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Thrice for thine and thrice for mine
Silvers unlock their destiny
Permalink Mark Unread

Halliwell Manor has been empty for several years. The layer of dust that has accumulated on the furniture is unpleasantly thick. There are cobwebs in every corner, waiting to spring themselves on an unsuspecting visitor. The rooms smell musty, like a waterlogged library. Though the garden shows signs of maintenance, the interior is oppressively lifeless. Without people to fill it, the house has become a shadow of its former self. Underneath all of that, the place is the same as the sisters remember. Halliwell Manor looks like home.

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It feels like they went away into a parallel reality and then came back. Except for the stillness of the place.

The first thing Fernanda does is open the nearest window. And sets up about doing that for the rest of the house. Just the rustle of the leaves makes the place so much more.. itself.

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It's very bittersweet. Felicia indulges in (insofar someone can indulge in bitterwseetness) while removing the sheets, uncovering the furniture and organizing things.

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And Beatrix makes sure the utilities are all working correctly and that they can just move back to the house today as planned.

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The utility bills have been paid. The house works like any old house does.

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Yeah, old houses have it's quirks. Also a lot of accumulated thing over the years. They divide up the work on that and Bea gets to sort things in the attic. She can't even recall ever being up there.

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The attic is full of old things, completely untouched.

The light outside shifts as afternoon gives way to evening.

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There is really no other way to get this job done besides... well, doing it. Beatrix starts opening boxes and evaluating things.

Huh, a wooden trunk. Beatrix opens it.

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Among several other things, it contains a book. The material is weathered leather. The symbol embossed on the front seems vaguely familiar.

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Okay... Bea opens the book and pages through.

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The words are in English, though the diction is somewhat antiquated. More unusual are the drawings. They depict monstrous creatures as often as they do what seem like humans, but very few of them are, according to the text that appears underneath each.

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Huh, so it's some sort of bestiary? Maybe Lan will find it interesting. She distractedly pages through the book.

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So many kinds of demons! So many notable warlocks! So many spells, potions, and other such things!

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Oooh, Bea didn't know there was anyone in their family into this sort of satanic shit. What sort of voodoo work are these things meant to do?

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There's a spell to compel honesty, there's a potion to vanquish demons (one base potion with many, many variations, it seems), there's a description of a powerful warlock, there's a description of the Halliwell family of witches...

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Night has now thoroughly fallen.

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Bea puts the book aside and goes back to organizing things with her sisters.

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Later, when midnight draws near and the rest of the world falls quiet, Beatrix hears something in the attic.

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Ugh. Well, she grabs a broom and goes up there to deal with the bat, cat, garbage bear or whatever is making the noise.

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The attic is dark at this time of night, and the light switch is completely useless. Luckily, moonlight streams freely through the windows.

The book is on the floor, its pages rustling in an invisible wind.

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Spooky... and cool! This sounds like a good moment to act like an horror movie protagonist! She picks up the book and finds something to read out loud.

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She doesn't have to! The book flips o a specific page for her, and a beam of moonlight strikes if, illuminating it perfectly: Dominus Trinus.

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Okay, that was.... a weird coincidence, but you don't waste a chance like this.

She clears her throat, raises her hand in an overly dramatic gesture and then recites the Dominus Trinus.

"Hear now the words of the witches.

The secrets we hid in the night.

The oldest of gods are invoked here.

The great work of magic is sought.

In this night and in this hour.

We call upon the Ancient Power.

Bring your powers to we sisters three!

We want the power. Give us the power."

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The pages of the book flutter, the book nearly slamming shut on her hand. The cover seems to almost glow- and then nothing.

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Bea let's the book drop and then rubs her eyes in a very cartoony way.

 

 

Okay, fine. She is too sleepy, tomorrow morning she won't even remember this happened. She picks up the book and goes back to her bedroom.

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Nothing disturbs her sleep.

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Nice, she will get up and have breakfast with her sisters.

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After breakfast has begun in full force, there's a single knock at the door.

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Felicia answers it.

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"Hey. Is this the Halliwell residence?"

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"Yes. Can I help you with anything?"

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"I think I'm supposed to help you. Apparently there's something about a will. I don't mean to be insensitive, but there's some things I'm supposed to do for you."

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"Oh?"

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Fernanda shows up. "What is going on? Who is this?"

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"I'm- a friend of the family's- look, I've done this secret-keeping thing before and it didn't really work out. Can we talk somewhere less the-neighbors-can-hear-everything-we're-saying?"

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"Hey, who is at the door- Ooh, hey cute. Why don't you come in?"

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Felicia thinks for a second and steps aside. "Uh, you didn't say your name."

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"Warren, for now."

He looks around the foyer, wrinkling his nose, but follows them.

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They go to the living room. "Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee?"

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Beatrix might mutter something under her breath that sounds a lot like "breakfast in bed."

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"You said you are a friend of the family?"

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"I said that, yeah. I can tell you everything, there's just the part where you might not believe me. I'm warning you now so I don't sound even crazier."

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"Sure, go ahead." Fernanda says forcing a smile.

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"I might have come too early, but I had to get here before they started coming after you. So last night, one of you found a book. Probably in the attic, but I don't know, maybe in a closet somewhere."

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"What?!" Beatrix says squinting at him.

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"It's a book of spells, and it has entries on all kinds of demons and witches you'll face now. Welcome to your mythical destiny."

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The triplets look at each other.

"This sounds like a really weird-"

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Beatrix glares at Warren and that glaring suddenly takes shape and pushes him backwards.

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"...prank."

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He falls backwards, his body shimmering and vanishing in blue-white orbs of light.

He reappears where he was standing, with the glowing orbs coalescing to form him.

"Good. Now that we have proof, let's talk."

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"Yes, please do. Fast."

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"Does this means that I'm responsible for us unlocking our magical destiny? I bet I am."

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"If you read the book, yeah. I'm going to try to keep this short so that one," he points at Fernanda, "doesn't kill me. You're all witches, which means you have a few basic powers that all witches have, and at least one unique power. Telekinesis, in her case," he says, nodding at Beatrix.

"I'm not the mysterious mentor figure the Elders are going to send to talk to you. That's your whitelighter, who's supposed to protect you and guide you. You're witches because your mother was, and the line goes back a few centuries. Oh, and you're supposed to fight to protect the magical world and uninitiated innocents. I think that's all the major points."

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"And you say Elders, you mean something different from old people and ideally something different from Elder Gods from beyond reality, right?"

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"How long until the whitelighter arrives?"

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"And how long are you going to stay around? And who are you exactly?"

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"Elders are just more powerful, more annoying whitelighters. Whitelighters think of themselves as angels, which makes sense, I guess, since they're fighting demons, but it's pretty arrogant if you ask me. Not that anyone did. Your whitelighter should show up in the next couple of weeks, pretending to be human until it's 'time'. I'll be sticking around until I'm sure whoever you get doesn't screw everything up."

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"I see. Wow, I have so many questions. But one important one. Who are you and why are doing this?"

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"The name's Warren, like I said, and who I am is way too complicated to explain until you can defend yourselves. The telekinetic one is good, but you two need to figure out your powers before something attacks."

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"I'm failing to see the connection between you explaining yourself and our defense capabilities."

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He sighs.

"Fine, no point arguing about priorities. Simple explanation: I'm a Halliwell from an alternate universe that doesn't exist anymore. I'm pretty sure you had different grandparents, so at most we have a common ancestor way back. Moving on. Your active powers will be triggered by emotions. Looks like anger for the telekinetic. And only one of us actually gave a name here." 

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"Fernanda, Felicia and Beatrix." Fernanda points at the relevant people. "And alternate universe? Why I get the feeling that every single bit of information you gives us is going to triple the number of questions?"

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"Are you the only survivor of your universe?"

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"Any guesses on what Fernanda's and Felicia's powers are likely to be?"

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"There was another timeline. I stopped some bad things from happening, and did that by erasing my own birth. My mom was supposed to be one of the Charmed Ones, but instead you are. I'm working with what I've got. If you guys have the powers I'm used to, it'll be molecular immobilization and premonition. First one you can think of as freezing time, I don't think it makes physical sense. Second one is just visions of the future, especially demonic and warlock attacks."

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"Oh my god. Do you need a hug?"

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"How do we figure out who got premonition and who got immobilization?"

