Welcome Dreaming
When we last left off, Umi, Kane, Rayzer, and Maddie were in the Department 7 townhouse, shortly after fleeing Maddie's mother. They had just received a call from Ms. Fellowes, their strange beneficiary.
"This place is Department 7?" said Umi looking around the room.
"Not quite my dear, more like a place for you all to rest and recover from your more than likely strenuous journey. " corrected Ms. Fellowes. "If it's any consolation, I must congratulate you on getting some appropriate clothes, most people that come in here are still in full armor. Except your friend in the cloak, he seems to still be a bit disoriented."
"Most of us are actually," said Rayzer, with a small glare aimed in Kane's direction.
"Anyway, I find it quite rare to get children like yourselves. So you are permitted to stay here for as long as you need to, but only on one condition."
"And what might that be?" asked Kane.
"You are all to join Department 7 as agents to see to it that the worlds of the magical and mundane are kept in check. This might entail counter-terrorism, elimination of excessively violent Shadow creatures, and the occasional mediation between two parties."
"I think we can handle that, are you guys in?" said Maddie.
"Yeah, anything to get back home," said Umi.
"I agree," said Rayzer.
"Yeah guys me too…" said Kane meekly.
"Right then. There's no paperwork so be thankful. If I need something done, I'll be sure to depend on you."
The little hologram of Ms. Fellowes disappeared and left the foursome alone in the townhouse. Umi and Rayzer spent their time ogling the flat screen television and playing videogames, while Kane and Maddie were in another part of the house, specifically one of the bed rooms, talking.
"Those two don't know that they can get back home do they?" said Maddie.
"No. I don' want ta tell them. Just let em live in their little fantasy for now," replied Kane.
"They are so going to hate you when they find out you know?"
"I know. It's my fault for forcin' them come with me and they might as well hate me for anythin' I do at this point. I just hope anyone else didn't get caught in the blast."
"Relax Kane, they can adjust. They survived my mother didn't they?"
"Your mom's one thing, but they had families and lives back home. I just ended all that for them. I wouldn' be surprised if they hate me for the rest of their lives."
"You just love beating yourself up like this don't you?"
"It helps when there's someone that's willing to listen to me about things like this."
Maddie pulled Kane's hood off and looked at him. Then what happened next probably wouldn't shock anybody: They kissed. For a few quiet seconds, they sat on the bed, their lips locked together. Finally, they pulled back and looked at each other.
"Aren't you the cradle robber?" said Kane with a hint of loving sarcasm.
"What's a hundred and three years between friends?" replied Maddie. "Besides, you're my first kiss, let alone my first boyfriend."
"Ah, the overbearin' hag again. At least you're free from her, or until she calls Fellowes about this."
"Mother would never do anything like that, she's to proud to have some one else do her dirty work. I did have something close to a boyfriend fifty years ago, but Mother sent him packing, nearly out the window too."
"Consider this a strange repeat; not only did I go out the window, I took you with me. Now that's love right there."
"Wow, five a.m. already? The sun's going to be coming up soon."
"Fear not for I know the one spell the justifies stickin' your finger in an outlet. Ssifisv: Spell of Recharge."
Kane took his finger and plugged in to the nearby socket. Instead of shocking himself half way to hell, a faint blue glow surrounded him and Maddie heard him sigh a pleasant sigh.
"That's a lot better. Now I feel rested enough to take on the day," said Kane.
"Just give me a few hours, I bet Umi and Rayzer are asleep by now," said Maddie.
The snoring drifted in from the next room, and a loud explosion followed by the words, "YOU LOSE!"
"You win that bet my dear," said Kane. "I'm gonna go and get somethin' ta eat."
Kane left the room and went into the kitchen. Considering the fact that Drow are still elves, they only need four hours of 'sleep' in a meditative state. Maddie laid back on the bed and closed her eyes.
Hours later, Umi and Rayzer had woken from their impromptu slumber and found Kane sitting in the kitchen.
"Man K have you been awake all night? It's been like eight hours since we got here," said Umi.
"Oh? Sorry my concentration's been floatin' in and out. Recharge spell seem to be wearing off or somethin'," said Kane.
"You should actually get some rest. It was your faulty magic that got us here," said Rayzer.
"Don remind me. I'm gonna go and check on Maddie," said Kane.
Kane got up and left the kitchen while Umi and Rayzer readied a quick breakfast of cereal and milk.
"He's hiding something from us," Rayzer concluded.
"I know. He doesn't want to be in the room with us whenever we're around and he always has that hood of his up," said Umi.
"It's one thing to teleport us somewhere but it's another to just ignore us completely."
"We should give him a piece of our minds."
Rayzer and Umi left the kitchen and burst into the bed room where Maddie was meditating. She snapped out of it and looked at the two of them.
"What the hell's wrong with the both of you? You didn't have to go and kick the door down," said an extremely agitated Maddie.
"Where's Kane, Maddie?" said Umi.
"Yeah, we want to give him a piece of our minds," added Rayzer.
"He isn't in here. He told me that he was going into the kitchen while I relaxed."
"We have to go find him. Who else here knows magic like he does?"
"Relax," said Maddie. "He probably just went out for a breather. He's going to be back any minute now and you two are going to look like big fools after he does. "
Kane was indeed out wandering the streets. A sick feeling hovered around his heart, like it was trapped in some thick goo. He had lied to his friends about being able to go home and about the spell. He was awake and fine, but something else was bothering him, something a bit more material.
"Oh Kane, you are on a slippery slope," said a voice.
"What do you want? More of my soul?" he said quietly to the voice.
"Lying to your friends and abandoning them a second time, even after you found a girl that liked you. Besides, we need to finish our little chat that we were having."
The owner of the voice made its presence known. It was a mall creature and it hovered in the air without help from its tiny bat wings. It had a round, snarky face with horns that curled around it's head, green skin, and a long tail. It was a Quasit.
"My superiors wish to have you in once piece. It's not every millennia we have a human willing to do what you did."
"So I traded my mortal form for untold magical powers, big whoop. Said magics can banish you and your masters if I felt like it."
"You might be right; but as your new Familiar, I'm truly just here to make you feel as rotten as possible."
"And thus banishing you would take another part of my soul, albeit a tiny piece. As long as I still have a part that belongs to me, then I know I'm human."
"Not for long. As you continue on this slope, you're just going to turn into a half-fiend. The Abyssal lords would love to have a dealmaker on this plane."
"An inevitable fate I suppose. I just want to be able to send my friends home, where they can be happy."
"And what about that drow hottie that you've been kissin'?"
"Maddie's lived here her entire life. She can live without me, she would just be another life to screw up. Why won't you shut up and go away. People are thinking I'm crazy talkin' to nothing like this."
"I love it when humans can't detect my invisibility. Odd that you couldn't see me before though, I was hanging around your house since you made the deal."
"You little bastard, you better not have done anything to my siblings."
"That bunch of screaming kids couldn't see me. But that sister of yours, she could see me plain as day, even through my other forms."
"Oh no. Kailey must have seen the deal… does that mean she's here on this Plane?"
"For all I know. That Shadow stuff could do just about anything."
"As your master I command you, find any and all available information on my sister's whereabouts."
"Why? You said all your brothers and sisters were nothing but little attention whores."
"There's nothin' I wouldn't do for my twin sister."
Oh boy, more exposition. Kane seems to have a new goal in mind, one that doesn't involve his friends and Maddie. It seems that he's in for a long ride. Next chapter: Character interviews. Just that till I get everything in order here.