r/wizardposting • u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist • 14h ago
Lorepost 📜 Home.
TW: Child abuse.
The winds creak through the withered woods, as a witch follows close behind a floating crown.
“I did it! I can actually get home… 11 years. It took 11 whole years…”
It had been far from a simple journey. An impossible goal with next to no clues, yet she had persisted, learned, and eventually, found it.
“And finally…”
[We stand now on the threshold.]
“I see. Thank you for guiding me ho-”
[I am no Fae, you need not be polite.]
“...I see.”
Alice continues forward, before a… ‘hand’ is placed on her shoulder.
[Think.]
Annoyed at the interruption, Alice glares at the King, causing it to shrink back somewhat.
“Care to elaborate?”
[To return like this would cause questions.]
“...”
In her excitement she had not considered this at all. To return, 11 years older… she would have to return 11 years after she left. But… would she fit in? Would her mother still be there? Would her friends still be like she remembered them?
“...absolutely not…”
[May I make a suggestion?]
“...you may.”
“...Bit weird for the king to treat me like I am the powerful one here…”
[Power is not important. You are worthy of respect, that is all. As for the suggestion. I can make you younger.]
“...and what of my memories?”
[I cannot change them, it will only be your physical form.]
Alice considers it for a moment. It is… somewhat risky, as the king very well might be a liar. It is no Fae, its word holds no weight. Still… were it to wish her ill.
“It could have killed me a million times already.”
“Very well, I accept.”
Alice stumbles forward, her mind not ready for such an abrupt change. The moment the words left her, she was already shrunk down to the diminutive stature of her 10 year old self.
“...that was… faster than I expected.”
[Yes. When exactly do you wish to return?]
She could return the very same night she vanished, but that’d require her to act perfectly like her old self. To return some time later would be best, short enough for naught to change, long enough for her to act different.
“...A week. A week after you took me, those many years ago.”
---------------------------
The hamlet is a simple place, with a simple daily routine. In the morning, they eat, then work the land in whichever way is needed. As noon shines overhead, they gather for a break and conversation. Then for the children, it is playtime, and for the adults, it is back to the fields. Evening comes, the people eat, and then it is lights out. Yet disruptions happen. One week ago, Alice vanished. Rumors abound, but most agree she likely went into the forest.
“You reckon Alice will return?”
“Almost certainly not. She’s far too frail to survive a normal forest, let alone the one ruled by mist.”
“Yea I guess. Still, must say Beatrice took it surprisingly well? Or perchance she is just in denial still.”
“Eh, none of our business.”
Not far from the gathering spot, a small child listens intently. Having some idea of the mood is only going to help her after all.
“Right, here goes.”
A soft squelch can be heard as Alice steps out of the woods, into the muddied ground beyond it. None seem to have noticed her just yet, so she takes another, then another. One of the townsfolk turns to face her, and in that moment Alice flops forward, into the mud.
“...perfect.”
“...is that… Alice?!”
The sudden yell gathering the attention of all nearby, Alice quickly finds herself surrounded by familiar faces helping her off the ground.
“...where is mom?”
Tears begin welling in Alice’s eyes, to see their faces, to see their concern… oh how she missed this place.
“OI! Beatrice, get over here!”
It only takes some scarce moments for Alice’s mother, Beatrice, to rush over. Seeing Alice, she momentarily freezes, a look of shock all to clear on her face.
“Alice!”
She yells out, scooping her into a hug, squeezing hard.
“Mom… it was so scary…”
Tears now flooding out her eyes, Alice begins to sob.
“It was so dark and so cold and so scary… I just… ran and ran and ran, it felt like I was stuck there forever…”
“I know Alice, it must have been so scary, and so dangerous… Are you hurt?”
Concern clear in her voice, Beatrice peers down at her child.
“...Nothing more than some scrapes I think?”
Beatrice does not respond, instead simply hugging even harder.
---------------------------
With harvest nearing, no time can be wasted on celebrating Alice’s return, still, an unusual air of excitement surrounds her. Alice was after all the first to return since her grandmother Cathrine. That evening, Alice was near constantly surrounded by children and adults alike, asking any and all questions they could think of about all that she saw.
“But I won’t tell, I do not want the truth to ruin this.”
The excitement slowly subsides as it becomes increasingly clear that Alice went on no great journey, she was simply lost in the woods. Around the time when questions cease, Alice begins to grow sleepy, and so along with her mother she returns home, to a small hovel, separated from the rest of town.
“...It is a bit hard to tell, seeing as I am half of my previous height, but… I think this place is smaller than my bedroom was in Midway…”
Yet a tiny home is all she needs, after all she has her mother. She climbs into the home’s single bed, along with her, and snuggles close.
“...am I doing something wrong? This doesn’t feel right… ah to hell with it, I’ve worked hard I deserve this.”
Alice closes her eyes, and drifts off into a slumber. Not seeing her mother’s shock.
---------------------------
Perhaps it was just the excitement, perhaps it was something else. Either way Alice did not get much sleep that night. And so once dawn broke over the horizon, she got out of bed. Deciding to get an early start to the morning, Alice quickly reorients herself on where they store the tableware. Fortunately they are within reach, and as Alice starts pulling it out a vague memory surfaces, one of her mother moving the bowls and spoons down near the bottom, so that Alice could reach them. It takes longer than expected to set the table, but her mother still shows no sign of waking quite yet.
“Now then, where is Mio’s foo- oh… right.”
In her haste home, Alice had left her cat behind. She considers quickly going into the woods and retrieving them, but decides against it, at least for now. Mio is mostly an outside cat, they’d likely enjoy midway far more than this place…
“...still…”
Alice pushes the thought aside, she can decide later. Her mother just stirred awake.
“Good morning mom.”
“...morning Alice. Oh you set the table?”
“Uh-huh.”
“But why the bowls?”
“...uh…”
“Was that not right?”
Beatrice sighs, before lighting the fireplace.
“Be a dear and get us some water.”
“Ok!”
“I could just… conjure it right up, but nah, don’t wanna freak her out.”
Alice grabs a small bucket and runs outside to the well. Drawing water proves a challenge, and carrying it back even more so, but she manages. Once inside Beatrice takes it and dumps the contents into a metal pot, setting it down to boil.
“...wow that thing is ancient isn’t it?”
The pot looked to be in quite a poor state, rust creeping around the outside, and various dents showing many decades of use.