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"Powers are usually triggered by emotions. It looks like Beatrix got the telekinesis standby, anger. The immobilization went with fear, especially a surprised sort of panic, and the premonition was mostly tied to wanting to help innocents. 'Innocents' is what we call the mortals who don't know about the magical world and are threatened by it."

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"Would a sudden scare count? How about wanting to win the lottery to donate the money to refugees is less likely to produce premonitions?"

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"Am I limited to only use the power while hulking out?"

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"You can improve over time. Prue and Piper - that's telekinesis and immobilization- learned to use them on demons pretty early on. It's easy to direct your anger and fear at the things trying to kill you and hurt everyone. Phoebe had more trouble getting her premonition to work. If you want to practice your powers we can do that, but first thing is figuring out which of your friends secretly wants to kill you."

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"Yeah, that sounds like a good priority."

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"Do help us figure that out."

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"It's a safe bet that any warlocks or demons you know are threats. The easiest, safest way to identify them is to try scrying for them. Scrying is next, it's one of the basic powers all witches have. Scrying, casting spells, and making potions."

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"Cool. Are we going to find out our apparently-evil potions teacher was in love with our mother?"

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"Take this seriously, Bea."

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"God, I hope not."

He starts to pace.

"We should go to the book. If I can get you set up with a vanquishing potion now, we'll save a lot of headache later."

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"Sure thing. I will take you there."

The other two follow.

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The attic remains an attic, showing no sign that anything unusual happened there.

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And presumably the book is still there?

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It is. Closed, but the image on the front of it has changed. Where once the three ellipses were separated, alone, they now intersect.

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He looks around the room slowly, not saying anything immediately.

After a minute has passed, he sighs, and glances at the book.

"I should be able to touch it, technically, but I don't know if would recognize me as a Halliwell. This family definitely isn't mine."

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Beatrix offers it to him. "As long it isn't going to burn you like holy water or something."

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It doesn't burn him. It lets him take it just fine.

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He can't open it, however.

He tries longer than strictly necessary.

He hands it back.

"Okay. We're looking for a vanquishing potion. If your ancestors are as helpful as they should be, you should just be able to ask for that...your ancestors are probably in the afterlife."

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"What is the afterlife like?!" The three ask simultaneously.

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"Yeah, I can't help with that. I've never been. There's also reincarnation. You can try to get one of your ancestors back, it's happened before, but not for long. It's supposed to be nice, if you're a certain kind of person."

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"I will search for the potion."

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"What do you mean with back? And how do you know there is an afterlife? How does reincarnation works?"

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"So whitelighters are a lot like the popular image of angels, and the elders are their leading council. Sometimes, the elders will send dead people back for a while. While they're dead, they can do things like help you with the book. Reincarnation works like most religions that have it say it does. You're reborn, but you forget your past life. They can turn out pretty different."

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"What do you mean with back? Are they ghosts? Is there anything that survives reincarnation? Are you saying that everyone that has ever died is going to reincarnate? Are there ways to recover past memories?"

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"She wants to know if figuring out immortality through magic is less of a priority. Also, does this means Christianity is wrong? And what is up with that Jesus dude?"

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"Is this really what you want to do before learning basic skills? Only witches reincarnate, some witches are Christian but a lot who grow up in it pick up Wicca, they come back as long as the Elders want them to which means I've never seen it happen because I'm not as popular with them as my parents were. Back to the book, please?"

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"We will stir to more practical questions."

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"What are the basic skills?"

Back to the book.

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"Potions, spells, and scrying. All witches can do that. Even witch practitioners. Witch practitioners are like witches but less magic and more New Age, but the basics actually work. It's still genetic though, not every person who picks up a book of spells will be able to get somewhere."

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"Do the basics also get better with practice? How spells come to be?"

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Felicia comes across a demon vanquishing potion! It vanquishes "upper-level demons", and requires their blood.

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"Basics don't really improve, and I don't want to tell you everything unless you're sure you can hide how much you know from your whitelighter."

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"What would happen if they figured out we got outside help?"

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"Whitelighters and the elders care a lot about proper behavior, and secrecy, and the Greater Good. Also, try not to let them know I exist, they might want to fix that."

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"Man, I already can tell it's going to be a joy working with these people."

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"I meant, if they have ways to figure out it was you. It might be worthy to come up with a different story that doesn't implicate alternate universe cousins or whatever is our degree of relation."

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"Do you have a place to stay?"

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"I have a lead on the alternate backstory, and maybe on the place to stay, too. I'm planning on investigating it after we finish up here."

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"Well, if you need any help you can count on us."

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"So let's see what you found."

He takes a look at the book.

"Okay, good. We'll learn to brew this potion as soon as possible. Hopefully each of you is good at one of them. Fold down the corner of the page so we can get back to it, and start looking for spells. They'll be pretty obvious. They're the only pages that rhyme."

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"Rhyme," Fernanda says under her breath. "Okay. Let's get started then."

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He touches the book to flip through it, by it snaps shut on his fingers.

He pulls his hands back.

"Great. Ask for something easy, like a truth spell."

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"Oh, book in our hand flip- Wait, should I avoid rhyming at all?

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"Book, turn to the truth spell page." Fernanda orders.

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"You don't need to order it, the fact that it's doing that at all means it's one of your ancestors doing it. Probably Melinda, she doesn't have anything better to do."

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Truth spell!

Anyone the caster speaks to will be forced to answer questions truthfully, and after twenty four hours, all memories of the truth spell will be erased, except those of the caster.

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"Well, thank you, possibly-Melinda." Fernanda says.

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Bea gives thumbs up to the book. "Well done, granny."

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"Huh, does the memory thing affects people that are not direct targets of the effect? And I assume it doesn't erase writing, but if you know otherwise."

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"It affects anyone who answers your questions. I'm not sure if it would get anyone who overhears, so try not to be reckless. This is probably also the time to mention personal gain. If you use spells or potions for your own benefit and not to promote Good, it backfires."

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"Who came up with that lame rule?"

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"We are going to be responsible. But I'm not entirely sure what is the definition of responsible."

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"Another thing to keep in mind. Good and Evil aren't about- anything people do, they're abstract, real parts of the universe. Some things, like demons and warlocks, and Evil, and some things, like whitelighters and witches, are Good. I'm not sure if anyone created the rule, I don't know how the metaphysical forces of good work. Just avoid using magic to achieve your goals unless there's someone you're specifically trying to save. Your active powers count to this too, but not as much, since they're yours."

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"Joy."

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"Let's focus on keeping alive for now. So, what is up with someone close trying to kill us?"

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"That one is just a guess. Piper had a warlock who'd been posing as her boyfriend for months who tried to kill her as soon as she got her powers. Warlocks usually go after witches because they can steal powers, so if someone realized you were the Charmed Ones, they might be willing to wait for them to come in. Any boyfriends you got that you don't trust with your life?"

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"Uh..."

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"Uh."

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"You are not thinking it is Theo, right?"

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"No self-respecting warlock would be caught dead without his athame. It's a small knife, probably with a very intricate pattern on the hilt."

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Well, if Felix's horrified/hurt face is any indicator then she has absolutely seen that knife.

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"You can try talking to him, with me as your backup. He might have a half-decent explanation."

Beat.

"I wouldn't count on it." 

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"Well, I would love to know what is the half-descent explanation to have a ritual murder-knife."

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Fernanda hugs Felicia.

"Is there a surer way to identify the bastard or is the truth spell our best option?"

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"Warlocks are hard to detect until they strike. The athame is a big hint. And I didn't mean there's a chance he isn't a warlock- they have a specific look if they belong to warlocks. You won't see any practitioners with this kind unless they've studied and copied one, which is just as creepy. I meant he might not be trying to kill all of you. I've met some friendly warlocks."

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"Well, what caused or motivated hem to be friendly?"

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"Also, It bears questioning: would a friendly warlock date a charmed one for friendly reasons? Besides how incredibly hot we are?"

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"I don't know how they met, maybe they were childhood sweethearts, maybe he has a kink for dating people who want to kill him, I don't know. They were friendly because they didn't want to kill me for my powers."

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"They were not actually childhood sweethearts, but we knew Theo when we were kids. Also, what a great standard for friendliness."

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"I made friends with demons that did want to kill me, I think my standards are totally functional and kept me alive, thanks. So. Confronting the boyfriend?"

