erinm_4600
in
12to32
Fic: Seven-Point-Three Days
Title: Seven-Point-Three Days
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters: DG, Glitch, Cain, Raw, Az and the Queen (mention of Ahamo and some random guards)
Rating: PG
Summary: While Cain's away... Glitch and DG are miserable
Warning: post-series *Written for tinman100's Challenge 22, with a slight prompting by kseda prior to her leaving for a week in Ireland.
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. The OCs are mine. The artwork is also mine. Seriously, why would you claim that? It's horrible! :p
Day One
Glitch sat, chin resting in his palm as he poked at the keys on the typewriter. He'd uncovered the contraption while cleaning out the storage room his lab had become over the annuals and thought it would be a good idea to get the thoughts he had down on paper before he forgot them.
Again.
Sighing, he continued to press keys, listening to the click and ignoring the fact that there was no paper to be found. Well, there were stacks of paper, but nothing blank.
Except his head.
"Hey, no moping!" DG called from the doorway. Glitch sat up and turned.
"I am not moping," he said with a slight huff. "I am... thinking great thoughts," he snapped with a sharp nod. DG moved to his side and let her fingers run over the keys.
"He's only been gone a day," she informed him, as if she wasn't also bothered by the absence.
Glitch jumped to his feet. "I do not need Cain to survive the day!"
"I never said you did!" DG snapped back. They glared at each other for a moment and laughed as they realized that a day without Cain was just not as fun. Not that they missed the menacing glares and the huffs of frustration...
But there was something about the air around Wyatt Cain.
Glitch hemmed and hawed for a second and frowned before looking at DG. "He's coming back... right?" DG smiled and pulled Glitch into a hug.
"Of course he's coming back. He left all his stuff here," she added, giving him the slightest extra squeeze as she considered the possibility of Cain not returning.
"Stuff?" Glitch asked with a raised eyebrow. He pulled away to look at DG and shrugged. "He has a hat, a coat and a gun. He doesn't have any other stuff," Glitch continued in a cynical tone. "What stuff is he gonna come back for?"
DG caught his hands in hers and squeezed. "Us," she answered with a sad smile. Glitch blinked and looked again at DG. It was then that he saw the child she still was, counting the hours until her 'big brother' came home from school so they could play.
Glitch's hand went to her cheek and he smiled. "You're right." He leaned forward to kiss her forehead and mused: "You keep that wide-eyed optimism, Princess." DG narrowed her eyes slightly as his went wide. "Great Gale, when did I turn into Cain?" DG snorted. She had noticed Glitch was acting rather Cainish all morning, but she wasn't about to tell him that. "If I'm Cain and you're me... who's you?"
DG opened her mouth to respond, but found she had no answer.
Day Two
Glitch and DG were in the kitchen of the palace, poking at a tray of Zonian vegetables and trying to decide what to do with their second day of freedom from Cain. That morning, Az had pointed out that they had a perfect opportunity to do the things Cain didn't let them get away with.
Within reason, of course.
The list of things to do was quickly dwindling into nothing.
"We could go to the Other Side," DG offered. "Get some better food, at least," she frowned, pushing the tray away.
"Don't be silly," Glitch replied, munching on a carrot.
Day Three
The weather was warm and the suns were shining as the two friends moved through the trees. As they walked along, Glitch looked at the trees and the ground and took in everything, while DG looked past the trees, then up to the sky and thought back to trekking through the woods behind the farmhouse.
There was an odd rumbling sound which caused both of them to turn. "What was that?" Glitch asked, grabbing DG's arm with wide eyes. DG glanced around, trying to see if she could spot anything moving beyond the trees.
"Doesn't matter," she said a moment later, moving away from Glitch and picking up a stick. "I'll protect us," she said with a wide grin. Glitch rolled his eyes and smiled as DG moved back to his side and linked her arm around his.
"Do you really think there's still apples out here?" Glitch asked a few steps later. DG shrugged and poked at the ground as they walked.
"Probably not..."
"Then why are we out here? Cain would not be happy if he knew we were out here," Glitch said, glancing over his shoulder.
"That's why we're out here," DG smirked. A few steps further, DG looked right but directed Glitch left. As they passed the path leading toward the cave, Glitch heard another sound and jumped again.
"I tell you, there's something there!" Glitch gasped and latched on to DG again. She smiled and immediately felt bad for what she was about to do.
"Probably a giant spider..." Glitch paled and turned to her. "Maybe a flying car," she continued with a shrug. "Or," she turned and pointed to Glitch with a grin, "a giant." The look of absolute panic on Glitch's face soon turned to doubt as her smile widened.
