Noyem had always believed that the gate wanted to kill her. It stood ominously with its glistening chains strung in spider web patterns. The chains looked to be weighed down as if some invisible prisoner was suffering beneath their coiling heaviness. There were even two fake padlocks on either side like colorless eyes watching her approach.
She always began shaking as soon as she saw it. Her hands clenched to her skirt, her vision turned into a tunnel that stared straight ahead.
The gate to the LeKeya mansion waited to be opened. And only Noyem had the single key to the grounds of the estate of the once famed judge of Gadoria, Mercy.
"So, we've arrived?" asked a voice from behind Noyem. Noyem jolted. That voice always sent an electrical charge through her body. Jay stood behind Noyem. Further behind him were the carriages that held his comrades still waiting in the carriages; Senel looking expressionlessly out his window with a chattering Shirley beside him, Chloe giving Noyem a scrutinizing stare from her seat, Will appreciating the gate. In the other carriage Norma and Moses were spying on Noyem and Jay trying to act as if they weren't watching to see what horribly unromantic and perhaps perverted scene would take place.
"Welcome home, Jay," said Noyem softly as she took the step forward to unlock the gate.
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So… what am I suppose to put in these intros again? Oh yes, I remember I thinks. I OWN NOTHING OF NOTHING. Every word, thought, idea, and ponytail you see here is owned NOT by me. However, if there may by chance by an original idea from my own head in this it will be marked as "DragonQuester's crappy plot and characters. Tequila Moca, I mean Trade Mark." ANYWAYS, so yes it's official, this story is to be continued!.... just don't expect… anything. Lower your standards when reading this please, it would really help my self-confidence level. Moving away from my zero lack of self dignity (which I proved to be so little by actually continuing this) I have excellent news! These intros are going to be shorter now, and the endings are going to have less of a fourth wall interruption and random out of character outburst are going to lessen…
Jay (just happens to notice who's in his trailer): WHY? WHY MUST I BE MADE TO SUFFER THROUGH THIS AGAIN, I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!
DragQue: What did I just say? Thanks to you nothing at all is gonna change in this horrible fanfic ! *kazaps Jay with divine bustier*
ANYWAYS, without more casualties, let the story begin… re-begin.
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Noyem could feel all the stress just floating out of her body. She sighed contently and turned her designer sunglasses up to the cloudless sky. Everything felt so perfect for the moment. Beside her on another cushioned lounge chair laid Norma sipping a hopefully non-alcoholic (cuz nobody wants to see Bubbles get too bubbly) pink fruit drink. Across from Norma's chair Chloe was stretched out on a flat shelf directly out in the sun. On the corresponding shelf from Chloe's relaxed the sun-bathing Shirley. All the girls were unwinding around the central garden of the mansion. Beautiful flowers of gold, ruby red, and deep blue swayed in the breeze on the green. Water bubbled up from the marble fountain with a single delicate swan drifting in motion with the flora. From their positions the girls could gaze into the clear water of the fountain and even run their hands across the surface.
Noyem couldn't remember feeling so worry free before. Usually there was so much on her mind. What with her barrage of seven persons all following her expecting her to escort them to Gadoria, she had felt so overwhelmed. Her mind had been full of so much anxiety. She finally felt like she could let it all go and have peace.
"Yammy, be a good host and get me more strawberry punch," demanded Norma. She held out her drink and shook it. The ice rattled inside, jarring Noyem from her reverie. Noyem lifted her sunglasses off her amber eyes and gave a squint Norma.
"I never admitted be good at anything. You'll have to be a dear and fetch it yourself."
"C, you're closest to the bar. Couldn't you…?"
Chloe mumbled from her position. "I refilled your drink last time."
"Shirl, you're so sweet."
"But if I move now, Norma, I might mess up my tan," complained Shirley. She turned her head to see how her back was tanning. So far it was as perfect white as ever. Shirley frowned.
Noyem smiled to herself. Seeing Shirley displeased pleased her greatly. "You're beginning to form a tiny tanning line… You just have to look really closely."
