62Nameless Compromise with Reality
"Lady Rhiannon," Tsuga's voice spoke out from the darkness, floating to the tiny circle of light where Rhiannon was working. The light flickered and jiggled as she shifted weight to turn and look at him; papers fluttered, pens and pencils rattled.
"Yes, Tsuga? I am in the middle of my newest masterpiece; what did you want?"
"Then I am most sorry to disturb you, Lady Rhiannon, but there are strange reports floating about. It seems that that Elven commander Kyani has been receiving her own reports about us; she was never one to wait and should be sending someone soon. In fact, we think that she will come to us within the next few days. However, that was not the truly strange report. Since sometime this morning, a group of rogues have been attacking and raiding several Elven village along the way here. They are quick, incredibly fast, and supposedly all men. I was wondering if you would be interested in their capture?"
Rhiannon looked up and swung around, her curls bouncing, the elaborate headdress that she wore jangling, gems and beads clacking together. "These men, what are they like? Have you received any news as to who or what they are? I would rather not waste my time, Tsuga."
"Of that I am very much so aware, Lady Rhiannon." Tsuga bowed respectfully, his raven colored hair falling over his golden cat eyes, the ears atop his head flicking suddenly, seeking a sound they thought they had heard. Returning from his bow, he gently pulled the hair from the golden bands within the sides of his black hair before beginning. "From the reports, we assume they cannot be Human, but with those like Beth Kioki and Dru Price, it is hard to be sure. They do not speak, so we cannot be sure of their voices, and many of them blend in well, leaving any distinctive features about them hard to trace but from that summary, we believe that they have darker hair. One of them is a redhead, but even he does not stand out; it was only when he came into the light that that feature was easily seen. If they are the Elves we believe they are, I'm sure that you can surmise how well they will meet your tastes."
"Do you know why they are attacking and raiding the villages? Are they searching for someone?" She sat up and Tsuga could see her eerily neon pink eyes shining at him from far into the darkness of her room. Energy crackled and he felt a tug around him, the complexes of red wires having been pulled taunt. "Could they be searching for what we are, what the oracles and seers have agree is to come?"
"It appears that they are searching for something, my lady, but the reports are all very vague. And they are heading directly our way; the villages seem to be just a way for them to move forward without hurry, splitting up into divisions like a net. Soon, some of them will be at the village Ur at the base of the mountain; should we meet them or see if they wish to visit us?"
"I need more information, Tsuga," Rhiannon answered sharply, turning from him and blasting on her lamp higher, widening her circle of light by a foot. A piece of paper with a group of heavily armed monsters upon it was flashed into the glaring light. "I will not allow you to do anything without more information." She lowered her voice, half-lidding her eyes so her light brown lashes were over her warm amber eyes. "And I will not allow you to be harmed, Tsuga. Even when I acquire more and more, you will always be my top, my one, if only you would see that."
"Lady Rhiannon…" There was a tender edge to Tsuga's voice that Rhiannon did not usually hear and she turned to see his face, eyes wide. The tender edge was suddenly snuffed out, the v.k.E. regaining his composure. "I am not worthy, my lady. I will get the information you requested and report back later. All for you, my lady." He bowed and hastily left, heels clanking against the stone entranceway as he crossed over it.
Rhiannon turned back her work table and stared at what she had drawn; it was intricate, fine, with excellent proportion and a mindless look to the eyes of her beasts that gave it the image being totally in her control; good, she liked that.
Turning an eye over her shoulder, she saw no one; she sensed no one. Pulling a half-finished drawing out from under others of hers, she bent her shoulders forward, hunching over it to conceal it, hands making quick, fervent strokes. It was only a few moments until she was done, leaning over to do a minute inspection of the body, the face, the eyes, the hair; for once, the eyes weren't mindless, but passionate. She made the lines heavier, shaded it a bit, and then drew out her collection of pens, lovingly going over it, taking the utmost care to make no mistake, make every aspect of her drawing perfection. Then, it was done, colorless, but done. It wasn't like the fact that it had no color really mattered; that would be taken care of in the process of Transfiguration. She smiled, satisfied, and turned her eyes to the darkness.
Red wires flew from her curls into the gloom, crashing into walls and metal, skirting the ornate vases, rugs, artifacts, and knick-knacks that she has inquired. The wires plunged into the metal, connecting with the power supply, making Rhiannon smile as she felt the surge charge up and down her body, the hair on her arms standing up on end. Tugging mentally, she felt the metal rise up.
It was a construct that could easily fill the congregation hall of a Gothic cathedral, a silver cylinder that rose from the rest, the wires in the top of it, plunged down into its depths. The side panels split from the main part, flipping sideways to create a counter and display the inner workings of the cylinder, the cranks and wheels that would process her pictures. Vials of a smoky looking blue-gray gas could be seen, red wires feeding into them, condensing the gas into a liquid form. What looked like a tray was below them, red wires already laying flat on top of them, waiting for their purpose.
The thing whirled and creaked its way into the open, the stark light of the single lamp glinting off its metal surface, making it shine and gleam. Rhiannon turned from it and gathered up her drawings, shuffling over the machine in her long kimonos, bare feet padding over her thick carpet and then onto the metal flooring around the machine.
