Vai watches, with a smile, as the pair embrace. Maybe sometimes, it was just fate. James woke up. She didn't envy the other members of her family.
Jiminy hugged her tightly. So this was what Taron had been laughing about. Made sense now. Even though he did feel like he'd just crash landed.
"It's okay. It's a lot, but we can handle it together. I know this isn't the timing we planned, but it's okay. I love you. And we're totally going to be awesome parents, you know.," he said, trying to reassure her in the short amount of time he had.
Fieri was still crying, but now it was happy tears. She could feel it when Jiminy slipped back into unconsciousness, but it was okay now. He hadn't missed the moment. And she had really needed him to be there for it.
Aananda sat down and wiped away a few tears of her own. They were okay. Taron and Kam and Tamrin. They were okay. And it didn't take a genius to see that this gesture did a lot to heal the rift between her children. She was just so relieved.
"Welcome back to Flower Hill." Taron says after he pulls Jiminy back, trying to keep a knowing smile off his face.
Jiminy lays back, totally stunned.
"I'm gonna be a dad," he blurted out.
"Tare....thanks. That was really, really important."
"I know. That's why I did it." He tells his brother. "Besides, unless Mom knew we were all okay, she would have gone crazy worrying about too many things."
"So, how many? I stayed away for that moment.t"
"Four. That was what had Fi the most freaked out I think. Wow. That is a lot at once. I'm kinda understanding what Ephebe was freaking out about now."
"Beaten again. You realize you've both one-up Mom right now, right?"
"Beaten again. You realize you've both one-up Mom right now, right?"
"Who was beaten again? I'm pretty sure Mom doesn't mind that at all. And it's not like it's a contest."
"Wow. I wasn't there long enough to ask how many boys or girls we're having. I guess that part can wait for a bit. That is gonna be a lot of fireproofing we're gonna need to do."
"Mom, of course. Not that it's a competition." Taron adds. "Fireproofing does seem like something you'll need a lot of, isn't it?"
Jiminy grinned. "Those other responsibilities kinda pale in comparison."
"Sorry. I'm babbling now. It's just...wow. It changes everything."
"Would you like to know the sex of the babies?" she asked once she had wiped away her own tears.
Fieri sat up and nodded, sniffling and wiping tears away with the back of her hand.
"Babbling requires more than one sentence. Anyway, it sort of changes your whole view of things, doesn't it? I couldn't imagine a greater feeling, except maybe finding your mate."
Aananda reset up the scanner to get more detailed results. It took a couple minutes, but then she was able to view the information.
"Looks like you're having three boys and one girl."
"Babbling requires more than one sentence. Anyway, it sort of changes your whole view of things, doesn't it? I couldn't imagine a greater feeling, except maybe finding your mate."
Jiminy looked at him sharply. "That sounds like the voice of experience talking."
Taron sighs.
"You do remember that I can get little visions of the future sometimes, right? Usually when I dream, but not always. Plus, I'm getting a lot from my connection to you right now."
"Oh. RIght. That would make sense."
"You do remember that connection works both ways right? So....how long have you been a girl? I'm guessing shortly after the planet changing event. Was it your idea I wonder or just the wishcraft messing with your brain?"
Tyrrin doesn't slow down until she was just about to pass the Librarian, but stopped when he asks her name. "Pleasure to meet you Mr. Morgan. I am Tyrrin Denulia, Daughter of High Seer Denulia. I have finished my research for the day, thank you." She says simply, before proceeding on her way.
Morgan walks beside her. "The Daughter of High Seer Denulia. Then you are here most likely because you are of an age when your own powers are manifesting. Perhaps kicked off by the changing of the sky. Yes that would seem to fit. How do you feel about that event?"
Down in one of the gyms there is a soft trundling, clattering noise, like a careful avalanche, and Percy comes pouring out of the ceiling. He coalesces as he falls the hundred or so feet to the floor, landing with a resonant boom that echoes back at him off the walls. Slowly he stands up.
That...felt good. Used to be such a jock, didn't you Perce? But not anymore...
Percy ends that line of thinking before it even gets going. To occupy himself, he "feels" around under the dirt floor, locating bigger boulders, potential crevices and pits, magma flows...all the tools Aananda uses in her "dodgeball" sessions, and to sharpen up reflexes and cardio for lazy kids in lower-level PE classes. Nothing like a magma-laced boulder rocketing at your head to get the heart pumping.
