Disclaimer: Heeeeeeeeeeeey. Guess what! I don't own anything! Throws a
Himby-ball at them
Himby: SQUEAK!!
Note: - words - means shared thoughts between the girls.
-words- mean private thoughts of a person.
Chapter 13 By: Soulful Gray
Sage waited patiently by the front door, hands in the pocket of his black slacks, watching the stairs for the descent of his date. He smirked to himself and chuckled inwardly. Odd that he found himself about to go on a date with an infuriating redhead that by all rights he should probably have something against.
He couldn't bring himself to have something against Lin though. She was too pretty and too much of a challenge for him to pass up.
He had the evening planned out perfectly. First a little dancing, and then a quiet dinner at one of his favorite restaurants. Then maybe he'd take her on a classical moonlit drive to a beach somewhere. Sage's ego drive was at an all-time high, and little versions of himself dancing around with little versions of Lin were sailing through his head.
He looked up and caught sight of Lin as she stepped gracefully down the stairs. Of the three girls, he'd have to say she was possibly the most lithe of the three of them; she passed by people like a summer breeze and he wondered if she would curl around someone just as sweetly. (AN: Not like that you pervs!)
He cast an appreciative glance over her clothes. Her blouse was sky blue silk and opened at the top to reveal more skin than she probably cared for. The skirt was slinky like the top, made of black satin that clung loosely to her thighs and ended just below her knees.
"You're late," he teased, glancing at the clock. It read 8:02, and she snorted.
"Whatever. Let's get this over with." She reached for the door handle, but he beat her to it and opened the door for her. With hardly a glance his way she sailed out the door and waited on the porch for him to point to which of the jillions of vehicles they were using.
He put a hand at the small of her back and guided her to the farthest car, a black little sport that had the soft top folded back, making note of how she stiffened when he did that.
"Do you want me to put the top up?" he asked curteously. "For your hair?"
"It's fine," she said stiffly. Shrugging, he opened her door and waited for her to be seated in snugly before he closed the door behind her. He hopped over to the driver's side and slid in easily.
"I hope you like dancing," Sage said smoothly as he made his way not to Toyoma, but in the opposite direction. While he drove, he eyed her out of the corner of his eye, and little banners waved in his head that he had definately scored this time! (AN: Again, not in that way! Don't make Himby de-bitch you!)
Because of the bucket seats, the skirt had ridden up over her knees just a bit, and the wind was making it creep higher up her thighs, but her hands were folded primly in her lap, stopping its path over her skin. He smiled and wondered if she even noticed how much of her skin really was showing.
-Probably,- he thought. -Then again, maybe not. She would have been pulling it back down I think. Either that or she's too proud to admit being embarassed.-
A little while later, he pulled up into a quiet town that hosted mostly restaurants and a few dance clubs. It was situated along the bank of a quiet lake that was a popular spot for romance.
"Where do you want to go first, dancing? Or dinner?" He'd planned on dancing first, but on the drive over he'd rethought things. She'd probably want to sit and eat first. Maybe he could get her relaxed that way. Then again, she might become relaxed after some dancing. Whichever, he decided to give her the option, generous soul that he was.
Lin answered quickly.
"I'd like to eat first, if that's okay with you."
"Alright then." He drove on a bit before turning into the parking lot of a tiny restaraunt that was shadowed by a small grove of trees.
As soon as he parked, Lin reached for her door handle, but a ring of warmth surrounded her wrist the moment her fingers touched the cool metal. She hadn't even seen him move. She shot him a cool look.
"Wait here. A gentleman always gets the door for his lady." Sage smiled and got out, swiftly moving around the front of the car.
"I'm not your lady," Lin retorted. She thought she heard him murmer something like "yet" but she didn't comment; she didn't want to get into it. He opened the door and held his hand out to her. She took it silently and let him help her out of the bucket seat; she was inwardly glad he'd held his hand out. Otherwise, she feared she may have had trouble getting herself out of the seat.
"Would you please remove your hand?" she asked when he placed said hand on the small of her back.
"Why?" He removed his hand nonetheless as they walked side-by-side to the entrance, which was opened by a young man who ushered them in.