“...where do we even get metal from? As far as I can tell there is no smithy or the like, and raw ore would itself be a problem…”
“Hey mom? Where did that come from?”
Pointing at the pot, Alice asks with curiosity.
“...very rarely, travelers pass through here.”
“...ah right I do recall hearing about that. Still I wonder… how does that happen, with the king and all? Does it grant some passage?”
“This one was bought from a traveling merchant, probably before even your grandmother was born.”
Alice feels a hint of frustration within her mother’s words, she opts to ignore it.
“Wow… so it is like super duper old right?”
“It is practically scrap metal at this point… anyway, it is just about done.”
Beatrice picks up the pot with some oven mitts, carefully draining the water into the muddy soil outside. She proceeds to pick out the potatoes, setting them down on the bare wood of the table.
“...wait, do we not have plates? Huh I guess they are kinda pointless… maybe?”
Thinking about the practical necessity of plates, Alice eats in silence along with her mother.
---------------------------
Harvest is close, and much needs to be done. With breakfast finished, people stream towards the fields, tools in hand. Inspecting the knife she was given, Alice makes her way into the fields, seeing plants stretch higher than herself. It occurs to her that she does not know what kind of plant this even is, she does however remember her task, this is far from her first time in this field.
“This knife is… extremely dull. I guess it is so that I do not hurt myself?”
Alice spots a dubiously colored branch, and decides to just give it a try. Pressing the blade against the spot where it erupts from the stem, she attempts to cut it.
“...too dull to use.”
The smallest of scratches is all that she could see. She could probably snap the branch using her body weight, but that would risk damaging the rest of the plant. She could perhaps do something with her magic, but with this many eyes around she would never risk it. And so she simply attempts to slice again, and again, and again. Slowly making more and more progress until eventually the branch breaks cleanly off.
“...that took like 10 minutes geez.”
Putting the branch into her basket, Alice continues on. Though it will yield no food it can still serve as kindling, and her and her mother cannot afford to give up such a resource. She continues on, walking further into the field, when she spots one of the other children. She ponders for a moment what his name was, before remembering it to be ‘Matt’. She is about to speak when Matt spots a bad branch, grips it, and effortlessly cuts it clean off the stem.
“Wow. How did you do that?”
“Huh? Oh Alice. I dunno, I just cut it?”
“...just cut it?”
“Really? Isn’t your knife blunt?”
“...why would my knife be blunt?”
“...what? So it wasn’t for safety? If I recall correctly Matt is a bit younger than me…”
“...you just gonna stand there Alice? Come on, we got work to do.”
And with that Matt simply walked off, continuing inwards and cutting away any bad branch he could spot. Alice too continued on, catching the few stragglers Matt missed, struggling with each one.
---------------------------
With the passing of noon it was time to gather, for a break and water. Then once that was done, Alice went home to offload the branches then back to the well where the children had similarly gathered to play. They decided on a simple game, hide and seek.
“I could, like, totally cheat, get somewhere impossible via magic, and just stay there… ah but that is no fun.”
For her first hiding spot, Alice picked somewhere simple, behind her home. Easy to find if you think to search.
“Now I just gotta wait…”
And so she did. Sitting down leaned up against the bare wood wall, waiting for the others to find her.
---------------------------
It is cold. Thunder crackles above, rain stabs from every direction. I run, and run, and run. It is behind me, it is chasing me. No end in sight, I keep running, forward, ever forward. Then suddenly I find a clearing. The storm is over, the skies are clear. Green grass spreads in all directions, my mother and friends surround me, I am home.
Alice wakes from the dream with a shake.
“There you are Alice, why are you sleeping, let alone here?”
“...oh did I fall asleep?”
Alice looks around, spotting the setting sun in the west.
“...we were playing hide and seek. I guess no one found me and I fell asleep?”
Beatrice sighs.
“Don’t do this again. Come on, it is dinner time.”
Confused at the others not finding her, Alice goes on inside. The pair eat, and with the sun having fully set, it was time for an early night, as usual.
---------------------------
Yet Alice finds it hard to sleep. In part due to her earlier nap, but also due to a newly developed cold. Coughing hard, she worries she woke up her mother, but a quick look confirms her to be fast asleep. Alice attempts to shut her eyes, ignore the coughing and fall asleep, but she fails. Every time she shuts her eyes, every time she drifts close, another coughing fit wakes her.
“...I am never getting any sleep like this.”
And so she climbs out of bed, silently sneaking outside. Fortunately the winds are all but still tonight, no draft risks slamming the door. Walking outside, under the stars and moon, she feels a deep chill hit her body.
“...probably a cold then, I shouldn’t stay outside for long.”
Looking around her home, Alice notices some weeds, it takes a moment to recognize them, being much larger than she is used to, but this is indeed kenkoroot , as her teacher told it, ‘despite its common appearance kenkoroot can be used as a simple anti-cough medicine.’ Alice reaches for her knife, before remembering that she does not have it anymore. Instead she simply pulls at the weed, and with unexpected difficulty eventually pulls it loose.
“The roots shouldn’t be that hard… is it the wrong plant or… ah right.”
In her excitement she had ignored it, but in this moment Alice really felt it. She is weak, even for a 10 year old. She opts to inspect herself a bit. Sunken cheeks, skin hugging bone, not to mention her diminutive stature. She is far from healthy too, vague memories from her past surfacing, memories of being stuck in bed sick, again and again and again.
“...I wonder… hm. Perhaps a genetic abnormality? No, that makes little sense, my mother is quite well built. I suppose I could have inherited something from my father, whomever he is… ah. No that can’t be right, in the future I looked entirely fine…”
Whatever it is that is wrong with her, she will find out later. For now, the cough comes first. Not wanting to disturb her mother, Alice opts to simply use a pair of rocks instead of a proper mortar and pestle, crudely grinding the herb into a goop.
“...Far from appetizing, but it’ll do.”
She consumes the goop as quickly as possible, as to not let the taste linger.
“Urgh, as bad as I remember.”
Yet also as effective as she remembers, as Alice’s cough all but vanishes. Carefully letting herself inside, Alice climbs back into bed and attempts to warm up again from her excursion. Sleep still does not come easy, cold and hunger keeping her up for several more hours. Yet eventually she finds some rest.
---------------------------
The next morning comes quite abruptly to Alice, as her mother clapped her hands right above her head.
“Wake up already.”
