4.
:: survivor ::
I survive
Life keeps coming at me
Doesn't break me
I'm never going down!
Anytime I need strength
I know you'll help me make it
I survive
I survive!
/ Avalon – I Survive
"Aunt Di, Aunt Di! Look at what I can do!"
The shriek came excitedly and made Diana smile. She hadn't realized how much she missed that boyish innocence until now. But Jonathan was always pure, untainted by the hardships in his life. It was such contrast to Diana's cynicism that she found him refreshing, brightening the dark places in her soul. Maybe that was why she needed him so badly, more than he'd needed her, though it took her losing him to recognize that.
"Aunt Diiiiii," the frustration in Jonathan's voice indicated he didn't appreciate being ignored. He frowned, chastising her irritably. "Look at me! You have to see this!"
Diana glanced up, shielding her eyes from the sun. They were sitting outside of Rafe's Court -- or rather she was sitting, trying to finish a scroll she'd started over a month ago. Her new lifestyle, which now that she wasn't living off the hand of the gods involved her heading to Athens twice a week for her income, left her very little time for leisure reading. But the scroll was a mere distraction, diverting her thoughts from the disturbing view before her. Jonathan was swinging back and forth as high as possible on a rope swing Rafe erected for him. The tree trunk was blessedly thick and the swing ropes tightly knotted, but Jonathan was doing his best to break them, alternating between the wild swinging and shimmying up the rope like a monkey, howling a primal howl of joy. Like all boys, he held no fear of heights or broken bones and was doing everything in his power to both fracture his spine and take years off Di's life at the same time. Diana's many scoldings had no effect on his enthusiasm and she'd grown exhausted trying to put an end to his adolescent stunts. She eventually resigned herself to the old idiom 'boys will be boys' and trusted in Jonathan's astounding sense of balance to save him.
And ironically it had. Though he should be injured many times over; no matter how dangerous was the latest trick he'd pulled, he never had been. It was miraculous how countless times he managed to catch the tree and save himself from threatening, potentially deadly falls. But Di soon realized that, like her, he held skills that defied common understanding and, like her again, his gifts wouldn't allow him to fall. He was able to foresee perils before they happened and so consequently those perils had yet to befall him. Diana wasn't sure exactly how his gifts materialized and all efforts to talk about them just got her a blank stare and a denial, but she knew he had them. Demi-god power perhaps? Like Hercules? The boy was an orphan when she found him and with his mysterious past, who could even venture a guess at what secrets lie back there? So she let him have the freedom to explore the powers he possessed and knew in his own time he'd reveal them, even discuss them, with her. Until then she could only be patient. And ready to listen.
"Very nice Jonathan," she sighed, restraining a wince at how high he was swinging, nearly parallel with the sky now. His shriek of glee followed a dismayingly fast descent, making Di's heart leap to her throat. Her muttered 'dear gods' went unheeded, as did her hand flying to her mouth as her son's feet scraped the ground a second, then bent back as he went flying off the other way. The swing was narrow, the seat not but a slim plank of wood and his legs weren't long enough to wrap around it securely. Diana felt momentary panic at the sight of her son a good fifteen feet in the air, held there by nothing more than rope, wood and perpetual motion. Though her subconscious mind was aware he couldn't fall, her conscious mind was screaming epithets about the inevitability of her son's twisted, bloody body on the ground and how she should be putting a stop to this, right goddamned now! But Di reined her tongue and kept silent, even forcing a weak smile for Jonathan's benefit.
He won't fall, he won't fall, he won't fall… You wouldn't fall -- he won't fall either…
"Wheeeee," Jonathan's voice pierced her eardrums. "Look how high I am now, Aunt Di. Look, look!"
"That's lovely sweetheart," Diana lied madly, trying to pretend she wasn't just watching her son flirt with death. "You are such a brave boy!"
Entirely too damn brave! Gods Jonathan, why do you have to be so much like me?
"Watch this, Aunt Di. No hands!"
That was enough to rise Di off her bench. Yes, he was very lucky, gifted even. But gifted or no, she couldn't take the suspense any longer.
"Jonathan! Why don't we go in and have some lunch," she suggested, more merrily than she felt. To her relief, the promise of food worked and Jonathan slowed, leaping recklessly from the swing long before it came to a full stop. He landed catlike on his feet and pranced to Diana, flipping black curls out of his eyes.
"What are we having?" he asked, wanting to get that straight immediately. Diana lifted a brow.
