Topic: In The Aftermath

Amthyst Oak

Date: 2006-07-25 12:56 EST
Amthy roused as the morning light began to filter through the curtains and spill across the bed. The window was open and a fresh breeze billowed the drapes. As the fabric undulated, the sun's brilliance dappled and played across her face, and most importantly, her eyelids. Groaning, she fought against the day to hold onto her dreams. She didn't want to wake up just yet! The good part had only just started. Unfortunately, the more she thought about the dream, the more awake she became. In the end, all that was left was some grit in the corners of her eyes, and a groggy fog clouding her airy little head.

She grumbled a little longer at the unfairness of it all before she tossed back the cover and turned her legs over the side of the bed. Olivine colored hair stuck up every which way and her face was ruddy and lined from resting on the folds in the sheet. Perking up her dark green brows, she tried to coax her tsavorite-like eyes to stay open. She braced her hands against the mattress on either side of her to help keep her balance as her vision swam. For a moment, nothing was familiar. Panic stung her heart and she stood up in alarm. Wildly, she looked about, searching for anything she recognized.

Amthy pressed a hand firmly to her chest. Ardane, she thought. Nevermind that she recalled falling asleep in a room Tara had rented at the Dragon just for her, or that she didn't quite remember leaving the Dragon and going to Ardane in the first place. Pinching her lower lip nervously, she eased the door to her room open and popped her head out into the hall. Amthy looked deliberately in each direction before she stepped out and closed the door behind her. It was definitely Ardane.

She followed the hall to the stairwell, and from there she picked a careful path to the main floor. As she walked, she tested the rapport she shared with her sister, Caytlin. The silvery-blonde haired shifter couldn't be too far away. A mental mantra of CaytCaytCAYT circled through the nymphy-pix's head as she navigated the main floor and approached the kitchen.

"Pass the chops."
"Get it yourself."
"Au-nti-e!"
"Anyone see where I put my--"
"Who wants more eggs?"
"Stop pulling your sister's hair!"
"Can I have some more--"
"Rwar!"

The familiar sounds of bickering filtered passed the door, and Amthy lingered a moment at the threshold with her palm pressed up against it. She was just in time for breakfast, which was a lucky thing since the smell of it made her belly rumble uncomfortably. One would think her stomach was under the impression that her throat had been cut! A small hum came to her lips as she pushed open the door and toddled over to the table to see if there was an empty seat that she could claim for her very own. A good two dozen, if not more, people called Ardane home and that made a seat hard to come by. Fortunately, there was a chair, and she settled down into it primly.

"May I have some french toast?" Amthy asked with a dazzling smile as she smoothed a napkin across her lap. "oh, and some pineapple juice, if it isn't too much trouble." Leaning to one of the serving baskets, she snatched a biscuit from under a towel. It was still warm and smelled like buttermilk. Tearing off a section, she popped part of the bread into her mouth and wriggled happily in her seat.

Amthyst Oak

Date: 2006-07-25 13:19 EST
Hedwig fainted.

There had been a peculiar silence that had greeted Amthy's entrance into the kitchen, but now it crumbled before the onslaught of screams, howling, and disbelief. Not to mention more than a few people began to cry, the most notable being Amthy's two small charges, Audrien and Ariella. Chaos quickly claimed the kitchen, and Cayt could only stare completely agog at what had transpired.

Granted, she had heard the telepathic cries of 'Cayt,' but after so many months of wishing to hear Amthy's mental voice; she had dismissed it entirely as insanity brought on by lack of sleep. It had been two days since her disappearance from the Chateau, and neither Cayt nor the pack had been able to locate her. She hadn't been at the Willows according to Babylonica. It was only after an intervention by some of the Geladine refugees and Cayt, 'Rora, and the Pack had returned to Ardane. Which was just as well since Amthy had spontaneously appeared in their kitchen. She hadn't just appeared, either! Oh, no, she was also walking and talking like nothing had even happened. Cayt snapped out of her reverie long enough to direct one of the Pack to take Audrien and Ariella to Rising Star, at least until everything had been sorted out.

"Amthy?" Cayt asked cautiously.
"Yuuush?" The nymph answered around a bite of biscuit. "Wha'ppened to H'dw'g?" Swallowing, Amthy smacked her lips and tried to look around the two riders that were currently seeing to the lumberjack cook.
"Where did you come from?"
"Upstairs?"
"When?"
"Jus' now?" Amthy thumbed toward the door.
"Where?"
"Mah room." That was something Amthy could answer with certainty.
"How?"
"Dunno, I musta drank too much las' night." This, however, proved to be the end of her knowledge considering she didn't even remember drinking.

