My damn vision's too blurry. I can't see what's going on. Luckily Reality's Edge Purification may not be passive but it's mostly subconsciously controlled when I'm using it on myself. I can barely think straight. What the hell was that needle coated in? The only thing I can figure out for sure is that it wasn't meant to kill me. They were trying to kidnap me?

As Wren struggled with the toxin inside, the surrounding area was filled with shouting and the sounds of dull thumps. It took a moment for him to realize that the warbled image of Rohn was pantomiming to be let out of the air shell of his tulpa. Something that Wren was more than happy to do since the exaggerated use of his power was draining his AE at an alarming rate.

Goofy dude, you could have just pushed through it. That wall of wind might look impressive but other than sliding you a bit it's just flashy bluff. Now, if I had some metal shavings...have to file that thought.

Wren's eyes started clearing some by the time he replaced his air tulpa for water with a whisper of, “ I choose you, Squirtle!”, surrounding himself with wild twists of water ribbons. The visible display of liquid defying physics had the, only half intended, result of immediately stopping the altercation and brought all focus onto Wren. The sudden glaring silence was a jarring contrast.

Under Wren's sharpening sight, the ninja knock-off that had previously been engaged with the old man, had his head surrounded by a globe of water that fell from the vaulted ceiling as he attempted to melt back into the shadows. The second aggressor, that Rohn had earned a shallow cut across his chest from, was currently on his knees silently enduring small rolling beads of moisture that left dozens of bloody scrapes all over his body. A third, who had seemed to content himself with observation, slipped from his hidden perch and landed awkwardly on his side.

An unmistakable baritone of mass destruction intruded into Wren's thoughts, “Here I am, making your small deception into truth. If you have no intention of dealing decisively with malcontents don't draw my name or reputation into your actions. If a similar situation happens again I may contrive to allow you some suffering before coming to your aid, least you believe that you may hide your actions behind my threat.”

In tandem to Wren releasing his tulpa, the other supernaturally active water returned to normal as well. Taking this for a sign that whatever punishment was being meted out was done, Observer and Bloody scrambled back to their feet with muffled groans. Water ball guy, however, continued to lay unmoving on the ground. When the two relatively ambulatory offenders saw their companion's condition the two wordlessly looked at each other before moving to pick him up.

In that short time, old man river drowned one. Damn, he doesn't play. Wait, unless he busted dude's lungs, CPR should be able to bring him back. They're not even gonna try? Should I care? The least I can do is try to clarify something before letting the guy, who was probably the one who darted me, enter permanent corpse status.

Wren said, “Wait, aren't you going to try to revive him?”

“As our master commanded, we were to test the protection of The Riverson upon you and Eldest Suncave. Our resulting punishment for doing so is not unjust,” Observer said.

“Well said,” chimed the blood thirsty Grand Teacher.

“Agreed,” added Rohn, still shaking from adrenaline fueled anger.

“And if I tried to save him?” said Wren uncertainly.

“Then it would be you who would be risking the wrath of The Riverson if he disagreed with your actions, making this boy your ward and responsibility should you succeed as I doubt Grimshadow will be wanting to take anymore risks by accepting anything other than the corpse of his pawn, if that was the result of our guardian's design,” the Grand Teacher grumbled, looking incredulously at Wren as if uncomprehending of why he would even ask such a thing.

Wren agonized over his choice for a split second more before striding over to the drown man while saying, “Let him down on his back. Those of you unfamiliar with the technique for reviving a drowned person give me space but observe.”

As Wren went through the motions of CPR the Grand Teacher muttered under his breath still loud enough for all present to hear, “ Ah, yes. So this is what the old texts meant by 'beseeching the breast to rise while bestowing the kiss of life'.”

Were you reading a medical journal or Victorian smut, old man?

When Wren was about to reach the point where he felt he had done enough to quiet his conscience, the now confirmed needle tosser started spluttering and coughing up mucous laced water with faint traces of pink in it.

Damn, you really stuffed that water in there hard, Glaucous.

“This isn't necessarily bad. As long as you bring that one back for me to question then I'll not hold slight against you for circumventing my justice, Wren,” Glaucous interjected in Wren's mind.

Wren mentally shot back, “Not to sound unappreciative of your intervention on my behalf because I appreciate the hell out of it. But if it comes to a matter of justice, since it was my neck with the needle sticking out of it, I say let bygones be bygones if he walks the line from here on out. Go easy on the kid.”

