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Post by Tiger on Dec 14, 2012 20:04:09 GMT -5
"So far, so good," Rhigor thought, padding into the building. Figuring that confidence was going to get him farther than stealth at this point, the Lupe made his way toward the stairs, following the trail of the ghost...or ghost-thing...something supernatural, anyway. The sound of the loud student's story faded as he ascended the floors, surprised to find the inside of the Academy sparsely populated. He'd heard something about a party earlier in the day; maybe it was some Academy event.
Finally, the trail led him to a door where faint voices slipped through the gaps between wood and wall. Rhigor sidled up to the door and leaned closer to hear more clearly. But the door jamb hadn't quite sealed all the way.
The door fell open, rebounding off the far wall, and Rhigor fell into the room with a very unimpressive, unprofessional "Oomph!" and a terrific rattling of the silver chains around his neck. His sunglasses and hat remained on his face and head - so now he looked like a creepy intruder. Delightful.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2012 21:33:19 GMT -5
"It's at 4:00, which is about an hour - "
Schala suddenly stopped and gave a little yelp of surprise as the Lupe stumbled into the room.
"Are-are you alright?" she asked.
Mima stepped forward.
"Pardon me," she said, "but WHO UNDER THE ALTADORIAN SUN ARE YOU?!"
"Mima," said her sister, "don't you think that's a bit harsh?"
"That," the Acara replied, "is the second time today someone has come barging into my room uninvited. If someone else I don't know - or even worse, Fiyeri, Faerie Queen forbid - breaks in without permission, I don't know what I'm going to do!"
Unfortunately for Mima, Saeryennan and Xandra, neither of whom had made her acquaintance had arrived at the academy as well. Though, before seeing Mima, Saeryennan was making sure to tell the headmistress Faerie that Xandra was coming and what her intentions were. Xandra, meanwhile, waited outside, wondering what in Neopia was going on.
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Post by Dju on Dec 14, 2012 21:48:05 GMT -5
"Oh, fiddlesticks..." Baron whispered with his eyes widening again. "Should I stay here, fight or go for it? Ah, I know! We should tango, that would be wise!"
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Post by Tiger on Dec 14, 2012 22:06:39 GMT -5
Rhigor scrambled to his feet. "Sorry, sorry, a mistake, honest, if that door'd been shut good and proper..." He paused in his ramble to shake some dust from his fur and the sense back into his brain. "My name's Rhigor, pleased t'make your acquaintance and all that, but you've got a ghost in this room and I intend to make sure he's friendly and doesn't cause any harm to you young ladies."
His voice was more rushed than usual, its rounded drawl sounding awkward at such speed. Rhigor generally preferred a slow, smooth introduction, with a drink and business cards and the soft twinkle of lights against the snow outside the inn...
Focus, Rhig. Focus!
"Have either of you seen any...ghostly apparitions? Glowin' things? Hoverin' stuff? Spooky noises, maybe?" He supposed the last one would really be heard rather than seen, but hopefully these weren't the prissy sort of pets who corrected things like that even if it was obvious what you'd meant.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2012 19:06:04 GMT -5
"Well," said Schala, "uh..."
To tell the truth, she didn't know what to say. Was this the guy who was after Baron? She didn't know Baron very well, but he didn't seem to want to harm them. If he had, he could have done so already.
Mima, however, was suspicious of him.
"There is a ghost...sort of thing in here, but it hasn't bothered us apart from entering my room without permission."
"Mima!" retorted Schala, shocked. "What are you doing?!"
"We don't know either of these Neopets," said Mima. "For all we know one or both them could be working for some conspirator who wants to seize the kingdom!"
"For a girl who takes pride in being rational all the time, you sure have a whole lot of conspiracy theories in that head of yours!" her sister snapped.
Marisa, who was still on Baron's head, whimpered. She hated hearing Neopets argue, especially Mima and Schala, who were very close and did not get into disputes very often.
"You're invited in," Saeryennan told Xandra at the gates. "Miss Katare has informed all the Faeries teaching here. And just pretend not to notice anyone; they'll probably think you're just another Xweetok."
It was true that Xandra might not be perfectly recognized, since she was without her glasses (which she had never needed in the first place) and she was wearing Altadorian finery, which no one would expect to see her in.
They both went inside and headed up to Mima's floor.
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Post by Dju on Dec 16, 2012 19:25:26 GMT -5
"Miss Melanie, you break my heart with your suspicion and betrayal...! Leave poor Manfred alone, I ain't no poltergeist!...I think." Baron whispered, seeming more to himself than Mima. "Won't you agree, lady angelpuss? We should have some tea together sometime, you're quite a lovely company."
"Drago." A voice suddenly echoed in his head, "Time's coming up."
