Xaxac was hilarious, and intelligent, and beautiful, and soft, and every time he moved he jingled, and everyone loved him.

He had no idea what they were talking about, and his eyes wouldn’t focus well enough to really see the cards in Agalon’s hand, but he thought he was probably winning because he deserved to win at everything.

Mrs Loraxina ran her hand through his hair, and he leaned so far back into her touch that he almost toppled over backwards out of Agalon’s lap, but he hit the table instead, jostling everything and knocking over several stacks of the coins people had out in front of them.

“Sorry,” he said, grabbed the fabric of Agalon’s shirt and pulled himself back into a sitting position, “Drunk. Super drunk.”

People were laughing at him, because he was funny.

“Kai’s tryin to distract us with his pretty little rabbit,” Mr Loraxina said, “but it ain’t gonna work.”

“I dunno,” Agalon smirked and Xaxac cuddled into him, “You seem pretty distracted.”

“Mama, it’s after midnight,” Cremia said, “I reckon I’m gonna go on to bed.”

“Get your beauty sleep, darlin,” her mother squeezed her hand and smiled, and Cremia stood.

“Goodnight, everybody,” She said.

A chorus of ‘goodnights’ drifted up from the table, and Xaxac waved at her. It seemed as if she was smiling directly at him.

Then she was gone, and Ellie slinked out of the shadows to follow her.

“You got you a talented young lady, there,” Agalon said, “real beautiful music.”

“She’s been playin since she was little bitty,” Mr Loraxina said. “They sure seemed to hit it off, didn’t they?”

“Yeah, sorry about Lorry,” Agalon said and took another drink of his whiskey, “I bought hate to send him back to school like that, I mean, him feelin so bad.”

“They’ll straighten him out at the capital,” Mrs Loraxina said, “best healers in the world up there.”

“Hey, Kai, can I see the shifter?” the vet asked.

“He ain’t gonna tell you my hand,” Agalon smirked.

“Nah, I fold,” the vet said, “Y’all too rich for my blood, I just wanna look at him.”

“Sure,” Agalon shrugged and scooted back in his chair enough to allow Xaxac to stand, but he didn’t. He cuddled further into Agalon.

“Go on, darlin, let him look at you,” Agalon instructed.

“I’ll try,” Xac promised, “Everythin’s all… floaty… I might just lie down for a second.”

“Come here and lie on the sofa,” the vet suggested as he stood and helped Xaxac up, holding him first by the shoulders, then allowing him to lean on him for support.

“Thanks,” Xac said, “and thanks for fixin Jimmy and stuff.”

He fell heavily onto the couch and giggled.

“Hey,” the vet smiled down at him, “I want you to do some stuff for me, ok?”

“Ok!” Xac said as he tried to force the three people in front of him to become one.

“Put your hands up,” the vet instructed, and Xac obeyed, “ok now I’m gonna push against you, and you don’t let me push you down, alright? You keep um up, don’t let me push you down.”

“Kay,” Xac said.

It was not a difficult or particularly fun game, but it was funny when the vet jumped and leaned into him with his full body weight, so Xac giggled at him. He didn’t seem like he was trying particularly hard, though, so there didn’t really seem to be much of a point.

“...ok,” the vet said, panting, “Let’s uh… slide onto the floor. Slide down.”

“Ok!” Xac said excitedly, because he knew where that was going, so he shoved himself off the couch and onto his knees, then leaned forward and ran his hands up the vet’s thighs. He leaned heavily into him as he slid up his tunic and kissed the fabric of his tights.

“Hey!” Agalon chided, “I said you could look at him, fuck’s sake, Nelly, there’s a lady present.”

“Oh my god,” Mrs Loraxina said, sounding terribly offended.

“I didn’t-” the vet stammered, grabbed Xac by the shoulders and pulled him away, “I swear that’s not- oh my god, I-”

“Go upstairs!” Mr Loraxina demanded.

“I didn’t mean for him to do that!” the vet snapped. “I wanted to get him to the coffee table. I wanted to test his strength!”

Xaxac didn’t understand what was happening, why he was being yelled at.

“Go upstairs?” Agalon asked as if he had been insulted, “Nice to see you’re still real generous with other people’s things.”

“Well he’s not gonna do it here in front of my wife!” Mr Loraxina snapped.

“Y’all are readin me wrong!” the vet snapped back, “I wanted to test his strength. I was gonna arm-wrestle him.”

“Everybody calm down,” Agalon said and sat his cards on the table upside down, “Do what now?”

“I wanted to see if he’s got that shifter strength,” the vet explained.

“I got bunny strength!” Xac proclaimed, much more loudly than he meant too, but he hoped his contribution to the conversation would end the negativity he felt in the air, and it seemed that an affirmation may accomplish his goal.

“Oh,” Agalon laughed, “Well you can’t put him on his knees, love a’ god.”

His laughter was catching, and the entire table picked up on it, so Xaxac began to laugh along with them.

“Look at your face,” Mrs Loraxina said, and Xac jumped when Lee moved from the shadows to stand behind Agalon, and leaned down to whisper to him.

