I HAVE SCABIES. [Lumi, Arden.]

Edwurd was excited today. He heard that Annerb had special Amelian cows who didn't mind the cold. Edwurd loved cows. He loved farms. He loved Quinn. He walked along the dirt road of many fences and other farm-like things, searching for what he came to the island to find.

"Where are the cows, Steve?" he asked his daemon, unhappily.

"I dunno, maybe it's all a rumor," Steve replied back.

Edwurd hurumphed and continued to walk.

In spite of what had happened the last time Lumi came to Annerb, she still really enjoyed it here and wanted to come back. So she did. Only this time she came on a ferry with dozens of other clio so that she didn't have to worry about her mode of transportation being destroyed again.

Up ahead on the dirt road, Lumi saw someone familiar. Oh, it was that Edwurd kid. The one she used to hate but now didn't mind so much. She felt kinda bad for what she had done when she saw him last...Maybe she should apologize, now that they were on better terms.

"Hey! HEY EDWURD!" she yelled, running to catch up to him.

On board that ferry of dozens of other clio, Arden Gold sat guarding his tiny daemon carefully. When it docked, he stood, carrying Sol in his hands, glancing around him, self-consciously. No doubt were they thinking this kid was either daemonless or that his daemon must have been a flea, for they could not see it.

All these clio were being followed or lead by large animals. Arden saw cats, dogs, a pig and maybe two geese, but no one had a little fancy mouse.

Sol was offended by Arden's mind war, and bit him hard on the palm of his hand. Arden was offended by Sol's bit and drew his hands open. "What?" Then he knew. "Sorry. I know its not our fault." He smiled apolgetically.

He heard a loud shout over the hum of clio talking, and tried his hardest not to follow the voice, but, who can blame him? He saw the girl it belonged to and watched them for a few minutes. Maybe he'd go over. He was all alone...

Edwurd turned to a familar voice. It was Lumi! He liked Lumi, but she also scared him. He stopped to allow her to catch up with him. When she ran to his side, he said cheerfully, "Hi Lumi!" His cheerfulness went away for a moment though, "You're not gonna kick me again, right?"

Lumi laughed awkwardly. "Uh, actually I wanted to apologize for that. I probably should've heard you out before jumping to conclusions," she gave him an apologetic smile and help her hand out for him to shake. "Friends?"

Behind Edwurd, in a small crowd of clio, Lumi saw another familiar face. It was Aven! Aven was her friend. She had wanted to talk to him for a while now, to invite him to the wedding. "Aven!" she called over Edwurd's shoulder. "Hey Aven, over here!"

Arden watched the two talk for a little bit, then he heard someone calling a name that was all too familiar to him, but strangely not his own.

The girl was waving to him and calling him Aven. All these clio had it all wrong. He didn't know an Aven, he didn't know these clio, but all of them knew Aven and he must've bore a striking resemblance to Aven's namesake.

In order to correct her, Arden strode over, eyeing the boy cautiously and the girl even more carefully. Her daemon could eat Arden's... Plus, Arden was always careful around boys. They were always more willing to jump on his case of having a small daemon.

He smiled politely at her. "I'm sorry, I believe you have the wrong clio." He spoke with an un-Aven-esque air in his voice. He held his non-bitten hand out for her. "I'm Arden, I don't know who Aven is, but so many clio seem to, that I'm interested in knowing who he is as well." =D

Edwurd didn't take Lumi's hand. Instead he pulled her into a hug. "Of course!" he squeaked.

Lumi wrote:"Hey Aven, over here!"

Edwurd turned to see who 'Aven' was, and saw a cute boy with pretty hair aproaching them. He wasn't as cute as Quinn though. When 'Aven' was close enough to talk, he didn't call himself Aven, he introduced himself as 'Arden'. Edwurd was a little confused, but oh well!

"Hi Arden," Edwurd chirped. "I'm Edwurd!"

"Oh, um--okay then," Lumi said, slightly surprised when Edwurd pulled her into a hug. She smiled nonetheless.

Then the clio who she'd thought was Aven came over. The moment he got near she realized she'd made a mistake, because even though this clio looked like Aven, he had a very un-Aven-ish manner.

She shook Arden's hand. "Oh, sorry," she said, looking him up and down. He was Aven's double. "It's just--wow, you look exactly like him. You could be twins. Oh, I'm Lumi, by the way."

Arden eyed the squeaky clio, now more carefully than the girl's cat daemon. Was he...? Arden sure hoped not.

"I'm sorry, miss," Arden laughed, shaking her hand before tucking it back into his pocket, "but I don't even have any siblings. But it is nice to meet both of you."

Apprehensively, he pulled Sol out of his pocket, "This is Sol." He presented him, a small smile on his face.

