Noble Parties I

It had been a month and a half since the battle of Caelin where the heir to the throne; Lyndis, defeated Lord Lundgren. After a brief period of unrest following Lundgren death, as well as the destruction of the Caelin army, the country began to piece itself back together a day at the time. However, with marquess Hausen still recovering from his gradual poisoning, it fell upon his granddaughter, Lyndis, to represent him during gatherings, political or otherwise. This is one story of those gatherings. Without experience or knowledge of niceties and manners commonplace in noble circles, Lyndis will be in for quite the surprise, but she does have several aces in the hole to assist her through the ordeal. Those are her friends, ones she made during her travels to save her grandfather.

"Good morning, Grandfather!" Lyn greeted the marquess of Caelin as she opened the door to his room with a knife and plate in her hand.

"Ah, hello, my girl!" the marquess greeted Lyn in return as he pulled himself up from his bed. He had been receiving constant care from Lyn from the very first day they had reunited. The marquess was still confined to his bed for a grand majority of the time, but he was beginning to recover enough to get up every now and again. But anytime he could enjoy with his granddaughter, regardless of his condition, was more than he could ask for.

"How are you feeling?" Lyn asked him as she took an apple from a nearby fruit bowl on a counter near his bed and began to peel it with the knife.

"Better by the day," he informed her with a smile, "I daresay I'll be up and about in no time!"

"That's fantastic!" Lyn cheered, "I told you that a strong heart can beat any illness!"

"That you are" the marquess agreed as he smiled.

"And as soon as you're up, we'll be able to go on walks and talk the nights away together!" Lyn continued on with a smile as she began to cut the apple into slices.

"I hope our first chat will be about how you managed to come so far," the marquess told her, "I'm quite curious about the whole ordeal."

"I'll be sure to tell you everything I know" Lyn assured him with a laugh as she placed the cut up pieces of the fruit on a plate.

Gratefully, Hausen began to nibble on one of the wedges as a spot of sunlight reflected off a locket Lyn was wearing. This caught Hausen's attention as he never noticed it during any other times before, "Where ever did you get that peculiar locket? I may not know enough, but I assume that isn't Sacaean made, is it?"

"Hm?" Lyn asked as her hand went towards the locket. She picked it up and looked at it with a soft gaze before looking back to her grandfather, "This belongs to one of my greatest friends. He asked me to hold on to it for him and keep it safe."

"And who might that be?" Hausen asked, suddenly very interested in this friend.

"His name is Michael," Lyn explained briefly, "He was the tactician for our group. It's because of him that we were able to beat Lundgren."

"Interesting…" Hausen mused as he leaned forward and took another bite from a wedge, "And what of him now?"

"He's in slavery" Lyn told him flatly.

"Excuse me?!" Hausen asked as he choked on some apple.

"Oh, sorry, indentured servitude!" Lyn corrected herself, "He kind of got into a debt during the battle against Lundgren…" Lyn scratched the back of her head, "He'll be working it off for a while."

"He could have asked for some funds from the treasury" Hausen said as he pounded his chest lightly with his fist.

Lyn shook her head, "He wanted to pay it off himself. Besides, he promised to write letters as soon as he's settled down in Bulgar."

"I'll have to meet this young man when he comes back!" Hausen said, "He should have some interesting anecdotes from living in that merchant's battlefield of a city!"

As Lyn was about to respond, a knocking was heard on the door. A few seconds later, Kent, now captain of the knights, opened the door. In his hand was a notice. If it was like any of the others, it would either be for damages sustained during the battle or more news of soldiers wishing to terminate their employment in the army.

"Milord," Kent greeted Hausen as he took a deep bow, "Milady. I have a message from one of the advisors. They said it would be most prudent that you look at this."

"Well then let's see what is so important that they must disturb me at this early an hour" Hausen told him as he ushered Kent to come forward. Complying, Kent handed the letter over and Hausen proceeded to skim its contents. His jaw almost dropped when he finished reading the news.

"What's wrong?" Lyn asked in a worried tone as she saw her grandfather's reaction.

"A gathering?! In two weeks?!" Hausen asked unbelievably, "Surely the other nobles must know I am still recovering!"

"Gathering?" Lyn asked again, "Is it bad? Is it important?"

"Oh, no!" Hausen told her as he waved away the question, "It's just an excuse for nobles to get together and try to humiliate each other for their own amusement."

