No Power

It was the end of the day, the carnival had closed and all the customers had left. Nora and Al, however, were still at her stage.

"Keep yourself steady Alistair," Nora instructed Al as he stood, holding objects in both hands while two others rest on his head and left foot, "Don't let anything distract you."

"That's kinda hard..." Al complained, doing his best not to wobble, "if you're talking while walking around me..."

"I can make this more difficult," she frowned, snapping her fingers, making the wind around them blow slightly stronger.

"Ah! Sis, you're the devil!"

"I know." Nora smiled.

Doodles was making the rounds gathering up everyone that could eat for dinner. The twins, Ducky and Pumpkin tagged along just in case he needed backup or extra lip to get the carnies to accept food. He already had his mind set on making more carnie family dinners happen.
He made his way to Nora's stage and snickered. "Hey Al. Hey Nora! It's dinner time!"

Hearing Doodles, Al slightly turned his head which caused the item on his head to tip over. Trying to stop it from falling caused a chain of events which just lead to him falling over, "Dang it..." Al muttered, lying on his back, "hi..."

"Evening Doodles," Nora slightly waved, "Hm... I don't know. Alistair was in the middle of-"

"Yes!" Al said, shooting up, "We are going to dinner! Right now! Please!"

"... Okay then. I suppose we're coming then."

The twins giggled. Doodles gave a concerned frown. "Oh. Sorry... Were you in the middle of practice? Well. I guess at least that means you've worked up an appetite."

"That's okay," Al smiled, going down the stage, "Looks like someone at least got a laugh from it."

"You can laugh about it now too. Can't ya?," Ducky grinned.

"Yeah. It's not like you got seriously hurt or anything." sneered Pumpkin.

"... I really can't argue with that," Al said, "Hey sis, are you...?" when he turned back, Nora was staring off somewhere, oddly focused on something, "Uh. sis?"

"Hm?" Nora asked, snapping out of her daze, "Oh, sorry."she took a quick glance to where she was previously looking before getting off her stage.

Doodles tried to follow her gaze but couldn't see anything of interest she could be focused on. He still looked worried. "Is there something wrong, Nora?"

"Yeah, I just thought I saw something," Nora said, turning around, "So, we're off then now?"

"Okay then," Al said, looking to Doodles.

He gave one last look around before he turned as well. "Alright. Just make sure you're not forgetting anything.. How are you guys liking Egypt?"

Nora raised her hand toward the stage, her hand started glowing red before the items floated and landed in her hands, "I'm fine."

"It's really nice," Al smiled, "I've never been outside of Canada before, so I was a little nervous at first."

"Oh yeah? Wait. Al. You're actually from Canada? Like you always lived there?," Doodles asked.

Pumpkin kept his eyes on Nora. "You sure about that, Princess? You look like you got something on your mind."

"Yeah," Al explained, "I lived there for my whole life. Well, most of it now."

"Princess?" Nora asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh wow. I hope it's not too hot for ya here then."

"Quit dodging the question. That's how I know I'm right," Pumpkin stared at her.

"I won't lie," Al shrugged, "it's pretty hot here..."

Nora sighed, "Fine, I'm being stalked by a bird. Is that a satisfying answer?"

"Just come by the Duck Pond if you ever need to cool off. Or ask Joella if you need some water or sunscreen. She has a load of the stuff in her stand," Doodles suggested.

"And you don't want Doodles to stop it by sticking it with a knife? Fair enough," Pumpkin nodded. "Any clue why?"

"Huh," Al smiled, looking up at Doodles, "thanks. That'd really help."

"I don't know," Nora shrugged, "It's just here one second and gone before I can even ask or follow it."

"Anytime, Al. We gotta look out for each other here," Doodles smiled back at him. "We're family after all"

"You should ask Doodles' bird mom for help then. She could probably catch it."

"Hmm..." Nora muttered, thinking for a bit, "I suppose so."

"Right," Al grinned, "Oh right, we're going to Jo's tent, right?"

"Yeah. Zia will be there so you can ask her. I'm sure she'll be happy to help," Doodles gave a glance back to Nora before he started leading the way to the dining tent.

"You seem... friendlier," Nora pointed out before following Doodles and looking to Pumpkin, "What happened?"

"Me? I have a pulse again. Kinda need to make the most out of second chance, right?," Pumpkin shrugged.

"... Yeah..." Nora muttered, looking down a bit, thinking back to the person who gave her that chance, "You're right..."

