Sceval, Kaeleer (Fourth Full Day in Kaeleer)

[glacial_queen]

For their last full day in Kaeleer, Karla had a special surprise planned for everyone. Well, it probably wasn’t a surprise, per se, as she was pretty sure that everyone had guess what was coming. Because, seriously, you couldn’t have a trio to Kaeleer that didn’t culminate in a trip to Sceval. Not that she told anywhere where they were going, even as they boarded the Coach.

Sceval was a Territory of mostly rolling hills and long grasslands, with some pockets of forests and a small range of mountains. It grew no crops and imported none, there was no plundering of the natural resources, either the ore in the mountains or the wood of the forests. The Blood in Sceval had no need for such things; they were happy to drink only the water that flowed in crystal streams and ate what grew naturally. The Blood in Sceval had no need for jewelry (save their Jewels), for silks and satins, or for exotic perfumes.

It was impossible to say where in Sceval the Coach had dropped them; with no cities or roads, one part of the Territory looked much like any other, save the differences in natural landmarks. Jaenelle had been insistent that this was where the Coach needed to land, and the Coachman saw no reason to argue, even though the area where they landed was completely deserted. “Come on, this way,” Jaenelle said, pointing at a small strip of woods to the west. “We need to go through there.”

The hike through the woods lasted a good half hour, and even then, no one explained where they were going. No one was allowed to dawdle or explore either, and the so-called rest break they got barely lasted long enough for everyone to get a drink from the stream. “Just a little farther,” Karla promised as they spotted a break in the trees.

The tree line ended on a small hillside, so the students piling out of the woods could look down and see for miles. There was a small path leading down the hill, for when they decided to go down and mingle with the Blood of Sceval, who were waiting for them beyond the drop off.

The Blood of Sceval were unicorns.

[You know the drill Have at! Unicorns!]

Comments

Re: The Woods

[bitchprince]

Arthur shot her a dry look. Really, had she lost it or something? "Who are you taking me for, Dinah?"

There was functionally insane, and then there was just plain insane.

Re: The Woods

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Never know if she coulda rubbed off on you," Katchoo answered, smirking. "Though if that happens, we're gonna have a little bit of a problem. I refuse to believe you being that hyper would be anything other than a gremlin bite."

Re: The Woods

[bitchprince]

"I'm fairly sure the only way that could happen was if it turned out that her mental disease was contagious," Arthur noted, cheerfully. "In which case you'd probably be the first one to catch it. You did spend all summer in that cabin."

Re: The Woods

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Oh, god. Don't remind me," Katchoo groused. "I wanted to die for the first week."

And then she'd had to go off to see a friend who was dying, and . . . well. Perspective.

Re: The Woods

[bitchprince]

"You know, the school will simply punish you for that by putting you in a worse one this time," Arthur said, paused, and added, "...if you're staying for the summer."

Re: The Woods

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Planning on it." Sort of. Assumed, more like. Katchoo paused to brush sweat-damp hair out of her eyes. "Sticking around as long as possible doesn't sound like a half bad idea to me."

Re: The Woods

[bitchprince]

Unlike other people participating in this conversation.

But Arthur just nodded. "Seems fine enough," he said, finally. "It'll give you some time."

Re: The Woods

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo shrugged diffidently. "It's not like I have anywhere else to go, between now and possibly college, and did I mention you're crazy?"

Re: The Woods

[bitchprince]

"You're 'crazy' if you're just going to forgo an education out of spite," Arthur noted, effortlessly shifting into his 'serious' gear.

Re: The Woods

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"I was 'forgoing' it because I couldn't afford it so I didn't bother to try, dumbass." Arthur's serious gear brought out Katchoo's 'awkwardly-grateful-by-way-of-insult-flinging' gear, apparently. "Past tense, even. I'd hug you, you idiot, except you'd run screaming and the world would crumble from the lapse in masculinity."

Re: The Woods

[bitchprince]

There was an amused look being levelled her way, if a tempered one. "Don't be so dramatic," he said, lightly. "I'm not sure how this works, exactly - have the two of you chosen... fields of study yet?"

Re: The Woods

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Art school for me, obviously -- got about ten portfolios' worth of stuff. As for Francine --" Katchoo entertained a brief, amused mental image of her in a labcoat and safety goggles -- "I'm not so sure."

She shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know a hell of a lot about how it works, either, considering I never even thought about it before."

Re: The Woods

[bitchprince]

"Well, you'd best make something of it," Arthur said, but he made sure his voice was jocular.

Maybe he just didn't want to be his father. "You've only got a few more months to figure it out."

Re: The Woods

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Working on it," Katchoo answered. "Considering you'd never stop breathing down my neck until I did."

Translated loosely from Katchoo-ese, that was a thank you. A very heartfelt one, even.

Re: The Woods

[bitchprince]

"Hopefully not."

Re: The Woods

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, well. I don't know what I'd do without you being a regular pain in my ass . . ."

Re: The Woods

[bitchprince]

Another look there, Katchoo. "Try not to cry," he said, dryly. "I know it's hard, but..."

Listen, it was easier to joke than to pontificate on what would happen if the island didn't let him go after graduation.

Re: The Woods

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, yeah." The look she gave him in return was deadpan of the who, me? Sentimental? Did you hit your head again? variety. "I'll suck it up and play stoic just for you."

She'd offer to yell at the island for him, except if the island did listen to her and let him go, well . . . she'd actually meant that about not knowing what to do.

Re: The Woods

[bitchprince]

"Thank you kindly."

He was mocking her, yes. What else was new?

"I've told Merlin to try enchanting our phones," he offered.

Re: The Woods

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

"Tell anybody I promised that and I kill you." Arthur mocking her also fell in the 'I don't know what I'd do without' column. Shut up. It was a special kind of relationship.

"Yeah? Enchanted phones?" Don't sound so hopeful, Chewie.

Re: The Woods

[bitchprince]

Arthur shrugged. "We'd have to hide them, of course. If it worked. And it's Merlin, so you never know..."

Re: The Woods

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

Katchoo snickered briefly. "As attached as he is to that fancy-ass phone of his already, he could end up giving himself more reasons to cuddle it."

Re: The Woods

[bitchprince]

Arthur gestured at her in a fashion that said yes, that. "If we're lucky, you'll be able to hear from us once a month or so," he said. "If we're unlucky, Merlin gains a new pet, or my father has him executed." Cheery.

Re: The Woods

[thismaskiwear.livejournal.com]

And Katchoo thought she could be morbid.

"Tone that disgusting optimism down a notch, will ya?" she asked, though boy, was the notion of pushing the subject tempting. "I can only take so much cheer in one day."

Re: The Woods

[bitchprince]

Another look. Maybe Merlin was right; this trip was making him moodswingy. "It's the reality of the situation," he said, matter of factly. "If my father finds out, Merlin will die. In fact, if it were up to my father, Merlin would have died a long time ago."