Two Bits for Postage

[Kiernan]

[47th of summer, late evening, Continued from "Finding a Friend" eventidemlprpg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=farin&action=display&thread=165&page=3 ]

Kai wandered the streets of Argen, trying desperately to remember the name of the establishment he had spent a few hours in earlier today. His hooves knew the way, but he couldn't remember the name of the--

Peridot Jewelry.

He didn't remember, but he saw the sign out front. It was late enough, most shops were closed for the night, in preparation for tomorrow's busy morning. This one was probably just about to close. The light was on, but he couldn't see anypony through the windows.

He ran up to the door, and rattled the handles. The door was locked. He didn't much feel like breaking the window, and he thought it would just be rude to just materialize inside, so he rapped on the glass frame a few times, and waited, hoping either Diamond Hydrangea, or Whispering Wind would soon come to the door.

[Becka]

After Kai left Hy flipped the sign on the door to CLOSED, locked the doors, and took Whispering Wind upstairs to show her the apartment they would be sharing for the time being. It wasn't large - there was a main room with a kitchen, small table, couch and a couple chairs, and a tiny hallway with a small bathroom and bedroom on either side.

"You can have the bed, if you like," Hy said. "I'll sleep on the couch." The poor young unicorn had been through enough - Hy wasn't going to make her sleep on the couch.

Downstairs the door rattled as someone tried to enter, and then there was a knock. She had no idea who needed to buy jewelry so badly that they would disturb her when the CLOSED sign was showing, but she gave Whisp a small smile.

"Make yourself at home. I'll go see who that is."

Hy bounded down the stairs two at a time and saw the stallion who had just been there had already returned. That couldn't be good. Hy hadn't really understood most of the conversation that morning, but she knew Kai was going to tell the Princesses of the death of Whisp's friend. What could it mean that he was back so soon?

She unlocked the door and held it open, a worried frown etched across her brow. "Is something wrong?"

[Nightbow]

Whisper was too jaded at the moment to care who was at the door. She nodded politely at her hostess, trying to convey thankfulness through everything else that was crashing down within her. Whatever would she have done without the unicorn? Whisp was too tired to even think.

The little unicorn stalled in the doorway to the bathroom just about where Hy had left her, contemplating whether or not to take a shower. She stepped inside as she heard the door downstairs swing open and hung on the sink, looking up to find a bleak face staring back at her.

She turned the tap on and let a healthy splash of ice cold water mask the tear stains on her cheeks, allowed it to flow over the blood vessels in her hooves. She felt numb. She helped herself to some fragrant flowery soap and washed her face quickly, decided that she couldn't be bothered with drying herself off and decided to leave for the bedroom.

[Kiernan]

As Kai stepped in, His eyes scanned the room. "There is, but thankfully, it has nothing to do with either you or Whisp. No, I come bearing good news." He adjusted his cloak, tightening the clasp and evening out the sides. "To my joyous surprise, I've already found myself in an audience with Princess Luna, and we managed to clear some things up before my untimely arrest." He paused for a few moments before looking Hy right in the eyes. "Almost everything she told us this morning, I now believe to be true, save for one fact. What I'm about to tell you, I need you to refrain from telling her, simply because I want to be completely sure that it's the truth." He leaned in and whispered into the young unicorn's ear.

"Her friend, Kailani Hoofspen, is alive and well."

[Becka]

Arrest? Had the Princess arrested him for being the bearer of bad news? How awful. Hy was going to ask him about it, but the look he gave her stopped her from speaking.

"I won't tell," Hy said softly before he whispered the news in her ear. A little gasp escaped her and she whispered back. "You mean, her friend? But...how? Whisper Wind says she saw the evil queen kill her. How can a pony go from dead to not dead?"

Hy looked towards the stairs to make sure she hadn't spoken too loud. When she turned back to Kai she was all frowns and concern. "How do you even know it's her friend? What if the Queen is trying to trick you?"

[Nightbow]

Whisper's gaze trailed from the pillow in the adjacent room that she had been set on burying her face in. Besides the voice of Hydrangea she was certain she recognized the other; sententious and sincere, but it took her a while to place it.
She didn't know his name. If she had been given it, she had already forgotten it. Not being able to pay proper attention was apparently a side effect that came with kicked buckets.

It was a youngster with swollen eyes that now slowly descended the staircase. She still couldn't breath properly through her muzzle that had just recently been cleared. Her eyes widened a little as she saw the stallion - it was him. Again.

She said nothing. If she expected him to state his business, she didn't know. What kind of business could he probably have with them - unless, of course, it had somehow escaped her that the pair was already acquainted.
She lingered on the last step, throwing her gaze back down. Why was she here again?

[Kiernan]

"How do you even know it's her friend? What if the Queen is trying to trick you?"

"I've already considered that," Kai said quietly. "Although I don't think either party is lying, I'm not going entirely on words alone. That's the main reason I don't want you to tell her."

Suddenly, Kai's ear twitched, and he was aware of a third presence in the immediate vicinity. Turning his head, he saw Whisp standing on the stair, and a small smile graced his lips. "Good Evening, Miss Whisp. Feeling any better?"

