Disclaimer: Tin Man didn't love me enough to find me first.
"Shut up! You did not!" There was no way.
"If you're not going to believe me I'm not going to tell you any more stories." Cain stated good naturedly as he twined their fingers together.
"You did not pry DeMilo out from between two wagons that were carrying produce to the market while he was dressed in drag." That was a picture she simply did not need in her head.
"Sure I did. He was hiding because he had smuggled contraband into the city. He used to be pretty quick too. Nearly lost him when he ran through a gypsies shop but he left a trail of gold sequins behind him. Then he ripped his dress on a dumpster." He snorted obviously remembering the chase. "He never was the fastest Papay in the pack if you catch my drift."
She giggled helplessly practically rolling against his chest. "What? What did you do with him?"
"Took the contraband and threw him in the middle of Sin District Square. Gold really is his color. He got three propositions before I got out of hearin range." She was gasping for air, amazing was the only word for that. The Tin Man plucked his hat from her head and set it to the side so he could see her face. He smiled down at her as she tried to regain control of herself.
Once she was better he ran his thumb over her knuckles and glanced up at the sky regretfully. "We should get back. We've been out here for hours."
"Awww come on! This is the most fun I've had in forever!" Cain really did tell good stories and he had this dry sense of humor that had her reeling when he relaxed enough to let it out.
He smiled down at her. "Me too, DG, but we don't need a search party sent out after us. We can come back out tomorrow if you want."
She brightened immediately as she got up. "Maybe we could get closer to the lake so I can sketch it." She supposed she could magic a few art supplies to her.
"I didn't know you drew."
She shrugged as she helped hall him to his feet. "Yeah, I'm alright. I do it more to relax than anything."
They headed back to the palace as the first sun headed behind the mountains. "What do you draw?"
"I used to think I drew my dreams but really I draw things I saw in the Outer Zone before I was sent over." Her eyebrows drew together. "I drew Milltown all the time and even painted Central City. It was really weird when we walked over the hill and I saw it for the first time, I mean… again…whatever."
He was watching her as she worked that one out. "Is that why you were so quiet when we were hiking down? I just thought you were taking it in."
She snickered. "Well that and I was waiting to pry you and Glitch apart when he finally pushed you to far and you decided to strangle him. I knew Raw wasn't going to be able to help."
"Zipperhead, really doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut."
Finaqua loomed large as he said this and her smile fell when she saw Ahamo standing out on the lawns. He didn't appear to be all that happy with life. He was gazing out over the lake toward that weird shed a frown on his face. Cain glanced up from her suddenly humorless expression and spotted her father as well. Before he turned toward them she tucked the emerald away wishing circumstances were different.
It took the consort another few seconds to notice them and when he did his eyes took in their proximity quickly. They weren't touching in any way and were keeping a decent distance between them. She hadn't disagreed with Cain when he said he wanted to keep what they had started between them for a while. Heaven forbid they enjoy each other without having everyone watching their every move; bad enough people were all assuming things anyway.
"I'd like to speak to you, DG." His eyes flicked to the Tin Man. "Alone."
Cain reached up and tilted his hat to Ahamo locking eyes with her briefly. "I'll wait for you inside." She stood silent and tense five feet from her father as Cain disappeared into the falling darkness.
She waited. There was one advantage to being alone most of the time. She could handle prolonged silence like nobodies business. Ahamo sighed rubbing the back of his neck. "I owe you an apology."
Ok so not what she was expecting. "It doesn't matter, Ahamo. Stress has been a little high lately. Can't change the fact that I'm a princess at this point." If they had been in different positions she would have been yelling too. Still she wasn't going to take back what she had said.
His eyes that looked so much like hers were conflicted. "No, that's not…" He stopped and tried again. "That wasn't what I was talking about." She raised an eyebrow puzzled now. "I know what I told you in the balloon. That my place was here." She heard guilt seep into his voice. "I wanted to be as close to your mother and sister as I could be. I was afraid that if I went over I wouldn't be able to get back to her and Azkadilla. When we sent you back to the Otherside I thought there was still a chance we could pull the Witch from her body without your help… You were so young, DG. I couldn't imagine how you'd be able to stop her. So I stayed after we sent you with the nurture units." Something twisted unpleasantly within her. "I had hoped we could kill her and have you back within a year. I never thought you'd be gone so long or that or that the Witch would hunt Lavender so ruthlessly."
He was watching her for some sort of reaction. He had explained most of this to her before and she had assumed some of the other stuff. "I don't understand."
