"Piper stop doing... get out of there!" Damien shouted, hands darting over the top of his jacket.

The Pippen had gotten restless a few seconds ago as he and Gianna neared their homes for whatever reason, and no amount of warmth or mana was calming him. It was odd, especially since Emra seemed content to sit inside his jacket pocket, small nose poking out for air and the cool breeze.

"What did you do to him?" Gianna asked, laughing at his struggles.

"Nothing, I don't know wh- gotcha!" Damien cried out, hand clenching as he grabbed a bundle beneath his vest.

He slowly worked the creature up and sideways until he could pluck the little furball out from within his coat. It stared up and him with its large green eyes in a questioning manner, as if it had done nothing wrong. Damien sighed.

"Maybe Cess made him nervous," Damien prosed, glancing at the white fox that Gianna held in her arms.

"How dare you! Cess is adorable and wouldn't hurt a fly. Plus, they've been around each other since we both got them. I doubt it," Gianna shouted with mock outrage that turned into a grin as she lifted the adorable fox up by raising her arms.

"Fair enough, but I'll know for sure if that fox was secretly sending hunger vibes to Piper when I get far enough away," Damien stated, squinting at the sleeping fox. "I'll see you later," he finished with a wave.

Damien turned around and took one step before he felt her hand grab his arm, prompting him to turn back as she let go and motioned him toward her house.

"Do you wanna take a quick tour and study? I also have a few questions about class today. We are supposed to get with a friend and share notes anyway, remember? I wouldddd have chosen Jasmine since she's the only other Celestial in the class, but you stole her pet," she said sarcastically.

He nodded after a moment. Dewitt had wanted them to get together with friends that had kept their pets and review the notes they'd been taking over the last few weeks on their growth and habits. Since Jasmine's pet had become his and Gianna had become much less handsy than initially, he thought it may be safe to take a quick tour before studying. He was also curious about the interior of a Platinum ranked home to top it all off.

"I guess that's ok. Alexa and Kastra won't be home until later since she has Eita to take care of again," he said, nodding and allowing her to lead him to her home.

An hour later, Damien was massaging the bridge of his nose as he walked out of Gianna's home. It was a beautiful house, the Platinum tier definitely living up to his expectation. Much too big for one person, let alone a small family, he'd observed as he was given the tour. She'd even dragged him into her bedroom to show off the large closet and master bath. She'd agreed with his musing that it was indeed much too big for her alone and that it always felt a bit lonely. He'd made a break for the hallway just after.

The studying had gone fine, but she'd sat too close to him. Not touching, but borderline. About halfway through he'd decided to use the bathroom as an excuse to sit elsewhere but when he'd returned, her fox had conveniently fallen asleep on the only chair across from them, which was odd in itself as it seemed like the coffee table should have two couches around it.

Eventually though, to his relief, their time came to an end as he felt Alexa beginning to approach.

"Well, Alexa is almost here, so I'm going to go meet up with them. Thanks for the study session," he said, standing up and stretching his limbs before moving for the door.

"No problem!" the blonde declared with a bright, happy smile as her wings perked upward slightly and she stood. "Come back soon please, I enjoyed this," she finished cutely.

He smiled and turned, rolling his eyes. He was beginning to regret his father's good genetics and scorn the fact that she was so beautiful.

Gianna walked him to the door and ushered him out as he felt Alexa and Kastra move past the house, not stopping. He moved away from the front yard to the fencing and walked out the gate, just in time to see her opening the Diamond gate.

"Hey!" he called, jogging to catch up.

She turned around as the gate continued opening and forced a smile.

"Hey, how was your day? I didn't know you were so close by."

'Sure you didn't,' he thought, her tense smile being more than an indication otherwise.

"You should check more often. My day was pretty good," he called while approaching, catching up and wrapping her in a large hug. "How was the duel?" he asked, keeping his voice low as Kastra slept against her neck.

Her smile seemed to melt into a genuine one as her body relaxed into his for a few moments. After that, she tensed up again and pushed him off lightly.

