"William!" Oliver called from the top of the stairs "Buddy, it's time to wrap things up! It's getting late!"
"Okay, okay I'm coming! Just give me a sec!" William called back
"Is he still downstairs playing with Caspian?" Nyssa asked when Oliver walked back into the room
"Yeah, but he should be getting to bed. I know he doesn't have school tomorrow but it's still getting close to midnight" Oliver replied
'No need to justify it. I get it" Nyssa said
"So are you actually going to get some sleep tonight?" Oliver asked
"I'm going to try to, but it's definitely a possibility. I've still got things I need to finish for the league but I'm hoping that with a little bit of schedule bending, I can push the due dates back a bit"
"Why don't you just make the due dates go back. You are the leader of that entire place, aren't you?"
"Yes, but we have over eight different divisions and I can't just command them all. That would be too overwhelming. Each division has a leader, like Zayn's the leader of the science division and Andrew's recently become the head of the coordination and geographical division. They all report to me and I give them direct orders of what should be done within their division so I need to make sure I have a consistent schedule so one division doesn't get screwed over and if that did happen, there's a very good chance that some mission would go south and there would be casualties. We haven't had any deaths since November 2nd and I'd like to keep it like that"
"That was a longer answer than I was expecting" Oliver admitted "Well I'm going to get changed because sleeping in jeans is not comfortable at all. I'll just shower in the morning since I have that press conference"
"Maybe you won't have to" Nyssa said from where she was looking out the window
"What do you mean?" Oliver asked as he approached
"Looks like it's going to start storming tonight"
Oliver looked out the window and saw the droplets of water gliding down the glass from outside, but could also hear the patter of rain up against the side of the house
"That's not all bad. I don't know about you, but I love falling asleep to the sound of rain" Oliver said
"It is quite nice" Nyssa admitted "But you'll want to plan accordingly for tomorrow"
"Don't worry, I got it"
"I got Caspian in his pen! I'm heading to bed!" William called from the doorway of his room
"Okay, night buddy" Oliver called back "Now back to what I was originally going to do"
As Oliver walked into the bathroom and pulled the door behind him, making sure it was still cracked, Nyssa stood up from the foot of the bed and took off the sweater she had been wearing over the light set of clothes that she already liked sleeping in. When her sweater was put back in her closet, which was smaller than Oliver's, she sat back down on the edge of the bed with the notebook she had been writing in. Because the expansion of the cliff was still in the planning phase, Nyssa had been working on some additional mapping for other features to add in another time since the size of the league was expected to grow exponentially within the next five years
"Nys?" Oliver asked from behind
"Hmm?" Nyssa asked as she snapped her head up
"You went into one of those dazes again" Oliver started as he slipped underneath the covers "Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a lot on my mind"
"You want to talk about it. I've found that that helps on occasion"
"We'd be here all night and maybe part of the morning"
"That's fine. I'm here to listen"
"Maybe another time. I actually want to get some sleep tonight"
"Okay, that's fine. Wait, how long has it been since you actually slept? Two days?"
"Three" Nyssa corrected
"Well maybe we should stop talking so you can get some sleep"
"You can keep talking, but I can't guarantee that I'll be staying awake to listen, although I will try to"
"Nah, just try to get some sleep" Oliver said before leaning over and capturing a kiss
Nyssa flashed him a quick smile before marking her spot in her work and leaning back into the thick blankets. Oliver naturally snuggled up closer and felt her relax in his embrace, meaning it wasn't going to be long before they would both fall asleep
-(=+=)-
A low whimper coming from the ground caused Nyssa to shift her position closer towards the center of the bed in an attempt to ignore it, but only another whimper came as a response. Oliver tried to bury his head further into the pillow but the whimper turned into a slight growl. The room was silent for another five seconds after the growl, but as soon as that time mark passed, something jumped up on the bed. Nyssa opened her eyes and a large black and white dog walking around near the end of the bed, but slowly coming closer to the headboard while whimpering
"Cas….go away!" Oliver groaned
Caspian only walked up closer to the headboard until he was right in between Nyssa and Oliver. Nyssa just sighed as she got out of bed and grabbed her sweater from a chair that was to the left of the bed
"Cas, get down" Nyssa said with a small snap
Caspian immediately perked up from where he was looking over Oliver and jumped off the bed. Nyssa glanced over at the clock and saw what it read; 1:16am. She walked towards the door to their room and discovered that it had been pushed up further than they had left it. She tried to ignore it as she ushered Caspian out of the room, then shut the door behind her. Caspian followed her down the stairs and towards the sliding glass door that led out to the deck. When Nyssa entered the living room, she saw that the glass was completely covered in rain and that the deck was soaking wet.
"Be quick" Nyssa muttered as she opened the door
As soon as the door was opened wide enough, Caspian shot out on the deck and quickly found his way down the side staircase that led down to the large plot of land that was deemed the backyard. There still wasn't a fence put up around the property, but Oliver said that when they end up building the pool, they'll also put up a fence.
About ten minutes passed and Nyssa was still waiting by the back door for Caspian, but the dog had yet to come back inside. She looked out the windows but wasn't able to see him even from her height. When she squinted her eyes, Nyssa could see the faint figure of the dog splashing through the puddles on the far end of the backyard. Nyssa groaned as she walked towards the front door and picked up her boots. Once they were on, she flipped up the hood on her sweater and stepped out into the pouring rain. She quickly made her way down the stairs and down into the field, which had become a mixture of muddy slush and some blades of grass. Nyssa trudged through it while trying to ignore all the mud and general coldness of the air around her.
"Caspian!" Nyssa called
Caspian picked his head up from the area where he was sniffing and almost seemed to smile at Nyssa. Instead of coming when he was called, he started jumping around Nyssa, almost like he was trying to play
"Caspian, get back here!" Nyssa kept calling over and over again, but the dog only seemed to find amusement in her calls
Nyssa eventually had enough and started walking towards the dog to grab his collar, but Caspian continued to jump around, refusing to get her take ahold of his collar. Caspian decided to have a bit of fun and started brushing up against Nyssa's legs. She kept trying to grab his collar, as it was the only way to grab ahold of him without causing pain, but when she reached down, Caspian weaved in between her legs. The sudden loss of balance sent Nyssa falling backwards and into one of the muddy puddles that had formed. When she hit the ground, Nyssa felt the mud cling to her sweater and back, along with the mud that had seeped into her boots and just groaned as she stood up. Caspian was still prancing around in the mud, like he was celebrating a victory, but didn't expect it when Nyssa took a forceful grip on his collar. Nyssa almost had to drag Caspian back towards the house, but as they got closer, Nyssa realized that Caspian was almost completely covered in mud.
"Fantastic" Nyssa muttered
The league had built the safe house in attempt to accommodate any situation, and one of the perks of that was actually having a garage with a patio near it. Nyssa changed directions from the staircase of the deck, that was to the right, and went to the left instead, where the pathway to the garage was. When she reached the back of it, she immediately dragged Caspian underneath the covered area of the patio. Nyssa reached for the hose and did her best to get out all the mud that had almost been rubbed into the dog's fur. When she had finally got it all out, Nyssa looked around for something she could use to dry him off, but didn't find anything. The closest thing she had was her sweater, so Nyssa took it off, turned it inside out, and used it to dry the dog's feet.