Each picture was placed on a counter, a metal clip immediately snapping in place; the final picture was carefully laid out; she made sure there were no creases, stains, dust, dirt, anything. Then she stepped back, snapping the side panels into the trays, the trays into the cylinder, the cylinder rotating slowly, her wires extending to prevent them from entangling. Slanted panels snapped out above where the counters had been, extending poles that seemed to form portals. Steam hissed out from the underside of the panels and the rotating slowed to a halt, the poles chinking into place in the cold, metal floor. Rhiannon stood back to watch her creations emerge.
From the doorways wriggled what she had drawn, the group of heavily armed monsters surging out into the open, growling, snarling, every bit as real and flesh-and-blood as she or Tsuga. Once fully outside, away from the openings, they stopped and stared off into space, obedient, but dumb. Her other monsters and army fled what had been their womb, gathering together in a loose rectangular formation. Still, she waited for the last of them, the doorway she was standing nearest to.
Bare feet padded towards her; she could feel the sting of the metal on the cold, bare soles. Hair swished over the hips, down to the ankles, free and unconstricted; she held her breath, hoping that it had come out all right, feeling a guilty knot form in her stomach; why couldn't he have made it this way in the first place? Why did she have to do this, what made her? And why did she feel as though all of this were some sort of betrayal?
Then, her creation stood in front of her, gazing at her with his golden cat eyes in a look that she had wished to see all her life, all for her, all to her, as if he cared nothing for the world, nothing but for her. The raven hair, sleek, wasn't bound back into something that suggested professionalism, but left to flow like black streams over his chest and back, uninhibited. The black cat tail, as sleek as his hair, as soft as his dainty ears, flicked behind him, not hidden as he usually kept it for fear that he would not be respected. And he wore just soft, flowing pants, nothing flashy and commanding, just simple, just commanding her attention.
He licked his lips, rough sand paper tongue sliding over his vampire fangs, too large to be those of a cat's. His eyes were still on her. "Rhiannon." Sensual, out of breath; he didn't seem to be in complete control of himself. Suddenly, he swept himself her way, picking her up, catching her in embrace, burying his face in her shoulder, breathing in her scent. "Rhiannon, why does it feel as though I have never been able to touch you before, feel you in my arms? Why does it feel as though it has truly been so long, and so very hard?"
She swallowed, tears forming in her amber eyes. "I don't know, Tsuga. But, this feels good, it really does."
"No." He let her down and stared at her, the look in his eyes almost making Rhiannon turn away with a blush. He brushed a stray piece of hair from her face tenderly. "It feels right. May we be alone, Rhiannon? Just the two of us?"
She swallowed again and tore her eyes from his, snapped her fingers, the young cat-boy that she had drawn to be her servant hopping forward, at her beck and call. "Take the newest creations away, to where all the others are. They are not to fight; if they do, it will be charged upon you."
He nodded, thoughtless, and shooed the others away, securing the door behind him. Rhiannon and her created Tsuga were alone.
Tsuga stepped towards her but she held out her hand. He stopped, but looked confused, almost lost, cocking his head to the side and flicking his cat ears inquisitively. "Why?"
"I don't know, Tsuga. You…"
"Yes, I am Tsuga, the Tsuga you have always wanted." His brow clouded. "Not that Tsuga."
Rhiannon's amber eyes flew open wide, a gasp tearing from her throat. "How… how do you know that you are not the true Tsuga? You shouldn't know… none of my other creations know that I just made them, that they are not real!"
"But you want me to be real, Rhiannon. You want Tsuga, any Tsuga, to see you as you see him, to give himself fully to you, completely to you. And you drew me with passion, Rhiannon, my Rhiannon." There was something frightening in his smile, but something appealing in his eyes. "What passion, it did not matter, but I am all passion. Passion to have you, be with you, love you, make you happy, safe, passion to destroy the one that doesn't deserve you, to wipe him off of existence. You understand, don't you, Rhiannon?" He gripped her shoulders tight, pulling the two of them close together. "You drew me, this is why you created me. I will wipe that worthless ingrate off this plane, off all planes, and we two will be together, as you always wanted to, as you desired, as you wished, as you made it so."
"No," she shook her head. "You are like Tsuga but even you know that you are not real; you know that I drew you because that I was what I desired. But then you also know that if you are touched by me, if I will it so, you can be destroyed. You see," there were tears in her eyes as she knew what she would have to do, "I love Tsuga, not look-alikes. It was a mistake to make you; please forgive me. Good bye."
As the red wires surged at him, he gripped her arms again, urgently, fear and then pain as the wires stabbed into him in his eyes; there was still that unbridled passion. "Don't play with anyone and everyone, Rhiannon! Don't destroy what you want! He, he isn't worthy of you but I –"
"False promises. Please," the tears trailed down her cheeks. Even if he wasn't real, he was close enough to being Tsuga that it caused her pain to have him destroyed; but her heart was ice, she would endure and last. "Just be gone from me."
Tsuga plunged his head forward in a kiss, stealing it from her quickly, drinking it in as a man dying of thirst drinks in water. Rhiannon couldn't help but return with equal passion even as the ink splash against her legs as his calves exploded in a wash of ink. He would have turned away but she grabbed him, held him until he had only a torso left. Then she threw him away from her and he was a shower of ink, nothing more, no use to her.
Covered in ink and tears, she hunched down on the ground beside her table and cried, gripping her cloaks about her, wishing that he had been real, wishing that it had not come to this. She could only ask herself why he wouldn't be what she wanted and why she put up with it. But she knew that she would never exercise her power like that, not over him, never over him.
