Summary:	Having introduced Heldad to the PPC, Jenni then has to talk him out of messing with the canon to save his sire, Raziel, from losing his wings and being chucked into the Abyss. She discovers he has a weakness for being preened, and they both take a nap; then she gets a massage in return. Later, he drags her off to his castle for "torture." Later still, the Loungers exchange Christmas gifts.
Timeline:	December, 2005.
Rating:	PG - If this is torture, chain me to the wall!
Players:	Neshomeh (OC: Jennifer Robinson | Canons: Henry Jekyll, Erik) Hawkelf (Canon: Jubilee) Blayze (OCs: Lupeias, Nosferatu, Sanguine, Ducks | Canons: Leofric, Mr. Teatime, Riddick) Nueva Paz (OCs: Maera, Rhianna) Oracle (OCs: Ginger, Vengeance, Reria, Henna) Nightsail (OC: Heldrad)
Notes:	(1) We used to use colors to tell which character was which. I have converted this to the much more user-friendly name-tagging way, with colors to show which player is which. (2) I've snipped out all OOC chatter that isn't RP-relevant, PPC-relevant, and/or funny.

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DECEMBER 7ish

Heldrad: .....is there a world available that might get him here, then?

Jenni: *chuckles* You are a determined one.... I can't say. I'd have to go prospecting, and then the chances of a full character rupture are pretty slim.

Heldrad: .....so I'd probably be better off using the Nexus Room a bit more?

Jenni: Um... I suppose? *not trying to encourage him here* *mutter* Having a room full of plotholes at one's beck and call would tend to totally dismantle the rules of probability...

Heldrad: Perhaps, but it might also -help- at times.... *peeking around the room more.... he leans down to peer under the bed, and then climbs down from it, upside down, holding the frame with his feet, hind toe on his heel put to use* Ah, there's one.... *and the sound of something hinged creaking open softly, and light from under the bed..... he found a Door under there. 0_o;*

Jenni: *turns, looks; points; jaw drops* ... *shakes head* Bloody HQ. *shakes fist at the Powers That Be* Not helpful!

Heldrad: *peeks out from under her bed again* Oh, quite helpful. ^_^ *ducks under there again and goes through whatever Door he found; is she going to follow?*

Jenni: *stares for a split second more, then—* Oi! *leaves the chair spinning and clambers down after him*

Door: *it's under there indeed, on the wall under the bed, still open.... not the largest frame, but quite usable. the fact that he went in there upside down clinging to her bedframe and still fit through it, even with his wings, prolly speaks great volumes for physical flexibility. 0_o;*

Heldrad: *standing up on the other side of the Door, in the room again, opening other Doors, looking through them briefly, only to find something other than he's hoping for and close it again*

Jenni: *wrinkles her nose at the Door she just came through, then turns to Heldrad* ... I have to ask, why so determined? What's the story? *there's always a story*

Heldrad: *glances back to her* .....I haven't seen him in centuries... *tucks his wings to him a little more again; that must not be entirely it....* .... *opens another Door, this one she can see through from that angle.... it leads to another castle with Raziel's red banner hanging on the wall, and he peeks in, sniffing a tad, being quiet.... his ears go up a hint*

Jenni: *highly trained senses can hear elipses* ... And? *stalling, stalling*

Heldrad: *holds a finger up in one of those "just a moment" kinds of gestures, and ducks through that Doorway, heading around a corner.... silence for a moment, and then he comes back out, looking shocked* Oh my god... I did -not- just see that. >_< *closes the Door behind him and leans against it, covering his face in his hands* Oh my god....

Jenni: *alarm and concern* What?

Heldrad: *teeth gritted* Kain was in Raziel's bed and they were — my. god. *not gonna say it, but it's prolly obvious* I don't ever want to see that -again-!

Jenni: *cringes* Eugh. You have my sympathies. ... *searches pockets* No, I have no Bleeprin on me. Sorry.

Heldrad: And how would your people fix -that- mess? *gestures to the Door behind him, still all weirded out* Like I said, I know his — nyyygh... >_< That's not even..... just.... -ugh-.

Jenni: Exorcism of the author's spirit and neuralyzing, probably. *pats his... well, arm, probably, since his shoulder is way up there*

Heldrad: *well, he's not standing at his full height, so... eh, she could prolly reach his shoulder easy enough. the Doors are mostly human-sized ones.* ....they are -not- like that. >_< Any way to tag this one for work to be done?

Nightsail: (you dun know -how- often I've seen that. -_-; ....in graphic artistry, no less.)

Neshomeh: (( I believe it. x.x ))

Nightsail: ((I'll never get why it is so many people seem to translate leader/subordinate or even father/son relationships between two adults as..... something -else-. >_< some people can't seem to get it through their heads that Janos and Vorador do not equal Hawt Activity.))

