Icarus Awakens

Daniel rested on his bed, pillow over his face. He was dreading what was happening between Lograve and Alex, but aware that the best thing he could do now was wait until Alex's fire had burned down. At the very least her aura had never gotten red, though he'd removed the tags on both before it distracted him from what was to come. It wasn't working.

This isn't going to turn out like when Dad disappeared, he assured himself. I… may have screwed up by holding this back for so long, but she's hypersensitive about this. Not that she doesn't have a reason to be. One of his windows slid up by itself, the hinges he'd kept purposefully squeaky alerting him. Shuni didn't abuse her stealth as much as she could, but he'd lost an enchantment or two to her surprising him late at night.

"Oof. That bad?"

"Thought we had an agreement." Daniel raised a hand and twirled the gray feather held between two fingers. It was sizable. The largest feathers Shuni could shed easily rivaled the one hanging from his cursed necklace. The one that had pricked him had a couple of days ago had hurt.

"That you'd stop being a dumbass, yeah. It's not like I'm getting hair everywhere." The feather was plucked from his hand and, by the sound of it, thrown into the wall point first. "You can spend five seconds checking, you can't miss them. I almost choked on a strand in my salad yesterday. Damn humans can't keep their head silk to themselves." Like the Rogue she was, Shuni stole the pillow as she sat on the edge of the bed next to Daniel. "Seriously, are you ok?"

"Remember how I said I had something to confess?"

"I remember you refusing to tell me what it was until you told her." Shuni put the pillow down gently. "What did you do?"

Daniel winced, but Alex could shout it from the rooftops if she wanted to now. "When I stayed behind in the room Evalyn blew up, after everyone else went to the armory, I kind of, sort of, ranted at my Spoke hard enough that its doing weird things like giving her a class two levels higher than she should have. In hindsight, it's probably why Rikoor didn't take us out with him too."

Shuni's reaction to the news was about the same as the other two so far, quiet bewilderment. "Wait, you're not serious. You can influence that thing?"

"Inconsistently," Daniel grumbled. "She's angry with me for keeping it a secret."

"Well yeah, no shit. That sounds insane." She fell backward, not catching herself as her back landed square on Daniel's stomach.

"Ow!"

She rolled her eyes from where she was now lying perpendicular to him. "You have Regeneration, you'll be fine."

"I hate that people use that as an excuse. It still hurts, you know?" Daniel complained, and Shuni lifted her head up to look at him directly.

"Oh, shit, did I actually hurt you?"

"No, it's just the principle of the thing." Daniel tried to move, but though Shuni was lighter than average because of her race, her center of mass was on his. He didn't feel like using his full strength to push her off as while he could kick her into the far wall, and maybe through it, that wasn't called for. "Mind shifting? I'm going to ask Hunter to come by."

"If you're ready for that."

"I am if you are."

Shuni hesitated at first and he could tell there was something on her mind, but she relented and rolled off. "Alright, call the big guy in."

Daniel reached out to Hunter telepathically, who was in fact currently in his level 0 form. The terrible burden of Khiat thinking he was even cuter as a young ringcat was worth it for his brother since it was easier to navigate the compound.

Lineage of the Hunter was truly broken, and had even gained an additional form. The move had caused a lot of debate, Willow especially voicing her disapproval, but the group had agreed to allow Hunter to use the toxic quillion to test his ability to gain new forms. The mortal that it had used to be was completely gone, and the opportunity was too valuable. In fairness to the ringcat he hadn't eaten directly from the monster, which Tlara also hadn't wanted to dominate. Tak had slaughtered it, giving Daniel the bones to use for enchanting. The bag that held his common enchanting material felt heavier whenever he thought about that.

One could only imagine the weight it had on Hunter, but he'd borne the burden bravely, as bravely as he walked into Daniel's room now despite having some idea about what they were going to discuss. "Spinner was good," he commented when the door closed. "Better. I hope she can advance soon."

His earrings dangled with as Hunter made small talk, looking comically oversized. The rest of his body was mostly covered with Daniel's new armor design that was an initial attempt to accommodate how he could shift. Arrakan moth fur continued to be an MVP as it had allowed him to create two primary sections of armor that wrapped into one another around Hunter's torso. The ringcat could will the armor to cling at different points, allowing it to quickly expand. Constricting back took more time and mental effort as Hunter had to let one section crawl along the other until tight, but it was better than going unarmored.

