Title: Emerald
Rating: PG
Ship(s): Cain x Glitch/Ambrose
Warning(s): weirdness, odd humor, implied sexual intercourse, homosexuality, the occasional literary liberty, and a high-level FTW?ness factor XDDD
Summary: Put things back where you found them.
Disclaimer: It's not mine. cries
-FTW-
It was all fine and good to quest for the Emerald of the Eclipse; that served a noble cause and did good stuff like rescue people and save dimensions. DG had willingly risked her life to get the Emerald, and didn't complain at all (well, not a lot anyway). But now Mother Dearest wanted her to put it back.
Oh, sure - other evil-doers could try for it, it does more harm than good, yadda yadda. For all DG could tell, Glinda (she still couldn't quite call her 'mom') just wanted the daughter-who-was-more-rebellious-than-she'd-thought out of her hair for a while until things were somewhat better and DG could be trained to be a princess.
If she would let go of her stubborness, DG would admit to herself that she was an adventure junkie and that the last thing she needed was to be cooped up in a palace tending to matters of state. However, she was not yet ready for such a revelation and continued to sulk as camp was made on her first night of pilgrimage.
She did consider herself extremely lucky to have found such good friends in the O.Z., because they chose to join her on her journey. 'Glitch' now shared head-space with 'Ambrose;' the re-brainment having taken effect too long after Glitch's personality had developed. The split personalities could be slightly confusing, but it was a relief for DG to find that she could regain the kind advisor she now remembered from before she left the O.Z., and still keep the cherished friend she had made upon her return. An apologetic Azkadellia had insisted on coming along, hoping to prove that she was trustworthy. Her family did, of course, trust her, but you couldn't tell that to Az. Raw was planning on splitting up with them on the way back; he wanted to search for the rest of his tribe. His hope was to reconnect with them, and perhaps find Kaalm someone to stay with. DG wondered how he'd get Kaalm to stay put, as the young viewer had been glued to Raw's side ever since the eclipse. Cain said that they needed a bodygaurd, but he had said it while staring at Glitch/Ambrose and DG was beginning to think that there was only one body Cain wanted...
...to guard.
At least they had tents this time; it was going to rain.
In the forest, the night pressed on all sides, held back only by their campfire. DG sat sketching her sister; Azkadellia munched obliviously on a bit of chocolate. Raw drew idle pictures in the dirt with a stick as Kaalm dosed off against his shoulder. Ambrose (at the time) had gone to bed around half an hour before, and Cain eventually followed, wishing everyone a good night in his gruff way ("I hope you get a good sleep 'cause we're getting up early tomorrow").
DG was finishing her sketch and Az her chocolate when Kaalm suddenly sat up straight, a surprised look on his face. Raw was much more controlled, but he stopped messing about with the stick and simply held onto it as though he was afraid he'd grip it too hard in a moment and break it.
She almost asked what the matter was, but hesitated, thinking that perhaps she'd better just watch. Under the pretense of fixing her drawing a little, DG made a quick motion to her sister to get her attention and glanced back at the tense viewers, peeking over her sketchbook.
In a few seconds Kaalm started to grin devilishly. Raw's hand tightened on the stick. Kaalm began to snicker, and Raw began to look like he wanted to throw something (or throw up). DG and Azkadellia watched with interest, all pretenses abandoned.
A soft, sudden noise from the vicinity of Cain and Glitch/Ambrose's tent (was that a moan?) made Raw lose control of the stick and Kaalm lose control of his laughter. Raw sent the stick soaring through the air and into the tent ("OW! Hey, who threw -stop laughing, Wyatt!- who threw that?"). His younger relative was falling over himself laughing, and Azkadellia's mouth formed a perfect "o." Standing tensely, Raw stomped over to the tent. He made an abortive motion, as though about to open the tent but thinking better of it, and spoke in a choked voice,
"Raw? Raw no care. Really. But Not. With. Kaalm. Here!" he ended in a hiss. Kaalm immediately sobered, an angelic expression on his furry face (who, me?). Nonetheless, Raw stomped back over and grabbed Kaalm by the arm, steering him towards their tent. "We sleep now," he announced, and pushed a pouting Kaalm gently into the tent. "'Night," he added over his shoulder, and DG would swear that he was blushing under the fur on his face.
"Weeeeell..." Azkadellia said quietly, and DG could be sure that she was blushing. "What now?"
DG thought for a moment, then smiled deviously. "Now - we sleep. But in the morning..." she looked over at her older sister, a mischivous twinkle lighting up her eyes in the same way it had when she was five. "Have you guys in the O.Z. heard of digital cameras?"
-No, really; F. T. W.?-