"Whazzat, lady angelpuss?" Baron whispered nervously, trying to ignore the voice. "Yes, time's coming up for Mr. Altador Kingdom's birthday party. Not a tea one, I'm afraid...hah. Haha. hahahah. Oh Fyora, I'm doomed."
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2012 20:58:07 GMT -5
(I feel like Tiger should post before I enter Saeryennan and Xandra...)
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Post by Tiger on Dec 19, 2012 9:33:39 GMT -5
((Sorry for the delay!))
One of the girls - Mima, apparently - was quick to answer Rhigor's question. He frowned at the wardrobe, eyes narrowing behind his sunglasses. Usually ghosts didn't hide, and if they interacted with other pets, it was with intention to bother.
Taking a few paces toward the wardrobe, Rhigor said, "Misses, I promise you I'm no kind of conspirator. Just a ghost-hunter from Terror Mountain." Glancing at the girls, he asked, "What d'you mean by 'sort of thing'? It look like any kinda pet in partic'lar?"
He thought he could hear some whispers from the closet. That was odd - if a ghost had something to say it usually had no problem getting right in Rhigor's face and cursing him out. The Lupe took another step forward - and froze as a chill seared through his fur, like the time he'd gone out on thin ice and plummeted into freezing lake water. His ghost senses went haywire for a moment, and Rhigor jumped back from the wardrobe. What kind of ghost was this?
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Post by Dju on Dec 19, 2012 13:15:13 GMT -5
(It's okay, Tiger! ^_^)
"For two darn years you've been running, but I won't accept it anymore. it's time to go, regardless of what you think." The voice continued, sounding irritated. "No one can hide from Death, not forever. "
Suddenly, Manfred forgot of his secrecy and jumped out of the closet...landing right on Rhigor's head! He clinged to the lupe desperatly, "Stay away from me, you liar! You cheater! The others might have fell for it but I won't!" Baron yelled and pointed at the closet, but the only thing there besides clothing was poor little Marisa.
Slowly, Baron realised what he had done.
"AH! Oh my, a thousand...haha, apologies, sir." He said, letting go of Rhigor's head. "My my, Marisa! You are quite good at playing Cheat, eh? Forgive my terrible manners, sir whose head I attacked. I get quite excited in card games! Heh." Baron said, presenting his sharp smile.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2012 14:04:58 GMT -5
Mima was about to say that it was a Shadow Xweetok when suddenly, he propelled his way out.
Schala took Marisa off the blue dress she was desperately clinging to.
"Are you sure?" Mima asked the Xweetok. "I don't know if I'd call that a Cheat cry. And Petpets don't play card games."
There was a sudden knock at the door.
"Really?!" said Mima, exasperated. Schala opened it - and jumped back a foot when she saw who was there.
Mima's eyes, too, grew wide at the sight of the Speckled Xweetok. Sure, she wasn't wearing purple, but she looked a little too much like...
"Xandra!" snapped Saeryennan, who then sighed. "You probably should have let me in first."
The blue-eyed Royal Cybunny went past Xandra and curtsied.
"Greetings, uh...subjects. I am Saeryennan, Princess of Altador."
She was the princess? Mima was still quite surprised, but nevertheless, she bowed, as did her sister.
Saeryennan turned to Xandra. "And you can trust her now," she said. "Believe me, I know. She's been here for over two months now. She's also my mother's younger sister."
"WHAT?!" screamed Mima, but Schala shushed her.
"Your Highness, why are you here?" the blue-haired Cybunny asked the brown-haired one.
"I thought I saw something that looked like a wraith go through your window," the princess replied.
"That would be him," Mima said, pointing to Baron.
Saeryennan sighed. It was just a Xweetok. She'd come up here - and dragged Xandra with her - for no reason at all.
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Post by Tiger on Dec 21, 2012 9:12:51 GMT -5
The chill buffeted Rhigor again and again like a stubborn wind, though it moved not a single hair on his ponderously-fluffy body. It vanished quite suddenly - or maybe Rhigor was just distracted by the sudden ghost on his face -
Fortunately Rhigor was a professional. Instead of thrashing about and trying to get the ghost off of his face, he swung his head once and smacked it into a wall. He was simultanously furious and immeasurably grateful that his usual teammate wasn't with him.
"Uh - tha's all right," Rhigor said as the spirit let go off his face. He rubbed a paw over his muzzle as he tried to make sense of the ghost's ramblings. Cheat? Funny - he saw no cards in the closet. And Angelpi couldn't play card games. The Acara said as much.
Just as Rhigor opened his mouth to ask the spirit its name and purpose here, a knock interrupted them. The Lupe jumped and spun toward the door in an impressively catlike fashion. To his bewilderment, the Cybunny waltzed to teh door and opened it.
