-"Like the view?"
Startled, the female warrior, having been busy studying the surrounding lands from the top of the left guard tower, spun around, blade just barely halting at the throat of the black-skinned Lady of the Keep.
Gazing down at the blade, shimmering in the winter sun, the Drow did not appear to be all that impressed;
-"Nice. You don't have many friends, do you?"
-"I've only needed to care about 2 on any one occasion for the last 20 years. Every now and then, a few others mess up my style. Otherwise, it's a pretty safe bet that someone approaching me from behind is either very new to this…the place where I used to live, or of very little intelligence."
-"My, aren't we boastful!" Viconia grinned, somehow managing to be both menacing and companionable in doing so…
-"I've had it explained from most believable sources, Lady. I'd be happy to demonstrate…?"
-"The courtyard in a quarter of an hour."
Xena simply nodding, the dark elf jumped backwards off their tall perch, spinning upon landing, and giving a theatrical bow to the penned-in dogs, Looking up in surprise as the other woman dropped down beside her, equally light-footed.
Smirking at how equal in skill they appeared to be, the Lady of the Keep ran to get her adventurer's gear…this was going to be fun!
…
Fifteen minutes later, give or take a few seconds, the two fierce females returned, exiting through separate doors, decked up in equipment they both knew as intimately as only life-long users could know them.
Ignoring the minor amount of servants having gathered on the battlements, and equally uncaring that the Lord of the keep and his sister watched from the roof, they paid only minor heed to the fact that Minsc stood beneath, exactly between the doors, evidently having taken it upon himself to make sure the approaching affair did not get out of hand.
Momentarily stopping on opposite sides of the closed gate, they immediately started circling each other, stepping in close for an intentional miss every now and again, each occasionally complimenting the others skill with a casual grin, neither quite willing to be the aggressor.
-"She does not seem to be quite the Drow I know." Imoen commented, looking down at the combatants with the ease of one who would never have to fear the object of her attention. Throwing a glance over at her friend and brother, she gives a slight smile of amusement at his evident discomfort at the Drow's behavior…
-"I never told her to hold back…only take a closer look at what she attacks."
-"Well, I daresay she sure is trying to get a better look than most." The mage-thief quipped, as the two fighting below stepped apart once more.
-"And I can't very well tell her to "stop playing", now can I?"
-"No, that would not prove very hospitable at all." Imoen chuckled, before shouting;
-"Get at it, then!"
Momentarily glancing up, the warrior women smiled…
-"Holding back?" Xena queried, never ceasing her circling, yet ever decreasing the distance between them.
-"Why?" Viconia threw back, copying her "opponent" step for step; "we got the best healer in all of Amn at our disposal. Don't worry." The Drow concluded, grinning.
-"I won't." Came the reply, a dangerous light appearing in her eyes as her blade came, intent on getting it's favorite food…blood.
…
-"Phew! That was close." The spellcaster on the roof exclaimed, as hammer met blade for the umpteenth time.
Smiling wryly, her brother shook his head; "It's as if they're still playing at it…I'm pretty sure they can both do better…and neither appear tired…?"
-"Oh, yes. That would be me." Imoen smiled, apologetically; "Couldn't have either of them win because of the other fell asleep, now could we?"
"…granted," she then added, looking sideways at her fellow godchild with a grin; "They'll both be needing extensive bed-rest afterwards…"
-"Don't look at me like that! What the hells do you think I am?!?" Negrath demanded to know, turning toward her, the battle below momentarily forgotten.
-"A human male, married to a Drow." The mage replied casually, gazing royally down at the two in the courtyard;
-"I've seen people helplessly addicted to far worse things than that…"
Glancing at him, cheeks burning as he returned his attention to the "ring", she laughed out loud…
Torches having been lighted, the servants asleep, and Minsc chatting with his hamster, the two warriors, breathing hard despite Imoen's spells, had long ago resorted to the basic outbursts of angry predators, attack following attack almost without any thought of defense at all… .
One heavy hammer hitting the ground, Viconia shouted incoherently, withdrawing as she finally understood that the light in the other woman's eyes were not the mere joy of combat, but a thirst for conquest that made all possibility for the battle to end without deaths next to impossible.
-"She withdraws?!?" Imoen wondered, puzzled in the extreme. As far as she knew, the Drow would rather have fallen where she stood, dragging her opponent down with her had she not had direct orders to the opposite from someone she found worth obeying.