Jenni: Generally people use computers for such things. I'm sure you could get one in here.

Heldrad: What about yours? Can we use that right now?

Jenni: Ye-e-es... *chuckles* Maybe you can begin to imagine why the Assassins are so enthusiastic—apart from being slightly insane, of course.

Heldrad: Absolutely. I see it all -very- clearly now.... 0_x .....though I wish I hadn't..... *shakes his head* Dear god.... I wish I hadn't. *sighs and opens the next Door; it looks like the previous one. he hesitates before setting foot in it this time, but does so anyway...*

Jenni: I do have Bleeprin in my office... *blinkblink* *follows this time*

Heldrad: *stepping in cautiously, ears up and listening, wings slightly spread up above him.... one wary burd, this guy.* .... *peeks around the corner, but it's quiet there.... the little hall extends down the other way from the direction he took, but this is the end of it he's interested in, and why soon becomes obvious — it's a bedroom, with sets of armor hung up by the wardrobe, and stained glass windows leading to the balcony, currently closed... royal reds, a thick rug on the floor, and one of those adjustable on-a-stand full-length mirrors with a dark frame... whomever lives here must be of some status. 0_o ....and the bed, oddly enough, is missing its bedding; it's currently shoved -under- the dark wooden frame, to show a somewhat bowled king-sized square frame, solid wood in the middle... on which is a sort of eggish thing, the likes of which he'd already put in the other room in his own castle, though this one's more red-looking* .......

Jenni: ... *quiet* Um...? *has a sense of impending chaos, if not exactly doom* *is glad she has her remote activator*

Heldrad: *quiet himself* .....it must be -before-..... *looking over the shape in the bed there, and reaches over to touch it gently, feeling over the top of it.... then quickly looks up at the window and opens it, stepping out to the balcony to look down around outside.... it's daytime out, and the weak, pale daylight that makes it through the smog layer above lights up the rest of the castle down below this tower.... he leans over the railing, looking for something* ....

Jenni: Before... what? My history is pretty shaky. *is on hyper-alert, looking around all the time, but controlled about it* *attempts to angle herself so she can see out, too*

Heldrad: *steps out of her way; it's a small balcony, but well big enough for two people.... he's studying a group down below, seven vamps sneaking through the courtyard toward one of the gates — and the one with the longest hair, in the front, turns to look behind him at someone in the back of the group — it's Heldrad, but far more humanish.* ....it -is- before.... *looks back at the room with the shape on the bed* ....

Jenni: *joins him, then* So... what's going on? Who's that? *indicates the egg*

Heldrad: ....Raziel. *another glance at the group — they're not so far away she wouldn't be able to tell*

Jenni: *looks, and sees* *is lost on the egg deal, though* Okay... I know Nosgoth has an interesting history with time travel paradoxes and all, but should we really be here?

Heldrad: I already am. *lil gesture down below* ....but.... *looks back at the egg-shape on the bed, pretty obviously torn about this* ....

Jenni: Yes, that was the point. *follows his gaze, looks at the expression on his face* *gently* ... No. Bad plan.

Heldrad: But.... *biting his lip a lil, not happy with that*

Jenni: I'm pretty sure that's not your job.

Heldrad: ....but if he keeps his wings.... *getting kinda upset about this, wings tucking in tighter even as his feathers floof a bit*

Jenni: *aha, has an idea what time she's in now* That would change things—maybe everything.

Heldrad: *steps back to the bed to pet over the form in it again, gently* ....but maybe that would be better....

Jenni: *shakes her head vehemently* Canon, Heldrad. It would break the canon.

Heldrad: *sits down in the bed next to it, sorta hugging on* .....but it would make another world, right? ....where that's what happened?

Jenni: An alternate universe, yes... And, while that may be a legitimate kind of story... well, I don't belong in it, for one. For another, it still draws on the original.

Heldrad: ......but I could still do that, right? *looks at her, wanting permission*

Jenni: *rubs back of neck uncomfortably* I know how you feel... I've been in a few stories myself... but in hindsight, it's not worth it.

Heldrad: ....Why not? *curls up against the form, hugging onto it like that'll make everything okay*

Jenni: Because... it changes everything that made you fall in love in the first place. It's not the same. Ultimately, there's always the little voice that says, "but this isn't right, this isn't how it's supposed to go." It wears at you.

Heldrad: *mutters* I think my conscience'd wear at me more if I -didn't-.....

Jenni: *puts a hand on his shoulder* Would you take away everything that makes him who he is?

