Rain [ATTN: Archimedes]

[Alice]

"If you're so brave, why don't you come out and face me? But, I suppose you wouldn't have the guts for that."

Two days had passed since Alice estranged herself from Rose, the Huntsgirl. Alice had once looked up to the pretty, tall, blond teenager as a friend, a close one. But Rose had unjustifiably frightened a poor, rare rabbit, perhaps the last of its kind. And not only that, but when Alice begged her to stop, Rose said horrible, terrible things to Alice. She threatened Alice's life, insulted her, and then had the gall to try and be soft afterward.

Alice was severely depressed. She never wanted to see Rose again, but she still felt a pressure in her chest that refused to subside ever since that night. Her eyes were red from constant crying, and she had a splitting headache as a result. She avoided contact with her family when she could. She requested to be alone as much as she could, and she did not step outside. Fortunately, it was the weekend and she did not have school. But she certainly did not feel up to going to school, to the unpleasant children she knew there.

Rose was a friend, better than the obnoxious brats at her school. And now...

Alice managed to change out of her sleepwear, into a simple brown dress, but she didn't know why. She was just going to remain in her room, curled up by the window anyway. Her back pressed against the wall, but she sat on the window seat. She had even opened the window, despite the rainy weather.

Alice, in her depression, stared outside her room's window.

Alice's depression extended to Dinah. She was saddened to see her mistress like this. The cat watched her downcast owner from said owner's bed. Her ears flattened to her head, and her previous attempts to cheer her up were all in vain (although Alice apologized for her mood). The cat was worried.

[Merlin]

Meanwhile, in a wizard's cottage deep in some English woods, Merlin himself was restless. Not because of the rain outside, or the drips of water that leaked through holes in the thatching at certain spots of the cottage, but something more. The wizard had a premonition, and it left him unsettled.

Finally, Merlin figured why he felt this way. "Alice," he said aloud when he came to a sudden burst of realization. He hopped and ran for his staff. He grabbed it, and without hesitation approached Archimedes's house and rattled it enough for the bird's attention. "Archimedes!" he exclaimed. "Archimedes, Alice has not been here in over two days! I'm worried about her." The wizard frowned, but his lips couldn't be seen behind his large beard and mustache. But his eyes were clearly visible, and clearly worried.

[Archimedes]

Rainy days had a penchant for making Archimedes rather drowsy, and today was no different; the owl was fast asleep within his birdhouse, at peace, as, currently unbeknown to Archimedes, Merlin worriedly paced about for almost the entire day, unable to rest at all. The owl's slumber soon came to an abrupt end, as a loud tapping echoed all around him and his birdhouse shook lightly. With a startled hoot, Archimedes was awakened, and it didn't take long for him to figure out that Merlin had wanted something. Whatever it was, Archimedes was assured that there was no way he would leave the comfort of his birdhouse to flutter about in the heavy downpour outside - rain was just one of many things that had earned a place on Archimedes' mental list of things he greatly dislikes.

Immediately shuffling out of his house and onto the perch outside, the owl glared irritatedly at his human companion. "What, what, what is it?!" he barked, before he was met with a very distraught-looking Merlin with a rather upset-sounding voice. Archimedes' ardent expression quickly became one of surprise, as he listened to Merlin.

The owl's eyebrows lowered, and he looked away momentarily in thought. Merlin did have a point; Alice had a nearly perfect attendance record ever since their tutoring sessions had begun. To miss one day was odd for her, to say the least; to miss two consecutively was just a little concerning. Archimedes sighed; while clearly annoyed, he understood Merlin's anxiety, and even sympathized with it... maybe a little. "Merlin, it's nothing to be too concerned about," he began, looking up at the old wizard with begrudging sincerity in his yellow eyes. "The weather outside is terrible, and it would be quite a chore for young Alice to travel through it all the way here. I'm sure she'll arrive as usual, tomorrow."

