"Remi!" Emerson sang as he walked into his room, "Guess whaaat?"

Remington glanced over at him lazily, "You finally realized you're cursed and you're actually a Goldfish that was turned into an elf?" 

He sighed, "Nice try. Even if I was secretly a fish, I'd be something much more exotic than a gold fish. Something like a Banggai Cardinalfish or a French Angelfish."

"I think you're more likely to be a Clownfish." He sat up in bed, crossing his legs Indian style. "What're you so excited about? And what's that smell?"

"Well, Croc just got back from a little business trip to Midguard. It seems some of the others asked him to pick up a little something you can only get there. He had some other things to do, so he asked me to give them baths before they meet their new owners."

He set the basket down on the bed and carefully pulled the blanket back. Wrapped up in a fluffy throw, there was a small puppy and an even smaller kitten. Both creatures didn't exist in their current realm. They were a rarity, making them even more precious. Remington quickly turned into a five year old the second he saw a dog. It didn't matter if that dog smelled awful from the humans. He could care less.

"Aaaww," He cooed as he picked him up, "You're just a wee little baby. You poor angel, having to handled by that mean old demon." The baby corgi yawned, just making his heart break more, "Oh-ho, you're far too pure for this place. I'd take your home with me if I could, but if I did that, I might make Croc mad. He's not someone you want to make mad. C'mon, you precious little cherub baby, let's get you all clean and pretty."

Remington jumped down from the bed, puppy in hand, and walked into the bathroom. He set the small corgi down on the fluffy rug for a minute while he warmed the water. Even though Jasper didn't exactly approve of what his workers did, he let it go. Croc figured if he didn't intervene he must've been fine with it. After all they've been through, they deserved the type of love only two balls of fluff could bring.

Emerson sighed as he picked up the kitten, "Of course, he leaves me to wash the cat. I swear, if I get cat scratch fever because of him, I'm going to let you claw everything in his closet." He held up the white puff in front of him and grinned ear to ear, "Yes, I am. Yes, I am. D'aw, you aren't even fully awake. I'll try to make this as quick and painless as possible." 

In the short time that he'd been talking to the kitty, Remington had managed to get himself wetter than the dog. He sat himself in the tub along with the puppy. In his mind, it'd make him more comfortable. Remington was reckless, something Sebastian had spent so much time trying to correct. 

Emerson hated to admit it, but it hurt to not hear his oldest brother parenting them for once. He'd always been a thorn in their sides. Whenever they got one of their bright ideas, Sebastian was the one to throw logic in the mix and ruin their fun. Yet, now, it feels so empty to not hear his voice.

He looked down at the white kitten, "You know, as strange as it is, I have a feeling we'll be alright. I have to wonder how Sebastian is biding his time in the afterlife?"

"I'm not sure, really, but at least we know he's in good company." Remington replied. He scratched the puppy's head to rub in some soap, "And so are we, aren't we? So, why'd Croc bring these guys back, anyways? He doesn't strike me as the puppy and kitten type."

"He told me after we bathe them, the kitten is to go Micah and the corgi to Felix. Now, I can't image that brute having much a need for a kitty cat, but that little girl that follows him around could use a friend. She loves cats too. She never puts down that stuffed one she carries around." Emerson said. 

He gently set the kitten down on the counter. Being much smaller than the corgi, he could manage to bathe her in the sink just fine. The real challenge was getting a cat to be okay with a bath. It's a good thing he was used to tough patients. 

| | |

Asher and Dusk had been shoved back into their cells. At this point, you've probably noted that anything from Earth obtains a smell that's revolting to creatures. Some that once were human, like vampires and spirits, can learn to live with it. As for Ryan, he'd been away from it long enough that it bothered him. His stomach was still a little weak after recent events as well.

"Please, do something about those two." Jasper spoke in disgust as he walked down the stairs, "I can smell them all the way in my office."

"Asher's enough of a sadist that I can just drown him and he'll enjoy it, but Dusk? You want me to try to bathe a fire witch?" He questioned.

"I'd ask Shae to lend you a hand, but a demon's nose is much more sensitive than a vampire's. You can ask Micah for his assistance if he's not too busy." He suggested.

"I'll be fine. I just just to complain, but I know how to get through to Dusk. Where are you headed?"

Jasper gestured towards Rest Point as he stepped over to the gate. "I need to make certain preparations for something important happening tonight. Our ranks are about to be strengthened."

"When most people go to war, they lose people. You've managed to keep all your pawns and add more to your collection. It's remarkable." Ryan commented.

