Birds of a Feather

*Early Afternoon, the Isar household. Sunday March 31st, 2019*

“What!? Again!? Really du-” Flick didn’t even bother hiding the annoyance in his voice.

“Look. I’ll be there next time okay? Just have a lot to take care of.” Aman apologised, his sigh lost over the phone call.

“Yeah yeah. That’s what you said last time, man. I ain’t gonna hold my breath.” Flick snapped back.

“Flick. I’m sor-”

“You’re okay, right? Because if there’s something, we can talk. I can swing by.” the worry in Flick’s voice hit Aman like a sack of bricks. He hadn’t meant to get his friends this worried.

“I’m fine. Really. Say ‘Hey’ to Hana for me. I’ll catch up with you guys later. *Promise*.”

“You better! Or you’ll never catch up!” Flick laughed before the cutting the call.

Aman Isar stared at the phone in his hands, trying to ignore the pit in his stomach that came with ignoring his friends again. He’d been doing that the last couple of months, ever since his outings as Herald had gotten frequent. Ever since he’d joined up with the Big Team. Flick and Hana were still blissfully unaware of his secret. And of the Eye. For once he hadn’t ignored them for hero duties, even if it had everything to do with his ‘hero’ life.

A quick tap on the messaging app brought up that conversation again. Even now part of him wondered what he’d been thinking when he’d gone and invited her over. It hadn’t been long since he and a few others had been to the feywild and gotten her back. Ever since then he’d been meaning - wanting - to talk to her. About the time she’d missed. About everything else that had happened. About things he felt like no one but Rhiannon would understand.

“Ugh! I don’t need a babysitter! I’m almost twelve!” Mishel groaned as he stepped into the living room.

“Too bad that’s exactly what *ami* and *abu* said you need.” he chuckled, flicking his sister on her forehead before plopping down on the couch next to her, “Now shut up. She’ll be here soon.”

Mishel wrinkled her nose, blowing a raspberry at her older brother, “Why are you still here anyways?”

Rhiannon approached the house at the address Aman gave her with a small smile. It was nice. It definitely felt like a home. The fly across town was surprisingly relaxing too- it's something she'd been enjoying ever since she returned and the sets of wings never went away. Of course, right now she just looked like a simple tanned teenager with shoulder-length black hair and vivid green eyes.

She had created the glamor as soon as she'd found a suitably unseen place to land. Aman asked if she was available to babysit his little sister and she was more than happy to, but the young girl didn't really have much knowledge of the Big Team or ‘The Morrigan’. This visit was just normal, friendly babysitting. Rhiannon still felt pretty nervous though… She'd actually never been a babysitter before. Can you mess up at that? Herald must have been out of other people to ask. Taking a deep breath and releasing it, the sorceress approached the house and gave a gentle knock at the door.

Aman and Mishel’s heads turned in unison at the knock. There was a brief moment as the siblings eyes locked, then Mishel had hurled herself off the sofa, darting towards the door. Herald huffed, floating after her fast as he could indoors. If it was Rhiannon, he wasn’t going to let Mishel greet her first. Honestly it didn’t matter who opened the door, but his sister had clearly issued a challenge by darting off like that.

She ducked out from under his reach, giggling “No flying inside the house, *bhai*!”

“Tch, fine!” Aman snapped back, feet hitting the ground as Mishel pulled the door open.

The dark haired girl stared up at their visitor unblinkingly. It was Rhiannon, though it took Aman a brief moment to actually recognize her. His memories still had her vividly sporting snow white hair and wings. The green eyes, the dark hair, he remembered that now. He felt the Eye react to his thoughts, Rhiannon’s wings shimmering into view. *You’d prefer to see beyond the glamour, correct?* The words stirred inside his head. White hair replaced the dark, green eyes became an icy blue.

“Hey Rhi.” he smiled, giving Mishel’s shoulder a squeeze, prompting the girl to pipe up with a hello as well, “Ah...come on in~”

He stepped aside for her to enter, already a bit worried about whatever his sister would say. There was a hundred embarrassing conclusions Mishel could reach. Especially once she learned he wasn’t going anywhere either.

Rhiannon smiled warmly at Aman and the young girl she could only assume was his little sister as they opened the door. She reached up and nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, hoping she looked- well- normal. There was a moment of pause as she adjusted to seeing her friend without the Eye of Horus. They hadn't had need for him to disguise it in the times she'd been with him before. Nodding at his invitation, she entered the home.

