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bwahahahaha…. we all learn to NEVER turn your back on the castle!!!!  (big eyes shifting back and forth nervously…. unblinking….) ….. ……. ……. ……. but we do it anyway. 🤣

lol. that’s perfect! Don’t worry… Ku will cover for him. 🙂

Lol. I’d highlight your entire post…. but that’s excessive…. I guess. 😜

Ehud is soooo adorable! lol. prepare to be smothered! Ku is about to go full big sister mode! (even though she’s small)    hehe. her normal personality will be coming back as she starts overcoming her embarrassment and anxiousness. hehe. (wicked grin)

Ku’Aya

Ehud fiddled with the edge of his hoodie. “I… I dunno…”

I held down a squeal. He was just like me! I didn’t have a word for it, but we just didn’t fit in with…. ‘normal’ ? …people.

“Oh- uhh… ye- maybe… kinda,” he stuttered.

Ooooohh… he totally had someone in mind.

Ehud’s cheeks were a pair of roses as he rushed his hood over his head and pulled down on it, trying to make it cover his eyes, or perhaps his entire face.

Sooooooo cute!

A grin crept over my countenance. I’d only ever had Abirami to tease about his love life… and Ami was no fun, really. Stick in the mud that he was. Muscle-headed, pudding-hearted buffoon. I loved my brother, but… yeah. Bicep-brained, buttered center, dumb-dumb. That was Ami.

A sudden urge came over me. His hoodie just covered his head so spaciously. I hadn’t wanted to touch his hair… well, okay. That wasn’t true… but, this seemed safer.

I reached out and ruffled his hoodie. It was like static silk under my fingers, and I realized I was actually having fun.

Ehud let me do it a second or two, then spastically swatted my hands away. He grinned nervously at me from under his hoodie

I had to be Ehud’s bestie… just had to… I’d never had one before, but… yeah. Had to. Not like Ami. Not like Menna or Setti. No. I… didn’t even have a word for it. Just… besties.

But… how did someone go about beings someones bestie?

I gripped my hands behind my back and swayed back and forth. What was this feeling? I was tougher than this!

I forced a grin, hoping my sharp teeth didn’t put him off. I didn’t have anything in my teeth did I?

“You have someone in mind, though. Don’t you?” I asked just above a whisper.

An awkward high-pitched groan came from Ehud. After a pause, he asked, ““Promise you won’t tell nobody never!”

“Promise!” I said, jumping at the bit. Bestie. My lips would be sealed tighter than the dungeons under the great Dhiaga’s very own evil castle. No one would coax it from me! They’d have to kill me first. Hah, and that wasn’t as easy as they might think!

“Ku!”

Groooaaaannnn. What’d he want now? I knew that voice. It was always followed by some annoying something-or-other.

I turned as Abirami ran up. He’d forgotten his clothes again. The dork. I frowned and glowered at him, hoping he’d get the hint.

Nope. Addle brained simpleton. The idiot coulda’ made a move on princess Puabi long ago, but no. He was too thick. Too… not sure what the word was. Proper? Good? Nah. Too… too Ami. He was just too much… him. Couldn’t get out his own way. I grinned despite myself. And everybody loved him for it. Wished I could be more like-

I shook my head. Ami had interrupted operation bestie. I needed to get rid of him.

“Ku,” said Abirami, grabbing my arm. “Come here. You have to come see this.”

“See what?” I asked, warily pulling back my arm. I couldn’t help but take a few hesitant steps forward.

“It’s a surprise,” said Abirami.

Someone was excited about something. Downright giddy.

I frowned. Meant I probably wouldn’t like it. What a hassle. But Abirami wasn’t going to give in. If I knew anything about him, I knew that…. and he’d probably do something stupid one way or another.

I always felt obliged to follow along in these situations. Did that make me stupid too? I mean, someone had to watch out for this naive fool.

Still, I pulled back again. “Hey, I was talking with my friend, here.”

“Oh, he can come too,” he said nonchalantly. “Actually, everyone’s invited.” He waved his hands about, drawing more attention to us. I really wished he wouldn’t do things like that. He was… muscled… and handsome. I was an aelacrin. Why’d he always have to be the center of things with me in tow? All those eyes…

“Ami, stop it.”