"Table for two," the young man told a seating hostess.
"Right then. This way." She smiled to them and led them to a small table in the corner next to a window; the table was lit by the full moon outside and a small candle that was poised at its center. On the window sill rested a lovely green ivy that spilled onto the very edge of the table.
The hostess held out their menues to them, smiling at Sage with a barely controlled sense of flirtatiousness. "Master Date, shall you have the usual?"
"Yes, Sherry." He barely flashed the girl a smile; he kept his eyes on Lin the whole while.
"And you, Miss?" She turned to Lin, her demeanor just as happy, but a little less welcoming.
Lin glanced down at the drink list. "Just water, please."
"Yes, Miss." Sherry left them quietly.
"Come here often?" Lin asked coolly.
"If you must know, yes, I do." He smiled. "You never answered my question. Why don't you like to be touched."
"If you must know, it's none of your business."
"It is if I make you uncomfortable." Sage leaned forward a bit in his seat, and the shadows cast by the candle danced across his face in an enchanting manner. "I'd like to know how I should tread around you. I'd like to know how I can keep from upsetting you."
"And I should tell you this because why?" Lin didn't let him answer. "I'm not going to be in this world long anyway. As soon as whatever it was that brought my sisters and I here gets its butt in gear, we're out of here."
"And for all you know, that could take years. How do you know you won't be here for the rest of your life? Why not try to be happy if that happens?"
"If I should try to be happy, what makes you think that going out with you is going to do that?"
"How do you know it won't?" he shot back.
"What makes you think it will?"
It was really beginning to annoy Lin that she was letting him get her riled up. It also particularly ticked her off that she was showing it by flinging out useless "answer a question with a question" responses.
"Is there a possibility you'd at least be willing to give it a try with me?"
"I don't know. It depends on whether you're worth it." Their drinks arrived and Lin took a sip of the chilled water, fingering the teensie vial she held in her lap. How to get it into his drink...
She'd unconciously grabbed the vial moments before she walked downstairs. It was a sleeping potion. She knew she was probably going to regret doing this to him, but just couldn't stand things as they were currently.
She uncorked it with her thumb nail and sat there tapping the brim with the pad of that finger, casting quick glances at the glass he was holding.
"What would you like to order?" he asked softly, affording her one of those smiles of his. You know the one- it would melt the bones of any woman within viewing distance, and cause them to beg at his feet for his priceless attention.
She took another sip and shrugged, then picked up her menu to glance through it.
Back at the Ronin Manor...
Robyn sighed and slipped on her robe. She was damned exhausted. It was only getting worse as time went by. She couldn't figure it out. Something about the exhaustion just didn't sit well with her, so she was on her way downstairs to grab a cup of tea.
She glanced into the living room and grinned when she saw Anubis sitting on the floor with Yulie, playing one of the boy's combat-oriented games, a concentrated look on his face. She emamined him from the back; she could still see how thin he was under the black t-shirt he wore, but for the most part he seemed to have regained his energy back. He'd been healed by Sage and given one of Lin's little potions to give him an extra boost, but now it seemed as though he was as far from any sort of edge as any healthy person.
Smiling she drug herself into the kitchen.
She snickered a bit when she caught Kayura and Dais sitting at the table together, absorbed in each other's mouth. The broke apart, gasping and turning wide eyes on her. She waved a bit and went for the stove where Mia had already set out some tea.
"Dun mind me. I'm just passing through." Robyn got a mug, poured her tea, and scooted back to the doorway.
She was halfway through when she glanced back at them.
"Don't forget condoms!" she said, waggling her eyebrows.
"Robyn!" Kayura gasped, her face reddening. Dais busted up laughing, earning the Lady's hard elbow in his side. Robyn just giggled and crawled back upstairs.
Sipping at her tea, Robyn sat down on the floor of her soon-to-be ex-room, folding up the blankets she had used, preparing to take them to be washed. She was moving into one of the two rooms on the third floor, and due to a lovely game of Ro-Sham-Bo, she'd corralled her own room.
