Garden, Sunday Night

[nothornlessrose]

Cassidy suddenly found herself opening her eyes back in the gardens and falling on the ground. Confused, she looked around, but the things that had attacked her. As she was getting to her feet, she heard a thought in the wind, or maybe she was imagining things.

*REMEMBER*Her first thought was of the friends that had been lost here and she thought

Comments

[snarkyhealer]

*CASSIDY!*

A pause, like Shira realized she was being too loud and was trying to care.

*CASSIDY! Oh, Mother Night, it's good to have you back!*

[nothornlessrose]

*Shira! Oh, Shira, it's so good to hear your voice.* Cassidy's mental thread was full of emotion. *Are you all right? Did you find safety?*

[snarkyhealer]

*I did,* Shira assured her. *Elle and I both did.*

Which meant Alice hadn't, and that Shira wasn't sure how to actually say it.

[nothornlessrose]

Lucky for Shira, Cassidy didn't need to be told. When Shira didn't mention Alice, she knew something must have happened.

*Thank the Darkness! I wasn't sure that my warning went through.* She paused. *But ... if I'm back, then Alice must be back somewhere, too.*

She wouldn't believe any other way until she had proof.

[snarkyhealer]

*Unfortunately, I don't know where, exactly,* Shira said by way of agreement. *I'll try calling her in a minute. You were more important to me right now.*

Alice would just have to understand.

[nothornlessrose]

*I was scared that they would find you, too, Shira.* Cassidy admitted. *And by the Darkness, I did try to be careful, but then they started murdering the trees! But then my Craft didn't work and they could reach through my SHIELDS!*

It would probably not get her out of a scolding from Shira and others, but at least maybe they would understand why she hadn't just run as soon as she realized she was in trouble?

Considering that Alice understood how the Court worked as far as what they had explained to her, she would probably be annoyed if they didn't make sure that Cassidy was fine and unharmed first.

[snarkyhealer]

*Oh, Cassidy...* Frustration and annoyance and fear and a couple dozen emotions all at once were in those two words. *Next time? Run? The land matters but the Queen matters more. The land can be rebuilt; the Queen can't.*

[nothornlessrose]

*I'm going to get scolded and fussed over, aren't I?*

[snarkyhealer]

*Of course you are. It's our right.*

But there was a smile to the mental words.

[nothornlessrose]

*Could I possibly have a long hot bath and then sleep for a few days, first?* And then, because she knew Shira and knew how both of them had been handling things... *You probably need sleep, as well.*

[snarkyhealer]

*Oh, fine. Be that way.* Said teasingly, though, because of course she could give Cassidy that much first. *And I could probably do with sleeping for a week or two. Spent most of my time looking after Elle.*

[nothornlessrose]

*We all need rest, then.* Cassidy decided firmly.

[snarkyhealer]

*We do,* Shira agreed. *And lots of it.*