Even MORE Trouble With Summons
By Dixxy
"All right, Norris, I'll see your fifteen and raise you twenty!" Karsh said, laying the thirty-five gold pieces on the table. He, the former Porre Commander, and the Einlanzer Brothers (which was a nickname Dario and Glenn had recently "earned") had decided to have a classic poker night. The four were gathered in Dario and Glenn's old cabin around the kitchen table. All four men had brought as many gold pieces as they were willing to part with, and, as Karsh suggested, "a few layers of clothing in case the game goes strip".
The author paused to think about this prospect.
Norris looked at his cards, at the center of the table, and then back up at Karsh, who looked VERY confident in his cards. Dario (who happened to be the dealer and who happened to be wearing a green poker visor) was also studying his cards, scratching his chin as he looked on. Glenn was biting his bottom lip, also trying to make a decision.
"What the hell? I'll win it back later," said Norris. "Dario? Glenn?"
"Fold," said Dario, tossing down his cards."
"Ditto," said Glenn, following his brother's suit.
"Whaddaya got, Nor, or do you want to place another bet?" he said, raising an eyebrow.
"I'll see your twenty and raise you twenty-five!"
"Twenty five seen, raise you another THIRTY!"
"Okay, I'll see your thirty- and as much as I've LOVE to see you strip, I'm going to stop right now," Norris said with a grin. The brothers whistled, watching as their two friends glared at each other. The former Porre officer flipped over his hands, proudly showing off a hand with an ace and four nines. "Beat that, hot shot?"
Karsh snickered. "Oh? I think I hear the toilet flushing, Norris. Yes, that's right, it's a very ROYAL FLUSH for you, my friend!" the ax-wielding Deva said, slapping down the highest scoring hand in the entire game. Dario and Glenn gave Norris a slightly pained look at the color drained from his face.
"How the hell. . .?" was all he could say as he watched Karsh happily bring the pile of money his way. He shook his fine. "I suppose that's just as well, but I'm not finished with you yet. Dario? Glenn? Are you with me on this? Or are we going to let him gloat about this around Termina for the next week?"
"All right, but it will be every man for himself," said Dario, placing a coin in the center of the table. Taking the cards, he began to shuffle and laid down the rules once again. "Ante up, gentlemen. Same as the last games- swords are trumps, joker is wild, and winner take all unless there is a tie."
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!!!"
"YELLOW-BELLY!!!"
Glenn suddenly whimpered. "Oh NO! Not THEM!"
"WE'LL SAVE YOU!!!"
The cabin was suddenly torn apart by a sudden gust of wind that was littered with leaves. A scream, the sounds of chairs smashing, and some flashes of green magic passed before the storm died down. Norris was lying unconscious on the floor with the two Green summons standing over him.
"NORRIS!!" Karsh cried out, rushing to his friend's side. "Norris, speak to me!" Karsh quickly put a hand to his friend's neck, searching for a pulse- two Green summons versus a Yellow innate COULDN'T be a good thing. Much to his relief, Norris still had a very strong pulse.
"What did you do that for!?" Dario asked. "Who are you, anyways!?"
"Sonja and Genie, the two Green summons. They, uh, have a little, well, crush, if you'd like to call it that, on Glenn," said Karsh, still cradling Norris' unconscious form in his lap. "I briefly had a thing for them, but. . . eh, Orlha's better looking, anyways. A lot nicer, too."
The two Green summons stared at Karsh dangerously. The purple haired Deva groaned, closing his eyes as he waited for HIS beating to commence. A gust of wind and leaves later, Karsh had joined Norris in La-La Land, leaving the summons at the mercy of the Einlanzer Brothers.
Speaking of whom, the sons of Garai had drawn their respective Einlanzers and were holding them at bay. Dario narrowed his eyes at the summons. "All right, you two- would you explain to me WHAT is going on here and WHY you just attacked Karsh and Norris? I need to win a few hundred gold back from them and I cannot do that if they are unconscious!"
"Genie. . . Sonja. . . please. . . I have a girlfriend now," said Glenn. The two summons looked at him in interest, Genie's pigtails floating behind her as Sonja's wings beat behind her. Both summons looked unhappy with the news. Glenn continued, hoping to get somewhere. "You see, I REALLY like Leena- sorry, but I'm taken. But you know, I'm sure you'll find someone else. Give it a few years and I'm sure Van will be QUITE eligible!"
"This 'Leena' is NOT worthy of you!" said Sonja. "I bet she isn't even a Green innate!"
"She isn't- she's Blue," said Glenn. "But that doesn't matter! She makes me happy!"
