Private Finished A Little Birthday Cake Anyone?

Zoraida wasn't paying much attention to her aunt's ramblings. She was too focused on the fact that despite looking 25, she acted like an 80-year-old busybody, and had an uncanny knack of knowing who was sleeping with whom... She effectively could enter any room and tell you who was doing whom. Sighing, Zora chose to ignore Celeste, she also highly doubted any of what her aunt said did much more than amuse Broen.

So when they got to the kitchen to meet "the guest", Zora stopped suddenly in her tracks, causing Celeste to be yanked backwards and ask her what was wrong.

"You?" she stared dumbfoundedly at the elf everyone was looking for... then, slowly, she turned to her aunt, "What did you call him again?"

"Ain, his name is Ain," Celeste stated as she looked at Zora confused, "Why? Do you know each other?" she asked curiously as she looked from elf to niece.

"Yes, we do..... and you are both in danger," she said very worried as she looked at her aunt, Broen, then at Ain. "Oh, this is not good... " she said as she remembered the detective's words about them looking for the elf.

@Rockman

"In danger?" Celeste said her eyes growing wide, remembering the awful old woman and the lizardman. "What do you mean, Zori love?" Celeste asked, now concerned about something not being right.

Zoraida looked at Ain with some trepidation... "Has he not told you anything?" Zoraida asked slowly as she glanced sideways at her aunt, having forgotten the elf was mute.

"No, why?" Celeste asked as her gaze fell on Ain wondering.

At that, Zoraida swore once under her breath. Her aunt needed to know, yet at the same time, her and Shale might be safer not knowing anything.

"Have you been visited by anyone strange lately?" Zoraida asked cautiously. Needing to know how much had happened and what the Black Wings might know. She didn't think Tomas, if involved in any way, would hurt Celeste, but at this point, she wouldn't put it past him.

"Yess..." Celeste said as she glanced at Ain, "The day Ain arrived here, he was badly hurt, and two people came to the house looking for him. They made me anxious and I put up wards on the house immediately." she informed her niece.

"Wards? As in magic ones?" Zoraida asked.

"Yes, protection ones, runes... they seal the house..." Celeste explained with a nod.

"Good. Use them whenever you can." Zoraida said, ordered. "Keep the house secure as possible."

Then looking at the elf, Zoraida spoke, as she glanced over at Broen, he'd have to come with them too she realised. She had promised him no more secrets or games, "You and I should talk in the hall - away from Celeste..."

@Rockman

Gods, the tension was coming back, Zora realised unexpectedly as she turned her head slightly to glance back at Celeste when they entered the hall, and felt the familiar pull at her muscles there.

At Ain's gesture, Zora looked at her feet, at her fancy black stiletto heels, and took a moment to understand what Ain was getting at. "My shoes, you mean? Lord, you remember that?" she laughed despite herself. "I left them behind, didn't I?" she sighed - that had been a HUGE mistake on her part.

"The police found them, I'm afraid... " she said to Ain and grimaced, glancing up at Broen, he probably hadn't been aware of that detail, she thought with a mental sigh.

Frowning at this detail, lucky they had just been normal black pumps, new, nothing distinctive about them. They could have been anyone's. Not like the pair, she was wearing today, that were expensive, exclusive to one shop on the island, and might be traced back to her.

"The police are looking for you, and I think the Black Wings too," Zora said as looked at the elf with concern, "Also, what the bloody hell happened after I left?" she demanded, wanting to know why everyone thought she had brought down the whole warehouse and its occupants.

@Rockman

Zora crossed her arms in front of her and patiently watched Ain run around, do some weird flapping moments - she could only guess meant the Black Wings - maybe - and other assortment of strange hand gestures and body movements. Sighing at this, she felt a headache coming on. She was going to have a hard time getting any real explanation or concise information out of him if he couldn't talk to her.

When he was done, Zora looked at him steadily. "Maybe a yes and no thing might be better?" she said thinking of a better way to communicate.

"I'm guessing, you must have fought with the Black Wings after I left, no?" she asked Ain, fearing that that was indeed the reason they had all thought she was behind the attack that afternoon.

@Rockman

When Ain confirmed her suspicions, Zora just frowned a little and looked beyond the elf for a moment.

"Maldita sea...*" she swore under her breath, slipping into Spanish - a habit she had when she was very angry or extremely agitated. She was feeling dismayed but also just very angry. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down - she knew she couldn't change the past.

Furthermore, if her brother was involved, this may not have been avoided - or something worse may have happened. Fate moved in strange ways, and lately, it just seemed like she was being swept forward towards something unavoidable and there was no way to stop it.

Looking at Ain, she put aside her anger. She knew it would not help and just cloud her judgement. It also didn't help that he looked contrite, and like he hadn't meant for anything like this to have happened.

"Okay, next question... " she said, "Does anybody know you are here? Like friends, people on the street, Black Wings?"

@Rockman



*Damn it