Wanda's Cabin, Sunset Hoof – ETA Half Valley, several hours yet. - It's fairly quiet in the berth. One can almost hear the pounding of one's own heart. It's been about half an hour since Anisa has taken refuge in the cabin, and still no sign of Wanda. The smell of violets from spilled toiletries is still quite strong.
After resting for some while, and still no sign of the Skeek, Anisa began to get nervous. After moments of idleness, she decides to focus her frustration by tidying up Wanda's messy room. It might smell good, but it looks like a sty. "Where is that crazy mouse at?" mutters the Lapi, as she folds a shirt to place in one of the Skeek's suitcases.
The tidying process is fairly simple, as it doesn't seem like Wanda has a lot to her name. Every so often, when the ship lists with a crosswind, a bottle rolls slowly across the floor, bumping up against the wall. The suitcase that Anisa looks in has some rumpled clothes in it already, most of it in varying shades of blue. Curiously, there's also a small sack with many bulges in it, and a length of Rughrat hide, widened in the middle. It looks old, but still uncracked and pliable.
The rabbit blinks at the strange sack, but doesn't give it much thought as she removes it from the suitcase momentarily, giving her more room to pack Wanda's things inside the case.
There are some clicking noises as the contents of the sack shift in Anisa's paw. With the clothes neatly folded, the suitcase seems quite spacious. One might be able to fit everything into the one case if…
Whoosh! Something rushing past the porthole interrupts that train of thought.
Anisa's ears instinctively turn to the clicking, perking her interest in the bag. Just as she is about to look inside it, she jumps in alarm! Running over to the porthole, bag in paw, she looks out the side of the ship.
Outside, it's still fairly dark, but the sky is clear, and light from the Procession outlines a blanket of trees far below the Sunset-Hoof, casting dim glimmers from a river that creates a deep crease in the forest. In the distance, tiny yellow lights can be seen near the horizon, along with a broader expanse of water. Dark portions where the stars suddenly leave off seem to indicate raised cliffs. The Lapi is just quick enough to witness a squarish shape tumbling away from the ship, and disappearing from view somewhere near where the river forks.
The Lapi's ears shoot upwards; that must have been the book! "Whew!" she says, and plops back down on the bed. "Looks like she didn't get caught." The rabbit gives a sigh of relief, then remembers the bag in her hand. A voice in her mind tells her to leave it alone, but her curiosity gets the better of her. "Just a little peek," she mumbles, and opens the sack just enough to see inside.
Loosening the drawstrings reveals a jumble of colors inside the sack: a multitude of marbles clicking as they jostle one another, as if vying for attention. Clearies, cat's-eye, bubbled, solid, striped, and swirled, ranging in size from half an inch to heavy-looking 'shooters'.
Anisa's left ear flops forward in confusion; marbles? What is a full grown Skeek, a thieving one at that, doing with a child's game? Brow furrowed, she opens the sack a little wider to make sure she's really seeing this.
The multitude of colors seems to get richer as more light is let into the sack. They are indeed marbles, and not lost at all. Closer inspection reveals a metallic glint at the bottom.
The ear straightens back up as the Lapine spies the glint. Upturning the sack, she dumps its contents onto the bed.
A rainbow spills out onto the blanket, and dissolves into colored bubbles as the marbles roll around in the folds and dips. They're scattered as, apparently from the bottom of the bag, a mirror-polished steel sphere lands solidly in their midst, sinking into the cot enough to keep from rolling around much. It's about the size of a shooter, and curiously, there's something stuck to it: a small black disk, about half an inch thick. This, in turn, has a long piece of strong twine tied to it through a hole in the center of the disc.
Anisa tries to keep the marbles from spilling all over the room, attempting to gather them all together before the speed off. She then picks up the strange metallic object by the twine, and inspects it closer. "What's this, some sort of necklace?"
The steelie and disk rotate on the end of the twine, catching the light from the oil lamp on Wanda's dresser. Strange… the small metal sphere doesn't look to have any means of being adhered to the disc. It's just… stuck there at kind of a lopsided angle. No glue, no rivets, no hooks as far as one can tell.
The ear flops forward in confusion again, and Anisa palms the metal parts. Experimentally, she pulls on the disk and the sphere, seeing what happens.
