Okay, so as is pretty apparent I'm sure, February was my breathing month. XD I did win my unofficial NaNo, if any of you were wondering, with 34 minutes to spare! :D So that was great! And now in March is my unofficla Script Frenzy, aka Screnzy. So yes, another period of slow updates...and it'll be the same in April, because I'm rewriting my November NaNo story. May should be a little better, even though I have AP exams, senior exams, graduation, and general chaos. :P June is editing my NaNo story and maybe an unofficial NaNo to finish this story up ;)
But for the next book after this! There will be a third one, rest assured. BUT, and this is kind of important to note: I won't post it until I'm at least halfway through with writing it, so you all don't have to sit through erratic updating. So it may take a while to be posted, but it will come ;)
Now that all that's taken care of! Um, business as usual, I suppose XD
Gentle Blossom - Yep, baby steps, baby steps ;) And of course MopMan and Nikki! XD They do perk me up after a long day of calculus homework XD
So would I! I mean, coffee is basically life in my world! :P
And I know, but I'm nothing is not evil! Haha in the best possible way...
Garideth - Hahaha! Moral of the story, don't read the Nikki snippets in public! XD
Oh no, you're definitely not the only one! I happen to be one me-self :) Aw, but I'm glad you're enjoying Nikki! Haha and yes, young love...or is it? ;)
Haha, oh you make me laugh! XD But don't worry, baby steps ;) Slowly but surely...all shall be well...possibly XD (I generally don't actually like happily ever afters too much)
But yes, the cliffies...though actually, this chapter might not qualify...eh, you can decide ;)
Guest - He does seem to be, doesn't he? (Hm, I may have to do something about that...:}) But as for Laurah, we can keep her inching along ;)
Enjoy!
Chapter 20
Nikki POV:
When I finally, at long last, finish my summarized explanation of what Caspian, Ed, and Lucy all explained to me when I first came on board, Laurah's eyes look about ready to glaze over. I don't blame her – it's not exactly the most interesting thing in the world to be debriefed if there aren't any attractive government guys to drool over while listening.
She must notice my noticing her zoned-out look, because she jolts back to the now and shrugs apologetically, smiling a little sheepishly.
"No worries chica, it wasn't overly fascinating, I know. But like I said, best you know exactly what the deal is around here. Now I don't know about you, but all this has made me hungry enough to eat a camel, fur and all!" Without further ado, I dive in and help myself to a plate piled high with food. See, on the ship food is a little scarce, but here…it's a dream come true! Seriously, I could have my fairy godmother show up any minute.
"Why don't you have a little somethin' too? I know you can't eat stuff that's too rich just yet, but maybe some fruit or something would be okay? And it'll be nicer than eating just bread for the next few months, guaranteed."
Smiling dubiously, she starts to inch away, but then changes her mind. I'm happy when she slowly sits down beside me and puts a little food on her plate. Nothing elaborate or extraordinary – a few grapes, an apple, some chunks of pineapple – but it's better than nothing.
"Hungry, miss?"
"Drop the miss or I'll drop a frying pan on you."
"How rude!"
"Get over it." I grin as MopMan comes and sits on my other side, mouth a little stained form the juice of the berries he must have been eating. "You've got some stains on your face, man. Berries?"
"How very observant of you, miss. And yes indeed; blackberries to be exact."
"Wait…you ate a phone?"
"What is this 'phone' you speak of?"
"Uh…do you seriously not know- oh right, this is Narnia. A phone is a way of talking to people not close by via the magic of digital intelligence." That didn't make sense even to me, but hey, he'll never know the difference.
His hopelessly confused expression amuses me, and so I can't help but snort at his bewilderment.
"I'm sorry, but your…face…!" I giggle, my shoulders shaking with mirth as my head flings itself back.
"I am glad it amuses you," he drawls, practically drooling sarcasm.
Hm, that's an interesting picture – MopMan drooling sarcasm, literally. I mean, what would sarcastic drool even look like? And I can't resist sharing this latest dilemma with Laurah, who almost cracks a chuckle. Not bad, considering.
My gaze briefly flits over to where Caspian, Liliandil, and the 3 Lords of Meditation are still chit-chatting, albeit a bit seriously. I'm hoping he and Laurah can spend some more time together today, but right now he still looks a bit busy. Why the desire to see the two of them together? Because I think it's good for her, and she seems to warm up to him more each time.
