General's Hour
by Renee
http://udel.edu/~flare/index.html
Part 3 -
Outside of Healer Hall, a battle raged. A seriously irate Captain
of the Royal Army had most of his attention focused on a different, far
more important battle. "It's just a scratch! For goodness' sake, people!
You didn't need to snatch me off my post! There's a war going on out
there! Or hadn't you noticed?" seethed Captain Roland.
A green robed Healer suddenly looked up from her station nearby,
"Roland? That you? What'd you do this time?"
Roland gritted his teeth, "Nothing. Nothing It's just a scratch.
There's nothing wrong with me. Nothing."
The Healer smiled, "You sound so sure of that. Why don't you let
me take a look so we can clear it up, hmm?"
Roland opened his mouth to object and then closed it. He had
enough of a latent Healer's Gift to know that his wound actually _would_
need a Healer's attention, for all that it was just a scratch. He
acquiesced.
The Healer walked over and pulled back the blanket. Roland's left
leg sported a nasty looking gash from hip to ankle. The Healer placed her
hands on his left leg, under his knee. She whistled through her teeth,
"Man, Roland! You sure don't do things by halves, do you? It's a good
thing they _did_ pull you off your post! Another hour and you might have
bled to death!" She started massaging the back of his knee, encouraging
the Healing to start. Within minutes the wound had begun to close. Her
Healing finished, the Healer grabbed a roll of bandages and began to dress
what remained of the wound.
Roland relaxed, much of the pain gone. "Thanks Leea. I appreciate
you helping me, but is it possible-"
Leea's pace didn't slow, but she smoothly interrupted with a firm,
"Not on your life, pal. I didn't patch you up to have you go run off and
destroy my handiwork. General Zoisite can do without her Head Captain for
the rest of the battle. I mean, what would she think? A MasterHealer,
specially trained by herself, who let a wounded man go back out to fight,
mere minutes after being Healed? Uh-uh. No way." She shook her head for
emphasis.
Roland growled, "Somehow, I didn't think so." He let his body
drop back onto the cot.
Leea allowed herself a sly smile. Crossing her fingers behind her
back, she assumed an innocent expression, "You know, Roland, I think I may
have something for you to do around _here_, if you're up to it..."
He sat straight up, "Anything, Leea! Anything would be fine!"
She laughed at his eagerness, "Don't like to sit around idle, do
you? Just as well. I need someone on comm duty. We had to recruit our
normal communications officer to cut bandages. It's a bit inconvenient not
having someone monitoring the channels for "Mayday" calls. You game?"
"Count me in! Anything to keep busy."
Leea laughed again and dragged an armchair and footstool over to
the comm station, "You'll probably be here awhile, so you may as well be
comfortable," she arranged him carefully in the chair, "If you need anything
just yell." He nodded enthusiastically.
Leea smiled and turned to leave, when a totally unexpected sight
assaulted her eyes. General Nephlyte and Captain Zafir had burst through
the main door carrying a wounded man. She ran over and tried to reach their
unconscious burden. The sudden press of people wouldn't allow her access.
She stared, helpless, from the fringes of the crowd. She caught Zafir's
eyes and sent a silent plea for help. He caught her gaze and tugged on
Nephlyte's sleeve. He pointed at her and said something to Nephlyte that
she didn't catch. Nephlyte nodded and quite suddenly the crowd parted.
Nephlyte didn't often use his telekinetic powers, but he certainly knew how
to put them to work effectively when he did.
The General motioned for her to come over. She walked through the
parted crowd and knelt down. She let out a small gasp. The half-dead person
at her feet was none other than General Malachite, himself. Leea suddenly
didn't feel up to the task. Zafir caught her hesitation and put a hand on
her shoulder, "What's wrong, Leea?"
She gulped, "I can't do this, Zafir. I'm not good enough to Heal
something this bad!"
"We need Zoisite," he stated bluntly.
She nodded, unable to speak.
"Damn," he whispered. He walked over to Nephlyte and explained
the situation. Nephlyte knelt next to a trembling Leea, "Can you keep him
stable until Zoisite can get here?"
