Sky High

A pervasive hissing sound invaded Neffydd's long, pointed ears, ruining her calm.

She and her friend Jatos Cobode were floating above were the city sat nestled in a lush green valley, sending urban tendrils into the wilderness like a brick and technology zucchini plant, (with a secret evil plan.) The air was warm, the breeze light and the sun was sparkling gayly off the small lake casting splotches of light and Shadow on the skin of Jatos' dirigible.

She opened her large blue eyes, then squinted up at the ovoid, cloth covered framework.

"FUCK!" She cursed, "The dirigible has sprung a leak again!"

Her Encantado companion glanced up at the floatation device. The vehicle wasn't actually that big, being a pleasure craft and not a commercial carrier. It could comfortably hold eight people.

Jatos shook his head and bent down to rummage through the repair kit. He handed Neffydd a patch for the inner gas envelopes, a container of cleaning wipes and some rubber glue, then went to the controls to control their decent.

Neffydd grabbed a satchel out of a bench cupboard and stuffed the patching materials into it along with a knife and extra lacing for the access flap.

"I told you not to name the damn thing Titanya," She grumbled at Jatos as she leaned over the rail and spread her wings to hoist herself aloft. "But Nooooo..."

She threw her leg over the edge and pushed off the air craft, pumping her wings firmly downward a few times to gain altitude before matching the decent of the over-grown balloon.

She heard Jatos chuckling as she grabbed hold of the guy wires strung along the framework, folded her wings and swung onto the dirigible.

"You're lucky I'm here!" She screamed at him.

"Why do you think I always ask you!?" He yelled back, still laughing.

Don't drug an Elf... We don't like it.

Neffydd's body was shaking as she tried to stand. This wasn't a normal hang-over... this was way worse.

"Sullens?" she croaked through her abused throat, "Baby, get Tomoe to help? I can't stand."

"OK," came his worried reply, "We'll be right there."

The night before had started out as normal as a night at their home can be. Friends from out of town had stopped in for dinner and a board game before taking their kids home early. Neffydd and one of her best friends, Taechi, a Fairy met at the shop where Taechi worked and walked down the street a couple doors to the bar/bbq joint on the corner where they were well known because some of their friends worked there.

There was a wonderful band playing lively jazz tunes, people were dancing and smiling, drinking and enjoying the night. People came and people went, friends and strangers alike chit-chatted with them as they smiled and flirted.

A couple hours into the evening they headed out to walk the three blocks to Neffydd's bank to get cash for another round. On the way out Teachi spotted the guy she'd been crushing on for a while and started gushing about him. On the way back to the bank they cooked up a rather simple plan. They would buy their beer and talk to the guy.

They bought their round and walked outside to the bench the guy was sitting on, talking to a friend of his. The friend seemed to be very drunk and was acting belligerent and got in Taechi's face when she tried to talk to her crush. Neffydd did what she was best at, distracting the drunkard and defusing his temper. They nursed their beers to death and got another round, the drunkard paid. Taechi's crush rejected her and Neffydd decided it was time to depart at 11:30.

Taechi called her Naga friend who pulls a rickshaw, he whisked them home for a nominal fee, wished them good night and slithered away. Neffydd started to feel sick.

Warder Sullens thought that Neffydd feeling ill was from the alcohol, (and Neffydd didn't question his fine medical opinion,) so he made a sandwich for her & Taechi to help counter the effects.

They ate, watched a show and Sullens poured Neffydd into bed. Neffydd could barely remember the sandwich, much less the show or the bed when she woke to be sick, over and over again.

Tomoe and Sullens pulled Neffydd back to her suite then Sullens called the hospital who recommended that Neffydd be brought in for evaluation. He arranged transport and they waited through a few more waved of sickness for their friend to arrive.

At the hospital a pretty vampire put an IV in Neffydd's arm, drew blood for testing and hooked in a fluid bag. They waited for the testing results and a gnome came to administer a vial of medication to combat the nausea.

The verdict came in, Neffydd had been drugged. Her body was already burning through it so there was nothing that they could do that wouldn't make her worse, beside the fluids and the nausea med. They gave her a prescription for the medication she could take at home and sent her away in a medical transport.

Needless to say there will be a new creature inhabiting The Pit of Hell if Neffydd's friends ever find out who drugged her.

Whoopse!

Neffydd settled into the first seat on the public carriage going to The Pit. She settled her wings around her shoulders to keep the damp chill off and turned up the music on her portable player. She opened her mobile com as it buzzed and replied with a smile. The transport bounced and weaved in its familiar pattern as it sped down the city streets. The bus slowed to a stop and she looked up from the solid transfer on her com as she scented an overly familiar presence.

