Artemis sat on the front steps of the school, waiting for his mother to pick him up, which was supposed to be waiting for him as soon as school was out. All of the other kids hurried out, fleeing quickly down the steps to get home. By the clock, school ended at three o' five, of course assuming that the clocks were running normally, but according to Artemis's watch it was eight o'clock pm, with the sun still looming above. Artemis couldn't figure out who had it wrong, the clocks, or the solar system. Presently neither was a very comforting thought.
"Newbie" a familiar voice called. Artemis grunted and pretended to be very intrigued with an ant crawling along the pavement. Twice he had collided with this girl today, and he had not become fonder of her at any moment.
"Newbie" she repeated.
Glaring, Artemis looked up at the girl. "What?" he snapped.
"And rude too" she laughed sitting down next to him. Artemis squirmed. The last thing he wanted was for this girl to sit next to him. "name's, Timina"
"And why on earth would I want to know your name?"
"You tell me,"
Artemis couldn't believe this. She was interfering with him and had the nerve to play coy as well.
"Listen, quite frankly I don't think you're a very nice person. And I don't care to know your name, or continue these impromptu chats for that matter"
"See that's the problem. You're a very nice person, who's organized, and the first one today I'm sure to notice something has gone wrong. You're very perceptive"
"Thank you" Artemis grunted.
Timina smirked and rose to her feet, dusting off her clothing she continued, "I'm sorry, Artemis, I'm sorry I have such wretched timing, but it really can't be helped, and I was hoping you could help me" She looked down at him, still smirking. "Actually, I know you can, and will" Before Artemis could object Timina had already started down the sidewalk, and maybe it was just a figment of Artemis's imagination, but he could have sworn he saw her grow taller, and disappear in a flash of light.
RecoveryArthur turned over groggily; he rubbed his eyes and had to think hard about what was happening. He had been at home, than the phone rang, he didn't answer it, he came to the House, Dame Primus told him he couldn't go back home, he was at a party, he fainted and…when his brain finally caught up Arthur sat up and looked around, he was back in his chambers, the room Ichabod had dressed him in the night before. He shook his head, no that couldn't be right; time was strange in the House so he knew it couldn't have happened last night. "How long was I out for?" he moaned not even thinking to wonder if anyone was in the room to answer him.
"A fortnight and four days" came the only slightly irritated reply.
Arthur glanced at the door to find Suzy leaning on the door frame, once again in a man's apparel, but very well dressed with polished boots and even a proper top hat, she had gleaming buttons on her coat and a pipe that hung casually out the side of her mouth. Her right hand rested gingerly on a walking stick with a parrot head shaped handle. Her hair was in a neat side ponytail.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Some sort of Time lapse" she answered as she began to twirl the cane in her right hand.
"Time Lapse?"
"Hard to explain, the key power was to much for you to start with 'n' and then I guess the total time change from your world to ours, well had some sort of weird effect on you. But you're alright now aren't you?" she stopped twirling the stick and came over to his bedside. "Gave us a fright back at the party. Nearly gave me a heart attack really." She wrinkled her nose. "If I could have one"
"Whatever it was, it was awful, I saw my life flash before my eyes, and I felt all dizzy" just thinking about it made his head swim again.
"What matter's is that your alright and can start taking care o' your business" she frowned as a very loud ticking began emitting from her coat.
She pulled out her pocket watch, gave it a quick polish with a blue spotted handkerchief and peered at it closely. "Something's off with this 'ere clock" she muttered. "Should've known some part of it would be faulty though, came from a Secondary Realm, got it 'bout a month ago, House time"
Dame Primus entered then, wearing a pale green gown. She cleared her throat and then began to speak. "On that subject, hello Suzy"
"How do, Dame"
Dame Primus sniffed and then continued. "Many of the things from the Secondary realms are malfunctioning." She paused to pull out a list. "Such as clocks, the suns and moons are no longer following their usual ordinance, I'm afraid that does pose a problem."
"Does it have to do with Nothing?" Arthur asked.
"'Course it has to with Nothing, nothing doesn't ever not have to do with Nothing" Suzy reprimanded.
Dame Primus looked askance at Suzy, a look that Arthur read as I do wish you wouldn't speak unless spoken to. "I am unsure Arthur. But until further information can be gathered, you have other duties to fulfill"
"Fine, just let me get dressed" he shooed them out of the room and with dismay, hurriedly put on the garments that had been arranged for him. I wonder if I'll ever be able to pick my own clothes again? He wondered. When finished Arthur started down the steps to find an assembly already waiting for him in the foyer, Dame Primus was seated behind a grand oak desk, with papers piled before her, simply absorbing the information. Suzy stood at the front of the queue trying to keep people in order.
