Taking the Initiative [Dark]

[Dark]

Monty seemed entirely disappointed when Mnem didn't throw the stick for hir again, and with a greatly put-upon sigh started to stalk after the bumbling couple. S/he didn't bother to run, and Minh didn't blame her--the speed at which the two youngsters fled was actually pathetically sad.

Minh trailed behind, wearily, having given up trying to convince them of reason. They could have caught the couple quite easily, if they felt so inclined, but Minh really didn't look forward to physically dragging the two across a mountainside. That, and they didn't have anything thing that would function as a proper gag: there was no way Minh would subject herself to Penny's wailing.

They followed for about half-an-hour, the couple getting slower and slower as Barnabas' asthma took its toll. Penny lead them unwittingly to a cliff edge, effectively trapping themselves.

Monty growled and held point.

[Bee]

Penny began to wail as Barnabas wheezed and heaved and coughed. She looked over the edge of the cliff, to Monty, and then back at the cliff again. Mnem was exceedingly temped to just leap forward and shove the both of them over.

"Villainous cretins!" she screeched. "My love and I have evaded you thusfar, and we shall evade you further! You may think you have us trapped, but with the magic we hold in our hearts for one another, we shall rescue ourselves from not only you, but all the likes of you, who would see us parted! When my fellow Marshlanders look upon the sweet face of my Barnabas, they see merely rot, defiled Lowlander flesh, but oh, do they hold prejudice in their hearts, for there is no face so lovely to me--"

"It is," said Barnabas faintly, shakily, "as your heavenly visage is to me, swe-swe-sweet queen."

"--Barnabas, are you all right?"

He looked quite the opposite of all right, Mnem thought. He looked like he was about the pass out.

[Kiki]

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[Dark]

Minh blinked in surprise as the Rangers materialized from the surronding rock, stony glares fixed on Mnem and herself. THe obvious leader of the group stepped forward, radiating disapproval, "This charade ends now. You have failed to fulfill your obligation, and instead lead these troublesome creatures deeper into our territory. This ends now."

One of the younger members shifted, agitated by talking, and started to slowly shift towards Penny--probably with the intention of grabbing her, and cement their cooperation. In an amazing feat of agility, Barnabas tackled him and they went down in a cloud of dust. They grappled, rolling towards the edge. Penny shrieked. And the Ranger toppled over the edge of the cliff. He hung there momentarily, claws scrambling over loose gravel.

"A curse on both your Houses. Your--" he slipped, tumbling into oblivions, "Hooouuuusssesssss."

The yell echoed, bouncing strangely off the surronding mountains, a parody of itself.

Barnabas had regained his feet and was slowly turning an interesting shade of blue, the color standing out especially well in the patches where his motley fur was the thinnest. His breath came in wheezing, painful gasps, and he swayed dizzily from lack of oxygen. Penny's hand fluttered nervously and she talked in a high, unsure voice as she pleaded with him to tell her what was wrong.

"Penny--"

His eyes rolled back up into his head, and he crumpled on the ground. Barnabas was dead.

[Bee]

The Rangers did not seem to know what to do about this development. They stared in mute incomprehension, perhaps thinking about how very screwed they were, considering this was probably going to get blamed on them, while Penny wailed in misery for the loss of her love. She threw herself down at the body, and Mnem was unable to muster up any feeling other than faint disgust. Really, that was terribly undignified. She was rolling all over the body, clutching and screaming and pleading for her love to come back.

Then she rose, face tear-streaked and mouth set in a resolute frown. "Life," she said, miserably, "is a meaningless parade of horror without the sweet form of my dearest love beside me. I feel sorry for all of you, more so than I feel for myself, because you will never know such a pure and powerful love. Your souls are rotten and your hearts are black, and you intolerance shall rain doom on everyone around you. But not me, no, never me, for I shall endure this world no longer--can't endure it!--and here I take my leave."

Penny threw herself off the edge of the cliff.

Mnem's sigh was one of relief and glorious, glorious freedom.