-"I should think the encounter would have ended upon one's retreat…" her childhood friend pondered, before bending over the wall to shout at Minsc…just as the large barbarian shot from beneath the overhang to grab the human by the hair, and put his blade to her throat, at the other end of the yard, reprimanding squeaks thrown back from the alcove of the gate- hole…
Viconia, held up against the gate pretty much by the swordpoint at her throat alone, wheezed a hoarse thanks, staring with uncharacteristic fear into the eyes of the previously so controlled warrior princess, who snarled at the ranger behind her, but kept perfectly still…evidently, her thirst for conquest did not blank out her knowledge of when to do what…or not.
Imoen lifting them both to the ground, Negrath hurried over to the frozen group, the mage smoothly freeing the Drow from her predicament intending to guide her to the master bedroom, while the Kensai grabbed Xena's hand, and plucked the blade from her suddenly limp digits.
Nodding at the barbarian, he watched as Minsc re-sheathed his sword, and shifted his grip to hold the woman's arms instead, face like a thundercloud; guest or not, one did not even try to hurt his friends without somehow regretting it, if he had anything to say in the matter…which he no doubt would have.
Studying the woman's face as the almost insane glare at him slowly diminished, Negrath found himself wondering what sort of life created such a strange warrior… "and a woman, of all things…" he thought shamefully, remembering in one instant several females who had either helped or hindered him immeasurably.
His guest going completely limp in the rangers hands, evidently barely able to keep her head up, he glanced down at her legs; exposed, sweat still drying in the torchlight, but appearing able to have gone on for several hours yet.
Noticing the detour of his eyes, she smiled tiredly;
-"You noticed that, did you?" she whispered, the moment before the aforementioned limbs flew up, giving a good shot at kicking him through the thick, weather-beaten wood of the gate.
With a roar, Minsc lifted her high overhead, turned around, and threw her forcefully at the inner wall.
Despite the damages the impact no doubt caused, she nevertheless grabbed her "round, killing thing" off it's holder, and tossed it straight at the ranger's head.
A sharp "squeak", and the large warrior, instead of meeting the whirling object with his blade, dove sideways, causing the thing to get stuck in the wood of the gate, mere inches above the Keep-lord's head, him having risen from having regained his breath, and spent what little healing ability he had on his inner wounds.
-"MINSC!" he yelled, seeing the Rashemite all but flying across the yard, hollering his charge…
The limp form by the wall lifted for another throw, the large man froze, standing still for a moment, before looking over his shoulder as Negrath approached;
-"No?"
Shaking his head so as to leave no doubt, the Kensai repeated the query as a statement; "No."
Arms shaking momentarily, unwilling to obey that particular decision, the ranger shifted grip on the woman, and turned to carry her inside…
…………
-"Quite the unusual one, are you not?" a gruff, female voice came from the corner of the familiar bedroom.
-"Ahhh, who…who…are you?" the warrior woman, once again prone in the bed, well aware of unmended bones and hundreds of small hurts, wondered.
-"Who I am is none of your concern." Was the decisive reply, leaving no room for discussion before the other moved on; "You may call me Jaheira. I'm here because of your somewhat peculiar resistance to the healing magics our little mageling has bathed you in. The magical residue when I entered the room, almost knocked me back out…and it takes a lot of spells to even make such an element noticeable to the most talented of mages…not that I am one. Have that perfectly clear."
-"Then how…"
-"Some would call me a lesser spellcaster. Personally, I would call it a different sort of spellcaster. Never mind that. Why did you almost kill Viconia, when you were only to test who were superior?"
-"…I don't want to talk about it." The patient-once-more mumbled, eyes turned inward, appearing unwilling to discuss the topic further.
-"Well, then this is not your day. I'm not leaving until you do."
A wry smile forming on her lips, Xena said nothing.
-"You had better start talking, warrior queen. I've been accused of being quite stubborn, and intend to not let you sleep until you talk."
-"Princess."
-"What?"
-"I'm called the Warrior Princess."
-"Then there do exist a queen?"
-"As far as I know, the only one to have claimed that title, is currently buried under a ton or two of rocks." The warrior grinned, somehow, sadly amused at the thought.
-"And you put her there?"
-"Yeah, it would appear to have been my turn back then."
-"…your turn?"
-"It's a little game I have with a friend of mine…we try to see who can cover the girl in rocks more often."
-"…???
I take it she is rather…peculiar, as well, then?"
-"You could say that…the friend I spoke of were once fool enough to let her eat an apple."