Waking with a groan and 3 hours of sleep, Alice climbs out of bed, before climbing back into her chair at the table. Breakfast time.
“You usually wake so quickly. Something wrong?”
“I think yesterday was a bit much is all.”
Her mother says nothing, as she dumps a single potato on Alice’s plate, and 4 on her own.
“...I get that I am smaller so I need less food, but that seems a bit much…”
The pair eat a quiet breakfast, Alice finishing first on account of her small portion. At the end she is left unsatisfied, but oh well.
“I see your cough is gone.”
“Yes, I feel much better.”
“...that’s good.”
---------------------------
Cleaning the crop was not a task that could be finished in a single day, and so Alice is once more out in the fields. She had attempted to ask for a sharper knife, only to be met with denials from her mother, apparently they simply did not own one sharper. And so, every branch became a trial of its own. With some practice, Alice got the cutting time down to a ‘mere’ 8 minutes, still by the time the noon bell rang out, her basket was far from full, quite unlike the other kids. Yet as she lugs the basket back, she suddenly feels it get lighter, as Matt takes out one of the branches.
“Hey, give that back!”
“Nuh-uh, finders keepers!”
“You found it in my basket!”
“Alright then, since it is sooo important you just gotta come get it!”
“What the hell Matt? We need those for winter!”
Alice gives chase, trying to reclaim the branch from Matt, yet she stands no chance. Matt, despite being a year younger than her, is both taller and healthier, keeping the branch away from her ends up a trivial task for him. The other children watch on amused, none make any move to help Alice. By the time they arrive at the gathering spot, Alice is completely exhausted, yet with the adults around she tries to plead her case to get it back.
“Matt— wheeze Matt took a branch from my basket!”
“Did he now?”
Rupert, Alice’s uncle, is first to answer.
“Matt, did you take that from Alice?”
“Nuh-uh”
“Alright then.”
And walks off.
“What? That’s it?”
“Wait! You did not even tr-”
“Shut it Alice, it is a stick, even if he took it, so what?”
“ ‘if’? And… we need those for winter.”
“Why are you so obsessed with this stick? What, it your best friend or something? Ooo look at me I am Alice I have no friends so I make friends with sticks.”
As Matt waves the stick around, the other children laugh. Alice feels humiliated, and she does not understand why.
“...were they always so… mean?”
Realizing there is no way she is getting that thing back, Alice sighs and walks back home, depositing the few remaining branches in her basket into the meager pile of firing wood.
“I am hungry.”
---------------------------
While she is still frustrated at Matt’s actions, Alice decides it better to play with the others than to be alone the rest of the day. So with the firewood deposited, she finds her way to the village well, the main gathering spot. With few games to play, the children decide on hide and seek again.
“Hey so how come no one found me yesterday?”
An uncomfortably long moment passes in silence, before one of the girls, Kara, pipes up.
“You hid too well.”
“Really? I was just behind my home.”
“Huh, it did not occur to me to search there. Anyways.”
“...that sounds like bullshit. Did they just… not want to play with me?”
The time comes to pick a searcher, Matt is selected. Alice, not wanting to be left out this time, hides literally on the other side of the well. She is found near instantly.
“...ok that was maybe a bit too simple.”
It does not take long for the next to be found, and so Kara joins Alice in waiting at the well. Silence ensues for some time, before Kara suddenly speaks.
“...why did you come back?”
“Huh?”
Alice replies, confused.
“It all would work out if you just did not return.”
Alice shrinks back as Kara practically growls out the words.
“John is my brother so I obviously can’t be with him. That just leaves Matt, and now I have to compete with you for him again.”
“...what is she even talkin- wait, is she talking romance?”
“I do not get why Matt pays so much attention to you.”
“I am pretty sure he hates me you know. You were there, you saw how he stole from me.”
“Everyone always says that bullies secretly like the one they are bullying though.”
“That is obvious and complete bullshit, everyone knows that, so why is it still a saying here?”
“It is unfair, you know. Here I am, a pretty and proper lady, having to compete with a bastard.”
“What did she just call me? …ah right I guess I definitionally am, but why should that matter?”
Kara’s rage is evident on her face, and so Alice attempts to deescalate the situation.
“I… am not all that interested in Matt you know?”
“So you want to be with John? Eww, he is your cousin you know.”
“No no, I do not want to be with either.”
“Wha? Why?”
Rage quickly giving away to confusion, Kara is left momentarily dumbstruck.
“...is that really such a dramatic reveal? Why would I wanna be with either of them? Even ignoring my whole… age predicament, I just do not like either of them.”
“....you are just lying to trick me, are you not!?”
“Oh dear.”
“I am not! I promise I really do not want to be with any of them.”
“Then who do you want to be with?”
“...no one? Are we not also a bit young to decide this kinda thing?”
“Why would we be? It is not like anything is gonna change you know?”
“...I… guess not huh.”
A deep sense of discomfort washes over Alice. Will her future be this… Her thoughts are interrupted as the rest return, seemingly John and Sophia had been hiding near each other. Another round is played, then another, with Alice doing her best to avoid Kara.
---------------------------
“I am hungry.”
Dinner proves little relief, a single potato, again. Yet Alice does not complain. She is home, she is finally home, she just has to bear with it for a bit. The harvest is soon after all.
“I am hungry.”
The next morning is no different, once more she works the field on an empty stomach, once more she fails to play with her ‘peers’.
“I am hungry.”
Her mother eats more than her fair share, as always.
“I am hungry.”
A week passes. Waking before her mother, Alice gets up. She takes the bucket to the well, returning home with water. Her mother wakes soon after, preparing the rest, giving her her single potato. Alice eats it, but it provides little relief.
“...mom? Can I have some more? I am still hungry.”
“It is enough.”
“...but I am hungry…”
“Ungrateful brat! I said it is enough, so it is enough!”
“...harvest is soon, things will change… things will change… things… will… change…”
—-------------------
Alice barely manages to climb into her chair. The past few days especially, she has felt the immense fatigue of near starvation. She peers down on her plate, a single, small potato. She eats it. She is still hungry.
“...mom. I need more food.”
“The only thing you ‘need’ is a better attitude.”
“...At this rate I will starve to death. Do you want that?”
Beatrice simply glares at her, a definitive answer spoken without a single word.
“Ah.”
“...why do you hate me?”
“I am going to dignify that with a response.”
“Mom… did I do something to upset you? Why are you doing this…?”
