Re: The Ye Old Shoppe o' Curiosities (An OpenBook Production)

[bookcrazI]

Johnny:
(DAHdumDAHdumDAHdeedeeDUM)

Lila:
As he pulled me inside my expensive high heels decided to betray me and get caught in a crack.
That, in turn, caused my weight to go down awkwardly and my body to crash to the tiled ground, still outside.
I'm not gonna lie, it hurt pretty bad.
And I had to focus on not swearing like a sailor when the first wave of pain hit. Pain is kind of shocking. It takes a moment or two for a person to process it but once they do it's like a hot stabbing pain, when you twist your ankle that is. It becomes the once thing you can think of and everything blurs out at that moment.
Then once the initial pain is over you're lying on the ground and moaning.
I looked up, a bit dizzy from my sudden drop to the ground and winced as I tried to move.
Wow.
That was horror movie cliche.
The pretty chick falls right as the antagonist, be it a swarm or birds or a psychopathic killer, is nearing. I almost laughed, but then again it would of come out as a scream.
Another horror movie cliche.
I glanced back at the fog and the guards and how the mist/fog/purple smoke was closing in.
Frankly I was a bit more scared than I would have liked.


Molly:
I tilted my head and my mouth formed an 'Oh' in realization.
Wow.
I was a bit thick.
Now we had to kill a bit of time until they came. Great.
No offense to Jefferey, but he never seemed like the chatty type, but then again, Fergie never gave him a chance to socialize with us. I felt a little curious as more ponderings circled in my head.
"I'm more or less okay, considering my current circumstances... And you? How are you Jefferey? Would you like to rant about Fergie? I dunno... Me and Robin.. That's what we did together when we had to kill time, we'd pick a particular situation and rant our hearts out about it. It's rather calming, I find." I said with what I hoped was a kind smile.
I was more the rantee than that ranter, I was the one who had to dissuade Robin from setting Niki Gerberts hair on fire and from putting up a slideshow of embarrassing photos of Jeff Heron.

[OpenTheDoor]

Robin: (Do-De-Frickin'-Do-Do-De-Do-Do-De-Do-De-Frickin'...)

Olly: You know, they don't lie when they say that bad things happen in slow motion. That definitely was a cliché. But as she fell, all I could was watch, mentally cursing as I saw the way her ankle twisted beneath her in those heels.
"S-sorry," I murmured.
That was my fault, wasn't it? I was pulling her and fell over the crack in the pavement. It was because of me that she was in pain.
I was a brilliant husband.
But as I knelt down beside her, I gently picked her up, oh-so glad that she was light. I wasn't very strong but lifting her was like carrying a pillow. Nothing to worry about.
So as I carried her in, pushing past all of the swarming guard, and set her down on a chair, I gave a rough sigh. Again, I knelt down in front of her, easing off the high heel from her twisted foot. But just as I was about to check the foot, the maids decided to rush over and take charge of it all. Of course, instead, I stood up beside her and took a hold of her hand, watching as the smoke began to spread.
"What is that?" I asked, mostly myself although Lila was welcome to answer it.
But as I looked around me, it seemed as though nobody else knew either. It was strange, though. I had seen that smoke before, I swore. It was a whole boatload of déjà vu.

Jeffrey could have grinned at her little realisation, but he didn't seeing it wasn't profession. Just because Fergie wasn't there didn't mean that he wasn't being paid.
Technically he could have done whatever he wanted and he would still get paid, but seeing as Molly needed a person to join her, he thought that he might have well. Anyway, he could have always visited a few people. He wasn't going to be needed 24/7.
But to her words, he gave a small sigh.
"Unfortunately, I am technically still at work and speaking ill of my employer would be very unprofessional. In any case, I am completely fine. I have nothing to 'rant' about, especially about Master Ferguson."
Well, that was a lie. Of course he had plenty to rant about, especially when it came to that boy. He could have written a book all about it, 'The Diaries of a Butler'. Yes, it would surely be a best-seller. He could have even got a movie deal. He could have got George Clooney to play him.
"However," he sighed, snapping his fingers together, "if you wish to 'rant', I am all ears."
And as he clicked his fingers, a small chair appeared just beside of Molly, one which she was ushered by him to take. Yes, he couldn't teleport people or himself well but he could easily make small things like that appear from thin air. Any House Elf could.

[bookcrazI]

Johnny: (DadeeeeeDadedededeDadeeeeeeee)

Lila:
I winced as the flurry of maids came to tend to me, muttering and cooing and being generally like mother hens. I watched Olly over their fluttering fingers and bit my lip.
It wasn't his fault.
I smiled weakly at him then glanced out the window and frowned. The mist had just came upon the patio. It seemed almost curious in it's slow meandering over bushes and seats.
I squinted my eyes.
There was a slight darker patch.
It sparkled a little.
It was dark though, not in just color but also... feeling.
I couldn't describe it.

Molly:
I pursed my lips to hide a small grin. Yeah, Fergie was that bad sometimes.
"I.. I feel that if I rant then I'll just cry again.. but I don't need to, not really. If you're sure if you have nothing to say, then that's fine.. but I promise not to tell.. and I'd love to know some of his secrets." I finished.
He had made me sit in, though I was content in standing.
It was a nice gesture though.
I just hoped he wouldn't start treating me like a delicate doll. I was still strong and I could still handle myself, a baby wasn't gonna change that.
Right?

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: Swallowing down my worries, my eyes drifted over from her to the stalking mist. It was getting close, incredibly close. The guards were beginning to run into the unknown in their droves, one by one. And I was chewing onto my lip.
But before I had a chance to glance down to Lila, my head shot up to the sound of thundering metal. Almost instantly, the giant shutters were coming down over the windows, sealing us all in shut. It was only then when I did turn to Lila, beginning to frown. I knelt down beside her, putting my mouth right by her ear gently.
"What are you thinking about?" I murmured, peering up at her, "The darker part, the feeling...?"
It wasn't my fault her thoughts were so loud.

Shaking his head, Jeffrey gave a small sigh, "I am still on duty, Miss Molly. In addition, my employer's information is confidential, even the fact that he used to suck his thumb until he was fourteen."
Oops. Did that slip out?
He was becoming a rebellious butler. He knew that he shouldn't have smiled earlier!
"And it is common knowledge that people need to let out steam. I would be worried if you decided not to."

[bookcrazI]

Lilac:
I wrapped my arms around his neck as if I was getting comfort from him, which I was, but I was just trying to hide my mouth.
"It feels familiar..but like revenge... it looked like someone was in it." I whispered to him a bit scared.
I couldn't fight mist.
That scared me.
I could fight a person.
I was glad he heard me but as he went over my thoughts I started to frown, there was something very familiar about the aura of the smoke. It nagged at the corner of my mind as I tried to figure out what it was.
It just...
It was recent.
It wasn't a close(by high class standards) friend.
I..
Was it..?
Yes.
I covered mouth and shook my head, confused.
"Tim...."


Molly:
I covered my smile and nodded along, something I could use against my not present boyfriend.
Till fourteen?
Neverland magic did things to a person, I guess.
"I.. I never really have.. steam to let out, I mean.. if I'm really angry or distressed I.. I tend to explode, magic hightening those things don't help.. Even before.. Well.. Let's just say Robin used to be bullied a lot and I was rarely around when it happened, but when I was I stood up for her. There was this group of girls who tended to be particularly bad and one day.. well I snapped. I beat two of the girls up pretty bad and gave one girl such a harsh talking to that she ran off crying.. they don't really go near me, and that was when we were ten. I got in big trouble for that though.." I grimaced as I let out that story.
Robin knew I was not to be messed with.
Everyone thought it was Robin who was the badass not to mess with chick but I got pretty bad sometimes.

