Hiya! This should make you guys happy. And I'm only going to name the place
and time only when it changes. So in the unlikely event that you actually
read this, now you know. Thanks to Milla-talon-hand, Dragoness fighter,
becca8, dragon pearl1, Kelsey, mage kitty, slime frog and radioactive
bubblegum.
Elaborate gold chandeliers hung from the high arched ceiling, which- along with the walls- shimmered with sparatic puffy clouds that moved against a beautiful starlit sky. The floor was an earthy brownish-greenish marble. The part of the room that appeared to be reserved for dancing was coated with granite that was a glittering blue lake, so realistic you could practically see the waves shifting.
"Wow." Holly breathed, startling even herself.
"Hungry? You could feed the entire LEP staff and officers for a week with all that." He pointed over to tables jam-packed with approximately every food known to fairykind and over half known to mud men. They were making their way over when Holly bumped into Foaly.
"Hi." She greeted him. "Having fun?" Foaly looked at her oddly, if not a little suspiciously.
"Have we met?"
"Foaly! Don't tell me you don't recognize her!" Trouble burst in. Foaly looked at her closer and started.
"Oh, sorry Holly! You do look really different, you know. But since you've had your helmet on all the time, in hope of an assignment no doubt, I-" He stopped, noticing what she was wearing. He gave her another odd look. "How'd Julius get you to wear a dress?"
"Wait- you mean I had a choice?" she hissed more than a little dangerously.
Foaly was starting to look uncomfortable. "Yeah.you could've worn a dress, a skirt, or fancy pants. You mean-" he gasped. "Julius never told you?"
Root had just noticed Trouble and Holly-only he didn't recognize Holly. He unwisely made his way over to them. "Captain Kelp. I need to speak with you for a moment privately." Holly glared at them, but Trouble nudged her discreetly and smirked. Holly caught on and went on talking to Foaly.
"You were supposed to bring Holly here! Do you want me fired?" He was shouting in a whisper. His face was redder than his tie at the moment.
"Uh, commander.that is Holly." Root's jaw dropped. He casually looked back over his shoulder at the hazel-eyed elf. Hmm. Must be the hair. But yup. Same ticked off look that still scared Chix. Same way of walking over to her next victim. Same deceivingly sweet smile.
"Hello, Commander." Holly looked down at her apparel. "Don't you like my dress? Despite what I thought in the beginning, it really is turning out to be somewhat comfy." Root paled. Something that hadn't happened since he first learned about the mess with the C-cube. Foaly snickered. "Maybe you're right, commander. I should have just stuck with wearing nice pants." Root had almost decided to risk Holly's wrath by walking away when Wing Commander/Council Member Vinyaya came up to the little group. She had seen from afar what was going on and instantly pulled Holly away to chat with her about the chutes and core diving and such. Needless to say, Root avoided Holly as much as possible for the rest of the evening.
It was getting late. The party would be over soon. Trouble had finally worked up enough courage to ask Holly to dance. He didn't even know why he wanted to. He recalled when she first came to the LEP. Like most officers, he immediately had a crush on her. But he thought he was past that. He looked around for Holly and spotted her in a group of snotty-looking rich guys. He could practically feel Holly's annoyance and growing dislike for the boys. He walked slowly over. As he drew closer, he could hear what they were saying.
"You mean you're an officer?" one sneered. He appeared to be the ringleader. Holly gritted her teeth.
"Oh!" another exclaimed. "I've heard of this one. She must be that nutty recon captain." The others looked at him a little blankly. "You know, the one who got kidnapped a while ago, and now our taxes are higher because of it."
"I brought back half the gold! That's more than anyone else could've done, I'm willing to bet." They continued as if they hadn't heard her.
"Yes. I did plan on finding out how a fairy was captured by a mud man." Holly's face was turning as red as Root's.
"It must be because she's a girl. And we all know how pathetic girls can be sometimes." Holly would have beaten and bruised them if not for Trouble's reflexes. He caught her wrist mid-punch. Holly whipped her hand out of his grasp and would have continued to dismantle him, but then she realized who he was. The academy had apparently done a good job with Captain Short, because she snapped to attention quick as blink.
