AW Samhain, Somewhere

[StrangeSpeeder]

A small part of Maeve wished that she had actually placed a bet on Mairead's return.

That part of her, however, was rather quiet, in comparison with the increasingly loud sigh that came with the dread of being taught to actually fight.

If nothing else however, she hadn't even considered leaving as an option- nearly tuning the professor out upon hearing THAT whole speech start. Actually being taught something was, she had to admit, something of a pleasant surprise, though the prospect still filled her with some amount of trepidation. While she got along fine with being taught basic survival skills- or just as often- watching how someone else did it and copying them, in addition to some more tricks with these new things she was being taught to make... Fighting. Unless somone was outnumbered, usually half of anyone that tried it was going to lose!

Still, inevitably, she found herself under the professor's scrutiny. It was a silent exchange, between the duo, at first. She would breifly hand her a weapon, only to take it back after a short moment with a contemplative expression, and repeat. She never received quite an outright no, and yet, nothing seemed correct, either. Even when she got to the more esoteric, and embarrassingly silly options like a simple cane.

For a moment, she seemd to think, before nodding and grabbing a simple, sturdy looking black baton with two prongs at one end. Only for a moment did she examine it, clicking a button on the side, to observe a faint spark between the two prongs did she nod and wave to Maeve.

"I'll make this simple- come at me however you feel is the most natural." The Witch stood firm, wielding the baton like one might a rapier in fencing to one side.

Meave blinked, then nodded before she started stretching, low to the ground on each side. "Right so do you want me to give you a warning or-" And quite suddenly, she threw dirt at Mairead's face before rushing her, only to, in a rather quick blur of motion, find herself flat on her back. She wasn't quite sure how she got there, despite not being particularly suprised.

And yet, the professor seemed satisfied as she observed the baton with a raised brow, electricity no longer crackling between the two prongs, the battery having been pilfered out of the bottom. She tossed laid the baton on the over dramatically groaning form, who was still clutching the battery for it in one hand. "Find a crafter and pair up- hand the weapon off to them, and keep practicing that. We'll work something out later."

* * *
​

Some time later, when she had found herself in front of a crafter wielding the baton in a ready stance, she spoke up.

"Time out." She made an X with her hands, right as it seemed he was about to lunge himself after a too long period of silence between the two.

"What?" He paused, confused, as his guard dropped somewhat.

"Well, its 'apparently' painless, but we haven't tested it, right?"

"Well, that's true..."

"Here, let me see it a sec!" She quickly stuck out her hand, gesturing towards it.

"Uh- but"

"Come on we're burning daylight!"

"O-okay." After a bit of hesitation, the crafter handed the baton over in the witch to be's palm. For a moment, she made a show of examinning it and nodding, before casualy sticking it against the larger crafter's forearm and clicking the button herself.

There was a yelp of protest alongside some overjoyed laughter, just before she called out "Okay okay, for real this time, here you are-" upon receiving the baton back, of course, he immeddeatly tried to use it on her in return before she could scuttle away, only to be dismayed when she handed him the battery with her other hand. While the witch as sure her success would be extremely temporary before he started getting wise to her tricks, the initial success was a bouy in the storm of uncertainty she was currently experiencing. The food helped too.

 

[Whisper]

After going through everyone, Mairead wandered about the group as they practiced combat, offering little tips here, pose adjustments there, and so on. A single day would not be enough to make anyone a competent fighter, let alone an afternoon, but that was no reason to let them build bad habits. Besides, all she really wanted was for the Witches to do more harm to their enemies than themselves. For that, 'pointy end towards the enemy' and 'don't hit your friends by accident' was, essentially, good enough. She tried not to think too hard about the ones who showed promise.

"They're all going to die eventually, just like all the others," said a voice in her mind. It wasn't the first time she'd heard it. She knew it was right. The only question was when these girls would die. In teaching them, in helping them to find their gifts, she was essentially guiding them to a death sentence. Mairead pushed the guilt aside.

"You've all done well," she began, looking over them with her usual disinterested eyes. There was no warmth in her voice, even though it was clear she meant to be giving them a compliment.

"When night comes, do your best. The spirits are not here to kill you. They will, however, try their best to kill you if you are careless or unmotivated. It offends them. Show them the same eagerness and passion that you have shown to this exercise and you may even find them helpful. Fickle things, spirits."

Mairead raised a hand and lanterns flared into existence throughout the wood. They did little to hold back the encroaching mists and darkness, but they provided more light than the glow of the planet overhead.

The lanterns were identical to those placed throughout town for Samhain.

"I will see you in the morning. We will perform a simple exercise to help you find the kindling within you. You will not light it this week, but even being able to touch it will give you some measure of power in the coming days. Good luck."

