"You're having fun with this aren't you..." He said, checking the time again. "45 minutes..."

"Very much so." She pulled her other leg up, shifting to her knees so he was about eye level with just below her chest. "I'm still curious as to what exactly you plan to do once your wings are done and you can move again."

He shook with frustration, knowing that there was plenty he could still do while leaving her pure, any of it would be just as much a torment to him. "Get out..." He said, his voice pained, but not angry. "Stay with Isaac or Diah tonight."

"What?" She gasped, dropping back down to be eye level with him. "No! The whole reason you stayed was so I could be with you tonight! I'm sorry, okay? Look." She climbed off the table, backing several feet away. "I'm stopping, alright?"

He hated pushing her away, but what else could he do? "Fine....."

She forced a small smile and moved to the bed, sitting on the floor with her back resting against the frame. Had she known it was would have gotten her all the way across the room, she wouldn't have started the little game in the first place. Maybe she should let him be with Sue once in a while...it might let her be close to him without worries. She entertained the notioned for a moment then dismissed it, knowing she could never stand the idea of them together.

Jin wanted to call her back over, she didn't have to sit on the other side of the room, it was enough to just keep a friendly distance. But he knew better than that, he was getting too close to her, caring too much. He stayed silent, watching the ink trail up to his wings.

Carol stared at the floor uninterestedly, tracing patterns in her mind. After a while, her eyes closed and her head gradually fell forward. She slumped over, sound asleep.

A while later Jin's wings finally were finished and he quietly cleaned up the mess. His feathers were a few shades darker than hers, and a shade or two darker than Diah's or Isaac's. He made his way over to Carol and crouched in front of her, his wings closing around them like their own little room as he leaned forward to kiss her. "I'm sorry..." He said, not knowing or caring if she was awake to hear. "I hate having to push you away."

She murmured something incoherent, instinctively clinging to him in her not quite consious state. She had lied earlier when she'd said she wasn't tired.

Jin cuddled her for a moment before pulling away. He found a sheet of paper and wrote out several rules, the most important being that she wasn't to leave the property, and that she was to listen to Isaac while he was away. He left the note in her lap before leaving the room, wondering if she would even notice the small print reading 'I love you..." That he'd added to the bottom.

Outside the room, Diah stood waiting. "I had a feeling you'd leave," he said with a soft smirk. "She wouldn't like waking up alone."

"What now, are you going to be her comfort in my absence? Maybe she'll grow to love you instead." He said, his voice monotonous. "I don' know if I'd praise you or damn you over that one... take care of her, alright?"

"Of course. Someone has to." He brushed past Jin into the bedroom and gently lifted Carol onto the bed, tucking her into the covers before laying down next to her. She rolled over, wrapping an arm around him and cuddling close.

Jin felt his blood boil, but he stood still, letting himself calm before he finished getting his things together. What would happen would happen, and he would let it. Disgusted with himself and the situation, he grabbed Marcus by the arm and left without another word to anyone.

Carol woke the next morning slowly, looking up at Diah with a sleepy expression. "Where's Jin?"
"He left already," he answered softly, stroking her hair.
"Oh..." Her eyes closed again. "Well I'm glad you're here..."
He could couldn't help but smile, loving to hear those words.

Isaac appeared at the door, "Come on Carol, we have a lot of work to do."

"But I dun wanna!" She curled up closer to Diah, hiding her head under his arm.
"Come on..." He climbed off the bed, holding onto her arm so she came with. "You can sleep later." She had never really bothered to change her outfit the night before and so was still wearing the top and jeans. Slowly, the clothes shifted to a pair of loose gym shorts and a green tank top.

"You'll spend the morning with me, learning basic magic. You'll have a small break before meeting with Anette int he afternoon for weaponry and fighting techniques. In the evening Marcus will be teaching you the history of the war. Jin doesn't know about this little addition, but I'm hoping we can come up with a better way to end it than what he has planned. He should be back tonight."

She rubbed her eyes, not liking the sound of working all day. "I thought he said he'd be gone for a long time."

"Not Jin, Marcus. Marcus is only accompanying him to the halfway point."

"Oh..." She couldn't help but sound a bit dissapointed. "So...anyway...what's first?"

Isaac stretched and yawned, "Come down to the garden. I've decided for every basic principle you master, I'll teach you one trick. We'll start of with wind or water, your choice, and when you've managed one we'll move to the next, then earth, than fire. Among them, we'll touch on things like energy, psychics, ect."

((Wanna fast forward a bunch? This crap'll be boring... ))

Approximately a year later, Carol was taking a day off for the first time in months. She was curled up in the library Annet had directed her to, reading a stack of history books Marcus had recommended. She'd improved very quickly over the year and was now incredibly strong. The weaponry and fighting lessons had only served to further tone her already shapely body and she was now almost pure muscle. Her hair had also gotten longer, and Diah was almost always at her side. Even then, he was laying a few feet away, shirtless and barefoot as usual, reading a book of poems.

There was a rather loud crash from the upper levels of the house, a lot of scuffle, and a stream of servants rushing around like ants in a demolished anthill. Jin had finally returned, an almost in habit, he'd done so covered in blood. "Relax... it's not mine this time." He grumbled as he shook his wings, blood and white powder covering the walls as his blackwings were exposed again.

"Ah, it sounds like the master is home." Isaac said with a hint of sarcasm. "I should warn you Carol, he'll be rather unpleasant for a few days. Demons don't take well to the purity in heaven, and when they return, everything demonic in them grows stronger as if to make up for lost time. This includes aggression, irritation, and violent behavior. I would not recommend spending the first night back with him." Isaac had seemed to grow more and more distant the more she succeeded, and his manner had become more sarcastic and monotonous as he seemed to care less and less with the passing days about what was around him.

There was a sound of running water, and a while later Jin appeared in the doorway, his rob tied around his waist, leaving form the waist up exposed as he pulled long deep red sopping wet hair up into a ponytail, his wings rustling softly against his back.