Seiya felt his hackles rising up. He knew that he was going to be in a fighting mod. Yet, he knew if he would start fighting, then his identity would be compromised.
"I have no idea this was going to be that easy to catch Sailor moon!" another voice called out.
Serena felt her heart stop. The wind grew cold as she began to reach over to her brooch. She knew it was very dangerous to let even a little glimpse of her secret identity be leaked out. The idea of what was going to happen next was going to the sailors' fears wide open.
It felt like the world had stopped to open up a chink of evil. There was nothing that could stop it. Yet, inside of the hearts of the sailor sensei, there was always a chance. Serena noticed Rio now floating in the area she had once stood at.
Then, if by chance Rio awake with a new sense of power.
"What the…" the first voice called out.
"Take up your swords and fight!" Rio cried out.
There was a spark of unknown fear running in the woods. Rio had grown stronger without even her knowing about it.
The second voice warned, "Be careful… she fights like a loneliness!"
Seiya noticed roots were beginning to power up in a strange unison with Rio's planet power. He gave Serena warning glance. It was his way of telling her to be on her toes.
"I would not give up…" Rio snapped. Her powers were peeking to a level she had to feel comfortable with. Rio had a feeling it was Alex who was the owner of the second voice.
Out of the shadows the owner of the voice did step out and Rio was not surprised. Yet, the others were stunned too far into fear yet, it seemed like a wondered tang in the fear.
"Are you willing to fight for your power?" Alex said as his form took shape in a red cloak.
"Alex?" Rio gasped a little affirmed in her lack of confidence. She did not know he was under mind control spell from galaxy.
"Yes…you little girl…" Alex purred darkly.
It was like the kidnapping a few months back, yet this was a real twist to the tale. Alex had grown stronger. He was still a friend to Rio, but Rio had to be very careful in order to remain alive.
"What are you going to do about it?" Seiya asked. He had a feeling Rio had to fight in her present state.
"Let me take care of this!" Jakten said. He always carried a small dagger with him at all times. He had worn boots with the dagger inside for a long time. Letting his hand drop near to the right boot, he called up the dragger. It instantly flew up towards his hand.
Alex was just as quick. He had a long knife he was given by Galaxia. It was on his hip belt with a silver sheaf. As he unshielded the knife, it caught the moonlight. Feeling the knife early hum, Jakten was ready with his dagger as well. Something inside of him tightens up. He felt like he was walking into a land mine field. He had always a sense that Alex was more than just a pretty with a sun distort. It was close combat with a very perturbed snake.
"Are you prepared!" Alex asked with a dark smirk.
"Yea…let's do this!" Jakten growled. He darted over to where Alex was. He had to be on his guard. One slip up and he would be Alex's new victim in over one hundred years. Jakten did have a great deal of long lifespan, but he was not vampire. He took one aim at Alex's left shoulder. He knew Alex had a weak spot on his shoulder. It was known that vampires are incapable of wounding or even scarring. Yet, Alex had a horrible memory of being attacked with a silver tipped walking staff by a man who he had a run in with years ago. Some spoke in circles in which cases the name of Jack the ripper was brought up. Yet, Alex knew the ripper was not all that keen on hitting the upper of London society.
Alex sensed in full order he was going to be attack on his left shoulder. He wanted to spin around to avoid the dagger. It was a dancer which had a hard time keeping up with the beat of the music. He did have a good and clean movement as he spun around, yet Alex was a little faster as he made a grab for Jakten's jacket.
Rio made a grab for a hand full of weeds. She had used her powers of telepath and melted a whip from the weeds. She knew if her aim was right, she could do some serious damage. She watched for a split second to make a careful aim.
Both Serena and Seiya darted back a little when they saw Rio using a whip. The whip cracked into life when Rio gave her right wrist a sharp flick.
"What on earth is she doing?" Ryoko said as she started to walk backwards towards the trees.
"I am going to help out as much as I can!" Rio said in distance voice. She was prepared to fight and get her planet back to her people.
"And what will happen to you?" Ryoko asked. She had never seen Rio look like that before. She was hoping Rio was not going to turn on her.
