Carrot and Marron Glace walked through the Carrot and Marron Glace walked
through the city streets careful to avoid stepping in one of
the many fresh puddles the recent storm had left
behind. It had rained hard the past few days,
the bad weather attributed to the imminent birth
of Lord Regener's Gameru. Just last night the
entire city had been liberated from his evil
machinations. No longer would beautiful young
women be in danger of being fed to that vile loathsome dragon.
"Do you think this is a wise decision, brother?
Lila conspired to kill her older sister," Marron
asked.
"Relax Marron. After I rescued Laura, she and I had a heart to heart. She
doesn't blame Lila one bit. Regener held an almost hypnotic control
over her."
"There's a lot of healing to be done between thetwo of them. I hope we are doing
the right thing."
"No diggity, no doubt! What better way to forget
one's troubles than to spend an evening with twoof Spooner Continent's most
eligible bachelors?"Carrot exclaimed.
"You didn't have to do me any favor by bringing
me along."
"C'mon bro. You need female companionship once
in a while. Laura's a total babe. I had a good
mind to date both sisters, separately of course,but I'm looking out for my lil
brother! Lila is my date, Laura is all yours. You can thank me
in the morning!"
"Carrot, we're going to behave like gentlemen."
"Speak for yourself, dude."
Marron sweatdropped.
------------------------------------------------
Lila Barton stood on the bridge with her sister,
Laura. They both wore their best Sunday dresses,intent on looking nice for their
heroes. Lord Regener had tricked them both, pretending to
love Laura, using Lila as his pawn in luring theSorcerer Hunters to him.
Laura forgave her young sister the night before, talking to her well
into the wee hours of the morning. Lila had
cried, seemingly unto she had no tears left,
her sister holding her in her arms and rubbing
her back. Although Laura had forgiven her
instantly, it would take a long time before she could forgive herself.
"There they are," Marron indicated to Carrot.
The two brothers joined the two sisters on the
bridge.
"Hello Carrot," Laura smiled, looking at the
young man who had single handedly infiltrated
Regener's castle. He had almost gotten himself
killed in the process of trying to rescue her
from her cage above the nesting pit.
"Laura. Lila. This is my brother, Marron."
The mage bowed slightly to Laura. He then took
her delicate hand into his and kissed it.
"I'm Laura Barton, Lila's sister. How do you
do?"
Lila had already met Marron, including the rest
of the Sorcerer Hunters.
"Carrot's the one who set this thing up," Lila
said with a smile. She still wore her hair in
double ponytails, but looked more feminine since
she wore the dress. "So what do you have in mind?"
"We could have you guys over to the house for
dinner," suggested Laura.
"Nonsense," Carrot said in a mature voice. "We
are taking you fine ladies out to the best place
in town. It's on us, of course."
Carrot didn't tell them that the village elders
had promised to "comp" any future meals the
hunters had if they returned to Colanda for any
reason.
"What kind of food do you guys like?" Lila asked.
"Anything healthful," Marron replied. "Where do
you recommend?"
They settled on Rita's Ristorante, an elegant
place for fine dining. Chef Rita made every dish
herself with the upmost attention and careful-
ness. Each entry was prepared with the finest
ingrediants, many grown or raised locally.
Rita, a raven haired woman of forty with olive
skin and an ever present smile, greeted and
seated them personally. Her daughter Rachael,
a prettier younger version of the chef, poured
ice water into their glasses. Carrot regretted
not dressing better, unused to dating, much less
casual. Marron looked clean cut and dapper in
his white tunic and purple sash.
"Hey Laura," smiled Rachael. She obviously knew
the Barton girls, being local and all.
Laura grinned at the waitress. "Hey Rache. This
is Marron Glace and his brother Carrot."
Rachael flashed the two brothers a grin. Both of
them were quite good looking to her.
Rita then told them what the dinner specials
were and assured them she would fix whatever
wasn't on the menu as well.
"Hmmm," mused Lila. "The sea bass sounds pretty
good."
"I'll give you all a few minutes to decide,"
Rita said then headed for the kitchen.
The place had a very comfortable feel to it.
To Marron, it felt like being in someone's
house, in their dining room. It had a nice
ambiance to it, intimate and an ideal place to
take a date.
"Here ya go," Rachael set down a basket of warm
bread sticks and butter as well as tiny bowls of
key lime sherbet. "Ready to order drinks?"
"Lila can't drink, I don't know about the rest
of you," stated Laura.
"Sis!" protested Lila with a frown. She felt
slightly embarrassed.
