Edmondia: (sorry, comp froze)
EnsTren: (sokay)
Edmondia: (where were?)
EnsTren: Edmondia: He tickled her back.
EnsTren: She laughed and flung herself at him again.
Edmondia: He gave a very unkingly yelp.
EnsTren: She chuckled.
Edmondia: He stuck his tongue out.
EnsTren: She bit it
Edmondia: ...it is a bit of a problem that we both have fangs.
EnsTren: So speaks the lord with hair horns.
Edmondia: He patted his hair defensively down.
EnsTren: They get pointier when you're upset, my Husband, or when you are happy.
Edmondia: ...my hair is a mood ring.
EnsTren: In a way.
Edmondia: ...who else noticed?
EnsTren: The Puck, I belive.
Edmondia: Naturally, he notices everything.
EnsTren: Hn.
Edmondia: Hn?
EnsTren: Yes Hn.
Edmondia: What hn?
EnsTren: Hn, that Hn.
Edmondia: He poked her. Do you elaborate on your hns, my love?
EnsTren: No. It's fun to make you wonder and guess.
Edmondia: This could take centuries, he complained good-naturedly, and started tickling her tummy with his hair.
EnsTren: She purred.
Edmondia: Being remarried certainly had its advantages, and maturity only made things more enjoyable.
EnsTren: Definetly so.
Edmondia: It was fun and different, something new to explore.
EnsTren: Those mortals were really very clever.
Edmondia: And the chocolate was a nice touch.
EnsTren: He loved chocolate
Edmondia: She was rather fond of it as well.
EnsTren: And Coffee.
Edmondia: Thank whomever the mortal was who came up with Starbucks.
EnsTren: Otherwise he'd be missing important parts in the morning.
Edmondia: It was getting to the point that the workers greeted him by pseudonym every morning.
EnsTren: Some how his lady wife could tell the diffrence between Starbucks and magiced Starbucks.
Edmondia: Which made him pout. Nobody else could tell the difference, but if he even tried to make a motion for it she'd be scary at him.
EnsTren: And he'd miss parts if he didn't dodge.
Edmondia: In the end, it was simply easier to go out and buy her the coffee.
EnsTren: He was thankful for the change in speeds of time, it ment that she wouldn't notice.
Edmondia: Plus if he got her a bagel and cream cheese he was allowed to cuddle.
EnsTren: He was trying to find what got him privledges for early morning nookie though.
Edmondia: Perhaps he should consider expanding the breakfasting possibilities?
EnsTren: Ice cream? No, not a morning food.
Edmondia: ...waffles?
EnsTren: Good plan!
Edmondia: With strawberries and whipped cream, perhaps.
EnsTren: Hmn, whipped cream
Edmondia: He should definitely bring her waffles then.
EnsTren: But a bagle as backup.
Edmondia: Just in case. One never could tell with Titania.
EnsTren: She facinated him
Edmondia: He tickled her.
EnsTren: She tickled him.
Edmondia: It dissolved into a pillow fight.
EnsTren: Eh, maturity was over rated.
Edmondia: It was a good thing that no one else ever saw them playing. The royal dignity would be shot.
EnsTren: Wait, didn't Puck already do that?
Edmondia: (shoot the royal dignity?)
EnsTren: (or cause it to be shot)
Edmondia: Well, the royal dignity of the king and queen, anyway.
EnsTren: Not the might-be Prince.
Edmondia: ...it was probably a good thing that very few people knew he was the might-be prince, all things considered.
EnsTren: It might shoot the Royal dignity anyways.
Edmondia: Although to be fair he could be quite dignified at times - he just didn't like it much.
EnsTren: And he was as likely to be doing it to be mocking as for other reasons.
Edmondia: He was distressingly difficult to read.
EnsTren: No wonder he played a good Owen.
Edmondia: Though he had to wonder about wearing a business suit every day.
EnsTren: He'd have to check if he wore those funky boxer shorts he saw being sold sometimes.
