Glimpse of Shadows

[Tayuyaxn]

Alright, don't hit me, I thought I might start a small post with the shadow twins, Jared and Jens.
If this isn't appropriate, tell me, and well... remove it after I actually know it was wrong otherwise I'll just be puzzled... ^^'

In it, I've made it as if they're already accepted into the circus and while they're new there, not completely freshly arrived either -
more like they probably haven't had much interaction besides the mandatory part with everyone. Sorry for the novel !

So, go nuts, add what you wish ! I'm fully open to any ideas, this can just be a ''characters get to meet each other'' or a more ''plotty'' one, I don't mind.

Here's a reminder of the chatbox link, just in case :
chat.deviantart.com/chat/ChatboxForUsers

Jens and Jared are rather close even if they aren't romantically involved - and I do not mind if your characters find it disturbing or assume things or if they aren't phased at all ! It's human (or non-human) nature. I just feel the need to mention it, presumed yet non-existent incest can be disturbing to some people.


If you want you can message me and ask to be added. Does that works with you ?

RP order :
Tayuyaxn, with Jens and Jared (2-in-1)
FuzzyInk, with Kitty[/b]
---

Jared was standing in the courtyard, practicing his ''shadow weaving'', as Jens had come to call it.

It was an intricate work, pulling and stitching his shadows into something. Jens sometimes teased him that he needed crocheting needles; he doubted the shadows would like this, sometimes they seemed almost sentient. His weaving didn't have much of a shape yet, but he was trying to weave it to look like a person, or maybe an animal... oh, honestly, he had no idea.

He was just feeling nervous, as usual, and trying to relieve some of his stress.
Jens was hanging out, looking at him, looking out for him, for which he was grateful.

Getting out from under their family's watchful eye was a good idea: Scary, but good. Their mother had been chiding at them to get social lives outside of each other lately... So, join a bizzare circus as shadow mages ? Yes, plenty of new circumstances for them to be off-kilter about, and plenty of new people.

But it was hard. No one understood him like Jens; he looked at his twin, feeling the echo of his thought somehow - Jens also felt no one understood him like Jared. He pulled at the invisible bond linking him to Jens; it wasn't anything that could be measured, or seen, or felt by anyone else. But Jens came, placing himself behind him, laying his hands on both of his shoulders, and his weaving subsequently increased in size.

It looked like a huge black shadowy dragon now, like the big ones their grandfather had described, because Jared had also pulled in his brother's shadow wings into it. Jens smiled; his brother was talented.

Jens only gave an additional power source, and influenced his brother's weaving with their bond. He was a tad smaller than his giant of a brother, so he moved to the left side to get a better view, switching one hand to rest at his brother's right hip, head resting against his left shoulder.

''It's beautiful, Jay'' he whispered, quietly.

He didn't need to see it to feel his brother's answering smile :
''I-I try.'' Still stuttering, he felt his brother's tiny prickle of embarassement over it, and reassuringly tightened his grasp over Jared's shoulder. Ideas popped in his head, and while he didn't voice them out loud, Jared moved his fingertips, changing the design into the great dread wolf Fenrir, the one Jens had briefly pictured.

They stayed there, Jared weaving, animating the dread wolf, the great dragon, other shapes the twins could think of. All the while Jens provided quiet support, holding his brother, keeping an a small measure of awareness around him while his brother felt safe enough to concentrate fully on his weaving.

[FuzzyInk]

((Count me in! This'll be great, Kitty no longer has to be the newbie. And I should have no troubles keeping up with posts.

Also, I have a couple plot ideas, but I think I'll wait until more people join/the story gets going to bring them up.))

--

Kitty stretched her arms across her body as she walked back towards the circus grounds. Her body was damp after her daily exercise routine. She needed to keep her body limber and strong as she planned out the choreography for her newest act for the cirque. Something still seemed missing though... It was still too similar to her past acts. Some fast paced pop song to hook the audience, contemporary ballet dancing, twirling fireworks, it was the same old-same old to her. It needed a new aspect... but what? These thoughts swirled through her mind as she made her way towards the familiar, brightly colored tents she called home. She looked like she was where she belonged, and felt that way too. Kitty flaunted her colorful tattoos from under a loose fitting cropped tee-shirt and spandex shorts. Ballet slippers, pastel purple legwarmers, and a thin layer of sweat completed the workout ensemble. Kitty tried drying herself off with a towel, but it was no use. What she really needed was a shower. Weaving in between the various tents, she cut through the circus to get one before they were taken by other carnies. As she rounded the corner, a dark figure leaped forward. Instinctively, Kitty jumped back and screamed! Adrenaline flooded her system. What was this thing? What did it want? As she jumped, she saw past the creature and saw the twins sitting close by. She restrained herself from fleeing in terror, but her heart still beat as if she was. Soon her fear turned to embarrassment, and her face began to flush. "Oh my GOD. I'm such an idiot." She silently berated herself for her foolishness. She straightened up and started to nervously laugh, "Hello! I... uh, didn't see you there..." Kitty looked around, avoiding their gaze. She silently hoped she hadn't screamed too loud.

