It was another night. Already Reala was dreading it as he paced back and forth beside the glowing red bed that drew that wench back to this place. At least it SHOULD have drawn her back when she went to bed. Don't visitors need regular sleep? That's what Reala had always thought. Yet, there he stood, waiting without any sign of her.
Not that he was looking FORWARD to dealing with the woman. After yesterday's fiasco he could already tell it was going to be one long night. Hopefully there wouldn't be any more fatalities….
Just then a familiar Nightmaren came toddling in as fast as he could manage, huffing and puffing along the way. It was one of the guards form the icy citadel that he had locked the woman in until she left. He looked…. Worried.
"Sir!" He started, saluting him. "The prisoner! She's escaped!"
"Of course she has you fool. She's a visitor. They vanish when they awaken in their natural world." Reala growled.
"No, sir, I don't mean like that! She didn't just go POOF!" He threw his arms in the air and wiggled his fingers to exaggerate the word 'poof', "I mean she unlocked her cell door, wreaked havoc on the citadel and ran off into the snow!"
"What?" Reala loomed over the tiny Nightmaren, "How long ago?"
"An hour ago, sir!"
A hour ago? That wasn't possible. When Visitors woke up in their own world they left the Nightmare realm or Nightopia all together and returned through the Gates in Nightopia. For her she would have returned to Wizeman's throne room due to the sleeping holder. "Did she vanish at all during her stay? As in she just disappeared?"
"No, sir! Not at all! Just when she broke out of her cell!"
Reala rubbed his chin as he thought aloud, "Interesting. That means she never woke up to begin with…. I think I'm starting to see Wizeman's interest in her after all." He returned his gaze to the terrified Nightmaren. "Gather the Fliers and find her. I want her brought back."
The Nightmaren saluted him again with a, "Yes, sir! Right away!" Before hurrying off to gather Nightmaren to form a search party.
This entire thing is turning into a nightmare. Reala thought to himself as he covered his face with one hand and shook his head. After a minute he realized the irony of that thought and lightly smirked. "Perhaps this is, indeed, the reason for keeping her."
For now he had to go find her as well. And when he did he was going to drop her off into her very own nightmare to see if THAT would get her to behave for more than five minutes!
Just as he went to leave, though, a snicker echoed through the room. "Looks like Reala is in biiiiig trouble!" Came an annoyingly familiar high pitched voice.
How Reala hated that voice. He hated it almost as much as he hated the owner of that voice. "Go away, Jackal. I haven't the time or the patience to deal with you today." Reala hissed as he continued to walk away from the figure that formed behind him.
"Aaww, that's just plain RUDE, Reala! When I came ALL the way here to see you myself." Jackal said with that ever present grin.
"Then take yourself all the way back to where you came from."
"Okaaayyy! I guess I'll just play with the little visitor by myself!" He said, starting to float up. He stopped, being yanked a bit as a fringe of his cape was caught by Reala.
Reala had simply stopped walking, grabbing it without even looking. "What. Visitor?"
Bait, line and hook! Jackal giggled a little and replied, "Why, the pretty little snow angel I caught! That's what Visitor!"
Reala would slowly look up to Jackal, eyes on fire. "White hair? Sickly pale skin? Left eye blue, right eye green?"
"Yup, yup! That's the one!"
Taking deep breaths, Reala resisted the urge to fling the disrespectful Nightmaren into the floor. It wouldn't do any good. He'd just break apart and start bouncing his head and giggling about it, just like the last time. "Give her to me, Jackal. She's my charge."
"Really? That's funny! Because she was aaallll by her lonely little self out in the snow, and poorly dressed for it, too!"
"Jackal, I swear, if you don't give her back to me-" Jackal yanked away from Reala an flew about in circles with a giggle. "You'll get her back when I'm done! Well, maybe when the others are done. She's one tough nut to crack!"
Others? Oh, sweet Nightmares, what's going on? "Others? What others? What are you doing to her?"
"Trying to frighten her, of course! Drive her nuts until she wakes up! There's even a betting pool if ya wanna cash in on it." Jackal said proudly.
"No, I don't want to cash in on anything. If I have to take her by force, I will." Reala floated up, hands at the ready to grab at the nuisance. He was desperate to get her back before Wizeman found out just what was going on. Now that he knew just what death was, he was determined to avoid such a fate.
"Easy! If you want a turn you'll have to go talk to Puffy. She's got her right now."
Puffy? Of course, it would have to be Puffy. That overgrown beach ball was the second least favorite to deal with, always flicking her rabbit ears at him, puffing her lips, trying to pull him into a hug every chance she had. Reala visibly shivered, causing Jackal to giggle in response.
"Don't worry. I don't think Puffy can break her. She survived me and Gillwing, after all!'
Without waiting for another word, Reala was off. If she was with Puffy now then he knew exactly where the human was! He just hoped he could get there before the other Nightmaren did too much damage! Not that he cared for her safety. If anything, she needed to be taught a lesson. It was Wizeman that had him concerned.