"She was," Daniel agreed, "And if she's listening right now, this is also a private conversation, Spinner." There was no reply aside from Hunter's raised eyebrow. It was dark outside so theoretically she should have tuned out, but he wasn't taking any chances. "Hunter, if any of this makes you feel uncomfortable, or you need time to think, you can step out until you're ready. I know this is a touchy subject for you."

"Would only make it last longer," Hunter grumbled. In his reduced form it kind of looked like he was anticipating getting smacked for knocking something off the table. Feline Charm could be a treacherous power. "The bond."

"The bond," Daniel affirmed. Shuni shifted in place on the other side of the bed. "I'll just lay it out and if someone disagrees, give us your perspective. We're three adults working this out. No one here is upset or angry with anyone else." He paused briefly in case the conversation would break down right then and there, but Hunter only nodded nervously. "Hunter and I have a strong bond. We're always sharing some of our emotions at all times, even at extreme distances. Sometimes during a hunt it's an advantage to lean on this, which exposes more of us to each other to the point where we have trouble distinguishing who's who. Hunter, you've been struggling with whether you should try and pursue romance and my feelings toward Shuni aren't making it easy on you. Shuni, you're conflicted about when the lines blur. I don't want either of you to suffer, but I also can't see things working the way they are. Someone's going to get hurt, whether it's in a fight or out of one."

Silence filled the room before Shuni took in a breath. "That's not completely… It's more than that." She nodded her head apologetically, slowly, to both in the room. "This is, well, it is personal, but it's not out of spite. I just, I wish you could turn that bond off sometimes," she confessed. "In the beginning you were this intriguing, mysterious stranger everyone in town was talking about. I lucked out and got picked to help your team and, well, now we're here. I don't want to sound possessive, but part of me likes the time you were on your own even if we weren't together. Hunter always being in your head, it makes me wonder if I'll ever have a private moment with you."

"Would, if we could," Hunter explained, having the grace to not take offense at her words. "When the bond first improved we tried turning it off completely. Didn't work, and we have to go far to get out of its range."

"And that's my problem. The two of you doing something in the middle of a fight I can deal with, even if it scrambles you a little afterward and Tak has to kick you back to your senses. It's a combat ability." Reflexively, Daniel covered part of himself with a hand. "It's the little moments. Lying on our backs watching the stars, every meal we share, the night we spent together after bringing Khiat's parents here?" Shuni's voice grew quieter, more emotional. "He's in there, somewhere. I'm not saying I hate you or your connection with Daniel. I know it's stronger than mine. What gets under my feathers is that I don't know if I'll ever be able to have the kind of relationship they sing about. The kind bonds are made from," she nearly whispered. "That's what I want. Growing up, I didn't have anyone special. I don't think I'll have a chance outside of love. No one can deny what you have with a bond. It's certainty that you have something worthwhile."

"I didn't know you wanted one that much," Daniel said, stunned and a bit devastated. Making bonds was the ultimate catch-22 if you were that invested. It was hard to have genuine emotions if there were any ulterior motives, and that wasn't all. Despite himself Daniel questioned whether Shuni would have been as enthusiastic about him if she hadn't been chasing a bond. She'd left her previous team over him, regardless of the other reasons she may have had.

"Why wouldn't I?" she asked. "It's not about the powers. I'd be fine without them. It's the knowing."

Hunter gave a long sigh and lowered himself on the floor. "You have it backwards."

"What?"

Daniel blinked as he saw the point, but he let Hunter drive. It'd come from the ringcat better anyway. "Bonds don't give that. Powers, yes, but even at the beginning of ours there was friendship before a bond. If you won't know for sure until you make a bond, you won't ever make one."

"I've heard of it working like that before!" Shuni protested. "People I've talked to who say they just woke up one day next to someone with a feeling in their heart that they were the one. Someone who'd never abandon them."

"But which came first, the certainty, or the bond?"

Daniel climbed over and put an arm around Shuni when she couldn't respond to that. "I told you, no matter what happens with us, you're part of the team. No one's abandoning you. Hell, Khare was a spy for the Spiritualists almost the entire time we knew them, they chose their people over helping get Hunter back, and the first chance we got we welcomed them back."