"If you want to help…then, go for the man who is in the shadows!" Rio said as she noticed a figure in the darkness. Her eyes seemed too sharpened up very quickly.
There was no margin for error. The man who stood in the shadows was surprised. Rio had drawn a bead on him as though she was a cat looking for a mouse.
The man had a sweet odor of roses. She hoped it was Darien. There was always the old myth of the night creatures having a sweet scent of roses on them as they entered the night from the world of sleep in the daylight.
"Is that you, Nick?" she thought as she glanced at the figure.
"Yes…" Nick replied in her mind.
Everything in her mind went cold. She had to keep her wits about her if she had to live. There was no idea what was in store for her.
"What a delightful child you will be for our queen!" Nick teased as a series of images flew past Rio's mind from Nick's now twisted mind.
"No…" she thought in a snap of haste. "There was a time I could bend…this isn't the time!"
"And why not!" Nick's voice snapped so sharply that it made Rio jump nearly out of her skin. She turned to see him standing in a nagi-verse uniform. She wanted to change him so badly, but in the same time she had to fear as well.
"Trader!" Serena lashed out very coolly.
"Uh?" Ryoko asked in a puzzled statement.
"He went to the dark side…" Rio said with a sour taste in her mouth. She knew she had to be careful in keeping her secret, a secret.
"Yes…" Nick smiled wearily. He flicked his hand as if he was trying to halt a bug from landing on him. Both Jakten and Jarerth were tossed to the ground with a thud. He was using a special power that Galaxia had given him.
A voice in Rio's mind buzzed with a warning from the past, the present and the future, "I know all this is going to be at critical mass of confusion. Please keep your mind as clear as best as you know how!"
There were a maelstrom of images of the present and the past flickering in her mind. Then, the blurs of what could be of the futures if she and the others had to choice of the own wisdom.
Nick could feel the present of someone trying to protect Rio as well as other unseen creatures that were now coming to protect Serena and the others.
Ryoko asked, "How can you tell?"
Rio licked her lips slightly. The salty taste stung with a bitter fire on her lips. She glanced to see Ringo and George from the Beatles standing on one side of her from her birthday party. The other side she could see Serena dressed in a pink gown with Reenie wearing a grey skirt and shirt.
The images started to haunt her to the ends of her nerves. She had to stop and found out who was doing the pulling of the stirs to their memories.
"Why have you stropped?" Nick asked. He was getting a little ticked off from the standing still of Rio's actions.
"I know who you are!" Rio said in a calm voice. She was pulling everything together inside of her. She carefully pulled the strings of her past and her present as she let go of her unknown future.
"I want to you give up your star seed to the ruler of the galaxy!" Nick ordered sharply.
"What?" Rio said as she gathered up her strength deep within her mind. She was going to attack Nick a little harder than she would do with a monster. She hoped that he would snap out of his power struggle with the darkness.
"You heard me!" Nick said. He lowered his gaze as if he was threating Rio. He was going to hurt one way or another.
"What will you do to me?" she asked. She could feel the power rising inside of him. He was turning into a monster right before their eyes.
"I will bring you to the other side!" he chided.
"There is no way…" Rio protested as she knew Nick was not himself. He was under the control of Galaxia.
"Then, fight me!" he ordered her. His eyes grew red with furry. He was going to hurt her in a swift movement with no stoppage from Alex.
Rio breadth heavily as she knew this could be her last time of being even human. She wanted to be a good fight. It was a feeling in which she hoped it would live on.
"What is your thinking?" he snapped. He could feel her mind switching around in a circle. He had to be careful with her. The feeling of being tricked by a girl who was just starting out in her youth and did not pass even twenty was a heady task.
"I'm just a young child…"she thought.
"You will soon grow up," Nick warned. He drew out a long, thin blade from a sheath.
"I want to take my life slowly…good with the bad!" she thought. In an instant, Rio had been thrown for a loop before she could even think.
"And why do you want that?" he pondered out loud.
"I m still young enough to be able to!" she said with tears of joy in her eyes.