He hears the awkwardly forceful steps of the newly-enlarged Nasima coming down the hall and smiles. Effortlessly, he pulls a clod the size of a truck out of the floor, injecting it with some of his own fire and lava, and waits...
This is just too much. How long was I out. They all just. Don't even know who. How many. How long. Who else. Maybe Phaez or Jim or. Could get a list. Does mom still have th-
"Yow!" Nasima exclaims as she enters the unoccupied gym and promptly has to duck a gigantic flaming boulder. The projectile crashes into the far wall as she flattens herself against the floor. Her eyes wide with panic, she looks around for her attacker and there, across the way, behind a stone fortification, is the grinning face of...
"PERCY! What are you doin-OOF!" The rubble behind her has started to levitate, and is pulled into her in a giant pile.
*facepalm*
"Nasima, c'mon, we're supposed to be test-driving whatever your new powers are, or did you just gain the mutant ability to give yourself funky highlights?" Percy giggles.
'Sima's muffled voice floats up from under the rubble. "Wwwhat the heck are you talking about? 'Powers'?!"
"Oh. RIght. That would make sense."
"You do remember that connection works both ways right? So....how long have you been a girl? I'm guessing shortly after the planet changing event. Was it your idea I wonder or just the wishcraft messing with your brain?"
"Damn, I was hoping I could keep that blocked away." Taron laughs. "Can't tell here in the dream just by looking at me, can you? My dragon form(which is what my body's been staying in) doesn't show much difference at all, and the construct is male."
"Could have been both, I guess. I know I'll change myself back eventually, so don't worry about having two older sisters picking on you or using you like a mannequin and dressing you up."
"Yes! Powers! For example, ask yourself; 'self, why am I alive and unhurt despite being buried under tons of molten rock that would normally have crushed me to a cute-n-cloudy little pulp?'"
"Oh. RIght. That would make sense."
"You do remember that connection works both ways right? So....how long have you been a girl? I'm guessing shortly after the planet changing event. Was it your idea I wonder or just the wishcraft messing with your brain?"
"Damn, I was hoping I could keep that blocked away." Taron laughs. "Can't tell here in the dream just by looking at me, can you? My dragon form(which is what my body's been staying in) doesn't show much difference at all, and the construct is male."
"Could have been both, I guess. I know I'll change myself back eventually, so don't worry about having two older sisters picking on you or using you like a mannequin and dressing you up."
Jiminy laughed. "Pheebs would never do that. Fi on the other hand.....I'm trying to find some nice way to tell her that fashion design isn't her thing, but I guess looking like an idiot is a good way to get rock band cred." He shrugged.
"So. How many? I'm guessing less than four based on your earlier comment, since you were totally not talking about Mom."
"Three, two boys and a girl. Dad doesn't know and Kam's not telling. Let me know when you're going to tell Mom she needs to make sure everything's protected against electrical surges. I would love to see the look on her face. Maybe even record it for laughs."
"So, still think it's difficult for me to 'raise the bar' after turning the world inside out?"
There is a rumbling, then a growling sound. The tangy stink of burnt ozone fills the air and the growling gets louder, then the rock explodes outward, being vaporized by an expanding ball of lightning. Percy absorbs or deflects the rocks that come at him, but he ducks behind the rampart of his makeshift little fortress to avoid getting smashed by the wall of electrical energy that sails over him. The rock walls of his fort are ripped to pieces, though, and he falls to the ground, earth gliding under and then peeking up to see...
"Three, two boys and a girl. Dad doesn't know and Kam's not telling. Let me know when you're going to tell Mom she needs to make sure everything's protected against electrical surges. I would love to see the look on her face. Maybe even record it for laughs."
"So, still think it's difficult for me to 'raise the bar' after turning the world inside out?"
Jiminy laughed. "Okay, you win! The real kicker is seeing if Uncle Ryo is surprised. It's hard to surprise a Seer."
"Heh. Mom is gonna freak. You know this means she'll have eleven grandkids all roughly the same age, right? Don't worry. I'll make sure to make a recording of it when I tell her. That's the sort of thing you want to watch more than once." ;P
Jiminy laughed. "Pheebs would never do that. Fi on the other hand.....I'm trying to find some nice way to tell her that fashion design isn't her thing, but I guess looking like an idiot is a good way to get rock band cred." He shrugged.
"I'M ALIVE BECAUSE I'M PISSED OFF, PERCY, AND NOW YOU'RE GONNA PAYYYY!"
