A Kiss to Remember (8 Jul 2002) Agatha, Hannah and Thomas discuss the identity of Redmane, among other things.

Behind Oberia's Home
In greener days, there was a vegetable and herb garden here. Now that the river is flowing once more, the small yard may bloom again if Winter passes -- but for now it makes a suitable area for sword practice, with the only obstacle being a bench set up against the wall of the house.

A tall girl sits on the bench -- her red hair tied back into a ponytail -- and inspects the two blunted practice swords that Hassan dropped off earlier.

Thomas comes around from the side of the house, stretching and yawning. "Good morning, Redmane," he says, "Didn't sleep all that well -- kept thinking about what was in the journal and what lies ahead." He then spends a few moments to tuck in his shirt and finally button close his vest and light overcoat.

Looking up, Agatha -- a.k.a. Redmane -- nods to Thomas. "I skimmed through the journal at breakfast. Do you think we should try for the back door, through the Icejaw Pit?"

"A back entrance would certainly be safer than going and pounding on the front door -- although that might be a bit amusing to do. They'd never expect it," Thomas comments and grins. "But, the back is likely guarded by wraiths, Redmane. Are you up to dealing with them?"

"As long as they don't smell as bad as trolls, yeah," the girl says, and stands up. "If Monitor is still down there and remembers us, we might be able to get another guide through the labyrinth too." She offers Tom one of the swords, and asks, "Do you need to do any stretches or warm-ups? I know Genji has some weird exercises he does in the morning."

Thomas takes the sword and checks the balance by placing two fingers just past the hilt. He hmms, then nods, looking satisfied. "Well, I'll remember you said that, then. The Destroyer has already taken an old ally of mine and made him a wraith -- a former captain of the guard, in fact. He's already used him against me once and will likely do so again," Thomas replies. He then goes about stretching, apparently taking Agatha's suggestion about Genji's exercise regimen, focusing mainly on leg flexibility.

Agatha leans against the wall while Tom warms up. "Any thought on what route we should take? I had originally planned to ride to Point of Peril, and from there go on to the Pit. But that was with just me and Hannah, on Knightsteeds. Is everything okay between you and Hannah, by the way?"

"Everything is fine between myself and Hannah," Thomas replies and looks up. "She passed my test so I feel comfortable with what I'd like her to do. I want her to ride back to the Court and act as Alice's guard. I'd prefer to have someone I know I can trust there keeping an eye on things." Thomas gets back up and adds, "And as for the route -- that's as good as any. We at least know there's a bridge just past the Point of Peril to get across the gorge."

"We can also keep an eye out for Lord Bram's journal along the way," Thomas then adds.

"I worry about taking the bridge," Agatha notes. "It's a good place for an ambush. I'd rather ride around it if it isn't too far out of the way -- but if you think that journal is important enough to take the bridge route, I'll support that."

"The gorge is quite large, Redmane. We'd lose precious days to take an alternate route. I remember that much quite well. We really don't have the time to go around, though I agree with your observation that it's a superb ambush point," Thomas answers, then brings the practice sword to bear in front of himself, testing the weight.

Bringing up her own sword, the girl approaches Thomas. "I wanted to test your defenses first, to see if you have any glaring weaknesses," Agatha says.

Thomas laughs and grins. "Now, that sounds like Redmane," Thomas observes and shifts his left leg back some to distribute his weight a bit better.

Agatha attacks, but takes it easy so Thomas doesn't have any trouble keeping up. "You look like you're staying relaxed and limber so far. Genji's training?" she asks.

"That to a great extent, plus a bit of battlefield experience, I wager," Thomas answers, leaning heavily on Genji's training to keep his footwork right to hold proper spacing between the two. "So ... you've had to fight trolls, have you?" Tom asks.

"Yeah, at Caer Bannuac," Agatha says, and breaks past Thomas' guard a few times to see how well his martial-arts training pays off in dodging. "Picked up Bragwaine and the dragon-potion there. Hannah dumped a few more on the trolls when they surrounded the tower. The results were... amusing."

"I suppose that would explain the dragon. So ... what else happened?" Thomas asks, stepping backward rapidly and to the side as if avoiding a punch. His eyes narrow some and he remembers to use the flat of the practice blade to also act as an impromptu shield if need be.

Agatha just grins, and keeps Tom on his toes. "Oh, girl-talk mostly. Found a magic mirror in Pelle's study that showed some views of Ainigton; including Simon's bedroom and the Winters' house."

"As long as it didn't show mine. Anything of interest back in the mortal world?" Thomas comments with a grin. He then places one hand on the flat of the sword during a block and uses it to shove back at Agatha with a bit more force. He grins wider.

