Forever Caged [Complete]

Chapter 9: Mystery


Lesara had been watching Reyvn, his face still smooshed up against the glass. He pulled away and smiled at him, being reminded of a small child exploring the garden. He sighed to himself. If he could put off the trip and spend more time with Reyvn, he would, but his addiction for the rare would not allow it.

Reyvn brushed his fingertips along the surface of the cold water, watching it ripple. He could feel magick spark down his arm and into his hand from his wings, leaving a trail of violet sparks in the water that dissipated six inches after his fingers left the area. He circled his hand around, making little designs, smiling at the little pictures they made. He leaned forward a bit to see if he could see his reflection, and made a face when he saw it disappear and other images took its place. He was entranced by the effect, not entirely sure what was going on. He saw someone else; someone with wings of fire and red-streaked black hair, a wild man with an insane smile. Then suddenly the man stopped what he was doing, and looked directly into Reyvn's eyes. Reyvn gasped, and jumped back. The violet sparks faded, and so did the image. He leaned forward again, and splashed his hand in the water. What in the levels of Feythis was that? He frowned, and decided he shouldn't sit by the pond any longer, intriguing as it was.
He got up, and instead explored some of the large, red, sweet-smelling flowers a little further back.

Lesara watched this little display, somewhat intrigued. He couldn't quite see what happened, and assumed it was probably a bug in the water that had startled him. The faint scent of cooking meat began to waft through the air and made the naga's stomach growl with ferocity. He unlatched the window, let it swing open and sprawled his upper half along the window sill, still keeping an ear out for Reyvn.

Reyvn wandered further back along the garden, taking his time to thoroughly explore the strange plants. Some tall ones shooting up from the ground glowed blue, and next to them were large brambly bushes covered in soft, white blooming flowers. There were several kinds of trees, all bearing colorful fruit. They looked like they would be tasty, but he knew better than to take anything. He found his way into the back yard, and stopped. Lesara wasn't kidding. There were some really strange plants back here! The first thing that caught his attention was a huge, green and red mass that looked like it could get up on its own and walk away. There were thick vines growing from under it, practically consuming everything else in the back yard. The 'flower' part of it was wide open, and had what resembled very sharp teeth around the edges. Reyvn decided he didn't really like this part of the garden, and headed back out front.
He could hear the music getting louder now, like it was coming toward the house.

Lesara hummed along to the music. There was a party going on down at the market, as there normally was. The economic situation was quite steady and merchants from all over had reason to kick their heels up. He looked down past his garden, past the hills and trees that separated his home from the city. A faint glowing light pulsed gently on the horizon. The party must be reaching full swing, he thought to himself.

Cherry poked her head in and startled Lesara when she shouted, "Dinner's ready! Super chunky stew and sweet bread rolls!" Lesara was sure Reyvn heard the banshee-shriek that was Cherry's supper call. All the same, he saw Reyvn go out back and wanted to make sure he was ok. "Reyvn?" he called into the garden. "Dinner's on the table!"

Reyvn turned the corner and came to the front of the house, heard both Cherry's and Lesara's call, and started to head back inside. He paused for a second when his stomach growled at him, and it wasn't till then that he realized just how hungry he was. He hurried in and shut the door, then found his way to the kitchen and was pleased to see everyone already there.

Four large steaming bowls of meat, large chunks of vegetables and gravy sat on the table, one waiting for Reyvn. As per Lesara's request, Reyvn's had extra meat in it, in the hopes of fattening the boy up a bit. Large, buttery bread rolls were practically overflowing from a basket in the middle of the whole setup. Lesara took his usual seat, and thumped his tail against the chair legs. "Ow... Damn it, I never will get used to these little tables," he grumbled. He reached for a roll just as Reyvn walked in, and smiled a small sigh of relief. "So you survived the garden. How did you like it?"

