A Place in My Heart (insaney, Sakume)

Cadenza laid awake beside Rain until the first morning light edged past the horizon of blue draperies into the room. She still had hours left for her to get some sleep, she knew, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was just something she had to get up and do to prepare for the day ahead. Kate's bedroom furniture had arrived days before, and her room was already set-up fit for a princess, with its pink, handcrafted furniture, closet full of brand new outfits and shoes, small pink easel with boxes and boxes of crayons beside it for drawing, wallpaper adorned with hearts and pictures of cute ponies, and the dollhouse that took up nearly a quarter of the room. Cadenza had felt that the dollhouse was a bit excessive at first, but now, on the morning of Kate's first visit to the house since her room had been refurbished, she almost worried that it wasn't enough. There was nothing really left to do but wait, but she just couldn't seem to stay in bed.

As quietly as she could so as to not disturb Rain, she slipped out from under the bedsheets, and dressed in his long nightshirt that had been left on the floor. She planted a kiss on his cheek, whispered a very soft "I love you" by his ear and then tiptoed, still as quietly as she could, out of the room and into the hall. One last check to make sure things were perfect couldn't hurt, she thought. Maybe it'd at least calm her nerves and let her sleep. With that hope in mind, she gently nudged open the pink door to Kate's room and tiptoed in her bare feet inside, kneeling down by the large dollhouse and taking out some of the dolls to straighten them up.

She knew it was a little pointless, since the dolls would never be this orderly again after the first time they were played with, but she felt a little less anxious about the meeting coming today by busying herself with the small task. To Rain, she had already gushed a lot of things about Kate; about how sweet the girl was, about how excited she was to wake up and eat breakfast with her parents and spend time with them everyday, about how she was learning to ride a pony, and just any little memory that had already become precious to her in the short time they'd been together. To Kate, it had been a little harder to explain who she was going to meet today; only after several Disney references and comparisons had she finally managed to give the girl some kind of idea about how she felt about Rain and loved him, and even then, she felt like there had been far too many princesses with their dashing heroes and mermaids smitten with men involved in the explanation for it to be really clear. She wanted so very badly for the whole introduction and just their relationship in general to go well.

Rain had put on a pair of pajama pants and come to lean in the doorway while she was still kneeling by the dollhouse, thinking and organizing the fairly large population of dolls.

"Having fun, Latina...?" he said with a soft smile, looking at the dolls in her hands.

She whirled around at the sound of his voice with a face that was already flushing pink, feeling self-conscious about the silly thing she'd been found doing until he simply chuckled and came over to hug her gently, mussing the hair of one of the Ken dolls until it looked a little like his own.

"I'm excited too," he told her, still wearing the little smile, "come on, let's go get dressed and have some breakfast, and the big day will come before you know it and you won't have to wait so anxiously anymore."

He took her hands and stood, helping her back up, and even though she was still nervous she couldn't help giving him back a little smile of her own. Yes, she was still worried about the day... worried about how two of the people she cared for most would like each other, but... with an angel like Rain, and a princess like Kate, she didn't know how they couldn't come to love each other, even if it would take some time...

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A couple of hours before it was time to go, Louis persuaded himself out of the warmth of his bed, as he always did, with the promise of a big, hearty breakfast and the hope to make it another good day for his beloved daughter. He figured Kate was excited, and maybe couldn't even sleep with the idea of going to visit her mom and seeing her nice new room buzzing around in her head, and so even more than usual he was going to have to cook up something to give them both energy for the day. Grabbing his floppy old hat from the bedside table, he trudged sleepily out of the room through the door in one of the trees with dreams of sizzling sausage and two-inch thick blueberry waffles drizzled in syrup already dancing around in his mind as he started crossing the big, green meadow of his central Dome room.

There were signs that Kate had gotten up to get herself a glass of water in the middle of the night left in the kitchen through the door in another tree; a dripping faucet not quite shut off, a stepping-stool by the sink, and a little flowered cup on the counter. Louis saw that he was right about her having trouble getting to sleep. Knowing Cadenza, she was probably feeling much the same way, although for different reasons. Kate had talked all yesterday about meeting Mommy's... well, there were a bunch of Disney heroes' names she had used, much to his amusement, but basically they had all meant the man Mommy loved, but even more so, she had talked about seeing her new room. The minstrel had a feeling more of the nervousness was about the meeting someone new, and more of the excitement was for the room. He really, deeply hoped for Cadenza and Kate's sakes that the meeting today went well. He'd seen Rain before at Zorlo's wedding, and heard about him other times, and he had no doubt that he was a nice man and should get along with his daughter given the chance. His friend Cadenza was a good judge of character.

At his grumbling tummy's urging, Louis selected eight or so links of juicy breakfast sausage and placed them in the sizzling pan that awaited. Little footsteps crunching grass told him that his daughter was on her way, possibly following the scent of breakfast cooking. When the oaken door creaked open, he was just pouring some waffle batter into the iron.