She gave a small, stiff nod, and disappeared into the mists.

~~~
​

It was another hour before the coiling mists and darkness fully took the woods. The distant sound of children laughing echoed towards them from all sides, then stopped abruptly as four figures appeared. Each was recognizable as one of the spirits from the night before, their forms still flickering or hazy, yet somehow more tangible than before.

Channel gave them a little wave.

"Oy, ye shits," she said by way of greeting. "Let's get this goin'!"

And then she dropped a school bus out of a children's cartoon in the middle of them. It winked at Tatts just before it hit the ground, its horn making a merry jingle. It sat there with a big dumb smile across its radiator for a long moment, then its eyes turned downwards and glowed red. It played the same jingle again, but key shifted to be more ominous.

Channel pumped a fist in the air in celebration as the bus began doing donuts, doing no harm at all to their campsite, but sending everyone flying or running for cover. When the dust cleared, everyone found themselves standing with the same group as the night before. The strange witch hopped on top of the bus and laughed uproariously, pointing at them all the while.

"Ye should've seen yer faces! The lot of ya!"

She took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes.

"Right then! Let's fight!"

The bus doors opened, casting a shaft of eerie red light into the night. Shapes appeared, one by one, eyes likewise glowing red as they stepped down the stairs.

They were fucking teddy bears. Nearly four feet tall, with colorful pictures of weapons on their bellies.

"We want to be your friends!" they declared in terrifying unison, then charged.

 

[P0rcelain]

It was another hour before the coiling mists and darkness fully took the woods. The distant sound of children laughing echoed towards them from all sides, then stopped abruptly as four figures appeared. Each was recognizable as one of the spirits from the night before, their forms still flickering or hazy, yet somehow more tangible than before.

Channel gave them a little wave.

"Oy, ye shits," she said by way of greeting. "Let's get this goin'!"

And then she dropped a school bus out of a children's cartoon in the middle of them. It winked at Tatts just before it hit the ground, its horn making a merry jingle. It sat there with a big dumb smile across its radiator for a long moment, then its eyes turned downwards and glowed red. It played the same jingle again, but key shifted to be more ominous.

Channel pumped a fist in the air in celebration as the bus began doing donuts, doing no harm at all to their campsite, but sending everyone flying or running for cover. When the dust cleared, everyone found themselves standing with the same group as the night before. The strange witch hopped on top of the bus and laughed uproariously, pointing at them all the while.

"Ye should've seen yer faces! The lot of ya!"

She took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes.

"Right then! Let's fight!"

The bus doors opened, casting a shaft of eerie red light into the night. Shapes appeared, one by one, eyes likewise glowing red as they stepped down the stairs.

They were fucking teddy bears. Nearly four feet tall, with colorful pictures of weapons on their bellies.

"We want to be your friends!" They declared in terrifying unison, then charged.

Tatts leaped out of the way of the circling school bus with the deftness of a rogue ferret, sliding across the dirty ground with precision. Her robes billowed around her as the still air and dust flying up from her slide pushed them like a jellyfish's skirt up her body, revealing the tattooed legs underneath.

Those paying close attention to her, which you would think would be few given the circumstances, would hear her muttering frantically. "V'est li néol. Trel li néol. Néol va seda. Why in the fuck do ye even say this nihilistic bullshit, Tatts?"

She was ready for whatever they could throw at her, but clearly nervous. As her slide came to a stop, one of her knees collapsed from her trembling and planted itself in the ground. Although unintentional, she used it to prop herself and stand back up, taking out her knife as she did. She stood with her body to the side from where she was facing, minimizing her surface area. Tatts still was not sure if she could hurt these ghosts, and frankly, her attempts to come up with a plan over the past 24 hours did not yield anything particularly convincing. Then the teddy bears came out.

"...O." Tatts exclaimed with relieved surprise, where other students were trembling in horror.

She tilted her head a little. Sized them up as she skipped closer. In her head she started processing her targets. It was a mob of delinquents. She could handle that. But best of all, they were short. Even with just her knife, she dwarfed their range by almost double.

"I can scrap with that." She said with piqued confidence.

Tatts positioned herself between the bears and the other students, but let them come to her. No point throwing herself in a crowd when she did not even know what these strange creatures were capable of. She hopped back and forth on the spot, psyching herself up. She held her knife in one hand, and put the other in a closed fist near her belly. She scanned the mob ahead of her, watching for stragglers and trend setters. Then, when one began approaching her, her eyes locked on, her trained brain automatically multitasking focusing on them at the same time as vigilantly scanning her peripheral. To the other students, she must had looked like a time bomb ready to blow teddy bears to bits.

 

[Over Yandere]

Caelfind ended up getting maybe an hour of sleep tops before the laughter of children became too loud to ignore and woke her up. That hour was needed but really didn't feel like enough. Groggily she got up from her makeshift bed and moved to join the growing crowd of hopefuls that had encircled something. When she got closer and looked over many of their heads she saw Channel and ghost friends. In her rather addled state Caelfind was slow to react to the sudden dropping of the bus and ended up being knocked to her ass by other hopefuls and then scrambling to get back to her feet as everyone backed away from the menacing living bus.

Fuck she thought to herself as she tried rather unsuccessfully to brush the dirt from her clothes. Still with everyone spread out into a much looser sort of half circle away from the ghosts and the bus, Caelfind was able to see clearly the marching of the teddy bears as due to her earlier fall she had ended up in the front of the group somewhat near to Tatts. Hand going to her pocket she fumbled with the zipper before pulling forth her weapon and then did her best to try and create a stable grip on it. She wasn't exactly experienced wielding a handgun. She'd gone hunting before sure but that felt like it was worlds different than this situation. That had been a rather mundane rifle, probably even an antique by the standards of what she was holding now. For example this thing had runes carved all over it. What they did she could only speculate on however.

Her eyes scanned the diminutive bears, noting the weird weapon depictions on their bellies. Too sleepy to feel fear at the moment, she took aim at one of their plush bellies, center mass. Index finger on the trigger it began to squeeze gently until something strange occurred. A small magic circle appeared at the front of gun, yellow-gold in color it was quite pretty and Caelfind's sleep deprived mind could barely appreciate it before a projectile coated in what appeared to be crackling blue lightning suddenly emerged from the magic circle. Faster than the eye could track that projectile zoomed off in the direction she was pointing. Now unfortunately any element of surprise she had had was lost as during that split second of dumbfounded wonder at the way the gun worked her aim had shifted. The projectile slammed into the dirt next to her target and exploded in a non gory spray of dirt and dust before the blue lighting singed the creature's furry leg.

With a look of surprise Caelfind stared at the gun for a moment as the wheels in her brain slowly churned. One that was fucking awesome. Two it made a lot of noise. Three she was probably now a target of Channel... Shit!

 

[StrangeSpeeder]

Meave had an... interesting experience leading up what she would later refer to as "The Demonic Schoolbus incident". She had been only mildly battered in the leadup, thankfully, but by the end of it she rarely got the taser back in a "fair" way and always resorted to some trick or another. Her favorite was still shrieking and running for cover convincingly enough for her partner to whirl around. Alas, it has surely startled several other trainees int he process. But at least she got it back! Before promptly returning it and continuing the process.

The arrival of the bus, while certainly saving her from another... possibly deserved bout of retaliation, unfortunately did not fill her with any particular amount of releif as she rapidly found herself diving for cover and scuttling her way up a tree after giving Tatts- by the wyr she has to find some time to actually learn other people's names- an encouraging pat on the shoulder prior to using her as a human shield as she quickly scuttled up a tree, and rapidly reconsidered her plan to arm herself with a branch as she remembered the whole bit channel gave about not chopping trees.

"You're doing great tats!" She cheered on from above her... Hm. Those teddybears seemed rather soft, actually. Somewhat discretely she quickly, but carefully, made her way farther out such that she would be in a position to land on one in, perhaps, the most foolish of her plans to date. She was certain she would beat that particular record soon enough. She grimaced at the thought, and awaited an oppurtunity- preferabely to drop down ontop of one at the back end, or the like when they pushed around or mostly past the tree... But, if she had to- to drop on one threatening another student- such as a distracted tatts- and make a break for it when its friends expressed... discontent with that notion.