As the Druid's puzzlement grew even greater, the bed's occupant burst in laughter, a laughter which only unkind quality would appear to have been ingrained in the woman's voice. Clearly, she rarely had had need to speak anything softer than insults.
-"Now, listen…" Jaheira then growled, rising from her chair in the corner, moving to stand beside the bed;
-"I don't like being lied to…regardless of the amusement-value to the liar!"
-"No lies, no lies…it was also quite the "peculiar" -apple-, see?"
Blinking, then staring suspiciously into the other woman's calm, honest gaze, despite occasional chuckles, the druid returned to her chair, shaking her head…**what a odd place she must come from…** she thought, leaning back against the wall, waiting for the fellow fighter to continue talking…
-"She's immortal, the apple was of a -very- healthy tree, and she is who she is because of me…well, because of what almost killed your friend, to be specific."
Having made a brief, almost instinctive snort at the word "friend", Jaheira simply waited, arms across her chest, the perfect image of the sort of stoic impatience that would have been able to outlast the Realms, given the chance…
Sighing, Xena continued;
-"Her name is Callisto…and her only goal in life is pretty flexible…as long as it at all times includes my suffering…I killed her village.
No," she added as the druid opened her mouth to correct the fighter; "I killed -the village-. Razed it to the ground. The one so often buried in stony graves, yet not, is the only known survivor…She watched me, me, my sword, my horse, my armor, my face…kill her family. Personally.
Or," the patient smiles thinly, disbelieving her implied doubt; "at least, so she says…"
-"I can understand such a one would be intent on destroying your life…and may I assume she would need extensive training to beat you even then?"
-"It has been long indeed since I met an ordinary, human opponent I could not dance circles around, while chopping him apart."
-"Really?" the druid queried, patent sarcasm dripping from every letter.
-"…aside from the odd emperor of Rome."
-"…Rome?"
-"Never mind. You'll never get there, unless you follow me when I return…if I at all will be able to…and I most definitely must return swiftly."
-"Husband? Children?"
-"If only it was that easy…" the warrior sneered. Sitting up in bed with some difficulty, she explained;
"Callisto killed my son, and my closest companion back home is a woman."
-"Are you sure that none of your…connections followed you here?"
-"…no…"
-"Well, then. Let me get Imoen, and we'll soon have that little obstacle solved."
…
Looking about as the strange woman left in search of the odd female sorcerer, Xena could not but wonder;
Where was she?
Not anywhere she had previously been, though it fitted pretty much with some lands she had visited…none she had been anywhere near at the time of "travel", though…the details of that little event were still fuzzy in her mind…
When she had looked out at the surrounding lands earlier…when was that, anyway? Days ago? Hours?
Shaking her head, she continued her pondering on things tolerable…
When looking out beyond the walls of the Keep, she had almost expected her friends to come running up the road, eager to "save" her from the "fiends" that had "captured" her…even if it only had been Joxer…
Grinning to herself, she hummed a few lines of the "mighty" warrior's self- invented song, stopping when she found it brought tears to her eyes…as though it had been a memory of one she would never see again…
Leaning back onto the pillow, she sighed in wry amusement…that one would likely survive them all…
As she lay thus, remembering her friends, and wondering if they had indeed "traveled" with her, the door opened, and the woman in the curious robes sailed in, more fit to the profession of a royal fool than a mage…and the "doctor's" most expressive fingers led the warrior princess to believe she had also played around in the thieving arena…
-"So we're wondering where our friends are, do we?" Imoen quipped unnecessarily, moving to sit in empty air by the bed, and took Xena's hand.
Studying it intently, she suddenly gasped, lifting it for the warrior to see for herself;
-"Are you a human or a cat?!?"
Answers made void by the following chuckle as the she let go of Xena's hand, Imoen stood, and moved to the foot-end of the bed, closed her eyes…and stood perfectly still.
Lifting her hands a few moments later, the Chakram materializing as though from nothing, she gazed levelly at the woman in the bed;
-"Some of whom you are connected are indeed in this Realm…not all that far away, either…a few days march east is one, and two more yet another day's walk to the north-west.
Not all…equally friendly."
At this last, Imoen opened her eyes and looked at her patient with slightly anxious eyes;
-"As my magic seems not to accept you, and supposedly yours, as valid targets, I was wondering…would you be able to take your…less friendly friends?"
-"In a minute." Xena guaranteed, gesturing casually in dismissal of the mage's concern.
-"Should we gather them?"
-"If you like. I and my friends seem to get together whenever or wherever a large group is necessary, either way..." The warrior princess smiled humorously.
