The Fine Line of Heaven and Hell

A/N: I should really stop underestimating my job’s power. It’s really scary how harsh such a seemingly easy job is. O.o That, and I bring work home with me half the time. It sucks sometimes, but I do enjoy it, for the most part. My current project is a full, three part piece. It’s a broken peace sign with vines interweaving into it, as though it’s just fallen apart over time. The woman changed her mind FOUR times in the process of making the damn thing, but it turned out great so far. The second and third parts are vines splaying out from the sign in a ‘mystical way.’ Basically, the thing is going to go from her right shoulder down to the side of her left thigh. It’s a fairly big tattoo. My problem recently is how to work the vines into the amazing mystical way that she keeps talking about. She’s a pretty vague client. Usually that rocks, but she’s looking for something very specific and only giving me vague details….meaning I just can’t make her happy. -_- Talk about killer customers.

Right, I’m done whining now, and I’ll get to work now. ^.^

Chapter 32- Troubling Teenager
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Jerrick was pretty angry. Leon was slightly frustrated. Beatrice was extremely peeved. “I told her not to leave her bed,” remarked the agitated blonde, fussing with the mussed bedding where Shuey had been. “You should pick your mate more carefully in the next life.” Of course, the Halfling never seemed to make things easier on him, did she? “Why you would pick a child for a mate is beyond me. A mere teenager! I remember when the pair of you were teens… Oh, I wanted to throttle you brats when you were young.” She was in full-rant mode now, and it was his russet haired beauty’s fault.

“Beatrice, relax. She wouldn’t have gone far. She’s probably just gathering her thoughts somewhere, so she’s not doing anything strenuous. We’ll find her, but maybe you should just stay here in case she shows up, eh? How’s that sound, Nan?” One closed fist belonging to the demonic woman met with the back of his head before her finger was pointing between his eyes.

“Her body is weak from the power exchange. I’m surprised she can even walk. If her mother had been a powerful angel, she would have died. Luck may be on her side, but it can only do so much, you understand? If she keeps tempting Fate, she’ll be dead before you know it.” Blunt as usual, the Nevrocrest was telling him how she saw it, with no regard for his personal feelings on the matter. “She might be strong, but she’s not strong right now. You better find her so I can give her a piece of my mind.” The rather striking side of the woman was showing; the side that always made Leon’s life so much easier. At least Shuey would get the rant instead of himself. Nodding with a half-honest smile, Leon headed for the door.

Jerrick moved to follow, but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped the demon in his tracks. “You will wait here. I will look around.” She emphasized her words, bluntly informing him he was not permitted to leave the room. As she rounded the corner, orange eyes turned his way. “Jerrick, don’t be too harsh with your lover, or she’s likely to run. She’s only a kid, you know.” Of course he knew, he wasn’t stupid. With a sigh, he watched the back of his old nanny disappear from the doorway. The way she spoke about Shuey made him look like a pedophile. With a sigh, he crossed his arms and sat softly on the bed. It looked to be a pleasant wait.

This area was far from the city, though you could see the glittering lights from afar atop the roof of the mansion. A chilly breeze swept by, cooling the sweat clinging to her skin all the more. These new powers often acted on their own, almost as though they had a will of their own like her mist. If the Nevrocrest woman found out about it, she would never let Shuey leave. After experiencing the foreign feeling of someone else’s abilities, she came to the conclusion that they had no will, her skill was just incompetent. Her mother had a water affinity of some kind, causing most of her actions to dampen the small area around her. She supposed water was pulled from the air in some way, gathering around her in ways she had yet to figure out.

She’d missed too much training, so she had to catch up. The time for studying hand-to-hand was long-since passed; now it was her abilities’ turn for revision. Her mist danced about her shoulders happily, swatting stray stands of hair that blew by it as she moved. Slowing down and closing her eyes, the Halfling examined the feel of her body. It was something she was so accustomed to that the change had forced her to reevaluate herself. Was she still the same person, even? Her frame felt as though it had gained weight; maybe she had. Had this happened gradually, or did recent events cause it? She didn’t struggle to move anymore than she had before, though she’d never taken notice to herself prior to her problems, anyway. Her arms felt flimsy, as though they would fly from her shoulders at any given moment. She had to force them to move, and even then it was rather slow. Would they stay that way?

Sighing heavily, she went back to training. How did one use their abilities, anyway? The only powers she’d really dealt with was her mist, and that did whatever it pleased. “I figured you would be here.” The sudden voice startled Shuey, her body jumping backwards as a small jolt of energy went through it. A flash of red hair was all she saw of Leon as he leapt away from a thin shard of ice. “Damn, watch what you’re doing! Are you stupid? Trying to train on your own…You’re too fucking stubborn. Go back to bed.” He dusted off his white shirt as he stood, cerulean eyes glaring her way as a hand ran through cherry strands. “What are you waiting for? Move it.”

What better time to ask how one’s powers worked? Leon could show her, right? “What kind of powers do you have?” she asked, having never seen him do anything before. The angel’s eyes widened before he smirked, crossing his arms and grinning like a loon. She thought maybe he would demonstrate for her, but he only stood there with that annoying leer. “Well?” she questioned, frowning when he only quirked a brow.

