Caleb stood, breathing quietly with only the sound of the girls' wings interrupting the silence as they fluttered around him.. The Hermeneuta beast stood, clearly visible and panting slightly; only a few feet away, and Caleb was aware that Will was closest, right of him. "Okay, we've got it into the hall. Now we've just got to chase it into one of those nets.. Go!"
The chase was on as Caleb charged at the beast, the girls' above him, he knew Will was following slightly behind; running against the walls whenever she took a turn too steep for her skill of flying. It didn't matter though as the net collapsed over what appeared to be nothing, the pig writhing and squealing out as they landed around it. "We did it!"
"Now, we throw it in the portal, I close it up.." He was glad that Will finally sounded proud of that fact, but when she grinned at him, all Caleb could do was avoid her gaze, feeling terribly awkward for what he'd admitted to.. He was glad she'd interrupted; he doubted that she'd think quite so much if he'd had a chance to finish. He didn't care when people died in Meridian. That's what he'd nearly said. That he hadn't expected it to hurt so much just because she was gone. Because he'd wanted to take her away from the stupid party and wrap her with stories and knowledge about the Metaworld. He wanted so bad to be back in Irma's kitchen, winding his opinions around her and watching as her soul poured out through her eyes, while they hid from her birthday and all the people she barely seemed to know..
"And we get home in time to shower in disinfectant." But there'd been that boy; who she apparently preferred as a friend to him.. Caleb wondered if the same was still true.. Hay Lin wrapped an arm around Cornelia as the blonde squeezed the purple ooze out of her flaxen hair, shuddering.
"Oh.." Hay Lin gave Cornelia's shoulders a squeeze; smiling down at the invisible creature fondly. Caleb hoped not. "I'll kinda miss the little guy.."
Caleb chanced a look at Will, just in time to see her features change as a horrendous, yet familiar sound of crashing and squealing came toward them. A large splodge of slime became hidden as another Hermeneuta beast came into view.. "Apparently so did it's mother.."
...
"Okay, it's mad." Will happily stepped back for Taranee to take the front as the Hermeneuta beast charged for them. It was huge. Taranee lunged into the air, slicing fire from nothing and sending it in the direction of the disappearing mother beast. The fire seemed to scrape past it without managing to do damage, and Will jumped when it charged through them, pushing her back against Caleb's shoulder, and sending Hay Lin flying into a wall.
The other girls regrouped as Caleb and herself took back-to-back, circling to look out for the monster. "Okay.. Any guesses?"
"Will!" Taranee's voice called out as she screamed; the Hermeneuta having thrown her across the floor from her side. She tried to squint past the dizzily swimming image of the room, but it's yell was coming toward her again and Caleb's back became her view as Cornelia screamed and the tiles danced from their place on the floor to the beast, knocking it over.
"EARTH!" Caleb was taking steps back as a chair swung at the beast through the air, being immediately chomped down by the Hermeneuta. Will wondered what he'd expected to do, and stood up, rubbing at her head as every thing became clear again; her dizziness subsiding. As Caleb looked awkwardly at her, then away, Will stepped back, letting the Hermeneuta beasts run; the youth having got out of it's restraints. Cornelia again scraped long fingers through slimy hair, "I never thought I'd say this.. I envy Irma."
...
"Two towels.. Two towels.. One for my face.. One for the face I show the world." Cedric smirked as the water guardian sighed with boredom; totally unaware of his presence sitting directly parallel to her. "Which is better? And which is wetter? ..Two towels."
Irma Lair clapped loudly against the faster pace of everyone else, and Cedric smiled politely to the speaking poet. Beside her snapping pictures was a young boy, shorter than her with thick glasses and messy blond hair. "Wasn't that great?"
"Oh yeah, better than the one about the two soaps." There hadn't been one. The water guardian's humor was dry, though no match for his Prince Phobos in a good mood.. "Hey, Elyon! What are you doing here?"
Cedric sat a little straighter as he listened intently for the Princess' words. Cedric didn't doubt that the guardians knew of Elyon's posture in society, but apparently they had chosen not to involve the girl herself. That gave him some time. "Oh, I'm just here because I help out in the store some times. You?"
The fact was an understatement. Elyon Brown had been in his store every day for the past week. Today she'd arrived, sure that she was being followed, and Cedric wondered if that was why the water guardian was here now. He had actually expected two of them.. But Cedric was disappointed to find out that neither the murmur boy, nor the redhead were here. "I.. I-I.. We- ..We.."
"We're dating." The boy said the words casually; nonchalant; slinging her arm around the water guardian's shoulder and using his other hand to first rearrange his glasses, then pop his collar dramatically.
Cedric smiled as the guardian peeled away his arm, "Oh no we are not!"
"I better get back to school then.."
"OKAY! WE'RE DATING!" Cedric wondered why the guardian was being so temperamental, though Prince Phobos who's humor matched hers also had outbursts.. He supposed the two were quite alike.
Elyon slurped away the remainder of her drink, and Cedric saw his chance, walking directly toward her as she shook the empty cup. "Elyon, let me throw that away for you!"
Cedric frowned uneasily as Elyon smiled, crushing the cup in her hands. "Nah, I've got it."