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 Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 8:32 pm
Ardelle abandoned Glee to mount the stairs to the second floor by herself. Lorika was waiting calmly for Glee in the waiting room to the left at the top, sitting on one of the comfy white seats with a pot of sunny-smelling herbal tea and two cups on the low table in the middle. She smiled sweetly at the girl as she came into the room. The hatch on the alchemy center was closed for privacy.
"Hello, Glee," she said, gesturing towards the armchair just to her right, "Have a seat, love. Would you like a cup of tea?" she asked, but without waiting for a reply, she picked up the small porcelain teapot and poured out a cup. She could always drink it herself if Glee didn't want it.
"Now... I suppose you're wondering why I've called you up here. I've been meaning to have a chat with you for a couple of days now. How have you been settling in here at the Temple?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 8:47 pm
 When Glee walked into the room, she was greeted by a foreign but pleasant smell and an elegant woman, presumably the High Priestess. She was alarmed by the environment, instantly sensing the situation was serious. She decided it would be best to make her temperament a little more formal. "Hello," she addressed the woman, sitting down where she had gestured. She politely declined the tea as she looked down at her feet uneasily. Something didn't feel right, and she just couldn't put her finger on what it was. The woman then asked her a question. "Uh," Glee said, not sure what to say. "I...I suppose I've been doing okay..."Suddenly she had an idea. "But there is that blasted freak living here that's bothering me..."
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 8:56 pm
Lorika stiffened at her use of such language, her smile freezing a little on her face, but she tried not to let her displeasure show. "Ah... so you've been having some problems. I actually wanted to ask you if there was something making you unhappy, something we could help you with."
She left it open at that for the girl to respond. Lorika had arranged herself very carefully to hopefully allow the girl to feel like she could talk, and was beside a friend - the tea, inviting her to sit beside her, rather than straight ahead like a boss or an interviewer. The truth was, she'd been hearing bad reports about her behaviour, but she wasn't going to spring that, and possible punishment, on Glee immediately. First, she wanted to see if there was anything causing her bad behaviour, and what she could do to help her settle in better by herself.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 9:11 pm
Glee's expression changed. "Well, you could help me by getting rid of her!" she said fiercely while still trying to keep her anger to a mininum. She'd always had issues with that. "I can't stand her...we've been enemies since we were both thirteen. The thing is, she ALWAYS beats me at stuff! Just a few hours ago we had a swimming race, and although I have five years of swimming experience, she still beat me! And then she told me she'd had ten years of swimming experience. Ten! And what's more, she always plays that creepy organ...and, well...organ music scares me...and she always criticizes me and...oooh! I just hate her!"
((Her self-centered-ness is really starting to come out I think...XD))
~~~
Forte braced herself. She was nearly at the table where Jessie and Cressa sat. She had no idea what to say to them; as far as she knew, they hated her.
Casting her nervousness aside, she took a deep breath.
"Hello," she said, mustering up enough courage to hide the shakiness in her voice.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 9:24 pm
"Oh, hello, Forte," Jessie smiled at her. He then looked back down at his plate, breaking off a piece of bread from his roll and wiping it around the leftover juices. "Those girls weren't giving you any trouble, were they?"
Gloria looked at him, then at her, then back at him, her head resting on her hand. "Is this another one of your adoring female followers?"
"Of course not. Gloria, this is Forte. She's a musician. Forte, please don't mind Gloria, my assistant. She and Cressa have been having a whale of a time trying to wind me up."
"Thaaaaaat whatsherfacegirl could do with mah sausage," Cressa said, "Shoved down 'er squawking throat. Unfortunately, mah sausage is now in mah belleh."
"Yes... we've all been... most entertained by your friend's performance," Jessie agreed (without explicitly agreeing to the sausage or squawking part), with a little look of disbelief. Disbelief as to how anyone can be so full of themselves? Disbelief as to how all of the youngsters cheered her on? Who knows. Everything about that girl was worthy of his disbelief so far.
