Somewhere in Neopia, on a cloud floating over the land, is a shimmering, candy-floss castle, where all sorts of winged ladies hold court
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The infant she's holding is still in his magically-induced slumber, though he's beginning to stir. First his arms begin to move slightly, then his nubby little lower torso. Soon, his face scrunches up and he mewls softly.
And finally, his red eyes open up, first blinking owlishly but eventually wide and bright. Then they're trained upward, looking at the woman holding him with a somber and straight-faced silence. One hand is wriggled free from his swaddling and a finger is slowly and deliberately placed into his mouth, not removing his sight from the Space Faerie for a moment.
His gaze doesn't seem to hold any kind of recognition. He seems like he's very sternly sussing her out.
Nope, this little bundle of greenish joy has no clue of anything since he 'woke up' underwater and trapped inside of a heavy, black cloth. All he's known for the past few weeks is sleeping, eating oatmeal and drinking formula, burping, and Hippolyta playing with him and attempting (and sometimes succeeding!) at making him giggle.
There's nothing but little baby thoughts living inside his head; no thoughts of conquest, of genocide, of enslavement, of devices made for torture and death.
When she says his name, there's a small, "Blmmmn," from behind that finger he's sucking on.
She would like to keep him, just like this, for a little longer. She understands totally Hippolyta's desire to 'raise' him and care for him. There's a very strong temptation to go against her word, for just a moment. Lumindra promised that she'd restore Frank to his 'old' self. And the reasons for this remain
( ... )
Her finger is stared at by baby Frank, his eyes going wider and wider the closer it gets. Then, with careful, baby-like deliberation, the other hand that isn't occupied with being sucked on reaches out. And soon, his pudgy, green fingers are wrapped around hers.
It's held like that for a long while, as though he's trying to determine what he should do with Lumindra's finger now that he has ahold of it. But then the baby seems to come to some kind of a decision and he clumsily draws it closer to his face. And once it's right there, Frank's own finger comes out of his mouth and hers replaces it. He's soon sucking on it industriously, those enormous red eyes still looking up into her own.
If anybody else were around, they'd see the rare sight of Lumindra wibbling. No fooling, her lower lip is trembling, and her eyes are wide.
"Oh, my."
As he's so occupied, she leans down slowly and touches her lips to his forehead. It's a motherly gesture, made odder by the fact that there's a slightly-glittery kiss mark on him now, that gradually fades out.
A blessing, perhaps?
"Come on, now, let's get you to Fyora."
So saying, she stretches her wings wide, where they glimmer in the pure, high-altitude sunlight for a moment. Then, as gently as possible, she's up and flying toward the castle, her power and speed reigned in considerably for his comfort.
Just so long as she keeps her finger where it's at, baby Frank seems content. Though his own fingers wrap a little tighter as though to ensure it stays in his mouth, and his toothless gums press down for an extra measure.
And the scenery that zips by is watched by Frank with that same gaze he gives everything; even though he's just an infant, you can tell he's attempting to absorb every detail, is struggling to understand the world around him right this instant.
Not much longer now before that innocence is lost abruptly...Hopefully. At least, hopefully for him. As for the rest of Neopia...
Well, that's the OTHER reason she's taking him to be restored. The agreement in place between the Faerie Queen and the doctor.
Not that anybody really...knows what that agreement is. Not even Lumindra, the head 'general' in the war against him. But when Lumindra went to Fyora to confirm the news, the Faerie Queen had instructed her to bring Sloth back to the Hidden Tower.
And they were almost there.
Her finger does indeed stay in his mouth, and she actually winces a bit when the pressure increases.
"Good thing you don't have your milk teeth in yet. Yipes."
The Hidden Tower lives up to its name, as it occupies an innocuous space next to the castle itself, but remains completely invisible to the naked and untrained eye. But all of faeriekind knows its secret, so there is little concern that the Space Faerie will not find her way
( ... )
Any and all scowling done by the other faeries passes by completely unnoticed by Lumindra. After all, her own facial expressions are pretty much learned by rote...and she's never been good at interpreting them on others.
The Space Faerie does indeed walk closer, folding her wings behind her demurely as she goes. She holds the little green bundle out toward the Queen...with her finger still in the baby's mouth.
If Fyora knows one thing (and fortunately, she knows many), it's how her subjects operate. The lack of embarrassment and tact the Space Faerie can possess is most likely points of endearment now.
When the baby is held out, Queen Fyora lets go of her staff, where it stays perfectly upright with no support. And little Frank is carefully taken from the other faerie's arms and held out for inspection. The Queen looks over the now squirming and fussing infant with a look of patient study.
"Quite the fix he's found himself in, hasn't he, Lumindra?"
The blue-haired faerie just nods, pursing her lips and surreptitiously slipping her glove back on.
She's never had a baby gnawing on her before, really. Oh, sure, she's been snuggled by baby pets, and praised by regular pets, but a humanoid baby? Never. Faeries don't really have babies, after all. So the maternal instinct doesn't really exist.
"Poor man never learns," Fyora says. Her expression doesn't betray a great deal, and neither does her tone. That one sentence isn't said in pity, frustration, exasperation...It's simply stated, somehow gently, but firmly, as though solidifying it in fact.
"I'm going to have you step back a ways, dear," cautions the Queen when she walks to the center of the room and conjures up a soft blanket to set the baby down on. Lying on his belly now, arms splayed out on the blanket under him, baby Frank starts fussing louder, sputtering in the beginning of what's shaping up to be a good, loud cry to express his unhappiness with being put down and left alone like this.
