A/N: Welcome to chapter seven! Amazingly, even though I have no idea how an
audience will react to this piece, I have written ahead anyway! Never have
I been so motivated to write! Anyway, Labyrinth still belongs to Jim
Henson. Chetter Hummin and the character name "Dors Venabili" are property
of Isaac Asimov, as they appear in his Foundation series. "Mr. Roboto" is
yet another Styx song-and I still haven't run out of Styx lyrics to fit
this story! Yay!
:~:*^*:~:
"I'm not a robot Without emotions; I'm not what you see!
I've come to help you With your problems So we can be free."
Chapter Seven: Mr. Hummin
Amber sat bolt upright, coming quickly out of a light sleep to look around. She could've sworn she had felt something-someone-nearby. Jareth was still laid against a tree trunk, fast asleep. She decided it was probably safe to leave him there for a moment to look around.
It was the night of the Second Day-Jareth had forced her to lie down and rest for a while. That had been an hour ago. The stars above in the velvety sky now shined brightly down upon Amber as pseudo-stars twinkled below from their background of slinky cloth.
Amber walked cautiously in an outward spiral from the tree she had fallen asleep beneath. She could hear the creaking of branches-though there was not a breath of wind in the forest. There was also another sound-like human footsteps, only-who else would be wandering around in this labyrinthine forest? Amber once more drew Keswyin's knife and walked on, exercising a large amount of perceptual vigilance.
She turned her head quickly as she heard a sharp crack of a branch, as if broken underfoot. She came face to face with another familiar figure-or what seemed to be one-Chetter Hummin. The odd thing about it was that he looked exactly as Asimov had described him-or perhaps it had been that Asimov had actually had more than the usual cloudy inspiration for his writing. She finally realized he was still just standing there, staring at her in what had to be at least a small amount of shock. She finally got up the nerve to speak.
"You are Chetter Hummin, yes?"
"Yes. And you would be?"
Amber held out a hand, "Amber."
Hummin shook it slowly, "No second name?"
Amber momentarily raised an eyebrow, then realized the reference, "Oh, it's Venabili. Amber Venabili."
Hummin gazed at her in shock for a moment, and then spoke. "Are you aware there was another robot by the name of-"
"Dors Venabili? Yes, I am familiar with the name, though I have not met her- and rest assured, I am of no relation." Amber continued casually.
Hummin looked at her and nodded slowly. It seemed as though he was in a state of slight shock. Amber wanted to clear things up a bit for him, "So, do you know where you are?"
Hummin shook his head, "No. I have a strong suspicion I have traveled into archaic times, to say the least. Perhaps I should've taken another black hole..."
"Do you mean to tell me black holes bring on time and space travel?" Amber's eyes widened.
"Surely you already knew that?-Ah, but as I stated, I think this is a rather archaic place..."
Amber shook her head, "Not quite. This is the Underground. Right now, you're in a kingdom referred to as the Labyrinth. This place, to my knowledge, is pretty much the only place that is really outside of time and space."
Hummin nodded slowly, "I see. And where exactly are you from?-you seem out of place here as well."
"Oh, I'm from Earth. Though I think an earlier one than the one that created you-I don't think we're quite that far advanced yet." Amber continued, as amiable as ever. This was turning out to be a rather pleasant surprise.
Hummin smiled politely, though it seemed he had to make great effort to do so. He spoke in less grave tones now, more light and close to friendly, if this was possible for a robot, "Well, what is your business in this forest?"
"I'm on a quest to save a dear friend. Would you like to help?" she tilted her head to the side.
"A quest?-such a young lady, out here alone on a quest? You look not a day older than 14.-but of course I'll help you." Hummin placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Amber laughed gently, "Actually, I'm not alone. I'm traveling with the king of this realm-who happens to be asleep at the moment. We should probably run back and wake him, if only to introduce the two of you."
Hummin nodded, and gestured as if to say 'Lead the way'. Amber walked back through tangles of trees and soon came back to gaze upon the sleeping Jareth. She pointed at him, and faced Hummin, mouthing silently, 'There he is-still asleep. His name is Jareth.'
Hummin nodded and sat placidly beneath another tree, near to Jareth's but not imposingly near. Amber climbed up Jareth's tree carefully, and settled herself on a bed of branches and leaves, to sit and wait until he woke. She kept her eyes open, however-there was still the matter of creaking branches that hadn't been accounted for yet.
