Max whipped around towards their brother.

“Did you use Enlightenment on her!?”

“Yes.”

“Why!?”

“Cause she shouldn’t exist.”

“She’s back!”

“I noticed.”

“So why would you use Enlightenment on her?”

“I just said she shouldn’t exist.”

“Yet, she’s here!”

“That’s the problem!”

The artist staggered forward, tripping and falling to her knees again as her vision swam and balanced flipped. A part of Herah fumed about the pair not using her name, instead choosing to casually use insults. That part was currently being strangled by the part of the artist utterly bewildered by the last few things to happen. And her exhaustion further surmounted to make Herah somewhat angry, somewhat confused, and mostly tired.

“What….the fuck….are you two….talking about?”

Alex got up and lifted his hand, the orb of light reappearing as his gaze turned empty.

“Don’t worry about it, just disappear.”

I don’t think I’ll come back if that hits me. the artist thought, surging to her feet and tried to draw forth fire. But only smoke left her lungs.

Max rose up and caught their brother by the wrist.

“No! It’s fucked enough you tried to erase her from existence—”

“Not tried, I did.” Alex’s eyes never left Herah as his words continued. “That’s why you didn’t remember her until the fire came back.”

The artist could feel Max roll their eyes.

“Point is, that wasn’t right and clearly off base.”

Herah raised an arm towards Alex, her anger finally finding its place as one of her claws extended.

“I’ll….kill you.”

Alex looked to Max with a deadpan stare, the sibling returning their brother’s expression while moving into a spot somewhat in-between the artist and Alex.

“Herah has all the right to say that, again you just erased her from existence.” Max turned to Herah with a small smile. “However, I would ask that you calm down and we all settle this amicably. How does that sound?”

Something about Max’s grin swallowed whatever anger the artist held, leaving only confusion within Herah.

What are you doing to me?

“Sis, we don’t even know what she is.”

Sis? the artist thought, focusing on the sister for a moment and internally updating her reference of the human.

“A Cendreux.” Max answered her brother, ignorant of Herah’s shifting thoughts.

“What?”

The sister waved towards the artist.

“That’s what her people are called, Cendreux.” Max frowned at Alex. “Did you not hear her say this when you were in slow-mo?”

“No,” The brother locked his eyes onto Herah, glaring with something else hidden behind them. “Say it again.”

“What?” the artist asked, a bit taken back by the order. A bit annoyed too.

Who are you to demand anything of a Cendreux? Anything of me?

“Say what you are, again.” Alex said, his voice cold and piercing.

Herah frowned, further peeved by the human’s behavior. But something about whatever hid away in his eyes told the artist that the best action here was compliance. The safest one, in fact.

“A Cendreux.”

Alex froze, bared his teeth, then, oddly enough, pinched his nose.

“You know who Orange is?” The human asked, his tone now more cautious.

The artist cared little for the caution, instead her mind hung upon her father’s name leaving this stranger’s mouth. Her thoughts went again towards how Alex’s spreading light called to her mind Orange’s ice.

Why do I know there’s something related there?

“My Dad? How do you know his name?”

“Hmm,” Alex’s frown returned, and the human turned away, “Still not sure.”

Herah’s nostrils flared, but instead of green flames, smoke puffed out in a pitiful burst. Embarrassment quickly replaced festering anger as the artist bit her tongue instead of responding to Alex ignoring her question.

“Nothing’s lining up.” The human turned back towards Herah and jabbed a finger past Max, who flinched at bit at her brother’s sudden movement. “If your father truly is Orange, why did you not use your Will to defend yourself?”

The artist snarled, taking a few steps forward while shouting,

“I’m sick and tired of you saying shit as if I know what you’re talking about!”

“Bullshit.” Alex responded, though something in his expression waned.

Noticing this but feeling too tired to really do anything with the human’s weakening conviction, Herah advanced forward and snarled again.

“Fuck you, and fuck Norwe if you’re working for them!”

Once again, Alex froze and once again, the human pinched his nose.

“You know about Norwe?” The question was quiet and malicious. Even unable to smell his scent in the moment, the artist knew Alex meant his question as a threat.

But Herah still didn’t care, instead throwing her arms into the air.

“No! I just heard their fucking name right before I got pulled into this boarshit.”

Apparently that hit the breaking point for Alex, the human turning from the artist with a groan and shake of his head.

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“Oh my god, you’re nothing to worry about.”

“The ash you just say!?”

Alex turned back, his brows flat and mouth set in an annoyed frown.

