dripping miniscule drops of champagne onto the glass top as she rolled around in hysterical laughter. A cluster of small, iridescent bubbles drifted around her, swirling away in all directions as she flailed from side to side.
Jasper echoed her movements, rolling playfully on the carpet beneath her and batting lazily at stray bubbles with one fluffy black paw. His eyes were bright and intense, as if he was zonked out on some particularly high-grade catnip.
“It’s not funny,” I wheezed. “And where are all those bubbles coming from?”
Lorien hiccupped delicately between guffaws, emitting a stream of the tiny shimmering spheres.
“You hiccup bubbles?” I asked in disbelief.
She only laughed harder.
I gave up trying to obtain a response from the obviously intoxicated faerie and turned back to Sunny with an apologetic sniffle. She was perched on the edge of the sofa, leaning forward with her mouth gaping open in amazement as she stared at the coffee table.
“You can see her!” I exclaimed in delight.
“Wow,” she whispered, “that’s a faerie.”
I harrumphed. “Gold star for you.”
“What’s the matter with her?” she asked me out of the side of her mouth. She reached forward as if she intended to poke Lorien, who was still lying prone on the coffee table, clutching her sides in fading mirth as the last of the hiccup-bubbles popped out of existence.
Lorien guessed Sunny’s intention and darted upright and away from her to hover next to my glass with a fierce glower. “Hey! Watch the poking there, Sunshine!”
“Sorry!” Sunny said contritely, jerking her hand back, but continuing to stare at Lorien in fascination.
Lorien brushed herself off and righted her jug on the table with a disgruntled expression.
“So sparkly…so pretty,” whispered Sunny in a fawning voice.
I looked at her askance as she made another grab for Lorien, who again darted out of the way.
“Oh, for the love of the Seelie Court! She’s a grabby one, isn’t she?” Lorien, apparently having recovered from her inebriation, zipped over to hover in front of Sunny’s face. She made a snapping motion and a colorful burst of sparks exploded from her fingertips, making Sunny blink in rapid succession.
“What the…” Sunny muttered, her eyes sharpening into focus. She shook her head as if to clear it. “What happened?”
“Faerie magic.” I grinned. “Makes us humans go a bit addle-brained. You just needed a little fire dust to jolt you back into reality. You’re lucky you didn’t get any up your nose.”
Sunny’s eyes followed Lorien with avid curiosity as she scooped up another jug of champagne and settled herself back on the edge of the coffee table.
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough? Just a minute ago you were rolling around on the table spewing bubbles and cackling like a lunatic,” I pointed out.
“I have a quick metabolism.” Lorien shrugged.
I followed her lead and topped off both the Waterford flutes with the remaining champagne, gently placing Sunny’s in her hand. She looked a bit stunned and I knew exactly how she felt.
“What was that you said before…‘for the love of some kind of court’?” I asked, wondering about the unfamiliar phrase.
Lorien looked at me without comprehension for a moment, then said, “Oh, you mean ‘for the love of the Seelie Court’? Right. That’s an expression you might hear me use when, say, some lumbering human comes along and tries to crush me in her sticky, oversized hand.”
She shot a dirty look at Sunny, who had the grace to appear chagrinned.
“What’s the Seelie Court?” I asked.
Lorien blinked at me in astonishment and shook her head. “Sometimes I forget how woefully ignorant you humans are.”
“Thanks,” I drawled. “I guess I neglected to read that comprehensive guide to the faerie world you gave me.”
“You have a ‘Comprehensive Guide to The Faerie World’?”
Jasper echoed her movements, rolling playfully on the carpet beneath her and batting lazily at stray bubbles with one fluffy black paw. His eyes were bright and intense, as if he was zonked out on some particularly high-grade catnip.
“It’s not funny,” I wheezed. “And where are all those bubbles coming from?”
Lorien hiccupped delicately between guffaws, emitting a stream of the tiny shimmering spheres.
“You hiccup bubbles?” I asked in disbelief.
She only laughed harder.
I gave up trying to obtain a response from the obviously intoxicated faerie and turned back to Sunny with an apologetic sniffle. She was perched on the edge of the sofa, leaning forward with her mouth gaping open in amazement as she stared at the coffee table.
“You can see her!” I exclaimed in delight.
“Wow,” she whispered, “that’s a faerie.”
I harrumphed. “Gold star for you.”
“What’s the matter with her?” she asked me out of the side of her mouth. She reached forward as if she intended to poke Lorien, who was still lying prone on the coffee table, clutching her sides in fading mirth as the last of the hiccup-bubbles popped out of existence.
Lorien guessed Sunny’s intention and darted upright and away from her to hover next to my glass with a fierce glower. “Hey! Watch the poking there, Sunshine!”
“Sorry!” Sunny said contritely, jerking her hand back, but continuing to stare at Lorien in fascination.
Lorien brushed herself off and righted her jug on the table with a disgruntled expression.
“So sparkly…so pretty,” whispered Sunny in a fawning voice.
I looked at her askance as she made another grab for Lorien, who again darted out of the way.
“Oh, for the love of the Seelie Court! She’s a grabby one, isn’t she?” Lorien, apparently having recovered from her inebriation, zipped over to hover in front of Sunny’s face. She made a snapping motion and a colorful burst of sparks exploded from her fingertips, making Sunny blink in rapid succession.
“What the…” Sunny muttered, her eyes sharpening into focus. She shook her head as if to clear it. “What happened?”
“Faerie magic.” I grinned. “Makes us humans go a bit addle-brained. You just needed a little fire dust to jolt you back into reality. You’re lucky you didn’t get any up your nose.”
Sunny’s eyes followed Lorien with avid curiosity as she scooped up another jug of champagne and settled herself back on the edge of the coffee table.
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough? Just a minute ago you were rolling around on the table spewing bubbles and cackling like a lunatic,” I pointed out.
“I have a quick metabolism.” Lorien shrugged.
I followed her lead and topped off both the Waterford flutes with the remaining champagne, gently placing Sunny’s in her hand. She looked a bit stunned and I knew exactly how she felt.
“What was that you said before…‘for the love of some kind of court’?” I asked, wondering about the unfamiliar phrase.
Lorien looked at me without comprehension for a moment, then said, “Oh, you mean ‘for the love of the Seelie Court’? Right. That’s an expression you might hear me use when, say, some lumbering human comes along and tries to crush me in her sticky, oversized hand.”
She shot a dirty look at Sunny, who had the grace to appear chagrinned.
“What’s the Seelie Court?” I asked.
Lorien blinked at me in astonishment and shook her head. “Sometimes I forget how woefully ignorant you humans are.”
“Thanks,” I drawled. “I guess I neglected to read that comprehensive guide to the faerie world you gave me.”
“You have a ‘Comprehensive Guide to The Faerie World’?”
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