“Master,” Lee said quietly, “I don’t know if Xaxac knows how to act in polite company. You know how he gets when he’s drunk.”

He did not say this in jest, but Agalon seemed to interpret it as if he had.

“You’re right,” he laughed, “take him upstairs. See if Nelly wants to go with him, give him a full examination.”

This order caused the table to erupt, once again, in laughter, and Xac laughed along with them, though he did not get the joke.

“Yes, master,” Lee said, and as he moved from the table the occupants seemed to turn their attention back to their cards.

He stood a polite distance away and asked, “Would you like Xaxac to accompany you to your rooms?”

“Thesis’s glowing eyes,” the vet said as if he took great offense to the question, “I’m gonna see if they’ll deal me back in. I need a drink.”

He shoved Xaxac backwards, so Xac let the momentum carry him until he was sitting on his feet and watched him walk away.

Had he done something wrong? The vet seemed angry at him.

What did he do?

“Come on, Xac,” Lee pulled him up by the arm, “Can you walk?”

“Not real great,” Xac said, “I mean, yeah I can. I can do anything. I can do walk perfectly good. Watch me.”

He held his arms out to his sides to keep his balance as the world tilted around him and took a step forward, then stopped to wait for the environment to stop tilting. It wouldn’t, so he judged how it tilted back and forth, and tried to time his next step so that he would hit the floor while it was under him.

He missed, and the floor came rushing up sideways, but he never made impact, because Lee caught him, so he leaned heavily into him.

“Did I ever tell you that you’re one’a my best friends?” Xac asked, “You always been so good to me. Alex ought not be so mean to you.”

“Come on, little man, let’s get you upstairs,” Lee said in response, and Xaxac knew that what he meant was, ‘you’re one of my best friends, too’.

Xaxac jingled as they left the parlor, and the music he made was so beautiful he began to laugh.

“I love it here,” he told Lee, “I’m so happy. I feel like I’m floatin. Don’t this new outfit look good? Lee? Don’t I look great in this? Sexy, right?”

“I don’t know, Xac, I guess,” Lee said as he led him further down the unlit hall.

“You do know!” Xac insisted, “Look at me!”

“Xac, hush,” Lee said, and must have opened a door, because suddenly they were in a much smaller room with a staircase. There was a window in the wall, and Xac looked out to see the moons, nearly full in the night sky. They would be full tomorrow. They were beautiful and he was beautiful and it was warm and kind of dark, and Lee was holding him so the floor wouldn’t hit him again. They were friends. Lee was the one who taught him everything, who would help him calm down, who let him see his family. Lee was always so nice to him.

Xaxac grabbed him by the shoulders, leaned up, and kissed him.

He was too drunk to feel the pain when he slammed against the wall.

But he knew something was wrong.

He didn’t understand the emotion in Lee’s eyes, couldn’t comprehend what he was looking at. There was a rage there, boarding on hate, and his face was scrunched up as if he had eaten something that didn’t agree with him, as if he thought he may be sick and he was angry about it.

Xaxac cowered under his gaze.

“You,” Lee snarled, held him there with one hand on his chest, then looked away, clenched his free hand, and Xaxac was terrified he was going to hit him, so he threw his hands up to protect his face.

“It ain’t your fault,” Lee said, as if trying to convince himself. “It ain’t… not your fault. But don’t ever do that again. I don’t care how drunk you are.”

“I’m sorry,” Xac said, and he felt the tears welling up in his eyes, but he blinked them away. He wasn’t going to cry for no reason. “I don’t… I don’t know… why you’re mad… I thought we was friends…”

“You’re a goddamn child,” Lee said, putting so much emphasis on the last word Xac thought it must have some double meaning, “a fuckin… youngun. Don’t ever do that again. You understand me, boy?”

Xaxac nodded.

“Sit down,” Lee said, “on the floor.”

Xaxac slid until he had obeyed him.

“Sit your ass right there. Don’t fucking move. If you move there’s gonna be consequences.”

“Ok,” Xac said, staring at the floorboards.

He didn’t look up, so he didn’t see Lee leave, only heard the door open and close.

A few seconds later, the door opened, and Xaxac saw a different pair of the same type of shoes.

“Shit, Xac,” Jimmy said, “they really… they really fucked you up.”

“Hey,” Xac said, “Sorry I’m… I’m drunk.”

“Yeah,” Jimmy agreed, “You’re shitfaced. Get up. We gotta get you to bed.”

“I think everybody’s mad at me,” Xac said.

“Yeah, I mean, Lee’s pretty pissed,” Jimmy said, “I don’t know what the hell happened but he said he couldn’t stand to look at you.”

“He don’t like me,” Xac said, “I didn’t know he didn’t like me.”

“Let’s just get you to bed,” Jimmy said and helped Xac to his feet, “I wish these fuckers would all go to bed so we can go to the fuckin house.”

“Yeah,” Xac said. “I don’t wanna… I mean… you’re havin baby Alley. I mean… Alley baby.”

“Yeah,” Jimmy said, “she’s doin alright.”