~~~~~~~~~
"Who exactly are you referring to?" Lorika asked Glee, "Though I'm sorry, but whoever it is, I highly doubt I am going to agree that she must leave."
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 9:42 pm
"Oh, you noticed them?" Forte asked, compulsively massaging the back of her neck. "Well, I suppose they tormented me a little...but don't worry; I took good care of them. I doubt they'll be bothering me or anyone else for that matter again." She smiled.
The third woman then addressed Jessie, and he in turn introduced her.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Gloria," the musician said, putting her right arm across her body, her left arm behind her back and bowing slightly. She laughed heartily at Cressa's comment.
"Yes, she is quite, um...how shall I put this? An airhead? A self-centered airhead? I believe something along those lines fits."
She paused a moment, thinking carefully about what to say next.
"Umm...actually, I should tell you I came to talk to you both about something," Forte said, nodding toward Jessie and Cressa. "I...I came to apologize. For...the other day. When she showed up."
~~~
"I'm talking about that creepy organ-playing freak!" Glee said, getting frustrated just thinking about her. "Her name's Forte Noc...something or other. I don't really care; I just hate her and I want her gone!"
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 9:59 pm
Jessie looked back up at her, his eye appraising, and he didn't answer for a few moments. Then, he looked back down, and ran the last of the bread across his plate. "I will admit, I felt rather ashamed of your behaviour at the time. But it takes a lot of courage and maturity to own up to your mistakes, and apologise. Thank you, Forte."
"That girl just seems to bring out the worst in everyone."
"Mm. I'm sure she has her reasons for behaving the way she does."
"'Her reasons' being, she's a spoiled brat."
"Which... is a perfectly valid reason for bad behaviour."
"Indeed it is," Cressa said darkly.
~~~~~~
Lorika watched Glee carefully as she broke into a miniature rant about the other girl. Then, she said gently: "I'm sorry, but that isn't going to happen. I've heard nothing about this girl, neither positive nor negative. But I have been hearing bad things about your behaviour."
One might immediately jump to the conclusion that it was either Jessie or Cressa who'd brought the matter to Lorika's attention, but in actual fact, it had been Adeline, who had witnessed one of Glee's tantrums first-hand and, utterly appalled, immediately reported it to Lorika. Lorika had then raised the issue at a meeting, where the elves had told her the incident with the Jimmy Choos and the children running wild through the library and music room as Xei, Sven and Alexi had observed. Lacine had also come forward to say she'd seen her spreading rumours about another girl, inciting the others to torment her. All in all, it sounded to Lorika as if Glee was the bully here, not the other way around. Her very un-Ordonian use of language only solidified that.
She took a sip of her tea before continuing. "I want your time here to be a happy one, Glee," she said, "But you should realise by now that your circumstances will never change unless the change comes from within. Even the worst problems in life can be improved if your first improve your mindset. If you can learn to not fly into a rage over the simple mention of this girl's name, I promise you your time here will be far more rewarding."
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 10:15 pm
The composer's face reddened with embarrassment. "Well, I...I have my reasons for behaving as such...I truly didn't mean for it to escalate to the extent that it did."
Forte felt like an idiot standing there. They did think she was a childish fool. The only reason she had done what she did was to lure Glee away from everyone and play the organ to get rid of her for at least some time. She hadn't wanted to make it their problem; Glee was her enemy, so she thought it was only proper that she herself dealt with her. But no one would understand that. Nobody would listen to her. She had been right earlier; this all was just like high school.
At that moment Forte wanted nothing more than to go back to the Music Room and just be alone. The only thing that kept her feet firmly planted on the ground was her own iron will.
~~~
"My behavior?" Glee asked, her mind now distracted. "What have I done? And what's this about my mindset? Last I checked my mind was as right as rain."