"You laugh at me," Glitch pointed back as he walked past. DG bit back a smile and shook her head, turning with him and jogging a few steps to catch up. A few minutes later, they arrived in a clearing, full of apples.
DG and Glitch both smiled as they looked at the spots of red in the trees and on the ground - there was a squirrel munching on one fallen apple near an old tree trunk. DG sat down in the middle of the clearing with an apple in hand and looked up to the sky.
"See," she said, looking back to Glitch, who was kicking something on the ground, "we don't need Cain to have a good time." Glitch looked up and shook his head, but DG knew he hadn't heard her words. Her eyes narrowed and DG pushed herself up from the forest floor and moved over to his side.
"What are you doin'?" she asked, stopping next to his kneeling form.
"What do you think?" he asked, holding up a hand. DG traded the half-eaten apple in her hand for the small, grey stone in his.
"It's a rock," she stated. Glitch took a bite of the apple and nodded before pulling himself up.
"For Cain. To remember the adventure he didn't have." DG looked from the rock to Glitch and smiled as he took another bite of the apple.
Day Four
The Queen of the Outer Zone heard the thump and the groan coming from the library as she passed by the door and stepped back. Glancing inside the large room, she spotted her youngest daughter slumped over the table.
"DG, are you all right?" she asked calmly, knowing that the girl was physically fine.
DG didn't move from her position as she mumbled out a response. "Yeah." The Queen smiled and stepped into the library. There were books piled on the table around DG, who finally sat up and huffed dramatically. "No offense, Mom, but these books are boring. I mean, I know they're my history and all, but..." she trailed and sighed.
"Not quite to your liking?" the Queen asked, having heard a similar comment from her husband annuals before.
"I wouldn't normally admit this," DG nodded, "okay, I would, but Book Seven is better than some of this," she said, waving to the pile of books. Looking up with wide eyes, DG gave her mother an apologetic smile. "And Book Seven made Book Six look good."
The Queen chuckled slightly and reached over to smooth DG's hair. "Have you been in here all day?" DG shrugged, guiltily. "Did you have anything to eat?" DG looked at the wall with a frown. Had she eaten lunch? Or breakfast? "And Ambrose?" she asked, knowing that if DG hadn't left the library, her old friend probably hadn't left his room.
"He's been in bed all afternoon," DG shrugged, slumping back in her chair. "Said he was useless and might as well still be tied up in that cage for all the good he is." The Queen flinched slightly as DG jumped up from her chair and began pacing. "And don't even get me started on Raw," DG shook her head.
Stopping after a moment, DG turned to her mother and dropped her shoulders. "Mom, how can one person not being around affect everything so much?" The Queen tilted her head and offered a sad smile. "I mean," DG continued as her mother rose and moved toward her, "I got through life just fine without knowing Cain. Now, he leaves for a week and I forget how to function like a normal person! Hell, I've known Glitch longer than Cain and we can't even just hang out without it turning into a mope-fest." The Queen put her arms around DG and pressed a kiss to her forehead and DG mumbled: "What's wrong with us?"
"You miss him," the Queen answered, rubbing DG's arms as she held her tight. "And that's nothing to be ashamed of." Pulling back, she waited for a nod of understanding from DG. "After you went to the Other Side, I was miserable. But, I knew that you would come back."
"Mom," DG started in a Cainish-tone, "there's a big difference between fifteen years and a week." The Queen laughed, seeing her DG coming back.
"Indeed," the Queen nodded with a slight laugh. "Now, why don't you go drag poor Ambrose out of bed. See that he gets something proper to eat." DG nodded as the Queen led her toward the door.
"Sorry, Mom," DG said as they moved into the hallway.
The Queen tilted her head slightly and smiled. "What are you sorry for?"
"Fifteen years... I mean," DG shook her head, "hey, I could have wrecked my motorcycle senior year and died and you'd still be in that globe-thing you were telling me about." The Queen pulled DG into another hug; she'd never considered the plan failing.
"The week is almost over, my darling. He'll be home for you to torment before you know it." DG nodded. "Now, you must collect Ambrose, and Raw, and three of you must have some adventures of your own. After all, what would Mister Cain say if he returned to find that the three of you spent the entire time he was away, bumbling about like fools?" DG snorted.
"Probably would send his ego to the moon."
Day Five
DG stopped by Glitch's lab and found the former-advisor hunched over a large worktable, nodding along as he pointed to spots on the page with the end of a pencil. As she got closer, DG realized he was counting and she smiled as he poked at the last three spots, nodded and grinned before leaning over to mark the count down on the ledger on his right.
"Whatcha doin'?" she asked once she was sure he was done writing. Glitch looked up, slightly surprised and slightly confused.