"Silly! You get tipsy on one glass," Laura
laughed.
Lila tapped her sister's leg underneath the
table, conveying her displeasure.
"A bottle of Merlot," Carrot requested.
Rachael nodded then went to retrieve a bottle
from the wine rack behind the bar. She uncorked
it then poured a little into Carrot's glass.
He tasted it and gave an approving nod, so she
filled everyone elses.
"Hey Marron, looks like they have everything
from Soul Food to Oriental stir fry to Fondu!"
Carrot commented.
"Rita's quite the gourment. She's traveled all
across the continent learning the local dishes,"
Laura explained to them.
"Her chicken fajitas are out of this world,"
mentioned Lila.
A look of bemusement swept across the older
sister's face. Being with her sister and the
Glace brothers felt good and normal. It was hard
to fathom that the two brothers were responsible
for killing Lord Regener. One didn't come across
the legendary sorcerer hunters on a daily basis.
Laura had witnessed Carrot in action; he had
risked his life trying to rescue her. The cage
she had been placed in had been suspended over
the Gameru's pit. She shuddered thinking how
easily she could have fallen into it. Both girls
owed Carrot their lives.
"So...what do you guys do for fun?" she asked,
first looking at Carrot then Marron.
"I know Carrot here prolly has a girl in every
port," smiled Lila. "Don't you?"
Carrot chuckled. "A gentleman never tells!"
"Actually this is the first double date we've
ever been on," Marron admitted. "In our line of
work we are rarely able to socialize with the
people we serve."
Lila felt bad while Carrot felt embarrassed. He
hoped their opinion of him didn't lower.
"What do you like to do, Laura?" Marron asked.
"We have a horse named Juniper that I'm trying
to train," she replied. "I like to garden,
arrange flowers and design clothes."
"My sister's quite talented," agreed Lila. "You
should come see our place."
"What do you two do for a living?" asked Carrot.
"I work for the village elder, sorta like his
assistant," answered Lila. "Laura does all the
things she likes."
"Times are a little hard. Lord Regener helped us
out," the other said softly. "He gave us needful
things."
Speaking about the sorcerer so soon after his
death was difficult. It still shocked her to
recall being his captive. He had totally fooled
her into thinking he actually cared for her and
all. It hurt so bad that she had been so easily
had. As had Lila. Laura vowed never to trust
another sorcerer again. Ever.
"Regener's assets will be divided among the
families of his victims. You included," Marron
promised.
Laura looked down. "I want nothing of his."
Rachael returned and took their orders. "All
entrees come with soup or salad plus a side
and choice of vegetable."
"The bridge is one of my favorite quiet spots,"
Lila mentioned, trying to lighten the mood after
they ordered.
"There are lifesized sculptures in Kindred
Park," Laura told Marron. "You might enjoy
seeing them."
"Indeed," he replied with a smile.
Rachael set down bowls of matzo ball soup for
the four of them. She also placed a huge wooden
salad bowl in the center of the table. Laura
scooped portions of it into each of their
smaller ones.
"Ich!" winced Lila. "I hate olives!" She picked
them out one by one.
"You can put them in my bowl," offered Carrot.
He held it out to her.
Lila smiled and did so. It felt strange and nice
doing normal things with normal guys
hr
Chocolate peeked inside one of the restaurants
windows, a frown formed on her lips when she saw
how well the foursome got along.
"I think I'm gonna be sick, Tira," she said with
disdain.
Tira looked up at her sister. The pink haired
girl was crouched low, hoping not to be seen.
Chocolate always seemed able to coax her into
going along on things. "Why's that, sis?"
"How can Darling go out on a date with that
little schemer? Heck, she tried to kill her
own sister! She distracted you long enough to
let Regener get the drop on you."
"Lila wasn't in her right mind," Tira said
half-heartedly.
"Nonsense!" Chocolate snorted. "She was blinded
by love, not under any type of mind control,
just her own jealousy!"
"Carrot means well, I suppose..."
"If she tries anything, I'll...." Chocolate let the sentence hang.
"Are we gonna follow them all night?" Tira
wondered. "Perhaps we should find something else
to do."
"Now way."
"Marron should be able to keep Carrot in line."
"You heard Darling. He may try to ditch them."
Tira understood Chocolate's misgivings. Lila had
led the team into a trap. Her misguided love for
Regener had prevailed over all moral sense. Yet,
Carrot had shown what looked like compassion.
Chocolate could not see what Carrot saw in the
scrawny tomboy girl. Not an egoist, but she knew
that she was much more attractive and sexier
than the younger Barton girl.