[Becka]

Hydrangea nodded. She wouldn't tell, especially since they didn't know the whole truth of the matter. When Kai's ear flicked and he turned towards the stairs she looked too, and found the young unicorn watching them.

Had she heard anything? Oh no. Hy tried to keep her face calm, but she was sure she looked as guilty as a filly caught with her hoof in the cookie jar.

"I thought you were going to bed?"

[Nightbow]

Whisp was still struck with disbelief over what had happened the previous night, but as she was slowly thawing out of her shocked state she knew in her heart that the grief would only get worse. She nodded once at Kai, but she couldn't muster much more in terms of pleasantries. It didn't mean yes. It was merely an acknowledgement.

Her back hoof scraped against the surface of the stairs, ready to turn back.
"Yeah," she sighed in response to Hy. "I just heard ..." she paused as the male's name escaped her, "... Is something the matter?"

So what if it was? Things could barely get any worse. Her hoof scraped once again, and she started to excuse herself. By the look on Hy's face, maybe she was intruding on the scene. "I should ..."

[Kiernan]

"Ah, there you are," sighed Kai, trotting ever so slightly closer to Whisp. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd like you to confirm something for me." He shuffled his hooves, feeling a bit awkward. But after all, he was practically interrogating her, when he believed her to be innocent. Coupled with the fact that he had done the same this morning made him feel guilty on top of all that.

"It won't take more than a few minutes, I promise." He held his hoof out to the young mare, trying to look as if he was trying to help her rather than trying to trick her into following him. Granted, both were true, but he felt only shame. "Would you mind helping to set my mind at ease?"

[Nightbow]

Tired green orbs blinked, not understanding.
Something was different from the last time they had met. Surely, Kai offered her his hoof, just as before. He asked her to enlighten him, just like she had earlier. But it was evident that something had happened. Had the tables turned? Did it have something to do with Eclipse?

A shiver ran down her spine. She saw again what she had been trying to forget, darkness materialising into a huge, white form ... it wasn't natural. But amidst the fright that shook her another feeling stung through. Wisp clenched her teeth as pain and anger surged through her. Just who the hell was this Queen and what did she she think she was doing?
The little unicorn did her best to push the image of Kail from her mind.

She found his hoof, reaching for the here and now, cast back to harsh reality. She needed to focus. "I will," she frowned. Anything to help the stallion who had gotten her off of the streets. "If I can."

She shook a strand of silver hair out of her face. "Forgive me. I seem to have forgotten your name," she admitted. Usually she would have been flustered, but this time around her spirit has low and her voice very as-a-matter-of-fact:ly.

[Kiernan]

"Excellent," smiled Kai as she took his hoof. It took quite a bit of effort not to bust with excitement. It took even more to keep him from smiling too much. He was almost entirely sure he was right. But now was not a time for celebrating. That was about fifteen minutes away. Mayhap.

"Forgive me. I seem to have forgotten your name."

Kai let a small chuckle escape his lips. "No harm done. My own mother doesn't even know my name, and I see her all the time. Call me Kai.

"So, where we need to go is roughly fifteen minutes away, at a normal pace, eight if we ran, or about thirty seconds if we take my favorite route," he said, leading her to the door. "It's similar to teleporting, but can travel longer distances for less energy."

As the two of them reached the door, Kai turned back to Hy. "You're welcome to join us, if you like..."

[Becka]

Hy would have smiled, if not for the lost look on Whisper Wind's face. Still, if Kai was right that lost look would disappear shortly. When the stallion asked if she'd like to join them she nodded.

"Of course."

Hy stepped next to them and waited, unsure what might happen. She'd never used a method other than her own four hooves or a train to get where she needed to go.

[Nightbow]

Whisper did not really feel ready to go anywhere, but she did not protest when Kai led her towards the door. His suggestions for means of travelling was enough to boggle her brain at the moment, and she merely emitted a perplexed grunt as she allowed the last option to sink in.

T-teleportation? In her mind, the unicorn was once again running through the entrance hall of the forest castle. "Go! Wink!" The sensation of turning into a flock of butterflies, bubbling, slipping away, reforming ...
... I ... I winked?

Whisp shook her head, anxiously taking the opportunity to talk as soon as Hy had replied. "Well ... why ... does it hurt?" She wasn't sure about this. Why where they in such a hurry? At least she had thankfully had the time to wash herself.

[Kiernan]

Kai was half-expectingthem to ask. Practically nopony ever used this means of travel, save for the princesses. [Also, Eclipse, but he doesn't know that] "It's completely safe, and I know of nopony who's ever suffered any pain from this mode of transportation." It was a lie, but that didn't matter. He had lost his left wing, and several patches of skin two nights prior, but that was due to lack of sufficient energy, rather than any danger in the system. But tonight, he was well rested, and there was no reason for it not to go off without a hitch.

"I found the spell in a book, in a locked shelf, in a long-forgotten chamber, in a collapsing castle." In his home, when he moved in. His horn began to glow softly, in preparation to cast the spell. He assumed that, since they were discussing it, they were considering it. It would be ready in mere moments, should they choose that route. "Is everypony ready to go?"