Zoey

~~~

The other AE--Rosalyn--has finally left, after taking down her hair and muttering about someone named Grey. He sounds pretty dull to me-- I mean, what kind of a name is Grey? But, she seems fascinated with him, and I have worse problems than whether or not someone's name is interesting.

I splash water onto my blue arm, but it barely slows the spread. I start to panic. What can I do? Suddenly, the blue from the Amaryllis Nectar surges and reaches my wing muscle. I let out an involuntary scream as it starts to invade the wing. Brown feathers sizzle and fall off as the nectar reaches them.

I desperately wrench all the taps on as far as they'll go and stick my wing under the rushing water. This time, it does nothing. The nectar is too far into my system. 

I wish i could remember the spell Willow used to repel the nectar the last time. I search my memory, but I was only half-concious, and it does no good. 

The door flies open, and a male AE runs in. He's followed by a puzzled-looking female AE. I think the female AE's name is something like Sib. 

The male AE'S face pales as he sees my nectar-infested wing. "Key was right," he mutters. Key... his sister, maybe?

He runs over to me and starts inspecting my wing. "Okay. Umm...let's see...we could...no, maybe...wait, perhaps...no...uh..."

I cut him off. "Look, I don't know who you think you are, or even what your name is, but I got this." I push him away even as more feathers are falling to the ground. "Oh!" I scream as the nectar starts in at the flight feathers. No... how can I ever fly again? For that matter, will I even live?

"Lock. Lock Kyar," the male AE says distractedly as he steps up to my wing again. He inspects it, despite my best efforts. 

"What?" I ask.

He finally looks at me. "My name is Lock Kyar."

"Oh," I say. Then something clicks. "Say that again!"

He looks at me weirdly. "What?"

"Say that again! Say your name again!"

"Lock?"

"No, your full name!"

"Lock... Kyar?"

I turn and look at my wing. The white glow is fading, but it was definetely there. "Faster!"

"Uhh... LockKyar?" He gasps as the white glow appears again on my wing. I nod excitedly. "That's it! That's the spell Willow used last time! It repels the nectar!"

I start chanting it, and Lock and the female AE join me.

"LockKyarLockKyarLockKyarLockKyar..."

The poison is a quarter of the way gone.

"LockKyarLockKyarLockKyarLockKyar..."

Halfway gone.

"LockKyarLockKyarLockKyarLockKyar..."

Nearly there!

"LOCKKYAR!"

The last of the poison fades from my wing and arm, and I can breathe easily again.  I sink to the ground. 

Lock and the female AE sag against the wall, looking pale and spent. I feel guilty. I had forgotten how much magic takes out of you if you're not used to it. I rise and offer Lock my hand.

"Thanks," I say. He takes it and smiles. "I dont think I ever learned your name..." he starts.

I smile back. "Zoey. Zoey Griffon." 

~~~

As told by Zoey

~~~

A note from Starseeker:

Thanks for the use of your name, Lock! You saved my AE! It does sound really cool if you smush it together and say it kinda fast: LockKyar. LockKyar. I think I'll be walking around the house saying that now! LockKyar. LockKyar. LockKyar.... 

Lock seems pretty confused, so I'm going to explain. Aaaaand I kinda doubt that Lock is related to Willow, though he could be, but.... Willow is a unicorn... so....

~~~

Lock helps Sib to her feet and turns to me. "Are you alright?" he asks me. I stretch my arm in front of me. It's pale and undamaged as ever. "I think so, yeah." Then I try to stretch out my wing. It feels fine, but I hear Lock and Sib suck in a breath through their teeth. I catch a glimpse of it in the mirror. Feathers are no longer dropping off, but the wing is nearly bare. I reach back and stroke the pink skin and remaining downy feathers. 

"Oh, Zoey..." Lock says, reaching out to touch my wing. "I'm so, so sorry."

I shrug. "It's fine." Although, it's not. How can I ever fly again? I smack my head. Of course!

I wave my hand over my wing and mutter an incantation.  The feathers start growing back in, but very slowly. It will take several hours, and until then, I'll be off balance and unable to fly. 

I turn back around. Lock is staring at me open-mouthed. I forgot not everyone can do magic, and even if they can, not as well as I can. Most ordinary people's magic is restricted to finding lost things and looking good all the time. Mine goes a little farther: transforming into someone else, erasing memories, keeping the world from exploding, little things like that.

I grin. "You've never seen much magic before, have you?"

He shakes his head.

"Well," I say, "You should probably start thinking about it. Not many people could help me cast that incantation like you could. Thanks for your name, by the way." Without another word, I slip past him and enter the ballroom once again. Or, at least, I try-- he catches me by the arm. "What-- what happened?" he asks. "Why did my name help?"

I shake my head. "It wasn't your name. You just happen to be named after a healing incantation-- and a strong one at that. When you said your name, it triggered the incantation."

"Oh... okay..." Lock says, wrinkling up his nose in confusion. I laugh, and actually enter the ballroom this time. Lock and Sib follow close behind, and out of the corner of my eye I see Sib blush shyly at something Lock says. I smile internally. Lock's a good guy. He leapt into a strange situation-- and a girl's bathroom, no less!-- to help someone he's never met. He deserves someone nice and kind like Sib.

