[Lhunardawen]

It completely surprised, and utterly disgusted, Maika to find herself almost wanting to hug Lola. It seemed she was wrong about her after all. Maybe Lola did not really know her way around as much as it looked she did, and she did not want Maika to panic by telling her outright that they were lost. So much was she grateful to Lola for getting them back on track that she had begun to embrace such delusions.

The authoritative tapping of her stiletto heels could hardly keep up with her pacing heartbeat as she, Lola, and Dracomir silently (not counting the sound of their footsteps, of course) made their way down the hall. This is it, she thought, for the nth time, pursing her lips and breathing in deeply. After all the crazy delays that can only occur in Mordor, they were finally about to speak to Roggie--

Her usual dramatics were cut short by a glimpse of a flying kick and a loud crash. For a moment Dracomir's eyes were so wide that Maika had to hold her hands together to keep from poking them. A "Come on, then, let's go," from Lola was more effective. They stepped in.

"Maika," Dracomir's voice came suddenly, "I don't know if that stuff you got from Alli is helping, but if you want to double-check, I happen to have here a stylish, haute monde silver Unblemishability Cloak. Belonged to my grand...mother, y'know. Want to try it on? It's never failed before."

In her excitement over the more recent events (actually, she just did not want to admit that they had left her a bit disoriented), Maika had actually forgotten about the face cream. She thought it had been too long since she first applied it, and it probably worked no longer - if it even did. She squinted at Dracomir's face. He was smirking. But he has always been smirking! One could count with the fingers the number of times his (nick)name appeared with "smirked," or some other lip movement to that effect, in the books and even including the toes would not suffice. Maika decided that the urgency of the situation did not leave her much choice.

"I don't know why you even bother, Dracomir," Maika finally replied, "but I could not be so rude as to refuse. What harm could it do, anyway?"

Maika saw a faint glint in his eyes, and she stood wondering what it was for and so did not see how, suddenly, there was something on Dracomir's hands. A long and silvery something. He handed it to her, and she gazed at it, taking in its exquisite feel with sheer wonder. It felt like water woven into a cloak. But in the midst of her awe, she hesitated.

"What?" Dracomir exclaimed, a little irritably.

"It's silver. Haven't you read my Character Description Form? 'I wear nothing but black and white.' "

Dracomir smirked again. "So? Will you let yourself be hindered by something you did not create for yourself? Come on, I'm sure she wouldn't mind. And it's for your own good."

Sighing audibly, Maika gently unfolded the silvery something. It fell gracefully to the floor. She quickly threw it around her shoulders as she saw Lola look back at them, apparently wondering why they had stopped walking. She raised her eyebrow, giving Maika a quick look from top to bottom, as if she had been wearing a red-and-white striped shirt and a yellow polka dot bikini bottom. Maika ignored her as she snorted and turned away.

"How does it look?" she said softly to Dracomir as she stepped ahead of him and turned back towards him. He nodded approvingly. The smirk was no longer there; in its place was a smirkier smirk.

That better not mean something, Maika thought as she hurried towards Lola with Dracomir on her tail, or...or...whatever Maika would do, he certainly would not be smirking for a long time.