Sometimes it's not good to say words after drinking bad orange juice. (a log)

[Madeline Cauthon]

Madeline listened to her father as they walked. It dawned on her that he was talking about shipping her off and smiling at the thought of it. This made Madeline stop dead in her tracks. "Who the hell is Kyra, and why are you in search a hurry to get rid of me?"

"I'm not in a hurry to get rid of you, Kyra is Dre's daughter, and your best friend, only you can't remember just now, and you will mind your tongue, young lady. You know better."

"Oh so you're coming to?"

".......no. I have to go and see about something first. You've been de-aged, and we have to fix it before anything bad happens. I don't care for transfiguration magic, and you kicked way too much demonic ass for me to allow you to be an easy target."

"Well if I have kicked so much ass as you claim, why not let me stay by myself at the inn. If I'm really as old as you say I should be, I should be just fine by myself. I don't need a baby sitter!"


He looked down, fixing her with the same expression she had seen when she tried to 'liberate' the next-door neighbor's sheep from their pen. "You will do as you are told or you will be punished. Severely. Do you understand, you lush?"

Evidently her hangover was affecting her judgement because she met his exspression with a defiant one of her own. "If you think I'll go and stay, you have another thing coming."

He stopped, snatching her to a stop as well, especially since he still had her hand. He didn't speak, he simply pulled her close to him and stooped, his eyes level with hers. "You had better mind your manners, Madeline, before I mind them for you." He growled the last word in the sentence to make sure she knew she was riling him at a bad time.

Madeline softned her exspression a little. "Daddy I don't mean to be mean, but I don't understand why I can't stay at the inn. Eipiphany is there, and so is my cousin Gwen. Plus Xavier is there..sometimes, and my other sister I haven't met. OH and there is the talking cat. If I need something, can't I just go to them?"

"Sure, if you want to end up in an orphanage. Did you not see what that idiot nun almost did? Light, I really just don't get you sometimes! What is it with my kids? Is it genetic to completely disregard their father?" He glared down to her. "Do as you like. Far be it from me to try and take care of you."

Madeline couldn't hold his glare any longer so she lowered her head and went back to looking at her feet. Why was it that parents always knew how to lay a quilt trip. "Daddy I'm sorry alright. I didn't mean to disregard you. It's just I don't understand. "Why am I little again? Why can't I remember anything? Look I'll do as you ask alright. Can I at least to have youtr premission to come and go as I like and visit my brothers and sisters? After all Titania wants to take me to the pet store, and she thinks I'll be at the inn."

"You may leave the grounds when someone is with you, such as Dre or Arcadia. Maybe Sheena, if she feels up to it. Not with Kyra alone. You two got into trouble by yourselves and I don't want a repeat. I'll be sure to tell Titania or Xavier, whichever I see first, that you'll be between places. Huh, reminds me, I need to ask Dre about Xavier coming to the Keep. Guess they'll have to meet first."

Madeline sighed. "I guess I can live with that. But you better not be gone too long. Uncle Dre's fuse is shorters than yours, and I don't wanna end up with a sore backside. Oh can I bring a horse with me?"

"Why? You planning on making a run for it? Dre has horses, unless you've gotten attached to that one you've been riding lately."

Madeline was now making circles in the ground with her foot. "No sir, I don't plan on making a run for it, I seem to remember trying that once before when I try to free those poor sheep. No I don't want that again." Madeline looked up at the sun and groaned. "Daddy isn't there a quicker way back to the inn, I really don't feel so good. Damn orange juice."

"And vodka. Like I said. Lush." He thought it was funny, but no sense in letting her puke on his shoes. He formed a Gateway in front of them, urging her to go through. "That'll take us to right outside your door, Madeline. Let's get out of the sun."

Madeline smiled at the gateway giggling as she walked through to her room. "Okay I'll be packed up in a few minutes. Umm why don't you go take care of what ever you need to and I'll meet you in the lounge. I wanna watch my show before I have to go. I have all ideas Dre doesn't know what a TV is." Madeline smiled at her father sweetly.

"It's that British vampire again, isn't it? Well, at least you didn't get a crush on Angel. Counting my blessings. Yeah, no. Dre doesn't know as much about tech as I do, and that's just plain sad. Anyway, don't worry. I have a TV at the tavern, and it's got DVR. I'll set it to record your Buffy for ya while you're gone. Of course, it'd be a lot easier to buy you the box sets of DVDs....maybe I will, if you can behave while I'm gone." Wink.

Madeline did as she was told and went to pack her room. Just as she promised, she went to the lounge, for all of two minutes then left. There was no way she was going to Dre's just yet. Not till she had some answers! So with that in mind, she left to go find a good place to hide. One that not even Gawain could find.