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"If he is not a supernatural, what would be the consequences of outing magic to him?"

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"The Elders," he sighs, "don't like that. But if you make a 'mistake' before they send a whitelighter to you, they'll probably forgive you and not even erase his memory."

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...

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"C'mon sis. You of all people would never expect that the ones in charge would be sensible."

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"While we're on the topic. I'm half-whitelighter, half-witch. That's forbidden. By the Elders. So don't mention it, and generally don't mention I exist. They might want to erase me from existence because this isn't my timeline."

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"Are you a danger to the timeline at all or are they just following the rule guide of incompetent good-doing?"

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"I don't think I'm a danger to the timeline. They're kind of the only source on big, world-shaking stuff I can trust, but they also personally hate me and I can't talk to them, so I'll never find out. I think we should probably just move on and try a spell. Is there something wrong with the truth spell?"

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"Is that purely because of the half-whitelighter half-witch thing?"

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"This set haven't met me, and even the set I knew in this time didn't care- I'm originally from the future. Of an alternate timeline. Which I changed to stop the world from being taken over by an evil magical dictator, and now my family never existed. It's kind of a touchy subject, so let's just focus on you saving the world."

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"Okay, anyway, nothing wrong with the Truth Spell."

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"I suppose, I should be the one to cast it."

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"You could cast it on all three of you, I'll just have to step out of the house. That part is optional. If you only want it on yourself you can do it that way."

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"Somehow, I feel very inclined to try new magical powers."

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"You've been warned against abusing it."

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"At any rate..." Felicia clears her throat and the others follow suit.

"For those who want the truth revealed,
Opened hearts and secrets unsealed,
From now until it's now again,
After which the memory ends.
Those who now are in this house,
Will hear the truth from other's mouths."

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"Yeah, personal gain backfire is never fun. You can kind of avoid it with active powers, but not that much. Be careful. Remember, your mythical destiny is to help people."

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The book glows.

No apparent effects beyond that.

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"...warn a guy next time. It's on me too. I just won't ask any questions all day, great."

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"Sorry. Is this will happen whenever someone is over?"

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"Not usually. 'Those who now are in this house', most spells don't have that part."

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"I guess it needed to rhyme."

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"Okay, I guess I will call Theo. This works over the phone?"

Permalink Mark Unread

"For most spells you can leave out a stanza if it makes sense. If you cut off the last two lines, you still have a working truth spell. I'm not actually sure if the spell works over the phone. Besides, if he is a warlock and it does work., he'll have time to plan his way out of a confrontation."

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"Figuring out if it works over the phone is not only about being able to learn the information from a distance. It would limit how I would interact to him through phones too, which would mean I would be careful with question through that device too."

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"Are you planning on going around with the truth spell longer than 24 hours? At that point, it might count as personal gain."

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"No, we are no," Fernanda says for all three of them," but an entire days is a long time and often requires interactions with multiple people. Does the magic care at all if we are honestly trying?"

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"Personal gain is a load of crap the Elders served up expecting us to deal with it. If you're not using magic to help save people, it's personal gain. In this case you should be okay, because you cast the spell to find out if your own lives are in danger, and that's not personal gain because you being dead hurts the magical world."

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"Fernanda, I know you hate to be told to be more chill about things, but in this case being mad probably doesn't help."

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"I probably shouldn't be telling you all of this now, you need to be able to pretend to like them. Look, let's just focus on Felicia's boyfriend."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Alright, alright. So, if it turns out he is an unfriendly warlock?"

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"I should be able to take care of it."

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Hug.

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"Well, thank you. Now, if it turns out there is some kind of magic thing that only the purest of heart can use and that it can un-evil Warlocks, then this would be a good time to mention, because Felicia is the purest."

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"...no. Although I just remembered- in general, it's probably good to ask questions like this, there are a lot of things I theoretically know about but never used- anyway, I remembered there's a way to marry a warlock that makes them Good."

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"Marry."

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"Wait, how does it work?"

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"There's a ritual. I don't even know if it's in the book. Look for 'light binding' or 'handfasting'  or...'good wedding'? Try all three."

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They try that.

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They find a ritual under 'Handfasting', which requires the presence of a High Priestess at sunrise or sunset.

The affianced are quite welcome to recite their own vows.

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"What is a High Priestess?"

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"Okay, I'm actually less cavalier about killing Theo than I'm letting on, but are we seriously considering this? And does even mean to turn him good?"

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"Good and Evil are abstract things. Someone could turn you Evil if they tricked you into the wrong binding ritual. I don't know how much of his personality will survive, but usually it's minimally invasive."

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"Minimally invasive." Fernanda mutters.

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"Compared to whatever killing method we are going to use."

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"If you want my opinion, I wouldn't do this until you've tried to talk him out of killing you. Convince him you'll give him access to demons and witches whose powers he can take."

Permalink Mark Unread

"Would we need to follow up with that offer, because that sounds like the sort of thing the so called Good Side would have a problem against."

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"They won't care what you do with demons or evil witches as long as you vanquish them. 'Vanquish' just means kill for Evil people."

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"The other kinds of beings don't have ready ways to convert them? Also, you never said what a High Priestess is," Felicia points out.

Permalink Mark Unread

"If you have an army of good witches, you won't be able to handfast to all of the Evil things out there. A High Priestess is any sufficiently experienced witch who can perform the ritual, it's up to the Elders. Most of your ancestors probably qualify if we can't find anyone else."

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"It does not scale, but one would at least think that is still a bit preferable to murder." Felicia says dryly.

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"What are the other ways to get hold of a High Priestess that won't involve a seance?"

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"Essentially, you'll have to find more experienced Good witches. If you give me a couple of hours, I can find one."

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"Please do."

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"Sounds like a good idea to get in touch with other good supernaturals."

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"Assuming she isn't too busy fighting off her own demons."

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"If you want to filter them for personality fit and general usefulness, that's an extra step. If you just need a High Priestess, I think I know someone who can do it."

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"Let's start simple, yeah."

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"I'll need a couple of hours to get all my ducks in a row. Or twenty minutes. There's a risk that if I go with the easy option, the ritual won't work."

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"We are in no hurry. Or at least not enough that I would rather to risk the thing to fail."

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Nod.

"I'll be back. Try not to do anything stupid."

In a swirl of blue-ish white orbs of light, he vanishes.

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"Charming counter-factual cousin."

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Felicia receives a call.

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"Hello, Felicia Halliwell."

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"Yeah, we've met. Did I not give you my new number? I guess that's what I get for you moving away and abandoning me. Speaking of, who was the guy at your door? Not that I was watching from next door. That would be weird. Hi."

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"Lan! Gosh, it has been so long! How are you? That guy was just a friend of the family. Anyway, I missed you, tendency to spy and all."

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Fernanda shoots Felicia a glare over the question.

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"Things are great over here. Life is so exciting. Loads of stuff is happening. We should hang out, the three of us."

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"I'm sure that Fernanda will want to see you too. We all do."

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"Is she less, you know, Fernanda? I can stop by whenever you guys want, I'm pretty free."

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"Fernanda is just as much Fernanda as always."

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"More even!" Bea shouts to the phone.

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"But you should come over anyway. Uh, we are kind of busy... you know, having to organize all the stuff in the house and everything."

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"I can help! I'll be by in a couple of minutes."

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"It's nothing interesting! Just old family antiques!"

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"Look, if you don't want me to come by, I don't have to. Bye."

He hangs up.

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Sigh.

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"I give even odds that he will show up anyway or never talk to us again."

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He has, evidently, not decided to show up.

They have the next several hours to themselves.

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Fernanda reads up the book some more.

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Spells! Spells that vanquish this demon, that demon, this warlock, that demon...there are entries on specific enemies they might face, specific witches that might be ally or adversary, on whitelighters, on previous members of the family...the book does not cooperate with simple turning of pages, but rather opens to pages based on a mysterious wind.

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"I wonder how hard it would be turn this thing digital." Fernanda muses out loud. "I don't suppose there is anything about the basis of magic invention?"

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Nooope.

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"Fine. I will figure out how unleash a golden age of magic and prosperity myself if that is what it takes."

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Fernanda suddenly sees the street outside their house.

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What? What is happening? ...Can she move or look around?

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She can't. It passes moment to moment like a series of photographs, the movement only an illusion of the technology.

