Wind and Fire

[inxsi]

I liked it - Greywind is definitely getting soft... I was expecting her to call Link in to deal with getting him off of her hair. At least she is a mizol so no one else should learn of this (though she'll have to figure out getting her hair washed to keep the secret).

[raistlin34]

I liked it - Greywind is definitely getting soft... I was expecting her to call Link in to deal with getting him off of her hair. At least she is a mizol so no one else should learn of this (though she'll have to figure out getting her hair washed to keep the secret).

Greywind wished to find a flaw in the human Lotai by creating a link between Ben so she could explore his mind. She never considered such a link would work both ways, or that Ben would unconsciously shape her into his new mother figure.

[inxsi]

I liked it - Greywind is definitely getting soft... I was expecting her to call Link in to deal with getting him off of her hair. At least she is a mizol so no one else should learn of this (though she'll have to figure out getting her hair washed to keep the secret).

Greywind wished to find a flaw in the human Lotai by creating a link between Ben so she could explore his mind. She never considered such a link would work both ways, or that Ben would unconsciously shape her into his new mother figure.

I suppose that is an option - seems odd though that she does not consider such effects as a mizol. Maybe it is just due to how she established the bond with him and is not something that would normally happen between Human and Loroi. Or she's just getting sentimental in her old age - her regrets over her mother seem to predate this, though I suppose they could be heightened by Ben. And does figuring out what is going on change how she reacts at some point?

[Snoofman]

I liked it - Greywind is definitely getting soft... I was expecting her to call Link in to deal with getting him off of her hair. At least she is a mizol so no one else should learn of this (though she'll have to figure out getting her hair washed to keep the secret).

Greywind wished to find a flaw in the human Lotai by creating a link between Ben so she could explore his mind. She never considered such a link would work both ways, or that Ben would unconsciously shape her into his new mother figure.

I suppose that is an option - seems odd though that she does not consider such effects as a mizol. Maybe it is just due to how she established the bond with him and is not something that would normally happen between Human and Loroi. Or she's just getting sentimental in her old age - her regrets over her mother seem to predate this, though I suppose they could be heightened by Ben. And does figuring out what is going on change how she reacts at some point?

Both make valid points.

It could be interpreted that way. However, I am not at all intending for Greywind to be so weak-minded. Perhaps she is allowing herself to be vulnerable, but only because she knows Ben is only a child and means her no harm. In order to get close to someone, we have to risk being vulnerable. A human child could not overpower or influence the mind of a former Mizol. Greywind is after all a 300 year old Emperor who fought her way to the top and crushed her opposition. If she suspected that Ben was trying to control her, she would either use her own mental powers to force him into submission or strictly distance herself from him. And quite possibly lock him in a hole.

But the Greywind in this story is... intrigued by Ben. Initially Greywind was just interested in keeping a vital asset to give the loroi a strategical edge against humanity since no other human has shown a breech in their lotai. Greywind's true intentions with humanity will be touched on later. Whatever sentiment she may feel, Greywind still places duty and her own ambitions ahead of everything else. But she will also find that her feelings are about to get complicated.

In a way Ben is imprinting on Greywind, and her dream self, Grey... but only because he is a lost boy who has no one else. His mother, Lagertha, is still his true mother in his mind. And he's clinging onto the hope that he'll see her again. But Ben is not trying to control Greywind. He can convey his thoughts and feelings in the dreamscape, but nothing more. In the end, Grey (and thus Greywind) is merely touched by what Ben has subconsciously conveyed and can choose whether to embrace these feelings or reject them. And Grey embraces them because, one, she is still her young naive self in the dreamscape... and two, because they seem harmless with no sign of ulterior motive.

In the comic, Alex and Fireblade seem to connect in their dreams and memories, but that does not imply that Alex can control Fireblade. Fireblade would likely pulverize him if she realized he could.

But in the end, it's up to the interpretation of the reader.

[Dan Wyatt]

Greywind wished to find a flaw in the human Lotai by creating a link between Ben so she could explore his mind. She never considered such a link would work both ways, or that Ben would unconsciously shape her into his new mother figure.

Supreme Keikaku!

[inxsi]

Both make valid points.

It could be interpreted that way. However, I am not at all intending for Greywind to be so weak-minded. Perhaps she is allowing herself to be vulnerable, but only because she knows Ben is only a child and means her no harm. In order to get close to someone, we have to risk being vulnerable. A human child could not overpower or influence the mind of a former Mizol. Greywind is after all a 300 year old Emperor who fought her way to the top and crushed her opposition. If she suspected that Ben was trying to control her, she would either use her own mental powers to force him into submission or strictly distance herself from him. And quite possibly lock him in a hole.

But the Greywind in this story is... intrigued by Ben. Initially Greywind was just interested in keeping a vital asset to give the loroi a strategical edge against humanity since no other human has shown a breech in their lotai. Greywind's true intentions with humanity will be touched on later. Whatever sentiment she may feel, Greywind still places duty and her own ambitions ahead of everything else. But she will also find that her feelings are about to get complicated.

In a way Ben is imprinting on Greywind, and her dream self, Grey... but only because he is a lost boy who has no one else. His mother, Lagertha, is still his true mother in his mind. And he's clinging onto the hope that he'll see her again. But Ben is not trying to control Greywind. He can convey his thoughts and feelings in the dreamscape, but nothing more. In the end, Grey (and thus Greywind) is merely touched by what Ben has subconsciously conveyed and can choose whether to embrace these feelings or reject them. And Grey embraces them because, one, she is still her young naive self in the dreamscape... and two, because they seem harmless with no sign of ulterior motive.

In the comic, Alex and Fireblade seem to connect in their dreams and memories, but that does not imply that Alex can control Fireblade. Fireblade would likely pulverize him if she realized he could.

But in the end, it's up to the interpretation of the reader.

Interesting that Grey in the dream is so much more naive than Greywind - the way you have explained it makes sense but it is a bit different to think of it that way. I like the interpretation that Greywind is embracing these changes and not having them forced upon her by Ben, though her putting up with Ben nesting in her hair is a bit extreme (but a great scene). Though it seems a bit odd since (presumably) she never did so with any of her children or grandchildren - though that could be that she has a different standard for what is appropriate with Loroi and Humans.

Thanks for the detail - I'm enjoying reading and thinking about it.

[Cthulhu]

I think that Ben is definitely imprinting something onto Greywind, since such mother-child behavior is atypical for Loroi. They are normally raised communally and do not have much contact with their mothers.

[Snoofman]

Wind and Fire - Chapter 16.1

-

The day did not start off well. At least not for Ben and Greywind. The two sulked and glowered at the dining room table while Ben gobbled down his breakfast in slow, angry bites. Ben was still sour at having been shoved off the deck by Greywind. Greywind upset that Ben had sneezed saliva and mucus on her face. And touched her hair for the second time. The other loroi just awkwardly sat in silence, aware of what happened between the Emperor and the human after waking up. And upon Greywind’s command made no further inquiry on the matter.

Cotton packed a small bag of essentials for her and Tempo. Today they were hiking elsewhere, far from the residents and visitors of the Monastery to train Cotton’s mental defences. The Listel was reluctant to leave Ben alone with Greywind judging by their gloomy attitudes. The Emperor insisted that Cotton train her mind elsewhere without distractions. So Cotton gave in and decided to go along with their original plan. But not before the Listel left Greywind with a list of tasks concerning Ben. Among those tasks was education. Greywind was left with a datapad and a chapter on learning Trade phrases. Followed by a history lesson of loroi culture. Plus a brief study of the Union and former Hierarchy races. Ben eagerly wanted to learn about the aliens.

Then it was time to fix Ben’s midday meal. Also known as lunch. Cotton pointed out the consumables set aside for Ben. As well as some iron supplements that he needed to take twice a day. After that they would meet with Fertile Spring along with a company of males that took time off from their usual schedules to spend time with Ben. Spring was also planning to arrange for some choir practice that incorporated Ben’s whistling. If Tempo and Cotton were still not back by the evening, then it would be up to Greywind and Link to arrange for Ben’s dinner as well as give him a bath.

It was a bit much to take in, but Greywind felt confidant. Plus she had Link to assist her. After all, Greywind ran a whole empire. How hard could it be to take care of a human child?

-

“And these are Nibiren,” Greywind pointed to a holographic projection from the datapad lying on the table. It had been about an hour since Tempo and Cotton left. Now Greywind began Ben’s lecture.

“They look like Barsam,” Ben commented. His anger from early morning seeming to wane, much to Greywind’s relief.

Not feeling like explaining the complex history of how the Nibiren were used as the Barsam’s template species by the Soia, Greywind simply said, “Yes, they do.”

For the last few thousand solons Greywind was educating Ben about the various intelligent species that populated the Union. As Cotton could attest, Ben absorbed the lecture.

“What do Nibiren girls look like?” Ben asked curiously.

“You mean females?”

Ben nodded.

Greywind looked up the English word to assist with translation from the datapad. “Well, Nibiren are… hermaphrodites.”

Ben squinted a questioning eye. “Huh?”

“Basically, they are both male and female. Boy and girl.”

“Woah,” Ben uttered with astonishment. “That must be really confusing.”

“Not for a Nibiren,” said Greywind.

“Emperor, if Nibiren are… hermie-fred-nites,” Ben tried to pronounce, “does that mean so are the Barsam?”

“Hermaphrodites,” Greywind corrected. “And yes.”

“Oh,” said Ben. “Weird.”