"Then, I will teach you what real fear is!"
She gasped in her fear. Nick could really tell what she was thinking.
Then, a bright bolt of lightning hit Nick in the hand. It landed on the ground in the form of an arrow. Rio was shocked with the others. Where did an arrow of lighting appeared out of nowhere.
"What was that?" Nick asked. He felt the burn hitting his once asleep nerves. Normally vampires are not capable of feeling pain of any sort. Yet, this was on earth and not on Arcadia.
Rio held her breath as tightly as she could. Her heart beat hard as she took a swing at Nick.
He felt the power coming from her slamming him to the ground. It was hard almost bone breaking power. She had grown in the few short months that he had known her.
"Where did you get that power?" Alex asked as his voice rang in her mind.
"I'm not telling!" she hissed back in his mind. She knew the power she had was not hers alone. She had to realize she was using her planet power once again. This time it was on her home world.
"What is going on with you?" Serena asked as she felt a surge of power surrounding her.
"I'm not sure!" Rio gasped. She noticed now Nick was on the ground, in a curled up ball. The power was strong and beyond all measure. She would not hurt anyone at the time, but when faced to a fight for the freedom of others, she was not going to back down that easiest.
Nick now tried to wake up without pain. Yet, the planet was not going to be that forgiving. He felt a cross of fear eating at him. He knew Rio was just as special a warrior as serene was.
"I have no regrets…none what so ever!" Rio thought as she watched Nick tried to gather himself up and off the ground.
"You have power of a different kind!" he thought. Then, it struck him. He had an image of a young warrior that appeared to Rio's twin sister. She was clad in a pink sailor suit. Her voice ached in his mind, "In the name of the moon…I will punish you!"
"She's a sailor solder!" he thought in a gasp. He realized who she really was. She could be a sailor solider and be a threat to his way of life.
After doing a double take, Nick thought, "If I am not careful, Lady Galaxia will be most unhappy!"
There was a brief thought of him not getting the power to bring chaos to the galaxy. It burned so hotly, it hurt.
"Why are you not with us?" he asked Rio in her mind.
"I have only one reason to fight. That's for my princess and my own kingdom!" she thought back. "I have lived on the earth for so long…it's a part of me!" Then, she started to gather up enough power for another go at Nick's heart. "I wanted to see the land I have been cast out many years even before my birth!"
Rio felt like she was out numbered. Then, she with the others heard the beating of wings in the still air. It meant the dragons and the faries were coming. Rio held her breaths as she noticed dragons were now attacking the introducers.
"Come with me!" Jakten ordered.
"Uh?" she gasped.
The faires and dragons were now swarming all over Nick and Alex, trying to protect the others. Rio felt a hand reaching up to make a grab. She wanted to scream out of fear, but something was telling her to by still. She turned to see Dusty standing next to her. She felt his power mixing with hers.
In a heartbeat, it was gone and the children were now standing in the dragon barn. It was a very powerful magic which swallowed the children. They were now standing in the ease of the barn which was used by Jakten for his dragons.
"Where are we?" Ayeka gasped. She felt like she wanted to go back and fight with the others. Yet, to her shocked amazement, she had to look around to see Serena and the others standing around in the middle of the barn with her.
Rio said after a second or two of trying to piece things together, "the Sailors couldn't have time to come and we were transported back here!"
Seiya gasped, "What?" He wanted to wake up from his dream if it was one.
"But, how?" Reenie asked. She had wondered if even Nick knew he was up against some powerful magic.
"The world of Acaridia is a strange almost mystical union of magic and science," Rio said gravelly.
It was still in the barn. There was a brief growl or two coming from the stalls. Seiya looked around to see the door was opened very so slightly. He knew Rio was telling him the truth when it came to the strange world that her family had came from. There was too much at stake to be made up like that.
"Why did we end back here?" Ayeka asked as she glanced at Reenie.
"Maybe we were spared!" Stephanie uttered loudly. She nearly jumped at the sound of claws skidded across the hard wood floor. She noticed a small dragon sitting on a railing with its tail curled around its feet.