"We could make you happier!" said Genie. She pointed at Norris and Karsh and nodded enthusiastically. "See? We knocked out the Yellow innate before he could hurt you and we also knocked out the annoying loud-mouth with the ax." Sonja nodded with her fellow summon, both looking VERY proud of themselves.
"While I will agree with you that Karsh can get loud sometimes, that is no reason to knock him unconscious!" said Dario. "It is also unnecessary to knock Norris out- he had no such intent. The purpose of this night was to play a friendly game of cards and perhaps go out to the bar later. Would you please leave?"
The two summons decided to not listen. Rather, the rushed towards Glenn. Dario blinked and surprise, then turned to see that they had his little brother pinned to the opposite wall. The dirty blonde was squirming to get away as both females tried to talk to him, a very frightened look in his eyes. "Dario, HELP ME!!!"
Dario shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF MY BABY BROTHER, YOU STUPID SUMMONS!!!" he cried out. With a heroic war cry, Dario charged at the two summons, waving his Einlanzer around wildly in an attempt to get them to leave him.
Genie raised a hand and rolled her eyes, blowing the leader of the Devas into the opposite wall. With a crash, Dario fell to the floor. "Ooo. . . no General, I believe it was Marcy who broke the training dummy by the dragon stable. . ." And then he, too, was unconscious in the slowly growing pile of unconscious people.
"HELP!!!" Glenn screamed, still trying to get away. He had long before dropped his Einlanzer, the blade lying several feet away from where he stood pinned to the wall. Even so, he was desperately reaching for it. All he had to do was scare the summons away, then everyone would be all right.
Assuming that he could do that.
~
After tying making sure Glenn wouldn't run away, the two summons locked the other three poker players in the back shed. The knight rolled his eyes- this sucked. He knew Sonja and Genie all-too-well- more than likely they'd try to marry him or something to that effect.
This time I'm going to escape myself! Glenn thought to himself. Now, if I wasn't tied to a chair this would be a LOT easier. He looked behind him to see the vines he'd been tied with. Maybe if I twist my wrists enough they'll come loose, he mused. This doesn't look like the same knot from last time, anyways.
Yeesh, there shouldn't have even been a FIRST time!
Thoughts aside, Glenn began to twist his wrists in an attempt to free himself. Much to his pleasure, he could feel the vines beginning to loosen. Within a minute, Glenn was holding the vines up in triumph. He tossed them aside and began to untie his ankles, which was proving to be MUCH easier as his hands were free.
As he was doing this, his mind was running ablaze. If his brain were a hamster wheel, the hamster would be running like its little life depended on it. What could he do to rid himself of the two summons' for a while? As much as he appreciated their abilities in battle, he REALLY didn't want to get involved with them. Despite what Radius' views on the situation where, he wanted to settle down with a normal girl (like Leena), not a crazy summon (like Sonja or Genie).
Glenn sat up, biting his bottom lip as he started to think. Part of him considered making a break for it, but then he remembered that the summons both had the ability to fly and, for the time being, running was a futile effort. He'd just be dragged back to wherever they decided to keep him and, considering Serge's quest was over, there was no chance he'd accidentally be stumbled apon.
It was around this time that he got an idea.
~
"You know. . . isn't Leena the name of that red-headed Blue innate that was traveling with that Serge guy?" said Sonja, who was adding the finishing touches to the vines holding the shed they had locked the other three in closed. Once she was satisfied, she and her fellow summon began walking back towards the cabin where they had left their knight in leather armor.
"Yeah. . . but why would he want someone like HER?" said Genie. "She's just a human!"
"And she isn't as pretty as we are!"
"Or as powerful!"
"Or even of the innate color Green!"
"Or worthy of him!"
The two summons reached the door to the cabin and went inside, still discussing ridiculous reasons why they didn't approve of Glenn's relationship with someone other than the two of them. The idea disgusted them- he deserved MUCH better than her! He was GLENN after all!
As they walked in, they found Glenn sitting on one of the two beds in the main room, polishing his Einlanzer with mild interest. Both stopped in their tracks, staring at the knight in shock. Hadn't they tied him up? Why was he free? And, if he was free, why hadn't he run like the last ten times they'd tied him up?
Slowly, Glenn looked up. "Oh. Hello Sonja, hello Genie," he said calmly.
The two summons slowly turned to each other, the same thought on their minds.
What is he up to?
Glenn cleared his throat. "You know, I thought about what you two said."
"Said about what?" Genie asked.
"You know, about me and you guys," said Glenn. "You wouldn't make bad wives."
