A little surprised, but pleased all the same, Meredith obliged by pulling a chair out and sitting down. "What book were you looking at?" The young woman was rather curious about anything of hers which might interest an elf. A fantasy creature, swept away from reality by war... She waxed poetic after such a long and eventful day.

The confession made him smile. A grin as wide as could be pulled up Hayden's lips revealing white teeth. "Thank you. That is reassuring in a way." There were still things abotu humans and their upper world he knew not a thing about. Placing a careful finger upon the flame of her soul, he hummed a little. Sending a small tendril of emotion within, Hayden wondered how she would react to the love. For it was that he sent within, though the kind of a friend for another friend.

Mallon smiled and sat after she did. "Oh. Some book on fairies. It was a little different than my book said, so I was just looking." He smiled and watched her.

Jemini smiled warmly at him. "That's why I told you. I was hoping it helped." She then looked at the sign that told her what floor they were on. She didn't realize they'd only gone down 4 stories. She felt a strange warmth go through her and she smiled to herself again. She didn't know where it came from, but she looked at Hayden.

So he'd found her fairy tales. She loved collecting the tales. They weren't forbidden because they were seen as tales for children, and nothing more. No one seemed to realize that truths lay within those pages for whoever wished to see it. "I probably put that book away earlier, come to think of it." Taking a few spoonfuls of the soup, Meredith then smiled at Mallon. She wondered what he would say about it.

When the contraption halted, a sigh of relief escaped Hayden. For a moment, he hesitated, then extended a hand towards his guide. "I don't want to get lost in these streets," explained the fey prince. There was no need to be shy about such things. Besides, when one had spent time in the dark courts holding hands became something of a long distant far off memory.

Mallon just smiled and ate some of the soup. His eyes widened and he looked at her. "What'd you put in here? It tastes great." It wasn't that he was shocked, it was just much better than he'd ever been able to make soup.

Jemini blinked at him, then gently took his hand. She smiled at him, then went off the elevator. He was probably happy to be off of it. She went to the desk and signed out. Then headed to the doors. "Alright. I'll get a cab. Just a second." She let go of his hand and stepped out into the street a little. "Taxi!" She yelled and waved her arms. Standing out in the street is like suicide in the city. Nobody pays attention to where they're driving.

Meredith laughed at his surprise. It was just canned soup! She hadn't added anything special. "It's canned soup, nothing special." Shaking her head, the young woman grabbed some crackers and placed them in her own bowl. Munching away happily, she wondered what was going to happen next. The day had already been quite improbable.

There was so much to look at. Onrushing cars, and the sounds and smells of the city... It was a wonder Hayden hadn't gotten into trouble the moment he stepped within the walls of the human place. A sort of horrified fascination filled him as he watched his friend step out into the street. Hayden made as if to move forward, but stopped himself. Jemini knew what she was doing.

Mallon looked at her strangely. "Canned soup? Man...I need to get out more." He laughed a little at himself and kept eating. He'd never had canned soup, he didn't even know they put soup in cans.

Jemini soon got a taxi to come over. It headed straight for her, stopping inches from her legs. She smiled and moved around to the door and waved Hayden over. "Come on!"

Finishing her own meal, Meredith stood and went to wash her bowl and did the same with the pot. After that, she wandered about trying not to burst out with questions. Books littered the apartment. Not all of them were approved, and if caught with them Meredith could get into a world of trouble. Which was why each book wore a disguise as something else. They were books within books. "Mallon, can't you tell me anything about yourself?" Whipping her hands on a cloth, she went to sit beside the elf.

The marvelous thought set her smiling. Sitting beside an elf! "I've read about you, or have seen your name mentioned in books about the war..." Lifting her head, Meredith fingered the necklace he'd given her.

Once inside the taxi Hayden tried to relax. The space was so small though, closing in.. The prince was used to large caverns, towering halls and wide open spaces. This small metal and plastic vehicle made his breath come out in quick short gasps. Hayden tried to remember the word humans used for it. "I think I might be claustrophobic," stated Hayden as he turned to Jemini.