"I've lived through hundreds of wars. I've read literally millions of books in my lifetime. I know every play there is, and every player. Part of the reason why I chose Chris for the society was because he was one of the few soldiers who's ever managed to impress me. He was different."

"He was different," He scoffed, "Yeah, but you know why he was? He put his heart into it. He believed in the power of emotions. Not a whole lot of people could ever figure that out." 

Jasper waved his hand dismissively, "There is so much to figure out in life. For as long as I've lived, I continue to learn new things. Now, please, attend to those two already. Their scent is revolting."

Ryan sighed to himself. After all he'd done, he felt like he deserved more than having to dunk a psycho in a bath. He headed down to Dusk's room first. Him and Asher's last encounter didn't end well. He wanted to avoid seeing him for as long as possible. Plus, he figured he'd need some more time to convince Dusk. Who knows. Maybe she'll hate how she smells too.

He unlocked her door, the smell getting much worse once he was in the room. How could she not hate how she smelled? She was sat on the floor, looking pretty upset. Dusk didn't even look up at him when he walked in.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked, kneeling down in front of her.

"Yeah." She murmured. Dusk pulled on her hair softly, finding it calmed her some to keep her hands busy. "I'm just sad my adventure is over. It was nice to get out for a little while, though. And I'm happy to see you again."

"You don't sound all too happy." Ryan replied.

"I am, I'm just tired. I used up a lot of magic energy. It'll replenish, but it takes time." She explained, "You don't have any meds with you... Why are you here?"

"Jasper wants me to give you a bath. You and Asher both smell terrible from being on Earth." He stood up, offering her a hand.

She huffed, "I hate baths... They hurt."

He raised his eyebrow at her, "They... Hurt?"

Dusk stood up, though she really didn't want to. She did hate smelling like Earth, so she figured she'd have to suck it up. "Yeah. Water is my weakness. It hurts me pretty badly, so let's make it quick." 

"Ash is a fire witch and water doesn't bother her." He said.

She was quick to slap him across the face, "Don't ever compare me to that damn princess. I use more than just fire magic. It's not my magic that makes it so water hurts me. It's because of how I was created."

"And, how as that, exactly? Asher told me his story, but when I asked for yours, he said he didn't know." 

Dusk crossed her arms over her chest. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you. Can we just get this over with? I'm tired and I want to rest. You should know how that feels with your condition."

"My condition?" He questioned her.

"One of my many specialties is diseases. So, of course I can see yours. I'm sorry you have to live with that, though. It's incurable." 

Ryan shrugged, "It's better than being dead. I haven't had any episodes since coming here. It was pretty bad on Earth, though. Looking back, it was hard on all of us to be there. Even if we're the most powerful beings on Earth, I have to wonder if it's worth it to ever go there or to protect it."

"That's your home. How could you speak that way about it?" She asked.

"This is my home now." He replied, "Humans are fucking idiots. If it weren't for the fact that there were creatures left on Earth, I'd opt for destroying the whole place. Although we've probably lost enough realms recently. Now, c'mon. Let's go. I can tell you need your sleep. Honestly, so do I."

Dusk followed him out of the room. He led her up to his own room, figuring that was the easiest place. She felt comfortable in his quarters which made it a little easier on her to have to endure that pain. Everything from the ends of her hair to the even the smallest nerves in her feet hurt. She screamed when the water hit her. Ryan tried his best to wash her off as quickly as possible. He underestimated how it would affect her. 

"I'm so tempted to make some Wizard of Oz jokes." He commented as he grabbed a towel from under the sink.

"Fuck you." She muttered.

"Been there, done that." Ryan sat down on the edge of the tub and draped the towel over her shoulders. He ran his hand through her wet hair to get it out of her eyes. "Please tell me what created you. I want to know, and I promise, I'll believe you."

"Yeah? Just like how you believed Asher when he told you the truth about who you were? He was just trying to help you, you know." She seethed.

"Trying to convince me that I'm something I'm not isn't helping me." 

"No shit!" She snapped, "But here's what you've got wrong. You're the one convincing yourself you're something you're not. You have no idea what you did. He let you get close to him. He told you about his past. He's never done that for anyone. He cared about you, and you couldn't give a fuck about him." 

Dusk stood up, pulling the towel up to her hair to to dry it off as good as she could. She grabbed a fresh set of clothes off the counter and slipped into them as quickly as possible. There was an awkward silence between the two. Ryan didn't know what to say. He'd always been told not to believe Dusk. Was this the truth, or just another one of her