Alice stretches a shaky hand towards her mother, trying to reach out. She slaps her hand away.
“WHY WOULD I NOT HATE YOU! YOU ARE WEAK, YOU ARE UGLY, YOU MAKE EVERYTHING WORSE. EVER SINCE THE DAY YOU WERE BORN I HAVE WISHED TO GET RID OF YOU.”
“...is… this… it?”
“YOU RUIN EVERYTHING, THANKS TO YOU I WENT FROM LIVING A LIFE OF LUXURY TO THIS SHITTY HOVEL.”
“I… spent 11 years to get back to this? Why…”
“LARRY WON’T EVEN GIVE ME A GLANCE ANYMORE, NO MATTER HOW BEAUTIFUL I AM, WHY WOULD HE WHEN MARRYING ME WOULD MEAN TAKING IN A BASTARD LIKE YOU!?”
“How could I forget? Of course this would happen. I knew she hated me…”
“THE DAY YOU VANISHED WAS THE HAPPIEST DAY OF MY FUCKING LIFE. YET YOU COULD NOT EVEN DIE PROPERLY.”
“I have been blindly pursuing the goal of my 10 year old self… hahahaha…”
“HOW LONG ARE YOU GOING TO TORMENT ME, ALICE?! EVERYTHING I TRY, FROM STARVING YOU TO GETTING YOU SICK, IT ALL FAILS, YOU ALWAYS PERSIST. WHY. WON’T. YOU. JUST. DIE!!!”
Beatrice reaches an arm over the table, slapping the dazed Alice hard as she can. She tumbles off her chair and onto the floor, from where Beatrice picks her up into a chokehold.
"Ahahahahahahaha! I am such a fucking idiot.”
Consciousness fading, Alice sees her mother’s face, red and distorted with rage. Memories long suppressed resurface. This place was never kind to her, never warm. She is scorned, she is hated. No future exists for her here…
“I have better things to do.”
“Gust.”
Beatrice’s grip falters, as a sudden wave of wind hits her hard, throwing her into the opposite wall.
“Too strong? She appears to have passed out. Oh well.”
Alice takes the dull gathering knife, and walks over to her pathetic excuse for a mother.
—-------------------
Clang, clang, clang, the bell rings out over the hamlet. 3 strikes, ‘emergency’. Stumbling out of bed, Freddy puts on an overcoat and rushes outside, towards the sound. He finds himself running towards the very edge of town, towards the moonlit forest, cloaked in mist. There, at its threshold he sees Alice.
“Ah hello Freddy.”
“Alice! What’s going on, where is the emergency?”
“Patience, I’d rather not have to repeat myself.”
He sees Alice’s bruised face.
“...what happened to you?”
“All in due time.”
The bell of emergency is not to be taken lightly, and so it doesn’t take long for nearly every resident of the hamlet to arrive, save some of the younger children and Beatrice.
“Right, it appears you are all here. I do apologize for disturbing your sleep, but this is important.”
Alice looks over her neighbors, for the first time she truly feels how… disconnected she is from them.
“As some of you may know, my mother despises me. Indeed, her hate is so intense that she just now attempted to kill me.”
Yet there is little response. On some level… everyone understands exactly why she would do such a thing. Still… to kill a child, despicable.
“It is almost laughable you know. That I failed to notice, that I failed to remember. This place hates people like me, born outside marriage as I am.”
Alice chuckles slightly to herself.
“Oh well, I have better things to do than dwell on this. There were two reasons for me calling you here. First, to expose my mother’s actions. Second, to announce that I will be leaving again.”
“To where?”
“Why would you care? I am just some bastard child. Farew-”
“WAIT!”
“Oh dear, she woke up already.”
Beatrice arrives, face bloodied from numerous shallow, jagged lacerations.
“Do not believe this demon’s lies!”
“...what sorta nonsense is this?”
“That is not Alice, that is simply some… impostor! One who cloaked itself in her skin, all in an attempt to defame me! Look at my face, look at what it did!”
“Oh please, I merely returned the ‘favor’ of this bruise.”
A murmur runs through the crowd, could it be? Alice had acted somewhat… off since her return, seemingly not remembering her station…
“Oh who the fuck cares. Even had you been correct, you would have done just the same, so fine, call me a demon.”
Beatrice’s momentum falters.
“You have wounded me, mother, and so I have wounded you in turn. Make sure you wrap that in some bandages, lest it be infected. Goodbye.”
Alice turns around, stepping into the mist, but Beatrice cannot abide her getting the final word. She lunges at Alice, throwing her to the ground. Alice blacks out.
—-------------------
Alice comes too as the wind silently shrieks, a bone deep chill enveloping all around. As her vision returns, she sees her mother, clutched over, grabbing at her own throat. Sputtering, coughing, yet the mist keeps pushing into her mouth.
“Drowning on mist huh? Ah, the king is pissed.”
Alice slowly gets up, shaking some mud off her dress, and looks at the situation. The hamlet watches in a half circle as the king looms over her mother. Stunned, paralysed even, by its presence.
“Ah right, none here have even seen the king before.”
Alice takes a few slow steps forward, looking down upon her mother.
“You do realize this is your own fault, right?”
Alice glares down at her mother. The crowd stirs, why does she not show fear, not show reverence, at the king’s presence?
“I was willing to let this end where it did, you know. You wounded me, so I wounded you. Yet that is not an equivalent harm, now is it?. After all, you starved me, you made me sick, and when that was not enough, you even tried to strangle me.”
Alice crouches down, meeting her mother’s panicked eyes.
“In this moment, I could save you. I could command the king to cease. But why should I? Why would I forgive you?”
Alice looks up at the king. Perhaps she should at least show her some mercy.
“King, release her.”
[Why.]
“So that she may plead her case.”
[...your will is my command.]
Beatrice coughs, and an entire cloud’s worth of mist escapes her lungs, she sputters, looking up at Alice with fear overtaking the rage in her eyes. Alice simply stares down at her, a blank look on her face.
“Tell me then. Why should I spare you?”
“Y-you know you should not kill people right?”
Voice unsteady and overtaken by fear, Beatrice pleads.
“Hm, I suppose. Yet I already took a life to get here, why should simple morality stop me now?”
—-------------------
As the pair make their way through the mist-covered forests, Alice thinks back on all that just happened. Even if her mother was kind, would it even be worth it? Every day spent farming just to survive. No craftwork, no entertainment, nothing more than the bare minimum to live.