“Sorry, who?” He didn’t skip a beat.

I grimaced. He was persistent. I usually got a reaction from that. He hated being called Ami. Just what did he want me to see?

I looked back to make sure Ehud was following.

I sighed in relief. Operation bestie was still salvageable… maybe.

“Just where are you talking us?” I asked again, making a habit of pulling against his grip, even though we both knew I would go however far he wanted to take us. To see… whatever it was.

“It’s a surprise,” he said cheerily. Too cheerily. Ugh. Sometimes I wondered if he ate rainbows and pooped sunlight.

I grinned. It was a random thought, but it reminded me of the time Ami had helped create the golden threaded armor. Spider silk, it was called. Harder than steel, it was an amazingly light fabric, but Abirami – hahahaha. He had been so put out!

He had to augment the bark spider to do it, and when he told me where the spider thread came out of… bwhahahahaha. It had so thoroughly grossed us out, but it was just too funny! And his embarrassment!

Then Setti had the naiveté to ask if he could watch!

I burst out laughing before I could stop myself.

Abirami looked back and grinned. “Just wait till you see inside!” he said.

“Huh?” I tilted my head to the side, then saw what he was speaking of. We were in front of large ornate doors, and to the side were signs with different faces on them. One of them had Ami’s face on it.

What was this about? No, never mind that. How had he pulled that off?

Abirami opened the door and led us into a large banquet hall with an elevated empty space at the other end with large curtains reaching up to the ceiling. What idiot designed this room? What was the purpose of curtains if there weren’t any windows behind it? And why so large? What a waste!

Now I was mad. Food, drink, the banners, the decorations. Just what had Abirami been up to? Had he completely forgotten why we were out here in the first place? I mean, I had practically been forced to come with him. Make sure he didn’t do anything stupid again. Pshh. Like me being here would stop him. And now he was doing all this?

What a waste of time! We could have been back by now if it hadn’t been for all these distractions.

Abirami was leading us up to the front, but then suddenly changed directions and headed for a table where a young boy was seated.

Aaaaand here we go again. Ami just couldn’t help ingratiating himself with any child he saw. He was like a puppy magnet. Except the puppies were kids, and the kids pulled him in, not the other way around.

I finally pulled my hand away from him. “Why’d you drag me in here?” I asked. “I’m not interested in eating or sitting. I want to get out of here, or have you forgotten our mission? We need you to find that Tannik’esh.”

Such a waste of time!

Ehud saw food and made a bee-line for the nearest table with food on it.

Abirami raised a brow at me. “Ku, if you haven’t noticed yet, we are in a completely different world from Kaphar. There may not be any Tannink’esh’s here. Just…” He looked longingly at the boy and the woman who was talking to him.  “Just hold on, okay?”

Suit yourself then. “I’m going back to talk to my friend.”

He hardly looked back at me. “Uh, um. Fine. Just… stay in the room, okay? I still have a surprise for you.”

I scoffed and huffed away from him. Show me something eh? This wasn’t anything special. Just a stupid waste of time. Ami always got like this.

I sighed. Just another shiny distraction.

Then I remembered Ehud…

No, he wasn’t a distraction.

….was he? – NO.

Then I saw him…..

Sooooo cute.

He was standing on a chair, food stuffed into his cheeks like a chipmunk.

I walked up to him, an uncomfortable, unnatural-feeling smile on my face.

He looked down at me and grinned. Bits of food fell from his mouth, and he averted his eyes, his cheeks regaining a bit of their rosy flush.

Why had I never thought of doing that? I always wanted to be taller. And… if Ami was going to be distracted, then I was allowed to have some fun too… with my new friend.

Taking the chair next to him, I spun it on the edge of a single leg, slammed it down and stepped up onto it.

Asking my dung beetles for a bit of help, I leaned over in the chair, then when I was confident my beetles were in place, I strutted up the chair to stand on the very top of the chair’s back as it stood slanted and balanced on only two legs.

