Rain Dance

Voltaire began working on his food, paying no minding Kimi's false sulkiness.

Ava, less keen on the matter, seemed puzzled. "Why are you making that face if you're happy?"

Kimi simply shook her head. "Nevermind Ava." She sighed

Voltaire snickered. Adair, who had been too busy eating to notice the event, was simply confused. It amused the Hunter even more, so it took him awhile to get to his food.

Caleb walked over to the table. "Hey, how's it going?"

"Hey, we're trying to eat," Voltaire grumbled through a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

Caleb went on as if Voltaire's answer had been more proper. "Uh, just so you know, Fenrir's bringing one of his old friends over here in a minute. You may not like him, and he probably won't like you."

"Why bother then?" Voltaire replied after swallowing his food.

"It's a...matter of curiosity on his part," Caleb replied vaguely.

Kimi acted more interested in her fruit, though she was curious. She had seen the wolf familiar before and she wondered who he could be friends with.

"Anyone whose friends with Riry is friends with me, as long as they don't try to hurt Fiery and Volty and Kimi," Ava replied cheerfully, feasting on a bunch of grapes.

"I doubt he'd do that unless he got pissed off first," replied Caleb. "Even then I don't think he could do much."

Kimi looked up at Ava with a smile. There was something about the cute protectiveness that made her smile. Though she knew the phoenix could get vicious when she needed to.

A man with white-blonde hair and a white cloak of fur was approaching the table, Fenrir in his human form. On his shoulder was a large falcon with orange-brown plumage and a cockatiel-like crest of bright red feathers. The bright bird was babbling one about something when the werewold familar stopped near their table.

"Look," said Fenrir with a slight smirk, pointing to the group. "Other phoenixes."

The falcon immediately stopped its rambling and shot its gaze over the changelings, and then to Ava.

"Worm!" he snapped in a deep, proud voice, fluffing his feathers out as his crest caught on fire.

Kimi blinked in surprise and couldn't help but stare in wonder at the new phoenix.

Adair and Voltaire were surprised as well. They figured there were other phoenixes around somewhere, but this one seemed so different from Ava, in both body and attitude.

"Worm?" questioned Ava innocently. "I'm not a worm. I'm a phoenix. Are you a phoenix too?"

"I am not a phoenix. I am the Phoenix!" the fire-falcon barked back, puffing out his chest arrogantly. "And I am the only one in the whole world!"

Fenrir seemed amused by this declaration. Voltaire just raised an eyebrow.

"...But she's a phoenix too," Adair replied, pointing to Ava. "So you can't be the only one."

"I am the only true phoenix!" he proclaimed. "All the other are worms!"

Kimi pursed her lips slightly in thought. For a brief moment she forgot that she was in a crowded room full of demons and changelings that she barely spoken in front of as she opened her mouth. "But if phoenix loose their memory when they are born anew, how do you know that you're 'true' as you say? You could be just like Ava or all the other Phoenix in the world and would be just as 'un' worm-like" She stated quietly.

The other phoenix appeared stymied by this. Voltaire laughed, after he got over the shock of Kimi speaking to a stranger.

"I'm not a worm!" Ava protested, slightly miffed.

"That's what I said Ava." Kimi replied. "Un wormlike means not a worm." She returned to her fruit without a second thought.

"Oh," Ava replied simply, before turning to the other phoenix. "See? Not worm."

"Worm!" the fire-falcon snapped back.

"No!"

"Worm!"

"No!"

Kimi sighed. This was getting annoying very fast.

Voltaire rolled his eyes. "So are we worms too, Mr. Phoenix?"

The other phoenix turned to him and Adair, studying them for a moment. "You are not worms. You have worms."

Both of the changelings blinked at the odd comment.

"Fiery and Volty do not have worms. They do not!" Ava hissed, getting up as her feathers stood on them. A few demons and changelings watched in curiosity.

"Worm!" the flame-falcon hissed back, his wings spreading out as the tips caught on fire.

"That's enough," said Fenrir, not wanting to get caught in the middle of two fire-users. "Let's go get something to eat."

The other phoenix let out a huff of smoke before flying off to the buffet. Fenrir and Caleb, who had been watching from a safe distance, walked away.

Ava sat back down and devoured her food angrily.

Kimi finished her plate and waited for Voltaire to finish his. "I wonder what his problem was." She murmured, mostly to herself.

"He's a stupid arrogant bird, that's his problem," Voltaire replied, both annoyed and amused by the encounter. "I prefer my wormy friend here."

Ava turned to hiss at him, and both Adair and Voltaire backed off in surprise.

"...Un-wormy friend, that is," Voltaire added somewhat quietly.

Ava gave a happy chirp and continued to devour her food. Voltaire ate his somewhat slower.

Kimi gave a small giggle. "I prefer her too." She replied

The rest of their meal went without any further event. Ava had quickly recovered from her odd temper flare.

"When's the next match?" asked Voltaire as he turned in his plate.

"Two hours," Ava replied.

"Are you going to go train then?" Kimi asked.

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking," Voltaire replied. "You coming?"

Kimi smiled. "If that's alright" She replied.

"The more you can fight, tournament or not, the better," Voltaire replied. "Don't mind Adair tagging along, do you?"

Kimi shook her head. "Not at all. Maybe he could teach me something as well." She smiled

"Yeah, he'd probably be better with teaching you the close combat part," Voltaire replied. He went to climb on Ava's back, where Adair was already waiting. Adair had been rather quiet lately, but then again he was kind of quiet to begin with.