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"Do you..." asks Bez softly as Mica lets himself out and Shar goes back upstairs. His face shows he does, even if Kerobian doesn't.

Bez flashes him a tired smile. "Let's just say we have something in common and leave it at that. I'm going to go lie down. If Shar needs me, I'd be better off with some sleep under my belt. And if he returns... let me know, please. Not that it will change anything. But forewarned is forearmed in my book any day." He gets up and goes to Kero's room to rest. Ai might be lost in bed upstairs, but sleeping next to her while she's like this was more than a little depressing.

Hopian watches him leave the room, feeling more out of the loop than ever. "Kerobian... what is going through that head of yours..." he grumbles to himself, wishing his brother had been a bit more sharing than he's been of late. Emotions were one thing, but cold hard facts made things easier to understand.

Deep within, Ai is fighting with herself... quite literally... two chairs float in a hazy gloon, one occupied by Talesian, the other by Ai and neither one seems to be winning at this point.

Only the cottage is almost deathly silent. As he opens the front door, he can hear someone moving in the kitchen and voices upstairs, Bez and Shar's from the sound of it. But other than that, silence. No singing... no mewing cubs... no music. On the desk Tam used to do his composing lie his instruments, clearly broken. At first he is angry, then he remembers hearing them fall to the ground as he dashed out of the house. Then the next thing that comes to his mind is that Ai is still angry because she hasn't tried to fixed them.

"Bez? Did you want something?" comes Hopian's voice from the kitchen, soon followed by the lion in human form himself as he absently wipes his hands on his pants. Looking at the stairs and seeing no one on them, he turns and almost misses Kero lying in the shadow of the desk, until a muffled sob catches his ear.

He is next to the lion in a flash, attempting to pull his paws from his face. "Kero... Kero... damn it... speak to me brother... what's wrong? Bez!" he calls urgently. "He's back."

"About time..." come a familiar grumbling voice as Bez stomps his way down. He sees Hopian struggling with the grieving lion and sighs. "Now what? More drama.... " he hisses comining to lend him a hand. "This cottage should be taped and put on the soap opera market."

*well, he's not falling apart at the seams anymore*

Bez face darkens. "And I've paid for that stupidity... still paying... and will probably be paying for it for the rest of eternity. Have you?" he demands hands on his hips. "You who thinks it's fun to drag one of the most gentle creatures in his creation through a cesspool of hate and spite, then lash out at her just because you can't have your own way. Have you any idea how close to killing her you came or driving her mad? As it is you undid all our hard work. Go upstairs and look at what your childish behavior has wrought... go on.. and don't worry... ye won't be disturbing her... not much does these days. Shar... Kero's coming up." he calls up the stairs as he steps aside. "Or are you one of those cowards that thinks they are too proud to look upon their handiwork. Who'd rather strike and run, not caring what comes of their behavior?"

*Bez hopes he's pegged Kero correctly. He knows how angry he still is and that he didn't come back because of any emotional connection to those in the cottage. The juvenile is still so wholely wrapped up in himself that he'll need to be shocked out of his self-centeredness. But if he merely asked him to go up, Kero would probably refuse. If Kero does go upstairs, he's going to see Ai still in her catatonic state, her face half buried beneath gauze, one eye covered... not because he injured it but because they couldn't bandage the slash closest to it in any other way... of course he doesn't know this so it's going to look rather bad.*

Bez face turns bleak. "Fine... if my being here is so damn upsetting I'll leave. Go get your brat of a brother... tell him he doesn't have to worry about me... he can have his little time in the sun. Kero's so damned important... Ai doesn't count. You don't care what happens to her... he doesn't care what he did to her... Heck even Ai doeosn't think she counts anymore... What the hell is the matter with you people! You know damn well I didn't say a single thing he didn't need to hear." And with that he disappears in a swirl of grey feathers, leaving Hopian stunned by his vehemence.

**oh oh... now ye've done it.... Bez is gone... yep.. not there anymore... not even an aural scent of him remains**

**how the hell would I know... the void is his realm not mine.... grumbles the northern spirit**

Hopian tears the cottage apart looking for some sign of Bezernia, but not a trace of him remains. Realizing he's going to have to let someone know about this turn of events he slowly climbs the stairs to talk to Shar.

"Where's Kero? Didn't Bez say he was coming up?" asks the healer, looking up from her seat by the window.