The Isar household’s living room was, in Aman’s opinion, a bit over-decorated. The combined tastes of both parents sometimes mixing, other times clashing with each other. A large sofa took up most of the space, side tables on either side and coffee table up front. The rug under the table - a gift from his grandparents - sported large intricate patterns in red, white, and black. Mishel was already perched upon the sofa again, TV remote clutched in her hands.

“Thanks.” Aman’s smile reached his eyes. The Eye of Horus concealed under an illusion to disconnect Rhiannon from the Big Team. Mishel was a huge fan, but Aman wasn’t comfortable just giving away Rhiannon’s secret just like that. “I mean, for coming.”

The sorceress wandered the living room with genuine curiosity and interest. It was eclectic, but so full of life and personality. A far cry from the distant elegance of her own home… her own family. Her gaze turned back to the brother and sister that were clearly close (she could hear the two of them laughing and being playful on the way to the door).

“No need to thank me. I was looking forward to coming!”

“Sooooooo, how do you know Aman?” Mishel piped up, eyes on Rhiannon.

Rhiannon blinked in surprise at Mishel's question, eyes darting to Aman for a moment in alarm. She hadn't even tried to think of a reason outside their hero work. “Um- just school? And you must be Mishel I take it? You may already know, but I'm Rhiannon. It's nice to meet you!”

Aman looked back, eye wide as he searched for something, anything to add to Rhiannon’s almost lie. His lips had barely parted when Mishel chimed in.

“Nice to meet you too! Mhm, *bhai* talked about you to our parents. I....” Her smile turned into a mischievous grin, “...overheard.”

"Oh he did? Well that makes sense I suppose. Wouldn't do to invite someone over without even explaining who they are." Rhiannon smiled again.

Aman rolled his eyes. Mishel had been sneaking around a lot lately, thought she’d refused to explain why in the times he’d caught her. Usually ‘sneaking’ included catching him unaware in an attempt to scare him, which he sometimes humored and sometimes fell for.

“Right, so I’m just going to show Rhi around and all.” He intervened before Mishel could add anything else, “Just so...y’know, to make sure she knows where things are.”

He nodded at Rhiannon, marvelling at her wings before shuffling to the kitchen. This had played out a lot smoother inside his head, but now that she was here all he felt was the anxiety claw at him. How was he even  supposed to proceed with this? The Eye tingled, attempting to chime in before a dismissive thought rendered it silent.

“Sure. *Show her around*.” Mishel leaned over the back of the sofa, snickering, “Keep an eye on him, Rhiannon~”

"A tour, hm? With a task as well! And here I thought I was invited to keep an eye on *you*, Mishel."

The sorceress gave the girl a little wink as she turned to follow Aman around. She entered the kitchen curiously, cautious not to touch anything. Past experience had shown she was a bit of a disaster in the kitchen. It amused and frustrated her housekeeper Carol in equal measures. Her eyes still lit up when she saw the ingredients sitting out.

The kitchen was spotless, its contents arranged with the neatly coordinated care. Aman stopped by the small kitchen island, looking over the ingredients he’d laid out hours before.

“I was thinking of doing a little baking.”

"Oh you were? What are you going to make?"

“That...” He turned around with a grin much like Mishel’s, “...will have to be a secret.”

Aman picked up a large bowl, listing off the ingredients under his breath as he added them in. Egg whites, cream of tartar, vanilla, and more. The electric mixer whirled to life, muffling the sounds of whatever Mishel was watching. Fingers tensing against the bowl, he let the mixer do its work, shaking the hair out of his eyes as he looked to Rhiannon.

“I’ll be honest. I did have a bit of an ulter- oh wait, can you help me with this?” he nodded towards the sugar bowl, “Just a tablespoon every ten-fifteen-ish seconds. I’ll let you know when to stop.” He hooked his foot against one of the stools, gently kicking it towards Rhiannon.

Rhiannon looked a bit startled when he pushed the stool toward her and asked for help. She took a seat and cautiously set up to follow his instructions, taking longer than one might expect to double check that she had indeed chosen the tablespoon. Tucking some hair behind her ear, she gave her friend a small sheepish smile.

"Are you sure? I feel it's only fair to warn you that I'm notoriously bad in the kitchen... Your baking may be at risk."

Still, she very carefully filled the tablespoon with sugar and waited a short time before looking at him for reassurance as she went to dump it in.

Aman laughed, nodding at her to add the sugar.  “Hey, it’s only sugar. Either we end up making it too sweet or not nearly enough. I can live with that.”