Some minor tugging reveals that they're together fairly securely… however the sphere shifts on the disc, being nudged along to a different portion of the disc. There still appears to be nothing actually holding the sphere to the disc.
Still determined to find out what's going on, Anisa applies brute force on the ball and disc to pry them apart.
With a little more effort and a good jerk, the steel ball comes off the disc, causing the disc to bounce into the air and dance around on the end of the string as it falls again. After its spinning slows down, it's readily apparent there is still no mark on the steelie or on the disc.
The rabbit inspects the two parts on their own, trying to figure out how they work. "No hinges, no connectors… weird." She shrugs, and places the ball near the disk again.
Klik! The disc lunges at the ball, and quickly adheres to it again.
Anisa jolts with a start, her heart racing at the sudden movement. Hmmm, no boom… no ears or tails missing… maybe this is just a toy? Suddenly, the rabbit hears someone headed towards the room, and quickly she gathers up the marbles, places them and the strange charm back in the bag, and stashes it inside the suitcase. I wonder what other weird stuff she has hidden around here…
The door bursts open, admitting a panting Skeek that quickly turns back around to shut the door again, not arriving quite soon enough to catch the marble sack being tossed back into her suitcase. She presses her back to the door, still puffing, but giggling as well. "Hi, sugar! Say, that's a (puff) nice look for you. How'd it (puff) go?"
The white rabbit swivels quickly around to face the Skeek, flopping her ears behind her back. "Hi! Oh, this," she looks down at the shirt. "Mine got messed up, so I borrowed one of yours while I was here." She sits back on the bed, acting like nothing happened. "It went a little rocky, but I got the bunny-brat-boy stowed away. We're going to have to track his crate down when he gets, er, delivered." She smoothes her ears, "How did it go with you?"
Wanda listens to the door for a few moments before stepping away from it to find a cleared spot of floor to sit on. "Good! It took a little doing to get the box up there… I had to hide in five different spots to get the thing up to the deck. I nearly clobbered some silly Lapi who stuck her head out a window right after the box fell past." The Skeek grins. "Then, on my way back, some airmen started back my way, so I found a deck chair and acted like I'd been sleeping in it… and they hung around for half an hour, talking. I thought I might have to spend 'til sunrise in it."
Anisa's ears blush a deep crimson at the mention of the clobbering, and nods to the Skeek. "Well, it's done then, I guess. All we do now is wait." She seems deep in thought, then says, "I think the name on the box we put Royce in was for a Joane… Dagh, what was the last name… ah, Whitewhiskers, Joane Whitewhiskers. It must be a clothing shop or something. The box was full of fabric, so we'd better look for her place when we set down. Did you pay attention to where you dropped the book?"
Wanda nods, still smiling. "I'm glad you remembered that name! That'll make getting your brother much easier. As for the book, I tried to wait until we were over something of a landmark… It looked like a fork in the river below. Anyway, it's almost daybreak, I think. I was able to see the lights of town from above decks; it shouldn't be long now." She begins gathering up stray bottles, conversing as she does so. "Isn't it exciting? We'll have ourselves a little hunt when we arrive; it'll be fun. I'm glad you tidied up around here; we'll be able to leave that much faster."
"If my room had ever been as messy as this place was, my mother would have had my tail," says the rabbit. "I hope our hunt doesn't take us too long, I still have to find Gibson, and I think he needed us in a hurry."
The Skeek dumps her collection of empty bottles back in her suitcase, making sure to cushion them with a few shirts and skirts. "Well, maybe he'll be at the airfield to greet you. Was he expecting you?"
Anisa grimaces. "Well, not me exactly; more like one of my other brothers." She shrugs. "But they're too bone headed to be of help to him anyways, so I had to come." She gives a puzzled look at the bottles. "Why do you keep all of those things?"
"They held my scented soaps and shampoos, until your brother knocked them off the dresser," replies a bemused Skeek. "Anyway, I'm sure you'll have a happy reunion once you find Gibson. The past few days have given you so much to talk to him about, I'm sure." Wanda winks, then looks satisfied with the suitcase, and clasps it shut.
The Lapi nods. "A whole lot to talk about, among other things." She gets to her feet. "I haven't seen him in a long time, and I can't wait to finally catch up with what he's been doing all this time." She looks to the mouse. "What do you plan to do after we're done in Half-Valley?"