"C'mon Cas" Nyssa said with a small snap as she opened the back door into the garage.
The now clean dog looked toward her and walked inside the open door. Nyssa followed behind and opened another door that led into a small stairwell that led back inside the house and into the basement where Nyssa usually left in the morning. It was one of the other perks of living in an old league safe house; the secret passageways.
When they stepped back inside the house, Nyssa immediately took off her wet and muddy boots and set them down to the side. She led the way back up the stairs and once she reached the top, she stepped into the dining room. Now with a perfect view, Nyssa could see that the lock on the crate had been broken and that the fence around it had been pushed open.
Nyssa approached the pen and ushered Caspian inside. She did her best to close the pen door and once she deemed it stable, Nyssa started walking away so she could get changed. She didn't even get to round the corner when Caspian took a few steps back and jumped right over the top of the pen, then started scampering towards Nyssa. She immediately turned around and started cursing under her breath as she put him back in the pen. Once again, Nyssa started walking away but when she heard his movements, she turned around just in time to see Caspian stopping his attempt to jump over the pen. Nyssa turned away again, so he tried to jump.
"You have to be kidding me" Nyssa muttered
Of course, Caspian thought this was a game and every time Nyssa had her back turned towards the pen, he would try to jump over it but he would stay in it when she was looking. Nyssa groaned as she pulled out one of the chairs that had been pushed into the dining table and sat down. Usually when the house wasn't clean, there was some type of coat or sweater draped over the back of one of the chairs, but because the house was clean this time around, there wasn't anything to use for warmth. She could already tell it was going to be a long night
-(=+=)-
Oliver woke up to the annoying sound of the alarm he had set on his phone and groaned as he started to run his hand over the top of the bedside table in order to find it. He picked up his phone, turned the alarm off, and then started to adjust to the very small amount of sunlight that was coming through the windows.
"Morning Nys-" Oliver started as he turned to his side, but discovered that her side of the bed was empty, and cold "Nys?"
Oliver got out of bed and glanced back down at his phone; 6:15am. There's no way she would have left for Finiks Jurf this early, so Oliver opened to door and stepped out into the hallway. He walked down stairs and started looking around the living room, but didn't find her there either. The next place to look was the basement, so Oliver walked towards the dining room to the door but when he entered, he saw Nyssa sitting at the dining room table using one hand to hold her head up while she wrote something down in a small notebook.
"Nyssa? What are you doing down here?" Oliver asked as he approached "And why are you all muddy?"
"Caspian" Nyssa muttered "Wouldn't let me leave"
"What do you mean?"
"I took him out last night after he jumped up on the bed, but he ended up getting all muddy. I got all the mud off but he wouldn't let me leave the room because every time I turned my back, he would jump out of the pen" Nyssa replied while she still kept her head down
"So you've been here all night?" Oliver asked, but didn't get a definite reply "Did you get any sleep?"
"I couldn't….Caspian would jump out every time I closed my eyes"
"Nyssa, why didn't you just wake me up?"
"You were asleep. Besides, you have that press conference today so you could use the sleep"
"I've gone without sleep many times before but you're practically killing yourself"
"I'm fine, really"
"Nys, it's been four days. You're not sleeping, you're barely eating and you've been pushing yourself too hard. You're going to end up hurting yourself" Oliver started "I'm calling Elena. You're staying here today"
"I can't stay here today" Nyssa said as she finally picked her head up "Nazaria wants me to finish a set of offensive maneuvers today and I'm supposed to be meeting the person that helped her get the death totem. From what I've heard, pissing them off couldn't prove useful to the league"
"I'll go then"
"How exactly would you get to Finiks Jurf?" Nyssa asked "It would take over thirty two hours just to get you there, but even then, you don't know how to run a league and would need to rely on Elena more than anything. She's got enough things to worry about…."
"And you don't?"
"I'm fine….please, just, leave it alone" Nyssa started "I'll go there, finish the day, come home, go out with the team tonight because it's my night to do the patrol, and finally get some sleep"
"I don't think this is going to work"
"I'll call if something goes wrong" Nyssa said as she stood up "You should go get dressed as well"
Oliver didn't really have time to respond before Nyssa started walking downstairs and into the basement. He glanced over to Caspian's pen and saw the dog was asleep, but when he looked closer, he saw that his eyes were only half closed, like he was still playing the game. Oliver just shook his head slightly as he started walking back up the stairs
When he got back into his room, Oliver picked up his phone and scrolled through the contacts until he found the one he was looking for. A couple rings went by before someone picked up
"Oliver! Good evening, or morning where you are" Elena said when she picked up "What's going on?"
"Elena, what's supposed to be happening today in Finiks Jurf?" Oliver asked
"Umm…we're dispatching the new commanders on their first missions, there's a friend of Nazaria's that's coming today to meet up with Nyssa, we're finishing up the formal alliance with the Celestial Order, there are some more EW experiments taking place, and I believe Nyssa's supposed to be catching up on some work with Nazaria" Elena replied "Why? What's going on?"
"Nyssa's being unreasonable again"
"How so?"
"It's been four days and she still hasn't got any sleep. She's going to end up hurting herself and I want her to stay here today, but she says there's too much she has to do"
"I told her to get some sleep! What was she doing?!"
"William took on the responsibility of watching his friend's large dog while he's out of town. The dog kept Nyssa up all night"
"And where were you?"
"Asleep….she didn't wake me up because she thinks my press conference is more important than her"
"Well shit…." Elena muttered "I already know for a fact that Nyssa's not going to listen to me if I tell her to stay home. I have a crazy idea but you are probably not going to like it….at all"
"The table's open"
"I can have Nazaria knock her out today while they're practicing"
"What?!" Oliver questioned "You have to be kidding me"
"It would seem like an accident but you know that Nyssa's not going to listen if we just 'talk' to her. This seems like the only way we can help her in secret"
"Wouldn't that just hurt her?"
"If done incorrectly, then yeah, but Nazaria knows what she's doing"
"If you think it will help her….." Oliver started, but then paused "Do it"
"You sure? I expected a bit more of an argument from you"
"You're right in the regards of her not listening and if we let her keep going, then she is going to hurt herself. I trust you won't screw this up but if you do, I'll be coming there myself"
"You wouldn't be you if you didn't" Elena started "Alright, I'll go deliver the message"
"Okay….thanks, I guess"
"No problem"
Oliver hung up the phone and just sighed as he went into his closet to find his business suit. When he was all dressed and ready to go, he made his way out of his own room and towards William's door
"William?" Oliver asked while lightly knocking "Are you up buddy?"
"Yeah, I'm up" William said as he opened the door, already dressed "Are you going to city hall?"
"Yeah. I don't get the day off like you do" Oliver chuckled "Are you going somewhere?"