She tried to keep her speech respectful, especially coming off of her tirade. But the fact that something might be wrong with her just seemed to upset her more, if only on the inside.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 10:32 pm
"Have you eaten yet?" Jessie asked Forte. Cressa immediately whipped out her hand, and a fourth chair came scurrying over from another table.
"Seet! Seet!" Cressa invited. "Put some o' da sausage in yeh belleh! We can sit an' watch ya eat da sausage. I might join ya. I love da sausage."
Jessie could hardly help himself from chuckling at her silliness. Gloria was in silent stitches. "Cressa."
"Da sausage?"
He took a sip of water to stop himself bursting into laughter. "Stop it."
"But I love-a da sausage!"
"Whyyyy," said Gloria, head-tabling, "Whyyy you do dis to us?!"
"BECAUSE I LOVE-A DA SAUSAGE! WHY-A YOU TINK I DO-A DESE THINGS?"
"...For the lulz...?"
"FOR DA SAUSAGE!"
~~~~~~~~~~
Lorika looked concerned at her answer more than anything else. "Well, if you don't consider yourself worthy of improvement, I'm not sure there's much I can do for you. If you don't want anyone's help, there's... well, nothing anyone can do for you."
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 10:49 pm
Forte thanked Cressa for the chair and sat down.
"Well, uh..." she began, "No, I've yet to eat since coming here, it's just...for some reason I don't feel very hungry anymore..."
And then Cressa suggested the sausage.
And the hilarity ensued.
Forte couldn't help but laugh at the trio's antics. Cressa acting the way she did...it reminded her of the funny Italian chef at her favorite pasta restaurant back home. But there was a problem. Something she thought might wreck the entire moment.
"Um..." the musician ventured, "I...actually don't like sausage..."
~~~
Glee was confused. This conversation didn't seem like they were on the same wavelength. Improvement? But she was fine! There was nothing that needed to change about her. What was going on? She had to ask.
"Ma'am, I don't mean any disrespect, are you insinuating there's something wrong with me?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 11:14 pm
Cressa hadn't been holding any cutlery, so she picked up a fork for the sole purpose of bringing it crashing down dramatically, prongs-first, into the table.
She looked at Forte, square in the eyes. "What. A-you say. About-a mah sausage?"
"Oh dear. Cressa, no."
"Here comes the fire."
But it was too late. She raised her hands in the air as if summoning a storm, and suddenly, her fists and her hair were utterly ablaze. "DA GODS O' DA SAUSAGE - OFFENDED, THEY BE! 'STRIKE DOWN DE NON-BELIEVER, CRESSA,' DEY SAY!"
"Is she Italian, Jamaican, or Yoda?" Gloria snickered. Jessie had just planted his face into the table in despair, much as Gloria had done before. His shoulders were shaking with mirth.
Then, the fire-sensing enchantments activated, and drenching rainwater poured down onto everyone with a noise like a roll of thunder - dousing Cressa, the rest of the party at the table... and everyone else.
Cressa remained with her gaze directed towards infinity, blinking in her drenched, but still heroic, pose. "Hm," she said at length, as the frenzied screams of the other diners gradually quietened. "I forgot about those."
Jessie just shook his head, forehead still buried in the table.
~~~~~~~~
"I don't mean to offend you," Lorika said soothingly, "So if I have, I'm very sorry. But unfortunately, I can't let this kind of behaviour slide, and if you won't agree to work with me on this, I'm going to have to punish you. Inciting insults and violence against another member, rumourmongering, throwing tantrums and running havoc in the halls - all over a schoolyard feud? That's just not acceptable behaviour, Glee. You are an adult, a member of the Benevolent Order, and a resident of the Temple, and it just isn't on."
~~~~~~~~
In the meantime, as they waited for the sprinklers to turn off by themselves, Cressa conjured an elegant, semi-ethereal umbrella out of the center of the table to cover them all. Then she sat back, looking forlorn.
"I suppose..." she said, as if mourning a lost companion, "That's the last we've seen of mah sausage."