"Hey, what would sarcastic drool look like, MopMan?"
"Sarcastic…drool? On an animal or a human?"
"Either one. I mean, sarcasm is usually only for words, but that's droolism. You know, like discrimination against drool just because it's drool. Not cool, man!"
"Isn't sarcasm only for the spoken word, miss?"
"Call me that again and I swear I'll smack you upside the head. Anyway, I just covered that. Assuming such a thing is droolism and hence inexcusable." I notice Laurah observing and following this little exchange on the properties of drool with an amused and light-hearted eye. Good.
"Why does it seem to me that you just now invented the word 'droolism?'"
"Mayhaps because you actually have a brain that you use, on occasion. Well, in this one instance at least. Now on a regular basis…that's up for argument."
"Oh? May I ask why?"
"Sure, and I'll answer you too. Now that's a deal worthy of a blue-light special!"
"Then why?" MopMan asks, ignoring my blue-light special comment as yet another phrase he just doesn't understand.
"Because men, no offense, aren't known to be the brightest creatures. See, you all are prone to a thing called 'guy stupid.' It happens to a lot of guys. They'll say or do something that really pisses off a girl, and then they wonder what in the name of pretzels they did wrong, when the girl is crying in a corner about it - or ripping his head off. It's those little moments when they just don't get how sensitive we desert flowers are."
"Desert flowers?"
"Yeah, beautiful exceptions to the parching and drought-ridden existence of mankind called life. Well, said existence without coffee. Now that, my friend, is an existence worthy of only the lowest of life forms, such as rocks."
"I do not think rocks are alive, Nikki."
"Yeah they are! At least somewhat. Have you never heard 'Colors of the Wind' sung by Pocahontas?!"
"I fear I have not. But please, do enlighten me."
"It'd take years to pull off such a feat," I smirk, patting his shoulder like I'm sorry for his plight.
A soft giggle comes from my other side, and I sling an arm around Laurah's shoulders in camaraderie.
"You understand the struggles we women must face, and why we are desert flowers and why we are brighter in intellect and general common sense than men, yes?" I chirp, shooting MopMan a celebratory look because I'm winning this argument.
She nods vigorously, grinning almost as smugly as me at MopMan, who is stuttering to come up with a response.
Just then, I notice Caspian coming over and have to wave very ridiculous-like. I'm feeling silly right now. Thank heaven no one's offered me something alcoholic!
"Ah, Cas my dear little munchkin, we were just discussing the superiority of the sexes. Care to join the delightful conversation?"
"I beg your pardon?" he mumbles, looking wary and yet amused.
"C'mon, it's making Laurah happy. And we're winning, so prepare yourself."
Hesitantly, he sits – next to Laurah of course. He looks like he'll have no idea how to counter. My evil twin is smirking and cackling in glee. I do so love to pull the wool over people's eyes from time to time!
"Forgive my lack of inspiring speeches, Nikki, but I simply did not imagine you to be the type to say men are the superior sex."
"Why you-!" I start, putting up my fists like I'm about to get in a fight.
"Certainly I don't fault you for thinking so, I just didn't expect you to acknowledge it so openly." He's smirking under that fuzzy beard of his, and for a moment I have to wonder why I didn't decide to carry that frying pan around with me for situations exactly like this.
"You, you silly diluted king you, are sorely mistaken. It is the desert flowers of the human race who are superior!"
"The desert flowers? I do not think most men would take kindly to being called 'desert flowers.'"
"Shut your trap and listen to me! Stop twisting my words, you gosh dang politician you! Now, you've got it all backwards," I begin, only to be cut off my Cas again.
"How is it I manage to be both a king and a politician?"
"You have an evil twin. Now, as I was saying-" I try to continue, but I'm cut off again.
"I am quite certain that any evil twin of mine couldn't possibly be hidden for so long, so I must not have one."
"Before I point out all the logical fallacies in that statement, let me first impress upon you that-"
"Ah, so you were taught the logical fallacies. Rest assured, friend, that there were none in what I just said."
"I will not rest assured, Caspian, if you don't shush your mouth and let me talk!"
"But I do think you've spoken quite your share and more thus far. Perhaps it's time for you to relax and stop talking for a little while."
"Caspian, I swear to you, if you don't shut up, I'll knock you into silence with a frying pan!"
"Ah, but all frying pans are back on board the ship," MopMan cuts in with a grin, looking very self-satisfied.