It would also be quite fitting, she thought, to have one with... that particular experience, to be on the receiving end of that brand of slapstick. Already she was planning ahead on which traps on the outskirts to lure them to when they inevitabely gave chase... And why not, it wasn't like they had any ranged attacks, right?

 

[Whisper]

The bears stumbled forward in an adorable fashion, arms held out to give their new friends hugs.

They stopped their walk when Tatts brought out her knife and the ground next to one of the bears burst into searing lightning. They looked to each other, their red eyes casting eerie shadows across their fellows, and then seemed to come to some sort of conclusion.

"Play time!" they all declared joyously.

A few of the bears wandered off into the woods, but three remained behind. The first bear, neon pink, looked up into the trees. It raised its arms up towards Maeve once, then twice, then became sullen that it couldn't reach her.

The next bear, a pastel blue affair, looked at the ground that Caelfind had shot, then at her Caelfind herself. It patted its belly, sending the symbols on its belly flipping like a slot machine. It tick-tick-ticked onto a rocket launcher. The bear threw its arms out to its sides and the muzzle of the aforementioned weapon poked out through the image on its stomach. A missile with a big smiley face on it poked its head of the weapon's mouth, then flew towards Caelfind at a lazy speed, trailing pink clouds of smoke behind it.

The last bear, black with a white belly, simply opened its mouth wide, then wider, until its head had tilted to the point that its mouth made a nice, neat circle. One of its stuffing-filled arms reached down its gullet and produced a big knife. How it held the knife was a mystery - the bears stitched-on claws were certainly not doing anything - but it stayed attached to the paw, regardless. Its mouth closed as the knife was tossed, experimentally, from one paw to the other. It brought its attention back to Tatts and charged towards her, blade flashing.

The neon pink bear had watched all of this in sullen resignation. It wasn't going to get to play - it's friend would be left out! That would surely make their new friend sad. It took a deep breath (or looked like it did), gathered its resolve, and fixed its horrifying red oculars back to Maeve. It wouldn't let her down. It held its arms up once more and, this time, the little felt claws grew and grew, gaining metallic sheens. It proceeded towards the tree trunk with surprising strength and began to climb its way right up.

"Don't worry, friend! I'm coming to play!" it said.

Channel cackled the whole time, clapping her hands in delight.

 

[P0rcelain]

The bears stumbled forward in an adorable fashion, arms held out to give their new friends hugs.

They stopped their walk when Tatts brought out her knife and the ground next to one of the bears burst into searing lightning. They looked to each other, their red eyes casting eerie shadows across their fellows, and then seemed to come to some sort of conclusion.

"Play time!" they all declared joyously.

A few of the bears wandered off into the woods, but three remained behind. The first bear, neon pink, looked up into the trees. It raised its arms up towards Maeve once, then twice, then became sullen that it couldn't reach her.

The next bear, a pastel blue affair, looked at the ground that Caelfind had shot, then at her Caelfind herself. It patted its belly, sending the symbols on its belly flipping like a slot machine. It tick-tick-ticked onto a rocket launcher. The bear threw its arms out to its sides and the muzzle of the aforementioned weapon poked out through the image on its stomach. A missile with a big smiley face on it poked its head of the weapon's mouth, then flew towards Caelfind at a lazy speed, trailing pink clouds of smoke behind it.

The last bear, black with a white belly, simply opened its mouth wide, then wider, until its head had tilted to the point that its mouth made a nice, neat circle. One of its stuffing-filled arms reached down its gullet and produced a big knife. How it held the knife was a mystery - the bears stitched-on claws were certainly not doing anything - but it stayed attached to the paw, regardless. Its mouth closed as the knife was tossed, experimentally, from one paw to the other. It brought its attention back to Tatts and charged towards her, blade flashing.

The neon pink bear had watched all of this in sullen resignation. It wasn't going to get to play - it's friend would be left out! That would surely make their new friend sad. It took a deep breath (or looked like it did), gathered its resolve, and fixed its horrifying red oculars back to Maeve. It wouldn't let her down. It held its arms up once more and, this time, the little felt claws grew and grew, gaining metallic sheens. It proceeded towards the tree trunk with surprising strength and began to climb its way right up.

"Don't worry, friend! I'm coming to play!" it said.

Channel cackled the whole time, clapping her hands in delight.

Still scanning her peripheral, the moment a rocket launcher got fired, Tatts' fighter instincts immediately took over. She sped forward with deceptive speed, braked just as quickly, outside of the black bear's apparent reach, and stepped around it so as to be hiding as much of herself behind the bear as possible, relative to the others. She was squatting low down to the ground. If a stray projectile were to hit her only once, she would be in great trouble, if not finished entirely. She was already not in an ideal situation, having the most exposed position out of any of the students. She was not expecting guns to be involved. It filled her with adrenaline. Tatts' had never been in a real gun fight before; this was certainly a test of her skill.

She narrowed her silhouette and made a quick thrust with her knife and swiftly withdrew it. Although she was hoping to any kind of divine power that the strike would connect like a venomous snake attacking a mouse, it was not the real purpose of the attack. She was goading. Attempting to fool the bear into making a counter-strike of its own, so that she could use the grappling and tavern-brawling skills she would have an advantage with if allowed to use.

 

[StrangeSpeeder]

Meave watched this all with a sort of numb fascination as she noted one of them most certainly had their eyes on her. And that the others were very much armed, if the knife and the comically slow inefficient rocket launcher were anything to go by.

She hoped her friends there had things well in hand. Only when the pink bear shouted up to her and greew claws did she snap back out of her contemplation. "Ah- nah, that's okay you can play elsewhere. Actually, friends give eachother gifts right?"

With that, she tossed a card right in front of its gaze- she didn't trust her accuracy but the breif distraction of the bear maybe following it with its own eyes or even having it LAND on her upturned face seemed like a good enough distraction to get away with the next bit of her very impromptu plan.

One moment, all was right with the world- she was hiding in her tree, and gravity was patiently waiting. The next moment, gravity feverishly pulled her down- feet first- towards the bear's face to- hopefully- bounce off of it and roll to a semblence of saftey. She didn't really want to be caught in the aftermath of that rocket launcher fight!

 

[Over Yandere]

Caelfind watched the bear with a mixture of trepidation and rapid thoughts. What would happen if she shot the rocket? Would it explode? How big would the explosion be? Was this a tactic to get them to separate? Fortunately the rocket's comical slowness gave her plenty of time to reflect on these questions before instinct took over and she raised her gun once again. Aim, hold your breath, squeeze... another magic circle appeared as an electricity covered projectile emerged at rapid speed and slammed into the slow moving missile. She didn't wait around to see what happened this time though, instantly turning and diving behind a nearby tree.

After a couple seconds she'd peek her head out and take a look at whatever damage had occurred.

 

[Whisper]

Caelfind's round hit the approaching rocket and pushed into it like a finger pressing against a water balloon. The "face" of the rocket sunk further in until the whole thing exploded in a violently pink mushroom cloud that towered as high as the trees. The blast blew away small branches, whipped hair around, and generally caused havoc, but it did no more physical harm to anyone nearby than a particularly windy day might have.

Except for Channel - she looked to be covered in soot, with her hair blown straight back. She opened her eyes, comically white against her skin, and coughed out a ring of smoke.

"Didn' see that comin'!" she hollered, the soot falling away as she laughed and pounded a fist into her leg.

Caelfind's "friend" seemed a little dejected by the results and had to pyche itself back up. Anywhere nearby could hear, "you're a big strong bear- you're a big strong bear-" being mumbled over and over before it worked its resolve back up and went after her once more. It gave up on the rocket, instead producing pastel colored hand grenades that blew chunks out of the trees and covered their effect radius in glitter as they landed near Caelfind.

The rocket's face wasn't the only thing to get inverted. The clawed bear that had been after Maeve suddenly found its face full of boots. Its cute features were pressed in like a hand on a memory foam mattress - for a brief moment, the brand of Maeve's boots could be read from the indentation of its face.

It slid down the tree and looked around for her, then shoved a (non-clawed) thumb into its mouth, blew hard, and with a satisfying "Pop!" its face went back to normal. Once it was back in good order, it leapt towards Maeve with outstretched claws.

Tatts' knife came back with a chunk of stuffing on it, a few thicks strands of thread trailing from it to the bear's body like a G-rated repaint of entrails. The bear narrowed its eyes and lunged at her, making wild, furious swings.

"Friends!" the bear growled out, its voice sounding like it might have been played off an old cassette player, "Don't hurt friends!"

