NJ100021806

February 18 2006 NJ100

Okay. The second visitor I had early Valentine's Day.

When the creature who called itself Necronis left, his shimmer did leave with him but it was quickly
replaced by another swirling of the air. This filled my senses and made my heart beat faster as a musky
patchouli like fragrance filled the air.

A female figure formed. Tall. Well formed and well muscled. Not muscle bound but she looked like she
could take care of herself. Easily.

And she was white. I mean white as in the color.

And something else. She was not human - they never are, though. She was a vixen. Pointy ears, slender
muzzle, fluffy black tipped tail and all.

Not human feet. The legs of a fox.

Even her hair was white, and pulled back into a high pony-tail.

As I watched her form I saw she didn't seem to have any actual fur on a good portion of her. Like she was
shaved. The "shaving" seemed to stop about at her neck.

It took a moment but then the swirling stopped and I was looking into very light blue eyes and a smiling
face. Her eyes. They were so familiar. The looked so much like...no, never mind. That just doesn't make
sense.

"Hi, honey. Ah'v missed ya," she drawled at me, her voice sort of scratchy with a slight accent. I couldn't
quite place it.

I stared. I did not recognize her. I felt I should. Everything in my heart wished I did. There was
something...

She wore a belt that held a long rod-like thing. It was about eighteen inches long and it had a round part on
it near the "grip?" It looked like it was very probably a weapon of some sort and she wore it easily. Like a
sword.

And something else. I should have been disturbed but I wasn't for some reason. She was...branded. A
number just above her left breast and the same number was also branded on her right shoulder and right
hip. Number eighty-six. Around the numbers were words. "Coventry" and "Guard." I searched and
searched my mind.

Nothing.

She stared at me, smiling widely. That was so cool to see.

I stuttered a bit. "Um, hi."

We stared a moment and then I broke the silence, words tumbling out of me. Somehow I felt safe around
her.

"I am SO sorry but I don't...remember you. I had a concussion and I lost a lot of stuff but it's slowly coming
back. So if you're a friend of mine, please understand I'm not intentionally hurting you if my not
remembering you does. Hurt you I mean."

I took a deep breath and shook my head as her laughter filled the air.

"Honey, ah understand. Your Dragon warned me before he let me snag a visit. We're hopin' that mah
stoppin' by might help ta trigger a few memories. If not now, then maybe later, or in your sleep."

I watched her talk, her mouth move. Just as mesmerizing as watching the Cyeateans.

"Wow," I mumbled.

She smiled again. "Can ah sit down?" she asked.

I smacked myself mentally. "Please," I gestured to the sofa behind her. "What's your name? Maybe that
would help me remember?"

Her head tilted a bit as her eyes stared into mine a long moment. "Ah don't think that would help just yet.
More like confuse ya. We'll just start with what ah look like, shall we?" she asked me as I pulled a chair
up in front of her.

"Ah'm told ah can only stay a moment. But ah wanted ta wish ya a happy, what's it called? - Valentine's
Day?"

I smiled. "Yes. That's it. Thank you!" I told her, still fascinated with watching her and I could feel an
amazing charisma from her. Unlike the creature before her, she had a safe feeling around her. She
felt...capable.

"So, how are ya doin' then? I heard 'bout your concussion and haven't been able to come and visit til now.
Dragon's and all. They never let ya do what you want to do when ya want ta do it."

I smiled at that. Dragons always have their reasons for doing things the way they do but it's often difficult
to comprehend. I accept that. It doesn't mean I won't occasionally question. They never have a problem
with questions. They expect them. They just occasionally have troubles expressing themselves at a level
that I can understand. Labyrinth once said it was like speaking a language with only a limited number of
words that I could understand. Or like speaking to a three year old. Not that I'm childish, but that I would
just become confused. It took me a while to understand that concept, but after a while and watching his
frustration once or twice when he did try and explain something using "my" vocabulary, I began to
understand. So when he says something like "I can't explain that to you quite yet," that's what he means.
Not that he won't or doesn't want to. It just doesn't do any good. There have been times when, perhaps a
year or so passed in my experience and we've come back to something that before then I hadn't
understood. Those times have been rather cool.

The vixen smiled at my response. "See, ya know that. Somethin' ya didn't remember a while back,
according to your Dragon."

I shook my head. "I don't know what I've forgotten until it comes back."

She rolled her eyes. "Ain't that a bitch?"

That made me laugh aloud.

She scooted closer and her eyes got suddenly very serious. "Honey. How are you. I was frantic when ah
couldn't see ya but knew you'd been hurt."

The level of emotion in her eyes was almost frightening. I have to know this female more than just as a
passing friend. Her expression went from angry to lost to sad and back to smiling. At an intimate level. It
took my breath away.

"Wow. I know you more than just a friend, don't I? I'm...important to you, somehow and you're important
to me. I can...feel it."

She cleared her throat and blinked rapidly to clear her eyes. Quietly she said, "Ya have no idea, hon."

Again, the level of emotion that came from that sentence. Images suddenly exploded through my head and
I didn't understand even one of them. They passed so quickly.

"Oh...my...god..." I muttered as the migraine hit.

Her eyes dilated. She was up before I could say another word, her hand on my head, "Look at me, hon."

I lifted my head and forced my eyes open to look into her ice blue eyes. "Ah know you don't remember
this, but we worked on it a while back. Let's see if we can at least take the edge off, all right?" she said,
her voice soothing as she wiped at my forehead.

"Cup ya hands in front of ya face and blow slowly into them, as if you're gently heating up an ember or
trying to warm your hands. Slow and controlled."

I lifted my hands to my face, my stomach swirling in the threat of nausea.

"Now, imagine a round white circle of light before ya. As you breath out, imagine that circle shrinkin.'
Disappearin.' Like a dandilion fluff. Just, poof, gone."

I concentrated with her hand on me, gently touching my forehead and cheeks the same way that Fleur does.

I took slow deep breaths and did exactly as she instructed. It took a minute, trying to focus with that
terrible throb behind my eyes, but...

...it worked! It didn't go away, but I could feel it sort of backing off. It was...amazing!

"Ya need ta get ta bed and I'm bein' tagged and told I gotta go." Her face was so concerned. She ever so
briefly laid her face against mine, her hot breath on my cheek. "Take care, hon. I'll be back." Then she
shook her head, and stepped away. "You get ta sleep while it's still faded. Maybe it'll go away, or you'll
sleep through the worst. If it starts throbbin' bad tomorrow, do it again."

I slowly nodded, still surprised by the sudden lack of nausea.

"Ah'll see ya soon, hon."

She sat down, closed her eyes and the air around her swirled.

And she was gone.

Johnathon leaned there, sleeping quietly. He'd been told it might be a bit straining of a visit (he'd told me
later.) I lifted a comforter and covered him with it as I crept into bed and pulled my soft blankets over my
head, hoping the migraine would not come back.

Fleur turned over in bed and her hand reached out in her sleep. She sighed a long slow sigh as her hand
touched my face in her sleep. Her touch lingered on my forehead a moment and then returned under the
covers.

We all slept.

The next day the migraine did not get too bad. Just the dull throbbing. I was careful, still, to not do anything
super strenuous, just in case.