Lumindra immediately steps back, moved by obedience to Fyora, which is a greater force than the baby's cries. Although she does feel slightly sorry for poor Frank. He's never liked magic, and he probably won't be well pleased to 'wake up' in the middle of the Hidden Tower.
...Oh. Wait.
"Will he be able to find his way here again when he's restored? Should I put him back to sleep before you do this, Majesty?"
The Faerie Queen has, by now, returned to where she first stood, taking her staff in hand once more from where it'd been waiting for her. Even as she speaks to Lumindra, she's waving her staff in a slow arc in front of her, trails and whisps of purple, shimmering magic trailing behind it. Lavender Faerie runes begin to form around where the baby is lying.
"Magic is already in place, Lumindra. Spells have been woven to confound his mind and sense of direction once he exits this tower by whatever means he wishes. We need not worry about the doctor finding his way back."
No more is said on the subject as the Faerie Queen begins to chant, weaving the enchantments that will reverse the paint brush's magic. The baby is wailing now, not much caring for the bright lights that have suddenly surrounded him. His eyes are squeezed shut and his fat baby hands are doing their clumsy best to cover them as he howls.
Ah, of course. She should have known as much. So she simply nods again, and holds stock still. She's seen this sort of power used before, and she's no slouch herself when it comes to mystical energy, but that doesn't mean that she's lost all sense of wonder about it. Her eyes shine in her inexpressive face, marveling at this display. Any faerie would. It's not often that Fyora does deep magic like this. It's rarer still that anybody gets to witness.
Granted, she's also feeling more than a little sorry for the baby, who does not look happy. But it will all be over soon, and he won't be coming to any harm.
And finally, his red eyes open up, first blinking owlishly but eventually wide and bright. Then they're trained upward, looking at the woman holding him with a somber and straight-faced silence. One hand is wriggled free from his swaddling and a finger is slowly and deliberately placed into his mouth, not removing his sight from the Space Faerie for a moment.
His gaze doesn't seem to hold any kind of recognition. He seems like he's very sternly sussing her out.
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There's nothing but little baby thoughts living inside his head; no thoughts of conquest, of genocide, of enslavement, of devices made for torture and death.
When she says his name, there's a small, "Blmmmn," from behind that finger he's sucking on.
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It's held like that for a long while, as though he's trying to determine what he should do with Lumindra's finger now that he has ahold of it. But then the baby seems to come to some kind of a decision and he clumsily draws it closer to his face. And once it's right there, Frank's own finger comes out of his mouth and hers replaces it. He's soon sucking on it industriously, those enormous red eyes still looking up into her own.
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"Oh, my."
As he's so occupied, she leans down slowly and touches her lips to his forehead. It's a motherly gesture, made odder by the fact that there's a slightly-glittery kiss mark on him now, that gradually fades out.
A blessing, perhaps?
"Come on, now, let's get you to Fyora."
So saying, she stretches her wings wide, where they glimmer in the pure, high-altitude sunlight for a moment. Then, as gently as possible, she's up and flying toward the castle, her power and speed reigned in considerably for his comfort.
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And the scenery that zips by is watched by Frank with that same gaze he gives everything; even though he's just an infant, you can tell he's attempting to absorb every detail, is struggling to understand the world around him right this instant.
Not much longer now before that innocence is lost abruptly...Hopefully. At least, hopefully for him. As for the rest of Neopia...
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Not that anybody really...knows what that agreement is. Not even Lumindra, the head 'general' in the war against him. But when Lumindra went to Fyora to confirm the news, the Faerie Queen had instructed her to bring Sloth back to the Hidden Tower.
And they were almost there.
Her finger does indeed stay in his mouth, and she actually winces a bit when the pressure increases.
"Good thing you don't have your milk teeth in yet. Yipes."
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The Space Faerie does indeed walk closer, folding her wings behind her demurely as she goes. She holds the little green bundle out toward the Queen...with her finger still in the baby's mouth.
Good thing Lumindra doesn't embarrass easily.
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When the baby is held out, Queen Fyora lets go of her staff, where it stays perfectly upright with no support. And little Frank is carefully taken from the other faerie's arms and held out for inspection. The Queen looks over the now squirming and fussing infant with a look of patient study.
"Quite the fix he's found himself in, hasn't he, Lumindra?"
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She's never had a baby gnawing on her before, really. Oh, sure, she's been snuggled by baby pets, and praised by regular pets, but a humanoid baby? Never. Faeries don't really have babies, after all. So the maternal instinct doesn't really exist.
He's still cute and protection-worthy, though.
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"I'm going to have you step back a ways, dear," cautions the Queen when she walks to the center of the room and conjures up a soft blanket to set the baby down on. Lying on his belly now, arms splayed out on the blanket under him, baby Frank starts fussing louder, sputtering in the beginning of what's shaping up to be a good, loud cry to express his unhappiness with being put down and left alone like this.
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...Oh. Wait.
"Will he be able to find his way here again when he's restored? Should I put him back to sleep before you do this, Majesty?"
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"Magic is already in place, Lumindra. Spells have been woven to confound his mind and sense of direction once he exits this tower by whatever means he wishes. We need not worry about the doctor finding his way back."
No more is said on the subject as the Faerie Queen begins to chant, weaving the enchantments that will reverse the paint brush's magic. The baby is wailing now, not much caring for the bright lights that have suddenly surrounded him. His eyes are squeezed shut and his fat baby hands are doing their clumsy best to cover them as he howls.
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Granted, she's also feeling more than a little sorry for the baby, who does not look happy. But it will all be over soon, and he won't be coming to any harm.
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