In Search of Healy-People

[Anonymous]

Rhini: Relax. She and your faerie went out to get you something for when you're healed. Something to make you feel better or something. It's quite sweet actually. They'll be back in a little while.

Derrick wrinkled his forehead concentrating. The faint white light came up around his fingers, which he had resting lightly on Enki's wound. The last bit of blood trickled back into the cut and the skin started "zipping" itself up from each end until it sealed up in the middle. Derrick opened one eye to check out his work, then opened the other one and sighed audibly. Rhini stood back up and smiled at him before turning back to Enki.

Rhini: I would suggest taking a nap now that you're healed so that we can check if there's anything else wrong with you. I'll have your girlfriend wake you up when she comes back.

Back at the Sweet Shop...

Nova: Well, Enki of course! Enki's the number one bestest thing in the universe. Betcha didn't know your Poppy was that awesome, didja?

[Anonymous]

They went out to find something to make him feel better? Enki smiled a little. It was a nice gesture.

The healing magic felt odd, like a pins and needles sensation was crawling across the surface of his skin. Then again, he wasn't used to healing magic and from what he did know it seemed to be tailored to the healer.

Sleep? Enki's eyes widened a little and he sat up. He was almost sleeping when they brought him in and had been sleeping before being reunited with Nova. Sleep wouldn't help him out at all. "I"m not tired," he said stubbornly. "I'll wait up for her."

Marduk grinned widely and zipped around Nova's head a few times. "You're right! Poppy's the greatest I knew that ever since I was a little baby in his head, and you know it too! You're smart Nova!"

[Anonymous]

Nova looked at Marduk, dumbstruck. She froze for a second before grabbing him and hugging him tightly.

Nova: Nobody's ever told me that before! You're the next-to the-next-to-the-best thing there is!

Meanwhile, Rhini sent Derrick off to do some errands. She sat on the edge of the bed Enki was on to talk to him.

Rhini: Enki, my magic isn't at all what it used to be and you need to sleep to give it time to, well... finish. It has to have about an hour to make itself permanent. Derrick's work on your skin is already finished, but for the inner injuries to heal you have to rest. I can assure you that nothing will happen to you while you sleep, and I'll wake you as soon as the girl returns. Please trust me.

[Anonymous]

Marduk felt happy to be the next-to-the-next-bestest thing in the world. There was a lot of stuff in the world, being next-to-the-next-bestest was a good thing. Marduk snuggled against Nova's chest and began to turn pink.

Enki watched the cleric-woman send her apprentice off and swung his legs off the bed, but kept from standing up completely when she sat down. He'd listen to whatever excuses she had, but they weren't going to keep him in this bed.

Or...

Maybe they would. Breaking the same bone twice in one day didn't seem like a good plan at all. Enki frowned a little, pulled his feet back up on the bed and rested on his back. Ouch, he winced a bit, she wasn't speaking jibberish, his collar felt a bit sore when he did that. "Fine," he shifted his legs around a bit to get them in a comfortable position, finally leaving them lying straight ahead. "I'll lay back a bit, I don't think I'll sleep, I had enough of that."

[Anonymous]

Nova let Marduk go after she was satisfied that he had been adequately huggled. She then took two eclairs from the shelf and walked up to the register. A woman and a man were behind the counter. Nova was almost to the register when she stopped, remembering that she was at a severe lack of funds with which to but the next-to-the-best thing in the universe.

Nova: Uh-oh. Marduk, we can't buy these! We don't have any money! Dammit...

The woman behind the counter looked up at Nova and Marduk when she heard them speak. The man, her husband, paid them no mind, but instead went into the back to get a fresh tray of cresent rolls to set out to cool. The woman waved Nova over.

Woman: I'm sorry for butting in, but I overheard what you were saying. Don't tell my husband about this, but since your fairy is so cute, I'll let you take them.

Nova smiled and shook the lady's hand, not being able to hug her from the opposite side of the counter.

Nova: Thanks a lot! One of 'ems for my Enki. He was hurt, but I took him to a healy-person to fix him.

Woman: Oh how nice. Is that your boyfriend?

Nova went quiet for a second. Was he? She didn't really know.

Nova: Well, he's my friend, I know that. He's like my best friend, only I like him differently than I liked my last best friend. But he doesn't call me his girlfriend, so I wouldn't say that he's my boyfriend.

