Sending out

[Adia]

The giant black owl fixed its huge orange eye on Adia as she tied the small parcel to it's leg. Adia was sure the bird knew that she was doing something wrong by the way it was staring at her; but when she told it where to go, it hooted in a reasuring sort of way and took off out of the window with a loud clap of it heavy black wings.

Sighing, Adia turned her luminous black eyes to the starlit sky outside. Her life had changed since Danawi had entered it; she suspected danger around every corner, and her usual mistrust was buried even deeper than usual. Occasionally she wondered whether she had done the right thing - but whenever she thought about what was to come, the battle that she would help begin, it all fell right back into place.

She was working for something bigger than just herself. And it felt right.

[Kiki]

Kiki left the Head's Tower, opting to take a stroll through the castle instead of taking Floo back to the Ministry then Apparating home to see if she could convince herself to fall back asleep.

A swish of a cloak in front of her made her frown. Surely no student should be up this early? Kiki shrugged and decided to ignore the sun rising over the east side of the castle and followed the student.

They eventually slipped in to the Owlery and Kiki watched from a crack through the door as an impossibly huge black owl flew out the window then shuddered as she realised that it was the same size as the owl she had used whilst she was possessed. She sighed thinking of Ace, then pushed the door open and stared.

"D?" She asked shocked, then a grin slowly spread across her face.

"When did you get back? Why haven't you come to see me? Why -" Her questions were cut short suddenley as she remembered the last time she had seen Adia. They had both just come back to life and she had pretty much scared her away. Ace leaped into her mind again and she rubbed her eyes with her fingers, wondering why Ace had to be entwined with her life so much, and the fact that he was over trudging around the world and still managed to intrude into her thoughts.

"I'm sorry about the forest," Kiki began, looking at D for a reaction. "I was screwed up. A lot," She smiled slightly as the next words rose to her lips. "Hey, I'm not perfect," She shook her head and marvelled at the irony of it all. She retracted her head from past memories and focused on the present. Adia was back, but there was something about her that was different. There always seemed to be, but Kiki couldn't put her finger on this one.

[Adia]

Surprised to hear the sound of her friend's voice, Adia's dark eyes glittered as Kiki spoke, a tiny smile playing with the corners of her mouth despite her reluctance. It had been so long since she had seen Kiki she almost had forgotten what she looked like.

At the mention of the Forest, Adia's spark died, and all was black again. For all Kiki knew, Adia could have dropped off the face of the earth that night - and she had never even bothered to try and find out what had happened to her. Not that it mattered, of course.

"Don't worry about it," said Adia quietly. "I wasn't the only one lost that night - you had your own troubles to worry about. Besides... I'm okay now aren't I?"

She fixed Kiki with a strangely fierce eye, placing one hand on her hip. Her smile softened her somehow, but it was almost as if she had reverted back to the awkward, unfriendly girl she had been when she first arrived at the magic school.

[Kiki]

As soon as Adia opened her mouth, Kiki instinctively knew she'd lost Adia. Again. It was amazing how this girl could launch herself into such situations as Adia got herself into.

"I will worry about it, because it was hardly fair of me to...to do what I did," Kiki didn't want to say anything more of that night, for fear of hurting Adia more, and for fear of making it a harsh reality.

The small almost wry smile that played across Adia's lips nearly managed to send a shiver down Kiki's spine. Somehow, Kiki had done this to her and indirectly was responsible for whatever Adia was planning.

[Adia]

Adia's stance became less demanding; she softened visibly, her lashes lowering to the stone floor.

"Yes, well... we all make mistakes," she said, and without another word stepped forward and awkwardly placed her arms around her friend's neck in a tentative hug. "I'm sorry too. I seem to constantly drag you into my messes, do I not?"

She pulled away, eyes dancing with laughing fire. She had picked up on a lot of things while hugging Kiki - her new heightened powers picked up on her senses, and by far the most noticeable thing about her was that every pore seemed to breathe Acerbus Aecus, the lost Vampire King. Something to note indeed.