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: Did she just say...?
I raised to feet at the mention of his name, slipping out her arms gently and instead taking a hold of her hand. My eyes suddenly filled with a mixture of determination and anger. He said that he would get revenge. He just didn't think that it would be on a scale like that, a field filled with dark mist. It was strange to think that I was slightly allured to that.
If it was Dark that he wanted to fight with, then Dark he was going to get, so it seemed.
"What is he? Like an elf, a wizard...?" I asked gently, "You said that he was a...Pure Mix...thing, right?"
Just like he was. A lovely mix between a Dark Warlock, one of the most dangerous men known and a human. Eh, he thought it gave him some balance.
But as I took a hold of my breath, I closed my eyes, trying to search for those thought patterns, the ones which every single living organism gave off. Yes, I had met him before but...it was almost as if they had changed. It was...weird.

As Molly explained her story, the butler sat there, nodding, listening to every word which she said. So she said that she rarely let off steam but it seemed as though he had coaxed her into confessing a little bit to help make her feel better. Seeing as Robin wasn't to be around for a while, it appeared good to Jeffrey to let her reflect on things, to try and think things through without the other.
"It sounds like you're a good friend, sticking up for Robin like that," he nodded gently, "If only she knew that she could whisper a spell and have them screaming for mercy."
He almost chuckled to himself. It was ironic how the world worked, wasn't it? Filled with cruel twists and turns. It made it more interesting, it seemed. Nobody liked a predictable story now, did they?
"However, it seems as though you keep things to yourself so that they just build up and up and up, perhaps because of the caring nature. You take the weight of the world on your shoulders and expect yourself to carry it around. You do know that you do have people who you can share your worries with, correct? Fergie, Robin, Johnny and I suppose I should included myself in that list momentarily," he grinned, "How long have you and Robin been friends for, then?"
Yes, conversation killed time. That was his idea. And if he could get Molly to be a little more relaxed...well, that was a bonus too.

[bookcrazI]

Lila:
I was tempted to pull him back but I didn't, really I was pretty useless at the moment and feeling pretty stupid. The maids had come and gone, having to tend to fainting guests and ushering others into the rooms without windows for safety. They had wrapped my ankle in a neat way and left an icepack on the little table next to me in case.
I was sure they'd come back for us but we had to be gracious hosts, first and foremost. Plus the nobles got a little flighty and mob-ish when they got scared.
It was not a pretty sight.
Basically they thought we were safer to tell to sit tight than the man with the monocle in the corner who was already hyperventilating.
Yeah.
I kind of had to agree.
But that little rich princess in me wanted to demand my safety first.
The rebel in me stayed cool and aloof, after beating the crap out of the little princess me, that is.
We were fine.
So far.
I mean Tim had turned himself into purple sparkly smoke, it hadn't done anything bad yet. Perhaps he just wanted to show us how fabulous he was and how purple was in this year.
I prayed for that.


Molly:
I sat back blinking a little bit.
The little elf had done a bit of reverse psychology. I was secretly pretty pleased with him and put a mental note in the bad of my head to force Fergie into giving him a raise.
Fergie.
I bit my lip to stop it from quivering and forced myself to think of the question.
"Well.. Let's see.. We met in Girl guides when we were both about.. I dunno five or six and became friends, I went to a different school for a couple of years, about two or three, but our moms were in the same book club so we always hung out.. that's when Robin got bullied.. And then I transferred over and we've been inseparable since. So.. all in all.. ten, eleven... twelve years?" I said.
I raised my eyebrows.
It didn't seem like nearly that much.

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: "Lila?"
She seemed to be off on one, lost in her thoughts as he tried
"Are you ok--"
Crash.
My eyes shot to where the noise was coming from. It was a loud, metal thundering from just beyond the walls of the house. It was the shutters. He was trying to break in.
Then I got a small idea.
Kneeling down next to her, I grimaced slightly as I went over what I was going to ask her. I didn't really want to but...it seemed as though it would be a good idea for them. It was either that or wait to see what Tim wanted.
"Lila, this might be a bit off to ask but... Do you think that I should try and get my father here?"
Well, he was powerful, wasn't he? Plus, it was doubtful that he would be too busy to defend his son, his new family and their associates. Maybe that was better then just hoping that he wasn't going to kill us.
Who knew, deadly person-mist might do that. I had never come across it before then.

Jeffrey gave a small nod. If his calculations were correct then they met around the same time as when her father left the family. It seemed that before then they had a bit of a good lifestyle with Girl Guides and a book club...
He would have never have thought that she would be selling cookies around the doors of the neighbourhood. He would have thought that she would have eaten them all.
"And been attached at the hip since..."
Well, a couple of twists and turns had occurred however it was inarguable that the two of them wouldn't have been together through that little journey to the kingdom. It was just a shame that Robin's father had popped up at that time and not a week or two later.
"How sweet."

[bookcrazI]

Lilac:
My lips formed a thin line and my brows furrowed, was that really a good idea? His father scared me a little, there was something about the predatory feeling he gave off.
I grimaced lightly, what was our alternative?
We knew nothing about what Tim was doing nor what he had planned and, no matter how little I cared for the nobles, I hated the idea of anyone getting hurt due to my own fear of finding a reasonable solution. His father was a reasonable solution, I had no personal qualms against the man.
Just knowledge of his history, which, to be fair, is much darker than most and did involve a lot of murder and betrayal and what not.
I ended with a nod, kissing Olly's brow.
"I trust your judgement..." I said finally.


Molly:
I smiled, a few good memories skipping through my mind.
We were so young.
We were still young, just grown up in mind and actions, at least I hoped we were. I looked up at the sounds of metal and chains and horses.
I could have been wrong but that sounded like knights to me, that or very dedicated costume strippers. I really doubted the latter though.
I could always dream.
Not that I didn't love Fergie...
I did..
But a girl could dream.

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: I watched her face as she worked it all out, her thoughts trying to add up and see if she agreed with me or not. But the bit that I focused on a lot was the fact that she was going over his past, his records and achievements. Even though they were true, I didn't feel as though they completely mattered at the time.
I was his son. Surely that would matter more.
"Just for the record, I don't really like it much either but... Its Dark, he's Dark. He might know something."
It seemed as though I was still trying to convince myself that it was a good decision. Yeah, I still wasn't fully sure at that point but we didn't have too much of another alternative. And as far as I could tell, from the screaming thoughts of the guards outside, they weren't very prepared to fight a load of mist.
With a small sigh to myself, I stood up and quickly pressed a kiss to her lips before I walked over to an empty corner of the room, just allowing myself a bit of room to focus. Sure, with all of the clashing metal not so far away, it was pretty difficult but...
Shutting my eyes, I took in a breath, focusing my energies to try and search for his...but it was far away. It was fortunate that he was a strong man, his aura was easy to find. No-one else's was that clear... Well, Robin and Angie's was similar and I supposed that mine was, simply because we were his kids.
But I was rambling.
Can you get to the manor? We have a bit of a situation.
I didn't really know what to say. Maybe I should have said hello first or something, not just went for it...and maybe I should have said my name.
What is happening?
Tim, one of the guys who I was up against in the engagement thing has turned into a mist and is attacking the manor. The guards seem unable to do anything and, seeing as your Dark and the mist seems Dark I thought that maybe you wo--
...one second.
Opening my eyes again, I began to ran my hand through my hair, my worries beginning to grow a little greater. Was that really the best thing to do? He sounded a bit...agitated, like he was in the middle of something important which wasn't going his way.
But then my thoughts were shut up as a small cold wisp of wind brushed across my face, and in the matter of seconds, a man who I knew too well was standing there, brushing off a little bit of dirt from his lapel.
"Remind me to never enter an intellectual debate with your sister," he muttered, straightening himself up, "She certainly took after me when it comes to her personality. As stubborn as a mule."
But even though there was a mist-man trying to attack the manner, he just laughed, acting as though there was no danger. I didn't know whether that made me feel safe or as though I could go up to him and slap him around the face to focus.
It didn't even occur to me that he was talking to Robin and what about. If it was about food, The Beatles or penguins, however, he would lose.