Heldrad: No.... but he'd keep his wings... *peeks back up at her, one of his wings pushing up into her hand... for pets, maybe?*

Jenni: *read a book in which angels' wings were very sensitive... wonders if the same applies here and decides to find out*

Heldrad: *quiet, still debating this..... though after a moment, he does blink, shaking his head a lil.... focus! .....yeah, messing with his feathers is getting to him. ;-)*

Jenni: *does have a way with her hands...* *is pleased* ... Come on. Let's go back.

Heldrad: But.... *wings droop a lil, and he has to blink again... and some odd lil sound he was starting to make cuts out — cooing again.*

Jenni: *oh, wow—could have way too much fun with this* *pauses so her words get through, though* Let it go. Everything happens for a reason. It's not up to you or me to decide the reason.

Heldrad: *sighs, looks back to the shape he's cuddling on.... hugs it again, putting his face on it a moment, and finally does get up after a moment, not looking up at her, his wings down a bit lower. He climbs out of the bed and steps back toward the Door, hugging his arms to himself and looking sad, even his ears tilted down a bit behind him* ....

Jenni: *follows after, making sure to close the Door after them* *is sad with him—can totally sympathize—but feels that she has Experience in these matters and Knows Better*

Heldrad: *quiet, sinks down on part of what was at one point the beanbag nest he'd made.... it fell apart a little since then.... silent, just curls up there and looks at the floor* .....

Nightsail: ((I'm assuming it's obvious enough at this point what his relation to Raz is? ;-)))

Neshomeh: (( Nah, I got nothing. Can't say my brain's in tip-top shape at the moment, though. ))

Nightsail: ((well, if Heldrad pointed out what looked like his past self down below in Raz's courtyard, native to that period of time....?))

Neshomeh: (( Gah... See, I just don't know how the generation of vampires works, so I'm not sure which end he's on. ))

Nightsail: ((it doesn't matter, in my mussed version of it. ^_~ immediately speaking, Raz made him directly.))

Neshomeh: (( Okay. That was my first idea. ^_^; ))

Nightsail: ((hee. well, the fact that he so closely resembles Janos Audron, from ages past, is entirely intentional. ^_~))

Neshomeh: (( Hehe. *anyway, onward!* ))

Jenni: ... I know it's hard... *puts hand on wing-joint* I've seen people I love die, knowing I could just whisk them away into another timeline and fix everything... except it doesn't, really. The ripples can be devastating.

Heldrad: Like what? *his wing presses into her hand again a little, apparently of its own accord*

Jenni: *strokes idly as she thinks* Like... I'm thinking of Masterharper Robinton. He was one of the best-loved men on an entire planet, but some people thought they could get away with things by poisoning him. He lived through that, but he died later of a heart attack. It seemed so unfair, so absolutely unfair and... *deep breath* Well, I was tempted to change things, possibly as badly as I've ever been tempted. But, thinking about it, I had to ask what would happen to Pern if he didn't live and die just how he did. Every moment was a lesson, and sometimes a memory, or an idea of a person, can be more powerful than the person himself. Good things happened on Pern, directly related to his passing. He was never so selfish as to value his life over the fate of a planet, so how could I?

Heldrad: *wing still waiting for attention, apparently.... quiet* I see.....

Jenni: *yeah, got a little caught up in memory there; resumes petting*

Heldrad: ....but we owe him so much.... *sighs, starting to look a tad sleepy already from it*

Jenni: So, the best thing you can do is honor that by letting it be what it is. I think... well... someone like that is never really gone. *very quiet murmur, half-hoping not to be heard* I cheat a little.

Heldrad: Mm? *blinks out of it again, tries to wipe his eyes discreetly* ....he wasn't gone anyway, he was just killed....

Jenni: *aww... maternal instinct kicking in... mustn't go overboard, though* Well, all right. But you know what I mean.

Heldrad: Yeah, I think so... *looking drowsy again, though, from the pets.... his wings slump down a little, just not being held up so well at this point... she could probably put him right to sleep like this*

Jenni: *but then what would she do? would have to cuddle, probably, in good conscience, and then the awkward waking-up moments, and gah. if you give a mouse a cookie...* ... *damn temptation... prides self on will power, but suffers from a distinct lack of cuddling herself* *decides not to decide yet and sees if he'll really go to sleep just like that*

Heldrad: *staying curled up, not very focused there.... leaning on his knees like he is, he tries to wake up again a few times, but each time, just ends up nodding off again, his pose slipping a bit more each time he moves like that, until he ends up sinking down somewhat to his side on the beanbag pile, all curled up with his heels under him and his toes pointed back up to be with his knees, like his head.... and looks like he's rather comfortable in such a position, actually, as he seems to have been built for it well enough.... wings drooping off to his sides, half opened, he starts making that quiet sound again, that low cooing one...*

Jenni: *he purrs! or is it more like a dragon crooning? hmm. either way, quite a rewarding reaction* *sits on beanbags herself, just in front of a wing, for easier reach, and takes the time to explore the whole thing from "shoulder" to tip—or as far along as she can reach*