"It went as expected. He can't do anything now that I can almost control my communed state entirely. I'm confident I'd be able to take the top spot if I wanted, in fact," she declared with a confident grin while looking up at him.

He felt her chest fluttered a bit as he gave her a quick kiss. Her eyes widened slightly, and she blushed.

"What was that for??"

"You looked cute," he responded with a shrug. "What are our plans for Lover's day by the way?" he asked.

She blushed harder and pushed him the rest of the way away from her before heading for their house. Damien chuckled and moved after her embarrassed self, smiling. He loved how often the most simple things got to her.

A few minutes later, they were in the kitchen of their home, making a large salad with steak for dinner. Damien turned around to look from where he was preparing the meat to watch Alexa dice up fruit to add to their salads, cringing as she threw a healthy serving of tomatoes into all three bowls.

"Why do you insist on making me eat those after tellllingggg you repeatedly how much I dislike them?" he asked, poking her in her back.

"Because if it were up to you, you'd just have the yard waste without anything else added. Where is the diversity?" she replied, looking over her shoulder and pointing at him with the knife.

Damien leaned away from her.

"I get you're just gesturing but please don't point that at me, it's terrifying," he said.

She shook her head and returned to her work.

"...and a little bit hot," he whispered into her ear, sneaking behind her while leaving a light kiss on the back of her neck.

Damien heard her spin around, but he was already back to his station, cooking the steak while venting most of the smell out the open window in front of him with air magic, pretending not to know what she was looking at him for.

"You know, I've noticed something," he said randomly as they got back to cooking, thinking to Gianna's earlier statement. "There are barely any Celestials in this school compared to other races, why is that?"

"You mean in your classes?"

"No, I mean in general. Gallion, you, and Jasmine are the only ones at our table. I haven't even seen any in my age group, and the only other ones are the group Gianna hangs out with and the few stragglers here and there. What gives?"

"What do you expect?" she asked back. "There aren't very many Celestials around that are our ages. For some reason, our race can't have children until they hit a second puberty of sorts at about one hundred years of age, and even when they do, most don't have kids for longer after."

"Oh. Yeah, I didn't know that. Why do they wait then?"

"You need to take a history course or read a book on the different races. Also, on that topic, clear out the books in our bedroom. They're everywhere."

"Yes, yes, of course dear, but why do they wait?" he continued, trying to get her back on topic.

After a pause, Damien heard some shuffling around and could feel her eyes on his back. After a few seconds she responded, starting slowly at first.

"They don't exactly wait it's just... Well, it's not easy for us to get pregnant," she answered in an embarrassed tone. "Many die in battle or from exploring as well. We only stay populated because the families keep our women and men safe usually until the women can give birth. After that, they are supposed to have at least three children before they stop trying."

"Against their will?" Damien asked incredulously, stopping his own preparations to turn.

She was resting her butt against the counter, leaning backward and looking blue. Her eyes were looking off to the side, but when he turned, she glanced up momentarily as he settled onto his counter to lean on.

He'd felt Kastra wake up through the pact a few seconds ago, but the Fae stayed silent. Whereas he always kept tabs on them through it, Alexa rarely did, and it seemed she didn't notice. He was a bit thankful Kastra hadn't butted into the conversation or tried to interrupt.

"Not really against their will... It's supposedly an honor," she replied. "It's tradition. Plus, after all of that, we get to roam as much as we want. We have what seems like endless time to explore, fight in battles, get stronger, raise our family... do whatever, really," she finished, smiling slightly at him.

"And if they don't have a partner?" Damien asked back intently.

"... Why are you so curious about this?" she questioned, furrowing her brows while meeting his gaze.

"I've been hearing a bit about this arranged marriage thing from both Gianna and Jasmine. I've been wondering about it ever since," he stated, leaving half of his true intentions out.

"...Ok, I suppose... Most marriages are already arranged by then and if not, one will be for the woman," she declared with a resigned smile.

"Isn't that... I don't know, kind of weird and forceful? What if she doesn't want to?" Damien questioned with his eyebrows furrowed.

