anarchist_queen | 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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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?"

Sisters of Mercy Hospital for the Emotionally Damaged, Bordertown

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