Sable

Everything came to her easily. She needed no more food in between training as long as she was near some sort of plant; she borrowed energy from the life around her. Conor had applauded her when they had discovered that she could.

"It's definitely something that I want to tell Lucca about," he said. He was grinning and watching her. "This is incredible."

"It is," Sable said, grinning with him. "I am still hungry though. Still human here."

"Alright, let's call it a day and go get some dinner," Conor said. "Well, you get some dinner. I will not eat in front of you."

"And I appreciate that," Sable said, her eyes wide. "Come on, let's go."

"Wait, you need to put this place back together first," Conor said. He gestured around him.

"Oh, right," Sable said.

She held her hands out and everything that had been touched came back together, a golden mist surrounding it all. Something clicked within her; it felt like a fire had started burning brightly within her. She stumbled forward slightly and Conor caught her arm.

"You alright?" he asked. His eyebrows were knitted together.

"Yeah, I just- I feel different," Sable said. She stood up straight after shrugging Conor off. She felt stronger.

"Alright," Conor said.

He kept an eye on her the whole walk to the kitchen, which irritated Sable. She walked faster to get further ahead of him. She was just fine; better than fine.

Everything had been so easy that day. The fire within her... Had she mastered it? The energy flow from the plant life around her had been intense and grand, and there was no need for a large meal at lunch time. She protected the plants, and they kept her from destroying her body.

What would happen if Lucca found out? He would probably increase the guard, unless he was still under the impression that she would no longer try to escape. She hoped that was the case. If anyone suspected that she was going to make another attempt to break free, her plan might fail.

Sable shook her head and looked over at Conor. It didn't seem as if he had been listening to her thoughts. A sigh of relief escaped her and she looked forward again. Blocking him out of her thoughts would be something she'd have to ask Inara about later that night. The gift might come in further handy; there might be other beings she'd have to block out of her thoughts. She shuddered and felt strange that she was getting used to her new life.

When they reached the kitchen Sable immediately raided the cupboards and refrigerator. She glanced over her shoulder at Conor several times as she cooked. There was no way she wanted him to go to Lucca with her discovery, but Lucca had hinted to there being a different way to replenish her energy.

Sable peered down into the pot of boiling water she had on the stove top. There was definitely no way...

"Aren't you going to put the noodles in?" Conor asked, startling her out of her thoughts. He was peering over her shoulder. Sable jumped back and nearly took the boiling water with her.

"Don't do that!" She shot him a glare. He shrugged and backed away from her. "You could have gotten hurt."

"You would have more of a chance of getting hurt, being the fragile demigod that you are. You know, more human than god and all," Conor made a sound and shook his head. "Poor, fragile Sable."

"Oh, shut up," Sable said. "Or maybe I will throw this water at you."

"I'd heal far too quickly for you to get any amusement out of it," Conor laughed. "And then I'd need to feed afterward..." His eyes glowed a vibrant green, and he bore his teeth at her as he leaned back toward her.

"You're not feeding from me," Sable said. She leaned away from him and grabbed the box of noodles off the counter, popping the top open. "Stop joking around and give me some space so I can cook. Go sit back down or something. Your brother was way more polite compared to you."

Conor's facial expression became unreadable, and he suddenly turned on his heel and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Sable jumped and her eyes widened. She shrugged then and poured the noodles into the boiling water. She would chase after him later, if he was still out there; her stomach was telling her that it was just about empty.

When she had finished eating and cleaning up, she stepped outside the kitchen and closed the door behind her- making a point of doing so gently. Conor was sitting cross-legged with his back to the wall, hands folded in his lap.

"Don't compare me to my brother," he muttered. "I already know that I'm nothing compared to him."

Sable rolled her eyes and shook her head, then said, "Okay, the comment may have been uncalled for. But please, spare me the sob story. It doesn't matter. Your personality is just- well, too similar to mine is all. Now stop acting like a teenage girl"

Conor stared up at her. She held her hand out to him, and he took it. She pulled him back up to his feet and then let go of his hand. Sable patted him on the shoulder awkwardly; he was quite a bit taller than her she realized.

Conor sighed and relaxed his shoulders. He placed his hand over hers.

"Sorry," he said. "There has been- it's been a long time since I felt so human. Being around you is- odd. Inara had the same effect. Anyway, we should go and tell Lucca about your new energy source."

"No!" Sable shouted. She grabbed onto his arm as he started to walk off.

"No?" Conor turned back to her, his eyebrows furrowed. "I thought you were excited about this?"

"I-" Sable paused. What would she tell him to convince him to wait? "I just thought it would be a good idea to continue practising for the rest of the week first. And I want to tell him on my own terms. Is that okay?"

"Okay," Conor shrugged her off his arm. "I won't tell him then. It's up to you to tell him now."