Peering down to his pocket watch, Jeffrey gave a happy little smile. It seemed as though chatting really did make the time fly. They were right on time.
"Miss Molly, if you would stand and move a little to the side, please. The knights do tend to take up a lot of room."
Well, she must have seen them before taking up the whole of her drive. He knew that they enjoyed to travel in a huge group despite the annoyances that went along with that.
The King certainly was a pointlessly flamboyant man.

[bookcrazI]

Lila:
I watched Olly and tried my best to quiet my thoughts, knowing they could be quite distracting at times. Then poof, a man.
His father to be exact.
A bit on the muddy side and quite smilely for a dark lord, it was like seeing Cruella Devile donating to the SPCA. It was a bit off putting.
I grimaced as I hit my ankle against the side of the seat as I re-positioned myself and squeaked.
I didn't really want to attract any attention to myself, especially when my husband was at the other end of the room and a rather scary man stood between us. I grimaced again. I was really great at hiding my thoughts, I might as well be telecasting them in New York square.
I was a rather stupid creature sometimes.
I just hoped that they wouldn't notice me, I mean I knew Olly would at least knowledge me as he walked by but I really didn't want to tangle myself into a mess of words with his father, no matter how clever I thought I was.

Molly:
I got up and backed away, pushing some of our bags to the sides as well. I bit my lip and watched as the battalion of men on horsed trotted through, was that a battalion?
My knightly knowledge lacked a little as I had learned about government and the formation of Canada instead of Knights in grade 8. I vaguely remembered something about serfs and fuedal contracts, but I was pretty that applied to medieval France. Not current day... magic realm.
Or whatever they called it.
She grimaced.
She was walking into this job with a severe lack of what they'd think was general knowledge. At least she could show them how to translate a graph... badly, but she could try.

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: "However, what seems to be the problem?"
He seemed too calm to be true. It was almost as if he couldn't see the metal shutters down nor hear the clattering of him trying to get in. It must have been nice to not have been worried at that point because I certainly was.
"The guy, Tim, we were competing to win Lila's hand in marriage as one of the three chosen and because he lost he wants revenge...I think. But it seems Dark and well... You're Dark. Surely you can do something?"
The man chuckled to my words, shaking his head to himself with disbelief. But as his dark eyes scanned the walls, a small frown of concentration came onto his lips.
"It seems that the power he's using was bought, not a natural gift... He made a deal with someone or something to get that power. How interesting."
How he worked that out, I had no idea, but he seemed to know his stuff. But what did he mean?
"He wants revenge. Why else would you make a deal with Darkness. I should know. I had to shake many desperate hands," he sighed, running a hand through his hair, "However, the power that he bought, I am unfamiliar with it. I talk to many people in my community yet, the powerful ones of course and only they can make deals to give people power but... It seems that I've been out of touch with my people for far too long."
Soundlessly, he began to stride towards the shutters, his eyes pinned on the walls. It was only then when I was beginning to notice that the deep purple haze was beginning to seep through the gaps. Of course, my eyes grew wide, my hand gripping onto my wife's shoulders as I passed her, a little lost for words to say.
"Evening, Lila," he greeted on his way, however he didn't shift his gaze nor did he stop in his path.
Instead, he just stood there, watching as the mist began to creep into the room, almost in amusement to such a sight.
"So you can't do anything?" I murmured gently.
"I never said that, only that the energy is unfamiliar. Of course I can do something. This person has only a portion of the original power, and even that is weaker than mine. It would be shameful for me if I couldn't."
With a slight shake of his head, he gave another sigh.
Why couldn't he just hurry up with it?

So it took a little while for the whole battalion to file out from the portal. It was quite amusing, actually. It was like Mary Poppin's handbag. You didn't think that any more could clamber out and every time you were proven wrong.
But once the last man had stumbled out the light of the gate switched down, Jeffrey gave a small and low whistle. They weren't kidding when they said that they were bringing an escort.
"Miss Black, the new Guardian of the North, present yourself!"
The man with the biggest and plume stepped forward from the crowd, his footsteps thundering with each step he took. Full armour did that.

(Oh Mi Gosh, I just thought of a plot twist! But it can't come out for a while... Hehe).

[bookcrazI]

Lila:
I grimaced as the man greeted me, my head doing the appropriate nod as I was of higher station than him out of habit rather than good manners. I watched the two men in morbid fascination, they were quite similar in mannerisms, though Olly's father seemed to be a little more comfortable and less stressed at the moment. They held a similar body frame and the same hair, I watched them walk by and bit my lip.
I had other things to worry about, such as a possibly deadly mist seeping through the cracks and into the ball room. It was dark too.
Not a good thing.
My instincts were making my ears grow longer and sharper, my teeth becoming more predatory, and nails longer.
I had to keep breathing slowly to make sure my body wouldn't shift and rip my dress to shreds. Unlike males, females elves only grew a little larger but we were more lithe and faster, think of a lioness. We had a little more control in normal situations but when things got very... life threatening, we were the first to turn.
I grimaced, trying to keep myself in the same form.
If I did shift there would be little to stop me, we females had less control of our shifted selves, we relying totally on instinct, males had more control in the other form. I shivered.
I wanted Olly to be near, to calm me, but I feared that if I couldn't calm down I'd turn and hurt him. My frown deepened. Dark magic was never good in large quantities around light fae like the elves.

Molly:

I stepped forward in, what I hoped, was a confident manner. My head was up, shoulders straight, back stiff and I was utilizing all the height my five foot frame would allow. I felt intimidating to myself, but then again I was extremely afraid of house spiders, so I couldn't really be talking.
Those things were terrifying though.
Creepy crawly... Ick.
I involuntarily shivered.
I gave the man a quick look over from my spot, he was pretty impressive. Shiny armor, a big feathery plume that probably made the girls go wild back in magic land, or whatever they called it, and not to mention his strong jaw line. He was manly.
I stood there for a moment awkwardly, thinking about how underwhelming I was compared to him, I was pretty much half his height and I was wearing jeans. I didn't even have arm muscles or a cool piercing to show off. I smiled awkwardly and waved.
"Hey there... battalion of... manly soldier men.. who I kinda forget the name of.. You're looking ever so.. macho today.. in your.. shiny armor.. and plumagy things.. and big pointy swords.. they look.. real sharp.." I said, scrambling around words and feeling like a new born horse on a frozen lake.