The woman smiled at Nova, a little confused, but she thought Nova was adorable, so she didn't care. The man's footsteps were heard returning from the kitchen.

Woman: Ooh, leave now and don't let him know I gave you those eclairs!

Nova scampered out, calling after Marduk to follow her.

Meanwhile, at Rhini's place, Rhini nodded at Enki's response and retreated to the kitchen. Derrick was already there.

Rhini: Derrick, fix some tea, will you? He says he won't sleep, but I think a warm cup of tea will change his mind.

Derrick: You want me to put anything in it?

Rhini: Oh, no. I don't want to drug him or anything. Warm tea should be enough by itself.

Derrick nodded at her and put a kettle on the stove.

[Anonymous]

Marduk, who was now various shades of pink, flew up to perch on top of Nova's head after she let it go and began humming a little song, swaying back and forth against the rythmn of the tune. Thus the entire eclair exchange flew right over Marduk's head.

The song ended a few seconds before Nova called Marduk after her. Marduk jumped to its feet and giggled, pointing down at Nova's face. A line of rainbow sparkles flew from its fingertip and began swirling around her head. They weren't enough to block her vision, but they did make the surrounding area look shiny. "I'm up here! We're going to see Poppy now. Is he going to be fixed? He's not gonna go to sleep forever?"

Enki looked up at the ceiling, wondering where 'his girlfriend' and 'fairy' were. The fairy had to be Marduk. Who was his 'girlfriend' then? The cleric didn't mention anyone else coming with him, and that made his stomach knot up. Either Tasarin or Nova was still back in the forest.

Tasarin was hurt herself... and if she was the one with him now he wouldn't be here with a cleric. Tasarin would have healed him herself, she had no need for a human cleric. That meant Nova was here now. Good, if she got him here that meant she wasn't badly hurt. But Tasarin... his stomach twisted up a few more times.

[Anonymous]

Once Nova got outside the door, she stopped, and stared at the shinies. Preeee-tyyyy... She spun around to see if they were all around her. They were. She giggled and blew at them, seeing if they would flutter around. They did. Nova temporarily ignored Marduk's question, because she didn't hear it.

Meanwhile, the tea finished brewing and Rhini poured two mugs. She took one for herself and brought one to Enki.

Rhini: Drink this. I don't know about you, but tea always makes me feel better. It's fresh, too.

Rhini sat on the corner of the bed again decided to talk to him until he fell asleep.

Rhini: So, would you mind telling me a little about your campanions? When they first brought you in, there wasn't much room for conversation.

[Anonymous]

Marduk clung to Nova's hair and giggled when she spun around. Marduk wiggled its fingers and a shower of silvery sparkles rolled off them like water, to bounce off any surface they landed on and ricochet chaotically around.

Enki accepted the mug Rhini gave him, sniffing the vapor rising off the surface before taking a teeny sip. Hot ouch. He blew on the cup and took another little drink, managing not to scald his tongue this time and actually taste the tea. Not bad.

When the cleric began talking to him he looked up at her, holding the cup just above his lap. Question time. And the questions, damn. She was probably expecting doting comments about his 'girlfriend' and amusing fairy antics. Well... Marduk did do some amusing things, but they wouldn't be told from the point of view of a friend. Marduk seemed a little bit easier to explain... that was something he never thought he'd say in the day (was it a day? How much time had passed since Marduk was born?) since Marduk was born.

Actually, Enki took another swig of tea, he might be better off talking about Nova first. Telling her Marduk was his son while she still thought Nova was his girlfriend might make her think that Nova was Marduk's mother. Explaining his way out of that one didn't seem like it would end too well. Hell, it might make her worried about Nova! Enki took another drink of tea.

"Nova, that's the red haired girl's name," Enki took another drink. "Nova's not really my girlfriend. She's a friend, a traveling companion. I met her...  we first met when I was following this guy, Noxcaladoxia because I needed to ask him something *gulp gulp*. I was following Noxcaladoxia and he was at the ocean, I think its east of here I could be wrong though, I'm not too familiar with the Earth *sip sip* We were at the ocean and there was Nova. She was washed up on the beach because she... *sip* she was running away from someone I think. We met there, and we met some other people, who I really haven't seen since then, and that's how Nova and I met."

