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Fic: Don't Touch the Shimmery Liquid 1/12
Title: Don't Touch the Shimmery Liquid 1/12
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: DG, Cain, Az, Glitch, Raw, Ahamo and the Queen (and a bunch of random OCs that aren't important)
Rating: PG
Summary: If you don't know what something is, keep your hands OUT OF IT!
Warning: post-series *inspired by (but not so much an answer to) impish_dragon's bunny.
Disclaimer: The original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven | Part Twelve
More Tales: the first tale | the second tale | the third tale | the fourth tale | the fifth tale
DG and Cain were walking through the Central City marketplace - Cain didn't like the unsecured location, but they needed to find Glitch. DG insisted she go along: if he'd forgotten everything, at least she'd be a friendly face.
As they moved through the stalls, DG found herself looking at the various displays. She was reminded of the flea market that Mom and Popsicle would drag her to on Saturdays while she was growing up. No matter what he said, DG knew Popsicle was always much more excited to attend than he'd let on.
Cain stopped near a table along the back wall and turned to scan the tops of the crowd's heads for Glitch's zipper. DG noticed an odd coloring out of the corner of her eye and turned to see a bowl-like container shoved into the pile of junk. The liquid in said bowl was an odd consistency. For a second, DG could swear it was glowing.
Something about the shimmery surface... DG just wanted to touch it. It looked like liquid fabric; like one of those dresses she'd seen at the bridal shop in town that was five different colors.
Instinctively, DG reached her left hand toward Cain and found his arm. Tugging gently on his coat sleeve, Cain turned to look at her and noticed her gaze fixed on the table. When he realized what she was reaching for, he did a double-take and caught her right hand just as her fingertips grazed the edge of the dish.
She flinched as he jerked her hand back. She looked up at him, wide-eyed, as his grip tightened. "I- I'm sorry," she stuttered quickly. He gave her a 'Don't touch anything. Ever!' look and breathed deeply. DG managed to pull her hand from his grasp and had to shake it slightly. 'God, he has a grip,' she thought.
Cain glared at the dish and looked for the stall's attendant. DG turned away to glance at the crowd, praying to see Glitch. No one knew how he'd gotten out of the palace, only that he'd been looking for Raw. When Raw arrived almost an hour later, without Glitch, DG had begun to worry. After an hour of searching the palace, and none of the guards seeing him, DG demanded they search the city.
DG noticed a crowd forming a few tables over and pushed herself up on tiptoes to see what was going on. A moment later, a stray fist in the air let her know that a fistfight had broken out. The assembled crowd, most cheering - God! Why did no one ever try and break a fight up, instead of cheering it on? - shifted and hooted again.
DG reached behind her, grasping at thin air, trying to find Cain's arm again. Upon contact with his duster, she slapped him a few times, never taking her gaze off the fight. Cain looked up again, just as the crowd in front of DG parted and the two brawlers lunged toward Cain. DG stepped back and threw her hands up, hoping that the magic would somehow stop the two D-liners.
She felt Cain's arm around her waist and then a jerk in her stomach as he reared back and both of them planted a hand on the table as the men fell to the ground in front of them. Closing her eyes, DG took a deep breath - her heart was racing, God knows why - and moved her hand to her waist, placing it over Cain's.
For whatever reason, DG looked to her left and, as her eyes went wide, she inhaled sharply, which Cain noticed. "You okay, Kid?" She looked over her left shoulder, just enough to make eye contact, and then back down to the table. Cain frowned and looked down as well.
Cain's hand, and sleeve, was in the liquid.
Closing his eyes, and clenching his jaw, Cain frowned and sighed heavily. Cocking his head slightly, DG pulled away and turned to face him as Cain took a few deep breaths. She was waiting to see steam literally come from his ears - his face was already turning red.
He'd been so shocked at DG pushing herself into him, and then seeing the two men lunging in their direction, he hadn't given the dish a second thought. Cain made a face as he slowly lifted his hand from the bowl and gave it a quick shake, hoping to remove as much of the liquid as possible.
As timing was everything, the woman attending the stall appeared. Her eyes darted from Cain's hand to the dish, then back to Cain. She gave him a sheepish smile and passed over a piece of fabric for him to use as a makeshift towel. Anyone within a five-mile radius could tell he was angry, but he said nothing. DG noted that, if looks could kill, this poor woman would be stone dead in less than a second.