“Right. So…” Aman drew in a visibly deep breath, “Ulterior motive. Geez...that sounds kinda bad out loud.”

"Ulterior motive for what?" Rhiannon looked pleased to be helping and promptly filled her spoon with more sugar, watching the mixture and waiting.

He watched the sugar twist away into the mixture, ears strained for when the sound of the granules disappeared so he could ask Rhiannon for more. Attention alternating between her and the bowl, the beater mixing its contents thick and glossy as the stiff peaks developed.

“For asking you over.” He sighed, a sudden spark from the Eye preventing him from letting those words linger, “I mean...I’ve been meaning to talk to you. Ever since that day...with the tree.”

Her eyes momentarily darted to Aman in surprise when he admitted he made an excuse to ask her over. But she quickly regained focus on her task.

"Well I would have come without the ruse, but either way it was nice to be invited." She gave a small chuckle, then her expression grew somewhat distant as though lost in thought. "Ah. The tree, yes… I actually- have something to say about that too."

Aman winced slightly, “Sorry. I...I don’t know why I thought I needed a reason.” He continued to mix, worry growing as Rhiannon’s expression grew distant.

Rhiannon paused to dump another spoonful into the bowl, fill the spoon again, and then look up at Herald. Her smile is genuine but also somehow tinged with sadness. "Thank you. For coming to visit me. Time was a bit strange and I remember things. People. The absence of people… But it's hazy, so it's hard to feel like it was all real. I didn't dream that though, right? And if it wasn't a dream, some of what you said…" She leaves the sentence hanging expectantly.

The worry washed away under her smile, mirrored by his own lips. So she had been aware within the tree. He hadn’t just imagined her saying his name after they’d brought her back. The Eye stirred again as Rhiannon let her words hang, reminding him of what he’d confessed. Aman nodded, powering down the mixer and setting it aside.

“Was true.” The words rolled easier now that he was certain she knew. It was still a difficult thing to admit, but somehow telling her didn’t feel all that daunting. “Everything I said while you were in the tree, yeah. You didn’t dream...I’m sorry that’s how things felt to you. It sounds awful. But yeah, you didn’t dream any of that.”

He picked up a bright green spatula, mixing the batter with practiced care, “More good news. You don’t have to worry about baking for now.”

Rhiannon gave a small light laugh. "No need to apologize. And… the dreaming wasn't so bad. Definitely better than actually sensing all that time pass while feeling alone and afrai-" The words slipped out before she could stop them. Aman was easy to talk to. And kind. And had already been so open with her before (even though she'd been somewhat unresponsive at the time). She cleared her throat and continued on, trying to deflect back to the topic of what he'd said. Concern was clear on her face now.

"You mean you might have- died…?" She froze for a moment and checked over her shoulder to make sure Mishel wasn't close enough to hear, lowering her voice before continuing. "Aman… I- I'm not really sure what to say? It was very much a hero thing to be willing to do it, but… Please don't consider that as an option so easily? Maybe that's hypocritical of me… But in this case there was at least one other option, which we took, yet you were almost ready to sacrifice yourself before I could step in." Rhiannon looked legitimately pained by the thought of what might have happened.

"Things were moving fast though and there were a lot of lives at stake… So I can't- I shouldn't fault you or anything. And I mean I don't! I just- why were you so sad? Why did you apologize? You sounded so guilty, and you shouldn't be! I'm safe. Everyone's safe. And… you're safe. With your family and people who love you. Plenty of years ahead to be a hero…" The sorceress smiled, but her eyes were on the verge of tears. She turned her face away with another little laugh, dumping the sugar back since it seemed no longer needed. "Wow I'm sorry, that was- I shouldn't have rambled on like that. You were the one who said you wanted to talk about something. Forgive me..."

He looked back, stunned. How had he been so nonchalant only moments earlier? Why had he been so casual about what he’d admitted. He felt like a weight had been dropped in the pit of his stomach. When he’d said all that, when he’d admitted, it had all been to get it off his chest. Making her worry like this? That had never been what he’d wanted. He closed his eyes, drawing in an audibly deep breath before he looked at her again.

“No. No, you’re fine Rhi.” Aman smiled weakly, setting the bowl back onto the counter, “I wanted us to talk. Both of us. I...I didn’t mean to worry you like that.”