Startled, the female warrior, having been busy studying the surrounding lands from the top of the left guard tower, spun around, blade just barely halting at the throat of the black-skinned Lady of the Keep.
Gazing down at the blade, shimmering in the winter sun, the Drow did not appear to be all that impressed;
-"Nice. You don't have many friends, do you?"
-"I've only needed to care about 2 on any one occasion for the last 20 years. Every now and then, a few others mess up my style. Otherwise, it's a pretty safe bet that someone approaching me from behind is either very new to this…the place where I used to live, or of very little intelligence."
-"My, aren't we boastful!" Viconia grinned, somehow managing to be both menacing and companionable in doing so…
-"I've had it explained from most believable sources, Lady. I'd be happy to demonstrate…?"
-"The courtyard in a quarter of an hour."
Xena simply nodding, the dark elf jumped backwards off their tall perch, spinning upon landing, and giving a theatrical bow to the penned-in dogs, Looking up in surprise as the other woman dropped down beside her, equally light-footed.
Smirking at how equal in skill they appeared to be, the Lady of the Keep ran to get her adventurer's gear…this was going to be fun!
…
Fifteen minutes later, give or take a few seconds, the two fierce females returned, exiting through separate doors, decked up in equipment they both knew as intimately as only life-long users could know them.
Ignoring the minor amount of servants having gathered on the battlements, and equally uncaring that the Lord of the keep and his sister watched from the roof, they paid only minor heed to the fact that Minsc stood beneath, exactly between the doors, evidently having taken it upon himself to make sure the approaching affair did not get out of hand.
Momentarily stopping on opposite sides of the closed gate, they immediately started circling each other, stepping in close for an intentional miss every now and again, each occasionally complimenting the others skill with a casual grin, neither quite willing to be the aggressor.
-"She does not seem to be quite the Drow I know." Imoen commented, looking down at the combatants with the ease of one who would never have to fear the object of her attention. Throwing a glance over at her friend and brother, she gives a slight smile of amusement at his evident discomfort at the Drow's behavior…
-"I never told her to hold back…only take a closer look at what she attacks."
-"Well, I daresay she sure is trying to get a better look than most." The mage-thief quipped, as the two fighting below stepped apart once more.
-"And I can't very well tell her to "stop playing", now can I?"
-"No, that would not prove very hospitable at all." Imoen chuckled, before shouting;
-"Get at it, then!"
Momentarily glancing up, the warrior women smiled…
-"Holding back?" Xena queried, never ceasing her circling, yet ever decreasing the distance between them.
-"Why?" Viconia threw back, copying her "opponent" step for step; "we got the best healer in all of Amn at our disposal. Don't worry." The Drow concluded, grinning.
-"I won't." Came the reply, a dangerous light appearing in her eyes as her blade came, intent on getting it's favorite food…blood.
…
-"Phew! That was close." The spellcaster on the roof exclaimed, as hammer met blade for the umpteenth time.
Smiling wryly, her brother shook his head; "It's as if they're still playing at it…I'm pretty sure they can both do better…and neither appear tired…?"
-"Oh, yes. That would be me." Imoen smiled, apologetically; "Couldn't have either of them win because of the other fell asleep, now could we?"
"…granted," she then added, looking sideways at her fellow godchild with a grin; "They'll both be needing extensive bed-rest afterwards…"
-"Don't look at me like that! What the hells do you think I am?!?" Negrath demanded to know, turning toward her, the battle below momentarily forgotten.
-"A human male, married to a Drow." The mage replied casually, gazing royally down at the two in the courtyard;
-"I've seen people helplessly addicted to far worse things than that…"
Glancing at him, cheeks burning as he returned his attention to the "ring", she laughed out loud…
Torches having been lighted, the servants asleep, and Minsc chatting with his hamster, the two warriors, breathing hard despite Imoen's spells, had long ago resorted to the basic outbursts of angry predators, attack following attack almost without any thought of defense at all… .
One heavy hammer hitting the ground, Viconia shouted incoherently, withdrawing as she finally understood that the light in the other woman's eyes were not the mere joy of combat, but a thirst for conquest that made all possibility for the battle to end without deaths next to impossible.
-"She withdraws?!?" Imoen wondered, puzzled in the extreme. As far as she knew, the Drow would rather have fallen where she stood, dragging her opponent down with her had she not had direct orders to the opposite from someone she found worth obeying.
