A New Dilemma

Kiara looked towards her mom when Felix said it was up to her. "Please mommy? Can I be a ninja like daddy??" she asked, practically jumping up and down with excitement.

Serenity couldn't say she was surprised by Kiara's eagerness to be like her dad. The girl was a little tomboy, after all. "I'll think about it," she said with a smile. To which Kiara promptly responded by jumping up and down and exclaiming "That means yes!" Over Kiara's excited giggling, Serenity barely registered what Felix had said about not wanting to be left alone with women. She did, however, hear what Nora had said, and it made her smile. She was glad that all that had happened was practically forgotten already. But not by her. She was still wary of what'd happened to Dantes.

Syndryl was a bit surprised by all the sudden excitement. Hadn't everybody been all tense moments ago? He shook his head lightly when Felix begged him not to leave him alone with all the girls. "I'm not even the same species as you. Why would it be better for me to be there?" Okay, so, while he never tried to be an ass...somehow he always pulled it off. He blinked when the little girl suddenly asked him a question. He supposed she was so carefree because he looked human. He paused for a few moments, considering his answer. Jokes were not usually his thing, but he supposed one could be placed here. "I'm not sure what humans call it, but I suppose it would be the equivalent of a giant spider." He knelt down and placed a hand above her head as if measuring. "Hm. Some of them bigger than you," he said, an amused, yet not unkind, smile coming over his face.

Nora looked at her sister. Why was she so excited about being a ninja? They always got hurt and she didn't want to see her sister get hurt. Then again, their dad came home without any wounds. She shrugged and then looked to Syndryl when he came over to her. "Giant....spider...?" Nora stepped back in disgust. "Gross," she shouted and went over to her mom. "And creepy. Why do you eat spiders, their all weird and you're...ewww." Nora buried her face into her mom's leg. "So gross." As the image of a giant spider formed in her head, she started to tear up.

Felix was silent when Syndryl spoke. He had only been joking with the guy and he'd taken it to a whole new level, breaking them down into species and stuff. Felix felt twelve again, so he merely turned away from the dragon and walked to the Executioner. He pulled the scroll for the summoning and put him back. He then looked to Zane who had laid down next to Syndryl. Felix shrugged and then looked to the dragon as he scared the four year old. Felix's eyes narrowed. What the hell was wrong with that dragon. "She's four...." Felix stated plainly. He went over to Nora and bent down. "He's joking, aren't you?" He said said looking to Syndryl who he remembered was blind, so the thing couldn't see his glare.

Kiara too blinked when Syndryl said that he ate giant spiders, looking at the man. It was then that she noticed something, and tilted her head abit when Nora started crying. After a moment, she looked back towards Syndryl. "Excuse me mister, but are you that dragon from before?"

Syndrylstood back up. The scent of tears was on the air. Had he actually scared the child? That hadn't really been his intention. Okay, yeah, he was going back to the Unknown. "...yeah. I was joking," he said after a moment. He paused for a few moments, when the other sister asked her rather observant question. He turned his attention to her, as well as his head, curiously. "Yes..."

Serenity looked at Syndryl when hemade one of her daughters cry. "Really..?" Of all the times for him to try and joke around, why now, and why with that of all things? She merely shook her head bent down to wrap Nora in a hug, trying not to accidentally knock her over, since she'd been clinging to her leg.

Felix sighed when he saw Nora crying. Hadn't enough tears been shed today? Things had gone from sour to exciting to sour. He looked at Serenity and then to Syndryl. "Well then, how about we go get that ice cream now," he said with a shrug. He figured it'd stop Nora's crying and wipe out the awkwardness that was filling the air. He put his hands in his jacket pockets and then nodded towards the road that led into town. "Come on girls, you can ride Zane if he lets you." He looked to Syndryl. "If that's okay with you."

Nora hugged her mommy. She didn't really like Syndryl anymore, even if he was a dragon like in the fairy tails. He was mean. She looked at her dad when he suggested getting the ice cream. "Okay," she mumbled quietly. "But I want to walk with mommy." She didn't want to be near the Spider Eater.

Syndryl looked to Felix as he asked if it was okay with him. That reminded him. He took the scroll that was attached to his side and handed it to Felix. "Almost forgot. He is yours after all," he said. He didn't really feel much awkwardness, because his emotions were very shallow. "I should be going back to the Unknown anyways," he said calmly. "I'll take care of that man." He no longer felt like hanging around humans anyways. He constantly had to watch what he did and said. It would become exhausting. Even a small joke had turned entirely sour. Oh well.

Serenity nodded when Felix suggested that they get the ice cream now. It would take their minds off of things, especially for the children. She blinked when Syndryl stated that he was going to be leaving, looking at him. Before she could protest, Kiara did instead.