Its actions were at complete odds with its words, as the blade it held seemed perfectly capable of cutting her if she wasn't careful enough.

 

[P0rcelain]

Tatts' knife came back with a chunk of stuffing on it, a few thicks strands of thread trailing from it to the bear's body like a G-rated repaint of entrails. The bear narrowed its eyes and lunged at her, making wild, furious swings.

"Friends!" the bear growled out, its voice sounding like it might have been played off an old cassette player, "Don't hurt friends!"

Its actions were at complete odds with its words, as the blade it held seemed perfectly capable of cutting her if she wasn't careful enough.

The first strike from the bear, Tatts was off guard. In a last ditch effort, she deflected the knife with her own as a desperate measure, which then flew out of her hand. Weaponless, she hopped backwards, out of the way of the second swing. A sign of weakness to her attacker. The third swing, the bear came barreling towards her like a raging bravo. A capable, smug finishing blow, slicing through her towards the ground. Retribution. This emotionally swelling fantasy was cut abruptly short by Tatts' palm impacting the bear's forehead mid-air, with all the force it had dedicated to its overconfident leap. It felt her fingers roughly grasp at its soft, fabric face just out of reach for it to bite at. The next half second of its life was dominated with the brutal sensation of its entire body being dragged by its neck. It must had felt like being dragged from a noose inside a washing machine. Its head accelerated faster than gravity could naturally allow, limbs flailing behind. It dropped its blade entirely from shock, right before the back of its head slammed into the dirt like a pillow at a sleep over. It felt a seam at its neck come loose. All the while, Tatts was aware of large knife the entire time. She had not let the weapon fall to the ground. Instead, she reached for it the moment the bear's guard had been infiltrated, snatching it as the killing toy had let go. In mere milliseconds after she had mashed the bear's head into the ground, the blade was already twirling from a standard grip to reverse. Immediately after, a loud; short; and harsh rip. The bear was decapitated and Tatts was no longer unarmed. Not a single scratch.

 

[Over Yandere]

The suspiciously egg shaped pastel colored grenades landed with a thud near Caelfind's feet. Without thinking much about it she was crouched and diving for cover again. The tree she'd been hiding behind looked quite unstable as it was missing some of its trunk. Caelfind, who was now covered in dirt barely had a chance to think as she scrambled for cover and concealment. Glitter dusting her shoes, it seemed as though she might have actually been hurt if those grenades weren't limited in their actual blast radius. After getting back to her feet and using a rather thick tree for temporary cover, she peeked to get the bear's location.

Target spotted. Three, two, one... she popped out from behind the tree and took a stable stance as the comical sound of more grenades being created jingled in her ears. Hold, squeeze, fire! Another magic circle appeared, an electrified projectile sailed through the air. It's energy field engulfing the grenades as it passed over them, and slammed into the not so friendly bear's chest. A moment later, the comical explosives detonated too. Surely that would put an end to thing?

Caelfind stood there watching and panting as she caught her breath. Eyes drifting for a second to Channel, and then back to where the bear was.

 

[StrangeSpeeder]

Meave definitely didn't squeak at all as she kicked out- and propelled the bear of bad news over herself as she provided it an extension to its admirable rebellion against gravity. What followed was an attempt to get up before it recovered- only to be forced to roll to the side as it had recovered faster than she expected, and offer her impromptu facial reconstruction under poor lighting conditions.

Naturally, Meave remorsefully refused the no doubt expert plastic surgeon bear by way of an incoherent distressed wailing noise as she scooted backwards on all fours. When the bear offered her a discount plus an immediate appointment by way of leaping at her face with arms outstretched, dialated pupils, and a cry of 'Play time' Meave repeated her initial rebuttle with gusto- rolling backwards as her feet planted against its stomach untill she firmly planted her hands on the ground and pushed off- sending the bear sailing, and herself, landing firmly on her feet.

Unfortunately, the bear had found in its sight, when it finally landed, a collection of brightly colored eggs surrounding itself.

 

[Whisper]

Bears exploded and were ripped to shreds, all to the maligned cries of their brethren. The bears continued their attacks, ramping up in ferocity and danger.

This was how the nights passed the first week.

During the day, after everyone had a chance to rest and fill their stomachs, Mairead walked through their camp, discussing how the nights' events had gone. She offered advice, changed a few weapons, and guided them all towards the start of what would be a very long path of self-discovery through brilliant energy displays and gratuitous violence.

---​

On the final night of their week, Channel came to them with a body even more indistinct than usual. She flickered, turned to static, and changed through the clothes of a dozen decades one after the other. There was a clear sadness in her body language, even though her face was her usual beaming smile.

"Whail shit, ye all soorvived!" she said in a raucous tone, hands on her hips and leaning towards the lot of them. "On acc'ant o my brilliant teachin', I'm prood tae say!"

The lanterns that had been lighting the forest at night were mostly gone now, replaced by the dim white glow of light bouncing off the massive planet that had begun to take up much of the sky. The planet that had once been their people's home, a nightly reminder of what they'd lost.

Channel rubbed at her face with a long sleeve. "All o' ya, wee lasses every one. Got a lot o' growin' oop to do, still. Don' let makin' it this far get to yer heads."

She struck out her hand, attempting to shake each of theirs one after the other.

"Tomarrah yer teach is gon' show you the mysteries o' our people, but it'll cost ya. Yea, shore, ye all kin this already, but 'is not too late to get oot of it. Once yeh step yer foot onto the witchy path fer reel, thas' it."

She sighed, looking at the determination in their eyes. She got some distance and offered them one last, big smile.

"It's been a treat, kickin' yer boots! Gahd luck to the lot of ye!"

And then she was gone, her image collapsing in on itself like an old TV turning off, right as the last of the lanterns flickered out.

Samhain was officially over. With it, the boundaries between the departed and the living were whole once more.

---​

When Mairead returned to the camp the next morning, she found the group a mix of varied emotions. Some were beyond relieved that they would no longer be assaulted night after night; others found that they were missing their strange tormentors. They had all been beaten, bruised, or worse, but none had been truly hurt. That hadn't stopped many of their 'class' from leaving day after day, but the ones that were left were the ones whose heart had the steel necessary to be what the Wyr needed from them.

The white witch considered all of this as she looked from one student to the next, then nodded with a distant expression.

"Congratulations, each and every one of you, on making it through your first week at Falbreck. When you first arrived, I told you that not all Wyr can make the spark that lights the flame that holds back the darkness. That not all flames can make it through the night."

She walked through their number, resting a gentle, reassuring hand on shoulders here and there.

"Those of you who remain have proven that they can be the flint that makes that first spark. You have earned the right to be Witches and their attendants. Crafters will now be taken to the college for further instruction in their arts. You will meet them again."

From the woods, a variety of witches and lumbering men appeared through the mists. They wore warm smiles as they led the men in their group away. Ronan offered the group a wave as he disappeared.

Mairead watched them all go in silence, the wind whipping at her long white dress. As always, she carried out her duties with a solemn expression and a heavy heart. When the last was gone, she turned to the witches-to-be.

"There is a chamber near here where we will conduct our next lesson. And the ritual that follows it."

She began to walk, turning to look back only once to make sure that they knew to follow.

---

Down winding paths and up rocky outcroppings they went. Mairead moved with an otherworldly grace that seemed to defy gravity whenever she wished it, leaping from place to place with barely an effort. She waited for the students to catch up when it made sense, but offered no help. More tests, the students grumbled, to which Mairead offered no rebuke.

At last, they found themselves at the maw of a cave. The inside was pitch black and silent, save for the eerie call of the occasional gust of wind escaping its mouth. Mairead went in.

Ringlets looked around, her arms around her chest for warmth or comfort. She was the last one remaining of her cohort.

"You bring us to the nicest places, Teacher Mairead," she said, the levity in her voice clearly forced. A rock falling to one side made her jump a little. One would think that a few odd noises wouldn't scare her after a week spent fighting actual ghosts, but perhaps it was because she had been that her nerves were tight.

Mairead didn't respond to the joke, but she did begin to speak. "Inside every Witch is a fire waiting to start. Our ancestor, the first witch known as The Morrigan, lit her fire and led our people towards greatness. It was not enough to save us from the enemy at our gates, but it gave us the fighting chance we needed to survive until now.

Today, you will all ignite your fires. If you had been untested, your fires would be wild. They would burn too fast. You would be useful only as an expendable fighter, sent to die before your fire burned out. I will not allow that to be so."

