Zack rubbed his nose, seeing red on his hand. He looked up to see Emilly staring at the blood, before she wrenched her eyes up to his.
"Justine...um...what do we do when the medic needs a medic?"
Zack got back to his feet, slowly. It looked painful.
Justine shrugged. "I don't know! Phen isn't here!"
"Great, but...what happened?" She reached a hand out, then dropped it. "Are you...?"
Zack pulled a tissue from a pocket, lowering his head and pinching the bridge of his nose as he held the tissue against the bleeding.
Emilly reached out again, touching his chest lightly this time. "Maybe...sensitive to interdimensional protrusions, or...time/space rifts?"
He shook his head. "I'm...not sure...I almost felt like I received a punch of--my own magic."
"Your own...wait." Emilly turned away, thinking. "You draw on the elements...and...that--thing, whatever it is...that's not from an elemental plane....so..." She looked up at him, concerned. "What's causing the reaction?"
Zack looked down, thinking. He thought he knew, but, having never experienced it before, he wasn't completely sure. Still, he voiced the barest outline of his concern. "A loss of balance? Somewhere?"
Emilly heard a breathy, high-pitched giggle, cutting it off when she realized it was hers. "Huh," was all she said aloud. "Odd..."
Zack tried to explain. "Magic users that are connected enough, can sometimes feel or experience loss of balance in the arcane when a major event happens. Considering I am...one of them, it might be possible that my...body reacted...because I already used the essence of Gearhaven to cast a spell before..."
Emilly turned, looking towards where the tower would be. "Well...the rift's gone," she murmured.
Zack threw the tissue into a bin by the fireplace, pulling out another one to clean up his nose with a bit of the wine. He stared at Emilly. She didn't seem to notice.
"The rift...is gone, you said?"
Emilly nodded slowly. "Mmhmm," she murmured. "All gone..."
Justine shook her head, walking to the far doors. "I have had a DAY," she announced. "I'm going to bed." They both wished her well, watching her leave, and then Zack turned towards her again.
"How did that happen?" He looked her up and down, crossing his arms as he listened. She slowly turned back to face him.
"I didn't--want anything else to happen to the children. You understand. And the last attack on Justine..." She swallowed. "And I came home from...something...very..." She sighed. "Dark. So...I got the book. And I...killed the rift."
"Evil and dark?" he asked softly.
She shrugged. "Evil is such a nebulous term at times."
"May I ask, Duchess...what the book was named?"
"I don't think...it had a name."
Zack stepped closer, nodding in understanding. He gently slid one hand over her shoulder, placing the other on her chin to turn her eyes to his. "Emilly?" he asked quietly.
"Yes?"
"Does Hiro know?"
Emilly swallowed, sudden desperate urge to look away, but just trembled, shaking her head instead. "Not yet..."
He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, before he nodded. "I promise you, these lips are sealed."
She watched him, searched his eyes, then shrugged. "Well...he's going to find out. If nothing else, I'll tell him. It's just..." She trailed off again. "He's been so busy with Tannhäuser, and...we're still looking for..." The other part of his personality, she thought, but aloud, only said "Beta-El."
"What about this appearance you have...is it something your--shapeshifting powers allow you to change?"
She half-shrugged, rolling a shoulder. " A...bit...I have a few darker-skinned forms, but usually the one with horns is...dark blue? She's...safer..."
The doctor smiled at her, caressing her hair gently. "You still look beautiful in any way."
She smiled. "Thank you." Then she sighed. "I--didn't consider running into anyone, I think. I just wanted to come fix the port village..."
Zack looked at his armpod, calculating time. He nodded. "I still have time, if you wish. Justine is up in bed, and I think you also need some time to relax, after such a hard day." He smiled. "Don't make me play doctor with you...unless that's what you truly want."
Emilly stepped closer, looking up at him. "Be clear, Zack. is it playing doctor you want? Or...something else?"
He looked down at her for a long moment, raising his eyebrows. Suddenly he grinned, grabbing her arms and pulling her into a passionate kiss. He whispered sensually against her lips, "I want you..."
She slowly smiled, looking up at him. "Then I'm right here."
He pulled her to a chair he'd created with a flare of green earth energy, divesting her of attire as he did, his skin cool against hers when she straddled his lap. Only the glow of her skin, and the light of the fire, lit the room, the stars spinning in darkness overhead.
She trailed a hand up his arm, and her claws twitched...
(Continued in part LXXX.)
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