On Wings of Cat

Following her rule of remaining calm, Vibrissa had tried to ignore the gathering mists, but when the report of the Wayward Squirrel being pulled off course reached her, she could no longer deny that it was time to act.

Even Grumpkins felt it, and he tended to disparage everything. "Just what we needed," he grumbled, "another chance for the Unseelie Court to wreak more havoc. Just when I was about to settle in with a plate of seanymph sardines."

"Finish your meal quickly, dear," Vibrissa answered mildly. "We're headed for a state visit."

"Oh, rapture," he snarked. "Don't tell me; let me guess. The Seelie Court, where we can be bored to death as usual by purity of spirit and endless recounts of bygone good deeds? Be still, my heart."

"Now, now, pet." Vibrissa scratched that spot behind his ear. "We can't let our friends down."

Grumpkins sighed, a bit pleasantly though. Vibrissa scratched the other ear as well. He finished his sardines quickly, then allowed that the Wayward Squirrel folk did deserve the effort.

"You are right, father. He has reached the Borderlands and gone across into them. He's playing at a place called the Strange Brew," Eilwynn explained.

Sorwyn, the monarch of the Seelie and Eilwynn's father, sighed. "I thought as much. Caniel, Caniel, how can you do this to us? How could you put yourself above this whole kingdom?"

Eilwynn was at a loss. It was true her older brother was headstrong, but it was just as true that their father was inflexible and far too harsh.

"If you'd let him play his music here," she ventured, but her father slammed his fist on a table, cutting off further comment.

"Never! Orcrock,G-Rap,EPop, and spirits know what else in this court? Never! He's my successor, and now he's broken the balance. You think these mists are accidental? That the whole unraveling that's starting is just co-incidence?"

Eilwynn shook her head. While she loved her broher and sympathized with him, he had crossed the boundaries to the mortal world without the Court's permission, and gone over part of Unseelie territory to do so, violating the very fragile treaty conditions. The mists were no accident, and war between Seelie and Unseelie was inevitable, since there had never been true peace.

At that thought of the destruction to come, she shivered.

Sorwyn opened his mouth to add more, but was interrupted by a fluttering courier.

"Her Feline Highness, Vibrissa, and her consort have arrived with their retinue for a state visit, your Majesty," the pixie announced.

"Oh, fabulous," Sorwyn spat. "So it's spread that far already. Send out messengers to start massing all the troops and go welcome the dear faerie feline in."

As the pixie sped off, he turned to Eilwynn. "Damnation! We're in for it now!"

any place i could get samples of "Orcrock, G-Rap, EPop" XD also what is E Pop?

Orcrock is pretty standard hard rock. Orcs are not subtle. Gremlin rap is a little hard to come by, as the groups are subject to infighting, but they can talk up a storm when they get started.

EPop? It's an Elven variation of KPop, part of the Ballyu Wave, started by some enterprising gnome producers. You know how they are! Money, honey! (They had to use elves for the singers, because gnomes aren't exactly lookers. Sorry, Morrow!)

@ GreenRowan Oh you are soooo wicked! I now have the image of Celeborn, Elrond and Legolas doing the Gangnam-style dance stuck in my head to the point of un-seeability E-pop indeed!

LOL! That would be hilarious! You need Arwen and Galadriel in there for the "Sexy lady" bit!

Ohhh, my poor brain!!!! I am too inept at photoshop to splice that, but have an orc!

and thanks now have that in my head, specially as my two kids love gangham style lol

love the orc showing his moves :)

scream unintelligibly. I'm so excited for my Half-Fae cyberpunk girl. I should add that I hear "Troll Thrash" is popular in some regions of the Sixth World(Shadowrun reference).

Crackling Crystals; Pulsing Portals

"Come on, tinkerman, wake up!"

Hayao Katsuhiro snorted and came awake to the soft voice and the hand on his shoulder shaking him. Nancy smiled down on him.

"You're a pretty sight, as always," he winked up at her. "How is he?"

"About the same. No more drinking, just the coffee. Way too much of it, and he just stares into the liquid and then the empty cup. Still just one word answers."