"What?" DG smiled and nodded to the page.
"What are you doing?" Glitch turned back to the page in front of him and grinned.
"I am updating the official map of the Outer Zone," he announced proudly, waving a hand over the page with a flourish. DG nodded and then glanced to the ledger.
"And what were you counting?" Glitch gave her a funny look and then turned to see what she was looking at.
"Oh," he nodded, seeing the list of lines and numbers, "I was counting up all the changes."
"Is that important to keep track of?" DG asked, not knowing much about making maps past drawing bad directions for lost travelers at the Hilltop.
"Not really, but it seems to be important when the men in the city are trying to sell them. So," Glitch said with a heavy sigh, "I counted everything until my eyes crossed." He turned back to look at DG with crossed eyes and she laughed.
"You need any help with that?" she asked, waving to the page as Glitch backed his chair away from the table.
"Nope. All done. What did you do today?" he asked, catching her hand and giving her that 'grown up'-look.
"Stuff," she replied with a shrug. Glitch raised an eyebrow.
Day Six
"Why don't you just look out the window?" Glitch asked, pointing to the large, plate-glass window of the dining room as the storm raged outside.
"Well," DG nodded, "that tells you what the weather's doing right outside your window, yeah... but what about what’s happening in Central City?" Glitch's face fell slightly as he thought about that.
Shaking his head, Glitch reached for another cookie. "Why would I want to know what the weather is like in Central City? I'm in Finaqua," he said, wondering if the younger princess was glitching. DG watched him stare at the plate of cookies for a moment, looking for the right one.
They'd spent the morning making cookies for Cain's return and, between the cookie dough and the "quality control," as DG put it, they were going to have to make more.
"What if you were going to Central City this afternoon?" DG asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you pack a jacket? An umbrella? What if Central City was hit with a freak snowstorm from the north and you peaced outta here in just a t-shirt?" Glitch blinked as he tried to break down her sentence.
"You're saying that there's an entire group of people, sitting in a room and looking at the sky?" Glitch asked skeptically.
"There's a whole channel," DG laughed and reached for another cookie.
"Channel?" Glitch frowned again. The word was familiar; he knew they’d had a similar conversation before.
"Like on the radio," DG replied with a mouthful of cookie. "But with a picture. Pretty much," she nodded and swallowed the cookie, "it's just a loop of 'Here's what the weather's like in your area'," she said in a monotone. "And then there's the five-day, which is what the weather's expected to be like for the next few days," DG added at the confused look on her friend's face.
"And," she pointed with a smile, "when there's a major storm, like a hurricane or a tornado-"
"Travel Storm," Glitch corrected as DG continued.
"-they send out a crack team of nutcases to stand there and say 'Hey, here's how not safe it is for you to be outside, but just ignore that we're here, standing outside'."
"And the people watch this?” Glitch asked, raising an eyebrow again. DG nodded.
"Some people turn it on in the morning and let it go all day."
"Cain's probably got sun," Glitch mumbled.
Day Seven
It was either very late in the evening or extremely early in the morning when Cain arrived at Finaqua. He glanced up to the white walls of the palace and sighed as his hand moved up to remove his hat before he entered the building.
He was surprised to not find anyone guarding the door, and made a note to have words with the security team. 'What fool-' Just because they were in the middle of nowhere, that was no reason for a lack of concern for the safety of the royal family.
Cain moved across the foyer and glanced down the west hallway, still seeing no guards. Shaking his head, Cain turned back and did a double-take as he passed the open doorway of the library. Stopping in the doorway, Cain let a smile slip.
Glitch was stretched out on the sofa, his head twitching now and then, holding one of the pillows tight against his chest. DG was curled up in a side chair; how she managed to be comfortable squished into that position, Cain would never know.
"Cain," he heard and looked up to see Raw coming down the hall. Cain grinned and stepped out of the doorway to meet Raw in a half-hug. He allowed the Viewer to give him a look-over and, once Raw was content that Cain was fine, Cain nodded to the library.
"What's goin' on in here?"
"They were waiting for your return." Cain spun around to find the Queen standing behind him. He gave her a slight bow and threw another glance toward his sleeping friends. "It seems that they were under the impression that, upon your return, you might go off your normal routine and... sleep," the Queen trailed with a teasing smile.
Cain nodded and tried to bite back the smile as the Queen glanced into the library again. "The plan was to stay awake until you arrived, therefore being able to welcome you back and, then, they would sleep so that they wouldn't have to wait for you to hear all about your adventure."
"They really should be in proper beds," Cain mused as the Queen took his arm and pulled him away from the door. She nodded to Raw, who bowed to her and stepped into the Library.
