[A/N: Hee don't kill me over this, you know whatever you think Naomi feels she'd have done this. So would have!]
It was strange to come to and find his mother worriedly at his side same as Francisco had been for Elena after the eclipse and Orizaba.
Something had gone wrong again, the young wizard instinctively knew this before coming to realize or focus on much else.
"M-mama...?", he'd groggily got this out, rubbing slightly at his head, and then finding his face was squished!
"Oh you're alright!", Rafa seemed to sink with relief and be frantic at the same time!
Mateo glanced at her from beyond this and his still slightly confused look, "Y-yeah, what...".
"Ok Miss Rafa, update is...oh hey, you're up", Naomi entered and then promptly grinned, being all casual like she usually was but her smile showing she found that a good thing.
Something on the word update gave a hint of what she might have meant. 'E-Elena!", she'd been hit too! "I-is she...". Mateo had begun to try to get up, but Rafa instantly stalled that.
Naomi pursed her lips and seemed to try to find the perfect wording, to the update she'd basically been coming to give. "She's...still out, but...it's nothing", she rushed as her friend tried to rise again, "her grandparents have checked probably everything you can and, she's just out again, no problems though and...".
"But it could all be related, to the magic of before, all of it, I've got to...", Mateo pushed back his covers.
"You're going to sit right there until I know you're fine!", Rafa insisted.
Naomi smiled to her and then back at Mateo, but was good and didn't comment on the mothering (since Heaven help her if any ever saw her father at heightened Parental Worry!). "Yeah, no worries Mateo, I got it. Second part of the group, remember, she's my other best friend, I won't let anything at her, promise; magic or no".
Mateo sighed, he really had little choice. He didn't even tell Naomi to update him soon as Elena did awaken, because he knew she would. Instead, he figured maybe finding out more on the occurrences he couldn't recall would be a good thing. "So what...happened, exactly?", he asked both the females in the room. "I...I don't remember much, you backing away from the fog and...". Mateo realized he and Elena had not been the only in danger...
"I'm sorry", he went on, "how is everyone else. Are you two ok?".
"Yeah, right as rain, like nothing happened", Naomi reassured, "Honestly if it wasn't for you and Elena...uh just the passing out like you know about...it would have just been a neat fog and meteor".
"So it was the meteor? And fog?"
"Near as we can tell".
Another pause and then Mateo went on, "You...this doesn't make...Mrs. Sans...".
"Oh, no, I don't think it was one of her odd fog...well...ok I dunno", Naomi admitted with the suggestion and thinking it over.
"No...reason for Elena and me passing out though?" Mateo asked. Rafa and Naomi glanced between eachother. "What...", the young wizard hesitantly persisted nonetheless.
"Your Tamborita's a mess...", Naomi admitted. "Oh, I mean it's just the cover and easily fixed probably, but...it's like the lightning or whatever went...through it and...that's why you were hit. Might have been...magically...pulled to it or...I don't know".
"And the Sceptar was why Elena also", Mateo caught up and sighed, thinking. "I-it's more than a wand...this could be big and...if she's still out...Mom please, I'm fine, I promise I am", Mateo turned back to his mother . Rafa sighed, looking unsure. She knew full well Mateo would just say that to aid a friend. She then let out her sigh though.
"I knew this sort of thing would come up, you being the Royal Wizard, like your grandfather...", her eyes shone slightly, "Not that that wasn't hard at times. I was a little girl...and so afraid he wasn't coming back...", her ramblings oddly made sense. Shiriki.
"I will", Mateo gripped her hand, making a sort of a promise...one he knew was unfair, who knew what might hit him as a Royal Wizard all along his career? Smiling, Rafa nodded, "I know, I know, it's...part of why I...go". With a smile, and kiss to her forehead, Mateo nodded. Naomi smiling and kindly pretending she was really interested in the lay out of Mateo's shelves (though really it was more tease fodder so...).
"Alright, let's...", as he hoped up, Mateo noticed he was still in what he'd worn to the festival, his typical vest minus the Royal robes.
"It's only been like two hours", Naomi explained, catching his wondering, "so yeah, dead of night, if that makes a difference".
"It doesn't. Did you bring a Jaquin?" Mateo asked as they made the hallway.
"Nope, but I got two horses", she grinned.
Mateo paused. "Fuego...", he guessed.
"He likes you!", Naomi 'reassured'. Well the horse was an up and down sort of hill at times...
Instinctively Mateo went over to where his bag and Tamborita were, finding they'd been left in the front hall, and forgetting slightly what Naomi had said. He paused. The bag was black where a trail seemed to have gone through it...and...he pulled out the tamborita. Busted now.
He sighed. "I...I'll have to fix it, I...oh it's probably alright me going this once without it".
"Yeah, I think this was our big fiasco that we seem to need at every gathering", Naomi replied with a small smile. Just trying to lighten the mood...and her own worry over Elena. Mateo nodded slightly, they did have a bad track record.
"I will enjoy not having to run back and forth though now that you're up", the Harbor Master's daughter said as they exited to the courtyard.
"You...you've been running back and forth?", Mateo asked, "How...how many times? I mean...".
"Just a few", Naomi shrugged, "you're both my friends, I...couldn't make up my mind who to check on". She opened the gates and mounted her horse, a loaner from the stables.
"I'm...sorry you had to...and Thankyou" Mateo said, "I really wasn't worth all that trouble".
"Uh 'scuse you, I'm not taking on the monsters and stuff", Naomi retorted, then sighed, "Ok that's not it, you're...a little too stuck inside books and stuff, but...as friends who are now with me at the castle go...I'm glad I got you...and not the stinky kid in the back of the class who's name I never learned".
Mateo laughed smally, then shrugged, "Same here". He then glanced to Fuego, who just glanced back.
"Ok Fuego...it's for Elena...behave?", he asked. A snort was his only answer, but Mateo figured that would do, and the horse had behaved after Elena was there so...maybe he would now with that encouragement. Probably not though...