"Is that so? Well I'm sure this would do fine!" I fire back, lunging for a heavy-looking tray that's now empty.
"Violence is forbidden here, is it not?" Caspian retorts, though he is looking a touch uneasy.
"Then may lightning strike me dead. In the meantime, while we're waiting…" I pounce for the two men, Caspian first since he's the main source of my trouble. What I don't see is the scrap of orange still in the tray.
So when an orange piece smacks into his face and Laurah giggles at the amusing sight, I naturally don't expect either of the two to happen. I'm perplexed, because the massive tray is blocking my view.
"What gives? What's so…Oh!" I laugh too as I see the fruit stuck to Caspian's mustache, naturally lending the king a more than amusing facial expression and decoration.
"Well, orange isn't really your color, but I guess we can make it work," I wheedle in my best sickly-sweet voice.
Caspian looks a little horrified and MopMan is trying to hold in his snorts.
"You, MopMan, sound like a hungry little piggy," I sniff imperiously, sticking my nose up in the air until my neck hurts from being elongated to such an extreme. Naturally, Laurah is quite amused with this whole scene, and so of course I only try to weasel a little more fun out of it.
"You know, I've always wanted a good food fight." Gently placing the tray back on the table, I bring my fingers together and adopt a pensive expression, as if I'm genuinely considering some life-changing decision or something of the like. A perked-up, silent 'please' from my best friend are all I need.
"I do apologize in advance for any inconvenience, but…" Having given the disclaimer, I scoop up a handful of the first thing I can reach – cream puffs by the look of it – and chuck them at MopMan and Caspian both, machine gun style.
For a moment, they're both shocked. Especially MopMan, who, as luck would have it, has three of the wee devils wedged in his mouth, working like a sort of gag that keeps him from talking. Not enough to choke him, naturally, but enough for the comedic relief to amuse us all – in particular, us girls. Caspian, on the other hand, has one stuck to his shirt and cream smeared on one cheek and another stuck on his nose. Hey, he's like Rudolph the Cream-Puff-Nosed Reindeer!
Still giggling, Laurah stands and goes over to Caspian. Wait…wow. Well dang, she IS getting better! Though my glee threatens to overtake me, I manage to keep enough control over myself to watch quietly as she goes up and, smirking, takes the cream puff from his nose and holds it to his lips. After looking up at her a moment, Caspian opens his mouth and the cutiful moment is complete.
"I'll be right back," I whisper to MopMan, scurrying out of the room for a quick few seconds so I can whoop and cheer and dance around crazily.
Laurah POV:
That was a stupid thing to do. I don't really know what came over me. Maybe there was just too much silliness and I lost my head for a moment or two. Either way, I can't say I don't regret it. But still, the memory of the slight brush of his lips on my fingertips isn't one I can banish easily from my thoughts.
I suppose one should expect a king's lips to be soft, but it still surprised me. Or perhaps what surprised me was my own nerve, or maybe how he didn't pull away or call me strange. But it felt nice, for the moment I was out of my head. I don't claim to have all my sanity intact, but common sense should have at least some fragment of my mind. Still, I will admit to being spellbound for a moment.
Dazzled by my own ludicrousness or by the king, who's to say? But I froze in place as the king looked right into my eyes, and I have yet to meet his gaze, constant though it is. I'm aware of it even now. It hasn't left me since that moment of stupidity. What must he be thinking, of me, of that? It must have been so far beyond my place it's past the point of measurement.
I can't decide whether to force an apology out through my lips or act as if it never happened. Naturally, I'm inclined toward the latter. It would be the easier of the two if I could just stop thinking about it. My face turns beet red whenever I do. As well it should, too! Though if it's red from shame or from something else, I can't tell.
Oh gods, he's coming over to me now. I don't need to see his advance to know he's approaching me. I can sense him, sense how his gaze is getting closer to me. I still can't meet it, can't meet his eyes. His hand rests gently on my shoulder, as if he's asking permission to simply be near me, or maybe just speak with me. I'm a little worried as to what he might say, but I nod my assent. He is the king after all.
"You have nothing to be sorry for or ashamed of."
Whatever I was expecting, that wasn't it. And I don't know what to do in response. Should I stay silent and unmoving? Should I nod slightly to show I understand? Or should I shake my head, let him know that I don't agree? What would be respectful and what would be out of place?
"Please, do not deceive me. Simply act on what you feel, and do not worry about the propriety of it."