"I know I am. Having that pressure stinks so I try not to think about it," He blew a raspberry and went over to reunite with his sister.

"So was Christmas good for you guys? It feels like I haven't really seen much of you two since the move," Doodles asked.

Nora sighed and looked up before Doodles asked, "Oh, nothing much."

"We decorated her stage all christmasy. I dressed up like an elf and sis was like Mrs Claus."

"Aww! That sounds... Okay forgive me but it WAS Christmas so just this once. That sounds cute. I should really come check out your shows more then!" Doodles looked back at them with a grin.

"Can't argue with that," Al said, "right sis?"

"No, I suppose I can't," Nora smiled lightly, "Not alot of the carnies see my shows either, you don't have to if you don't have time. So, what did you do for christmas?"

" Oh, he has plenty of time," Ducky stated. "How many people can take over for you now?"

"There's so many even WE don't have to work anymore!," Pumpkin cheered.

"Well, yeah. You need to live the lives you got back," Doodles defended. "Zia and Fae Mom hang in the Nile a lot, but I guess they wouldn't mind looking after the pond for breaks. I'll come check it out some time! Oh? We just had a big family dinner and opened up presents. We decorated the pond and our living room together. It was nice."

"Oh," Nora said, "guess it's okay then, I guess it's alright then. That sounds so sweet. I never really had anything like this growing."

"Oh..," Doodles stopped walking as soon as the realization hit him. "Oh...Nooooooooo! Nora! Your birthday!!! I slept through it!! I was knocked out from the performance nonsense we had to do!! I missed it!!" He turned around and looked at Al then back at her."Did you still have a good one?"

Both Al and Nora looked at Doodles, stunned a bit before realising what he asked, "Um, no actually..." Nora said before looking to Al then back to Doodles, "I'd rather not talk about it right now..."

Doodles whined and frowned before nodding. "Sorry I brought it up... But just you wait. I'll make it up this year even if something bad happens again!" He looked determined before he turned around and started walking again.

"Something probably will," Nora muttered as they started walking again, "Halloween isn't a very lucky time of year for me."

"I don't care if it does. You're still getting a nice birthday dinner and cake. Just you watch." Doodles vowed.

"Yeah," Al agreed.

Nora looked at the two and smiled, "Alright then."

Doodles smiled back as he lead the way. He pushed past the food tent and all the smells inside greeted them. He led them to the table his family was seated. Chloe and Seine gave them soft smiles.

The two followed Doodles to the table, "Hello," Al said with a smile.

"Evening," Nora greeted, bowing slightly.

Chloe gave a small wave.

"Welcome, dears. Have you come to dine with us?," Seine asked with a smile.

"Yep," Al grinned, "Do you know what's for dinner?"

"Hm," Nora mumbled, contemplating when would be a good time to ask Chloe.

"It's a stew. The cook has been trying to include us and everyone else with strange palates so she made meat stew," Seine explained.

"Yeah. I think it's deer and beef cooked together with a few bones in there for Chloe. We got some salad if that's too meaty for you too," Doodles offered.

"I prefer salad," Nora said, "How... how have you two been?"

"Joella always tries to think of everything but it's pretty hard to keep track of who eats and what they eat around here," Doodles bragged as he served a bowl for Al.

Chloe's eyes sparkled even if the rest of her face stayed the same. "It is wonderful! Clear skies and warm temperatures. It is closer to home here."

"Not to mention the Nile. We spend most of our time on the coast swimming and scaring away crocodiles. The water is glorious here!," Seine cooed. "So we have been very well off."

"Speaking of which," Al asked, turning to Doodles, "How's she doing? I haven't seen her for a while."

"Hm," Nora shrugged and smiled, "That's good. Wait where's... umm... what's her name again...?"

"She's doing well. She's been keeping herself busy with her snack bar and making dinners. We're also trying to get everything ready for Scribbles. It's getting so close now. They're gonna come out soon!," Doodles wiggled a bit in excitement after he handed Al his bowl.

"Priska? At the river. She isn't so keen on socializing when she isn't hunting. She also prefers her meals fresh so the cook cannot accommodate her," Seine stated.

"I'm so excited," Al smiled happily before taking the bowl handed to him, "Thanks. So, do you know if it's a girl or a boy?"

"Oh. Oh..." Nora muttered, realising what she meant, "How have things been going with Doodles and Joella?"