[Tayuyaxn]

Jared refrained from laughing at her screams, but couldn't keep the corner of his lips from turning up. Jens wasn't as shy; he disguised his laugh behind a cough, smiling as well. He nudged his brother and the shadow weave changed into a sketchy shape ressembling the flashy performer, mimicking Kitty.

Jared waved shyly, accidentally making the sketchy shadow wave as well; ''I-I'd think y-you hadn't seen us th-there to sc-scream like th-that.'' He looked to the ground, embarassed by his stuttering, as well as blushing. He had hunched a little on himself, and was already trying to switch place with his brother, so Jens would be in front of him.

Jens gave him a comforting squeeze once again, before letting him go to allow him to get behind him, turning a kind smile toward Kitty; ''It's not the first time that has happened, Jared makes surprisingly life-like creations sometimes. We didn't mean to startle you, I hope you're okay ?''

Jared mumbled under his breath that his shadows wouldn't hurt a fly, before grabbing hold of his brother's shirt with his left hand, a nervous gesture, while the right was still manipulating his shadows - it wavered and reduced in size as a result. Jens elbowed him; ''I know that, she doesn't. Now apologize too.''

Jared raised his head from where he had still been staring at the ground, in the general direction of Kitty; ''I-I'm s-sorry. Th-that w-was k-kind of r-rude.'' while his grip on the shirt would've bordered on painful, if shirts could feel anyway.

The shadow-Kitty also bowed in formal apology, before starting to dance around, and Jens held a ''I'm-not-impressed'' expression as he said; ''Yeah. Rude. You're doing it again, Jay.'' and he smiled apologetically and turned his attention, fully aware of their tendency to get lost in their own little world sometimes.

[FuzzyInk]

Kitty relaxed a little as the dark figure changed forms. When she noticed it had turned into a copy of her, she couldn’t help but smile, and started moving this way and that, seeing how well the figure could keep up with her. As the shadow- Kitty waved, the real Kitty giggled. This shadow figure wasn’t nearly as scary as it had been before. She kindly waved back, not at the shadow, but at its puppeteer behind it. She then turned to Jens, feeling better about the situation as he spoke. She shrugged and looked around, hiding behind the hair she let fall in her face. “The only thing hurt here is my ego. But you’re right. Your brother is quite talented. You should both feel proud! I mean, I do kinda startle easily, but… uh…” Kitty lost her train of thought as she studied the shadow figure more and more. It was captivating, the little ways it moved so naturally.

As the brothers spoke again, the trance was broken and she looked back to the brothers. Hearing the apology, she straightened up and shook her head, “Oh no! No need to apologize! You were just doing what you do best and I wandered in on it. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. I’m the one that wasn’t looking where I was going. I just waltzed on into what you two were doing. Sorry about that.” Kitty’s eyes followed her shadow double as it gracefully danced around. Almost without thinking, she entered devant en front, slowly moving along with her shadow double, complementing its movements with her own.

As she flawlessly moved from a croise derreiere fifth en haut to a pirouette, she leaned over and looked towards the young men. As she continued her simple dance, questions bounced around her head. “This shadow is so amazing! How do they do it? How many figures can they create? Does it take much concentration? Is it difficult to do? Oh! I wish I knew!” Deciding it’d be best to not overwhelm them, she bit her lip and asked, “Do you have any ballet experience? Your shadow dancer is actually pretty good… oop!” Talking and thinking about all these questions momentarily distracted Kitty and she lost her balance. She corrected easily, but blushed at her amateur mistake.

[Tayuyaxn]

Jared blushed under the praise, crowding his brother even more; he ducked his head, hiding it in his brother's hair, which muffled his ''Th-thanks. I d-don't... I... I c-can't d-dance.'' and as if on cue, the shadow tripped as well.