Greywind shrugged. “I suppose it is.” Greywind carried on with the lecture as she tapped the datapad. “And here are the Arreka. They are tall, long and have three legs. And have colored feathers, as you can see.” Greywind could have guessed that her lecture sounded dull, but she was not trained to be a teacher. That seemed more clear as Ben seemed to lose focus.

“Ben,” Greywind said. “You don’t like the lesson?”

“No,” said Ben. “I mean yes. I mean… uh… well…”

Greywind sighed. “What’s the problem?”

“I’m just thinking,” said Ben. “Being both boy and girl is so weird.”

Greywind’s eyes narrowed at such an obvious observation. “Yes, Ben. You seem to have established that. Can we get on with the lesson?”

Ben nodded.

Greywind carried on, “Now Arreka have a layer of downy feathers with many colors. Which they like to focus on pree-”

“Emperor?”

Greywind avoided groaning with aggravation. “Yes, Ben?”

“Sorry, it’s just… can I ask you a question?”

How silly to request to ask a question, thought Greywind. “What is it?”

“Well… uh… it’s just that…” Ben fumbled for the right words but just blurted out, “Do Nibiren have boobs?”

“What?”

“Do Nibiren have boobs?”

Greywind arched an eyebrow. “What are ‘boobs’?”

Ben blushed as he looked away, embarrassed about the subject but awfully curious. “Um, well… girls have them.”

“They do?”

Ben nodded. “Yeah.”

“Where?”

Ben pointed to her chest. Greywind was mildly stunned upon realizing what Ben was talking about. “I… well… that… I… suppose… yes, they do.”

“Woah,” said Ben in amazement. But another realization hit him. “So why aren’t they big?”

“I beg your pardon?!” Greywind blushed. Was he referring to her?

Ben tapped on the datapad to bring back the image of the Nibiren. “If Nibiren have boobs, how come they’re not that big?”

“Oh,” Greywind’s blush disappeared. “I… well, what difference does that make?”

Ben shrugged. “I’m just curious.”

>He’s a male, alright!< Link commented with a wry grin. She was cleaning up in the kitchen.

>Attendant, not another word out of you!< Greywind warned her. She stammered for words as she switched her focus on Ben. “I- well- I don’t know, Ben. That’s… complicated. Let’s just say that Nibiren have different bodies than humans… and loroi. Can we just get on with the lesson?”

Ben was unsatisfied by the explanation but shrugged. “Okay.”

Glad I dodged that one, Greywind thought with some relief and was about to carry on-

“Do Barsam have boobs?”

“Will you forget about boobs and just focus?!” Greywind snapped.

Ben jumped in his chair at the mild outburst. “Geez, sorry.” He hunched over the table.

Greywind huffed, recomposing herself and continued the lesson. “Now the boobs- No- I mean Arreka… The Arreka have a layer of downy feathers that they like to preen.”

“What’s ‘preen’?” Ben asked.

“Preening means they use their mouths to clean themselves.”

“Ew! That’s gross,” said a revolted Ben.

“So it seems,” said Greywind. Relieved that Ben was letting go of his peculiar interest in Nibiren and Barsam anatomy. “Next are the Nissek.” Greywind tapped for the next image of reptiles. She wasn’t sure if it was wise to talk about the Nissek’s horrific dietary habits.

Ben gasped.

Horrified already? thought Greywind. But she hadn’t even talked about the Nissek yet.

But Ben was not thinking about the Nissek. He was bemusedly shocked as he realized something else about the Nibiren and Barsam.

Ben asked, “Do Nibiren and Barsam make babies?”

Happening to overhear, Link tried desperately to conceal her snickering.

>Shut up over there!< Greywind sent and tapped off the image of the Nissek. “That’s enough,” she said to Ben. “Biology lesson over! We are switching to Trade grammar.”

Ben sulked in his chair. “Aw!”

-

Greywind and Ben had been going through Trade grammar for a while. He still had a long way to go before he could construct even the most basic of Trade sentences. His progress was slow.

“Nennaras mellerna rositi,” said Greywind. “Now translate!”

Ben thought a moment. “Mm… the spaceship… makes… lasers.”

“Incorrect,” Greywind pointed out. “‘Mellerna’ means to shoot. And ‘nennaras’ means battleship.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“No, Ben. ‘Nasi’ can mean any kind of ship.”

“Oh,” said Ben.

“Now say it.”

Ben practiced his Trade, “Nee-naras… ma-lana… ro-chi-chi.”

“Incorrect,” said Greywind. “Try again.”

She guided Ben as best she could. After several tries, Ben seemed to be getting the hang of it.

Ben tried again, “Nennaras…”

Greywind nodded. “Good.”

“…mellerna…”

Greywind nodded again.

“…ri…ri……rishiri…”

Greywind nearly snorted out her disapproval. “Definitely not that! ‘Rishiri' means… well… something else. Now say ‘rositi’!”

“…ro-si-ti…”

The old Emperor buried her head into her hands. These lectures seemed to be dragging on and it wasn’t even midday yet.

“Emperor?”

Greywind tried not to growl out, “Yes?”

“What does ‘rishiri’ mean?”

Too embarrassed to explain, Greywind just said, “It means nothing. Listen! Let’s stop Trade grammar and switch to numerals.”

“Numerals?”

“Numbers!”

“But I want to know what ‘rishiri’ means.”

“No!” Greywind snapped.

Ben puttered his lips and pouted, “Okay.”

-

Teaching Ben mathematics and numerals was tricky. Not only was he disinterested in mathematics, he refused to accept the order of Loroi Trade Numerals. While numerals was not among Greywind’s favorite subjects growing up, even she mastered this when she was barely two tozons old.

Having naturally been taught the Terran numeral system, Ben had difficulty adjusting to the loroi numeral system. Unlike loroi that counted with a bijective base-8 numeration, humans counted in digits of ten with a placeholder to represent the value of ‘bishires’, which humans called ‘zero’.

Over and over Greywind tried to make Ben memorize loroi numerals. But the more she tried, the less receptive Ben became. While he could count the first eight numbers in Trade, Ben refused to accept the numbers that followed after.

Greywind pointed to the digit, ‘rotor’, on a holographic board of Trade numbers.

“Rotor,” Ben muttered, his head buried into his elbow. Clearly he was getting bored with this.

Greywind refused to let him give up until he got it right. If loroi children could learn this, so could he. She pointed to the next digit on the board.

“Mizii,” Ben muttered.

“Good, Ben,” said Greywind. And pointed to the next digit.

Ben paused a moment. “Mm… nine!”

“No, Ben,” Greywind nearly groaned out. “We’ve gone over this. This number is ‘paipai’.”

“Which is nine,” said Ben.

“No, that is the human way to count. Now we count the loroi way. Now tell me, what is this number?”

“Nine!”

Greywind groaned with aggravation. She moved onto the next number. “And this one?”

“Ten!”

“No! Zilopai! Now say what this number is!”

Getting agitated himself, Ben shouted, “TEN!”

“Do not raise your voice at me!” Greywind nearly yelled herself.

Attendant Link looked over quite concerned, unsure how to assist in this situation.

Rising from her seat, Greywind hunched over the table resting on her elbows, exhaling her frustration. She needed a break.

“Ben, I will be back,” Greywind said. “When I come back, I want you to be able to count properly in Trade.”

Greywind left for her room and sealed the door behind her. Inhaling and exhaling rapidly, Greywind tried to cool off. She never recalled her own daughters acting so defiant. Then again, unlike Rainlash, Greywind chose to allow her daughters to be raised at the creches and only involved herself with their education after completing their trials. While it was not uncommon for loroi girls to misbehave or exhibit pouts of disobedience, much of that undesirable behavior was stamped out by their caregivers at the creches or by their diral band. But this defiance from Ben was too much for Greywind to handle. How did he suddenly go from being gently docile to aggressively obstinate?

Greywind felt quite tempted to give him a proper discipline, but reminded herself that Ben was human. Not loroi. Therefore he could not be held to the same standard. Though it felt odd even to Greywind that she was taking it so personally.

After huffing out most of her exasperation, Greywind returned to the living room. And was pleasantly surprised to see Ben hunched over the table writing away.

Perhaps now he is taking this lecture seriously, thought Greywind.

But Greywind was in for disappointment when she peeked over Ben’s shoulder to find he was not writing numerals. He was drawing a poor imitation of a frowning Greywind with down-turned, scowling lips and furious eyebrows.

Unable to meet Greywind’s intense glare, Ben looked away with a guilty grin.

“No,” said Greywind sternly. “Ben, this-” She pointed to the drawing. “-not funny!”

-

Growing tired of Ben’s pugnacious behavior, Greywind ended the lectures. Ben asked if they were still going to see the menfolk, to which Greywind strictly replied no. Even loroi understood the concept of not rewarding bad behavior. Did human mothers have to go through this? Greywind wondered if Lagertha did.

Ben stormed to his room and beat the bed furiously, stuck somewhere between screaming and crying. Greywind sat on the living room couch, already exhausted from the stress of prepubescent dissent, trying to contain her own anger.

After thousands of solons, Ben came out, still glowering. The old Emperor and young boy sneered each other down. Ben walked to the glass door and made to open it.

“Where are you going?” Greywind sternly asked.

Ben huffed grumpily as he stood straight and faced Greywind. “I want to go outside,” he snarled through gritted teeth.

“No,” Greywind said strictly. “You will stay right here.”

Ben defiantly opened the door, only for Greywind to march over and slam it shut.

“I said no!”

“Vanilla smelling butthole!”