"Morning, sweetheart," he called out when she came in. "Sausage and waffles on the menu today."

OoC: I think my peak creative hours must be between the hours of 1 and 3 AM or something. x33

OoC: I think I'd agree.

BiC: Kate rubbed the sleep from her eyes, still in her yellow pj's spotted with the pink hearts all over them. She yawned, a distinct, cooing sound soft enough to be mistaken for a pair of doves. "Morning, Daddy," she greeted him, a still-groggy smile on her face. "Mm... it smells good!" She still felt quite tired, despite her excitement for seeing her room. She hadn't been able to sleep well, hence the trip several times to get repeated drinks from the faucet. It had been hard enough to reach it.

Clenched in her hand was the rag-like ear of her bunny, the pink faded from its once rich ear color to a barely-distinguishable cream color. She dragged him beside her, his exterior still wet with the kisses from the dew on the crisp grass. Once close to Louis and able to see him move, she contentedly plopped into a nearby chair at the table, nestling her head down upon the table and letting her eyes close.

The ministrel smiled at the picture of perfect peace she exemplified. He turned back to his cooking for the moment, until his daughter's voice reached his ears.

"Daddy?"

He turned back to her, though she hadn't moved from her lax position. "Yes, sweetie?"

Kate tried to think about how to ask this question. It didn't make sense and being six years old, six-and-a-half in her book, she needed to know the answers to everything. "How come Mommy wants Mr. Rain to be her prince and not you?" She had a vague idea of how Rain and Cadenza loved one another, but she had not wondered until this point why Louis and Cadenza did not feel that way.

This had never proven a concern yet, but now that Cadenza had someone she loved, and would probably consider marriage with eventually, it would have to be explained. The only difficulty therein- how would Kate understand? He paused. Cadenza and Louis did share something- they both loved the little girl with all their hearts. Carefully choosing his reply, he decided it best to explain succintly as possible. "Well, sweetie... Daddy and Mommy do love each other and look after one another. We just do it differently than a normal family." Perhaps not the best choice of words, but Louis didn't want to risk making Kate upset with a concept she couldn't understand. He also wanted to make sure she understood the chances of Cadenza and himself together as anything more than good friends were slim to none.

Maybe he should get to a main point and let her have two father figures. Was there anything wrong with that? "The most important thing to remember, buttercup, is that we both love you ." He bent down to her level and ruffled her hair, tickling her skin with his stubble as he brushed a kiss to her cheek.

She giggled, wriggling in her chair as she soon began to laugh. "Daddyyyy! Stop!" she managed to say with a bright smile on her face, hugging his neck tightly and nuzzling against his collarbone. He was her Savior, her King, her Protector, and she loved him more than she loved anyone in a long time, especially males. Being kidnapped by a man, and being roughly treated as well as seeing how roughly males generally treated one another made her much less favorable towards them. She didn't like their tallness, their intimidation, or their broad, gruff bodies and actions as much as women and their sleek, soft ways. She also didn't like men nor women who tried to hard to be her friend, instantly wanting to touch her, play with her, and corner her. She preferred a catious, timely approach as if Kate were a wild animal, giving her time to adjust to the person.

A smell of cooking sausage drew Louis's attention back to the food and before it had the chance to burn, he began to rise, unconsciously drawing Kate still clinging to his neck with him. He supported her with an arm between her legs and one hand going to the food, laughing to himself. Having one arm to cook with wasn't as easy, but Kate seemed so happy and contented in his arms he felt pained with guilt at the thought of letting her go.

As he set her down, a small extra padding in her seat to boost her a bit further up, she picked up a fork in one hand and a spoon in the other, Louis going the extra mile to cut her food for her. Although she was six and fully capable of doing some things or should have been able to do more for herself, Kate rather enjoyed having people treat her as she was now and didn't want things to change. She stabbed a piece of the moist, warm waffle, chomping down on it and chewing while swinging her feet under the table and humming a small song with no particular rhythm.

Once the bite of Louis's breakfast entered her mouth, her posture straightened and she uttered a little moan of happiness, the tarty blueberries leaving her taste buds screaming for more godliness. She finished her plate too quickly and stared for only a moment at the traces of syrup before Louis encouraged her to wash her hands, leading her to the sink. The lost breakfast faded from her mind as she remembered her trip to her second room at Mommy's house. However, due to excitement, sugar rush, and pleasant dreams she chattered about to her Daddy, one detail had temporarily faded from her memory- Rain.

"I'm excited too."

Rain stopped what he was doing for a brief moment, his mind, thoughts taking over his abilities to move as he looked deep into his memories. A daughter, he thought, and not biologically... This sounded so familiar to him; not that he would forget something like this. He had a 'daughter' of his own... a long time ago; but she was still his... just... he was not allowed to see her. Only once a century, that was the deal, wasn't it? But knowing himself, he'd defy them and stay with her longer, only to have his mortality rushed back into him the second he went over the limit.

