His legs were clean and shown pink and healthy. The scabbing process was what made Ani happy, it ment no infection was within and that the healing was underway. It would soon be dried and need no bandage. She carefully rubbed the cool salve all over each of Phineas amputated legs. Using up the remainder of salve left in the bowl, she applied it to cuts that were on his arms and one that was by his chin, and several that were on his chest. Satisfied Ani looked at up at him as she wrapped the bandages on, "Theres no need for anymore stitching." She said with a smile, that would of hurt if he needed them. She tied the cloth on each leg with a knot and was done. "There we are, how are you feeling? Would like some more tea?"

"That is very good to hear," Shan said relieved. She looked at Phineas as he stared at the cup. "Is the tea defying your will, dear?" asked the angel, holding back a giggle. The look on Phineas's face nearly convinced her that the boy could force tea out of a cup even when there was none.

Phineas was vaguely disturbed by the vision he'd just had of the suspended tea. But the whole idea was wiped from his mind with the good news.
He perked considerably. "Really?" he squeaked, then grinned happily as he watched Ani wrap the stubs for him.
When she'd finished and asked him how it felt, he could honestly respond that it felt much better. He thanked her hoarsely and squeezed her hand, which wasn't much of a squeeze, but got the point across.
He then pulled his clothing closer and held the garments up one by one, examining them and remembering where they should go.

Ani smiled, giving his small hand a gentle squeeze as well. She looked over at Turtle before looking at Yuki, "How about we also give Turtle something to bark about?" She asked. "Lets get everyone fixed up and then we can all take a moment to rest before sunrise hits us."

"Would you like to change now?" Shan asked, watching as Phineas examined the clothes.

Yuki nodded at Ani and looked under the bed, asking Turtle to come out. "It's your turn, now Turtle," he said softly. He wondered exactly how Turtle had ended up down there in the first place.

Turtle obeyed, crawling out from under the plush bed and shaking himself off. As haughty as the DreamCatcher had been, he'd still had cobwebs under his bed.

Phineas, holding up his shirt, gaped at the dog.

Turtle smiled at him, wagging his tail uncertainly.

"You!" Phineas whispered, confused. "Why should we trust you?" he narrowed his eyes at Turtle, scrutinizing the beast.

Turtle grinned wider and bowed playfully. He nudged Yuki's hand and licked Ani's, then sat between them and bowed his head.

Somehow that didn't really comfort the dragon, but he supposed that there should be equal opportunities for everyone to prove their loyalty to the group.
"Alright," he whispered, "but I am watching you." He turned to Shan, his face completely changed from one of suspicion to one of complete trust, "this first, yes?" he asked, holding up the undergarments.

Shan's face turned a bright red color, not at all ready for the sight of a boy's undergarments. "Yes dear," she said, looking over at the nearest wall.

Yuki looked from Turtle to Phineas, touching Turtle's head softly. "I wouldn't worry about him," he said. "Actually, when I found you, the hound was watching over you. He looked quite ready to defend you." He looked at Turtle again, wondering exactly how he'd managed that permanent grin of his, but maybe it was best he didn't know.

Phineas eyed the dog suspiciously, but after a moment his expression softened. "I won't blame you. I don't know what he did to you to make you his, but he's not here no more." he whispered, though it did not come out so smoothly as planned.

Turtle let out a bark that was more of a "Bwar!" than a "Bark!", wagging his tail furiously. He was used to having to prove himself worthy. He would, in due time.

Turning back to the issue at hand, Phineas noted Shan's embarassment and puzzled out a way to not make it worse for her. Shirt first. He struggled it over his head but forgot to put his arms through the sleeves, and was confused as to why it didn't seem as versatile as last time he'd worn it.

Turtle turned to Ani, ready for his own repairs. His jaw was totally ridiculous.

