Fable - Ask A little slice of life [Dreadkids]

[Noel]

Ah, so she couldn't actually call on any of the ghosts of the dead. It just seemed like random chance. That was a bit disappointing but also interesting in its own way. There were surely applications there but her abilities were far more limited than Noel had originally dreamed.

Her thought process was interrupted by Dorian's stare. It seemed to almost dare her to try something.

Combine that with Sable's inquiry and it was impossible for Noel not to test her luck. She waited until the massive boy had finished asking his question of the young girl before chiming in, "Dandy seems a lot more interesting than the ghosts of people."

Noel made eye contact with Dorian as she said the next part, "oh! You'll let me know if you ever have any messages for me?" A wicked grin crossed her face as she finished asking her question.

 

[Chasmine]

She made sure to sit still while Dorian gently dabbed at her face to clean the scrape on her cheek. A good patient didn't squirm and she fixed him with a small, grateful smile in a silent thank you.

"Mm, I have seen many children," Chas confirmed to sable, turning her pale eyes up at him, "they are usually quite shy or afraid. I think the older ghosts bully them so I never see them for long, but if I see one like that I will let you know."

"Dandy seems a lot more interesting than the ghosts of people."

A smile at that, Chas looked down at her dear Dandy, "He's the only ghost to sit on my lap, so I would tend to agree." Though she'd interacted with plenty of the ghosts within the Academy, most all of them were fleeting conversations and rarely repeat faces. There was a lot of history filled with a lot of death in these halls, she could not even begin to fathom just how many spirits haunted the place.

Chas looked up again at Noel's question, "Of course. Are you expecting a message from someone?"

 

[Sable Pembroke]

"I...I see. Thank you, Chas." He responded, a little deflated, a little relieved. He didn't really know what he'd hoped to gain by learning the answer. Closure, maybe. He already knew that forgiveness was out of the question.

The imposing initiate turned and frowned at Noel. Chasmine might not have been able to pick up on her lack of sincerity or her attempts at bugging Dorian, but Sable could. He reached a massive hand out and lightly flicked her on the back of the head. Or, what he thought was lightly, anyhow.
"That's enough, Noel. Shouldn't you be figuring out how to control a more practical metal?" He admonished her.

 

[Dorian]

Dorian met Chasmine's eyes for a while and turned his gaze away with a slight frown as she smiled at him.

As he finished wiping fresh blood off of Chasmine's face, Dorian neatly folded Sable's handkerchief in on itself as Noel began her provocations. He looked up at her, their gazes meeting, and slowly stood up. For as hot as he felt, his expression was flat and tried to fill his eyes with coldness to match the girl's standard. As expected, it fell short, but still made for a proper glare.

One couldn't out-freeze the ice queen bitch, after all.

"That's enough, Noel. Shouldn't you be figuring out how to control a more practical metal?" Sable said in his trademark do-gooder way.

And finally, there was Chasmine, who could never tell when she was the butt of mockery.

With a deep sigh, Dorian pressed Sable's handkerchief against his chest and, as it was taken back, pushed the larger boy out of his way as he stormed off, brows furrowed, and left the courtyard.

 

[Noel]

Noel allowed a smile to shine through and gave an honest answer to Chasmine, "I hope not," being forced to kill wasn't something she enjoyed at the academy, "but it doesn't hurt to keep an op-," a thwack on the back of her skull sent a hand up to cover her head. She swiveled and glared at the giant of a boy, her eyes narrowing further.

Sable didn't say anything that was wrong. She was absolutely mocking Chas but only because this was the first time she'd ever managed to get under Dorian's skin. And like a petulant little brat he stormed off.

"Oh, so he can dish it out but he can't take it," Noel shook her head and the rage in her face turned a few shades softer. "Look Chas, next time a Proctor takes a swipe at you, make them regret it." That was about the best she could do in terms of advice and now that Dorian was gone there wasn't really any point to being mean to the brain-frazzled girl in the grass.

 

[Chasmine]

Chas watched Dorian remove himself from the discussion, her pale gaze following him quietly before she looked up at the other two with a frown, "Was it something I said?" Because generally when people walked away from her it was due to her odd comments or behavior. Mostly Chas just assumed it to be the case in any situation.

