[4.2]

“So Damien, this is our last session together. How does it feel?” Rachel ask as she scoots further on the edge of her chair. Damien laying down looks up to her and is speechless. “Are you ok Damien?” She asks. “No but there isn’t anything you can do about it Rachel” Damien responds feeling guilty. “We have created a safe environment; you can tell me anything.” Rachel says looking down at him. She can feel his apprehension about something. She could feel a particular emotion coming off him but couldn’t place it. “I don’t know I feel like I betrayed someone from my past.” Damien says as he sits up. Rachel touches Damien’s shoulder. Damien and Rachel share a short but awkward moment as Damien leaves. Rachel can feel Damien’s vulnerability but decided not to chase it.

Damien arrives to Ezriel and Paige’s house for the couple’s anniversary dinner. The 3 usually just hang out and watch movies but the surprise was on Damien because they decided to further encourage 2 to make something happen. “So tonight is different, we are going to go out for dinner and then to a club. Going to try something different this year.” Paige told Damien as he entered. “You are a bit under-dressed though” she said finally. “Do you really want to do this? We could stay home.” Damien wined. “No, you owe me for last year.” Paige says to Damien as he hangs his head in remembrance. “Yeah-yeah I got it. Tell Ezi that I’m borrowing some of his shit.” Damien says as he storms towards their bedroom. Paige giggles as she hears her husband’s and Damien arguing. Her phone rings to which she answers and as the conversation overlaps with the 2 men’s fighting (they have literally started wrestling in the living room as Jay cheers her father on) “Yeah Nikki the plan is working on my end, how is our girl coming along.” She asks Nicole (on her end) waves hi to Rachel as she walks in the house. “Ill let you know in a few, talk to you soon)

“Hey Rachel, are you ok?” Nicole asks her roommate. Rachel turns to her looking mentally exhausted. She wearily responds “No, today was possibly one of the worst days of my life outside of Gar. It even beats me during my midterms. You remember what happened there” As Nicole cringes in memory Toni asks what her plans were for. “Sleep for starters” Rachel says but is cut off by Nicole “Why don’t you get changed and join us for dinner?” she says as she sips on her drink. “I’m not interested. Sorry ladies.” Rachel says but Nicole tries to deny her again. Nicole already expecting this pipes up “Damien will be there because its Paige and Ezriel’s anniversary “and with this she can see a shift in Rachel’s attitude. “I still don’t want to go” Rachel weakly protests but Nicole knows her best friend too much. She saw the way they were while at the couple’s and all the involved parties agree that it would round out their composition. There was Paige and Ezriel the “Perfect” couple and if perfection could be described it would be them. Throughout the entirety of their 20 years together they have faced every known challenge together and beat it-together. Their love made Rachel hopeful for the same someday when she originally met them and now that she couldn’t help how she started to feel about Damien. Masking her growing interest with the night under a false feign of disinterest. Toni and Nicole shared an open relationship but didn’t broadcast it due to the first time of them having privacy and a normal life. Nicole enjoyed hanging with Paige and Toni well, she and Jay were inseparable when together (which grew more by the week.) Toni would babysit her any time they needed and even encouraged Paige and Ezriel to do things that created opportunities for them to hang. Little did anyone know Toni secretly wanted a child but knew she wouldn’t be able to have one Jay filled that void.

As the trio of ladies walked into the restaurant thy were met by the other three and sat down. After a nice dinner and a LOT of wine they took a cab to the club and that’s where things got interesting. Paige and Ezriel were engaged in their own thing, Toni and Nicole were drawing all the attention to the selves by their “Activities” while dancing. All night the others have been subtlety and not so subtlety playing match maker. Having Damien and Rachel sit VERY close together and was getting them a wee bit tipsier than the others. They would do things to facilitate physical contact with them and it worked like a charm. Before the night was over Damien and Rachel were all over each other. They were in a far corner booth engaged in a heated and deep debate of an intimate kind. Rachel was leaning over Damien as she and he were lip locked. As he gently but intensely pulled her into him she fought back with equal fierceness and fire because while the **** helped loosen things up and her emotions were cheering her on (Rage and Rude were being the loudest, even Timid was egar for what was happening. Love and Happiness were nowhere to be found and was later discovered to be under Rachel’s direct “Womanly influences” and went to diffuse). While they were getting deeper and deeper into their moment a birdy hovered over their booth. After a few minutes Damien withdrew himself from Rachel’s mouth as they needed air and heard cheering around them. Toni and Nicole were hugged up watching them as Ezriel kissed Paige as she clapped for Damien. “Damien, we are so happy for you! We have been trying to push you two together for the longest time” Paige puffs happily. Damien finally snaps out of the **** induced haze of lust and realized what he did. Looking at Rachel and being conflicted Damien left the club and went to his apartment alone. Finally falling asleep he is walking Pin’s territory as he walks in on her meditating. “So I assume you feel like you betrayed Roxanne because of the actions you took with Rachel” Pin says without breaking stride. As Damien sweats and stumbles with his words 2 more figures walk into their conversation. Pin breaks her meditation as the younger girl races over to her. “I am glad you both are here there is something I need to do and you both need to be there. “She says and Damien stairs agape at 2 people of which he has never seen before. “What are you? I don’t mean to be rude but you are kind of freaking me out.” The elder woman walks up to Damien smiling “I see what you are talking about Pin. After watching for so long from a distance he does have the air of Draxus about him. He is the second half you say?” Pin nods her head as Damien continues to meltdown. “I can deal with you Pin. It took me some time but I can deal with you. What are you to others though? Are you aliens?” Damien speaks with resolve that is crumbling as he speaks. The youngest pipes in. “My name is Zoqia and this is my mother Ashara. I can see how you would consider us aliens by your knowledge of this universe but we are considered humanoid by where we come from. If you think we are strange, wait till you begin to journey with us and what you will see. That will really blow your mind.” The elder one now known as Ashara taps her daughter on the shoulder and takes over the conversation and tells Damien everything. After a few minutes Damien’s head feels like it will explode “Stop, Please I need a moment. This is too much to place on someone. “he says as he walks out of the cave.

