Will Death Do Us Part?

[Nayr]

When he put the plate down, he watched Rini's eyes widen slightly. She hadn't been expecting the tray that had been put down, apparently. It made him happy to see her surprised, even a little, because surprise was a sign of investment in the moment, which was a very good sign. She even cracked a teeny smile at his comment about the cook, which was an extremely good sign.

"Ooh, Ishazi, I'm never going to be able to eat all of this," she said, "Even if I was feeling better, this is way too much food. You're gonna have to help me get rid of it."

He nodded, returning her smile as she began to start in on it. It didn't take her long to make solid inroads on the pancakes after she finished a muffin.

"You haven't been eating much lately, so why don't you take an honest stab, and I'll help you clean up whatever's left?"

His priority here was getting some solid nutrition in her before worrying about the possibility of leftovers. Once she was nice and full, they'd worry about the sleep thing. Her health, though, was paramount in his mind at the moment.

[Mini]

"An honest stab? What do you think I'm doing?" Rini replied as she glancing up at Ishazi, pausing with a fork stabbed through with pancakes raised halfway to her mouth. She remained in that position for several seconds, then did something she hadn't done in days. She giggled.

Ishazi was magical. Yes, he was the High Wizard of Ethera, but he wasn't just magical in that sense. There was just something about him that made Rini feel safe. Even if it was only for a little while, she was able to push all of her anguish and fear away and focus on simple things, like eating, without fixating on all of the horrific things that had happened in the past few weeks.

He was right, though - she hadn't eaten a solid meal since returning home to Ethera several days ago. She was starving, and she hadn't even realized it. It didn't take long for her to clear almost all of the pancakes, the fruit, the toast, the eggs, and her drink. She leaned back against the wall of her window seat and sighed.

"That was really good. I didn't realize how hungry I was," she said softly, glancing up at Ishazi. "Um... thank you for making me eat. I just hope I don't get sick again."

[Nayr]

Ishazi smiled as she ate. He could see the tension bleeding off her as she did so. She was relaxing finally, and really eating. That made Ishazi quite happy to watch. She emptied the whole tray singlehandedly and leaned back, sighing.

"That was really good," she said quietly, glancing up at him, "I didn't realize how hungry I was."

He smiled warmly, electing not to say "I told you so," even though he was sorely tempted to do just that.

"...thank you for making me eat. I just hope I don't get sick again."

"You won't," he said immediately, "Because you're going to take a nap until either tomorrow morning or when I'm asked to wake you. You've barely slept lately, and you're no good to anyone if you run yourself ragged. You've given your body fuel, now give it rest. No complaints, just get into bed. I can turn my back if you want to change into sleeping attire, but you're resting and that's that."

He was more than willing to knock her out with his power and keep her asleep forcibly, but it wouldn't be quite as restful for her that way. It was better if she trusted him and slept of her own accord.

[Mini]

Rini gave Ishazi a curious look as he quickly told her that there was no way she could get sick. She knew that his magic could do a lot of things, but could it really prevent her from getting a stomachache? She might have asked him about this, but he continued speaking. He informed her that she was going to be sleeping until at least tomorrow morning. Her eyes widened as she just gaped up at him.

"Tomorrow morning?!" she exclaimed, but he pretty much ignored her outburst and kept on talking. It would do no good to argue with him, but she tried to anyway. As he continued talking, she shot him a super pout that she had been perfecting for the last several years.

"Ishazi, it's the middle of the day! I don't want to sleep until tomorrow morning! That's... That's a really long time!" she objected, giving up on trying to do the math of how many hours that was in her head. "You said you would help me take a nap. A nap is not almost an entire day long! I-I don't want to sleep for that long!" she protested. A hint of fear crept into her voice with her last sentence. Her pout looked less sulky and more anxious. The thought of being asleep for that long was starting to work her up a bit.

[Nayr]

Ishazi arched a brow. Did he not say no complaints? Was that somehow unclear? All that aside, her concerns were valid. His sense of time was never all that great, and it was more off than usual today. He wasn't about to admit to it, but he recognized it at least.