The white witch stopped before a still pond, lit by odd, firefly-like creatures. Their blue light shimmered in the cavern. Something about this place was deeply magical.

"Into the water you will go, after you have imbibed a drink known as the Blood of the Witch. Not long after, you will enter a world of your own making. What you will see is for you to know - the inner world of a Witch is a shifting realm that represents your core concepts. At the center you will find something that can be lit - a pile of kindling, a brazier, a torch. You will know how to light it when the time comes.

When you do so, hold firmly in your mind the concept that you believe best represents your path. This will become the foundation of all your Witch's powers, but do not fear making the wrong choice. Should you live long enough, your path will be long and winding."

She looked over them all, then took a deep breath.

"Do not try to light the entire fire. A small spark is all that's needed. If you ask too much of yourself, you will die. Maybe not today, but within a week. A blazing star, to be sure, but a short-lived one. There will be many chances to add more fuel to your fire in a measured way. Light the fire and return to us, a true Witch."

From the air, she pulled a goblet full of a deep crimson liquid. If the room was magical, it paled compared to whatever was in that glass. A heady aroma soon filled the chamber.

"Step forward, drink, and then go into the water. Seek out your kindling and light it. Find your way back."

 

[P0rcelain]

A repeated, droning clicking sound... No. Tapping. The sound of one wood instrument being repeatedly struck against another. A gentle, yet stinging sensation against the skin with each strike.

Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap...

Rhythmic, merciless. Intentional. Artful. Ink seeds being sowed across pale skin. Creating patterns... flowers... words. The words were important. The words were not felt. Only the pain.

"Lilwen."

The squeak of a boot against a polished floor. A quick, smooth whip of the air. The entire world snapping against her body. Whiplash. Pain expanding quickly from her right cheek. Spreading across her entire face. Pain on her knee again as she struck the floor. Pain, pain, pain. Unrelenting pain. Pain as her knuckle struck the punching bag for the six dozenth time. Pain as she struggled to lift her own body. Pain as her brother tried desperately to keep his mother's favour.

"Get up, Lilwen. You beat me last time. Do it again. I dare you."

She did.

Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap...

Vows. O, the vows.

"V'est li néol. Trel li néol. Néol va seda."

"Do you remember what they mean, Lilwen?"

"I will be nothing. I am nothing. Nothing matters."

First, just nine words. Next, fifteen. Twenty. Fifty. A hundred. Two hundred. Five hundred. A thousand.

"Nothing never breaks. Nothing never fails. Nothing never lies. Nothing knows no defeat. If it is dirt thoust require, it is dirt I shall be. If it is a steed thoust need, it is a steed I shall be. Take my reigns and steer me so I may be free."

"But what does it mean, Lilwen?"

"...What does it mean...?"

Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap...

Lessons.

"Today, we learn about Tarot. Let's start with the suits..."

Boredom.

"...9 of swords..."

"...The tower?"

"No."

"Which was it, then?"

"The Devil."

Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap...

"I can take him, ma. I promise."

Silence. Concern. Yet, interest.

"Take it easy on her."

The shuffling of clothes, the whipping of fists through air. Senseless beating. Blood. Embarrassment. Fear. Not fear of the beating... fear of replacement.

Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap...

It is getting louder. There are insects on the walls. Scuttling things. Ants in the skin. Aching pain. Nothing is staying still... Nothing. Nothing...

"Tatts. Wake up. Are you okay?"

Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap...

"V'est li néol. Trel li néol. Néol va seda."

"What's she saying?"

Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap...

"What's she...?-"

The tattoos. She gives voice to the tattoos. Those dreaded things. Marking her skin. Marking her soul. Vows... Expectations... Psalms...

Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap...

"She's shaking a lot. I hope Mairead gets here soon."

"Do you consent?"

Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap...

"M-... ma?"

"I-I... I consent..."

Taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap...

"Lilwen."

What did she just say? What. Did she. Just. Say...?

"I consent."

There it was again. She consented. Why did she do that?

"I was..."

...Young? Innocent? Naive? Foolish? Stupid?

"..."

It stopped. The tapping finally stopped.

"What does it mean...?"

-

Tremors. Constant tremors. A splitting headache. All pain again. She ripped through fluffing and cotton. Efficiency increasing. Those words... Those psalms... They started not to feel so bad after-all.

"I will be nothing. I am nothing. Nothing matters."

Why was that? Why, when you hide, do they strike fear in your heart? Why, when you are in your darkest hour, do they make you feel... comfort? Safety? Reassured?

...She forgot what they mean, didn't she.

Even as she recites them right now, as other students watch with reluctant concern. She does not even remember what they meant...

-

Wide eyed. Eyes darting. Still with the tremors. Why was she still here? Why? She needs a doctor. Not a punching bag.

Thud, thud, skid. Thud, thud, skid. Thud, thud, skid. Thud, thud skid. Thud thud-

"No. Start over."

Thud, thud, skid. Thud, thud, skid. Thud, thudSKID-

"Again."

THUD, THUD, SKID. THUD, THUD, SKID. THUD THUD, -

"Lilwen..."

"Lilwen... Stop. Recite the psalm. You know the one."

"Thou must have temperance. Thou must be unshakable. Thou must be formless. Control thy language. Control thy temper. Else, thou wilst have their back to the void."

-

Silence.

-

It is getting easier now. Her body is shaking less. The aches and pains are... tolerable. The headache is leaving. The bugs are dying. She climbs rocks now. Climbing rocks is all she does. Jump over that rock. Crawl over that one. March atop of those ones... It is like a puzzle. A painful puzzle. She has been through much worse, though.

She reaches a cave. She is told to drink some foul liquid. She is told it is blood. Told she has to light a flame... But only enough. Something about this seems familiar. She must had been told about it before, in some capacity... She must had been.

 

[Over Yandere]

Covered in dirt stains and panting, Caelfind looked at her defeated foe as the remains of its bizarre cute deadliness were burned to a crisp. Though she didn't get much time to contemplate this juxtaposition. Soon enough Channel sent a second wave. By the time morning rolled around she was entirely exhausted. Soon as channel was gone Caelfind walked like a zombie over to her makeshift bed and passed out for the hour or two before Mairead would show herself again. Upon waking she would be met with food and more training. Soon as Mairead left back to bed for Caelfind for whatever little precious sleep she could get before Channel returned.

Things got strangely easier and harder from there. Easier because well Caelfind became more familiar with her weapon and harder because Channel upped the difficulty every night. It also got harder because there were less of them every night as some chose to drop out. Well because of that and because Tatts, one of their better or even the best fighter, seemed to be loosing her self as the week progressed. Though Caelfind tried to focus on her own survival she found herself loosing sleep over helping the other woman. While the other hopefuls were too busy watching and asking if Tatts was okay, Caelfind was off fetching water to make sure Tatts got something to drink. Staying hydrated through the nights of extreme activity was important, probably doubly so with whatever was going with Tatts.

By the time the week was over, Caelfind was almost broken up about Channel leaving. Whether actual spirit of a bygone witch or some trick of Mairead she'd grown used to the ghost's presence. The clockwork timing of fighting for survival almost had become second nature in that short time of having no other distractions. With the arrival of Mairead though, their first test was officially concluded. Caelfind took stock of their numbers, so many had left from that first group which had gathered outside the gates. In her exhausted state she could barely offer a return wave at Ronan but she did manage to muster a small smile.

Into the mist the men vanished with the witches and men who came to retrieve them. Thus they were met with more words from Mairead, another chance to leave and then finally an expectant look. Caelfind found the will to move her feet and followed....

-

Despite the disrespect of the joke, Emeria did get a small snort out of Caelfind. Perhaps it was the exhaustion. Soon enough they were in the dark of the cave. Mairead seemed to walk through effortlessly and despite nearly tripping several times, Caelfind somehow made her way to the body of water after their teacher. Though as Mairead gave her warning and solemnly described the process, Caelfind was far too tired to appreciate the gravity of her words. Well that and the years of training she did to get there suddenly pushed her forward. "Ah will go first."

The words blurted out before she knew what she was doing. Though in a way that had always been how she was throughout this ordeal. In sometimes subtle and sometimes not so subtle ways Caelfind had always been quick to act and to try and help the others. Even if she told herself it was for her own sake, the truth was she was a sucker for helping other people. Mairead gave her a stern yet solemn look. The goblet was offered and Caelfind raised it to her lips. The liquid's pungent smell slammed her nose but this deterred the young woman for but a moment. Taking a deep gulp of the purported blood she found it to be smooth yet incredibly strong.

