Life became quiet and normal for Jaejoong in the days following Hyuna's visit. The succubus never bothered him again. She must have finally understood after experiencing his illusions that they would never get back together again. She probably realized that her powers were no match to his illusions since despite the fact that she knew they were illusions, she was still affected by them.

Dara meanwhile was behaving like a proper housemate. No more interior redecorations happened. She wasn't dragging, requesting or pleading him to do anything. He had grown accustomed to seeing her sleeping all around his house. She required no bed since she slept on spider webs created by normal house spiders. As to how she was able to convince the spiders to make her bed every night, Jaejoong had no idea. When he first saw her sleeping, he thought she was floating, only when she got down from her bed did he notice the hammock-shaped webs attached to the corners of the room did he realize the truth.

Though Dara could sometimes be irritating and mischievous, she did keep her promise to never go inside his room again. He was still at a loss as to how she was able to creep up on him when he was asleep. He always felt the presence of anyone near him even when he slept. Dara seemed to be using some sort of magic that prevented him from noticing her presence.

Dara also continued going to class with him. Since she was always by his side, she had effectively driven away all the girls interested in him. Like the rumors going around the offices of Midnight and Lightside, a rumor, but with a general patronage rating, was circulating around the university. It was now widely believed that Dara was now his official girlfriend.

Jaejoong allowed the rumors to continue because it would just be useless to deny them. No one would believe that he wasn't in a relationship with one of the most beautiful students in campus. Plus they were always together, though that wasn't his plan. Dara just kept tagging along with him wherever he went.

He also discovered that Dara could easily charm everyone, earning their trust and friendships. It didn't matter whether they were guys or girls, she immediately befriended them. He suspected she was using some sort of magical charm. When she was voted as their class president, he wasn't surprised at all. Her skill as an ambassador for the Siesmyres as well as her leadership qualities became apparent as she started performing her duties as their class president.

Jaejoong had an inkling that if Dara would be asked to run for a position in the student council, she would readily agree. And winning a position in the student council would be a cinch. Dara would definitely become a very good politician in whatever country she decided to reside in. Maybe that's part of her plan, to go into politics and push a law controlling pollution.

When Dara decided to stay with him, he mistakenly believed that he had to provide food for her. But Siesmyres regularly delivered fresh fruits and vegetables to his house for Dara. They usually arrived in the wee hours of the morning and then quickly departed even before Jaejoong had risen from his bed. Yabu was among those assigned to bring food to Dara and the only one who stayed to chat. Yabu always wanted to talk, and he usually brought in the latest news not only about the Siesmyres but also gossips from Midnight and Lightside. Yabu was always up to date with the latest news and gossips around the world. If the Finder was a human, he would be a remarkable reporter.

And he was always eager to answer all of Jaejoong's questions. Jaejoong was able to satisfy his curiosity about the Siesmyre through Yabu.

This morning, Jaejoong's inquiries focused on the other Siesmyres who delivered Dara's food but never stayed to meet him.

"They are also Finders like me," Yabu said. "They are just a little shy showing themselves to you. You are after all like a celebrity to us."

"Are they also like you?" He was referring to Yabu's talkativeness.

"We look different from each other because we come from different clans of the Siesmyres. We became part of the Finder Unit because of our ability to go to polluted places. In fact, that is the foremost requirement before any Siesmyre is allowed to try- out in becoming a Finder," Yabu explained as he started arranging the food he had delivered on the table using his wings like hands.

Jaejoong started making coffee for himself. He would have made one for Yabu, but the Finder didn't drink coffee.

"What is the Finder Unit anyway?"

"It's like our version of the human's post office. But we don't just deliver messages, we also find things. Hence, were called Finders."

"Dara seem to be really important to your race since all of you brave the dangers of this polluted city just to bring her food every day. Is she your queen?" he joked, but in reality, he really wanted to hear the story of how Dara got her ambassadorial position among the Siesmyres.

"Her mother was the former queen of the Siesmyre. And if Dara wanted to, she could have taken that title herself. No one would question her legitimacy. But she refused to be queen and instead assigned thirteen Elders from the different clans of the Siesmyres as leaders. Her reason for doing so was that times were changing and every Siesmyre should and must help out for the good of our race. She sort of patterned the creation of the Elders to that of the Lightside's Board of Directors and Midnight's Dark Council. And like them, the Elders also vote for whatever direction or decision would be best for the Siesmyres. Dara sort of became our troubleshooter and took on the role of an ambassador. She was the one who usually confronted Lightside or Midnight when the Elders had formed a unanimous vote on what to do about a certain situation.

"Before she became weak and sick due to man's pollution, she was able to save a lot of us from the Cleansing hunt of the Lightside. She managed to do this by getting a treaty from the Lightside that protected a Siesmyre as long as he didn't turn into a Dark Siesmyre. Only Dark Siesmyres that had become the minions of the Midnight Corp. would be hunted by Lightside. Because of this treaty, Lightside left us alone, and Midnight had ceased recruiting us because any one they recruit from our race would automatically be hunted down and killed by Lightside. So dark Siesmyres are very rare nowadays."

"What would happen if Dara disappears or she dies?"

"Her daughter will take over from her."

"She has a child?!" Jaejoong almost spilled the coffee from his cup.

"Of course not. She will only give birth when she feels that her time of death is near. Her child would become her successor. Her child would continue doing what Dara had done and their ancestors before them. This had always been the fate of Dara's kind. They must always make sure that a proper successor would replace them so that their duty and responsibility to the Siesmyre would continue. It is her fate, as well as her future child, to make sure that the Siesmyres would be guided and protected as long as they exist in this world."

Jaejoong felt sadness for Dara because of the fate that awaited her. He remembered his botany class in high school where he learned about certain kinds of plants that died after flowering and producing seeds. He never once thought Dara shared the same fate as those plants. Part of him wanted to prevent that from happening, to keep her alive.

"How does she have a child?"

"She will produce a seed from her body. Nurture it until it grows and becomes like her," Yabu explained matter-of-factly.

Jaejoong jaw fell with this revelation. He remembered that trees and plants usually produced seeds in order to perpetuate their race. He never once thought that Dara was also like one of those plants! He was so used to thinking she's a woman though quite powerful and magical, it never entered his mind that she wasn't even a real female!

Why didn't he see the clues before? She was green, and her real hair was made of vines and leaves. And there were a lot of plants who could assume the shape of an insect or an animal. Flowers could make themselves look like butterflies. A twig could look like a snake, and some tree roots took the shape of small animals. Dara was just like those plants. She's a plant who had assumed the shape of a beautiful woman!

Her body, though similar to that of a woman, never really had the important parts of a real woman. She was in fact, a moving and sentient plant! No wonder the Siesmyres respected her, she was a daughter of nature. And like plants, she could produce her own child without the need for any man.

He closed his mouth and breathed a sigh of relief. He was now glad that Dara never came home that night when his body was raging with desire. He could have made a fool of himself if he tried making love to her. It would be like making love to a plant or a tree. No matter what he did, a plant would never possess the equipments necessary to accept him. He would look like a dog trying to mate with a wooden pole.

He would have been thoroughly humiliated! And with Dara's personality, she would never stop teasing him. They were totally incompatible with each other. That must be why she was brazen enough to flirt with him. She knew nothing would come