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Post by Miss Jack on Jun 28, 2008 16:46:11 GMT -5
This had been a bad idea.
It seemed that no matter how long he lived, he could always be counted on to make more of them, with no apparent sign of any gained wisdom for his trials.
He had been sure he was on the edge of the Forest, and cutting through that batch of trees would only save him time. Now he was lost, trying futilely to find north in a realm that had no magnetic bearing in the first place. His shin caught on a low branch of a bush, tearing easily through the thick levi of his pants. He cursed, more irritated than hurt.
The mission, in the first place, had been an absolute waste of time. The secrets buried in the Eye of the World mountains were put in that particular hiding place for a reason. Nothing that wasn't supposed to be found was going to be unless you were willing to take some serious risks. Jasper wasn't.
Walking through this part of the Forest of Mystery made him feel like Indian Jones walking through the Temple of Doom. Anything could set off dangerous holes and traps and poisons that could potentially kill a lost Dream like himself.
Almost as soon as he had the thought that maybe he ought to watch his step, he tripped over a protruding root. He regained his footing, easily enough, but not before the damage had been done. The "tree" he'd knocked into came to life, its long, vine-like branches curling like leaf-covered whips. They snapped like whips too.
Jasper jerked away, instinctively going for his pistol, but one of the branches lashed out and knocked it out of his hand, leaving a stinging red line on his wrist. He scrambled out of the way, but the grass beneath him warbled unsteadily, as if he'd just crawled onto a giant, green water bed. The ground sank and then bubbled up in one springing motion that sent him flying a good few feet into the air and into a boulder.
An alive boulder, naturally.
It was like stubbing his foot on that one root had set off a chain of magic reaction and now everything was spinning out of control like a destrutive set of dominoes. The huge rock foot of the creature came down on his chest and pushed. Colors danced in front of his eyes as any oxygen left in him after having his black slammed into solid rock was squeezed out. His mind raced desperately for a solution, any possible way to survive, adrenaline surging his thoughts faster.
There was nothing.
I have a fairy godmother.
A moody one that didn't like him much, but right now, in his mind, she had the face of an angel. Could she hear him from such a distance? Did she get to pick and choose her wishes? What if she was busy? What choice did he have?
He gasped. "I wish... that... I wouldn't die... today... or help... staying alive...." was about as coherent as he could make himself.
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Post by Jules on Jun 28, 2008 17:09:06 GMT -5
It had been a rare moment when there'd been three whole other doctors to work at the hospital. So she'd been practically forced off the premises and made to go home. But she'd been too antsy, and hadn't really wanted to waste a day off, however forced. So she'd dressed up, out of the practical shoes and clothing she didn't care about getting blood on, and gone out. It was in the middle of a very enjoyable lunch, shopping bags scattered around her that that desperate tugging came into her head.
I wish... that... I wouldn't die... today... or help... staying alive.... What the hell had Jasper gotten himself into now? She stood without too much second thought, looking despondently down at the shopping she'd have to abandon before poofing off, leaving her half-finished meal coated in glitter.
She arrived in the middle of a forest and it was like a scene from an action movie. There was Jasper, being stepped on by some kind of rock monster while the violent trees whipped their branches in support. Camilla stared for a moment before her wand was out. He wished to not die, and that obviously meant getting them out of here. She rushed forward as quickly as she could in heels and a tight skirt.
A few of the branches attempted to whip at her, but she repelled them with a slash of her wand, they fell down dead on the ground. Which only really served to make them angrier, with a shorter reach. Cami grabbed onto Jasper's shoulder and willed them out. But there was no implosion of glitter, no suddenly being at the hospital. She tried again and then gave up because he was turning blue and that wasn't a healthy color.
A little frightened, Camilla raise her wand and pointed it at the rock creature. If she couldn't poof out of here at least she sent the beast reeling backwards and crashing into the ground.
"Come on." She said, pulling at Jasper's arm. "Run." Although how she was going to run very fast in what she was wearing was a little bit of a mystery.
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Post by Miss Jack on Jun 28, 2008 17:21:56 GMT -5
As the pressure finally came off his chest he gasped and then coughed and then did a rather spaztic version of both, until he felt Camilla pulling at his arm. He nodded and pushed to his feet, ignoring the head rush. He took her hand and ran. In her heels and somewhat tight skirt, Jasper could have surpassed her speed by walking. One of the half-burnt vines reached for her and he yanked her out of the way.