"Aw, you gotta go? Can't you come with us for ice cream?" She was intrigued by the dragon. He looked like a man. She wondered if he could fly. And then the thought passed through her head. Maybe he'd give her a ride! She really really wanted to fly, and even if it was because of someone else, she didn't mind.

Nora couldn't believe her sister! She wanted the Spider Eater to go get ice cream with him. She frowned and kept close to her mother, not sharing Kiara's excitement. They may have been twins, but she was her own person.

Felix noted how Nora was keeping close to Serenity. When Syndryl handed him the scroll, Felix's eyes lit up. "Thanks." He looked to Zane. "Come here boy." The badger leap to his feet and raced over to Felix, glad to be back with his original owner. Licking Felix's face for the third or fourth time, he turned and looked to Syndryl. Felix gave the badger a slight nod and watched the creature jump onto Syndryl, licking his face as if to say goodbye. That gave Felix an idea, but he was sure Nora wouldn't like it one bit. "Zane would be happy if you stayed a while longer two. You're not the same species, but you've been with him longer than I have. "

Syndryl nearly fell backwards when Zane jumped on him, having been taken by surprise at the badger's suddenness. Considering he had a kind of empathy when it came to anything that wasn't human, a small smile crossed Syndryl's face. He knew the creature had been fond of him, but still. He turned his attention to Felix when he mentioned how Zane wanted him to stay too. His blind eyes blinked a couple times. His attention then turned to Serenity, who was looking at him with what he assumed was a small smile. Facial expressions never really registered well with him. So was it that the only one that didn't want him to stay was the other twin? Syndryl pet Zane a bit before going over and kneeling down in front of Nora, his blind pale blue eyes looking at her. "I'm sorry if I scared you. I was only joking, I don't actually eat spiders," he told her. "Would it be alright if I came with you all?"

Kiara watched as Syndryl went over to Nora after what seemed like a forever of debating. She smiled at his question, looking up at her dad with a small giggle. She liked this guy. Dragon. Er...thing.

Nora looked at her father when he too said Syndryl should stay. But the Spider Eater was evil! She backed away when Syndryl came towards her. She looked him with a frown. "Sure," she grumbled when he asked if he could come along. She didn't want to say yes because one, she owed her sister for protecting her earlier, and two, she didn't want to be the only one to say no. She was unfairly outnumbered. They'd even counted the stupid dog thing.

Felix smirked at Nora's attitude. That was all Serenity right there, yep. He then grinned. "It's all settled. Ice cream is on me, which means Serenity you have to cook dinner." As always. Felix never cooked, he refused. If he didn't eat, then he shouldn't have to cook. That's how his mind worked.

It was times like these that Syndryl was grateful that Mekko's father had left his memories with him. It made it easier for him to know what to do in situations like these. Standing up, he gave Nora a small smile. "Ahah, I feel a bit bad now," he said, scratching the side of his head. This was all Mekko's father's acting. Syndryl could never pull off the attitude of a normal human. "Thanks for letting me come," he told Nora.

Serenity chuckled lightly at Nora, rubbing her head a bit. That was her girl, all right. "Mmhm," she said, when Felix said she had to cook dinner. That was normal enough. She usually cooked dinner as it was.

Kiara smiled when Nora said Syndryl could come, going over and taking her dad's hand as he spoke. "Let's go, let's go," she said excitedly.

"Up you go," Felix said as he lifted Kiara up onto his shoulders when she took his hand. "Now you get to see the world way up high, sort of a like a Princess." Felix had found it easy to relate to his daughters by drawing from their fairy tail imaginations. "So, what kind of ice cream do you want," he asked. "You can get however much you want and then I'll buy you a giant tub of whatever you like to take home," he promised. "No matter how much your mom protests."

Nora held her mother's hand and walked after in silence. Ignoring her traitor sister and father. And had it not been for the fact that she had no one else, she wouldn't be holding her mother's hand either.

Kiara giggled when her dad lifted her up onto his shoulders, smiling brightly and laying her hands on top of his head as he walked. "Hmm...I want strawberry ice cream," she giggled happily. Despite her boyish tendencies, she had a sweet tooth, and strawberry was her favorite. She looked to Syndryl, who was walking quietly next to the big dog, her eyes shining with curiosity. "Hey Mr Dragon? Can you fly?"

Syndryl looked over to Kiara as she asked if he could fly. "My name's Syndryl," he said kindly. It'd be strange if she called him 'Mr Dragon' in front of other humans. "And yes. But not in this form."

