All of them slept peacefully for several hours as the morning suns crested the eastern skyline blanketing the Mallorn Palace in its soft embrace. The elementalist and the bronze man awoke to the sound of one very annoying kurori giggling ever so softly.

"Awwww! That's so CUTE! The Bronze Man and Alyson together! So when will you two get HOT and BUSY?" Caliaphy cooed.

The elementalist's eyes snapped open suddenly, "Caliaphy. I remember everything we did when I was younger and all the trouble you got us into and you left me hanging every...single....time."

"Huh?" The kurori waved her off, "You remember? Nah! You forgot everything we did when you went back to Earth."

Alyson had gotten up from the bed and steadily pushed the kurori towards the door. There was a predatory look in her eyes as she eyed Caliaphy with long over due payback.

"She doesn't remember," The kurori glanced back to Lazheros who was awake and dressed smiling at her, "does she, Bronze Man??"

"She remembers everything now, Caliaphy." Lazheros said quietly.

The realization hit Caliaphy like a ton of bricks as she backed up to the door, opened it and bolted suddenly, "Oh man!"

Alyson took off after the kurori leaving Lazheros and the sleeping Shield maiden behind.

Out in the halls of the Mallorn Palace, the kurori flew through over, under, and around every possible corner to avoid getting caught by the elementalist who was now hot on her heels with her own magic.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"CALIAPHY! I WILL GET YOU!!!"

"What in the Realm is all that racket?" Irzen walked out of the baths completely clean with a rosy smell about him. The Drow literally spent the entire night sleeping in the baths.

First, the Swordsman saw Caliaphy zip past him.

Irzen stopped and gave the departing Fairy a quizzical look.

Next, the Swordsman saw Alyson storm past him running after Caliaphy.

Then Irzen stopped for a second time, gave another quizzical look and then shook his head, "Nah!"

The Swordsman promptly turned around, marched back into the baths and closed the door behind him.

((O.O.C: LMAOROFL! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!))

The kurori stopped briefly to try and find a place to lay low long enough to elude Alyson and hoped the elves would help out but all of them simply avoided whatever conflict was going between her and the elementalist at the moment. They even shut their doors to prevent the faerie creature from entering and causing mischief leaving only the main doors leading back down to the stables open.

The elementalist literally blew like the wind closing the gap between her and the kurori. Alyson deliberately herded Caliaphy towards the stables for a very good reason.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH! SERNA! AHHHHHHHHH! PROTECT ME!!!" Caliaphy's voice screeched from the far of the hall.

******

"Good morning!" Serna woke with a yawn as she stretched her arms before a sudden realization hit her, "Wait a minute! You zapped me! You zapped me to sleep!"

The Shield Maiden leapt to the floor and placed her hands on her hips, "That's wrong! Explain yourself, Laz!"

"Zapped you?" He turned in her direction placing a small dragon figurine back into his backpack. "Nonsense, child. I merely waved you goodnight."

He paused for a moment chuckling at the sounds of the kurori scrambling to find any sort of relief from Alyson.

"You did not!" Serna stamped her foot, "You zapped me to sleep when you waved your hand in front of my face. Explain yourself! Now!"

"Are you sure it wasn't because you were over tired from the days events?" Lazheros finished placing his garb within the backpack and pulled out a small flask of home brewed tea he made before leaving Asylum and sipped its contents. He studied her for a few moments more, "It was my choice to be with Alyson not yours."

"What is THAT supposed to mean?" Serna shook her head in disbelief, "You know what? I give up!"

"It means that you are a child still and do not understand grown ups yet, Serna." Lazheros corked the bottle of tea and placed it back into the backpack.

"I'm going to the baths and get cleaned up and then I'm going to get something to eat," The Shield Maiden turned and left in a huff, "I don't even know why I try to understand what is going on around here. Half the time I don't know. The other half of the time no one wants to explain it to me. Why do I even bother?"

Lazheros stood up and walked out of the room and out to the balcony overlooking the magnificent view of the gardens down below. He watched as Serna grumbled all the way to the baths, sighing.

*****

Outside at the stables Caliaphy hid behind a stack of hay just out of sight of Alyson. The ground was still muddy from last night especially around the water trough. Picking up a handful of thick mud, Alyson rolled it into a sloppy wet ball and waited. Peeking around the corner, the kurori saw no sign of the elementalist and took off towards the palace only to get smacked in the back where her wings were prevented from moving. One minute she was five feet above the ground the next she did belly flop into the thick, slimy mud.

***SSPLLLOOOOSHHH!!!***

"UGH! WHA-WHAT Is this stuff? It smells BAD!" Caliaphy tried to roll over only to completely coat herself with more mud. When she looked up, there stood the elementalist smiling, "You! YOU, MEANY! NO FAIR!!"

"Of course, its fair, Caliaphy," The elementalist grinned, "We're not in Asylum where your kinfolk can hide and deny you passed through. Two, I'm not done with you yet since you fell in the mud, you need a bath. Hey look I'll just dunk you in the water trough! Hahahaha!"

"WHAT!?!"

***SPLASH!!!***

Alyson 'washed' all the mud off of a soaking wet faerie with arms crossed and expressing the biggest fat lip and pouty face on record.

"Well, you're washed but *Sniff!* Phew!" The elementalist waved her hand back and forth, "You stink almost as bad as Irzen did from last night. Gee, it looks like I'm gonna have to take you to the baths and clean you all up."

"We get back to Asylum, I will get you GOOD!" Caliaphy grumbled again, "I never lose! NEVER!"

"Uh-huh! Right," Alyson held the kurori with both hands in front of her, "Now you and Seama will be tied. Hahahahaha!"

++++
====
++++

The Shield Maiden stormed into the baths just as the Swordsman was leaving them clad in a long white Elven robe.

"Good morning, Serna. How goes it?"

"It goes," The Shield Maiden walked past him without even looking at him and into the baths closing the door behind her.

"What was that about?" Irzen asked shaking his head before he decided to listen to his stomach and follow his nose to the kitchens so he could get something to eat.

Serna dropped her shield, quickly disrobed and promptly jumped into the nearest hot bath she could find all without missing a step.

***

Alyson walked back in the palace with a very wet kurori that looked more like a cat who gotten a bath against her will. Caliaphy hung in sheer defeat defiantly with her arms still crossed with the biggest fat lip she could produce as they approached Lazheros looking out over the balcony.

"Alyson was MEAN to me, Bronze Man!" The kurori protested.

The bronze man looked in their direction and burst out laughing, "Hahahahaha! I see Alyson has bested you finally!"

"But--"

"I warned you several times Caliaphy, not to underestimate her." He calmed down enough gesturing towards the baths, "You will find Serna there."

"It shouldn't take too long giving this one a real bath, so she smells normal again," The elementalist smirked. ~The look on her face was priceless.~

Alyson continued on towards the baths with Caliaphy passing the swordsman on the way there, "You look better, Irzen."

"Thanks, I feel better too!" The Swordsman continued on towards the kitchens, "I'll see you guys later. Breakfast calls. By the way, what is that ungodly smell?"