GIrlyswot's Birthday Part III
Sorry, gals - I didn't mean to leave you hanging, but things got busy and I got tired. So here's the wrap up post. Feel free to add to it whatever you'd like. Just know that poppies don't grow in the land of Shine. ;)
For the prior storyline, please refer to Part I http://moonette1.livejournal.com/46922.html
and Part II http://moonette1.livejournal.com/47527.html
And of course, the Shine video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDyDz8WeiM4
St. Margarets tried to sit up as she rubbed her head. Gah, it throbbed like a dragon’s wing was beating against it.
Then a warm hand on her shoulder pushed her gently back down.“Nah, lie back, lass.”
St. Margarets opened her eyes to see ones of piercing blue staring back at her. Accompanied by a chiseled jaw and black hair which fell with one unruly wave onto his forehead. A thin red scar underlined his right eye, giving him an air of danger. But there was something in his gaze that immediately dispelled any fear. As a matter of fact - if anything, he looked worried.
“You’re the pirate who abducted me!” St. Margarets’ head throbbed harder. She’d have to avoid using exclamation points until this headache was gone. She reached for her head and held it where it throbbed. “Did you…”
“No! I didn’t hurt you. I mean…it was an accident. Do ye not remember any of it?” The worry in his eyes changed to guilt, and he sighed. “I was holding you at the door of the castle, slung over my shoulder-like. Someone called my name, and I turned around just as a servant pushed the door open.” He winced. “It hit you in the head. Knocked you clean out.”
“How long have I been-”
“I’d say about two hours. I’ve been sitting with you. You’ve been talking nonsense-about Moonette and poppies. Poppies don’t grow here in Shine. CDO’s allergic.” He placed his hand over hers. “I’m sorry.”
“Throw me that purse, will you? I’ve got some Motrin in there.”
“Motrin?”
“Yes, Motrin. Medicine. For my headache.”
“Will it make ye better?” A hopeful smile displayed straight white teeth.
“Yes. I’m pretty sure it will.”
“Good. Then you can help me.”
“Help you?” St. Margarets fished around in her purse and found the small bottle of tablets, then popped four into her mouth. Before she could even look around for water, Mr. Pirate had placed a goblet into her hands. She swallowed them down and waited for his explanation.
“Aye. CDO has charged me with the flowers. They must be Girlyswot’s favorites, and the arrangements must “compliment her beauty”. Mr. Pirate frowned. “CDO gets very angry if things aren’t done to his satisfaction. He absently fingered the scar under his eye. “I need your help, lass.”
St. Margarets rose from the bed, and with a steadying hand from Mr. Pirate, descended the stairs to the ballroom, which was where CDO had demanded the flower arrangements be…um…arranged. What St. Mags found there shocked her head back to throbbing.
Kelleypen was wrapped in a bath towel and was sitting at a table busily writing and painting, with a large piece of parchment, a pot of ink, and several colors of paint spread out before her. A handsome blond pirate stood behind her, nodding with approval every few moments.
Kelleypen looked up from her task to St. Mags. “I’m in charge of the birthday card.”
The blond pirate smiled. “She’s doing a great job with it, too.”
“How about you?” Kelleypen asked.
“Um…flowers.”
Kelleypen nodded and resumed her task.
St. Mags then noticed TDU behind a massive stone bar. Bottles with various colors of liquid filled the shelves behind her, and she polished the shiny stone with a towel. A moderately overweight pirate with an eye patch and a wooden leg sat watching her closely, pistol drawn. St. Mags noted he was wearing a plastic rain cape.
The pirate noticed St. Mags staring at his cape. “Fer the vomit,” he growled.
“That’ll teach you to stuff mutton into a vegetarian’s mouth,” TDU shot back, wiping the stone more vigorously.
“How should I have known ye were a vege-what-have-you? Ye didn’t have a sign on yer back.” The pirate shook his head. “Anyway, yer doin’ a good job with the bar.”
St. Mags then noticed Lady Whizbee dancing on the other side of the room with a handsome pirate (Well, they were all handsome. Except TDU’s.) with shoulder-length auburn hair. He held her very close, with a hand over the small of her back.
“Just trying out the dance floor,” Lady Whizbee called out. “I’m in charge of making sure it’s perfect for Girlyswot.”