"Now pipe down before I have to conk you on the head with this 'ere walking stick!" she threatened a Denizen. Behind Dame Primus were seven chief servants. Two Noons, Dusks, and three Dawns.
"What's this?" Arthur swept his hand towards the line up of Denizens that seemed to extend to the front gate.
"Requests my lord," answered one of the Noons.
"And what're you here for?" he demanded.
"Suggestions" a Dawn chirped. "And to bring your attention to the most dire of House matters, those of more importance than these minor complaints"
"Don't say that," Arthur scolded. He didn't want the Denizens to get a wrong impression of him. The last thing he needed was to 'go away' like the Architect did. "But I suppose I will start with you first. Okay, first err, um, idea?"
"Fashion has been the same for ages now" The same Dawn whimpered.
Arthur chuckled. "Okay, a real matter now" he encouraged.
"She's quite serious Lord Arthur" Wednesday's Dawn said. "After Fashion goes stale, so do the inhabitants, nothing works quite as well as it use to from the era Fashion was chosen, we've had the same Fashion for eons, were are in need of refreshing" after she finished speaking their was a sound of agreement coming from the others so Arthur complied.
"What should it be then?"
"We've done everything from Victoria to Prairie, to Medieval and Western, and I do recall a period of Salem. And a time before that something very metallic and shiny, with everyone wearing jet packs instead of wings" said Sunday's Dusk.
Arthur frowned. Master of the Universe and his first chore was to change Fashion. The epicenter of the Universe, the place from which everything was wrought, needed a new Fashion, and if he didn't change it things would presumably go awry. He thought about what he could possibly change it to when his fingers began to tingle. He looked down at his gauntleted hands and remembered what they were for. He raised his hands above his head, closing his eyes and concentrated. Something different, he paused, something simple, and grand at the same time, something familiar, so in a way I still feel at home. He clapped his hands together and he could feel the power surging through him again, but in a controlled manner, viscous as it flowed through him and out, recreating the image of everything in the House. There was the sound of whistling wind, and thunder overhead. Then there was silence and trumpeting, Arthur took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
Everyone in the foyer stared at one another in bewilderment. All of the Denizens found themselves dressed in robes and togas with flat sandals, all varying in color. Currently, Dame Primus was glaring at him over her spectacles. On top of her head was a gold horned helmet and with a start Arthur noticed what else had angered her so. The Will had shrunk. Not tiny, but almost the size of Arthur, perhaps even shorter. He furrowed his eyebrows and wondered what or whom Dame Primus reminded him of. Arthur blinked and then laughed as he recalled a class he had taken in high school on Greek mythology. That was the first class he had ever taken with Leaf, and they had started dating back then.
Now looking at Dame Primus and, everyone, he was able to put two and two together, he had recreated the gods of the Greek, Hermes, the messenger, also known as Dame Primus, Aphrodite the form one of the Dawn's had taken. A very gloomy dusk wore the garment of Hades, there was the god of war and the goddess of knowledge and Arthur, of course was Zeus. Everyone seemed rather pleased with the change except for Dame; admittedly, her new form was rather comical.
"I like my trousers and hat thank you very much" Suzy interrupted his thoughts as she looked down disdainfully at her gown, pinned at both shoulders with gold bands creating an empire waist. She stuck out one foot than the other, grimacing at the sandals. "Don't like it one bit Artie, but I 'spose it'll have to do"
Arthur caught his breath when he saw her. She was wearing the same outfit Leaf had worn their first Halloween together; they had gone as Hera and Zeus, to Ed's party. He cleared his head and then rubbed his hands together.
"Any other cosmetic matters?" Arthur inquired.
"None my lord" the chief servants replied and vanished before his eyes in different colored plumes of smoke.
"Good, because I'm not an interior decorator" he grumbled and turned to the increasing line of Denizens. "Alright whose first?"
ElsewhereShe came through the porthole and threw off the pitiful human shape in a corner. Standing before a mirror she stretched herself to her appropriate height and pulled at her sprigs of curling hair. She rubbed her brown skin to revive her gold etched tattoos and wrapped herself in immaterial fabric. This was exactly the problem she feared, her contract with the Secondary Realms was running out, and according to her article of the Will, she still needed to appoint an heir to that. She sat down behind a cloud and produced a quill and scroll out of the thin air and began to write. She had urgent matters to discuss, or else the Secondary Realms would forever be in disarray.