Strength in Differences

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(( Jamie? :P ))

None of those answers were good to choose from. Even in that, Kaulu wanted to pick apart the answers but at the same time she did not want to think about it. Which worked out finely as she caught the way they stepped away from the window. Were they... afraid of the lightning? Trying to ignore it? Whatever it was, the Suli wondered where the Lightning's voice was in all of this.

She also wondered who this Vessel, the one that didn't fight nor submit, was, but she never got the question to ask as the subject rolled on quickly. With Aura as the most understanding and tolerant in this moment, Kaulu silently thanked her, letting out a breath she had not known she was holding. As the house threatened to fall down about her and the smoke to fill her lungs, she was hoping this wouldn't carry out much longer.

But then the Elements were slowly making their leave and soon it was only Aura left. She listened to her words and let them soak in for a few moments before answering. "....I understand. But please, Aura. Just think of what he's already been through. Work with him, and he will surely work with you." She paused. "We'll work harder for Nik to be ready... you can count on my word."
 
(( Oops! LOL ))

Aura, within Nik, nodded, white eyes firm. "We know very well what he's gone through, Kauluwehi, and while that pains most of us, we require a great deal more of Niklomaus. If he will not give it to us willingly, then we WILL make him. There is a great deal more at stake than merely his life." Lightning streaked again, hitting the desert sand near the house, turning the sand to glass with the heat of the electricity and Aura's eyes softened just a little as she sighed through Nik's mouth.

"I know you shall keep your word. You are one of mine. I only fear that there is not much time anymore. The Vessel must know what is expected for him. He must understand the horrors that shall befall should he not comply, should he fight us. That is what we have been showing him - times when the Vessel was not enough because they chose to fight us, waited to long to repent of their rebellion. We can not afford for Niklomaus to do such."

It was the second time she'd said his name, the first of the Elements to do so and it was becoming clear that Aura was fond of Nik, but even so, she held her duty above all else.

Still, when she took hold of Kaulu's arm, it was to calmly pull the Chaktawe out of the way of a falling beam and then she led the female from the house and out into the open again right as the creaking and groaning increased....and then the entire building collapsed.
 
(( It's okay! haha ))

Kaulu let out a breath through her nose, looking down, but knowing that Aura's words could be no truer. At the bright flash of light, she looked back up and met that softening gaze, only continuing to be silent as she listened. So many thoughts were whirling in her head but she didn't know how to put them in words. She didn't know how to reassure Aura (let alone the rest of the elements) that Nik would be able to do this. And not just because he had to, but because he had the faith of the people around him, of his family. And he'd learn to have the faith in himself - first and foremost.

Still, even as she might have begun to have a clear path for her reply, she was being led out of the building. The fire cackled and the building went out with a bang. People were doing all they could to put the fire out, but it was still roaring even after the servants' home collapsed. Kaulu watched it with a distant look for a moment before looking back to Sidhe - to the wind element.

"I understand. Please trust him a little more. Have more... confidence. I will speak with him." She was sure that now she had an explanation for the visions, the exhaustion, and the pain, Nik would be more lenient with the Elements' power. Or... at least she hoped. She hoped he would at least have enough time.
 
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(( :D ))

Aura did nothing more than nod, looking almost apologetic, like she might say something comforting, but decided against it and her presence simply faded away completely, returning Nik's eyes to their original pale blue. Leaving him confused and unable to even stand as he immediately collapsed, not even the werewolves able to catch him in time and it was from the ground, on his knees now, that the Sidhe looked upon the damage done in the night, still raging.

"No!" The cry was a strangled kind of sound from his throat and the lightning overhead streaked horizontally across the sky in dozens of streaks. It brightened the heavens and cast light upon the ground, so much so that people looked up in both awe and fear. But Nik's eyes were for the flames and he stretched out of his hand, teeth grit as his eyes started to glow red as he started to extinguish the flames, imposing his will on Vulcan. And he brought the water people were bringing, making it rise from buckets, gathering together, expanding as if from nothing before he dumped it on the remaining fire.

Great clouds of steam rose up into the desert air and the clouds overhead started to slowly roll back, the lightning fading.

It was over so soon, but Nik could only stare at the damage done. Fifteen homes had caught fire. Eight had been severely damaged and three had been completely destroyed. People were distraught, wondering at the cause, starting to look at him and the Sidhe didn't move. He didn't cry, didn't speak. He just watched.

He'd done this. Just like he'd destroyed the Sidhe City.