Edmondia: He wouldn't be surprised at all if he did.
EnsTren: ...Was he throwing them out like those other Puck like things?
Edmondia: ...what was wrong with the child?
EnsTren: Damn him for being hard to read, espically in that mortal body.
Edmondia: He gnawed on a strand of his hair absentmindedly. It was a facade and they all knew it, but what if he was trying to live it instead of play it?
EnsTren: ...He was going to die it.
Edmondia: ...and there came the guilt, like a sucker-punch to the stomach.
EnsTren: The Lord of Avalon did not feel guilty!
Edmondia: ...but his baby!
EnsTren: Mortal.
EnsTren: The fact he couldn't sence him when he was less than fifteen feet away was enough to confirm it. The body was mortal.
Edmondia: The being who wore it was not - should not be so.
EnsTren: But he was, now.
Edmondia: ...yes, that was definitely guilt.
EnsTren: he wasn't supposed to feel guilty
Edmondia: It had been a fair punishment - anyone else would've been dragged back kicking and screaming and hung upside down in the dungeons for their impertinence.
EnsTren: Death was a fair punishment?
Edmondia: Well - surely he'd figure out a way to sneak out of it!
EnsTren: How? He started to wrak his brain as he gave his hair split ends with his teeth.
Edmondia: Well, he could - er, accidentally have Alex magic the body into immortality?
EnsTren: Very simple, very effective--except how would he hide it from the humans?
EnsTren: What without being able to change shapes and all.
Edmondia: Traveling and hair dye?
EnsTren: What abotu computers?
Edmondia: Damn.
Edmondia: Well, he was rich, he could vanish into seclusion and destroy all the documentation of his existance, right?
EnsTren: That sounded boring.
Edmondia: He could fake his death!
EnsTren: Some what amusing. But...He would age.
EnsTren: No, wait, spell to get rid of that. But he could still die if someone shot him ir something.
Edmondia: Instead of having it just hurt a lot. Damn!
EnsTren: Guilt.
EnsTren: And a split end from hair chewing, damn.
Edmondia: Having children was always bad for one's mental health.
EnsTren: He thought having to worry about him runnign around and getting killed stopped after sealing Mother away.
Edmondia: ...this must be how mortals felt.
EnsTren: Damnit.
Edmondia: Dammit dammit dammit.
EnsTren: Where was a tree to knock his skuill against when he needed one.
Edmondia: ...just outside the window, actually, but he was fairly certain moving would get him smacked, as Titania was using him as a pillow.
EnsTren: Maybe he could turn his pillow into a pice of wood or marble?
Edmondia: It was either that or tear his split-ended hair out.
EnsTren: Titania liked his hair too much
Edmondia: Sigh.
EnsTren: And Damnit, again, for good measure
Edmondia: This was impossible.
EnsTren: He should really think before he speak.
Edmondia: But no, he just had to have inherited dear dear mommy's temper.
EnsTren: Damnit.
EnsTren: Now he gave his baby a long lingering death sentance, last his best trickster, and almost in a way, best friend.
EnsTren: Also his herald, and senchal, and...Well he could go on and on.
Edmondia: But mostly his baby, even though he'd grown up and away.
EnsTren: They were nothing and everything alike. He missed him.
Edmondia: It was... difficult.
EnsTren: He didn't imagine it could be this difficult when he banished him
Edmondia: He had been feeling quite incredibly out of sorts at the time.
EnsTren: He was feeling out of sorts now.
Edmondia: But a decidedly different kind.
EnsTren: And he was getting bored, despite playing and having sex with his lady wife. The other Children were getting boring.
Edmondia: They just weren't as interesting.
Edmondia: And none of them were quite so brazenly gleeful about 'bending' the rules.
EnsTren: Puck would have kept things lively.
Edmondia: Arrrrrgh.
Edmondia: He was obsessing over this, he was sure of it.
EnsTren: He never obessed before!