Sonja squealed with delight, jumping up and down and clapping her hands excitedly as she dove on the bed next to Glenn, sitting up straight with her hands in her lap and a smile on her face. "Are you serious!?" Glenn nodded. Sonja squealed again, bouncing on the bed.
Genie sat on his other side, making sure that one of her pigtails wrapped around his shoulders. Glenn carefully removed the offensive hair. "What do you mean by that, Glenn? Considering how opposed you were to having one of us despite our impressive qualifications, why has your opinion changed?"
"I've been thinking, that's all," he said, crossing one leg over the other and folding his arms. He lifted one arm and raised a finger, tracing circles in the air. "However, I only want to have ONE wife- two wives is just too much to support financially. Imagine the grocery bill once we start having children!"
The summons squealed with delight- perhaps he WAS coming around after all!
"But I only want the BEST of you," he said. The two summons leaned in closer. Glenn nodded, his smile growing. "So, I've decided that the one who gets to marry me has to complete a simple task. Whoever does it first gets to marry me. Does that sound fair to the two of you?"
Sonja and Genie nodded enthusiastically.
"All right. Now listen up. . ."
~
Rapt. Rapt. Rapt.
A very grumpy girl sat up in bed, blinking as she turned her attention to the clock on her wall. "One o'clock in the morning? Who's up at this ridiculous hour of the day throwing pebbles at my window?" Leena grumbled to himself as she got out of bed and walked over to her window. She opened it and stuck her head outside.
"Leena?"
Leena looked down and, much to her surprise, saw Glenn standing below her window with a knapsack over one shoulder and a sleeping bag under his arm. Seeing she was awake, her boyfriend waved cheerfully. The Arni native was not so cheerful. "Glenn? What the hell are you doing outside my window at one o'clock in the morning?"
"Can I crash here tonight?" he asked.
"Why?"
"It's a long story," said Glenn. He tilted his head slightly. "Please?"
Leena sighed heavily. "All right, but you WILL be sleeping on the floor- my mother will have a cow if she sees you in my bed," she said. Glenn nodded, carefully making his way up to her window. "Now that you've disturbed my beauty sleep, mind telling me what's brought you all the way from Termina down here in Arni?"
~
"KID!!! I LOVE YOU! DON'TCHA SEE WE'RE MEANT TO BE!?"
"GET AWAY FROM ME YOU STUPID CHICKEN HAWK!" Kid screamed as Korcha chased her down one of the makeshift Guldovian streets. The Radical Dreamer was NOT pleased with her situation- she did NOT like Korcha, even if he DID help save her life. He was just too. . . obsessive. . . for her tastes.
Kid had gone to sleep in her room in Serge's house, yet strangely enough had woken up on the floor in Korcha's room. She REALLY had no idea how she'd gotten there or why, but when she tried to escape, Korcha had woken up and taken it as a declaration of love. From there Kid had begun to run away, Korcha in hot pursuit.
From up above, sitting on a rooftop of one of the Guldovian houses, sat Sonja, who was rubbing her hands together in what she hoped was triumph. "Yes, Glenn, my love, one Korcha and Kid are married then you and I shall be married! We were meant to be together, my sweet!"
"Not if I get them married first! Then Glenn will be married to ME!"
"No way, Genie!" Sonja said, turning to the other Green summon. "I'm already half-way there! See? Korcha seems to really like Kid! Just look at him! He's talking about how beautiful their children will be!" She sighed happily. "But they won't be as beautiful as the children Glenn and I have!"
Genie snorted. "Ha! Once they tire out I'M going to lock them in a closet!"
"Oh yeah? Well I'M going to set up a romantic dinner for two!"
"I'M going to send them on a cruise around the world!"
"I'M going to have Korcha recite poetry!"
"I'M going to put Kid in a wedding dress!"
And on they continued.
~
Meanwhile, in the shed behind Dario and Glenn's cabin. . .
~
"Hello?" Dario called through the locked door of the shed. He knocked a little, waiting for a response. "Glenn? Little brother? Are you out there?" The Deva knocked again. "Zappa? Zippa? Little ones? It's getting REALLY cramped in here and we'd like to get out of here!"
"We can't move! This is quite uncomfortable!" Norris added.
"MA! DA! CAN YE GET US OUT OF HERE!?" Karsh yelled. "HELP US!!!"
"HELP!!!"
~
AN: For those who didn't get it, the point of the scene in Guldove is that Glenn asked Sonja and Genie to perform an impossible task- that of convincing Korcha and Kid to marry. Chicken Hawk doesn't have a snow ball's chance in Hell. For that matter, neither do Sonja and Genie. Glenn is in Arni because if the summons don't get him, Kid will.