"Not to worry," the Queen said calmly. "Now, tell me, Mister Cain: Was your trip successful?" Cain sighed and nodded to her.
"Yes, Ma'am, it was. Thank you." As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Cain realized she wasn't going to let him go anywhere but to bed. He wouldn't admit it, but he was rather thankful for that. The rain had held him up and he was exhausted.
"Your Majesty," he stopped, catching a reflection of the doors. "Why-" he started, turning toward the foyer.
"We're not exactly on the Brick Route, Mister Cain," the Queen smiled again. Cain raised an eyebrow and she glanced away with a smile. "There may have been an incident this afternoon." The Queen pulled on his arm again and continued: "As soon as the storms passed, there was a distraction at the back door so that a great escape could be made out the front. They were insistent on meeting you along the Brick Route, which was rather poor planning," she twitched slightly, "as they didn't know where you were along the Brick Route, or if you were even on the Brick Route, for that matter."
Both of them chuckled as they reached the top of the staircase. "Regardless, once we were certain they had abandoned the plan, it was simply a matter of time before they nodded off. Once they did, I sent the guards to bed. There are guards on duty, Mister Cain," she assured him, "but if something was to occur, I am confident in two daughters, a Viewer, a former advisor, my husband... and a former-Tin Man," she finished with a nod.
Cain let out a breath and nodded once, trusting her judgment. The Queen held out a hand, allowing Cain to find his own way back to his quarters. He was three doors away when she held up a finger. "Mister Cain, I must ask you for one more favor." Cain nodded. The Queen sighed and gave him a tired smile.
"Next time... please... take them with you." Cain fought a snort and nodded as he smiled.
"Of course, Your Majesty." She nodded to him again and turned, leaving Cain to his own devices. Cain laughed again and turned back to the hallway, looking forward to his own pillow.
Day Seven-Point-Three
DG was buttering a slice of toast in the kitchen when Az stopped in the doorway and sighed. "There you are! Everyone's waiting for you in the dining room, Deeg," she said, moving into the kitchen and catching her sister's arm.
"But-" DG stammered as Az pulled the toast out of DG's hand and tossed it back to the plate before dragging the younger princess from the room. As she was being led along the hallway, DG realized she should have stayed in bed after all.
Of course, as she woke up in her own bed and not in the library, DG was confused enough. She finally managed to pull out of Az's grip when they reached the dining room but, before she could protest, DG saw Cain at the end of the table, talking with Raw.
Raw glanced up, which caused Cain to turn and look. DG was standing stock-still, trying to process when he got home, how she didn't know about it and why no one had told her sooner. Cain shook his head slightly, laughed and held out an arm, offering an invitation for a hug.
DG beamed as she bolted along the length of the table and nearly crashed into him. Cain glanced at Raw again and rolled his eyes slightly, knowing that the Viewer knew he was glad for the hug, regardless of his usual opinion on personal contact.
"You can't leave again," DG said quietly. Cain laughed again as she pulled away pointed for her to sit down.
"'bout time you showed, Kid. I'm starving." DG glanced at the table and realized that breakfast was set and she'd been pouting in the kitchen with toast.
"I found it!" the three of them heard from the doorway and looked up to see Glitch entering the dining room. With a nod to Azkadellia as she stepped out of the room, he moved along the length of the table and pulled out a chair across from Cain. Leaning over the table, Glitch held out a hand and Cain leaned forward to take the offering.
DG smiled as she watched Cain examine the rock Glitch had found a few days prior. Cain smirked slightly as he glanced up to Raw and then reached into his own pocket. He withdrew three items and passed them out accordingly. "Thought you might be able to do somethin' with those," Cain said, nodding to the pouch in Raw's hand.
"Lady I got 'em from said she wasn't havin' much luck on her end. Said if you can get 'em to grow, she'd love to see the result." Raw poked at the collection of seeds and hummed contentedly. DG grinned as she opened her own pouch and glanced back up to Cain quickly.
"Cain, this is-" DG shook her head and turned the pouch over in her hand then set it aside. At the end of the simple grey chain was a pale green stone, quite similar to the one Glitch had just presented Cain with.
"Stopped along the river for a while and spotted it there along the bank. Kinda stood out... Reminded me of you. Don't know why, exactly," he teased, "just did, Kiddo."
"We made you cookies," DG offered with a shrug and glanced to Glitch, who looked away with a guilty smile.
Glitch carefully lifted his gift from its pouch and his eyes lit up at the sight of the old pocketwatch. It had most definitely seen better days and was in need of some careful attention. "Compass works, so y'always know where y'are... even if y'don't always know where y'are," Cain added with a slight motion to his head. "Ticker's bad, though. But, if anyone can get it runnin' again, 's you."
