring the room some more.

M    Janus already seemed to be in better shape. Charlie located the papers about ferret care and laid down on the bed to read them.

Stormy is Editing    The information was very detailed and organized. Whomever wrote it seemed to love ferrets and did an amazing job of making sure that anyone could make a great home for their ferrets. For a long time Janus wandered around the room, but eventually he came up and curled in a ball at the small of Charlie's back.

It was about two hours later when there was a knock on the door.

M    Charlie looked up, "Sana? If it's you, come on in."

Stormy is Editing    The door opened and Sensana came inside, closing the door behind her. She looked incredibly pleased.

"Hello, don't you look comfortable?" she said pleasantly.

M    "I take it things went well?" Charlie carefully began getting up, keeping in mind that Janus would need to move before he could truly do so.

Stormy is Editing    Just as he was thinking that, Janus uncurled and slipped off of Charlie's back.

"Yes, things went... unexpectedly well. How are things here?"

M    "Fine, I'm reading about how to care for a ferret. Of course Janus is not really a ferret is he? Does all of this still apply?" Charlie knew there was more to get about what happened with Jared, but there were some things that really were none of his business, curious as he was.

Stormy is Editing    "Well, some of the basics should still apply." She pulled the desk chair out and sat down at it. "Like where it till naturally go to the bathroom, how it will walk and what kind of environment it likes best. But there are plenty of things that it won't take into consideration, like the fact that it's more intelligent than a real ferret and therefor you could tell it where to go to the bathroom if you were out in the world and you can tell it where to go to help you out, that kind of thing. Make sense so far?"

M    Charlie nodded, "and can I talk to him without speaking out loud, like he can with me?"

Stormy is Editing    She nodded, "Yes, of course. In fact, I think it's more like you concentrate on your thoughts and aim them at him. Try it."

*Yes, try it,* Janus said eagerly.

M    Charlie looked at Janus and tried to think what to say, *I don't have a single thing to say right now though,* he thought, trying to aim the thought at Janus.

Stormy is Editing    *Well, it doesn't have to be big or personal or anything, you just have to do it!* Janus jumped up and twirled around Charlie's legs. *That was wonderful!*

"Well, he seems happy, did you do it?"

M    Charlie nodded, "He's very easy to impress. It's definitely an endearing quality. So, I don't really understand, what is he exactly?"

Stormy is Editing    "Oh! Right, you don't know what I mean when I say elemental. Well, he's not a Great Spirit, you could say he is..." Sensana looked thoughtful for a moment, "Well, kind of like a great-great-great-great grandson of a great spirit. Because they're born in such small bodies, they can't handle the power that they have and usually die before they are discovered. When they are, its usually by the person they will bond with. Bonding is like... instantly knowing you belong with the other being. You could say he is like a familiar to you."

M    "A familiar? Will he um... 'live' as long as I will? I know the term 'live' doesn't exactly fit but you know what I mean."

Stormy is Editing    Sensana smiled, "Yes, I know what you mean. And yes, he'll live as long as you do as far as length goes. Right now he's not completely bonded to you, which means his body is fragile and he could die before you do. When you get completely bonded, he'll live as long as your spirit lives, he'll be like an extension of you."

*We'll bond easily, I know,* Janus said confidently.

M    Charlie smiled at Janus, *I very much hope you're right. I already love having you around.*

"I think that's everything I needed to know for now. Next is enlarging my room. Then of course this whole shielding thing. I think we might have a long night ahead of us."

Stormy is Editing    Sensana grinned, "Yes, I think we might. As for the room..." she stood up and walked to Charlie's closet, pulling something out of it that he'd never seen before. "Here, this is this list of layouts you can have." She passed the laminated card to Charlie. On it were several different kinds of rooms from simple and single, what he had now, to luxurious and king, which included a bathroom with a hot tub and a california king water bed.

M    Charlie studied it for a while, settling on a moderate model which had more living area than bed area and would give Janus a lot of room to run around. "This one looks good," he suggested, pointing it out to Sana.

Stormy is Editing    As he pointed at it, he felt a strange feeling of displacement, and a moment later, the room looked exactly like the one he had pointed to.

"Well, you figured out how to change it all on your own. I knew you were a smart one," Sensana said with a smile.

