Absurdity

Noir and Marron were led through the dark hallways of the dilapidated villa by Rouge Catalysseur and Noir Soir. Noir's mother stood between the girls, a hand on each of their shoulders.

"We have somewhere between fifty and sixty rebels here," Soir murmured to them. "And then now we have you two, and the slaves that we sprang tonight, so now it'll be somewhere between eighty and ninety. Some of the newer recruits will be taken to one of our other bases further away from the palace," she explained. "We have another thirty to fifty nekos there. But we can keep you two here."

"You have that many nekos willing to join the rebellion?" Marron asked, sounding slightly worried.

"Yes, we do. And we may perhaps be getting more. We've had a few scouts trying to get word out to the street thieves… often they're a little hard to find, for obvious reasons, but if we can get even half of them to join, we'll be able to increase our numbers by at least another sixty. We would then have a sufficient number to raid the palace. And then, of course, there are more slaves at the plantations who weren't able to be sprung from slavery… yes, our numbers are steadily growing," she sounded coldly satisfied at this idea.

Noir and Marron had both frozen at Soir's offhand comment about raiding the palace.

"And what exactly are you hoping to accomplish?" Noir asked hesitantly.

"In the best-case scenario, the Allfather is overthrown, and Rouge takes his place. The Aesir are made to submit. Worst-case scenario, a few of us die as martyrs, and the Allfather is made to give us equal rights as Aesir. If that were to happen, then we would still work to topple the empire the king has built, but slowly and more quietly," Soir said smoothly.

Noir and Marron were both silent and stunned, minds whirling at this idea.

"I think this room will do nicely enough," Rouge said gruffly, stopping in front of a door identical to the rest. He pulled it open and gestured for the ladies to enter. They did, and the young women grimaced. The room was small and shabby. There were six small pallets set up on the floor, which all looked like they might be carrying diseases.

"Only three of the beds in here are claimed by others," Rouge explained. "You two can take those two over there," he gestured to two little beds in a corner, lined up end to end. "The other three in this room will be up late helping to strategize plans, so you two should be alone for some time. It's good to have you in our ranks. And it was nice to see you again, little Etoile."

The red neko then strode out of the room, but Soir stayed.

Hesitantly, the two girls went to their assigned beds and sat.

"Tomorrow morning we can get you two some proper clothing," Noir's mother said quietly as she sat down next to her daughter. Gently, she tugged the sleeve of the simple white dress Noir wore. "Surely you don't normally wear dresses?"

"No, Mother," Noir murmured, uncomfortable. She wasn't sure how to explain the situation. She and Marron were, of course, wearing the dresses Loki had given them. The spells that had been placed on the gowns had failed as soon as the fabric caught the shards of glass in the window as they escaped. What had once been beautiful, intricate gowns were now just plain white dresses.

"In any case, Etoile, we shall get you and Arable some proper clothes, yes?" her mother continued gently.

Noir cleared her throat slightly and nodded. "Alright."

"Then I shall see you tomorrow morning. Sleep well, kit," she murmured, kissing Noir's temple, standing, and walking out with a final wave goodbye.

The door to the room was closed, and Noir and Marron were left alone.

They exchanged glances through the dark, their cat pupils flashing through the gloom.

"What the bloody blazes are we going to do?" Marron whispered.

Noir just shook her head. "…I don't know," she murmured.

The brown neko stood and crossed to the dirty window of the room, peering at it. "I think, if we were careful, you could open this window… wait, you don't have your lock picks, do you? Well, I think we could probably find something, and you could unlock the window here. And then… we're only three stories up. We could probably climb down, don't you think? Noir?" "Wait, what are you talking about?" Noir asked suddenly, frowning.

"Escaping," Marron said slowly, sounding nervous. "What are you talking about, Noir?"

"You think we can possibly just leave like that?" the black neko asked quietly.

"Yes, I do, and I think we should. Didn't you hear them talking? They were talking like we've already joined the rebellion and pledged to give up our lives!" she exclaimed in a hushed voice of disbelief. "The sooner we get out of here, the better. We should go before we get dragged too much further into their plans. We even have information to give to Thor and Loki—"

Noir stiffened slightly even at the younger prince's name.