“I don’t want kids,” Xac said, and looked down over the landing at the place he had been earlier, but the way it tilted made him sick, so he leaned heavily on Jimmy, “Feels like… idk, it feels weird.”

“I don’t think you can have kids, Xac,” Jimmy said, “I think life kinda… cards didn’t fall that way for you. You ain’t gotta worry about it.”

“I heal,” Xac told him, “When people hurt me, I heal.”

“You talkin about your tooth?” Jimmy asked.

“Lotsa stuff,” Xac said, “Do you?”

“Not like you,” Jimmy said.

“No do you baby?” Xac clarified.

“Do I want the baby?” Jimmy asked, and Xac nodded. “Yeah, I love my wife. I want the kid. She won’t let me pick out names, though.”

“Why?” Xac asked.

“You know how she is, Xac,” Jimmy said.

“I’m glad you can walk,” Xac said, “Or I’d be fucked.”

“Yeah it hurt like a motherfucker when they fixed it though,” Jimmy said, “It hurt as bad as it hurt the first time, when I was a kid. I thought I was gonna die.”

“Mrs OfAgalon’s a dick,” Xac said.

“She fuckin hates you,” Jimmy said.

“Everybody hates me,” Xac said.

“That ain’t true,” Jimmy argued. “I don’t reckon most folks hate you. I wish I got to see you more. Alley loves the shit outta you, says I’d love you.”

“Maybe,” Xac said, but he wasn’t convinced.

“So many fuckin stairs,” Jimmy said.

“Yeah,” Xac agreed, “feels like we’re floatin.”

“Xac,” Jimmy said, as if he had packed a lot of meaning into that one word, as if it was a question, but he didn’t follow it up with anything, so Xaxac didn’t understand.

“Yeah?” he prompted.

“I hate that outfit,” Jimmy said, but Xaxac didn’t believe him. He thought maybe when he had began the sentence he had meant to say something else.

“I like it,” Xac defended.

“We all…” Jimmy sighed and threw open the door at the top of the stairs, “We all… we’re just tryin to keep from dyin.”

“Yeah,” Xac agreed.

“I’m sorry, Xac,” Jimmy said, though it didn’t seem like he had done anything that would necessitate an apology. “We gotta get the hell outta this place.”

“What?” Xac asked.

“Your daddy… says that there’s a sea somewhere.” Jimmy said as if it was an explanation, but it wasn’t.

“Alex has been to the sea,” Xac said.

“Wait, really?” Jimmy asked as if that was the most interesting thing he had ever heard, “Is that a true fact or is that drunk bullshit?”

“No he went to the water place,” Xac said, “It’s all the little slut ever talks about.” He giggled, because it was true. Alex was obsessed with the water continent.

“Ok,” Jimmy said, and glanced at the door they had just come out of, “Ok. That’s… that’s really interesting. That’s helpful.”

He opened the door to the sitting room and helped Xac inside, kicked it shut, and helped him walk through into the bedroom. He sat him heavily down on the bed, and Xac grabbed the bedpost for support and stared into the dressing mirror.

“Every time I see me,” Xac said, “I’m surprised.”

“What do you mean?” Jimmy asked, looking around nervously.

“I don’t look like this,” Xac explained.

“Oh,” Jimmy frowned, “Yeah, no, you’re right, you don’t.”

“Jimmy!” Xac’s eyes widened, “Do me a favor!”

He pulled himself to his feet and stumbled into the dressing table, then jerked open the bottom drawer of the jewelry box so hard he heard the table jingle.

“What?” Jimmy asked as Xac dug around in the drawer.

It was difficult to find what he was looking for, because his eyes refused to focus properly, so he paused, took a deep breath, and willed as hard as he could. Maybe it would be better if she just took one. Maybe people sometimes lost one earring. It was hard to keep a matched set.

The world didn’t hit him this time, when he picked up the earring, the three tiny green crystals set in gold. Lorry had said magic didn’t work as well when the person was drunk.

Xaxac turned, smiled at Jimmy and said, “Don’t touch it! Put it in your pocket. It’s real weird when you touch it.”

“Oh my god,” Jimmy said, “hurry. Hurry! If we’re doin this tonight, hurry. Shit, I gotta sneak outta the house. I can’t have it on me. I can’t have it on me and risk him findin it. Shit, I gotta talk to Alex. I don’t know when he’ll be alone again… God this is a bad time to do this but fuck it, I guess.”

Xaxac dropped the earring into the pocket of Jimmy’s pants, and Jimmy instantly reached inside to better hide it. Xaxac watched his eyes shoot open, then he jerked his hand away.

“Thesis’s glowing eyes,” he said.

“Yeah, I done told you,” Xac said, “I done told you not to touch it.”

“Xac, please,” Jimmy reached out and put a hand on each of his shoulders, “look at me. You’re really drunk. It is really, really important that you remember that you can’t tell anybody about this.”

“I always remember secrets,” Xac promised, “tell Alley I love her.”

“I will,” Jimmy promised, “go to bed. Go to pretend like it never happened. She loves you too, Xac. Your sister loves you.”