A Mithral Dragon in Modern Britain
Chapter 3: Strange Happenings
Sharanna sipped her orange juice as she looked over the printed schedule she'd obtained from the dean several days earlier. Hmm, good quality. I guess that the grocer wasn't kidding that the Americans were better at this than the French, she mused about the juice. The dragon smiled and continued to judge the relative amount of work each would generate. "Good morning, old friend," she greeted Setsuna as the latter stepped into the room, speaking with an American accent, and with American idiom.
"Good morning, Sharanna. Or should I say, Shannon?" the green-haired elf asked, smiling slightly and shaking her head.
"And I was supposed to walk around with an elven name?" the dark-haired seeming-human answered. Setsuna only chuckled. "So what brings you to my humble abode, Setsuna?"
"I was just wondering how you were settling in. What courses do you have?" Setsuna responded.
"Mostly sciences, with a course in pre-calculus," the dragon responded. "They seem to be probing my knowledge of the natural world."
"Understandable. Math doesn't change, and they want to know what your perspective on the sciences is," Setsuna replied as she glanced at the class. "Of course, the Silver Millennium was more advanced than humanity is now in a few areas, and the ones that they weren't aren't touched on by introductory courses in physics, biology, or astronomy." The elf paused for a moment. "Be careful in that astronomy course. The planets..."
"Are different. I do own a telescope, Setsuna," Sharanna interrupted, raising an eyebrow. Setsuna nodded and smiled.
"Enjoying the contemplation of your life here at Oxford?" Setsuna inquired.
"You mean at Rendelsham College?" Sharanna replied, getting a funny look. "It's interesting, although I wonder how well the shuttle service works during the school year." She stood up and motioned Setsuna over to the window. "Look over there, see that road?" she asked. Setsuna nodded, wondering what her friend's point was. "That's Oxford Ringroad. It goes around the majority of the university. Rendelsham is on the outside of the Ringroad, and we've got a nice forest over that way," Sharanna added, gesturing towards a wall that contained her bedroom.
Setsuna smiled to herself as she looked around the suite and noted the three doors. Sharanna hadn't decorated the common area of the room yet, so it was bare walled except for the large bookshelves that had been added. "Your roommates should be arriving sometime tomorrow night," she added.
Sharanna snorted. "I know, but it's this afternoon, not tomorrow night. Guess who gets to borrow a Ford and pick them up at Heathrow?" Shaking her head, the dragon laughed a little. "Friends of yours?"
"You are," Setsuna pointed out. "Isn't that enough?"
Sharanna gave the elf a withering look, and received an inscrutable gaze in return before shrugging. "I am sure that whatever secret you're protecting will be clear enough in a few weeks." Setsuna raised an eyebrow, but didn't give her friend any other response. The phone chose that moment to ring. "McCloud here. What's up, boss?" she answered, her voice somewhat less formal, less... grave and powerful than was normal somehow. "The flight got delayed? Yeah, I know, big surprise for a plane coming out of JFK. So when are they expected? What?! Three in the morning??!! Yeah, yeah, I'll be there. What? Some idiot made a bomb threat? Several of them? That's brilliant. Anyway, I assume there's a truck waiting for me. Good, I'll go pick it up in a couple of hours. Yeah, I'll be fine. Just have to make sure I find a nice large pot of coffee. You still have that coffee maker in your room? Good, make me a pot, leave it on a hot plate in the office," Sharanna requested. "That way, I don't fall asleep at the wheel. That would be a bad thing." She hung the phone up with a perfunctory glare and sighed before giving Setsuna a look. "You were right. They will be here tomorrow night. Some fool called in a bomb threat, and then decided to phone in a couple more to keep the authorities guessing."
Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ever doubt me?" she asked. Then she saw the slightly malicious grin on her friend's face.
"'Oh, no, Minister. I didn't have anything to do with the frog in the Queen's throne.' 'Oh, no, Minister. I didn't sneak into the kitchens last night.' Shall I continue?" Sharanna asked, on the verge of laughter.
"I was hoping you'd forgotten about those," Setsuna admitted, wincing slightly.
