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With barely a second thought Nova began kicking at the odds orchids, pushing them away from the sleeping humans.
“They’re bad.” she said, “Smell funny, and they make you sleep and sleep.”
The Manikin raised a porcelain hand to her head as if she was trying to think as she ran the white fingers through her starting to grow back in hair. “I don’t remember what they’re called, and I don’t wanna touch them.” she kicked the flower again.
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Stripes nods at Nova's behavior. Better to keep those things as far away as possible.
Though sleep was sounding good. The tiger couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so exhausted.
"We need to get everyone to a hospital," he reasons out, looking over the humans and the injured changelings. "Or to Miss Jason's. Anywhere safe, anywhere that's not here."
His leg feels like it's on fire. Ironically it's probably the pain from the injury that's keeping him from passing out. And just looking over the others, he can see he's apparently gotten off light all thing considered.
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The birds begin to fly away after the hobgoblins retreat back into the hedge. Soon, Susan and Sir Feldspar are the only ones remaining. They alight on the dying hob sprawled in front of the changelings and look up with a sparkle of admiration in their eyes.
"Well, done squires! You have sent those foul beasts back to their infernal master with their tails between their legs! Well fought!"
The goyle spreads his granite wings to punctuate his excitement. Stepping forward, Susan addresses her rescuers as Feldspar continues to recount his favorite parts of the battle to the victorious changelings.
"Once again, I am in your debt. I don't even want to think about what would have been waiting for me if they had managed to take me back to that awful place. I hope that the information on the page will be of some small assistance to you."
Looking at the wounded changelings, Susan inhales deeply before extending a wing and plucking a few feathers out with her beak. Stunned into silence, Feldspar gapes for a moment before deciding not to be outdone by his mate and does the same. They distribute one feather to each changeling.
"This is a gift of thanks to be used the next time you find yourselves drawn into such a situation. You need only write your name in the air with it to receive your boon. You will find that creatures such as those you just faced will have a harder time keeping track of your movements."
The recent occupants of the sacks begin to stir as the goyles make ready to take flight.
"I pray the page is of some use in the defense of this realm. Good luck to you. Perhaps we shall meet again some day."
After the strange pair fly off into the darkness, the little girl is the first to regain consciousness and looks around in confusion at the strange people surrounding her. She looks like she's about to cry.
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Tally accepts the feather from Susan, saying, "Well, as they say, 'til next time." She watches the pair fly off, she sighs as she looks about, she's so tired and then there's the stuff that fell out of her now ruined backpack.
Then she looks towards the dead Hob, wondering out loud, "Just what are we going to do with... him?" She looks towards the spot they dug at, wondering if something similar will happen if they bury the Hob. "Do we take him through and leave him there?" She again wonders out loud, glancing at the others, hoping one of them might have an idea.
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"Hey!" Al-Adin walks over to the little girl, ignoring the bloodstains on his clothes as he gives her a big smile.
"You were so brave. I'm so very proud of you. I'm Al-Adin, and I'm here to help. Whats your name?"
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Green shook his head slightly. "No. I hurt. We all hurt. I'm off. You should too. Good to see we saved those people but I do not want to answer their questions when they come to." With the retreat of the hobs, Green once more felt the weight of the Freehold's predicament lurking only a few blocks away.
He didn't want to deal with that now. With a simple nod to the assembled lost (and a grin to Vincent) the mountain prepared to leave.
All he wanted to do was slip away. And hide. And think.
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Al-Adin somehow manages to calm the little girl and once her parents regain consciousness, they are grateful to the odd group of people who rescued them from the strange men who had attempted to mug them. Hurrying home in the dark, the mundane mortals do not even notice the grotesque hob or it's death rattle as it breathes its last. After following Tally's suggestion and dumping its corpse through the nearby hedge gate, the changelings finally make their way to the chaos surrounding the Four Seasons. Reduced to a pile of smoking rubble, they realize it is far too late to do anything about the destruction of the hotel as they watch the emergency services doing what they can to minimize the danger. From the evidence of destruction, they also realize there was probably nothing they could have done even if they had rushed over immediately. As the changelings watch the last of the flames being extinguished, they might reflect that they had saved a young family from the unknown horrors of whatever foul place the opportunistic hobs had planned on taking them. Although it pales in comparison to the loss they must feel as they watch the charred ruin in front of them, it might be enough to keep them from abandoning the freehold. It might be enough to make them realize that they've suffered a grievous injury, but they haven't been beaten... they haven't lost.
End Scene
Great job everyone!
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