Usagi and Ukyo got to share a room with two big beds, each one bigger than both of their own beds together.
"We're really lucky Mamoru's friend is the current owner of this castle, right?" Ukyo said while putting away her stuff. "The search for the amulet will be much easier this way."
"By the way, Ukyo..." Luna jumped onto her bed. "Sting gave me something that belonged to the original Sailor Libra... just a moment..."
Luna jumped into the air, and after a small somersault, a small, shiny pair of scales appeared on her bed.
Ukyo picked it up. "Thank you, but... I guess they're no ordinary scales, right?"
"That's correct," Luna nodded. "They're called the 'Scales of Light and Shadow'. They can show you if the balance between good and evil is being disturbed by something, in the immediate proximity."
Ukyo held them up. "They're balanced out perfectly. I guess that means everything is fine?"
"Right," Luna nodded. "But I have the feeling we'll need this little artifact sooner or later."
----
Under normal circumstances, Jimmy would've eaten his dinner in the kitchen. But now that he had guests he insisted on serving it in the castle's dining room... on a table that was easily big enough for 20 people, or perhaps even more.
"I'm sorry that I had no time of tidying this place," Jimmy said after everyone sat down. "If I had known you were coming..."
"It's fine the way it is," Mamoru told him. "Don't worry about it... Besides, you know how my apartment was always in a state of chaos, right?"
Jimmy laughed. "Yeah, I remember very well... Well, I hope Usagi managed to turn you into a better house husband, eh?"
Usagi blushed, Mamoru chuckled and Luna sweat-dropped. Mamoru mainly had to clean up AFTER Usagi had been at his apartment.
Ukyo looked around the room. There were paintings hanging everywhere on the walls.
"Say, Jimmy," she started. "All of this must be worth a fortune... didn't you ever think about selling it, if you don't even live here?"
"You're right, this old building really isn't my style," Jimmy chuckled. "But, you know... I'm the last one of the McScotts... and I could never sell the home of my ancestors."
Ukyo took a closer look at the paintings. Directly next to her was a big picture of an elderly couple, dressed in traditional Scottish costumes, complete with checkered kilts.
Suddenly, she let out a gasp of surprise. "Hey! On that painting... that's the amulet we're looking for, isn't it?"
She was right: Around the neck of the old man on the painting, the golden pendant was dangling.
"So that's why you're here, eh?" Jimmy smirked. "I already guessed it was no duty call..."
"You're right," Mamoru replied. "You know, there is a total of 12 of these amulets, and we are trying to find them all. We learned that one of them would be somewhere here on McScott Castle."
"But this is only a picture, right?" Usagi said. "We need the real one."
Jimmy stood up and looked at the painting. "Yes, I know the amulet you are talking about... but I've never seen the real amulet in my life, I'm sorry..."
"Who are those people on the painting anyway?" Ukyo asked.
They all looked at the faces of the pictured couple. It was amazing how realistic their faces looked. Usagi had the chilling feeling as if their eyes would stare directly at her.
Jimmy shook his head. "I'd prefer we don't talk about this creepy picture anymore..." He shuddered.
Suddenly, something invisible smacked the back of his head...
"Mind your mouth," an angry voice shouted. "You impudent rascal!"
And out of the empty air, a floating figure appeared: The translucent form of an elderly man, the same one that was on the painting.
Usagi yelped in fright and jumped behind Mamoru. Luna hissed and hid under the table. Ukyo nervously stepped back.
Jimmy just sighed. "Uncle Eric... since when do you appear when I don't even play my guitar? You never did before!"
"I won't let a snotty tyke like you insult our lovely painting," the ghost huffed.
Suddenly, next to the floating man appeared another translucent figure... the other person from the painting, the woman!
"Eric McScott! What did I tell you about appearing before mortals that aren't even Scottish? And in broad daylight... shame on you!"
The man looked at Usagi, Mamoru and Ukyo with wide eyes. "By my grave! Who are those people?" He took a closer look. "Are you Irishmen?"
Mamoru chuckled. "No, sir... We're from Japan!"
"Never heard of the country," the ghost grumbled. "What are you doing in my castle?"
"The castle now belongs to Jim," the woman shouted. "He can invite anyone he wants. So leave his guests alone!"
Mamoru quickly walked over to his friend. "Um, Jimmy... are those..."
Jimmy sighed. "Ghosts? Yeah, pretty amazing, huh? May I introduce you to my granduncle Eric and my grandaunt Betty? You saw them on the painting..."
Ukyo laughed nervously. "Um... nice to meet you, sir, ma'am..."
"My, what a nice young lady," the female ghost smiled. Ukyo blushed.
"Are you sure you aren't Irish?" Eric McScott muttered. "I can't stand those idiots... I used to have an Irish business partner... he always had to brag about how their way of life would be much better than our fair Scottish traditions... What a snob..."
The three Japanese teenagers calmed down a little. Those ghosts didn't seem too bad...
"Um... excuse me, sir?" Usagi asked carefully.
"What do you want, lass?" the ghost asked in his grouchy voice.
"Uh... I just wanted to ask you... that golden amulet on your painting... I mean... could you please tell us where it is?"
McScott instantly got suspicious. "Why? So you can steal it?"
"We have no intention of stealing from you, sir," Mamoru quickly answered. "But, you see... it is very important for us that we find every of these twelve amulets."
The ghost thought about it.
His wife floated over to him and smiled. "Dear, I believe those nice people have a very good reason. So why don't you just give it to them?"
"Give it to them?" Eric McScott sounded shocked. "I've never just GIVEN anything to anyone. No, dear... if they want that amulet, they have to earn it first."
Ukyo sighed. Well, that would have been too easy, right?
"And what do you have in mind, Uncle Eric?" Jimmy asked.
The ghost smirked.
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(Posted Wed, 30 Aug 2006 16:24)
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