"Achoo!" She sneezed, the force causing her to jerk up, and then promptly hit the back of her head against the hard floor. And then another sneeze. And then another. It was as if once she started, she really couldn't stop sneezing. In a bid to stop herself from hurting herself, she sat up, and for the first time, noticed the layer of dust that had settled around the room and on its contents in its owner's absence... Even though it really hadn't been that long.
Thus, that was the story of why Lizzy spent most of the rest of the day in the red dragon's room, sweeping the floor with a broom and dusting the pile of treasure with a feather duster, both of which were stolen borrowed from a gnome that was passing by. Of course, all the dirt and litter that she gathered was swept into the pool of lava in his room; it was the best waste disposal system ever!
After that, she begun tidying up the treasure, making sure that they were all in piles, rather than all over the place. The dragon plushie she made for him - ah, that was years ago - was stuck on the very top of the middle pile of treasure... It looked like a guardian of sorts, looking after his treasure while he's away.
She giggled and smiled at the thought.
With the room looking slightly better and a lot neater, she found a corner to sit down at, her back against the wall. From her bag, she pulled out an A4-sized writing pad as well as her favorite pen - it allowed her to write in both black and pink! - and started writing a letter. The letters she was dissatisfied with were all gathered up in a small pile, to be tossed into the mighty lava pit once she was done.
Quote:
To: Mister Jericho~
I find it really odd that I'm writing this letter to you, because in the past, whenever I wanted to talk to you, all I would have to do is to send you a text, give you a call, or just drop by your room. Maybe it's because you were one of my very first friends, and we had gone through some really fun things and some very depressing things together, but it the school feels strangely cold without you around... Like there's a hole that nobody else can fill.
To think that we met at a video game store, and then Amrita won you as a date for Scarentine's... Before passing you over to me. I've never had a date before! You were really, really awkward, which was fine, because I was really, really awkward too. Personally? I think it's pretty funny! I'm smiling as I write this, just so you know. I'm not crying. Not really. Oh, and you're the first boil I ever hugged. BE PROUD. I did faint shortly after I walked through my dorm room door though.
Let's keep that a secret between you and me though, okay?
To be honest, I didn't feel this way when Riley was no longer around, and I think it's because we never spent as much time hanging out as friends. It's as Mac told me - Riley's more of a friend of the family than family. You though? I've long considered you as part of my family here in Amityville, along with a lot of others.
Sure, there was a sense of loss too, back then, but not like this. Never like this. I think I can understand a bit of the pain you felt back then now, on that day they brought Riley's stone body back... Just a little bit. I'm sorry I slapped you. Well, I wasn't sorry then, and I still don't regret what I did because you were losing yourself at the time, but I shouldn't have resorted to that... Even if I figured that your thick dragon skin could handle a slap from an itsy bitsy spider like me.
I remember telling you that I wasn't going to allow you to end up like Riley-at-the-time. In a way, I suppose the fates were kind to me because I didn't have to carry your stone body home. I didn't lie. You didn't end up like Riley. But then, they were also cruel, because you did not come home with me. I saw your body turn into fog. I saw you vanish. I couldn't do anything about it.
And it makes me feel really guilty about it. Every day.
I doubt that I could have made much of a difference anyway. I do not know much about Insanity. I do not know if there's a way to cure it, or if it's even curable. However, I like to believe that you're not gone for good... So Come back soon, alright? You promised me a trip to the scarcade. Or was that the eye scream parlor? If you don't mind, let's just do both. I'll also make all the burnt food for you... We could even have a BBQ! You can be the BBQ-grill thing. I'll bring the meat. We can invite everyone along! Riley, Malodore, Amrita- Or maybe the fire is a bad idea. I'm sure we can think of something else.
We can call it your welcome home party! It will be fun.
Miss you lots,
Lizzy
PS. Water was leaking from the ceiling. Sorry about the smudged ink.
