For once, Cacopheny bypassed the front door and went straight to his bedroom. The cool darkness inside was so much more comfortable than a lighted kitchen, after what had to be at least three hours spent in a too-bright cathedral, and the privacy and familiarity of his own space was comforting. And the house was empty, so he didn't even have to deal with trying to talk to anyone, in any language, until someone got home and decided to investigate why his door was shut when he was supposed to be out.

Well, anyone except shadows, who had plenty to say, themselves. And rather than listen to it, Cacopheny fled that, as well.

By the time Akija got home-- and the silent shadow that accompanied the opening and closing of the front door proved that it was Akija-- it was the nameless one who was out and prowling the bedroom restlessly, muttering random curses under his breath while the rest complained and growled in the background of his scattered throughts.

Hey, Akija's home.

You gonna say hello, or what?

"Nope. Fuckers."

Oh, stop it, moron.

She'll worry if we're locked in here and don't come out.

"Oh, yes, let us out. Yes. Go find that little brat. Yes."

No.

There were some kitchen sounds, but no Akija coming knocking.

Making dinner, I suppose.

Claws, do we have to go out and be friendly?

Maybe she'd bring it in here.

"Boring, boring, boring."

Well, then we'll go out and eat with the rest of them.

"Don't wanna."

But you said--

Tek, you really need to stop trying to reason with him.

Sometimes I think you're as hung up on logic as Genner is.

... Akija's... home?

"Aw, thought you were sleeping."

Well, hiding, but that's close enough, eh, mutt?

Shut up... is she or isn't she?

"Is she or isn't she what?"

Home, Cacopheny clarified.

"What about home?"

Is she here?

"Is who here?"

Akija!

"What about her?"

Yes, mutt, Akija's home, Araski interrupted before Cacopheny could get even more frustrated. And making dinner, from the sound of it.

She didn't come to say hello?

She probably thinks you're asleep.

I was....

"Just not the rest of us!" the nameless one cackled.

We really need to name him something, Tiger grumbled. Since he doesn't answer to "hey, you".

You think he'd answer to anything we gave him?

... probably not. But it'd make me feel better, dammit.

How about "cracked pot"?

Haha. Fitting, but no.

Can I have my body back now?

"Awww. Don't wanna."

Of course you don't want to.

Who ever does?

Move, you--

"I am moving! See? See?" One arm waggled out in front of him, and he giggled. "Moving a lot! Moving is fun. You people and your hiding and not moving, it's boring boring bor-- ack!"

A momentary internal scuffle later, during which Cacopheny wound up thumping his back uncomfortably hard against the corner of the dresser in a rather vicious twitch, he slumped against the wall, once more properly in control of his body. He was unaccountably out of breath, though, and took a moment to check himself over to make sure no one had hurt anything-- besides his back, which he imagined would bruise up brightly-- while he'd not been paying attention. Everything seemed whole.

Fuck you! It's not fair! I haven't been out in ages! I could have said hello! You didn't have to--

"Someone put a gag on him, or something," Cacopheny growled, and opened the door after running his fingers through his hair irritably.

Akija noticed almost immediately: as soon as the door clicked shut behind him, she looked over her shoulder at him briefly before getting back to whatever she was cooking. "Hey," she said warmly.

Rather than answer, Cacopheny came into the kitchen and, though careful not to disrupt her tossing of something--

Chicken?

Mushrooms?

Oh, claws, is she making that horrible pasta thing?

Shut up, I like the pasta thing!

Me, too!

--slipped an arm around her from behind. "Herro," he said into her hair, shutting his eyes. It was even further relief to simply not worry about his accent at all.

She rested her head against his arm briefly. "You sound beat," she observed.

"Ssat is von vay to say it," he agreed. "How did you sssstand me, bevore?"

"Stand you?" she repeated with what sounded like fond amusement. "Funny, I thought I was the one folks can't stand sometimes, what with the pest-like tendencies towards people I'm trying to make friends of."

He tried to smile back at her sideways smirk and the half an eye turned his direction, but he was just too tired.