The girl easily counters the shove, and shifts into a defensive stance. "Okay, let's see how you attack now," she says, and adds, "Simon's pillow had cat hairs on it. I assume he was visited by a courier from House April."

Thomas' green eyes narrow and he attempts a swat to knock away Agatha's blade to open her up to a thrust attack. "Most likely," Thomas says, "Well -- an agent of the Destroyer, really, since he's pretending to be Lord April. Now, what is this about Girl Talk, hmm?"

At this moment, a voice calls out cheerily, "What girl talk would this be, Lord Thomas?" It is Hannah's voice - apparently, she has come outside just in time to hear his last comment.

The swat is casually diverted, and Agatha says, "You telegraphed that move too much, try to be more unpredictable. We mostly talked about the way we seem to be able to change things here. Talked about you a bit, too."

Agatha waves to Hannah without taking her attention away from Thomas' blade.

"Talking about me? That's a bit worrying," Thomas replies and doesn't look to see where Hannah is. He then attempts a thrust in, then dropping it to a slash more toward Agatha's legs.

Turning to her side briefly, Agatha avoids the thrust and knocks Tom's sword aside as well. "Worrying?" she asks. "Why, is there something you'd rather I not know about?"

Hannah comes up a little closer to watch the swordplay, although she keeps a respectful distance between herself and the weapons the other two are using. "I would ask why that worries you, but I don't want to distract you any further," she says with a grin.

"Distract away, Hannah," Agatha encourages the other girl. "It's important to be able to concentrate with plenty of activity going on around you."

"No," Thomas replies with a smirk. "I can just only guess what you said about me, though. I hoped you haven't corrupted my personal student. Why, I might have to replace her if so." Thomas then pulls back and then does a backroll, gaining a bit more distance.

Agatha is momentarily surprised the maneuver, but stands her ground since she's taking the defensive role at the moment. "How could I corrupt Hannah? I'm more curious about your past relationship with Redmane. The way you and Ahearn went at it in the Chapel, it sounded like you were nearly engaged to her."

Hannah leans against the wall of the house. "This wouldn't be another of your 'tests,' would it, Thomas? At this rate, I'll come to expect them every hour, on the hour!"

Thomas laughs and moves back in, circling slowly. "Nothing of the sort, Redmane. I think I was always a bit too wild and trying on Redmane's nerves. Besides, I wouldn't allow myself to get that close to anyone, not back then, anyway. As for Ahearn, well, I can't help but pick on him -- he always tries to be so, ah, proper," Thomas answers. "And as for tests, Hannah, I'd never be that predictable."

Switching to a more mixed-melee style now, Agatha goes on the attack once more before Thomas can get behind her. "Oh? But how close did you get, beyond sword-practice and annoying her?"

Hannah sighs loudly and feigns disappointment at Thomas' last comment. "Ah well, so much for the vain hope of them getting any easier!"

"Why? Does it make you nervous not knowing?" Thomas asks, then grins. His left hand shoots forward and releases a large cloud of dust and dirt right at Redmane's chest. He must've collected that in the backroll.

Her free arm going up to protect her eyes, Agatha still manages to keep her sword in a defensive position. "I'm trying to remember things is all, and those are the sort of details that are most likely to be key memories," she notes.

Thomas makes a swat and attempts to lightly thwap Agatha's side with the flat of his blade, hoping she's distracted enough by the dirt. "I'm not entirely clear on everything, you know. I went with her on a few missions and acted as a guide. Not entirely different from what I've done for a lot of people over the Years. I think it was Randall who first introduced us shortly after you were knighted. Being a former captain, he tended to know many of the knights that were around, after all. I remember leaving in relative secret and writing you a letter later informing stating where I was going -- though the letter was never sent, it seems," Thomas answers.

Even with her vision partially obscured, Agatha anticipates the blow and deflects it at the last minute before jumping back out of range. "That's it? No hand holding or making out in the hayloft or anything?" she asks, sounding mildly upset.

Something that sounds suspiciously like a muffled laugh comes from the place where Hannah is leaning up against the wall. She tries her best to look innocent of the noise, but doesn't quite succeed.

Thomas steps back and gives Agatha a strange look. "Wait -- are you saying you were hoping there was a more, ah, personal involvement?" he asks.

Pausing as well, Agatha glares at Tom. "Hoping? Don't be silly! I'm sure you found me too mortal, or not enough of a challenge. Or you were just afraid."