"It's not an issue of what we want; it's tradition. It's for our livelihood," she said with a shrug, glancing down to the side as he felt a bit of irritation flare up in his chest.

"Huh... Well, good thing you and Vanessa won't have to do that," he declared, standing and moving towards her.

"What?" she asked in a confused tone as he rest his hands on her waist.

He could feel her confusion in the pact and the genuine vibe it gave off hurt as she stood and rested her head against his shoulder. He sighed before looking down at her and responding.

"You'll be with me, and she left the family a long time ago. She got away from it and can keep herself away just fine with her own strength and distance."

"But that still... What does that have to do with me?"

Damien chuckled slightly before responding, voice both serious and jovial in tone.

"I'd like to see someone try and force you into that now, let alone in a hundred years."

"Why?" she asked, still confused it seemed.

"Because if you didn't, I'd kill them."

The room went silent at his declaration, Damien's face losing its smile, and Alexa's eyes widening minimally. If she needed him to spell it out for her, he would.

"What?"

"If they tried to force you into that, populating the race or whatever with some random guy, I'd end him and anyone else who was willing to try."

"I would like to help as well," Kastra declared earnestly from the Celestial's neck.

Alexa looked down at Kastra before turning her gaze back to Damien in apparent shock, pushing him away from her slightly with her left hand while leaning against the counter again.

"Why would you say that?"

"You need to ask? A woman I'm deeply in love with, who lives with me, spends her years, woes, excitement, love, and time with me, and then suddenly someone tries to come by to take her away to some baby-making operation against her will?" Damien shot back, taking a step rearward so he could meet her eyes properly.

"They would do it over our dead bodies," Kastra finished.

"It's not... You're in love with me?" she asked, trying and failing to hide the smile that started to bloom across her face.

"Of course I am. I thought that was glaringly obvious," Damien responded. "Are you not... do you not feel the same way?"

Alexa's mouth opened, her entire face sporting a grin, before she clamped it shut, stayed quiet for a moment, seemingly thinking over her answer. Finally after around twenty seconds, her face composed and she responded, looking off to the right.

"I thought it was just familial love a-"

"Seriously?" Damien interrupted. "Don't play dumb, as if I can't feel what you do, Alexa. The way you lose control of your close guard on your emotions when we kiss and the sheer amount of times you pinned me to the ground while communed both say more than enough."

She glared back at him.

"It's hard to control myself when I'm in that state. It doesn't mean I love you. I have a responsibility. Even if I do love you, it wouldn't matter. We can be together if you like but when I turn one hundred I have a-"

"That is not going to happen," Damien said, eyes narrowing. "Do you honestly think I would ever be ok with that? With any of this? Would you be ok with it if the same conditions were forced onto myself? Onto Kastra?"

"That's..." she started, pausing while dropping his gaze yet again. "Regardless, that's why it doesn't matter how I feel. This can't happen," Alexa declared. "Plus, with how much you've been seeing Gianna I'd think it wouldn't matter."

Damien scoffed, turning around while taking a step to lean onto the counter behind him while shaking his head.

'God we've been so stupid.'

Horrible decisions were made. They slept together, kissed often, were always by each other's sides... They'd felt like a family already to him, and he'd assumed they'd not need absolute confirmation of where this was going until very recently when Jasmine and Gianna had planted a seed of doubt in his mind.

"Her and I are clearly just friends, if even that. If you don't want me seeing her as often, just say the word. And why did you even ask to be allowed into the pact then if this was going to be an issue?" Damien asked, turning around to lean on the counter again and meet Alexa's upset expression.

"I was young. It was a mistake. You made me feel loved. Like I had a real family, and I felt like I'd lose you when I left for school," Alexa replied.

"You... You've thought about this a lot, haven't you? Why didn't you ever tell me any of this? Why does it even matter to you that much, this tradition? Why not just bow out of it if it's supposedly 'not against your will.'"

"My real family would disown me an-"

"So it is against your will then," he interrupted, throwing his arms up and raising his voice.

