"Uuh...remind me to kill you when I'm feeling better, Nicole," Lisa groaned
as she threw herself down on her bed.  "We couldn't come back after the UF
party.  No, we had to go out some more.  I feel like a truck ran over me."

"Well, who knew that we'd get in a bar fight?  It was an interesting
experience, wasn't it?"

"Suure.  All I learned from this is that I haven't been spending enough time
at the Shrine, and hardly anyone recognizes me...  No one understands our
faction...  And that maybe making age jokes about someone I just met tonight
isn't a good idea."

Nicole laughed and added, "And if you can't say anything nice?"

"Come sit by me," her friend quipped.  "I can't believe that we didn't even
get to order a drink at the bar, either.  It was an interesting place..."
she trailed off, her mind wandering off, playing a strange game of connect
the dots the way it did when she was tired.  The ancient theme of the bar
reminded of the Egyptian theme of the coronation party...
 

**Flashback to Friday Night- the before the NA party.**
 

"So- we’re going semi- formal to this thing?”  Desiree asked “I think that’s
the plan,” Sunny told her. “Where did the time go? Ack!! We have to be ready
in forty minutes,” Nicole panicked.
“I get the shower first,” Lisa called.
And agreeing to arrive fashionable late, the Cousins of the Knight got ready
for the party.

“Sunny- wow, that should turn the head of more than a few attendees at the
part tonight,” Nicole commented. LaCountess was wearing a black velvet dress
that hugged at the waist with crisscrossed straps on the back, a pair of
barely-there high heels, and crystal necklace and earrings.

“Well, I only hope to turn one head tonight,” she said
dreamily. “Provided he’s in his own body.”
“And how are we going to know?” Desiree asked.
“We won’t,” Lisa said cheerfully.
“Isn’t that great!” Nicole smiled.
“Uh- okay…. Pssst, Sunny..” Desiree whispered. “What’s up with Suzy Sunshine
and her pal- Smiley Sally? I thought they were Cousins at heart.”
“Oh- they’ve moved far beyond that. They’re into a karma, kind of state of
acceptance state right now. The flower children of the war,” LaCountess
filled her in.
“Oh, no. You don’t mean they’re protesting!”
“In their own little very confused way- yes. If you call going along with
things you cannot change protesting,”
“Well, that’s as clear as mud.”
“Welcome to the war.”
“And have they sucked you into their way of thinking?
“I prefer to think I joined under my own power.”
“But you could have been whammied.” Desiree pointed out.
“By who? Nicole and Lisa don’t have any such abilities…”
“Well, you did go and see Nick…” she pointed out.
“And Nick was Lacroix…. Hey you two!”
LaCountess dropped back to talk to Lisa and Nicole.
“Sunny, I am insulted. Do you really think we would ask Lacroix to whammy
you just to get you to join our little group?” Lisa asked.
“Maybe you didn’t have to. Maybe this whole thing was his brainchild…”
“Okay- I for one, am shocked. Are we not capable of independent thought?”
Nicole queried.
“I don’t know. Are we…?”
“Why don’t we just see how things go tonight, and then you can decide
afterwards?” Lisa suggested.
“Sounds like a good idea,”
“So, can I get in on this, too?" Desiree asked.
“Of course,” Nicole replied. “Let me tell you a little war story. Once upon
a time….”
 

+++++

Things moved quickly once they got to the party.  It seemed they had barely
got there when all hell broke loose -- a surreal version of The Mummy.  The
attending members of the CotK huddled together during the theatrics and
escaped for home as soon as they could.

+++++

"Okay, that was just plain scary,"  Nicole commented as the tired
faction-mates filed through the door into the relative safety of the Comfy
Cottage.

"Tell me about it," Lisa agreed as she locked the door behind them.  After
getting a clear look at everyone's disheveled state in the light of the
entryway, she asked, "Should we have hosed down outside first?"

LaCountess's nose wrinkled in distaste.  "Ugh.  Are we going to do something
this war that doesn't involve me ruining an outfit?"  She held up her ruined
heels as evidence.

"Ahh, Sunny...  Those were beautiful shoes, too."  Like any good Addict,
Lisa appreciated a good pair of non-sensible shoes.  "NA functions usually
aren't like that...well, they are, minus the creepy guy doing scary stuff.
But I think Nick noticed you before all heck broke loose."

"Nick-Lacroix or Lacroix-Nick?" joked Desiree.

"You know," Nicole leaned in conspiratorially, "If Lacroix stays in Nick's
body, then..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Nicole.  All our Valentine fantasies come true," Lisa
interrupted her friend's ramblings in a whisper.  "As adorable as Nick is,
don't you think that Lacroix wouldn't be...well...himself without his
voice?"

"Ack, there you go with reality again.  You have to stop it!"

Lisa giggled.  "I know, but it's hard to fantasize after the night we had.
What do you say we get cleaned up and meet back in the library to talk some
more?"
 

In the library: Nicole, Lisa, Desiree, and Sunny had gathered.

“Okay- now that we’re all cleaned up and warm and fed, what did you think?”
Nicole asked

“I can’t believe I’m saying this- but you’re right. The plagues, the mayhem,
the mess, the commotion and general confusion… It was great! I haven’t seen
a party like that for… quite a while,” Sunny admitted.”Count me an official
member of the Kotc.”

“Things are going to seem awfully boring when this is all over,” Lisa
frowned.

“Well, who says it has to end?” Nicole thought out loud. “I mean, if we are
the first ones to come up with a solution for these switches, we can just
use it to our advantage. Anytime we want a little shake up,
we just..”

“Okay- I hate to be the voice of reason here, but… A. I don’t think this is
really mentioned as something we could, or even should be doing…” Desiree
began.

“Yes- but we weren’t told we couldn’t do it, either. And I don’t see what
possible difference it makes as long as we are trying to find a solution to
the switches…” Lisa interrupted.

“Thanks, I wasn’t talking or anything,” Desiree smiled.

“Sorry.”

“Anyway, B. Are you all insane? Were you at the same party I was at tonight?
You like that kind of thing? Remember your outfit- Sunny?”
Desiree said.

A temporary frown creased Sunny’s forehead but was soon erased, when she
countered with a happy,”Yes, but that’s what shopping is for!”

“Okay- you are all nuts. Lost your minds.”

“Casualties of the war,” Nicole offered.
 

*****

"Psst, here."  Nicole threw a pack of frozen peas for Lisa to rest on her
eye.

"Thanks.  I hope this doesn't swell too badly.  There's still the FoDs party
to go to on Tuesday."

"Oh, don't worry, it should be a lovely shade of purple by then.  Just pick
a dress to match," Nicole said brightly, ducking as the frozen peas came
sailing back towards her.
 
 

End