Me: (Lounging against random llama, looking amused. For the first time, well, ever, notices people before too long of a time has passed) Oh, hey dudes. I'm in a rather pleasant mood for two reasons. The first is the fact it's my birthday. Well, not for long, but whatever. The second is that, well, see for yourselves. (Gestures to the right)

SD: (Waltzing around drunkenly) I miss you Lady Banana! Why did you leave me? (Begins to sob)

Me: We've been playing DTOD for the last (Counts on fingers) Err, well, I don't really know. It's been a while, for sure.

SD: (Laughing stupidly) He-he-he-he. You're fuuunnnyyy. (Begins to do the tango with an invisible partner)

Me: (Sweetly) Oh, but not as much as you are, lovely banana man.

SD: He-he-he-he-he-he. I knooowww.

Me: Hey, isn't it your turn?

SD: Turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn. (Starts spinning around)

Me: I wouldn't suggest doing that. You're going to get sick.

SD: Not me!

Me: Why?

SD: Because I'm SUPERMAN! (Starts running around, making flying noises and holding hands out superman-style)

Me: (Smirks) I gotta save this moment. (Takes out camera and takes pictures)

SD: SUPERMAN TO THE RESCUE! (Suddenly stops running and holds stomach) I don't feel good.

Me: (Unconcerned) Not surprising. You've been spinning around doing stupid things for at least (Calculates for a moment) seventy-two hours.

SD: (Runs over into corner. Loud retching noises are heard)

Me: (Makes disgusted face) Ew. Anyway, as you dudes know, I don't own the characters, places, yadda yadda yadda.

SD: (Comes back over and falls down, unconscious)

Me: Great, now I've gotta wait for him to wake up. Well, until then… (Proceeds poking him with a fork)

Violet Eyes by Eveiveneg

Gayle shook her head, finally calming down. She looked up and around, sighing as she realized nobody was there. Then she frowned. She was in the palace's infirmary. Kaelin had said that he'd bring her to the Rider's barracks. Why was she here? She shook her head. Never mind that. Maybe he just decided it would be better if she came here. Yes, that was probably it.

Nodding her head in agreement with the thought, she looked around and found her clothes, as well as a glass of water and a brush. She dressed, washed her face and brushed her hair, braiding it back to keep it out of her face.

That done, she made sure she had everything and left. When she went out the door, it was made clear to her that it was late at night, or at least early morning. It was incredibly quiet. And dark. Extremely dark.

Somehow, she managed to get out of the palace and into the field for the horses. In the distance she'd seen the horses, sleeping. Deciding it was might be too early to ride Anya or Jester; she made herself content in the grass and lain down. It was beautiful. All the stars… So many it made it seem as if she was going to drown in them. But, oddly enough, none of the constellations there were ones she recognized. Not that she was good with astronomy or anything, but she knew a few, like Orion and Sagittarius. Neither of them was there. But there was a cat, lounging around. A tall woman, a large man, and many more. She would have to ask about them, she concluded. It would be interesting to learn about them. She fell asleep for a short time, waking before the false dawn. Deciding she might as well start practicing, she went and grabbed a staff from the weapons' shed.

She practiced near the edge of the forest, feeling more comfortable over there than in the practice courts. Just before dawn, she saw a figure come out and lounge against the edge of the building, seemingly thinking. Minutes later, somebody came running out of the palace, shouting. She heard them come out and watched them, wondering whom it was.

The person who'd been outside went over to the man, she could tell that for sure, and started talking to him. Suddenly she began to feel a need to hear what they said. After a second or two debating with herself, she started to approach quietly. As she drew nearer, she could discern that the figure was Sir Neal, Kaelin's Knight Master. For some reason, he was frantically waving his hands around, barely keeping his voice down. The person next to him, Lady Knight Keladry, she could see now, was trying her best to calm him down.

"She's not here! She's gone, she's gone!" He practically screamed at her.

"Just tell me what happened, Neal." She told him firmly. He opened his mouth to begin, then she put a hand over his mouth. "But calm down before you do." He glared, then took a deep breath. After a few seconds she asked, "Calm?" He nodded. She let her hand drop.