Greywind’s anger shot through the roof. How dare this little creature insult her so. Grabbing him by his bicep, she warned, “You listen! I am in charge here. And you will do what I say!”

“Let me go!” Ben cried.

“STOP IT!”

“I HATE YOU!”

“FINE THEN!”

Ben tore his arm free. swung the glass door open and angrily marched out. Greywind sent out an instruction to her guards to keep an eye on Ben. Working remotely seemed like a sensible way to distract herself from the anger. While the two were shouting at each other, Link rushed over to Greywind to calm her down and distract her from the little human.

>Please stay calm your highness,< Linked pleaded with her Emperor. >Think of your health!<

Amidst her fuming, Greywind wonder what Ben's last insult meant.

-

Ben was angry. So angry. He stomped and kicked and shouted. Since the villa lay a good distance away from the males’ pagodas, the only loroi witnessing this pout were Greywind’s guards. From a distance they watched, half bemusedly and half amusedly, as the little human male swung his arms at invisible foes, tore up grass before throwing it away, stumbling as he lost balance and got up again to shout some more.

Among the profanities, the guards heard the little human shout, “Crap! Poop! Buttfaces! Rrgh!”

>What the shred is the little thing saying?< Soroin Drill sent to one of her compatriots.

>No idea,< another Soroin, Brimstone, sent back. >Should we do something?<

>The Emperor said just to keep an eye on him,< Teidar Hailstorm sent. >Let the human rage out his frustrations. Our job is to observe and intervene only if it seems like an emergency.<

>Aw, look how he yells,< Brimstone doted with a humored grin. >Isn’t he just cute when he’s mad?<

Brimstone was set straight as Hailstorm sent to her, >Shut up and stay alert!<

The loroi continued their patrols while still keeping their eyes on Ben. Ben, after tiring himself out of his tantrum, just collapsed on the grass, breathing in and out deeply. Why was the Emperor being so mean all of a sudden? Did he do something wrong? Well even if he did, so what? She started it. First she rolled him off the ledge of the deck (although the fall was only a few centimeters). Then she refused to answer a simple question about the aliens. On top of that, she got angry just because he was counting numbers the way he’d been taught. To make matters worse, she cancelled his visit with the loroi men. This was all so silly and unfair.

“Why is Emperor being a butthole?” he grumbled, hitting his fist in the grassy turf.

He was so mad at her. He wanted to be mad at her. Because she was unfair.

So should he hate her now?

No.

Ben did not hate the Emperor. She was nice to him since the moment they met. Brought him to another planet, showed him amazing places and gave him good food. Ben’s young mind could not process or comprehend what was wrong with her all of a sudden?

Giving one last beat into the grass, Ben growled out the last of his frustrations and just sat under the sun. He watched the clouds roll by in the alien sky. Still angry, but not knowing what to do about it.

Ben wondered if he should go back inside and say sorry.

No.

In Ben’s mind, he did not have to be sorry. Well, maybe for sneezing and getting snot on her face. But there was nothing else to be sorry for. Was there?

Ben’s attention was drawn to a slight buzzing in the grass. He crawled toward a small hole in the grass where some alien insects were flying in and out. Was that a bee nest? Ben had read about bee nests on Earth. Did they exist on Deinar also?

Suddenly finding something to take his frustration out on, he search around for some rocks. After digging up a few fist sized rocks, Ben started casting them at the nest. The buzzing of the insects intensified, they buzzed irritably as they sensed a threat. Ben saw a few float toward him. One landed on his arm.

“Ow!” Ben cried from the pain of a sting.

He smacked the bug that just stung him. But then a second landed on him and stung him also. Soon more insects were flying out. In furious panic, Ben futilely swatted the insects away as they swarmed furiously around him.

-

“AHH!”

It took two solons for Greywind and Link to process the high-pitched scream as they jumped to their feet and were out on the terrace in seconds. Some paces away, Ben was crying for help, swatting his arms as a swarm of needlers were attacking the boy.

>Guards to Ben’s position now!< Greywind sent out urgently, dashing toward Ben.

Link did not even bother to try and pick up Greywind’s cape as she sprinted after her Emperor.

Within a blur of motion, Hailstorm skidded in front of Ben and, upon seeing the assaulting needlers, used her telekinetic force to make a barrier between Ben and the small swarm. The insects pushed against the invisible wall, but were forced and scattered. The swarm tried to regroup and attack. Hailstorm effortlessly kept the insects at bay.

>There’s a needler nest in the ground,< Hailstorm pointed out to the Soroins. >Bury it!<

Drill and Brimstone kicked dirt into the hole. While it agitated the swarm that had surfaced, it trapped the rest of the needlers inside. Two more Teidars ran into the scene and assisted Hailstorm in pushing back the needlers. It would take a couple hundred solons, but as soon as the needlers realized their nest was buried and gone, they would relent and move on. Although the guards would have to alert the groundskeepers to watch out for any other nests that might be nearby.

Greywind took a whimpering Ben up into her arms and rushed him back into the villa. Link briskly slammed the door shut behind them.

>Attendant, get Clearwater in here now!< Greywind sent as she set a crying Ben on the couch.

>Emperor, what about you?< Link sent back with concern.

>Just hurry!<

Link complied and dashed back out of the villa to find Doranzer Clearwater. While she had been requested to stay near the Emperor for Ben’s sake, Clearwater devoted her time and efforts to assisting the health professionals of the Monastery since there was not much else to be done. But the medic was bound to be in for a shocker once she saw this.

Even as Ben whaled his head off, Greywind found a medical kit in the kitchen. She shut out the human’s tearful screams as she sat on the couch beside him to look over his injuries. Several stings were littered across Ben’s hands, wrists and a few on his face. It was beneficial that Ben wore a jumpsuit that covered most of his limbs. Needler swarms could be dangerous. A minority of loroi were allergic to their venom. It was not clear if Ben might have an allergic reaction as well, but the Doranzer would have to determine that. Greywind cleaned the wounds with disinfectant spray, which elicited some pained whimpers from Ben as they burned away any possible infections.

“I know it hurts, Ben,” Greywind told him strictly. “But I have to!”

Next Greywind dressed the stings with plaster strips. Ben inhaled sharply amidst his tears as Greywind patched him up.

“It hurts,” Ben cried, tears running down his cheeks.

“Ben, why would you aggravate a swarm of needlers?” Greywind reprimanded. “Are you stupid?! Don’t you realize needlers can be dangerous?!” She huffed out. It was pointless to reason with a child. “Of course you don’t. You’ve never seen them before.”

“Mommy,” Ben cried out, blubbering through tears and snot. “Mommy!”

Greywind stiffened once again as Ben threw himself into her chest and cried. This was so awkward. Barely moments ago he stomped around angrily, defying her and now he was feebly begging for comfort. Greywind exhaled with frustration.

I’m not meant to be some caregiving figure for this human, she thought. But seeing no other way to calm him down, Greywind just held him.

“Just calm down,” Greywind soothed him. “You’re alright.”

The boy kept sniffling from the stings that lingered, trying to fight back the pain as he buried himself into the old Emperor. It took Greywind a few moments to finally notice the presence of guards that came rushing to the terrace moments ago. Having been too focused on Ben’s wounds, Greywind paid their presence no mind. But now she just stared at her guards through the terrace window as they stared back, dumbstruck at the unusual display of the Fourth Emperor playing caregiver to a human male. They were quick for action upon sensing the Emperor’s distress. But now they had no idea what to do. Except watch the sweet display-

>WHAT THE SHRED ARE YOU ALL LOOKING AT?!< Greywind roared out. >RESUME YOUR POSTS!<

Fearing a penalty, the loroi rushed off the deck to resume guard duty. Greywind groaned out with annoyance, simmering as she held Ben and waited for Clearwater. Within moments the Doranzer rushed in with Link in tow and shooed away the Emperor. Doranzers were not known for being tactful, being taught to value the well-being of their patients above rank and honor. But it was trivial to Greywind. She just wanted Clearwater to ensure that Ben was alright and not in fear of any serious infection.

Clearwater dropped her case of medical equipment between her and Ben. She peeled away the strips that Greywind had just administered and inspected Ben’s wounds. Greywind simply stood a few paces away with Link close by her side as they watched the Doranzer check Ben from head to toe, scanning his vitals and watching for any abnormalities.

After what must have been several hundred solons, Clearwater administered new plaster strips on Ben’s stings.

>There seems to be no danger to Ben’s health, your highness,< Clearwater sent. >The human seems to have no sign of allergic reactions. But I cannot be sure if there are bound to be side effects. The best thing now is to let his wounds heal. Perhaps it is best if I remain to monitor the human’s health until it seems safe.<

Greywind sighed with relief. >You may, Doranzer Clearwater.<

-

A few thousand solons passed and, after it seemed clear that Ben showed no symptoms or risk of infection from the needlers, Doranzer Clearwater excused herself. But not before Ben hugged her and rewarded her with another kiss to the cheek.

>Well the little human certainly has an affinity for pecking,< Clearwater sent.

>Oh get out,< Greywind sent with annoyance.

The Doranzer happily obliged with a bashful smile and left the villa. Time rolled by slowly for the trio in the villa. Link served Ben his lunch, which he humbly chewed, still a bit shaken from the swarm attack. Greywind continued to work remotely from her holographic monitors.

Greywind would switch her gaze back to Ben to catch a glimpse of what he was doing. After finishing his lunch, Ben just hunched over the table, sitting somberly.

Best just to let him be, thought Greywind.

A few minutes passed and Greywind noticed Ben suddenly standing right beside her. Did he want something? “Yes?”