"Only for now!" Gloria insisted, reaching across the table to pat her hand consolingly. "It's still got plenty more use in it!"
"No," said Jessie, finally sitting up. He buried his face in his hands and shook his head again, before sweeping his long, wet hair back out of his eye. "Next time, Cressa, you keep your sausage in your pants. Or in your stomach. Or wherever the hell it is you keep your sausage."
"STOP SAYING SAUSAGE, it's EMBARRASSING when YOU say it!"
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 11:48 pm
Glee just kind of stared straight ahead. That seemed to be about all she could do.
Finally after a few minutes of silence, she spoke.
"I don't exactly understand what you mean," she said honestly, "but I'll think about the things you've said and take them to heart. I really don't want to be a burden to anyone, it's just...the feud between her and me has gone on for so long. And I really, truly hate her. I think it should just be between her and me, nobody else getting involved. That way we can keep it peaceful."
She was amazed at how calm she kept herself. Maybe things were looking up after all.
~~~
Based upon Cressa's actions, like the fire and communicating with the apparent sausage heavens, Forte knew she should have kept her mouth shut. She jumped up in surprise, horror, and hilarity but then immediately covered her head and crouched down when the water from the sprinklers started falling down. Forte moved under the table to prevent herself from further injury. She was laughing and screaming in fear at the same time.
But then she realized something awful.
"My music book," she said, her eyes widening. "My music book! Where did it go?!"
Frantically, the composer searched for her journal. She searched the ground under the table but it wasn't there. Looking out a little further, she saw that it was only a few feet away from her. Breathing a sigh of relief, she crawled out from under the table and picked it up, holding it to her chest like one would a small child. She crawled back under the table to protect herself from the rain that was now falling, drenching everything in its path.
Worriedly, the musician looked at the book's cover. She could handle water, it was her book that couldn't. Flipping through, all of her papers were fairly intact, only a few of them had marred edges or water damage. It didn't matter; none of the musical notes or markings of hers were interfered with.
"Thank goodness," she said, relaxing slightly.
Even after the sprinklers went off, Forte remained under the table. She wasn't sure whether to laugh, cry, or freak out. She couldn't move. She was a mix of emotions, but most of all...she was literally drenched. Her bangs covered her left eye entirely, and because she couldn't move, she didn't brush them away, like she normally would have.
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 12:02 am
Cressa sighed, and snapped her fingers for effect. Within seconds, everything - and everyone - in the room was dry, the water all simply pulled straight out of and off of everything, disappearing into nowhere. If everyone who'd run had seen it, they wouldve wished they'd stayed behind, instead fo having to dry off manually.
Jessie moved his chair back and crouched down just behind Forte, gently touching her shoulder. "Are you okay, Forte?" he quietly asked, "I'm so sorry about her."
"I can hear somebody apologising on my behalf," said Cressa, "When really, I should be doing it myself!"
Bending low to the side, she smiled at Forte, managing to get her face just beneath the table ledge. "I'm sowwy! I didn't mean to get our lovely outfits wet! Are you ready to come out and have your lunch now?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lorika smiled, genuinely grateful that she seemed to have gotten through to Glee even a little bit.
"I will pray for both you and your rival to make peace. Thank you for telling me all this, Glee. I think I can let you off this time - but I'd better not hear that you're making trouble again, okay? No spreading rumours, no involving other people, no troubling our teachers. I won't be so lenient next time, if you betray my confidence in you."
She finished off her tea in a couple of gulps, and then stood up to move back towards the altar room. "You're free to go. Blessings go with you. Take care of yourself!"
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 12:20 am
The feeling of Jessie's hand on the musician's shoulder startled her a bit.
"Y-yeah, I'm okay," Forte said, although even she couldn't tough out her shakiness this time. "You both needn't apologize; it was quite funny, even if a little terrifying...."