Marron noticed and fell silent, giving her friend a hard look. "Noir… you're not thinking of staying, are you?"

"I'm not thinking of staying for the rebellion," Noir hissed. "But what would you do if you found out your mother was alive and well? What would you do if you were in my situation? Would you just leave the only family you have left-?"

"You don't have to be blood-related to be family, do you?" Marron said sharply. "Aren't we sisters?"

Noir bit her lip. "Well, yes. But this is my mother we're talking about… you can't expect me to just walk away without so much as a goodbye or explanation…"

"Speaking of goodbyes and explanations," Marron continued. "I noticed you didn't tell your mother about your changing your last name. Or where we got the dresses. Or anything involving the princes or the time we spent in the palace. Care to explain that to me?"

Noir was taken aback by Marron's sudden confidence and defiance. She stood and went to stand by Marron at the sill of the window. "Marron. I didn't tell her because I know she wouldn't approve.. And I will tell her. Just not… in the first five minutes after finding her again. And… as for Loki…" she felt her heart ache slightly at the thought of him. "Of course I want to go back to him," she breathed, recalling the feeling of his breath on her lips, from the countless times they had been so, so close. "And I know you want to go back to Thor. We will. Of course we will. Just… give me some time. I'll explain things to my mother, and maybe…"

"Maybe what?" Marron asked unsurely.

"Maybe we can convince them all to drop the idea of the rebellion. Maybe we can get them to take a diplomatic approach. Don't you think that maybe we can fix this situation?"

"You're being absurd… I mean, they're being absurd," Marron revised. "They'll never surrender. They sound like they're determined to go through with all of this… your own mother was the one telling us about how they plan to overthrow the Allfather! You can't think her mind can be changed very easily, do you?"

"I am her daughter," Noir said in a small voice.

"And you're my best friend," Marron replied in a whimper. "You can't abandon me."

Noir blinked. "How am I abandoning you?"

"You don't want to leave. But we have to."

"I told you, we'll leave after I speak to my mother," Noir said quietly. But she had a feeling it wouldn't be that simple.

Marron sighed. "…Alright, Noir. Alright. Then let's… go to sleep. Then tomorrow can come faster. We'll leave tomorrow, alright?"

Noir nodded certainly. "Of course. Tomorrow. It's a plan."

"We're leaving whether your mother decides to come or not," Marron added significantly.

Noir paused, considering, and nodded. "Yes."

They both went to their beds again and settled themselves for a night they both knew would hold absolutely no sleep.

In the palace, Thor and Loki walked back towards their chambers. Loki's feet dragged, and his head drooped. Thor seemed agitated, glancing around the hall as if he might see something he was looking for. His steps were uneven and hesitant, as if trying to decide something.

"I'm going to bed," Loki muttered under his breath as the brothers reached the branch where they would part ways.

"I'll walk with you to your room," Thor offered. "Perhaps we can find any clue of Marron and N—"

"They're gone, Thor!" Loki snapped, cutting Thor off before he could finish Noir's name. "There aren't any clues. They just left with the rebels, and I don't know what else you expect to find." He turned on his heel and stormed away.

Thor followed his brother, a grim set to his jaw. "You and I both know neither of them would do such a thing, Loki."

Loki made no response, continuing down the halls without turning.

"What was the last thing Noir said to you?" Thor asked. "Did she say anything to you while the neko leader was talking to Father?"

Loki still said nothing, finally reaching his door.

"Loki, would you answer me?" Thor said desperately, catching up to Loki and standing at his side.

Loki finally glanced up, giving his brother a death glare. "No." He threw open the door to his room and flung it shut behind him.

Thor managed to stop it from slamming by placing his foot in the door frame. He winced in pain when the heavy wood wedged his foot roughly between it and the wall, but he merely pushed it open again, following Loki into the room. "Loki, be reasonable. Do you trust Noir to not merely go off and join the rebels?"

