"What else?" The quick question had Malachy bouncing a little in his seat. He already knew about the potions. It was everything else that needed to be said. "I don't need potions like that you see ... And I would rather you helped me rather then my other patients." In fact, he was rather jealous of his discovery of Chiro. He didn't want to share the ancient fae with anyone else ... not just yet. It was an amazing feeling, thinking, knowing, that he was the reason why Chiro had left the ancient city.

Chiro blinked several times. "Er... Well, I can... well, you already saw my ability to accelerate plants' growth... And I can heal injuries... I can... create fire from a spark that sustains itself, create different weather... I can extract water, and freeze existing water... Create light, and at the same time, destroy light... I can... well... I can kill. And reanimate... But it... drains me unlike the rest of my power."

He breathed out shakily. What would Malachy think of that? That he could kill without even touching someone... While he could kill, however, it hurt him as well. At first that magic had nearly killed him as well, but now it exhausted him to the point of comatose, and he had to sleep for several days to recover.

Kill? He couldn't imagine the other man ever doing such a thing unless it was necessary. Pursing his lips, he thought of the other things and of the way such abilities could be applied in his home. "Well you could take care of Raline for me, help make changes to her. There are these little things that keep bothering me .. And furniture I've always wanted, but never could find someone skilled enough to grow them." Chairs, beds ... He didn't have a bed yet. Then there were the soft blankets he kept dreaming about. Warm pillows, inviting things ... "I would like the nicest bed ... " To curl up on and have his wings supported upon.

Chiro sat up straight when the option to help arose. "I... I could do that!" He shifted his wings and folded them behind him. "I could grow you anything... any... furniture, that is. A beautiful bed..." Malachy didn't have one? Well, the floor was rather comfortable... Chiro was sure he could sleep there for good, but he forced himself to stand up, and shake his wings out a little. "Are there... any rooms you want to be furnished with specific types of things...? I could grow many things. A bed, chairs... holders for your lights... And I could keep Raline healthy for you, and your wings. I could also... make blankets for you... Or clothes. I do need to make myself some... if I had cloth." He twisted his hands in front of him, feeling rather naked. All he was wearing was a pair of old pants, and they weren't in the best shape.

Malachy stood and motioned for the other man to follow. He swept up a sloping piece of flower leading up to the second floor. He slipped past vine covered doorways until he reached the last room at the end of the wall. The young fae swept aside the curtain of vines dramatically, and smiled. "Here are some of the things I traded my services for. Perhaps you'll find cloth that suits you?" There was a wide variety, created by silk worms, the product of plants being wound and threaded and turned into cloth, some gold embroidery glittered here and there.

The room was filled with a treasure trove of unique items, more practical then not, but not a bed was in sight. Most of it wasn't furniture. Jewelry dangled from stray items, boxes were filled with seeds just waiting to be grown into all manner of things. They were potential plants with all manner of possibilities. Malachy did want a garden, but had no idea where to place it, or how to care for it. And yet he still always accepted seeds as payment.

"How often do you think my wings ... need to be taken care of?" The question was hesitant, as Malachy turned to face the other fae

Chiro tilted his head curiously and followed along, up the petal that acted as a sort of staircase to the upper level of the flower. It was beautiful regardless of how much was put in the room, but it was true---the absence of a bed in this particular room seemed so... sad. He could easily handle that, and perhaps create a chair or table as well for his new friend. But the cloth rolls were what interested him most of all. He stepped forward, running his hand down each color, each texture of varying thickness and smoothness. "I could... do quite a bit with this." He said. "So much..." And he could make his own clothing as well, to put some concern off of him, and some bother off Malachy.

Chiro turned to face the younger fae as he spoke of his wings. He started wringing his hands again. "Er, well... I guess that depends on... your choice." He looked around to distract himself. "I mean, once a day is what my kind relied on. It kept our wings resilient and strong and... well, very difficult to tear. I would think one treatment an evening would let you walk in the densest forests without fear of even the sharpest thorns harming..." Such beautiful wings. He would hate to see them harmed. If his restorative power could keep them strong and healthy, and help his home stay strong and vibrant, then so be it---he would easily handle that and so much more for the fae that had coaxed him out of his journey to a slow, sad death, rendering his kind completely extinct.