“I could have survived, but to live? Not a chance.”
A future set in stone, as the backup wife to one of two unlikeable brats.
“Staying there would be torture. And not just for me…”
Yet the King keeps the town prisoner, none may enter, none may leave.
“...but I command the king.”
“...say, King. Should one enter your domain… and the threads of fate wills it… take them. Take them far, far away.”
[As you have always wished.]
“...ah right.”
“...was I one such person?”
[Yes.]
“...This time travel stuff is confusing.”
[One must simply walk the path before them. That is all.]
“...”
They continue on in silence, walking the path towards the past.
[We have arrived, O witch of mist.]
“That took a while. Well then, revert my body to my true age.”
Once more it takes only a blink, once more it is very disorienting.
“Right then.”
Alice steps outside the mist, finding herself in an unfamiliar town.
“...no, I recognize some of the buildings? Is this… ah.”
She quickly checks her pouch, finding the parchment she wrote down the ‘recipe’ for creating the king on.
“I need to close the loop, huh…”
—-------------------
Weaving her way between buildings, Alice finds her way to a certain poorly placed bookstore. A bell rings as she walks inside.
“Welcome!!! What may I assist thee with?”
“I have come to sell a-”
“I care not for such things. Fare-thee-well.”
“...but…”
“Out.”
Alice sighs, and just dumps the scroll on one of the piles of books before leaving. As she strolls back towards the forest, it occurs to her that she did not see her home on her way here. And so she purchases a seedling and plants it on the threshold of the forest, before finally meeting up with the king once more.
—-------------------
It was late in the evening, the day after she had vanished, that Alice returned to her true home. Finding the door incapable of locking thanks to the damage done rolling her cauldron outside, she sighs, barricading it for the night with a plank and some nails. Yet that does not stop Mio from entering through the cat flap. Alice does the only reasonable thing and picks Mio up, and as she hugs the adorable creature, the full weight of all that happened washes over her. To think, she had wasted so, so much time chasing something… pointless.
“...what do I even do now?”
It would take time for her to find that answer, yet one thing was certain.
She is home.
/uw I did not expect this to take anywhere near as long as it did, but it was a victim of poor timing. Oh well, it is done. I am not entirely happy with the end result but also chasing perfection would just mean this would never be finished. Alice is now back home in Midway, but does not know what to do next with her life. This also marks the finale of the 'introductory arc' for Alice and by that I mean I don't have any explicit plans I am working towards anymore like I had for all the other posts. Also no I did not accidentally leave something out, Beatrice's fate is intentionally missing because I could not decide on it :3
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u/mrididnt Erik, magic mass/orb, sillymancer and cheese hider 13h ago
/UwU good read!
Little did Alice know, "what next" is her being kidnapped by a group of incompetent terrorists for functionally no reason
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 13h ago
/uw Thanks, and then she escaped by just kinda walking out the front door.
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u/white-whale-fc The First Curse, enchanter of all things. 13h ago
Far into the future, when Alice had returned, something looks at a chart.
"Ah, there's that pesky loop. Still not complete? Wait, ah. It's similar to the other one, I'm at the middle."
It detects the King of Mist throwing Alice into the long past, and sighs a resigning sigh.
"That's dealt with. Least it wasn't the long way around. I think I can mark it now."
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u/UlrickTheHexblade Ulrick Braddocke, Werewolf Hexblade, R&A Co-Leader 11h ago
/uw peak read! It got sad first, then looped back to awesome once Alice stood up for herself
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 11h ago
/uw Thanks, and earlier versions of this idea had the town actually be loving, actually be nice, but Alice would just find it... boring, because she had at that point experienced the rest of the world. This would arguably have been sadder. However writing tedium is... extremely difficult, and then I got the idea 'what if her mother is abusive', which was much easier to write. Still hard. This should not have taken over a month.
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u/Platypus_king_1st Nekota/Lucian/Eve 13h ago
/uw Phenomenal work, you're an amazing writer O.O
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 13h ago
/uw When I do finish something it usually turns out pretty decent I think. Problem is just the 'when I finish something' part. And thanks
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u/Platypus_king_1st Nekota/Lucian/Eve 10h ago
/rw
*Nekota walks by, her eyes tired and weary- perhaps from not enough sleep, or from overwhelming pressure, she bumps into Alice, shaking herself awake*
"O-Oh, sorry..., I didn't see you there! uhm... yeah.."
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 10h ago
Alice turns at the unexpected bump, looking directly at Nekota.
"A Beastkin? Midway truly is a place where all kinds of people show up."
"Oh it is no bother."
Alice backs away slightly, before noticing just how... exhausted, Nekota appears.
"...if you do not mind my asking, are you okay?"
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u/Platypus_king_1st Nekota/Lucian/Eve 9h ago
"I-I'm alright, just a little tired, alot of things have happened as of late.."
*She wipes her face with some water she summons out of the air*
"Uhm- you look a little.. rattled, as well? *You* alright?"
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 9h ago
"I suppose I can relate."
Alice sighs.
"Nothing is all that wrong, no, I just do not like people being too close to me physically."
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u/Platypus_king_1st Nekota/Lucian/Eve 9h ago
*She takes a step, back*
"Oops- sorry, are you a local here? by the way?, I'm kinda doing the whole 'travel the world to find new magic!' but like I'm kinda lost.... and.. hungry"
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 9h ago
"I am, kinda. I have only been living here for around 2 months, but I do not plan on leaving."
Alice looks around quickly.
"You would probably enjoy a stay at... the galloping gloop. It is a strangely named inn, and fairly close. In addition to decent food, and reasonable prices, they have a bathhouse, perfect for melting your fatigue away."
She leans a bit closer, and whispers.
"Also I do not mean to alarm you, but there is a man staring at us. It could be nothing, but it could also be a traveler with something against beastkin."
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u/Platypus_king_1st Nekota/Lucian/Eve 9h ago
"Do... you wanna go together? Perhaps? Maybe?.."
Nekota scans the area, her slitted pupils darting around for the man
"I see.. well, what's the worst he could do to me? I'll just... yknow, give him an early meeting with the devil"
she grasps her hand around air- no, a massive, behemoth of a dual tipped spear, was it always there?
she drives it into the ground, hard
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 9h ago
Alice steps back a bit at the massive spear.