-"I should think the encounter would have ended upon one's retreat…" her childhood friend pondered, before bending over the wall to shout at Minsc…just as the large barbarian shot from beneath the overhang to grab the human by the hair, and put his blade to her throat, at the other end of the yard, reprimanding squeaks thrown back from the alcove of the gate- hole…
Viconia, held up against the gate pretty much by the swordpoint at her throat alone, wheezed a hoarse thanks, staring with uncharacteristic fear into the eyes of the previously so controlled warrior princess, who snarled at the ranger behind her, but kept perfectly still…evidently, her thirst for conquest did not blank out her knowledge of when to do what…or not.
Imoen lifting them both to the ground, Negrath hurried over to the frozen group, the mage smoothly freeing the Drow from her predicament intending to guide her to the master bedroom, while the Kensai grabbed Xena's hand, and plucked the blade from her suddenly limp digits.
Nodding at the barbarian, he watched as Minsc re-sheathed his sword, and shifted his grip to hold the woman's arms instead, face like a thundercloud; guest or not, one did not even try to hurt his friends without somehow regretting it, if he had anything to say in the matter…which he no doubt would have.
Studying the woman's face as the almost insane glare at him slowly diminished, Negrath found himself wondering what sort of life created such a strange warrior… "and a woman, of all things…" he thought shamefully, remembering in one instant several females who had either helped or hindered him immeasurably.
His guest going completely limp in the rangers hands, evidently barely able to keep her head up, he glanced down at her legs; exposed, sweat still drying in the torchlight, but appearing able to have gone on for several hours yet.
Noticing the detour of his eyes, she smiled tiredly;
-"You noticed that, did you?" she whispered, the moment before the aforementioned limbs flew up, giving a good shot at kicking him through the thick, weather-beaten wood of the gate.
With a roar, Minsc lifted her high overhead, turned around, and threw her forcefully at the inner wall.
Despite the damages the impact no doubt caused, she nevertheless grabbed her "round, killing thing" off it's holder, and tossed it straight at the ranger's head.
A sharp "squeak", and the large warrior, instead of meeting the whirling object with his blade, dove sideways, causing the thing to get stuck in the wood of the gate, mere inches above the Keep-lord's head, him having risen from having regained his breath, and spent what little healing ability he had on his inner wounds.
-"MINSC!" he yelled, seeing the Rashemite all but flying across the yard, hollering his charge…
The limp form by the wall lifted for another throw, the large man froze, standing still for a moment, before looking over his shoulder as Negrath approached;
-"No?"
Shaking his head so as to leave no doubt, the Kensai repeated the query as a statement; "No."
Arms shaking momentarily, unwilling to obey that particular decision, the ranger shifted grip on the woman, and turned to carry her inside…
…………
-"Quite the unusual one, are you not?" a gruff, female voice came from the corner of the familiar bedroom.
-"Ahhh, who…who…are you?" the warrior woman, once again prone in the bed, well aware of unmended bones and hundreds of small hurts, wondered.
-"Who I am is none of your concern." Was the decisive reply, leaving no room for discussion before the other moved on; "You may call me Jaheira. I'm here because of your somewhat peculiar resistance to the healing magics our little mageling has bathed you in. The magical residue when I entered the room, almost knocked me back out…and it takes a lot of spells to even make such an element noticeable to the most talented of mages…not that I am one. Have that perfectly clear."
-"Then how…"
-"Some would call me a lesser spellcaster. Personally, I would call it a different sort of spellcaster. Never mind that. Why did you almost kill Viconia, when you were only to test who were superior?"
-"…I don't want to talk about it." The patient-once-more mumbled, eyes turned inward, appearing unwilling to discuss the topic further.
-"Well, then this is not your day. I'm not leaving until you do."
A wry smile forming on her lips, Xena said nothing.
-"You had better start talking, warrior queen. I've been accused of being quite stubborn, and intend to not let you sleep until you talk."
-"Princess."
-"What?"
-"I'm called the Warrior Princess."
-"Then there do exist a queen?"
-"As far as I know, the only one to have claimed that title, is currently buried under a ton or two of rocks." The warrior grinned, somehow, sadly amused at the thought.
-"And you put her there?"
-"Yeah, it would appear to have been my turn back then."
-"…your turn?"
-"It's a little game I have with a friend of mine…we try to see who can cover the girl in rocks more often."
-"…???
I take it she is rather…peculiar, as well, then?"
-"You could say that…the friend I spoke of were once fool enough to let her eat an apple."