"After the way old Deuteronomy used to complain about them?" Sharanna asked, her blue eyes alive with mischief. She ran a hand through the coal-black hair she wore in this form as she laughed. "Right. Any other delusions I should know about?" Setsuna just shook her head, remembering precisely how sharp her friend's memory really was. Setsuna looked back at her friend, catching a thoughtful look. "If this is the Return, I am going to need an assistant," Sharanna opined, leaning back in her chair.
"Oh? What makes you say that?" Setsuna answered.
"Quite simple. The biggest problem that we are going to have is managing situations as they happen. Things are going to start stirring, and neither the Senshi nor I can be on duty at all times. We need someone to keep an eye on things. Also, it would be nice to have someone here much of the time, someone I can talk to." The dragon looked very old and lonely, and she sighed. "Someone who remembers the old days, when dragons danced in the clouds with pegasi and the Moon was a beauty, the envy of the system." Sharanna looked wistful, but shook it off. "Do you remember those two stasis capsules I found?" she asked suddenly. Setsuna nodded, wondering and half-suspecting where her friend was going with this. "Luna and Artemis were in them, but you asked me not to release those two and took the capsules." Sharanna gave her friend a look. "Is there a chance that one of them, preferably Artemis, would be available to assist?"
Setsuna nodded. "Yes, there is, but only a slight one. Why Artemis, though?" Setsuna asked.
"First, Luna is likely too devoted to the Princess to leave. Second, Artemis was another close friend, just as you are. Third, knowing him, it will improve their relationship if he's at a safe distance. Fourth, Luna and I do not react well if put together in a confined area under stress for too long," Sharanna pointed out, smiling. "We may respect each other a great deal, and we are friends, but we get along better if we are not living together."
Setsuna smiled. "Are you free this afternoon?" she asked, grinning slightly.
"Yes, why?" the dragon asked, giving her friend a strange look.
"Why don't we go see some old friends?" the Senshi of Pluto suggested. Sharanna just gave her a funny look.
Ami sighed as she looked out of the motel room. "Michiru...?" she asked quietly. Not getting a response, she turned to look at the older girl, who was asleep in her bed. The blue-haired girl sighed. "I wish I could fall asleep that easily," she said to herself, looking out the window. Three o'clock in the morning, and I can't sleep. I hate jet lag, she thought to herself. Well, I might as well go take a walk. I'll probably be able to sleep on the plane later. She pulled on her jacket and headed out of the room, pausing to write a short note to Michiru.
As the girl walked through Central Park, she paused to look up at the moon. Full moon tonight, she mused. I wonder what the others are doing right now. She sighed and continued walking, before she heard a shriek, though of fear or rage, she couldn't tell. Glancing around, she made sure that there wasn't anyone watching before she took out her pen and transformed. Mercury quickly moved in the direction of the scream and pulled out her computer to find out what was going on. As she got closer, she heard another scream, lower in pitch. Skidding around the hill that had obscured the situation from her scrutiny before, Mercury's eyes widened at the sight before her. A rather seedy-looking man was sprawled out on the ground, staring up at the strange being standing over him.
"How dare you!" the female shrieked. She looked down at the human at her feet, who was gasping at the fey and beautiful features she wore. Her hair was long and pale green, and she wore an expression of anger and loathing, sparks dancing in her silver eyes. "I am not property, nor do I wish your attentions!"
Mercury chose that time to make her presence known. "Stop, now," the warrior of ice ordered the strange being.
"Why? This human assaulted me, wanted to rape me! Why shouldn't I do something about it?" the fey asked.
"Because killing someone doesn't solve the problem, it only creates more violence," Mercury answered. "And you sing, you do not fight," she added, noticing the guitar the fey girl had dropped.
The fey blinked, and then she laughed slightly. "Who said anything about killing him? I was only going to give him a compulsion to turn himself in to the police and confess his crimes," she explained, reaching for her guitar.
Mercury frowned. "While that does sound like a good idea, I'm afraid that I can't permit anyone to simply place enchantments on humans without good cause and my own knowledge of what they are doing," the Senshi replied.
The fey almost looked as though she wanted to laugh. "You want a good cause? Assault and attempted rape will work well enough in my opinion. For knowledge, listen to my song," the fey instructed. "Bards cannot cast a spell without a song, particularly enchantments." With that, the girl picked up her guitar, strummed a chord, and began to play with a haunting voice made still more powerful by an undercurrent of anger and resentment.