Wanda half-lids her eyes, her smile turning into a sort of smirk. "I don't like to think that far ahead. It's confining. Gives you the impression you have to do something, without taking into account things that may happen on the way. Averages say otherwise, and you can't predict everything."
Sunset-Hoof, Half Valley – Early Morning – It's been a long and eventful trip, but the Sunset-Hoof has finally reached its destination, a simple airfield on the outskirts of town. Passengers mill around on the deck impatiently in a cold, dense fog as their cargo is hoisted out of the hold. Airmen are stationed all around the edges of the deck, and politely and firmly insist that no-one approaches the railings. More airmen stand near the gangplank, along with their put-upon Rhian captain and a seething Naga merchant. One by one, passengers are allowed up to the gangplank with their belongings, and after a thorough search of their person and belongings, they are allowed to debark. Amongst those assembled, rumors circulate of Half Valley militiamen, skulking thieves, embarrassed travelers, and rough paws.
Anisa follows behind the airmen she enlisted to carry her numerous items of luggage, trying to remain calm as she nears the gangplank. She herself carries only a small overnight bag, full of soaps, snacks, and other personal effects. "Did you get all your things?" she asks her Skeek companion.
"There wasn't much to get, sugar," replies Wanda, hefting one of her suitcases. The smaller case hangs from her other paw, and both look fairly light. "Smooth sailing from here, right?"
The rabbit readjusts her pack on her shoulder. "That's the plan," she says. "We need to haul our tails to this Whitewhiskers person's place as soon as we can."
Wanda nods, rubbing her lower lip with the tip of a finger. "That might take some doing. People might get suspicious if we ask around."
Near the gangplank, a bored voice calls out, "Next!" and the line advances a few paces.
Anisa steps forward with the line, keeping an eye on the airmen with her bags. "We have to find out some way to find it, though; maybe just ask around for seamstresses?"
"That sounds reasonable enough," agrees the Skeek. She sets down her suitcase as the line pauses yet again, and rummages through her smaller case for a bit before coming up with something long and slim. Her paw passes by the neck of her shirt, and though it's hard to see what motion she's making in the fog, the object seems to disappear.
The rabbit blinks at the mouse, and moves closer to her so that her whisper can be heard. "What in Dagh's name was that?" She moves her long ears near the Skeek's mouth so she can whisper silently.
The mouse doesn't have to lean toward Anisa to make her whisper heard, thanks to the rabbit's oversized ears. "It's my lockpick… the only unbroken one I have, because of that book. I doubt they're going to check my smaller case very thoroughly, since it'll be easy to see whether or not a huge steel book is in it… but you can never be too sure."
Anisa makes a silent "oh", to the mouse, and moves forward in the line. "We should look for Gibson, too; he can help us out, although I'm not sure where to look."
Wanda closes up her case again, and smiles. "That won't be hard. If your brother was expecting his brother, he'll make himself easy to find."
There's more shuffling ahead, then the airman calls out, "Next!" Looks like the rodents are up.
Putting on one of her ditzy smiles, the Lapine walks forward to the checkpoint. "Good morning! It's a nice day isn't it?" She looks at the head airmen, and broadens her smile. "When can I get out and do some shopping?"
The checkpoint consists of a makeshift desk composed of several barrels with planks across them. The black Skreek behind the 'desk' looks familiar. And he seems to recognize Anisa too, if the slightly rolling of the eyes is any indication. "Yes, ma'am. Lovely day. The fog feels so nice in my fur in the morning. Ticket, please. Either of you."
A few of the airmen lugging along trunks for Anisa grunt in sympathy for the second mate Skreek.
"It does give a nice sheen to your fur; do you think it works for me?" banters Anisa, keeping up her act while she rummages through her carry-on for the ticket. "It's in here somewhere, I know I have it… "
The captain directs the 'train' of airmen following Anisa to approach the checkpoint with each trunk one by one. A very sullen-looking (for those judges of reptilian expression) Baleforte' sits coiled nearby.
After a bit of "searching", the rabbit pulls out her ticket, and hands it over to the Skreek. She gives a concerned look to her luggage. "They will be gentle with my things, right? I just don't know what I'd do if they got mussed up."
Off to the side, Wanda's smile looks like it's teetering on the brink of becoming a laugh. Demonstrating noteworthy control, her face just manages to hold a bemused look.