"Jessica..." he whispered it out loud, not knowing if Cadenza heard him. He didn't even know if she was nearby, only that she was around...somewhere, probably trying to make things perfect for when Kate gets here. And part of him wished that Jessica was coming here, too. It's been so long since he thought of her; he lifted his hands to wipe his eyes a little. That was when he realized his fingers were grasping something... a fork? At the same time, a scent tickled his nose, it smelled odd, like...

"Ah! The eggs are burning!"


* * *


Tired, tired. She was tired of the same thing, over and over. Moving closer to where the rumors and trail were the hottest only to pick up some fading clues; get her mind off of things by enjoying her own performance, and then moving on again. Over and over, wash, rinse, repeat. Hearing rumors, new town, lose the trail, perform, leave. Again and again.

The "Lady Eyes" just felt like closing them most of the time. Wishing she could make her memories real again. For a moment, while she was walking, she made the figure of Rain walk alongside her; but when she looked at it, her heart sank--not because she missed him, but because she felt that the illusion was hazy, and that it was not perfect, it wasn't like Rain at all.

It was sad, feeling like she had trouble remembering--it was so long ago. But she could never forget the voice that said, calmly and softly, and with a smile, "Jessica."

This time, she had made up her mind; if she had not found one solid lead in the next small town over, she would... reluctantly... quit this search 'forever'; she couldn't reasure herself that she would, but... she would try.

"...Jessica?"

Cadenza felt then as if she had come in at the worst moment, the new tablecloth in her hand drooping a little when she heard the name whispered. But there was no time to ask about that just yet, because along with that whisper, the smell of smoke clouded her senses, and she rushed over to Rain at the stove, flinging the clean yellow tablecloth towards the table where it landed like a parachute full of air.

"It's... it's just the eggs, I'm sorry..." he told her, looking down as he shut off the fire and stared at the two charred shapes in the sizzling pan. That assurance didn't appease the fire alarm, though, and it went off wailing for minutes until Cadenza had to just yank out its batteries for a moment to get the incessant noise to stop. His words hadn't put her to ease, either... because she knew it wasn't "just the eggs"--there was a reason for why he'd drifted off and let them burn. For why he... whispered that name.

It wasn't something that could just wait until Kate got here... she wanted everything to be perfect for that time. For all of them to be happy... not for there to be unspoken issues lingering in the air. She rested her hand gently on his shoulder, steering his attention back, away from the burned breakfast, and looked up into his eyes.

She wanted to phrase this as delicately as possible, but the best, the most direct thing she could say was, "Who's... Jessica?"

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Louis just smiled and gave little replies or chuckles in turn as Kate gushed away about her excitement and he washed the breakfast dishes. They were to be leaving for Cadenza's house a little before lunchtime, and he hadn't the faintest idea how to keep the girl occupied before then, when it was everything on her mind and every word coming out of her mouth.

So he just smiled again, and suggested a short ride around the meadow with Eram, the girl's Christmas pony, before it was time to go. That would maybe help work off some energy.

"Who's... Jessica?"

He knew that question was coming from the time he knew that she had heard. To him, she seemed to be preparing herself for a world of heartache before he even began to answer. For a moment, he glanced at the burnt breakfast before he felt her hand on his shoulder. She looked straight into his eyes and asked him that question. She inhaled right after, preparing herself.

"Would you..." Rain smiled a tiny bit, trying to lighten the air from the heavy, burnt smell, "would you believe I named one of the eggs Jessica?" He chuckled a little, but when he found that she only glared more instead, fell silent again... and his eyes wandered.

"Latina..." he sighed softly, "...Jessica was--is my daughter... I met her a long time ago. And... some things happened and we got separated. Talking about Kate just reminded me of her..."

But he knew he wouldn't stop talking just yet. He knew that Cadenza would want to know more about 'Jessica'. If she expects the worst about things, she might think that he was lying--and at that very moment, he wondered, If she expects the worst about things, then does that mean she expects their relationship to turn out badly, too...?

He shook his head clear of the thought and looked at her.

"She's my daughter... that's all, 'Denza."

Kate couldn't help but show off, just a tiny bit. Maybe a little more. Maybe just a little more. She was learning quickly and had a talent, according to Mr. Hunter. Eram sensed Kate's excitement, whinnying as he trotted freely about the starkingly green meadow. Kate snuggled his mane, hugging her pony and returning to Louis as he clapped. "Thank you, thank you," she said loudly, giving a few clumsy bows.

"Very good, sweetie!" Louis picked her up from Eram's back and held her close enough to kiss her forehead. "I'm very proud."

