Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear... er, yestermonth, in the days when those people at Blossom still didn't know that their emotions were being controlled, and hear the story of how two people were discovered in the Metacontinuity and invited to live in Ottawa...
Prologue
Kemptville, Ontario, Canada
December 10, 2016
5:07 pm ET
Two rather large people caught her attention as she left the coffee shop by the back door. "Hey, you!"
She turned to face them. "Do you have some business with me?"
"Yeah. We'd appreciate it if you were to stay in Kemptville for all of next week."
"Think of it as a ... personal favour."
"Why would I want to do you any favours?" She pulled a mirror out of her purse and primped, hoping they'd take the hint.
"Because it'd be very bad for you if you don't do what we say."
The one who wasn't talking grabbed at the mirror, but she spun it around to keep it out of his reach ... and to catch a reflection of his face in the glass.
What she saw wasn't human. They hadn't taken the hint, but they had taken the bait. "I don't do favours for your sort. I kill things like you. Deep Submerge!" Michiru caught both trolls in the same blast, destroying them utterly.
A moment later, a car pulled into the parking lot. "Sorry I'm late! Why do you have the Deep Aqua Mirror out?"
"Oh, I just had to deal with a couple of Unseelie."
"Again?" Haruka asked while Michiru got into the car. "We really need to do something about them."
"Usagi said she and her friends were working on a plan for that."
"We really need to do something about them before Usagi tries to be friends with them."
"When I mentioned that to her last week, she said something about a different kind of befriending."
"I wonder what she meant by that?"
"Who knows?"
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
December 11, 2016
11:55 am ET
"We have a problem." Rob scowled as he sat down for lunch.
Mikoto looked up. "A problem? What is it?"
Rob almost made the Airplane! joke, but "a source of irritation or vexation" was what was important right now. "I just got an email from someone I used to work with. Her husband does design work for Haruka's race team, and he mentioned that Haruka's looking at making a raid against the Unseelie."
"I thought we were supposed to be keeping our existence secret," Mii muttered to nobody in particular.
"We're planning a raid, too, once it warms up in the spring," Makoto replied while carrying a platter of salmon fillets in from the kitchen. "Assuming we're still here then."
"Uranus wants to make the raid before Christmas."
Mii sighed. "Is there any way we can rein her in?"
Usagi shook her head. "She's not somebody who's used to taking orders. Neither is Michiru." Turning to Mii, she added, "Which is probably why Rob-oji's past coworker and her husband know about them - she might have told them."
"Do they know where the Unseelie are?"
"I don't know, Kazari. We know, or at least Jacky and Kate know, but have any of the Sidhe told Michiru?"
"If they have," Rei answered, "then we don't have a lot of time to figure out how to stop them from going in and getting themselves killed."
"They're Sailor Senshi, Niiko Misaka points out. Would they really be at risk, Niiko Misaka asks in continuation."
"They might," Mamoru replied. "It took all six of us plus Railgun to take down a single giant, and I was injured in the process."
"And from what the books say," Rob added, "we can't assume that there's only one giant in their lair."
"Too bad we don't have a military strike force that we could send against the Unseelie right now."
Rob raised one eyebrow. "Rui-chan, have you forgotten the MITHRIL strike force in San Antonio?"
Ruiko grinned sheepishly and and put one hand behind her head. "Ah-heh-heh. Yeah, I did."
Makoto cleared her throat. "Eat now, strategize later. The fish is getting cold."
Rob nodded. "Agreed. Besides, we want Haruka, Michiru, Tessa, Jacky, and Kate here for this. I'll call them after lunch."
"Invite them over for supper," Usagi suggested.
Prologue
Kemptville, Ontario, Canada
December 10, 2016
5:07 pm ET
Two rather large people caught her attention as she left the coffee shop by the back door. "Hey, you!"
She turned to face them. "Do you have some business with me?"
"Yeah. We'd appreciate it if you were to stay in Kemptville for all of next week."
"Think of it as a ... personal favour."
"Why would I want to do you any favours?" She pulled a mirror out of her purse and primped, hoping they'd take the hint.
"Because it'd be very bad for you if you don't do what we say."
The one who wasn't talking grabbed at the mirror, but she spun it around to keep it out of his reach ... and to catch a reflection of his face in the glass.
What she saw wasn't human. They hadn't taken the hint, but they had taken the bait. "I don't do favours for your sort. I kill things like you. Deep Submerge!" Michiru caught both trolls in the same blast, destroying them utterly.
A moment later, a car pulled into the parking lot. "Sorry I'm late! Why do you have the Deep Aqua Mirror out?"
"Oh, I just had to deal with a couple of Unseelie."
"Again?" Haruka asked while Michiru got into the car. "We really need to do something about them."
"Usagi said she and her friends were working on a plan for that."
"We really need to do something about them before Usagi tries to be friends with them."
"When I mentioned that to her last week, she said something about a different kind of befriending."
"I wonder what she meant by that?"
"Who knows?"
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
December 11, 2016
11:55 am ET
"We have a problem." Rob scowled as he sat down for lunch.
Mikoto looked up. "A problem? What is it?"
Rob almost made the Airplane! joke, but "a source of irritation or vexation" was what was important right now. "I just got an email from someone I used to work with. Her husband does design work for Haruka's race team, and he mentioned that Haruka's looking at making a raid against the Unseelie."
"I thought we were supposed to be keeping our existence secret," Mii muttered to nobody in particular.
"We're planning a raid, too, once it warms up in the spring," Makoto replied while carrying a platter of salmon fillets in from the kitchen. "Assuming we're still here then."
"Uranus wants to make the raid before Christmas."
Mii sighed. "Is there any way we can rein her in?"
Usagi shook her head. "She's not somebody who's used to taking orders. Neither is Michiru." Turning to Mii, she added, "Which is probably why Rob-oji's past coworker and her husband know about them - she might have told them."
"Do they know where the Unseelie are?"
"I don't know, Kazari. We know, or at least Jacky and Kate know, but have any of the Sidhe told Michiru?"
"If they have," Rei answered, "then we don't have a lot of time to figure out how to stop them from going in and getting themselves killed."
"They're Sailor Senshi, Niiko Misaka points out. Would they really be at risk, Niiko Misaka asks in continuation."
"They might," Mamoru replied. "It took all six of us plus Railgun to take down a single giant, and I was injured in the process."
"And from what the books say," Rob added, "we can't assume that there's only one giant in their lair."
"Too bad we don't have a military strike force that we could send against the Unseelie right now."
Rob raised one eyebrow. "Rui-chan, have you forgotten the MITHRIL strike force in San Antonio?"
Ruiko grinned sheepishly and and put one hand behind her head. "Ah-heh-heh. Yeah, I did."
Makoto cleared her throat. "Eat now, strategize later. The fish is getting cold."
Rob nodded. "Agreed. Besides, we want Haruka, Michiru, Tessa, Jacky, and Kate here for this. I'll call them after lunch."
"Invite them over for supper," Usagi suggested.
--
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown
Rob Kelk
Sticks and stones can break your bones,
But words can break your heart.
- unknown