Mallon soon finished his soup, but stayed at the table. His mind had wandered back to his work and he wasn't drawn out of it until Meredith spoke to him. He blinked and looked at her, then smiled a little. "Yes. I was a helping hand in the war. I was a general." He used to be pretty famous in the human world too, but that was under a different name.

Jemini smiled a little and rode along in the taxi like it was nothing. She'd told the cabby where to go, it wasn't too far from the police station. It cut down on her taxi fees. She noticed the way Hayden was acting and gently took his hand in hers. "Its ok. You're just not used to it." She gave him a reassuring smile.

HE always seemed so preoccupied. Thoughts drifted across those strange eyes... "Is there a reason why one of your eyes seems blind?" It had come unbidden, this little niggling of realization. It did seem that way, though it was probably just some elfen trait she didn't know about. For all Meredith knew, it could be quite common. "I was tired of being normal," blurted out the young woman suddenly. "I was tired of a life without magic, tired of being afraid... That's why I jumped off the bridge." Meredith felt like she owed this near stranger the truth.

Squeezing her hand between his... He concentrated on her. The flame in his earing seemed to glow and twinkle just a little more then it had a right to. There was something there Hayden had to see and learn. "How much longer?" The words slipped easily from his lips. To distract himself, the fay prince began thinking. Places, he needed to find people who attracted him. Hayden Demetrius Stargazer found himself loath to leave Jemini, even though he was certain he had to in order to complete his task.

Mallon closed his eyes for a moment after her comment. "I'm not blind. I can see perfectly out of both of my eyes." He looked at her again and was astonished with her outburst. "So...you tried to kill yourself because you wanted magic in your life?" He shook his head a little. "Why didn't you just fall in love? I'm told its magical."

Jemini smiled and gently squeezed his hands back. She felt usefull for the first time in a long time. The men at the station usually confided in her, but never would touch her. Maybe because she was the chief's daughter...probably. Men were scared of her father. She smiled almost soothingly to him. "Just a few minutes longer." Her voice was calm and almost soothing. She was trying hard to keep him calm. It was something she learned from her mother being a reknown psychiatrist. She saw his eyes wander and knew he was thinking of something else. It distracted him from the small taxi, so she didn't interupt.

Meredith bit her lip to stop herself from basically screaming her answer. "I'm scared. Falling in love is really scary. You, it's like you give yourself up to someone else without even knowing if they'll break you or not." The young woman had no idea why she was telling him this. Abruptly she stood and went to find a book. Anything really to distract herself. Instead Meredith paused and looked at herself in the mirror.

This was a strange situation. An unbelievable one really. The fairy prince, rescued by a human and seeking aid from her. His friends would laugh him out of the kingdom once they knew. Taking a long deep breath, Hayden found himself absentmindedly seeking comfort from the soul flame hanging upon his ear. It was such a simply thing, turning to her for support when he'd never done so with anyone before. Grey eyes wide, he searched hers out. "Would you like to show me around the city after?" He needed to know why it was so easy.

Mallon was about to answer when she got up. He sighed and shook his head. "Love is worth the risk." He muttered to himself and rubbed his face a little. Like he was trying to wake up.

Jemini smiled a little, she never looked away from him. It was something she did when she was trying to figure someone out. He was infinitely interesting to her. He was like someone she'd met before, yet she knew she never had. He met his eyes when he looked at her and it was the first time she's seen them this close. They were...mesmerizing...so beautiful. She smiled though and nodded a little. "Of course. Once you know where everything is at home, then we'll go out to eat. How's that sound?"

Sighing, Meredith walked down the little hall back to her guest. She caught him in the act of rubbing his face, and frowned. It was hard to tell what he was thinking... Shaking her head, the blue eyed woman went to sit again. "Earlier, you said you'd been told... Have you ever been in love?" Maybe she wasn't the only one who had a hard time with it. Or maybe Meredith had thought she felt love once, then been hurt and not been able to recover. She couldn't quite remember.