:~:*^*:~:
Let's check in on our half-forgotten Asher, shall we? This is her story from the time Amber arrived to the end of the first day. We'll catch up a little more next chapter. Promise!
:~:*^*:~:
Asher woke with a start to find herself alone. Alone in a dark room-no, dark was an understatement. There was no window, and no sign of any kind of light. In fact, the only way Asher actually assumed she was awake was because she wasn't dreaming any more. She was sprawled on some kind of stone floor, and it felt damp beneath her-she sat up-no, there was something damp on her head. Asher's eyes adjusted slightly to the pitch black room, and she put a hand to her head-not something damp. Asher realized with a little more than slight shock that there was a gash in her head, which was bleeding quite liberally. A rectangle of light appeared on one side of the room. A door had been opened. And in it stood a figure that was barely recognizable-could it possibly be Hoggle? Asher sat in confusion for a moment before the figure stepped closer.
He introduced himself, "I'm Hoggle, ruler of the Labyrinth. Welcome to the dungeons of Exit Two-Amber is definitely faring better at the moment. Physically, anyway."
Asher gaped like a fish out of water for a moment, "Excuse me?"
"I run the Labyrinth. Period. And you are my prisoner. Period. Amber is faring better. Period. Need it any more basic?" Hoggle flashed a sarcastic smile, this lightening his youngish face considerably.
Asher's eyes had gotten used to the light to notice he wasn't quite a dwarfish dwarf-he was taller than her, and had smooth skin and maliciously glinting ginger eyes. Even his voice and outfit were different-the former was more human and soothing, and the latter was more along the line of an 1800s gentleman. Asher blinked in slight astonishment, and stood.
"Well then, Hoggle, what do you mean by 'ruler'?" Asher spoke, taking a leaf out of Amber's book, with more courage than she felt.
"Well, since you seem to enjoy being frank, I will follow suit. Jareth is merely a figurehead. All I need is a man like him to be the muscle, and I can handle being the brains."
Asher raised a questioning eyebrow, and immediately winced as the cut on her head moved painfully with this expression. Hoggle smirked amusedly, and said, "Here, let me get that. I don't think you should loose too much blood now-where would the fun be in that?"
Hoggle held a hand over the gash for a moment, and it healed up. Blood, however, remained covering Asher's skin from where it had been. Asher wiped most of the still-wet bit off with her sleeve. She looked at it as she pulled it away-the deep, bright red blood left an ominous stain on her arm. She glared back at Hoggle, "And why the hell am I down here in a dungeon with blood covering half of my head?"
Hoggle once more smirked in amusement, waving a hand as if to say her anger mattered for naught, "You've been out cold for.oh, we'll say a few hours, probably. It's not my fault the goblins that carried you here were a bit- clumsy."
Asher sat back on the floor. She felt fatigued. "Probably from blood loss." she muttered to herself. Hoggle looked down at her, "I didn't give you permission to sit."
She glared burningly back up at him, "I didn't ask for permission."
Hoggle reached out a hand and slapped her hard across the face. Asher put a hand to her burning cheek and gave Hoggle a sharp kick in the shin. He glared with a sophisticated anger and authority down at the girl, "You will pay for that, young woman."
Hoggle dragged her to her feet with one arm, using the other to pound her senseless. As his punches and kicks fell over her face and body, she fell into a half-trance, drifting in and out of reality, barely feeling pain. And when she did pop back to life, the only thing she could think about was Amber-where was she now? What was she doing? She had better hurry her damn butt up, or there might not be an Asher left to save.
Suddenly the attack stopped. Asher collapsed against Hoggle. Her bruised body had fallen into a state of semi-consciousness, and she barely registered Hoggle suddenly becoming a lot more caring. He came down to his knees slowly, gingerly holding her broken body as he began crying. He placed her gently on the floor, and sat beside her, muttering for almost no reason ((as there was no way Asher would hear him)), "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Forgive me. You poor girl! I'm sorry."
:~:*^*:~:
A few hours later Asher awoke to find Hoggle still sitting beside her, his eyes red and his face covered in tearstains. Asher backed away a bit, instinctively, and winced again as bruises made themselves known.