He glanced at Edwurd again, then back at Lumi. "My better one-sixteenth."

=D (Like he told Charlie.)

Edwurd grinned at Arden, then at Sol. "Hi Sol! It's nice to meet you!" He pointed down at the Shih Tzu at his feet, "This is Steve!"

"This is Moxie," Lumi said, picking up Moxie, who waved her paw. She set her back down and regarded Arden with interest. "If you don't mind me asking, were you adopted? Maybe you have a biological family you don't know about." (MAYBE YOU DO TOO, LUMI.) There was just no way two clio could resemble each other that much and not be related. She hoped it wasn't too personal a question.

She turned to Edwurd to give him some explanation. "In case you're confused, there's this guy I know named Aven Silver who looks exactly like this kid." She paused. "Speaking of which, remind me to introduce you to Aven. You'd like him."

She turned back to Arden.

Arden hadn't really thought about that. "...Yeah. My parents found me on their doorstep. It's weird that you ask that actually."

He watched Lumi explain to Edwurd. "Wait. What did you say the last name was? Silver? Like the Overloridian?"

So there's another cute boy who looks like Arden. "I would love to meet Aven!" he said to Lumi cheerfully.

Arden wrote:"Wait. What did you say the last name was? Silver? Like the Overloridian?"

"Uh, I think that's his older brother," Lumi said thoughtfully. "The Overloridian is Lior Silver, and his younger brother is Aven Silver. But they look absolutely nothing alike. I think one of them might be the milkman's, if you know what I mean."

Edwurd wrote:"I would love to meet Aven!"

"I'm sure he'd love to meet you too," Lumi assured Edwurd, turning to him. She laughed and said half-jokingly, "Maybe you guys could hook up."

Arden nodded, pleased with the new informationg he'd gotten about Aven Silver.

Then, the girl said something he could've gone without hearing. "Wait." He froze, "You're gay?"

Then he got to thinking about it for a few miliseconds. "...And you," he pointed to Lumi, "said he could hook up with [/i]Aven[/i]?! That must mean...oh...Oh God...That must mean AVEN is gay!"

BLECH.

Edwurd looked at the shocked Arden. He nodded, and said, "Yes, I am gay, is that a bad thing?"

"Of course it isn't a bad thing!" Lumi snapped. She didn't appreciate Arden's reaction to the news that her friend was gay. She glared at Arden. "What, you have some sort of problem with it or something?" she demanded.

Arden frowned. Of course he had a problem with it. Couldn't they see that pretty obviously?

"Well..." He narrowed his eyes at the both of them. What should he say now? He had a problem with it.

Sol tried to coax him out of it. Just tell them, Arden. You'll feel so much better. You won't have to hide it anymore. Let them know. They won't judge you...

Arden's resolve was sinking faster than the Titanic if he'd known what that was... "...Kinda." Quickly, somewhat apologetically, "But it's...not what you think."

Edwurd pouted. He didn't like it when people didn't like him. But he wanted to be nice anyway. "Well, then what is it?"

Pouty face.

"What, are you just frustrated about your own repressed homosexuality?" Lumi asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Stupid homophobe, making Edwurd use his pouty face.

Arden felt the bottom drop out of his stomach, and the acid from within it drip into his knees, burning them out.

He knew he must have looked pale. That's what always happened. "...You know..."

Tell them, Arden. Come on! Tell them! Angel Sol sat on Arden's left shoulder, nibbling popcorn next to Devil Sol who also was enjoying popcorn in the same location. Come on! Tell them!

"..." Arden took a deep breath. "...Yes."

WOO-HOO! Devil Sol cheered while Angel Sol choked on some popcorn. So frank? It was wonderful! No more repressions!

Edwurd's pouty face was replaced with curiousity. He eyed Arden up and down.

How interesting.

^_^

Lumi blinked. "Oh. I was...just joking, but okay," she said awkwardly. She looked between Edwurd and Arden. What if they got together? At least it would stop Edwurd from pining after her fiance.

She suddenly smiled at Arden. "Are you sure? I mean, have you ever kissed another boy before?"

Uncomfortably, Arden noted that Edwurd's expression and demeanor had changed towards him.

He nodded, even more uncomfortably. "His name was Lucas." He thought about it a few more minutes. [Whoa. Everything interrelates.] "I was drunk one night at the Tavern. He called me...Oh shit, he called me Aven." Pale face. "He thought I was Aven like you guys did. I guess...I was curious?" It hadn't been meant to be a question... "...I don't know. I went with it. Then I left. I wasn't who he was looking for."

[It probably doesn't make sense...Sorry. XD]

Edwurd grinned cutely and stuffed his hands into his pockets mischeivesly.

(I know that's been spelt wrong.)