"And from what I've heard they are very successful in that regard" Kent added dryly.

"And we are to host this little engagement," Hausen added, "I am in no condition to host such forays. No doubt they wish to make fun at Lyndis being Sacaean. Bah! Those two-faced imbeciles!"

"I'm sure I'll give them a good laugh when I give them a piece of my mind!" Lyn told him fiercely.

"No!" Hausen yelped, "You reacting that way will only let them win. If you wish to shut their mouths, you'll have to prove to them you are even more radiant than they are."

"How do I do that?" Lyn asked seriously.

"I'm glad you asked!" Hausen told her with a smile, "All you need to do is dress as elegantly as possible and charm them all with your beauty and poise."

"Excuse me?" Lyn asked.

"I can see where this is going and I don't like it one bit…" Kent muttered to himself.

"So let me get this straight," Sain began as Lyn and Kent informed him of the development, "You; Lady Lyndis, are going to be hosting a little gathering of noble-blooded people that are most likely just coming here to poke fun at you?"

Lyn nodded in affirmation.

"But your grandfather believes you have the charisma and charm to seduce them into shame for doing such a thing?"

"That about sums it up" Kent agreed.

"This is going to be fun!" Sain giggled, "The laughs, the hijinks, the lovely lasses and ladies that will all be gathered in a single room, needing some much needed entertainment that I shall all too happy to provide them with! Ah, life is good…"

"That's what you think," Kent countered, "You will be assisting Wil, Florina, and I with making sure Lady Lyndis is successful in her endeavor. There will be no time for you to…'socialize' with the female company."

"You never let me have any fun!" Sain complained as he threw his arms in the air.

"That's not true." Kent countered once again, "Remember that little inn incident?"

"Sssshhhhhh!" Sain shushed as he attempted to silence Kent, insisting on covering his mouth with his free hand.

"What's this about an inn?" Lyn asked suspiciously as she looked at Sain.

"Nothing!" Sain yelled in a panic as he began to sweat, "Nothing that you need to concern yourself with!"

"What aren't you telling me?" Lyn asked again as she stared through to Sain's soul, "Kent? What happened?"

"I'm afraid I cannot say" Kent informed her, "I've been sworn to secrecy. A man I have a high opinion of asked me to not relinquish the details of that little adventure."

Sain wiped away some sweat trickling down his forehead as Kent spoke. The last thing he needed was for someone like Lyn to find out about that little outing. "So how about we track down Sir Wil and Lady Florina and inform them on our next little adventure, yes?" Sain began, desperately trying to change the flow of the conversation. He couldn't help but laugh in the face of this situation.

"Your right," Lyn agreed, "I'm sure they're around here somewhere."

In what could only be described as the most bizarre incident of learning too much about the home you reside in than you ever wanted or cared to know about, the trio discovered many odd things residing in the castle. It started with the more mundane things, like an armory, barracks for the soldiers, a room full of stuffed game, even a room full of women's clothing (who did these belong to?). But then there was the more…unique sights. Those ranged from a chicken house inside the castle, to a torture room, to a room full of skulls, to a torture chamber full of chicken skulls (It makes about as much sense as people that could sense danger before it happened).

"I think Lundgren gained some interesting hobbies while we were all away…" Sain said weakly as they closed the door of a room that no one would ever return to.

"Can we agree on one thing?" Lyn asked the two knights as she closed the door on the chicken torture room as a pleading cluck escaped through the cracks in the door.

"What will that be?" Sain asked, partially desensitized from what he just viewed.

"We NEVER bring this up…again!" Lyn told them.

Both knights nodded in agreement as the three quickly ran as far away from that wing of the castle as they could. They had still not found their other two friends and they were hoping to the gods and spirits that they weren't behind any doors.

When they eventually found Wil and Florina, they were both surprisingly in the same place. Lyn had seen Huey flying out of the corner of her eye while running through one of the open-ceiling corridors and had seen her landing in the open fields behind the castle.

"Guys!" Lyn shouted to get Kent and Sain's attention as they stopped running ahead, "I just saw Huey land down in the backyard!"

"To the backyard!" Sain declared as he pumped his fist into the air in a very enthusiastic fashion.

"What's a backyard?" Kent whispered to him not even a second sooner.

"I have no idea!" Sain told him in a happy but confused tone.

