Spirits of the Earth

@DragonSong


Artemis walked carefully through the crowd of people, doing his best to keep with the flow and not draw attention to himself. Well, more than he already had. A seven foot tall being with dark skin and strange eyes tended to draw a lot of attention, especially around here, in Connlaoth. This latest village he'd decided to stop over for a few hours was much larger than some others he'd visited, and there was plenty to see around here. After getting something to eat, which had been an adventure in itself, Artemis had continued walking through the town until he'd found the market. He decided it must've been market day, for the streets were clogged with people and stalls as well as the usual businesses that lined the streets. There seemed to be far more people around, too. And there were all sorts of humans that Artemis could see. There were peasants and merchants, lords and ladies (or at least, were dressed as he expected lords and ladies to be dressed), and others that Artemis wasn't exactly sure how to label. And besides the humans, there were animals. Some ran free and others were in cages. Others certainly wouldn't be running around any longer. There were all sorts of sounds and smells, too. It almost reminded Artemis of home.

But only almost.

Artemis paused at a stall here and there, looking at the offered wares. He stood back, though, and let others go ahead of him, since he was able to see over their heads anyway. But he didn't want to get close enough to touch in the event he broke something and the humans demanded payment. Even though he could likely fix whatever it was that he'd broke, most humans didn't want something fixed. They wanted to be paid for it, and then he could do whatever he wanted with what he'd bought. Except Artemis barely had enough coin from doing whatever odd job he picked up while wandering to feed himself, so he knew he had to be extra careful with whatever he did. Which is another reason why he was moving on from each stall after a few moments of cursory looking - so he wasn't tempted to touch.
As he wandered down the street, something else caught his attention. It was of a man's voice, loud and strong. It was clear to Artemis that the owner of the voice was angry, and he didn't care if everyone knew it. Following the sound of the voice, Artemis spotted a rather well-dressed man standing in front of a stall, arguing with the person behind it. What they were arguing about, he couldn't tell, but when the well-dressed man pointed at something in a crate by the ritzy lush carriage that waited nearby. Curious, Artemis stepped closer to be able to see into the crate.

It looked like a simple timepiece, but an exotic one. Artemis had seen similar before, but he didn't particularly know how this one worked. His fingers twitched with the urge to reach into the crate and touch the object, but he knew better than that.

Instead, he looked at the merchant - for the man had to be a merchant - and, when a lull came in the arguing, said, "I can fix this, if you want. Sir. Or at least take a look at it and see what's wrong with it. I don't think it's defective, just broken."

Even as the last syllable faded into the air and Artemis found himself being stared at by every single pair of eyes nearby, he held his ground, his face emotionless.

Samuel Barkus started, then turned to face the owner of this new voice, still glowering with irritation at this whole damned situation.

The expression of irritation quickly faded though when he saw who had spoken. The man was a veritable giant, with red eyes that almost seemed to glow. Not exactly a common sight out in the rural coasts of Connlaoth-- or really anywhere in Connlaoth, probably.

But Master Barkus was a shrewd man, and he hadn't gotten to where he was in life by taking things at face value. He gave the man a quick, calculating look, eyes flicking from his feet to his face. Then he grunted something like an affirmative and nodded briskly.

"You have any proof of your skills then?" he asked bluntly. Before the red giant could answer, he snapped his fingers and the crate was lifted back into the carriage. "You know what? Never mind. If you're serious, you can come back to the manor with me and show me what you can do there. If I like your work, you're hired. Acceptable?"

He was tired of wandering the village in his anger, and just wanted to deal with this issue in the comfort of his own home. Not to mention at the manor they would have less of an audience-- though to be fair, people weren't really staring at him.

Artemis blinked, certainly having not expected the man to take him up on his offer without much of a fight, or much bartering for his services. The fact that the merchant had simply agreed and then had decided to bring him back to his manor without even consulting Artemis shocked him a little. And why wouldn't the man think he was serious? Did he often get offers of service and only to have them reneged upon? Artemis didn't know, and he wasn't about to ask. And it wasn't like the man could hurt him. After all, Artemis was taller and wider than most of the creatures he was surrounded by. And it wasn't like he couldn't defend himself. He knew how to use the weapons at his waist and, if his need was really dire, he could utilize his other gift. But that was the one he didn't want to reveal, the one he didn't want to use. Especially not here.

"As you wish, sir," Artemis answered, his voice low and rumbling. He didn't want to seem rude or pretentious, as his own survival depended upon this merchant's kindness.

He fell into step behind the merchant, following him to the carriage. It took some maneuvering, but Artemis finally figured out how to fold himself into the tiny box on wheels, even if it meant that he was constantly stooped so he wouldn't be banging his head on the roof with each bump and dip in the road.

It wasn't until they started moving that Artemis began to feel anxious. He'd never felt like that before, at least in a situation like this. He pushed down his uneasiness and focused on the merchant. Should he say something? Should he try to prove himself now? He didn't know. What he did know, though, was that he was going to have some work ahead of him, and he needed to focus on that before he focused on what he would be doing after it was complete.

The ride back to the merchant's home was accomplished mostly in silence. Barkus himself seemed to be too irritated to speak much, and the two servants he'd brought with him were both in a state of semi-awed shock, both trying not to stare at the elf while still getting a good look at him.

As the carriage rounded a bend and began the long trek up the winding thoroughway up to the manor's front door, Barkus suddenly snapped, "Eli, when we reach the house send for the raven keeper. I have a few messages I need to send, if this man here can truly fix our device."

the younger of the two servants nodded quickly, obviously eager to please and get his master into a more charitable mood. "Yessir."

"Good."

More silence, at least until the carriage stopped just outside the front door of the manor that had come into view. It was modest enough as far as such things went, but still easily ten times the size of any home in the village they had just come from.

Impatient, Barkus nearly jumped down from the carriage, beckoning for Artemis to follow him. "Alright, come along now. There's a workshop in the back where you can show me your skills. If I judge them satisfactory, we can discuss a contract. Eli!"

"On it, sir!" The skinny little servant scurried off toward the west end of the manor, where the aerie tower could just barely been seen peeking above the rest of the main house.

Artemis silently followed the merchant to the workshop, his fiery eyes flicking everywhere to take in his surroundings. The manor was beautiful and huge. He certainly appreciated the architecture, and he could see that the people who lived and worked here truly loved the place. There was the usual wear and tear of time and living, but the entire property was well-cared for. Artemis didn't doubt that the servants, and the merchant himself, would apologize to anyone for the appearance of the place not being sparkling brand new. They probably would show the person the door and slam it after them. That thought brought a tiny amused smile to the red giant's lips, but the smile was short-lived as he saw the workshop.

'Workshop' was a modest word for the building. It wasn't as big as the manor, but it certainly could be a separate dwelling with its size. It was somewhat cluttered, but there was probably a science to the clutter, a controlled chaos that meant everything was in its place and there was a place for everything. Artemis swallowed hard as he stepped into the workshop and looked at all the knick-knacks and bits and pieces that were strewn over the tables, desks, chairs, and walls. He found tools that he'd never seen before, and tools that he had. He found larger versions of his own tools, and tools he'd wanted but couldn't afford. There were even crates full of parts that seemed to have either been extra or had yet to be used, for there were pieces of work sitting around that seemed half-finished.

When Barkus sent the servant running for this raven-keeper, Artemis waited until the man's attention was on him before asking, "What is it you'd like me to show you?"

The merchant hadn't had the piece he'd offered to fix brought with them, after all. But that was fine. Artemis knew he could tinker with any one of these unfinished pieces and, once he figured out what he needed to do to it, complete the piece and make it work.

"Mm?" Barkus turned his rather sour attention to the tinker. "Oh. Just-- impress me. I don't have time to tell you how to do your job," he replied, short and sharp. The other servant from the carriage winced slightly, lowering his eyes.

It seemed the Master was in one of his moods. Hopefully Eli would have the presence of mind to warn poor Shae.

And it seemed he had, for the raven keeper came racing into the workshop on the young man's heels, panting lightly, one hand on her chest and her ever-hunched shoulders drawn just a little further up toward her ears than was typical. Dressed all in black, she nearly blended in with the shadows around her, save for the ruddy crimson of her eyes and the flash of movement from her hands.

I came as soon as I knew you wanted me, my lord, she signed quickly. A raven was perched on her shoulder, preening while awaiting orders.

"Well, what took you so long then?" Barkus grumped-- though it was clear to anyone the young woman must have nearly sprinted down from the aerie to reach them so quickly. "I need to write a message to our buyer. Someone fetch me ink and paper!"

Eli scurried off while Shae winced back, attempting to hide herself in the corner of the room. Trying not to be too obvious about it, she looked their guest over curiously. Eli hadn't exactly had time to explain the whole situation to her, and all he'd said about Artemis was that he was "large and a bit odd-looking"...

Well. She supposed she couldn't exactly say that was entirely inaccurate.

Artemis wasn't sure what to make of the merchant's brusque attitude toward him, but he supposed since humans were so short-lived, they wanted to move as fast as possible and not bother with the niceties that most deemed polite. Rolling his shoulders in the approximation of a shrug without actually making the motion, Artemis pushed aside the thoughts that had begun to cloud his mind and looked around the workshop to see what there was he could tinker around with. He found what looked like a broken timepiece in a crate nearby, and lifted it out onto the nearby worktable. As he become involved in figuring out how to take the piece apart and see what was wrong with it, Artemis pointedly ignored any movement that was taking place in his peripheral.

Or would have, if the merchant hadn't barked out words that made Artemis curious. He remembered that the man had sent someone to get the raven keeper, and he assumed the person must have arrived. Curious, Artemis glanced up.

His hearts suddenly skipped a beat. His hands stilled and his eyes focused immediately on her face. He wasn't sure how his mouth didn't just drop open, as he'd seen some humans do when they'd spotted him. He was absolutely stunned. He couldn't help but tense in a surge of anger at how the merchant spoke to her, but he didn't move. He couldn't move. He was completely frozen, even his thoughts, and despite the fact it felt like he wanted to move, he couldn't make his body obey. Only his emotions ran rampant, and his soul sang in harmony with the notes that were reaching out to him from across the room.

He'd left home seeking it, but he hadn't expected to find it so soon. And there she was, standing right in front of him.

His Resonance.

And then he saw her head turn just slightly, as if she was trying to be sly about it, and her eyes focused on him. He saw her thoughts flash across her face, and Artemis could almost imagine what she was thinking. The girl in black was so beautiful, so perfect, that Artemis couldn't draw his eyes away from her. What was her name?

He wanted to ask her, but his tongue felt far too heavy and he didn't think he could string two words together.

Then he could breathe again and Artemis quickly averted his gaze, the skin of his cheeks darkening with a blush. He focused on the timepiece in front of him and tried - and failed - to ignore the beautiful girl in the corner staring at him, his hands shaking even as he began to take the piece apart.

The stranger seemed just as fascinated with her as she was with him...and that surprised her. No one cared about the raven keeper, she was just there to care for the birds and send the messages. Entirely nonplussed, Shae dropped her eyes and fidgeted slightly, peeking up at the tinkerer every few moments curiously.

Evidently uncaring just what Artemis had chosen to work with to show his skills, Barkus finished scratching out his message and held it out with a gruff, "Here." Shae sprang forward to take the bit of paper, rolling it up and quickly tying it to Lyla-- her raven's-- leg. She cooed softly to the bird, a dry, rasping sound barely louder than a whisper, and stroked her feathers as she moved toward the window to set her flying with the message.

"Good." The merchant huffed out an irritated breath and rubbed a hand over his head, then moved toward the door of the workshop. He laid a hand on Shae's shoulder as she passed, and the young woman flinched, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Thank you, girl," her master muttered, patting her shoulder awkwardly before moving away. "You stay here. Come fetch me when the tinkerer is done."

Shae nodded quickly, relieved his foul mood seemed to be passing, and signed a short, Yes, my lord.

Eli, hanging back by the door, waited until the older man had left before he bounced forward to the window, craning his neck to watch Lyla fly away with the letter. "You're stuck babysitting then, huh?" he teased the raven keeper. Shae rolled her eyes and crinkled her nose at him.

"Oh, uh--" Eli quickly whipped around and shot Artemis a sheepish grin. "Not that you need babysittin' or anything, sir. Just a joke. I'll just..."

Shae gestured to get his attention, then signed something, glancing sidelong at Artemis as she did so. Eli watched her hands, relaying her words to the tinkerer every few seconds.

"Right, ah, this is Shae. She says hello, and she hopes you don't mind her staying here while you work." Looking away from her hands, he added quickly, "Oh, um, she won't speak. I mean, she can't speak, she's-- anyway." He looked back to Shae's flickering fingers. "She says she'll try to keep out of your way, and if you want her to get rid of Eli she can because he tends to chatter and-- oi!"

Laughing silently, Shae ducked away from Eli's indignant shove, sticking her tongue out at him. The barest hint of a chuckle scraped through her ruined throat, almost sounding like the ragged croak of a raven when it finally made it passed her lips.

Artemis looked up from his work as the boy began to speak. For a moment, his eyes skipped from the boy to the girl, studied her, and then skipped back again. When the boy began to tease her, Artemis felt a flare of anger ignite in his chest. How dare he tease her like that? How dare he think he could say those things to her? To his Resonance?

But the girl didn't seem perturbed by it. If anything, her expression was one of acceptance, and Artemis was able to push the anger aside. It took conscious effort to convince himself that it was the same kind of teasing he and his siblings would give to each other, and there was no malice behind it. She didn't need his protection, which hurt, but it was only a minor hurt, like a small cut you didn't realize was there until you noticed it. Artemis listened as the boy spoke and the girl signed, and understanding dawned on him as he realized that there would be no way he could communicate with her if he couldn't learn her way of speaking.

When the boy, Eli, mentioned their names, the girl's name sounded to Artemis like the sigh of wind. Shae. And Artemis couldn't help but chuckle as Shae made a joke at Eli's expense. It took effort to ignore Eli's attempt at shoving Shae, but since she ducked away and laughed at it, Artemis managed to, somehow, keep himself from lunging at the boy and beating him senseless. Perhaps it was the mirthful chuckle that escaped Shae. Even though the laugh was rough and ragged, to Artemis's ears, it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard.

He took a minute to force calm into his voice before he spoke. "Nice to meet you, Eli, Shae." His deep voice rumbled softly through the workshop. "My name is Artemis. And you won't be in the way. I don't mind the chatter, either."

After all, how else would he be able to talk with Shae without Eli there to translate for her? It would take time for Artemis to learn the different shapes Shae's hands made so that he could understand her. And, more, if he wanted to have the time to learn to talk with her, he needed to prove himself to the merchant. He felt like he would die if he was told to leave and he was forced to leave Shae behind.

"I don't suppose you could tell me more about this place? I've traveled through this land for a few months, but..." Artemis lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "No one enjoys speaking to strangers."

Artemis. It was a nice name, and the slight, rumbling accent he spoke with gave it a cadence that Shae felt herself almost gravitating toward. Huh. That was odd.

She settled back into her familiar role of "Little Shadow" as Eli perked up at the tinkerer's question. "Oh, sure! What do you want to know? I mean, Master Barkus is a merchant-- cloth and other things like that mostly. This house has been in his family for just about three generations I think, he's very proud of it. Um..."

He tilted his head from side to side, tapping a foot as he thought. "There's... Oh, I dunno, twenty some odd servants about the place?"

Shae signed and he corrected himself, "Twenty-six, right. Thanks, Shae. I mean mostly we just--"

"Eli! Gods all damnit, boy, get yer ass over here!"