"I know," Shuni muttered, wiping at one eye. "I've just had it happen before. People turn. Something goes missing and the first time they believe you, they find it. It happens again a week later and it takes a little bit longer for the suspicion to die. 'It's fine if you're advancing, just tell us where it is.' Suddenly I can't go to the guild to collect bounties alone, even if it's just my share because I might try and 'claim someone else's too'. They don't want me going out at night because a house got robbed three streets over and it's a bad look for the team. I play along, even as I'm dying inside, until it breaks. Then I float around, someone takes a chance on me, and it starts all over again."

Threst and appearances. Daniel could see it, especially because Shuni's plan had worked with him. Helping save Hunter had created a debt that would gloss over any minor inconvenience, and that was before she started dating him. That and the team in general had passed through enough fire to not throw people away. For one terrible moment he wondered if it was all fake, and that was all Karma needed to vindicate its earlier decision.

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But Daniel recovered. "You're part of the team, Shuni. You're part of the family. I can't say what will happen, if we make a bond or not, but you're not going to have to go through that again. This is your home for as long as you want it to be."

"Agreed," Hunter said softly, resting his head on the bed nearby them. He'd have been too tall to do that at his regular size, his Lineage power once again paying off. "I'm not worried about what you and Daniel do. He should be happy. But it is hard for me. The body we share isn't mine. Using it to attract someone is wrong, and I don't think I want to change myself to make it happen. It is like Spinner. I want to be loved for who and what I am." His gaze pierced into the floor. "But everyone has been told that I am a monster as I am. Hated, for all some find me 'cute'. I can at least talk, show them I am more, but that isn't enough. It doesn't feel right, either. I should be able to find someone like myself, but making a ringcat intelligent like me? That is more wrong. But I cannot hide the feeling either, because no matter how deep they are buried, what I feel from Daniel digs them back up."

Shuni sniffled, both for her and Hunter's sake. "Honestly, I had kind of wondered if you and Tak had ever-"

"No," Hunter denied, calmly yet decisively. "He is a friend. Maybe it could have worked in that way in a different world, but not here."

"Ok." She drew herself up, and the way she was able to acknowledge Hunter's problems while not feeling upset at him taking over the conversation comforted Daniel. Then she asked a question that did the exact opposite, for different reasons. "What about a Druid? I know you had some kind of feud with the one who died, but if it's, uh, physical compatibility that's the main problem with dating a mortal, you could try to make it work with someone who could turn into a ringcat."

Daniel winced, his mind forcing him to play out the start of that scenario before he could fully quell the intrusive thoughts. Still, good idea. Really good idea. The only reason he hadn't thought of it was likely his experiences with the class so far, of which he'd only truly met Festra and Marky. Neither was a good match, to put it briefly.

Hunter perked up as well. "This, would this work? I wouldn't want someone who couldn't be like me…"

"It should. No one would have bought the lie that you were a Druid if they couldn't look like you," Daniel pointed out. "They'd have to be down for it which means we're pulling from a questionable pool of people, but if we find the right kind of person? It just might take a while to."

"But it is hope." Daniel could feel it through his bond and know it to be true, just as Shuni could see it in the look Hunter was giving her. "Thank you. With how many people Tak meets, I feel it could be sooner than later. At least to find someone interested."

"We are going to be traveling," Daniel reminded, "But I'll leave it up to the ultimate wingman to do right by you. Shuni," he then said, turning toward her, "Why the hell do you think you'll have any problems with us if you keep doing stuff like that?"

"I guess pessimism is just a talent," she replied warmly, finding more than gratitude in Daniel's eyes. Her smile then flickered. "Not to ruin the moment, but I still have things to say. The body, the hybrid one."

"Yes," Hunter affirmed, taking a few steps back and then resting on his haunches. "It is not the same one we share, and yet it is. I need it for some things, it makes eating with people easier, going into town. Also, curving stairs." The sheer distaste in Hunter's words for those made Daniel chuckle. "But it is not mine. And." He paused, nose twitching subconsciously.

Daniel beat him to the punch this time though sheer desperation of not wanting to let Hunter phrase things. "And I use the body for private things too. Rarely, only once or twice."

"It could be more." It was Shuni's turn to laugh at his incredulous and helplessly interested expression. "Did you forget that I saw you like that the first time we met? I'm not the kind of girl who's above using some of the gods' blessings in bed. You should know that."

"We're getting off topic," Daniel said with a strained voice.

"Pretty sure this is exactly what we should be talking about," Shuni teased. "That is another thing, though. Something that makes me wonder if I'll ever have Daniel all to myself."