Tira knew that Lila had deduced that both she
and her sister were in love with the same guy.
That it was Carrot could not be more obvious.
So Lila was hurting them both and knew it!
Marron saw Chocolate out of the corner of his
eye. He pretended not to notice, hoping she
wouldn't stir things up. Things had a way of
getting violent where she and his brother were
concerned.
For the record here is a little table of what
each person ordered:
Carrot: Veal Parmigian with linguini. Fresh
spinach.
Lila: Cajun chicken with Spanish rice. Glazed
baby carrots and mac-n-cheese.
Marron: Surf and Turf with cauliflower and baked
potato.
Laura: Corned beef and Cabbage.
Dinner was both enjoyable and delightful.
"Whoa, I'm stuffed," Carrot said, leaning back
in his chair.
The others felt so too. Rita's seven course meal
had been one of the biggest they'd eaten since
Thanksgiving. Even Laura's repasts with Regener
had not been as filling.
Rachael bused their plates while Rita came out
to chit chat.
"Delicious as always," smiled Laura. "I really
loved the cheese sauce you put on the cabbage!"
"The best veal I've had in a long time," Carrot
told the chef.
"Excellant meal," Marron nodded.
The foursome declined dessert they were so full
and said their goodbyes.
"Shall we?" Carrot offered Lila his arm as they
left the restaurant.
She happily took it. Marron seemed hesitant to
do the same with Laura, but she simply grinned
and took his arm like the other two.
It was only a short stroll to Kindred Park,
one of the nicest spots within Kolanda. The
lush green foliage and lawn still held much of
the water from the previous days' rainfall. The
shiny petals on flowers glistened with droplets.
Despite his age, Carrot's eyes lit up when he
saw the huge obstacle course complete with rings
monkey bars, climbing poles, uneven bars, tires,
balance beams, and rope ladders.
"Let's check it out!" he suggested, grabbing her
hand and running towards it.
"While they do that, how about we look at those
sculptures?" Marron said to Laura.
"Lila, we'll meet you back at this bench in a
half hour," the elder called to her sister. She
watched her scramble up the rope ladder with
Carrot.
Chuckling, Laura walked down the cobblestone
path with Marron.
"Your brother is such a free spirit," she
observed. "His enthusiasm is infectious."
"Carrot is still a kid at heart sometimes,"
the mage agreed.
"I can't believe he's the older of you two.
You seem much more mature, no offense."
"None taken," he smiled. "The thing about
him is he has a weakness for girls."
Laura giggled. "When he was rescuing me,
he had the wherewithal to hit on me right then
and there. Almost got himself killed."
"My brother has faced danger many times. He has
an uncanny luck on his side."
Laura showed him a few lifesized statues of
famous poets and authors and the founder of the
city. They read a number of plaques which gave
some background into the history of Kolanda.
She paused at a chained off exhibit, a statue of
Regener himself, expensive marble, finely
detailed. Marron recognized the smug smile, the
cocksure eyes.
She looked at the thing in horror, a flood of
memories hitting her like a tidal wave. Regener
had courted her, made her feel special, promised
her the world and more. She remembered how he
had told her he loved her then the terrible
shock of finding out she was just fodder for his
pet dragon.
Laura broke down, the awful experience again
hitting home. She hadn't had time to let it all
sink in. The shock had dulled her emotions the
past couple days. Sinking to her knees, she
covered her face with both hands. Pain and hurt
began to overwhelm her. Marron stood nearby, his
head slightly bowed. Many times he had seen the
result of how evil sorcerers ruined the lives of
the parsoners. He had never been able to shut it
out completely. Even if his reign of terror had
ended, the anguish it caused would take a long
time to get over. Some scars never fully healed.
The circumstances behind this case especially
troubled him. Laura was a beautiful person
inside and out. Seeing her weep was something he
could not abide. Kneeling beside her, the mage
draped a comforting arm around her shoulders.
Laura buried her face into his chest, her tears
staining his soft white tunic. Call him distant,
call him aloof, but never call Marron Glace
insensitive.
"I wish I had never met him," she sobbed
bitterly. "I was such...a fool..."
"It's not your fault," he stage whispered.
"I should never have trusted him..."
"Regener will never hurt you again."
"...I...I'm glad you killed him..."
Carrot hung upside down while holding onto a
pair of rings. his legs straight and together,
emulating a gymnast. That took considerable arm
strength, thought Lila. After seeing him
literally climb a chain with his bare toes, she
knew this playground was child's play to him.