“Failed or not, you were not his only target and he is 19, three years beyond majority in this culture. Still, I can concede mercy out of gratitude as long as Eldest Suncave releases claim against him.”

Sigh, why you gotta be so mean dude?

Wren decided to throw a touch of healing towards the young man's lungs as he rolled the still gasping and spitting drown victim on his side, not missing the brief look of relief and envy the Observer gave Needles before hobbling away with the aid of Bloody.

“Alright, now I think we're ready to go Rohn. See ya soon teach,” Wren said, before he dropped the still dazed assailant onto the summoned Spectral Transport along with a shoulder strapped lock-box of reference material, casually strolling towards their temporary home.

Rohn took a few half jogging steps to catch up to Wren and said, “You are taking this whole series of unfortunate events rather well. Were you expecting all this?”

“Well, Lemony Snicket, I was expecting something to happen but it's not like I can see the future. To be honest, ever since opening my eyes in an unfamiliar underground city, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. That conflicting feeling hasn't faded with time,” Wren said, gingerly picking the dangling needle out of Rohn's skin before continuing, “Something that would help me stay on the positive side of my delicate emotional equilibrium would be hearing you say that you'll give this little guy a chance to make up for his mistake.”

“Showing kindness to your enemies is an unkindness to one's self, Wren”

“That's just the thing good brother Rohn. I'm pretty certain our buddy here has never had a chance his entire life to make such a weighty decision as who his enemies and allies are. Besides, The Riverson wants to ask him a few questions anyway, giving you plenty of time to consider if you don't mind seeing all my effort to save his life wasted or not. No pressure, but I'm hoping to hear good news from you.

“So, young hidden weapons master, are you recovered enough for a little casual conversation?” Wren turned to Needles, who was in the process of sitting up. “How about we start with something simple, your name perhaps?”

Looking lost and in the throws of the emotional numbness indicative of shock the young man responded, “Shadow 11-14.”

“Um, is there a story that goes with that, er, name Mr. 14?” said Wren, perplexed.

“This one is, was, a senior trainee of house branch, Shadow. This one is the fourteenth born of the eleventh generation. If this one's mission had been completed to the satisfaction of this one's batch progenitor, the one who...who fell, then it would have been possible to inherit the name of the one who once held whatever position placed. T-that is no longer p-possible,” said the young man, beginning to tremble, the edges of panic clawing at his numb composure.

“Hey, hey now. Things may look unclear at the moment and uncertainty of what lies in the future is the burden of every self-aware being still breathing that I have ever met. The way I've found that helps, in times like these, is focusing on what you do know and doing what you can do. Grab a hold of the chances and choices given to you and never stop looking out for opportunities to make things better.

“Let's start with a name. You're, you're father, and damned what your rotten dick of an ex-master wants to label him, was relieved to see you alive and I think he'd be happy to see you have your own name. Besides who wants a name that's more of a label for a disposable resource that simply needs to be replaced after it's used up. Might as well be called washrag or itch-cream.”

“It was the only dream this one had.”

“You now have the chance to dream bigger, if you can find the courage to.”

“ This one does not know, a name-”

“Tell you what. How about we just call you Grimalkin for now. If later, you find the name doesn't suit you or you discover a name you like better then you just tell me, us, at that time.”

“What does this one's, Grimalkin's, name mean?”

“In the old language from which it came it means 'Gray Cat'. It's a magical being known for being very picky about it's companions. To have a grimalkin choose you was considered greatly fortuitous and others who saw a such a person knew them to be wise, trustworthy and loyal to their friends, for a grimalkin would choose no less. For the creature itself, it was considered nearly impossible to catch and could not be seen at all unless it wished to be. It's needle like claws were a scary thing, In and of themselves.

“Such a name, it seems too great of a thing for this one to bear.”

“A good name should carry the hopes of the giver and represent something grand for a person to aspire to. If you find the name suits you, in the future I could easily envision you saying, 'The name's Gimalkin but my friends call me Gray'. It may be hard for you to see it now but that is the hope that I place in the name I give to you.”

“This o- Grimalkin will think on this.”

Rohn deeply sighed, “If you are set on your decision to take him in to your family then so be it, as long as...Grimalkin, causes no harm to my family. The grievance between us is not so great I cannot let it go but I will not forget and the path to earning trust will not be an easy one.