Due to an incident involving being stepped on whilst she slept, Robyn had finally managed to convince herself to get off her ass and move into the other rooms. Ealier that day, she'd been asleep, and Anubis had hauled himself out of bed- he was still having a few little spells where he needed to drop- and forgetting she was there, he had walked right over her. That had been particularly painful and she didn't want to have a repeat performance.
She stilled in her folding and looked up, concentrating on some hidden point in the distance. She frowned. Something was wrong with Lin. She sighed; the girl was being stubborn, refusing to admit to her hidden attraction to the sexy blonde who was doing his best to get her to fall at his feet.
Well, maybe not his best.
And she had only a vague idea as to why Lin was acting the way she was. An old memory that she'd only confessed to Robyn when she'd been under the power of one of her own potions.
He seemed to be acting so out of character. This wasn't at all how she would picture him trying to get a date out of a hard-to-catch girl. She shrugged. The TV show was accurate to the point of being real, but the true reality still had a few small details overlooked by the animators.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to sift through the feelings she felt eminating from Lin.
"What in the..." She focussed a bit harder and sensed another, smaller presense attached to the girl's thoughts. Blinking, Robyn concentrated harder, but stopped when she felt a head ache coming on. She snorted disgustedly. Damn this weakness! She hated not being able to do something so simple as check up on her sister!
Growling, she continued folding, hoping the task would ground the grumpy feelings she was experiencing.
The Restaraunt...
Lin felt the vine before it even touched her, so she didn't jump as it twined through the fingers of her left hand, which lay in her lap under the table, holding the small vial of sleeping potion. She and Sage were waiting on their order and he was trying to pull her into a conversation when the vine started acting up. She hadn't even thought of the plant on the table, she'd been so distressed about sitting across from Sage on an actual date.
When it tipped the cork and snaked inside the opening she had trouble keeping her eyes from widening as it dampened itself in the clear liquid. She stiffened slightly as it crawled back up onto the table, afraid Sage would see, but he was too busy watching her, the first time she was glad he did so. Slowly, silently, the plant reached his glass and squeezed a few drops into whatever it was he had ordered. Then it receded back to its pot, unnoticed except by the distraught girl it had aided.
Relieved, Lin corked the vial and and slipped it back into her purse. Now all she had to do was wait.
Not long, it turned out as Sage reached for his glass and took a small drink. Just enough, she thought. He smiled at her.
"I'm glad you came... with....me..." his head dropped forward and hit the table. Thankfully his napkin was there and it dulled the sound to a faint thud; Lin was also thankful their table was mostly hidden from view. She stood up and gathered her things; pausing, and stifling any guilt, she snatched a few bills from Sage's wallet before marching to the entrance.
"Would you be so kind as to call me a cab?" she asked politely of the young door man. He blinked at her, confused, before rushing to do her bidding. She stepped into the cool night air and prayed that the cab would get there fast. The potion wasn't a strong one; it would only last long enough for her to get herself out of there.
Luckily, the cab had only been a few blocks away and she practically through herself into the back seat and gave him Mia's address. The driver nodded when she asked him to hurry.
It was lucky indeed, for a moment after the cab left, Sage snapped awake. He looked around confused, and when realization hit him, the dawning was followed quickly by a surge of anger and hurt pride. He glared at the wallet that lay on the table and snorted. So she was stealing from him now, eh? He threw some money on the table, more than enough to cover the bill and stalked past a startled Sherry.
"Master Date? Is everything okay?"
"Fine," he snapped as he charged out the door, lacking any grace as he got into his car and peeled out of the driveway moments later.
He was apparently just barely faster than the cabby, as a while later he caught up to them in Mia's driveway. He cut the engine and waited. Line exited the cab and walked slowly up the steps and into the house, obviously ignoring the fact that he was there. That irked him and he slowly got from his car and followed.
When he got inside, everybody that was present was staring at him. He didn't take notice of who as he walked up the stairs to go find his wayward date and give her a piece of his mind.
Lin walked into Robyn's new room, unsurprised to find her pointing to a chair in a silent order.
"So what do you think he did wrong this time?" Lin winced at the barely perceptable derisiveness that was hidden in Robyn's tone.
"I didn't come here to get a lecture," she snapped.