Lerr stood at the base of the mountain, staring up at its expanse, at the innocent little village that nearly blocked the pass through it, making it a hotbed for imported goods and tithes; actually, even if it had not been Kyani's birth village, she would have gladly raided this one; it would supply her with a means to pay her men, a place to stay if she needed it, a continual income. The village of Ur, growing large with continuous expansions, was still being built upon and had a minimal army; they counted on Kyani to provide for them, as many small and up-coming villages did. Unfortunately for them, their communication lines had been severed and, even with the group being completely unsubtle, they wouldn't mount an attack until Lerr was well within the village.
Sidhe and Nicodemus accompanied her and Eirian; she would not think of leaving Eirian with one of the others, not when they didn't completely trust her. Maybe next time she would be allowed to go off with Fairfax; they seemed to get along well enough. And Vanya was easy enough to get along with; she might trust her with him.
"This is Ur?" Eirian raised an eyebrow. "It really is pretty small but do you see all that construction equipment? They'll be hindered by their own men but the hammers about will make them easy weapons, as well as the timbers and nails, screws and drivers. If we go through the main gate, we can collapse the new construction and bury able bodies as well as weapons. But it will make leaving hard for us."
"Yep," Lerr agreed, nodding at the village. "But we can't wait long; someone might try to come running with news from the other villages, that raiders are coming, or they might send birds and foxes; we can't really afford to wait. I hate to do this to you, Nicodemus, but you'll be on your own. Sidhe and Rory will be with me; you understand?"
Nicodemus' eyes sparkled happily and he smiled slightly, a tug of the lips. "Oh, of course I do, Lerr; this is a great honor. Can I be left with the back stores?"
"You won't destroy the grain and food that is being stored over?" she asked, looking at him sideways. "You are free to destroy what is currently being used but we leave enough for them to eat afterwards; and do not kill or maim; even if Kyani doesn't believe that we deliberately attacked this village, she will undoubtedly be pissed if we kill and maim any of her family members and friends. She's vindictive when she wants to be and you know Alaric is."
"Yes, yes," he nodded. "I will make sure that they are all set to the side and block them in, but I will keep stores open for them, as well as valuables that are truly priceless. Should I leave them with any of their priceable valuables?"
"A few," Lerr nodded. "Enough so that they can rebuild; we have to be careful about this operation without looking careful; it is imperative that she not know that we know."
"This is turning out to be hugely complicated," Eirian groaned, shaking her head. "Why don't we just do what you guys usually do? Kyani won't be as suspicious."
"What? You don't care about Kyani's well-being?" Lerr asked, turning to her. "Kyani becomes deeply distressed when those she knows are injured; she becomes even more so when they are just strangers who depend on her. We don't normally try to kill but we don't hold against it either. This is just a normal attack, but we will try to do more property damage."
"Uh huh. Can we just go now? I'm itching to destroy something!" Eirian whined.
"Gotcha. Sidhe, with me and Eirian. Nicodemus, find your own way. Let's go!" Lerr sprinted into the woods, Sidhe shadowing her, Eirian following a few paces back. Nicodemus was gone in a flurry of shadow; Eirian could only see him for a blink of an eye before he was completely gone.
They hadn't even reached the village gates when the first explosion rocked the area, sending Eirian tumbling back, making the other two skid to a halt and brace themselves against the ground. Sidhe hissed and looked up, eyes flashing nicely. "Nicodemus! That was overkill!"
"But they'll be concentrated on the back and side end," Lerr called, already sprinting off, Eirian having to scramble up quickly to not lose her and her red/black shadow. "He gave us a favor. They'll be more armed, sure, but shaken from a rear attack and looking at that end." The wooden skeleton stacked with stone loomed up in a cut in the trees, the places where mosaics would soon be left bare, only the faintest outlines of what would come. Lerr's feet never touched the ground when she hit the open, flying through the wooden skeleton, landing on several of the workers, knocking them out and flipping her hair over her face, letting Sidhe attack several of the others before she whipped out a black bandana, securing it over the lower part of her face. She let loose her sunglasses.
The blast of blue that lit up the scene was too much for the Niflheim Alf, who stumbled into another befuddled Elf, gripping her eyes in pain until a hand gave her a pair of glasses, which she took gratefully, snapping them in place, hunching in the corner, Sidhe guarding over her until she could see. He wasn't wearing glasses either but a blaze of light was where his eyes once were. In a second, he disappeared, leaving the redhead to her own devices.
Eirian could see that most of the wooden structure had collapsed, a small fire roaring to life in one corner, nearly all of the timber snapped into useless pieces, one of the Elves nearly impaled upon a large section. Others were in danger of being crushed, tied up intricately and hung on the walls. A large clear area where the skirmish had happened was left in front of Eirian; after that it was only so much debris.
Market squares, what once were market squares, lined the main street, houses directly behind them in rows, easy targets, all in danger of being set ablaze by the fires that ripped up and down the market. The redhead could see several billows of smoke coming far back and to her right, three successive explosions tearing up the far left in a concentrated triangle. Even having participated in three other raids from the other villages, Eirian still wasn't used to the speed and destruction that these Second-Sided Elves worked with when they attacked. Shrugging, she turned down a perpendicular lane, moving to the houses.
There was a large mob far down the lane, moving towards the back end of the village, other Elven villages appearing in doorways with swords, daggers, crossbows, and bows and arrows, ready to defend this part of their village, though they had heard the intruders moving to the back. A small child cried out in fear, pointing a chubby finger to the black cloaked figure that had suddenly appeared at the end of the street, hooded and cloaked, a thin red braid spiraling out from the depths of the ragged tarp. In the next instance, a silver sword flashed from the shadows of the cloak, naked and wicked looking in the hand of the intruder.