"Yeah actually. Tom and I wanted to play with Caspian so I was going to meet up with him at the park just a few blocks away. Is that alright?"
"Sure, but why don't I just give you a ride there on the way to city hall? It may be easier"
"Okay, that works out. I'll get my things"
"Hey William"
"Yeah Dad?"
"When you get home later on, I need you to figure out a way to keep Caspian in his pen or crate overnight so he doesn't break out"
"Wait, why?"
"Caspian broke out last night and ended up keeping Mom up all night. I don't want something like that to happen again tonight"
"Okay, I'll call Jasper and see if he has any suggestions"
"Good. Meet me downstairs when you're ready"
Oliver walked down the stairs and stopped in his office to grab the things he would need at the office that day. Once everything was gathered, he started walking towards the kitchen to get coffee but when he got there, he noticed that Nyssa wasn't there. Oliver saw that the basement door was still cracked open so he walked towards it and down the stairs.
"Nyssa? You down here?" Oliver asked as he continued to walk down
"Yeah" Nyssa replied
Oliver jumped down from one of the stairs and saw Nyssa standing over one of the tables, reading over a map with Greek writing while tightening the strings on her bracer
"Are you going to be leaving soon?" Oliver asked
"Yeah. I heard you're leaving soon as well" Nyssa replied
"Right, and I'm dropping William off at the park where he's going to meet up with Tom. He's also going to bring Caspian with him"
"Thank god"
"You don't like the dog?"
"He would have destroyed the house if left alone" Nyssa replied "He's just a handful"
"Agreed. Are you going to come upstairs before you go?"
"I'm already running behind so not today" Nyssa said as she finally turned around "See you later tonight?"
"Yeah, see you later tonight" Oliver said before giving her a quick kiss "And Nys?"
"Yeah?"
"Be careful today….please?"
"I'm always careful" Nyssa said with a small smile as she started grabbing the few things she would need
"Right…" Oliver said as he started to turn around
As Oliver walked up the stairs, he could hear the sounds of Nyssa moving around downstairs, but thinking about it more only made him regret his choice. He knew that it would end up being good for her but now didn't think it was the best way to go about and try to fix the problem
-(=+=)-
Nyssa walked into the entrance hall of Finiks Jurf, only having been there for less than five minutes, when Elena spotted her and came running towards her
"Nyssa!" She called
"Hey" Nyssa greeted "I was just heading to the library. There's something I want to check up on for the expansion"
"Okay" Elena started "So how did you sleep last night?
"Fine….why?"
"Stop lying"
"I'm not"
"Oliver said differently"
"Oliver called you?"
"Yes"
"Well he's wrong"
"Oh?"
"I got an hour of sleep. I'm fine" Nyssa huffed "I have to go"
"By the way!" Elena called "Nazaria is going to be looking for you soon! She's off with the visitor right now but she'll be here within the next hour or so!"
"Got it" Nyssa replied
Elena sighed as she walked in the opposite direction, off to find Nazaria and remind her of the plan. Hopefully it would all go as planned
-(=+=)-
"Hey" Thea greeted as she took a seat across from Oliver at a small table in the lobby "I thought you got all that done"
"Just finishing up the last few things from that press conference. Quentin recommended that I get on this sooner rather than later" Oliver started "So you're still coming for thanksgiving tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah, I'll be there. Who else is coming?"
"So far it's Rene, Zoe, Curtis, you, maybe Quentin, and I wanted to invite three other people"
"Ooh, who are those people then?"
"It's a surprise, especially for you"
"Ugh! You and surprises!" Thea groaned "Well I need to head back upstairs. Unlike you, my lunch break comes later"
"Alright, I need to actually call those three and see if they can actually make it"
"Good luck with that. Hope it all goes well" Thea replied
Once Thea was gone, Oliver pulled out his phone and dialed the first number. The person on the other end picked up rather quickly and after a few minutes of talking, they accepted the invitation and gave a time they would be there. The second person was a bit harder to schedule with, but they accepted the invitation as well. The last person, by far, was going to be the hardest to invite. Oliver dialed a number that was all too familiar and waited a few moments before someone picked up
"Oliver?"
"Hey Lyla, I need to ask for a favor…."
After Oliver's call with Lyla, he got up from his chair, gathered the few papers he had brought down with him, and started walking towards the elevator. When the elevator doors opened up, Oliver saw Tarren standing inside
"Hello there Mr. Queen" Tarren greeted
"Afternoon Tarren" Oliver said as he also stepped into the elevator "Going to the fourteenth floor I see"
"Yeah, I need to bother Natalie for your schedule so we can actually plan how we disperse the detail" Tarren replied "You finished your lunch break?"
"Yeah. Just got done inviting a bunch of people to the house for thanksgiving tomorrow. Do you have any plans?"
"I'm going out of town to visit my parents and my siblings so it's going to be a pretty simple year. How about you? Sounds like you're having a big party"
"Oh yeah. We did this last year but now that we aren't in the penthouse, we can have a much bigger get together"
"Sounds pretty grand" Tarren said as the elevator dinged "Are you going to be attending the thanksgiving food drive earlier in the morning?"
"I wanted to, but Quentin said that it was something he wanted to do this year instead, so I let him take that role"
"Very generous of you. I remember that it was a highlight of your thanksgiving last year" Tarren started "Anyway, I need to go bother your assistant. You know where to find me if you need anything. Oh, and happy thanksgiving"
"Happy thanksgiving to you too" Oliver said before they split directions
As Tarren walked towards the desk where Natalie worked, Oliver walked down the hallway until he reached a frosted door with a plate that read ' -Deputy Mayor'. Oliver gave a light knock on the door and when he heard a voice inside, he opened it up and stepped inside
"Oliver" Quentin greeted "Didn't think I'd see you this early"
"It's only eleven" Oliver said with a small chuckle
"I know. Usually you're stuck in a meeting" Quentin replied "So what can I do you for?"
"I was actually hoping to do something for you" Oliver started "Nyssa and I are having a bunch of people over for Thanksgiving tomorrow and seeing as you don't really have anyone to celebrate with, I'd like to invite you"
"Wow, I'm flattered" Quentin said "Yes, I'd love to come on by. Who else did you invite?"
"Rene and Zoe, Curtis, Thea, Dakota-"
"Dakota? I've heard that name floating around but I've never actually met….him?"
"Yeah, him"
"Who is he exactly?"
"Nyssa's twin brother"
"Since when does Nyssa have a brother, or a twin for that matter"
"Since July. He's the one who crashed our wedding but it was all just a huge misunderstanding. He's actually a really nice guy and since this is he and Nyssa's first year back together, after being separated from birth, she wanted him to come on by"
"Well that's certainly nice. Anyone else?"
"Yes. There are two, maybe three, other people, but they're all a surprise"
"This must be a really important surprise for you not to tell me"
"You'll just have to wait and see" Oliver smiled "So I'll see you tomorrow then?"
"Yeah, I'll be there"
"Great, see you then"
-(=+=)-
Nyssa had just finished up her portion of research in the library along with the final placements for the news sections of Finiks Jurf. Now she actually had to give the information to Hayden, then it was off to get the new commanders dispatched after a final run through.
