Phoenix Phire

Rabi stood on the balls of his feet, his tiny body swaying back and forth. "You are so stupid; I should bite your stupid arms off!"

Lugly lay prone on the ground, his staff broken in half, and its black gem shattered. "I will apologize at once!"

Rabi's dark upper lip was curled in a snarl, his fangs showing as he spoke. "You are lucky; Nix isn't mad! Uta wants to skin you alive."

Lugly hid his face against the cool marble floor of the Speaker's Office. Secretly he was relieved that Rabi was dealing with him. Sasi generally did her talking with blades and Uta… The Nether mage shuddered. There were entire graveyards filled with people who made Uta angry. "I will send him a gift."

Rabi wanted to stomp up and down on the prone mage, he should be having fun with Nix and Chiba, but instead, he was stuck disciplining Lugly. "Stupid Nether mage. Nix killed the Nether King!"

The desk hud behind him buzzed since Sasi wasn't present, Rabi answered it. Unexpectedly it was Deidra Mtui.

"Good Afternoon Rabi," Deidra offered him a polite greeting. The House of Tempest was her strongest ally. "Is Speaker Sasi available?"

Rabi shook his head. He didn't like talking with the City Master because she made him nervous. "She is with Nix."

"Nix is there?" An instant later, a breach opened in Sasi's Office, and Deidra stepped in.

Rabi froze for a moment before bowing deeply. "Welcome, City Master."

Deidra offered him a slight nod. "Take me to Nix, please." The dragon noticed the prone mage next to the door. "What is he doing?"

Rabi sighed. "He offended Nix."

Lugly felt the dragon's aura push against him, his blood heating in his veins as every muscle in his body screamed.

"This way, please." Rabi moved toward the door, anxious to get the dragon out of Sasi's office before Lugly was reduced to a smear on the floor.

"Very well." Deidra exited into the hallway, utterly unconcerned about the mage who was suddenly leaking from multiple orifices.

Rabi waited until she exited before turning back to the whimpering mage, his nose wrinkled in disgust. "Now, you know. Clean this mess up before you leave."

********************

The hot water cascaded down the beauties pale skin, washing away the suds which seemed to caress the woman's perfect form until it rinsed down the drain. This wasn't the curvy body of a pampered lady, but rather the ideal blend of lean muscle and femininity that made up Colonial's most dangerous swordmaster. She wrung out her dark gold hair before releasing it to lay against her smooth back.

"Nix? Is it really necessary to get cleaned up before lunch?" Chiba could hear the water running in the room next to hers. They were sharing a two-bedroom suite on the second floor of the Main House.

"Yes, you smell bad. Don't talk to me while I'm showering. It's creepy."

Chiba smiled at the reply. In a family known for beautiful women, she stood alone. "Want to dry my hair, Apprentice?"

"No. I did bring you something nice, though." Nix slid into the clothes he made for the trip, which consisted of comfortable black pants, a white buttoned shirt, and black leather shoes made by Dalton, the Inferno Cobbler. The outfit toed the line between casual and formal wear, with the added benefit of being comfortable.

"Something nice? Is it another Demon penis?" Chiba clapped in appreciation when Nix strolled into the common area.

"No, I'm fresh out of those." Nix checked the time on his hud, "if lunch doesn't take too long, we should be back training in two…" He trailed off, his yellow eyes staring at nothing.

"Nix?"

"Deidra is here." Nix sighed unhappily, "so much for a fun lunch."

Chiba stared at her apprentice. "How do you know that?"

Nix slapped her hard on the back and pushed her toward the door. "I sensed a great disturbance in the force."

"A what?" Chiba shook her head in confusion; sometimes, Nix said the oddest things. "What's that mean?"

The training partners walked down the grand staircase together, both in good spirits despite knowing about the dragon's arrival.

"It's about time we had another party." Nix glanced sideways at the old woman, who immediately perked up. "Not that kind of party, Semmi want to have a Harvest Festival."

"With a dance? Chiba likes to dance!" The old woman leaned closer, "I need a full-time man. Know anyone interested in me?"