Malachy lowered his eyes to the ground and fidgeted. "Well ... you know how best to take care of them ... So .. whatever you think is best, I'll go along with." He glanced to the cloth. "As for the cloth, really you can do whatever you want with it ... " He had no idea how to use it, save draping it across himself and parading around with it in his home. At least now the trove of fabric would be turned into something useful, and beautiful.

"Uhm .. I .. there's no room for you yet .. " He had forgotten to take care of that. The other rooms weren't ready yet, they were still growing. "They're not ... fully grown yet..." Already Chiro would have to work upon his own room. "You can do whatever you want with it ..." It would be the other man's after all.

Chiro slowly pulled a pale blue sheet of cloth from its roll and rubbed it against his skin. So soft, beautiful, not like his shoddily-made pants at all. Then Malachy's words caught up to him. "Er... well... living among the earth for such a long time... longer than ever... I've mastered my magic that has to do with earth and growth. I can accelerate it. I can... bring Raline to her full potential in just a few moments, if you want... And that could give every room its maximum quality... And... well, this... is my room?" He glanced around. So large. It couldn't be. Maybe he had simply misheard.

Malachy smiled, seeing his reaction. It sent a thrill through him, feeling the other fae's disbelief. "Yes this is. Though uhm ... I'll come and take my favorite things. And ..for the rest of Raline ... Maybe a ... slowly accelerated progression?" He smiled. "Not too fast ... not too slow ... Shocking her is ...It wouldn't be good for her, I think. " The flower home was his, grown by his parents for him very carefully. Now it was all he had of them constantly with him. His mother and father were off traveling somewhere, had settled down in another city.

Chiro bit his lip to contain a smile that would have broken his face in half. His little piece, perhaps temporary, of this beautiful, fragrant, soft flower was his own. For now. He didn't want to call it his when in fact it was Malachy's. But he wouldn't be so unkind as to say that. "I... I appreciate it." He said hesitantly. "That's very kind of you... I... I'll be careful with Raline... She won't be shocked by her sped growth, I can promise you... And... well, if you take me to where you'd like, I can create a bed for you very easily in your preferred place." He wanted to take care of Malachy first. Make sure he had what he'd always wanted, but couldn't find someone to help him. Then Chiro could find a way to settle later. He didn't need a bed, not a first, and certainly not after he discovered just how soft a giant flower's petal floor could be.

Malachy smiled brightly. "I'm sure you'll care for her well." He reached out and grasped the other man's hand. Gently, Malachy pulled Chiro along, guiding him down the hall once more to a nearby room. Vines curtained this one as well, and within were carefully placed boxes filled with jewelry, and piles of paper filled with scrawling scrip, meticulously organized. A pile of thin cloth served as Malachy's blanket, while a dip in the floor was his bed.

"This is my room." He hadn't taken the biggest, nor had he chosen the best things. He'd always thought someone else would need them more then he. And this time, Malachy had been right.

Chiro followed without a word, much more willingly this time. The next room seemed so... bare. Bare, mostly devoid of anything regarding furniture or personality. It just served as a means of existence, and though it was beautiful regardless, it seemed so... sad. "Ah... Would you like something... big? Round, perhaps? A place to sleep that is... that may be hanging from the ceiling, or the wall? I'm sure I can do just about anything that might be on your mind... Perhaps shelves... A chair, or two..." In his mind, he was already imagining it. Everything coming from the walls or the floor. A part of the flower that lent its energy to its owner, and vice versa. Shelves that curled up naturally, and held even the smallest things with a powerful strength. And not only would it be beautiful, but it wouldn't tax the flower at all---the energy came from Chiro himself, and create more pathways for the flower to breathe and exist and grow more beautiful. Perhaps even be the object of envy for many of Malachy's friends.

The room seemed made for round shapes and curves. Malachy was delighted with the suggestion and showed by running to the center of the room, arms held out. "Round! I would like a round bed very much, hanging from the ceiling, please? I can't imagine anything else .. Uhm .. I'm sure I'll like whatever you come up with." He tilted his head, looking at the empty walls. "Shelves for the boxes ..." That would be nice. Very useful. He would be able to put up his patient notes there, and then examine them with such greater ease.