The Skreek inspects the ticket for a moment before nodding. "Most assuredly, ma'am." He doesn't say whether this means they're going to be gentle, or whether Anisa's things are going to be mussed up.
The captain speaks up now, in a commanding, but not overly harsh baritone, "Please open each trunk to be searched, Madame."
Anisa tries to give a look of shock at the sudden change of voice. "My word, no need to be like that!" Looking a bit dejected, she walks over to her large luggage pieces, and opens them one by one, swinging them wide to give the airmen a good look. "Now please be careful; those are my best outfits!" Granted, most of her outfits are just simple shirts and pants, but what little finery she had, she put on top to give the illusion of expense.
Baleforte' slithers toward the trunk, but his arms remain crossed. A look of distaste wrinkles his nose, and instead of moving to touch any of the contents, he nods at the second mate, who begins shifting garments around in the box.
The second mate makes no comment on the quality of Anisa's apparel, and when Baleforte' looks satisfied, he stops and closes the lid, and the next trunk is brought forward.
The Lapi takes a quick glance at the snake, feeling a bit peeved at his look of distaste, but she doesn't let it show. "My, it's getting late," she says as she looks up to the sun's position in the sky. "This won't take all morning, will it? I don't want to miss any good bargains." She eyes the searchers through her ditzy mask, making sure they don't suspect anything.
The sun hasn't progressed overly far yet, though considering the Sunset-Hoof arrived during the night, a good deal of time has passed. More rummaging takes place, but all the books the searchers find – though indeed strange due to Royce's tastes – are neither steel-bound nor locked. The next trunk is brought up.
Anisa takes a brush out of her carry-on and begins working on her ears. Quickly, she gives an annoyed glance back at Wanda, then goes back to her mask. "What do you think, dear? Think we'll still have time?"
"Oh, certainly, missus," replies the grinning Skeek. "I'm sure the stands and market will be open well into the evening, and those quaint little curio shops can wait for you."
The third trunk is opened, and the second mate reaches into it, pulling up a bright blue bunch of zolk. Baleforte's right eye-ridge rises slightly, but he says nothing.
"Oh I do hope so. Shopping by the light of the procession would be – hey!" The rabbit scowls at the mate, "Careful with that!" She gives a start at her sudden outburst, and goes back to her ears, regaining her ditz-like persona. "You can't smudge a girl's dress material, you know?" she says with a smile.
The Skreek doesn't seem overly concerned, but leaves the ha'clohi in the trunk alone, shifting it off to the side once he's satisfied there's nothing under or in it. He comes up with a thick cylinder of colored glass, and Baleforte's expression changes almost imperceptibly. He looks somehow more tense, and his tongue flicks a few times. "Where… did you get that?" he hisses, his eye-ridges flattening low over his nose.
Anisa stops in mid-brush, looking at the Naga with a puzzled expression. "It was a gift from a friend. They sent it to me as a souvenir of their journeys," she says, then gives a smile. "It's pretty, isn't it? Makes a lovely after dinner conversation piece."
"… Indeed." The earth-toned Naga says nothing more, but between glances at the trunk, stares at Anisa. The second mate continues his search, looking puzzled at a black brick he finds. When Baleforte' doesn't seem to care, the Skreek replaces it, and shuts the lid of the box.
Nearby, another airman glances in the last trunk in the line. "This'un's empty, Cap'n."
The Rhian nods, and glances at the reptilian merchant. "Well? Did you see it?"
The rabbit's heart begins to beat a little faster; what is the deal with this snake? Staring him back in the face, she gets stuck in the reptile's gaze for just a moment, as though hypnotized, then shakes it off. "Yes… well then, may I be off? Unless you want to search my ears too?" She gives a pouty annoyed look.
There's a long moment of silence, but finally, Baleforte' hisses, "No. No, I did not see it."
The captain nods at Anisa. "You may disembark. Thank you for your patience, Madame."
The second mate calls out, "Next!"
Giving another puzzled look at the snake, Anisa gathers up her carry-on, replacing the brush inside. "Well then," she says with a smile, "that wasn't so bad! I just hope I don't have to iron all those clothes again!" She slings the bag around her shoulder, and walks out into the open area to wait for Wanda. I hope Miss Klepto-Mouse didn't steal anything else to get herself caught.