“Mmm.” Her pirate bent and whispered something in her ear. St. Mags couldn’t hear it, but Lady Whizbee smiled and blushed.
Then Amamama pushed out a huge cake on a rolling cart. The tallest pirate of them all helped her move it from the cart to the middle of the banquet table.
Amamama smiled. “He did the piping. It’s not often you see a burly six foot eight pirate have a delicate hand for cake decorating.”
“What flavor is it?” asked St. Mags.
“Red velvet.”
“Like your lips,” the tall pirate said as he bent and gave Amamama a brief kiss on hers.
St. Mags’ pirate rolled his eyes at that.
“What?” St. Mags asked him. “Better a fluffy compliment than a whack over the head.”
St. Mags’ pirate winced. “I told you I was sorry, and I’ll be sorry until the end of my days. All of the other lasses are happy. Can I not make you happy as well?”
“Don’t know,” St. Mags said, twisting the knife as only Moonette, Hazel, or Megan could do. Perhaps she was learning. It didn’t feel good, though, she had to admit. Sort of made her stomach upset.
Her pirate sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. “About the flowers…”
“Right. Show me the gardens, please.”
On their way out of the ballroom to the hallway towards the gardens, St. Mags passed gluedtodesk415 with several men in armor. She was giving them instructions in a sort of military tone. Alex winked at St. Mags. “I’m in charge of party security.”
Alex’s own pirate stood next to her, his hand on his weapon. “And I’m her bodyguard.”
Alex whispered to St. Mags. “I’ll let him think he’s protecting me. Makes my work a little easier if I’m not constantly arguing with him.”
St. Mags nodded and moved on. They passed the kitchen, and inside she saw CHK instructing several stunningly handsome cooks. Pots and cauldrons were boiling away and some of the cooks stood at a large wooden table chopping vegetables and filleting fish. CHK grinned under her white leather chef’s hat and wiped her hands on a towel hanging from her leather apron. “I’m in charge of the meal.”
St. Mags’ pirate motioned her to follow him outside. The steps down to the garden were tricky and uneven, and St. Mags lost her balance.
Mr. Pirate grabbed her hand. “I won’t let you fall, lass.”
St. Mags humphed and asked, “Which flowers are we to choose from?”
Mr. Pirate sighed, but didn’t let go of her hand. “Over here.”
“Yoo hoo,” a familiar voice called. “St. Mags!”
It was Hazel. “I’m in charge of readying your flowers for your arrangements,” Hazel explained. Napier was spreading a rich looking topsoil around some of the rose bushes, and Hazel’s pirate stood nearby throwing him nasty looks. “Isn’t this garden spectacular? And the best part is, whenever you cut off a flower, it is immediately replaced by another in full bloom.”
Mr. Pirate took a dagger from his belt and cut a stunning yellow rose with red edges. He sliced off the thorns and handed it to St. Mags. “Here. A rose for a rose.”
St. Mags took a whiff of the heavenly scent. “Keep trying. You’re getting closer.”
Mr. Pirate smiled and glanced down at their hands still clasped together.
#
In the meantime, Charlie and Girlyswot strolled by the lake near the castle. He held her hand in his, and for a time they simply enjoyed the quiet splendor of the setting - the rich green grass, the grey boulders cutting out of the land, the castle in the background against the clear blue sky. Then Charlie sighed.
Girlyswot looked up and found a small muscle clenching in his cheek. “Charlie - is something wrong?”
Charlie’s grip on her hand tightened slightly. “No. I don’t think so. I just need to tell you something.”
Girlyswot’s stomach turned. What was going on here? She thought they’d worked everything out. “What is it?”
Charlie turned and faced her squarely. “You know I set up that date with CDO, right?”
“You WHAT?” Girlyswot asked, the words coming out more loudly than she intended.
“He needed to get to know you. So the party could be perfect, but still be a surprise.”
Girlyswot shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“CDO is the premier party planner in the land of Shine and its surrounding fantasy lands. If I wanted the best, it had to be him.”
“Party?”
Charlie nodded as his grin grew. “Right now. At the castle. With your friends."
"Premier party planner?"
"Yes. He said your party would be guaranteed to make you squeal in pleasure...At least I think that's what he said. Something like that. Come on. Let’s go have some fun.”
