All Moons Dream in Color

Chapter 2: now i know your name

Kai is not what you would call a great wizard. When it comes to spellcasting, he's a decent shot, all things considered, but there are others better studied, better practiced than him. So far as inherent lunar power goes, he's nothing exceptional. And perhaps most important of all, he isn't too great when it comes to sharing a spotlight, which some would consider the most important aspect of being a guilded wizard.

When the time came to elect a new guildmaster, there were rumors that his status as the Cloudmaker was what gave him such great favor. And maybe that was part of it, you know, it was certainly what Kai assumed, and the Craterheads never did anything to suggest otherwise.

In any case, their poor choice did inevitably come back to bite them in the ass. The publicity that comes with being both the Cloudmaker, guildmaster, and the man destined to save the moon has admittedly gone to his head. They Craterheads have attempted to save face by relocating Kai to Moonwater, in the hopes that he'll keep his head down and focus on mending the Moon.

So far, that really hasn't been the case. He hasn't been in the Terran Realm for twelve hours, and he's already caught a wolf in one of his faulty moon wards. Lunar setting hotter than the sun seers into her flesh as she writhes and growls in pursuit of escape.

Bruiser cowers behind Kai's leg, a warning growl torn out of his throat as the wolf strains against the near-acidic bite of his wards. The smell of charred flesh and burnt fur reaches his nostrils, and Kai stares down at the inside of his left palm. An arcane moon glyph stands out like a brand against the gray flesh, forever commanding his attention even after all these years.

It wasn't that long ago when he used this very hand to shake hands with another. Ribbons of gray, red, and blue had wrapped around them before giving way to a searing sensation like molten lava. Ever since, he's stared back at the charred piece of skin and shuddered in remembrance.

He's got a pit in his stomach, and the glyph in his hand is glowing. When the wolf stares up at Kai, with eyes pleading and full of fear, the déjà vu that grips him is so striking, it nearly knocks him off his feet. Again.

There was a flaw in that spell, much as there's a flaw in his wards. The only difference is, this time around, he recognizes the flaw when he still has time to do something about it.

“Celestia, charmfall", Kai speaks, the words like sparkles upon his tongue as the command renders the wards frozen in place. When the wolf collapses to the floor, trembling and growling quietly, he can only stare, wariness holding him in place. “You…you're that lady from the parking lot."

A full-body wince passes through the wolf. Teeth bared into a threatening snarl that prompts Bruiser to step between them, she staggers to her feet and shakes her head at him. “Yeah, no kiddin'. What's up with your wards?"

Whatever guilt Kai might've felt sours and is quickly replaced with indignation. His wards may be lousy, but she is still very much trespassing. "It's my house. Er, suite. Place. Whatever." He crosses his arms over his chest, scowling heavily as the woman, with some effort, shifts back into her half-moon form. "I'm kind of paying for this, so I can have wards if I want to."

That seems to give the woman pause. With a shaky rise to her hind paws, she brushes her curly mane out of her face and averts her stare. "Well, I'm sorry for scarin' you. But I didn't mean to come here. Your wards are phasin' through the roof. They tore me through six floors, and lemme tell you, that ain't exactly a pleasant experience."

A protest climbs to Kai's lips, only to quickly fizzle out as he ponders the moonstones stationed throughout the room. He then turns back to the wolf, considering her frazzled appearance and general state of unease. He brings a hand up to cover his mouth, already dreading what he suspects to be true.

"Well", he says, finally lowering his wand as something occurs to him. "What the hell were you doing on the roof anyway?"

And if the wolf hadn't seemed defeated yet, she certainly does now. Static seems to spread through her fur, the blue rising like mountains as she wraps her arms around herself. She's still very much defensive when she stares at the floor and murmurs, “I was goin' to sleep".

“...Oh." Kai charges down his wand and feels the last remaining bit of tension fade from his shoulders.

The silence is taut, the air electric with the accusations and assumptions that run rampant between them. As Kai struggles to search for the next right words, Bruiser trots over to the wolf on silent paws. She watches him for a moment, seeming apprehensive before Bruiser floats up to her face to lick her nose. Bit by bit, she relaxes, her fur shrinking until it dangles from her body in rich curly curtains as a smile climbs to her lips. She reaches out to give the feline a gentle pet, then looks past him to Kai. "You have a cloud cat?"

