Nahga raced through the halls, Amelia's cloak forgotten over one arm, running as if persued by the dead. Which in her mind, she was. Amelia herself looked up in surprise when her sister came charging into the room, and quickly slammed the door behind herself, panting ... had Nahga run the whole way back here?
"G-g-g-g-ghost! GHOST!" Nahga practically screamed those words out before collapsing on her knees, stunned. Amelia, at the loom, was in almost as little a state of coherent thought as Nahga.
....
.....
.....
....
....
.....
....
....
Good grief ...
....
....
....
....
....
....
Sylpheel hummed happily to herself, tending to little Logan's bath. The energetic two-year-old was obviously enjoying himself, splashing Sylpheel and everything within range, including himself. Titavi looked up from the other hot spring, and grinned.
"Having fun, Sylpheel?"
Sylpheel nodded rapidly, giving Titavi an enthusiastic grin. "Mm-hmm! I love taking care of children."
"Um, if you don't mind answering ... why haven't you married and had a few of your own by now?"
Sylpheel gave Titavi a sad smile, unconsciously keeping Logan from walking too far and falling off the bench into the deeper water in the middle of the hot spring.
"I couldn't ever marry anyone than the man I love ... and he doesn't even realize that I love him."
Sylpheel jumped in surprise when Titavi reached across the short gap of stone between her spring and Titavi's, and placed her hand on Sylpheel's shoulder. Titavi gave the shoulder a sympathetic squeeze, and gave Sylpheel an equally sad smile.
"I know how you feel ... He ... " She gestured towards her large tummy, indicating the father of the child she carried. "Never really picked up that I loved him, loved him completely ... too blinded by his need for revenge, I guess."
The two females fell silent, each thinking on the specifics of their problems ... but not quite so lonely any more, knowing someone understood.
"KARMIE! BRING THAT BACK!" Elkin shouted after his pet, then swore nearly a new encyclopedia's worth of ancient or unusual curses, all upon the fluffy head of Karmie the calico cat. Karmie, for her reaction, did nothing other than a complete 180, ran between Elkin's legs, and neatly tripped him. While Elkin was sprawled across the floor, having fallen head first, the fiesty feline opted for a quick escape ... and ran up the wall to perch on one of the ceiling rafters. A quick escape, if not a particularly sane one.
Part 20 | Story Index | Fanfiction