Kate snuggled for a few moments, then looked up at him. "Are we leaving now? I wanna see my new room reaaaally bad!" The ride about the meadow had only succeeded in temporarily distracting her from her ultimate excitement for the day. "And you and me and play in it, Daddy, and I can have two different rooms. But don't forget I need to get Bunny before we leave, okay?"

Louis chuckled, producing the rabbit from behind him. "You mean... this bunny?" He made the rabbit give his daughter eskimo kisses. "He came along to see how well you ride. He's very impressed, too."

Kate giggled as her bunny leaped out, guided by Louis's free hand not holding her up. She finally snatched him and held him close. "Thank you, Daddy... I hope he likes the new room too. I know he likes it in your room 'cause there's so much grass, but I think he'll like it in Mommy's house because I'll be happy and if I'm happy, he's happy. He used'da talk to me sometimes, but not anymore. I guess that means he's real happy."

Cadenza let the breath she'd been holding go, and looked up at Rain.

"I believe you, carino," she said sincerely, and she lifted the hand that had been on his shoulder, and let it come to a rest against his cheek, her thumb caressing his skin softly. She smiled at him, a smile of trust, something she hadn't been able to give in years before she met him... for once, she had someone again that she could accept the words of at face value. Her Rain wouldn't lie to her, she felt that deep in her heart. So that meant Jessica was his daughter, and that was that.

Her thumb continued to stroke his cheek, even as her smile slowly faded, and she looked back down at the eggs, taking the handle of the pan from him to dump them in the trash.

"You said though... that some things happened... and you got separated from her...? So that means... you don't know where she is anymore?" she frowned a little, looking back at him as she put the pan that still stank of smoke and ash into the sink to cool. She couldn't imagine being separated from Kate like that... not seeing her for years.

Rain shook his head a little sadly.

"Well... how... how did you get separated...? Maybe... you know, I still have a lot of contacts in the Dome... maybe we could find her..."

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"...I'm sure, sweetie. Seeing you happy would lighten anyone's heart."

Louis wondered if the last thing she'd said... had she thought her bunny could talk, before...? Was she... that alone, that she had created a friend in him like that? And now... maybe she no longer needed that, with her mommy and daddy around... a child's imagination was an amazing thing.

He remembered her other question, and had a look at the clock he'd hung in the knothole of a tree. It was nearing lunchtime at the Dome... he wasn't sure how close that was to his friend's Earth's time, but... it couldn't hurt to leave soon. He began to fetch a few things he'd bought as housewarming gifts, and helped as Kate and Hunter hitched up Eram in his stable, before announcing that it was time to go.

"Let's start on our way to Mommy's, honey!"

And for a moment, his face lit up right after she spoke those words. And in return, he was speechless--the thought of seeing and hugging Jessica again had suddenly flooded his mind. He smiled at Cadenza for a moment, his heart was beating faster.

"You... could? Latina, you'd do that...?"

But then he remembered... right after he asked that question. His thoughts were replaced by memories. Memories of when he had been brought back to life by the angels...and their breaking of the Covenant to create a Grim Angel. Breaking the Covenant demanded that something be given--so the angels decided to give the Grim Angel's power of flight... but that wasn't enough... it demanded more.

And with some odd cruelty, they decided to take Jessica from him. One day, every century, was all he was allowed. Staying over that limit would strip his powers, and force all his years into him at once--and aside from that, they mentioned a threat to Jessica, too...

"... It won't work..." he whispered to her, his voice becoming raspy as his heart became heavy; something stuck in his throat. "The deal for my life... I'm not allowed to see her--only once every century... I-I'm not sure...but what if it happens here...? I'll die...and I don't know what'll happen to her..."

He turned away from Cadenza, picking up some utensils again and looking at the stove. "I'll...start breakfast again."



* * *


"It feels like I'm forgetting..." She stood still on the road she was walking on. It wasn't a well traveled road; so it was perfect for her. Or rather...what she was about to do. She tried to make an image of Rain, how she remembered he looked when he first met her. But the illusion came out hazy and distorted. She remembered the long hair and gold eyes...and the smile.... but his face, how exactly it was shaped, the clothes he liked to wear. The length and breadth of his arms and fingers escaped her at that moment...

...And she waved her hand at the image, making it disappear.

"And then... it feels as if, somehow, I'm closer than before." She frowned and began walking again.

She stopped a few steps later.

In the middle of the road stood a bird. Not just any bird... an eagle. A silver one, and when it blinked, its sea-green eyes shone in the setting sun.

And as it flapped its wings... something about it seemed... so familiar.

OoC: This post bothered me. I don't like going so deep into another character's mind, but I feel I covered it pretty well. Am I correct in assuming so?

BiC:

"Are we there yet?"

"Not yet, sweetheart."

She waited for a few moments. "Are we there now?"

"No, not yet, Kate."

She sighed, waited for what seemed an eternity, and spoke again. "Are we there now?"