"Gayle's gone." Apparently she didn't take it the way he was hoping, because Gayle heard him sigh. "Oh right. You just got here yesterday, didn't you?" She nodded. He sighed again. "A few days ago Kaelin and I got back. I went to the infirmary to help out my father and he went up to Balor's Needle to think, he said." He ran a hand through his hair. "I heard some people talking about a shooting match she had with Gustav of Snow's Cliff."

Here she heard Kel snort. "Yes, I know. Anyway, apparently Gayle wasn't the best of archers, so it came as a surprise when she won. I wasn't there, but everyone was saying how amazing it was. She sheared her the first two arrows in half with the third one. That's how accurate her shot was." Kel's hands had dropped and she was betting that her mouth had too. She sighed mentally.

"Err, yes. Well, she ran off while everyone stared at the targets. No one's sure why." He added hastily as Kel opened her mouth. "Then they left and I got back to work. About half an hour later Kaelin came down, holding Gayle in his arms. One of her pant legs was torn and her shirt and breeches were soaked in blood. Kaelin's hands were covered in blood, too. Before I could ask, he said she'd gone through one of the steps on the outer stair."

Kel made a noise of annoyance. "Somebody has to do something about those stairs." He nodded in agreement and continued. "He said he'd healed her and he had been on his way to take her back to the Rider's barracks, but she'd started to toss and turn as if she was coming down with something. I checked and found she was coming down with a fever. For the past four days she's been in the infirmary, terribly sick. I couldn't do anything to prevent it, so I just made her comfortable. But now she's gone!" His voice began rising again in panic. "Yesterday she had one of the worst fevers I've ever seen, and now she's not there! I have to find her!"

He made off to look for her again, but Kel held him back. "Before you go running off again, get some other people to help."

Gayle couldn't help but smiling. Sir Neal was such a hotheaded guy. But her countenance quickly changed. Sick? She'd been sick? Four days? She shook her head. She'd have to ask Neal, then. And Kaelin.

She approached the two quietly. She leaned against her staff casually. "You need to learn not to jump to such drastic conclusions, Sir Meathead."

They both jumped and looked around. She grinned at them. "And," She added thoughtfully. "You need to learn when you talk, others can be listening. Don't act so surprised."

"B-but- Y-you were-"

"So I heard." She said amusedly. "You were desperately sick…" He seemed at a loss for words. "Key words." She told them. "Were. Not anymore. So stop stuttering, Meathead. It makes you seem unprofessional." She grinned again.

He glared at her. She returned the look with an innocent expression, then addressed Kel. "I'm thinking, since your friend seems incapable of speech right now, I should get back to work." She gestured to the staff.

Here Neal spoke up again. "Not a chance." She gave him a look. "I'm not dead, am I?" He shook his head hesitantly. "Then I'm going to assume I'm ok." He opened his mouth to argue. Suddenly she pointed over his shoulder and screamed, "BADGER!" Both knights turned around, looking for what she was screaming about. Then her words finally registered and they looked at each other in confusion. "Badger…?" Neal asked, puzzled. They looked back towards Gayle, only to find that the redhead was gone.

"She tricked us," Kel stated, trying to appear calm. "By screaming-by screaming b-badger…" She burst out laughing. "It's not that funny." Neal said sullenly. "Now I have to go find her again." He sat down, putting his head in his hands. Kel fell down, still guffawing.

Dom walked by and, seeing his cousin and his friend, came over to them. "O-Ok." She sat up and took a few deep breaths. "I can stop now."

"What can you stop now?" Dom asked, curious to know why the two were sitting on the ground in the first place. In answer the Lady Knight burst into laughter again and fell back on the ground.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Gayle was sitting on a window ledge, staring outside. She hugged her knees to her chest as she watched rain pour down. This was one of her favorite kind of days. At home, when her parents were alive, her mother and father would start playing games with her. Sometimes-real ones, like Monopoly, or Scrabble. Sometimes they weren't even real ones, just games they'd made off the top of their heads. She'd always loved those days.

She began to fiddle with the ring on her necklace. For the past few weeks she'd been avoiding Neal, not wanting to have to go back to the infirmary.