Kai can only shrug. "They're pretty common where I come from", he says, all of a sudden embarrassed by his garish hotel room, rare animal companion, and glittery pajamas. As a sign of peace, he tucks his wand into one of his cloak pockets before flicking on the lights. "Okay, you're not here to hurt me, and I don't want to hurt you. Can we agree on that?" When the woman nods, he sighs, scratching the back of his neck as he scoops a moonstone off the coffee table. “Now, about the wards…If they're strong enough to drag you off the roof, the magic's probably too strong for anyone to live up there. And it'll probably be a while before I can get it cleared up."

Bruiser floats past the wolf, who just about deflates for how much she seems to droop in response to Kai's words. "I figured about as much", she huffs, wrapping her arms around herself as she turns and starts for the balcony.

It's an unfortunate situation, probably more so than Kai can presently understand. He pulls up the hood of his cloak and follows her out onto the balcony, maintaining a careful distance all the while. “I don't know how long it'd take. But if you're set on the roof…" When the wolf pauses atop the railing, guarded yet hopeful eyes staring down at him, he nods to himself and steps further out onto the platform.

There's a fairyhive clinging to the side of the building, and the glow it casts upon them both seems to draw them closer than even before. “You can fix it?", the wolf asks in a gruff voice.

“It'd take a while", Kai tells her, remorse coloring his words. “But eventually, yeah. A few weeks, at the most."

This seems to draw her attention, even if the unspoken reality is that she'll still be without a place to stay for a good while. “I guess that's somethin'", she says, a quiet rumble emitting from her chest. “I could stay in the basement 'til then, and you just let me know when it won't kill me to go up there again."

“Well, there's another thing." This is the awkward and inadvisable part. If the Cratherheads were here, and definitely if Austin was here, they'd be screaming at him to simply send this woman on her way, let her be someone else's problem. And it is a tempting thought.

But once upon a time, Kai found himself standing in a situation similar to this, wherein he let someone else's problem be their problem. And while he's benefited significantly from it, the weight of his decision has never quite grown easier to carry. “I have to figure out what specifically went wrong with the spell. It'd be easier to do that with you around, just to account for all the variables and whatever."

“I guess that makes sense", the wolf says with an amused smirk as she sits with her legs dangling over the railing.

Kai nods, encouraged by her words. “And seeing, well, basements aren't usually the nicest place to stay in", he begins, cheeks flushing dark gray as he searches for the right words. “I'm just saying I have a lot of extra space in here. So if you need a place to crash, you know, the offer's on the table."

Something like curiosity sparkles in the woman's eyes. She crooks her arm up against her knee, tail wagging curiously as she watches him. "You know you ain't gotta do that, right? Technically speakin', I am a squatter."

Kai toys with the collar of his cloak and bites his lower lip. "Well, yeah, obviously." The wolf snorts at this, rolling her eyes as she simply watches him. In spite of himself, he continues on, forcing the remainder of his words out of his chest before he can think better of them. “But I believe in doing right by magic. And in this particular case, doing right by magic means doing right by you."

She softens considerably, cautious growls taking on a more melodic tone as she hops off the railing to stand before him. As if deep in examination, she tilts her head to the side and sniffs at the air. Seeming pleased with what she finds, she then nods to herself, a small smile upon her face when she says, “All right, then. But for the record? You could get in trouble associatin' with me. I'm not exactly Ms. Popular around here."

With a smug grin, Kai makes a dramatic flourish of his cloak before bracing his elbows against the railing of the balcony. "Well, I don't know if you know this, but I'm Mr. Popular. No one's gonna tell me who I can and can't be friends with. Not-not that we're friends."

An amused scoff escapes the wolf. "Obviously", she says, a teasing lilt to her voice as she flashes her fangs at him.

As he leads her back inside, he considers that this is probably one of the more questionable things he's ever done and finds that he doesn't actually feel threatened. He has his charms in place, and there's always Bruiser. That, and the doorway shield that separates his room from the rest of the suite. There's no inherent danger to letting her stay, save for maybe his reputation. And as it stands, he hasn't had pride in his reputation for years.

“I'm Kai", he says, realizing they've yet to make proper introductions as he shows the wolf to one of his spare rooms. “Just thought I should put that out there."

The wolf just nods and says, a small wag passing through her tail as she crosses the threshold that leads to her new room. "Nice to meet ya, Kai. The name's Wilma."

With a slight tilt of his head, Kaid gives her a slight wave of the hand before retreating into his own room. For the second time that night, Kai crawls into bed, though this time, he finds he's far more comfortable. Which says a lot, considering a virtual stranger is resting just a few feet away.

Bruiser climbs onto his chest, head tilted to the side as he mewls at him. "I guess stranger things have happened", Kai muses before pulling his blanket over his head gracefully accepting the sweet embrace of sleep.