“You want me to show you something?” he asked, chuckling when she actually nodded at him. “Well….” he began for suspense, letting his arms drop before raising them up as if performing a magic trick. “No. Go to bed.” Scowling, she turned, wings twitching in irritation as she stalked off the roof. In his mind’s eye, he could see that tail swaying behind her as though she were a cat who’d just gotten water dumped on it. These were the good times, although he did miss teasing Jerrick about being walked in on.

Still damp with sweat and water, Shuey peered into room after room in search for a shower. Finding none, she frowned and simply returned to her previous temporary quarters in annoyance. With no intention of closing the door, she threw it open, nearly jerking backwards when Jerrick jumped up from the bed. Those vivid grey eyes darkened and thin lips opened to speak, but a voice behind her silenced them both. “What did I tell you, Miss Shuey?” Glancing warily over her shoulder to the blonde woman, the Halfling’s mouth turned into a pouty frown.

Beatrice all but shoved her further into the spacious room, leaving the demon to scowl in harmony with his lover. Silence met the older woman’s question, allowing a tense silence to fill the area. “I told you to rest for a week, correct?” Not even waiting for an answer, she turned glaring orange eyes Shuey’s way. “That means no walking around, no cooking, cleaning, or strenuous activities. In case you may be a bit less intelligent than I originally thought, that obviously includes training, does it not?” Feeling like a scolded child, the russet-haired woman merely glowered, knowing the blonde was right, but not willing to admit it aloud. “You had those two worried about you, you know. The stunt you pulled was absurd, you understand?”

Was this the way mothers were meant to act? She was unsure, but from the overheard conversations of Jerrick and Leon, it was the way most did. She’d often heard one of them call the woman a ‘bickering hen of a mother,’ so they obviously saw her as one. On one side of this situation, she was enduring the same situation almost every child experienced. On the alternate side, she would never truly understand the closely nit bond parents and children usually had. She’d never have that affectionate smile when speaking about her mother. “….Sorry,” she mumbled instead of thinking on it more, waiting for Jerrick to move before sitting in the bed quietly.

This seemed to trigger some sort of sympathetic eyebrow twitch before the Nevrocrest left the room entirely without another word. A twisted, smothering silence filtered around the pair before a throat was cleared to break it. Leaning against the doorframe, Leon nodded at them. “We’ll leave later, you should sleep until then.” Frowning at the not-so-subtle suggestion, Shuey nodded her compliance as Jerrick’s lithe hands slid through her hair a bit before he kissed her softly and left as well. Glowering to herself, the Halfling did as she was told, feeling like a small child at the same time.

During the span in which she was supposed to be sleeping, little slumber came Shuey’s way. Instead, she passed the time staring out the small window of her room, gazing into the vast green courtyard below. Her mind was both scattered and empty at the same time. She was worried about how far behind she’d gotten, yet at the same time, she no longer cared. Some part of her was beginning to believe that she would always need someone to save her in the end. The fountain in the yard sprayed sparkling blue water from it’s vase-like top, the base a large bowl with shapely edges. She found the fountain to be remarkably similar to the state of her own mind: continually flowing, but never truly going anywhere.

A knock at the door served as a distraction, even as the door slid open before she could get up to answer it. Leon quirked a brow at her slight frown, shrugging it off and nodding his head towards the doorway. “Jerrick’s reconsidered leaving. He says it’ll be best if you stay here while he goes back to run the inn.” At the deepening of her lips, he chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ll still be here. Daemon and Vicrim will cover for us.” Shuey vaguely remembered the name from her first day, but couldn’t quiet remember who the man was. She did remember that she didn’t like him, though.

Knowing they would force her even if she refused, she nodded and let it go. Six more days. Six more days.


A/N: Short, I know, I know. The next one is rather lengthy, though, so I’m just going to let this one go. (Not like you guys haven’t seen me post a few short ones already, anyway.) I wanted to put a small pause in the action before…ya know…The end of Fine Line! I look forward to it, as well as find it somewhat depressing. Anyway, in case you’re wondering why I didn’t post this Wednesday, I definitely forgot. And then I had an exhaustion sleep when I got home from work yesterday. Sorry for that, but that’s how it works. I’m not going to pile up a whole bunch of excuses, because I don’t have any. Well, I suppose I can move on to some review replies.

Alicat: Yes, Brethmel is a cruel man…Then again, I guess centuries of bloodshed can do that to a man who was already a jerk to begin with. ^.^

Danger: Thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks, maybe, thanks, and thanks again for blowing all that steam up my ass. *wink* My ego has been thoroughly stroked now…. You’re not going to leave any room for other reviewers to pet me that way. *chuckle* Seriously, though. Thanks for reading and reviewing; I’m glad you like my story so far. ^.^

Heathergirl11985 (just for the record, if you review again, I probably won’t put those numbers there.): I’m glad you took the time to review mine, it’s a great compliment since you don’t usually review. *smile* I hope I can exceed your expectations.

DarkMoon: Thank you, and I definitely agree with you on the flow. I don’t like it too much, but I suppose it’s alright for something like this. *chuckle* I’m going to make the character/time flow my next peeve project in the upcoming Neko story. I only hope my beta can point out errors like that, too. The whole point of posting this story online was to see where my problem areas were, so you’ve helped me out! Thanks again, and I’m glad you like the story. I hope to see another review sometime soon. *grin*

And to other readers who prefer not to review: THANKS! I’m glad you’re reading.