When asked by the officers, she'd explained her terrible shooting. Of course, not with the real story. Instead, she'd told them she'd felt nervous about being so much better than the others, and so had pretended to be bad. They'd accepted the story, after telling her that it would have helped her in the long run if she hadn't done that.

Today the trainers had told the trainees that they could have the day off, since it was raining so hard. But so far all she'd done was sit here and watch the rain, which she was entirely content to keep doing.

She leaned against the glass and sighed in pleasure at the cool feeling of it against her skin. Suddenly she shook her head. She should do something with her day besides watching the rain, however tempting the thought was.

She stood up and stretched, cat-like. Maybe she could snitch a sword and practice. She missed them a lot. It was strange not having one in her hand, or nearby.

At least she was near where they were kept. They weren't meant for the use of people other than pages and squires… But nobody had to know what she was up to, right?

She made her way to the main door, where she stopped, staring out at the rain. Taking a deep breath, she ran for the palace.

Minutes later, she burst through the doors and stopped, shivering. She looked at her arm and sighed. She'd done it again. "Why didn't I just grab a cloak, or something?" She asked out loud. After a second of pondering, she answered herself, "Because I don't think." She closed her eyes, shaking her head. She might get sick again, which would make her have to go to the infirmary…

She opened her eyes and gaped at herself. She was dry. Totally, completely dry. "Holy…" She checked everything. Not one bit of her was wet. She shook her head. She was imagining this. Yes, she was imagining this.

This decided, she set off for the practice rooms. Before she got very far, though, she saw a rather… interesting sight. A group of men was standing outside a doorway, giggling like little schoolgirls.

She approached them quietly, making no noise at all. When she was close enough, she recognized the men there. They were the men under Sergeant Dom's command. Looking around, she spotted Dom as well. He was smiling evilly. 'That's kind of creepy…' She watched him uneasily. She knew that the door they were standing at was the entrance to Lord Raoul's rooms.

Suddenly, she got a sinister thought. Smirking, she came up behind them and, imitating Lord Raoul's voice, shouted, "And what do we have here, boys?" They all jumped and spun around. For a moment they looked confused, not seeing Raoul, but then they saw Gayle. They all blinked simultaneously. "Oh," She cooed. "That's so adorable." They made faces at her. She grinned again.

"What are you doing, anyway?" She asked as she came up to them. Dom grinned as he answered. "We're setting up a prank for milord." Intrigued, she continued to question them. "Oh? What's this prank?" He gestured upwards. She looked up. A bucket attached to a string was balanced precariously on the half open door.

"Hmm." She watched it thoughtfully. "What's in it?"

"Molasses." That was Wolset, the small one.

"I see." She said. After a moment, she added. "You're going about it all wrong." They looked at her skeptically. "Why do you say that?" One asked.

"Well, the string, for one thing. It's entirely unnecessary. It can balance without it. You should have someone stand in his rooms. Someone gives him a signal that it's Raoul, and when he's next to the door, they pull it, hard and fast."

"But that means whoever's in there has to deal with him." Someone protested. "Honestly." She shook her head, amused. "I thought you boys would be able to figure this out on your own. Ever heard of an exit by the window?" They began to look excited. "And another thing." She started. "You need something more. I have to say, molasses is a good idea. Extremely sticky and hard to get out of clothes. But there's something missing."

"Like what?" Another asked.

She pursed her mouth and tilted her head. After a second she grinned. "Sugar baiting, is what I suggest." They all blinked. "Flies, lads, flies. They are attracted to sugar, are they not?" For a moment they looked confused, then comprehension dawned on them.

"Gayle?" Dom inquired.

"Yes?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a devious little monster?"

"Domitan," She mock cried. "How could you say that?" She collapsed on the ground in fake tears. "No longer shall I help you!" She suddenly declared and stood up. "I'm going to," She paused for dramatic effect. All the men looked amused. "What?" One questioned.

She grinned evilly and whispered threateningly, "Tell Raoul." They all paled visibly. "You wouldn't." Dom stated, though a little uncertainly.

"Who wouldn't what?" A voice asked. They all turned around. Kel stood there, looking at them amusedly.

"Uh, nothing." The Lady Knight raised an eyebrow. Gayle used this opportunity to slip away unnoticed.

All of the squad members were offering answers to her questions. "Uh-huh." She said, unconvinced.

