The Vorelock Chapter 7

*Splish*.......*splish*......*splish*.......

Outwardly silent, Ann lay in the warm cradle of the tub in the second story bathroom, her ankles and elbows propped up onto its brass rim. ~What a mess.....how did everything get turned upside down so quickly?~

Reflecting back on the events of the last few days, Ann repeatedly brought her fingers down to dip into the hot, soapy water then flicked her wrists, splashing the water idly, a slightly spaced out haze in her eyes and a soft grimace on her lips. Letting out a deep, tense sigh, Ann let herself slide a bit deeper into the water, coming up from the crest of her breasts up to the tip of her chin, the warmth of the water helping to soothe away the deep tension that had built up in her body since the incident that had put an abrupt and unpleasant ending to her and Toby's shopping trip.  

As she lay there in her hazy stupor, Ann's mind began to drift to thoughts of Toby, and how his attitude had changed so drastically and so quickly once he'd felt that she was in danger. ~Well.....he certainly made good on his promise to keep me safe....but...I don't want to put him in danger like that just to ensure my safety, that isn't right...~

Ann sank even deeper, letting the water come up over her mouth as she grumbled a bit, causing a burbling sound as the water bubbled up under her nose a bit.  ~.....and on top of that I can barely do anything to help him out because I can't weave magic. God I just feel so.....so damn HELPLESS~


Ann's lazily draped hands curled tightly into fists in her frustration, her state of mind continually spiraling further and further into a mire of depression. ~ I need to put a stop to this...all stewing like this is going to do is make things worse....~

Ann's train of thought hopped tracks for a moment as she contemplated her choice of words giving her current location. ~A ha....a ha ha...now's not the time...~ Ann shook her head at the thought, slowly so as not to splash the water around her. ~Maybe I can find something to keep me busy and get my mind off things....there's definitely enough books.....yeah, there we go, i'll just head down to the study and pick up where I left off last night!~

The haze dulling the usual sharp, curious intellect shining in Ann's silvery blue eyes lifted as she steeled her determination to cheer herself up. Reaching down into the water, Ann grasped the rubber stopper firmly and gave it a tug, a dull *thub* reverberating through the water as it began to be pulled down the drain, Ann laying back and watching the sight with mild bemusement at the water's disappearance down a pipe that was nowhere to be found.

Once the water had emptied completely, Ann tossed the stopper back where she'd found it and took hold of the sides of the tub, using it's frame to help brace herself as she pulled herself to a stand, the remnants of the water clinging to her soft, warm flesh as she stepped out dried herself off with the towel she'd made Fangs help her find before she'd started her bath.

~I've got to admit though, even as out of place as I am, this place does have it's niceties....I've never had a bath in a metal tub before...I wouldn't have expected it to be so comfortable.~ Ann brought the towel up over her head, reaching back and bunching up the crimson hair that trailed down behind her in it as she firmly ruffled it about, drying it as much as she could before tossing the towel back on the counter beside her clothes, staring at them for a moment.

~....I do wish I knew where my new clothes are though....These are still....~ Ann reached out and took up her shirt, holding it in both hands and holding it  close to her face, taking a light, hesitant sniff. While now fully dried, a light, slightly sour scent lingered about the material, causing her nose to wrinkle a bit as she pulled the shirt back away from her quickly, her right eye squinting a bit.

Sighing in disappointment, Ann sat the shirt down, exchanging it with her undergarments as she began to clothe herself, moving from underwear to socks, then pants, shoes and finally, bringing the shirt up over he head and rolling it down over her torso, bringing her hands up between her neck and hair and lifting them up to flip the rest of it out from beneath her shirt. Turning to the door, Ann silently departed down the tower to the study.

For the next hour or so, Ann desperately tried to find a book that would grab her attention enough to distract her from the dark direction her train of thought kept trying to turn, with little luck. Magical theory and practice , research into the nature of the Great Thread and it's relation to the physical world, historical accounts of various philosophical followings which, in this world, were equatable to religions, various works of fiction, all of them had their own unique appeal, but none of them could capture Ann's attention enough to put her mind at ease, causing her to constantly fidget, space out or get up and pace around the study.

As she finished one of her laps around the room, she stopped at one of the windows, staring silently out it for a moment before bringing her hands up to clutch the sides of her head tightly in agitation "UGGGHHHHHH!!!!"