He paused, checking over her shoulder to make sure they were alone. The tv still blared on, but it was no indicator of what his sister might be up to. He felt the Eye react to the swirling of emotions, exuding what he could tell was a calming warmth. The Eye needed him to be calm.

“I didn’t know what any of us could do back then. The city was falling...and when the Eye offered me the choice...I didn’t see another way. It wasn’t easy, Rhiannon. I...I told you I was scared, right? And you said it too...so many lives were at stake, it was all happening so fast.” He caught the wetness at the corner of her eyes, hating how he was the reason for that, “All I could think of was what would happen to everyone in Zodiac City...and in Halcyon. And as scared as I was, it didn’t seem so bad if everyone made it except...me.”

“Apologi- oh. I...don’t know. I felt responsible...you shouldn’t have gotten trapped inside that tree. Not after everything you did...and I just couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe if I’d followed you. Maybe if I’d done something, then you wouldn’t have been inside the tree.” He shook his head, forcing a warmer, more comforting smile, “Geez. I didn’t mean for things to get so...heavy. Kinda messed that up, huh?”

Rhiannon returned the smile with similar warmth. "Well I'm somewhat to blame there as well. But now that we've cleared the air I'm sure we can lighten things up again in no time, hm? And just so you know… I was really impressed when you offered. Before I even knew the full consequences. I'm even more impressed now. I just- would rather not see that happen. Okay…? We need more good heroes around..."

Aman felt the heat creep up to his cheeks, hoping they weren’t going red as he picked the bowl up again. They were. “It won’t.” He assured her, folding the batter over again, “And if things ever get that dire, let's make sure no one goes it alone.”

Satisfied with the batter, he scraped the spatula clean on the bowl’s edge. “Um, could you grab the tube pan? It’s in the cabinet behind you.” The Eye tingled, reminding him about Rhiannon’s experience with kitchens, “Uh, the metal pan with a cylinder in the center.”

He waited for her to get it before speaking again. “Good heroes...that’s what I wanted to talk about, Rhi. About being one.”

"No one goes it alone… Yes, that's always my hope too. It can be hard to convince people though. I'll admit even I fall into the trap of trying to do things myself in hopes of sparing others the burden… I know they can do it. I have so much faith and pride in the Team that sometimes I feel like I'll burst. But at the same time, there are some things I just don't think anyone should have to face…"

Rhiannon got up from her seat, going in search of the requested pan. She found it without too much trouble and pulled it from the cabinet, holding the item up with a bright questioning look to be sure before handing it over. When she turned from the cabinet there was a scraping tinny noise as the other pans somehow grew precarious after her interference and were clearly about to fall.

Spinning back to see this, Rhiannon gave a little Gaelic curse and reflexively cast a spell to firmly resettle the pans. She sighed in relief. That was close…

“There are, but even those things can be faced if you’ve got someone by yo-” He cut off as the pans scraped, the pile tilting. The bowl spun onto the countertop, Aman’s feet kicking off the ground as he rushed in only to stop when the pans settled. He’d heard her say something. A spell?

"So um- what about being a good hero...?" Her face was a bit flushed as she nonchalantly sat back down and tried to pretend that didn't just happen.

He floated back to the kitchen island, shooting Rhiannon a reassuring, relieved grin. “Okay, so...sort of a lot happened while you were gone. A few missions that I was sent on didn’t end the best.” He watched the batter flow into the tube pan, “I still remember you back there, in Zodiac. You seemed so confident. So sure. You knew what you were doing. These last few outings though...I haven’t been so certain about myself. About the whole hero thing.”

The Eye crackled with energy, tugging at memories from his last few outings. *Are you certain you wish to speak of the false memory?* Aman shook his head. His fingers tensed against the cool surface of the pan, “Lets just say...until yesterday I came out of a lot of them pretty badly.”

The hair on the back of his neck stood up, heat prickling at his skin. The intense burning sensation against his back when Ellen had slammed him against the wall. If it hadn’t been for the Eye, Aman would have had some nasty burns and bruises to show for it. Corrupted, shadowy fae danced at the edges of his vision, twisted and dangerous.

He blinked and they were gone.

Aman crouched by the oven, turning away from the blast of heat when he pulled it open. He used his teeth to help him tug on one of the oven mitts from the counter, shifting the pan to the protected hand. Once he’d sealed it inside its burning prison, he cranked the heat up to specification, standing back up with a smile.

“It felt like I wasn’t pulling my weight. The others, they were all doing something. Helping. Saving someone.” He shuddered, the demon cockroaches crawling around his memory, “I don’t want to feel like that again. Yesterday though. That feeling, I could do with more of that.”