Author: Erin (erinm_4600)
Characters: DG, Glitch, Cain, Raw, Az and the Queen (mention of Ahamo and some random guards)
Rating: PG
Summary: While Cain's away... Glitch and DG are miserable
Warning: post-series *Written for tinman100's Challenge 22, with a slight prompting by kseda prior to her leaving for a week in Ireland.
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. The OCs are mine. The artwork is also mine. Seriously, why would you claim that? It's horrible! :p
Day One
Glitch sat, chin resting in his palm as he poked at the keys on the typewriter. He'd uncovered the contraption while cleaning out the storage room his lab had become over the annuals and thought it would be a good idea to get the thoughts he had down on paper before he forgot them.
Again.
Sighing, he continued to press keys, listening to the click and ignoring the fact that there was no paper to be found. Well, there were stacks of paper, but nothing blank.
Except his head.
"Hey, no moping!" DG called from the doorway. Glitch sat up and turned.
"I am not moping," he said with a slight huff. "I am... thinking great thoughts," he snapped with a sharp nod. DG moved to his side and let her fingers run over the keys.
"He's only been gone a day," she informed him, as if she wasn't also bothered by the absence.
Glitch jumped to his feet. "I do not need Cain to survive the day!"
"I never said you did!" DG snapped back. They glared at each other for a moment and laughed as they realized that a day without Cain was just not as fun. Not that they missed the menacing glares and the huffs of frustration...
But there was something about the air around Wyatt Cain.
Glitch hemmed and hawed for a second and frowned before looking at DG. "He's coming back... right?" DG smiled and pulled Glitch into a hug.
"Of course he's coming back. He left all his stuff here," she added, giving him the slightest extra squeeze as she considered the possibility of Cain not returning.
"Stuff?" Glitch asked with a raised eyebrow. He pulled away to look at DG and shrugged. "He has a hat, a coat and a gun. He doesn't have any other stuff," Glitch continued in a cynical tone. "What stuff is he gonna come back for?"
DG caught his hands in hers and squeezed. "Us," she answered with a sad smile. Glitch blinked and looked again at DG. It was then that he saw the child she still was, counting the hours until her 'big brother' came home from school so they could play.
Glitch's hand went to her cheek and he smiled. "You're right." He leaned forward to kiss her forehead and mused: "You keep that wide-eyed optimism, Princess." DG narrowed her eyes slightly as his went wide. "Great Gale, when did I turn into Cain?" DG snorted. She had noticed Glitch was acting rather Cainish all morning, but she wasn't about to tell him that. "If I'm Cain and you're me... who's you?"
DG opened her mouth to respond, but found she had no answer.
Day Two
Glitch and DG were in the kitchen of the palace, poking at a tray of Zonian vegetables and trying to decide what to do with their second day of freedom from Cain. That morning, Az had pointed out that they had a perfect opportunity to do the things Cain didn't let them get away with.
Within reason, of course.
The list of things to do was quickly dwindling into nothing.
"We could go to the Other Side," DG offered. "Get some better food, at least," she frowned, pushing the tray away.
"Don't be silly," Glitch replied, munching on a carrot.
Day Three
The weather was warm and the suns were shining as the two friends moved through the trees. As they walked along, Glitch looked at the trees and the ground and took in everything, while DG looked past the trees, then up to the sky and thought back to trekking through the woods behind the farmhouse.
There was an odd rumbling sound which caused both of them to turn. "What was that?" Glitch asked, grabbing DG's arm with wide eyes. DG glanced around, trying to see if she could spot anything moving beyond the trees.
"Doesn't matter," she said a moment later, moving away from Glitch and picking up a stick. "I'll protect us," she said with a wide grin. Glitch rolled his eyes and smiled as DG moved back to his side and linked her arm around his.
"Do you really think there's still apples out here?" Glitch asked a few steps later. DG shrugged and poked at the ground as they walked.
"Probably not..."
"Then why are we out here? Cain would not be happy if he knew we were out here," Glitch said, glancing over his shoulder.
"That's why we're out here," DG smirked. A few steps further, DG looked right but directed Glitch left. As they passed the path leading toward the cave, Glitch heard another sound and jumped again.
"I tell you, there's something there!" Glitch gasped and latched on to DG again. She smiled and immediately felt bad for what she was about to do.
"Probably a giant spider..." Glitch paled and turned to her. "Maybe a flying car," she continued with a shrug. "Or," she turned and pointed to Glitch with a grin, "a giant." The look of absolute panic on Glitch's face soon turned to doubt as her smile widened.
