Snap Crackle

[Naelona Ezel]

Crack. Snap. Another sheet of ice broke away from the edge, water lapping over the ice from the disturbance. Making sure her feet were firmly on stone, Nae rammed a pole down again against the ice coating the water. Crack. Spring was encroaching upon Wonderland, and as a result things outside needed to be tending, mended, and generally tidied up.

Usually that meant that some slave - or boogie if the ice was unusually thick - had to come out and break up the ice and clean up the pool area as much as possible. It was thin enough for a slave to do, but Naelona's foul mood dictated she do it instead. The slave had been lazy about it as it was. They'd received a welt on the side of their head for their troubles and sent elsewhere. It could be tiring work after a while, but ire was a splendid motivator.

Chunks of ice floated freely across the pool surface while Nae chipped away at some thicker pieces frozen to the edges. She wasn't a fan of bodies of water, even the bathes in the palace held only as much appeal as hot water and a shallow bath could. Pools were different. They were much deeper, and quite a lot colder especially now. Snap. But these sounds couldn't be found in the bathes, or elsewhere for that matter. Crack. Unless one compared them to cracking open skulls or snapping ribs, that was.

There was plenty to be disgruntled about. Most of it could be pegged upon the drama that was Kristopher Roberts. It had been a long-brewing issue that had been brewing for longer than she had initially noted. Being ill the first time was hardly the advent. The real mess of the situation had begun years before that. Not many, but more than a measly two or three. The entire matter was overly bothersome and necessitated a distraction.

Crunch. Tap. Tap. Her hands were probably going to blister from this, but that was fine. It would keep her mind and temper off of other things. Most of the ice was freely floating if not at least cracked and chipped. A more sensible being would've made sure the pool had been emptied the previous fall. Sploosh Naelona froze with a cringe as the pole and broken through some ice and plunged into the water instead. Gingerly she pressed the pole into the water, hands on the end of it before it hit bottom and she could stand up straight again. Shuddering, she pulled it back out of the water and resumed shoving the ice free. Just now she would keep it at an angle.. and a bit further away from the edge.

Sometimes distance was a valuable thing.

[Shaehern Azhrarn]

A loud sound echoed near the pool. It was the sound made when something struck metal. It happened two or three times before it just abruptly stopped. Zalamel lost interest with his reflection in the surface and took flight. He fluttered carelessly near the ground and landed near the edge of the pool.

From dark black eyes he stared up at Naelona. The bird's eyes were intent on their target. The creature walked around the edge of the pool, but never once took his eyes off of the woman with the white lock of hair.

He stopped about three feet away from the woman. It was as though he was unsure he wanted to step any closer to her. He let out the echo of his caw before continuing to stare at her.

Ravens were highly intelligent creatures, for birds at least. Familiars were more intelligent than their base animal counterparts. It stood to reason that Zalamel understood the basic rudiments of language. It was easy to consider when the bird would try and speak, lacking most of the proper physiological adaptations for speech.

"Ank-er-ee Nay. Wree?"

The audible form of the words made little sense, except to those who knew how to listen. The bird tilted his head to the side before spreading his wings as though he were about to take flight once more. With a hop and a few flaps he took off again, this time landing on the pole she had been using to break up the ice. He continued to stare intently at her.

[Naelona Ezel]

The loud tapping sound was mostly lost to Naelona's senses, or at least largely ignored. If it wasn't in the immediate vicinity she wasn't about to be bothered with it. Nae watched some of the larger pieces floating freely across an open patch of water. Bringing up the far end of the pole, she glared at the ice before bringing the pole down hard upon the ice. Crack - Splotch Now there were at least two, possibly three smaller pieces floating away instead.

As much as Naelona tried to avoid her thoughts, she also kept becoming well sunk into them. Even as Zalamel landed and approached her, the familiar went mostly ignored. Naelona was very well aware her workspace had been invaded and a fit of a thought wanted to smack the feathered creature for invading it. The stare quickly became annoying. It was something Naelona had never been a fan of - be stared at. If beings were staring, they weren't moving, working, or in any other way productive.

Never mind the fact this was Zalamel. Naelona had recognized the bird the moment she saw it. At least the bird was alone. Visibly. ..for the moment. With a grunt she hit and broke another piece of floating ice. Her mood didn't improve with the inquiry either. "Because, Zal." Nae snapped at the bird, shoving at some ice. "Thing's have gone 'to hell in a hand basket' and- you're asking me, why?"