"I did," Loki said mutinously. "Until this little event where she disappeared when the rebels broke into the palace, and I found out she had thrown and abandoned my token to her. And she said not a word," he added bitterly. "Not a word of warning, not a word of rejection, not a bloody word!" He roughly kicked an end table, and it flew across the room, one leg splintering while the vase that had sat upon it shattered. "I mean, I thought she—" Loki broke off midsentence, not allowing himself to finish. He let out an outraged groan and slammed his fist against the wall. "I should have bloody known we couldn't trust—"

"Loki!" Thor reprimanded, striding forward and shaking Loki's shoulders. The younger man slapped his hands away.

Loki let out an angry breath and went to his bedroom, throwing open the doors and then dropping onto the bed.

Thor gazed after him for a moment and shook his head. He gritted his teeth. What was wrong with Loki that he could not see there was something darker at play here? He knew in his heart that Marron and Noir would never just leave like that. He was certain that neither of them had the slightest intention of ever joining the rebellion. He had been reassured of that when he had first met them. Loki had been so sure. He had had faith in the girls. So Thor did, too. And even if Loki didn't now, Thor had no intention of giving up on them.

He began walking the perimeter of the room. He peeked his head into the dressing room and saw the small piles of clothing on the floor. Gingerly, he knelt and picked up first Noir's black clothes and then Marron's brown. He stood up and went to Loki's bedroom.

"Loki?" he called tentatively.

"How many times do I have to tell you to shut up? Do you ever shut your mouth?" Loki asked irritably. His voice was muffled. He lay across his bed on his back, arm flung over his face to block out the light, and to block out the world around him.

"Loki, the girls left their clothes," Thor said quietly.

"I'm bloody well aware," Loki mumbled.

"Don't you see what this means, though?"

Loki groaned and rolled onto his stomach so his face was buried in the blankets. "No. What? That we need to start a fire and burn them?"

Thor frowned. "Loki, please think about this…"

He briefly lifted his head and looked darkly at Thor. "What do you expect me to think about? The fact that our… friends… betrayed us?"

Thor set the clothes on the bed in front of Loki. "They left their clothes. That means that all they have is those dresses you gave them, right?"

Loki nodded slowly, sitting up slightly and picking up the two tied-together handkerchiefs that sat atop Noir's clothes. He gently rubbed them between his fingers, thinking. "They're smart," he murmured. "They would know they need more than just those dresses to survive… they didn't have any disguises, either… the spells would have failed rather quickly, and they would be in the open. They would know that," he muttered, wrapping the kerchief around his fingers thoughtfully. "I don't even think they had time to retrieve their shoes… it doesn't make sense that they would simply leave like that, without anything."

Thor nodded in agreement. "They are too smart to have simply left without any of their belongings."

"Are you saying they left not of their own accord?" Loki asked, his eyes flicking up to Thor's.

Thor hesitated. "I think it may have been a possibility, don't you think?"

Loki rolled the green cloths between his hands, thinking. Would Noir have simply left? He'd like to think that she wouldn't. He'd like to think that the moment on the tower roof and the moment on the dance floor and the moment on the balcony had meant something. He'd like to think that she felt the same euphoric ache in her heart that he felt when he was with her. "Maybe," he mumbled noncommittally.

"Why are you so stubborn, brother?" Thor asked in exasperation. "Why are you so quick to jump to unfavorable conclusions about the one you care so deeply for-?"

Loki's eyes flashed sharply at those words. "It's none of your business, Thor!" he snapped. "I said maybe. Is that not enough? Even if they didn't leave of their own accord, that changes nothing. We cannot find them. They are still gone. How does how they left change anything?"

Thor sighed. "It changes how we view them, Loki. I feel more at ease in my heart knowing that Marron was taken against her will."

Loki frowned in confusion.

"…Because that means she would be willing to come back," Thor elaborated with a small smile. "All we have to do is… bring them back."

Loki smiled bitterly. "I wish you luck on that venture, Thor. Because I still see absolutely no way for us to find them, let alone bring them back. If you find a way, I'd be very interested to hear. But until then, just leave me be."

