Follow Through

Meet & Greet

"Your fellow Globites,now sit," Glob said,his tone commanding and final, before they could answer.Keanu and I looked at eachother again and he nudged me forward.I pulled out the second gilded chair beside the woman,leaving an empty seat between us.

Stranger danger right? 

I descended into butt heaven.My bruised and weary backside sank into plush cushiony goodness and I let out a little thankful sigh.

I wasn't as quiet as I thought because the red head beside me smiled knowingly then raised her eyes to watch Keanu take the seat next to me.

"Hi,I'm Logan," she said with a faint Irish twang and a crooked smile,extending her hand.She was pale in a way that made me seem tan,with fine bones and pixie features in a heart shaped face.Her fiery red hair was barely held back by an elastic band that struggled to contain her riotous corkscrew curls.Green eyes smiled into mine and I shook her hand,ignoring the spark of female envy when I noticed how nicely she filled out her coffee colored turtleneck.

"Wow,John Wick and Wolverine." I said wonderingly,feeling once again like I was in the Twilight Zone.

Her perfect brows knit in question,her smile faltering.Keanu spoke up behind me.

"I'm Keanu,"he said and reached across me for a brief shake.Her eyes cleared in understanding and she chuckled in acknowledgement then looked at me.

"So,I guess that makes you Diana?"

I scoffed at her reference to Wonder Woman.

"Hardly,The only thing I fight with is my hair and heights make me nauseous.I'm Judah."

"Not that anyone asked,but I'm Wayne."

We all turned at the sound of a gravely,British accented voice.Across from Logan sat a slightly stocky,hispanic looking man with wavy black hair.

"Holy hell, we've got batman too?" I asked as his dark eyes lit with suppressed humor.I could tell he wasn't as tall as Keanu and he had more flesh than muscle,though he was far from overweight.He looked,well.....average, with a nice, pleasant face.The only thing striking about him was his accent that contrasted sharply with his somewhat ordinary features.Something about him calmed me though and I felt myself immediately trusting him,unlike Logan who I felt more guarded towards.

Then again that could be attributed to the fact that I was so flat chested I might as well have been a boy and she was a perfect c cup.

"I'm no batman,I can't throw a boomerang to save my life," was his reply.I'd shake but this b****y table is as wide as the pacific." I smiled and was about to reply when Glob cut in.

"Now that introductions have been made, I'm sure Mr.Forsythe and Ms.Bishop are in dire need of nourishment," my stomach growled in agreement,"and I wouldn't want my good man here to faint of hunger and exhaustion once more," Aha! So that's what felled Tree Bear.He wasn't as immune to basic needs as he made it seem.

I'll just save that little barb for later."so please,dig in." Glob continued and took up a huge knife to start carving a very stuffed turkey.I turned the broad ceramic plate on the placemat

before me right side up and pulled the platter closest to me forward.I served myself a heaping of pasta and asked for the bowl of potatoes.All around was the sound of knives and forks scraping against plates as food was passed around and eaten.Conversation was sporadic and short as we all stuffed our faces,though I'm sure I outdid everyone.Ive never tasted food so succulent and delicious and I'm pretty sure I had some of everything.I barely spoke,choosing to listen instead and have multiple foodgasms with each mouthful.

Man oh man this food be HITTING.

The fire crackled and hissed,lending white noise each time the chatter subsided.Glob snapped his fingers and tall glasses of pulpy red liquid appeared beside each plate.I took a greedy gulp and groaned in ecstasy.

I almost teared up.

This is the best fruit juice I've ever had.I put the glass back on the table and it was instantly refilled.

Yup,I'm never leaving this place.

Throughout the meal I learned more about the people surrounding me.

For starters,we were all twenty one and brought here by Ulrik within the past two days.

I gained respect for Logan when she told Glob he needed to replace the lamp she broke on Ulrik's head when he was abducting her from her college dorm.

I put my fist up for her to bump as she told her story while I bit into a plump turkey leg.

No thin little slices for me,thank you very much.

"All you human females are insane," Ulrik declared through a staid bite of chicken,watching us with obvious distaste while Glob roared with laughter.

I paused my chewing to blow him a kiss and Wayne's polite English chuckle blended with Glob's renewed guffaw.