"I hope we are safe…" Serena sighed. She noticed Reenie and Hotura standing at the end of the barn. She asked Reenie if everything was O.K. Reenie was still a little scared, but she nodded her head.
For now, riot had to wait for what was in store for her and the others.
It seemed like the days for Rio meeting up with her aunts was fraught with great dales of headaches. She fought long and hard with her aunts on going to their house. She loathed the idea of having tea with them. She knew it had to be done.
Rio got up extremely early for her to be at her aunts. She had left a note for Stephanie and Charlie to show at a certain time. She was going to have fun at her aunt's expense. She had heard that both of her aunts were running a bed and breakfast near where Nick's house was at. She also wanted to know if she was off the hook on her training on how to be a young lady. She knew how to go to a tea, cook and a little sewing. Yet, she also wanted to tell her aunts off and stop bugging her about hanging out with friends.
She had walked up by herself to the house. She had left a note on kitchen counter for Serena and the other girls to not wait for her at lunch. It was going to be long tea. She had a small carry ion bag that she had packed with at least one good dress. Yet, she was dressed in caprice and a t-shirt. She had an idea of how she was going to enter the tea. She knew her cousin Stephanie was going to be there. So, she had cooked up an idea with Stephanie about laying an egg or in her case, she was going let the chicken from Katlena's roost lay the egg.
It was not an easy task to perform with. The chickens were not use to have someone coming in to the roost and bouncing into a carrier. Then, they were fighters in protecting their nests. Rio thought of using her pair of winter gloves on catching the birds if they would fight back. Secondly the smell was not the greatest. Rio had still a weak stomach despite growing up on a gentlemen farm.
She was going to hold her breath as best as she knew how if her plans were going work or not. She wanted to give her Saturday up for other reasons other than visiting her aunts.
Rio traveled back to Poal's farm deep within the forest near Sweet Heaven. She packed a large net she had found at the local Goodwill for a few dollars. Then, she had also packed a rather large bag of stale popcorn. She knew the chickens did not eat popcorn that often. She was going to lose the bag of popcorn in the process yet; she was going to have a certain amount of fun.
When she approached the farm, Poal was all ready working on his herb garden. He wanted to be sure that the dragoons were not getting into his sweet Williams. He was murmuring to himself about the state of his prized flowers.
She had to be as quiet as a church mouse during Holy Communion in order to get her chicken. She crept up to the house with a careful step. When she came up to the stoop, she nearly screamed as the door swung open. Katelena was equally surprised to see Rio standing near the stoop. She nearly dropped a dish towel that she had been using to dry her hands with. "What on earth are you doing here!" she asked a now red faced Rio.
At first, Rio's mind had gone completely blank. She tried to think of a way out. She was quickly coming up with nothing. She wanted to call the whole thing off at first as she stood there, red faced.
Then, Poal's voice called out, "Katelena…my sweet!"
Katelena was quick as she said, "In a minute!" Katelena had a habit, good or bad of sticking to the spot she was standing at until the task was finished. She wondered out loud, "what are you doing with that bag. You are not going to feed the dragons any that bad junk food?" she said, sounding very sour.
"Who me?" Rio turned all white with even whiter face.
Katelena thought to herself, "She's looks guilty about something...there is a plot bubbling in her mind!"
"What if I get caught?" Rio thought to herself in a panicked tone. Rio had to fake her way out of being in more serious trouble.
Katelena said, "Are you going back in the woods again!" She had a feeling that Rio wanted to see her homeland, yet there was a huge risk involved wroth being alone. She did not want a repeat performance from Rio. She had heard what had happened to the group as they encounter the world of Acardian magic. She knew that Jatekn and jereth used their magic to pull Rio and others who had followed her back to the farm. It was the only thing to do in that case. There was talk that the king of the trolls had been seeking Rio out if she ended up in his world. He had some idea what was could be in store for her if she ended up. She could have been a slave and powerful oat that. He had heard about the stories from his sources, when Rio became a sailor scout, she grew even more powerful.
"I'm just seeing the dragons…." Rio lied with a huge sloppy grin.
