[Freezair]

((Guilty please, yes. XD))

We made our way over to the hole in the wall--though regrettably, this one had no libations but stale swampwater to offer. I took my hat off my human head and wrung it out; my sister did the Dry-Off Shimmy and soaked that suffering Shielupe even more.

Now I had names. Sopheria. Stephanie. Lotta "s"s. Not bad.

I sad down next to Sopheria, giving her eyes. I thought she might like to warm up a little, after all. And I'm nice and cuddly--just like a teddy bear. I cleared my throught. "So, what--"

My sister cut me off. Blast that skirt. "We caim out here lookin' fer a fella what calls 'imself Andre Bacall. We run a charity service, and from the sound o' it, he needed our help. Sez he's a Sulkuhna on the fax he gave us, but sez he ain't never had a sorry day in his life. Couldn't stand being laughed at, so 'e moved out here. That's where we come in!"

"Yeah. Regular superheroes, we are," I said. "The weak, the downtrodden, the blah blah. That kinda mumbo-jumbo. Now as for you ladies..."

[6, 19]

[endermage]

"That sounds so nice!" said Sophia a smile spreading across her face. She loved helping people which was why she had applied to work for the government in the first place. Sure, it was a monarchy but the Queen had always been receptive to new ideas. Sophia had gotten to meet the Queen several times to suggest new programs and measures to make the kingdom a better place. She looked at Jareth with a mournful look.

"Are you looking for any assistants? I've always wanted to help people...." said Sophia her smile getting wider.

Jareth whispered into Sophia's ear,"Are you sure this is wise...we could risk exposure."

"Quiet...we need to start our lives over and this is a place to start...." Sophia whispered back.

[6]
((OOC: Oops! Went out of turn...))

[Queeny]

"uuhmm.." Sopheria blinked helplessly at orbit.
Twilight was cuddling up against Sopheria's legs, trying to get warm again.
"ladies...?" She tilted her head to the side.
"...don't you believe in monogamous relationships..?"
Batou huffed, laying down on the cave's floor finally.
"...Are you cold..?" Luz walked over to him.
"how is your leg?"
"..Fine.."
"want me to-" Luz was cut off.
"No... go see if you can't help Twilight will you?"
Luz turned away, listening to the conversation that went on between the two new groups.
"aah.. charity. That's thoughtful.."

[Freezair]

"Monogamy? Lemmie tell you somethin'. Ya know what 'monogamy' starts with? 'Mono.' And ya know what 'mono' is? A disease. Now, I dunno about you, but if a relationship is diseased, it got somethin' wrong with it! Now who wants to live like that, eh?"

Pitaya rolled her eyes at me. But she looked brightly at Sourpuss and Dame #2, grinning smile beams. "We-all, that sounds raight lovely, it does! Y'all're more'n welcome ter join! Would y'all like ter hear more 'bout us?"

"Don't answer," I said. "You'll get her goin' for months."

"Y'all shut yer yap!" my sister snapped at me. She turned toward the group. "Anyone who wants, welcome ter listen! We also accept donations!"

I rolled my eyes right back and turned toward the lovely little red-and-black dame, who seemed to be hiding an Albie. "So, sweatheart," I said to her, "how'd you get all the way out here, eh?"

[7, 20]

[Queeny]

" well.. we were following Batou over there.. we're trying to find a suitable place to live.."
Sopheria said this sadly.
"although this place isn't the ideal home we are looking for.. especially if it gives others the cold.."
Sopheria licked Twilight's cheek.

[endermage]

Sophia clapped her hands like a little girl with excitement,"I would love to hear more about what you guys do! I'm actually out of a job right now so I would love to have a new start."

While Sophia was tuning out everyone but Pitaya, Jareth had heard the statements made by Sopheria and Twilight. He turned to them,"What happened to your old home? You get run out or something?"

Sophia picked that moment to turn her ears back on and gave Jareth a look,"Jar...Rufus! That was very rude! If they wish to tell us something about their situation they will tell us, otherwise we are being far too nosy."

[7]

[Freezair]

Cue my sister. She leapt like a hungry flea away from Dame #2 and latched on to Dame #1, ready to lay on her palaver.

"Oooh! What happened? Y'all git chased out fer buckin' social norms? We kin help you wit' that!"

I sighed. Trying to put the kibosh on her, I said, ""Sis, I do believe this nice lady was just askin' you about..."

"Oh. Righ'." She turned away from the first gal and moved back to the second, looking frustrated.

"We-all! Me and my brother here, we're from Pelt is Not Destiny! PiN-D, fer the curious!" She cleared her throat all important-like. "Have y'all ever met a critter what didn't live up ter society's ex-pecy-tashins of 'em? Chernobyl, who weren't just the sweetest li'l critters y'all ever met? Preluhna what write angry poetry an' post it on the Internet! Rengosett who were--pardon the phrase--dumber'n a box o' hammers? That's where we come in! We stick up for 'em! We give 'em a voice, an' fight stereotypin' all 'round the 'lon! We're nonproft, really, but we kin pay ya! An' possibly help y'all find a place to stay!" She looked back at the others. "Same goes for y'all too!"

I looked between the two dames and said, leering, "Both of you little chickies can say at my place anytime."  