Hoggle smiled wearily at her, "I'm sorry. I can be a real bastard sometimes. Please forgive me, Asher. I want to try to be as kind to you as possible, but with the role I usually play, it's so hard to do so."
Asher glanced at him suspiciously, "How can I forgive you? You beat me senseless for no damn reason, and now you expect me to forgive you! What kind of idiot do you think I am?" She reached out and slapped him so hard it left a bruise on his cheek that showed almost immediately, not to mention making her hand sting with pain.
He looked at her, still smiling softly, "Please? I swear, I'm sorry-I promise I won't do it again. If I do."
Asher glared at him, "If you ever even touch me again, I'll rip off your manhood and staple it to your forehead!"
Hoggle shifted uncomfortably, "Well, you could do that. But I'd really like to try to get along. Please?"
Asher still kept a suspicion in her face as she answered, "We can try. But I will not back down on my threat."
Hoggle nodded, "Understood. But can we make a compromise?"
Asher motioned with reluctance for him to continue. He did so, "Can I touch you if I have your permission?"
Asher smiled slightly, "Sure-if you ever can get my permission."
Hoggle nodded, still keeping his gentle smile, "Great. Let's see about getting you to better waiting quarters, eh?"
Asher nodded, "Sounds great to me." She stood, brushing herself off.
Hoggle stood as well, and walked out of the room. Asher followed curiously- what was going on now? Why was he being so bipolar? She kept suspicion thick about her like armor as she left the room behind him.
:~:*^*:~:
NEXT CHAPTER: ALRIGHT, SO I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN ASHER-BUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW? WHAT ELSE IS LURKING IN THE FOREST MAZE? AND DOES HOGGLE HAVE AN ULTERIOR MOTIVE, OR SOMETHING? REALLY, WHY IS HE BEING SO BIPOLAR? WILL MORE THAN ONE TWISTED ROMANCE PLOT END UP WITH HARD DECISIONS FOR OUR MAIN CHARACTERS? WILL I EVER GET TO STAY ONLINE FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR A WEEK SO I CAN ACTUALLY POST THIS STORY? CAN I EVEN TELL YOU THE ANSWER TO ANY OF THOSE QUESTIONS? NO! YOU'LL HAVE TO FIND OUT ON YOUR OWN-BY READING THE NEXT CHAPTER! MUAHAHAHAHA! AREN'T I CRUEL?
:~:*^*:~:
"I'm not a robot Without emotions; I'm not what you see!
I've come to help you With your problems So we can be free."
Chapter Seven: Mr. Hummin
Amber sat bolt upright, coming quickly out of a light sleep to look around. She could've sworn she had felt something-someone-nearby. Jareth was still laid against a tree trunk, fast asleep. She decided it was probably safe to leave him there for a moment to look around.
It was the night of the Second Day-Jareth had forced her to lie down and rest for a while. That had been an hour ago. The stars above in the velvety sky now shined brightly down upon Amber as pseudo-stars twinkled below from their background of slinky cloth.
Amber walked cautiously in an outward spiral from the tree she had fallen asleep beneath. She could hear the creaking of branches-though there was not a breath of wind in the forest. There was also another sound-like human footsteps, only-who else would be wandering around in this labyrinthine forest? Amber once more drew Keswyin's knife and walked on, exercising a large amount of perceptual vigilance.
She turned her head quickly as she heard a sharp crack of a branch, as if broken underfoot. She came face to face with another familiar figure-or what seemed to be one-Chetter Hummin. The odd thing about it was that he looked exactly as Asimov had described him-or perhaps it had been that Asimov had actually had more than the usual cloudy inspiration for his writing. She finally realized he was still just standing there, staring at her in what had to be at least a small amount of shock. She finally got up the nerve to speak.
"You are Chetter Hummin, yes?"
"Yes. And you would be?"
Amber held out a hand, "Amber."
Hummin shook it slowly, "No second name?"
Amber momentarily raised an eyebrow, then realized the reference, "Oh, it's Venabili. Amber Venabili."
Hummin gazed at her in shock for a moment, and then spoke. "Are you aware there was another robot by the name of-"
"Dors Venabili? Yes, I am familiar with the name, though I have not met her- and rest assured, I am of no relation." Amber continued casually.