"If you don't want to sleep that long, then don't. It's as simple as that. Remember, though, that you also thought you wouldn't be able to eat that whole tray of food. This magic I'm going to put on you will help you rest and keep you from having any bad dreams. I won't keep you asleep until morning, but I'm also not going to wake you unless someone asks me to directly. Promise me you'll at least put a good effort into sleeping a good long while, okay?"

As he spoke, he began to gather up the power and spin a little spell that would work exactly as advertised. He could easily put something in there to keep her asleep until he chose to wake her, but he'd gained such ground today that it seemed a shame to even consider spoiling it. No, he'd let her wake naturally, but he'd keep tabs on her so he wouldn't be far away when she did wake. He'd wait for her response to let his magic go, but in the meanwhile his mind was already drifting towards the library. There had to be something there to help, but he hadn't quite settled on where to look first.

[Mini]

Rini just looked at Ishazi and frowned at him. She started chewing on her bottom lip, which she only ever did when she was incredibly nervous or upset about something. It was a childish habit she'd had ever since she was young, and she had never been able to break herself of the habit.

Very slowly, as if she really didn't want to, she inched out of her window seat and stood up. Her hands were balled into tight fists. Her vision traveled from Ishazi to her bed, then down at the ground, back to her bed, then slowly worked its way back to Ishazi. She remained firmly rooted where she stood and made no effort to move closer to her bed. Whining softly, she crossed her arms tightly across her chest.

"What do you mean, if I don't want to sleep that long, then don't? I thought you would make it so that you would have to wake me up, to make sure I didn't just sleep for an hour or something. And what do you mean, your magic is just going to help me relax?" she asked, trying to sound simply curious and nothing else. The Treasured One started fidgeting a bit where she stood, but still made no forward progress towards her bed.

"What if... Wh-What if I can't fall asleep? What if it doesn't work? What if I have bad dreams anyway a-and I can't wake up because you have to be here to wake me up but you're in the library or something a-and I get stuck in a nightmare??" she asked in a high-pitched whine, now sounding like she was on the verge of having a panic attack.

[Nayr]

He could tell the moment she started chewing on her bottom lip that she wasn't going to just be okay with the plan he'd suggested. She did stand, however, even though she didn't move any closer to her bed. She whined softly and crossed her arms.

"What do you mean, if I don't want to sleep that long, then don't?" she asked, "I thought you would make it so that you would have to wake me up, to make sure I didn't just sleep for an hour or something. And what do you mean, your magic is just going to help me relax?"

She was trying to sound only curious, but he didn't make any move to answer just yet. She wasn't finished. He wasn't surprised when she continued.

"What if... Wh-What if I can't fall asleep? What if it doesn't work? What if I have bad dreams anyway a-and I can't wake up because you have to be here to wake me up but you're in the library or something a-and I get stuck in a nightmare?"

He shook his head.

"Firstly, Treasured One, while I have the power to make you fall asleep instantly and keep you that way for as long as I choose, and while I did consider it, I wouldn't do so because it would mean betraying the trust between us. It may be my duty as your guardian to keep you safe and so on and so forth, but it's my pleasure as your friend to honor your trust. Secondly, the magic I'm going to place on you is going to help you relax because your sleep will be entirely more restful if it's not enforced by my power. Not only will I be using less because I'll be augmenting a natural process instead of enforcing it, but you'll feel better when you wake up because you'll be sleeping naturally. Once you're asleep, your mind will be connected to me so I can keep your dreams either peaceful or absent. I'll be in the library, but I'll be aware of you as you sleep so I can make sure you can sleep easily."

He walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Trust me, kiseki. I won't let you fall into a nightmare. I'll even keep track of how you're sleeping so I can be here when you wake up if you like. I promise, you'll fall asleep naturally and the only dreams you'll have will be good dreams. Atop that, you'll wake up whenever you like. I won't make you sleep until tomorrow, but I won't stop you if you do it anyway. Okay?"