Keanu,like me,laughed unselfconsciously and with abandon.

Logan went on to say she tried to bite him on the n****e but couldn't find it and almost broke her teeth.I wanted to pat her shoulder in sympathy but I had a sweet potato speared on a fork in one hand and a chunk of pie in the other.

I've never wished I had another limb so earnestly in my life.

"Jude,slow down," Keanu cautioned beside me,not that I gave him the time of day.

Wayne's story was just as interesting.Apparently he tried to thwart Ulrik with the basic self defense skills he'd learned a summer ago and ended up almost breaking his foot on Tree Bear's nose.

"I kid you not,he just stood there and blinked at me then told me I could either go with him calmly awake or unconscious." Wayne said after a sip of juice. "I was too flabbergasted to do anything but follow him into that weird swirly portal." His accent made everything he said sound scholarly and distinguished,his manner so offhand and self depreciating that I found myself wondering about the sort of life he lead.

Or maybe I was just a sucker for British accents like regular females and I was overthinking as usual.

"And unlike you crazy females he wisely chose the path of least resistance." Ulrik commented,using a lamb bone to point at me and Logan.

She shrugged."Resistance is usually more rewarding,"

"And fun," I added,around a mouthful of stuffing.

Keanu felt left out since he slept through his entire episode and voiced his regret at not being able to spar with Ulrik and almost break an extremity like the rest of us.

"You're quite a spirited lot,aren't you?" Glob asked,reclining in his chair,looking larger than life and comfortably kingly.How can one being be so handsome? His smile was utterly enchanting and I let out an uncharacteristically girlish sigh.

"I think the word troublesome is more apt,my king," Ulrik interjected,wiping his mouth with a deep blue cloth napkin,which made Glob's smile widen.

"You've done well, my friend,as always," he patted Ulrik's shoulder companionably "now go rest, you've more than earned it.I'll entertain our guests." Ulrik placed his oversized paw (which looked slight in comparison to Glob's enormous hand) on top of Glob's then pushed his chair back,gave us all a long,scathing look and exited the room.Logan and Keanu were oblivious,deep in conversation about call of duty versus fortnite.

"You can really put it away can ye?" The Irish drawl in Logan's voice made me snort and subsequently choke on a piece of prime beef.I tried to swallow the contents of my mouth while simultaneously trying to cough up the piece of meat that was lodged on my throat.Keanu and Logan got to their feet,alarmed while Wayne and Glob asked if I was okay.

Obviously not! I'm choking!

I tried to glare at them while I was gasping for breath but it was too much work.I clawed at my throat and pushed my chair back,stood on my feet and gasped some more.Logan looked on with wide,frightened eyes while Keanu got behind me and started the heimlich.

"This is no time to grope her boy! She's choking! Give her a good swat on the back!" Yelled Glob and I tried to lift my head and aim my trusty eye daggers at him but alas,I was too busy suffocating.I heard Wayne's smooth,British voice explain to him that Keanu was trying to help me and Logan's steady "Oh my god,Oh my god,the meat is gonna kill her," on repeat.

Keanu had his arms locked around my middle,and thrusted upwards again and again,bruising my ribs and trying to force the wedge of meat from my trachea but it wasn't working.

"C'mon Jude,C'mon" he said between thrusts and I wanted to assure him that I was trying but I was a bit preoccupied,you know,with turning blue from oxygen deprivation.My body jerked as he renewed his efforts and I felt myself going limp.

"Oh for Opa's sake," In a second I was freed from Keanu's hold and I heard a heavy thud behind me.I was held with one gargantuan hand and given a resounding smack on the back that I felt reverberate throughout my bones with another, and the glob (he he) of meat slid free and flew from my mouth,skidding to a halt on Wayne's plate.Glob held me up by the back of my gown and shook me like a ragdoll.

"Are you now well?" He asked,brow raised.

I was too astonished at being held up like a kitten to speak.

That and the fact that I was mere inches away from the most beautifully sculpted pair of rouge pink lips I'd ever seen.

Oh yeah,and his horns were really spectacular up close.

I nodded and he put me back on my feet,then turned to face everyone.

"Now that the theatrics are over,I think you all have some questions you'd like to be answered."