Well, I can't deny the king. So I do shake my head, and cast my eyes down so I won't have to meet his. I'm ashamed again, but gentle fingers lift my chin so I can't keep looking down. I try to gently wriggle myself free, but the king's fingers are firm in their gentleness. I have no choice but to meet his eyes, now that he's come around to crouch in front of me.
My eyes dart around, looking anywhere but his brown ones. I've heard the eyes are the windows to the soul. If that's true, I certainly don't want him to look in mine. I'm certain my soul is every bit as hideous as the rest of me.
"You can't even meet the eyes of a friend?" His voice could be accusatory, but it's not – only sad.
No, I can't meet the eyes of a king. I can't meet the eyes of someone I owe so much already, and someone so inexplicably connected to me. Yes, I will recognize that there's more to us than it seems. We have some sort of history, we must, for him to act like this. What is it? Why can't he tell me? Why do I have no memory of whatever history we share?
But I can't avoid his gaze forever, so I finally submit to it. And I know he sees everything, every last ounce of my madness and everything else there may be to me. I can't help but wonder if he sees the snake in my eyes. If he does, he gives no indication of it.
I'm relieved when he finally releases my chin. Naturally, I look away as soon as I can, though I don't miss the slight sigh that comes from the king. Well, I hear it more than see it – my eyes are focused on the floor, with his boots making an appearance as well.
He leaves then, just as Nikki comes back. A glance up shows me that she's grinning like the Cheshire cat, though I can't really imagine why. So I roll my eyes and shrug at her cheeky nudge on the shoulder, returning my concentration to getting a few bites of the fruit on my plate down my throat so she'll be happy.
Nikki POV:
Well, it doesn't look like I missed much while I was out doing my happy dance. Caspian looks much the same…wait, no he doesn't. He looks a little down on himself now. Man, they can't have two minutes of normal-ness?
I don't stop my shoulders from sagging a little in slight frustration, because I, quite frankly, am starved for a little peace and happiness here. But patience is key, as I'm sure anyone listening to me ramble on in my head would agree. And I frown sourly at this thought because, as karma would have it, it rhymed. Which is so annoyingly annoying that I am sorely tempted to bonk my own head with the tray I was threatening the boys with.
In any case, I decide I'm going to find out what's bugging Caspian in particular, just to see if we can fix it. After all, he's been through enough, right?
"Hey, Cas. Wanna talk about it?" I ask as I come up next to the guy. He looks up from studying the table looking, to put it in Pride & Prejudice terms, very ill indeed.
I take the slight shrug of his royal shoulders as a yes, and hence begin the little-sister-style badgering.
"Alright then, let's hear it. What's the bad apple in this bunch? Which fishy in the kettle is irking you?" I rephrase these questions when his only answer is eyebrows raised inches up his forehead. "What's bothering you?"
"May we discuss this in private?" Since he turns and makes his way out to the balcony that used to look out at Dark Island, I have to scamper along quickly to keep up. I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but this guy takes really long strides. As in at least 1.5 times as long as the average man's. Seriously, keeping up with this guy is a cardio workout on its own!
"Would Your Royal Highness mind slowing down a bit?!" I huff, puffing like I'm sorely out of shape. Which I'm not! I mean, dancing is tough and it gets one in shape quite quickly.
Cas slows down a little, grinning slightly. I'm about to point out to him that it didn't get to his eyes, but I'm sure he's gonna explain the whole kettle of worms in a minute. Wait, isn't the saying 'kettle of fish'? And then the worm one is 'can of worms.' Oops.
"Thanks, Mister Long-Legs. You know, if you were a woman and not a man, you'd probably be a model back home," I quip, content in my random babblings.
Cas must really be feeling down, because he only gives me a confused look, one of his eyebrows climbing his forehead, without saying anything. Alright, so I'll hush for now, give the poor man a break.
In no time at all, because of Caspian's aforementioned long strides, we're out of everyone's earshot and looking out at where Dark Island used to be. Wow, I just realized that the name 'Dark Island' sounds more than a little cliché. Thank goodness I didn't come up with it, else I'd be horribly ashamed of myself.
"Alright Cas, what's botherin' ya? Spill the beans."
"I do not think you have to guess who it's related to."
"Of course not, I'm not a total idiot."
Silence stretches out, and my patience starts to wane. Can he not just spit it out already? I'll even get him a spittoon if he so pleases.