"Something healthy," she replied, ignoring Jonathan's disgusted groan. "Now let's find your errant Uncle Rafe, shall we? I have something I need to discuss with him."
"I know," Jonathan declared happily, eyes sparkling with mischief. "You aren't working for Lord Ares anymore. So you and Uncle Rafe can get married now -- 'cause that was the deal, right?"
Diana forced herself not to smile. Sometimes she forgot how quick he was at catching on. But the clever boy missed nothing and he was right this time too. Rafe was going to have a tough time squirming free of the bargain when he was the one who suggested it. Well, though the conman didn't know it yet, Di met his terms and she was going to enjoy watching how he responded to them.
She grinned evilly, her own eyes sparkling now. "Oh yes," she trilled. "Dear darling Rafe and I will so marry, yes! I can't wait to start filling out invitations and setting the date. I just know he's gonna be overjoyed to hear the good news!"
"Yes," Jonathan agreed promptly, missing the devious sarcasm. "He'll be so happy. I can't wait to tell him."
"Neither can I," Diana stated, more truthfully than Jonathan knew. She led the way indoors, blinking in the sudden light transition and went hunting her unbeknownst fiancé, leaving Jonathan to tail behind. A fair amount of walking and Di located both Rafe and Eldon in the kitchen -- not surprisingly the notion of food had appealed to them too. Eldon spotted her as she came in and though his expression was friendly, his eyes weren't.
"Hi Di," he remarked and seeing Jonathan, forced a smile. "Good to see you. Now that you are here, Rafe doesn't have to cook."
"Wasn't going to," Rafe replied, ignoring Diana completely. "It's your turn to man the stove -- I cooked last night." He grinned at Jonathan and squatted, lifting the boy up onto a barstool. "Hey buddy. Need some lunch, eh?"
"Well thank the gods, because I'm getting sick and tired of rice and lentils, which is the only thing you can cook without burning it," Eldon retorted. "Even that takes you hours of concentrated effort and recipe." He glanced at the gypsy. "So whatdya say, Di? Take pity on us starving menfolk and bail us out here."
"Don't think I can do much better. My cooking skills are about on par with Rafe's. You know Ares won't even let me near the kitchen in the Temple after the last time I burnt it down." She chose to disregard the way both men scowled at the mention of the hated god and reached for the frying pan. "Still, I spose better me burning it than you two. At least I'll clean up the mess afterwards. You two stand guard and be ready to beat the flames off Jonathan if anything happens."
"On second thought, we're probably safer with just gyro sandwiches," Eldon mused. He snatched the frying pan from Di's grasp and held it protectively behind his back. "I'll go fetch the bread from the larder. Maybe we have some peanut butter left. You guys collect the meat and cheese from the icebox." He walked out, brushing against Rafe as he left and gave the other conman a knowing look. One that said, 'I'm leaving to give you a chance to talk to her. So make it good.' Rafe nodded without a word and lounged against the counter, watching Di through hooded eyes.
Diana busied herself getting Jonathan settled with a glass of cider and crossed the icebox, trying not to notice how Rafe was watching her. She found the lamb quickly --though the smoked cod took a bit of digging-- and began slicing it, letting Rafe handle the cheese. Rafe munched on a bit of mizithra, handling a slab to Jonathan when he complained and looked Di questioningly.
"Mizithra or feta?" he asked, cheese knife at the ready. Di nodded to the hunk on his left.
"Feta please. And Jonathan -- stop eating that cheese, it'll spoil your appetite. Wait for the gyros. Rafe," she waited until he looked at her, "We need to talk."
"Do we?" Rafe sounded neutral. He grinned, effortless and charming. Only Di knew him well enough to recognize when he was pulling a con. And that the expression that looked so genuine was completely manufactured. He sketched a question mark in midair and tilted his head, studying her. "About what, my dear?"
You know what, you liar. Never one to be outdone --even by the King-- Diana smiled back just as charmingly and said with false frivolity. "About us, darling. Jonathan and I have some wonderful news for you."
"For me?" Rafe mock-widened his blue eyes and pressed a dramatic hand against his heart. "Capital. Tell me, my sweet, what delightful news do you bring to brighten my dreary day? Has Ares lost a war again perchance? Or mayhap someone dyed his hair a new and interesting color?"
Oooooo, BITE ME!
Diana bit the inside of her lip to keep from saying it. Smooth and fast his verbal barbs stung her, but she'd be damned if he could keep his composure better than she. She forced her smile to stay in place and sang, "Oh so much better, my love. Jonathan, would you like to fill your lucky Uncle Rafe in on the new state of affairs?"