"What are you doing...my love?" was Poal urged call for Katelena. He was very devoted husband. At times he could be a bother to her as well.
"Nothing…my sweet!" she replied. She had a feeling he was not to going to hear her the first time around. She was about to speak to Rio about coming on her own.
What are you doing my love?" Poal asked, for a second time. He was coming up the walk with a large bag in one hand and in the pother a disagreeable dragon on led. He noticed Rio standing at doorstep, "Oh...Hello, Lady Rio!'
"Hello, master Poal!" Rio nodded.
With a sour surprised look on her face, she said, "I think you need to have your ears cleaned out.
The dragon was trying to break free from the led. It tugged hard on the shoulder and neck harness. The dragon inhaled the sweet smell of stale popcorn. Rio and Katelena watched as it began to zigzag from side to side and away from Poal.
"What on in Heaven's name are you doing to that poor creature?" Katelena asked, rolling her eyes. She hoped Palo was not over head on kidnapping every dragon that crossed his path.
"He was into the chicken coop again…" Palo managed to bark out as he tried to keep the dragoon on line withmany tugs at the line. He wanted to keep the dragon walking in a straight line.
Rio was nearly jolted into a plan that was falling into her own. She had to not smile as hard as her triode to think of a way to weed her right into the coop. she said, "Oh…." Then, she swallowed hard, "Has he?"
"Not that again?" Katelena sighed. She knew dragons were good for so many uses when they were older, yet having young ones under foot was driving her crazy!
There was a dead silence before Katelena said, "Paol…did you lock up the barn door!"
"Yes…my love!" Poal grinned sloppy.
"What else?"She was going to try to reason with her husband as best as she could
For a minute or two, Poal's scattered brained ideas had with very crazy results. He had forgotten the last time he to close the storm barn door and all of the dragons had gotten out. He had not forgotten the main door, but the storm door was another idea in all things to forget.
"What?" she huffed.
Rio had a great opportunity to go and find the chicken coop. she hoped that the chickens were not flipping out. She wanted to watch both Poal and Katelena as they disagreed about the barn doer. She had to be very careful in her sneakiness.
Then, Katelena noticed Rio trying to shift her feet in the discretion of the chicken coop. she said, "What are you doing?"
"Oh….nothing!" Rio lied again. She started to bounce on the balls of her feet. "Just stretching my toes!"
"Uh-uh!" Katelena said warily. She had a feeling in the pit of her stomach Rio was finally tipping herself into a troubled spot. Then, she wanted to get Paol's mistaken out of the way and go back to her own house work. She sighed as she turned to go back into the house, "Poal…come with me…Rio go to the back and make sure that the barn door is closed!"
The chance was too easy to pass up, yet it the same time Rio felt her whole being nearly passing out from the stress she was placing herself into. Giving Katelena a few seconds to make sure everything was in their places, Rio took off like a shot. Poal wanted Rio to take back the dragon he had on the lead to the barn. He nearly opened his mouth to speak, but the words had failed him.
Katelena said, "Teenagers… leave her!"
Rio nearly ran back to the barn. There were a few minutes of breath catching. She felt an over wheeling feeling of a staunch ache inside.
"What are you going to do?" a fairy spoke to another.
Rio nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the two speak.
"I'm not sure!" the second said. Then, they noticed Rio standing with a strange look of fear and entrapment. The second one said to the first, 'I think we are being visited by her royal highness, Princess Rio!"
The three starred at each other with surprise. Rio yelped for a just a second. Her heart nearly stopped as she heard the furies returned her yelp back at her. Then, the fairies flew off in a panicked buzz. She had a feeling they would come back with their friends of sorts. Rio checked her watch after she nearly lost her own heart. She had to be quick about getting the right chicken.
As she began to walk about the coop, she could hear and smell the chickens. Sine knew that the fowl was not the most cleanest in the world. Rio heard a noise that did not seem to fit in to the whole seem of things. It sounded local a low, but very auditable growl. She wondered as she drew close to the coop that was inside.
Inside of the coop was a mess of chickens who were not happy to a fault. They were circling a creature around the coop. Rio pressed she on a window out of the coop.