From here, Anisa is a afforded a view down the gangplank. Grey mist all but obscures the green grass of the airfield, and the only things standing out in the distance are some lights, and a few bright orange windsocks. Upright shapes move around in the fog, and conversations and occasional happy cries from a reunion can be heard. There are several groups closer to the gangplank that can be made out slightly better. Amongst them is a somewhat curious-looking quartet… two appear to be Lapi, one brown and one black, another shape seems slightly birdlike, and the final is a long-nosed and long-tailed hulking form of some sort.
The lagomorph peers down the gangplank hopefully, trying to see if she can find a glimpse of Gibson. The two rabbits look like possible matches, but she can't be sure due to the fog. "Wanda," she turns back to her Skeek companion, "do you want me to wait right here for you, or go down the plank?"
The Skeek glances over her shoulder. "Go right ahead, sugar. This shouldn't take long."
Anisa bites her lip as she turns back to the gangplank. She'd always dreamed of leaving Rephidim, but now that some actual other place – a strange one at that – presents itself before her, she seems less enthusiastic. And who would have guessed Sinai's surface was so… big? "Well girl, off you go," she mutters to herself, and after motioning for the skycaps to follow, makes her way down the plank. She walks in the direction of the black Lapi, saying a silent prayer to the Procession that it's her big brother.
As Anisa nears the group, the fog grudgingly allows them to come into focus. "And so I turned the box over a few times again, but didn't hear anything. I never did get my pocket watch out of the stupid… " The black Lapi raises his head in the middle of speaking to his brownish comrade. He's tall, for a Lapi, and well-built. A pair of suspenders looped over a simple white tunic hold up his breeches. Hooked over a belt loop, a skedat shell hangs from the side. The Lapi's face is handsome, and though it looks mature, it seems to have a boyish quality to it… as well as a very surprised expression at the moment.
"Gibson!" exclaims Anisa with sheer delight. She immediately throws her carry-on the rest of the way to the bottom of the gangplank, and she herself breaks into a mad sprint down the wooden structure. A look of pure childish joy alights on her face, and she makes to pounce-tackle her older brother.
"Ah… Anisa?! What-… OOF!" Gibson's feet fly out from underneath him as his sister barrels down the gangplank and into him, putting him flat on his back. He can't help a happy laugh of his own as he sits up as best he can manage, hugging Anisa tightly. "By the Star, it is you! It's so good to see you, little sis!"
The white rabbit hugs her brother as tightly as she can, her eyes squeezed shut and an overjoyed smile on her face. "Gibson!! I couldn't wait to see you again!" She clings to the black Lapine for quite a few minutes, never even opening her eyes or saying another word.
Gibson cradles his sister for a few moments, smoothing her ears back with one paw to get a look at her face. "Rph!" he wheezes, still grinning. "Couldn't wait to break my ribs? Lemme up, sis; you're going to squeeze all the blood out of my middle!"
Anisa opens her eyes, blinking them a few times in realization at what she's doing. Sheepishly, she lets go of Gibson, and steps back a few paces, trying to regain her composure. "Oh, er, sorry." She gives an embarrassed smile, which then turns into a genuine one. "It's still good to see you, though!" Uncharacteristically – and this time for real – her face lights up with a huge grin.
The black Lapi clambers back to his feet, laughing again, and dusting at a few grass stains on his pants. "Well, you've sure grown up since I was last home! What've they got you carting around in Snowshoe's? Did Dad start a smithy? Star and Anchor, girl! Let me feel one of those biceps!"
Beaming with pride, the Lapi girl flexes her arm. "I've just been taking care of myself like you would, and waiting tables helps too." She smoothes her frizzled ears back with her free paw, then gives Gibson a look over. "How have you been? Has life been treating you good out here?"
"It's been… hectic." Concern clouds Gibson's face, and his nose twitches once or twice. "I was so surprised to see you, I totally forgot why I came out here in the first place! Where's Quinn?"
Anisa's look of glee melts away as her older brother's face becomes more sober. "Oh! Quinn! Yeah, well… you see… " she nervously scratches an ear, looking down to the ground, "That is to say… he's not coming… "
Gibson's nose begins twitching even faster. "Well, I half-expected that to be the case… but what are you doing here, for goodness' sakes? I told him it's not safe here! Doesn't that lunk have the sense not to send anyone else?"
