Disclaimer, you know.
Dorothy awoke to the sound of the clock striking two in the afternoon. Toto was sitting at the foot of the bed as if waiting for her to get up. Pockets was now sitting on Dorothy's chest as if for the same reason. Dorothy smiled and picked pockets up. She then sat up and got off the bed. She then set pockets on the floor and held out her hand for the scepter.
"Come on you two, let's go see Locasta." Dorothy said walking out of the room with them following at her heels.
"What about your shoes?" Pockets asked curiously.
"She hardly wears them around here." Toto told her.
"Oh." Pockets replied.
Dorothy smiled and looked down at them. It was then that they got to a plain oak door. On it was a plaque with a blue 'L' in the center. Glinda's room was only a few steps away and the door was diagonal from Ellie's room. Dorothy raised her hand to knock on the door when it opened in front of her. Dorothy smiled and walked into the room. She was immediately met with Locasta, her room was set up in a similar fashion as Glinda's. The main difference was that unlike Glinda and Ellie's rooms was that there wasn't a single streak of pink. It was a plain looking room, similar to hers in color. Locasta smiled and took out her wand, she waved it in the direction of the door and it shut.
"Dorothy, please, take a seat." Locasta said motioning the chair right in front of her desk.
Dorothy smiled and walked over. As she sat down Pockets jumped up on Dorothy's lap and climbed into Dorothy's pocket and stuck her head out. Locasta chuckled and took out a quill pen, a pencil, a pen knife, and a piece of paper. There was already a container of ink on the desk so she didn't need to get one of those.
"So, long time no see." Dorothy said smiling.
"I know, it's been so long now." Locasta said dipping the quill pen in the inkwell.
"So, you knew I was coming, but I don't see a crystal ball." Dorothy said looking around.
"I have one, it's just smaller." Locasta said pointing to her bookshelf.
"Ah." Dorothy said looking at the shelf.
"Now, if you don't mind me ask this, could you place your hand on my desk, palm up?" Locasta asked.
Dorothy nodded and did so, immediately Locasta took the quill pen from the inkwell and drew a curved letter L on Dorothy's palm. She then picked up the pencil and scratched it onto the paper. She then took the dull tip and drew a smaller one on the heel of her hand. The ink immediately began to fade away as did the pencil mark until both of them were completely gone. Dorothy picked up her hand and she examined it.
"My cousin has a protective kiss, I have a protective mark that I draw." Locasta said.
"Did you have to draw it on the palm of my hand though?" Dorothy asked curiously.
"Could have done it on the sole of your foot, or your forehead." Locasta said.
"Well I I'm immensely ticklish and I definitely don't want to have a mark on my forehead." Dorothy said.
"My guesses exactly, but don't this is only a small precaution, it won't really protect you as much as Glinda's kiss would." Locasta said as she got up and walked around the desk.
When she was standing in front of Dorothy she placed her hand under Dorothy's chin and lifted it so she could get a good look at Dorothy.
"So, are you looking for something?" Dorothy asked curiously.
"The last time I saw you we didn't talk much, and I just want to get a good look at you." Locasta said.
"Oh." Dorothy said only slightly confused.
"I know that's confusing, but I want to make sure that we never end up with another Dorothy double, and yes I was told about that." Locasta said.
Dorothy sighed and allowed Locasta to finish her examination of her face. When Locasta was done she went back to her chair and sat down. She then scribbled something down on the paper. Which she folded up and put in her pocket.
"Unlike my cousin, I take a lot of precautions in protection, I can't put much protection over you other than the mark because otherwise the jester can't get you, but Glinda and I can keep our eyes on you." Locasta said.
"Gee that makes me feel so much safer." Dorothy said rolling her eyes.
"Dorothy, this time the jester is after you personally, he will do anything to get to you, capture, torture, possibly even kidnapping and hostage situations." Locasta said.
"Please, I don't want to think about that stuff again, you've literally listed everything the jester has tried." Dorothy said shuddering.