Ben just looked away awkwardly, his hands behind his back.

Shutting off her work, Greywind set her monitors aside and asked again, “*What is it, Ben?”

Ben seemed to want to say something, but the words would not come. Giving up, Ben shamefully lowered his head and ran to his room.

Greywind sighed. Humans were weird creatures. Reactivating her monitors, Greywind resumed her work. But every few solons, her thoughts kept wandering back to Ben. Did he want to reconcile? To express his distress? Was he too afraid to voice it? If he wanted to reconcile he should have the courage to say it, Greywind reasoned. She pressed on with her work, tapping commands and reviewing documents on her monitors. Yet the thought of Ben nagged at her.

Every time Greywind pushed these ponders to the back of her mind, they stubbornly came forward again. Demanding attention. Unable to deal with the nagging thoughts any longer, Greywind shut off her monitors and entered Ben’s room. The little boy was lying on his bed playing with his action figure. He looked up as Greywind took a seat at the edge of the bed.

For a few moments Greywind just sat on the mattress silently with Ben. She wanted to say something, but didn’t know what. What she knew she didn’t want to say was ‘sorry’. Greywind had apologized for a few things to many kinds of people throughout her military and diplomatic career. Mostly to aliens since apologies among loroi were only as sincere as the loroi who sent them. And most loroi were unapologetic. Apologies were useful to subvert rivalling factions and gently coax the compliance of ruling parties. They did not necessarily have to be sincere as long as they worked. Apologies were sweet words meant to convey regret and kindness in order to garner favorable results without brute force. And for Greywind that was all they were; useful instruments to not violently coerce peoples’ cooperation. Now Greywind wanted Ben’s cooperation without seeming forceful. And yet she did not want to be insincere about it.

Finally Greywind said, “I am not good at this.”

Catching his attention, Ben sat up with Superman in hand, watching Greywind.

The old Emperor sighed. “I am not your mother. If Lagertha was here, she would know what to say. How to… make everything alright. But she is not. And I am not her. So I do not know how to make it better. But… I want to try. I do not want you to be sad. I do not want to hurt you. All I want is for you to listen to me. It is… not easy. But if you try… listen to me… then I promise… I will try… and listen to you.” She looked directly at Ben. “Can you try for me?”

Ben scooted closer to the bed’s edge, still clutching Superman close as he thought it over. After a few seconds of silence, he gazed up at Greywind and said, “Working on it.”

“I am glad you agree,” said Greywind. “So then… can we start by talking about rules?”

Ben’s lips twitched sideways. A thoughtful gesture not so alien to even Greywind. “I guess,” Ben said.

Guess? You are a tricky one, thought Greywind. “Alright then,” she said. “Let us start with the first rule. We should try not to fight. But talk so we can solve a problem. If we must fight, let us not hurt each other. Let us try… not to yell… or insult.”

Ben nodded. “Okay.”

“Good. Next rule: no screaming...”

Greywind half expected it would take several trials and errors before the next few rules she dictated had cemented themselves firmly in Ben’s memory. But they had to start somewhere.

“And finally, Ben… you must not touch me.”

That was a shocker for Ben. “What? Does that mean no more hugs?”

Greywind nodded. As pleasant as it was, all good things had to come to an end. The sooner Ben understood the rules and taboos of loroi society, the easier it would be for him to accept it.

“But why not?” Ben asked.

“Loroi do not typically like to be touched, Ben. And touching loroi with high rank is considered… not acceptable.”

Ben tried to make sense of this before asking, “What is high rank?”

Greywind tried to simplify the meaning, “A loroi who has the right to tell others what to do.”

“Oh,” Ben said astonished. “How high is your rank?”

Greywind did not want Ben to get distracted, but explained, “Emperor, of course.”

“I thought Emperor was your name.”

Greywind scoffed incredulously. “It is certainly not.”

Ben arched a curious eyebrow. “So what’s your name then?”

“You don’t know my real name?!”

Ben shrugged. “Guess not.”

Just how clueless could this human be? Greywind thought. “Well, my name is Greywind.”

Ben took the Emperor’s hand and shook it with his own. “Nice to meet ya’, Greywind. Oh, whoops!” Ben bashfully dropped Greywind’s hand remembering the last rule. “Sorry.”

Now it was Greywind’s turn to raise a curious eyebrow. “Ben, you honestly haven’t known my real name this whole time?”

Ben shook his head. “Nope.”

“Why not?”

“Nobody told me.”

“That…” Greywind sighed with defeat. “…that actually makes sense now that you mention it. Now, can you keep these rules?”

Ben thought it over and finally nodded. “Okay,” he complied with a gentle voice.

“Thank you, Ben.”

“Your welcome, Greywind.”

“One more thing, Ben. You cannot call me Greywind. You must call me Emperor.”

“But why? I like ‘Greywind’.”

“Because the Emperor must be shown respect. And the best way you do this is by calling her by her rank. It’s a rule.”

“More rules?!”

“Yes more rules!”

“But you didn’t say this rule before.”

“Ben, I am saying it now.”

“No fair.” Ben puttered his lips in disappointment.

Greywind groaned. This human could be difficult. “How about this, Ben? If you promise to call me Emperor… and be good for the rest of the day, I will change my mind and let you see the men today.”

Ben perked up upon hearing that. “You really mean it?!”

Greywind nodded.

“Then I’ll be extra good, Emperor,” he said with a big smile.

“Very good, Ben,” Greywind said, pleased that the little human was starting to see sense. “Come along.”

Ben hopped off his bed with new vigor as he followed Greywind out. “I’m gonna’ be extra extra good!”

-

It seemed a smarter idea to let the males visit Greywind’s villa so that Ben would not be forced to exert himself following his injury. While Fertile Spring did not mind, the rest of his fellows, all six of them, pouted like whiny children.

>Why do we have to cater to some little human?< a young loroi male, Lightbridge, complained.

>You insisted on having Doranzers cater to your wounds in your personal pagoda when you suffered a paper cut one time, Lightbridge,< Spring shot back. >Ben got hurt. It’s our communal duty to show him all the support and comfort he needs.<

>That was a deep cut I got,< Lightbridge defended. >And why do we have to carry all this junk from your pagoda, Spring?<

>This isn’t junk!< Spring shot back. >These are precious items that I happened to come across at the alien shops in Toridas. Besides, I thought you wanted to test some of these objects, Lightbridge.<

>I do, but it’s so heavy,< Lightbridge groaned.

>Don’t be such a weakling, Light,< Mason, a more stout and unusually well-muscled male sent. >You’re carrying the small box. I, on the other hand, am carrying the hefty power cell. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger… like me!<

>Not all males are enthusiastic about lifting weights, Mason,< another male Fountain sent. He was carrying a monitor of foreign design along with another male’s help called Codex.

Codex agreed, as he watched his step going backward, >Fountain’s right. Why can’t we just ask the guards for help? Or the caregivers?<

>The caregivers have got a lot of their own work to do,< Spring sent. Most of his fellows were older, yet he seemed to be the more mature one. >And the guards have better things to do. Like keep the Emperor, and us, safe. Besides, carrying a couple items isn’t going to kill you.<

>See?< Mason pointed out. >Spring gets it.<

>Yeah, so quit whining,< Spring sent, a bit annoyed at his pampered peers. >You wanted to see Ben today. Well this is the price we have to pay.<

>Yes and besides,< sent Tenth Dusk, >who’d want to pass up a chance to meet the Emperor?<

That seemed to brighten the mood among the males as they walked along the path leading away from the pagodas to Greywind’s villa. Some of the other menfolk passing by, and occasional females, gave curious looks as Spring’s trudged on with their cargo.

>Tenth Dusk, you lay with the Emperor,< sent Fountain. >What’s she like?<

Spring never let Dusk answer that, >Don’t you dare share those details in front of me.<

>Oh, Spring, you killjoy,< Fountain sent.

>Yeah, way to ruin the fun,< Codex chimed in.

>I don’t need to know about my elder’s…… assets,< Spring sent, now getting embarrassed.

The menfolk laughed as they drew closer to the villa and teased a bashful Spring.

>Prude!< they called him.

>Seedheads!< Spring shot back.

>Prig!<

>Cancer boats!<

>Knock it off!< Teidar Hailstorm and Soroin Drill approached the males, noticing the commotion. >What’s going on here?<

>My deviant compatriots,< Spring motioned with a tilt of his head, >and I are here to see Emperor Greywind and Ben. By appointment.<

>First we’ll need to inspect your items,< sent Drill.

>Inspect?< sent Lightbridge. >What do we look like? Assassins?<

>It’s protocol, little man,< Hailstorm sent with a hand to her hip. >Nothing goes near the Emperor without security’s approval.<

Spring sighed but agreed. The males set their cargo down as Hailstorm and Drill examined each of the objects carefully.

>I don’t recognize most of this equipment,< Hailstorm sent as she scrutinized the objects. It was obvious that it was some sort of tech, but nothing that she recognized. >Who owns this stuff anyway?<

The menfolk answered in unison, >Spring!<

>Fertile Spring,< Drill sent as she looked up at the young composer. >What is all this weird equipment anyway? And how did you come by it?<

>From one of the alien shops,< Spring replied. >They call it an ‘entertainment system’.<

Hailstorm raised an eyebrow. >What sort of entertainment?<

Spring grinned as he sent brief images of alien imagery that baffled and confused the Teidar and Soroin. They saw flashes of illustrated objects clashing, fantastic beasts with mystical powers, vessels performing impossible stunt manoeuvres, many different faces of humans and anthropomorphic creatures that more resembled products of fantasy than actual living beings. Amidst Spring’s sending were exotic scenes of people sitting at tables, feasting and laughing. Of humans clad for battle and trekking across faraway lands. Unable to process all the fantastic but whimsical nonsense of this human entertainment, Hailstorm ordered Spring to stop sending and gave them clearance.