"Oh I know. But it's gonna be a surprise," Doodles grinned mischievously. "Jo already decided we didn't need hordes of only pink or blue stuff and I absolutely agree."

Seine's smile turned flat and it was almost apparent that her entire appearance was fake. Almost. But she kept up the facade. "They're spending more time together. As long as she keeps him happy I can't complain."

Chloe seemed more genuinely happy even if her expression didn't let her show it. "I cannot wait to see their child! Doodles already promised us we would get a chance to watch other them."

"Aw," Al whined then sighed, "Alright, that makes sense though."

Nora noticed Seine's expression very much. This really wasn't helping her already distrust in her. She then looked to Chloe and smiled, "That's so sweet. Um... Chloe... I have a question."

Doodles nodded. "You won't have to wait much longer though. I know the anticipation is getting to all of us. Jo especially."

Chloe blinked but gave her a soft smile. "Yes? What is it, Nora?"

Al nodded in agreement before he started eating the stew, "Mmm!"

"Would you find a peregrine falcon here, in Egypt?" Nora asked

Doodles smiled proudly and lets him eat in peace. He dips some bread in the broth and eats along with him.

Chloe put a claw to her chin as she thought. "Well... Yes... They have a very large range. They can be found almost anywhere depending on the season."

"Okay," Nora looked down a bit, "Would they be here now though?"

Chloe thought a bit more. "It is too early for them to be coming back. Seeing one now would be a bit peculiar but I suppose not unheard of. Any specific reason you are interested in them?"

Nora sighed and looked to Chloe, "For the past week, I've seen the same peregrine watching me. That didn't feel right at all..."

Her raptor eyes sharpened as she became more stern. "Do you have any idea who it could be or who it could belong to?"

"I have no idea," Nora answered, "But, what I do understand is that it's watching me for something."

"Do you think you can catch it, Zia?," Doodles finally piped up now that his bread was eaten.

Chloe sighed. "Falcons are small and quick. Peregrines being the quickest. I would have to ambush it to even get a chance."

"Then why don't you just follow it?," Seine offered. "Find out if it is just an early native or some local's pet before jumping to conclusions."

Chloe and Doodles looked to Nora for her input.

Nora looked to Doodles and Chloe, then thought about for a bit, "Yeah, that would be a good idea. It won't inconvenience you though, would it?"

"I soar daily. Keeping an eye out for an odd falcon during my flights is not any trouble at all." Chloe assured.

"She's not just being nice either. Faerie can't tell lies so you know she's alright with helping you!," Doodles reminded.

"Okay then, tha-" before Nora could finish her sentence, Al quickly covered her mouth. Then she moved his hand and looked to him, "Alistair?" he whispered something in her ear and her eyes widened, "Oh, that's right." Nora muttered before facing Chloe again and bowing her head.


Chloe blinked then realized what she almost said. She smiled softly and bowed back to show her gratitude. Seine softly giggled, looking pleased. Doodles was smiling too. "You should get something to eat now, Nora. We'll figure out what it is so take it easy for a bit."

Nora nodded and went yo get herself a salad.

"What do you think it might be?" Al eventually asked, looking to Doodles.

Doodles started to look more serious as he thought. "If it IS a bird that's monitoring Nora, someone could be after her."

"Or looking for her," Seine added. Doodles nodded and calmed down a little bit. He looked back at Al. "Do you know if anyone fits either? Does she have any family that could be looking for her or an enemy that's tracking her down?"

"If there's anyone in either of those categories, the only one who'd know is Sebastian," Al answered, looking down clearly angry, "and he won't tell sis anything."

Doodles' look turned into a death glare. He stood up abruptly. "Don't tell Nora where I'm going... I'm gonna get answers from that useless familiar even if I have to skin him alive.."

" It's gonna be hard to find him though- did he just say skin him alive?!" Al asked.

Nora came back with the salad and looked around the table, "Where did Doodles go?"

"In... a direction...?"

"You don't know, do you?"

"No I don't," Al muttered, looking down.

"He'll leave him alive. He tends to exaggerate," Seine sipped her tea calmly.

"A cat is harder to pluck feathers from," Chloe added as she shook her head.

Seine giggled and answered Nora when she came back. "He had some business he needed to tend to. If he can resolve it quickly he will come back shortly."

Doodles marched to Nora's tent. He wasn't sure if he'd find Sebastian there but it seemed like the best place to start his search.

Nora nodded in understanding and sat down to eat her salad.