Heldrad: *more of a quiet, almost musical burbling sound, not too unlike a dove's coos — something about the way he moves, and this to boot, are more suggestive of avian than humanoid behavior... his robes are loose cloth, so easily put aside, even tugged up from his sash, though they're a little long to simply undo it all easily... unless she -wants- to take his sash off him; he doesn't seem like he'd mind right now. the wings' shoulders start a bit under his actual shoulderblades, on either side of his spine, and the membrane runs almost down to his hips, with feathers covering past that, and smaller "body" feathers covering the space between his wings... in fact, they cover from nearly all the way up on his actual shoulderblades, though not to the top of his shoulders, all the way down to.... somewhere covered by his underwear, apparently... and around his sides a bit as well. They're far larger than a normal bird's feathers, too, the smallest about maybe two inches across, and circular.... and the "primary" feathers much softer than a bird's primaries, half a foot wide and two long at the most. further exploration of his wing anatomy only seems to be encouraged by him in his sleep, to boot, since he coos louder and shows no sign of trying to wake up again, totally relaxed with a vague smile on his face*

Jenni: *well, is delighted to bring a smile to anyone's face, but far be it from her to do anything more than pet without express permission* *after a few minutes of this, discovers that sleepiness is contagious—particularly when one works in a place with no night or day and on a haphazard schedule* *lapses into daydreaming, eventually dozing and nodding off*

Heldrad: *whenever it is she wakes up again — likely from being overly warm.... well, she'd wake up to discover him all curled up with her, his wing as her blanket, somewhat hugging onto her like a plushie... and him still dead out of it, cooing happily. nothing offensive seems to have gone on, of course; he's just a very cuddly burd by nature, even asleep.*

Jenni: *has a tendency to do the same thing to the unwary while asleep, actually, so certainly reciprocates* *this turns out to be only a nap—maybe some 20 minutes or so; she blinks awake, stares at the warm mass in front of her nose until it comes into focus, and is puzzled when it does, because it takes a little while to remember who this is and how she got here* *eventually she's able to reconstruct events, and smiles kinda sadly; then attempts to carefully untangle herself*

Nightsail: ((Heldrad: *needs no blanket most nights — his wings work well enough.*))

Neshomeh: (( *yes, but limbs wrapped around other limbs and a pair of wings are tangly* ))

Heldrad: *tries to hug her up to him some more at that, but ends up letting go instead and burying himself on the blanket under them, his coos pausing again much like snoring would.... and resumes again once she's a little more freed of him, quieter.... yeah, he was -out- for a bit there.*

Jenni: *doesn't object to being hugged, just freezes until she's let go* *works her way into a vaguely sitting position, blinks a bit more, makes a half-baked effort at fixing her hair (which is longish and thus easily mussed), and watches for a moment* ... Heldrad?

Heldrad: *still cooing, apparently more asleep than not, if not still just plain asleep* Mmh?

Jenni: *thinks about it, decides to attempt communication anyway* I should get back to FicPsych. *pauses and waits for a response*

Heldrad: *a yawn, curls up some more.... moves slightly and peeks up at her, finally waking up* Mmh? *somewhat focused this time; maybe he's paying more attention now?*

Jenni: *smile* I was saying I should get going. I could come back, though, or you could visit. *since there's a Door in the wall under her bed...*

Heldrad: I think I'd like that... *tucks his wings in again properly, and starts getting up with another yawn* ....how long was I out.....?

Jenni: Uh... I'm not sure. Not too long, I think. No more than half an hour. *follows his example; stretches and yawns* Awhmm... you're warm.

Heldrad: *another little cooing sound* ...apparently so.... *after a moment, puts his wings out again and shakes them briefly, puffing up the feathers so they'll lie down right.... and ends up untying his sash anyway, to take off his robe. he's got pants on underneath, though, so it's all good. no hair on his upper half, apparently, though my is he ever a lean-built thing....* ...who told you my weakness, anyway? *teasing grin*

Jenni: *tilts head in that funny way she has and smiles* Why, you did. If a cat sticks its head under my hand, I'm going to pet it. Same with a wing.

Heldrad: *gets it.... some little pouty sound, looks over at his wing* ....betrayed by my own appendages. ....how.... unsurprising. *sniggers*

Jenni: *tries to fight it, but breaks down in chortling and has to talk through it* Does this sort of thing happen to you often? ^_^

Heldrad: Actually? ....no. *a lil sheepish at that, tries occupying himself with folding up his robes* .....not many people where I'm from would take the hint and -do- anything about it....