She shook her head slowly, "Not for more than a couple of hours."
"That should be enough," he reassured her. He looked out a window,
"And it looks like the fighting is breaking up for some reason. Maybe
it's over." He turned to Zafir, a conflict in his eyes - find Zoisite or
stay with Malachite. At this point he didn't know which to do. Seeing
the problem, Zafir volunteered to look for Zoisite. Roland piped up from
the comm console, "Can't we just call her over the comm channels? Oh
wait, she usually turns off her comm unit if she's in the thick of the
fighting. Damn."
Zafir walked over to him, "You've got the right idea, though,
Roland. Put a continuous call through for her on the emergency channel.
I'll go out and look for her at the same time. One of us will eventually
get to her. OK?"
Roland nodded, "Sounds good."
"Great," Zafir unsheathed his sword and jogged out towards the now
emptying field of battle.
Nephlyte picked up his friend and carried him into the nearest
room with Leea in tow. As soon as Malachite was settled on the bed, Leea
set to work trying to keep him alive until the cavalry could arrive.
Zoisite carefully took stock of herself and her surroundings. *No
major injuries. That's a blessing.* She turned around and slowly dropped
to the ground when she saw the carnage around her. Dead and dying people
lay strewn over the field of battle like toys dropped by an irresponsible
child. She crawled over to the nearest person and felt for a pulse. She
didn't find one. Taking a closer look at the man's face, the General
realized that the man was one of her Lieutenants. She swallowed, hard.
*I think I am going to be sick,* she thought.
She stood up and began searching for her Head Captain. He was
nowhere to be found. She added a vocal call, hoping that whatever state
he was in, Roland would hear it. "Roland! Where are you? Roland!" She
continued looking, hoping to find some clue.
A low groan drew her attention to the right. She bent down near
the young woman, "Diana?" Zoisite put her fingers to the woman's neck and
found the pulse was strong, "Captain Diana? Can you hear me? It's
General Zoisite."
Diana cracked an eyelid open, "Huh? I'm up, Mom. Don't worry. I
won't be late for school..."
Zoisite laughed, in spite of the dire situation, "Diana? I don't
have any children. And even if I did, you're not young enough to be one
of them."
"General Zoisite!" Diana sat bolt upright, cracking her head on
the bottom of the General's chin.
Now it was Zoisite's turn to groan, "Owww..."
"Sorry, sir," Diana was all remorse, "I didn't realize you were so
close."
"That's all right, Captain. One more bruise won't kill me. Do
you think you can stand?"
"Yes, sir. I think so."
"All right. Just take it slowly, Diana. You've got a minor
concussion. You'll feel dizzy for awhile," Zoisite cautioned.
"No problem, sir," Diana replied. Once the Captain was on her
feet, she had a brief fight with her own nausea, "Oh Great Jupiter! Are
any of these people alive?"
"Yes. If you think you can stand on your own, now, then I should
call Healer Hall and get the trauma teams out here."
"Yes, sir. I think I can manage that."
"Good," Zoisite pulled her comm unit out and switched it on. The
emergency light started flashing. "Damn," she swore, *I wonder how long
that's been on.* Quickly, Zoisite opened a channel to Healer Hall. To
her immense relief, her Head Captain's friendly face stared back at her
over the channel.
"General? That you? We've been callin' you for hours! What the
heck happened to you?" he yelled.
"Berate me later, Roland. This field is literally littered with
wounded and we need to get the trauma teams out here as of yesterday. Got
it?" she paused, "And what are you doing on comm duty in Healer Hall,
anyway? I've been worried sick about you!"
He held up his left leg so it was in the field of view, "The dear
Princess took a slice at me when she had Mercury coat the area with her
fog bubbles. I remembered to warn my men to get out of the way, but I
didn't move fast enough myself. Pretty slick, huh?" he grimaced.
"Does it hurt?" Zoisite asked.
"No," he said sarcastically. Then he made a face at her,
"Literally littered, General?"