With that last sentence, a hint of impatience could be heard in the owl's voice. While he cared for Alice just as much as Merlin did (though he would rarely ever admit that), he doubted that there was any need to worry about her right now... and, to be frank, he really wanted to continue his nap.

[Merlin]

Merlin shook his head as the owl offered a suggestion to not worry. "Archimedes," Merlin protested, "I have a bad feeling. I feel that something awful has happened to Alice. Her absence is downright strange, but with this feeling I just can't rest. I know something is wrong with her! I just know it!"

Merlin was normally proud to be gifted with such intense sensitivities, and he would usually boast about them. But not today. When Merlin exclaimed that he just knew something terrible had happened to Alice, his voice was not filled with pride, but with worry.

The old wizard turned from the owl with a swoop of his robe and continued his pacing for a moment. He thought of an idea, and he returned his attention to his feathery companion. "Archimedes, do you recall where Alice lives?" His face was desperate, as the old fool's stability and well-being depended on the owl's answer.

[Archimedes]

Archimedes couldn't even maintain a consistently grouchy facial expression as he listened to and watched the clearly worried old wizard, sensing the distress in his voice; Merlin really was genuinely upset about this. And his feelings may very well have truth... Archimedes hated to admit it, but there were many times where Merlin's premonitions had not failed him - such as when Arthur stumbled into their cottage. Maybe Alice really was in some kind of trouble; hopefully not in any danger, Archimedes thought, as he began to slowly develop worries of his own.

The owl had remained silent until Merlin returned to him with another question - he knew it, Merlin wanted him to seek out Alice and check on her. Archimedes exhaled a restrained sigh, as this was a bit of an inconvenience... but, to help keep the old fool at peace - and, in case Alice truly was in need of assistance - he knew he had to go, and was willing. Inwardly, he cringed a little at having to fly around in the torrential downpour outdoors - his feathers would take hours to dry!

Archimedes looked up to Merlin, his face quite serious but no longer annoyed. "I believe so, Merlin," he responded with a nod. In an instant, however, he put on a mask of anger to hide his true concern. "... And if you don't want to bother checking on her yourself, then I suppose I'll have to."

Expecting his words and actions to be self-explanatory to Merlin, he spread his tawny wings and lifted himself off of his perch, darting towards the creaky front door and sitting himself on a stack of books close by. He sat, impatiently waiting for Merlin to open the door for him.

[Merlin]

As Merlin watched and listened to the owl, the old wizard noticeably changed in attitude. He was still uneasy and worried about Alice, but his face had lessened its tugs, and he was seemingly relieved (even if somewhat) by Archimedes. When Archimedes answered his question, Merlin inquisitively stroked his beard with his free hand, but stopped when Archimedes lifted himself to near the door. The wizard stepped to the door and opened it for Archimedes to leave.

"Thank you, Archimedes!" Merlin would exclaim as the owl took flight. When Merlin was left alone, he closed the door and walked for his armchair. "When I asked Archimedes if he remembers where Alice lives," the old fool said to himself, "I meant it; I can't remember! Ha!" Even in his worry, the wizard found humor in the situation...

[Archimedes]

Through the thick shower of rain, it was rather difficult to tell which place was where - even for an owl's keen eyes. So, it took quite some time, but in the end, Archimedes' memory had served him right; he had located Alice's stately Victorian manor of a home. At least, it had looked like a manor to the prudent owl.

To catch his breath and maybe dry himself off a little, Archimedes found a large old oak tree positioned just outside the beautiful home and perched upon a branch, under its canopy. The exhausted and drenched owl shook his feathers in a futile attempt to dry himself; the rain easily penetrated the treetops, and countless drops continued to drip down onto Archimedes. The owl grumbled to himself, truly wishing that Merlin had gone out himself.

Archimedes turned his gaze to a window positioned on the house's upper floor - perhaps that was Alice's room? Willing to at least guess, after flapping his wings frantically to try and dry them off at least a little to enable better flight, the little owl fluttered up out of the shelter of the oak tree and positioned himself on the windowsill; it was then that he realized that the window was wide open. Archimedes was quite befuddled as to why Alice would do this during such horrible weather - this was his first hint that something was awry with the girl.

