"You can since I tagged you in Hide and Seek last night up in the Commons." The kurori gave her the thumbs up.

"Okay!" Serna closed her eyes and stuck her hands outward, "Marco!"

"Polo!" Caliaphy danced around the shield maiden, "Polo!"

Serna tried to follow the sound of Caliaphy's voice but was completely uncertain as to where she was, "Marco!"

The kurori bobbed and weaved for a bit hoping that Serna would catch on but realized it wasn't so she decided to just stay in one place. "Polo!"

Serna locked in on her position and moved towards her, "Marco!"

******

The teenager lead the thief to the alcove. It was a small cave that had calm waters for being so close to open sea and it also provided moderate shelter from the elements.

When they arrived, Neven took Seri by the hand and spun her into his arms. Looking into her eyes, the Thief asked, "Now, where were we?"

Seri smirked and wrapped her arms around the shoulders of the thief and kissed him passionately.

Neven returned the passionate kiss with one of his own as he pulled Seri closer to him.

Seri released the kiss slowly and dipped beneath the water and popped up onto the small ledge to rest a little. "Come to me, my handsome thief of shadows."

Neven reluctantly allowed Seri to break the kiss but soon followed after her once she extended her invitation. Moving next to her on the small ledge, The Thief smiled, "Here I am, my beautiful thief of starry nights."

Seri leaned against him, "I could do this all night just you and me. Eventually though I'm gonna want to head back into the city and check in on everyone. You see I've got a lot of my mum in me. I look out for the others and myself. Now you too. It's something I like doing and not having to worry about the rest of the Realm. It's a little piece of heaven. And I am thankful every day of my life. I thank the gods that you have come into my life and I am truly glad that you want to stay here with me."

"I could do this all night with you as well," Neven mentioned with a grin, "I have no problem with checking in with the others. But don't ever feel that you have to look out for me. Trust me, I'm good to go."

"And as far as staying with you goes," Neven wrapped his arms around Seri's waist, "I can't think of anywhere else I would rather be."

*********


"WHAT THE??" The courtesan gasped and nearly fell on her butt. "How...how did 'ye get 'ere?"

"It's Ethelion! He's returned!" Irzen declared to Willow.

"You mean the King of the Sidhe? Are you daft?" Madame Mabel stared at the swordsman, "I'm not originally from Asylum. I hail from the Emerald Isle of Ireland. The legends of the Sidhe are not to be taken lightly. They are to be taken with the utmost seriousness. The fact that 'ye are still 'ere is a miracle. Most people who encounter even one of 'em are never seen again! I've known friends who didn't heed the warnings when they've gone and done one their Wild Hunts in and around Asylum and were gone. Just like that."

"You're from Ireland? I'm originally from America. Please tell me what year was it when you left Ireland and wound up here in the Realm?" Irzen asked with a raised eyebrow.

The old courtesan snapped out of her state of shock for a moment, "Queen Elizabeth I. When those damn Spaniards landed on Ireland getting separated from the main armada."

"1588," Irzen declared, "Nearly a hundred years after Christopher Columbus discovered America. I left America and came to The Realm in the Year of Our Lord 1999. Queen Elizabeth II was ruling England and our leader was President William Jefferson Clinton."

Willow cursed under his breath as he shook his head.

"And as far as Ethelion is concerned, I fear him not!" The Drow Swordsman boldly declared, "Plus, he's a hypocrite! He chides others for possibly committing acts of violence in Asylum yet he and his kind kidnap people who wander outdoors during their Wild Hunts in and around this place.

"Before you ask who he is," Irzen calmed a little as he turned to Madame Mabel, "Let me apologize for startling you. I did not mean to do it. Ethelion is a Grade A horse's ass of a Sidhe who thinks he's superior to everything and everyone around him. Worse than that, he likes to drop in on us from time to time just to torment us with his superiority complex. It was he who teleported me here without warning."

The old courtesan suddenly became pale. She was visibly mortified that the drow would even talk about the Sidhe in such a manner.

"And he's done something to War Scribe," Irzen turned back to Willow, "I know it! He's just too much of a cowardly get to stand before us and tell us what he did."

"And what do you propose to do about it, Irzen?" Willow asked.

"What can I do?" The Drow replied, "Unless he chooses to reveal himself, there is not much I can do beyond calling him out. If either of you have a better idea, then I am more than willing to listen."