Surprisingly, Sebastian was in the tent. He was in his little bed, scratching on a carnie plush toy when he noticed Doodles, "What do you want? Eleanora's not here."

Not much later, Nora finished her dinner, "Well, that was lovely. Don't you think we aught to-"

"My yo-yo!" Al suddenly yelled, standing up, "The one Doodles gave to me! I left it at your stage!"

"Alistair, are you sure about that?" the boy nodded, but it wasn't true. he just needed a reason to keep her away from their tent, "alright then, we'll go get it quickly. But, then it's to bed with you." Nora said before bidding the girls goodnight and going with Al to her stage.

Seine and Chloe waved them off with the same soft smiles they gave to welcome them.

Meanwhile Doodles was in Nora's tent trying to keep himself as calm as possible. He loomed over the cat. "How much did you love your Master?"

Sebastian glared at Doodles, "She was literally all I cared about. Why do you suddenly care?"

"Alright, we're here," Nora said looking to Al, "where did you leave it? Oh, and you're gonna have to work twice as hard tomorrow for this."

"I think I left it over-" Al muttered before turning to his sister, "Wait, wha-?!"

Nora covered his mouth as she looked forward to something. Or someone.

Doodles had to try his best to hide his smirk. It didn't work so well. "And how much did she love Nora? Jealous little thing, aren't you? So now that she's gone but gave you a mission to do you're doing the bare minimum because it's the last person you wanna be with, but it's the one she cared about the most. She'd be disappointed in you, wouldn't she? So how about you start doing a better job and start spitting out some answers. Is there anyone that would go after Nora to hurt her?"

Sebastian just started laughing at that, "You really don't know Eleanora, do you? She's murdered hundreds of people. All of England hates her and was so close to killing her. How the hell should I know?" even though he wasn't entirely lying, it was clear that he wasn't telling everything.

"Excuse me?" Nora said to the person in the distance, wrapped in a cloak, "I don't think you should be here. The carnival's closed so-" without warning, the stranger lunged forward. As a reflex, Nora raised her hand, creating a wall of stone, which the assailant kicked, not breaking but damaging it, "Alistair, get out of here!"

"But-" Al tried saying.

"NOW!!!" she yelled back at him. At first, he hesitated, but he soon took off.

Doodles didn't seem too phased by that. "I think you're forgetting what carnival she joined or you've never heard the stories. Either way who or how many she's killed isn't important. Keeping her safe is. That's what you're supposed to do. Tell me what I need to know and I'll do the messy part for you, ya damn lazy cat."

"Tch," Sebastian looked away from him.

"Doodles!" Al yelled running in and stopping, desperately trying to catch his breath, "Sis... sis is..." when he got his breath back, he didn't waste time, grabbing Doodles' arm and running back to Nora's stage.

"No hello?!" Nora yelled, back flipping out of range, "How are you?!" she tried blowing to person away but they avoided each blast, "Is it too much to ask for a proper introduction?!" the assailant threw some glowing liquid on the floor in front of Nora, which she quickly caught on and ran back before that area blasted. After this, they tried to run off, but Nora raised her hand into a fist causing the ground around the assailant to grab their leg. Nora sighed and walked over to them.

"Who. The hell. Are you?" She asked, glaring down at the person, who simply smiled. a cloud of yellow dust suddenly appeared, surrounding the two. the assailant disappeared, leaving Nora coughing in the dust. She quickly got out, but then suddenly stopped. What appeared to be red electricity surrounded her and she fell to her knees, her eyes changed from red to grey before she lost consciousness and fell to the floor as the electricity faded away.

Doodles didn't hesitate going with Al but yelled back to Sebastian. "We're not finished!!! If she's hurt you're getting declawed!!!"

He ran with Al and as soon as he figured out where he was taking him he ran ahead to her stage.

He was still too late to catch them though. He looked at the scorched and raised earth. There was definitely one hell of a fight here.

He looked around until he saw Nora on the ground. He rushed over to check if she was okay.

Al ran over to her as well. She was alright, just a few cuts and bruises her and there.

"Doodles," Al muttered in shock, "her eyes..."

Her eyes weren't fully closed, which allowed the two to see the grey colour in her once crimson eyes.

Doodles' eyes widened once Al pointed out the change in Nora's. He gave a quick look around to make sure her attacker had left before picking her up.

"Let's take her back to the tent, Al...That cat has explaining to do."

Al nodded and followed Doodles back to the tent, "Back so soon?" Sebastian asked.

