anarchist_queen | Sisters of Mercy Hospital for the Emotionally Damaged, Bordertown

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Sisters of Mercy Hospital for the Emotionally Damaged, Bordertown

Eli's mother was a human from Mock Avenue. She had not taken it well when the boy's father had stolen him away to the far side of the border, and now she was a resident at the former convent. A friend of Laura's had convinced the nuns to let Eli see her, but in order to keep the disturbance to a minimum, they were to meet her in the garden out back.

Before they entered the courtyard, Leda put a hand on Eli's shoulder. "Corwyn won't give up." she told him. "You're too powerful, and kind of an embarrassment to his house. If he came this far to get you he can find you. Now they say on the other side that Dreamers have no will of their own, but we both know that's bullshit, or you wouldn't be here. I need to know, if he finds us here, can you stand up to him?"

Eli regarded her uncertainly. She was turning out be much like Corwyn had described her in some ways and in others, not. But either way, he was beginning to like her. Finally, he took a deep, steadying breath. "I belong to myself."

"Good boy." she smirked, and ruffled his hair.

Sister Voline brought Eli's mother, Martha out into the moonlit garden. "Someone is here to see you." she said to the slight, stoop shouldered woman.

Martha was only in her thirties, but sorrow had aged her beyond her years. "But I don't know anyone." she said tremulously.

"You'll like him." Laura's friend said charmingly.

"Does he like flowers? I like flowers. I planted these here, see?"

Leda was suddenly glad Karla was not here to see how the woman had been broken by Corwyn's cruelty. It was bad enough that her other friends were seeing the results of the worst Faerie had to offer.

"Martha," she said, drawing Eli forward, "This is Eli. He likes flowers too."

Eli was no less dismayed than anyone else. "Mom?" His voice choked on the word.

Staring, Martha reached out one trembling hand and tentatively stroked Eli's face. When her hand touched the stiches in his brow, she snatched her hand back.

"Mom it's Eli. I've come back."

"Eli?" The reality of the situation cut through the haze in her mind, and she suddenly seized him in a tight embrace.

"What a touching scene." a sneering voice said.

Blocking the exit to the garden, Lord Corwyn stood, dressed in bull battle armor, including a helmet shaped like a human skull topped with antlers. He was flanked by several Elven warriors in similar armor, a few large evil looking hounds, a flock of harpies, and even a small stick-like figure sporting a bow and arrow.

Corwyn exuded an air of menace that literally lowered the temperature around him, causing frost to form on the flagstones at his feet.

[For Momoko, Jon and James.]

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Momoko had been busy welling up with happy tears at the awesome and miraculous reunion of mother and long-lost son, but that voice totally jarred her happy mood and she turned, ready to chastise the person who'd interrupted!

"Hey, you should..." Oh, it was an army. An evil army.

"Leda... this totally doesn't look good."

James growled. Magic, of course. "Do we have a plan?"

Aside from 'not dying'.

"Corwyn." Leda growled. Later she could come up with all sorts of witty things to have said to him. Right now, she was too pissed.

Well, actually, Momoko's plan was: Not Die, Save Everyone, Make Corwyn See The Evil Of His Ways And Leave Leda Alone Forever, Everyone Live Happily Ever After, Get Cake From That Bakery On Third Again.

"Leda. If you're mad, you can't think things through right." She pulled out her Power Compact and quickly transformed into Blossom again, yo-yo at the ready. "My name is Blossom, Mr Corwyn. I don't suppose there's a chance you're all here for the reunion?"

It was probably a good thing Leda had been doing a lot of venting in Faery or she might have lost her cool as it was, her hands were glowing bright white, ready to hurl all sorts of nasty spells at their attackers. All of which may or may not have worked the way they were supposed to.

Corwyn for his part ignored the unnaturally powered mortal and spoke to his son. "Eli, return with me and I will let these others live. Well, except for the Queen. Her existence is a stain that must cleansed."

Eli glowered. "No father." he said defiantly. "I'm staying here, with mother." His mother was cowering, beginning to retreat into herself once more.

The fact that Eli was both a half-elf, and Corwyn's son, was obviously news to the soldiers.