As it hit the back of her throat she nearly nearly dropped the damned thing and Mairead had to steady the girl's hands. Soon she swallowed and allowed Mairead to take back the goblet. Caelfind blinked and unsteadily walked towards the water. For the first time in days she was feeling anxiety and then fear. What would be her inner world? Was she strong enough? Did she have the spark? Was she truly able to be a witch?

Right at the water's edge she turned to face the others, her own face illuminated in soft blue light by the insects. Her lips moved to say something. Was she going to back out now? Then she plunged backwards into the water almost like she passed out or even died. Emeria shrieked in fright, but one thing was certain enough Caelfind had vanished into the water.

 

[Over Yandere]

Caelfind's Inner World...?

Caelfind blinked, ah was in a cave a moment ago right? It was sunny, the soft sound of chirping birds could be heard. The smell of the land was earthy and wet like a fresh rainfall had occurred. Trees were everywhere. She was in a forest. She started walking in a direction and the light shifted rapidly towards night. She stopped. Walking back the way she came, the light returned and with it day. Well that's fookin weird. Shite, I was s'posed ta keep a concept in my head right? Suddenly, the sound of song echoed through the wood. With nothing better to do she walked off towards the sound. As she walked she watched with trepidation as day turned to night and back to day repeatedly.

As her eyes drifted back to where she was going she soon realized that the plants seemed to be shrinking... wait that wasn't right. They weren't shrinking it was like they were growing in reverse. She shook her head tried to clear her thoughts. Sound was also distorted as she walked, well the bird songs were at least. The singing seemed to grow more clear and crisp as she approached. Soon she found herself in a clearing. Before her was the scene of a picnic, a cloth laid out with a cliche basket on top that was presumably filled with food. Behind the spread was what to her appeared to be almost like the wood for a bonfire. Stacked high and quite orderly it would produce quite the flame if lit. She shook hear head trying to clear her mental fog. Mairead said som'thin 'bout not lightin it all at once yeah?

"I've been waiting for you my darling little girl."

Caelfind blinked, the voice was unfamiliar. She shielded her eyes from the light and looked at the picnic again. There was a woman of some height sitting there now. She was clad in fine silken witch robes and had quite the large hat. Her beautiful red tresses swayed with the breeze. Her voice was posh, refined, and somehow full of what sounded like love. Caelfind had no idea who the fuck she was.

"Come, sit, we have so much to talk about."

Calefind was hesitant, she walked forward towards the woman and the sky shifted as she did. Though when she reached the cloth and sat down the light had cycled back to day. "So who are you s'posed to be?" she asked with some disbelief.

"My, you certainly take after your father," she said with a bit of a soft laugh though it hid a certain sadness. "Though I had hoped you would simply recognize me... I am Mavourneen nic Ó Ruaidhín." She spoke with an air of expectation.

The words punctuated Caelfind's heart, it literally stopped for a moment. "That's not possible..." she muttered.

"Never doubt the power of the Wyrd, my darling. Though true that my flame has long been extinguished my existence or at least a shard of it, has carried on within you. Though looking at you now I hope it has not caused you overly much in the way of suffering." She seemed worried, concerned even in a way that only a mother who couldn't be there to protect her child would be.

A flood of emotion overcame Caelfind as the woman spoke. Tears welled up at the edges of her eyes and blurred her vision. "Mom..." all she could muster.

"The Blood of the Witch has given us time to talk though I do not know for how long it will last. Please, sit with me my darling." she pat the linen cloth that covered the ground.

Caelfind did as she was bade and her mother continued to speak. "My darling little girl, Caelfind nic Ó Ruaidhín, though none save I will recognize you as such you are of the Ó Ruaidhín line and it seems that you, unlike I, have been granted the power and price of our line's founder. It pains me to know this and yet I could not be more proud of you. Without our family's status, wealth, or training you have come this far on your own. No matter how you proceed I am certain you will continue to make me proud." There was the largest of smiles upon the woman's face as she spoke, her eyes nearly glowed with joy. "Full glad am I that your father agreed to be my other despite the price for us both."

"Still before you ask any questions it is my duty as a mother to warn you of three things. Firstly, if you continue down this path, never use your power to try and change that which has been written. Secondly, returning life to a forgone soul will cost an equivalent exchange. Thirdly, do not try to go too fast. Your power has been known to claim many who burned too bright far before their time because they did not heed these warnings. You must learn control and refinement or this power will consume you quicker than it should. Do you understand these words?" Her tone shifted dramatically towards the serious and the stern.

Despite feeling overwhelmed with emotion and nearly crying, Caelfind nodded and manged to give a simple "I do" while nearly choking up. It was then that her mother pulled her into a hug and softly sung a song that sounded quite old. It calmed her daughter and the moment seemed to carry on for sometime in Caelfind's perception. Once she felt calm and collected her mother released her and waited patiently for her daughter to speak.

"Mum ah... ah am so glad ta finally meet ya and ta know yer proud o' me. But what's all this 'bout a lineage? Bout my power?"

A sigh escaped her mother's lips but her smile persisted. "nic Ó Ruaidhín, in the old tongue means, 'daughter of little red'. According to family legend, this magic that manifests in some of our line comes from one of the first daughters of The Morrigan. Though her name has been lost to history and so too has much of the family records thus you should take this as pure legend. In the Ó Ruaidhín family, your potential has grown scarcer and scarcer in appearance over the ages such that they desperately try to preserve the blood. Your father undoubtedly never shared this with you because by choosing him, an outsider and a familiar, to be my partner my parents disowned me. He probably holds a grudge for that to this day, the man was always fiercely protective of me. What? You look sad now my darling."

Caelfind looked at her mother with new understanding, this really wasn't some kind of crazy desperate scenario made up by her own brain. "Mum... dad passed a few years ago."

"Oh... I'm sorry my darling, you must have been lonely..." she sounded rather sad this time, and her face shifted to one of concern. However she quickly put on a reassuring smile. "I'm sure we're together again on the other side though. So do not fret overly much. As I mentioned, I am but a fragment, a snapshot in time if you will, and though I have oh so many theories on my own existence within here that I would love to explore with you I do believe our time is limited. After all, judging by the pile of kindling behind me I suspect you are here to light your spark are you not?"

Wiping away her own tears, Caelfind looked to her mother with a soft smile. "Indeed, not like ah know how to though."

A hearty laugh, "I didn't at first either. As an apology for not being able to be there for you let me help you my darling daughter." From within the wicker picnic basket, her mother produced a tall white candle. "Start with this," she said while placing it upon the cloth. "Simply hold it in one hand, coalesce your fervent desire to tap into the Wyrd, and steel your resolve such that you might guide and control the magic. The gift and curse are within all her daughters, you need but reach for it in a controlled manner."

Caelfind did as instructed, mind clearing she pictured all of her hopes and desires. Let them swirl together with this rare chance to meet her mother, and combined that with her resolve and goals for the future. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and touched two finger tips to the wick of the candle. There was an instant searing pain when she did so but she did not falter. Upon opening her eyes she noted a small flame burning upon the wick. She looked to her mother and was met with a reassuring smile.

"When the time is right you will learn to use that spark to much greater ends. Hold fast to your memories, the now, and your desires. They will guide you and your magic and without them you may become lost." A cryptic warning but one she clearly felt was important.

"Though I feel more awake, more tangible now I fear our time is growing short. When you next return I hope I am still here but if I am not know that I love you deeply and to see you all grown does my heart such wonders. You were such a small thing before, so little with the barest tuft of red hair. Now you are grown and though it pains me to know what you will face along the path you have chosen, I know that you will you make both of us proud.."

Caelfind nearly started crying again as her mother spoke, but before she could say her own goodbyes the world seemed to fade into liquid. Caelfind tried to take a breath and was met with a gulp of water. Instinct took over and she splashed to surface of the water. Once met with the chill of the air she began coughing and sputtering as she gasped for breath. As she gained her wits and remembered where she was the display of coughing, hacking, and splashing ceased. Feet touched the bottom she simply stood up such that she didn't need to swim and caught her breath. Mairead had the barest hint of surprise on her face but it was quickly hidden and Caelfind was bade to move from the water to the side. "A hopeful no longer I see."