"I know. I promise I'll tell him at the end of the week," Sable lied.

"Good," Conor smiled. "He needs to know. Shall I walk you to your room, young lady?"

"I'm okay with that," Sable said. She smiled back at him.

Conor offered his arm, and Sable hooked hers through it. Excitement, or anxiety, course through her veins as they walked. Probably a mixture of both. She planned on calling out to Inara and asking her about the strange man she kept encountering in her dreams.

"What are you thinking about?" Conor asked. Sable looked up at him.

"Oh, just this guy," she answered.

"A guy?" Conor raised an eyebrow. Sable stared blankly for a moment before she realized what he had meant.

"Not in that way," she sighed and shrugged him off. "I keep having these dreams about this guy. Dark hair, green eyes, blue outfit... He's very familiar with me in the dreams, but he thinks I'm Inara so he calls me that."

"That would be Inara's familiar," Conor said. "Akeem. I don't know what happened to him after Inara died, but I'm assuming since you're standing here as her reincarnation that he isn't dead. He might be sleeping- and trying to reach out to you while you sleep."

"Oh," Sable said. "Am I able to reach out to him?"

"I'm not Inara, I don't have the answer to that," Conor responded. "You'll have to ask her. I'm not sure how the familiar bond works; familiars are for gods and goddesses after all, and not vampires."

"Okay," Sable nodded. "I'll do that, then. Thanks, Conor- for doing all of this."

"I kind of didn't really have a choice," Conor shrugged. "When Lucca gives an order, the order is final. But you are welcome. It actually hasn't been too bad of a time, since we've moved onto destroying things that aren't me. And I have enjoyed your company for the most part."

Sable laughed. They came to a stop in front of her room door, and Conor bowed before her.

"Oh, don't do that," Sable said. She pursed her lips and sighed.

"Well, you are the reincarnation of a goddess," Conor said. "And after recent happenings, I do need to show you some respect."

"Okay, but get up," Sable said. She grabbed his arms and pulled him upward. "Get up; don't do that anymore."

"Alright," Conor grinned, chuckling.

"Good night, Conor," Sable said. She rolled her eyes and stepped into her room.

"Good night, Sable," he said back.

Before Conor could bow again, Sable shut the door in his face. She heard more chuckling along with receding footsteps, and covered her mouth as she laughed as well. What an ass, she thought.

She changed quickly and crawled into bed. There were those two questions on her mind, and she felt desperate to see Inara and ask them. She wondered how to block out mind readers and protect her knowledge, and wished to know how to summon Akeem. Sable figured she would need him for her journey.

Sleep pulled her in slowly, her thoughts spiraling and keeping her awake. Finally Sable slipped into unconsciousness.

The black abyss surrounded her once more. It looked as if there were grey clouds swirling about in the darkness, but it was probably just Sable's imagination as her eyes strained to make something out. Sable stepped forward and concentrated.

"Inara?" she called out. "I know you're tired, but I have some questions to ask you... Are you there?"

"I am here," Inara's voice surrounded her like a warm blanket.

"I don't see you," Sable said. She looked around, but there was no sign of Inara.

"I am weak," Inara said. She sounded very far away. "You and I are becoming one entity. This may be the last time you and I can speak like this."

"Oh," Sable gasped. She looked around more frantically. "Don't go- I need you, and I have more questions. First- how do I keep someone from invading my thoughts?"

"Apply pressure against the walls of your mind," Inara replied.

"I don't- I don't understand?" Sable shook her head.

"Close your eyes," Inara said. Sable did so, though feared that would make Inara disappear. "Breathe in. Feel within your mind that there are walls, and doors along them. Your doors are open as of this moment. Imagine them closing. Imagine them being locked."

Sable tried to imagine what Inara had told her. At first she thought that it wasn't working, but then there was a release of pressure. It felt completely different to how Inara had explained it, but they were mostly two different entities after all. She knew somehow that her thoughts would be untouchable from then on until she decided to let people in again.

"I did it," Sable said. She opened her eyes again. There was a long silence, and Sable chewed her lip. "Are you still there?"

"I am here," Inara responded, though quietly.

"I have one more question to ask," Sable said. "I've been dreaming about your- our- familiar: Akeem."

"He is reaching out to you," Inara breathed. "He has sensed your distress."

"How do I summon him?" Sable asked.

"Right now, he lays dormant within us," Inara explained. "When you are in dire need of him, he will sense it and he will appear."

"Will he- will he go back in us when I don't need him anymore?" Sable asked, making a face.

Inara laughed and said, "No. He will keep his physical form until you die. Just try not to do that."

Sable nodded. There was a long period of silence afterward. She opened her mouth to speak again, but the abyss snapped away from her. She shot up in her bed, breathing hard and gripping her chest. Morning had come again.