The rest of the journey back passed in silence. Each, deep in thought. Each for a different reason.

***

After all that had happened that day on their outing it was decided that the rest of the day would be left to rest and recover. Rohn took the teaching materials with a request for Wren to meet his children the next day and went to attend his mother after leaving a parting shot of, “ I truly desire that future days we spend in each other's company do not pass in such a labored manor. I feel similarly to what I do after having been on a week long run with my band!”

A plump and sassy house maid took upon herself the completely unnecessary duty of leading Wren and Grimalkin to the double doors that marked the entrance to Suncave. Though Wren himself was spared much of her chatter, poor Grimalkin was subjected to a great deal of inane banter and subtle flirtation he was in no frame of mind to process, much less participate in but since it didn't seem to cause him any discomfort, Wren didn't interfere. Considering the upcoming meeting with The Riverson, anything capable of distracting Grimalkin for even a moment longer was a blessing.

As the unintentionally vicious woman threw open the Suncave doors, Grimalkin let out a particularly misery ridden hiss worthy of his namesake. This prompted Wren to craft a crude and flimsy set of John Lennon inspired, silver wire framed sun glasses with violet quartz lenses and made a vague promise of a better pair at some later date. Fitting the frame around Grimalkin's ears Wren took a moment examine this sudden addition to his retinue's features.

Being an inch or two shorter than Wren instantly ingratiated Grimalkin to him by a few degrees. The ears could have passed for human if not for the sharp points being over accentuated by backwards 's' shaped edges. The skin had a peculiar textured gray rather than uniform, comprised of granules in lighter and darker tones that didn't seem to stay stationary. If one didn't pay too close attention, such an effect could easily pass as an optical illusion but Wren's intuition was hinting at other ideas.

The boyish features and hard trained, gymnast frame hidden underneath the slightly baggy cloths gave off a deceptively nonthreatening vibe. Something Wren believed to be entirely intentional.

Wren gave Grimalkin a little time to adjust to the midday brightness before leading the way up the path, suppressing the urge to smirk as his new companion fiddled with the spectacles.

As Wren made his way around the Sun Shelter Gazeebo he spotted a spirited Lilly engaged in a lively discussion with two red sash and one brown sash women while an unobtrusive Jaden, who had a particularly abandoned look to him, sat on the circular bench slightly behind her. After making a conspiratorial shushing motion at Gray he listened in.

“So, where you come from, it is commonly accepted that with the proper tools and education any woman or man, outside of childbirth, can equally excel at any given task?” said the nearest red sash.

“Absolutely Liita, though there are obviously some that disagree, no one in any position of importance would dare voice an opinion to the contrary for fear of repercussion.” said Lilly.

Liita added, “And if I and Bress-” Litta gently grasped the hand of the fair-skinned red sash beside her, “decided that we wished to share our lives without the presence of a man in our household, this would be allowed?”

“I'm not going to go so far as to say there wouldn't be some difficulties but the law protects the right to do so and disallows withholding the ability to seek employment, housing or any other right enjoyed by any other citizen, including the right to adopt which we discussed earlier,” Lilly said enthusiastically.

“Tis a shame we could not be born in such a place, Liita.” Bress lamented.

As if waiting for this very phrase, Lilly hit the table with her fist as she passionately declared, “You can say it's a shame or in future celebration you can say that you and others like you were the first to start the long but worthwhile fight to win such liberties for yourself and those who follow you!”

The meek brown robe, briefly emboldened by Lilly's declaration said, “But how do we begin?”

“As all journeys do, with a single determined step followed by another till you reach your destination or pass the torch to another if you grow too weary to continue and take solace that the steps you took forged an easier path for others to follow, allowing them to venture further.” interjected Wren before continuing, “ I apologize for interrupting your fruitful discussion, Lilly but may I borrow brother Jaden?”

“ Oh, certainly. Assuming you wish to go Jaden?” Lilly sprouted a nearly mean-spirited smile.

Adopting a somewhat genuine, despite what must have been a harshly world shaking discussion, look of reluctance, Jaden said, “As much as it pains me to part from you, perhaps I should see what brother Wren desires of me. I-you, the things that I have heard you talk about today have given me much to think about. I am grateful that you have shared so much with me and given me the opportunity to see the world as you do. I-I will treasure that.” Jaden finished with a soft, guileless smile before excusing himself.