How much time had passed? Caelfind felt disoriented still. Her memories started filtering and clearing as she walked. She remember the drink and then walking towards the water. She was going to say something and then... the forest. Soaking wet and feeling fairly cold she moved to the side and stood without speaking. Mairead had told them that the inner world was for them to see and she didn't want to sway any of the hopefuls one way or the other. Though she did look to Tatts and Tarot to see what they would do. Her eyes also moved to Emeria but quickly returned to Tatts, she wondered if the other woman was even in the right state of mind to handle whatever the hell just happened. Hopeful yet worried would describe her present mood as she waited to see who would step up next.

 

[Whisper]

Mairead watched Caelfind's gaze. The girl they'd all been calling 'Tatts' for, well, obvious reasons was someone she had high hopes for. Those hopes would be dashed if she couldn't make it a week without the help of another. She knew she was being cruel, not helping her more, but the young woman would have to face this challenge as she was. There would be time for healing later.

"She'll be fine," said the white witch, dispassionate as always, but there was certainty in her voice. "Sit. We'll have much to do when everyone has left the waters."

Everyone that can.

From nothing, Mairead produced a beautiful white violin and began to play. For all the detachment the woman showed, her music was anything but - its depths were full of sorrows and tragedy, ending in a crescendo of hope tinged with madness, telling a story as old as time among their people. She played softly and joined in with her voice, the gentle music filling the cavern.

Led through the mist
By the milk-light of moon
All that was lost is revealed
Our long bygone burdens
Mere echoes of the spring
But where have where we come?
And where shall we end?
If dreams can't come true
Then why not pretend?
How the gentle wind
Beckons through the leaves
As Autumn colors fall
Dancing in a swirl
Of golden memories
The loveliest lies
Of all​

 

[StrangeSpeeder]

Meave thought back to the past week. It was... something of a blur for herself really. The frequent, altercations... weren't her strongsuit, certainly. Often, she scraped by through guile and often, getting in between other fights and using those to trip up her pursuers or throw off their game, when she wasn't leading them into a trap she saw the craftsmen make, or even assisted in herself. She couldn't really say she found a weapon that 'suited' her at all either- maybe she would find one yet still...

And barely being able to understand Channel when she got all excited wasn't much better- she maybe got half of that, and only when she mentally reviewed what was said after the fact. Really, she tried to keep her level of sheer entheusiasm and energy up but... it was hard enough when she didn't have those things in relatively low stress environments. As opposed to whatever THIS was. Still, she had long since committed herself.

At least she didn't have withdrawal symptoms, unlike the Devil card holder. And, honestly, a few others when it came to less outright chemically addictive substances. Such as electronics. Sorry, five of swords, but batteries don't last forever.

And now, finally, they were nearing the final step- just drink 'blood' and contend with our inner demons, so to speak, wonderful.

Her somewhat salty mindset cleared up though, as they neared the pond, and she actually took the time to focus on what she was seeing... her eyes widening at the fireflies and the water. "... I would say this really IS a nice place to bring us, actually." She vaguely recalled reverse queen of wands having said something to the effect in a sarcastic manner.

She really ought to work on learning their actual names- it doesn't help hardly anyone else was referring to eachother by name, barring a few exceptions like Ronan. She took a moment, and nodded firmly to herself as... deer girl... she couldn't quite remember if she managed to plant a card on her or not- volunteered to go first.

"Haah... Well, we're almost there, no need to be in anykind of hurry just yet..." She said, even as she eyed around for where this 'blood of the witch' would be. She was, infact, quite excited to risk life and soul for the sake of the power that makes dreams and fantasy come true. And a bath. She hoped the pond wouldn't mind.

 

[P0rcelain]

As the narrator assigned to this individual’s experiences, I feel it necessary to apologize for what you had read earlier. It is rare that anyone is afforded a glimpse into the mind of somebody like Lilwen Dee-Ellis. Unfortunately, for the past few days she has not been in her soundest mind. This time will be different. I will write to you for the second time with exactness what the mistress Dee-Ellis is thinking and experiencing. There will be no dramatics. No poetry nor vagueness except where it accurately depicts what she is experiencing. It will be in strict, rigid chronological order. It will be deeply personal.

-

Lilwen was shaking in the cold cave as she watched Caelfind submerge herself in the water. She was staring at the glowing insects flying around the water. To her, they looked similar enough to the bugs she knew she had been hallucinating for most of the week. It struck her as odd that they were glowing, reflecting light off the water and walls of the cave. This was not something she thought her mind could make up.

Her somewhat salty mindset cleared up though, as they neared the pond, and she actually took the time to focus on what she was seeing... her eyes widening at the fireflies and the water. "... I would say this really IS a nice place to bring us, actually." She vaguely recalled reverse queen of wands having said something to the effect in a sarcastic manner.

When Maeve spoke, Lilwen quickly turned around and looked at her, noticing that she was looking at the glowflies as well.

"Ye can see those? Huh." Lilwen curiously remarked. Surely a disconcerting comment, for some of the other students.

"Haah... Well, we're almost there, no need to be in anykind of hurry just yet..." She said, even as she eyed around for where this 'blood of the witch' would be. She was, infact, quite excited to risk life and soul for the sake of the power that makes dreams and fantasy come true. And a bath. She hoped the pond wouldn't mind.

As if motivated by the irony of the cosmos, as soon as Maeve said 'hurry', Lilwen quickly jerked into action. She was stumbling towards Mairead, guided by nose towards the awful; magical concoction. The headiness of it was triggering starved neural pathways. She consciously knew it would not be alcohol, but the adjacency was motivating her against her better judgement. She took the goblet from Mairead in both hands, and took one gulp. She was leaning her head back and about to take another, before Mairead snatched the goblet out of her hands with such deftness that not even a drop left the receptacle.

Mairead began making gestures with her free hand towards the pond, worried that Tatts would get distracted by the drink instead of completing the ceremony. She stumbled backwards towards it, but fortunately this was deliberate. Completely without fear, she grabbed her nose with her left hand and fell backwards into the pond.

As she fell through the stagnant air, she thought.

C'mon, Tatts. There'll be nothin' in ye noggin ye haven' already witnessed. This 'ere will be simple. Ye prepared for anythin'.

She saw Mairead, Maeve and the other students watching. Dark eyes inside dimly lit faces. Caelfind was watching from the sidelines, soaking wet. Lilwen closed her eyes. Cool wetness touched her back. The sound of rushing water filled her ears. The crashing displacement of the stuff enveloped her as the others watched it splash around her. Lilwen felt herself sink, the blue light still touching her eyelids. She expected to feel stone scrape against her back soon. Alas, no stone. Instead, there was only the cold. The blue light on her eyelids was becoming weaker. It was now far enough away that she was confident no light was reaching her eyes.

This is erm... Deeper... than it looked.

Lilwen was still sinking. She was meant to be dreaming now, or something of the like. Something was wrong. She tried to orient herself upright; touch the bottom of the pond with her feet and bounce her way back up. There was no floor to jump off of. Like when looking down from a tall place, fear shot up her spine. She opened her eyes.

Blackness. Eternal void. It was cold, like the pond, yet merciless. She lost control of her body. She thrashed. She looked down, up, to the sides. Blackness in every direction. There were no bubbles being produced from her mouth and nostrils. It was all empty. Lilwen began to scream.

"HELP!! SOMEONE HELP ME!! P-PLEASE!!! I-I-!!"

She was not afraid of drowning. She was not afraid that she was lost.

"I AM BEGGIN'!!! HELP MEE!!"

It was this exact nightmare. Tears began to float in globules from her tear ducts, coating her eyes and making it hard to keep them open. She was prepared for anything.

"HELP!!!"

However, Lilwen was not prepared for nothing at all.

Her breathing had at some point become frantic and violent. She became aware of this and focused on it. Her conscious now buried deep within a primal reaction, she had began counting her breaths. Onetwothreefourfivesixseveneight- Easily breaking a hundred a minute. Likely, it was much higher. She cradled herself in the darkness. She covered her face and tucked in her legs. Her breathing began to slow. Rationality was slowly creeping back into her.

Wait...

Something was peculiar. As she began moving her cerebral clockwork, a thought started completing itself. Her muscles loosened.

...I can breath...?

Lilwen, now calmer; though still deeply disturbed, left her protective huddle and transitioned to a more relaxed fetal position. She struggled to open her eyes again, then gawked at the empty space surrounding her. She looked carefully for any sign of... anything. A brazier, a speck in the distance. Anything at all.

There was nothing. It was now occurring to her that given the anomaly of this situation, there was only one real reason why it could be happening. This was her inner-space. A hot feeling flickered in her brain. Irritation. It swelled to fill the entirety of her head. Anger. It then snapped and lashed into her limbs, animating them.