"We'll get there faster when you don't ask," Louis replied, his expression clearly tired of the repetative question. "We're almost there. Just be patient and soon you'll see Mommy and the new house and your new room and everything else..." He didn't mention Rain, perhaps on purpose because of his uncertainty involving Kate's reaction. He didn't want to frighten her or make her nervous; she already had enough trouble adjusting to new people, but the concept of Rain being much closer to her might prove intimidating. He knew it was difficult for Kate to open up to anyone as much as she was with him.

"You know, Daddy, when we get there, you can play with me and Mommy, too! We'll have soooo much fun! I wonder what it looks like, and what-" as she gushed on, Louis returned to his thoughts.

Would Rain treat Kate as lovingly as he hoped? Was the man ready for that? He seemed a good man, honest and truly devoted to Cadenza from what Louis had seen so far, but still... there was a difference in letting him love a friend who needed it so badly, and a daughter who Louis had needed just as badly. He mused about a possibility of Cadenza and Rain marrying. What then? The concept of Cadenza and himself not marrying but being Kate's parents was hard enough for his little girl to understand, but what if she were confronted with two fathers? Would... he be replaced?

A horrified sensation briefly struck him. Kate was everything to him. To have her see another man as her Daddy, as... her protector, it wasn't that Louis was particularly jealous, just... Papa... it was a special bond only he had with Kate. To have it taken away, or shared... it would mean inadequacy, pain... failure. He would not ever have something... shake up his daughter's world. Not like that. Not again. He couldn't take that failure again. Once was enough, but again?... he simply couldn't take it.

"Papa? Why are you crying?"

Louis smiled, noticing his eyes watering. He laughed a little to put his precious girl at ease, bending slightly to wipe at his tears. "Something must've gotten into my eye, sweetie."

"Oh.. okay..." Kate smiled, her mood returning. "Oh, look, Daddy! Is that it?"

There had to be some kind of loophole they could use. Cadenza used to thrive off finding loopholes, finding some tiny little opening to maneuver through to get to what she needed or wanted. If you poked enough holes into a situation, she thought, you'd either find a way in, or the whole thing might sink. Already the gears in her head were turning, trying to think of a way to make the former happen, as the sounds of eggs being cracked and sizzling in the pan vaguely registered in her ears.

Rain was shifting them around on the fire a little disheartened, making only small enough movements to keep the eggs from sticking onto the pan.

"Rain... what if... you saw her here...?" Cadenza asked, "Would all the rules still count, even though... whoever enforces those rules isn't around...? It's a completely different world... they shouldn't be able to know, so you could..."

The gypsy fell silent when her boyfriend merely continued to stand still, sliding the pan around slightly as she'd spoken. Was he thinking it over...? Either way, she began feeling a little guilty for pushing the issue on him. Maybe... there wasn't a loophole there after all... it just didn't seem right. To keep someone from their daughter... it made her start to sizzle with anger even hotter than their breakfast. He should get to see her!

All her annoyance and rage with the situation subsided for the moment, though, when the doorbell rang.

"My friend, it's us--Kate and Louis here to see you!"

A little excited squeal from Kate punctuated the end of that announcement.

Cadenza looked back at Rain a little nervously, switching off the stove and reaching for his hand to bring him along with her, before she called back, "Coming!" and started for the front door.

"It's a completely different world... they shouldn't be able to know, so you could..."

This changed everything, didn't it? From what Rain had learned while he was here, this world was watched over by the Spirit beings and not the angels... so if Jessica were to be brought here, does it mean that they would be able to stay?

The Grim Angel looked down at the pan in his hand, stirring it around. He wanted to be overjoyed, but he was worried. What if it still happened? Jessica would lose him and he would lose his life. He would be leaving Cadenza behind...and Kate, Cadenza's own daughter... the little girl he hadn't met yet.

But... if he could see Jessica again... and what if she stayed? At that moment, Rain imagined himself lying down next to Cadenza during the night and telling her something along the lines of "If...you don't see me in the morning... I'm sorry." All his years would come back to him at once...and he'd be changed to dust.

"I need to see her..." he whispered to Cadenza as she suddenly took his hand and tugged him toward the front door. He hadn't heard the doorbell, but it was apparent that Kate and Louis were standing outside. The gypsy had looked at him for a moment, and Rain exhaled, shoving aside his current thoughts to allow new ones as Cadenza opened the door.

She greeted Louis as Rain looked down at the little girl who Cadenza knelt down for, giving her a tight, loving squeeze. Rain shook Louis's hand and shared a pleasant exchange of 'hellos' and introductions. And after, he bent his knees, sitting on his heels to go down to Kate's height.

"Hello, Kate, isn't it?" He smiled pleasantly, invitingly, hoping that she wasn't intimidated by him...or at least by his eyes; they were not a natural colour, he knew, "I'm Rainy." He chuckled softly, "It's very nice to meet you."