He had hit on her when he had first arrived in
town, she thinking him to be a "dirty old man."
He had corrected her saying he was a "dirty
young man!" But there was more to him than met
the eye. He had turned out to be a sweetheart.
No wonder Tira and Chocolate were both in love
with the guy. Lila hoped she hadn't caused any
more hard feelings by agreeing on this date.
"I hope you don't strain a muscle or something,"
she said cheerily.
"Naw, I gotta work off all those calories," he
smirked.
A light rain began to fall, but Carrot was used
to the bad weather by now. He didn't mind
getting wet again. A distant thunder rumbled.
"Looks like we may have to go back inside soon."
"I can deal with that," he winked suggestively
at her.
"What about our siblings?"
"Oh yeah," said Carrot. It was nearing time to
meet up with them back at the designated spot.
"Let's catch up to them."
He did a forward flip from the rings and made
a flawless landing.
"They make a nice couple, you know," Lila
remarked.
She and Carrot jogged back to the bench. Their
jaws dropped when they saw Marron holding Laura
in what looked like a "compromising position".
"And they say I rush things!" Carrot quipped.
"Hey guys," Lila said softly, knowing Marron and
her sister must have been aware of their
presence by now.
Laura looked up, her eyes red.
"You okay?" Carrot asked.
She nodded. Marron handed her a tissue and she
dried her eyes. Both got to their feet.
"It's about to storm again," the older brother
said. 'Maybe we should take this indoors."
"Okay," Marron consented after Laura gave him a
positive nod. "One last thing before we go."
The long haired magician took out an ofuda,
spoke some foreign word then hurled it at the
statue. Upon impact, the thing exploded into
tiny pieces.
"Good riddance...again," Laura said darkly.
They went to a tavern called "Janes" which
happened to have open mic that evening.Several
locals went about performing their own songs or
reading original poems. Carrot and Lila shot
pool, played darts, and cards with some of the
latters friends. The two girls even coaxed the
two brothers on stage to karaoke "Bohemian
Rhapsody."
After that, they went back to the girls'
place and met Juniper. They sat on hay bales
inside the barn, swapping friendly stories.
Carrot and Marron took turns relating some of
their more memorable exploits.
"Wow," said Lila, stifling a yawn. "You guys
really have a hazardous job."
Laura looked at her watch. "Goodness it's way
past midnight!"
"We should be going," Marron said. "We will be
leaving shortly after dawn."
Carrot eyed Lila, but chose not to make a
suggestive proposition. "Can I have a hug?"
The two sisters each gave him one.
"Thanks for everything, Carrot."
"Take care, Lila...Laura..." he grinned
lopsidedly.
Laura bashfully stepped close to the other one.
"It was nice meeting you, Marron. Perhaps...
you could come back to visit sometime?"
"Perhaps," he afforded her a small smile.
The two left the Barton place and headed down the rain soaked road.
"So..." Carrot turned to Marron. "What'd you
think?"
"I had a good time," he answered guardedly.
"Laura's a real hottie, ne?" the older winked
at the younger. "Musta felt good holding her?"
"She sought comfort, brother. That's it."
"You've got lipstick on your collar."
"Where?" gasped Marron.
Carrot punched him playfully in the arm. "See?
Girls aren't so bad to hang out with after all!"
"I never said they were," the mage spoke
defensively.
"We gotta hook up more often. Doesn't have to
be sisters, maybe friends."
Marron gave no response to that last comment.
"So would you do her?" Carrot asked about Laura.
"Brother..." he sighed.
They crossed the bridge where they had picked
their dates up earlier. Waiting for them on the
other side were Tira and Chocolate. They both carried umbrellas as well.
"What are you two doing out in this mess?" Carrot asked.
"Making sure you don't break curfew, Darling."
"We're big boys, we can handle ourselves," Carrot argued.
"Hey Marron, how did your date go?" Tira asked.
"Great. Laura was fine."
"Just fine?" Tira probed.
"By fine, he means FINE," Carrot translated.
Tira giggled.
"Well now that you two doubled dated with one set of sisters," Chocolate
said, "How about considering the two of us?"
"Now hold on," Carrot put up his hands.
"Darling!" Chocolate balled her hands into fists, ready to knock him into
the water.
"You're saying no?" Tira asked.
"Guess so," he folded his arms.
The two girls angrily dropped their umbrellas and lunged for Carrot.
His eyes widened in fright and he took off running. Marron sighed as he
watched the girls chase his brother. Some things never changed.
The mage leaned his umbrella against his shoulder then began to
hum, "Singin' In The Rain" as he headed back to the inn where they
were staying.