"I'm sorry for the terrible alliteration, oh high king of grammar!
I'll do better next time!" Zoisite looked up when she saw the trauma teams
begin teleporting in. "Oh good, the teams are here. Now why were you
calling me on the emergency channel?"
Roland's cheerful expression dropped from his face, "We need you
here. Big time. General Nephlyte and Captain Zafir just brought General
Malachite in. He got trashed pretty badly. Masterhealer Leea is keeping
him stable, but she's not good enough to actually Heal his wounds. That
was about four hours ago, and he's not lookin' so good, anymore."
Zoisite went pale, "Oh great Mother Goddess! I'll be there as
soon as I can teleport in."
She ended the communication and looked up
at Diana. Diana's face was grim. Zoisite answered the question in her
eyes, "I'm going. Now. Everything else can wait. It we lose Malachite,
we're all screwed. And you need to have that head looked at, so
you're coming with me." With that, she grabbed Diana's arm and teleported
to Healer Hall.
Upon arrival at the Receiving Yard, Zoisite grabbed a green robe
off the rack and ran into the main building. She "looked" for Leea's
power signature and teleported directly to it. Even her macabre thoughts
had not prepared her for the awful reality of General Malachite's wounds.
She sat down quietly on the bed.
Leea didn't look up, but she noticed Zoisite's presence, "Zoie? I
need help here," she gathered her thoughts, "He's got a massive gut wound
- looks like the work of a mighty sharp sword. I think he got clipped by
some sort of laser beam-"
"Or a 'Venus Crescent Beam'," Nephlyte interjected, bitterly.
Diana put a comforting hand on her General's shoulder and he reached up a
hand to give her a pat, "Glad to see _you're_ OK, Diana. Wouldn't want to
have to train a new Head Captain with all that's going on." His voice was
rough with suppressed tears. Diana gave him a hug.
Leea cleared her throat, "Anyway, he's got a host of internal
injuries, he's lost a lot of blood, and he's in shock. I don't know what
else to do for him - I didn't know if I should risk any drugs..."
Zoisite took over, "You did the right thing, Leea. From here you can
leave him to me," she glanced around the room, "Would you mind leaving me
alone with him? It's hard for me to concentrate with everyone else in
here."
Everyone, except Nephlyte, left the room. Zoisite frowned, "That
meant you too, Nephlyte."
"Perhaps. But I don't intend to leave him, again. I did once,
and look what happened. Besides," he shrugged, "You'll need me to Call
his mind back. If you hadn't noticed, it and his soul don't seem to be
keeping house in his body at the moment." He settled back into his chair
as Zoisite stared at him in shock.
"What?" she spluttered. "How do you- ?"
"How do I know that? Come on, Zoisite. You don't spend
thirty-some-odd years soul-bonded to a person and not be able to recognize
when his soul is not in residence," he said dryly.
"Oh right," she blushed, "You guys were raised as brothers,
right?"
"His mother died in childbirth, as far as we know. As for
Maloreon, his father... Well, when Malachite was about 2 years old, an
"unofficial" legion of Palace soldiers ransacked his home and killed
Maloreon. My mom passed by and heard him crying - the soldiers had missed
him in the general confusion. She brought him home with her, and that, as
they say, was that."
For once, Zoisite was speechless. Her own home and loving parents
sprang suddenly to mind. To think of growing up without their gentle care
- it was unthinkable. The thought of what it would have been like for
him, not to know his own parents... She covered her unease by setting to
work. Gently placing her hands on either side of the gaping wound in his
stomach, she tackled the internal injuries.
Nephlyte took Malachite's hand in his own and kept vigil over them
both.
~~~~~~~ * * * * * * * * ~~~~~~~
The dawn
was quiet. Calm. Most families lay sleeping in their beds. Never wake before
the sun - it was an old superstition. If one awoke before the
The dawn was quiet. Calm. Most people lay sleeping in their
beds. Never wake before the sun itself, the sun would be insulted and
hide its face in the covers. One young man snorting in disgust at the old
wives tale, stared out at the splendor of the rising sun. He, alone, of
this village knew the truth behind that old wives tale. *All it takes is
one solar eclipse and a scared young Bard... Pah. What fools.* He stared
up at the sunrise, a sunrise that shone through atmosphere alone. No
crystalline forest to reflect its fiery radiance. No Terran sunrise could
compare to a Lunar one in full splendor.
