Flame Cottage

"I assume by now you've learnt of the plans Progenitor Strayer made for a Strayer coup years back yes?"

"Sorta vaguely, yeah. My sister got more involved with that side o' things than I did. I was kinda more of the lone wolf of the family."

"Well, Progenitor didn't want his plans exposed, and Helm had accidentally come across them during a prank of his."

Being his apprentice at the time, Crest was ordered to kill Helm during their next mission to prevent the information from leaving Honora Castellum. Crest didn't know what Helm knew, but all it took was Progentior to order it of him... and he did it."

"Betrayed his best friend, on an order..." He shook his head regretfully.

Pixie averted her gaze, mouth twisting bitterly. "I almost did the same to my twin, you know. I came pretty darn close a lot. That's why I don't like authority, ya know? Makes you do stupid things."

"Indeed... only sensible way to live is without authority. Life should be about free expression, emotions and everything!"

Despite herself and the warnings, Pixie was starting to warm to this guy's ideals. "Yeah, I agree. All this war crap between everyone, it's not worth it. What's even the point to it all, anyway?"

"There isn't one. This war is completely without purpose..."

"It's just about domination, isn't it? They each wanna put their flag on top of the hill." She shook her head. "It's ridiculous."

"Let's face it... this entire thing is just dumbledore and baldy saying 'I have a bigger donk than you...'"

She nodded, grinning. "Exactly. But ew, didn't need that image in my head."

"I don't even want to imagine... but in any case, more seriously, Crest won't be able to deny what I told you."

"Well, duh. But don't you think he'd be kinda suspicious of me if I waltzed up to him like, 'Hey, bro, I know you killed your best buddy back in the day'?"

"Perhaps, I'd like to think he felt some regret for it..."

"Odds are, he'd pin me against the nearest wall and demand answers. Hell, maybe he wouldn't even wait. If he killed his best friend, who's to say he won't kill the sister he don't like?"

"And who's to blame for that then the Strayer code of conduct?"

"Say he did kill me," Pixie suggested, "just in theory. Say he killed me and hid the body. I can tell you now that Phoenix would know in a heartbeat. She'd get it like that." She clicked her fingers again, then tapped the side of her head. "She wouldn't rest until she'd worked out who did it, then it'd start a war among my family. She'd split from the Strayers completely."

It had happened before, so it was easy to imagine it happening again. "And it'd be you and Crest to blame, not the Strayers. You for tellin' me, and Crest for doin' the deed."

"But it was Crest's creed that allowed the first action..."

"True. But he didn't set up the Strayer code, did he?"

"No, but it still taught him and raised him and reformed him and then destroyed him!" He spoke as though the code had destroyed him as well.

Pixie was silent for a moment, considering H. Then one of her sly smirks spread across her lips. "You know, you're talkin' about the Strayer code pretty personally, kinda like you've experienced it. Where do you fit into all of this, H?"

"That's the million dollar question isn't it?"

"Is this some sorta puzzle I gotta work out, or are you gonna tell me?"

"there's only one I'll tell, Crest himself..."

"Fair enough." Seems like you got a thing for him anyways. "So what was that whole 'join me' thing you were goin' on about? 'Cause let me tell you, buddy, as awesome as your ideas of freedom are, I can't kill my family."

"Yeah I figured... but I was a little hopeful you bore as much resentment for their code as me..."