She sees a familiar face crossing the street.

He looks at the house, spotting someone in the window. He doesn't spot the car that comes at him from the side.

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Fernanda tries to move forward and get Theo out of the way.

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The image of Theo and the street fades, and she's once again in their attic.

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Well, Fernanda goes downstairs to tell her sisters that she got a premonition.

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"Okay, maybe... I should camp out in front of the house or something?"

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"Let fate solve our little problem."

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"And let the poor driver be arrested for running over someone?"

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"Also, we have a perfectly reasonable solution for Theo."

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"Jesus, I can't joke around you even a little."

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Well, Felicia is going to hang out in the house's front steps.

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She'll eventually see Theo on the other side of the street.

It's not clear where he walked from.

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"Hi, Theo!" She says trying to not sound concerned.

Any vehicles coming this way?

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Apparently not. The street looks clear.

"Felicia. I thought I should stop by. Today must be an exciting day."

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"Huh. I wouldn't call cleaning my old family home exciting."

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"I was actually thinking about the other thing. Can we talk? Just out here, in a public place, right in sight of your sisters. I assume they're inside?"

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Sigh. "Yes. Is that what are you planning to do?"

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"I don't want to hurt you. Did you know that no warlock has ever managed to steal a demon's power? They hate us, we're like the dirt on their heels. But I could work with you. Sometimes you need someone to do the dirty work."

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"And what are you planning to do with these powers?"

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"You have met me. There's plenty to do. Busy work, saving the world."

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(Meanwhile, a man appears in his their attic.)

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Fernanda is there to see him. "Warren?"

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"I have a place to stay, and a High Priest for the wedding, if we can't get one of your ancestors."

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"I had a vision."

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"Murder, accident, or ambiguous?"

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"Accident," she tells him how she saw Theo getting hit by a car.

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"We should get ready," and he does, stepping outside.

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Theo observes this.

"So? What do you say?"

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"It sounds a lot similar to our plan. Are you being perfectly honest?"

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He starts to speak, then stops.

"I was planning to kill all three of you, but that doesn't mean I'm going to," he says finally. "I think that's as complete as we're getting."

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"Who sent you?"

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"The Source of All Evil, who else?"

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"It usually likes a middleman. I guess it doesn't really matter. It's up to the sisters what to do with you."

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"I still want to go through the plan and convert him to the side of good."

She is not particularly happy with the part about his true plans.

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"I would like to make an addendum that I would rather be the one that marries him."

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"...Felicia, it's nothing personal. I do care about you."

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"Yeah, let's hurry this up. The sooner we get this done, the better. Inside."

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He looks to Felicia.

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"Yes, come inside."

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"So, uh. What do I have to do?"

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"Are we wasting time trying to get your ancestors on the line, or should I just call the witch I found?"

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"Call the witch."

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"The plan is to marry you into the side of angels," Trix tells Theo.

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"I'll be right back. He'll orb in the same way I do."

He disappears in the (apparently) characteristic flash of blue-white orbs of light.

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"Felicia, are you sure you want it to be Trix? Maybe we should talk through this first."

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"My silence earlier was not assent. I still prefer to marry you."

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"Talk about what?"

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"I think we need the Book of Shadows for the ceremony. Should we take this party upstairs?"

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"Should we move that party upstairs?"

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Their Whitelighter returns, with company.

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Also appearing via orb is this handsome stranger, scion of a powerful and noble line of witches- 

"Bartholomew Marks, of the very noble line of Marks witches. I was told that you ladies need someone to officiate?"

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"Yes-"

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"What we need is to convert a warlock to the side of Good," she points at Theo, "and apparently that can be achieved through marriage by a high priest."

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"Oh, just about any experienced witch can serve as a High Priest, it's mostly about knowing the words. Do you have a Book of Shadows? I assume you must, the Halliwells are a rather old family-"

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"It's upstairs. Let's hurry this up, before anyone comes knocking."

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"Okay... just to confirm. No one here is planning something that we wouldn't expect to?"

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"Are we talking about me? Fernanda, I'm hurt that you see me that way. I'm just here to get married."

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"I can handle a rogue warlock. Shall we?"

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"Alright."

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"I should marry him," Felicia says to no one in particular, "if we need to do this again it's unlikely to be under better conditions than this."

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"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner."

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"Let's begin."

As he says this, his accent, which was rather generically American, is replaced by something a bit more British. It's quite unsurprising if you know the history of the Marks family, but you may not. The family originated in England, though they spent some time in Salem, which was where they first encountered the Halliwells...

He places his hand on the book.

"Ahem. I actually need a Halliwell to flip to the proper page, if you'd like to read the vows before we begin, but you could also merely repeat after me."

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Felicia does that.

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And the words are conveniently displayed for her and her future husband.

 

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"We are gathered here today to unite two souls as one. Do you..."

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"Felicia and Theo."

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"Rex. If given name matters."

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"Do you, Felicia and Rex, join us here of your own free will, to acknowledge the eternal bond shared by both of you?"

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"I do."

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"I do."

He takes her hand.

"I didn't actually have anything prepared. Want to go first?"

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"You can skip it. That's what I'd recommend, we don't need this getting more complicated."

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"Yeah, let's skip it."

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"Alternatively, the vows can be 'and we hope this works'."

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"Here, before witnesses, Felicia and Rex have sworn their vows to each other. With this cord, I bind them to these vows."

In a mysterious flourish, the eldest scion of the (American branch of) the Marks line presents the aforementioned cord, tying Felicia and Rex's hands together."

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"Heart to thee,"

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"Body to thee,"

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"Always and forever,"

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"So mote it be."

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"So mote it be." The sisters choruses.

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"So mote it be."

Well, now they kiss. It's a very chaste kiss.

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Theo seems to be less than content with the chastity involved, but he cooperates.

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"So mote it be," he mutters darkly.

"That's one enemy handled. There are about a thousand left who personally want to kill you, and more who wouldn't mind it."

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"Yay."

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"Well, thank you for the help." She turns to Marks. "To both of you."

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"Oh, you're quite welcome."

Just another day in the life of Bartholomew Marks.

"Warren, shall we go?"

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"Sure. Let's go home. Unless the sisters need me?"

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"No, but keep in touch."

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"Don't worry about coming in the middle of the night. I don't think Theo is going to get his promised honeymoon gift that involved me, Felicia, Fernanda and handcuffs."

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He doesn't bother to answer. He takes Marks' hands and they orb out.

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"I think he might be a little old for him."

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"There are weirder kinks."

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"We should talk."

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"Okay. Let's talk."

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They go downstairs first. "Okay, so... we should figure out the future."

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"What do we need to figure out? I'm your husband, I think that's a good start."

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"Well, what exactly to do with the future? We have an entire magical destiny to deal and that sounds like the sort of thing that gets loved ones involved even if they don't want to."

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"Lucky I don't have any of those, then. Look, I'll help you kill demons as long as I can take their powers, it's not that complicated. Think of it like an investment."

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"..."

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"Do you have any goals for those powers?"

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-He sighs.

"I'm sorry this isn't what you were expecting. I'm sorry for lying to you. I'm not sorry that I'm going to help you save the world. That's what this is. You get me powers, I use them to help you reach your goals."

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"Thank you."

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"Give her some time, will you."

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"Well, at least this is a symbiotic partnership." Sigh. "This is probably not the best time to propose this, but do you have... family that we should be concerned with?"

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"...not exactly? I have parents that I was torturing until pretty recently."

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...

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...

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Felicia stands up, hugs Theo briefly then leaves the room.

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He sits down on the floor, rocking gently.

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"Was that statement... were you actually unaware that it wouldn't be taken lightly?"

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"I didn't have much of a choice. It's not something I expect Good people to be alright with, so I'd rather not have mentioned it until later."

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"What do you mean you didn't have much of a choice?"

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"Also keeping even more secrets is not going to help your case here."

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"What do you know about warlocks? Not much, yet. Some are born. Some are made. Some choose it. Some don't. I've made some mistakes, but I want to make things right."

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"Okay, we know what the Book of Shadows says, which says how Warlocks come to be, but does not discuss the cultural norms of warlock society and reasons why one would torture others of their kind."

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"I wasn't born. I was an experiment. The Source of All Evil likes seeing how he can make people destroy each other. Now, I'm Good, and my brain is a giant storm of self-loathing and guilt. You're welcome."