Reyvn took the remaining chair, getting comfortable. It was awkward having so many people in one room at a time, but he figured he'd get used to it. "It's really pretty," he said softly. "But what was that monster of a plant in the back?" He reached for one of the tasty-looking rolls, and set it next to his bowl. He gave the soup a taste test, decided he liked it, then chommed on the heaping spoonful. It wasn't on purpose, that's just how it happened. He tried to be polite about it but there was almost too much food in his mouth to do it.

Lesara laughed a little at Reyvn. "There you go, that's how a healthy, growing boy eats." He waited to answer Reyvn's question until after he had munched the gravy-drenched piece of bread he had in his hand. After he swallowed, he said, "That is a man-eating plant, they're called The Messengers of Styx. It's rather small, considering how long I've had it, but I don't get the chance to feed it often, as you might have noticed," he gulped down another bite. "You're smart for staying away from it. Cherry has scars on her belly because she was overwhelmed by her own curiosity." He gave her a warm-hearted smile. "Women are creatures I will never be able to get my mind around."

Cherry blushed and said, "Oh stop, you're making my face go all silly." Arna watched this exchange of words go on in silence, largely due to the fact that he was battling with a large chunk of potato.

Reyvn swallowed finally, then tore his roll in half and swirled it in the stew. "I saw it and didn't like the teeth." He took a bite of the roll, savoring the flavor before downing that too. He all but scarfed down the meal; it was one of the tastiest things he'd had in years. He looked up at Cherry then before he consumed half his bowl, and thought it only polite to say something. "This is," he paused, searching for a word, "delicious." And he meant it, and hoped it would please Cherry. He decided he didn't want any enemies here.

Cherry puffed up at the compliment. "Why, thank you, but this is nothing. I've got tastier things if you like," she wiggled her eyebrows and puckered her lips a little. Lesara poked his tail tip in front of her and used it like one would a sock puppet, making the tip bounce and flick in time with his speech. "Cherry! We do not sexually harass our coworkers." He then made the tip pop up in front of Arna. "Except you, but that's why you're here." Arna almost choked on the potato he was eating when he started laughing. Then he made it pop up in front of Reyvn. "Ah, but I get ahead of myself. You know Cherry thought the teeth on that plant were flower buds." He wiggled his tail as if to imitate a person screaming, and put on a high pitched voice. "Heeelllp meeee!"

Reyvn snarked and had to cover his mouth to keep food from flying out. He swallowed before he choked, and his shoulders shook from silent laughter. He stilled after a moment, not quite sure what he just did. He made a face, and just glanced between everyone, ending on Cherry. "You really thought they were flower buds?"

Cherry looked away, her face as pink as her hair. "I couldn't tell, it was dark!"

Lesara was working his way through a third roll and said, "It was not, it was broad daylight! You just weren't very bright when I first brought you home. Not much has changed." He let out a heavy laugh and shoved the roll into his mouth and started to talk around it. "You should have seen her after she ate the ponmerre. It's the tree with the big, shiny leaves and the deep purple fruit. She couldn't stop humping things for days. We never had that sort of trouble with Arna." Cherry jammed a roll in her mouth to hide the fact that her cheeks were puffing up when she started pouting.

Lesara continued, "I think if we got another female around here, she'd act just the same. I swear, you women are all just silly." He poked Cherry with his tail, then brought it back under the table and teased Reyvn's ankle with it. "It's good to see it isn't just Arna who's smart enough to steer clear of danger." By now he had finished his bowl of stew, and was simply waiting on everyone else.

Reyvn remembered that tree. He thought it smelled similar to the drug Koumori used on him, and had made a point of going wide around it. He didn't say anything after that, not having been around many girls. He focused more on eating, enjoying the tasty rolls and the gravy and the stew. He almost jumped out of his chair when he felt something touch his ankle, and jerked his leg away and looked underneath to see what it was.

Lesara grinned, stuck his tongue out and wiggled his tail. "All in jest, my good boy, all in jest. You really must lighten up," he said. He got up from the table and started clearing away dishes, as everyone else had finished. "There's more in the pot on the stove if you want it," he told Reyvn.