"Why didn't you tell her anything?" Al asked, looking down with tears in his eyes while he clenched his fist, "This could've been avoided if she knew."

"Do I even want to know what you're going on about?"

Doodles carefully set Nora down on her bed and glared at Sebastian. "Just take a look at her eyes. They lost their color," He grabbed Sebastian roughly by his scruff and held him up. "You're telling us what that means unless you want to lose yours."

"Meow!" Sebastian called out, "She's fine. By the time she wakes up in the morning, her eyes will be back to normal!"

"What about the person who attacked her?"

He bounces Seb a bit, so he can feel the pain of his weight hanging by the scruff Doodles is clutching. "I take it then that it's some kind of spell to keep her knocked out? Meaning you've seen this before. Meaning you know who would use it. Talk and I'll let you go. Keep any secrets and I start twisting until something tears off."

"Fine! Fine!!!" Sebastian cried out as Doodles bounced him, "First of all, it's not just a sleep spell. Her magic won't work all the time when she wakes up. Second, I legitimately don't know this person but they were around after she was born. Tried to kill all of them, but only succeeded killing Nathaniel."

"And you didn't feel this was important sharing?!" Al yelled out angrily.

Doodles dropped him into his bed, just as promised. He kept towering over him to remind him to cooperate though. "My guess is that was her dad? How do we reverse the spell then? She'll need her magic if we're gonna fight off this guy."

"You can't," Sebastian said, turning to face them, "The only one who can reverse it is the one who cast it, and good luck finding that person."

"The falcon..." Al muttered before looking to Doodles, "I know this may sound crazy, but what if the falcon belongs to the attacker? Watching her for when she was alone?"

"Then we gotta wait to see the falcon again and have Zia around to track it," Doodles sighed and started to pace. Something was bothering him. "I don't get why they didn't finish the job if they wanted Nora and her family dead so much. They must've needed to do something with her and.." He growled and shook his head. He stopped pacing and looked at Al. "Pack some things, Al. I can't leave you two alone here defenseless. You're staying the night at my house."
Al nodded and grabbed a bag from under the bed. He then went over to the trunk and opened it, taking some clothes and books that may be some help, along with their cleaning stuff before closing it, "Is he coming too?" Al asked, looking to Sebastian.

"He's not in danger and I wouldn't care even if he was. We got what we needed to know from him. He can do whatever he wants."

Doodles started to wrap Nora in her comforter and picked her up again. "You got everything you need?"

Al nodded nodded and looked to Nora, "I wish I could've been more helpful..."

Doodles looked back at him. "Me too, Al. Let's make it up by keeping her safe until she wakes up. Keep your eyes peeled." He covered up Nora's head and stepped out of the tent. He quickly lead the way back to his and Joella's house.

"Okay..." Al muttered before following Doodles to his house, "If her magic won't work all the time... what would that mean?"

"She won't be able to rely on it for anything. To protect herself, or even for her shows. We're gonna fix this the fastest that we can. We just need to wait for daylight to track down that bird and its asshole."

"Yeah, you're right." Al sighed, looking up quickening his steps to catch up with him. After some time, they made it to the house, "Is there gonna be enough space for us?"

"Course there is! Loch finally moved out of the living room. If you don't mind any leftover werewolf hair that's where you two are gonna be sleeping. Its in the middle so it'll be tough to sneak into and the couches have beds in them. It's like an emergency sleep over!," Doodles smiled and tried to lighten the mood.

Al gave a half hearted smile, he knew Doodles was trying to make things better, "Yeah, okay. I really appreciate this Doodles."

"Don't mention it, Al. We're family. We help eachother out. Come on in." He pushed the door open with his back and welcomed Al inside.

The kids were already upstairs and tucked in. Joella was in the kitchen, washing dishes as she waited up for Doodles. She welcomed Al happily, but her smile sank as soon as she saw Nora. Doodles explained their predicament and she was in full carnival mom mode. She explained to Al how to set up the couch beds and set Nora's up in a flash. She supplied them with a mountain of spare blankets as Doodles set up Al's bed and assured them that they would help out in any way they can.

Al followed Doodles inside and looked around the room as the beds were being set up. he smiled at Doodles but looked to Nora worried. Was this his fault? It wouldn't have happened if they stayed put.

Doodles noticed how Alistair frowned every time he looked at Nora and patted his back. "Blaming yourself won't help her now. Rest up so we can take on that bastard tomorrow. You're her magic now until we get this spell reversed. Got it? Feeling guilty is only gonna distract you so forget it. We're gonna fix this!"