Hummin looked at her and nodded slowly. It seemed as though he was in a state of slight shock. Amber wanted to clear things up a bit for him, "So, do you know where you are?"
Hummin shook his head, "No. I have a strong suspicion I have traveled into archaic times, to say the least. Perhaps I should've taken another black hole..."
"Do you mean to tell me black holes bring on time and space travel?" Amber's eyes widened.
"Surely you already knew that?-Ah, but as I stated, I think this is a rather archaic place..."
Amber shook her head, "Not quite. This is the Underground. Right now, you're in a kingdom referred to as the Labyrinth. This place, to my knowledge, is pretty much the only place that is really outside of time and space."
Hummin nodded slowly, "I see. And where exactly are you from?-you seem out of place here as well."
"Oh, I'm from Earth. Though I think an earlier one than the one that created you-I don't think we're quite that far advanced yet." Amber continued, as amiable as ever. This was turning out to be a rather pleasant surprise.
Hummin smiled politely, though it seemed he had to make great effort to do so. He spoke in less grave tones now, more light and close to friendly, if this was possible for a robot, "Well, what is your business in this forest?"
"I'm on a quest to save a dear friend. Would you like to help?" she tilted her head to the side.
"A quest?-such a young lady, out here alone on a quest? You look not a day older than 14.-but of course I'll help you." Hummin placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Amber laughed gently, "Actually, I'm not alone. I'm traveling with the king of this realm-who happens to be asleep at the moment. We should probably run back and wake him, if only to introduce the two of you."
Hummin nodded, and gestured as if to say 'Lead the way'. Amber walked back through tangles of trees and soon came back to gaze upon the sleeping Jareth. She pointed at him, and faced Hummin, mouthing silently, 'There he is-still asleep. His name is Jareth.'
Hummin nodded and sat placidly beneath another tree, near to Jareth's but not imposingly near. Amber climbed up Jareth's tree carefully, and settled herself on a bed of branches and leaves, to sit and wait until he woke. She kept her eyes open, however-there was still the matter of creaking branches that hadn't been accounted for yet.
:~:*^*:~:
Let's check in on our half-forgotten Asher, shall we? This is her story from the time Amber arrived to the end of the first day. We'll catch up a little more next chapter. Promise!
:~:*^*:~:
Asher woke with a start to find herself alone. Alone in a dark room-no, dark was an understatement. There was no window, and no sign of any kind of light. In fact, the only way Asher actually assumed she was awake was because she wasn't dreaming any more. She was sprawled on some kind of stone floor, and it felt damp beneath her-she sat up-no, there was something damp on her head. Asher's eyes adjusted slightly to the pitch black room, and she put a hand to her head-not something damp. Asher realized with a little more than slight shock that there was a gash in her head, which was bleeding quite liberally. A rectangle of light appeared on one side of the room. A door had been opened. And in it stood a figure that was barely recognizable-could it possibly be Hoggle? Asher sat in confusion for a moment before the figure stepped closer.
He introduced himself, "I'm Hoggle, ruler of the Labyrinth. Welcome to the dungeons of Exit Two-Amber is definitely faring better at the moment. Physically, anyway."
Asher gaped like a fish out of water for a moment, "Excuse me?"
"I run the Labyrinth. Period. And you are my prisoner. Period. Amber is faring better. Period. Need it any more basic?" Hoggle flashed a sarcastic smile, this lightening his youngish face considerably.
Asher's eyes had gotten used to the light to notice he wasn't quite a dwarfish dwarf-he was taller than her, and had smooth skin and maliciously glinting ginger eyes. Even his voice and outfit were different-the former was more human and soothing, and the latter was more along the line of an 1800s gentleman. Asher blinked in slight astonishment, and stood.
"Well then, Hoggle, what do you mean by 'ruler'?" Asher spoke, taking a leaf out of Amber's book, with more courage than she felt.
"Well, since you seem to enjoy being frank, I will follow suit. Jareth is merely a figurehead. All I need is a man like him to be the muscle, and I can handle being the brains."
Asher raised a questioning eyebrow, and immediately winced as the cut on her head moved painfully with this expression. Hoggle smirked amusedly, and said, "Here, let me get that. I don't think you should loose too much blood now-where would the fun be in that?"
