Deidara walked into the room, drink in hand. Midona looked at her, "You should be resting."

"Why? So I was drunk or high or whatever and some other worldly freaks got the wrong idea. That's their deal."

Terry raised an eyebrow at the girl, but said nothing, prefering to sit beside Blake and pull him close for a hug.

Blake looked at Deidara. His first impression of her hadn't been great, not least because his former king's mortal playthings rarely lasted long enough to make his affection for them wise, but it had been two days and she didn't seem to be going anywhere, so he thought he should make an attempt to befriend her. She had cherry red dreadlocks that reached just past her shoulders, the look in her blue-grey eyes guileless and mortal-sweet. She wasn't sculpture-perfect like Terry or Midona, but she was appealing in her openess; kind in a way Midona wasn't.

Midona laughed at Deidara, but it was not unkind. She knew she worried to much; it was a problem posed by being one of the other among mortals, the instinct to veiw her friends as vulnerable; breakable.

"I must go back, quickly. Check on my- I mean, Erik's court. I am his advisor, afterall, no matter the strange situation surrounding his kingship. Best check on Gabe's former court as well. Make sure they have a new ruler- I do not plan on being tied down as a monarch again. Best see how dear Morigana-" Midona shuddered at the thought of the mad raven-woman, half war and half bird. Something about strong halflings like her, me and Elissa causes problems, mayhap? "Is getting on, as well. I will not let her start true war. We are in a bad enough position as is." She tied her hair up with a simple peice of blue cloth, then left them, her footsteps silent as only faeries -or part-faeries- could be.

Terry smiled at Blake.

"You," he said, running his fingers lightly over Blake's creased brow, "Are thinking too hard."

Once Midona had long gone, Deidara shrugged and slipped out of the door as well. She longed to go exploring.

~

Midona walked, wordlessly, into the court hopefully not-hers. Aobheall, a Selkie and a solitary traveller between worlds, watched her with a silence and intensity that made Midona wonder wether Blake's kin were truly worth fearing. A little corruption didn't do much harm, afterall. The finfolk -Selkie's, Merrows, merfolk and the like- were creepier. She saw that they had a new regent- a young queen- whom, she had no inclination to meet, and left as quietly as she had entered. No-one tried to stop her. They all knew who and what she was.

~

Deidara spotted a girl -well, she was female and humanoid in shape, at least- walk through an alley, oblivious to the strange looks she was getting. Her skin was dark grey, her eyes silvery. Her hair was a little darker than her skin, and seemed to blow in the night air without any wind or other reason for it to do so. She was tall, thin, and seemed somehow insubstantial. She loped off to join a group of creatures similar to her.

"They're gorgeous, like shadows made solid." she breathed. There was a laugh a short way behind her, and then Midona was suddenly there. Midona had told her that she -and anyone with strong enough faerie blood- could do that, but she still jumped. She knew Midona wouldn't hurt her, but the powers that she -and Terry and Blake and others she cared less for- held within themselves made her uneasy.

"Indeed. If I wasn't so fond of the shadows, I wouldn't be here." her friend smiled.

~

Blake laughed, "Perhaps I am."