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"Yes. I am welcome." Pause. "But I am sorry that happened to you. And Source of All Evil?"

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"So, the Source is the most powerful Evil in the universe, probably. I'm not up on my metaphysics. It possesses one body at a time, usually an upper-level demon, and it goes around promoting Evil. It rules Hell, sets policy there, and other Evil bureaucracy stuff."

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"Ah, of course. Why am I not surprised that Hell is a bureaucracy." She blinks. "Uh, did they specifically sent you here after us or something?" She blinks again. "When you said were not born...?"

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"My mistake. It was ambiguous. I was born to witch parents, and a group of demons working for the Source found me, and told me a convincing lie, and I did what they asked me. Things got worse from there."

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"Okay. I'm going to go tell that to Felicia... anything, brutal we should get out of the way or something?"

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"I killed two mortals, and four witches and warlocks. I tortured my parents until I was eighteen, starting when I moved back here. That's the worst of it."

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"Huh, okay. The details can be left for later."

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A few moments later Felicia returns. She does not look Theo directly in the eyes, but that maybe that is because her eyes were puffy. That said she sits down next to Theo and hugs him.

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Hugs are good. He tries not to move too much.

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Hugs.

"Are you in any immediate danger?"

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"I should be okay until they notice I'm not reporting in. If I go one week without contact, they'll investigate. I could try to fake it for a while."

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Squeeze. "As long it's not too dangerous. Is... alignment something they could detect?"

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"They might try to test me if I don't seem Evil enough, but I think I can do that. I have experience."

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Nod. "Just don't risk yourself, okay?"

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"I'll be careful, promise. I'm not making you a widow that fast."

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That gets a chuckle out of her and she touches his forehead with his. "Yeah, please don't."

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Trix gets a call on her phone.

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Thank god! A distraction! "Hi, Lan!"

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"You know, I'm starting to feel left out. What's been going on over there?"

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"Some relationship drama between Felicia and..." should she say husband? better not. "Theo, but you know Felicia she is too much of a sweetheart to hold a grudge."

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"Right, Theo. That's still a thing? What about you and Fernie, doing anything fun?"

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"We are participating in their relationship drama. I think that answers your second question. Why? Planning something?"

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"I'm always planning. I was wondering if you wanted to check out a crime scene."

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"Gosh, a crime scene! You know how to keep a lady entertained."

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"What about a crime scene?"

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"Lan wants us to check one out."

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"Is this... the family... thing?" She waves her hand.

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"What crime scene?"

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"A woman was murdered in her house. They tried to make it look like an accident, but it's definitely arson."

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"Grim. How do they know? Where did that happen?"

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"Well, they don't know. My dad thinks it's arson. It's just a few neighborhoods over."

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"Cool, I would absolutely want to check it out."

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"Great. I'll pick you up in five minutes?"

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"See you there, handsome."

Trix then explains the situation.

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Theo would kind of rather hug his girlfriend wife and not think about anything else, but it's not his call.

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"You two have an excuse to skip it."

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"I'd be okay staying here. We could go over the powers I have and how Felicia wants to use them."

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"Ah, yes. That sounds useful."

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"Maybe start power experimentation while you're at it. And you have yet to manifest your power, right?"

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"Right."

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"I might be able to help with that. Most powers are tied to strong emotions."

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"Help how?"

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"You're probably feeling a lot of contradictory things about us. Use that."

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"Yes... but... I'm not sure if they are contradictory..."

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"Start with something nice. Joy, contentment, excitement, something like that. Think about a memory. Do you remember that little hole-in-the-wall restaurant we went to that first week, just after we met?"

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"Yes?"

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"Focus on that. Think about us at that table, trying not to laugh at the cheesy décor..."

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Felicia does suppress a chuckle, but focuses on that. She strokes his hair.

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Meanwhile, Lan knocks on the door.

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Fernanda answers. "Lan! It is nice to see you again, come in."

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"Finally! I've been trying to get a hold of you guys all day. Do you actually do anything fun while I'm not here?"

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Trix goes to the door. "You know we don't. We spend all day watching paint dry." She pulls Lan into a hug.

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He leans into it longer than strictly necessary, then pulls away quickly.

"So. Me and the two prettiest girls in this house without boyfriends. Shall we?"

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"Lead the way!"

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He leads the way!

His (old, decrepit) Jeep is parked outside.

"So, this one looks like it's part of a pattern. Women of a certain age, all into Wicca, are turning up dead across the city."

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"Is the pattern serial killer or robbery followed by homicide?"

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"It looks accidental. They keep killing themselves by being clumsy, apparently. But it sure looks like a serial killer's profile."

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Fernanda briefly ponders how many demonic killings are classified as serial killers or as more ordinary sort of crimes. "And there are no suspects?"

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"Not yet. That's what's we're for."

They pull up outside an apartment building. There's a police car parked there too.

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"Is your dad around?"

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"He's probably at the station. Whoever this is, I can talk around."

Unless anyone objects, they'll take the elevator.

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"I see and they are all Wiccan."

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"Quick! We should disguise ourselves as old Wiccan ladies and set up a trap."

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"I don't know, I could see you as young Wiccan ladies. Mind if I come watch a ritual?"

Ding! They've arrived. Lan walks into the apartment with police tape blocking the door.

Crawling may be undignified, but the investigation calls for it.

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Too bad she does not know how to levitate (yet).

Also, Lan is here and shouldn't see this sort of thing.

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"Knowing you, that was meant to be lewd, but I think you should've set up the lewdness more beforehand for the joke to work."

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"Should I have started cracking 'skyclad' jokes when I started driving?"

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"Not this again."

Lan's dad exits the bedroom, placing himself between them and the other police officers, who are rushing out to identify the intruders.

"What are you doing here, kid? This is a crime scene."

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"You have met me, right? Can we get just a tiny little peek?"

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"No, and if you want to keep your leaving-the-house privileges, you can go straight home."

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"Hello, Sheriff Solanke! It has been a long time!"

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"Hello, Beatrix. I see you're keeping out of trouble. Fernanda, how are your plans going?"

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"You know I would never get into trouble and never be bad influence to anyone!"

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"My plans have come several major changes since our last meeting, but I would they have overall changed for the better. Is nice seeing you."

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"Maybe-"

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"Lan. Go home."

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Although they haven't been allowed to go further in, the triplets can see the woman's body. She appears to be no different than any other dead woman, and any further details are obscured by the people and the walls between them and her corpse.

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Fernanda tries to focus on the sight of the dead woman and... reach for whatever power she can get.

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She sees the coroner, examining the body. He pronounces the death as resulting from smoke inhalation from an accidental fire.

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Sigh.

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"Well, that was a interesting and morbid sight. Lan, do you want to start cracking the 'skyclad' jokes? I can reply with 'I show you mine if you show me yours'."

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"I'll strip for sarcasm, I live off the stuff. Back to the Jeep?"

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"Yes. And remind me of taking you in that offer."

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"I'd never forget that, Trixie."

He runs ahead of them, hoping to avoid her retaliation.

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"Gosh, that is a nice sight for sore eyes."

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"I admit he did grew up nicely."

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Meanwhile, Felicia and Theo are working on activating her power.

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"Okay, so it's not anything positive, it's not anger, it's not sadness...what about fear? Think about something bad happening to me. Do you remember when I showed up here with bruises all over my arm, and I tried to pass it off as a fight gone bad?"

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"Yes. What was the actual story behind that?"

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"...that was one the nights I killed a witch. She fought back."

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Felicia looks away.

...times fails to freeze.

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"This is bullshit. This should be working, we've covered everything. You have to run out of emotions eventually!"

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"I don't think that is how emotion works."

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"Yeah, guess not."

He leans back.

"I think I need to sort out a couple of things in my head, and I've tried everything that seems obvious to me. Can we just...sit quietly, for a while?"

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Of course. She hesitates, then she snuggles to him.

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"Honey, we're home!"

Lan and Felicia's sisters have apparently arrived.

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Felicia gets up to hug Lan!

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Lan: is hugged.

"We didn't catch any killers today. I think we needed the full triplet power."

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"Of course you did! Oh, I forgot to introduce you to my boyfriend, Theo."

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"Sure. Your boyfriend, Theo. Hi. I'm the best friend, Lan."

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"Oh, she's mentioned you."