"Reeee!" was a sound in which felt all too familiar.
The day was starting off on the wrong foot and Rio knew. She felt a little concerned about letting the dragons go nuts when they began to wonder off. She wanted them be not there on this day of alkyl days. Rio had to check to see if the chickens were sizing up the instructor or vice-a-vice. Then, the one chicken cowered veer slowly, almost mean spirited. Rio had a bad feeling it was Millie, the road-island Red. Millie had her own way of dealing with pest. She had more cats like feelings than just chicken. Nearly pressing herself hard against the glass, Rio could see the other chickens huddled to one of the coop. then, a bluish black streak flew right pass Rio. It was a dragon that had been flying in circles inside of the coop. it hissed as it flew. Rio wondered if she could stop the dragon from hurting the chickens. She walked over to the door of the coop. She slowly reached over to unlatch the door to the coop and found it was already undone. She wondered if someone had previously beaten her to it.
Then, the chickens let out another round of screams. Rio felt her heart almost stop beating. She had noised the door swinging opened very so slightly. The dragon let out another hiss as the checks were sizing him up for another attack. They were just being on defense as they were pressed into keeping the coop safe. Normally they would be panicking at a fox or a weasel, but dragon would be more than just a pest, they were a bother to even their chicks. There was a dead calm before the storm. The dragon knew it was not going to be concerned by the chickens for very long.
Rio grabbed the door and flung it opened. With a loud smack, all the chickens and the dragon threw themselves into a hotter panic. There were feathers everywhere and Rio had to stand back. Rio was going to stop this with her eyes closed. She nearly bolted to the doorway as she screamed, "ALL RIGHT...STOP IT!"
It seemed like for just a minute or two the chaos had stopped. Rio opened her eyes for just a second to see the chickens and the dragon staring back at her.
"What are you doing?" poal's voice asked.
Rio whirled around to see him staring at her.
The dragon howled at her. She felt slamming the door shut and locking it for a while until someone had cooled down. Palo was now standing near the coop with the same dragon Om it's led. It snarled at her.
"There's another one on there!" she said.
There was nothing to be said as the chickens slowly clucked to themselves for just a minute. It seemed like they were trying to size up the idea of more trouble in Rio. The dragon who was trying to find a nice place to take a nap was going to think of attacking riot. It did not like Rio in the first place as she tried to make noise. The chickens felt Rio was going to make things worse if she would entered the coop. she just stood there with the door opened as poal walked up to her with the dragon itself on the residance side.
"What on earth are you doing, girl!" Poal asked as his face had never changed from his earlier expression of sourly curiously.
"Nothing…sir!" riot said as she snatched up her face so hard that she was how had her eyes closed very tightly.
"You are just so ridiculously child that I may remind you that chickens nor dragoon liked to be surprised upon or screamed at!" he huffed.
The dragon lowered his head to get a good look through a crack on the door to what was going on. He tried to smell catlike Rio's body scent. She did have a slightly sweet odor which did not bother him in the least. It knew Rio had something on her mind.
"Is there another one?" he asked, with a strange look on his face.
"Yea!" she sighed.
"Blasted creatures…" he huffed, throwing the lead on the first one down.
All was a little too quiet for the dragon. It heard a noise in the far off distance that perked it hearing up. Jerking up its head to attention, it had leapt off of a nest he had been sitting on before Rio had discovered it. Then, rushing over to the opened doorway, the dragon bolted to the outside world with all the energy that it could gather up at.
Rio turned slightly on her heels to see Charlie and Stephanie standing at a tree. She half consciously left the door still opened. Poal was not happy with Rio misguided idea of leaving the door to the chicken coop opened. He groaned loudly, "What about the door...you silly child!"
"What door?" Rio asked as she began to walk towards her friends.
"Blasted, girl..." he huffed as he began to walk in great strides at the coop. he remembered that he had let the other dragon go. He glanced over to where the first one was now laying in a clump of tall weeds, almost like a cat as it stared back at him.