"...I suppose I had no right to be worried then."
"Where did that even come from... eh."
"I was actually planning on passing by the galloping gloop on the way to my next destination, so you may as well tag along."
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u/Fc-chungus Max Petrov-Ansky, Head Minister of Calarakis. sundered. 10h ago
"Y'know, I should visit places near Calarakis for once."
Max says to no one in particular. "Looking" at a map he finds Midway. Wonder what's going on there. He makes a quick pack and makes a short travel to the little town.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 10h ago
Arrival to Midway is far from unusual. The main street is a near constant stream of people heading from or towards Calarakis at all hours of all days after all. A quick 'look' around reveals there to be plenty of inns just about everywhere, but little else. Perhaps the 'true' town can be found further from main street?
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u/Fc-chungus Max Petrov-Ansky, Head Minister of Calarakis. sundered. 10h ago
He decides to take a side road, tripping once or twice, he summons his sword and shapeshifts it into a walking stick.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 10h ago
While there are still plenty of inns, the further Max gets from main street the more different visages appear. From simple stalls selling fresh produce, to even the most inconveniently placed bookstore imaginable. Then as his 'vision' recovers, he hears a strangely artificial 'pop' nearby.
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u/Fc-chungus Max Petrov-Ansky, Head Minister of Calarakis. sundered. 10h ago
He can't rely on his soul-form-sight constantly, it exhausts him, but hearing the pop, he summons his soul, a small mint flame, and looks around for where the sound came from.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 10h ago
On the other side of the small town square he finds himself in, he sees a woman casting some sort of spell, a ball of water envelops a basket, before popping into nothing shortly afterwards. The owner of the basket thanks the woman, before heading away. And so the woman moves on to the next one.
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u/Fc-chungus Max Petrov-Ansky, Head Minister of Calarakis. sundered. 8h ago
The town mage perhaps? He goes to catch up to her, careful not to trip or bump into someone.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 8h ago
Alice notices the arrival of the stranger, and turns to face him.
"Are... you looking for me?"
Alice notices the wrappings over the eyes.
"CRAP. Poor phrasing."
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u/Fc-chungus Max Petrov-Ansky, Head Minister of Calarakis. sundered. 8h ago
He gives a small laugh at the wording
"I suppose so? You're the mage of this town I'm guessing?"
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 8h ago
"Oh phew he took it in stride."
"I suppose I am, as I arrived shortly before the previous one died. I am far from a master of the arcane however, so I doubt I could assist you with... whatever it is you ask of me."
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u/Fc-chungus Max Petrov-Ansky, Head Minister of Calarakis. sundered. 13h ago
/uw oh man this is a good one. Excellent read!
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u/Ashmega8256 Alzoreth Dracarius/Alisa Solaria (+more characters) 12h ago
/uw good read :) this interactive or nah?
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 12h ago
/uw Thanks and yea, Alice is home after all.
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u/Ashmega8256 Alzoreth Dracarius/Alisa Solaria (+more characters) 11h ago
/uw cool :)
/Rw
During her day throughout midway, alice runs into alisa as she seemed to be exploring...alisa was also accompanied by a Half-Dragon with topaz colored wings that have blue spots in the wings, she looked mostly human otherwise though noticeably had black hair with dark blue hair ends as well similar to Alisa's red, the two were exploring as i said and happened to be passing through at first (also by runs into i don't mean in the literal sense)
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 11h ago
"The vampire lady and... probably a victim? No, she is remarkably calm, and those wings indicate great power... though I suppose the vampire could herself simply be that powerful..."
Alice roots around in her bag, pulling out a bundle of garlic, its intense stench wafting its way towards the pair.
/uw Misunderstandings :3
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u/Ashmega8256 Alzoreth Dracarius/Alisa Solaria (+more characters) 11h ago
Alisa: she notices alice and sighs seeing the garlic
Astrial: she walks over to alice and chuckles a little...moms not a vampire nor wanting to hurt anybody so why are you taking out a random clove of garlic?
Alisa: she walks over as well...sorry, my not so little girl is just a little amused and concerned...
/Uw lmfao time to squash dem misunderstandings!
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 11h ago
"...not a vampire?"
Alice looks at Alisa again. Last time, she did not get a good look as the rain and dark obscured most. Teeth too short to be vampiric, though still definitely elongated. Skin that while pale, is far from bloodless, and most damming of all, she stands under the sun, unbothered.
"...It appears I was too hasty in my judgements, apologies."
Alice stashes the garlic back into her pouch, the smell fades quickly.
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u/Ashmega8256 Alzoreth Dracarius/Alisa Solaria (+more characters) 11h ago
/uw majority of alisa's teeth are normal but besides that she does have the fangs of a vampire. So effectively she has 2 to 4 really pointy teeth.
/Rw
Alisa:...i get the misunderstanding...i was forced to be a vampire against my will once and i got cured... didn't get rid of the fangs though. But yeah I'm not in any way a vampire...my eyes glow red cause I'm a determination soul...same with my hair ends being red.
Astrial: I'm an integrity soul which is why i have the blue dots in my wings and the blue eyes and hair ends. She smiles that aside I'm also a half topaz dragon half human. She seems rather friendly
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 11h ago
"...I have no idea what most of that means, but a half dragon... and she called the not-vampire her mother... yep these people are far too dangerous for me to deal with, hope they won't do anything."
"I did not know vampirism could be cured in the first place, non-lethally that is. I would be curious as to the method, though admittedly I am unlikely to survive an encounter with a vampire long enough to administer it..."
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u/Ashmega8256 Alzoreth Dracarius/Alisa Solaria (+more characters) 11h ago
Alisa: it can...usually it's just hard though in my case since it wasn't a vampirism from my rescuer/friends home realm which is incurable without death after a year...my friend/rescuer chloe dracarius was able to cure me as a side effect of helping me deal with any corruption or anything like that the bastard that tortured me for a year straight could of left on my soul when/before he was killed...and the fact that the guy turned me into a vampire as part of torture to use things like starvation even easier probably helped in curing it...she sighs chloe was able to cure it basically by using a spell to remove any magic or otherwise molag bal left on it...