In all actuality, Eirian was pretty scared at the moment, confronted by so many Elves who looked like they knew what they were doing when she was really just trying to play the part. She was grateful for the tarp Lerr had snagged for her a while back, feeling a bit more authoritative, but she still didn't know if the scare tactic would work; she hoped it would because she really didn't feel like facing all of these villagers head on. She was also really starting to wish that she had taken Dru's advice and brought along some "bodyguards."
A rain of arrows slashed out to the black cloaked figure, who tumbled off to the side, smashing through the end house in an instance, a shower of splinters flying through the air where she emerged; she crashed through the rest of the houses in succession, dodging the arrows that flew into them, some catching on her cloak; the ragged, thick cloth worked like an armor for her. She hit the first house with people in it, grabbing two little children with her right hand and chunking them out of the window, watching with satisfaction as they were caught by a desperate neighbor. Her sword flashed and tore up the house, leaving it a mass of splinters, surprisingly leaving all home-made implements intact; she took the precious metals and gems, slinging them on her belt. A bomb exploded almost in her face and she was thrown back, crashing into the back wall, through the market shops to land in an opposite house, arrows notched and in her face in an instant, scratching her chin as she slide upwards; her fists smashed into their faces and she threw them out, slicing up the entrance of the house in chunks of timber, and then sinking her sword into the floor.
"Kill the house and kill the worthless
"Leave the lives and the priceless
"Leave to rebuild
"But reborn in the flames!"
Silver fire spiraled out of Eirian, smashing into the energies that would have destroyed her, sending them lashing back, the cool silver flames passing into the Elves, leaving them intact but decimating their homes, shops, weapons. They were all thrown back in an instant, the flame licking at Lerr and Sidhe before crashing outwards in an expulsion of energy. Eirian was left alone in a small crater, the crackling of what she had just done in the air, the crying of the children over their unconscious parents. She smirked, then smiled, and then laughed loudly and long, a crazed, insane cackle that flowed over the whole of the village, stinging those still conscious into paralysis.
The red wires snapped down at her from no where and she turned to face them, teeth bared in a snarl, cloak thrown back from her arms, fingers bent, nails poised like daggers. They reached forward, grabbing the wires, and sliced them to nothingness, a scream of pain striking outwards from the mountain, a roar of rage soon following it, the mountain becoming a flurry of life as every predator awoke and streamed down the mountain, searching for their redheaded prey. But the prey would have none of it and merely cackled louder, an insane sound of one who is not fully in control of her mind. Eirian threw off the sunglasses, vivid silver eyes wide and staring into the open, reason running from them. The red wires crashed about her and she was momentarily lost.
Bits and pieces of the wires flew about her in a tornado as she sliced them into useless nothing, the pain coursing up and down them to find their mistress, the silver slicing up and down their lines, silver flame moving up quickly, seeking, thirsty for life. Black and gold snapped into place before it, expelling it just as the beasts of the forest fell upon the village, thrusting through the three Elves in the back, turning aside from them, moving through the decimated streets and houses to find the one surrounded by twitching wires and chilling laughter.
Eirian laughed still and held out her arms to them, eyes staring at them as if she didn't see them. The gold and black tossed life down the red wires, taking the pain into himself, protecting his mistress, who sent the fury of her armies down into the village, down into the insane red/silver flame, trampling the mountain to nothingness. Blood flew and then was licked up by silver flame as the beasts of the forest were killed, brought to nothing but blood and carcasses, then silver flame and curling smoke. The power fed into the Niflheim Alf, expanded to include all about her, smacking into Lerr, Sidhe, and Nicodemus, who stood against it, Sidhe and Nicodemus hunched at Lerr's feet as she stood strong, energy lashing painfully into her.
Vibrant blue flooded the air, attacking the frequencies of the flame, drowning them in blue, combining them in blue. More power exploded outwards, the Second-Sided Elves stumbling and then nearly falling, hurrying into the forests with their comrades, limping as quickly as they could to their commander. Eirian drowned in blue, was snuffed out into unconsciousness, slewing down the beasts about her, the wires about her, just before she could see no more. She sagged to the ground in oblivion, Lerr staggering too, looking down at her nearly unconscious men, about to offer comfort when she was hit with a wave of monsters, beasts, demons, only created from the imagination. Lost in a sea of them, she struggled to overcome them, tearing up their bodies into ink and scraps of paper, gasping with loss of air and energy, on the verge of being beaten when she caught a trance of vanishing silver flame up the wires to the mountain. She slammed her power up the line, surging into and then around the gold and black, attacking the pink and green, hitting it repeatedly, the gold and black cutting off her attack, cutting off all energy but the small amount he had left to save his mistress. The monsters exploded into a shower of black, red, and blue ink, pouring into Lerr's mouth and sending her slamming into the ground, where she stayed, dizzy and nauseous.
"Lady Rhiannon! Rhiannon!" Tsuga called worriedly, cradling his fainting mistress in his arms, feeling the shivers that coursed up and down her body, so severe that she looked as though she were having a seizure. Her body temperature dropped to a low, sweat breaking out on it despite this. His long black cape etched in gold, mainly for show, was swung from his back and onto her shoulders, pulled tight. He watched her brown lashes twitch over the whites of her eyes; the washed out pink had rolled up into her head.