Enki yawned and put a hand up to cover his mouth, quite forgetting that it was the same hand he was holding the teacup in. Thus the remaining tea spilled all over his lap, leaving tea coloured splotches in his white pants. Enki tensed up when he felt the tea splash over his legs, dropping the teacup. "Fuck, I'm sorry!"

Soon after saying that a pair of red feathered wings unfurled from the prestigal wing lumps on his back, Enki's eyes glazed over and he fainted dead away.

[Anonymous]

Nova's eyes widened as Marduk made more shiny things.

Nova: *gasp* You can make sparkly things! Eee!!

Nova grabbed Marduk and glomped him to her chest.

Meanwhile, Rhini was having a bit of trouble. Enki was now out cold on the floor, with his wings out.

Rhini: Oh dear. That could be a problem.

Derrick heard Enki hit the floor and came into the room.

Derrick: What the hell was in that tea?

Rhini: Funny, I was going to ask you that. But no, he spilled tea on himself and passed out.

Derrick walked over to Enki, almost stepping on his wings before Rhini caught him.

Rhini: Oh, do be careful around his wings. We don't need to be causing more problems to fix, and I imagine that would hurt him as well.

Derrick nodded and carefully walked around Enki until he got to a good spot to pick him up. He put him onto the bed.

Derrick: Is the hot tea on his pants going to bother him?

Rhini: It might. I'll get his shoes and such, you get his pants off. We'll cover him up with a blanket.

Rhini pulled off Enki's shoes and sock, with a bit of difficulty on the former, but did eventually work them off. Derrick got to pulling off Enki's pants, and Rhini quickly tossed a blanket over his lower half.

Rhini: There we are. Now I think I should wash these pants for him.

Rhini took his pants off to a side room to wash them, and Derrick went back into the kitchen.

[Anonymous]

And once again Marduk was smothered in Nova's boobs.

Only this time, it kept on making little sparkles. They marched out from Marduk's fingers and crawled up and down Nova's shirt in little patterns: Kittens, flowers, balls, sparkles. Once they covered her shirt they all turned various rainbow colors and began moving, kittens prancing, flowers swaying, balls bouncing and sparkles sending off more sparkles.

Enki, of course wasn't able to put up a struggle against his clothes being removed and looked all the world like he was sleeping once the blanket was draped over him.

[Anonymous]

Nova continued to be amused by the spkarlies for a few moments, until she realized something. She grabbed Marduk and started running towards the cleric's house.

Nova: Marduk, we gots ta go see Enki! He's better 'n sparklies!

The cleric's house wasn't very far, so Nova was there in no time. She opened the door and walked in quietly. She looked around, but didn't see anyone. Then she saw Enki on the bed, with a blanket draped over him. She let Marduk go and walked over to the bed.

She thought for a second, then grabbed an eclair from the bag and broke it in half. She waved it around Enki's nose.

Nova *whispering*: En-ki, wake up~!! Wakey wakey Enki!

[Anonymous]

Marduk fluttered up to perch on Nova's head soon after she let it go, soon deciding to hop off and sit on the bridge of Enki's nose afterwards.

Enki didn't move much other than his chest rising and falling as he breathed.

Marduk watched Nova break the eclair in half, with big sparkly eyes full to the brim with entrancement. Breaking the eclair probably hurt it, but it looked pretty! The gooey stuff coming out from where it was broken looked like it would be fun to play with? "Novey can I have some of the gooey stuff that's coming out of the eclair right now? I promise I'll give it to Poppy once I get done with it."

[Anonymous]

Nova watched as chocolate oozed out of the eclair. It did look good. Yummy yummy chocolate. Gifts from the gods. Who needed fire? Chocolate was better. Way better. You can't eat fire.

Nova: Well you wouldn't want to give it back to him. That's chocolate, an' you're supposed ta eat it. Enki won't want it after you eat it. But you can't have any of this one. We have one of our own to share.

Nova noticed that the chocolate was dripping on Enki now. On Enki's neck to be specific. Chocolate is very sticky, Nova knew that. Enki would not want to wake up sticky. Nova knew she should clean it up. But she also knew that it was a deadly sin to let chocolate go to waste.Her mommy said it was a cardinal sin. She looked around for Rhini or Derrick, but saw neither one, or anyone else to offer help. Well, Nova knew a way to do both. Clean it up, and not waste it.