Jens chuckled and continued talking for him, as if his brother wasn't taking all his personnal space; ''That's true, he really can't. It's mostly imitation, but our mom taught me how to dance classically, but no ballet in our repertoire... He's making it mimic you, so the more you'll dance with it, the more it'll pick up tricks.'' He said with a proud smile. Neither of them noticed that there had been a mistake, since Jared was too busy hiding his red face in his brother's hair and Jens not really knowing to look for it.

Jared added he could probably imitate anyone, but Jens doubted Kitty had heard it; it was muffled in his scalp, so he tried prying off his brother's hand from his shoulder to reassuring him, but instead it was the forearm going around his waist; he wasn't sure how Jared felt, but generally it meant he was insecure. It was probably the praises he wasn't being used to - nobody had ever praised Jared genuinely for his shadows in their town.

He absent-mindedly patted his twin's forearm, making shushing noises under his breath, before relying Jared's message; ''He says he thinks he can probably imitate anything and everyone, not that he's bragging.'' and smiled when he heard again the muffled ''Am not''.

Because Jared wasn't looking at what he was doing, the shadow had started to melt and move awkwardly, the human shape distorting into other things. ''Hey, Jay, look at what you're doing before you actually make a big three-headed lion with a duck butt crossed with a jelly fish or something, and scare someone again.''

The sad thing was that Jens had absolutely no control on the shadows; he couldn't even stop Jared from tapping into his power. The only thing he could do was subtly influence the whole thing, which was to make his brother come out of his bout of his bout of if-I-don't-see-them-they-can't-see-me and look at what he was doing. He elbowed him, and there was a subtle shift on his head and the shadow stabilized before fading away, and he was now in a full body hug.

''Come on Jay, that was fun. Hey Kitty, right ? Any suggestions for the illusionist wonder over here ?'' he said with a teasing tone, while absent-mindedly petting his brother's arm. Although he fully knew his brother's shadows weren't just illusions.

[FuzzyInk]

Kitty sweetly giggled at Jared’s shyness. She thought it was sweet how Jens was supporting and comforting his brother. She silently pondered if all siblings got this close, emotionally and physically. Of course, she wasn’t one to judge. After all, she was an only child. Deciding it would be better to leave it be, Kitty shrugged off the thought and slowly came to a standstill in the second arabesque position so she could speak without any more slip ups. “That’s really neat! Mimicking, huh? I’ve really never seen anything like this before. It’s so….” She paused, searching for the right word, “Fluid! It seems so lifelike.”

Kitty’s eyes caught sight of the quivering shadow puppet and looked at it, perplexed with its changing form. Watching the figure go from such a natural, common form, to this awkward distortion, baffled Kitty, and captured her attention. Hearing Jens’s description of the dark shape made her have to stifle a laugh. She perked up a little after hearing his question and smiled, “Yeah, it’s Kitty. Ummm…. Well, can the shadow prodigy create a…. unicorn? Perhaps?” Kitty put her hands on her hips and kicked around the dirt. She wasn’t normally shy, but as she spoke, she realized what a girly and childish request it was and felt a little self-conscious about the decision.

[Tayuyaxn]

Jared was pretty sure his face would be permanently red by now; Kitty had called him a shadow prodigy! And she'd complimented his shadows again... It wasn't even mocking... he shuffled his feet on the ground too.

He moved his head away from his brother's hair sufficiently so they could exchange a strange look; they were both thinking that the unicorns from around their home part of the world weren't quite cuddly with rainbows... They actually tried to eat people sometimes...

Jared looked pretty unsure, since he thought Kitty didn't want to see scary things. Jens seemed to come to the same conclusion; ''The cuddly, sparkly kind that goes to visit virgin maiden we see in cartoons, I think that's what she means.''

Understanding dawned on Jared's face, and he moved his face next to Jens', and started weaving shadows again - his hands moving away from his brother's middle to animate it. Soon enough a unicorn made of shadow was prancing joyfully around. Jens snickered, pretty sure that if Jared could have added color, the thing would have been rainbow.

He could feel his brother's smile against his cheek, mumbling that he hoped Kitty would like it, which Jens repeated for him more loudly, smiling as well. He was happy that while his brother was in full-body-hug mode, he wasn't insecure right now - just embarassed, unsure what to do with the praises, and shy.

''I-i-if I-I d-did-dn't w-want y-you t-to g-go, I-I'd ask i-if y-you'd l-like to r-ride it, J-jen... B-but m-maybe K-kitty c-can ?'' Jared said, kicking more dirt but refraining from burying his head in Jens' shoulders - he didn't want his shadow to melt again.