His shoulder blades stuck out against his white shirt, hair splayed in between them and onto his shoulders, sleek black cat tail flicking in agitation. Kahtari and Machiov watched on from the side, worried, disliking what they saw, Fahwn Xa having already gone away to find some bedding and robes, anxious.
Rhiannon's hand began to twitch; Tsuga immediately grabbed it, holding it in his large hand, careful that the claws on the end of his fingers didn't scratch and bite. He pressed his forehead to hers, looking into her eyes, or trying to, whispering urgently to her, "Rhiannon. Come back to me, hear my voice, think of me as you think of your drawings of me, remember me as I remember you. Rhiannon, Rhiannon…" Her eyelashes fluttered and a bit of pink showed through. "Yes, that's right, my lady, come back to us. She has been subdued; do not let her beat you, you cannot."
Still shivering, beaded with sweat, Rhiannon's eyes rolled down and focused, finding the concerned eyes of Tsuga directly before hers. She noted the way black flowed into gold, how his slitted pupils were large with fear. "Yes…"
"Yes, what? Please, my lady, don't try to do anything; you are weak from the assault."
"Your concern… is noted, my commander. But… we've found that thing; we cannot back down. She is the true one, the one that will do what the others cannot." Rhiannon closed her now amber eyes tiredly, slumping to the side for a moment, breathing in deeply, still cradled in Tsuga's arms. She sighed and turned back to him, opening her tired eyes. "Send Machiov to the others, to Kyani. Send U-chan, Utsuno, with Faux and Ghyuino de Lough to meet with Yyi. At this moment we need to keep that thing and Kyani in our sights. I will be fine, tell Kahtari and Machiov to do so. Fahwn Xa will return in a moment."
Tsuga snapped the order to Machiov and Kahtari, who turned without a word, passing Fahwn Xa in the hallway, carrying a mass of blankets and cushions. Seeing Tsuga leaning over Rhiannon, still in a deep conversation, he placed the bedding to Rhiannon's right and nodded to his commander, leaving quickly, allowing them to be together.
Concerned as his was for his mistress, Tsuga could still feel the rage swinging up and down his system, flooding it, dimming the edges of his keen eyes to a blackness. He would see that that thing was wiped off, away from all, but he too would see that that blonde bitch died in torture; she had hurt his Rhiannon. She would know profound pain.
"She's a liability, a damned liability!" swore Sidhe, steadying Lerr with his arm. "She was unstable, we all knew that she was, but you let her come anyway. How could you endanger yourself that way, how could you endanger your group?"
Lerr's hand swiped across his handsome face, slamming it sideways, throwing him off her. Her angry blue eyes met his. "Don't question me, Sidhe, never question me. This was a test of strength, a test for all of us created to foreshadow what is to come. Don't question me."
"I can't not question you, Lerr!" roared Sidhe, sea blue eyes snapping with anger, red hair flying all about his anger-red face, so mad that he could hardly see straight. "Not when you do something like this! Kill her, damnit! Kill her now and we'll say that it happened during the attack."
"Kyani knows better," was Lerr's answer through clenched teeth; she had already grabbed his collar and pulled him to her face; he could see the anger plainly in her eyes. "She'll know that we did this, that we killed her, in cold blood, not in battle. And she'll blame us for this entire mess. We leave now, we take that thing with us, and we let it all go. Don't raid, don't loot. That is our penance for letting this happen." She let him go and threw him off her, away like so much garbage. He worked to mask the hurt on his face but she turned away, eyes dimmed to normal, cold, frigid.
Nicodemus came to her, head bowed, fine black hair wind blown and scattered. "I blame myself, Lerr. I should have watched out for her. I know that you and Sidhe come together but I, I should have kept an eye on her. Please, punish me."
"Can it, Nicodemus," snapped Lerr. "I'm not going to take any of your self-loathing bullshit. This was my fault; the only reason you feel the need to take the blame is because you don't like it when you get so damned into what you enjoy doing. We all know that you like it, we accept it and, now that we know what Rory's capable of, you know she will. Just pick that Niflheim up and we'll go home." Not waiting for a reaction, she turned and left, ink splattered hair swaying in the wind. Sidhe stalked after her, wanting to be anywhere else. Nicodemus cringed and pick up the unconscious Elf, tucking her sword into his belt, and carried her after the two.
The small, bedraggled group met up with the others, all in silence, stony, tense, some saddened and confused, some boiling with anger like Sidhe. They made their way quickly through the woods, dropping what they had raided along wells and orphanages, seeing no one at first, everyone too frightened by what had just happened to come out of hiding. After nearly an hour, the first signs of life were seen and they skirted all roads, doubling back again and again, leaving a trail that would go on forever then stop, or not one at all. The throngs of people that surged up to the roads to find out what had happened made it hard for them, but soon they came to the secluded stretch of road that led to The Haven, Lerr picking up her supplies and leading them to a small nearby stream to wash off the grime. She kept watch, going last and taking the least time, completely enraged at herself, blaming everything on her, beating herself up inch by inch; the betrayed look in Sidhe's eyes helped nothing, nor did the haunted looks in the others'. They carried Eirian back to the Kyani's.
Before they had even gotten there, they saw that it was alive with people. Elves hung in the woods, looking down at them with distrust, invisible to all but they, crouched up high in the trees, naked weapons in their hands. People streamed in and out of the tavern, many coming in from the road about them, smoke billowing up from the chimneys, tables set up to one side and in front of it. Many were not Elves. Lerr sent her men into the woods with a flick of her hand and creeped to the back, changing along the way before coming into the back of the kitchen. Without a word, she began to make food, hearing the clatter and rummage of customers in the front. Various waitresses bustled in and out, sending orders to her and the other three Elves that had been enlisted to make food in her absence.
