"Sometimes I wonder if you're actually crazy, or if you just act like it," Daynoren scolded. He'd found them one of the unused candidate rooms and started the water for a hot bath. "We're going to be late for class now, you know," he continued peevishly, helping his shivering little brother strip off his jacket and tunic while the tub filled, "and miss lunch, too. And all because you fell into a hollow suit of armor-- honestly, Catame!"

Oblivious to his tone of voice-- Cat knew him too well to actually be hurt by what was only worry bubbling out into exasperated words-- the boy smiled serenely at him. Daynoren just frowned in response and took off his last shirt-layer for him. He looked too happy to have just had the frightening experience of being

"He's n-n-not hollow," Catame corrected. "J-j-just nobody c-can see him, is all."

"I will admit that it-- he, excuse me," Day amended at Catame's sharp look, "I will admit he reeked of magic, but that's no reason for you to have been nosing around inside him, for Asuka's sake."

"That w-was an accident," Catame admitted while Daynoren checked the level of the water and shut off the tap. "His b-b-brother st-startled me, and I f-fell."

"Into the tub," Day ordered. "Accident or not, you should know better than to play around with something as cold as half-frozen metal."

"T-t-t-Ty said he n-never freezes," the boy mumbled, easing himself into the hot water. He sighed and shut his eyes, his tremors finally relaxing amid all the heat. The bathroom was starting to steam up. "P-part of the spell."

"Fascinating," Novitas drawled from just outside. Daynoren leaned against the wall beside the door, peeking around the frame at her. She didn't sound particularly serious, but then, she usually didn't sound serious about much of anything, cultivating a prickly sarcasm while Daynoren cultivated his flippant pride. "Perhaps we should investigate, Day," she continued. "New magic, and all."

"He doesn't like mages poking around," Tantra said softly, but firmly. "You shouldn't try to, it will just make him uncomfortable." The past six months had seen her learn to stand up to Novitas-- sometimes, at least.

"Mages?" Novitas repeated wickedly, "What, like Catame?"

"Cat's different," Tantra murmured, ducking her head and loosing her nerve again. "He's a friend."

"A friend, is he," Novitas said, her voice artificially surprised, "after five minutes of talk and Catame falling inside his big metal body! My, but this fellow is easy to please!"

"Novi', that's enough," Daynoren told his bond lightly, noticing Tantra's posture sinking into more and more of a sorrowful crouch. Novitas could really run away with her tongue, sometimes, forgetting how delicate Tantra's ego could be-- or just forgetting who she was speaking to. There were times that he thought her behaviors, her attitudes and defenses, were just too habitual, too natural-- but then, the same could be said about him, and anyway, he didn't know how to change that. For either of them. When she glanced to him, he added, "Let her be."

After a moment, Novitas managed to screw her face into something similar to apology, and muttered, "Sorry, Tantra."

Even though she was quick to be hurt, Tantra was also quick to forgive, and she was getting used to Novitas' nature, slowly but surely. So, despite the reluctant tone of Novitas' apology, she smiled and nodded. "It's all right."

Once that minor disaster was averted, Daynoren started to relax, enjoying the heat of the steam and the luxury of standing still and not thinking for a while. His mind, rather quickly in fact, went back past Catame's little accident, to what had kept him from finding his brother well before any accident occurred. As if he were somehow listening in, Catame's sleepy voice piped up from the tub, "Where were you, anyway?"

Day fought not to blush. "Meeting some of the new candidates here for the bonding next week."

"Really?" Catame said, sounding interested despite the laziness of being warm after being freezing.

"I wouldn't say 'meeting' is the right word," Novitas interjected, grinning widely up at her bond. Day frowned at her.

"Well, we didn't exactly exchange words, no," he admitted, his tone making it very clear that he didn't want Novitas to talk about it any more. She was having none of it, and continued, taking twisted pleasure in his discomfort.

"It was more like oggling," she said gleefully. "Staring, jaw-dropped, and eye-popping. To be fair, most of the boys coming out of class were doing the same thing, but still."

"Why?" Catame asked innocently, blinking through the steam at him.

"Because-- I don't know." He was loosing the battle not to blush, he just hoped Catame couldn't see it. Novitas could.

"Because she was pretty," she explained, still grinning wickedly. "Pretty enough to stop most of the boys in their tracks-- and my dear, dear bond was no exception."

Novitas, he thought, scowling at her through his embarrassment, is there something wrong with admiring beauty? Hmm?

Of course not, she answered loftily, but most beauty doesn't make one linger at the end of the hallway it is in, in the hopes that one might get noticed. Nor does most beauty make you a pack animal, like the rest of those drooling boys.> Then, sounding unusually serious and giving him a hard look, she added, I don't think this is the kind of "beauty" you really should be messing around with.

Part of him knew she was right, that it had been stupid to hang around there, particularly because there had been a number of other boys there. Most of them, if not all of them, were quite a bit older than he was. But at the same time, he wanted her to notice him. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, this off-worlder who had been speaking with Aloia, and she seemed so confident and adult. The thought of her turning that lazy smile of hers on him made his stomach do a pleasant little flip; the idea of actually speaking with her gave him a little shiver of pleasure.

You, Novitas told him silently, and with infinite disgust, are hopeless.

I know, he replied, with a dramatic little sigh. She turned her back on him, but he just smiled, mildly amused.

Unaware of the silent conversation, or his brother's thoughts, Catame pulled the tub's plub and started reluctantly climbing out of the bath. Daynoren had a towel ready and wrapped him in it, then let him dry himself off-- however protective he was, Catame wasn't a baby, and could take care of things like that by himself. "Why would being pretty have anything to do with it?" Catame asked, then, rubbing himself vigorously.

"Because it did," Daynoren said curtly, tired of explaining himself. "I like pretty things, and people, that's all."

Cat seemed to accept that and let the matter rest while he finished toweling off and getting dressed, much to Day's relief. This was far too strange and wonderful to try and explain to his younger brother. He had the odd thought that Cat might never understand, no matter how old he got, so he wouldn't bother trying to make him. He could just enjoy the feeling, himself, and not even Novitas would be able to spoil it for him.