Cain said nothing as the woman produced the container's lid and sealed it. She then passed the covered dish over to Cain, who took DG's hand and said gruffly: "Let's go, Kid." DG had far too many questions at this point: What was that liquid? Why was Cain so jumpy about it? Why were those guys fighting? What about Glitch? Why did the woman just hand the stuff over? What was that liquid?!
They were back at the palace when DG finally wrenched her hand from Cain's. She shook her hand again, as his thumb had been digging into her side of her wrist, right against the bone, for the better part of five minutes. And it hurt like hell. She'd protested the entire way back, but Cain hadn't said a word. That fact didn't aggravate her, so much as scare her.
As they entered the corridor leading to the Royal Family's chambers, DG noticed Glitch, standing with Raw and Azkadellia near the base of the grand staircase. DG opened her mouth at the sight of Glitch, but didn't have the chance to say anything as she saw the look on her sister's face.
"Oh my!" Az said, her eyes wide with shock. Glitch's mouth hung open and Raw just stared. DG gave them a questioning look from her end of the hall as Cain rapped on a nearby door and pushed it open. DG looked over her shoulder toward Az as Cain shoved her into the library.
Raw and Az shared a look, while Glitch screwed up his face. At first, Az thought it was just a trick of the light, but knew - by Raw's nervous laugh and the way Glitch's breath caught - it was no trick. They'd all seen the glow around the two as they entered the hallway. The three of them looked at each other for a good minute before rushing down the hallway to the library.
The Queen looked up as Cain and DG swept into the library; DG noticed her straighten and raise both eyebrows. Ahamo, who was also in the library, looked up from his book and shot up from his seat as Cain reached the desk. Silently, he set the dish down on the desktop and pulled off the lid, then took a step back.
Ahamo took a step closer and looked at the shimmering liquid with his wife. They shared a glance, then looked up to their daughter and the former Tin Man. DG had enough. "What the HE-" The Queen raised her hand and glanced, ever-so-quickly, to Ahamo, who shrugged.
Cain had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. The Queen looked to Cain. "How did this happen?" she asked calmly. Cain sighed and, for the first time since the fight had broken out in the back end of the bazaar, spoke.
"We were looking for Gl- Ambrose. We thought he'd gotten himself out of the palace," he added as the Queen opened her mouth, presumably to tell them that Glitch was currently in the palace. "We were down in the marketplace and a fight broke out."
"It wasn't his fault," DG threw out. And that wasn't a lie. "I found it." Granted, whether she had or not, the fact that they happened to stop at that table - assuming the fight would have broken out anyway - really didn't make it her fault either. The Queen looked to Ahamo again, then down to the desk with a sigh. Raising her eyes to Cain and DG, she said, ever-so-calmly:
"This is..."
"Supposed to be illegal," Cain said sternly. The Queen nodded and stepped around the desk. She took a moment to choose her words.
"This is old magic. A binding contract." Her expression dropped into an apologetic frown. "Magic I cannot reverse." Cain swallowed and DG couldn't take any more.
"So, what?" Everyone looked at the Princess. DG threw a hand up. "Is there a dragon? Psycho mermaids? Do I have to get through the hedge maze before it tries to eat me?!" Her eyes rolled as Cain and her parents gave her a look. It wouldn't have been so bad, but it was one of those 'you're-not-old-enough-to-understand-so-let-the-big-people-talk' looks. She hated those looks.
"You all obviously know what the Goblet of Fire's doin' over here," She waved to the dish. "The lady in the city seems to have a clue, and judging by the looks on the faces of the peanut gallery-" DG pointed a thumb over her shoulder, toward the door - where she knew Az, Glitch and Raw were listening on the other side - "they all have a clue. Which means: I'm the only one who doesn't!"
She huffed angrily and planted her hands on her hips. "Will someone please tell me what the HELL-" The Queen took a step forward, took DG's hands in hers and gave an honest smile to Cain. The glow around each of them was beginning to dim; within a day, it would disappear completely. But they would still be...
On the other side of the door, Az, Glitch and Raw jumped back from the door as they heard DG shout: "We're WHAT?!"