Naelona looking to the familiar as she worked. "You ought to know more about this than most of us. And so help me - if he's eavesdropping you'd best tell him to knock it off. I've already had enough trouble on his account and I don't need you, or anyone else adding to it!" Angry wasn't quite touching it. Hopefully the flutter of feathers meant the bird was leaving. The sudden weight upon the pole told her otherwise.

"Get off!" The boogie shook the pole, threatening to tip it until the bird slipped off if it didn't fly off of it first. Naelona generally didn't mind Zalamel. He stayed quiet and out of the way. Zal was good company.. most of the time. "And stay off of it. I'm not in the mood for your antics or anyone else's. If you want to stay around, fine. Do so. Just.. stay out of my way, Zal."

[Shaehern Azhrarn]

Zal just cocked his head one way and then the other at Naelona. Yes, he supposed that he did understand the pale lady's predicament. He was not there in the beginning, but he need only look at the woman and understand the beginning.

When he stared at Naelona he saw a ghost of the past allowed to grow into a woman. Shifting his head from one side allowed for him to see the moments when the present joined the past in some amalgamation of a kaleidoscopic collage--or at least the important bits. Shifting his head the other way allowed him to perceive an approximation of how close she was to the end.

Or rather, it should have. No matter how many times he turned his head, however, was he able to see how close she was to death. So far as he could tell, she had already pressed lips with Death once. It was a feature that had always made her interesting to watch.

Then, for some reason, she shook the pole. Zalamel spread his wings about to grant him a greater sense of balance, but he did not protest. He hung onto the pole with his black feet clasped firmly against the chilled and damp surface. This woman was being unreasonable.

Zalamel attempted to stare at her in disapproval, but it was hard to get a solid glare at her with the way things were shaking about. Finally he let out another caw in an attempt to get his point across.

Truly, this was uncalled for.

[Naelona Ezel]

"Zal.. really?" Naelona sighed, giving the pole another good shake though she doubted it would actually do any good about now. Zalamel was notoriously stubborn sometimes, much like herself. Odd how things like that worked. Whatever stare the bird was trying to muster, the boogie only glared back. "Quite being impossible already." ..that was like asking the moon not to reflect the sun..

Zalamel wasn't completely unreasonable familiar, that was part of the issue. The bird would do as it pleased and there really wasn't much anyone could say about it. Did Shaehern even have a say? Did she really even care to know?

Grumbling, Naelona hooked her arm about the pole to hold it in place, resting her now free hand upon her hip, tapping impatiently. "Alright, out with it. You're not impossible without reason. What are you here for Zal?" There was always the option to pitch him pole and all into the pool. That would get the bird off of the pole, but then Nae would be out of a tool to use and would have to fish it out of the water.. somehow.. without going in.. or getting wet.

..yeahhh that wasn't going to be happening.

"If you want civility, you have it. Now, out with it." For a bird that could find ways to communicate and utter a few cracked words, Zalamel certainly could stand to speak a little more. The raven wasn't her familiar. She couldn't understand Zal like she could with Mar. It was still a guessing game with the bird.

[Shaehern Azhrarn]

She rattled his birdbrain brainbox, or whatever it was you wanted to call it. He'd have considered that she might have ruffled his feathers too, but those always looked ruffled. He might have paused for a moment to groom them if the matter at wing was not so serious.

Instead, he just stared at her. He wished he could communicate in a nonverbal fashion just how childish she was being a moment ago. Right now too, if you really considered it.

Why was he being so stubborn? You mean, besides the simple fact that it was the way Zalamel was? Perhaps it was because he was in the right and she should have the intelligence to see it herself. But also, it was for one other reason.

"Wrawnd." No, that didn't sound quite right. Zalamel tried to vocalize it again. "Wrend." The d sound, in particular, was challenging to produce in his throat. He hoped the woman was thankful for the effort.

"Here to lizin." Why were these sounds so damn hard? S, in particular, seemed impossible. "Zal iz good wrend." He flapped his wings and moved off of the pole to a tree. Now that the point was made perhaps he could be less 'impossible', as Nae called it.

Shaehern was not present, so far as he was aware. Which was for the best. The blue man he called master would only serve to aggravate the woman further.

[Naelona Ezel]

It was obvious after a few moments that Zalamel was trying to say something. What he was attempting to say was another matter entirely. The fact that Zal could make enough sounds to hope to convey any part of a known language was a bit of a feat in itself. Unfortunately, any notable recognition the bird deserved, it wasn't going to receive from the boogie.