Nova Crawled on top of the bed, and on top of Enki. She put her legs on the outside of Enki's and she gently turned his head to the side, so she could get to his neck easier. She lowered her mouth to his skin and started to lick up the chocolate.

[Anonymous]

Marduk was immediately interested in why Nova was doing something to Poppy's neck. "Hey!" It yelled, giggling a little afterwards. "That's supposed to be for Poppy, we've got one that we're supposed to share. Or is it this one that we're supposed to share?"

Marduk hopped off Enki's nose and went hurtling straight for the peice of broken eclair. Marduk balanced on the torn end and looked down at it. "Hello second-best-thing-that-ever-was! My Poppy is first-best-thing-that-ever-was, that means he's better than you. And he's my Poppy, what does your Poppy do?

Enki sighed a bit in his 'sleep' when Nova began lapping the chocolate off his neck.

[Anonymous]

Nova took her mouth away from Enki so she could answer Marduk's question.

Nova: No, this is Enki's it just spilled, and I am getting it up. It is sticky, and no one likes to wake up sticky.

Nova bent down to lick some more, before reacting to Marduk's conversing with the eclair.

Nova: It's not gonna talk to you silly! And I don't think it has a poppy. It's not really alive. It's food, not a animal or a person.

Nova was satisfied that she had gotten all the chocolate that she could lick off of Enki off, so she had to get the little bits that started to soak in. She put her lips to his skin again and started sucking the chocolate out.

[Anonymous]

There was a soft creaking sound within the room suddenly, though it died so quickly that one could not be sure if they truly heard it or not. But then it started again, right in the very room where Enki, Nova, and Marduk could be found. It was the moaning of the wooden floorboards. More specifically, the wooden floorboards around and under the couch on which Enki and Nova lay.
They began to buckle upward, lifting the couch just barely off the floor and making it tilt gently from one of its sides to the next.

And then it stopped.

A sudden flower sprung up in front of the couch, peaking through one of the cracks between the floor boards. It unfurled into a surprised pink, and sat still and calm in full view.
That was just the tip of the iceburg.

Without warning, the buckled spot of the floor burst open, rocking the couch violently as vines and sapplings sprung up from under it. But they did not stay under the couch. Instead they twisted outward, coming around the sides of the couch, and cradling it on their trunks. Within seconds, the three were encased in a small-scale version of a forest. One could not even see through all the foliage from the other side, the trees and vines and flowers too thick.

Within that mini-forest, where the three now were, was a gorgeous site to behold. Flowers and fruits exploded onto the young trees, their fragrance entering the air sharp and immediate, but not too overwhelming. The brilliant colors surrounded them, like a blanket of soft petals and smooth fruits.
There was a calming aura about it, a protective feeling of security. The way any forest creature feels when they are surrounded by their home.

And then, from nowhere really, a large heavy flower fluttered onto Enki's chest.

It was blood red.

[Anonymous]

Marduk tilted its head to the side when the eclair failed to respond, and Nova explained that it probably wouldn't and that it didn't even have a Poppy. What was the use of comparing Poppies when the eclair, the second-best-thing in the world, didn't even have one? Marduk stuck its tongue out at the Poppy-less eclair, afterwards craning his neck around to look at the ground. Something creaked in there... maybe it'd want to be friends!

Enki's lips parted slightly and he tilted his head back in the pillow...

Oh, yes... right there, this dream is pretty vivid. It couldn't be from the span of time. Noxcaladoxia was chewing on my neck not too long ago. Or rather, not too long compared to the length of time between other types of initmate congress. Congress? This had to be a dream, that word doesn't usually flutter around my brain. Hell, it sounds like something out of some old novel. Congress...

That's fascinating, but I should probably open my dream eyes and... just a moment. Wasn't I planning on staying awake? Oh hell, nothing I can do about it now. The hell was I thinking about a second ago?

Ah. I should open my dream eyes and see just who's on my neck. Have to figure out whether this is a dream or a nightmare...

What the?

Shali-

Enki's eyes snapped open and he saw red. Red hair. Nova had red- oh holy- that dream was vivid. Perhaps because it was happening.in.real.life. Nova didn't seem like the type to do this. Enki felt his heart fluttering, his his head start to spin, curled one hand's fingers so the clawed ends pointed downwards.

