“…wait, how was that big of an explosion the result of mining explosives?”

          Well, shoot. I managed to dodge that line of questioning last night because the tears were more important to him, but how was I to avoid it this time? How on earth would I explain the heart plate? I don’t even know what that thing is any more, let alone how it explodes when it fall into fire…

          Speaking of which, I need to go find it again…this time I probably shouldn’t keep that in my pocket… I shudder to think what it could do in the wrong, or very clumsy, hands.

          “Aena.”

          “Wellllllll, oh look we have guests! What unfortunate timing!”

          “This isn’t the end of this.”

          “Ha ha ha, whatever do you mean? I’ll go out and say hello…” With a cheeky wave I darted out the door.

          The sight that greeted me was a platoon of angels with little Lacie boy at the head. He seemed tired, and vaguely annoyed.

          “Master, it’s been all of three days.”

          “And you miss me so much already.” I wiped a tear from my eye, “It warms this old heart so to see my dear student come to see me, I missed you so, you never write. How are you, my dear boy? You seem so tired, you shouldn’t have come to visit if you’re busy…oh how my poor old, ancient, heart can’t bear to see you so…”

          “…Whose fault do you think this is? First you run off to the human realm, then you join up with a demon, then you set the music hall-”

          “You’re welcome.”

          “Yes, thank you for that, as well as your own house on fire, and now this! Do you just like causing me problems?”

          “Yes”

          “Master”

          “…I don’t know what you mean by this though…” I blinked at him, the very picture of innocence, copied straight from Elijial, the angel of innocence himself.

          He gave me a very level look. “By this, I meant the giant explosion that happen just last night, one that coincidentally was just a few miles from you and your new friend.”

          “What explosion?”

          “…the one we felt even in heaven, a separate dimension.”

          “Well, when you get older, your hearing starts to go and you sleep like a log. We didn’t hear a thing.”

          “And the dimensional tears that were miraculously fixed before anyone arrived to repair them?”

          “What dimensional tears?”

          “…And the crater large enough to sink a city?”

          “What crater?”

          “I don’t want to deal with you today…”

          “What was that, my dear child?”

          “Nothing master!” He straightened under my disapproving gaze, if he took that tone with me again, I wouldn’t mind giving him sending him running around a few mountain ranges again.

          “Are you two done yet? Since your brat is here, have him bring us some black and white paint. I’m pretty much done carving.”

          “We don’t have black paint, it fades too easily in direct sunlight. Plus, white just seems boring. Bring some red and gold.” Blackie was peering out from a small gap in the door. Lacie stared at him, then looked at me, then repeated.

          “Two bright colors? How about green and red?”

          “No, those two colors always make me hungry for cookies for some odd reason. Green and blue?”

          “No, I have a hard time telling them apart in brighter lights, we’d have to be in complete darkness.”

          “That’s odd, how about green and gold then?”

          “That works I guess.”

          “Great, green and gold wood paint. Ooo, also a bed. It’s rather difficult for these old bones to sleep on the ground.”

          “…if you don’t know anything about the incident, perhaps your new…friend, does.”

          “Who, Blackie?”

          “Blackie?”

          “Oh, Blackie’s even older than I am! He can’t even get off the ground without some sort of lift now days. I’m surprised he still has all his teeth and hair! You pickin’ on the elderly, boy?” I popped my knuckles.

          “…Anything you need me to pick up ma’am?” His shoulders dropped, clearly giving up.

          “Some clothes would be nice, we traded the lovely locals for some, but it turns out human clothing and wings don’t mix well. If you can get some in black for Ol’ Blackie back there I’m sure he’d appreciate it.”

          “What size?” I train-ehem- raised him so well… so considerate of his elders even when they come from a race of his mortal enemies…that or he was so tired he just wanted it to be over with…

          “He’s a little taller than you, but about the same build.”

          “I’ll send this platoon with the items later.”

          And thus, they flew off, leaving me and Blackie to our peaceful day.

          “ ‘Ol’ Blackie’? ‘Elderly’? ‘Surprised he still has teeth’?”

          “…just getting him to drop it…”

          “Hmmm.”

          “Blackie? Babaris? Babar? Buddy? Please open the door…” He was holding the bolder we were using as a door just enough so I couldn’t move it. “Blackie Buddy, I’m sorry, I won’t call you old and infirm again! I swear you’ll never hear me call you feeble or senile again!”

          “You didn’t say either of those before!’

          “What? Sickly? Paler than a year-old corpse? Looks like you died, had the blood drained and rose from the tomb? Has the soft delicate hands of a lady? Or did you mean-”

          All pressure keeping me from opening the door stopped and it flew into the cave, stopping before causing any damage by the narrowing of the cave.

          “What was that?” Blackie had stepped aside and was now as close to me as he could be without stepping into the light.

          “What was what?”

          “If you play anymore dumb, the rock will out smart you.”

          “You know I didn’t mean a word of it, dear.” His face was half hidden by his hair and the shadows, couple that with his ghost pale skin, he really did  look like a necromancer’s favorite corpse.

          “Then why are you backing away, buddy?”

          “Fresh air?”

          “…Boney old hag, come help me get that stupid bolder out of the cave without breaking anything.”

          “Yessir!”

          He talks tough, but never bites…Darn it, he was really cute for an old man!

          “OW!” Horror and betrayal! How could he! Sneak attack!

          “How is your skull this thick?” He rubbed the side of his hand that he chopped my head with, ha mutual destruction!