After walking for a while he comes to a clearing and notices a younger man sitting on a stump looking into a pond. As Damien observes this man and notices some of his features match the young girl such as his facial features (Sith Pure-blood with facial tendrils and rings). “What is going on” Damien wonders as he feels his world slowly spinning out of control. “All of this must be strange to you. You being from a world where the humans are only limited to what they can see and only a handful being able to perceive things greater than themselves. Where those people are ridiculed and harassed.” He says nonchalantly. Motioning towards Damien to join him the figure directs his gaze to the pool of water in front of him. “When facing things of this caliber there is only 2 things you can do. You can either sink or float amongst the surface and wide out the waves that the situation creates. Like myself I was a **** taken away from the life I knew and pulled into a world I didn’t know because I was sensitive. Where I am from and where I lived if you were sensitive there was only one route for you. You would either succeed or fail and failure meant ****.” He says gazing into the water. Through my life I had challenges and even wielded a seat of power in the government of my civilization but along the way I found out that despite the fact that there was always something pulling me in one direction or the other, I could remain neutral and fight it my way. While it garnered me enemies it enabled me finally pass peacefully and even to be here when you needed someone to talk to. I can feel the stress you are under. Sit with me and talk. You have a few free minutes.” He says looking into the sky. Not knowing why Damien would even trust this man and against his half that is pleading to be cautions to this stranger he sits and tells his tale. Recounting his wife’s **** and his situation with Rachel takes a while because the man is intently listening and never breaks Damien’s stride. Finally at the end of his tall tale Damien waits for the rejection and damnation but finds that’s not whats given. “Maybe and hear me out, but maybe you should just let it go. I know how hard it is to be lost to the ones you love. But sometimes you have to let that go so something that is waiting for you can come in your life.” He says after come contemplation. “But how can you say that? I betrayed my wife the woman I loved and still love.” Damien retorts. The man looks Damien in the eye and simply says “She loved you as much as you loved her, I'm sure she wouldn’t want you to be miserable the rest of your life nor would want you to take yours to follow her (Damien tensed up at this) just to be with her. Im sure she saw your greatness the moment she met you and chose to follow you and help you cultivate it I know my wife did.” He finishes

. As Damien considers his words he hears branches snap behind him as Zoqia comes into view. He turns back to the man who is now gone. “This is only the beginning, we will talk more. When you need someone to talk to you will find me. Your new friend” was written into the stump as he looked down and saw this message written plain English. “Are you ok Damien?” Zoqia ask worried. “I don’t know” Damien answers as he is confused both at the stranger and the young woman before him. Zoqia sensing someone strong with the **** was just there drops into a defensive posture. “I need you to get back to Pin now.” Zoqia says and when Damien asks her what is going on she simply hurries him back to the compound while keeping her senses open. When they get back to the group of women Pin senses that Damien has been touched by a ghost. Immediately sending out a pulse she finds no one entered her realm and turns to Damien. “what is going on her, who the hell are you and why is this happening to me?” Damien asks as he paces back and forth. Pin levels with him finally after nervous glances from both women. “I need you to relax Damien and hear what I am about to tell you, In your universe there is this idea of the human spirit, it is known as QI or essence depending on your beliefs. In my universe it is known as the ****. It is everywhere and within everyone.” Pin with the assistance of Ashara give various demonstrations and begin the long history and education of the ****. “I myself am gifted in the **** perhaps more than anyone because I was directly convinced through the ****. While I am alive I am restricted to this realm as a physical entity and when I travel I am a apparition. You are the exact opposite. You were born directly through the **** also but you have physical form in every reality and realm but your connection with the **** was suppressed. I know this is a lot but I am afraid this is going to make things worse. Something terrible is coming to your realm, mine and others across multiple universes and that is the opposite of you. You are the nexus between every universe across all universes. I don’t know why your link to the **** was suppressed and why you were placed here but you are in…” Pin says as she is cut off and Damien is snatched from her mindscape and into darkness.