A golden brow rose, but Rafe listened patiently as Jonathan spoke, bobbing on his stool like a toy sailboat on the water. "Uncle Rafe, you are so gonna love this! Aunt Di quit her job working for Lord Ares. She's gonna marry you now, so we all can be together!" He punctured this by pumping a fist in the air with a hardy 'whoop, whoop'.
Rafe was not so jubilant. More like -- stunned. Obviously he was expecting something different and Diana took divinely wicked pleasure in watching his fantastic jaw drop at the news. Normally she'd attempt to break it more gently, but the way Rafe was treating her lately, it was nice --sweet even-- to get some of her own back. Besides, she knew her dear conman was too clever by half to miss the significance. He'd set the conditions and she passed them with flying colors. She was looking forward to seeing how he was going to talk his way out of this predicament.
It took great skill and no small amount of cunning to catch the King of Cons off guard, but none could accuse him of not being quick on his feet. Only seconds passed before Rafe broke into a wide, but faked grin, and swept Diana dramatically into his arms.
"Oh happy day," he murmured against her dark hair, just loud enough for Jonathan to hear him. Diana was having a hard time concentrating on his words. She was too distracted by the heat radiating from his body into hers, his warm breath tickling her ear. "I feel a mushy moment coming on."
Diana so agreed, 100 percent, and happily craned her face up to accept the sensual offer. But Rafe's real target, Jonathan, reacted predictably and howled his disgust to the rafters.
"Ew, ew, ew! Kissing is so gross -- don't make me watch that old people stuff," the little boy insisted and clamoring free from his stool, he zoomed off down the hall screeching for Eldon all the way. Like magic, the emotion wiped clean from Rafe's face and he shoved Diana away before quickly diverging in direction himself. His blue eyes iced as he stared her down, no longer wrapping his detestation in sugar-coating.
"What the hell are you up to?"
"I love you Rafe," Diana replied softly. "Only you. And I'm not giving up on you. I don't know why it's so hard for you to accept that, but you laid down the terms. I met them. Now you are stuck with me."
"I'm not going to marry you Diana," Rafe stated flatly. "And it wasn't very fair playing Jonathan against me."
"Oh and it was so fair for you to play my vow with Ares against me," Di retorted. She paced closer, noting the uneven rate of his breathing. "The only reason you did it is because you thought you'd found a sure way to entrap me. Now it's you who is entrapped in your own diabolical scheme. All's fair in love and war Rafe and you'd better not take such daring risks unless you are ready to pay up in the end."
Rafe smiled bitterly. Even, white teeth flashed, but without a trace of real humor. "Well played, my dear. But if you knew me half so well as you think, you'd know I never show my entire hand until all the cards are dealt. I'm always hiding an extra ace under the table."
"Oh? And what is this ace of yours?"
"Don't you know?" Rafe stalked a safe distance away, frustration shadowing every step he took. "You think you can trump my ace by changing the suit of your cards? A full house; no Ares?" He shook his blond head derisively. "Diana, even if you are telling the truth about leaving Ares--"
"--I am telling the truth," Diana cut in. "And this is not about trumping you, Rafe. This is about what's best for Jonathan. He is the most important thing in my life now. I can't raise a little boy in that environment of violence and bloodshed. It's bad enough I've had to live this warrior life. I am getting my son as far away from it as my arms can possibly carry him."
"—even if you are telling the truth about leaving Ares," Rafe continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "It wouldn't make a shred of difference. I'm not marrying you Diana. Period. And so I'm telling you what's going to happen next. We are going to stage a convenient little argument, you and I, one that will convince Jonathan we are no longer together, while still being as minimally damaging as possible. No physical violence is necessary and if you like, I won't even raise my voice. But after that it's over. No more talk of marriage, no more dates, no tag-backs. No more on-again, off-again flings. Over, plain and simple."
"I can't accept that," Diana said softly. "Not on your life Rafe. I'm not letting you go so easy."
"You have no choice." His voice was cold. "Now the only question that remains is what we are going to do about Jonathan. We both love him and obviously I wouldn't want to take him away from you completely. It would crush him to be separated from you. So we'll work out some sort of custody arrangement, something that gives us both equal time with him, but brings us into contact as minimally as desirable. You are no longer welcome in my Court, Diana. Once we've had our little argument, I don't want to see you back here unless it's picking Jonathan up or dropping him off. Are we clear?"
