A Strange Procession

(Miranda's House. 10:47 p.m. Halloween night.)

Miranda: Well, see, Bess? That's exactly what I'm talking about when I say they're all just corrupt. I was just reading...

(knock on door)

Miranda: Excuse me a minute, Bess.

Miranda: Taelyn... I swear that if you knock on this door and say "Trick or Treat" one more time I'm gonna...

Miranda: Oh, hey Vee. Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost!

Devika: I don't know what I saw, Miri. I really don't. Can I come in please?

Miranda: Of course!


Miranda: You're awfully pale, Vee. Do you want some coffee or something?

Devika: No, no. Let me just tell you and Hitty what I saw and you can tell me what you think, okay?

Miranda: Sure, Vee.

Hitty Rosabelle: Of course, Devika.

Devika: I had dinner with Saoirse and Andi tonight. And it happened as I was leaving.

Devika: I'd said my "good nights" and was headed home, when I heard a horse nickering. I looked over and saw...

Devika: Freya riding in through the sunroom doors.

Devika: But it wasn't just her. It was this strange, slow little procession. Some kind of wagon, with bars on the windows, behind Freya, and then the other girls riding their horses too.

Devika: Well, Ophelia was riding that spider of hers. But they were all just silently riding along, around the wagon.

Devika: The wagon was being driven by your SISTER!

Miranda: If Ariel's involved, it can't be good.

Devika: Well, there was someone in the wagon, behind the bars. But they didn't seem like they were being mean to him or anything. When Ophelia rode her spider up by the window, I heard her say "Almost there" to the person inside.

Hitty Rosabelle: Almost where, Devika?

Devika: Well, you know they've got that big house in the parlor now, right?

Miranda: Oh yeah, I forgot that got moved over here.

Hitty Rosabelle: Yes, I read about that. I haven't seen it yet, though.

Devika: Well, I watched them go down the hallway and turn, right into the parlor. They were taking their prisoner to their house!

Devika: I just felt like they shouldn't know I was watching, I dunno why. But by the time I'd snuck over close enough to their house to get a look, they'd taken their prisoner out of the wagon, and Hera was tending the horses.

Devika: Freya had turned on all the lights in the house and was running upstairs. Ariel and Eris were escorting a guy with wild, curly brown hair into the house.

Miranda: (snicker) Well, whatever means Ariel has to use to pick up a date, isn't really my business.

Hitty Rosabelle: Oh, Miri!

Devika: Well, you see, that's the really weird thing. I don't think it was like that at all. I think...

Devika: Well, he was all chained up and stuff, but he didn't seem upset about it. And... Miri... well, here's the really creepy part.

Devika: He looked just like you and Ariel! Like he could be your twin brother!

Miranda: So you didn't hit your head or anything while you were over at Saoirse and Andi's house, did you?

Devika: Oh Miri! No. I... well, I don't think so. (sigh) Maybe I am just losing it.

Hitty Rosabelle: But Miri, you HAVE a brother, don't you?


Miranda: Yeah, we DO have a brother and he was supposed to come visit, but said something suddenly came up and he couldn't. Can't say he's ever visited in shackles before, though. And why would he be visiting the Creepy Sisters? Weird. Just weird, Vee. But I think I might have a few questions to ask my dear sister, Ariel, now.

Tea With Emi

*****
(sounds of coughing in the hallway)

Wendy: Hmm, who's that?

Wendy: Emi? EMI!

Emi: Hey, Wendy!

Wendy: How are you? Where are you going? Are you supposed to be up and around? They said...

Emi: "They" can just stuff it. I am having the worst craving for jasmine tea, so I thought I would wander down to the kitchen. And I'm doing much better, really. I don't know why "they" still have me on bedrest. I'm just a little woozy is all.

Wendy: Uh, "woozy" and "huge flight of stairs" don't seem like they'd go so well together. Can I give you a lift to the lower floor, madame?

Emi: Sure! Thanks. I would've been okay on the stairs, except I can't find my glasses. I don't need them to see my laptop, but stairs...

Wendy: Uh... Emi. They're on your head, sweetie.

Emi: Oh, well... duh. (laughing)

Wendy: Let me take you down stairs and we'll get you some tea, okay?

Emi: Okay.

Emi: Wow, this carpet looked better with my glasses off.

Wendy: (snort) Well, now that you're all better YOU can vacuum.

Emi: Yeah. (laughing)

(Wendy and Emi head downstairs, but Emi wants to walk to the kitchen herself because she's stubborn like that.)

Emi: Hey! The Seaview is here!

Wendy: Yeah, we moved it over about a week or so ago I guess.

Emi: I've been reading about it on your dad's blog, but I didn't know it was over here.

Wendy: Well, I put an entry about it being here on my Livejournal.

Emi: You have a Livejournal now? What, you didn't have enough blogs to not update already?

Wendy: (harumph)

Emi: (contented sigh) The sun feels good. They had me cooped up in that North bedroom with no windows. Something about whooping crane causing people to throw themselves at the glass, to get out or something. (shrug)

Wendy: Well, I'm glad you're better now, Emi. I wish I could've come visit you.

Emi: Oh yeah... they wouldn't let anyone come visit me, which was total horsepucky. I haven't been contagious for weeks. Zane told them there wasn't any reason for me not to have visitors. Oh, and they wouldn't let me have my laptop! Though Zane couldn't figure out a reason for that either.

Wendy: But you had your laptop, you said you read Dad's blog?

Emi: Yeah, Thorne finally hired the Baha kitties to swipe my laptop from my desk and sneak it in to me.

Wendy: Why wouldn't they let you have your laptop? Wait... if Zane wasn't the one keeping people from visiting you, or keeping your laptop away, who was? (timer dings) Tea's ready. Shall we move over to the couch? By the window, of course. (smile)

Emi: (smile) Sounds lovely.