When she stepped into the main entrance of the hall, Nyssa saw three figures standing in the middle of the large, open area. She could easily tell that two of them were Elena and Nazaria, but the third one puzzled her slightly.
"Nyssa! Perfect timing!" Elena said as she started walking over "Look how convenient this is. I told you Nazaraia would come looking for you"
"I never doubted you" Nyssa said "So who's the visitor?"
"Well why don't you see for yourself"
Nyssa glanced at Elena suspiciously, but only got a small nudge from her. She started to walk closer to Nazaria and the visitor, who were in the middle of a conversation. As the light from the entrance started to decrease, Nyssa could easily tell that the visitor was a female from the figure. Nyssa couldn't help but notice that as she got closer, the figure familiarity seemed almost haunting, but when she was less than ten feet away, she understood why
"S-Sara….?!" Nyssa asked
"Hey Nys" Sara greeted with a small wave
"H-How…what-" Nyssa started, but didn't finish before Sara walked over to her and pulled her into a hug
"I missed you so much!" Sara said before she pulled away "I know it's only been about seven months but still"
"I missed you too" Nyssa said with a small smile
"Damn Nyssa, no offense, but you look terrible" Sara started "But you cut your hair. Looks good!"
"Just been busy. That's all" Nyssa replied "But what are you doing here? I thought you were off with the rest of the legends?"
"Well we successfully defeated Mallus and have started our next 'thing'. It's really something, but we all decided to work really hard the past week so we can all take Thanksgiving off to see our families" Sara replied "I was hoping to go to Star City to see my Dad, but I had some extra time so I figured I'd come here and see just what you've been up to"
"So did you take the Waverider here?"
"Yeah! I dropped everyone off and then flew the ship here. It's on your runway, hope you don't mind"
"No, it's fine" Nyssa replied
"Sooo, I've been given a tour of the place but Nazaria and Elena tell me you've been working on some things"
"They're correct in that sense"
"Okay then, want to spar?"
"You sure you want to do that?"
"Of course!" Sara said as she reached down to her boots and pulled out two halves to a bo staff "Which is why I brought these"
"Guess you weren't kidding" Nyssa chuckled
"Oh but fighting one, powerless, person would be too easy" Nazaria said with something that resembled a smirk "You versus Sara and I. You can only use the element of darkness"
"That almost seems unfair" Nyssa chuckled "Fine. I'll 'amuse' you both"
"Yeah, you go ahead and try Nys!" Sara laughed as she started walking towards the area where Nazaria and Nyssa usually spared
"You only get one shot at this, right?" Elena whispered to Nazaria from where they still stood
"Correct, or else she'll get suspicious" Nazaria whispered
"And did you tell Sara about the plan?"
"No. She'd object"
"What if she tries to protect Nyssa, even if you two are on the same team?"
"She won't. It will be too fast for her to try anything"
"Okay then. Go for it and please don't kill her"
"We have the waters. She won't die"
Elena nodded as Nazaria walked towards the sparring area while fixing the death totem near the center of her chest. She and Sara both took their stances on one side while Nyssa took her own on the other side.
"Best two out of three!" Sara called
"So be it!" Nyssa replied
Sara just smirked as she ran towards Nyssa with her bo staff at the ready. Nazaria hung back and took her own shot at Nyssa. Nazaria's gray and misty plume shot straight towards Nyssa, but she ducked out of the way and stood up in the perfect position right before Sara took a swing at her. Nyssa did her best to block Sara's hits with the staff, but had to fall back a bit when Nazaria kept throwing more hits at her. Sara finally swung her bo staff incredibly close to Nyssa's shoulder, but she jumped out of the way and kicked it out of the blonde's hand before it could come down on her. She barely had enough time to recover before Nazaria threw another shot at her, but Nyssa quickly blocked it with her own small plume of darkness
"Shit Nyssa" Sara said with a small laugh, mostly out of admiration "I didn't know you could do that"
"I've been learning some new tricks" Nyssa replied as she stood back up from her stance, making the small, black, plume disappear
"Quick on your feet. That's an improvement" Nazaria said "But we're still not done yet"
"I didn't expect us to" Nyssa breathed as she took another stance
Sara picked up her bo staff and went back so she was next to Nazaria, then took her stance. Nazaria glanced at Sara briefly before stepping forward and firing multiple plumes at Nyssa. Sara was about to step up, but then saw that she wouldn't be able to safely get to Nyssa with all the firing that was going on.
Nyssa countered all of Nazaria's incoming attacks with defensive moves that she had been taught the previous day. It was definitely easier than yesterday, but it was still a challenge to keep up. Nazaria saw that she was adapting to the fast pace and made it even faster. Instead of just avoiding the hits, Nyssa now had to incorporate the plumes of darkness into her own moves. As Nazaria's shots of silvery gray plumes can hurling towards her, Nyssa would throw her own shot at it and both would disappear in a smaller plume of smoke.
Nazaria was forced to step up her game a little, even though she was throwing almost two shots a second. She took a step forward and past Sara a bit. With some quick hand gestures forward, she sent a barrage of shots straight towards her opponent. Nyssa was already having a hard time as it was and now was barely able to keep up.
Nazaria watched carefully as Nyssa quickly countered all the shots, but just as the barrage was coming to an end, she released one more that was more forceful than the others. The silvery plume shot across the area in between them and without even slowing. Right as Nyssa had countered another hit, Nazaria's final shot hurled towards her and hit her right on the side of the head. The sudden impact sent Nyssa back a few feet into the air and within seconds, she was lying on the ground while holding her head
"Nyssa!" Sara shouted as she ran over to her
Elena looked over at Nazaria from the side before running in the same direction as Sara had.
"Nyssa! Nys, can you hear me?!" Sara asked while kneeling at her side
"Sara….!" Nyssa groaned "Just stop talking…"
"I'm sorry but I'm kind of worried about my friend" Sara said "How many fingers am I holding up?"
Nyssa opened one eye and looked at the fingers Sara was supposedly holding up, but only saw a blur. She tried to say something but even when she moved her mouth, no words escaped.
"Should we go find Saskia?" Nazaria asked
"I'm not sure if she's even here" Elena replied
"Do you think Zayn could help?"
Nyssa shifted her hand slightly and looked up at the three people that were talking with each other a few feet above. Their voices had just become one big fuzzy ring and to be completely honest, Nyssa didn't care what they were saying so she started to sit up
"Woah, Nys, what are you doing?" Sara asked as she put a hand on the brunette's shoulder
"I-I'm fine. I just….have to go-"
"No, you're not going anywhere" Sara started "If anything, we should make you stay lying down"
"That wouldn't help" Nyssa said as she pushed out of Sara's grasp and stood up "I have to go. This wasn't the only thing I had to get done today"
"I can do those things. You should go home and rest" Elena said "Because we all know you need that"
"You have enough you have to worry about. I've got it" Nyssa muttered, but then turned back around to face Sara "See you back in the city tomorrow?"