"Come on Cas, just spit it out. Get it off your chest, man."
"She will never be the same. Will she?"
Well dang it, I don't know how to respond to that.
"Well…sure, she won't be the same, just like I'll never be the same for having been to Narnia, and you were never the same for having met her, etc. But I do think she'll get better. She doesn't need to go back to who she was as you last knew her for her to be okay again, yes?"
He hesitates, the doubt drawing countless lines on his face.
"I suppose…"
"Uh uh, no supposing. Trust me, I know this girl inside, out, and backwards. She'll be fine, we just have to be patient. Aslan himself said she'll be okay, right?"
Cas still isn't convinced, I can tell.
"Come now, she can't stay crazy forever. Chin up," I chirp, demonstrating a hopeful smile.
"How can you be sure?" he whispers, staring out at where Dark Island used to be.
"Caspian, look at me," I command, resorting to turning him to face me myself, since he doesn't at first. "Now, you love Laurah, yes?"
"More than anything."
"Then you've got to have a little faith. We've only had her for what, a few days? And she could have been in there for weeks. You follow?" At his nod, I ramble on. "Great. Now let's just keep an optimistic view on everything, at least until we leave Coriakin's Island, okie dokie? If for some reason he can't help her, then we can get all depressed and hopeless. Does that sound fair?"
"You are wise beyond your years, Nikki," Caspian says with a smile, perking up after my little pick-up pep talk.
"Hey, I'm not THAT much younger than you, buddy," I tease. "Three years tops."
"I believe it's four, my friend."
"Well I think it's three. Anyway, shall we get back to chatting up the newly awakened Lords of Meditation?"
"Nikki, how many times must I remind you they are Lords of TELMAR?" Caspian chuckles dryly as we mosey on back to the room of food.
"Apparently, too many to count," I reply, smirking.
When we get back, it looks like everyone's clearing out. The Lords are gone, as well as most of the crew members that had been hanging out enjoying the delectable yummzies sitting on the table. Only the good Captain, Sadrian, and a few others I don't know are still here.
"Aw, are we leaving already?" I whine as I go over to Laurah.
"I'm afraid we must. Coriakin's Island is almost a month's sailing from here."
I almost choke on the slice of bread I'd been eating. Hacking very ungracefully, I splutter out, "Tell me you're joking!"
"Is sailing truly so disagreeable?" Sadrian smirks.
"Only when I'm on a ship with you," I bite back, sarcastically of course.
"You wound me, milady!" he moans, doing a truly Shakespeare-worthy reenactment of being stabbed in the heart.
"I am crushed."
"Oh, my poor heart!" he cries, falling to the ground.
"Touching. Now, are we heading out as well, or what?" I address the question to the good Captain. Okay, it's seriously weird, there being a captain that ISN'T named Captain Sparrow…
"If his Majesty wishes, Miss Nikki."
"Well?" I turn to Caspian, holding back an impish grin when I see him standing next to Laurah – as close as he dares.
"Captain, do we have the provisions we need to reach Coriakin's Island?"
"We can sail with the wind, Your Highness."
With a nod, Caspian starts to lead the rest of us out of the room. I turn around to say goodbye to Liliandil, but I suddenly realize I haven't seen her since Cas and I had that little pep talk.
"Um, hey y'all? Where's Liliandil?"
The men turn around, looking puzzled.
"For once, Nikki, you have a very good question," MopMan answers.
"Ha ha, you're hilarious," I comment dryly, still wanting to say goodbye to the star. After all, it'd be rude to leave without so much as a 'Bye, thanks for the yummy food,' wouldn't it?
"Any constructive comments, MopMan?"
"Other than a conversation between Liliandil and myself regarding Narnia? No."
"And how would that be relevant?" It flits across my mind that maybe MopMan, in all his silliness, is trying to make me jealous, but the thought has so little substance I dismiss it with a silent laugh. MopMan may love to annoy me, but I've known the guy for less than a week, for crying out loud!
"It may not be, but perhaps it would be worth mentioning that the lady expressed a strong desire to see Narnia for herself."
"And translated into common English, that would mean…?" I ask, still not seeing what MopMan's getting at.
"Perhaps she went with the crew, at least to get a glimpse of the ship?" Caspian answers, though I think he's guessing as much as I would be.
"Oh, that sorta makes sense, I guess," I mumble. I would actually like to say all the necessary goodbyes and get a move on, because as much as I love the food here, I'd like my best friend back just a little more. Okay, okay, a lot more. I don't love food THAT much.