"You laugh at me," Glitch pointed back as he walked past. DG bit back a smile and shook her head, turning with him and jogging a few steps to catch up. A few minutes later, they arrived in a clearing, full of apples.
DG and Glitch both smiled as they looked at the spots of red in the trees and on the ground - there was a squirrel munching on one fallen apple near an old tree trunk. DG sat down in the middle of the clearing with an apple in hand and looked up to the sky.
"See," she said, looking back to Glitch, who was kicking something on the ground, "we don't need Cain to have a good time." Glitch looked up and shook his head, but DG knew he hadn't heard her words. Her eyes narrowed and DG pushed herself up from the forest floor and moved over to his side.
"What are you doin'?" she asked, stopping next to his kneeling form.
"What do you think?" he asked, holding up a hand. DG traded the half-eaten apple in her hand for the small, grey stone in his.
"It's a rock," she stated. Glitch took a bite of the apple and nodded before pulling himself up.
"For Cain. To remember the adventure he didn't have." DG looked from the rock to Glitch and smiled as he took another bite of the apple.
Day Four
The Queen of the Outer Zone heard the thump and the groan coming from the library as she passed by the door and stepped back. Glancing inside the large room, she spotted her youngest daughter slumped over the table.
"DG, are you all right?" she asked calmly, knowing that the girl was physically fine.
DG didn't move from her position as she mumbled out a response. "Yeah." The Queen smiled and stepped into the library. There were books piled on the table around DG, who finally sat up and huffed dramatically. "No offense, Mom, but these books are boring. I mean, I know they're my history and all, but..." she trailed and sighed.
"Not quite to your liking?" the Queen asked, having heard a similar comment from her husband annuals before.
"I wouldn't normally admit this," DG nodded, "okay, I would, but Book Seven is better than some of this," she said, waving to the pile of books. Looking up with wide eyes, DG gave her mother an apologetic smile. "And Book Seven made Book Six look good."
The Queen chuckled slightly and reached over to smooth DG's hair. "Have you been in here all day?" DG shrugged, guiltily. "Did you have anything to eat?" DG looked at the wall with a frown. Had she eaten lunch? Or breakfast? "And Ambrose?" she asked, knowing that if DG hadn't left the library, her old friend probably hadn't left his room.
"He's been in bed all afternoon," DG shrugged, slumping back in her chair. "Said he was useless and might as well still be tied up in that cage for all the good he is." The Queen flinched slightly as DG jumped up from her chair and began pacing. "And don't even get me started on Raw," DG shook her head.
Stopping after a moment, DG turned to her mother and dropped her shoulders. "Mom, how can one person not being around affect everything so much?" The Queen tilted her head and offered a sad smile. "I mean," DG continued as her mother rose and moved toward her, "I got through life just fine without knowing Cain. Now, he leaves for a week and I forget how to function like a normal person! Hell, I've known Glitch longer than Cain and we can't even just hang out without it turning into a mope-fest." The Queen put her arms around DG and pressed a kiss to her forehead and DG mumbled: "What's wrong with us?"
"You miss him," the Queen answered, rubbing DG's arms as she held her tight. "And that's nothing to be ashamed of." Pulling back, she waited for a nod of understanding from DG. "After you went to the Other Side, I was miserable. But, I knew that you would come back."
"Mom," DG started in a Cainish-tone, "there's a big difference between fifteen years and a week." The Queen laughed, seeing her DG coming back.
"Indeed," the Queen nodded with a slight laugh. "Now, why don't you go drag poor Ambrose out of bed. See that he gets something proper to eat." DG nodded as the Queen led her toward the door.
"Sorry, Mom," DG said as they moved into the hallway.
The Queen tilted her head slightly and smiled. "What are you sorry for?"
"Fifteen years... I mean," DG shook her head, "hey, I could have wrecked my motorcycle senior year and died and you'd still be in that globe-thing you were telling me about." The Queen pulled DG into another hug; she'd never considered the plan failing.
"The week is almost over, my darling. He'll be home for you to torment before you know it." DG nodded. "Now, you must collect Ambrose, and Raw, and three of you must have some adventures of your own. After all, what would Mister Cain say if he returned to find that the three of you spent the entire time he was away, bumbling about like fools?" DG snorted.
"Probably would send his ego to the moon."
Day Five
DG stopped by Glitch's lab and found the former-advisor hunched over a large worktable, nodding along as he pointed to spots on the page with the end of a pencil. As she got closer, DG realized he was counting and she smiled as he poked at the last three spots, nodded and grinned before leaning over to mark the count down on the ledger on his right.
"Whatcha doin'?" she asked once she was sure he was done writing. Glitch looked up, slightly surprised and slightly confused.
"What?" DG smiled and nodded to the page.