As the Druid's puzzlement grew even greater, the bed's occupant burst in laughter, a laughter which only unkind quality would appear to have been ingrained in the woman's voice. Clearly, she rarely had had need to speak anything softer than insults.
-"Now, listen…" Jaheira then growled, rising from her chair in the corner, moving to stand beside the bed;
-"I don't like being lied to…regardless of the amusement-value to the liar!"
-"No lies, no lies…it was also quite the "peculiar" -apple-, see?"
Blinking, then staring suspiciously into the other woman's calm, honest gaze, despite occasional chuckles, the druid returned to her chair, shaking her head…**what a odd place she must come from…** she thought, leaning back against the wall, waiting for the fellow fighter to continue talking…
-"She's immortal, the apple was of a -very- healthy tree, and she is who she is because of me…well, because of what almost killed your friend, to be specific."
Having made a brief, almost instinctive snort at the word "friend", Jaheira simply waited, arms across her chest, the perfect image of the sort of stoic impatience that would have been able to outlast the Realms, given the chance…
Sighing, Xena continued;
-"Her name is Callisto…and her only goal in life is pretty flexible…as long as it at all times includes my suffering…I killed her village.
No," she added as the druid opened her mouth to correct the fighter; "I killed -the village-. Razed it to the ground. The one so often buried in stony graves, yet not, is the only known survivor…She watched me, me, my sword, my horse, my armor, my face…kill her family. Personally.
Or," the patient smiles thinly, disbelieving her implied doubt; "at least, so she says…"
-"I can understand such a one would be intent on destroying your life…and may I assume she would need extensive training to beat you even then?"
-"It has been long indeed since I met an ordinary, human opponent I could not dance circles around, while chopping him apart."
-"Really?" the druid queried, patent sarcasm dripping from every letter.
-"…aside from the odd emperor of Rome."
-"…Rome?"
-"Never mind. You'll never get there, unless you follow me when I return…if I at all will be able to…and I most definitely must return swiftly."
-"Husband? Children?"
-"If only it was that easy…" the warrior sneered. Sitting up in bed with some difficulty, she explained;
"Callisto killed my son, and my closest companion back home is a woman."
-"Are you sure that none of your…connections followed you here?"
-"…no…"
-"Well, then. Let me get Imoen, and we'll soon have that little obstacle solved."
…
Looking about as the strange woman left in search of the odd female sorcerer, Xena could not but wonder;
Where was she?
Not anywhere she had previously been, though it fitted pretty much with some lands she had visited…none she had been anywhere near at the time of "travel", though…the details of that little event were still fuzzy in her mind…
When she had looked out at the surrounding lands earlier…when was that, anyway? Days ago? Hours?
Shaking her head, she continued her pondering on things tolerable…
When looking out beyond the walls of the Keep, she had almost expected her friends to come running up the road, eager to "save" her from the "fiends" that had "captured" her…even if it only had been Joxer…
Grinning to herself, she hummed a few lines of the "mighty" warrior's self- invented song, stopping when she found it brought tears to her eyes…as though it had been a memory of one she would never see again…
Leaning back onto the pillow, she sighed in wry amusement…that one would likely survive them all…
As she lay thus, remembering her friends, and wondering if they had indeed "traveled" with her, the door opened, and the woman in the curious robes sailed in, more fit to the profession of a royal fool than a mage…and the "doctor's" most expressive fingers led the warrior princess to believe she had also played around in the thieving arena…
-"So we're wondering where our friends are, do we?" Imoen quipped unnecessarily, moving to sit in empty air by the bed, and took Xena's hand.
Studying it intently, she suddenly gasped, lifting it for the warrior to see for herself;
-"Are you a human or a cat?!?"
Answers made void by the following chuckle as the she let go of Xena's hand, Imoen stood, and moved to the foot-end of the bed, closed her eyes…and stood perfectly still.
Lifting her hands a few moments later, the Chakram materializing as though from nothing, she gazed levelly at the woman in the bed;
-"Some of whom you are connected are indeed in this Realm…not all that far away, either…a few days march east is one, and two more yet another day's walk to the north-west.
Not all…equally friendly."
At this last, Imoen opened her eyes and looked at her patient with slightly anxious eyes;
-"As my magic seems not to accept you, and supposedly yours, as valid targets, I was wondering…would you be able to take your…less friendly friends?"
-"In a minute." Xena guaranteed, gesturing casually in dismissal of the mage's concern.
-"Should we gather them?"
-"If you like. I and my friends seem to get together whenever or wherever a large group is necessary, either way..." The warrior princess smiled humorously.