"Well you're going to get one." Lin started to get up from her seat, but Robyn's hand shot out and she felt herself glued to the chair.
"Lin: while I normally don't emply my powers to force somebody to listen, I'm afriad it's quite obviously needed in this particular case. So, I will say this only once, lift my powers, and see if it doesn't get you to stay seated on your own."
She paused and Lin felt dread build up in her veins.
"Sage is not Robert."
Lin stiffened and all color drained from her face as she remained seated.
"Don't say his name," Lin choked out. Robyn's stern look softened.
"It's unfair of me, I know. But you need to stop treating Sage this way. I realize he's not exactly on his best behavior, but then again, neither are you. He doesn't deserve unfair judgement." She paused. "He doesn't deserve to be compared to Robert."
"Stop saying it," Lin said softly. "And don't tell me not to compare them. How can I not?"
"How can you?" Robyn stood up from her seat on the bed. "Lin, sweety, I beg that you give him a chance. I really believe that he doesn't want to hurt you."
"What would you know!" Lin shouted, standing up and knocking Robyn back a bit. "Nothing! You don't know anything about this so just stay out of it!"
"Then stop acting like this!" Robyn said in an urgent tone. "You're going to grow up more bitter than you already are if you don't stop." Her gray eyes flashed, like a warning before a storm. "Lin, he's not going to hurt you!" A wind started picking up in the room, pulling Robyn's braids apart and filtering through the long strands of blond, raising them up and twisting them around. Lin's eyes widened as the pupils of her sister's eyes disappeared, leaving nothing but flat gray.
"I know it."
As suddenly as her anger had started the storm inside the room, it stopped and the wind faded. Robyn stood placidly.
"How the hell do you know?" Lin whispered stubbornly, unable to met Robyn's eyes.
"Why don't you ask him? He's right outside." She snapped her head arount and stared at the door, her blue eyes wide. Then she walked over and nearly tore the door of its hinges.
Blue eyes met violet. Lin felt her insides clenching as he stared at her with that cool gaze and suddenly felt like she'd just been cast into the role of an unworthy peasant under a king's assessing gaze.
The moment he had heard Robyn mention something about a guy named Robert, and Lin's reaction, Sage had lost his anger and had stood numbly to listen, hoping to gain some sort of link to Lin's secret emotions. The longer he listened, the more numb and ashamed he became. And when Lin opened the door- threw it open, more like- he just stared at her emotionlessly.
"How much did you hear?" she asked lowly.
"Enough." He looked away. "Who is Robert?"
"None of your damned business."
He shook his head and met her eyes once again. "It is if knowing about him can get you to trust me." He started walking away and then paused. "I'll wait Lin. I don't know why, but I will."
Then he left, and Lin wanted a gaping hole to open and swallow her up, if it would get rid of the despicible loathing she felt for herself.
An Hour Later...
Robyn threw herself into Anubis's room and started digging around frantically in each nook and every cranny something small and flat could fit into.
After Lin had left her room earlier, she'd been edgy again. Her emotions were coming and going like the tides and she didn't like it one bit. Only, after a few minutes, she'd finally locked onto some clear feeling; it had taken shape, and she understood why she was so stressed lately.
One of her cards was missing.
And not just any card.
The card of the future. Her seer card.
Things had quickly become clear to her after her failed attempts to bring the card up. The reason she was so taxed was directly related to her missing card. The farther away she was from it, the more her visions were trying to creep in and were pushing at the barriers the card provided- barriers that were stretched to the limit.
Meanwhile, Anubis started awake and stared at her.
"Robyn! What are you-" Before he could finish what he'd been about to yell at her, she stormed out, and a definite chill settled in the air in her sudden absense.
Uh-oh. What's gonna happen now? I have no clue. Maybe you guys can tell me! Yeah, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to bring this chapter about, but I've just had trouble writing lately. I've had a huge brick in place of my brain, and work seems to demand the majority of my time now. Grrrr. Anyway, thanks to Princess Shadowcat for her awesome review. I hadn't felt like writing until I read that review and it gave me a little spark back! Yay! Oh, and I am well aware that I am weird. I'm just glad somebody else noticed for a change! Wait... Soulfully yours, Gray
Himby: SQUEAK!!
