Mr. Waddlebug had found a comfy chair in the corner of the room near the fireplace and was dozing, the honking sound of his snoring what one might expect from an old man with a bulbous nose, as Corey sat idly at the desk, absently twirling the feather of a quill in his fingers, waiting on a response from Ms. Fizzlestitch and pondering his own existence.It wasn’t a pleasant experience.He tended to push away the ideas that often popped into his head--why did he work so hard? What was he trying to prove? What did it matter if one new recruit didn’t show up? All of those questions often dwelling just below the surface until one finds himself in a quiet room, all alone save a snoring elf in the corner, and then it is difficult to push the contemplations aside.But Corey was very talented when it came to the ability to dodge the deeper questions, and he refused now to entertain any of the truly important thoughts that dare rise to the surface of his cons

The Snow Queen’s fortress was high atop Mt. Menzelfrap, still within the protective dome put in place centuries ago when St. Nicholas first moved his operations to this secret location, but what could be several days walk through treacherous territory in inclement weather if one chose to travel by foot. Luckily, Corey had the ability to teleport himself magically and found himself standing outside her castle door only a few moments after ending his discussion with the man in charge.While he could have easily positioned himself within the fortress itself had he chosen to do so, he rarely made the decision to disturb others so abruptly, particularly in a situation where he was in need of some assistance, so with the bitterly cold wind whipping around, blowing the snow into his face and wreaking havoc on his carefully knotted scarf, Corey knocked on the nine-foot high silver encased ice door and waited for someone to let him inside.In reality only a few moments ha

Maevis had been kind enough to write her response on her father’s stationary, find an envelope, seal it, and accompany her back to her cottage where she now alternated between standing next to the fireplace, pacing, and sitting agitatedly in the rocking chair, arms crossed as she let go the frequent “humph” or sigh.Once again, Maevis said calmly, “Serendipity, calm down. He’ll be here soon. He said it could be a couple of hours, and it hasn’t even been one yet.”Serendipity, who was currently sitting in the rocking chair, rocking furiously as her little friends did their best to keep their tales out of harm’s way, replied, “I know that. But, really, what in the world could be taking so long?”“I haven’t the foggiest idea,” Maevis stated. She was sitting in the only other chair, the one near Serendipity's paints, and each time the opportunity presented itself, she would inconspicu

A knock at the door caught the words in Serendipity’s throat. Perhaps it was a good thing, as she wasn’t exactly sure how to reply to Maevis’s statement. She didn’t know precisely how many times Corey had knocked, but she pulled herself to her feet, wiped the tears away from her eyes, and crossed to the door, all without saying a word. She threw off the lock and pulled the door open, blinking against the sun, and saying nothing, she turned to get her coat--her mother’s coat--off of the hook by the door. Maevis crossed over quickly and helped her put it on, neither of them addressing the man standing in the doorway.At last, as Serendipity turned to face her, Maevis straightened the fur collar around her neck, and said quietly, “Take care, my darling,” and kissed her gently on the cheek.Serendipity nodded her head and said quietly, “I will see you soon,” before looking around her cottage one l

Corey glanced in Serendipity’s direction and could instantly tell that she already knew what he was not yet willing to admit to himself; he fit in the latter category. Was he happy? Of course not. Was he doing what he wanted to do with his life? Well, he had never imagined himself doing anything else. He changed the subject. “Let me tell you a bit about our facilities,” he began.“Why?” she asked that right eyebrow arched again. “I’ll only be there for a few moments, just long enough to collect Pozzletot.”“True,” Corey replied, swallowing hard. “But it is part of my job to do so, and doing my job makes me quite happy, and you do want me to be happy, don’t you, Serendipity?”There was that charming grin again, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “All right then,” she acquiesced, smiling in return. “I shall humor you.”“Very good,” he s