I looked over at Ehud in triumph. His eyes were as large as the wings of an atlas moth.

“Cool!” He said, spraying food all over the floor between us.

I put a hand over my mouth and couldn’t stop the giggle that emanated from me. We were about the same height, and it felt really strange. I’d never looked into someone’s eyes at eye level before. Was this really normal for other people?

I stepped down and righted my chair, thanking my beetles as they returned to my hive.

Standing still, I asked Ehud, “Can I ask you something?” I clasping my hands behind my back again, nervously fiddling my thumbs together.

Ehud swallowed loudly, his Adam’s apple disappearing under his chin and then back again.

I smiled despite myself. Cute.

“Um… sure,” he said.

Yes. Okay… operation bestie. … um…. … … …

I told my arms to stop it, but they wouldn’t comply. My arms squirmed as I fought for the right words to say.

“Would… can I be your brother?”

“I always wanted [a/another?] brother!” he jumped excitedly. “Wait.” His face went red as he tried his best not to look down at my chest. “You… you’re a girl, aren’t you?”

I grinned. “Yeah, so?”

“But girls-”

I crossed my arms, still smiling at him. “Does it look like I care?”

“But- wouldn’t you want to be my sister?”

I shook my head. “Sisters aren’t friends with brothers like brothers are with brothers.”

“But if my sister was my brother, and I was friends with my brother as a sister, then would the brother be a sister or would the sister be my brother, or… I mean…what would… um…why…”

I giggled. “Brothers can be thick as thieves, you know… but sisters…”

“Oh.”

I giggled again. He tried to sound like he understood now, but I doubt he did. Still, it was cute that he tried. He reminded me of Ami a bit, in that.

Normally that would annoy me, but some reason, it didn’t.

Ehud opened his mouth to say something, but just as he did, a large bang came from the other end of the hall.

I turned to see a large metal man burst into the room, a flaming sword waving about.

Great. Another villain-fodder target.

I glanced at Abirami.

Yep. Here we go again.

I sighed and turned away. Ami wouldn’t want me to get in the way.

I grinned. Wouldn’t want me to spoil his fun. He’d never say it, but I always thought it.

“The chair bit me!”

I turned to see my bestie on the floor, a chair pinning him to the ground.

“Oh, Ehud.” I held back a giggle at his turn of phrase.

Stepping down, I lifted the chair from him and held a hand to lift him up.

“I will make you my pet, beast!” the villain screamed.

Call me mildly morose, but I found that overly funny. I looked over as Abirami charged the metal man as an aemirok.

Make him your pet? Haha, not likely metal turd. Even if you are a flaming metal turd, you’re no match for my Ami.

The wave of flame continued past Abirami and headed our way. Instinctually, I flash my arm across and my hive came to my aid, even without my asking. Such were the zeal of my Pyrophorus beetles.

The fire beetles covered us like a blanket, protecting us from the heat as the flames waved out away from us.

“No! I’ve got to save them!” Ehud cried.

Oh no. Another Abirami.

“Excuse me. Sorry.” He tried to move out, but my beetles kept him well within wraps.

Ehud wasn’t Abirami, he was one of those essenceless faehins…. wait, they called them hue-mans here, right? Eitherway, metal fire turd-man would turn my bestie into ash in an instant.

No. I couldn’t let that happen.

I jumped forward and wrapped my arms around him. “No! Stay here, where it’s safe.”

He fell back on his butt, and I let go. He turned to me, a puppy-dog pout on his face.

Ugh, yep. Another Abirami.

“Come on,” I cried. “stay down. You’ll be safe in here.”

He shook his head and looked out at the wall of beetles. “I gotta rescue them!”

Double ugh.

He looks back at me. So cute… I… could… forgive him for it.

“Are you sure this is safe? Like, nothing’ll get through?”

I raised an eyebrow. Sure things can get in. My beetles aren’t invincible.

“Yes, I’m sure!” At least, no flames will.

“Ok, then we gotta come up with a plan to save everybody!”

Ehud, what are you doing? That’s Abirami’s line! I restrained myself from palm-slapping my forehead.