Note: - words - means shared thoughts between the girls.
-words- mean private thoughts of a person.
Chapter 13 By: Soulful Gray
Sage waited patiently by the front door, hands in the pocket of his black slacks, watching the stairs for the descent of his date. He smirked to himself and chuckled inwardly. Odd that he found himself about to go on a date with an infuriating redhead that by all rights he should probably have something against.
He couldn't bring himself to have something against Lin though. She was too pretty and too much of a challenge for him to pass up.
He had the evening planned out perfectly. First a little dancing, and then a quiet dinner at one of his favorite restaurants. Then maybe he'd take her on a classical moonlit drive to a beach somewhere. Sage's ego drive was at an all-time high, and little versions of himself dancing around with little versions of Lin were sailing through his head.
He looked up and caught sight of Lin as she stepped gracefully down the stairs. Of the three girls, he'd have to say she was possibly the most lithe of the three of them; she passed by people like a summer breeze and he wondered if she would curl around someone just as sweetly. (AN: Not like that you pervs!)
He cast an appreciative glance over her clothes. Her blouse was sky blue silk and opened at the top to reveal more skin than she probably cared for. The skirt was slinky like the top, made of black satin that clung loosely to her thighs and ended just below her knees.
"You're late," he teased, glancing at the clock. It read 8:02, and she snorted.
"Whatever. Let's get this over with." She reached for the door handle, but he beat her to it and opened the door for her. With hardly a glance his way she sailed out the door and waited on the porch for him to point to which of the jillions of vehicles they were using.
He put a hand at the small of her back and guided her to the farthest car, a black little sport that had the soft top folded back, making note of how she stiffened when he did that.
"Do you want me to put the top up?" he asked curteously. "For your hair?"
"It's fine," she said stiffly. Shrugging, he opened her door and waited for her to be seated in snugly before he closed the door behind her. He hopped over to the driver's side and slid in easily.
"I hope you like dancing," Sage said smoothly as he made his way not to Toyoma, but in the opposite direction. While he drove, he eyed her out of the corner of his eye, and little banners waved in his head that he had definately scored this time! (AN: Again, not in that way! Don't make Himby de-bitch you!)
Because of the bucket seats, the skirt had ridden up over her knees just a bit, and the wind was making it creep higher up her thighs, but her hands were folded primly in her lap, stopping its path over her skin. He smiled and wondered if she even noticed how much of her skin really was showing.
-Probably,- he thought. -Then again, maybe not. She would have been pulling it back down I think. Either that or she's too proud to admit being embarassed.-
A little while later, he pulled up into a quiet town that hosted mostly restaurants and a few dance clubs. It was situated along the bank of a quiet lake that was a popular spot for romance.
"Where do you want to go first, dancing? Or dinner?" He'd planned on dancing first, but on the drive over he'd rethought things. She'd probably want to sit and eat first. Maybe he could get her relaxed that way. Then again, she might become relaxed after some dancing. Whichever, he decided to give her the option, generous soul that he was.
Lin answered quickly.
"I'd like to eat first, if that's okay with you."
"Alright then." He drove on a bit before turning into the parking lot of a tiny restaraunt that was shadowed by a small grove of trees.
As soon as he parked, Lin reached for her door handle, but a ring of warmth surrounded her wrist the moment her fingers touched the cool metal. She hadn't even seen him move. She shot him a cool look.
"Wait here. A gentleman always gets the door for his lady." Sage smiled and got out, swiftly moving around the front of the car.
"I'm not your lady," Lin retorted. She thought she heard him murmer something like "yet" but she didn't comment; she didn't want to get into it. He opened the door and held his hand out to her. She took it silently and let him help her out of the bucket seat; she was inwardly glad he'd held his hand out. Otherwise, she feared she may have had trouble getting herself out of the seat.
"Would you please remove your hand?" she asked when he placed said hand on the small of her back.
"Why?" He removed his hand nonetheless as they walked side-by-side to the entrance, which was opened by a young man who ushered them in.
"Table for two," the young man told a seating hostess.