[Mini]

A rather incredulous look spread across Rini's face as Ishazi mentioned that he had actually considered just putting her to sleep and keeping her that way until he felt like waking her up. Her expression softened, however, as the High Wizard went on to explain that he wouldn't actually do such a thing to her because he didn't want to break their trust. She continued listening as he explained how his magic was going to work. It astounded her to think that he could so easily do the things he was talking about. Sometimes she forgot just how smart and powerful Ishazi really was.

Hearing him call her "kiseki" again finally broke the tension that had started welling back up deep inside of her. She looked up at her friend and guardian and gave him a soft smile.

"Okay," she whispered as she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace. It was still strange to actually be able to give him a proper hug without him having to bend down to her level. There were definite advantages to being both taller and older. She just wasn't quite used to all of them yet.

The embrace brought about a sudden pang of sorrow. Even something as simple as a hug between friends reminded the young princess of him. Tears threatened to make a reprise. She fought them off and hoped that Ishazi hadn't noticed. She kept her face nestled against his chest.

"Promise you'll be here when I wake up?" she asked, although she phrased it more like a statement. "If you promise you'll be here, then... then I'll let you put me to sleep."

[Nayr]

The princess of Ethera softened and leaned in to hug him, and Ishazi was reminded why he put up with the assorted aggravations of dealing with such an emotionally charged person. It wasn't that she frustrated him, although she did. It was rather that it was a little draining dealing with someone who responded first emotionally then caught up with rationality sometime down the path. In her good moments, however, she more than made up for the strain.

"Promise you'll be here when I wake up?" she said finally, her face nestled against his chest, "If you promise you'll be here, then...then I'll let you put me to sleep."

He, like her, was still getting used to her adult body. He was used to getting down on one knee to take hugs from her and not having her body press up against his in quite the way it was. Still, it was the Treasured One either way. He eventually pulled away and directed her gently towards the bed.

"Make yourself comfortable then," he said, leaving the promise unspoken but obvious, "It'll just take me a moment to make the connection so I know when you're going to wake, then I'll slowly ease you into sleep. Think of it like counting sheep, only this actually works. Let me know when you're ready."

In the meanwhile, he slowly and gently enfolded her in his magic, laying in layer after layer of direction and purpose, setting a portion of his mind to awareness of her condition so that he'd be aware of when action was needed and when he'd need to be back so she wouldn't wake alone. Once she gave him the go ahead, he began to layer on a low power sleeping enchantment. He wouldn't normally consider its use, but on a willing subject and attempting to induce a natural deep slumber it would suffice just fine. No need to use anything all that strong for this, even though it was more his usual style. No, for this he would use finesse. Her trust was the only thing keeping her from throwing him out just like all the rest, so he would reward that trust this time in particular. Though she was ignorant of many of the nuances of magic for the most part, she could likely tell the difference between a subtle spell and an overt one. He didn't have as much skill in subtle magic, but he had just enough to get by in situations like this, where overt spells fueled by power would do more harm than good. Rini would likely know that it was magic inducing her slumber, especially given that she was prepared for it, but he did his best to keep the feel of magic about her as minimal as possible. He took his time and didn't let up until she was well and truly asleep.

Before he left, he spared a moment to look on her slumbering form. He still thought of her as his bright little pupil, and was still getting used to seeing her in an adult body. His hormones had revised their opinions of her considerably, of course, but he paid little attention to them, save for moments like this. She had become a beautiful woman, although less so on the inside. Inside, she was still a young girl, not yet ready to become a young woman. Still...

Enough woolgathering, he scolded himself, Time for some research.

He left the young lady's room quietly and headed off to the throne room to report on her condition before retreating to the library. He tried to keep it off his face, but any who'd had enough dealings with him would recognize the look of a man beset by a problem he intended to solve regardless of what it took.

[Mini]

Rini hoped that Ishazi didn't hear her gulp rather loudly as she climbed into her bed. The young princess was starting to have second thoughts about letting the High Wizard put her into a magically induced slumber. How many fairy tales had she read about princesses who were placed under sleeping spells and left sleeping for days and weeks, sometimes years, before they woke up again?