Both Shae and Eli jumped and looked toward the door, eyes wide, as the voice carried in from the courtyard. Then Eli sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, that's Karis, the stable master. I'd better go see what he wants." He nodded to Artemis quickly and called, "Nice meeting you!" as he dashed through the door.

Shae was left blinking after him, then slowly turned to look back at their guest. She smiled a little sheepishly and shrugged. After a moment of thinking, she reached into the girdle tied around her waist and removed pen and paper, stepping cautiously forward to use the edge of the worktable to write.

Slowly, painstakingly, she scrawled out, I know some of my letters. We can talk this way if you need something.

Artemis breathed deep when she stepped close, the scent of her filling his nose and lungs and sending his hearts into a rough beat. It took him a moment to calm down, for he didn't want to scare her away. He wanted this closeness, wanted to keep her by his side, and he didn't want to ruin anything before he had a chance to figure out how he was going to go about telling her exactly what she meant to him. But, for now, he shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind and then he turned his attention back to the device that he was tinkering with.

"I don't mind the silence," Artemis said, reaching for a tool and slipping it between two small gears to work them apart. "I've lived in silence since I left home. Not real silence, but... close enough. Not many people want to get involved with someone like me."

His large fingers gently picked up one of the gears when it came loose, then gently set it aside on the table and looked at Shae, playfully smiling at her. "Would you like to help me? All you'll need to do is fetch the things I ask you to fetch. It won't be difficult, and everything we need is all right here."

He gestured to the crates and items behind him, his red eyes upon Shae's face, gauging her expressions. If she didn't want to help, he wouldn't push her. He'd already figured out what was wrong with the device and he would be able to fix it in no time. He was just stalling in order to spend more time with her.

Shae blinked, then her eyes went wide. She opened her mouth as though to speak, but of course no sound came out. Still, her lips moved, forming the words though her throat could not produce them: Can I?

Cautiously, she crept closer to the worktable and craned her neck a bit to peer at what he was doing. She paused, then looked up at him and slowly signed, What can I do? She mouthed the words as her hands moved, slow and deliberate, hoping that he might be able to read her lips.

If Artemis felt awkward staring at Shae's lips - or if he felt awful for making her feel awkward by his staring - he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he focused on the movements of her lips and took his time carefully deciphering their motions to pick out the individual syllables of the words she was trying to say. When he understood her, he smiled.

"Of course you can," he said. Artemis shifted a little to give her a better field of view to the device. "And you can take this," he picked up a small metal tool that was flattened on one end and handed it to her, "and see that little screw right there?" He pointed it out to her, watching her face to see if she understood what he was saying, "Take this tool and turn it to the right. It needs to be tightened."

He gently curled his larger hand around her smaller one and carefully and gently guided her in the motion he wanted her to perform until she had gotten the rhythm. Once he was confident she could do it on her own, he left her to tighten the screw while he went to look for a bolt. Upon finding it, he returned to her side, incredibly pleased to be so close to Shae.

"Finished? Good." He pretended to inspect her work, humming softly under his breath as he did so. Then he met her gaze and grinned at her, displaying sharp teeth. "Very good. You're a natural at this."

Shae blushed, dropping her eyes as as his hand curved around hers. He was so warm. She bit her lip and tried to focus on her task. She wasn't completely useless, and while she didn't typically work with these kinds of tools she picked it up fairly easily.

She breathed a small sigh when he stepped away-- though whether it was of relief or disappointment she wasn't entirely sure. She decided not to dwell on that, no good would come from that.

When he praised her work, she glanced up to smile at him. And her eyes went wide, lips parting slightly in surprise. Without thinking, her lips moved around the word teeth in her surprise.

Then she realized what she was doing and her face flushed. Her eyes dropped and she stepped back quickly, hands flying up both to sign and in an instinct urge to defend herself against any potential strike. I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by that!

As her eyes fell to his teeth and her expression turned to shock, Artemis realized that she likely had never seen one of his kind before, nor had she seen anyone with features like his. His lips dropped down over his teeth to hide them from view, not wanting to scare her any more than he had. He didn't want to scare Shae away; Artemis feared that if he did so, he would lose her forever, and if he was unable to even see her, unable to even catch a glimpse of her, he would die.

When she quickly apologized for her behavior, her hands quickly waving through the air in the manner she used to communicate, as well as when she flinched away from him as if she were afraid he was going to strike her, Artemis's expression fell and he looked away from her, back to the object he was tinkering with. He didn't want her thinking that he was going to hit her for staring, or for making commentary about his appearance.

He was quiet for a while, rotating screws into their sockets. Then, he finally looked at her again, giving her a gentle smile that also kept his teeth covered by his lips.

"Shocked?" Artemis teased gently. "It's okay. Don't be. My kind, the Starstrider elves, live in a harsh environment in the far north where we need many different adaptations to survive. Sharp teeth are just part of that."

He lifted his hand and lightly cup her chin to bring her eyes back to his. "Just like you figured out how to speak without using your voice. Don't be ashamed of being curious, Shae. You never learn anything if you don't ask."

The smile went a long way to setting her at ease, and she returned it cautiously.

But when he moved toward her the raven keeper flinched instinctively. She was frozen when his hand cupped her chin, eyes wide as she stared up at him. It dawned on her that he really wasn't going to hit her, at least not in the immediate future, and she felt a little guilty at how...sad her reaction had made him.

She couldn't exactly help it though, it wasn't so easy to move passed almost two decades of experience.

Still, she listened to him, almost eagerly storing away any little bits of information he gave her. Slowly, she raised her hands again and signed, Starstrider? She mouthed the word as best she could, tilting her head a bit to the side in an attempt to relay her question.

A motion which pressed her cheek into the palm of his hand, as she'd almost forgotten he was touching her. Suddenly flushed, she jerked away from him, biting her lip and glancing away in embarrassment.

When she pressed her face into his hand, Artemis shivered with pleasure. He knew that the movement had been unconscious, a sign to help him understand that she was trying to ask a question. But, unconscious or not, Artemis loved the way her skin felt against his, and he loved how her face opened up with her curiosity. She was beautiful. He could touch her forever and...

She pulled away from him, quickly. Her cheeks had flared red.

He felt incredibly sad. Had he crossed a line? Had he done something she hadn't liked? What had happened to her to make her react that way? Was it him? Was she afraid of him? He knew plenty of people were, considering his looks. He was taller than most humans, his skin was an unnatural red hue that wasn't found in humans, and his eyes were just as unnatural as his skin. But that was all to humans. To his own kind, he was normal.

And he wanted to be seen as normal by Shae.

"Ah, Starstriders are..." He wondered how he could explain his kind to her so that she would understand. "We're elves whose lives are dictated and guided by the movement of the stars. They're an integral part of our culture."

Artemis dropped his hand and turned back to the device, knowing he could at any time turn the device on and present it to her master. He was delaying only to have more time with Shae. But if she was afraid of him and was afraid of his touch, then he didn't want to cause her any more discomfort.

But before he tempted fate and faced the possibility of never seeing her again, he offered her a little more information, perhaps in an attempt to soothe whatever hurt or fear he had caused. "That's why I look the way I do. I was born under a red star, but my parents, if you ever saw them, were born under different stars, and look nothing as I do. So for all our similarities, we're incredibly different. Just like humans, I've noticed."

Her blush started to die down and she leaned against the work table, nodding slowly as she processed his words.

Cautiously, she lifted her hands to sign, once again mouthing the words slowly as she did: If I can ask, what stars were your parents born to? What makes them different?

She bit her lip a little bashfully and tilted her head slightly to the side. Sorry if I'm overstepping my bounds. I-- Shea paused, letting her hands drop as she realized what she'd been about to say, surprised at herself.

She hadn't even noticed how easy it was to speak with this man who was still more or less a stranger. She bit her lip a little harder, considering, then sighed quietly and raised her hands again, mouthing along to her signs. I don't remember my parents. I like hearing about other people's. If that's not weird...

"No, you're not overstepping any bounds, Shae. It's..." Artemis smiled, lifting his shoulders slightly in a shrug. "It's just, I'm not used to anyone asking me about my own history."

When she mentioned that she didn't remember her own parents, Artemis's smile became a little bittersweet. He missed his parents. He missed his family. He knew why he'd left, why he'd been made to leave, but that didn't ease the missing any.

"My parents... my bibi, my birthgiver, is a Procyon. She was born under a white star. My opo, my father, is of House Phaeton, so... he was born under a yellow star. So you can imagine what they look like." He looked toward her then, his expression soft. "We aren't like humans, where a child shares its parents' coloring. I have two younger siblings, each of whom are different than I. They were born under different stars, and so are in different Houses. But we're still family."

He wanted to reach out to her again. He wanted to hug her, comfort her, tell her that she was safe and that he wouldn't let anything happen to her. But he didn't. Instead, Artemis turned his attention back to his project. "It isn't weird. You yearn for something you never knew, and so you strive to live through the tales of others, so you can imagine their experiences for yourself and know. But just because you haven't the knowledge that others have doesn't mean you're less than the person who does."

She could hear it in his voice, the loneliness that was almost a kind of grief. Her heart ached for him-- though honestly, she wasn't entirely sure why, it wasn't like she really knew him all that well...or, at all, really.

Still, the impulse was there, and she gave him a kind, understanding look, nodding along. His words were comforting in a way, though she'd never truly been all that concerned with what people thought of her before. She'd never really had to be, most of the time she didn't interact with anyone but a few servants, Master Barkus, and her birds.

But that wasn't really what was holding his attention. It was Artemis, the sound of his voice, the slight accent that she couldn't identify to save her life but found herself liking more and more. A little cautiously, she tilted her head at him and signed, Siblings? Or are you the only child?

She knew she should stop distracting him, let him do his work, but...well, she liked talking to him.

Artemis grinned again. He couldn't help it. Had she not heard him mention his siblings? It didn't matter if she had or had not; he didn't mind speaking about them again. So long as she was beside him, he didn't care what she asked or how often she asked it, so long as she was right there beside him. Her master hadn't given him a time limit in which to finish this project, so he delayed on purpose just to keep her there. Oh, Artemis knew that at any time she could leave to attend to her own duties, or leave to attend to her master, or leave simply because she was bored with him and what he was doing, but so long as she was beside him now, he didn't think about the possibility of her being out of his sight.

"Yes," Artemis said as he exchanged the tool in his hand for another one, easing this flat-headed metal crank into the machine, "I have two siblings. They're both quite younger than I, and of different Houses. That is, neither of them look like me. My sister is like my bibi, that is, my mother. My brother is of House Phaeton, and looks like a walking sun."

He made the slight adjustment, then leaned back, studying his work for a minute before he turned his attention back to Shae. "Being the oldest, I was responsible for them while our parents went to hunt on the tundra. They were a handful, let me tell you. Each of them could get into trouble together and they could get into trouble separately. I can't tell you how many times I heard "I didn't do it" when it was completely obvious they did do it."

Artemis shifted to face her better, studying her face and eyes to commit them both to his memory. "And what about you, Shae? Do you like this place? What you do? I heard you're the raven keeper. That must be an important job."

Oh, right, he had said something about younger siblings. She flushed a bit for forgetting so quickly, but he didn't seem to mind explaining in more detail.

She smiled as he described his family, once more finding herself caught up in the cadence of his voice. She almost allowed her eyes to fall closed as she listened, unconsciously leaning in toward him.

Once she realized what she was doing, she flushed pink and jerked herself upright, looking down at her feet. Why is he even telling me all this? She wasn't used to people actually...paying attention to her. Humoring her. She was Little Shadow, just the silent keeper for the birds.

It took her a moment to realize he'd asked her questions. Once she had, she started slightly and blinked at him, processing. Carefully, she raised her hands to sign, I...like it here. I've been here since I was a child. She held her hand down just below her hip, adding, Very little.

Quickly, she continued, It's really not very important. I take care of the birds. Feed them, keep them clean and happy, raise the little ones, train them. It's not difficult, anyone could do it really. Just needs patience.

"Ah." Artemis smiled. "Well, if your master allows me to stay for a while, and if you have the time, I'd love to see your little friends, and to see what you do. If that won't interfere with your duties at all."

To be able to see where she worked, to see what she did, fascinated Artemis. Never had he really seen what humans did for a living, and here was one who wasn't afraid of him. Granted, he prayed she wasn't afraid of him, because he was certain he might die without her, that he might die if she rejected him, but he hoped that she would be willing to show him her world, just as he'd tried to explain his world to her.

But first...

"I think I've kept your master waiting long enough." Artemis smiled. "Would you like to see what this does?"

He made a few adjustments, then put the machine back together, carefully fitting the pieces until he could secure them properly. Then he shifted, and after turning a small dial, he watched with a pleased smile as the mechanisms began to turn, and the clock hands on the face of the machine began to tick, slowly moving in precisely measured increments.

Shae smiled and nodded, signing, It wouldn't be any trouble. I could show you the aerie. She mouthed the words to the best of her ability, used to having to do so for other members of the household who weren't as familiar with her signing.

When he offered to show her what he'd been tinkering with, she blinked and looked up into his face, lips slightly parted. Quickly, she shook her head and signed, I can't. Master Barkus will want to see first, it's not my place.

She couldn't stop herself from glancing longingly at the tiny device though, and a smile curved at her lips when she saw that it was indeed working properly. She glanced up at Artemis again with a little nod of appreciation and respect-- even if she didn't really understand it, she could admire good work when she saw it.

Artemis smiled as he watched her do her best not to look at the timepiece, but he could tell curiosity was winning over propriety. When she looked at him and smiled, it felt as if his world was perfect, that everything had just been set right and nothing would ever destroy it. He reached out then to pick up the device, cradling it in his large hands as he shifted to rise off his seat.

"Well, before I go see the aerie, shall we go show this to... what did you say his name was? Master Barkus?" Artemis smiled, showing just a little bit of sharp teeth. "And then, if indeed he allows me to stay and work for him, you can show me the aerie. If I show him and he likes it, then perhaps you can keep me company while I work on other things for him. And perhaps I could come visit you, when I take breaks."

He didn't move for the longest time, just staring at Shae. He could look at her forever, he knew, but he needed to get moving, and he needed her to show him the way. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to prompt her to do so. He longed to just toss aside his work and gather her into his arms and hold her tight, but he knew that would be improper and it would certainly scare her. So he finally gave her another smile and tilted his head.

"Shae? Will you show me the way?"

He was just...looking at her. Why was he looking at her? Instinctively, the raven keeper raised her hand to her throat, worried that perhaps her scars were showing. But no, the collar of her shirt hid her neck well enough, that shouldn't have been drawing his attention.

And yet something evidently had, because there he was. Looking at her. She blushed and glanced away, utterly bewildered by the attention. No one had ever seemed to care so much if she was there or not, let alone...whatever his interest seemed to be.

Swallowing a little nervously, she mouthed and signed, Yes, I can show you. It's just this way. Quickly turning on her heel, she made her way back out of the workshop and into the manor proper, glancing over her shoulder every now and then to make sure Artemis was following as she led him through the halls to Barkus's main office.

Artemis smiled at her blush, feeling somewhat accomplished in achieving that reaction. He'd noticed her scars, but he hadn't mentioned anything about them. If anything, to him, they only enhanced her beauty and, more so, they were a part of her. She was his Resonance and he loved her the moment he'd laid eyes upon her. Nothing would change that, at least, not for him. He still didn't know what Shae felt about him, and he wasn't about to broach the subject with her this early. Perhaps after they got to know each other better and perhaps after more time had passed. He wanted to move quickly, though. He, after all, had years left to his life. There was no telling how much time she had left.