Al looked at Doodles before taking a deep breath and sighing, "You're right. I'll see you tomorrow then."

Doodles nodded and gave him one last reassuring pat. "Good night, Al. Rest well." And with that he and Joella went into their bedroom. They left the door open just in case Al needed anything or if anything were to happen at night.

"Night," Al said before getting into his couch bed and turned to see Nora, "... It's gonna be okay sis..." then he soon fell into a deep sleep.

The night passed by rather quickly with no other emergencies and all. As morning came, Nora woke up in shock and sat up. Like Sebastian said, her eyes had returned to their crimson colour. she looked around, confused for a moment before realising where she was. Al soon stirred awake and got up immediately when he saw her awake, "You're okay!" the young boy yelled, hugging her tightly, "Doodles!"

There was a dull thud that came from his bedroom and in another second Doodles rushed out with a hand filled with knives. He looked around then relaxed when he saw why Al yelled out his name. He gave a relieved sigh and put away his knives. "Nora... Glad to see you awake.. And alright for the most part."

Nora looked at Doodles and nodded, "Thank you for bringing me here."

"How," Al asked, "how are you feeling?"

"Physically, I feel fine," she explained, looking down unsure, "But something doesn't feel right. Kind of misplaced, in a way..."

"I'm always here to help, Nora. That cat mentioned your magic wouldn't work much because of whatever that freak did to you. We're hunting them down today."

"Sebastian?" Nora asked, thinking for a bit before standing up and looking at her hand. It started glowing red, as did the pillow she was sleeping with. It slowly started rising, but electricity surged through her hand and it fell back down, "What on earth..?" what she didn't notice was her eyes were grey again.

Doodles yelped loudly as soon as the electricity happened. He backed away into the wall and tried his best not to shake. His eyes were wide with fear. He shook his head and started to mutter obscenities. "Of fuckin course it's lightning... It fuckin HAD to be lightning..."

N ora and Al looked at Doodles, concerned. Nora sat down as Al went over to him, "Are... you okay?"

"This is unreal..." Nora muttered, looking to the ground.

He spat out a few more curses before he composed himself. He shakily got off the wall and stood up. "Ye... Yeah... I got no time to be scared... Nora's the one in trouble.." He went over and sat down with her. He was still a bit jittery but his eyes were sharp and determined. "We're gonna find this guy and they're getting rid of that. They're gonna pay for thinking they could just mess with you like that."

Nora looked back at Doodles, her grey eyes filled with just as much determination, "Right. But, how are we going to find the person?"

" Same plan as before. We wait for their little bird and Zia will track it down. We'll bring the fight to them this time. For now though, get some breakfast. I'll go get Zia." He stood up and went back to his bedroom to get fully dressed. It was then they could smell the faint smell of food that was cooked while they were sleeping. Joella was typically the earliest bird in the house and had already made pancakes for the bunch before heading out to make breakfast for the rest of the carnival at the meal tent.

Nora and Al nodded as they went to the kitchen to eat, "Would this really work though. Peregrines are difficult birds to catch up with."

"Of course it will," Al said, "it has to."

After giving them plenty of time to eat Doodles returned with Chloe. She had a white pigeon cooing on her shoulder. Doodles introduced them with a grin. "Here's our fly girls! A siren and a homing pigeon should be enough to find some loser with their falcon, yeah?"

"Oh, good morning Chloe," Nora greeted, while Al nodded with food still in his mouth, "I agree. Are we going out now though?"

"Good morning, Nora. I am relieved to see you are doing well," Chloe smiled back.

"That depends. You done eating? Zia already did her morning flight but didn't see any pesky falcons yet. That'll probably change once Nora comes out though," Doodles shook his head.

Nora answered before looking to Al, "what about you?"

Al had just eaten his last bite and nodded, standing up, "I'm ready when you are."

"Alright then, let's go."

"Yeah. Just act normal until that falcon shows up. Zia will chase it and Pao will hang back so we don't lose either. Paola's the pigeon, by the way," Doodles explained. Paola happily cooed a greeting to them before Chloe took off to the skies again. It wasn't long until she was high enough to look like a regular vulture circling around in the sky.

"Normal, understood," Nora answered, before smiling at Paola, "Hello to you too."