"Y-Yeah….?"
Nyssa turned back around and started walking towards one of the hallways that branched off from the entrance hall.
"I thought you said you'd knock her out!" Elena shouted, but in a whisper once Nyssa was out of the room
"That was the plan, but she may have partially blocked it. If it had hit her directly, then she would be unconscious" Nazaria explained
"Wait, you were trying to knock her out?!" Sara questioned
"It was for her own good" Elena started "She hasn't slept in four days and she would end up hurting herself if we didn't step in"
"And you didn't even think twice when you decided that the best course of action was to hurt her?!" Sara snapped "Honestly, who's idea was it? Who was that stupid?!"
"Ummm…." Elena started "It was my idea but Oliver's the one who agreed to it…."
"So Oliver's going around telling assassins to knock out their leader because they haven't got any sleep?" Sara asked in a rather annoyed tone "I know she's stubborn but wow….just wow"
Elena and Nazaria both watched as Sara furiously walked in the same direction Nyssa had after picking her bo staff up from the ground. Nazaria looked towards Elena once more before breaking off in another direction to attend to her own matters. Once both of them were gone, Elena pulled out her phone, dialed a number, and waited for someone to pick up
"Elena? What's going on? Did you do it?" Oliver asked when he picked up
"There was a complication and…." Elena started as she swallowed a small lump in her throat "We made it worse…."
-(=+=)-
Nyssa walked through the hallway on an upper level of the main hall. It was all a desperate attempt to get away but actually walking to her room was harder than she imagined. When she came to her room, Nyssa stumbled around the corner closed the door behind her. Once she was safely inside, Nyssa walked over to her bookshelf, where a vial of eternal water was kept. She picked it up and looked at the contents. There definitely wasn't enough to heal an internal head injury, but even if there was, it wouldn't be any good using it, as the water left the user fatigued depending on how much they used.
Nyssa put the vial back in its place on the shelf and walked over to the small table that was set up with a bowl full of water and a small towel. She did her best to soak the towel before bringing it to the left side of her head where she had been hit. While she held the towel in place, Nyssa used her free hand to grab her phone from her pocket in hopes of calling Oliver, but when she got to the keypad, all the numbers blurred together in unrecognizable patterns. A small groan escaped her lips as she set her phone down just in pure annoyance
"Nys?" A voice asked from outside the door "You in here?"
"Yeah…." Nyssa answered
Nyssa heard the door open up and someone walk inside, but didn't bother turning around to see who it was, especially when she saw some very familiar black boots from her peripheral vision
"Are you okay?" Sara asked as she came to Nyssa's left side
"I'll be fine"
"Even so" Sara started "Nyssa you have to stop this"
"Stop what?"
"Overworking yourself like this"
"I'm not overworking, I'm getting things done"
"By killing yourself in the process" Sara started "Look. I lead a team too, but we all know that it's important to take breaks every once in a while so we can be even more productive, but when's the last time you took an actual break from working?"
"Um…."
"Two months ago!" Sara said "Elena told me that for the past two months, you've come here every single day for some period of time but even when you went home, you're still working!"
"You try running a growing league with over a thousand assassins when you're given the task in a span of two minutes"
"And for that, you have my understanding but this is stupid! Oliver's the damn mayor and he gets more time off than you when he's got a city of 500,000 people to look after! But really, why are you doing this all on your own"
"I haven't"
"Really?"
"Elena, she's my second in command and we often split the tasks" Nyssa started "But she's five months pregnant with twins and can't work for more than an hour without needing to take a break. I don't want her hurting herself so that's why I've been working on my own"
"And by preserving her safety, you're killing yourself"
"What do you want me to do? Order a pregnant woman to work from dusk till dawn?"
"No, I want you to prioritize your wellbeing over the league"
"And if I do that, people. Will. Die"
"Then find someone else to run the league!"
"I physically can't!" Nyssa snapped "I've thought about it on more than one occasion, but literally no one here would be able to run it successfully and even if they could, I would need to hand over the actual title and sword. I've been training with it for over ten months and even I still don't have the hang of it after using each individual sword! Imagine what that would do to someone who just picked it up! Even if someone where safely able to take over, then what would I do? This has been what I've been working towards my entire life and to give it up just for a few inconveniences would be stupid!"
"Nyssa…."
"I have to go. You're welcome to stay here just….please don't get in my way"
Sara watched from the side as Nyssa put down the small towel and started walking towards the door, almost as if she didn't have any regret. As she walked, Sara continued to watch her feet and could have sworn she saw Nyssa trip up slightly after she walked out of the door. Obviously there was room for change
-(=+=)-
As the flames disappeared from around her feet, Nyssa stumbled to the side and ended up having to use the wall of the basement to support herself. She looked around at the basement with a pure expression of gratitude, especially since the day was over, but the work still needed to be done. Despite being at Finiks Jurf for the past thirteen hours, only two things reached near completion and they weren't even the most important things.
After getting changed out of her typical garb, Nyssa picked up her phone and saw that a text had come through from Oliver about an hour ago
'Little office emergency and I have to stay later. I'm really sorry! Should be home before 10' Was what the text read
Nyssa just texted back an 'Okay' before grabbing the things she needed from the table and walking upstairs. It was already seven o'clock and dark outside, so it was a bit strange to see that the house was empty. She knew that William was at Tom's house and would probably be home within the next hour, since that was usually the time he agreed to come home.
Once she was upstairs, Nyssa took a seat on the couch and unfolded one of the maps that had been kept in one of the thick notebooks. On a separate sheet of paper, a bunch of coordinates were listed for the new points in the expansion, but half of them still needed to be plotted. Since it wasn't exactly a quick task to complete, Nyssa put her head down and got to work
About an hour after she had got home, Nyssa perked her head up when she heard the front door unlocking. William stepped into the front door with Caspian on his leash, but once the door was closed, William unhooked the leash, allowing Caspian to have free roam of the house
"Um, William?" Nyssa asked "Why is Caspian off leash?"
"Oh yeah" William replied "I talked to Jasper today and explained the situation and he said it's all anxiety. Cas doesn't like new places and gets super anxious when he can't explore and deem if the place is safe or not. He said that if we just keep an eye on him while he explores a bit, it should fix the problem"
"Okay then"
"Tom and his family let me stay for dinner at their house so do you think I could go upstairs and play videogames for a bit?"
"Yeah, go ahead"
"Great, thanks!"
When William walked out of the room, Nyssa looked back down at her own 'little' project and realized just how much she hadn't got done. She knew for a fact that if she kept this pace up, she'd have to go back to Finiks Jurf tomorrow and probably stay later to get everything done, which also meant skipping Thanksgiving.