"Such a liar you are Rafe." Diana edged nearer to him, passion smoldering in her emerald eyes. "You want me to believe you despise me.
Rafe smiled bitterly. Even, white teeth flashed, but without a trace of real humor. "Well played, my dear. But if you knew me half so well as you think, you'd know I never show my entire hand until all the cards are dealt. I'm always hiding an extra ace under the table."
"Oh? And what is this extra ace of yours?"
"Don't you know?" Rafe stalked a safe distance away before he spun back on her, frustration shadowing his steps. "You cannot outbluff me, sweetheart. You think you can trump my ace by changing the suit of your cards? A full house; no Ares?" He shook his blond head derisively. "Diana, even if you are telling the truth about leaving Ares—"
"—I am telling the truth. And this is not about trumping you, Rafe. This is about what's best for Jonathan. He is the most important thing in my life now. I can't raise a little boy in that environment of violence and bloodshed. Its bad enough I've had to live this warrior life. I am getting my son as far away from it as my arms can possibly carry him."
"—even if you are telling the truth about leaving Ares," Rafe pressed forward as if he hadn't been interrupted. "It wouldn't make a shred of difference. I'm not marrying you Diana. Period. And you and I both know Ares well enough to know you cannot run from him. Wherever you go, he will find you. Whatever you do, he will take you back with him. You can't run or hide from the God of War."
"Wasn't planning to," Di replied shortly. "I have no need to hide from Ares. I've fulfilled the deal we struck when I pledged myself to his service. He has no hold over me anymore."
"Oh please, don't pretend to be so naïve. Diana, you and I both know it's not that easy. Whether you like it or not, you are going to end up hiding from Ares or else he will manipulate you back into his fold -- same as he always does. And if you compel me to play my ace, I will. I will tell Ares exactly where you are hiding and don't think I won't." His eyes narrowed. "I can play hard ball, sweetheart. I don't like to -- but I will if you force my hand."
"I'm not afraid of Ares."
"You should be."
He reclined against the kitchen countertop, bracing himself with his forearms and crossed his ankles. The indolent pose was belied by his caustic scowl.
"So I'm telling you what's going to happen next. We are going to stage a convenient little argument, you and I, one that will convince Jonathan we are no longer together while still being minimally damaging as possible. No physical violence is necessary and if you like, I won't even raise my voice. But after that it's over. No more talk of marriage, no more dates, no tag-backs. No more on-again, off-again flings. Over, plain and simple."
"I can't accept that," Diana said softly. "Not on your life Rafe. I'm not letting you go so easy."
"You have no choice." His voice could have solidified water. "Now the only question that remains is what we are going to do about Jonathan. We both love him and obviously I wouldn't want to take him away from you completely. It would crush him to be separated from you. So we'll work out some sort of custody arrangement, something that gives us both equal time with him, but brings us into contact minimally. You are no longer welcome in my Court, Diana. Once we've had our little argument, I don't want to see you back here unless it's picking Jonathan up or dropping him off. Do you understand?"
"Such a liar you are Rafe." Diana edged nearer to him, passion smoldering in the emerald depths of her eyes. "You want me to believe you despise me. That you can't stand the sight of me now. But I think it's your biggest con of all. You've loved me madly for years Rafe -- where did all those feelings go? You can't just switch them off at will. You are still in love with me Rafe -- we both know it. And I won't let you deny it anymore."
Rafe stiffened, prepared to bring forth fierce opposition, but Diana beat him to it. Twining her arms around his neck, she tugged him down for her insistent kiss.
She kissed him soft and slow at first, not wanting to rush the moment. It was too good and had been too long for them. She wanted to savor every endlessly perfect second. Though Rafe might claim to be disinterested, his body didn't lie. Her kiss sent an unmistakable message directly to his libido and his response nearly took her breath away. He was trying to resist, to pretend that she didn't affect him like she used to, but the magical current between them was far too strong and he was no more able to reject it than she was. She could feel his anger building, gathering pressure and force like gale winds, but his need for her was stronger still and dominated his willpower so the latter melted away like dew. There was barely time to think before he started kissing her back, his mouth controlling and deliciously wicked, stealing authority over the shared embrace. Their desires met and merged, his divine mouth urging hers further open, tasting her, teasing her, driving her wild with the promise of forthcoming gratification.