Noir was curled into a tiny ball, as tightly as she could be, under the thin, scratchy burlap blanket. Her tail tip curled up around her legs to tickle her nose as she slept. Not peacefully, but she still slept.

She felt herself slip into consciousness as a pair of light footsteps entered the room, following a quiet click of the door being opened. The footsteps drew slowly and deliberately across the room, towards her bed. She kept her eyes closed and ears still, just in case she was supposed to remain asleep. Her heart quickened in her chest as the footsteps stopped just in front of her uncomfortable bed. Still she did not move. She wished desperately that she had a dagger, a knife, something to defend herself with. But all her usual weapons she carried were back with her cloak and belt, where she had left them in Loki's room the previous evening. So she did not move as she sensed whoever it was drawing closer.

The very edge of the straw mattress dipped down as something leaned on it, and she could feel some presence draw very close to her face.

"Rise and shine, Chatte Noir Etoile," a husky voice whispered.

Noir's eyes flicked open in alarm, and they met a pair of blue slit-pupil eyes. She jumped and scrambled to sit up in alarm.

The voice chuckled wickedly at her reaction, and Noir's eyes focused clearly on—

"Blanc!" she snarled angrily. "Blast it!"

He smirked. He had been kneeling at her bedside, leaning his head on his elbows and bringing his face a mere six inches from hers. "Yes, nice to see you, too," he drawled.

Her hand lashed out, but Blanc caught it before the back of her hand could strike his cheek.

"Well, your morning reflexes aren't anything special," he smirked.

Noir yanked her wrist out of his grasp with a growl of frustration. "Don't do that… do you have the slightest clue how creepy it is to have you just right there when I wake up?"

Blanc sneered. "Why? Have you grown to expect someone else being right there when you wake up? Someone else with blue eyes that aren't slit-pupil?"

Noir stiffened. He was talking about Loki. "No," she hissed. "And that's none of your bloody business."

Blanc let out a sigh through his nose, standing up straight again and turning his back to the black neko. "Whatever, Noir. If you say so. Though I have a feeling your mother would beg to differ."

"What my mother cares about is none of your business, either," Noir added.

Blanc glanced over his shoulder at her. "Yes… right," he drawled.

"And how dare you stick your nose into my and Marron's business like you did last night," she said bitingly. "No one asked you to kidnap us—"

"Speaking of Marron," Blanc cut her off nonchalantly. "Where is she?"

Noir fell silent, blinking in confusion. "Marron…? What do you mean, where is…?" she trailed off as she looked to the bed Marron had gone to the previous night.

It was empty.

Noir swallowed. "I… er…" Her mind was whirling. Where could Marron be? Surely she wouldn't have left in the middle of the night without her?

"I was just taking a look around the rest of the house," a soft voice said from the doorway, and Noir and Blanc glanced up to see Marron standing there. "It's rather crowded, isn't it?" She threw a meaningful glance to Noir, who nodded silently.

Noir knew what Marron had been doing. Scouting. Gathering intelligence to tell the Aesir when they left the rebels.

Blanc smiled wryly. "Mmhmm. Soon we'll be able to make our move, don't you think?"

The girls threw each other nervous glances before merely shrugging at the boy.

"Well, in any case," Blanc smiled broadly. "The three of us are together again, yes?"

Noir clenched her fists in her lap angrily. She had no interest in being anywhere near Blanc. But saying so would have to wait. For now, Marron and she would have to play their part. And then they could leave.

Note from LoquaciousQuibbler: Hello, everyone… ugh I'm sorry updates have been so long in coming, and I know this chapter was kind of bleh. I mean, it was pure filler. But… ah, well, I mean, I needed another chapter of what's going on in their minds before we're flung into what shall soon evolve into action. So… sorry for a kinda iffy chapter :P

Did you all know we're up to 154 reviews, 56 favorites, and 78 follows?! Holy smeg, you guys, thank you so much! This is my most successful story yet! :D Not to mention my longest so far… my first story to ever reach 20 chapters… heh anyways, I just wanted to tell you all how much you make my day with your encouragement, etc. Not that I expect a whole ton of stuff on this bleh chapter. But anyways.

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