"You take a peculiar position, Zalamel." At least the familiar could glean he was in acceptable standing for the moment. Even so, the familiar's claims were peculiar. With a heavy sigh the boogie went back to her task at hand. Who's brilliant idea was it to permit such a large structure? Perhaps she should just have it filled with dirt and serve as another plot in which to grow a patch of the garden. Or - convert it into a sort of quicksand.. a mud pit.. an eater of slaves. Mentally she almost approve of the idea, save the fact it could eat boogies as well. That wouldn't be so fortunate.

"Most avoid such a position. No-one desires to listen by choice." No one ever had really wanted to at all. Then again what Naelona worked with - it didn't matter if they wanted to or not - they would simply listen and heed accordingly. Friend was also a peculiar term. She had used it for a few individuals, though the resulting conduct hadn't matched with the definition.

Working a some more minutes Naelona gradually simmered down, if at least a little bit. She could probably consider the pool surface as 'done' for now. There were other things that needed to be done in the meanwhile. The walkways around it needed to be swept, the buildings that flanked it inspected and cleaned. Passing the tree, Nae paused to glance up at the familiar. "Alright, but anything I tell you, you cannot convey to anyone or anything, got it?" Familiars made for excellent little spies, a chance Naelona lacked the temperament for.

"You remember that boy I bet one years ago? The light one." Naelona wasn't going to be bothered with names at this hour. Her hand cut straight across the air in front of her. "Never should have gotten him. Yes, I won the bet. But the price it has costed me?" Nae sounded disgusted at the sheer thought. "Most foolish investment ever. Now I can't be rid of him, any of them. Be glad you don't have to deal with such matters." Ah, the life of a familiar. It was so simple.

There was more Naelona could say on the matter and she had half the mind to anyway. "Zal, do me a favor. Keep an eye out for anyone. This is between you and I. I'm not sharing." Funny to think she would trust one familiar, meanwhile it's Master she wouldn't trust further than she could throw him. Given her weaker than average form, that wasn't very far at all. "It was a foolish investment I should never have done." Ducking into a small room she came back with a broom. "It's high time I simply be rid of it all."

[Shaehern Azhrarn]

Zalamel's beak hung open for a little while. He wanted to click in agreement with the woman, but was unsure if that would be perceived as rude. The bird was able to understand her in both thought and memory.

It was a little harder for the bird to work back and remember the light boy of which Naelona spoke, but the memory was there. A name would have been lost on Zalamel. The light haired boy was sick, always close to death, but never quite so close as everyone perceived. Still, when Zal looked at the boy he knew that there was not so much time left before he kissed Death.

Naelona would be rid of the boy soon enough, provided he was not an exception to the rule. Exceptions were peculiar. Human exceptions even more so.

The raven looked one way and then the other to make certain that Shaehern was not about. Compared to Boogies and humans alike, Zal seemed to have a very sharp perception.

"Dead bo-he?" he asked with a titled head. It seemed odd that she thought she could not be rid of him, when from Zalamel's point of view it was so easy. "Wree not?"

His voice sounded so wispy, like a gentle wind going through a hollow tunnel when he spoke. Speaking at any length had a tendency to wear the bird out and he doubted he could actually get much more out without a good drink of water. The water in the pool was hardly clean, but Zal had taken worse before.

[Naelona Ezel]

"I would expect such. He's been close to it for years and closer still now. The last I saw of him he was still bedridden. I don't expect much more nor desire to know anymore about it." What Kristopher did now was more up to him. Naelona didn't want to know about it. It would be simpler if the boy just.. disappeared.

"The issue is the slave is as I am. He never dies. Despite the situation he keeps living, keeps drawing breath." Naelona suddenly kicked at a stray stone. The rock only skidded sideways a few feet and stopped from the ill aimed kick. With a grumble she brushed it away with the broom instead.

"He no longer obeys, he does not listen, he lacks understanding of everything I say.." Naelona swept the stones a bit more roughly than necessary, kicking up more dirt than sweeping it. "..I've had enough of it." Naelona wouldn't doubt it wasn't for her direct intervention that keep the boy alive. Perhaps her lack of actions would be the end of him. It just wasn't possible for her to kill Kristopher, even though some boogies might do to their own slaves in similar circumstances.

"Zal, I do have difficulty believing you came out here solely to hear to me rant. There are certainly more productive things to do in Wonderland than to listen to one boogie's irritation." Looking over to the bird, Nae set a foot against the broom. Folding her hands over the end of the handle, she rested her chin upon them, fingers of one hand tapping upon the back of the other. Familiars aged similar to humans. They grew to adulthood and seemed to remain their for the rest of their lives. Zal looked the same to Nae as the bird had years ago. It was almost amusing to consider the familiar was over half her age by now. "Either that or you're more peculiar than I have granted your credit for."

