[PQ] Gourding/Guarding the Library [Seasonal Event]

Loren not afraid to use every trick in the book Quite a bit happened seemingly all at once. First, a familiar voice called out and Loren seized upon it like a drowning man seized a rope. Remi was here, and Loren knew his...whatever they were...would save him from his current predicament. The Launceleyn was still getting used to letting others help him—for too long he’d only be able to rely and trust himself, betrayed by everyone he cared about—but he knew Remi, intimately at this point, and knew he could trust the other man with the librarian's life. ”Remi…” Loren managed to croak out weakly, as some of the oppressive pressure vanished from him before a gourd tried to shove its way into his mouth. He bit down in retaliation; apparently these vegetables weren’t the smartest critters...or plants, or whatever. Before he could do much, another, much more strident voice rang out, one Loren didn’t know. Unfortunately for the strange woman, the fire would be remaining for the time being: it was the former duke’s most potent weapon, and though the squash had originally seemed like laughable foes, they’d already proven more dangerous than Loren could ever have imagined. If Amalia had bothered to pay attention, she would’ve clearly seen that the only harm done to the books was by the gourds. As if Loren would ever let a volume get damaged by his actions. He wasn’t an amateur, even if he was still buried under a pile of root vegetables. Still, the woman started whacking pumpkins and other assorted squashes and he’d be willing to forgive quite a bit of hostility on her part for assistance with the infestation. However, the load had been lightened enough by the actions of Loren’s saviors that, even with his meager strength, he was able to roll onto his back; this dislodged some of the gourds and crushed others, leaving him coated in a disgusting goo. Sitting up, he glared at the newcomer. ”Fire stays until the gourds go. Fifi isn’t going to so much as let a single spark land on a book, which you could tell for yourself by the lack of the burning paper scent in the air.” His voice came out more harshly than it usually did; near death would do that to him, as would being challenged in his own library. He was able to stagger to his feet just in time for Edrei of all people to wander in, grinning and speaking in an entirely too happy tone. ”You’re hardly one to talk about making messes, since I seem to recall you completely destroying my kitchen and carving a death threat into my wall to boot in our first ever meeting. Way to leave an impression.” Loren’s voice came out snappier and harder than it usually did: he was in no mood to play Edy’s games while they were under attack. Besides, he was probably mad at her for some reason or another. Turning back to the strange woman, Loren regarded her impassively. ”No, we didn’t bring them with us. Guess that makes you a native?” He was about to ask her whether she knew anything about this; however, before he could even shout a warning, a wave of gourds launched themselves from a shelf above her, raining down. He reached out instinctively with his magic (which he still hadn’t quite figured out how to manage in this new world) and batted a few out of the air with a thought (no gestures required), but he was too weak to stop them all. Even worse, Fifi was still keeping the main mass of the ground gourds at bay. Maybe his companions would have better luck protecting the stranger. OOC Note: Target chosen at random. No post order (and thanks for being patient folks!).