That was too bad though, she had thought to invite him to join her in searching for plants around the Academy grounds. But now she supposed it was getting late and their free period was already half gone. She blinked up at Noel's advice, smile well and truly gone, "Oh ... right. Well, I wouldn't want Proctor Harkenov to be any more angry with me than she is already. I'll just be sure to keep Dandy away from her so she doesn't sneeze."

Chas collected her things and gently moved to stand, letting the ghost cat take a moment to dislodge itself from her lap before doing so, "Come along Dandy, I'll show you to my room."

 

[Sable Pembroke]

Well, the flick had the intended effect and didn't get him shanked, yelled at, or otherwise maimed, so that was good. Unfortunately it seemed he'd done so a little too late. He watched as Dorian got up and walked off in a huff. The large lad pursed his lips. Didn't Dorian know that he wouldn't solve anything by running from his problems? He should've been facing them head on. Oh well, at least Noel was actually being something approaching nice to Chas now.

"Was it something I said?"
Sable sighed deeply.
"No, Chas, it wasn't anything you did. I'll talk to him at some point." He glanced down at Chasmine and examined her for a moment. She seemed unsteady getting up, but if memory served that was just how Chas moved. "Will you be okay? Dorian cleaned you up fairly well but that still looks pretty rough...maybe Noel could walk you back and I can go after bright-eyes."

 

[Noel]

Noel cocked an eyebrow, "why would I walk her," wait. Sable had, inadvertently, come up with his most brilliant idea yet. There was likely nothing that would bother Dorian more than if Chasmine and Noel became 'friends.'

Although, did Chas even have friends? Other than ghosts or imaginary ones (or sometimes inanimate objects).

"Yes, that's a great idea Sable, I'll make sure she gets back to her room safely." The onyx-haired girl threaded her arm through Chasmine's and sauntered off with her, keeping a slow pace so that her ghastly feline could keep up. "So, Dandy seems like a good... cat thing."

 

[Henk]

Henk felt a low hum of satisfaction leave his throat as Edric stumbled back. When several seconds passed and he still clutched at his eyes in pain, Henk knew that his assumption was correct; Edric could only heal wounds when he had something of a similar significance to the injury to drain. Something as simple as a cut or a bruise could have probably been healed even with minimal life to draw on, but an injury to an organ as complicated as the eyes? He'd need to take it from Henk, and without his eyes, Edric wouldn't be able to see him.

So now he need only worry about not letting Edric grab hold of him. Blinded though he was, the scar-faced young man knew better than to underestimate instinct, especially from this particular foe. He'd never beaten Edric in sparring, he'd venture so far as to say that few had.

Sure enough, Edric brought up his fists in an attempt to defend against Henk's next attack. His fingers still tingled and fizzled with light as he drew his arms back, raising his boot and sending it towards Edric's gut. With any luck he wouldn't be expecting a low attack first, there was always the chance Edric was thinking two steps ahead of him.

Just in case, he began gathering the heat in his arms once more. Henk needed to be careful, however; his light-shaping abilities took a tremendous toll on his body. The last time he'd over-exerted himself he'd been left blind and numb himself for almost 3 days.

Edric

 

[Edric]

Edric stood in the dark.

Surrounding him was an abyss, a world of dark blackness that seemed to go on and on. He could see nothing, not even a flicker of light. His eyes blinked, and blinked, trying to get some sort of sight back. It was a fruitless exercise, for the world was utter darkness for him.

Yet within that darkness there was something else.

Not sound. No. The rush of voices off to the side of the courtyard were just a buzz. The scrape of Henk's boots were just noise. Edric was no bat, who could use the sounds of the day around him to guide his path.

But he had something else. Something better.

He tried to focus that sense, that narrow field that only he could see. It was the feeling of life around him. That blade of grass. The other Initiates around him. Even the Proctor who stood watching on the wall. He honed in on that sense, and within it he found Henk.

It was not exact, far from it, but it was enough. He could feel the other boy. The very ripple of his soul within the abyss around him. Edric's eyes fell closed, and the slightest smile quirked at his lips.

Henk rushed forward, his leg kicking up.

Edric felt him move, felt his soul suddenly shift through the abyss. It was an odd, almost lethargic pull, but it was there. The Initiate's hands dropped, not fast enough to stop the strike, not quite. Henk's boot landed against Edric's stomach, a ripple of pain forcing the air from his lungs.