"Right then. This way." She smiled to them and led them to a small table in the corner next to a window; the table was lit by the full moon outside and a small candle that was poised at its center. On the window sill rested a lovely green ivy that spilled onto the very edge of the table.
The hostess held out their menues to them, smiling at Sage with a barely controlled sense of flirtatiousness. "Master Date, shall you have the usual?"
"Yes, Sherry." He barely flashed the girl a smile; he kept his eyes on Lin the whole while.
"And you, Miss?" She turned to Lin, her demeanor just as happy, but a little less welcoming.
Lin glanced down at the drink list. "Just water, please."
"Yes, Miss." Sherry left them quietly.
"Come here often?" Lin asked coolly.
"If you must know, yes, I do." He smiled. "You never answered my question. Why don't you like to be touched."
"If you must know, it's none of your business."
"It is if I make you uncomfortable." Sage leaned forward a bit in his seat, and the shadows cast by the candle danced across his face in an enchanting manner. "I'd like to know how I should tread around you. I'd like to know how I can keep from upsetting you."
"And I should tell you this because why?" Lin didn't let him answer. "I'm not going to be in this world long anyway. As soon as whatever it was that brought my sisters and I here gets its butt in gear, we're out of here."
"And for all you know, that could take years. How do you know you won't be here for the rest of your life? Why not try to be happy if that happens?"
"If I should try to be happy, what makes you think that going out with you is going to do that?"
"How do you know it won't?" he shot back.
"What makes you think it will?"
It was really beginning to annoy Lin that she was letting him get her riled up. It also particularly ticked her off that she was showing it by flinging out useless "answer a question with a question" responses.
"Is there a possibility you'd at least be willing to give it a try with me?"
"I don't know. It depends on whether you're worth it." Their drinks arrived and Lin took a sip of the chilled water, fingering the teensie vial she held in her lap. How to get it into his drink...
She'd unconciously grabbed the vial moments before she walked downstairs. It was a sleeping potion. She knew she was probably going to regret doing this to him, but just couldn't stand things as they were currently.
She uncorked it with her thumb nail and sat there tapping the brim with the pad of that finger, casting quick glances at the glass he was holding.
"What would you like to order?" he asked softly, affording her one of those smiles of his. You know the one- it would melt the bones of any woman within viewing distance, and cause them to beg at his feet for his priceless attention.
She took another sip and shrugged, then picked up her menu to glance through it.
Back at the Ronin Manor...
Robyn sighed and slipped on her robe. She was damned exhausted. It was only getting worse as time went by. She couldn't figure it out. Something about the exhaustion just didn't sit well with her, so she was on her way downstairs to grab a cup of tea.
She glanced into the living room and grinned when she saw Anubis sitting on the floor with Yulie, playing one of the boy's combat-oriented games, a concentrated look on his face. She emamined him from the back; she could still see how thin he was under the black t-shirt he wore, but for the most part he seemed to have regained his energy back. He'd been healed by Sage and given one of Lin's little potions to give him an extra boost, but now it seemed as though he was as far from any sort of edge as any healthy person.
Smiling she drug herself into the kitchen.
She snickered a bit when she caught Kayura and Dais sitting at the table together, absorbed in each other's mouth. The broke apart, gasping and turning wide eyes on her. She waved a bit and went for the stove where Mia had already set out some tea.
"Dun mind me. I'm just passing through." Robyn got a mug, poured her tea, and scooted back to the doorway.
She was halfway through when she glanced back at them.
"Don't forget condoms!" she said, waggling her eyebrows.
"Robyn!" Kayura gasped, her face reddening. Dais busted up laughing, earning the Lady's hard elbow in his side. Robyn just giggled and crawled back upstairs.
Sipping at her tea, Robyn sat down on the floor of her soon-to-be ex-room, folding up the blankets she had used, preparing to take them to be washed. She was moving into one of the two rooms on the third floor, and due to a lovely game of Ro-Sham-Bo, she'd corralled her own room.