"Damn!" said Crystania's most renowned inventor. "Nothing I can't fix but my own nephew! How long is he going to hold on to this? The wedding was eight months ago!"

"He and Djoni both loved her for years. Childhood crushes can go on and on. I don't blame Vee, though. She thought of them as her beloved brothers. Jer was magic for her. He took over and became her hero. It was bound to happen the way it did. Djoni had a kingdom to go back and rule. Tanaka didn't," Nancy replied sensibly.

"He needs something to snap him out of it, though," Hayao pondered, "but what? It needs some danger to bring him around."

"Maybe what's happening," said Nancy. "I didn't come to get you because of Tanaka, but because Jack is getting all kinds of disturbing messages from Lucien on his crystal receiver, and the passage that was opened a while back is pulsing. It looks like someone might be sending a message through."

Hayao leapt to his feet. "That would be Thorson. Let's go see what's up!"

Later that night, the Gearwork Goose was buzzing. Nancy and Jack were pouring over books from the fantasy bookshop down the street, and Hayao was decoding the rapid pulses from Thorson. Tanaka was still hunched in a corner, staring into an empty coffee mug.

"Dang, that Unseelie Court can be nasty!" Jack exclaimed, slamming down a book. "Lucien says he can barely get signals out toward the location of the Wayward Squirrel, which seems to have been pulled off course to a place along the Border, whatever that is. Squirrely's is safe in the nexus, but their mage, Mithrandir, thinks he might be able to boost a spell or a working if you and Thorson can devise something. Evidently, the Goose is closer and on the lighter side of the Faerie Fog."

"But what can we do?" Nancy protested. "We're not familiar with magical realms. Still, we do have to do something for our friends. They helped all of Crystania last year."

Hayao finished the last message. "Thorson thinks we might be able to anchor the Wayward Squirrel above the fog with crystal beams if we can get close enough. He and Mithrandir will try to pull the Goose over nearer the Border if I can rig a set of focus beacons, and I think I can create the beams, but I'm not sure I have enough time if the fog they describe is growing that quickly."

"I can gather parts," put in TwoFer, Hayao's devoted pet and a cat of many talents. "Provided we can find what we need."

"Whatever it is," came a voice from the doorway, "I've got it." Pugsy walked over to them. "Izzy and I got calls from Lucien as well. She went ahead to scout. She should be able to cut through any gap since the Vixen is so fast. In the meantime, Gadjet and I will stick with all of you. We're mates, remember!"

She looked around and found Tanaka still staring. She shook her head. "Hey, all looks, no brains, whutcher doing there? Can't you see we need you over here? Gadjet, go chew him up, and don't stop till he gets himself back to reality."

There was a flurry of pup, the sound of nipping and finally one chuckle. "Okay, okay. Down, Gadjet. I'm moving. Besides, I'm not deaf. I heard the whole thing. You're all right about doing something. The Squirrel folks are worth it."

Tanaka got up, stretched and joined them. "You create the beams," he said to his uncle. "I'll rig the beacons with Pugsy's help, and let's hope we all get there in time."

excitement intensifies

Aww, poor Tanaka. Now if I could just recall who Jer and Jhoni were. I think Jhoni was the ambassador that helped us, but who was Jer?

Holy Hannah! This is gonna be so fascinating. considers a new Nancy costume Atrueheart scans her wardrobe thinking about that sexy Tanaka! "A girl can dream can't she?" she mutters under her breath. "But then Squirrely is more than ten girls can handle." A wicked smile crosses her face as she wiggles her butt. "Tanaka is sexy but Squirrely is sex on a stick. Damn glad the other ladies haven't figured that one out yet!"

I actually own the hat Nancy is wearing and it is SUPER hard to get it to stay on your head. I think hers must be enchanted... e.e

I just got caught up on reading all of these previews and I am excited! I love the Seelie and Unseelie court aspect... but then I have always been a huge fan of faeries.

"Who told you to flip the switch for the transport beacons?" Hayao shouted at Pugsy over the roar of the outside winds.

"Wotcher bellowing about?" she shot back. "They're rigged right, but nowhere near charged. Won't be for a week. Who told you to give that old fossil who claims he's a wizard the okay to cast?"

