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"Inlé!" Titania cried as he walked into his room, tackling him as he closed the door.

"Quietly, Queen," Inlé scolded. "My mother is sleeping, and would not take well to strange women being in my room so late."

"Oh, poo!" Titania said. "She isn't even here."

"She is not?"

"No, she left for a play with Cecil."

"Mr. Selina?"

"I guess. I sort of wanted to follow them, but I didn't know when you'd be back. And I wanted to see you more than 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'."

"Very well," Inlé sat on the bed. "What did you wish to see me about, then?"

Titania started to say something, then froze. "I ... I ..." She pushed her face into Inlé's chest, then pulled her head back and cried, "I knew it! Take that shirt off, I'm fixing you. You went off and got in another fight, didn't you? You just look for trouble, don't you?"

"I do not. It comes to find me."

"All the same," Titania grumbled, pulling Inlé's shirt off. "You shouldn't be getting yourself hurt! How am I supposed to cuddle with you when you're broken? And you shouldn't let people hang on you when you're hurt, either!"

"You were the only one hanging on me, Queen."

"That's beside the point! Now lie down, I'm fixing this. It'd better have been worth it." She placed her hands over the already purpling areas on Inlé's chest. Her hands glowed, and the wounds rapidly went through the cycle of healing.

"It was," Inlé answered, resisting the urge to gasp with pain. "I now know where Claíomh Solais can be found."

"What? Don't get into a fight about something like that," Titania complained. "Especially when on a date."

"Ah. Now I understand why you are here."

"I wasn't here to see how the date went," Titania argued. "It has nothing to do with that."

"I said nothing of the sort, Lady. Thank you for your concern, but I should be able to recover easily enough from ..."

Titania pushed down on Inlé's chest just hard enough to stop his talking. "Easily enough from all these broken ribs? Not likely even though it's you, Inlé. You are strong and independent. But even the strongest are occasionally weak. Independence doesn't mean you don't need things from your neighbors occasionally. Relax. Let me do this for you. It's good to help, sometimes."

Inlé sighed, and closed his eyes, lulled by the spring hum of fairie healing magic.

Inlé stood in the void again, prepared for his double to appear. He waited, and waited, and waited. And he waited longer. Time moves differently in a dream: a day in six seconds, a minute in an hour. Inlé waited for what may have been years or no time at all, listening to the silent madness around him.

An echo sounded noiselessly behind him, and, turning, Inlé watched as his double approached. It was minute when Inlé first spotted it, but three long slow steps brought the two within speaking distance.

"Sorry," the double called. "I got a bit held up. Did you wait long?"

"Perhaps," Inlé answered. "What is it that you want?"

"Me?" the copy asked. "I thought you wanted to say something. It's hard for me to get here now, you know?"

"And why is that?"

"Duh. I'm not as much you as I was before. I'm changing," the double said. "Improving to destroy you. To take your place in the world above.

"Sorry about crashing your date, by the way. Just didn't seem right to let the girl down because you can't juggle business and pleasure."

"So you help me?"

"Maybe." the copy agreed. "Maybe not. Let's just say I did you no favors. Though the movie was good. And you stayed safe. I couldn't stick around after the movie, though. It's taxing to be in control. After all, if the host's put under too much stress ..." The double let the words hang.

Inlé watched his mirror image coldly as it sat and began peeling an orange it pulled from its sleeve. "Host?" he asked.

"None of your worries, Inlé," the copy dismissed. "Just remember that I'm going to come kill you and take your body as my own. You will be mine." The copy's arm warped slightly, then returned to its proper form. "Well, I'd probably better go. I can't stay here too much longer."

"And why is that?" Inlé repeated.

The double stared at Inlé incredulously, then shook its head. "Sometimes I wonder about you. You're so smart you're stupid sometimes. Do you realize where we are?

"This is the Borderlands of you, pal. That short gap between Ego and Id. Go figure yours is empty. Everything that is you is right here, right in plain sight. Well, it would be if there was anything. And so everything that is you--even in the slightest, like me--becomes quickly assimilated.

"I want to be you. But I want to be me while I do it, so sticking around too long's dangerous. Especially considering how hard it is to get in and out now. Christ, I changed so I'd be safer in here--and I am, to an extent--but it's forcing me to stay longer here than I'd like.

"Anyway, I'll take my leave." Inlé's double stood. "I've got other shit to deal with, and I have to be careful how long I'm away."

"And if I forced you to stay?" Inlé asked.

The copy laughed. "Not happening," it said. "You don't have the strength. I dunno what the hell happened to you, but you seem like you've been holding yourself up by force of will, mostly. If you weren't so god-awful strong, I'd have taken you by now. Of course, if you weren't so god-awful strong, I probably wouldn't be. Period. So I'll bide my time a bit longer." It turned and began to walk away. "No point if I lose anyway, right? I'll ... be in touch." It waved back as it left.

Inlé watched his copy wade slowly into the void until fully engulfed.

Waking, Inlé found Titania asleep, kneeling beside the bed. Her head on his chest, she had collapsed while recovering Inlé's more serious wounds. Upon slight inspection, he found himself whole.

He slid lightly out from under the exhausted fairy queen, then lifted her gently onto the bed. Materializing a light blanket, Inlé covered Titania and retreated to his corner. He slumped into a comfortable position, and found himself still fatigued. Titania had mended his body, but exhausted them both in the process. Sleep overcame him again as he heard the apartment's entrance close, heralding his mother's return.

