(no subject)

[fiery_ring]

[oom: Lack of street signs send the circus into dangerous territory.]

Outside the door, there is the sound of a loud explosion, and a shower of dust. Carlotta stumbles through a few seconds later, coughing from the smoke.

She stops, leans against the door, and tries to see if the others got out. But the smoke is too thick to see, so she closes the door to get her breath back.

Comments

[ostro_goth]

Teja jumps up from where he has been sitting by the fireplace, at that noise.

"Carlotta!" he declares, sahs knife already drawn in case the explosion heralds an attack. "What happened? Are any after you?"

[fiery_ring]

"I... I'm not sure. We were sheltering from the air raid in a celler, and the roof just came in. I don't know if it was a bomb or just the shockwave."

She's trembling, just a little.

"The Mime pushed me and Ethel out the way of a falling beam. I think he's the other side of the rubble... or possibly under..."

[ostro_goth]

"We must go back and help them," Teja says. "In such dire times, they will not ask where help came from. I shall bring my heaviest axe, which can cleave beams."

[fiery_ring]

"I know." Carlotta says. "They're my people, I was supposed to try and keep them safe."

She feels a bit out of breath, and a bit bumped all over. She runs a hand through her hair, and finds blood on it.

"Time is stopped so... I just need a minute."

[ostro_goth]

"Of course," Teja says. "You need a drink and a breath of air; you might need sleep, but I doubt you can, thinking upon their danger. I shall fetch my axe, then."

[fiery_ring]

"I couldn't sleep... I definitely need air." Carlotta says.

She heads for the back door, and sits down heavily on a bench outside, her face in her hands.

[ostro_goth]

Teja follows her, and hands her a mug of tea, just the way she likes it.

His hand briefly rests on her shoulder.

"Drink that, while I fetch my axe," he says, walking on towards the forge.

Ferdinand the cat, though, comes and sits at Carlotta's feet, a bit spooked by the smoke-smell.

[fiery_ring]

"Thank you sir." Carlotta accepts the tea, and just holds it for a moment. It trembles slightly in her hands.

[ostro_goth]

Ferdinand rubs his face against her ankles now, while Teja strides away, tall and fast-striding, dark cloak swirling after him.

[fiery_ring]

"I've let them down, Ferdinand." Carlotta says softly.

[ostro_goth]

Ferdinand hops into her lap and settles, ready to listen without prejudice as most dogs and some cats will.

Ferdinand is good at this. He's a lazy, cuddly cat, anyway.

[fiery_ring]

The blood from her head beads and dribbles down her forehead. Carlotta gets a handkerchief out of her pocket and tries to find where it's coming from.

[ostro_goth]

Ferdinand sniffs at his paw; a tiny drop of blood ended up there, and he wonders where it came from.

[fiery_ring]

"Sorry." Carlotta says, wiping the paw carefully with a clean bit of handkerchief.

Ferdinand might feel a strange bump coming from the tummy he was sitting on.

[ostro_goth]

Ferdinand is a bit startled, and gingerly nudges the bumpy place with his nose.

What is moving there?

[fiery_ring]

The bumpy place moves back. Wobblewobble...

"Must have scared her too." Carlotta says.

[ostro_goth]

Teja is returning with his axe, and catches that phrase. "Whom?" he asks. "Ferdinand, albeit gelded, is considered male."

[fiery_ring]

Carlotta pulls the coat back and indicates the bump. It's small enough to be covered by the coat, but obvious enough to show.

"She started kicking the other day."

[ostro_goth]

"How can you know it is a she??" Teja asks, astonished.

[fiery_ring]

"Demeter told me." Carlotta says. "She is a fertility goddess, after all."

[ostro_goth]

"Oh, indeed, of course she is," Teja says, "and powerful as the Lady Berahta among my people. It is good to have her here."

[fiery_ring]

Carlotta nods.

"I suppose Guppy's scanner will show things like that too."

[ostro_goth]

"Should you choose to have him see to you," Teja says.

[fiery_ring]

"I probably ought to. For her sake if not mine."

[ostro_goth]

"Perhaps even before we go back to save your friends?" Teja says.