Meanwhile, back at the castle, Jareth was on a search for the remaining Indreves.
Something pulled at the rug under his feet.
Jareth whirled and cast the spell, making them visible.
The two Indreves squealed and made a break for the door.
"Oh no you don't," he said, the door slamming shut
One of the Indreves crashed into it and slid to the floor with an 'eeeeep!', the other ground to a halt, then blew a very loud raspberry at Jareth.
Jareth rolled his eyes and threw a crystal towards them.
They squealed.
The crystal expanded, trapping them inside.
One of them growled. "Lemmego!"
Jareth transported them all outside by the Labyrinth where the others were
The Indreve whom Jareth had released from the cage leaped up and flew into his hair again, holding on tightly this time so there was no way he could get knocked off.
"Argh."
It sniggered.
"Get off me before I have to do something about it," Jareth ordered.
It shook it's head. "Mestayhere!"
"No you will not."
"Mewill!"
Jareth absently waved his hand at the two trapped Indreves as the bubble drifted downwards.
One of them made what could only be called a rude gesture towards him.
Jareth wasn't watching, more concerned with removing the Indreve from his head.
It chortled and dived down the back of his collar.
The bubble popped lightly as Jareth vanished.
The Indreve stuck it's head out of his collar and giggled in his ear.
"You know, if you actually wanted to be helpful for once..." Jareth said to it.
It leaped onto his head, then peered down at him. "Yeh?"
"Call the rest of your friends here."
It made a small, confused sound, then shrugged and dived back into his collar and gave an extremely piercing screech.
Jareth winced.
"Alldone."
"Good." Jareth said.
The Indreve chirruped happily.
Jareth looked around the room.
"Allhere!" the Indreve squeaked.
Jareth waved his hand, making them visible.
There were about a hundred of them, give or take a few.
"Tell them to come here," Jareth said.
The Indreve squarked in his ear. "COMEHERE!"
"but not in my ear..."Jareth muttered.
"Huh?" it squeaked.
Jareth waited until all of the Indreves were sufficiently close, then he teleported them all to the Labyrinth.
The Indreve in his collar watched. "Wheretheygo?"
"Outside, with the others."
"Okies!" It chirped.
"And that's where you're going next."
It shook it's head vehemently. "Nuh uh!"
"Yes."
"No!"
"Yes," Jareth reached back to grab it
It shot out of his reach. "No! Istayherewithyou!"
"Excuse me?"
"Istayherewithyou!"
"Now why would you want to do that?"
"CozIwanna!"
"Well," Jareth said, "I am going to take you outside, because BI/B want to."
"Nuh uh!"
"If you want to stay then you'll have to give me a better answer then because you want to."
"CozIlikeyou!" it chirped.
"You... what?"
"You'renicean'youdidn'tsquishme." it finished.
Jareth had no answer for that one.
The Indreve chirruped merrily and settled back down in his collar.
Jareth groaned.
It grinned.
"If you're going to stay here you must behave yourself."
"Okies!"
"If you don't, you go back outside."
"Okies!" it repeated.
*Trent?* Jareth called.
~ Yes? ~
*Have you any luck?*
~ Well, I've discovered that Indreves are very affectionate creatures, even though they're very mischievous... ~
*ah... I... think I've learned that as well...*
~ Sorry? ~
*I said that I think that I have learned that as well...*
~ I see... ~ Trent chuckled. ~ You now have a 'friend', I take it? ~
*Yes...*
Trent chuckled again. ~ Keep it under control then! ~
The Indreve affectionately nipped Jareth's ear.
"Hey," Jareth protested.
It giggled.
*Just... figure out how we get rid of them...*
~ I'm trying. ~ Trent sighed.
*thanks...* Jareth said, *I've got them all... contained at least*
~ Yes? ~
*Yes.*
~ Good. ~
Jareth leaned back and closed his eyes
The Indreve chattered nonsense in his ear.
Jareth ignored it.
It eventually settled down and seemed to have gone to sleep in his collar.
Meanwhile Jareth had spaced out
The Indreve shot down his back, then down his sleeve and out at the cuff.
Jareth wiggled and let out a bit of a yelp, it tickled!
The Indreve sniggered, then shot into his hair again.
"What do your kind eat anyway?" Jareth asked.
"Huh?" it squeaked from somewhere in his hair.
"What do Indreves eat?"
"Food!" It piped.
He rolled his eyes, "What sort of food?"
"Leavesan'fruitan'stuff!"
"I see," Jareth said, getting up.
The Indreve flew in front of him and waved, then dived down his collar again.
Jareth stood up.
The Indreve squeaked and tugged at his hair.
"Stop that," Jareth said.
It didn't.
"Stop it or I'll take you outside again!"
It gave a squeal and hid inside his collar.
Jareth walked out onto the balcony and looked over his labyrinth.
"Whassat?"
"That's my labyrinth," he answered.
"Oooooooooooooh!"
That wasn't quite the answer that Jareth had expected, "That end row," he said, "It's where the others are."