Chiro actually laughed this time, a real laugh that he hadn't heard in centuries---perhaps two thousand years at best. It was odd, and he stifled it quickly. "Well, I don't see why not. I'd be glad to do that for you... But you can't watch." He ushered Malachy to the door. "I'd hope it to be a surprise and... I do get a little... self-conscious while I work on earth-based magics... I promise your Raline won't know a thing, and will even become more energetic after these additions." He urged Malachy through the vines, then immediately got to work. First, however, he studied the way the vines in the doorway grew into the flower. Spidery roots that spread not very far, because they didn't have to hold weight beyond that of themselves.

Then he got to work. He used an edge of the strong petal layers to climb up to where he would let the main vine hang, and set it to root. When it started to curl, he pulled it down and kept it straight, twining it with others that began to sprout and forming an extremely strong rope. braiding it, he pulled it into several other, smaller ropes, four in total that would hold the bed itself, and then landed lightly on the petal floor again. He brought a bloom to life on each end of the vine and overlapped them, and did so again, and again, and kept going until it was very thick and soft, and using a blanket-like petal to cover the rest and seal it underneath. The vines, the more they were used, slowly popped small white blooms into existence as Chiro reached up to the break in the main braid to pull layering petals into the air, and layer them like an umbrella to cover two sides of the bed.

Standing back, he studied it. So beautiful. Perhaps it was one of his best works. He desperately hoped Malachy would like it, but didn't call him back yet. He went to the walls, pulling vine and petal out of it, curling the ends gently, but making sure they were strong, to hold whatever Malachy felt should go. He made two rows of them, and then stepped back. It was quite nice. Perhaps he could add other things later, but he was too excited---he nearly ran to the door to call Malachy back.

What a delightful laugh ... And he could feel it and the emotion in his mind as if it were his own. Malachy felt it all, and smiled with the joy of it. "That's alright ... I like surprises.." He let himself be ushered from his room, and settled down nearby. He curled up, wings moving and shifting to create a makeshift blanket. It wasn't the same as Chiro's. There was something different about them, other then the bones and the thickness, their tattered state ... Oh it was sad they weren't perfect anymore.

Malachy switched from his own emotions to Chiro's. So full of joy and excitement! It was such a welcome change to feel such things from the other man. Only a few days earlier, all Chiro had felt was sadness, sorrow, guilt and now look at him. Malachy smiled, and shifted up when he heard light footsteps coming his way. Almost automatically, the young fae slipped his hand into the other man's in a gesture that was fast becoming habit.

The moment he was inside his room, his pink eyes widened and a loud gasp escaped his lips. The fae flew across the room and let himself plop down in the middle of the bed. He rolled around a bit, testing it out, and then froze with a grin. "I love it! This is so amazing, I couldn't even imagine something so wonderful, so soft, so comfortable," said Malachy excitedly as he leaned towards the other man.

Chiro's smile was so real it brought tears to his eyes in a different way than life had done for him so long before. But he blinked them away and shook his head. "You really like it so much?" He asked thankfully. "I... adored creating it... It's so different than what I usually work with that... I was hoping I could really do what I had in mind. I'm just so glad I reached your expectation..." He leaned forward, putting his arms around Malachy in a quick, strong hug. "I want to... finish the room... I'd love to make you a blanket. A pillow. If you just tell me what you like---what colors, or style... I could take care of it while I make myself some clothes."

He so wanted to make Malachy happy. Wanted to bring his beautiful flower home up to what it could really be, instead of crawling toward that goal. If he could bring her up to what Malachy was sure she could be, perhaps it would truly make him happy. Perhaps more than what he was now. It was all Chiro wanted, suddenly---to make Malachy smile. That was how he was before, he recalled that. Maybe he could go back to how he used to be entirely.

The young fae could feel a sudden urge for something welling up inside the other man but it was hard to say what. So he returned the hug quickly ,and tilted his head to look about. "Browns, reds .. Autumn colors. Do you ... Think that could work? As for style .. " Malachy shifted his wings as he thought it over, head tilted to the side. The room was soft, and there were lots of curves as it was. "Rustic elegance ... Does that work?" He knew it was his room, but it didn't really matter to him how it looked.

