| "Perhaps we should see whether he would like your help in his quest
to kill the dragon, before you come to a decision?" Astra 9 suggests.
Meanwhile, at a bar back in Nantucket.....
The Fred in question had excused himself from his "brothers" and the others in their revelries over having been rescued from turning Unseelie. While duly grateful to those who'd saved him, his mind was still awhirl with one vexing problem that had been dogging him even as he had been transforming. It had been dogging him ever since he'd laid eyes on her. Foolish though it was, he admitted, she still was..... Her prickly disposition had driven him away, emotionally, for a moment....but still she was so.....different from those oh so proper ladies of the court back home. She had a spark. She had a warrior's spirit that should have repulsed him, but....attracted him like a moth to a fire. He wasn't sure if it was proper....or could be properly called love. However, he was attracted to her....and hated the one who'd wounded her so the one time she'd lowered her guard. Hurt her he had, and Fred vowed that when this was all said and done, whether she wished it or not, he'd track down this fiend called John and...end him. Right now, he had to figure out the next thing to do. Yes, he was going
to continue in his quest to kill that dragon. Even with revelations of
there being such thing as good and just dragons, he knew
his duty. Could do that duty with a clear conscious, too (thank God)! He
himself had family who'd lived through one of the vile creature's attacks.
He trusted them implicitly. Nothing in their tales told of the dragon being
anything but a vile murdering beast. Not one shred of evidence showing
this dragon he'd been anything but an animal. Rather, from the tales that
the Annafrid and those of her group who'd been with him in the Red Pyramid
about the beast they'd battled in her Southern Caverns that dragon
matched his dragon. It matched the description of every dragon
he'd ever heard of in training and in tales before meeting those analogs
in the Red Pyramid. Until meeting those dragons named Malachi and
Synizn, he'd never even dreamed of them being anything but animals
(even the Fred of Terra Prime before the coming of the Enemy/Alliance
War to his world had known them to be intelligent).
How could he persuade Thessamar ix'latl to come along? Can't be too
heavy handed or he'd lose what little chance at....well....to use the only
term he could come up with at this time was "win her hand." She was a very
proud woman. He planned on pursuing this, but if it finally came down to
the end and she had said "no" on this matter he'd accede to her wishes.
He could take "no" for an answer. Would be hard, but he could take it.
....
So he came here to get a pint (or whatever they called it), sit back
and make plans...
So far, however, he'd watched in silent bemusement along with a gaggle
of Nantucketers as the bartender got drafted into taking pictures of this
Spaceman Eric Jones (First Class) along with his elfin son and wards. Jenny
Elf and her cat looked rather out of sorts (had no real idea on how to
"pose for a photo") and looked relieved as Solik'tril, Nimi'aia, and Nimi'aia
explain the basics. Eric Jones has apparently had a spare uniform in his
rather sparse luggage, somewhere, and had slipped into it for this picture
(along with a recently bought toy "raygun" to replace the missing pistol
he'd left behind....apparently). It apparently was real enough in his book
to not be embarrassed in using it as a prop. Fred guessed.
Just as the bartender is saying "cheese" (odd thing to call out to warn
of that blasted flash....blinded Fred for a second), the new male pixie
named Triakoth had flown ahead of the others and into this room
(and into this picture). His fey curiosity had gotten the better of him
when he'd seen this gathering of elves and human, flown in and got surprised
by the flash. He blurts out something in Fey speak that wouldn't translate
into English He'd been tracking down Fred to tell him about the others
coming to speak with him.
As he and Fred recover from temporary flash blindness, we'll switch
our focus to Eric and the adult kitsune. The elves and the younger kitsune
were going outside to play....as was the wont of children....whatever the
species it appeared.
Something about their initial meeting with the other human Champions still bothered them deeply. What they'd seen and heard of this Eric fellow gave them hope that perhaps this human could explain it to them. He seemed to be rather knowledgable about kitsune and the old homeland's culture. Could he act as a bridge between kitsune and human in understanding? "Why do the others trust us?" Vix finally manages to put the question into words, "They know we're kitsune. They know of our kinds reputation. Why?" Eric Jones looks over at the kitsune for a moment, an inscrutible look
on his face.
"Okay....I'll answer that," he finally says, "As long as you in return
answer a few questions I have, also? On your honor?"
|