Edmondia: Then again he'd never condemned his only - ARGH that was wrong, Puck was not his only son and it was stupid for him to keep thinking that way.
EnsTren: But...Aliel was in the void with mother.
Edmondia: And Merlin was both missing in action and - a brat.
EnsTren: And half human.
Edmondia: He gnawed on his hair more vigorously.
EnsTren: His sons...
Edmondia: Well and truly estranged from him.
EnsTren: One gone the way of madness, on the way of his mother's blood, and the other cast away like the dirty rag he was not.
Edmondia: It was... disheartening.
EnsTren: To say the ver least
Edmondia: He knew where he had gone wrong with Aliel - they'd been too young and irresponsible for a child.
EnsTren: They were much more mature now.
Edmondia: And much, much older now.
EnsTren: Could they try for another child?
Edmondia: ...probably not while Fox and Alexander still lived.
Edmondia: Titania did not enjoy having children often.
EnsTren: They had eternity. His son, his only-son, he had to admit that, his only real son, did not. Not anymore.
EnsTren: He didn't like the thought of Puck not being able to meet his brother.
Edmondia: Or sister, perhaps, a sweet little girl with Titania's smile. The three were... rather odd, but had been very lovely children.
EnsTren: And Robin hadn't helped it by picking on them and teasing them.
Edmondia: That was the mistake they had made with him - indulged him far too much, he had been spoiled beyond rottenness as a babe.
EnsTren: He grew out if it though, even before he scattered the Children the Puck was mature, he played his games with mortals, but he never killed them in a fit of fancy or rage, even though he could get around the rules for that as the other Children did.
Edmondia: He had always been a bit more and less than normal, it was a strange mix - but then, he was a strange creature by nature - or was it design instead?
EnsTren: No, that didn't make sence, why would Mother design Puck not to like killing humans?
Edmondia: Mother had been the one to design his capabilities, that much was true - but none could truly shape the soul of another.
EnsTren: No matter what mother thought.
Edmondia: Mother... it was fortunate that most of the Children had been born long after the sealing.
EnsTren: He didn't want to think how fucked up his island would have been.
Edmondia: Although at times it seemed like some horrible clash of reality tv and a soap opera.
EnsTren: It would be amusing if they were more intresting though.
Edmondia: But letting them make their own choices (within reason) was the only thing that kept them from being impossibly aggravating.
Edmondia: And if they were more interesting maybe he wouldn't be thinking about this.
EnsTren: Puck livened things up, he MADE them more intresting, and brought the details back to him.
Edmondia: ...this was probably becoming an unhealthy fixation.
EnsTren: Damnit.
Edmondia: And he really really really wasn't used to feeling guilty about anything.
EnsTren: It was unnatural, to him.
Edmondia: But then, he'd rarely done things that he considered worth being guilty over.
EnsTren: So why this?
Edmondia: ...it had been a long time since he'd killed one of his own.
EnsTren: And...He always granted them quick deaths.
Edmondia: He sighed heavily, raking a hand through his hair.
EnsTren: How long did human's live now a days, anyways?
EnsTren: Now he was just torturing himself, wasn't he?
Edmondia: ...probably.
EnsTren: He never did that before, either
Edmondia: He'd never been in this position before.
EnsTren: Well he only had three sons.
Edmondia: And Aliel he had felt no guilt over.
EnsTren: Despite being born to Both Titania and himself he was Mab's child.
Edmondia: In every way, he had been Mab's child.
EnsTren: And the Puck?
Edmondia: Mab's design, certainly.
EnsTren: His child though. His baby boy.
Edmondia: Titania had even mothered him.
EnsTren: They had healed him, together.
Edmondia: Perhaps that was why he had been so mature?
EnsTren: Not many of the Children really experianced pain, or fear of Death.
Edmondia: He had barely been a child at the time.
EnsTren: He didn't seem to even remember it truely now.
Edmondia: That was... probably for the best.
EnsTren: It could have left an inpact, even at that young of an age
Edmondia: It had, at least physically - he still wore the bracers.