She was happy to be dry again. Brushing her bangs away from her face, she slowly crawled out from underneath the table and looked around. The room was positively empty. She smiled slightly once she realized this.
But still...the girl didn't feel right. Maybe she just needed a good meal and some rest.
"Yes, I think lunch is in order," Forte said. "I must say, ever since I got in from swimming I've been feeling a trifle weird...perhaps it's because I'm hungry." Suddenly she had an idea. Her face turned slightly red with blush at the thought. "Is...is there any marinara pasta?"
~~~
"Thank you very much!" Glee said, bowing slightly to thank the High Priestess. "Goodbye!"
When she left the room and the door closed behind her, she felt something change inside her. Something about that woman had made her feel...better. Almost as if someone understood where she was coming from, but not in a way that her parents had conveyed. No, this was something all her own, and perhaps if there was something wrong with her, maybe she could actually change it for the better.
But there was still the issue with Forte. Well...maybe not that.
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 10:59 am
"It's very easy even for athletes to tire themselves out if they don't eat right and rest well," Jessie said. "If you feel strange or light-headed, you might have allowed your blood sugar to become too low."
"SIGNOR!" Cressa called, clapping her hands twice as if turning on a sound-activated light, or summoning a servant. Within seconds, the waiter scurried out and, as he began to pile up their empty plates, Cressa gave him Forte's order. "Pasta alla Marinara para la bella regazza, per piacere!"
"Since when do you speak Italian?" Gloria asked - a little bit awed, she spoke it so convincingly.
"Well, let me tell you - when I was a little girl, I once became shipwrecked on a desert island, populated by nothing except me, a single coconut palm tree, and many hundreds of stinging ants."
The other members of the table glanced at each other. "...Right...?"
"Is this the story that ends with you lashing two sea-turtles to your feet and using them to sail to safety?" Jessie said pleasantly. To his amusement, she took him up on the suggestion.
"Ilharess, have I told this story before?! Well, dear me, I can't keep track anymore. But there you have it - that's how I learned Italian."
"On... a desert island... in the middle of the ocean, with nothing but ants to keep you company."
Cressa nodded.
"Uhh... that doesn't really explain how Italian might have come in handy to you there...?"
"Well, the island was somewhere off the coast of Sicily," she explained matter-of-factly. "How do you think I wooed the sea-turtles to my cause? They didn't speak Ilytiiri, that's for certain. I spent months slowly gaining their trust! I had to host at least FOUR dinner parties for their families - every meal was sea bass, sea bass that I'd caught and gutted and cooked with my own bare hands, and I really could've used some cracked pepper and parsley, y'know, to make a nice little crust on the skin side, maybe jazz up the presentation a little bit; but all I had was sea salt and coconut milk, so I tried to do this little casserole thing once, but the stew burned and the sand just got everywhere, it was a bloody nightmare! And let me tell you, sea turtles might LOOK cute, but they'll order a ton of alcohol and leave you footing the bill, those wily little bastards. And all they ever want to talk about is the weather."
"That still doesn't explain how you learned it in the first place, of course," Jessie said, picking another hole in her story with his eyebrow raised. She had a way of smirking back at him cheekily when they were playing that she didn't quite manage with anyone else.
"Well, where do you think I learned it? I read books! If either of you muscleheads read as much as I do, maybe the Sausage Gods would favour you as their disciple as well."
On you, she reached up and smoothly ran her finger down the tip of his nose - a gentle alternative to pressing or flicking it, and one that allowed her to enjoy the silky feeling of his skin. He took her hand and interlaced their fingers - relaxed, the two dropped down out of sight. "I'm not sure I like these Sausage Gods. They sound rather violent and capricious spirits, to my ears at least."
"Fair enough, heathen," Cressa replied, and she brought his hand up and pressed her lips to the back of it. There probably never has been nor will be another time when that insult sounded so gentle and loving.
(( Disclaimer: Cressa's full of bullshit. There's no such thing as the Sausage Gods.
Or is there? ))
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