Rhiannon looked a bit stunned, then gave a sheepish smile. "You thought I seemed confident...? I think either your memory is playing tricks on you or I have better composure under pressure than I thought. I was just as afraid as the rest of you. I couldn't be sure it would work…Not truly. I just had to *believe* it would. Because I couldn't allow myself to consider any other outcome…"

She paused to take in and ponder the rest of what he said. Her gaze was on the counter as she responded. "You know… I've never considered myself much of a 'fighter'. I can picture all the times my friends charge in against dangerous things and people and all I do is watch it happen. Or the times I've overextended my magic and blacked out in the middle of dire circumstances... I try to protect them and others as best I can, but I'm not sure I'd be much without them. Gwen even yelled at me once for not fighting back when I chose to shield myself against what seemed superior odds. I wasn't going to just sit there like that, but the fact that she thought I would-"

Rhiannon finally looked up at Aman, expression serious. "It's not easy to believe you're a hero. Even now, when it feels like everyone's saying it, I still don't feel like I'm that hero they're talking about. But I want to be. Sometimes it feels closer than others. Sometimes it feels like it'll never be true. So until it is, I just- keep trying. I'm sorry things have been rough lately and I wish I could have been there to help… But I won't always be around either. So you need to decide for yourself and believe that - even when it feels like you've failed or didn't do enough - you did what you could to be that hero you're trying to be. And every once in a while, someone tells you that you are." Her lips curved into a slight smile. "And even if you don't fully agree with them, it's enough to keep you going for a while longer… It sounds like you had that yesterday?"

He rubbed the back of his neck at her smile, unsure why he suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. The comment about ‘memory’ stung a little, but Aman didn’t let it show.

“It’s...I guess it was more how I saw you in the moment.” His eyes shifted towards her wings, gazing at them, “You did look pretty great. U-under pressure I mean! What I’m trying to say is - yeah. That. You knew what you had to do. That’s impressive. It’s…”

He trailed off when Rhiannon looked down. The words that followed hit a little harder than he could have anticipated. But she was right. It took him a moment to realize just how right she was. He’d never thought she shared the doubts he’d just laid out, but with each word Rhiannon spoke it felt more and more like she was looking into his soul. His smile weakend, concern swimming across his face. Fingers tensing, he walked back over to the island, taking his seat across from Rhiannon. Then he did what he felt was right in the moment, he just listened. Even before the Eye told him to do just that.

There was a brief moment of silence, punctuated only by Mishel’s giggling from the living room.

“Yeah. That does sound like yesterday.” He laughed weakly, elbows resting on the countertop, “Thank you. You’re right. Just have to believe that, no matter what, right? Even I faltered, fell when the others were giving it their all - I was still trying to do all I could. Doing what I felt was right in the moment. Just keep trying.” He chuckled, smile growing as his eyes met hers, “I’m going to turn this back a little - being a ‘fighter’ isn’t necessary to be a hero. Making sure your friends are safe, that others are...that’s being a hero too. Even if you don’t punch the bad guy in the face. You’re right.” He shook his head. Now that she’d said it, it seemed so obvious. Like it should have been clear all along. Right?

“You’re still a hero, Rhi. Maybe not the one you want to be yet...or the one others tell you… but to me, you’re a hero.” He kept his gaze locked, “I feel like...like you were going to say something else. If there’s something you want to talk about - if you want to - I’m here.”

As he spoke, Rhiannon's smile brightened and spread to her eyes. She gave a little laugh. "Oh dear I made things heavy again didn't I. But still- it was important… And now that we both agree that the other is a hero, I suppose we'll just have to deal with it." She shook her head. "I don't think any more needs to be said on that. All in the past."

“Hey. The first time was kinda on me, okay?” He winked, grinning widely. Again, she’d somehow managed to not only address the matter directly, but also to lift his spirits after things had gotten weighty. “Alright, alright. We’ll just deal with that then.”

Her attention was grabbed by the delicious scent starting to emerge from the oven. "So when will the mystery food be revealed? It smells amazing."

The baking cake had wrapped the kitchen in it’s vanilla-scented hold by now, sweet and light as it spread its delicious tendrils. Any minute his sister would respond to it too. Baking always made the house smell so wonderful, especially the desserts and the cakes. It was another comfort he relied upon when things got a little much. Today however, there was a better, stronger source of comfort.