He picked up the device and quickly followed her, his longer strides allowing him to keep up with her easily. He didn't want to overtake her, nor did he feel it was his place to walk by her side yet. Besides that, he wasn't quite sure about the etiquette he was to follow amongst these humans. He knew he was supposed to show proper respect to Barkus, as he was a lord and the master of this manor. And, if he enjoyed Artemis's work, Barkus would become his master. Artemis wasn't sure exactly what having a master entailed, but he supposed he could always learn from Shae and the others who lived and served the man. And anyway, it wouldn't be for the rest of Artemis's lifetime. He could deal with it for as long as it took, for as long as he could be with Shae, he would deal with anything.

When they reached the office, Artemis stopped Shae from knocking with a light touch to her shoulder. "Allow me." He lifted his fist and knocked twice on the door before saying, "My lord, I've finished the device. May I enter?"

"What? Yes, yes, come in then."

Shae bit her bottom lip as she nudged the door open and nodded for Artemis to go through, hanging back a few steps. She'd follow if she needed to, but she really wasn't all that interested in drawing Barkus's attention back to her presence, not if he was still in his mood.

The master of the house sat behind his desk, pouring over a sheaf of papers, and he looked up as the door opened. One eyebrow quirked upward. "You're done, you say? I'll admit, that was quicker than I'd expected."

Artemis gave Shae a smile, then slipped past her into Barkus's office. He really wasn't sure how to deal with nobility - at least, human nobility - but he assumed that all nobility was the same. At least, the same as it pertained to manners. So Artemis stopped just before Barkus's desk and bowed, uncertain if he was bowing the proper way for a human lord. But, he was certain, Barkus would correct him if he was or wasn't, considering what was riding upon his performance with this device.

He rose then, and set the device upon the lord's desk, letting the piece's movements act as a testament to his skill. Artemis smiled slightly, though, and replied, "Once I figured out the problem, it was only a matter of finding the proper tools and replacement parts. I do have my own tools, but they only helped so much in this. And the replacement parts I found amongst the other things in the workshop."

He didn't dare ask if it met the lord's qualifications. Artemis only wanted to hear one answer, and that was the answer that would allow him to stay close to Shae.

"Hmm." Lord Barkus picked up the device and turned it over in his hands. He was quiet for several long moments, studying it.

Shae found herself biting her lip and twisting her fingers back and forth absently, strangely anxious. She knew nothing of tinkering, but it seemed to her that Artemis had done a fine job, and very quickly-- surely that should meet her lord's expectations?

Of course...what did it matter if it didn't? The red giant was pleasant enough company, but why did she find herself so invested in his fate here? She hardly knew anything about him, really.

Barkus gave a sharp grunt and thunked the repaired device back down onto his desk. "Very well." He steepled his fingers in front of his face, eyeing Artemis. "You have a job here, if you want it."

"I humbly accept," Artemis rumbled, bowing low. "Just tell me what it is you'd like me to do, and I shall do it."

He rose from the bow and glanced over his shoulder to where Shae hovered by the door. He gave her a wink and smiled at her, then returned his attention to Barkus, hoping the man hadn't quite seen his motions, and if he did, that he didn't mind them. After all, the last thing Artemis wanted to do was get Shae in trouble.

"Excellent." Barkus looked back down at his paperwork and waved vaguely toward the door. "Go find Philips, my steward. He knows what needs doing. Ah." He glanced up, seemed to notice Shae was still standing there, and added, "The ravenkeeper can show you."

Shae nodded quickly, and signed, Yes, I can. She found herself smiling at Artemis, strangely...almost relieved that he would be staying.

Artemis looked at Shae and couldn't help but grin. He quickly schooled his face back into a properly neutral expression when he turned back to regard Barkus and bowed deeply to his new master. "By your leave, then, sir."

When Barkus gave his permission, the Antares elf headed straight for the door and the girl beyond it, smiling brightly at her. He closed the door behind him and stood straight and tall, looking down at Shae.

"Well," Artemis began, keeping his voice soft, "I guess I'm staying. And I guess you ought to show me where this steward is." He reached out then and laid his hand on Shae's head, ruffling her hair playfully. "Or we can just wander around the estate, looking for him, and you can show me around."

Shae's eyes widened and she flinched automatically when his hand came down on her head. But when the touch was gentle, came with no pain, she blinked and stared up at him, lips slightly parted. Then a smile spread across her face and she nodded quickly.

I can show you to Philips's quarters, she signed quickly, then remembered herself, paused, and repeated the movements, mouthing the words as best she could while she signed.

She paused again, felt her cheeks warm, and added, even slower, Or we can...wander. As long as I get you to Philips before dinner it will be alright. Which would you rather?

Artemis smiled. He honestly didn't care what they did, so long as he was able to spend time with her. It was like everything in his world felt right and good, and he didn't want to leave her side. Still, he knew that if he wanted to stay here and if he wanted to stay in the good graces of Lord Barkus, he would need to attend to his duties sooner rather than later. Still, to have an excuse to spend time with Shae, he decided he would risk it.

"Why don't you show me to his quarters after you show me around the estate?" Artemis gave her a bright smile, ruffling her hair again. He didn't want her to flinch every time he reached for her, but until he could break her of that habit, or figure out why she did, he would limit his touching. He didn't want to scare her or make her uncomfortable. "Unless you're that eager to get rid of me?"

It was hard not to flinch, there was only so much she could do against years of conditioning. But the ravenkeeper had come to, if not expect, at least not be so startled by the red giant's sudden shows of affection. She managed not to duck away from his hand and even smiled at him a bit, crinkling her nose up playfully as she tried to smooth her hair back down when he withdrew his hand.

I can do that, she sighed easily, and started off down the hall with a beckoning gesture for Artemis to follow. She hesitated a moment, started to sign, then huffed and shook her head. Once more she fetched pen and parchment from the sash around her middle and quickly scribbled something down as she walked before handing it back to Artemis. Her cheeks had gone slightly ruddy with a blush.

I'd actually like to show you around. Not want to get rid of you. I like "talking" to you. Her handwriting was shaky, but legible, and it seemed that her "talking" notation was actually an attempt at a joke, as she smiled at him sheepishly when she handed off the note.

Artemis read the note with a smile, his fiery eyes flicking from the paper to Shae and back again. He loved that about her, her determination and her willingness to keep trying when she could have given up. She was willing to find a way to communicate with him until he could learn how she spoke, until he could learn her language, so that they could speak to each other without proxies. Or rather, so she could speak to him without a piece of paper or someone else telling him what it was she was saying. He chuckled softly and handed the paper back to her.

"I like talking to you, too, Shae." Artemis replied, his voice soft and gentle. "Being around someone who isn't scared of me... that's quite refreshing. I'm quite different from everyone else here, and some have claimed I'm a monster. I can see that, I suppose, considering how I look."

He shrugged, as if the commentary of others didn't mean that much to him. And it didn't, really. The only opinion that mattered came from this tiny girl standing in front of him. For her, he'd do anything, he was certain of it.

"Now, are we going to stand here staring at each other, or are you going to show me around the estate? Because I'm all for standing here staring at each other." He said with a playful wink. "I like the company and the view is quite nice, as well."

The ravenkeeper went bright red, from her hairline down to the tips of her toes. The view was nice? Did that mean...her?

Oh gods.

Coughing into her clenched fist, Shae shook her head and ducked her eyes in an effort to rid herself of the blush. Then all of his words seemed to register-- some have claimed I'm a monster-- and she suddenly frowned, staring at the floor for several long moments. She hesitated, then took a breath and pulled out her scrap paper again.

Carefully, deliberately, she wrote Sunset, and turned the paper to show Artemis the word. Putting the paper to the side, she signed the word. Sunset. Sunset.

She picked the paper up again and wrote beneath the first word Kind. She showed him that, then signed it twice. Kind. Kind.

Finally, she took the paper back and wrote in large, distinct letters, Artemis. She glanced up at his face with another soft blush before showing him the paper, then signing, Sunset, kind. Two more times: sunset, kind.

His name, or at least how she was choosing to express it. Shae took in a shaky little breath and signed, I don't think you're a monster. She didn't bother translating that, too embarrassed, just turned to continue down the hall with a hand beckoning him to follow over her shoulder. She needed to actually do her job, or Barkus would get angry again.

Artemis smiled and followed Shae as she headed down the hall, acting like an overly large duckling trailing behind its mother. He'd memorized what she'd signed, and behind her back Artemis practiced the signs she made with her hands to indicate words. He was determined, then, to learn how to speak like she did, or at least to understand how she spoke so that she didn't always have to write for him. It would take practice, but if they spent time together as he hoped they would, then he would learn eventually.

For the time being, though, he would have to rely upon what she gave him, which meant he would be left in the dark unless he recognized the motions she made. If she didn't write something down for him, that was. He took a strange sort of pride in the way she described him - sunset, kind - and for the first time since arriving in these strange lands, he didn't feel so out of place and feel so strange. Shae eased something inside him, something that had been wound so tight that it threatened to break at the slightest provocation. She was his heart and his life, though Artemis knew he couldn't tell her that. She wouldn't believe that he could know that she was destined for him just after one look, after only spending a few hours with her. And so, he would keep that secret, at least until she was ready to hear it.

"I hope," Artemis said, keeping his voice even and his tone soft, "that I won't be keeping you from your duties. I don't want you getting in trouble, Shae. There'll be plenty of time for us to spend together, since it seems I'm staying on."

Shae glanced back at him and shook her head, smiling in reassurance. No trouble, she signed quickly. Master Barkus asked me to show you around, anyhow.

It wasn't too much further to the steward's quarters, and the ravenkeeper suddenly found herself dragging her feet a bit. Once she realized what she was doing she blushed deeply, shook herself, and tried to walk at a brisker pace.

It was so strange. She'd hardly spent a few hours with this man, but she found she truly enjoyed his company. Not only that, he actually seemed to be interested in the things she said-- or, well, signed. And despite what he said, she knew that even with him working here, considering how her duties kept her sequestered away in the aerie she wouldn't see much of him after this.

She bit at her lower lip, frowning in thought as she walked.

Artemis smiled as he followed Shae around the property. He was fascinated in what she showed him, asking questions if only to watch her fingers move while she tried to speak to him. He was beginning to see common "letters" being formed, and he was starting to put things together, but until he managed to convince her to teach him, there wasn't going to be much helping him unless he knew exactly what it was she was trying to sign.

He knew that she had duties of her own that she needed to attend to. And he knew that she would have to take care of those sooner or later and leave him to his own devices. He hoped that he would be able to see her often, but even he knew that was unlikely unless their respective assignments allowed them to do so. He might have more freedom as a tinker, but he knew that it would mean his job if he interfered with Shae's. So he learned and he kept quiet, and when the tour was over, Artemis figured he knew just about where everything was on the property.

Now, though, it was time to part with her.

"I hope that I'll be able to see you again, Shae," Artemis said, smiling as he offered his hand to her. "Perhaps more often than our duties will permit."

He wanted to bend down and kiss her, but that wouldn't be appropriate, he knew. So instead, he just offered her a small smile and gave her small hand a squeeze.

"And maybe," Artemis added with a wink, "I might be able to get away to visit you more than you'd be able to get away to visit me."

Shae took his hand when he offered it, for a moment utterly distracted by the contrast of his large, red fingers wrapping her slender little pale ones. Then his voice jerked her back into the present and she shook her head, looking up into his face.

She smiled, tiny and bright, and nodded quickly. I'd like that, she mouthed and signed once he'd released her hand. I would like that very much. Thank you.

With a little dip of her head and knees-- not quite a curtsy, but something approaching one-- the ravenkeeper lowered her gaze again and moved to step around him so he could enter Phillips's office. She had her own duties to return to, after all.

Artemis smiled and watched her go, then entered the office to introduce himself and learn what his duties were to be, exactly. He listened without too much expression appearing on his face, and nodded when he thought it was required. He knew it would take time before he was able to perform most of his duties without being supervised or instructed, but Artemis was willing to learn. And learn he did. Most of the time he was awake, Artemis spent learning how to navigate the manor and estate, the names of the people he worked with now, how to properly dine around humans, and other things that one might not consider important, but he did. Artemis also learned how to better read Shae's fingers, such that, as time wore on, he no longer needed her to write down a translation for him. That, of course, took much more time than Artemis would've liked, for he saw Shae sparingly, whenever she was free of her duties and he of his, or if she found him tinkering away in the shed he called his workspace.

Artemis enjoyed having Shae around, and missed her fiercely when she was gone. He knew she was on the estate, in her tower, taking care of her ravens while also fulfilling her duties to her master. He couldn't go visit her whenever he wanted, for he was kept busy fixing this or that and repairing this or that or doing some kind of preventative maintenance that took up most of his time. He wished he had more time to spend with her, but he couldn't afford to alienate Lord Barkus, nor Shae herself. He didn't quite understand most human customs, but he'd overheard that women didn't like it when men came on too strong, and Artemis feared pushing Shae before she was ready. She didn't understand the bond he now had with her as he understood it. Resonance could be frightening thing for the Starstrider experiencing it, because there was so much left unknown, unexperienced, undecided. It could be even more terrifying for someone not of his race to experience on the receiving end. Until he was sure Shae was receptive for any kind of advance on his part, Artemis would continue being her friend.

He was afraid that too much time would pass before he could see her again, but he found himself one day walking toward the aviary, his bag of tools slung over his shoulder. He'd received orders to go repair a broken cage, as well as anything else the ravenkeeper needed fixed, and so Artemis went, a smile on his face at the thought of spending time with Shae.

He knocked on the door to the tower, calling out, "Shae! Are you in there?"

The door swung open when he knocked, and a swooping blur of blue-black feathers dove for the opening with a triumphant caw.

Before the raven could make his escape though, a sharper, louder croak sounded from the other end of the circular tower room and the bird drew up short, fluttering up to land perched just above the door frame, head cocked curiously at their guest.

The aerie was a rather simple space: hay-lined floor of stone, the rather tall walls ringed with three different levels of wooden catwalks that were protected both from falling into the room and from the long, thin windows by barred rails at about waist height. A variety of niches and perches were set into the higher levels along the walls, and the scaffolding of the ceiling was left uncovered to serve as perches for the birds, who mostly seemed to be allowed free rein of the space, very few of them in cages.

Those that were enclosed behind bars were clearly nesting, and on closer inspection one could see that the doors to their cages were left open. These cages were closer to floor level, so that the ravenkeeper would not have to climb all those stairs to check on the roosting mothers.

The ravenkeeper in question was on the second level of the catwalk, and after reprimanding her charge for attempting to scare Artemis, she leaned out over the rail and waved to her new friend, smiling brightly. Her hair fell haphazardly around and over her face as she raised her hands to sign: Hello! I didn't know you were coming. Stay there, I'll be right down.

Artemis stared at the raven perched above his head and dared it to do something crazy. He narrowed his sunset eyes at the avian, then bared his sharp teeth at the bird. "If you're not careful," Artemis whispered, "you might find yourself spitted and roasted." Then he winked, so the bird would know he was just joking. He wouldn't dare to hurt any creature Shae cared for so much, no matter what it did to him.

Then he turned to the girl, smiling brightly as he stepped into the aviary and headed toward her, looking at the different cages and the roosts, studying the birds and the expectant mothers with a keen eye. He'd never seen so many birds in one place that weren't feeding or flocking with the intent of escaping a predator. Seeing her sign, Artemis waved a hand. "Take your time, Shae! I'm not in a rush. I was told that there was something here I needed to fix. Some cages with broken doors and floors, or something like that, so here I am."