The young man had cursed the turn of fate which had exiled him to
this primitive planet. That was before. Now, nearly three years later,
he was forced to reevaluate his opinion. Earth had its own natural
wonders - warm, vibrant, and comforting. Not like the icy cold beauty of
the Moon. She had loved Earth. Only her station in life had prevented
his only love from uprooting and moving there. Ironic that it should be
he, the aloof, condescending outsider, who should settle in the midst of
this rich planet. No, he certainly did not curse his fate anymore. His
son deserved a chance at a real life. He deserved to run through fields
of grass and apple trees before the pressures of life under the rule of
Queen Serenity claimed him, too.
The young man heard a stirring in the house, *Ah, Relli must be
up.* "Relli! Come here, girl!" With a bound and a leap, a graceful
golden dog raced out of the house. She jumped up and licked the man's
face. He laughed and petted her. "Easy girl, we don't want to wake the
baby, right?" She took up her usual spot, guarding at his feet. Relli
had been a last present from his love when he left for Earth with their
baby. Trained with the Guardian Dogs and Great Cats of the Moon Kingdom,
Relli would probably die before she let anything happen to himself or his
son.
A piercing wail shattered the dawn silence, *Oops. Woke him up.*
He went into the house and slipped into his son's room. *Wow, he's got a
powerful set of lungs.* He went over to the bed and lifted his son. He
started crooning to him, "Easy. It's OK. Daddy's here. Daddy will
protect you. It's OK. Easy." His son's crying soon diminished and then
ceased. He heard a light giggle in his ear and his son started wriggling.
He uttered the one word that he seemed to love more than anything,
"Rell-i! Rell-i!"
The young father sighed at his son’s fickle nature and put him
down. The pair instantly scampered off to play in the apple orchard. He
sat wearily down on the bed and ran a hand through his hair. *One more
day to face. One more day without my love. Why us? What was so wrong
about us being together? My rank was high enough. I had titles, lands,
Royal Honors - what was so wrong about me? Why did they deem me so
unworthy? Why must she never know her son?* He lay down and closed his
eyes.
A loud bang echoed in the stillness. The young man shot up off of
the bed and grabbed for his sword - which no longer hung at his side.
*Damn!* Before he had time to plan an escape route the men were in the
room. He tried to fight free, but they outnumbered him nearly twenty to
one. Two soldiers forced him to his knees before their commander. The
commander looked down at him.
The man glared back. The commander laughed, "So, the great
General Maloreon, first General of the Royal Army of the Moon - captured
at last! What a great jest! We thought to find you in the home of what
passes for "nobility" and "royalty" on this planet. And instead we find
you in some dirty, little hovel on the edge of a backwater village. What
a great joke! Tell me, where is that little bastard brat of yours?"
Maloreon stared back at him, *My son! So that's what they want.
Damn! My life is already forfeit, but there's no way I'll hand over my
son!* He looked Captain Torin straight in the eye and said simply,
"General Maloreon, First of the Royal Four, Serial Number 784-35-G."
The smile dropped from his former Head Captain's face, "Not funny,
General. We're going to find him with or without your cooperation. If
you cooperate, I'll give you a merciful death. That's the best I can
offer you, now."
"General Maloreon, First of the Royal Four, Serial Number
784-35-G," was his only reply.
The laughing, cruel mask of the Captain cracked, "Dammit,
Maloreon! Don't make me do this! Don't make me haul you before the
Tribunal! You know what you're charged with - Crimes against the Sanctity
of the Royal House of the Moon! You know the punishment! They _hate_
you. They'll want to make an example of you. The very least they'll do
is sentence you to be tortured for three days before they let you die!"