"If I recall correctly, you flew once before. On that ship, remember?" Felix couldn't shrug because Kiara was on his shoulders. Felix came to a stop once they got to the shop. It was nice to be able to just hang out with his family and Syndryl. Pushing open the door, he held it for Serenity and Nora as well as Syndryl. Looking at Zane he gave the badger a smile. "Sorry boy, you have to stay out here, but we will gladly come eat the ice cream outside." He then headed inside and looked at the ice cream. "Strawberry, right?" Felix grinned. He didn't care much for strawberry, but he wouldn't mind getting some Viking Pride. It was peanut butter flavored with Oreos and fudge swirls.

Nora went inside, happy for the cool air of the ice cream shop. She let go of Serenity's hand and rushed to the counter to see what kind of ice cream she should get. Chocolate was always a treat, but cookie dough was just as well and cookies and cream! "Hmm," she pondered. "What should I get?"

Syndryl paused when Felix stated he'd done it once before. "I did. But
I'd rather not fuse the two forms like that. It wasn't
particularly...comfortable," he said, finding no better word to put in
it's place. Fusing like that had been a bit painful, even. The human
body wasn't used to things like wings. It's joints weren't accustomed to
such stress. Syndryl walked into the ice cream place, a small shiver
passing over him. The temperature had changed very rapidly. He'd never
had ice cream before, nor had he been in buildings much. Things like
heating and air conditioning were quite foreign to him. Even so, he said
nothing about the change, since it was probably normal.

Kiara smiled happily. "Can you give me a ride sometime?" When her dad asked about strawberry, she nodded. "Yep yeps!"

Serenity gave Felix a smile when he held the door open for them, walking up to the counter behind Nora as she looked through the ice creams. "Whatever kind you want," she said with a smile. "Or kinds." As for her, she was getting cookie dough ice cream.

Felix looked to the cashier. "Alright, let me get a large Viking Pride and a large Strawberry and whatever those two want," he said nodding to Serenity and Nora. He then looked up at Kiara. "I'm sure he doesn't want you riding on his back." He looked to Syndryl as the dragon explained the situation back then. "You can blame Serenity then," he joked. "It was her fault for wanting that treasure." He gave a cautious glance in the blond's direction.

Nora smiled when her mother said flavors instead of flavor. "Chocolate and chocolate chip and cookies and cream please," she said. She then looked to Syndryl warily. "Mr. Spid-Syndryl sir, would you like some ice cream too?" She was trying to be nice. She didn't want to be remembered as the mean twin. Not saying it was Kiara's job to be the mean one, but she just didn't want the first impression to be a bad one.

Syndryl looked towards Nora as she asked if he wanted ice cream. He hesitated for a moment before answering. "No thanks." He wasn't sure he wanted to try out human food. He may not have been able to die of old age, but who knew if he could die of sickness.

"Chocolate chip cookie dough," Serenity said with a small smile. She looked to Syndryl when he declined. It hit her then. "Have you ever had ice cream before?" she asked.

"Er, no. But I only eat meat, so..." he trailed off, looking to the side. He wasn't so keen on trying new things. He was sure his human body could eat this, of course, but that didn't matter much to him. If there was one thing that he could do, it was adapt. However, trying new things that had nothing to do with survival...? He'd pass.

"It wouldn't hurt to try, would it?" she asked with a smile. "Besides, you have a human body, don't you? It won't kill you."

Syndryl stubbornly looked off to the side. "Er fine. A small...whatever flavor," he said with a small shrug. It's not like he was trying to become human. Why was she pushing this?

Felix couldn't help but give a small chuckle when Serenity and Syndryl engaged in conversation about eating ice cream. Felix nodded when Nora said what she wanted. "Alright, can I get a scoop of Chocolate, as well as chocolate chip, and cookies and cream. It needs to be in a large bowl like the first two orders," he told the cashier. "And let me get a small scoop of Cookies and Cream." He glanced at Syndryl. Everyone liked Cookies and Cream, so why not the dragon. "And a large chocolate chip cookie dough for the lady please."

Kiara's mouth dropped a bit when Syndryl said he'd never had ice cream. "Whaatt? You've never had ice cream??" She looked down at her dad. "You shoulda got him an extra extra large!" Of course she wasn't serious. Or maybe she was. But it just seemed impossible to find an adult who'd never had ice cream before!

Serenity seemed at least satisfied that Syndryl was willing to try ice cream. Since the body he had was from someone who'd been alive over 800 years ago, it wasn't likely (possible) that the guy had tried ice cream either. Besides, she was sure Syndryl would like it.

Syndryl turned his attention towards Kiara as she expressed her disbelief. "I don't get around much," he said simply. It wasn't a lie. It was as close to the truth as he could come without confusing the kid.

