Exton

I heave a sigh of relief when Star comes back, accompanied by the Wyldfae. Things have changed since Ruarc was born. Star is changing, becoming the Warrior's mother. Still sweet and kind, yet more and more she shows that core of steel at her center, that part that allowed her to survive on her own all those years. I wonder now that I ever thought her vulnerable and defenseless….

Ob and Stoney look up guiltily as she sits next to me, Stoney, predictably, is the first to speak.

"Star, mon amie, we really didn't mean to upset you. It's a sibs thing. Brothers, we... protéger les coeurs de leurs sœurs... protect their sisters' hearts... You spend all your lives messing with each other and it's hard to realize how it looks to other people."

Star just gives him an arched eyebrow and says nothing.

"I'm really, really sorry we gave you the wrong impression. Friends?"

Star smiles, maybe a sixteenth of an inch and all but whispers, "Friends."

Then her eyes - a shade of ice blue I've never seen before - shift to Ob, who stares back stubbornly, tight-lipped. I grin as I wonder how long he can take it….

Longer than I expected… but finally he cracks. He meets Star's eyes just for the barest faction of a second, just long enough to say, "I'm sorry." The grin is barely hidden, and his pale blue eyes sparkle. "We didn't tell him about her sexual exploits, just her..." Alise kicks him again. HARD.

Star smiles then, the real thing this time. "It's okay. I'm sure Tori will find a way to even the score." She raises an eyebrow slyly. "I might even help her…."