Torin cried, "I don't want to see you brought so low. None of us do. The
Army is still yours at its heart. We don't want to see you suffer, but
justice must be served."
Torin knelt down next to Maloreon, who stared straight ahead.
Torin pleaded with him, "If you tell me where the child is, I'll give you
a merciful death - to Hell with Justice! I'll say it was an accident -
you fought us and it happened during the fight! No one will know!"
Maloreon looked at his Captain, his eyes filled with an infinite
sadness, "I knew what my actions would bring when I took them. I was well
aware of the consequences. My son makes it all worth it. I _can't_ hand
him over to you. He's my son. To Hell with the consequences." He turned
away from the Captain and stared ahead.
Torin stood up and looked down at the General at his feet. He
pleaded, "At least tell me his name." Maloreon shook his head. Torin
uttered three words, "So be it." He motioned to the two soldiers and they
hauled General Maloreon to his feet and out of the house. When they were
well away from it, Torin raised his hands and called lightnings down on
the house. Those who witnessed it swore that he was crying as he did so.
Only two other souls saw the tragedy take place - a small boy and
his faithful, golden dog. Relli stared after Maloreon, anguished. She
knew she could not save her Master, but she believed that she could save
his son. She gave one mournful howl that sent shivers up the spines of
the retreating soldiers. Then she grabbed the boy's collar and dragged
him to the front of the house. She saw a woman walking down the dirt road
in front of the house. She sniffed and wagged her tail ever so slightly.
She knew this woman - she had a pup of her own who often came to play with
the Master's boy. She nosed the boy into the ruins of the house and
started to bark. The woman heard and ran to the house.
"What's the matter, girl? Where's Loreon?" she asked. Just then,
the boy started to cry. The woman caught her breath and ran into the
house.
Satisfied that the boy would be safe, Relli ran to a secret room
in the back of the house. It still stood, she saw with relief. Her whole
being was screaming at her to return to her First Master - the Master's
love. Endless repeats of the drill had made activating the teleporter
easy. She stepped onto the platform and back to the Moon. When her First
Master saw her, and realized what must have happened to the Master - she
broke down and cried, "Maloreon! No! Oh Goddess, no! My love! My baby!
Oh please, no!"
After that night, she was never the same. Her mind began to
dwindle and lose its vivacity and rebellious nature. All she could focus
on were simple things, like balls, and parties, and dresses. She slowly
became what she had always feared becoming - a petty and ordinary noble
lady.
The boy, whose very name was unknown to his noble mother, grew in
the protection of the Earthwoman, and eventually took his father's place
as First of the Four Generals of the Royal Army of the Moon Kingdom,
though he did not know it.
~~~~~~~ * * * * * * * * ~~~~~~~
All of this flashed through the drifting mind of the adult who had
been that boy. He cringed in horror when he finally saw the face of the
woman who was his mother. What this would mean, he couldn't possibly
know.
She drifted, exhaustion accentuated in every line of her being.
*I've never performed such a massive Healing before. I think I
overreached myself. I feel so drained.* Something nudged her. And
nudged her again. She heard a hard thump. Something must have fallen on
the floor. When an ache began on her bottom, Zoisite realized that _she_
was the something that had fallen on the floor. She pried her eyes open.
She was sitting straddle-legged on the floor next to Malachite's bed.
Nephlyte still kept his silent vigil. She looked about, trying to figure
out _how_ she had fallen off the bed - and encountered a pair of golden
brown eyes set in a golden furred face. A face with _teeth_. She
screamed.
Nephlyte jerked up out of the chair, his sword drawn. The face
slammed into the floor and paws descended over its ears. Nephlyte looked
over at Zoisite and the poor dog moaning in front of her and began to
laugh.
Now that she had her bearings, Zoisite saw the humor in the
situation. She'd been so drained after Healing Malachite, that the dog
had managed to shove her right off the bed. She reached out her hands and
scratched behind the dog's ears, "I'm sorry, girl! I didn't mean to scare
you. Are you all right?"
The dog wagged her tail once or twice and lolled her tongue out.