Before he could do anything else however Edric reached down, his hands clamping down on Henk's left as he used the momentum of the boy's kick to step back and pull the other boy. He wrenched back and down, hopefully sending Henk crashing to the ground.

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Almost there...almost there!

Kristen's legs felt like pudding, her chest heaved for breath, and exhaustion burned throughout her muscles. A once powerful stride had, over time and accumulated distance, degraded into a meek shuffling, arms that once pumped with vigor were now reduced to huddling meagerly by her sides with tiny little rocking motions. Sweat glistened in an unbroken sheen across her face, and her fatigues were damp with it at the neck, armpits, and back most prominently. And her hair was an absolute, unseemly mess!

But the gates of the Academy were there, right there.

Proctor Magomo had put her on a regimen of running laps around the entire outside periphery of the Academy, this to be done every other day before she could partake in her free period. It had been going on for a while now, two and a half months. Yet there was progress. Clear progress that she could see, that she could feel, and that, dare she say it, she could take pride in. At first she'd hardly been able to make it halfway around the Academy's walls before collapsing and Proctor Magomo having to drag her back to the gates. But she was able to go farther and farther with time. Proctor Magomo even stopped chaperoning her runs, trusting (it was unspoken, but there, she knew it) that she could get it done herself. And she had! She was! Right now! Right now, she was but mere feet away from the gates, ready to complete her first full, nonstop, no-walking run around the entirety of the Academy walls.

Almost...!

Almost!

Kristen stumbled in through the gates of the Academy, some of her fellow initiates nearby giving brief, mostly disinterested stares. She kept jogging along once inside, a soaring second wind fueled from pure exhilaration filling her! She did it! SHE DID IT! Oh by the good grace of Aionus, she did it! She need only apply herself, to keep going, to never give up!

Sweat burned in her eyes and made it difficult to see, but she'd scarcely a care. A laugh escaped her lips. Another! What a wonderous feeling! Victory! She tossed her head back and laughed and laughed with great euphoric joy! Finally! After a year of continuous failure, something momentous, somehow eclipsing even the grasping of her magic in those early months! So simple, this lap and its completion, but so wondrously mundane and earthly! Just her against herself, what her body could do and what her mind could endure!

She jogged and laughed and jogged and laughed.

And ran right into Sable. Bounced back off of the sturdy initiate and her legs finally made like spilled pudding and gave way, Kristen falling back onto her rear end and then just allowing herself to lay out entirely on her back.

She breathed heavily. Dragged her arm across her eyes to try and clear them of sweat. Only partially successful, for she only knew the indistinct blur in front of her to be Sable on account of his sheer size and stature.

"Oh...! Oh...hello...Sable...!"

And a few more hearty, celebratory laughs came forth as she lay on the ground.

Sable Pembroke

 

[Sable Pembroke]

Well then. With Dorian off brooding somewhere and Chas and Noel headed back to the living quarters, Sable had been about to return to his own room to deposit his book for later. That was, until the bounding, spindly form of some young woman had rounded the corner in a rush and ran into him.

The immense initiate watched her in shock as she bounced off and fell to the ground in a heap.
"Oh gods! I'm so sorry, are you...?" He'd started to apologize profusely until his brain registered the winded laughter coming from the pile of Kristen on the floor. Now, instead, a confused smile and lifted brow met her antics.

"Uhh...hello, Madame Pirian. Do you...require assistance?" He asked hesitantly, extending a massive palm down for her to grab.

Kristen was an...odd case. Her struggle to fit in went without saying; a start at the Academy as late as hers was unheard of, and many disliked her solely based off of what many saw as nepotism. Sable didn't mind this so much, but he did notice that she had a knack for getting herself into all kinds of strange situations outside of what one might've expected.

 

[Chasmine]

Noel cocked an eyebrow, "why would I walk her," wait. Sable had, inadvertently, come up with his most brilliant idea yet. There was likely nothing that would bother Dorian more than if Chasmine and Noel became 'friends.'

Although, did Chas even have friends? Other than ghosts or imaginary ones (or sometimes inanimate objects).

"Yes, that's a great idea Sable, I'll make sure she gets back to her room safely." The onyx-haired girl threaded her arm through Chasmine's and sauntered off with her, keeping a slow pace so that her ghastly feline could keep up. "So, Dandy seems like a good... cat thing."