He held up his bag of tools as if to corroborate his story. "If you're busy, I can wait. I guess I could also make a new friend." He gestured toward the bird that had tried to scare him, giving the raven a knowing smile.

Shae smiled again and signed that she could show him the cages that needed fixing, she just needed a moment to climb back down. With a smirk, she added the signs for "trick" or "trouble" and "foot", then spelled out the name T-R-I-C-K-F-O-O-T. She pointed to the raven and signed again, Trickfoot.

As though he recognized the introduction, Trickfoot cawed almost cheekily and fluffed his feathers up, eyeing Artemis with a combination of curiosity and wariness.

"Trickfoot, eh?" Artemis said, eyeing the raven as he was being eyed in return. When the bird puffed himself up, Artemis lifted his lips to display his sharp teeth. Two could play at this game, and just because one opponent had wings didn't mean the other had no tricks of his own. Then Artemis let his lips fall back over his teeth and he gave an extremely flamboyant bow to the bird. "A pleasure to meet you, Lord Trickfoot."

He pulled himself upright and winked at Shae as she climbed down to join him. "Sometimes you have to give trouble to trouble. It might cancel out, if you're lucky. Otherwise, it backfires, and then you have nothing but chaos."

The large Starstrider chuckled softly to himself then and reached toward Shae, moving slowly so she would know that he wasn't trying to harm her. He plucked a bit of straw from her hair then and brought it in front of her face to show her the hollow stick. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were having troubles of your own."

The ravenkeeper blinked up at him, suddenly distracted by his closeness and-- had she been in the aerie too long, or did he just smell really nice for some reason?

Flushing, Shae shook her head in an effort to ground herself and shuffled her feet. With a sideways little smile, she raised her hands to sign, Not trouble, exactly. Just...maintenance.

Trickfoot flutter from his perch above the door to land on her shoulder, setting about preening her hair, and Shae reached up to stroke his feathers absently. With a nod for Artemis to follow her, she continued, A few of the roosting mothers don't have proper cages. Two of them are missing floors, and the bars are almost rusted through on one. I've been keeping the mothers near to my cot to keep an eye on them.

She gestured toward the tiny bed tucked away against the far wall, where on closer inspection one could see a series of nests tucked just under it.

Artemis looked away from Shae toward where she gestured, seeing her tiny bed and then the nests just underneath it. It was certainly a safe place for the mothers to keep their eggs, for no one would dare risk Shae's wrath in order to get at the eggs - if anyone or anything came for the eggs, that was. And it was clear to him that these ravens trusted Shae in a way he'd never seen animals trust any human or elf before. It wasn't just trained loyalty; it was love. Artemis smiled and felt his own skin warm slightly at that thought. His Resonance was a kind soul, loving, and caring. It was little wonder that the ravens showed her the same love in return.

"Well," he began, "it won't be hard to find something to make floors out of, and as for new bars, I'm sure I can find something in my workshop that will suffice. I just have to take a look at the cages themselves in order to see what exactly it is I need to do with them."

And, Artemis decided, he'd take his time doing that, just to spend as much time with Shae as he could. He missed her, he knew. The knowledge that she was there on the property gave him a small modicum of comfort, but it couldn't compare to being in her presence.

Shea beamed at him and signed an enthusiastic, Thank you! before she turned and gestured for him to follow her as she led him around the aerie, pointing out which cages need upkeep and what was wrong with them.

Trickfoot settled himself on her shoulder, evidently content to come along for the ride. He clucked and chattered quietly to her all the while she showed Artemis around the aerie, and a few times Shae had to lift a hand to hide a smile or stifle a snort at his comments.

It wouldn't do to let her guard down, even around Artemis. It hurt a little, knowing she had to keep a secret from him-- but it was a secret she'd kept her whole life, and despite the fact that Artemis was not Connlaothian, and she liked to think they were becoming quite good friends, she could not risk slipping, even in front of him.

If anyone realized that she not only cared for the ravens, but could speak to them as well... She didn't want to think about it.

Artemis moved toward the cages Shae had indicated, studied the cages. He could see where the floors had rotted through on a few of them. He reached out and touched the wood, finding it spongy. It flaked off easily under his fingertips, and there was a heady smell to it; those would have to be replaced entirely. His eyes shifted to the wiring, finding it rusty. It might could be saved, but it would have to be cleaned and treated before it could go back on the cage and be around little birds. If it could go back at all. He thought he might be able to salvage the wiring, but that might be all he might be able to save.

Other cages weren't in as too bad a shape. The wood would still need to be taken care of, but it hadn't quite rotted yet. Nor was it growing anything that would be unhealthy for little ravens. But he'd clean it and care for it, and ensure that it would be safe. He'd do the same with the wiring on these cages as well. He could probably temper the wire a little, ensure that nothing would ever be able to grow on the metal. He was fairly certain he could get away with a little bit of fire, so long as he did it when no one was looking. He had learned, quickly, that these humans regarded magic with an attitude of intense dislike, and he didn't want to risk being separated from Shae any more than he already was. He glanced toward Shae and Trickfoot. Probably safer to do that in the privacy of his shed. He didn't want to alarm her or make her frightened of him. She was one of the few who weren't afraid of him on sight, after all.

"Okay, I think I know what I can do." Artemis said, turning to look at Shae. "I'll take the worst ones back to my workshop, where I can do a little more with them. But I'll bring my tools back and see what I can do with the ones that aren't in need of an entire refurbishing."

He picked up the worst of the cages then, carrying them two by two from the eyrie to his workshop. He made sure to keep the door closed in between trips so that Trickfoot wouldn't fly out, and then, once he'd transferred all of the worst of the cages, returned with his bag of tools, a roll of wire he'd found when he'd been cleaning up the workshop for his personal use, and as many slats of wood as could fit under his arm. He set everything on the floor by the cages, then picked up the first of the bunch, using his pliers to begin pulling the wire from the wood.

"I'll get as many as I can done today," he said, looking up at Shae with a smile. "Don't mind me, okay? Just pretend I'm not here and do what you need to do."

She watched him work with interest, though any time he happened to glance in her direction she quickly ducked her eyes and allowed her hair to fall in front of her face, hopefully hiding any sign of the blush she had a feeling had taken up permanent residence on her cheeks.

The ravenkeeper nodded happily when he returned with his tools, signing that she would be around to assist him if he needed an extra pair of hands.

Her work was really quite simple, after all, as long as there wasn't a sudden influx of messages needing to be sent out. The ravens themselves seemed mostly content to remain on their perches or occasionally flutter through the rafters, some even swooping out the high, thin windows near the top of the tower to stretch their wings in the fresh air for a while.

Shae didn't seem worried about them. She'd never had a bird not return before, and besides, the only ones who really needed her attention-- more so than usual-- were the nesting mothers. She made sure to check on them every so often, but for the most part left them to their own devices, unless they gave one of those sharp, rough calls that summoned her to their nests.

Artemis traded his attention between his work and Shae. He loved watching her move around the eyrie, loved watching the kindness and gentleness that she showed the ravens, treating them as if they were her own children. And perhaps they were. He realized he knew little about her, save for what he'd learned by overhearing what the other servants said - they never knew that their whispers were as loud as their normal voices to him - and by learning what Shae herself told him. He knew she'd been here for a long time, that her only job was caring for these ravens, and that she knew nothing more that he could really dig for. That was fine by him. He didn't need to know everything about her past. He only needed to know her present. And, hopefully, he could know her future, and be part of her future, as well.

He finished the flooring of one cage, smoothing the wood with a piece of rough sandpaper. He checked the edges and the flat planes, running his red fingers over the wood's surface to ensure that there were no rough spots and no snags that would catch feet, claws, or feathers. He set the boards into the frame and nailed them together, ensuring the top of the nails were flush with the wood. Only then did he begin to attach the wire back to the frame, careful with how he twisted the metal. Artemis held the finished cage out at arm's length, examining his work to make sure he didn't miss a spot of rust or left too big an opening that a small hatchling could fall through and get hurt.

He knew, though, the final call rested with only one person.

So he rose from his seat and carried the cage over to Shae, smiling as he presented it to her. "The first of many, but, what do you think?"

When he called to her, Shae nearly tripped as she got to her feet. She just wasn't used to sharing this space with another person, and that sudden uncertainty made her feel awkward and gangly, much to her chagrin.

Blushing, she reached out to take the cage he offered her, examining the mended wire and the new wood. For a moment she just breathed, closing her eyes and drinking in the scent of cedar, crisp and strangely comforting.

It seemed strong enough, and she handed the mended cage back to him with a smile. You're good at your job, she signed with a hint of a sparkling in those wine red eyes. I'm sure the roosting mothers will be happy to have such a new home.

Artemis smiled as Shae approved his work, and he took it back with a gentle touch of her hands, his fingers lightly scraping over the backs of hers as he accepted the cage. "I'm glad you approve." he said, letting his deep voice rumble through the room. He looked toward the ravens then, his smile becoming a little softer. "Now we'll just have to see if they like it, too."

He moved to place the cage in its proper place, settling it carefully and adjusting it until it was just perfect. Then he stepped back, checking his handiwork again. He touched the cage lovingly, then returned to his spot to begin working on the second cage, glancing up between his work to Shae to the cage and back again. Truthfully, he was hoping the ravens would check out the cage on their own, and decide if they liked his work as much as Shae did. But what really made him happy was seeing Shae smile, and he was determined to see her smile again.

Without quite thinking about what she was doing, Shae wrapped her hands around Artemis's forearm and pulled him back with her to perch on the edge of her bed. She croaked softly, low in her ruined throat, and a few answering calls came from the roosting mothers beneath her bed.

One of the ravens who had yet to actually lay her eggs, a bird Shae called Brightcry, fluttered from her makeshift next and perched on the edge of the newly repaired cage. She stuck her head inside curiously, cawed once, then hopped forward and began poking about in earnest.

Shae grinned and looked up at Artemis. It was only then she seemed to realize she still gripped his arm. Flushing darkly, she quickly let go and signed a stuttering, She seems to like it. I can help them move their nests once all the repairs are done.

Artemis's hearts skipped several beats when he felt those slim arms wrap around his own and pull him back to the bed. Yes, they were just sitting on the edge, but she was clinging to him like she wanted him there, and the warmth of her body seeped through to the warmth of his, mingling in the little space between them. His cheeks darkened in color, and he could feel his blood running faster in his veins. He looked down at Shae with an expression akin to shock and desperate want and need, but when he saw she wasn't looking at him, Artemis's blood slowed and his expression changed into a softer, more pleased look. When she croaked, and there were answering calls, Artemis turned his head toward the cage he'd just build, watching as one raven left her nest to inspect the new shelter.

Artemis saw Shae's head turn, and turned his own to look at her. The smile on her face, it was so beautiful, so bright, that Artemis found himself smiling in return, almost wide enough to show off his sharp teeth. Then he saw her eyes widen and suddenly he was without her warmth at his side, his arm free to be his own again, while she was looking embarrassed. While he suddenly missed her presence beside him, she hadn't actually left, and so he accepted it. He wasn't going to force Shae to do anything; she would be the one to decide how close she allowed him to be.

He watched her fingers sign, and his smile became gentler, pleased. "I'm glad she likes it. It shouldn't take me too long to get the rest finished, at least as far as the least damaged ones are concerned." He looked toward the raven exploring the cage he'd repaired. "The ones that need a total overhaul will take me a little more time."

Shae nodded quickly to show she understood, and signed cheerfully, If I can do anything to help, just let me know.

For a moment she just sat beside him in silence, unsure what to say or do but not really wanting to move either, for some reason. Eventually, she gave an awkward little bob of her head and a harsh, rasping cough low in her ravaged throat, rather sutteringly getting to her feet.

I can...fetch the other cages? She offered, her fingers a bit more clumsy than usual. What was wrong with her?

Artemis watched as Shae moved away from him, as if she were trying to flee. Was she afraid of him? No, not him... something else. Artemis gave a quick glance around the aerie, looking for potential danger, but there was none. So, the only thing that she was trying to escape from was him. Artemis felt a wave of sadness come across him, but he pushed it away. It was to be expected. He was, after all, a stranger to her, and his want to be close to her must be frightening. He'd thought that he'd hid it well, but he supposed not well enough.

He rose from the bed, offering her a tiny smile, one full of genuine affection. "Well, fetching the other cages would mean I'd have to finish with them, wouldn't it? Thankfully, we can speed up that process, if you want. You can help me."

He hoped that she would take him up on his offer, and that she would assist him. Perhaps then he could find out why she was suddenly so shy. Artemis could only wait for her response, watching her with an expression of happiness despite the sadness and uncertainty that ate away at him inside.

Shae smiled and nodded quickly, showing that she'd be more than happy to help. She started to get to her feet, but just as she did a sharp knock sounded against the aerie door. A few ravens took to the air, startled, and Shae herself jumped a bit and turned to the door with wide eyes. She didn't normally get people up here, so she was more than a little taken aback.

"Raven Keeper?" The knock came again, accompanied by a slightly irritated, feminine voice. Dana, Shae thought after a moment, one of the maids. "Mast Barkus needs to see you. Now."

Shae ran to the door and opened it, nodding at the woman quickly to show that she understood, then closed it again and turned back to Artemis.

Looking a little crestfallen, she gave a vague gesture of regret and signed, I really shouldn't keep him waiting. I'm sorry. I'll be right back.

Artemis could have told the maid fetching Shae to go away, and he could have kept Shae with him, so they could have more time together. He could have done a lot of things. But those things would only serve to paint him as a monster, and he'd already promised himself that he wouldn't force Shae into anything. He didn't want her fearing him, and he didn't want anyone else fearing him. So he smiled and nodded.

"Go on." He lifted his hands and gently set them on her shoulders. It wasn't a restrictive hold; Shae could slip out at any time she wanted. He wasn't trying to keep her still and keep her captive. He bent and rested his forehead against hers for a minute, looking into her eyes with a bright, loving gaze. "Go on. Go do what you need to do. I'm not going anywhere. Besides," Artemis lifted away from Shae and looked around the room at the ravens fluttering around them, "I'm in good company. I won't be lonely."

The raven keeper smiled at him, nodded quickly, and then make a slightly jerky, fluttering motion toward him, almost as though she wanted to take his hand or pat his shoulder or something. She quickly pulled her hands back with a soft blush and ducked her head, scurrying from the room.

---

It was nearly an hour before Shae returned to the aerie, much longer than she'd really been expecting. But Barkus had been in one of his moods, and he'd ranted and railed at her for quite a span before actually giving her the message she'd need to send off with one of the birds.

Along with a freshly blooming bruise beneath her her left eye, and quite probably a cracked rib, what with they way they were aching. She didn't think he'd meant to hit her hard enough to slam her back into his desk, particularly judging by the shocked expression that had flitted across his face when he had. Still, the jagged shards of pain that dogged her with every breath made climbing all those stairs back up into the aerie slow going.

By the time she finally reached the door, she honestly wasn't expecting Artemis to still be there. She'd told him she'd only be a few minutes, after all, and she was sure he had other things to do.

Eyes downcast, she sighed quietly as she slipped back into the aerie, then winced as the exhale stretched her ribs painfully. One hand flickered up to her side and she took a moment to lean against the door frame, eyes squeezed shut and jaw clenched as she fought down a ragged whimper.

A few flutterings and concerned croaks from above her head reached her ears. She'd have to reassure the birds that she was really alright before she could send anyone off with a message-- but honestly she just needed a minute to catch her breath.