"What are you doing?" Glitch turned back to the page in front of him and grinned.
"I am updating the official map of the Outer Zone," he announced proudly, waving a hand over the page with a flourish. DG nodded and then glanced to the ledger.
"And what were you counting?" Glitch gave her a funny look and then turned to see what she was looking at.
"Oh," he nodded, seeing the list of lines and numbers, "I was counting up all the changes."
"Is that important to keep track of?" DG asked, not knowing much about making maps past drawing bad directions for lost travelers at the Hilltop.
"Not really, but it seems to be important when the men in the city are trying to sell them. So," Glitch said with a heavy sigh, "I counted everything until my eyes crossed." He turned back to look at DG with crossed eyes and she laughed.
"You need any help with that?" she asked, waving to the page as Glitch backed his chair away from the table.
"Nope. All done. What did you do today?" he asked, catching her hand and giving her that 'grown up'-look.
"Stuff," she replied with a shrug. Glitch raised an eyebrow.
Day Six
"Why don't you just look out the window?" Glitch asked, pointing to the large, plate-glass window of the dining room as the storm raged outside.
"Well," DG nodded, "that tells you what the weather's doing right outside your window, yeah... but what about what’s happening in Central City?" Glitch's face fell slightly as he thought about that.
Shaking his head, Glitch reached for another cookie. "Why would I want to know what the weather is like in Central City? I'm in Finaqua," he said, wondering if the younger princess was glitching. DG watched him stare at the plate of cookies for a moment, looking for the right one.
They'd spent the morning making cookies for Cain's return and, between the cookie dough and the "quality control," as DG put it, they were going to have to make more.
"What if you were going to Central City this afternoon?" DG asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do you pack a jacket? An umbrella? What if Central City was hit with a freak snowstorm from the north and you peaced outta here in just a t-shirt?" Glitch blinked as he tried to break down her sentence.
"You're saying that there's an entire group of people, sitting in a room and looking at the sky?" Glitch asked skeptically.
"There's a whole channel," DG laughed and reached for another cookie.
"Channel?" Glitch frowned again. The word was familiar; he knew they’d had a similar conversation before.
"Like on the radio," DG replied with a mouthful of cookie. "But with a picture. Pretty much," she nodded and swallowed the cookie, "it's just a loop of 'Here's what the weather's like in your area'," she said in a monotone. "And then there's the five-day, which is what the weather's expected to be like for the next few days," DG added at the confused look on her friend's face.
"And," she pointed with a smile, "when there's a major storm, like a hurricane or a tornado-"
"Travel Storm," Glitch corrected as DG continued.
"-they send out a crack team of nutcases to stand there and say 'Hey, here's how not safe it is for you to be outside, but just ignore that we're here, standing outside'."
"And the people watch this?” Glitch asked, raising an eyebrow again. DG nodded.
"Some people turn it on in the morning and let it go all day."
"Cain's probably got sun," Glitch mumbled.
Day Seven
It was either very late in the evening or extremely early in the morning when Cain arrived at Finaqua. He glanced up to the white walls of the palace and sighed as his hand moved up to remove his hat before he entered the building.
He was surprised to not find anyone guarding the door, and made a note to have words with the security team. 'What fool-' Just because they were in the middle of nowhere, that was no reason for a lack of concern for the safety of the royal family.
Cain moved across the foyer and glanced down the west hallway, still seeing no guards. Shaking his head, Cain turned back and did a double-take as he passed the open doorway of the library. Stopping in the doorway, Cain let a smile slip.
Glitch was stretched out on the sofa, his head twitching now and then, holding one of the pillows tight against his chest. DG was curled up in a side chair; how she managed to be comfortable squished into that position, Cain would never know.
"Cain," he heard and looked up to see Raw coming down the hall. Cain grinned and stepped out of the doorway to meet Raw in a half-hug. He allowed the Viewer to give him a look-over and, once Raw was content that Cain was fine, Cain nodded to the library.
"What's goin' on in here?"
"They were waiting for your return." Cain spun around to find the Queen standing behind him. He gave her a slight bow and threw another glance toward his sleeping friends. "It seems that they were under the impression that, upon your return, you might go off your normal routine and... sleep," the Queen trailed with a teasing smile.
Cain nodded and tried to bite back the smile as the Queen glanced into the library again. "The plan was to stay awake until you arrived, therefore being able to welcome you back and, then, they would sleep so that they wouldn't have to wait for you to hear all about your adventure."
"They really should be in proper beds," Cain mused as the Queen took his arm and pulled him away from the door. She nodded to Raw, who bowed to her and stepped into the Library.