Nora said nothing as everyone made a big fuss over Syndryl never having ice cream. To her, it was his loss. She gave a shrug and then looked to her father as he handed her the bowl she'd requested. Going outside, she took a seat at the table and dug right in. It was delicious and helped her forget the issues from earlier as well as the current ones.

Felix gave a small laugh. "I'm sure he'll want more after he gets his ice cream, but until then, let's not waste supplies." Speaking of, Felix had to get working on that project of his. He'd made a small promise to use his money for a greater cause once he got back. He wasn't using it, except to keep the lights and water on at his place and to buy weapons and scrolls. Handing Ser her ice cream after Nora's, he took Syndryl's and handed it to the dragon and finally handed Kiara her bowl. "Don't spill this on my head," he said. He then paid the man for the ice cream and headed outside where he took a seat on the bench, setting Kiara down next to him.

Serenity waited until everyone started outside to go herself. She started on her ice cream as well, waiting until Syndryl had hesitantly started on his before speaking. "So? What do you think?" she asked him, smiling almost slyly.

Syndryl paused before speaking, not turning to look at anyone in particular before he did speak. "I bet you just made me get this so you could rub it in, didn't you?" When Serenity giggled, Syndryl looked to the side in minor embarrassment before taking another small bite. It was...interesting. He'd never eaten something so cold before. And it was sweet. All in all...it was pretty good.

"So you do like it!" Serenity giggled, to which Syndryl responded with a prompt silence.

Kiara giggled lightly when her dad told her not to spill any on his head. "Okayz," she said. When her dad set her down, she started into her strawberry ice cream, the events from earlier melting away (all pun intended). "Hmhm, no one can't not like ice cream," she giggled.

Felix smirked. "Ah, you want a larger bowl," he asked Syndryl once the dragon had spoken. Felix wondered if Syndryl had been speaking to him since he'd chosen the ice cream. He hadn't really cared if the Dragon chose to eat the ice cream or not. Maybe it was Serenity he was speaking to. The two of them knew each other longer than anyone. His blue eyes shinned lightly and then he started back into his ice cream with mild joy.

Nora remained silent until Kiara spoke of how no one couldn't like ice cream. "True," was all she commented. She started into her chocolate part, savoring the taste.

"I'm fine with just this," Syndryl said, a hint of stubbornness in his voice. No no, he was far too prideful to accept more after having made such a fuss about not getting it in the first place. Okay, so, maybe he'd venture out of the Unknown once in a while to get one of these. Couldn't hurt. But he'd go on his own. He'd just have to find a way to pay for it, right?

Kiara giggled lightly at Syndryl's stubbornness. "It's okay, you can have more if you like it," she said. When she noticed that Nora wasn't saying anything, she looked at her curiously. "You okay sis..?"

(Syndryl, you are an amusing character)

Felix shrugged. "Fine by me," he responded and finished his ice cream. In the midst of it all he ended up giving a spoonful to Zane who happily licked up the creamy delight before settling back on the ground and dozing off. Felix decided that they could all just stay outside and chill for a while before throwing away the trash and heading back to the house. The sun had started to fall behind the clouds by the time they'd gotten back. "Well then," he said with a slight nod. "It's been good seeing you Syndryl, you should stop by more often."

Nora shrugged. "I'm fine, just tired," she lied. When no one moved after eating the ice cream, she climbed out of her seat and petted Zane even though he was dozing in the warm sun. When it was time to go home, she skipped on ahead, occasionally waiting for her parents. When they arrived, she looked at Syndryl. "Goodbye Spider Eater." She then went into the house and took off her shoes. (Kiara still has no shoes on....)

(.....oops.)

Syndryl went back home with them, 'looking' to Felix when he said that he should stop by more often. Was that alright? The other little girl wasn't still afraid of him? He only gave a small nod. "Was nice seeing you too. And sure. Don't see why not." He looked to Nora when she said goodbye. Hadn't he told her...oh well. "Bye," he said, giving a light wave.

Kiara smiled, waving to Syndryl as well. "Please come by again soon, Mr Syndryl!" He thought he'd told her it was just Syndryl. Oh well. He gave her a small wave as well. When Kiara went inside, Syndryl looked to Serenity, who he was sure was giving a smile. "...what?"

"Thanks for helping find the girls," she said. "You don't have to stay in the Unknown all the time, you know. It'd be nice if you came out once in a while without me calling you."

Syndryl blinked, but then nodded lightly. "Yeah...sure." He guessed it was fine. "Anyways, thanks for letting me tag along. See you around," he said with a nod to each of the parents, then looked to Zane, giving a light wave. "Catch'ya later."