Shirley sat up and twisted her head to stare at her back. She searched desperately for any sign of darkening skin. Noyem snickered to herself. Norma gave Noyem a disappointed glare. She clapped her hands in the air. "Enough talk, drink time!" Shirley stopped her fruitless examination. "Oh, I have an idea." Shirley took a deep breath and screamed into the air "SENEL!"
Not two seconds later did Senel come slamming into the glass doors that lead to the garden. "Shirley, what is it?!" He searched the area frantically for any danger; his eyes never wandering to the bare skin Chloe, Shirley, and Norma were showing off in their string bikinis. On the inside of the door Noyem could see a black ponytail hanging around the corner. "So Jay is beckoned by love's true screeching call…" she thought.
"Could you fetch Norma some more juice, Senel? And get me some too, please? Thank you!" Shirley smiled radiantly. Senel calmed down enough and agreed to fetch the drinks. As he walked over to deliver Norma's order he mumbled under his breath. "This whole trip's been a complete joke so far."
Noyem bit her lip. She had thought that their stay at Lekeya mansion was going fantastic. She went back to a day ago.
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"This… this isn't a mansion, it's a castle!" exclaimed Chloe as she stepped out of the carriage. Senel and Shirley followed after with Will and Quppo behind them. Senel's eyed widened. "It's huge," he breathed. "It's… how would you say it Noyem? Magnifque?" asked Shirley. Will took it in with a hushed whisper. "Even Ameila's family mansion was nothing like this." Chloe stood beside Noyem and fixed her eyes on the manor. "I haven't seen anything like this… for years."
Norma hopped out of 's cart with Pippo and Poppo in her arms. "We get to stay in a snazzy place like this? I am so getting into Jay's momma's will while we're here." She dropped the otters and began straightening her satin yellow dress as if preparing herself for an audience with Mercy. Moses whistled as he joined Norma. "Jay, you didn't tell me you're stinkin' rich!"
Against the blazing setting sunset, the Lekeya estate waited for them. The mansion was a shadow within itself. It had a dark inviting beauty about it. There was no symmetrical pattern to the domain, spirals and balconies were spaced at varying locations along the roof. The material that had created the mastery work of art was all the same. Black stones held a dark appealing patina with sparse patches of ivy clinging to the amethyst wall. The windows were tall with stain glass creating patches of tinted light. Each window had painfully detailed scenes from Gadoria's past: a knight slashing down a foe, a king hailing his people, and a princess taking a seat at court. Oddly, an out of place wooden tower sat hunched alongside the west side of the manor, no window or door allowing entry.
With everyone out of the carriages, Mr. Dick and Rick slapped their whips against the horses and left the party standing there. "Wait, what about our bags?" questioned Senel. "The dinky duo will take care of it," answered Noyem. "All I have to do is get everyone inside." Noyem grinned and grabbed Norma's hand. With a squeal she began to twirl. Together they began spinning in circles around the group. "I've finally done it! My lifelong mission is complete!" sang Noyem. Norma laughed, "Now the only thing left for you is marrying Jay!"
Jay stuck out his foot at just the right interval causing Noyem and Norma to trip and fall over each other. Norma caught herself, but Noyem just plopped onto the cobblestone. Once her face hit the ground, Noyem grabbed Jay's foot. She tackled his leg, trying to bring him down with her. To her luck, Jay was tired and not up to his complete adept skill, so he collapsed on top of her. "Now for our little tête-á-tête in each other's arms where we devote our eternal devotion to our single goal of –"
"I would never devote any single part of myself to you," growled Jay as he pushed himself off Noyem. Noyem whimpered like a hurt puppy, "Not even the single part of you I want to play with the most?"
Jay appeared to be sick. Will shot Noyem a warning glance. Noyem immediately stood up, went over to Will, and pat him on the back. "You're just like a nanny, MCHammer, But you can relax here. Imagine your entire stay here as a vacation!"
"I thought we came to meet Mercy and to find out if Jay's her son?" said Shirley. Noyem put her arm around Will and turned to Shirley. "Of course, but the madam will reward you greatly for keeping her precious Jay-Boy all snuggly" she rubbed Will's head, "safe for her."
