Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my characters.
Author's note: It would appear I have been saying New 'Haven' for the refugee camp. I'd like to correct myself. It's New 'Hope'. Sorry!
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"Lalasa, you've got to hide me!" Kel yelled in a panic as she ran about Lalasa's office.
"Why? It's not that bad. Don't worry. I won't tell them they're you designs. If they ask, you only came by for a visit." Lalasa patted her former Mistress's arm. "I'm in my office!"
"Lalasa!" Kel hissed at her, panicking.
"Hello, Kel. I didn't know you were in the city today." Neal said with a nod of his head as he plopped himself onto a chair.
"I was really bored so I thought I'd come do a bit of shopping." Kel answered, refraining from hitting herself on the head of her blatant lie.
"Really now?" Neal asked, raising his eyebrow at her. Yuki elbowed him and he quickly blinked several times.
"Umm, yeah." Kel answered. "Well, I'd better be getting back. My lord must be looking for me." Kel grabbed her things and quickly ran out of the room, brushing pass Dom as her heart beat wildly.
"What's wrong with Kel?" Neal asked, plopping himself into a chair.
"Nothing. My lady is just in a hurry." Lalasa answered calmly and pulled out a tea service. "Could I interest you in tea?"
"No thank you, Lalasa. We're just here to introduce you to Narumi. And I thought you might want to go ahead and get measurements of the girls so we can start figuring out wedding dresses." Dom said, rubbing Naru's arm.
"Of course. If the ladies would step behind the screen and if you men would please leave the office. And Sir Neal? I'd thank you to leave the shop all together. I highly doubt I can stand the shrieks of the women anymore. I'll send the Ladies back to the castle in a carriage later, if you'd like."
"Oh, just leave our mounts here with Tenshi. We'll get back fine, Dom." Narumi stood up and pushed him towards the door.
"Are you sure? Because I can stay and wait for you if you need me to."
"I'm fine. Just go, Dom. Take Neal with you. Yuki and I can take care of ourselves."
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"Hi, Kel." Neal said, sitting himself down on the bench next to her. "Having supper?"
"It would look like it, Neal." She answered, putting some bread into her mouth.
"Look, Kel. What's wrong? I know something's bothering you, but I'm just not sure what it is. Please tell me." Neal looked at her with worried eyes.
"It's nothing, Neal. I'm just a little tired. Preoccupied as well." Kel answered as truthfully as she could.
"Well, tired I can solve very easily." Neal pulled a small vial from his belt and opened the top and poured it into Kel's drink. Kel made a face and picked up the cup, watching the white powder dissolve.
"What is it and how bad does it taste?"
"It's a mix of powders to help you get over fatigue. And I'm not going to lie, it tastes wonderfully like cherries." Neal said. Kel shrugged and took a gulp of the mix. "Of course that'd be rotten cherries." Neal finished. Kel struggled to swallow the mixture.
"You're going to die, Neal." Kel croaked, reaching for his glass. "The most horrible and painful death I can possibly think of. In the practice courts."
"Well, it's been good knowing you, Neal." Owen grinned punching Neal lightly.
"Owen!" Kel jumped. "When did you get back?"
"This morning. My Lord let me go. He's got half a company up there watching New Hope. Besides, I needed to see my Janatrice." Owen grabbed an apple out of a bowl and took a bite. "How long have you guys been back?"
"Since we were released from New Hope. Who's watching Haven, anyhow?" Kel asked, tilting her head to the side.
"One of those uptight sergeants. Why?"
"They left my people to some sergeant? What is Lord Wyldon thinking?" Kel demanded, jumping out of her chair. "I will not have my people at the mercy of some good-for-nothing sergeant who would probably mistreat them anyway. Absolutely not!" Anger overcame Kel. Gone were the days that she could control her emotions so well.
"Kel! Calm down!" Neal pulled on her arm. "Sit down before you hurt someone."
"You heard Owen. New Hope is in the hands of some incompetent sack of ooze and you have absolutely nothing to say to that?" Kel gritted her teeth.
"They can take care of themselves. Have you forgotten that you trained each and every single one of them? Besides, they have half a company watching them."
"Half of Third, if that makes you feel any better. And there are 2 squads of Riders there. Evin Larse is using Hope as his command central." Owen threw in, hating the fact that his friend was so upset.
"But-" Kel started.
"But what? You want to run off to New Hope and completely miss the weddings, don't you?" Dom sat down across from Kel.
"No!" Kel quickly said.
"Then calm down. New Hope will be fine. Don't worry. Besides, if you ran off to save your camp, you'd miss my wedding and Neal's wedding as well and I'd just have to kill you if you do." Dom reached for a roll.
"Fine." Kel said after a moment with a resigned voice.
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WOW! Aren't you guys so proud of me? I've finally managed to spit out a chappie! As horrible as it is, I've done it! *sighs* There's only 13 more days of school and then I'll be writing non-stop. I should go study. Or maybe I'll start on chapter 8.