Hayden composed himself a little when her eyes caught his. They were large, and entirely different then those of his own race. Hayden wanted to know more about her. That was undeniable, though there seemed to be no reason behind the fact. "It sounds perfect." And it did. Perfect, a time to speak with Jemini without her father near. A smirk crossed his face at the thought of her father finding out who exactly he was. If the man had known, Hayden may never have gotten out.

Mallon looked at her when she sat down and he sighed. "I've lived many years, Meredith. Its hard not to fall in love at least once in those long years." He'd fallen in love, yes. But then, he didn't know how to keep her alive.

Jemini's mood brightened significantly. She was happy that he liked her idea. She was no newbie when it came to a kitchen, but she'd rather not cook tonight. It was already a little warm, the house would be an oven if she cooked. "Good. What type of food do you eat?"

"I'm sorry," said the young woman. That seemed to sum up the situation nicely. Meredith was sorry. It hadn't been such a good idea to tell him after all. "I guess I shouldn't have said anything at all.. But I did need to tell someone..." And he had been there, an all too willing audience. The day had been so good, up until the point when she had dropped off the bridge.

What food? HE chuckled. Jemini would never be able to taste what he ate, she would become far too addicted to it. "I'm sure whatever you choose will be fine Jemini. I'm not picky." In truth, the fairy was starving. The iron's burning had drained energy, sapped it away so very quickly. Embarrassingly, his stomach growled loudly in the cab. Hayden actually blushed at the uncourtly sound.

Mallon looked at her and waved it off like an annoying fly. "Its over and done with. Time to move on." He said it lightheartedly, but his heart felt heavy. He smiled at her a little, then thought for a moment. "Why'd we come here again?"

Jemini smiled and nodded slightly. "I'll say italian then. Pasta is my favorite." She heard his stomach growl and couldn't help but giggle softly. "You're not picky cause you're starving. You could just have said you were hungry, you know." She didn't care about being formal. Say what you want, however you want. Just don't be rude. That was what she lived by. She could be extremely blunt sometimes. "We're here." She got out of the cab and paid the driver. She motioned for him to climb out and turned to look at her house. She loved her house. It was a 3 bedroom house with 2 bathrooms. Once guest bedroom and her study. It was in all 4.5k squared feet. It had a sort of victorian style to the model of it. "I have a room ready for you if you'd like to rest. I'll make you a snack so you will last until dinner." She smiled at him and waited for him to follow her up to the door.

She nodded, not wanting to say anything else. This seemed like a lot to talk about, with someone just met. "It was just so you knew where I live. It was either this, or find me another place... Though I really like it here." Meredith stood quickly. There was a smile on her face. She had felt bad for accepting the necklace, but now she knew what she could give him. Grinning Meredith grabbed the book Mallon had been looking at and thrust it at him. "Take it."

With relief Hayden did as he was bid. Then he followed, as he never truly did at home. It was such a bog part of this puzzle, the fact that he followed. Perplexing really, for someone who had been raised to rule. Regarding the architecture, one could see the old time beauty in the house. It flowed freely, with large windows to let in plenty of light. "Snack first then maybe some rest," said Hayden as he came abreast of Jemini. The mere mention of food sent him drooling in an undignified way. "And the Italian place sounds alright." She had been right, he would eat anything to slake his hunger.

Mallon nodded slightly and looked as though he were thinking to himself again. She brought him out of his trance with the book in his face. "Wha-what's this for?" He didn't take it just yet, wanting to know the reason behind it.

Jemini chuckled softly when he came up beside her on the porch. It was cute when he was hungry, just the way he padded around and drooled at the mere mention of food. "Alright, you go do what you have to. Then come in the kitchen, I'll have something for you." She unlocked the door and opened it, stepping inside. The house was a tastful clash of modern and victorian furniture, a large tv in the livingroom and glass table in the dinig room. "The guest room is on the right."

A little laugh escaped her. Seeing an elf flustered was a rare sight, and an entertaining one. "Well, I thought since you gave me this necklace, it would be nice if I gave you something in return. Besides, I have too many books." Proved by the fact that her papery friends littered every available surface. There were even books piled up in the bathroom. And, she knew Mallon would appreciate it.