Cayt stood with enough force to topple her chair. "Come here." She pointed at the floor.

"Okay," Amthy replied with furrowed brow as she stood and moved to the designated spot.

Cayt began to sniff, prod, and tickle her. Once she was satisfied, she curled the nymph up in a smothering hug that made Amthy squeak like a chew toy. "It's you. I can't believe it, it's you." Cayt's voice was thick with tears, but at least they were happy ones. "There's so much I have to tell you, Goddess Be Praised!"

Hedwig had been roused, and a good many of those present were looking at the nymph with a combination of awe and fear. The dead weren't supposed to come back to life, everyone knew that. Yet, there Amthy was chomping on her buttermilk biscuit and huggling the fool out of her sister, Cayt.

Brushing a section of silvery-blonde behind her ear, Cayt looked over at the others present. "Hedwig, we're going to retire to my office. Please, won't you bring Amthy's french toast and orange juice there?" The look she gave said volumes, and it could be translated to mean: Leave us alone, and I'll come and tell you everything I know once I know it. Since Cayt was their exiled princess, and they were still loyal subjects, they kept their lips buttoned and didn't interfer as Cayt led Amthy out of the kitchen and toward the office.

Amthyst Oak

Date: 2006-07-25 13:55 EST
Amthy blinked a few more times and gave the paper she held a hearty shake. Syrup blurred a few of the words and her dress and the bottom of the paper were sticky from the orange juice she had spilled earlier. No matter how many times she read the passage, her airy little head refused to wrap itself around it.

"But 's no' true," she protested, "'m sittin' right here! Who would say such horrible things?" Amthy lamented.

Cayt took in a breath and slowly exhaled as she leaned back in her chair behind her desk. Steepling her fingers, she looked over the tips to eyeball her newly awakened sister. "Amthy...."

"No, dunn 'Amthy' me!" The nymph huffled as she worked herself up. "'s no' true! If it was, duncha think I'd know? Did the girls see? Omygoodness, I'm sure everyone saw!" She gasped completely beside herself as she crumpled the nearly two month old paper in her hands. Tears came to her tsavorite-like eyes and she snuffled. "You have to make them take it back, Cayt, you just haveta!"

Cayt sat forward and scratched behind one ear. "I don't know that I can, Amthy."

"Well, go talk to them! When they see me, they'll see they were wrong." Amthy clutched the crumpled paper in her hands and hugged it to her chest as she stood and paced a small circle. "'s jus' no' true."

Cayt sighed, resigned. It was true that the nymph was standing there, and was very much alive. Hadn't Tristus insinuated as much? Oh, sure, Babylonica had insinuated just the opposite. It was a very confusing situation, indeed. "All right, Amthy, I'll see what I can do."

"I want to come with you. They have to see. Then they'll know they were wrong." Amthy asserted.

Cayt gave a small nod. "If that's what you want. We'll go after you get ready."

Amthy's anxiety melted away and she jumped happily in place. "Oh, thanking you, Cayt! Thank you so very much. This means so much to me."

The silvery-blonde haired shifter smiled. The link was overflowing with Amthy's relief. Whether this was the best thing to do remained to be seen, but as far as Cayt was concerned, now that her sister was back she was going to do everything in her power to keep the green-haired girl happy. If that meant getting the Oracle to print a retraction, so be it. "We'll want to catch them before they break for lunch, so you better tidy up."

"Oh, yes, of course!" Amthy chirped. "It won't take but a moment, I swear. Maybe when we're through we can drop by the Promenade and do some shopping."

Cayt groaned. "Madame Pru's? I can't wait," she responded a teeny bit lackluster. Though her reaction was subdued, inwardly, she was delighted. She had missed going on outtings with her sister. Hadn't she wished for them when the nymph had gone away? This was probably why people said to becareful what you wish for.

"Neither can I!" Gush! "I need to get some pretty aubergine knickers. I heard everyone is wearing purple," Amthy rambled as she headed toward the door, still holding the paper to her chest.

Cayt, on the other hand, was searching her desk for the most recent directory. "Uh-huh, yes, everyone is wearing purple." She echoed without really listening to what Amthy said. She was more interested in flipping pages and finding the Oracle's most recent address.