As they walked towards the castle, Grandma Kate and Nic peered up from behind a nearby boulder. "Perfect!" Grandma Kate said. "We got the big reveal on tape! Now let's go film the party."
For the prior storyline, please refer to Part I http://moonette1.livejournal.com/46922.html
and Part II http://moonette1.livejournal.com/47527.html
And of course, the Shine video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDyDz8WeiM4
St. Margarets tried to sit up as she rubbed her head. Gah, it throbbed like a dragon’s wing was beating against it.
Then a warm hand on her shoulder pushed her gently back down.“Nah, lie back, lass.”
St. Margarets opened her eyes to see ones of piercing blue staring back at her. Accompanied by a chiseled jaw and black hair which fell with one unruly wave onto his forehead. A thin red scar underlined his right eye, giving him an air of danger. But there was something in his gaze that immediately dispelled any fear. As a matter of fact - if anything, he looked worried.
“You’re the pirate who abducted me!” St. Margarets’ head throbbed harder. She’d have to avoid using exclamation points until this headache was gone. She reached for her head and held it where it throbbed. “Did you…”
“No! I didn’t hurt you. I mean…it was an accident. Do ye not remember any of it?” The worry in his eyes changed to guilt, and he sighed. “I was holding you at the door of the castle, slung over my shoulder-like. Someone called my name, and I turned around just as a servant pushed the door open.” He winced. “It hit you in the head. Knocked you clean out.”
“How long have I been-”
“I’d say about two hours. I’ve been sitting with you. You’ve been talking nonsense-about Moonette and poppies. Poppies don’t grow here in Shine. CDO’s allergic.” He placed his hand over hers. “I’m sorry.”
“Throw me that purse, will you? I’ve got some Motrin in there.”
“Motrin?”
“Yes, Motrin. Medicine. For my headache.”
“Will it make ye better?” A hopeful smile displayed straight white teeth.
“Yes. I’m pretty sure it will.”
“Good. Then you can help me.”
“Help you?” St. Margarets fished around in her purse and found the small bottle of tablets, then popped four into her mouth. Before she could even look around for water, Mr. Pirate had placed a goblet into her hands. She swallowed them down and waited for his explanation.
“Aye. CDO has charged me with the flowers. They must be Girlyswot’s favorites, and the arrangements must “compliment her beauty”. Mr. Pirate frowned. “CDO gets very angry if things aren’t done to his satisfaction. He absently fingered the scar under his eye. “I need your help, lass.”
St. Margarets rose from the bed, and with a steadying hand from Mr. Pirate, descended the stairs to the ballroom, which was where CDO had demanded the flower arrangements be…um…arranged. What St. Mags found there shocked her head back to throbbing.
Kelleypen was wrapped in a bath towel and was sitting at a table busily writing and painting, with a large piece of parchment, a pot of ink, and several colors of paint spread out before her. A handsome blond pirate stood behind her, nodding with approval every few moments.
Kelleypen looked up from her task to St. Mags. “I’m in charge of the birthday card.”
The blond pirate smiled. “She’s doing a great job with it, too.”
“How about you?” Kelleypen asked.
“Um…flowers.”
Kelleypen nodded and resumed her task.
St. Mags then noticed TDU behind a massive stone bar. Bottles with various colors of liquid filled the shelves behind her, and she polished the shiny stone with a towel. A moderately overweight pirate with an eye patch and a wooden leg sat watching her closely, pistol drawn. St. Mags noted he was wearing a plastic rain cape.
The pirate noticed St. Mags staring at his cape. “Fer the vomit,” he growled.
“That’ll teach you to stuff mutton into a vegetarian’s mouth,” TDU shot back, wiping the stone more vigorously.
“How should I have known ye were a vege-what-have-you? Ye didn’t have a sign on yer back.” The pirate shook his head. “Anyway, yer doin’ a good job with the bar.”
St. Mags then noticed Lady Whizbee dancing on the other side of the room with a handsome pirate (Well, they were all handsome. Except TDU’s.) with shoulder-length auburn hair. He held her very close, with a hand over the small of her back.
“Just trying out the dance floor,” Lady Whizbee called out. “I’m in charge of making sure it’s perfect for Girlyswot.”
“Mmm.” Her pirate bent and whispered something in her ear. St. Mags couldn’t hear it, but Lady Whizbee smiled and blushed.