"Calm down, please," Nancy said fighting to keep her balance as the Gearwork Goose twisted at a perilous angle.

Tanaka leapt sideways to steady a reeling chandelier before it ended up on the floor. "I don't think it's anyone's fault. The hum of the beacons, which we can't stop once the charging's started without blowing the system, is whipping the fury of this storm."

"And that nabbity wizard pulled up the whole building. What sort of idiot bloke is he?" Pugsy was still fuming.

"Seems to be a case of vortex nexus transmissions interlock," Jack analyzed, wrapping cloths around his precious broadcast equipment. "Two realities got tangled up, mixed with a third, lifted the Goose clear off the street, and we're now lord knows where. At least that's what I reckon."

"So where does that leave us?" asked Tanaka, vaulting off one chandelier to steady the other.

Hayao frowned. "I'm afraid it leaves us out of control, and..."

There was a grinding jolt and the Goose came to a complete standstill. But only for a moment. With a squealing sound like the gates of the abyss grinding open, the building began to plummet, gaining speed as it descended.

Jack pulled Nancy into a corner and threw himself over her body. Tanaka yanked Hayao clear of all objects, tossed Pugsy and Gadjet in beside his uncle and then covered as much of them as he could.

CRASH! Both chandeliers fell and shattered. BAM! Several walls cracked and furniture bounced off walls. BUMP! The Goose set down with a horrific sound of splitting timbers, but, when the six of them pulled themselves up and looked around, there was far too little structural damage to match what they'd just heard.

Tanaka, covered with dust from the landing, carefully opened the still working front door, and then found he was descending several rickety steps to the ground.

"Looks like we landed on some other building," he called to the ones inside, "although I'm not sure it really could have been called that. Look like some sort of shack."

"We all got terms for things," said a man leaning on the wall of the structure next door, "but what's a shack for you were a saloon to us. Now, from my point of view, you owe us a new bar, or your hides, ain't that the way yer seein' it, Jedro?"

"Pretty much up straight, Tony, and don't make no never mind which. Bone Riders pay for healthy corpses."

Before Tanaka could pull a weapon or reply, Pugsy, also thick with crash dust, barreled past him and over to stare at the two strangers.

"Wotcher all on about?" she howled, taking both of them back. "Did yer two clowns just come rocketing out of the wind storm from hell to drop down in the middle of nowhere? When yer up to doing that, then you kin make threats."

"Now, Pugsy," Nancy almost purred from the top step, striking a pretty pose as she did so, "I'm sure the gentlemen didn't mean any offense. Isn't that right, Tony? Jedro?"

Both men were staring at her open-mouthed. Of course, their mouths had been open from Pugsy's assault, but now they were positively gaping. Tanaka smiled a bit and winked at Jack, who winked back. Hayao remained silent and observed.

Jedro managed to clear his throat first. "Yes, m'am, yer right acourse. Welcome to Bordertown, m'am. It don't look like much around here, but things ain't been easy, and we're safer than most places right now."

Tony got his voice back. "All we were meaning to say, m'am is that your establishment seems to have alighted on our establishment."

"We crashed yer shack," Pugsy summed up.

"But if it saved you, m'am," Tony continued, stammering as Nancy leaned over the railing and regarded him kindly, "we'd be pleased to maybe help you with the repairs."

"Fer a share," put in Jedro, gazing at Nancy, but also taking in the others and the situation, "in that we don't have no business no more since yer sitting on top of it."

Nancy rewarded him with her most charming style, and looked back at the others. "Don't you think that sounds acceptable, friends? If we help each other, we might be able to find out a lot more of what we're up against. I think we should all go back inside, where our bartender, Bearman Jack, will pour us all drinks, and we'll plan our 'partnership.' Doesn't that sounds much better than arguing out here?"

Jack sputtered and Pugsy coughed, but they were drowned out by Jedro and Tony's enthusiastic replies.

As Nancy turned with a flip of bustle and led them back inside, Hayao whispered to Tanaka. "I always thought she was called incomparable because of her singing."

Aah, this is the past? Or did this happen just now? Either way, go Nancy~!

You look lovely, my dear!

Just happened now. This is the set-up for WS3 (the Bordertown part.)

are we ready?