"Oh, for cryin' out loud, it's just a little wind comin' down th' chimney. No need to scream.... Ahh!" As the candles are relit by George and Numair, it is revealed that the limp body of Daine lies on the floor. Everyone is paralyzed. Suddenly, Daine lifts her head a little, grinning.
"Hee hee, I got killed."
"Daine, shh!, you're supposed to be dead." Thayet puts her hands on her hips, eyes dancing.
"Oh yeah..."
"Duh."
"Hey, do I have to stay like this all night?"
"Yes, now be dead already."
Numair clears his throat. "Um, perhaps we should go have some dinner now..."
"Whatt're we having?" Myles asks excitedly.
"Is it macaroni and cheese???" John questions.
"No, it's not macaroni and cheese." Numair rolls his eyes "Just come on..."
They collectively retire to the dining room, where a grand feast is laid before them. Numair converses with a servant breifly before seating himself at the head of the table.
"So, who do ya'll think did it?"
"Geor-I mean Baron green. He's the only one that was up when the lights came on," accuses Myles....I mean Sir Plum.
"Hey, I didn't do it!"
"How do we know that?" counters Thayet.
"Well...err....um..."
"Yeah, uh-huh."
"Can't we just eat and-" Jon is cut off as he falls flat into his bowl of onion soup. Everybody laughs, but when he doesn't move for a while the laughter fades. Thayet rushes to his side to check for a pulse.
"Mithros! He's really dead!!! Oh, my poor Jonny poo...... poisoned!!!"
"Jonny poo?" The entire table stifles giggles.
"But, I thought no one was really supposed to die...I mean Daine didn't....." Alanna trails off.
"Goddess, Daine!" Numair runs from the room, the rest on his heels in an instant. Everyone crowds the doorway of the sitting room, only to find that Daine is no longer there.
"Well, maybe she went to find somewhere else to sit...." Suggests George.
"Anywho, would anyone care for dessert?" A chorus of "no thank you's" and no ways" are Numair's answer. It seems that everyone has suddenly lost their appetite.
"Wait, why don't we all sit down and think about this..." says Alanna.
"Sit down?!? And wait for someone else to die? What are you, nuts?!?"
"Calm down Thayet..."
"Well, I'm with her. I think we should go look for Daine!" says Myles.
"Yeah," adds Thayet.
"All right then. But where would she go?" Alanna asks.
"I know! To the stables, to be with Cloud!" Numair again hurries out of the room, followed by the others. When they reach the stables, they find Cloud asleep, and alone, in her stall.
"Mebbe she saw that Cloud was asleep and didn't want to wake her?" suggests Thayet.
"Good notion, Queen Diamond!" This time it is Alanna who is first out the door.
"Where are you going?" shouts Numair.
"To your library!"
"Oh."
The library is musty and silent when they reach it. The guests start to search, frequently calling out Daine's name, and tearing through the sitting areas scattered about the library. But, alas, when they have covered every square inch of the place, Daine has still not been found. Everyone meets by the doorway, looking haggard and hopeless.
"Now what?" mutters George.
"Finish dinner?" says Numair.
"Nah."
"Keep searching?"
"Maybe later."
"Ok, how about we go get My husband's head out of that onion soup?!?" Thayet says, almost yelling.
"That's the best idea I've heard all night." They all trudge down the stairs, their heads filled with thoughts of death and futility.
"Hee hee, I got killed."
"Daine, shh!, you're supposed to be dead." Thayet puts her hands on her hips, eyes dancing.
"Oh yeah..."
"Duh."
"Hey, do I have to stay like this all night?"
"Yes, now be dead already."
Numair clears his throat. "Um, perhaps we should go have some dinner now..."
"Whatt're we having?" Myles asks excitedly.
"Is it macaroni and cheese???" John questions.
"No, it's not macaroni and cheese." Numair rolls his eyes "Just come on..."
They collectively retire to the dining room, where a grand feast is laid before them. Numair converses with a servant breifly before seating himself at the head of the table.
"So, who do ya'll think did it?"
"Geor-I mean Baron green. He's the only one that was up when the lights came on," accuses Myles....I mean Sir Plum.
"Hey, I didn't do it!"
"How do we know that?" counters Thayet.
"Well...err....um..."
"Yeah, uh-huh."
"Can't we just eat and-" Jon is cut off as he falls flat into his bowl of onion soup. Everybody laughs, but when he doesn't move for a while the laughter fades. Thayet rushes to his side to check for a pulse.
"Mithros! He's really dead!!! Oh, my poor Jonny poo...... poisoned!!!"
"Jonny poo?" The entire table stifles giggles.
"But, I thought no one was really supposed to die...I mean Daine didn't....." Alanna trails off.
"Goddess, Daine!" Numair runs from the room, the rest on his heels in an instant. Everyone crowds the doorway of the sitting room, only to find that Daine is no longer there.
"Well, maybe she went to find somewhere else to sit...." Suggests George.
"Anywho, would anyone care for dessert?" A chorus of "no thank you's" and no ways" are Numair's answer. It seems that everyone has suddenly lost their appetite.
"Wait, why don't we all sit down and think about this..." says Alanna.
"Sit down?!? And wait for someone else to die? What are you, nuts?!?"
"Calm down Thayet..."
"Well, I'm with her. I think we should go look for Daine!" says Myles.
"Yeah," adds Thayet.
"All right then. But where would she go?" Alanna asks.
"I know! To the stables, to be with Cloud!" Numair again hurries out of the room, followed by the others. When they reach the stables, they find Cloud asleep, and alone, in her stall.
"Mebbe she saw that Cloud was asleep and didn't want to wake her?" suggests Thayet.
"Good notion, Queen Diamond!" This time it is Alanna who is first out the door.
"Where are you going?" shouts Numair.
"To your library!"
"Oh."
The library is musty and silent when they reach it. The guests start to search, frequently calling out Daine's name, and tearing through the sitting areas scattered about the library. But, alas, when they have covered every square inch of the place, Daine has still not been found. Everyone meets by the doorway, looking haggard and hopeless.
"Now what?" mutters George.
"Finish dinner?" says Numair.
"Nah."
"Keep searching?"
"Maybe later."
"Ok, how about we go get My husband's head out of that onion soup?!?" Thayet says, almost yelling.
"That's the best idea I've heard all night." They all trudge down the stairs, their heads filled with thoughts of death and futility.