Failing to suppress her laughter, Shan helped Phineas get his arms through the sleeves before turning back to look at the wall again. She stood up decisively and went over to the door on the far wall, knowing there would be a bathroom, but not completely sure what to expect. The Catcher had been a man, after all. To her relief, the bathroom was very tidy, and the size was something that could be expected from a man like that. What surprised her was the amount of shampoos the man seamed to have. Almost a whole wall was dedicated to this small luxury. She turned to the others again as she removed the top layer of clothing and placing it on the bed. "I think I will put this man's bathroom to use," she said, removing her stockings. She was left in only one layer of clothes and her undergarments by now. "I'll leave the door unlocked, but please don't come in the first minute or so...." She looked over at Phineas. She didn't want to leave him but in a few moments she'd be doing the exact opposite of what he was doing now.

The shirt hung down well past his hips, so there was a bit of privacy as Phineas exchanged rags for undergarment. The short pants went on backwards the first time, but he figured it out and the rest of the dressing occured without a hitch, although it took a while because he had to stop and rest between articles. The outfit didn't look quite as snappy as it had before, since it was hanging a little more than usual on his gaunt frame, but once it was on he felt much more... alive.
Phineas made himself a nest with some pillows and watched Ani and Turtle.

Ani sat on the large bed next Turtle and Yuki. "Im giving fair warning, it wont be me that will do this. The spirit can cause less pain since she can move around through objects.." She said looking at both boys and the dog finally. "Lift your head up..."She said softly as her hands rested on her lap she head fell back a little, and she muttered something in the ancient earth tongue.

Yuki nodded, hoping that his second encounter with the spirit wouldn't be as unnerving as the first. He heard his mother move away from the group, and wondered what kind of mischief Shan might be up to. Despite her age, Shan could have some very childish habits.

Shan made sure that Phineas was fully dressed before heading back into the bathroom and closing the door. She quickly turned up the hot water to fill up the tub and began looking through the man's various shampoos. She picked out what seemed to her like a baby's shampoo, liking the scent of it, and then went back to the tub to turn down the water a bit so that she wouldn't be burned. She undressed herself quickly, reverting back into her human for as she did so. She left her clothes in a neat pile next to the tub and stepped inside with the water still running. As she sat down near the edge closest to the door, she touched the top of her shoulder, on the right side. Frowning, she touched her waist, on the left side this time.

She was sure now that the scar on her back was prominently visible to anyone who could get a look at her bare back, even with her long hair hiding most of it, the bit on her shoulder would be visible to anyone if she did not wear the clothes she did. Her encounter with the whistle had left her scar irritated clear, but at least it hadn't caused it to re-open. Shan knew her nightmare was still a while away.

Shan sighed. The tub was almost full and the water felt good. She noticed a small bottle floating on the water which she must have knocked over without realizing it. She took it and examined it closely. Rose-scented bubbles. Well, why not? Shan poured the contents of the bottle, watching the bubbles form. It was oddly entertaining to watch the bubbles grow and disperse. Before she knew it the contents of the bottle were no more. She looked around, disappointed. There weren't enough bubbles. Ah, but there was another bottle on a shelf next to the tub. It was lying on its side, as if it had been resisting gravity. She took that and poured the whole thing too. Satisfied, Shan abandoned the two forsaken containers and leaned back against a wall, covered by bubbles from the neck down. She figured she'd sit like this for at least a few minutes before actually getting to anything that involved some sort of scrubbing.

Turtle whined worriedly in the back of his throat as Ani put herself into a trance. Phineas had felt that there was something odd about Ani when he'd first met the group, and he had wondered what it was. Now he was paying rapt attention, interested to see what secrets she had within.