A gasp, tinged with pleasure, escaped her and his husky, answering groan was all the verification she needed. Without either of them realizing, his palms had stolen around her waist, down to her beskirted derriere and he slid them liberally across her as he pulled her flush against him, leaving her no doubts whatsoever about what this intimate contact was doing to his body. Diana started kissing him deeper as he lifted her, setting her on the counter, pushing up her skirts to wrap her thighs around his waist. The two were so caught up in their hot and heavy seduction that neither heard the arrival --least not until he cleared his throat loudly-- several times.
"Ah-ah-ah-ahhh-EEMM!"
Reluctantly, Diana broke away and found Eldon absently studying his fingernails. The carroty-haired conman trying to convey the impression that he'd just wandered in and --without seeing anything whatsoever-- developed a terrible lump in his throat that had to be dislodged immediately! And if certain people --who weren't involved in an activity he didn't witness-- wanted to, say hypothetically, straighten their skirts or quit resuscitating each other, then while he was clearing his throat and not looking at them would be a good time to do it. And he'd be very appreciative if they would do so.
Jonathan, who was tagging behind Eldon and beyond the concept of discretion, groaned theatrically. "Zeus! I thought they'd be finished with that by now," he commented to no one in particular.
"You weren't the only one taken in by that misconception," Eldon said wryly, locking accusing eyes with Rafe. Rafe glared back numerous unspoken death threats.
"Shut up Eldon!"
"We were just talking," Diana leapt to his defense. Rafe had disentangled himself from the gypsy and now strode violently towards the other man with fists clenched, but a staying hand thrust against his chest stopped him. She conveyed her displeasure in a warning glance, to which Eldon took no notice.
"Hmm. Talking were you? Apparently the definition has changed since last I looked."
"Shut up Eldon!" the demand flew from two directions this time. Eldon smirked.
"We'll talk about this later," he ordered, gazing meaningfully at Rafe. "And I mean the old fashioned kind of talking -- that doesn't involve oxygen transference to the other party."
"It's difficult to talk with a fat lip El!" Rafe growled. "You get me?"
"I do, but it'd seem not as much as others present in this room."
Diana caught the flying fist just in time and hissed, "Not now! Jonathan is watching, remember?"
Rafe lowered his hand and transferred his arctic glare to Diana, just now recalling that she was the one he was actually mad at. Diana noted with amusement and no small amount of triumph that it seemed to take him awhile to recall that little fact. Particularly after she kissed him. Jonathan, charged with expectancy, slapped his fist against his palm.
"Hit him Uncle Rafe. Come on! You can take him," he shrieked. A trio of responses greeted him, each indicative of their origin.
"Jonathan!"
"Gee thanks, kid."
"I'm not hitting anyone. We are just having a friendly disagreement, that's all."
"Aw c'mon," Jonathan whimpered, yanking Rafe's arm. "After I had ta see you and Aunt Di making out, the least you can do is give me something fun to watch."
Torrents of crimson flooded Di's cheeks, but Rafe hid his discomfort well. "Listen youngun, what me and Aunt Di were doing is none of your business," he said simply. "Now sit down --quietly-- and eat your lunch. Then you are going home with your Aunt Di and taking a nap!"
"A nap!" Jonathan yelped. "Aw jeez, Uncle Rafe. I'm way too old for a nap!"
"That's not what your aunt says. Now do what you're told."
Still grumbling, Jonathan was ushered back to his seat and subsequently fed. While he was munching down a sandwich sulkily, Rafe lingered at Diana's side, hissing into her ear.
"This is not over."
Diana countered with a smirk. "Say what you will Rafey -- but I think I just trumped your ace. Wouldn't you agree?"
Rafe backed off, glowering. He nodded curtly to Eldon. "Let's go."
The two former departed while the two latter finished their lunch and straightened the kitchen concurrently. Once the task was complete, Diana escorted her son home without laying eyes on their hosts again. But she could already guess the grilling her beloved was receiving from Eldon --in which she imagined the name Ares was coming up a lot-- and some vengeful imp deep inside chortled uninhibitedly. As vicious as he'd been towards her lately, he'd had her worried that she screwed up her chances with him forever. But today's events proved conclusively otherwise and she couldn't help but smugly savor her victory.
Whatever he says, he does still want me. And that's all I need to know. We are so not over Rafe. Not by a long shot!
Clichés are notoriously unpredictable --not to mention overused-- but there are reasons as to why they are oft repeated. At times they are eerily prognosticative of events to come. It was therefore quite legitimate that Diana felt so jumpy the night, which true to form, was most dark and stormy. Course, it could also be because she frequently circled the spooky precipice of the paranormal and premonitions were trying desperately to invade her conscious mind. But later Diana would find closure in the fact that the true answers behind her discomfort were hidden by a force more powerful than her psychic abilities.
