Welcome to Gaia! ::

Some time later the sound of wings buffeting the air announces Bez's arrival. He lands silently, absorbs his wings with in a silent swirl of feathers and then tosses him a flask of brandy.

"Not the best stuff I"m afraid, but my credit only goes so far in this town. They know me, sort of... I've been through it often enough over the years, but not all that well." he says softly plopping down on a log. He looks around and sighs. "Haven't been here since that fire. And I was kind of bagged at the time, never saw how bad it was... Kitten is lucky it got no further than it did, isn't she?"

"Been playin with fire all me life... metaphorically speaking that is... been burned a few times as well. So... tell me honestly why ye seem so dog gone determine to get the two of us in bed... not that we don't already share one, but from all indications you want us to do a bit more than that. I'm not going to push him, ye know." says Bez twisting the top off his own flask and downing a few hard swallows.

Bez gives a weary nod. "I won't deny the denying part... but I've kind of learned to live with it. He... she.... whatever he is, I really don't mind. Before the troubles.... before I blew it... it matter not what we were... but then we didn't do anything then either. No need fer it, I suppose. It wasn't until our master sent us out that it became an issue... for him. I'll admit, I'm envious at times... of the mortal realm. But it troubles him. It's not like we never did it... for we have... some years back... but it locked him for years into his feminine side. I think that more than anything frightens him. That and the fact he really needs to get a handle on himself right now and he knows it. Ai doesn't have a very good handle on who or what he is, ye know. And he knows that the feminine side of him is more than a tad bit unstable. I think that is why he clings to the Talesian identity... he's walked in that skin for so long, it is a good portion of how he feels and thinks. Stepping out of it is like giving up a comfrotable pair of shoes. It just doesn't feel right." He takes another swig and sighs.

"He also feels as though he's let ye down. This much I know because we've talked about it long and hard. He agreed to do something rather important to you... took on a responsibility..." At this he reaches up and gingerly rubs his bandaged shoulder where it runs upwards into his neck. "This more than anything should tell how how dedicated to that duty he is... he was willing to risk death to keep me from harming ye...." Looking up he grimaces. "I took a risk facing him when he was that angry. But at the time, I thought it important. Now I'm not so sure. Had he bit down even the slightest bit harder, yer Sira wouldn't be here, mage... but then... neither would I..."

Bezernia shakes his head. "Don't bet on it. I know yer pretty damn powerful with one hell of a job... duty... whatever, but ye'd be surprised at what we can do, if we must... even Ai, though he'll bend over backwards and hem and haw every which way to Sunday to get out of it. Not that I would have done anything, mind ye... that wasn't my intent. I was only trying to scared some sense into ye seeing as he didn't seem to be showing any. And iffin ye recall my words, they were more along the line of the smart move, kid glad ye didn't force me hand sort of thing. Don't know what I would have done had the two of ye been any faster, probably would have merely left and never come back."

Bez shrugs. "There's immortal and then there's immortal... when yer dealing with entities that are sometimes sent out to curb deities, don't hedge yer bets. Doesn't matter though... like I said... it was all fluster... didn't mean a word of it, except that I was kind of upset..."

Bez studies his hands for a bit, then wearily shakes his head. "Keobian, what should I do? Should I leave? My being here seems to be the problem. My being here seems to pushing him off his center inmore ways than one. If I wasn't around, do ye think he'd be able to get his head on straight?"

Bez sighs. "But iffin I force him, that would be akin to rape and we both know where that will lead him, right down the road to madness and I never want to see him there again. I've been walking a tight rope of late... living in a damned if I do... damned if I don't... state. I guess my skills at seduction are rusty when it comes to him.... why the hell does he have to be so stubborn?"

"It's his nature... Love never gives up." sighs Kerobian softly. "He's never given up on you..."

Bez lifts his flask in a silent salute and drinks a little more. "Tell me about it... maybe he should have."