"There were a lot of raids this morning. What does that mean? They think that it was the Elves but those were Elven villages. Was it an attack by the Fey?" The rumors were being tossed through the air, sent from person to person in loud, cautious voices.
"They say that the Mistress isn't doing a thing; shouldn't she be on the move?"
"But that could mean that she knows who the culprit is; maybe it was one of hers."
"Ur is nearly gone, did you hear? The other raided villages got off well but Ur was destroyed."
"If it was supposed to be just a raid, I can understand it. Ur is prosperous, but poorly defended."
"They say that none of the villagers inside died, not one of them, and that all that was homemade is in perfect order, just like the emergency rations. What could they have been after then?"
"You're back," Kyani's chill, southern voice snapped into Ceebs' ears, startling her from her task. She dropped the knife, all nerves, and stooped to pick it up, immediately washing it. The clack of Kyani's heels sounded next to her. "Do you know what happened?"
"Yes." Ceebs didn't look at her. "It was Eirian."
"Impossible."
"Seriously. We were there to raid, not destroy like that. We hoped to get some of the more precious materials, the food being sold, but just make the thing unusable. She snapped, destroyed all the buildings, and then we were attacked by something with red wires and ink demons." Her hands slipped on the vegetable, still shaking with nerves, and she sent both herself and the knife to the sinks to be cleaned of blood.
"Why didn't you watch her?" There was something accusatory in Kyani's voice.
"That's not what we do, Kyani. Why weren't you up to send someone with her, to sanction this if it concerned you so much?" There too was something accusatory in Ceebs' voice, something bitter. "You made the snap decision to allow me to raid, go after a village, and I did it. You never mentioned what she was, what she was capable of doing; the blame should lie on you."
"But it doesn't." Even as she said it, Kyani's wasn't completely sure that she believed it.
"Yes, I know," sighed the blonde Elf, setting down her knife and leaning against the sink, ignoring the bustle of the kitchen about her, not caring that she was blocking someone's way. "We were busy at the back; she was blinded by me, my eyes, and stayed behind. Had we known what she was capable of, we never would have taken her with us, and now my team has lost faith in me, in my mistake. Sidhe and Nicodemus nearly died as did I; I could barely contain her, could barely stop the rampaging monsters sent down to us. I made a mistake, one that I never should have made."
Kyani sighed. "I take blame too. Don't feel like it's all your fault, Ceebs; it really isn't. I'm just feeling testy because, please don't tell anyone this, Ur was my birth village." She turned her head to look out of the window. "I'm relieved that no one was killed or seriously hurt but that was still the place I was born. I should have told you; maybe you wouldn't have tried to raid it."
A twinge of guilt hit Ceebs, but only a twinge. "I didn't know; I'm sorry, Kyani."
"It's all right. But, for now, we will have to cater to the needs of those around us, those in the restaurant. As you have noticed, I sent almost all of those that were here to the woods. Beth, Dru, and their harem are about, checking things up for me. I hope that you will keep your harem around too," Kyani looked hopefully at the smaller Elf. "I'd like to try to make things right."
"As we all would," murmured the Second-Sided Elf softly, going back to her task. "We'll stay, do what we can, but we need answers, all of us. Otherwise, Eirian might just destroy us all and whoever attacked her might come after us too. Now is the time for unity, even if we don't all like it. We may be facing the last of our days soon."
Disclaimer: This is MINE! Mine, mine, miney, MINE! Got it? Oh, well, good then. 'Course, there were a few things in Eirian and Kyani's Day Off that weren't mine – see if you can spot them! Heh, heh, heh…
Acknowledgement to cast: Let's hear it for Kyani! Whoo hoo! She has a good part coming up in Day Off and then I destroyed her village. My bad. Oo… who else? Oh, brief mention of Dru and Beth so thanks Ping Mei and Reisi for still letting me use and abuse ya! Ya'll are just ever-so-awesome. \^-^/ Oh! And Cinnabar Scarlett was here for a sec; so was Mattie.
Brief thank you on reviews: Thanks to Ping Mei and Kyani Star and Cinnabar Scarlett. Ya'll rock in socks. \^-^/
Dedicated to: Kyani! Yeah! Sorry I had to destroy her village and stuff; schiznatch happens, you know. Oh, and, of course, the ever-lovin' Rock. We love you, Rock; come on home!