It was late in the season for such a vindictive storm, but that didn't discourage the rain nor the wind in the slightest. Lightning lashed out violently, tailed by primal thunder as the wind shrieked its rage and whipped resentfully at every unprotected tree, animal or blade of grass that had the misfortune to cross its path. The rain beat down, relentlessly shredding what remaining bits of landscape the wind had failed to decimate first. Darkness clung to the edges of any light and seemed to deepen and thicken after each blinding flash, overtaking all corners and byways. Even though a fire roared merrily in the Temple common room and the walls echoed with the low murmur of mingled laughter and pleasant chatter, evil crept in and curled its cold, wet fingers around Diana's throat.
Darielle shot her friend a look as Diana's bubbling laughter abruptly died. "Di? You ok?"
"I'm not certain," Di admitted. She dropped her Tabula pip on the playing board and stared uncertainly out the window. It wasn't this dark earlier when she'd tucked Jonathan into bed and headed over for a visit at Ares Temple. Just because she'd shut the GOW from her life didn't mean she'd lost interest in her fellow priestesses' lives too. Her friendship with them ran strong and deep, so she tried to drop by the Temple at least once a week to see everyone and catch up on the latest gossip. She avoided Ares at these times as best she could, but if he happened to be present too, so be it. She wasn't going to boycott her friends just because of potential godly repercussions.
But tonight the darkness grew and brought with it a sense of malcontent. Diana wasn't sure why she felt bothered, she just did. And time had taught her to respect her instincts.
"It wasn't so dark before," she murmured, still peering out at the night. Darielle sat back, amused and laconic.
"Don't tell me you are afraid of the dark, Di. A big girl like you."
Di waved away the sarcasm. "It's more than that. Something is out there tonight." She hesitated. "Something evil."
"Are you sure it's not just your imagination running away with you? Anyone who knows you Di knows you've a penchant for finding trouble where none exists. Or did exist anyway."
"No. I can't put my finger on it -- but something is wrong, I know it. I can feel it in my bones."
"Rheumatism, old woman?"
Di glared. "Funny, Dari. Would you please try to take this seriously?"
Dari sighed. "I'm sorry Di, but I really don't have a clue what you are talking about. Other than the weather, everything is peachy as pie tonight. Your playing hand could use some work though. I've got six pieces beared off already and you have two still sitting on the line. Now are we going to finish this or what?"
Di emitted an equal sigh, but acquiesced by recovering the piece tossed aside and concentrated for all of two nanoseconds before tossing it down again. "I can't take it," she declared, leaping to her feet. She instinctively grabbed the board before she unbalanced it with the suddenness of her leap, but her mind wasn't on the game anymore. It was centering on a point far away -- a point shot icy blue with fear. "Something is wrong and I feel like I have to go home. I really need to be home Dari."
Darielle knew the look well and she too found her feet, daggers instantaneously unsheathed and in hand. The motion was well-rehearsed; in point of fact many of Dari's former targets forgot to fall down, so swiftly were they dispatched by her.
"Need backup?"
"Thanks but no. I can't wait." With that Diana vanished, momentarily surprising her friend, who'd forgotten teleportation was one of the paranormal --if rarely used-- skills in Diana's hodgepodge repertoire. She considered following her friend on foot, but finally determined against it. For one, she wasn't sure where her restless friend called home anymore --Di was notoriously close mouthed about that in case of godly listening ears-- and anyway she wasn't sure that was where her friend went. When Diana decided to follow those homing instincts she called 'senses', she could end up just about anywhere. If Di really needed a helping hand, she'd find one that was situationally based -- or she'd beam back in here to recruit one. Either way, Dari knew her gypsy friend could handle it.
"Hey Krista -- you ready to whip my tail again with your Tabula skills?" she asked warily. Krista was hands-down the best Tabula player in the Temple, though no one ever figured out why. Course that was probably also the reason that no one ever beat her at the game either.
Krista grinned, flashing razor sharp canines. "Bring it on, Dari. I had no idea you had such a need to be pulverized and your ashes scattered to the wind tonight, but I guess I can spare two minutes to crush you like a bug -- again."
"You are gonna eat them words, kitty! The winds are a'changin'! Get your furry ass over here!"
But as Krista hauled fur and Dari reset the game board for a new tournament, she said a silent prayer for Diana. No matter what it was her dear gypsy friend was facing tonight, she was going to need more than an umbrella to weather this storm.
(con't in part b)