Home was quiet. Sentio was at his job, Chario at his apprenticeship learning how to build things, Kenjista either with one of them or out on her own, as she often was these days, and Akija... somewhere.

Somewhere? Somewhere! Well, find her, dammit!

"Calm down," Cacopheny rumbled at Flash, stepping in through the door. He really did like coming in the door, rather than just appearing inside, no matter how much of the journey there had been made up of shadow-travel. "I'm sure she's here somewhere."

Can I show her?

What, you think you'll actually last long enough out there to do much of anything?

Tiger, be nice. If you want to, Glory, you can show her yourself.

"Excuse me," Cacopheny interrupted. "I'm the one with the body here. I get to say who shows who anything."

It's ours as much as yours, mutt.

Aww... Cacoph'ny, could I? Please?

How could you say no to that, mutt?

Well, she did sound awfully hopeful and sweet and cute. He sighed. "Just don't trip me over anything, all right?" The last time she got out, she kept barking his shins on things and banging his head on things and tripping over his own feet, because for some reason she thought he ought to be about three feet tall instead of over six.

I'll be good! she promised excitedly. I'll be careful and everything! Thank you!

His "you're welcome" was entirely silent, because Glory took over his voice as well as his body, and started bouncing happily and bounded towards the living room in search of Akija.

And she promptly tripped on a chair, sending it clattering over and nearly going with it. "Oops. Sorry."

"Coffee?"

Interrupted from trying to right the basket-chair by the very person she was in such a hurry to see, Glory called back, "No."

Uh, Glory?

"Well, uh. Sort of?" she amended when Cacopheny reminded her that he was, indeed, there, and that saying he wasn't in his own voice wasn't likely to convince anybody. She did finally get the chair up again, though it was off from its usual spot, as she was more interested in the direction that the sound of Akija's voice had come from: the kitchen.

But we just came from there.

She probably just came down the stairs, stupid.

In fact, there she was, clearly outlined at the foot of the stairs and smiling broadly. "Feeling too tall again, Glorrrry?" she asked cheerfully.

Glory grinned shyly. "I always do when they let me out. --Wow, is this what the short hair really feels like?" She'd absently tried to tuck it behind Cacopheny's ear, but it didn't quite reach.

Distractable brat, one of the other shadows snickered.

"Glorrry's no brat," Akija smirked, "and that harrrrdly even counts as shorrrrt, anymore."

"Well, shorter," Glory amended, but the nameless shadow had at least reminded her of her point for being out, and she started plucking at pockets. "Which one did you put it in?" she asked.

Right coat pocket, Cacopheny reminded her.

"Oh, right!"

"What do you have, Glorrry?" Akija asked, smiling.

"I have a story!" Glory exclaimed excitedly, beaming at her before getting back to that pocket. It sounded very strange hearing his own voice with that much innocent energy in it. "Well, there's a whole book of stories, but they didn't let me bring the rest. Jzenner wants to copy them out first. He's got the best handwriting."

It sounded even more strange hearing Glory also mispronounce Genner's name. Flash snickered and Cacopheny even had to remind himself not to chuckle and embarrass her.

It's disgustingly messy, Genner fretted as Glory pulled the folded pages out of his pocket, either making no comment on his name or just not noticing. I do hope you can actually read it.

"A demon-story?" Akija asked, coming closer to investigate. "You... actually translated something out? Orrr just wrrrote out a copy to brrrring home?"

"We translated it," Glory answered, suddenly shy again, hunching his shoulders and ducking his head as she held out the papers.

The whole damned book, Flash groaned. It was torture. And it wasn't even one of the interesting ones! Just a bunch of pups' tales.

"Aw, Cacoph'ny likes them, doesn't he?"

I wouldn't have spent all that time on them if I didn't, Cacopheny assured her absently, anxious that Akija not laugh at his poor attempt at a translation. Akija, I think Rrrao used to read these to me, before She got... well, bad.