"Oh, shut up! It wouldn't be against my will; it's a tradition!" Alexa said, raising her voice and knife in exasperation. "I'm not going to give up my real family that will be alive long after you die just because you, her, and I love each other!" she yelled, pointing at him and her shoulder in turn. "It's a responsibility! I'm not your property, and I'll do whatever I damn well like! Stop acting like such a victim!"

"A victim?!" he replied incredulously, eyebrows raising as his hands and arms lifted to his sides. "I'm acting like someone who has been kept in the dark on the single most important thing you could have ever explained to me! Yet never once did you think to tell me any of this, the whole time we've been together?! No secrets!? I've told you EVERYTHING important to me about my life and decisions, yet the one who said we shouldn't keep secrets drops this on me now, randomly, as if it's not a big deal and act as if I'm the one who's being a dick?! 'Hey, heads up, I love you, but we can't be together because I'm going to go shag some guy when I turn one hundred because it's tradition, BUT DON'T WORRY, WE CAN KEEP UP THIS ACT UNTIL THEN!'" he yelled, stomach in knots as he once again turned back towards the counter.

"WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE THEN? IT'S NOT THAT SIMPLE!" she shouted at his back.

"I WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU! Before the pact. I would have explained how lonely it would all be when I left," he said, turning again to meet her teary eyes. "At least then I might not have fallen in love with you."

A few moments went by in silence before a tear finally broke away from her eyes, trailing down her cheek before breaking free, falling through the air. Like the signal for life to re-enter the kitchen, the patter from it hitting the tile set Alexa into motion as she slammed the knife into the wooden cutting board behind her and moved out of the kitchen.

"Fuck!" Damien exclaimed, spinning around again and slamming his hands on the edge of his preparing area.

Within seconds, his anger gave way to frustration and grief as he slid the meat off the counter into a hole for trash near the top of the counterspace.

"Because yelling ALWAYS helps the situation, you moron," he said, berating himself as he moved for the living room.

He pulled Piper and Emra out of his pockets and hugged them both to his chest as he sat down on one of the couches. Emra was shaking while Piper was just frozen in place, staring up at his father who sighed with them in his lap, resting his forehead in the palms of his hands.

"I'm so sorry guys. We didn't mean to scare you like that," he cooed, moving his arms to hug and pet them both. "I suppose it's just you two and me for Lover's day, then," he said with another chuckle as his heart twisted in his chest.

Maybe Kastra would be able to talk with her about it tonight, but more than likely she was just staying with Alexa to be there for her. Something Damien definitely couldn't do at the moment.

"I guess I could study all day, or right now," he said to himself as he called the notes he'd copied down from Gianna over to him, levitating them from where they'd sat on a corner of the table.

A few minutes of staring at the papers went by as he tried to read, re-reading the same sentence for over a minute. Before he knew it, he was tearing small pieces off the parchments that he didn't need and lighting them on fire, pulling at his hair, pacing around, and fidgeting with anything he could in the immediate area. After clenching his arm so hard while trying to focus that he started to bleed from his nails puncturing his skin, he dropped his head into his hands.

"Dammit..." he whispered.

His mind was a mess. Reading wouldn't distract him, and writing was no better. He'd soothed his pet's nervous energy and now they seemed to feel his distress, curling up around him while maintaining a calm presence. Unfortunately, they were serving as no real help as his mind refused to leave her face, playing over and over again her denying that any of this could ever work out. His heart continued to beat to the rhythm of pain as it shivered and churned inside his chest.

The night continued on as he spent it on the couch, tense and lonely in front of their fireplace. Moments of respite came from Kastra as she tried to soothe their minds with love, but he couldn't help but return to playing the conversation over and over in his mind. A cycle of berating himself for yelling, feeling betrayed, and his entire being feeling destroyed whenever he felt her crying upstairs kept him awake until finally, his body managed to somehow shut itself off.

"Why are you doing this?" Kastra asked.