[8, 21]

[Queeny]

"Oh save it.." Batou said to orbit.
"As if Sophie would go with you.." Batou licked his hurting ankle.
"....."
"Hey.." Batou looked to Sophie, knowing that she wasn't responding just to get on his nerves.
"..don't get so violent, Batou." Luz said, keeping the peace between the two.
"im not being violent!"
"Twilight is with us, so watch your language too..We don't want her to gain YOUR habits.."
Luz said, sitting next to twilight with sopheria on the other side of her, trying to warm her.
"Yes, Mom.." Batou sighed angrily.

[endermage]

"Well, at my last job I was kind of like a secretary...but I found out something I wasn't supposed to know and was fired...as it were." said Sophia looking at the ground. She looked up when Batou said the name "Sophie" and was about to respond before she remember that wasn't her name right now. She took a deep breath,"I think that sounds so cool! I would love to help you out!"

There was a rumble outside, it sounded like a roar and there were several small flickers of light outside.

"Stephine...get farther into the cave...there is something out there..." said Jareth, raising his shields.

[8]

[Freezair]

The rumbling sound managed to distract Pitaya. Then again, saying something distracted Pitaya is like saying something made a black hole hungry.

She looked out past the edge of the hole, trying to peer through the rainy, windy haze outside. "What in the name o' the devil's knickerbockers..."

For Pitaya's sake, I said, "Secretary, huh? Well, we could use one o' those. No secrets in our place, though."

[9, 22]

[Queeny]

Luz jumped to her feet, looking to the entrance.
Sopheria gasped, standing quickly.
"....."

Twilight was unresponsive, this was very alarming to Sopheria.
"Twilight.. Come on! we must move to safer ground..!" she nudged Her lovingly, but Twilight made no sound.
"Twilight?.."
Luz had helped Batou get up, and as soon as he heard Sopheria's cries, she trotted over.
"What's wrong...?"
"She isn't moving..!! Twilight!!"

[endermage]

The rumbling stopped as soon as it had started but was quickly replaced by a small moaning sound. From outside the cave several glowing spheres emerged from the swamp and started to move into the cave.

"What is that!" cried Sophia in fear.

"Get behind me! They look like Bog Spirits, Bubble Spirits who have been corrupted!" said Jareth,"Don't let them touch you!"

"Out from the muck we rise...." cried the Bog Spirits in a collective moan,"We wish to live once more...give us your breath so that we may feel the warmth of life...we will pull you into the deep so we may replace you..."

One of the spirits started to float towards Sophia, who had not yet moved behind Jareth. A slimy, black ooze covered tendril erupted from the sphere and attempted to grab her. She screamed out,"Jareth! HELP ME!"  Jareth extended his shield outwards to block the tendril.

Knowing that the facade had been broken Jareth got between the spheres and his charge,"Sophia...are you okay..."
Sophia took a deep breath,"Yes Jareth, I think so...but we have to save Twilight!"
"Indeed!", cried Jareth as he streched his shield further to protect Twilight from the black tendrils,"But we can't keep this up forever...we are gonna need everyone's help to stop these things from killing all of us."

[9]

[Freezair]

Sweet sassy molassas! Oozing up out of the swamp, slimier than a used car salesman, hideous bubble beasts were inching toward us. My instinct was to dance the Retreat Samba all the way to the back of the cave, but my sister got that hard-nosed glint in her eye that told me she was standing her ground--and I knew that if I ran away now, I'd be her favorite punching bag for the rest of the month.

My sister's fur stood on end, and her body bristled. I melted upwards, filling out my human body. I flicked my fedora in front of my face, and reached down to my belt buckle to pull up my copper-green Bowie.

"Call me the bearer of bad news," I said. "'Cuz it's time to burst their bubbles!"

[10, 23]

[Queeny]

"Pun fails!" Batou changed into his human form, having a sleek look of gelled back hair,wearing a four in hand satin black tie,a satin black tweed vest to wear over a white collard shirt, to tuck under a pair of long, comfortable fitting black pants. He'd quickly pull a revolver and aimed for the death bubbles.

Luz had crept from the darkness as a black, short haired woman with regular jeans, with an olive green sweater under a wheat colored-tweed vest. However, only Batou had a real human weapon.
"Sopheria! Twilight!" Luz beckoned her friends.
Sopheria had on a 19th century dress that ranged from red to pink. It was a big, fluffy frilly thing and it made walking hard. Due to some unique-ness, Sopheria did have a deep read mask on with golden lining.
Sopheria carried Twilight of which had short, wild icy blue hair with a couple of purple berets. Wearing a black form fitting long sleeved shirt with a blue shirt over the top of it, with it's arms and the trim torn and tattered with a pair of hole infested , worn jeans.

[endermage]

"No!" called Jareth, his royal guard training kicking in,"There's too many of them, not to mention that I'm not sure they can be killed, they're already dead! I suggest a retreat."

"Sorry guys but I agree with him!" said Sophia,"Seeing as there are more coming as we speak..."

The spheres floated slowly but steadily towards the collection of living souls they desired. Jareth's eyes glowed and extended his shield to cover every inch of the entrance of the cave and then pushed all the spirits out back into the swamp.

"I bought us some time, but not a lot..." said Jareth as he started to back away from the entrance,"We have to get deeper in the cave."

[10]