And Nik didn't know if he could keep it from happening again.
 
When it was Nik that was staring back at her - when it was her Niklomaus that was solely present, Kaulu didn't even have time to think before her husband was on the ground, kneeling and completely lost at the desolation that the elements had caused.

But that was the point.

It wasn't him that caused all of this destruction of the Chaktawe homes. He wasn't guilty for all of this. It was the Elements; and while Kaulu understood their angry outburst and the reason why they did such damage, it wasn't an excuse. Slowly, the princess made her way to the roots of her heart and pressed gentle hands against his shoulders. Even if he didn't look at her, she coaxed him into it by grabbing onto his chin and turning his head towards her as she leaned down enough to look him almost straight in the eyes. That hand curved to cup his cheek lovingly, her thumb gently caressing his cheekbone. She didn't say anything. She only let her eyes do the work, and if Nik didn't understand their message, they'd talk about it soon enough anyways.

She pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead before she leaned down a little more to wrap an arm around his waist and pull his arm around her shoulders, helping him up back to his feet. She then looked to the werewolves, wondering what they wanted to do.
 
The Sidhe didn't feel he deserved the cooling, gentle hand of his wife, nor her comfort, but he couldn't help accepting it. He'd never been able to deny it from her, not even when he'd been terrified of being touched, when he'd been distrusting of everyone. He'd never denied her touch, had never truly shied away from it or stopped her. No, there was something very special, very unique about Kaulu and Nik could not adequately name what it was, but his spirit recognized it, welcomed it. Craved it, wanted her above anyone else.

It accepted her above any other and such was the case now as Nik leaned into his Suli's touch, his eyes slipping closed after studying the message in her own. She was right, he didn't need words to understand and tears leaked from his own lids as the Sidhe took a shuddering breath and then let Kaulu help him to a stand.

His head swam then, the feeling of sickening weightlessness hitting, spots dancing before his eyes and as his legs collapsed again, he felt another pair of arms catch him. His vision cleared again a moment later and Marsin's concerned face greeted him.

"Easy, Cub. You used a lot of power."

The Sidhe shook his head lightly, closing his eyes when it made his vision swim again. "No. N'mine. Theirs. Their power." He took a breath, swallowed, blinked and tried speaking again, more lucid-sounding this time as pale blue eyes took in the damage around them once more. "I'm just the Vessel. It's their power. I just channel it, hold it. Makes me tired. It hurts."

Marsin growled, starting to walk with Kaulu, taking Nik with them as they moved toward the palace again. "It makes you sick."

Another shake of the head and Nik looked to Kaulu because it was easier to look down than up right now with how his head pounded and his sight wavered. "Not anymore. Each time they use me, I get stronger. Soon it won't even make me weak." His legs buckled slightly again, halting their progress and Kafta came forward, ignoring Marsin's protests as she ran her fingers over Nik's face, stopping at his temples, frowning. "Your mind is raw, Cub." she accused, finding it hard to think him stronger this way, but Nik merely smiled a little.

"I fought them. They didn't like it."

Kafta growled, entirely displeased by this whole thing.
 
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Kaulu would have been able to carry Nik to their room, but not without difficulty and the worry that she might damage something; she didn't want to risk anything for their child, since she was pregnant once again. So when Marsin quickly took to his cub's other side, the Suli was internally grateful.

As they started walking, she kept a good grasp around her husband as she listened to the two of them speak. When Nik looked down to her, she was already looking up at him. Soon, he said, the Elements channeling through him wouldn't even make him weak. It was good to hear, really, and it was even better to hear that he understood why the Elements had done the damage, that he understood it was his reluctance against the Elements that upset them.

But still. What was the breaking point? Perhaps they were already far from past that, though...

"Aura spoke to me... they all spoke to me, really, but Aura made it so that I could understand," she spoke up quietly after Kafta had growled, though she was more-so talking to her husband. "But you know now why they resorted to destruction, right?" she asked, looking at him. "They want you to stop fighting them."
 
Oh, he knew. He understood perfectly well why they'd done as they had, but rather than make Nik want to comply, it made him angry. He'd been distraught just a few minutes before, thinking he'd done this, but something had changed in a short time as a very clear fact became apparent to him; in the Sidhe city, he'd CALLED upon the destructive power of the elements. He'd invited the power, not the Elements themselves, into him and he'd WANTED to harm. Here, now....he'd not called the power nor the Elements themselves. He'd not wanted to cause destruction, nor harm or terror. They'd MADE him do such, USED him and for that....Nik felt a rage unlike anything he'd ever experienced before.