He would have really liked to know what her shadow was saying, with that puzzled but thoughtful tilt of her head and briefly distracted expression, but Glory was the only one among them who didn't like listening to shadows, and as usual, she had muted any around her so she couldn't hear them. Which meant, since she was in control enough to do such a thing, none of the rest of them could, either.

At least the look only lasted a moment before she visibly switched mental topics and actually focused on the pages she'd taken. "A whole book," she marveled-- not laughing, or even looking displeased, at the messiness or handwriting-switching or even presentation of a pup's tale to read. "Wow. You all arrrrre way morrrre patient than I could everrrr be."

Even Glory blushed at that sort of praise. "Jzenner and Flash and Cacoph'ny helped a bunch."

Did not, Flash said hurriedly. He didn't actually like anyone knowing he had a soft spot for Glory; the other shadows couldn't help but know, but when anyone tried to mention it to anyone outside, he fiercely denied it. Did no such thing. I was dead bored, cuz it was dead boring.

Liar, Tek told him with a chuckle.

Flash growled at him.

"Well," Akija said, looking up with another grin, "let's sit and see what you brrrrought me, hmm?"

"Okay!" Glory chirped. That sounded even stranger than the excited innocence. She let Akija lead them by the hand over to the couch, where Akija sat and Glory tried a couple times to sit cross-legged and wound up nearly falling off the couch, losing her balance. "I wish you were smaller!" she pouted at Cacopheny.

Not much I can do about that, he apologized, trying not to sound amused or annoyed that she'd nearly given him a new set of bruises.

"Well, I like him tall," Akija chuckled, reaching up to brush back the hair that continually fell in his face, and her tone was fond enough to make him squirm happily inside-- since that was all he got, and she couldn't see it, anyway. "I'm used to him that way. --So, should I rrread this out loud?" she asked, giving not even a shadow time to comment on her moment of affection.

It might take you a few tries, if you did, Tiger put in, a smirk in his voice.

"Oh, but could you?" Glory begged breathlessly. "Nobody's read me anything in forever!"

As long as nobody minds her stumbling over the bad translation, Tiger snorted.

Apparently Akija didn't mind, because she did. 

The story was a simple one. He'd learned that Water demons-- "Shevran" demons, after their leader-deity, Shevre-- rarely left the oceans where they lived, except when commanded to by a deity or, even more rarely, because they needed or wanted something; most of their needs or wants were communicated through daemon or human intermediaries. That made them a bit mysterious. This was the only story in the whole book that featured a Shevran as the hero. As the lowest-ranked of the family, he was commanded to leave the dark underwater by the head female in search of a cleverly spelled item: a chain of gold that, when wrapped around one's horns-- Shevran demons had horns-- showed the wearer where there was a lie, deception, or illusion nearby. It had been stolen from his family, sold off, and in the possession if an unknowing Earth demon-- a Biran, after their lord-deity, Biarar.

So off he went, leaving his family and the oceanic city, exchanging it for the dark but drier underground, where it was dark enough for him to see comfortably-- apparent Shevran demons and Biran demons didn't like light, rather like how Cacopheny didn't like light; it actually hurt their eyes-- and where he had to deal with a huge family of Biran demons. The Shevran tried to persuade, bargain, trick, and ultimately-- and cleverly-- cheat the spell out of the Birans, who were portrayed as a bit stupid compared to his own brilliance and knowledge of how the chain itself worked.

The story ended with the Shevran demon returning to his city and presenting the chain to the head of his family and being rewarded by not only her, but the local Dark demon-- Zenitan, like Rao-- nobility, as well. There was no blood or death, just a lot of trickery, and there was a relatively happy ending. It wasn't Glory's favorite, but it wasn't her least favorite, either, and she sat quietly and happily through the whole reading. Cacopheny spent most of the time torn between acute embarrassment every time Akija stumbled over something or the wording he and the others had written came out sounding awkward, and trying rather desperately to remember-- as usual-- just why it sounded so familiar. He knew Rao had to have read it to him, because there simply wasn't another explanation, but he still couldn't actually recall it.