"REWARD?!" screamed Norma and Moses at the same time. They gave open mouth stares at one another then looked to the mansion. Moses started to drool. Gold seemed to glistened in Norma's eyes. Quppo, Pippo, and Poppo rushed up to steps that lead to the double oak door. "Let's hurry inside!" said Pippo. "I want my reward for having to bath Jay every day when he 12," grumbled Poppo.
Noyem rushed up the steps. She twirled with a flourish to face her audience. "My darlings come in and enjoy the wonderful comforts of the Lekeya manor!" She took the key she used to open the gate and pressed it into the lock on the door. "Mercy, I'm home!"
"Get your freak show out of her here!" yelled an elderly voice. On the other side of the door a gray haired woman stuck her head out. She held a mop in one hand brandishing a bucket with the other. Her voice was worn and tired. Wrinkles creased her face.
"?" exclaimed Noyem. She opened the door wider. Then she threw up her arms and hugged the old woman tightly. "How I've missed your horrid voice!" "Ah, HELP! ASSAULT!" The woman began beating Noyem with her bucket while Noyem wrapped her arms around the frail figure. "Calm down, Mrs. Weatherly, it's me Noyem. I've brought some guests to the manor." Mrs. Weatherly gave the group a thorough examination. She spat out of the corner of her mouth. "Hm, it's been about a month since we've seen you last. About time you came. Well, get inside."
Senel motioned for Jay to step up first. Jay led everyone inside the antechamber of the grand hall. If the outside appearance of the manor was otherworldly stunning, the inside was breathtaking. Glass chandeliers dangled from the ceiling in arrangements that created crystal figurine in the sky. The walls had mirrors running the length of the room giving the illusion of endless floors.
"So he's your toy of the week?" asked pointing at Senel. Noyem shook her head side to side quickly. "No way, not him. The lucky stud's this guy." Noyem grabbed Jay's hand and they stood before like a newlywed couple, just with a very unhappy groom. "Tiny isn't he?" mused . Noyem nodded as Jay threw her hand out of his. "You know what they say about short men, they're more energetic where it counts." "You know what else they say about shorties…" Noyem could tell by Jay's face that he wasn't going to get along with .
"So you're a maid here?" asked Chloe. Mrs. Weatherly nodded proudly standing in the archway that went into the grand hall. "I'm the only maid here," she answered. "Now follow me, I see Mr. Dick and Rick already moving your belongings to the guest quarters."
"Wow, Jay, this whole place is yours," commented Shirley. Jay examined a small crack in a mirror but didn't reply. Noyem needed an excuse to rape him mentally. "Jay, this mansion is yours with complete staff and furnishings. Along with me. Think of me as your own vibrating chair." Success. Jay's eyes widened in shock. Moses shook his head in shame. "A girl offers you a lap dance and you don't even make a single move. Pity." "I wasn't offering him a lap dance!" retorted Noyem. "I offered him to give me a lap dance!" "I think I just walked into hell," despaired Jay.
Jay, Noyem, Senel, Shirley, Chloe, Will, Norma, Moses, and the otters entered the grand hall. Magnificent paintings were strung the lavender walls. Comfortable afternoon-tea-time furniture was placed in the corners of the room. Nine hallways branched off leading to the north, east, and west sides of the manor. Mrs. Weatherly stood at an east wing entrance. "Now, I'm afraid I have some bad news," she said. "The mistress isn't currently here. She was called away for her court duties." "How long do you think she'll be gone?" asked Will. "She could arrive back in a few hours or even a few weeks," replied Noyem. "You never know what kind of case she'll have. We'll just have to take control of the manor while she's gone!"
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"What was it like being the empowered ultimate blonde evil betraying insane wacko mermaid Muhammad?" asked Noyem. The girls had moved into one of the dressing rooms near the garden. The room was large enough to be a house itself. Chic expensive swimsuits hung on racks that made an endless labyrinth of clothing. Shirley and Chloe were inside the changing rooms putting back on their regular clothing.