"Ok, ok, easy solution," Daniel hurriedly said. "Hunter and I are brothers. Let's just say we're twins! Genetically speaking, Alex and Ami are identical. I know it's not a thing on this world but trust me, on Earth it's normal for this kind of thing to happen."

"So if I find someone and want to use the body…" Hunter let the question linger unfinished.

"Sure. Sure! It's none of my business. Well, it kind of is because we'd have to coordinate Beast Mode." Daniel sighed as he realized it wasn't as simple a solution as he would have hoped. "Table that for now. In general, it works. You're even wearing earrings now so people can tell us apart when you're walking on two legs. If we put it that way, does it feel better Shuni?"

"It kind of does, actually," she said, a weird inflection in her voice. "If I hadn't seen your sisters together I think it'd have a harder time sinking in. That still leaves the bond, though," she said leadingly.

"Harder to solve," Hunter acknowledged. "It's like what Tak has to figure out now, only we don't want to permanently break it."

"Yeah. About that, Hunter." The ringcat's head swung warily toward him. "We already have a solution. A temporary one. Shuni and I are going on a vacation once we get things settled in the Arcadian, maybe even before it's fully functional so long as Zolyra can manage it."

"I don't understand."

"Universal Link doesn't work across regions without Lograve's crystal."

Hunter's eyes widened, and more of his fangs slipped out as the ringcat tensed. "No."

"We've thought this out!" Daniel flicked his Focus to display a map of the kingdom and tapped on two hexes next to Threst. "Look, Kallical and Vellus both border Threst. Kallical would be a nightmare for me but great for you. It's a bunch of plains and underground networks of warrens. You and the rest of the team can grind your way to level 3 by taking on everything in sight. I mean, there's no air cover. Even Khare would be a menace. Meanwhile," he tapped on the other hex, "Vellus. It's got lakes and rivers, as well as a handful of forests. Everyone who's been there says it's beautiful. Water monsters, true, but Shuni and I can take some time to relax and get to level 3 ourselves while giving her some truly one on one time with me. If the team pushes, I mean really pushes, we could all get to our third level without too much disparity before the time comes to try rescuing one of the gods."

"Level 3?" Hunter asked, a bit taken aback.

"Think you're not strong enough to get there?" Daniel asked with a smile. "Shuni and I are both close. I could literally do it right now if I wanted to. Take us away and the rest of the team will level faster."

"But you will be alone. That-" Hunter glanced at Shuni. "What if Hourglass' people or that man comes for you?"

"He told me about Mavar," Shuni said quietly, also aware of what might happen if the deal with the Illustrious got out. "We've thought about that too."

"I can trust him to at least keep his word on noninterference. Otherwise we're living on his whim alone anyway." Daniel adjusted his phone some more, bringing up another app. "But I also have Divination Aegis. Not even Hammer could find me with this on. Mavar must have tied its power level to my Spoke instead of me. So long as we're careful, I should be fine. Zolyra's already trying to get any Hourglass church in the kingdom purged anyway, but the politics of that are messy." Daniel slipped off the bed and onto one knee, getting an indignant huff from Hunter that Daniel currently had to lower himself to speak eye to eye. "I know, you're worried about me. The rest of the team will be risking attention from Hourglass as well if they've told people who I travel with. Ideally we'll have the Arcadian over you with support on standby if anything happens. I'd like to have a second mimic quartz crystal set up in case of emergencies so we can Slow Mirror, but they're still trying to track down any that haven't been fully attuned."

Hunter's head started to turn as Daniel kept going on. "When did you think about all of this?"

"The first night back in Pinion's Point I couldn't sleep. It started with figuring out a way we could get to the gods without attracting the attention of the Illustrious or the Spiritualists. I think I have a solid plan for that too, but then Shuni showed up and I started to think about her."

"Hard not to considering how I showed up," she added confidently.

"But I will not be there." Hunter was still struggling with that. "Who else on the team knows?"

"No one. I'm going to bring it up to Evalyn tomorrow if there's time. Zolyra's in the loop because it doesn't work without her backing. Well, I can't just abandon this place if the Arcadian isn't defended."

"Alex?"

Daniel winced. There were rough edges yet to work out. "The best case scenario is the Arcadian is up and running. The rest of the Wingcraft is on the ground leveling, everyone else is back at the compound."

"But Threst is dying. Why stay… oh."

"Exactly."

"Smart."