"You know," Wil began to say to Florina as he dismounted from Huey, "I think we're starting to get the hang of this!"

"I think it could still use some work" Florina told Wil. "The way we are now, I can't roll in mid-air if I need to."

"Don't be a downer!" Wil told her as he put his arms behind his head and smiled, "Think about the good things!"

The two had been practicing their aerial expertise once the hustle and bustle from the end of the conflict had subsided. Their teamwork had proven very useful to the Legion during their travels and both thought about how much further they could take their skills if they practiced it some more. Who needs a ballista when you've got an air-riding archer? Besides, the look of shock and surprise on Michael's face would be more than worth any troubles the two had while enduring such training.

"I'll start doing that once you stop clinging to me when we descend" Florina compromised as she flicked her wrists in a small huff.

"I wouldn't do that if you were a better rider" Wil innocently joked back, his eyes closed with a large smile on his face.

"Don't even go there" Florina barked back, this time seriously angry, her eyes narrowing in rage.

"Florina?!" Wil asked in shock at Florina's sudden anger.

"Got you" Florina teased as she went back to normal, leisurely leaning onto Huey's head. "Ouch!" Florina yelped as she jumped back. Something had poked her in the neck.

Immediately going to inspect Huey's head to make sure there were no debris or otherwise harmful objects lodged in her Pegasus's head, Florina discovered a small horn protruding out of Huey's forehead. A horn! But Huey was still so young! And Florina for sure knew that she still too inexperienced to trigger such growth in her. But no, the proof was on her head! Huey was beginning to mature into full adulthood. So few Pegasus matured until well into their rider's lifetimes. By then usually the rider was too old and decrepit to ever use their Pegasus again. By then, the animals just wandered around on foot, their horn barely more than decoration. Florina herself had only seen one such Pegasus in full adulthood and it had been Fiora's. But her sister was a prodigy, it was expected. Florina never thought for even a moment that she would never be remotely close to her sister's skill.

"What's wrong?" Wil asked with a curious look as Florina began to inspect Huey even more closely. He had never seen Florina care for Huey with what he thought was extreme detail.

"Oh, nothing" Florina told him in what she thought was a casual tone, "I just thought there was something on Huey. Carry on."

"Right" Wil agreed, though from her slightly high tone of voice did give away that not everything was alright.

"Wil! Florina!" they both heard a voice call out to them. Both of them looked back towards the castle to see Lyn followed by Kent and Sain running towards them. They looked to be in more than a little bit of a hurry.

"What's up?" Wil greeted them as the three of them broke out of their run and into a light walk.

"We have a small problem on our hands" Lyn answered him. She certainly didn't look like they had a problem, but Lyn wasn't one for always letting the severity of a situation get to her. By now, it was an even 50/50 split on whether a given situation was a 'small.'

"Did Sain finally snap and do something we won't be proud of him for?" Florina asked as she gave the green knight a wary look.

"Why is it that everyone assumes I'll do something?!" Sain exclaimed in an exasperated fashion.

Kent's reply was to simply give Sain a quizzical look as if to imply that Sain should reflect on his past actions and come to the answer on his own time.

"No," Lyn told her as she shook her head, "Sain's not THAT bad. But we're going to be hosting a little…what's the word?" Lyn looked to Kent for the correct phrase.

"Gala, ball, gathering, luncheon…All phrases of suitable use" Kent replied.

"What he said" Lyn nodded, a little taken aback by the amount of phrases that could be used for one event.

"And that's a problem?" Wil asked, not seeing anything wrong with Caelin hosting a gathering of nobles. Where he came from, such an event would be a marvelous boon to his village's reputation.

"You have to host it, don't you?' Florina guessed, hitting the nail on the head.

"Yes" Lyn acknowledged with a heavy sigh. "I have no idea about what to do there. Do I shake everyone's hands? Do I kiss the children? Do I brag about the fine kitchen ware I possess even though I have no idea what I'm talking about and only want to come off as more rich than the rest?"

"You allow your knights to romance the single ladies that are alone and depressed" Sian told her in his most serious tone as possible, doing his absolute best to keep his face straight.

Lyn put a finger in the air, "Nice try; but I definitely know that isn't something I do."

"Worth a shot" Sain surrendered as he shrugged his shoulders.

"As was this" Kent replied as he smacked him across the back of his head.

"I missed that gag" Wil replied with a smile.

