~ Jareth? ~ Trent questioned.
*Yes?*
~ Have you ordered, say, a brass band at all? ~
*A brass band? Certainly not*
~ Well... Would you care to come and have a look in my room to explain something for me please? ~ Trent asked, looking around himself in absolute amazement.
*I will come, but something tells me that I won't be able to explain it...* Jareth said, vanishing and appearing in Trent's room.
Trent was surrounded by about thirty various brass instruments, all playing very loudly and out of tune. Alone.
"What the?" Jareth said.
"My sentiments exactly brother!" Trent called over the cacophonous noise.
Jareth snapped his fingers to send the instruments away.
They flew around him instead, blowing loudly in his ears.
"Gah!" Jareth exclaimed, letting out a very creative stream of explicative mentally.
Trent chuckled.
"*STOP!*" Jareth let out a very powerful magical command.
The instruments clattered loudly to the floor. Trent rubbed his foot as a Tuba landed on it.
"sorry," Jareth said absently, looking at the instruments.
"No matter," Trent murmured.
"Trent?"
"Hmm?"
"Can you sense any sort of power at all or remains of any sort of spell?"
Trent shook his head. "No spell..." he concentrated. "Beings, no power."
"What do you mean?"
"There are - or rather, were - beings here."
"What sort of beings?"
"I can't tell..."
Jareth frowned, "How can there be beings here that I don't know about?"
"That, brother, I cannot answer." Trent sighed.
Jareth sighed as well, "Well is there any way to find out?"
"I do not know. Perhaps I could consult my notes..."
Jareth nodded just as all of the lights flicked off.
Trent groaned.
Jareth closed his eyes and concentrated. The lights lit again and then the flames rose upwards, floating a good inch above where they were supposed to be.
Trent's eyebrows rose.
Jareth set his teeth and the fire returned to where it was supposed to be.
Then promptly leaped over and span around their heads before sitting on the windowsill.
Jareth growled softly and opened his eyes.
The flames shot back to where they should be, as if sensing his anger.
He shot the flames a Look.
They quavered.
"Remain where you belong," he ordered sternly.
They rose and formed the words: 'Make us' before returning to their positions again.
Jareth hissed, barely keeping his temper.
Trent put out a hand, then shut his eyes, letting his Psyche wander around the room. It snuffed out all the flames then re-lit them again.
*Trent, I am not sure how much longer this can go on...*
~ Hmm? ~ Trent came 'back to earth'.
*Can you sense anything now?* Jareth asked.
Trent 'looked' around. ~ I can sense the beings, but I cannot determine what they are... There are too many of them... ~
*Focus in on one?*
~ They move too fast... They're small, I can gather that much... ~
*Try?*
~ I am trying... ~
*Thank you* Jareth said softly, he shifted, silently 'lending' Trent some of his power.
Trent 'grabbed' at one of the beings, then yelped. ~ It - well - I think it bit me ...! ~
*Can you show me where it is?*
Trent waved his arm, encompassing about a quarter of the room. ~ They're all over around there... ~
Jareth nodded, closing his eyes. *You should probably close yours...* he said mildly.
~ Huh? ~
*Close your eyes Trent*
Trent did so.
There was something resembling a very large lightning bolt in the direction that Trent had indicated.
~ What're you doing...? ~
The creatures had fled or vanished or something, except for the one in the direct line of Jareth's attack. A small electrical cage shimmered, it looked just large enough to hold a small cat.
~ Jareth... ~
*Yes?*
~ What's going on? Can I open my eyes yet? ~
*Oh. Sorry. Yes.* Jareth went over to investigate the seemingly empty cage.
Trent opened his eyes and followed suit. "The cage...?
"I think I caught one..."
"Oh, good!"
"Can you sense it in there?" he asked.
Trent nodded.
Jareth leaned down over the cage. The bars buzzed a bit angrily.
"Don't get too close, they bite..." Trent said wryly.
"It's certainly not pleased to be trapped," Jareth said.
"I wouldn't think I would be either," Trent commented. "Have we any idea on how to communicate with it?"
"First I want to see it," Jareth said, holding his hands over the top of the cage.
"Be careful..."
Jareth nodded. There was a slight shimmer of light that spilled from his hands and spread over the cage, outlining the figure inside. It was a small creature, but with a very bushy tail and long ears, which were currently pressed back against it's head. It bared it's teeth and hissed at them.
"Friendly chap." Trent said cheerfully.
"Indeed," Jareth said, "Now what are we to do with it?"
The creature made a loud, shrill noise.
Jareth glanced at Trent.
Trent rubbed his head. "I am getting a headache.." he commented.
"I don't blame you," Jareth said.
"Lemego!" the creature demanded.
Trent blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
"Lemego!"
"And why would we want to do that?"
It just hissed.
Trent shook his head.
"Lemego relse!"
