The Highlander Way [Finished]

[The Jenn]

The woman's reaction was better than anything Thyme could have hoped for. That level of spazzing was just so... satisfying. She supposed it was because she was raised in Tulgey, but seeing someone who wasn't an albino flip the shit out because of her behavior made some little part of her squeal happily, the part that used to trail after her grandfather when he went about his business and sit in her mother's lap for stories of the Wood. She kept it inside as best she could, restricting it to a small, smug little smile which she did her best to wipe off in favor of a more neutral expression.

"So now you're being visited by demons," she agreed, leaning in to delicately sniff at the woman. She smelled like some sort of perfume and it took a second to make sure she wouldn't sneeze. She'd seen her sister do that to people and it creeped them out nicely. Yay for having a library of relatives with weird mannerisms to imitate. "That weapon isn't the only thing I can summon. And unless you want to find out just what else comes from that lovely ethereal plane I call home, you're going to answer a few questions of mine."

Red eyes bored into the woman's and now she allowed herself a grin. "Who are you, what were you doing in the mansion, and why shouldn't I just take you home so that my brother can eat you?" She knew that anecdote would come in handy in a threat sooner or later.

[Kari Muffin]

The woman shivered. She was on the verge of tears, but she choked out the information. She didn't want to deal with this little girl anymore. "My name is Veni! I was looking for Mr. Harison's black book!" She said as she struggled to get away from the girl. She just wanted this to all go away.

Conway blinked. Well that was over quickly. Apparently Thyme was better at being creepy than her aunt. That was an amazing thought. Pretty funny though, especially from that reaction. In all honesty.... what could a young girl like Thyme do to someone like the song bird? Of course, this Veni person didn't know a thing about her.

Conway made a motion towards the door, the clicking of his spine was heard as he walked towards the door to let Thyme through and lock it. The wolf was just happy it didn't take all that long. He would remember, though, never to rub Thyme the wrong way if he ever met her again.

[The Jenn]

Thyme's smile widened and she dipped her head, eyes moving to follow the woman's face as she did so. No reason to stop being creepy until she was out of the room. It was more satisfying that way. "Thank you, Veni. I'll be sure to tell the old woman that you learned something today."

Tail wagging slightly, she slipped out the door after Conway and walked up the stairs. It wasn't until she was at the top that she let out a nervous, relieved laugh and looked up at him. "Oh man, Conway, can you believe she called me a demon? That is too funny... I just hope the information's good for something, you know? If Aunt already knew it and sent me down there as part of a test, that would just be depressing. She certainly looked beat, though. I've never seen her so disheveled before."

She went back up to her room and flopped on her bed, deciding to be lazy and read a little bit until she heard any sign that her aunt was awake. Then she would rush to see her and hopefully not annoy her.

[Kari Muffin]

Conway snorted and smiled at her nervous laugh. Thyme couldn't be a demon if she tried. He was pretty sure of that. The wolf wandered back to his room, and collected his few possessions, the spine now added to the things that he owned. He slipped it into the lining of his small backpack. That way he wouldn't lose it.

Aunt Josephine meanwhile had to be helped to her room by the cute gardener and one of the other servants. As embarrassing as it was, she had to admit that it was primarily because she was older and couldn't quite pull all nighters anymore. When she woke up a few hours after dinner time, she let Thyme tell her the proper information.

She was proud. Honestly, the older woman wished that she had been coherent enough to watch. What a wonderful skilled young girl she was going to become. "Thank you, Thyme, if there's anything you've been wanting I suggest you tell me now."

[The Jenn]

The look on her aunt's face told Thyme louder than words that this information had been genuinely appreciated. It wasn't a self-satisfied smirk or a tolerant smile but a pleased, startled kind of look, as if she'd been mostly expecting a report of failure and was instead being happily surprised. That flash of honest, uncensored emotion made her feel positively fuzzy inside.

And was there anything that she'd really been wanting? Her aunt provided for all of her needs and quite a few of her wants already. She had access to some of the woman's library, what she felt it appropriate to give her access to, and she had free run of the grounds in her spare time. She honestly didn't need anything herself right now and debated asking her aunt to hold onto the favor, but she had a feeling that would be met with disapproval and Josephine wouldn't do it. That was more of a Dad thing.