He really didn't want Jens to go; but seeing his brother ride a unicorn could have been funny. ''You know I'll never leave you.'' his brother said, grasping his hand, before continuing about the idea of Kitty riding the shadow; ''I don't know Jay...''

''T-th-they w-wouldn't h-hurt ! S-she h-hasn't m-m-made f-fun o-of m-m-me...I-it'd b-be f-fun. '' was the taller twin's vehement counter-argument.

[FuzzyInk]

Kitty continued to criticize her decision to suggest a unicorn. What an immature thing to recommend! She carried on staring at the ground, shamefaced and red with embarrassment, thinking to herself, “Well, isn’t this delightful? Now you’ll weird out these guys just like you did to everyone in middle school! And you aren’t even in middle school anymore! So why do you still act like it?? UGH!! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!” Hearing Jen’s voice, Kitty pulled herself out of her own thoughts long enough to catch what was being said. Upon hearing his description of the fantasy creature, more heat rose to her face. He had made it sound even worse than she had originally thought. It sounded like something a 5 year old would suggest. Yes, Kitty still loved cuddly, sparkly, cute things, but she felt incredibly awkward telling others.

Kitty sighed in frustration and looked up. She’d have to face the embarrassment sooner or later, might as well be now before it got too awkward. As she lifted her head, it wasn’t the twins that she saw, but instead, the beautifully elegant shadow unicorn that Jared had created. She gasped in surprise and her eyes lit up in excitement. She held her hands to her lips, suppressing a squeal of delight. She put down her hands to applaud Jared’s work, revealing a broad smile. She heard Jens repeat what Jared mumbled and she spun around in excitement. “Like it?” It was all Kitty could do to keep from jumping up and down, “I LOVE it! It’s beautiful and magical…. And just…. Wow!” She carefully walked towards it, almost afraid she’d scare it away. Now completely wrapped up in her own little world, Kitty’s mind began to wander once more. This was practically a childhood dream come true. Almost instinctively, her hand reached out to stroke the unicorn’s muzzle. It looked so real, but Kitty drew her hand back. She gave the twins a nervous glance, and an awkward smile. She didn’t want to accidentally cause something bad to happen by touching if she wasn’t supposed to.

Her eyebrows raised as Jared mentioned her name to his brother. Riding a unicorn? Maybe it wasn’t a real one, but chances were this was going to be as close to a unicorn as she’d get. She sidestepped a bit closer to the young men, but her eyes stayed fixated on the creature. As she approached the two, she spoke, her voice tinged with a mix to excitement and hope, “Wait, you mean I could touch it? Even ride it?” Her eyes flicked quickly to the twins, but back to the shadow unicorn almost as soon as they had left. It seemed too good to be true, and if it wasn’t true, she wanted enjoy as much of the horned horse as she could while it lasted.

[Tayuyaxn]

The twins shared a gratified smile at Kitty's very obvious love of the shadow unicorn. Jens still wasn't sure about letting her ride it; or well, touch it. Jared seemed adamant that no harm would come out of it... ''Jared thinks it's harmless, but I'm not so sure. I just don't want you to get hurt.''

Jared decided to turn it into a pegasus, and made it grow wings; making it fly out of reach while they deliberated, feeling that Jens was uncomfortable with the almost magnetic pull the shadow unicorn had on Kitty. ''Generally the shadow matter only touches either of us or inanimate objects, so we have no idea if anything might happen.'' Jens explained.

But the back-and-forth delibaration was cut short by Jared, who boxed in his powers once again, clinging to Jens; ''I-I'm t-tired n-now J-jen... J-just n-n-need a li-little b-break.''
Sitting back down on the ground, Jens let his brother curl down with his head in his lap, reassuringly carding his hand through his twin's hair; ''Okay, Jay, rest now.''

They had been at it for at least a good hour or two before Kitty had arrived, and Jared had wanted his show to be extra lively for her. ''I-it w-was f-fun... sh-should d-d-do m-more...'' Jared mumbled, closing his eyes.

[FuzzyInk]

Kitty tried her best to hide her disappointment from the twins, but it was evident that her smile faded a little at the news. She understood Jens’s concern, but couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed on the inside. “Jared thinks I’ll be fine… it’s his shadow creature thingie anyways, isn’t it?” But she said nothing. She knew she was more mature than that. Instead, she nodded in acceptance of the situation and casually brushed her hair back. If she was going try and pull off being cool with the current state of affairs, she’d have to lay it on thick.

