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Whisper is like a psychologist mixed with a priest. Except Sidhe. He's capable of healing some things and he picks up enough to do basic herbology, probably, but his main purpose is healing wounds, protecting the innocent and keeping the Sidhe culture alive.

Yes, Jay knew before meeting Mik about Paw. Either through Whisper or other means. But Souse did not growl at Jay because of his possible position (although Jay is creepily similar now that you mentioned it) as a Death, but because it was a strange Sidhe approaching what Souse just realised was a candidate. The Sidhe have not admitted to having Death groups and the people's "Death" groups are either gothic/emo kids with no lives or gangs that think they are special.

Mik is NOT Aniege. But if you read Namesakes you'll get a giggle out of Sequel's character. He has no Sidhe blood whatsoever. Paw, technically, does have people blood, but is a hugely insignifigant amount. Whisper came to the Sidhe from one Man who had one child who had one child who had one child and so on. It's not a direct line as somewhere in there the decendants were realised to have good blood and thus multiplied in plenty, but the amount of people blood is insignifigant.

Another term for Aniege, as Ayato destroyed most of the Anieges before Namesakes began, is one named by the gods as a type of high priest. They are the people's saints. Three miracles and all that jazz and is usually proven after death.

I'm not certain what part of Una's involvement you're asking about. Mik is not a game master, and he isn't doing the fix them up, prop them up, sex them up and then send them off to their own little lives.

For those who have read Namesakes, as apparently I've not written this despite what I thought, Illuva is a new goddess whose origins are unknown. De is Tahl-ra and Rahl-ta's son, concieved about the time of Namesakes. The death of the gods plagues was everyone but Rahl-ta, Tahl-ra, De and Illuva dieing. The people who were followers of the other gods went mad and started killing people, animals, anythign they could get their hands on, the bodies piled up and a mini iceage took over the land, freezing the ground and the bodies and when the thaw came through the bodies were a breeding ground for disease. What swept the lands was seemingly innocent enough, a cough and a sore throat, but then led to fever, puss from random places and eventual death. Highly contagious.

Bonus cookie for Suryalle. Though most of your questions couldn't be answered in story without bringing in an archealogoist and having Jay analyzed and partnered up.

This entire time I thought anyone who was reading namesakes knew about Illuva. Geez, I can't keep track of the goddess. She is wide spread, because of her omnipotence and because most can alter her words and her beliefs so easily to fit their own beliefs. She doesn't interfere most of the time and when she doesn't it's creepy crazy how easily she can wrap everyone around her will. When Tahl-ra took the throne of the gods, I needed a strong female goddess to replace her and I got more than I bargained for.

The only one immune to Illuva's power is De (Koln's god) whis is the opposite of Illuve, supposedly, as god of chaos. But both can be chaotic, one more so than the other. The way Tahl-ra and Rahl-ta switched sexes, the new pair switched power.

*coughs* I should shut up and let you read.

Read, Review and Enjoy.




Mik got home and was startled to see the back of Essuan walking up the steps to the green room. Okay, it wasn’t just the back of her, it was all of her, but what he saw was the back of her. He closed the door gently and reminded himself that she had every right to be there. He dropped his keys on the counter, not entirely certain why the hell he used the damned things if the door was always unlocked anyway, and moved from the kitchen into the living room and up the steps.

Essuan was sitting against a wall, Paw’s head pressed against her belly and the smaller Sidhe seemed to be listening intently. Mik watched silently until Paw lifted his head and seemed to confer something to Essuan.

“Bit early for heartbeat, isn’t it?” Mik murmured.

“Koln want… son…sono…”

“Sonogram.” Essuan murmured.

“It’s perfectly safe for people and animal babies.” Mik thought on it, “though I think it uses sound.”

“Tell Koln no.”

“Essuan has to-” Mik’s words trailed off when he realised Paw wasn’t talking to him, but to Essuan. The female nodded and placed a hand over her belly protectively.

A month in, or so, and she was already freaking out about a possible miscarriage? Then again, they were in a strange environment.

“Koln sent mint and ginger,” Mik said, “it’s down in the kitchen.”

Essuan asked something of Paw and then looked confused. Paw sighed and made a rather stoic, unhappy explanation that involved a jab at Mik and a bunch of words.

Was he telling Essuan that mint and ginger were used in cooking?

Essuan looked horrified. Then she said something and shook her head and giggled. Paw smiled and gave her shoulder an affectionate pat. The female stood, pushed off the wall and brushed past Mik as if he didn’t exist. Mik watched her go before turning to Paw.

“How long have you known?”

“Known what?”

The door downstairs opened and closed.

“That you were a candidate?”

Paw shrugged, “How long has Mik known he loved Paw?”

“What?”

“It not something that,” Paw made a motion, upset, “that Paw know soon as happens. Come to realise.”

“And then hide from everyone else.”