As she continued to work, Nyssa could feel herself nodding off but every time she felt her eyes get heavier, she would immediately snap back and try to keep herself awake
'Don't do it, don't do it' She repeated in her head over and over again
Eventually, Nyssa rested her arm on the arm of the couch to try and get a bit more support as she continued to work, but only found it helped for a few minutes before she started nodding off again. There was absolutely so way she was going to win this fight
-(=+=)-
Oliver walked up to the front door of the house with his bag in hand, along with the keys to the car. The sun had set hours ago and the lights near the front door were turned on, telling him that at least William was home. After unlocking the door and stepping inside, Oliver quickly took off his shoes, which had been pinching his feet all day, and started walking towards the kitchen. When he was about to cut through the living room, a small smile crept up his face when he saw Nyssa lying on the couch asleep, but what really made him smile was the fact that Caspian was on the couch too, using the side of her hip as a head rest.
As Oliver approached, Caspian opened his eyes and almost seemed to growl at him like he was protecting Nyssa, or like he knew he did something last night and wanted to make up for it.
"Cas, c'mon down" Oliver whispered with a small hand motion
Caspian looked at Oliver for a moment, like he was examining his conscience, but then jumped down from the couch. Oliver gently took the pencil from Nyssa's hand and set it on the coffee table along with the notebook she had been writing in. From just looking at the writing, he could tell that she had been having a really hard time staying awake
With those other things moved out of the way, Oliver stepped closer to the couch and lifted Nyssa up into his arms bridal style. He could hear her breath hitch slightly, but was thankful that she didn't wake up. As he carried her up the stairs and into their room, Oliver could hear Caspian following close behind but didn't do anything to stop him.
As he moved a lighter blanket over her shoulders once she was lying on the bed, Oliver glanced to his side and saw Caspian patiently sitting off to the side. When he realized he was being acknowledged, Caspian stepped up towards Oliver and made himself comfortable on the floor at Nyssa's side of the bed. Oliver just smiled slightly when he saw the dog wasn't making any attempt to jump up on the bed, so he didn't bother him any further. Instead, Oliver leaned down and kissed Nyssa's forehead before walking out of the room.
When he stepped into the hallway after closing the door, Oliver could hear the faint sounds of a video game coming from William's room, so he walked towards the door and peered inside
"Nate, don't you dare!" William said with a small laugh to the person who was on the other end of the skype call "Wait, hold on a sec"
Oliver stood in the doorway while William took off the small headset he was wearing and paused his game, giving his father his full attention
"Hi Dad"
"Hey buddy" Oliver greeted "Listen, I need to ask a small favor for tonight"
"Okay"
"Can you please turn all that off? Just for tonight. Mom hasn't got much sleep lately and she's finally fallen asleep. I don't want to wake her up"
"Yeah, no problem. I'll shut it off" William started "Oh, did you hear about Caspian?"
"No, I don't believe so"
"I called Jasper earlier this morning and told him what happened last night. He said that it's normal when Cas is in a new place and if you just let him explore a little bit, he'll feel more comfortable and his anxiety will go away. That's why he was off leash and not in his pen when you got home"
"Okay, that makes sense" Oliver started "But is it going to stay this way for tomorrow? Because there are going to be about nine other people here"
"Yeah, I'll make sure Cas behaves. By the way, have you seen Cas?"
"Yeah, he's actually sleeping on the floor in our room"
"Aw, that's cute" William said with a faint smile
"Anyway, it was supposed to be Mom's night doing city patrol but since she's asleep, I'm going to take her place. Can you please stay here and make sure nothing happens?"
"Sure! And if there is a threat, I can grab my axe and teach some people a lesson!"
"I'd rather have you use a gun if that did happen. You still need to work with the axe"
"And once I master that, I can go on the field, right?"
"When you're eighteen"
"I thought it was sixteen"
"I may have changed my mind"
"That's no fair! You said!"
"I'd rather have my son mad at me rather than dead" Oliver started "Besides, I think you'll get out there for sure, but I want you to be ready for anything. That level of-"
"Badass-ery" William chuckled
"Sure, that level of badassery can't be achieved in a couple months. It takes years"
"Fine, but I'll start with protecting a house"
"Which is a good place to start. I'll be back in a few hours. If you need anything, just call, alright?"
"Okay, see you in a bit"
-(=+=)-
Nyssa woke up to the sunlight pouring in through the large windows of the bedroom. On instinct, she brought her hand up to her eyes to try and block the sunlight while her eyes adjusted. At first glance, she didn't know where she was, but quickly realized that she was in her and Oliver's room. As she started to sit up, she caught sight of Caspian, who was still curled up on the floor, but he was definitely awake.
Caspian heard Nyssa's movements and lifted his head from the ground. Nyssa wasn't looking at him as she sung her legs off the bed and towards the floor, but Caspian was sure to avoid getting stepped on. While she was standing at the dresser, trying to comb through the small knots in her hair, Caspian walked over and sat on the floor next to Nyssa's legs. The jingle of the two tags on his collar caught Nyssa's attention and when she looked down at him, he looked up at her and wagged his tail
"Hey Cas" Nyssa greeted as she get him a scratch on the head, but Caspian leaned into it, telling her to keep going
Nyssa complied for a bit longer before she stood back up straight and walked into the bathroom. When she shut the door, Caspian patiently waited outside of it. After about fifteen minutes of being in there, the water from the shower shut off and Nyssa walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. Caspian remained where he had been waited until Nyssa was dressed and pulling her hair in a low bun
When she opened the door to the bedroom, Caspian followed her out and down the stairs. As she cut through the living room to get to the kitchen, Nyssa saw Oliver working on something at the counter, but he picked his head up as she approached and smiled
"You're awake" Oliver greeted "And you look a lot better"
"Thanks. How long was I out?" Nyssa asked as she took a seat at the counter
"I think about eleven hours, and Caspian was with you the whole time"
"Shoot, I didn't mean to fall asleep that long….or fall asleep at all" Nyssa said as she brushed a small piece of hair out of her face
"How's your head?"
"Lingering headache, but I'm fine"
"Yeah….sorry about that. It was…..kind of my fault…." Oliver said cautiously
"What do you mean? It was just a sparring accident"
"Not exactly" Oliver started "Yesterday, right before you left, I called Elena and told her what was going on. I told her I was worried you were going to hurt yourself so she proposed this crazy plan to have Nazaria 'accidentally' knock you out during sparring so you would be forced to actually get some rest. I thought it was going to work but I was still worried so when I got a call from Elena yesterday afternoon saying that you blocked the hit just barely and it wasn't enough to knock you down, I immediately regretted telling her to go through with that. I'm really sorry, I just didn't want to see you hurt yourself and I don't even know what I was thinking when I agreed to that plan"
"So you, Elena and Nazaria plotted to knock me out. Was Sara involved?"
"Sara?"
"Elena didn't tell you?"
"No….?"
"Sara and the rest of the legends are back and visiting their families for thanksgiving. She was going to come here and visit Quentin for a miniature thanksgiving meal or something like that"
"Oh, well I invited Quentin over here yesterday. I was going to tell you but when I came home, I found you asleep on the couch"
"So would you like me to invite Sara as well?"