EnsTren: They could never heal him completely.
EnsTren: It was a bit of a ritual between the three of them, attempting to heal him once every few centuries.
EnsTren: Sometimes he came early, requested it, when He and his wife were in a snit about each other.
Edmondia: A natural diplomat even through the mischief.
Edmondia: He was a sweet boy.
EnsTren: Both cruel and gentle.
Edmondia: ...he still had his flute lying around somewhere.
EnsTren: He missed listening to him play
Edmondia: Would he play anymore?
EnsTren: Did he have a flute in his mortal life?
Edmondia: He had a stone hand in his mortal life.
EnsTren: He couldn't play.
Edmondia: That... was deeply wrong.
EnsTren: Some how his consiance found a way to blame that on him, somehow.
Edmondia: Okay, so he'd send him the flute for Christmas or something.
EnsTren: The or something, he wasn't so dence that he couldn't see that sending the flute would seem a slap in the face.
Edmondia: Maybe just leave it on his desk someday?
EnsTren: Still a slap in the face--after all, he couldn't play it. And it didn't take a genius to figure out it was what he had used to track his wayward child.
Edmondia: ...take him out to lunch and hand it to him? No, he'd refuse that too.
EnsTren: He didn't want to risk him breaking the flute in anger or spite.
EnsTren: And now that he thought about it he didn't want to send it after all. It was the only thing he really had left of his baby boy.
Edmondia: ...okay, definite guilt.
EnsTren: Damnit.
EnsTren: His damned concious whispered at him, That soon, very soon, because the Puck had been right, you turn you back on mortals for a split second and they all up and die on you, soon the flute would be the only thing anyone had left of his baby boy. Because he was going to die.
Edmondia: And there was nothing he could think to do to make it better.
EnsTren: It pulled at his heart and burned behind his eyes.
Edmondia: It wasn't fair.
EnsTren: He wished he had that harpoon gun of Xanatos Seinior's to shoot his consious with. It said that he hadn't been fair to Puck, either.
Edmondia: ...it was probably right.
EnsTren: He didn't like this spawn of maturity much.
Edmondia: But he couldn't ignore it either.
EnsTren: Hence his want for the harpoon gun.
Edmondia: His baby probably hated him now.
EnsTren: He deserved to be hated, part of him said.
Edmondia: Argh.
EnsTren: Really. Really. needed that Harpoon gun.
Edmondia: ...maybe he could ask Titania when she woke up.
EnsTren: His lady wife was clever, smart, beautiful, and very knowing about the little unseen things and the like.
EnsTren: Wait. Titania. Wakign up.
EnsTren: STARBUCKS!
Edmondia: Even a king had his priorities.
EnsTren: now how to get out from under her without waking her up?
Edmondia: Difficult. She was draped across his back.
EnsTren: Maybe he could sink down though the bed?
Edmondia: That could work.
EnsTren: So he started to--while busily planing ahead.
Edmondia: Starbucks and a run to a waffle house?
EnsTren: Yes, and get dressed before leaving even the room.
Edmondia: A solid plan.
EnsTren: Which he hastened as much as possible to carry out.
EnsTren: Another reason to miss Puck, he could be doing this for him right now.
Edmondia: And would have snagged an even better breakfast for himself at the same time, and possibly snagged a date with the cute girl behind the counter.
EnsTren: And maybe given him a few hints so he didn't have to play an almost blind guessing game in figuring out what to get her for early morning nookie.
Edmondia: But guessing games with Titania were frequently quite enjoyable.
EnsTren: More enjoyable than Sex with Titania?
Edmondia: ...nope.
EnsTren: Damnit he missed him.
Edmondia: ...sending a card wouldn't work, he'd let Bronx eat it.
EnsTren: Or play darts.
EnsTren: He might be afraid of bronx getting poisoned after all.
Edmondia: ...maybe he should just email him about it.
EnsTren: He'd get a virus in return, most likely
EnsTren: Or email adderess entered into spam bots.