"That's very kind of you," Chas gave the other girl a far-away sort of smile before falling into step alongside her, the looping of arms going fairly unremarked. They walked arm-in-arm as naturally as if they might've done it every day, and boy was it unnatural to witness for everyone else.

Noel was getting looks but Chasmine did not even seem to notice.

"Yes he was a wonderful cat. My best friend growing up, always drank his cream and washed his fur. A master mouser. I have to wonder what happened to him ... he was always so careful and never strayed far from me."

But Chasmine had never had a cat while at the Academy, so she must have been talking about before. While she'd been here longer than Kristen, it was only by a few years.

"Do you like cats, Noel?"

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Such a simple gesture. Asking someone if they needed help. Something Kristen, and most certainly a great number of people all the world over, took for granted from their fellows. But here in the Academy it was a rarity, and this made it all the more special. Who else would it be, other than Sable? In fairness there were a few more names, but she would be a liar if she said that Sable was not foremost on that list.

Kristen wiped a sweaty hand on her fatigues. Massaged the palm of her newly dried hand about her eyes, clearing up the haze of sweat which blurred her vision. She blinked rapidly. Ah. That was better.

She reached up. Delicately took hold of the offered hand. "Yes, yes I do. I am...phew!...I am absolutely exhausted, and I need to freshen up before the free period is over."

Glorious, glorious breaths of the warm afternoon air.

"If you've nothing else to do...may you walk with me?"

Mayhap it was a touch selfish to lean on Sable's time. Literally to lean on it, on him, as it would make her walk back to the dormitories far more pleasant now that her legs, having tasted the wonderful stillness of rest after laying on the ground, were in open rebellion against her will.

Sable Pembroke

 

[Sable Pembroke]

My, Kristen was winded. Proctor Magomo certainly seemed to enjoy taking out his frustrations on the poor girl. Perhaps it was for the best; she needed a bit harsher treatment if she was going to catch up to everyone else. 'Catching up' in their last year seemed a particularly daunting feat, but one could always hope, he supposed.

Very casually, Sable pulled the girl to her feet, not so much as straining to do so. Once she was upright, Sable took a moment to appreciate her at her full height. Sable was quite used to girls at the Academy being outright dwarfed by him, so it was always a intriguing when someone, especially a girl, actually came somewhat close to him in height.

"Hmm...no, I'm not busy." He offered, just prior to her resting her weight against him. Once again she'd earned a cocked brow from Sable. Was this normal among the Anirian nobles? Somehow he imagined that if Proctor D'amour saw this she'd be pulling the young woman down the hall by her earlobe. The thought both amused and concerned him.

If for no other reason than morbid curiosity, Sable decided to go along with the current course of events. The books could wait.

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"Oh good! Splendid!"

Kristen was made to stand quite easily by Sable, and she didn't waste any time in bringing an arm up to hold onto his shoulder. An arm up. Much to her chagrin, that...was not something that happened often. (Concerning height, not-not the touching of Sable's shoulder!) Over the past few years, she had grown immensely. Father was tall, as were some his relatives, and as were a few great uncles on her mother's side, and Kristen had inherited a natural stature that surpassed a number of her male family members. Often she received compliments about it, and yet still she felt self-conscious: all of the other girls her age were shorter, and here she was, not unlike a cornstalk!

She let it go as they started walking. She really ought not let it fluster her so!

With a mind now freed, a thought occurred to her then.

"Sable, I haven't yet thanked you for what you did back in Vel Acan."

Those ghastly creatures, horrifying in their midnight forms. The Black Wolf. Glaring right at her.

"Had it not been for you, I..."

Sable Pembroke

 

[Henk]

It was often spoken in none-too hushed voices that Henk lacked the spirit of a true warrior. He was not looked at as a man who would become a respectable soldier, but as somebody who was soft to his core, only striking out when forced to. Maybe that was partially true, but any who claimed there wasn't a fighter hidden within the scar-faced boy would be wrong.

The rush Henk felt when his boot met Edric's gut was enough to bring a wide smile to his face. Oh, he liked that. He liked it far more than he cared to openly admit, and he was glad Edric couldn't see it. Henk even went so far as to twist his ankle, digging the heel of his boot against Edrics' ribs as he felt the wind leave his foe.

Of course, that rush of excitement could also be Henk's folly; the sudden blossoming of emotion, that pleasing swell in his chest as he'd made contact would only make his life easier for Edric to spot.