"H-he didn't send me," stammers the younger Lapi, her own nose twitching faster. "You see, Ben got the package first, and I took it from him and read your note, and… well… " She shrugs. "… we kind of didn't tell him. We came in his place, because, I mean, you know how much a carrot-brain Quinn is anyways; he wouldn't be as much as us, you know? I mean, with all his work and all… " She continues on like this, hoping that Gibson will forget what she just said.
Black paws reach out to grip Anisa by the shoulders. "He what? You what? You what again? … Hey, what do you mean 'us'?"
Anisa's eyes widen in a look of shock as she is grabbed, and her ears flop down behind her back nervously. "H-he didn't send me! Me and R-Royce came – he insisted! He said he'd tell Mom and Dad if I didn't bring him along!" She makes no move to try and free herself of her brother's grasp, but winces a little. "You're hurting me!"
"You brought ROYCE? Ohhh, Ah-NI-sa!" Gibson quickly lets go when Anisa winces, but puts a paw up to his temple, one of his ears flopping over his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to squeeze that hard… Well, where is Royce now?"
The white Lapi rubs at her shoulders, giving a quick glance back at the top of the gangplank. "Well, that's another… little thing." She looks her brother back in the eyes, "You don't happen to know of a Joane Whitewhiskers, do you?"
The brown rabbit steps forward, having been all ears during this. He's leaner than Gibson, and a little shorter, much of his height appearing to be in legs that look strong, even for a Lapi. Cream-colored fur at his throat runs down to the neck of a leather vest over breeches much like Gibson's, with a round insignia of some sort burned into it, that of an arrow on a horizontally split field with a 'v' shape in the center. A longbow is slung over one shoulder, as well as a quiver full of arrows, and a knapped flint dagger hangs from his belt. "Yeah, she's my mum!" he exclaims.
Gibson nods, and gestures at the shorter rabbit. "This is my friend, Spencer Whitewhiskers. He's one of the Magistrate's sons. We've been family friends since before you were born, but it's hard to stay in touch over distance."
Anisa blinks at the other rabbit, not really having noticed him before. "Oh… uh, pleasure to meet you then. She's your mother?" Anisa's face brightens up a bit. "That's good for us then… or at least I hope it is. Was she expecting some fabric or something from this ship?" She then gives a puzzled look. "Is she a seamstress? What's a 'magistrate'?"
"Magistrate Warren Whitewhiskers represents the town and outlying regions, Anisa," explains Gibson, glancing at his comrade. "He's essentially the mayor."
Spencer nods agreement, smiling and rocking on his heels with his hands stuffed in his pockets. "Yep! And Mom's into sewing all right… when she's not playing midwife, keeping track of the family, gossiping, or trying to get me married!"
"Oh! I see, kind of like the town's Captain-Astromancer," replies the younger Lapi. She looks to Spencer with a look of sympathy. "I know all about that myself; it's one of the reasons I'm here now. Anyways,," she continues, "we have to get to the crate." She lowers her voice so that only those with ears such as theirs can hear. "I sort of… stashed Royce away in it… "
Now both the men look incredulous. Gibson is the first to speak up. "You packed Royce in a box? Just how did you get here?"
Spencer adds to it soon after. "You packed him away in my mother's fabric shipment? We have to get it before she opens it, or she'll scare herself half to death!"
"Quiet!" Anisa scolds, "Keep your voice low; I don't want the ship hands to know." She gives another nervous look back to the airship. "We only had one ticket, and Royce said he'd tell Mom and Dad on me if I didn't take him along, and it was either come here or go to… " She pauses, scrunching up her nose in a look of disgust. "… Charm School, and I'm not going through that warren of prim and proper manner Hades. We had to stow him away, and the only way to get him off the ship was to put him in an outbound cargo holder." She nods to Spencer. "Not to mention the fact that he's probably ready to get out."
The two male rabbits exchange nervous glances, their noses a-twitch again. "We better hurry it up," frets Spencer. "I'm with the militia… we're on full alert. Seems a merchant aboard the Sunset-Hoof has his tail in a knot over something being stolen, and the captain wouldn't let anyone off the ship who wasn't searched. Now they've got us river-rangers patrolling around, and everyone's jumping at shadows."