His pale eyes met his wife's solid black and lightning streaked through his eyes, not toward her, but showing the crackling anger beneath the surface of the calmness he was holding on to, beneath the exhaustion that betrayed his body.

"I know what they want." he answered back quietly and Nik's jaw clenched. "But they're not going to get it if they continue to try and manipulate me."

He'd been used his whole life. By the Sidhe, by the Elementals and now by the Elements. Hell, Nik knew that if he were to meet he humans and they knew what he could do, they'd want to use him, too. The Chaktawe were the only people in his life who'd not tried to exploit him or what he could do for their own gain....and the Elements had lashed out at them, at what was most precious to the Sidhe.

Niklomaus would be damned if he was giving them what they wanted after that. No, they could try again to talk to him and this time, they could do it more wisely and with more respect. He was a Vessel, not a possession.

The Sidhe looked back at the destruction behind them and then back to Kaulu, a justifiable hardness in his gaze, a sense of responsibility that weighed on his shoulders, but resolve, too. "This is not acceptable." he growled out before his legs collapsed again and Marsin growled himself and then gently pulled Nik away from Kaulu before simply picking the Sidhe up. And Nik was tired enough he didn't protest with more than a sigh.

The large werewolf looked down with gentle eyes at Kaulu and Kafta laid a hand on the Suli's shoulder, comforting, reassuring. "Let's get you both to bed. It's been a long day."
 
(( Wasn't sure about the time .-. Hopefully my guess was around the right time lol ))

Kaulu took in the way lightning literally danced in Nik's eyes and her mouth closed. Of course he knew why the Elements had used him. How could he not after such an episode? How could they not let him know why?

And she didn't know how to feel about his answer. She understood - oh, how she understood - but who knew if the Elements would be willing to to follow their Vessel on his own boundaries? It was entirely fair, and maybe even this was how the last Vessel they mentioned was able to not submit nor fight, but...

It was just so unpredictable. And it hurt Kaulu's heart; it was practically torn. She was angry with the Elements for daring to destroy her people's homes. She was angry with them for using and manipulating her husband, for furthering his suffering. She understood that there was a much larger picture here and that possibly the entire world depended on him to stop this mysterious evil darkness. But there had to be another way other than burning people's homes in order to get the message through.

Really, she just wanted this to be over. It hadn't even been a full year yet, but.... they had gone through so much. She was tired, but most of all, her Nik was. Her Nik. The Suli had no idea how her husband managed to fight for all the years, for all these 700 long years. She didn't know, but it was one of the reasons why she loved him so much. And not only loved him, but admired and respected him wholly.

Allowing Marsin to just carry Nik - not like either of them could really argue - Kaulu looked to Kafta and nodded before beginning leading them back to the couple's room. Once there, she had Marsin lay Nik down on the bed. She actually wanted to go back out to the damaged homes and help, but after the fact that she was pregnant and needed sleep and rest was pointed out, she sighed in defeat and joined her husband.
 
Nik was grateful for the insistence of the werewolves that Kaulu stay in bed. He knew she could be used outside, with the damage and the families, and he knew that he should be out there too, making things right....but he could barely stand and....and he needed her. It was selfish of him, he knew. He should not just keep her to himself. The Sidhe knew that, but he couldn't help it right now. He was relieved to have her here, with him, and glad the baby provided a good excuse for that.

The Sidhe curled around the Suli when she joined him and he breathed her in deeply, frowning a bit at the smell of smoke and fire, but able to detect the aspects of KAULU underneath, making the smell tolerable. Besides, he was sure he smelled just the same.

"I'm sorry." Nik whispered the words into her hair, feeling tears prick his eyes. The anger was fading in the wake of his fatigue and all that it left was guilt and the lingering pain of a headache that the Sidhe knew would most-likely not leave him through the night. "I'm sorry. I'll help. I'll fix it. Tomorrow. I promise."

Nik knew - he did - that Kaulu loved him, that she cared for him, but there was that ingrained fear that one day he'd do something too big to forgive, too much for her to want him anymore. Such a fear was rising within him now no matter how he tried to suppress it - he'd nearly hurt her people! - and Nik's body trembled once in reaction as he held his wife just a little tighter, scared of losing her.

Scared that the Elements would drive her away and he'd be powerless to stop it. Scared that she'd just get worn out and be done with dealing with him.
 