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"...so me and Trix are heading upstairs if nobody needs us."

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"Don't need us." Upstairs? Upstairs! Beatrix's room is not completely moved in, but has a very important feature: a soft bed.

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Well, he'll make himself at home, then.

He leans back, arms folded behind his head. He gives her his most "come hither" look.

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Well, in that case she can pounce on him and start kissing.

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"So what did you guys find out?"

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"Someone has murdered Wiccan practitioners. I don't suppose you know anything about that?"

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"...in the past few days?"

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"Lan didn't give a specific timeline, but I think so."

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"One of them might have been."

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Felicia shivers.

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"We should compare notes then, and one of them means that not all of them? Do you have any of what is the... population density of demonic creatures?"

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"Most of them live in Hell. The few that are actively up here wouldn't cooperate with a census. There's at least hundreds of thousands of individual demons, but anything beyond that is hard to guess. Only some kinds breed."

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"Okay, do you remember if you killed someone at," she gives the addresses that Lan gave them.

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If they hadn't unhugged before, they have now.

"That one," he interrupts after one of them is said out loud. "The one on Tapper Street. She had geokinesis. Good for moving rocks to make a place to stay."

 

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Well, if they have unhugged now, then Felicia will hug him.

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Hug.

He's apparently feeling clingy all of a sudden.

"The rest aren't mine. Could be any warlock or demon."

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"Alright... do you know enough to tell if it should be just one other warlock or demon?"

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Cling. "You could consult the book of shadows."

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"The Book should help. It has most species catalogued, or so they say. It's probably not a warlock if they didn't stab the victims."

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"I will check."

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Felicia squeezes him and pulls him upstairs.

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"The plan was to marry you in our way. That would turn you into a warlock, and then it would be easy to bring Trix to our side. Fernanda would be the harder sell, but she's always had more ambition than the whitelighters like."

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Felicia look at him confused. "I think that is giving my sisters too little credit."

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"And seriously underestimating Trix's desire to enact revenge."

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"Revenge for what? Marrying her sister? Felicia would have been the same person. I don't think I'm wrong about Fernanda hating everything about the whitelighters and their stupid system, either."

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"Okay, I suppose the change could be subtle enough and if you're sneaky then Trix could be corrupted. I do protest the notion that my contempt for incompetent authority equals corruption to even more contemptible authority. But fair enough."

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"I think we disagree on how contemptible it would be. I regret murdering people, but having my inner switch flipped to Good didn't do much else, far as I can tell. It's just the crippling guilt about the murder."

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"Part of me still can't believe that worked."

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Felicia squeezes Theo and kisses his forehead.

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"I always liked you, I just also wanted to break you. It's easier now that I just want one."

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"Do you have any idea what they wanted to do with evil us? Or it wasn't anything specific?"

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"There's a lot you can do with powerful witches on your side, but mostly they wanted take you away from Good. There was no guarantee we'd get all three, and I think they were less sure of it than I was. If they got just one, it would be enough to break the Power of Three."

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"Beyond repair or for this generation?"

Attic, here it is. Presumably with the book of shadows.

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"This generation, which would be enough."

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"Grand. I can't wait the years of paranoia and thinking about the trade offs of having my children or not."

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"Our ancestors managed through many generations. I'm not saying it isn't worrying, but we are at least proof that is doable."

Is the book going to cooperate with giving information about who could have possibly killed the other witches?

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"The Halliwells haven't had the Power of Three in a while. It doesn't stay in one family, but it has to be three powerful witches, all related. That usually puts a damper on things, if we have anything to say about it."

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"I'm noticing the trend. Huh, if you and Felicia have children are they going to get any extra power from you?"

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Felicia facepalms.

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"If anyone's curious about it, I can clear it up. They won't inherit anything from me. I mean, they'll be guaranteed to be witches, not like if I was just a mortal, but they won't have any link to my side of the family. Warlocks give that up when we become what we are."

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"Okay, useful information, can we talk about that subject later?"

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"Sure. Whatever you want."

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There's the sound of chimes outside their door, and immediately, a knock.

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"...I will go get that."

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Hey look it's this guy.

"So, I realized we should probably have a better way for me to get in touch with you than just showing up unannounced."

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"Come in. Yes, that sounds reasonable."

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"There are spells we should be able to use to establish contact. If we want to try to get lucky, I could try to connect to one of you as your whitelighter."

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"What are the failure modes if do not get lucky? How complicated are these spells?"

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"We won't connect, that's all. If we succeed, they might be able to tell, which is a kind of failure. If you can try to get a premonition about it, that would be great."

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"I will try, but keep in mind that I haven't got a hang of it."

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"Even better. You need the practice."

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"Fair enough. Ah, warning, Beatrix is making out and likely having sex with a friend in her room."

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"Okay. In the future, avoid telling me anything beyond 'Don't go into Beatrix's room', thanks."

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"The most important part of the statement was the fact that we have an innocent in the house... that word feels wrong applied to Lan."

Upstairs? Upstairs.

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Upstairs.

"I'm not sure I can offer useful advice on calling premonitions. The witch I knew who had the power got to it much later. She had karmic issues to work through."

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"What sort of karmic issues?"

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"Evil past life. We can get to checking yours in a bit."

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"Grand. Is there anything stopping me from writing a FAQ in the Book of Shadows? I bet there isn't one, but it totally deserves one."

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“Go right ahead. It’s your book.”

This is said with an undercurrent of bitterness that may perhaps be unwarranted.

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Yeah, Fernanda is not equipped to handle bitterness. Her reaction to someone being bitter is pretty much "well this person gets how terrible the world is".

They reach the attic. "Warren is here." She announces.

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“Why’d you go and invite the angel? Now we won’t be able to have any fun.”

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“Not an angel. Only half an angel, anyway. And I don’t like that half, so let’s just move on. Felicia.”

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"Hi, anything happened?"

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"I figured you guys needed a way to talk to me. We're going to try to set it up with a spell." 

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"Aren't I technically a witch now? You could just take me as your charge, that way they won't notice either of us."

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"...I'm not sure if you're a witch now, this hasn't actually happened a lot."

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"See? This is what you get when your good guys are not scientifically minded. Is there a major issue if you fail?"

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"The only issue is if they notice. We lose any deniability if he's my charge instead of one of you. At least that way, you can protect me from them. This way, they'll throw both of us under the bus if they catch us."

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Felicia holds Theo protectively. "Yeah, it sounds like a better option if we are your charge. Is there any extra benefit from being your charge he won't get?"

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"My charge could call me if they were in trouble. If I go with any of you, that brings up the other risk I mentioned. They might not like that I'm not actually assigned to you, and they'll look into my history. We don't want that."

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"Okay, and the less contact they have with you, the better. Unless, Theo objects?"

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"I just want Felicia to be safe. I couldn't care less about this guy."

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"Okay, I'm going to give you lessons in pretending to be Good."

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"Are you an expert?"

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"I've had to give the lecture before. I've never met a demon that could pull it off without practice."

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"He wasn't that bad before. Granted, I'm probably the last person that should be consulted on the matter."

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"You can trust most of what you remember. I never lied to you."

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"Let's just get this over with."

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"Do we need to do anything?"

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"I might need help finding a spell. I can't touch the Book."

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"I thought it was just Evil that couldn't touch the book."

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"It's also not great with people from averted timelines. I'm pretty sure if the Halliwell Book of Shadows and I fight over whether I exist or not, I lose."

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"Okay, uh, feel free to stand back while we consult the thing."

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Felicia searches for a spell.

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She finds one, and Warren elects to read over her shoulder.

"I should be able to cast it. I've tried spells I remember, and they worked."

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"And you're confident that you won't turn into antimatter and explode?"

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"I'm never fully confident about that. It keeps life interesting."

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"Well, good luck?"

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He reads the spell.

"Guiding spirits, I ask your charity. Lend me your focus and clarity. Lead me to the one I cannot find, restore that and my peace of mind."

The book glows, and he orbs...

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...across the room, to Theo.

"...close enough. The Elders won't whine to you guys about us, anyway. Good enough for me."

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"So you have to protect me now, right?"

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"Don't push it."

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"Please don't. Their success rate can't be 100% and failure would make Felicia sad."

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"I'm not going to get your boyfriend killed. What kind of Whitelighter would that make me?"

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"I was talking to Theo."

