Cacopheny watched Sentio disappear with a faintly puzzled expression. Chario's concerned and yet curious expression, and Akija's shadow murmuring awe and disbelief at the claw-marks, seemed to echo the sentiment, if less... violently. He didn't look that bad, did he? He glanced down at his own chest with a slight frown, caught himself as the gash along his shoulder tore open just a little more, and decided not to try that again. "It's not that bad," he grumbled, mostly to himself. "I've done worse." Had far worse done to him, in fact, but that wasn't pertinent, and he didn't particularly want to think about it, anyway, not while everything was comfortably quiet.

Once he'd actually resorted to claws, though, it really hadn't taken very much to shut things up.... Was that good, or bad? He didn't know.

"Um... anything I can do to help?" Chario asked awkwardly.

"Actually, yeah," Akija answered. "You can get me some warm water and a cloth."

"Got it," Chario replied, hopping up from his own basket-chair and disappearing into the kitchen. Cacopheny self-consciously wiped up one bloody drip with a finger and stuck the offending streak of red into his mouth.

"Ssey're clean," he protested faintly around the fingertip, as Akija started healing him again. "Ssssss'vat sse zhowver vas forrr."

She looked up after her first batch, and her shadow sputtered with both laughter and reproach, so that he could hardly understand it. Her expression was so mixed as to be unreadable, but she let escape an amused-sounding little snort. "Well, sure, but with them dripping, we need to clean that up, and you still left a smear."

He could have protested that he could deal with that, himself, as well, but he didn't bother. If she wanted to clean him up on top of healing him, well, who was he to complain? No one at all. Besides, Chario was already running the water for him, and she was back to her healing. It was different from when Chiya healed him, which happened close to all at once, rather than bit by bit. And Akija's healing felt a little different, too; warmer, maybe. Or maybe it was just because it was Akija, instead of Chiya. Given his choice, he thought he might choose Akija's method, even if it was slower.

"You know," he told her quietly as she worked and, for the moment, they were alone, "isssss not ssat I to not like you to touch me. I do. It vas jzust-- not goot, ssen."

For a moment, her shadow went silent as she looked up at him, blinking cutely as she tried to track the change of topic. He listened patiently while she thought back, first to her own thoughts, which she accurately deduced he'd heard her shadow wailing out quite loudly enough for him to hear, then to when he'd wriggled out of her relieved embrace that afternoon. The understanding, when it hit-- which it did, quickly and suddenly-- sounded like a bell had just vibrated in her shadow. With admirable self-restraint, she did not throw herself at him, now, to make up for the lack before-- though she obviously wanted to, he was grateful that she didn't; after all, he still hurt-- and just smiled, instead. It was a smile every bit as warm as her magic.

Then Chario came back with a soup-bowl of water in his hands, and a hand towel over one forearm, and the moment sputtered out. Cacopheny watched the human-formed Fire carefully put the bowl down beside her, watched her take the towel from him, wrapping it around her hand like a washcloth and dipping her covered fingers into the warm water. Chario wandered out, following Sentio, as she wrung it out again, and first carefully wiped away the smear of blood he'd left behind, then set to starting another healing, on that very cut.

"So just what was happening, then?" she asked casually.

Cacopheny paused before trying to answer. When he did answer, it was to temporize, looking away. "Ssssssssss. Hart to essplain."

I could "explain" it fine, Tiger murmured, the first sound out of the shadows since he'd resorted to blood to silence them.

You can't talk her language, Cacopheny protested. She doesn't know enough of our speech to understand what you'd say.

I could translate.

It would make her head itch.

I think you know exactly what happened, and you just don't want to tell her.

"That's not true," he muttered, stung.

If you don't try, I will.

Then why don't you?

Don't mind if I do.

He blinked, and then found he couldn't blink, with "himself" at a slight remove. Tiger, however, offered Akija a very mild glare, looking over his shoulder at her, as by that point she was healing the scratches on his back; he was too mellow at the moment for a real glare, at least, but even that was enough for her to lose her spell in surprise. "Because we were jealous, what else?" he said.

She gave another little start as she realized just who was talking. Oh, no, did I do the wrong thing, healing him? her shadow almost-whimpered. Akija never actually whimpered, she simply wasn't the type, but there was definite worry in the thought. When Tiger did nothing, however, except loft a brow at her, she settled again, pulled her spell back together and recast it. "Jealous?" she repeated, confused. "Of Fuego?"

"You were so interested in him," Tiger hissed with low-level irritation. "So fascinated. Bright and smiling and interested. Do all crazies fascinate you, or are we and Fuego special cases?"

Hey-- stop that, Cacopheny protested. She's not like that, you know that.

The words, however, brought a twinge of uncertainty, and since that was what Tiger sensed and reacted to, he made no apologies. Better to find out now, whelp, than later.

Akika lost her spell completely, then, but she retained enough magic that her shadow was still vocal enough that what she thought was obvious: surprise, first, as it sputtered nonsense; then disbelief, as it roundly denied such a thing; and finally, she settled on indignance that bordered on righteous fury. Her hands pulled back into her own lap, and she met Tiger's glare with one of her own. Her shadow was actually growling.

"You think I'm that shallow," she stated, voice flat.

