Autumn Strawberries [Shae]

[Jasmine Krisp]

The disaster at the ball hadn't shaken Jasmine too badly. Once she'd been assured that both Kyle and Iugo were in good (or at least stable) condition, and as soon as she'd had some old-fashion scotch therapy, the little woman had become right as rain. Mostly. Just because she had calmed down didn't mean the fear of rebellion hadn't seeded in her thoughts. It had seeded, and it was beginning to flower into a bright, blood red flower. But right now Jasmine didn't want to think of rebels or her friends injuries or everything negative her head could concoct. She needed a way to lighten up her all-too-often dark life.

Which is why she was in the orchard this evening. She had a date with the walking Boogie pick-me-up/scene-maker: Shaehern Azharn.

In the near-pitch darkness of the night, the only sort of time Jazz could even think of wandering, only the wanning moon lit the long rows of fruit trees and berry bushes all along the orchard. It gave the whole place a haunted, black and white, beautiful look to the place, even though the autumn had robbed most of the trees of their leaves an fruit. The apples and, no surprise, pumpkins seemed to be the most noticeable in the garden. A certain granny smith tree was standing there, still as, well, a tree. As a normal tree should be.

Jasmine, in her regular black-lace dress and midnight-blue petticoat, hopped across the roots and bushes to reach that tree, eyes glowing as they did in the darkness. The orbs were locked on the yellow fruit, yellow as her gaze, then she reached for the lowest fruit she could. But she didn't grab it and pluck it. Instead, she spoke in her soft voice in the language she was born speaking.

"May I?"

Jazz's face lit with a smile even brighter than her eyes when, at the request, the branch with the fruit on it actually lowered the apple into her hand. She twisted the stem and pulled down, releasing the apple, then watched with awe as the large tree moved with grace (for a tree) across the row and over toward a leaf-less lemon tree in the distance. "I'll never get used to that," Jasmine mused, rubbing the fruit on her coat to clean it, "So many years at this palace...it's still so strange."

With a bite of the golden orb, the plum woman turned behind herself to face her friend, the man who she owed a peacock dress once she learned how the hell to find such feathers. It took a little control to keep from keep her eyes on Shae rather than the branches looping around just over his head.

Strange and magical.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Overhead on a nearby branch, hidden among the never-wilting needles of a pine tree, the large shimmering blue phoenix was watching his mistress much like a hawk. He didn't like going to the orchard at night. It wasn't fun, trying to land on a branch that didn't try to flick him away or walk off with him trying to sleep on their branches. It was annoying. And dangerous, if the stupid tree was in a bad mood (for a tree). Still, Hades had wanted very much to meet the much-talked-about Boogie man who'd worn a dress of feathers to the Devil's Ball. Even the familiars had heard about that.

This was doomed to be a fun evening.

[Shaehern Azhrarn]

The woods were a home away from home for Shaehern Azhrarn, but the orchard always felt much different from the woods. Shae could never quite place his finger on why it felt so different. Perhaps it was the lack of a running body of... well, he could call it water.

Zalamel had found a pretty little dinner back a ways and Shaehern had let his familiar stay. Zal's eating habits almost always seemed so gruesome until you considered him in a similar position to a ferryman between the worlds of the living and the dead. Ravens and crows took the task upon themselves of returning that which had strayed back to the natural world.

A pleasant walk through the trees that had mostly let loose their loads for the season. The peach season had ended not so long ago, but Shaehern had found a straggler which still bore good fruit. It would not be much longer before one could not obtain such things easily. Shaehern had taken the opportunity to ask for a few for a friend. He tucked them away in his pleasant dark satin robe before wandering off to meet Jasmine.

His array was fairly standard today, but he had chosen to don his favorite feathered cloak and a couple of his silver rings instead of the usual bone and ivory ones. He felt that a slightly sharper appearance was necessary to fill expectations after his last outfit.

"Ah, darling," he said once he was able to make her form out in the distance. "It is good to see you once again--and amongst such pleasant company too." He had put some braids into his long hair this evening and was playing with one of them at that moment. Playing around with his appearance had always been one way of keeping entertained.