"Well what kind of people would we be to not invite her?" Oliver asked
"Okay then. I'll tell her when I go to Finiks Jurf. Oh Hayden, Zayn, and Elena are all going to be hunting me down. I'm so far behind and I've only got about five hours to get two days of work done. This is going to be fun" Nyssa said in a rather annoyed tone as she got up from the stool
"Hold on a second Nys" Oliver said as he put his hand on her shoulder "You're not going anywhere. Not today"
"I need to get these things done, beloved. They can't be held off any longer" Nyssa said as she turned back around
"I know, which is why Elena, Andrew and I all did it for you"
"What do you mean?"
Oliver just smiled as he grabbed his phone off the counter and walked back over while scrolling through a list of recorded messages. He finally found the one he was looking for and hit the replay button
"Hey Nyssa, its Lena. Look, Oliver and I wanted to apologize for our stupid stunt yesterday and try to do something to fix it. I was able to get Andrew and Oliver's help with a list of things you had to have completed by the end of today and we were able to get it all done, which means you have the day off today! You deserve it so don't try and weasel your way out of this. Everything's fine here and you have nothing to worry about. Hopefully you'll take this opportunity to spend some time off with Oliver and William instead of worrying about us here. We'll all be happy to see you back Friday after getting some sleep! Happy Thanksgiving!"
"You guys….what?" Nyssa asked as Oliver put his phone back in his pocket
Oliver just smiled as he walked into the dining room and picked up Nyssa's notebook that she had been writing in the previous night. He flipped a few pages until he reached the page where she had been writing down a bunch of coordinates and had different points drawn out on a map, but now it was completed.
"Elena told me what needed to be done and it was rather easy to figure out from there" Oliver said "And I already got them off to Hayden so he's doing his part right now. Andrew and Zayn split the task of final run throughs with the new commanders, then got them dispatched. Elena focused on the final edits to the treaty between the league and the order. And finally, Zayn and Abigail oversaw all the experiments having to do with the pits"
"You guys actually….got it all done?" Nyssa asked "You did this for me?"
"Of course. I think it was going unspoken of how much you needed a break which is why we all got together to do this. Besides, you wouldn't want to be at the cliff and miss seeing Dakota, would you?"
"No, I wouldn't" Nyssa said while smile broke across her face "Thank you, thank you so much!"
"No need to thank me for anything" Oliver said as he wrapped his arms around her "I just want you to be happy"
"Well you certainly haven't failed at that" Nyssa said before pulling away "But if I'm not going to Finiks Jurf, then I need to call Sara and let her know of the change of plans, and apologize for how stupid I was being yesterday"
"Okay, I'm going to start prepping the turkey for cooking" Oliver said "Oh, and you're helping me with all of this"
"I wouldn't miss it"
-(=+=)-
"Hey Nys, I need you to try this" Oliver said as he dished up a small spoonful of mashed potatoes
"Try what-ahh, that" Nyssa said as she took the spoon from Oliver and put it in her mouth "Salt. You definitely need more salt"
"Really?"
"Try it"
"Shoot, now I taste it" Oliver said after swallowing his own bite "You're right. It's seriously lacking in salt"
"I'm getting good at this" Nyssa said with a small laugh
"Yes, definitely better" Oliver replied "That pasta dish you made last week was amazing"
"Thanks, I'll be sure to take note of that and maybe-" Nyssa started, but was stopped when there was a knock on the door "I've got a pretty good idea of who that is"
Nyssa set down the towel she had used to dry her hands and walked towards the front door. When she opened it up, a smile broke across her face at the sight of the dark brunette man standing outside
"Hey Sis" Dakota greeted "Am I early?"
"Just a bit, but come on in" Nyssa said as she stepped aside
"This place is nicer than I remember" Dakota said "Wait, what time was I supposed to be here?"
"Around three, but having the extra help for the next four hours will be very helpful" Nyssa smirked
"Hey Dakota!" Oliver greeted
"Afternoon Oliver. I see you two have been hard at work. Where's William? Shouldn't he be helping out too?" Dakota asked
"Nah, he's outside in the backyard playing with Caspian"
"Caspian?"
"His friend's dog that he's watching for the break" Oliver replied
"Ah, dog sitting" Dakota started "So what can I do to help?"
"Well we need to get started on the desserts and some other side dishes like the rolls-"
"Rolls? I'm great at making those. Want me to make some?" Dakota offered
"You know how to make rolls?" Nyssa questioned
"Oh yeah, from scratch. My caregiver taught me when I was eight. It's been something I've held onto for the past twenty five years or so"
"Go for it! We were just going to heat up some rolls we brought in bulk but I'm sure everyone would appreciate hand made much better" Oliver said
"Awesome! How many people are coming?" Dakota asked
"We need rolls for thirteen people total" Oliver answered
"Okay, three dozen it is!"
"Well this is certainly going to be a classy dinner" Nyssa smirked as she stalked up to Oliver's side "Can't wait to see how this all turns out, especially with your 'secret guests'"
"It's going to be fun, I can guarantee that"
-(=+=)-
"Okay, are we missing anything?" Oliver asked "We have all the sides and desserts made and the turkey's still cooking but I think we're missing something….."
"How about setting the table beloved?" Nyssa asked "Even Dakota remembered and this is his first thanksgiving"
"I can't believe you Oliver. I thought my brother-in-law would know better" Dakota teased
"I've been very occupied with the turkey and-" Oliver started, but didn't get to finish when there was a knock on the door
"I'll get it" Nyssa said as she started walking towards the door
When she opened it, a smile broke across Nyssa's face at the sight of the blonde waiting on the steps.
"Sara" Nyssa smiled "You came"
"Course I came" Sara laughed "I couldn't miss this, or seeing you after that really well-spoken apology. Wish I was recording it"
"Well come on in" Nyssa said with a small laugh as she stepped aside "Oliver, Dakota and I are working on the final preparations for the dinner since everyone should be arriving within the next half hour or so"
"And are we still doing that surprise thing with my dad?"
"If you'd like to, I can do something like that" Nyssa replied "But you'll need to hide until he gets here if you want to surprise everyone else"
"No problem! You've got a basement, right?"
"Yes we do"
"Great, that's my place. Does that-" Sara said, but was interrupted by the door
"Go!" Nyssa laughed as she pushed Sara towards the kitchen
"I'm going!" Sara laughed as she ran around the corner and into the kitchen "Hey Ollie!"
"Hey Sara" Oliver laughed as she sped down into the basement
"Who's that?" Dakota asked
"Nyssa's old ex and our close friend"
"Ahh, makes sense" Dakota chuckled
"Hey hos!" Rene said as he, Curtis, Zoe and Nyssa all walked into the kitchen "Dang, you guys went all out!"