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(( Happy to see you and your reply! :D ))

Oh, if only the princess knew her husband's thoughts. If there was anything to irritate her the most, it was probably thinking just like that. But, Kauluwehi was able to force back that irritation. In all actuality, she was very capable to not feel that irritation at all because she was also very understanding, and that allowed her to empathize and not make the situation worse.

Because the Sidhe did not need anger. He did not need the feeling of being a disappointment. He did not need to feel hurt. And out of everything, he did not need to feel like a burden.

So Kaulu cradled her beloved in her arms, wrapping herself around him as if she was his very own blanket. Yes, the two of them smelled of smoke and fire, but similar to herself, Nik still had his own unique smell and that was enough for her. She closed her eyes, just wanting to feel him next to her, pressed against her body, and safe. His words fell deaf to her ears because the only thing she could hear was the guilt in his voice. Just as much as she could hear the guilt, she could feel his fear through his grip around her body.

"You know this is not your fault," she murmured quietly against him. "And I know it, too. So do the people. You are loved, Niklomaus," her tone held more conviction, "by our people. By myself. By this child. You are loved so much." Her lips curved into a smile. "Tomorrow is a new day. We can start again."
 
(( Same here! I missed all my partners! ))

Nik wanted desperately to believe what Kaulu said, and in some aspects, for some things, he could. He knew she loved him and he hoped their child would, too. He knew nothing about being a father. He'd never had one like he should have, had only ever known pain from the male figures in his life and the female ones, too. He didn't know what a normal childhood was or what one should expect from a father....and therefore he didn't know what to do.

Oh, the Sidhe WANTED children. There was no mistaking his joy for this child Kaulu carried as anything but what it was, but that didn't mean he wasn't hiding how much being a father scared him. He hoped, with everything in him, that this child loved him because he was terrified that somehow he'd make a mess of fatherhood.

He also knew, in some ways, that she was right. This wasn't his fault, but the Elements....but it was his fault in some ways, too. He was defying them and they were lashing out. If he stopped fighting them, they'd stop. This wouldn't have happened. He knew that and therefore, he could not see how Kaulu's people could love him. He'd brought this upon them.

Maybe they just didn't realize that yet.

Nik didn't voice this, though. He just curled a bit more into and around Kaulu, nodding against her head, unwilling to argue with her. He just wanted to sleep, and like she said, start again tomorrow.

--

Niklomaus surveyed the damage done in the light and had to cringe at the extent of it. Everything was charred and blackened, the fire hot enough to melt the desert stones and clay that had made the houses, everything inside burnt away like fodder. Other servants had lent their homes the night before and the palace had provided food, water clothing and washing, but that couldn't change that their homes were gone and it would be months before the destruction was put to rights.

The Sidhe couldn't tolerate that, though.

He'd done this. He could do destruction and death.

Why not healing and restoration?

The idea turned over and over his head until Nik was determined to try and he looked to his wife who'd not yet left his side, though, Nik knew she was eager to help with the cleanup, to aid her people. Because that was just who Kaulu was and he loved her for it all the more every time she displayed her compassionate heart.

"Kaulu, love, call them back." His pale blue eyes went back to the destruction, flashing with resolve. "Tell everyone to come away from the buildings."

Marsin, close to them, brought his ears back slightly, looking slightly displeased. "Cub, you're still not recovered from last night. You should wait-" The Sidhe cut him off, shaking his head, white hair brushing at his eyes before a sudden breeze blew them back again, twirling and staying close to him. "No. I want to do this now."
 
In the morning, the section of the servants' homes that had been damaged was busy with a few groups of people going through the debris that had been scorched in the flames of the night before. It was quiet, as it always seemed to be after a disaster such as this, with only occasional yells of direction and murmurs of talk breaking the atmosphere. Ha'Upu and his youngest daughter was one of the first to survey the area, just around dawn, before Chenoa joined in. Kapa'ajili stayed in the palace grounds in order to provide general management and assistance there if needed since it was a little hectic in there as well; however, Japikoa soon joined her grandfather, realizing that it'd be easier to take over his role for him so he could focus on the war efforts.

Later in the morning, Kauluwehi and her husband, along with his pack, joined in on the help with the homes. They, too, surveyed over the damage, Kaulu staying close to Nik the entire time. When her name was called, she looked over to him. Call everyone away from the buildings? What was he going to do, exactly?