Ann brought her hands up to clutch the sides of her head tightly in agitation, slamming her open hands down on the window sill in an admittance of defeat. "WHY CAN'T I RELAX?!" Ann grit her teeth, bearing them a bit as she stared fiercely out the window, though focusing on nothing in particular.

Gazing out upon the natural beauty of the landscape set before her, Ann felt the urge to go out and explore the outside of the keep growing, needing something more active to keep her thoughts at bay. "Hmm...." Ann scrunched up her face a bit in deliberation as she looked from the window to the staircase to the main hall, then over to the staircase of the tower, then back again to the hall.

~I should probably let someone know what I'm doing, just in case....I'm sure if Toby thought there was any danger he'd have told me, but still....I wouldn't want to worry anyone....~

Turning to the entrance to the tower, Ann made her way toward Toby's room, where she'd left Fangs before she'd taken her bath. Slowing as she neared the door, Ann quietly peeked around inside the room, unsurprised to find the wolf still laying on his side on his master's bed.

"Fangs...Fangs, are you awake?" Ann spoke, her voice hushed a bit so as not to rouse the wolf from his sleep to jarringly. "Fangs!" slowly, furry eyelids slide back to reveal hazy, sleepy looking golden eyes as Fangs let out a large yawn and with it, a high pitched whine.

"Hmmmm?" Fangs' voice was groggy and barely coherent . "Fangs, I'm going for a walk. That's....alright, isn't it?"

Fangs eyes slowly drifted closed again as he readjusted the position of his head "Yeah....yeahishalright....." an ammused look crossed over Ann's face, her lips curling a bit as she tried not to laugh at the wolf's slurred, sleepy speach before quickly turning and taking care not to slip on the stairs, ran down, through the study and out to the front door of the main hall.

Grunting a bit in exertion, Ann pushed against the large wooden door, slowly managing to open it, the bright light of the still young day pouring into the hall as she did. "Why...would he make....his front door so...heavy?!" Ann complained to herself as she pushed the door, giving a light "phew" once she'd opened it enough to easily make it though the doorway, a bit of a bounce in her step as she walked out into the fresh, springlike weather, a cool breeze tempering the warm rays of the sun that shown down upon her.

Happy to be able to release some of her tension with activity, Ann took a deep breath, the clean scent of wildflowers and grass filling her nose and lungs, the scent actually catching her by surprise a bit. ~Oh wow! I didn't really notice before but....it smells great here...I wonder if it's because we're so far out from any kind of cities or if it's just because they don't seem to have any pollution here....~

Ann mused over the thought for a bit as she walked around the perimeter of the keep at a leisurely pace, admiring  the rather majestic view. After walking all the way around the other side of the the keep, Ann came to the back  the docking bay of Toby's ship, her curiosity piqued by the sight of the doors still opened wide from behind.

"Oh...." Ann began to cautiously approach the turn, her right hand extended toward the door a bit and her left curling up a bit, though not quite into a fist. ~He must have been hurt to badly to shut the door....~ as she drew closer, Ann dwelled on that thought more deeply ~..wait...no, he used magic to open it, I'm sure that's how he'd have closed it too....he must have been in such a hurry or hurt so bad he just left it like....~

Ann's supple fingers pressed against the edge of the door, grasping it lightly as she rounded the corner, looking into the docking bay at the now damaged ship, parked haphazardly in a position where the ship's underbelly didn't match up with the groove in the ground, causing it to lean awkwardly to one side.

"Oh damn!" Ann's eyes widened as she caught sight of the huge hole blown in the side of the ship's cabin, the expletive slipping out from her lips as if by reflex. Rushing over to the side of the ship, Ann took hold of the boarding ladder in both hands, quickly climbing up the side to inspect the damage closer. Once she'd reached the deck, Ann quickly made her way over to the cabin wall, the sound of her running footsteps reverberating against the walls of the docking bay.

~Whoa....~ Ann stared in awe at the damage, shocked both by how extensive it was, and that she could still clearly recall every second of it happening. ~It's just....just like I saw before....~ Ann slowly ran her hand down the jagged contours of the hole in the wood, inspecting all the splintered wood laying about the ground near where the damage had been done, both inside and outside the cabin .

