Tengou Star #1: In the House of Stone and Light

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O Mount Kailas, uncover me;
come my restoration, wash my body clean
I've been walking along a crooked path
where the walls have fallen and broken me in half

Slowly but surely, Jaime starts packing his things for his trip to Charlotte. As he does, he sees Penelope looking at him intently. She yelps a bit, trying to get his attention. He slowly sees her and nods. As she runs towards him, he picks her up and lets her lean against him. For a moment, the Monk is at peace.

I'm telling you, I will not rest till I lay down my head
I'm gonna go in the house of stone and light
I shall not cry for the blind man I leave behind
when I go in the house of stone and light,
in the house of stone and light

He puts his travel bag on the floor and moves himself and the youngest child over to the recliner. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to make the journey to Charlotte without giving Penelope her weekly ritual, he smiles for a moment, as she settles in on his lap. The young blonde haired toddler seems to want to fidget a bit, almost like the small kitten from the Looney Tunes cartoons. As she settles in, she keeps herself against him.

Holy Lady, show me my soul;
tell me of that place where I must surely go
Old man waiting at the gates for me,
give me the wisdom, give me the key

The large Cuban keeps himself comfortable on the oversized recliner. He hopes the little one decides to sleep soon. He has a lot of tension inside of him, but it’s not because of the inconvenience of the youngest Linette child. The tension is towards the match awaiting him in Charlotte. The man he calls a brother… Something they agreed to do. Yet, Jaime doesn’t care about that at this point.

I'm telling you, I will not rest till I lay down my head
In the house of stone and light
I'll make my way, O gonna be such a beautiful day
In the house of stone and light
In the house of stone and light

More fidgeting from the little one… Jaime wonders if she can sense the unease from his being. She keeps moving around, until she settles into her usual spot. The spot where she can hear the mighty heartbeat of the large man. She smiles for a moment. This is where she wants to be. Listening to the heartbeat of the man she’s taken in as her father. Jaime keeps holding the little toddler gently. He keeps himself as limber as possible, however. He knows if he gets too comfortable, he would be taking a red eye flight to Charlotte instead.

Let me in beneath my skin,
yeah, yeah, oh oh
In the house of stone and light
It's been to long, my spirit's been at war
Havasupai Shaman, let me be reborn
And I will embrace the sun upon my face,
come the day I awake the child inside
in the house of stone and light
And when I go I will op op open my eyes
in the house of stone and light
I will see you in the house of stone and light

The big man sees the twins moving towards him. He wonders what they’re up to, until they also join him and their little sister. The boys decide to hold onto their sister. As they do, Jaime realizes that his overworked body is going to make the decision for him. He feels the light fading. The darkness fills his eyes, but not the darkness of anger. Anger never approaches him with this group. But considering that he’s been burning the midnight oil for a while, peace settles over him...

I'm looking in beneath my skin,
yeah, yeah, oh oh
In the house of stone and light, I'm coming inside
In the house of stone and light, looking for the child
In the house of stone and light, see myself got such a good shelter
In the house of stone and light
In the house of stone and light, I'm gonna let this child come washing of water
In the house of stone and light, He's speaking softly to me
(I must go there, to find my soul, yeah)
In the house of stone and light, I can see so clearly now
(I will go there to find my soul, yeah)
In the house of stone and light, we'll keep on knocking on my door
(I must go there, to find my soul, yeah)

As soon as Xaria comes into the room, she sees four souls snoring on that giant recliner. She shakes her head and looks at the clock. She muses to herself.

“I wonder when he will realize I have a private jet? But mon fille and garçons love him enough to want him around… I suppose I can tell him later, oui?”

Quietly, she moves closer to the four of them. She plants soft yet loving kisses on the tops of her children's heads before she pauses, looking at Jaime's sleeping form. A gentle smile crosses her face as she leans in and softly, lovingly kisses him on the lips.

In the house of stone and light
(I will go there, to find my soul, yeah)
In the house of stone and light
(I must go there, to find my soul, yeah)