"For the last time, the title's called Merines," corrected Chloe. "Be a little more empathetic when you're listening to her story. It was a very trying time for us all back then especially Shirley." Noyem wiggled in her chair uncomfortably. She didn't know why Shirley had begun telling her story back in the garden. Noyem had listen for an hour about Shirley and Senel's arrival on the Legacy, her constant kidnappings by Moses, a Ferines named Walter, and the war hungry Vaclav, and lastly the death of Stella and Fenimore. Noyem didn't know what to say to a story like that. She had never wanted to hear anyone's back story anyway. But Norma and Chloe had joined in telling their point of view of the story. Norma had ended story time by explaining how her friend Grune had left for her goddess duties. That particular story had left a knot inside Noyem's gut.
"Being the Merines… was like living in a nightmare. I felt Nerifes's vast rage, suffer, and hatred pounding through my body. It was like nothing could ever quell it. The seething fury coursed throughout by veins like blood. I was empty as if I had lost all that I once had. Nothing mattered to me but the Wings of Light. I was hollow, but terribly afraid. Afraid that I would lose all that mattered to me again." Shirley stepped out of the dressing room in her white coat, skirt, and vest. She looked at Noyem sadly. "It's actually a relief to say this all to somebody who doesn't take it seriously."
"Er, you're welcome. Noyem will listen to any ramblings no matter how emotional or traumatizing," Noyem mumbled awkwardly. Norma appeared out of her dressing room in her yellow dress. She had had teary eyes from talking about Grune, but afterwards she seemed rejuvenated. "Let's go get Red and have him tell her about Spot," she suggested. "I remember the guys said they were gonna hang out in the east library."
The girls walked back towards the main building. Norma continued chatting with Shirley and Chloe while Noyem followed behind silently. She listened to their conversation but didn't take it in. A wave of guilt washed over her. She was so close to her goal, but what price would the others pay for coming here? They had had such adventurous lives so far. Noyem was jealous.
They walked into the breezy open library. Three stories of walls lined with nothing but books extended to a glass ceiling. A wall had been taken away allowing a view of another lovely garden. Will could be seen on the top floor sitting at a desk piled with books. Pippo, Poppo, and Quppo ran back and forth grabbing books and putting them back on the shelf or delivering more books onto the table. "I'd like the next volume of Gadoria's Tragedy: a Collection of Royal Mishaps, Quppo," said Will absentmindedly as he flipped through the pages of a thick encyclopedia. "Right away!" replied Quppo as he hurried off to grab the ordered book.
"Looks like Raynard made himself at home," commented Chloe. Norma and Shirley laughed. "Now where's JJ, Senny, and Red," said Norma. "There they are playing some sort of game," said Shirley.
Near the veranda that led outside, Moses, Senel, and Jay were concentrating on a triangular checkered board. Senel and Jay appeared to be playing, slowly moving pieces from one side to the next across the game. Moses sat watching with a chin resting on his hand, actually looking intelligent.
"It's your move, Senel," offered Jay as he leaned back in his chair to watch his opponent squirm. "Or are you too scared you'll lose yet another knight to my hangman's strategy?"
"You might have beat Moses in under thirty seconds, Jay, but you're not getting me that easily," retorted Senel as he confidently thrust a red piece closer to Jay's black knight. Jay threw back his head and laughed as he maneuvered one piece in several jumps taking out three of Senel's pieces. Senel's face fell in defeat.
"What's up, guys?" asked Norma as they neared the table. Noyem decided to lighten her mood. She grabbed Jay's side ponytail and kissed it. "Hope you're not having too much fun without me," she teased. Jay slapped her hand away. He was back in his purple (uh, ninja? Hardly) clothes. A day ago everyone had agreed to save their formal clothes for when Mercy came back.
"We're trying to beat Jay in a game of King's Folly," answered Moses. "So far… Jay's won every time."
"How many times did he defeat you, Moses?" asked Shirley.
"Um….eheh… just a couple of games."
"One hundred and twenty five," answered Jay. "He wouldn't stop asking for replays until Senel pushed him out of the chair."
"How boring, I can't believe you guys are just sitting here getting your butts beaten by JJ," scoffed Norma. "We need something fun that we can all do together."