Get comfortable, he said. Yeah, right. Rini frowned at the thought and started to chew on her bottom lip. How was she supposed to get comfortable with him standing right above her? And how was she supposed to get comfortable when all she could think about were the horrific nightmares that were going to be awaiting her once she fell asleep? It wasn't that she didn't trust Ishazi - she trusted her dear friend and guardian with her life - she just didn't quite understand how he could cast a spell that would put her to sleep, keep her asleep, and keep her from dreaming and/or having bad dreams. It sounded a bit far-fetched to think that magic could do something so complicated and intimate.

As the Treasured One was thinking of all of these things, she didn't notice that her breathing had started gradually slowing down, nor did she notice her body start to relax. After a few moments of laying there and trying not to feel too awkward as she stared up at Ishazi, her thoughts turned a bit happier. Her bed was soft as a cloud. Beneath her blankets, she was nice and toasty warm. It was warm in her room, too. Being so warm and cozy made her feel a bit better. Having a full stomach helped, too. She almost forgot that Ishazi was even there. It was only after her third sleepy little yawn did she realize how utterly exhausted she was. By this point, Ishazi's magic had helped ease her body into a deep state of relaxation. Her eyelids had been fluttering for quite some time, but finally they shut and did not open again.

Rini fell into one of the deepest and most relaxing and refreshing sleeps she had even been in. She, of course, would not know this until much, much later. For now, the Treasured One slept, and for once her dreams were peaceful.

[Nayr]

Ishazi was nearly to the library now, looting through his mental card catalog trying to decide where to start. He could feel the Treasured One sleeping soundly in the back of his mind, and her dreams were currently of something distractingly cute and lovely. Even so, though, he had a job to do and a promise to keep. How he was going to accomplish such a feat was beyond his ken, given that he'd all but promised to break one of the fundamental rules of the cosmos. Hence the research trip.

After hour one, he had at least gotten a good start on finding the right section. After hour three, he was pretty sure he'd wasted three hours looking for something only a crazy person would seriously research. That conclusion prompted him towards the obvious solution.

My dear friend, he began, You're a fantastic person and your wisdom and power are both impressive and inspiring of awe in those of us mortals who are fortunate enough to worship you. Also your beauty is beyond the comprehension of my poor mortal brain, so great and wonderful is it. May your glory shine down upon us all for millennia to come.

He didn't often begin in such a way, but generally speaking it was a good way to open conversation when what followed would be as ridiculous as what he was about to ask her for. It was also a wonderful test of how much she was paying attention to him. She was a busy goddess, and wasn't tuned into his exploits every hour of every day. He suspected he had a special corner of her mind dedicated to keeping track of him, but no need to be pompous or arrogant. If she deigned to respond she would likely wonder what he was up to, which was in this case more warranted than usual.

[Mini]

At any given moment, the demi-goddess of time was instantaneously aware of what nearly all of the billions of trillions of denizens of the cosmos she had been granted guardianship of were doing. Old, young, happy, sad, wealthy, impoverished, beggar. ruler... it didn't matter who they were. If they were under her protection, then she knew where they were and had a moderate idea of what they were doing. At times, it could be very overwhelming to have that much awareness of other people. There were times when she had to intercede in the goings-on of people across the cosmos, mostly whenever they had the need to travel elsewhere. One of her main tasks was to oversee all of the special portals and passages that led from one place to another. Some passages connected to different parts of the same world, while others led to different times, places, and dimensions entirely. These were the ones that Pluto had to pay particularly close attention to. Especially when certain somebodies just happened to "innocently stumble" into a pocket dimension at the outer edges of the universe that was infested with man-eating plant beasts that were so ferocious and wild they had been banished there for the remainder of time.