~It's strange....how did I know..that everything was just like this....was I seeing things through...through....~ Ann's eyes narrowed as her train of thought came to a point "Toby's eyes..." Ann's voice was a hushed, serious sounding whisper.

Kneeling down, Ann picked up a piece of the debris, holding it closer as she turned it over in her hand, trying to see if anything about it seemed unusual. Dropping the splinter of wood she held, she  looked down the scattered debris over to the edge of the bow, an out of place gleam shining against the dull wood.

Standing and walkling over toward the unusual gleam, Ann's gait suddenly stopped cold as she came to realize what it was she was staring at. Freezing for a moment , Ann quickly moved over to kneel next to the edge of bow, the head of the axe thrown at Toby earlier stuck fast in the wood of the bows edge, the wood around it charred dark by the intense heat the blade had given off when it was detonated .

Reaching out toward the blade, Ann hesitated for a moment before placing her finger against the top of the axe head, then running it over the edge, feeling the edge to be incredibly sharp. ~If this had gone just a bit off to the other direction...Toby would have...~ the image of the axehead decapitating Toby when it was sent flying from it's detonation suddenly flashed  through her mind, the thought paralyzing her with terror.

Slowly coming down from the horror that had just played out in her mind's eye, Ann quickly stood and moved back to the cabin, opening the door and moving through it hastily to put as much between her and the source of her unease as possible. As she wandered into the dim confines of the unlit cabin interior, cloaked partially by the damaged wall, a bit calmer now that there was a bit of distance between her and that "damned thing", Ann slowly looked about the cabin for any more signs of what had happened, hoping perhaps to find out what had gone on after what she'd seen.

Following a bloody smear wiped across the interior wall, Ann hesitated for a moment as she caught sight of something seemingly out of place further down the darkening cabin, able to make out a vague, oddly shaped silhouette laying on the floor. After a brief pause to make sure whatever it was she was looking at wasn't moving, Ann began to cautiously approach, her body tensed and ready to bolt back out if things were to go wrong.

Her vision adjusting more as drew closer, Ann squinted a bit, trying to make out the object until, finally, the clues of it's odd shape and location came together; it was the bundle of things she'd bought earlier!

Her tension calming significantly once she realized what it was she was staring at, Ann's posture relaxed as she walked up to the bundle, kneeling as she picked it up into both arms. "Well, looks like I'm going to get that change of clothes after all" Ann's voice was slightly cheery, happy at the thought of getting out of her lightly soiled clothing.

Moving from a kneel to sit on her shins, Ann sat the bundle on her lap, fumbling around with the twine that bound the package together, using her fingers to help her "see" though the darkness that hindered her eyes. After a few moments, Ann managed to untie the twine, causing the wrapping to fall away, the bundle falling open in her lap as she quickly adjusted her position to stop any of the contents from tumbling off onto the floor.

~Hmm....let's see here. Doesn't look like anything fell out...it was tied up pretty well....~ Ann looked over the new clothing and sundries she'd bought earlier, mentally checking each item off as she inspected it. ~Well...that's everything.......~ Ann couldn't help but start thinking about Toby again as she cataloged her new things, first about how kind and understanding he'd been about accomodating her needs while she stayed with him, though that inevitably drifted into what had abruptly ended that little trip.

~He was almost like a different person ...... all of a sudden so intense, so determined to protect me....and....because of that....~ Ann let out sad sigh as her posture slumped, a sad expression coming to her face. After stewing for a moment, Ann's expression changed from one of remorse to one of defiant determination, her hands balling into fists  and clutching the wrapping of her package tightly.

~NO! I will NOT be like this! I am not some helpless fairytale damsel who can't do a thing for herself and doing nothing but whining about it all the while!~ pulling the wrapping up around the package, Ann stood up again, that air defiant determination still showing strongly in her body language as she marched out to the deck of the ship, jumping off the side and landing on the ground in a kneel with a soft *thud*.

Making her way out of the docking bay, Ann headed back toward the front door of the keep with a newfound determination; she didn't know how long she was going to be here or it was even possible for her to weave magic, but by god she was going to do her damnedist to so that Toby would never have to put himself in that much danger over her again, at least not without her help.

Once she'd made it back inside, Ann split the rest of the day between organizing and putting away her new things and fervently studding the books Toby had left for her in the study, particularly those referring to magical theory and application, trying to gather as much practical knowledge as she could, though she was wise enough not to try to put any of what she'd read into practice without Toby's supervision.