Jenni: Ah. *that's a sobering thought—once again, knows the feeling; kinda shrugs it off, though, and watches him* ... I have to be good at taking hints, or I'd never accomplish anything. *smile*

Heldrad: *folds it up so much it's practically just a ball in his hands, and ties it up with the sash for lack of anything better to do with it* .....by the same token, it might be for the best once in a while that my clan -doesn't- pick up on it.... otherwise, they might never get anything done. *lil smile back, though the topic doesn't really make him all that happy, thinking of his kind like that, for some reason...*

Jenni: *soft chuckle* Yeah... but everyone needs attention sometimes. Some more than others, but everyone sometimes. *her tone is kept carefully neutral, more or less; this is a treacherous subject for her*

Heldrad: *quiet snuff at that, picking at the bow he's done on his sash there, on the bundle* Seems so... *pauses, then finally peeks back up at her with a devious grin* Your turn?

Jenni: *blinks, takes on a look resembling a rabbit in headlights before she glances away* Well... *shrugs with one shoulder and looks back at him with a half-smile* I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the idea.

Heldrad: Your turn, then. ^_^ *not ashamed in the least about his behavior here, no sign of hesitation as he drops the bundle of his clothes on the floor and steps over to her, hugging her right up to carry her to the mess of beanbags* I think you'll like it....

Jenni: Meep! o.o *is scooped up, apparently* *is, on the other hand, completely embarrassed and blushing furiously, and all tensed up, as well*

Heldrad: *climbs into it with her and sets her back down, leaning forward against the beanbags and sitting right behind her.... and moves her hair out of the way so he can get to her back and shoulders better, and starts massaging that area with his huge hands.... he's had -lots- of practice, it feels like....*

Jenni: *'kay, the last time she got something like this was... hm... some alternate life somewhere, so...* Gah... *shudders convulsively, thus shaking herself back into a natural (if still muscle-tight) state* *not very good at being on the receiving end, is still full of nerves, as evidenced by constant glancing around and fidgeting at first*

Heldrad: *having fun at this, just keeps at it, determined to make her feel like absolute liquid by the time he's through here. He makes that sound again, the low cooing one, apparently meant to get her to relax, and tries coaxing her into leaning forward onto the beanbags more*

Jenni: *okay... that helps...* *eventually she seems to come to the conclusion that she's not going anywhere soon and sighs as she gets more comfortable against the beanbags* *for the record, any sort of light brushing around the neck and jaw will be the cause of happy shivers*

Heldrad: *massaging all over; for a creature having such solid claws as part of the fingers themselves, he's doing a remarkable job of being gentle about this all, and not a single hint of a scratch from the claws, either... likely even a good deal better than most human masseuses, just from how long he's been practicing. And aiming to put her to sleep doing it if possible... once she seems fairly out of it, he starts combing her hair back, playing with it too*

Jenni: *not likely to fall asleep again so soon, but sure comes close* *at this point, rolls onto her side so she can look at him and gives him a glazed sort of smile in mute thanks*

Heldrad: *just smiles back, quiet but for his cooing, and leans over on his side onto the beanbags again* .....better?

Jenni: *makes an indistinct affirmative sound and projects more than says, ~You're good.~*

Heldrad: *cooing a little more loudly, puts a wing over her in something akin to a hug... and is happy to simply lie there for a while, until she starts getting up again*

Jenni: *has been turned into a puddle, so isn't moving too quickly* *instead, devotes a little attention to the source of the cooing, listening intently with a look of mild curiosity, then reaching out and laying the back of her hand against his chest where she thinks the sound is generated* *to elaborate, slightly below the middle of the sternum*

Heldrad: *just watching her, lets her.... and she'd prolly be right, too — it isn't his larynx, but actually a birdlike syrinx down below, at the point where the lungs meet the trachea... not much vibration that she'd feel, though; she'd get a better idea of his heartbeat by doing that, confirming that he's well relaxed at this point* ....?

Jenni: *shakes her head slightly* Hmm... was just wondering about that sound. Enquiring minds and all. *moves her hand experimentally upward, waits a bit, withdraws*

Heldrad: *little grin at that, not a single move to stop her... and does put a claw to the spot her hand was on* ...it's roughly there, yes. *and perhaps not too very surprisingly, his speech doesn't interrupt the cooing. what does is a change in those sounds a moment later, when he gives a few notes instead, not really chirps, but almost singing of some sort, from the same part of him that did the cooing — two distinct notes at once, at that, and clearly under his conscious control.*

Jenni: *entire countenance lights up and she grins encouragingly* ... I'd love to hear a bunch of you in concert.