As the males entered the villa, Drill sent, >Did you see all that imagery he sent?<

>See it?< Hailstorm sent back. >I can never un-see it.<

>I didn’t understand a bit of it. Humans consider all that weird imagery to be entertainment?<

Hailstorm shrugged. >Beats me. Those humans seem to be into some weird stuff.<

>So is all that stuff the males brought for Greywind’s little guest?< sent Drill.

>Must be. So much for one little human.<

>An adorable little human,< Drill corrected with a grin.

[inxsi]

Cotton is just going to leave Ben with Greywind when they are already unhappy with each other. Well, the Emperor did order it - this should be great

It was a bit much to take in, but Greywind felt confidant. Plus she had Link to assist her. After all, Greywind ran a whole empire. How hard could it be to take care of a human child?

Oh you poor deluded soul. Especially since it sounds like she mostly only dealt with her daughters after they were basically adults?

And of course the lesson gets sidetracked by boobs... even for Greywind. Poor Link is going to be in danger of losing her job at this rate.

Those poor guards chose to not look at Ben at the worst moment.

Greywind finally lays down some rules for Ben and they make up from their fight - I liked it.

Looking forward to seeing the human entertainment system in action (and likely going over the heads of everyone but Ben and Spring).

[Quickdraw101]

This was certainly an entertaining chapter in more ways than 1. Greywind and Ben finally set the ground rules, we saw Greywind try her best to comfort a child, and of course Ben brings up the topic of boobs during a learning session. Definitely a male indeed.

[inxsi]

Ben is definitely keeping the Human reputation of being a smooth talking charmer going. Has Greywind met any boring Humans? I think she would have met some dignitaries as part of negotiations at some point, given how much time has passed since Alex formed an alliance with the Loroi.

[Snoofman]

Ben is definitely keeping the Human reputation of being a smooth talking charmer going. Has Greywind met any boring Humans? I think she would have met some dignitaries as part of negotiations at some point, given how much time has passed since Alex formed an alliance with the Loroi.

Interesting that you interpret Ben as a smooth talker. Yeah Ben is a bit of a charmer, but I did not intend for him to be a smooth talker. Following the Umiak war, in this fanfic, I'm sure Greywind has met a few of humans ranging from intriguing to the outright dull. In this tale, negotiations, like in real Earth politics, is an ongoing process. But I didn't necessarily want to focus on negotiating or political talks in this story. But there will be a scene eventually where Greywind will have to deal with humanity envoys in order to legally gain custody of Ben.

[inxsi]

Well, he ends up being a smooth talker even if it is accidental and the guards do not realize it. I am sure that Greywind is aware he is not very smooth (or maybe she thinks he is being intentionally difficult?) even if he has his moments. Those accidental moments are also a great part of the webcomic, like Alex's "nickname" Enzin. On the other hand, I don't think the Loroi have an idea of what to expect based on Ben's age - or at least I don't think Greywind does.

I just feel sorry for human diplomats who have to follow up Alex's and Ben's reputation

[Cthulhu]

The banter between Greywind and Ben was a bit cringe-worthy at first, but then turned out to be quite hilarious. It must've been a century or two since the Emperor had her children. I guess that the Loroi have not yet grasped Ben's age and level of development relative to their own? They also do not raise them by themselves, after all.

[inxsi]

The banter between Greywind and Ben was a bit cringe-worthy at first, but then turned out to be quite hilarious. It must've been a century or two since the Emperor had her children. I guess that the Loroi have not yet grasped Ben's age and level of development relative to their own? They also do not raise them by themselves, after all.

It does say that Greywind wasn't very involved with her children until after they passed the diral band, so she at least doesn't have experience with Loroi children of the same development stage as Ben. I assume Loroi females are raised much more strictly than Ben was as well - at least, Greywind seems to have been, though I would think they would expect him to be less well-behaved as a male of a different species. Maybe Greywind doesn't realize how little she dealt with her daughters, though it seems like she would remember how much she aggravated her own mother?

I am a bit surprised that Greywind has not brought in a Loroi with more experience with children - I don't think Cotton had much either? Granted, there probably isn't much need to have a vetted, trusted caregiver on the Imperial staff.

[Snoofman]

Author's note: Due to roadblocks I have gone back and changed a few things. First, there is no longer a Terran Embassy at Laibela on planet Deinar. Only certain planets along the Union borders, including Azimol, have Terran embassies. Which means, as painful as it is, I am forced to remove the characters Danny and Samar and Ganger Shadow. Not sure if I will insert them back later, but we'll see.

In the new edited version, Greywind was originally heading for Azimol aboard Cry of the Wind. But upon realising Ben has a breech in his lotai, changes course for Deinar.

I hope these changes do not dishearten readers, but I've been encountering some roadblocks in the story which had to be resolved. Plus I've noticed that trying to work in subplots slows my writing down. Hopefully focusing on the main story line helps to speed things along. While I can't hope to cover every single detail, I've gone back and edited a few random parts in several chapters to maintain plot consistency. If you notice any inconsistencies, you're welcome to comment.

Once again, thank you for reading and especially to those who have commented. Your praise keeps me motivated and your criticism gives me opportunity to improve.

-

Wind and Fire - Chapter 16.2

Greywind was expecting a company of seven loroi men that day. What she was not expecting was the gifts they bore as they filed into the villa one by one. Gifts that immediately peaked Ben’s interest. The alien objects Fertile Spring and his fellows brought that day consisted of numerous electronics, including a sizeable monitor, a power cell since the villa’s outlets could not accommodate this equipment, vines of cords, a small box which Spring claimed contained human recordings and another unopened box carried in by Lightbridge. Curious, Greywind stopped Lightbridge to inspect the box with alien print. Not recognising the red word encircled in an oval, she asked Spring what the it was.

To which Spring answered verbally, “Nintendo.”

Having grown up in impoverished conditions, even Ben did not recognize what Nintendo was. Though that did not deter his excitement. Especially upon learning that most of these items were imported from Earth. Upon Greywind’s demand, Spring explained that Nintendo was a game machine that humans played for personal amusement. Spring purchased these Terran objects many weeks prior to Greywind’s arrival and had tested them at his habitat.

>So it is a simulator?< Greywind guessed.

>It is a… surreal form of simulator,< sent Spring.

The Nintendo games apparently presented digital scenarios that incorporated fictional tales to enhance the simulation’s experience. All to captivate the user’s attention. While Greywind was no stranger to simulation games, or even fiction, it seemed totally ridiculous to create a fictional simulation in order to teach and enhance a human’s problem solving skills.

Must be a human thing, the old Emperor decided.

The menfolk unboxed the machines, fumbled with cords and consoles as they struggled to arrange everything in the living room.

Initially Greywind left the males and Ben to their nonsensical fun. Link was permitted to join the party, but merely to keep an eye on the males.

>In case their alien machines burn the villa down,< Greywind sent.

In the comfort and silence of her room, Greywind continued signing documents, approving/denying requests and organizing the sectors through the Union’s bureaucratic offices and intermediaries. But within a thousand solons, the old Emperor could not help but get distracted by the waves of telepathic imagery rippling over her psyche as the males commenced their alien game. They broadcast their excitement, intrigue and confusion to the strange simulations that more resembled funky illustrations. Greywind’s mental screens went right up, blocking out the weird broadcast as she resumed her work.

A few more hundred solons passed. While Greywind could block the telepathic hoots from the living room, that did not stop the men’s verbal cheers from coming in. Curious, Greywind lowered her mental screen, allowing more of the funky, alien images of their game to leak in. Deciding she could afford a break from her duties, Greywind closed her monitors and returned to the living room to see what the loroi and Ben were up to.

Ben was engaged in what appeared to be a match between Link, Spring and Lightbridge. All four were gripping remote controls and steering avatars on the large monitor. To Greywind the avatars seemed like poorly illustrated human figures with ridiculously large heads. Some avatars even resembled reptilian bipeds, like comical looking Mannadi or Nissek.

“What is this nonsense simulation?” Greywind asked as she drew closer.

“It’s called Mario World,” said an excited Ben, mashing the buttons on his remote control. “It’s a lot of fun.”

Greywind stared at the screen as the players guided their avatars across a side scrolling scene, smashing square shapes, changing form as they touched certain objects that imbued a magic power and haphazardly avoided queer creatures that apparently incapacitated players with but a harmless touch. Despite the players attempt at coordination and exhilarated shouting, Greywind could only see mayhem unfold on the game’s monitor.

>This looks absurdly stupid,< Greywind thought.

>But it’s still fun,< Spring sent back, eagerly smashing his controller’s buttons.

>It’s my turn now,< Codex sent impatiently as he observed from the side on the couch, eager to try the alien game.

>First I must finish this round,< Spring sent, pressing buttons with eyes fixed on the game.

>You’ve been playing the longest,< Codex pouted. >It’s my turn to play with the little human.<

>You can take my place,< Link offered her controller to Codex, who eagerly snatched it.

Greywind sighed hopelessly as the loroi and little human pressed on with their chaotic, nonsensical simulation and went to make herself some tea. Link made to assist Greywind, who more commanded her Attendant to sit back down. As helpful as Link was, she annoyedly insisted on doing almost every menial task for the Emperor. It felt nice for Greywind to be able to do some things herself. Deciding that she’d seen enough of the small party’s game, Greywind took her hot tea and made for her room.