She ground her needle-sharp teeth resisting the urge to trip the half troll and watch her fall smacking her ungainly face on the carriage seats. The tall, unsymmetrical, hunched woman had wispy thin hair and a bit of drool sliding out of the corner of her gap-toothed half smirk. Neffydd's nemesis and ex-best-friend, Nikolah would have her day... but Neffydd had to be to work so couldn't risk being incarcerated. At least not tonight.

She was still envisioning the ugly woman's face hitting the solid seats and exploding into a gooey, bloody mess as she thanked the transport driver and stepped off the carriage.

Perhaps one day all her dreams would come true...

Walking in The City

Neffydd stepped out into the bright morning light and winced. "UGH..."

It was almost painfully bright, but considering how often she actually saw the Bright Orange Ball it was a wonder she could stand it at all. Most of her kind never even stepped a foot into the light of the BOB as it was ever so uncomfortable. Not deadly, by far; just more light than they would like to have shone upon their bodies.

Warder Sullens stepped out behind her and and slid his favorite darkened glass spectacles onto his face. "A little bright, huh?" he quipped.

"A little..." Came her snide reply.

They walked a short block down to the public transit stop, chatting and enjoying the cool breeze that contrasted the warm light of the BOB so well. 

The transit ride was pleasant and they reached the mid-city transfer with enough minutes to spare to do their banking and catch the carriage to their destination. 

The carriage bell rang when Neffydd pulled the Stop Request cord and the driver maneuvered the vehicle out of traffic and into the temporary parking stop at the curb.

"Are you riding down the street to your stop," Neffydd asked Sullens, "or are you disembarking with me and walking down?"

"I'll go with you." Sullens said with a smile.

"Are you sure?" Neffydd made sure as they rose from the bench, "Your stop is just down the street..."

"Then I'll walk." He motioned for her to precede him out.

"OK." She grinned and thanked the driver as she stepped onto the walk.

Their vehicle had stopped right in front of the salon that Neffydd wanted and she strutted up to the door. Warder Sullens grabbed her and pulled her into an embrace before walking off down the street. Neffydd walked into the salon and was greeted by heavy smells of acrylic and acetone. 

"Can I help you?" a middle aged Chin-chin Kobakama asked from her seat where she worked on a largish Brownie's feet.

"Yes." Neffydd affirmed. "I need a trim and fill..." She held up her hands for the woman to inspect from afar.

"Go to table four, please?" The Kobakama directed and Neffydd sat to wait... and wait.

She listened to the other women chatter amongst themselves about their day-to-day lives and smiled a bit. She watched people come and go as the smallish creatures trimmed, ground, buffed, repaired, tweezed, and cut to their hearts content. Warder Sullens came to check on her at one point but quickly left again stating that the acrid smell was already giving him a headache.

Finally a Chin-chin Kobakama man sat in front of her and held out his hands for hers. She placed her hands in his and relaxed into her monthly routine. 

Grind. Trim. Pluck. Sand. Repair. Smooth. Buff. Condition... She got up to wash her hands off when she was directed and picked a lacquer color that would look cute on the tips of her claws. The Kobakama woman sat in front of her and Neffydd described what sort of design she wanted.

"Just the tips in the green," She motioned toward the vial of lacquer. "Then a thin purple swish where the tip meets the bed?" It was quickly done as they chatted about Sullens and the woman's daughter, then the woman took her payment.

Neffydd sat herself at the drying tables and waited for the thin layers of polish to set and harden. For about half an hour she sat, relaxing and watching the bustle then gently stroked the lats painted nail to check how dry it was. She deemed the paint dry enough, turned off the fans she was using, got up from her chair and pulled out her mobile com to call Sullens as soon as she was on the street again.

She thanked the couple working the shop and reached for the door while looking at her phone. The door opened before she could reach it and she looked up.

"Hey you!" She smiled at Sullens and he held up a bag to her. "Perfect timing; I was just going to call you!" and they walked out the door.

"Shall we walk?" Neffydd offered, "Or wait for the bus?"

"We can walk while we wait." Sullens replied.

They walked down the street took a turn about a block away and walked across the bridge, under the over pass and past their favorite curio shop. 

Neffydd had now been up 20 hours. She had wanted to spend time with Sullens as they did their chores but her body was starting to have an issue with the exercise without enough sleep. Her legs, stomach and back were beginning to cramp as she pushed on. It was nothing like things she'd endured in the past, just a mild discomfort, really. Sure did make it hard to walk, though.

A half mile walk more and she could lay down in her bed. A quarter mile; three blocks; a parking lot and a street; a set of steps and a hallway... Finally she stepped into the cool comfort of her sleeping suite, feeling so much better to be out of the light of the BOB.

@}~

There we go, people! Sorry it's been so long!