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through the city streets careful to avoid stepping in one of
the many fresh puddles the recent storm had left
behind. It had rained hard the past few days,
the bad weather attributed to the imminent birth
of Lord Regener's Gameru. Just last night the
entire city had been liberated from his evil
machinations. No longer would beautiful young
women be in danger of being fed to that vile loathsome dragon.
"Do you think this is a wise decision, brother?
Lila conspired to kill her older sister," Marron
asked.
"Relax Marron. After I rescued Laura, she and I had a heart to heart. She
doesn't blame Lila one bit. Regener held an almost hypnotic control
over her."
"There's a lot of healing to be done between thetwo of them. I hope we are doing
the right thing."
"No diggity, no doubt! What better way to forget
one's troubles than to spend an evening with twoof Spooner Continent's most
eligible bachelors?"Carrot exclaimed.
"You didn't have to do me any favor by bringing
me along."
"C'mon bro. You need female companionship once
in a while. Laura's a total babe. I had a good
mind to date both sisters, separately of course,but I'm looking out for my lil
brother! Lila is my date, Laura is all yours. You can thank me
in the morning!"
"Carrot, we're going to behave like gentlemen."
"Speak for yourself, dude."
Marron sweatdropped.
------------------------------------------------
Lila Barton stood on the bridge with her sister,
Laura. They both wore their best Sunday dresses,intent on looking nice for their
heroes. Lord Regener had tricked them both, pretending to
love Laura, using Lila as his pawn in luring theSorcerer Hunters to him.
Laura forgave her young sister the night before, talking to her well
into the wee hours of the morning. Lila had
cried, seemingly unto she had no tears left,
her sister holding her in her arms and rubbing
her back. Although Laura had forgiven her
instantly, it would take a long time before she could forgive herself.
"There they are," Marron indicated to Carrot.
The two brothers joined the two sisters on the
bridge.
"Hello Carrot," Laura smiled, looking at the
young man who had single handedly infiltrated
Regener's castle. He had almost gotten himself
killed in the process of trying to rescue her
from her cage above the nesting pit.
"Laura. Lila. This is my brother, Marron."
The mage bowed slightly to Laura. He then took
her delicate hand into his and kissed it.
"I'm Laura Barton, Lila's sister. How do you
do?"
Lila had already met Marron, including the rest
of the Sorcerer Hunters.
"Carrot's the one who set this thing up," Lila
said with a smile. She still wore her hair in
double ponytails, but looked more feminine since
she wore the dress. "So what do you have in mind?"
"We could have you guys over to the house for
dinner," suggested Laura.
"Nonsense," Carrot said in a mature voice. "We
are taking you fine ladies out to the best place
in town. It's on us, of course."
Carrot didn't tell them that the village elders
had promised to "comp" any future meals the
hunters had if they returned to Colanda for any
reason.
"What kind of food do you guys like?" Lila asked.
"Anything healthful," Marron replied. "Where do
you recommend?"
They settled on Rita's Ristorante, an elegant
place for fine dining. Chef Rita made every dish
herself with the upmost attention and careful-
ness. Each entry was prepared with the finest
ingrediants, many grown or raised locally.
Rita, a raven haired woman of forty with olive
skin and an ever present smile, greeted and
seated them personally. Her daughter Rachael,
a prettier younger version of the chef, poured
ice water into their glasses. Carrot regretted
not dressing better, unused to dating, much less
casual. Marron looked clean cut and dapper in
his white tunic and purple sash.
"Hey Laura," smiled Rachael. She obviously knew
the Barton girls, being local and all.
Laura grinned at the waitress. "Hey Rache. This
is Marron Glace and his brother Carrot."
Rachael flashed the two brothers a grin. Both of
them were quite good looking to her.
Rita then told them what the dinner specials
were and assured them she would fix whatever
wasn't on the menu as well.
"Hmmm," mused Lila. "The sea bass sounds pretty
good."
"I'll give you all a few minutes to decide,"
Rita said then headed for the kitchen.
The place had a very comfortable feel to it.
To Marron, it felt like being in someone's
house, in their dining room. It had a nice
ambiance to it, intimate and an ideal place to
take a date.
"Here ya go," Rachael set down a basket of warm
bread sticks and butter as well as tiny bowls of
key lime sherbet. "Ready to order drinks?"
"Lila can't drink, I don't know about the rest
of you," stated Laura.
"Sis!" protested Lila with a frown. She felt
slightly embarrassed.
"Silly! You get tipsy on one glass," Laura
laughed.