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: And after a couple of moments of calm deliberation, the man seemed to have made his judgement on the situation. He turned to me, a small frown on his lips as his hands gripped the top of his ever-present cane.
"Well, do you want the good news or the bad news first?" he asked.
What?
"Good news," I murmured, raising a brow.
What was he talking about?
"The mist itself isn't deadly. It isn't poisonous or harming to the body. But what it is... Its way of him getting in. Yes, he's detected but that's what he wants. Not many people here understand Dark magic so it was doubtful that they would understand what the mist is. It causes panic. Also, elves as you know have their two forms. If you make them shift forms then it makes them a little more animalistic and less in a thinking state."
His hand swiped through the forming mist as it began to gather at the front of the room but travelling any further. It was almost as if there was an invisible barrier preventing him from getting any further.
In truth it just made my father's suspicions correct.
"Its a way of him getting in without teleporting. Its dramatic. He wants to make people see that they made the wrong choice as he can do that. If he just appeared then it wouldn't make too much of a difference. This makes him seem powerful and, ultimately, that he should have won."
He gave a small shrug at the end, summing up his theory nicely. However, though he seemed to have made it seem as though he just told us something that we should have known, it seemed to me as though he was speaking a foreign language. I just stood there, a little dumbstruck.
"That is all that I have to say when it comes to that."
He must have thought that I was waiting for him to finish speaking. He had too much confidence in his son.
So after a quick shake of the head to regain my thoughts, I gave a quick sigh, still a little daunted and confused by the situation.
"So, can you stop him?" I asked.
That seemed to be the most important bit.
"Its doubtful."
Brilliant.
"What do you mean?"
"...mist is hard to stop. That's another reason why. He's spread out all over the place and isn't in a distinct place. Its like trying to catch a swarm of bees. You need a net to gather them all up."
Again, brilliant.
I thought that I was about to have a bit of a rant at him. There was a reason why I had brought him there but he didn't know what to do! What was the point?!
But as I turned to face Lila, I gave a small frown, watching as she shook in her seat. By the looks of things, if my studies had shown me anything, we could have been about to see her changing forms as my father had said.
Immediately I ran over to her, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder as she sat there, uncontrollably quaking. There was something about her, her pointed teeth and ears and...she seemed to have grown.
"Lila?" I murmured gently, rubbing her cheek with my thumb, "Stay calm, we're going to be alright, okay?"

[OpenTheDoor]

Sorry, my netbook was about to run out of charge so I had to send half of it then and type up the rest on my iPod now... ^.^"

Jeffrey had to blink a few times to try and register what she was saying. It seemed as though she was trying to make the soldiers anxious that she, as the new Guardian of the North, would be in charge of defending the Griffin Point and making sure that evil doesn't erupt there...
But after the knights seemed to stand there in silence for a few moments to let what she had said sink in, the first knight raised his hands to his helmet and lifted it off to reveal that hidden face underneath. His features were strong ad sharp, his blue gaze as piercing as an arrow. But even so, he knelt in front of Molly obediently.
"Miss Black, it is more than a pleasure to meet you."
As he slipped back onto his feet again, the butler seemed to gently roll his eyes. He didn't think that they would still stand on uniform then. They all knew of her situation, that she was a human girl and not-long practiced. If they just gave her a quick nod it probably would have been satisfactory.
"My name is Sir William and I will be your guide throughout this journey. If you have any queries or questions I will do everything that I can to answer them...though it seems that you already have a servant to keep yourself supplied."
Jeffrey just stayed emotionless as he gained a mention. It wasn't his turn to say anything, only if he was addressed directly...which he wasn't.
"Are you prepared?"

[bookcrazI]

Lila:
I nodded but let out a snarl by mistake, I covered my mouth in shock and looked up at Olly helplessly. I didn't want to hurt him.
I thought about pulling away but that'd probably make things worse. I leaned into him and then I felt a pull in my gut, the one that let me know things were shifting and preparing themselves for a change.
I cried out.
Changing wasn't a particularly happy situation, there is not a lot of pain, well physical pain, but it's pretty damn scary. I pushed Olly away and scrambled out of my chair, crawling to a corner, my ankle still aching.
I didn't want to hurt him.
"Just... Just stay back for a bit.." I said, struggling to form words with my mouth being unfamiliar full with canine teeth.


Molly:
Okay, so, I'm not gonna lie, I was a little star stuck after the knight knelt in front of me and was all gallant and dashing. I might have been a bit giggly, though I hid it with a serious face, though on the inside I was squealing and all skippy and happy and ladedah.
Don't judge.
Every girl dreams about a knight in shiny armor, we grew up with the notion that ours would come one day and sweep us off our feet and whatnot. This was like the dream coming true, he even spoke eloquently and I was turned back into a eleven year old girl.
It took a few moments of silence and a soft smile on my face as I screamed at myself inside my head to get everything together. With that done I glanced around.
"Uh.. Yes.. Sir William.. and Jefferey isn't my servant, he's my friend.. a companion, if you will." I answer with a smile.
I flashed a smile to all of the men, feeling a bit better, though still lame and decided to be all magicky and awesome and stuff.
I had to impress them somehow. I picked out one of the pockets in Fergie's shirt and muttered a spell, one that'd make it a never ending pocket, and with another spell and a few bright lights later I had all of our supplies in my pocket. Sure I was a little shaky after that, but I did feel pretty cool and powerful. Maybe a little dehydrated though.

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: Gently, I gave her a nod, feeling a bit worried that she was like that. She seemed so...anxious, whether that was because she was scared of the mist or that she was going to hurt me, I didn't know but...
Don't worry. I'll sort this out, okay?
But then as I turned back to look at the mist, I gave a small sigh, looking at it beginning to grow thicker, like a large deep purple wall along the length of the ballroom. My father was still standing there, watching it as though it was a firework display show and not a guy seeking revenge. Walking up to it and by his side, I threw my hands into my pockets, trying to remain at least as half as calm as he was.
"I think that he's going to turn into his normal form soon," the man predicted, "then it is where things will get interesting..."

The knight nodded, watching her as she murmured a spell. And before his fellow knights had a chance to load up their horses with their supplies, they all seemed to disappear in a flash. A couple of the newer and younger ones had a few moments trying to work out what had just happened however the older ones just nodded at her. It seemed that their job was made a little easier, thankfully.
"Very well, Miss Black. Let me guide you and your...companion to your steeds."
But as he said the word 'companion', it seemed a little bit off, as if he was judging her choice of words. His eyes lingered on the house elf, almost as if he didn't belong there. Of course, Jeffrey just continued to grimace.
Maybe he should have mentioned the prejudice?
There was a reason why many many house elves were butlers and maids. That was all they were to them. It was as though they were second class citizens to the rest of them. Of course, some didn't agree to it, other fellow elves for example. The rest of them just seemed to keep the traditional way of thinking.
So yes, she may have made them feel a little uneasy about that.
"Come," he called, putting a hand out to where the horses were all lined up, "All stallions are well suited to the journey, though I advise seeing which horse takes well to you first."

[bookcrazI]

Lila:
It was nice his voice was in my head, strangely comforting. I hugged myself tighter as I heard the sound of fabric ripping. No. No. No.
I had to stay in control, Olly had more than enough problems to deal with and me going all elfshitcrazy on him would just make everything so much worse. I couldn't let myself do that to him.
Even so, my throat started a low growl and my claws had ripped more of my dress. Great. I held my head and started to count to ten, hoping that it would help.
It was the magic, not the idea of panic, just the fact that my heart was beating rapidly and adrenaline was influencing my body. Purely scientifically in a magical way.
Then came the roaring and the writhing and the struggling to stay in the corner and not rip everyone to shreds.
Which was a little difficult considering my body was making it's way towards Olly and his dad and my head was sobbing and unable to react.

Molly:
I nodded and stumbled over to the horses a bit timidly, mainly because I was still a little dizzy from the spell and also because I was just an awkward creature at times. When I was near to the horses I just kind of stopped.
I loved horses, they were beautiful and gallant and brave and lovely, but I had never ridden one nor had I really been that close to one aside from being at a petting zoo, and that hardly counted.
I watched them from afar and smiled awkwardly, not really wanting to say anything. I was already a bit of a let down and this stuff was probably second nature to all of the other magic creatures out there, I was probably considered extremely under educated.
I grimaced.