* * *


The bird...! The bird was chasing her. She grasped her gashed arm and kept running at full speed straight ahead, smashing through small twigs and branches that hung in her way. Her teeth gritted together as she went through several things in her mind: she didn't know where she was running to; the thing seemed to dive bomb her as soon as she went off its path... she couldn't forget that; the thing's talons gave her a bad slash on her upper arm. Illusions didn't work on it... whatever she did, it would just see right through and come straight for her; she tried several different illusions, too.

She was on the verge of crying from frustration when she just... 'came across' an odd, miniature cottage made entirely of logs. It was an odd little thing; it looked new, and it was thin...extremely thin, as if it were made up of a single hallway from the front door onward. In a fret, she barged in and slammed the door behind her. She tried catching her breath, turning to lean on the...marble walls?! Jessica jumped forward suddenly, a figure appearing in front of her.

"My name is Altair," the silver haired girl bowed, her hair and eyes strangely resembling the colour of the bird from before, "you have entered the Dome; do not panic... It is entirely safe." The girl smiled for a brief, emotionless moment.

"You'll see Rain soon."

Jessica's heart jumped out of her chest.

It smells like burned food... she thought as she walked inside the house. The smile on her face faded as if a fire had been doused, turning into a blank, stunned expression. She remembered with a jolt of realization about Rain and instincts took over as she fled to the safety behind Louis's legs. While Cadenza bent to hug her, she couldn't remain behind her Papa's figure and returned the hug.

She shyly watched Rain lean down to her height and introduce himself. His voice, soft and gentle, made her feel more comfortable. She didn't make eye contact with him, but she did remember her manners, and feeling secure, she replied. "Hello, Mr. Rainy." She held out her Bunny and using a hand made him wave a paw, speaking in a higher, squeaky voice obviously meant for him. "Hello!"

Louis chuckled, pride and love sparkling in his eyes. Kate was progressing. She would have never opened up even in the slightest immediately after meeting Louis and Cadenza, and now she was speaking to strangers on her own.

"Mommy?" Kate turned her attention back to Cadenza. "Can I see my room?"

"Oh, of course, sweetie," Cadenza beamed at her, "I've been waiting to show you for days, I really think you're going to like it," she told her, sweeping the girl up into her arms, and heading for the stairs.

And in her mind, she added a little, At least, I hope so...

Louis and Rain followed after them up the staircase, listening as Kate tried to pry some details or hints about her room from her Mommy, and all Cadenza did was give a laugh and tell her, "Yooou're going to have to wait and see!"

Kate would giggle in protest, squirming when her mom tickled her tummy a little teasingly, and call out, "But Mommyyy, I want to know!"

The girl wouldn't have to wait long, though, because soon Cadenza was turning to a pink-painted door, and turning the knob slowly for a little more anticipation to build up, her daughter's eyes widening as the wooden slab swung back on its hinges and sunlight and pinkness filled her vision.

Kate gave a gasp, and the gypsy quickly let her down to explore, letting her run from the giant dollhouse, to the big pink bed with the heart-shaped headboard and footboard, to the easel where her mom had drawn her a small picture of a bunny with flowers, and the open closet full of new clothes and shoes. Kate let out a squeal at each new discovery, exclaiming to Mr. Bunny how pretty her new dresser was, or how nice a new hat from the chest full of dress-up clothes looked on her in the mirror. The adults looked on in delight, not able to help the smiles and laughs that came to them as they watched the adorable little girl run around her new room.

When Kate had finally stopped to take a breath, and stood in the center of the room, just looking all around, her Mommy came over to her and bent down, smiling brightly at her. "So... you like it all...?" she asked, looking relieved after seeing how positively the girl had reacted, "Everything's perfect, sweetie...? Did Mommy forget anything?"

OoC: I hope I did okay with portraying Kate. ^^;;

Ooc: You did fine. <3 Ugh... short posts... I hate short posts...

BiC: "Nope! Nothing!" Kate squealed, stopping in the center of the room and feeling so content she thought her heart might burst. "I love it, Mommy! I love it all so much!" She threw her arms around Cadenza's neck and hugged her tightly.

"Aren't you lucky, sweetie? You get two rooms!" Louis exclaimed, happy to see his little girl ecstatic over her new room.

Kate uttered a small gasp. That's right! How lucky she was, to have two rooms! And both of them so full of things she could have hours of fun with! It was all too much for her! She practically melted into Cadenza's arms, sighing again in satisfaction. "It's perfect..."

"It's perfect..."

Rain smiled brightly at that, but when he looked around the room, he realized that he had forgotten one thing. Cadenza had organized this room solely for Kate and Rain hardly had any input in such a matter... but he wanted to do something for Kate, he wanted her to feel that he welcomed her with open arms and...maybe, not right now, but later, she could call him something similar to 'dad' one day.