As Nora was out in the open, nothing unusual happened during the day, except the change in eye colour, which happened nearly every hour. If wasn't until noon, while Nora was sitting down somewhere, she looked to the side and stood up in surprise. There was the falcon again, before it took off almost immediately.

Doodles was getting antsy. It had been hard attending to guests while waiting for Chloe's signal. The pond seemed to reflect this. There were definitely more bloody ducks than he remembered being in there. Luckily Seine was there to help and take over when he needed to be called to action.

Chloe was soaring leisurely, letting the air vents carry her while she waited. She caught the rushed bird taking off and immediately dive bombed. She used her glamour to cloak herself. Obviously being chased by gigantic bird creature would spook the falcon and ruin their mission. Even still she kept her distance, using her excellent eye sight to keep track of where the falcon went and was heading. She sang a note of her kind's famous song.

Just a moment but it was still enough to get Doodles' attention. Seine nodded and shooed him off further confirming the signal. He ran as fast as he could to Nora's stage and kept an eye out for moving white in the sky. Paola was already flapping to get their attention and following the other two birds in flight.

When Nora saw Doodles coming she quickly asked, "Did she see it?"

The falcon flew for a while before reaching a sort of oasis. A man with emerald green eyes and long blonde hair, tied into a side pony was sitting, writing something in a book when he heard the falcon's chants and looked up. He stood up, putting the book away and raising his right arm for the peregrine to land, "You're back rather quickly." he stated, his voice giving off a british accent.

(I saw her eyes) the falcon explained, (they had no colour to them!)

"So, that's the spell that was used last night. Hmmm, I don't think you should go out flying there anymore. That would probably give us unwanted attention."

"Yeah!!! Come on!!! We gotta follow them!!!" He ran past her as he followed Paola.

Chloe reached the oasis and saw the man from high above the sky. She had to resist the urge to swoop down and take a meal. Doodles already had warned her this was a magic wielder and it wouldn't be as simple as felling a measly human. She ascended and reappeared once she was high enough to look like a vulture again. She circled around the oasis as she waited for them to arrive.

Nora quickly started following him, "Alistair!" she called out. Al quickly looked up from one of the attractions he was watching to see the two running off and immediately ran to catch up.

Meanwhile, back at the oasis, the man was just quickly checking the belongings in his bag, "We should get moving soon. Find somewhere to stay for the night."

Doodles kept looking around to see if there was anything they could use to catch a ride. They weren't going to be able to fight if they were out of breath. He looked back at Al and Nora. "You got anything that'll make this faster?"

Al thought for a moment, "Oh!" he yelled. He opened the bag of holding on his hip and quickly ran forward into the sand. He took out a little wooden camel and put it on the ground, then took out some purple liquid and poured it onto the figurine, causing it to grow into a full scale camel, "Anyone wanna ride?"


"Heck yes, Al!! There we go!!!" He helped Nora and Al onto the camel before hopping on himself. "Lead the way, Pao!!! Follow that pigeon!!!" He patted the camel's side and pointed at the white bird that was leading them to the circling spec in the distance.

The camel looked up to Paola and started following. After a bit, it started running, to keep up with the bird as the spec became more visible.

"Is that... an oasis?" Al asked, trying to focus on the little area

Doodles looked up trying to focus on Chloe until Al mentioned the oasis. "Seems like it. They're definitely there." He stroked his bangs and got something from his pockets. He handed some pairs of ear plugs to Nora. "Cover your ears. Zia's gonna start singing."

Chloe noticed the odd shape that was approaching. She knew it was Doodles and the rest. It was hard to mistake that vibrant green in the desert. She started descending and let out her voice. A hypnotic melody came from her and rang out creating the distraction they needed to approach the man safely.

Al and Nora nodded and covered their ears as Chloe started singing.

The man was just about to leave when he heard the singing voice and looked around, "What the..." he muttered as he felt himself becoming more mellow.

Doodles snapped his fingers a few times to get Paola to slow down. She descended and Doodles pressed a hand to the camel trying to slow it down as well so they could sneak up on the man.

Chloe kept singing louder. She didn't have many chances to enjoy herself like this and she was a bit hungry. It strengthened her voice and it grew louder as she came down. She glided over to a palm in the oasis and kept serenading the man. If he truly was an enemy perhaps she could enjoy his bones for lunch.


"No..." The man whispered, holding his hands to his head. he started glowing an emerald colour with it fading every now and again. Eventually his entire body started glowing and the light expanded, along with a sonic wave before recollecting again and fading away. He held onto his knees as he panted and shot a glare up to where the voice was coming from. He then noticed the others that were trying to silently approach and stood up straight, "A group ambush on a lone traveler? Well, aren't you people just filled to the brim with originality."