Keeping his hold on her waist, he pulled her up just enough that he could run without dragging her, and took them both another ten feet to safety, pulling to the side of a large (stationary) tree. He let go and pressed his back to the trunk, rubbing his collar bone. He sent her a sideways glance, wondering at her choice of outfit... but maybe she didn't know what she was running into.
"Thanks," he said finally.
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Post by Jules on Jun 28, 2008 17:34:25 GMT -5
Camilla, once he stopped dragging her across the forest, placed a hand to her heart, feeling it thump heavily against her palm. She cast him the same side-long glance he was giving her, and her lips twitched. He certainly led an interesting life. Catching him testing his collar bone, her doctorly side kicked in like it so often did.
"You're welcome. Anything broken?" She would be impressed if nothing was, what with that rock creature trying to squish him like a bug. She smoothed her hands over the front of her designer skirt, she would burn down this entire forest if there was so much as a stain in the fabric.
"And also, what the hell?"
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Post by Miss Jack on Jun 28, 2008 17:40:59 GMT -5
He rolled a shoulder experimentally. "Don't think so..." he muttered; though, he was certain he'd be plenty sore when he woke up the next morning. His eyes snapped to hers at her sharp accusation, slightly bewildered at first and then his expression shifted into a cool glare.
"I apologize. You didn't specify when I was allowed to utilize my wishes. I figured, in the throes of death, now was as good as time as any."
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Post by Jules on Jun 28, 2008 17:46:24 GMT -5
Camilla rolled her eyes. "Jasper, I don't mind coming to save you. But the circumstances of our meeting haven't exactly been normal." Why did everyone take her the wrong way? Sure, she wasn't the fuzziest person on the face of this earth, but then she was exactly the meanest either.
"Please, don't think that. You can use my wishes whenever you need. I'm just slightly curious as to why I was yanked out of my day off into....that." She made a gesture with her hand to indicate the direction they had escaped from.
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Post by Miss Jack on Jun 28, 2008 17:55:32 GMT -5
"Oh."
He had assumed she was expressing irritation at being called from the middle of who-knows-what into the Forest of Vegetated Doom. Sufficiently corrected, he flushed a little with his error.
"Ah... well." He glanced to the side. Being a man of few words as it was, he struggled to come up with a nice way of saying that he was an idiot. "Shortcut," he said eventually. "A stupid one."
He indicated vaguely with a hand. "Thanks. I won't keep you-- I'm sure I can find my way now." And if not, well, he'd already used his wish, so she was off the hook either way.
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Post by Jules on Jun 28, 2008 18:02:56 GMT -5
Camilla grimaced. "That hurts." Although she didn't sound that hurt. "You really think I'm that awful of a person that I would poof out of here and leave you behind after that? Besides, I can't. You wished for help, and you're going to get it."
She looked down at her pretty high heels, which were on the verge of ruin. Sighing, she slipped out of them, rendering her a whole heck of a lot shorter, and picked them up in one hand. She couldn't bring herself to ruin the skirt to make it easier to run in however, so she could only hope they wouldn't run into anything else life-threatening.
"Do you know a not stupid way out of here?"
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Post by Miss Jack on Jun 28, 2008 18:12:36 GMT -5
He smiled, unable to help himself, though it was more smirk than smile. "Not particularly." He raised an eyebrow at her wand. "That thing actually good for---" He broke off with a sudden expression of panic. As Camilla's wand was her weapon, so to speak, he was reminded of his own, and the empty lack of weight on his hip.
His pistol. That stupid tree had knocked it to the ground (the moving ground) and it could have landed anywhere. He cursed under his breath, the miserable oath of a child who has just lost their favorite play toy, and twisted around the side of the tree they were leaning against to look. In the distance, the tree's vine-like branches still rippled, though it was not nearly so active as it had been.
"I have to go back," he announced gravely.
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Post by Jules on Jun 28, 2008 18:18:05 GMT -5
"What?" She grabbed a hold of his wrist before he could move further. "Why?" He really was insane. "You can't, you'll be butchered." I'll be butchered, she thought miserably. He'd wished for help and he was going to definitely need it now and oh god her skirt really was going to be ruined by the end of this, wasn't it? Ugh, she knew better then to ever, ever take a day off. Why had she let her stupid staff convince her into it?