So, with little hesitation, he stepped forward into the middle and stealthily let a few of those reddish paper butterflies flutter out of his sleeve and around the room. Three of them floated around lazily, often flapping their paper thin wings to reach a point where they could just sit and rest. They were not to bother the little girl at night, and stay only in this room. Other than that, they were just allowed to fluttered around all day, never really tiring at all.

He turned to look at her, smiling, hoping that she liked his little piece of input.

* * *

She had been following this... creature in this odd place for a long while. The seconds seemed to fancy themselves minutes, and took as long to pass and let a new one start. She looked like a young girl to Jessica's eyes, but she didn't 'feel' like one. In fact, she felt familiar; her demeanor was almost entirely similar to Rain's when the two had first met, before Rain decided to open up to her.

"Here." Altair stood to the side of the darkened corridor. They were at the end of it, and Jessica's eyes had followed the motion of Altair's arm unfolding and motion at the door in front of her.

The door itself wasn't much, truthfully, it looked just like the inside of a closet door: undecorated and almost...plain. Jessica stepped forward and looked over the odd, wooden door. It was at that moment that she felt that she was actually inside a closet: the walls were dark and the light was far off.

"Knock." Altair spoke again, causing Jessica to make a nervous glance at her. When she turned back to the door, the vampire felt the girl's eyes on her for the time she took to raise her arm to the door.

When she had knocked on the door three times, that feeling, along with the girl, was gone.

Cadenza had always loved the butterflies, from the first time he had showed her them. They were light little things, so carefree, just fluttering on their own... they seemed like they should be in a field of flowers somewhere, petals and stems swaying gently in the breeze. Looking at them took her somewhere peaceful.

"Oh, look at the butterflies, Kate!" she exclaimed to her daughter, putting her to sit up on her lap as she let one of the gentle creatures come to a rest on her outstretched hand as if it were a blossom. "Aren't they pretty?"

Her daughter watched the butterfly crawl lightly across her mother's hand with wonder and awe. Cadenza smiled up at Rain, nuzzling into the girl's hair a little and whispering to her, "You know, Rain made these paper butterflies just for you... why don't you tell him thank you? For Mommy, please...?" she gave her a little encouraging squeeze, before she was interrupted by an sudden series of knocks on a door.

Louis blinked, turning towards the hall at the sound. "That... sounded like it came from your closet door, 'denza. You think some things fell and hit the door...?"

"I... don't know, maybe. Can you go see...?"

The minstrel nodded, watching as the woman mouthed the words "Dome door" to him, and went out into the hall. There was another gentle knock from the other end, and then silence... Louis strode up to the wooden door and grasped the handle, turning it as he said, "Hullo, who is it...? Can we help you?"

There on the other side, a young, dark-haired girl, no older than twenty it seemed, gaped back up at him from across the threshold.

"Hullo, who is it...? Can we help you?"

She didn't know this rugged-looking man. Okay, rugged was maybe an overstatement, he wasn't exactly large or build very strongly, but he looked fit and calm enough and his eyes seemed to give off this friendly look about it. And after she noticed that and the way he said 'hello', the man just appeared as totally friendly.

"I-I..." she stuttered when she realized where she was standing. Inside a closet in someone's house. "Someone guided me here," she spoke softly, "and told me to knock on this door... I don't know where this is or how I got here." Jessica stepped out unknowingly, her body finding the space a little cramping.

"She told me that... I'd see Rain..."


* * *


Kate looked up to him, but she didn't have to look all the way up. He knelt down for her and smiled with a gentle charm to try to put the girl at ease if she was too shy to say anything.

"Thank you, Mr. Rain," she said softly. Rain responded just as softly, in a serene tone, smiling, "You're very welcome, Ms. Katey."

And at that very moment, he felt his heart make an extra beat. He blinked, the sense of someone else in the house. Another vampire. He looked down at Kate, and she seemed puzzled at his faded smile. When she blinked, he put up another one, just for her. And... for the fact that this feeling felt incredibly familiar, like he stood next to this person before.

Rain stood up and looked at Cadenza, who was smiling and holding Kate. Swiftly and silently, he slipped out of the room and headed towards the source of this feeling. He thought, at that moment, Cadenza could have sensed it too, since she could have sensed shadows. She did glance up at him just as he left the room, but perhaps she took longer to emerge because she wanted Kate to be safe.

The moment the girl came into his sight, he tried to exhale, but his breath froze. Jessica looked right back at him, and for a long moment, there was a dead silence. Her silvery eyes darted all over him, seeming to tear up more and more with each feature she took in.

Slim, tall, She watched from the ground up, lithe...gold eyes! She gasped, her eyes filled with tears, his scent! His scent is slightly different but...he's still...he's still... She looked over him once more in disbelief... is this a dream? Slim, tall... those unmistakable gold eyes and dark hair..! Immediately, she burst into tears and tackled him, burying her face into his clothes and crying loudly into them.

