Mere was in a bad mood and he was very happy, it wasn’t his fault of course, the source of his discontent was staring at him with disapproving green eyes.

“Why did you do it?” He couldn’t help himself, she should have known better than to make such a slip around him. “That’s very uncharitable, she’s a she, not an it.”

“And he thinks he’s funny.” Grand was his typical self, the traitor had joined in his trial by peer pressure, as a set of five bodies barred him into the booth.

“You don’t understand the consequences do you?” Aria was Grand’s mate and she was as persistently annoying.

“Feel free to enlighten me.” A normal person would have properly understood that to mean the opposite but not her.

“Engaging in Forbidden Magics is a punishable crime, half the city knows that you fornicated with a Ruby which lowers our standing and makes you look like a slut.”

“It’s hardly fornicating, it was a business trade.”

“I don’t get it, why do you do things like this.” the emerald heiress was depressingly serious, he could feel her hurt, feel the emotion roiling, and that made it hard to joke

. “I wanted to go somewhere else.” he offered, it sounded pathetic to his ears. “And you couldn’t do that without auctioning your flame? How would you feel if I went down to the Crystal Sea and found some crawler to give my wings.”

“I’m sorry?”

“No, you’re not.” she sighed “Mother is displeased, you just massacred a city for no reason, you crossed timelines to meddle in a war when we’re literally training for the Endless War here.”

“It wasn’t for no reason, they asked me to, they even had a prophecy and all.” Mere pointed out. He was quickly losing his high.

“Let me see your plane.” May asked. It was a rhetorical request, he couldn’t have kept her out if he tried, they were bonded. A planet of burning noon replaced his senses, desert brown and burnt out as far as the eye could see. “Nothing’s changed, all that effort and nothing.” she chastised.

“You should stop expecting a different result.” Mere slumped, placing his cheek against the cool table.

“Your troops would be disappointed” Heuri spat and Mere’s mood turned.

“My troops are dead, as I should be, as you should be, as all three of us should be. The Wakers won, they’ve always won. It doesn’t matter what you do, they will end this dream.”

“I can’t believe there are books about you, The Spear of Dawn, you’re pathetic.” Heuri scoffed.

This from him, Heuri the Weeping Wind.

Before Mere could reply, May spoke. “Mere, do you love me?” Emotional manipulation was low.

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“Of course not, else I would kill you.” The table went deathly still.

“Don’t you ever read happy poetry?” Silens joked, chuckling awkwardly The laughter broke like glass in the tense atmosphere.

“Then maybe you should stay away.” Mere considered the impending possibility that he had actually pissed her off.

“I didn’t mean it.”

“You are so useless to me, you might as well take up a place in the Ruby harem.” There was an unbelievable silence as she snatched off the emerald gems on his wings, on her wings, wings that were now shedding feathers quicker than he could think, she was going to make him a crawler?

“You’ll make my family destitute?” he asked

“No, you’ll make your family destitute. The Emerald Spire lacks space for self-destructive, ungrateful mongrels.”

“Oh, so I’m a mongrel now. You liked my flame well enough at the betrothal.”

“That was your only redeeming virtue.” Mere sat in stark shock as the Emerald Cabal abandoned him, his Hands trailing their pairs like dogs. Divorce was deeply unpleasant.

Mother, do you love me?

Of course not else I would kill you.

Mother, would you rock me?

The rocks are sharper on the seashore

Mother, would you hold me?

There are warmer hands in prison

Mother, do you love me?

Of course not, else I would kill you. - A Hymn of Alarm

For life is life only by infidelity to matter.

His spine was still heavy with emerald implants but now they were empty, and heavier. He chuckled as the wave of remorse washed over him.

You shouldn’t have done it.

You knew this would happen.

She might forgive you if you apologised.

Tear the world apart and share your pain!

Good thing no one could ever hear your thoughts.

That was so embarrassing!

Mere laughed out loud.

“Something funny Brother?” The dark robe was surprisingly easy to notice now that he was paying attention, So self-centred you almost missed them. An inner voice sneered.

“What did you say?” Mere asked

“We are all Brothers united” another blackrobed figure interjected “We wish to awaken everyone, to triumph over the god of this world.”

“To end the Slumber?” Mere asked dully “You’re Alarmists”

“We prefer the term Wakeners, to end the Slumber as you say, change the protagonists of this story.”

“Oh.” Mere reached inside himself and brought out his world.

Most research on and with Contemplatives affirms that it’s impossible to selectively externalise, to pick out what to and not to affect in a Contemplative’s radius, differentiating between even the pages of a closed book. It was true of Mere on his best days, today was not his best day.

When the glare cleared from the eyes of onlookers, all that was left were a pile of sludgy ash and black robes, the group of four proselytes were nowhere to be seen, or at least recognized.

Taking the long way home didn’t help Mere avoid the billboards, images of him flashed brightly as the tabloids proved faster than any First Responders. He hailed a Spyder then changed his mind, A Turtle would have been better but still too quick, walking would be good for him after all, he could use the practice.