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jeriendhalShort but exciting, I hope.
The steady rain that had been coming down for the past day wasn’t enough to delay landings at the shuttleport, so Rolas and Salli didn’t have long to wait until Melika emerged from the customs queue. She was greeted by them with a hug from Salli and a discreet kiss on the paw from Rolas.
“How wonderful it was for you to meet me here,” she said. “Who is this fellow?” She gestured over at the tall, grey furred male behind them wearing a plain suit, who was occupying himself by giving all the other disembarking passengers the evil eye.
“Kris, our minder,” Rolas said. “I’ll explain things in the skimmer.” After they had retrieved her luggage and loaded it in the skimmer parked in the underground garage, he told her of the report from Kev’s old manservant and of their mother’s orders concerning their safety.
“You don’t really think the countess would resort to violence?” Melika asked, as Kris drove the skimmer out of the garage and onto the rain swept highway.
“I don’t know what to expect from her now, which in its own way is more frightening than when we knew what sort of vendetta she was pursuing against us. Those attacks on her ships have so ratcheted up her paranoia that she’s completely unpredictable now.”
Melika looked distinctly ill at that news, but said nothing except, “I should have brought a shawl in my carry-on. I forget to check what the weather was like at the port.”
"Oh, you can borrow mine," Salli said.
"I couldn't possibly..."
Salli took off her shawl and laid it across Melika's shoulders. "After everything you've done for me and Rolas, this is the very least I can do for you. We'd both be still lost without you."
She shook her head. "I don't know about that. I can't help but think I just made things worse for your family somehow."
"Nonsense," Rolas said. "Really, you've done nothing but help us." He kissed her paw once again, provoking a discreet laugh from her.
"Really, Rolas, you're quite the charmer when you're relaxed."
"Melika dear, when I'm with you all my troubles are kept at bay," he told her, looking into her green/gold eyes with an intesity that surprised even himself.
She turned her face away, eyes lowering. "I've given you money, sung a song or two into your ear. Nothing really."
"You helped me, Mel," Salli said. "I'd still be in my dark rooms without your Dr. Quan."
"I just found her for you, she's the one that helped you."
Before either Salli or Rolas could break through Melika's sudden reticence, the skimmer pulled up at her manor house. Kris opened the passenger door, and Rolas helped both the vixens step out into the rain, footpads stepping delicately on the wet paving stones of the driveway.
"Come inside before we're all soaked," Melika said drawing Salli's shawl over her head. "My servants can get my b--"
The world suddenly came into sharp focus as Rolas heard a sharp, metallic crack as something struck the skimmer, and then she was falling to the ground. He let out a yell, shoving Salli back into the skimmer's passenger compartment as he dropped to his knees to turn Melika over. Her eyes were closed and blood poured from her head, staining the paving stone red as the rain poured down.
"Milord, get back in the skimmer!" Kris said, pulling his stunner out from under his coat. He pointed to a small copse of trees from hundred yards distant. "I think the shot came from over--" He spun around and dropped to the ground, crying out as he clutched his suddenly bleeding shoulder.
Rolas grabbed Melika by the shoulders, pulling her into the passenger compartment as a third shot slammed into the open door of the skimmer. "Salli, stay in there! Shut the door and lie down on the floor."
"What are you doing Rolas?" Salli demanded, as he stepped out and began to shut the door.
"Hunting!" he replied, scooping up the wounded Kris' stunner and running in a zig-zag pattern towards the copse.
TBC
The steady rain that had been coming down for the past day wasn’t enough to delay landings at the shuttleport, so Rolas and Salli didn’t have long to wait until Melika emerged from the customs queue. She was greeted by them with a hug from Salli and a discreet kiss on the paw from Rolas.
“How wonderful it was for you to meet me here,” she said. “Who is this fellow?” She gestured over at the tall, grey furred male behind them wearing a plain suit, who was occupying himself by giving all the other disembarking passengers the evil eye.
“Kris, our minder,” Rolas said. “I’ll explain things in the skimmer.” After they had retrieved her luggage and loaded it in the skimmer parked in the underground garage, he told her of the report from Kev’s old manservant and of their mother’s orders concerning their safety.
“You don’t really think the countess would resort to violence?” Melika asked, as Kris drove the skimmer out of the garage and onto the rain swept highway.
“I don’t know what to expect from her now, which in its own way is more frightening than when we knew what sort of vendetta she was pursuing against us. Those attacks on her ships have so ratcheted up her paranoia that she’s completely unpredictable now.”
Melika looked distinctly ill at that news, but said nothing except, “I should have brought a shawl in my carry-on. I forget to check what the weather was like at the port.”
"Oh, you can borrow mine," Salli said.
"I couldn't possibly..."
Salli took off her shawl and laid it across Melika's shoulders. "After everything you've done for me and Rolas, this is the very least I can do for you. We'd both be still lost without you."
She shook her head. "I don't know about that. I can't help but think I just made things worse for your family somehow."
"Nonsense," Rolas said. "Really, you've done nothing but help us." He kissed her paw once again, provoking a discreet laugh from her.
"Really, Rolas, you're quite the charmer when you're relaxed."
"Melika dear, when I'm with you all my troubles are kept at bay," he told her, looking into her green/gold eyes with an intesity that surprised even himself.
She turned her face away, eyes lowering. "I've given you money, sung a song or two into your ear. Nothing really."
"You helped me, Mel," Salli said. "I'd still be in my dark rooms without your Dr. Quan."
"I just found her for you, she's the one that helped you."
Before either Salli or Rolas could break through Melika's sudden reticence, the skimmer pulled up at her manor house. Kris opened the passenger door, and Rolas helped both the vixens step out into the rain, footpads stepping delicately on the wet paving stones of the driveway.
"Come inside before we're all soaked," Melika said drawing Salli's shawl over her head. "My servants can get my b--"
The world suddenly came into sharp focus as Rolas heard a sharp, metallic crack as something struck the skimmer, and then she was falling to the ground. He let out a yell, shoving Salli back into the skimmer's passenger compartment as he dropped to his knees to turn Melika over. Her eyes were closed and blood poured from her head, staining the paving stone red as the rain poured down.
"Milord, get back in the skimmer!" Kris said, pulling his stunner out from under his coat. He pointed to a small copse of trees from hundred yards distant. "I think the shot came from over--" He spun around and dropped to the ground, crying out as he clutched his suddenly bleeding shoulder.
Rolas grabbed Melika by the shoulders, pulling her into the passenger compartment as a third shot slammed into the open door of the skimmer. "Salli, stay in there! Shut the door and lie down on the floor."
"What are you doing Rolas?" Salli demanded, as he stepped out and began to shut the door.
"Hunting!" he replied, scooping up the wounded Kris' stunner and running in a zig-zag pattern towards the copse.
TBC
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-09-22 12:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-22 12:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-22 01:54 am (UTC)No! He remembered cliffhangers!
Hmm, will Melika perhaps be making a hospital bed confession in the near future?
no subject
Date: 2008-09-22 01:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-23 09:04 pm (UTC)Woah, nice one =)
mjkj
PS: found some ... a typo:
He spun around and dropped to the ground, crying out as his clutched his suddenly bleeding shoulder.
should be he
"Hunting!" he replied, scooping up the wounded Kris' stunner and running in a zig-zag pattern towards the copse.
What is a copse? (sorry don't know...)
no subject
Date: 2008-09-24 07:20 pm (UTC)And "copse" is a term (used more in England than the US) for a group of trees too small to call a forest.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-25 07:50 am (UTC)mjkj