As the shadow unicorn grew wings, Kitty smiled and looked up to watch it. Not wanting to bother the boys as they discussed her safety, she decided to take it easy on her neck and sit down on the ground to watch its flight. As Kitty squinted her eyes into the sky, she thought about what it might be like to fly around up there with the shadow pegasus. The wind blowing through her hair… it’d probably be quiet. No traffic, no animals besides the birds, yeah… that’d be nice. Kitty’s smile came back as she enjoyed the thought.

As the shadow lost form and returned to Jared, Kitty looked back to see what the verdict was. Hearing what Jared had to say, and watching the twins join her on the ground, she started feeling guilty. She bit her lip in embarrassment of her previously selfish thoughts. She shifted onto her knees and turned towards the boys, watching as Jens stroked his brother’s hair. The both seemed content, and at that, Kitty had to smile. After hearing what Jared had to say before closing his eyes, she leaned towards Jens and whispered, as to not disturb his brother, “It was fun. You’ll tell Jared that, won’t you?” With a tiny grunt, Kitty got up again, stretching her arms and legs. “I need to go take a shower anyways. I’ll catch up with you guys later, mkay?” With a small wave and a wink, Kitty turned on her heel and continued on her way towards the showers.

Warm water splashed onto Kitty’s face. She enjoyed showers for more than just their cleansing value, but for the privacy value as well. The steady rhythm of the water pouring on her body was soothing, and the alone time lead to some peaceful meditation. As soapy water rinsed through her hair, Kitty thought about her evening. The twins were a lot nicer than she would have guessed. After her first encounter with them when they were first introduced to the cirque crew, she assumed they were more of the secluded type. But after spending some time with the pair, she understood why they seemed that way. She figured it must be nice already having support for each other, even before getting fully settled in the cirque. She was a little envious actually. Memories started flooding back about her life before the circus, and Kitty subconsciously touched a small double “c” tattoo on her inner thigh. She paused, wondering what it would have been like if she had the support she need then, like Jared and Jens always have with each other. Kitty quickly shook her head as if to shoo the thoughts away. No need to worry about the past now, it was all behind her. She was now in the circus, and finally felt comfortable with who and where she was. She quickly finished her shower and toweled herself dry.

[Tayuyaxn]

He waved back to Kitty, with a small smile and agreeing that they'd see each other later. She had just gone, when his brother started to snore.

Jens personally thought it was adorable - because it wasn't the kind of earthquake-causing snores, but maybe it was a little innappropriate of Jared to sleep in the middle of the grounds; granted his brother had probably overdone the shadow weaving this time.

He could probably drag Jared to their assigned trailer. Gathering his overgrown twin in his arms, which was quite a feat - more so of balancing than of strenght. Jens was stronger than he looked; and Jared wasn't that heavy for his height. ''Sleeping in the middle of the place... when I said rest Jay, I didn't mean to the point of snoring...'' he said with a private chuckle.

Jared just tried to nuzzle his shoulders as if he were a pillow. Showed what his twin thought of that. He dumped Jared in his bed, a single overly large one (Jared was at least 6'5 after all) that they shared.

It was just simpler that way; Jens was his brother's security blanket. Even their stern grandfather had given up on making them sleep in separate beds because when left alone, sometimes Jared had nightmares bad enough to make holes in the walls - the downsides of great powers.

Maybe it was because Jared also used his brother's powers as his own, but Jared couldn't hurt him with his powers - not that he had ever consciously tried. Then again, Jared didn't have nightmares when he slept with Jens... so it had been a very long time since they had slept fitfully.

Jens sat on the stairs of his trailers outside, while his twin slept his efforts off. He was reading an enormous book recounting legends of pagan gods from across the world. Being in the circus hadn't changed that much for them; Jens was still the moral support, the public talker, and his twin was still as shy and skilled as ever. Except now Jared entertained people now with his powers.

To be honest, Jens didn't imagine life without Jared. He couldn't. He actually had trouble understanding how people went about their lives while being alone like that.

[FuzzyInk]

After drying off, Kitty wrapped the damp towel around her chest and picked up her clothes. With a light hum, she started back towards her tent. She’d have to walk through almost the whole campground to get there, but could care less. Sure, she was in only a towel, but it was warming up outside, which made the stroll enjoyable. The little drops of water falling from her exposed legs were starting to dry in the sun. She pushed her soggy blue bangs aside to get a better look at the circus grounds as she made her way through. As she walked among the tents and trailers, her eyes wandered around, watching the other carnies start their days. She’d smile and wave, giggling when somebody went out of their way to avoid staring. Reaching the edge of the camp, she spotted Jens sitting with a book. Figuring she had time for another chat, she shifted directions and made a beeline for the young man. “Hey!” She shouted to gain his attention as she drew near. Holding her towel with one hand and waving with the other, Kitty approached delicately. “Hiya! Whatcha looking at?”