“I saw this in a movie once. If we’re safe, it’s our job to rescue them!”

He was so serious, I almost burst out laughing. What even was a movie? Whatever it was, it had rather stupid ideas. If you were safe, why would you purposely put yourself in danger? Wouldn’t you then not be safe? And if it was your job to rescue others if you were safe, then would it then not be your job if you weren’t? So just by trying to save someone cause you are safe, would that not mean you put yourself in danger and thus can’t rescue them? And then wouldn’t someone else have to come rescue you?

Gah! Abirami logic! That’s why I hated how naive he was ALL THE TIME!

Still Ehud, barely paused to breath. “Okay! We have to cause some sorta distraction and then knock the bad gu-”

He disappeared from sight just as my beetles all began to scream at me. What was going on?

Something smacked me in the head, and everything went black.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!”

I woke up to Ehud’s voice.

Bestie.

I opened my eyes. The room was… pristine, and… what ever-awful thing was I wearing?!?!

Looking over, Ehud seemed just as perturbed. He was running his hands through his hair and  ruffling it as best as he could. His suit seemed to fit him like a glove…which somehow looked much too tight.

Then I looked for Abirami.

My mouth dropped. His gaaban was one thing and I was used to it, but… AAAAARRRGGGGG! WAY TOO TIGHT. What in the depths was he wearing????

“Bwahahahahahahaha!” Ehud burst out laughing beside me. “You look so funny!” he said, pointing at Abirami.

I let out an awkward chuckle. He did look rather ridiculous.

“What happened to my jacket?” asked Ehud.

I looked over. Ehud finally noticed his suit, and seemed even more upset than when he was messing with his hair. “My favorite jacket! This one doesn’t even have pockets?!?!?!

He tore at his suit, pulling his tie and pulling his shirt from his pants.

I hated my dress too, and now I wondered if my hair… raising a hand, I confirmed my suspicion. This stupid castle had even braided my mohawk! Like, Who does that? It’s a mohawk!

Asking my hive to help me play a prank, I nudged Ehud.

He looked over to see my hair splayed out in all directions, mimicking his own. Only, it wasn’t my hair, it was my insects conjoined together to form the shapes.

He put a hand to his mouth, leant forward and burst out laughing.

More insects joined in the fun as my hair transformed into different shapes, and more flowed down and changed the shape of my dress.

Sharp spikes rose from my shoulder, then the bugs gave me a fat belly, bracelets of spikes and a necklace to boot. Then they made arcs across the dress, like miniature waterfalls, and continued in their revelry.

“So…. cool!”

A loud voice boomed across the room. “In honor of Ku’Aya’s birthday, the castle proudly presents… the dance of flocking secrets.”

Ehud turned to Ku with a gasp. “It’s your birthday!? Happy birthday!!!”

“Oh no.” My bugs returned to my hive, and I placed my cheek in my hand – a deep frown on my face.

He did NOT…

Abirami was grinning at me from ear to ear.

He did.

Ugh.

Teehee… that was fun! Sorry it was so long. 😜

Operation bestie……..I hope Ku didn’t come across as stalkish… 😅

FUN ANIMAL FACT – PART 2 😏

Darwin’s Bark Spider… (don’t look it up… the picture is eek………………. hahahaha! Why’d you look it up? mwahahaha. I told you….) that spider has the STRONGEST tensile strength in it’s webbing. Its webbing is LITERALLY ten times stronger than Kevlar!!! hehehe… and when Abirami augments it, that means he doesn’t transform into the spider but is still able to use the spider’s ability… meaning he poops out larger-than-normal spider thread from… you know where. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 … and then 6 year old Setti asks if he can watch! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 It was the best, funniest part of my first book with Abirami in it. … but the golden silk armor they make from it are super super cool.

oh, and completely off topic… I know it’s a controversial topic in our culture, but I think this might be a safe place… Please pray for Kansas tomorrow. They will be voting on whether to add a amendment to the state constitution to ban abortion. It’s going to be tight… mostly because a big campaign has been waging war over the last month… those against it getting 70% of their funding from out of state…. but any who… pray it goes well and God is honored…