"...rrrrrrRRRG!!! O, I GET IT!!! I 'EAR YA LOUD N' CLEAR!" Lilwen shouted with outrage, "THERE'S NOTHIN' 'ERE BECAUSE I HAVE NOTHIN' LEFT! YE SICK FUCKKKKSSSS!!!!! I WONDER WHY 'ERES NOTHIN' TO LIGHT, AYY??!! IS IT CUZ I'M A GOOD FOR NOTHIN' NOBODY??!!"

Her frame was rigid and unhinged as she floated through the vast, unresponding emptiness.

"CUZ I DIDN' WORK HARD ENOUGH I CANNOT BE A WITCH??!! FUCK YOU!!!"

She threw her hat off her head.

"NO, I BET IT IS WORSE, ISN' IT? I BET I WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE A WITCH IN THE FIRST PLACE!!! I FUCKIN'... I TOOK MY BROTHERS CHANCE, DIDN' I??!! HE WAS GOIN' TO BE ONE OF THE ONLY MALE WITCHES EVER AND I FUCKIN' STOLE IT FROM HIM, THEN FUCKED OFF AND DRANK A WHOLE LOTTA BOOZE!!! THIS IS MY PUNISHMENT, AYY???!!! IS THAT WHAT THIS IS???!!! FUCK!!!!!"

She kicked and screamed. There was nothing to destroy. There was no vent for her unbridled rage.

"...Now I am goin' to DIE IN A FUCKIN' POND. C#nt!"

Lilwen wanted to curse some more. Instead, she waited for an answer. The void gave none. The anger in her was reducing to a loud sizzle. Once again, it was just her irregular breath, her heart, and the sound of arrogant nothing. She looked down at her hands. In a sense, her inner-world was not empty. The only thing occupying it was her. Blurry puzzle pieces shifted around her psyche just out of reach.

She inhaled deeply, and exhaled something calm and gentle: "...Nah."

"None o' that's right, ain't it...?"

Her gaze rose above her hands. They left her vision, leaving only darkness once again. Fear was still rhythmically beating at the back of her head, but she withstood it. She let the nothingness truly surround her. She experienced it fully. Her body was screaming for her to stop. It wanted her to bring her limbs closer together. She pushed against it and stayed still.

"Why am I scared of ya, ay?" She bemused, "I been runnin' from ye my whole life. Drinkin', sleepin', doin' anythin' to pretend ya didn' exist."

She felt the darkness nod to her in approval. It was in her head, of course. Yet, wasn't all of this...? The panic in her was quieting. It turned out it was not the cold that was merciless. It was the part of her that feared it.

"Ye were always 'ere, o'course. Always watchin'. I think I felt ya strongest 'round ma..." Lilwen's mind trailed off. She gained a startling awareness of this and came to yet another realisation.

"...Who are ye, anyway? Nah..." She kept on this train of thought. "...What are ye?"

The void kept silent. Yet, now it somehow felt helpful. The silence, in its own way, was an answer. Lilwen searched her memories. She was an investigator searching for the truth. Then, she found something odd.

"...Ya weren' always 'ere, were ya?" She said with shocked surprise.

Memories of her youth flashed before her eyes like slides in an old projector. The earlier ones were eerily... hopeful.

"Or... ye were, but I hadn' noticed ya. Ye're not real o'course, ye're an idea... or a concept or somethin'... I think ye're..."

Greed? Addiction? Despair? Insecurity...?

"...Anomie."

The one thing tying all those feelings together. Lilwen was hopeful and determined in youth. She trained hard. She wanted to be the best. At some point in her life, she became Tatts. Disillusioned, upset and hurt. She felt like nothing really mattered.

"...I wanted to be a witch, didn' I...?" She said to herself, ashamed.

Memories that had surfaced in her psychotic breaks throughout the week had began to surface once again. She started to remember it all. Her mother had not forced her to do anything. She allowed Lilwen to train alongside her brother. She allowed her to prove her strength against him. The tattoos that marked her skin. Lilwen dreaded them. She drank so much trying to forget they existed. Even so...

"...I consented. At some point in lil' me's life, I wanted this."

She looked at her arms and body. The ink embedded deep inside her skin. A remnant of who she once was. All on a canvas of raw, pure black.

"So, that's it, then. My inner-whatever is empty cuz I destroyed it."

Silence. That answer was not right either.

"...But it ain't, isn' it?"

Lilwen became aware of her own breathing once again.

"Why am I 'ere, ay? Well, not 'ere, but in Falbreck. It's cuz I have nothin' left, isn' it?"

Something about this question felt deeply wrong to her. Her stomach turned upside down. She recalled her anger, and that she screamed into the void.

"...Aaaa..." Lilwen marveled, "It isn'... That's what I say when I'm afraid. I'm not just addicted to liquor. I'm addicted ta bein' sorry for myself."

The presence of her question was all she really needed to know this. It meant she had doubt about it. Deep down, she knew it was not true.

"At some point I must've realised that bein' a witch wasn' all cracked up... I realised ma barely got out alive... N' that ma trained me to protect the rest o' us. I didn' want to be a witch no more..."

The emptiness once again felt lonely, but this time there was no fear. An epiphany occurred to her.

"Then this must be 'bout legacy!" Lilwen shouted. "Ma wasn' just any witch, she was The Anti-Hedge Witch. She messed with truth n' such. That is what my tatts and psalms are always yappin' about. I always wanted to be like ma, so that is my purpose! I just hafta figure out how to light somethin'..."

Tatts looked with excitement around her. Of course, there was still nothing at all in every direction possible. That is, other than her hat, which was now spinning towards her. She took it, then stared at it, confused.

"...Can I light my clothes...? Myself...?"

For some peculiar reason, something about setting herself on fire did not resonate with the vision of her conclusion. This, and if she was really here to continue her mother's legacy, why would she burn the clothes that represented her loyalty to Falbreck? Why would she burn her mother's hat?

"Hm... Fuck me..."

Lilwen leaned back into the abyss and put a finger on her chin. She thought quite thoroughly. Maybe there was an answer in her psalms. The most prominent of them came to mind:

She recited: "V'est li néol. Trel li néol. Néol va seda."

She repeated it in her head. I will be nothing. I am nothing. Nothing matters. It brought to mind the abyss that surrounded her. Then, she revisited what was currently with her.

"...Me clothes... Me... And... Nothin'. Is nothin' really a thing? I 'spose ma's skills were... kind o' like controllin' nothin'..."

Tatts jolted upright.

"Am I 'spose to light nothin' on fire? How would I even... Nah, how would I even control that? What if I light nothin' on fire and this whole place goes kaboom!"

She pondered this, then, motivated by sheer curiosity, raised her fingers pinched. Lilwen Dee-Ellis held her wrist with her other hand, ready to snap her fingers. She had no idea if this would work, but nonetheless. She closed her eyes. She started thinking about her mother. The sheer power of her abilities. The legends she had forged. The people she saved. It felt powerful. It felt like if she were to snap her fingers, it would bring birth to a glorious flame... She forcefully pressed her fingers together...

...Her fingers felt weak. How? She had literally broken her fingers four times in her life. She punched empty glass bottles for fun. They are the opposite of weak... It was not her fingers. It was her. She released the force pressing her fingers together.

"I didn' wanna become a witch for ma."

Lilwen sighed.

"Why did I wanna become a witch...?"

She recalled her training. It was rough. Brutal, even. Yet, she still did it. She sweated, bled, got bruised and beaten down. The whole circuit. Why? Why would someone subject themselves to that? It is not something someone does if they hate it...

"...That's it. I didn', did I?" Lilwen perked up, "I didn' hate it. I-I..."

She thought about the past week. Well, the parts where her psyche were intact, anyway.

"I don't have nothin' else left... This is everythin' to me. I love this. I love fightin'... I love trainin'... I love meetin' new people and bein' the best I can be. Ma didn' want me to be a witch..."

Lilwen brought her fingers back into position. This time, she did not think about her mother. She thought about herself. The years of training she endured. Her brother, that she bested thoroughly. Every broken bone, every drop of blood and every single scratch. She thought about the wyrd. She thought about the dreams of gaining otherworldly power. Lilwen thought about how she looked up to her mother. How she respected her and thought she was the awesomest in the world. She thought about how to lil' o' her the most important thing in the world was to help other people. She thought about the emptiness around her. The void that was not against her, but her weapon. A force that is malleable; that can be shaped into any weapon she wanted. A force like her. Able to wield any weapon. Able to fight any foe, should she rise to the task and give it her all. Her fists, a crack of lightning. Her breath, a soothing morning breeze. Her hair the warm sunrise that follows. Her tattoos, the lessons that guide them.

"...I did."

This time, she did not have to force herself. Her fingers simply snapped. A loud click echoed throughout the void. Anomalous, as there were no walls. A spark had come to life, radiating between her fingers. Lilwen, somewhat in shock, quickly brought her hands away from the heat. When she looked down, she was cradling a small, glowing, blue orb. It emitted a gentle light. Warmth came off of it and landed in her palms. It warmed her face. Her back to the void, it was the coldest part of her body. Even so, she knew she had to protect this flame.

As it turns out, she was nothing. She was nothing all along, and nothing really does matter.

-

Tatts unexpectedly splashed back out of the water, gasping for air. She scrambled out of it, looking like a cat that had fallen in a lake. Her hat had fallen off, so she quickly snatched it from its spot floating in the water. She stood by Caelfind's side.

There was a strange... lack.... of confusion, on Lilwen's face.