[Jasmine Krisp]

Jasmine's smile seemed much more natural when she was around the people she liked. When she was around Iugo or Kyle, for instance, her expressions were utterly warm and devoted...something that surprised her a little. But around Shaehern, they were more impish. Child-like and mischievous, and playful, which was an even odder thing for the little monster to figure out. She hadn't had fun for a while, yet the flamboyant Boogie might end up rekindling that fun-seeking child she'd once been.

...wait, was I a fun-seeking child?

Jasmine took another bite of her apple and avoided those thoughts. Instead, she admired Shaehern's normal clothes. Not as out-there as the dress, but still holding the quality of feathers and fun. She liked it. "It's wonderful to see you too, my fine feathered friend." Jazz grinned behind the apple. "Let me say this right away: I love your braids," for one who had a permanent braid in her own hair, it seemed biased, "You look dashing tonight."

The trees around them continued to walk among them, weaving in and out of the bushes and beyond. Glowing little gold suns continued to watch them in amazement. "You'd think the natives would be used to the world around them, and yet..." she spun once as she stepped toward Shae, "...I've always loved visiting here at night. It's the only time I can visit, but still." Jasmine giggled, hinting only slightly at her aversion to sunlight.

With a loud cry, however, the Boogie woman blinked and looked up to the pine tree not to far off. Like a lantern Hades was sitting, glowing like her eyes, with an expression mixed with pride and hurt. She sighed slightly. "Oh. Right." On cue, the giant phoenix spread his wings and kicked off from the branch, flying barley a few feet before landing at his owners side. He towered over her, which wasn't such a amazing thing since she was a shrimp, and cocked his beady eyes and long beak in the direction of the Boogie man.

Then, for the hell of it, he spread his wings to full length, actually knocking Jasmine back with his right wing. The plum hissed.

Hades was a known misbehavior when it came to Jazz: he was always going against her orders and fooling around until somebody got hurt. Then he would do nothing. Literally nothing. Jazz rolled her eyes at her troublesome familiars idea of an entrance. "This is Hades. He wanted to meet you...but I warn you, he's not the nicest bird. Or brightest." The phoenix took this as an insult and pushed her back even farther. Into a dead bush, as it were. He squawked with laughter.

So much for that start. Stupid bird-brain.

[Shaehern Azhrarn]

Pleasant greetings were now out of the way, but Shaehern gave a deep and graceful bow in response to Jasmine's complements about his attire. It was only half-serious as a gesture and was more to have the chance to sway his body about. "I dress for success. Today I even manage to almost look like a man." Shaehern was far too pretty to ever really look terribly masculine. However, he did manage to walk a fine line of androgyny at times.

"The braids are an experiment in style. Experiments in style keep life fresh and the responses new. The ball was an experiment in style. Do you know that they've tossed me out before?" Peacock feathers seemed almost tame compared to some of the things he had tried. However, he had to admit that the peacock feathers had been entirely more fun than he had originally anticipated. "It was such a grand time, and I'd almost dare to say I was the prettiest girl at the ball!"

There was a twist of his hips and a change of his stance as he looked towards Jasmine with a smile. The smile was interrupted by a flap of wings and Shaehern replaced his gleeful look with one of curiosity. Curiosity then gave way to admiration as he stared upon the silhouette of a gorgeous feathered creature. It seemed likely that this was Jasmine Krisp's familiar.

Spreading its wings wide it attempted to give an elaborate entrance. The back of Shaehern's mind wondered if the creature had heard of Shaehern's entrance at the ball. It was certainly hard to make heads turn without many heads about, and Shaehern wasn't entirely certain that this was an entrance that would make heads roll. However, it was an appreciable entrance, even if it did knock Jazz off of her little feet.

Shaehern gave his wonderful little chortle in response as he clapped his hands. "Hades, is it? Such wonderful plumage. I'm envious." With a quirky little twist he moved to help Jasmine up from where her bottom found rest. He offered her a hand and a little tug to help her back up.

Shaehern had a sudden realization about his own familiar when he glanced back at the phoenix--poor little Zalamel had nothing on Hades.