~Icebyrd67 (May 11, 2003)
Author's note: It would appear I have been saying New 'Haven' for the refugee camp. I'd like to correct myself. It's New 'Hope'. Sorry!
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"Lalasa, you've got to hide me!" Kel yelled in a panic as she ran about Lalasa's office.
"Why? It's not that bad. Don't worry. I won't tell them they're you designs. If they ask, you only came by for a visit." Lalasa patted her former Mistress's arm. "I'm in my office!"
"Lalasa!" Kel hissed at her, panicking.
"Hello, Kel. I didn't know you were in the city today." Neal said with a nod of his head as he plopped himself onto a chair.
"I was really bored so I thought I'd come do a bit of shopping." Kel answered, refraining from hitting herself on the head of her blatant lie.
"Really now?" Neal asked, raising his eyebrow at her. Yuki elbowed him and he quickly blinked several times.
"Umm, yeah." Kel answered. "Well, I'd better be getting back. My lord must be looking for me." Kel grabbed her things and quickly ran out of the room, brushing pass Dom as her heart beat wildly.
"What's wrong with Kel?" Neal asked, plopping himself into a chair.
"Nothing. My lady is just in a hurry." Lalasa answered calmly and pulled out a tea service. "Could I interest you in tea?"
"No thank you, Lalasa. We're just here to introduce you to Narumi. And I thought you might want to go ahead and get measurements of the girls so we can start figuring out wedding dresses." Dom said, rubbing Naru's arm.
"Of course. If the ladies would step behind the screen and if you men would please leave the office. And Sir Neal? I'd thank you to leave the shop all together. I highly doubt I can stand the shrieks of the women anymore. I'll send the Ladies back to the castle in a carriage later, if you'd like."
"Oh, just leave our mounts here with Tenshi. We'll get back fine, Dom." Narumi stood up and pushed him towards the door.
"Are you sure? Because I can stay and wait for you if you need me to."
"I'm fine. Just go, Dom. Take Neal with you. Yuki and I can take care of ourselves."
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"Hi, Kel." Neal said, sitting himself down on the bench next to her. "Having supper?"
"It would look like it, Neal." She answered, putting some bread into her mouth.
"Look, Kel. What's wrong? I know something's bothering you, but I'm just not sure what it is. Please tell me." Neal looked at her with worried eyes.
"It's nothing, Neal. I'm just a little tired. Preoccupied as well." Kel answered as truthfully as she could.
"Well, tired I can solve very easily." Neal pulled a small vial from his belt and opened the top and poured it into Kel's drink. Kel made a face and picked up the cup, watching the white powder dissolve.
"What is it and how bad does it taste?"
"It's a mix of powders to help you get over fatigue. And I'm not going to lie, it tastes wonderfully like cherries." Neal said. Kel shrugged and took a gulp of the mix. "Of course that'd be rotten cherries." Neal finished. Kel struggled to swallow the mixture.
"You're going to die, Neal." Kel croaked, reaching for his glass. "The most horrible and painful death I can possibly think of. In the practice courts."
"Well, it's been good knowing you, Neal." Owen grinned punching Neal lightly.
"Owen!" Kel jumped. "When did you get back?"
"This morning. My Lord let me go. He's got half a company up there watching New Hope. Besides, I needed to see my Janatrice." Owen grabbed an apple out of a bowl and took a bite. "How long have you guys been back?"
"Since we were released from New Hope. Who's watching Haven, anyhow?" Kel asked, tilting her head to the side.
"One of those uptight sergeants. Why?"
"They left my people to some sergeant? What is Lord Wyldon thinking?" Kel demanded, jumping out of her chair. "I will not have my people at the mercy of some good-for-nothing sergeant who would probably mistreat them anyway. Absolutely not!" Anger overcame Kel. Gone were the days that she could control her emotions so well.
"Kel! Calm down!" Neal pulled on her arm. "Sit down before you hurt someone."
"You heard Owen. New Hope is in the hands of some incompetent sack of ooze and you have absolutely nothing to say to that?" Kel gritted her teeth.
"They can take care of themselves. Have you forgotten that you trained each and every single one of them? Besides, they have half a company watching them."
"Half of Third, if that makes you feel any better. And there are 2 squads of Riders there. Evin Larse is using Hope as his command central." Owen threw in, hating the fact that his friend was so upset.
"But-" Kel started.
"But what? You want to run off to New Hope and completely miss the weddings, don't you?" Dom sat down across from Kel.
"No!" Kel quickly said.
"Then calm down. New Hope will be fine. Don't worry. Besides, if you ran off to save your camp, you'd miss my wedding and Neal's wedding as well and I'd just have to kill you if you do." Dom reached for a roll.
"Fine." Kel said after a moment with a resigned voice.
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WOW! Aren't you guys so proud of me? I've finally managed to spit out a chappie! As horrible as it is, I've done it! *sighs* There's only 13 more days of school and then I'll be writing non-stop. I should go study. Or maybe I'll start on chapter 8.
~Icebyrd67 (May 11, 2003)