Then the couch started rocking and Enki stopped giving a damn about who was sucking his neck. At least for the moment, if they fell they'd probably take him with them, or tear a chunk out of his neck in a blind panic. He wrapped his curled hand around the person's shoulders, pressing them down into himself and grabbed onto a cushion with his other hand, hanging on for dear life.

Marduk was fascinated by the rocking couch and squealed with delight when the vines and little trees began growing. It fluttered off the couch and perched on one, riding the little tree as it grew up and out. A passing vine snagged a chunk of its long hair and tugged Marduk along, until it shot a glob of sparkling liquid at the snag. The wet hair slipped free of the vine and Marduk tumbled a little before regaining its wings and hovering. Grinning widely at all the pretty things popping out from the trees. Flowers and fruits that were pretty both to see and smell!

Once the couch stopped rocking, Enki loosened both his arm and hand and sat up. Now that, that was over he could go back to panicing like he planned to. His lungs were already starting to tighten up.

Or... maybe not. He recognized those bright green eyes. Nova? Strange suddenly met stranger. Which meant he should probably start expecting strangest anytime now.

Spoke too soon. Then again... a flower suddenly appearing when apparently an entire forest appeared wasn't that odd. Only this flower was a particular shade of red and just happened to land on his chest. If his wings hadn't already been out they'd probably be popping right about now. Enki cupped it in his free hand and stared down at it.

What if a forest hadn't grown around them... what if they were teleported to a forest? What if this was the same forest they left Tasarin in? Talk about not inconvenient... he didn't have his shoes or any of his outer clothes. If Ornemalin found them here he'd have no problem making Enki 'pay'.

Enki shuddered, that wasn't something he wanted to focus on now. He had to find something else to focus on to keep from dreading that. Were they all there? Nova was definitely there, Enki put a hand on her shoulder, she was probably about as freaked out as he was just then. Where was Marduk??

"Marduk?" Enki's voice was soft, strained and almost inaudible over his panting breathes.

"Yes Poppy?" Marduk, arms full of petals and small berries, dropped down next to them.

Enki felt lighter after seeing and hearing the kid. Both of them were there. Good. "Marduk, fly past those trees there," Enki gestured to what he assumed was the end of the trees.

"What's there Poppy?" Marduk leaned forward, a few berries spilled from its arms.

Enki said the first thing that came to his mind: "Bunnies."

Marduk all but teleported to the end of the mini-forest.

[Anonymous]

Nova's eyes went wide and she quickly jerked away from Enki as soon as he let her go. She looked around franticallybefore drawing in air to scream. Her Draconic instincts started kicking in, and before the scream was finished, it became a roar. Bright green scales replaced tan skin and red hair, and Nova's wings had already begun beating at the air, lifting her up. Instincts and an already short attention span made her momentarily forget about the people she was with, instead focusing on getting the hell out of where she was.

[Anonymous]

"Nova!" Enki sat up and promptly raised a hand to fend off the gusts of wind from her beating wings. The trees waved above them, sending a few leaves and flower petals raining down.

Marduk walked along a sinewy branch, daintily hopping over threads of wood and vine. This was a fun game and then he would see bunnies! What were bunnies? It didn't know, but Poppy must have thought Marduk would like them. They were probably fun and sparkly and great and one of the best things in the world. But, they couodn't be the first or the second or the third because Poppy was first and eclairs were second and it was third because Poppy was first. Nova would know what bestest the bunnies were though!

The end of the branch led into a room. Imagine that, going from a forest to a room like one in a house! Maybe this was a bunny house. Marduk fluttered down the hall and saw the man that knew about going to sleep forever and ever. "Hey!" Marduk flew over to him and hovered in front of his face. "Do you know where the bunnies are?"

[Anonymous]

Derrick was still in shock. He was staring wide-eyed at the small forest that had just erupted in his master's living room. Said master, Rhini, was sitting on the floor in the kitchen with her eyes closed and her mouth moving wordlessly. One could assume she was praying, and he or she would be correct. Derrick managed to focus his eyes on Marduk, but when he tried to speak, all he did was stutter.

Nova didn't even look back as she flew away. Her instincts weren't even letting her think about Enki. They just screamed 'get the hell out of here,' and Nova lacked any and all capacity to outthink instinct.