Hoggle held a hand over the gash for a moment, and it healed up. Blood, however, remained covering Asher's skin from where it had been. Asher wiped most of the still-wet bit off with her sleeve. She looked at it as she pulled it away-the deep, bright red blood left an ominous stain on her arm. She glared back at Hoggle, "And why the hell am I down here in a dungeon with blood covering half of my head?"
Hoggle once more smirked in amusement, waving a hand as if to say her anger mattered for naught, "You've been out cold for.oh, we'll say a few hours, probably. It's not my fault the goblins that carried you here were a bit- clumsy."
Asher sat back on the floor. She felt fatigued. "Probably from blood loss." she muttered to herself. Hoggle looked down at her, "I didn't give you permission to sit."
She glared burningly back up at him, "I didn't ask for permission."
Hoggle reached out a hand and slapped her hard across the face. Asher put a hand to her burning cheek and gave Hoggle a sharp kick in the shin. He glared with a sophisticated anger and authority down at the girl, "You will pay for that, young woman."
Hoggle dragged her to her feet with one arm, using the other to pound her senseless. As his punches and kicks fell over her face and body, she fell into a half-trance, drifting in and out of reality, barely feeling pain. And when she did pop back to life, the only thing she could think about was Amber-where was she now? What was she doing? She had better hurry her damn butt up, or there might not be an Asher left to save.
Suddenly the attack stopped. Asher collapsed against Hoggle. Her bruised body had fallen into a state of semi-consciousness, and she barely registered Hoggle suddenly becoming a lot more caring. He came down to his knees slowly, gingerly holding her broken body as he began crying. He placed her gently on the floor, and sat beside her, muttering for almost no reason ((as there was no way Asher would hear him)), "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Forgive me. You poor girl! I'm sorry."
:~:*^*:~:
A few hours later Asher awoke to find Hoggle still sitting beside her, his eyes red and his face covered in tearstains. Asher backed away a bit, instinctively, and winced again as bruises made themselves known.
Hoggle smiled wearily at her, "I'm sorry. I can be a real bastard sometimes. Please forgive me, Asher. I want to try to be as kind to you as possible, but with the role I usually play, it's so hard to do so."
Asher glanced at him suspiciously, "How can I forgive you? You beat me senseless for no damn reason, and now you expect me to forgive you! What kind of idiot do you think I am?" She reached out and slapped him so hard it left a bruise on his cheek that showed almost immediately, not to mention making her hand sting with pain.
He looked at her, still smiling softly, "Please? I swear, I'm sorry-I promise I won't do it again. If I do."
Asher glared at him, "If you ever even touch me again, I'll rip off your manhood and staple it to your forehead!"
Hoggle shifted uncomfortably, "Well, you could do that. But I'd really like to try to get along. Please?"
Asher still kept a suspicion in her face as she answered, "We can try. But I will not back down on my threat."
Hoggle nodded, "Understood. But can we make a compromise?"
Asher motioned with reluctance for him to continue. He did so, "Can I touch you if I have your permission?"
Asher smiled slightly, "Sure-if you ever can get my permission."
Hoggle nodded, still keeping his gentle smile, "Great. Let's see about getting you to better waiting quarters, eh?"
Asher nodded, "Sounds great to me." She stood, brushing herself off.
Hoggle stood as well, and walked out of the room. Asher followed curiously- what was going on now? Why was he being so bipolar? She kept suspicion thick about her like armor as she left the room behind him.
:~:*^*:~:
NEXT CHAPTER: ALRIGHT, SO I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN ASHER-BUT WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW? WHAT ELSE IS LURKING IN THE FOREST MAZE? AND DOES HOGGLE HAVE AN ULTERIOR MOTIVE, OR SOMETHING? REALLY, WHY IS HE BEING SO BIPOLAR? WILL MORE THAN ONE TWISTED ROMANCE PLOT END UP WITH HARD DECISIONS FOR OUR MAIN CHARACTERS? WILL I EVER GET TO STAY ONLINE FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR A WEEK SO I CAN ACTUALLY POST THIS STORY? CAN I EVEN TELL YOU THE ANSWER TO ANY OF THOSE QUESTIONS? NO! YOU'LL HAVE TO FIND OUT ON YOUR OWN-BY READING THE NEXT CHAPTER! MUAHAHAHAHA! AREN'T I CRUEL?