Chapter 197 : Story time with Senba.

The silence in the room after Nova's outburst was stifling. Though Nova still had her knees close to her chest, she was looking the other way silently. Dimitri had no idea what to do or say to try and make the situation better so he panicked and spoke anyway " Did you try being nice "?

He pursed his lips, realizing he'd said something stupid but before he could try and fix his mistake, she turned back to face him, tears trickling down her charming white skin as she smiled, " But I'm not a nice person. If I really was nice, people wouldn't love me for my wretched self and I find that truly horrifying ".

Something about what she said made him shudder. Maybe it was the dead tired look in hear tear misted eyes but for some reason, it felt like she was about to disappear. After a few seconds, the look in her eyes turned to confusion and it unsettled him even more.

Pollen blinked back tears as she touched her face and looked the other way, " Why am I crying "? [ My mouth was moving but those weren't my thoughts...Were they Nova's? ] She whispered quietly to herself, " She's been through a lot though. She deserves a hug. How can I give her a hug "?

She heard the rustling of the sheets and didn't even bother to look towards Dimitri's side of the bed [ I guess he's gone ] When she raised her head, she saw him sleeping on the couch by the door and smiled sadly.

" You didn't want him to see you like that, did you "? She found herself shaking her and realized Nova was actually still there and whispered to herself, " Are you alright? I didn't mean to take over your body. I'll give it back....if I knew how ".

There was a sort of silence when a thought appeared in her head [ " It's fine, I was going to die anyway so you did me a favor " ] Nova frowned, " What do you mean die "? There was a pause then she suddenly spoke again [ " That doesn't matter anymore " ]

Pollen glanced at Dimitri who had his back to her, " What about him "? Again there was a long pause [ " Just leave him be. He only agreed to come along since I promised to break off our engagement. Please help me with that " ]

Pollen sighed as she rubbed her temples, " Why did you need him here in the first place "? [ " Father has some soft of plan for Nectar. I do not know what that is but Dimitri was awfully close with those two before. That's all I know " ]

Pollen sighed, looking out the window again " What now? Do you want me to follow your father's orders or is there something you'd like me to do for you "? Pollen heard a tiny laugh in her head which she found rather enchanting [ " You truly are a kind person. I'm tired of making choices, you decide " ]

She giggled to herself as she got out of bed, " I'm curious about these powers we seem to have ". She picked her deep blue robe and put it on [ " I can show you a few things if you'd like " ]

She could feel the excitement bubbling in her as she tiptoed towards the door and whispered to herself, " That's awesome "! She opened the door and quietly shut it behind her.

Dimitri got up as she shut the door and sighed, " What's she up to "? After a few seconds of silence, he lay back down and yawned, " At least she's not angry. I'll deal with whatever this is in the morning ".

~ ~ ~

Meanwhile, in the east wing, Suki sat in front of the fire. Her head on Forjin's knee as she looked up at him excitedly, " You've gone lean Senba ". He ruffled her lavender hair with a slight smile, " I've been quote busy my precious gemstone ".

She smiled, looking into the fire " I missed you ". He patted her head gently, " And you're all I could think about. Maybe I'll be able to convince Eros to let me take you to Nisrag sometime. It's a lovely place ".

She suddenly looked up at him, eyes brimming with childish curiousity " Story time "? He nodded in agreement, " Story time. Your gifts are still on the ship though ".

She nodded, " That's okay ". Forjin suddenly cleared his throat, raised his left hand and a sort of fog appeared out of it. He put his right hand on top of it and an image of Sanik Mamba appeared. This was possible because Forjin is an Illusionist - which are people that can manipulate a small fragment of the elements around them to create whatever they can imagine.

" This is Sanik Wilton Mamba, He's the king of Nisrag ". Suki poked the illusion suspiciously " Really, are you sure? He looks so young though ". Forjin laughed as he nodded, " He's over fifty but he says his queen doesn't like him looking so old. So he uses a technique called moulting to maintain his youthful glow ".

Suki nodded then looked at him in confusion, " What's that "? He shrugged, " You know how Nisragese are about their features ". Suki nodded, " I shall ask the empress ". Forjin raised an eyebrow in confusion, " The empress? You wrote to me a few months ago about how much you hated her ".

He suddenly paused and looked into the fire seriously, " That reminds me. Do you still want me to do something about it "? Suki shook her head quickly, " No! Though she's odd, she's definitely not a threat to me " [ Especially since she doesn't like Eros ]

Forjin suddenly mushed her face in his hands and she managed to speak, " What are you doing Senba "? He looked at her with a mix of seriousness and playfulness, " Making sure you're really my daughter. When did you get so mature "?

She suddenly frowned as she whined, " What's that supposed to mean "? He laughed as he let her go, " Nothing. It's just not like you ". She frowned even more as she got up, " Then what am I like "?

He pulled her into his lap and laughed, " It doesn't matter, you'll always be Senba's precious gemstone ". He cuddled her even more and suddenly blew some soft of myst out his mouth " Now then, let's continue story time. This is Illethur Ewe. Don't be deceived, she's not as gentle as she looks. In fact, she's incredibly strong and her black hair is said to be so soft, you'd wrap yourself in it "

Suki frowned as she asked thoughtfully, " How do you know that "? Forjin chuckled as an image of Sanik appeared also, " The king wouldn't stop talking about her. He was so proud of the hair, you'd think the hair was his ". And so, many similar stories were shared between the two through the night ".