The two were in their bedroom, laying on the oversized bed. Kastra had her back braced up against the headboard and was full size while Alexa was laying across her lap, crying while holding onto one of the books Damien had left strewn across the bed. Her wings were pressed tightly against her back and seemed to quiver with each of her sobs.

Alexa didn't respond to Kastra's question. She didn't have an answer, not one that couldn't be refuted by people that didn't understand how she felt.

It was apparent to everyone else what she should do, but they weren't in her shoes making the decision. If she didn't consider the future, it was obvious how she should act in this situation, what she wanted to do, but that would be another decision made in youth that could lead to another instance like this, as the pact had been.

She wanted to regret ever having entered the pact, but couldn't bring herself to. Thinking about not having done it made her stomach curl on itself worse than everything else already was.

She didn't understand what she wanted herself ultimately. This, his family, Kastra... everything was so worth it here, yet give up her family for him? Her lineage? Her thoughts were in disarray, her heart hurt, and her body would not. Stop. Crying!

"I... don't know... what to do," she eventually pieced out, wiping at her tears and sniffling through it.

"You don't have to decide on your own either, Lexi. You have me, you have Damien, you-"

"You are both... going to say the same thing though," she said back. "No one... underst-"

"Then go to Gallion. He's a Celestial, isn't he? Why not ask his opinion?" Kastra questioned. "He might have a unique perspective."

Alexa's mind seemed to go on hold for a moment as she considered the suggestion. Sure, it was an option. She'd thought about getting his help before on this, but the man was hardly the serious type. He only seemed to get real with her or anyone around them when she was crying for whatever reason.

He was one of her best friends though, and she was currently in tears. Maybe now was the perfect opportunity to go bug him. To get an unrelated opinion on the matter.

Alexa eventually nodded and stumbled to her feet, dragging Kastra behind her as she headed for the window. The Fae was a bastion of love and support no matter how Alexa had screwed things up in the past, and it hadn't changed now. She wouldn't be going anywhere without her.

"I didn't mean right now," Kastra exclaimed as Alexa hugged her tight and wobbled for the window.

"It has to be now," she declared, wiping her face again as she opened the shutters and window. "He's weak... to tears."

She hugged Kastra tighter to her body and lept out, opening her wings as they began to descend and flapping them, soaring into the night sky.

A brief few seconds went by before they were approaching Gallion's residence. It was one of the largest Platinum homes, almost as large as theirs, due to his petition for community and clan housing. It was also a Friday, so as always, there was a large party interrupting the night's usual silence. Lights, music, and shouts of joy emanated from the many windows and large backyard. Something large that looked like it might be a couch was on fire in the front yard as well.

Alexa sent out a scan of the residence and dove for his room on the upper floor where she'd found him. She manipulated a wall of sorts out of slushy ice and slammed through his shutters, her wall absorbing the different pieces of debris and stopping them from flying everywhere. She settled on the floor with her feet and worked her wings too regain her balance, letting Kastra go and taking in the surroundings.

"Well that was a very unique entrance," Gallion stated, bare ass facing Alexa as he looked back over his shoulder at her from his knees. "Ladies, and gentleman, as much as I hate to say this, I believe I'll have to ask you to leave so I can attend to the only one here crying tears of GRIEF, not joy," he said, looking to the two women and man before him, then back to Alexa. "Stop staring darling; I'll think you want to join in."

He very, very slowly began to move his wings over his butt as the three before him removed themselves from the various positions they were in, hanging off his body. Alexa turned around in a hurry.

"Clothes and... I'm sorry... for interrupting," she got out, wiping her face and sniffling once again.

She heard sounds of water running and felt the room get very humid. A few seconds went by when Gallion called for her to turn back around and when she did, he had only his pants on. His body looked red, like he'd just showered, and his arms were held out to the sides.

"Come here sweetheart; daddy knows you need to talk. You've taken too long to come here already," he said in his usual deep tone, void for once of any sarcasm or malice while smiling sadly at her.

She sniffled and nodded, moving forward to hug him as she let her grief out into his shoulder.