[COMPLETE] I Said Hey, Girl with One Arm

[The Semblance of Unity]

Searching for Melany

He held Nugget in his hand for a moment, then the bat was off. They needed to find Melany, to figure out what she was doing. He hadn't expected Nasir, or anyone, to see her. She was supposed to be free from this, supposed to never have to worry anymore. That was what everything was about. They'd excised the poison, taken her arm and shoulder (her dancer's body lopsided - they'd find a way to fix that, too); it should be done with her. Horace closed his eyes and concentrated on Nugget's sight.

It was strange, how bats had good regular eyesight as well as echo-location. He supposed it made it easier in the dark. Go to Melany, he thought. You know who she is - I know she snuck you treats when I wasn't looking. Find the heart of her. She'd lived with both him and Nugget long enough for the bat to feel comfortable around her. Though Nugget was an out-going sort of bat, anyway. Horace focused on what he knew of Melany, on the normal places she might be. She was supposed to be sleeping, ******** it to hell and back.

Horace's back was against one of the walls, but he didn't feel it anymore. He was with Nugget.  

[shibrogane]

Nugget was a good familiar, and he knew the ways between the worlds like he knew the back of his bonded's hand. He took wing, the comfortable weight of Horace's consciousness familiar and warm in the back of his little bat brain.

He found his way back to Horace's hope, through a window left cracked open. From there, it was quick enough up to Melany's room.

She was awake, sitting on the floor with an opened manila folder and a note. Nugget lit upon her shoulder, among her masses of loose dark hair, providing Horace with a good view--but it'd take time and energy to work out what the note said. The images were filtered through Nugget's understanding of them, and Nugget couldn't read English, if it even was English he was looking at.

"Nugget," said Melany, half-laughing. She put down the note and reached up to offer the little bat her hand. "I thought you were with Horace! Not that I'm not glad to see you..."

The Semblance of Unity

 

[The Semblance of Unity]

Nugget was very proud of himself. And he told Horace so, in his voice that was oddly reminiscent of Morgan Freeman. Nugget alit from from shoulder and flew around her head by way of greeting. He settled back on her shoulder instead of her hand at Horace's insistence, nuzzling into her hair. Blue eyes looked down at the paper. It was in English, maybe, Nuggt could not tell. Nugget was only a very neat and handy and handsome little bat who could not read words.

Back in the ritual space, Horace resolved to try and teach Nugget English. Somehow. He didn't think it would work. Then he was concentrating, trying to stare through Nugget's eyes. It was an invasion of privacy, and, for a moment, he felt bad about it, but he wanted to be sure.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

That maneuver used to freak Melany out. Now she just smiled and gave Nugget a gentle brush behind the ears with her fingertip. "Sorry, honey, I have to read this, okay?"

It was English. Melany, it said. I'm sorry I've been staying away for so long. I was working on something important. You know by now of the people from the otherworld. I want to free us of them, and you of the monster inside you...

There's more, but reading is slow going; besides that, it seems to hurt Nugget to see these letters in such clear detail, and what gives Nugget a bat-migraine reflects back upon Horace.  

[The Semblance of Unity]

His head ached and he blew out a breath slowly. Nugget squeaked in response. Hold on, little guy. Look lower. He needed to see who'd signed it... Although he was fairly certain he already knew. Just a bit more and... and then what?  

[shibrogane]

Though Nugget was trying, the letters between the first few sentences and the signature refused to resolve. He shifted his focus down to the bottom of the note as Melany set it down. "Oh, ow, ********," she said, having attempted to lift the manila envelope. "That's heavy. Sorry, Nugget."

She wiggled the envelope until a corner of her goal peeked out. Then she tugged that, pinning the other corner with her foot. "Don't tell Horace, okay," she said to the little bat, just as his eyes finally deciphered the lettering:

Love, Ezra  

[The Semblance of Unity]

What the s**t, Horace thought. Go, Nugget. Nugget swooped off her shoulder (he was a very good little familiar, and Horace was very good to him), and began to attack the note and envelope with his tiny claws and sharp teeth. He squeaked loudly at Melany, nipping at her fingers in between trying to ******** s**t up. Horace said this was bad things, so it was bad things. And Melany was good things. And should not touch bad things.

Nugget was a small whirlwind of fur and teeth and flapping wings.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany stopped touching it. "Oh my god, Nugget, stop it," she said, raising her one arm. "What's the matter? I just wanted to see--"

She had pulled the paper out far enough that Nugget could see that it was the Charter, covered in silvery metal and bloody thumbprints.  

[The Semblance of Unity]

Nugget's squeaked turned into a SHRIEK as the newer charter was revealed. He desperately flapped around, pulling at the paper. Horace was in his head, urging him to take it, to bring it, that it was important and bad and bad things should not touch good Melanys. He hooked his claws into the paper and yanked. As soon as he got this ******** thing free, he'd flap away like the devil was on his heels. At every movement from Melany, he yelled out in his little bat voice. He didn't relish biting her but if he had to, he would, hard.

It was the bat vs the one-armed girl.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Melany didn't interfere. What did interfere was the weight. The new Charter was incredibly heavy. There was no way that Nugget could lift it short of a miracle.  

[shibrogane]

[9:19 PM] shibe: hey semb
[9:19 PM] shibe: odds or evens
[9:20 PM] shibe: @🌿 semb surprised
[9:20 PM] 🌿 semb: UH
[9:20 PM] 🌿 semb: evens
[9:20 PM] shibe: biggrin  

[shibrogane]

"Nugget, no, c'mon," said Melany, reaching out again, "you're going to hurt yourself, little guy, let me just--ah!"

She jerked back, nursing a bat-bite on her hand. "Damn it, Nugget!"

It appeared that the blood from the bite had missed the Charter... small mercies.  

[The Semblance of Unity]

Nugget flopped bodily down on the weird metal thing. It was a very bad thing. Stay away. His bad thing.

-------------

There was a thud downstairs. And then, even more thuds - much like a herd of strange zebras bounding up the stairs. Shiloh was close on his heels.

"Melany!" he said, even before he'd opened the door. Horace flung it open gracelessly. "Don't touch that!"

melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Shiloh didn't really say much, if only because the look on his face was already speaking volumes. He didn't match Horace's urgency otherwise; instead he went straight to the Charter to inspect it. He looked kinda sad, mostly ******** up, definitely defeated.

"I don't know what it means." He said, but his voice was so quiet that it looked like he was talking to himself more than anything, "I only saw myself dead and everyone else seperated and alone." And Renard dead. And Liam dead. And Sunny broken in half.

shibrogane

The Semblance of Unity

 

[shibrogane]

"What the hell!" Melany didn't quite spring to her feet; she sort of half-listed over, flailed out her bitten hand. "Horace, I thought you guys were going to some sort of stupid magic party! And Nugget bit me--and what do you mean, don't touch it, I was just trying to look at it!"

She saw Shiloh, and didn't quite calm down, but her irritation shifted to concern. "Shy? What d'you mean?"