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Abirami’s turn… (cheesy grin with slanted eyes)

Abirami

The door, if you could call it that anymore, was all but shredded as I pushed it open and entered the room that had previously been infested with Ku’s hive.

I marveled at the destruction that mere bugs could do. Just a few months ago, Ku’s hive had successfully committed what amounted to scorched earth, preventing the the Diagha’s blitzkrieg from passing the Sabre into Seres.

Retrieving my garb, I flung it around to hang on my shoulders, then looked around. The room wasn’t entirely empty. Someone had left their bag behind. Not only that, but there was a pile of papers under a knife that had been stabbed vertically into the ground. Strange.

I picked up the bag, then walked over to the knife.

After unstaking the knife, I flipped quickly through the papers, the blood draining from my face.

Faces, many of which I recognized as those who were with me and Ku here in the castle, were blazoned on the pages. Their eyes had been poked out, and large red ‘x’s  were marked across the page on some of them.

What was this? Was it a threat? Had someone left this behind, or was this another test of the castle? Was this purposefully left to make us question those among us, or was there really someone this dangerous among us? I wouldn’t put it past this castle to test us like that, but then again…

I didn’t know what to think. He might not like me and Ku right now, but Lorcan had to be told. Lorcan at least. And that other guy… Avin?

I wasn’t surprised when I saw my face in the pile, but my muscles tensed and my teeth grated, my heart dropping to the pit of my stomach as I saw Ku’s face, a red mark etched across the page.

Not if I can help it, you won’t.

Putting my hands through my garb’s sleeves, I tied my robe closed, picked up the papers once more, and headed back to the room.

Upon reentering, I held up the bag and called out, “Anyone leave this behind?”

Giving the distance between the bag and the papers, it was safe to say that whoever the bag belonged to could, at least, be clear of suspicion as far as being the culprit of the papers.

I walked toward Lorcan and the others as I called out again.

No one claimed it.

The room seemed a little less crowded. Had some broken off and left the room? Gone exploring maybe?

An ominous feeling overtook me. Breaking off right now probably wasn’t a good idea, but there wasn’t much I could do about it.

Avin was talking to someone I hadn’t seen before.

Yet again another new person… but given what I’d just found, something didn’t sit right.

Then again, there were also two new girls standing up against the far wall, in the shadows. Their shoulders were slumped, and their heads were bowed low. Their hands seemed to shift uneasily, and it made me squeamish, watching them.

Doubts were creeping in. Was this what the castle wanted? For us to lose our trust in one another? To start doubting each other? To start accusing each other? I knew from experience, that was a slippery-slope. One I did not want to take a ride on.

“Lorcan,” I called out, quiet enough that hopefully only he could hear.

“I found these downstairs. I’m worried it might be a trap of the castle, but it might just be someone here too.”

Lorcan eyed me suspiciously.

“I know you don’t know me from the next guy, but I know you want to protect the people here, and because of that, I trust you. Even if you don’t trust me, will you help me look into this?”

His eyes didn’t change, but the tension loosened from his shoulders. “Give em here.”

He took the papers just before I was dragged away from behind. Turning, Jade had me by the elbow, grinning from ear to ear.

“Come on, dancer boy, we got to get you limber and teach you the steps.”

I could almost hear the laughter in her voice. It almost had a mocking tone in it, but I could tell she was enjoying herself. Probably at my expense, but I didn’t mind. I welcomed the distraction. Even if the looming threat never left the edge of my mind.

She stood me out in the open and said, “Now, go ahead and stretch, and then we can begin. Oh, but-” she grabbed my garb and pulled it down and off of me from behind. “you didn’t need to go get this. It will only get in your way, anyways. Now, stretch.”

I looked at her, tilting my head to the side.

Stretch?

Jade sighed despondently and turned her head to the side. “Oh, you got to be kidding me.”

“Stretch!” she stressed, putting her hands out in an exaggerated expression. Then she motioned toward Ophelia, “Ophelia, please show this muscle-bound idiot how to stretch.”

Ophelia bent and contorted her body this way and that, pushing her body’s dexterity to the limit.

“Oh.” An idea forming, I augmented the worm’s dexterity, or perhaps it would be more accurate to describe it as lack of bone structure…

Standing with my legs spread, I bent backwards, placing my hands flat on the floor behind me.

Hehe. This was kind of fun. I’d never really looked at the world upside down like this before.

Wondering if this was what she meant, I continued to bend, bringing my head further back until I was looking at Jade from between my legs.

Horror was written across her face as she took a deep breath. “What are you!”

Was this not how it was done? I straightened back up and released the essence of the worm. Tilting my head once more, I wondered what this stretching thing was. I thought I was doing what Ophelia had done. Did I do it wrong?

Ophelia was snickering, and the genuine smile on her face was refreshing to see. “Well, I don’t think we need to worry about him not being limber enough.”

Jade shot her a look.

Ophelia snickered again, looking away.

 

 

@inkhorn

I had Abirami fetch your bag, but I made an assumption that you had left the room by now to search for a room suitable for the dance… =) you can choose to collect it at your leisure later, if you wish…

@e-n-leonard

@rose-colored-fancy

hope that’s a suitable next step. lol. I thought the worm thing would gross Jade out and be a bit humorous at the same time. =) Change what you wish though 😉

@irishcelticredflowercrown

hope that’s acceptable for ya. =) giving Lorcan a mission, of sorts…