Short Comic of Doom

As soon as they leave the Hall of Chronicles, the birds take wing toward the white-stone home of Brother Perdurabo. Except, that is, for Alphion. Snape watches him peel away from the flock and head north. You are not accompanying us to Ironwood? he asks Cambion's brother, and the raven replies, I tell my kin you know now. He feels Elsbet and Malfoy behind him, feels their gentle touches, and watches until the raven disappears from sight.

Severus? Malfoy thinks, resting his hand on Snape's shoulder, and the ebon-haired wizard turns slowly to his partners. There is much more to that bird than...

Roycroft rises and steps out from behind the edge of the desk, saying again, "Ellie, please, you shouldn't be here!" She frowns mightily and asks him why, and he tells her because she's not with the Petitioner. "Oh yes, she is," Malfoy says, and the Brother is clearly uncomfortable under everyone's steady gazes. "They've all gone through this...why haven't I had to?" He scrambles to find a suitable explanation. "Well...they're from beyond the Divide, Ellie, they--" she steps away from Malfoy and looks at Roycroft directly. "I was born in America, Roycroft, that's about as far outside the Divide...

As they enter the tiny bedroom Snape thinks about what Therion said about the houses being accomodating...he closes his eyes and breathes deeply, then whispers, "be what we need." The walls seem to ripple as the room expands a foot, two feet, then three; sconces emerge from the walls, lightly-scented candles form upon them and light. The bed expands to accomodate the three lovers comfortably, and becomes a work of erotic art; posts rise up at each corner of the bed and lovers of varying races cavort with each other in a myriad of sexual positions. Intrigued, Malfoy watches one of the posts...

"Severus," the Elder Mother reaches out to him as he approaches; she is so very glad to see him. She sits on a special perch, one that gives her a view of most of the Garden, and when he comes to stand before her, she looks down into his face as though she were much taller than him.

Of all the Silhouettes, she is the one he loves the most.

She is not only the oldest of them in the White City, she is one of the greatest healers in their collective memory. To her people she is Elder Mother; to those who seek her out, she is Bezoar. He just calls her Bea. He never had a relationship with his grandparents;...

The funny thing about Silhouettes, given the fact that they prefer telepathic communication, are their names. Or rather, the names they choose for themselves to make interacting with non-telepathic folk much easier. Among Snape's favorites are Bell, Book and Candle, two females and a male, who form a Union of three and were the first Silhouettes he met. That their chosen names are often light-hearted, even whimsical, makes it even easier for Muggles to interact with them. The two facing Snape now are quite popular with the non-telepathic residents of the White City.

Dance and Sing.

A mated pair,...