"Girl, there's - " Rhigor cut himself off, deciding he didn't want to explain why he'd shouted "there's a ghost!" to whoever happened to be outside. Instead, he put on his most innocent I'm totally not a ghost-hunter who snuck into students' rooms smile, while simultaneously worrying about the closet and the cold feeling and watching the Xweetok ghost carefully.
Can't be he's the one who did that, right? I figure I'd'a felt somethin' nasty when he sprang on my face...
The charlatan grin vanished in a snap when he heard the cry of Xandra!. For months, Rhigor and his friends at the Silverbirch Inn had watched the shadow of faerieland loom larger and larger - Rhigor had investigated Taelia's house when the snow faerie turned to stone - the Xweetok hda been on the front page of every Neopian newspaper.
Ghosts and supervillans? I shoulda brought Zee after all!
Rhigor did not bow when the Cybunny declared herself the princess. Instead, his eyes narrowed behind the sunglasses. The girls were easily duped, answering the possible super-villan's companion's questions without hesitation.
Rhigor Mortus, ghost-hunter, arcanist, paranormal expert, second most ostentatiously-garbed Lupe in Terror Mountain, however, was not so easily fooled. He strode forward, glowering at the two intruders.
"Hold it there," he drawled. "Y'all can't really 'xpect us t'believe this - what kinda princess ain't recognized by her own subjects?" He spared a disappointed shake of his head for the girls - so naive. "And you..." he turned his frown to 'Xandra' - "If you're who you're claimin' t'be, there's more explanation in order than this s'possed princesses say-so! If you're really Xandra, you tried t'kill the faeries and lots more pets besides - that ain't somethin' you brush off like fleafs on a Manjeer!"
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Post by Dju on Dec 21, 2012 12:47:19 GMT -5
"Faerieland? Crash? Dead pets? Hah, sounds familiar. When was it, two years ago?" Baron laughed from behind Rhigor, he felt something familiar about him...as if they had something in common.
The xweetok had his most mischievious smile on, expressing even a pinch of malice behind the endless white teeth as if, for a moment, he was someone else...someone a bit more sane. "Oh, she is Xandra alright, mister investigator. I remember her...and her wraiths. Not more than that, but hah! There's no need, I saw her in person...once."
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Post by Deleted on Dec 21, 2012 13:40:29 GMT -5
"Excuse me?!" Saeryennan snapped at the Lupe. "Can't you see the crown on my head?! Why in Neopia would you think I'm not Princess Saeryennan of Altador?! Are you blind or something?!"
Saeryennan pointed a finger at the golden laurel weaved into her light brown hair.
"We haven't seen her before," said Mima, "but we know what our princess's name is, and our queen's."
The princess, who was not much older than the two girls (who were fourteen), continued to glare at Rhigor.
"It's not what you think with Xandra! She had a reason to hate the Faeries as much as she did!" She turned to Xandra. "Right?"
Xandra sighed.
"Well, I was...kidnapped...by a very powerful and very evil Faerie as a young girl."
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Post by Dju on Dec 23, 2012 20:54:59 GMT -5
"Ah, isn't that just lovely?" hissed Manfred in irritation, "An argument about a darn crown over an insolent child's head who thinks she's better than anyon- AH!" he blurted, covering his mouth as fast as he could.
"Wow, how rude. *ahem* SO, are we going to have a ball or not?" Baron coughed nervously, floating towards Schala and hiding behind her back. "This room is...is getting quite crowded, isn't it? Maybe we should just get out, forget this ever happened and have some delicious cake with Altador Kingdom! It's his birthday after all! He will be so, so sad if we don't show up."
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Post by Tiger on Dec 24, 2012 0:10:42 GMT -5
Rhigor narrowed his eyes, though the so-called princess wouldn't see more than the pull of his eyebrows thanks to the sunglasses. "A buncha twigs in a ring don't make royalty. Seems mighty suspicious t'me - you never 'ppeared in front of your subjects? Never let 'em know what ya looked like? Don't travel with guards anyplace?"
The wraith-ish Xweetok seemed to agree with Rhigor; as far as the Lupe was concerned, that was a point in the creature's favor.
It occured to Rhigor that if he was wrong, he was quite possibly going to wind up in a lot of trouble. Fortunately he had plenty of practice slipping through the kind of stone walls a dungeon was likely to have.
Xandra - apparently it was the infamous Xweetok who had practically destroyed Faerieland - started to speak, but Rhigor sighed and said, "Sorry t'hear that, but how's that lead to turnin' all the faeries t'stone and crashing a continent into the Haunted Woods? Maybe whittle it down to a single sentence? You draggin' this out makes it feel like there's a trap waitin' somewhere if ya can get us to stand still long enough."
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