“You’re nothing to worry about.”

“I—

Max, still standing between the two and seeing the writing on the wall, finally interjected, moving in front of her brother to completely block the human from Herah’s sight.

“Hey, you’re exhausted and in no condition to fight right now.” A smile graced her lips once more as the sister waved the artist forward, “So, come on, you can have my seat and I’ll plop down next to the jackass.”

Looking at Max’s smile, any anger or annoyance Herah held died once more. And by this point, the artist grew wary of whatever power the sister kept using to suppress her anger.

I won’t act like it doesn’t have a use though. Too tired and out of it to keep my emotions under control right now. Herah thought before sighing and letting her body relax.

“Ok.”

Max’s smile widened before the sister turned to Alex and shoved his body towards the couch behind them. The human lost his balance and somehow fell right in front of the seat before grumbling, climbing atop of it, and crossing his legs. Max plumped down flawlessly next to her brother before lifting her legs and resting them atop the low table.

Lucky.

The artist now stood close enough to the other couch that it might’ve been in hand-reach. The oddness of space didn’t make Herah particularly confident in this measurement. So, the artist flapped her wings twice, flying somewhat over to the couch before floating down onto its arm by accident. Annoyed and slightly embarrassed, the artist shimmied over and onto the cushion before resting her legs atop the low table next to Max who gave a light bump with her feet.

“So….” the sister ran her eyes up and down Herah, her smile twitching slightly as some realization seemed to hit, “Are you always naked or were you caught at a bad time?”

The artist blinked then looked down at herself, finding nothing but scale and skin. Confused for a moment, her flame soon supplied the memory of herself undressing earlier due to her bloodied clothes.

Hmm, first little while since I’ve been out of the house without clothes. Wish it was a better day.

Herah looked back up to Max and nodded.

“The latter.”

“Uh, would you like some clothing?”

“I’m fine.”

A small chuckle escaped the sister at that, Max turning to give her brother a look which Alex returned with a shrug.

“Cool, cool. So, are you a residence of this place or…”

“No.”

“Oh,” Max pulled her lips and nodded, more for herself than anyone else, “Where are you from then?”

“Incendié.”

An expectant look formed upon the sister’s face, though for what Herah didn’t know. After a minute, or millennial, Max smacked her lips and spoke again.

“Which is?”

“A planet.”

The sister let out laugh, one right from her belly before bending forward and letting loose a full fit of laughter. The artist watched Max’s continued laugher for a moment, maybe, deeply confused as to what was so funny. Looking to Alex, the human didn’t seem to care much for what was going on with his sister instead tapping his nose with his eyes closed.

Is this normal?

Once Max came down from her laugh high, Herah tilted her head, raised a brow, and let her frown show.

“What’s so funny?”

Max continued smiling, before resting her right elbow onto the couches armrest and leaning her head onto her hand.

“I’m just not used to someone being so direct.” The sister winked at the artist. “You’re not big on talking, are you?”

Herah didn’t know how to take the wink in the moment, so instead stored any thoughts related to it to the back of her mind while shaking her head.

“Why waste words?”

Max nodded towards her brother.

“You two share that.”

A scowl crossed Alex’s and the artist’s face at the same time, the human opening his eyes to share a glare with Herah.

“Please don’t compare me to her.”

“Don’t compare me to your brother.”

Max chuckled before waving at the artist.

“I’ve asked enough questions though, I’m sure you got some things to ask.”

Herah answered with a nod.

“Questions for me, I assume.” Alex interjected, his eyes still on the artist.

Max turned to her brother with a frown.

“What does that mean?”

“Sis,” Alex glanced at his sister unimpressed, “You don’t even know why her people’s name is in French.”

“I never said that!”

“But it’s the truth.”

Max scoffed and crossed her arms.

“Asshole.”

Herah watched the pair’s interaction intrigued.

Odd, there far more in sync than Vertcend and Pourprecend. More argumentative though

The artist shook her head and let her thoughts drift towards a more important thing.

Aliens knowing her divine tongue.

“Why do you call my people’s ancient language, French?” Herah spat out the heretical name like venom. “How do you know of it?”

Alex raised a brow and snorted before leaning forward.

“Surprised that’s your first one. Universal leakage is why, ideas can seep out from a universe and implant themselves in others. Either in fragments or whole.”

“So, they got French from us?” Max asked, nose and lips raised in surprise.

Alex shook his head.

“We got it from them, in fragments. Languages never come whole.”