Wendy: Okay, so if it wasn't Zane making all these crazy rules, who are "they"?

Emi: The Wizards. Those four elemental wizards.

Wendy: I had no idea they were involved in your care at all! I thought they were tending to Lady Sey.

Emi: Yeah, that's going well. I read YOUR blog too, and she ran away because she was sick of them. I can't blame her. They're control freaks, and we need to watch them.

Wendy: I think they're here to help, though. Don't you? I mean...

Emi: I did some research into them, on the web, of course. And it turns out all four of them were thrown out of their last kingdom where they served as Wizards to the Court. Something about them being considered "a threat to the authority of the throne" but I couldn't find more detail than that.

Wendy: Wow, that's not good. That's not good at all. I wonder what they did? Well, we'll just have to ask them.

Emi: I don't know if that's wise. I'll research some more and see what I can find out.

Wendy: Meh, I'm much more direct about things. They're kind of busy right now with trying to arrange throw Rook out after he's all healed up, but...

Emi: They're WHAT?!

Wendy: Well, they said that Rook might be a threat to Sey, so they were going to....

Emi: Darn it. I spilled my tea. They can NOT throw Rook out! Respectfully, Wendy, what are you THINKING letting them do such a thing?!?

Wendy: Uh, well it made sense when they said it.

Emi: Oh for pity's sake. I am covered in jasmine tea. Well, now they'll HAVE to give me back my clothes, won't they.

Emi: Does Thorne know about this? About them throwing Rook out?

Wendy: I don't know. Maybe not.

Emi: Well, I'll bet he doesn't know. He would never stand for such a thing. And I'd wager he'll have a few words for them when he DOES find out!

Blood of My Blood Pt 12 - The Dream Lady

Rook: (whispering) Sesshy, I... (collapses)

Sesshy: Rook!!! It's her! It's HER!!! It's the Dream Lady!!! DREAM LADY!!!

Sey: Sesshy!!!

Sesshy: You're really here this time, hu?

Sey: (laughing with tears in eyes) Yes, I'm really here this time. I am so glad I found you and you're SAFE! I was so scared for you, after the cage fell.

Sesshy: I told him you would come.

Sey: Who? Your friend there?

Sesshy: Yeah! Rook! Come meet, Rook. He's hurted.

Sesshy: This is Rook, and he saved me and he flewed me out of the dungeon and then we crashed and he got hurt and he slept and I guarded him and then I brought him berries and do you think Daddy will let me keep him?

Rook: (very weakly) Glad to meet you... Dream... Lady...

Sey: Hello, Rook. I am no dream lady, but I am grateful for your helping Sesshy out of that dungeon. You're wounded, and you're bleeding. Here, let me see...

Rook: (sharp intake of breath)

Rook: (holding hand away) Please... I....

Sey: I... um...

Sesshy: Ooooooooooooh!

Sey: (ahem) This is more than I could help with in the field anyway... we need to get you back to the Treehouse, to the healers there. Both of you up on Ruska, and I'll lead.

Rook: Lady, it wouldn't be proper. Not for me to ride, and for you to walk.

Sey: You are wounded, and you can barely stand, much less walk. And you cannot imagine how little "proper" means to me now. Now... Get. On. The. Horse.

Rook: (sheepishly) Yes, Lady.

Sey: Okay, both of you settled?

Sesshy: This blanket is cozy!

Sey: I am sorry, Rook. I didn't know you would be here, or I would've brought you one as well.

Rook: (smile) It's all right, I didn't have time to bake you a cake either, Lady.

Sey: (laughing) All right then. We've got a long ride ahead of us. Ready?

Sey: (quietly, gently petting horse) Are YOU ready, Ruska? It's going to be a long walk, my good girl, but I'm very worried about Rook, and we need to get him to the healers just as fast as we can. We might have to walk all night.

Ruska: (nickering)

Sey: Good girl, Ruska. Okay, let's go home.

(*POOF*)

Sey: What the? OH MY GOODNESS!

Rook: Lady, where... where are we?

Sey: We're home. We're back at the Treehouse. But how can that BE?!

Blood of My Blood Pt 11 - A Broken Bird

Sesshy: Hey! You're finally awake! I found some berries and I saved you some. They don't taste very good, but I thought...

Rook: (weakly) They'll be great, Sesshy. Thank you.

Sesshy: You're HURT!

Rook: It's fine. One of my old wounds got pulled open, probably in the crash. Sorry about that bad landing, by the way. Are YOU okay?

Sesshy: I'm fine. Here, eat some berries.

Rook: Thanks, Sesshy.

Rook: (eating berries) Night will fall soon, and I don't know what we're going to do. I REALLY can't fly now, and I don't risk starting a fire here, I don't have any idea how far we are from the dungeon. It'd be like telling them "We're over here". But it's already getting cold, and...

Sesshy: Don't worry about it, Rook! She'll come. She'll find us.

Rook: Uh... who?

Sesshy: The Dream Lady!

Rook: Well, I hope your "Dream Lady" brings lots of blankets. Because neither of us are dressed for a night outside. Nice outfit by the way. Very fashionable.

Sesshy: Thanks! I made it myself! I used the ropes you had on you. I figured you didn't need them anymore.

Rook: You are more than welcome to...

(horse neighing in the distance)

Rook: What was that? (jumping up - wishing he hadn't) There's someone coming!

Rook: Sesshy... you stay behind me. If I have to defend us, I don't want to accidentally smack you. Okay? (groaning in pain, then quietly) Assuming I can even swing the stick (sigh).

Sesshy: Okay, Rook. I'll stay right here.

Rook: Good, because here they come....