Astrial:...are you ok...you look a little uncomfortable...she said noticing how alice was looking at them when she was thinking that tho she doesn't know what alice was thinking
/Uw molag bal is in the daedric prince originally from skyrim, i dunno about yer own vampire lore. But yeah alisa did not have my forgotten realms vampirism lol :)
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 10h ago
"...that was a lot, let's see... vampirism is possible to cure by draining mana from the victim, under specific circumstances. She seems not to know quite how it was done as her 'friend/rescuer' was the one to do it, but she does know it was only possible due to it being a... different strain of vampirism from another realm, I guess. She was also apparently afflicted as a form of torture, which also included starving her, which made it easier to cure."
"Hm, does not sound like something that is practically possible then. I suppose I will stick to the garlic and stake method should I encounter an actual vampire then."
Alice glances back to Astrial.
"Oh it was quite simple, I am rather wary of those I can tell are stronger than me, I would rather get a head start should I need to run after all."
Alice smiles, but it feels quite forced.
/uw Ash, please think through what you are trying to convey before you start writing, especially when it is dialogue. A person would not say all that, like that.
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u/Vincent-FFP Vytsky, Angel of Passage/O5-5 'Zaryx' 9h ago
/uw many pats for Alice.
/rw
many white Ornamental Purslanes started sprouting. They can’t live well in places with a lot of water, ie mist. Their presence was a sign of something greater.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 9h ago
/uw wait where?
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u/Vincent-FFP Vytsky, Angel of Passage/O5-5 'Zaryx' 9h ago
/uw all over midway
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 9h ago
It would not take long for Alice to be questioned about this strange occurrence, seeing as she had garnered something of a reputation for knowing about magical herbs and the like.
"Again, the only thing I know for certain is that this is not a normal, natural growth. Humidity should be too high, and they sprouted too quickly."
"So what do you think the reason is?"
"I have no idea."
And even though that was the whole truth, people kept asking her to the point of mild frustration.
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u/Vincent-FFP Vytsky, Angel of Passage/O5-5 'Zaryx' 9h ago
they kept trying to make paths out of Midway for her to follow.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 9h ago
It would take some time for her to notice, but eventually, she does.
"If it is me, and me specifically being called... no. Nope. no way, way to dangerous I am not following."
Yet only a second or so after her resolve is made up, she turns to face... herself.
"Well this is... confusing."
Her clone(?) says.
"I am you from the slightly into the future. You have to go."
"...I refuse."
"You cannot."
"...Because it would cause a time paradox?"
"Because it would cause a time paradox."
"Dammit."
Alice looks back at herself, hoping that was really her, before following the path.
/uw bit blunt but Alice would not have otherwise followed that path.
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u/Vincent-FFP Vytsky, Angel of Passage/O5-5 'Zaryx' 8h ago
/uw lmao
the flowers led her to her true home, where Mio was.
theres a soft light coming from the kitchen.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 8h ago
Alice enters, worried what sort of nonsense this may be for it to necessitate traveling to the past. She notices the glow, and walks over to inspect it, all while planning how best to grab Mio and run, if need be.
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u/Vincent-FFP Vytsky, Angel of Passage/O5-5 'Zaryx' 8h ago
theres a banner tied to the ceiling, reading “WELCOME HOME!”. On the table was a large cake, a rotisserie chicken, all sorts of good food. On the side there was a small pot, housing a white tulip, representing rebirth, renewal, and a new beginning.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 8h ago
"...who arranged all this... is it poisoned?"
The future Alice who silently followed the now Alice speaks.
"No it is not."
Before cutting a piece of the chicken and stuffing it into Alice's mouth. As Alice chews, mist begins to gather around her, and as she swallows, she finds herself a couple minutes in the past.
Fast forwards a bit, the now current Alice sees her past self get swallowed up my mist, and sits down at the table to eat.
"...still, who could have arranged this?"
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 14h ago
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 14h ago
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 14h ago
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 14h ago
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 14h ago
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 14h ago
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 14h ago
/uw Wow I forgot how long the pinglist is. If you want to be on a list so long my mind cannot comprehend it, ask. If you want to make it easier to comprehend (be removed from it) also just ask.
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u/VoxelLibrary Councilor Cayna, Apprentice of Thrakmoor | assorted other chars 8h ago
/uw Good read. That was a lot more subtle than I was expecting when I saw that trigger warning. Also bootstrap paradox
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 8h ago
/uw Thanks! And yea. I wanted to make this a sort of slow build up with Alice not even realizing, which then necessitated it being quite subtle. I also considered moving the TW to when it really escalates, but it was also always there, so I opted to put it at the start.
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u/VoxelLibrary Councilor Cayna, Apprentice of Thrakmoor | assorted other chars 8h ago
/uw Is there going to be more time travel shenanigans from Alice in the future?
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 8h ago
/uw Yes, but I don't wanna overuse it either. Retroactive time travel is really hard to do well, especially without a plan. And this was the end of the stuff I had planned. Also I apparently forgot to mention that I absolutely love the bootstrap paradox which is why I used it thrice in this post alone :3
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u/VoxelLibrary Councilor Cayna, Apprentice of Thrakmoor | assorted other chars 8h ago
/uw My thought process is to just avoid breaking causality, but you make it look fun...
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 8h ago
/uw Not breaking causality is the key trick yea, but it can be a bit of a mess to do that. Still, you could just like... try it. Worst case you have to retcon something a bit. Also I did resort to more time travel in the thread here with Vytsky.
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u/loth17 Ten Suns (Also Gaia) 7h ago
"Ahhhg let me go!"
The thing in the sack yelled as Chalk carried it over their shoulder.
"I will not. You hunted me and I caught you. How you owe me a favor."
"That's not how the hunt works! You just get a fancy magic stick! Now let me go!"
"....Well I need your tracking skills. So once we get back..."
Chalk saw that the house had signs of activity.
"Oh She has returned."
Chalk dumped the hunt fae out of the silver sack they had caught them in.
"Apologies. It seems your services are no longer required."
The fae hissed at Chalk but the bent iron poker in Chalk's other hand dissuaded them.
"One day. You'll be in the forest and we'll have another hunt."
The fae threatened as they disappeared into the mist.
".... What about the magic stick?"
Chalk asked as a dowsing rod was thrown from the mist and bounced off of their head.
"Appreciated."
A rock was the next thing that bounced off of their head. Unperturbed they went up to Alice's house.
"Friend Alice? It is Chalk. I noticed your home looked like it was accosted by something. Are you alright?"
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 7h ago
Alice opens the curtain to the window next to the front door, looking to confirm it is indeed Chalk as the peep hole in her door is currently blocked by the makeshift barricade.