"So... how have you been since? How is the Ministry life treating you?" asked Adia interestedly.

[Kiki]

Kiki wondered about the near-awkwardness of the hug given to her. She decided not to press against it. Besides, one of her best friends had appeared from out of nowhere, how could she be mad?

"Ministry life is good," Kiki said cheerfully. "You get all kinds of crazy requests and problems to deal with sometimes. The other day, a woman came in, demanding that I make the owner of Dervish and Banges pay her for selling her a Never-Breaking Quill that broke as soon as she tried to write with it. I sent her up to the Misuse of Magical Artefacts office. Turns out the magical signs that are hung around the store moved before the wizard behind the counter could move the stock. All a careless mistake really," Kiki suddenly realised she was rambling, and stopped, looking over Adia, finding it hard to believe she was standing in front of her.

"So what have you been up to?" Kiki asked softly. "I'm sorry that I haven't been in contact, but life at the Ministry as been strangely hectic at the moment,"

[Adia]

Adia nodded curtly - Kiki was touching a still rather sore subject for her.

"You don't have to keep apologising," she said abruptly. "I have been fine - after the incident in the Forest, I eventually made my way to the Headmistresses thanks to a student called Darren, I believe his name was... and then Rose directed me to Ace, informing me he had the answers to my questions and that only he could fully explain what had happened. I went to see him, and... then I was fine."

Adia kept her eyes fixed on Kiki, watching, waiting for a reaction from her friend at the mention of the Vampire.

[Kiki]

Kiki's eyes flickered at the mention of Ace's name and she straightened her head slightly. She wondered whether she should tell D about Ace, but from the intent stare that she had concerntrated on Ki, Kiki assumed she already knew somehow.

"Okay, I'll stop talking about the forest," she agreed, although that still didn't stop her feeling guilty about it.

"So after you saw Ace, where did you disappear to?"

[Adia]

Adia averted her eyes at the question. Even she wasn't quite sure where her encounter with Ace had sent her to... it had been a dark place, and she had regained her memory (most of it anyway), but it was so patchy in her mind. How could she even begin to explain?

"To be honest with you, I don't really know. I went away, alone, and eventually things came back to me - but it was almost like it was all a dream. Or nightmare." Her dark eyes flickered back upwards. "Then it felt like I was waking, coming out of it slowly, and I was at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, facing the school. I think maybe somebody helped me back. I think... I think maybe Ace arranged it somehow, I can't say for sure."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Wherever I was, I can only assume I was looked after."

[Kiki]

Kiki cursed inwardly for not dropping the Forest topic as she had promised. She seemed to be good at that lately, not keeping her promises to herself.

Her purple eyes flickered over D and could see no obvious physical damage. But then again, it wasn't the physical damage she was worried about.

It was the mental damage.

She knew that Adia was a strong person, and was less then willing to discuss her own problems. Kiki decided not to go there.

"It seems like forever since we last saw each other," Kiki smiled at Adia, feeling relief settle over her shoulders that there was still some constant in her life. Even though she had been abandoned, sent away or pushed away by nearly everyone she'd ever known, to see one she loved as much as Adia was a relief. Even if she had to quash the little voice inside her head that she had to be wary.

[Adia]

"It does, doesn't it."

It wasn't a question. It had been forever since they had last seen each other. And despite all the changes that Adia had gone through, despite the fact that she and Kiki were working on total opposite sides now - she was more than a little touched that her friend appeared to have missed her greatly. And, though Adia would never admit to it, she had missed her too.

"Perhaps we should meet up some time - when it isn't dark or gloomy or freezing cold," Adia smiled slightly, clutching her black furs closer to her frail body. "It would be nice to catch up properly."

She was overcome with a sudden urge to tell Kiki everything, just by looking into her best friend's trusting violet eyes - but the moment passed, and she breathed in slowly, waiting for a response.