From: "Larry Lo" Subject: Fw: Post: "Morning breaks": sent for proofing. Date: Wed, 8 Jul 1998 23:02:20 -0700 ---------- > From: KiranaTi1@aol.com > To: WatIsnaim@aol.com; franklin@livingonline.com; llarry@infinet.net > Subject: Post: "Morning breaks": sent for proofing. > Date: July 8, 1998 5:40 PM > > ((Please all: proof this as quickly as you can. When everyone has proofed it I > will send it out with any editing necessary. Better title ideas would also be > welcomed... > Next post is up to you guys but if you intends us to fight with anyone and > want to use Estela's powers, check it with me FIRST!)) > > Estela woke slowly, and for a long moment could not remember where she was. > And then it came back. *oh, yeah. I'm still in this weird world, in a cave, > with the harem-and-zoo.* She sat up... just in time to see a bleeding Wataru > walk in. "Wataru!!" > Chuin and Bubbles were equally startled. "What happen you?" asked the little > dragon. > "There's guys after you, Estela. I killed the four I saw... but they mentioned > a 'sixth army'...." He collapsed a few steps into the cave. > "Armies? after me? what the.... are you sure?" > "They said brown hair and... your medallion...." > "Oh, shit...this is bad." *what did I do to bring armies down on my head?* > "Hey, so are your injuries... Chuin, get the first aid stuff out of your > saddlebags!" > "First aid stuff?" > "Bandages?!" > "Oh, oh yeah!" He scrambled to get them. Estela struggled to recall what she'd > been taught in school in about the sixth grade. "Stop the bleeding..." she > muttered to herself as she worked.... "Clean the wound... Chuin, get me water > and clean cloth!" He got it for her, looking worriedly at Wataru. Estela > cleaned the wounds, forcing herself to ignore Wataru's protestations of pain. > "I know, I know, but an infection will hurt worse.... we have to bind > them....Chuin, what is that?!" > "Um... it's a kind of moss... it makes wounds heal faster..." > "Ok, fine, great, help with this!" She finished bandaging Wataru with his > help, then started digging through her bags. "Where is it, I always carry > some, dammit, where's my Advil? Oh, here it is, good!" She popped open a > little white bottle and handed Wataru two orange pills and a canteen of water. > "Swallow them, don't chew 'em, and you'll have to eat something after." > "Um... what are they?" asked Wataru weakly. > "Painkillers. Take them!" > He didn't see the point in disobeying, and about fifteen minutes after he took > them, the pain started to fade a little. > "Oh, good, your eyes are losing that glazed look. Ok. The rest of us are going > to eat breakfast.... then we'll discuss armies and what we're going to do > about this." > They sat down to eat. > ****** > "Now... first thing is, I gave you all a choice last night... have you all > decided?" > She was rewarded with a chorus of yes-es. > "Then Bubbles, you're first. What have you decided?" > "Yabsajubru be companion, come save world!" > "You don't want to change your mind, now that there are armies after us?" > "Yabsajubru be companion!" > "All right." She pulled the medallion off over her head, and held it out in > front of her in both hands. "Bubbles, will you swear to be faithful to me as > my chosen companion, until I die or until the world is saved, to travel with > me unless it becomes necessary to split up, and to do whatever is necessary > for the salvation of the world?" > "Yabsajubru swear!" > "Then place your hand-- paw-- er, forefoot-- on the medallion." Bubbles did. > "I call upon the Lady of Waters to bear witness to the oath of the dragon Yab- > sa-ju-bru, called Bubbles, to be my Chosen Companion for the fulfilment of the > Prophecy of Jiran!" > Nothing happened, or at least nothing visible. Bubbles took her foot away. "Is > all?" > "Yes. You are now my sworn companion." > "Yabsajubru glad!" > "Chuin." > "I said I'd travel with you, and I will." > Estela nodded. "Armies and all?" > "Armies and all. They already know I'm with you... they'll probably try to > kill me anyway, and we'll be safer together." > "All right. You're willing to take that oath?" > "Yes." He put his hand on the medallion, and she repeated the "bear witness" > business with his name subbed in. > "Wataru." > "Yeah. you're my best chance of getting home... and those armies'll be after > me for sure if they find out I killed their guys." *plus she has those magic > ad-vill pills. Wonder what happens if I took it all?* > "All right. put your hand on the medallion..." she frowned as he winced. "Will > you take the oath?" > "Yeah." > Estela said the by-now familiar bear witness speech, and then hung the > medallion back around her neck. "Now you are all my Companions. Bubbles, guard > the, um, door... I'm gonna change." > She went into the other room and came out maybe twenty minutes later in clean > clothes, the medallion tucked carefully under her outer shirt. "Now," she said > cheerfully, "what are we going to do about travelling? I don't want to sit > here with these armies around, but Wataru, you're pretty badly hurt. Should we > stay, go slow for Wataru, or go fast to try and get to a healer of some sort > in the city?" > "We can't stay," answered Chuin, "but other than that it has to be up to you > and Wataru..." > Bubbles nodded agreement. "No stay." > "Wataru?" > "Let's go as fast as we can.... if it gets to be too painful, I'll tell you > and we can slow down." > "All right. Tell me when, um, maybe three and a half hours have passed, > someone, and I'll give Wataru more Advil for the pain. Now, about the > armies...." > Wataru sighed. "There's at least six, obviously. I don't know where they're > from. I think the guys I fought were the sixth army's scouts, so maybe we > bought some time. I've also scouted the sixth army they're at Kaika, and >they--burned the town. >They've got a visual description of you, but they don't know > you're a sorceress." > "I'm not a sorceress!" > "Um, sure, whatever you say....the medallion is hidden ok, but if you could > disguise your hair somehow...?" > "Cut it?" offered Chuin. > "Absolutely not!" > "Dye it?" > "With what?" > "Oh, yeah, didn't think of that." > "Cover hair!" exclaimed Bubbles. > "Good idea! Let me see what I can do...." She lunged for Chuin's bags. "A-hah, > perfect!" She picked up a floppy sort of a straw hat, set it in her lap, and > fiddled with her hair until she had it in a low bun that the hat would sit > over. From her own bag she took out a lightweight scarf and tied it around her > head, then jammed the hat down on top. She vanished into the other room, and > came back ten minutes later with her contacts in. "There, how do I look?" > Wataru started laughing, and then stopped when the pain in his side got too > bad, but Chuin kept going. > "That hat... is awful!" > "It's your hat, you know!" > "Awful on you, he means." > "Is it more awful than being killed by armies?" she snapped. *I hate the way I > look in hats, I really hate the way I look in hats...* > "Oh, no, I guess when you put it that way..." > "Fine... then let's get moving before those six armies show up!"