"You really were hoping. I ... Redmane, I didn't get involved with anyone back then. It was more of a fear of getting to attached to any one place or person. In my line of work, I had to be able to get up and leave with no regrets. I couldn't allow myself to become involved," Thomas replies, looking quite astounded. "Besides, back then there was always a tomorrow. I could postpone it until later. There was so much more in the world to see."

Agatha's knuckles whiten where she grips her sword. "It doesn't matter. I'm sure I had plenty of suitors. Lords even!" she growls, and launches a rapid series of blows against Thomas's defense. "I wasn't some spinster or old-maid!"

Thomas backs up rapidly, fending off each blow as best he can. "Lord, Redmane, careful!" Thomas says quickly. "You were one of the strongest people I knew. I honestly couldn't imagine you having any interest in me. But, if I missed seeing that you did -- I'm really sorry. I was a wild spirit and more often than not was at odds with the nobles of the lands. I wasn't a knight. Heck, I was a nobody who turned his back on his family and house! I wasn't exactly a fitting person for a knight to be involved with."

With a final savage blow, Agatha shatters Tom's wooden sword at the midpoint, but barely manages to pull back before her sword can strike his skull. Stepping back, she takes a deep, calming breath, and then says, "Okay. I guess there are some unresolved issues interfering with my recall. You weren't some wild horse that could be broken to the saddle, as much as Redmane would have liked otherwise."

Hannah starts as the red-haired girl shatters Thomas' sword. Very carefully, mindful of the charged moment, she clears her throat. "You know...I could leave you two to talk in private about this, if you'd both prefer," she says quietly.

Agatha blushes as she notices Hannah again. "Sorry, didn't mean to lose my cool there," she apologizes to the girl.

Thomas looks a but shocked and stares at the remains of his wooden sword. "Wait, are you saying you saw me as a challenge, then? Is that what this is about?" Thomas asks. He then looks toward Hannah and says, "This is as much news to me as to you."

"Of course you were a challenge!" Agatha says, sounding exasperated. "I mean, just look at yourself! You'd have made a great horse."

Hannah smiles at the other girl gently, although her words are directed to Thomas. "I certainly did not know that Redmane had feelings for you all those Years ago, Lord Explorer...but I suspected that Agatha might have some feelings for the Tom she knew in the mortal world."

Thomas nearly cracks up. "You know, a lot of people would get offended by such a comment," Thomas says, repressing a grin. "If you felt that way, why didn't you ever say anything?"

"You don't know anything about girls, Thomas," Agatha accuses, then turns to Hannah and says, "And... that doesn't matter anyway. There's a simple solution to this. A faerie-tale solution even."

Hannah looks at the remnants of Thomas' shattered sword. "Oh, I don't know," she says, "it might just matter on some level, at that."

"No, I don't," Thomas agrees. "I lived to feel the dew of the morn on my face. To hear the cries of unknown birds and walk lands that few have ever walked in. I always figured there would be time for that later."

Agatha grumbles under her breath, and tosses aside her sword -- which has a serious dent in it now anyway -- and marches over to the bench, which she pulls about a foot away from the wall. She then sits on it and reaches behind her head to undo the leather thong binding her hair.

Thomas walks over to the bench and looks down at Agatha, brow furrowed. "What did you mean by a simple solution?" Thomas asks, no grin, no smirk. "And ... if I have wrong you, I am sorry," he then adds.

Fluffing out her hair, Agatha lays back on the bench and crosses her hands across her chest. "It can't get much simpler. I'm going to close me eyes, and you're going to kiss me. Then I'll be Redmane again. You just have to believe it'll work, like in Snow White and Sleeping Beauty," she says.

Thomas blinks, repeatedly.

Agatha closes her eyes, and waits.

"You ... want ... me ... to ... kiss?" Thomas stammers, looking at quite a loss of what to do.

Hannah looks between Agatha and Thomas, a concerned expression on her face, but says nothing for the moment.

Tom gives Hannah quite the 'help me!' look.

"You must have done it before," Agatha notes, keeping her eyes closed. "It'll work. I'm sure it will work. A kiss has power."

At the pleading look she is getting from Thomas, Hannah finally says, "Um, are you sure this is a wise idea, Agatha?"

"Um, no, I don't exactly remember kissing anyone before," Thomas admits. "You really think this will work?"

"I believe it will work," Agatha says, firmly. "As long as you don't doubt it, it should. It's for a good cause too, so I don't think Rachel will mind."

"Then, um, you get to explain it to her," Thomas stammers and kneels down. He fidgets uncomfortably, turning his head this way and that, then running his hand through his hair nervously.