Heldrad: *sad smile* The others don't seem to ever practice, or I'd agree. *shifts to lie down more comfortably on the beanbags, and starts with something else along the same lines, though this time a coherent melody — a duet, just about.... with himself.*

DECEMBER 22ish

Heldrad: Oh.... *expression changes subtly; he gets it now* .....um..... *odd look, trying to come up with something* ....you know, I don't think I ever really stopped to -think- about it? I just do whatever it is I feel like doing, and if I end up doing it enough to be half decent at it, then that's what happens.... like flipping Melchahim into smudges on the cliff walls, modelling the clans' evolutions once in a while, taking care of the hatchlings when I can, and pissing off my brother Richter. ....designing clothes that can actually -fit- my kind? *raises one wing a little; not the easiest to make something that has to accommodate for those large limbs!*

Jenni: *chuckles* Now, that's something. I can imagine plenty of issues with the wings alone.

Heldrad: That's where most of the trouble is, yes.... at the bottoms of them, anyway.... have to make holes big enough for the rest of the wing to fit through, but somehow also small enough in the end for it to not expose our butts. 0_o *hence the sash on his robes, heh. it kinda hangs down in slits, on the bottom, instead of being one long piece of dresslike material.... the reason for that is explained now, huh?*

Jenni: *laughs, more at the fact he knows a colloquial word like "butt" than that he said it* Of course; that would be cold, among other things. *right, must stop the mental images now... stop, ya hear? Gah.* *rolls over on her back and folds her hands under her head, rolling her eyes at herself in the process*

Heldrad: More "among other things" than not, to be honest. There's no problems with pants.... they're made to fit even humans, though I don't know many humans this thin with this long of legs.... but not too much customization to be done there. Most of my kind doesn't even -bother- with shirts, since they're regarded as something of a pain. Of course, I'm sure it helps that the vast majority of my clan is made up of a bunch of hunters trying to -display- whenever they feel like it.... 0_o *mental images for her of a bunch of these guys, all obviously having worked out, wandering around shirtless? XD*

Jenni: *and the word "display" has such wonderful connotations, too!* *yeah, just shoot me now, kthx* *speaks through mad snickering and the hands now attempting to cover it* M'sorry... don't mind me... I see words... and I lead a very repressed life. *reprises the facepalming* I'll be fine in a moment.

Heldrad: *grinning too; he gets what he said. XD ....maybe not to the extent that she does, but some words have slightly different connotations with his kind anyway. in this case, displaying being more a case of them putting their wings up a lil.... just a hint of the "well, I'm more impressive than -you- are!" kind of rivalry... something that males of most any species do, really, though some more obvious than others. XD* .....want to come see? ^_^

Jenni: *figures that would be more the actual meaning here, but has been exposed to far too much fanfic a la teenage hormones* *and Heldrad is not helping one bit* *shakes her head as she laughs harder, because it's a spectacularly tempting, spectacularly bad idea*

Heldrad: *is getting that hint.... but he likes to tease. XD* No, really, you should see. There's so few that wear anything more than shoulder armor.... ^_~

Jenni: *would glare or something, but would have to quit laughing first—and is bordering on giggling, so really must stop now* *gasps and splutters a bit, but manages* That... was not very nice. *still grinning, though*

Heldrad: *grinning too, cooing again to himself quietly* How wasn't it? I was being perfectly honest! They really -don't- like to wear shirts often! .....you know how many times a sash will come undone during a fight, and the next thing you know, you've got the shirt's front flying up into your face because there's nothing to hold it in the back? *can't help his grins at the image* You've got a blind hunter with his shirt up around his armpits then, that's what you've got.

Jenni: Because it allowed me to make a complete fool of myself, that's how. Do you know what they'd do to me at Headquarters if they knew I was laughing myself silly at naughty mental images? Make me watch No-Drool Videos, that's what. *shudders at the very thought—and, yes, is intentionally imitating his tone*

Heldrad: *still grinning about it* Well, then, I might have to make it worth it, won't I? *gets up quickly enough to a crouch and picks her up before she can protest, one arm under her bum for support and the other holding his ball of robes, up across her back so she doesn't simply fall away from him, and steps back to another Door* Or at the very least, give you a tour....? ^_^

Jenni: *protests anyway, more at the surprise of being grabbed again until she realizes what he said* Oi! ... Hey! No! You'll never take me alive! *okay, that was a stupid thing to say to a vampire breed, but... eh* *struggles, up to and including trying to climb up and over his shoulders* *is having fun now ^_^ *

Heldrad: Watch me. ^_^ *luckily for her, not interested in harming her, hehe.... he shifts her so he's carrying her over his shoulder now — well, she was climbing for that!* *opens the Door and steps through to a.... courtyard of some sort. or actually, a balcony overlooking one, surrounded by the castle, just a few trees carefully planted inside it.... it's sunset right now.*

Jenni: *can't actually see any of this, since she's facing backward over Heldrad's shoulder at the moment* *is now in a worse position than she started in, since trying any harder to get away would probably result in injury to one or both parties* *gives a big sigh and just slumps over* You win... this time.