"Permission to speak, Captain." Trouble was glad that the rich kids could see Holly looking like the LEP officer she was. Speaking of them, their mouths had been opened since Holly's fist had flown. Now turning to Trouble, they let forth a babble worse than a brook. The only comprehensible part of it was "higher taxes", "stupid females", and "lock her in a nut house".
"Quiet!" Trouble didn't need to shout for people to listen to him. He turned to Holly, who had been standing still during the little ruckus. "Permission granted, Captain."
"These five young-"she decided not to insult them at Trouble's warning glare-"were provoking, and taunting a LEP officer with insults, jibes, and slurs. I was about to.. um, handle things my own way before you arrived. Sir." She hastily added.
"Thank you, captain. Please come with me." Trouble nodded, satisfied. He turned to the culprits. "You should never bother a girl, ANY girl. Except maybe Koboi. And that's only maybe." He walked away, pulling Holly by her arm. She was glaring daggers at him. The moment the gentlemen were out of earshot, she exploded.
"Trouble Kelp, what under earth did you stop me for? The least you could have done-" he cut her off by wrapping his arm around her shoulder and covered her mouth with his hand. People were beginning to stare, and the last thing they needed was a riot. She calmed down quickly.
"Sorry. But there was no way they would have been innocent if it came to a trial of whose' fault it is."
"Well, yeah, but your temper is as short as your last name. Plus you're a lot like your father." Holly was surprised.
"How do you know?"
"Our dads used to hang out at my house sometimes after their shift was over. And I just remember that if there was a game on, and your father's favorite sports team lost." Trouble shrugged. "There was no stopping him." Holly sighed happily.
"I'm glad I came with you, Trouble. Frond knows what I would've gotten my self you if you weren't there." Trouble saw this as his chance.
"Speaking of that, well, I.um, that is."
"Yeah?" Holly asked the slightest bit impatiently.
"Would you like to dance? With me?" That was probably most courageous and dangerous thing he asked Holly. Her eyes narrowed a little, and she opened her mouth to speak.
Elaborate gold chandeliers hung from the high arched ceiling, which- along with the walls- shimmered with sparatic puffy clouds that moved against a beautiful starlit sky. The floor was an earthy brownish-greenish marble. The part of the room that appeared to be reserved for dancing was coated with granite that was a glittering blue lake, so realistic you could practically see the waves shifting.
"Wow." Holly breathed, startling even herself.
"Hungry? You could feed the entire LEP staff and officers for a week with all that." He pointed over to tables jam-packed with approximately every food known to fairykind and over half known to mud men. They were making their way over when Holly bumped into Foaly.
"Hi." She greeted him. "Having fun?" Foaly looked at her oddly, if not a little suspiciously.
"Have we met?"
"Foaly! Don't tell me you don't recognize her!" Trouble burst in. Foaly looked at her closer and started.
"Oh, sorry Holly! You do look really different, you know. But since you've had your helmet on all the time, in hope of an assignment no doubt, I-" He stopped, noticing what she was wearing. He gave her another odd look. "How'd Julius get you to wear a dress?"
"Wait- you mean I had a choice?" she hissed more than a little dangerously.
Foaly was starting to look uncomfortable. "Yeah.you could've worn a dress, a skirt, or fancy pants. You mean-" he gasped. "Julius never told you?"
Root had just noticed Trouble and Holly-only he didn't recognize Holly. He unwisely made his way over to them. "Captain Kelp. I need to speak with you for a moment privately." Holly glared at them, but Trouble nudged her discreetly and smirked. Holly caught on and went on talking to Foaly.
"You were supposed to bring Holly here! Do you want me fired?" He was shouting in a whisper. His face was redder than his tie at the moment.
"Uh, commander.that is Holly." Root's jaw dropped. He casually looked back over his shoulder at the hazel-eyed elf. Hmm. Must be the hair. But yup. Same ticked off look that still scared Chix. Same way of walking over to her next victim. Same deceivingly sweet smile.