“Emperor, do you want to play?” Ben asked.

“No,” she said back.

“Please!”

Greywind looked back at Ben and the men who suddenly were of like mind.

>Emperor, please!< they sent in unison.

Just how immature could menfolk get, thought Greywind with a grumble and answered, “Just a moment. Then I have work to do.”

She took her place on the couch, placing her tea in front of her and, taking the controller yielded by Spring, assumed her avatar’s role. Which apparently was a human male with absurdly huge eyes, a grotesquely huge nose, hair growing above its upper lip and vibrant green and blue attire. It took a few minutes before Greywind understood the point of the game by following her team across the side scrolling screen. And several tries before she could make her avatar jump. She thought it ridiculous that each jump was followed by a spring noise.

Who the shred designed this absurd game? Greywind thought.

After a few thousand solons of chasing after her teammates in this silly game, Greywind decided she had enough and was about to call quits.

“Let’s see what other games the Nintendo box has,” Fountain sent eagerly, taking over Lightbridge’s place.

Exitting to the Nintendo’s main menu, they scrolled through the game selection. It was not so hard to figure out how to operate the menu since computer usage followed along similar principles among aliens. Greywind thought about leaving until she saw Fountain swipe across a title that caught her interest. It featured a humanoid dressed in power armor that put even a Soroin’s to shame, with golden plating and a crimson helm with a green visor. The most distinguishing features was the set of large, round shoulder guards and hefty cannon mounted on the figure’s right arm. Clear signs that this figure was a warrior.

“What is this one?” Greywind asked.

Tenth Dusk, with his eidetic skills, aided in translation, “Metroid.”

“Looks awesome,” said Ben, hoping in his seat. “Can we try it?”

Despite the Metroid warrior’s buffed up shoulder guards, Greywind did like its armored design. “Let us play,” Greywind commanded.

“Yeah,” Ben cheered.

Starting the game, they realized it was also a side scroller like the Mario game. The game’s introductory tale told of a warrior called Samus Aran, a human female born and raised by an alien race called the Chozo.

>Why would aliens raise a human child if they could just return her to human caregivers?< thought Tenth Dusk at the absurdity.

>Oh, I don’t know! Maybe because they didn’t have the right infrastructure. Just listen to the story,< sent Spring. >I think it’s fascinating.<

The story went on that Samus Aran continued her hunt for a dangerous alien race called the Metroids that fed off the essence of other lifeforms. Strangely the Metroids bore a nightmarish resemblance to the Pipolsid. Now Samus Aran was en route to her alien caregivers’ home of planet Zebes to pay homage to her now deceased caregivers. Upon searching the remains of her formerly abandoned home, Samus discovered that her adoptive parents left a piece of ancient technology that they meant for her to inherit and protect. A technology that was fuelled by her life-force to create projected copies of herself. Without warning a horde of space pirates attacked, capturing Samus and bringing the alien artefact with them to unlock its secrets. Though captive aboard their ship, the unsuspecting pirates would not have guessed that the artefact generated three copies of Samus Aran, allowing them to break Samus out of her holding cell.

The point of the game was for the Samus warrior and her projected copies to battle aliens and solve puzzles together in order to escape their ship. At first, this all struck Greywind as a ridiculous fairytale. But as soon as the real action started, she had to admit that this problem-solving and battle simulator was mildly enjoyable. Each of the loroi switched around controllers so that everyone had a chance to play. The males became especially ecstatic upon learning that Samus, after her armor magically fazed away for a moment, was immaculately beautiful.

>That’s Samus Aran?!< Dusk sent with his jaw hanging open.

>She’s gorgeous,< Codex agreed almost hypnotically. >Do human females really look like that?<

>Check out her long, golden hair< Fountain ogled, nearly drooling in the process.

>Check out her muscles,< thought Mason. >And impressive bosom.<

The males’ lust for the fictional human female’s beauty was so intense that Greywind swore she could smell pheromones in the air. It gave the old Emperor reason to shift in her seat uncomfortably.

Link, growing a bit jealous, sent, >You boys realize that that human female is fake, right? There are plenty of real females around you.<

>We’re not thinking of you right now,< Lightbridge sent quite absentmindedly, his eyes glued exclusively to the curvaceous human on the monitor. >So stop ruining the moment.<

That statement made Link ripe with jealous anger.

>Control yourselves!< Greywind commanded the males, unable to take the heat in the room any longer and making the males jump with fright. >I don’t care what you boys get off to, but if you want to think about sex, you will do it elsewhere! Away from our human guest! And me!<

The males focused on retaining their lustful urges and apologized, fearing another reprimand.

“What’s wrong?” Ben asked, noticing the frightened jump of the loroi.

“Nothing, Ben,” said Greywind. Good thing he could not receive sanzai. At least not consciously. “Just a small disagreement that needed to be corrected. Let’s continue the game.”

Ben shrugged. “Okay.” Loroi could be weird sometimes.

-

For hours they played. Greywind became so immersed in the human simulations that she nearly forgot her duties. But decided she could resume her tasks later. Greywind groaned irritably as she tried to make her avatar on the monitor do as she willed, but her hand controller felt cumbersome. The males gently teased, though careful not to overstep their bounds. Saying the wrong thing to the Emperor, even in the spirit of good humor, could be a mistake. And Greywind soon put the males to shame as she became better acquainted with the controls and soon was moving her Samus character with mastery.

“Woah!” Ben said amazed. “You’re really good at this, Emperor.”

Greywind allowed Ben and the impressed males to shower her with praise. This game wasn’t so hard.

Link eventually excused herself to begin preparing the evening meal. Greywind was brought back from the gaming zone when a transmission peeped on her wrist-comm. Excusing herself and handing her controller to Mason, Greywind left for her room and tapped on her transmitter.

The image of Oirel Lodestone came into view from her wrist’s holo-projector. “Greetings, Emperor Greywind.”

“Hello, Lodestone,” said Greywind. “What can I do for you?”

“Permission to speak freely, your highness,” Lodestone said formerly.

“Permission granted.”

“And ask what the shred you have been doing all damn day?”

“Doing my work, Lodestone. And playing a game.”

“A game?!” Lodestone said incredulously. “We have an empire to run and you decided on a whim to play a game?!”

Greywind’s eyes narrowed. “What have you to holler about? I’ve seen you leisure around at the spa even when the rest of Cry of the Wind was in the heat of battle.”

“On my off-duty hours, cousin,” Lodestone defended. “If I’m going to die during my off-duty time, I will enjoy it.”

“Careful, Lodestone. We may be cousins, but I am still your emperor. Now is there a point to this call? Or did you just want to vent your frustrations?”

“Greywind, what is going on with you? Why are we here on Deinar?”

“To conduct our imperial duties as the ruling cabinet. Have we not done so?”

“Does our imperial duties include entertaining little humans?”

“Are you questioning my judgement, Lodestone?”

“Yes!”

An uncomfortable silence lingered between the two.

“That’s what I like about you, Lodestone,” said Greywind, her gaze relaxing. “No matter how much we bicker, no matter bitter we’ve been, no matter how brutally honest, you’ve always been on my side.”

Lodestone sighed. “Cousin, please, just tell me what is going on. You have insisted on spending an excessive amount of time at the Monastery.”

“Not for encounters, Lodestone. I have been abstinent. You know I’ve enjoyed the intellectual company of males in the past.”

“Including that little human? Greywind, I’m worried about you. Ever since leaving Taben, the rumors are circulating. Your unusual interest in that human is making the Councilors concerned.”

“Oh?”

“Please, cousin, just tell me what you’re doing at that Monastery. Because your infatuation with that human is-”

“Infatuation?!” Greywind said offended. “Make you an obsessionist of me?!”

“I hope not.”

Greywind sighed, willing herself to calm. “Brutally honest, Lodestone. If I seem secretive, then there is good reason for it. You will have an explanation, but now is not the time or place. All I expect is that you trust me and be patient. And pacify the Council in the mean time. I promise… when I share my plans, you will understand.”

Lodestone did not seem to like that, but accepted. “I will hold you to it… my Emperor.” With that said, the Oirel signed off.

-

Few loroi have strict dining rituals. Being a warrior race and most often needing to be ready for the unexpected, loroi meals were typically informal affairs. Food was often grabbed on-the-go. Having been brought up with Perrein traditions even while she resided on Deinar in her early years, Greywind was used to group dining and welcomed the company of the loroi and human around her. To make things less hectic, Greywind ordered Link to organise a quick dinner of dumplings. Ben was given chicken dumplings that Cotton prepared in advance. Which Ben devoured with vigor. The loroi men were amazed at how much the little boy ate.

Codex eyed Ben’s alien food and warily asked, “What is chicken?”

Ben shrugged. “I guess it’s a bird.” He popped a dumpling into his mouth and chewed.

“Great explanation,” said Codex sarcastically before muttering under his breath, “not.”

“It’s a flightless bird native to planet Earth,” said Tenth Dusk, searching his eidetic archives. “Most often bred for farming to be used as meat or lay eggs for human consumption.”

“You’ve heard about chickens, Dusk?” Ben asked.

Dusk grinned. “Of course. I am a Chronicler after all.”

“What do these chickens sound like?” Fountain asked.

Dusk was about to share-

“Buck! Buck! Buck!”

All eyes turned on Ben.

