"... You saw it too?  They're drained?"

For some reason he can't remember whether his sister has aura-sight yet.

"Not quite saw it, but - yeah.  It's that bog.  Er, I think.  And... other things, I don't know how deep..."

Ian squeezes his sister's hand.  "Sorry you were here by yourself all week in the middle of this.  Let's - I'll go in and give the brownie a chance to see me, and then if there's time before dinner we can get a better look over the town?"

Lily squeezes his hand back and nods.

Ian's quickly half-unpacked, and he hasn't seen the brownie yet, but then he wouldn't.

Just as he's leaving his room back to Lily -

to whom?

he didn't have a sister yesterday

Who is 'Lily' - and, what is she?

What spell did she cast on him?

She not only tolerated a Blessing but asked for it - he can't remember all the different types of spirits, but Uncle Malcolm said they wouldn't help most dark spirits - so that sounds good at least -

- but why is she putting on this mask? -

After a few minutes of confused fear, he tears a page out of his journal and writes, in case the spell gets him again:  "LILY IS FAKE.  NOT MY REAL SISTER."

He leaves it on the old oaken desk in his room, in the offchance it'll help.

And then he rushes back downstairs.  Ms. Cooper probably didn't break free from the spell when he did, but it's worth checking before he goes out to look around town by himself.

"Hi, Ian!"

Lily's sitting at the bottom of the stairs, weaving something out of grass which she quickly slides away into a pocket of her dress.

He's moving in two worlds at once; he stumbles as he's stepping down and grabs the banister to steady himself.

"Hey, sis," he says before he can clearly think, "what're you weav -"

"Just come on out!"  She beckons.

Ian follows Lily out to the street, even while half of him is trying to say he shouldn't be.

It's a narrow cobblestone street, just wide enough for one car to squeeze through if you really wanted one.

Nobody really wants one right now.

There're a few people in the street - some adults walking, including a few with market-baskets, and a few teenagers standing whispering together several houses down.  To all appearances, they all look human.

The street is also clarifying.

The superposition resolves.  Ian stares at the changeling, with only a tiny voice in the back of his mind still telling him she's his sister.

He'll talk politely, for now at least - it's always the best starter.  And she hasn't been nasty to him beyond the enchantment.

"What are you?"

"Your sister."

(She reaches one hand into her pocket.)

"No.  It was a strong spell, but no."

He shouldn't have broken through the spell so quickly. Did she make an error with her human fingers? Or are the Hungry Ones working against her? Or is this human - Ian - just that powerful? Hopefully it's the last one; it'll help soon...

^{And she really wanted to just be his human sister for a while!}

"What are you?"

^{"I don't have a mouth-name save 'Lily'...can I stay?"}

She doesn't quite mean to beg for exactly that, but it slips out.

If she's trying to make him feel bad about making an apparent little girl almost cry... well, she's succeeding.

"You made everyone think you're my sister... why?  And for that matter, who did you put your spell on?"

(He doesn't quite want the passers-by to hear, but he's not making much of an effort to whisper.)

"Ms. Cooper.  And Gracie.  And you.  I didn't need to enspell anyone else."  Especially since she added an aversion loop to make sure they wouldn't think to mention her to the rest of the Tirwinnin clan.

"Oh, Gracie's the other witch in town.  About your age; she and Ms. Cooper have tea every few days."  And put down each other's aesthetics, and have Ms. Cooper keep insisting Gracie's miscasting the omens when they tell her disaster is coming.

Well, that's better than the alternative.

"Why?  Are you trying to corrupt us?  Lead me - lead us - into some doom?"

"Not corrupt.  And if I do lead you to a doom - I swear, it'll be one you wouldn't have wanted to avoid."

When he doesn't instantly respond, she adds -

"Can I just show you around town for now?  Please?  There're things you'll want to know!"

(It'll really help save them... and give her a bit longer as his sister.)

He knows many spirits' oaths are trustworthy.  But not all of them.  And if she's offering to go around town with him... he knows a decent way to check.

Also, he really could use a guide around Bridgbury.

"You won't enspell me again?"