#elsewhere

Mumble-grumble (&%(&*&...

She clicks on the light.

UPSTAIRS, Ivan is moving. Something has disturbed him

"mmm?"

he heard something maybe? The cat?

Gwen trusts her dog's training. If she's awake enough to notice this, she is awake enough to know his training indicates he doesn't disturb lightly

A rumbling growl, and he looks… down? At the floor? It looks like a perfectly nice carpet. But FIRST…

Lights flash on, and the creature falls into Thistle’s bed! The nevers peep and scatter, the little sillies smacking into the window like startled birds. Citrine gives a warning bell!

It’s long, and has legs. SO MANY LEGS…

Thistle SCREAMS.

Gwen hears the silly nevers, and may have been already out of bed!

And certainly hears THAT.

Gwen rolls instantly out of bed, grabs her spear and heads towards the sound of the scream

a high pitched chittering and the bug scrambles, legs dangling in the covers.

"get off get off get OFF!" A wild, unfocused burst of glamour to fuel a hopscotch.

On?

The BUG

Gwen.. busts through the door?

She comes through it yes!

"THistle Are you okay???"

The bug, at least 4 feet long, and with far more legs than one can count without looking closer, goes flying up past Gwen’s face, NOT landing on her, and clings to the wall! It scrambles towards a crack in the ceiling.

Ivan snarls and moves between Thistle and the insect that is now fleeing.

Thistle has pulled her sheet over her head and is swearing up a storm.

Citrine lights up the little tent with her!

Gwen has reach and stabs for the bug with her spear

"The (&*&^!!! The *&^^$^%^& was that?!?"

Spear! Only bugs wield swords.

The bug is already squirming through the crack when Gwen skewers the back half with the razor point of her spear! A high pitched shrill scream, like the sound Gwen heard once when Marigold dropped lobsters live into a pot.

Thrashing! So many legs flailing!

It’s pinned to the ceiling, unless she withdraws

Thistle clamps her hands over her ears.

Citrine dived under the pillow.

She does not, but she does twist it

"This is our home, and you abuse our hospitality"

More shrieking, until the bug falls silent and legs lose their grip… it dangles now, limp, pinned to the ceiling. She can see it’s face now, ugly thing with pincers. Not big enough to eat anything much bigger than a never, but it could give a wicked bite. Not this one. This one is dead.

Thistle pulls the sheet down.

"Nobody threatens my friends" Gladiola's eyes were dark, they lighten now , then she looks at Thistle "Hey, you okay?"

The worst ceiling fixture dangles.

"The FURK?"

A twitch

"It's just spasming. It's dead" She assures

And one can see why Briar and Gwen SOMETIMES get along

Ivan sneezes in agreement.

"That is the biggest (*^&% bug I've ever seen. Holy hell,"

"Maybe we feed it to Briar..."

The nevers that brained themselves on the window stir, and start to freak out again at the sight of what seems to be a predator- they escape now through the door Gwen opened

"Glad you screamed. Otherwise I might not have come down and.. hey " As never shoot by... one a bit too familiar "HEY... Eggplant, personal space"

"That's Aubergine."

Clearly the local nevers recognize the bug and are not sticking around, even if it’s dead!

"Thank you. Jay-sus. That's big."

"That's a bit AUB noxious" She looks at it "I wonder if there are more. Ivan, Get a sniff"

"...more?"