If at least to escape the seemingly never-ending downpour, Archimedes, soaked and drenched to the point of looking almost scrawny rather than stout and fluffy, went ahead and waddled into Alice's room from the windowsill onto a bookshelf, and took a look around the room, searching for the girl.

[Alice]

Dinah, who rested on the bed, lifted her head and stared at Archimedes as he entered. Her ears perked up. She mewed to greet him. "Miaow."

Alice's room was becoming her character; proper yet with childish overtones. The wallpaper and the floor were elegant, as were the furniture, but the room was also laden with miscellaneous trinkets and mementos Alice had collected over the years. If Archimedes looked to one of the room's corners, he could recognize an hourglass that was given to her by Merlin. Alice's coat, a gorgeously blue coat fitting for a pretty girl, was delicately folded at the foot of her bed.

A few girlish stuffed animals could be seen in the room, but they were not on the floor or messily scattered; they were at very specific areas, as though they were really meant for display than actual playing. The animals included a cute bunny, a pony, and--most curiously--a toy owl vaguely resembling Archimedes.

On the stool beside Alice's comfortable bed rested framed photographs of her family. Even as a very young toddler Alice was pretty.

Regarding the furniture, Alice's most striking possession was a rather large looking glass, on top of a dressier. The looking glass was enormous, at least, larger than Alice herself. No doubt Alice had spent many mornings in front of the mirror, combing her long, blond hair and tying that trademark black ribbon into her tresses.

Dinah mewed to Archimedes once more, a sad mew, and gestured her head to the melancholic Alice.

Alice was revealed to be sitting very close to the window. But she did not notice Archimedes at the time; she was in an almost catatonic state, as her misty eyes looked downward.

Alice's ribbon! It was clearly seen that she did not wear the ribbon in her hair. Her hair was not pulled back because of this, and so she had light bangs.

[Archimedes]

Completely and totally drenched, Archimedes took it upon himself to dry his feathers off so that he would not leave trails of water all over Alice's room. Twisting his flexible head around, with his body following suit, he dried himself out just as one would a wet rag - unlike a rag, however, the owl was left with the appearance of a large brown fuzzball afterward, fluffing up with an audible 'poof'. Archimedes grimaced; he never really enjoyed having to dry himself.

After attempting to straighten out his feathers briefly, he took a brief glance around Alice's room, scanning it with his sharp avian eyes... and it was almost precisely as he expected it to look, knowing Alice well enough. One small aspect, however, caught him off guard - a stuffed toy owl, seated among other plush animals. Archimedes stared at it for a moment, rather baffled by its presence in Alice's room, and unsure of what to make of it... but paid it no mind after that. There were more important matters at wing... however, Alice was nowhere in sight.

It was then that Archimedes noticed Alice's cat, Dinah, greet him with a meow. Although by nature Archimedes wasn't so fond of the feline species, as a beloved companion of Alice's, Dinah deserved his respect - and he certainly did tolerate the kitten far more than he would any other cat, for she was as polite as her own mistress. Clearing his throat awkwardly, as if embarrassed by Dinah having seen him dry off, he politely acknowledged the cat with a nod of the head. "Afternoon, er, Dinah," he made himself greet the cat.

As he paid attention to the reddish-brown kitten, however, he noticed her motion her fuzzy head over to something - and Archimedes turned his head to find, to his surprise, Alice. Sitting completely still by the window, as if... dead. Most strikingly, the bow was missing from her hair, and it looked almost unkempt... compared to its usual state, at least. Was she asleep? That would certainly be in her character, to doze off in the middle of the day whilst daydreaming about some fantastical world... But Archimedes had a feeling that there was more to it than that.

"... Alice?" he spoke up, to try and catch her attention - and to ascertain if she was awake or not. All things considered, she certainly could have fooled Archimedes into thinking she was asleep...