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters, Pairing: DG, Cain, Az, Glitch, Raw, Ahamo and the Queen (and a bunch of random OCs that aren't important)
Rating: PG
Summary: If you don't know what something is, keep your hands OUT OF IT!
Warning: post-series *inspired by (but not so much an answer to) impish_dragon's bunny.
Disclaimer: The original characters belong to L. Frank Baum and their respective actors. The current characters belong to Sci-Fi, the movie folks and their respective actors.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven | Part Twelve
More Tales: the first tale | the second tale | the third tale | the fourth tale | the fifth tale
DG and Cain were walking through the Central City marketplace - Cain didn't like the unsecured location, but they needed to find Glitch. DG insisted she go along: if he'd forgotten everything, at least she'd be a friendly face.
As they moved through the stalls, DG found herself looking at the various displays. She was reminded of the flea market that Mom and Popsicle would drag her to on Saturdays while she was growing up. No matter what he said, DG knew Popsicle was always much more excited to attend than he'd let on.
Cain stopped near a table along the back wall and turned to scan the tops of the crowd's heads for Glitch's zipper. DG noticed an odd coloring out of the corner of her eye and turned to see a bowl-like container shoved into the pile of junk. The liquid in said bowl was an odd consistency. For a second, DG could swear it was glowing.
Something about the shimmery surface... DG just wanted to touch it. It looked like liquid fabric; like one of those dresses she'd seen at the bridal shop in town that was five different colors.
Instinctively, DG reached her left hand toward Cain and found his arm. Tugging gently on his coat sleeve, Cain turned to look at her and noticed her gaze fixed on the table. When he realized what she was reaching for, he did a double-take and caught her right hand just as her fingertips grazed the edge of the dish.
She flinched as he jerked her hand back. She looked up at him, wide-eyed, as his grip tightened. "I- I'm sorry," she stuttered quickly. He gave her a 'Don't touch anything. Ever!' look and breathed deeply. DG managed to pull her hand from his grasp and had to shake it slightly. 'God, he has a grip,' she thought.
Cain glared at the dish and looked for the stall's attendant. DG turned away to glance at the crowd, praying to see Glitch. No one knew how he'd gotten out of the palace, only that he'd been looking for Raw. When Raw arrived almost an hour later, without Glitch, DG had begun to worry. After an hour of searching the palace, and none of the guards seeing him, DG demanded they search the city.
DG noticed a crowd forming a few tables over and pushed herself up on tiptoes to see what was going on. A moment later, a stray fist in the air let her know that a fistfight had broken out. The assembled crowd, most cheering - God! Why did no one ever try and break a fight up, instead of cheering it on? - shifted and hooted again.
DG reached behind her, grasping at thin air, trying to find Cain's arm again. Upon contact with his duster, she slapped him a few times, never taking her gaze off the fight. Cain looked up again, just as the crowd in front of DG parted and the two brawlers lunged toward Cain. DG stepped back and threw her hands up, hoping that the magic would somehow stop the two D-liners.
She felt Cain's arm around her waist and then a jerk in her stomach as he reared back and both of them planted a hand on the table as the men fell to the ground in front of them. Closing her eyes, DG took a deep breath - her heart was racing, God knows why - and moved her hand to her waist, placing it over Cain's.
For whatever reason, DG looked to her left and, as her eyes went wide, she inhaled sharply, which Cain noticed. "You okay, Kid?" She looked over her left shoulder, just enough to make eye contact, and then back down to the table. Cain frowned and looked down as well.
Cain's hand, and sleeve, was in the liquid.
Closing his eyes, and clenching his jaw, Cain frowned and sighed heavily. Cocking his head slightly, DG pulled away and turned to face him as Cain took a few deep breaths. She was waiting to see steam literally come from his ears - his face was already turning red.
He'd been so shocked at DG pushing herself into him, and then seeing the two men lunging in their direction, he hadn't given the dish a second thought. Cain made a face as he slowly lifted his hand from the bowl and gave it a quick shake, hoping to remove as much of the liquid as possible.
As timing was everything, the woman attending the stall appeared. Her eyes darted from Cain's hand to the dish, then back to Cain. She gave him a sheepish smile and passed over a piece of fabric for him to use as a makeshift towel. Anyone within a five-mile radius could tell he was angry, but he said nothing. DG noted that, if looks could kill, this poor woman would be stone dead in less than a second.
