Right so here's chapter 7! Hope you like it. ^_^
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Goblins
Chapter 7: Making New Acquaintances
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Last time...
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She cast a look back into the garden, wondering if she should just go back and apologize to him, but her angry pride kept her from doing so. Resigned, she felt her sorrow envelope her, and she wondered idly if the Labyrinth was dangerous enough to take her life. And with that she turned and walked, half soaked from the rain and tears, into the Labyrinth.
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Jareth paced angrily in his chambers. "How could she be unhappy? Have I not given her everything?" Pausing in his pacing, he conjured a crystal and looked into it. Scanning the gardens, he was surprised at first when he didn't see her there. "Rain? How odd." He frowned at the misty scene before him. "Perhaps she went to her room?" Turning the crystal in his hand, his frown deepened when he found her room empty. After scouring the castle and it's grounds with his crystal, he became seriously worried. "Surely she can not have gotten into the Labyrinth?" He turned his crystal, and found to his dismay that she had. He frowned at the moisture on her face that was obviously not from the rain. Had she been crying? A wave of guilt crashed over him. He had not meant to hurt her. He sighed and sat down on his bed, pondering what to do next. As he stared into the crystal at her anguished face, he had an idea.
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"What are you doing down here?" Asked a voice. Leah jumped and spun around, grimacing in pain at the sharp movement. There was no one there. "Sorry? Who's there?" She called tentatively. The voice made an annoyed grunt. "Look up." It said. Obeying, she gasped in wonder. A five-foot long creature lay with it's arms crossed and tail swooshing from side to side, looked down at her in amusement. It's white scales covering its entire body stood out in stark contrast against the black sky. It had a body similar to a monkey, but with the scales of a dragon. Where the head of the beast should have been, was the face of a beautiful young woman. She had a long thin neck that had to be almost a foot long, that ended with thin but powerful looking shoulders. Her arms were folded beneath her, but Leah glimpsed long fingers with curved white claws and her palms sparkled like they were infused with glitter.
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From beneath her shoulders went a long torso, and two long legs with clawed feet. A long white tail like a monkey's swooshed from side to side and stretched out and curled in on itself. She had long straight white hair and almond-shaped brown eyes, a fine nose, and plump lips that smirked down at her. Leah couldn't help but gape in wonderment at this strange person. "So. where are you going?" Asked the dragon girl, lifting a clawed hand and examining it in the dim light. Leah watched the girls claws warily before looking around at the high stone walls and her choices of left, right, and the way she had come-through the hidden passageways through the walls. "Well, I just came from the castle-" The dragon girl started at this. "Wait. you just came from the castle?" She repeated incredulously. Leah nodded slowly, unsure why this girl seemed so surprised. To her astonishment, the dragon girl glided half way down the wall and stopped a few inches from her face, studying her closely. And then, strangely-took a deep breath.
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Leah quickly stepped back, but the dragon girl didn't seem to notice. Instead, she closed her eyes and then opened them a moment later. "Just as I thought. You've been marked." She said dully, and pulled back so she was on the wall again and flipped over onto her back, exposing her underside. There was a hint of a bust, but she looked like she could have been in a body suit for how much showed. Nevertheless, Leah looked at the ground awkwardly. "Marked? What does that mean?" Leah asked quietly, but the girl had no trouble hearing her it seemed, for she replied, "Yes. Marked." Leah glanced up as the dragon girl stretched and rolled back over onto her stomach, resting her chin on her folded hands. "It means that no one in the Labyrinth is allowed to touch you. Basically; he owns you. I'm guessing from what you've said, you didn't appear outside the Labyrinth like the Runners do." She paused a moment as Leah soaked all this information up, and flicked at a piece of rock on the top of the wall next to her.
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"You're one of the Wished Away ones, are you?" She asked, and Leah simply nodded. The girl snorted. "What, was it a spurned lover or something? It must be, with a figure like that." The girl grinned at her, and Leah flushed and spluttered. "Wha-! No!" She said loudly, making the dragon girl raise an eyebrow impishly. Leah shifted uncomfortably and muttered. "It was my neighbor's grandmother." The girl was silent. And then suddenly the dragon girl erupted into roars of laughter. "Your-" Snort. "Neighbor's Grandmother?" She erupted into more fits of laughter, clutching her sides, and looked like she might be in danger of falling off the wall. Leah glared indignantly and put her fisted hands on her hips. "Hardy-har. I get it. Terribly hilarious." She called sarcastically. The dragon girl wiped a tear from her eye and sighed, still grinning. "Oh dear, if half the wished away are as funny as you, I really need to come out here more often. Oh..." She chuckled and wiped her eyes. Leah rolled her eyes and turned to walk away. "Right, well, nice meeting you."
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"Hey wait! You didn't even ask my name!" Leah paused and looked back up at her. "Ok, what's your name?" She crossed her arms and rose an eyebrow, feeling her patience starting to grow thin. "My name is Sephora. What's yours?" She asked cheerfully, leaning forward. "My name is Leah." She said. Sephora grinned, and Leah couldn't help smiling back a little. "Nice to meet you, Leah. Now, where are you off to?" Asked Sephora, practically gliding as she came to stand next to the petite blond. Leah shrugged. "I don't know. I just needed to get away for a little while." Sephora gave her a knowing look, grinning. "Ah. Argument with the King, then?" Leah spluttered, her face flushing red, and Sephora chuckled. "Don't flip your skirt, it's been known to happen." Leah rose an eyebrow at the strange phrase but otherwise didn't comment. "Why don't I show you around while your here? It's always a good idea to have someone show you the Labyrinth, versus wandering it by yourself and without a knowledge of how things work."
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Leah studied Sephora for a moment, unsure. Sephora rolled her eyes. "Look, I'll even show you the Crystal Caves if you want. It's a really amazing place, all kinds of crystals that glow different colors. A lot of the people in the underground use them to light their homes. They've got pink ones, and blue ones..." She trailed off as Leah's eyes lit up. "Well...Ok. But I need to come back before dinner tonight." Sephora nodded eagerly. "Ok, ok. Back after dinner time. Got it." She said, turning to the right pathway. "Before dinner time, Sephora." Leah said with a chuckle. Sephora blinked, "Before dinner time. Got it. Let's get going then!" Leah chuckled and followed her new friend as they went deeper into the Labyrinth. Jareth smiled faintly as he watched the two women make their way to the Crystal Caves. "Well at least she wont be alone." And he proceeded to watch as they walked and talked about different things, and Sephora showed her several hidden passageways and how to spot an oubliette. Jareth smiled. The two were fast becoming friends.
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Yay Sephora! Ha ha. Anyway, sorry for the length of this one. I know it's short, but I wanted to end it here so I can write more in the next chapter about the Crystal Caves. (Oooh! Crystal Caves...) Where they'll be meeting another friend, I suspect. Aren't you excited? What's fun about writing a story is when you as the writer don't really know what's going to happen next, but going with it anyway. Being a writer is like being an adventurer. You never know what you'll find until you find it, and each chapter is like stepping into another world. Well, goodnight everyone. I'm off to bed.
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Disclaimer: Labyrinth is property of Jim Henson. Leah is me, plot is mine. Sephora is mine, Crystal Caves are mine, and so is the extravagant garden I pretended was Jareth's. ^_~
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Please review! ^_^