Would she admit to maybe, just maybe, spending just a smidge more of her attention and focus on one specific mortal? One among the billions of trillions she was entrusted over watching, protecting, and guiding? No, of course she wouldn't. She didn't have the resources to devote to focus on one specific mortal. Time portals and passages just didn't guide themselves. If she wasn't there to guide whoever was inside to their destination, it was entirely possible that people could be spat out in the wrong place, wrong time, wrong galaxy, wrong everything. She was far too busy making sure everything in the cosmos was nice, safe, and quiet to keep tabs on any one individual person.

At least, that's what she told her father.

Suddenly hearing her friend's voice inside of her mind caught her by surprise, of course. He was at home in Ethera, hopefully helping the Kingdom get back to as much normalcy as could be expected under the circumstances. He had nearly as many duties as she did. Being a guardian to The Treasured One was one duty that was enough work to keep twenty men busy, and that was only one of the many things he was supposed to be busy doing. What sort of trouble could he possibly be getting himself into now?

Am I a piece of toast that needs buttering? she asked him, somehow able to keep the chuckle out of her voice. At least he couldn't see her laughing and shaking her head at the moment. "My beauty is beyond the comprehension of his poor mortal brain, is it? Oh, that's just fantastic. I'll have to remember that one," she chuckled to herself as she searched through all the realms to focus in on the beautiful land of Ethera. She found him without too much trouble. He was hunkered down in the library and had almost formed a blockade around him made entirely out of books. He was searching for something, that much was obvious. I can safely assume that this is not just a call made out of boredom. What is it you are seeking, O High Wizard?

[Nayr]

As Ishazi had expected, the reply of his dear friend was so prompt as to almost be suspect.

"Am I a piece of toast that needs buttering?" she asked.

She kept herself from chuckling as she mindspoke, but he could hear it all the same. He never praised her in such a manner. He'd deliver compliments expertly and in a friendly manner, and usually delighted in her attempts to remain professional despite enjoying their occasional adventures. This, however, was so obviously bait to make her feel nice that she of course did not fail to grasp it for what it was. Her wit was unexpected but quite welcome, and rather reminded him of how much he enjoyed being around her. She'd clearly looked in on him during her pause because when she next spoke, it sounded quite informed as to his current situation.

I can safely assume that this is not just a call made out of boredom. What is it you are seeking, O High Wizard?

He took a silent breath to steady himself and pressed his limited advantage.

As always, my dear friend, you see straight through me. I need your peerless wisdom, lovely goddess, because these pretenders write of nothing that can help me with this problem I now face. It's about the Treasured One.

It wasn't very nice of him to break off there, even for a second, but it would convince her that he wasn't on a lark this time. He had enough of a history with enjoying a good time regardless of how much it tormented those close to him that such measures were needed to establish the seriousness of the situation, particularly when what he was searching for was so patently ridiculous.

She's all right, for starters. I finally convinced her to eat something, and I helped her get to sleep. I'm currently keeping her dreams from turning while searching for a longer term solution to what plagues her. Perhaps you see where I'm going with this...

She wasn't an idiot, and he tried to never treat her as such. She knew what had happened and she could just as easily work out what was bothering their mutual charge as he had, if not more easily still. Add to that the fact that he was researching and asking her for aid, and it amazed him that she'd let him get this far into his explanation without interjecting with some witty remark about how he'd taken leave of his senses. Maybe he really had this time.

[Mini]

Pluto was silent for a while, which could have been for several reasons. She was, after all, a very busy and important demi-goddess. She had duties to attend to, time gates and portals to watch, the Door to guard. Her father could have summoned her for any number of reasons, and it wouldn't have been too out of the blue for him to yell at her for talking to Ishazi. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that had happened. Special visitors could have shown up, announced or unannounced. Another world may have had special need of her services. If something more cosmically important than listening to her friend in the realm of Ethera came up, then it made absolute sense for her to pause and attend these matters.

None of that was the reason for the pause.

She knew full well what had transpired when Rini and the others had left to face Dinasto, the wicked man who had tried to steal the Treasure. Rini's friends from Ushan had all been slaughtered, most of them right in front of her. One in particular had hit her hard. Even Pluto had felt the reverberations of her young friend's pain. If that was what Ishazi was talking about, and he had set off to the restricted section of the library in order to find a "solution" for this problem, then...