Artemis had enjoyed his time alone in the eyrie, partly woking on repairing the cages and partly watching the ravens, getting to know them even if he didn't know their names. A few were curious about him and what he was doing, and they fluttered here and there, watching him with intelligent dark eyes. He talked to them, keeping his voice gentle and low, telling them what he was doing and letting them inspect the cages when he finished a step, although he cautioned them not to get their feathers caught on the wires he hadn't secured or get splinters from the wood he hadn't sanded smooth. It didn't seem like that long at all, though he did begin to wonder where Shae was. What had Barkus wanted her for? Surely a message didn't take this long to dictate - if he dictated it to her - and return.

He was hammering a fresh nail into the wood frame of a cage that had only needed its floor replaced when he heard the eyrie door open. Around him, the ravens began to call, but they weren't the usual calls he'd heard them make. They were a mix of greetings - he'd learned that quick enough - and some other sound. Artemis looked up toward the door, a smile blooming on his face as he saw Shae entering. That smile was short lived.

With obscene gentleness, Artemis set the cage he was working on down on the floor, then rose, the hammer still in his hand. He crossed the floor almost soundlessly for one of his size, and he came to stand before Shae once she'd crossed into the room and the door had shut behind her. A flash of feathers passed by his head; he ignored the warning and stared down at the girl that was his heart, his life, his Resonance. His golden eyes were hard amber, blank and almost emotionless. His free hand lifted and he lightly touched his fingertips to Shae's chin, lifting her head so she had no choice but to look at him.

Anger swelled within him, a raging fire that had no outlet. Every inch of him burned with rage as he saw her eyes, full of fear, focused on him and expecting him to do something to her. Beyond that fear, he saw the bruise beneath her left eye, he saw the way she favored one side and clutched to her chest as if something was broken inside her. Only one person could have done this to her without retaliation.

Barkus.

"I'll kill him." Artemis crooned, his deep voice rolling like thunder through the eyrie. "I'll kill him."

The hammer in his hand erupted into flames, the metal head falling to the floor with a noise like a herald's horn, and Artemis started around Shae, heading toward the door with the intent to murder Barkus for what he'd done to her.

Shae was almost too surprised by the fact that Artemis was even still there to really react as he came toward her-- at least until his hand moved toward her and she flinched away instinctively, one arm automatically coming up to shield her face.

A part of her knew that he wasn't going to hurt her-- honestly he might be one of the few people in her life that she hadn't ever thought was going to hurt her-- but the motion was born of far too many years experience, and she couldn't stop it.

Then his fingers tapped gently beneath her chin, tilting her head back, and she found herself staring up into his eyes in stunned silence, lips slightly parted and her breath coming a little shorter and sharper, fight-or-flight rising up in her chest. Her throat moved reflexively and a tiny croak managed to slip passed her lips as she found herself suddenly wishing desperately that she could just talk to him.

Of course, all other thoughts flew from her head as the hammer he held in his other hand abruptly burst into flame. The metal head clanged against the stone floor and she reeled backward, a gasping, choked noise of surprise convulsing in her throat.

Magic.

He wasn't human, that had been clear from the moment she'd met him. But she hadn't realized--

He was moving, trying to get around her, saying...saying...

"I'll kill him."

Her eyes widened and she suddenly threw herself forward, grabbing onto his arm an clutching tightly, a desperate, broken sound scratching against the inside of her throat as she instinctively tried to tell him to stop. She couldn't let him go. If Barkus saw that he'd just done magic, a few cracked ribs would be the least of their worries.

She swallowed thickly and clung tighter to his arm, her mind racing as she tried to understand just what had happened, what was happening. What could she do? What should she do? Shae whimpered quietly and tugged on his arm, her lips moving though she knew the most she could manage was a few creaking squawks.

"Aahhr...mih..."

He felt nothing but the pounding of his heart and the heat of his own rage. He heard nothing but that terrible drumbeat in his pointed ears, he knew nothing but the desire for murderous revenge. He was the instrument of his own anger, and there was nothing in the world that could quench it.

Then small hands wrapped around his arm, pulling it tight to her chest, and a weight dragged on him, forcing him to stop and turn. Artemis stared down at Shae, looking into her wide eyes. In that second, in hearing that rough, but pleading, whisper of his name, Artemis's rage fizzled out, and he almost sagged where he stood, suddenly out of energy and out of the ire that had made him throw all caution to the wind and desire nothing but revenge for what had happened to Shae.

Artemis turned around then, fully facing her, and pulled her tight to him, hugging her as hard as he dared. He closed his eyes tight, trying to gain some kind of control over himself again. He fought to breathe, to calm himself down. If Shae was trying to stop him, then there was a reason. He owed it to her to hear her out.

"Shae," Artemis said at last, his voice low and thick with barely-leashed emotion. "I'm sorry."

He pulled back, looking at her face. Seeing that bruise, rage boiled up inside him again, but somehow this time he held it in check. And his rational mind finally made itself known, pushing through the rage and anger in order to tell him that if he did something foolish, if he'd done what he'd intended to do, then being charged with murder would be the least of his worries. Suddenly, the blood seemed to drain from his face, leaving Artemis slightly paler. His eyes went from Shae's face to the head of the hammer that lay on the floor, and he realized what must have happened.

The signs that the hammer head had been slightly melted somewhat only confirmed his worst fear.

She'd seen.

Artemis released Shae altogether and rose, his palms covering his face for a brief moment. Then he dropped his hands and looked at her, hurt and sorrow and a brief flash of uncertainty rushing through his eyes before he managed to somewhat hide the emotions.

"Shae," Artemis started, his voice barely more than a whisper now, "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

A small squeak was drawn from her lips as he crushed her against his body, a combination of shock and mild discomfort when the motion put pressure on her cracked ribs.

But then she was moving on instinct, wrapping her arms around him in return and hiding her face in his chest. Her whole body shook, but she held tight. She could feel his heart more than hear it, felt the stuttering, racing beat and the rise and fall of his breath as he tried to calm himself. A soft breath of her own sighed from her lungs and she found herself clinging to him a little tighter, just for a moment.

Then he stepped away and Shae found herself suddenly swaying on the spot, sore and scared and utterly bewildered. What-- what was that?

Her eyes flicked to the hammer, then up to his face again. She shook her head slowly, lips slightly parted and eyes very wide. A little shakily, she raised her hands and signed a stilted, I...am not hurt...

Sort of a lie-- as strangely wonderful as that hug had been, it had compounded the pain in her ribs a bit. But she didn't want to tell him that, both worried about what he might do and...well, and not wanting him to know he'd hurt her. She didn't know why, but she thought the very idea might break him, with the fragile state he was in. She was still almost in shock; Artemis was one of the kindest, gentlest people she'd ever met. His sudden rage was more befuddling than it was frightening, though she couldn't deny that seeing that murderous intent in his eyes hadn't been a little terrifying. But more than that...

Shae swallowed thickly as she stared at him. Slowly, trembling a bit, she pointed to the melted metal head of the hammer that lay between them. Still moving slowly, almost warily, she lifted her hand to point her finger at his chest. Carefully, oh so carefully, she signed one word.

Magic.

It wasn't a question. What she had seen was magic, she knew that. But it wasn't an accusation either. There was nothing but confusion and perhaps the barest hint of curiosity in her eyes-- though both were quickly drowned by fear when she glanced at the door.

The raven keeper burst suddenly into movement, wincing and hissing in a sharp breath as her battered body protested, but she payed it no mind. Quickly, almost sharply, she darted to the door and slid the blot across, making sure they were locked in, safe. Then she pressed her ear to the wood, hardly daring to breathe as she listened for any sign of movement on the other side.

Nothing. Thank God.

She turned back to Artemis, eyes still rather wide, then gestured a little desperately toward her cot. Sit. Please. We need to talk. If Barkus finds out, he'll kill you.

Even just signing the words made her stomach roil, her heart clenching painfully in her chest. But beneath the fear and confusion there was just a hint of something else. Something almost...hopeful. If Artemis had magic...

If he, one of the kindest people she had ever known, had magic, then-- then maybe it wasn't such a curse after all.

We need to talk.

Artemis didn't think he could have read anything better from her fingers. That she wanted to talk instead of run screaming was the best thing he could hope for. He'd watched as she'd pulled back from him and ran to the door, locking it as quickly as she could. She'd stood there for a moment, her ear pressed to the surface to listen for sounds of approach, but there had been none. Even in his agitated state, Artemis had known there had been no one outside the aerie. The only people in the area were him and Shae.

He waited for her to return to him, uncertain of how to approach her. She didn't seem frightened of him, which he was grateful for. She was the only one, besides his own people, who didn't seem startled or afraid of him, or what he'd done.

Slowly, Artemis turned toward the cot as she'd gestured, and moved to sit down. He clasped his hands between his knees and bowed his head until his hair obscured his face. He wasn't sure if he was trying to hide himself from her or if he was trying to make it so he couldn't see her. He focused on breathing, trying to keep himself calm and to keep himself in check. His hearts hammered in his chest, though, and it was taking some time for the twin beats to slow. He couldn't understand why. The crisis seemed to be averted, seemed to be over. Perhaps it was because Shae wanted to talk...?

He lifted his head slightly so he could look at Shae as she approached him. "I know if anyone finds out... I'm dead. Especially here, in this land. I've seen it."

Artemis was startled to hear his own voice so quiet and subdued, but he supposed it was to be expected. He studied her for a moment before he dropped his gaze to his clasped fingers, staring at them as if they had betrayed him somehow. He didn't know what else to say other than "I'm sorry", and he'd said that too many times already. Shae wouldn't want to hear it again. But he didn't know where to start with the conversation she wanted to have, though he had an idea of what it was she wanted to talk about. So he waited for her to broach the subject, still staring at his clasped fingers as if he were hesitant to look up at her, afraid of what he might see in her eyes.

Shae hovered in front of the cot, just out of arm's reach, simply staring at Artemis where he sat for several long moments. Her arms were wrapped tight around her middle, uncaring of the very much still-present ache in her ribs.

She didn't know what to do. Her mind was racing, but at the same time she felt as if she couldn't summon a single coherent thought to the forefront. Magic. Artemis had just done magic--unintentionally, it seemed, though that would hardly matter if Barkus found out.

And it seemed that Artemis was very aware of that risk, and the consequences that would inevitably unfold. As he'd said, he'd seen it.

God. Shae swallowed thickly and took a shaky step forward, then another. Quite suddenly, she found herself standing directly in front of him, looking down at the top of his head. Barely. Even seated and hunched over, he was still ridiculously tall. With a small, soft exhale, she knelt before him and unwound her arms from her rib cage to reach out and cup her hands around his where they were clasped in his lap. She simply held them for a moment, then glanced up, trying to meet his eyes.

His hair was in the way. Gently, hesitantly, she reached up to brush his hair back behind his ear, holding her breath as she did though she wasn't quite sure why. Once she managed to meet his gaze she allowed herself to breathe again. Holding his eyes, she shook her head, slow and deliberate.

She brought her hands back just far enough to sign, I won't tell. I won't let them hurt you.

Artemis raised his head as she brushed back his hair, looking her straight in the eyes. Her soft smile, her eyes bright, everything about her told him he could trust her. When she signed that she wouldn't tell, that she wouldn't let anyone hurt him, he believed her. The breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding softly whistled out from between his parted lips, and he smiled, unclasping and lifting his hands so he could cup her face between his palms. The urge to kiss her was so strong now - his love for her grew warmer, fuller, as if she were stoking the very flames that lived within him to an intensity he'd never felt or known before. Yet, Artemis hesitated. He didn't want to scare her, and he didn't want to make her feel trapped and unable to escape him. So he settled for leaning forward slightly and touching his forehead to hers before he sat back and allowed himself a smile. It was shaky, but it was still a smile.

"My people," Artemis began, "the Starstriders, are born with varying abilities. Some are born with no abilities at all, while others have too many to count. I was born with... well, you know."

He shifted to gather her hands between his, running his fingers over her knuckles. "It isn't a curse, that much I know for certain. When I was much younger, it felt that way. I could barely control it and things happened without my wishing them to. And sometimes things happened even when I did wish them to. As I grew older, I learned how to control my ability, and I learned how to harness and use that power for good, I guess you can say." He shrugged, smiling almost bitterly. "Fire is where my strength lies, but I can do more than that, with enough concentration. But it also helps me when I work, which is how I can fix things that ought to be permanently broken."

Artemis wasn't sure why he was telling her this, but Shae deserved some kind of explanation. This was, after all, what he guessed she wanted to talk about. But there was one more thing Artemis wanted to add, and when he spoke this time, his voice was lower, almost whispering.

"When I saw you... when I saw what had happened to you... my temper snapped. I couldn't control myself. I was so angry. And if it weren't for you, Shae, I don't know what would have happened." Again he smiled, but this time it certainly was bitter. "I wasn't thinking. I was a slave to my own emotions and power, and I didn't think about consequences."

When his hands came up to cup her face she found herself leaning almost automatically into his touch--which might have surprised her almost as much as his sudden rage upon finding her injured. She was so used to foreign touch inspiring fear or pain...it was a pleasant shock to find his touch warm, comforting even. She closed her eyes for a moment and tilted her head into his palm, just breathing.

Why did he affect her this way? How could he make her feel...safe?

Those thoughts would have to be addressed later, if she could find the time-- Shae snapped her attention back to Artemis's face when he spoke, her eyes flicking up to meet his gaze. With every word he spoke she felt her brow drawing into a frown as she attempted to process what he was saying, particularly when he began to speak of learning to control his abilities.

His hands moved from her face to grasp her own hands and she quickly shoved away the soft pang in her belly that abruptly missed the warmth of his touch against her cheek.

Her frown grew more pronounced as his voice dropped lower and he finally spoke of why he had reacted as he did. She found herself growing suddenly almost frustrated; she just didn't understand. it made no sense that another servant in the house would risk Barkus's ire, even to defend one of their own-- which she certainly was not, in spite of the fact that she had lived here nearly all her life.

With a soft huff, she sat back a bit and signed quickly at him, You shouldn't-- She stopped, frowned, then tried again: You cannot let yourself be angry with Barkus. Especially if it will trigger your-- your magic. Her fingers fumbled a bit as she signed the word, almost like a nervous stutter. Her frown softened a bit, an expression of confusion more than frustration. I don't understand... Were you angry because he hit me?

That would be the logical conclusion, but she wanted to be sure. Perhaps it was simply the idea of Barkus hitting anyone that had set him off, which might be more difficult to deal with. 

Artemis smiled, but it was brief. He knew that she didn't understand; he saw it in her signing and in her face. But he couldn't bring himself to tell Shae the truth, that she was his Resonance, that had it been anyone else, he likely wouldn't have reacted the way he had. He understood the relationship between master and servant wasn't always the best and he understood that some masters treated their servants quite ugly. Barkus had seemed, to Artemis, the kind of man who would do what he wanted, regardless of how it made anyone else feel, but he hadn't seemed like the kind of man who would resort to violence. Now Artemis knew better.

He scrubbed his face with his palms, then leaned back on her cot so he could look at her better. "Yes," he said at last, "I was angry because he hit you. No one has the right to be violent toward anyone else, but... I understand that the world isn't perfect. The world doesn't follow pretty ideals. It has its own rules. The strong prey on the weak." Artemis closed his eyes, as if that would allow him to say what he needed to say and make it easier. "More than that, though, it was seeing you in pain that made me angry. Seeing you hurt."