Gayle had reached the end of the hall by this point. She gave them a last glance before disappearing around the corner.

"You're planning another prank, aren't you?" Kel said this as more of a statement than a question. "Of course not." Dom told her. She raised her eyebrows. "I'm hurt. You don't believe me." He put a hand to his heart, striking a player's pose.

Suddenly one of the men spoke up. "Hey," He said, looking around. "Where's Gayle?" They all stopped and turned around. She'd gotten away.

"Uh-oh." Wolset muttered. "That's not good." They all looked at each other and nodded. "AFTER HER!" Dom shouted and took off down the hall. All the men followed him. Kel looked after them with a bemused expression. Then she shook her head and headed back to her rooms.

Gayle was walking at a leisurely pace towards the weapons' shed. She might actually tell Raoul about the prank. How'd he react? She wondered.

Out of nowhere came the voices of men and the pounding of feet. She turned around and saw a group of men come around the corner. Uh-oh. It seemed that Dom and his squad were taking her words to heart.

She quickly turned around again and took off. Hearing the men start shouting mock-threats, she started to laugh. "Help me!" She screeched. "Somebody, help me!"

They passed several people in the halls, servants, knights, squires. Everyone looked after them as they passed by. She would wave to them cheerily as she ran past.

She turned around yet another corner and saw somebody come out of one of the doors. They turned around and she recognized him as Numair. "What in the name of Mithros…?" He said aloud. "Get out of the way if you want to live!" She yelled. He jumped to the side just in time. She dashed by him, closely followed by the men.

"Oh, yes." She muttered. "I just had to go and get one of the squads in the Third Company to chase me. Smart, no?"

She glanced to the side and saw the entrance to the mess hall for knights. She hurriedly changed her direction and ran into the hall. Looking around, she saw nobody had noticed her yet.

Suddenly she heard men's voices as they drew closer. She looked around and spotted a good place to hide. Between the serving counter and a row of crates was a small space, just big enough for a seventeen year old to hide in, but no bigger. She slid into it and crouched down.

No sooner had she done this then she heard Dom's voice cheerfully greeting someone at a table near the door. She grinned slightly as she heard his flirting tone. Obviously there were others bedsides the knights, or Kel was there. Unless… Her eyes went wide. No. Oh, dear Goddess, she hoped not. That would be rather awkward for Kel. Then, remembering the looks on the Sergeant and Lady Knight's faces as they looked at each other, shook her head. No, he was too smitten with her to do that.

Suddenly it struck her that she hadn't used God when she thought that. She'd used the term that everyone else in Tortall would have used. Goddess.

What does that mean?

… I'm not sure.

Maybe… You're adapting to living here in Tortall.

I… I guess am.

Are you okay with that?

She blinked. Was she?

Yes. Yes, I am.

What about home?

Home?

Yes, the place where you lived for seventeen years?

What about it?

Do you ever plan to go back?

I…

Did she ever plan on going back? Did she?

I…

Yes?

I don't know.

Ahh. There was the miserable truth.

Do you want to find your parents' murderer?

She put her head in her hands.

I just don't know anymore. She thought miserably. It's so complicated.

How?

Do you really have to ask me these questions? She demanded angrily.

Yes.

Why?

I'm your conscience, aren't I? I'm here to make sure you don't do anything idiotic. It's my job.

She smiled slightly. It made sense, in a twisted way.

Always on my back. I suppose that's another job as well? She asked dryly.

Of course.

All right. She sighed. Ask away.

Right. Now, then-

She suddenly snapped to attention. The footsteps had drawn closer. I'll have to be introspective later. She smiled wryly. Maybe that was for the best.

She saw a pair of feet come and stop. Uh-oh. That probably didn't mean anything good. She watched them uneasily. They dropped down on one knee and peered in. Gayle was surprised to see it wasn't one of the squad members, but Neal.

"What're you doing in there?" He asked. "Hiding." She cheerfully responded. "Because…?" He waited for an answer.

"I'm being chased by agitated chipmunks. I took some of their nuts. They didn't take it too well, and they soon retaliated by stealing my best pair of boots. I still wonder how they managed to do it… Anyway, I couldn't very well just leave it there, so I responded likewise. It's been an ongoing battle for a while now. But I really think they're overreacting. It's just a couple nuts. I think poisoning my morning cheese is a bit extreme, don't you?"