Sadness took over his eyes. "I should have gone with you, DG. I should have been there with you while you grew up. I could have helped you find the emerald either way."
What did he expect from her? A hug? An everything worked out just fine but thanks for the apology? Well she wasn't going to and it hadn't. She looked away from him. "I had parents, Ahamo. They were good to me even if they weren't real. Besides we need what you know about the Realm of the Unwanted."
She heard him move toward her and she stepped back out of his reach head coming back up. "Is that all you have to say? That my knowledge about the Realm of the Unwanted is useful?" His lips twisted up in a bitter smile. "No yelling or ranting or blaming? I have to say I expected some sort of outburst, you are related to your mother. Awful temper."
"Can't say I feel much about someone I can't remember." She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. Her father's eyes broke. He looked as if someone had sucker punched him in the gut. She stepped farther away feeling like the worst person to ever live. There were really some things she needed to keep inside. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said that."
"DG-" His voice was soft and searching. "You can't remember me?"
She continued to back slowly away. "It couldn't have been easy to have to choose between us. It's ok that you picked them." All she wanted to do was make this better, to make him look whole again. She didn't want to think about the fact that he had left her as surely as the queen had.
"Spitfire, wait."
She wouldn't let him finish. She didn't want him to know how alone she had always felt, how out of place. "You were right to stay. I'm sure The Queen felt better knowing you were in the Outer Zone. Besides it's not like I wasn't safe." And that had been the ultimate goal right? She had been given time to grow up. That was all the Outer Zone had needed.
Understanding was slowly mixing in with his hurt. "The Queen?" She could tell he was concerned that she had used her mother's title. "Can't you remember her either?"
She glanced back toward the palace wanting to get away. "I'm tired, Ahamo. Magic lessons kinda take it out of you." She edged closer to the building and the safety it offered.
She could tell he was worried now. "What do you remember?"
She winced eyes flicking between him and the cave she knew was in the distance. Total? About two hours of life before she had been sent over. One of which was filled with darkness and terror and thirty minutes filled with a hungry bear and an angry Tutor. She shuddered at the memories seeing her haunted eyes reflected in her fathers. "Only my nightmares. They were the only things I needed to kill her." She swallowed fixing her eyes firmly on Finaqua. "I found some pixies that were good enough to deliver messages to the guilds. They should be here in two or three days. Good night, Ahamo." Turning she fled inside wishing she were back out in the woods with Cain.
Fighting back the sick feeling in her stomach she made it inside only to ram into Glitch. She collided with him so hard they tumbled to the floor in a tangled heap. Despite the fact that they had hit the floor pretty hard he wheezed out a cheery greeting. "Hello, Doll. Pity not everyone has natural rhythm like I do."
"Come again?" She grunted disentangling herself from him.
He dusted his jacket off as she moved to a kneeling position. "Natural grace you know. Did the Prince Consort find you?"
"Yeah he did." She narrowed her eyes at Glitch. He would never use the term Prince Consort. "Ambrose?"
The gangly man pointed at his head. "He's in here somewhere. Or I'm in him. I can't tell anymore." He grinned pleased with this development arm dropping to the floor so he could hoist himself up. "Cain was waiting for you but got ambushed by his own son. It was actually rather amusing to watch. I promised him I would keep you with me until he got back." He rubbed his hands together and grinned. "So I figured we could have a private dinner with your sister in my old lab. How does that sound?"
"You found your lab?" That could be fun.
"And several of the project plans I'd been working on years ago." He eyed her conspiratorially. "I'd like to know how you brought those back."
She was watching him mystified. He was Glitch but he wasn't only in the moment. He was remembering things and keeping up with the conversation they were having. "I really couldn't tell you."
"I'll have to look into that when we get to the library in Central City. Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've read a book?"
Ok she didn't want to sound callous or mean but she had to ask. "Do… you?"
He chuckled offering her arm and leading her down a set of stairs. "You mean one in its entirety? At least nine years. But no matter, I found several under a solar drill I'd like to read." She didn't want to know what a solar drill was. Coming to a large wooden door he lifted a heavy looking latch and pushed it open to reveal a large open room. It resembled a ginormous mechanics garage; except it was filled with machinery and parts she had never seen before. She went a little giddy at the sight.
"Oh sweet!" She let go of Glitch and raced over the nearest pile of parts poking through it carefully. "I think I could build a motorcycle with this stuff!" Motorcycle schematics began racing across her brain at light speed.