It wasnt Ani anymore, but something ghostly reached from her center, pulling itself out, leaving the body to sit there limp and in limbo. The spirit wasnt completely white, but its eyes were an emerald green. It hardly ever showed itself, its human form unless it was needed. The spirit was genderless and could take the shape of a woman or man, it preferred to be a woman but that didnt make it so. The white shining soul reached from Ani's body, not completely out just her upper half. She reached for Turtle, all he would feel was something very icy touching him. The spirit was a beautiful thing in human shape, Silver flowing hair that never seemed to end, a face that was more innocent than a baby's. The spirit paid no attention to the two others in the room, Ani had used one of her favors and asked for help in fixing the jaw of the this dog. Her thin long fingers reached to grasp the jaw of the dog. She pushed it upwards, her other hand went through the side of his head to hold the upper jaw bone. She did it with ease, the loud snap of bone meeting its place in the body. She didnt leave it at that though, she cast a spell that sped up the bone mending process. Cartilage and flesh sped up faster than it should around the bottom of the dogs mouth, so that the decomposed holes there were mended. He looked like a normal dog almost. He was still a little straggly, but that was not the spirits problem as she retreated as fast as she came back into Ani's body, snapping the girl back into reality.

Phineas gaped at the spirit as it did it's thing. Turtle, however, still could not see the thing. He felt something cold touching him, moving him and putting him back together, and then felt as if he were a piece of cloth being stitched together. It didn't hurt in the least, but was very odd. The cold touch receded and Ani, who looked startlingly blank throughout this process, became herself again. Turtle felt sudden strength in his face, and moved his jaw around a little, experimenting with opening and closing it.
When Ani looked a little more "there", he licked her face happily.

((*Fanfare* your "Hellhound" has evolved into "Half-life Hound"!))

[[LOL. Ta-da~]]

Relieved that his hopes had been answered, Yuki was once again calm. He looked over at Turtle and asked, "How do you feel, now?"


As an angel, Shan could feel the spirit within Ani, and for some moments it felt stronger than usual, before it receded into it's host. Moments after she was sure nothing had happened, Shan began to pop bubbles lazily, poking at her own guilt. Baths always gave her an opportunity to think, and she wasn't always happy to have that opportunity. Well, at least it was nice and quiet in here. After getting bored of popping the defenseless bubbles, Shan took the shampoo and poured some of it into the palm of her hands, then began her work. The substance smelled much better outside of the water.

Turtle yapped a happy response to Yuki's question. Phineas couldn't help but smile at the dog's joy. He was interested in Ani right now though. "What was it?" he asked her, trying to vocalize it to no avail, he had to continue whispering. He of course had no idea how long he would have to do this, not being used to these kind of ailments. "It was amazing." he continued.

Ani shook her head regaining her composure and mind again before she was licked by Turtle, she gave a smile as he did so, still a little out of it. No matter how many times it was done, she was still left with the feeling of confusion. She looked over at Phineas, resting her head on the pillow next to him, she didn't feel well to sit up, more like about to bring up her dinner. Whispering back to him, "Its the Earth Spirit. She resides within my body. To defend the earth it uses my body.... See when it is just a spirit living in the earth it can only thrive the earth. Since humans began inhabiting her creation, she takes a human and uses their body to protect the outer earth. During my travels, Ive mostly been in wars that include harming the earth. I have been all over the world fighting people from destroying it, killing rainforest's, endangering animals..." She said her voice trailing off, before saying something barely audible, "She releases the humans after 1000 years of servitude, I'm only halfway there.." Ani sighed something sad in her tone.

Yuki listened intently, shifting his position on the bed. One thousand years was more than a hundred times what he had lived so far. He was sure he knew what would happen to Ani when the spirit left her body, but said nothing. He recognized the look on Ani's face as something similar to his mother's. There was a hint of being tiredness. He could never find it in his face. Out of nowhere, a question came to his mind that he hadn't asked anyone else yet. "How did mama find you? Or.. where?"


After finishing with her long hair, Shan moved on with the rest of her, trying to be more gentle with her back and shoulder. Once finished, she stood up and began to drain the tub. She'd miss the aroma, but at least some of it was on her. Stepping out of the tub, she realized she'd forgotten to grab towels. She edged over to the towel rack carefully, but there was nothing there. She looked under the cabinet and almost squealed with relief. New towels. A lot of them too. Enough for 30 people or more. How big was the cabinet anyway? Was the man obsessed with colors? For once, she was grateful for the man's obsession with luxury. If she had to dry herself with the Catcher's used towels she would have been extremely mortified. She dried and dressed herself as quickly as possible to avoid any embarrassment to herself and whoever came in. In her haste, she'd hurt her scar a bit, but the pain subdued to a tingle and then nothing, so she let it be and set the towels aside regretfully. They were awfully soft. But so was the bed. She stepped back into the room, taking notice of Ani's tired figure and Turtle's fixed jaw. That would certainly explain the presence of the spirit she'd felt earlier.