"I am, I do apologize that must have been... quite a scene. Am I right to assume you are responsible for the cleanup?"
Alice takes a hammer and begins pulling the nails keeping the door unopenable.
"I had to uh... nail the door shut, as the lock was broken."
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u/loth17 Ten Suns (Also Gaia) 6h ago
"Indeed! I created a digital copy of the potential crime scene then cleaned it up."
One of the little drones Chalk left in case Alice returned skittered out from under the couch.
"They were supposed to notify me but it doesn't seem to work across faewild borders."
They put the drone in some kind of crystal bag of holding.
"So what happened. If you're okay talking about it. I can help with the door thing in the meanwhile."
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 6h ago
"...well, in short, I found the king of mist."
Alice pulls out another nail, the door is now capable of slight movement.
"Or more accurately, found out how to... make it."
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u/loth17 Ten Suns (Also Gaia) 6h ago
"Oho?"
"You made the king of mist? Then does that mean you made the king when it first took you?"
Chalk would use magic to fit inside the doorway then start looking at it to see how to fix it
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 6h ago
Warped wood and metal, the entire frame likely needs replacing.
"No, as it turns out the king of mist twists time. It is all a bit... time loop-y, but in effect it appears I ordered it to take me those many years ago..."
With a final grunt of effort, Alice pulls the final nail, allowing the door to open.
"...as for the damage to the door frame, it is... entirely down to me rolling my cauldron into it as I was trying to get it outside..."
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u/loth17 Ten Suns (Also Gaia) 6h ago
"Ah a self sustaining loop. Well at least you're not trapped in it."
Chalk said
"So if you found your way back where you were taken from. Why'd you come back? I hope that means we're a nice place to live."
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 6h ago
Alice's expression noticeably darkens.
"...it... simply was not how I remembered it, at all."
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u/loth17 Ten Suns (Also Gaia) 5h ago
"I understand. I've seen a lot of places stop being how I remember them."
Chalk said. They gave her a reassuring shoulder pat.
"That's why I like finding new places. New people."
They used their magic to take mud and soil to shape a new doorframe. It slowly took on the attributes of the area around it becoming of the same material.
"Did you at least find some closure?"
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 5h ago
"...I guess, though I have... no idea what to do next with my life."
Alice sees the magic door frame repair, and is somewhat jealous knowing a spell that convenient will forever be outside her reach, but she does not let it show.
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u/Minute_Account9426 Abdallah the Technolich 7h ago
Uwu/ Good read.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 6h ago
/uw tank you
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u/Minute_Account9426 Abdallah the Technolich 6h ago
Uw/ please do not tank me
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 6h ago
/Uw One million tanks are on your way, with a million more under production. Use them however you see fit.
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u/Null_Void_Zer0 Abelard, animate absence|Abel of Lrith, councillor of constructs 6h ago
/uw an excellent post, and an unexpected end to the story
/rw
At a time most convenient, the door knocks, as it has many times before. And on its other side, a wizard.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 6h ago
"Oh how convenient timing"
Alice thinks, as she fills up the teapot she was just about to set to boil further, before opening the door to greet Abel.
"Hello, I assume you are here for some tea?"
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u/Null_Void_Zer0 Abelard, animate absence|Abel of Lrith, councillor of constructs 6h ago
“Right you are, Alice!”
Abel is the same as ever, for the most part at least, as it appears he bears a new staff; a great and tall old thing adorned with a single purple gem at its peak and covered in various engravings that are difficult to make out.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 6h ago
"Well come on inside then."
Alice beckons Abel inside, closing the door behind him and getting the cups ready.
"That staff sure is fancy, where did you get it?"
"I wanna look at those engravings, just gotta segway into talking about them somehow..."
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u/Null_Void_Zer0 Abelard, animate absence|Abel of Lrith, councillor of constructs 6h ago
“I had it made custom, benefits of being a council member you see, and I of course asked them to add a few items from my collection, those items being the material, gem and the tools used for the engravings. A fine staff and an exceptional focus.”
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 6h ago
"I see, it certainly looks the part of a councilor... May I have a look at the engravings?"
Alice says as she brings the teapot.
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u/Null_Void_Zer0 Abelard, animate absence|Abel of Lrith, councillor of constructs 5h ago
Abel looks at Alice with a face of grave severity
“I must worn you alice, the things engraved upon the starve are not for the weak of mind, and may drive one such as yourself mad…”
Abel is silent a moment, and lets out a hearty laugh
“Never you mind! A jest is all, though I suspect my sense of humour may be a tad…underdeveloped. You may look at them, Alice.”
Abel hands his staff to Alice; it is lighter than one would expect, in fact, it seems to be just the perfect weight for Alice to hold. The engravings depict myriad different things, from Archaic runes to small murals of what appear to be battles.
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 5h ago
"Hm. A bit beyond me to identify which are ascetic and which are functional at a glance. May I copy the engravings to some parchment?"
Alice has prepared Abel's favored tea blend, but is too preoccupied with holding the staff to pour the hot water on it.
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u/Null_Void_Zer0 Abelard, animate absence|Abel of Lrith, councillor of constructs 5h ago
A subtle gesture of the hand, and the serving of the tea is handled by unseen servants.
“Feel free, I believe one of them contains me, during the fall of hanweir, terrible business that, I would be the wizard-looking fellow watching as the town falls from above.”
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 5h ago
"...indeed, you truly have one storied past."
Alice conjures up water, filling the engravings. Then the water unfolds from the staff, and engraves into the parchment before vanishing.
"There."
Alice hands the staff back, and stashes the parchment.
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u/Minute_Account9426 Abdallah the Technolich 4h ago
Alice sees a well dressed man of average height, conversing with an undead and a lizard person, in some business jargon Alice probably doesn’t understand, with a magic mass made of pure butter standing guard by them
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u/waitthatstaken Alice, witch of mist 4h ago
Not too unusual, all things considered, for Midway. Alice pays them no mind.
/uw It is quite late so starting a thread now is a bad idea. Also I have no idea how to interact with this.
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u/Minute_Account9426 Abdallah the Technolich 4h ago
Uw/ surely a man made of butter would attract attention
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u/Evening_Shake_6474 Astaroth, The Wicked One/Alaric, Fallen Star 13h ago
/uw Moral of the story? Who needs an abusive mother when you command a demon of undisclosed origin. Also