"Criminal, does of wrongs,
Go to the constables and admit to the list of sins you have built,
Bring to them confession
Of all that they can punish you for and would bring another guilt."
She finished playing and Mercury shook off the haunting song, watching as the man collected his things. "Is that really going to work?"
The fey girl looked at her and considered the question. "For the next few hours, certainly, but beyond that? Compulsions like this vary too much based on the mind they are forced upon for me to be at all certain." She shrugged and picked up the guitar case. "Care to join me? I was just going to play a little concert in the park." Mercury nodded warily, afraid that she would also have a spell cast on her.
The girl laughed again. "Just a concert. I promise. Believe me, you'll know if I try to cast a spell on you. Besides, you're one of those Sailor Scouts, aren't you?" she asked after they had walked a while in silence, looking at the girl.
"Senshi. We're called Senshi. Not Scout, not Sailor," Mercury corrected. "The first is a translation mistake, and the second is just a plain mistake," she added in explanation. "We're not infallible."
"No one but the gods is. Except maybe dragons. But fey aren't, neither are elves. I should know," she added. "My name is Euterpe, like the Greek Muse. What's yours?" she asked.
"Senshi Mercury," was the only reply she got.
"You're a little... female to be Mercury, aren't you?" Euterpe asked, grinning impishly at the dirty look she received as the pair sat down on the small castle at the heart of Central Park. "I thought you guys only worked in Japan, anyway."
"I'm on my way somewhere else. Problems at the airport, you see," Mercury explained.
"Oh. The bomb threats. I bet you're going to Oxford, aren't you?" the fey asked.
Mercury blanched. "How did you figure that out?!" she demanded.
"The dragon," Euterpe pointed out. "But..." she trailed off as something occurred to her, "I bet you're really attending." Mercury shook her head quickly, and the fey bard grinned. "You are, aren't you?"
Mercury's shoulders slumped, and she nodded forlornly. "Don't tell anyone, please."
Euterpe nodded. "I'm attending there too. I wonder if we're roommates," she asked, looking up at the stars.
"Trust me, we're not," Mercury answered.
"Too bad. Anyway, I'll look you up when we get on the plane," the fey said.
Mercury's eyes widened. Bad, very bad. If she puts two and two together, she'll figure out who I am, and probably Michiru as well! she thought excitedly, her heart racing. "No, no, that's all right," she assured the fey, who looked at her.
"Trust me. I won't tell anyone who you are, Mercury. Besides, if I introduce myself, and tell you who I am, won't you have just as big a secret on me?" the fey pointed out. Mercury nodded slightly, but she still didn't look reassured. "So, want to hear a song?"
Mercury relaxed slightly, and nodded. "What do you know?"
Euterpe grinned. "How about "The Dance" by Garth Brooks?" she asked, pulling out her guitar from the case she had set down beside her. Mercury nodded and leaned back slightly against the wall. Strumming a short chord to warm up, the fey then launched into a song.
"Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared 'neath the stars alone
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance
Holding you I held everything
For a moment wasn't I a king
But if I'd only known how the king would fall
Hey who's to say you know I might have chanced it all
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance
Yes my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain but I'd of had to miss the dance"
Euterpe continued playing long after she had stopped singing. The feel of the sound made Mercury think of a piano as she listened. After she played the final chord of the sad song and set down the guitar. Mercury shook off the melancholy and stared out into the park. She started to say something, but then caught a bit of motion in the corner of her eye. "Did you see that?" she asked as she looked over into the woods.
Euterpe smiled. "A late night concert in this park, near that tree, sung by a faerie bard, and you expect nothing to happen?" she asked, grinning. "That was a pixie. I think," she added, peering in the direction of the tentative pixie.
Mercury frowned. "You think?" she asked, turning a look on her new friend.
Euterpe shrugged. "I'm not close enough to tell, really."
Mercury shook her head and settled back. "Play another song, please. We seem to have some time." And with that, a new friendship started.
Author's Note: As far as I know, Rendelsham is fictional. I don't know enough about Oxford itself to work with any of the established colleges or halls for living space, so I created Rendelsham as an international and overflow residence unit, also teaching a few esoteric language courses and international relations and history.
For those who are curious, Euterpe really is a Greek Muse, specifically, the muse of music.