It wasn't like she could argue, though. Marsin already tried that and the Sidhe was not going to let up. Though everyone would probably agree that using his abilities wasn't the best action for his physical health, Kaulu could see that it was perhaps the best thing for his mind. He wanted to help after doing wrong and who was to tell him no? She knew he was still feeling guilty, and this may just set things a little straighter on the path... if he didn't do this now, he'd probably never forget about it.

Looking back towards the group of the Chaktawe, the princess halted their work with a few simple native words, motioning her arms for them to stand back in order to let Nik help. Once everybody was at a safe distance, she looked back to her husband with a small, encouraging smile.

"There you are."
 
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What he'd done to deserve someone like Kaulu, Nik would never know. She was too good for him, far too good and yet, she willingly called herself his. It astounded him every time he thought about it and it amazed him now, in this moment as she did what he asked without question, without hesitation, trusting him. As far as Niklomaus was concerned, he'd been blessed the very moment he'd been betrothed to her and if there was anything at all he could ever be grateful to the Sidhe for, it was that they'd chosen the Chaktawe, had abandoned him to Kauluwehi.

The white-haired Sidhe could think of no better presence to be turned over to.

He loved her dearly for everything she was and Nik only prayed constantly that he might someday live up to the husband she deserved. The Prince knew he was worth something, far more than the Sidhe had wanted him to believe and far more than the Elementals had ever thought to hope for, but when faced with Kaulu....Nik felt he'd never be enough. Not for her.

Not for his precious, wonderful wife and he was all right with that.

Now he gave her a grateful smile in return, resisting the urge to move toward her, to kiss her, making himself focus on his self-appointed task...knowing it was going to be a lot less pleasant than feeling Kaulu's lips against his own, her fingers in her hair, her body pressed to his would be. Still, he'd set this course into motion with his request that everyone leave the area and he had to follow through now.

Story of his life it would seem.

Pale blue eyes closed for just a moment as Nik turned away from the eyes watching him and instead to the ruins before him. Come. It was a simple enough word, but the barriers he lowered to allow what that one word would bring into his mind was far more difficult. They came quickly, the overwhelming presence of the Elements flooding into him, trying to become everything he was; mind, heart, body and soul. The Sidhe barely kept them in check, but somehow, he did just that, remaining himself, fighting their control until the four stilled, growing frustrated. He'd called them, but was still resisting.

Nik knew their next move with an insight and instinct he didn't understand, but when fire, the most impatient and volatile, rose up in his chest and then exited through his skin in a blaze of scorching heat, he didn't stop it. The fire didn't go far, forming into a man, different shades of flame giving details to aspects of hair, clothes and even eyes, blazing a deep golden color with the pupils a darker red. Vulcan, and he looked furious. He wasn't the only one, though, as Poseidon flooded from Nik's eyes, taking his own form, his dark blue eyes probably the only part of him not moving like a sea caught in a storm. Gaia was far more solid, her power streaming from Nik's fingers and her body formed from the sand around them, her eyes a dark, dark tan verging on brown. Aura came from his mouth in a shrieking kind of sound, her form taking up small particles of sand, some water droplets and even stray wisps of fire that flared and recreated as she borrowed from her siblings in order to be seen. Her eyes, though, were made of condensed air so thick that it appeared white.

They all faced the white-haired Sidhe and Poseidon spoke first, having been the most silent of the four in all of this. "We are not trained dogs to come every time you call, Vessel."

"And I am not merely a tool to be used."

"You are ours to do with what we wish." Vulcan growled and something within Nik seemed to snap as instant lightning arced from his body, hitting the fire like it was a solid thing, causing Vulcan to give a cry of pain before he broke apart, only coming back together again when the lightning withdrew and the Elements gold-fire eyes met the Sidhe's pale blue, Nik's gaze streaked with the same electrical currents that had lashed out.

"You will not speak! You did this! Unless it be to apologize to the Chaktawe people, you will remain silent!"

There was the tension of a storm in the air as the two males stared at one another, but Vulcan said nothing more, though, he did glance at his brother and sisters, something unspoken going between the four of them before Gaia spoke up, far calmer. "You called us, Vessel, for our help, but we need your help as well. Surely some agreement can be reached, some understanding."
 
