the_lioness | (no subject)

(no subject)

The royal palace is quiet. Everyone sane is still asleep. Outside, however, in this last hour before dawn, the first tentative stirrings of daily life are underway.

"Step down," Alanna says quietly to her blindfolded friend. Spotting a steaming pile of horse droppings, she hastily adds, "And to the left. More left! More left! Good."

There's no mistaking the smell of the stable yards, nor the faint sounds of creaking leather and snorting horses impatient for their morning oats; unless, Alanna thinks, you've never been in such a place and are remarkably dimwitted. She trusts that Mel will figure it out and takes a step back, hands at her hips, eyeing Raph. She shrugs and wrinkles her forehead: should we take it off now?

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Mel is patient. Very patient. You can tell because she hasn't removed the blindfold and isn't about to kill either of the people who blindfolded her.

Not being able to see sucks.

"...I'm getting a pony?"

Seriously?

Raph raises his hands in surrender.

"Don't look at me, this weren't my idea. I'm just along for the ride."

Does she want a pony? Would that be a better birthday present? Brow furrowed, Alanna squints down toward the large field where Onua's newest charges, the recently arrived Gallan ponies, are kept.

Inspiration strikes.

"Yes," she answers Mel. "You can have Raph's."

Take that, Mr. I'm-just-along-for-the-ride.

"Rocketship," Mel says, and beams smartly in Raph's direction. "Thanks, Shellboy."

"Oh well ain't you both cute," he grumbles. "You know, I don't gotta be here, there's tons o' other stuff I could be doin' that ain't puttin' up with the likes o' you two."

Joking about taking away Raph's pony is not on.

"Awww," Mel says, groping blindly in Raph's direction. "Might as well stay now we've got you."

"The only thing cute here is your pouty expression," says Alanna, with a slightly manic grin. Raph's attachment to that pony is still amusing, even years after they'd been 'introduced.'

Sometimes she wonders who rates higher in Raph's affections: Abigail or Cloud.

"Luckily there are plenty of other mounts, since you won't share." She nudges Mel slightly to the right, positioning her so the Slayer will be able to see both the towers of the palace and the fields and forest beyond. The stables are now at their backs. "Go ahead. There's no sense in trying to ready and ride a horse blindfolded."

Given the eyeroll in Alanna's direction and the slight skirting out of Mel's grasp, it shouldn't surprise anyone where exactly the two ladies stand in Raph's current esteem.

"Yeah Mel, just take the damn thing off already.

...

Well that's somethin' I ain't never sayin' again."

"Won't tell Mike," Mel assures him, inserting a thumb into the blindfold above the roof of her nose in order to peer out.

And then pull the whole thing off, to stare.

"Oh. My. God."

Alanna beams.

"Welcome to Corus-"

It's said with a thumb jerk at what's visible of the city behind and below them.

"-and the royal palace of King Jonathan and Queen Thayet. They say hullo."

"Jesu, 'Lanna, you live in a Scope," Mel says, blinking hard at the view. "All that green. Oh my god."

"Sure do got some pretty sight 'round here, you know when you actually get outta the house to see'em."

This is either Raph's attempt at a dig at Mel and Mike, or at himself. It's not really clear.

"Anyway, here got these for you too. Mike didn't want you bein' completely weaponless."

Raph then swings two scabbards off his left shoulder and holds them out for Mel to take. Mel might recognize them as Mike's twin katana.

Mel stares at them for a second.

Then a rarely warm, utterly smitten look crosses her face.

Then, dry as ever, she smirks as she takes the swords in ther scabbards and slings it over her back.

"What, he doesn't trust me to stay outta trouble?"

Jesu, she loves that boy.

"No."

Raph says simply. What? It's the truth. You can't stay out of trouble if you continually make a habit of running towards it.

"You might wanna see to the blades on those. If I know Mikey they ain't been used for anything other than collectin' dust for a good long while."

"You don't wanna know what else they've been used for."

What?

Once the scabbards are in place, Mel draws one of them and runs a finger along the blade, sucking the resultant sliver of blood.

"Good eno' for Gov work. Which I guess we're actually doing."

"Yes, though it's supposed to be masquerading as fun," Alanna points out, openly admiring the blade. Her own is at her side, along with several knives. In addition, a bow and quiver of arrows are slung across her back. "Consider it a favor we, including Mike, hope you enjoy."

Which is pure insanity, and exactly why Alanna agreed to this.

Raph shrugs.

"I think it's fun."

But then again, his definition of fun is sort of biased and skewed.

"There're swords involved," Mel points out. "Everything with swords is fun."

Trufax.

"That depends which end you're on." To Raph: "You do? Goddess, the triplets said you looked terrified during the Spidren attack in Olau."

They said no such thing. Alanna is quick to dance out of Raph's reach, laughing, and enter the nearest stable.

"'Lo, Stefan."

The palace hostler is just inside, waiting, one arm draped casually over a stall door. He straightens when he sees her, but only a little. Darkmoon is saddled in his stall; Cloud is ready and tethered nearby. Alanna and Stefan put their heads together, discussing final preparations.

Stefan, Mel remembers. She smirks in his direction, but lets them discuss their discussion. She's too busy going straight up to introduce herself to Cloud.

Raph scowls at Alanna. He knows damn well that he did no such thing. Which he considers a pretty big feat in and of itself. Spiders are icky and wrong. Man-sized spiders with human faces? They're just right out.

As for Mel...well, he'd been ignoring her since the katana innuendo.

That is, of course, until she moved towards his pony.

"Back off, Fray."

Mel does, hands held high and wide, and innocent.

"Just saying hi."

Eventually, Stefan goes to fetch the horse they had readied for Mel and Alanna starts going over Darkmoon with a critical eye, checking leather straps and ensuring her second sword slides cleanly from where its sheath is affixed to the saddle.

"Raph, you're armed to your liking?"

Last she'd heard, Abigail was in possession of his favored weapons.

Raph's overprotective glare lingers on Mel a moment more as he reaches for Cloud's reins.

"I'm good."

The katana he loaned Thomas is secured in Cloud's saddle packs.

He's got a loaded Slayer, after all.

She keeps her grin on him, just for annoyance reasons, as she backs towards her horse.

"This one's prettier anyway."