[Jasmine Krisp]

Stuck in a wad of leafs and twigs, Jasmine looked more like a bird than her familiar. The cocky attention-seeking phoenix had always been her opposite: while she preferred to stay in the dark and hide from the crowds, he was a sun-dwelling animal who adored social interactions. Unfortunately for those who did associate with Hades, especially the young children of Wonderland, he had a habit of trying to taste whoever was near by. And for those with little limbs, they could lose a finger or four to his large, sharp beak. Not fun.

Not that Jazz would let him do such things if she knew about them.

Accepting the hand offered to her, and somewhat disliking how her body was so easily lifted up from the bush, the plum woman glared daggers at her familiar once more as she removed leaf from her braid. "Don't compliment him. It will only give him a swelled head." Hades snorted at her and tucked his wings back to their resting position. "You were the prettiest at the ball, but in the end I did cause you to ruin your dress." A wicked thought came to the little Boogie's mind: "If you like Hades' feathers so much, I'll use them in the dress for you. Fresh-plucked."

She said the last part in a voice only the large bird would hear, "One at a time." The phoenix let out a mortified cry. Jazz only grinned.

Serves him right. He's such a cruel familiar.

As for the apple...it had fallen out of Jasmine's hands when she'd been pushed back wards into the bushes. It lay on the path, where Hades saw it with his marble eyes, and caught it in his beak. As we habit, he wanted a taste of the odd Boogie man who complimented him so. But, well aware Jazz would turn him into a roasted duck dinner should he try, he simply munch ideally on the apple. His mistress had finished pulling twigs from her person.

"Now that introductions are out of the way...shall we begin our evening?" she tried to sound as if she hadn't just been shoved by her own unruly familiar, "I apologize for calling you out at such an hour. I hope I didn't disturb any plans you may have had for tonight."

Hades continued to munch the golden apple, taking a second to pretend it was his mistresses wrist. It would be if she dared touch his magnificent wings. Or any part of his body, for that matter.

[Shaehern Azhrarn]

Perhaps Jasmine's familiar was a bit poorly behaved, but considering some of the misdemeanors performed by other familiars it seemed hardly out of place. Naelona's squirrel monkey was hellbent on causing chaos wherever it went, and that was just one consideration. Zalamel was cocky and believed himself of superior intelligence to his master, but he never disobeyed directly. Hades was big enough and smart enough to get away with misbehaving, or so it looked. There was likely someone who'd be able to bring Hades back into order, but the only person Shaehern could consider with those skills was Luther. Any plan that involved any interaction with that Boogie was flawed at the fundamental level.

"I don't know that my compliments or lack thereof will have any effect on dear Hades' ego. The bird has plenty of reasons to be proud without my approval." That being said, Shaehern knew what Jazz meant. It had just seemed terribly funny. Then again, Shaehern got the nagging feeling that he was being looked at like some kind of snack momentarily. When he glanced at the phoenix it was eating Jazz's apple. How peculiar.

"I shan't lie, a finely feathered frock would fly my fancy in a fantastic fashion." Alliteration was sometimes a wonderful tool. "I do believe a beginning to our evening is in order."

It did seem rather odd that she picked now of all times to meet, but Shaehern had taken it as her being busy during the days. "Most of my best work is done during the day. My evenings are either dull or droll in comparison. Your invitation just brightened up the mood!" And it gave him a reason to celebrate, too. Most people were not fun-loving enough to invite Shae with them anywhere.

"So don't you fret or frown. Just tell me what the plans are?" Maybe they would wing it. Shaehern did love improvisation on the occasion. Some of his best work was made up on the go.

[Jasmine Krisp]

The moon overhead seemed to be glowing stronger than before, perhaps the cause being a cloud passing by finally passing it. The entire orchard was alight with moonbeams, the trees walking to and fro like creatures of legend in human fantasy. Hades seemed to glow even brighter with such light. Jasmine giggled softly at Shaeherns little rhyme, liking him even more with every word he spoke. This was definitely the sort of person she wanted for a close friend. Somebody who was fun, but witty, and never half-assed anything (as she knew from the ball).