He just stared at her for a few minutes. Then he got up and walked back to his table, muttering something that sounded like, "Lunatic." A few minutes later somebody else appeared where the healer had been and bent down.

"Hallo there, Blossom." She flashed him a grin as he made a face. "Yes, hello to you as well. Might I inquire as to why you're sitting in this dark and dismal excuse for a crack?" She gasped in indignation. "How can you say that? And in front of Howard, too." His dark eyes were confused. It was really cute and endearing. "Huh?"

She made a noise of annoyance. "Howard. This is his home. He's a goblin, you know. And to answer your question, yes." He lifted an eyebrow. "That's not an answer."

"Yes, it is. You said, quote, "Might I inquire as to why you're sitting in this dark and dismal excuse for a crack?" End quote. That means that you're asking if it's all right to ask the question, and that's how I answered."

He rolled his eyes. "All right. Why are you sitting in this dark and dismal excuse for a crack?" She looked at him, surprised. "Didn't Sir Neal tell you?" He nodded. "Yes, he did. But I really doubt that squirrels are chasing you. They gave up on it a few years ago. So why are you sitting here?" She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Ahh, you caught me. I'll tell you. It's Howard. He's having a tea party. I told that story to Sir Neal because Howard doesn't like people knowing where he lives." She leaned in conspiratorially. "I think it's because he's shy. Isn't that just so sweet?"

He set his elbow on his leg and rested his head there. "Oh, delightfully so. Once again, tell me the real reason." She waved a hand. "Oh, fine. Take the fun out of everything, why don't you? I'm here hiding from Dom and his squad. They're chasing me." She started. "They aren't still here, are they?" He shook his head. "Good. That means…" She stared at him a moment, then leaned back. "Liar. They're still here." He put a hand over his heart. "I'm hurt that you don't take my word for it."

"That's a real shame. Now, where are they?" Sighing, he gestured behind him. "At the table, waiting for your reappearance." She crossed her arms. "Why didn't they just come down here… No, wait, never mind. I know." She drummed her fingers on her arms for a moment. "Hey, where's Lord Raoul?" Kaelin looked at her oddly. "Why?" She made a face. "Because I need to talk to him. Where's he?"

He shook his head. "No, not 'til you tell me what you need to talk to him about." She stared at him. "You're annoying, you know that?" He opened his mouth to respond. "You're not supposed to answer that. It's a rhetorical question. Anyway," She got onto her feet, still crouching. "I have to do something."

And with that, she barreled past him and towards the door of the mess hall. "There she is!" She heard a scrambling of feet. "No!" She shouted. "You'll never take me alive!"

She ran out the door. She changed directions at the last second, heading down the hall towards the doors leading to the main entrance. "You know," She yelled at them conversationally. "You left the bucket there unguarded. What if Lord Raoul comes and finds it? What'll you do then?" Dom shouted back in response. "We'll tell him it's a gift from you!"

She came to a pair of doors and stopped. She threw them open and ran out. It wasn't until she was out in the middle of the courtyard that she realized it was raining. Not that it bothered her. She started laughing and twirled around, extremely happy.

"Oy, you there!" She turned around. A figure on a horse approached. "Can you fetch someone to take my horse to the stables?" They asked tiredly. "I need to talk to the King." Tilting her head, she stared for a moment. Then her mouth dropped open as she met the rider's eyes. Dumbly, she nodded and led them to a warm overhanging, to stay out of the rain.

She ran, getting someone to bring their horse in. She didn't return with the hostler to bring the horse in. She was too startled by the violet eyes that had belonged to the rider. She was too busy remembering the owner of those eyes and the last time she'd seen them, on Balor's Needle so many weeks ago.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

I'm afraid I have the most dreadful news. This story is to be discontinued. I'm terribly sorry. Farewell, and good luck to you all.

(Disappears into shadows for a moment, then comes back, laughing) He he. No worries. I'm not actually discontinuing the story. I just was bored. Anyway, you know what to do. Review and tell me what you think. Until next time… Cheerio!

Eveiveneg