Henk realized he was in trouble as soon as Edric's hands wrapped around his ankle, gripping him tightly as he aimed to pull the pale-eyed initiate to the ground. There was nothing Henk could do but catch himself with his hands as he hit the dirt with a dissatisfied growl, quickly rolling his hips to swing his other boot at Edric's writst.

He had to break Edric's grip, or this fight was already over.

 

[Edric]

Edric had learned long ago that a fight had a certain flow to it.

Actions, reactions, counters.

Had he been more aware of the world the Initiate might have called it a dance. Moving with, and then against your opponent without really thinking but rather with reacting. There was no time to puzzle through, to predict, to try and see what was coming and stop it before it came.

Edric knew that, perhaps better than most at the academy. He'd fought all of his peers more than once, had been used by the Proctors to brutalize them. Henk was no exception to that. The two had fought one another on these grounds more than a few times.

This was just another one of those time.

Except he was blind.

He couldn't see what Henk was doing, could predict even less. So all he could do was react, respond. He felt the boot strike his wrist, pain shooting up his arm as fingers unfurled in a natural reaction.

Almost as soon as it came his other hand shot forward. Not to grab Henk's leg, but to instead push it away as his own boot jutted forward. He kicked down, arching his heel to where he thought Henk's throat would be. Hopefully stunning the boy and giving Edric time to then drop down and grapple him as he choked.

 

[Noel]

Noel hadn’t been close to someone since Citra had been slain. So seeing her chummy with anyone, much less crazy Chas, garnered more than a few eyeballs.

”Cats?”

She’d never had a pet in her time at the academy but of all the animals she’d encountered on the grounds, or off on a mission, cats were undoubtedly the cutest. Not that she’d ever admit that to any of the other students.

”Love them,” she said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster, ”those whiskers they have are so… whiskery.” Cats had other positives but Noel wasn’t equipped to comment on them.

 

[Sable Pembroke]

This felt awfully like something out of one of Sable's books. The hero saves the noble maiden in distress from the jaws of evil monsters and receives her eternal gratitude as a result. It was a classic scenario that he'd always pictured himself in, admittedly, and the recognition was nice. The holding onto his shoulder and the way she was framing this also made it feel like...well, a confession. Again, not unwanted, but he was hesitant to jump to conclusions.

Well, there was also something that didn't sit quite right with him about the whole thing. The towering young man scratched his cheek and fought off a blush.
"It was nothing, Kristen, truly. As long as I'm around, no one under my watch is getting hurt," He replied, offering her a big smile. After a pause he finished the thought with a chuckle. "After all, if I don't protect you lot, who else is going to?"

Therein lied the problem. Sable was not always going to be on watch, and he was the only one looking out for his often reckless comrades. He might've been smiling, but there was an air of concern hidden behind the facade.

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen walked and listened. And, looking up to him, she didn't miss that concern which hid behind the smile. Concern, likewise, glowed within her like the stoked embers of a hearthfire.

"I...well I suppose that is a thought most perturbing for someone of my circumstance, and all the more compelling a reason to improve. E-Even now you cannot be everywhere at once. The Proctors adore sending us, or rather you of the more experienced lot, every which way on those missions of theirs."

She tried for a good-natured smile, but it was a touch shaken by the nervousness spawned of speaking of this subject. Yet it was the ironclad truth. She needed to improve. Vastly, and in an expedited amount of time. Perhaps the training regimen of the Academy that lay in the future would be shortened, would start later in life, would be much closer to Kristen's own situation, but that was not the Academy in which she found herself.

But! She didn't want to be so gloomy. Especially not after her accomplishment, that tangible and hard-earned proof of improvement she'd been so ruminating on!

"You must be confident in your own ability though, Sable. You've been honing your magic for years now, haven't you?"

Sable Pembroke

 

[Sable Pembroke]

"That is true. Would that I could be so powerful, but I think the Herald might smite me if I could be omnipresent." He chuckled heartily, trying casually to ease Kristen's nerves. That was right; Kristen was putting in a lot of effort to improve. Her current state of exhaustion was proof enough of that. There was no need to prod her about it.