Blossom nodded both at the way Leda was controlling herself and at the courage of Eli. "You don't have any say on who gets to live where, mister Corwyn. I totally suggest you take Eli's 'no' and go away from this hospital peacefully."

Was it a rule in Bordertown that bad guys attack in totally the worst places possible?!

"Yer outta yer jurisdictions an' outta yer element." Led agreed. Over the years she'd been living in Faerie her accent had been getting more and more Elflands, but she was able to drop back into pure Bordertown with no effort.

Corwyn's own fists clenched.

"Careful Cory." Leda grinned savagely. "Since it appears you've slummed here in the past you know your magic might just blow up in your face."

"Eli I wish the Queen dead!" Corwyn roared.

For one terrible moment Eli's eyes frosted over like they had in the dojo. With an incredible force of will he hadn't been sure he possessed, Eli resisted. The moment passed, and his eyes returned to their normal, warm amber color. "No."

"Kill them all!" was the next command. Only the hounds and the Harpies responded right away. The Elves were still on 'wait, our Lord has dallied with a mortal? Ew.'

Blossom wasn't sure what magic Leda and Laura were going to use here, but she left the dogs to them and happily took to the air after the harpies. Well, she wasn't happy about it being harpies, because, ew, she totally remembered what the ones back in Fandom had thrown at her! But Flying? She was totally there.

She rose up and streaked into the flight path of the lead harpy, her fist extended to try a simple punch first.

The Harpies of Faerie had in fact dealt with Elves that occasionally took to the skies. But they were more used to said opponents riding carpets or such-like. The element of surprise allowed Blossom's punch to connect, the the Harpy still raked at her with her claws.

In the meantime, Laura's eyes glowed red once more. She increased in height and muscle mass as well, growing claws, fangs, and her back erupted into nasty looking spines.

The hounds avoided her as she positioned herself between them and Eli's mother. Leda silently promised to help fix the rock garden as she sent them pelting at Corwyn. His armor protected him of course but it caused him no end of irritation.

Before finding out where his mother was, Eli had been dubbed a "Dragon-Child" by Master Yin. It was all part of the 'belonging to himself' idea. Eli took to that very much. So much so that he dreamed up a Chinese dragon. He'd intended to turn into one, but instead one materialized before him, snapping one of the hounds in two.

The claws didn't penetrate Blossom's costume, but the costume didn't cover all of her. Blossom reversed her ascent, flying down so that her bleeding legs landed hard on the injured Harpy's shoulder-wing-connection-point things (she totally had to ask Warren what that would be called).

A fairly soft crack from the bones underneath and a screeching howl from the harpy preceded it falling from the sky. Blossom was already sending her yo-yo out to strike another of the flock who had chosen that moment to attack.

"Totally not fair; you should wait your tu--oof!" Blossom tried to banter, but she was struck from behind by yet another harpy.

Banter is totally not going to happen this fight, she thought as she stopped herself from heading into a tree and spun back to the flock. One of which was now heading for the others. "Oh no you don't! You're mine!" Blossom's yo-yo grabbed it from the air and sent it colliding into one of her sisters. "Okay, maybe a little banter."

The Elves finally decided they were afraid enough of Corwyn to not defy him to his face, and joined the fray. Mei squared off with one while Laura knocked another out and used him as a club.

Eli's Dragon made short work of another of the hounds as it tried to get around to the boy.

Leda meanwhile had attacked Corwyn hand to hand. When he knocked the sword from her hand, she turned, as if to run. He pursued her only to fall victim to a move she had learned from watching professional wrestling. She believed it was called a 619. Handy having that tree there. His armor was effective, but it was cumbersome as well. She swiftly got behind him and kicked him in the back of one of his knees, sending him crashing to the ground.

The stick figure couldn't decide on a target.

Which was too bad, really, since now another of the harpies was knocked from the sky and heading towards him, fast and totally unconscious.

An arrow from one of the archers whizzed by Blossom, inches from her head, distracting her, and she paused a moment to see if there was a need for her on the ground. Which was when her hair was grabbed and she was dragged higher into the sky before being thrown into one of the hospital walls.