[OpenTheDoor]

Nice change of colour

Olly: Oh shit.
"Move."
I didn't really have enough time to react. I just went for it, running in the other direction as my father went in the other. Though he didn't seem to be that quick and nimble, I was surprised as he managed to get to the other side of the room in next to no time. You would think that when you're five hundred years old that your bones would catch up on you...but no.
So as I ducked beneath a table, my heart continued to race, my breathing as rapid as her footsteps.
"Try to calm her!" he shouted from the other side of the room.
Lila, calm down. Breathe. Its me. I'm not going to harm you. Nothing's going to harm you as long as I'm here, okay? I promise that. Just stay calm and breathe. In and out...
I didn't know what I was doing. Yes, I was concentrating on not being mauled to death by my wife but I had to try and find a way -- without harming her -- that would make her stop. Well, I had read enough about elves and their other form but never how to make an elf change forms. It was kind of unnecessary to, or so I had thought.
But anyway, I had a feeling that if I couldn't calm her down then my father would have to intervene with something Dark up his sleeve. And who the hell wanted that?

Hoping that the two were following behind him, Sir William led them towards the horses who all stood in a line. He gave a small smile, watching as they bowed their heads and waited to be selected.
"Miss Black, I understand that you are a beginner rider," he began his hand gently resting on the nose of one of the horses, "Therefore I suggest that you take Floyd. He is the most forgiving to those who are learning. Then, for you...Sir...I would take Winlock."
He seemed a bit hesitant to address little Jeffrey, even if he was in his human form. But the butler seemed to ignore it and simply gave a nod. Of course he knew how to ride a horse, everyone did. It was taught to them just after they learnt how to walk.
But of course, not everyone grew up in the magical lands any more.

[bookcrazI]

Thanks
Lila:
That voice.
I screamed and held my head, my form shifting back momentarily and fluttering between my two sides before settling back on the dangerous one and sending it in the direction of Olly.
But that other voice.
That shout.
Danger.
Dark.
My head turned and my path shifted to that of Olly's father. I felt like I was trapped inside my own body. It was awful.

Molly:
I took a few steps forward and then looked to the knight with a blank look.
What now?
There was the horse.
I was here.
How did I get all the way up there?
In the saddle?
"Okay then.. I'm just gonna... approach the horsey... good horsey..." I murmured, slowy walking forward.
The saddle looked so high off the ground.
At this point I started to give all of those horse riders I knew a whole lot of props, they were pretty skilled, this coming from a girl who was intimidated from just looking up at a saddle.
"How.. How do I.. get on?"

[OpenTheDoor]

Olly: I frowned as I watched her body jolt, her conscience possibly breaking through behind the animalistic beast that was her elven form. But then she stopped. I thought that she might have actually gotten through...
But no, she was heading right for me.
Shit.
My eyes wide, I began to sprint to the other side of the room, fully aware that the purple smoke was beginning to get thicker, dropping into the room. I slid under a table, hoping that half of myself would be able to hide from her.
Maybe it was just me being ridiculous.
Lila, please stay calm. Breath. For me. Please.
And then she turned for my father.
"Oliver, calm her. Now."
He made it seem as if I wasn't trying to with his strict tone. However, instead of biting back I continued to think about those little happy thoughts, trying to calm her down. Yes, maybe a few glimpses of us together might have snuck in but...
Well, she needed help, didn't she?
But with that, Lance quickly vanished and reappeared on the other side of the room, almost in an instance. I was going to have to learn how to do that, I decided upon after realising that I wasn't going to outrun her.
When this is all over I promise that it shall be the first thing that you will learn.
But I needed to know then.

Jeffrey raised a brow as she approached the horse so reluctantly. Her hand was out as if she was nearing a wild lion or Minotaur. It seemed as though she didn't know a single thing about horses. Yes, they were often a little daunting however they were timid little creatures.
"Here," the butler sighed.
Walking to the side of the horse, he gently handed its rump before kneeling down beside him. With his hands, he made a little makeshift step, glancing up to her with a flurry of blinks.
"Miss Molly."

[bookcrazI]

Lila:
I fell to my knees and clawed at my tattered dress, ripping a bit more as I tried to gain control. His voice. I had to trust it. to follow it.
I grimaced and forced my body into a painful halt of it's instinctual reactions, guiding it back into the body I knew.
I cried out.
Going back is never as easy as getting there.
Then I felt a solid hand press itself to my spasming back, it's fingers digging into my soft flesh and sending shivers down into my bones. The breath caught in my throat.
A strangled noise escaped between my shrinking teeth, one that held both surprise and hurt. It pushed me down so my aching face could feel the grain of wood that covered the dance floor, the gritty feel of dirt smashed against my face.
And with it's cold fingers did it grab at my mussed up hair and pull up, as if changing it's mind in the punishment it had previously deigned was suitable. I screeched out, as the sharp tug alerted my already tender scalp into a radius of pain, a spot so small to have such great pressure put on it that the pain stung like needles slowly stabbing their way to my brain.
I screamed again.
I had no choice but to rise to my knees, which too were starting to ache with the suddenness of a shifting body and uncalled for abuse. In the back of my foggy mind I wondered if it was Olly's father who chose to torment my spent body so, but through my blurry eyes I could see him and denote that possibility.
Pain struck again as another hand gripped my neck and squeezed, using my jawline as a crude guide on where to block my poor sore wind pipe.
All things seemed to happen in a lifetime and yet less than a minute.


Molly:
I glanced down at Jefferey, apprehension in my face as well as a plain grimaced. I loathed to use him as a mere stepping stool but I knew there were little other choices to subject myself to. With a few timid steps I had one foot resting on his clasped palms and both hands on the saddle, testing the sturdiness and finding myself lacking in confidence yet again.
Here goes nothing.
With a breath I pushed myself up and swung a leg around.
I felt triumph come and leave as my grip left me with a fleeting farewell and my hands were left to scrabble along the sleek saddle, my face pressed to the hot neck of the horse.
My heart had leaped to my throat and my leg quivered slightly as it held strong, hooked over the horse's expectant back.
I squeaked.
"Help!"

[OpenTheDoor]

First of all, love the description in yours
Second of all, the next post is long and I'm half asleep. Its likely that there are a few grammatical errors so I will apologise now :3