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Everyone within range kept silent as eyes turned to the Sidhe, the man who was at first not only an outsider, but an outsider from their own enemy's state. Over the near year he had spent with the Chaktawe, he had grown from such a title to their Princess's husband. And from there he grew to be liked, and then trusted, and finally he became a Chaktawe. Different skin, eyes, hair. A different heritage and home. A different origin. But his heart, even though it had been chained, weakened, and broken, was still strong. It was kind and genuine, even through all of his pain, and that in itself told a lot about the man. He was still willing, through everything, to stand up and try, to right the wrongs that were not even necessarily his. And for that, he was accepted into the Chaktawe. He was loved by them, and even idolized by the little ones, and the adults and elders recognized his potential to be even greater than he already was.

Niklomaus O'Corra. A man who may not know his own worth, but a man with a whole family who was willing to help him learn.

As the Elements expanded from Nik and took their own forms, a few gasps could be heard from the small crowd who watched. Other than that, however, nothing was said. Not like anything could be said; Poseidon's voice broke the air. After that, everything happened a quickly. It felt that within a blink of an eye, Vulcan was pierced with lightning and Nik was claiming his own territory. Gaia, who might have been the calmest at that point, spoke up.

Yes, an agreement. That was all they had wanted from the beginning. Nik hadn't chosen to be the Vessel, but an agreement of sorts could fix everything.

Kaulu remained near the werewolves, her hand subconsciously holding her stomach and rubbing it with the pad of her thumb. She had a good feeling about this now that they were actually talking. But she still couldn't help but be a little nervous.
 
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There was silence between the five, a tense, coiled kind of waiting as if any of one of them could snap at the slightest provocation, but eventually, the Sidhe answered Gaia.

"I am not submitting to you."

It was Aura who spoke next, her voice sounding like a great sigh, and perhaps that was exactly what she was doing. Sidhe were not her children. They were Gaia's, but Niklomaus had been placed with HER children and while her brothers had been adamant that such a place was not the right one for a Vessel, her sister had trusted her. Personally, Aura felt that the Chaktawe had been the right people to place Nik with after everything, but even she could admit that perhaps her children had instilled a bit too much freedom within the Vessel. Only time would tell whether that would be devastating.

Still, she would hold to the belief that this environment would always be preferable to the one Vulcan or Poseidon would have put Nik in. All strict rules, ferocity and training, their people would have broken him completely and reshaped him into something unrecognizable. Perhaps something that would have been easier for the Elements to use and control as they wished, but...Aura didn't think that was going to win this war. No, it was a quality within the Vessel himself - or herself - that had always added that extra dose of...something to a fight. What that something was...well, that was up to the Vessel.

With Nik...well, it was something Aura had not really come across before and she couldn't quite give a name to it. None of them could and while it puzzled Gaia, angered Vulcan and frustrated Poseidon, it fascinated her. And Aura was willing to bet anything that it was this unnamed spark that made Nik speak his words now.

"We are starting to understand this. But you must understand that you can't bear the weight of the power we hold on your own and it will be needed before the end, Niklomaus." Her siblings looked at her sharply at the use of the Sidhe's name, but Aura watched as the white-haired male seemed to lose just a touch of hostility and how he started to listen to her. "You will need our help and we can only help you if we can flow freely through you. You are a Vessel. No, it is not all you are, but it IS part of what you are. You are the only one who has been born in a very, very long time and we can not use another. We must use you if we are to defeat this coming Darkness, not just for our sake's but for everyone, for your family. I know you want to save them, too, Niklomaus."

Nik nodded slowly, glancing between all four Elements, but his body was not entirely relaxed, the lightning in his eyes not quite gone and small ripples of it could be seen in his hair if one looked closely. He stood, quite appropriately, between the Elements and the Chaktawe people, protecting them. He wasn't about to let them suffer because of his spat with the four before him.

"I do not deny what you're saying. I know it to be true and I am willing to let you use me, to be the Vessel." His pale blue eyes grew harder, narrowed. "But not as your slave. I know what that feels like. I know what it is to be used, to be shoved into the dark and told to keep quiet. I endured it once for a very long time and I won't do it again. I won't let you push me into some corner of my mind, use my body, steal my voice."

"We weren't doing anything like that."

"Yes, you were!" he rasped, voice threatening to break even as the Sidhe continued, trying to remain steady. The lightning dancing over his skin gave testament to his failure in that regard. He shook his head, a subtle tremor running through his body, a slight shaking that didn't stop but was being tightly controlled. "And when I didn't do what you wanted, you caused pain." His pale blue eyes looked at the four siblings directly, both challenging and haunted. "Tell me, how does that make you any different from those who raised me?"

Gaia looked truly stricken, Poseidon quiet and Vulcan unmoved, but the fire Element rarely looked anything but composed or enraged. He wasn't often inbetween those two emotions. Aura, it was she who finally spoke, far quieter, something having clicked within the Elements, an understanding of the situation.