Artemis sighed, but it was more a releasing of pent-up breath than a real sigh. "I'm not... like you, Shae. I'm not used to being someone's servant. I didn't grow up that way. I didn't experience it the way you have. And though I've only been here a few months at best, I've come to think of you as my friend. My best and my only friend. You're the only one that looks at me as something..." he paused and shook his head, "as someone. As a person. Not a monster."

He leaned forward finally, moving slowly, as if he were incredibly tired. He opened his eyes and looked at her, a small tired smile appearing on his face. "Had it been anyone but you, Shae? I don't think I would have reacted the way I did. I don't think I would have risked it. The discovery. Someone finding out about my... talent. But... because it was you, I couldn't stop myself. I felt too much." Artemis touched his fingers to his chest then, right over his hearts.

Shae sighed softly. She'd been rather afraid of that. Hearing Artemis speak about how he felt other's viewed him twisted at her heart uncomfortably, but at least she could better understand why he might be so protective of her.

Even if she couldn't quite wrap her brain around it entirely, she could at least understand on a logical level; it seemed she was one of the few people who'd shown him friendship since he'd left his home.

Rusty red eyes narrowed in thought as she knelt before him. Slowly, she reached out toward him, then hesitated, curling her fingers back toward her palm. Then she let out a short, sharp breath and forced her shoulders to relax, stretching her hand toward him again until her palm pressed gently against his chest, just beside his own hand.

Two beats...

She'd thought she had felt something odd in his heartbeat before, when he'd held her so tightly, but now that she was calmer, thinking more rationally, she was sure-- he had two heartbeats, one almost echoing the other.

Magic. Two hearts. Clearly inhuman.

How is it that the one person I maybe should be frightened of is the only one who makes me feel safe?

Shae lifted her eyes up to Artemis's face again, brow furrowed in thought. Slowly, she pulled her hand back again. You're showing a lot of trust in me, she signed. I...don't know why... But I want to be worthy of that trust.

She bit her lip, eyes flicking down to the floor again. Hesitantly, almost as if the motions pained her, she signed, I...don't know if you should stay here. It's too dangerous, if Master Barkus found out about that magic... She sighed and closed her eyes, her hands falling to rest in her lap as she bowed her head.

He was her friend. She wanted him to be safe. But-- but she didn't want him to go.

Maybe you shouldn't stay here.

Artemis had been expecting Shae to say something like that. He really had. He knew that she wasn't saying them out of fear or meanness, or even because she knew or felt they needed to be said. But that didn't stop the words from hurting. He was sure that any kind of words of farewell or leaving from her would hurt. But he wasn't about to give up. Not now. Not after he'd found her.

He sighed softly, and raised his hands to press the heels of his hands to his eyes. He rubbed them, then dropped his hands and tilted his head back so he could look at the ceiling of the eyrie. "Maybe I should, but that doesn't mean I want to."

Artemis shook his head, a wan smile spreading across his lips. "I don't want to leave. I want to stay here. Seeing that bruise on you threw me, and I can't promise that I won't get angry if I see another, but... if you tell me that you're okay, Shae, then I'll believe you. I'll keep calm. I won't let my ability get the better of me again. I promise you this. But if you think it's best that I go, I'll go without arguing. I don't want to go, but I also don't want to put you in danger, either."

He shifted to gently lay his arm around her shoulders, taking the closeness she would allow him to have. It was a quick embrace he gave her, allowing his cheek to rest against her soft hair, a content smile upon his face. He shifted then, after a heartbeat or two, to release her and stand. Artemis turned to face her then, and looked up at all the ravens arrayed about them.

"And what say you lot?" Artemis asked the avians. "Do you think I should stay? Or should I go?"

The ravens responded instantly in a raucous chorus, as though they had truly understood the question.

With so much time spent around Shae, perhaps they had.

The raven keeper herself was still kneeling before the bed, staring up at her friend where he now towered over her. She could hear the birds' response loud and clear--echoed in the beating of her heart.

Don't leave.

Perhaps the birds knew something she didn't. That happened, sometimes, they could perhaps sense something in the air and would offer her advice or warning, usual subtle clucks or a series of days where they refused to fly.

They had never given an answer so forcefully before.

"Aahhh..." Her ruined throat convulsed and she clenched her eyes shut, a ragged noise of frustration caught somewhere in her chest. Artemis. It wasn't so difficult a word, if she could have just spoken--!

She'd reached for him almost unconsciously as she stood, and before her thoughts quite had time to catch up with her she found herself wrapping her fingers gently around his wrist and looking up into his face. Holding his gaze, she moved her lips around the sounds she now so desperately wished she could make, mouthing the words as clearly as she could.

I...want you...to stay.

It was selfish, and stupid, and she didn't entirely understand it herself, but she knew it was true. Something in her ached at the very idea of his absence. Her grip on his wrist tightened almost reflexively. Again, her lips moved soundlessly: Please stay.

Artemis smiled brightly as he looked down at Shae, reading her lips and the words they made as clearly as if she'd spoken them. He shifted then, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close, hugging her tight to his chest. He wanted to shelter her in his arms, to keep her close forever, to remain exactly like this for eternity. Artemis closed his eyes and breathed, feeling as though everything in his world now was going right. She wanted him to stay. She wanted him to stay here, with her.

"I'll stay," Artemis whispered into Shae's hair. "I'll stay for as long as you want me to."

He wanted to kiss her, but he held himself back. After what they had just gone through, what they had talked about, what she had done for him, and he for her, Artemis didn't think that his attentions would be received as he wanted them to be received. So he hugged her tighter, careful of her wounds, and held her that way for countless heartbeats.

Finally he released her, and he ran his fingers through her hair until he brought his hands down to cup her face. Looking into her eyes, Artemis said, "I promise you, Shae, no matter what happens from now on, I won't break the trust you have in me. I won't lose control. I won't take myself away from you. I swear to you." He leaned his head forward and touched his forehead to hers. It was the best he could do to satisfy his need to be close to her and hopefully not scare her off, and he maintained that contact for only a second. When he finally pulled back, he released her completely and sighed happily.

"I guess," Artemis started, his voice soft and filled with joy, "I should finish those nest boxes. And now since you know my secret, it should go a little faster than it would if I just used the tools I brought."

Shae positively beamed at him, ignoring the way that the expression tugged at the bruise still steadily blooming over her left cheek. She found herself nudging her brow up against his when he bent to touch his forehead to hers, but she didn't try to hold him closer as he moved away to begin working on the nesting boxes.

She simply watched him for a moment, curious about how his abilities might manifest in this way. Even as she crossed the aerie to select a bird to deliver the message that had facilitated all this nonsense, she found that she kept glancing at Artemis out of the corner of her eye, curiosity and something close to wonder sparking in the russet of her gaze.

The bird she called down from his perch-- a fine, large creature with glossy green and purple tinted through his jet feathers who had been dubbed Jewel for his plumage-- hopped impatiently on her shoulder, reminding her that she needed to finish tying the message to his leg. Shae flushed and quickly jerked back to the task at hand, scowling at the raven when he cawed in her ear.

He would stay.

---

"Oi, Raven Keeper!"

Eli's voice rang out across the courtyard, making Shae start and begin turning to face him, just as he called, "Heads up!" and a flash of red arched her way.

Without thinking she reached up to catch the apple, but as she did she pulled her still aching ribs and her mouth opened in a soundless cry, eyes going wide. Pain lanced through her body and she snatched her arm back to cradle it close to her chest, whimpering slightly as she allowed the offered fruit to hit the cobblestones of the courtyard and roll by her feet.

Still a few paces away from her, Eli's own eyes widened and he whispered "Shit," under his breath as he suddenly hurried forward to see what was wrong. "God, Shae, what happened?"

Before she had the chance to answer he was gently pulling her arm away from her body, lifting the hem of her tunic just slightly so he could get a look at her side. She tried to twist away from him, but that only made the pain worse and she froze again, a strangle whimper caught in her throat.

"Shit!" Eli repeated, allowing the fabric to drop back into place once he'd seen the mottled bruising that covered almost the entire right side of her torso to look at her face again. "Shae, what the hell? Is that from yesterday? Why haven'y you gotten Maude or someone to look at it yet?!"

The raven keeper flinched back from his shout and the young porter winced, raising his hands automatically in a show of peace. "God, I'm sorry, Shae, I-- I'll go fetch Maude, you really need to get that looked at--"

Shae was already shaking her head quickly. It was perhaps a silly, and no doubt self-destructive, impulse, but she hated going to see the manor's employed healer. Normally Barkus's strikes didn't deal quite so much damage and she could get along alright with just a few days of taking care with herself, but this...was perhaps worse than usual.

Eli glowered at her. "If you don't let me go get her, I'm going to have Artemis do it," he warned.

Shae flinched again. Somehow, even in the relatively short months that the Starstrider had been there, every other servant of the household seemed to have realized the close friendship that had sprung up between the two of them. She knew Eli would make good on his threat too-- and after all that had happened yesterday, she really didn't want Artemis to know just how badly she had actually been hurt. 

Artemis, for his part, seemed none the wiser of Shae's hiding of her wounds. Or if he was, he didn't indicate it. He wanted to keep his promise to her about not losing his temper, and he knew that if she was more wounded than she actually had told him, he would break that promise. He didn't want to break his word to her. He didn't want to leave this place or have anyone find out what he could do. Shae was the only one who needed to know. And the thought of her beautiful eyes filled with tears, hurt, anger, or hate was enough to make him tighten the yoke around his volatile temper and keep it in healthy check.

Of course, overhearing Eli, it was difficult to keep his temper from causing a few sparks around him. Thankfully, he was alone and out of sight, so it was easy enough to calm himself down, breathing in deeply through his nose and out of his mouth in order to put himself in that calm state he'd been in before he'd arrived.

He'd been on his way to the eyrie to meet with Shae when he'd overheard voices coming from the courtyard, a favored shortcut of his on the way there. He'd been bringing with him the more ruined cages he'd taken to his workshop the previous day, so his arms were full of the cages, and gave him another reason not to lose his temper. He'd finally managed to fix all but two of them, and was returning them so that the ravens could peruse his work and decide if it was satisfactory or not. If he accidentally turned them to ash, then he'd have to explain to Barkus why the cages suddenly decided to immolate themselves, or make up some excuse about an overturned oil lamp or whatever. And that was if he was able to keep from treating Barkus in the same manner as Barkus had treated Shae.

Of course, Artemis knew that if he appeared now, Shae would think that Eli really had called him and had been making him wait for this moment. She wouldn't think that it was a complete coincidence and that it had been his inhuman hearing that had brought him. And he really didn't want to see her looking sad or upset or hurt. Sighing, Artemis began to head back the other way, retracing his steps to take the long way to the eyrie. Any thoughts of Shae being hurt worse than she let on he would ignore, so long as she gave in to Eli and went to see the healer.

That was the one concession he made to himself.

He entered the eyrie, relieved to find it empty, save for the ravens. He greeted them as he would any person, quickly closing the door behind him so the more adventurous ones wouldn't decide it was a prime opportunity to escape. Artemis carried the cages to their spaces, situating them just right, before stepping back to examine his work.

He looked up toward one of the ravens, Trickfoot, he thought, and sighed. "It isn't the same without Shae here, is it? Hopefully, she'll go see the healer. If not... I might have to get serious about her taking better care of herself."

Of course, Artemis wasn't sure he'd still be in the eyrie when Shae returned. He did have other work to take care of, but he'd been procrastinating. Anything that had to do with Shae became his priority, and he knew she would love to have the cages back so that her friends had somewhere safe to sleep and raise their young. So Artemis procrastinated as long as he could, turning the cages one way and then another, pretending he was doing so at the orders of the ravens just so he could linger a little bit longer.

The raven that Artemis spoke to, Trickfoot indeed, squawked and beat his wings before fluttering from his perch to circle the tall elf, then land on his shoulder. He croaked in a manner that could only be called exasperated when Artemis spoke about Shae's need to care for herself-- the bird was rather in agreement with him.

Evidently content to ride along while Artemis examined the cages, Trickfoot ran his beak through the elf's fiery hair a few times, a friendly preening.

---

Shae was a little later returning to the aerie than she would have liked, and in rather a foul mood. While she logically knew that visiting Maude had been the right choice-- the poultice and bandages wrapped around her ribs at least numbed some of the pain, and the healer had said they would help "speed the process along"-- she was still rather uncomfortable with it. Maude always had this...this look that she gave the raven keeper. Like she knew Shae had a secret, and she didn't trust her for it.

It made her twitchy.

With a small sigh, Shae ducked in through the door of her little sanctuary and rubbed at her shoulder, twisting her torso just slightly from side to side in brief experimentation, then winced.

Right. Still sore. Ribs still broken. That probably hadn't been her best idea.

Artemis looked up from the cage he was finishing as the door to the aerie opened, and he smiled as he saw Shae entering. The smile faltered as he saw her wince, but he told himself to ignore it. Not to give in to the flare of anger that bloomed in his chest as he saw the pain written across her face. He pushed it away, moving to finish welding the hinges of the cage door in place before stepping back to allow Shae to see the cages as the first thing when she looked toward that area of the room. Artemis himself would be a close second, though he was currently trying to stop Trickfoot from poking his head with his beak, since the raven seemed to have taken a liking to perching on his shoulders and rubbing himself through Artemis's hair.

"Would you stop?" Artemis whispered to the Raven, trying to smooth out a knot Trickfoot had tied in his hair. "And look who's back."

Trickfoot squawked, indignant that Artemis would attempt to undo his handiwork, and took to the air with a flutter of onyx wings, circling the aerie once before landing lightly on Shae's shoulder--her good side, thankfully.

The raven keeper smiled as he perched and reached up to chuck him under the beak gently. Her smile widened when she looked at Artemis, and she dipped her head to him both in greeting and in welcome.

Her hands moved in a few quick signs as she crossed the room: How long have you been up here? Her eyes flickered around the cages, spotting his handiwork, and she smiled again. Is that the last of the repairs?

He smoothed his hair down just to ensure that Trickfoot hadn't taken out any strands when he'd launched off his shoulder to greet Shae. Artemis sighed, running his fingers through the crimson locks before he dropped his hands to his sides and moved to give Shae a better view of the cages. He grinned at her as he saw her signing, his eyes following the movements of her fingers with expert grace.

"Long enough," he replied, his grin lessening into a smile. "And these are the last of them. I just have to get them secured to the base and then you and the girls can figure out what's best for everyone. I didn't do too much decoration, but I changed the way the doors work here."

He shifted to show her, his large fingers careful as he shifted the metal rings, tying a small string onto one of the inner rings. He first locked the cage, from the outside, then shifted toward the back so she could see how the string stretched as it followed him. Standing behind the cage, Artemis smiled.

"I made them so they can release from the inside." Artemis said. "So if something happens and you can't reach the cage, the raven inside can free him or herself, and escape."

He pulled on the string. The inner ring popped out from the others where Artemis had locked the cage door from the outside, allowing the door to swing open slightly, where the raven could easily shoulder it aside and take off, for whatever reason. "It also might make it easier for you to call whom you want, in the event you're on the other side of the room. It's entirely up to you and them to decide what the rules are."

He moved back around to the front of the cage and untied the string, shifting to set the rings again. "Come here, I'll show you how to do it."

He took her small hands in his and guided her fingers to the rings, showing her how it locked and how it opened, and how the raven on the other side could do the same. It was a simple mechanism, easy to learn, and easy to set and release. Artemis let go of Shae's hands and stepped back, smiling as he watched her do it for herself. After enough time had passed, he thought, Artemis folded his arms across his chest and focused his attention on her.