“Not long.” He checked the timer on his phone, “Though between baking and the cooling it’ll need we’ve got some time to kill.”

"Fine, fine, keep your secret!" Rhiannon made a face but then laughed. "Time to kill, hm? How does one go about that in the Isar household?" She leaned on the counter and put her chin on her hand, looking up at him with expectant curiosity.

“Well…” Aman wracked his brains to find a satisfactory answer, turning over the possibilities the house had to offer. Gazing into her blue eyes, he realized there was something he hadn’t told her yet.

“Before we go do that, there’s something I wanted to confess.” He lamented the poor choice of words immediately. The illusion over his left eye shimmered, fading away in soft moonlight to reveal the Eye of Horus, “I should’ve earlier but...okay, so the Eye, it can see through your glamor, Rhi. Ever since you got here, I’ve seen you...as you. I’m sorry if that was rude. I know you do it for a reason and if you want, I’ll stop.” He paused, a toothy smile at his lips, “I don’t think I’ll ever get over how cool your wings look.”

Rhiannon's expression shifted to one of shock, jaw dropping slightly. A blush filled her cheeks and her hands instinctively reached up to cover her elongated pointy ears, long white hair swaying and rustling as though in some unseen breeze. She continued blushing harder as she then quickly put her hands back down, avoiding his gaze while she somewhat stammered a reply.

"I- no it's- I mean, you know what I look like so it's no big deal I just... It's more to avoid questions and weird looks in public places really. And avoid spooking family members of new friends." She chuckled a bit awkwardly. Then something he said struck her and she finally looked at him again curiously. "You can- you can see my wings too…? Because that's um, that's not a glamour. They're actually- they're shifted slightly out of phase with our reality. The Eye can see that? Wow, I- I mean I knew it was powerful but that's… wow." She finally went silent, nervously toying with some strands of her hair.

Aman faltered. Her reaction catching him off-guard, unsure of what to do but watch Rhiannon’s pale cheeks fill with a deep pink. He managed to stop his hand from instinctively reaching for her’s halfway, blinking as she went through a series of expressions. Her soft, soothing voice shook as she spoke, and Aman found himself opening and closing his mouth a few times, words lost to him.

“S-sorry I didn’t mean to…” He relaxed as their eyes met again, “They’re not? Wait, out of phase with our reality? That’s. Wow. Yeah, it can see them just fine. Heh. I guess that’d make it easier without having to worry about them around stuff.”

He withdrew his hand, “The Eye can see a lot that’s not always ‘there’. It’s nice enough to not always let me see them. In your case, it agreed to what I wanted. Or well, how I wanted to see you.” He felt the heat on his cheeks again, “How about we go kill that time?”

Even embarrassed, Rhiannon managed a musical laugh at his well-timed suggestion. "I see. Yes I think that's probably a good idea. Is there anything Mishel likes? I feel like I'm shirking my duties here. Also, on the wings… you have no idea. I think I knocked over half the things in my house when I got home before figuring out how to make them less- corporeal."

“Ow.” He winced, rolling off the stool, the Eye fading behind his illusion again,  “Anything that Mishi likes…”

Mishel huffed at him as he entered the living room, arms crossed as she started him down.

“Showing her around? You two were just in the kitchen all this time!” She sniffed the air, “Are you making Ang-”

Aman shook his head quickly, repeatedly slashing his hand across his neck. Luckily Mishel caught on before Rhiannon joined them. He could feel his sister’s eyes boring into him, his own refusing to meet her’s. Whatever Mishel had conjured up in her head, he was certain it’d make him bury his own in his hands with embarrassment.

The short-haired girl hopped off the sofa, grabbing three booklets off the coffee table before she bounded over to the pair. She beamed at the older girl, a half empty hole in her smile where a new tooth was still coming in.

“I’ve been waiting forever for you to come back!” Mishel looked from one to the other, stopping on Rhiannon “Also also, did you know you look exactly like the princess from the play I’m in?”

"Oh I'm so sorry I kept you waiting! Sometimes I get caught up and talk way too much. Forgive me?" Rhiannon smiled warmly down at Mishel. "Oh do I? Exactly like a princess? Well I'm flattered that you think so. What play is it? Do you like the part you're playing?"

Mishel crossed her arms, quirking an eyebrow at Rhiannon before finally shrugging, “Okay! And yes! Well, the princess has pointy ears in the play. But that’s like a makeup thing.”

