the_lioness | (no subject)

(no subject)

[After this]

More time has passed than Alanna had estimated when she'd told Raph she'd be back as soon as possible. That isn't entirely due to the situation she'd found when she returned to Olau, though she'd had to wait until dusk to spot the other two spidrens lurking around the orchards; their webs glow in the dark. Adam hadn't been at all pleased by this latest development, and after a heated argument Alanna felt it prudent to spend some time in the stables. Alone. Away from questions to which she wishes she had better answers.

At least everyone is safe, for the moment.

Before she left, she'd instructed Raph to try and get the triplets to sleep in their old rooms, dusty and cluttered as they may be. So it's with care and some trepidation that she pushes open the door and hears the slight squeak she'd always meant to fix. When she doesn't immediately hear three young voices badgering her for more information, she heaves a sigh of relief, then feels ridiculous; it's not dignified or particularly honorable to fear seeing her own children.

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At Alanna's sigh a soft slow thumping noise begins to sound from somewhere near the floor. Stampy raises her head from her basket and peers into the darkness at the back lit knight. Normally the mini-phant is a deeper sleeper than this, but there's been a lot of moving lately and this is very much a new space for her.

"couldn't get'em to bed without mike agreein' to loan'em the elephant for the night."

Whispers Raph from behind Alanna.

"hope that's a'right."

Grumpy as she is, Alanna is equally helpless to resist Stampy. A nod signals it's fine, and she crouches beside the basket, avoiding looking up at Raph while she lovingly scratches behind the mini-phant's ear.

"Are they sleeping?"

Because 'in bed' and 'asleep' are two very different things.

Like many people the world over, Stampy is powerless against the affections of a hot redhead. The thumping noise speeds up as Stampy's tail wags with even more enthusiasm.

"if they know what's good for'em they are."

But it's all bluster with no bite.

A small smile flickers across Alanna's face. There are days when she has no idea what she would do without him; this is one of them. One last scratch for Stampy, and she pads across the room to look in on the triplets. They are, in fact, asleep, and it sounds like Jamie is snoring.

It's rather strange to see them there.

Alanna shuts the door to the bedroom and exhales, then wanders into the kitchen, reaches behind a box that never got moved and pulls out a bottle of rum. Raising both the bottle and an eyebrow, she looks at Raph.

He holds up a hand and shakes his head. Over by the door there's a black duffel bag. Raph crosses the room, picks up the bag, and from within retrieves the bottle of Jack Daniels that is nestled comfortably between two zip top bags of baked goods.

"I'm good. Mike."

Raph explains.
Sooooo where should they drink?

There's a couch. Somewhere. Alanna locates it after looking around the room for a moment and shoves blankets, clothes and a box of video games on the floor, then perches on the couch arm and takes a drink.

What a day.

"Thanks, Raph."

Raph plops himself down on the opposite side of the couch, leaning his back against the other arm.

"It weren't no thing. Thank you for gettin' rid of it."

A brief smile: it's what she does.

"I should have told you more," she admits, running a finger around the mouth of the bottle. It's been a long time since she had rum. "I thought I was protecting them."

All of you.

"Knowin' more would'a been nice."

He admits.

"Not havin' stubborn ass kids who followed orders would'a been nicer."

We can't have everything in this, or any world.

Alanna snorts quietly and takes another drink.

"We weren't sure what we were dealing with." Something in her voice indicates that's changed now. "The rumors were spreading. There didn't seem any sense in helping them along."

She grimaces.

"The ogres were one thing. These Spidrens and Stormwings are quite another."

Raph takes a pull from his bottle and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I'll say. I mean...it ain't like ogres got wings...."

He has no idea what he's talking about.

"Some do," Alanna lies with a straight face, "but they're small and don't get them very far. You should hear the crash the ogres make when they land."

She smiles; it doesn't reach her eyes.

"The Stormwings are intelligent." Beat. "We believe they are working with Lord Sinthya and managed to ferry him off before I arrived to arrest him for treason."

He so believes her for half of that, but then realizes she's funning him. Raph grumbles something about how she's lucky she's cute as he takes another drink.

"Oh well ain't that convenient. An' the giant freakin' spiders?"

Raph can't say it without his skin crawling.

"Who do they work for?"

"Spidrens," Alanna corrects automatically. "They serve their own malevolence."

The skin crawling doesn't go away with experience. Absently, she rubs the now healed spot on her arm and grumbles an oath.

Then: "Carthak. We think Carthak found a way to open the Divine Realms. These creatures aren't supposed to be here."

She takes a drink.

"There."

"Wait wait wait...Divine Realms? As in Gods? Those things are frickin' gods?"

That shit? TOTALLY ain't right.

She shakes her head, eager to set him straight out of loyalty to the gods and Goddess who had guided her along her path.

"No, they're Immortals. Not gods."

They just live in the same place.

"A powerful mage shut them in the Divine Realms hundreds of years ago. They had faded in our memories to no more than legend until someone let them out again." She frowns at the bottle. "Our neighbors are spotting unicorns. We get Spidrens."

In conclusion: Carthak.

"Yeah well...there goes the neighborhood."

He's midway through his next drink when something occurs to him.

"So...how does one kill them things, outta curiosity."

"A bow and arrow seems the cleanest method. Their blood is like acid. Best to avoid spilling any on yourself," she advises, eyeing him over the rum bottle.

Raph knows how to use a bow and arrow, right? Right?

"Separating them from their legs and stabbing is equally effective, if very messy."

"Says you. Might do this mug a bit o' good to get rearranged a bit."

He rubs his hand across his cheek and under his chin. Someone needs to shave.

"Hardly," is her sharp response. "Abigail would wallop you for less, I'm certain."

Speaking of significant others...

"Adam doesn't want the triplets back at Olau."

"she's gonna wallop me anyways."

He says to the bottle.

"Can't say as I blame'im there, but...there any other way to get them to the coast?"

Because if there is, Raph isn't seeing it.

Alanna shakes her head. If there is a door at the Swoop, George hasn't said as much.

"He wants them to go straight through to the palace," she tells Raph, "and he'll follow when Olau has been more thoroughly searched. It's not an idea withot merit, but I wish he'd stay with them. Numair is due to arrive and we'll be meeting with the king for days."

Raph makes a face. Adam is a good guy and all, but Raph doesn't know how much good he'd be in a fight. Plus, the notion of Adam feeling he needs to stick around kind of makes Raph feel like he can't be trusted with the task.

"You want me to hit him with somethin'? Or like, break his legs."

You know, out of love.

Belly warm from the rum, Alanna lets her mouth curve in a wicked smirk.

"I'd really rather you didn't. I like him intact and fully functional."

Yeah, that might be a leer.

"I don't think he's ready to come back here yet, and protecting his home is important to him," Alanna adds. "I can understand that."

But.

"....He's not suggesting I travel with the kids....is he?"

Because Raph?
At court?
Oh good Goddess, not again.