"That I am! I've admittedly been called a simple fool on more than one occasion because of my focus with these barriers of mine. Wards are hedge magic, after all, 'hardly suited to an elite Anirian warrior.'" He explained, putting a pair of fingers in the air to mockingly air quote the last portion of his statement. "I hardly agree with the notion. What is more knightly than protecting those who are in need?"

'Humility' was also a knightly trait, but not one that Sable readily embraced. He was exceedingly proud of his strength. He'd worked hard for it, after all.

"Truth be told, if anyone were to doubt my competence, I'd challenge them to break through my barriers," He gave Kristen a big, beaming grin, proof of his confidence. "There are proctors who have failed."

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Elite Anirian warriors. Sometimes, when they were stuck in the dreariest of classes, it was easy to forget that was exactly what they were meant to become. Sable had a different notion of just what that manner of warrior would look like, and it was one much closer to Evangeline's example than Selene Avar's.

Much like his barriers, Sable hadn't broken. He had endured years of the Academy before the Revolutionary changes and he had not broken. It was as if he carried the favor of Aionus! The Proctors meant to smelt down each and every one of the initiates they were charged with training and reforge them into purely weapons. Most were. The idea was frightening.

But!

Something far more impressive rescued her mind from those dour thoughts.

Kristen let out a small gasp. Beamed back at him with a look of tangible wonder. And she said in a quiet yet clearly excited tone, "Proctors failed at it?"

It wasn't everyday that an initiate could get the better of a proctor in any regard. Why, the duel between Vance and Evangeline was clear enough!

Kristen stole a glance to her left and to her right as they walked. And then asked with a mischievous little grin, "Who were they? Oh, to have seen their faces!"

Her grin flattened into a wide smile, cheeks puffing up, and she covered her mouth with a hand and suppressed a giggle.

Sable Pembroke

 

[Chasmine]

Noel hadn’t been close to someone since Citra had been slain. So seeing her chummy with anyone, much less crazy Chas, garnered more than a few eyeballs.

”Cats?”

She’d never had a pet in her time at the academy but of all the animals she’d encountered on the grounds, or off on a mission, cats were undoubtedly the cutest. Not that she’d ever admit that to any of the other students.

”Love them,” she said with as much enthusiasm as she could muster, ”those whiskers they have are so… whiskery.” Cats had other positives but Noel wasn’t equipped to comment on them.

"They use their whiskers for balance," Chas replied lightly, a distracted expression stealing her attention as she watched the spectral form of Dandy bound ahead of them, off in pursuit of things only cats knew, "and to communicate with the spirit realm. It's how they sense the presence of bad spirits, so you should never cut their whiskers off."

Chasmine's room was on the very top floor for ... well, various reasons. Namely she had a penchant for phasing in her sleep and falling into the room below - which had previously left her in the catacombs and dungeons beneath the Academy on far too many occasions. Now, at least, she ended up safely in Meredith's room and the two had come to terms with it.

This meant there were a lot of stairs involved in going to Chasmine's room. By the time they'd climbed the last, they could look out and see the whole of the Academy grounds through the windows in the walkways. It was also, notably, quite a bit colder way up here.

"There should be time for tea," Chas said brightly as she neared her door and ...instead of unlocking it, phased right through it, "would you like some, Noel?" she asked from inside.

The door was still locked.

 

[Noel]

Wow. They used their whiskers for balance? That's crazy.

"Wow! They use their whiskers for balance?" Noel mused aloud right after thinking it, "That's crazy." She decided not to comment on the quip about bad spirits and the realms of the dead. That was something that only Chasmine had experience with and Noel preferred for the dead to remain a mystery. A silent mystery.

They ascended enough stairs for it to count for at least part of her cardio regiment for the day so this plot to annoy Dorian at least had a few other benefits. Once they reached the girl's room she did that... thing she always did. Phasing is what the Proctors referred to it as, Noel had always silently thought of it as Chas-walking.

A thin, black-haired, eyebrow arched upwards at the muffled invitation for tea through the door.

It really was cold up here, the air almost felt thinner. A cup of tea sounded lovely on its own but it'd also give her an opportunity to bond with the eccentric girl even more. "Yes, I'd love some tea," she said as a hand pressed against the doorknob and twisted.

Only, it met with resistance. Namely, the lock that was still very much in place.

"I think you may have to, um," were people direct when they were being friendly? Was it rude to insist that someone unlock their bedroom door after they Chas-walked through it? "unlock... the uh.... door for me?"