"Didn't go so well?" she asked.

"He vas-- he's so afraid of me. It's-- it's-- veird. I ton't like it."

Akija's snort and frown on his behalf always made him feel a little better. "Is there not going to be a second lesson, then?"

"Oh, I am goingk back tomorrow," Cacopheny sighed. "I ssink is jzust because I told him to. If I order him arrrround, he toes ssingks. If I trrry to be nice, ssen, he kets effen more nerfous. And he vines so mutch!"

For a moment, Akija just pushed the meat and mushrooms around the skillet, probably thinking. "Did you get anything accomplished with him today?" she asked next. "When'd you get home?"

"I... am not sure," he admitted, resting his cheek on the top of her head and gazing into the skillet without really looking at it. "Zhadows been out vor a vile. I only jzust got myself back ven I heard you vere home. But we got ssrough sse alphabet and how to put a sentence tokesser. But I ssink I'm koingk to have to teatch him how to rrrrread, and ssen let him rearn new vords on his own, vonce ve get ssrough how to conjz-- con-- tchange verbs arround."

She turned the heat off, freeing up one hand and trailing it up to his cheek and what of his hair she could actually reach.

Stupid hair, Tiger muttered.

Cacopheny ignored him, and shut his eyes with a little sigh as she spoke: "It's a good thing you're trying t'do here, and I really hope it works out, I do-- it's only been one lesson, after all, so it still could. But don't try to force it if all it ends up doing is stress you out more, okay?"

"I might not have mutch of a tchoissse, if it does not ket better...." He opened his eyes and lifted his head, looking down at her worriedly. "Akizja, zhoult I tell him? About my zhadows?"

"I don't know," she said with an uncertain tilt to her head. "Do you think you should? Do they want t'talk to him, too?"

"D'pends on vitch von you mean, and d'pends vat you mean by 'talk'," Cacopheny answered unhappily. "I jzust ton't vant ssem making ssingks vorse, but I'm afraid telling him vill make ssingks vorse. How do you tell somevon you are--" He paused, avoiding the first word that came to mind, and settled on, "crowded?"

She smirked a little at him, good-naturedly. "You told me just fine, when you decided you needed to--"

To someone who already liked him, wasn't afraid of him, and thought everyone else was mean for not liking him, Tiger commented with a smirk of his own. Oh, yes, very similar situation.

Shut up, in there.

"--though I wouldn't suggest shadow-walking him t'yer room."

"Oh, claws, no," Cacopheny agreed with a shudder, imagining the panic that would ensue. Worse, he expected, than his panic at the time at accidentally bringing her along, to begin with.

"But... honestly, I don't know," she frowned. "On one hand, I guess you could try t'wait a bit, see if he calms down around you any and so might understand better when you try t'explain... or tell him, get it over with, and if it does make things worse-- and if the worst case is he doesn't want anything more t'do with you--" There was annoyance there, briefly, at the idea. "--then you won't have wasted more than one day trying to teach him?" She shrugged helplessly against his chest. "I don't know. I wish I did."

"I vizh I did, too," he sighed, and hugged her briefly tighter. "Ssank you, anyvay. Ve zhall see if he even comes tomorrow. Apparently his family vasn't very pleas't, eisser, and if he vent home and tolt ssem he tid not like me...." He shrugged a little, releasing her. "I vood not be surpris't if ssey talk him out of it."

"Dragons," she muttered, summing up several years' worth of rants about his treatment in their city with one word and a dirty look at the undeserving bag of noodles.

She is making pasta!

Mmmm.

"Dragons," he agreed with a little smile. Then, tired of the subject of dragons and half-dragons and lessons that went badly, he asked, "So. Can I help? Somessingk ssat von't end in burning or bleeding?"

"Noodle-duty?" she suggested with a snicker, holding the bag of noodles at him and shaking it. "Much as I wouldn't mind letting ya burn the hell outta Kenjista's steaks, we don't need to encourage her Highness's attitude."

Cacopheny laughed and took them from her. "Noodles it is, ssen."