Hmm. Well, there was only one thing she could think of. Better to do it while he wasn't in the room. And while she still had enough hesitant hope to say the first half. "Thank you, Aunt. I'm... really happy to have been able to do that for you. Honestly, if you were to say that you were proud of me, that would be enough." She had to fight not to blush in embarrassment. Asking for something like that from Aunt Josephine was leaving herself wide open for an emotional wound. She only dared because of that flash of honest emotion. "But maybe if you could give Conway some sort of severance pay for when he leaves, that would be my request, since he leaves tomorrow. He was really a great help and I'm sad to see him go." Her friend. Yes, she would be more than sad to see him go. If she could do this for him, after he'd half-enslaved himself to make enough money to go wherever it was he would go, it would make her feel a lot better.

[Kari Muffin]

She stared blankly for a few moments at the girl. Josephine wasn't quite sure how to react to that. "I'm proud of you," she said quietly before standing and brushing her dress straight. Paying that little Hisstor severance pay? Well, she supposed it wouldn't kill her even if she didn't like the boy all that much.

With a heavy sigh she turned to one of her many shelves to find one of her bags of spare money that she kept lying around for such an occasion. It wasn't much, but it was more than anyone else got. Nodding to Thyme she left the room to visit Conway.

He opened the door with a surprised look and found money being shoved into his hands. "Be happy Thyme appreciates you, you're getting more than any else ever has," she said with a half growl before walking away.

Okay.... Conway blinked at the small bag in his hands. What just happened?

[The Jenn]

Thyme watched her aunt stare at her and did her utmost not to twitch or cringe or take back her request. When the words actually came, she let out a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding and smiled at her aunt. If she'd thought it would be appropriate, she would have said thank you, but it really wasn't and she let the moment pass quietly before her aunt left the room.

Well damn, didn't that just leave her feeling warm and fuzzy. She would have been even more embarrassed with herself if she wasn't so stupidly pleased. She would probably feel that way for the rest of the night too, which was a nice thought.

She spared a thought for how her aunt was going to give Conway the money, then let it drop. It would probably be rude, but as long as he got it, that was what would matter. Considering how skinny he already was, she didn't want to think about him starving on the side of some road without enough coin to buy himself a meal and a night's rest at an inn.

[Kari Muffin]

Josephine would have felt warm and fuzzy if she had remember what that felt like. She settled on confused for that night, and proceeded to break the wards that the idiotic bird had put up. It would be a lot easier to do her work now. Fun. Turning someone into something they weren't was so much work, but so worth it.

--

Conway knocked on her door for the very last time. When it was open he slipped breakfast on the table, giving her an actual smile. It wasn't like the creepy thing that he normally gave Aunt Josephine, it was an actual smile. He wasn't going to say "goodbye." It just didn't fit.

Once she was had started breakfast he silently slipped out of the room, grabbing his back that he had left outside of the room. No point in lingering anymore. He briefly wondered if he would see her again. Maybe. Maybe not.

[The Jenn]

Thyme stared down at her breakfast, which she had started to pick at to make Conway feel better and let him slip out the door. But really, it just didn't feel right letting the time pass and not saying anything at all when he was leaving and she might never see him again.

Screw that. She was totally seeing him again. She would find a way. Once she was officially 'old enough' that Aunt Josephine let her start visiting other regions, once she was enough of a 'proper Highlander' not to embarrass herself in front of other people, she would go looking for him and surprise him one day. Until then, though, she had to say something.

She abandoned the slice of bacon that she'd been licking and went over to the door, looking out to see him turning around and heading towards the stairs. "Conway," she called out, hoping he'd stop. "I'll see you later sometime, okay? Could you show me your human form, just once, so that I know what I'll be looking for when that time comes?"

[Nathalia]

For reaching 101 posts, you all get the special February 101 posts prize!

Silky Ribbon: This strange, yard long, white silk ribbon would look gorgeous on most SD...it feels oddly tingly though. Once an SD is wearing it, it is very hard for them to stop touching it, often the SD are seen rubbing their fingers on it nervously at least once a day. This item will grant one SD one Ability

~Nathalia