V+O; in the Alternate Universe **Completed**

Chapter 14

There was a clicking noise that made O jump wide awake, like dog claws on hardwood. She rolled over to look over the bed's edge, and there it was a tiny creature sitting aback a pale crow. The bird was the colour of paper, eyes glimmering like fire, crackling through the darkness. The pixie slid down the white feathers like a water droplet. O watched as the pixie pulled itself up the blanket and onto the bed, it peered at her. Finally, she noticed that the tiny human-like creature was a woman. Her snake-like eyes stared into O's soul. Patiently she waited for her to speak, O watched as she glanced over to an empty bed V was gone.

She stuck O's finger with a small bone pike she had pulled from a sheath. Blood immediately welled, and the pixie touched her forehead ossicone to the blood. Clear as day her voice rang through O's brain, like no thoughts she had ever had echoed in her skull, just as Coa's did.

At that exact second Coa was within her mind as well. O could feel his curiosity, and the comfort of his presence washed over her. The hairs on the back of her neck raised as Coa's did.

"What's your name?" O asked.

"Lenanne."

"What a strange name," she thought; only then after realizing the tiny person was probably listening in. Her eyebrow raised, confirming O's realization.

"We're very sorry." It spoke with her mind.

"About?" O asked innocently. Drinking the tiny person in, her ears had barbed earrings in them, and the cartilage was notched. It was definitely not natural. They were carved into her skin; she was magnificent in a terrifying way.

"We didn't know Bell would use our dust to hurt you. We wouldn't have wanted that."

"Oh." She thought, kind of intrigued that the pixies, so ominous looking, so fearless looking, could be sorry. Especially to her, someone they didn't know. "Well," O sighed out loud "Hmm," letting my eyes flick to where V should have been sleeping. "It's okay, I'm okay." O switched to speaking with her mind without realizing, "I didn't have fun throwing up though. Which would be your fault." She meant that last part as a joke.

Lenanne's tiny spiked teeth glinted in the dawn light. "We're still sorry."

"It's alright." O pushed back with her mind trying to be sincere even though she was still a little sour about the matter.

Then the little pixie surprised her. "It's not our fault you threw up, that's all you."

This time O raised her eyebrow and squinted down, eyes all rumpled up she could barely see. "Well what do you mean?"

"You know, I haven't met an osmose in 1448 years."

"You've met people like me before? So explain to me..." O spoke almost pleading.

"It is difficult to explain why, but all your predecessors were the same in the beginning. You lot throw up when the power becomes too much for your body." She said the last part proudly, her shoulders squared. And then she smiled, her face softening.

"Since you've met people like me before, do you know if we can give power instead of just taking it?"

"It's far from an easy skill, but possible, yes". She spoke within her mind with such honesty O knew she wasn't lying.

"What about you guys, can pixies return power to those they have taken it from?"

"The price would be higher than the initial price for what had been done before but yes to that as well."