Olly: Nothing could make someone smile as much as when a plan comes together nicely, especially when that plan involved calming down your wife and stop her from attempting to kill either yourself or your father.
I didn't want to think about what she would be like in her elven form and PMSing.
God save us all.
But as I rose to my feet, a small smile on my face, a small part of me began to tug, a part of my heart began to ache, watching as she returned back to her human form. I had read before that it was a lot more painful then getting into that form however...
You had to see it to believe it.
Swallowing, I ran forward, ready to envelope her in my arms, to murmur soothing words, doing everything that was possible for me to do as she dealt with the pain.
But then, I stopped dead in my tracks.
It seemed that Lila was, once again, correct. For standing over her body was the man who I had beaten twice since then, though that sore-loser frown wasn't on his lips, instead it was replaced with a grin, one that was far too big for his face. His hands gripped onto my wife, pulling her around, shoving her down, hovering over her body as if it was his to own. In those few seconds he had thrown her down, yanked her up and forced her to rise.
What he was doing...
"Timothy! What the hell do you think you're doing?! Get off of my wife!"
But to the sound of my voice, he stopped with the torture and instead stood there, his hands entangled in her hair and pulling up, keeping her back straight as if she was a marionette puppet on a string.. That smile didn't leave his lips as his head turned. He seemed possessed.
"Hello human," he grinned, unmoving any other part of his body, "Good to see that you're here, though I'm surprised that you haven't run yet... Too bad it’s too late."
He let go off her, letting Lila's face smash to the wooden floor, a loud slam echoing around as she did. But as he did, his hand hovered there for a second as he murmured a few words... I swore that he said something about sleeping. But instinctively, I ran forward, my nostrils flared. How he could do that to her, I didn't know. But before I could get any closer, I was forced to stop.
Wham.
Just like that.
It was as if I had just hit an imaginary wall in front of me.
And he began to chuckle.
"Still a lot you need to learn, dear Oliver," he tutted, shaking his head, "Is your old man not teaching you anything?"
As if it was right on cue, my father began to stride forward, his eyes filled with something which I had never seen before. It was a mix between anger, wrath and...
Well, it was probably the same look which he wore when he was close to murdering someone. It was evil, Dark, reminiscent of those emotions which I had buried in my heart and repressed from my memory. It was pain, torture and hatred.
"Stand down!"
My eyes flickered between the two, watching as my father stopped to raise a hand. Within in it, he held a ball of energy, Dark energy mixed with strikes of thunder draped around it. Quickly it began to grew as his eyes widened, his nostrils matching mine as they flared outwards.
But Timmy didn't flinch.
He just...chuckled.
"Oh Lance, you do try. How old are you now?" he smirked, shaking his head, “Back away, old man. Try a hand at the new era of Darkness.”
“Wh—”
Before I could realise anything, what I thought couldn’t occur had happened.
Swept off of his feet, the person who I hated for so long was hurdling for the wall on the other side of the room at speeds unknown to man. My eyes wide, the sound of a crunch rattled through the room as he hit and fell, his grin for once wiped off of my bearded lips. He was lifeless, leaning against the wall like a corpse.
My breath caught in my throat.
Was he...dead?
Even though I detested the man...I didn’t want him dead.
He was my father...
He was—
“He lives,” he called over, “though you...”
Again, his hand flew out, the same as it did before. And before I could protest, I followed suit of my father.
It felt like a huge gust of air was aimed for my gut, sending me off of my feet and to the wall behind me. It felt like forever, flying backwards through the air, his silhouette slowly getting smaller and smaller and smaller.
Until.
Crash.
Pain shot through my body, my back and my spine as though it was on fire. I swore that I heard a few things snap, my bones inside of me. I seemed to stay there for a moment, waiting, waiting for him to make a comment on how easy it was to do that and how pathetic I truly was. My eyes beginning to falter as I tried to keep them pinned on his body. But no, as I fell to the floor, my sight abandoned me, my crippling body riving in pain but my mouth was too dry to cry out.
“Oh Oliver... Dear, sweet Oliver...”
He began to march, the clicks of his heels echoing around the hall as he approached me. I wished that I could have retaliated, that I could have put up a fight...but no. There was something about the magic which he was using. It was so...familiar, yet so strange at the same time. It was like I had had seen it before, that I had been around it before but never at that level.
I dreaded to think why.
But after what seemed like a lifetime, he was there, centimetres away from me. I could feel his presence, his body giving off a power, a glow, something... That something familiar.
“Dear, dear boy... How you won, I have no idea. We’ll make this all right.”
My eyes weakened from the throw, they barely made out the silhouette of his body as it bent over mine. The only thing which I could see was his eyes, the faint glow of darkness emitting from his stare. That matched with his sinister grin...
Well, he wasn’t the same snob which I had attempting to better me before.
But before I could murmur another word, my mind was forced to a stop. I couldn’t stop his hand from reaching out, placing it over my heart, his fingertips digging into my flesh, the rise and fall of my chest. For a second, my eyes fluttered downwards, my muscles too tired to struggle out of the way as my brain was screaming me to do. All I could was sit there and wait to see what he was planning. Of course, I knew that it wasn’t going to be a pleasant.
And then I felt it.
A sharp pain, like someone was stabbing me with a thousand knives into my heart.
I gasped for air as it was stolen from my lungs.
I tried to breathe but I couldn’t.
Everything soon began to filter away; my sight, my senses, my mind and conscience. Everything went dark, it went black, non-existent, cold, strangely cold.
Was that what death felt like? But there was no light at the end of the tunnel, only...a hole. I was falling deeper into it...
Until I crashed at the bottom. I returned to reality.
The darkness faded away from my sights as I began to register everything around me.
No longer was I sitting. I was standing.
No longer was I fatigued. I was wide awake.
No longer was I staring up at him. I was...
I was staring down at myself.
“What the hell?”
And that wasn’t my voice.
And as I looked down, those weren’t my clothes. Those weren’t my hands. Those weren’t my feet.
I was...
I was Timmy.
And he was me.
He made us switch bodies.
And that meant...
But before I had a chance to say it, the figure stood, the one who I knew so well as myself but... No, it wasn’t. There was something different. The eye colour. Instead of the intense amber which I knew so well, it was a dull brown, one which I came to know as the lifeless stare of Timmy’s.
“The girl wasn’t lying when she said that it work,” he chuckled.
In my voice. With my laugh.
...did I really sound like that?
But there were more things to worry about.
“What have you done?!” I shrieked, stepping forward, “Switch us back!”
But he just, once again, laughed at me, shaking my old head so that my old bouncy brown curls danced over my old brow.
Evil people seemed to do hell a lot of laughing.
“I think not, Oliver. Now, I predict that seeing as the mist has finally settled that the guards will try to clean up the mess in here. They will be here in...thirty nine seconds. Seeing as you’re the intruder here I would think that you would need to run or face the consequences which I wouldn’t want to find out. I will, seeing as I will be borrowing your body for the foreseeable future, give you a chance. Reach into the left pocket.”
Of course, I was reluctant. My stare just remained on his, unmoving as I heard the rattling sound of metal behind me. I had no choice but to obey, diving that unfamiliar hand into the deep pockets there. I grasped onto something, something cold, glass. And as I pulled it out, my brows furrowed. It was a small vial, one filled with a bright blue liquid, the same colour as the daily summer sky.
“A teleportation potion. It will give you one trip to anywhere in the world. Might I suggest that you go somewhere far away? They will surely be searching for you, Timothy.”
As he chuckled, my mind wouldn’t catch up with the events of those last few moments. It couldn’t. It was too much. First my wife was rampaging threatening to kill me, then my father and her were knocked out and then...I was being told to leave in someone else’s body before I was killed.
I had to go then.
Pulling off the cork stopper, my eyes trailed up from my exit to my old body, my mind still spinning.
It needed one question answered before I had a chance to work it all out, however.
“Before I leave, answer me one question. Where did you get that power from?”
The guy stopped admiring his new body to return his sights back to me, a little uncaring about me as I stood there. I supposed that he wouldn’t have cared if I was killed then.
“Where else? I got it from your little sister.”
What?!
“How? Which one?”
“You have two?” he smirked, rolling his eyes, “Oh yes! I forgot! Well, you’ll have to wait and see, won’t you? And as for how... Well, she is very good at time travel, even better than your abilities of stopping it.”
I asked the question to help start to answer the rest of them in my mind but it seemed that it just threw up a load more.
“Now, I think that you better leave...” he sang.
It was unfortunate that he was right. Behind me I could hear the rattling of metal, the shutters beginning to be lifted. I raised the vial to my lips and closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath before beginning to think about where I was to go.
Where?
I didn’t know.
I couldn’t have gone home. That would be the first place where they would think to find me...
But I needed to be close to her. I needed to be able to see what he was doing, to observe and spy. And I would probably need some magic to help.
Then it hit me.
The shoppe. Lilith had left, right, whoever she was. It was in Molly’s care. But she wouldn’t be there for those next few days.
Yes, my mental links were getting stronger.
“Oh, and just as you go actually, I just thought that you should know,” he sauntered over, his hand running through his hair, “Now, I started with you. Don’t stick around too closely. You wouldn’t want me to get in the way of me getting to your family now, would you?”
But before I could manage a reply, the shutters lifted. The doors swung open. Yells could be heard.
And after pinching my nose, I downed it, wiping my mouth afterwards. Within seconds...my mind went blank yet again. I felt like I was in zero gravity, like my body would float away at any given moment...
But it didn’t last long.
The next thing that I knew I was standing in a dark and empty shoppe by myself.