"We wanted it to be nice" Oliver said
"Mr. Queen, is William here?" Zoe asked
"Yeah, he's outside in the backyard with Caspian. If you walk out onto the deck and take the stairs to the right, it will lead you straight down to where he is" Oliver replied
"Great, thanks!" Zoe said as she sped off
"So who else are we expecting. This seems like a full house to me" Curtis said
"We're still waiting on Thea, Quentin, and two other people" Oliver replied
"Ah, well do you guys need any help with the table?" Rene asked
"I could use help with the silverware and napkin folding. I don't know how to do this!" Dakota said
"Oh, I know this!" Curtis said as he walked over "I used to be a waiter at a very high end restaurant in my later years of high school. They taught you a ton of stuff about everything a normal person wouldn't need to know and I forgot most of it but this stuck because my sister would make fun of it for-I'll stop rambling! Let me show you how to fold a napkin properly"
While Curtis, Rene, and Dakota all finished setting the table and Sara hid in the basement, Oliver and Nyssa both finished the final work on the food, which was all being prepared in a fashion that would impress some of the best chefs on Food Network. Around five minutes passed before there was another knock on the door. This time, Oliver went to answer it
"Speedy!" Oliver said when he opened the door "You're late!"
"Sorry, I couldn't find my shoe" Thea laughed as she walked inside "And I wasn't about to drive barefoot"
"The struggles" Oliver chuckled "Right now we're all just lingering. We're still waiting on three people"
"Sounds good" Thea said before they turned the corner "Woah! Look at this place! It's like a food wonderland!"
"We've been working since nine" Nyssa said as she walked around the island of the kitchen "And I actually learned how to make a pie"
"We'll I'll be the judge of how good it is" Thea said, then turned towards Oliver "By the way, I saw Quentin behind me a few cars when I was driving here. He should be here soon, but he may have been caught in traffic"
"This is why you shouldn't have moved all the way out here!" Curtis laughed
"But the views are stunning" Nyssa said "We get to see the city scape from our deck and also have the luxury of a huge backyard"
"That I'm building a pool in" Oliver added
"Since when did you decide to build a pool?" Dakota asked
"Since I discovered just how much extra money we had from not paying rent every month. Just three months of rent would pay off a pool, but we're also putting a fence up around the yard and maybe some additional pathways" Oliver replied
"Dang, you guys are going all out" Rene said "Guess who's house is going to be used to hold parties when you two are out of town"
"William's a good kid. I doubt he'd throw a party" Oliver chuckled
"And even if he did, there are some certain privileges that we would be able to take away" Nyssa added
"Oh yeah, those would really get to him" Oliver chuckled
Before anyone else could answer, another knock came from the front door. Oliver broke away from the group and when he opened the door, he saw Quentin standing on the doorsteps
"Hey Oliver" Quentin greeted "Hope I'm not late"
"Don't worry, you're just fine" Oliver replied
Nyssa heard Quentin's voice from the kitchen and quickly walked into the dining room. She walked past the basement door and very subtly, she tapped the bottom edge with her foot three times, then walked over to help Dakota with the final glass placements.
"So are we going to watch the game tonight?" Rene asked "I'm a man of hockey, but I've heard that the football game is going to be good tonight"
"Who's playing?" Quentin asked
"Seattle Seahawks and the 49ers" Curtis said "I'm actually looking forward to it too"
"Well how about we get it started" Oliver said "Rene, the remotes in the first drawer"
"But before we do" Nyssa started, grabbing everyone's attention "We have a little surprise for you Quentin"
"Oh?"
"Surprise!" Sara said as she jumped out from around the corner
"Sara!" Quentin remarked happily as he walked over "I didn't think you'd come here!"
"We all worked really hard the past week so we could spend thanksgiving with our families" Sara replied "I was actually in Finiks Jurf bothering Nyssa yesterday"
"Are you going to be sticking around longer than tonight?" Quentin asked
"Oh yeah! I've got the rest of the week!" Sara smiled "Now you guys are wasting time! There's a game on so why isn't the TV turned on yet?"
"We're going, we're going blondie" Rene laughed as he started flipping through the channels
While everyone else took the spots on the couches, Oliver and Nyssa both brought over stools from the counter and sat on those while watching the game. It wasn't even two minutes in when the whole group had divided into teams and started placing bets on who would win
"Okay! We've got Curtis, Thea, and Quentin on the Seahawks leaving Me and Sara on the 49ers. Dakota, where do you stand?" Rene asked
"I don't know! I've never seen this game before! I'm from Tajikistan for crying out loud!" Dakota laughed
"Pick the 49ers with Nyssa and I!" Oliver advised "There's money on the table so we have to play well!"
"Okay, I'm going with the 49ers!" Dakota announced
"Final bets are in! Whichever team wins splits the pot!" Rene announced
As the rest of the group went on to cheering on their teams, Oliver wrapped his arm around Nyssa's shoulders, bring her closer to his side. They weren't able to stay like that for long before Oliver's phone vibrated in his pocket.
"Hey Nys" Oliver whispered as he showed her the text "Play along?"
"Of course. Think they'll be here-" Nyssa smirked, but didn't finish before there was a knock on the door
"Hey Speedy" Oliver said, catching Thea's attention "Can you get the door?"
"Uh, sure" Thea said as she got up
Thea walked towards the front door and didn't look outside before she opened it. When she did open it, a huge smile broke across her face
"Roy!" Thea exclaimed happily as she launched herself into the man's arms
"Hey Thea" Roy said as he pulled her closer into his arms "I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too" Thea said before she pulled away "What are you doing here? Wait, did Ollie put you up to this?"
"He invited me here to surprise you if that's what you mean" Roy smiled "Is that alright?"
"More than alright! It's like Christmas!" Thea laughed "Want to come in?"
"I'd love to"
"Roy" Quentin said "Good to see you're back in town"
"Good to be back sir" Roy replied, then looked over towards Oliver who had a smug smirk on his face "Thank you for inviting me here Oliver"
"Not a problem at all" Oliver said "Besides, you make Thea happy and I think she could use this"
"We're watching the game while placing bets" Thea explained "Care to get in on it?"
"Oh you know I would" Roy chuckled as he sat down on the couch with Thea
"One down, two to go" Nyssa whispered "When's the second one going to be here?"
"Give it about ten minutes. He had to travel quite a way" Oliver whispered back
"I bet"
While the minutes passed by and the groups continued to cheer for their teams, the sliding glass door that led to the deck opened up. Both William and Zoe walked inside, laughing, as Caspian followed them inside.
"Woah, lots of people in here" William said
"No kidding" Zoe replied
"Hey, you guys got a dog?" Roy asked
"Nah. I'm just watching him while my friend's out of town" William replied "His name's Caspian, but we call him Cas"
"Hey Cas, come here" Roy said in a playful voice
Caspian immediately walked over towards Roy and was greeted by a bunch of scratches around the head and neck. It wasn't even a minute later when Caspian was on his back asking for a belly rub
"Wow, that dog loves you" Thea laughed as Roy continued to mess with Caspian's feet
"I hope so! He's pretty cute" Roy replied "And he seems pretty well behaved"
"Yes, very well behaved" Nyssa smirked
Another few minutes passed before another knock came from the front door. This time, Oliver got up while everyone else continued to watch the game. When he came to the door, Oliver pushed down on the handle and pulled it open. There standing on the steps was a man in his middle ages with dark gray hair, a strong build, and an eye patch that covered his right eye
"Hey kid"
"Slade"