"... No. He couldn't possibly be that stupid," she muttered to herself as she tried to figure out where, exactly, the Wonder Mage was headed with his story. With a soft sigh and a shake of her head, she decided to cut him off at the pass.

Ishazi, she is still young. Yes, she now has the appearance of a young lady in her twenties, and yes, she has certainly come a long way and matured quite nicely, but she is still young at heart. This is the first time she has ever lost a loved one who was close to her. To make things worse, she lost someone she cared for very deeply. The poor thing is experiencing all the heartache of losing her first love combined with having lost him and all her other friends to Death. Death is never an easy thing to cope with, no matter the occasion. Even losing somebody who has been sick and suffering for a long time is difficult. There is no coming back from the other side of the veil. You know that, she said, cautiously using a bit of emphasis to remind him of something he knew quite well.

What she needs now more than anything else is time. Time to cope, time to heal, time to accept, and time to move on. It may take her a long time, and she may never fully recover from the very traumatic things she has endured, but given enough time, she will learn how to deal with what life has dealt her and move on.

[Nayr]

Pluto was a demi-goddess, as the kingdom of Ethera was universally well aware, and a busy one at that. The people prayed to her and her father Chronos knowing that they had a whole cosmos worth of people to take care of, but also that they had time beyond time in which to do it. Ethera knew that they probably weren't the only ones praying to Chronos and Pluto for aid, but they had faith that despite all that required their attention there would be an opportunity for the two deities to hear their prayers. Ishazi respected both her person and her office in a kind of measure precious few others in his life shared, and the list was shorter than it probably should have been. He made a lifestyle out of annoying people who could make his life utterly miserable, and was often perplexed and how good he still had it, but regretted none of it. He'd come to recognize the feeling that prompted him to meddle with things he shouldn't, to stand up to those who could ruin him, and to reject things that he'd once sworn an oath to defend and uphold. Ishazi Nolasta Kanchito was no anarchist, but was also not about to let trifles like cosmic rules stop him. He didn't interrupt his friend, but his reply was instantaneous.

I can't accept that! he mentally shouted, I swore by my life that Rini wouldn't come to harm, and I swore again when we got her back that I wouldn't let tragedy have a single glimpse of her ever again. I've broken too many oaths in my life, and so many promises have gone unfulfilled because of some grander cause even I don't completely understand but that dominates my life. I sat by and felt her die, Pluto, and you did too. I promised her that I'd find an answer for her, and if I have to spit in the eye of Chronos and all the other gods to do it then fine. I know no one crosses the veil save for the once. I know that even you aren't supposed to mess with it. I also know that there's a thousand death gods roaming the cosmos, at least one of whom will be willing to deal with a mortal crazy enough to reject heaven and earth.

He took a moment to breathe and try to calm himself.

I came to you first, my friend, because even though you're right to talk me out of it you're also the only one I know who could ever understand how much it kills me to see her eyes so dead. There wasn't any life in her at all. Even when she ate, I could tell it was only because I insisted. I need to make this right, Pluto. I'll do it with or without your help, but I'm really hoping you'll indulge me this once.

The more he spoke, the more he realized that he really meant it. He'd been hoping there was someone as crazy as he was who'd written of trying to defy the celestial veil that separated the living from the dead, but ultimately he was coming to understand that he'd cross the veil himself if it would even potentially bring the light back into Rini's eyes. It was heady, and a little frightening. He'd been cavalier in the past about a lot of things, the wrath of a certain god included, but he'd only ever felt willing to die for one other person. All he could hope for now was that somewhere out there an answer waited for him. He refused to fail Rini again. The girl, his Queen, had suffered too much pain in this life already. He didn't want to hold back anymore. Ishazi hadn't just promised Rini that he'd find an answer. He'd promised himself that he wouldn't stop until he'd either spent every ounce of his power trying to bring his Queen's smile back or died in the attempt.