"Back to the ship then, Your Majesty?" MopMan asks.
"Yes," responds 'His Majesty,' leading the way back to the beach, and then to the remaining longboat.
"I am so not oaring, just for the record!" I squeak, noting with slight panic the scarcity of numbers. But I think there are still enough men to do the rowing…not that I like men doing everything for me, but hey, what girl doesn't enjoy some good old-fashioned chivalry?
"Were you not a lady, I would be sorely tempted to force you to do so, simply for the hilarity of it," snorts MopMan, smirking for all he's worth. "But seeing as how you ARE in fact a woman, I fear I can't have the satisfaction.
"Of course I'm a girl, you pipsqueak! What do I look like, a fish?"
"I would say more of a steamed lobster, such as now, when your face turns a rather bright shade of red, but I suppose fish would work as well, if it is your ladyship's pleasure." MopMan punctuates this with a mocking bow, which I promptly clunk him on the back of his noggin for. I can't help but snigger a bit as he falls face-first onto the sand.
"I do apologize for my giggles, but that was rather funny."
"I take great comfort in knowing it was amusing to someone," he replies wryly, spitting out sand and glowering at my amused little self.
"'Twas indeed. Now let's get a move on, yeah?" I'm such a sucker though, so I help the guy up. I'm not completely heartless…I do expect MopMan to pull me down with him thought. But surprisingly, he's found some humanity. Hm, maybe that adage about guys being five years mentally younger than girls is only half true. Nah, he'll get his revenge later. Seriously, I'd bet a mocha frappucchino on it!
"Are you both ready to leave?" Caspian asks dryly, almost looking ready to roll his eyes.
I don't miss Laurah's small expression of amusement, and for a moment she almost looks like her old self. It occurs to me that she hasn't made a move to come over to me yet, which I interpret as a very good thing. Hey, if she's feeling a bit more independent, that's fantastic! And the fact that she seems as content to be in Caspian's presence as she is mine, well, that's cause for a whole freaking fireworks show! If I had some of those puppies, that is.
"My apologies, Your Majesty," MopMan says, "I believe we are."
As the whole party starts off, I can't resist turning to tease MopMan a bit. "Two words now come to my mind, dear MopMan: 'brown' and 'nosed'."
"How very amusing, Miss Nikki."
"Ease up, muchacho, I'm just messin' with ya," I say with a grin.
"And I am doing the same to you," he chuckles, apparently still somewhat enjoying my sarcasm.
"Thank you for stating the readily obvious," I drawl as I follow everyone down the path.
The rest of the hike back down to the beach passes in much the same way – the occasional dry comment from MopMan, a sassy response from me, and the very frequent stumbles on roots and rocks. In fact, the boat ride back is pretty similar as well, without the tripping part. But I do get to sit next to Laurah, since the boys are sweet enough to do the rowing. Again I say, ya gotta love chivalry!
Once we're finally back on the Dawn Treader, I can't help but scurry over to Caspian to ask a quick question.
"Hey, Cas? How far is it to Coriakin's Island from here?"
"It depends on the wind."
"Well assuming best-case scenario, a rough estimate would be…"
"Perhaps a week, maybe two," he answers quietly. It almost seems like he's worried something will slow us down.
"And worst-case scenario?" I press on. I'm anxious to get Laurah's head all straightened out. She was abnormally robotic on the boat ride here. I don't like it one bit – a quick glance her way proves she's still more 'off' than usual. She's eyeing something, though I can't tell what. Whatever it is, something is bugging her, and it's putting me on edge.
"Hey MopMan!" I call.
More obediently than usual, he trots on over, probably picking up on the edge in my voice.
"Keep an eye on her for me? Just for a minute."
He nods his assent, and I make a mental note to get him a frappucchino, or the equivalent thereof, later.
"Anyway, worst case?" I ask, looking at Laurah, who's still eyeing something – wait, she's eyeing…I don't believe it. Unless my eyes are playing tricks on me, and I'm almost sure they're not…she's been looking at the dagger strapped to MopMan's waist. Technically, any dagger in sight.
With an uneasy glance past me and at his fiancée, Caspian has only two words for me.
"Too long."
Okay, finally got that chapter finished...month-long writer's block from post-NaNo relaxation isn't always the greatest XD
And I think that's actually all I have to say...
Review please :)