Due to an incident involving being stepped on whilst she slept, Robyn had finally managed to convince herself to get off her ass and move into the other rooms. Ealier that day, she'd been asleep, and Anubis had hauled himself out of bed- he was still having a few little spells where he needed to drop- and forgetting she was there, he had walked right over her. That had been particularly painful and she didn't want to have a repeat performance.
She stilled in her folding and looked up, concentrating on some hidden point in the distance. She frowned. Something was wrong with Lin. She sighed; the girl was being stubborn, refusing to admit to her hidden attraction to the sexy blonde who was doing his best to get her to fall at his feet.
Well, maybe not his best.
And she had only a vague idea as to why Lin was acting the way she was. An old memory that she'd only confessed to Robyn when she'd been under the power of one of her own potions.
He seemed to be acting so out of character. This wasn't at all how she would picture him trying to get a date out of a hard-to-catch girl. She shrugged. The TV show was accurate to the point of being real, but the true reality still had a few small details overlooked by the animators.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to sift through the feelings she felt eminating from Lin.
"What in the..." She focussed a bit harder and sensed another, smaller presense attached to the girl's thoughts. Blinking, Robyn concentrated harder, but stopped when she felt a head ache coming on. She snorted disgustedly. Damn this weakness! She hated not being able to do something so simple as check up on her sister!
Growling, she continued folding, hoping the task would ground the grumpy feelings she was experiencing.
The Restaraunt...
Lin felt the vine before it even touched her, so she didn't jump as it twined through the fingers of her left hand, which lay in her lap under the table, holding the small vial of sleeping potion. She and Sage were waiting on their order and he was trying to pull her into a conversation when the vine started acting up. She hadn't even thought of the plant on the table, she'd been so distressed about sitting across from Sage on an actual date.
When it tipped the cork and snaked inside the opening she had trouble keeping her eyes from widening as it dampened itself in the clear liquid. She stiffened slightly as it crawled back up onto the table, afraid Sage would see, but he was too busy watching her, the first time she was glad he did so. Slowly, silently, the plant reached his glass and squeezed a few drops into whatever it was he had ordered. Then it receded back to its pot, unnoticed except by the distraught girl it had aided.
Relieved, Lin corked the vial and and slipped it back into her purse. Now all she had to do was wait.
Not long, it turned out as Sage reached for his glass and took a small drink. Just enough, she thought. He smiled at her.
"I'm glad you came... with....me..." his head dropped forward and hit the table. Thankfully his napkin was there and it dulled the sound to a faint thud; Lin was also thankful their table was mostly hidden from view. She stood up and gathered her things; pausing, and stifling any guilt, she snatched a few bills from Sage's wallet before marching to the entrance.
"Would you be so kind as to call me a cab?" she asked politely of the young door man. He blinked at her, confused, before rushing to do her bidding. She stepped into the cool night air and prayed that the cab would get there fast. The potion wasn't a strong one; it would only last long enough for her to get herself out of there.
Luckily, the cab had only been a few blocks away and she practically through herself into the back seat and gave him Mia's address. The driver nodded when she asked him to hurry.
It was lucky indeed, for a moment after the cab left, Sage snapped awake. He looked around confused, and when realization hit him, the dawning was followed quickly by a surge of anger and hurt pride. He glared at the wallet that lay on the table and snorted. So she was stealing from him now, eh? He threw some money on the table, more than enough to cover the bill and stalked past a startled Sherry.
"Master Date? Is everything okay?"
"Fine," he snapped as he charged out the door, lacking any grace as he got into his car and peeled out of the driveway moments later.
He was apparently just barely faster than the cabby, as a while later he caught up to them in Mia's driveway. He cut the engine and waited. Line exited the cab and walked slowly up the steps and into the house, obviously ignoring the fact that he was there. That irked him and he slowly got from his car and followed.
When he got inside, everybody that was present was staring at him. He didn't take notice of who as he walked up the stairs to go find his wayward date and give her a piece of his mind.
Lin walked into Robyn's new room, unsurprised to find her pointing to a chair in a silent order.
"So what do you think he did wrong this time?" Lin winced at the barely perceptable derisiveness that was hidden in Robyn's tone.
"I didn't come here to get a lecture," she snapped.
"Well you're going to get one." Lin started to get up from her seat, but Robyn's hand shot out and she felt herself glued to the chair.