"Heh. Mom is gonna freak. You know this means she'll have eleven grandkids all roughly the same age, right? Don't worry. I'll make sure to make a recording of it when I tell her. That's the sort of thing you want to watch more than once." ;P
"What do you think Grandma's reaction will be like? Actually, what are the chances our powerfully psychic grandmother is listening in right now?"
Nasima has grown to about 12' tall, and is floating effortlessly in the air. All the flesh has been stripped from her head and shoulders, replaced with crackling electrical energy through which the grinning rictus of her skull can be seen, blue glowing orbs where eyes should be. Her hair is now a nimbus of ball lightning around her head, like an obscene halo, and her hands and feet alike are vastly oversized, even for a creature as large as she has become.
It's as if Khoda had a daughter.
(-_-)
.
(-_-)
.
"I'M ALIVE BECAUSE I'M PISSED OFF, PERCY, AND NOW YOU'RE GONNA PAYYYY!"
(~_O)
"Oh no."
"Heh. Mom is gonna freak. You know this means she'll have eleven grandkids all roughly the same age, right? Don't worry. I'll make sure to make a recording of it when I tell her. That's the sort of thing you want to watch more than once." ;P"What do you think Grandma's reaction will be like? Actually, what are the chances our powerfully psychic grandmother is listening in right now?"
"Grandma is going to be dancing for joy and you know it. I don't know if she's listening now or not. Really depends on whether any of the rest of our family have managed to create any distracting crises....and even then. If she doesn't know now, she will soon whether I tell her or not."
Fei's body and spirit finally realign themselves, and the young monk rises from his meditative position. His surroundings appear to move more slowly around him as he makes his way out of the classroom and down the stairs of the tower towards the gymnasium...
"Eep!"
*ducks back down under the floor*
As Percy dives back under the floor of the gymnasium, Fei enters through the main doors. The sight before him brings him to a halt.
"" He calls out to the floating form before him, his voice carrying over the din of the electricity. ""
"Grandma is going to be dancing for joy and you know it. I don't know if she's listening now or not. Really depends on whether any of the rest of our family have managed to create any distracting crises....and even then. If she doesn't know now, she will soon whether I tell her or not."
"Then it looks like we've got nothing better to do than lay back and enjoy the hillside."
Oblivious to Fei, Nasima rockets down at Percy, moving so fast she's a blur, like she teleported. He's almost under when she palms his head like a basketball and rips him up out of the ground and flings him across the gym, all in one fluid motion. He impacts with the wall hard. His head gets knocked in pretty badly and one of his arms shatters.
As he falls from the wall, he re-forms the arm and repairs the damage to his head. Unfortunately, in the time he's doing that, Nasima/Khoda has blasted over to him and punches him in the chest with one of those horrifyingly oversized fists, which he notices is covered by a thin disc of electrical energy that discharges as soon as it hits him and --
*KBOOOOOOOOM*
-- the explosion completely changes the big magma elemental's trajectory, sending him sailing across the gym and caroming off another wall. Before he can land, though, a focused lightning bolt the diameter of a basketball smashes into his hip, shearing off his leg.
He howls in pain, and Nasima suddenly pauses. He flies a little ways further, then plummets to the ground, landing with a big exhalation of air and a grunt of pain. Quickly, instinctively, he pulls up a defensive wall of stone in an arc over himself, and looks bmusedly over at Fei. "Oh nothing. Just sparring. And that IS Nasima. Why don't you go over and say Hi?!" He then earth glides down under the floor into the soothing, cool earth there.
::Thank you, Headmaster. Anthony.:: Ehos stands, bows slightly to the Headmaster, gives a smile to Anthony, and he is off to the gym section of the school, in order to practice. A rumble like thunder seems to course through the hallways, but Ehos is able to pick out words. Something was happening. He sprints and rounds the corner to see a young man... Fei was his name? Addressing someone inside a room. Someone Ehos couldn't see.
Morgan walks beside her. "The Daughter of High Seer Denulia. Then you are here most likely because you are of an age when your own powers are manifesting. Perhaps kicked off by the changing of the sky. Yes that would seem to fit. How do you feel about that event?"
"Considering that event granted my brother the power to accidently murder a theater full of innocent people, not very positively. Why do you ask?"
"Wait...! I! Percy?! Fei?" The hideous lightning-thing floats menacingly in the air, the bare and glowing eye sockets of the skull look over at Fei.