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"I'll be good. I think that's all we need him for, right?"

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"Sure, I'll go. Call me if you need me. Anything else, Halliwells?"

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"Not for now."

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"Thank you."

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Away he goes.

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"So. Now what?"

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"Well, we prepare for when both good and evil sources come knocking."

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"I have some contacts we might be able to use. It could get touchy now that I'm not Evil, but I can think of one or two who I'd trust not to rat me out or kill me."

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"Uh... how much being evil influences their ability to understand incentives and the benefits of trust and the like?"

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"They're not stupid enough to burn bridges until they know exactly how far gone I am. If they realize I'm going to oppose almost everything they do, they might."

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"And the thought of becoming good is very aversive?"

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"Depends on the demon. I don't think there's anything you could have offered to convince me."

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They nod. Felicia hugs Theo. "Who is most likely to find out and how do we prepare against them?"

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"I have- what you could call employers. They expect reports whenever I go back. They'll notice immediately, and they might not make it obvious if they think they can use me against you. I have some friends who would notice, and I can't be sure if I could turn them."

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"How about if we make a list that includes their names, demon types, personality and dispositions?"

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Theo lists them.

Ravo, the Grimlock, who enjoys killing good witches a bit too much to stop, but he might be convinced not to turn on Theo if he doesn't interfere with his hobby.

Bartok, the Noxon demon, is brave but stupid, and his temper is famous even among Noxon. He would turn to Good for love, but he'll turn Theo in otherwise.

Dawad, the Executioner demon, hunts anyone his masters tell him to. As long as he has someone to kill (or "vanquish"), he'll play nice. They could use him.

"There are other demons, but they won't notice anything my masters don't."

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"Ravo does not really look like a long-term option. And as long Dawad behaves moving forward I wouldn't mind having around. Is there anyone that we could immediately set up with Bartok?"

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“We could try Lan.”

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"Are you saying that because they're actually compatible or because he is the closest, quite literally, person available that we could rope into this?"

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“Sorry, couldn’t resist. Dawad will be easier than finding someone. We can always try Bartok later if we need more allies.”

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"I wonder if there is a spell to find one's true love."

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"Or even acceptable OkCupid match."

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“You probably should know about cupids.”

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They make a face. "Yes, tell us about cupids."

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“Cupids are- I don’t actually know how they pick ‘em, come to think of it, but they’re humans who die young and are raised to carry around a ring which they use to make destined pairs fall in love. Don’t ask me about destiny; I’ve given up trying to get a straight answer on that.”

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"Uh, unpack 'fall in love'? Are we talking about mind control?"

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"It's destiny, so I don't know. If you want to dismantle the whole thing, you have to start with the Elders." 

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Sigh. Felicia looks personally offended, in a way that makes her look more like Fernanda.

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"Anyway, Dawad. What is the best way to approach him? Should we leave him be for now until it's obvious you're turned or dealing with him earlier is better than not?"

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"I think we should do it sooner than later. I don't want them to assign me as a target."

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Nod. "Best way to approach him?"

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"He responds well to flattery. We need to find him while he's at the gym or the gun range."

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"I vote gym, for obvious reasons."

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"When do you want to go? We should be ready for a fight."

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"Do you think we can take him before figuring out my power?"

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"I'm hoping it doesn't come to a fight, but I can take him down if I have to. We shouldn't wait too long."

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"Alright, I think at this point we should get Beatrix involved then."

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"Sounds good. Think they're finishing up?"

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"That is more intimate information about Lan's performance that I currently have, but I doubt Beatrix will be mad if I ask."

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In another room of the house, finishing up a much more exciting activity, Lan tries to catch his breath.

"Wow. We should do that again. I mean more than the 'again' we already did it. Just, again. Wow."

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Giggle. Kiss. "I approve. Gosh, if you behave I might even give you a praising recommendations to my sisters. Telling them that really ought to try sometime."

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"I'm happy to keep the Halliwell sisters entertained. I can't think of a better purpose in life."

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"Should we knock, or would that scare Solanke?"

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"What? Do you think just barging in will scare him less?"

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"It sounds more fun. Better on net happiness."

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"Are you trying to catch Lan naked?"

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"I don't think he'd enjoy it as much as I would. Let's knock."

Which he does.

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"Right, the real world. Do you want to get that, or should I?"

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"I will get that." She throws on a bathrobe on herself. Lan can get a towel that barely covers anything at all.

She opens the door.

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"We have the beginnings of a plan. We can spend a couple of days training, but not more than that. I'm not risking bringing the entire forces of Hell down on us."

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Felicia freezes.

In the sense that time freezes. Theo is not caught, but Lan stands still.

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"Well, that is sure a way to jumpstart one's powers."

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"I'm guessing that's a 'no' on talking in front of the mortal?"

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"Yes. You don't even know if he is good at keeping secrets."

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Beatrix is waving hands in front of time-frozen Lan's face.

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Lan doesn't respond!

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"I was vague enough that I can play it off. We probably don't have long."

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And they in fact don't. Lan unfreezes.

"Why are you waving your hands in front of my face?"

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"You kinda froze all of a sudden." Beatrix says and then she steals the towel he was using to cover himself up.

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"What did you expect? Do you usually walk in on people like this? Kind of rude."

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"We've got bigger problems than your sex life."

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"Right, the forces of Hell. Way to be dramatic."

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"I disappointed he couldn't pick something better as an excuse to catch you in all of your glory."

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Felicia is keeping her eyes closed so she can't see any of Lan's glory.

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"I'm going to put on some clothes. Sorry, Felicia."

He retrieves his clothes from the floor and walks around Fernanda, who he expects cares less about any chance of exposure.

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She is not staring, but she is not-not staring.

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"You ladies will see me around. Have fun with your apocalypse."

Exit Lan.

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"So we are planning to find one of Theo's allies and flatter him to our side."

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"That's the plan. If any of you want to sit this one out, you can."

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"Gosh, I just remembered I had some taxes to do. Sorry, Theo."

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"Oh, is that what you call him? Cute nickname."

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"Well, I guess that is a yes from all of us. And Felicia at least demonstrated her power. Do you think you can do it again?"

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"I'm not sure? The fact it manifested under a situation less stressful than magical combat is promising?"

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"It's better than nothing. If there's anything you want done today, we should do that before we go."

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"I guess we could check in the big old recipe book for demon-be-gone potions?"

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"Sure. Let's take a look."

To the attic with them. They find a recipe for an all-purpose vanquishing potion, which supposedly should work on most low-level demons.

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Alright, they go about brewing that. Assuming it does not require the souls of forsaken children or anything.

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Nope, but it does seem to require ingredients they don’t have.

”Never mind. Me and Felicia will have to protect you guys if we have any problems.”

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"Or maybe I will protect all of your asses with actually-capable-of-offense power."

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"Maybe. Like I said, I'm hoping it doesn't come to that. He's a useful guy."

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"How far and how long until we can meet him?"

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"If you're ready, I can take you there now."

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They look at each other and then Fernanda speaks. "I think that is as ready we can get without literally waiting for another day."

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Theo takes Felicia's hand, and holds the other out to Fernanda.

"All of you need to be touching me."

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"Let the records show that he invited us to do it." Squeeze.

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Fernanda rolls her eyes. Touch.

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A moment passes.

"Damn it. It's not working. I'm gonna need a minute to check if blinking is the only thing I've lost."

He extricates himself from the siblings and starts pacing.

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Felicia puts a hand on his back. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

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"No, I just need to run through the list."

Theo raises a hand, causing a bolt of lightning to travel through the room, stopping short of doing any damage. After that success, he transforms into a wolf instantly, and transforms back.

"I'm not going to check the venom here, but that looks like everything except blinking."

At their blank looks, he adds, "Blinking is what warlocks call our teleportation. We'll need to figure out another way to get there."

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"Where, exactly, is there?"

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"Hell. One of them, anyway. I don't know anything about the geography of the place, if I'm honest."

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"Okay, let's take another look at the book of shadows."

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The Book of Shadows does not obediently flip to a helpful page. They'll need to just turn pages like regular users of books.

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The absolute horror of page turning.

(She kinda wants to digitize this thing, but first thing first.)

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The Book contains pages and pages of demons, warlocks, spirits, and assorted other horrifying monsters. They are interspersed with recipies for potions, instructions for spells, techniques for scrying, and descriptions of powers.