She whined and looked up at Malachite. After giving Zoisite's hand a
lick, she jumped up on his bed. He looked like the Master and the First
Master. Of that, there was no doubt. This was the pup. He'd grown into
a fine, young man. She sniffed around his face, rememorizing his unique
smell. She had tried to tell the First Master that this was her pup on
several occasions. She hadn't been successful. She settled down across
his legs. To her canine nose, the family tie between them was obvious.
Stupid bipeds and their weak noses. Hmph.
With Sailor Pluto's help, Relli had managed to show the pup the
events of his sire's last day on Earth. He deserved that much. And she
didn't remember the pup being as dense as his mother, maybe he'd figure
out who his mother was from that dream. She sighed, She sure hoped so.
She picked her head up and looked at the pup again. He sure didn't look
good. That color might be healthy for a poodle, but she doubted it was
for a human. She licked him once and jumped off the bed. The
Healer-Woman would care for him. She ran off to find her First Master,
leaving the pup in capable hands.
* * *
Sailor Jupiter slowly stood and stretched. She had checked the
field from one end to the other - no sign of any of her fellow Scouts.
She swallowed a sudden lump of tears in her throat, *They aren't fellows,
not anymore. They haven't been for quite some time. Jupiter, was I
blind!*
~Maybe next time you'll _listen_ when I tell you something!
Humans. Puh. Think they know everything. Hmph.~
Sailor Jupiter smiled, "Good to know you care, Jupiter!" The she
sobered herself, "By the way, I never got a chance to thank you."
~For what?~
With a sweep of her hand, Lita indicated her new uniform and the
Starsword, "For this. I wouldn't have had a chance out there without
this. Thank you."
Jupiter smiled, warmly, ~You, of all the Scouts, have earned the
additional power. Enjoy it!~
Lita felt her God's presence fade from her mind. *You old softy,*
she smiled, *Not that you'd ever admit it.* She sighed, *Guess I'd better
go find out what everyone plans to do about all this.*
Another hour found Sailor Jupiter wandering the Palace halls in
search of another living being. She finally found one in the Ball Room.
Queen Serenity sat blankly on the floor, rocking back and forth. Jadeite
sat about five feet away, staring at the Queen. Lita walked over to him
and put a hand on his shoulder. He jerked up, then relaxed when he saw
who it was.
"Lita! Thank the Gods, you're all right! I need your help,"
Jadeite suddenly grabbed Lita's hand, "What's wrong with her?? Why won't
she get up?? She hasn't spoken or anything since the Crystal shattered!
What do I do with her?"
Lita pried her hand out of Jadeite's grasp, "Take it easy! Let me
go take a look. OK?" Jadeite nodded.
Lita slowly approached the Queen, "Your Majesty? Queen Serenity?
Please, talk to me." There was no response from the Queen. Lita tried
again, "Your Highness? We need you now. Please, snap out of it." There
was still no response. *It's as if no one's home to answer me. What the
heck happened?*
~She has been steadily declining for many years. Her daughter's
betrayal was merely the last straw that pushed her over the edge.~
"Jupiter?" Lita was surprised. It wasn't like Jupiter to contact
her twice in such a short time.
~No, Little One. It is not Jupiter with whom you speak. We _all_
look over the children of the Moon. The start of this problem was an
affair of the heart, and such is _my_ specialty.~
"Venus!" Lita breathed, shocked. "But why speak to _me_?"
~Because you are the only Scout left with us - other than Pluto,
who is busy elsewhere. You must forgive the rest of us if we meddle in
your life more as a result.~
*Oh great!* Lita thought, *That’s just what I need - 6 more gods
meddling in my life! Wonderful.* Out loud she said, "Whatever works best
for you. I’ll be here if you need me - I don’t plan to go anywhere." She
turned to the Queen, "What happened originally? I mean, what could cause
such major damage?'
~An affair of the Heart - what else?~ was Venus’ cryptic reply.
*Oh that helped,* Lita grumbled. "OK, so what do I do with her _now_?
She looks like she’s a mental vegetable!"