The bird hopped over to the pair of Boogies as Jasmine thought over her plans for the evening. "And your accepting my invitation brightened my day too," she beamed, keeping her gaze on the androgynous man while watching her familiar from the corner of her eyes. Hades chirped and fluffed Shaehern's cloak with his beak. "I have a little place I wanted to show you. It's not to far in the orchard, but nobody's ever come here at night...not when it gets this cold," there was a tone to her voice that sounded almost otherworldly, which was saying something for a Boogie. Like this was a dark, secretly secret no one knew about.

And actually, maybe it was so, considering nobody sane would go out in the coldest nights of the year to peek around some plants.

Jasmine was that kind of insane-sane that would.

"Come on!" the little Boogie spurn sharply on her little black shoes and started toward the place she'd been talking about, Hades kicking off and beginning to fly over her. Passing tree after tree, or rather having the trees pass them, she jumped nimbly over roots and little bushes, glancing back now and then to see if Shae was still following her. Her childish smile glowed as bright as her eyes. I can't remember the last time I had such fun.

...maybe that's not a bad thing.

[Shaehern Azhrarn]

The evening was rather chilly, but Shaehern took it to mean only that this was to be a brisk walk outside. The out-of-doors was certainly a gorgeous place to be in the Autumn. Sometimes the daytime would make you think that the whole world was dead, then there would be the little spirits walking about in the evening. In this case, it was the trees that looked so lifeless during the day that walked around and gave the night life. That was truly the brilliance of it, Shaehern thought.

A strange sight on a night such as this seemed rather peculiar. Shaehern was unaware of any peculiar happenings in the orchard at this time of evening. Then again, he did not make it a point of staying out here when the trees were mostly bare. "I'm quivering with anticipation," he admitted.

He was a bit taller than Jasmine, but every bit as nimble as the smaller Boogie. Motion through movement was a little complicated, but once you got the hang of it is was hardly so bad. A couple of his swerves looked like the maneuvers you would see a drunk person manage while stumbling out of a crowded room, but Shaehern managed them while keeping his balance. Just a tromp through the woods would have been a worthwhile investment of time, but that there was a surprise at the end seemed absolutely darling.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted something dark flitting around just above the trees. It looked like dear old Zal had finished his meal and bothered to find him once more. For once, the bird did not announce his presence before drifting lower and closer to Shaehern.

Quite a scene, the four of them.

[Jasmine Krisp]

Jasmine was, to say the least, amused that Shaehern could keep up with her. He was probably the most feminine-built man she knew in Wonderland, but it was still surprising. In a good way. After all Jazz had the size and flexibility of a child, despite her age, plus all those years jumping from branch to branch in the Crimson Woods helped with her nimble step. How did Shae learn to be this quick? Maybe it was just how he worked. Another quality that the little Boogie liked in him.

Like the man, the plum woman spotted the black bird as it flew closer. Hades did too. Immediately the phoenix swooped over to the raven, eyes an odd mix of curiosity and welcome. He had expected this fellow to have a bird-familiar...what else with all those feathers? But Hades still liked having someone to fly with for the evening...and maybe even to munch on if he got bored. Jazz looked up as she dodge a low hanging branch mid-jump.

"No eating the raven, Hades." She called, as if reading the bird-brain's mind. Hades cooed in disappointment. He'd try later anyway.

After a mere twenty minutes of running, it would probably have taken an hour at a normal walk, Jasmine came to a short stop by grabbing a branch and spinning with momentum until she was squatting on it. The tree didn't shake her off, because it knew who she was. "Shae, wait! Come here." She called and waved, then proceeded to jump up to the next-highest branch. And the next up, and the next, until she was about the same height as Shae. "You need to see it from high-up first." Again the tone of whimsy was in her voice. Like a child who knew the ending to a fairy-tale.

Up and up again till the young-looking Boogie was as high as she could go, Jasmine looked out over the little secret patch of the orchard.