The Indreve giggled.
"What?" he asked.
It shrugged and nibbled his ear.
"I told you to knock that off," Jareth said, waving his hand, a plate of fruit appearing on the desk.
It leaped out of his hair, snatched a piece of the fruit and leaped onto his shoulder.
"Is that the right sort?"
"Yepyepyep!" It chirruped, nibbling it.
Jareth nodded and looked back over the labyrinth, waving his hand. Trees with the fruit popped up in the area occupied by the Indreves.
They would obviously be eating that too. The Indreve on his shoulder leaped down into the bowl and seemed to disappear under the amount of fruit.
Jareth watched it, somewhat amused.
Eventually it reappeared, tugging at a piece of fruit that was lodged underneath some other fruit.
He had sat down by this time, watching it.
"Gerroff!" The Indreve squealed at the fruit.
Jareth laughed slightly.
It looked up. "Nofair! It won'tmove!"
"well why do you have to have the one at the bottom?"
"Coz I wannit!"
"Ah."
The Indreve went back to wrestling with the fruit.
Jareth continued to watch
It gave up and sat, panting, on the edge of the bowl.
"What is so special about that particular piece of fruit?
"I wannit!"
"Ah," Jareth waved and the fruit floated out.
The Indreve squealed happily, grabbed it and promptly bolted it down. "Thankiiiiiiiies!"
Jareth nodded.
The Indreve leaped back onto his shoulder and nuzzled it's head onto his cheek and chattered merrily.
"Don't take this too far," Jareth said, reaching up and gently stroking the Indreves fur, "But you aren't such a bad little thing."
It chattered and sounded happy.
"So you like me because I didn't squish you..." Jareth said, half to himself.
"And you didn' shoutatme!"
"No, I suppose I didn't..."
"Theother man did...hewasREALLYnasty an' he locked us ALL awayinacage..."
"The other man?"
"Yeh."
"What other man?"
"Themanwhosentusallhere."
He blinked, "Say that again? Slower?"
The Indreve took a deep breath. "Theman thatsentushere."
"You were sent here?"
It nodded.
"I see."
"Wha?"
"Nothing," Jareth answered vaguely.
"Okies."
Jareth h'mmed thoughtfully.
The Indreve chattered merrily again.
He stood up again and looked over the labyrinth.
The Indreve gave an indignant squark as it was knocked off his shoulder.
"Sorry," he said absently.
"Why youdothat?" It squeaked, putting it's hand in it's hips (if they were hips).
"I thought that you would hang on..." Jareth answered.
"I didn' knowyouwere movin'!"
"Oh, yes... I tend to do that..." Jareth said, still lost in thought.
"Oh. Right."
"Who was it that sent you here?" Jareth asked.
"I dunno. He nastynastynastynastythough."
"That bad huh?"
The Indreve nodded. "Helockedmean' the othersinacage and shoutedatusall the time andwouldn'letus out!"
"Was it because of what you were doing in his house?"
"No! Hetookus there and lockedusup! We neverhadtime to doanythingto hiscastlethingy."
"Oh?"
"Nope."
"Then why did he yell at you?"
"Cozwe didn' wannastaycagedandhewasjustvery veryveryveryvery NASTY."
"Ah."
The Indreve nodded.
At just that moment there was the sound of some commotion out in the hallway.
The Indreve squeaked in puzzlement.
"C'mere!" a goblin yelled.
Jareth opened his door to see several goblins running past.
They were chasing something.
"What is going on out here?" Jareth asked.
"There's a thing around!"
"A what?"
"A thing!"
Jareth raised his eyebrows as a soft yip sounded.
The Indreve on his shoulder squealed and squarked a note.
"What is it?" Jareth asked.
"It'sanotheroneofus."
Jareth looked at the Goblins sternly.
They looked at him, then looked at the small Indreve that was hovering in midair.
"Stoppit." the Indreve on Jareth's shoulder said. "Thisman nice."
"Get out of here," Jareth ordered the goblins.
The goblins fled.
He sighed slightly, the goblins really weren't that bad, even if they weren't too bright... He returned his attention to the Indreve.
It looked at him, nervous, then looked back to the one on his shoulder and squealed.
The Indreve on Jareth's shoulder shook it's head and let off a few squeaks. "He gowithall the other?"
"Yes."
The Indreve on Jareth's shoulder nodded. "Helonely."
"He won't be when he joins the others."
"Hegonow?"
Jareth nodded.
The Indreve on his shoulder squeaked, then blipped something out to the small one, which squealed happily.
Jareth waved a hand and the smaller Indreve started to fade out.
The one on his shoulder watched avidly.
The smaller Indreve vanished to appear out in the Labyrinth with the other Indreves. Jareth moved out to the window to watch as the smaller one was happily greeted by several of the others.
The Indreve on his shoulder smiled. "Thatgood!"
"I'm so happy that you approve," Jareth said, semi-sarcastically.
It squeaked.