Cain said nothing as the woman produced the container's lid and sealed it. She then passed the covered dish over to Cain, who took DG's hand and said gruffly: "Let's go, Kid." DG had far too many questions at this point: What was that liquid? Why was Cain so jumpy about it? Why were those guys fighting? What about Glitch? Why did the woman just hand the stuff over? What was that liquid?!
They were back at the palace when DG finally wrenched her hand from Cain's. She shook her hand again, as his thumb had been digging into her side of her wrist, right against the bone, for the better part of five minutes. And it hurt like hell. She'd protested the entire way back, but Cain hadn't said a word. That fact didn't aggravate her, so much as scare her.
As they entered the corridor leading to the Royal Family's chambers, DG noticed Glitch, standing with Raw and Azkadellia near the base of the grand staircase. DG opened her mouth at the sight of Glitch, but didn't have the chance to say anything as she saw the look on her sister's face.
"Oh my!" Az said, her eyes wide with shock. Glitch's mouth hung open and Raw just stared. DG gave them a questioning look from her end of the hall as Cain rapped on a nearby door and pushed it open. DG looked over her shoulder toward Az as Cain shoved her into the library.
Raw and Az shared a look, while Glitch screwed up his face. At first, Az thought it was just a trick of the light, but knew - by Raw's nervous laugh and the way Glitch's breath caught - it was no trick. They'd all seen the glow around the two as they entered the hallway. The three of them looked at each other for a good minute before rushing down the hallway to the library.
The Queen looked up as Cain and DG swept into the library; DG noticed her straighten and raise both eyebrows. Ahamo, who was also in the library, looked up from his book and shot up from his seat as Cain reached the desk. Silently, he set the dish down on the desktop and pulled off the lid, then took a step back.
Ahamo took a step closer and looked at the shimmering liquid with his wife. They shared a glance, then looked up to their daughter and the former Tin Man. DG had enough. "What the HE-" The Queen raised her hand and glanced, ever-so-quickly, to Ahamo, who shrugged.
Cain had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. The Queen looked to Cain. "How did this happen?" she asked calmly. Cain sighed and, for the first time since the fight had broken out in the back end of the bazaar, spoke.
"We were looking for Gl- Ambrose. We thought he'd gotten himself out of the palace," he added as the Queen opened her mouth, presumably to tell them that Glitch was currently in the palace. "We were down in the marketplace and a fight broke out."
"It wasn't his fault," DG threw out. And that wasn't a lie. "I found it." Granted, whether she had or not, the fact that they happened to stop at that table - assuming the fight would have broken out anyway - really didn't make it her fault either. The Queen looked to Ahamo again, then down to the desk with a sigh. Raising her eyes to Cain and DG, she said, ever-so-calmly:
"This is..."
"Supposed to be illegal," Cain said sternly. The Queen nodded and stepped around the desk. She took a moment to choose her words.
"This is old magic. A binding contract." Her expression dropped into an apologetic frown. "Magic I cannot reverse." Cain swallowed and DG couldn't take any more.
"So, what?" Everyone looked at the Princess. DG threw a hand up. "Is there a dragon? Psycho mermaids? Do I have to get through the hedge maze before it tries to eat me?!" Her eyes rolled as Cain and her parents gave her a look. It wouldn't have been so bad, but it was one of those 'you're-not-old-enough-to-understand-so-let-the-big-people-talk' looks. She hated those looks.
"You all obviously know what the Goblet of Fire's doin' over here," She waved to the dish. "The lady in the city seems to have a clue, and judging by the looks on the faces of the peanut gallery-" DG pointed a thumb over her shoulder, toward the door - where she knew Az, Glitch and Raw were listening on the other side - "they all have a clue. Which means: I'm the only one who doesn't!"
She huffed angrily and planted her hands on her hips. "Will someone please tell me what the HELL-" The Queen took a step forward, took DG's hands in hers and gave an honest smile to Cain. The glow around each of them was beginning to dim; within a day, it would disappear completely. But they would still be...
On the other side of the door, Az, Glitch and Raw jumped back from the door as they heard DG shout: "We're WHAT?!"