Not fully satisfied with the answer, the artist wanted to ask more. But, a more pressing question had now appeared.

“You’re from a different universe?”

Alex snorted, almost chuckled in fact.

“Good to see you have a concept of that at least.”

“The ash does that mean?”

The human smirked at Herah before lifting both hands and treating them as scales.

“I hate dealing with idiots and the weak, good to know you’re only one of those.”

A current of anger began surmounting within the artist once again. Almost every word Alex spoke now came with a dismissive air. As if it was a bother to just talk to Herah. Such disrespect, from someone who had damaged the artist as badly as the human did and as easily, made Herah feel trivialized.

And her pride couldn’t stand that.

“The ash you just call me!?” the artist shouted, leaping to her feet.

“Weak.” Alex responded, his eyes barely rising to track Herah.

“Connard!”

“Picking a fight when you’re barely got any left in the engine, maybe you’re both.”

Before the artist could make a move, Herah noticed Max make a big motion in the corner of her vision. Glancing to the sister, the artist instantly fell under the calming effect of Max’s smile.

“Hey hey, again, let’s please not fight.” The sister glanced to her brother, her smile tightening as if the very act of dealing with Alex’s nonsense exhausted it. “Alex, stop being an asshole. That’s also what Herah just called you.”

“I could’ve guessed.”

“Either way stop, she’s not our enemy.”

“Stop calling me that.” Herah cut in, eyes shut so as to avoid Max’s calming smile.

“What?” The sister asked, a genuine care to her words.

Good, at least one of you respects me.

The artist opened her eyes again and found herself under Max’s gaze, focused with apt attention. Her smile was gone and replaced by curious eyes and withdrawn lips.

“She, it’s insulting.”

“Oh,” Max’s lips pushed forward into a circle then retracted into a grimace then became an awkward smile. “My bad, I didn’t realize trans and nonbinary people existed across universes and alien species.”

“What?” Herah and Alex asked together, the artist blinking at Max while Alex looked to his sister disappointed.

Max didn’t take either of their looks for what they were and instead kept talking.

“Sorry, are you a he/him type? They/them? He/they?” The sister leaned away slightly, narrowing her eyes and raising a brow while drawing her lips thin. “Specie specific pronouns?”

Herah shook her head, stunned and bewildered by the slew of words that left Max.

“Don’t refer to me with any pronouns. That’s insulting.” The artist placed a hand against her chest. “Name or a title bestowed upon me by myself or others. That is how you refer to a Cendreux respectfully.”

“Oh,” Max appeared taken aback momentarily. “Interesting.”

“The fuck are trans and nonbinary people?”

“That is not a quick explanation.”

“Nor is it important right now.” Alex cut in, his eyes dead inside and a frown that only spoke of annoyance and disappointment covering his face. “I’m sure you have more pressing questions to ask.”

Once again, the artist wanted to keep asking about whatever the sister was talking about, but Herah knew the human to be right. So instead, her thoughts went towards her fight with Alex, more specifically the end of it.

“What was that you hit me with?”

There was a pause. A suspicious pause, where Alex seemed to withdraw into himself. The human’s pause made the artist suspicious of any answer soon to be provided.

Even with how warped time is here, I can still clearly remember everything I’ve done up to this point. And I’m sure the same is true for you. So, why are you pausing? What are you hiding?

“My Gift.”

And Herah’s thoughts slammed into a wall. For a moment or forever, the artist’s mind hung on the last word. On Gift. The way Alex said it, Herah knew instantly what the human meant. As if uttered by La Flamme herself, the word enraptured and frightened the artist. Memories unwanted and torturous began to surge once more. But they were ignored, for now, Herah had a much more pressing question to ask.

One the artist already knew the answer to.

“You’re Gifted too?”

Both Alex and Max froze. Herah understood (though how, the artist would only realize much later) that the pair were struck by the same profound and horrific realization as herself.

“Too?” Max mumbled, a quiet disbelief in her own question.

“Fuck!” Alex cursed, rising up and pinching his nose.

The sister looked over to her brother, worry blooming across her face.

“What’s wrong?”

Alex stomped a foot before cursing again. The human then looked between Max and Herah and let out a sigh.

“Well, I know where and why we’re here.”

Something about the way Alex said it, told the artist the reasons were to no one’s liking.

“Which is?”

POP!

A black mass appeared right over Herah.

Odd, its placement feels so certain. the artist thought, preparing to be sucked in again.

But instead, it spat someone new out.