[Alice]

Dinah was so affected by the sadness of her mistress that she did not so much as crack a smile when Archimedes comically dried himself. Once the owl saw Alice, the feline sat in place and watched the conversation between her owner and the owl.

Alice was brought back to her senses when Archimedes raised his voice and addressed her by name. The surprised girl looked up, so that Archimedes could see her eyes. Her eyes were still damp from tears, as was evidenced by how her eyes reflected what light there was inside the room. She stared at Archimedes for a moment with a sad look on her face--a weak, vulnerable look--before she said her first word in hours.

"Archimedes," her voice said, but it didn't sound like her voice. As if her eyes weren't reason enough for concern, her voice clearly revealed the pain she felt. Her voice wasn't stable, and broke more often than usual. In fact, she did not sound or look this distraught since Merlin's near murder.

After a pause, she swallowed. It hurt as she did. She sniffed and spoke again. "Archimedes, I won't attend tutoring today, either."

Alice did not wear her favorite blue dress, or any dress with such a large skirt. The skirt of the brown dress was much closer to her legs and hips, and because of this the girl appeared much thinner than her usual rotund skirt would imply.

Alice closed her eyes and turned her head, to hide a tear drop from Archimedes. She didn't succeed; the drop was clearly seen. Her eyes remained closed as she continued. "I'm sorry... if I worried you or Merlin. I just don't feel well." She opened her eyes and looked to the owl. She smiled, but it wasn't sincere; it was a smile just for the sake of being polite. "But you shouldn't fly in the rain. You're welcome to stay here and dry yourself, if..." Her smile faded, and she looked away. "If you want."

Dinah nudged Archimedes gently. Her fuzzy head then gestured to Alice; it was clear that Dinah wanted Archimedes to be closer with Alice, to comfort the human girl as well as he could.

[Archimedes]

Archimedes' eyebrows lifted, visibly expressing surprise, as Alice finally revealed her face to him. Her eyes immediately caught his attention... they were damp, and moist. She had just been crying, evidently. And her voice... it seemed to express even more sadness than her face. It crackled and wavered, as if struggling to keep herself from sobbing...

Something was wrong. Archimedes momentarily looked away and furrowed his brows, in thought - it seemed Merlin's premonitions were right, once again. Oh, how Archimedes hated having to admit that... either way, what was he to do, now? The owl looked back to Alice, just in time to see her turn her own head away.

Alice... even as she suffered, she had the will to be as polite as always. As she smiled, however, Archimedes' sharp eyes could tell it was forced. As the owl contemplated over how to go about this, he felt a light nudge from behind. Dinah was urging him forward... she wanted him to be closer to Alice.

... It would seem the duty of comforting the poor girl had fallen upon his wings.

Archimedes sighed deeply, before looking down to Alice. His normally belligerent expression was far softer, and his concern for Alice clearly showed in his lowered eyebrows. By now, his feathers had dried considerably, so he was able to flutter down to the floor, in front of Alice, without getting her as wet as he once was. The owl stared up into Alice's wet, blue eyes, his bright yellow orbs showing the sincere emotion they always did - which, in this case, was concern.

"... Come now, Alice," he spoke up, in a soft, almost gentle tone, quite unlike his usual speech. "Tell me what's troubling you."

[Alice]

Alice's head remained still, but her blue eyes looked to the owl. Their eyes made contact, but Alice remained silent for a moment. Her lips trembled, and she looked away to hide her eyes. She held back another flood of tears, and she was quickly reaching her breaking point. She took a breath and then looked to Archimedes again. She tried her best to speak with a stable voice.

"Oh, Archimedes..." The tears started. She breathed rapidly in an attempt to fight back her impending fit of crying, but she couldn't keep strong. "Archimedes, my... my friend is not a friend at all!"