The redhead waits patiently -- or impatiently, judging from the growing redness of her cheeks.

Hannah suddenly blurts out, "Agatha, is this really what you want? You told me once that you were against fully becoming Redmane, so the Destroyer couldn't predict what you'd do. Is this still how you feel?"

"I need to know what Redmane does about the enemy," Agatha says. "I don't want to make another mistake."

Hannah looks uncomfortable at this answer, but she nods to Thomas. "It is now up to you to decide your part," she says to him. "Agatha seems to have made her decision."

At that, Thomas nods. "Well, as the stories go, a kiss can break a spell. The stories must've come from somewhere," he says, then takes a breath. Thomas reaches out with one hand and lays it gently on the side of Agatha's cheek and says softly, "Then think back -- remember the feel of riding, the wind in your hair. Hear the pounding of Ahearn's hooves as you rode into battle. Remember defending the people of this land. Come back to us, Redmane. Mirari needs you ... your crazy old friend Tom needs you. Come back to us." And as the last word leaves Thomas' lips, he leans in and kisses Agatha gently, believing that this will work -- that the stories told in the mortal world must have come from this one.

It takes a few moments before Redmane opens her eyes, and smiles to Tom. "Well, not bad Thomas. Not exactly what you'd expect for a kiss meant to raise the dead, but still not bad," she says. Then she sucker-punches Tom in the gut, and says, "Now don't you even think of disappearing on me like that again, or I'll really mess you up! Got it?"

Thomas' eyes go wide he falls back, gripping his stomach. He takes in several deep breaths, wheezing slightly. "You..." he mutters, trying to grin, "You'd have to catch me first." He then blinks, then asks, "You remember?"

Sitting up and tying her hair back once more, Redmane says, "Yeah, pretty much. Enough to get by." She then looks to Hannah and grins, saying, "I trust you not to mention this to anyone? Especially Ahearn or Rachel."

"Afraid Ahearn would get jealous?" Thomas asks and gets back to his feet. He then grins wryly and asks, "So, what it all you dreamed?" He then makes she he's out of fist range.

Hannah nods to the red-haired girl, her expression blank, although small creases of worry line her forehead. "I will not mention it to either of them if you and Thomas do not," she says. Then, somewhat uncertainly, she asks, "So, I suppose I am to call you 'Lady Redmane' from here on out?"

Redmane snorts at Tom, and nods to Hannah, "Sure. But Agatha is still fine too, really." Standing up, she wipes her mouth on her sleeve and says, "I'll go see to getting us supplied for the rest of the journey, and getting Fiona ready to make speed back to the Palace with Hannah. Faust had a djinn, so maybe there're some other useful things from the mission we can use Tom. You'd better go find out."

"I doubt the Destroyer would have left anything that would be all that useful against him in the hands of Faust, but I can double check, I suppose. I am glad he won't be there, so this really is just a quick snatch and grab, as it were," Thomas says, dusting himself off. "And is it any surprise I never knew, Redmane? You could have said something."

"It's more fun to keep you guessing, Thomas," Redmane says, after collecting the broken bits of wooden sword. "Your swordsmanship is adequate, by the way. Better than your kissing at least. Let me know if you want to practice more," she says. As for which she's offering to help him practice though, it isn't entirely clear.

It's Thomas' turn to snort. "I'll go check the inventory of things recovered from the Monastery, if you don't mind," Thomas mutters dryly. He turns and walks off, pausing momentarily to look back and comment, "I'd make a great horse? Yeah, right."

Joining Hannah, Redmane whispers to her, "I think I'll have all the horses stare at Thomas from now on, and have the mares nuzzle him a lot."

Hannah looks after the Explorer for a moment, then turns with a small smile to the newly-recovered Lady Redmane at her whisper. "You know, one of the reasons I became a Golden Hawk was to avoid a lot of the, er, 'glory' of romance. Thanks ever so for bringing it up close to me."

Previous Log: No Matter How Bad it Gets, Pet the Cat	Next Log: A Talk With a Horse

Thread Links
	Previous Log: Fall of Water Next Log: A Talk With a Horse		Previous Log: No Matter How Bad it Gets, Pet the Cat Next Log: A Talk With a Horse
	Previous Log: A Test for Hannah Next Log: Points of Peril

---

This site serves as a chronicle of sessions in an online roleplaying campaign moderated by Conrad "Lynx" Wong and May "Rowan" Wasserman. The contents of this site are (c) 2001, 2002 by Conrad Wong and May Wasserman except where stated otherwise. Despite the "children's fantasy" theme of this campaign, this site is not intended for young readership, due to mild language and violence.