part three- An Awkward Reception

meanwhile, back in Wazn-

"Quick! Quick! Hurry up! Queen Xelha is returning and you're sleeping on the job!"

"But we've been working day and night ever since she left!"

"You haven't been working hard enough. Get on the ball!"

"Yes'm."

As usual, Barnette was playing slave driver to the citizens of normally peaceful Cursa. The ice sculptors, the fishermen and even the little snowman-building children were enlisted, all to create one thing- a huge ice sculpture of Queen Xelha in a heroic pose. Meemai would be nestled in her hood and Savyna, Gibari and Lyude would be groveling at her feet in miniature when the statue was finished. They had completely forgotten about the Great Mizuti

The statue already towered over Kaffajidhma, and, when finished, would probably be visible from Komo Mai.

on the Mindeer-

"You'll just love Cursa this time of year," Xelha explained to Lyude. "There are streamers and pretty little coloured ice sculptures everywhere. And you can buy ICE COOKIES!"

Ooooh, ice cookies, thought Gibari.

"It does sound rather nice," Lyude agreed. "Perhaps I shall enjoy it."

"Sounds like a Komo Mai knock-off to me," Savyna grumbled.

"Well, for one thing," defended the blonde, "there aren't kooks dancing around wherever you turn."

"The Great Mizuti be wondering what be defining a kook."

"One whose ideas or actions are eccentric, fantastic, or insane."

"Then, might not the Great Mizuti be a kook?" the Child of the Earth countered.

"Well... Good point. OK, royal decree- nobody must let me call anybody a kook from now on."

"Hold that thought," Lyude interrupted. "Was that tall thing there last time we visited Wazn?"

"Could be a new addition on Kaffajidhma," Savyna pointed out.

"I don't think so," Xelha said, with growing apprehension. "The architects designed it so if it grew any taller it would promptly shatter. It's perfect as it is."

"Then what is it?" asked Lyude. "Is it an ice sculpture?"

"Maybe..."

Wazn-

"A toast! To Queen Xelha the Wise!"

"TO QUEEN XELHA THE WISE!"

At long last, Xelha's statue was complete. A banquet was held in celebration which all of the citizens were invited to. It was unanimously decided to add the title "the Wise" to Xelha's name. After all, she was smart enough to run away from a battle she knew she couldn't win, which is true wisdom.

The statue had been polished and draped with garlands, and Wazn's army were in their dress uniforms of blue and silver, standing at attention below Xelha's towering figure. Their commander marched back and forth before them, barking orders-

"Do you pledge to forever serve Queen Xelha?"

"WE PLEDGE TO FOREVER SERVE QUEEN XELHA!"

"Dude, she's only seventeen," one young soldier remarked to a comrade.

"SHUT UP, YOU!" snapped his commander.

the Mindeer, at Cursa's port-

The party arrived in Cursa in the highest of high spirits. Gibari had sung dozens of loud, sometimes downright offensive Nashiran drinking songs the previous night and was now humming one under his breath. He had been rather moody and was wondering what was going on with Anna when he borrowed Xelha's staff to stoke the fire and had accidently poked his deck of Magnus instead. It had all turned to Beer cards.

"Odd," had been Xelha's only reaction.

So now, other than nursing a slight headache, which an aspirin Magnus could probably cure, Gibari was back to his usual perky self. And headaches weren't that big of a deal; all they did was screw with Spirit Numbers anyway.

The Great Mizuti was skipping along happily, oblivious to the fact that Xelha was fiddling with the birdie that normally rested on her head.

"Oh my God!" Xelha squealed. "Your birdie is so CUTE!"

"The Great Mizuti be thanking you. It be a Mohawk Birdie."

"What makes it a Mohawk Birdie?"

"It be having a mohawk."

"Oh."

Walking normally, Savyna enjoyed the feel of Wazn's bitingly cold wind on her skin. Most of the places she'd been lately were either tropical or just too damn hot. She simply couldn't bear Azha's lava caves, even in her leather leotard-like garment.

Lyude was trying to gather up the courage to compliment Xelha. He thought the blonde was very pretty but was still something of a coward with women.

He finally went over to her and said, "Your hair looks very nice today. Did you do something different?"

"Well, I..."

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud fanfare.

"BOW BEFORE THE QUEEN OF WAZN, PATHETIC IMBECILES!" shouted a general. "GROVEL! HAVE YOU NO IDEA HOW TO TREAT ROYALTY?"

The party stood around, looking confused. Nobody really knew how to grovel. Lyude had been taught when he was in the Imperial army, but had fallen out of practice since then. Savyna's superiors had always been scared to death of her, and Gibari was on a first-name basis with most of the rulers of the islands. The Great Mizuti had never been forced to grovel, seeing as she had only met the rulers during a council of war.

There was an awkward silence.

"Um, they're with me," Xelha finally explained to her subjects.

"Ah, yes," the general said, having calmed down somewhat. "I see. I recognize three of them from the statue, but not the propeller-headed one."

The Great Mizuti tossed about her spiked ring for a while, saying, "The Great Mizuti be wondering which statue you be talking about, sir."

"That one, over there." He pointed.

Xelha fainted dead away at seeing the titanic likeness of herself. Savyna spat on her cowering twin, saying, "I don't grovel and my butt is not really that big." Gibari quickly used Whirlwind Hit on his piece of it to destroy the evidence. "Piece of crap done by amateurs," he muttered. Mizuti had nothing to say.

And Lyude? He didn't even look at the statue, knowing that it would bring only pain. Instead, he dosed Xelha with Wheat Crackers and a Large Shish Kebab or two and called for medics to take Xelha to her rooms to recover.

"Lyude certainly has a clear head," Savyna remarked.

"Yes, the Great Mizuti be thinking so too."

"He'll be a good match for Xelha."

"WHAT DO YOU BE SAYING? THE GREAT MIZUTI BE THINKING THAT SHE WAS AFTER KALAS!"

"Well, apparently the Great Mizuti is wrong."

If I spelled things wrong, let me know. Kaffajidhma is a tough name to get right.

Also, the "Mizuti had nothing to say" thing is a reference to Worms 3D. My little brother named a worm Mizuti... Had a whole team of BK guys. Xelha tends to get blown up the most often.

Still haven't beaten Fadroh yet, but I am hoping that will change. Yep. But not in the near future as I am scared to death of him and don't really have enough healing stuff yet.

How long does it take for a Peach Boy to become a Wonder MOMO?