"Then an encore for the gentleman!" Kent announced as he smacked Sain again.

"Ouch!" Sain whimpered, "It's okay the first time I do something stupid but after that it's just mean!"

"So you admit to acting like an idiot!" Kent exclaimed.

"Lyn," Florina said quietly to her as she dropped off Huey and walked over to her, "If you want, I can help you learn how to speak more formally than usual. It'll be easy to teach you if how you acted with the marquess of Araphen is anything to go by."

"Let's hope he doesn't attend," Lyn replied bitterly, "I'll have some choice words for him if he does." The tone in her voice was without a doubt one of malice. A chill ran through Florina's spine.

"Ssssooooo…" Florina began, slightly unnerved by Lyn's sudden change in demeanor, "When do you want to start with the formality lessons?"

"A soon as possible" Lyn told her, "The gathering is in two weeks."

"We'd best iron our formal armor, Kent" Sain told his red-clad companion with a giggle. This was going to be an interesting turn of events.

The two weeks leading up to the gathering flew by in a flash. In that time, the servants of the castle transformed the dining hall and ball room from its usual sleek, clean, casual, and un-extravagant (by noble standards) to a regal, formal, extravagant, and draped in purple and fine décor. Dozens of small fine wooden tables were scattered among the space of the dining hall, each covered with tablecloths hand-knitted with yarn from the finest of sheep and variegated in dye made only from the most fully bloomed of Lisianthus flowers found in the southernmost region of Sacae. In the center of the hall was the grand table, brought out only to seat the rulers of each realm for the evening. The table was grand and aged; carved from the wood of the oldest mahogany tree money could buy from Ilia. Draped in a tablecloth made sure to be even grander than the others, every crest of member of the Lycian League. Usually such formalities were only brought out in times of negotiation or of great importance to the greater good of every territory. Upon each table, whether big or small was a vase filled with several types of flowers from all over the world; Amaryllis, Anthurium, Carnation, Gerbera, Hydrangea, Statice, Orchids, and Lisianthus. All those different flowers were gathered together to create the most eye-catching and dazzling bouquets as they could possibly create. The silverware that was meticulously placed upon each table was melted and melded to perfection to create lightweight and sparkling forks, spoons, and knives as humanly possible. The pates, created from volcanic ash gathered from Etruria, sparkled in the light. A grand and majestic crown-shaped chandelier made out of pure clear-white crystal imported from Bern, its long curved arms protruded from the bottom of its base, curved upwards towards the ceiling was fixed to the center of the ceiling, directly underneath the grand table.

Lyn looked on awestruck as she watched the servants desperately running from station to station, anxious to finish the last of the preparation before the nobles began to arrive. Even now, carriages transporting their various VIP occupants were beginning to enter the city. There was only two hours left until the gathering commenced, and Lyn, who with all her power had learned as many manner of etiquette as possible, only needed to be dressed and made-up.

"How are you feeling?" Florina asked Lyn as she jumped into the air, unaware of Florina's presence because she was too focused on the servants.

"Oh, just fine" Lyn replied, attempted to play it off casually as she recovered. She hoped Florina hadn't noticed.

"You must be a little more worried than you led on if you jumped in the air from just me" Florina pointed out, genuine concern in her voice.

"Maybe," Lyn acknowledged, "But wow! Look at you, Florina! I've never seen you look like that before!"

"Hm?" Florina asked, "This?"

Florina had swapped out her usual thigh long white dress and had replaced it with a long white gown that completely covered her body. It was for the most part, a simple gown, save for being embroidered with the images of Gladioluses and having a pattern of black lace stitched onto the ends of the arms and down the center. Holding the gown in place was rows of smooth, black string that tied both parts of the gown around Florina's frame. However, the gown appeared to be one size too big for little Florina, so more of the gown was dragging against the floor than what the design was meant for. Her makeup was done in such a way that it only highlighted her already entrancing features. The shade of blush made her skin pop out, almost as if it was made of pure snow, and her lipstick drew attention to her small lips from the contrast of her light-green eyes. Her hair, meanwhile, had been transformed from its usual straight and wavy to a curled ponytail that hung gracefully along the back of her neck. Also of note was the emerald necklace that was borrowed to her that was gently resting along her chest, occasionally catching some light from the candles all over the room and sparkling.

"You almost look like a different person!" Lyn went on, "Why, you look more like nobility than I ever could!"