~Bring her to Healer Hall - it is possible that with rest, she may
someday recover.~
Lita felt Venus’ presence lift from the room. She turned to
Jadeite, "According to the Goddess of Venus, we have to get Queen Serenity
to Healer Hall. Think we can manage that?"
Jadeite rose and took one of Serenity’s arms, "Ready whenever you
are."
Lita took her other arm and they hauled the Queen to her feet.
After a few steps Lita stepped on one of Serenity’s pigtails and fell flat
on her face - taking Jadeite and Serenity with her. Jadeite piped up from
the other side of the Queen, "Uh... Jupiter? What was that maneuver
supposed to accomplish?"
Jupiter growled a response, "Absolutely nothing." She grabbed her
Starsword out of its sheath and hacked Serenity’s hair off at the
shoulders. "All right, stop staring. You see short hair on people every
day. Get over it," she got to her feet and mumbled, "It’s not as if she’s
awake enough to care, anyway."
Jadeite said nothing. He grabbed one of the Queen’s arms and
dragged her back to her feet. Lita took the other arm and they slowly
made their way out of the Room.
Something was shaking her. Something was shaking her again.
MasterHealer Leea growled something unintelligible and took a swat at the
something. The something yelped in surprise. Her head felt all fuzzy and
she was comfortable - she had no intention of moving.
That all changed five seconds later. She sat up spluttering and
jumped up, desperately shaking her robes around. Finally the ice cube
dropped out of the back of her robe and onto the floor. She spun around,
glaring, trying to pin the culprit in place with her eyes. Roland sat on
the floor shaking with laughter.
He managed to gasp, "You should’ve seen the look on your face!"
before he collapsed into giggles, again.
Leea was fairly shaking with rage, "You! You! Oh!!!! I can’t
believe you...! AAAAHHHH!!!!" She put her hands to her face, trying to
calm her anger. She felt all kinds of bumps on her cheek - bandage bumps.
*Oh dear, I must’ve been sleeping on Roland’s leg! I must’ve been hurting
him! No wonder he wanted me to get up!* she thought in a panic.
Roland finally sobered up, "Don’t worry sweetheart - I won’t take
it personally. Beautiful women fall asleep in my lap all the time!" Leea
turned up her nose and stalked off.
She soon found herself in front of General Malachite’s room. She
opened the door, determined to check on her former patient. She slipped
inside and found Zoisite and General Nephlyte still sitting on either side
of Malachite’s bed.
She dared to speak, "Has there been any change?"
Zoisite slowly shook her head back and forth, "Not enough to
warrant any kind of celebration or anything."
Nephlyte piped up, "I _do_ feel a change. He seemed to be in
distress before - maybe he was dreaming - but now, he's calm again. He
should wake up sometime today or tomorrow."
Zoisite stared at him, "A day or two? Don't you think that's a
little unrealistic?"
Nephlyte raised an eyebrow, "You don't know General Malachite very
well, do you?"
She blushed and looked down, "I guess not."
Leea saw the blush and thought to herself, *But I bet she'd like
to!* Out loud she said, "Where's everyone else? Diana and Roland are in
the lounge, you two are in here, but where's everyone else?"
Nephlyte counted on his fingers, then tapped one finger against
his chin, "We're missing Zafir, Jadeite, Lita, Queen Serenity, and Prince
Darien. You know, Leea, that's an excellent question."
A sudden commotion interrupted the conversation. A not so quietly
muttered oath brought a blush to Leea's cheeks. She turned towards the
door and said, "Now who could that be...?"
Nephlyte, shaking in silent laughter, said, "I think I know - I
can at least make an educated guess..."
Zoisite growled, "Well, whoever it is, they're making too much
noise! We've got wounded people in here - they need their rest!" She
rounded on Nephlyte, "If you know who it is, go tell 'em to shut up!"
Nephlyte put his hands up in submission and ran from the room. At
Leea's questioning look, Zoisite clarified, "The distraction will do him
good." Leea joined Zoisite in the helpless fit of giggles that followed.
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