"A motorcycle?" Az stumbled out from behind a pile of rusted metal with a clatter. She took one look at her and rolled her dark eyes. "Great you're as excited as he is. I'll never see either of you again. Why couldn't you have made a music room?"
She grinned at her sister. "Why don't you? You act like I'm the only one with magic. There are probably four hundred rooms in this place. Claim one as your own!"
"I can't just set up shop, Deeg!"
"Why? Aren't you a princess?" Az opened her mouth to argue but she cut her off pointing at her. "You know what? As your sister and future queen I am ordering you to pick out a room tomorrow and turn it into a musical paradise. And make sure it's a big one with a good view." She turned to Glitch. "And you better help her, Dreads."
Glitch bowed jokingly. "Of course, Princess DG! I wouldn't dream of defying you!"
She threw a screw at him and he dodged it nimbly.
She waved her arm at the piles of metal and wires. "Mind if I experiment?"
Glitch grinned. "Dive in, Cupcake. The tools are over against the east wall. We can eat once the Tin Man gets here." She bounced excitedly and stripped out of her white shirt unwilling to get it covered in grime. She dragged a hair tie out of her pocket and pulled her hair up into a ponytail as she wandered farther back in the lab. Making a mental inventory of what she would need she picked a pile of metal at random and started digging.
When Cain found her an hour later she was humming happily covered in grease sitting cross-legged on the floor surrounded by parts. Glitch was beside him grinning at the sight as he raised an eyebrow. "I left her alone with you for less than two hours and look at her. She was clean when I left."
Glitch laughed. "Yes but she's much more content than when she came in. And she didn't even try to eat me or her sister." Cain rolled his eyes at the jibe as Glitch crouched down next to her inspecting the pieces she had managed to put together. "What are you making?" Cain leaned over his shoulder eyes scanning what she had.
"A combustion engine?" The Tin Man was surprised. She was amazed he recognized it so early on in its construction. He picked up a part turning it over in his hands as Glitch did the same. "Where did you learn to build engines? And why would you make a combustion engine instead of a spectro engine?"
"It is very antique." The advisor mussed distractedly.
She felt her forehead wrinkle. "A spectro engine?"
Glitch hummed his mind somewhere else as he answered. "They run on electricity and liquid magic. I have schematics for one somewhere." He stood up with the piston she had made and walked off as he turned it slowly in his hand. "This gives me an idea."
"That can't be good." Cain helped her to her feet inspecting the grime all over her body. A smile tugged at his lips. "Never saw anyone wear grease as well as you."
She stuck her tongue out at him and tugged him after Glitch. "You know you're jealous. What did Jeb need?"
"Just wanted to talk." She glanced over her shoulder at him waiting to see if he were going to elaborate. "Asked if I was planning to stay with you and your family. Apparently your mother asked him to stay and command the Royal Guard." Her steps faltered as he shook his head pride playing over his face. "Never heard tell of someone so young having a position like that."
"So you'll be able to stay near him?"
He nodded and she squeezed his hand immensely happy for him. "I'm glad."
"So am I." He admitted quietly as they neared a metal worktable. Someone, she was guessing Az, had set out food and drinks for them and was currently trying to pry Glitch away from the piston he was staring at.
"Later! Eat now!"
Glitch whined. "I might forget later."
"You won't forget." Her sister threw her hands up in exasperation. "You haven't forgotten anything in two days!"
She leaned over to Cain as they sat down watching the two across from them bickering. "Hear that? I'm going to wiiiiinnnnnn!"
Cain chuckled. "He's not done reconnecting yet. You are far too overconfident." He took off his hat setting it on the floor. "I'm going to win. Now… Do you want butter?"
"You're afraid cause I'm going to win." The piston went sailing over their heads and landed on the ground with a clang. "Sure I'll take butter. Thanks." He grunted as Glitch sighed and sat down at the table shoulders slumped in defeat. Damn her sister was harsh and she really needed a napkin to wipe her hands off.
Author Note: Hey guys. Wanted to let you know I'm aware I have a few grammatical errors here and there and for that I apologize. I've had a beta before and while she was truly awesome I found that it slowed down the process. I do appreciate the offers for betas and the fact that you guys love me enough to try to help me fix my story. That being said I'm going to continue on as I have been and take your comments to heart and try to fix stuff on my own so you can read this as soon as I'm done writing it. Hope you all understand where I'm coming from and continue to enjoy the story! And by all means don't let this comment stop you from pointing out my errors, I like to know when I make a mistake so I avoid making the same one in the future. Thanks guys!