"Whatever it is, is it really worth it?"
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Post by Miss Jack on Jun 28, 2008 18:23:17 GMT -5
It was the sudden surprise of contact that stopped him. Physically, she was no match for him. Though, he did pause, his brow furrowing. An edge of pain crept into his eyes. "Yes, I mean..." A tick appeared in his cheek as he clenched his jaw. "My gun. I know it's not, it's just... I need it." He twisted again, looking with longing toward the danger zone.
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Post by Jules on Jun 28, 2008 18:36:01 GMT -5
Such longing for a stupid gun? Camilla sighed and followed his gaze towards the writhing part of the forest. "Men!" She growled and decided she really was going to have to give up her very very pretty skirt. Although she couldn't wish herself up a pair of pants, she could at least rip the fabric up the side, giving her legs more freedom.
"But you stay here." He would find it like trying to push through congealed fat to follow her.
Before he could argue, which she wasn't sure he actually do (many people seemed perfectly okay with her doing their dirty work) she ran back into the dangerous glade, probably looking a little crazy. Frustration at not immediately finding the gun had her slashing down branches that weren't even threatening her. It was somewhere on the ground, but she couldn't really see it.
"Screw it." She muttered, dropping to her hands and knees to search the sucking ground. Her life was just so very amazing. Her arm was into the ground up to her shoulder by the time her hand finally closed around the smooth handle of the Godforsaken gun. But when she tried to pull her arm out, it remained stuck. And the branches were growing back with alarming speed and oh great this was how she was going to die.
Muttering a curse, she released Jasper from the hold. But it was the only sign she was going to give that she needed help. It would be impossible for her to actually speak the words out loud.
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Post by Miss Jack on Jun 28, 2008 19:04:23 GMT -5
"Wait, what?"
He barely had time to comprehend what she was talking about before she was off and running head first into the heart of the beast. "Don't---" he began, moving to follow her, but something stopped him. Confused, he regained his balance and then tried again, but again it was like being held down by weights; not impossible, but incredibly difficult.
When she released him, he tumbled forward with the sudden lack of opposition, but quickly righted himself. He sprinted forward. He was more or less confused, had been since she ran off with no warning, but he knew those vines were going to wrap around and neck and probably kill her unless he was there soon, and so he sprinted.
Instead of attempting to ward off the branches, he grabbed her waist and with one mighty heave, pulled her free of the ground. He slipped, bringing her with him, and she ended up sprawled against his chest. He saw the gun dangling in her hand and his eyes all but sparkled. "You got my pistol."
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Post by Jules on Jun 28, 2008 19:24:00 GMT -5
She would've snapped at him, except she was close enough to realize he looked like a kid on Christmas morning. Camilla couldn't help but smile at him. She lifted her muddy and sore arm and slide the pistol into his hand before slowly getting up from their awkward position.
Camilla was holding her hand out to him when she was ripped violently from the ground by a vine wrapped tightly around her neck. In the surprise of it all, she dropped her wand, trying to claw at the thick flora. It wasn't such a big deal, she held open her hand and it flew to her. But as she turned blue she released cutting away the vine would just as surely be the death of her, for it had lifted her a good twenty feet in her air.
At least there was a bigger chance of not dying. So closing her eyes and trying to relax her body to keep the fall as minimal as possible, she burned away the vine and plummeted towards the ground, wishing, not for the first time, that she could grant her own wishes.
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Post by Miss Jack on Jun 28, 2008 19:33:31 GMT -5
Seriously--- they couldn't catch a break.
No sooner did he feel the comforting weight of the pistol against his palm, then Camilla was assaulted yet again by one of the moving branches. He was this close to wishing the entire forest would just burn to the ground. With practiced ease, he replaced the pistol into its holster while simultaneously running to rescue fair damsel.
The branch lifted her by the neck and for a moment he panicked. He couldn't reach her, and by the time he could climb up, she would have choked. Thankfully, she had the good sense to cut herself free. He only had to hold out his arms and take a few steps to catch her. She wasn't heavy, by any means, but falling twenty feet gives anyone considerable impact and he grunted, nearly losing his footing.
This time, pistol securely at his hip, he took off with Camilla in his arms, stopping only at a safe distance behind another tree. He set her down, as gently as he could, and promptly sank onto the ground to catch his breath. He let out a half-choked laugh. "Are you okay?" he asked.
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