[Tayuyaxn]

He heard light footstepts coming his way and heard Kitty greet him. ''A book on pagan lore...'' Jens answered, without looking up, finishing his paragraph. ''It's very interesting, if you ever want to read it, if a little old and it could use more illustrations.'' he started to smile welcomingly, but it froze when he looked up and realized Kitty was only clad in a towel, and turned into an awkward smile.

He blushed, averting his eyes again; ''I wouldn't want to be rude... but you're dressed in a towel. Was there anything I could help you with ? he paused; ''Although maybe you should get dressed first, wouldn't you get cold ? By the way, Jared is still resting, in case you can't hear the snores from here.'' He talked in a measured voice; sure it was awkward whenever anyone wearing just a towel came to talk to you, but he wasn't about to squirm uncomfortably.

He had a small private smile, knowing full well Jared didn't snore loud enough to be heard from outside the trailer, even if the door was open, but it was fun to tease his twin, even if he wasn't there to hear it.

[FuzzyInk]

Kitty leaned over a bit, trying to get a good look at the book Jens was talking about. The pages looked yellow with age, and the ink slightly faded. She continued to study the shorter twin with his book until she saw him blush. She giggled pleasantly, more than happy to cause embarrassment to others. It was just so much fun! “Nah, it’s fine. It’s not that cold out. It’s getting warmer actually.” She carefully sat down on the step next to him, cautious not to let the towel slip. She wouldn’t want to make him too uncomfortable after all.

Once she was situated on the step, Kitty started playing with her wet hair, watching the clumps stick and curl around her finger. “Jared really got tuckered out, didn’t he? That’s kinda my fault… sorry… It’s just-” Kitty shook her head, sending tiny water droplets flying from her bangs. “Just nothing. I was being selfish and that’s that. I didn’t know you guys could get so exhausted like that. Although it makes perfect sense, I don’t know why I didn’t think of it. Do you have the same thing? Like, getting tired and stuff after too much exertion I mean? What am I saying? Of course you get tired! I guess what I’m asking is, do you get tired as quickly as Jared does?” Happy with her statement, Kitty leaned back in satisfaction. She kept her eye on the book however, scanning the pages, looking for anything interesting that Jens might flip to.

[Tayuyaxn]

Jens rubbed the bridge of his nose; ''I guess so, it's warmer outside than earlier this morning, and it's not like I can force you to dress.'' before he carefully inspected to make sure no water had fallen into his book, moving it away from Kitty when she leaned over it so it wouldn't get wet; ''Hey, careful with the antique if you want to read it, you know.''

It was mildly embarrassing to sit next to an acquaintance dressed in a towel, to say the least... ''Just nothing ?'' He replied, with a light frown and slight suspicion, before dismissing it. ''I'm not tired at all, actually, and Jared will be fine after a quick nap. He really does all the work, I'm just the moral support.'' he said, with a small enigmatic smile; he wasn't about to divulge so easily that he was also the secondary power source, and he was a little tired because it had been used.

He thought that he'd do anything to make it easier on Jared, including talking for him, and if he could he'd take his mental fatigue too but didn't voice that out loud.

''If I run across the grounds, I'll get tired too you know.'' he added with a smirk, ''Jared needed a nap because he's been at it for a few hours before you came; You have your work-out, Jared has his. Although it's not tedious.'' Never tedious, he thought, the shadows were like toys to Jared, had always been.

He got up, left to Kitty the book open on the page about the gods of winter, to go in and check on Jared. His twin's shadow wings were insubstantial right now, and slithering lazily, curling around everything it touched; Jared was pretty comfortable then. And still snoring. Why his brother kept the things visible most of the time instead of leashing them away was beyond him.

Jens had no wings, because his shadows were considerably more unruly and didn't listen to him (and there he was thinking of them as if they were sentient ! They were NOT) and he couldn't control his powers; Jared had ''sealed'' them away at his demand.

He stood on the last step, leaning in the doorway of their trailer, smiling fondly. He knew Jared would probably be annoyed he hadn't gone to bed with him, and the human equivalent of an octopus would likely attach itself to him sooner than later when his brother had recuperated enough to realize it.