Cacopheny would have started babbling apologies right then and there, if he'd had any control over himself. Tiger, however, wasn't one to back down. That had always been his worst trait, the one that had always gotten them into trouble. He spread his hands in a gesture both insolent and helpless at the same time. There wasn't-- quite-- a sneer in his voice, but the implication was definitely there, when he oh-so-innocently replied, "What's a shadow to think? You were all having such a fun time out there... laughing, getting close and cozy, getting invited on world tours...."

Akija was definitely bristling now, and her tail twitched back and forth in irritation. You're doing this on purpose, Cacopheny protested weakly.

"What's a shadow to care?" she hissed. "You all lurk in his head and I rarely hear a peep from any of you! So Aeta brings his new friend over and I like him too, big deal! But you attack him? Because you're jealous? Of an overgrown child? Because I'm paying attention to him? Why should--"

Except it wasn't just the shadows.

Akija broke off at the comment from her shadow, and Cacopheny winced without wincing. Don't bring me back into this, he moaned to himself. He didn't want her to turn her temper on him, now....

Coffee said "us". All of them, jealous.

She just closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, then let it out slowly. Tiger's self-satisfied, insolent expression faded into a sour frown when she asked, tensely but at least calmly, "Just what do you have to be jealous of?"

Tiger let go in a fit of sullen annoyance. You're no fun, he told her with a definite pout, and Cacopheny sunk back against the basket-chair, ignoring the sting of what wounds were left. It was only a little pain, after all. He rubbed at his eyes tiredly, and sighed, "I don't even know. Probably nothing. But we were."

Language, Genner reminded him absently.

Araski tsked. She knows enough to translate that much.

There was a moment of vocal silence, though Akija's shadow wasn't exactly silent, as it faded from anger to fond sympathy-- to Cacopheny's great relief!-- and started ordering words that he didn't pay much attention to, simply glad it wasn't being angry anymore. She was a little scary when she was angry, he decided, and he did not want that anger turned at him again. Tiger's meddling, which he didn't seem to have much control over, notwithstanding, though, since Tiger seemed to like getting her angry....

When she suddenly plucked his hand from his knee and folded it into both of hers, though, he looked up at her with a little blink and started paying attention again. "Well, then," she began, "just keep this in mind: you've become one of the best friends I've ever had, and that's not going to go away just because Aeta finds a funny off-worlder to introduce me to. We-- all of us, Chario and Sentio, too-- have been through too much together for that. I will always be here, and I promise that. I may make new friends and meet new people, but this will always be the house and the people I come home to-- each and every one of your shadows included."

The impromptu little speech left him feeling oddly stunned. Even after all this time, he still hadn't been entirely convinced that she really liked him. Sentio and Chario's shadows wavered so often that, despite their stubborn loyalty and outward assurances, he felt certain it wouldn't take much to turn amiability into disgust, possible friendship into mere onerous duty. But whenever he heard Akija's shadow, it had nothing like that in it. Even now, it was echoing her words, almost verbatim, as if trying to reassure him. She wasn't lying, and she'd made a promise.

The shadows made no comment, for once: not to tease or torment him, or doubt or revile her words, or even distract him... though Tiger abandoned his pout for a little glow of contentment, at least. The glow was contagious, and he at least smiled at her through the burden of the unexpected. "Ssat-- ssank you. I vill trry to rememper ssat," he promised, adding his other hand on top of hers. "Nesst time." He couldn't, after all, promise that there would not be a next time, nor could he promise that he wouldn't forget... but he could certainly try.

That'll help, anyway, Tiger rumbled from the very back of his thoughts, pleased.

"Good," she said, smiling back and giving the hand she held a little squeeze before releasing it. He pulled his own hands back into his lap a little reluctantly; it felt surprisingly good just to touch. "That's all I can ask."

Her shadow wasn't finished, though she seemed to be, going back to the job Tiger had interrupted.

Do you really doubt me so much? it asked him-- not with accusation, but with... wonder? Or are you afraid-- afraid I'll give up on ya?

Maybe something like that, he agreed. The shadow-Akija rambled on as if he hadn't thought-- which as well it should. At least her shadow used the same plain speech she used.

That's kinda sweet... that I matter that much to ya. Enough for you to get jealous over me, for something as little as that! Not that you should go attacking people all the time, oh no, but the thought is really sweet.

Well, sure, his thought chuckled back at hers. I'll try to keep my violent tendencies to myself, next time....

Again, Shadow-Akija continued without responding to him. Especially since it wasn't just you, or just a shadow, or even a few of them... but all of them? How could I not be touched?

That, Cacopheny didn't even dare answering in his thoughts, because it wasn't true. Tiger had been jealous, yes... and he most certainly had, and it was possible that Flash's input had been motivated by jealousy of some sort. Tek's mournful thoughts could possibly be constituted as jealousy, but the gentle shadow would never admit as much, much less act on it. Almadir had just joined in at the prospect of a little violence, the nameless voice of insanity because he had been amused, and Araski just because she'd been trying to shout over the top of everyone else's shouts to shut up.

But she seemed so happy....

Let's not fill her in, Tiger whispered.

Let's not, Cacopheny agreed, despite the twinge of guilt at "lying", as it were.

There was the impression of a smirk in the darkness, and Tiger said, Well, if they'd had any sense, all the others would have been jealous, too....

Well, Cacopheny wasn't entirely sure of that, but he left it without further comment, merely catching Akija's hand again when the last wound closed, and keeping it. Just for a minute. However long that minute happened to last.