[Shaehern Azhrarn]

A slave that did not listen was no slave at all. A slave that caused its master ill was simply an affront to the pecking order. Zalamel understood this simple fact and understood it very well. Shaehern was his master, but he was no slave. That meant that a small subversion could be tolerated if it was done masterfully and in the master's best interests.

This is what allowed for Zalamel to serve as a friend when Naelona needed it. In spite of tensions between his master and her, he was not his master's slave. There was some degree of loyalty he owed to both individuals, though it might be fairly obvious who Zalamel favored.

The bird cocked his head one way and then another. It appeared that he would not have much time. Instead of responding with words he simply cawed once more before placing his beak under his wing. With a tug something metallic came loose. He hopped from his perch in the tree onto the ground in front of Naelona. Gently the bird set it down.

He risked one last glance before he fluttered off. Left on the ground where Zalamel had once been was a small silver necklace. A gift from the bird or his master? Zalamel was a known hoarder, and it might have been that he had kept the item for quite some time. Perhaps Naelona would recognize the item.

Whether or not she did was of no concern as Shaehern rounded the corner. It had been in his interest to check on the progress of the pool, but he was sorely disappointed when he realized it was Naelona breaking apart the ice.

He put on that same old grin and pretended that he had no idea that he was in trouble with her. "Naelona, what a pleasant surprise. I did not think you would be here." No, this was most certainly a task typically reserved for a slave. Occasionally the slaves needed a hand breaking apart the ice, and Shaehern just loved to volunteer with giving them that hand.

Sometimes all it took was a quick shove.

[Naelona Ezel]

Naelona paused her tapping a moment as something else seemed to catch Zalamel's interest. A straight-up caw wasn't the next thing she had expected from the bird. "What is it?" The boogie asked, preferring the older words for the hushed inquiry. It lacked the harsh 's' sound that broke apart the quieter tones of the slave tongue.

The boogie tilted her head to the side, watching Zal curiously. The bird wasn't up to specific things often, and so it wasn't a fool's idea to pay a bit of attention when the familiar was up to something specific that didn't involve the dead or dying. Something metallic flashed into view but was mostly hidden by the raven until the familiar suddenly flew off.

Naelona frowned slightly at the sudden and abrupt departure. A sharp eye glanced across the pool area, but nothing came to noticed while Naelona squatted down and reached for the item. Pinching the chain between her fingers she lifted the necklace onto her palm. For several moments Naelona only stared at the silver item, her frown growing as memory and recollection failed to connect it with anything. She might have worn something akin to it when she was younger, but jewelry wasn't even near her better sensibilities these days.

'Pleasant' was hardly how she would describe the next intrusion. Looking to Shaehern, her gray eyes narrowed. Standing up straight with a disinterested note she easily dropped the necklace into a dress pocket, turned away from the boogie, and resuming her sweeping. Unlike his familiar, he was one of the last she desired to encounter at this time. He ranked just a smidgen above Kristopher, but still below Iugo.

"I involve myself anywhere slaves prove to be inefficient and generally useless." So said the welt on the slave's head at least. No doubt it would cause quite the headache. It was a fair trade for the trouble their ineptness caused her. "Why are you here?" There wasn't without a bit of venom to her tone. It might not be her 'house', but Shae was hardly a welcome guest.

[Shaehern Azhrarn]

Any attempts at civility were going to be met with vitriol, or so it seemed. Her words were laced with acid tones and chilling vibes. A smarter man would just turn around and walk away. At this point, Shaehern was considering following the course of action of a smarter man. Whatever it was that had Naelona so bothered deserved some kind of investigation.

Shame that he had not seen Zalamel all day. She might have tolerated the blue-tinted feather-bag's presence more than his own. Looked at though this was going to be something of a big risk.

"I was not asking, but it is thoughtful for you to tell me, regardless." He plastered something of a smile on his face as he circled around the edge of the pool furthest from the woman. It seemed best to keep a little distance for now. She would probably hit him if he got too close.

"I sense a little bit of frustration, though. Any way I can make it better?" Shaehern anticipated that the answer might include her spitting tiny pellets of fire in an attempt to burn his skin off. Gingerly his feet tiptoed across the still chilly ground of the area.

With a free finger Shaehern twirled his hair and awaited Naelona's response.