Lila tapped her sister's leg underneath the
table, conveying her displeasure.
"A bottle of Merlot," Carrot requested.
Rachael nodded then went to retrieve a bottle
from the wine rack behind the bar. She uncorked
it then poured a little into Carrot's glass.
He tasted it and gave an approving nod, so she
filled everyone elses.
"Hey Marron, looks like they have everything
from Soul Food to Oriental stir fry to Fondu!"
Carrot commented.
"Rita's quite the gourment. She's traveled all
across the continent learning the local dishes,"
Laura explained to them.
"Her chicken fajitas are out of this world,"
mentioned Lila.
A look of bemusement swept across the older
sister's face. Being with her sister and the
Glace brothers felt good and normal. It was hard
to fathom that the two brothers were responsible
for killing Lord Regener. One didn't come across
the legendary sorcerer hunters on a daily basis.
Laura had witnessed Carrot in action; he had
risked his life trying to rescue her. The cage
she had been placed in had been suspended over
the Gameru's pit. She shuddered thinking how
easily she could have fallen into it. Both girls
owed Carrot their lives.
"So...what do you guys do for fun?" she asked,
first looking at Carrot then Marron.
"I know Carrot here prolly has a girl in every
port," smiled Lila. "Don't you?"
Carrot chuckled. "A gentleman never tells!"
"Actually this is the first double date we've
ever been on," Marron admitted. "In our line of
work we are rarely able to socialize with the
people we serve."
Lila felt bad while Carrot felt embarrassed. He
hoped their opinion of him didn't lower.
"What do you like to do, Laura?" Marron asked.
"We have a horse named Juniper that I'm trying
to train," she replied. "I like to garden,
arrange flowers and design clothes."
"My sister's quite talented," agreed Lila. "You
should come see our place."
"What do you two do for a living?" asked Carrot.
"I work for the village elder, sorta like his
assistant," answered Lila. "Laura does all the
things she likes."
"Times are a little hard. Lord Regener helped us
out," the other said softly. "He gave us needful
things."
Speaking about the sorcerer so soon after his
death was difficult. It still shocked her to
recall being his captive. He had totally fooled
her into thinking he actually cared for her and
all. It hurt so bad that she had been so easily
had. As had Lila. Laura vowed never to trust
another sorcerer again. Ever.
"Regener's assets will be divided among the
families of his victims. You included," Marron
promised.
Laura looked down. "I want nothing of his."
Rachael returned and took their orders. "All
entrees come with soup or salad plus a side
and choice of vegetable."
"The bridge is one of my favorite quiet spots,"
Lila mentioned, trying to lighten the mood after
they ordered.
"There are lifesized sculptures in Kindred
Park," Laura told Marron. "You might enjoy
seeing them."
"Indeed," he replied with a smile.
Rachael set down bowls of matzo ball soup for
the four of them. She also placed a huge wooden
salad bowl in the center of the table. Laura
scooped portions of it into each of their
smaller ones.
"Ich!" winced Lila. "I hate olives!" She picked
them out one by one.
"You can put them in my bowl," offered Carrot.
He held it out to her.
Lila smiled and did so. It felt strange and nice
doing normal things with normal guys
hr
Chocolate peeked inside one of the restaurants
windows, a frown formed on her lips when she saw
how well the foursome got along.
"I think I'm gonna be sick, Tira," she said with
disdain.
Tira looked up at her sister. The pink haired
girl was crouched low, hoping not to be seen.
Chocolate always seemed able to coax her into
going along on things. "Why's that, sis?"
"How can Darling go out on a date with that
little schemer? Heck, she tried to kill her
own sister! She distracted you long enough to
let Regener get the drop on you."
"Lila wasn't in her right mind," Tira said
half-heartedly.
"Nonsense!" Chocolate snorted. "She was blinded
by love, not under any type of mind control,
just her own jealousy!"
"Carrot means well, I suppose..."
"If she tries anything, I'll...." Chocolate let the sentence hang.
"Are we gonna follow them all night?" Tira
wondered. "Perhaps we should find something else
to do."
"Now way."
"Marron should be able to keep Carrot in line."
"You heard Darling. He may try to ditch them."
Tira understood Chocolate's misgivings. Lila had
led the team into a trap. Her misguided love for
Regener had prevailed over all moral sense. Yet,
Carrot had shown what looked like compassion.
Chocolate could not see what Carrot saw in the
scrawny tomboy girl. Not an egoist, but she knew
that she was much more attractive and sexier
than the younger Barton girl.