Then Amamama pushed out a huge cake on a rolling cart. The tallest pirate of them all helped her move it from the cart to the middle of the banquet table.
Amamama smiled. “He did the piping. It’s not often you see a burly six foot eight pirate have a delicate hand for cake decorating.”
“What flavor is it?” asked St. Mags.
“Red velvet.”
“Like your lips,” the tall pirate said as he bent and gave Amamama a brief kiss on hers.
St. Mags’ pirate rolled his eyes at that.
“What?” St. Mags asked him. “Better a fluffy compliment than a whack over the head.”
St. Mags’ pirate winced. “I told you I was sorry, and I’ll be sorry until the end of my days. All of the other lasses are happy. Can I not make you happy as well?”
“Don’t know,” St. Mags said, twisting the knife as only Moonette, Hazel, or Megan could do. Perhaps she was learning. It didn’t feel good, though, she had to admit. Sort of made her stomach upset.
Her pirate sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. “About the flowers…”
“Right. Show me the gardens, please.”
On their way out of the ballroom to the hallway towards the gardens, St. Mags passed gluedtodesk415 with several men in armor. She was giving them instructions in a sort of military tone. Alex winked at St. Mags. “I’m in charge of party security.”
Alex’s own pirate stood next to her, his hand on his weapon. “And I’m her bodyguard.”
Alex whispered to St. Mags. “I’ll let him think he’s protecting me. Makes my work a little easier if I’m not constantly arguing with him.”
St. Mags nodded and moved on. They passed the kitchen, and inside she saw CHK instructing several stunningly handsome cooks. Pots and cauldrons were boiling away and some of the cooks stood at a large wooden table chopping vegetables and filleting fish. CHK grinned under her white leather chef’s hat and wiped her hands on a towel hanging from her leather apron. “I’m in charge of the meal.”
St. Mags’ pirate motioned her to follow him outside. The steps down to the garden were tricky and uneven, and St. Mags lost her balance.
Mr. Pirate grabbed her hand. “I won’t let you fall, lass.”
St. Mags humphed and asked, “Which flowers are we to choose from?”
Mr. Pirate sighed, but didn’t let go of her hand. “Over here.”
“Yoo hoo,” a familiar voice called. “St. Mags!”
It was Hazel. “I’m in charge of readying your flowers for your arrangements,” Hazel explained. Napier was spreading a rich looking topsoil around some of the rose bushes, and Hazel’s pirate stood nearby throwing him nasty looks. “Isn’t this garden spectacular? And the best part is, whenever you cut off a flower, it is immediately replaced by another in full bloom.”
Mr. Pirate took a dagger from his belt and cut a stunning yellow rose with red edges. He sliced off the thorns and handed it to St. Mags. “Here. A rose for a rose.”
St. Mags took a whiff of the heavenly scent. “Keep trying. You’re getting closer.”
Mr. Pirate smiled and glanced down at their hands still clasped together.
#
In the meantime, Charlie and Girlyswot strolled by the lake near the castle. He held her hand in his, and for a time they simply enjoyed the quiet splendor of the setting - the rich green grass, the grey boulders cutting out of the land, the castle in the background against the clear blue sky. Then Charlie sighed.
Girlyswot looked up and found a small muscle clenching in his cheek. “Charlie - is something wrong?”
Charlie’s grip on her hand tightened slightly. “No. I don’t think so. I just need to tell you something.”
Girlyswot’s stomach turned. What was going on here? She thought they’d worked everything out. “What is it?”
Charlie turned and faced her squarely. “You know I set up that date with CDO, right?”
“You WHAT?” Girlyswot asked, the words coming out more loudly than she intended.
“He needed to get to know you. So the party could be perfect, but still be a surprise.”
Girlyswot shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“CDO is the premier party planner in the land of Shine and its surrounding fantasy lands. If I wanted the best, it had to be him.”
“Party?”
Charlie nodded as his grin grew. “Right now. At the castle. With your friends."
"Premier party planner?"
"Yes. He said your party would be guaranteed to make you squeal in pleasure...At least I think that's what he said. Something like that. Come on. Let’s go have some fun.”
As they walked towards the castle, Grandma Kate and Nic peered up from behind a nearby boulder. "Perfect!" Grandma Kate said. "We got the big reveal on tape! Now let's go film the party."