“My teacher wrote it!” She held up the script, the words ‘Daughter of the Forest’ printed on the front. Rhiannon’s question brought a spark to the girl’s eye. Mishel puffed her chest proudly before she leapt back, waving one hand in a wide circle, “I play the powerful wizard, Enoran!” She finished with a clenched fist.

“Want to help me practice?” She added, “You can play Princess Sorcha. And *bhai* can be the knight or something.”

“What do you mean the knight or *something*?” Aman chimed in, chuckling.

When Mishel mentioned pointy ears Rhiannon almost panicked, glancing around the room for a reflective surface. Had her glamour dropped by accident?? A decorative mirror showed this to be false and she nearly sighed out loud in relief, turning her attention back to the young girl.

"Oh my, a powerful wizard! I'm sure you make for quite an imposing presence. Help you practice? Well I'm really not a very accomplished thespian… at all… But I'll do my best if you think it would help." Her eyes darted to Aman with a look that basically said 'I'm going to regret this aren't I'.

Aman nodded, his expression dead serious. For a moment the boy thought he’d be able to get away with it. Then his composure shattered, silent laughter parting his lips before he shook his head. At the most Mishel would be somewhat pushy. She often got too into her roles and demanded the same of her co-stars. She had promised to work on that however. When Mishel had first started asking him to practice he’d try his best to avoid it. Now he’d go to it with gusto.

“That’s okay!” Mishel shoved a copy of the script into Rhiannon’s hands, “Just follow my lead! We can do an easy scene. Uhh…” Mishel ruffled through the pages, eyes narrowed until she found one she was satisfied with.

“Okay! Act three, scene two!” Mishel announced, hopping onto the sofa and striking a dramatic ‘wizardly’ pose, “This is where Princess Sorcha confronts me! *Bhai*, you’re the knight Conall so just shut up and lie down.” She grinned at Rhiannon, “That way he can’t bother us.”

“Hey!”

“Silence! My spell put you to sleep! You can’t talk!” She huffed, giving Rhiannon a ‘see what I have to deal with’ look.

Aman grabbed a cushion and tossed it where he was supposed to be lying. “There. I’ll just go check on the oven, okay?”

"Alright alright, I'll see what I can do. But no promises on quality!"

Rhiannon flipped to the directed scene and skimmed over it nervously. Her nerves were eased somewhat by laughter as she watched the two siblings interact. As Aman started to leave the room, she initiated the scene a bit timidly. But Mishel's dramatic enthusiasm was contagious. It wasn't long before the sorceress was reenacting her part with all the zeal and investment she had as a child playing knights and heroes with Gwen on those visits.

It didn’t take Aman long to join the two again. Once he’d gotten the cake out of the oven and inverted the pan, he left it to cool. By then Rhiannon and Mishel had started on the scene, so he crept quietly back in and took his place on the floor, hands folded over his chest. He watched the two until Mishel noticed his eyes were open. A quick snappy comment later and he only had the Eye to make the scene out with. An amused smile tugged at his lips as Rhiannon got pulled into the scene, Mishel’s enthusiasm growing along with it. He listened to the two spark off dialogue, the sofa creaking under Mishel’s dramatic hops and movements. Rhiannon’s words and actions pitted against those of the Wizard Enoran. The scene went on, building and bounding towards its peak, until…

Aman’s phone went off, the alarm he’d set shattering the world the play had built.

“AMAN!” Mishel snapped, “Phones are supposed to be silent during the play! You’ve just ruined it! Princess Sorcha had nearly the stopped the wizard and now I’m going to have to look to the script again and…”

She hopped off the sofa, grabbing her copy of the script. Mishel rifled through the pages, muttering haughtily under her breath. She rushed through the scene, lips moving, eyes darting across the page until she finally reached where they had been. And stopped.

“Uh...m-maybe we can continue later.” Mishel smiled, her cheeks glowing pink, “I think that means the cake is ready!”

“It does!” He was having trouble keeping in his laughter, though his own cheeks were pink, “Help me out Rhi? Mishel clear the table while we get the cake and plates, yeah?”

Rhiannon plopped down on the couch to catch her breath after all the drama building up to their climactic showdown, laughing a bit at Mishel scolding Aman.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind a break. Hopefully I was of some help in your practice." Her expression perked up excitedly. "Aha! So it's a cake, is it?"

Setting her copy of the script down on the couch, the teen pushed herself back to her feet. She practically skipped back to the kitchen. "Of course! Whatever you need."