Chiro nodded quickly, wringing his hands a little. He didn't have much else to do---not now, at least. "Well, I'd like to go take care of that now, if you don't mind... I'd hate to keep you from your friends after all this." He nodded, stepping out of the room, sliding through the vines and down the hall, back to the room he had been given. He did want a bed as well. Somewhere quiet and shaded so he could work on Malachy's bedclothes in a secure, secluded place. So he felt around. The orbs seemed to follow him as he found a nice place---in a far bit of the room, since there didn't seem to be any defined corners like his old home had. A bit of the room as far from the door as he could find. Then he started from the floor. Bright green, thick leaves sprouted up with his help, coaxed into a spiral motion until he stopped it in a small bowl shape. Then he brought out a thick, dark red bloom from within. This he brought up in layers, thick, strong layers that he folded over to form the bed itself, and then the thickest outside petals he brought up and around, forming a bulb with a single entrance slitted into one side---the side that faced the door. At the top, the petals meshed, and curled upward.

Perfect... He put his bag of bottles inside so they wouldn't get lost. Whenever Malachy was ready he could collect his boxes, though for the time being Chiro worked around them so he didn't make any mistakes. He needed a desk. A place to work. He used vines for that, strong vines. It was odd, to live in a thing that had its own life, and build everything from other living things. But this vine desk attached with petals to the floor and wall, and extended quite a bit, lacing in the most intricate manners so that it formed a smooth top that wouldn't cause anything to spill. He needed more light. Using the orbs that already existed, he created more, and eased their light into a flame tone, sliding them into small holders made of delicate petal that he brought from the soft walls.

Malachy nodded quickly, and waited til Chiro had gone before beginning to prepare himself. He wished he could ask the other fae to take care of his wings, but knew meeting his friends would be the last thing on his mind after such a session, even if Malachy was sure he'd be the envy of them all. He slipped out of the less then clean clothing he'd work, and pulled on elegant robes, sleeveless and wrapped around his frame, the diaphanous material exposed a good part of the fae's chest. He cinched it tight with a braided metal wire belt of gold, before finally slipping from his room.

Once Malachy had walked from his flower home, he was beset by a trio of fae each one more colorful then the last. Lavender skinned, pink haired and pink winged, Lilac was the first to greet him. "Sooo who's the mysterious fae you've got in Raline?"

White skinned, blue haired and grey and amethyst winged, Lysander was next. "I would love to hear what he has to say about his people ..." He was the historian of the group, and always eager to discover some new ancient knowledge or event.

Green haired, brown skinned and black and amber winged, Oren was the last to speak. "You two know how protective Malachy is of his patients."

The others nodded with disappointed looks. Feeling hints of their emotions, as well as Chiro's overwhelmingly strong ones had the pink eyed fae struggling to cope. Things weren't usually like this. "He's not been in a city for a very long time. It will take a while before's he's ready to meet anyone." He still wanted to keep Chiro all to himself. It would be so nice ... Of course, that wouldn't be able to last forever.

He desperately hoped Malachy would like what he'd done with the room. He wanted to show it off to the younger fae, especially the gentle-looking petal furniture he had brought up from the floor. Though he had used a bit of vibrant vine to create a stool for his work station that could actually move around, and made many shelves for anything he might collect. He set his bottles in their place on the desk, a very large desk for many things he would need to create his various mixtures. He would need sand to make more of the bottles if he ran out, Chiro realized as he brought the last of them out. There were a few that had shattered, and these he set aside; a few he made into blades, sharp enough to cut what he might need to.

Feeling alone, Chiro went to the cloth bolts. Silk and satin, so beautiful. Some wool from sheep others might farm for their milk and warm fleece. He brought some amber colors, red, light brown, some orange. Autumn colors. This part of the world didn't go through autumn, so he had to rely on what he had seen many, many years ago, when cold weather prevailed here until it moved north. "Autumn colors..." He picked some green as well, for a splash of liveliness amongst it all, some cool. Rustic, that was what Malachy had said. He could form beautiful patterns. He didn't have to make it look like an actual image, just patterns. Perhaps something airy. Something that resembled a calm lake amidst a light breeze. Perfect. He brought a few orbs of light close to him as he collected the right colors, spreading them over the large floor and overlapping them, cutting sheets and sitting, holding bits and pieces up to larger pieces of fleece of a pale brown tone that would do well as a background for the rest. First a blanket. Then he could ask Malachy for the stuffing for a pillow. And while he waited for the younger fae to return, he could start on some clothes for himself.

