She cast her mind outwards and felt his familiar presence. Sometimes he watched her in secret, but around half of the time now, unless he was having a private conversation, he let her have a vague understanding that he was there. He was currently sitting in an armchair, drinking heavily from a goblet. The image faded, then vanished as he realised she was watching and he cut it off, wordlessly. She paused and sighed.

“He is … resting just now,” she sniffed a little. “Drinking wine. I'm to let him know when Raevin is back.” She huffed, then paused and looked at Nevin, her eyes wet but her voice more sober. “Why don't you and Eteri go? Get rest, do whatever. I can send someone for you when Raevin is back. It will probably be hours.”

She saw Nevin draw in a deep breath, and his hand on her shoulder tightened a bit. “Alright. I- go sit down with one of the staff. I don’t think you should be alone in here right now.”

“I'm fine, Nevin,” she told him quietly. “I've been through a lot worse than this. There's still things I haven't told you about-” she broke off. “Nothing. Just go and rest. Actually Eteri,” she looked around to the nekojin.

“Can you make sure he gets rest?” Nevin blinked, and his right eyebrow rose. His posture straightened up and he narrowed his eyes.

“I assure you I am -”

Eteri gripped him tight and grinned. “Yes! Nevin can have all the blood and hugs till he is strong again.” The man looked like he wanted to protest at this, but Eteri just turned her eyes in his direction and gave him a wide grin. “If no listen Eteri will bite threads!” The alchemist curiously froze at that, and gave a slow nod.

“I.. think I am beaten, here.” He gave a wry smile and shook his head. “Stare. Come to the shop if anything happens alright?” His dark red eyes bored into hers.

The kenku quickly nodded. The alchemist blinked and tilted his head to the side and his eyebrow rose as he looked between the two women. “One question though. I know why refreshing myself with your blood will be helpful, love, but ah, why hugs? I do like them but…?’ He trailed off and a look of confusion was on his face.

Stare said nothing, and shrugged. She looked to Eteri and listened as the cat girl spoke. “Eteri just like hugs.” For a moment Stare looked at the two of them before she found herself curious about something. She blinked as at Eteri spoke and switched into her Aura Sight. There, the two auras stood out - the dirt brown and the strange void - but Stare ignored these and went straight for the epicentre of their souls, that being their heart chakras. First she delved as she had accidentally done so with Galatirion first, right into Nevin's chakra, focusing closer with narrowed eyes. The tri-coloured lines of power separated at her will, swirling back to give her an image. One that began with the sound of running water, causing her to pause and frown. Then, as she got nearer she began to see red, blood red but still clear water as a river.

And in the centre of that river, a large, obstructing rock. Stare blinked, quite surprised. The red River clearly symbolised blood, but the rock - well. It was firm and strong and unmoving. So Nevin considered himself an obstruction in the flow of his world, an unavoidable presence in what was becoming his own church. Her brows rose, but she said nothing as she moved over to look at Eteri. What she found there, surprised her though … a tree. Tall and spindly, but made of glass. Fragile, delicate, yet aiming to grow. Here stood before her two people - one a rock, the other a glass tree. Two people who strove to be more than life had given them. Stare room in a slow breath and moved back into the present.

“I see you,” she smiled a little. Nevin blinked, those dark, dark red eyes shifting as he raised an eyebrow at her. The man tilted his head to one side and looked to the catgirl, then back to the birdgirl.

“Well, yes, the lights haven't exactly gone out.” There was a tone of confusion in his voice as he tried to figure out what she was talking about. His arm had wrapped around Eteri’s shoulders as she gripped him tight, but it looked like he had given up arguing that he needed rest.