Heldrad: *grinning, lil coos more.... not to mention one unintended side effect of this position, of being over his shoulder like so.... she's got a front-row view of looking right down his feathery back, to where it disappears under his pants.... she could prolly reach down and goose the burd, if she wanted. XD of course, he wasn't even -thinking- of that....* Hm.... where to start this tour.....

Jenni: ... Well, I have got rather an interesting view just at the moment... *grin* *verbal goosing is plenty of fun*

Heldrad: *pauses.... she could prolly all but hear the mental click there.* ......oh. *feathers fluff just a little tad, not something under his control there. who wants to bet his cheeks are a lil purple now? XD* .....well, I would have to admit to having one myself right now as well....

Jenni: *ditto on the mental click* ... I'll bet this looks great from a distance, too. On the other hand, it could be that I'm just a hostage. Which is true. And I'd ask what you intend to do with me, except that it sounds terribly, terribly wrong to me at the moment. *laughing*

Heldrad: .....how about a round of excruciating torture, for my amusement? *little coos again, and turns, giving her more of a view of the courtyard a good ways below them, as he heads to an open window that's almost big enough to be a proper door, and climbs through it.... the room's a bedroom of some sort, the same gray stone as in the darker cozier rooms she'd seen earlier, but far better lit... swatches of cloth in bright colors hang here and there, tied in the center, on the walls, like curtains, and there's a dark red Razielim banner hanging in the middle of a wall to the left from the window he stepped through... a table and chairs nearby with a potted flowery plant on it, and the usual shelves with things on them.... a wardrobe of some sort, and what appears to be the bed.... but it's a giant, thick wooden bowl of some sort, on a stand, filled with pillows and a blanket or two. looks very comfy, actually, something to curl up and nap in in a fit of indulgence....*

Jenni: *takes in the scenery, indoors and out* *blinks at the room* No! Not the Comfy Chair! *doubts he'll get the Python reference, but oh well*

Heldrad: No, no... the comfy -bed-! ^_^ *prolly didn't get the ref at all, but he's still having fun with it.... he heads to the giant bowl and leans forward to plop her down into it, pulling a knee up to climb in as well, his head still down near her waist.... and leans over to gently munch on her side there, keeping his teeth covered by his lips.... he's just having fun and -tickling- her now. XD*

Jenni: O.o Mrr? *moves her arm so her view is unobstructed and peers down at him* *not sure that tickles, precisely, but is certainly interesting*

Heldrad: *pauses after he realizes he's getting little reaction... eyes her... tries tickling her ribs with his fingers, careful of his odd claws*

Jenni: *not squirming. no, really. not going to. nuh-uh* *making some funny faces, though* ... Ah. So this is torture.

Heldrad: Hmmm.... apparently, you're far more difficult to torture than I first suspected. *eyes her over.... then puts a knee across her legs to pin her on the pillows there, and tries taking her shoes off to tickle her feet*

Jenni: *blink* Oi. Oi! *wriggles backwards*

Heldrad: Ah HAH! *grins, tickles more.... he's got her now!*

Jenni: Nooo! *laughs and struggles for a bit—before realizing there's a better option* ... Hang on... *pulls herself upright and goes for the sides* Take that!

Heldrad: *screeps, quite a hawkish sound indeed, not one made with his speaking voice, that's for sure... his feathers all floof up and he tries to curl up, though he's not letting go of her feet yet himself.... though his own feet look to be rather inviting targets, astoundingly long as they are.... and in the position he's in, they're just a little behind and to her side.*

Jenni: *has two hands, can tickle two places at once!*

Heldrad: *losing his own concentration here, and his grip on both of her feet at once to boot — instinct says to cover himself!* Hey! *trying not to laugh and failing*

Jenni: Ah HAH! *frees self, turns around and practically pounces on him to keep up the tickle-torture* Turn-about is fair play, O feathered fiend! *huge grin*

Heldrad: Noo! *screeps as he tries to wiggle away, but he's getting caught up in all those pillows... they're down ones. ^_^ difficult to travel through, really... especially when there's enough to fill a king-sized bowl like that.*

Jenni: *has an easier time of it, with less huge and fewer limbs to deal with* Victory is surely mine! Do you surrender?

Heldrad: *screeps again at another good tickle* No, never!

Jenni: *shrug, grin* Suit yourself. *keeps it right up—no prisoners! no mercy!*

Heldrad: *another screep, trying harder to get away, and makes it to the edge of the bowlbed.... he looks like he's trying to climb off the edge of it, but the way he's getting himself tangled up, he'll prolly land straight on the floor.*

Jenni: *blink* That's a bad plan. *tries to catch him about the shoulders (arms or wings) and haul him back* No breaking limbs by injudicious escape attempts.