"So, are you feeling any better?" he asked at last.

Shae's eyes widened a bit as she watched him demonstrate the adjustments he'd made to the cages. She moved easily when he beckoned her forward to show her how to operate the doors. A very soft shiver tingled down her spine when his hands covered hers, something that was...new. New, and maybe a little terrifying.

She had an inkling of what it might mean, but she didn't quite know how to handle that just yet, so she ignored it.

She glanced back over her shoulder when he stepped back to let her try on her own. Eyes soft and lips curved into something like an admiring smile, she signed, You're so clever.

Then he folded his arms and looked at her like that, like he was peering into her soul, and she felt her stomach flip with a strange bout of nerves. She tried for another smile, though this one was clearly a little forced. Stepping back from the cage, she signed a little haltingly, I saw the healer. I just need to take it easy for a few days, I'll be fine.

Artemis studied her for a long while, his face set into a stoic mask. He didn't want to make her feel terrible, but he did want to remind her that she was the only reason he wasn't marching into Barkus's office and introducing his fist to the man's face. After a moment, Artemis sighed and smiled, a loving expression appearing on his face. He shifted to set his hands on Shae's shoulders, giving the small limbs a tight squeeze.

"I believe you. And I'll hold you to that promise. So if you need help, even for the littlest of things, you call me, okay?"

The raven keeper rolled her eyes a bit, but there was a fond smile still tugging at the edges of her lips. I'm not completely helpless, you know, she signed, gently teasing. I've been doing this job for years, Artemis. Sometimes I get hurt, but it's okay. I know how to handle it.

It wasn't until her hands had stopped moving that she realized that might not have been the smartest thing to say. She knew quite well enough by now exactly how protective her friend could be, and reminding him that this wasn't the first time Barkus had hurt her was probably not her best idea.

In an effort to distract him, she quickly reached up and took his hands from her shoulders, twining her fingers through his as she held their hands between them for a moment. Her smile widened a bit and she tugged gently, taking a few steps back, then released his hands to sign, Come with me? I wanna show you something.

She nodded over her shoulder as the rickety steps that led up to the first layer of catwalk that circled the aerie, head tilted questioningly.

Artemis smiled as she twined her fingers in his, warmth blossoming in his chest as she took hold of him of her own free will. That warmth spread through his entire body even as she released him to speak. His head tilted then, confused as to what she would want to show him.

But he trusted her, so he followed her, carefully maneuvering up the stairs to the catwalk, his amber eyes upon Shae. "What is it?" he asked finally, curiosity filling his voice.

Shae just smiled and led him further along the catwalk, to the second set of stairs, then the third, until they were on the third and highest level of the tiered system. She took his hand again and pulled him gently after her, toward one of the high, thin windows that dotted the circumference of the aerie.

She could feel her heart quicken its pace as she carefully pulled him a little closer. Nerves, both anxiety and excitement, thrummed in time with the beat.

She'd been thinking about this almost all day--longer than all day, really. Almost from the moment he'd left the aerie after she'd seen him destroy that hammer with magic.

It seemed almost unfair. Regardless of the fact that he had revealed that secret to her unwittingly, he had revealed it, and he'd been put in a position where he just had to trust her and believe that she spoke the truth when she said she would protect him.

Which she would, of course she would. But she couldn't help feeling that he...perhaps deserved something more than just her silent word.

Looking up at him, Shae took one of his hands between both of hers, held it for a moment, eyes locked on his. She released him slowly to sign, Watch. Watch and listen. Taking a breath, she turned back to the aerie and raised one hand, reaching out to the birds with her mind, the way she'd always done but had been so afraid to let anyone see. A soft croak came from her ruined throat and she twitched two fingers upward. Up.

Every raven in the aerie took to the air, every single bird willing and able to fly suddenly airborne, spiraling around the interior of the toward in a cyclone of onyx feathers.

Another breath, and Shae stepped back toward Artemis slightly with another subtle gesture of her hand and flicker of thought. Through, please

The storm of birds curved toward them, then dove through the window, one after the other, stunningly fluid and graceful, so close that the wind of their passage ruffled Shae's hair gently and she rocked back a bit instinctively, pressing herself into Artemis's chest for a moment.

Well. That was it. She'd done it. She could only hop he'd understood--and that her trust in him was worth his trust in her.

Breathing a little heavier than normal, Shae stepped away from him again quickly and turned to face him, letting her hands drop to her sides as she looked up at him, waiting. Her heart was in her throat, soft tremors running through her body with every breath. No one, no one in her entire life, had ever known that she had a beastspeaking ability, and she had absolutely no idea how he would react.

Artemis froze, staring with wide eyes as the ravens turned seamlessly in the air, following Shae's hands. Had she taught them all to do this? No, it was near to impossible for her to teach this many birds to respond to her hand signals alone. Something else had to be going on in order to achieve a reaction such as this. It took him a moment to realize what was going on, and he looked at Shae with a questioning look on his face.

Beastspeaking?

He'd whispered the word, as loudly as he dared. He'd never seen the ability himself before, but he'd heard about it. There had been no one in his village with the skill, but in a neighboring village, there had been talk of at least one person in each family having some kind of skill in communicating with animals. They had a different name for it, of course, but the idea was the same. And, moreover, during his travels in Connlaoth, he'd heard enough stories and hushed words about the ability to put two and two together.

After a minute, Artemis reached out to Shae, offering her his hand, palm up. He didn't touch her. He didn't dare. Her choice, as always. He smiled, keeping his voice low as he said, "Thank you, Shae, for sharing this with me. I'll keep it a secret forever. I swear."

Her shoulders slumped forward with sudden, powerful relief and she found herself smiling up at him almost giddily. She reached out to take his offered hand gently, gratefully. Her fingers circled his, as much as she could manage, and squeezed gently.

Drawing her hand back again, Shae looked up into his face and signed, We can...share the secrets, now?

The slight tilt to her head turned the statement into a question, though she thought she knew the answer. A faint blush colored her cheeks, and she couldn't seem to stop smiling.

He knew. She'd told him what she could do, and he wasn't even phased. Well, it probably wasn't that strange to him, considering his own abilities and where he came from. Still, she'd never expected to be able to tell anyone about her true connection to the ravens, and now that she had she felt...lighter.

She reached out to take his hand again--then changed her mind and stepped forward to wrap her arms around his waist in a loose hug. She held very still, unsure if the embrace would be welcomes, but it had just...felt like the right thing to do.

When she moved to hug him, Artemis blinked. This was the first time she had ever made the first move to touch him, to show him some kind of affection without him initiating it first. His hearts seemed to beat all the harder then, and warmth suffused his body. He felt that the world had just become brighter, and brighter still as she wrapped her arms around his waist. He wrapped his arms around her as well, holding her tightly to him. Or as tightly as he dared, not wanting to hurt her.

"Yes," Artemis whispered, kissing the top of her head, "we can share secrets now. You can tell me anything, Shae. Anything at all. I will keep your secrets, no matter what they are. From now until eternity."

The raven keeper stiffened slightly as he dropped a kiss on the top of her head, his arms moving to wrap around her. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting really, if anything--but the sheer sense of comfort that enveloped her in that embrace was certainly not it.

Her eyes suddenly prickled dangerously and she felt her breath catch. Had she ever trusted someone as she had just trusted Artemis, as he was telling her she could trust him? Of course she had friends among the servants of the manor, but known knew that secret.

Shae squeezed her eyes shut and turned her face into his chest, drawing in a shaky breath in an effort to exert some control over herself. What was the matter with her?! Why...why didn't she want to move? It would just be so easy to stay there, stay safe...

She forced herself to pull away and lifted a hand to swipe at her eyes, trying to force a smile and a raw, rasping sound that was something approximating a chuckle. Sorry, she signed at him once she'd managed to calm her breathing somewhat. I've just...never told someone before.

She wasn't entirely sure that really explained the strange combination of powerful relief and just sheer safety she'd felt with his acceptance, but it was the best she could manage.

Artemis let her go and stepped back with a smile, restraining himself from pursuing Shae further than she was comfortable. She wasn't ready, and he knew that, and he wasn't going to make her uncomfortable. So he leaned back and folded his arms over his chest, looking at the ravens now settling on their perches. An easy smile was on his face, and he sighed softly.

"I've never told anyone before either." Artemis said at last. "At least... not since I left home. You're the only one who knows."

He turned his gaze to Shae again, and his smile became softer and more loving. "So don't be sorry, okay? We know each other's secrets now, and we can survive together, so long as we trust one another."

Shae took a small step away from him and turned to lean against the railing of the catwalk, watching her charges shuffle and flutter and cluck below them, a few still trailing back in through the narrow windows.

At the sound of Artemis's voice, she tilted her head toward him slightly, chin turned just barely over her shoulder. Her heart felt like it had taken up semi-permanent residence in her throat; every time he said something like that, it sent her pulse skyrocketing with some strange combination of relief, bewilderment, and some deep affection.

And fear. Which was usually a result of the affection, as far as she could tell. She had never trusted anyone as fully or quickly as she had trusted Artemis, even before telling him this secret.

We can survive together. What did that even mean? And why were such simply words both terrifying and somehow deeply reassuring?

She didn't know what to do with the thoughts and emotions swirling through her head, so she gave herself a brisk shake and tried to push them down, jerking sharply away from the rail.

We should head down, she signed with a little nod toward the stairs.

Artemis smiled and followed her back toward the stairs. As he descended, a strange feeling came over him, his eyes falling on Shae's back. He felt the rhythm of his hearts skip a beat, and wondered why that was. Peace was a warm blanket around them now, and a particularly warm one for him. He'd found her, the missing part of his soul, and so long as he was near her, nothing else mattered.

Or so he had believed.

Being so far away from the heart of conflict, Artemis hadn't paid much attention to the rumors of war igniting on the outer fringes of the land. His entire world was simply Shae and the manor of Barkus, and he cared nothing for the outside world. However, as he listened, he began to grow worried that the outside world was about to muscle in on his own. The rumor of war was becoming more a whisper, more a shouted message, than just a soft hiss on the wind.

Yet, Artemis was content to ignore the rumors. They hadn't yet touched the manor, despite the trepidation that lingered in his thoughts and hearts. There was peace. There was safety here. Artemis was content to throw himself into his work and stay with Shae, living and loving her as only he could.

However, at night, he'd begun watching the stars, seeing the subtle shifts of light and hue, and wondered if they weren't an ill omen foretelling something that he should pay attention to, but couldn't yet understand.

In a perverse, unfortunate way, war was good for business. Barkus made his living in trade, and as one of the few merchants still able to send caravans across the border while the chaos escalated, he quickly became one of the fewer still who maintained his methods and prosperity of trade.

Shae was busier than ever--it seemed that every few hours she was called down to her master's office to take one missive or another, then up to the aerie to tie it to a raven's leg and send the bird off. She had no idea what portion of the letters were for business and which were more personal, or even political; rich men had more than a loose grip on the politics of the land after all.

As weeks passed, the convivial, easy air around the manor began to fade, replaced slowly but surely with tight lines around the servant's eyes and mouths, Barkus's ever shortening temper, and a sort of looming cloud that hovered even on the clearest day.

Even so, Shae always, always made time to visit Artemis's workshop. In the midst of everything, he kept her grounded. Almost as much as the aerie, the workshop became a place of sanctuary, a place where she could just...be, just exist outside of the strange haze that had settled over the only home she'd ever known.

Sometimes her days were busy, however, and she wouldn't be able to make her way down to Artemis's work place until almost dark, or even after sunset. Such was the case on this particular evening, and the ravenkeeper held a woven shawl tight around her shoulders as she scurried across the courtyard in the ever-lengthening shadows, making her way toward her friend's workshop.

She reached the door and paused, taking a breath to collect herself, and raised her hand to knock.

At almost the same moment, a shuddering thudding sound came from the manor's front gate.

Artemis found no shortage of work from Barkus as the rumors of the war smoldered among the fringes of knowledge, having more projects than he could ever imagine. Fixing things was one thing, of course. Inventing was entirely another. And Barkus seemed to expect Artemis to invent one thing or another almost every week. Sometimes he liked the tinkerer's inventions, other times he didn't. Yet he didn't seem to find the drive to fire Artemis or tell him to leave, so Artemis was content doing whatever the lord wanted. After all, staying here was all he ever wanted to do. Shae was here. His heart, his other half... so long as he had her, he didn't care what he had to do.

He enjoyed her visits, always having something to entertain her with, whether it was an hourglass with soft black sand that felt like velvet when she dragged her fingers through it, or a new addition for her eyrie - a cage or a perch or something else both she and the ravens could enjoy - simply because he loved seeing her smile. And as she made time for him, he always made time for her, staying at the workshop late when he couldn't get away to visit her during the day at the eyrie. He didn't want to disrupt her schedule, busy at it had become, since Barkus seemed to monopolize Shae's time. He knew he had to share, especially since Barkus was both their master, and his wants and needs needed to be dealt with before their own. Besides, Artemis knew, it wasn't like they weren't ever able to spend time with one another. They made time as they could.

And now was one of those times.

Artemis had been staying late in his workshop purposefully so he could at least catch a glimpse of Shae if she hadn't already been by to visit him during the day. It was a habit he was used to, and one that pleased him, because his day was never complete until he'd seen her. So he kept a light burning and his door slightly ajar. The cold of the night had never bothered him, but he kept his workshop pleasantly warm just for her.

He glanced up as he noticed a shifting in the light from outside the door. A pleased smile spread across his face. She was here. Wasn't she? His smile faded. Why wasn't she coming inside?

Artemis rose from his seat and slowly moved toward the door, pausing before he reached to open it. "Shae?"

The sound of her name made her jump, and Shae whirled from her frozen stance of staring at the gate to face the slightly ajar door. Giving herself a brisk shake, she nudged the door open another few inches and smiled up at Artemis, though the expression didn't quite reach her eyes.

Sorry. She hovered in the doorway and glanced back over her shoulder before signing, The gate, there's...someone. I don't know what's going on, but Eli ran to get Master Barkus. She hesitated, then added, a little slower with her signs, It sounds like--like a lot of people. I heard horses and metal jangling. Soldiers.

Her smile was still in place, but it contrasted oddly with the wide eyes and slightly furrowed brow. She was worried.

Her master was a merchant. Sure, he occasionally had military contacts, negotiated deals for supplies to be sent to one part of the country or the other, but he'd never actually received soldiers to his home before.

Artemis had risen from his seat and was approaching the door even as Shae pushed it open. Backlit by the lantern-light that illuminated his workshop, Artemis looked even larger than he normally did, and his face was a mask of concern. He paused as she entered, studying her eyes before he dropped his gaze to her hands as she signed. When she stopped, he looked up at her face and then stepped past her to stand at the workshop's door, his eyes trained toward the front gate.

"Maybe it's nothing," Artemis said, his tone uncertain. "Perhaps they're just here to collect something that couldn't be sent via a courier, or something."

Artemis flexed his fingers and then dug them into his thigh. Something felt wrong. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something definitely didn't feel right about this. Soldiers arriving, and at night? It didn't make any sense, unless... the rumors weren't rumors after all, and war really had come to their doorstep.

Artemis looked back at Shae and offered her a small smile. "Well, I'm sure Master Barkus will handle it. I doubt it'll be anything for us to worry about."

Shae tried to smile in response to his, and she thought she managed it. Mostly. There was a hint of worry around the edges of her expression that she just couldn't hide no matter how hard she tried.

Barkus had once joked, in one of his rare more jovial moods, that Shae was almost lucky she was mute; even without her voice, it was nearly impossible for her to hide how she felt, to keep a secret.