"Don't be silly Lyn!" Florina laughed as a huge wave of red washed over her face, her arms waving in the air sporadically, "I could never be as pretty as you! The only reason I'm dressed as beautifully as this is because I'm supposed to be you lady-in-waiting!"

"Lady-in-waiting?" Lyn asked, "What's that?" Even if she didn't know what whatever Florina was talking about, she defiantly knew that Florina was the best pick to be it for her.

"Oh, I'm just supposed to wait on you and everything. You know; like an assistant," Florina explained, "But please, don't expect too much out of me… This dress is hard to move in…"

Lyn chuckled as Florina bowed her head as formally as possible, "Relax; I'm not going to treat you as a servant or anything! You're one of my best friends Florina, so act like it. If someone starts bothering you, just say the word!"

"Don't remind me…" Florina sighed as she leaned forward against the wall, "I'm trying my best not to lose it with the thought of so many people being in one place, and nobles on top of it."

"Don't worry Florina," Lyn began to consul her friend, "I'm sure that─"

"My! Who is this vision of loveliness I see before me!" Sain. That was definitely Sain's voice.

Without so much as another second of warning, Florina soon found herself being swept off her feet, Sain's arms cradling her off the ground as he bowed deeply to look into her eyes. A look, which was nothing short of shock to Sain's antics, which up to this point, had never gone beyond the endless compliments and the occasional leer. Sain, humorously enough, was just as surprised when he opened his eyes to gaze upon the beauty he had found Florina was the one he had so quickly swept off her feet. His eyes bugged out to the size of dinner plates as he slowly laid her back down onto her feet and walked several paces away, one hand covering his mouth as did so. An awkward silence filled the air as Florina's initial shock wore off and her heartbeat began to slow.

"This is…a tad awkward…" Sain broke silence as he scratched the back of his head, "I would just like to say I'm terribly sorry Lady Florina. It's just…you looked as if you were someone else entirely. You know how I act around women! Hahahahaha…."

"That was…new" Lyn replied, still getting over the fact that Sain had done such an assertive act, but given that this was Sain they were speaking of, this wasn't outside the realm of possibility. But really, the true question in this situation was 'where was Kent?' Usually he would be right beside Sain to keep him in line and smack him on the head if he put a toe out of line. "Sain, where's Kent?"

"Kent?" Sain asked innocently as he began to survey the hallway, "Why, yes, I don't see him anywhere! Wherever could he be?!" There was a large smile on his face.

"You…ran away from him, didn't you?" Florina guessed, her arms crossed as she gave Sain an arched eyebrow.

"Why, whatever gave you that idea?!" Sain continued, his tone barely keeping level as his face twisted into a barely contained grin, "Oh, alright! I snuck away from him while he wasn't looking! Is that so bad?"

"Given from how you reacted to Florina?" Lyn answered him, "Yes, quite bad. Imagine if that was a guest and not someone who knew your more…interesting habits. What is that was a married woman you did that to? I'm sure her husband would challenge you to a duel on the spot."

"How DID you manage to sneak away from Kent in the first place?" Florina asked, actually quite curious for an answer.

"I ran away from him while he was changing into his formal armor!" Sain told her with a grin, "I was lucky enough to change first."

"But…you don't look any different from how you usually look" Lyn pointed out, drawing attention to the same green armor he wore everyday. "Are you sure you grabbed the right wear?"

"But that's the beauty of being a knight!" Sain explained in an over-the-top fashion, with his hands flying all over his personal space, as if pointing out features of his armor, "Armor, regardless of the situation, is always formal. After all, why is it that you think so many women love a man in uniform? It's not because of its bulk, I'll tell you what!"

"That…wouldn't be my first answer" Lyn replied, a figure quickly and silently approaching the group out from the corner of her eye. Was that red she saw?

"The more you tell us about knights, the less I think they stand up to their storybook counterparts…" Florina sighed in disappointment.

"Oh, don't be sad!" Sain laughed, "I'll have you know even I can act like a knight when the situation arises! It's just more fun this way!"

"Really?" Kent asked as he put an arm casually around Sain's shoulder, his voice slightly icy, "Could you mind sharing such a time with me? I'd love to know of one of the rare moments of you being chivalrous."

"Kent!" Sain yelled, his voice suddenly jumping several pitches, "Fancy meeting you here! We were just talking about you! Where have you been, you naughty knight?"