As the three men walked away, although Wren almost played it off as his imagination, he could have swore he heard Lilly say, “That's not fair.” before launching back into her discussion, 'So what are the three of you's thoughts on the ending of the caste system in India that we were talking about earlier?”

Despite what must have been a grueling ordeal, Jaden had nothing but praise for Lilly on their walk to the Riverside Pavilion. In fact, he had nothing but praise for Lilly to say at all. By the time they had reached their destination, Wren had begun regretting his rescue attempt as Jaden obviously hadn't suffered enough and likely would only be too eager to rejoin the egalitarian philosophy hell Wren so generously tried to pull him from.

Glaucous, dressed like a prince at leisure from some wuxia period drama, approached the three with casual and dignified strides.

Still counts as a slow motion entrance. This might be a dangerous thought to be having in front of an entity that could end me in or maybe even with a breath but dude, SME's are for beautiful teenagers and cheesy super villains. When grown ass men do it, it kinda comes off either tacky or pretentious. Did he just stumble a little bit? Hey, not my fault. I have the shield up and everything so if he heard me that means he's eavesdropping and thought policing is a crime.

Briefly gifting his son an affectionate gaze and distinctly ignoring Wren, Glaucous honed in on Grimalkin. What ever interaction was occurring between the two was being done on the mental plane, leaving Wren and Jaden as passive observers. That is, until Wren noticed a thin trickle of blood leaking from Grimalkin's nose and the building look of fury on Glaucous's face. Building up his courage, and what little psychic geek muscle he possessed, Wren slammed down a wobbly slab of psionic force between the two.

Damage Inflicted: 3% Astral Body [Integrity 96%]

Discovered: Rudimentary Psionic Sever- disrupt persistent psychic connections, chance of self injury

As Grimalkin crumpled like a puppet with his strings cut, Wren awkwardly caught him, a little jelly kneed himself.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! He looks pissed...

Glaucous, who was releasing a faint trace of killing intent, turned his furious attention to Wren and said, “Do I need to teach you your place? You are presuming much on the suffering of my gratitude.”

Wren, understood that the situation wasn't good. His logic and cowardice tried to tell him the best course of action would be to submit and attempt to explain after Glaucous calmed down. Unfortunately Wren's bruised pride and trampled dignity were submission holding his patience and understanding. The rising tight ball of stress and anxiety built up over the last three days came bubbling up through his throat along with a bit of stomach acid.

“Does this weak and inexperienced person, oh mighty and powerful Riverson, need to teach you your place!? Or do you get a kick out of scrambling a kid's brains and having an entire civilization tremble in fear of your wrath. Perhaps that's exactly what your brother had in mind when he asked you to watch over his descendants.” At that point, if Glaucous wasn't too shocked at the little ant to squash him yet, Wren would have never had the chance to say, “Sure, some of them have wronged you and continue to wrong you but has Grimalkin personally wronged you? Have hundreds of red and brown sash citizens personally wronged you? We may be beings who ordinarily would be beneath your notice but we have our own thoughts and feelings, our own hopes and dreams. So if all we are to you, all we're worth, are toys to amuse yourself with when you deign to even notice us then stop hiding behind noble concepts like love, duty and gratitude. Just simply be the ugly tyrant, the blood thirsty god of this anthill. There's no one here you need please but yourself, no one you need answer to but your own conscience. The rest is a farce and even if it kills me I won't cater to it!”

“I can't keep this up. It's wearing me out,” as the indignation burnt itself out all that remained was the fear, anxiety and self-pity that Wren had been repressing for the last three days “I was pulled apart and put back together. I died, technically twice. My whole world, any and everything known and familiar, has been lost to me. And now? Now what little good I've managed to accomplish, what little purpose I'm trying to give myself, outside the ones forced down my throat, could be snatched away, scattered and made meaningless by you. It would take no more than a flip of your hand, a thought. This is my place, Riverson, and that is yours.”

Hot, shameful tears burned down Wren's face as he picked up Grimalkin and made his way to the pavilion. After dumping Grimalkin into the smaller of the two beds of the partitioned rest area and running a trickle of healing energy through their heads to smooth the stressed and damaged blood vessels, Wren wearily climbed into the other. More asleep than awake, in a moment that he wouldn't consciously remember the next day yet would remain, a cool hand gently brushed his aching brow as a soothing sensation penetrated his mind and spirit.

“I'm sorry little one,” a deep, soulful voice said.