Leda didn't know when the last time Corwyn had actually fought anyone wearing this armor was, but whoever that had been they couldn't have been very creative. Those antlers were the best hand hold ever.

In fact if she hadn't gotten distracted at the sight of her bff being thrown into a wall it's entirely possible she'd have snapped the Unseelie Lord's neck. As it was, he was able to throw her off, giving her a back handed punch while he was at it.

The hounds were now gone, and the Dragon let out a terrific roar, letting all and sundry know it was ready for all comers.

Coming from a culture where dragons were not only good, but good luck, hearing the roar was both music to Blossom's ears and totally encouraging.

She took a moment - past the pain, go past the pain - and then she was back in the game.

Blossom pulled a hair-bow from her pocket and charged it with some of her energy. She tossed the hair-bow at the ground behind the archers, hearing it explode as she flew and crashed headfirst into the stomach of the last harpy.

Leda was rather partial to dragons herself. Especially when that roar scared off the remaining hounds. And meanwhile Laura and the others had taken out the Elves.

And from the street out-side someone called in a mocking tone; "Oh Unseelie warriors! Come out and plaaaaaay!"

As Leda had said, this was not Corwyn's territory.

What to Leda was reinforcements, sounded to Blossom a lot like citizens who could get hurt!

Blossom had the final (conscious) harpy wrapped in yo-yo string and was pulling it with her as she dove. looking to see if there was any remaining enemy on the ground that needed a harpy in the face.

Hey Blossom was the one pulling for citizens marching into the wilderness to stop the bad guys.

Corwyn was many things, but what he was not was stupid. He could see that he had lost this fight. Most of his allies had been defeated, the Queen was proving a more resilient and resourceful opponent than he'd anticipated (again), and now from the sound of motors on the street, there was a small army waiting.

He could still salvage something though. He might not be able to kill Leda here and now, he knew he could get hold of her, and that was all he needed to get himself and her back to his estate. And getting her at his mercy would be a very nice consolation for losing Eli.

Fortunately for Leda Eli knew how his father thought, and anticipated this. The dragon swiftly got between the Unseelie Elf and his prey before he'd taken two steps.

Glowering at his son, Corwyn silently conceded defeat. Eli and Corwyn faced each other. Eying the boy's brow, he snorted. "I don't want you now. You're flawed. If you had stayed with me you would have remained pure."

"I would have remained a slave. I am free now. I've earned this scar and wear it proudly. I am your scar father. The one you hide from the world. The son you would not claim as yours."

Fuming, Corwyn took a step back. "Impudent bastard." He put a hunting horn to his lips, gave one long blast on it, and he and his minions vanished.

Hunters were totally not the same as an army, duh.

Blossom had stayed aloft as the confrontation between Eli and his father happened, and when the army disappeared, "You forgot one!" she called, then spun in place and sent the harpy she had caught, flying off into the distance.

Blossom landed gently beside Leda and the others and pulled an arrow out of her costume. "I told him he didn't have the choice. Ne, Leda? Are they gone, gone? Because I totally need to transform back." Hopefully the Borderland weirdness wouldn't stop her from healing when she did, at least most of the way. Her legs hurt.

Leda would later come down from the adrenaline and realize she was in a modicum of pain from her fight with Corwyn. For now though, she was in a rather good mood.

"Yeah all that sounded like Corwyn speak for 'run away!'"

The dragon dissipated, and Laura un-hulked, catching an exhausted Eli before he could collapse.

Sadly, Eli's mother had retreated so far into herself that she had forgotten who any of them were.

"Can I go back inside please?" she asked. "It's cold."

The sister who'd brought her out gave Eli a sympathetic look and led her back in.

"I'm sorry." Leda said to him, hooking an arm around his shoulders, giving him a gentle hug. "But I'm so proud of you Dragon Boy." It seemed Leda had just adopted another sibling. Speaking of which; "Momo, how're you doing? You okay?"

Then Mei sighed. "Who gets to tell the Bordertown Irregulars that they missed all the fun?"

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Sisters of Mercy Hospital for the Emotionally Damaged, Bordertown

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