The tears poured from her eyes, and her face crumbled. It was no use to fight anymore; Alice was rendered emotionally crushed once more. She covered her face, shielding it from Archimedes and Dinah, and turned in her seat, as if to hide from the animals. She sobbed in her hands very loudly, shattered by what happened between her and the vaguely mentioned 'friend.'

Dinah, with her ears flattened against her head, closed her eyes and dropped her head. Alice's mood extended to her.

[Archimedes]

Once Alice finally looked into Archimedes' eyes, he was immediately struck by her gaze... he had never seen her look so... pitiful, and miserable. Not even when Merlin had been attacked had she looked so upset...

Before he knew it, however, the poor girl had broken out into intense sobs... now, more than ever, it was clear that she was seriously troubled. The sound of her pitiful whimpers and sobs had managed to tug on the strings of even Archimedes' crusty and bitter old heart... She was more helpless now than the owl had ever seen her. What truly caught his attention, however, was just what she had said before crying.

"What, what...?" he stammered, both confused and concerned. A friend? Who's not a friend anymore? Something hadn't happened between her and Arthur, had it...? Quickly becoming twice as worried over the girl, he gazed up at her with his intense yellow eyes, which continued to show concern rather than his more typical grumpiness. "Alice, wh-what happened...?"

[Alice]

Alice continued to hide her face from Archimedes. She was ashamed of herself for many reasons: she was ashamed for crying in the first place, crying in front of Archimedes and Dinah, and for allowing herself to be hurt and fooled by Rose.

Alice responded to Archimedes, but she persisted to hide her face from the owl, and so her voice was slightly muffled by her palms. "Oh, Archimedes! I can't believe what happened!"

She recognized that her voice was muffled, and so she compromised. She covered her eyes with her right hand, but left her quivering lips exposed, so she could talk without obscuring her voice at all. It was difficult to listen to her speak and cry simultaneously, but she explained what happened to Archimedes.

"I made a friend with a girl. Her name is Rose, and..." Her voice cracked as she explained. "Two nights ago, someone wanted to kill a magic rabbit. And when I told her to stop, she threatened me and said terrible things. And it was Rose!"

Alice bit her lip, and tears escaped her hand. She scooted up on her chair and turned her face away, completely hiding it from Archimedes, and sobbed.

[Archimedes]

So, this didn't involve Arthur... that, at least, was a relief to Archimedes, knowing what a strong friendship Alice had with the boy. Regardless, this was not a matter to brush off nonchalantly. Alice had been betrayed by a beloved friend, and was, as clear as day, absolutely crushed by this. A grave situation indeed, especially for such a sweet and innocent young girl... but, how to remedy it?

Alice went on to describe the events that had troubled her, and Archimedes couldn't help but appear just slightly confused as she did. A magic rabbit? Alice certainly seemed to become involved with rabbits quite often... still, the owl couldn't help but ponder just why this Rose girl was attacking said rabbit, anyway, and, especially, why she acted so cruelly to Alice.

Just the thought of anybody treating Alice like that made Archimedes' feathers ruffled, but he controlled himself, as he was aware that he knew little of the truth behind this situation. What mattered now was poor Alice's broken heart.

".... I... I see," was all that Archimedes responded with, his eyebrows lowering solemnly as he watched the distraught child hide her tears from him. The owl was truly at a loss of what to say and do, right now... he could think of nothing to lift Alice's spirits, but that did certainly not mean he'd be giving up on her.

[Alice]

Alice continued to sob, and did not speak for over a minute. She, too, was at a loss of words, and even if she wanted to speak, her crying would interfere. And so she waited until she was calmer. Her voice was still cracked, and when she removed her hand from her eyes they were red from the tears. Her nose was damp, and she retrieved a blue handkerchief that was by her side the whole time. She blew her nose, sniffed, and spoke to Archimedes, this time looking at him.

"I'm sorry, Archimedes. You don't deserve this. I--I know I ought to be ashamed of myself for crying." She gripped her handkerchief tightly, clenched her eyes shut, and insulted herself. "I'm just a stupid girl, nothing more!" She lowered her head and heaved. One could only imagine how Arthur would have felt if he saw her in this state.