~Tomorrow.....tomorrow if he's feeling better.......~ the thought of asking Toby to try training her to use the magic that seemed to come so simply to him permeated Ann's thoughts as she slipped into unconsciousness.





The next day had started pretty much the same as the previous, Ann waking to the increasingly familiar sight of her room in the tower, grooming herself though this time with her own brush, then a change of clothes, Ann picking out an outfit consisting of a pair of green shorts with several pockets, similar to the "cargo" style from her own world, a sleeveless grey shirt, and regular length black socks that disappeared beneath a pair of short, tan boots.

As she made her way down to the kitchen, she made a stop at Toby's room to check on he and Fangs, technically finding them both still in bed.

~Hmmm.....let's see....~ the light tap of wood against wood could be heard as Ann rifled through the cabinets in Toby's kitchen, searching for something eat to quell the hunger stemming from having not eaten anything the day prior. ~If he's anything like the men in my world, I'm sure there's got to be something quick and easy around here somewhere....~

Ann continued her search, looking though the various cabinets and the contents there in until she came across a thin metal canister with a wooden handle on top that was full of what looked like cookies. Taking a few wiffs, a sweet scent reminiscent  of shortbread wafted into her nostrils, the smell making her mouth water near instantly.

"Ohh....they smell good....It should be alright so long as I don't go nuts and eat the whole thing right?....." Ann sat the canister down on the countertop, reaching in and retrieving one of the sandy-tan discs, parting her lips with a bit of hesitation as she brought it up to her mouth and bit off a nibble, letting out a small noise of pleasant surprise as she found it quite crunchy, but every bit as pleasant to taste as it was to smell.

Replacing the lid of the canister, Ann tucked it under her arm and made her way back up to the study, continuing the research she'd ended the night before, burying her focus deep into the pages of the books and snacking partially to relive her hunger and partially out of  absentminded reflex at her reading.

After an hour or so of her studying, Ann's research was interrupted by the sound of someone knocking hard against the front door. Lifting her head and angling it to better hear in the direction of the front door, Ann waited for a moment, the sound quiet enough due to the distance that she felt it was quite possible she'd simply imagined it.

A second round of knocking drew Ann from her seat, walking quickly over to the edge of the stairway down to the main hall before stopping and looking back across the room to the stairway up to to where Toby and Fangs' slumbered, putting her left hand beside her mouth to help carry her voice as she shouted back.

"FANGS?.....FANGS, SOMEONE IS KNOCKING AT THE DOOR......". Ann waited a moment for a response as the knocking continued to grow in frequency and volume, prompting her to make her way down the stairs and to the door, grumbling about the reply she hadn't gotten the whole way.

Another round of agitated sounding knocking, accompanied by what sounded like faint swearing, sounded as Ann reached the door, the sudden reminder that there was a person knocking on the other side of the door casing a bit of apprehension to flair up in the pit of Ann's stomach.

~Should I....answer it? What if.....what if it's one of those people from yesterday....maybe....~ Ann began to back away from the door slowly, contemplating ignoring the knocking and just hiding out up in the study and even moving over closer to the stairway to the tower, just in case. As she was about to turn, the volume of the knocking suddenly got MUCH louder, though there was a longer pause between each knock and now she could make out the words being spoken by the stranger on the other side.

"TOBY.....TOBERMORY ASHE, IF YE' DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR IN THE NEXT FIVE SECONDS, I SWEAR BY MY VOWS AS A HEALER, I'LL USE IT TO BLISTER YOUR BOTTOM!" the voice was very obviously feminine with what sounded like a heavy Irish accent,  what was said caused Ann's eyebrows to arch up sharply in surprise.

Walking back up to the door, Ann took one of the large metal rings used to close it in hand so she could pull back if something were to go wrong, taking a moment to psyche herself up. "THAT'S IT BOY, I'M COMIN' IN AFTER YE', READY OR NOT!!!!"

Just as the words were spoken, the door began to slowly inch open, Ann peeking out through the slowly widening gap between the door and the doorway. She had barely begun to catch a glimpse of the person on the other side of the door before a white gloved hand found its way from outside to the door, grasping it firmly and pulling it back, dragging Ann forward a bit as she lost her balance with a shocked "YEEP~!".