"Not to worry," the Queen said calmly. "Now, tell me, Mister Cain: Was your trip successful?" Cain sighed and nodded to her.
"Yes, Ma'am, it was. Thank you." As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Cain realized she wasn't going to let him go anywhere but to bed. He wouldn't admit it, but he was rather thankful for that. The rain had held him up and he was exhausted.
"Your Majesty," he stopped, catching a reflection of the doors. "Why-" he started, turning toward the foyer.
"We're not exactly on the Brick Route, Mister Cain," the Queen smiled again. Cain raised an eyebrow and she glanced away with a smile. "There may have been an incident this afternoon." The Queen pulled on his arm again and continued: "As soon as the storms passed, there was a distraction at the back door so that a great escape could be made out the front. They were insistent on meeting you along the Brick Route, which was rather poor planning," she twitched slightly, "as they didn't know where you were along the Brick Route, or if you were even on the Brick Route, for that matter."
Both of them chuckled as they reached the top of the staircase. "Regardless, once we were certain they had abandoned the plan, it was simply a matter of time before they nodded off. Once they did, I sent the guards to bed. There are guards on duty, Mister Cain," she assured him, "but if something was to occur, I am confident in two daughters, a Viewer, a former advisor, my husband... and a former-Tin Man," she finished with a nod.
Cain let out a breath and nodded once, trusting her judgment. The Queen held out a hand, allowing Cain to find his own way back to his quarters. He was three doors away when she held up a finger. "Mister Cain, I must ask you for one more favor." Cain nodded. The Queen sighed and gave him a tired smile.
"Next time... please... take them with you." Cain fought a snort and nodded as he smiled.
"Of course, Your Majesty." She nodded to him again and turned, leaving Cain to his own devices. Cain laughed again and turned back to the hallway, looking forward to his own pillow.
Day Seven-Point-Three
DG was buttering a slice of toast in the kitchen when Az stopped in the doorway and sighed. "There you are! Everyone's waiting for you in the dining room, Deeg," she said, moving into the kitchen and catching her sister's arm.
"But-" DG stammered as Az pulled the toast out of DG's hand and tossed it back to the plate before dragging the younger princess from the room. As she was being led along the hallway, DG realized she should have stayed in bed after all.
Of course, as she woke up in her own bed and not in the library, DG was confused enough. She finally managed to pull out of Az's grip when they reached the dining room but, before she could protest, DG saw Cain at the end of the table, talking with Raw.
Raw glanced up, which caused Cain to turn and look. DG was standing stock-still, trying to process when he got home, how she didn't know about it and why no one had told her sooner. Cain shook his head slightly, laughed and held out an arm, offering an invitation for a hug.
DG beamed as she bolted along the length of the table and nearly crashed into him. Cain glanced at Raw again and rolled his eyes slightly, knowing that the Viewer knew he was glad for the hug, regardless of his usual opinion on personal contact.
"You can't leave again," DG said quietly. Cain laughed again as she pulled away pointed for her to sit down.
"'bout time you showed, Kid. I'm starving." DG glanced at the table and realized that breakfast was set and she'd been pouting in the kitchen with toast.
"I found it!" the three of them heard from the doorway and looked up to see Glitch entering the dining room. With a nod to Azkadellia as she stepped out of the room, he moved along the length of the table and pulled out a chair across from Cain. Leaning over the table, Glitch held out a hand and Cain leaned forward to take the offering.
DG smiled as she watched Cain examine the rock Glitch had found a few days prior. Cain smirked slightly as he glanced up to Raw and then reached into his own pocket. He withdrew three items and passed them out accordingly. "Thought you might be able to do somethin' with those," Cain said, nodding to the pouch in Raw's hand.
"Lady I got 'em from said she wasn't havin' much luck on her end. Said if you can get 'em to grow, she'd love to see the result." Raw poked at the collection of seeds and hummed contentedly. DG grinned as she opened her own pouch and glanced back up to Cain quickly.
"Cain, this is-" DG shook her head and turned the pouch over in her hand then set it aside. At the end of the simple grey chain was a pale green stone, quite similar to the one Glitch had just presented Cain with.
"Stopped along the river for a while and spotted it there along the bank. Kinda stood out... Reminded me of you. Don't know why, exactly," he teased, "just did, Kiddo."
"We made you cookies," DG offered with a shrug and glanced to Glitch, who looked away with a guilty smile.
Glitch carefully lifted his gift from its pouch and his eyes lit up at the sight of the old pocketwatch. It had most definitely seen better days and was in need of some careful attention. "Compass works, so y'always know where y'are... even if y'don't always know where y'are," Cain added with a slight motion to his head. "Ticker's bad, though. But, if anyone can get it runnin' again, 's you."