When it was over and Akija stopped reading, her first personal comment was a mildly surprised, "Huh. Nobody died."

It was one of the more boring ones, agreed Almadir restlessly.

"I like the ones where nobody dies best," Glory said. "Unless the ones who die were really mean-- there's one where a mean old black demon dies that's one of my favorites."

"Oh, I liked it, too," Akija assured her-- them. "Rrrreally, if you just took out the parrrts that tell about the charrrracterrrrs being demons, it could be a storrrry forr anybody, I think."

"We have more," Glory offered, smiling shyly.

They're not all as "sweetness and light" as this one, Almadir warned.

And I'm going to rewrite them first! Genner interjected huffily.

But if you'd like to read them, Cacopheny finished, relieved and pleased that it had gone so well, they're translated.

"I'd love ta!" she grinned, back. "Whenever Genner's done and even if they'rrrre rrreally violent orrr darrrk orrrr whateverrr. --Heh," she interrupted herself. "Now I rrrrememberrr one storrry about a daemon theif who gets mixed up with a demon and a drrrragon that used to always scarrre Aeta, even though we loved the way Pop told it." She snickered, and Glory giggled-- and the very unusual sound of it was so surprising to her that she actually gave up the body and left Cacopheny blinking in mild confusion as he found himself all the way it again.

"It was a fun sorrrrt of scarrry, though," Akija continued. "Don't suppose any of yourrrrs arrre like that?"

Oh, sure, Almadir shrugged, minus shoulders to shrug with.

Some, Glory said from the safety of somewhere behind Flash. Remind me not to do that again, 'kay?

Flash was too busy laughing to say anything. Cacopheny, grinning sheepishly and trying to figure out just how Glory had been comfortable with his foot twisted under him the way it had been, said, "I think Rrrrao scared me with a couple, but I think She twisted them around a bit. None of the ones we translated are really as bad as I remember."

I think you were just easier to scare, then, Almadir snorted.

Glory's receding left shadows audible again-- even a little over-loud. Even if he hated being bombarded with shadow-voices, at least he could hear Akija's say, Oh, goddess, little-boy Cacopheny scared of a story and hiding behind blankets? That is so cute and so silly and-- gah! and start giggling madly. He wasn't sure whether to be amused or embarrassed. At least Akija didn't laugh out loud, biting her lip and focusing intently on straightening out the papers he'd brought her again.

"Well," she managed after a moment, "whateverrrr the otherrrs arrre about, I'll look forrrward to rrrrreading them. It'll be neat, comparrrring them to all the storrrries I rrrrememberrrr."

"Maybe you can tell us some of them, too," Cacopheny suggested, reaching over to tuck wayward hair behind her perked ear.

A storytelling spree! the nameless shadow exclaimed.

She looked up at him with a lopsided grin. "If you'd like that, surrrre. We can trrrrade and take turrrrns, perrrrrhaps?"

Oh, I like that idea, Genner said with some enthusiasm.

"You are not allowed to take notes," Cacopheny told him, rolling his eyes ceiling-ward in his attempt to direct his order at the disembodied shadow.

I like more stories, Glory put in.

Now she actually did laugh. "That's what we'll do, then. And if you want a wrrrrriten verrrsion so bad, Genner, I'll see if I can trrrack down one of the books that gets handed arrrround the clan. Therrre's always some great-grandpa who took the time to wrrrrite down the storrries he told his kids."

It's a deal, then, Genner said, sounding quite satisfied. I would offer to shake, but....

"This will be interesting," Cacopheny chuckled, then aimed to catch one of her hands, himself. "Thank you."

The habitual gratitude fell from his tongue, but Akija accepted it as she usually did. She let him take her hand, even returned it-- and, to Genner's quite unexpected laugh, which sent him running back into further recess of the shared mind out of embarrassment at being caught being amused, shook it firmly. Cacopheny chuckled and willingly let her tug his arm over her shoulders as she leaned over against him.

"Welcome," she smiled.