“I’ve only seen it on vids, but chickens make that sound and wave their wings like this!” Ben hopped off his seat and waved his elbows up and down. “Buck! Buck! Buck!”

The males watched wide eyed at the alien dance, bemused at their silly guest.

>The human looks so ridiculous,< sent Codex, chewing his dumpling.

>I disagree,< sent Lightbridge with an amused. >I think he is educative as well as entertaining.<

>Oh isn’t Ben just precious?< Spring sent, watching Ben dance.

>Human’s hilarious,< Fountain thought aloud.

Mason jumped up from his seat and imitated the chicken ritual with Ben. “Boke! Boke!” Mason mispronounced with enthusiasm, inciting the males and Link to chuckle.

“No,” Ben corrected him, waving his arms. “It’s ‘buck’.”

Mason mispronounced on purpose, “Boke.”

“No, buck.”

Mason’s smile grew wider. He just had to press Ben’s buttons. “Boke!”

“Buck!”

“Boke!”

Ben stopped waving his elbows and stomped infuriated. “BUCK!”

The harmless tantrum made the males and Link erupt with laughter at the silly exchange.

I’m surrounded by dimwits, thought Greywind with a blank expression. She gave two audible smacks to the table and said, “Enough! Let’s bring some order. Ben and Mason, sit down.”

The rambunctious duo complied and sat back down. After finishing their meal, the group moved back to the couches.

“So what shall we play next?” Lightbridge said enthusiastically. “I had my reservations about these simulated fantasies, but they’re fun.”

“Actually,” said Spring. “Now I was hoping we could divulge in another form of human entertainment. They are called documentaries.”

Spring shut down the Nintendo and activated another small box connected to the television. A new menu of human imagery appeared featuring actual human beings. Spring scrolled through the vast selection, with Tenth Dusk assisting in translation. It was hard to choose from so many options.

Spring stopped as he came upon one of interest. “How about this one? ‘Around the World: with Lizzy Cross’.”

“What does it entail?” Greywind asked.

“Not sure. Perhaps it shares details about different cultures on Earth.”

“Earth?!” Ben said, his interest peaking. He loved all things about Earth. “Can we watch that? Please?”

“Let’s have a look at it,” said Greywind.

The loroi and human assumed their seats as Spring began the recording. The documentary, about two decades old, followed a human female called Lizzy Cross whose apparent passion was exploring different cultures across Earth. The recording was presented in a series of brief episodes that followed her travels to exotic destinations from towering cities to small urban settlements. The recording followed Lizzy as she sampled exquisite cuisines and partook in local rituals.

The first episode they watched was Lizzy’s visit to Uganda, a small nation state on a sizeable continent called Africa, where she observed local dancing rituals called Orunyege, in which males and females marched and robustly shook their hips in rhythm with the beating of drums and tootling of flutes. As alien and unaccustomed Spring was, the composer soon found the harmony of the alien tunes and bobbed his head gently to the sways of Terran music. The rest of the loroi and Ben watched the recording with much interest. Even Greywind was intrigued by this side of humanity that she rarely saw. The human envoys she had met over the years discussed their lives in politics and spacefaring. Many failed to share the vast richness of Terran culture that still remained a mystery to the loroi.

>Look how dark their skin is,< Lightbridge commented.

>And their males really are bigger than the females,< Mason observed. >Well muscled.<

>You and your obsession with muscles, Mason,< sent Codex with a roll of his eyes.

The males were in for a shock when the Lizzy human joined in another ceremony called Imbalu, a coming of age celebration in which teenage boys were encouraged to show their bravery by walking with exuberant pride, scarcely clad in colorful garments and covered in a white powder. The initiates were led along, surrounded by a hollering crowd that waved around sticks or long blades, singing and chanting in dialects that not even the loroi could match. All this in anticipation of the human boys’ rite to circumcision. The documentary did not show the details of this ritual.

>What is circumcision?< Codex asked.

Even with his vast mental archive, Tenth Dusk did not recognize that term and looked it up on the data pad. And was kind enough to telepathically share the definition it provided. Jaws dropped as the message hit home. All except for a non-receiving Ben.

Codex yelped as his hands instinctively flew to his crotch and his legs folded in. “How barbaric!” he squealed with dread. >How could males even consider such a thing?<

“What?! What’s up?” Ben asked, seeing the males gasp for reasons he couldn’t understand.

“Nothing Ben,” Greywind assured him. As unorthodox as snipping foreskin seemed, Greywind had seen her fair share of radical practices, loroi and alien alike. There was not much left that could faze the old Emperor.

The loroi decided to switch to another episode in which Lizzy visited another nation state called Japan, with a lighter skinned people with slanted, narrow eyes. The loroi found this particular Earth subculture better suited to their taste. Even their pagodas bore some resemblance to the loroi menfolk’s housing. The sight of Japan’s capital city, Tokyo, and the explosive commercialism and expositions of illustrated, big-eyed humanoids caused quite a stir. What was humanity’s obsession with illustrated characters and fictional people. Greywind could have sworn she briefly saw a bulletins featuring the fictional characters from the games they played. The males eyed the dark-haired, human females with mild interest. Fountain commented that they looked adorable. The documentary switched to other scenic environments, like bamboo forests, religious shrines and colossal, volcanic mountains topped with white snow. Amazing how one planet could have so much exotic diversity.

>It’s truly amazing,< Spring sent, captivated by the Earth imagery.

>Yes, it is,< Greywind agreed.

-

“Hold still, Ben,” said Greywind, scrubbing his head filled with foamy washing solution.

After finishing the recorded series, Greywind decided it was time to retire for the evening. The menfolk gathered Fertile Spring’s equipment. Ben begged if they could leave it, but Greywind put her foot down on that suggestion. They were moving out tomorrow, away from the Monastery, much to the menfolk’s dismay. Ben didn’t want to leave, but Greywind would not have an argument. Spring cheered Ben up by promising to bid him farewell before they left the next day. And Ben of coarse made them promise that he could see them again one day. All of them promised. There was no need for Greywind to interject.

Now Greywind and Link were giving Ben a bath. It was strange to bathe a child that refused to let others see the lower half of his nude body, but seemed perfectly fine showing his upper half. Must be a human thing, Greywind reasoned. Ben giggled as he splashed bubbles.

“Ben, stop splashing,” Greywind urged him. Link insisted that she could bathe Ben by herself, but Greywind wanted to partake. It felt odd to be doing a caregiver’s job. It was tough work and yet she could not deny there was something rewarding and content about taking care of a child. Even if that child happened to be alien.

“Emperor?” Ben asked.

“What is it, Ben?”

“You said we’re leaving tomorrow,” said Ben. “Do we really have to?”

“Yes, Ben. There is a lot of work to be done.”

“Well, where are we going, Emperor?”

“Lean your head back,” she said. Greywind rinsed his hair of the foam with a water scoop. “Anyway, we are going to a special place.”

Ben shook waterdroplets out of his hair. “What place?”

Greywind placed the scoop down. “Far north. To an island that belongs to us.”

“You own an island? Wow, you are so cool.”

“Technically the island is owned by the government, Ben. But, as emperor, I can do what I want with it.”

“But why are we going there?”

“I have decided that, until we find Lagertha, the Island will be your home.”

“Really?”

Greywind nodded.

“Will there be other kids like me there?”

Greywind silently thought it over. “Not human... 'kids', Ben. But, perhaps eventually.”

Been looked down sadly. “I wish there were other kids I could play with.”

“Ben, how would you like to meet some loroi children?”

Ben immediately perked up upon hearing that. “Loroi kids? Oh yeah! Will they be at the Island?”

Greywind nodded.

Ben played with the bubbles in his hands, until a funny idea came to mind. “Emperor, can you close your eyes for a second?” Ben spontaneously asked.

Greywind regarded Ben a bit suspiciously. “Why?”

“Please.”

Greywind inwardly groaned but did as the boy asked. Link could intervene if it seemed serious, but what harm could a child do? Link was motioned over by Ben to the bath’s edge as he whispered something into her ear. What Greywind could not make out. Something wet was smeared on Greywind’s face, making her uncomfortable for a few solons. Until Ben told her to open her eyes. Grey was greeted with her own reflection in a mirror Ben snatched from the edge of the bath and stared blankly at the bubbles Ben had smeared on her cheeks and chin.

“Ho ho ho,” Ben giggled. “Now you have a beard. So you’re Emperor Santa!”

While she gave no reaction, Greywind was briefly baffled. Was this a childish attempt at humor? If it was, the joke flew over her head.

“Ben, who is Santa?”

“A big guy in red who brings gifts every Christmas.”

“I thought we agreed no touching, Ben.”

“Well,” said Ben with a mischievous grin, “You didn’t say Link couldn’t.”

Greywind eyed her Attendant intently. >Really?<

>Forgive me, Emperor,< Link looked away bashfully. >It all seemed harmless.<

“Very funny, Ben,” said Greywind in a monotone voice. “Now out of the bath.”

The Attendant fetched a towel, which Greywind used to rid herself of the bubble beard before wrapping Ben up as he climbed out of the foamy water.

>He’s a cheeky one, isn’t he, Emperor?< sent Link with a humored grin.

>Oh hush and dry him off,< sent Greywind.

>By the way, who is Santa?<

-

Greywind tucked a now dry and clothed Ben into his bed. It felt odd to be doing this, but Greywind wanted to. Even after Link insisted on doing it for the Emperor, Greywind just excused her Attendant for the evening. This had been a long, trying but not unpleasant day for Greywind.