Heldrad: No! *still a mess from the giggles, but turns around and tries to tickle under her arms*

Jenni: O.o OH no you don't! *laughing as she throws herself backwards and scrambles to regain her equilibrium before she's pounced* *pillows are slippery!*

Heldrad: *taking full advantage of it, wings up above him again to help him balance, tickling her.... payback time!* How do -you- like it? *yeah, that's an evil vamp, huh?*

Jenni: *yelp!* *tries to bury herself in pillows to escape, laughing all the while* *oooh, the evil [/sarcasm]*

Heldrad: *does what he can to keep getting to her, finally giving up on her armpits and going for her feet once again, his own feet down on the pillows, undersides somewhat protected again finally*

Jenni: *muffled by pillows* No! *kicks, but not hard, and struggles along the bottom of the bed* *no idea where she's going or what she'll do now, but that's all right*

Nightsail: ((along the bottom of the bed? hehe. it's like, three feet deep with pillows filling it all up. XD))

Neshomeh: (( Weeell, maybe not quite, then. ^_^; ))

Nightsail: ((three guesses where he got all the down to fill those pillows, too. lol.))

Neshomeh: (( Hah. Convenient, having huge wings... ))

Nightsail: ((indeed!))

Heldrad: *still tickling all he can wherever he can on her* Give up now? Do you?

Jenni: Not tho' Fall, Fog and Fire! *Pernese oath, don't mind me* *squirms around and tries to find his ankles, shins, whatever*

Heldrad: *well, it's none too difficult to find his legs, that's for sure.... he's more bent on tickling her into submission than not anyway* Then you're just -asking- for it!

Jenni: *aha!* Oh, am I? *now that she knows where she is, jumps up and tackles him, scattering pillows everywhere in the process* YAH!

Heldrad: *a loud screep in surprise at the sudden move, loses his balance and ends up on his butt on the pillows there, pinned but still trying to retaliate* No! No!

Nightsail: ((.....I'm thinking I should drag in a hatchling or someone. *g*))

Neshomeh: (( Hee! Someone, just because the awkwardness would be too funny. ))

Nightsail: ((I'm getting the distinct impression that she's not uncomfy with Heldrad. ^_~))

Jenni: *does her best to pin him, sitting on him and catching hold of his wrists* Gotcha now!

Neshomeh: (( No, but there's no one watching, you see. {= ) ))

Heldrad: *grins up at her from on his back* .....so you do. *pulls one of his legs up, his knee up by his shoulder..... and his toes reach up to her armpit to tickle it again. gotta love long feet with toes like fingers, huh?*

Jenni: O.o Oi! *leans one way, then the other; gives that up and tries to use the bend of her knee to catch his foot* *realizes he has two, but so does she*

Heldrad: *brings his other foot up to do the same with it, grinning like a nut*

door: *opens a little, the banner covering it being held aside some*

burdie: *another like Heldrad, though only barely visible yet.... hair an absolute -wreck- of cowlicks, and wearing a dark red shirt and dark red pants* .... *peep?* *rubs an eye with his fist sleepily*

Jenni: *peep? eh?* *looks, freezes like a rabbit in headlights* Mrr?

Heldrad: *peeks up at the little sound, and spots him at the doorway.... he grins* Elsiar! Come over here.... *pauses* .....we didn't wake you, did we?

Elsiar: *the new guy.... he makes another little birdyish sound, stepping in and looking sleepy still.... he's very thin indeed under those clothes, and his wings are bare but for a few very scraggly, misshapen excuses for feathers, revealing his batlike wings underneath.... he wanders over to the bed*

Heldrad: Sorry.... *bites his lip... oops. woke a kiddo!*

CHRISTMAS GIFTS

[There was a Christmas party, but sadly, I have no log of it. However, I did record the gifts everyone got! Some of them even showed up again later.]

Jenni - Two necklaces, magic crystal rose

Erik - Fedora, cloak, keyboard, magic crystal gondola

Henry - Pancake stuff, hat, magic crystal book

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Ginger - Birthstone necklace

Vengy - "Sharpe's Sword Polish - for that nice clean kill"

Reria - Charm bracelet, songbird charm

Henna - Young Reader books from various cultures

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Jubilee - Loud sweater

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Maera - PotO CD, CD player, headphones

Rhianna - Songbooks for pipes

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Lupe - "Sharpe's Sword Polish - for that nice clean kill"

'Fer - Body-length pillow and polar fleece blanket

Sang + family - Indestructible baby toys

Leof - Comb and "Got Fruit?" t-shirt

Teatime - Stress ball and polar fleece blanket

Riddick - Dark gray sweater

Ducks - Numbweed and redwort

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