I seek out Evil Devin in the crowd. As soon as he sees me, his eyes travel back to where Lock is, and where we just came out of. His face crumples into hurt and confusion.

"Evil Devin--" I call, but he's already run outside to the gardens. "Wait!"

I run after him and catch his arm. "Don't pretend you care!" he snarls, hurt and anger marring his tone. "Not after--" he breaks off and tries to rip his arm away from me, but I am stronger than he is.

"It's not what it looks like," I plead. 

"Oh really?" he says, raising an eyebrow. "Then tell me what it was."

I tell him what happened, the whole thing. The nectar, my wing, Key, Lock's name... all of it.

By the time I'm finished, Evil Devin's face has relaxed. He lets me finish instead of interrupting like he did at the beginning.

"So... you don't like Lock?" he asks.

I shake my head. "Not like that. I didn't come here for him, Evil Devin. I came here for you."

I raise our joined hands in the moonlight. "And I'm here to stay."

We watch the moon rise in the sky, my head resting on his shoulder. A little while later, I hear his breathing even out and deepen, and I know he's fallen asleep. I stand up and smile at him. He's been so patient through everything. I hope I see him around the CB on the few AE threads there are after this ball is over.

Bong. The clock strikes nine, and I realize I've been at a ball for 2 hours and I haven't had a major panic attack yet.

I'm so happy, just sitting here with Evil Devin, that I fall into sleep myself.

~~~

As told by Zoey

~~~

I would just like to say, i had this whole other ending planned out where the mysterious AE comes back and kidnaps her, but as it says in the instructions, "This is NOT a ski lodge". So yeah.

~Zoey 

Lock seems pretty confused, so I'm going to explain. Aaaaand I kinda doubt that Lock is related to Willow, though he could be, but.... Willow is a unicorn... so....

~~~

Lock helps Sib to her feet and turns to me. "Are you alright?" he asks me. I stretch my arm in front of me. It's pale and undamaged as ever. "I think so, yeah." Then I try to stretch out my wing. It feels fine, but I hear Lock and Sib suck in a breath through their teeth. I catch a glimpse of it in the mirror. Feathers are no longer dropping off, but the wing is nearly bare. I reach back and stroke the pink skin and remaining downy feathers. 

"Oh, Zoey..." Lock says, reaching out to touch my wing. "I'm so, so sorry."

I shrug. "It's fine." Although, it's not. How can I ever fly again? I smack my head. Of course!

I wave my hand over my wing and mutter an incantation.  The feathers start growing back in, but very slowly. It will take several hours, and until then, I'll be off balance and unable to fly. 

I turn back around. Lock is staring at me open-mouthed. I forgot not everyone can do magic, and even if they can, not as well as I can. Most ordinary people's magic is restricted to finding lost things and looking good all the time. Mine goes a little farther: transforming into someone else, erasing memories, keeping the world from exploding, little things like that.

I grin. "You've never seen much magic before, have you?"

He shakes his head.

"Well," I say, "You should probably start thinking about it. Not many people could help me cast that incantation like you could. Thanks for your name, by the way." Without another word, I slip past him and enter the ballroom once again. Or, at least, I try-- he catches me by the arm. "What-- what happened?" he asks. "Why did my name help?"

I shake my head. "It wasn't your name. You just happen to be named after a healing incantation-- and a strong one at that. When you said your name, it triggered the incantation."

"Oh... okay..." Lock says, wrinkling up his nose in confusion. I laugh, and actually enter the ballroom this time. Lock and Sib follow close behind, and out of the corner of my eye I see Sib blush shyly at something Lock says. I smile internally. Lock's a good guy. He leapt into a strange situation-- and a girl's bathroom, no less!-- to help someone he's never met. He deserves someone nice and kind like Sib.

I seek out Evil Devin in the crowd. As soon as he sees me, his eyes travel back to where Lock is, and where we just came out of. His face crumples into hurt and confusion.

"Evil Devin--" I call, but he's already run outside to the gardens. "Wait!"

I run after him and catch his arm. "Don't pretend you care!" he snarls, hurt and anger marring his tone. "Not after--" he breaks off and tries to rip his arm away from me, but I am stronger than he is.

"It's not what it looks like," I plead. 

"Oh really?" he says, raising an eyebrow. "Then tell me what it was."

I tell him what happened, the whole thing. The nectar, my wing, Key, Lock's name... all of it.

By the time I'm finished, Evil Devin's face has relaxed. He lets me finish instead of interrupting like he did at the beginning.

"So... you don't like Lock?" he asks.

I shake my head. "Not like that. I didn't come here for him, Evil Devin. I came here for you."

I raise our joined hands in the moonlight. "And I'm here to stay."

We watch the moon rise in the sky, my head resting on his shoulder. A little while later, I hear his breathing even out and deepen, and I know he's fallen asleep. I stand up and smile at him. He's been so patient through everything. I hope I see him around the CB on the few AE threads there are after this ball is over.

Bong. The clock strikes nine, and I realize I've been at a ball for 2 hours and I haven't had a major panic attack yet.

I'm so happy, just sitting here with Evil Devin, that I fall into sleep myself.

~~~

As told by Zoey

~~~

I would just like to say, i had this whole other ending planned out where the mysterious AE comes back and kidnaps her, but as it says in the instructions, "This is NOT a ski lodge". So yeah.

~Zoey