“And three...two...one...”
Snap.
Within a second, everything returned to its place, the broken glass, the overturned chairs, the people lying on the floor. Everything was picked up and brushed off. Lance, in the corner stood. Lila was placed onto a chair, all of her scars healed and her dress completely mended.
And to the sight of the guards flooding through the entrance, Timothy couldn’t help but grin.
They seemed confused, the poor souls. It was as if they weren’t expecting to see everything back to normal. They were probably just happy that they didn’t need to clean up the mess themselves.
So as they began to try and gather the information on what happened, Timothy began to step forward, his eyes pinned onto Lila, his lips holding a grin wider than anything before it. His hand gently placed itself on her shoulder, his body kneeling beside her.
“Wake.”
Surely enough, he felt the rush of life beneath his fingertips, the colour beginning to flush back to her cheeks. A fake look of relief passed his lips.
“Lila, thank God that you’re safe,” he murmured gently, a hand placing itself on her cheek, “You passed out. Are you...okay?”
He pretended to ignore the people around him beginning to swarm around the two of them, that it was just the two of them in the world. He even pretended not to notice Lance disappearing from sight from where he stood, and though he couldn’t read his mind he was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to be returning any time soon. He didn’t even need to wipe his memories. He was too weak to deal with him.
Revenge: that was surely worth the price he paid. And who knew that it was so...delicious.

Jeffrey couldn't help but roll his eyes, watching as she very slowly began to slip off of the horse's back, centimetres every second. Yes, it was probably quite high, but still. She did make it seem as though she was trying to mount a wyvern's back instead of the humble stead. Every creature in the magical world knew how to ride one from a young age.
She was meant to be an ambassador of the non-magical world. What a good job she was doing.
"Miss Molly...?" he softly asked, taking her hand, "Put your hands on the reigns."
Meanwhile, he forcibly put her feet into the stirrups, helping her get into an appropriate position for riding a horse. It seemed that it was going to be a long ride. It certainly was a good thing that Floyd the horse was a patient creature. He was sure that if it was any other horse they would have gotten irritated by then.
"Are we okay now?"
Out of the corner or his eye, he tried to ignore the knights watching the scene unfurl. The butler couldn't help but think that maybe their worries were only getting worse as she continued to 'horse' around on the top of the horse.
Jeffrey did love his puns.

[bookcrazI]

Thanks- this is what happens when I'm tired and stressed... my descriptions go crazy
And no worries

Lila:
The taste of salty, bitter wood filled my mouth as darkness claimed my eyes. The grit from the floor pressed itself into my taste buds and the only reason I did not gag was because I couldn't. My muscles too weak to react, even those which seemed always functional.
Then whispers. Soft, sweet whispers that brought my lips into smile, the taste of earthy dust exiting my mind and a thick blackness fills in all those spaces.
Deaf. Dumb. Blind.
I felt the vibrations through the ground, like ripples in water.
They tickled.
I almost laughed.
They felt nice.
Then..... very little happened.
Panic played in my heart, pulling at it's strings and tightening my chest until it played the right tune of fear.
Then the softness again.
The sweet whispers.
They didn't take away this time but give.
They gave sound that was too loud but still muffled in my ears.
They gave taste that was too gritty and dry in my mouth.
They gave sight that was too bright but Olly's face blocked out the majority of harshness among it all.
Though an emotion sat on his familiar features.
Worry.
My blurry eyes turned up slightly as my face forced itself into a smile, though the muscles still ached and protested against the use. I couldn't bear to lift my arms up in a gesture of affection as they were already crying out even when they just hung limp at my sides.
Why did I hurt so much again?
Why did my feet feel like I was wearing shoes of sharpened glass, my skin raw like after a sunburn?
Edges blurred, but I was happy.
Olly was beside me.
My skin protested against the tight fabric of my dress, why did I hurt so? Something tugged at my memory like the annoying hand of a bored child, my dumb smile contorted itself into frown, stinging my nerves more than before but I was confused and thus a frown seemed appropriate.
Something was wrong.
I looked up at Olly again, his concerned face, though still fuzzy, calmed me a little and pulled out that dumb smile once more. He was there, why should I worry? I couldn't stand.
Strange.
I leaned forward and rested my face against his chest and winced as he flinched back lightly. Strange.
Then the nurses.
The fluttering mother hens whose voices scratched at my sensitive ears and heavily perfumed bodies filled my nose with such a thick scent of lavender that did cause me to cough.
The rest of my body did protest though, quite strongly.
The spasms of my chest caused an icy fire within me like when you're out of breath but continue to go anyway, doubled with the pain of constricted muscles as if a corset bound them,
That left me on the floor.
Screaming.
Where ever I lay the feeling of needles did prick my skin and slowly grow hot until cold. More flurry.
More cries.
More nuisance.
More mind numbing echoes in my head.
I screamed another time.
Out of frustration.
Why? What? How?
The questions pulled at me in such an annoyance and I had not yet the brain to deal with them, they left me like a baby, crying out for that was all I could do.
Was that me?
I couldn't tell.
Yes.
I remember.
Why.. Why was I so scared?
Why was I so sore?


Molly:

I blushed as Jefferey adjusted me, the men watched and I grimaced as some whispered among themselves about it. About me.
I was such a disapointment, wasn't I?
I slumped in my saddle, now properly situated, and chanted my mantra; You are the guardian of the north, you are fierce, you are strong, you are clever, you are you.
I plastered on another smile and inflated myself back into good posture. I glanced around.
"Shall we go before I lose my place on the horse again?" I joked.
Joke about yourself, that brings other closer, people like humble people.
Dad said that once.
I tossed a kind, bashful smile around and hoped for the best.
I could do this.
Then... something.
I glanced around, alert, face in a frown.
Something was wrong, it felt like someone was not where they should be.
I closed my eyes.
The shoppe.
I opened them and my frown turned into a dangerous snarl, eyes glaring off into the distance. Someone dared to enter my domain so freely?
I stuck out my hands and grabbed through space the shirt of the intruder, unsure of what came over me, why was I so protective?
I didn't know.
I had already pulled a man through a self made portal by the time I registered what was happening.
I glared at the man who was unfamiliar in face but rang a bell in being.
Strange.
I held back on the nausea that played with my head.
What had I done.
I glanced around, finally out of my strange home alert trance to find all eyes on me and the man I had just made appear. What did I do?
"Who are you?" I asked finally, trying to stay steady on my horse.
What was I doing?
I looked pleadingly to Jefferey for help.