Dinah shook her head vehemently, rebuking her last comment.

[Archimedes]

Once Alice began to insult herself in her pity, it quickly became too much for Archimedes to handle. Nobody, not even Alice herself, talks about her like that in front of him! "Now, just a minute, Alice, just a minute!" The owl, with a few flutters of his wings, lifted himself up onto Alice's lap; he took care not to tarnish her brown dress with his talons, but he desired to be closer to the girl as he said what he was about to.

"I don't ever want to hear you talk about yourself like that, child!" he told her, looking up at her with yellow eyes flaring with intense emotion. He was not truly angry with her, and didn't intend to scold her, but he simply couldn't stand hearing her admonish herself like that, and it got him quite upset. "You're not stupid at all, in any sense of the word! Why, you must be the brightest of all humans I've ever seen your age, and that's not even the best of your qualities! You're amazingly kind, and compassionate and..."

Archimedes, as he babbled on without even realizing what he was saying, found himself at a loss of words, but not even for a second. Quickly, he seemed to become angrier than before, his feathers ruffling as he looked away from Alice's gaze. "Why, if anybody ought to be ashamed, it's this Rose girl! She's absolutely foolish for what she did to you, because now, she's..."

The owl, stopping for a moment to sigh before he became too upset, looked back up to Alice with sincerity in his stare and voice. "She's lost one of the greatest friends she could ever have."

[Alice]

Alice felt the owl's talons on her lap and immediately following the weight of the bird. She listened to her articulate friend's words. She slowly looked up to the bird, her eyes immediately locked into his yellow, highly expressive hues. The owl's eyes were intense with emotion, just as much as his voice, if not more. Archimedes was intense in stare and tone, but his words (prior to him insulting Rose) were a crucial step to calming the human girl.

Alice, her eyes still pink from the sobbing, and her face and nose still damp, stared at Archimedes with parted lips. Her fragile eyes released tears whenever she blinked. Her voice was still shaky, but she still managed to ask.

"Archimedes..." She swallowed (the lump in her throat hurt), and after the pause she continued with her loose joint of a voice. "D--do you truly feel that way about... about me? You're not lying... are you?" Her eyes remained locked in Archimedes's, and she never looked away for a second. Only the occasional blink severed the gaze, but thankfully just for nanoseconds.

Dinah stared at Archimedes through misty eyes, but she smiled. The owl made a breakthrough in comforting Alice, and the cat would from then on be grateful to the bird for his assistance.

[Archimedes]

Archimedes' powerful stare, filled with emotion, remained just as it had for a few seconds. Once Alice had spoken, however, he blinked a few times in surprise and realization of what he had just said. Oh, pinfeathers... his beak always stayed open longer than it should have whenever he began to feel too sensitive about something. Still... it seemed like he was able to brighten up Alice's mood at least a little.

Archimedes lifted up a wing to cough into, attempting to relieve the awkwardness he was quickly beginning to feel. "Well, er..." The owl's eyes looked away from Alice's, momentarily - was he... embarrassed? Almost immediately after, however, that familiar scowl of his formed on his beak again, and he indignantly crossed his wings. "Well now, when have I ever said anything I don't mean, child?"

[Alice]

It didn't matter if Archimedes felt awkward and coughed into his wing for comfort, because no matter how Archimedes felt and no matter what he did, in this moment, Alice recognized the kind, caring, and noble soul frequently disguised by a gruff, haughty exterior. Alice had seen traces of Archimedes's softer, more tender side on rare occasions in the past, but now Alice was convinced that the often contentious owl is, and has been for a long while now, one of her closest, most caring friends.

Alice smiled so warmly, she had forgotten how it felt. Tears still drained from her eyes because she sobbed fiercely, but after the owl's words, Alice looked (and felt) her best in days. Her beautifully sapphire eyes, brimming with tremendous respect and even love, stared squarely into the owl's yellow hues. Without asking for his permission, Alice gently grabbed hold of him as she spoke from her heart.