Description
"Inlé!" Titania cried as he walked into his room, tackling him as he closed the door.

"Quietly, Queen," Inlé scolded. "My mother is sleeping, and would not take well to strange women being in my room so late."

"Oh, poo!" Titania said. "She isn't even here."

"She is not?"

"No, she left for a play with Cecil."

"Mr. Selina?"

"I guess. I sort of wanted to follow them, but I didn't know when you'd be back. And I wanted to see you more than 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'."

"Very well," Inlé sat on the bed. "What did you wish to see me about, then?"

Titania started to say something, then froze. "I ... I ..." She pushed her face into Inlé's chest, then pulled her head back and cried, "I knew it! Take that shirt off, I'm fixing you. You went off and got in another fight, didn't you? You just look for trouble, don't you?"

"I do not. It comes to find me."

"All the same," Titania grumbled, pulling Inlé's shirt off. "You shouldn't be getting yourself hurt! How am I supposed to cuddle with you when you're broken? And you shouldn't let people hang on you when you're hurt, either!"

"You were the only one hanging on me, Queen."

"That's beside the point! Now lie down, I'm fixing this. It'd better have been worth it." She placed her hands over the already purpling areas on Inlé's chest. Her hands glowed, and the wounds rapidly went through the cycle of healing.

"It was," Inlé answered, resisting the urge to gasp with pain. "I now know where Claíomh Solais can be found."

"What? Don't get into a fight about something like that," Titania complained. "Especially when on a date."

"Ah. Now I understand why you are here."

"I wasn't here to see how the date went," Titania argued. "It has nothing to do with that."

"I said nothing of the sort, Lady. Thank you for your concern, but I should be able to recover easily enough from ..."

Titania pushed down on Inlé's chest just hard enough to stop his talking. "Easily enough from all these broken ribs? Not likely even though it's you, Inlé. You are strong and independent. But even the strongest are occasionally weak. Independence doesn't mean you don't need things from your neighbors occasionally. Relax. Let me do this for you. It's good to help, sometimes."

Inlé sighed, and closed his eyes, lulled by the spring hum of fairie healing magic.

Inlé stood in the void again, prepared for his double to appear. He waited, and waited, and waited. And he waited longer. Time moves differently in a dream: a day in six seconds, a minute in an hour. Inlé waited for what may have been years or no time at all, listening to the silent madness around him.

An echo sounded noiselessly behind him, and, turning, Inlé watched as his double approached. It was minute when Inlé first spotted it, but three long slow steps brought the two within speaking distance.

"Sorry," the double called. "I got a bit held up. Did you wait long?"

"Perhaps," Inlé answered. "What is it that you want?"

"Me?" the copy asked. "I thought you wanted to say something. It's hard for me to get here now, you know?"

"And why is that?"

"Duh. I'm not as much you as I was before. I'm changing," the double said. "Improving to destroy you. To take your place in the world above.

"Sorry about crashing your date, by the way. Just didn't seem right to let the girl down because you can't juggle business and pleasure."

"So you help me?"

"Maybe." the copy agreed. "Maybe not. Let's just say I did you no favors. Though the movie was good. And you stayed safe. I couldn't stick around after the movie, though. It's taxing to be in control. After all, if the host's put under too much stress ..." The double let the words hang.

Inlé watched his mirror image coldly as it sat and began peeling an orange it pulled from its sleeve. "Host?" he asked.

"None of your worries, Inlé," the copy dismissed. "Just remember that I'm going to come kill you and take your body as my own. You will be mine." The copy's arm warped slightly, then returned to its proper form. "Well, I'd probably better go. I can't stay here too much longer."

"And why is that?" Inlé repeated.

The double stared at Inlé incredulously, then shook its head. "Sometimes I wonder about you. You're so smart you're stupid sometimes. Do you realize where we are?

"This is the Borderlands of you, pal. That short gap between Ego and Id. Go figure yours is empty. Everything that is you is right here, right in plain sight. Well, it would be if there was anything. And so everything that is you--even in the slightest, like me--becomes quickly assimilated.

"I want to be you. But I want to be me while I do it, so sticking around too long's dangerous. Especially considering how hard it is to get in and out now. Christ, I changed so I'd be safer in here--and I am, to an extent--but it's forcing me to stay longer here than I'd like.

"Anyway, I'll take my leave." Inlé's double stood. "I've got other shit to deal with, and I have to be careful how long I'm away."

"And if I forced you to stay?" Inlé asked.

The copy laughed. "Not happening," it said. "You don't have the strength. I dunno what the hell happened to you, but you seem like you've been holding yourself up by force of will, mostly. If you weren't so god-awful strong, I'd have taken you by now. Of course, if you weren't so god-awful strong, I probably wouldn't be. Period. So I'll bide my time a bit longer." It turned and began to walk away. "No point if I lose anyway, right? I'll ... be in touch." It waved back as it left.

Inlé watched his copy wade slowly into the void until fully engulfed.

Waking, Inlé found Titania asleep, kneeling beside the bed. Her head on his chest, she had collapsed while recovering Inlé's more serious wounds. Upon slight inspection, he found himself whole.

He slid lightly out from under the exhausted fairy queen, then lifted her gently onto the bed. Materializing a light blanket, Inlé covered Titania and retreated to his corner. He slumped into a comfortable position, and found himself still fatigued. Titania had mended his body, but exhausted them both in the process. Sleep overcame him again as he heard the apartment's entrance close, heralding his mother's return.