It was barley half a mile all around, but it was what was inside that was amazing. A circle of bushes, regular fruit bushes, around a little patch of green with one tree sticking up in the middle...but the tree wasn't much. Just a tree. The fact that the little berries, ripe this time of year on the bushes, were glowing like their seeds themselves had burst into flames. About twelve in the circle, each dashed with tens of hundreds of little glowing orbs of light, some pure white and some a faded blue or orange.

"Autumn strawberries." Jasmine smiled cat-like, leaning on her branch, "They grow in October and die in November, and they glow to a full moon. Like little candles," she laughed gently, "Or stars."

Hades perched in the tree in the center of the field, looking around at the circle of lights around him. So what? He glowed too. Nothing all too unusual about some glowing bulbs of fruit. He was a frickin phoenix, dammit. Where was his shock and awe?

Oh well. To each his own.

[Shaehern Azhrarn]

Ducking and dodging under branches has its own quaint charm, but Shaehern was very much grateful when it appeared that they had reached their destination. Beforehand he had nervously been watching Zalamel and Hades to see if the two interacting would have any negative effects. Zalamel hardly seemed shocked at Hades' presence, though Shaehern couldn't help but wonder if the bird really understood how badly he was outclassed. Zalamel was larger than most birds, and smarter than most of them too, but Hades was larger still.

Maybe they both were still birdbrains in comparison to Shaehern and Jasmine, but he could hardly ever be certain about that fact. Ah, but he was letting his mind be distracted from the refreshing night air. He took a deep breath and let the coolness fill his lungs. It was a sharp contrast to the warmth of his body from moving at such a brisk pace. Arrival at the tree was amusing. It looked like Jasmine had started climbing to get at the same level as he was, but then she kept climbing as she beckoned him up as well.

Shaehern had not climbed a tree like this in years. Calmly he set his hand against the bark as an impish smile crossed his lips. "I'm going to climb you, all right?" As though to mock him, Zalamel landed a few branches up and finally made a proclamation of his presence to the master. The birdbrain was flaunting his flight from lofty branches, but Shaehern could slip and slide up with just a little effort.

"I'm on my way," he said with a grin as he used his long and wispy form to pull his body up the tree. There really was a quality resembling water to the way he would move to and fro. Swinging up from branch to higher branch was fun he did not remember since he was a child. Over a century had passed since he had done this last. So short a time for some, and yet it was so much of his own life.

"Autumn strawberries, huh?" Shaehern had always taken a fascination with plant life. The flora of Wonderland was a wondrous thing to behold, and this was a bit of it that he had not seen before. Some of the more dangerous and lively plants had taken his interest as of late, but Shaehern had remained convinced that he would live a long enough time to see and understand most of the plant life of the area if he only kept interest in it.

"They are like little stars... a little bit of light to guide the heart home." Or to get lost if you follow it too closely. But that was Will-o-the-wisps he was considering. Dare he ask the next question? "Dare I ask if they can be eaten?"

Zalamel remained unamused by his master's antics, though they had died down considerably. Leave it to him to worry about things like his stomach. Then again, maybe Zalamel was just feeling cynical because he had already had a good meal this evening.

[Jasmine Krisp]

The circle of lights was only a leap away from where Jasmine and Shaehern were in the tree. Hades still sat in the tree in the center of the little field, watching them more than the fruit. That raven was a big bird, but nowhere as big as he was. It would be a mouthful. Still, Hades liked having a stomach full of dinner, and no doubt that Zalamel would make for a yummy meal...better than that little apple he'd forced himself to chew rather than test a bite of his owner's playmate.

But he didn't look half as appetizing as that raven.

Jasmine giggled softly at the man's question. "They're fruit, silly. Of course you can eat them." With a quick jump, and the grace of a floating leaf, Jazz managed to get down from the tree in barley a second, touching lightly to the ground in a crouch. The plum Boogie grinned up at her friend before moving forward through the bushes, reaching the little field the autumn strawberries were surrounding. It was quite a sight, as if a hundred little candles had lit up around her.

A magic, beautiful light that, oddly enough, didn't hurt her eyes at all. She pulled one berry from it's place on the bushes.