Reyvn calmed down, giving Lesara a funny look. He finished the last few bites of his dinner, and nodded. "Thanks, but I think I'm done for the night." He scooted back, and wondered if he should help, but it looked like Lesara didn't need any help with the cleanup.

Lesara placed the dishes in the sink, washed his hands off and told Cherry to do what she will with the leftovers. "Alright, Arna, it's almost your bedtime unless Cherry has plans. Cherry, don't keep him up too late, he's still growing." He straightened his shirt up. "As for me, I think a lounge in the garden is in order. Reyvn? What'll you do?"

Reyvn stood and brushed a few stray crumbs off his shirt, and looked up. "I think I'll go back to the library."

Lesara nodded. "Fair enough. Remember, stay away from the strappy books. They'll eat you too." Lesara's eyes then trailed up, as if in thought. "You know, now that I think about it, a lot of things here will eat you... Maybe I should find some security measures that'd rape one, or beat one, or something a little less permanent than digestion. I mean, it's hard to convict a pile of plant poo."

Reyvn made a face like he was scared now. "Is there anything magickal that won't eat you if you mess with it?"

Again, as if in thought, Lesara's eyes went towards the ceiling. "Hmm... well... Oh! Yes, there is. It's in the garden though, so if you want, I can show you later." He waited for Cherry and Arna to leave, then waited till they were out of earshot before speaking again, "So, did you see something in the pond earlier? It looked like it gave you quite the fright."

Reyvn was about to turn and head back to the library, but stopped when Lesara started talking again. "The pond? Oh..." He went silent, and glanced to one side. "Yes, but, I'm not really sure what it was." He was hoping Lesara hadn't noticed that little incident, because he really didn't want to talk about it. He didn't know why, but he just felt that it should be kept a secret.

Lesara smiled. "It was probably one of the pond fish. Questionable creatures... Anyway, yes, have fun. Remember, go to bed early tonight. I know you've slept a lot, but you're still young. You need sleep." With that he turned and left. He slithered into the garden and towards a gazebo that was half covered in vines. There was an abnormally large hammock there, and he sighed pleasantly at the sight of it. It was such a beautiful night, and the moon made everything glow with a faint blue halo. He laid across the hammock, wrapped his tail around the base and began rocking, thinking about his day. The warm stew in his stomach made him heavy and relaxed. No, nothing in the world could bother him; as if it could before.

Reyvn sighed, relieved. He turned and quickly made his way back to the library, and slowed once he reached the lions. He looked up at them, and without further hesitation the doors swung open for him. He made a face, but didn't mind it. He moved quickly through the doors, which again swung shut, and sat at the table. He set the strapped book aside, deciding to let Lesara open for him later. He reached for the 'Mittens the Kitten' book, wanting to see the pictures again.

He flipped through it, a small smile appearing on his face. He finished it in a matter of minutes, and moved to set it back down when he saw the pile of papers Lesara had brought in earlier. He made a face, and picked them up. His eyes wandered over them, trying to read them. He frowned and put them back when he was certain there were no words written in the huma language. He pulled the huge dictionary forward, and a smaller book, and opened them both up and began to read.

Lesara could see the lights from the library window and smiled. Reyvn was a rather studious and determined boy, that was for sure. But he wasn't quite ready to go in yet, as the warmth and humidity was making him comfortable. He felt a little more awake now that his own blood was flowing a little more freely. He lay there and rocked some more, wondering what sort of fish Reyvn had seen in the pond. After a while, the rocking started to make Lesara drift, but before he could let himself slip too far, he got up and stretched, then went inside. It would be dangerous to fall asleep out here, even for a large naga such as himself. He passed by the library on his way to his room, and he couldn't resist peeking in, so he did. Lesara smiled when he saw Reyvn pouring through a book, then the dictionary, then back to the book. It was cute to see such a hungry mind at work like that.