"Or else what?" the Psy asked coolly.
It hissed and would've pounced on Trent, but it ran into the cage with a yelp and backed off.
He shook his head. "I've never seen one of these before," he commented to his brother.
"Me either," Jareth said, "I had hope that you had."
"I can look them up, however," Trent smiled.
Jareth smiled. Just then, nearly every book from Trent's shelves tumbled to the floor.
He shook his head. "I wouldn't..." he warned.
"Tolja! Tolja! Lemego!" the creature exclaimed.
Trent shut his eyes and concentrated, sending a whirlwind around the books, whirling them back to the shelves and presumably whirling a few of the little creatures around as well.
The one in the cage let out a dismayed shriek.
"There." Trent said, satisfied. "All tidy again."
The creature hissed again and rammed into the bars, with another yelp.
Trent sighed.
Suddenly Trent was knocked off his feet.
He gave a small yelp of surprise, followed by a yelp of pain as he landed. "Now you pack that in!" he demanded.
"Lemego then!"
"No." Trent sighed, rubbing his back. "Alright brother, your turn..." he groaned.
Jareth levitated the cage up to his eye level, "You call your friends off otherwise I shall make that cage smaller and smaller, and I think that you have already figured out what happens when you touch the bars..."
The creature gave another shrill squeal.
Jareth gave the cage a slight tip, forcing the creature against the electrified bars.
It squealed even louder and scrabbled up.
"Am I clear?"
There was a growl of assent.
"Good."
Trent breathed a sigh of relief.
Jareth set the cage down on Trent's desk, "Now, who are you?" he asked the creature, which remained sullenly silent.
"Aha," Trent smiled. "Found them."
"Yes?" Jareth asked.
"They're a species of sprite called the Indreve. Indreves are mischievous creatures who cause havoc wherever they please." he read.
"Indreve," Jareth repeated.
Trent nodded.
"And they have come here to bother us."
"It appears so, yes."
"But why here?"
"Indreves love areas where there are plenty of places for them to hide." Trent continued reading aloud.
"I suppose that makes sense here..."
"It would." he agreed.
"But how did they get here?"
"I don't know, it doesn't tell how they travel..."
The Indreve hissed.
"Oh put a sock in it." Trent muttered.
Suddenly several of Trent's socks came whizzing towards him.
He ducked. "Do not take what I say literally!" he growled.
Jareth tilted the cage again.
The creature - the Indreve - squealed.
"Call them off," Jareth ordered.
The Indreve muttered some words that sounded suspiciously like profanities, then gave a whistle.
The socks, which had been orbiting the room, fell to the floor.
Trent nodded in satisfaction.
"Now," Jareth said to the Indreve, "Why are you here?"
The Indreve blew a raspberry at him.
Jareth gestured and the cage shrank in on itself by a few centimeters.
The Indreve squealed in terror, and the dormant socks rose again, pelting Jareth around the head.
Jareth hissed, "If you don't stop that I'll make the cage smaller."
The Indreve in the cage whistled again, and the socks again fell down, some landing in Jareth's hair.
Trent stifled a laugh.
Jareth brushed the socks off without a word.
Trent coughed, trying to hide the snigger.
"Now," Jareth said, "Why are you here?"
"Coz wewanna."
"Well then."
The Indreve squeaked.
"Do you know who I am?" Jareth asked.
It shook it's head.
"I thought not."
The Indreve blew another raspberry.
"Although," Jareth reflected, "Your kind probably don't care anyway..."
There was a noise from behind him like a balloon being burst.
He turned.
Trent was stood behind him, looking like he might explode in laughter. "It - honestly wasn't - me..." he said, struggling to keep his composure.
"Given that there are probably several dozen sprites here that cause trouble, I believe you," Jareth said dryly.
"I'm so glad..." Trent chuckled.
"Now, what are we to do about these pests?" Jareth asked.
"I'm not too sure brother,"
"Does it say anywhere how to expel them?" Jareth asked.
Trent shook his head. "Not in this one. There might be another book somewhere..."
Jareth nodded, "Otherwise I shall have to take matters into my own hands," he gave the caged Indreve a dark look.
The Indreve squealed in fear again and the socks rose warningly.
"Oh I won't do anything," Jareth said.
The socks dropped.
Jareth lifted the cage again so he could look at it closer.
The Indreve pulled a face at him.
Jareth ignored that, studying the creature.
It made a rude gesture and turned it's back on him.
Jareth simply turned the cage around.
It turned around again.
This continued for several minutes.
Until the Indreve got so dizzy it fell over.
"Interesting creature," Jareth said.
The Indreve squarked dizzily.
Trent nodded. "Strange."
Jareth left the cage off hovering near the ceiling.
The Indreve whistled and squealed.
"Oh calm down, you're not gonna fall," Jareth said absently.
It squealed again, then fell silent.