"How about we go out shopping?" suggested Noyem, glad to get away from the game. She was horrible at King's Folly.
"Brilliant!" shouted Norma. "Let's go find Mr.D and R and ask them to take us to town. C'mon, Teach, let's get out of this stuffy library." Taken with the idea Chloe, Shirley, Senel, Will, the Oresoren, and Moses followed Norma's lead outside. Noyem grabbed Jay's shoulder before he could leave.
Jay winced as if he knew something Noyem-glomping related was coming. "What now?" he asked.
"Jay," began Noyem. The earlier feeling of guilt washed over her again. She had to ask Jay to get the trepidation off her chest. "What if, what if everything I've told you so far has been a lie? How can you so blindly trust me?"
"I'm not putting any trust in you," said Jay bluntly. "Now what are you talking about? How has everything been a lie?"
Noyem sighed in relief. "You know what, I was just talking. Ignore me. Now let's go catch up with everyone."
Jay eyed Noyem suspiciously. He stood up and walked after Norma and the others. Noyem stayed behind and watched him leave. Her betrayal so far was going smoothly, but her heart beat painfully within her.
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ARGH, I am so outta practice. THIS WHOLE CHAPTER WAS ONLY FIVE PAGES LONG. And the ending was awful!
WAH! WAH! WAH! I must apologize for the lameness, lack of anything entertaining, and general horribleness of this chapter. My sense of humor has been deadened by my skitso medication. (stares at pill box) Let's see… may cause extreme sense of self-doubt, over exhaustion, burned retinas, toe extraction, and…. Lame writing style with no sense of mood, characterization, or general plot. YAY! I can blame everything on my mental disorder now! That's was this chapter was so extremely nearly three years late. I was too busy napping without my toes. Everything is sensible again.
As planned this terribly written fanfic will go on even if I only have one view per chapter. I'm just not satisfied to leave this unfinished. When this fanfic is finally done I'm going to move on to more Tales of Legendia fanfics. I have read the Tales of Symphonia manga (on foxy) and some parts of Abyss and Vesperia but I must say I'm still a big TOL fan. Now, Tales of Symphonia had the BEST original storyline I have ever seen, but it had some repetition (having to kill humans who had turned into monsters) and some sketchy parts I didn't really get (okayosh, they were making summon pacts with the Seed Guys but they only did it for one world… and HOW EXACTLY DID A LITTLE BOY CREATE TWO WORLDS? And what exactly did Yuan want? Just to release Origin's seal?). As for Abyss, ehhhh the chapters skip around and to say it bluntly the characters really annoy me. I stopped reading it after awhile. People say it's the best Tales of game so maybe I'll buy it… but I need my money for DragonQuest DS games. Veserpia looks interesting I'm definitely gonna keep reading it (mainly because Yuri looks like an older version of Jay). OH, and I bought Tales of Phantasia (for the GBA) and played through it in like a weekend. Not so full of the laughter, plot twists, and ass kickingness of TOL and TOS. But I loved the characters. Especially Chester and Arche. If anyone wants to, they can email me and I'll give ya my yahoo or AOL IM name so we can chat and rant about Tales of game (but you must also be prepared to hear the great ramblings of my DragonQuest love).
Ah, it's so nice to end a chapter without any interruptions...
Harriet: Are you sure of that?
DraQue: AH! Why do midgets from video games keep coming to assault me?
Harriet: I'm here by order of my father. He heard a very alarming rumor.
DraQue: Oh, and what was that?
Harriet: Are you going to move on to a story about his background after this?
DraQue: Why, yes I was planning to write how him and Ameila met when I finished up with this crappy OC fanfic.
Harriet: My father wishes to sue you.
Ahem, well, that ended on a nice note. Anyways, sorrry this chapter was so short. Expect the next chapter in about two weeks, and don't worry, I WILL MAKE IT LONGER. I just need to practice my writing fondu more... and stop ending chapters on really lame lines. Anyways, if you read and you want to vehemt your anger unto me, please do so. Reviews keep fanfic writers alive. Even the really bad ones. So, good day everyone, let me float away on my Mary Popkins umbrella and prepare the next chapter.