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It's Dolly's Birthday
Chapter 19.
A happy reunion...
Despite, or maybe because of her cultivation of a look of constant arousal and her come-hither manner of dress, Dolly really didn't like being touched by other people.
She managed by dint of her strong personality to enforce a line of demarcation around herself -- her personal space. Whenever she moved through a crowd, no matter how close-packed, the tiny woman always moved in the clear, while her taller and larger companions were jostled about.
At times it could look like she was being escorted, having the way cleared for her, but the effect could be seen even when she was on point, in the lead. She never said or did anything. It was... just some... vibration she gave off that made people notice her and give way to her.
Nevertheless, when she strutted into the empty church building, the trolls who'd closed ranks behind her managed to make it look as if each and every one of them had a hand or an arm on her shoulders. Their proud, protective attitudes hung in the air like a morning fog in cool air over warm water.
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Drummond and Pete were standing in the doorway to the left of the altar, the door that led into the vestry where Dolly had had her brief battle with her Mequillar abductors. They were surveying the damage left by Dolly's whirlwind passage through the room.
Pete was shaking her head and chuckling. "She's the Doll, alright," she said with no small evident pride. She considered Dolly a squad mate and, like all of the Center's Trolls, dearly loved the little redheaded spitfire.
Drummond said nothing, just stood there with tears forming in his eyes, a welling of pride forming in his chest.
Pete's head went up then, and she cocked it to one side, listening. From outside the church came the sounds of cooing birdcalls. The trilling vocalizations carried information to the Troll commander and she quickly translated for Drummond, who only recognized the call for "Baby Troll" and nothing else.
"They've found her. She's OK."
Drummond slumped against the door frame and grinned weakly. "She'll be the death of me yet," he joked. "One of these days, the old ticker is just gonna go 'pop!'." He sighed and the tears in his eyes spilled down his cheeks. "But, man, am I ever fuckin' glad to hear that! Where is she?"
Pete began to turn about to face the rear of the sanctuary, saying, "Should be walking in the front door any minute, now."
Drummond mirrored Pete's action and had his attention riveted on the front door in time to see a certain diminutive redhead strut in, followed by a flame orange phalanx of guardian Trolls, still in their disguises.
"All right, people," Pete said, projecting her voice to fill the sanctuary. "Let's get this operation cleaned up!"
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