*Ooohh..!* Janus said, looking around. *More room!* and he scurried off to search new corners.

M    "Wow, that was a little too easy," Charlie said looking around. "It could become addictive."

Stormy is Editing    "I hear Loki changes his room weekly but I wouldn't know for sure." She looked around approvingly. "Yes, this is a good one for you I think."

*This is wonderful Charlie!*

M    *You like it?* He began unstacking the ferret related boxes. "Well, this looks like a play area," he sorted it to one pile, "and this is his cage. Food bowls..."

Stormy is Editing    Sensana joined in on the box opening and setting up of the ferret home. It took them over an hour to get everything built and put together, but when it was done, there was plenty of space for Janus and he had a lot of play room.

*It's wonderful!* he said, coming over and running through some of the area's, climbing a few feet and then lying down in a hammock. *This is all for me?* he said in awe.

M    Charlie nodded, in awe himself. *Sana does nothing halfway,* he explained. "You really told him to go all out, huh Sana?"

Stormy is Editing    Sensana blushed, "Well, I just thought that..." she shook her head. "Well, honestly, I like to shop and so I couldn't help myself. Some of this is a gift from me to you," she said, directing her comment to Janus.

*Tell her thank you!* Janus said, curled happily in his hammock.

M    "He says thank you, and I say silly you. I suspect I eventually will have everything I need and will end up with tons of extra money." He shook his head, "Oh well, I'll just have to by you some clothes sometime as a counter gift. I love it Sana, I think Janus will make great use of everything here. He'll miss it when we go on assignments."

Stormy is Editing    "Well," Sensana blushed and pulled something out of thin air. "I was thinking that this would be good for assignments." She held out the small box. "It's not enough, I made sure to only get something that you could replace easily and wouldn't mind doing, but also something that would last until you did so."

M    Charlie shook his head, "Sneaky," he took the box and opened it.

Stormy is Editing    Inside was a small bag that contained a travel hammock and a set of sealable food dishes. She shrugged, "It's not much really, just a little something." There was also a small bell ball for Janus to play with.

M    Charlie nodded, putting it all away in a cupboard. "It will do for now. I think he'll love it as well. I was considering just taking some food and his bowls at first."

Stormy is Editing    Sensana nodded, "I had a feeling thats what you were thinking. I just... love the traveling experience, and I couldn't imagine him traveling without his very own items." She shrugged, blushing.

"Well, that takes care of a lot of things, but not the shielding. Before we do this though, would you like lunch? I'm hungry."

M    "I think it's more towards dinner time, but a meal sounds good." He looked at Janus, who was adorable on his hammock. *There will be a lot of people there. Do you want to stay or go?*

Stormy is Editing    *I think I want to stay, I'm really...* his voice was soft, *tired,* he finally finished.

Sensana looked at her wrist and nodded, "Yes, you're right, it's dinner time." She stood up and stretched a bit, heading for his door. "Is Janus coming?"

M    "No, he's napping," Charlie followed her. *Sleep well Janus, I'll be back.*

Stormy is Editing    *Thank you,* he said softly.

"Ahh, it has been a long day for him, hasn't it?" she said, smiling softly.

M    Charlie nodded, "A ton of excitement. I suspect your day has been rather long as well. Are you and Jared on better terms again? Did you iron out the details a bit?"

Stormy is Editing    Sensana nodded herself, walking towards the cafeteria as though she hadn't a care in the world. "Yeah, we ironed a few things out. It was nice to talk to him like that again. We talked animals and how to best improve his tank. He's been taking good care of it, thank the gods, I think I'd have killed him if he'd let it go to shit."

M    "Good," Charlie fell silent as they walked into the cafeteria and selected their meals. Then they found a table to sit at. "Actually, I'm pretty tired myself. That incident when I first opened the door took some of my energy. It was so confusing and so loud. No, loud isn't exactly right, but it's not exactly wrong either.

Stormy is Editing    Sensana nodded, "Yeah, when your gifts first start coming into being, that's what it's like. It's like everything is loud." She started eating and shrugged. "I think that is mind speech, but..." she trailed off. "I don't think I've ever heard of someone having that ability with animals before so to speak."

M    Charlie shrugged, "Warah thought my powers would be unusual, so maybe this is it. A part of me would prefer they'd be normal. There's more knowledge that way, but if they aren't, well, that's sort of an adventure, so that's fun too."

