Fun day with Ilrica (1)

"Come with me," said a voice. Gerald looked up and saw Ilrica standing above him, her beautiful emerald eyes shining, and the only color in the world of gray. Gerald took her hand and she helped him to his feet. The air felt different. It was thick, like moving through water.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"Just a little Bertulf trick I picked up," she said as she led him out into the hallway.

Hidden from him before, Gerald could now see Cha'Rolette's two bodyguards standing beside her. "Whoa, were they here the whole time?"

Ilrica nodded, "they're always with her."

Gerald marveled as she led him past them. "I wonder why they didn't step in to help."

"They would have if she was in any real danger."

Gerald looked at the beam streaking out into the mountains. "So what qualifies as real danger?"

"Anything that would hurt the family name. Their job isn't to protect her. Not really. Their job is to keep her in line."

Ilrica gripped his hand tighter and leapt out through the hole in the side of the hotel. He only had a moment to panic, before they were falling upwards. Gerald felt a wave of nausea, his body having absolutely no idea how to react to this situation. It was as if gravity had reversed. Suddenly the sky was down and the planet was up, and they were falling into the sky. Ilrica didn't seem bothered at all. She flicked out her hand and then they were falling forward, zipping across the skyline just across the tops of the buildings. It probably looked like flying, but felt more like falling.

Gerald covered his mouth to keep his lunch inside of himself, and glanced back at the hotel, the energy beam bursting out from the side. "Are you sure they're going to be all right?"

"They'll be okay."

"Are you sure?"

Ilrica shrugged. "Probably."

"Probably?"

Ilrica laughed. "You still don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?"

"They were holding back because you were there. They didn't want you to get hurt. If they had given it their all, the entire city would have been vaporized."

Suddenly, the gray world became colored again, and the hotel exploded in a massive fireball. Ilrica looked down at him, her sharp features made sharper by the illumination of the fire. "And I'm stronger than both of them," she added.

Gerald swallowed hard.

Then they fell downward again, although at this point, Gerald didn't even know what that meant exactly. They came to rest on top of the hyperspace antenna tower. As the cold wind whipped around him, Gerald wrapped his limbs around a metal joist with all his might.

"Whew, got you out of there just in time," Ilrica said, putting her hands on her knees and gasping for air. Gerald watched in horror as the hotel collapsed into debris.

"I thought you said they were holding back."

Ilrica wiped the blood off her nose onto her sleeve. "Yeah, I think they were kind of overestimating how durable you are. People who have never hunted humans before don't realize they can be delicate."

Gerald looked at the blood trickling out of her tall, wolf like ears. "Boy, that really takes a lot out of you doesn't it?"

She shook her head, "Aw, this is nothing. A true Bertulf can bend time like this for hours on end."

"A true Bertulf? What does that mean?"

Ilrica reached out and flicked him in the forehead with her claw. "It means I'm still earning my place in the bonfire circle. Why do you think I work so hard?"

Gerald clucked his tongue. "Granted, I haven't known you that long, but I don't ever recall seeing you work hard."

"That's because you're not paying attention." She leaned back and rested against a brace. "Now, try to show a little more gratitude, I just saved your life."

"Sorry," Gerald said, rubbing his head. "I'm kind of new to this damsel thing. If you want I can give you my handkerchief as a token of my appreciation. I'll wish you good luck as you head off to the Crusades or whatever."

Ilrica held up her hand. "Nah, keep that frilly stuff. If you want to thank me, bring me a gazelle, I've always wanted to try gazelle."

Gerald scratched his head. "I'm pretty sure those are on the endangered list."

Ilrica gave him a wink. "That never stopped me before."

Gerald looked out as emergency vehicles flew to the hotel from all directions. "Isn't the city supposed to have emergency defence barriers for stuff like this?" he wondered aloud.

"Yeah, weird huh?" She slapped her knees. "I'm thirsty, let's go get some beer."

* * *

Down amid the rubble of the hotel, underneath a cloud of dust that blocked out the sunlight, some pieces of broken ferrocrete stirred. A chuck fell away, and Cadbury poked out her head. She squawked in confusion, and then shook herself clean, losing a few feathers in the process.

* * *

"Sorry, ma'am, but you'll have to leave. We don't serve your kind here," the portly bartender said, his thick unibrow bending down over his little eyes.

"You bet your pork chops you don't," Ilrica said, grabbing a stein off his tray and sniffing it with her muzzle. "Why, I wouldn't drink this swamp water if you paid me. Look."

She turned the stein over and dumped the contents on top of Gerald's head.

"What was that for?" Gerald complained, now sopping wet.

"You see? Your turajino is watered down. If it was of proper strength his hair would be dissolving right now."

"My what?"

Ilrica grabbed Gerald by the wrist and led him out of the bar. Despite his distraction, he could not help but notice the hateful way the other patrons were looking at her. He knew that look well.

"You know, I'm kind of surprised," Gerald said when they reached the street, toweling himself off with the hem of his cassock. "I figured the Alliance would have anti-discrimination laws in place."

Ilrica skipped up and walked sideways along the storefront. "Ah, no one pays attention to those. Besides, I'm used to it. They're probably just sore because a Bertulf ate their uncle or something."

"Yeah, I just don't like seeing you mistreated like that."

Ilrica stopped and turned back, staring at him as she stood there, horizontally. "Why should you care?"

Gerald furrowed his brow. "Because you're my friend."

Her ears fell down. "Really?"

"Well, yeah, sure."

Ilrica was astounded. "Wow."

"You seem surprised."

"Well, yeah."

Gerald flicked the liquid off of his sleeves. "You shouldn't be."

"Yes, I should. You have very poor taste."

They both chuckled.

Ilrica stared at him intently.

"What?"

"Shake."

"Like this?" he asked, jumping up and down.

"No, shake," she commanded, putting out her hand.

He pursed his lips. "I'm not a dog."

"Ah, you're no fun."

"Besides, you look more like a dog than I do."

"Nobody's perfect. Maybe in your next life you'll have more fur."