…in Technicolor
Here is the latest Violet post, with a new and improved style of chapter titling.
On The Road With Violet: In Which Our Heroine Does Some Thinking, A Fight Breaks Out And News Of The Village Arrives
Upon awakening quite early on the morning of her sixth day at the Ogre Brothers home, Violet (who is not at all hung over due to having not drunk nearly as much as she seemed to) decides to go outside and have herself a think. After spending nearly a week here, she has a fair bit to think about, so, finding a chair as far from the loudly snoring brothers as is possible, she starts to mentally go over what she knows.
First comes the fact that, while they are loud, boisterous, a bit crude and given to drinking and smoking and gambling, the Ogre Brothers are not evil. In fact, they are not even really Ogres. They are, in fact, a couple of “adventurous bums who can get by as musicians” from California. (It should be noted that hearing them talk about life in the Bear Flag Empire made Violet long to go there.) (After finding the City of Glass, of course) It seems that they use a potion developed by a friend of theirs (who may have been in some way connected to the late Dr. Henry Jekyll) to turn into Ogres, thus insuring that, as Jake said, “nobody messes with us”. Of course, even in their natural human form they were a couple of rough tough and scruffy looking fellows, so Violet doubts that many people messed with them anyway. So, they were never a threat to the village, although they may well have been a threat to the village’s liquor supply.
Secondly, Violet is concerned about her friends back in the village. They must be nearly done cleaning up and will be quite worried about her, especially Nigel. She has already decided to go back today, after getting Nick and Jake to promise to remain quiet for a day or two, until she and her friends are long gone. Well, assuming that Hercules and Sir Rupert could get the turtle moving again.
Third on her mind is Lavender. She is rather surprised that the pig had not come looking for her. Whatever could Lavender be up to? Violet supposes she might have met a nice gentleman pig, but she thinks it more likely that Lavender was plotting an escape for the boys. It just seems like the sort of thing a brave young sow might do. Exactly how she might do it, Violet has no idea, but she very much hopes that any escape would not take place until she has a chance to get back and convince the villagers that the Ogre Brothers have left the area.
Finally, Violet thinks of Verity. The younger lass had certainly proven herself able to carouse as well as anyone Violet has ever met. (and Violet’s family has it’s share of carousers, you can be sure) Even more important, Verity has shown a great deal of musical skill, both on the accordion and as a singer. She has the sort of voice that goesy well with singing blues and jazz songs. Additionally, Violet has a sneaking suspicion that Verity and Jake might have had a dalliance or two while Jake was in his human form. Violet thinks that it might not be a bad thing if Verity were to stay with the brothers, since they are considering doing a musical tour of Britain and Scotland, which is why they came here from California anyway.
“So, Violet,” she says to herself, “what is your plan? What next, old girl?”
After a few more minutes, she has decided that she will…
A: Convince the brothers to lay low for a couple of days
B: Tell Verity that she should stay on with the Ogres as a member of the band
C: Go back and rescue the boys, either by conning the villagers or assisting Lavender in some great escape.
D: Find the City of Glass, then go to California.
And she would have done all of those things in that order, if all hell had not broken loose a hour later while she was having breakfast with Verity.
It was then, you see, that Lavender, accompanied by a terribly dirty Irish Setter dog, came bursting out of the marsh with a group of five air pirates in hot pursuit. Squealing in terror, the panicked porker ran up onto Ogre Island and, still accompanied by the dog, dove underneath the cabin.
As the first pirate stepped onto the island, Violet did the only thing she could think of…she tossed her bowl of hot porridge into his face. Yowling like a banshee and clawing at his face, the pirate went down.
Verity was almost as quick as Violet, but instead of flinging porridge, she flung a large tea kettle. It hit the second pirate in the chest, knocking him down and scalding him from neck to kneecaps.
The remaining three pirates were trying to circle around the girls when they saw Nick and Jake coming at them from out of the cabin. All three pirates screamed and tried to run, but the Ogres were too fast for them. It didn’t take long before they were unconscious on the ground.
“Well I’ll be damned, little brother, looks like we caught some pirates.” Nick sounds amused as he says it. “I wonder if they’ve got any treasure?”
Jake chuckles. “Doesn’t look like it. Maybe we can get ’em to teach us that pirate lingo. Yarr, matey!”
While the brothers laugh and joke, Violet and Verity coax Lavender and the dog out of hiding. Once they are out in the open, Lavender began telling Violet everything that has happened since she left the village.
“Grunt, grunt, squeal, oink! Squeal, oink, oink, grunt, squeal!”
Violet is stunned by the news. “Oh my! You say that the Mayor is considering not letting the boys go unless they turn the turtle over to him? And that there is some strange device in the Mayor’s basement?”
Lavender nods. “Grunt, grunt, grunt, oink! Oink, squeal, grunt!”
“So you came up with an escape plan, but then found out that the air pirates had tracked us here?”
“Grunt, oink, grunt. Squeal, squeal, oink, oink!
“Hmm, yes, I see your point. We have no time to lose!”
Violet leaps to her feet and calls out to Verity, Jake, Nick and the dog.
“Look here, everyone, we need to get to the village, rescue my friends, scuttle the plans of those sky pirates, find out what that sod of a mayor is up to and put a stop to it. Are you with me?”
They all agree to help.
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