"Hello, Commander." Holly looked down at her apparel. "Don't you like my dress? Despite what I thought in the beginning, it really is turning out to be somewhat comfy." Root paled. Something that hadn't happened since he first learned about the mess with the C-cube. Foaly snickered. "Maybe you're right, commander. I should have just stuck with wearing nice pants." Root had almost decided to risk Holly's wrath by walking away when Wing Commander/Council Member Vinyaya came up to the little group. She had seen from afar what was going on and instantly pulled Holly away to chat with her about the chutes and core diving and such. Needless to say, Root avoided Holly as much as possible for the rest of the evening.
It was getting late. The party would be over soon. Trouble had finally worked up enough courage to ask Holly to dance. He didn't even know why he wanted to. He recalled when she first came to the LEP. Like most officers, he immediately had a crush on her. But he thought he was past that. He looked around for Holly and spotted her in a group of snotty-looking rich guys. He could practically feel Holly's annoyance and growing dislike for the boys. He walked slowly over. As he drew closer, he could hear what they were saying.
"You mean you're an officer?" one sneered. He appeared to be the ringleader. Holly gritted her teeth.
"Oh!" another exclaimed. "I've heard of this one. She must be that nutty recon captain." The others looked at him a little blankly. "You know, the one who got kidnapped a while ago, and now our taxes are higher because of it."
"I brought back half the gold! That's more than anyone else could've done, I'm willing to bet." They continued as if they hadn't heard her.
"Yes. I did plan on finding out how a fairy was captured by a mud man." Holly's face was turning as red as Root's.
"It must be because she's a girl. And we all know how pathetic girls can be sometimes." Holly would have beaten and bruised them if not for Trouble's reflexes. He caught her wrist mid-punch. Holly whipped her hand out of his grasp and would have continued to dismantle him, but then she realized who he was. The academy had apparently done a good job with Captain Short, because she snapped to attention quick as blink.
"Permission to speak, Captain." Trouble was glad that the rich kids could see Holly looking like the LEP officer she was. Speaking of them, their mouths had been opened since Holly's fist had flown. Now turning to Trouble, they let forth a babble worse than a brook. The only comprehensible part of it was "higher taxes", "stupid females", and "lock her in a nut house".
"Quiet!" Trouble didn't need to shout for people to listen to him. He turned to Holly, who had been standing still during the little ruckus. "Permission granted, Captain."
"These five young-"she decided not to insult them at Trouble's warning glare-"were provoking, and taunting a LEP officer with insults, jibes, and slurs. I was about to.. um, handle things my own way before you arrived. Sir." She hastily added.
"Thank you, captain. Please come with me." Trouble nodded, satisfied. He turned to the culprits. "You should never bother a girl, ANY girl. Except maybe Koboi. And that's only maybe." He walked away, pulling Holly by her arm. She was glaring daggers at him. The moment the gentlemen were out of earshot, she exploded.
"Trouble Kelp, what under earth did you stop me for? The least you could have done-" he cut her off by wrapping his arm around her shoulder and covered her mouth with his hand. People were beginning to stare, and the last thing they needed was a riot. She calmed down quickly.
"Sorry. But there was no way they would have been innocent if it came to a trial of whose' fault it is."
"Well, yeah, but your temper is as short as your last name. Plus you're a lot like your father." Holly was surprised.
"How do you know?"
"Our dads used to hang out at my house sometimes after their shift was over. And I just remember that if there was a game on, and your father's favorite sports team lost." Trouble shrugged. "There was no stopping him." Holly sighed happily.
"I'm glad I came with you, Trouble. Frond knows what I would've gotten my self you if you weren't there." Trouble saw this as his chance.
"Speaking of that, well, I.um, that is."
"Yeah?" Holly asked the slightest bit impatiently.
"Would you like to dance? With me?" That was probably most courageous and dangerous thing he asked Holly. Her eyes narrowed a little, and she opened her mouth to speak.