Phineas ran his fingers through Ani's short black hair, hoping that he was even a fraction as comforting as Shan could be. He heard what she'd said, and 1000 years seemed a lot even to him, because though dragons were a long-lived race, he had not even come upon his second decade yet and and was little more than a baby in his peer's estimations.
Even so, once dragons reach a certain age where they have seen all that there is to be seen, they move very little, sleeping for centuries just to be able to wake up and find something new to see and new things to collect and hoarde. That Ani's life had been dedicated to fighting to preserve the earth made Phineas feel embarassed for dragons everywhere, who very rarely turned their talents towards the good of anyone but themselves. Had he been in dragon form, he might have believed her to be foolish, but since he was currently small and squishy, he understood, like many big and immortal things could not, the implications of being selfless.

Shan climbed on to the bed next to Phineas. She had stayed in her first layer of clothing and would remain that way until morning. With the warmth of the bath and the softness on the bed she could not push back her sleepiness. It was so rare to get a good night's sleep nowadays. She took a good look at Ani, who had a look about her Shan recognized. She smiled sympathetically and silently. There was always a reason why mortals were just that, mortals. After some time, life could become all too tiring. "We should all get some rest," she said finally. "We head out early tomorrow."

[["small and squishy".. OMG *squish*]]

Turtle looked at Yuki, wondering if the boy would also climb onto the large bed. After a moment's consideration, the dog leapt deftly onto the coverlet, circled three times, and lay at the foot of the bed, happily thumping his tail on the mattress.

Phineas was determined not to sleep, his mind occasionally thrilling with the irrational fear that this WAS all just a dream and that he would awaken alone in the DreamCatcher's grasp, disillusioned. He could not stifle a yawn, however, the tea having inflicted upon him an unwanted sleepiness. He sat up between Ari and Shan, looking at one and then the other, refusing to submit to his dreams again.

Yuki decided to sit close to Turtle, wishing that he had more energy, like the hound seemed to have. Today had worn everyone out, although Phineas still looked defiant about something.

Shan looked at Phineas worriedly. He showed signs of sleepiness, but no sign of actually wanting to go to sleep. How could she reassure him that they would all still be here tomorrow? It was extremely difficult for her to come up with an answer, so she came with a question instead, although it felt rather harsh in her mouth. "Would you defy sleep even if I asked you not to?" she said, touching his shoulder lightly, but warmly.

Phineas regarded Shan, then his clothed and healing legs, Ani and Yuki alive, the dog he had sometimes feared who was now more of a pet than an enemy, the alien smell of Shan's recently shampooed and bubbled hair and body, and the fantastically decorated room they were all occupying. It felt too much like a dream, tenuous as a spider's web with morning dew hanging off of its threads.
"I don't want to lose this again," he whispered, more quietly than ever, "if it were your dream, would not you fight for it?" His eyes felt wet, but he denied them the luxury of tears. "Even if your chances were very small?"

((With all the people in the circus, Phineas picked up a much bigger vocabulary... you should see his potty mouth when he gets it going ^_-))

[[ "you should see his potty mouth when he gets it going ^_-"
LOL Shan will be mortified. ]]

She wrapped her arms around him slowly, closing her own eyes. "I have fought many of my own battles," she said some moments later, without opening her eyes. "I have fought for a good part of my life, winning and loosing. But even in the absence of victory it was the fight that kept me going. I will not deny you your right to fight, but I will not be denied my right to worry, either." Even now, her eyes remained closed. It was hard to keep them open for long now.