How long until he met someone else? He had to at least be somewhat presentable. A pair of ragged, old pants was hardly that. Perhaps something to hide his pitiful wings.

Loneliness swamped other emotions, making Malachy freeze and glance to his home. "I'm sorry, I need to go ... He needs me."

"And we all know how you are about being needed," said Oren with a small smile.

Malachy rolled his eyes and waved his friends off absentmindedly. A few steps had him walking inside his home again. Malachy petted the rose's walls affectionately as he made his way up the petal ramp. The loneliness ... He couldn't leave Chiro alone to feel it. It was impossible to do so. Cloth slipped across soft floor, making barely a sound. Standing at the doorway, Malachy knocked against the wall. "Chiro?"

He managed to ignore his emotional state while he worked. It was easier that way, while he cut and used needles and thread he had found in a box to bring everything together on that fleece background. Star and swirl patterns of orange, yellow, red and brown, separated with green, all stitched together gently. He set scraps aside, feeling he could use them for clothing accents if he decided that would work. Perhaps he could use them as a pillow trim. So many concepts.

When a noise hit his pointed ears, Chiro looked up and brushed his hair aside. "Malachy! I... I'm not done yet..." He shoved everything against the rolls he had brought them from. "I didn't expect you to be back so soon... I was working on your... something else..." He lowered his head. He couldn't show it yet, couldn't let Malachy see what Chiro had been working on with such intensity. He wanted it to be a surprise.

"Well... I mean... I'm glad you are back, but... Well, I wanted to know if there's anything that might do for... a pillow stuffing? Something soft...?" He tilted his head, sitting in front of his half finished work.

He could feel energy thrumming through the other fae, an excitement that was a little difficult to comprehend. The nervousness on the other hand Malachy thought he could understand. The pink eyed fae smiled, something he hoped was reassuring. "Something soft? Feathers ... Do you think a few birds might be alright with donating some of their feathers, in exchange for a service from us?" His skills didn't lie with communicating with animals, though sometimes he could coax them forth by sending emotions, and somehow usually managed to tell them what he wanted, or ask, and figured out what they wanted in return. It wasn't often he tried that though.

"I came because ... you were feeling alone." He stepped further into the room, gaze locked upon the other fae. It had been such a crushing emotion. "Would you like company?" Probably, hopefully. Malachy lifted his wings, spreading them out. "I ... uhm .. about my wings ... "

Chiro shrugged, unfurling his wings and covering his project with them. "Ah, well, maybe if you have some unspun fleece around... I mean, bird feathers can... be sharp. Their quills, that is... That wouldn't be good..." No, that would poke and prod at Malachy, and that just couldn't happen. But his concern was touching---it was more evident now. But it made Chiro feel guilty---he had taken the younger fae away from his friends.

"I... appreciate your concern..." He nodded, lowering his head. "But you shouldn't come every time I feel that way. It just... becomes evident when I'm alone, but working on a project takes that feeling away. I could... Well, I can take care of your wings this evening... It's what's preferred, actually, because after the treatment, the magic needs time to absorb into the membrane and become accustomed to the medium. I hope you don't mind... I do want to finish this first... And I don't want to keep you from your friends so much. That wouldn't be right." He shifted a little, planting himself firmly in front of his half-finished project. Hopefully he could make Malachy feel better with his finished work. He desperately wanted to make the younger fae feel good, and Chiro would appreciate sharing that feeling.

Fleece? "I can get that from a caretaker, one of those who is responsible for the domestic animals in our city." The rest had his wings drooping, falling a bit listlessly as he hung his head. It was hard to hear the words spoken as if someone had tugged and squeezed at his heart. Telling him not to help? Not to be concerned? It was entirely against who he was. Tears welled up in his eyes at the thought.

"Very well then." His aid had never been pushed aside before, not in anyway. With a bob of his head, Malachy turned and walked away. He settled down upon the bed Chiro had created for him, once within his room, curled up tight with his arms around his knees. It was horrible ... People never thought his aid to be too much, he was always so careful about it! Measuring things carefully, figuring out when it was right to step back, and when it was to stay by his patients' sides. This was the first mistep ...