[Dark]

Minh wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel after such an overwhelming show of melodrama. Mostly, she was just exceedingly ecstatic: Penny. Was. Dead. There would be no more flowery-crowns, ridiculously high-pitched laughter, or horribly cliché prose on Barnabas' many virtues. If she'd felt it appropriate, she probably would have shouted for joy.

As it was, she was sensing a rather ominous aura emanating from somewhere behind where she was currently standing. She turned around, and almost immediately recoiled.

She hadn't thought it possible that so much concentrated loathing could be directed with a stare, but the Rangers seemed to have mastered the ability. It was rather intimidating.

"What have you brought upon us? We, who have remained neutral all these years. How will the Lowlanders and Jossigy Marsh dwellers react when they discover their youngsters have perished? We shall not be held responsible."

Minh had a very bad feeling about this.

[Bee]

Mnem did not like where this was going. The Rangers were not going to be held responsible. Which meant that Mnem and Minh, being the most appealing individuals handy, were probably going to function as scapegoats if they didn't think quick.

"I think you are misrepresenting us, friend," Mnem said, carefully keeping all traces of a sneer out of her voice, though expressing her scorn was very tempting. "Those idiots were the ones who decided to make a mad dash for freedom, and she's the brainless bint who threw herself off the cliff. We didn't force them to do any of that."

But the Range-dwellers seemed very set in their newfound convictions concerning the pair's culpability.

"You have failed in your task," said the leader of the group, sternly, and my, how Mnem wanted to slap him. "You were supposed to return the children safely, but instead you lead them to ruin. You have threatened the peace and neutrality of our region, and you will be brought to justice."

Oh, like hell. Mnem was not about to suffer for the idiocy of a pair of stupid children. She glanced at Minh. She hoped she was ready to fight.

[Dark]

For once in her life Minh didn't feel particularly like brawling. A flood of wellbeing had bubbled up somewhere inside of her, making her elated and giddy, and she'd much rather make a daisy chain or maybe do some cloud-watching than split someone's skull open. But it didn't seem like they had much of a choice, considering the circumstances.

A little bit dreamily, she surveyed their immediate surroundings. Though the immediate drop-off was fairly rocky, the little shelf had the beginnings of a very nice meadow. Stocky, sharp tufts of grass and flowers burst from red soil; purple and red fluttered in the wind, blown nearly flat. She smiled. The Rangers were really going to regret living in such a green little valley when she was done with them.

She reached out and felt the echo of green.

Grass twitched to life. Surged together. And attacked.

[Bee]

Mnem watched with curiosity has Minh apparently found zen and let fly a flurry of grass, ropes of which slammed two of the Rangers into nearby trees. One of them slumped into unconsciousness. The other dizzily stared at nothing and swayed. Mnem almost felt like laughing. They were being defeated by a congregation of lawn clippings.

The others were not having this, however. One of the Rangers--a Jack, she saw, and a Heart, and wouldn't that just figure--stepped to the fore, and the air around him shimmered like a heat mirage. Then came the flames, bursting forth from his hands, immoliating the grass. What did not disintegrate completely fell as harmless ash to the ground, and Minh's ability was not going to save them.

They needed to get the hell out of dodge, then. But no sooner had Mnem's feet left the ground than she was being grabbed, along with Minh, while other Rangers attempted to forcibly placate the shrieking ball of crazy that was Monty.

[Dark]

Minh twisted and bucked, muscles straining against all the hands attempting to hold her down. It was a valiant, but ultimately pointless, last ditch effort for freedom, and she was soon trussed up better than a roast goose. It didn't stop her from vindictively tripping several more people with small waves of grass, though she did stop when the fire-wielding bastard threatened to toast her instead of just the grass. Minh, having had her share of burning, wasn't eager to repeat the experience.

Monty kept up a incessant whine from inside the haversack s/he'd been shoved in, coupled with occasional bouts of vicious thrashing.

"So what now? You're obviously not as neutral as you would have had the rest of world think, and turning us over really doesn't help that carefully constructed image of yours."

The elder had turned away, "We won't be turning you over."

Minh suddenly had a very, very bad feeling.