Tira knew that Lila had deduced that both she
and her sister were in love with the same guy.
That it was Carrot could not be more obvious.
So Lila was hurting them both and knew it!
Marron saw Chocolate out of the corner of his
eye. He pretended not to notice, hoping she
wouldn't stir things up. Things had a way of
getting violent where she and his brother were
concerned.
For the record here is a little table of what
each person ordered:
Carrot: Veal Parmigian with linguini. Fresh
spinach.
Lila: Cajun chicken with Spanish rice. Glazed
baby carrots and mac-n-cheese.
Marron: Surf and Turf with cauliflower and baked
potato.
Laura: Corned beef and Cabbage.
Dinner was both enjoyable and delightful.
"Whoa, I'm stuffed," Carrot said, leaning back
in his chair.
The others felt so too. Rita's seven course meal
had been one of the biggest they'd eaten since
Thanksgiving. Even Laura's repasts with Regener
had not been as filling.
Rachael bused their plates while Rita came out
to chit chat.
"Delicious as always," smiled Laura. "I really
loved the cheese sauce you put on the cabbage!"
"The best veal I've had in a long time," Carrot
told the chef.
"Excellant meal," Marron nodded.
The foursome declined dessert they were so full
and said their goodbyes.
"Shall we?" Carrot offered Lila his arm as they
left the restaurant.
She happily took it. Marron seemed hesitant to
do the same with Laura, but she simply grinned
and took his arm like the other two.
It was only a short stroll to Kindred Park,
one of the nicest spots within Kolanda. The
lush green foliage and lawn still held much of
the water from the previous days' rainfall. The
shiny petals on flowers glistened with droplets.
Despite his age, Carrot's eyes lit up when he
saw the huge obstacle course complete with rings
monkey bars, climbing poles, uneven bars, tires,
balance beams, and rope ladders.
"Let's check it out!" he suggested, grabbing her
hand and running towards it.
"While they do that, how about we look at those
sculptures?" Marron said to Laura.
"Lila, we'll meet you back at this bench in a
half hour," the elder called to her sister. She
watched her scramble up the rope ladder with
Carrot.
Chuckling, Laura walked down the cobblestone
path with Marron.
"Your brother is such a free spirit," she
observed. "His enthusiasm is infectious."
"Carrot is still a kid at heart sometimes,"
the mage agreed.
"I can't believe he's the older of you two.
You seem much more mature, no offense."
"None taken," he smiled. "The thing about
him is he has a weakness for girls."
Laura giggled. "When he was rescuing me,
he had the wherewithal to hit on me right then
and there. Almost got himself killed."
"My brother has faced danger many times. He has
an uncanny luck on his side."
Laura showed him a few lifesized statues of
famous poets and authors and the founder of the
city. They read a number of plaques which gave
some background into the history of Kolanda.
She paused at a chained off exhibit, a statue of
Regener himself, expensive marble, finely
detailed. Marron recognized the smug smile, the
cocksure eyes.
She looked at the thing in horror, a flood of
memories hitting her like a tidal wave. Regener
had courted her, made her feel special, promised
her the world and more. She remembered how he
had told her he loved her then the terrible
shock of finding out she was just fodder for his
pet dragon.
Laura broke down, the awful experience again
hitting home. She hadn't had time to let it all
sink in. The shock had dulled her emotions the
past couple days. Sinking to her knees, she
covered her face with both hands. Pain and hurt
began to overwhelm her. Marron stood nearby, his
head slightly bowed. Many times he had seen the
result of how evil sorcerers ruined the lives of
the parsoners. He had never been able to shut it
out completely. Even if his reign of terror had
ended, the anguish it caused would take a long
time to get over. Some scars never fully healed.
The circumstances behind this case especially
troubled him. Laura was a beautiful person
inside and out. Seeing her weep was something he
could not abide. Kneeling beside her, the mage
draped a comforting arm around her shoulders.
Laura buried her face into his chest, her tears
staining his soft white tunic. Call him distant,
call him aloof, but never call Marron Glace
insensitive.
"I wish I had never met him," she sobbed
bitterly. "I was such...a fool..."
"It's not your fault," he stage whispered.
"I should never have trusted him..."
"Regener will never hurt you again."
"...I...I'm glad you killed him..."
Carrot hung upside down while holding onto a
pair of rings. his legs straight and together,
emulating a gymnast. That took considerable arm
strength, thought Lila. After seeing him
literally climb a chain with his bare toes, she
knew this playground was child's play to him.
He had hit on her when he had first arrived in
town, she thinking him to be a "dirty old man."