Chloe flapped a bit to keep her footing on the palm. That burst was strong but it only served to make her mad. She wasn't in the sky all day for nothing. She swooped down talons bared, ready to tear off anything she could grab on the man.

Doodles slid off the camel and started rushing toward the oasis. He yelled as he dug his ear plugs out. "NEW PLAN!!!! JUST FUCKIN BEAT HIM UP!!!"

"Perry, get going," the man said to the falcon, which nodded and flew away, "Alright, I think you need to calm down." he calmly stated, reaching in his bag and pulled out blue dust, which he sprinkled on the ground around him. Blue roots raised from the earth and grabbed Doodles while he dodged Chloe's talons, "Take a deep breath and talk your problems."

During this, Al got off the camel and crept through the palm trees and around him.

Paola followed the bird, keeping out of sight. Chloe's attention quickly went to Doodles and she swooped to tear off the roots that bound him. He brandished a knife and signed to Chloe. She nodded and continued her attack on the man, aiming for his bag. Doodles circled around to try and catch him off guard. "If you wanted to talk that's what you should've done first!!!"

"That's incredibly difficult," the man said, jumping back, "when the first thing one hears," he reached in his bag again, "is that they're about to be beaten up, young man." Chloe did manage to break the strap off his bag as is fell and slid away. In his hand though, was an orange sphere, "We can still talk this out."

Al reached into his own bag, rummaging for something before finding and finding it and pulling it out.

Nora dismounted the camel and watched the scene in front of her. He didn't seem interested in fighting them at all.

Doodles stopped and stared at the sphere. He knew he didn't want to know what it would do. Chloe hovered behind Doodles ready to carry him away if needed. Doodles growled and dropped his knife. "You mean to say you WEREN'T the guy that attacked us last night?"

"See?" the man smiled, "Now we're getting somewhere productive. And getting to your question-" a splat of something purple hit his back, "What the hell?!"

"It wasn't anything harmful!" Al called from his hiding place, "It was just a potion that'll make him tell the truth!"

Now Doodles was the one that was smiling. "Yes. Get on to my question. Now we can actually believe you."

"You can't seriously be-" his eyes went purple briefly, "I can tell you with certainty that I was not the assailant last night." then turned back to green, "WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"

"NOW we're getting somewhere productive," Doodles snickered. There was still danger but he would enjoy this now that he had the chance. "So do you know who it was? Why are you spying on Nora with your fancy schmancy bird?"

"I swear to God, this is stu-" the man muttered before the same thing happened again, "Victoria James, a love sick lunatic who cares for Nathaniel George Ackerman... In order to see if she had pursued Eleanora, I had to maintain my distance."

"So...," Doodles paced in the sand as he got his facts straight. "This Vicky girl was in love with Nora's dad SO much she killed him for getting with another girl. She wants to kill Nora cuz she's a reminder but didn't last night because...?"

"She's planning this out," the man explained, "she wants to make this into a kind of art. Weaken your enemy, make them believe that they've forgotten of you, get them completely alone and use their blood as paint."

Doodles' eyes darkened. "So it's torture, ey? We can play that fuckin game.. How does Nora get her magic back? She's gonna need it, y'know."

"Victoria has to undo the spell she put on her," the man said, "but she's probably long gone by now. If you successfully catch her, which you'll have to wait at most a few months, she might undo it."

"I also have a question for you," Nora stated walking up to them, "who exactly are you?"

He looked at Nora for a while before his eyes went purple, but he seemed extremely hesitant in saying his name. But thanks to the potion, he had to say it, "... My name... my name is... Nicolas Henry Ackerman..."

Doodles' face sank. He wasn't expecting this guy to be Nora's uncle. He glared at him. "Where the fuck have you been?! What took you so long to give a fuck about your niece!? You're lucky this bitch is a dumb sadist or she would've been as dead as your brother!!!"

"First of all, wouldn't that have been a useful thing to tell me about a year ago?! 'I'm Nicolas. Oh and, by the way, I'm your fucking uncle'!" Nora shouted at him, "Second, how the fuck are you here?! I watched you get shot, your colour was vanishing from the arc! I don't think your friends can resurrect the dead!"

"...." Nicolas sighed, "You might want to sit down. This is going to take a while...