"Lin: while I normally don't emply my powers to force somebody to listen, I'm afriad it's quite obviously needed in this particular case. So, I will say this only once, lift my powers, and see if it doesn't get you to stay seated on your own."
She paused and Lin felt dread build up in her veins.
"Sage is not Robert."
Lin stiffened and all color drained from her face as she remained seated.
"Don't say his name," Lin choked out. Robyn's stern look softened.
"It's unfair of me, I know. But you need to stop treating Sage this way. I realize he's not exactly on his best behavior, but then again, neither are you. He doesn't deserve unfair judgement." She paused. "He doesn't deserve to be compared to Robert."
"Stop saying it," Lin said softly. "And don't tell me not to compare them. How can I not?"
"How can you?" Robyn stood up from her seat on the bed. "Lin, sweety, I beg that you give him a chance. I really believe that he doesn't want to hurt you."
"What would you know!" Lin shouted, standing up and knocking Robyn back a bit. "Nothing! You don't know anything about this so just stay out of it!"
"Then stop acting like this!" Robyn said in an urgent tone. "You're going to grow up more bitter than you already are if you don't stop." Her gray eyes flashed, like a warning before a storm. "Lin, he's not going to hurt you!" A wind started picking up in the room, pulling Robyn's braids apart and filtering through the long strands of blond, raising them up and twisting them around. Lin's eyes widened as the pupils of her sister's eyes disappeared, leaving nothing but flat gray.
"I know it."
As suddenly as her anger had started the storm inside the room, it stopped and the wind faded. Robyn stood placidly.
"How the hell do you know?" Lin whispered stubbornly, unable to met Robyn's eyes.
"Why don't you ask him? He's right outside." She snapped her head arount and stared at the door, her blue eyes wide. Then she walked over and nearly tore the door of its hinges.
Blue eyes met violet. Lin felt her insides clenching as he stared at her with that cool gaze and suddenly felt like she'd just been cast into the role of an unworthy peasant under a king's assessing gaze.
The moment he had heard Robyn mention something about a guy named Robert, and Lin's reaction, Sage had lost his anger and had stood numbly to listen, hoping to gain some sort of link to Lin's secret emotions. The longer he listened, the more numb and ashamed he became. And when Lin opened the door- threw it open, more like- he just stared at her emotionlessly.
"How much did you hear?" she asked lowly.
"Enough." He looked away. "Who is Robert?"
"None of your damned business."
He shook his head and met her eyes once again. "It is if knowing about him can get you to trust me." He started walking away and then paused. "I'll wait Lin. I don't know why, but I will."
Then he left, and Lin wanted a gaping hole to open and swallow her up, if it would get rid of the despicible loathing she felt for herself.
An Hour Later...
Robyn threw herself into Anubis's room and started digging around frantically in each nook and every cranny something small and flat could fit into.
After Lin had left her room earlier, she'd been edgy again. Her emotions were coming and going like the tides and she didn't like it one bit. Only, after a few minutes, she'd finally locked onto some clear feeling; it had taken shape, and she understood why she was so stressed lately.
One of her cards was missing.
And not just any card.
The card of the future. Her seer card.
Things had quickly become clear to her after her failed attempts to bring the card up. The reason she was so taxed was directly related to her missing card. The farther away she was from it, the more her visions were trying to creep in and were pushing at the barriers the card provided- barriers that were stretched to the limit.
Meanwhile, Anubis started awake and stared at her.
"Robyn! What are you-" Before he could finish what he'd been about to yell at her, she stormed out, and a definite chill settled in the air in her sudden absense.
Uh-oh. What's gonna happen now? I have no clue. Maybe you guys can tell me! Yeah, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to bring this chapter about, but I've just had trouble writing lately. I've had a huge brick in place of my brain, and work seems to demand the majority of my time now. Grrrr. Anyway, thanks to Princess Shadowcat for her awesome review. I hadn't felt like writing until I read that review and it gave me a little spark back! Yay! Oh, and I am well aware that I am weird. I'm just glad somebody else noticed for a change! Wait... Soulfully yours, Gray