“Emperor, when will Cotton be back?” Ben asked, leaning back into his pillow.

“Cotton and Tempo are on their way back now,” said Greywind, covering Ben with a blanket.

“I don’t want to sleep alone.”

“Don’t be scared, Ben. You’re a strong boy, right?”

Ben just looked down silently.

“What is wrong?” Greywind asked.

“Emperor, would you stay with me?”

The old emperor was taken aback by such a request.

“Please?” Ben begged with big eyes.

Greywind sighed. Truly she just wanted to retire herself after a long day, but chose just to walk around and climb onto the bed. Laying down, she faced Ben on her side. Ben did likewise as he rolled onto his side to face the Emperor.

“Emperor?”

“What, Ben?”

“Sorry for saying those mean things today. You’re not a poophead.”

What a smooth-talker, thought Greywind. “We already resolved that matter, Ben. Let it go now.”

“Thank you for everything.”

Never seen such an obvious attempt to win my favor with kind words, Greywind thought further. “Think nothing of it, Ben.”

“Emperor, why are you doing all this nice stuff for me?”

Trying to sneakily probe my real intentions with an elusive inquiry, thought the Emperor. “Well… I just want you to be happy.” Which wasn’t untrue. If Ben was happy, he had all the inclination to stay, and eventually forget about his desire to go to Earth. Or to Terran Space.

Ben just gazed into the Emperor’s cerulean eyes, touched by her words. “Emperor, do you like me?”

That question Greywind was not prepared for. “What?!” she said.

“Do you like me?”

While she gave no physical reaction, it took Greywind several solons to cool her raging thoughts as she assured herself that Ben was not posing that sort of question. Just simply inquiring if she approved of his person.

You really are trying to influence my decisions, little seductive sneak, thought Greywind. “Why are you asking?”

“Well…” Ben thought a moment, “I like you. You’re such a cool loroi. And you’re as awesome as Superman. All the loroi are.”

You don’t know what all the loroi are like, foolish human boy, thought Greywind. “I… well…… yes… I suppose I… do like you.”

Ben grinned, pure joy in his blue eyes. “I like you too.”

This little inveigler has come much too close to me, thought Greywind. “You said that twice, Ben. Now sleep.”

The little boy closed his eyes, trying to sleep, but still feeling restless. “Emperor, can you tell me a story?”

“I told you to sleep, Ben,” Greywind mumbled.

“Please. Mom would tell me stories when she put me to bed.”

The old Emperor sighed. This naughty little sweet-mouther really found a way under her skin.

“Only if you are quiet.”

Ben nodded, sliding his hands under his resting head, and listened.

Greywind was not as poetic as a Listel recounting the old stories of loroi history or the triumphant tales of warriors, but she chose to recite a tale that most loroi children were familiar with: “Once, there was a loroi called Tempest. A warrior part of an old tribe of nomads that travelled across the lands of Mestirot. While her sisters spent their time hunting, gathering and training for their next battles, Tempest was fascinated with old relics that lay scattered across the land. These relics were said to be gifts from the gods before they abandoned the loroi long before the Reign of Chaos. Her sisters and elders warned her that these relics were cursed objects and should be left alone. For these godly gifts brought terrible destruction. For every relic Tempest brought back, her elders would simply throw it away or burn it. But it never dissuaded Tempest’s desire to learn about the magic of the ancient gods that travelled in the heavens.

“One day, Tempest’s tribe made camp by an ocean. As Tempest strode along the coast, listening to the waves rolling in and out, she heard a voice coming from the sea. The voice said, ‘We are here. We are ready.’ Curious, Tempest dove into the sea and swam deep beneath the dark depths. She swam and swam, tired but driven to find the source of the voice. Until finally she found a tomb built in steel and matter that no loroi had words to describe.

“The voice sent out again, ‘We are here. We are ready.’ Through the narrow corridors and dark narrows of the tomb Tempest swam, until she rose into an open chamber untouched by the waters of the sea. The air of the chamber was stale and old like mold. Its floors littered with the corpses of loroi. They must have been dead for eons. And there, in the center of the chamber, was the source of the voice: a luminous orb. And it spoke, ‘We are here. We are ready.’ Though frightened and confused, Tempest took the orb into her hand and the memories and songs of loroi and gods long forgotten flooded her mind. Suddenly, she was surrounded by hundreds of spirits of warriors. Warriors whose fury had not burnt out with time. And they spoke to Tempest: ‘We acknowledge you. We are ready for your command.’

“Tempest asked the spirits: ‘Who are you?’ And they answered: ‘We are Soia. We are you. And you are us. We called and you answered. We are the masters of the heavens from which we were expelled, but will reclaim. We are ready to unleash our fury-“

Snore!

Greywind had become so immersed in her own nostalgic retelling of the legend of Tempest that she didn’t notice Ben had fallen asleep until he exhaled faint wheezes.

Bored already, thought Greywind, a bit offended. Just when the story was getting good. But at least Ben was asleep now… and not asking anymore awkward questions. Now was opportune to slip away and get some rest…

…relax…

…let go of the day’s stresses… and games…

…no more babysitting alien children…

…Greywind should have left Ben’s room, but she just lay there. Watching him sleep.

And watched.

And watched some more.

Gazing at his small face…

…his tiny fingers…

…tenderly slim arms…

…the rise and fall of his small torso…

Subconciously shuffling, Ben rolled onto his back, still snoring away. Greywind kept watching Ben’s ribcage expand and retract ever so slightly with each breath. The little human must have small lungs, she thought. That fed oxygen to his bloodstream, flowing through his veins. Pumped by his little heart. She wondered how strongly it beat, but fearing a repeat of this morning’s mistake…

Oh shred it, thought Greywind, no longer caring about restrictions. Even if other loroi caught her, what could they do? Undermine her? Blackmail her? Let them. She would shred them a new one if they tried. Greywind gently rested her palm against Ben’s chest.

Thump, thump! Thump, thump!

Every heart beat that pulsed through Ben’s ribcage was felt by Greywind’s hand. Registered by every nerve in her fingers. Each beat was faint yet strong enough to make Greywind’s ears throb slightly. Strange how such a little heart could pound like a drum. Though half expecting this breech of personal space to disrupt Ben’s sleep, the little boy did not wake up. Just kept wheezing gently, unstirred. His little heartbeat so soothing.

I should leave him be now and retire, thought Greywind.

…thump, thump…

I should go to my room, thought Greywind, still not retracting her hand.

…thump, thump..

Better get rested for my duties tomorrow, thought Greywind.

…thump, thump…

Need to go to my room, thought Greywind.

…thump, thump…

Ought to sleep now, thought Greywind.

…thump, thump…

Greywind’s mind drifted away as she thought: Best leave him alone now… so tired… should not be here… with him… want to sleep now… should leave… but want… to stay...

-

Tempo’s clearance granted her and Cotton access past the Emperor’s guards as they slipped quietly into the villa. Cotton lay their packs down on the table. It felt good to be back and a chance to rest. The day had paid off. Cotton’s mental defences and capacity to keep secrets still needed more work, but the Listel made significant improvements to her psychic skills. While sensing the presence of Link and Greywind, the two were surprised that both of them had already gone to sleep. Even more confused upon sensing the Emperor sleeping in Ben’s bedroom. Curiously they opened the bedroom door. And were mildly stunned to find a slumbering Greywind with her hand resting on a snoring Ben’s chest.

>What did we miss, Tempo?< sent Cotton.

>A lot, it seems,< the Mizol sent back, not sure if she should be relieved or mortified.

>Where am I supposed to sleep tonight?<

[Cthulhu]

But Deinar is the Capital of the Union, so an embassy should be located there, while the others would be mere branch offices, called consulates. Well, I'll re-read the whole fanfic later, even though it might take some time.

[Snoofman]

But Deinar is the Capital of the Union, so an embassy should be located there, while the others would be mere branch offices, called consulates. Well, I'll re-read the whole fanfic later, even though it might take some time.

You don't have to go back on reread every detail on my account, because the changes are minor just for plot consistency. Not much else has changed. But flattered if you do.

Whatever consulate branches exist in the Union or Deinar (in this fanfic at least) are controlled and overseen by loroi.

In this story, the loroi are reluctant to allow too big a human presence in the Union. Save for a few workers or a small labor force which poses no threat, provided they are not suspected of espionage. Even less willing to allow humans with political influence near the Sister Worlds, where they would surely try to influence loroi politics. I believe it's also been discussed in the forums that most loroi do not like having aliens on their Sister Worlds. That's why in this setting, the Terran Embassies are built on a few border worlds worth travelling to. I'm sure the loroi Council have argued about the logistics of it, but in the fanfic 'Looking Forward to the Mirror' and 'Reforged' (from which this story is loosely based) the loroi warriors seemed very distrustful and even loathing toward humanity in general. Greywind is trying to reverse that sentiment. Her reasons will be explored soon enough.

It would also make it easier for the loroi to keep Ben, far from where any human with political authority can reach.

[wolf329]

I have yet to read this new installment, but just wanted to ask given the removal of certain characters would they be available to others for use in fanfics?

[Snoofman]

I have yet to read this new installment, but just wanted to ask given the removal of certain characters would they be available to others for use in fanfics?

Like I said, the few changes are minor, so don't fret. I actually mentioned the changes in the Author's Note of chapter 17 so you don't have to go back. But I am flattered if you want to read it that much. The story of Greywind and Ben has not changed. That's still the same.

As for the other I removed characters, if you're asking if you can use them for your own stories, please go right ahead. It's a fanfic forum after all.