Rio felt a surge of feet nearly scrambling up her legs. She felt the slight prying of claws as the dragon hopped up on to her knee caps. She nearly yelped out in pain as she tried to shake off the dragoon.
"What are you doing to her?" Poal asked as he walked over to the dragon. He was going to brush it off with his walking staff.
Rio swallowed hard when she wiggled her legs, trying to get the dragon off. She looked like a fool to Stephanie as she hopped about. Stephanie had Charlie with her as they tried to find their way to the barn. "What the…" Stephanie gapped.
Then, Charlie gasped, "I don't believe it!"
"Would you get off of me…you stupid dragon!" Rio loudly protested. Sage looked like she was dancing with a hotfoot.
"If she would be captured and sent to a nut hatch," Stephanie said with a dead pan look on her face.
"Yea…what's stopping you?" Charlie asked with the same look as Stephanie.
"I'm not sure!"
Then, the dragon flew with a wild sheik.
Rio fell over to stop the pain from the scratches she received from the dragon. She looked like she walked through a large mound of thorns. She realized as her cousins and her best friend were now walking over to see her. Poal had not fled to the house. Instead he walked over to the barn to find a first aid kit. The best to Stephanie's knowledge was Rio must have jumped too hard for the dragon's likening and it decided to go to find a less likely creature to attack.
"Rio..." Stephanie asked as she walked over to where her cousin was now sitting at.
On checking over her scratches, Rio huffed, "I was attacked!"
"We can see that!" Charlie added. There was a pained look on Stephanie's face. She knew that Rio was going to botch the sneak attack at her aunts if they did not get her on the right track.
"What will I do to you?" Rio said as she glared at the dragon.
The dragon was now chasing flies in the tall grass.
Charlie shook her head, "It's going to do its own thing…"
"I wish I was back in London and just a plan Jane!" Rio groaned.
"Are you sure?" Stephanie asked. She knew Rio was a person who could back down very easily. There was also a bit of the fighter in Rio when push came to shove.
Charlie was the first to see Rio's wounds nearly up close. "How bad are the scratches?" She asked.
"Not bad…I'll live!" Rio sighed with a huff.
"She wasn't a one for whining too much!' Stephanie said.
Rio wondered if she going to pull it off without the use of a chicken, live or otherwise.
"She is going to ruin it!" Charlie huffed. She folded her arms and swung around on her heels.
"Who says?" Rio grunted. There was a little bit of a rift between the three before anything got started.
The dragon could sense this and it wanted to hide. It ran around for a bit before ducking into a large knot of brushes.
"You always were a bit of cry baby!" Charlie grunted back.
"When?" Rio growled. She knew that she had been known for other things other than a cry baby. "Hey…I don't fold under pressure from anyone!"
"Yea…right!" Stephanie teased. She knew Rio had more to show for when she was backed against a wall. She had some experience with Rio when they were growing up in London's East-end. Rio was a little bit of a timid girl but, she knew how to watch out for danger.
The dragon let out a yelp for some of help. It got caught in a large knot of bushes as it started to catch some sort of flying bug. It had been twisted itself around the middle of the bush. Rio had enough of being a nurse mate to the dragon. She told the other two; she was going back to Poal's home to get cleaned up. Everything was not going as planned.
There was a quiet time as two sisters, one with red hair, the other with black hair were getting a table set up outside of the back yard. The red head sister had a vintage lace table cloth in her arms, while the other was holding a large stack of silver looking plates. They were trying to get the last minute details of mid-morning tea up and running. The table and the details were at a home on South Lincoln Avenue. The red haired woman with her sister who had black hair lived at the house. They were named Marian and Page. Page was the red head and had a fiery temperament to go along with the red hair, while Marian was the soft speak black aired woman with a roving eye.
"That should be that…" Page said as she viewed the table on last time at her and her sister's handy work.
"I'll be glad when it's over and we can look on Rio's engagement party!" Marian sighed. She had walked over to the table to place the silver plates.
"If Rio does have an engagement party!" Page huffed. She knew Rio was not one for big parties or dos. She was just happy with a few friends and family over for just coffee and cake.
