There was a note taped to the window. Zyn could see it from Von's bed, which smelled faintly of lavender and faintly of sunshine on a cloudy day in July. Von had left for work over an hour ago; he'd be seeing Cata and Ari'i at the office, and the three of them would probably talk about last night in hushed whispers over coffee, or, in Ari'i's case, that expensive chai stuff she liked. They'd talk about him in hushed whispers over caffeine and stale office danishes.

But then he remembered the blank horror in Ari'i's eyes when Imbrium materialized, and the catatonic cast to her stare when it was over. She probably wouldn't be showing up at work today- nor would Cata, with a broken arm and a puncture wound that had only by chance avoided her internal organs. Even with Nocturne holding her together, she wouldn't be able to walk today. They were all separated today. The thought sent a flare of panic straight to the back of his mind, where ancient memories and ancient fire slept. Moero whispered something in his sleep, then subsided. Zyn concentrated on his breathing until he felt it safe to think again.

Eventually, he would have to let Moero wake up. Moero was the only one who truly knew who he was, both before Imbrium had taken away "Zyn Margols" and replaced him with someone else, and before...

Von remembered the most- he remembered Binzel and Mikrel, the swamp and the vampires, the nobles and the assassinations. He also remembered the day Aleksandyr Vassa arrived at his door, and the day he died. All he'd said was that Gavin and Aleks had been friends- but beyond that, he would say no more. Von remembered the most, even tough he'd been introduced the most recently to the truth behind all the strangeness. It was odd, but Von was older, and wiser, in his disarmingly absentminded way- and, perhaps it was simply that he was Von, and in the short time that he'd known the other man, Zyn had grown to understand that you took Von for granted and didn't question these things. Zyn had far too many questions, though.

Zyn's thoughts turned towards the slightly uncomfortable subject of the pictures- they were everywhere in the apartment. Pictures of Von and other people, laughing women and grinning men. "Old girlfriends," Von had said flippantly. "Old boyfriends," somewhat less flippantly.

He wasn't sure what bothered him the most; the sheer number of pictures; the very fact that there were pictures, displayed prominently all over the apartment; or the fact that a good half of them were pictures of men. Zyn wondered if Cata would be disappointed- it was obvious, the way she followed Von around, the way she fawned over his words. There was a memory that wasn't his- it was something that belonged quite unmistakeably to Aleks, that involved a boy beaten bloody to the edge of consciousness and a sword and a shoulder offered to lean on, to cry on. Von refused to answer any questions about Gavin and Aleks, the same way he refused to answer any questions about the people in the pictures.

Moero would know, but Zyn couldn't take the risk of speaking to the demon- not here, in Von's apartment. Not in a place filled with memories and flammable materials. Not without Imbrium and Umbra to stand guard, and not without Cata. When the others were ready to face him again, and he could count on their protection, then he would speak to the shadow creature. But not before. Not until they forgave him.

There was still a note taped to the window; Zyn forced himself out of bed. Lavender had always made his nose itch. The view from Von's window was spectacular. It was easy to forget that he was a partner in his law firm, and not the flighty accountant he frequently resembled. The University quad stretched out beneath him, looking like a handful of jewels thrown haphazardly across a sheet of emerald velvet. To one side, the sprawl of the city meandered comfortably along the river. Zyn pulled the piece of paper off the window.

Luck was never your strong suit. It wasn't Von's disorganized scrawl- the handwriting was neat, clipped, authoritative, and frighteningly familiar.

Luck wasn't his area of expertise. That was Von's place, with Umbra. Strength and stoicism were Cata's and Nocturne's, while emotion and manipulation were Imbium's, and now Ari'i's.

Below, on the quad, one of the old university buildings blossomed into a rose of debris and destruction and dirty black smoke. He could hear the screaming from Von's window. Zyn sank to his knees and covered his face. Luck wasn't his strong suit, but destruction was.

Cata, I'm sorry...
---------------

Song of Shadows stuff. Poor, poor Zyn- he gets just as abused as Aleks, only he doesn't have anyone like Gavin to fall back on when things go to hell. About the relationships; Aleks and Gavin weren't lovers, and Zyn and Von won't be anything more than friends. In the Praelude, Giselle wanted Sable who wanted Gavin who wanted Aleks who married Giselle. Aleks was never quite sure who or what he wanted, which is why he ended up miserable and lonely with Giselle. Love polygons. Ain't they great? In the second part of the story, the relationships will work themselves out, somehow. Zyn and Cata will end up together, though it may take a very, very long time. Not sure what Von or Ari'i will end up doing- Von will almost certainly remain single, since he's incapable of maintaining a relationship with anyone (hence all the pictures- Von has so. many. issues.) Ari'i...I dunno. Maybe she'll find herself a nice boy to chain to her bed and keep in a leather collar; that's the sort of thing she'd do, just for kicks. (They all have so. many. issues.) Maybe Imbrium will find some much needed mental stability in her. Who knows.

Zyn's such an angsty little fuck up, though...there's just so much that's wrong with him!

...there's chocolate on my sleeve, and I'm going to be sick if I so much as look at another pretzel any time soon. Blaaaaarg.