You see something through the bushes

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Escaflowne (I wish I did, but that's something completely different.) I do own Pompeii/ the Faery of the Mist thing…

~~ = scene change

italics = thoughts

bold = yelling (duh)

You see something through the bushes. As it shifts, a shimmering catches your eye. It can't be the dragon; they're never this quiet. Softly, you push the leaves so you can see the creature.

Crouching down to the creek is a being almost like a draconian; it has almost a six-foot wings span. They almost look like those of a monarch butterfly; red in place of the orange, shimmers radiating from every inch, yet on the tips, there are dagger-like points of platinum.

She bends down to drink from the creek. Her shimmering white digets dip into the crystalline water.

You push the branches farther away, causing one to snap,

The creature leaps easily ten feet into the top of the tree above her and turns shades of green, you can feel her tense eyes on you; sizing you up in case of a quarrel.

You come out of the bushes and put your arms at your sides. "I'm not going to harm you. I was just resting behind that bush when you caught my eye." You're a grown man, you shouldn't have to explain yourself to a woodland creature, not be shaking like one.

Her eyes wander over you once more before dropping from the tree in the blink of an eye; she is standing right in front of you.

You take a step back. Your foot steps on a root and you fall into the same bush you were just hiding in.

Something about her is drawing you to keep your eyes on hers, locked in place.

She pulls you out of your shrubbery so that you are face-to-face, or rather face-to-chest—the top of the head of your butterfly creature only comes up to your chest, staring up at you. She's her "normal" color now; lime green eyes inspecting your red ones.

"It's rude to spy." Her low voice is soft, soothing.

"Pompeii." You murmur a name unknown to you. You lean down to her, pulling her closer. You can taste her sweet breath.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Folken jerks upright in a cold sweat. His sheet clings to his hands as he touches his bionic arm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dilandau's hand makes a surprising "smack" on the boy's face. He holds his ground and finishes reading from the scroll.

"Lord Folken wants to see you in the Main Entry immediately." The messenger waits for a reply.

Dilandau backhands him again. "You're disMISSED!" he barks, pacing in front of his lined men. After stopping in front of several men, Dilandau finally spits out between gritted teeth, "Go."

All file out quickly and silently.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"There is no need for the formality Dilandau." Folken replies to his subordinate after a bow, although he himself is ridged.

"You wanted to see me."

Folken's heavy black cloak flings back exposing his metal arm. "That day." His voice is level. "That dream." Folken's bionic fist clenches. A strand of mint green hair falls in his gazing eyes.

"What has Lord Dornkirk said about these?" Dilandau is becoming impatient.

"He sees no need to focus on such minute things, even though his visions have been clouded." Folken walks over to Dilandau. "I want you to find her."

Dilandau's jaw almost drops. "Find a Faery of the Mist?! My Dragon Slayers wouldn't know the first place to look! This is going to be a wild~"

"Just do it!" Folken stops dead in front of Dilandau, his voice harsh. "Start at the Crystal Lake. You can work your strategies during the search." Folken bows in good-bye; Dilandau following suit before skulking out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Begin!"

'What an odd-ball…not even a cutie…' she swims up and knocks a lily pad from the water on the guy who is screaming's head. 'Score!'

Dilandau turns red and begins yelling at his Dragon Slayers about how pranks are unacceptable.

'This is almost too easy…' she pops out of the lake, her thick brown fur soaked. 'Even better!'

"I'm an otter! I'm an otter!" she yells in plain English, slamming a shellfish against a rock.

All of the men on land stop and stare at the self-proclaimed otter.

Seeing this, she drops her lunch and stands on top of the water, flippers on her hips. "What are you lookin' at?!"

"Lunch!" on of the guys calls out.

"Who the hell you calling lunch?!" at that, the otter turned into a white skinned faery and dives into the lake.

"Kill it!" Dilandau screams and all of the Dragon Slayers dive into the water.

"Swim, swim as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!" Pompeii calls down to the Slayers in the water as she pops out and flies above the trees.

The Dragon Slayers and Dilandau just stare into the sky, befuddled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Folken sat slumped against the same tree his faery had hidden in ten years before. He was half-asleep when Pompeii landed next to him.

"If it isn't the Folken Fanel, prince of Fanelia." She bends down and kisses the top of Folken's head, waking him completely.

Folken jerks upright and glares at Pompeii for an instant, until he realizes who she is. Mesmerized and amazed, Folken just sits, staring for several moments.

"Cat got your tongue?" Folken hears the sentence, but sees no movement of Pompeii's lips. She smiles and cocks an eyebrow at him. "You know, it is rude to stare."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dilandau and his Dragon Slayers, soaking wet, go running through the woods to find Lord Folken.

"He never said anything about a shape-shifting ability…" Dilandau growls to himself. "The stream is strait ahead." He calls back to his men.

The group bursts through the brush just in time to see their Lord kissing the shape-shifting faery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It is not safe to have something wild aboard the Vionne—who knows what type of havoc it will create!"

"General Adelfus, it is in your best interests not to advise me on this subject. You are dismissed."

"Lord Folken—"

"You are dismissed, General!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pompeii was roaming about the Vionne, dispersed as a mist, to sneak into rooms unnoticed. She finds two cat-women talking about Folken not long after she ventured out.

"Since when has he known this…faery-thing?"

"He knew of us before that one."

'I think that's enough of that conversation…' Pompeii passes out of the room into the empty hallway. 'They haven't watched him for how many years. Jealous jealous…they've had him for long enough—it's my turn.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Folken enters his quarters and beelines for the French windows. Out of the corner of his eye, Folken sees a shimmering. He turns to find Pompeii curled up, asleep in his chair, strands of her black hair draping her eyes. Folken sweeps the strands away gently, yet still wakes her. Pompeii's large, glassy green eyes look up at him with an unknown glitter to them before going back to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The King of Cups. There is a lighter colored man in your future." Hitomi looks up at Van. "Folken."

Van stiffened. "Thank you Hitomi. I'll be ready for him."

Hitomi's eyes are still on the cards, studying them more deeply. The High Priestess in the 9th placing was worrying her. A strong magical woman also in the Van's future. Did this have to do with Folken? Or was this for Van himself? Was he going to leave her for someone with more knowledge and skill? Hitomi's head swam with questions.

When she had snapped out of her daze, Van was gone. Merle falls over laughing at Hitomi's expression.

"You are so weird! I could just sit and watch you all day!"

"Why you…!" Hitomi jumps up and tries to tackle Merle unsuccessfully; Merle goes running out the door and down the hall, vanishing into Van's room.