"We understand. We are...sorry. That was not our intention. We need you and you need us to save what you hold dear, so let us try to work together."
 
Yes, there it was. There was the understanding. That simple yet all too important boundary between the Elements and their Vessel was finally being discussed in a direct, truthful manner. When it came down to it, this had all been about Nik being controlled. Nik being pushed into the dark. His freedom being taken. He was fighting because it was like being back in the Sidhe's clutches again, and in turn he was fighting the Elements.

But now the line was clear and everybody could see the realization that hit each Element. Within Kaulu something grew. A deep excitement and a great hope, though perhaps more of a great expectation than anything. An expectation that her husband and the Elements would finally come to an agreement about the entire Vessel situation, and should any issues arise in the future, they would be able to resolve those, too. And it helped that Aura was a bit different than the other Elements; she was understanding and willing to listen, willing to open her mind to both Nik's and Kaulu's needs, even wants.

So now they were able to make progress.

(( Sorry for short reply. Wasn't sure what else to put. ))
 
"Help me fix the damage done here."

They were the first words out of Nik's mouth and the Elements briefly looked around at the damage before focusing on the Sidhe again, and he sensed they did not understand how this was going to help their problem at hand. But the white-haired male knew it would do just that and the tension had relaxed in him somewhat, the biting sharpness fading from his voice, something Aura noted immediately, taking more stock in what the Sidhe said than her siblings, though, they listened as well.

"Work with me. I am not going to let you use me without having some control, but you are right, neither can I contain all the power you have given me without your influence. So let us see if we can work together if we have the same goal to accomplish." Now that they were LISTENING, understanding, Nik wanted to try this, hoped they would at least be willing. He didn't hope for much in his life, disappointed and hurt badly too many times to truly pray for anything, to truly think anything good would happen to him - and some habits died hard; he'd not told Kaulu, but he was terrified something would happen to their child, to her simply for the reason that they were his - but this....the Sidhe wanted this and was daring to ask if not truly hope that the Elements would agree.

And one by one....they did. Aura was the first and surprisingly, Poseidon was the second, Gaia close behind and unsurprising to no one, Vulcan came last. They approached him and the Sidhe let them, looking at all four and then to Aura who stood directly before him. "You will have to open yourself to us, Niklomaus, fully this time." At the flash of fear in the pale blue eyes that looked at her, the Wind seemed to smile softly, her fingers reaching out to play with his hair, just as she'd always done, comforting. "It will not be like the other times, I promise. We will not push you into the dark. We have all committed to trying this, to finding a different way. You will have to trust our word, Vessel, just as we will have to trust you."

The white-haired male nodded slowly and his eyes found Kaulu, gathering strength from her gaze, from her smile and he turned his head back to the Elements before nodding and closing his eyes. He felt each Element touch him then, felt the power surge back through his veins, just verging on overwhelming in his mind and Nik took a shuddering breath, weaving just slightly before he took a second breath and steadied out again. He reclosed his eyes and took yet another breath, feeling the Elements within him....for once simply waiting patiently...well, most of them were patient, some just semi-patient.

Still, just that fact reassured Nik somewhat and it was with resolve dug up from somewhere deep inside that he opened the gate he'd been guarding and keeping closed so diligently. The Elements whirled through immediately and for a terrifying moment, everything went dark and Nik's eyes rolled up in his head as he collapsed into the sand.

Marsin had just begun to move, though, snarling horribly, when the Sidhe's pale blue eyes fluttered open again and the werewolf stopped abruptly, staring at the Sidhe as if he were some kind of creature Marsin didn't recognize. Right now, Nik's mind was nothing like it had been before and while the werewolf knew that logically he was looking at Nik, his instincts screamed for him to get back, to stay back away from the power that seeped from the Sidhe's every pore as Nik slowly stood. His hair had not changed, still white as snow that would never fall in the desert, his eyes stayed their hypnotic pale blue, but there was something different in the way he moved. There was the the grace of Wind, the steadiness of Earth, the unpredictability of Water and the anger of Fire.

But there was that element of Nik, too, something unnameable, but no doubt him as his gaze turned to Kaulu...and the Sidhe smiled at her with an expression of pure, giddy excitement.
 