Stormy is Editing    "Well," she said, chewing and swallowing, "I know there isn't a lot of information, but Warah has some in his library about different, unusual gifts. You could ask him to let you see them. He seems to like you, so he probably would."

M    Charlie cocked his head to the side curiously, "Doesn't he like everyone? He said you were fun."

Stormy is Editing    Sensana blushed, "Did he now?" She looked down at her food and picked at it for a moment, "Well, I did look up to him for quite some time. I think he's just crazy these days."

M    "Just crazy? How so?"

Stormy is Editing    "Well," she paused, looked up at Charlie and shrugged. "He's always doing research, he's always involved with some kind of project that takes abnormal amounts of time, and on top of that, he's incredibly focused on Loki. I think there might be something wrong with him."

M    "He just recently finished some huge project or another. He was really happy about it. Do you think there's something wrong with Loki, or Warah?

Stormy is Editing    She shrugged, "I know there's something wrong with Loki, but who knows what it is. I'm glad he finally finished his project, but all it means is that he's going to be heading into another one soon. He doesn't take enough time out for himself!" she said firmly, taking another bite of her food.

M    "Did you tell him that?" Charlie had to wonder if this was one of the more permanent changes from the spirit spirit, or if this had to do with something else entirely.

Stormy is Editing    She shook her head, "Of course not, he wouldn't listen to me even if I told him. That's just the way he is. But he's very friendly and an excellent doctor."

M    Charlie nodded thinking that if he felt Warah worked too much he'd just tell him outright, whether it would make a difference or not.

Stormy is Editing    The rest of dinner passed fairly quickly, and soon they were putting their trays away and heading out.

"You want me to try to teach you how to shield, right?" Sensana said, walking to the elevator.

M    "Yes, so long as you aren't too tired. I think it could wait until tomorrow if you are."

Stormy is Editing    She shook her head, "No, I don't mind going over the basics and showing you how it's done. You'll be doing the hard work." She grinned at him and led the way to Charlie's room. "After all, I know how to do it, you don't yet."

M    "Actually, would it be okay to work in your room? I don't want to disturb Janus just yet. I think he needs the rest."

Stormy is Editing    "Sure," she said, veering off to land in front of her door, opening it for him. "I don't mind at all. Please ignore the mess," she said, leading them into an almost immaculate room. She motioned to the comfortable living room type chair and took the desk chair for herself. "Trust me you want to be comfortable."

M    "I trust you," Charlie replied, "very much so." He sat down on the chair, settling Einstein on the floor at his side.

Stormy is Editing    "Alright, let me do some description for you first." She took a deep breath and leaned back. "the first thing you should know about is a skill called grounding and centering. You've probably already seen something about it, but what I'm going to do is describe it for you in a way they don't. Grounding is taking your energy and putting it in the earth. Centering is taking that energy back into yourself, and creating a place for it inside of you, in the center of your being, so to speak. Once you have mastered this technique then you're able to do just about anything with your magic. Grounding and Centering is the basics for everything." She shrugged. "Have I made sense yet?"

M    "I did read about it, I remember. Okay Sana, do you want me to try it? Will you be able to tell whether I'm doing it correctly?"

Stormy is Editing    She closed her eyes, "Yes, I'll watch you magically. Now, you want to steady your breathing and close your eyes. You'll be imagining taking something that is yours and putting it into the ground. We'll start with Grounding. Centering is somewhat harder. When you're ready, go for it."

M    Charlie did as he was told, following both Sensana's instructions and those he'd read. First he calmed himself. There was no need for speed until he'd mastered it. Then he tried releasing his energy into the ground.

Stormy is Editing    It was an odd sensation, when he tried to release his energy, instead of going into the ground, it seemed to scatter everywhere.

"Imagine a root of energy, or a pole, or something steady and solid," Sensana's voice came softly.

M    Charlie did so, imagining that his energy was traveling like roots into the ground.

Stormy is Editing    That seemed to help, instead of it scattering, it spread out in a webwork underneath him. It took a little bit of practice to make them fuse together, but he did get it after a few moments.

"Good, I think you're done for the day," came Sensana's voice. "Go ahead and feel what it feels like to have them like that, then cut them free, let the energy go."