It felt cool to the touch, thought it burned like a flame, and as she popped it in her mouth she believed the taste was the same as an apple. Or an orange. Or was it grape? Such an odd mix. Hades leaped down to stand protectively over his little mistress.

Odd mixes were all too common in Wonderland.

[Shaehern Azhrarn]

In that tree Shaehern felt the satin of his gown gliding gently across his body. His arms were taut as they held him in place on his perch. Shaehern might have trusted the tree to hold him upright, but he'd rather not put more of a strain on its limbs than was necessary. After all, now was the time of year when a few limbs might be shed just in time for the winter. He'd rather not risk any broken limbs on himself or the tree.

Zalamel seemed to grow disinterested with his placement and he hopped along the ground. Why a bird such as him would choose to walk when he could fly was beyond Shaehern. Maybe he'd consider flying back home and taking a rest. There was hardly anything for him here.

Shaehern, meanwhile, fluttered down from his placement in the tree. Trying the glowing autumn strawberries was something he simply had to experience. When he plucked a berry he let it rest in his hand for a moment. He carefully judged the weight of it and he held it up to his eye to observe the 'flame' a little more closely. "Such a peculiar iridescence," he commented. He could not decide if the source was a natural fluorescence or if it had some kind of biological mechanism that produced the glow in the nighttime. The mystery was the fun part, but figuring out the mystery would seem so much better than leaving it as an unknown. He would look into it later.

Popping it into his mouth awarded Jasmine with an audible sound of appreciation. "Ooh." He carefully noted the texture and the wonderfully odd mixture of sweet and tangy flavors. The texture was distinctly strawberry, but nothing about the flavor suggested it to be such. "How delightful. The mysteries of nature never cease."

Suddenly he wore a devilish grin as he pondered other uses for these delightful little treats. "I wonder how long they continue to glow." His eyes were drawn to the moon. He did enjoy the large round sphere glowing a bright white in the sky. Did the strawberries emit their light based on the moon? Really, the mind could create such wondrous images if you just let it wander.

He slithered up behind Jasmine and lightly tapped two of his rings together. Maybe if she had not brought him here he might have tried spooking her in good fun. As it was, she was still a little too focused on him as her guest to try any crazy antics.

[Jasmine Krisp]

Watching the young Boogie boy as he tried one of the star-berries, Jazz smiled and plucked another one to pop in her mouth. As to his curious little questions, the gold-eyed woman tried to recall some of her little tests since her finding this spot roughly two thousand years or so ago. "From what I've seen..." she began, feeling Hades fiddling with a leaf that had nested in her hair from when she'd climbed the tree, "They only glow one or two nights in their short lifespan. Just as long as the moon is its fullest and brightest."

The phoenix turned when Shaehern moved to slither behind him and his mistress, blue feathers puffing out a little when the rings clicked. Such an odd male, wearing jewelry and feathered robes and...well...dresses. Hades liked having fun people around, but how did Jasmine, who was so often the 'straight-man' (in the less obvious sense of the phrase), end up befriending such a clown?

She was just making odder and odder connections.

Jasmine looked back to her guest with those eyes that mimicked the glow of the berries rather nicely. She was holding one of said fruits to her lips. "They're a wonderful Wonderland mystery. A secret, one should say." The plum woman popped the berry into her mouth. "But I'm more interested in why they are rather than what they are. I mean...nobody ever comes out to the orchard this time of day, this time of year. Which means little wonders like this are utterly lost to the world..."

A sad, lonely smile shifted the childish roundness of the Boogie woman's face. She looked more adult now. Even if she still had the body and height of a pre-teen. But that sadness quickly faltered when from the corner of her eye she spotted Hades move from her side to where Zalamel the raven was...and snap at the black bird's tail with his long blue beak. A mix of irritation and amusement pulled at her lips.

"Oh brother. Hades, didn't I say no eating other Boogie's familiars?" Jazz 'tsked' at her pet as he aimed to snatch Zal up again, "What in heavens name am I going to do with that fool?"