"Oh, Archimedes...!"

Alice didn't know if Archimedes had ever been hugged affectionately before, but that's just what transpired. Alice, making sure that she didn't harm Archimedes, lifted the owl and brought him close to her face. If the owl was surprised by how she picked him up, he'd probably be surprised tenfold by Alice's lips. She kissed Archimedes on the top of his beak, but she still wasn't done: she pressed him to her chest to embrace him the best way she could. Her slender chin brushed against the top of Archimedes's head, and Alice, still smiling, closed her eyes. The act of her eyes closing made tears stream down her cheeks and end up on the owl's feathers, but Alice hoped he wouldn't mind.

As she hugged, Alice spoke to the owl with a vocal tone the likes of which he never heard from the girl.

"Archimedes, you are... so kind. I never knew you thought that way about me. I've respected you all this time, but now..." She sniffed and was fighting back tears again, but not out of self-hatred and anguish, but because she had this moment, and was free to confide in her friend in complete honesty. She was still emotional, yes, but the emotions were positive.

"Oh, Archimedes, you've helped me so much, but I never thanked you for everything." She opened her moist eyes and carefully brought Archimedes forward, back on her lap, so she could look at him in the eye and tell him. Even if droplets of tears were on her cheeks, her smile was invaluable.

"Thank you, Archimedes. Thank you for your teachings. Thank you for, for flying here when it rained so awfully. Thank you for--for... Oh, Archimedes." She sniffed and said her last words so tenderly.

"Thank you, for being my friend. You are one of my closest friends, and... and I love you. I can only hope that I'm your friend, too." Her sapphire eyes remained locked in those sagely yellow eyes.

Dinah purred with a smile on her face as she watched Mistress Alice's cure. She would later have to thank Mr. Archimedes so passionately when she could.

[Archimedes]

Before Archimedes even knew it, he was grabbed by Alice and lifted up on his sides; an unexpected move, to say the least. "Wha-wha-what, what are you-?!" The owl simply stammered as the young girl picked him up as if he were a stuffed toy. Despite the defiant attitude in his voice and reaction, Archimedes didn't squirm very much in the soft, delicate hands of Alice. If anybody else had tried this, even Merlin, the owl would have done everything in his power to escape, even scratching with his talons if held for too long - but, while in Alice's hands, he only shifted around lightly. He showed discomfort, but not greatly so. He had little reaction time, however, before, for the first time in his life, he had received a kiss.

Archimedes' eyes shot wide open in shock and confusion, and it seemed as if a surge of energy had shot from Alice's lips into Archimedes' body as he trembled and puffed up his feathers in surprise. The little owl was just too shocked to do anything in reaction besides this, and he sat limply in Alice's hands, wide-eyed, as she pulled him into a soft embrace. This really was a rather uncomfortable position for the owl... but, he had soon forgotten about that, as he feld Alice's cold, wet tears seep down onto his feathers. He remained where he was, and silently listened to what the girl had to say - as Alice gently placed him onto her lap, he continued to do so, looking up at her with his full attention, his eyes soft with emotion rarely seen in the old bird.

As he listened to Alice's loving words and took in her brimming, grateful smile... he realized that he was glad that his peaceful nap was interrupted, this rainy day. He was glad that Merlin had that sudden premonition, and nagged him into flying out into a torrential downpour. For if none of those things had happened, Alice would have remained in that dismal, catatonic state for who knows how long... that, and he wouldn't have been able to hear just what Alice thought about him.

After a short moment of silence... Archimedes smiled back at the young girl through his beak. It was a smile both comforting and thankful, with just a hint of affection... it didn't stay on the owl's face for long, however, as he quickly realized what he was doing and, again, tried his best to hide his tenderness from the girl. Clearing his throat to get rid of that awkward and embarrassed feeling, his eyes darted back and forth between Alice's eyes and wherever else he could look away from them. ""W-well, I... er... I... I-I'm pleased that I could be of some help."