"You..." she cried, muffled, "...You cut your haaaiiirr...!" She seemed to start crying afresh then, letting out a muffled wail as she clung to him tighter.

Rain's body thawed as she warmed him, his lips curling into a small smile as he wrapped his arms around her tightly, nuzzling into her hair. He would have to tell his story to Cadenza and Jessica--the latter would want the explanation the most... but... it would be worth it, wouldn't it? And hopefully, she'll be able to stay without breaking the deal... this was another world, after all.

OoC: Aiko, post in Water and Oil mix!

BiC: Like her mother, Kate had always loved butterflies. In fact, they were among the few bugs she did enjoy looking at or playing with at all. She watched the few of them flit through the air without a care. Will I have to feed them? What do butterflies eat? Are they a family of butterflies? she thought.

"Thank you, Mr. Rain." It was generated more because of her mommy asking rather than her own desire to talk to the man, but at least he was smiling. Until it faded.

Kate tilted her head ever so slightly feeling as if she had said something wrong. Hadn't she said thank you? She had just begun to wonder if she should say something else when his smile returned. Then, he was gone.


*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

...Another world indeed.

"You seem troubled."

"Brilliant deduction," he spat with a curled sneer on his face. "Tell me, how did you come about it?"

Ruin sighed mentally. "Do you wish to talk about it?"

"Tell me, Ruin," Marcus began, "if this Jessica person becomes part of the family, don't you think she'll need to be edited into the contract?"

"I don't know. She won't affect Kate unless Rain becomes something to Cadenza. More than just a friend."

He chuckled, reaching for a saucer of steaming tea beside him and sipping it casually. "A friend... I swear, even Pyralis, being a pile of dirt and flame was less idiotic... this Rain fellow is far more than a friend to Cadenza already. Can't you see it? I've known it since I looked back to their little cruise together."

Ruin ignored the insults. "Looked back?"

"Of course. I have to know about pasts, don't I? And futures. But futures are never certain. Things always have an opportunity to change..."

Ruin wasn't sure how to respond. For the past few weeks, Marcus had been growing slightly unstable. At least, more so than usual. He would talk in sentences that didn't make sense, change his personality without a moment's notice. "I suppose."

Marcus scoffed and flung the saucer aside as it hit the ground, the delicate glass breaking. "We have to keep watch..." He glanced out of the corner of his eye towards the shattered remains. "Clean that up."

Cadenza stood in the doorway, watching the long-awaited reunion. She had to ask herself... why was she standing over here, like she was timid...? She'd always just strode up to a new person before and introduced herself if need be, whether the person liked it or not. So... why was she nervous now?

She's... his daughter.

It was summed up as simply as that. She'd worried before about Kate accepting Rain, and she realized now, that she was on the other end of that... she was worried about this girl accepting her. Jessica had been a part of Rain's life before she had been, so... this was important. She had to make a good impression.

Quietly, Cadenza walked past Louis as he headed back into Kate's room, and came to stand near Rain as the girl was sobbing into his shirt. She... looked like Rain, a little... not necessarily in physical appearance, but... there was maybe a softness to her eyes she had come to know. Some part of Cadenza wanted to hug them both right now, but... she hesitated. Was it too early to just go and do that?

"Ah... hola, er... I'm Cadenza."

"Ah... hola, er... I'm Cadenza."

When she heard the voice, Jessica looked up from where she was. Her eyes, made crystalline by withheld tears, shone as she tried to study the gypsy through them. From what Jessica could tell, the woman seemed to be gorgeous, and kind and probably a little shy from the way she introduced herself. Jessica knew for sure that this wasn't Rain's sister under a different name, at all. The woman's--Cadenza's--skin was a beautiful, darker complexion, and her eyes were deep, and her hair was dark and seemingly flowing.

She had found Rain, but... who was this Cadenza...? Why was Rain here, in this house? Was she forgotten by him...? Did this gypsy make him forget...? And what was the thing that lead her here? How did she end up here?

The amount of questions made her head spin, and tears began to flow once more as she looked at the woman. But the more Jessica looked at Cadenza, the more she felt that the gypsy was no threat and in fact, it seemed as if she wanted to hug the two of them just now... Jessica looked up at Rain for a brief moment. He only smiled back in response, knowing that telling her 'It's alright, you can stop crying now', would never work. Jessica was the type to keep on crying for a long while, even after something made her laugh, she would somehow blend both laughing and crying into one, and while some may think it was funny... Rain thought it was one of the most adorable things about her.

Jessica kept studying the woman, her hands slightly loosening their grip around Rain as her cheeks were washed with slow tears.

"Miss Cadenza," she started to cry even more, but tried to hold it in by wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket, "... did you take care of Rain for me...?" She meant it in a joking manner, even though she was crying. That was easy to see from the smile she had. It just meant "He can't take care of himself, he needs someone to look after him."

And with that, along with tears flowing down her cheeks, she smiled with a sincere, "Thank you."