"I'm sorry if I said anything wrong." Locasta said.
"No, it's just that even thinking about those things makes me worry about my family, my friends, we'll all of you really." Dorothy said.
"We worry about you all the same." Locasta said as they heard someone knocked on the door.
Locasta sighed and waved her hand in the direction the door. Immediately it opened and Glinda walked in.
"Dorothy, there you are, I was just about ready to go to my own room and use my crystal to find you." Glinda said.
"Don't worry cousin, I was just giving her my mark of protection, she's fine, her dog is fine, and her little kitten is fine." Locasta said waving her hand in the direction the door again.
"Why do you insist on using that ink and pen of yours? It's completely useless, all it does is keep away magical vines and makes you immune to 'most' poisons here in oz." Glinda said.
"Wait, so you can't die in Oz, unless the circumstances make it so that it's impossible to carry on, but you can still get poisoned?" Dorothy asked curiously.
"Not by any of the poisons you are aware of, there are plants in Oz that you don't have at home, poisonous not in the way you know it, but I won't go into that this moment." Glinda said placing a hand on Dorothy's chin.
"Ah, I've already done a thorough examination of her facial features." Locasta said.
"Why? Didn't you get a good enough look at her last time we met?" Glinda asked curiously.
"Not really, no, she has a pretty face, try not to lose it." Locasta said turning her attention to Dorothy.
"Don't worry, she won't." Glinda said chuckling.
"Only if she's not careful." Locasta said.
"Dorothy, don't worry about what Locasta says, she's just trying to scare you into being more careful, worked wonders on me when I was young." Glinda said.
"Glinda, let me have a little fun, you haven't let me do something like this since the witches of the east and west came to power." Locasta said complaining all childlike.
"Sorry Locasta, but terrifying her won't make her feel any safer" Glinda said.
"Don't worry Glinda, I don't worry about that stuff, though admittedly I'd rather deal with the witches of the east and west when they weren't helping me with the jester and you." Dorothy said shrugging.
"Well let's not dwell on that, you may run along now Dorothy, Glinda and I have business to discuss." Locasta said.
"Well then, Locasta, Glinda, I'll chat with you guys later." Dorothy said getting up, taking pockets from her pocket, and walked out setting her on the floor.
"Locasta seems interesting sometimes." Toto said.
"Thanks boy, I know." Dorothy said tightening her grasp on the scepter.
"Dorothy?" Pockets asked curiously.
"Yes pockets?" Dorothy replied.
"Can we go get some food?" Pockets asked curiously.
"Sure." Dorothy replied giggling.
The walked along towards the kitchen and ran into Aislynn who was carrying Eve in her arms.
"Hello Dorothy." Aislynn said.
"Hello Ace, hello eve." Dorothy said.
"Lunch is set up in the chambers today." Aislynn said.
"And I'm assuming you are bringing Eve back to your room?" Dorothy asked.
"Yea." Aislynn replied walking around Dorothy, pockets and Toto and continuing on her way.
Dorothy smiled and continued on her way as well. When they got to the chambers they found the triplets playing with the other kittens. Dorothy walked over to a small table that was set up with sandwiches and cans of tuna. Dorothy took a sandwich for herself and sat down on the floor setting a can of tuna on the floor for pockets. She smiled and watched pockets eat as she herself ate.
Meanwhile in a far corner of Oz.
The jester had decided that he definitely need an ally that wasn't an animal, could be easily bribed, and could be a big threat to the others. Looking around Oz in his crystal ball he eventually found some people he could bribe. Well he referred to them as people. But they definitely weren't. As he approached a giant castle. He knew of the history of this family and knew that they had a reason to help the jester if he bribed them with the right stuff. Pointing his wand at a nearby rock, he lifted it into the air and hit it against the large door a few times. He then figured that at this point it would be a good idea to send Dorothy the warning in the usual way. He would send her a message the way he often did. Although he knew that it would knock her unconscious as soon as she got the message but she would have a rather small warning for a new big problem. As the large door to the giant castle opened he sent the message before he walked in.
