What Post Is This?  What Body Is This?  What War Is This?  (01/03)
Date/Time:  Sat, July 14; early morning, almost dawn
By Knightie Brooksie
LaCroix, The Shrine and Qa'ra used with permission of the Cousins

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After leaving LaCroix, Nick-in-his-own-body-Nick, paused in his return
flight to the Loft and landed softly on the grass of a neighborhood park.
He needed some quiet time to reflect on the events of the last three days.
He walked to a bench to sit down.  The events at the Shrine and the
"Coronation Party That Wasn't" had him confused and still dazed.

Confused by the masses of followers of his master and father.  He wasn't
certain if he was jealous at all the adoration that his father received, or
relieved that his own faction was well, more, quiet, than those of his
fathers.

And dazed by the confrontation with Qa'ra - Iyahotep - his vampire great
grandfather.  Nick shivered again at the power demonstrated by the Ancient
One.  <What had he been thinking standing up to him like that?  Was it
simple hubris by being in his father's body, or was he emboldened by the
Ancient One's failure to see that father and son were switched?  Or was it
the stubbornness of which LaCroix always accused him?  His unwillingness to
submit to another master?>

Nick got up from the park bench, walked a few aimless paces away, then
turned around and returned to the bench.  He sat down again.  Leaning his
elbows on his knees, he stared at his hands, clutched before him.

<Was he merely voicing LaCroix's thoughts when he said those defiant words
to Iyahotep, or had they come from deep inside him?  The mortals had a
saying for it "Like father, like son" or "The fruit does not fall far from
the vine">

Nick lay down on the bench and looked up at the stars.  They were fading as
the sun started getting closer to the eastern horizon.

Nick chuckled inwardly as he had a sudden mental picture of LaCroix, as a
vine, growing up the side of wall, dropping seeds of blood that sprouted
into little vines with Nick's face and the faces of all his other siblings,
some known, some unknown, to him.

<Perhaps,> Nick mused, <there were some klews in the events at The Shrine.
Klews that hinted at the reason and the cure for the personality switches.
Like the thoughts that he had found himself projecting to LaCroix.  Where
had they come from?  A klew perhaps...>

Somewhere, in the last few minutes of the knight's darkness, an owl hooted,
"Who?  Who?  Who?"

A small smile creased the corners of Nick's mouth.  He still wasn't sure who
he actually was.  This war was really playing havoc with his flashbacks,
never mind his angsting.  Each different character he switched into came
with his or her own faction - and none of them wanted the angsty Nick
Knight.  They wanted Dr. M.E. Nick or Moose Lodge Nick or General Nick or,
or... Nick shivered; well he wasn't going to go there now.  He assumed that
in all due time he *would* get there.

Sobering, he sat up and recalled Qa'ra's parting threat to LaCroix.

Nick looked eastward towards the brightening sky.  Well he was still a
vampire, and dawn was only moments away.  He didn't have much time.  He had
to get back to the Loft - to his Knighties - and tell them about last night,
and warn them of the danger they may be in.

With a <whoosh> the park bench was vacant.  But the owl still cried, "Who?
Who?  Who?"

**** END Part 01/03 *****