The younger rabbit begins to frown, but quickly catches herself. Dagh, even the militia's out! "Yes, we'd better find him as quick as we can, but first we have to wait for Wanda." The female Lapi turns back to the ship, and looks up at the mouse's direction.
As Anisa speaks, the mouse can be seen coming down the gangplank, suitcase in hand, with the smaller case tucked under the same arm. She uses her free arm to wave, smiling that quirky little smile of hers.
Gibson glances at the Skeek, then back at Anisa, scratching the back of one of his ears. "Wanda? Who's that?"
Anisa waves back to the mouse, motioning her to come over to their spot. "That's Wanda, the Skeek coming down the gangplank. We've become friends while we were traveling here, and she might stay with us for a bit." She looks to Gibson, "Where are you staying at anyways?"
"Levitha's Blanket; it's an inn… I didn't want to impose on the Whitewhiskers." Gibson gives Spencer a pained look, then puts his paws on his hips. "But I'm going to have to borrow a few coppers to get you back on that ship. Once we unpack your brother, you're going right back to Rephidim, li'l sis."
The sister Lapi's ears spring up, her jaw dropping. Almost a mirror image of her brother – although it would be a negative image – she puts her paws on her hips, a defiant look on her face. "Go back, after all this way?!" She shakes her head, "Not likely! I'm staying right here until you get whatever business you needed Quinn's help with out of the way. Besides, going back means Charm School." She crosses her arms. "And there's no way in the fiery pits of Dagh's domain I'm going to that!"
"And don't tell me otherwise," she adds, "because my mind's made up!"
Gibson's face adopts a pleading expression, and he clasps his paws in front of himself. "Ah-NI-sa! C'mon! Be reasonable! It's too dangerous for you and Royce here. Quinn and I, that's… that's different! But if anything happened to you and Royce, I'd never forgive myself! You're my baby sis, the only one I got!"
Spencer raises his paws and turns around. "I'm not touching any of this, Gib."
Anisa closes her eyes, and shakes her head, chin in the air. "We're staying. I'd rather be thrown into Bosch than deal with an airship again, and you need help anyway. And what's the difference with me coming and not Quinn? Too dangerous? I'm twenty-one, for Star's sake! Is it because I'm a girl? That's it, isn't it?" She frowns at Gibson, ignoring the words of the brown Lapi. "I'm surprised at you!"
Wanda trots up, glancing between the new faces, and still smiling. "Sorry that took so long… They had a heck of a time getting Baleforte' to pay attention, for some reason. … Am I interrupting anything?"
"Don't we have a jackrabbit-in-the-box to fetch, too?" adds Spencer, still facing away.
"Just my brother being a carrot-brain!" says Anisa, "Wanda, this is Gibson, my brother, and his friend Spencer. They – Dagh, you're right!" She drops her adamant stance to look around for the crate carrying Royce.
Gibson rubs his temples. "All right, all right! You can stay, Anisa, but… but only until we get this all sorted out!" Still, his ears droop. It's an empty threat, and painfully obvious by his tone. "We'll have to wait until they cart the crate away. We'll look suspicious cracking it open around here."
The brown Lapi just shakes his head. "My parents are so going to kill me if they find out about this."
Anisa's frown melts away and is replaced by a sunny, winning smile, just hinting of triumph. "Good then! Now that that's all settled, where can we go to intercept the box?" The Lapi's stomach rumbles, and she clutches it, embarrassed. "Oh, and where can we get a bit to eat while we're at it?"
Gibson looks away to glance around for the largish fellow and the birdlike fellow, but it seems they've moved on. "Well, provided we get Royce out in time, Joane might see fit to stuff us with food instead of cracking our heads. We can meet a few more friends at the Blanket after that." Spencer nods, hopping from foot to foot. "Let's go!" he exclaims, and dashes off.
The female Lapi blinks as her brother's companion suddenly sprints away. "Quite the hyperactive type, isn't he?" She grins at the other two. "I'll race ya, Gibson. Oh, and Wanda? I hope you're fast!" With that, she bolts after the other rabbit, happy to be able to run again after being confined in that ship for so long.
The rabbits disappear into the fog, leaving swirling eddies of mist and a rather out-matched Skeek in their wake.