Back in the emerald city.
Dorothy had finished her lunch and had chatted idly with her friends for a while before she decided to go back to her room with Toto and Pockets. On her way back to her room she was struck with the jester's message.
"Be prepared, Dorothy gale, you're in for a new threat." Came the jester's voice ringing through her head.
Dorothy gasped at this message. She didn't have much time to react to this. Her vision began to get foggy and she began to feel drowsy.
"Dorothy?" Pockets and Toto asked in unison.
Dorothy looked down at them and collapsed to the floor. She meant to call out quickly but she blacked out before she could. She awoke later that evening to the feeling of her head pounding. She tried to sit up and open her eyes but her pounding head caused her to lay back.
"Dorothy?" came Glinda's voice from somewhere in the room.
Dorothy opened her mouth to say something when she immediately felt someone bring a glass to her lips. She raised her hand to the glass and was immediately met with someone's hand holding hers down. She took a small sip of water from the glass and tried to open her eyes again but found that this time she couldn't.
"Locasta stop holding her back, she's trying to speak." Glinda said as Dorothy felt the cup move away from her lips and the hand raise away from hers.
"Glinda, he, he sent a warning, a new threat, be prepared." Dorothy said as every time she talked her head began to throb.
"I figured as much, you don't normally collapse to the ground in the middle of the hallway that often." Glinda said placing a hand on Dorothy's forehead.
"She's got quite a bruise, she must have hit the floor quite hard before we found her." Locasta said.
"Locasta, you may not know this but with people like Dorothy, sending messages straight into someone's head has the similar effect of dropping a piano over it." Glinda said sighing.
"Oh, really?" Locasta asked rather surprised by this.
"Yes, really, and she's probably got an awful headache at this point, just leave her the glass of water to drink and she'll be fine." Glinda said.
"Well then, I'm going to go check the crystal ball, see if we can't find what the jester is up to." Locasta said as Dorothy heard her walk out.
As Locasta's footsteps faded away Glinda sighed and waved her hand in the direction of the door. Immediately it slammed shut and locked. Glinda then sat down on the bed next to Dorothy and place her hand under Dorothy's chin.
"Toto and Pockets are at Ellie's room, we figured you'd want some peace and quiet." Glinda said.
"Glinda." Dorothy said wincing.
"Yes dear?" Glinda replied.
"Keep an eye, an eye on them, keep them, safe." Dorothy said trying to work past her headache.
"Dorothy, I will, just take a drink, and I'll put you under a dreamless sleep." Glinda said placing the glass in Dorothy's hand.
Dorothy sighed and brought the glass to her lips. She took a few small sips and tried opening her eyes again. She managed to squint in Glinda's direction but she then shut her eyes again and placed her hand on her forehead. Glinda sighed and waved her wand over Dorothy. Dorothy sighed and soon she was asleep. Glinda then sighed again and got up. Waving her hand in the direction of the door and walking out as it opened. She shut the door behind her and headed for Locasta's room. When she got there she found Locasta looking into the small crystal ball on her desk.
"No sign of him." Locasta said waving her hand over the crystal.
"You won't find him, anywhere he goes becomes completely hidden from view in the crystal." Glinda said.
"Well then, we just have to wait it out don't we?" Locasta asked.
"Yes, wait it out, hope for the best, hope we don't get captured, you know, the usual routine here in the city." Glinda said.
"Well Glinda, be careful, and as dorothy said, we need to be prepared, the jester is crafty, we already know that, but if he's giving us warnings then there's no know what he's planning." Locasta said getting up and walking passed Glinda.
"Locasta, go to the chambers, Alex should still be there, get him and bring him to my room." Glinda said.
Locasta looked back at Glinda and nodded. Glinda sighed and walked out and she and her cousin went in opposite direction.