"He is, isn't he. Even if he sheds everywhere." Shuni ruffled Daniel's hair. "Hunter, I want to say again I don't want to get in between you two. At the same time, is this so much to ask?"

"No. So long as it's safe," Hunter said bitterly. "The god thing, we'd be back together for that?"

"Of course. More than the team too, but that's still a work in progress. It depends on whether the earth gestalt can help us, and if we can use them how I hope we can."

Hunter fully stood, considered both of them again, and then nodded. "I'll have to think. Is it ok if I tell Tak?"

"Yeah. But before leaving, Hunter, is there anything else on anyone's mind?" Daniel hadn't had much to confess compared to the other two, or rather, he was part of the others' problems as the center of the relationship drama. He only wanted everything to work out and had tried to find a way to make everyone happy. Fortunately, Hunter shook his head.

"This is enough for now. The feelings will still hurt, but I have something to put them toward. Thank you, again." He turned, rose on his hind legs, and then opened the door with his mouth.

"Hunter! Ah, that's disgusting. Don't damage it." The ringcat ignored him, flicking his tail as the door closed behind him. "Alright. That went good. Yeah, good." Daniel looked at Shuni. "Good, right?" Shuni nodded his own head for him using the grip she had, then hesitated for a moment. It reminded him of what she'd done before Hunter had come in, and he frowned. "Shuni? If it's just something for the two of us, you can tell me. Whatever it is."

"Alright. But this is going to be something you won't like." Daniel tensed as Shuni stood and paced back and forth. "You know me, right?"

"I'm pretty sure you're Shuni Martell," Daniel said slowly. "Unless you're one of her clones?"

The Rogue picked up his chair to prove it was really her. "I, I think I know how you're going to react to this, but I can't just not say anything. You're opening a gate first thing when you get back to the Arcadian, right?"

Daniel did not like where she was going with this. "Yes?"

"Let me go to Earth. Only for a day, or part of one, but I want to be there. Another world!" she exclaimed with some wonder. "I can't even imagine it."

"It's not really another world, not where you'd end up." Daniel said, his stomach lurching. "And your magic won't work there."

"And there's another version of you there?" she asked knowingly.

"Another, worse version. I don't know, maybe he's gotten better but I doubt he'd take what happened to Alex well." Daniel covered his face with one hand. "That's not what I'm really worried about though. What if Lograve has a heart attack after sending you through? Or, or what if…" Daniel trailed off, but he'd already revealed too much insecurity for the Rogue to miss what he was about to say.

"What if I stay!?" The hurt in her voice told him he had screwed up.

"I wasn't-"

"Yes you were. You honestly think I'd, after all I just said about being afraid of people abandoning me?"

"It's just where my head went. I used to think about sending Hunter through if things got really bad and the wires crossed!" He stood, but Shuni backed away, and he could tell she'd just turned invisible and left an illusion in her place. Her face no longer had the depth of betrayed confusion. "Shuni, I didn't mean it. I didn't even say it," he sighed, hoping she could still hear him. The clone crossed her arms and gave him the cold shoulder.

Daniel thought about engaging Beast Mode and trying to track her, or asking Spinner where she went, but it was just as likely Shuni had flown off to be alone. Her last look hadn't had carried the 'you're dead to me' deathknell, but he'd still stumbled into a dating tripmine and had to manage the fallout.

He got back on his bed, but pulled out a sending stone before going to sleep. "Shuni, I'm sorry I even implied that. It was stupid and if I'd thought about you for a second it wouldn't have crossed my mind. If we had the time I'd want you to explore Earth. My other self's rich, he might be able to spin a way to get you out in public without attracting attention. I just thought about you going somewhere I couldn't and that hurt me. That's what you were worried about and I know you didn't mean it, just like I didn't mean to hurt you. Can we at least not end the night angry at each other, please?"

There was a heavy sigh when he finished, one that also sounded like the person was doing something physically intensive like flying. "I'm going out for a bit. Goodnight." She had the cruelty to make him wait three seconds before she added, "I love you."

"You are my ocean of black, Shuni. I love you too." There was nothing else said on either end, and Daniel lay straight back with his head on the right side of the pillow for once. He made sure the sending stone wasn't active, then slide the Focus Shield off his arm and propped it up on the ground next to his bed. "One out of three isn't bad," he said aloud, thinking of Hunter. "Not good, but not bad. Alex was right. Dating is hard."