[OpenTheDoor]

Sorry that I haven't been on for ages. I had a bit of drama at home and unfortunately CCing had to wait for a week whilst it settled down. Hope that you're better now though

He flinched back to her touch, a little stunned that she was acting in such a way, with such affection.
But that meant that she was none the wiser. That the man who was she was leaning on and depending on was the runner-up and never the winner of the competition.
Just as he was promised.
But then the pesky little nurses gathered, their strong scent filling the air with that powdered stench which reminded anyone of grandma and soap.
And the next thing Lila was on the floor, screaming.
What was he to do?
What would Olly do?
He was going to have to copy his mannerisms for a while. It was a good thing that he had been watching for a while, then.
"Lila? Oh God!" he spluttered, scrambling to his knees by her head.
Gently, he lifted her heavy head onto his lap, his fingers softly sweeping away the hair from her pale face. He frowned as the nurses dove in, keen to work out what was wrong with her all whilst the rest of the guests watched in awe.
"Stay calm, Lila. I'm here. Everything is okay as long as I'm here, okay?" he mumbled in false worry, his thumb rubbing the side of her cheek, "We need to get you to a bed so that you can rest. You had a long night."
His eyes flickered upwards to check the Dwarven nurses, to see them already prepared to lift her to the infirmary, a stretcher laid out. He gave a small shaky sigh, giving them a small nod of appreciation to their haste.
And within seconds, she had been placed upon it, using a small portion of magic to help her along the way, and then they were off, speeding away, faster than a hungry Orc to a dinner table. The man rose, clambering onto his feet, his eyes unable to leave the rabble of nurses.
He sighed. It seemed it was time to make Olly's troubles worse.
He turned to the crowd around him, though namely to the king and queen as they stood not too far away from where their daughter just was. His expression was stern, slightly angered, as though he actually gave a damn to the outside world. Then he cleared his throat.
"The mist... It was Timothy, the gentleman who I was in contest with for Lila's hand in marriage. I have a feeling that it was only the beginning, however. I have a feeling that he will return."
And before they could say a word, he was already storming out of the room to catch up to his 'wife'.

Taking a few steps back from her once she had found her place on the horse, Jeffrey gave a small nod, watching her carefully as she adjusted her head to the new heights.
And then she told the joke.
A few soft chuckles were heard from the crowd, most likely from the newer recruits of the regiment. It was likely, however, that most of the people were smiling behind their helmets. Sir William could even have been noted for having the corner of his lips turn up slightly.
But then that all changed.
Something in the atmosphere.
It was...strange.
Elves were creatures of good and nature. Often they could tell when things changed. Jeffrey's eyes cast out to the general direction, the tips of his ears pricking up. Something was definitely upsetting the balance. Something was wrong.
But it seemed that Molly had noticed something herself...
But it wasn't the same thing.
For before any of the people could react, a small swirling vortex in the middle of the air was created, one which Molly had her arm stuck into. Within seconds, however, it vanished, leaving only one thing standing there.
A man.
And looked as though he was about to crap himself.
But it wasn't just that. That unnatural unbalance... The position of it had changed. It was closer. It was...
Oh no.

Olly: My legs shook from beneath me, my eyes searching where I was so quickly. I swallowed, taking a step back, trying to let my mind catch up with everything.
I was sure that I was just at the shoppe, that I had just went to find a kettle which I could have used. But then... Well, it happened quite quickly. The first thing that I realised was the lights dimming, then there was a gust of wind, then there was a hand grasping onto the front of my shirt and Molly snarling at me... Then I was pulled through the wind and then...I ended up standing where I was.
And I was being questioned by her.
...was she sitting on a horse?
I must have been dreaming...
"Molly," I spluttered, looking up into her eyes, "I know that you're going to find this hard to believe but... It's me. It's Olly. It's really complicated. I'm still confused about it myself but--"
I couldn't ignore the fact that I had about a hundred eyes on me at that point, people watching me behind polished helmets and plumes. Everything was certainly getting weirder and weirder by the second.
But still, I rambled on.
"Basically my body was switched with another guy, a guy called Tim. He was also in the contest to win Lila's hand in marriage but I won so now he's gone 'cuckoo bananas' and gotten a load of Dark magic from what I think is the future version of either Robin or Angie but I'm not really sure, but I was about to be slaughtered by Lila's family's guards so he gave me a teleportation potion and I went to the shoppe because there was nowhere else to go. But as we speak, well, as I ramble, he's there in my body pretending to be me and I'm going to be hunted for trying to kill the family when in retrospect he's actually threatening me and my family. Therefore I need to find a way of getting everyone to realise that its me and not him so that I can return everything back to normal and so I can kick his ass for doing this before he hurts anyone... Do you get that?"
Yeah, I thought that I was being given a few blank stares, mostly from the stubbly guy behind Molly with the pointed ears. But, for him, it only lasted a second.
"I believed that there was an upset in the balance," he murmured, continuing to stare at me, "It was a little bit for a while and it was ignorable but now... It seems that it is staring us right in the face."
I had to blink a few times. Did that meant that he was believing me?
Wait, I needed Molly too.
I turned to her and frowned, "I promise you that its me. Ask me anything about Robin, anything that she's probably only told you and me...and maybe Johnny, but that doesn't matter. Birthdays, secrets, hopes and dreams, anything like that. Something which a random stranger wouldn't know. Anything that will make you sure that its me... Hell, you can use your magic but it is me, on the inside. Please, Molly."

[bookcrazI]

I'm fine, hope you're okay!
I'm not really having drama now... just... Just many little scares and an emotional rollarcoster.. It's just a bit scary..


Lila:*I'm just gonna have her pass out..Oh look.. she passed out.*


Molly:
I sat in my saddle all proud and tall, mustering up as much menace as I could as I stared at the man. It wasn't much but I hoped it did the trick.
Then my menace turned into an open mouthed stare of "WHATTHEHOLYLLAMAQUEENAREYOUTELLINGME?"
I was mildly surprised to say the least, but also rather skeptical. It seemed unlikely but it did sound like Olly in the way of rambles, I frowned.
My head spun around again, I had been using too much magic and it was starting to affect me. I couldn't let anyone know, I was the strong one here. I sucked in some air and made my quivers seem like it was because I was unsteady on the horse, which I had actually started to get used to.
"If you're really Olly... then you'll know the name of the guy that Robin made me date so she could get free desserts and what ended up happening with that." I said evenly.
I glanced around at the soldiers, hoping they didn't know what dating was, I had struggled to find the right thing to ask him. Many of our escapades were quite.... unsuitable for the new guardian of the north, I mean, who would really trust a girl who got stuck in an air vent or who ran around her block in her underwear but ended up bumping into a teacher from school?
Not many people.
And to my defense, it wasn't because of a stupid dare, the dog I was looking after had gotten out and I was chasing it down.. and I had just come out of the shower.
Not really a good memory but few people knew about it.
I grimaced inwardly and moved onto studying the male in front of me. His movements were a little jerky, as if unused to it's body, and the face seemed uncharacteristically panicked, the unwrinkled flesh creating a whole set of lines and dents in his face and it almost looked like it was stretching it into a brand new expression. Other than that, the man looked quite posh, handsome too.
It confused me, how one person could claim to be switched into the body of another, but then again we were talking about magic.
Magic could do pretty much anything.
My talking bra could attest to that.
Another mishap while working for Lilith, a lesson learned in full: always wear an apron when cooking up animation spells.
After confirming this man's identity I'd have to figure out what happened, Jefferey said something about a balance? Perhaps I picked up on that due to the guardian stuff... I grimaced outwardly now, my head starting to pound.
The sooner this stuff could be figured out the better.. the sooner I could get back to Fergie.

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