Nix laughed loudly, the sound carrying down the stairs. "No. However, I have had lots of success as a matchmaker."

Chiba's old face showed her interest. "My family already has a Babhdóir; she's tried to marry me off several times."

"A Bab-what? Is that some kind of monkey?" Nix laughed at the sour look on her face. "Aren't you already an old maid?"

Chiba considered the question, pausing while Nix opened the glass doors that led outside. "Hyai is older than me."

Nix grabbed his stomach like he'd been punched. "Oi. What's with the cheap shot?"

"That was a bit low," she admitted. "Find me a date for the Harvest Festival!"

Nix navigated his way through the flower gardens, brilliant hues of reds and yellows that filled the air with a sweet smell. "It could be a challenge. Male or female?"

"Male preferred, no Aquarions." Chiba's old face creased into an ugly smile. "I'm flexible with the gender, but absolutely no Aquarions."

Nix spotted the tables next to a large water fountain. Although they were on the far side of the courtyard, he could easily pick out Sasi. "I sense a story here."

"Nix!" Sasi waved when she noticed his approach. The tiny demon hybrid wore a blue dress; her dark hair was up in a bun.

Nix wondered where her tail was. Wouldn't it be uncomfortable to have it tucked under a dress? "You look very nice, Sasi."

The House Speaker grinned slyly, falling out of character long enough to hug him; Her dark face didn't quite reach his chest. "Thank you. Sasi wears dresses when doing Speaker Duties."

Nix released her just as two men carried in another table. "Deidra's joining us for lunch?"

Deidra's dark eyes showed their surprise. "Rabi, tell you?"

Nix shook his head. "I can feel when dragons are close." It was something he noticed when bringing the dragon cities together. He could sense them to a certain extent.

Sasi grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the closest table. "Sasi can sense rats when they are close."

"That's because you eat them." Nix pulled a chair out for Chiba and seated her.

"Thank you, Apprentice." Chiba grinned and reached for a bottle of wine that had been brought out.

Sasi nodded in agreement. "That reminds me. Where is my herd of rats?" Sasi wagged her finger at Chiba.

Nix laughed at the gesture. While questing in Eidengal, the gold element dropped. Chiba had asked for it and promised to pay everyone in the group back. "I haven't received my horses either."

Chiba chewed nervously on her lower lip. "I forgot. I'll head to the Nether when we are done training."

The arrival of Deidra and Rabi seemed to draw quite a bit of interest. The courtyard began filling with members of the House of Tempest, each coming to pay their respects.

Deidra greeted Nix and extended a hand toward him. The inferno leader wasn't completely sure what he was supposed to do, so he gripped it with his own and returned her greeting.

/Inferno: Nix: Was I supposed to kiss her hand?

/Inferno: Chiba: Not sure. She didn't even look at me.

Nix was seated between Chiba and Sasi, directly across from Rabi and Deidra. A plate of fruit was placed in front of each of them, and lunch was started.

"Have you spoken to Tai'Qui lately?" Deidra picked at her fruit while she watched Nix's reaction.

"Yes. Just yesterday, actually." Nix bit into something that looked like a fist-sized blueberry, the juices from it ran down his chin as his lips puckered. The fruit tasted like lemon; he wiped his chin with a napkin. Why would Deidra ask about Tai'Qui?

"I see." Deidra's small smile faded. "May I ask what you discussed?"

"None of your business." Nix smiled pleasantly and sampled the next piece of unrecognizable fruit on his plate.

/Inferno: Chiba: My lovely apprentice is so brave.

Instead of being bothered, Deidra changed the topic. "I overstepped. I'm concerned about your elements Nix. I only thought she might have mentioned them to you."

Nix gave her a blank stare. "What about my elements?"

"Ice and Air." Deidra paused; the entire table was hanging on her words. "Both are ready to be ranked to Nemesis. This needs to be done soon."

Nix was aware that his Ice element was at the Nemesis level, but Inferno events kept him to busy to follow up. "I have an Ally in Colonial that will help me."

Deidra shook her head slightly. "If you'll allow it. I can assist you with both at the same time."