Author's note: Oh, who really cares what's going on with Cindy, now really? Not Cindy! But, GOD! I could NOT write that stupid fake Tsuga and Rhiannon scene… it killed me! I got all twitchy and my left arm starting tingling real bad… I couldn't even edit it! However! Thanks to my evil friend Twiggy (who we all know as B-chan) inflicting her evil cuteness (Like the Puchus! So horribly cute!) upon me and making my arm cramp up and seizure from the love, I got over that kryptonite! Yay! So, weeks after writing this bloody chapter, I finally got it edited. Yes! I kick arse! Oh, and yeah! I finally got to shove in a story about me not being about to share. Really, I can't. Some might call it horrible but I'm down with it. But it sucked cuz my stupid kindergarten teacher would yell at me and make me sit at the stupid elephant square. NO ONE wanted to sit at the elephant square – it sucked! But I had to so I'd start fights with the dumb kid, whose name IS Harvey by the way and I DO remember what he looked like; from my description Twiggy and Mego learned who he is! Yep, I carry grudges. Remember: January 15, 2017. Someone remember that; I'll tell you why later. Yeah, so the dumb teacher would call home with her stupid, "Ma'am? This is Cynthia's teacher, Mrs. Easton. We seem to be having problems with your daughter." No wonder I dropped out of kindergarten with an evil teacher like that. BIZNATCH! Oh… but Twiggy told me stories. Now SHE had a creepy kindergarten teacher. Wait… I didn't drop out of kindergarten; it was pre-school. My bad. Anyways, Twiggy's teacher would make her sit until she finished her milk and Twiggy didn't like milk so she and her little buddy would sit in the cafeteria for hours sipping milk. Ya know, it probably got rotten… ew. Also, one time Twiggy asked her teacher to open her milk for her (because, as shown by her trying to open a bag of Reeses and scattering them all over the movie theater, she just can't open ANYTHING), and her teacher wouldn't, so B-chan had to open it, split it all over the place, and then got yelled at and made to clean it up. However, B-chan sucks at cleaning stuff up and got yelled at about that. BIZNATCH! Where was I going with this? Whatever, I can't remember. *sighs* Who's got good teacher stories? What's ya'll's favorite character? Should I update sooner? Am I talking to everyone enough online now? Blargh… I lost my precious train of thought so I'll just go now. Ja ne, mi filos!
Aku Soku Zan! - Keebler \^-^/
Eirian and Kyani's Day OffI wonder why sometimes my underlining doesn't show up…. Oh, well. *shrugs* But I SUPPOSE that this counts as a fan fiction… shh! Don't tell! \^-~/
Eirian and Kyani's Day Off"My lady, my lady! Are you ill?" came the soft, melodious voice near Kyani's ear. She smiled dreamily at the sound, an utterly stupid look on her face. "Mmmm…" was her sleepy sounding answer.
Opening her three-colored eyes, Kyani stared into utterly perfect blue ones, the bluest of the blue, as blue as Ceebs' when she unleashed them. They were framed by perfect blonde hair, perfect ears, a perfect face, all besmudged nicely in dirt and grime. 'It suits him well,' she thought, still smiling.
There, leaning over her, was Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood, Son of Thranduil, the pretty one in the Fellowship and so on and so forth. And he was lookin' good. Obviously, Eirian wasn't up or she would have been all over him. Kyani would make the most of her situation; she draped an arm over one of his shoulders and blinked prettily at him. "I… I think that I twisted my ankle. Would you please help me up?"
"Of course, my lady," replied Legolas chivalrously, stooping down a pace and lifting the Elven Mistress clean off the floor. It was at that moment that Alaric completely fled from her mind. "And who would such a beautiful one as yourself be?"
"Kyani."
"It is a beautiful name and it suits you well," he answered, placing a kiss on one of her hands. "Have you come to our aid? Surely, such a beauty as yourself should be pampered. Your valiant nature is commendable."
"Heh, heh," came Kyani's answer, only to have her grow red at the stupid sound of her own laugh. She ducked her head and slipped out of the prince's arms to catch a glimpse of Eirian. Some time during her period of passing out, the redheaded Niflheim had glomped onto another Elf that was just as perfect, if not more so, if that was even possible, and had no intention of letting go. However, based on the look on the male Elf's face, it didn't look like he really minded. Anyways, Kyani had an Elven prince to get back to and she was about to. "And you are, good Elven lord?" 'Though I've got a veerrry good idea. Yummy yum.'
"Of course my lady," bowed Legolas. He opened his mouth to say something that Kyani knew she would forever treasure, if only because it came from him. "I am Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood, representative of the Elves in the Fellowship of the Ring. I contributed my archery skills, keen senses and prettiness to the Company, so don't you start. In the movie, I'm played by Orlando Bloom. Yes, I met Orlando Bloom many times during his period of learning my manners; he was a good man, albeit a bit insane I thought. So now you know who I am, my lady," smiled Legolas.
Kyani just blinked up at him, sure that every last Elf there was insane. Oh, well, no matter. She glomped onto his arm and began rubbing her head against his sleeve in a verily happy manner. "Nice ta meetcha, Legi-honey."
"Indeed."
"Do I sense Elven hotness?" garbled Eirian sleepily, sitting up, still glomped onto Glorfindel, though she didn't yet notice it. "Huh?" She looked to her side and saw a perfect Elf smile up at her sheepishly, but still making absolutely no move to get out of her grasp. Eirian studied him, began drooling, got on the verge of going insane, and then just stopped; Kyani could practically see the light bulb go on, as well as hear the sharp "click!" Then she threw herself on Glorfindel and curled up on his chest happily, like a contented little cat, rubbing her head against his chest while he smiled hugely and winked at the flabbergast Mirkwood prince. "Hmm… Glory, glory, glory, its Glorfindel." Suddenly, she blinked large eyes only inches from his. "Why did you not show up in the movies? Why did you let that evil, evil Arwen just take your spot? Why, Glorfi, why?"
"Um…" Glorfindel cast pleading eyes Legolas' way for help; the prince just shrugged, an Elf attached to his own arm. Luckily for Legi, his Elf wasn't insane. (Oh, that's what you think, Legi… just wait for the next chapter. Heh, heh, heh…) Glorfindel turned blue, blue, blue eyes back to Eirian's steel blue eyes. "Well, I don't really like to make public appearances. I'm sorry, was Arwen that bad? Well, I mean, whoever played her? Please know that the real Arwen really didn't want that much screen time either. I'm very sorry."
