[i]The dry Jedadi air was filled with the sounds of battle that day. A traditional saber keened and crashed against a series of light spears. The battle ribbon had long been sliced to... well, you know the expression. Shazari had really brought her A-game. You know, for once in her life. She pressed the advantage, moving forward, only forward, and smiled with wild glee as color after color shattered under her skillful strikes. Violet broke, then Green, then Blue, and then Yellow. It was a complete victory. Or a total defeat, depending on your perspective. Shazari let out a triumphant little whoop, and only an idiot would miss how proud of herself she felt right now.

It was really hard not to be happy for her. 

"I've got you this time, [Mittens]! Give me back the crown jewels and I'll ask Mom to let you go with just a warning!"

"Psh," [Mittens] rolled her mischievous green eyes, "Make me!"

The smile fell off of Shazari's face. The saber lifted up under [Mittens']. 

"Don't be stubborn! Twice in a row is really good, ok? But this time I won! So give them back!"

"You haven't won yet, Shazari."

"Yes I have!" she stomped her foot, "You've got no weapons, all of your stupid lights are broken. I've got you at my mercy! Which I'm [b]trying[/b] to give you if you'd stop being such a jerk!"

"It's not that I don't appreciate it," [Mittens] chirped, "It's just that I know something you don't."

Shazari froze. She couldn't help tossing a nervous look over her shoulder, looking for an ambush from Rita maybe, or one of [Mittens'] knights. But there was nothing but the dark and the warmth of the cave she'd pinned [Mittens] inside of. She shook it off, and glared imperiously at the little Illuminan trickster. 

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"You're standing over a web viper pit."[/i]

The memory brings a little smile to Mittens' face, despite all the danger she's in right now. She can still remember her rival's little squeak of fear and the look on her face when the trap door gave out and plunged her into rainbow webby heck. Out of all of her Jedad heists, that one was definitely the most fun. She has to stifle a giggle when she thinks about the trip back to the Royal Palace, dragging that delirious, squeaky cocoon through the sands by her grappling hook (heh, sucker). The way she wiggled! The sounds she made! 

Ourania help her, did Mittens actually miss Shazari? Ugh, she did. She [i]actually[/i] did! Maybe Momma had a point about the feud being dumb. Well, when she got out of here, she'd... [i]if[/i] she got out of here, she'd... ok deep breaths, Mittens. Put the apology on the list of reasons to get out of here in one piece. 

Speaking of one piece, hello gorgeous. So glad you made it through this too. Mittens wiggles her way underneath the gorgeous suit like the world's most fashionable snake. Maybe if she stayed like this she could trick the web vipers into thinking she was one of them? No, that's dumb. Stop being dumb, Mittens. 

She shapes her Violet into a dowel rod and floats it onto a sleeve. Then begins the painstaking and careful process of rolling it onto the light and off of her. This is the beginnings of her actual, less stupid plan. See, web vipers are very sensitive to the vibrations of the ground when their prey walks by. So as soon as she starts doing any sort of really movement, they'll strike. And as happy as she might wind up being in that cocoon, Mittens had a curse to break so that would be bad. 

That's why she wads up the first blouse she sneaks off of her into a ball, and then flicks it across the room from her. There's a soft thump as it lands in the webbing. And so it goes. Trousers! A silk gown! A pair of dancing shoes! More and more and more clothes, going faster and faster as she regains the use of her arms, making so many tiny little vibrations in so many places the web vipers will miss her in all the confusion. Annoyingly, the toe-bean socks seem stuck to her. But oh well.

When she's finally mobile again, she snatches the suit off of its poly-chromatic hanger and has to suppress the urge to do some giddy hops. Her tail swishes happily behind her, which is good enough as far as celebrations go. But she's running out of time here! Get moving, Mittens!

She wipes a bit of sweat from her forehead, and turns her Violet into a small, floating disc just a barely big enough for her to stand on.

"Really... wish you were the grappling light, sweetie."

And, clutching the suit to her chest like it was life itself, Mittens hops onto the platform. She tenses her legs and jumps up! She sails through the air, cartwheeling up and to her right, while she frantically yanks Violet back to her and shapes it into a new platform in time for her to land on it. Twirl! Leap! Left! Twirl! Leap! Right! Twirl! Leap! Up!

Higher and higher she climbs with the grace of a gymnast, moving ever so slowly toward the exit, where maybe it will finally be safe enough for her to put real clothes on. Is this the easiest way to get out of here? No. Is it the fastest? Also no. 

But if you've got a better way to avoid the attention of "nature's love snakes", I'd like to hear it. 

[Get Away (with temporary Despair!): [s]6[/s], 5, 5 (+2) = [b]12[/b]. Mittens takes the suit with her, and escapes quietly/without attracting attention]