[Alice]

Alice's eyes weren't fully open due to the warmest, most loving smile she had ever given to Archimedes, an owl who was more than just an owl, but a dear friend who, unlike rose, would never betray her, or hurt her. Rose was now starting to become a distant memory, and Alice could move on with her life, all thanks to Archimedes's care. Alice recognized the owl's awkwardness, and her eyes were covered by her lids even more as she giggled softly. Of course, the giggle sounded different because of her throat and tears, but Alice was nevertheless happy again; she was her old self, which everyone in the room (even Alice) wanted.

Alice sniffed again, wiped tears from her face with her hands, and she, playfully, tapped Archimedes on the top of his head with her right index finger. "Don't worry, Archimedes. I won't tell Merlin that I kissed you." Her eyes were still red and moist from the excessive crying, but they had a childlike, playful spark in them once again, which comforted Dinah to no end. "I promise!" Her pearls of teeth glistened as she giggled again, her face wearing a happy, warm smile so well.

Alice promised not to tell Merlin that she kissed the owl simply because said owl would have never heard the end of it, knowing the old wizard's fondness of teasing Archimedes. The outside was still frightful, but inside, Alice once again exuded spirit.

Dinah, now beside her mistress, pawed at Alice's elbow and mewed passionately. Her baby blue eyes looked up to the girl's face.

Alice's eyes trailed down to her cat and she immediately picked her up, very much like how she lifted Archimedes, and she handled the feline with the same care and affection. "Oh, Dinah! I love you, too!" She closed her eyes and kissed Dinah on the head (a kiss Dinah was more than happy to receive). Alice's love for the cat was on clear display from where Archimedes sat, on her lap.

[Archimedes]

The little owl was still quite flustered by all of this... emotion, on both his and Alice's ends. As the girl affectionately tapped Archimedes on his forehead, he puffed up like a feathery balloon in response - not out of anger or annoyance, but simply out of that awkward feeling in his wishbone, at the moment. Attempting to regain his composure, he cocked a seemingly lofty brow up at Alice. "Hmph. You'd best make sure you don't," he warned, trying his best to return himself to his typical aloof self.

It didn't last long, however. Seeing the radiant smile on the girl's face - especially striking after seeing her at the opposite end of the emotional spectrum less than a minute ago - hearing her delighted giggle, and observing her display of love towards her pet... it all couldn't help but warm the crotchety old bird's heart. She had returned to her lighthearted self, and seemed even sunnier than ever, somehow - and it was all thanks to him, Archimedes realized. In fact, it might have been all thanks to the premonitions of that bumbling old coot, now that the owl thought about it... he was certainly thankful that the wizard was correct, this time.

A warm smile grew across Archimedes' beak, as he looked up at Alice and Dinah. It was a strange feeling he felt, thinking about how he had almost single-handedly brought Alice back from her horrible bout of depression... intentionally, even. This was a first in the bird's long life... and he was surprised at how pleasant the feeling of taking care of a loved one was. He was absolutely baffled, almost frustrated by that feeling... but couldn't help but accept it.

... Loved one? Good heavens, Archimedes, you're letting yourself become all soft and sentimental too easily!

[Alice]

Alice had finished caressing Dinah. She rested the cat on her lap beside Archimedes. Dinah, in turn, smiled to the owl as she approached him. Once close to him, she nuzzled him and purred, obviously as a means of thanking the owl for his services. As Dinah nuzzled the owl, Alice leaned forward slightly so her face could be closer. She spoke, and though she was still calming down after crying so much, her tone of voice was already sounding worlds better.

"Archimedes, the weather outside is terrible. If you would like, you could stay the night here. I wouldn't want you to catch a cold, or become soaked to the bone. I could bring you something to eat, for dinner." After a short pause, she continued with a warmer smile. "All the same, thank you for visiting me."

Dinah nodded.