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As the four Elements approached her husband, Kaulu felt another spark of hope shoot up her spine and lay heavy in her heart. She could not help but feel a twinge of regret about not trying this whole talking thing - who knew, right? - sooner rather than later, but now was certainly not the time to dwell on the fact. Not when there was such a light of opportunity shining through at this very moment.

Black eyes met blue and both shared, gave, and received strength and reassurance from one another before looking back to the materialized figures. The princess, along with the few Chaktawe who remained from earlier, held a breath as they returned to their vessel's form, praying to the heavens above that this would work. It had to. It was the only way to settle things on good terms.

When Nik hit the sand, Kaulu felt that held breath hitch in her throat. No, no, no. They could not have just taken control of him like that, right? Aura had said that it wouldn't be that way, not anymore, not when they were all so willing to work together...

She saw Marsin move from the corner of her eyes, but as quickly as he had started, he stopped. For the cub had opened his eyes and was slowly standing, and it was then that the princess allowed herself to breathe again. She didn't sense any Elements taking over her husband, but when he confirmed that feeling by looking at her and smiling that smile, Kaulu jumped a little, grinning, before practically tackling her husband and embracing him in a tight hug. The understanding between him and the Elements wasn't just a miracle for the oncoming Darkness, for the people he decided to surround himself with, but also a miracle for the halfkyn himself. And his wife was flooded with relief because this one thing could ease difficulties and possibly even eradicate a few.

"Ah! Good job, my love," she said to him, that bright grin still gracing her features. "You did it."
 
Her praise was like the gentle warmth of the sun after a chilled winter and Nik basked in it, nothing else mattering in that moment. A single utterance, touch, look of approval from Kaulu was better than a thousand such things from anyone else and the Sidhe would have melted into her touch, her embrace, her words if not for the presences that now took up a great deal of his conscious mind, waiting on him. They were being patient, restraining themselves just slightly for his sake, but the Elements were just as eager to find out if they could actually work together in this manner or not.

And that required that they get to work on this damage before them. It was a minuscule task in their eyes, but with Nik working with them instead of them through him....it might take some trial and error to figure out.

They wanted to get started.

Nik could feel it, sense it, and he knew that to push them to further waiting before they'd even tested this new way of things was not wise. So it was that he brought his hand to Kaulu stomach, his palm gentle against her, but possessing a protective quality in that gesture alone as his forehead met her own and then his lips brushed hers, just a tease before he spoke. "I love you." Another kiss, much too short. "I need you to stand back, though. I don't want to harm you or our little one."

And while Nik would NEVER do it on purpose, he could also recognize that these powers were not solely his own right now, but the Element's as well. He wouldn't risk them harming Kaulu, even accidentally. So it was that only when she moved back that the Sidhe turned his attention to the ruins before him. He honestly....wasn't sure how to start, but at Gaia's prompting, the Sidhe raised a hand, palm out and he felt the power that surged up his arm, through his veins and then pour out through his skin. It wasn't visible, but oh, how he FELT it!

And then...then he saw it as the earth started to move out in the desert, beyond the homes, but still visible. The sand began to rise, to fall away from something rising from beneath the burning desert, something that Nik could feel had come a long way down, now coming to greet the sun. It was a great block, almost a small mountain, of clay and stone and even as everyone watched, the earth rolled it, moved it closer to where the damaged homes were. It was then that water started to bubble up from the earth and Nik realized that without thinking, he'd gestured for it to be so.

It was then that he truly started to understand the power that was being given to him.

--

It took hours, but the Sidhe never seemed to tire.

Stone and clay was broken, crushed, mixed with the water that just kept coming from the ground, straw from instantly grown crops was mixed with the stone, clay and water, the wind providing a constant churning and pounding of the water to mix the combination, making a pliable, molding substance that would create stones.

And stones Nik did create.

It was his knowledge that guided the Elements, their power that did the work, unhindered and yet directed. It was a perfect system after hours of constant use and by the time night started to fall.....every house that had been damage was rebuilt and a new oasis, clear of mud and straw, clay as the earth had swallowed it again in an instant 'clean up', lay in the middle of the courtyard the houses were built in. Plants were here and there, a whole crop of wheat and fig trees given almost as a peace offering.

And Nik stood in the midst of it even as the Elements faded away from him, not needing thanks, not wanting it. They would be back when they were needed or when they needed Nik, simple as that. No, it was merely the Sidhe that stood before the Chaktawe people, so very hopeful and yet so very nervous and scared about their reactions.

They'd lost so much in that fire, things he couldn't replace. He didn't know if what he'd done had been enough.
 
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