“You were perfect!” Mishel beamed, “It is! It’s An-”

Mishel cut off at another look from Aman, biting her lip and shrugging before she sat back down.

“It’s a cake, yeah.” He smiled, Rhiannon’s demeanour infectious at the moment, “The plates are over there.”

Aman picked up the inverted cake pan, satisfied with how it had cooled. It took him a few moments to clear the cake from its confines, knife scraping against the metal pan until the cake slid gently out onto the larger platter he’d set there before. Humming under his breath, he retrieved a jar of whipped cream and a small basket of strawberries from the fridge.

Rhiannon went where Aman directed. A grin tugged at her lips as she could swear she heard a bit of humming. There was a reasonable selection of plates and she took a few moments to decide before grabbing three small dessert plates with pretty designs going around the edges.

Taking a curious peek over her shoulder, she still couldn't see what Aman was working on with his back to her. So close! With a shake of her head at her own childish silliness, Rhiannon took the plates in to where Mishel was cleaning off the table and began to set them out.

Aman looked at the cake for a moment, humming away as he turned around to face her. Alone. He was in the kitchen alone. Mentally facepalming, he shrugged the mild disappointment off with a grin. It would have been fine to just carry the cake out, but he wouldn’t be able to say what he wanted around Mishel.

“Um, hey Rhi? Need a little more help in here.”

"Oh right! Might need some forks. Napkins. Do we need glasses for drinks too or…?" Rhiannon listed things off and asked her question as she made her way back to the kitchen. She walked in to see Aman waiting and looked at him expectantly, waiting for instructions.

Then the cake caught her eye and she gave a joyous little gasp, rushing closer to look. It was quite possibly the most perfect angel food cake she'd ever seen. The sorceress was positively glowing. "Is this-? It looks amazing! Honestly it's my very favorite kind of cake."

He felt the heat rush to his cheeks again, “I-it...it is?” Aman’s lips stretched into a wide smile, possibly the biggest, warmest one he’d had all day. “I wanted to do something for you, after...well everything. I had trouble coming up with exactly what. Baking made sense. I uh, I enjoy it. And then it hit me last night. It just made so much sense. A little gift, and…” He trailed off for a moment, enjoying her excitement, “And what better to make than...than something that reminded me of you.”

Aman wanted to punch himself for just how cheesy that had sounded out loud.

"It is! I mean what's not to love? It's light and sweet and fluffy and-" Rhiannon stopped short when she actually registered what he said. Her eyes went wide and a blush swiftly reached from her cheeks to the tips of her ears. The Eye might have registered a strange fluctuation in her glamour as she almost seemed to shift between a few different appearances and even started to 'disappear' for a moment before going back to normal.

"I um… Thank you. That's really sweet, I-" Her hands nervously started playing with her hair, twirling it and running her fingers through as she suddenly couldn't look at him. "You really think so…? I mean I wouldn't really say I'm…" She trailed off, clearly unsure what the end of that thought was.

He gulped, eyes trained on the ground. A weak chuckle escaped Aman’s lips, “I...yeah. Y-yeah, I do. That’s what- that’s how I saw you back then. In that moment. It kind of stuck with me.” His cheeks burned red hot, and he was certain the Eye was brimming with mild amusement.

Aman felt the butterfly wings graze his stomach, fluttering about freely. Her reaction had his emotions into a swirling turmoil. He watched her, certain it wouldn’t be long before he was a mirror, as flustered as she was. But he also felt joy swelling up inside his heart, warm rays of sunlight growing brighter with each twirl of her hair.

“Hey…” He drew in another deep breath, fingers gently tensing against her shoulder, “I didn’t mean to...I mean, I’m sorry if- I uh, I just wanted to do something for you. I didn’t want you to feel um…” he cut off searching for the right word.

“We should get to the cake.” Aman smiled reassuringly, a light chuckle at his lips, “Before Mishi gets impatient. Because if she does, haha believe me, we’re not getting any.”

“No I- I guess that makes sense. I just… didn’t realize I made such an impact.” She still couldn’t look at him *at all*. This was so embarrassing. Why was this so embarrassing?? When he offered an out, Rhiannon practically melted with relief.

“Right! Yes, we wouldn’t want such a wonderful gift to go to waste. Forks? Napkins?” She glanced around the kitchen seeking signs of either. There was a moment of reluctance to move away from his hand on her shoulder. Finally Rhiannon looked back up at Aman, composure returning as she just looked- happy. “Thank you, Aman. For tonight. And for the cake.”