"Oh don't give me the pitiful sickly little sheep act, Toby boy! Get your a-" The woman on the other side of the door stopped short as she caught sight of Ann, a look of mild surprise on her face. Regaining her balance, Ann quickly looked the woman over to see if she recognized her from the day before.

Standing at about 5'6, the woman before her wasn't too much taller than Ann but the way she held herself gave her an air of power, even though her build couldn't really be made out that well under the blue longcoat she wore over a light pink blouse and matching pants, white patches over the shoulders of the coat. The woman's hair was short and spiky, the hue a deeper, duller red than Ann's own, her eyes emerald green lined with a thin rim of amethyst and glistening with the vibrance of a rich life. For a moment, the two women simply stared at each other in an awkward silence.

"Toby....Toby's home, isn't he?" The woman asked in a frank but polite tone, prompting a quiet nod from Ann, who immediately began to quickly back up as the woman made her way into the keep, grabbing hold of the ring Ann had just let go of and pulling the door effortlessly shut behind her, looking around the main hall with a bit of confusion before returning her focus back to Ann, making her way straight up to her without the slightest hesitation, her gait easily overtaking Ann's own.

Reaching out quickly, the woman clasped her gloved hands gently yet firmly down on Ann shoulders, stopping her from backing any further away as she looked her over for a moment before bending down and closer slightly to look an right in the eyes.

" And how long have you been stayin' 'ere darlin'?" the tone of the woman's voice had sharply shifted to one of tickled amusement, asking another question before Ann could respond, fully intending on cutting her off at the stuttering response she'd already predicted.

"Where's Toby hon? The bureau said he was in a bit of a scrape.....knowing the boy as long as I have and 'ye know that means he's likely to have an arm off, eh'? Can 'ye take me to 'em?"

As Ann turned her head and began the motions of pointing toward the staircase to the tower, she was greeted by the pleasantly surprising sight of Toby coming down the staircase, the lifewatch lantern he'd lit the day before in one hand and a walking stick in the other, helping to support his weight on the side his leg had been injured on, Fangs sticking close to him on that side as well in case he should falter.

"Fiochmar.....I should have known you'd be the one to come....even as badly bubble-headed as the reception department is......" Toby grunted a bit from the soreness of his wounds as he made his way down the stairs and up to the two girls.

"Oh Toby....." The woman turned now fully from Ann to eye Toby up and down, shaking her head "Tsk tsk tsk.....Toby, boy....did 'ye get yourself hurt doing that...." she paused ever so slightly as he inflection changed a bit "..eating thing again?"

Toby quickly brought his walking stick up and back down again with a loud *CLACK* in aggravation at the woman's question "FIO!" Toby's flustered reaction almost made Ann chuckle, the sight of him strong enough to be up on his feet again bringing a growing joy to her heart.

"Ack, don't you get testy with me Tobermory! I didn't hesitate to tan 'yer hide in your mom's place when you were a boy and I wouldn't now....." a look of frustration came to Toby's face as the woman scolded him

"Sorry....bit of a habbit....you know how most people react to my art....I know you were only playing Fio" As Toby apologized, the stern and indignant look on Fio's face quickly melted into one of warmth and care as she suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a firm embrace, nearly causing him to loose hold of his walking stick.

"Oohh Toby, you've gotten so big since last I saw 'ye! Oh and you've gone and gotten yourself a girlfriend...." Ann and Toby's  faces immediately flushed a brilliant red at Fio's comment, the sight causing Fangs to burst out into a fit of laughter, Fio blinking rapidly a few times in confusion. "Is....is there somethin' I'm missin' then Toby, that's got the pup laughin' so hard?"

As Fio let Toby go, he cleared his throat  a bit, attempting to regain both composure and dignity. "Fio....this is Ann...she is my apprentice....actually....it's a bit complicated......anyway, why don't we go to my parlor and you can look me over while I explain what happend to me? I'm still a bit sore and I know well enough to take it easy while you're under a lifewatch....".

"That's a good boy....lead on then" Fio gave a quick nod as Toby began to lead the way. As they began to follow Toby, Fio turned her head back over her shoulder to Ann "Ann was it? Cute.....and I love your hair darlin'" Fio smiled back at Ann with a warm look that Ann couldn't help but reciprocate

End Chapter Seven