I find it really odd that I'm writing this letter to you, because in the past, whenever I wanted to talk to you, all I would have to do is to send you a text, give you a call, or just drop by your room. Maybe it's because you were one of my very first friends, and we had gone through some really fun things and some very depressing things together, but it the school feels strangely cold without you around... Like there's a hole that nobody else can fill.
To think that we met at a video game store, and then Amrita won you as a date for Scarentine's... Before passing you over to me. I've never had a date before! You were really, really awkward, which was fine, because I was really, really awkward too. Personally? I think it's pretty funny! I'm smiling as I write this, just so you know. I'm not crying. Not really. Oh, and you're the first boil I ever hugged. BE PROUD. I did faint shortly after I walked through my dorm room door though.
Let's keep that a secret between you and me though, okay?
To be honest, I didn't feel this way when Riley was no longer around, and I think it's because we never spent as much time hanging out as friends. It's as Mac told me - Riley's more of a friend of the family than family. You though? I've long considered you as part of my family here in Amityville, along with a lot of others.
Sure, there was a sense of loss too, back then, but not like this. Never like this. I think I can understand a bit of the pain you felt back then now, on that day they brought Riley's stone body back... Just a little bit. I'm sorry I slapped you. Well, I wasn't sorry then, and I still don't regret what I did because you were losing yourself at the time, but I shouldn't have resorted to that... Even if I figured that your thick dragon skin could handle a slap from an itsy bitsy spider like me.
I remember telling you that I wasn't going to allow you to end up like Riley-at-the-time. In a way, I suppose the fates were kind to me because I didn't have to carry your stone body home. I didn't lie. You didn't end up like Riley. But then, they were also cruel, because you did not come home with me. I saw your body turn into fog. I saw you vanish. I couldn't do anything about it.
And it makes me feel really guilty about it. Every day.
I doubt that I could have made much of a difference anyway. I do not know much about Insanity. I do not know if there's a way to cure it, or if it's even curable. However, I like to believe that you're not gone for good... So Come back soon, alright? You promised me a trip to the scarcade. Or was that the eye scream parlor? If you don't mind, let's just do both. I'll also make all the burnt food for you... We could even have a BBQ! You can be the BBQ-grill thing. I'll bring the meat. We can invite everyone along! Riley, Malodore, Amrita- Or maybe the fire is a bad idea. I'm sure we can think of something else.
We can call it your welcome home party! It will be fun.
Miss you lots,
Lizzy
PS. Water was leaking from the ceiling. Sorry about the smudged ink.
The letter was placed inside a hand-folded envelope, made of the same paper as the paper that the letter was written on; on the envelope, in pink ink, were the words 'TO: JERICHO'. The envelope was then carefully placed under the dragon plushie, such that the toy was standing on it-
"Hm?" She frowned, narrowing her eyes at the plushie; did it just move? She could have sworn that-
The plushie moved.
She froze, tilting her head as she crept towards the pile of treasure, "Jeri-"
"Chi!'
"-chi?"
From the pile of treasure, the head of a tiny, tiny dragon appeared; Lizzy recognized it as a Levithan, although it was not a full grown one... And it looked like Jericho. Well, sort of like Jericho. It was red, with golden eyes and black stripes... If Jericho was a minipet, he would probably look like this, except as a full grown Levithan, instead of a baby one.
Careful not to make any sudden movements, she held out her hand towards it; it gradually wriggled out of the pile of treasure, cautiously approaching her. The way it moved reminded her of a Jericho infected with insanity, and although the thought made her sad, it amused her too; it really was a mini Jericho, "It's alright... I'm not going to hurt you..."
The minipet gave her a look which she interpreted as its 'I shall decide that for myself' look. However, after a moment's hesitance and a lot of hovering around her hand, it curled around her wrist and rested on the palm of her hand.
"You're a palm top dragon," She decided, holding it up so that she could take a closer look, "Mister Jerichi... Yes, I'm going to name you Jerichi." It just yawned at her in reply, and then curled up to sleep, fins tucked near its body. She took that as an 'okay', and after readjusting the dragon plushie's position, Lizzy left the room.
Thus, a new minipet was adopted into the family. She was sure that Mac would be thrilled.