There are also several entries on families, clans, and secret organizations.

Finally, Felicia finds a page titled "Hell". It describes, in broad strokes, the hierarchy of hell (with The Source of All Evil and the Triad at the top, and warlocks and vampires at the bottom), several important locations, and some historically important residents and factions. There is very little information about how to get there.

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"You can use portals to get there, although I don't know anyone who can make them. Otherwise, I say we forget Dawad and try someone more local."

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She figures that going to hell is not a common solution to most people's problems. She reads a couple of lines and makes a note to going back to it later.

"Who do you have in mind then?"

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"Korbrant. He's not the best choice to report to them, but I'm not dealing with Liam or Hayden."

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"Alright, tell us about Korbrant."

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"My best guess is Xilvoch demon. I can't be sure, since my employers were pretty reckless with their experiments."

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"Okay, let us look up Xilvoch demons, but I meant him personally. Also... are we going to get too sidetracked if I ask about the experiments?"

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"There's not much to say about him. He's quiet. He doesn't usually know how to assert himself. He was from the second batch. Most of them didn't survive the blood transfusions, and those that did have it pretty rough. It's some kind of disease, but it changes the way they act. They get violent. Their faces change shape. There are these bumps and ridges...I'm not sure I can do it justice until you've seen it."

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Felicia nods solemnly.

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"So, how do we approach this guy?"

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"I think he and Hayden are still staying in Josh's house. We should be able to stop by while she's out."

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"Maybe approach him when he leaves?"

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"Actually, that's not a bad idea. Maybe one of you could scry for him."

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"Yeah, we should do that... also, did Josh die in different circumstances than what I was told?"

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"Shit. Yeah. I've done a lot of things I regret."

He sighs.

"I said I killed four witches and warlocks, and two mortals. Most of those were other experiments, including Josh. Tracey, too, but I never introduced you two."

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Felicia gives him a shoulder hug. "Okay. Okay.  So we scry for him and convince him to join our side?"

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"Korbrant is a decent guy. Honestly, he's a pushover. If we tell him to do something, he'll do it. That's part of why I don't want to have to send him to do this. It's just that anyone else has good reasons to hate me."

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"The joys of being evil. Okay, when he is mostly likely to leave the house so we can have a chat?"

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"He usually wanders the city after lunch. Hayden will be at work by then."

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"Okay. That gives us a timeframe. How do you expect us approaching him to turn out?"

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"I shouldn't do the talking. Felicia, you can introduce yourself as my girlfriend. He knows you're a Charmed One, and that you don't know about me. If I know Kor, he'll want to warn you."

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"At least that doesn't sound too complicated."

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"What if Hayden or Liam show up?"

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"Better idea, I stay in the car in case something goes wrong, and Felicia pretends to be my oblivious, concerned girlfriend."

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"Ask Kor about the companies Rex has been keeping. How he seems to get into weird fights and friends dying. I did find suspicious myself." Fernanda suggests.

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"Sounds about right. If you get into trouble, just freeze everything and scream for help."

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Nod. "I assume that they wouldn't do anything to overt in broad daylight, right?"

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"I keep forgetting how little you know. Warlocks, demons, and witches live among mortals. They never really notice, and when they do, they just write it off. Korbrant won't try anything, but Liam might murder you in the street and get away with it."

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"Felicia, your new hubby keeps the worst company."

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"Yeah, yeah," Felicia says with an uncharacteristic sour humor, "this masquerade business is sure annoying. Should I just spring on Kor that we already know and are... recruiting?"

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"Sure, we can tell him, if we can get Hayden on board. I don't think she'll listen to you, though. You're an idealist."

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"So we need to matchmake her with Fernanda?"

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"Not the word I'd use. We don't need to make Liam any madder than he's already going to be. Any other major points to cover?"

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"You never actually mentioned what the others can do."

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"Liam is pretty basic. Standard super-strength, plus a temper. I'm not sure I've seen the limits of what Hayden can do, but assume that on top of super strength, she can summon terrifying bone monsters as minions. Korbrant turns invisible. Dawad isn't even superpowered. His teeth are sharper than the average human's."

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"Okay, that sounds... manageable."

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"This can wait until tomorrow. I want to spend today with my fiancée."

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Fernanda gives him a look that is more unimpressed than usual. "I suppose we can take a while longer to prepare. Maybe stock on potion ingredients."

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"And process... things."

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Theo hugs Felicia and doesn't offer any more input on tomorrow's events.

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Felicia hugs him back, tightly

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Fernanda and Beatrix can give them some space and take this time to stock on potion ingredients.

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"I'm sorry for murdering several people and not telling you."

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Felicia snorts a self-deprecating laughter. "I am sorry that the forces of hell exist and turned you into their evil minion."

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"It was my choice. I didn't know what I was getting into, but it was my choice. I'm the only one. The others, they're just science experiments, they didn't get a say. I did."

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Squeeze. "How... are you comfortable talking about how it happened?"

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"They came to when I was nine. They offered me power, and I took it. They didn't get what they wanted from that experiment, so they kept trying."

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Squeeze. "Not that there is a good age for that to happen, but that is too young."

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"I'm just glad I have you."

They stay that way for a while. Theo tells her more about what happened to him, although he's light on the details of his murders; that topic seems to make him uncomfortable.

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She will do her best to comfort him. She won't pry much on the murders and snuggle up to him when she feels his discomfort.

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Meanwhile, the other triplets go shopping.

Potionmaking requires a great deal of supplies.

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Extremely unusual supplies. Felicia picks some potions from the book of shadows (to contact the dead, to find lost witches and to request a sign or vision), which sound generically useful and sets up getting ingredient supplies. Some stuff is a matter of being sure that they have the right herbs in their kitchen or visiting a flower shop.

But "fresh blood from the left hand" means that Fernanda and Trix go to the pharmacy figure out which medical supplies. They probably are going to need a great deal many, but Fernanda will probe more on the capabilities of magical healing first.

For now, Fernanda decides that a blood draw kit is more versatile than a diabetic lancet, and she is going to purchase that.

She also grabs some condoms while she is at it.

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"Stocking up for your turn with Lan?"

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"I was more thinking about Felicia and Theo."

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"You don't think they are going to make up and get busy this soon."

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Fernanda shrugs. "I honestly don't know, but I am pretty sure it will be something out of passion and I don't know Theo's opinions on unprotected sex post marriage, but I figure that leaving a box in Felicia's nightstand can't hurt."

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Beatrix makes a face. "This is..."

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"Strictly better than we killing Theo."

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"Yeah. I should've offered myself instead."

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"You know Felicia would've felt worse. And you have to miserably hold off all your jokes until it was okay to tell them, then they would come all at once and it would be grating."

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"I love you too."

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There is an awkward silence. "I don't think that we should directly interfere with the Theo situation."

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Trix makes a noncommittal sound. Neither a yes nor a no. Neither question or answer. Closer to a "keep going", than anything.

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"Not for now. I don't have a better solution than keeping an eye on the situation and be ready. We, and by that I mean you, don't try to push anything to either direction. That includes lewd jokes."

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"What? Of all kinds? Not even ones that don't involve Felicia?"

Which is her way of saying that she agrees enough with Fernanda that she will just make the most predictable joke to the set up that Fernanda purposefully gave her.

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"Well, maybe if Lan is around you can propose that boy on boy is hot?"

Which is Fernanda's way of replying this is good enough.

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After a certain amount of snuggling, Theo has to admit he's just avoiding the inevitable.

"It's bad enough looking at you knowing how badly I screwed you over, but there's no way I can justify myself to Fernanda. Murderers don't usually rehabilitate this easily."

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"Fernanda is less mean than me, she just doesn't show. And... magic being involved is a great argument."

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"You have to forgive me, your love literally made me a better person."

Mostly.

"I don't think your sisters are going to be so lenient."

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She ruffles his hair. "Yeah, I am a real romance novel heroine. Teaches me to be carefull what I wish for."

Pause.

"I think... they care about my sake. I think they will just be watchful around you."

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"Should I be worried?"

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"It probably means that Trix will make jokes about putting you in chains. More than normal that is."

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"Maybe I should offer. Think she'd even blink?"

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Felicia gives him a disbelieving look.

"Don't offer what you can't give. She might blink."

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"You're probably right. I've got my hands full right now."