“No want to be Whisper. Whisper have to see all horrors. Whisper have to watch and no able to change. And. If Paw presenting then Whisper dying. Whisper dying and he no tell anyone. It eating him up. Inside out. Slowly and skin peeling and insides no good no more.”

“Paw. We might be able to help him.”

“No,” Paw shook his head, “Whisper not like other Sidhe. Even appear crazy to Sidhe sometime. He not confined by walls, he not confined by this life. He need trees. And if he going to die, then he going to die at his old time tree. No children to laugh. No family left to care for him. How fair? How fair? He serve long, long time and now…” there were tears in his eyes, “he die alone.”

“Obviously not alone. If you’re there, then the others are there as well,” Mik crossed the distance between himself and Paw and pulled the Sidhe into a light embrace, “he’s not alone. It’s his choice and it’s one we have to live with.”

“Dun mean Paw happy with it.”

“Doesn’t mean I’m happy with it. If I told the others where his old time tree was, I could have him brought in. But that’s not what he wants.”

Paw cried against Mik’s shoulder, arms tightening around the man, “Paw doesn’t want Whisper to die.”

“I know you don’t, Paw, and I know it’s scary…”

“Who will they whisper to in the darkest of night,” Paw wiped one eye, sniffed and put his head against Mik’s shoulder once more, “all those Sidhe dieing and not understanding why he isn’t answering their call.”

“What does Whisper do exactly?” Mik murmured, “watch?”

“Help. Heal. Fix and put on right paths. He come, come come, to Paw’s tribe and tell Paw to go make friendly with Souse tribe.”

“Well that didn’t exactly turn out well,” Mik muttered.

“Paw got Mik.”

“But Essuan got beat.”

“Whisper no go to Essuan, Whisper come to Paw.”

“Alright. I suppose that makes sense,” Mik murmured. He had to get his hands on something that would explain this. The big book of Mik’s questions, it should be titled, “I’ve been having nightmares… and I think you know what they’re about.”

“Told Mik not come again,” Paw growled against his shoulder.

“I don’t know how not to come. Paw. I haven’t got any power, I’m not magical.”

“Eh…” Paw pulled away from Mik and looked him up and down and up and down, then met his eyes squarely, “Mik like Aniege.”

“Aniege?”

“Mmm. Yes, yes. Aniege.”

“Aniege is a saint… Paw. I’m no fucking saint.”

“Heh. People stupid.” Paw sighed and made a motion up and down Mik, “Like, not are, like, Aniege. Aniege named by … someone, no know who,” a small headshake, “and to this one all with power drawn. Like… like… lightning rod.”

“The lightning rod doesn’t exactly enjoy it’s job,” Mik was a bit unsettled by the comparison, “and I don’t think I can just shut it off.”

“Hole. Hole that need filling. Ahhhhh,” Paw waggled a finger in Mik’s face, then poked his chest, just over his heart, gently, “Hole in Mik’s heart and Mik trying to fill it with something and so is filled with Paw’s nightmares. Mik.” Paw tapped his lower lip and frowned, muttering to himself.

“Mik what? There’s not a hole in my heart.”

“Yes. Yes. Right there, Paw can see it,” Paw motioned, then glared at his hand as if it were at fault, “Mik grief-ing Piho still. Mik push Piho from his heart so as to not hurt no more. So Mik make the hole in Mik’s heart.”

“I did not!”

“Mik need zoo-zoo.”

“I don’t know how to zoo-zoo.”

“Med-eee-a-tate,” Paw motioned to the open spot on his floor, “sit, breath in good, out bad, in good, out bad, relax and let plants soak up bad feelings. Is plants job, Mik know. Bad and good make beautiful garden. Mik need only tell the plants bad instead of just good. Not all good in here,” Paw tapped Mik’s chest, “not all good here,” his temple, “let plants take that, let plants do as liver does, filter. Only theys can only filter if Mik lets them filter, if Mik lets emotion out of body.”

“That requires power or-”

Paw flicked Mik between the eyes and very sternly said, “power state of mind. No yes power. No, no power. Only you. Only plants. Only Paw saying Mik filter emotion or Mik no get smex. Science say power impossible, so people all think power impossible. Mik mother told, no, no, no, no can grow here and she still can grow, why? A’cause she not stupid, she not believe what tells her. If no can grow in dirt then children no can grow there.”

Mik recalled something, dimly, of the landlord and his mother arguing about nearly the same thing. As soon as he turned his attention to the memory, it rushed away and was out of his grasp.

“Strongest powers in history just like Mik, ‘no,’” Paw made air quotes, “power. No possible. But still they did. So. Mik sit over there and let plants filter bad emotions.”

“Mik can live without sex,” Mik growled back.

All emotion went from Paw’s face and for a moment Mik grasped the stupidity of what he had just said. Implying that sex with Paw wasn’t the best… not good.

“Mik do as Paw say because Paw say it. Mik not do it, Mik go same way as phone that time and he can be splattered over sidewalk.” The Sidhe stalked off.

Mik bit his tongue to keep from saying anything else.


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