A Slice of the Multiverse

It's been a few days since the incident with the mugger. Icy has returned to her routine of practicing with Hudson, Goliath, and the other fighters, filling the kitchen with goodness, sitting under the furniture to study, and spending time with Lex. The shock's faded from her eyes, and she even smiles again, but she hasn't said a word since she woke up the night after she knocked the man down. It's not a conscious thing, and she's rather mystified at her lack of voice herself.

Right now she's sitting in one of the living room windows, hidden by the curtain as she scratches away busily in a pretty journal that one of her sisters gave to her. Her handwriting is getting better, and the flow of words onto the page is soothing.

It has been a busy night at Castle Wyvern. Much discussing has happened in the dining room, and no one really noticed the quiet little busyness that passed to and fro during the meeting, asking about words on the cookbook pages that she held.

But now the meeting has broken up, patrols have set out, the television jabbers comfortably.

And the kitchen smells really good.

Goliath blinked, then sighed as the baby laying on his chest finally got to him and sent him under.

Elisa looked around from where she was playing Trouble with Franklin and chuckled. "There he goes again." A thoughtful study of her sleeping offspring. "Just wish somebody could explain to me how I wound up with a blue-eyed, red-haired kid."

Franklin shrugged. "I don't know. But I like him."

His honorary mother chuckled again and popped the dice bubble. "Yeah, you sure do."

Manhattan baked, attention spans and tempers both shortened by the summer heat and humidity. In the east a thunderstorm brewed, to the west the sun stood near the horizon. On the ramparts of the castle in the clouds all was silent, all was still.

Then something opened in the air above, and a figure darted out and settled on the edge of the battlement, golden curls blowing in the breeze as bright butterfly wings folded against the back of a tall young woman with weary blue eyes and a strong-boned but lovely face.

"Solid ground," she murmured to the huge furry cat in her arms as the feathery antennae on her forehead waved and took in the scents all around them. "Only a real world could smell this bad."

The cat looked up at her and rumbled a purr, then hopped out of her arms and went to sniff around the bases of the statues that stood nearby before affectionately rubbing his cheek against them as he usually only did to claim friends that he liked.

Sadie frowned and looked at them, wondering why each one smelled as though one non-human person had been leaning on them. Or something like that. Each one had a living scent clinging to them that was unique to itself.

Curious, she stood a little unsteadily and tugged down on the worn flannel shirt that with a pair of boxer shorts comprised her outfit and walked over to investigate just as the sun dipped below the horizon.