He had corrected her saying he was a "dirty
young man!" But there was more to him than met
the eye. He had turned out to be a sweetheart.
No wonder Tira and Chocolate were both in love
with the guy. Lila hoped she hadn't caused any
more hard feelings by agreeing on this date.
"I hope you don't strain a muscle or something,"
she said cheerily.
"Naw, I gotta work off all those calories," he
smirked.
A light rain began to fall, but Carrot was used
to the bad weather by now. He didn't mind
getting wet again. A distant thunder rumbled.
"Looks like we may have to go back inside soon."
"I can deal with that," he winked suggestively
at her.
"What about our siblings?"
"Oh yeah," said Carrot. It was nearing time to
meet up with them back at the designated spot.
"Let's catch up to them."
He did a forward flip from the rings and made
a flawless landing.
"They make a nice couple, you know," Lila
remarked.
She and Carrot jogged back to the bench. Their
jaws dropped when they saw Marron holding Laura
in what looked like a "compromising position".
"And they say I rush things!" Carrot quipped.
"Hey guys," Lila said softly, knowing Marron and
her sister must have been aware of their
presence by now.
Laura looked up, her eyes red.
"You okay?" Carrot asked.
She nodded. Marron handed her a tissue and she
dried her eyes. Both got to their feet.
"It's about to storm again," the older brother
said. 'Maybe we should take this indoors."
"Okay," Marron consented after Laura gave him a
positive nod. "One last thing before we go."
The long haired magician took out an ofuda,
spoke some foreign word then hurled it at the
statue. Upon impact, the thing exploded into
tiny pieces.
"Good riddance...again," Laura said darkly.
They went to a tavern called "Janes" which
happened to have open mic that evening.Several
locals went about performing their own songs or
reading original poems. Carrot and Lila shot
pool, played darts, and cards with some of the
latters friends. The two girls even coaxed the
two brothers on stage to karaoke "Bohemian
Rhapsody."
After that, they went back to the girls'
place and met Juniper. They sat on hay bales
inside the barn, swapping friendly stories.
Carrot and Marron took turns relating some of
their more memorable exploits.
"Wow," said Lila, stifling a yawn. "You guys
really have a hazardous job."
Laura looked at her watch. "Goodness it's way
past midnight!"
"We should be going," Marron said. "We will be
leaving shortly after dawn."
Carrot eyed Lila, but chose not to make a
suggestive proposition. "Can I have a hug?"
The two sisters each gave him one.
"Thanks for everything, Carrot."
"Take care, Lila...Laura..." he grinned
lopsidedly.
Laura bashfully stepped close to the other one.
"It was nice meeting you, Marron. Perhaps...
you could come back to visit sometime?"
"Perhaps," he afforded her a small smile.
The two left the Barton place and headed down the rain soaked road.
"So..." Carrot turned to Marron. "What'd you
think?"
"I had a good time," he answered guardedly.
"Laura's a real hottie, ne?" the older winked
at the younger. "Musta felt good holding her?"
"She sought comfort, brother. That's it."
"You've got lipstick on your collar."
"Where?" gasped Marron.
Carrot punched him playfully in the arm. "See?
Girls aren't so bad to hang out with after all!"
"I never said they were," the mage spoke
defensively.
"We gotta hook up more often. Doesn't have to
be sisters, maybe friends."
Marron gave no response to that last comment.
"So would you do her?" Carrot asked about Laura.
"Brother..." he sighed.
They crossed the bridge where they had picked
their dates up earlier. Waiting for them on the
other side were Tira and Chocolate. They both carried umbrellas as well.
"What are you two doing out in this mess?" Carrot asked.
"Making sure you don't break curfew, Darling."
"We're big boys, we can handle ourselves," Carrot argued.
"Hey Marron, how did your date go?" Tira asked.
"Great. Laura was fine."
"Just fine?" Tira probed.
"By fine, he means FINE," Carrot translated.
Tira giggled.
"Well now that you two doubled dated with one set of sisters," Chocolate
said, "How about considering the two of us?"
"Now hold on," Carrot put up his hands.
"Darling!" Chocolate balled her hands into fists, ready to knock him into
the water.
"You're saying no?" Tira asked.
"Guess so," he folded his arms.
The two girls angrily dropped their umbrellas and lunged for Carrot.
His eyes widened in fright and he took off running. Marron sighed as he
watched the girls chase his brother. Some things never changed.
The mage leaned his umbrella against his shoulder then began to
hum, "Singin' In The Rain" as he headed back to the inn where they
were staying.
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