Edmondia: At this rate he'd have to kidnap him or something.
EnsTren: And do what?
Edmondia: ...get himself bitten, most likely.
EnsTren: And then ignored, and cursed.
Edmondia: He'd have to contact him and give him the proper time to rant and rave.
EnsTren: Would he co-operate?
Edmondia: He was suspicious enough to.
EnsTren: What about duty to his new 'master' and paranoia which he had observed?
Edmondia: Okay, 'master' was just insulting, but wouldn't his paranoia make him want to see what was up?
EnsTren: Maybe, maybe not.
Edmondia: He wouldn't know until he tried.
EnsTren: But first to take care of his wife, despite his prodding consiance
Edmondia: She was a more immediate threat.
EnsTren: And could help him to plot if he made her happy
Edmondia: ...he was her son too, after all.
EnsTren: And he thought, as he transported himself, that she knew the consequences before he did, that was the emotion he had caught on her face for that hair breth of a moment.
Edmondia: ...the design had been hers, but he'd thrown a wrench into her plan.
EnsTren: He knew verywell his wife steered him when he went into a bull's headlong charge. He didn't notice it when she did but a while afterwards yes. He apreciated ti too, keped him from messing anything too far up.
Edmondia: Except this time.
EnsTren: He hit his forehead with his fist.
Edmondia: Stupid, stupid, stupid!
EnsTren: He looked over his shoulder at the Eerie building, he had made it a habbit to got to a Starbucks in New York City just so he could look at it
Edmondia: ...his baby was somewhere in there, and sweet Avalon, he really was getting obsessed.
EnsTren: Could he help it?
Edmondia: It was only natural, after all - parents with any shred of decency were overprotective of their children.
EnsTren: Consiance took another jab at him.
Edmondia: Maturity sucked.
EnsTren: He wished his consiance had kicked in eariler, before he gave his baby a death sentance.
Edmondia: But then he'd been feeling quite betrayed by his baby and had spoken without thinking and screwed everything up.
EnsTren: Humans, even gargoyles, were mortal, empheral. He wanted to be with a prize intriguing human--which not even Oberon could deny as truth, how many humans used the pheonix gate as he did?
EnsTren: And he had promised a life time of service. He wasn't even asking for an extra year of time.
Edmondia: Sigh.
EnsTren: Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Edmondia: And for all his trickery, the Puck hated breaking promises.
EnsTren: And was never a poor guest unless treated poorly.
Edmondia: Siiiiiiiiigh.
EnsTren: He had also said once, though not to Oberon (he didn't think the Puck knew he heared) that keeping promises and getting around them made for good practice against the laws.
EnsTren: But then, he rarely bent the promises. His way, with Demona, fufilling her wishes but avoiding disturbance to the humans of the city was nothing less than brillant.
EnsTren: His own way during that battle lacked a certain amount of finesse.
Edmondia: He'd never really felt the same need for elegance in that fashion as the Puck did.
EnsTren: But, because he came out here often for his lady Wife's coffee he saw the news reports.
EnsTren: People and children and animals dying, in cars, on operation tables, on the ground, because they had all fallen asleep suddenly.
Edmondia: And there was that guilt again.
EnsTren: Damnit.
Edmondia: Children were horrible vicious creatures.
EnsTren: That didn't mean the human ones that died should have, or that his child should be sentanced to a slow death in a prison.
Edmondia: It just meant that they did absolutely everything they possibly could to screw with their parents' heads without even trying.
EnsTren: Like now. Puck wasn't even in his true form or in the imdete area or aware of him.
Edmondia: Sneaky little brat.
EnsTren: Really, it was all his fault so his consiance should go bother puck now.
Edmondia: ...dammit.
EnsTren: This wasn't getting him anywhere brooding like this.
Edmondia: But coffee would.
EnsTren: So he got the coffe and the doughnut, poped over to an IHOP in Florida and was back in almost no time in Avalon.
Edmondia: (bed now)