[Naelona Ezel]

Thoughtful? Not landing that pole in the center of his face the thoughtful move here. At least he had the hair-brained sense to stay on the other side of the pool while she worked. There was just one small issue with this current path.. Depending upon how fast he walked and how thoroughly she swept, they would eventually meet at the other end. He was just delaying the inevitable by taking such a route. Perhaps his better sense would hit him and he would take the opportunity to leave? Who was she kidding - individuals such as Shaehern had no 'better sense'.

"Really? What irony." The sarcasm could've choked a black dog. How amazingly perceptive of him! Frustrated was something she would have termed this days - nay - weeks ago. Again the broom bristles started suffering the abuse of her temper.

"Yes, Shaehern. You can travel back through time and keep your interfering nature to yourself." She wasn't about to tell him to stay away from Kristopher. She should have long ago, but didn't. Naelona hadn't considered it that much of an issue before. The boogie had been so confident in her own reputation, she expected Shaehern to have better sense that to start interfering with her affairs.

"Quit playing the fool, Azhrarn. You're not an idiot and you're precisely aware of what has been vexing me so don't even pretend to ask questions to things you already know." The posed smile seemed like merely something tied on. Maybe he actually did have good intentions, but right now Naelona wasn't seeing a one. Right now he was one of the instigators. One of the few set up and urged that one domino to tip that caused this entire, giant, clattering mess. One who watched it from the top of the stairs while it all fell apart.

[Shaehern Azhrarn]

Frustrated certainly seemed the gentle term to apply to this situation. Shaehern's presence had escalated whatever condition Naelona was in to seething fury. There was no doubts in his mind that she would hit him now if he stepped too close to her. As such, he stopped his frolicking and stood still for a moment. Calmly he clicked his rings together. Maybe it would just annoy her a little more, but Shaehern did not care.

"I cannot do such a thing. It is impossible. Even if it were possible, why should I wish it so?" Shaehern was a meddler, but Naelona owed her position to meddlers. Without types like Shaehern, types like Naelona were unnecessary.

Or, perhaps, she was referring to whatever perceived crimes he had committed against her slave. Most of it was playful and harmless. He had crossed the line a few times, but her slave's poor condition was only marginally related to Shaehern's actions. Shaehern had watched as everything tumbled down, and then gave the child a little shove when he wouldn't stop playing in the rubble and calling it a building.

As for playing the fool, it was all that he had ever done. The only thing he had ever been good for, so far as Naelona was concerned. "I do what I am good at, Naelona. I was always the fool. The joker. The victim, even. Even so, I remain good-natured about it." The man released his hair from the finger.

"So tell me, is this really about me? Or is it about you? Are you just taking it out on me because you can? If that's the case, then I'm fine with it."

[Naelona Ezel]

"Victim?!" Naelona spat out the word, muttering under her breath venomously. "You've never been the victim of anything." He didn't even have a right to that role. She'd known him long enough to be able to say such a thing. He had been many things, but a victim wasn't one of them. He played as a joker, pretended to be a fool, but any Ezel with two cents could tell what a fallacy that was. To hope he was but a fool was a silly dream. Anyone who'd known him for any extended period of time could tell otherwise.

"You're infuriating, Shaehern, as always." What kind of fool asked if they were going to be hit then willing took the blows? If he was 'fine' with any degree of it then she wasn't using her words properly. What Nae lacked physically had to be made up verbally. If she didn't have that.

In ways, yes, it was about Shae. He'd punted Kristopher over the edge of it all. Even if he had seen fit to bring the ailing boy to her that evening, that didn't exempt him from the fact he had assisted in the boy's fall. On the same hand she still held more contempt for Kristopher than she did at Shaehern. Shae might have triggered Kristopher's break, but Kristopher had been steadily building his own rap sheet over the past two years.

The fact that had Kristopher not been ill, that Aione girl might not have been able to so easily abduct him was a minor detail considering all things. The resulting turmoil it had beset upon Nae for the ordeal was a more recent issue, but it was menial compared to the complete picture of the path that had led to this mess. It was a stab, yes, but only a part of the rend that had messed everything up.

"It's about you, its about me, it's about everyone short of a damned keeper." Almost everyone seemed to have their mitts in this mess that surrounded Kristopher. "This isn't something one can 'make better'." Nae added bitterly, shoving an accumulated pile of dirt and debris off down some small steps leading away from the pool. She shot a leery glance at him, but continued sweeping. Whatever else she may have thought of wasn't going to be spoken.