"It's really up to Anthony and Ziegfeld…they have the purse strings!" Miriam giggled a little as she tried to ease up on the tension. This was a small gathering for Rio to see her family on the other side of the world.
"What will be, will be!" Page said as she knew both of her own brothers-in laws were careful with money as they raised Rio in their own right way.
"And she will be the next ruler," Marian nodded with a smirk.
There was a loud sheik coming from the tree tops. Both women let out a very loud gasp of surprise. At first, there was nothing. Then, a rather large blue jay near landed on the table with a thud. Instead, it swopped down towards the women. Page near fell to the floor out of her own fear while Marian let out a scream as the bird took off towards the roof. After a minute of calming down, Page asked, "What was that?"
"It must be that foolish blue jay who wanted to get into the house the other day!" Marian gasped as she tried to catch her breath. Her heart was beating a mile and second.
"And why?" Page sighed, feeling her lungs ache from the fear. She knew she always had trouble with a local blue jay who had given nothing but trouble while he was hanging around the hose.
Marian smiled a knowing smile and said, "He likes you!"
"What?" Page said as she nearly turned all red in the face. "That stupid bird!"
Then, she spun on her heels and left the yard to go back into the house, after a minute or two of looking Marian followed her sister inside the house. There was something in one of the many trees which over hung on the yard. In that tree was a young girl holding a chicken. Somehow Rio and her friends managed to smuggle out a live chicken from Katelyn's farm. She had a homemade crate to carry the bird in. Rio was up in the tree as she glanced down on how high up she was. She had a touch of vertigo when she stared down at the pavement. Her nursery dropped the chicken in her hands. The chicken knew it was going to land flat out on the pavement or attempt in flying very poorly.
"What are you doing?" Charlie said as she managed to climb up to where Rio was sitting at. She was a better climber than Rio.
"I'm really hate heights!" Rio swallowed hard.
"Is this the way I wanted to spend summer holiday?" Charlie asked as she noticed Rio's face turning a pale shade of white.
"Maybe...not!" Rio said before swallowing hard.
"What are you turning so pale for?" Charlie asked.
"Quiet!" Rio hushed as she heard her two aunts coming back from the house.
"Are you going to have that new man stop over to the tea this afternoon?" Marian asked as she walked over to the table.
"Maybe...maybe not!" Page said, following her sister with a large pot of flowers.
"Great..." Rio sighed. She knew her aunt Page was on the prowl again for a new boyfriend. She had a strange taste in her mouth. She had some feeling that this morning and afternoon tea was going to be more than her bargained for.
"What are you thinking?" Stephanie asked she managed to reach Rio and Charlie.
"O.K…" Rio said as she tried to figure out on how to get the chicken down on the ground and herself free.
"There was nothing more than I like spending on a Saturday morning then climbing trees!" Stephanie growled very quietly. Her face was now red with the weary glare of a person who wanted to just have some fun.
"What about Stephanie?" Marian asked.
Stephanie heard her name and wonder. Rio was trying to get her wits up and running. She knew there was going to a few minute of pure chaos, but she had to work something out with her straight.
"What are you going to do?" Stephanie asked.
"That Stephanie will not going to be not in the royal line if I have something to do with it!" page sighed coldly.
Stephanie was now truly out raged. She felt like her aunts were pulling her out of the way. Stephanie was going to climb down and give her aunts a piece of her mind. She was a fiery redhead, especially when she was going to her back up.
"Steph!" Rio gaped, still holding on to the chicken.
"What are you thinking of...mate!" Charlie whispered loudly.
"I want to give the Aunt Page a piece of my mind!" Stephanie said as she began to inch her way back to end of the branch closest to the trunk.
"That tears it!" Rio groaned as she nearly loosened her grip on the chicken.
In a minute, everything became strange as the three girls stayed glued to their spots on the tree branch. The chicken nearly leapt out of riot's hand. She winced one last time before letting go of the half terrified bird.
"What is going on here?" a young woman's voice called out as a strange looking clownish creature came up to Page.
"Uh?" Rio gasped as the other two stared in disbelief.