The fairy stepped to the threshold and stopped. It was impossible for him to enter until he was invited within. The old rules, they still applied no matter what. It was of no consequence that humans barely saw them anymore, those of magic realms and of wondrous strange thoughts. Hayden's grey eyes lifted to look at Jemini expectantly. "You need to invite me inside." Her words had implied it, but the rules were tricky sometimes. Hayden didn't want to lose his magic, so he waited.

Mallon looked at her, then smiled a little. "The necklace was a gift. I don't need that book." He'd already deteremined that his copy was the correct one. Her's was a dramatization of the true history.

Jemini looked at him oddly when she noticed that he hadn't come inside the house yet. "Whats-" She then sighed and motioned for him to come in. "Come on in, Hayden."

An embarrassed little smile plastered itself onto Meredith's face. Shrugging her shoulders she put the book down. Now it was that time of awkward silence between newly acquainted people. It settled between them slowly as the young woman struggled with what had happened. It was finally dawning on her that the stupid bet could have meant the end of her. The thoughts weren't pleasant ones, not at all.

Relief crept into Hayden's mind as he stepped over the threshold with a smile. 'If you hadn't done that, I would have lost my magic." It was only with private homes that such things were a problem. In public places, it was understood that there was a standing invitation to all. Curiosity pushed Hayden to examine the entrance and the kitchen also.

Mallon watched her silently, until he could tell that she wasn't thinking of bad things. He gently took her hand. "Don't think of things that make you saddened. Its a waste of time."

Jemini glanced at him curiously. "Alright...I'd think you would like to rest in the guest bedroom." She sighed and headed to the kitchen to fix him a snack.

Gasping a little because of this unexpected gesture, Meredith regarded Mallon with large eyes. How in the world had he known? "I can't help it though... Jumping off that bridge could have been the end of me, and it was for something so stupid!" She shook her head and smiled. "And here I am, telling you everything again" It was strange, since he hadn't told her anything about himself really. Despite that, Meredith still felt comfortable telling him things she wouldn't say to anyo0en else.

Shaking his head, he went to do as she wanted him to. The human, Jemini, didn't know anything about his kind. Hayden couldn't fault her that. As he entered the room, the fay prince was pondering this mystery. She had known him for what he was, but knew nothing about many of the rules which governed his kind. Sitting down on the bed and removing his shoes, Hayden then lay down and closed his eyes to drift off into sleep.

Mallon just smiled at her kindly. "Well, everyone does stupid things in their life. You lived for a reason....don't dwell on the past."

Jemini had made a nice light turky sandwich for him and set it on the counter as she pulled out the milk. She was carrying the glass of milk and sandwich down the hall, when suddenly her chest felt ice cold. She froze, the glass and plate slipping from her hands and shattering on the floor. She fell to her knees, her face was frozen into a look of horror. The searing pain shot through her, she couldn't make a sound.

((I'll only be able to reply once a day from now on, just trying to get into that habit for when I go to university.))

Looking up, Meredith nodded. Then a smile lit up her features at a sudden thought. It would be a shame if Mallon left after offering her such wonderful hospitality. Besides, she didn't want to be alone with herself ... Not when her supposed friends might stop by at any moment to see if Meredith had survived her drop. "Mallon, would you mind spending the night here?" The brunette eyed him carefully with a hopeful look.

With a start, the fairy woke from his slumber. Fingering he flame in his ear, Hayden frowned. This was... It couldn't be happening to such a wonderful person! Rushing out of the room, Hayden went to find Jemini. It was an easy thing to do with her soul's flame dangling upon his ear. Placing her arms around her, the young man muttered a small spell. Warmth, it would bring her warmth .. Or was supposed to anyway. "Come on Jemini... Looks like we both need to find our heart's true love now." The last words were muttered lowly. All the while, Hayden rubbed her back in an attempt to help speed the process of warming the young woman up.