" ... Lyena-Ifrit came home, but he's not talking to me..."

Kaama sat down next to him.

" What happened with that, anyway?" he asked.

A silence.

" I made him mad 'cos I hit Queen Mother," Nova said.

" Is that really all?"

" Yeah. That's really all," Nova replied.

" I heard... my mom say some weird stuff to him."

" Like what?"

" Like how... she thinks Lyena is a bad influence on you... and that you're a bad influence on me... And stuff like that."

Nova huffed.

" She doesn't know what she's talking about," he said, annoyed. " When have I ever done anything bad to you?"

A silence.

" Hey, Nova... is the reason that you wanted to know about that stuff... 'cos of..."

He didn't finish the sentence, trailing off quietly and staring at his hands.

" Don't be gross. It's not anything like that. Ifrit isn't a weirdo like Lyewa-Vivan."

" Yeah, but he's creepy in other ways sometimes."

" ... You just don't understand him," Nova argued.

Kaama made a weird face.

" When he comes home, he's always covered in blood... And we have to mop the hallways. And Mom runs him a bath."

Nova didn't say anything; he was caught in remembering that time he had seen it.

" I hate the smell of blood, Nova... And Lyena smells like it all the time. And no matter how much bleach he uses... I think it's stained all over all of him."