"Okay! I forgive you!" Eirian glomped back onto Glorfindel and he laid back, relieved. The slight insane edge that Eirian flaunted had filled him with forbidding should he answer wrongly. But, Eirian glanced up, paled, grew eyes the size of watermelons, and stepped on Glorfi's face on her way to glomp two other Elves. "Celeborn! Haldir! Oh, happy, sexy day!" Needless to say, Glorfi was slightly put out at that; his ego deflated just a teeny, weeny bit.
"Hey, hey! That's not fair, Eirian! You got Gil Galad, sexy Elf, and those two? I've only got two! Come on, share!" whined Kyani, stomping her foot to show her displeasure. Legolas too looked a bit put out. Wasn't he enough for her? After all, he did supply the prettiness for the Fellowship and he was pretty darned sure that he was the prettiest one in the room. Who needed them?
"What, what?" spazzed Eirian. "But – I must! Haldir and Celeborn! Do you know just how sexy Haldir was in the book? Jeez! I liked him more than Legi over there when I first met him! I mean, Haldir was just plain the BIGGEST prick in the universe to dwarves – it was awesome! You can't take that from me!"
"Fine! Then I get the other one! What was it? Cellophane? Something. Anyway! It's not fair and I'm the Elven Mistress type person! Give it to me!" Kyani leapt forward and snagged a trailing arm of Celeborn's, pulling it towards her. "YOU GOTTA SHARE!"
"But I never learned how!" whined Eirian in return, slinging Haldir under her arm and yanking on Celeborn's remaining arm with all her might. "Really! In kindergarten there was this massive prick who kept trying to take my zebra square. That bastard! Ya know, I got there first every day but that stupid teacher of mine wouldn't let me have it. She never liked me, you know. But I got back at that S.O.B., Harvey, was his name I believe, and he rued the day he stole from me. Don't make me make you rue the day you tried to take MY zebra square, I mean Elf, from me! Celeborn is mine forever and more!"
"Um, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I'm married I'll have you know," Celeborn spoke up. "Galadriel and I have been for several thousand years and it's a pretty happy one, very solid."
"Oh, please!" Eirian scoffed, the two Elves still yanking on his arms. "I saw the movies, read the books – you were MISERABLE! I mean, who wouldn't be, the way she was stealing your screen time? You never got to say a word! Come with me, sexy, and we'll have fun." She winked, a wicked smile on her face.
"Eirian! You KNOW I've got morals! I can't just proposition him!" moaned Kyani, squirting out fake tears. "You're playing dirty!"
"What's with the tears?" demanded Eirian, putting her hands on her hips and sending Celeborn and Kyani flying. Marching over to the two, she picked up Celeborn, dumped Haldir on top of Kyani with a "Fine, you can have Haldir," and marched off with Celeborn tucked under her arm. She put him down, placing him firmly on his feet, examined him, and then glomped on him, screaming, "CELEBORN! SEXY, SEXY CELEBORN! MINE, MINE, MINEY, MINE!"
"Ahem," coughed Glorfi and Legi as one, looking cross at the two happily glomping Elves, Elrond and Gil Galad long forgotten, playing chess in the corner, used to it; they didn't have an ego problem (well, not as big a one) as Glorfi and Legi. Kyani and Eirian looked their way. "What?"
"I can't believe your shameless behavior!" burst out Legi. "Have you no modesty, decency? Ladies do not act this way!"
"I have never, nor shall I ever, be a lady," declared Eirian. Kyani nodded in agreement.
"But that cannot be tolerated! Glorfi! I mean, Glorfindel! Don't you agree?"
But Glorfi was pointing towards the door, remaining as still as a board in his effort not to be noticed. Legolas paled and shut his mouth. Elrond and Gil Galad looked up, raised their eyebrows, and went back to the game at hand. Haldir and Celeborn craned their necks around the girls and their eyes grew very wide. Finally, Eirian and Kyani noticed the hush and too looked at the door.
There was something big, black, metallic, and surrounded in fire. It kind of looked like a caricature of the devil combined with the Terminator. Flanking it were a dozen or so tiny fire demons like the kind that Eirian had slashed up earlier. Each held a wicked looking spear, polished to a deadly looking shine. Actually, the whole thing boded ill for the Elves and Eirian and Kyani winced as one, regretting being so loud and digressing so verily, verily easy.
"Well, well, two more Elves in my nest," chuckled the largest of the things, a small bubble building up on his forehead and then popping; the two Elven girls grimaced in disgust. "This will make things most interesting. Thank you for coming, my dears, you'll be the final ingredients." He signaled and the fire demons jumped forward, thrusting out their spears.
Not-so-random author's note: Hah… that was incredibly shojo… boo. Oh, well! *shrugs* It was based on email between Kyani and me – why shouldn't it be shojo? TWA HAHAHAHAHAHA! Ahem. Anyways, I keep getting off track but the thing'll end soon, if anyone is wondering. (And I know you're not! Twa hahahahahah!) Anyways, off I go to type more. I truly am a slave to this. *goes off to be enslaved, willingly* Ja ne, mi filos!
Aku Soku Zan! - Keebs \^-^/ (Who is listening to the asthmatic wheezings of her sister's cat next to her. Really, we need to get her an inhaler.)