"I was changing into my formal armor while someone had the bright idea to run along without me while I was indisposed! He even had the forethought to prepare several people that would seek me out and ask for aid while I tried to find him!" Kent explained, "I daresay I would not be knight commander if he wasn't so remiss when it came to his knightly duties!"

"What devilishly handsome and intelligent rogue would that be?" Sain asked, not trying to bask in the unseen praise that Kent's anger had summoned.

"Neither of your armors is really formal looking," Lyn told them, "They still look the same."

"That, my lady," Kent began, "Is one of the positives of being a knight. You see─"

"Already told them" Sain informed him.

"Drat!" Kent complained, "But madam," he now directed his focus to Florina, "I must beg forgiveness if my companion insulted or accosted you in any way. I will be sure to discipline him later."

"Kent…" Florina began in a tone that made it all too clear that she was tired of this gag.

"You know my name?" Kent asked in surprise, "I must apologize for I do not remember your own, milady. Or ever meeting you, in fact."

"That's because I'm Florina" Florina told him.

"Pardon?" Kent asked in shock.

"Tell me about it," Sain agreed with him, "I too, thought she was someone else entirely. Our royal cosmetic staff does good work!"

"Indeed" Kent agreed, a hint of marvel in his voice, "Oh! Speaking of which… Lady Lyndis, they were just looking for you. I'd wager al my hard earned gold that they want to prepare your visage for the gathering."

"Do you hear…running?" Sain asked quietly.

"I'd best go and spare them the trouble of looking for me…" Lyn said wearily as she slumped forwards.

"It's not that bad" Florina attempted to banish her dread away, "It was actually quite fun. They let me pick out some of the shades for my makeup."

"Thanks…" Lyn told her, though she didn't care for such details, "But I'm not exactly the makeup wearing type."

"Do you hear…yelling?" Sain asked quietly once again. He placed his ear against the wall as a vibration buzzed softly though the stone.

"What are you on about?" Kent asked him, only now giving him some attention.

"I hear…running" Florina agreed, now hearing what Sain was hearing.

There was now a definite rumble pulsing through the hallway. And it was very loud to add insult to injury. Then, all of a sudden, a door opened all the way on the other end of the hallway and a dozen women employed in the castle came running through. Kent and Sain, doing what any well trained knight would do, immediately picked up Florina and proceed to run away from where Lyn was. Lyn, meanwhile, was shocked into paralysis from the sudden swarm and found herself glued into place. In an instant, the women descended upon Lyn, lifting her a few inches into the air and carrying her off to who knows where. They left as soon as they came, and the three emerged from their hiding place and Kent set Florina down.

"What just happened?" Florina asked, not choosing to believe the sight she had just witnessed.

"Their manner of carrying Lady Lyndis off was…dubious…" Kent mentioned, still amazed by what he had seen.

"Imagine what work they shall do on her" Sain whistled.

"Do you think Lyn will be okay?" Florina asked.

"That's hard to say" Kent replied.

"Would you ladies…mind letting me down?" Lyn asked politely as she was carried off.

"Afraid we cannot do that, Lady Lyndis!" one of the women shouted over the others.

"We can't have you running off!" another yelled.

"So just stay still and we'll work our magic!" a third one said.

As the third one finished speaking, one woman broke apart from the group and opened a nearby door. In a split second, Lyn found herself thrown onto a cushioned seat soon followed by various women taking her by the chin and examining her appearance. There were general mummers throughout all the women ranging from comments like 'Cherry would look better' to 'High heels would be the better fit.' Lyn found herself spinning in her seat as they brought out a large mirror and a huge box adorned with jewels and gold. With a flick of a lock, the box swung open, revealing dozens of different cosmetics. One by one, each woman took out a different cosmetic, and as if synchronized, began to move upon Lyn, their eyes filled with a glint of…whatever it was. Eagerness? Ominous doom? Most likely the latter.

"What are you going to do with those?" Lyn asked as she shrunk down in her seat. She felt like she would not like the answer she would receive.

"Not to worry, Lady Lyndis!" one woman assure her.

"We're just going to be dolling you up!" another jumped in.

"You'd best keep from moving too much," another advised Lyn, "Wouldn't want to get any of these in your eyes!"

'Help…' Lyn thought to herself as she awaited the doom that was about to fall upon her.