Of course, she'd kept one rather large secret from every single person at the manor for the majority of her life, but he didn't know that.

Shaking her head, the ravenkeeper reached out to take Artemis's hand gently, pulling his fingers away from where he was pressing them into his thigh. She lifted his hand up and held it between both of hers for a moment, trying for that smile again as she tilted her head to the side. She released his hand to sign, You're right. I'm sure it will all be fine.

Even if she wasn't sure she believed it, it at least made her feel better to say.

Her eyes flicked back over her shoulder toward the door and her expression fell slightly. Looking back to him, she bit her lip and raised her hands to sign again, a little slow and halting: Could I...stay here a bit longer? Longer than usual, I mean. I...I'd rather wait until the courtyard is clear before going back to the aerie.

Artemis looked at Shae with a serene, almost indulgent expression. Did she even really have to ask him for permission to stay? He would allow her to stay here as long as she liked, even if she didn't ask him. He loved her, and he would do anything for her. If staying here was what it took for her to feel safe, then who was he to deny her?

"Of course," Artemis said quietly. "You can stay as long as you like. I'll even walk you back, if you want."

He turned to let her further into the shop, purposely moving his body to shield her from the sight of the soldiers marching into the estate, their commander moving to greet Barkus. Whatever they said, even Artemis couldn't hear, but from the expression on the lord's face, it wasn't what he'd expected to hear. Either way, Artemis didn't want to get involved. It was bad enough a couple of the soldiers had glanced over in his direction and had suddenly stiffened. Yet they didn't approach, and Artemis quickly closed the workshop's door to prevent them from getting any ideas. He'd let Barkus handle the explanation of his presence there.

Right now, he had to distract Shae.

"So," Artemis said, leading her over to his work bench, "want to see what I'm working on?"

He gestured to his table, showing her the various parts of a music box, all laid out to be cleaned, repaired, and then replaced. He picked up a small cogwheel, offering it and a rag to her. "Want to help?"

The tension Shae had been holding in her shoulders melted away and she smiled at him brightly. Thank you, she signed at his offer to walk her back. She didn't want to inconvenience him so she figured she'd probably make her excuses when she did eventually decide to return to the aerie, but even just the offer warmed her heart.

Her smile widened and she nodded happily, following him over to the worktable--hopefully not too eagerly, she didn't want to crowd him. She took the offered rag and cogwheel, then looked between her hands and him, head tilting slightly to the side. She nodded again, her smile back in place.

She had no idea what exactly he needed her to do in order to help, but she was happy to do it.

"All you have to do is polish the wheel, like this." He took her hands between his, and guiding hers, used the rag and the wheel, and gently rubbed the rag around the cogwheels' face and back, and between the spokes. Then he removed his hands from hers once she had gotten the idea, and gestured at the small pile on the worktable. "And there's a few more, if you finish that one. See how the grease is coming off? That wheel should be silver when you're done with it, not that blackish bronze."

Artemis turned then to find a seat for her, pulling a spare stool up to the worktable so she could sit and work. It also was so he could be close to her without invading her personal space, and he could work as well. He returned to his own stool and picked up a small needle and mallet, then leaned over the box itself and began to gently tap at something inside it.

"This music box is very important," Artemis said in a low voice, as if the very vibration of his words would cause him to make a mistake. "At least, that's what Barkus told me. So, once I fix the problem and put this back together, hopefully it'll make someone very, very happy."

Shae tensed slightly when he started showing her how he wanted the wheels polished; it wasn't the same tension that she used to have around him, before they knew one another, the kind of tension born of too many years flinching into corners and hiding herself in the shadows. It was a new tension, something warm and a little shivery that seemed to skitter up her spine more and more often around him, especially when he would do things like this--keeping close to her, protective, teaching her.

She shook her head when he moved away to get the stool, frowning slightly. She wasn't entirely naive, it wasn't like she had no knowledge of her own feelings. She was just convinced that it was silly, an infatuation that would eventually pass. And it wasn't worth risking the first really close relationship of her life to entertain those thoughts longer than a moment or two.

She glanced up when Artemis spoke again, nodding along to show she understood as her hands were busy and she couldn't sign to him. The tinkerer had become rather adept at reading her lips over the last few months however, so she mouthed slowly, It might be for his daughter. She married a few years ago. He sometimes sends her presents, things she liked when she was a girl.

It was a nice thought. It sometimes helped her to remember that Barkus was actually capable of kindness, even if it was almost never directed toward his staff.

She didn't have long to dwell on it though--a sudden rise in volume from out in the courtyard made her start, nearly dropping the wheel she held. It sounded like an argument, Barkus arguing with the captain of the soldiers at their gate, most likely.

Artemis shifted as he heard the arguing, but he hesitated to get up and go look. He didn't want to cause trouble for Barkus, and if the soldiers were arguing with him about Artemis's presence, the last thing he wanted to do was throw fuel on that particular fire. But looking at Shae's concerned face, the least he could do was make sure the lord was okay. He doubted that the soldiers would dare to harm Barkus with so many potential witnesses around. But... if it came down to that, and there was violence, Artemis would do anything to keep Shae safe, even if it meant burning this manor down around them and slaughtering anyone who chose to stand against him.

"Stay here," Artemis told her. "I'm just going to take a quick peek. I don't think it's anything serious, but better safe than sorry, right? Besides, it's too late for this kind of stuff to be taking place. Some people are trying to sleep."

He winked at her, then pushed away from the table and strode to the workshop's door, opening it a fraction to see what was taking place in the courtyard, and to see if Barkus needed any assistance. He doubted the man did, considering the loudest voice of all was coming from the lord, but there wasn't any reason to take unnecessary risks.

So Artemis opened the door further and stood in the threshold for a moment, then stepped out and closed the door behind him to shield Shae from seeing anything she shouldn't. But he didn't move forward further than that, awaiting Barkus's command or dismissal as the lord saw fit.

Barkus was either arguing or just speaking rather passionately with the leader of the group of soldiers that had arrived at the gate; it was difficult to tell with him, as he had that pretty much perpetual frown sketched across his face.

The merchant turned slightly when he caught sight of Artemis out of the corner of his eye. "You. Tinker. Is the raven keeper with you?"

It was sort of a rhetorical question; he'd seen Shae enter the shop, and would have noticed if she'd tried to sneak back across the courtyard to the stairs that led back up to the aerie. "Get her out here, I need her to send a message to these fine young men's commanding officer. They will be seeking shelter with us for a few days--by order of the Duke."

It was clear he wasn't entirely thrilled with the idea, but was in no position to refuse them.

Shae herself was waiting just behind the other side of the door, one ear pressed to the wood as she tried to listen to what was happening. Her eyes widened a bit; she'd thought she heard Barkus say that the soldiers were staying. For how long? Where would they put them all? Why?

"Sir," Artemis replied, bowing low as he was expected to do. He knew Barkus really didn't expect him to give him a straight answer. After all, he was certain that he'd seen Shae and had watched her enter the workshop. It wasn't like their friendship was a complete secret anyway. "I'll get her right away."

He turned back to the door and opened it just enough to slip inside. He glanced to the side as he saw Shae on the other side of the door, but pretended that he didn't see her at all, stepping into the workshop and closing the door behind him. He paused then, simply breathing. Then he looked at her and offered her a small smile.

"You heard him, didn't you?" Artemis lifted a hand and ran his fingers through his crimson hair. "I don't know why he wants to have you send a message for these soldiers, but you might as well hurry up and do as he asks. Do you... want me to walk with you?"

He was asking because he didn't trust the soldiers at all. He was asking because he didn't want Shae to be alone. He was asking because he could tell how scared and uncertain she was, and he didn't want her to feel scared. So he watched her face and he waited for her answer, his expression one of concern.

Shae jumped back from the door as though it was burning hot, eyes wide as she stood aside to give Artemis space when he entered the little workshop. She nodded once in response to his first question--she'd heard him, though she wasn't quite sure how she should react. Beyond getting her job done, of course.

Barkus rarely "lent" her to visitors for their own use; typically, if someone wanted a message sent, they had to go through him. But he had made it sound as though she would be taking the missives directly from the soldiers, which was...unusual, if not inherently suspicious or frightening.

...So why was she frightened?

At Artemis's second question she snapped her eyes up to his face, hesitated a moment, then nodded quickly. Her hands flew through her words: Yes, please. If it--Only if it's not going to cause trouble for you. You don't mind?

Artemis smiled, and he hoped that it was a gentle, loving one instead of one that seemed overprotective and frightening. That was the last thing he wanted to do to her, make her afraid. He could tell that she was already scared enough. The presence of the soldiers unnerved her - unnerved them both, if he had to be honest - but for her, it was more frightening. The soldiers might think twice before tangling with someone Artemis's size and strength, but they would have no qualms about trying to get into it with someone as small and demure as Shae. Especially since she couldn't fight back. Her station wouldn't allow her to do it, no matter if she really could or couldn't fight. Artemis, on the other hand, had no such qualms. He would fight those soldiers if they chose to attack him, and he would make sure that he was the last one standing. It would mean abandoning everything here, and leaving Shae behind, which would kill him as surely as any blade. To avoid that, Artemis was determined not to offer any resistance. Or, at the very least, defend himself in the most meager way possible.

"I don't mind," Artemis said at last, keeping his voice low. "You should know that by now. I don't mind doing anything for you."

He didn't know how she would take that sentence, but for him, it was an undeniable truth. He would do anything for her. He would kill. He would maim. He would steal and lie and cheat. He would do anything for Shae. To keep her safe. To keep her happy. To keep her innocent.

He looked toward the closed door, as if he could see through it to the soldiers and Barkus standing outside. Then he offered Shae his hand, palm up. "Come on. We shouldn't keep them waiting. I'll take you to the eyrie."

Her cheeks flushed, heat surging up through her body to settle in her chest, and she returned his smile a little shakily. She tried to tell herself that he hadn't meant that the way it sounded, that their friendship was too important to risk for something so silly, but her errant heart wouldn't listen, stubbornly skipping a beat in her chest.

Thank you, she signed gratefully, her smile turning into something smaller, relieved. She reached out to take his hand, trying to keep the touch light and gentle while privately basking in the warmth he emitted. She'd never known someone who just naturally ran as hot as he did. It was oddly soothing, sometimes.

Barkus was waiting for them with his customary frown in place, and he shot their joined hands a quick, sharp look when they emerged. "What, will the chit get lost on her way back to the tower?" he snipped, making Shae wince and duck her head. But he didn't seem to really be angry, more annoyed. Probably with the whole situation, but Shae was the easiest target for his frustration.

With a curt wave of his hand, the lord of the manor huffed, "Just get it done, and be quick about it. We want these men put up for the night as soon as we can manage."

Shae nodded quickly, releasing Artemis's hand to sign, Yes, sir, I understand.

Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw one or two of the soldiers watch the movement of her hands with sudden interest, but she didn't really pay it any mind. Plenty of people were taken aback or intrigued by her way of "speaking" the first time they encountered it.

Artemis didn't bother to answer Barkus, since he knew the question wasn't directed at him and he didn't think Barkus expected an answer. Really, his presence was just to comfort Shae and ensure that the soldiers thought twice before trying to tangle with him. So he was a solid wall between her and them, crossing behind their master as they headed across the courtyard. He could see the tenseness in Barkus's body, the anger radiating from the lines of his face. He didn't want these soldiers here. He didn't want to spend the money or the time to ensure their comfort and room and board. He probably also likely didn't want to open up anything to the soldiers, whether it was rooms or anything more. Also, Barkus likely didn't want to be caught with these men within his walls, lest the fires of war come to his estate and place him on one side or the other.

Artemis was careful not to touch Shae once she released his hand. It was bad enough Barkus had seen it, and the soldiers too, but he hoped that they had chalked the contact up to Shae being scared rather than just a symbol of Artemis's feelings for her. He simply moved with her, keeping his gaze forward as they walked across the courtyard to the eyrie.

Pitching his voice low, Artemis asked, "Do you want me to come inside with you?"

Three of the soldiers split off from the main group to follow Shae and Artemis up toward the manor; evidently these were the men either high enough in rank to be trusted with bearing messages, or were simply not good for much else.

Possibly both.

When they reached the door at the base of the tower, Shae paused and glanced up at Artemis, then back over her shoulder at the soldiers.

She did want him to come with her, but she thought that might seem...suspicious. And she didn't want to risk angering their guests, for fear of them reporting it back to Barkus for some reason and then--inevitably--he would find a way to be angry with her about it.

So she just smiled and shook her head, reaching out to lay her hand on his upper arm briefly for a moment, giving him a soft squeeze before she let go and took a step back to sign, It's alright, thank you though. I'll see you in the morning?

She glanced back at the soldiers again, gesturing for them to follow her as she started up the long staircase that led to the aerie.

"Odd little thing," one of the men muttered to his companion as they filed up the stairs after her. All three had been eyeing Artemis warily, but now that it seemed they'd be parting company with the strange red giant they had relaxed slightly. "D'you suppose she can't speak, or just doesn't want to?"

"You see the scar on 'er throat?" another of them scoffed, his voice echoing softly off the stone walls. "Garrote mark. Pro'lly crushed her throat. Wonder who wanted to hang her..."

Up ahead, Shae winced slightly, her step hitching for a moment. Unconsciously, she reached up to tug the collar of her shift higher, attempting to better hide the scar.

Artemis watched as the soldiers followed Shae into the eyrie, a strange tenseness in his muscles and in his hearts. He didn't think anything was amiss, for he'd heard what the soldier had muttered before the door had fully closed, and it bothered him. Still, he didn't want to cause problems for Shae. Having him come to her rescue when she didn't need to be rescued undermined her own authority, and it undermined her own confidence. Still, Barkus hadn't said that Artemis couldn't wait for the soldiers to leave the aerie and for Shae to return. So Artemis leaned up against the side of the building, folding his arms over his chest, and he closed his eyes, listening for the slightest sound that might sound like a problem. He hoped there wasn't one. He wasn't sure exactly what he would do if Shae sounded like she was in danger. Probably something stupid.

Artemis sighed and tightened his grip on his arms. Maybe he should've gone in after Shae. But she wouldn't have appreciated that, and it might even cause trouble for her. And yet, he couldn't get this strange feeling out of his hearts, that something was tightening like a drawn wire, and that that wire was about to snap, and destroy everything fragile near by upon its recoil.

Once she'd led the three men into the aerie, Shae got to work as quickly and efficiently as she could conceivably manage. She wanted these soldiers out of her aerie as fast as she could manage without seeming skittish or rude.

So she handed over some of her stock of parchment, gestured to a small table with pen and inkwell where they could write, and stood to the side to allow them to complete whatever message it was they had to send. As they did, she called down two ravens with a raised hand and a soft croaking sound.

One of the soldiers lifted his head as she did, narrowing his eyes at her in a strange, calculating sort of way. An instinctive chill ran down Shae's spine and she quickly ducked her eyes, stroking one of the bird's glossy black feathers with the back of her hand.

Once the messages were written they were handed over to her, already rolled and sealed. Shae quickly fastened the scrolls to the birds' legs before taking them to one of the lower windows and urging them out into the open air.

By the time she turned back, the three soldiers had left. She glanced around, then moved to the door, intending to shut it behind them, but she hesitated. Was there a chance Artemis was waiting at the base of the tower? She'd told him that she'd see him in the morning, but... She felt off. Nervous and twitchy. She knew being around her friend would make her feel better, even if only for a bit, but she didn't want to bother him for something so silly.