[Shaehern Azhrarn]

Delectable delights, the whole lot of them. Wonderland's wonders never would cease to amaze. Shaehern somehow doubted that they had been the first to ever see this particular marvel, but perhaps the first in a long while. It would be odd to say that they were the only living souls who knew of them, but perhaps the only ones to know that they were more than a dream.

Unless this was all just one peculiar dream woven together from the remnants of some poor fool's shattered sanity, but that was another crackpot theory altogether.

Interesting that the berries would come to their most brilliant moment during the climax of the full autumn moon. Roughly speaking, that would suggest that it was dependent on the moon. "I absolutely love a good mystery. Part of the fun is in unraveling the shroud of uncertainty around it." When Shaehern considered the so-called 'shroud of uncertainty' he pondered a secret of Jasmine's that he thought he noticed at the ball. Perhaps now would be a proper time to breach the topic.

"Are you really-" the question was cut short by a snapping sound and Zalamel's protesting caw. The raven hopped away from Hades' attempts to nip at his tail and Zalamel became very vocal about it. Shaehern recognized his look and found himself overtaken by laughter. Zalamel was hardly so amused. He was fluffing himself up and reaching out to try and pluck out one of Hades' feathers in retaliation. Zalamel had pluck, even for a bird that was outclassed.

Once Shaehern's laughter cleared up he managed to mumble something to Jasmine. "I wouldn't let you familiar eat mine, if I were you. Zalamel is ten times more vicious once he's inside a body." Shaehern moved a little closer and readied himself to intervene if necessary. Simply judging by sizes Hades would choke on Zalamel if he tried to eat the bird whole, so it was really more so the bickering and the risk of one of them poking the other's eye out that worried him.

"I'll calm Zalamel down once you get Hades in line." Now would be a good chance to test to see if Jasmine could rein in her familiar.

[Jasmine Krisp]

Shaehern's laugh turned the blue bird's head for a second, feeling more interesting in the flamboyant man's observance than his little owner's scolding. He felt like taking a bow, as if he was in a skit, or being appraised. Of course then that plucky little snack of his tried to pull of one of his beautiful feathers and Hades shrieked in anguish, flapping his wings with the sort of strength that often sent Jasmine tumbling about. Maybe if he caught his meal off-guard, he'd have a better chance of biting it.

Jasmine, unlike Shae, had the urge to face palm. "I wouldn't want him to eat Zalamel either way. He's so reckless," she muttered in response to the Boogie male. Either way, hi comment made her consider actually letting her pet get eaten from the inside-out. Would teach him a nice little lesson on listening to her, wouldn't it? Assuming he lived. But then she'd be rid of him...so either way, win-win. But as the young man moved as if to intervene, Jazz swallowed that foolish idea of her own and moved to position herself behind where Hades was. Said bird was looming over his snack now, the height difference rivaling hers and Shae's.

"Hades."

Hades blinked, beak half-way open, then turned to glance at the plum woman before turning away--Did he just shrug me off?--and returning to lean over Zalamel with his beak wide open. Zal was a big bird, so maybe he'd have to settle with eating just a leg. Or a wing. And if he did taste good, then he'd eat the rest of him.

Then, in a blur of black and blue and purple, Jasmine had her hand on the back of the humongous (to her) bird's extended back. Hades in turn froze on the spot. As if a bucket of ice-water had drenched him, or he'd been struck with paralysis. Jasmine's eyes had shifted again from that energetic and innocent gleam...but not to the soft sadness from earlier. It was a powerful shift, eyes that didn't belong in that face. Eyes that were both dangerously controlling and cruelly demanding. Even the iris seemed to fade into the ice-cold gold, leaving just that shocking glow.

"Leave Zalamel alone for the evening. Do not touch him again."

Hades twitched as soon as her hand fell from its place and back to her side. Her eyes also snapped back to normal, iris and all, and that soft warmth was back. Hades on the other hand still looked chilled, and he back up from Zalamel before spreading his wings again and kicking off, back to the tree limb he'd been on before in the center of the field. Jasmine watched him land before she looked back to Shaehern, a sly cat-grin on her little face.

"Did I mention I'm very, very persuasive?"

The phoenix continued to eye her wearily from the tree.